Whatever Happened to VRML?

Question

Back in the late 1990s, when I was at grad school VRML was going to take over the world. My peers and I built all manner of useful and interesting things with it by hooking it u

Answer 1

I started VRML at the beginning with 256 colors and w95. An author program called Chaco Pueblo and Black Sun ( to become Blaxxun) as a veiwer. In my opinion is still the most versatile veiwer. We used Powow for Chatting (similar to IRC), which gave us the idea to integrate as many protocols as possible. Cellphones were popular in Europe before here.

The whole element in those days was multiple protocols in one program, and when Vrml 97 came along, Microsoft stole the show for Gaming and use for Education and Business immediately evaporated.

I am still in favor of having an exclusive veiwer because of the multiple simultaneous protocols that Web Browsers dont seem to be able to manage

the advantage of 3D vs 2D, is there is a 3D form of Objective Reasoning that many people in society no longer have while confined and raised to 2D Subjective Space

I think it is idiotic looking at someone on a Video Monitor talking. But alot different in VRML because you can meet in a Historic Location for example anywhere in the world or time and relive events.

I believe there is somewhat of a misunderstanding here, because no one has really used or investigated the full capacity of VRML before it was extinguished.

For example: in the early days the Spanish migrated as far north as SF Bay. The Russians migrated as far south as Fort Ross, which is approximately 40 miles north. They were 40 miles apart from each other for many years. Can you imagine how different the world would be today if they had ever met ?

IMHO - with todays more capability in Graphics and Bandwidth, that more sophisticated "Whirrleds" are possible that would hold peoples attention.

Humanity really dropped the Ball on evolving at Y2K with the misuse of the Internet and turning everything into Gaming.