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Simula: A VR window manager for Linux

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Re: Simula: A VR window manager for Linux

#51
Seems like this doesn't have any relation to xrdesktop[1], which doesn't have mouse support! Really glad to see they have it here, any VR workspace is completely unusable if I have to use motion controls to simulate a mouse. Will definitely be trying this out tonight.

[1] https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xrdesktop/xrdesktop

Re: Simula: A VR window manager for Linux

#52
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

thanks. Good to know. I'll be sure to bring my reading glasses when I go try on headsets. Something I would have likely neglected to do otherwise.

I’m pretty sure you never focus on anything up close in VR. It’s all “far away”, as someone who is near sighted I absolutely have to use glasses in VR. I suspect but am not certain some far sighted people might not need correction, as something may seem close up but really it’s just “big and far away”. Try it!

The focal plane is typically a few meters (depends on the headset)... so I guess if you don't need glasses at that distance you would be fine.

*IANA optician

Re: Simula: A VR window manager for Linux

#53
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

thanks. Good to know. I'll be sure to bring my reading glasses when I go try on headsets. Something I would have likely neglected to do otherwise.

I’m pretty sure you never focus on anything up close in VR. It’s all “far away”, as someone who is near sighted I absolutely have to use glasses in VR. I suspect but am not certain some far sighted people might not need correction, as something may seem close up but really it’s just “big and far away”. Try it!

> It’s all “far away”, as someone who is near sighted I absolutely have to use glasses in VR

Yeah, me too. As far as my eye is concerned, most things are "far away". Interestingly though, I can read things in VR "farther" than I can in real life. I am not exactly sure what the convergence looks like.

Re: Simula: A VR window manager for Linux

#54
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't used VR devices too much but I believe the wiggling that you see in VR demos is not present when actually using the device. The device is simply adjusting the perspective to match your head motion and so the actual user is not seeing the wiggling but in the demo it appears that the view is wiggling to the watcher. But I agree that wiggling is off putting. I think VR demos should low-pass filter the output t…

I wonder if a separate camera for pancake with a larger FOV would help, with the translation (e: and rotation) matrix lowpass-filtered from user orientation.

I've seen "motion smoothing" options for VR spectators in some games - not entirely sure that's what they do, but I assume it is.

Re: Simula: A VR window manager for Linux

#56
Very clever idea actually, major props. Unfortunately I get really sick from VR so it's not gonna be for me but I can definitely see how someone can take advantage of that. In the WFH era for people who have tiny laptops, this could do. I personally hook mine to the tv as a second screen but still... Very clever!

Re: Simula: A VR window manager for Linux

#57
post #2

Wow, it is written in Haskell.

That’s weird, wasn’t Simula 2 the first OO language? This Simula doesn’t seem to be related at all. I get name reuse, but this Simula is one of those huge milestones in computer science.

Yes, it was introduced in 1967 as a successor to Simula 1 and the language was called Simula 67. It influenced subsequent OO languages like CLU, C++, Java, and Smalltalk.

Barbara Liskov lent me a book that described it in 1973 and recommended that I read about Simula 67 before starting to work on a small part of the the CLU compiler design. I believe the book was Structured Programming by Dijkstra, Hoare, and Dahl. It had a chapter by Dahl describing Simula 67.

Re: Simula: A VR window manager for Linux

#58
post #56

Very clever idea actually, major props. Unfortunately I get really sick from VR so it's not gonna be for me but I can definitely see how someone can take advantage of that. In the WFH era for people who have tiny laptops, this could do. I personally hook mine to the tv as a second screen but still... Very clever!

Or in cramped environments where you don't always have space for a multi-monitor setup.

Re: Simula: A VR window manager for Linux

#59

In case people are curious what it's like to work in VR, here's a demo of me using Simula: https://youtu.be/FWLuwG91HnI I would argue that working in VR is fundamentally superior to working in PCs/laptops. It's basically 10x the screens, focus, and work immersion. Simula's text quality is also very good (getting around the eye fatigue present in older VR Desktops).

An interesting potential for VR would be alternative portable form factors. The laptop form factor is mostly dictated by the shape and size of the screen; since with VR the screen is moved to the HMD, this would no longer be a restriction.

The webcam view is also interesting; if it were "inverted" so that, instead of being confined to a window, it was outside of all windows (that is, the background "wallpaper"), it would work even better as a laptop replacement (that is, the screen doesn't cover your whole view, allowing you to keep aware of your surroundings).

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