The NEW 3D PanUbuntu Was: Is it me or does Hardy run like a pig?

[Knapp]

On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 4:07 PM, Derek Broughton <news at pointerstop.ca> wrote:
> Knapp wrote:
>
>> I think that it would be great fun to include panda3d in *Ubuntu as
>> part of the standard install and then use it for making a new desktop
>> to replace KDE, Gnome etc. You could do one like Neuromancer and there
>> would not even be that much code. Talk about eye candy. BTW the
>> license has been changed to be fully open source now. That being the
>> reason it is not even in the repos now.
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuromancer
>
> Either you're the most brilliant programmer ever, or like me you're lousy at
> estimating project costs :-)  But if it's the first, count me in on the
> project!
> --
> derek

What do we call it PanUbuntu because the devil is in the details? LOL
What costs? We all work for free around here. :-)

So what do we need? A bunch of links to software seen as floating
balls of light in a large room? When clicked on they blow up into a
full normal 2d screen. Perhaps like a first person shooter for
movement with your shot starting up the balls of light? Moving the
mouse to the bottom of a 2d program brings up kicker like bar for fast
switching.

No start up menu but some sort of rotating 3d lists?? Favorites and
desktop choices float. Do we have gravity? How much animation? What
would it look like to you?

I have in the past started something, X??, and you can start and run
software there but no windows manager is running, so we just need
something on top of that, whatever it was. Yes, I know almost nothing
about that layer of Linux. I am a game programmer turned computer
hobby game writer. Never bothered to learn the gritty details of KDE
or X.

You really want to try this? I have the animation of the man almost
done. He can walk right now. Better yet, lets use ManCandy, because he
is ugly but REALLY well done and open source. Making a walk for him is
something I am going to do anyway.

The simple room would take 10 minutes to make. 3d icons would be a bit
of work but we could prototype it with like FF, KVirc, OO, Kate,
Konqueror. Stick with Qt? Make this a sort of 3d KDE? Perhaps we can
make it standard in Kununtu for the April Fools Day release?

I have a movement interface designed for doing complex puppet moving
using the 10 key and the mouse. It is a bit like Mortal Kombat in
feel. (OK, this might not be the best choice as it was designed with
body language portrayal usage for interacting with others online, not
for ease of use to the average Newbie.)

Only thing I am not sure of is the launching and ending of a program
from within Panda3d.

BTW, I don't claim to be the best programmer anymore, perhaps 20 years
ago but not know. I went for 10 years without doing any programming
and now I am REALLY rusty and just getting good with python.

The real first step would be to get Panda3d into the repositories.

So do you REALLY want to try it?

-- 
Douglas E Knapp

http://sf-journey-creations.wikispot.org/Front_Page