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

[Derek Broughton]

Knapp wrote:

> 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!
> 
> What do we call it PanUbuntu because the devil is in the details?

GnuRomancer!

> LOL 
> What costs? We all work for free around here. :-)

Time!  But you say "would not even be that much code", and I'd love to
believe you, but have my doubts.

> So what do we need? A bunch of links to software seen as floating
> balls of light in a large room? 

How do you differentiate between different balls of light?  Something must
identify them.

> 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've always envisioned it something like a 3d cityscape, so there are roads
to follow to get where you want to be, and buildings contain related
collections.  That's probably too literal :-)  I like gravity.  I'm not
sure quite what you'd do with it, but it adds a 4d sense as there's a time
component
> 
> 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. 

Panda3d would, essentially, be your window manager.
> 
> You really want to try this? 

I have no idea if I have the time but I'd love to try.  I've always wanted
an interesting Window manager.  Remember Microsoft Bob? Everybody laughed,
and nobody bought it, but I still think it was one of the best ideas MS
has ever had.

> Stick with Qt? 

I don't know, either.

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

I've never even looked at Panda but I can't see _that_ being a problem at
all.

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

Not really.  It would be good, but not an absolute necessity for
development.

> So do you REALLY want to try it?
 
You bet.  The _real_ first step is to set up a project (sourceforge is
simple) and a mailing list if we have more than two of us.  Then
_planning_ :-)  What do we really want it to look like.
-- 
derek