| Project Looking Glass | |
|---|---|
 Attaching a note to the reverse of a rotated window |
|
| Developer | LG3D developers |
| Latest release | 1.0 / December 19, 2006 |
| OS | Cross-platform |
| Genre | Desktop environment |
| License | GPL |
| Website | lg3d-core.dev.java.net |
Project Looking Glass is a free software project under the GPL to create an innovative 3D desktop environment for Linux, Solaris, and Windows. It is sponsored by Sun Microsystems. Looking Glass is programmed in the Java language using the Java 3D system to remain platform independent. Despite the use of graphics acceleration features, the desktop explores the use of 3D windowing capabilities for both existing application programs and ones specifically designed for Looking Glass. One of its most notable features is the creation of reversible windows. This capability can be used for features like allowing the user to write notes and comments on the windows' backs, or displaying application dialogs without risking them being detached from the application they relate to. All windows start by looking like a normal 2D or 2.5D window, but can be manipulated as thin slate-like 3D objects which can be set at any angle or turned completely around by the user. Other features include provision of a panning virtual desktop, icons that reflect the live status of the window they represent and zooming of a window when it receives focus. There is a LiveCD available.
Contents |
History
Looking Glass was first developed by Hideya Kawahara, a Sun programmer who wrote it in his spare time on a small Linux laptop. After demonstrating an early version to Sun executives, he was assigned to it full time with a dedicated team. java.net has an interview with him. It was demonstrated publicly by Jonathan Schwartz at Sun Networks 2003 in San Francisco, and since then has gathered momentum in development.
Current Usage
Linux Granular Linux has just released a downloadable DVD distro that includes Looking Glass as one of its four Desktop environments. Granular's "funworks" includes the conventional KDE, and XFCE as well as Enlightenment E17, and Looking-glass 3D. http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=granular http://wiki.granularproject.org/
Similar projects
Looking Glass is similar to the "Task Gallery" prototype from Microsoft Research since both seek to exploit three-dimensional objects within some specific interaction constraints. Also, both are meant to work on adapted or enhanced versions of existing desktops rather than re-designing the entire graphical user interface from scratch, an approach taken by many Zooming User Interface projects such as the one created by the late Jef Raskin, or the open source Croquet project based on Squeak. Linux-based systems can use the popular Beryl and Compiz 3D desktop environments, one of their notable features being a three dimensional cubical desktop, to view several X virtual desktops at a time.
