To: Stefan.Baltus Subject: A thrilling HotJava effort... Stefan, Zoals beloofd. Sun Confidential: Internal Use Only Hou dit eens tegen je eindexamenprojekt aan. Groeten, Martien. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: A thrilling HotJava effort... Sun US ziet het meeste in (zie ook aan't eind van het voorstel): 3-D illustration, image editing, presentation and charting software, exceeding the combined features of applications like PhotoShop, Illustrator, Premiere, CorelDRAW, Persuasion, GAIN Momentum, Macromind Director, etc. Interfaces to real DBMS (e.g. like Oracle, Sybase or Postgress) to store object instances. In fact, I'd settle for a simple video editor that could do A/B roll editing (non-linear) on MPEG-1 and 2 streams. De hieronder genoemde tijsdplanning houdt rekening met enige zeer interessante aktiviteiten die we tegen het eind van '95 zullen ontplooien. Het e.e.a. wellicht samenvallend met InterAct! '95. Ik weet zeker dat jullie samen met ons tot een Thrilling Java App kunnen komen die menigeen wereldwijd versteld zal doen staan. Ik kijk uit naar je reaktie! Groeten, Martien. PostScript: Distribueer dit bericht eventueel naar anderen op een "need-to-know" basis. Dank. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 1995 Copyright Sun Microsystems Nederland B.V. Martien F. van Steenbergen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction How can we excellerate the evolution use of the state of the art on the Web? One way could be to have a team consisting of a handful of excellent people design and implement an piece of software that would astounish most people and that would be available to all people, it all its forms, be it source code or final product. This story elaborates on setting up such a team. Objective The objective of the project is to have a multidisciplinary team of five to seven excellent people deliver a successful, high quality, horizontal application, free of charge, and that uses advanced technology, before November 1995. The objective explained Multidisciplinary team of excellent people The team consists of a project manager, a marketeer, a graphics designer, a writer, a human interface designer, and two system and software designers. The project manager manages the total project, from its initial conception to the delivery of the final products. Specification of the goals and subgoals, planning, recruiting the other team members are the responsibility of the project manager. And, of course, all documentation related to this task. [Project manager maybe someone from Nijenrode - MvS] The marketeer needs to assess the market needs, project estimated unit sales, address international issues, functional specifications and market coverage, distribution and product lifecycle. [Don't know where to get the marketeer from - MvS] In order to make the product wanted by its intended audience even before it is released for the first time, a graphic designer will be responsible for the graphic arts and design of the overall product. Covering not only the graphical user interface, but also the overall design of documentation, sales collateral, and perhaps even the visual part of the source code. Needless to say, the graphic designer has a solid background in the graphic arts. The main obective for the graphic artist is to create a new, challenging and consistent overall look that creates a "I want that too" demand in the market. Also see Tonic's "Rules to live by", at the end of this description. [Graphics desinger from the Hogeschool der Kunsten, Hilversum? - MvS] The writer's main objective is to minimize the product's (and project's) documentation (any documentation is a concrete evidence of failure), and ensure a consistent style and layout for all the project's words, be it on screen, paper, or otherwise. [Don't know where to get the writer - MvS] The human interface engineer's challenge is to create a new paradigm in the interface between the product and it's target audience, while ensuring harmony and interoperability with the state of the art in human-computer interaction. The human interface engineer is responsible of user testing all aspects: ease of use, installation and maintenance, user feedback, and managing the product. [Human interface engineer from the Hogeschool der Kunsten, Hilversum? - MvS] The system and software engineers are responsible for implementation and quality of the product, guaranteeing best possible performance. They will use advanced tools and technology to create an object oriented implementation, yet easy to maintain and administer. [Two system and software engineers from HIO or University? - MvS] All team members must have serious interests in each other's disciplines. This will ensure active participation, synergy and collaboration and will provide backup for each other when needed. In order to keep the team as small as possible, some team members may be qualified to play more than one role. For example, the project manager and writer could be one and the same person. Deliver before November 1995 The first (1.0) version of the product must be released no later than November 1, 1995, in beta, pre-FCS (First Customer Ship) or FCS quality. This includes all aspects of the product: source code, programs, documentation, brochures, etc. Horizontal application The product will provide a solution for a business problem apparent in almost all businesses, possibly targeted at the office environment. Or it might provide a solution in search for a "problem" (i.e. it "invents" the future), but taking advantage of new and advanced technology, not yet earlier applied in the target market in this particular way. For example, using powerful imaging and solid models in a commercial business environment. Successful The product will be so successful that 1,000 or more "early access" people world-wide will already depend on it at FCS date, and a commercial company is willing to take over the 1.0 version and guarantee future evolution and development, marketing, selling and distribution of the product. Advanced technology The implementation will use high-end, state of the art and advanced tools and technology, exploiting techniques "available" in object oriented programming (C++ and beyond), mid-range and powerful graphics excellerators (TurboGXplus, SX and TZX and follow-ons), and corresponding foundation software (Display PostScript, XGL, XIL, and perhaps some laboratory results from Virtual Reality), extensibility (e.g. through Python), network and collaborative environments (ToolTalk), handling multiple data formats (audio, video, 2-D and 3-D models, images, etc.) and multiprocessing and -threading techniques. It should integrate with and leverage existing tools and environments like the DeskSet (or Common Desktop Environment, CDE), the ShowMe productivity suite, etc. At the same time it will leverage existing freeware where appropriate, such as Python, GNU, etc. The foundantion of all developments will be Java. Free of charge All the product's deliverables will be available in source form to the general public. The company that eventually takes over the product will continue to deliver the product free of charge. It can only charge for services provided. High quality Quality will be such that the target audience will depend on it's reliability and stability. Sun's role Sun will participate by sitting in on the steering committee, supplying all necessary and relevant (technical) information and tooling. Tooling includes a full featured programming environment based on SPARCworks, a small workgroup server and a workstation per team member, as well as access to the internet (and SWAN, Sun's Wide Area Network). Third party software will be made available as required (e.g. FrameMaker for documentation, Island Planner for project planning, Oracle, Sybase or Illustra as DBMS, etc.). Team members might be located in Sun's office in Amersfoort, Holland. This allows close contact between all members and the steering committee. Benefits for the team members and participating institutes Be part of a multidisciplinary team, not yet earlier demonstrated in graduation projects. Building an advanced and successful, real application for a world-wide audience, with many satisfied customers. Gain international "fame". Buidling a practical solution that will actually be used (rather than just a theoretical dissertation that only a few will read). Feel the pressure of the commercial market and its rigorous deadlines. Be inside the number one company in the UNIX server, workstation and Internet market. Benefits for Sun The product will be built using Sun's foundation hardware and software platform (SPARC, Multi Processing, Multi Threading, ToolTalk, XIL, XGL, DPS, Xlib, C++ and SPARCworks, all under Solaris 2.4 or later) that will make the product somewhat Sun specific, but it will demonstrate and exploit Sun's advanced capabilities. Also, in order to create an innovative, "rules-changing" product, you must exploit certain specific aspects that are not yet available as de facto on *all* computer platforms. The product will provide an excellent example of how to use Sun's capabilities and encourages other ISVs and VEUs to implement and use products based on the same technology, further promoting and using Sun's key assets and pushing them further in the market acceptance. Possible applications 3-D illustration, image editing, presentation and charting software, exceeding the combined features of applications like PhotoShop, Illustrator, Premiere, CorelDRAW, Persuasion, GAIN Momentum, Macromind Director, etc. Interfaces to real DBMS (e.g. like Oracle, Sybase or Postgress) to store object instances. A collaborative publishing system that allows multiple persons to work on the same "physical" publication like a magazine or newspaper. Like QPS, CCI Europe's products, etc. [Also see Martien's article from Sun Plus: "De ochtendkrant van Nederland"] A collaborative virtual reality environment, allowing many people accross the Internet occupy the same space, see and "feel" each other, manipulate the environment, enrich the environment so that others can benefit from their efforts. A collaborative sales tool, based on the principals of Strategic Selling and Power Base Selling, that allows sales forces (sales reps, their management, their technical consultants, to streamline their sales efforts and create a common, distributed up-to-date knowledge base. Tonic's "Rules to live by" ========================== Be kind ------- Put things where they belong. Few are won over by misplaced, misalinged, misdesigned anything. Form, really, is a function. Be kind to the user. Observe a lot. Test everything--because sometimes "common sense" is neither. It's hard to make every product so understandable that people know how to use it before they pick it up. But it's worth shooting for. [Apple Powerbook (1991)] Make things simple, but beautiful. ---------------------------------- Elegant and timeless beat fancy, gimmicky, or slick. Any day. [Digidesign RI recording controller (1993)] Make people lust for it. ------------------------ Give it a competitive advantage. Make it worth looking at. Worth holding. Worth using. Worth paying good money for. If the guy next to you on the train had one, would you be more than a little curious? Envious? Good. [Apple Newton prototype (1992) and Powerbook Duo (1992)] Make it makeable. ----------------- It doesn't matter how beautiful the thing is if you can't manufacture it. Befriend the engineering team. Collaborate with the factory. Instead of designing yourself into a corner, ask for their opinions. So you can produce it--by the thousands. By the millions. Affordably. [Apple Personal Laserwriter (1990) and Macintosh IIci (1990)] Invent the future. ------------------ If you don't like your destiny, invent a new one. Have some fun. Experiment. Invent a new product category. (Or a whole new industry.) Invent a new design language. Reset the corporate compass. "It can't be done," the naysayers will declare. Don' listen. [AT&T Personal Communicator concept (1992), Apple Guide concept (1991) and Knowledge Navigator concept (1987)] Tonic's "Rules to live by" are quoted without permission from a little booklet I got at the SIGGRAPH '93. © 1993 Tonic Industrial Design, Palo Alto, California, (415) 325-1326, (415) 326-4678, fax. All rights reserved. Funding 50% by Sun Holland 50% by Sun, Inc. [Markting in U.S. has budgets and systems available for exactly this kind of development]. [25% by commercial company that takes over product] Revenues Break even point for Sun is reached if we sell two SPARCstation 20s just because of two people using en depending on this product. Furthermore, executing this project will create an excellent reference for all participators as well as Sun Holland. Not only locally, but worldwide. And we will have something exciting to show in the November/December time frame! Participant requirements Participants must be top of the line students with proven excellence in the respectative areas: UNIX, C++, graphics, MP/MT, graphic design, graphic arts, human interface design, project management, marketing, etc. Implementation details All developments are to be done based on Java (and HotJava when appropriate). Provide basic capabilities for spreadsheets and table handling, illustration, charts and graphs, image handling and editing, video handling and editing, animation. Earcons (audio synthesis (c.f. Bill Gaver (Gaver@EuroPARC.Xerox.COM); see INTERCHI '93) Semantic multilevel and multiuser undo (; see GINA project at INTERCHI '93 proceedings, Spenke@zeus.gmd.de) WYSIWYH--What You See Is What You Have: there is no need to save your work. It's always persistent, just like when you're sawing a tree. However, the powerful undo features always allow you to return to any point in the process and rethink your actions. 3-D object selection paradigm (see Xerox's 3-D "tree") "Selfish" (like Self uses animation and motion blur in its interface desing) "DOE-ish". Excellent visual and auditory feedback. Silk and smooth human interface. Dynamic adaptation to available resources (see ShowMe 2.x) Prerequisite reading for all participants All applicable White Papers (XIL, XGL, ZX, SX, MP/MT, ToolTalk, etc.) Tog on Interface Applicable proceedings from INTERCHI '93 SPARCworks documentation Software Development Kit (SDK) documentation Color for the electronic age Estec's Software Engineering Guidelines (URD, SRD, ADD, DDD etc.) Advances in Computer Human Interaction Computers as theatre. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 1995 Copyright Sun Microsystems Nederland B.V. Martien F. van Steenbergen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- End Included Message -----