Licensing questions can be directed to lg3d_license@dev.java.net
Please see the Getting started with Project Looking Glass and Project Looking Glass Developer's Guide for any technical questions.
Q. Where can I get more
general
information on Project Looking Glass?
A. You can go to http://www.sun.com/software/project-looking-glass
Sun's Project Looking Glass site for more general information. You can view
demonstrations
of the proof-of-concept version of Project Looking Glass.
Q. Can I get a trial version of
Project
Looking Glass? Can I beta test Project Looking Glass?
A. We are still in the early development process. There is no
officially supported trial
version available for users. However software developers can download
the
early development version and participate in the open source
development. Please visit https://lg3d.dev.java.net/ for
more
details.
Q. When can I purchase Project Looking
Glass?
A. Project Looking Glass is not a product and can not be
purchased
now. It is part of the advanced development at Sun Microsystems and an
open
source project. Sun is using it to influence our product plans;
interest
people in new technology; and gain new ideas to ultimately shape what
we
do in the future. Some of the results gained from this project will get
integrated
into future versions of the Sun Java Desktop System.
Q. Why did Sun open source Project
Looking
Glass?
A. Project Looking Glass is in its infancy. We need to explore
lots
of ideas and possibilities. We're releasing the Project Looking Glass
code
to the whole community to explore every aspect of the technology rather
than
restricting access to a privileged few. We believe this open
development
is an excellent model to pursue this exciting and vast opportunity. So,
your involvement is eagerly anticipated.
Q. What is the difference between the proof-of-concept version
and this open source developer's release?
A. The proof-of-concept was built to demonstrate our vision of
3D
desktop possibilities. It showed many of the ideas Sun had for the
desktop.
The proof-of-concept was built as a demo
only, not a productizible version.
The open source developer's release is completely rewritten with
full-scale
productization in mind. It leverages Java 3D for better scalability and
performance, and provides key features for real life usage including
client-server
architecture for system robustness. We've switched our devlopment
effort
from the proof-of-concept version to the open source developer's
release.
Q. What platforms will Project Looking
Glass
support?
A.
At the moment, existing application integration is supported for Linux and
Solaris x86 platforms. The platform for 3D application development is
available for Linux, Solaris and Windows platforms.
Q. What applications will run on
Project Looking Glass?
A. It works with current Linux, Solaris x86
without application modifications.
It also runs with LG3D applications on Linux, Solaris and Windows platforms.
Licensing questions can be directed to lg3d_license@dev.java.net
Q. What license is this released
under?
A. There are three license choices for developers interested in
creating
applications using Project Looking Glass.
For developers who are interested in reviewing, revising, and
redistributing
the source code as part of their own application, Project Looking Glass
has
been submitted as an Open Source project on java.net under the GNU Public License, or GPL.
For developers who are interested in developing an application on top
of
the existing Project Looking Glass platform without reviewing and/or
altering
the code base, there is a binary version of the current state of the
project
available for download under a traditional Binary Code License. This is
also available on java.net.
Finally, for developers or organizations interested in other uses or
revising
the source code but wish to keep their implementation and related
application proprietary, please contact Sun at lg3d_license@dev.java.net
Q. Can I make changes to the source
code
base and redistribute my changes?
A. Yes. If you make any changes to the original code base, you
are
welcome to redistribute those changes as part of your application. If
you
have chosen to develop under the terms of the GPL license, you must
publish
the source code for your entire "derivative work" -- both your changes
and
the application itself -- when you distribute your application. If you
make
changes to the original code base and prefer not to publish the source
code,
please contact Sun at lg3d_license@dev.java.net
Q. Can I develop an application by
downloading
the binary code and keep my application proprietary?
A. Yes. If you choose to develop an application based on the
existing
binary file for Project Looking Glass, you are not required to provide
the
source code for your application. However, please be aware that this
binary
file reflects the current state of development and may not have
undergone
traditional quality control testing. As the source code changes and
matures,
the Binary file will also change from time to time.
Q. Does the LG3D API will replace Java 3D APIs?
A. No. Actually, the LG3D API leverages Java 3D API,and provides additional
features including an animation system (to simplify writing user
experience-rich applications) and APIs for 3D window manager development
and interaction.
Q. Is a completely new 3D widget set API planned?
A. We plan to leverage well-defined rich Swing widget API as our LG3D
widget API instead of developing yet another widget API. Our approach is to provide "View" implementation of Swing's MVC architecture using the LG3D API, so that Swing components are rendered in the 3D space. This will be a hot public project and we welcome your participation at https://lg3d-core.dev.java.net/.
Q. How can I get involved?
A. Sun believes that tapping into the creative and open
community
of people working on Java will drive innovation. If you are a software
developer,
you can join the java.net open
source
community extending this project. Please read the "Contributing to
Project Looking Glass" document for more information.
Q. How can I start
developing
applications for Project Looking Glass?
A. We ask you to use your imagination about what types of
applications
would be better used in a 3D environment. You can see our music file
manager
as an example. If you want to gain experience in developing 3D
applications
using Java technology, you can start using the Java 3D APIs today. We
invite
you to develop 3D demonstration applications and host them on the java.net open source
project.
Q. Is there early access
availability
or a Project Looking Glass API for 3D programming?
A. We have an open source
project on java.net, and software developers are invited to explore
possibilities
of Project Looking Glass.