My recent travels and thoughts on IMML’s value for interoperability

Recent virtual world conferences in London and trips to both Korea and Finland have been great as we talk to more people about how our open markup language IMML can help platforms like VastPark, RealXtend, OpenSim and others interoperate.

We have two ambitions in seeking to partner with other open source projects as well as system integrators and commercial platform developers:

1. Build a lightweight set of protocols and specifications that enable the seamless linking of independent worlds so that an Immersive Web is formed. This Immersive Web needs to be functional (e.g. highly interactive, capable of both handling web services, data and fast gameplay and visualization), thoroughly decentralized and entirely self-organizing. And if I haven’t made it clear before, this has to be built out of a technology stack where all the protocols are under open (permissive) licenses so everyone can play in the sandpit. Out of the many specifications required, VastPark hopes to offer 2 of them: IMML (markup that describes abstract spatial environments, interaction triggers and time events) and MetaWSS (for convenient rights based distributed content discovery)

2. Release our core software in an open source form on the basis that it be used to create the kernel of a multi-user visual operating system that other applications including our own applications of the future can be built off. We think that what OpenSim, Croquet/Quaq and Darkstar/Wonderland are all attempting to do for the enterprise space is great. We think that enterprises are actually becoming more porous. They need to work together quickly and easily. They need to form teams and capture IP and they need it all in real time rather than when the IT department is ready to deliver them a service. SaaS has been a stop gap but also a ticking bomb of security and intellectual property concerns. Having a lightweight collaborative solution that can run off people’s desktops, runs offline and mashes up easily with other platforms, webservices and the web itself is really valuable. That’s what we bring to the table as a platform.

What we’re doing doesn’t contradict anything being done by the Architecture Working Group and other groups. We will move towards adopting any emergent standards that are helpful in creating an Immersive Web. What we really offer is another way of approaching complex problems. Our solutions are simplistic and abstract and therefore can be applied in numerous platforms especially if those platforms are seeking to move away from a pure reliance on prims.

We’re now finally getting onto documenting the platform for developers. So our aim is to help developers get started with testing out the platform for commercial use but also for thinking about how we can utilize our specifications in conjunction with their own platforms. Also, we don’t imagine that what we have specified will solve all unsolvables for other platforms. There will be things we need to do to enhance support for various features. For one, I want our item metadata to be enhanced so that a prim description can be given so that if the mesh is not available an effective prim can be described in it’s place. This could be especially useful in situations such as mobile phones. We are now wanting to enter into uber-geek level discussions on working code and business discussions with development companies, system integrators and potential investors and partners.

Next week I’m in San Fran and the moderator of an event Monday noon in SL on Orange Island in conjunction with Orange and XMediaLab. Also I’m presenting in LA later in the week at a cross-platform conference for the American Film Institute. If you’re interested in helping us achieve our goals, feel free to talk to me or for instance if you want an OpenSim point of view on how IMML can be integrated with OpenSim, please talk tech with Adam Frisby.