Open Cobalt - Features

Features

Open Cobalt is both an end-user application and full featured software development environment for creating a rich network of end-user created interlinked virtual worlds. It is more extensible than the proprietary technologies behind collaborative worlds such as Second Life, and before that ViOS. This is because:

  • It is free (there are no fees for its use or distribution)
  • The entire system is open source (it is licensed under the MIT free software license)
  • It features the ability to create 3D hyperlinks in the form of doorways that connect virtual worlds to one another (in much the same manner by which 2D hyperlinks connect webpages)
  • It supports VoIP (users can communicate with each other via voice while in-world)
  • It does not require the use of servers to create and share virtual worlds (since it is based on a peer-to-peer synchronization architecture/messaging protocol)
  • It is platform and device independent (because it is a virtual machine-based technology that runs on Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux)
  • It provides a complete professional programmer's language (Smalltalk/Squeak, IDE, and class library in every distributed, running participant's copy (with the programming environment itself being simultaneously shareable and extensible)
  • It is based on Squeak's late-binding architecture and metaprogramming facilities (that allow for efficient handling of media)
  • Users/developers within virtual worlds may freely access, modify and view the source code of the entire system (they can access running code from in-world)
  • Users/developers can import 3D content directly into their worlds (Google 3D Warehouse content (.kmz) and content in other formats can be drag-and-dropped directly into Open Cobalt worlds)
  • Users/developers can import a variety of media content directly into their worlds (Open Cobalt worlds support audio and mpeg media content)
  • Its software code can be updated/changed while the system is live (making it possible to program worlds from within worlds while they are running)
  • It is not hosted on a single organization’s server (and hence not governed by any such organization)

Read more about this topic:  Open Cobalt

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