When Longhorn release, Linux got end. 3505

Yes, I knew you'd try that line! Every 3D space has a 2D perspective projection (on the surface of a sphere) from a given point. Take a rectangular letterbox view of the projection and you have a 2D screen view.

Hence any 3D design can be represented in 2D?

Except it's only a projection, not 3D - you've thrown away one degree of freedom, and with that you have thrown away the possibility of walking through 3D space.

Allow yourself to move the focus of the projection and you get back the degree of freedom. You can now walk through 3D space and the 2D image of it on the screen will change to match, and you have the 3D experience.

How on earth does one manouever? I guess, with a joystick! Not a mouse.

That sounds like fun! :-).

But it may make one giddy - perhaps one wants to alter other aspects of the projection tha the focus. Perhaps simply change the space that is being projected - but if that is the case, then I will have to grant you your point, since one would always deal with a 2D projection.

But a projection that evokes ones mental capacities for dealing with objects in 3D space.

Aha, yes.

Well, let's ignore the seven dimensions that are less than a quark's width in size. I don't see them very well (are they a rational circumference? Diameter? Doesn't it make a difference?).

As to why, you'd do it because people have an easier job dealing with 3D objects than with 2D objects. Quite a few puzzles deal with restricting you to 2D and then asking you to solve a simple 3D problem, such as untying a shoelace.

The metaphor allows the objects (windows?) to appear smaller in the projection the farther away they are in 3D, without being "iconized". That's a significant change in paradigm. No iconizing, just distancing. Not yes-no, icon-no-icon, but a constant scale beteen nearer and further.

But your point is taken - we'd see a 2D image (heck, mathematically I mean a projection, not an image, don't I, except that yes, I am factoring - things are equal if they are in line of sight). However, the 2D projection has quite a few 3D traits buttociated with it, being derived as a projection into 2D of 3D space. That's a new idea and allows our brains to get a head start.

I like the idea of "no icons, just further away working stuff". Maybe you wouldn't have to "background" tasks either. You could move them further back to give them less cpu priority!

Peter