The KnownSpace Website

The KnownSpace website exists to disseminate the KnownSpace code base, support the KnownSpace community, and demonstrate the KnownSpace ideas. Like KnownSpace itself, it has two communities to support: developers and users. At present, developers take precedence over users since KnownSpace is still quite primitive and most early users are likely to be developers as well. At least at present, it is intended to be high-end, although it has a long way to go to reach the goal of demonstrating the KnownSpace ideals.

All website tools will be available as open-source to aid other open-source projects and websites, and, of course, normal users who just want to add flash to their own websites. As much as possible, all tools will be in Java rather than Unix, Mac, or Windows specific software. Here's the laundry list of things we would like to have it do:

indoctrination: mailing list, sign up, ongoing projects page, ideas page, future feature vote
communications: online fora, web whiteboard, web annotator, web mud
demonstrations: dynamic, visual servlet search engine, website and desktop code snippets
code support: code checkin/checkout, source code browser
dissemination support: download code and installers
developer support: neat hacks page, code doctor, coding style guide
separable KnownSpace modules: parsers, networking, interface builders
user support: FAQ, bug lists, contact lists, bug reporting
archives, credits, project history, press releases, press reviews

Set Phasers On Stun

Want a menu? don't have a tired popup menu, try a rotatable cube with each face being a different selection (of six max obviously). the user spins the cube (don't make it spin by itself, it's annoying, except as an affordance as you mouse over it to show that it can be spun) to choose a face to click on.

Want a webpage for comments? don't give some lame html form to fill out. try a jsplitpane with a jeditorpane running in each half and show the webpage normally with a button (or something more cool) to click on for comments. click on button and the whole webpage slides sideways (or up or down) exposing another webpage with comments already attached (or if no comments are there yet then a virgin piece of active paper (a jeditorpane set for edit) to scribble in.

Want a sense of space? don't use frames. try a texture-mapped java space (needn't be super-complex) to move around in. needen't use java3d, can be done in java 1.0 if you want.

Want a search engine? don't use yet more boring perl scripts spitting out linear text running from a form in some html. use a visual space that points get plotted to by a servlet. add a client applet to manage mouseovers. add sounds. make it fun.