1.Overview

The primary distribution point for electronic form of this paper is:

WWWW home is http://www.isx.com/~jisdale/WhatIsVR.html

(Note: there are a several older versions of this document out on the net, with the subtitle "A Homebrew Introduction and Information Resource". These versions are many years older than the one you are now reading. URL keepers, please note and update your pointer lists!)

This document freely distributable to various electronic networks, BBS, etc. It can be used as a handout for non-profit seminars sponsored by schools and professional associations. I only ask that you keep my name as the primary author/editor and do not charge for it beyond normal on-line connect charges. If you have any corrections, comments or additions, please send them to me at one of the above email addresses.

The now defunct US Congressional Office of Technology Accessment incorporated large parts of one of the earlier versions in their report to congress on "Virtual Reality and Technologies for Combat Simulation" http://www.wws.princeton.edu/~ota/disk1/1994/9444_n.html

This paper was originally divided into two parts. The first section was the basic text and the second was a collection of information sources. However, the rapid change of sources, especially on the net, makes it very difficult to keep up. Therefore I have eliminated the second section and refer instead to two excellent sources that do keep a bit more up to date:

http://www.hitl.washington.edu/projects/knowledge_base/onthenet.html

http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Multimedia/Virtual_Reality/

HUMOR:

Every emerging technology needs it’s Evil Scientist. Virtual Reality has The Evil Dr. Flaxon and his http://www.sonic.net/~dfx/fait/ Caution! These people are very dangerous and have been known to cause severe psychological and physiological problems in their "volunteers".