Anton's Research Ramblings

WebGL-Server Experiment

I've been curious since the beginning about using WebGL with a server. I got stuck on CPU-intensive scene management techniques with JavaScript - they get bogged down, where a native C programme blazes through. So, I guess just using WebGL in-browser for a viewer/visualiser only, and using an external server for crunching has always been on my mind.

The other thought is coordinating multi-user view/input WebGL software. What is the best way to effect communication? I suspect running an external server is the best option again. I've never attempted any serious socket programming with JavaScript. I suspect there might be some easy-to-use frameworks for this.

Things to investigate:

• Is Node.js a good server-side tool for this task? Does it provide any easy-to-use socket abstractions that work well with client-side JS?
• Is it better to make a traditional C-based Unix server programme? Is it difficult to use JS as a client to this?
• What is the best way to handle secure communication?
• What is the best way to set up a user log-in system?

To play with these things I'm starting yet another game-like side-project.

Graphics Teaching

Teaching starts this coming Monday.

Book Chapters

Might need to increase my time on this to get a next publication out.

OpenGL Book Formats

I still haven't gotten around to re-formatting my e-book for other sites!