Real-time video links

Keywords visual programming. Alternate Reality Kit, ARK, computer-based collaborative learning, distributed software systems, local area network. Media Space, motivation, object-oriented, real-time video links, SharedARK, Smalltalk-80, textual programming, virtual reality... 

In SharedARK, students and teachers wander within a pseudo-physical space, and communicate over audio-video links. SharedARK creates a virtually infinite two-dimensional flatland within the computers each workstation only sees a few square feet of territory at a time. Each user has a mouse-operated hand for manipulating objects, and a type-out object for creating text from the keyboard. As users wander within the space they may come into contact with each other and cause audio and video links to be established. The intent is to create a very real sense of space within which users move about, manipulating virtual objects and directly encountering each other. 

ATM link speed of 155 Mbps to a few gigabits per second and the capability to guarantee QoS are very important for real-time applications like audio, video, and multimedia. ATM networks are increasingly used as backbones for WANs. One example is the very high speed backbone network (vBNS), which is currently used as one of the backbones for the next-generation Internet (Internet-2). vBNS runs TCP/IP over ATM. ATM can also be used to implement high-speed LANs. 

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