Virtual Rendezvous is the name of an on-going open software

Open-source software

Open-source software is computer software that is available in source code form: the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change, improve and at times also to distribute the software.Open...

 effort, and the virtual corporation supporting it, whose short name is Rendezvous.

History

"Virtual Rendezvous" was the name chosen by Charles L. Perkins

Charles L. Perkins

Charles L. Perkins is the Founder and Chief Scientist of Virtual Rendezvous. He co-wrote a popular book on Java in October, 1995 , and created some Java class hierarchy diagrams ....

 in 1993 for a virtual corporation that focused on the social aspects of the emerging broadband networks of that era. A Web site http://rendezvous.com to chronicle its various efforts over the years was created that same year, at first for use by the NeXT

NeXT

Next, Inc. was an American computer company headquartered in Redwood City, California, that developed and manufactured a series of computer workstations intended for the higher education and business markets...

-only WorldWideWeb

WorldWideWeb

WorldWideWeb, later renamed to Nexus to avoid confusion between the software and the World Wide Web, was the first web browser and editor. When it was written, WorldWideWeb was the only way to view the Web....

, then by the Mosaic browser, and finally by Netscape

Netscape

Netscape Communications is a US computer services company, best known for Netscape Navigator, its web browser. When it was an independent company, its headquarters were in Mountain View, California...

 and later browsers.

During the long odyssey that followed, through many partners and teams of volunteers, and through 3DO

3DO

3DO may refer to:*The 3DO Company, a video game company that developed:**3DO Interactive Multiplayer, a video game console, 1993–1996***List of 3DO games, a list of games released for the 3DO...

 University for US West (phone company)'s cable network

Cable network

A cable channel is a television channel available via cable television. Such channels are usually also available via satellite television, including direct broadcast satellite providers such as DirecTV, Dish Network and BSkyB...

, Time Warner

Time Warner

Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...

's Full Service Network

Full Service Network

Time Warner's Full Service Network. Formerly the Full Service Network, also known as FSN was an 18-month trial interactive television service launched by Time Warner Inc. in Orlando, Florida. The FSN was active between 1994 and 1997 targeting an initial number of 4,000 households with services...

, and beta-testing

Software testing

Software testing is an investigation conducted to provide stakeholders with information about the quality of the product or service under test. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software...

 Continental Cablevision's 2nd consumer cable modem

Cable modem

A cable modem is a type of network bridge and modem that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a HFC and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking advantage of the high...

 in the world; then creating holographic audio spaces for Video On Demand

Video on demand

Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...

 tests, 3D Virtual Reality

Virtual reality

Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...

, immersive user interface

User interface

The user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...

s, and location-based entertainment; through early relationships with Netscape Communications, firstperson (the Sun Microsystems

Sun Microsystems

Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...

 spin-off that created the Java (Sun)

Java (Sun)

Java refers to several computer software products and specifications from Sun Microsystems, a subsidiary of Oracle Corporation, that together provide a system for developing application software and deploying it in a cross-platform environment...

 Java platform), Wildfire Communications, Tellme Networks

Tellme Networks

Tellme. Networks, Inc. is a company founded in 1999 by Mike McCue and Angus Davis, based out of Mountain View, California, in the United States, that specializes in telephone-based applications....

 http://www.tellme.com/, and others; through contributing ideas to Firefly (website)

Firefly (website)

Firefly Network, Inc. was founded in March 1995 by a group of engineers from MIT Media Lab and some business people from Harvard Business School, including Pattie Maes , Upendra Shardanand, Nick Grouf, Max Metral, David Waxman and Yezdi Lashkari...

, Abuzz, Alexa Internet

Alexa Internet

Alexa Internet, Inc. is a California-based subsidiary company of Amazon.com that is known for its toolbar and Web site. Once installed, the toolbar collects data on browsing behavior which is transmitted to the Web site where it is stored and analyzed and is the basis for the company's Web traffic...

, and Keen

Keen

- Persons :* Alan Keen* Andrew Keen* Ann Keen* Arthur Keen* Diane Keen* Geoffrey Keen* Harold Keen* Jessica Keen* John Keen * John Keen * Malcolm Keen...

 http://www.keen.com/; and finally, seeking a commercial arm for server support through various CEOs and business plans in 1995–2000, the company has re-invented itself numerous times to reach its ambitious goals.

Since 2009, efforts
have focused on creating a non-profit Foundation http://www.rendezvous.com/rendezvous/Foundation.html that when fully funded, will educate the public, fight for privacy rights online and in the public policy sphere, and manage and integrate many disparate open software efforts: Project Diaspora http://www.joindiaspora.com, JXTA

JXTA

JXTA is an open source peer-to-peer protocol specification begun by Sun Microsystems in 2001. The JXTA protocols are defined as a set of XML messages which allow any device connected to a network to exchange messages and collaborate independently of the underlying network topology.As JXTA is based...

 (and JXME http://jxta-jxme.dev.java.net/), Jini

Jini

Jini , also called Apache River, is a network architecture for the construction of distributed systems in the form of modular co-operating services.Originally developed by Sun, Jini was released under an open source license...

, the Eclipse (computing) and Modeling Framework http://www.eclipse.org/emf/, Project Looking Glass

Project Looking Glass

Project Looking Glass is a now inactive free software project under the GPL to create an innovative 3D desktop environment for Linux, Solaris, and Windows. It was sponsored by Sun Microsystems....

, OpenSimulator

OpenSimulator

OpenSimulator is an open-source server platform for hosting virtual worlds. It is compatible with the client for Second Life and can host alternative worlds with differing feature sets with multiple protocols.-Features:...

 (Second Life

Second Life

Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...

), and the Pando (application)

Pando (application)

Pando is proprietary software for P2P file sharing. It's mainly aimed at sending files using both peer-to-peer and client–server architectures that would normally be too large to send via more conventional means.Stable release: win 2.5.1.11 , mac 2.5.1.4...

 (BitTorrent (protocol)), while using Clojure

Clojure

Clojure |closure]]") is a recent dialect of the Lisp programming language created by Rich Hickey. It is a general-purpose language supporting interactive development that encourages a functional programming style, and simplifies multithreaded programming....

 and the Ruby programming language (and, optionally the Scala (programming language), to glue together the growing web of service-oriented

Service-oriented

In human sexuality, Service-oriented is a term used in the BDSM community to refer relationship dynamic.In a service-oriented relationship, the focus is on how the submissive can contribute resources to the dominant partner, provide for some of their needs or advance their goals...

 applications and High level languages built on the Java ME

Java Platform, Micro Edition

Java Platform, Micro Edition, or Java ME, is a Java platform designed for embedded systems . Target devices range from industrial controls to mobile phones and set-top boxes...

 platform as a Reference implementation

Reference implementation

In the software development process, a reference implementation is the standard from which all other implementations, with their attendant customizations, are measured, and to which all improvements are added...

 of the full-scale Virtual Rendezvous Service.

This Foundation, and the community supporting it, hope that these efforts, via interlocking, loosely coupled

Loose coupling

In computing and systems design a loosely coupled system is one where each of its components has, or makes use of, little or no knowledge of the definitions of other separate components. The notion was introduced into organizational studies by Karl Weick...

 open standard

Open standard

An open standard is a standard that is publicly available and has various rights to use associated with it, and may also have various properties of how it was designed . There is no single definition and interpretations vary with usage....

s, will soon result in a central resource for learning, protecting, and using the best tools for individual (identity) privacy via a universal real-time communication and collaboration meta-service (and 3D meta-world UI) available across all Ubiquitous computing

Ubiquitous computing

Ubiquitous computing is a post-desktop model of human-computer interaction in which information processing has been thoroughly integrated into everyday objects and activities. In the course of ordinary activities, someone "using" ubiquitous computing engages many computational devices and systems...

devices, fixed and portable, as its founders intended.