Project Looking Glass

Looking Glass is a 3D user interface, which is developed by Sun Microsystems, and is licensed under the GNU General Public License ( GPL). The project aims to develop new opportunities for interaction with a computer desktop and sees itself as a technical advance development for future Benutzerschittstellen. The extensive use of three-dimensional desktops allows, for example, to make notes on Web pages at the back of the browser window. Looking Glass is an open source project and is being developed for GNU / Linux and Solaris. It uses and extends the Java 3D.

As desktop of the future, a 3D surface is generally expected. Microsoft developed from the version of the operating system Windows Vista also a limited 3D surface, as it already exists in the framework of Xgl or AIGLX - project for Linux. Comparable limited 3D capabilities does not last the Apple operating system Mac OS X for several years already available, from which the first two projects adapted many ideas.

Unlike the projects mentioned in the Looking Glass 3D capabilities are much broader. Thus, the user can rotate and drop the program window at any angle. The desktop interface is comparable to the surface of a role that, which can turn the user as desired. Result, the surface of the desktop to be significantly extended without clarity perish.

The 3D surface Looking Glass is already available for download. Because it is based on Java, it is independent of the operating system. Therefore, it is available for Solaris and GNU / Linux. The adaptation for Windows 2000 and XP is more likely to be understood as a demo; it offers the user no opportunity to replace the Windows desktop. Only developers can choose freely without restrictions among the three above-mentioned operating systems.

On September 18, published in 2009, the original author of the project, Hideya Kawahara, a note in the forum, in which he announced that the project has been suspended since the end of 2006.

Live CD

There is also an English live CD of Looking Glass to try out the system without installation. It is based on the Linux distribution Slax and has since January 4, 2007 available in version 3.0. The hard disk installation is, however, at an experimental stage.