Information Technology Reference
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locations, including everything from pipeline controls to water treatment
facilities and nuclear power-generation systems.
Medium- to large-scale enterprises make broad use of remote manage-
ment utilities to maintain and support hundreds or thousands of distrib-
uted computers. By sharing control of remote desktop interfaces, helpdesk
personnel can provide direct user support without requiring a visit to the
supported user's location. Virtualized desktops can also protect against
potential data loss by retaining all information on a protected system,
while the remote console provides only video, audio, mouse, and key-
board interchange. We will review this type of virtualization in greater
detail in later chapters.
Virtual Reality
Virtual-reality simulated environments extend tele-operation and telep-
resence into an environment that exists entirely in the electronic realm.
Virtual reality simulations provide an excellent venue for training, enter-
tainment, and social interaction, because the environment can be tai-
lored to meet any desired need. Participants interact with virtual worlds
through a specialized client application, which synchronizes the actions
of their virtual representation (known as an “avatar”) with those of other
participants in the electronically generated landscape.
Virtual reality simulators, originally developed for flight training,
have also been implemented as law enforcement and diplomatic train-
ing systems using specialized virtual simulators. Some chatroom systems
implement a simplified virtual space so that avatar proximity can reflect
private or public conversation with other participants. Virtual reality sys-
tems can provide an environment available to only a single user or to liter-
ally thousands of simultaneous users.
Popular multiplayer games support cooperative game play in a shared
environment, while educators are beginning to employ virtual environ-
ments to allow students to interact directly with the learning environment
and with other students. Harvard's River City and the Whyville project
shared virtual environments are examples of the application of virtual
reality in an educational setting. Educators are also developing classroom
labs and training settings using the Second Life University virtual space
created by Linden Labs.
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