🚀 go-pugleaf

From: stgprao@st.unocal.COM (Richard Ottolini)
Subject: Re: PHIL: Virtual vs. Artificial Reality
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 15:39:42 GMT
Organization: Unocal Corporation

...writes...

"Virtual Reality" is a semi-commercial term to distinguish VR from its
flight-simulator roots. The spokesman for this term- Jaron Lanier- was
more persuasive than competing terms such as artificial reality and
cyberspace, so the name was adopted.  He also trademarked the word
virtual in his company name and some of his products.  Purists may
distinguish differences between the various terms, but there is no
common agreement and lots of overlap.  I personally prefered the term
"artificial reality" or "computer-assisted artificial reality" to
empathsize we are mostly talking about a new technology.  I think the
world "virtual" is less precise in describing the field.

--- Reply by Andy Kossowsky :

Keep in mind, however, that the word "virtual" has established
itself in the computerese lexicon thanks to terms like:

Virtual Memory
Virtual Disks
Virtual DOS Machines
Virtual Terminals
Virtual Displays

Etc.