FujitsuHabitat VersionHistory
About
This is a complete version history for the Fujitsu Habitat client. Several different architectures were supported and these are the FM-TOWNS, the FMR, PC-9801 and Macintosh (Pre OSX).
At least for the FM-TOWNS version, the visual/audio data was stored on the CD and the client software itself was stored on floppy disk. After a certain point, instead of printing new CD's, Fujitsu would issue new floppy disks to update peoples clients (according to one of the former development team of Fujitsu Habitat).
As information regarding the Fujitsu Habitat client version numbers is scarce, the list is most likely incomplete.
August 1991 - FMR version released[1].
October 1991 - PC-9801 version released[2].
The Macintosh version of the client was released in March 1993 according to Howard Rheingold's "The Virtual Community" book, however the Fujitsu Habitat 15th anniversary history page hosted on the J-Chat website lists it as being released in February 1994[3]. The Mac demo client also features text files which state that the client was released in January 1994.
| Version Number | Release Date | Archived | FM-TOWNS | FMR | PC-9801 | Macintosh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beta | Possibly October 1989 | No | Y | N | N | N |
| V1.1 L05 | 11th December 1989 | No (but we know somebody with a CD of it) | Y | N | N | N |
| V1.1 L10 | 1990 | Partial (Floppy only, no CD archive) | Y | N | N | N |
| V1.1 L11 | ~ April 1990 | No (but we know somebody with a CD of it) | Y | N | ||
| V2.1 L10 | September 1990 | Yes | Y | Y | ||
| V2.1 L11 | March 1991 | Partial (Tutorial floppy only, no program floppy or CD archive) | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| V2.1 L12 | 2nd September 1992 | Partial (Program floppy only, no tutorial floppy or CD archive) | Y | Y | ||
| V2.1 L13A | Circa 1994 | Partially (CD archived, Floppy disk missing) | Y |
Changelog
This section will list differences between the client versions if this info is available.
V1.1 L11
- Mouse handling was changed so that the mouse and cursor would now be synchronised and provide a smoother experience.
- Network code was changed to provide a more reliable connection and reduce the amount of congestion.
V2.1 L11
- This version appears to be the first to have a separate Tutorial floppy disk.
V2.1 L12
- The "Camera" function is added that lets you take a screenshot of the region in Habitat. It apepars that the client dumps the actual region contents into a file that the client can use to render at a later date. The file saved by the Fujitsu Habitat client could be converted to a 32768 color TIFF file later on. According to the October 1992 edition of Oh!FM Towns, you could fit approximately 1,200 photo files onto a 2HD floppy disk (which was likely a 1.44MB size disk).
- The "Tape Recorder" function is added that lets you save the chat history. This could be played back inside the Fujitsu Habitat client, where the avatars who were present in the region are displayed from the shoulders up and repeat their conversation again on your screen. The Tape Recorded will save the speaking avatars head, gender and clothing colour.
- You can now scroll back up to view the past chat history to view up to 128 lines of text of past conversations and ESP messages that have scrolled off the screen.
- ^ Fujitsu Habitat history - https://web.archive.org/web/20160812162115/http://www.j-chat.net/habitat/history.html
- ^ Fujitsu Habitat history - https://web.archive.org/web/20160812162115/http://www.j-chat.net/habitat/history.html
- ^ Fujitsu Habitat history - https://web.archive.org/web/20160812162115/http://www.j-chat.net/habitat/history.html