Open Cobalt is: Open Cobalt Alpha is the first step in a long term project to make available a free and open source platform for constructing, accessing, and sharing hyperlinked virtual workspaces for research and education. Its designed to make it easy to create highly capable and interlinked multi-user virtual workspaces, game-based learning and training environments, and virtual exhibit spaces that run on all major software operating systems. By using a peer-based messaging protocol to reduce reliance on server infrastructures for support of basic in world interactions across many participants, Open Cobalt makes it possible for people hyperlink their virtual worlds via 3D portals to form a large distributed network of interconnected collaboration spaces