Inworld

Well... the Linden's point is that something the architectural world and 3D modlers have wanted for a long time is here. That part is fact.

Whether mesh will save the Lab and even that the Lab needs saving is a matter of opinion. That all information points toward the Lab being a profitable business suggests they are no more in need of saving than any other business struggling through this economy.

The suggestion that all users of SL totally distrust the Lab is an over statement. There certainly is a good sized number of people that do not trust the Lab. But, there is likely an even larger number for which the idea of trust never comes up. Also, that a massive number of people have trusted the Lab with financial information suggests a much larger number of people do trust the Lab. At the least it suggests a clearer phrasing of what one means by distrusting the Lab.

As to owning virtual land... I've only been reading the ToS for the last 3 years. I've never seen any promise that I would own land any more than I would own a web server's hosting account.

The idea that land is too expensive is a matter of opinion too. In any free market each individual gets to decide the value of a commodity or service. If it is too expensive, they don't buy it. If they see a value, they do buy it. A significant number of people are purchasing land each month. The trend lately suggests that competitors may be having an effect. But, watching the monthly stats posted on SLUniverse shows almost as many new regions leased as given up. So, it is hard to say with any authority that SL Land is over priced. I'll concede that for the casual hobbyist it is too costly.

Also, the Linden strategy guiding the Lab right now is about 50% complete. It is having an effect on sign ups and a perceptible effect on retention. Consumer service is changing. Bug fixes and upgrades and user features requests are handled at a much faster pace than 18 months ago. So,lots of things are changing.

If anyone wants to see what has and is changing in a detailed way, follow my blog.

@natales: That LL has my credit card can hardly be construed as a declaration of Trust.  They have it because I buy L with it and pay for my rental with it.  They have that particular credit card because I can take it from their greedy hands with nothing but a phone call to my bank.  A better declaration of trust would be their posession of my business CC, something they will never even get a glimpse of now.

A true declaration of trust would be my continued premium account and ownership of that one island and four Open Spaces around it - attached to my group's existant island chain - that I was weeks from purchasing to demonstrate a rapid assembly simulation technique to the parent outfit.  Rather than create the workflow with actual hardware in a hanger over 6 months, do it in a virtual hanger in only one.  That would be <b>serious</b> money for a serious application rather than this play money they get from me now.  I walked away from said purchase and dropped the premium when the lab's bait and switch with Open Space came about.  So yes, I voted with my wallet.  Lots of people are still voting with their wallets, as the dropping numbers displayed in Gridsurvey (dot) com illustrate. 

I'm an engineer and a businessman in RL.  I know how hard it is to get a customer's trust back once you've lost it, even accidently.  LL's actions have not been accidental and regaining enough trust that people will turn over several K$ a year for "nothing" is a daunting task.  If we don't "Own" the virtual property, then don't price it like we do.