Virtual LandMarks - My Proposed Idea to LL

[Czari Zenovka]

/facepalms

It went right over my head that trying to convince the Lindens to act on this proposal is really no longer a jira issue.  If you make a new logo for the info sign, please let us know.   I can revise the notecard in my sign to point interested parties to this forum.

Heading off to read the meeting transcript.

[Nalates Urriah]

I've been covering VLM's since I first heard of them. I think they are a great idea. Today I posted an article on my blog about a new developement in the area of VLM's. See: #SL Virtual Landmarks…

Darrius Gothly is now offereing VLM's that run on a private system that is on servers outside SL (VLMVW). They work on web sites, like the Market Place, and in-world. There is a small annual cost per VLM. 

My understanding is these will work for any virtual world. I'm not clear if that 'all worlds' thing is being offered.

The lasy I had head about VLM's from the Lab is they were still studying the problem and determining costs. Since the JIRA issue remains Awaiting Review (don't take that literally) it means, as best we can tell, the Lab has not yet made a decision (in plain English it has been reviewed, but in Lindenese as long as there is no decision it is in review).

[Toysoldier Thor]

YES Nalates,

The good news is that thanks to some ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit on behalf of our follow Merchant friend, a pretty darn powerful instance of VIRTUAL LANDMARKS (aka VLMs) has been developed and come to life for the SecondLife grid.

Although no one other than LL themselves could deploy an instance of VLMs that 100% replaces / augments the current extremely outdated, limited design of LMs so that it would be 100% native to the grid's fundamental core functions (i.e. a LM asset in your inventory that you can double-click to activate), Darrius's new VLMVW service has got a close as a non-LL entity could to introduce VLM service to SL.

The good news is that since VLMs have been developed by a non-LL party, the external service, database, and function can also be leveraged by other grids in addition to SecondLife. 

More good news, since the solution was developed by someone that would also be a major user / benefactor of the actual VLM service, many of the advanced features we proposed were already developed into the first edition - like VLM usage statistics and multi-location options for a VLM.  You also can predict that since the service is developed and run by some that realizes "more features = better sales", we wont have to beg and plead for new features to be added with no hope of it showing up..... (something many of us would predict would have been the case if LL developed VLMs).

 

As for the current state / progress of VLMs to become an actually LL developed and deployed new feature in SecondLife, I heard it a bit different than you Nalates... but you could very likely be correct.  I was told by the Lindens that LL already completed their internal review of the VLM concept (i.e. feasibility, risk, and cost to deploy into the SL grid).  From what I was told, they have agreed that VLMs are viable and have sent VLM development out to the LL scheduling team to determine what its priority would be and when resources would be slated to start its development.  Subsequent asks to the LL team on the progress of this scheduling of VLM development have come back with the non-surprising  <paraphrased> "there has been no change or further progress on VLMs to be scheduled".

So, VLMs are coming to life on the SL grid and very quickly.... but no thanks to LL.

Bad news for LL is that a critical and hugely positive grid experience enhancement is coming onto the SL grid but outside of the control of LL.  LL has little say now in how VLMs enter SL or how it grows in functionality.  And as the externally controlled and run VLMVW service gains in popularity, LL will once again be in a situation of lost control of a critical aspect of SL just like they lost control of the marketshare of the Viewers (currently dominated by Phoenix).

Good Darrius!  Its real cool to see my concept come to life as fast as it did.... even if not by LL.

[Dartagan Shepherd]

So the punchline is that users can develop a feature faster than LL, and LL can develop new products faster than features for SL.

At least this one got done without paying an ex-employee $5,000.

Great job getting this from concept to fruition one way or the other.

If I were a cobweb gathering Marketplace release notes page, I'd be embarassed, though.

[Toysoldier Thor]

Not to get TOO EXCITED about this news but at least I have been able to push the VLM Feature Request noodle up the LL hill a bit further this week.  This week via Twitter, I was able to get Ebbe to read Nalate's well written blog posting on what Virtual Landmarks (VLMs) are and the problems it addresses and the benefits for the SL Grid in having VLMs if LL developed it for the grid.

Attached is the twitter dialog for those of you that don't follow me (which is likely most of you) or Ebbe on twitter.  Ebbe seems to like the idea of VLMs and thinks the concept should not be that hard to do.  He doesn't know the priority of this feature vs other LL priorities but said he would check.

This would be a BIG WIN for Ebbe in two ways. 

1) He would be able to deliver a serious overhauled enhancement to a fundamental and poorly designed feature in SL - LMs - which would make a ton of SL Residents very happy.  

2) He would clearly demonstrate that LL is now actually considering and executing on CUSTOMER / RESIDENT ideas to improve the SL grid which would add serious confidence that Ebbe is different than all the previous CEOs that have come and gone with broken promises.

Here is hoping Ebbe could influence the LL Development powers that be to move VLMs into the active development cycle. 

[Rival Destiny]

:matte-motes-shocked:  As I live & breath !!  Glad to see you've been so diligent Toy & I hope it pays off in the end.   We can only hope!

[Perrie Juran]

excellent

 

[Pamela Galli]

Another hopeful sign. (Now you have to take back all that stuff you said.)

[Toysoldier Thor]

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Pamela Galli wrote:

Another hopeful sign. (Now you have to take back all that stuff you said.)

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A hopeful sign ?  YES

Taking back what I said?  SURELY NOT YET

If we all see the Ebbe was able to actually influence the LL Development Priority Schedule by promote VLM development in to an active feature development by his team.....  THEN I WILL SURELY BE CONVINCED THAT EBBE IS FOR REAL !

Right now all Ebbe said in his tweet was he would check into it.  No commitments at all.  I would even be impressed if Ebbe responded back with a status from his investigation...  "I brought this VLMs up with the team and they said..."