My Opinion About The Next Generation Platform

[BobbyGeorge]

>> But SL still has managed to be the most successful VW ever, to this day. 

Yes, that's beyond dispute. InWorldz and other OS alternatives never managed to evolve to the point SL did. That's their bad, but I was specifically talking about the fact that SL, despite promoting itself as a platform for whatever virtual experiences the user can imagine, has restricted itself to appeal to a rather conservative demographic and lost a lot of users as a result, IMO.

>> Seems like you have a better idea for what SL should be. Want to tell me? 

Well, something resembling SL between 2008-2010, without the horrendous business decisions that followed, might be a good phase to go back to. What was SL doing right then that it's clearly not doing now? The attempt to integrate itself with FB users was flawed. Most FB users want to post pictures of themselves, their friends and family; not be represented by a humanoid fox avatar. SL calls for a dedicated type of user, who'll immerse themselves in the platform. IMO, LL's biggest mistake has been trying to be all things to all people, instead of concentrating on what made it special and unique (I say this as somebody who once used to log into SL regularly and loved his initial SL experience).

>> That's fine since it's just a codename and not the final name. 

That's a relief!

>> Maybe it's because I'm a Swede...

Ah...I appreciate it's not nice seeing a thread where you're getting negative comments. I'm sure you're a great guy, but I'm sorry, I think you're not so hot on PR. I've found a lot of your announcements, so far, to be evasive and bland. They sometimes sound like you're launching some bank security software instead of a dynamic new VW.

Naturally, these are just my opinions and I would love to have to eat my words if Sansar/SL2 blows us all away.

---

[Drake1 Nightfire]

Especially with FB cracking down on "fake accounts" more and more SLers are having to drop their SL FB accounts. I know mine was hit and i refuse to add my RL info to it. I have a RL FB account already. Perhaps LL should have found out that you cant have two accounts for FB before touting linking your av to an account.

[Gavin Hird]

---

Drake1 Nightfire wrote:

Especially with FB cracking down on "fake accounts" more and more SLers are having to drop their SL FB accounts. I know mine was hit and i refuse to add my RL info to it. I have a RL FB account already. Perhaps LL should have found out that you cant have two accounts for FB before touting linking your av to an account.

---

When you own what is essentially a social platform, I always found it rather special you encourage your user base to use a competing platform to communicate with each other.  

[Rufferta]

I don't have an opinion about The Next Generation Platform, I have a worry that I won't be able to keep up.

I have a hard time now keeping up with Second Life, and I crash more often than any non-pigheadedly-stubborn person would tolerate. I guess it is naive of me, but I don't see why Second Life can't be gradually updated so that it can continue to be accessed - like one of those wonderfully-restored antique vehicles I see on the freeways on Sundays.

Second Life is currently the oldest and the largest of the virtual worlds - it has a history, and the Mainland has features that help give a sense of place - you may not be able to keep the same parcel forever, but you know that if you come back the roads and the LDPW builds will still be there - they won't vanish like a sim on a stick. Perhaps there could be some kind of "Virtual World" living museum?

Do we really need "The next big thing"? Do we need to continue with Exponential Growth paired with Exponential Dread? There was an interesting talk on "Web Design: ?The First 100 Years"at http://idlewords.com/talks/web_design_first_100_years.htm

Now I've got to go crash.

[Perrie Juran]

---

Bobbie Faulds wrote:

I forgot one thing. The reason our inventory won't be transferring over is that  the new platform won't be sharing/accessing the inventory servers from SL. 

</snip>

 

---

There is nothing to stop the new platform from accessing the inventory servers.

The only things hindering it are possible copyright/licensing issues and compatibility.

[AlecDeBoeuil]

---

Drake1 Nightfire wrote:

---

Persephone Emerald wrote:

On a side note, I think it's cool the Ebbe came down the the forums to respond to this discussion. Also, I've met a couple cool Swedes in SL who I wouldn't have met without this platform. ;-)

 

---

He didn't really respond to anyone here, just a few snippy comebacks.  Plenty of questions were asked of him.  No answers were given.

---

That's what happens when you give your password to Peter Gray.

Alec - Danes more than Swedes; they are Great, not vegetables

[bo130]

Longtime lurker here with a few thoughts.  I know that some will disagree and that's fine.

I really believe that LL does not consider SL to be a viable product that will continue to be profitable or will grow.  I get the sense that the concurrency rates and retention of new members aren't inspiring them.  I for one don't believe that SL will be around 6 or 7 years from now with or without Sansa's influence.  Anyway...

I also think that this is related to the negative outlook that SL has (i.e.  that there is a lot of sex or sexuality in it).  I think the name change alone and the distance that LL wants to put with the SL name is a big part of this.

What vexes me about the reaction to Sansa and a new platform is this;  For as long as I have been in sl (and likely not as long as many many people), I've heard countless comments about how SL tech is so dated, and how users have been clamoring for it to be more current with technology.

Yet, once a new platform is introduced (as LL has done) I've heard a great deal of complaining.  Not about the issues relating to the problems that some may have with Sansa, but just the simple fact that a new product is being released.  I once very polietely brought up the subject of Sansa to a group of people who were mentioning a discussion that some Lindends had at the Basquille sim, and the response was almost akin to one bringing up killing kittens.

The point to all of this is that I get this sense that a lot of SL users are behaving like luddies about Sansa.  I understand that sometimes something new is perhaps off putting - and maybe even slightly scary, but I really am surprised at the reaction that is generated from people who simply do not want to accept the existance of a newer platform, no matter what it may be.

[Rhonda Huntress]

---

bo130 wrote:

 I've heard countless comments about how SL tech is so dated, and how users have been clamoring for it to be more current with technology.

Yet, once a new platform is introduced (as LL has done) I've heard a great deal of complaining. 

---

You will see this in every aspect of life. People want change but they hate change.  It's part of being human.

 

[Tony Rossini]

You obviously missed the years (2008/ 2009) when they had peaks of 90,000 users.....the good old days. It's sad to see it drop dwon to a paltry 40k

[JoJo Aurelia]

I'll go to InWorldz.  I already have stores ready to go. I can't possibly learn anything new. It's hard for me to keep up with Second Life.   Second Life has an older generation here.  We're not their market.  I find all this chatter about a new platform mute,.  Linden wants a platform without an open code.  They don't want to deal with residents when making decisions. The residents have been their greatest resistance to change. 

[ChinRey]

---

bo130 wrote:

I for one don't believe that SL will be around 6 or 7 years from now with or without Sansa's influence.

---

I think you managed to sum up two different but important points in a single sentence, that's impressive!

So far there's is no indication that Sansar has had any negative influence on Second Life. SL is regressing, yes, but it's been doing so at a steady rate since 2011.

And there is no sign of Linden Lab abandoning or neglecting SL because of Sansar. If anything, there have been more genuine improvements both in functionality and service after Sansar was announced than before.