Change Avatar Name

[Wifwat Jinx]

Why are not able to change an Avatars name?  in a similar type of programme to SL called iMVU you can change Avi name, there is a small charge but it is better than losing your Avatar and all its clothes etc to have to start over with a new Avatar.

SO WHY CAN'T LINDEN LABS ALLOW THIS ? ? ? ? ? ?

[kershe]

On 3/12/2018 at 8:38 PM, Lindal Kidd said:

As a practical matter, every avatar account has a user name and a universal identifying number, the UUID.  It would be a huge hassle for LL in terms of tracking who created what if either of those were mutable.

 

I never thought about us and our UUIDs until now, and I know I'm just speculating, but I am guessing this (and sorry but I'm an IT girl):

• inventory and payments and everything account and accounting-like is tracked by the UUID without the username
• usernames have a small footprint in the database, just for lookups, similar to the way domain names and IP addresses work in DNS

BUT (still speculating):

• back when SL had last names, it was implemented using an awkward and unfortunate join between the list of valid SL last names, the list of UUIDs, and the set of usernames
• it might have been even worse than that, in that usernames might have been firstnames plus a number that stood for an SL last name
• getting rid of last names was a step toward correcting all that, BUT
• there's still some last-name-related cruft back in there

and so, every time last names or changing names or non-western names comes up, some developer's anxiety level goes through the roof.

But I'm just guessing.

Anyway, even if it does work like RL names and social security numbers, people do change their RL names fairly often -- for marriage, divorce, when acquiring citizenship, and other more personal reasons. But their SSN doesn't change.

Edited March 16, 2018 by kershe

[Lindal Kidd]

True, kershe...but then, our fingerprints, DNA, retinal patterns and some other identifying characteristics don't change either, so a RL name change is not such a big deal.  It's still possible to know that you are you.

Anyway, back in the day, lots of people complained that they couldn't change their name.  Many wanted to have the same surname as their partner, or adopt a new name for roleplaying.  We suggested a number of things to LL...for example, have people pay a small fee to change their name.  However, what LL came up with was the Display Name system, and the elimination of the surname business for user names.

Most of us old timers hate it, and would be happy just to go back to the old firstname lastname system.

For my part, I would like to see the introduction of a private username...one that only you and LL have access to.  This would add a layer of security, since two pieces of information would be required to access your account...your username and your password.  That would still leave open the question about how others in world could be sure that you are you.  Since most of us probably don't want to be looking up and comparing UUIDs all the time, some form of unchanging, public name would still be needed.

[kershe]

Lindal, I have to confess I was being a smartass - it was late in the day and I had just had a beer, so I was more expansive than I usually would be. If I thought a bit, I'd have realized it would have to be an old and thorny question, and probably the true setup is something I'd never guess.

Personally I don't care about changing names, but god I'd love to have a last name. When I see people with them, I think, "Yeah, you got in before the door closed."

[Wifwat Jinx]

As you have said in your reply to my initial enquiry that we all have a universal identifying number, the UUID.  What difference would it make to have a different name, especially as it is something LL can make a charge for ;-)

[LittleMe Jewell]

9 minutes ago, Wifwat Jinx said:

As you have said in your reply to my initial enquiry that we all have a universal identifying number, the UUID.  What difference would it make to have a different name, especially as it is something LL can make a charge for ;-)

While we all have a UUID, LL probably has some things keyed directly on our name rather than the UUID - or maybe they created the UUID off of the username and there is thus a dependency there in some of their algorithms - or maybe for many things the username is a secondary search key and it would cause all sorts of issues if that changed often.  Thinking about database and application design, there are all kinds of things they could have done to create a huge dependence on that username.  Granted, IMO, that is not the greatest design, but it is what it is.

Edited March 17, 2018 by LittleMe Jewell

[Lindal Kidd]

And besides, as I said in my first reply, "There's no reason for it, it's just our policy."  LL makes the rules and, for whatever reason, they've chosen to not permit user name changes.  Sorry!

[kershe]

On 3/17/2018 at 2:24 PM, LittleMe Jewell said:

While we all have a UUID, LL probably has some things keyed directly on our name rather than the UUID - or maybe they created the UUID off of the username and there is thus a dependency there in some of their algorithms - or maybe for many things the username is a secondary search key and it would cause all sorts of issues if that changed often.  Thinking about database and application design, there are all kinds of things they could have done to create a huge dependence on that username.  Granted, IMO, that is not the greatest design, but it is what it is.

That makes a lot of sense.

[Nalates Urriah]

On 3/17/2018 at 11:24 AM, LittleMe Jewell said:

While we all have a UUID, LL probably has some things keyed directly on our name rather than the UUID - or maybe they created the UUID off of the username and there is ...

 

You can read up on how UUID's are created. It is amazingly hard to create unique ID's that are never duplicated or that won't reoccur. So, the algorithm is based on time. It isn't perfect. But, the chance of duplication and/or repetition is for practical purposes so near zero we consider it zero. In a world where computer clocks tic once every quarter billionth of a second (+/-) and a bit of fancy computing avoids any two people coming up with the same UUID.

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universally_unique_identifier

[Lindal Kidd]

As the saying goes, "There's No Reason For It...It's Just Our Policy."

Your user name is like your Social Security number...it's yours for life, and you can't change it.  (Well, you CAN change your Social Security number, under certain extreme conditions and with an incredible amount of bureaucratic hassle...and conceivably, you could do the same with your SL user name.  But for all practical purposes, fuggedaboudit.)

As a practical matter, every avatar account has a user name and a universal identifying number, the UUID.  It would be a huge hassle for LL in terms of tracking who created what if either of those were mutable.  Plus, the user name is about the ONLY part of your avatar that never changes.  It's the one sure way that others can use to identify you, in a world where your appearance, profile, and other characteristics can change at a moment's notice.

However, you have two options.

1.  Create and use a Display Name.  This is in addition to your user name.  Depending on how they have configured their viewer options, other people will see your Display Name, your user name, or both.  But most people will call others by their Display Name; it's considered polite.  You can change your Display Name as often as once per week.
2. Create another account.  Just sign up for SL again like you did the first time.  This alternate account, or "alt" as we call them, can be your primary SL persona.  You can transfer money and transferable items between accounts.

But, if I were you, I wouldn't obsess over it.  "Wifwat Jinx" is an unusual and memorable name.  It can be pronounced, unlike those who use weird special characters or a string of numbers.  It's flexible, being gender- and species-neutral.  Hug your unique name to yourself in the knowledge that you chose a good one!