New DD API - Hint of a new Proxied / Federated Inventories

[Toysoldier Thor]

OK Merchant folks... so reading and analyzing every one of the FEW FAQ HINTS that Brooke finally released about the up coming SLM Direct Delivery service, those of us that are not in the LL inner circle of being able to know all the details of LL's development effort can now start making some further educated guesses. 

The great part for me and others like Darrius that did not take part in the LL DD Beta (where we would have to sign an NDA that would have muzzled us, we are free to speculate and predict how DD will work and what that means.

Following is the link to Brooke's recent Blog post on the new DD FAQ that we can predict from...

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/SL_Marketplace:Direct_Delivery_FAQ

There are TWO key points that she said that would possibly excite some of us that can extrapolate what it means...

"Outgoing Items Folder: Items you list on the Marketplace will be retrieved from a special outgoing folder in your inventory and copied to your Marketplace Inventory. Note that outgoing items will be COPIED from your inventory except in the case of no-copy items."

"If Third-Party Viewers choose to support listing items on the Marketplace, they may use the API that will be provided to allow this. "

So, what these two invaluable bit of info tell me is that the newly created "special" SLM-OUTGOING folder will be part of some form of a potentially cool new revolutionary Inventory Feature/Service.  I will convert this to a Technical Label for this new service called:  PROXIED / FEDERATED INVENTORIES.

Knowing LL's history, they might be deploying this design simply to address a very tactical problem with SLM delivery to replace their perception of the evil "magicboxes".  BUT, this design could / would have some HUGE potential new capabilities in the future of SL Inventory handling and management.

So, what am I talking about you ask?  Why does this possibly excite me???  Let me theorize what I think LL Development is doing with the new DD design.

The fact that Brooke said all the supporting 3PV Viewers that want to offer SLM Item Listing delivery to their Viewer Users must incorporate this new API, tells me that the DD design will be adding a new - yet not available - inventory management function.  I am predicting this is a set of functions that will allow for an Avatar's inventory to include new "SPECIAL FOLDERS" that are not actually part of the main singular structure of the rest of the Avatar's inventory.  i.e. this folder is not like the other folders which are just sub-folders of the main folder (like Clothing, Notecards, Objects).

What I suspect the LL Development Team is introducing is the concept of a FEDERATED INVENTORY.  Whats that?  Well basically it means that your Avatar's Inventory could now actually be made up of multiple inventories but it looks to you as if it is only One inventory. 

This new "Special" folder would simply be a form of a "portal" that transfers or interfaces with the other Inventory.  As such, what ever content you drop into this folder, would be automatically transferred to this other inventory (that you obviously have some rights or affinity to as well).  How does this transfer happen?  Well that easy, the new API handles all the logistics on this transfer of content either TO and/or FROM this special folder.  It could be a blind 1-way transfer, or a full 2-way synch between this special folder and the corresponding special folder in the other independent inventory.

This could also imply that LL is introducing a new concept of a PROXIED INVENTORY design.  This is a little different in how the pure federated inventory works (where content is copied/synchronized to each other).  With a PROXIED Folder, this Special Folder would only present you a VIEW of the contents in the folder of the other inventory.  If you drag any item from this special folder, to another folder or to even rez inworld, the content would actually come from the other inventory thru this proxied special folder.

Now... although this new API might have beed designed to offer both capabilities, I suspect the new DD will actually be deploying the first function of a FEDERATED Synched multi-inventory system.  Why?  Because Brooke said the items placed in this new outgoing special folder will be COPIED to the "MARKETPLACE INVENTORY".  That implies that there will be a boxed SLM item (or any item for that matter) in your special outgoing folder and the API will COPY it from your inventory to the new independant MARKETPLACE inventory. 

I suspect it will be what is called a "ONE WAY SYNCH" where the master folder is the one in your main inventory and the SLAVE is the corresponding folder in this newly created MARKETPLACE INVENTORY.  There would be no transfer or movement of data back toward your main inventory.  Since it is a Synch, if you add an item, its copied over.  If you change the item's permission, the API should see the change of the item and copy it again to update the Marketplace inventory. If you delete an item from your folder, the corresponding item will be deleted in the MARKETPLACE inventory.

To 99% confirm my theory is right, Brooke even let it slip by naming this new independent federated inventory... LL will be calling it the MARKETPLACE INVENTORY.  This new inventory could be inside the same Asset DB or even possibly created inside a completely different and new ASSET DB (and server).  That would be nice.

BUT FOLKS... lets dream on a bit more - much further then I suspect LL has even thought of with this concept of Multiple Federated / Proxied Inventories.  Some cool things that could now be done in the future:

 

1. Several new and independent inventories could be created and presented to you as a single inventory.  You could now have a BACKUP Folder (which is truly a backup since the content is copied to a different asset server).  You could create and link in folder to other inventories for other specific purposes.
2. Here is a really cool idea... imagine a federated / proxied folder in your inventory that is actually linked to an inworld rezzed prim (like a magicbox, or inworld vendors, etc.).  Now, as long as you are logged into SL, you can transfer / manage the contents of items within the content of prims that are rezzed anywhere inworld.
3. Lets dream on even furhter.  Lets say LL some day wants to partner with other grid and even other grids from other competing worlds like IW).  A Federated folder could actually be a portal to other grids... allowing content transfer between grids being as easy as dropping the content into this folder.
4. Lets dream more... FEDERATION to SHARED INVENTORIES.  So now your special folder is linked and synchronized with a SL business partner's inventory.  You can share content with this trusted partner.  Or you both could rez a special inworld prim that many of you avatars could all link to and share content with.

I could keep going, but you can continue dreaming on the possibilites with FEDERATED PROXIED INVENTORIES.  This could be a huge next generation of the largely outdated inventories that SL now has available.

Darrius... you can post more thoughts on this - because I know you have more to add to this. :)

BUT... welcome to SLM DD that will use FEDERATED INVENTORIES.

If this is true... the risks and concerns I initially brought up about how DD would be deployed are largely dismissed.  There could be many other new technical issues with this new approach - BUT - this is a huge and powerful new feature for SL... if they are doing this.

(I think I am going to blog this posting :)

Toy

http://ToyTalks.weebly.com

 

 

[Luna Bliss]

Well Toy this sure sounds better than the visions of Kraken you were filling my mind with the other week ;0

(if anyone hasn't seen Kraken be sure and Google it...quite a treat).

What I want to know though....will viewer 1.23 be updated to accomodate the new DD or will this only work for V2?   If I have to use V2 I will for sure feel like Kraken has descended upon my workshop..

[Mickey Vandeverre]

hmmm....hopefully those dreams will be translated to Non-Geek Speak.

[Toysoldier Thor]

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Mickey Vandeverre wrote:

hmmm....hopefully those dreams will be translated to Non-Geek Speak.

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I cleaned up my main posting here and created a new BLOG in my Blog site that hopefully better explains the potential of the Federated Inventories.  Take a peek in my blog in hopes its more clear there.

Toy

http://ToyTalks.weebly.com