LINDEN RESEARCH, INC. TO BE ACQUIRED

[Wallace Wirefly]

Not having read through ALL of the comments about this POSSIBLE acquisition of Linden Lab Research. Researching a bit into the two persons mentioned it all seems like normal business as usual in the corporate world. As to Linden and Second Life from the beginning LL has always held to what I call the 3 monkey policy. See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.

Now of course over the years LL has implemented what one would call CYA policies that ALL of us has agreed to. (how many times have you signed on and clicked agree to TOS?? ). LL has been taken to court a few times over the many years and probably have the best Virtual Attorneys on retainer. (As viewed by reading the lengthy TOS that most don't read). I doubt that IF this acquisition does go through much will change at first. As many are seeing now the use of Virtual plays an even more important part of  EVERY ONES life now that we have this very complex RNA virus spreading among the human race in RL. I think these individuals especially Bradford Oberwager as stated in article: Philip Rosedale said " I’ve known Brad [Oberwager] for 14 years personally and professionally, and I’m confident he will bring his passion and proven strategies to help Linden Lab achieve new heights in distribution, scale, and quality while remaining true to the original vision, creativity, and community that makes Second Life unique and special."  Understands a bit about the Virtual.

So lets all relax. As for the idea of MATURITY in SL. Ahh has any one checked out the INTERNET lately?? How easy it to find sexual content? It is and has been a integral part of the internet since its inception. As with pornography it is always hard to define. As the saying goes "I know it when I see it " Right... remember HUSTLER magazine anyone?? America has a long way to go in dealing with sexuality. Heck today America has a long way to deal with democracy BUT I think we'll make it. So as with Second Life we'll make it. Just think of where we might be in say 5 years. Will there be such thing as BOX stores?? Will we really need individual cars to get around?? And as some of the doom and gloom sayers  here say.. we as a species will disappear and so SL.

Ok stepping down from soap box. Have a GREAT rest of summer. Stay SAFE 😁 and most of all stay CALM.🤗

[Kimmi Zehetbauer]

1 hour ago, Bree Giffen said:

The future of SL was decided well before LL was purchased. The buyers have already looked at SL’s history, current operations and future plans by existing management. They’d want to analyze how the Company works before the purchase and not after.

I think if any changes are done --- most likely it would be involving Tilia, getting that payment platform offered to more publishers. I can imagine some Free-to-play games that use micro-transactions such as PlayPark, Webzen (Flyff, MU), Jagex (RuneScape) and many others adding Tilia as an option for their payment options.

[Paladin Tyran]

On 7/10/2020 at 1:21 AM, Whirly Fizzle said:

SECOND LIFE IS DEAD

Oh, God, please no. Is the only place were, we guys, can play with dolls.

[Lancewae Barrowstone]

Conclusion: 

Arm Treasure Data CDP

 

What it means to YOU:  

Look for targeted ads.

[Ardy Lay]

9 hours ago, Arielle Popstar said:

Try this address http://opensimulator.org

I did try that.  It was less fun.  I could enumerate the problems I had with it here but somebody has already done that, in this thread.  All I would like to add is none of my friends were there.  It was a sad place.  I'll stay in Second Life.  People have been predicting the death of Second Life the entire time I have been here except during the unregulated gambling boom, which, of course, had to be stopped.  Then Second Life was back to dying every day again.

[Arielle Popstar]

9 hours ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

No build tool? No rezzing of objects from inventory and placing them or anything like changing clothes since it's all part of the build tool (singular). Great way to make sure SL dies.

The build tool does far more than just allow prim creation. The build tool is what is used to edit terrain.

Lots of people still use the build tool. Take that away and they will leave SL.

Use a regular viewer then if you need to build. Changing clothes was doable in Lumiya so not a problem that way. Point is S/L is not pulling in enough new users nor retaining the new ones they do get. Stats. Considering android phones and tablets have a larger market share than Windows, doesn't it make sense to you that a viewer usable on those devices might help bolster the S/L user base?

[KanryDrago]

10 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

Use a regular viewer then if you need to build. Changing clothes was doable in Lumiya so not a problem that way. Point is S/L is not pulling in enough new users nor retaining the new ones they do get. Stats. Considering android phones and tablets have a larger market share than Windows, doesn't it make sense to you that a viewer usable on those devices might help bolster the S/L user base?

Not if comes at the cost of dumbing down content so it works on those viewers. At the end of the day thats all smartphones and tablets are sub par pc's. Make it work for them and I predict no new users but you will lose a chunk of the current users who now find that the current low graphics setting has become the highest

[Silent Mistwalker]

12 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

Use a regular viewer then if you need to build. Changing clothes was doable in Lumiya so not a problem that way. Point is S/L is not pulling in enough new users nor retaining the new ones they do get. Stats. Considering android phones and tablets have a larger market share than Windows, doesn't it make sense to you that a viewer usable on those devices might help bolster the S/L user base?

Personally, my "regular" viewer is all I need. I have no need or desire to drag SL around with me everywhere I go. It was never intended for mobility in the first place.

[Bagnu]

Removing Adult content would be a very poor move imho. Look at Markeplace, and how much "A" content there is to buy. The sudden destruction of our segment of the population would cause financial losses. I certainly would leave, and so would a lot of my friends, both male and female.

Edited July 14, 2020 by Bagnu

[Blaise Glendevon]

5 hours ago, Paladin Tyran said:

Oh, God, please no. Is the only place were, we guys, can play with dolls.

There are lots of guy doll collectors - both for playline AND collectable dolls. Check out instagram for guys with dolls and their cool customs & dioramas.

[Sommerland Starostin]

Have a feeling this is very bad news. I don't think an investment group is going to give a freak about the residents. Sole purpose is money, will probably become very commercialized. We already have that in RL lol. They have no relationship with the game or history. Let's see how much they will take into consideration that if it wasn't for the very CREATIVE residents of SL it wouldn't be what it is today. Investment groups tend to to lose their heart and soul along the way to making money.. I worked for one. I always supported LL but I think we're just about to be royally screwed and I've put a lot of time and money into SL along the years.

Randy Waterfield is pictured with a full white teeth smile with Bill Clinton of Epstein fame, hmmm. Cr*p!

Brad Oberwager is all about commercialization and branding.

 

Edited July 14, 2020 by Sommerland Starostin

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

41 minutes ago, Sommerland Starostin said:

Randy Waterfield is pictured with a full white teeth smile with Bill Clinton of Epstein fame, hmmm. Cr*p!

How is this relevant to the topic of the future of SL? 

[Sommerland Starostin]

29 minutes ago, Sylvia Tamalyn said:

How is this relevant to the topic of the future of SL? 

Look him up. What do you think the future of SL might be by reading his bio and the people he associates with? Look them both up.

[Qie Niangao]

2 hours ago, Sommerland Starostin said:

Randy Waterfield is pictured with a full white teeth smile with Bill Clinton of Epstein fame, hmmm. Cr*p!

We're now supposed to have problems with every finance guy who ever shook hands with Bill Clinton?

FFS. it was practically a job requirement.

[Mollymews]

i thought it was the full white teeth smile that Sommerland was objecting to

😸

[Love Zhaoying]

4 hours ago, Sommerland Starostin said:

Randy Waterfield is pictured with a full white teeth smile

Store-bought teeth, I guarantee 

[foneco Zuzu]

4 hours ago, Sommerland Starostin said:

Look him up. What do you think the future of SL might be by reading his bio and the people he associates with? Look them both up.

At least we know the future of LL is much better granted then if He had did it with the traitor!

[Cam Mode]

"It will be like Second Life, only better." Oh, sorry that was the Sansar intro comment .

Post buy out by guys who want revenue/big cash out- yeah they'll figure out a way to monetize. Maybe non-premiums have to click through an ad for Prep-H (sitting on your butt all day RPing, couldn't hurt ) etc. Free accounts can have a great leisure time- even a business .

But when they start messing with alts--- what other business has side accounts ? If the money guys don't understand alts, good luck.

[Cinos Field]

The SL population has never reacted well to basic accounts getting more restrictions, but perks for premiums certainly seem to get more people to pay up. Bellisseria certainly seems like it worked, for example.

[Arielle Popstar]

11 hours ago, KanryDrago said:

Not if comes at the cost of dumbing down content so it works on those viewers. At the end of the day thats all smartphones and tablets are sub par pc's. Make it work for them and I predict no new users but you will lose a chunk of the current users who now find that the current low graphics setting has become the highest

There already is an android viewer that's been working for S/L since 2013, but since the developer is no longer around, LL should be picking up the reins and putting one out that is at least comparable. Not sure were you are getting this idea from that it in itself would need content dumbed down but having said that, there certainly is work being done to try to make things run more efficiently for all the old window machines that hook into Secondlife.

 

11 hours ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

Personally, my "regular" viewer is all I need. I have no need or desire to drag SL around with me everywhere I go. It was never intended for mobility in the first place.

No offence but it isn't about what you need for you as you are already sold on S/L. The question is what is needed to draw in a more new users. For Secondlife, the android device market is a large untapped source of potential new users. If LL started to promote that it had a graphic android viewer available, I would bet there would be quite a flood of new users and if they kept that viewer at about the same level of difficulty as Lumiya was, then the learning curve would be substantially lessened.

Consider too that when Lumiya was on the Google Play store it was downloaded over a half million times at $3 a pop. That certainly says something about the popularity of an android viewer, especially in light of the fact it was only advertised as an option in the third party viewer list instead of S/L's own download page.

[KanryDrago]

Just now, Arielle Popstar said:

There already is an android viewer that's been working for S/L since 2013, but since the developer is no longer around, LL should be picking up the reins and putting one out that is at least comparable. Not sure were you are getting this idea from that it in itself would need content dumbed down but having said that, there certainly is work being done to try to make things run more efficiently for all the old window machines that hook into Secondlife.

 

 

Because I have used lumiya and it is very limited and tbh I wouldnt want to do more than chat on it. People using it would soon be dissatisfied and then some suit in a back office would be going "mobile users make up 30% of users the last few months. If we make the graphics simpler so they can do more we could recruit a lot more". History shows us when stuff gets shared with less capable platforms that it ends up being developed for the less capable platforms capabilities and gives the more capable platform a lesser experience. This is what happened with games that are on consoles and pc's and now what is happening with games shared over all 3

[Kyrie Deka]

I read the first five pages, page 17 skimmed, and page 20 only.  

Stood out: "proposed" acquisition, business as usual, concerns of change naturally.

Change is coming, but until it arrives if ever I expect little to no notice of it likely.  I suppose change was coming 10 years ago when I came into the picture (I just didn't see it every day), it was happening when I hit five years (I just didn't see it), and is happening now (proposed change only, no inworld changes seen).  One flexes as change necessitates, on both sides of it in their own situations.  Lots of possible outcomes.  I will flex.  I certainly hope to still be here after the dust if any settles from this or any future changes.  

But like Wall Street, let's hope that concerns about "possible catastrophe" do not trigger less "inworld investment" by concerned users.  Any proposed owner change may never happen, or may have zero noticeable impact ever.  But scaring investors in the interim over changes that are only proposed might.  

I do not forget that the reason I am inspired to stay in SL is that there are pretty places to go and things to do and that other inworld residents invest something to keep those public places there and it ain't cheap.  And that there are many other varied users here I can interact with on many levels, all attracted to SL and what other inworld resident investors put time and money into producing for public use.  

[Coffee Pancake]

On 7/12/2020 at 8:09 PM, Talligurl said:

Right because Investment companies buy companies to put them out of business.

Seriously if an investment firm is interested in buying LL, it is because they think LL will continue to earn money and generate profits for them,

Lets just take this moment to remind ourselves what LL themselves did when they bought companies out.

F

[Silent Mistwalker]

2 hours ago, Arielle Popstar said:

 

 

No offence but it isn't about what you need for you as you are already sold on S/L. The question is what is needed to draw in a more new users. For Secondlife, the android device market is a large untapped source of potential new users. If LL started to promote that it had a graphic android viewer available, I would bet there would be quite a flood of new users and if they kept that viewer at about the same level of difficulty as Lumiya was, then the learning curve would be substantially lessened.

Consider too that when Lumiya was on the Google Play store it was downloaded over a half million times at $3 a pop. That certainly says something about the popularity of an android viewer, especially in light of the fact it was only advertised as an option in the third party viewer list instead of S/L's own download page.

lol I never said it was and no I'm not "sold" on SL. Never have been. Looks to me like you need a bigger brush.

Each time there has been a "new mobile viewer" it has not brought in any "flood of new users".  Most of those were people already in SL , the ones who are "sold" on SL.

So why isn't Lumiya still being developed and where did all the money from the 3 bucks a pop go?

Each time someone has come out with a mobile viewer, it has flopped because there isn't enough demand for one to be financially feasible.

Edited July 14, 2020 by Silent Mistwalker

[Solar Legion]

Regarding a Mobile Viewer: No mobile device exists at present with the specifications needed to run a 3D enabled Second Life viewer at anything beyond bare minimums (and yes, that was what Lumiya did). Furthermore not everyone can afford an Unlimited Data plan (don't care if your country/region is different or has made such plans mandatory or some other red herring - it isn't universal).

Lumiya: It has not been in active development for some time, stop using it as an example. It is useful now for chat/IM, rental payments and sending L$ to friends (CSR work falls under chat/IM).