Damien Avedon

Ah yes, Resident Ventura; the demise of Viewer 1.23.5 is coming. When that happens, I close my premium account and say good bye to Second Life. Not only is Viewer 2 about as user friendly as an annoyed rattlesnake, some of us have machines who just won't reliably run it. At least Viewer 1.23.5 runs on most computers without the need for replacing the machine running it, unlike Viewer 2. version whatever. Perhaps Linden was offered an incentive by some of the gaming machine manufacturers... There are a LOT of people who like the old viewer, and LL would be making a terrible mistake to discontinue it. Having said that, Linden Labs' history of making mistakes has me keeping an exit plan in place so when the deed happens, I can leave with the least trouble to myself and the people who are used to my presence as well as those who employ me in some way or other and to whom I have certain responsibilities inworld. Having got that off my chest, I have to ask about this new "double click and be there..." What happened to old fashioned walking? What happens when you double click and wind up in some location where you don't belong or aren't welcome? Suggestion: Invest in the people making Security Orbs; they are going to have a major business spike; as are the makers of various implements of death and localized destruction. One suspects the landscape may take on a reddish hue in some locations. Honestly, the more I see of Viewer 2 and its strange offspring, the more I wonder about people turning SL into a cartoon-like environment. While there are many good things about Viewer 2 beside keeping programmers off unemployment; some of the things being brought out makes me wonder if someone's medication may need adjustment. Second Life is a game and is thus an un-necessary adjunct to anyone's lifestyle. What puzzles me is that Linden Labs is deliberately trying to substantiate this claim, rather than trying to make Second Life more enjoyable for everyone (meaning the non-computer literate unwashed masses who make up 90% of the business world). That shows how little I know of business these days...

Actually, they didn't. If you consider AU as a "test bed" for various things LL wanted to try out but didn't want to risk Gridspace doing, the way they used Avatars United makes perfect sense. Now they know what people like and what they don't like, all without using a millimeter of their Grid to find out. Now they can trot out these well tested "improvements" and enjoy the positive response thus generated. Far from being a bad decision, this makes economic sense. Now, you ask how this will benefit someone who uses "Blue Mars". Whatever makes you think Linden cares in the least about Blue Mars? It isn't a Linden product, so it isn't worth consideration unless it's a threat. Welcome to the Real Life world of business and making a buck. Thank the Gods that there is someplace like Second Life where we can relax and not give a d@rn for a while about bottom lines and profit margins.