[geeks] SL = game? (Was: Ubuntu partition on Bootcamp Mac?)

[Jon Gilbert]

On Jul 31, 2007, at 2:22 PM, Bill Bradford wrote:

> Okay, explain this - if it's not a game, why should I bother  
> looking into
> it?  Is my time better spent on SL than on hacking Lisp code?

Well, Bill, I don't much about you or what you do for a living, or  
whether hacking LSL would be better for you than hacking Lisp. There  
are a variety of reasons why people might look into SL. I do a fair  
bit of scripting in there, mainly for other parties who are into SL  
for the virtual real estate side, promotions, virtual industry  
association conference spaces, &c. It seems to be a good way for  
disparate parties to hold virtual meetings, for musical events to  
draw a more international audience than some webcasts might have,  
etc. But I'm not the biggest expert on what all goes on within SL  
that would be a good use of your time.

> The web wasn't a single "application" provided by a single vendor.   
> Has
> Linden Labs open-sourced the platform, or allowed other people to  
> run SL
> servers?

http://blogs.zdnet.com/social/?p=142

Well, they are going to open-source the server as well. There are  
rumors that Google may be into it. The client has already been open- 
sourced. In any case, it's free to log into it, and the cost to set  
up a land space is pretty minimal.

> Also, ham radio is far from a fad.  I like knowing that I have the  
> ability
> to communicate with people across town, or across the planet, without
> depending on anyone else's infrastructure.

Oh yes, I agree with you. But HAM radio has never become a  
"mainstream" medium -- that was the only real point I was trying to  
make.

> There's nothing wrong with making money playing video games - but it
> sounds like you need to admit to yourself and quit making excuses,
> Second Life *IS* a video game.  It's no different from say, World of
> Warcraft in my eyes.
> However, that is my opinion, and I'm entitled to it.

Well, the only thing I was getting at in my previous posts was that  
nobody has clearly stated exactly what it is that makes SL a "game,"  
using the definition of what a game is that is found in the  
dictionary. I think that you all think it's a game just because it's  
in 3D.

Saying there is no difference between SL, and something like WoW, is  
like saying there's no difference between a hammer and nails, and  
house. SL is something which can allow a game to be built within it,  
but fundamentally, it's just a platform -- not a finished product  
with specific properties .

> The only reason they (and numerous other companies) have a presence  
> in SL is
> because some market droid saw an article about it in Wired, and  
> said "HAY
> GUYS WE NEED A SECOND LIFE PRESENCE!><#<>!#>!! WEB TWO DOT OH NEW  
> MEDIA
> AVATAR VIRTUAL REALITY BUZZWORD"

And I'm the one with a complex? I love how you guys actively deny any  
evidence against your point via a straw man argument (it's the over- 
caffeinated "marketing droids'" fault). There are a lot of good  
reasons why Toyota would make a virtual reality site; people can see  
what the cars actually look like, in 3D, as opposed to static 2D web  
shots or cheesy rotating VR flashes. But no, it must just be a  
gimmick right? <sigh> I mean who cares about actual reason, or logic?

Brian Dunbar wrote:
> I am not convinced that SL is the wave of the future - it reminds  
> me of
> CompuServe.  Closed and proprietary is not the way to bet or so  
> says the
> lessons learned from the past fifteen years.
>
> I want 'a' website I put one up at my house. Or I have it hosted for a
> few bucks a month.  I want a site in Second Life ... I must login to
> Linden Lab's server.  That's no way to build the future.
>
> Where is the Apache counterpart to SL?

Oh, I totally agree with this assessment. But lets not forget that  
things like AOL and Compuserve were quite successful for a long time,  
until the ubiquity of the web outmoded them. There are certain things  
about SL for which the walled garden approach are nice: like the fact  
it has its own economy based around user-created objects and land  
sales. I do think that a virtual reality, 3D type of open webserver  
based on technology like SL will come about in the future, and  
eventually make the walled gardens obsolete.

But as I mentioned in another post, they are open-sourcing the server  
software. That will be your Apache counterpart.

-
Jon Gilbert
PGP fingerprint: 7FA9 B168 73CA A698 DD9E  2DF2 EE1A 3E73 3119 741F