Linden Lab has it’s business model ass backwards
October 28, 2008 6:04 pmWhere to start? About a year ago Linden Labs started selling ‘openspaces’, which are also known as ‘void sims / voids’ or ‘baby sims’. As 4 voids are hosted on 1 server, you get less prims, less script/computing capacity and a cheaper price & tier - the monthly maintenance fee - rate. Lindens never really specified what those sims should serve for, only that they should not be heavily stressed. Of course, give people ‘land’, a prim allotment and scripting functionality, and they will start creating things. Be it residential areas, oceans sights, yacht harbours, shops, … . The sales of these void sims were responsible for the major ‘land mass growth’ in Second Life we witnessed the last few months, and that Linden Labs liked to boast about, a lot.
Openspaces? We haz underestimated!
But now? Jack Linden announced on the Second Life Blog that ‘… sadly there is a twist. Unfortunately most of the Openspaces are being used for much more than light use. Openspaces are being used about twice as much as we expected, in other words being loaded with double the content/avatar load than we’d expect for a region that is supposed to be light use. Because they were never intended for that level of load this is causing problems. For some people this has meant a less than great experience with performance fluctuations. The overuse of Openspaces has also put additional strain on some of our network and database infrastructure at a much higher ratio than is reflected in the current pricing.‘
The results? A ‘pricing change’ for voids effective January 1st. Lindens will increase the monthly maintenance fee from USD$75 to USD$125 per month. That’s a 66% increase! Purchasing an Openspace will become more expansive too and ‘educational use’ discounts will be no longer available for Openspaces.
Residents infuriated over new openspace pricing policy
It’s no surprise that Second Life residents are enraged about this news: the same Linden that only weeks ago encouraged them to stock up on voids, saying how lovely those are, now increase the maintenance fee for exactly those voids with 66%. Although there’s still some debate if Linden Lab did this intentionally - lure residents to buy and only then raise the ‘upkeep’ fee - or was blatantly stupid, underestimating the effects of voids on their network and database infrastructure to begin with. Regardless, all agree, that Linden Lab’s move is ‘not done’.
As Jeanricard Broek writes in the comments of Linden Lab betrays consumer market: ‘The latest announcement by linden Lab will create another killing blow to the Second Life Real Estate (e)Economy, the whole business economy and impact all residents directly or indirectly. Again Linden Lab is screwing it’s customers (the users/the residents), for sake of short term profit and change over sustained growth. I am getting angry now….. At a time when Linden Labs should be increasing performance, lowering prices and growing, it instead shows it cannot support growth, its customers or a secondary market/economy. In the past year servers have become cheaper and faster, technology across the internet has reduced costs of business, look at your phone bill, email & Amazon cloud storage costs. Folks this is going to be a hard year, and not a time to raise prices or devastate a user base. Linden Labs has its business model ASS BACKWARDS and it’s management is incompetent, lets be frank about it.‘
Resident Protest
As this effects mostly the ‘middle class’ Second Life Residents, there are a lot of ‘active players’ hit by this new policy, which clearly shows from the - negative - response and blog coverage on the announced pricing for openspace tier, as well as by the amount of ‘protest initiatives’ already present and in the make:
Protest Initiatives
- update: JIRA issue MISC-1776 ‘OpenSpace Sim Prices SHOULD NOT Be Going Up! VOTE To Stop This ridiculous increase!’ (Hmm, the title could have been a bit more less serious, imho, but that’s just me.) Go vote there! (If you don’t know how, here’s a short explanation). This JIRA now holds over 2000 unique resident votes!
- The Flickr ‘Openspace / Void’ Group call out to add photos of opensims you love. Tagline: This group is for snapshots from Openspace/void sims to show Linden Lab what they may be losing when they price these builds and residents out of ownership.
- Homeless.inworld.sl, a group blog for those rendered without homes by Linden’s new pricing policy.
- File for a position as ‘Billing Support Representative’, Lindens will need help now they are charging more money, as suggested by Crap Mariner.
- The Official SL Forums - Not really a ‘protest’, but
+800+1000 comments should tell the Lindens something! - Revolutionary Beret by GaZov Designs on Onrez.
‘Real Life’ press
- The Silicon Alley Insider reports on Real Estate Crashes In Second Life, Too: Linden Lab’s Bailout Plan: For Linden Lab to survive, it can’t keep raising usage fees, and it can’t try to con business users into teleconferencing in Second Life when the product is so poorly suited to enterprise use. In the end, Linden needs to pull off an image overhaul and make Second Life once again a hip place to be, with a growing population and a steady influx of new land-owners (read: paying customers). If Linden can do that, it prospers. If it can’t, it’s doomed..
- The Guardian on their technology blog: A sign of the times: Second Life’s property hike, Land prices are rising inside the virtual world, but can punters afford the jump?
- Broken Toys - the adventures in modern MMO production - ends with: ‘So - signs point to continued OMGZDRAMA and eventually everyone will revert to complaining about crashes due to overloaded server infrastructure.‘
Residents blogs
Update: Other blogpost from me regarding this ‘issue’: Raymond Conspiracy Theory - Is Linden Lab gaming us? ‘Linden Lab was planning 4 openspace builds which would be sold along with new void sim orders. Builds which go into thousands of prims. That proves that they never intended Openspaces to be just empty land, like they’re saying at the moment, basically.‘ and Void numbers, poetry and thoughts which contains some maths on exactly how much openspaces may disappear before LL stops making profit on this move.
- Avoid the Voids - Lessons in Lindenomics by Zoe Connolly. She also touches upon the possible influence on the future of SL Aviation and gives us Lindenomics Part II. Make sure to also read the Void Sim Creativity Tax Act by Zoe!
- Josue Habana writes Linden Labs make another f*ck up on pixelscoop.net.
- … I am Jack’s overloaded infrastructure. I break. The grid dies. as written by Crap Mariner.
- Ravishal blames Lindens for destroying Sailing and Aeronautical interest in SL
- Tateru over at gives us a ‘neutral’ report as we are used to - and so much appreciate, btw! ;) Another blogpost from ‘her pen’ is an analysis of M Linden’s - short - statement on the price increase.
- Linden Lab instigate price rises: backlash plus is the title run by the Metaverse Journal. They also note this increase is more heavy on Australians, cause to exchange ranges. You mean, you’re _lower_ than the USD?!!
- Linden Lab Screws Estate Owners, Again kinda sums it up all.
- For the better is what Nexeus Fatale thinks.
- Lillie Yifu talks about this in the larger picture of SL changes, but ends with saying her goodbye’s to SL.
- Thanks LL (no extra charge for irony) is what Ali K thinks about the price change.
- Sarah Nerd feels screwed over by ‘Linden Lands’, a thing we can’t blame her for.
- ‘Is this a sign that more price increases are on it’s way?’ is what Melanie Kidd ponders about over at Grid Expectations.
- That-what-shall-not-be-named (except for now) has some Good suggestions on ways for Linden to solve this, and remarks that they should either get the grid stable, or their pricing, but preferably both.
- Radar Masukami summarises Openspace in your face.
- The fear that Much Beauty will be lost forever is what Wildstar Beaumont is writing about.
- Famous SL photographer & content creator Prad Prathivi: ‘that an early casualty of the new pricing will be my Scorpio sim.‘ That and more. He now also added ‘Wrong‘, a midnight attempt at grasping Linden Lab’s flawed logic.
- Erbo Evans writes ‘Drop Dead, Part Deux: Openspace Sim Owners, BOHICA.’ and kindly explains ‘In case you don’t know, that last word is an acronym for “Bend Over, Here It Comes Again.‘
- Eladrienne writes WTF LL of the Day: Openspace Sim Smackdown and reports on this being a serious blow for Caledon. More news on the Caledon emergency meeting by Hotspur O’Tool.
- “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” Oh, and btw, Openspace is falling by Elle Maxim.
- Also having his doubts - and a huge *sigh* is Bailey Longcloth.
- The Podmafia mentions an Openspace Catastrophe.
- Raul Crimson calls this another Linden mistake and has the cutest lolcat ever seen!
- New World Note’s Hamlet Au quotes and writes about Lost In The Void: Unexpected Virtual Land Price Hike Leads To Anti-Linden Protest, Self-Immolation. I need to look up what ‘immolation’ means. On GigaOm he writes Protest Threatens Linden Lab’s Profitability.
- Over at ‘An Engine Fit For My Proceeding’, Ordinal Malaprop is Shouting into the Void. Definitely worth a read! From her pen also: This reason is not reasonable, wherein she questions if the stated reasons - by LL - can be the real ones for this price increase.
- NPIRL’s Bettina Tizzy says that Linden Lab giveth and taketh away, and it’s now all about developing an exit strategy. She offers an email address to stay in touch, and channels a discussion about which place best to go. Also according to Miss Bettina, M. Linden should come down from his ivory tower and listen to ‘his’ residents. She also suggest LL should refund her $950US + a reimbursement for her time.
- Linden Lab, meet John Sutter is written by Grace McDunnough: ‘Linden Lab will in fact run themselves out of business because they have not, or can not, tap into the richness of their standing army of residents.‘
- Cheyenne Palisades offers us some more explanation on what was going on in Linden’s minds, let’s say The Subtext of a Bad Decision. Both scenarios are incredibly saddening as well as hilarious. A must read.
- Do not panic, but your house is on fire! is the advice given by CodeBastard Redgrave.
- Trinity Dechou’s editorial in Rezmagazine: ‘IF I stay it will be for my friends, not Linden Lab.‘
- A not so typical post from Zippora who thinks everybody should be aware of the issue.
- Sered suggests and alternative billing method for openspace tier: pay per prim. What do you think?
- In Save our openspace! The Second Life Herald reports on how the protests packed & closed the Nautilus sims.
- Miss Tateru reports on the protests too, naming it a ‘Second Life’s Second Revolution’. Dead on target: ‘If you’ve heard Mark Kingdon or John Zdanowski (Linden Lab’s CEO and CFO respectively) talking at conferences and to the press about the boom in land area in Second Life lately, that seems to be a direct product of the Void/Openspace simulator market. The announced price-rise seems to shoot all of that PR in the foot.‘
- Linden Research Inc. Sleight of Hand titles Otenth Paderborn. Has some good ideas on what LL should do if ’stress’ on the voids was really the problem and cause for the change of the monthly tier charges.
- Botgirl Questi asks if we have the guts - or logistics? - to put our mesh where our words are… In a question for protesters with the courage of their convictions she notes the only real leverage we have is the power of the purse: ‘are you willing to make a pledge to cancel paid status and abandon your Second Life property if they don’t relent?‘
- Isadora Graves on Izzyisms calls this the Great Openspace Controversy.
- It’s a sad thing when even ‘The Blog for Romance in Second Life’ feels the need to Call out for War.
- Dear Governor Linden, I think we need to talk… is what Mitsy writes with more ‘incriminating’ evidence of the ‘Raymond Voids’.
- Some short machinima’s of the protests by rocker faerie. Best one - imho - got deleted though. :(
- Long - and interesting - discussion over at the Elf Clan Social Network on Ning. Subject? OPEN SPACE BAIT AND SWITCH — LINDEN LAB DOES IT AGAIN
- I am shocked, shocked to find that building is going on here! is written by Saffia Widdershins on Prim Perfect. She follows up by doing ‘case studies’ open openspaces, what are the different uses of voids, and how will those people be effected, starting with the home owner, the estate owner and the store owner. Saffia Widdershins also reports on the ‘crash and burn’ of the Ebbets Field, anticipating the new pricing policy.
- Petros Miklos goes on strike!. No ‘logging in’ from him - or the alts - until november 2.
- Miss Harper Ganesvoort - who has been off this list for to long, my apologies! - wrote an first analysis on the official announcement followed by polling ‘the crowds’. Of course, a follow up after Jack Linden’s second blogpost appeared, could not be left out.
- Not ‘real’ blogpost, but a picture that says a lot: ‘Guess who got an Openspace a few days before “The Announcement” ?’ by Connie Sec. She gives some information with the photo, for people who wish to contact the California Attorney General, re: openspaces pricing.
- GoSpeed Racer wrote Weighing in on voids, ‘Voids have been around since early 2006. They came about when the SL sailing community wanted a cheaper alternative to a full sim.’
- The Openspace Dilemma written by Hypatia Callisto.
- Wide open spaces by Feline Slade is where she confesses to be an openspace simulator tenant! ;)
- At common/sensible we find a comments on M Linden’s comment on the openspace controversy.
- Miss Nightflower writes this is a crisis mislabeled: The real crisis we face in the virtual world is a crisis of leadership.
- Inary Pey wonders about LL’s vision for SL. The “immersive spaces” launching at the same time the openspaces get more expensive.. no coincidence? And why would LL like to see residents leave?
- On the Rezzable Blog, RightasRain Rimbaud wonders if the price increase is going to hit full sims next and announces a quick death for Cannery & Dump sims.
- Dusan Writer on the immersive spaces, and concludes that except for the lousy timing there is no direct connection with the open spaces price increase. Of course, LL needs to choose directions: business, ‘commons’ or both?
- Over at the SL Left Unity they are convinced that SL residents have a legitimate right and need for more affordable and aesthetically appealing land. Legitimate non-profits and private efforts that substantialy benefit SL residents should be eligible for very cheap or free subsidized resources. Sure Prok will have a blast with these guys! ;)
- Over at your2ndplace, Ciaran Laval shouts out: ‘Will someone at Linden Lab please tell M the truth about openspaces!’
- Socially Mundane praises Mark Kingdon for his ’spinning’ powers.
- On apoetsblues.com someone who considers himself rather ‘new’ to SL gives his thoughts.
- YOU? ;)
Post in the comments if I forgot about anyone. I’m sure more blogpost - and actions - are ‘draft’ and ‘pending’ at the moment. And me? I just hope cute kittens will fix this for us. Feel free to use this to get your own message across. =>
Rosie B wants to make sure we all know about the existence of the Federal Trade Commission, the Bureau of Consumer Protection. No idea what you would base your claim on, though, as Lindens are giving you a 2 months advance notice… . Crap Mariner published the transcript of an in-world emergency meeting with Jack Linden, discussing the new pricing policy on void sims.
50 Responses to “Linden Lab has it’s business model ass backwards”
There’s a common misconception that Linden Lab did not specify what these sims could/should be used for. In the blog post where they introduced Openspace sims (http://blog.secondlife.com/2006/09/21/information-about-openspaces-void-regions/), they said, and I quote:
“Why are they ‘light use’?
Whereas normal private islands run on their own dedicated CPU, the Openspace regions run four per CPU: this limits their performance, as you would expect. Openspaces only ever share with other openspaces on a server.
It is therefore important to understand what these regions are; they are provided for light use only, not for building, living in, renting as homes or use for events. As a stretch of open water for boating or a scenic wooded area they are fine, but we do not advise more serious use than this and will not respond to performance issues reported should you not use them in this way.”
Even in their support portal it says in really big text “Why are they ‘light’ use?” (https://support.secondlife.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=4417&task=knowledge&questionID=4235):
Why are they “light” use?
Normal regions run on their own dedicated CPU, but the Openspace regions run four per CPU; as you would expect, this limits their performance. Openspaces only ever share with other Openspaces on a server.
It is therefore important to understand what these regions are. They are provided for light use only, not for building, living in, renting as homes or use for events. As a stretch of open water for boating or a scenic wooded area they are fine, but we do not advise more serious use than this and will not respond to performance issues reported should you not use them in this way.
It would be one thing had Openspace sims restrictions were in the fine print, but clearly they have it listed in black and white. It was others and the market who had other ideas for its use, and they are now paying that price.
And here’s my contribution: Drop Dead, Part Deux: Openspace Sim Owners, BOHICA. (In case you don’t know, that last word is an acronym for “Bend Over, Here It Comes Again.”)
Nexeus, as often mentioned, ‘virtual land/islands’ thus also voids/openspaces are just ‘hosting’ of data. Nothing more (or less). In any normal circomstance, if you are on a shared server for hosting, and you cause trouble (php gone bad, etc) they a) warn you, b) end you contract.
No way that they rise prices for all the other people on their servers. Although they said they would start doing that now, - warn people if they have excessive stress on the sim - this stays a problem that Linden Lab could have avoided. And should not have encouraged (by raising the prim limit for voids.)
Jack Linden: ‘Hard limits for all areas, such as textures, traffic, content etc.. aren’t supported currently in the simulator. It’s an option down the line but would take time to build and QA‘
This is something that would have been usefull though. Another thing is, LL assigns voids a ‘random server’. Why don’t they give people who own more than 4 voids the possibility to ‘permanently group’ them on one server. If they then ’stretch the limits’ it would be felt - mainly - on their own sims.
I’m sorry, but although users might not be using voids for what they were meant, LL did nothing to stop that, the opposite even, they encouraged it. Also, everybody with some common sense (still hoping there’s at least one at the Lab) should have seen this coming. You can’t give people ‘land mass’, prims & script-run powers, assuming they would not use it.
My contribution:
http://baileylongcloth.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/sigh/
[…] Policy Changes Codie’s Plurk thread reaction to Openspace Policy Change Vint Falken’s Blog Post about Openspace - End Of The World - Great Big Sea Halloween Stuff - Ghost 1 - Almost 21 - Gamble Mansion The […]
[…] Policy Changes Codie’s Plurk thread reaction to Openspace Policy Change Vint Falken’s Blog Post about Openspace - End Of The World - Great Big Sea Halloween Stuff - Ghost 1 - Almost 21 - Gamble Mansion The […]
I wonder what means overuse… if LL sells a sim with 3500 prims and i’m using 3000 prims, am i overusing? NO *possibly the number of prims is not right, is just an example*
The problem here is not overuse, you can’t rez more than the permitted prims, well, maybe using temp-rezzers what under my point of view is not smart due the lag that it produces. Even if that was the question the problem here is the lack of prevision of LL not the overuse itself… and due that lack of prevision the residents have to pay… totally crappy.
[…] trying to find ways to protest about this, there is a JIRA issue, a Flickr group, Vint Falken has an interesting post and seems she is trying to list all the […]
[…] There’s an excellent roundup of the coverage and protest options on Vint Falken’s blog. convey_url = […]
[…] vintfalken.com: Linden Lab has it’s business model ass backwards […]
Elf Clan has a blog post up about how this will affect them seriously.
http://elfclan.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2295446%3ABlogPost%3A4151
[…] em Ahern Welcome Area, mas foi assim o dia inteiro, de acordo com a slogsfera. No VintFalken, está um apanhado dos posts sobre o assunto, em menos de 12 horas, o grupo SOS (Save Our OpenSpaces) tem mais de 1600 pessoas inscritas e […]
[…] won’t do a resource list here, but check on VintFalken.Com she does good recap […]
I’ve spread the word, with some brutal linking to your post ;-)
My personal editorial opinion on the subject.
http://rblog.rezmagazine.co.uk/2008/10/trin-editorial-openspace-sims.html
Added, Miss Trinity.
And Miss Zippora, thank you! We mind brutal upward changes in price policy, not brutal linking! ;)
Nexus…light use…my sim is light use… truly two people on my sim.. not taking up all the prims… rare that we get any lag…but on a weekend we do…we live there… nothing major is going on … no business…no big parties… just logging in and using it to change avatars….or read IMs…
why should i have to fork over another 50 dollars, when i see people splitting these things into 12 land rentals to folks and charging crazy money for them?
If lindens haven’t learned by now that if you give an inch someone will always take a mile…Cap avatar capacity if necessary… cap scripts… but for christ sakes… don’t open the flood gates to selling these and then hike the price..that’s just down right dirty business.
[…] If this angers you too, be sure to let your voice be heard. Vote on the JIRA and leave a message on the official forums. Visit Homeless?, a blog set up by Marx Dudek “discussing the fallout over the openspace rate increase.” Join the Openspace/Void Sims Flickr group and share photos of your own OS. Jump on over to vintfalken.com and read over his wonderful, informative post on this issue - appropriately titled - Linden Lab has it’s business model ass backwards. […]
I just can’t believe that LL was unable to come up with a more viable solution; one that did not screw over the majority of their residents.
Yes, the “rules” for OS’s are a little different than what the sims came to be used for. But even Torley Linden has said that - often - the uses for new features never turn out to be what they imagined them to be once they were introduced into the community. Things evolve and SLers are wildly creative people…its one of the beautiful things about SL.
This isn’t that surprising. I work in i.t. for a large agency and have been through two major purchases of new software being designed specifically for our office (one cost over a million, just to give you an example of the scope). We went into it *knowing* that things would not work out with our clients as they did on paper in our planning. You cannot plan for all contingencies - introducing features/software to your users is always a step into the unknown. How will they really see it, use it, etc.?
That is why we tested everything with them before anything went into final production. Even then, with long-term use, features of the programs come to be used differently than originally intended. This can cause problems, sure. Do we punish the users for finding ways that worked for them to do their daily work functions? No. We step back and rework the process, utilizing feedback from users that actually employ the program on a daily basis.
Knowing this, I KNOW there were many different ways this could have - and should have - been handled.
Yes, there is some abuse - we all realize that. However, LL should not now be “punishing” the entire client base for a few major over-using bad apples.
Obviously their idea of OpenSpace needs to be re-worked now that its been introduced into and is being utilized by the client base for a period of time. So *do that*; do not take an easy out and just hike the price, screw everyone, and assume it will all be made up by people being forced back to the Mainland.
I get tired of all the people that say “well it was in the rules, you guys knew this and did it anyway, stop whining”. In the technical world, rules are made to be broken. There is no way to know or plan how your client base is going to react or actually use anything you introduce into it. As a corporation heading a technically-charged, ever-evolving, fluid community, they should be prepared for and expect such change. They should work WITH such change - not strike out against it or punish their users for being creative or massaging the product to make it work for them. That is simply what happens in a virtual, technical world!
(/rant - this is longer than my own blog post about this issue! But I really feel this is important and ppl need to see this a different way. Forget the rules - what LL is doing is simply unethical).
[…] For Linden Lab has it’s business model ass backwards. […]
It does not matter if YOUR Open Space sim is within the guidelines and everyone else is not.
If 995 people are using the Open Space sim as they are intended, but 5 are uver-suing and stressing them - then Linden lab raises the tier on EVERYONE.
It’s called INCOME REDISTRIBUTION. You give the guy behind you the same opportunity you have. Oh wait, they already do that in many real world countries, especially in Western Europe.
The problem is supply and demand. Demand is outpacing supply (processing cycles, nadwidth, etc.) - so as is always done in real word business, you control demand with the supply, you control the demand and suplly with the price for the supply, thereby curbing or increasing demand.
Linden Lab is simply curbing the demand and keeping their fingers crossed that the Mainland and other land markets will actually recover at all, since the Open Space debacle has basically run all other virtual real estate economics into the ground.
I have two class 5 sims and one Open Space sim. Guess which one goes by-by in December?
My follow-up post….
http://zoeconnolly.blogspot.com/2008/10/avoid-voids-lindenomics-part-2.html
Perhaps in the new SL, the only public events allowed will be those that allow sitting at meetings and hopping on danceballs….
http://zoeconnolly.blogspot.com/2008/10/openspace-sims-and-future-of-sl.html
This is just all amazingly, amazingly sad.
As for the FTC thing, let me be more specific. At least one SL avatar’s pilot who has chosen to remain anonymous, but with whom I have spoken directly, not only filed a complaint with the FTC about this situation but also phoned them to follow up and make sure they would consider the claim valid so they could withdraw it if it wasn’t.
The FTC rep told them that after reading the information, it looked valid and they were going to be looking into it, and also referred them to http://www.fraud.org to file a complaint there.
It’s not the consumer’s job to decide what law is being broken through this kind of horrible business practice, if any — it is the Federal Trade Commissions’ job or the state attorney general’s job. Any and every consumer are within their rights here in the U.S. to explore any and all resources at their disposal of they feel they’ve been treated unfairly or defrauded in a commercial situation.
It doesn’t mean they’re going to find resolution that makes them happy, but there are resources available for exploration and we are within our rights to utilize them.
I am not the one who filed the claim with the FTC, mainly because i do not pay LL directly for my OS, I pay the owner of a class 5 sim who pays LL. But I think if LL’s going to make this kind of decision to affect so many people without at least being transparent about their reasons behind doing so, then we are within our rights to pursue recourse if they aren’t stepping up to tell us what recourse they’re giving us besides:
“Bend over and take it in the ass and pay me $50 more a month”
or
“Bend over and take it in the ass and forfeit your $250 Openspace setup fee since you can’t sell it and now don’t want it.”
Unacceptable.
[…] I will be sharing what I, personally, blogged about the issue on Izzyisms and sharing a comment I made over at VintFalken.com on her informative post, Linden Lab has it’s business model ass backwards. […]
[…] « Linden Lab has it’s business model ass backwards […]
Crap’s transcript gives me a Flickr’ized 404 page, along with an unhelpful “were you looking for…?” :(
“Avoid the Voids” - The Void Sim Creativity Tax Act of 2008
http://zoeconnolly.blogspot.com/2008/10/avoid-voids-void-sim-creativity-tax-act.html
[…] what to do with areas that they’ve put lots of work into, and come to love and all. See this Vint Falken posting (which I link to despite the apostrophe error [shudder] in the title) for a good set of pointers […]
*sighs* We don’t all
speaktype native English. *ends sigh*[…] about 20% of their landmass. No idea what I a ‘void’ or ‘openspace’ is? Start reading here. You have a lot of catching up to […]
I don’t know if anyone will notice me this deep down the comment line, but you left me out of your list. I’m feeling lonely!! (Sniff, tremble of lip) Although Hamlet Au linked to me in his initial piece, and so people could still find me that way
I did 2 pieces on Tuesday, an article and a pair of polls (which are still open), and a followup on Thursday. If anybody’s curious (though I doubt I have anything new to add beyond my own thoughts), come on over; reasoned comments are welcome.
I’m scraping around for a quick piece for this morning as well.
[…] Life issues and trends, Second Life news A quickie note here: Vint Falken has a list of at least 40 articles on the Openspace flap on his original piece. Vint is one of the more read and outspoken bloggers in Second Life, and […]
I did a post on the original decision: I am shocked, shocked, to find that building is going on here, and I’m following that up with a series of case studies about how people are using Open Space sims.
[…] For those interested in reading more about the Open Space sim issue, Vint Falken is providing an excellent resource, drawing as much together as she can: Linden Lab has its business model ass backwards. […]
And the next part of my post is up now …
Shocked, shocked, to find that building is going on here: Part 2: The Estate Owner.
It contains a link to this site too.
Vint, thanks for becoming a public resource and forum here. Here’s my 2-cents: http://www.nightflowerblossoming.typepad.com Its my belief that the openspace isn’t the biggest problem we face as residents, but is rather a symptom of a larger issue, one that will doom us to deal with drama like this for the rest of our virtual lives - unless we reach a solution!
Thanks again :)
[…] about 20% of their landmass. No idea what I a ‘void’ or ‘openspace’ is? Start reading here. You have a lot of catching up to […]
A somewhat belated addition caused by a comment I posted over at Nexeus blog.
I really do admire the nice spin Linden Lab put on their price hike. If you read Jack and M all they want to do is to protect The Grid (especially the innocent main land residents) from the evil Openspace abusers - by raising prices, that is …
I can not resist asking a rhetorical question: Do you really believe, that the OPEC is trying to save the environment, when they raise prices on crude oil? ;-)
I’ll preempt this by saying I’ve voted on the JIRA, I’ve posted on the subject (http://peysworld.blogspot.com/2008/10/linden-labs-blatant-clawback.html) AND on the inconsistencies of LL’s own arguments around the OS sim hike (http://peysworld.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html). I’ve also offered up an alternative approach to LL directly and via the JIRA postings
HOWEVER, and without wishing to sound defeatist, this hike is going through whether we like it or not. Which is NOT to say we shouldn’t be making our voices heard. Or, as other grid forms mature, the sound of our feet heading for the door….
That said, I would point out that in some respects, the Linden spin does “protect the grid” (emphasis on GRID here, NOT SL - and remember LL view the two as DIFFERENT ENTITIES). Why do I say this, well again at the risk of being called a “conspiracy theorist”, it’s because of this:
http://peysworld.blogspot.com/2008/11/lls-vision-for-sl.html
[…] response, there was rioting, panic in the streets, wailing and rending of garments, and in the true sign of an incipient apocalypse, one of the most reasonable voices on the […]
[…] prices of open space sims. Vint Falken is one of the people summarizing the response, and it hasn’t been pretty. She picked up one comment, by Gally Young: ‘I’m surprised that nobody speak about the […]
This is Saffia from Prim Perfect (not Pixel Perfect!). I’ve added a case study of a store owner on Open Space prims (Soliel Snook of Snook’s Garden Centre).
I’ve also started a new series to run in parallel to the case studies. This is called Crash and Burn - and it’s featuring stories and pictures of protests and the destruction of Open Space sims that has already started. The first Crash and Burn looks at the destruction of Regent Estates’ Ebbets Field.
Errr… will correct that. Sorry!
Inary, about the ‘pre fab’, take a look at this article: Is LL gaming us? and scroll down to the bold part… . :(
[…] Vint Falken: Inary, about the ‘pre fab’, take a look at this article: Is LL gaming us? and scroll down to… […]
I just posted some views I have about all this “Void” sim controversy and what I believe will be things to come. Here is an excerpt:
“I’ve been reading almost all the reactions to the OS tier increase on all the blogs, that I could find. During all this, I’ve ran across things that might be the answer to some unanswered or unsaid directions of SL.”
For the rest of this post go here:
http://www.apoetsblues.com/2008/11/the-future-of-second-life.html
[…] recent policy changes of The Lab concerning OpenSpace type sims. If not, I’ll refer you to Vint Falken’s blog, who’s always great at collecting facts (and several […]
[…] world can start to feel claustrophobic. Second Life with its colossal Openspace confusion (read VintFalken for an explanation), and now this infamous Second Life Divorce case make me want to open a virtual […]
[…] You’d really have to go out of your way to find a deal as bad as that elsewhere. In fact, I couldn’t. Any hosting deal that approached that monthly price offered significantly more server power (4x at least), total control of the server’s configuration, and no setup fee. If all you really want is a patch of virtual land, $15 will get you a virtual server capable of hosting a single OpenSim region, 65,536m2 for the price of 2,048m2 in an SL mainland region. LL have been able to maintain this illusion of scarcity and charge these outrageous prices until now because they ran the only show in town, a walled garden where they could do as they pleased. […]
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