What’s Gonna Happen?

I don’t know.

Thank you and good night.

I’m in a silly mood today. So of course it’s a perfect time to present my views on the fate of Second Life As We Know It and Virtual Worlds In General (read: Those Other Virtual Worlds That We Have Heard May Exist…and That OpenSim Thingy too) following last month’s disclosure that Linden Lab has been working on The Next Big Virtual Thing.

Let me give you my analysis in a nutshell:

I don’t know.

Thank you and good night.

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Oh, that’s not enough for a blog piece?

Hmmm……

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Really. I just don’t know.

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How can anyone know? Linden Lab can’t even know. They might think they know. They certainly used to think so. They might be smart enough now to know they don’t know…I just don’t know.

There’s a lot of things could happen. You don’t need me to list all of ’em, do you? I didn’t think so. I’ll just touch on a couple is all, k?

A possible outcome that doesn’t receive much discussion: LL may fall on its face with its new product – wouldn’t be the first time – and then cling to SL for dear life. Which may or may not work out for SL.

One common scenario is for a company with a money-making product to announce a new but related product…and for that new product to become successful and the older one to be phased out.

But in the virtual world world,

(i know it looks funny, as in odd…but it sounds funny, as in funny)

or the world of virtual worlds if you will,

(and even if you won’t)

the defenders of Second Life As We Know It and of Linden Lab proclaimed that this common scenario Will Not Happen.

Really? It’s outside the realm of possibility? Gee for a person who plays in virtual worlds, you don’t have much of an imagination, do you?

But some could prove this Will Not Happen. The proof: Linden Lab Said So.

Oh, well then. End of discussion, I guess. The Great and Powerful Lab Has Spoken!

Linden Lab’s obligatory, “we will continue to support and improve our current product and the two will some day sit proudly, side-by-side (with some minor AO and Sit script adjustments)” was taken as gospel. If Linden is saying it, then it is True.

The real truth is, LL would be saying that whether it was True or not. That’s how it commonly happens anyway. Heck, even if they’re telling the truth it doesn’t mean they won’t change their mind later. It might even be the smart thing to do. (Or are you saying LL isn’t smart? Well, you may have a point there…but they could change their mind for stupid reasons too. I think we’ve seen that in the past. I could cite examples if you like?)

But anyone who questions the Word of Linden or even suggests that there are a number of possible outcomes must be a Communist From OpenSim.

Announcer: Time now for Today’s Digression…with Danko Whitfield…

My dear friends, I’m just a simple Capitalist From Second Life (although I have more recently associated with Communists From OpenSim but also with Capitalists From OpenSim – yes, Virginia, there really are such people. I know! – and I even associate with the “Politics? WTF!? I’m Trying To Get 0.7.6 To Let Me HG To 0.8, Using A Hacked Mac Version Of SoaS! GTF OUTTA MY WAY!” types as well. Are you still with me? (whispers: Where am I? SW corner? Again! Lemme see those coordinates. Damn it, Jim!)  Ahem…

let’s see…something about Capitalists…k, that one got away from me… Take 2…

My dear friends, I grew up in Second Life but I now live in OpenSim as well. What a great combination they are! A lot of stuff is just exactly the same. After that, most people seem to focus on which one is better at this or worse at that or doesn’t have this or that, etc. etc. etc. Yes, yes, that’s all very nice. Arguing in the forums does seem to make the night go by faster, I suppose. Let me know if you ever solve anything over there, k? Never a discouraging word, right!? Ahhh, forums.

But for me, it all boils down to this with Second Life and OpenSim: Each of them allows an average person to do things they could not possibly do in the other. All the rest of the noise you hear… Is noise.

Announcer: And that concludes Today’s Digression. For a transcript, see above.

So yes, I am an OpenSimmer as I am a Second Lifer. I would like them both to rock on forever and a day! But I realize that might not happen. And that The Next Big Virtual Thing might come along and blow Second Life and OpenSim outta the water and onto the scrap heap (or archive).

I don’t want to see either of them go away. I’m rooting for SL. And for The Next Big Virtual Thing. And for OpenSim. And for Any Other Version Of Virtual Worlds That Floats My Scripted Boat.

But that is not going to get in the way of my understanding that the answer to the question What’s Gonna Happen? in regards to virtual worlds is:

I don’t know.

And neither does anybody else.

But hey, that’s what makes for adventure!

I’m just hangin’ on tight and ridin’ for as long as I can.

C’mon! Let’s go have fun!!