Few days ago Ari Blacktorne stated usual SL™ problems and asked for a replacement, for a new virtual world:
It already is public knowledge that the server and viewer code is such a spaghetti mess that to 'fix' it, they'd have to start over practically from scratch – and that won't happen.
I think there is a group that works on the new grid's architecture, but that is not why I am writing this. Something else kicked this train of thought.
It is not that writing server code from the scratch is a mission impossible. Actually, open source community did that already. And they did that on their own, by reverse engineering the code of the client. Sure it would be even easier job for people from the company that made the first server and maintains the grid to make a completely new server. So, not only that it is possible, it is happening.
Problem with OpenSim is that it has to break the inertia momentum of the residents. Grid maintained by Linden Lab has thousands of active users, hundreds of sims, millions of assets. It has a developed economy and traffic, buildings and places. It has years of work done by the community. And all that work is not transferable elsewhere.
And here is the paradox. On one side we have a grid that is proprietary and perform lousy but with all the community sticking to it, unable and not wanting to move. On the other, there is a grid made by the community, open and extendable, but without the support of the residents. One cannot blame residents that are not moving despite all the problems we are all aware of. It is hard to expect that many will move into new and unknown. To leave behind them all the shops with beautiful hairs and clothes. To leave all the favourite clubs and sims. Or should we blame those lazy asses that cannot organize themselves and stick to something for more than a week instead of just whining and ranting around every time something they don't like appear on the official blog?
Linden Lab is of course aware of their current monopolistic position. They know that residents won't move without the content creators, and that leading creators won't move without enough residents that will buy stuff and make moving profitable. And while those two groups are holding each other in place everything seems ok. Well, it is not ok. It is bad for residents, creators, code itself and, after all, for the company.
Question is, when company, creators and residents will see in which direction are we moving this way?
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