(via Treet.TV)
Jessica Lyon, from the Phoenix viewer, interviews Oz Linden of Linden Lab on the Labs policy changes on Third Party Viewers (TPV). (Unfortunately parts of the interview is silent or inaudible.)
Oz Linden (Scott Lawrence in first life) is the director of Open Development at Linden Lab.
This is my humble take on some of the issues discussed in the interview (and please remember I am not a programmer):
1. Privacy
The change has been put on hold indefinitely by Linden Lab to investigate more on legitimate uses, except concerning whether someone is shown to be online against the users consent.
2. Identifying viewers, operating systems, IP-addresses and other personal data about the users
I support the change in policy as I cannot see a legitimate reason for anyone to gather, store and display this information about users.
3. Altering "shared experience" (the rendering of the world itself)
I support the change as long as testing in small scale is allowed as the Lab says it will be. Most of the brouhaha on this issue seems to me like the usual psychotic Linden-bashing and mostly comes from "the usual suspects", i.e the high-strung prima donnas.
4. "Feature surprises" by Linden Lab
I don´t understand why the Lab shouldn't be allowed to develop new features in private, just like the TPV´s can.
5. Cooperation vs. Competition between Linden Lab and the TPV´s
I highly approve of the fact that Oz strongly stressed the Labs wishes to cooperate with the third party viewers in improving the user experience and SecondLife as a whole.
thanks to bring up the highlights BIL. It was awfully looong and those flaws on the sound cut some of the interesting part out of it.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, BIL, you can always count on this blog being here to make your - and the rest of its readers - lives easier! Well, as long as they aren't dipsticks or a damn fools... ;P
DeleteImpressive, and impartial. It's good to see someone looking at the facts and not gurgling blind hate.
ReplyDeleteThanks Yuko, I am so happy you appreciated it!
DeleteI am weary of the constant suspicions against Linden Lab. I have never really understood what and when the Lab did wrong to warrant such unveiled hatred and suspicion.
Well, as you know, corporations are inherently evil and anything that they ever do is obviously part of a devious plot to make life miserable for regular people.
Delete;)
Seriously though, I don't see the problem in wanting to make sure that the world looks the same to everyone, regardless of viewer. Seems perfectly reasonable to me. As for advertising other viewers, there's nothing stopping people from using titlers or other means of advertisement.
I could not agree more, Yuko! ;)
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