Chic at Ebbe's Place

I understand why designers make their items no mod. I had someone contact me a few months ago wanting my "larger two bedroom Bayou Shack". Of course there IS no larger two bedroom Bayou Shake - LOL. You just gotta love the possibilities of mod.

Mostly I am fine with no mod items; sometimes I toss them as they are WAY TOO BIG for an average avatar. Some designers have resize scripts in their no-mod items and that helps, certainly.

BUT -- and here is there kicker -- there is a new world on the horizon. Maybe a year or two out there, it is still beckoning.

The largest alarm bell ringing for SL citizens that are voicing their concerns about migration is, "can I port my stuff over?". I have heard that so many times it is getting bor-ing.

Now the new world isn't happening next week, and logically I can only conclude from an historical perspective that content creators will be the bulk of the first wave of immigrants.  It is likely (no guarantee) that the folks that MAKE our stuff won't be quite as concerned about importing their inventories. For many -- in a pinch -- they can make what they need. I have done that on two worlds where it was make it or do without.

But there are still the everyday Joe folks, the ones that will follow when the world is a bit more filled and perhaps a bit more stable. And that brings us back to the MOD issue.

Now Ebbe (our current CEO) has stated that mesh will have no problem moving (or copying - that isn't still to clear although I did ask) items to the new grid. BUT -- and there is of course a but, both scripts and animations as well as our avatars will be VERY different. That leaves us with broken goods.

Not everyone in SL know how to build or even cares; I get that. But many do. And if the items are MOD, folks can add new animations and simplistic code (maybe not 32 choices of sits but just a few favorites) to their items and still have them usable.

So in the spirit of colonization (a thought I embrace from the SL forums) I suggest that designers start to think about the future. The people that are fixated on moving THEIR STUFF over to the new grid will most likely not be buying no mod (or even no copy) items. I don't know this of course and I personally don't care. But judging from the thousands (yes a busy reader these days) of comment I have read -- that's pretty much the theme.

My favorite designers all make mod-copy items. I seldom change them except for size. So I urge designers to start thinking about their permission systems; it might make a difference in their sales -- especially as we get closer to an unveiling of SL 2.0.

Soooo --

What else do we know a few days after the announcement?

Ebbe has confirmed that you will be able to have inventory in both worlds but that of course it will not be a mirror as some items will not transfer over. See this thread now way over 1000 as I type this. 

Jessica Lyon talked with Saffia at the birthday bash giving her take on the new world. I enjoyed the comments including the thought that it takes TIME for a world to come into its own. It isn't like SL 2.0 will open its doors finished, ready to go, and thousands of folks will MOVE.

That migration part of the equation has been talked about a lot on the forums. There is no official plan at the moment -- or at least not one that is open to the public. While the majority (at least the ones yelling the loudest) want goods to be tranportable to the new grid, others simply want to start over.

Personally? I am kinda in the middle. I won't miss too many SL 1.0 object that will be left behind; I currently plan to inhabit both worlds as I am an eclectic gal. Ebbe's comment on transportation and the TOS was "it won't be a problem". In effect -- as I see it anyway -- Linden Lab has the ability and the legal thumbs up to transfer items FOR folks or perhaps let them transport themselves.

It is a long way off and really no reason to spend a ton of time wondering as things will likely change as the platform become more solid in concept. One active topic on the forums has been the portability of FULL PERM ITEMS with EULAs. Morally of course that would be a no-no, but I am thinking (oh so not an attorney) that the TOS trumps the EULA since Linden Lab has all rights except copyright AND the text in the much quoted clause 2.3 states that they can do what they want WITHOUT attribution (meaning the content creator's name could be stripped from the object as it was with Second Inventory.  That program appears to still be for sale. Hmmm.

Posts on the threads have slowed as folks both get answers and become tired of writing (and reading).

There has been an increase in travel plans for some SLers. Inworldz daily new accounts has more than doubled in the last couple of days. Since they hold the lion's share of the private worlds by a longshot (twice the size of the next five on the list) they would be the most likely to sign a siren's call to refugees. Will they stay?

Jessica in her talk mentioned that leaving SL because of the possible in the future loss of inventory on the new grid FOR a grid where you were guaranteed to need all new inventory -- didn't make all that much sense. I tend to agree.

A few days ago Ebbe Linden leaked the news that a vastly improved Second Life is in the works. Not new news to those of elite status, it was a surprise to many of us.

Despite pledges to keep SL 1.0 (the current designation by the citizen's if not the team) alive as long as it was profitable, people voiced their displeasure loudly and often on both forums and the Firestorm Viewer blog.

Most of the writers adding to the sometimes long rants hadn't bothered to do their homework. Even when faced with official statements, they kept to their ideas of the truth. Sooner or later that gets a little old. With two major threads over the 500 post mark -- it's a lot to take in.

Today, just as I was exiting the SL forums Ebbe, who started visiting late yesterday, returned with  some comments to questions asked -- the first concrete (it is all in flux, but for now anyway) official details on the direction the new world is headed.

I am an historian in part. I have chronicled my life on several grids -- not always under this name.  So today I started this blog. It matches Chic at Phil's Place and is named in the same manner. My original SL 1.0 blog (see how easy it is to get into the version numbers? ) was named as such because in 2008 we were no longer allowed to reference anything to do with Second Life as part of our blogs (insert registered trademark sign here along with disclaimer of not meaning to infringe in any way). While that idea was abandoned or perhaps simply disregarded later, I like the idea of preserving the spirit of Chic at Phil's.

The latest addition to MOSP in June 2014

How will the new world differ from our current home?


Ebbe's info from the morn gives us a clearer picture. You can find the original text on page 52 of this thread.

* What will be transported over (in all likelihood):

Mesh OK
Animations (complete change)
Sculpts (TBD)
Scripts (all new)
Textures OK
Prims (TBD)
Avatars will be radically improved (TBD)

* The TOS will not be an issue in the porting over of your goods. [My comment: Hence the TOS of August last.]

* Currency will remain the same and you will be able to transfer between worlds.

* Identity and friends will be preserved. Inventory will be determined in part by what will transfer over.

My photo above highlights the current conditions in Second Life. This was an outfit I was wearing, no special wardrobe changing for the shot. The location is the last set I prepared for LEA7. The foundations, palettes and sacks are mine. The vehicles and port-a-potty are from the latest ARCADE round.

The set consists of all mesh item except for the tree which is sculpt and prim.

My outfit is completely rigged mesh and includes Slink feet, hands and add-on nails.  I have added this photo for comparison down the line.


The new grid is a long ways off. There are bound to be stories along its journey.

This is my chronicle.