Permissions "Language"

Second Life needs a permissions "language". A drag-drop interface to build an exact set of permissions rules from simple pieces, with commonly used sets to choose from for speed and ease of use.



"Grant: ALL Rights
Except: Mod Script
And: Take - All Types
And: Change Permissions
To: Echo Omega
Limited To/By:
Location: Celadon 128,128
And: Group: Game Project
Until: 9/20/2005, 5:00 am"

So that Echo Omega can work on the look of a game I'm building, freely able to edit any of my prims at the location of the game (but not my parcel next door) that have been tagged with the game's group. She can't alter the permissions of any of my objects either by hand or by adding more restrictive contents or textures to them. (Trying to texure one of my prims with a no-copy, no-mod texture will fail, since that would alter the permissions of my object.) She can't take any of my objects into her inventory, but she can make copies in situ. She can't edit or view the scripts there, but she can make copies of them (but not take any of them).



"Grant: Hosting Permission
To: Echo Omega
Limited To/By:
Location: Celadon 128,128
For: One Week"

Echo can now host events on my land for a week.



"Restrict: Rez Permission
To: All
Limited To/By:
Location: Celadon 128,128"

"Grant: Rez Permission
To: Group Members: Game Project 1
And: Group Members: Game Project 2
Limited To/By:
Location: Celadon 128,128"

No one can build on my plot except members of two game project groups.



"Restrict: All Permissions
Except: Copy Object
And: Mod Color
And: Mod Texture
And: Mod Scale
To: Owner Of This Object"

You sell a motorcycle with this permission rule-set on it, and people that buy it can change its texture and color, scale it to fit their avatar, and make as many copies as they like. But can't take it apart, change the shape of individual prims, remove or edit the contents, or transfer it.



Change the above permissions to add: "And: Transfer" so they can transfer it to other players by default, and then add a second permissions rule-set:

"Restrict: Transfer
To: Owner Of This Object
When: Changed: Mod (Any)
And: Changed: Copy (Any)"

As a second rule-set to the same motorcycle, if they attempt to modify or copy it they get a warning that doing so will restrict their Transfer permission for that object. So they get transfer rights until they alter it in some way. ("wrappers" anyone?)



Such rule-sets would be visible to anyone that could possibly gain ownership of the object (by taking a free copy or by buying one) or that examines a plot's settings.

Players would have a personal rule-set window with a tab for rules on themselves and a tab for rules on other players that mention them. So rules applied to myself that mention another player are listed in that player's own rule-set window.

With such a system, it can be expanded by adding new permissions and exceptions. It allows a vast number of possibilities to cover any situation, and with the addition of pre-fab rule sets to choose from instead of rolling your own, anyone would be able to use it.



Just another "Tiger Idea"... Meaning I came up with it while I was typing.

Oh, the "pre-fabs" would include all the possible permissions combinations that the current rule sets can do, and as many Creative Commons rules that can be made to apply to Second Life. Maybe even other open-source licences.

But it's the roll-your-own power of this system that will truely shine.

I would settle for just a good explanation, in a note card. Permissions are the worst, most convoluted mess.

Even the "simple" explanations I have read use word like "transfer" which does not appear anywhere in the dialogue box choices in SL and doesn't even seem to technically exist as an option.

Sounds good to me