Changes in 2007

In usual fashion, the providers really bungled the gambling situation. While throeing out the usual barely lucid warnings that it was going to end, they never really gave much until all of a sudden it was "OK. Kids, as of yesterday, gambling was banned." hen out came the usual, self serving crap about how they couldn't give any warning, blah, blah. They pulled the prims out from a lot of people unnecessarily, in my opinion, and it has affected SL more than I think they will admit.

They are allowed under certain conditions I believe, the doubletalk that defines it makes my eyes bleed when I read it. Or you may just know of an "Illegal" one. Hmmmmmm.

camping didn't undermine the economy. WOO HOO

ha ha... you missed the april-july crash/lag hell we went through with the introduction of a new viewer practically every 2 weeks.

the world did not come to an end, but we now have some new search that has shaken up the economy once again.

welcome windlight.

and wb

Actually it did. It's just we haven't caught up with the lag yet.

Thanks for the explanation, Claire.

I'll be glad to see gambling gone. In an ideal world, I'd prefer to let anyone do what they want... but in a world where I can't afford more than my little bit of land, I'm quite happy to know a casino won't be springing up next door.

I was surprised when I logged on to see "only" about 40,000 people logged in. Last fall and winter the online-now population was increasing at such a steep rate I expected it to have hit 80,000 or so by now. I'm glad to see it's slowed down, but why has it? How has the land market been affected by the population changes? by the lack of First Land?

Oh yes, I don't know how old the change with First land was. If it was last year then you missed that you can get 512m tier free.
Don't know how old that is or whether you already knew...

I still live on my First Land; I was wondering about all the people since who never got the chance to purchase it. Are people renting more, "buying" on islands more, doing without land entirely? Not signing up as premium because of it? This time last year there was a lot of speculation about what the consequences of dropping the program would be. I'm wondering how the actual consequences turned out.

yes, a bit here and there. Old Avatars, ring me up out the blue and we talk of the future and of old times. Huntsman SIM, 34000 + m2 of land became abandoned. reclaimed by the Lindens and auctioned. I have become invovled in the sailing communty more, have gone to less clubs and spend more time with many people. The addictive quality of SL is even more pronounced. If you escape - well, good luck. -Tory Micheline

Open Grid and Havoc 4 will probably have the most impact on SL's future and they were initiated last year I think.

Havoc 4 will increase stability from what I have been told.(and allow more physical objects to work well).and Open Grid will allow other worlds built on the same platform to link into SL..as well people will be able to take their islands to their own grid/server..if it works, it will expand the 3D universe considerably.

Machinima is slowing gaining ground as an art form with a work bought by HBO and will probably be one of the first SL arts to translate to RL profitably.

Corps have realized that they don't have the same passive audience they do for commercials and that when we have the choice, we avoid them like the plague. Some also realized that if they left their staff here long enough, they would begin to change in corp culture unfriendly ways! So SL appears to be finally mostly left to the folks who are exploring it with an open mind and sense that something is happening here that is new.