Illegal in RL but okay here business practices?

Is it a good thing for that to be the method for success?

If you want to succeed in anything (RL or VL) you MUST know the rules, policies, limitations, and opportunities for whatever it is you want to achieve. Obviously the OP did not know one or more of the must knows..........and instead of taking the problem head on and adjusting he/she decided to whine.

So, yes, that is a good method for success. Ain't no one going to hand you life on a platter. Which is what I read as the main whine by the OP..........."it's unfair, fix it for me".

So unless there is actually legislation covering something, it isn't wrong to do it, no matter how many people it takes advantage of?

That "letigation" is there.........ToS and CS. Also past precedence (just like RL). The undisclosed thing that was changed in some undisclosed way surely effected more than the OP.........bet those who seriously wanted to achieve their goals for whatever they were working for did not waste time feeling sorry for themselves.

Life ain't always fair........certainly not in SL.

You have no way of knowing that; all you know is that they didn't post here.



Unless you are prepared to use the same argument to shut down discussion of content theft (after all, it's also unfair), this argument is void.

Actually as far as content theft is concerned I don't see creators as being treated unfairly at all. The have avenues to take for stolen property. No one forces them to put their content in SL. Everyone knows a thieft can steal their content. They know the risks.......if they don't then they get no sympathy from me on that either.

As for the theives, hang em if you want.........but don't whine about the theft since there are tools availbable to get "justice". They, like the OP, are responsible to fix their problem. Use the rules, policies and precedences that are in place and quit the whining.

Actually, very few of the real content creators whine..........they fix it.

And who says that they want sympathy? Perhaps they want change to the fact that "a thief can steal their content".

Yumi I'm beginning to think you have a reading problem.

Read my last sentence again please. I SEE VERY FEW CONTENT CREATORS WHINE.............they FIX IT!!!

And as I said, complaining about something and fixing it aren't mutually exclusive, and I have no idea why you think they are.

Yes, they can DMCA people who stole their content. Does this also mean that they must never complain to the Lindens that the platform doesn't do anything to make it harder?

The average person didn't have the same sort of disposable income, so it's not a fair comparison. Grapes were a luxury item in the Victorian era, they aren't now.

Complaining to the Lindens is a legitamate and constructive means of trying to resolve an issue. Complaining in a forum is not. Nothing...........I mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING constructive acheived by doing that. That is whining.........you gets you nothing but maybe some sympathy. Not a single resident reading these forums can do a thing for you. Especially since there can be no details given.

Like I said, I think you may have a problem reading. Or you just like arguing.......in that case I'm done.

Nope, I just insist on knowing what I am reading, and that the person I'm reading should know what they are writing. "Whining" is ill-defined because it's intrinsically pejorative.

"That of which one cannot speak, one must pass over in silence."

Seems to be a proverb the OP should have considered before starting this thread, since the whole original post deals with something of which she cannot speak. As such it's so vague as to be nothing more than useless cryptic mumbo-jumbo. Just one man's opinion.

In reality this kind of thing is perfectly legal, if you're not a monopoly, and it you are you'll only get a slap on the wrist for it.

Legitimate, maybe - constructive, I doubt it.

It can sometimes get a person some sympathetic whines in return.

And then we get back to equating SL with real life. Where I live no single entity owns my country (or world). Not the same here in SL...........a single company owns the whole shebang.......lock, stock and barrel. Linden Lab makes the rules, enforces the rules (or not), ignores the rules, changes the rules.........that does not happen where I live in real life. There are no comparisons.............some seem to insist that there are. If, by chance, you happen to live in such a place then certainly practices that allow unfair business practices to exist are possible (perhaps even embraced) then you have no say what so ever anyway.

Secret to success is know the rules, limitations, advantages, and whats enforced or not enforced.......and play by them. If you have a problem work in some constructive manner to resolve the problem. Soliticing sympathy does nothing but maybe make you feel not so alone. Working on a solution can be lonely..........but it stands a better chance of gaining satisfaction. Or resolution.

There's no law against this, at least not in the US. Microsoft does it all the time -- even to standards they didn't create. It's called "de-commoditizing".

It stinks, but it's not illegal, or even immoral. It would be a contract violation if they'd signed a contract. It could be false advertising if they advertised the openness (and implied that they would continue support for openness). Those aren't criminal, you generally have to sue to get recompense.

It's not "bait-and-switch", which is advertising a product at a low price and NOT having the product in stock, while offering a higher-priced substitute. The solution to that is simple: to offer a coupon to redeem for the original item at the advertised price when they're back in stock. (It can be avoided by using "while supplies last" in the ad.)

I suggest that in the future, you stick to truly open source systems.

IMHO, it's usually a bad business move unless you really dominate the market. You cut your product line off from interoperability with a number of inventive boutique products, and open up the market for a competing, truly open system.

What is the point of your post, other than to share your opinion? I see no significant difference between the nature of your post and the nature of the OP's, with the possible exception that the OP is likely to read (and ignore) your post.

There is a potential benefit of the OP's post: the OP might learn from the responses. Perhaps your post is similar to the OP's in that regard as well.

I strongly support the right of you both to make them.

Correct, and if the OP learns anything from this, then you've succeeded in providing a counterexample to your earlier post.

As it turns out, this thread has nothing to do with any differences between RL and SL (despite the OP's claim that there is a difference).

Your arguments against operating a business in SL apply to RL as well. Admittedly, they're stronger for SL -- but the cost of starting a business in SL is so much lower, that the resulting risk is significantly less.

But you're absolutely correct that the only way to win is to play the game you're playing, and not pretend it's some other game.

BTW, I "play with fire" by your definition, but I'm unlikely to get badly burnt. All I stand to lose is future revenues. Since I don't convert $L to $US, that won't affect my RL situation.

It's a big world, with plenty of room for people with different opinions on these questions.

I think that Peggy's point is that if something's not illegal -- or even if it is illegal but uninforced -- people will do it, and if you plan to succeed, you're well advised to take that into account.

I agree. I believe that discussions can lead to learning and new ideas, even when they begin on a negative track.

I admit I get annoyed at whining, and even more so at those who whine about whining. And here I am whining about whining about whining. i'm happy to see that you're not one of the whiners here, Yumi.

Shall we forget the whining bit, and either discuss the issues, or move on to more interesting threads?

I think she's talking about a roleplay or combat meter system where that was an API and other roleplay or weapon makers could all work with it on an even level with variations.

Apparently the maker of this system took away the API and so everyone's items or weapons no longer functioned or weren't as capable and then sold items or weapons that would outclass all other venders items and or weapons.

This action on the makers part would not only kill off competitive marketing but also force all users who had previously bought items to buy all new ones if they wanted to also keep up with those who had.

If there really were hundreds of sims, thousands of users and thousands of users all having to buy new weapons and or items it would be worth a lot and even in RL standards if say we are talking about $4 to $5 in lindens a pop.

BTW, complaining about someone complaining is still complaining don't you think?

It might also open up a huge potential market to anyone capable of providing a system that remains compatible with the existing content.

To use this gambit, you have to make sure you fall between two limits. If you don't sufficiently dominate the market, you lose by opening up this new market. If you really dominate the market, the competition is insignificant anyway, but you've offended a number of customers who were happy with your system along with compatible boutique products.

IMHO, a much better way to compete is to simply keep improving your product line, while staying compatible as much as feasible. Too bad Bill Gates doesn't agree with me. Of course, Microsoft is in the effective zone I mentioned above, and it works for them.