LOWDOWN on Central Grid please

Hope this is the right place for a very general query.

I've just seen a link to the Central Grid, a) that says it uses OpenSim software to access an SL-type environment b) which seems to be owned by Linden. See the details at
http://www.centralgrid.com/

The land prices seem phenomenally good value:
An estate for US$695 purchase, US$45 monthly tier per region of 15,000 prims up to 45,000 prims (each???) if this second figure isn't a misprint
A region within such an estate US$75 purchase, US$75 monthly tier, 15,000 prims
This all seems a lot better than the recently announced and 'regular' SL
Linden Openspaces: a region, must be attached to an existing estate, US$250 purchase US$75 monthly tier, 3750 prims.

Can anyone help me with 3 crucial questions
a) Can one access Central Grid using a Mac? (Can't see anything on the Central Grid site that says one way or the other)
b) Can you TP from central grid locations in to the SL grid we all know and sort of love?
c) What's the catch?

Christi Maeterlinck

In order
a) Possibly, no idea
b) Not that I know of (at the moment)
c) see b.

Let me add, you can download the OpenSim software right now and run it on a PC at home and have your own region without paying anything and have the same limitations as above. Maybe, if/when full inter teleport works, the hosted model you described will make the land market more interesting again.

Does seem a little 'to good to be true' doesn't it, hopefully someone who knows the answers will repond soon. I'm watching this thread with interest.

Perre..

Key words being "SL like."

OpenSim grids tend to be smaller than SL and not quite so refined. A lot of features, (like scripting) are in a "We're working on it" state.

Last time I checked, (About 6 months ago.) You could buy an OpenSim region for $90 and $15 a month tier. I'm not sure if it was related to Central Grid, however.

Conifer's post reminded me. It was Open Life selling sims on the cheap.

I'm sure I remember reading somewhere something about being able to teleport between SL and some other grid (IBM..?), it was being tested/trialed. It was probably in the blog..I'd go check now but I've got to go to work (RL)

Must invetsigate this when I get back.

Perre..

PS my previous response was in no way intended as a dig at Sassy's response..when I wrote it there had been no responses at that time..they just sort of coincided..

LL just announced a beta program for people wanting to experiment with inter-grid teleporting.

At present, this is extremely experimental, and not much different than simply logging off of SL and logging on to another virtual world's grid...you arrive as the new grid's default avatar, and your inventory does not transfer.

No dig taken. I read about the inter teleport but as has been commented, no inventory transfer which makes it a bit pointless but it may change.

Of course, if LL goes down this route, the whole charging model will be completely different. Maybe they'll charge for inter-grid teleports? If not, the whole land model is blown away. One thing is certain, the business model will have to change.

Here is a video of Zero Linden discussing "gridnauts"

Central Grid, Open Life and a number of other small grids are based on Open Sim, which has used SL open source info to create SL 'clones'. They look and behave just like SL, but with some functions disabled. None of these independent grids is owned by Linden Lab, as far as I know.

You can also download an Open Sim standalone sim, or sims, to your own computer, but the cannot easily be put online. I have a 2-sim island, download from Open Life. It's good fun, you can build, terraform and even make your avatar look almost the same as in SL, though the version I have dosen't support attachments.

Here is a picture of me in SL and me on my standalone island for comparison

Central Grid was started by all the banned banks and SL stock exchanges / money swindlers.

The place is shadier than a 250 year old red wood.

If you go there, its your own risk. Go to http://www.sluniverse.com/forums and do a <Search> for "Central Grid". There is a central grid agent there doing some defending of Central Grid but you can read the history and origins of that place.

Sounds like a good place to make a fast buck. For the first time, I find myself intrigued by one of the SL competitor projects.

/me slaps herself. Lindal! Have you NO morals?

Yes...but they are used, rusty, underpowered, and in need of a major overhaul...

None of the independent grids I've seen have a working currency. They have a vestigial L$ system but it stays at L$1000 whatever you do and the L$ are not 'real' and so can't be exchanged with RL money.

I would strongly suggest you read this thread about Central Grid:

http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=274614#274614

Sounds like a shady operation.

Yep, at least three threads about it.

That agent is Frank Corsi aka Jasper Tizzy from Second Life (canceled account) who used to be leader of "The Linden Bank" or later known as "The Bank".

Anyone researching this look at these threads on SLU and google the name Jasper Tizzy. Maltos something another and CathyRockstar are also Frank's alts.

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/other-grids-virtual-worlds/13295-centralgrid-com-any-info.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/other-grids-virtual-worlds/14111-dream-state-grid.html

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/other-grids-virtual-worlds/15114-central-grid-currency.html

Most troubling to me is the last link where he ducks some pretty important questions I am asking him about what gaurantees CG residents have of their investements being safe.

His favorite thing to say is to research for yourself and know the facts. Well, in tons of fact finding missions I still walk away with zero confidence in him or his Central Grid service.

Oh and on server prices, CG charges much more then competitors such as OpenLife. OSGrid does not even charge, you can get your own server rental and hook right on.

This is all in it's early stages. Charging such high prices to be a part of alpha level software communities is shameful. Central Grid just announced a currency market being implemented and will even be increasing their fees once that happens by about 25%.

If you are tech minded, check out OSGrid for the same server software and free tier backed by The Electric Sheep Company (look for OnRez to be a feature someday I bet). If you need hosting and help to get a region with the 45K prims and again.. same features except the virtual bucks angle (but will be implemented someday soon) then check out OpenLife.

Mac, on investigating a little, I think you are very right to be leery of this operation.

I would love to get in on the ground floor of a new virtual world, grab up land at bargain prices, make content and sell to all the settlers who follow, and all that jazz.

But CG and its spokespersons strike me as veeeery dodgy. On SLU, one CG representative blithely disclosed a user's private account data...data which she should not have had, in the position she said she held, and which should never have been made public in any case.

CG asks for your SL avatar name in addition to your RL information at signup. NOBODY gets that from me. Period.

It's just like the SL "banks" and their ridiculous rates of return. If it looks too good to be true, well...it probably is.

When the logs were revealed for her time on CG I was stunned beyond belief. That move alone told me I would never give them an ounce of personal info.. or any for that matter.

It is later revealed that the person (CathyRockstar) who posted those server logs is none other then Frank Corsi.. owner of CentralGrid.

This has dodgy written all over it. Sadly I saw a list of the people who are on the grid (you can see it on the forums) and found people I like from SL there. I just hope they don't invest in it at all. I don't want to see them hurt by it.. but they have to chose their own paths.

Seriously, folks, the drama at both the SLX and SLU threads is second-to-none. The SLX one is slow to start, but wow.

Yeah, I just finished it. More to weigh. I love the shill ending. It was classic.

I keep reading about this but as yet I've no idea where to get this download..can anyone give me the address of a download site..?

Perre..

Sure, http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Main_Page
is the main place. There are a couple ways you can go about this.

1. Do it yourself configuration and set up. If you go this route I recommend this site for the how to:
http://opensimuser.wordpress.com/2008/06/15/opensim-install-and-configuration-tutorial/
Some things have changed since then but you can likely follow the bouncing ball well enough to get going.

2. Someone who wants to download and go without configuring and just get started:
Check out
http://openlifegrid.com/Support/Downloads/tabid/67/Default.aspx

You will need to register at the second link to download the standalone. It is a little behind in features but is great for getting started and getting your feet wet in the OpenSim stuff.

Thanks for that Ill go check them out now..

Perre..

1) no clue
2) No, and you'll have to create a new seperate avatar from scratch n the new grid, starting again with an empty inventory. There's a tool you can purchase that allows limited inventory copy (only full perm items) from one avatar to another on different grids, but only if both avatars have the exact same name.
3) Any alternative grid will be very new, very [strike]Beta[/strike] Alpha, very unstable, with limited functionality. You think SL has stability issues? There isn't another one (yet) that comes anywhere near SL's stability and functionality. Give it 2-3 years, maybe it'll be a different story. The gamble you're taking is whether the grid you choose to invest in will be one that survives or crumbles.

LMAO - I think everybody missed this gem

Added: Ok i mis-read that i omitted the "not much different" bit

Yeah, none of the alternative grids are as functional or fun as SL is, but that's just growing pains. I do not doubt that one or more of them will provide real competition to Second Life a couple years down the road. If I had more personal time, I'd mess around a bit in the Openlife Grid, but I simply don't have time to be a pioneer.