Philip has posted his intended remarks on his blog

I'm actually starting to see a method behind the linden madness. I dont like the steps in between, myself, but it had to be done sooner or later.

We're going in the direction of a WWW like system where LL is more or less a service provider, hosting servers, for us to run content on. We will be responsible for our own content and the age verification thereof.

If SL is ever to grow from what we see today, this change was necessary. I can almost see LL's thinking here. Such a huge paradigm shift would simply take too long if this was bounced off of the residents first, and from the urgency from behind the scenes, they feel that the world as we know it was in jeopardy.

I see a temporary increase in greifing and teens, and as the shfit completes, this number should go back down to an acceptable level.

I'm just afraid some idiot is going to sue LL between now and whenever some acceptable means of age verification come into play.

Best of luck.

Bluuuurgh

point is let the parents take the blame and the results if something goes wrong. Is what philip is getting at........shakeshead.

As a parent, I feel it's my responsibility to ensure that my children do not access things that they shouldn't. It's a shame that in the modern world many parents wish to shift that responsibility onto others and wash their hands of their obligations.

I agree, that content providers who simply "don't care" are to be condemned and should be prosecuted according to applicable law. But the latter is already a difficult issue. As I tried to point out in my post, the "applicable law" is something very shaky in the internet.

That said, it is my opinion:

1. In any case it is the content providers, who are the offenders (not the platform providers).
   
2. "Protection" of children is best done locally - according to you local laws and family values (which differ wildly in the same locality).
   
3. Linden Lab should provide better tools to support this. They are starting to do this now and are contemplating about doing more. Why not support this process in a constructive was instead of simply saying "you fu**** up again"?

Knowing what your children do is the first and most important step in protectin them.

But tools can help.

Drawing the analogy to the internet even further, why not think about functionalities in the client that restrict what can be done with the account and a certain avatar? This could work much in the same way that there are tools now that restrict which sites you can visit when you log on under a certain account and browse the web.

When I decided to do this post - quite aware of the attacks of the moral majority which might follow - I was not focusing on the topic of minors alone, though. I think it is important to realize, that for SL to succeed big time it has to be "open" and has to delegate as much responsibility (and authority!) to its residents. LLs latest steps - some of which I don't like that much - go in that direction.

Pham, I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter

If his idea of 'protection on the internet' for his son is the same as he has for the residents of Second Life, I feel really sorry for his son.

Just because HE happens to think monitoring his son 24/7 on the internet is a practical way to protect him from adult content, doesn't mean that everyone else will or is able to - the usual path is a program like "Net Nanny" for most people, so why oh why can't we have that in SL?

Let's not forget here that the benefits of verification do not only protect the children - but protect the adults too from unwanted attention and interference.

What we are seeing here is a fundamental understanding of the reality of the situation, and I for one am rapidly losing confidence in Philip Linden. I would challenge you, Philip, to spend TWO HOURS with me in-world, at a time of mutual convenience, using an alt if you prefer to protect yourself (as long as I know who you are) to see for yourself exactly what it is like now. Orientation islands are overflowing, with people landing, going straight to change appearance, then go straight to mainland. A first log in newbie knowing all of that, and being confident enough to do so? Not a chance. Do you even know what the lag is like sometimes? Do you understand the problems caused by your refusal to provide "zoning" and the ugly griefer builds that can be seen because of the lack of protection? Have you ever even explored the mainland? Do you know what it's like now with 200m ban lines, and how ugly the view can be? I doubt it.

I feel fairly secure in knowing this will be ignored, because the truth hurts, and he can't handle the truth. He may live in some cloud cuckoo land in his big ivory tower with leather chair, but for 99.9999999999999999% of us, his version of reality is not ours.

Stop treating it as a platform, accept it as the game it is, and then SL may have a chance. Until then, it's on a downward spiral, being led by an inept leader who doesn't even know about the product his company sells.

Lewis

Wow Lewis, not content with just having a problem with the direction you want Second Life to go in, you're now pulling Philip Linden's parenting to pieces, and suggesting that he's not suitable to protect his child.

I'd really suggest taking a step back, you're going overboard here. Unless you can keep things in perspective, I'd suggest just walking away.

Are you a parent, Lewis?

Relax, Moopf. It's me he is attacking ... And I can handle that.


(it was my comment on Phils weblog)

SL becoming more like the WWW; ok, I get that.

On the WWW, the content providers have tools to prevent hackers from disrupting their website.

In SL, we have nothing.

On the WWW, the content providers have tools to record IP addresses of hackers and use those evidence in lawsuits.

In SL, we have nothing.

In the WWW, there are anti-viruses and pop-up blockers and spam filters.

In SL, we have ban list that can hold only 50 names.

but in SL we have ripple water, can process 6 light sources AND the most useless of all feature: FEET SHADOWS!

I can just picture the future that Phillip wants to attain: millions of servers, all owned by different businesses, an open web of high end servers burning up power just to carry a 3d content of ugly building and cheesy stores and malls, full of casinos and crappy shoot the duck games clones, and no protections whatsoever form griefers and morons walking around with assorted genitalia hanging out, propositioning everything that walks, fly or gallop...

LL, give us the tools to allow us to build the tools to protect ourselves and our land (which are just a rented share of processor time and storage space).

Since his 'running' of SL seems to be taking all these new fangled liberal ideas, it's fairly safe to assume his parenting skills are equally lax, rather than using traditional, proven methods that work.



It's all very much in perspective, thankyou very much.



None of your business to be honest. I'll tell you when you give me your credit card details so I can verify who you are.

Lewis

Philip wants a 3D collaboration internet. With millions of users. Almost none of them paying.

What's the business model, there? Servers must be paid, and he can't possibly have it all centralized.

So he has to rely on more and more islands to be bought / rented / added / whatever, to make funds. Or collect our data and sell that on, which should bring money, too, but will also bring a lot of hate. Or find sponsors and put up a billboard next to every parcel where a happy pepsi cola bottle is grinning at me. No idea.

But even then, the current asset server just can't handle it. And the net connection LL has will not be enough either, if really so many new people come and stay.

I see Philip's vision, but I am doubting if it can work. Especially when things are so rushed like right now, brainlessly implemented before the system can _take_ it.

*mews*
Sheila!

I thought it was Phil's words, so I apologise if it sounded as if I was attacking you personally.

However, my views still stand, regardless of the 'target'.

Lewis

Ah OK Pham, didn't realise that. Still, it's not cool to start chucking such words around at people, it's totally out of whack.

I understand it, I just fail to see its practicality or necessity.

If you want to surf the net, alt-tab to a browser. End of story. No need for it in-game.

If you can't be bothered to alt-tab to a browser, you're probably also the sort of person who can't be bothered to enter a few details on a sign-up screen to verify that you are ok to play.

The whole premise of 'unverified signup' bases on one thing: Trust, that the person will enter correct signup details.

Anyone who has been on the internet for more than about 10 minutes realises that you simply cannot trust anyone on the net to say who they really are.

Lewis

It's called having an opinion. Sorry you can't handle someone having a different one to you.

Would you rather I just signed up as an unverified alt to troll anywhere I felt like it, instead of using my main account and standing behind my opinions that I believe?

Lewis

I've been here since 2003, and this account issue is not effecting me one way or the other.

On you all's protest... I thought it was suppose to be a silent protest.

To be honest Lewis, I respect anybody's right to have an opinion, but if I find them calling a person's real life into question, questioning things such as their parenting skills, making acusations as if you know them, then I'll pull them up on it as I feel it's taking a false leap solely to try and discredit them.

But you've done it so many times, it doesn't suprise me. Your lack of tolerance, your expressed moral high ground, the shoving of your beliefs down other people's throats has gone on ever since you reared your head here. We've all seen the threads, it's not like this is something new for you.

Believe your opinions, absolutely, but know where the end line is, rather than just throwing any thing out there to discount the views and opinions of others, assuming that anything, however little you know about them or their situation, is fair game.

Psst, and a little hint. Just because I pull you up on something does not automatically mean I can't handle other people's opinions as you would know if you read my posts here. It's not a strong way to argue, it's actually quite childish.

What I find supremely ironic is this: Philip spent some time yesterday waxing lyrical about Steller Sunshine's beanstalk, and how this quality of imagination and creativity represented something special to him. At the same time he turns a deaf ear to the protests that the current changes are actually destroying those qualities of Second Life that brought that beanstalk into existence.

I do want to pick up on this, Lewis. In my experience, going back to when I was at school and what's happened since then, there were a large number of children with very strict, often religious although not in every case, parents. The extreme of control, if you like. What I found interesting as we got older, and progressed to University etc., is that in that group that had had a really strict and controlled upbringing, a much higher percentage of them ended up totally losing it - once they had freedoms they really didn't know how to handle them, they were totally unequipped as they'd never had the opportunity to make their own mistakes or even make their own decisions. So many of them ended up dropping out of Uni, turning to drugs in a big way, drinking too much and basically losing their way. It was too much at once for them to have the life skills to deal with.

Those of us who'd had what I'd suspect you would call a more liberal or lax upbringing weren't so dazzled by the bright lights when flying from the nest - we already had the experience of making our own decisions, making mistakes, working things out. Just thinking for ourselves.

And then, at the other extreme, you had those who's parental influence had been pretty non-existant. The ones who were always still hanging around the streets come midnight, the ones who's parents didn't actually take much interest in their upbringing. They lost their way like those with the strict upbringing, just generally much earlier in life.

Now of course there are exceptions in all of this but my point is that those of us who had an upbringing between the two, your liberal lax upbringing, had our fun, made our mistakes but it generally didn't take over. We had the experience and were equipped to not be dazzled by the lights, not go overboard. We had a sense of proportion because we'd been provided the experience of proportion as we grew up.

You can dismiss that way of bringing up children if you want to and you may not think that's a traditional, proven way of bringing up children. But, you know, it worked for me and it worked for my friends and I thank my parents for allowing me realistic freedoms to experience life for myself, rather than forcing themselves upon me and smothering me, or taking no interest at all. They took an active interest, they put me right when they needed to, but they didn't smother me and make every decision for me.

We all bring up our children differently to each other and being a parent is a learning experience for the adult as much as the child.

With all due respect Selador, that's a giant leap you're making there. Are you saying that we've started to lose imagination and creativity in-world because of the registration change?

I guess I'll have to stop myself from creating in-world now I know that my imagination and creativity have been destroyed - thanks for making me aware so I didn't make a mistake and build by accident!

Quit griping Starax - I TOLD you that last Kebab looked a bit green...

This is very true, i agree 100%. But what i disagreeing with is the way phil linden is shying away fromt he liablity of LLabs fpr letting those kids in. OMG i would not want my child doing half the things i did on sl if she was old enough to start playing.
OMG Moopf is scary around sl these days. You never know who is of age and who is not anymore. So sad SO sad what this great game has turned into.

Well, in my experience creativity is definitely taking the back seat now. And the increasing commercialisation of SL is, IMO, creating an ambience antithetical to the imaginative and creative. And to be completely specific - you can't be creative and imaginative if you are constantly being orbited by manic teens.

And you can't enjoy the creative atmosphere of Second Life by flying around if you are constantly running into ban lines.

To me, the world is colder and harder than it used to be, but I can only speak from my own experience, as we all do.