Continuation of Blog "NEW SEARCH CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT" Discussion

Michael Linden made a thread here for continuation of the discussion regarding big prims, and that was a good idea.

I think it is also a good idea for us to have a continuation of the new search system under development here also.

Those who didn't get a chance to express their views on the blog, which cut off at 150 posts, can do so here. And any Lindens interested in hearing more thoughts, ideas regarding potential problems, and other commentary can read this thread.

(I'll get around later to putting in some of the thoughts I've had.)

coco

Those of you who hate BIAB resellers should be overjoyed at this announcement - if items for sale can be searched, then people will be able to comparison shop more easily. This will effectively wipe the resellers who sell at the highest prices right off the map, since customers can search a dress they are selling for $599 and see that they can get it elsewhere for $1. It will also make it easier for content creators to track future sales of their items.

I'm worried about the social implications of having thousands of trafficbots & camperbots suddenly unemployed, do we have retraining packages for them or relcation into camps planned incase they get out of control?

Can this search funtion be connected to AC and the 10L project?

If you knew that a new search funtion was to be introduced. Could you set yourself up so your stuff is avaliable at a great price before it's in place?

It seems that it would give me a head start if I did that.
If I were motivated enough I might do that now. It could, or will, mean cheaper stuff for the masses.


OK.. just a thought but precedence is there already.


*fire retardent spray active*
EDIT: I read it myself and it dont look right but leaving it anyway

I've posted to jira issues on the current implementation of the "Show on Search" property for objects:

http://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-2823

This refers to the fact that the Show on Search property persists when transfered to a new owner. This also applies if the item has been set for sale (either original or copies). Basically if you set an item for sale and show in search, the people who buy it may unwittingly be placing items which show up in search on their land.

But it gets better:

http://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-2821

This refers to the fact that you can't change the Show on Search option unless you have mod rights. I can't think of a scenario when the owner of an object shouldn't be able to determine whether it displays in search.

Combined, these produce the following scenario:

You create an object which you set to be no-mod for the next owner. You place the object in your shop, and set it to sell copies, and to attract customers set it to show in search. Anyone now buying this object will get a no-mod object which is set to show in search with no ability to switch show in search off!

Hopefully these are unintentional rather than intended behaviour.

Matthew

One workaround for this that I can think of - though they really need to fix this so we don't have to work around it:

Set your no-mod object to sell its CONTENTS instead of a copy, and put a copy of the no-mod object, not marked for sale, in the contents of the object marked for sale, so customers will get the object in the contents that is not marked for sale.

However, 95% of the sellers in SL won't think to do this, probably. And it won't fix the problem for the zillions of no-mod objects that have been sold already as copies.

The only way I've really seen it happen is with no-mod objects that have "Buy object" set as default left-click. The simplest solution is to simply revert to the default touch and let people buy it by right-clicking. Anyone older than a day knows how to buy something.

LL took a stab at fixing that bug a few months back, but it still happens, just not all the time anymore. In general, content creators don't seem to care either, I only ever had two who understood the problem and changed their displays.

There's another bug where "For sale" can be left ticked, but you can just untick it then, mod or no-mod.

The issue I was referring to was not when the For Sale setting persists after you have bought something, but that the new Show In Search setting also persists after you have bought something.

Also the Show In Search setting currently cannot be changed on No Mod items.

Matthew

I'm concerned about the implications of searching by object. The thing is, as I understood it, classifieds were really for that purpose, and the reason they cost money is to prevent abuse (if it were free we'd be spammed). It kind of lost its course though when it sorted by classified price.

If objects can all be searched, then what prevents a griefer from creating millions of objects in different sims (so they don't get noticed as an attack) until the search servers stop working? Does it cost money to list an object?

I'm thinking that it should cost a flat-rate to list objects for search just as with land, with the issues Mathew Dowd points out resolved of course! I may also go so far as to say as the ability to list objects for search should be restricted to premium members, since the charge to list the items would be paid at the end of a week/month it would stop abuse and give a bigger incentive to premium accounts.

Basic accounts who rent their land would still be able to list their parcels in search and purchase classifieds as normal.