Islands

so wait...

Influx of people = 500% normal purchase rate which = 500% more hardware which = 500% reposessed hardware which = 500% unused hardware which = 500% non-eturn in hardware purchase which = 500% wasted purchases.

What does "Wipe 'em and resell them to the next person who wants an island" have to do with the above problem? Anyone in tech knows you NEVER buy more hardware than you need. There is NO investment in unused hardware. It's like cars...

~Lefty

Just another comment from the peanut gallery:
An island is a much more attractive place to host events and show off the possibilities of Second Life. For example, our Esperantujo area to promote Esperanto is in a mainland sim, and we are constantly getting griefed, have horrible lag issues due to people outside our control in our sim, and it is very rare that someone flying around our sim lands and gains or contributes anything (which is the only good argument for mainland vs. island, which IMHO is a moot point with the ability for direct teleport). The fact is, for most people (read: potential residents) the risk to reward ratio is worse on mainland sims than on island sims. And we want people to come, be impressed, and stay.
The setup cost of an island is prohibitive, especially for ventures that are on a trial basis and may not be around in six months or a year. It's a good idea to lower that barrier for the sake of SL's image and growth.

That is just as true in RL. Starting a business (or any other venture) is a risk and there is always the chance it could fail. I wish I could go find a shop for lease in the city here and say "look, I'm not sure I'm going to make money, can I not pay you rent for the first 6 months? I mean, the building is already here so there is no cost to you..."

There ARE other alternatives, such as renting an island. It costs you more per month but there is no upfront fee.

LL has to protect their business....they're not a charity. Also, I don't see why it's a bad thing for people to have goals and owning land is a good one. To get enough money for the land they have to create something and those things add to SL as a whole.

What about an extended payment plan?.. it's much easier to pay $1445($1250+$195) in smaller installments over a say 6 months than the "upfront" fee. Just some simple calculations make it a lot easier to come up with the cash over time:

6 month plan - $405 for the first 6 months. $195 thereafter.

I have an island, and it was a huge decision to pay that. Its an rp sim and we need the room, if there weren't set up fee's we'd expand so more people could play

If they implemented this I would buy one immediatly.

Ill probably find they already have it shortly after this post and smack myself on the forehead, but I certainly would buy one if they had a plan such as this. I just cant spent that much all at once on a game ( which is how I intend on using it, as a fun game, not a buisness), however I can AFFORD it. Its just the principle of the thing : )

Many downtowns, desiring to attract businesses, have such programs in RL. Even many malls have special rates to attract businesses, especially when they have empty storefronts or are trying to attract more customers.
And that is the case with Linden Labs. We want to attract more customers. And present a beautiful, low-lag, no-griefing world to them. They can find out the truth LATER.

Kaz Financial Bank already has this option:
3 months payment plan: $465+$195(tier) X 3
6 months payment plan: $250+$195(tier) X 6
9 months payment plan: $160+$195(tier) X 9
12 months payment plan: $135+$195(tier) X 12

Sorry to ressurect an old discussion. I was looking through my old posts now that I found how. Saw this later in the thread.

Buying any house is the same set up. You have two fees with Linden Labs. The initial fee is the cost of the setup and hardware, but you are buying the right to resell the sim which is the same as getting a title. The teir fee pays for electricity, bandwith, and upkeep. In the real world these costs would be required on top of the cost of the title. The only difference is that Second Life provides all services for every aspect of the sim, even if their company is not the one actually with hands on your hardware or housing the racks.

If they didn't give you the right to transfer the land to someone else, then you would be covering their capital, however the way they do things you have the right to the value of the hardware when you bought its title. That means you have the right to more money than what the hardware is actually worth on its own as time goes on. You never get hit with depreciation.