[Opensim-dev] How Was OpenSim "Born"?

[Len Brown]

Patent trolls?  Hardly.  I'm just a normal guy with a keene interest in
OpenSim and like to know where the things that interest me originated.  I
have no time nor interest in anything else.  :)

Unfortunately, in today's world simply having a healthy interest in where
things originated that we find interesting is cause for consternation and
mistrust.

Actually, I was talking with a friend about the many, MANY horrible (though
now viewed as rather funny) bumps in the road that we encountered with
Linden Lab while Second Life was still just an infant technology.  And in
some ways it's still a child experiencing growing pains.

I honestly believe that the patent system, by its very nature, is the worst
thing ever when it comes to stifling innovation and technological
advancement.

- Len

On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 9:25 PM, Mark Malewski <mark.malewski at gmail.com>wrote:

>
> Sounds like the patent trolls are digging for more information.
>
> *> >      I know that the various versions of the viewer are derived from
> > > Linden Lab releasing the viewer source code as open source, but what
> > > about the server side of things?*
>
> Does anyone ask the Keebler elves how they make their cookies?
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep2lGBZptl0&NR=1
>
> Look at the functionality of the viewer, write and develop a server that
> will support the functions of the viewer.  Develop a server with all the new
> and wonderful features, functionality and fixes that core devs and users
> would like to see added (OSSL).  Create a modular approach so other groups
> can improve upon it, and take other OpenSource projects and integrate them
> into OpenSim (i.e. ModRex).  Eventually decide that the viewer isn't good
> enough, scrap the viewer, and then write a completely new viewer (supporting
> all the functions and features that you want to add).  The project just
> continuously evolves, it doesn't come from one group or one place.  Just
> like original SL or SL Viewer doesn't come from one person or one place.
>  (More than likely it was "inspired' by Active Worlds).  The "3D Web"
> continues to evolve.  Communities of people and developers come together,
> and make it is what it is.  OpenSim just attempts to make a "standard open
> source platform" of it all.  Enough said?  The server just evolves, portions
> and areas are reworked to improve performance (or add additional
> functionality).  The server endures a few rewrites as it moves along.  Parts
> and pieces are taken from various other projects (i.e. Ogre3D, PAL, ODE,
> Newton, etc.)  A new framework is written, and slowly you have a nice new
> OpenSource development platform.  Features are slowly added as they are
> requested.  Ideas from the community inspire the developers, and slowly the
> project evolves.  Where did Firefox or "OpenOffice.org" come from?  Talented
> individuals, that believe in the OpenSource community.
>
> Just because you see 4 or 5 different web browsers (or Open Source web
> browsers) doesn't mean that they are all copies of one another (or reverse
> engineered).  Someone sees something, they are intrigued by it, or they
> think of a new feature and they begin writing the code necessary to make it
> happen.  It takes a lot of hard work.
>
> How did Mosaic browser get off the ground?  How did Microsoft's IIS get off
> the ground?  How did Internet Explorer get off the ground?  How did Apache
> web server get off the ground?  It takes some creativity, innovation, and a
> dedicated group of people with a whole lot of brains to develop a new open
> source "standard platform" that can be used for "3D Web".
>
> I supposed by definition, we have actually developed "a patchy" OpenSim
> server.
>
>               Mark
>
>
>
>
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>


-- 
- Len W. Brown
  lenwbrown at gmail.com
     http://www.lenfocenter.com
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