[Opensim-dev] The Future of Open Simulator(?) (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Ai Austin]

As an educator and researcher interested in simulation and training 
and researching and using distributed collaboration, I am interested 
in using virtual worlds to support teaching, training, a range of 
research projects and for meeting and gathering spaces for meetings 
and events. Mixed reality setups linked to events in real life but 
involving a distributed international audience in particular interest 
me. I also see the value of virtual worlds as a basis for work and 
social interactions.

Like others have mentioned the core compatibility with Second Life 
has been a big plus feature for my interests and let us share assets 
between our University Second Life areas and OpenSim based 
alternative.  We have been able to preserve earlier Second Life 
builds for educational simulations and exhibits on low cost self 
hosted regions, sometimes mounted on demand, when the cost of the 
space for a permanently available Second Life a facility could not be 
justified after projects finished, for example.

OpenSimulator has been and is a very useful basis for this, and there 
is currently really good compatibility to core Second life 
features.  But due to wonderful open source orientated developers and 
contributors to OenSimulator we also have some capabilities that 
exceed those available in Second Life...; such as the far superior 
NPC capabilities which open up all sorts of opportunities.

The capability to self host and decide on what version is used or 
when updates are done (or not) is a really important feature for 
those running stable and productive applications of 
OpenSim.  Doug/MOSES I know once saw Second Life Enterprise (the self 
hosted packaged server version of SL) as a route to provide the kind 
of facility to the US government and Army training uses.  OpenSim 
provides a basis for this if it can keep moving forward.

Like Cinder, I am encouraged by the close and helpful collaboration 
now between some of the third party viewer developers and the 
facility to add in OpenSim specific enhancements or variations to 
Second Life.  That is useful.  The LGPL nature of the core viewer 
code encourages any use and is also positive.  There is no longer any 
need to remain constrained by what is in Second Life , though like 
Dahlia, I believe most of our community, myself included, really 
values the close compatibility between SL and OpenSim.

Like MisterBlue I hope the core plus modules approach that OpenSim 
tries to adopt can be used to advantage to allow all sorts of 
capabilities, alternatives physics engines, experimental features, 
plugins and addins without bloating the core.  And especially not 
making the base requirements and necessary underlying modules be more 
complicated than necessary.

In terms of a community driven road map, a core plus modules approach 
could help. It would be nice to have discussions where needed on 
changes to the core that are necessarily to support features that 
groups and developers feel are necessary to add on their 
offerings.  And we should definitely encourage any such group to try 
to addin or addon their developments and contribute them back to the 
community (as many valuable contributors do) rather than to have to 
branch off on their own.  One problem we have is that modules are 
scattered about on separate web sites or GIT areas, so we don't have 
a single place to go to select and get what is needed.  Its not a 
problem for those with an existing system they are just adding parts 
to, as they know where to go to get updates to all parts.  But its a 
real bug headache for someone creating a new fully features grid 
where some core elements do not have an initial core implemented default.

As others have said though, this is a mixed community of those who 
give their code developments and testing feedback when they can and 
those with more invented in terms of effort and dependency on the 
facilities.  Its not going away even if developments slow down or 
speed up every now and then as key people move on.  We don't want to 
scare anyone, but we also want a community that feels everyone has a 
voice.  The mailing lists opensim-dev and opensim-users really are 
useful and have some experience and very helpful people on them who 
try their best to help all - whether new to OenSim or experienced.

Owards and upwards, Ai