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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Client-side asset storage (inventory, I assume) makes very
little sense to me. It would mean that I could only login from one computer; I
have enough trouble already managing my documents while making use of 5
computers at the same time. 3<sup>rd</sup>-party inventory storage makes a lot more
sense, and that’s more or less what realXtend has recently done. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>You can do copybot with any client, not just libsl. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>“cute” is how <b>I</b> put it when I want to say
nice things about LL’s fantasy layer :-) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>It looks like you and I have very different perspectives on the
use of virtual worlds, the success of Linden Lab, and everything else. So let
me tell you what my corner of the world looks like. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>In most communities that I am a member of, SL is seen in a very
negative light, almost reputation-damaging; tolerated, but certainly not “serious”.
That particular use of virtual worlds – for sex, role playing, socializing,
branding, etc., which have been the major drivers of the SL economy (not IP!,
which has been an inconsequent buzz word, and I can tell you why, if you ask) --
is something that I respect from a distance, but not really interested in. I did,
however, see in it the potential for a general purpose immersive 3D platform
with which lots of other more interesting things can be done (interesting for
me, of course); things that have tangible consequences in the real world. Who
cares about the HUD-controlled penis when a) there’s a physical one around,
and b) you can actually plan the relocation of an entire real-world city to a
new location, and share the plan with its citizens in an immersive manner? The
real world is a lot more interesting to me; OpenSim can be a powerful tool to
improve it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>The great thing about OpenSim is that it can be a lot of things.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Diva / Crista<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>
opensim-dev-bounces@lists.berlios.de
[mailto:opensim-dev-bounces@lists.berlios.de] <b>On Behalf Of </b>The Burnman<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, March 04, 2008 1:24 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> opensim-dev@lists.berlios.de<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Opensim-dev] Thoughts....<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>On Tue, Mar 4, 2008 at 3:47 PM, Cristina Videira Lopes <<a
href="mailto:lopes@ics.uci.edu">lopes@ics.uci.edu</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
Hello Christine,<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Burnman,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Technically your comments are
off, as Michael already pointed out. They are so off that I think they are
directed at the Open Sourced LL viewer, i.e. at the ability for clients
to get complete information about the objects inworld to the point of being
able to store them locally and to replicate them. Note that this has nothing to
do with OpenSim, strictly speaking. But let me comment on that.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>Actually, there has been discussion in the OpenSim IRC
channels as well as on this list about using client side asset storage for
users to move from grid to grid with their inventory. THAT is what I was
discussing. That DOES have to do with OpenSim. The libSL fiasco
with CopyBot has nothing to do with what I am discussing.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>All clients get that
information, or else they wouldn't be able to render it; there is no way around
that: a representation of the couch you see on your screen must be sent
to your computer, period. In a context where you do want to show your objects
to the world, ensuring that people don't use the LL viewer to "steal"
them is impossible with technology alone.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal> I am aware of that. It's the same with a web
page. The browser can't display what it can't see. Though PHP does
a wonderful job to prevent people seeing the websites source code, since HTML
is passed to the browser. This is one of the benefits of scripting in
Second Life. It's run server side, stored server side, and the client
doesn't get access to scripts it doesn't have permission to see.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Other contexts are possible,
however. One could add a PGP feature in which all inworld objects would be
encrypted with their owner's private key, so they looked like garbage for
everyone, except for those clients who had the object owner's public key.
There's a neat research project right there! I bet it could be added very
easily :-)</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>While the solution is
technically feasible, what sense would it make to go around the world seeing
garbage everywhere?? Plus anyone who wanted to see the decrypted objects would
have to use an extended version of the LL viewer, one that does decryption. Not
to mention the added performance overhead. … Again, I doubt massive
adoption, but this could definitely be done, technically.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>I am not sure how effective encryption would be... but
it is an interesting thing to ponder.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>I'm on the camp that thinks
that these kinds of *<b>technological</b>* solutions are silly, paranoid, and
ultimately unreliable, because given enough motivation to break the encryption,
it will be broken. But at the same time I have a lot of sympathy for your
position. One cute thing about LL's SL is that it enabled ordinary people to
suddenly feel like famous entrepreneurs and millionaires, simply by creating
virtual objects that other people want.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal>Cute? :D SL gained most of it's popularity
because of that "cute" little concept. And while most people
don't make that much money with their little virtual ventures... many of
them at least cover their own expenses. That's more than most can say
about their entertainment. The whole "own IP rights to your
creations, have a business in SL" thing is probably where most of LL's
success has come from.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>This is part of the
fantasy-game designed by LL, along with the forced pseudonyms, the Linden
"dollars", etc. I understand you want to protect that feeling, and
someone ought to protect it. I sincerely hope that will survive in some grids,
because it's empowering! Technology is the wrong approach to do it, though, it
has to be something else.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal> I don't see how textures, or prims for that matter,
will be truly protected with OpenSim... nor do I think with Second Life now
that open-source is making it so much easier to steal people's IP.
Scripts, however, are another matter. Client side storage negates what
protection they currently have, however, which was my concern from the start of
this conversation.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>However, if these fantasies are
all there is to the metaverse, we'll be in really bad shape. We might as well
wrap-up OpenSim altogether, and let LL continue to do its thing.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>While you may not really see
people's little web ventures as more than fantasies... they are the
driving force behind the expansion of LL's grid. Some of those
"fantasies" are comprised of people paying thousands of dollars per
month in tier and making profit beyond their cost as a result of their
efforts. Should be interesting to see what happens to those people and
the money they bring to SL as time moves on and projects like OS progress.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'><off
topic> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>The thought of going around a
virtual world where everything is garbage due to encryption is a powerful,
almost artistic, visualization of real-world paranoia and distrust. Picasso's
Guernica comes to mind.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'></off topic></span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal>Hmmm... I think a better example of real-world
paranoia and distrust would be television commercials. Products sold
based on fear. You're not pretty enough unless you wear this make-up...
you're not a man if you have grey hair... you're less of a person if your
fat... etc etc. Protecting one's own property from people who are going
to try and steal it one way or the other is human nature. Dying your hair
is paranoia. :)<o:p></o:p></p>
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