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<p class=MsoNormal>"OpenSim is not Second Life, is not intended to be like
Second Life, nor ever will."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>I’ll repeat that – most (all?) of the core devs
will too. The Second Live viewer is convenient – since the protocol is
documented and it gives us a good feature base to start with; but it’s
not the be-all-and-end-all. OpenSim is more like a series of tubes –
events & inputs go in one direction, get mashed around in the modules, then
spat back out other tubes to be sent to clients. Second Life compatibility
modules are definitely well numbered – but internally, we’re not
really aiming for a SL wannabe-world simulator.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>SL compatibility is the most prominent use of this –
since there’s been a lot of people interested in that; but Rock’s
original complaints are exactly spot on the mark – sticking to the SL
feature set is a complete waste of time. SL’s technology is dated –
LL’s inability to implement modern 3D graphics standards is going to bite
them in the arse over the next few years. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>This is where OpenSim’s internal commitment to moving
towards things like IClientCore over IClientAPI – means we’ll be
supporting more advanced viewers as time goes on, and those are developed. I’ve
got my eye personally on the Rex Naali project, even if it is 12 months away
from having something user-friendly. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>But that ultimately said; right now there is pretty much nothing
stopping you from building a kickass viewer with say the UDK, hooking up a
decent clientstack and running with it (see the MXP implementation for a good
example on how to implement a foreign clientstack using another viewer’s protocol).
I know some people have been doing just that with Unity lately. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>The big problem here is there’s a very real lack of
viewer developers in this community – there is some overlap between
server & network engineers (like the OS community) and 3D Viewer Developers
here, but not much. If we do have 3D devs in the community who haven’t done
anything and feel like contributing – you really should be talking to
some of the ‘next gen viewer’ projects and seeing if we can get
something awesome done faster.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Regards,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Adam<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>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US 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>Len Brown<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, 23 November 2009 5:07 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> opensim-dev@lists.berlios.de<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Opensim-dev] Leaving Project<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>Rock,<br>
<br>
I sympathize with you on many levels. I've also
had my doubts regarding the future of OpenSim, but I have also maintained some
degree of faith that things will pull through in the end.<br>
<br>
For me the shock came when I was abruptly informed
that "OpenSim is not Second Life, is not intended to be like Second Life,
nor ever will." I still haven't the foggiest idea what this
developer had smoked for them to so strongly assert that incredibly false
statement.<br>
<br>
For me, the enjoyment of OpenSim has come from my
intense devotion to building and skinning. In fact, for the last few
months I've been working on a full region that has many hundreds of skins,
clothes, hair, furniture, etc, etc, that I'd like to package up as an OAR and
give out freely, since repeatedly I've been told that instead of giving money
to help further OpenSim I'd do more proactively by giving content. So I
plan to do just that and give my money to other open source initiatives that
matter to me.<br>
<br>
I have a passion for writing, and have thought many
times that one of the greatest powers OpenSim would gain is having simple,
straightforward, step-by-step instructions on how to download, compile,
install, administer and overall just plain operate the core applications.
What kills me is that everyone who does a search for OpenSim inevitably hits
the <a href="http://opensimulator.org">opensimulator.org</a> site and that is
where the massive roadblock presents itself. It's useless for most and
irrelevant to the few who consider themselves OpenSim experts.<br>
<br>
Heck, even now on the configuration page it still
displays info for 0.6.6 including (months old) known bugs in setting up region
xml files. If there was appointed a volunteer whose sole job was to keep
information on <a href="http://opensimulator.org">opensimulator.org</a>
relevant that one task would resolve a mountain of negativity right
there. I sit here in front of my computers a good 10 to 12 hours a day.<br>
<br>
I would sincerely love to contribute to the OpenSim
project, especially in documentation support. But the thing holding me
back is communication. If I cannot get a straight answer on who to GIVE
money to in order to help, then I stand little chance of getting clear,
straight answers from developers when asking about issues I need to consider
and incorporate in documentation.<br>
<br>
If communication is a hurdle we can all overcome, with
a genuine and heart-felt effort to relay information, motives, and plans with
one another, then I'd sincerely appreciate having the opportunity to personally
contribute. I'm not a programmer today, but have a degree in programming
fro the 90's (so much has changed my degree is practically useless in that regard).
But I do know how to explain things and relay information in simple
terms. But only if my own questions will be answered with more than
"look it up or figure it out yourself" as my answer.<br>
<br>
If any of you would appreciate my help, feel free to
let me know at any time and I'll do what I can.<br>
<br>
- Len W. Brown<br>
<a href="mailto:lenwbrown@gmail.com">lenwbrown@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal>On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 6:23 AM, Colin B. Withers <<a
href="mailto:Colin.Withers@eumetsat.int">Colin.Withers@eumetsat.int</a>>
wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Hi guys,<br>
<br>
I have decided to leave the Opensim project. You will probably not even notice
if I leave, as not being a programmer my only inputs were the writing of the
step-by-step tutorials ( <a href="http://chapter-and-metaverse.blogspot.com/"
target="_blank">http://chapter-and-metaverse.blogspot.com/</a> ), the drafts of
the OpenSim User Manual on the Forge, and helping out in the IRC channels, for
newcomers.<br>
<br>
You may find my reasons for leaving Opensim interesting though (and please do
not construe any of my reasons as an attack on anyone).<br>
<br>
1. The Platform<br>
I raised this several times in the past in IRC, and made posts on my blog about
the product lifecycle of the platform ( <a
href="http://rock-vacirca.blogspot.com/2009/02/direction-of-virtual-worlds.html"
target="_blank">http://rock-vacirca.blogspot.com/2009/02/direction-of-virtual-worlds.html</a>
). I believe that the platforms underpinning both Second Life and Opensim are
quite long in the tooth now, and I questioned how much product lifecycle there
was left, particularly given that Opensim is now nearing 3 years of
development, is still in Alpha, and if the current release of 0.6.7 is any
indicator, then still only around two thirds into the development cycle. With
the (inevitable) coming of much superior platforms, such as Blue Mars and (as a
virtual world); Unity, for browser-based Virtual Wolrds; and now UDK (for
creating sandboxes, standalones, and open grids), then I fear that Opensim has
missed the boat as far as the remaining lifecycle of the platform is concerned.
When you show people what is possible with these engines (for example this
avatar editor for the forthcom<br>
ing APB (using the Unreal Engine): <a
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icR3LtEMvZI" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icR3LtEMvZI</a>
or this city: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmLzNbPXMDg"
target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmLzNbPXMDg</a> (using the
CryEngine), then neither SL not Opensim stands comparison.<br>
<br>
2. Lack of Support for Currency in Opensim<br>
I felt the impact of this when I first made the switch from SL to Opensim. I
had a thriving RP sim in SL (over 50 people, mainly female) and they all agreed
to follow me over to my Opensim and the OSGrid. However, within a month they
had all left, citing the same reason, the lack of places to shop, to buy the
quality stuff they wanted (skins, hair, clothes etc), as a quality appearance,
and the fun of shopping is what all the females placed high on their
requirements from a Virtual World. They drifted back to Second Life, and the
guys followed them. I have always believed that the lack of support for
currency in the core was a mistake, but that is just my opinion.<br>
<br>
3. Marketing<br>
I have also raised this issue several times, and blogged about it. It is far
from clear just who an eventually released Opensim is actually aimed at. I
think that any company that is interested in a firewalled corporate solution to
collaboration and prototyping will already be looking at the Enterprise
solution that is currently available from Second Life; that any indie group
that is thinking of running a themed grid will need an economy to stay viable;
and any individual who is looking for a private sandbox solution for their SL
work will need full compatibility (which is not the case with the OS version of
LSL diverging from the SL LSL). So, just who is the platform aimed at? I was
also very disappointed in the view of one of the core devs who said that
'marketing is a null concept for us'.<br>
<br>
I am currently designing and creating cities for Blue Mars, and involved in a
team for proving the UDK as a platform for the design and creation of Virtual
Worlds (as opposed to purely games), and with so much documentation available
for these mature engines (particularly for the UDK, Blue Mars lags behind
somewhat in that department, but have hired extra staff to put that right), I
am achieving the productivity I want, building the worlds that I want, with
stable crash-free platforms.<br>
<br>
However, I do wish the Opensim team the very best in their endeavours, and I
sincerely hope their goals are eventually achieved.<br>
<br>
If anyone would like to take over the Opensim Tutorials pages at <a
href="http://chapter-and-metaverse.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://chapter-and-metaverse.blogspot.com/</a>
and <a href="http://chapter-and-metaverse2.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://chapter-and-metaverse2.blogspot.com/</a>
(they will need some updating following several changes) then I am more than
willing to pass the posts over, and of course the Opensim User Manual is there
in the Forge for anyone to develop further.<br>
<br>
Best Regards and Good Luck<br>
<br>
Rock<br>
<br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
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<a href="mailto:Opensim-dev@lists.berlios.de">Opensim-dev@lists.berlios.de</a><br>
<a href="https://lists.berlios.de/mailman/listinfo/opensim-dev" target="_blank">https://lists.berlios.de/mailman/listinfo/opensim-dev</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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