(The above image was in google images with no creator given. I guess if CEO's can "abandon ship" taking their goodies with them, so can customers or service users!)
Prompted by the recent announcement by Linden Labs that they are increasing rents (doubling them) for educational and non-profit organizations, I'm joining the exiting throngs (rats?) cutting down my footprint in Second Life, and expanding it in other virtual worlds such as OpenSim.
I'm now a proud resident of 3rd Rock Grid as well as Jokaydia, and have an account but no land yet in Reaction Grid. We'll just see how those work out, what physics engines are like, and get started rebuilding health care training and virtual hospitals, clinics, and outreach centers in the OpenSim environment.
Maybe, someday, Linden Labs will get me back. Like any emotional relationship, I sort of doubt it, now that they've prompted me to have to come to grips with moving, because cognitive dissonance will set in, and my mind will magnetically attract reasons why this was a good move to make, and repel reasons why this was a bad move to make.
So be it.
In any case substantial sums of money in grants and contracts are now flowing to OpenSim communities, and I'm definitely not alone in this transition.
Here's a few relevant posts from other blogs on the subject.
Vendors offer help migrating out of Second Life (but only if you own everything yourself, which also means, no "megaprims" can be transferred.) If you do own everything, they'll move it all for you, for 2 weeks work and prices in the order of $100 USD to $500 USD per island -- using grunt labor in the Philippines to copy each script!
A manifesto for educators seeking life after second life
(by Iggy O on www.hypergridbusiness.com)
There is still no universal currency in the Hypergrid (grid of OpenSim etc. grids that share a Hypergate access, so you can jump from one to another with a single login and single inventory you carry with you.)
There is also no generic store of things you can buy. Linden Labs has both a great store and a functioning currency, but they have shown no sign that they intend to provide such facilities for "the rest of the virtual world." T'is a pity -- they are missing such a bet, apparently under the impression that Second Life will always be the only game in town. Doesn't look that way to me.
Wade
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