1. I'm confused. Does this mean they can tap into the larger Second Life grid, or that they're their own little SL world?

Posted at 9:40AM on Feb 1st 2007 by Petey

2. Is this a sim that anyone can visit? Does it mean a sim can be created and no monies are paid to LL?

Posted at 11:24AM on Feb 1st 2007 by Nad Gough

3. what will this mean??? can i visit it?? or will it be a grid onto its own?

Posted at 1:00PM on Feb 1st 2007 by Loki Eliot

4. I believ this was in the plans of SL, to have SL be a portocol liek http and have people host thewir own grids (or sims in a bigger grid), I'm just not sure if they wanted to have this done now or just when they released an oficial open-source server

Posted at 3:11PM on Feb 1st 2007 by TigroSpottystripes Katsu

5. Now *this* is an interesting development. If I had any spare time, I might try putting this on a test cluster I have here at the office and see if I could create a "mini-Grid."

Posted at 4:38PM on Feb 1st 2007 by Erbo Evans

6. The genie is out of the bottle and despite desire to shove it back in and cork it for eternity, it won't happen. Still, Linden Lab shouldn't fear competition - it is unlikely that anyone can build anything close to a percentage of their current SL metaverse in scope and population, and companies that can build (Fox My3DSpace, AOLife, MSLife, GoogleLand) it won't use other company's software for granted. Finally, not everyone can just whip up a working $-to-L$ economic infrastructure and keep the legal muscle to back it up. What we might expect is open or invite-only roleplaying havens or the return of small-scale MUSH games in 3D. We can also expect outcast sexual fetishes (you know them all, don't you) to find their place in close communities. Also, it allows third parties to extend the SL protocol and introduce new features (hardcoded RPG systems in client, object meshes, shaders, etc.) to it for their own personal needs, without bothering to discuss them with LindenLabs and the general population. At some point this will lead to forking, various protocol versions and some confusion, but such confusion will be good for LindenLabs as they will be able to provide the "original, official Second Life".

Generally, it's a good thing. A true open source VR-world, both client and server, will redefine the way we communicate, roleplay and entertain ourselves.

Posted at 5:20PM on Feb 1st 2007 by Tyke Lamont

7. This brings up a question or three... Is this simply the "simulator" server, ie: you still need the LL asset server/login server, or could I run this on one of my spare systems, and login to it, and use it as a 16 acre private sandbox?? THAT is what I would desperately LOVE to have.. Anybody know??

Tas

Posted at 10:08PM on Feb 1st 2007 by Tasman Perth

8. I think this is in-plan for Linden Labs. It builds support for the platform. It's a must for corporations who can't do anything involving confidentiality unless they physically own the servers. And, no matter what, they are still the sole provider of Linens...

Posted at 11:17PM on Feb 1st 2007 by Jaymin Carthage

9. Currently the Open Source Second Life Simulator Simulator (opensim) is basically a tiny little grid, with only one sim on it. It's missing a slew of features (eg: Physics).

Yes, Linden Lab said that they plan to open the server software (once they tease out or replace the bits they can't open up because it's licensed stuff) so that pretty much anyone who wants to can start slapping sims on the SL grid. That's where they're aiming, anyway.

Posted at 1:33AM on Feb 2nd 2007 by Tateru Nino

10. It doesn't strike me as something that would worry LL... I mean, a local sim would be much more efficient for prototyping, as long as your computer can handle it. But of course... it would be completely and utterly incompatibile with LL's asset servers. In other words, things made local would most likely stay local. They were planning on open-sourcing the whole deal, anyway, so how is a premature reverse-engineer anything traumatic?

Posted at 9:19AM on Feb 2nd 2007 by Pablo Andalso