Izzyisms

The Great OpenSpace Controversy

I've been reading the comments on the post, OpenSpace Announcement Discussion with Jack Linden, at the official SL Forums as well as the comments on the JIRA related to this issue and wanted to share my thoughts (this is a snippet of what I posted on the SL Forums)...

I own half of an OpenSpace with another resident; we each have a home and some landscaping and rarely is there more than 1-3 people (if that) on the sim. After this hike, we will likely lose the place we have made our home.

Obviously this is upsetting and I have to wonder what the PR people over at Linden Labs were thinking - surely they must have considered they would be angering an enormous portion of their user base and possibly even losing hundreds of customers over this. Was it really worth it to go ahead with this decision in light of this?

We can never know what the heads over at LL discussed, but we see what they have decided and it seems - for all intents and purposes - extortionist in the extreme; in fact, one could even call it the old "bait 'n switch" scheme (which is actually illegal).

Working for a large agency and being in i.t., I can see some of the problems the misuse of OS's might have caused and a need to do something about it. However, I cannot imagine sane people (or even the legal department!) allowing this to be the decision that was reached to fix the problem.

Surely there had to be another way. Some have suggested monitoring OS's and reprimanding the problem users, or even disallowing scripts and imposing a limit on the number of av's that can be on the OS at one time. Either of these are viable solutions and - especially together - would have worked wonderfully without alienating the client base and screwing loyal customers out of thousands of dollars.

I just cannot seem to wrap my mind around why LL has decided on this course of action; the "no grandfathering" is like adding insult to injury. Its really hard to understand how a company could make a decision so left field of what would be good or acceptable for and to their customers.

I think a better solution could have been found, and I hope that one - after this boisterous outcry - is reached. I hope that LL decides to listen to its loyal customers and passionate investors and works with them to come up with a new solution that will benefit or at least work for everyone.

I love SL, and I want to believe in LL. I hope that I am given that chance - much more disillusionment, and I can't see myself desiring to be a resident for much longer.

<--- Take Action -->

If this angers you too, be sure to let your voice be heard.  Vote on the JIRA and leave a message on the official forums.  Visit Homeless?, a blog set up by Marx Dudek "discussing the fallout over the openspace rate increase."  Join the Openspace/Void Sims Flickr group and share photos of your own OS.  Consider Botgirl's very relevant query in her post, A question for protesters with the courage of their convictions.  Jump on over to vintfalken.com and read over her wonderful, informative post on this issue - appropriately titled - Linden Lab has it's business model ass backwards.

People care about this issue.  When I first read the JIRA it was around 3pm on October 28 and there were about 400+ votes.  This morning, on October 29 around 7am, it had jumped up to over 2,000 votes.  Don't think that your one, small voice won't be heard or doesn't contribute to the whole.  It does!!  For as Margaret Mead so wisely said:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, commited citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

** Addendum **

You'll get a kick out of reading Vint's newest find/update...seems the whole "sim overuse" excuse LL gaves us was just as bogus as everyone believed it to be. See for yourself at Raymond Conspiracy Theory - Is LL gaming us?

(I have crossposted this over at Snark Attack, and added the comment I made on Vint's Linden Lab has it's business model ass backwards post, which expressed some more of my thoughts/feelings on the issue.)