I was so alarmed when I saw Ari hasn't updated even once this whole month, I sent him an email. When he didn't immediately reply my email, I got even more alarmed and sent a tweet. Ari, you must understand the enormity of this; I hardly ever use Twitter, because I hate it! :p  He didn't respond to that, either. I was about to go into major panic mode when he finally replied my email, two days later. Phew. *stops hyperventilating*

So, I'm going to post something I meant to post months ago... in January, to be exact. I'm the queen of procrastination. I've procrastinated over my Master's thesis for two years. ("How far have you gotten?" "Err... I haven't collected any data yet?") Nevertheless, I'm currently aiming to finish the darned thesis by the 3rd quarter of this year, so I guess it's also fitting that I finally write the post I had always planned to write here.

Luckily I already have the picture loaded on my server, because my Internet connection is being a bitch (it's ok to use words like that on your blog, right, Ari? *bats eyelashes*). Or rather, my ISP is being a bitch. That's what I get for living in a Third-World country. The connection's been horrible for about two months now. I can't get inworld at all. Just as well that I took the picture for this post back in January. When I intended putting this up. Uh-huh.

Ari's always given me grief about my avatar not having enough flesh, even after I fattened her up a little. The guy is super hard to please! In a fit of pique, I decided to try making Quaintly as fleshy as he could ever wish for. Be careful what you ask for, you might just get it!

Happy now, dude?!! *sticks tongue out and quickly makes a dash for it*

Unless you've been is somewhat of a vacuum of late, you already know Apple CEO Steve Jobs refuses to allow Adobe Flash (Player) on the iPhone OS, hence all "iDevices" will not and cannot play anything that requires the Flash Player.

There have been just-short-of-expletives lobbed at each other between Apple and Adobe, primarily between Apple CEO and Adobe Engineers. My personal opinion is that the Adobe side of the argument is outright laughable. They proclaim developers don't have a choice (by not being allowed to develop the Flash platform on iPhone OS) and that users of said iDevices don't have a choice to choose whether to use Flash Player or not.

I beg to differ.

The fact is, developers do have a choice: develop for the iPhone OS or not. If they choose to do so, then they must follow the rules as it is Apple's house. The same with the end-users: they have chosen to use the iDevice, even though it doesn't have the ability to use the Flash Player. This is because there is nothing developed on the Flash platform compelling enough they are willing to forego the device for.

I personally have yet to see anything developed in Flash that I simply must see or use. Nothing at all. It's not Adobe's fault. It's the developers of Flash' fault as they create crap.

The big news yesterday is the open letter Steve Jobs has written regarding "thoughts on Flash"¹ ; and Adobe's response² (via the heretofor silent Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen) going at it in a far more public fashion.

Do I have a problem with the Flash Platform? Actually, no.

My problem is with the Flash Player. And frankly I think Apple made a slam-dunk in their arguments against it and Adobe's response was adolescent at best.

My problems with the Flash Player are pretty simple:

• It bogs down and uses far too many recources on my OS-X computer (my personal platform of choice) - but not on my Windows system. Adobe proclaims it is the OS-X system that is the problem, yet nothing else causes these issues. Only the Flash Player. Go figure.
• Flash Player is buggy. It causes crashes. Not very often, but practically every browser crash points to the Flash Player.
  Every.
  Single.
  Time.
• The Flash Player is riddled with security holes. And every new incarnation or update brings feature-bloat. It is a fat pig, both on hard disk drive and in RAM requirements not to even mention system resources and processing cycles. An ugly beast.
• Finally, the developers who develop on the Flash Platform have yet to develop anything compelling enough to make keeping the Flash Player around at all.
  There.
  Is.
  Nothing.
  NOTHING.

Most people who have and use the Flash Player do so because it's already installed on their system and likely don't even realize they can turn it off and even remove it completely. So they tolerate the utter garbage that invades their Web Browser windows day in and day out. (Among the top Firefox Extensions download is "Stop Flash" - a Flash blocker and on the OS-X platform is Click2Flash, also a Flash blocker).

The fact of the matter is that since I have removed the Flash Player plugin from all my systems (Windows and OS-X) - web sites load much faster and my system is considerably more stable.

So how does Linden Lab and Second Life users fit into this diatribe of mine?

Simple: it's about the company's target customer.

Adobe is going for the middle-man. Creating the tools for developers and designers to create stuff. Then, let those creators go out and sell to the end consumer. Therefor, Adobe wants their tools on every platform possible. It's more money for them. However, the developers want to go where those buying end-consumers are so they can sell more. It's a simple economy.

Apple is going directly for the end consumer. They know that if they get enough end consumers to buy into their product, the developers will follow. And as an aside, Apple provides those developers with tools to cater to Apples end consumers.

It's a simple paradigm difference; two different means to the same end.

In Second Life, anyone who creates anything could be considered a "developer" - looking to sell to an end consumer. Xstreet SL is like the Apple App Store. The in-world grid is like the Internet Web in general.

At first, Linden Lab was like Adobe:

Hey, all you developers! Come to me, use my tools, make money!

However, there is a paradigm shift going on.

Linden Lab wants (needs) more main-stream end consumers in order to grow and remain relevant, not just to be a geeky playground. They must convert their current Adobe paradigm into the Apple paradigm and appeal directly to the end consumer: the average grid-surfer. This means simplifying the viewer to appeal to those average people who don't want complicated things. (I have been an I.T. professional since 1987 - and I love the iPad for it's basic simplicity. I just don't have to even think about anything in order to use it.)

This means they must create a compelling product - like Apple does - that will draw the masses at large. Simplify and beautify. It's really that simple. The developers must come secondarily. And they will come. They will flock to the grid to cater to those end consumers. It is a simple mechanical shift in how the economy works.

The idea is to influence choice.

Linden Lab, rightfully so, wants end consumers to choose to use Second Life and the Second Life grid. There are many "developers" to support those end consumers, so they do not carry quite as high a priority as the end consumer proper (for lack of a better term.)

The fact is the developer also has a choice: to develop for the platform or not. In doing so: follow the platform rules. So, all you creators and "business" people of Second Life who twitch every time Linden Lab sneezes: you can cry, whine, bitch and otherwise stomp your feet. It doesn't matter because Linden Lab must act less like Adobe and more like Apple in order to remain relevant and grow their business.

Linden Lab (like Apple and Adobe) are in business for themselves. They must do what they feel best in order to maintain not only sustainability, but growth.

Certainly you can proclaim that Linden Lab "doesn't care" - actually, they do. If they really didn't care, the virtual continent of Zindra wouldn't exist and neither would all the deviant poseballs that salt-and-pepper the grid among so many other things. They care about their core business: the grid and it's accessibility to the masses. Just because you prefer deviant kink doesn't mean you are in the majority and have priority over anyone else.

I can't even count how many times I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's (Linden Lab's and Apple's) house. You (Flash and Second Life) developers are a guest. Follow the rules or get the hell out and quitcherbitchin because it only makes you look the foolish, whiney-assed crybaby whose diapers are overdo for a serious changing.

Second Life Whiners and Adobe Flash Developers: you stink.

Second Life in 2006: Gray Goo griefer (griever) attack shuts down the grid for a few days. Other griefer attacks are constantly creating an unstable grid, combined with the horrific instability and bugginess of the SL viewer makes Second life, at times, a terribly miserable place to be. Well, griefers always have been a part of Second Life, but it's become a lot better since then for the majority of grid-surfers. But the Woodbury institution was apparently a bee-hive of griefer activity, or at least a hideout.

I don't remember when I first started reading about "Woodbury" - an educational higher learning institution having their own sim and it always had to do with being a haven for griefers - at least according to all the articles I've read and what I've heard about.

Even though many of those article must be taken with a serious grain of salt as the "reporters" of these stories tend to sensationalize everything, there seems to be no doubt as to the "community" of the Woodbury region...or anything "Woodbury.

I don't really care to remember whether it was 2007 or 2008 when Linden Lab sank the Woodbry sim on grounds of... whatever. I don't recall if it was a billing issue or a griefer issue. But that's moot at this point.

Linden Lab to Woodbury: get the hell out and stay the hell out, have a nice life:

"Linden Lab has decided to no longer support Woodbury University in Second Life," said an E-mail notice from Linden Labs sent to Edward Clift, the dean of media, culture and design at Woodbury.

"We are making this decision based on historical and recent events that constitute a breach of the Second Life community standards and terms of service. We ask that you please respect the decision and do not take part in the Second Life platform in the future."

To me, it is ridiculously ironic that it has taken Linden Lab this long to drop the ban-hammer. Must be someone intimately involved with Woodbury as done something to call down the Linden thunder and that lightning has struck.

Of course the griefers of Woodbury will not fade away. They'll just disperse and regroup. The destroyed bee's nest that scatters the swarm, who only regroup later to build another nest. Often somewhere nearby.

/me shrugs.

I suppose it was nice knowing you, Woodbury.
Not.

link: California College Loses Second Life for a Second Time (usnews.com)

[art: 'Big Daddy K' via Flickr]

Last person on the region please turn the lights off.

I still am amazed at the amount of land-to-population ratio when it comes to the Second Life grid. I'm not even referring to the private estate regions, but rather the Linden mainland.

I remember seeing those television commercials for Philadelphia Cream Cheese where they loved to proclaim "ounce-for-ounce less than half the calories of butter!" However, when spreading that cream cheese over your toast or bagel, you need to spread it thick. Really thick else you won't even taste it. Thus, even though that brand of cream cheese might be less than half the calories of butter per ounce, you put three to four-times more of it onto your food, negating any benefit of "less calories". The only benefit is to spread the stuff thin. But then you can't even taste it.

It would seem the same is true with the second Life grid.

There are many who may not be genuine "newbies" in Second Life, but not yet of complete understanding with regard to the dynamics of the grid. So they will proclaim "Second Life is a ghost-town!" others will debunk it, but both are correct.

The argument against the "ghost-town" proclamation is usually about how the grid is international and that when you stand all alone listening to your own echo in an empty region it may not be the case at other times of the day. A good point to be sure.

But opening the map and looking at the pretty little green dots as compared to the virtual land mass and it is pretty easy to say "yes, you're right and that applies to about 5% of the entire grid." It's a lot like butter on toast... the users are spread thin across the grid.

Incredibly thin.

Linden Lab charges a monthly tier for mainland parcels, most of which are virtually sized between 1024 and 4096 square meters, which when looking at the map is a lot of tier. Yet 95% of the grid, and those parcels go uninhabited.

True: many of these parcel owners are likely elsewhere on the grid when in-world... a dance club; sex club; private cuddle club, shopping club or whatever. But that still could only account for about 10% of the grid. So how many of those parcels are sitting dormant where either the virtual owner is still being charged that $15 tier every month and they either don't realize it, or the account is simply in default and Linden Lab hasn't gotten around to "condemning" it and setting it for auction...or intentionally not doing so, else the map would show a helluva lot more purple than yellow or green.

Looking at the dots on the map, I would take a guess that at least 50 to 60% of those are bots, alts or otherwise "illegitimate" accounts (as far as genuine "population" numbers go).

It might explain why Linden Lab has this major push to get new users. Genuine new users, not alts and bots. A major part of that push is the new Second Life Viewer version 2, which I refer to simply as V2. Beyond that it's currently buggier than Microsoft Windows Vista - (that says a lot here, folks) - it also is highly "builder unfriendly".

MarxDudek made post at his blog where he mentions the idea that Linden Lab is slowly "corralling" the population into a highly moderated state - completely opposite of what the intent at the beginning where the grid and its activities were practically hands-off as far as LL was concerned.

I agree and have felt this was the case ever since the bank shutdowns back in 2007. Linden Lab has been actively "cleaning-up" the grid over the last year at least and is steadily pushing harder and harder in this direction and the red-light district south of the tracks called Zindra just proves it.

Whenever Linden Lab sneezes or farts or coughs, there are shrill shouts of how evil the Lab is and how they are ruining SL businesses and all that junk. Then there are the loud cries about how someone will abandon all their land, give away all their inventory, tier-down, and cancel their premium subscription and "LEAVE!"

My personal reply to any and all who proclaim this is simply: "good effing riddance, don't let the prim door hit you in the ass on the way out."

I myself have one foot outside the grid now and I am heavily leaning in that direction. And to be clear about it: I really don't care if you care. I mention that to mention this: it's not so much for anything Linden Lab is doing or not doing or their policies or anything like that. But rather because the grid is becoming more and more boring.

I have already told my friends that when I "leave" SL it won't be in some dumb-ass self-important fanfare fashion. But rather in a quiet, discreet and imperceptible fashion as possible - mostly because I believe one should never say "never". I'll just stop logging in one day. I do not have any intention of doing that right now (super-secret coded message to friends who read this and start freaking out: don't be concerned, it's not going to happen yet! I'm just closer to it today than I was yesterday kinda thing.)

Over the years (I came into the grid originally in Spring, 2006) the virtual landmass has grown exponentially in comparison to the virtual population. Add to that the idea that every two of three concurrent users is a bot or alt account and the "total population" (number of users logging-in in the last 60-days) is a laughable farce. Divide by three, at least. And it seems the empty echos have been getting a lot louder over these last few months.

Open Sim is still immature compared to the Second Life grid, but it has come a long way. There were often many shouts and rallying cries to "dump Second Life" and join-up on the open-sim grids. Those irrational evangelists have mostly fallen silent (thank you because the noise was beginning to be really annoying).

However, how many people are simply logging into the grid less and less to the point where they just don't feel the urge anymore? Quaintly Tuquiri has mentioned that her current connection issues are preventing her from spending much time on the grid at all of late. And she states clearly that she doesn't "miss" it.

She also mentions that when she does login she tends to sit idle... no exploring, no chit-chat with old friends (who also seem to never be around any more,) no shopping...

Her epiphany: "why?"

And I agree. I now login when I need to: to handle customer care, run some numbers and names to the business team members, answer questions and that's about it. I login mostly when I need to get something done. Once the task is completed, I might idle around for a few minutes, but if nothing grabs my attention then logout again. I don't like sitting dormant.

I have an iPad 3G coming soon (3G versions aren't shipping, yet) and I don't own an iPhone or iPod Touch, but already have purchased software that will make it less necessary to use any SL Viewer. It is an iPad App that will allow me to login to Second Life (from anywhere with the iPad 3G as it were) at any time and be able to chat in IM, pay money, send inventory and all the rest. All for three bucks. Combine this App with the V2 "building experience" and the grid boredom and I am left to ask "what reason is there to log into the grid At all?"

So, how long does it take before interesting play becomes boring work?
For me, just about four years it seems.

[art: Ein Provinzler]

I'm cruising XstreetSL this weekend and I noticed that stupid pop-up window on my browser about "Plug-in Content" and how I need the plug-in to display the content. It was irritating. I dismissed the dialog and continued on.

Then a few pages later it appeared again. My first thought was WTF? What has Linden Lab broken now? Then I realized what was going on. Bonehead merchants buying banner advertising at XSL are now putting-in Flash-based advertising and it's their loss and waste of money.

The last time I purchased a banner advert on SL Exchange (as it was still called back then) - only JPG or GIF images were allowed. Nothing else. Hence, Linden Lab has obviously changed the rules - probably charging even more for a Flash advert.

Here is why it's a waste of money:

• First, it's a banner ad. Non=targeted, meaning whomever it is shown to probably isn't even shopping for whatever you're selling. You might get one click-through in a thousand.
• It's a banner ad. People have trained themselves to tune-out banner ads for the last couple decades. Fewer people will even notice it there, much less pay a lot of attention to it.
• It's a Flash banner ad. Flash is obnoxious and people already know the low-quality spammers who use them so often, therefor more unlikely to actually click on it.
• It's a Flash banner ad. A significant number of people (not saying it's a lot, but significant) actually have Flash turned off. However, the advert was still served, so it still counts against your "impressions" number. You paid to show me the ad I (happily) never even saw.

Flash is so Windows 98. It's an old, useless, unstable and radically unsecured platform. Hackers and crackers target Flash all the time. It also is easy to develop Flash whatever, so Flash developers usually end-up becoming lazy, putting-out garbage, crap, shit.

I'm serious here. There are three instances where I see Flash used at all:

• Garbage, obnoxious, irritating, loud-mouthed advertising from spammers and scammers, sometimes legitimate companies.
• Flash "games" which are waste-of-time trinkets targeted at 5-year-olds whose attention span is but a few minutes at a time.
• Video presentation - which anyone who even cares about the video they produce would never, as Flash is among the worse CODECs (COmpressor/DECompressor) around. It sucks computer processing cycles, crashes computers, causes the computer to work overtime and overheat and is riddled with holes for hackers and crackers. And above all: the video looks like shit, even when displayed at half the size of a 3x5 index card. Only "throw-away" video is distributed in Flash format - or Flash is the alternative, not the primary distribution model.

Now Adobe is releasing Adobe CS5 - and they are tooting the Flash horn. The "big thing" about Flash CS5 is the ability to write a Flash "application" (using that word in the same sentence as "Flash" is a fucking joke) once and be able to "port it" or "export it" into many platforms, including iPhone OS (though Apple put the kerbosh on that idea with upcoming iPhone OS 4 - thank God).

Show me a single, useful anything that was created in Flash. Anything. Anyone? Show me a Flash "application" that is useful and that I would miss by not having Adobe's crappy plug-in installed on my system.

You can't.

There is nothing. Perhaps some big company has created a proprietary application for internal use - but 99.99% of all viable companies are not that stupid. Ask any I.T. department anywhere. The security of Flash is laughable. The use of it opens all kinds of doors into their networks (and coincidentally: your own computer).

All these bullshit claims that the Internet is "crippled" on the iAnything because they don't support Flash is laughable. Not supporting Flash on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad is a feature.

Gee, thanks Linden Lab for taking a massive leap backward by allowing/implementing or whatever...introducing: Flash anything on your web sites. You dip-shits. Doesn't matter, I have one foot outside the grid now and leaning heavily in that direction. Go ahead, come up with another something new to push me over the edge toward the outside.

I know: whether I and many others come or go isn't even worth a fleeting thought to you. But it does to me.

And I rest my case with this:

Was watching #Adobe #CS5 launch videos, alas the #Flash plugin crashed my browser. O the irony --Trilo Byte