I have always been interested in Second Life due to the hype surrounding it. Before attending this weeks lecture and tutorial I had a fairly limited knowledge of what Second Life comprised of and why it was receiving so much attention. In this blog I will be discussing second life in relation to it being an open source software and how this has contributed to it being successful.
Second life is successful because of its ability to create, modified and share content by users and businesses.
Second life is a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) set in a 3d virtual world in which ‘residents’ can create an identity, meet people, buy land and build their own environment or purchase an existing one. (Definition of second life, 2008, ¶1) Created by
Second life is an example of produsage as it is a platform where the user and 3rd parties can create content.
Second life is available as open source, enabling users and developers to download SL end user software with the ability to modify or make additions to the source code.
Open source is referred to as “software that is distributed with its source code so that end user organisations and vendors can modify it for their own purposes” (Definition of open source, 2008, ¶1) Originally called ‘free software’ open source software began back in the early 80s when a programmer named Richard Stallman wrote software with clear instructions to “share this code with your fellow users. Learn from it. Improve upon it. And when you're done, please give something back to the community.” (Kidd, 2000, ¶1) In 1984 frustrated with the restriction set on him in sharing codes, instead of finding illegal techniques to share like Napster, he created the GNU manifesto .
Key points of the manifesto include:
-everyone has the right to modify and redistribute GNU. However no distributor can restrict its further redistribution. In other words no proprietary modifications are permitted.
-GNU is supported organisation by computer programmers who are frustrated with the commercialisation of system software
-developers using GNU must obey the law and be hospital to everyone unlike propriety programs
-encourage to contribute either by donations of machines, time, content or money (see manifesto for task list and for more ways to contribute)
-every computer user will benefit with the availability of good free software
-rebutted objections to the GNU’s goals
It is these guidelines that Second Life has followed which have contributed to it being successful. With the advert of web 2.0 and the increase of web-enabled communications, it has facilitated user generated content, giving rise to social networks. Second Life is the next logical step as it “… allows socialisation and collaboration to take place in an online spatial world, with users co-located on the screen, seeing the same thing.” (Salomon, 2007, 6) In other words, Second Life has brought content creativity and social networking to real time.
It is interesting that SL have kept to the open source standards when they could of easily and very profitably been an online proprietary software. However SL offer businesses ‘The Second Life Grid™’ which is a platform the “…enables your organization to create a public or private space using the leading 3D online virtual world technology behind Second Life™” Business now have the opportunity to aim towards their market by creating an atmosphere, event or environment to attract customers rather then rely on advertising. For example for residents visiting Adidas could try on real world models of their shoes. The ‘Microride’ model offered “bounce and flexibility with minimum weight” and found themselves pogo’ing whenever they took a step. (Solomon, 2007, 11)
Second Life will continue to be successful due to its user generated ability as open source software. By being an open source software businesses are also able to profit with the ability to attract customers through real world stimulations of events, environments and atmosphere associated with their products.
Although I do not have an account with SL, I am considering, because of the desire to see other user generated content and how business are trying to attract and advertise to customers.
Reference
PC mag. 2008, Encyclopaedia definitions: second life & open source,
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=Second+Life&i=56985,00.asp (accessed 30.04.08)
PC mag. 2008, Encyclopaedia definitions:open source,
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0%2C2542%2Ct%3Dopen+source&i%3D48471%2C00.asp (accessed 30.04.08)
Wikipedia, 2008, Second Life,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life (accessed 30.04.08)
Stallman R., 2007, GNU manifesto
http://www.gnu.org/gnu/manifesto.html (accessed 30.04.08)
Salomon M., 2007, Business in Second Life,
www.smartinternet.com.au/ArticleDocuments/121/Business-in-Second-Life-May-2007.pdf.aspx (accessed 30.04.08)
Kidd E., 2000, History of “Open Source”
http://static.userland.com/userLandDiscussArchive/msg019844.html (accessed 30.04.08)
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