Second Life Source Code Published

Stepping away from media representation of SL, the other side of the coin, in terms of problems working with the platform, is that SL DRM boil down to virtual world megalomania. Linden Lab ends up acting like a mini-Microsoft is the way one friend put it. SL has had distinct limits to its openness as a transmedia platform. Residents might “own” their digital goods in-world, but there is nowhere outside of SL where those goods can be used. Effectively the world does not communicate outside of itself and its de facto proprietary nature will be the downfall of its ostensible free market…until now.

Linden Lab announced today the publication of its Second Life client source code to be used under GPL standards.

Massive.

This does not make avatars, objects or other things developed in SL immediately cross platform, but it does give users unencumbered freedom to choose how to use the platform. I quote from Cory Doctorow’s excellent post.

“What good is your wonderful Second Life real-estate, architecture, gadgets and wardrobe if Linden Labs can throw you out at any time? It's like amassing Soviet-era rubles -- you could only spend them in Russia.
But by opening up the source code for Second Life, Linden is inviting a competitive marketplace for Second Life hosters.…This turns Linden wealth into real-world wealth. And it also takes an enormous stride towards turning Second Life residents into real citizens instead of mere customers. Citizens get to petition for redress of their grievances from a state that represents them; customers can only take their business elsewhere. Customers only ever get to love it or leave it. Citizens get to change it.”

Town Hall with Cory Linden to talk about this terra re-forming tomorrow.