[sldev] Re: SLDev Digest, Vol 21, Issue 22

[Jacek Antonelli]

On Tue, Sep 9, 2008 at 5:48 PM, Random Unsung
<ravenglassrentals at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Re: "Jacek Antonelli has announced a new, user-interface oriented project
> called mprudence as a major fork of the Second Life viewer. She will be our
> guest host for Rx Office hours and will lead a discussion on the Imprudence
> Project.http://imprudenceviewer.org/"
>
> I'm highly troubled by the privileging and promotion of certain minority
> points of view on the viewer that are indicated by this totally
> unprecedented step involving the Lindens inviting a resident to speak at
> their office hours, something that I don't think I've ever seen in the
> history of SL.
>
> The "manifesto" about Imprudence is based on the entirely false and
> incendiary premise that an angry and aggressive minority with a perspective
> on the viewer of their own making should overthrow the majority, whom Jacek
> views as supposedly "sullen" or "passive" or "resistant to change" or even
> "abusive" about changes.
>
> Oh, that's ridiculous. Just because we don't want more damage inflicted on
> an already very long-suffering population that has put up with numerous
> patches with numerous new gizmos doesn't mean that we are "sullen" and
> "resistant" to change -- especially when it's obvious the change isn't
> toward simplification and intuitiveness but is mere replication of the
> existing issues. Jacek's model of the viewer replicates some of the same
> Linden geekiness, with things like "camera controls" in your face that the
> average person simply doesn't need and also in the name of "simplification"
> or "inventory control" imposes non-intuitive solutions and removes some of
> the features absolutely vital to business and *commerce* which gets both the
> Lindens and us paid -- namely the SEARCH buttons and tabs, which have been
> ENTIRELY removed in Jacek's viewer, in lieu of a lame EXPLORE which implies
> no commerce but merely passive viewing entertainment.
>
> People can argue endlessly about what kind of viewer is needed, but if back
> of the cosmetics of a viewer change there is still the drop-down blue screen
> to effect action, it is doomed to clumsiness. That's the sort of entire
> overhaul that is needed -- getting rid of the blue screen drop-down
> completely in lieu of other types of interfaces already in the viewer, some
> as chat, pie menus, etc.
>
> I think the Lindens should provide assurances that if some small group is
> elevated and encouraged to run off and remake the viewer "because everybody
> else is sullen" supposedly, that they are not free to impose it for
> mandatory use. That might be self-evident to some; I'd appreciate getting a
> statement of intent about it from LL.
>

I'm afraid you are misinformed on several points about our project:

  1. The goal of the project is not to overthrow anything, nor to
impose a new viewer on anyone, nor to make its use mandatory for
anyone.

  2. The goal of the project is not to implement the design I put
forward in the contest.

  3. The goal of the project is not to make mere cosmetic changes.

  4. The goal of the project is not to remove useful functionality
from the viewer.

Since you seem to indicate that you have read the manifesto, you must
surely be aware that the goal of the project is to make substantial
changes to greatly improve usability of the viewer software. We
welcome all constructive feedback and insight into how to best meet
the needs and desires of users at large.

 - Jacek