[sldev] 3rd party viewer policy post on blogs.secondlife.com

[Morgaine]

On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 5:34 AM, Rob Lanphier <robla at lindenlab.com> wrote:

> it's really important that you also post your thoughts on the forum as
> well.  If you disagree with what is being said there, the last thing you
> should do is cede the venue to those you disagree with.


Rob, could you perhaps explain to us *WHY* you believe that we should do
this, please?

I've already posted a blog response because it was recommended that we do so
in AW Groupies channel, but there's a lot being left unsaid here, and
really, I had no idea for whose benefit I was writing nor why.  Working in
the dark is not the open source way, nor is it an effective way of
approaching problems.

What is the purpose of replying to this post of Cyn's?  Who are we trying to
convince, and of what? Trying to understand what's going on there without
more information creates more questions than it answers:


   - Is feedback on the blog being used to weigh resident opinion on the
   issue?  If so, this is *predestined*  to be a vote *against* open source
   and in favour of the Luddites and content protectionists who are very highly
   represented and highly vocal.  The open source community has a relatively
   small representation among residents, so to appeal to the blog vote is
   effectively to accept guaranteed failure of open source interests.
   - Alternatively, is feedback on the blog intended to sway those Luddites
   and protectionists towards the open source worldview through clear, calm and
   reasoned argument?  If so, you should know by now that that's a fruitless
   exercise because the necessary preconditions are lacking:  listening,
   understanding logic, and being willing to learn about the technology.
   That's going nowhere --- we've been trying to do this for at least 5 years,
   unsuccessfully, and we're not going to succeed now on the blog.  No, not
   even by being "humble". ;-)
   - If feedback on the blog is indeed being used to weigh opinion, then who
   is doing the weighing, and why isn't the might of Linden developers
   sufficient to hold back the Forces of Darkness internally?  If you can't do
   so internally, then the far sparser FOSS population among residents
   certainly won't achieve it.  Quite the opposite --- it's *asking* for
   failure to seek a vote on a technical matter from a mostly non-technical
   public.
   - If this is the publicly visible tip of an internal battle against
   Linden open source fans, then we can't fight it blindfold.  I suggest that
   some light be shone on the Lindens doing the damage.  Residents don't have
   much power in affecting the outcome of this, but we can certainly make our
   feelings felt at the many Office Hours.  (Does Cyn's team lead policy on
   this issue, or is it just PR machinery representing another team's
   unpalatable decisions?)
   - If there is no internal battle then of course all this is just a PR
   exercise and you've already decided internally to redefine the meaning of
   "open source viewer" to something much less open.  That's your prerogative
   of course, but if so then please come clean on it.  Community developers can
   then re-evaluate whether helping a company that is becoming less open makes
   sense, or whether they should contribute somewhere else where they are more
   welcome.
   - <general sense of confusion>


There are probably another dozen relevant questions, but you probably get
the message already.  We don't know what's going on here, and the
indications are that it's not going to work out well this way.

Please help us understand the forces at play here, or we are powerless to
help.

Regards, :-)


Morgaine.





==============================================

On Wed, Oct 21, 2009 at 5:34 AM, Rob Lanphier <robla at lindenlab.com> wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> It's great that we're having a conversation here, but it's really important
> that you also post your thoughts on the forum as well.  If you disagree with
> what is being said there, the last thing you should do is cede the venue to
> those you disagree with.  Posting here is almost by definition preaching to
> the choir.
>
> As you discuss this topic, it'll be most effective to be clear, cheerful,
> inclusive, and humble.
>
> Rob
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 10:25 AM, Rob Lanphier <robla at lindenlab.com>wrote:
>
>> Hi folks,
>>
>> I'd like to make sure you all see the announcement of the upcoming 3rd
>> party viewer policy:
>>
>> https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/blog/2009/10/20/third-party-viewer-policy
>>
>> Followups need to be directed to the forum:
>> https://blogs.secondlife.com/thread/3731
>>
>> ....since many people involved in crafting the new policy are not on this
>> mailing list, but will be monitoring that forum.
>>
>> Thanks
>> Rob
>>
>>
>
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