Microsoft Rumored To Buy Second Life

Jamie noticed a rumor making the rounds: Microsoft buying Second Life. Nobody is confirming or denying anything, much less announcing anything sounding like a price. Or a reason why this makes any sense to anyone.

Would they lock out Linux?

[seeker_1us]

The code base for the viewer is GPL, but they have certain terms you must meet before the viewer can connect to the servers. Would MS change those terms to lock out Linux (or MacIntosh)?

Re:IP

[AnonymousClown]

MS? Naaaaahhh.

MS is a mature company in a mature business supplying software in a commoditized industry. Their growth days are long gone. They do have a lot of cash that have to use and one way for a mature company to grow is to purchase other companies.

TO contrast strategies: Apple is innovating and creating new markets whereas MS is going to buy into markets.

Now, if you saw some entity like Crane, Poole, and Schmidt, LLC. buy into the company, then I'd be concerned about patent trolling.

Probably not such a bad idea

[EoN604]

It's probably not such a bad idea really. Microsoft are seen as boring, stagnant, and not making any particularly exciting moves in terms of new ideas & new products. Second Life is terrible these days, boring, clunky, ugly and crap, but the fundamental idea is pretty incredible - if Microsoft could take what's there and build upon it/somethow breath some life into it, I reckon it could have some serious potential, a second life if you will. It'll be spare change for MS, so not such a bad gamble IMO.

Re:15-20 Million PS3 Home Users

[Anonymous Coward]

I remember those days. When they had just announced it, and everybody was talking about it.

Mostly to make fun of it.

Then it was released for real, and... Haven't heard a single word of it since. If it was a success, it was the quietest success I've ever seen.

I know why

[spleen_blender]

XBox.


XBox Live avatar world, like a virtual world with social networking built in. Sidestep gains from any other social network by making it unique (virtual environment) and exclusive (XBox Live).

Re:Second life still exists?

[CronoCloud]

Yep, concurrency is about 10x what it was back in 2006. It's not super-huge, but it does have a core of dedicated users, and a small number of new people joining every day.

Re:Why would MS do this?

[the_digitalmouse]

Furries are unusually un-thrifty with their money, it seems.

oh it's not the Furries only (in fact they are a minority in SL still)... when a Linden dollar is just pennies to the US dollar, people throw away their cash at anything that looks novel or mildly interesting. or virtually sexy.

years ago i started with a little mouse avatar, jumped on a pole in an empty sports bar (humans-only sign, no-less), went to make lunch and when i returned i had 500 Lindens. i was still clothed, and had 3 messages from badly tanned, waxy-looking brunettes who thought i looked 'cute'.

and i only like the animal avatars because the human ones just suck badly. why would i want to be stuck in the same species as my real life, when i can be anything i want? (i'm mostly an android of some sort when i'm there)

My guess...

[Syberz]

Assuming that this indeed is true, my guess is that they want the technology to develop their own MMO or use Linden's expertise for their cloud based offerings.

Buying the tech and expertise is cheaper than developping your own after all.