X-Message-Number: 30074
From:
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:00:43 EST
Subject: about Second Life
Content-Language: en
This and similar sites seem worth a bit of attention and investigation. The
name of this one offers a nice entree. We have been lagging in exploiting the
Net. I am sure there are members with the time and skills to do some good
here.
Robert Ettinger
"Second Life
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about a _virtual world_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_world) . For the theory of multiple
lives, see _reincarnation_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation) . For the process of
_cryopreserving_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryopreservation) _legally dead_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_death) persons for eventual reanimation,
see _Cryonics_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryonics) .
Second Life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Second_Life.png)
The Second Life logo
_Developer_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_developer) _Linden
Research, Inc_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linden_Lab) Publisher Linden
Research, Inc _Designer_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_designer) Linden
Research, Inc _Engine_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_engine)
_Proprietary_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprietary_Software) , _free_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software) , and _open source software_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source_software) _[1]_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life#_note-lindenlabdotcom-press-release-01-08-07)
_[2]_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life#_note-lindenblog-embracing-the-inevitable)
_Physics_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics_engine) : _Havok_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havok_(software))
Audio: _FMOD_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FMOD) Version Main Client
1.18.3.5 (Windows)
1.18.3.5 (Mac OS X)
1.18.3.5 (Linux _alpha_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_release_life_cycle#Alpha) )_[3]_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life#_note-secondlifedotcom-linux-alpha)
Beta Grid
1.18.0.5 (Windows)
1.18.0.5 (Mac OS X)
1.18.0.5 (Linux Alpha Client)
First Look
1.18.0.125 (Windows)
1.18.0.125 (Mac OS X)
Released 2003 _Genre_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_genres)
_Virtual world_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_world) Mode(s)
_Multiplayer_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplayer) (online only)
Ratings Not
Rated _Platform(s)_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_platform) _Windows_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows)
* _Windows 2000 SP4_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000)
* _Windows XP SP 2_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP)
* _Windows Vista_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista) (Not
yet officially supported.)
_Mac OS X (10.3.9 or higher)_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_v10.3)
_Linux_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux) _i686_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I686) Media _Download_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Download) System
requirements _Broadband Internet access_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadband_Internet_access)
256 _MB_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabyte) _RAM_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_access_memory) (Win, Linux)
512 MB RAM (Mac)
50 MB1000 MB _HD_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk) space for _Disk
Cache_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cache)
800 _MHz_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock_rate) _x86_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86) CPU or better (Win, Linux)
1 GHz _G4_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerPC_G4) or better/Intel _Core_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_architecture) Processor (Mac)
_nVidia_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NVIDIA) _GeForce 2_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_2) , _GeForce4 MX_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_4_Series#GeForce4_MX) or better
_ATI_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATI_Technologies) _Radeon 8500_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon_8500) , _Radeon 9250_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radeon_9250) or better Input methods _Keyboard_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_keyboard) , _Mouse_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouse_(computing)) , _Gamepad_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamepad) but minimum
movement.
Second Life (_abbreviated_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbreviation) as
SL) is an _Internet_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet) -based _virtual
world_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_world) launched in 2003,
developed by _Linden Research, Inc_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linden_Lab)
(commonly referred to as Linden Lab), which came to international attention via
mainstream news media in late 2006 and early 2007._[4]_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life#_note-0) _[5]_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life#_note-1) A downloadable _client
program_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Client_(computing)) called the Second Life
Viewer enables its users, called
"_Residents_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_(Second_Life)) ", to
interact with
each other through motional _avatars_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_(icon)) , providing an advanced level of a
_social network service_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network_service) combined with general
aspects of
a _metaverse_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaverse) . Residents can
explore, meet other Residents, socialize, participate in individual and group
activities, create and trade items (_virtual property_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_property) ) and services from one
another.
Second Life is one of several virtual worlds that have been inspired by the
_cyberpunk_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk) literary movement, and
particularly by _Neal Stephenson_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Stephenson) 's novel _Snow Crash_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash) . The
stated goal of Linden Lab is to create a world like the _Metaverse_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaverse) described by Stephenson, a
user-defined world in
which people can interact, play, do business, and otherwise
communicate._[6]_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life#_note-usatoday-rosedale-interview)
Second Life's virtual currency is the _Linden Dollar_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Second_Life) (Linden, or L$) and is
exchangeable for
real world currencies in a marketplace consisting of residents, Linden Lab and
_real life_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_life) companies.
While Second Life is sometimes referred to as a _game_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game) , this description does not fit the
standard definition. It
does not have points, scores, winners or losers, levels, an end-strategy, or
most of the other characteristics of games, though it can be thought of as a
game on a more basic level because it is "played for fun".
In all, more than 11.5 million accounts have been registered, although many
are inactive, some Residents have multiple accounts, and there are no reliable
figures for actual long term consistent usage. Despite its prominence,
Second Life has notable competitors, including _There_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_(internet_service)) , _Active Worlds_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Worlds) , and the more "mature" themed _Red
Light Center_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Light_Center) .
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