Left Behind by Second Life - I’m Not Chasing
I haven’t logged into Second Life for months now. I tend only to visit when something really interests me like a State Library or a government agency trying something new in SL. Friday I saw an archived College of DuPage webcast that included a segment on Second Life. It appears that the main Info Island library has been totally redesigned - in a good way. I figured I’d update my Second Life viewer and check out the place, plus maybe go to the KS and SC state library sites in SL and see how they’ve developed.
No Second Life for me. The new version of SL says I no longer meet the minimum graphics card requirement. It said I could still try, but I’d likely have a poor experience and they couldn’t help me. I did try and my computer choked. I have two desktop computers — one is nearing the end of it’s useful life at five years and the other is two years old. Until they both cough up and die, I’m not in the market for a new computer. And I don’t feel like shelling out $$ for a new graphics card that may or may not be compatible with my current equipment.
I’m not faulting Linden Labs for this development. They have an obligation to their heavy users to make the experience as good as possible. In an intensive 3-D environment, that means making the best use of graphics hardware possible. But it does mean that I’m dropping my light experimentation with SL and virtual worlds with similar requirements because I’m not upgrading my computer just so one or two sites become usable.
IF one of my current desktops is operating in 2011 and IF the Gartner Group prediction that by then 80% of Internet users will have a presence in 3D virtual worlds, then I’ll consider upgrading my home software.
Filed under: second life | Tagged: computers
Oh, too bad you aren’t there any more! If you ever reconsider, please look me up. I hold weekly events on Athena Isle, many events with authors.
Upgrading a graphics card isn’t that expensive, is it?
I’m not sure how expensive a graphics card is, but there are two reasons I won’t be buying one anytime soon:
1) With Juneau’s recent power crisis (see http://www.juneauempire.com/powerline/), we’re a little pinched for funds.
2) At the current time, both my systems work well enough. I don’t want to introduce new hardware that might create new problems. I’d take the risk if more than Second Life and similar virtual worlds were at stake.
If both my computers keel over soon, or someone gifts me with a current laptop (not a request) than I’ll come back.
I appreciate the work you do and like getting your tweets on SL. Thanks.