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This topic is not cut out for soundbites. I was interviewed for this piece shortly after I wrote a blog post (http://blogs.electricsheepcompany.com/giff/?p=546) and before catching up with many Lindens at the VWC. I blogged some comments trying to clarify some things after the story here: http://blogs.electricsheepcompany.com/giff/?p=557

This is not about casting blame. We made our own mistakes on CSI -- for example, with the download of the CSI-OnRez viewer we were originally using a combination of EC2 and S3, but realized right away as traffic spiked that EC2 was throttling the downloads, so flipped over to using S3 solo, which worked smoothly. That was a tech-architecture misjudgement that made some people wait for the download -- luckily we were able to fix it quickly.

Linden Lab has been a good partner to ESC, and they realized that the CSI event was the most high profile thing ever to happen to Second Life since the Reuters launch. You can call that favoritism, or you can call it business. They've also been a frustrating partner, but that's inevitable and understandable since our priorities don't align perfectly. I'm sure ESC has frustrated Linden Lab at times as well. For the record, we do not have an exclusive on the commercial license for the viewer.

I think that it is silly that we cannot talk openly about technical constraints without the conversation shifting to a knife fight. If you want to fantasize that Second Life is the perfect platform as it stands today, that is your choice but I prefer to walk with open eyes and examine strengths and weaknesses honestly. We have never pitched Second Life as a "Ferrari" or set erroneous expectations with our clients; I don't quite know how or why you are making that statement. With CSI, we hit almost exactly the expectations that were set. We have always been straight talking with regards to the platforms pros and cons.

Second Life has been a fabulous place for learning and experimentation, and with experimentation comes mistakes all around. We accept that. We have pushed Second Life in countless ways, and it has been worth it many times over. That said, we *currently* think that other platforms better fit the needs of most our particular clients. Everyone must make their own decisions.

- Giff Constable