Second Inventory: Back Up Your Inventory To Your Hard Drive
As Dedric Mauriac pointed out yesterday, there is a new system out there for backing up inventory: Second Inventory.
Doesn't the guy in the picture on the site look like Microsoft's Steve Ballmer?
Dedric responded to my own comment on his site, stating:
There are a few “gotcha’s”, but it’s really got potential. I’m using it to back up everything i created - and after 2 1/2 years - that’s a lot!
Yeah. I'm at about 2 years myself, and the inventory organization is really driving me nuts these days. It comes at a cost of € 29,00.
Is it worth it? Dedric thinks so. I haven't felt like tossing € 29,00 that way yet, myself, but if I do I'll give it a lookover and review. Backing up inventory is something I am interested in - for myself, and for clients.
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Steve Ballmer Connection
I hadn't made the connection to Steve Ballmer. That is just hilarious.
But is it worth the risk?
I commented over there, and I'll say the same here.
It looks promising, and it's a great idea. The problem is in the cost. It's a bit pricey for software that only works with, and is designed for Second Life. A place where mansions cost real life pennies. But here is a huge, massive investment for SL as compared to 'normal' SL investments.
I've been in SL a long time, too. If I were to calculate the RL cost of my inventory, it would easily run into $600.00 or $700.00 or more, mostly due to specific scripts and things like builder tools I've licensed.
However, for the average user, I doubt their entire inventories cost as much as this software alone in RL dollars.
The problem I have with it is that there is not, to my knowledge, any kind of demo version (time-limited or otherwise) and I'm just not willing to risk so much RL money on something sight-unseen. And something that I don't know whether it actually works or not, and just what the limitations are (because there *will* be limitations in functionality.)
So, if you do take the plunge, a highly detailed review of all the good, bad and ugly would be greatly appreciated. So as for this tool, the real question becomes how valuable is it really? The inventory missing issues have mostly disappeared and LL has even restored as much as possible. I'm fortunate that I have never been affected.
So this software is really just 'insurance'. To me, there are too many other variables with SL to wonder if this is insurance that is highly overpriced, as compared to it's perceived value. The risk (of needing the software to restore inventory) just isn't high enough to warrant the cost on obtaining the 'insurance'.
So, it's a gamble: You're betting you'll lose some or all of your inventory (buying the software) - or you're not (don't buy the software).
The real question becomes - what if your account goes dead (for any reason, you've switched to an alt, you get banned, whatever) - will your 'back-up' be able to be restored to your 'new' alt account? I understand no. Otherwise, it's too easy to steal inventory (no transfer items) and make as many copies as you want and resell them. So, to be an ethical solution to inventory backup, it will be locked to a specific account and/or not be anywhere near as functional as it would need to be to justify the purchase price.
Lots of questions, and certainly controversy in it.
Ari Blackthorne
Well I see why they wouldn't
Well I see why they wouldn't make it so it can't back up items, that you don't have copy/trans/mod permissions... But those are precisely the things that I WOULD want to backup, since I have spent a good deal of real cash on those items. And around Jan 07, I suddenly lost a significant part of my inventory after one of those asset server mishaps... including expensive skins and objects I had purchased.
Coming not-soon?
Haven't Linden already acknowledged the need for local backups of your own original content - and wouldn't backing up anything else (potentially) be a ToS violation (or simple theft) since it probably then becomes possible to transfer SL items between users outside of SL?
I'd hope to see a personal backup solution appear as one of the promised new features of a Premium sub' to SL. But then, how long should we wait for promised Linden initiatives before doing something ourselves? :-)
Well, that is where it gets hokey.
There is a certain thing called 'Fair Use' in Copyright law - plus it can be demonstrated that items have been lost from Second Life inventories, which highlights one of the core reasons that Fair Use exists.
If they fight that, they better bring more than the dirty bath water. They better resurrect Sonny Bono, make Disney their best friend and everything else... which actually goes against what their former adviser, Lawrence Lessig, wrote about.
Something will evolve. But it will be such a grand mess when it hits the fan that the amount of people spattered may make it all very impractical... unless you go the path of the RIAA and start suing children. Can you honestly see Philbo Linden suing children?
"Gimme your prims, kid"
Second Life Consultant
I'm with you, Ari.
I think the price doesn't scale well. And it isn't really something that has been tested or anything. Thats a decent chunk of change - that pays web hosting for 1/3 of a year, for example.
Second Life Consultant
Price seems fair to me...
If it only allows you to back up stuff in which you have full permissions, doesn't seem too copybot-ish to me. And L$11,000 doesn't seem too out of hand, considering the number of residents who have purchased multiple sets of skin for nearly L$5,000 each.
Seems like if I was a builder/designer/or creator of anything as a business, I'd want something along these lines. But since I'm not, and don't have full permissions for much of anything, I'm not the target demographic.
~Wrath
Well, we disagree.
But I'm only one person. Let's see how they do at that price - thats really what will determine whether it is too high or not. :-)
Second Life Consultant