OpenCollar No Longer OpenCollar?

More SL drama. Unfortunately, about 100,000 SL users will be affected. It seems in November 2017 there was a sudden change in the OpenCollar programming team. Wendy Starfall and Garvin Twine were doing most of the work, programming, marketing, support, etc. for the last 6 years.

The early founders, from the history I can find, are Nandana Singh (now Nirea Resident) and Athaliah Opus. Several involved in the OC Project say they have ignored the project for the last 6 years or so. Leaving it to Wendy, Gaven, and others in the team to do the work and pay for websites and land (regions). But, we would have to define what the speaker means by ‘ignored’.

A point came when Nirea and Athaliah decided the OC project was going the wrong way. It seems that while the open source OC code was being maintained with no income for the programmers from it when the active programmers decided to sell an add-on under a brand name called Virtual Disgrace and some other things based on OC open source code.

“You can't stop the future You can't rewind the past The only way to learn the secret ...is to press play.” ― Jay Asher

You can’t stop the future You can’t rewind the past The only way to learn the secret …is to press play

The entitlement mindset folks decided it was an outrage that programmers working for free should even consider working for a profit and not giving them everything free… So, the great divide opened. The eventual result Nirea and Athaliah reclaimed the OpenCollar in-world group and kicked Wendy and others on the new path out of the group.

OpenCollar remained fee. But, the programmers were making other toys and selling them on their own. I could use the OpenCollar code and make a toy and sell it. But, you would still be able to get the free OpenCollar code and made your toys and sell them.

So, for dramaticI and nonsensical reasons the code for OC is forking. The code up to 6.7 is flowing in a consistent direction, a Wendy direction. The goal in this direction is to make OC more open and easy for third-parties to use and update their products. Version 7 is diverging in a Nirea and Athaliah direction. I can’t verify it but their v7 is said to be a rollback to an earlier v6.x where is possible to make No-Mod that is complicated to update.

So, Wendy and associates have formed their own new team. People have started lining up and taking sides. Of course, ‘sides’ show up best over at SLUniverse where bcBrian has posted the long story as Hostile Takeover of OpenCollar Group. It is of course from his perspective. But, a number of other reputable people are commenting in a vein similar to his. There is a definite preponderance of opinion at SLU.

There are two sides, at least, to every dramatic story in Second Life. And the Nandana Singh (now Nirea Resident) and Athaliah Opus side can be found here: What The OpenCollar Name Stands For.

What to Do…

Most of us don’t care about the drama. I just want to know how do I get my collars updated and not get jammed up and have to buy something new or have my ‘updated’ collars working poorly or not at all.

I think to decide I need to know who has been writing the code I have been using and like. We can find out without having to deal with drama and opinions. Just look at Github to see who has been contributing code. Also, read Nirea’s rebuttal to the SLUniverse posts where she says, “Wendy has probably given more to OpenCollar than anyone,…” (Ref).

That pretty much tells the story. So, I’m going with Wendy’s OpenCollar Update (free) because that is who the code has been coming from. (Actually a team she is associated with and I don’t have all the names.) OR visit the site OpenCollar.at. OR… visit Temple of the Collar in-world.

If you want the other fork’s update, you’ll need to join the in-world OpenCollar group and get it from the notices.

Who is the OFFICIAL OpenCollar?

This will give you a headache. (Big groan!)

The word ‘Official‘ generally denotes a sense of ownership. In this case, it is the OpenCollar group of Nirea and Athaliah. But, this is a purely a legalistic view. A more interesting but difficult concept is who deserves control of the OpenCollar name? This gets into the dramatic emotional state Liberals and Progressives like. But, it confuses the issue and has people debating the merits of an emotional argument. But, that the word ‘deserves’ pushing it into the emotional realm supports my point on the unimportance of the ‘official’ label for OC.

The point most people seem to miss is that OpenCollar is open source. It cannot be owned. It has legally been placed into the public domain with some restrictions. So, everyone owns OC. That is far too rational and does not fit with some people’s agenda. So, there seems to be an ownership fight over the stuff that gives the ‘appearance’ of being the one doing the REAL OpenCollar… dumb.

OpenCollar should be and for many of us is a name like Linux. The name, brand, whatever you call Linux is public domain and cannot be owned. Names like Debian Linux, however, can be trademarked. So, we could have Nal’s OC, Windy’s OC, etc., etc. But, the name Linux and OC should be open for anyone to use.

Also, we have a Linden Viewer and several third-party viewers all based on the same open source code. Who owns the code? No one. It is open source. But, the names, Firestorm, Cool VL Viewer, Black Dragon, Second Life Viewer, etc. are proprietary.  We have sort of the same problem with OC code and the OC name. For users, it is just confusing.

Trying to figure out which is the “OFFICIAL” version of Linux or OC is pointless. It is all about which flavor of a viewer, Linux, or OC you want to use. So, this is marketing hype we are dealing with.

TL:DR

There is an OC Update v7 (join OpenCollar group to get) from the Nirea and Athaliah fork and a Peanut Update from Wendy’s fork.

They are not the same. I recommend Peanut. It is the version advancing the v6.7 code released in November-December 2017.

The OpenCollar v7 in some cases is, as best I can tell, a slightly modified early v6.x. Literally, a rollback to point where the new design criteria started being added. I said ‘in some cases’ because the Peanut version was to be the OpenCollar v7 before the drama started. Now there is a confusing mix of what is the new V7 and which is the rollback V7.

Summarizing

So, is the Official OC update v7 or Peanut? Is the OFFICIAL version the one from the people that have been building and upgrading OC for the last half-dozen years or the returning old-time founders that have ignored the product for years?

If you are having a hard time deciding, I suggest people go through and read the reviews for Wendy’s Updater in the SL Marketplace. Also, notice the number of people supporting Wendy in the SLUniverse thread and warning people about updates from the official OpenCollar group in SL.

For me, this boils down to who is likely to write the better code and knows more about the OC open source code?

For me that is Wendy. Nirea and Athaliah will have to show me what they have. Users will ultimately decide who has the better design philosophy.

I’ll go with the Peanut version and the Fire Flower group. I also am a member of the OpenCollar group.

10 thoughts on “OpenCollar No Longer OpenCollar?

  1. Please don’t approve the above comment, if you don’t mind. I think I misunderstood a part of the situation.

  2. Perhaps if Wendy and co weren’t so full of their own self importance it might have been different!

  3. Pingback: The Latest Second Life Drama… Coming After You. | Nalates' Things & StuffNalates’ Things & Stuff

  4. [2018/07/07 02:12] Vergil (v____________a): Greetings. What is this group I am invited to?
    [2018/07/07 02:13] Wendy Starfall: idk
    [2018/07/07 02:13] Wendy Starfall: why would you ask me?
    [2018/07/07 02:13] Vergil (v____________a): Because the inviter belongs to you
    [2018/07/07 02:13] Wendy Starfall: oh really
    [2018/07/07 02:13] Wendy Starfall checks
    [2018/07/07 02:13] Vergil (v____________a): cuteInviter
    [2018/07/07 02:13] Wendy Starfall: does not
    [2018/07/07 02:14] Wendy Starfall: so, what do you want from me?
    [2018/07/07 02:14] Vergil (v____________a): I just wanted to know what that group is for, I got invited 2 minutes after I landed here: Fire Flower
    [2018/07/07 02:14] Wendy Starfall: you should be fucking delighted. mate
    [2018/07/07 02:15] Vergil (vergilisparda): So much for asking politely…
    [2018/07/07 02:15] Wendy Starfall: so much for bothering someone who is 3858 meters away
    [2018/07/07 02:16] Wendy Starfall: let’s see
    [2018/07/07 02:16] Wendy Starfall: you are not a customer
    [2018/07/07 02:16] Wendy Starfall: you are not knowing who I am
    [2018/07/07 02:16] Wendy Starfall: you just came here and got invited by someone else than me
    [2018/07/07 02:16] Wendy Starfall: how friendly do you want me to get?
    [2018/07/07 02:17] Vergil (v____________a): I was just asking. Fine, be rude, that is sure going to get you somewhere.

  5. I payed over 30K to Wendy Starfall as a designer to have Peanut 9, I shared 25% of my collar sales to her. All this time she let me believe this ‘deal’ was with her and only a very few designers ‘under her wing’.
    When I saw she sold the exact deal on Marketplace for 500L I was a bit shocked, so I told her I felt a little bit ripped of, why she fed me all these lies about leaving SL and being bored of OC and more…
    Never in my life have I been exposed to a rant of vulgarity, tiny example:
    [16:15] Wendy Starfall: For that amount, you wouldn’t even have gotten a peek in my loo while I take a dump, if I had know that you were counting the peas like that

    I took a step back perhaps after a good night sleep she would see things more clear.

    But no, she actually has disabled the script system I payed so much money for. Leaving me with collars I can no longer sell.
    Through the years I learned depending on other people in Second Life can be a risky journey. This beats everything.

    [ ⚠ ] — Your account is currently in bad standing or in review. All of your avatars must be in good standing in order to be eligible for using our services and proprietary content.

    This is what I get for all I payed and I have no way to fight this. Will Linden Lab assist
    me in this? hardly. How do I ever find her rl details to let a lawyer solve this?

    You have a well read blog, I understand you choose sides, I did too,
    I believed Wendy was the better part of it, but it is very clear to me now that
    this OpenCollar story has two sides.

    • Anna’s story knowing now an seing how easy she changes the way everything works, was a reason for me and my girl to step back from Wendy’s Peanuts and get back to OC 7.1. It’s a bit back and again some work with changes, but at least reliable. With no one else on the remote from my girl than me.

  6. I’ll pick whichever group doesn’t have Wendy in it. I hope she can code, because she sure as hell can’t do customer service.

    Fortunately my girl still uses OC 3.809. After 5 years it still works fine.

    I’m quite happy to pay microcurrency for something that works. I’m waiting to see if OC or anyone similar can come up with something new, at some point.

    • A new development shows where Wendy is going.

      If you want a VD HUD, you can download a populated one from marketplace for free. BUT if you want an empty HUD, you have to PAY.

      So anyone who has been in SL for years, has found what you like, what works, anyone with their own artistic ability, that wants to incorporate Peanut #9 and VD into their SL – you can’t. You have to do it their way, their vision and forego any creativity you may have.

      Sounds a small thing, until you find more ways that you are prevented from extending beyond the mundane, with your own visualisations.

      Fortunately, I found some old OC 3.6 and a HUD and you can take that – from my cold, dead hands.

      • Hi, OpenCollar still exists and gets updated, v7.1 at the moment and still open source and free.
        Check my profile in world giannaarmani resident and click the OpenCollar pick to teleport to a parcel I made to update and pick up the script.
        It allows to update older OC but also helps you get rid of all Peanut scripts. Hope this helps!

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