it’s no surprise that Reaction Grid is scaling down (ending) it’s OpenSim hosting – they have been on that trajectory for two years. Kyle really loves Jibe and it is a phenomenal platform. however, it’s a platform that does cost more but it is very well suited for larger use such as military, government, and large institutions
don’t panic if you are an educator with Jokay – her grid will continue to operate and continues to be a great destination for educators (Jokay is a wealth of real experience and gives of herself freely – i am still flabbergasted by Linden Lab’s atrocious treatment of her incredible online resources back in october of 2009 . . . )
there are many advantages to doing a Unity-based virtual world like Jibe – one of which is envied by me – browser-plugin access. the graphics are many times more photo-realistic than OpenSim and for hardcore simulations and training, that is a strong selling point
however, for many of us we don’t need photo-realistic environments. in fact, there is a lot to be said for “simpler” environments in some circumstances. look at the success of Minecraft and its use as a fun game and as an educational tool (and Farmville’s success)
simpler does not mean inferior
if that were true, then books would hold very little educational value – for Pete’s sake, it’s globs of pigment staining crushed up plants squished into flat sheets using a technique developed before the pyramids were built - how utterly primitive and simple! =p
the loss of Reaction Grid as an OpenSim hosting provider is significant and leaves a void in this small market. our host, SimHost, offers similar hosting – basically able to set you up with your own server and then let you do whatever you like. if you are looking to do something like what Jokay has done, i highly recommend SimHost – it’s cheaper for us to use them than to lease our own server!
i know there are others out there with similar models and even some which are less than what we pay like Kitely, but if you are looking for your own box and absolutely no TOS, then there are not many like SimHost
i think there will always be a need for full independence but it is a small one. most people can do very well with something like Kitely. i’m going to use it for my recreational OpenSim use and we are considering it as an alternative channel for Enclave Harbour. if we use it, it would be to offer another choice in how to experience Enclave Harbour. however, Kitely’s TOS prohibits US kids under 18 from using it on their own (they need supervision – in Mississippi you can’t use Kitely unless you are 21!)
Kitely has something coming up that will make it more attractive to a large group of potential users – stay tuned to their blog in the coming weeks!
Kitely also keeps their version of OpenSim up-to-date (even faster than i can do new versions of Sim-on-a-Stick!) and when hypergrid 2.0 is ready, they’ll implement it which will blow the doors off almost any other hosting
the loss of Reaction Grid’s OpenSim hosting (which was quite successful) shows a maturing and evolving marketplace. it also indicates the success of their Jibe platform – good luck Kyle, Robin, Chris, and John! =)
Thanks Ener,
One small correction, our TOS prohibit kids under 13 from using it without adult supervision. Kids older than that should be fine.
Ilan Tochner
1 Aug 12 at 6:56 pm
“of legal age to form a binding contract” this varies from country to country and state to state. 47 US states say you need to be 18 or older, two states say 19, Mississippi is 21 and American Samoa is 14
of course, i may be one of the few that takes TOSs seriously!
you are also correct with the age of 13 since your TOS is subject to Amazon.com’s TOS with its 13 year old clause
your TOS is not limiting and i am speaking aloud (web log/online journal) with what affects me
all that to say is that i am excited about soon having my one and only home on Kitely! =)
Ener Hax
1 Aug 12 at 7:33 pm
Kyle and Robin are two of the kindest and most sincere people I’ve ever met. I was totally impressed with their hospitality the last time we dropped in for a visit. It is refreshing to meet people you can really get along with in a similar space. When I sat with Kyle for a tech demo of Jibe he was excited about the possibilities and how much they’d be able to do with it.
I’m very happy for them. They’ve found their niche where they can control the direction of their platform and business from top to bottom. I expect we’ll see some really great things out of RG and Jibe as it matures and grows.
Good luck to good friends :)
Tranquillity Dexler
1 Aug 12 at 7:51 pm
Hi Ener,
We’re very excited to have you build your home on Kitely :-)
Regarding our TOS, the parent of a child older than 13 can open the account for them and then let the child use the system without supervision :-)
Ilan Tochner
1 Aug 12 at 8:09 pm
I follow my TOS and only that one, be on real Life or Virtual Life!
And it has only 1 rule:
Respect the others as you wish they will respect You!
ZZ Bottom
2 Aug 12 at 9:12 am
Hi Ener,
Thanks for the kind words. :)
John "Pathfinder" Lester
2 Aug 12 at 10:08 am
Reaction Grid was a rocky start for me – at that time no one really made a correlation between SL and OpenSim. so when i read you could have 60,000 prims in OpenSim i was psyched! Reaction Grid is what i cut my teeth on (and they have the teething scars to prove it!)
Chris Hart was phenomenally patient with me and very knowledgeable.
Having John on-board gets them lots of international cred – he actively speaks all over the world (still a big loss for Linden Lab, but hey, it was there choice . . .)
Tranquility!!! wazzup? long time no touching base! how goes it all? you guys continue to grow and i think you are doing so at a nice pace (too easy to get spread too thin)
i like that ZZ – i need to make a tee with that on it – live by your own TOS! =p
Ener Hax
2 Aug 12 at 12:57 pm
When I saw this post I logged in to Reaction Grid to see if it was still there. I could go to the welcome area but none of my other landmarks were working so I guess they are in the process of taking it down.
I didn’t have a region there but I did log in from time to time. Realising there will soon be one less Hulda Vyper in the virtual world made me feel all sentimental so I took a few snapshots while I still had the chance. This is the first time I have lost an avatar. It may be silly but it made me feel a bit sad.
Hulda Vyper
3 Aug 12 at 4:03 am
it is not silly at all (that, or we are both silly)
after i sold the estate in Second Life i downgraded my membership to free but had not abandoned my free Linden Home (i did not even think of it – after having 19 sims for a few years, who would?)
well the timing of downgrading my membership resulted in a $5 monthly charge for my Linden home. i had taken every cent out of my account so the cancelled my account! that made me sad since that was my first Ener Hax
six months later, some support Linden that read my blog went in and set my account straight and i did feel better
when i left Reaction Grid, it was sad and i took a zillion pics
our avatars and the grids they existed on are a part of us – it takes energy and time to create them, so losing one is not a trivial thing to some of us
Ener Hax
3 Aug 12 at 9:16 am