Second Life

March 31, 2007 on 1:08 am | In Social Software |

So, my old computer crashed and I had to get a new one. It’s beautiful… a Dell Latitude D620. Everything I had hoped the old Toshiba would be. However, I have hit a snag. I was hoping to get more involved in Second Life. I’m a member of two library groups in Second Life. I logged on tonight, enjoyed the terrific graphics and the beauty of Rachelville (that is a very nice place!) Then… CRASH. Turns out the developers of Second Life do not support my video driver… one that happens to be fairly common in education laptops. So those who would like to use Second Life as a vehicle for education might want to rethink that idea until the developers see fit to support more than two types of graphic cards.

I’m both attracted to and repelled by Second Life. I LOVE the idea and think some of the execution is wonderful. However, I see it as a further enforcer of the digital divide. My brand new, best computer I can afford on a graduate stipend with student financing is not compatible with Second Life. Where does that leave people using refurbished P2s? Or schools? Second Life is currently solely for the technological elite, not for the regular people. Which is sad, because I really wanted to get involved and finally have a computer that’s fast enough.

3 Comments »

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  1. The father of a friend of mine actually had a similar experience: he works in software development and even his at-home computer can’t properly run SL. While I’m optimistic about the possible uses of SL, I think you raise legitimate concerns about, as you term it, the “digital divide” between those who can and can’t use the program.

    (Also, hi! I just started reading your blog recently and really enjoy it.)

    Comment by Sarah — April 8, 2007 #

  2. SL rarely works well - doesn’t matter what type of computer you’re on. However, its worth the frustration when you do manage to get in-world.

    I’m also a new reader - I’ve just by accepted by library school and am reading other future librarians blogs to try and see what I’ve gotten myself into. :)

    Comment by Salzie — May 10, 2007 #

  3. What I find interesting is that except for the crashing, SL behaves better on my non-supported laptop than it does on desktops that supposedly meet the requirements.

    Salzie, welcome to library school!

    Comment by Jenne — May 10, 2007 #

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