iTechNote

An operating system (OS) is a computer program that manages the hardware and software resources of a computer. The definition has evolved over the years to become a platform for all kinds of computing activities. This is what Second Life, the virtual community claims to be in the future.

We all know that the claim of “New Kind of OS” is not going to be in the same form as the OS we use today. It is more about managing Internet users’ activities than controlling hardware resources. It is a platform for human interaction rather than for software collaboration. In other words, it is one level higher than what we currently see as operating system.

Second Life has been around for three and a half years. It has more than 3 million users who create avatars of themselves and move about the virtual world, chatting with others, buying land, building homes and businesses. Recently, Sweden announced to set up virtual embassy in Second Life to spread information about the Scandinavian country and attract more young visitors.

Are these enough to justify businesses to have a presence in Second Life?

Not quite there. Businesses that bring their brand to Second Life are looking for a different kind of return. They are looking at exposing their product and brand to the Second Life demographic. Second Life has a large group of younger, educated people who are flooded with information. If you want to get attentions from these people, Second Life provides a good channel.

Bringing the right information to the right people at the right time and cost is the core activities of this generation of Web technology. To answer the question in the title, “yes! Second Life is qualified but not without its own problems.”