There Inc. Stops Consumer 'Virtual World' Updates

Thanks to Terra Nova for its story discussing a major refocusing at PC 'virtual world' company There Inc., as an official statement mirrored on ThereUniverse.com explains the company is "changing its strategic direction to focus on our technology platform", and "we will no longer be making regular updates to the [There 'virtual world' consumer] software, and we will not be fixing bugs", some claim due to plateauing interest in the game. Terra Nova points out: "Presumably There will be continuing their work with organizations like the US Army. Though they make it clear that this isn't a shut-down of the consumer world, it can't be good news for the development of virtual worlds beyond the typical D&D-inspired MMOGs", a category which also includes PC 'virtual world' title Second Life.

Comments

Futher OT

[Cecil]

What's wrong with the metaverse? A utopia, perhaps.

Regarding the taking of binary input directly, are you referring to the bitmap/binary scroll that infected people with Snow crash? Hiro never suspected that anyone could read it or understand it directly. It was supposed to be pseudo-magical, somehow tickling the pathways in your brain that had opened due to your understanding of binary. It's part of the fiction.

Besides, there certainly are people who can read binary directly, just as there are people who speak fluent Klingon. Never underestimate the obsessive nature of a geek. Seems popular enough.