Recent comments

@yoz. Thank you for clearing that up for me.

ordinalmalaprop and other usernames formed by concatenating existing SL names are explicitly blocked: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Display_Names#Are_there_any_rules_for_ch...
Underscores are not allowed either; the character set allowed for usernames is the same as currently allowed for first names.

@Watcha: Viewers that don't support Display Names will all display usernames. Most will display them as "$USERNAME Resident"

(Incidentally, I got this message when attempting to login with OpenID: The username yoz has not been activated or is blocked. However, I was using the OpenID already associated with that account. It was only by going through a password reset that I was able to authenticate. Furthermore, attempting to post or preview results in a CAPTCHA error, despite no CAPTCHA having been initially presented. I hope this report is useful.)

I think the new display name function is a key component of the new attempt to bring Second Life into the "mainstream", since it would allow representatives of educational institutions and businesses (not to mention the now heavily courted social networking crowd) to use their real life names. I am not an enthusiastic fan of this recent SL as social networking service trend in general, to say the least. But that's a discussion for another time. Obviously, roleplayers can get some use out of this functionality as well, but that's not really what's motivating the change. I don't think LL set out with the intent to cause headaches for their current customer base with this idea, but I don't see that they have fully considered how it would impact those users either. I looked over the FAQ much, much earlier today, and I was a little concerned that there were more hoops to jump through to see an avatar's uniquely assigned identifier than it would be likely for a newbie to navigate (or even think to look for). I'm not too terribly concerned about rank and file hobbyists being put out too much by this. It ought to be obvious enough to close friends and lindens following up on ARs who is who. But I do see one big problem with the system, particularly for especially well known residents. This would be a fantastic tool for scamming the uninitiated (i.e. those who haven't yet figured out the intricacies oh the display name system). Say, a scammer decides to use the name “Desmond Shang” and start taking deposits for land in Caledon from the unwary. That is going to cause huge headaches for Mr. Shang, the newb in question, and the Linden support team. There really does need to be some sort of extra layer of protection or support for large inworld business owners before this goes live. On the other hand, I've always regretted not choosing a more colorful name when I created my account. If they can address the potential for scamming in some meaningful way, then I look forward to a more colorful name in the near future.

The feature sounds most useful - for legitimate purposes, anyway - for role-playing. At present, one has to either create an alt with the desired RP name or use one of those awkward signs above one's head that, while one's Linden-approved name might be "Ordinal Malaprop," one is known as "Lash LaRue" in this sim. (Or one can proclaim that one is "Reggie's Sex Toy" or other pieces of Too Much Information.) The latter solution certainly diminishes the immersive nature of the RP environment, while the former has its own drawbacks.

Still, I agree the whole thing seems both potentially awkward and not exactly a top priority.

There had been some Discussion in our household as to who might be Ideally Suited to getting things back on track.
Consternation ensued when we attempted to envision the sort of title the Individual in question might be given....
CatHerd Linden, CommonSense Linden, DameOrdinal Linden.....

Madam, as always, it is a great pleasure to read your words, even after such a prolonged absence. (Of course, I myself have been mostly absent from the environs of the Grid for some time...but my reasons were somewhat different from yours, as all and sundry doubtless know.)

This business of attempting to shoehorn the Second Life Experience into a mere Aethernet Browser troubles me. No browser on Earth could replicate the full functionality of the Viewer we all know and have a Love-Hate Relationship with, and attempting to replicate such in Adobe Flash Technology, to name one obvious possible option, would result in something with the aesthetic appeal of "FarmVille"...and about ten times the instability. Frankly, the sole manner in which I can think of successfully doing so would involve turning the entire Viewer into a mere Plug-In Component, which, while possible, would be (if you will forgive the indelicacy) like conducting Marital Relations through a hole in a Board-Fence...neither easy nor pleasant.

One may hope that, if you are to no longer grace the environs of the Laboratory's Grid with your Presence, that you may find one of the Alternate Universes that use the Open Simulator software to your liking, as others I could name already have. As the vermin are gradually removed from their inner workings, these virtual environs may yet recapture some of the original Spirit the Lindens sought to kindle at the outset.

Mrs. Evans and I are unlikely to truly depart the Linden Environs any time soon, but admittedly, the ties that bind us there are more due to sentiment than anything else at this point. I wonder how long that will be enough.

Aha! So that's why you were announcing that you were going to "leave SL", or at least "limiting your activity" in-world :)

Good luck on your new job at Fool's Lab... oops I meant Linden Lab! *giggles*