Microsoft wants to extend Windows Live into OpenSim (Refer to AI 83, 73 and 70) to take a lead in Web 4.0 business services (refer to AI 1)
Zain Naboulsi, a “developer/evangelist” at Microsoft looking closely at OpenSim, said the company seeks to integrate at least three of its free services into the evolving open source package: coding tool C Sharp Express; SQL server express, Microsoft’s database platform to handle OpenSim’s inventory calls; and Windows Live ID, a identity-management tool.
Naboulsi insists he’s not out to sell software — all three of the technologies are free.
As OpenSim continues to gain traction, tying Microsoft technology into OpenSim’s code increases the pool of developers allied with Redmond. And if OpenSim takes off, a Windows Live ID-based avatar identity gives Microsoft a leg up against the identity management tools offered by Google, Yahoo, and OpenID.
In an interview with Reuters last week, Linden Lab VP Joe Miller said he expected OpenSim to grow rapidly in the future, but said Linden will target monetizable “value-added services.” A Microsoft move into avatar identity management would put Linden Lab in competition with Redmond.
Internet giant Google opened its own line of attack against Linden Lab with the introduction of its “Lively” virtual world last week.
“We want to come out with a shipping version of OpenSim that integrates Live services and SQL Server,” Naboulsi said.
Naboulsi, a four-year veteran of Second Life, said Microsoft’s first entrance into virtual worlds was random and uncoordinated. The company had set up a “Microsoft Island” for a one-off event before abandoning it, and was planning on ending its Second Life presence.
He tied his company back into the virtual worlds space by holding meetings of Microsoft developers in Second Life, and grew .NET user groups from 20 to almost 800 members. “We’ve been going like gangbusters on meetings here,” he said.
But where Naboulsi differs from Linden’s vision is that he’s emphatic 3D technology is not about having an alternate identity divorced from your real life self. Microsoft views virtual worlds as the natural evolution of online presence.
“I have zero interest in gaming,” Naboulsi said. “The future is a simplified 3D world on your desktop.”
