In which I pose some questions and return to Romenna

I think this is where I'm supposed to make predictions but instead I'll ask some questions about 2012 without pretending to know the answers:

1. Will Kokua, the successor to the Imprudence viewer, be released and will it be SL MOAP- and mesh-compatible?
2. Will a useful hypergrid directory be compiled?
   
3. Will the HyperGrid Adventurers Club (HGAC) start meeting regularly again?
4. Will Kitely launch its subscription model and help educators and their students gain access?
   
5. Will Enclave Harbor open its doors?
6. Will New World Grid upgrade to OpenSim 0.7.2?
7. Will OpenSim move into beta?

If you want some good news, Vivox (the voice engine used by SL) is being made available gratis to non-profit OpenSim grids and many commercial grids are adopting it as well. That should make a big difference to language teachers and their students.

And just as importantly, I can report that the mythical city of Romenna has survived the transition to OpenSim 0.7.2. One of the earliest (24 Jan 2011) and most impressive destinations for the HGAC, Romenna was the creation of Nick Lassard and runs on the very low-power PMgrid (don't bring a friend, don't even cough). PMgrid is centred at 7000, 7000 and now runs OpenSim 0.7.2. Accordingly it is easily accessed via NWG and FrancoGrid using the address secondlife://www.pmgrid.org:8002/. Once on PMgrid, do a map search for Rom and the list of sims will appear. Select your sim and then be incredibly patient and expect to use your alt-zoom camera skills rather than move your avatar.

Then-and-now screenshots suggest that not much has changed since the HGAC visit apart from the move to 0.7.2 and it would not surprise me if the sim never saw its intended RP use. Tangentially, there is a conference in Cardiff in January on the subject of digital preservation of video games and virtual worlds. I have seen many excellent builds in OpenSim lately but have to say that Romenna would be a shoo-in for me even though it has some rough edges.

The bonus image below shows where I ended up when I fell through a gap and ended up in the sewers. I am happy to report that there was indeed light at the end of the tunnel.

Happy New Year!