... and that's pretty much all I have to say on the subject.
Update, 2:55pm: Then again, ZD Net's Mary-Jo Foley, who writes the column "All About Microsoft", has much more to say:
Microsoft isn’t commenting on the Linden Lab report, but I’ve been asking around and hear from my sources that Microsoft may have made overtures not only toward Linden Lab, but other social-gaming vendors lately. The word from my sources is the Softies are not simply talking partnerships; they’re talking outright purchase.
Hat tip: Scott Jennings, who also has much more to say. So maybe there's a kernel of truth to the initial rumor. After all, even in Inception, the top eventually stops spinning.
Or does it?
Oh, Hamlet. That's not an internet rumor. That's you accidentally surfing to the Doug Winger site again.
Is this in regards to any particular rumor? I'm chronically out of the loop in these matters.
Posted by: Arcadia Codesmith | Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 01:12 PM
god hamlet, you just HAD to go and ruin Inception for everybody AGAIN, didn't you?
Posted by: reed | Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 01:13 PM
The rumors running inside SL today track back to a group banned by SL, when they are traceable. But, they had me going for a few minutes.
Posted by: Nalates Urriah | Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 01:33 PM
It's nice to see how rumors spread like wild fire. However, if this rumor turned out to be true, would that be good or bad news?
Posted by: Cisop Sixpence | Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 01:46 PM
You do not think that todays' rumor about Microsoft buying Linden Labs is a total fallacy do you Hamlet? People don't ever make these things up, do they (reeks with sarcasm).
Posted by: Eddi Haskell | Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 02:03 PM
Wow Arcadia, Googling "Doug Winger" really sent my ass through the rabbit hole. So to speak.
Posted by: Hamlet Au | Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 02:16 PM
MS buying LL is like Exxon buying the Titanic.
Posted by: Daniel Smith | Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 02:53 PM
Aww. I wonder why my rumour of Google buying Linden Lab never caught so much attention!...
I guess it's just because I'm not a famous SL hacker and griefer.
Posted by: Gwyneth Llewelyn | Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 03:32 PM
MS and LL ?
Mixed feelings on this. On one hand the darn thing would work - til you got a blue screen - and lag could be gone. OTOH all the "colorful" people and sims on SL would be purged. And so would be Opensource.
Posted by: Renmiri | Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 05:01 PM
If Microsoft bought Linden Lab, I expect it would be immediately be rewritten to be bound as tightly as possible to Windows-only technology... and I would head on my way to OpenSim.
Posted by: Melissa Yeuxdoux | Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 08:20 PM
I doubt MS would buy LL, they'd buy SL.
Posted by: IntLibber Brautigan | Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 10:42 PM
I'm really sorry, Hamlet. I would never deliberately inflict Doug Winger on anybody unfamiliar with his work. Erase, erase, erase.
Posted by: Arcadia Codesmith | Friday, October 01, 2010 at 06:58 AM
I would think it would make more sense for MS to buy Blue Mars. Isn't that architecture closer to their core technology?
Posted by: Allison | Friday, October 01, 2010 at 08:51 AM
One thing this brings to mind for me is the risk of depending 100% on a platform that you don't control for revenue. In the same way that Zynga is developing strategies to mitigate the risk of depending on the Facebook platform, larger SL businesses should probably be thinking about how they can create other sources of revenue. Otherwise it could be a rude awakening to find out through a press release that your Linden Dollar "revenues" are now nonconvertible MS points. Even as a small-time merchant, I find myself reassessing the risk of just doing SL business in light of this and am trying to decide where else it might make sense to create products. Even if this rumor turns out to be only that, I'd still put pretty good odds on a buyer emerging (and big changes happening) sooner rather than later.
Posted by: nexus burbclave | Friday, October 01, 2010 at 10:25 AM
If it has to do with gaming, and Microsoft has anything to do with it, run for your life.
The exceptions to the rule are noteworthy for their rarity.
Posted by: Arcadia Codesmith | Friday, October 01, 2010 at 10:56 AM
Ugh, more Inception spoilers.
Posted by: Adeon Writer | Friday, October 01, 2010 at 01:18 PM
Jeez, has anyone NOT seen *Inception* by now?
Posted by: Hamlet Au | Friday, October 01, 2010 at 01:22 PM
I have not seen Inception. I'm a Luddite. :-)
Posted by: Codesmith | Friday, October 01, 2010 at 01:28 PM
Don't worry, there's so much crazy shit happening in that thing, knowing about an old Japanese dude with a six foot penis or whatever won't spoil anything.
Posted by: Hamlet Au | Friday, October 01, 2010 at 01:32 PM
Ha, I've seen it, can't wait to own it.
Posted by: Adeon Writer | Friday, October 01, 2010 at 07:27 PM
"maybe" the top stops spinning....
but the film reel runs out....and the theater kicks you out....
and Nolan is already getting Batman ready...
pick your dreams carefully.
Posted by: c3 | Saturday, October 02, 2010 at 10:50 AM