Linux Foundation's New 'Open Metaverse Foundation' Launches (linuxfoundation.org) 41
The Linux Foundation's new Open Metaverse Foundation wants to unite industries "to work on developing open source software and standards for an inclusive, global, vendor-neutral and scalable Metaverse."
In a blog post this week the group's executive director explained the advantages of an open Metaverse: It can create new jobs and industries in the digital space. It can bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds while providing an amazing world where anyone can create their own opportunities. An open Metaverse broadens commerce for digital ownership and consumables, and it offers shared experiences and learning opportunities for anyone with access. The future market value for all of this may exceed any single media market.
The potential for the Metaverse is boundless, but only if we pursue it as an open, collaborative endeavor. The mission of the Open Metaverse Foundation (OMF) is to foster a strong community of developers, engineers, academics and thought leaders who will solve the difficult challenges of building the open Metaverse through open source software and standards that enable portability and interoperability for an inclusive, global, scalable world, supporting interactive and immersive experiences for the benefit of any individual or industry.
Through the Foundation, we'll work together to discuss, pinpoint and create the building blocks to transform the emerging concept of the Metaverse into a reality — spanning digital assets, simulations, transactions, artificial intelligence, networking, security, privacy, and legal considerations.... Backend services, standards, and relationships are critical to success, including elements like digital ID representation for users and objects. Transactions must provide receipts for proof and commerce.... Worlds need a standard to communicate with other worlds so that users can move in and out without breaking the immersive experience. Providing an open standard to move objects across worlds is a huge part of what the OMF can deliver. Other technical challenges that demand open collaboration include the reshaping of our networks and internet to accommodate greater needs presented by the open Metaverse.
All of this can seem overwhelming. And it is, unless you have the proven expertise in community building, governance and other elements offered by the Linux Foundation, which provides the focus needed to create manageable, tangible tasks to complete. We've already set up several Foundational Interest Groups (FIGs), which provide a great starting place to engage with the OMF. These FIGs enable a focused, distributed decision structure for key topics, and provide targeted resources and forums for the identification of new ideas, getting work done, and onboarding new contributors....
Contributions to OMF projects are licensed under both Apache 2.0 and MIT, enabling anyone to use, modify, extend and distribute the source code without any fees or commercial obligations....
We look forward to working with a broad, global community to advance the promise of the Metaverse.
In a blog post this week the group's executive director explained the advantages of an open Metaverse: It can create new jobs and industries in the digital space. It can bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds while providing an amazing world where anyone can create their own opportunities. An open Metaverse broadens commerce for digital ownership and consumables, and it offers shared experiences and learning opportunities for anyone with access. The future market value for all of this may exceed any single media market.
The potential for the Metaverse is boundless, but only if we pursue it as an open, collaborative endeavor. The mission of the Open Metaverse Foundation (OMF) is to foster a strong community of developers, engineers, academics and thought leaders who will solve the difficult challenges of building the open Metaverse through open source software and standards that enable portability and interoperability for an inclusive, global, scalable world, supporting interactive and immersive experiences for the benefit of any individual or industry.
Through the Foundation, we'll work together to discuss, pinpoint and create the building blocks to transform the emerging concept of the Metaverse into a reality — spanning digital assets, simulations, transactions, artificial intelligence, networking, security, privacy, and legal considerations.... Backend services, standards, and relationships are critical to success, including elements like digital ID representation for users and objects. Transactions must provide receipts for proof and commerce.... Worlds need a standard to communicate with other worlds so that users can move in and out without breaking the immersive experience. Providing an open standard to move objects across worlds is a huge part of what the OMF can deliver. Other technical challenges that demand open collaboration include the reshaping of our networks and internet to accommodate greater needs presented by the open Metaverse.
All of this can seem overwhelming. And it is, unless you have the proven expertise in community building, governance and other elements offered by the Linux Foundation, which provides the focus needed to create manageable, tangible tasks to complete. We've already set up several Foundational Interest Groups (FIGs), which provide a great starting place to engage with the OMF. These FIGs enable a focused, distributed decision structure for key topics, and provide targeted resources and forums for the identification of new ideas, getting work done, and onboarding new contributors....
Contributions to OMF projects are licensed under both Apache 2.0 and MIT, enabling anyone to use, modify, extend and distribute the source code without any fees or commercial obligations....
We look forward to working with a broad, global community to advance the promise of the Metaverse.
How can they get away with this? (Score:1)
So how can they get away with using "metaverse"? Didn't Facebook somehow manage to trademark the word?
I can't see them being a fan of an open platform to lend the name to, so is the LF daring them to sue, and get the trademark invalidated, or not, and lose the trademark for non-protection?
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I am pretty sure the word appeared in literature to describe the same concept several decades ago, which is probably why Facebook trademarked "Meta" and not metaverse.
Re: How can they get away with this? (Score:1)
It does. Neal Stephenson's /Snow Crash/ being the canonical example.
But "Meta" and "Facebook" also predate Zuck's usage of them. And despite the Trademark Office's website insisting you not use real words in your mark, big companies seem to get away with anyways. (Any IP lawyers out there willing to explain?)
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You can use it, but i don't think it's a good idea, given the word was ran harder to the ground than "Internet Explorer"
the Linux Foundation is losing (Score:3)
Re:the Linux Foundation is losing (Score:4, Interesting)
Just because they're using the m-word doesn't mean they're working with him. It's a general term. So general, in fact, as to be meaningless. People have spent billions trying to figure out what a metaverse is, and they can't.
If it's about bringing VR games to Linux, I can get behind that, I guess. But I'm not in the market for a helmet any time soon, and the games I would want to play are already on Linux.
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As others have noted, "metaverse" existed, both as a concept and an actively developed technology, long before the Zuck "invented" it. In fact, an open-source metaverse already exists at OpenSimulator.org [opensimulator.org]. I don't understand why everyone thinks this is a new thing.
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Facebook doesn't own 'metaverse' they just own the brand 'meta'. There's far too much prior art for them to win that trademark.
What are they talking about? (Score:2, Insightful)
I read that and can't tell what it is they're trying to build or whether they know what it is that they're trying to build. A simple statement of what "metaverse" means to them would help a lot.
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A federated system of VR servers for social porn.
Re: What are they talking about? (Score:2)
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They are trying to create something similar to open internet with websites in opposition to closed ecosystem (like America Online). Facebook with it's closed metaverse is not good to society. We need more open standards.
Exctiting! (Score:2)
Re: Exctiting! (Score:1)
Yea, but consumers in aggressive capitialist environments tend to aggressively consume. Me, I'm just happy I won't have to be going to best buy anytime soon for a metaverse (tm) adapter and drivers....
New industries to create... (Score:1)
I think a better investment would be in food/medecines delivery services tickled by an "metaverse" API call to drop off necessities to fat slob shut-ins who will continue to never leave their basements. To be followed by the drone that shows up to dissolve the remains when the time comes...Logan's Run style.
Win!
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Open waste of time foundation (Score:4, Funny)
I never met a verse I didn't like.
Right after the year of Linux desktop (Score:1)
Re: Right after the year of Linux desktop (Score:1)
I think "...letting the web create itself..." left a scar on all to remember. So, "...once bitten.." and all that...
Could be wrong, but... (Score:2)
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Linux Foundation is not really related to Linux (Score:3)
The Linux Foundation seems to represent the interests of large for-profit tech companies. It does not seem to represent the interests of Linux projects, developers, contributors or users.
Spending any money on an "Open Metaverse Foundation" is a sign that the organisation is seriously adrift, if not worse. Just because Facebook is spending billions on a dumb idea, doesn't mean that anyone else should be.
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The next article on Slashdot is about some bloke making predictions and includes this:
"The metaverse ain't going anywhere, despite the tens of billions of dollars poured in. If anything like the metaverse succeeds it will from a new small player, a small team, that is not yoked down by an existing behemoth."
Which is true so far and I can't see the Linux Foundation making any difference.
NO such ting as a 'Metaverse' let alone 'Open' (Score:1)
Why? OpenSimulator already exists. (Score:4, Insightful)
First off, how are they defining a Metaverse? Hijacking the term "server with User Generated Content" doesn't make it a metaverse.
Second, why is this even an initiative? Open Simulator [wikipedia.org] (an open source clone of SecondLife servers or "grids") has existed since 2007. The "metaverse" didn't take off then and it won't now because it is boring as fuck for most people. WHAT experience does an open metaverse provide that is currently not available?
Third, until all "Metaverse" parties get on board this is doomed to failure. Meta, Linden Lab (Second Life), VRChat, Ubisoft, Epic, Apple, etc. are NOT going to waste their time joining a project that won't go anywhere.
Fourth, companies are NOT going to allow virtual goods bought on their platform to move to another one.
Fifth, define "inclusive". Are naked avatars allowed? Are Furries allowed? Are naked furries allowed? Is BDSM allowed? Because adult activities is why Second Life has persisted to exist since almost no other platform even wants to TALK about adult themed in-game behavior.
Six, regions [secondlife.com] in Second Life can be General, Moderate, Adult. HOW will children be prevented from accessing adult content? How will their age be verified?
Seven, how will KYC (Know Your Customer) function? How will fraud be handled?
Eight, how will speech be handled? Will it be censored? Will certain words be banned based on the location of the client or server? Can I make fun of China's Winnie the Pooh leader? Can I criticize Singapore's leader outside of Singapore?
Nine, if you get banned on one platform do you lose access to ALL the other platforms?
Having worked in the "Metaverse" space first hand for a few years there is no way this is going to gain ANY traction. It is a "solution" in search of a "problem."
> Worlds need a standard to communicate with other worlds so that users can move in and out without breaking the immersive experience.
A little hard to do that when Meta didn't even show an avatar's legs initially. /s
OpenAssimilation (Score:2)
Seven, how will KYC (Know Your Customer) function? How will fraud be handled?
Assimilation. It will be handled efficiently.
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If you think stating the obvious summarizing the current issues is "amazing wisdom" then I have a bridge to sell you ... or a newsletter to subscribe to. Your pick. /s
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The "metaverse" didn't take off then and it won't now because it is boring as fuck for most people.
It's boring because it's a shitstorm, if you go by second life anyway. The user welcome experience is best emulated by tailing all your log files at once and thrashing your system. They learned literally nothing from video games, despite being indistinguishable (at first glance) from an outdated MMO.
WHAT experience does an open metaverse provide that is currently not available?
It depends, how easy can they make it to build stuff? Minecraft has building and social but the building is crap. If you could build cooler stuff easier, and socialize without a river of spam, maybe people would
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He also explicitly stated that on the street you would see ten foot tall talking penises, IIRC
Had to check quickly to see if Snow Crash was *before* or *after* SecondLife was created, because this basically describes it.
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There's not even a spec for it yet, this is literally just "The github repo was created". It's also unrelated to SecondLife and OpenSim or even Facebook's metaverse.
Think of this like they're developing a spec for programs like Sansar to be intercompatible or standardized.
JK (Score:2)
The " Open Metaverse Foundation Group" and their Layers On Layers of protocols...
This Is Going To As Big As . . . (Score:1)
. . . 3D television.
How Linux Foundation relates to Linux (Score:1)
Since people seem to be confused (and not RTFA)
"The Linux Foundation provides a neutral, trusted hub for developers and organizations to code, manage, and scale open technology projects and ecosystems."
The Linux Foundation branched way out from just supporting Linux development, and now basically provides collaborative/standards groups as a service. They manage business aspects for random cross-organizational projects. That includes Linux as well as Kubernetes, Hyperledger, and many many others.
In this case
Are ... You ... Kidding? (Score:2)
Linux and the Metaverse.
Like marble and dreams.
Like music and farts.
Meh!