No one’s really sure yet how avatar identities will be managed in a chaotic world filled with thousands of interoperable OpenSim grids. But Microsoft believes it has a solution: its own Windows Live ID. 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. But 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.
[...]
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.”
Original notice from Second Life Reuters, click here to see the full article