What's GNU at Second Life?

Linden Labs, makers of Second Life, have released their client software source code under the GPL, the same license used by GNU Linux.

That's all their clients - Linux, Windows, even the Mac.

As a practical matter this may not be a big deal. Second Life has always been more hype than reality. They claim 2.5 million "residents," but the number of active users is a tiny fraction of that.

Still, the move says something important about open source, especially under the GPL. It's sexy, it's hot. We're talking Beyonce Knowles or George Clooney hot. Second Life has become "the" place for companies to re-claim their cool -- Cisco, Sears, IBM.

Comedy career in the toilet? Renew it at Second Life. No one listening to your political speeches? Go to Second Life. All those arguments about "is the virtual world real" we used to have about the Internet (and before that the telegraph) -- they're in Second Life now.

This is a mixed blessing. Flavors of the month tend to flame out. And if Second Life flames out it's possible that the GPL will get the blame for it.

So is this a good thing or a bad thing? Are you going to download Second Life today and upgrade your avatar, or insert a bug that will destroy the city? And when someone does adapt the software to nasty ends, how fast will CNN blame the open source movement for it?

Because no one stays hot forever. Ask Britney Spears.