Run Your Own Virtual Reality with OpenSim  By running OpenSim on
your own server, you can create your own virtual world and even
connect it to other virtual worlds.  Last month, I took you on a
tour of Second Life and showed you some applications for it
besides entertainment. This month, I explain how you can run
your own virtual island using the Second Life client and the
open-source 3-D application server software called
OpenSimulator. OpenSimulator, or OpenSim for short, is a free
(as in speech) implementation of a virtual world platform,
utilizing the Second Life protocols. From its FAQ: “OpenSim is a
platform for operating a virtual world and supports multiple
independent regions connecting to a single centralized grid.
This is somewhat similar to the Web, where people can run their
own Web servers, tied together through the Internet. It can also
be used to create a private grid, analogous to a private
intranet.” In other words, OpenSim can be like a 3-D Apache
server, enabling collaboration, entertainme