http://forums.secondlife.com/showthread.php?t=107206&page=2&pp=15

Linden marketed these sims very aggressively last spring. The company doubled their capabilities on their own initiative, which allowed them to make great profits. These spaces come complete with 3,750 prims, permissions to rent them, and capacity for many, many avatars. It is very disingenuous to expect that buyers would not rent them to other users for profit. It is silly to think people would not place homes and businesses on them. If you read about the history, Linden had previously inflated prices on privately owned full-prim islands (causing many renters to lose their investments). These spaces were the most economical form of real estate in Second Life, but lots of real money was paid for them. Of course we would build on them.

Linden is on legal thin ice because now it is rewriting the deal after these sims were paid for with $250 up front and $75/month for several months. Countless hours have been put in. They contain virtual homes, businesses making real dollars, real-world universities and non-profits settling on them, and whole communities built around them. Many of the most creative and enthusiastic users of this service have lost faith.

There are alternative services beginning to take shape on the Internet. Some people are simply voting with their feet… Hopefully within a couple years there will be a serious alternative for people who want to enjoy the experiences SL has given us. It is still a huge tragedy that so much beautiful content is about to be lost; Linden could have simply invested in what was already selling well. Most users report no unusual problems that could be traced to these sims. SL has never been perfect for stability, but it is easier to believe that a constant addition of new bells and whistles is the problem. That is, along with a failure to reinvest profits in basic features.

Now, by producing new rules out of thin air, Linden is making products already sold less valuable and denying its customers numerous uses. In particular, they are planning to cut off use as rental property. This will deny hundreds of us locations in Second Life, no matter what we were doing with them. It also seems to hint that rather than fixing any so-called “overuse,” Linden may actually be trying to force everyone else out of the land business.

If this continues, how many experienced users will be left with the courage to place anything on land in Second Life?