Month: September 2013

SL project updates Week 37 (1): server releases

Posted on by Inara Pey

Server and RC Deployments

As always, please refer to the week’s forum deployment thread for news, updates and feedback.

In a change to the usual server-side deployments, the Main channel and all three RC channels have had their deployments and restarts made on Tuesday September 10th. As a result, there will be no RC restarts on Wednesday September 11th.

The reason for the single pass – Main channel first, followed by the RCs – is to apply updates server-side relating to recent Vivox service maintenance.

  • Main channel: received an update related to the recent voice service maintenance and no other changes – release notes
  • BlueSteel and LeTigre: received a new maintenance package, comprising:
      • A fix for an issue where an avatar sitting at high altitude may appear to be located at 0,0 on both the world map and mini map (BUG-3332)
      • A fix for “llReturnObjectsByID breaks on string uuids”
      • Fixes for a number of JSON function issues:
    • Nerfing of recursive rezzing. Again, this was outlined in my week 35 (1) report. Under the new code, the copy of the original object will inherit the temp-on-rez and parcel time of the originating object and so be returned at the same time
    • Crash mode fixes
    • The update related to recent voice maintenance
    • These channels also no longer have Monty Linden’s HTTP updates on them).
  • Magnum remained on the HTTP update package deployed in week 36, and also received the update related to the recent voice maintenance.

Region Crossing Update

In addition to the updates listed in the release notes, Bluesteel and LeTigre also received a threaded region crossing update. This is not expected to have a major visible improvement on vehicle crossings, or as Andrew Linden put it at the Simulator User Group meeting on Tuesday September 10th, “It doesn’t mean the death of region crossing problems, but the data streaming on the way OUT of the region is now threaded, which doesn’t make the crossing any faster, but may reduce lag spikes as witnessed by everyone else.”

Kelly Linden added, “The threading change Simon mentioned moves vehicle serialization only into the same thread as agent serialization to fix a rare server crash mode due to a race condition serializing scripts in some very specific cases.”

SL Viewer Updates

On Monday September 9th, the Cocoa release candidate viewer was promoted to the de facto release viewer – version 3.6.5.280370 (release notes). This currently leaves just the materials updates as a release candidate viewer, although further viewer releases (either RCs or project viewers) are expected soon.

Group Ban Lists

Baker Linden is finishing-up the work prior to it going to RC (server and viewer), which is still a “few weeks” away. However, he’s planning / hoping on having the server code on Aditi by the end of the month, for which a “test viewer will be provided”.

Anti-griefing

Commenting on the update to the Auto-return capability to nerf recursive rezzing, Andrew indicated he took the discussion which followed his initial raising of the subject in the week 35 Simulator UG meeting back to the Lab, where there was discussion about limiting the functionality to “unattended” self-rezzing objects (i.e. those for who an owner is not present in the same parcel). He went on:

However after an internal discussion we decided to not open up that exception since it causes inconsistent behavior: different autoreturn times depending on whether the owner is present or not can lead to confusion, and also it would bypass the spirit of the autoreturn feature which parcel owners are expecting — that objects get autoreturned.

He went on to say that there is no single project at the top of his list,  and that the anti-griefing work is one of a number of projects he’s juggling with at present.

And…. done! (Well, for now at least!)

Posted on by Inara Pey
Home sweet home
Home sweet home

The blog has taken something of a back seat over the weekend as I’ve continued to twiddle with the new house & grounds. I think I now have everything as I want it, although I’ll likely continue to tweak here and there over time.

The house is sorted and furnished, and thanks to the wonders of convex hull, is a grand total of 38 prims (including the fire and stone deck, although excluding furnishings), which I think isn’t bad, considering the dock is 29 prims…

The dock...in case you were curious :)
The dock…in case you were curious 🙂

It was the dock which caused me the most problems, as I couldn’t make up my mind as to how I wanted it to look – so I started with a simple affair until I had sorted things out in my head. I’m now pretty pleased with the result, and just about have room for a couple of boats to moor (as long as one of them is little!). I may have to ask Nber to drop by and alter a small part of the land (or allow me the rights to do so) in order to be completely satisfied (and give a bit more room), but things seem to work as they are for the present.

I’ve added moderate lighting to the place – a couple of lights in the house, two on the dock and a couple of exterior lights as well, which will hopefully give some life to the place after dark :).

A little light at night
A little light at night

So that’s now me settled :). Back to blogging it is!

Viewer release summary 2013: week 36

Posted on by Inara Pey

This summary is published every Monday and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:

  • It is based on my Viewer Round-up Page, a list of  all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware) and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy
  • By its nature, this summary will always be in arrears
  • The Viewer Round-up Page is updated as soon as I’m aware of any releases / changes to viewers & clients, and should be referred to for more up-to-date information
  • The Viewer Round-up Page also includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog.

Updates for the week ending: September 8th, 2013

Official LL Viewers

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V3-Style

  • No updates

V1-Style

Other Clients

  • Lumiya updated to 2.5.4 on September 4th – core updates: advanced rendering on PowerVR;
    ability to resize HUDs; support for llTextBox function in scripts; fixed issue with avatar shape not being updated after changing outfits (release notes) – Google Play , Android Pit

Additional TPV Resources

Deprecated / Discontinued Viewers

  • Niran’s Viewer – discontinued as of version 2.2.0.2701 & superceded by Black Dragon
  • SLiteChat removed from listing; no updates since 2011, removed from TPV Directory & no response from developer
  • SL Second Life Beta viewer – deprecated as of version 3.6.2.278491, July 15, 2103
  • SL Development viewer – deprecated as of version 3.5.2.274629 April 24, 2013
  • Zen Viewer – discontinued by developer and no longer available, January 27th, 2013
  • Phoenix viewer – development and support ended on December 31st, 2012

Related Links

The rugged beauty of Toru

Posted on by Inara Pey

Toru. A land devastated by a major earthquake and underwater volcanic eruption hundreds of years ago, a cataclysmic event so devastating it split the land apart and left it barren for hundreds of years … But all is not lost as this land was rediscovered by an intrepid photographer who stumbled upon it, and its tragic history…

Toru
Toru

So reads the greeting, at least in part, when you arrive on Toru, a homestead region designed by Waynenz. Openly drawing inspiration from Hazardous, the region is dedicated to Wendy Xeno’s and Mandingo Quan’s work there, and to “all the designers and developers of SL who create content for us to fill this land and allowing us to share this space with residents and visitors of SL.”  It’s a beautiful place, one I knew I had to see for myself  after coming across it on Ziki’s blog.

There is a windlight preset for the region, but it’s really worthwhile taking the time to play with options and see what works for you – the layout from the cliff tops down to the lower-lying valley floor offers itself to a range of lighting options, and everything is perfectly positioned to offer the SL photographer a huge amount of choice and opportunity for framing many, many shots.

Toru
Toru

The cliff top area of the island is split into two, a single stone bridge spanning the narrow but deep gorge which separates them. On once side of the divide are signs of life returning to the island; a cafe has been built, as has a store (selling Wayne’s mesh creations), and other wooden building appear to be under construction. How well things are going for the inhabitants is hard to say, however; the cafe looks to be somewhat dilapidated, and there are a couple of rusting hulks of vehicles to be found – including one which looks like it might have been shaken from its parking spot by a more recent earth tremor…

Across the bridge there is the ruin of a stone-built structure, possibly a fortified house of some description given the remnants of two towers. There are signs of recovery here as well, with a stage set having been built, which suggests live gigs might be a thing of the future.

Toru
Toru

Follow the track away from the wooden buildings and you’ll find a set of stone steps leading you down to a smaller open space with a small cabin and outhouse, with further steps leading the way down to the photographer’s ultra-modern studio / home, which visitors appear to be invited to explore as well.

When adjusting windlight, make sure you give dusk / night settings a go; the island is prone to aurora displays just off the coast, possibly the result of underwater volcanic activity, which give rise to shimmering curtains just above the waves which look like a localised version of the aurora australis.

Toru
Toru

A fabulous region, beautifully conceived and put together and more than worth a visit. If you do, please considering dropping a contribution or two into the gratuities signs scattered around the buildings.

 Related Links

A murder most foul and an adventure in Ireland

Posted on by Inara Pey

It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in Voice, brought to Second Life by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library SL.

As always, all times SLT, and unless otherwise stated, events will be held on the Seanchai Library’s home on Imagination Island.

Sunday September 8th, 13:30: Tea Time at Baker Street

Caledonia Skytower and Corwyn Allen return to read another installment in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s volume of stories The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

Inspector Hopkins, Holmes and Watson at the murder scene (1904, Stanley Paget, Strand Magazine)

Peter Carey, once the master of the whaler Sea Unicorn, prone to drunkenness and violence, having assaulted not only his wife and daughter but also the vicar in Forest Weald, where the family have settled in his retirement from the sea. Even so, when he is found run-through with a whaling harpoon and pinned to the wall of the outhouse where he spend most of his time, it appears to be a most gruesome and violent death, driven by a hatred beyond anything caused by the man’s behaviour.

The murder has left police inspector Stanley Hopkins mystified. No footprints or any other evidence of force entry and violence have been found at the scene. What’s more, it appears Carey was killed around two o’clock in the morning, yet he was fully dressed as if expecting a visitor. The only clues found are a pouch of seaman’s tobacco – yet Carey was thought to be a non-smoker – and a small notebook.

Reading the notebook, Holmes deduces that writing in it relates to the Canadian Pacific Railway and what appears to be stock exchange information. This, together with the unusual method of murder lead him to agree to return to Forest Weald with Inspector Hopkins, and so he and Dr. Watson embark on The Adventure of Black Peter.

Monday September 9th, 19:00: A Year in Tulfarris

TulferrisFrom the book jacket:

“My boss was wondering if I’d be up for working in Dublin for a year. What would you think of moving to Ireland for a year?”

And so began the adventure, chronicled by his photographs and her written musings, as they explore monuments and meet people (and animals) who will leave an indelible mark on them and their children forever.

Follow them as they trek down livestock-riddled narrow lanes, traipse through fields to standing stones and megalithic tombs, and deal with the delightful and at-times maddening resistance on the Irish to the intrusions of the modern world.

Join Caladonia Skytower as she reads from this very personal and charming tale, laced as it is with a bittersweet twist.

Tuesday September 10th, 19:00: Sci-fi Shorts

With Gyro Muggins.

Wednesday September 11th, 19:00: TBA

Please check the Seanchai Library blog for updates.

Thursday September 5th, More Adventures and Legends

With Shandon Loring.

—–

Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule. The featured charity for September and October is Water for People. Have questions? IM or notecard Caledonia Skytower.

Related Links

SL projects update week 36 (2): Server releases, viewer, HTTP

Posted on by Inara Pey

Server Deployments – Week 36

As always, please refer to the week’s forum deployment thread for news, updates and feedback. Deployments are a day behind the usual schedule due to the US Labor Day long weekend.

  • On Wednesday September 4th, the Main channel received the maintenance package deployed to all three RC channels in week 35, which includes Preparatory work to support new estate and parcel access controls and the new manual region restart capability which sees a region restart as soon as the last avatar leaves (release notes)
  • On Thursday September 5th, the three RC channels received the same maintenance package, which comprises  server-side HTTP updates which require a future viewer-side update. In the meantime, these changes should not be apparent in any current viewer release (release notes – BlueSteel)

Upcoming Server Deployments – Week 37

It looks likely that the HTTP updates deployed to all three RCs in week 36 (of which, more details below), will go back to just one RC in order to make way for additional packages “to get the server flow going again”.

Speaking at the Server Beta meeting on Thursday September 5th, Maestro Linden provided some information on some of the updates expected to go to at least one RC in week 37 (week commencing Monday September 9th):

  • The llXorbase64 issue reported on in my week 35 (2) report for details
  • A fix for an issue where an avatar sitting at high altitude may appear to be located at 0,0 on both the world map and mini map
  • Nerfing of recursive rezzing. Again, this was outlined in my week 35 (1) report. Under the new code, the copy of the original object will inherit the temp-on-rez and parcel time of the originating object and so be returned at the same time.
  • Fixes for a number of JSON function issues, including:
    • JSON implementation treats blank string and JSON_NULL interchangeably
    • Issue with llJsonSetValue with strings that end in ‘]’
    • RFC 4627 Non-Compliance by llJsonSetValue() with out-of-range Indices

SL Viewer News

There were no changes to the SL release viewer this week, again most likely due to the long weekend in the US.

Snowstorm Project Viewer

As reviewed earlier in the week, there has been a new Snowstorm contributions project viewer released, which includes various fixes and Jonathan Yap’s request teleport feature and a port of Cinder Roxley’s “eject from group confirmation” pop-up.

New request teleport capability - Snowstorm project viewer
New request teleport capability – Snowstorm project viewer

Interest List Viewer

Delays continue with this viewer, largely as a result of bug stomping requirements. Commenting on the situation at the TPV Developer meeting, Oz Linden said:

As you might imagine, monkeying with the interest list is full of opportunities for errors; and I think the team is really sensitive to that and trying hard not to have a bad launch. I keep hearing status updates from them, but none of them have been, “We’re going to launch the viewer right away”.

Hoz Linden then added, “They honestly are really close on the interest list, but there continue to be a string of bad bugs that need to be fixed.”

Animation Override Interface

Viewer-side hooks for LSL AO capabilities in the future?
Viewer-side hooks for LSL AO capabilities in the future?

As reported in week 34, Oz Linden is looking-in to the possibility of developing a viewer-side API / hook into the LSL AO capabilities introduced server-side earlier in 2013. Initial discussions with the Lab’s own developers seemed to go well (or as Oz put it at the time, they didn’t run screaming from the room…

As Oz will shortly be in San Francisco in the near future, he’s going to poke some more at the idea with the people at Battery Street and “see if there is something we ought to be doing.” Again, this is still a nascent idea, even with the offer of import from Kitty Barnett, and Oz went on to say:

If this is going to happen, and it is still a major league “if”, I think we would want to do it as part of a project in which a substantial improvement was made to how the viewer interacts with animation in general, and that means I would want a set of open-source devs involved in doing the viewer-side work. So be thinking about whether or not you can commit to that.

Continue reading “SL projects update week 36 (2): Server releases, viewer, HTTP” →