Month: March 2018

Second Life: Last Names update with audio

Posted on by Inara Pey

Update, April 21st, 2018: at the April 20th Town Hall meeting with Ebbe Altberg, it was indicated that the new first name / last name system might be a Premium only benefit, or that if generally available to all users, that Premium account holders will have some advantage in using the capability over Basic account holders. Please refer to the audio of Grumpity Linden’s comments from that event appended at the end of this article.   

Update, March 28th, 2018: further information was provided at the Web User Group meeting on this date. This information has been appended to the end of this article. 

Following the Lab’s announcement that last names will be returning to Second Life  later in 2018 (see my post here), Oz and  Patch Linden have been providing further details on the change.

Patch has been commenting on the forum thread related to this topic (and the Lab’s 15th anniversary blog post in general), starting here, and I’ve also quoted him below.

Oz Linden took time to address questions on the subject at the Content Creation User Group (CCUG) meeting on Thursday, March 22nd.

The following is a summary of what has been said thus far, predominantly using Oz Linden’s comments at the CCUG meeting. I’ve attempted to summarise the key points as series of short topics, and have included audio extracts of Oz’s comments with each topic.

Note that the audio extracts draw together related comments voiced at different points in the session, as Oz addressed questions. I hope that presenting them in this way, rather than just chronologically as they came up at the meeting, helps to present a clearer picture of what is being planned.

In General

As the original blog post indicated, the return of last names will be coming later in 2018 – not in the immediate future. There are some back-end changes to SL which need to be made before last names can make a return, so it would seem like “later in 2018” users might be read as “late 2018”.

That is not something that we’re going to be able to deliver real quickly. Don’t look for it in the next few weeks. But it is on the road map for this year, and we’ll try to make it better than the very end of the year, but there are a couple of things that have to get fixed on the back-end before that can work.

Oz Linden, CCUG meeting, March 22nd, 2018

With the introduction of this system, Agent IDs will become the primary means of link names to avatars. As noted below, this means that those scripting items which require avatar details, and who don’t use Agent IDs might want to start thinking about revising their scripts to do so.

In Summary

  • The plan is to allow people to change their first and last name whenever they wish.
  • As with the “old” system, users will be able to choose whatever first name they like, then select their last name from a pre-set list of available names.
    • The list of last names will be routinely refreshed.
    • The Lab is considering accepting suggestions from users.
  • Once a name combination has been created, it is forever tied to that avatar, it cannot be used by anyone else, even if the “owner” later changes their name, or their account is deactivated.
  • Previous names will be retained by the system, so:
    • If you can remember someone’s previous name, you can search on that and get their current name.
    • Users will be able to switch back to previous names they have used, as well as select new names as the list changes.
  • Unicode will not be supported when entering a first name.
  • The first name / last name capability will not replace Display Names1.

This has no effect on display names and largely I do not anticipate we will change how display names work. If anything, it somewhat sunsets the need for them.

Patch Linden, March 22nd, forum thread

  • There will be a fee associated with changing your name (which has still to be determined).
    • The fee is liable to be “large enough” to prevent people simply constantly changing name just to use the “good names” up.

  • Advice from the Lab to scripters:
    • Given this change is coming, scripters who have a need to same avatar details should start to consider doing so by Agent ID, not first name / last name.
    • The Lab will most likely provide an API for resolving first name / last name into a valid Agent ID.

In the forum thread, Patch also reiterates the uniqueness of first name / last name combinations, as noted above.

No hiding of names. First name and surname combos will have to be unique like they are today. A couple of other questions that came up – no re-use of retired names, once a name has been used, it belongs to that account forever. We keep a transnational name change history. Only standard English characters will be permitted.

Patch Linden, March 22nd, forum thread.

I’ll have more on the return of Last Names as information becomes available, mostly like much nearer the time the feature is ready to deploy. In the meantime, Patch may post further information on the forum thread, so it might be worth keeping and eye on that.

Update From the Web User Group, March 28th, 2018

  • “Original / legacy” last names will not be re-opened for use.
  • New users joining Second Life will still be given the automatic “last name” of “Resident”, but have the option of changing if they wish.
  • The fee for name changes has not been announced, however, at this point the indication is that the fee will be in fiat currency (i.e. US dollars) not Linden Dollars.

Update From the Town Hall Meeting, April 20th, 2018

  • Intimation that the name change capability might be a Premium-only benefit.
  • Indication that if available to Premium and Basic, Premium members will have an (at the time of reporting) unspecified advantage over Basic account holders.

  1. Oz indicated that Display Names will not be replaced due to the work involved in removing the functionality. It’s also worth noting that – depending on the fee levied for name changes – people  who have multiple characters associated with their avatar for role-play, etc., and so frequently change their name, might find using Display Names remains more convenient / cost-effective means of doing so once the first name / last name capability is deployed.

Idle Rogue’s Cirque de Nuit

Posted on by R.

Night Circus

Hi there! It’s your Dance Correspondent, R. Crap Mariner.

Where do I begin with Idle Rogue and the Guerilla Burlesque group that performs there? They were the first group I saw performing in Second Life, although I should have seen them sooner if I hadn’t have been such a lazyass with all those invitations, oh, how I regret my foolish ways!

When I was listening to Grace McDunnough perform at After Dark, why did I not cam around the sim and see that theatre and get curious? Is Grace that mesmerizing with her sweet, dulcet tones?

Damn you! Damn you and your sweet dulcet tones, siren! The path of my life is paved with the cement of regrets and tears.

But let us not live mired in sorrow, but look to the future. And in Idle Rogue Production’s future we see their upcoming show Cirque du Nuit:

Idle Rogue Productions are presenting the very successful Le Cirque de Nuit again this Easter, with performances at 7pm on March 30th, 31st and April 1st , and a matinee performance at 3pm on March 31st.

Directed by Blaze DeVivre, with the assistance of Sho Kyong, and produced by chryblnd Scribe, this year’s production will feature new acts, new dancers, new art installations and perhaps a little something we haven’t done before.

Billed as “a steampunk circus in black and white”, Le Cirque de Nuit pays loose homage to The Night Circus, a novel by Erin Morgenstern, which tells the tale of an enchanted circus traveling the globe during the Victorian era. Our production features dance acts with themes of circus, illusion and steampunk, and the strictly black-and-white acts are interspersed by colourful art installations from Second Life artists and musicians.

This production debuted in 2014 and has since presented some of the most innovative dance creations in Second Life. It is beloved by all who have seen it, with its breath-taking special effects and an elegant ambiance you will not forget.

The opening night performance on March 30th will be exclusive to members of the Guerilla Burlesque Exclusive group.

Production enquiries should be directed to chryblnd Scribe. Media inquiries should be addressed to Aubreya Joszpe.

As for bookings:

Bookings for the 2018 season of Le Cirque De Nuit open on March 22nd at 4:00pm. From that hour onward, you will be able to IM Saturday Melody in-world to add your name to the allocation list, time stamps will ensure bookings are processed fairly. Leave a message indicating your first and second performance preferences and the names of those in your booking. Be sure to check the Auto-response message that will be generated when you open Saturday’s IM for updated details for any scheduling changes.

NOTE: Idle Rogue’s fan group – Guerilla Burlesque Exclusive – receive first and best preference to all shows on Idle Rogue. This affects bookings as follows:

March 30 – 7pm performance – Guerilla Burlesque Exclusive only
March 31 – 3pm performance – 20 seats for exclusive group, 20 seats for general admission
March 31 – 7pm performance – 20 seats for exclusive group, 20 seats for general admission
April 1 – 7pm performance – 20 seats for exclusive group, 20 seats for general admission

The sim will be locked to all but those whose names are on the access list at each show, unless the seat limit of 40 guests total is not filled, at which time the sim will be opened for general audience intake. Please allow for the Linden Lab limitation of 10% of the avatar limit (5-10 avatars)held for premium memberships. While we will do everything within our capacity to ensure you can access the sim on the night you have booked, please note this arrangement is a courtesy only and no obligation is implied.

That’s the TL;DR, but I want to know more. What is Idle Rogue about and what do they do there? What’s the appeal of Cirque du Nuit and how are they going about to create this in Second Life?

I know I want to know. So, let’s go exploring, shall we?

DIRECT ME TO THE DIRECTOR…

Blaze DeVivre is directing this year’s Cirque de Nuit, and she teleported me to the build in-progress to talk.

Blaze at Cirque du Nuit

Beyond the wrought-iron fence and gates at the landing area, a gigantic big-top tent with the stage and seating was coming together. Underneath the stage, artists were loading their interstitial builds for the production.

Before we got into Cirque de Nuit, I pretended not to know what Idle Rogue and Guerilla Burlesque are, despite shooting photos of them for over a year and getting to know the performers, just so we could start off with a good introduction to this interview.

“Guerilla Burlesque started as a troupe of dancers who would do back-up for live performers in SL,” said Blaze, playing along. “Idle Rogue has always had a live music component to it, and Cherry managed some performers, then brought her two loves, dance and live music together. They started doing dance shows around the time I was rezzed, wanting to expand on the fledgling Virtual Burlesque movement that came about at that time.”

GETTING HER START

Where did Blaze get her start in all of this?

“I was going to events at IR before performing with GB, enjoying many good laughs and fun nights from DJs to live music. Early on, I got hooked up with the Aussies because I am a night owl. I lurked at their shows for about a year before I found out they were auditioning for new members. I had always had in interest in dance and particularly burlesque but not the ability to make it happen in RL, besides it is way better in here (and cheaper to create).”

Because I was working on a not-so-to secret project of a dance performance to demonstrate to y’all how easy or hard it is to do, I asked Blaze was it hard to learn dance performance? And, more importantly, how fun is it?

“it was hard. I had a steep learning curve in SL since I did not come from a gaming background, it was all new to me, but that difficulty was exactly what kept me coming back. The ability to create something here that was a composite of my love of visual art and music just grabbed me like no other art form ever did.”

“I have created with many media outside of the digital. I worked a lot with fibres and collage, very texture based sensory. I had been an art major at one time, so all the usual drawing and painting as well. I think it is that love of collage that translates best to SL, finding all the bits and pieces, from animations to props and costumes and gluing them together to make acts.”

Continue reading “Idle Rogue’s Cirque de Nuit” →

Sansar mid-March release overview

Posted on by Inara Pey
/point and /raisehand emotes

On Tuesday, March 20th, Linden Lab deployed the mid-March Sansar update. This release builds on some capabilities added in recent Sansar updates, but also sees the removal of some functionality.

The release notes provide full information on the new features, updates, documentation changes and resolved / known issues within the release. The following is a general overview of the update’s key changes.

Initial Notes

  • As with Sansar deployments, this update requires the automatic download and installation of a client update.
  • One launching the client the first time, following update, the log-in splash screen’s Remember Me option will be unchecked, and needed to be re-checked for log-in information to be correctly retained by the client.
  • Changes to the avatar inventory support means that on logging-in for the first time following the update, users will be placed in the LookBook (Avatar App).

New Client Events Option and Events Creation

The new Events icon (on the Atlas display

Recently, the Lab added a new Events page to the Web version of the Sansar Atlas. With the mid-March release, a similar option has been added to the Sansar client, as well as the ability for Sansar experience owners to create and list their own experiences.

Displaying and creating events are both accessed through a new Client UI icon – the Calendar icon. On the Atlas display, this appears directly under the LookBook icon (see right), while within an experience it is located below the Atlas icon.

Clicking the icon will open the Events app.  This can display events in one of three ways:

  • Featured events: the default view – as curated by the Sansar team.
  • All events – all upcoming events.
  • My events – the events you have created.

Both Featured and All events are listed in date / time order.

The client events display with Featured events (default) selected

Creating An Event

Events are created by clicking on the Create An Event option in the Events app. This opens the Create Event panel. This is fairly self-explanatory, and all sections should be completed. Those needing detailed instructions should refer to Adding your events to the calendar in the Sansar documentation. However, there are some points that should be noted:

  • Currently, you can only create events that you are hosting within your own experiences.
  • There is a known issue: if you delete the experience associated with one of your upcoming events, the event listing disappears but the time slot remains in use, preventing you from creating another event at that time. Those encountering this problem should submit a request to Sansar customer support, making sure to include a new URL for a valid Sansar experience.

See also: Sansar Event Guidelines.

The Create Experience panel

Terrain Editor Removal

Starting with the mid-March release, Linden Lab is removing the terrain editor tool from Sansar. This is as a result of recent investigation in Sansar’s performance revealed the height maps created using the tool could adversely affect performance in both the Run-time and Edit modes. This means that as of this release, the terrain editor has been disabled, and:

  • It will no longer be possible to upload new height maps.
  • It will no longer be possible to list new height maps on the Store, either uploaded or those already in inventory.
  • It will no longer be possible to pull terrain sculpts from inventory for use in a scene.
  • It will no longer be possible to paint, sculpt, reposition, rotate, etc., terrain in scene.
  • Terrain elements will still work as expected in published experiences, but again, they will not be editable within the experience’s scene.

Creators who have used the terrain editor  / height maps in their experiences are encouraged to remove / replace them between now and the end of April. From the end of April all such items will be replaced with a place-holder asset.

The Lab is offering to work with creators to ease the transition, and offer  notes on working with terrain using alternatives through third-party tools – Maya, World Machine, Terragen 4 and ZBrush 4R8.

Ability to Update Scripts

The mid-March release adds the ability for scripters to offer script updates through the Sansar Store. Full instructions are provided in the Selling Items in the Sansar Store knowledge base article – but again, take note that at this point in time, updating items only applies to scripts (the article implies any item can be updated).

Avatar Related Updates

The mid-March updates bring a number of avatar related updates.

Further Avatar Gestures / Emotes and Triggers

Two further avatar emotes (aka gestures have been added to Sansar:

  • /raisehand.
  • /point.

Both are fairly self-explanatory. In addition. upper / lower body gestures can now be combined, so avatar can now dance and clap (enter /dance in local chat and then enter /clap). Such combinations can be done when running or walking as well.

Avatar Inventory improvements

  • Visible item names: clothing and accessory names are now being surfaced in the avatar customisation inventory.
  • Right-click menu:  the small green triangle at the corner of clothing and accessories item has been removed. Right-click on accessories and clothing items to discover action items that apply to that item.

Diagnostic Tool updates

The diagnostic tools added in the February release have been updated:

Triangle Density is now split into two modes:

  • Triangle Density mode – Screen space – This Triangle density mode calculates triangle density per pixel.
  • Triangle Density mode – World space – This Triangle density mode calculates triangle density relative to the size of the world.

In addition two new options have been added:

  • Wireframe – Outlines all visible triangles in a scene to help you identify geometry that can be simplified in order to reduce primitive count and triangle density.
  • Lighting Complexity – Provides information regarding the number of lights illuminating the same area in the scene.

Other Items

  • C# script files can now be up to 1MB.
  • Voices will travel much further from the avatar in the direction the avatar faces. On the flip side, voice will travel less from behind an avatar.
  • Performance optimisation,  including texture compression upon scene loading.

Again for full details of the release, please refer to the release notes.

Second Life: Last names to return – Linden Lab

Posted on by Inara Pey

Update, March 22nd: At the Content Creation User Group meeting, Oz Linden indicated the return of last names will be somewhat similar to the “old” system – users select a last name from a list. However, people will be able to change their names as often as they like (although a fee will apply). See more in my summary update.

He also indicated that the Lab might take suggestions from users for last names which can be included in the various sets of names offered.

As promised during the VWBPE 2018 conversation with Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg and Brett Atwood (Brett Linden), Senior Manager for Marketing at Linden Lab, the company has provided a blog post presenting something of a “roadmap” for Second Life.

The post, which also serves as something of a launch of Second Life’s 15th anniversary, starts with a recap of the Mainland price restructuring announced on March 14th, 2018, and goes on to provide an interesting list of items – some of which could prove to be highly popular.

Key among these is the promise that – after years of requests – last names will be returning to Second Life.

No time frame is given – beyond later this year. Note that this is not necessarily the return of the “old” system of last names, but appears to be a means for people to more readily change their last name, the blog post stating:

The return of Last Names – You’ve asked for it (a lot!), so we will provide a way to customize your last name in Second Life! More details will be available later this year.

Another item which may well be of interest to existing users is a new attempt by the Lab to raise the level of new user retention within Second Life, with the post noting:

Themed Learning Islands – Getting connected to people who share your interests will be easier than ever with “Themed Learning Islands.” Soon newcomers may start their adventures in one of several themed areas, so their first experience in SL will be among Residents who share similar interests. This new initiative is in addition to our existing Community Gateway program which empowers independent communities to develop their own newcomer-friendly experiences.

Speaking at a recent Third-Party Developer meeting, Grumpity Linden, a Senior Product Manager at Linden Lab provided an overview of what this will entail:

Another intriguing change will see the Mainland Land Auction system overhauled, including integration with Place Pages and the ability for users to auction their own land.

Merchants are liable to be interested in the news that the Marketplace will see improvement, with the blog post noting:

We’ve got a number of improvements to Marketplace in the works, too! We’re integrating many long-requested features that will help to reduce clutter and improve the functionality of listings as the Marketplace gets a facelift later this year.

Among the more general items listed in the blog post – at least for those who follow this blog  – is a summary of some of the new capabilities and updates which are coming to Second Life:

  • Animesh.
  • Bakes on Mesh.
  • Environmental Enhancement Project (EEP).

All three are primarily covered in my Content Creation User Group updates.

It’s also worthwhile that alongside of the EEP work mentioned in the blog post, there is also a project – no time frame available – to improve the Second Life’s atmospheric shaders – which could help update SL’s general appearance and more easily allow atmospheric effects like Godrays.

The work to move Second Life to the cloud gets a mention in the blog post. Credit: Linden Lab / Amazon Web Services Inc.

The work to move Second Life to the cloud also gets a mention – and I’ll have a blog post on this up and available soon, largely as a result of the VWBPE 2018 event mentioned above, and also comments made by Ebbe Altberg and Oz Linden at a recent Third-Party Developer meeting. In the meantime, the blog post notes the work to enhance and improve SL’s performance both on the server-side and in the viewer.

Elsewhere. it is noted that Premium members will see further benefits as the year unfolds:

  • Additional benefits for merchants with Premium membership, which may have come out of / been hinted at during Web User Group meetings.
  • Linden Homes are going to get a (long overdue) revamp.
  • Premium users  will be able to run Experiences that are enabled anywhere on the grid (unless specifically blocked by a landowner). This is again something many Experience creators have requested since the introduction of Experiences.

Finally – and as some have noted with the arrival of new region groups on the grid in recent weeks – a further new Experience-based game is on the way. Expect to see that, according to the official blog post, closer to the actual SL15B celebrations.

All told, the list of 15 expectations is an interesting mix of news, some of which those actively engaged in Second Life will already be aware, as note. Others – again, perhaps notably the upcoming return of last names – could generate excitement among users. I’m personally keen to see the new themed learning islands, and will hopefully have more information on them as the project launches in the new future. I’ll also continue to cover the technical enhancements to the platform through my weekly project updates.

The Bees and the Bears in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Cica Ghost: Bees and Bears

Cica Ghost opened her new installation on March 21st, offering visitors the opportunity to spend a little time with the Bees and the Bears. Like 50 Cats (see here for more), it is a whimsical piece, one which might put some visitors in mind of a certain Bear of Very Little Brain and his love of honey – although the furry characters here are far removed from any A.A. Milne.

The humour in the piece is evident from the About Land description, in which Cica poses a question and gives the answer:

Q: What do you call a bears without ears?
A: B’s.

Cica Ghost: Bees and Bears

Sitting under a blue-orange sky is a garden like island, rich in tall daisies (be sure to collect your own daisy from the sign at the landing point). Up on the hills to the north-east sits a little village of  bee hives – the kind you might usually find hanging from the bough of a tree.

But these are not ordinary bee hives: each one is unique – some appear to have been knitted (and resemble boiled egg cosies), other appear to be made of wood, some are woven. All are home to a happy colony of bees – some of whom can be found asleep in their beds, others are setting out for work, little bags for collecting pollen carried in their legs.

Cica Ghost: Bees and Bears

The bears of the title appear to be a father and son. They live in a little cottage across the garden from the bee village, and their relationship with their buzz-ee neighbours looks to be a happy one. Among the daisies, papa bear is hauling a little trailer with a jar of honey in it, a little group of smiling bees watching him. More jars can be found neatly stacked in the cottage, outside of which another happy bee seems to be enjoying a conversation with Junior bear.

As is usual for Cica’s builds. there’s more to be found here: places to sit (mouse-over likely spots … tree stumps, red flowers….), some of which over single, static poses and others have a combination of static and animated poses. There’s also “beemobiles” to be found at various points. These are auto-rezzers; jump into one and it will sit you in version you can drive – just use the arrow / WASD keys when seated. And keep an eye out for giant Cica, as she keeps an eye on all that’s going on.

Cica Ghost: Bees and Bears

Bees and Bears is another delight from Cica. Light-hearted, whimsical and fun to explore. Like 50 Cats before it, it will put a smile on your lips – and perhaps give a little reminder of the important role bees play in our ecosystem.

SLurl Details

2018 SL UG updates #12/1: Simulator User Group

Posted on by Inara Pey

Sanctuary; Inara Pey, February 2018, on FlickrSanctuary – blog post

Server Deployments

As always, please refer to the server deployment thread for the latest updates.

  • There was no deployment / restart to the Main (SLS) channel on Tuesday, March 6th, leaving it on server maintenance package 18#18.02.12.512536.
  • The main RC channel should be updated as follows on Wednesday, March 21st:
    • The BlueSteel RC should receive a new server maintenance package. 18#18.03.17.513365 is said to comprise “internal fixes”.
    • The LeTigre and Magnum regions should receive a new server maintenance package. 18#18.03.14.513292, comprising internal fixes, additional logging to help diagnose an issue with in-world HTTP servers returning HTTP 503 (BUG-214702); add two new capabilities: one to request IMs that were delivered to the requesting agent while the agent was off-line; one to request the most up to date list of abuse report categories.

New Capabilities

The new capabilities in 18#18.03.14.513292 for Magnum and LeTigre are the first part of a set of server an viewer updates.

  • The new IM cap is to overcome of off-line IMs failing to be delivered when a user logs in. Currently, these are delivered via UDP, whether or not the viewer is ready to receive them. With the new capability (once grid-wide and implemented within the viewer), the viewer will request off-line IMs, which the server will package and deliver to the viewer via HTTP.
  • The new abuse report cap will replace the need for the viewer to have AR categories hard-coded into it. Once fully deployed, and a viewer update released, it will mean the view will request the current list of AR categories from the server when starting up, making the management of the list easier, and hopefully reducing the number of ARs filed under outdated categories.

SL Viewer Updates

There have been no updates to the current selection of official viewer at the start of the week, leaving the pipelines as follows:

  • Current Release version 5.1.2.512803, dated February 23rd, promoted March 1st – formerly the Nalewka Maintenance RC.
  • Release channel cohorts
  • Project viewers:
  • Linux Spur viewer, version 5.0.9.329906, dated November 17th, 2017 and promoted to release status 29 November – offered pending a Linux version of the Alex Ivy viewer code.
  • Obsolete platform viewer, version 3.7.28.300847, May 8th, 2015 – provided for users on Windows XP and OS X versions below 10.7.

Region Crossings

As noted over the last few weeks, user Joe Magarac (animats) has been digging into region crossings, particularly looking at the issue of avatars getting unseated from vehicles (See Firestorm JIRA FIRE-21915, this SL Forum thread, and this Google document, plus my last update here for more).

His latest approach involves adding a script to a vehicle effectively turns off physics and freezes the vehicle when received by a new region until it can confirm the associated avatar data has arrived (using llGetObjectDetails (avatar, [OBJECT_ROOT]) to check for the presence of avatars). On confirming the avatars are present, the script check the vehicle is allowed to resume.

“The typical freeze time is 40-120ms in addition to the regular region crossing delay, so you barely notice.” Joe told me in discussing the approach, which he has now made available to those wishing to test it using a simple motorbike build. “For double region crossings, the vehicle should slow down, although not by too much. I’ve also tried the same script in aircraft, and it seems to work.”

Joe continued, “Right now, I want to see if it ever fails. Issues are logged to an external server, so I can see what’s going on. I’d also love to get some of the SL motorcycle clubs involved in testing , so I’m giving out these test bikes. However, if anyone wants to test the script with their own vehicles, they can contact me for a copy, and I’ll be happy to work with them.”

Again, this workaround isn’t intended to solve all region crossing issues (e.g. it won’t stop “rubber banding” or address motion prediction – which the Lab sees as probably too aggressive), but it should help with full or partial avatar unsits; so those interested in given it a go are welcome to drop Joe a line.

Other Items

SL Messaging Layer

“I’m looking at the messaging layer; that seems to be the problem behind a lot of laggy things,” Simon Linden stated during the SUG meeting, revealing some of his recent work.

“There’s been a lot of learning. That code is complicated and there’s actually a lot of wisdom written into it, but I’ve found it doesn’t really do the best things when packet loss increases. The most basic thing I’ve found is that the estimated times based on pings used for time-outs can grow too fast: like on a 100ms connection, it can jump up to using 5-10 seconds. There’s a balancing act between resending data, and thinking it needs tons of time to get there.

“It really goes bad if a ping packet or the reply gets lost. SL just uses the same time-out for each retry – that’s another part that could be smarter.”

Defining this as an “interesting” part of the code, he’s reasonably certain it could be doing things better – and in doing so, could also help with region crossings and overall updates.

He also noted that also the SL bandwidth code is broken. This appears largely due to the volume of traffic going over the HTTP caps and via the CDN(s), which isn’t counted. “So I’m pretty sure we clog up a narrow pipeline more than we should,” he added.