Category: Linden Lab

Linden Lab blogs full availability of SL Mobile App

Posted on by Inara Pey
Outside my Linden Home on the SL Mobile App, November 14th, 2024 (unedited / retouched)

A little over a week since quietly making it available to all Second Life accounts types, on Thursday November 21st Linden Lab officially blogged that all Second Life users can now download and make use of the SL Mobile App (available on both Android and iOS) – see Second Life Mobile is here!

The original November 14th move to make SL Mobile available to all was followed by a special Zoom telecon with a number of Second Life bloggers, during which – and among other things – the Lab specifically discussed Mobile and its development and their hopes for it.

Engaged in that call were Executive Chairman Brad Oberwager, CTO Philip Rosedale, VP of Engineering and Product, Grumpity Linden, and chief Mobile developer Adam Frisby  – who some may know for his former involvement in Second Life and his role in creating the Sine Space virtual world (or as it was once known, sinewave.space), whilst being hosted by Brett Linden.

As one of those able to participate in the discussion, I presented a summary of the commentary surrounding SL Mobile in Second Life Mobile: free to all users & Lab execs discuss the product and goals, and a few of the points made in that article are likely worth repeating here:

  • Currently, the product is still officially regarded a “Beta” – it is still being improved based on feedback, and new features are being developed for future integration.
  • Capabilities are being added in terms of user “journeys” – that is, if someone wants to do X in SL, what capabilities / functionality / abilities do they require? The first such “journey” focused on going something in-world – such as a club or venue, etc., – and doing something, and what that would entail (being able to see the scene, move, chat, IM, view profiles, tip performers etc).
  • The App is not – and most likely will not – ever be seen as a “replacement” for access Second Life via a desktop / laptop; not is it ever likely to be as feature-capable as the desktop viewer.
  • Broadly speaking, SL Mobile has been developed with two primary audience in mind:
    • Existing users – as a means for them to enhance their SL experience by continuing  engage with the platform and their friends during those times of the say when it might not be practical to utilise the desktop viewer in order to do so.
    • “Lapsed” users who have left SL, many of whom have responded to the Lab reaching out to them by saying Second Life doesn’t address their preference for using mobile to access the things they want to do, rather than being reliant on a desktop environment.
  • Linden Lab is seeking feedback on the App, particularly if issues are encountered / persistent. However, when reviewing the App on Google Play or the Apple Store, LL do ask that users keep in mind that SL Mobile is not feature complete, and is being built iteratively, and so not all desired functionality may be there when using it.

Alongside the announcement, the Lab promoted a short video first seen with the “soft” opening of the App’s availability on November 14th, and which is presented below.

Personal Notes

I’ve been using the SL Mobile App since it was first made available for Premium account holders, and as such have watching its development since then. While my own experience with the App has been problematic – and potentially the result of a range of factors outside of SL and the Lab’s control (quality of wi-fi, for example), I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen in terms of development and progress. However, given I personally have little use for the App (I work from home and so my PC is always within easy reach when I have time for SL), and given its (until recently) limited availability, I’ve not covered it to a great degree going forward.

That said, I will continue to cover the App in my Viewer Release page and weekly viewer release summaries, and as as result of the App now being available to all, I will attempt to report on significant updates going forward, for those interested.

Related Links

 

Second Life Mobile: free to all users & Lab execs discuss the product and goals

Posted on by Inara Pey

On Wednesday, November 13th, Linden Lab quietly made the SL Mobile App available to all users.

The release was somewhat low-key to help minimise the impact of users piling on to the Google and Apple stores and becoming frustrated if they found themselves unable to access the app and download it due to the volume of demand. 
Table of Contents

As a part of the opening of availability of the App, Linden Lab hosted a mini round-table via Zoom at which SL Mobile was discussed, and a little look behind the curtain for the App and its history was given. The following is a summary of some of what was stated / revealed.

SL Mobile Credit: Linden Lab

On Developing the App and Initially Limiting Access

There were many ways SL Mobile could have been developed; in 2019, for example, it was indicated that LL was working on an iOS client focused on communications (see: Second Life: LL confirm iOS client in the making). However, this work was suspended at some point, most likely so a better solution could be sought.

As was noted in the Zoom discussion, there were multiple paths to take, and how best to present the a Mobile app to an audience of Second Life users. One question in particular that had to be addressed was how to present the app to users; its development involved many challenge such that simply opening it up to all users from the first instance was not considered as really feasible, because the feedback could be overwhelming. The release needed to be limited in some way whilst still allowing for the necessary feedback.

So what is the best way to limit it? It is to limit it to people who have really committed financially, as well as in various other ways [to Second Life], and subscribers were they way that we could do this. It’s not like we really wanted to paywall it forever; we just wanted to open it up to smaller audiences, get feedback, get a lot of iteration, and that’s what we’ve been getting from the community, and it’s been fantastic.

Senior Vice President of Product and Engineering, Grumpity Linden

Features and Intent

In terms of which features the Lab decided to focus on in particular for Mobile, the approach taken was to think in terms of “user journeys”: identifying a specific activity users enjoy doing in Second Life – such as socialising, be it at a club or similar venue, or getting out and about with others – and what are the key capabilities involved in that experience: moving, teleporting, communicate, see what’s going on, hear what’s going on (music), look-up profiles, etc. Then building-out those capabilities iteratively, before moving to another journey – such as enhancing avatar customisation options, and start an iterative process that could result in a more rounded means to management inventory on Mobile.

This next journey – subject to official confirmation – might be enhancing avatar customisation through the App. Again, this will not mean a complete set of customisation and inventory management tools being made available at once, but will again be an iterative process, with options and capabilities  added over time to improve the experience.

However, it is important to remember that the aim with Mobile is to augment people’s Second Life, offering an adjunct to the viewer. It is not intended to emulate / reproduce all of the functionality available within the desktop viewer.

The idea is not to create a simpler experience, say akin to Fortnite, on Mobile, where one can “play” Second Life and have the whole experience on the Mobile App.  We don’t actually know, and are inclined to disbelieve, that would ever be possible. What we’re trying to do instead right now somewhat better by using Mobile; maybe it’s getting messages; maybe it’s finding new places … maybe it’s doing something you like to do every day, but do it in Mobile because you’re on a bus or something; but we’re not trying to design the Mobile client to replace Second Life on the desktop. 

– Philip Rosedale, Linden Lab CTO

SL Mobile (Credit: Linden Lab)

Audience

Broadly speaking, SL Mobile has been developed with two primary audience in mind:

  • Existing users – as a means for them to enhance their SL experience by continuing  engage with the platform and their friends during those times of the say when it might not be practical to utilise the desktop viewer in order to do so.
  • “Lapsed” users who have left SL, many of whom have responded to the Lab reaching out to them by saying Second Life doesn’t address their preference for using mobile to access the things they want to do, rather than being reliant on a desktop environment.

One thing the Mobile app is not intended for – at least for the foreseeable future – is the on-boarding of users entirely new to SL; the learning curves involved in becoming comfortable with SL and engaging with it are seen as being too complex / steep at this point in time. Which is not so say the Lab will not be seeking to resume marketing SL to potential new users; far from it, as Brad Oberwager, the Lab’s co-owner and Executive Chairman, noted:

What we are going to do is to start driving people to the desktop and see what happens. That is in play, and that’s good for everybody here. The more people we can all bring in, the better Second Life will be for everybody.

Reception

One of the downsides to the iterative approach taken thus far with SL Mobile has been that it has received extremely poor feedback on both Google Play and the Apple Store. Much of this appears to revolve around perceived incompleteness, possibly as a result of users jumping in and expecting a fully-rounded product and becoming frustrated when they discover functionality is missing.

In this respect, it is again important to remember that SL Mobile is still very much in a beta stage of development, and the iterative process will continue; as such people do need to offer some patience in terms of “missing” features, etc. While the negative feedback has been a source of frustration and disappointment for the Lab, measures are being considered to correct it- be it by resetting the app on the Apple Store and by continuing to offer a better and better product. At the same time, as Lead Developer Adam Frisby noted, the number of poor reviews is hardly insurmountable in the scheme of things .

Trying SL Mobile

As noted, SL Mobile is now available to everyone on both the Apple Store and Google Play, and the links for more information are below. If you are keen to try out out, again, please remember, this is not a final release – as noted above, SL Mobile is still in beta, so please keep this in mind when reviewing the app. That said, if you do encounter issues or bugs, do please file a report with the Lab .

Related Links

Philip Rosedale Community Round Table, Nov 2024, with videos + Audio

Posted on by Inara Pey
Philip Liden (Rosedale) at the Community Round Table, November 1st, 2024
On Friday, November 1st, 2024, Linden Lab held a Community Round Table event featuring Philip Rosedale, the co-founder of Second Life, and new-appointed Chief Technology Officer and returning member of the board of Linden Lab.

The session comprises two parts:

  • A  main session addressing questions submitted in advance and questions from the audience.
  • An additional session with Philip Rosedale, but which was not part of the official recording.

The main session lasted just over an hour, the official video for which is embedded below. However, this is not intended to be a full transcript, but a summary of comments / responses. In addition:

  • Notes are not necessarily in chronological order; where it has appeared logical to do so, I have attempted to group comments under common headings.
  • So that the context of questions and answers might be fully understood, links are provided to the specific point in the video where they are made and the question can be heard.
  • Audio extracts have been edited to remove pauses, incomplete or self-corrected comments/ sentences, and/or repetition, and that care has been taken to ensure said edits do not alter the overall context and meaning expressed.
 Table of Contents

Further, as the session continued after the official video had ceased recording. I have also included Pantera Północy’s video, which is set to start at the point at which the official video ends. However, given the informal nature of the discussion, I have not includes any form of transcript for this section.

Who Is Philip Rosedale?

Just for those who may not be fully familiar with Philip Rosedale’s name / past.

  • Came to prominence in 1995 as the creator of FreeVue, an Internet video conferencing product, and acquired by RealNetworks, with Rosedale becoming RealNetwork’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in 1996.
  • Departing RealNetworks in 1999, he founded Linden Research Inc. (operating as Linden Lab), a company initially focused on the potential of virtual reality.
  • As a part of this work, Linden Lab created LindenWorld, and the company pivoted to a focus on the idea of creating an open-ended, Internet-connected virtual world – Second Life.
  • Departing Linden Lab in 2010, Rosedale worked on a number of projects, including Love Machine, Coffee and Power and, from 2013 onwards, High Fidelity, a VR-centric, distributed virtual environment.
  • High Fidelity shuttered it VR-focused work in 2019, pivoting to spatial audio product and patent development.
  • In 2022, High Fidelity became an investor in Linden Lab in a move which saw a transfer of personnel and patents to Linden Lab, with Rosedale taking on a (not full-time) role of Technical Advisor.
  • In 2023, Rosedale founder In Reality Lab (IRL415), ” a lab and community in San Francisco working on hard tech to improve the human condition by increasing trust and coordination between individuals and groups.”
  • On October 30th, 2024, it was announced that Rosedale had been appointed to the role of CTO at Linden Lab and would be resuming a seat on the board. He has effectively been in the CTO full-time since the start of October 2024.
  • He holds a B.S. in physics from University of California, San Diego.

Initial Comments

[Video: 2:08-7:27]

  • Notes that he is back at the Lab full-time as CTO and on the board, and has been so since the start of October.
  • Acknowledges the work of Brad Oberwager and the other investors in acquiring Linden Lab and in working to revitalise and update Second Life.
  • Comments that the company is “again” successful as a business and has  “extra money” to hire people, and the ability to pursue projects.
  • Confirms that IRL415 has been quite successful in its own right, and is now operating as something of a “sub-project” based in the same building in San Francisco as Linden Lab [Battery Street, presumably].
  • Indicates he is happy to be back, and acknowledges all the warm messages he received following the announcement.
  • Hopes that in addition to the Community Round Table event, he hopes that this event marks the start of a broader conversation between Linden Lab and its users in Second Life.
  • References he has been active WRT Second Life on various social media channels, and has formed an in-world group – Friends of Philip – which he encourages people to join as a means of communicating with him.

On Second Life and  Technology

On Keeping Pace with Hardware Development

[Video: 7:54-10:16]

  • Notes that many SL users have been engaged in Second life for more than 10 years.
  • Many people using SL depend on it in a manner unlike MMOs or on-line games, and to them it is more like a necessity like a cell phone than a “game”.
  • As such, believes that only support the most recent generations of home computer hardware is far more ethically fraught for Second Life than for MMOs and games, as it comes with far greater risk in impacting people’s lives and ability to connect with other to a far greater degree.
  • In this, notes that this is why LL has been so focused on recovering viewer performance across the board following the recent impact of issues associated with [but not necessarily all the result of] the deployment of PBR Materials support in SL.
  • Thus, as much as it is important to keep improving things like the graphics fidelity of SL, Linden Lab has to recognise who is actually using the platform across the board, and not “cut off” large swaths of the user community as has been the case recently, to whom LL apologies.

On VR and Second Life

[Video: 10:19-11:30]

  • Believes one of the most mind-blowing things about VR Chat is being able to see your own avatar from a first-person perspective; “wearing” your avatar.
  • The challenge here is that VR headset [usage?] is growing far too slowly. Would love to find a way to Second Life in VR, but LL does not have the resources to write a VR viewer from scratch.
  • LL are thinking about VR in terms of the more distant future, but not thinking about it right now.

On AI and Second Life

[Video: 11:32-14:12]

  • Notes that LL has been carrying out a number of “alpha tests” of AI bots [such as the one at the Welcome Hub]  acting as greeters and trying to provide help to new users.
  • States that “one of our companies here in the office” [IRL415?] has worked on some interesting back-end deployments of AI technology for SL, such as assisting with the Canny reports triage process.
  • Overall notes that the application of AI within Second Life is something LL has to be careful about, particularly with the use of AI with in-world characters – NPCs, bots, companions, etc. It’s important that AI is used – as SL is used – to bring people together, rather than a means to provide substitutes for each other.
  • Hopes that LL’s focus will continue to be in bringing people together.
  • [Video: 42:02-42:39 – whilst discussing preserving SL’s history]:
    • Notes that he is a huge fan of artificial life, and thinks “AI will get really unusual when you get actual living things moving around in an environment.”
    • Describes some of the work at IRL415 [?] in attempting to use AI create conscious, living things,”  rather than text prediction machines, etc. It’s not clear if he feels these might have future application in SL.

On Upgrading SL’s Underpinning Engine and The Viewer

[Video: 15:20-16:00]

  • SL has a complex user experience, and people need to be able to help one another in using it, and so requires a common, if  complex, user interface (UI).
  • Because of the complexities involved, LL has to plan on utilising that user experience for a long time / indefinitely, and most likely on the same engine.
  • Also because of this complexity, simply swapping out the underpinning engine is not something that can feasibly be undertaking.
  • However, that said, based on experience gain in developing Mobile, LL are evaluating the potential of building a new viewer to make SL more accessible to people who either don’t have higher-specification home computer hardware or have difficulties in understanding the UI.

On Updating  SL’s Scripting Engine

[Video: 23:09-23:42]

  • Work is in progress to enhance SL’s scripting through the use of Luau, as used by Roblox.
  • Part of this is aimed at enhancing SL’s existing scripting capability and make it easier for content creators to script in SL.
  • This is not ready for release, but is being worked on.
  • [Note: the Luau work is two distinct projects: a client-side implementation of Luau (e.g. viewer-side only); and the above work mentioned by Philip, which will allow Luau interpretation of LSL / Luau support for server-side scripting. I attempt to provide updates on both of these projects through the likes of my Content Creation, Simulator, and TPV Developer User Group Meeting summaries, as updates on the work are offered by LL.]

On the SL Mobile App

[Video: 29:45-30:55]

  • Does not believe the Mobile app will become the sole means of accessing SL; the deepest and most immersive uses of SL probably cannot be translated completely for use on mobile devices. Rather, the hope is that at some point, a new user will be able to access SL entirely via the Mobile App, but “we’re not there yet”.
  • The current focus is on getting the App to a place where it is “a little helpful for everyone”, and then maybe a “fun way to get started, even.”
  • Ultimately, Desktop will always be available, as some aspects don’t work on small screens.
  • As such believes that the Mobile App, working in concert with the Desktop viewer will help SL grow.
  • [Video: 51:42-52:25] When will SL Mobile be made available to all users?
    • LL think it is time to allow everyone to be able to try the Mobile App.
    • Expects it to be made available to all some time in the next month.
    • Reiterates that SL Mobile is not ready for people to switch over to using it in preference to the viewer.
SL Mobile – via Linden Lab

On Puppetry

[Video: 46:59-50:34]

  • [Note, whilst currently suspended, information on the Puppetry Project can be found in my Puppetry User Group meeting summaries].
  • Did follow and contribute to the Puppetry Project, but felt it might have been too biased towards content creation use cases at the expense of communications use cases.
  • Feels [as statement throughout the session] that LL needs to be more broadly focused on advances on communications capabilities such as accessibility, discovery, search, in concert with the more technical advances within the platform.
  • Sees the above approach specifically relevant to puppetry, in moving the avatar’s body more capably, rather than continuing to rely purely on animations, and cites the way his avatar moves during the session as being something of a move in that direction.
  • Certainly sees better ability to control avatar movement as a “hard” requirement for VR utilisation in SL, and puppeteering is a “big part” of that.
  • Reiterates that currently, LL is not working on puppetry at present, as to develop an implement puppetry capabilities requires a better redevelopment / use of available resources.
  • Goes on to note he’s aware this applies to a lot of SL capabilities that are “80%”, and he would like to get those to “100%”, and in this as CTO he is being more “hardcore” about better reflecting the majority of users LL is serving, not talking about features / capabilities until they are more rounded and ready.

On the User Experience

On Attracting Younger Users (e.g. from Roblox)

[Video:14:13-15:16]

  • In general, LL does not have, nor does it want, kids using Second Life.
  • Youngsters from 16 and up are allowed to use the platform, but with restricted maturity settings [13-16 years can access the platform, but only for educational purposes (e.g. associated with a school) and whilst restricted to the region hosting their educational institution(s)].
  • The worry is risk of harm for kids “on multiple levels”, such as financial exploitation, and if adults in a region do not want kids there, then there is a potential for harm to the kids.
  • Hence why LL has not made attempts to make SL appealing to younger people – but are interested in hearing viewpoints on the matter from users.

On Users / Creators Helping to Grow Second Life

[Video: 20:57-23:00]

  • Notes that we all have a role to play – as some already do through mentoring, etc.
  • Further notes that if all those engaged in Second Life were to bring-in one new person to SL every 6 months and gives them the essential one-on-one help required to get them engaged in the platform, that would bring about a sustained growth for SL.
  • As such, LL needs to design – with the help of users – the best means to enable this to happen.
  • Deeply believes that there are people in the world right now who would greatly benefit from Second Life, and that world-wide they represent far more than the current user base.

On People Using SL at the Expense of their First Life Interactions (“SL Addiction”)

[Video 17:04-18:41]

  • Whether taking about social media, apps or gaming, there is tremendous danger of addiction. However, most of the time in talking about addiction, it is in terms of exploitative dopamine loops that keep you drawn into game or behaviour mechanism.
  • SL is perhaps different in that the addictive element is having friends in-world, and those friendships are / can be as real and as meaningful as physical world friendships. Having friends in Second Life is not like having followers on Twitter/X.com; they are much closer and can be better.
  • So in many cases, SL is providing a genuine reduction in loneliness and access to friends, and there is little else on-line which enables such friendship in the same way.
  • LL therefore needs to be careful [to maintain this], and also need to be careful that they don’t cause harm.

On The Benefits of SL Use

[Video: 30:58-34:30]

  • Reads a statement from a user as to how effective Second Life can be such a beneficial medium for helping people  – notably those with disabilities, long-term illness, the elderly and similar – gain new opportunities for expression, enjoyment, finding friends, etc.
  • Sees this statement as demonstration of the need for LL to “better and better and better” who the people using SL are, and whom LL are serving, and make changes based on that (e.g. in terms of accessibility – captions, sound, text size changes, etc.).

On Avatars Appearing Naked When Rezzing / in the MP (the “Boob Problem”)

[Video 18:47-20:55]

  • Acknowledges that he made a fundamental mistake in allowing the issue of avatars appearing naked when rezzing to pass unchecked in the early days of SL, rather than making it a “P(riority) 1” issue to fix.
  • Feels it is still too easy for anyone to encounter Second Life content they may find offensive, and agrees that fixing this is something that needs to be properly considered; people should be able to come into Second Life from variety of use-cases, cultural backgrounds, etc., without being easily exposed to content that deeply offends them.
  • However, this needs to be balanced again giving people the freedom to do what they want in acceptable environments (e.g. the privacy of their own homes).
  • This balance is difficult to achieve, but also thinks it is “doable”, and users will hopefully see LL move forward over time in that regard, including further discussions on the subject.

On Second Life Payment Options

On the Use of Crypto with SL

[Video 23:44-25:00]

  • Believes that with the expansion of payment system / choices (including crypto, Zelle, etc.), LL should grow to accommodate more ways in which people can pay them for services.
  • However, there are legal and regulatory complexities involved in doing this, particularly the purchase of Linden Dollars which need to be considered.
  • States that crypto should be one of the options to be considered, if not by going “all in” (where there are considerable negatives), but rather as a further option for making payments to LL “makes a tonne of sense”.

On the Announced Suspension of Skrill as a Payment Option

[Video: 27:39-28:11]

  • LL is aware that Skrill presents the only payment option available to many Second Life users.
  • The ability to use Skrill will not be shut down until there is an available alternative.

On Second Life and Education

[Video: 44:58-46:56]

  • Believes that education is an excellent use case for VR. If people can be educated in a virtual world using VR capably, it potentially reduces the on-going cost of education as a whole, whilst greatly expanding its accessibly to all.
  • Caveats this with the need to understand VR devices, communication modality of use, non-verbal communication, in presenting education virtually.
  • Believes there are areas in which Second Life is, and always has been, effective, and hopes that this will continue, including in making SL more generally accessible with the proper safeguards against viewing potentially inappropriate content.

Miscellaneous Questions

On Paying You Tube “Influencers” to “Promote” SL

[Video 25:02-27:35]

  • In terms of general marketing, LL is going to start efforts to market the platform for growth “soon” (and re-iterates the point of users brining friends into SL).
  • States the company is very well equipped to handle marketing , and to do so in “lots of ways”.
  • However, marketing into channels like You Tube, where the audience is fairly random, is not seen as effective for a platform like Second Life, because 95% of them have no interest in becoming avatars and enter virtual worlds.
  • Has a personal belief that most people are uncomfortable with avatars due to their lack of  facial expressions / ability to use non-verbal communication cues like body language, and that until this can be overcome, SL cannot be easily offered to “anyone”.
  • As such, marketing needs to be focused, and welcomes idea from users on how such marketing might be focused onto the kinds of people who would be interested in using Second Life today.

On the Future of Mainland / Community Building

[Video: 28:13-29:41]

  • Believes that SL is unique in the way it allows people to come together and develop communities in bot the Mainland and with private islands / estates.
  • As such believes that matters like improving region crossings and governance should be prioritised.
  • In terms of governance and community building, invites people to join Friends of Philip, where he’ll be discussing possible ideas.

On Governance and Account Banning

[Video: 34:41-36:42]

  • States that given the nature of SL as an on-line community, banning should be a tool of last resort and should only happen under the most “desperate” of conditions, and believes that LL have done the “very best job” that they can in this regard.
  • Given the benefits gained to many through the use of SL and the implications of banning, wonders if there are “judicial processes” that can make things work better / provide alternatives to banning.
  • Has no answers to this [but has perhaps been asking questions relating to it], other than noting SL is a “precious thing” and the focus must be on those who hold it as precious, building their homes and communities, given to the matter of governance, where appropriate: “When someone has to leave Second Life, they should have to leave in broad agreement with their community.”

On Digital History and Preserving Builds / Locations in Second Life

[Video:38:54-42:40]

  • While it would be nice to preserve elements of Second Life as points in time and be able to re-visit them in that state (a kind of Wayback Machine for SL, allowing users to visit a location as it was on a given date / time), there is obviously expense involved in storing all the data regions to Second Life and regions within it.
  • Does feel it would be good to come up with a “collective means” of “celebrating old builds” – and links this back to the idea of “governance” in terms of using the community through voting or other mechanisms as to what should be preserved in cases where the creators can not longer pay for them to be in-world.
  • Uses this opportunity to tangentially discuss AI further, as noted in the section on AI above.
Mont Saint Michel - once again back in Second Life
Mont Saint Michel – a region preserved via the Second Life Region Preservation Society, currently run by LL

On Second Life and Twitch

[Video: 43:47-44:57]

  • LL has tried on numerous occasions to get Second Life unbanned from Twitch (which has a high sensitivity to adult-themed content), and will continue to make the argument that SL should be allowed.
  • Indicated that doing so may also require changes being made to the accessibility of Adult content in Second Life in a way that works for the majority of SL users and works for Twitch.
  • In terms of Twitch s a “marketing tool” re-iterates the points that:
    • Second Life is not necessarily for “everybody”, so broadcasting it on Twitch might not be beneficial in that sense.
    • Does not think it would be good for SL to be directly appealing to younger audiences.

On Bringing Back the Second Life Community Convention (SLCC)

[Video: 50:43-51:29]

  • [Background: the SLCC was run from 2005 through 2011 by AvaCon on behalf of Linden Lab and alternating between the west and east coasts of the USA. The events allowed Lindens and SL users come together and discuss the platform, make presentations, etc.]
  • Would be interested in knowing how many SL users would be interested in participating in some form of physical world convention, and what form it should take, and suggesting his Friends of Philip group might be an initial place in which ideas might be put forward / discussed.

Closing Comments

[Video: 55:40-]

  • Is back at the Lab full time in the CTO role.
  • Part of his focus is figuring out how to better communicate with everyone.
  • Specifically as CTO is looking at what, how and why technologies changes should be made, and more broadly focused on strategy and product.
  • Notes that of late, the comments from outside of SL have not been so much phrased in the past tense and in terms of acknowledging it is still going and available, and that this could be beneficial as LL starts marketing SL more.
  • Expresses confidence that SL will start growing again, and reiterates that user can help in this.
  • Does feel that in a time when technology and the Internet have done much to endanger democratic expression and the polarising of views, Second Life demonstrates there is a much more positive way for people to connect using technology, and how it can have a depolarising effect, allowing people who might not otherwise, become friends.
  • In this, sees the opportunity to promote virtual worlds as beneficial environments for people to use, and which can be respected as such, and can help us face some of the broader challenges we face as a human society.

Videos of the Session

Linden Lab Official Video

Pantera’s Recording

Note this is set to start from the point at which the official video ends.

Lab announces Philip Rosedale appointed as CTO

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab

The event venue has been given as Linden Estate Services Meeting Area.

On Tuesday, October 29th, 2024, Linden Lab announced that the company’s founder, Philip Rosedale has been appointed to the full-time role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO), in a move that will undoubtedly cause excitement in some quarters.

As well as founding the company, Rosedale served as its CEO through until 2010, when he departed the company to work on various new ventures,  including Coffee and Power and, most notable, the VR-centric virtual world / social spaces company, High Fidelity.

The latter actually became an investor in Linden Lab / Second Life in January 2022 in a deal which included the transfer of some staff from High Fidelity to Linden Lab, together distributed computing patents held by High Fidelity, which has transitioned by that time toy working on solutions focused on spatial audio that would allow people to work collaboratively whilst geographically separate. Also as a part of that deal, Rosedale took up the role as a special advisor to the Second Life management team and the Board at Linden Lab.

In this role he has spent the last 2+ years providing advice and support to the Lab’s Board under Executive Chairman Brad Oberwager and the executive team, and has been visible at a number of Lab-led town hall meetings and similar events as well as participating in various Lab Gab events.

In his new role as CTO, Rosedale “will guide technology and product strategy daily” alongside the executive management team, and he will also resume a seat on the company’s Board.

Over the last four years since the acquisition, Linden Lab has re-focused itself on improving and serving Second Life. We’ve divested ourselves of unnecessary projects, streamlined our operations, increased the quality of customer support, and grown our overall revenues and profitability. We’re now in a unique position to define the future of virtual worlds, and Philip is returning to help myself and the exec team achieve that goal.

– Brad Oberwager, Linden Lab Executive Chair, via the announcement

Philip Rosedale Round Table Event

The announcement also indicated the Lab will be holding a Community Round Table event on Friday, November 1st, 2024, at 10:00 SLT featuring Philip Rosedale. At the time of writing, the venue for the event was TBA – this post will be updated with details when available. However, questions are being sought from Second Life users, so if you have a question for Philip Rosedale, you can submit it via this form.

Related Links

SL21B Town Hall Summary: Product Operations (audio + video)

Posted on by Inara Pey
SL21B Product Operations Town Hall (l to r): Missy Mole (host); Patch Linden; Keira Linden, Derrick Linden and Izzy Linden
On Wednesday, June 26th, 2024, Linden Lab held special Town Hall Meeting of the Product and Engineering team, featuring the following personnel:

  • Patch Linden – Senior VP of Product Operations & Marketing.
  • Keira Linden – Support Operations Manager.
  • Derrick Linden – Product Operations Manager.
  • Izzy Linden – Creative Producer.

This is a summary of the topics discussed at the session. Audio extracts are included were appropriate, and a video of the session is embedded at the end of this article – my thanks to Pantera for providing it.

 Table of Contents

For ease of reference, timestamps are provided to the relative points within the video where specific topics are discussed, allowing readers who prefer to listen to the comments directly to be able to do so. Note this is not intended to be a full transcript, but rather covers those items discussed which are liable to be of the most interest.

A Little Background

[Video: 2:02-8:27]

A brief introduction to each of the people participating:

  • Patch Linden: joined the company in 2007 as a support agent. He later became Support Operations  Manager time and then he established the Land Operations Team (then within the Product Team), which became the nucleus of Product Operations. As a senior VP alongside Grumpity, he is responsible for the development and operation of Second Life.
  • Keira Linden: joined the Lab in 2008 working in the Concierge Team. Currently manages all the various support teams for Second Life and also the Governance Team.
  • Derrick Linden: as the Product Operations Manager: joined LL in 2011 and wears many hats – including overseeing the Land Operations Team, the Skill Gaming Team and co-running the Linden Department of Public Works (the Moles) alongside of Patch Linden.
  • Izzy Linden: joined LL in 2007. As the Creative Director works on a range of projects, including with the Moles.

Linden Homes, Land and Mainland

Linden Homes – Patch Linden

[Video: 9:40-17:45]

  • Currently planning for Linden Homes includes:
    • An update to the Premium Log Cabin theme floorplans.
    • A new mixed parcel-size (512 sq m and 1024 sq m) Premium theme with multiple floor plans.
    • A new Premium Plus theme with multiple floor plans.
    • This work is all in the planning / scoping phase; there is also some polling for possible themes to go with it, and maybe an idea from this might be implemented.
    • These ideas are likely to be in development for the next 6-12 months.
  • Transitioning off the Old Linden Homes [the original 512 sq m mini-continents] remains under consideration / evaluation.
    • The longer time goes by, the more likely it is to happen, but there is no firm timeline or date as to when this might start.
    • However, were it to seem possible that the old homes could be retired as the above new selections of homes are rolled-out, then this “might be a likely scenario”.
  • On Premium Plus being allowed two Premium Homes on a single account:
    • Has been thought about. However, doing so would impact available inventory of homes: there are only so many Linden Homes available as any given time, and people taking two diminishes the availability for others.
    • The current mechanism for managing Linden Homes and ownership isn’t geared for single accounts owning multiple homes.
    • It’s acknowledged that the above mechanism needs to by updated for other reasons, so it is possible when this work is carried out, that the idea of multi-Linen Home ownership (and “mix-and-match” ownership of different parcel sizes of Linden Homes) might being looked at. However, updating the system is a significant technical project, and not something currently in the works.
  • On mixing different plot sizes / themes [e.g. a 2048 tree house amidst 1024 Victorian homes]:
    • It’s always been implied that house selection is based on subscription level, theme and floorplan, with the location then based on that rather than being based on location, parcel size, etc.
    • The above approach keeps the system clean and easy to manage, given regions can be defined in terms of intended use  allowing the land to be planned accordingly. Trying to mix all parcel sizes and themes could make things confusing and hard to implement, so LL is wary of introducing too many options into a single selection process.
  • [Video: 58:15-59:12] On providing 512 sq m Linden Homes on Premium Plus 2048 parcels:
    • Has been considered, but it is unlikely to be considered for the foreseeable future.
    • Might be something that gets revisited after the old linden Homes have been retired.

10K Land Capacity Region Product – Patch Linden

[Video:  18:01-20:40]

  • It has often been requested than LL should offer an additional region land product with a 10K Land Capacity, to sit between Homesteads and Full private regions.
  • The idea has been discussed numerous times within the Land Team – but this does not mean anything is necessarily going to be offered, nor should it be inferred that it will be.
  • Any new region product can have the potential to be highly disruptive to Second Life and the platform’s economy, and needs careful consideration.
    • [Side note: evidence of this can be seen in the 2008/2009 OpenSpace region update & transition to the Homestead product. This caused major disruption in terms of pricing and impact on users, and led to a false sense of SL growth. In a period of some 6-8 months, the number of regions on the grid almost doubled (18K to around 32K, and as the expense of Full regions) with no actual increase in the number of active users. This in turn lead to the false sense that Second Life was “failing” in the years following, as the region count declined year-on-year, even though active user numbers remained relatively stable by comparison.]
  • As such, the risk / rewards to everyone involved in SL – the Lab as a business that needs to turn a profit, through the wishes of those who would like to hold a more capable region, to the potential impact on the existing land rental businesses operating across Second Life and there revenue models – need to be carefully assists (and often reassessed).

Mainland and PBR – Derrick Linden

[Video: 20:52-23:24]

  • Addressing Mainland appearing darker under PBR rendering:
    • Yes, a resolution in being developed.
    • The time frame for implementing it is liable to be in the short-term rather than people have to wait for an extended period for it to be deployed.
  • 2K Textures / PBR Materials on Mainland terrain:
    • This is a significant undertaking, but is under active discussion – just no time frame as yet.
    • There are technical / implementation issues that need to be addressed:
      • An automated system of mass update would be the simplest, but might not produce the most satisfactory result.
      • A semi-automated update process would offer greater flexibility of application, but would be far more time and resource intensive.
    • The aim is to try to determine an approach which balances the above and which also has the least direct impact on Mainland residents and users.

Zindra (the Adult Continent) and Adult Initiatives

Zindra – Derrick Linden

[Video: 24:06-25:27]

  • On connecting Zindra to the rest of the Mainland through relocation & a water channel:
    • Has not been considered – but this does not mean it could not be considered.
  • On expanding the Zindra continent:
    • No plans to expand Zindra at present.

Adult Initiatives – Patch Linden

[Video: 25:33-28:45]

  • As hinted at in the December 2023 annual review, the Lab has been considering more Adult-oriented initiatives [which was not, as was subsequently reported / claimed, anything to do with the theme for SL21B].
  • One specific new project in development is a streamlined on-boarding process for new users specifically interested in the more adult / spicier side of SL. It will include:
    • A new Adult-oriented Welcome hub / experience.
    • Provide information on more mature content.
    • Provide the means for them to acclimate to the platform.
    • And more.
This image was part of the December 2023 annual review blog post by Linden Lab, which might show an aspect of the new Adult-centre user onboarding hub / experience
  • This is part of a broader initiative that includes elements such as fostering community, offering living spaces, commercial environments, continental-sized land masses.
  • It is regarded as a “whole new way and approach” to having Adult communities in Second Life, and will be worked on over the next 6-8 months as a background project. More details will be made available in the future.
  • It will hopefully be an environment wherein established and new users within Adult-oriented interests can enjoy and appreciate SL’s Adult content in a setting that will be “very fitting for it”.

Governance and Support

General – Keira Linden

  • [Video: 29:46-32:03] Increasing Governance Awareness of hate speech:
    • The Governance team does all it can to remain abreast of global trends in hate speech, symbols used, etc., which could potential violate SL’s Terms of Service & Community Standards. This is through a mix of research, collaboration with subject matter experts through seminars, etc.
    • Obviously, Governance is also reliant on Abuse Reports filed by users when they encounter hate speech / imagery / symbols, etc., and this can also be used to expand awareness in the team as well as being responded to.
    • It is acknowledged that saying on top of things can be difficult, and factor such as cultural differences at times can come into play, hence why investigations take into consideration context.
  • [Video: 32:24-33:06] On providing insight into the tools and techniques Governance uses:
    • The team and the Lab does not publicly comment on the tools and techniques used during investigations.
    • One simple reason for this is that if those determined to make mischief know of the techniques and tools used by Governance, they would seek to find ways around them and try to avoid discovery, etc.
  • [Video: 33:14-34:18] On automated moderation tools:
    • [see also: 2024 SL Governance meeting week #19: Child Avatar Policy]
    • LL is looking at companies and products in the content moderation space.
    • The aim is to try to make the moderation of egregious content which clearly violates the SL Terms of Service and which could potentially violate laws outside of Second Life, as automated as possible.
    • Evaluation of these tools for suitability is still in progress, but the aim is that should they prove to be on use, to add them to the Governance toolkit and make the removal of offensive content on the platform faster.
  • [Video: 34:38-37:35] On Private Island tenant / land holder disputes:
    • This is not something the Lab can easily involve itself: sub-leasing land from another resident comes down to an agreement between to SL residents to which LL is not a party.
    • As such, and unless there is a clear violation of the SL Terms of Service involved in the situation, there is very little Governance can do.
    • That said, it can be good for Governance to received ARs on situations like this, as it can help to determine if there is a pattern of behaviour or similar, and whether it might be necessary to reach out to someone to discuss matters further.
  •  [Video: 37:44-39:34] On the value of Abuse Reports:
    • Abuse Reports are often the start of any investigation, and so submitting one with as much information as possible is always of value.
    • Without any Abuse Report, Governance has no visibility of any issue or potential issue, whether or not they can act upon it.
  • [Video: 46:53-48:42] On providing 24/7 support to a global user base:
    • Tickets can be submitted 24/7, even if not responded to on a 24/7 basis.
    • The is the support chatbot, which is available 24/7 and can deal with basic support requests.
    • Live chat support works to hours that have been determined to be the most effective for dealing with most types of enquiry, and as the platform has been improved, LL have seen a global reduction in the need to provide global 24/7 support.
    • Support observes US holidays, as that is where it is now based, and staff deserve the opportunity to spend time with their families, as such, all all of support is staffed during such holidays – but this does not necessarily mean there are no support staff.

Account Sharing and Business Use

[Background see: Allow Business Accounts to Share Access Responsibly (Feedback Portal) and DRD Facing Unfair TOS Enforcement (Forums).]

[Video: 39:39-42:30] – Patch Linden
  • On a simplified level, the Terms of Service and related policy specifies that account details should not be shared with another individual, and while often complicated, LL has tried to adhere to that.
  • LL look upon users’ accounts akin to a financial instrument – accounts have financial information on them and provide access to billing and payment methods and includes the ability to spend money.
  • Account access gives opportunities for irreparable damage to be done, such as deleting and purging a person’s entire inventory.
  • It is also true that relationships can and do go wrong, and can be seen to go wrong . Therefore, LL is protective as protective as possible about people’s accounts.
  • That said, LL has “heard the call”, and recognise that perhaps times have changed, and so might be amenable to change.

[Video: 42:30-44:32] – Keira Linden
  • Changes to process and policy can take time, particularly when it touches on multiples teams / departments (as this does).
  • However, this request / issue is actively being worked on in order to come up with an approach / solution that meets everyone’s interests.
  • Biggest concern is fraud / the need to protect people’s financial interest, simply because relationship can break down / things go wrong between people.
  • As such, it will take time to work out and produce something, but the issue is being worked on.

Content Theft & Sale: Setting a Policy Outside of DMCA – Keira Linden

[Video: 44:36-46:46]

  • It is “tricky” determining who is the rightful owner when two people claim to be the originators of content in SL.
  • As Intellectual Property (IP) is protected by international laws, via the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), LL must adhere to DMCA provision in order to be covered by it.
  • Therefore, in all matters of potential content theft, creators must submit a duly-completed DMCA form, and the team responsible will help guide people through the process.
    • Filing the DMCA form starts a creator on the legal process of protecting their named content not only in Second Life, but in the digital ecosphere as a whole.
    • While there may be very occasional situations where the IP violation is so obvious, LL might be able to take direct action, these instances are seen as very rare, and creators should not rely on fitting into this category.

Dealing with Charitable Organisation & Events & Disbursement of Funds Raised – Derrick Linden

[Video: 49:00-52:24]

  • Linden Lab has two levels of relationship with those raising funds through Second Life.
    • The highest is with established fund-raising partners in Second Life (e.g. the American Cancer Society; Team Fox / The Michael J. Fox Foundation, etc.). This level includes agreements in place for how they operate and how the Lab supports them.
    • The lower level and individuals and organisations raising money through SL, but where there is no formal partnership with LL. Here’ the Lab is more limited in what it can do in support of such events.
  • Working with those in the latter option tends to be limited to assisting them with listing their event(s) in the Destination Guide, verifying any past fund-raisers the individual / group has done, and, if the individual / group is working directly with a charitable organisation, getting verification that they are authorised to to so.
  • Ergo, if an event is listed in the Destination Guide, it has gone through verification as a legitimate fund-raiser, and the money raised will make its way to the intended recipient party/ies, with verification this as happened after the event.
  • This does not mean charity events which are not listed in the Destination Guide are someone “false” or not really raising funds as stated – it simply means that the event has not gone through any process + verification in order to be listed.

In Brief

Second Life Community Exhibition – Izzy Linden

[Video: 55:20-56:44]

  • Located at the Welcome Hub.
  • Is a three-phase development:
    • Phase One – initial opening with selected communities – completed.
    • Phase Two: initial expansion with submissions from communities – completed.
    • Phase Thee: final build-out of available exhibitor areas, with submissions from communities.
  • Once the available space has been built-out, LL plans to start rotating community displays in and out of the exhibition space so that all participating communities have exposure.
Second Life Community Exhibition (SLCE), at its opening in January 2024
  • Also included in Phase Three will be a gift spire, where all participating communities can place gifts if they so wish.
  • Communities wishing to join the Exhibition can do so via the SLCE application form,

Second Lifetime Premium and Premium Plus Subscriptions – Patch Linden

[Video: 57:24-57:51]

Will SL Support Multi-Partnering? – Patch Linden

[Video: 1:02:17-1:03:25]

  • Has been discussed, and a project to allow for multiple partners (including listed in profiles) is in development.
  • No time frame as to when it will be released – the design work has been done, and it is hoped that Engineering and Product will be able to work on in Soon™.

General Questions

Please refer to the video from 1:03:28 onwards.

SL21B Town Hall Summary: Product and Engineering (audio +video)

Posted on by Inara Pey
SL21B Product and Engineering Town Hall (l to r): Kali Linden, Signal Linden, Missy Mole (host), Grumpity Linden, Sntax Linden, Kyle Linden

 

On Tuesday, June 25th, 2024, Linden Lab held special Town Hall Meeting of the Product and Engineering team, featuring the following personnel:

  • Grumpity Linden – Senior VP of Product & Engineering.
  • Signal Linden – Director of Engineering Second Life Server & Viewer.
  • Kali Linden – Director of Engineering Web & Platform.
  • Sntax Linden – Senior Product Manager.
  • Kyle Linden –  Product Manager.

This is a summary of the topics discussed at the session. Audio extracts are included were appropriate, and a video of the session is embedded at the end of this article – my thanks to Pantera for providing it.

 Table of Contents

For ease of reference, timestamps are provided to the relative points within the video where specific topics are discussed, allowing readers who prefer to listen to the comments directly to be able to do so.

A Little Background

[Video: 2:37-8:48]

A brief introduction to each of the people participating:

  • Kali Linden: has been with Linden Lab for nine years and heads-up the teams responsible for the Lab’s web properties (Marketplace, Secondlife.com, etc., the account management and log-in services, etc.
  • Signal Linden: a software engineer with a long history with virtual environments (MU* platforms, etc.), and started using SL as as high school student. He joined LL in 2015, initially working on Sansar. His background is software engineering, and he now leads both the viewer and server engineering teams.
  • Grumpity Linden: joined SL as a contractor with The Product Engine and helping with the development of (the then) Viewer 2.0, and formally joined LL in 2014. As the Senior VP of Product and Engineering she is responsible for coordinating both teams and overseeing their various projects, often in a hands-on capacity (as with SL Mobile).
  • Sntax Linden: manages the Lab’s web properties under Kali Linden (as he leads the monthly Web User Group meetings), and currently has a specific focus on the Marketplace and improving Second Life’s commerce environment.
  • Kyle Linden: as a product manager, is focused on creator tools within the platform. He is a 17-year veteran of Second Life and has worked in most areas of the Linden Lab / the platform in that time.

Major Announcements

SL Mobile

[Video: 1:09:25-1:16:34]

The SL Mobile log-in screen (splash image changes with each log-in), the connecting screen giving destination, and the in-world view with drop-down menu active
  • The App is not currently visible on  Google Play, as new apps take up to 7 days to become searchable there.
  • It is hoped the Beta can open out more widely Soon™.
  • As a Beta product, there is still much more work to do – but a lot has been achieved with the assistance of the closed alpha users / testers.
    • However, SL Mobile will never provide all of the features found in the viewer, as it is impractical to do so (e.g. in-depth content creation is unlikely to be a part of the app).
  • In keeping with the above, feedback from those trying the Beta is welcomed – refer to the link to the official blog post above for details.
  • Feedback is requested through the SL channels, not through either the Apple Store or Google Play, as the latter could unbalance the app’s ratings unfairly, given it is only a Beta product, not a released product.
  • LL are still in consultation with Apple over the issue of the iOS version of the app not being allowed to access Adult rated regions.
  • LL have been in discussions with Unity (as the app is built on that engine) over Unity’s sudden licensing changes earlier in 2024, and the belief is that this will not be an issue for SL mobile in the future.

Scripting and Lua(u)

[Video: 26:31-31:17] – Signal Linden

[Background: In February 2024 it was confirmed LL is looking to natively adopt Luau, a Lua VM implementation viewer-side as a means of providing better support for, and control of, scripted agents (including automated testing capabilities using such agents; providing a means of supporting custom UI extensions / plug-ins without having to resort to C++ and adding custom displays to present exiting information in the viewer. See here and here for more on the initial announcement. The following is in addition to that work.]

  • Signal indicated at as well as running Lua natively on the client-side, LL is now looking to replace the Mono VM runtime engine with Luau’s runtime engine on the back-end.
  • This means that scripts should be more efficient in their memory use and execute faster.
  • The work is still in the benchmarking / development phase, and more information will be provided as work progresses.
  • As this is now a viewer / server project, it is liable that information will be made available through both the Simulator User Group meetings and the TPV Developer meetings, as it become prescient.

  • Rider Linden added further context to the above in local chat:
The project will end up swapping the underlying Mono VM out for a Lua VM under the hood … Our plan is to support both [LSL and lua]. We will end up compiling the LSL down to the Lua bytecode. [So essentially] 2 VMs. LSO (the old stuff) and ultimately the Lua VM. The Mono -> Lua bytecode change should be invisible.

Content Creation

Educating Creators (Best Practices, Content Optimisation, etc) – Kyle Linden

[Video: 10:00-11:42]

  • The existing community of Second life creators as their greatest educational asset, and so are thinking about ways to spotlight creators who provide videos, guides, tutorials, and / or by teaching in-world, etc., on a “best practice” basis.
  • That said, LL acknowledge their own documentation is often poor – much is out-of-date, features are often released without full documentation [which also might never follow as a result], and focus needs to be placed on this.
  • Believes that LL are going to try to build a better repository / resource creators and users can use to find the kinds of tutorials / class / video guides mentioned above.

Improvements to Mesh Rigging and the Avatar Skeleton – Signal Linden

[Video: 12:07-15:31]

  • LL is aware the current approach to rigging mesh and attachments to the avatar is a non-trivial task is is looking to ways to improve the workflow for creators so that content built outside of SL can be more directly imported and “work”.
  • This involved moving to modern content creation standards [i.e. the glTF 2.0 specification, as frequently referenced in this blog].
  • First phase of this work currently in development with glTF scene import, which will prototype a “drag and drop” approach to taking content from Blender and dropping it into Second Life [details on the glTF import / export work can be found in my CCUG summaries].
  • One outcome of this work will be the ability to have more “local mesh preview” capabilities, where content can be temporarily displayed in the viewer exactly as it appears in the tool used to create it (e.g. Substance Painter, Blender), without having to go through any form of upload conversion (somewhat like the Local Textures capability).
  • Further into the future, this work will mean SL can support custom armatures (rigs / skeletons).

Animation Improvements – Priorities and Editing – Signal Linden

[Video 15:38-17:08]

  • This is seen as an important capability by many, both for helping to improve the smoothness of things like Animation Override systems and in avoiding potential conflicts between animations.
  • It has often been requested and is something the Lab would like to tackle. There are requests on the Feedback Portal, and people are asked to vote on them to indicate how important they think this is, and new ideas should be submitted there.
  • Sees the issue potentially being tackled in a number of ways (e.g. better scripted support, supporting different animation formats, etc.).

2K PBR Terrain on Mainland / Support for PBR and 2K textures on Avatars -Signal Linden

[Video: 19:12-21:16]

  • 2K PBR terrain on Mainland more a Product Operations question than an engineering question.
  • 2K textures + PBR support for Avatar Appearance [Bakes on Mesh/Bake Service; wearables assets (inventory), appearance editing, etc.]: No 1 most voted request on the Feedback Portal and is currently being planned. Deployment should eventually be a combination of both at the same time, once ready.
PBR terrain. Credit: Linden Lab

PBR and Improvements – Signal Linden

[Video: 32:53-40:39]

  • The graphics team is continuing to work on optimising PBR performance, including fixing redraw bugs, memory use, etc.
  • This work is in part focused on optimisations for mid-range hardware (e.g. around US $800 brand-new).
  • With regards to MacOS, there is a focus on the current memory issues
  • LL recognise that the introduction is a world-changer in terms of SLs visuals – but it is also a world-changer in allowing content creators to more readily use their tools to produce good content for Second Life without having to resort to arcane measures.
  • Appreciate the change can be painful for some, and are trying to respond where possible with updates and improvements.
  • Pointed out (again) that the arrival of PBR is just one step in the overall plan for enhancing Second Life’s capabilities and full leverage modern content creation tools and techniques.

WebRTC

[Video: 45:48-50:00] – Signal Linden

[Background: WebRTC (RTC=”real-time communication”) is bing implemented to replace Vivox as the Voice component in Second Life. It is both a viewer and server project, with the viewer code supplied as a library with a wrapper, so there will no longer be a separate 3rd party Voice .EXE plug-in. It will offer a more extensible, “industry standard” approach to voice in SL, with better fidelity and sound quality. Initial deployment will see it work alongside Vivox (with some limitations).]

  • The release candidate viewer can be found on the Alternate Viewers web page.
  • The switch-over will be carried out in collaboration  / cooperation with TPVs.
  • Work has been put into securing the use of WebRTC Voice against attempts to eavesdrop, obtain people’s IP addresses, etc., by routing peer-to-peer communications via an internal server using a Lab proxy IP.

Commerce

  • [Video: 58:11-1:00:33] Mult-Factor Authentication (MFA) – Kali Linden
    • Will be added to the Marketplace.
    • It will be opt-in, as per the viewer / SL dashboard.
    • The overall goal is to have MFA applied to all points of entry to SL for those using it.
  • [Video: 1:00:59-1:03:01] Marketplace questions – Sntax Linden
    • Marketplace Search has been undergoing improvements and will continue to do so, all the the aim of improving the ability of content creators to promote their content and buyers get to the content they want to see.
    • Marketplace on mobile devices: There is a project underway to update the Marketplace design and UI which it is hoped will make it more accessible to smaller screens, and when using the in-viewer web browser.
    • Feedback on these welcome through the Feedback Portal and at the monthly Web User Group meetings.
  • [Video: 1:03:05-1:04:16] CasperVend / Marketplace integration – Kali Linden
    • A road map is being developed as to what makes the most sense to do first with CasperVend integration in general.
    • Again the onus is on making the general shopping and merchant experience better across the Marketplace and when using / interacting with CasperVend products.
    • It is likely one of the first areas for integration will be having CasperVend delivering go through the same mechanism as Marketplace deliveries, simplifying CasperVend redeliveries.
    • Longer-term going is to have things integrated so that Merchants can manage their activities through a single point, whether selling through CasperVend or / and via the MP.

In Brief

Upcoming Initiatives – Kyle Linden

[Video: 24:40-26:20]

  • Combat 2.0 [ first tranche of work updating the Second Life Combat system (SLCS – see my Combat User Group summaries).
  • Implementation of game controller support (e.g X-Box game pads).
  • Introduction of WebRTC Voice.

Additional Viewer Updates – Kyle Linden

[Video: 42:15-45:29]

  • As well as those mentioned (glTF scene import, WebRTC, etc):
    • More sample content to the Library (e.g. mirrors).
    • HDRI support for skies, etc.
    • Possible updates to the library EEP settings to HDR.
    • Possibly extending the use of emojis in Display Names (this is problematic as it requires Unicode data to be stored, and so is only being explored at this time and many not make it to feature release).
Emojis in the viewer (and most / all TPVs)

Accessibility Initiative – Kyle Linden

[Video: 51:45-54:50]

  • Some of work going into SL over the last few years has been focused on laying the foundations for improved accessibility options.
  • One of the first elements of this work to surface will be server-side translation for text.
  • In the future, the deployment of WebRTC could potentially allow for direct text-to-speech / speech to text.
  • AI tools might be considered for giving access assistance to SL.
  • Those with ideas for making SL more accessible to all should file feature requests via the Feedback Portal.
  • It was pointed out that creators could help with accessibility by giving their creations meaningful names where appropriate, rather than leaving them as the default “Object”.

The future of Mesh Upload Prices – Grumpity Linden

[1:05-06-1:05:58]

  • With the work on glTF mesh uploads and scene imports, LL will be re-evaluating the cost of mesh uploads across all membership levels.
  • In the interim, the change to make 2K texture uploads  free for Premium Plus subscribers is now live.

General Questions in Last 15 Minutes

Please refer to the video from 1:16:53 onwards.