Category: Second Life

2026 week #16: SUG meeting summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
Pususaari – Where spring feels gentle, February 2026 – blog post

The following notes were taken from the Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 Simulator User Group (SUG) meeting. These notes form a summary of the items discussed, and are not intended to be a full transcript. They were taken from the video recording by Pantera, embedded at the end of this summary – my thanks to Pantera for providing it.

Meeting Overview

  • The Simulator User Group (also referred to by its older name of Server User Group) exists to provide an opportunity for discussion about simulator technology, bugs, and feature ideas is held every other Tuesday at 12:00 noon, SLT (holidays, etc., allowing), per the Second Life Public Calendar.
  • The “SUG Leviathan Hour” meetings are held on the Tuesdays which do not have a formal SUG meeting, and are chaired by Leviathan Linden. They are more brainstorming / general discussion sessions.
  • Meetings are held in text in-world, at this location.

Simulator Deployments

  • No SLS Main channel deployments for the week, but the channel was restarted.
  • The WebRTC deployment will be expanded to Magnum, finally completing its deployment across all RC channels.
  • The next simulator update – Loganberry – will include (among other thinks) the performance improvement work Leviathan has been working on and the fix for avatars remaining a cloud Leviathan has also developed (which addresses causes of clouding on the simulator – viewer-side clouding is not touched).

In Brief

  • Leviathan Linden:
    • Has been ” removing use of Tilia (payments system) from our code.” Exactly what this means is unclear, given the use of the Tilia wallet and close ties between LL and Thunes, Tilla’s owners.
    • He has also spent a little bit of time trying to incorporate some suggested code changes for the game_controller code, as suggested by a user, but upon testing he found something isn’t working right, so some investigation is required.
  • Rider Linden has been working on viewer code to support the new language definition cap.
  • Monty Linden has been working with the Firestorm team on some of the TeleportFinish failure modes. One set of fixes, involving viewers simply walking away from the HTTP connection, is getting improvements so one subset of viewer-side TP/RC issues will be improved.
    • Kyle Linden noted that the SL 26.2 Flat UI Beta (releasing soon) also has a viewer-side TP disconnect fix.
  • Harold Linden (SLua):
    • There are a number of crash fixes and minor correctness fixes out on the Aditi (the beta grid), which should be coming to the Lua region on the main grid “soonish”.
    • As Rider mentioned, the scripting language definitions are going to be accessible to the viewer now, so you can always pull down the correct type definitions for whatever region you’re currently on.
    • Harold is additionally generalising his work for making llSetPrimitiveParams less annoying to use. Essentially it’ll be a fluent API where you can batch up prim params commands as you would do currently, but you do it through function calls rather than manually adding a bunch of stuff to a list.
  • Kyle Linden indicated there will be a “big push” on Lua documentation in the upcoming week(s).

General Discussion

Please refer to the video below as well.

  • It has been again reported that large linksets of prims or meshes that have alpha scripting (LSL and / or Lua) against Blinn Phong materials (apparently PBR is reported as working as expected) for certain parts of that linkset are failing to change alpha state or are slow to change. Copies of suitable linksets / a formal bug report on this were requested.
    • This sparked something of a discussion on probable causes, length of time the bug has been around, means to repo, etc., running through the mid-point of the meeting through to pretty much the end.
    • As a part of the discussion llSetLinkGLTFOverrides fails to clear alpha override was raised. No updates were given.
  • A WebRTC question was asked: the current settings seem to be 60m range, no distance attenuation. Is that the only option available?
    • Response: there should be distance attenuation. The curve is different than Vivox, though. If you’re not experiencing any distance attenuation, bug fixes are required with more details so LL can try to replicate what you’re doing.

Date of Next Meetings

  • Leviathan Linden: Tuesday, April 21st 2026.
  • Formal SUG meeting: Tuesday, April 28th, 2026.

† The header images included in these summaries are not intended to represent anything discussed at the meetings; they are simply here to avoid a repeated image of a rooftop of people every week. They are taken from my list of region visits, with a link to the post for those interested.

SL23B: volunteer applications now open

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab

June 2026 will mark the 23rd anniversary of Second Life opening to public access – and as we’ve all come to expect, the month will mark the start of several weeks of events and celebrations running into July under the umbrella of the Second Life Birthday (SLB) otherwise know for this year as SL23B.

Dates and Theme

This year the SLB festivities will open on Friday, June 18th, 2026 and will run through until Sunday, July 19th, 2026. The theme for 2026 is The Golden Age of Hollywood, which the Lab describes thus:

Think classic cinema, red carpets, vintage glamour, and the magic of the silver screen. While the theme may inspire many builds and performances, exhibits are not required to follow the theme. We encourage you to share what makes your Second Life experience meaningful. Your interests. Your communities. Your creativity.

However, as has been the case over the last several birthday events, exhibitions are not confined to the theme itself, with the Lab additionally noting:

Every year, we celebrate because of the incredible Residents who bring this world to life. The birthday celebrations are an opportunity to showcase what inspires you and what keeps you coming back.

Volunteer Applications

On Tuesday, April 14th, 2026, Linden Lab announced that Volunteer applications have opened and remain so through until Monday, May 18th, 2026. As noted, exhibitor applications are now open. Key requirements for volunteers are noted below – however, for the full list of requirements, please refer the the exhibitor application form, via the link following these notes:

  • Volunteers are asked to commit to at least two hour shifts at a time, and to note that as SL23B spans 11 days, LL prioritise applicants who can participate across multiple days. Stage Crew are expected to contribute a minimum total of 8 hours.
  • Training sessions will be provided across multiple times. All volunteers are expected to complete a training session, regardless of whether they have been volunteers at previous Birthday events. Those failing to complete the required training will be removed from the Volunteer group.
  • These are volunteer positions, and as such, volunteers will not be paid. Additionally, volunteers cannot rez/wear tip jars or solicit for tips.
  • Stage Crew:
    • May not act as personal hosts for performers. You may only host if specifically scheduled as a Stage Host under the official guidelines.
    • Members should report any issues to their Stage Manager first. Stage Managers are responsible for assigning roles, tasks, and timing.
  • Greeters should report any issues in the Greeter group and a Mole or Coordinator will assist.

Volunteer Application Form.

Please note: All enquiries about hosting exhibitions, staging performances or volunteering at the event should be directed to Linden Lab, not this blog.

Related Links

2026 SL viewer release summaries week #15

Posted on by Inara Pey
Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation

Updates from the week through to Sunday, April 5th, 2026

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

  • It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy.
  • This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog.
  • By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information.
  • Outside of the Official viewer, and as a rule, alpha / beta / nightly or release candidate viewer builds are not included; although on occasions, exceptions might be made.

Official LL Viewers

  • Default viewer  – One-Click Installer = 26.1.1.23806384790 – April 10 – NEW.
  • Second Life Project Viewers:

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V7-style

  • Kokua: 26.1.0.58180 (no RLV) and 26.1.0.61942 (RLV variants), April 6 – release notes.

V1-style

  • No Updates.

Mobile / Other Clients

  • No updates.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

2026 SL viewer release summaries week #14

Posted on by Inara Pey
Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation

Updates from the week through to Sunday, April 5th, 2026

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

  • It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy.
  • This page includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog.
  • By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information.
  • Outside of the Official viewer, and as a rule, alpha / beta / nightly or release candidate viewer builds are not included; although on occasions, exceptions might be made.

Official LL Viewers

  • Default viewer  – Legacy search; WebRTC improvements; QoL improvements – 26.1.0.22641522367 – March 12 – no change.
  • Release Candidate viewer – one-click installer = 26.1.1.23806384790 – March 31 – NEW.
  • Second Life Project Viewers:

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V7-style

  • Kirstens Viewer S24 VETR V2 Build 3075 – April 5 – release notes.

V1-style

Mobile / Other Clients

  • No updates.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Cica’s Happy Planet in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Cica Ghost, April 2026: Happy Planet

April 2026 is the month of Artemis 2 (well, at least the first ten days are!), which will see a crew of four pass around the Moon before returning to Earth In the process the crew will set a new record for the furthest any humans have travelled beyond Earth thus far – some 406,773 kilometres, just breaking the record of 397,848 kilometres set by Apollo 13 during its aborted mission to the Moon in April 1970,

As such, it is thoroughly appropriate that whether by accident or design, Cica Ghost is using April to take us on a trip into space and to her Happy Planet.

Cica Ghost, April 2026: Happy Planet

Set against the backdrop of night, from which a large Moon (or possibly a planetary twin) literally watches over everything via the circular (and eye-like) blue sea covering a far portion of its otherwise dull browny nearside, this is a place of fantastical wonder, backed by a truth from US cartoonist Lynda Barry:

We don’t create a fantasy world to escape reality. We create it to be able to stay.

In other words fantasy and our use of it is more about presenting us with opportunities to pause and renew our strengths and abilities in the face of a reality which can oftentimes be harsh or unpredictable – or both – in its daily nature, rather than being a simply a crutch for helping us cope – as the unimaginative in nature have often claimed.

Cica Ghost, April 2026: Happy Planet

And fantasy can be both wonderfully creative and fun – as Happy Planet, with its strange but in some cases familiar creatures and inhabitants. From cats with antennae to almost slug-like beings oddly mindful of Gru’s Minions, occupying the rocky landscape and possibly living in the rock formations which appear to have holes cut into them to form interior spaces complete with windows and chimneys, this is clearly a place born of a creative and fantasy-oriented mind, rich in strange flora.

Some of these semi-sluggy (if you will) locals are not confined to the ground, but zip around overhead in personal flying saucers, deftly missing asteroids which –  to unabashedly steal from Douglas Adams – hang in the air exactly the same way as bricks don’t. And you can join the flying locals; located in the setting is a free flying saucer giver. Simply claim one, add it from inventory and take flight.

Cica Ghost, April 2026: Happy Planet

For those who prefer the alien equivalent of terra firma, there are plenty of opportunities for ground (or slightly elevate, thanks to re various raised paths) exploration, which will also reveal interactive dance spots scattered around the setting. I didn’t find any sit points while mousing over things, but I may have missed them. Either way, there is no mistaking Happy Planet is a happy place to be.

SLurl Details

 

2026 week #14: SL Open Source (TPVD) meeting summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
Hippotropolis Theatre: home of the OSD/TPVD meeting
The following notes were taken from:

  • My chat log of the Open-Source Developer (OSD) meeting held on Friday, April 3rd, 2026, together with my chat log of that meeting.
  • Pantera’s video of the meeting (embedded at the end of this article) – my thanks to her for providing it.
  • Please note that this is not a full No video this week, as Pantera was absent the meeting.
Table of Contents

Meeting Purpose

  • The OSD meeting is a combining of the former Third Party Viewer Developer meeting and the Open Source Development meeting. It is open discussion of Second Life development, including but not limited to open source contributions, third-party viewer development and policy, and current open source programs.
    • This meeting is generally held twice a month on a Friday, at 13:00 SLT at the Hippotropolis Theatre and is generally text chat only.
  • Dates and times of meetings are recorded in the SL Public Calendar.

Official Viewer Status

  • Default viewer  – Legacy search; WebRTC improvements; QoL improvements – 26.1.0.22641522367 – March 12.
  • Release Candidate viewer – one-click installer = 26.1.1.23806384790 – March 31 – NEW.
  • Second Life Project Viewers:

Viewer 2026.01.01 – One-Click Installer / Velopack

  • Now available as a RC viewer – see above.
  • This could be promoted as early as week #15, depending on how it performs (crash rates, etc.), over the next few days..

Other Viewers

  • 2026.02 – “Flat” UI and Splash Screen Refresh – this is due to have an Alpha update issued on April 3rd.
  • The Lua Alpha viewer is also due to have an update issued on April 3rd.
    • Note, LL are now officially dropping “SLua” (“SL Lua”) and just going with “Lua”.
Example of the upcoming flat UI. Via: Geenz Linden / Github #4681/2
  • The viewer formerly known as the Second Life Visual Polish viewer (SLVP) is now known as the Second Life  Second Life Graphics Care Package.
    • The hope is to get that into alpha soon – but only after we get the necessary server work done and get some regions up on ADITI.

WebRTC Deployment

  • The WebRTC deployment has hit a “hiccup”.
  • As a result the deployment has slowed, with WebRTC liable to remain only on the RC server channels (Le Tigre, BlueSteel, Magnum, etc.) and covering about14% of the Main grid until the problem is resolved.
  • Anyone experiencing Voice issues with WebRTC is asked to file a bug report.

General Discussion

  • There is an increasing issue of AI driven pull requests.
    • This appears to be a case of people trying to make claims via the bounty programme for code submissions without actually putting any effort into the work.
    • Commenting on the matter, Geenz Linden noted:
If you’re using LLMs to submit pull requests, that’s not an automatic no. However, blatantly vibe coded submissions, submissions that are effectively taking stuff from other viewers without any kind of attribution or permission and so on, and anything that just generally reads as super low effort just to claim a bounty is likely to be closed without comment in a worst case, or otherwise scrutinized in order to ascertain the individual’s understanding of what that code actually does vs. how much is just prompting to see if they can land something. We don’t want to shut down utilizing AI in people’s processes, but certain things are gonna get PRs shut down or scrutinized more heavily. So please keep this in mind.
    • This called into question the value of the bounty programme, with the fair point being made that TPV developers have spent years developing code for their viewers and submitting much of it to LL without any thought of reward other than improving people’s SL experience.
    • Geenz further noted the the bounty programme is due to get reviewed “sooner [rather]than later”, although it is likely “some form” of it will be kept, as it has also led to useful code contributions – such as those for getting the Linux viewer back into the frame (due to surface with the Lua viewer) and the viewer vcpkg work.
    • The suggestion was made that a contract programme – whereby an external coder is contracted to produce work – might be more beneficial than the current bounty programme. Again, this was pretty much the case for Linux and vcpkg.
    • A further suggestion was made to offer general bug / feature request bounties in L$ only – potentially making them less attractive to those trying to bend the system and earn US $ using AI LLMs.
  • The question was asked if Leviathan Linden’s work on server-viewer messaging would be surfacing in one (or an) Alpha viewer soon – the reply was that discussions on where and when to place this work are still ongoing, in order to ensure the viewer work and server work appear pretty much together.
  • Suzanna’s excellent write-up on the latest Lua release gained a further shout-out. On this (again):
    • This release will be deployed to Aditi (the Beta grid) first for testing.
    • It requires all Lua scripts to be recompiled in order to keep working.
  • Tis last 10 minutes of the meeting was spent discussion whether “SLua” should be retained as the name for the Lua project, or if “Lua” was better (certainly more widely recognised) given it is an implementation of Luau.

Next Meeting