Category: Second Life

January 2025 SL Web User Group summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Web User Group meeting venue, Denby
The following notes cover the key points from the Web User Group (WUG) meeting, held on Wednesday January 8th, 2025. They form a summary of the items discussed and is not intended to be a full transcript. A video of the meeting, recorded by Pantera Północy, is embedded at the end of this summary – my thanks as always to Pantera for recording it and making it available. Table of Contents

Meeting Overview

  • The Web User Group exists to provide an opportunity for discussion on Second Life web properties and their related functionalities / features. This includes, but is not limited to: the Marketplace, pages surfaced through the secondlife.com dashboard; the available portals (land, support, etc), the forums.
  • As a rule, these meetings are conducted:
    • On the first Wednesday of the month and 14:00 SLT.
    • In both Voice and text.
    • At this location.
  • Meetings are open to anyone with a concern / interest in the above topics, and form one of a series of regular / semi-regular User Group meetings conducted by Linden Lab.
  • Dates and times of all current meetings can be found on the Second Life Public Calendar, and descriptions of meetings are defined on the SL wiki.

General Update

[Video: 0:40-3:40 and 7:36-8:20]

  • Pre-Holiday Marketplace issues:
    • There were some outages and slow delivery times on the Marketplace in the run-up to the holidays.
    • Due to these problems, store holders were unable to see the view count on their Top Selling Products report, as it was not reporting correctly. This has now been corrected, and the view count is once more reporting correctly, and will not be removed from the report.
    • The underlying causes of all of these issues should now be fixed. Anyone experiencing continued problems WRT them should file a ticket.
  • Decimal point values manifesting on L$ amounts: users noted that places such as the Marketplace cashier page started displaying decimal point valves on L$ amounts (e.g. L$50.98). This was not intentional, and should now be corrected. Again, anyone still seeing it should file a ticket.
  • Related Items Display on MP listings: an issue with Related Items not displaying correctly on Marketplace project listings has been fixed and related items should all display correctly, even when resizing the browser window smaller.
  • [Video: 7:36-8:20] Featured News Blog feed:  the Feature News blog widget on the default viewer log-in screen (“Linden News” on Firestorm) is currently broken.
Broken blog feed widget on the default log-in splash screen for the viewer
    • This may also be causing Featured News failing to display on the dashboard (which might display something like Grid Status instead).
    • LL are working to correct this problem.

Web Properties Refresh

[Video: 3:47-6:08]

  • The pages at community.secondlife.com have been refreshed as a part of the overall drive to update the appearance of the various pages / sites.
The refreshed community.secondlife.com pages / portal
    • Four page themes are offered on refreshed pages: Light Classic, Light New, Dark Classic, and Dark New (the default). These can be selected via the Themes drop-down link at the foot of refreshed pages:
Options for switching Second Life refreshed page themes
      • Issues have been reported when displaying Knowledge Base articles in the new layout (not clear if this is in general or specific to the Dark mode(s)), and LL are working to rectify these issues.
      • Again, if anyone notes specific issues with page displays in any of the themes, please file a ticket.
    • Updated, January 9th: Similar work in planned for the dashboard (secondlife.com), although at the time of writing, this has yet to be surfaced – although Sntax Linden indicated it was “very close to being deployed”. The initial Dashboard refresh has been deployed.
The initial dashboard refresh (secondlife.com) was deployed shortly after this summary was published. Currently, there is no option to change themes
  • Within secondlife.com, the What Next? section (top menu bar and https://secondlife.com/my/whatnext/) is also to be significantly updated, as much of it is very dated in content. However, the time frame for this surfacing is still TBD.

Project Zero (Viewer Streamed to a Browser)

[Video: 33:00-48:22]

  • For background (if you need it!) see: Second Life in your browser: a new initiative from Linden Lab).
  • Sntax Linden indicated that this can also be a subject for discussion at WUG meetings (he is on of those leading the work), although it may evolve into having its own user group in the future.
  • Overall response appears positive, although some appear to have pain points – notably with multi-factor authentication causing problems in loading the viewer. This was thought to have been fixed, but still appears to be an issue.
  • The time limit for Project Zero has now been increased to 1 hour per session (from 10 minutes).
The viewer-in-a-browsers website, showing increased time limit (as of January 9th, 2025)
  • Reasons as to why people might not use the services (currently still free) given at the meeting included:
    • Inability to: save viewer Preferences; perform uploads; save chat IM logs, etc.
    • Lack of Firestorm support.
    • No in-built (client-side) AO for avatars.
    • Most of the above are on the roadmap – see my article in the link at the top of this section – although TPV support is dependent on TPVs being willing to engage in the project as it continues to be developed.
  • There have been reports of zero.secondlife.com not working on Brave (Chrome derived browser) which were thought to have been fixed; however Brave still hangs without loading the viewer (the same is true for Gener8, Vivaldi and Epic, all of which, like Brave, are heavy on privacy browsing).
  • Note that from the 48 minute point onwards, this conversation devolves in discussions on food.

In Brief

  • A further discussion on https://maps.secondlife.com/ following that of the December 2024 meeting, this focused on the search function and how it arrives at its results, given they do not appear to be region / parcel based.
    • This segued into a wider discussion of map searches and sources used, accuracy of returns, preferred means of searching for places (e.g. SL search – then use the Map link in the relevant result, or use Maps (in-world or web), etc.
    • As a part of the more general search comments, it was suggested that when users have Maturity ratings set (e.g. only G or only M), search indicated that results are limited due to the set rating.

Next Meeting

  • Wednesday, February 5th, 2025.

Cica’s Dreamworld in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Cica Ghost – Dreamworld, January 2025

Dreamworld is the name Cica Ghost has given to her first installation of 2025, as just as the new year tends to be a time when we look positively towards the bright promises of the incoming year and all we might dream and achieve, so Cica offers a bright, happy setting that puts a spring in the step and a smile on the face.

This is a setting sort-of dominated by the feline form – I think that like me, Cica has a love of cats -; but one that comes in a light-hearted and whimsical way. The cats in the case are of enormous size and come in a variety of forms: literal catfish, equally literal cat houses, kitty seats … There’s also a little touch of Jerry among the Toms, including a mouse house and little mouse buggies to drive around in.

Cica Ghost – Dreamworld, January 2025

Among all of these, and within the patchwork landscape might be found long-horned cows, lama, and birds – and a rather large frog, complete with crown, as if waiting for a prince (or princess?) to come along and land it a kiss.

As might be expected with Cica, there are opportunities to sit and pass the time, to dance, to enjoy times on the water aboard a little boat – even to blast off in a rocket and experience some weightlessness.

Cica Ghost – Dreamworld, January 2025

The installation is accompanied by a quote from Brazilian lyricist and novelist, Paulo Coelho de Souza:

Love is what dreams are made of!

It’s a marvellous sentiment – one reflective of much of de Souza’s writing, much of which has been born of a life rich in experience: from being committed to a mental institution by his parents at the age of 17, through forsaking his dream of being a writer in order to meet the approval of those same parents, to being deeply involved in the hippie culture in the 1960s to his career as a lyricist and – eventually, procrastination being one of his strong suits, a writer.

Cica Ghost – Dreamworld, January 2025

Here, the quote reminds us of the power of love – and the need to show it; as does the brightness of Cica’s setting – indeed, of Cica’s library of work. So, why not hop along and share in Cica’s love and enjoy your own dreams (and don’t forget to pick up your gift!).

SLurl Details

2025 week #2: SL SUG meeting summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
Omerta Island, November 2024 – blog post

The following notes were taken from the Tuesday,  January 7th, 2025 Simulator User Group (SUG) meeting. They form a summary of the items discussed, and are not intended to be a full transcript, and were taken from Pantera’s video of the meeting, which is embedded at the end – my thanks to her 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.
  • These meetings are conducted (as a rule):
  • Meetings are open to anyone with a concern / interest in the above topics, and form one of a series of regular / semi-regular User Group meetings conducted by Linden Lab.
  • Dates and times of all current meetings can be found on the Second Life Public Calendar, and descriptions of meetings are defined on the SL wiki.

Simulator Deployments

  • On Tuesday, January 7th, 2025, the simulators on the Main SLS channel were restarted with no update.
  • On Wednesday, January 8th:
    • The BlueSteel RC should be updated with the Apple Cobbler simulator update, which includes: llGetAttachedListFiltered(),llGiveAgentInventory(),llMapBeacon(),llTransferOwnership(), and a modification to llModPow, so it should work faster (however, it does not correctly handle the full range of positive 31-bit integers -and Leviathan Linden is working to define the range for which it supplies correct answers, so check the wiki page for updates).
    • The remaining simulators on the RC channels are to be restarted without any update.

SL Viewer Updates

  • Release viewer: version 7.1.11.12363455226, formerly the ExtraFPS RC (multiple performance fixes, aesthetic improvements and UI optimisations), dated December 17, promoted December 20 – No Change.
  • Release Candidate: none at present.

In Brief

Please refer to the video below for the following:

  • A discussion on llSetAgentRot and extending it, with Rider Linden noting:
I left the API open to be able to use any rot. Unfortunately there are a lot of assumptions in both the simulator and the viewer about the agent only rotating around Z. Changing that is going to be a much larger project.
  • Questions were asked on improving the quality of Linden Water effects and reflections. Such questions are best dealt with via the Content Creation User Group (summaries here).
  • An intertwined discussion with the above about Linden Water and swimming options.
  • There have been requests for a llSetObjectMass() function. Whilst this doesn’t currently exist, this SL wiki page has been created to provide a (hopefully) equitable capability, with Leviathan Linden noting:
Vehicle developers were asking for an llSetMass() method so they could standardize the mass of the vehicle after the agent had sat down. It turns out that LSL function is not necessary, there is a way to do it with existing LSL functionality, but it is a little tricky for multi-prim objects.
  • A further discussion on improving vehicle interaction with parcel bans – something LL is hoping to address – such as the potential for putting banline information on the mini-map, with other suggestions being put forward.
    • This led to a broad discussion on issues of parcel privacy and access, security and forced teleporting of unwanted visitors.
  • Requests have been made to modify Experience permissions so that creators can set them to “only this time” or “work like phone apps“. This led to a discussion on Experiences  and the format of the permissions dialogue, etc.

 

† 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.

A Beloved Poetic Moon in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Poetic Moon, January 2025 – click any image for full size

Beloved is the name Anu Papp has given to the latest setting presented on her Homestead region of Poetic Moon. Designed by Dandy Warhlol (Terry Fotherington), the setting is – to me, and for various reasons – potentially one of the best he has produced thus far.

There is a genuine and natural flow to the landscape which is captivating, and the placement of building and structure within it, the form of the island, just draws the eye through it, offering both a photogenic beauty and a sense of tranquillity and wholeness with nature, the industrial elements scattered about notwithstanding.

Poetic Moon, January 2025

A creative talent herself, Anu is perhaps best known for founding and leading the Muse Dance Company, however in-world she is also a designer, photographer-artist and builder. These are all talents reflective of her physical life presence and talents, which extend into music, spiritualism, yoga and more, as noted within her Second Life Spotlight article, published in May 2023. All of this is also reflected somewhat within Beloved.

The setting itself forms a rugged temperate island, its coastline mostly cliffs of hardened rock or softer sandstone, the later carved by time and tide into shallow bays or ribbons of low-lying shoreline. Whilst hardly what one might call beachy, the latter offer opportunities to walk alongside the push and pull of the tide, splash through pools of seawater temporarily cut off from the rest of the waters surrounding the island.

Poetic Moon, January 2025

This is a place with a high water table of its own – across its rugged back are two large and one smaller bodies of water (one of which carried subtle hints of perhaps being man-made rather than a natural occurrence. It is close to the largest of these bodies of water that the Landing Point is located (although it is not enforced), and it was on arrival that I immediately felt a comforting sense of Deja-vu; despite it being my first visit to the setting, I felt I knew it. As I cammed around, I quickly realised why: with the windswept ruggedness, the large body of water with a trail running alongside it, Beloved bought to mind an old-time favourite those who are long in the tooth (like me) might recall): Roche.

Now, to be clear, there is nothing intrinsically linking the two designs; in fact when taken as a whole, there are utterly different; but the fact that Beloved did bring memories of my multiple visits to Roche between 2012 and 2015 nevertheless gave me a sense of belonging as I started to explore Beloved.  Many of the buildings scattered across Beloved perhaps aided that sense of the familiar with me, again not because of any similarities with Roche, but because they offered a similar sense of space between them, a space visitors can wander and absorb in quite solitude or in company.

Poetic Moon, January 2025

Anu has a love for the works of Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, the 3th-century poet, scholar, theologian and mystic; she quotes him in her Profile and with Beloved, she offers part of A Great Wagon, a poem associated with spiritual growth.  In particular, the verses she has selected offer with might be considered a pivotal truth on the journey to spiritual awareness: that we are not human beings sometimes having moments of spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings travelling through a human experience.

In stating this truth, Rūmī, notes that as humans, we function in dualities: beauty and ugliness; truth and and lies; good and bad; black and white; and this duality of mode is the cause of all our conflicts. But as spiritual beings, we should recognise that nothing is either one or the other; that within the void of being, everything flows – there is no black and white to divide us; no sectioning of thoughts or emotions, we are simply one.

Poetic Moon, January 2025

This is a concept that can get the grey matter working overtime to try to understand – and in this, Beloved is an ideal place in which to consider Rūmī’s words and the notions of self and oneness. As well as the region’s rugged beauty, there are multiple places to sit in contemplation, listen to the local sounds, to enjoy the ebb and flow of the waters surrounding the island – and the ebb and flow of shared company, if desired. Places where we can – as Rūmī might have put it – see beyond our physical bodies and understand our true essence as beings of the spirit.

In acknowledgement of this, and  – if I might be so presumptuous – I would add to Anu’s use of the poem, I would perhaps offer a further quote:

In the body of the world, they say, there is a soul
and you are that.
But we have ways within each other
that will never be said by anyone.
Poetic Moon, January 2025

For those who prefer to focus on the region’s picturesque beauty, there is certainly no disappointment to be had. Dandy’s attention to detail here is superb, with many touches to draw the eye and the camera lens, from the cost interior of the brick cabin by the lake through the egrets gathered above the northern cliffs to the little birds gathered on a powerline  – something which might, except for the absence of a shoebill, put some in mind of a certain Pixar short and thus raise a smile – and more besides.

An engaging and visual setting, ideal for exploration, contemplation and appreciation – kudos to Anu and to Dandy – and my thanks to Susann De Cuir for the hat-tip.

Poetic Moon, January 2025

SLurl Details

  • Beloved (Poetic Moon, rated Moderate)

Michiel Bechir’s Beyond Borders in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Hermit Gallery, Saint Elizabeth’s University, January 2025: Michiel Bechir
In 2009 I embarked on my journey as a Second Life photographer.  I like to share the richness of the creations from various sims, by trying to show all their aspects in my pictures. During my in world travels, I encounter numerous individuals from around the globe who share their backgrounds, passions, and interests with me, for which I am very grateful.

– Michiel Bechir

With these words, Michiel Bechir introduces himself – if such an introduction is even required, his work being well known with in the SL arts community as both a photographer-artist and as the owner of his own gallery where he promotes other artists – and his latest exhibition, which opens on January 6th, 2025 at the Hermit Gallery of Saint Elizabeth’s University.

As a fellow traveller across Second Life, Michiel has done much over the 15 years he’s been recording his travels to capture the beauty of many places across the grid, sometimes casting his photographic net wider to include avatar-centric photography. In that time – as do so many of SL’s talents – he has refined his technique and learned to use editing tools with a fine touch in order to enhance his images and imbue them with further sense of mood and/or genre / and uniqueness.

Hermit Gallery, Saint Elizabeth’s University, January 2025: Michiel Bechir

Within Beyond Borders: A Visual Journey, he offers a selection of his work as both a demonstrations of his art and as a mini retrospective of his photography over the years. And when better than to hold a retrospective than, perhaps the beginning of a new year, thus offering a look back even whilst eyes might be set on the future?

Spread across the gallery’s three levels – with some also out on the roof terrace, the collection is focused on a given theme within each area of the gallery: Animals, History, Landscapes, and Flowers. While the collection is bracketed within the period 2009-2024, the majority of the images lean towards the latter years, being particularly focused on the period 2020-2024. Whilst this is far from a negative per se, I would have enjoyed perhaps seeing a wider spread of images in terms of years, so as to better appreciate Michiel’s evolving style; but this is a purely subjective comment.

Hermit Gallery, Saint Elizabeth’s University, January 2025: Michiel Bechir

As it is, what is presented is engaging and rich display of Second Life photographic art, the use of sub-themes split between the different galley levels allowing each to stand as a mini-exhibition in its own right, and I have no hesitation in recommending Beyond Borders for a visit.

SLurl Details

2025 SL viewer release summaries week #1

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, January 5th, 2025

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.
  • Note that for purposes of length, TPV test viewers, preview / beta viewers / nightly builds are generally not recorded in these summaries.

Official LL Viewers

  • Release viewer: version 7.1.11.12363455226. formerly the ExtraFPS RC, dated December 17, promoted December 19 – No change.

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V7-style

  • Alchemy – 7.1.9.2514 (Beta WebRTC build) January 4, 2025 – release notes.

V1-style

  • No updates.

Mobile / Other Clients

  • Radegast client version 2.42, January 3, 2025 – release notes.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links