The Firestorm team have announced that version 4.4.0.33720 of the Firestorm viewer will be blocked from accessing Second Life and OpenSim starting on Thursday April 10th.
According to statistics from Linden Lab, there are some 5,500 people still using Firestorm 4.4.0.33720, which lacks support for many significant features, including Sever-side Appearance, Materials Processing and Fitted Mesh. Nor does it include support for many of the server / viewer improvements released over the course of the last year, including interest list updates and HTTP improvements.
Those people still running 4.4.0 are being strongly urged to update their Firestorm viewer to 4.4.2 or later prior to the block commencing on Thursday (no actual time is given in the blog post). Those already running 4.4.2 or later need not take any action – this does not affect you.
The block is being implemented as a part of Firestorm’s policy to, as far as is possible, only have three active versions of the viewer accessing Second Life at any given time. Unfortunately, OpenSim is also affected as the team do not currently have the means to selectively block older versions of the viewer from accessing individual grids at this time. However, this is expected to change when the time comes to block another release in the future.
This summary is published every Monday and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:
It is based on my 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
By its nature, this summary will always be in arrears
The Viewer Round-up Page is updated as soon as I’m aware of any releases / changes to viewers & clients, and should be referred to for more up-to-date information
The Viewer Round-up Page also includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog.
Sunshine / AIS v3 RC updated to version 3.7.5.288573 on April 2nd – Stability and performance improvements for SSA; Stability and performance improvements for SSA (download and release notes)
Voice viewer RC version 3.7.5.288516 updated on March 31st – Vivox 4.6.x libraries instead of 4.5 for improved stability and to address Mavericks issues (download and release notes)
Project viewers:
SL Share 2 project viewer version 3.7.5.288424 released on April 1st – abilities to upload Tweets and snapshots to Twitter and / or snapshots to Flickr (download and release notes)
Cool Viewer updated on April 5th to the following versions: Stable: 1.26.10.17; Experimental: 1.26.11.17; Legacy: 1.26.8.54 – core updates: backport of LL fix for BUG-5537; backport of Singularity fix to a rounding error in animation timing interpolation; implementation of per-grid object caching to avoid region cache collisions; bug & crash fixes; code-clean-ups (release notes)
Mobile / Other Clients
Group Tools updated to version 2.2.28.3 on April 5th – core updates: unknown; no release notes
Pocket Metaverse updated to version 1.9.0 on March 31st – core updates: parity with iOS 7; bug fix to address Second Life sign-in problems (release notes)
As always, please refer to the server deployment thread in the forums for the latest news and updates.
On Tuesday April 1st, the Main channel received the server maintenance package deployed to the Magnum RC in week 13.
On Wednesday April 2nd, all three RCs received the same maintenance update, which incorporates the bug fixes deployed to the Main channel and which also sees AIS v3 support returned on the Magnum RC alongside of BlueSteel and LeTigre.
The Sunshine / AIS v3 RC returned to the viewer release channel on Wednesday April 2nd with the release of version 3.7.5.288573 (download and release notes).
On Thursday April 3rd, the Lab also confirmed that Facebook had lifted to block on uploading snapshot to Facebook accounts following updates made by the Lab to both the viewer (available in all RC versions of the viewer) and the back-end intermediary sitting between SL and Facebook.
Group Chat
“I think we’re pretty close to a deploy and test on the main grid,” Simon Linden said during the Server Beta meeting on Thursday April 3rd, in reference to his work trying to improve group chat. He then added wryly, “but I thought that last week too.” Not that any non-deployment of the code to Agni for controlled testing should be taken as a bad sign. Rather the reverse, as Simon went on to say, “The test last week was really good … it helped point out some existing bugs in the system which I think I fixed this week.”
A further test was carried out on Aditi during the meeting yielding further logs to be checked, the outcome of which we’ll doubtless get to hear about in week 15.
Aditi Log-in Issue / Inventory Update Issue
When changing passwords to sync inventory between the main (Agni) and beta (Aditi) grids, the general recommendation is to change your password and, while you can immediately use it to log-into the main grid, wait around 24 hours in order for your password and inventory on Aditi to synchronise (or you can continue to use your old password to log-in to Aditi, and use the “unsynchronized” version of your inventory).
This is because a script is run once a day during a period of relatively low platform use (said to be between midnight and 02:00 SLT) which carries-out the synchronizing of passwords and inventory. However, a bug was recently filed (BUG-5563) indicating that passwords and inventory weren’t updating on Aditi even after 24-hours or more.
Commenting on the issue on March 31st, Maestro Linden said, “There seems to be something wrong with the nightly script that is supposed to keep the beta grid synchronized with the main grid.” When the issue was raised at the Server Beta meeting, Simon Linden indicated that Maestro may well have fixed the problem.
Trinity Dejavu of the Catznip viewer team provided me with a brief update on things relating to the viewer. The team have been working on the next release of Catznip (R9), and are already starting to look beyond it to future versions.
“We’re starting our beta test programme for R9 and beyond,” she told me on Thursday April 3rd, “And we’re going to move to a release often and early policy rather than a HUGE update once a blue moon.”
Catznip R9 has been in development for some time and is approaching a point where it will be released in the near future. With R8 having been released in July 2013, the news of a more rapid release cycle is going to be good news for Catznip users.
Catznip runs both alpha and beta testing programmes, and details of both can be found on the Catznip wiki. However, in short:
The alpha group is to test very early versions of the viewer, and membership is by invitation only
The beta programme is not designed as an early means of gaining access to the viewer. Like alpha versions of the viewer, betas of Catznip are also liable to be incomplete, may have stability issues and will not be suitable for use as a primary viewer.
Those wishing to join the beta programme must be willing to comply with the following:
Use Catznip as their primary viewer
Be willing to undertake extensive (and repeated testing) of the viewer and viewer features
Have an account on the Catznip JIRA and be able submit reports
Be willing to allow the viewer to submit detailed crash reports to Catznip (see the team’s privacy policy)
Be willing to accept forced updates and have personal settings wiped
Preferably have a dual-boot Windows / Linux system and know what GDB is.
Instructions on how to sign-up as a Catznip beta tester can also be found on the Catznip wiki.
In reference to the next release (R9), the Catnip wiki states:
Catznip R9 is mostly feature complete, there are a couple of little bits we really want to get in if we can … The OSX version may be slightly delayed … cross your fingers.
Catznip R9 will have materials, new particles and fitted mesh from Linden Lab.
The major delay in getting the release prepped and out has been down to CHUI (LL’s Communications Hub User Interface), which had a number of unexpected impacts on viewer performance. As a result, Catznip have implemented a new chat interface, which they describe as:
Using a mixture of R8 and the best CHUI elements. The new chat interface is fast and tight with all the bells and whistles you expect (and maybe .. a few brand new ones).
There is currently no release date for the R9 version, but I’ll hopefully carry a review when it is launched.
Important note: The SL Go service is to be shut down on April 30th, 2015. For more information, please read this report.
In March 2014, Linden Lab and OnLive, the games streaming service, announced the open beta of OnLive’s new SL Go service, a means by which SL users could access Second Life via tablets and mobile devices using a full viewer streamed directly to the user’s device.
At the time of the launch, I was one of a number of people who were able to provide a review of the service, having been offered access to it ahead of the launch.
One area of upset with the service which quickly became apparent was the payment plan, which was based on a pay-as-you-go approach, with an hour of use costing $3.00, three hours $8.00 and ten hours $25.00. In response to criticism of the model, OnLive sought to make it clear through various mediums – notably Designing Worlds and Drax Files Radio Hour – that the plan was only an initial step, a means to gain data and feedback, and that options such as subscription plans had not been ruled out. The service also came in for criticism that it was only available in the USA, UK and Canada.
SL Go by OnLive: streaming Second Life to your tablet – but the initial pricing model caused upset
On Thursday April 3rd, OnLive followed-up on these comments by announcing they are both introducing a revised payment plan and extending the service to more regions. Linden Lab also followed-up with a post of their own. The OnLive announcement reads in part:
Since launching the beta of SL Go about a month ago, OnLive reports they’ve seen a very positive response to the Second Life® Viewer for Android™ that allows users to access Second Life over wifi or 4G LTE on tablets and laptops. Today, OnLive has updated the SL Go beta with new pricing:
Monthly unlimited-use subscription for $9.95 (USD) / £6.95 (GBP). No contract and no commitment
Reduced hourly rate: $1 / £0.70 per hour.
The previously available offer of a 20-minute free trial still stands.
In addition, and with the announcement, SLGo is now available in 36 countries worldwide, including Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Luxembourg, Scandinavia – even the Vatican City! The full list of supported countries can be found in the OnLive blog post.
SL Go on my Nexus 7 HD + keyboard
Commenting on the move, OnLive’s Vice President of Product and Marketing, Rick Sanchez, said:
We’re grateful for the opportunity to support the Second Life community, and pleased to be working with such a passionate and creative group. We look forward to further developing SL Go with their feedback and suggestions.
How popular this makes the service, remains to be seen. But for those on low-end computer systems who would like to have access to Second Life in all its glory, $9.95 might not be considered too much to pay per month until such time as they upgrade their systems.
Certainly, the $9.95 price-tag for the monthly is lower than the figure I had been anticipating following post-launch activities by OnLive; I’d been expecting the price to perhaps be on a par with their CloudLift service ($14.95 a month), which launched at the same time as SL Go. Similarly, dropping the pay-as-you-go rate to flat $1.00 per hour should make the occasional access via tablet or mobile device even more attractive you those who might need it. For those who are interested, and following-up from my initial review, I also have an article about running SL Go on a Nexus 2013 HD.
On April 1st, the Firestorm team released and April Fools video in the spirit of their 2013 “Firestorm Mobile” hoax.
As fun it was, there was a secret within the joke which many – including me – missed at the first watching of the video, largely because we didn’t follow the suggestion and manually type the URL at the end of the video into a web browser.
For those who may have missed things, and to provide a frame of reference, I’m including the video in this post as well.
Jessica Lyon contacted me just after I’d published a post on the Firestorm and Catznip April Fools and gave me a proper “Gotcha!” So, having taken the time to stay quiet on the matter, as Jessica requested (and in order to go wipe the egg from my face!), I’m here to say, as many Firestorm users have been poking me about over the last 24-hours, that the Firestorm Dynamic User Interface isn’t a joke. It’s here. I’m using it. What’s more the Firestorm team have now blogged to confirm it.
The viewer,Firestorm 4.6.1.40484 is available for download for Windows only, and will run on both Second Life and OpenSim.
It really isn’t an April Fools – Firestorm 4.6.1.40484 really does allow you to move some floaters outside of the viewer window!
Now, the viewer – as Jessica and the team wish to express loud and clear – isn’t the finished article. It’s currently experimental, and as such, subject to unpredictable behaviour. It is not recommended for use as a primary viewer.
There are also some other points to note:
Not all of the floaters in the viewer may be capable of being pulled out of the viewer window. Those that can appear to float “above” the viewer window, rather than “in” it
Not all of thefloaters work smoothly at this time, and may be subject to jumping and / or, flickering, and options on menus associated with them may not be accessible as a result. There may be other issues, such as:
You cannot drag / drop items from the Inventory floater in-world
Conversations in the communications floater tabs may not scroll soothly
Floaters outside of the viewer window cannot be resizedYou cannot resize those floaters which can be moved outside of the viewer window
Torn-off menus cannot as yet be floated
The conversations floater can be pulled out of the viewer – but if you detach a specific IM tab, it will bounce back into the viewer window and cannot currently be dragged back out
Discussing the viewer with me after pointing out I’d been had with the April Fools video, Jessica said:
The intention is that we want to release this code in the hopes that ALL open-source developers out there, TPVs included, will pick it up. fix it, improve it, expand its capability and most importantly SHARE it with one another. It is my hope that this may become a catalyst to renew interest in viewer development among inactive developers and that ultimately this will open a whole new realm of possibilities for SL viewer technology moving forward.
We will not be assigning the gentleman’s agreement on this… it’s too important to make this about credit. I don’t care who releases it first as long as the code is shared equally. We will also work on improving it, but I think this should be a community effort.
Having detachable floaters like this has been one of the Holy Grails for the SL viewer, and has long, and oft been requested. However, the Lab has generally taken the view that to get something like this working would take a considerable amount of effort. The Firestorm’s team work is therefore very much pre-proof-of-concept, as their blog post on the matter indicates:
Firestorm DUI is little more than a very early proof of concept that a dynamic user interface is in fact possible with Virtual World viewers … our very own Nicky Dasmijn managed to come up with this in a relatively short amount of time, and we hope that it will translate to this functionality being available in a reasonable amount of time …
So, if you haven’t already taken it for a test-drive, and remembering the Firestorm DUI isn’t a release, and there may be issues with using it, and that it is not supported by Firestorm at this point in time. So again, when using it, please do notuse it as your primary viewer.
Please don’t report any issues with the viewer here; I’m not a part of the Firestorm team, and cannot help you. As mentioned above, the DUI viewer is currently unsupported!
The Firestorm team have announced that version 4.4.0.33720 of the Firestorm viewer will be blocked from accessing Second Life and OpenSim starting on Thursday April 10th.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 