Category: SL Tech

SL projects update week 42 (1): Server, viewer updates, misc news

Posted on by Inara Pey

Server Deployments – Week 42

As always, please refer to the week’s forum deployment thread for the latest news and updates.

Second Life Server (Main Channel) – Tuesday October 15th

The main channel received the server maintenance project previously on all three RC channels in week 41. This project includes a fix for a group notice delivery issue, introduces a missing JSON operation to LSL, and includes preparatory work for an upcoming viewer with scene loading (interest list) improvements.

Second Life RC BlueSteel, RC Magnum, and RC LeTigre – Wednesday October 16th

All three RC channels should receive a new server maintenance project.  However, at the time of writing, it is unclear whether the RC deployment will occur due to a last-minute bug being identified. Speaking at the Simulator User Group meeting, Andrew Linden indicated that while it had been fixed, it has yet to pass internal QA.

Assuming it does go ahead, the deployment includes fixes for the following issues:

  • “Group member access to parcels fails when ‘Sell passes to’ is enabled” (BUG-3992)
  • “‘Ghost’ avatars and vehicles sometimes appear to an observer at the sim border” (BUG-3872)
  • “Vehicles which exit a region with a passenger are incorrectly auto returned and become ‘ghost shapes’ in the physics engine” (BUG-4024)
  • A performance issue with avatar loading speed in the experimental ‘viewer-interesting’ viewer.
Simulator User Group meeting, Tuesday October 15th 2013
Simulator User Group meeting, Tuesday October 15th 2013

In addition, extremely high Avatar Render Weights reported to the server are now capped at 500,000 (BUG-4010)  – so the server will take any report over 500k and treat it as 500k.  Simon explained that this cap had been arrived through a process of observation and data-gathering he undertook himself or resident supplied to him, all of which suggested the average for ARW among users is around 100K. In describing the cap in general, he went on:

You should consider anything close to 500k as just “way too high”. The system is a compromise that’s needed because some people will try to game it You should not trust the values too much. They are from viewers, which (don’t take this personally, anyone) cannot be trusted to be accurate 500k is at the very high-end of usage.

Really, anyone near that in a public place is hogging your viewer display power if you’re up by 500k – you’re using roughly 5x the viewer render resources as everyone else Also remember that SL is not doing anything with this data. It’s up to scripters and land owners to react.  So I can imagine a popular club maybe sending a warning IM to someone who’s really complex.

 I hope some people can find it useful within its limitations.   As it currently works, it should give scripts a good idea if some people are extra-costly.   It’s up to the scripter to handle that well or not.

SL Viewer Updates

Two new release candidate viewers were deployed to the release channel on October 14th and 15th. These are the Catalyst Viewer and a further Maintenance Viewer.

Maintenance Viewer

Release on October 14th, Maintenance RC 3.6.8.282335 includes:

  • finer access control for estate/parcel owners
  • CHUI: toggle expanding Conversations by clicking on icon
  • clean up messaging & notifications
  • fix crashes & hangs
  • GPU table update

Catalyst Viewer

Release on October 15th, the Catalyst RC, release 3.6.8.282367, is intended to address a start-up crash on latest AMD Catalyst drivers: 13.9, 13.10, 13.11.

Interest List

Not much to report here, the viewer-side code has yet to emerge as an RC, but Andrew Linden has been working on comparisons with scene loading in the hopes of producing a film to demonstrate the improvements. He’d recorded the “before” footage a while ago, and has been focusing on the “after” footage.

“I brought the regions up on some old simulator code from before any of the latest interest list work… from Dec 2012. Andrew Linden: and I was reminded as to how poorly the scene used to load;  everything arrived in mostly random order,” he said during the simulator User Group meeting, “I found a very small room in one of my test regions. So I logged out while standing in this closet, cleared my cache, and logged back in… On the old simulator code you could see the world streaming in and then BAM! the walls of the room would obscure everything. On the new code… the walls are there as soon as the login curtain raises. Not that the scene loading is perfect now, but some of you may remember… it used to be much worse.”

Hopefully we’ll be able to see the video soon, and Andrew will be able to avoid further plays on him coming out of the closet…

Group Ban List

Again, not a lot to report at the moment. Appearing at the Simulator User Group meeting, Baker Linden said:

I wanted to give an update on group bans:  I’m currently working through the bugs found by internal QA testing, trying to fix them as quickly as I can. Later today I’ll be doing another round of code reviews, and hopefully everything there will go smoothly.

Firestorm meeting and Q&A, October 12th: video and transcript

Posted on by Inara Pey

firestorm-logoOn Saturday October 12th 2013, the Firestorm team hosted another informal question-and-answer session. While the meeting was recorded, the Firestorm team are aware that many of their users have hearing difficulties, and / or prefer to read text. It is because of this that this transcript has been provided. When reading it, please remember:

  • This is not a word-for-word transcript of the entire meeting. While all quotes given are as they are spoken in the video, to assist in readability and maintain the flow of conversation, not all asides, jokes, interruptions, etc., have been included in the text presented here
  • If there are any sizeable gaps in comments from a speaker which resulted from asides, questions to other etc,, these are indicated by the use of “…”
  • Timestamps are provided as guidance should anyone wish to hear the comments in full from any speaker on the video
  • Questions were asked in chat while speakers were talking. This inevitably meant that replies to questions would lag well behind when they were originally asked. Therefore, to provide context between questions and answers, questions in the transcript are time stamped at the point at which each is addressed by a member of the Firestorm team, either in voice or via chat.

Please note: This transcript is provided for informational purposes only. As such, questions on technical issues relating to Firestorm and  / or project-specific questions cannot be answered here unless one of the Firestorm team drops by.

The TL;DR Summary

The numbers in braces are timestamps which refer to the section of this transcript where more details can be read, and to the section of the video recording where the relevant comments can be heard.

  • Current status for Firestorm, and potential time frames for the next release: end of October – unlikely; early December – possibly; early 2014 – if early December is missed, due to no change windows) [0:00:44-0:02:33]
  • Status with regards to LL’s viewer projects:
    • SSA updates (AISv3) – unlikely to make it into the next release and why [0:02:33-0:03:42]
    • SLShare (sharing with Facebook accounts) – possibly in next release, but low priority [0:03:42-0:04:22]
    • Group ban list – what it is and hopefully in the next release [0:04:22-0:06:30]
    • Interest list updates – unlikely to be in the next release and why [0:06:30-0:08:08]
    • Chat history capabilities from CHUI [0:18:50]
  • The hoped-for refactoring of the Preferences floater will not be in the next release [1:02:09]
  • What will be in the next release:
    • Materials, support for new particle capabilities, export features [0:08:08]
    •  Firestorm will include export capabilities, the majority of which have been in development in-house for a while, but which will include Singularity’s .DAE export capability. All export options will respect the SL permission system, so you will only be able to export things which are wholly your creation [0:09:57-0:16:14]
    • Linden Lab have introduced new particle capabilities, including a ribbon particle capability and a new means of dealing with particle griefing by right-clicking on particles to mute their source. These abilities will be in the next release of Firestorm [0:16:42-0:17:39]
  •  Firestorm may be getting a means for IM encryption in the future which will be more secure than OTR. This has arisen out of Firestorm being used as the default viewer for MOSES, the US Army’s Military Open Simulator Enterprise Strategy [0:23:50-0:28:50]
  • Firestorm is unlikely to gain 64-bit builds in the near future. So far, few advantages have been shown to exist with 64-bit builds compared to 32-bit builds utilising LAA, and 64-bit builds could present added complexity in trying to manage the project [0:33:28-0:41:39]
  • Firestorm and TPVs are experiencing much improved co-operation with the Lab, although striking a balance between openness and managing complex projects is hard to achieve and this leads to compromises [0:48:16-0:58:21]
  • The remainder of the meeting was more in the way of an open Q&A session covering a range of topics, and the transcript should be referred to for further details.

With thanks to North for the video.

Continue reading “Firestorm meeting and Q&A, October 12th: video and transcript” →

Viewer release summary 2013: week 41

Posted on by Inara Pey

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 Viewer Round-up 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.

Updates for the week ending: October 13th, 2013

Official LL Viewers

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V1-Style

  • Cool VL updated on October 13th to:
    • Stable version: 1.26.8.33
    • Experimental version: 1.26.9.33
    • Release notes (both) core update: major bug fix for the “.32” releases. please update if you are running either one)

Mobile / Other Clients

  • Lumiya updated on October 10th to version 2.5.5 – core updates: sliding gesture toggles between contact list and chat; ability to share / give inventory; llLoadURL() support; ability to view chat logs with the application (release notes)

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Lumiya 2.5.5: Share and enjoy

Posted on by Inara Pey

lumiya-logoThursday October 10th saw the latest release of Lumiya, the Android client for Second Life and OpenSim arrive.

Version 2.5.5 brings with a number of updates and improvements including:

  • Sliding gesture toggles between contact list and chat
  • Share inventory
  • Partner information in user profiles
  • Option to view chat logs within the application.

Slide Gesture for Chat / IMs and Contacts

iI5IrndThe slide gesture is a handy means of moving between your contacts list and an ongoing conversation either in open chat or IM without needing to use your device’s Back button.

To move between a conversation window and your Contacts list:

  • Start a conversation in chat or use Contacts to IM a friend
  • Place you finger on the screen and drag to the right. Your Contacts list will slide into view
  • Drag your finger to the left to return to the conversation
  • The image on the right, courtesy of Alina Lyvette, shows the function in use (the size of the image is unfortunately dictated by a limitation within WordPress.com when handling animated GIF files. Apologies if it is a little “in your face”.)

You can move between multiple IM windows by “sliding” back to Contacts and then tapping the name of the person you which to talk with and then “sliding” back and tapping the name of someone else.

Share Inventory

Version 2.5.5 allows you to share /give inventory items with / to others (subject to permissions, as usual).

To share and item:

  • Open you inventory and navigate to the folder containing the item you wish to share / give
  • Long touch the item for the context menu
  • Tap the Share With… button – this will open your Contacts screen
  • Tap the name of the person you with whom you wish to share the item
  • A pop-up dialogue will be displayed asking you to confirm that to wish to proceed. Tap Yes to do so.

Note that Lumiya doesn’t display the warning notification if you are sharing a Transfer / No Copy item, nor does it display the “User is offline….” message when the recipient is offline. However, a message confirming the object has been transferred is displayed in local chat.

Lumiya 2.5.5 allows you to share / give inventory items with / to others (left and centre) and also display partner information in the Profile display (right)
Lumiya 2.5.5 allows you to share / give inventory items with / to others (left and centre) and also display partner information in the Profile display (right)

Partner Information

The ability for Lumiya to display partner information has been added to the Profile display.

Viewing Chat Logs within Lumiya

Lumiya 2.5.5 allows you to access chat logs (history) within the application. This does require that Log Messages is enabled in Settings.  Also note that due to a file name format change, chat logs saved in previous versions of Lumiya may not display.

  • Tap the Menu key on your device from Lumiya’s main screen and then tap Settings
  • Scroll down the Settings page to the Chat section and make sure Log Messages is checked
  • Initiate a conversation with someone
  • To see the chat history, tap the Menu screen from within the Chat / IM window and select View Chat History – note that if there is no recorded history log, this option will not be displayed in the menu
  • If a chat log file exists, it will be displayed.
View chat history: make sure the Log messages option is checked (l); from the chat / IM screen, tap the Menu button on your device and select the View Chat History option (c) to open the history, if available (r).
View chat history: make sure the Log messages option is checked (l); from the chat / IM screen, tap the Menu button on your device and select the View Chat History option (c) to open the history, if available (r). Note that if the option is not displayed, there is no history file to view

Other Items

Other updates in this release comprise:

  • Support for llLoadURL() – so you can now open a web page in a browser installed on your device, if a dialogue box is displayed asking if you wish to do so
  • Improved notifications
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.

Feedback

Another very tidy update from Alina which adds some useful functions to Lumiya, with the ability to share / give items of inventory liable to be welcome among users. Kudos!

Related Links

SL Projects update week 41 (2): TPV developer meeting, group ban list, interest list

Posted on by Inara Pey

Server Deployments Summary – Week 41

As always, please refer to the week’s forum deployment thread for the latest news and updates.

  • There was no update to the Main channel
  • The three RCs remained on the same package as deployed in week 40, with one additional fix for objects using llGetCameraRot() as a result of an interest list related issue.

Potential Server Deployments  – Week 42

Speaking at the Server Beta meeting on Thursday October 11th, Maestro Linden indicated that allowing for QA testing and final decisions, it looks as if week 42 (commencing Monday October 14th) should see:

  • The Main channel receive the package currently deployed to the three RCs
  • At least one RC package which should contain fixes for the region crossing issues noted in my week 40 report, namely: vehicles being incorrectly autoreturned on crossing a region boundary under certain circumstances (and the collision body being left behind) and “ghost” avatars and vehicles sometimes appearing to an observer when the region crossing is at the limits of their draw distance.
In the guise of my "Crash Test Alt", I doogie with a top-hatted Simon Linden at the Server Beta meeting
In the guise of my “Crash Test Alt”, I boogie with a top-hatted Simon Linden at the Server Beta meeting

SL Viewer Updates

RC Updates

The Second Life Share (SLShare) RC viewer has been rebuilt using the current de facto viewer release code and a new version – 3.6.8.282036 – on October 9th. This should see all of the current RC builds now rebuilt using the release viewer code base.

Mac Viewer  / OS X 10.6

The Mac 3.6.4 viewer which was offered to Mac OS X 10.6 users as a result of issues with the recent Cocoa updates impacting them has been closed, as the Lab believes all the important bugs on this issue are fixed.  Those who had either been rolled back to this release, or opted to install it, have been updated to the current release.

Interest List Viewer

The interest list RC viewer has yet to appear, although the code is available for those able to access it for self-builds. Two issues have been identified by those compiling the viewer. The first of these appears to be a known bug, SH-4552, wherein objects and linksets previously cached by the viewer fail to load following a teleport, and will generally only render following a relog (right-clicking where the object should be, as with the “missing prims” issue earlier in the year, does not work). The second causes objects to vanish from the user’s field-of-view until after a relog  if draw distance is reduced and then returned to its prior settings.

Whether either of these issues is sufficient to stop the viewer emerging as either a project or RC viewer remains to be seen. The code had been sitting awaiting the button to be pushed to move it into one or the other. It had been hoped that members of the team who have been working on the viewer would be available to discuss the viewer during the TPV Developer meeting on Friday October 11th. Unfortunately, they didn’t manage to attend.

Upcoming Viewers

Other viewers on the horizon include:

  • A further maintenance release, which may include Baker Linden’s Group Ban List code
  • Monty Linden’s viewer-side HTTP updates, which have been “snarled up” as a result of some rebuild dependencies.

Continue reading “SL Projects update week 41 (2): TPV developer meeting, group ban list, interest list” →

SL project updates week 41 (1): Server, viewer, general updates

Posted on by Inara Pey

A quick summary for now, as I’m a little caught-up in RL bits.

Server Deployments – Week 41

As always, please refer to the week’s forum deployment thread for the latest news and updates.

Second Life Server (Main Channel)

There have been no updates to the Main channel.

Second Life RC BlueSteel, RC Magnum, and RC LeTigre – Wednesday October 9th

The RC channels should all receive on update, but otherwise remain on the package deployed in week 40.

The one addition to the package is the fix for the llGetCameraRot() LSL function, which I reported on here, and relates to a “lazy” update to scripted objects using this function as a result of recent interest list updates.

Release notes for the package are the same for all three RCs, BlueSteel is the one linked to.

If all goes according to plan, this RC deployment should be promoted to the Main channel in week 42, and new packages deployed to the RCs.

SL Viewer Updates

Following the promotion of the Maintenance RC viewer to the de facto release viewer, Monday October 7th saw the Snowstorm contributions RC updated to version 3.6.8.281997, based on the new release viewer code base, and the Google Breakpad RC viewer was similarly updated on Tuesday October 8th, to version 3.6.8.282050.

Interest List

Andrew Linden reports he is trying to get some regions up and running on Aditi to test scene loading. All things being equal, the viewer-side code which utilises the recent interest list updates deployed to Agni should make a debut appearance  (probably as an RC maintenance viewer) in week 41, however, Andrew also commented on the fact that odd little bugs keep showing-up on the server side which impact the viewer

Group Ban List

Baker reports that he’s working hard to get everything up and running on Aditi over the course of the next two weeks. Internal testing of his code should commence this week, and he warns he may miss his target as a result of personal commitments.