Tag: Lab Gab

Lab Gab April 2024 Update: Mobile, Mirrors, Policies – summary

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab

On Friday, April 19th, Linden Lab issued a pre-recorded segment of Lab Gab, intended to provide updates on various technical projects currently in progress – notably the SL Mobile app – and to provide a modest degree of update on policy matters in the wake of allegations levelled publicly and pseudonymously against the company and some of its employees and contractors, during the month of February 2024.

The video itself – which is embedded at the end of this article – is extensively indexed within its You Tube page. The following is a brief summary of the major (in my eyes) points raised in the segment, and offered as a quick reference summary for those interested.

SL Mobile – Status

[Video: 1:20-12:00]

  • Currently remains in Premium Plus closed alpha testing (Premium Plus members can sign-up for access to this alpha testing phase).
  • Work is in progress to expand access to Premium subscribers. However, this requires moving the app from the iOS (Test Flight) and Google Android testing infrastructure (where users have to be manually added to the test environments) to an environment where granting access can be handled on a more automated / streamlined basis, and this will take time to complete.
  • An update highlighting some of the more recent Mobile app features was issued on April 5th, 2024, and the week commence April 15th, 2024, saw an updated version of the app made available to those in the alpha test programme, which includes further bug fixes and updates – including the addition of deformer support, so quadruped / non-biped avatars render correctly in the app.

How Development of the Mobile App is Approached

[Video: 4:06-6:45]

  • SL Mobile development is being looked at in terms of what residents may want to do and the features required to achieve that.
  • Currently the focus is on users staying connected through notifications, being able to converse, etc., and the receipt (and response to) off-line IMs (which is said to have implications for Second Life in general, not just with regards to Mobile, with future updates on what is being done being promised.
  • Related to this is work on actually being able to do things – visit places, change outfits / looks / accessories, etc., and interact with objects.
  • In addition to providing features and capabilities for active users, Mobile is being thought of in terms of how to get “lapsed” users to re-engage with the platform. This work particularly requires the building-out of a set of capabilities to help such users re-engage with the platform and friends as smoothly as possible.

Mobile Q&A

[Video: 10:14-12:00]

(taken from questions submitted in advance, following the announcement of a Mobile update segment of Lab Gab originally scheduled for March 2024, but subsequently postponed.)

  • Will SL Mobile support HUDS – yes.
  • Create and build on Mobile? – longer-term it might be possible to provide a feature that allows some form of content creation on Mobile, but it will be limited. For “serious” content creation capabilities, the desktop viewer will still be required.
  • Voice support on Mobile – yes
  • Estate Management – maybe.
  • Mobile-specific capabilities (webcam, GPS, etc) – maybe.
  • Keyboard & mouse support – definite maybe.
  • Will Mobile be free or pay-to-access  – currently, there are no plans to charge for Mobile use, but ideas for making current subscription plans ore meaningful for those only accessing SL via the app are being considered.

glTF / PBR

[Video: 12:53-20:05]

Mirrors

  • A glTF “featurette” capability, providing real-time mirrors in Second Life (including avatar reflections).
  • Currently available for testing on Aditi (the Beta grid), but simulator support due to start limited deployment on Agni (the Main grid) during week#17 (commencing Monday, April 22nd), with viewer support (at the time of writing) available via the glTF Featurettes RC viewer.
  • In keeping with the new glTF features, leverage both reflection probes and the upcoming 2K texture support.
Signal Linden demonstrates the glTF mirror capability, which is about to become fully available in Second Life

2K Textures – including Fees

  • Full support for 2048×2048 textures.
  • To ensure there is no undue impact on performance given 2K textures have 4 time the area of current 1K textures, work has been put into streaming optimisation to ensure only the require MIP map is used with a textures (e.g. if the texture is 2K, but the surface it is being displayed on only requires 512K – then the 512K MIP map will be used, NOT the 2K MIP.
  • Fees for 2K texture uploads:
    • Basic / Plus account: L$50 per texture.
    • Premium account: L$40 per texture.
    • Premium Plus: L$10 per texture.
  • Viewer support will be provided separately to the Mirrors / PBR Terrain work, “soon”.

PBR Terrain

  • Provides support for PBR materials on SL terrain (including specular and normal map support).
  • Includes the use of 2K textures.
Materials applied to Second Life terrains. Credit: Linden Lab
  • Not only improves the texel density (resolution) for terrain, but also provides better blending between textures as terrain elevation changes.

General

  • Those wishing to see glTF mirrors and terrain support can do so by requesting access to Aditi (the beta grid) and visiting one of the following regions: Rumpus Room 2048; Rumpus Room 2049; Rumpus Room 2050 and Rumpus Room 2051.
  • However, (initially limited) deployment of back-end support for Mirrors and PBR Terrain on Agni (the Main grid) commenced on Wednesday, April 17th, using the Featurettes RC viewer available via the Alternate Viewers page. The supported regions have the same Rumpus Room names as given above, and I will be updating on this as a part of my SUG meeting summaries.
  • All of the glTF work is discussed at the Content Creation User Group – see the SL Public Calendar for the meeting dates – and I summarise meetings here.

Policy Updates with Keira Linden

[Video: 21:14-24:12]

Note: this section is in keeping with the statement by Linden Lab owner and Executive Chair, Brad Oberwager in light of allegations made with a pseudonymous article which appeared on a social journalise website in February 2024 (further commentary on this can be found here).

  • A reminder of the age requirements for Second Life:
    • Second Life is generally for adults (18 years or older).
    • 16-17 years are allowed, but only within General rated regions.
    • Second Life is not intended for anyone under the age of 16, except for students in the 13-15 year age range, who are restricted to regions operated by recognised / sponsoring educational organisations, and provided with access through a special registration process.
  • LL is keenly aware of the need not to expose minors to inappropriate content. As such, the age verification process for users entering second Life is to be strengthened, and further details on this will be made available soon.
  • Use of child avatars:
    • Linden Lab recognises that adults do role-play and present as child avatars in ways that are entirely without any form of sexualisation or in any way ageplay related, and the company has no intention to limit or prevent this kind of engagement.
    • However:
      • Child avatars should not be used to access or be near regions which have (or also have) adult-rated content / activities.
      • Consenting adults engaging in adult-oriented role-play with / using avatars presenting as children (aka “ageplay”) is not allowed – and will never be allowed – in Second Life, and the policy on this is strictly enforced.
    • In light of the recent allegations, the Lab is in the process of strengthening the child avatar policy, and the updated version will be rolled out soon. The intent of these changes is to ensure an even greater separation between the use of child avatars and adult-rated content in Second Life.
  • As well as the above, LL is looking to improve policies relating to conduct both within the broader Second Life community of users and within the company as well (e.g. how staff interact with the wider community, and policies relating to potential conflicts of interest / the perception of favouritism,  in the case of the latter).
  • A cross-department project is also underway to help with content moderation, both in-world and on the Marketplace.

Community Round Table

[Video: 24:14-25:17]

  • A new channel of communication to launch in May 2024.
  • Being seen as a more “general purpose” user group meeting type of forum where users can put forward their ideas on how to improve Second Life to executive members of Linden Lab’s leadership.
  • Details to be forthcoming soon.

 

VWBPE 2024 What’s up With the Lab: Grumpity, Kali and Signal Linden

Posted on by Inara Pey
via VWBPE

Update: March 16th, 2024: Regarding SL Voice and capabilities, as mentioned in the latter part of this summary, please also refer to: 2024 week #11: SL TPVD summary: new approach to voice in SL for information on the new WebRTC for Voice in SL.

On Thursday, March 14th, 2024 Grumpity Linden, the Lab’s Senior Vice President of Operations, along with Kali and Signal Linden joined Phelan Corrimal for the annual Above the Book session at the Virtual Worlds Best Practice in Education (VWBPE) conference, entitled What’s Up At the Lab.

The function of the session is to explore what’s “new” at Linden Lab  / with Second Life and their impact on educators and non-profit organisations using the platform.

The following is a summary of the session covering the core topics raised. The notes provided have been taken directly from the official video of the session, which is embedded at the end of this article. Time stamps to the video are also provided to the relevant points in the video for those who wish to listen to specific comments.

Notes:

  • This is a summary, not a full transcript, and items have been grouped by topic, so may not be presented chronologically when compared to the video.
  • Timestamps are included to allow a direct jump to a subject / comment.

A Little Background

Grumpity Linden: is responsible for the Second Life Product and Engineering teams. She originally started at LL whilst working for The Product Engine, and was involved in the development of Viewer 2 (as designed by 80/20 Studio), prior to joining LL full-time in 2014. Her role covers all aspects of product development and platform engineering, and as well as having a strong technical background, she also brings a strong element of interpersonal skills and psychological expertise to the Lab’s management team via her studies at the Johns Hopkins University.

Kali Linden: is now a Director of Engineering at the Lab, reporting into Grumpity, specifically focused on the Lab’s web properties (e.g. lindenlab.com, secondlife.com, the Marketplace, etc.) and associated UI and API design. She has a keen focus on matters pertaining to content creation and also in working in the non-profit sphere, describing herself as a “Nonprofit-preneur” as well as a “Nerd-Gamer”.

Signal Linden: is the Director of the Second Life Server and Viewer engineering and development teams. He has been involved with Second Life since 2008, and joined Linden Lab in 2015 by way of the likes of Amazon. He is a strong believer in the potential of virtual worlds, and a keen proponent of open-source software and collaborative development. He has perhaps most recently been visible as the communicator of, and driving force behind, the Lab’s moves to the use of Github to manage viewer development and issue tracking for their engineering and development environments.

Product Development Path

The glTF™ Roadmap

[Video: 4:43-19:26]

  • When SL introduced mesh import (2011), the COLLADA (Collaborative Design Activity) interchange file format  interactive 3D applications was selected for use within SL for importing mesh models to the platform. This decision was based on its widespread (at the time) use and recognition as an international standard (ISO/PAS 17506).
  • Since then, content creation and the industry have moved on, and the glTF (graphics library Transmission Format) has been developed over the last decade by the Khronos Group (also responsible for COLLADA), as  a standard file format for three-dimensional scenes and models. Recognised and adhered to through the industry, it is the specification of choice for Second Life to move to using.
  • Linden Lab views glTF adoption as a combination of:
    • Making the platform more accessible to a wider pool of content creators (as in theory, content made for X or Y in adherence to the core glTF specification (currently version 2.0 (no extensions) for SL) could be dropped directly into SL “as is” subject to licensing)
    • Making the actual import and use of glTF objects and scenes adhering to the specification pretty much a drag-and-drop capability.
  • While the techniques involved in glTF content production may be more complex, it is hoped that by adhering to the specification, content creators and users in SL will have great access to more accurate documentation to support the learning process, and have access to a broader set of libraries / tools presenting the means for that drag-and-drop capability with items and objects arriving in SL and looking vastly different to how they appear in authoring tools.
  • Physically based rendering (PBR) for materials was the first step in glTF adoption, and required a large-scale overhaul of the SL rendering engine. With its deployment and update, LL are now looking to to build out glTF support and capabilities.
  • Notably, the work now allows LL the opportunity to investigate  – and potentially implement – the support of  importing of entire glTF scenes (object, scripts, animations, etc., as noted above) into SL and have them stored as a recognisable asset.
    • This requires another significant overhaul of SL to support glTF hierarches, and so is liable to be a long-term project.
    • However, work on scene import and its associated requirements is due to start around mid-2024.
  • Note: this conversation included the export of glTF scenes from SL to elsewhere. As Linden Lab are still investigating requirements for permissions, etc., plus determining what will be required to allow scene import, no definitive answer on this could be given at this point, and so I’ll do no more than mention it here. Please refer to the video below if interested in the conversation.

SL Mobile

[Video: 30:02-36:28]

  • SL Mobile remains in closed Alpha testing (Premium Plus users only) and the current testing is generating a lot of feedback.
  • The initial focus was on rendering – with work still on-going – to ensure scenes and avatars could be rendered with a fidelity similar to that of the viewer and robustly.
  • This saw limited functionality in other areas to start with, but the functionality is being built out, and will continue to be built out and enhanced. Recent updates include:
    • Start a new chat from any chat screen
    • On the Nearby Chat screen, see how many people are nearby.
    • Streaming audio support.
  • As the functionality is built out, LL plan to start looking more broadly at Mobile use-cases (e.g. bringing-in new users, which requires considering a set of capabilities – signing-up, getting in-world, making connections, etc.) which are different to many of those sought by existing users (e.g inventory sorting).
  • Some capabilities found in the viewer will not be available in Mobile “for a while” (e.g. building), and core capabilities required for content creation (e.g. mesh importing) may well remain bound to the desktop.
  • That said, basic object interactions – sitting on objects, driving vehicles, etc., – will be supported.
  • In terms of broadening the existing SL Mobile user base, the hope is to do so “in the first half” of 2024.
    • More widespread usage does require more thought around interactions with third party environments (app stores, Tilia for L$ management, etc.) before such expansion can take place.

On-Boarding New User Experience

[Video: 36:40-42:34]

  • With the introduction of the Senra avatars in 2023, LL added a web-based avatar customisation flow as a part of the on-boarding process. This process continues to be refined, wit the idea remaining that new users will start with Senra and its available clothing and accessories (LL supplied or via user creators), but eventually move to other systems.
  • However, it is recognised that in-world avatar customisation is “hard”, so to further assist in new users gaining familiarity with in-world avatar customisation, LL are – as has been suggested by existing users – looking to implement a similar, easy-to-understand flow to customising avatars in-world.
    • This does require a series of back-end changes to systems to be made, so will still be a while in come.
    • It will, by necessity, given the huge range of options available in avatar customisation, be somewhat constrained it terms of trying to build a more complex look, but it should allow use users to make changes to their avatar and produce a good result.
  • As a part of the on-boarding process, LL is looking to improve the registration API that is provided to Community Gateways for on-boarding users directly. No firm decisions on what might be updated and why, but the Lab is interested in hearing from Gateway Communities, those using the Reg API on the changes they would like to see. suggestions via the Second Life Feedback Portal.

General

  • Scripting [Video: 19:27-24:52]:
    • The last two years have seen LL become more responsive to requests for more scripting capabilities and functionality.
    • The plan is to continue with this, and those with specific requests – even if made in the past – are asked to use the Scripting Requests board on the Second Life Feedback Portal to do so.
    • Interoperability with external API (e.g. web APIs) is often being considered on a request basis.
  • Voice in Second Life [Video: 24:56-29:50]:
    • It is acknowledged that SL’s voice capabilities (powered by Vivox) have been largely unchanged since their introduction in 2007 (and Vivox has long since ceased active support on Linux).
    • LL are looking to improve Voice capabilities in SL with technologies which will enable the addition of new functionalities – such as new capabilities in-world such as adding scripted control of voice capabilities.
    • As with PBR and glTF, the work currently under consideration for Voice in SL would be foundational as / when decisions are made and projects start rolling, allowing capabilities and options to be built up over time.
  • Marketplace [Video: 42:40-43:56]:
    • In line with the work on SL Mobile, the Marketplace / web team are working on trying to make the Marketplace responsive on Mobile, enabling shopping via ‘phone or tablet and also improving the MP’s appearance on the viewer’s in-built browser.
    • Marketplace Search is also going to see further improvements (e.g. additional filtering).
    • Also see my more recent Web User Group summaries.
  • Feedback move from Jira to Github  / Canny [Video: 44:14-48:30]:
    • The decision to move away from Jira was primarily due to Atlassian (who produce the Jira software) changing their licensing model, making an open-ended system available to all SL users prohibitively expensive for the Lab.
    • Github Issues was selected as the core replacement tool due to it both it being a good collaborative tool or developers and users, and it is a key tool used within the likes of viewer (open-source and simulator code development.
    • Canny was settled on for the general user-facing front-end the Feedback Portal) as it has “good” integration with Github, and has a range of tools which allow information to be grouped and displayed (e.g. Marketplace bug / issues; viewer bug reports, projects such as Combat 2.0, etc.).
    • It also allows for a wider range of feedback to be given, and for prioritising work in terms of popularity of ideas, identifying issues that can be widely beneficial and rapidly implemented, etc.
    • The Feedback Portal provides general user access to tickets; those with Github accounts (e.g. open source or third-party viewer developers) can access the Github issues side of the system (with some security / sensitive data exceptions) via their Github accounts.
    • The switch-over was completed in mid-February 2024.

SL20B Lab Gab Special: Brett and StyFy Linden – summary with video

Posted on by Inara Pey

 

via Linden Lab
Thursday, June 29th, 2023 saw the fourth in a series of Lab Gab special events take place for the SL20 Birthday celebrations, featuring Brett Linden, the Lab’s Vice President of Marketing, and the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, StyFy Linden.

The following is a summary of the session covering the core topics raised. The full video is located at the end of this article.

Please note:

  • The session was built around questions submitted in advance of the session.
 Table of Contents
  • This is a summary, not a full transcript, and the focus is on those questions which offer insight into the world of the Marketing Team.
  • Timestamps are included against the topics discussed, so that those who wish can listen to the responses in full.

A Little Background

Brett Linden

  • As VP of marketing, Brett Linden manages the team responsible for developing media campaigns and strategic content partnerships for Second Life.
  • Has more then 2 decades of marketing and journalism experience, and has been at the Lab for 16 years.
  • In the past decade, he has produced numerous virtual and “mixed reality” events and panels on various academic topics with an emphasis on legitimising and better surfacing the many cultures and communities within virtual environments.
  • From Rolling Stone to Billboard, Brett has also written for major publications and managed multimedia initiatives for Amazon.com and RealNetworks. As a co-founding editor at Billboard.com, he interviewed Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Shania Twain, and Bjork.
  • Was drawn to Second Life after trying the platform during its first burst of media exposure in 2006 – specifically trying to find the CNN and Reuters bureaux that were active in SL at that time.
  • At the same time, he received a grant from the McCormick Foundation to run the Virtual Journalism Summit, some of which took place in-world, allowing him to meet Philip Rosedale.
  • He moved from being a resident to being a Linden in 2007.
  • He is as fascinated and intrigued – and sometimes frustrated – but always illuminated by the platform, the residents, the diversity of use and creativity, etc., today, as he was when he started.

StyFy Linden

  • Has been with Linden Lab for 18 months.
  • Has a broad background in marketing, including client marketing, retail marketing and running marketing agencies, and has also working within some major technology companies.
  • States that throughout his career, he’s never had as much fun as he is having at Linden Lab.

Marketing and SL20B

[Video: 3:19-5:01]

  • StyFy Linden:
    • The marketing for SL20B  has been similar to previous years, but with a broader and deeper scope.
    • A lot has been going on with the media and through social media.
    • A lot more has been done with the press in particular to mark the 20th anniversary.

The Media’s Tone Towards SL Following 2022’s “Metaverse” Hype

[Video: 5:09-6:48]

  • StyFy Linden:
    • It has benefitted SL. In 2022,there were some major corporations sucking up a lot of the media’s interest in  the “metaverse”.
    • However, the fact that SL has hit 20 years of open public access at a time when others have really been “flash in the pan” announcements around the “metaverse”, allowing SL to be positioned at the “gold standard” of virtual worlds.
    • Believes this is being reflected in the kind of press coverage the platform has recently received, and the fact that LL is no longer one “of six” calls reporters might make when writing about virtual worlds – they are the “only” call being made.

Keeping The Perception of SL Fresh

[Video: 6:58-8:56]

  • Brett Linden:
    • Work is understand to update / refresh the SL web properties; thew Destination Guide has received a major refresh, with more work to come [see below].
    • Notes that the community within Second Life does a lot to help keep SL fresh through content creation, building destinations and experiences, etc., and with their on photography.
    • The Marketing Team as a whole is expanding with new talent.
    • All of this is feeding back into the overall media / press interest in Second Life.
    • Believes that SL Mobile, once available, will offer further interest in SL.
  • StyFy Linden:
    • Time has been put into formalising they way in which feedback can be obtained from existing and new Second life users and communities within SL, and even potential SL users.
    • This is being used to help drive some of the ideas the Marketing Team and others within LL have in moving the platform forward, developing new initiatives, etc.

Current Marketing Activities Outside of SL20B

[Video: 8:58-11:36]

  • StyFy Linden:
    • Marketing is being looked at more broadly; not just as a pipeline to draw new users into Second life, but also how it can be used to assist users during their journey through Second Life: how can Marketing help new users get acclimated to SL; how can Marketing help users to connect with one another; etc.
    • So the thinking is not longer siloed towards a single goal, but more broadly spread to benefit both the platform and users as a whole.
  • Brett Linden:
    • People thinking of Marketing in terms of acquisition only, but the involvement can be broader, as demonstrated with the new Welcome Hub, in which Marketing have played a significant role in helping define how they can help users beyond the pure acquisition stage of their experience with SL.
    • Very much sees helping to get users to “stick” with Second Life, from having a very good, comfortable initial exposure to the platform onwards, is something in which Marketing can offer considerable expertise.

Common Misconceptions About the SL Marketing Team

[Video: 11:41-14:23]

  • Brett Linden:
    • Can understand why there are misconceptions, as users are not sitting side-by-side with the Marketing team.
    • Many misconceptions tend to be the result of people’s focus. For example, if they see SL paid ads, they assume the Marketing Team only does paid ads.
    • The overall strategy is far broader – wrapping into the Public Relations (including the use of an external company), the involvement in user acquisition and retention, etc.
    • Would also point out that Marketing is only one team within SL. They work extremely closely with Product and Product operations in particular, but this is sometimes misconstrued by users as to which team is doing what; sometimes Marketing will be operating in support of initiatives led by the other teams, sometimes they will actually be leading initiatives which may be perceived as being run by other teams.
  • StyFy Linden:
    • Would say the biggest misconception about Marketing is that “all” they do is form pipeline to acquire new users through mechanisms like paid ads, etc.
    • Marketing touches on many parts of Second life and LL in many different ways, from providing imput through to actively providing solutions for given requirements, and involved across the “entire resident journey”.

LL’s Social Media Strategy

[Video: 14:30-18:37]

  • Strawberry Linden (as Social Media Manager at LL):
    • Main goal is to feature as much of the community as possible.
    • Spreading SL’s presence to multiple social media platforms, as has been the case with TikTok.
  • StyFy Linden:
    • Looking to add depth to SL’s current social media presence, particularly where new channels are opening up (as with TikTok, seen as particularly important due to the broadness of its user base).
  • Brett Linden:
    • Feels that the social media strategy is an excellent means to celebrate and promotion what the Second Life user community is doing.
    • Appreciates the ways in which users themselves are using social media to tell their own stories vis Second Life.
    • In terms of the future, feels video will play more of an important role for SL, giving the growth of platforms like TikTok and Kik.

User Created Content and Its Use in Marketing Campaigns

[Video: 18:45-21:06]

  • StyFy Linden:
    • User created content is one of the biggest opportunities Market has thanks to its richness.
    • Sees the content available within SL as a cornerstone of those aspects of Marketing’s work geared towards user acquisition.
    • Would like to have specific feedback / ideas from the community on what Marketing can do to leverage the diversity of content within Second Life to help bring users into the platform / help communities within SL attract new users from beyond the platform.
  • Brett Linden:
    • There is a general e-mail address at the Lab which is monitored by Marketing and others to which users can submit general feedback and ideas [not feature request or bug reports – please use the Jira for those!] – feedback-at-lindenlab.com.
    • Would emphasise that the community is “at the core and heart of all that we do”.

The New Welcome / Community Hub: Goal and Continuing Development

[Video: 21:08-24:11]

[Note: this is in reference to the Welcome Hub launched alongside the Motown Experience – see: Linden Lab and Motown: a new approach to user on-boarding in Second Life]

  • Brett Linden:
    • The new hub is very much a “version 1” of the concept. As such it is an experiment, and the Lab is learning from it. As such it will be improved and iterated upon.
    • It particularly presents an opportunity to observe new users throughout their on-boarding to the platform and through their initial exposure to the world and other users, and take lessons from what is seen over time.
    • The work is critically important to the overall idea of bringing people into SL and to helping them engage with the platform and thus help ensure its continued longevity.
    • Notes that there are already community gateways which tackle the new user experience, and sees the Welcome Hub idea as augmenting the work they do.
    • In terms of strategy, the use of mentors and leaders within the Hub environment is as important as the environment itself, given they provide a friendly, helpful face to SL as new users come it.
  • StyFy Linden:
    • Would note that a lot of what is available within the Hub’s regions really flowed out from talking with incoming users about their experience, why / how they are encouraged to stay engaged with SL, who helped them and how, etc.

Brand and Entertainment Partnerships

[Video: 24:12-26:23]

  • Styfy Linden:
    • As with the press, SL was one of a number of “metaverse” platforms brands were looking to engage with in 2022. Now SL is part of a “much, much shorter list” of platforms brands are interested in.
    • This means SL is attracting a lot of interest; however, LL do not engage with entities simply for the same of creating a partnership; the focus is on partnerships that will add to Second Life and the in-world experience of users.
    • Because of this, it is likely there will be more partnerships similar to Motown – which itself will be expanded upon – in the future.

The Destination Guide

[Video: 26:30-30:12]

  • The Destination Guide was initiated by Brett Linden as one of his first projects as a Linden.
  • At the time, there wasn’t a significant means to easily highlight places within SL.
  • It was initially called Showcase, and tended to grow from there, including being re-christened Destination Guide.
  • It has recently been given a complete refresh in terms of bot the look and the functionality [see: Looking at the Second Life Destination Guide facelift]
  • Elements of the refresh – such as the additional of search capabilities on the web version – are the direct result of feedback from users on the older Destination Guide look.
  • Future updates will include “population counts” (i.e. avatars actually within a location); the ability to bookmark / favourite locations, etc.
  • The architecture for the Destination Guide is actually complex: the version in the viewer isn’t simply the web version presented through the viewer, it is its own entity, driven by the same engine, and DG data touches on things like the official viewer message of the day, the map system, etc.
  • No timeline on when additional features will be surfaced, but the Destination Guide is “on our roadmap for the next 6 months, let’s say”.

Strategies for Attracting New Users and Content Creators / Artists

[Video: 33:33-34:55]

  • StyFy Linden:
    • Content creation is such a core part of SL, that considering how to engage with the next generation of content creators and bring them in to SL is very much part of the Marketing focus.
    • Some of the ideas being discussed are “in-world apprenticeships” and partnerships with colleges and universities to help guide students into SL [through, presumably, art and content creation].
    • Hopefully more of these ideas will be fleshed out throughout the rest of 2023.

SL Demographics

[Video: 34:58-36:49]

  • StyFy Linden:
    • Great for 30+ age range. The challenge is 18-29-year-olds.
    • Feels that reaching this 18-29 demographic is not unique to SL; virtual worlds in general appear to have the same problem.
    • Time has been spent exploring the challenges involved in reaching this demographic and in looking at the channels through which they can be reached (e.g. TikTok).
    • There is also a working group “within SL” focus on the subject of growing the user base.

SL in 10 Years

[Video: 36:54-39:30]

  • Brett Linden:
    • Hopes the platform continues to innovate and expand.
    • Would love the see SL continue to foster the development and evolution of on-line cultures whilst also scaling to greater numbers of concurrent users and also becoming more broadly available through Mobile.
    • Most of all hopes SL will continue to be known as a welcoming, creative space that is really honouring and respectful of freedom of expression and people’s individuality.
  • StyFy Linden:
    • The power of SL is its users and their creativity, and hopes that remains the cornerstone of what the platform is.
    • Hope people engage with the platform and how LL will engage with them will obviously change as technology changes, but does not believe what SL is known for is going to change.

SL20B Lab Gab: Brad Oberwager and Philip Rosedale – summary notes + video

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab
On Wednesday, June 28th, 10th, 2023, Linden Lab streamed a special session of Lab Gab as a part of the SL20b celebrations,  featuring Linden Lab board member and Executive Chairman Brad Oberwager (Oberwolf Linden), together with Linden Lab founder (and now Second Life Strategic Advisor) Philip Rosedale (Philip Linden).

This is a summary of that session, with the video embedded at the end.

Please note:

    • The session was built around questions submitted in advance of the session, and as received from the audience attending / watching via You Tube.
    • In order to try to offer some structure, this summary tries to offer questions and responses in terms of to whom they were directed (e.g. Brad Oberwager or Philip Rosedale or both). As such it does not follow the video recording (embedded at the end of the article) chronologically.
 Table of Contents
  • It is not a full transcript of questions and responses, but is intended as a summary. Timestamps are included against the topics discussed, so that those who wish can listen to the responses in full.

A Little Background

Brad Oberwager

[Video: 0:00-6:45]

Brad Oberwager is one of the three investors who acquired Linden Lab in 2020, together with J. Randall (Randy) Waterfield and Raj Date. Since the acquisition closed, he has been very hands-on at Linden Lab, working alongside members of the management team, and he has also brought-in long-time business associate Cammy Bergren as the company’s Chief of Staff.

His biography, as supplied by the Lab reads as follows:

Brad Oberwager has spent his entire career in technology and consumer focused companies as an entrepreneur and board member.
Currently, he sits on the board of two public companies, Asure Software (NASDAQ: ASUR) and Better World (NASDAQ: BWACU). He is the chairman of two companies he founded, Jyve and Sundia and is also on the board of TEGSCO (aka AutoReturn). He owned Bare Snacks, acquired by PepsiCo in 2018.
Brad was Vice-chair of YPO International, a global organization of 25,000 CEOs [where he met and became friends with J. Randall Waterfield, another of the Lab’s owners / board member].
Brad received his BS from Georgetown University, his MBA from the Wharton School and lives in San Francisco.

Philip Rosedale

Philip Rosedale earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and computer science from the University of California, San Diego, and in 1985 he created a video conferencing product called “FreeVue”, which was ultimately purchased by Real Networks, for whom he went to work, rising to the positions vice president and chief technology officer.

Departing Real Networks at the end of the 1990s, he founded Linden Research Inc (functioning as Linden Lab), and commenced work on trying to develop both the hardware and software for an immersive virtual reality system. The company switched to focusing on the software – which it called LindenWorld -, launching it as a publicly-accessible platform under the name Second Life in 2003. As founder and CEO, Rosedale steered the company through until 2008, when he stepped back from the role of CEO to become chair of the board of directors.

In 2009, he founded LoveMachine Inc., with  Ryan Downe, which later evolved into Coffer and Power (2011), with Rosedale briefly returning to Linden Lab in 2010 as interim CEO. After two years developing a mobile application called Workclub that helped bring contractors and those seeking them together, he and Downe announced Coffee & Power would become a new company, High Fidelity Inc. (2013), focused on building a fully decentralised virtual reality environments, and the required supporting applications / services. In 2019, High Fidelity ceased working on this platform to focus on one of the key supporting services: spatial audio, with their product subsequently being licensed by a number of companies.

In 2021, High Fidelity invested in Linden Research, brining in both staff and patents that might be used with the platform, and while High Fidelity still very much operates as an independent entity, Rosedale took the part-time position of Strategic Advisor to Linden Lab.

Questions Specific to Brad Oberwager

2.5 Years On From Acquiring LL, How Does He Feel Things Are Going?

[Video: 6:50-11:31]

  • While he acquired Linden Research, has come to realise he doesn’t “own” Second Life; the users and the staff at the Lab “own” Second Life, and he feels he is along for the ride.
  • Has been so welcomed by the user base and the staff at the Lab over 2.5 years, doesn’t think of it as owning and running a company so much as having a moral imperative to ensure Second Life continues for the next 20 years.
  • As such sees the platform as less of a business in the fullest sense of the word, but as something which must be allowed to continue.
  • Looking at the metrics, feels that the platform is very stable overall (although there has been a small decline in active users).
  • Feels the most complicated issue with Second Life is, given its size and overall cost to maintain and run and the limited resources LL necessarily has, how to balance the focus / expenditure between growing the platform’s capabilities to the benefit of its current active user base and bringing-in new users and engaging them in the platform to keep things vibrant and fresh. As such, his major worry regarding SL and his management of the company is – in his words – “don’t eff it up!”

Has It Been Easy / Hard to Add His Own Imprint to the Platform?

[Video: 14:48-17:43]

  • Has never intended or tried to imprint himself on SL. Rather, he has always seen his goal as being “releasing the Lindens to do what they love to make Second Life the best for the community”, and to provide the resources required in order for this to happen.
  • Notes that this is not entirely altruistic: Linden Lab / Second Life both have a business value, and SL is not inexpensive to run. However, believes that this approach is the best path by which to make Second Life more valuable as a business.
  • Feels that his acquisition of Linden Lab [with J. Randal Waterfield] amounted to a fundamental shift in the company from one being run by venture capitalists [where ROI might be a guiding factor], to a partnership in which a longer-term view could be taken, including the splitting-off of business elements [e.g. Tilia] to allow the available resources to freed-up to focus on the platform.
  • He hopes this last point has been understood and welcomed by users.

What is the Status Re: a New CEO?

[Video: 17:56-21:24]

  • Traditionally, the role of the CEO is to take care of the general running of an organisation – taking ultimate responsibility for things like allocating resources, budgets, setting the culture and tone for the business, etc., on the basis of input from the executive level managers, and to manage the Board from the bottom-up, whilst the Chair of the board manages the latter from the top down.
  • Insofar as Second Life is concerned, these duties / responsibilities are being managed by a team of individuals called, internally, TOOSL [“too-sol” – The Office Of Second Life, comprising Brett Linden, Grumpity Linden, Mojo Linden and Patch Linden in their various Vice President roles].
  • Brad himself is Executive Chairman, meaning he is hands-on involved in running Linden Research as a company, as well as managing the board [comprising himself, J. Randal Waterfield and Raj Date].
  • As Executive Chair, Brad has the TOOSL team reporting into him – a dynamic which works, and which negates the need for a “Second Life CEO”, while his position as hands-on Executive Chair for the company means he is a kind of de facto corporate CEO without actually taking the title.
  • Given this structure, there are no plans to hire-in a CEO,, but the roles performed by a “traditional” CEO are being performed.

As An Investor, What Does He Value Most About SL?

[Video: 1:17:38-1:20:36]

  • Asks that people remember that he doesn’t look at Second Life primarily as a investor.
  • However, as an investor, particularly values the consistency of the experience and the loyalty of the users, both of which mark SL as a good business, and the fact he can achieve all his goals as an investor through his active involvement in managing and running the Lab (and by extension, Second Life).

Tilia Update

[Video: 24:09-28:11]

  • Believes questions on Tilia are born of two things: positive curiosity and unfounded fears.
  • The fears are based on the idea that having the Lab focus on “non-SL” activities takes away resources from SL. While not commenting on situations prior to his arrival, he would note that Second Life cannot exist without Tilia, because of its management of the financial elements involved within the platform – the ability to purchase virtual goods, to exchange physical world currencies [“fiat money”, to use the technical term] and Linden Dollars and back again, etc.
  • As such, Tilia is not some spin-off project within the Lab. Rather, it enables Linden Lab to adhere to a complicated series of state, federal and international financial requirements and regulations. If it did not exist, LL would have to go out and obtain the services Tilia provides – and be locked into the structure of those services without any ownership of them.
  • However, as Linden Lab owns Tilia, it presents added security to Second Life [as the company maintains control of the services] whilst allowing LL to market the services Tilia provides to other interested parties. This has two additional benefits:
    • It allows Tilia to potentially become self-supporting as a business entity, reducing the financial support coming from it via Second Life.
    • It potentially allows Tilia to offer Linden Lab (and Second Life) added resources / an inward revenue flow.
  • As such, any success for Tilia reflects well on Second Life.

Questions Specific to Philip Rosedale

What Inspired Him to create Second Life?

[Video: 3:04-6:43]

  • In the late 1990s attempted to develop The Rig a virtual reality system, working with Andrew (now Leviathan, since his return to LL from High Fidelity) Linden.
  • Nine months into this work, the team started developing the virtual world itself – at that time intended to be a physics simulation of an enormous world, rather than an avatar-based world. A place where the laws of physics could be tested an constructs made.
  • As people within the company started using the software and getting caught up within it, the focus shifted to developing the virtual world itself and presenting it as an immersive experience.
  • [As many know, that led to the development of LindenWorld, and copies of a 2001 video of that environment, populated by “Primitars” (as they were built from the world’s primitives) can still be found on You Tube.]

  • Never thought the platform would still be going 20 years on, let alone the rich diversity of activities and content, and is “deeply, deeply happy” with the way the platform has flourished and adopted / adapted by users.

What Worries  / Excites Him Most for the Future of SL?

[Video: 11:33-14:36]

  • Is excited about the fact that – even without the need for headsets – SL is seen as being a leader within the field, and feels that it is a fundamental demonstration of how people can positively spend time within virtual environments – “the metaverse” (alongside the few other multi-person virtual worlds that have managed to survive), and how a virtual world can both positively empower and bring people from all backgrounds together.
  • Is also concerned that the increasing AI toolset that is gaining greater use, coupled with the spread of misinformation, could, if mis-applied to virtual worlds, lead to things going “horribly wrong” if there are a lot of people using those virtual spaces.
  • As such, has spent much of his time of late trying to articulate the positive strengths of SL, and how they could be positive influence within social media, digital currencies, etc.

What is His Role at Linden Lab / Within Second Life?

[Video: 21:28-23:59]

  • Notes that the relationship between Second Life and Linden Lab is unusually dynamic, as the growth of each informs the other.
  • Due to the multiple inputs to and uses of the platform, it doesn’t lend itself to the “traditional” form of reactive, product-led, top-down management, and so support’s Brad’s comment vis the role of CEO.
  • His own role is that of Second Life Strategic Advisor, being available to help consult on areas where his opinion / expertise is concerned. However, notes that as he is busy on multiple fronts, his direct involvement in Second Life’s development takes the form of “a little of my time and a lot of my love.”

Continue reading “SL20B Lab Gab: Brad Oberwager and Philip Rosedale – summary notes + video” →

SL20B Lab Gab Special: Grumpity and Mojo Linden – summary notes + video

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab
On Tuesday, June 27th, 10th, 2023, Linden Lab streamed a special session of Lab Gab featuring  Grumpity Linden, Linden Lab’s Vice President of Product, and Mojo Linden, the Lab’s Vice President of Engineering.

The session was built around announcements and updates relating to various initiatives and product developments. Note that the following is not a direct transcript of the entire session, but is intended to record the key points discussed.

 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: 0:45-2:43]

Grumpity Linden: heads up Second Life Product team, where she has overseen a shift to growth, a stronger, more balanced economy, movement towards better community cohesion, and an overall forward-looking approach. She originally started at LL whilst working for The Product Engine, and was involved in the development of Viewer 2 (as designed by 80/20 Studio), prior to joining LL full-time in 2014. As the Vice President of Product, she is responsible for coordinating the various teams involved in bringing features and updates to Second Life, liaising with legal, financial and compliance to ensure features and capabilities meet any specific requirements in those areas, and so on; work which can involve looking at specifics within various elements of the overall SL product, such as UI design and layout, etc.

Mojo Linden: joined the Lab in 2021 at the Vice President of Engineering. A 20-year veteran of the gaming industry, he has been responsible for launching numerous games across multiple genres and platforms, and has a strong understanding of platforms, architectures, and product development and technical capabilities. In his role at the Lab, he has shown enormous openness and candour in seeking to increase the platform’s functionality and performance, and in pushing to expand SL’s capabilities.

Performance Improvements  and Technical Debt

[Video: 2:48-5:38]

  • Performance improvements in both the viewer and on the simulator / back-end has been a focus for the last two years, and remains a focus now.
  • The PBR [Physically-Based Rendering – also a see below] project will not only deliver better rendering and better looking world, it includes a range of viewer-side performance improvements – such as removing the viewer limitation on the amount of video memory it can use on a GPU under Windows, allowing for  better texture loading.
  • There is work in progress to update the simulator code to run on a 64-bit architecture, which will lead to further server-side performance improvements.
  • A challenge with improving SL is its 20-year lifespan, which means that while it has been updated throughout, it still has a high degree of technical debt in terms of the age of some of the code and services, due the fact that many technologies and capabilities didn’t exist when the platform was being built, etc.
  • Enhancing and improving the platform is therefore a balancing act between introducing new technology, new features and new capabilities whilst also working to ensure the underpinning code and continues to work as expect, and the back-end systems and services can be updated to work in “more modern ways”.

Product Roadmap 2023

[Video: 5:47-17:19]

In Brief

  • The upcoming New User Experience / Senra-brand mesh avatars – for more details, see my summary of Patch Linden’s Lab Gab session, together with the supporting web-based avatar customisation process [also see below for more].
  • The SecondLifeTime membership offer  – see: Linden Lab launches SecondLifeTime Premium and SecondLifeTime Premium Plus. In brief:
    • 200 SecondLifeTime Premium memberships for a one-off payment of US $749 for life and featuring all the benefits available to Premium subscribers.
    • 20 SecondLifeTime Premium Plus memberships for a one-off payment of US $1,749 for life and featuring all the benefits available to Premium Plus subscribers.
  • The launch of the first Linden Homes theme for Premium Plus – see: Looking at the Linden Premium Plus Homes Ranch theme in Second Life.
  • Updates and improvements to the “Land Journey”.
  • Further Marketplace updates and improvements, including making the MP mobile-responsive.
  • Further improvements to the updated Destination Guide.
  • Back-end systems updates (e.g. the architecture update, noted above), which may not always be user-visible.

Second Life Mobile

[Video 7:43-13:30]

Rendering in the SL Mobile app / viewer – screencap via the June 2023 development video from Linden Lab
  • Development work is continuing, with an emphasis on performance and rendering (for example: the capabilities of the hardware running SL Mobile is assessed to see if it can render with shadows enabled).
  • The user interface has been revised and improved, and the overall aim remains to provide an immersive an experience as possible, and provide users with an many of the capabilities found within the viewer as makes sense to include in a mobile device.
  • Work will continue in adding features and capabilities and refining SL Mobile over the next two quarters.
  • The current time frame for releases is:
    • Limited “private” alpha testing towards the end of 2023.
    • Broader user beta testing in 2024.
  • A new development video update was presented during the session.

Social Casino

[Video: 15:16-17:19]

  • Background: a low-key announcement (via Twitter) of a new format of casino launched by Linden Lab allowing casino-type games to be played without wagering L$ directly or offering prizes in L$ which can be later cashed-out, and thus “not gambling”.
  • Seen by LL as a means to provide users with a further opportunity for social engagement and entertainment, based on the idea that casino-style games and environments are popular social mediums in the physical world.
  • This has been a complex programme to work out, including the legal aspects, and has been made possible through Mojo Linden’s wide-ranging experience working for the likes of Double Down.
  • The experience is to be enhanced during the coming year with more in the way of prizes (e.g. transferring game chips for No Copy / No Transfer items), leader boards, and a grater variety of games.
  • The overall idea is to showcase the idea and encourage communities in Second Life to develop their own “social casinos” along similar lines.

Second Life Inventory Updates

[Video: 25:33-26:27]

  • A project has been underway to update the Inventory database schema to pave the way for the addition of a range of new features.
  • The first of these are the abilities to associate thumbnail images with Inventory items and folders, and to open individual inventory folders in their own windows.
Inventory Extensions in the Inventory Extensions project viewer: Item and folder contents preview images (l) and the Single Folder View (r)

The New User Experience

[Video: 17:25-20:22]

The New Welcome / Community Hubs

[Video: 17:25-18:26]

  • The first in a new series of Welcome  / Community Hubs designed to help incoming new users to get started in Second Life and provide them – and established users – with the opportunities to mingle, participate in games and events, seek assistance from mentors, etc., was recently launched alongside the Motown Experience (see: Linden Lab and Motown: a new approach to user on-boarding in Second Life).
  • The project has involved multiple teams / departments at the Lab, and is regarded as a “labour of love”.
  • There are plans to further enhance this approach to Welcome Hubs and to expand them to other communities / experiences.
The Second Life Welcome Centre sitting adjacent to the Motown Experience

New Avatar Customisation Flow

[Video: 18:36-20:22]

  • Alongside the Senra NUX avatars, the Lab will be launching a new avatar customisation flow for new users.
  • This will initially be web-based, and part of the sign-up flow, allowing incoming users to customise their avatars as the come into Second Life.
  • This will then be expanded so that the Senra avatars and the core clothing / accessories developed for them by Linden Lab will form a part of the Second Life library within the viewer’s inventory, and thus available to all users.
  • The improved avatar customisation flow will also be added to the viewer
  • As indicated by Patch Linden, there will be a dev kit + licensing agreement for creators wishing to produce and sell products into the Senra ecosystem as it develops, to hopefully provide broader choice for those using the Senra avatars.

Physically Based Rendering (PBR)

[Video: 20:33-22:09]

  • Background: a wide-ranging project to introduce PBR capabilities to Second Life using the Kronos glTF 2.0 specification.
    • The current project is to introduce glTF materials into Second Life, and this is now at Release Candidate status both in the viewer and on the Main grid (that latter on a limited basis at the time of writing).
    • It means some significant updates to rendering within Second Life, and offers notable improvements. Part of this work involves the introduction of Reflection Probes into Second Life to allow for better surface reflectivity in objects, etc.
    • A follow-on project from this work is already underway, allowing the “traditional” textures using a Second Life terrain to be replaced with glTF materials.
    • A further follow-on project is looking to  allow the controlled use of planar mirrors in-world, with real-time reflections (including avatars).
    • I attempt to provide updates to this project through my Content Creation User Group (CCUG) meeting summaries.
    • CCUG meeting are open to all users interested in content creation, and details of meetings can be found via the SL Public Calendar.

  • This project does introduce changes to content creation workflows (e.g. lighting and highlighting should not be baked into colour maps; rather full use should be made of the PBR maps (ambient occlusion, roughness, etc), and well as better workflow integration with established tools such as Adobe Substance 3D Painter.
  • The viewer is expected to remain in RC for an extended period, in part to allow the back-end support to be fully deployed on the Main grid, but also to allow for extensive testing by as wide a cross-section of content creators and general users as possible and the fact it does introduce a substantial change to the Second Life lighting model. Thus, LL want to offer as much time as possible for people to adjust to the viewer and also to report bugs, etc.

SL’s Future

[Video: 31:00-33:00]

  • In broad terms over the next 10 years: available to more platforms, becoming more of an “everyday companion” rather than being constantly tethered to a desktop / laptop environment.
  • Potentially new and different (to today’s) usage and use cases for SL as a result of it being more broadly available through different platforms, and how users view it as a platform / tool / entertainment, etc.
  • Continuing to innovate, having appeal to users and communities, foster community building, etc.

In Brief

  • [Video: 22:17-23:24] VR headset support:
    • Reaching a point where headsets can be supported is seen as a series of steps – such as improving the graphics (notably frame rates), looking at what needs to be considered in terms of UI, etc.
    • There are no fixed time frames linked to this work, nor are there any plans for partnerships with headset manufacturers.
    • It is more a case that the Lab is “interested” in headset support and that plans are in a gentle processes of formulation, rather than anything directly headset-related being actively worked on.
  • [Video: 23:34-25:24] LL and AI tools (Chat GPT, large language models (LLMs), etc.):
    • Could be used to make some engineering tasks more automated / productive, but not to the extent of replacing personnel at the Lab.
    • Various tools (such as Chat GPT) are already being leveraged in some testing.
    • In terms of customer data and feeding that into AI tools to assist with training, engineering, etc., it was noted that there are numerous, wide-ranging laws and requirements as to how customer data is handled [e.g. the GDPR, which although an EU set of regulations, does have a global impact], and LL itself has a long-standing history of not exposing real-world customer data. As such, simply feeding customer data into something like an LLM is not an option.
  • [Video: 26:29-28:10] BUG-232037 “Avatar Online / Offline Status Not Correctly Updating” – this is a long-standing issue and source of frustration.
    • Various fixes have been implemented to reduced the incidence of the issue, and more and on the way [including one which at the time of writing is with the Lab’s QA team].
    • There is no time frame as to when the issue will fully be resolved, but it will continue to be worked on. LL admits it is something of a black eye for them.
    • Currently, the suggested workaround is to locate an “empty” region (one with no / minimal avatars) and can use that as a point of log-in the issue should not occur.
    • Updates on this issue, when available, are given through the Simulator User Group meetings, and are reported on in my weekly SUG meeting summaries, for those interested.
  • [Video: 28:15-28:57] LSL scripting updates:
    • Small-scale updates are being routinely deployed (see: Coming Soon: Server Release 2023.06 [now deployed]).
    • There is an ambition / desire to implement larger projects, but the best way to implement these and the time frame for doing so is subject to internal discussions.
  • [Video: 28:58-29:47] Mac Support: LL remains dedicated to supporting MacOS, but it is admitted that support does tend to lag behind Windows development, and that there are performance issues, etc., still to be address within MacOS which may have been more fully addressed on the Windows platform.
  • [Video: 29:47-30:55] Audio improvements: while there are no specific projects on the table at present, there have been internal discussions at the Lab about improvements to SL’s in-world audio capabilities, sparked in part by the arrival of the engineers who transferred over to SL from High Fidelity.

 

SL20B Lab Gab Special: Patch Linden – summary notes

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab
On Monday, June 26th, Linden Lab streamed a special session of Lab Gab featuring Vice President of Product Operations, Patch Linden.

The interview was built around questions submitted by users in the wake of the announcement of the session, together with those asking during the session via the live and  asked via You Tube audiences.

Notes:

  • The following is a summary, not a full transcript of everything said.
  • Timestamps to the video are included within each topic / sub-topic.
 Table of Contents

About Patch Linden

[Video: 5:09-14:10]

  • Originally a Second Life resident and business owner who joined the platform in 2004, and became a Linden in September 2007.
  • Initially worked as a support agent and then as a support liaison. From there he moved to the Concierge team, eventually becoming that team’s manager.
  • Shifted focus to the role of Operations Support Manager for a year, then moved to the Product group, the team responsible for defining the features, etc., found within Second Life.
  • At Product he developed the Land Operations team, which includes the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW).
  • In 2018, he established the company’s support office in Atlanta, Georgia, and in 2020 he oversaw the move to larger office space in Atlanta, interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • In 2019 he was promoted to Vice President, Product Operations.
  • Together with Grumpity, Mojo and Brett Linden, he forms the leadership team overseeing Second Life’s continued development.
  • In his management team role, Patch continues to oversee all of the Lab’s user support operations (some 5 teams), including the LDPW.

Premium Membership and Linden Home Announcements

[Video 1 – 20:07-25:44]

Premium Membership Benefits

  • No specific announcements on additional benefits, but this is something LL are constantly reviewing to see what fits with the overall structure of Premium and Premium Plus.

SecondLifeTime Memberships

  • Two limited-time offers.
  • SecondLifeTime Plus:
    • All of the features of the current Premium
    • Limited to 200 users.
    • Once-time charge of US $749.
  • SecondLifeTime Premium Plus:
    • All of the features of the current Premium Plus
    • Limited to 20 users.
    • Once-time charge of US $1749.
  • Requests must be made via support ticket.
  • It may take time for requests to be responded to.
  • Please see this blog post or this official announcement for more.

Linden Homes

[Video: 14:25-20:06]

  • The next Linden Home theme to be released with the the Ranch Theme, which is dropping as a part of SL20B.
    • These are for Premium Plus subscriptions only, and have a 2048 sq m land parcel.
    • There are 7 styles within the theme.
    • They have a land impact of 703 LI.
    • The will not be subject to region request support tickets until July 10th.
    • See my blog post on the theme for more.
  • The next release after this is code-named “Thousand Island” – which is a hint as to the theme – and the code-name derived from salad dressings (coming off the back of “ranch” – geddit?).
  • [Video: 1:10:23-1:10:58] The Linden Homes web pages will be updated so that if you already have a Linden Home, it will be possible to see if a theme you’d like to switch to is currently available, rather than having to abandon your existing home in order to see the list of available themes via the web page .
Premium Plus Ranch Theme – June 2023

New User Experience (NUX)

[Video – 25:58-35:40]

New Starter Mesh Avatar

  • These were previewed at SL19B but are still to be released.
  • In the interim, the avatars have undergone further testing and approvement.
  • The project now has an overall brand name  – Senra (which fits with the Linden branding, given the latter is a tree and Senra is a genus of plant).
  • Alongside the new avatars, LL has developed a full line of clothing, accessories and attachments, which will be released at the same time as the avatars.
  • A devkit with licensing agreement, for creators wishing to support the new avatar ecosystem and producing clothing and accessories they may wish to sell into that environment, is also in the final stages of preparation for release.
  • These avatars and their clothing / accessories lines (both from LL and creators) will be featured in the new Welcome Hub shopping areas (see below).
  • The entire system is almost now ready for release, and is just waiting on a couple of pieces to be put into place. One of these is on the web side of SL, where incoming new users will be able to select an avatar and customise it .
A preview version of the new, single mesh (head-to-toe) avatars now under the Senra brands, as originally unveiled at SL19B in June 2021 

New Welcome / Community Hubs

  • The new Motown Experience and the additional regions are a new Welcome Hub Experience.
  • It comprises multiple regions built around a central Welcome Area, which is part of the renewed Mentor programme.
  • Please see my blog post Linden Lab and Motown: a new approach to user on-boarding in Second Life.
  • This will be the model for future Welcome / Community Hubs.
  • The shopping area within the Hub idea will include times for the NUX Avatar described above, feature other items aimed at new starters, with stores being periodically rotated for different creators.
  • Within the current Hub, the Motown Experience will continue to be expanded in terms of events and offerings.
  • Other partnerships along this line are under consideration, and may be seen Soon™.

Initiatives in Development: TV Show Partnership

[Video: 35:41-37:00]

  • As noted above, the new Welcome Hub features a partnership with Capitol Record Group via their Motown label.
  • This is the latest in a series of partnership with external organisations (Adult Swim, Zenescope, Film Threat, etc.).
  • These are likely to continue.
  • Currently, development is in the works to see Second Life featured in a “fairly significant TV show” which is currently airing (at least in the US, if not on streaming services in general – details were not made clear – and about to enter its 2nd season). Within it, SL will have a “pretty prominent placement”.

Mainland Development

[Video: 49:59-54:26]

  • Due to the volume of work the LDPW is committed to, there have been changes in priority for various projects, meaning resources do get swapped between projects according to demand.
  • However, there are a number of Mainland initiatives underway, which may not always be particularly visible, but which are proceeding as resources allow (e.g. ongoing work to improve the Second Life Railroad (SLRR) and Mainland roads infrastructure).
  • As the page is turned with regards to the old Linden Homes themes and mini-continents, it is anticipated that more Mainland-focused work and activities will come to prominence. For example (and allowing for their historical value) Mainland Hubs might be given an update / refresh in the future).
  • In addition, it is likely that new features such as the upcoming PBR Terrain project (see: 2023 week #20: SL CCUG meeting summary: mirrors and PBR terrain – this blog, and Sneak Peek: Shaking Up the Terrain with Physically-Based Rendering – official blog, for details), although it was noted that care with this would have to be taken in how this is done to ensure full and proper consistency across regions and parcels.
  • Mainland residents with ideas for Mainland improvements can (preferably) submit them as Feature Requests through the  Second Life Jira, although they can be accepted via a Support ticket.

General Q&A

  • General observations in opening comments:
    • Linden avatars may at times be carrying a tablet. This is apparently clickable and related to the Bellisseria / Mainland passport system (run via the Bellisseria Bureau of Bureaucracy – residents who have a BBB passport can touch an Linden’s tablet and obtain their “passport stamp”.
    • The inclusion of Adult themed regions at SLB20B and the Shop and Hop was a conscious decision to express all of SL’s diversity at a milestone event.
  • [Video: 40:19-42:55] Last Names:
    • Will previously-offered Last Names be brought back? – Probably not, unless the name generates an exceptional number of requests for it to be brought back – and even then it would mean reversing a public statement that “used” Last Names would not be re-featured.
    • Will the cadence of new Last Name options be increased? – releases have largely been with an event / seasonal focus (with some themed offerings as well). It is unlikely this will change.
  • [Video: 43:00-45:40] Adult Linden Home Regions:
    • This has been requested from time-to-time.  However, as:
      • Adult activities / furnishings are permitted in private homes within Moderate Regions (+ Parcel Privacy can be invoked),
      • And additional research by the Lab suggests there is not a general request for residential places with Adult activities can be acted on in public,
      • It is not seen as offering benefit at present, at least in terms of replicating the current themes of Linden Homes within Adult-rated regions.
    • That said, this doesn’t preclude the potential for a special “Adult Theme” of Linden Homes within their own regions, were sufficient demand to arise. There are just no plans in the works for anything like this at present.
  • [Video 45:49-47-29] Zindra / Horizons:
    • Is Zindra (the Adult continent) ever going to be “finished” (in regards to shape, coastlines, etc)?
      • Yes. There are plans to add on to the Adult continent. However, this may not be done utilising the current Zindra “theme”.
      • Rather there are plans in development which may result in a complete overhaul / update of Zindra (at least in terms of the core builds by the LDPW).
    • Is it possible to order Private regions attached to Zindra or the Adult Horizons regions? – Yes, but with a caveat:
      • LL operate the Community Land Partnership Programme (CLPP), and requests for Private regions to join with LL continents as a whole (including Zindra and Horizons) must comply with the requirements of this programme.
  • [Video: 47:47-49:50] Can users consult with LL directly over issues of ToS, copyright, and other policies?
    • The best route for general enquiries / questions on matter of TOS and other SL policies as enforced by LL is via Support, who can generally answer general questions and provide assistance with navigating the policies to gain a clearer understanding.
    • However, Support (and user-facing LL staff in general) cannot consult on legal matters or provide any form of legal advice or recommendations, although very specific questions might be escalated to the Legal Dept for feedback.
    • Where matters of TOS / Community Standards  / violations are concerned, users should file these via the Abuse Report mechanism.
  • [Video: 54:55-58:34] The SL20B Sweepstakes:
  • [Video: 58:46-1:03:39] Demographics over the years:
    • There have been shifts in demographics over the years, some of which are clearly visible in-world, thanks to the changing face of content creation (e.g. from hobbyists happy to bang prims together to semi-professional mesh creators).
    • There have also been other shifts that have been visible – from the technically curious and engaged to the more socially-seeking users (in terms of making connections, seeking social events, etc.).
    • Demographics and changing patterns as a whole are something the Lab tracks as a part of efforts to try to encourage more people to enter SL and become engaged with it.
    • This will continue in the future as LL continue to seek to engage and draw and keep SL vibrant and active as a platform. It may include casting back to older initiatives and trying them again (hence the recent informal Twitter poll by Alexa Linden on Teen Grid and perhaps bringing that back), if it is believed they might work – not that a return of Teen Grid is currently in the works.