Tag: SL News

Second Life mobile apps: a (belated) update

Posted on by Inara Pey
Logos © and ™ Linden Lab and Apple Inc

As I’ve previously noted, Linden Lab is working on an iOS client for Second Life, the first phase of which will be focused primarily on chat.

Keira Linden, who is now a Product Manager at the Lab, is heading up the project, and at a recent open-source developer meeting (held every Wednesday, but at a time I can rarely make), she offered some feedback on the upcoming app, with Oz Linden, the Technical Director for Second Life providing some additional comments on the Lab’s approach to mobile.

You can read an excerpt of the meeting’s transcript that encompasses the discussion in the forums – with thanks to Arielle Popstar for posting it – and the following is a summary of the comments made, grouped by topic.

Summary of iOS Specific Comments

  • The iOS app is to be deployed in stages, starting with – as previously noted – the chat capabilities. This will support IM and group conversations, and will likely include the capability to search for friends and non-friends alike.
  • It appears This initial release of the app will not support local chat, with Oz Linden noting:
Unlike other current apps, the plan is that your avatar will be in a separate space inaccessible to others, so it won’t just be standing somewhere not moving, so you won’t have a regular ‘location’ at all to chat in.

– Oz Linden, Open Source Dev meeting, August 14th

Presumably, this will change in later releases.

  • Further capabilities for the app are being discussed internally at the Lab, and these discussions include prioritising capabilities for release as the app is enhanced.
    • At some point in the development cycle, Keira will be reaching out to users to gain feedback on what are considered to be the important capabilities / options, in order to help the Lab prioritise future enhancement of the app.
    • Overall, the plan is to add as much functionality as possible as the app continues to be developed beyond the initial release.
  • There are no dates for when the app might be made available for testing – but the development work is considered a “high priority” by Keira and within the Product Team.
  • The precise framework for testing hasn’t been finalised, but will be announced via the forums when decided upon.
    • Side note: it had been previously indicated that when the app is made available for testing it will be through Apple’s beta testing environment for apps, and users wishing to test the app will need to have TestFlight installed on their iPhone (or iPad). It’s not clear if this is still the case – but given Apple’s requirements, I would assume so.
  • Currently, the Lab isn’t focusing on providing any graphics support (a-la the 3D world view in Lumiya), with Keira commenting:
We haven’t focused too much on the graphics side, as we’ve been working on chat and security, but I’ll be sure to include that consideration when we get there.

– Keira Linden, Open Source Dev meeting, August 14th

Summary of Overall Approach to Mobile

  • When starting the project, consideration was given to developing mobile apps in a multi-platform framework, but the decision was made to develop natively for different platforms was the better way to go.
  • The decision to go for iOS over Android for the first app was largely made on the basis that Android was better supported at the time (late 2018) by 3rd party apps (including Lumiya).
  • The Lab believe that by focusing on one platform at a time will, ultimately allow them to roll out individual apps and enhancements to those apps faster.
  • Once the Lab is happy with the status of the first app, they will consider porting it to “other platforms”.
  • Concerns have been raised over the potential of a mobile app to increase ad-hoc group chat griefing. Both Oz and Keira indicated there are various server-side means of cutting back on such griefing under consideration as a part of a broader project that’s not directly linked to mobile app development.
  • A browser-based streaming solution is currently excluded from consideration, purely on the basis of cost-effectiveness to users (e.g. considering the pricing model for Bright Canopy), with Oz Linden commenting:

We’ve done several experiments with streamed viewers, and are watching the evolution of the required server side costs and capabilities. So far, we don’t think there’s a viable business model (that is, we’d have to charge too much), but we expect competition and technology to eventually change that.

– Oz Linden, Open Source Dev meeting, August 14th

In addition to the above, and more recently – during the second segment of Lab Gab – Reed Linden indicated that the Lab has a number of initiatives related to mobile support, including optimising the SL Marketplace for use on mobile devices. Please refer to my summary (with video) of that session.

Related Links

Again, thanks to Arielle Popstar for posting the  transcript excerpt.

Lab blogs on experience scripts issue fix / workaround

Posted on by Inara Pey

Update, September 11th, 2019: The fixes for this issue have been deployed to regions on the LeTigre and Magnum RC channels in server deployment 2019-09-06T22:03:53.530715. Those wishing to test the fixes, and whose regions / experiences are not on either of these channels can file a support ticket to have their region moved. Use Help > About in the viewer to check the simulator version number running for your experience.

In my last few Simulator User Group (SUG) meeting updates, I’ve references issues being encountered by experience creators since a recent server-side deployment.

In short, in the last couple of weeks, any scripts compiled to an experience have failed to recompile. The finger had been pointed at server deployment 19.08.06.529800 being at fault.

However, the Lab has been engaged in fault-finding and attempts at rectifying the problem, and their work has revealed that the fault does not lie with any particularly server release, as an official blog post issued on Thursday, September 5th explains:

We have traced the problem to a loss of data in one of our internal systems. 

This data loss was due to human error rather than any change to server software. Why do we think this is good news? Because we can now easily prevent it from happening in the future. 

We have engaged in a first pass of recovery efforts which have yielded the restoration of the experience association for a number of scripts, and we are testing a server-based fix which will automatically correct most others. That fix is working its way through QA, and we will highlight this in the server release notes when it becomes available.

For those who have been impacted by the issue, the blog provides a set of step to take to correct matters should they not wish to wait for the back-end fix:

  1. Open the script in an object in-world or attached to you .
  2. Make sure the bottom widgets have your experience selected.
  3. Save.

These step should be enough to get experience enabled scripts running again.

Lab Gab launches on August 28th via YouTube

Posted on by Inara Pey
Image courtesy of Linden Lab

Lab Gab is the title of a new live stream event being hosted by Xiola and Strawberry Linden, that commences on Wednesday, August 28th at 15:00 SLT. Initially announced in a blog post on August 23rd, Lab Gab is intended to be:

A variety show of sorts – we want to explore Second Life, answer your questions, talk to Residents from all over the world, and stream it through the internet and into your homes, phones, and wherever you get your quality entertainment.

With Xiola going on to note:

In our first show, we’ll be introducing ourselves, talking a little bit about what Lab Gab is, and interacting with you through YouTube live. In the future, we will invite special guests to come visit us on the set and talk about events and issues that impact the communities in Second Life.

For those interested, Lab Gab will initially be streamed via the official Second Life You Tube channel – although other platforms will be added in the future – with shows planned to go out every couple of weeks or so.

I confess, I’m not a great fan of live streamed events (outside of things like meetings, where there tends to be a more formalised approach to things), simply because at times things can get dragged out or take a sudden right turn away from something that might have otherwise been interesting. However, there is no denying the seat-of-the-pants sense of adventure those actively leading / participating in such events can feel, and the very unpredictable nature of where things might lead can add to the appeal for a watching audience.

At the same time, I also admit to being curious as to whether the show might at some point down the road – depending on its longevity – also occasionally “hop over the fence” into Sansar or even perhaps take some “behind the scenes” (desires for things like privacy allowing among staff) looks at the Lab itself. “Lab Gab” seems to be too broad a title to remain purely about Second Life (although there is a lot to explore on that subject alone), even allowing for it being intentioned as a “catchy” name for the show.

Certainly, dipping the occasional toe in Sansar’s waters might help dispel some of the many misconceptions that circulate among SL users concerning that platform, while taking a peek inside the Lab could also help both dispel certain myths and offer greater insight into what goes into keeping Second Life chugging along. Just a couple of ideas I’m throwing out there, LL, if you’ve not already considered them 😉 ).

In the meantime, if you are curious to see how Lab Gab sets itself up as a magazine show look at Second Life, be sure to watch tonight’s instalment via the You Tube link above, and keep an eye on the Lab’s social media and blog for updates about future shows.

 

Lab notes updates to SL simulator deployments

Posted on by Inara Pey

It has long been a tradition in Second Life that the main grid simulators and the regions they support are split between a number of channels:

  • The main channel, called Second Life Server, or SLS, which has the majority of simulators / regions running on it (roughly about 70%).
  • Three core release candidate (RC) channels, code-named BlueSteel, Magnum and LeTigre – each of which may account for roughly 10% of the simulators / regions.
  • Assorted smaller RC channels (such as Snack and Cake), that come and go according to needs – they may draw their simulators / regions from the SLS channel or the main RCs or a combination thereof.

This division is designed to allow a flexibility of approach to deploying updates, particularly those that may contain new features or have specialist updates such a new throttles or security changes, as these can be deployment to one or two of the RC channels first to test how they work under fully 2live” conditions (which the Lab, with the best will in the world cannot possibly fully test prior to deployment), and then removed with minimal grid disruption should anything untoward happen.

These RC deployments generally take place every Wednesday. If all goes well, and depending on how many different simulator updates are on the larger RCs, one will generally be “promoted” to the SLS channel the following Tuesday, having spent a week on one or more RCs. there are some variances in this, depending on what is going on (significant changes or new feature might be gradually deployed from one to two to all three RCs over a period of time, and then to the SLS channel, for example), but you should get the general idea from this, if you weren’t previously aware of how things work.

These (generally) weekly deployments are reflected in my Simulator User Group updates, where I list the deployments in terms of the SLS channel and the three core RC channels (the Lab doesn’t always acknowledge when a very small RC is being used).

However, on Monday, August 26th, Linden Lab announced upcoming changes to how simulator changes are going to be handled, and while the deployment methodology will remain the same (SLS channel deployments on Tuesdays, RC deployments on Wednesdays), there will be some differences, notably:

  • Starting with a deployment to one of the RC channels, the channel name will no longer be visible through the viewer (Help > About) nor will it be open to LEL query  – the channel name will simply be listed as “Second Life Server”, the same as the “main” channel. Over the next couple of weeks this will be true for all RC channels.
  • This means that when reporting simulator issues, just referencing the channel name will no longer be sufficient – users must use the simulator version number. This is displayed in Help > About, alongside the channel name:
Going forward from week =35, simulator issues should be reported using the simulator code version number, not the channel name (“SLS”, “BlueSteel”, etc.).

The reasons for making these changes are defined as being twofold:

  • To provide the Lab with better data on the performance and reliability of the server updates, and allow for better monitoring (presumably via the additional tools and internal changes the Lab has been making to the simulator code for the last few months).
  • To avoid spurious associations between the RC channels and capabilities. For example, the idea that one RC channel runs on better (or worse) hardware than another or the SLS channel; or that issues being experienced *must* be the result of an RC deployment, purely on the basis that that was either the last deployment made, or the user happened to be on an RC channel when they encountered an issue (regardless of whether the code may actually have caused the problem or not).

It is also noted in the official blog post that while simulator code version numbers will be the preferred means of reporting issues, channel names will continue to be recognised by Support for matters of testing:

Future improvements will make each RC channel a better model of the Grid as a whole. Support will continue to be able to accommodate Region owners’ requests that a Region be in the RC for a particular feature or fix they want as soon as possible, or that it be excluded from any RC.

It’s currently not clear if these changes will also impact the channel reporting capabilities in TPVs like Firestorm (which can pop-up the name of the simulator channel when moving from one to another) or not.

A final note in the official blog indicates that simulator release notes will be moving to the same system as is now used for viewer release notes. When this happens, I can only hope it is managed better than is currently the case for viewer release notes, where updates viewers may be references on the Release Notes page OR the Alternate Viewers page OR the Available Viewers Index on what seems to be the flip of a coin.

Please refer to the official blog post for full details of the changes.

Tilia has officially launched operations with Second Life*

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab

Tilia Inc, the a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linden Lab formed in 2014 and focused on payments and the compliance work associated with operating virtual economies, including Second Life and Sansar, officially commenced operations in respect of Second Life on Thursday August 1st, 2019.

Linden Lab reminded users of this via an official blog post, Tilia Officially Begins Operations Today in Second Life.

In my summary of the Tilia Town Hall meeting of Friday, July 12th, I attempted to précis the impact of the changes and how they affect people with a simple set of notes. I’m reproducing that table below, updated with information from the Lab’s August 1st blog post, in what I hope is an easy-to-follow guide.

How Do the Tilia Changes Affect YOU?

+++ If you have a US dollar balance associated with your Second Life account +++

You are required to accept the Tilia Terms of Service on or before October 31st, 2019.

If you do not accept the Tilia Terms of Service by October 31st, 2019 you  will not be able to utilise your USD balance or request a process credit until such time as you do accept the Tilia TOS.

+++ If you add a US Dollar balance to your Second Life account AFTER October 31st, 2019 +++

You will required to accept the Tilia Terms of Service in order to utilise that balance. 

+++ In Addition +++

If you wish to credit process all or any part of a US dollar balance (that is, transfer it out of Second Life to PayPal or Skrill or another supported method), and have not already provided personal information to Linden Lab you will be required to submit said information.

To check whether Tilia has the required information on file in order for you to be able to process credit, please refer to: Tilia: how to ensure your process credit information is on file.

+++ If you do not have a US dollar balance associated with your Second Life account +++

You do not have to consent to the Tilia Terms of Service
(unless you subsequently wish to make use of a US dollar balance).

Users should also read the Tilia Privacy Policy.

With reference to non-acceptance of the Tilia Terms of Service by those with US dollar balances associated with their Second Life account after October 31st 2019:

  • They will still be able to log-in to Second Life.
  • They will still be able to use any payment method they have on file to pay for services (e.g. purchase Linden Dollars, pay Premium membership or tier).
  • It is only their US dollar balance that they will be unable to utilise.

Related Information

Via Linden Lab

Tilia Related Articles, This Blog

* Note: I actually held off blogging on this on August 1st as there was some ambiguity in the original wording of the Lab’s blog post which might have been taken to mean that user not accepting the Tilia Terms of Service by October 31st, 2019 would lose all access to their US dollar balances in perpetuity. As a result of discussions with the Lab, the blog post was revised on August 2nd to clarify the point that users will be unable to utilise their US dollar balances at October 31st until they accept the Tilia Terms of Service.

Tilia: how to ensure your process credit information is on file

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab

Update, July 27th: there appears to be a further issue with the information indicator on people’s billing pages – all users are apparently marked with a green “information provided” check, regardless as to whether or not any information has been provided. This is most likely a bug, and linden Lab have been contacted. Until a formal response from the Lab has been obtained, it is probably best not to assume you are cleared for credit processing if you have never previously provided information to the Lab for the purposes of credit processing.

Update: it appears the Additional Information page has problems loading in browsers other than Google Chrome. However, if you are experiencing issues and have any ad block software installed on your browser – try turning it off before clicking the Additional Information link on your Billing Information page.

On Friday July 12th Linden Lab hosted a town hall meeting on the subject of Tilia Inc., and forthcoming changes will affect those who have a US dollar (USD) balance associated with their Second Life account, and those who transfer US dollar amounts out of Second Life.

The changes to the latter – withdrawing US dollar amounts from Second Life referred to as credit processing)  –  will in particular be subject to ensuring all those wishing to do so, have provided documentation to Tilia Inc., to verify who they are, in order to meet various US regulations related to money laundering, etc.

During that town hall meeting, Grumpity Linden (Senior Director of Product for Second Life), the Lab would both provide a means for users to easily see if the information they may have already supplied to Linden Lab for the purposes of credit processing has been recorded by Tilia / is sufficient to meet the requirements, or whether further information might be required.

Another thing we’re working on to make that easier and clearer is an indicator in your account page which will show whether you’ve been cleared to process credit or not. And so you’ll see a little green check mark that says ‘we’ve got all your information and you’re clear in a process credit’ or a little, ‘we’ll need more information from you when you’re ready to process credit’ with a link.

One of the things again that we’re working to submit your documents ahead of the August 1st date, so that if you expecting to process credit on August 2nd, you’re not delayed in any way you can submit them in advance and know that your documents been verified.

It [the indicator] will be in your account same place you would log in to view your USD balance for example or to request a process credit. Obviously, we’ll post about that when it’s ready.

– Grumpity Linden, Tilia Town Hall Meeting, Friday, July 12th [video: 29:26]

On Monday, July 22nd, the Lab published this promised information, indicating how users who will wish to credit process funds from Second Life after August 1st can both:

  • Check to confirm whether or not Tilia has sufficient personal information on file for them to be able to process credit.
  • And / or how they can submit information, if required.

Both options can be found by visiting your Account page on your Second Life dashboard at secondlife.com, as described below:

  • Log-in to your dashboard.
  • On the left of your dashboard, beneath your account name, click the Account heading to open the Account menu.
  • Click on Billing Information near the bottom of the menu (highlighted, below left).
  • If you have supplied all the required information, you will see a green check box with We have all the information we require to process credit from your Tilia account alongside it (arrowed, below right)
  • OR if you do not / have not supplied the required information will see a red check box with the words, We may need some additional information [a link] in order to process credit from your Tilia account.
  • If the latter is the case, and you wish you provide / submit the required information, click on the additional information link to go to a fresh page that will walk you through what needs to be done.
To check if Tilia has the required information on file in order for you to credit process funds out of Second Life: log-in to your dashboard at secondlife.com and click the Account link on the left of your dashboard. Then click Billing Information (shown on the left). If you have supplied sufficient information, a green tick box with appropriate wording will be displayed in your Billing Information (arrowed, top right). OR if the required information is NOT on file with Tilia, a red check box is displayed, with a link for you to go ahead and submit the required information (shown bottom right, with the Additional Link highlighted). Click for full size, if required.

Important Notes

  • This information is only required if you intend to process credit out of Second Life. it is not required if you simply wish to purchase Linden Dollars for use within Second Life, nor is it required if you have a USD dollar balance associated with your account from which you do not intend to process credit funds out of Second Life.
  • Those wishing to process credit funds out of Second Life and who need to supply additional information are under no obligation to do so at this time, however, the information must be supplied in order to process credit on or after August 1st, 2019.

Further information relating to these changes can be found in the links below.

Related Information

Via Linden Lab

Tilia Related Articles, This Blog