This release is announced as a bug fix release with no new features or visible changes.

The fixes are to the Group Limit code (coming group limit increase) and texture caching.

Texture caching is a big thing. Some weeks ago the Snowstorm Team made some comments about finding some bugs in the caching code. I’ve wondered why, if we have a caching, does my cottage’s door have to download a texture each time I open the door. My door is one of those where the entire wall changes from solid to phantom and the texture changes from a closed door to an open one. The idea for this style door is to reduce the prim count. However, they used two textures that have to download. For better effect they could have placed both open and closed textures in one texture and just shift position to affect the change.

With most viewers every time I open the door a texture has to download and I get a grey wall for a couple of seconds.  With Dolphin the first time I open the door the wall goes grey. For the next minute or so I can open the door and the wall works as I would expect, the texture instantly changes and there is no grey.

Still, after a minute or so, opening the door gives me a grey wall and I see the texture and sound file download again. So, I’m still not sure what is with the cache. However, rumor is there will be additional changes to caching in SLV2.6 and possibly making use of multiple CPU cores.

I did not have good luck with the viewer on OpenSim. I see the viewer sending requests for format x-j2c textures then the viewer closes. The log is full of HTTP Get fails and falling back on SIM fetch then hand off to the Windows exception handler ending with opening the SL debug_info.log. However, the viewer is just fine on the SL grid.