Viewer 3.4.x Problem
Oz Linden has given us some news on the crashing problem they have had with the Beta and Development viewer. The Lindens believe the current Beta viewer (3-4-1-265642) has the memory leak, or whatever, fixed. The crash rate is back to low rates.
For the techies, the problem had to do with how the cURL wrapper was threaded. The cURL thing has to do with computer network communication over networks. It is a programming library that makes it easier for programmers to implement communication protocols like HTTP and HTTPS. It helps with encrypting communications.
Wind Vectors Displayed – Red Lines
One more round of testing in the Beta viewer is in progress. Once completed the basic fix and changes will move to the main release viewer, likely next week (42).
It takes a couple of days of testing to collect enough data to make a determination on whether a fix is working or not. The current Beta Viewer was compiled on Saturday and released on Monday. If you have Auto-Update on, you got it before it was on the web site.
One of the problems with the viewer is a conflict with Microsoft’s Skydrive. There is some problem in how Microsoft and the Lab use a programming tool that handles computer memory. The tool is tcmalloc, which handles reserving and releasing computer memory.
The Lab’s current intent is to keep the tcmalloc function in the viewer code to allow it to be used for debugging. It has good tools for debugging memory use. But otherwise tcmalloc will be turned off, not used. The viewer works with Skydrive when tcmalloc is turned off. Rather than spend more time chasing down the fix, the plan is to keep tcmalloc turned off.
Hopefully the crashing problem is fixed. If so, it will unstick the large pile of things waiting on the fix.
Coming Things
Some of the things that have been waiting on the viewer crash fix are;
Steam
Steam Support Changes – There already is a viewer for Steam users. The changes are mostly cosmetic. If you have a magic Steam account, you can apparently see the viewer. Those like me with a muggles account can’t.
GPU
The GPU Table for the viewer has been updated. Steam users have better GPU’s, so the move to appear on Steam has pushed the Lab to get GPU information for the viewer updated.
HTTP
You may remember that Monty Linden is working on the HTTP Library. The library will be used with all the viewer and server communications. This change has made texture download much faster in trials on ADITI with the project viewer. Significantly faster.
The HTTP Library is still in development and QA. But apparently some parts of it will be making their way into the Development Viewer in the near future.
Large Group Editing
The viewer side of Large Group Changes will make it into the Dev and then Beta viewers quickly. There are still some problems getting the server side out.and a bunch of other stuff.
Mac Updates
More support for Mt Lion and Gatekeeper… I have so little knowledge of Mac I don’t understand the problems, and versions.
Localization
There are Internationalization improvements (localization) that have been waiting on the crashing problem to resolve. Those will quickly make it into the viewers.
Bugs
As always there are a bunch of bug fixes… and likely some new ones too.
When
While we will start seeing things move this week, the order of things are coming out is unknown. The Lindens will be determining the priority and order. This is an ongoing process that I think produces weekly revisions in priority.
I suppose internal events, bug reports, and collected data combine with work flow to change thinking with in the Lab, which affect priorities.
So HTTP textures will be faster? The real question is, will be faster than turning off HTTP textures? Because since HTTP textures exist, I always had to turn them off (so does my friends and everyone that I know with a bit of knowledge on viewer configuration) to get faster loading textures (with a ver high difference). So I wonder if keeping them turned off will still be a better choice for speed.
Over the short term, yes. Over the long term no. I suspect the UDP system is getting faster because fewer people are using it. But, eventually that API will be closed and UDP texture delivery will stop.
We really need a good wind!
That not only for sailing (on sailing ppl mostly use wind-setters this days (since 2007 or so), in regattas ppl want to ensure also that everyone use the same wind) one time in fall the leaves might be touched down by the than maybe
why ppl do not use SL-wind for sailing atm? http://youtu.be/vKtK4HnL_3I
sorry i am not getting how to embed a link in a post, so again with out any.
I have to approve all comments before they appear in the blog. That can take hours to a couple of days.