This week we are coming off the holiday No-Change Window. Yesterday we got a rollout to the main channels and restarts. The package is a maintenance release listed as having stability improvements. I generally think that means there is new code to fixes crash bugs and to close exploits. Whatever is in it, we have it.

Server & Scripting Meeting

Release Candidates

The Lindens hoped to get two new packages into the RC channels. Andrew Linden’s Interest List improvements were one of the candidates planned for testing. Due to some last minute discoveries, that package didn’t make it to the RC channel. 

Blue Steel & La Tigre

These RC channels were to get the Multi-Threaded Region-Crossing Phase II package. The package is described as “background serialization of the Agent and their attachments.”  This should improve server performance when avatars are crossing regions.

Some time ago work was done to reduce the load from avatars with attachments entering a region. Currently it is avatars leaving regions that have the most impact. This package should improve both sides of the transition from and to regions.

Since the Interest List package didn’t make it out, the Magnum channel will get this same package too.

Problems

From the time of the rollout to about 5PM SLT people were having problems. Many thought it was the new rollout. But, the problem was in the network apparently on the Lab’s side of the system.

If you are not aware of the current war going on in cyber-space see the WSJ’s: Cyber Attacks Bring Call for Help. In May 2011 the US government stated its policy on cyber attacks being considered an Act of War. See WSJ: Cyber Combat: Act of War. This matters to you because the US is considered prone to cyber-attacks because of the high number of unprotected computers in America have been infected, most home computers. Those computers can by organized into a weapon and used to attack other computers such as the Pentagon, electric utilities, power distribution networks, water treatment facilities, and of course banks.

If you do not have anti-virus and anti-malware software, you are a part of the problem. Microsoft provides a good anti-virus program for free. Get it at Microsoft Security Essentials Download. Avoid being a pawn in the cyber war.

Trivia

Andrew Linden revealed he is the oldest, as in an employee, at the Lab. He was the first person hired by Phillip Rosedale.

Teleporting

You may have noticed that from time to time when you teleport using the world map you arrive at odd elevations. Sometimes you arrive at the same elevation you left from. Other times you arrive below ground and bounce up to surface level.

The problem of arriving at odd elevation is common with old landmarks. That is a problem with the values used in the landmark. Update the landmark by trashing it and making a new one.

When double-clicking the world map, if there is a land point or hub, you will arrive at the location set by the land owner. So, if you end up in some odd place, IM the land owner.

If there is no landing point, you will arrive at the same elevation you were at before the TP. But, this is reported by some of us to be inconsistent. Occasionally the default TP target elevation of 2m is used. It is hard to know what tells the viewer to use the default.

We’ll see if that changes when the new Interest List code starts to run. If the below ground problems continue in the RC, Andrew says he’ll look into it and have the maintenance team take a look too.

Parcel Stream Updates

You have probably run into the problem of the parcel stream changing at events causing you to lose the connection. A feature request is going into provide some easy way for the viewer to detect the change. Obviously the server has to be aware of any change made by the parcel owner. So, it should be able to tell the viewer to update.

I can think of some security issues but, it seems like a good idea.

Top Scripts

Land owners and estate managers are asking that some sorts on Top Memory Use be added. There is some problem when scripts are disabled. One problem is they can no longer sort on Script Time, which makes it harder to find griefer scripts. Adding script age would likely be nice, but I doubt the data is available for that type of sort.

Deferred Render

When the Materials System is released it will be important to know how many people are using deferred render (Lighting & Shadows). My empirical information is more people use Deferred than use shadows. But, getting a sense of how many people actually have deferred enabled will require the Lab to release that information. Nyx Linden is checking to see if it will be possible to release that information when the Materials System releases.

A Firestorm developer pointed out that one of the viewer projects is recording that information. So, it is possible to know.