Wackadoodles

These wackadoodle people show up in so many places… it gets infuriating. I see where Jessica Lyon responded to one in the Firestorm Viewer blog. I mention this because I am impressed by her statesman like response. Well done Jessica.

The blog article is announcing the re-opening of the Firestorm Viewer’s Preview Group. This is a group that will get Firestorm’s Beta version of their viewer. The team wants people that will help them test the viewer before it goes to main release.

Just as the Lab rolls server updates to 30% of the main grid for testing in a more diverse environment so too, the FS Team needs a larger selection of equipment and driver versions running their viewer before making a final release.

So, if you are interested in helping the team, check out: Feeling Brave? If you are NOT willing to file JIRA bug reports, please don’t bother.

The tone of the article seems to suggest the FS Team has some misgivings about re-opening the group. Much of the article is a warning and the rest is a request for cooperation. I think they sort of have their back against the wall. A recent main release made it out with a serious bug. But, the bug never showed up in their QA testing. Only when more machines with different drivers and video cards started using it did the bug reveal itself, embarrassing and a problem.  Jessica is about quality in the Firestorm viewer, and that commitment shows. Firestorm is the most stable viewer in use with Second Life™.

In this context Jessica makes it clear that:

  1. We need your feedback. Please do not just grab the pre-release and run away.
  2. Do not give the viewer download link out to anyone outside the group.
  3. 3.       Re-read rules #1 and #2.

A wackadoodle takes exception to her wording in the comments. As with most wackadoodles this one has a very limited knowledge of life in SL and coding in general. Jessica does a good statesman-like job of explaining the problem to him. Saying in part, “Your words of “paranoid”, “shady speak”, and “crazy” are that of someone who has obviously not experienced and ‘learned’ from those mistakes.”

When a mistake makes it trough testing it can be a problem. Jessica relates how a viewer, which was not a Firestorm-Phoenix viewer, created problems that forced the Lab to buy hardware and spend money and time just to keep SL online. She is determined to do all she can to avoid such mistakes.

The Lab runs QA in ADITI and then in the release channels on the main grid. Still, now and then a bug makes it through and causes chaos. Remember the Experience Permissions that created Griefer Monday?

The Firestorm Team and Linden Lab will make mistakes. Some will get through all the testing, no matter what. But, the more testing done the more problems detected. Anyone that works with software knows this.

But, there are those that just don’t have a clue. What is really annoying is so many are mean spirited when expressing their unfounded imaginings. I believe such people have to be called on their behavior. Both Jessica ns Whirly do a good job of civilly calling this one on his stupidity.

5 thoughts on “Wackadoodles

  1. Jessica is someone I view with suspicion.

    Sorry – but after witnessing the debacle that was the demise of Emerald and all the politics and stabbiness that ended up in the forked Phoenix, I don’t really trust her.

    I’ll concede that she’s done a good job with keeping the spirit of Emerald alive. She has a hard job keeping a popular viewer stable (after a rocky start) and coping with the demands of a user base who are… in many cases stupid, and in others simply ungrateful.

    Behind it all though – despite her assertations otherwise – I detect a megalomaniac. I don’t complain, I don’t gripe, I use the viewer. But I just get a prickly feeling up the back of my neck… My memory is long…

    If I cared more, I’d fork Firestorm. I don’t care for that, so I sit back and shut up. Others… don’t. Perhaps they should, but I have a certain sympathy for their writhings.

    PS: your captcha thing is horrendous.

    M.

    • But, this captcha works. I was having to deal with over 1,000 spams per day. That is down to less than 100 now.

      Jessica and crew have some reputation to live down. But, it is hard to know exactly what goes on in another’s head. I know she and I see some things differently. I think my perception of FS users is much darker than her’s. I think her perception of the Lindens is much darker than mine.

      But, there is little I can find to object to in her behavior or comments. I do try to give props where props are due. And her comments about ‘crazy’ were choice.

      • Agreed. She presented a cogent and stable post…

        I suppose I can let bygones be bygones. I watched through the ‘We can’t support Phoenix anymore’ and I agree with that too – despite me loathing Firestorm. They *did* make some changes to it which makes it better, and when they put back some stuff they haven’t ported over from Phoenix I’ll use that too..

        Lindens? I attribute more to incompetence than maliciousness towards users. They’ve done alot wrong, alot without thought, cut corners and been just plain clueless. But I view them more as bumbling gaggle of idiots than people who’re ‘out to get me’ – but then, I have nothing actually invested in their platform. I wander in and out as my whims take me, and dont’ rely on it for anything other than a diversion occasionally.

        And your captcha *does* work. 🙂
        If it saves you pain, I shall watch the ads when compelled to write.. 😛
        M.

        • Thanks for the post.

          The captcha does save a lot of work. Churning 1,000+ spams a day through the database slows things and increases my maintenance work.

          The Lindens do think things through and they certainly are not idiots. Look at what EA has just doesn and listen to the Metareality podcast to get an idea of how technically difficult building the backside of SL is. However, there is a level of cluelessness. While they are knowledgeable about software and are very likely the worlds leading experts on server and network technology for serving massive data to large numbers of concurrent users, they don’t know much about how SL is used. There is a place where users take over. I think many of the failings of SL are on the users side.

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