Firestorm Logo

The Firestorm (FS) team is tentatively planning a viewer release for March, which they hope will have all the Linden updates and bring FS current with the SL Viewer. There is some concern about whether the Lab will have Viewer Managed Marketplace (VMM) ready in time for the FS Team to integrate it into FS for the next release.

The anticipated release for VMM is near the FS feature freeze window for the March release date for FS’ new version. That means the FS people  have to rush the inclusion or delay the release, if the Lab hits their early release date, which could happen. I wouldn’t bet on it. But, I also wouldn’t bet against it. 

FS goes into a feature freeze, meaning no new features are added to the viewer, about a month before a viewer release. This gives them a month to test the viewer built with the new features they have included and fix problems. Features that come out during the freeze window have to wait for the next release. If VMM release happens after the freeze window starts, the FS peeps have to restart their process to move the window thus delaying their release or leave the new feature out.

With VMM being s significant release with time sensitive factors, i.e.; updating your marketplace products, this becomes a complicated issue that the FS and Linden peeps have to work out.

Firestorm has been 12 or 13 package submissions behind. This update jumps them from SL version 3.7.9 to 3.7.24. A big jump. This Work-In-Progress (WIP) viewer with the new code up to 3.7.24 is experiencing the crossing problems described in BUG-6925 – HUDs and attachments intermittently and randomly detach after teleports, sometimes reattaching on their own shortly after, sometimes staying detached completely, or showing as “worn on Invalid Attachment Point” while still detached. The Lab is working on this set of, they think, related issues.

Jessica would like to release this next viewer even if this 6925 problem is not fixed. But, I have no idea if that will really happen or if she was subtly trying to pressure Oz.

Jessica is trying to get FS caught up with the SL Viewer. But, the problems with AISv3 has held them back. RLVa has been broken by AISv3. Those fixes are in progress. Now they are sort of biting the bullet.

We have seen another third party viewer drop RLVa and go with RLV. It appears FS doesn’t have that option or is avoiding it.

There is a lot going on that can contribute to either parts of the SL Viewer being left out of FS’ next update or delaying the release. At this point there is no way to predict what will happen. All we know for sure is the team has some significant work ahead and a hope to have a new viewer release out in March.