I got it (10:00 AM PST/SLT). The install does not overwrite any of my settings files. Scroll to the bottom.

The Changes

The main feature is of course Project Bento support. Jessica reports that 8,000± people had already downloaded the Preview version of Firestorm Bento. They have been saying it is faster and crashes less. I’m hoping so.

This version gets the Visual Outfits Browser. That is the new page in Inventory that allows you to associate a picture with your outfit. In the Linden version if you take a picture and upload it for inventory, you pay L$10.

This feature was released in the Linden viewer September 19, at least that is when I posted the release article. (Link) I am looking forward to seeing what the FS Team has done with the feature or whether they just poked it in as is.

There are many other new features.

• Three new render settings in World menu
  • List avatars you choes to FULLY or NEVER render
  • Right-click multiple avatars to change render setting
  • Render friends only
• Improved Black List – 4 changes
• Log auto-accepted inventory to chat
• Add FPS and ‘seconds’ to status bar
• Resize movement controls
• 4 Fixes for ghosted attachments
  • Avatar -> Avatar Health -> Refresh Attachments
• Update to RLVa-2.1.0
• Add in VLC – This is the QT replacement
• DPI aware – This means font adjusts properly to your screen resolution
• New UI font

With this release, Firestorm changes their version numbering to match Linden numbering. Only the first two digits match the Linden viewer numbering. FS will update those numbers as they bring their viewer to parity with the Linden version.

This may seem like Firestorm is giving up the ‘cutting edge’ position in viewer-dom with this version numbering change. Sort of… but, that idea ignores that Firestorm keeps adding features the Linden viewer does not have. So, who is ahead? I’m not sure it matters.

If I have to say… I think it is clear the Lab is ahead on big tech and ‘big’ feature advances. Think Bento. But, Firestorm released their Bento version a week after the Lab. That is pretty close behind but, it is still behind.

However, Firestorm is ahead in providing what users want. I will qualify that to say ‘what POWER users want.’ They change things with each release to solve the problems brought to support and/or filed as JIRA’s. Plus, they change things to fit their ideas of better. In some cases, ‘better’ may be debatable. But, the intent is clear.

I don’t have hard data but, I believe Firestorm generally has a more stable viewer, one that crashes less. Version 4.7.9 didn’t live up to that rep in my opinion. But, several versions have definitely outperformed the Linden viewer. I have hopes for 5.0.1 being one of those versions.

The change from QT to VLC is going to more completely break many of the video devices in SL (TV etc.) That should move more people to update those things.

The update to add Bento support will increase the adoption rate for Bento mesh and animations. We will see new heads and hands popping up. Plus, I am hoping Grendel’s starts moving to Bento creations. I still have my Grendel’s dragon. I even wore it a few weeks ago.

Getting the Download

To navigate the Firestorm site and get to the download link requires a few requests to the server. You can navigate all of those in an overloaded site using Google’s view saved copy. Until you get to the actual download. So, you can avoid adding to the request load the server has to handle by going directly to the download. That link connects to the Windows 64-bit OpenSim version 5.0.1. It is for SL and OS. It omits the Havok plugin needed for displaying the Pathfinding Nav-mesh, I haven’t used that in a couple of years. So, no problem.

Using the link saves the server having to respond to 4+/- requests and download those pages. Good luck.

PS 01:40 PM PST/SLT: Whirly says they have set up mirrors for downloading the viewer:

—–WINDOWS—–

Havok http://firestormviewer.rocks/Phoenix-Firestorm-Release-5-0-1-52150_Setup.exe
SHA1 132FB193F9B0D6CFAA1448759FA59059432E3898

OS 32 http://firestormviewer.rocks/Phoenix-FirestormOS-Release-5-0-1-52150_Setup.exe
SHA1 1C3E1E4DC875775BE7BBE8ED57B6B1893730A511

OS 64 http://firestormviewer.rocks/Phoenix-FirestormOS-Releasex64-5-0-1-52150_Setup.exe
SHA1 3BAFBB700E48CFC3392B9F60416BB9FFEDAF594B

—–MAC—–

Havok
SHA1

OS 64 http://firestormviewer.rocks/Phoenix-FirestormOS-Releasex64-5-0-1-52150.dmg
SHA1 6AFC3235CE8C6444C839D017EBF8F230E9787A79
—–LINUX—–

Havok
SHA1

OS 32 http://firestormviewer.rocks/Phoenix_FirestormOS-Release_i686_5.0.1.52150.tar.xz
SHA1 EBF63510B5CA251988984B14A62BECCB79C2FFF2

OS 64 http://firestormviewer.rocks/Phoenix_FirestormOS-Releasex64_x86_64_5.0.1.52150.tar.xz
SHA1 93DDB7DCFB5554ED09B8BE4A24BD72EAAD1D2560