Second Life

Things about SL

Milkshake Viewer 3.2.6 (2) Review

by

I found a notice today that Svensk has linked a new article to my Milkshake Viewer review. It was his new article on the Milkshake Viewer. It is in Swedish but Google does a pretty good translation of this one. Whatever, it seems there is a new release of Milkshake out. I don’t see that much new in this release. So, this review is about a controversy that started up around the Milkshake Viewer.

Milkshake? Logo

The last review of Sven’s and possibly mine stirred up some drama, mostly about Milkshake’s author not properly attributing where parts of the viewer originated. That has been corrected in this version and Cinder has spoken up.

People that create things often graciously share those things. In the viewer development world related to Second Life and in other open source game worlds, creators expect some recognition for their work. Considering that this is often the only payment they will ever receive it is understandable they get annoyed when it is denied. But, such upset usually signals the donation was not as freely given as it might have been.

The failure to provide the expected acknowledgement is not surprising in Milkshake. It appeared, at least to me, the viewer was made mostly for the developer and her friends. Unfortunately, it seemed so obvious to me I failed to mention it in my previous article, Milkshake: a New #SL Viewer. Cinder’s recent comments verify that.

Read more

#SL Region Lag

by

Some improvements in Second Life have unintended consequences. The Destination Guide and What’s Hot are both nice additions to Second Life. But, there are some unintended consequences from them. One of the negative consequences is over loading regions.

Loki's Game in Destination Guide

I’ve seen lots of improvements in Second Life this year. Region crossings and region lag have been improved. But, those sailing and flying vehicles through crossings are still unhappy. Also, we all have probably had recent problems with region crossings. But, in general things have gotten better. But, the destination guide offers some new opportunities to concentrate more people in a region.

Read more

Niran’s Viewer Finalized Review

by

Niran has released the ‘Final’ version of Niran’s Viewer. That is final as in finally complete, not the last. Niran’s blog has an article that is worth the read. I’ll mention the main points, but I won’t cover all the details.

Niran’s Niche

Some viewer developers want their viewer to be the best viewer. Kirsten’s was bleeding edge technology for the best rendered image. Henri’s Cool Viewer seems to be about stretching the life of V1 viewers, which in Henri’s case is probably more about the user interface than the code. Linden Lab’s viewer is about being easy to learn. Firestorm is a power user’s viewer, imo.

Nirans Viewer 1.00

Niran wants to create a viewer with the best render image. For Second Life I think that is an awesome goal. I may be a bit more visually oriented than most. So, I like high quality graphics. I loved exploring Blue Mars. But, I need more computer to run at the quality I want. My duel core just isn’t cutting it with my new graphics card.

Read more

Pages: 1 2

SOPA is Still a Problem

by

SOPA is: Stop Online Piracy Act. Sounds like a good thing. But, like most government actions it’s bad for the people. Watch the video. Words cannot describe it. I first saw this on GoSpeed Racer’s site.

[vimeo 31100268]

If you have not seen this video, check it out. Its 15 minutes long. This federal law is about limiting the free flow of information on the Internet under the banner of stopping information piracy. It is another way for the failing music companies and their lawyers to make a ton of money. As the law is written politicians will be able to control speech on the Internet and that has to be bad for freedom.

[youtube IsmpdmVd10M]

OK, you have seen the sky is falling and it is a conspiracy video. It will take some research to verify everything you heard. But, some of the lawsuits are easy to check out. Also, the extradition from the UK can be checked. All that I’ve had time to research checks out. Now it’s time to catch your breath and get some perspective. Facts are always good for perspective.

One can Google H.R. 3261 (USA House of Representatives) or SOPA. Bill is sponsored by Rep. Lamar S. Smith (R – Texas) – Cosponsors are listed HERE and 8 of 31 are from California. Look to see if your rep is in the list. If so, note it so you will know who to vote out in 2012. Latest Major Action: 12/16/2011.

Read more

Moving #SL Magic Boxes

by

Hopefully in the first quarter of 2012 the need for Magic Boxes will go away. Until then, we occasionally have to move them. That often creates problems with the items we have in the Market Place. But, it is possible to move them and avoid the problems.

Magic Box Move

To avoid problems you need to understand that everything rezzed in-world gets a UUID, a Universal Unique Identifier. I get confused trying to remember how an object’s UUID changes or does not change when we take it back into inventory and later rez it again. In general each time something is rezzed it seems to get a new UUID. Also, it gets confusing figuring out which things in the box have which UUID’s and how those match up with the items in the Market Place. Thinking that through is too much brain damage.

So, this is actually a tutorial on how to move objects and RETAIN their existing UUID. This process is not limited to just Magic Boxes.

Read more

My Take on the Firestorm-Phoenix Q&A Video

by

If you read the announcement of the Firestorm-Phoenix (FS-PH) Q & A, you know there was a reason for having the secession. Jessica Lyon, the voice for the FS-PH Team, said the reason was anger and frustration in the community. So, what is the anger and frustration about and where is it coming from?

[youtube G4eIB-BGYCU]

You probably know Third Party Viewers (TPV) developers are leaving, KirstenLee and Kirstens Viewer, and new ones are appearing, Cinder and Milkshake Viewer. We also know Linden Lab is advancing their viewer at a blistering pace. In general we see things moving forward and new technology is adopted. A Neilson report shows that Second Life has almost doubled market share (New World Notes) in the last few months.

Read more

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5