Firestorm released version 5.0.11.53634. The download is here.
Controversy and Confusion
There are some controversial changes in this version of the viewer. I think the controversy is from confusion which is from ignorance.
The issue is about the Level of Detail (LoD) setting RenderVolumeLODFactor found in the debug settings (Ctrl-Alt-D=Menu Advanced->Debug Settings). The Firestorm Team has explained why they are making the change. See LOD and The Upcoming Firestorm Release The What and Why. It gets all technical, but it is an accurate description of how SL works.
Gate Of Hell
The TL:DR is that high RenderVolumeLODFactor settings have your computer spending time drawing complex things which are so far away they only take up one or two pixels on your screen. Does it matter if a jacker has a dozen buttons if the whole jacket is so far way it can be drawn in 4 pixels and is just a tiny tiny spot on your screen? If you can’t see the buttons, why draw them? LoD is about making these optimizations and providing better performance.
Doing all the useless drawing of thousands of pixels to average them down to 4 pixels for your screen lags your render process and slows the SL system because all that detail has to be downloaded. Dumb move.
The main channel is not getting a roll. I’m showing my home region in the main channel as last restarting 1/16, last Tuesday.
All three RC channels are to get a rollout tomorrow. Version #18.01.17.511913. It is only described as ‘internal fixes’. There was no additional information available from the Server-Scripting UG Meeting.
For builders, there is information that only the physics part of the road matters. The physics part of the road should be thick, vertically, and extend past the region edge by a couple of meters.
Viewers
The main viewer today is version 5.1.0.511732. This is the 64-bit viewer that released in week #2.
Second Life Maintenance Viewer version 5.1.1.511871 – This is a new version this week. I suspect it just got the 64-bit updates.
Second Life Voice Viewer version 5.1.1.511952 – This too got updated with 64-bit. Expect this to be next version bumped to main.
Second Life Project 360 Snapshot Viewer version 5.1.0.506743 – No change since week #27…
Second Life Project Animesh Viewer version 5.1.1.511908 – This got an update. I suspect some fixes and the 64-bit update.
Second Life Project Render Viewer version 5.1.1.511933 – This is also and update. No information about what might be in it other than the 64-bit update.
Second Life Linux Spur Viewer version 5.0.9.329906 – This is a new entry in the Obsolete Platform section. Basically, there is no working Linden Linux viewer. There are a couple of third party Linux versions that people can use.
Other News
Hamlet and Strawberry are asking that you subscribe to your favorite YouTube peeps. YouTube is changing their partner program. Some video bloggers in the SL blogosphere will lose their partnership status due to changes at YouTube. See: Subscribe To Great SL YouTuber Channels Before They Lose Partner Program Status.
And we have a new warrior in the LoD Settings Wars. Beq Janus has posted her explanation of what setting the viewer’s LoD to 4 does to the overall SL system. See For LOD’s sake stop!
No Deploys post this morning, 9 AM. There is/was an in-world notice the main channel was being restarted. My home in the main channel regions saw a restart.
JUSTICE LIZA BOOTS GIFT OF THE GUARDIAN – here
Viewers
The main viewer was still 5.0.9.329906 this morning. We saw this version appear in week #49. Later in the day Alex Ivy was promoted to the main viewer. So, Second Life Alex Ivy Viewer version 5.1.0.511732 which appeared in week #2 became the main viewer today.
Second Life Maintenance Viewer version 5.0.10.330173 – This is an update replacing last week’s 5.0.10.330148. So, this one is getting a fast series of updates.
Second Life Voice Viewer version 5.0.10.330039 – Last updated in week #50. This version is working well and is the second most likely to promote to the main viewer. So, we should see this one get the 64-bit update and come out as a new version later this week.
Second Life Project 360 Snapshot Viewer version 5.1.0.506743 – no update since week #27. This viewer is supposed to move from a project viewer to an RC version soon.
Second Life Project Animesh Viewer version 5.0.10.330058 – Last updated in week #49. We are not likely to see any changes here. Work is on the server side and fixing animesh behaviors. Animesh is pretty much feature locked for the remainder of this phase.
Second Life Project Render Viewer version 5.1.0.511604 – Last updated in week #2.
Firestorm has not yet released an update. The last new version, 5.0.7, was released in the last half of June 2017. The release before was 6-months previous. So, the stated quarterly release plan is shot. I am still hopeful we will see a release this month. But, I wouldn’t put money on it.
I have seen FS users posting in Firestorm Support with a version 5.0.11. So, there is a beta version running around being tested. It is just a matter of when the general user will see it.
I love the viewer except for it not rendering textures until I run my cursor over them and then they don’t stay rendered. Over a three-week period, I’ve seen this as a consistent problem. As it only happens with Catznip and not 3 other viewers (LL, FS, BD), I’ll say it is a viewer issue with Catznip.
Other News
Penny Patton has an article up, The No-Mod Rebuttal. Her point is in our oh so poorly optimized world of amateur-made content we need to be able to optimize what we buy. So, avoid No-Mod items whenever possible.
I think Penny oversimplifies. But, I agree with her basic idea. Most things do NOT benefit from being No-Mod. A few things do need to be no-mod. Those things that depend on scripts to work use No-Mod to prevent spy scripts being added. If griefers could easily gain information on the communications channels, HUD to item, then they could easily mess with us. That would force designers to add encryption and other complications that would drive up the script load.
In the ever-escalating war with griefers, No-Mod is often the outer fence. Yes, it can be scaled and penetrated. But, it is something.
Justice & Underground – I am not sure why I haven’t come across the Justice and Underground brands before. I stumbled across them today. Justice is clothes to buy and wear. Underground is about buying the designer kits to make your own stuff. The stores are here.
There is some interesting news. Not much but a bit.
The Alexy Ivy Viewer was updated in week #2. This is very likely its last update in the RC stream. The next step for Alex Ivy is a promotion to the main viewer.
Oz Linden expects that to happen in week #3. Of course, this depends on not finding any show stoppers in testing.
When Alex Ivy promotes, Oz plans to publish a blog post to encourage people to update to 64 OS. The difference in crash rates is HUGE.
Cold Coffee
The Maintenance Viewer is there…
The Voice Viewer has no known problems. So, it will be the next likely to promote after Alex Ivy.
The 360-Image Viewer is out there… Oz says it is verging on becoming an RC version.
The Animesh Viewer is expected to move to RC status in a couple of months. If you are following the Content Creation UG meetings you know not much new information is coming out. The project is into the ‘make things work correctly’ phase. So, no changes or additions.
The Rendering Viewer is fixing render bugs.
Oz tells us will be a new media update branch. Things like CEF will be getting updates.
Also, another round of tool updates is planned. The Visual Studio version the Lab I suing is 1 version behind.
HTTP, when Alex releases the Lab will be depreciating all non-HTTP API’s. Older viewers not using HTTP will lose functionality.
The Lab will start work on ACI in a couple of weeks. Oz says they plan to fix bad incentives. Some things are calc’s to cost too much and some cost too little. So, they’ll be tweaking the ACI.
No word on a Firestorm release date. But, Firestorm is limiting LoD settings to <=4. Higher values will NOT persist. Plus, they are adding warning and advice not to change because of some notecard advice in the Debug Settings.
Oz says they found backend problems in the group notices system. Partially fixed. Memory leak. Restarting the servers solved most issues.
28:30 – Oz talks about Linux 64-bit viewer. TL:DR – There is one, but it doesn’t work.
EEP – Rider Linden is making the EEP assets. Once done, test regions in Aditi will come up. So, the project is progressing.
Hamlet has an article about Stevie Davros’ enhanced skies. In 2011 Firestorm added a feature that allows replacement of Second Life™ clouds. Thank you for the computer code, Cinder Roxley. Back then Vincent Nacon was creating new cloud images for this feature.
Stevie Davros Dramatic Skies
So, this feature is not new nor limited to Firestorm. JuicyBomb wrote a tutorial NEW CLOUDS FOR SECOND LIFE, May 2013, for those using the Linden Viewer. The instructions are good for any viewer.
Not much has changed since then. I just checked in the Linden Viewer 5.1.0 and there is still no provision for selecting a different cloud texture. So, it is still a manual change.
Ugh… still fighting something between a cold and flu…
Servers
The main channel is getting a restart but will continue to run version #17.12.01.511131 rolled out 12/12.
All three RC channels with get version #18.01.08.511751. This change is declared to have internal logging improvements.
Worlds 3
Viewers
The Main viewer remains version 5.0.9.329906. We first saw this version as a RC candidate in week #47 as a Maintenance version. It promoted to the main viewer in week #49.
Second Life Alex Ivy Viewer version 5.1.0.511732 – This is an update from 5.1.0.511248 which we saw in week #48.
Second Life Maintenance Viewer version 5.0.10.330148 – Another update. Replacing version 5.0.10.330123 out week #51.
Second Life Voice Viewer version 5.0.10.330039 – Last updated in week #50.
Second Life Project 360 Snapshot Viewer version 5.1.0.506743 – no update since week #27.
Second Life Project Animesh Viewer version 5.0.10.330058 – Last updated in week #49.
Second Life Project Render Viewer version 5.1.0.511604 – has updated from version 5.1.0.511446 released week, #50.
AS of this morning the Wolfpack version of the viewer has disappeared. As this is a version of the main viewer with additional data reporting, I think we can expect it back when the main viewer next updates.
