Second Life and Virtual Worlds
The Beta Server Groups minutes are out. Here is some of the things I found interesting.
Asset Delivery – A new Linen, Log Linden, is working on improving asset delivery from the backend side of SL to the region servers. Most everything in SL is an asset. So, this makes for a big possibility for speed improvements.
It seems the delivery process from asset servers to sim servers is HTTP protocol. However, only textures are delivered to the viewer via HTTP.
We are getting closer. In Oz’s office hours meeting Gez Linden, the project owner, explained the next steps for moving forward on Group Chat. Soon a Group Chat Project Viewer will be out. Code will be available. An in-world group will be started for the project. The first testing will be on the ADITI (Preview) Grid in a couple of weeks.
Some ADITI sim’s are already using XMPP group chat. Once the Project Viewer is out the next level of testing can begin. The first release will be trying to achieve parity with existing chat. Once the new chat is doing everything the current chat can, the code can be rolled to the grid. We should see a big reduction in chat lag. Plus, the new XMPP chat will be separate from the SL SIM servers. So, we should see less region lag too.
OSGrid has been upgrading the backside of the grid. My regions have been offline most of 2011’s weeks 3 & 4 as the database converts to a new format. The latest release of the simulator software has some changes. These are the ones I found interesting.
The sim software can now handle terrain files made using Terragen. Once the grid is back up I’ll be checking out the new file type as it imports and exports Terragen (.ter) format. Also, this list of supported files types for terrain files was updated. Hopefully it will be easier to work with terrain in Photoshop and L3DT. Thanks Kevin Cozens.
This feature is being rolled out to the main grid Tuesday. It has been in testing for the last couple of weeks. The feature failed its first round of testing in the release channel. This week it passed, so now it gets promoted to the main grid.
This is the feature that allows you to return prims located in another parcel that encroach on your parcel. It is the center of the prim that determines which parcel it is on. So, a prim can be located on parcel 1 and extend into parcel 2. As things have been previously the owner of parcel 2 was just screwed. Now the owner of parcel 2 will be able to return an encroaching prim.
Here is an update on the changes happening with the grid servers.
The Encroachment Project, the feature to allow one to remove prims encroaching on their property, failed to pass its test in the Blue Steel Release Channel. That means it is stuck in Blue Steel for another week with new fixes applied. With any luck it will roll to the main grid next week.
The Le Tigre channel was testing the new Simulator Shutdown code. It passed its tests and was rolled to the main grid. This code improves several things on the server side of the Second Life Grid. Faster simulator restarts and fewer inventory problems are two expected improvements.
There are several projects now making their way into the Release Channels and soon to the main grid. None are as fun or exciting as mesh, but they are things that should make SL faster and nicer to play in.
Monty Linden attended Oskar’s office hours meeting. There is a small project (small code-wise) coming to the grid soon that will speed up non-texture assets moving through the system. Now is that cryptic or what?
Seems Monty means sounds and wearables. The change won’t be as dramatic as ‘Compression’ is for region crossing, but it is expected to be significant and have noticeable effects. The change has to do with making the process smarter, whatever that can mean in this case. Monty describes it as removing artificial slowdowns… which may have mostly to do with making the path things take through the system more efficient.