Today Kirsten released a new version of the S21 viewer. This is not a release candidate. I suppose we can call it a production version. Whatever we call it, it is out and we can use it. Kirsten S21 Download The Mac and Linux versions will be up soon, if not already.
Download and Install
The download size is 29 mb. The install is typical of the S21 viewers. There are no special instructions from Kirsten about installing. The previous version must be uninstalled before the install will proceed. The uninstall process is built into the install program. That keeps things simple and easy. The cache is removed. The settings are retained.
As residents of SL we get lots of information about tweaking our systems for better performance. Mostly we get information about the viewer and its settings. We are often referred to various network speed testing sites, like www.speedtest.net, to test network performance. But, seldom are residents told about tweaking their DNS resolvers. So, here is some information on tweaking your DNS settings.
Today I see the Wiki page on Third Party Viewers (TPV) was updated last night. We now have more information on how the Lab ranks the viewers. Plus they make a good point about variables I did not consider.
Crash Report? - Image by: ♥ellie♥ @ Flickr
Oz Linden added that a viewer’s crash rate is the percent of that viewer’s sessions that end in a crash. So, whether there are a thousand people using the viewer or ten thousand, the rate is representative of that viewer. This means there is no popularity factor in the number. More users of a given viewer will make the viewer’s rate more accurate and representative.
If you have not looked at the Third Party Viewer (TPV) list in some time, you might be surprised to know the viewers are now listed in the order of Crash Rate. The viewer with the lowest crashes first. Of course to be rated, the viewer must report crashes.
Surprisingly the viewer that crashes the least is the SLV 1.23, which is the oldest usable Linden Lab viewer available. This is probably predictable as the viewer uses all the old and well tested technology. Few, if any, of the new features are included in the 1.23 viewer.
Also the ranking does not take into account performance. That is performance in the sense of rez speed or inventory load time both things the new series 2 viewers do better. Nor are the number of features considered. Things like built in AO and Speed Rez that reduce server lag are not considered.
Some new things are moving forward in the viewer. Here are a few I think interesting.
Windlight Settings for Estates – We sort of have this in OpenSim where it is called Lightshare. The idea is that an estate owner can set the Windlight settings for their estate. When a resident comes to the region, the viewer’s Windlight settings change to the estate’s settings. This means no more note cards about how to change your Windlight settings for best effect.
I noticed the other day a special note card in a purchase I made (demo skin). In Kirstens S21 viewer it had a new icon. The card was a set of Windlight settings. When I clicked on it my Windlight setting were changed. Pretty nifty.
The change coming to the SLV is the addition of controls for the estate manager to use to set the region’s default Windlight settings.
Today a new release of the Firestorm Viewer Preview is out. This viewer is alpha, or even pre-alpha, software. So, only attempt using it if you want to experiment and help the Firestorm Development Team. The download link is available through the Firestorm-Phoenix Preview Group. The announcements have warnings one should read, so I’ll not providing a link to the download. If you want the viewer, join the group. If you want to know some things about the viewer and then decide, read on.
Download & Install Firestorm Viewer
The download size is about 26mb. You are warned to uninstall the previous Firestorm Viewer be installing. The Firestorm Viewer uninstall program with the previous version does a good job of removing the install. The cache and cache folder are removed, the program files and folder are removed with the option to preserve any files you may have added, and the skins are removed. You have an option to save (default) your chat logs or remove those too.
I did not have to manually remove any files. The uninstall and new install gave me a working viewer.
Once removed, I installed the new Preview 2 Viewer. I tried running it but got 1.4 FPS on the initial startup. Ugh. Reboot time. After the reboot I get 40 to 67 FPS in my cottage with the default settings from the install. So, do a reboot after you install.
The install changes the default handler for SLURL’s changing it to Firestorm Preview. So, clicking an SLURL in your browser, if you haven’t customized your browser, will call Firestorm. If you want to change your registry to change your default viewer see: Emerald Viewer vs SLURL. Otherwise, just reinstall your favorite viewer. The last viewer installed generally becomes the default handler for SLURL’s
