Firestorm Update

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Firestorm Logo
Firestorm Logo

I am finding that I can’t stay logged into SL for more than a couple of hours, if that long, before the viewer starts to lag out. I have mini freezes and periods where the frame rate (FPS – Frames per Second) drops to 2 or 3 and PING jumps up into the thousands of milli-seconds.

Testing with the OS ping to the SL servers at the same time I am not seeing those long times. Nor with the SL Viewer am I seeing those long ping times. Also, I had occurrences of the screen going black then coming back. There is some kind of video problem happening.

I just added the 335.23 driver to my GTX560. So, it should be good. But, doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem. 

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Second Life News 2014-11 #2

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Servers

There is not much news to relate about servers. We already know the package that rolled out to the main server channel consisted of bug fixes. The only one which is noticeable, unless you were experiencing one of the bugs, is the fix for Help→About Second Life. The viewer would not consistently report the server version. Now it does.

Server Beta 2014-11
Server Beta 2014-11

Server RC’s

In week 10 the Magnum EC channel ran the Sunshine package, the one that supports AISv3. These are the changes to the way the system will deal with inventory. There are no user interface changes. The changes are all backend things. Users should only see more reliable inventory loading and fewer bake fails.

That package is now running on all the RC channels.

Maestro Linden is hoping the Lab can release the project soon. It has been on the RC channel for some weeks now.

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JIRA Change to PUBLIC

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Those old JIRA BUG items that the Lindens left as unreadable… Well, the one that filed the report can mark it readable. So, if you have a bug that has not been closed and want help with it, or feel it should be open to the public for some reason, change it.

This change is only possible for your BUG items. To make the change so it is open to everyone for reading look in the horizontal middle of the report heading where you’ll find an item labeled Security Level. It will likely be marked Triager and Reporter. Change that to Public. Done.

This option allows people to keep issues private. Since it was known the issues were private at the time of filing, it would be rather rude to remove privacy when there was an expectation. This choice to leave it to the one that made the report, allows the privacy to be protected or removed at their discretion. Smart.

All newly filed BUG reports will be PUBLIC by default. But, this gives us a way to open up older reports filed during the JIRA dark period.

Firestorm Viewer 4.6.1-40478 64-Bit Review

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Firestorm Logo
Firestorm Logo

I got to use the new Firestorm Viewer release 4.6.1-40478 64-bit. My first impressions are:

The download file size is 67.6mb. The 64-bit viewer installs in a separate folder from the 32-bit version. On 64-bit systems you’ll find the 32-bit version installing in: C:\Program Files (x86)\Firestorm-Beta. The 64-bit version installs in: C:\Program Files\Firestorm.

You can run both the 32 and 64 bit versions. I think you should be able to share the cache between 32 and 64 bit versions. But, by default the viewer uses a separate cache for the 64-bit viewer: C:\Users\[Win_Login_ID]\AppData\Local\FirestormOS_x64\ .

It also places the chat logs in their own folder, separate from the 32-bit versions: C:\Users\[Win_Login_ID]\\AppData\Roaming\Firestorm_x64.

The install created a new Firestorm icon for me. I was using the Firestorm Beta, which has a uniquely named icon. So, if you have not been using the beta, it may overwrite the 32-bit icon. So, pay attention to which version you actually start by checking the Firestorm Help→About. Or… the version info is on the splash screen too. 

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Firestorm Viewer 4.6.1-40478 Released-Review

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Firestorm Logo
Firestorm Logo

The Firestorm announced the release of their latest version of Second Life’s most popular viewer. The release came out yesterday March 12. This is a full release. Previously the 4.5 version was a beta version. Not this one, it is the main production version. Well… the Linux version is beta.

Video about PhotoTools. 20 minutes.

[youtube OGNB3ml_txo]

You may remember Jessica had spoken at a Q&A meeting about the possibility of their server not being able to keep up with the download demand. I downloaded just fine this morning. I downloaded the 64-bit version (67mb file). It was quick. 

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Linden Lab Opens Oculus Rift Beta

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Wednesday about 11 AM the Lab made a blog post: Second Life’s Oculus Rift Integration is Ready for Beta Testers. They provide an email address for those that would like to participate in the beta testing.

Ciaran Laval posted talking about it. See: Linden Lab Oculus Rift.

To be part of the beta team you need to have an Oculus Rift. The only Rift hardware currently available is the Developer’s Kit, US$300±. Some Second Life residents have a Rift. They are the people the Lab is looking for.

No Rift? Don’t bother applying.

CtrlAltStudio makes a viewer that supports the Rift. It is a branch of the Firestorm Viewer. See: CtrlAltStudio. But, David Rowe, the developer, has not been big into the user interface. He has been waiting on the Lab to develop that.

Also, David has joined the Firestorm development team. May be join is too strong a word. Partnered… whatever they are working together. That suggests to me that the Firestorm viewer will probably release Rift support shortly after the Lab’s viewer makes it to the RC stage. Or… not. They may decide a better UI is possible and go to work on their idea of better one, which would delay their release…

At this stage I suspect this beta team for the Lab will have to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Everyone is trying to figure out how to do UI’s for the Rift. So, my guess is the Lab will want to make their release a surprise.