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Viewer 2.3 Beta Available Today With Display Names and More


Jack.Linden

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Today, we are excited to launch the latest version of Viewer 2 -- Viewer 2.3 Beta -- that makes it even easier to connect to friends and relevant experiences in Second Life. We’ve come a long way since we first launched the first Viewer 2 Beta in February. We’ve dramatically increased performance and stability while adding cool new features like Shared Media. We’ve also made many usability improvements, based on your feedback, that make it easier for content creators and developers to build in Second Life.

With the Version 2.3 Beta, Viewer 2 takes another big leap forward. This Beta not only includes many performance enhancements and bug fixes, but it also allows you to more freely express your inworld identity with Display Names, introduces helpful pop-up hints to make it easier to learn Viewer 2, and gives group owners more control of SL Events.

Display Names Arrives on the Main Grid

Display Names, as you know, gives all Residents two names: a unique username and an optional Display Name that you can change on a weekly basis. Display Names gives you the ability to use Unicode characters and multiple words so you can use your current SL Name, your real name, a pseudonym, or a gamer tag. It’s your choice!

Since we originally blogged about Display Names, and subsequently launched the Display Names Project Viewer on the test grid, we’ve made a range of changes to the feature that address the Resident concerns and feedback we received around impersonation and griefing. If you want to learn more, there’s a video below showcasing the enhancements and a full list detailing each change. We have also compiled a Frequently Asked Questions wiki page and two Knowledge Base articles, one on Display Names and another on usernames, complete with video tutorials from Torley that show you how to use this new feature.

Check out this video to see Display Names in action:


 

Because we need to ensure that Display Names operates correctly, we will not enable Display Names for the entire grid immediately. Today, it will work in a few thousand regions; once we see how it performs,  we will dial that up over the next few weeks until the whole grid is enabled. If you want to try using Display Names, then head to Blake Sea and Bay City, as those areas will be enabled first.

Group Owners Can Now Control Event Scheduling

The Viewer 2.3 Beta now allows group owners to control events scheduling on group-owned land. Please read more and see our step-by-step instructions on the SL Events wiki pages.

Viewer Hints Make the Switch to Viewer 2 Easy

We understand that there’s a bit of a learning curve when you make the switch from Viewer 1.23 to Viewer 2. So, we have added helpful pop-up hints for newer users around commonly used features, such as walk and chat. These disappear when the user takes the appropriate action, or dismisses the hint, and then you’ll never see them again.

Download the Viewer 2.3 Beta today, try it out, and Twitter your thoughts using the #slviewer2 hashtag.

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Why add this bling when simple things that are really needed are left out like using the mouse to copy paste to make it easier to build with? Or make it so it doesn't destroy other viewers that would be nice too.I had to spend a whole day tracing hidden files and registry keys that made my third party viewer almost useless after trying 2.2 I don't know who picks out these features you all keep adding but you'd think the creators would realize that the reason people prefer third party viewers is the performance and features they have. Why not start there??

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Nice features it's just a shame that Viewer 2 runs so poorly on my system that it's unusable, looks like I'll be using the old viewer for the foreseeable future.

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Howdy, i love the idea around display names but im worried about the abuse side of this tool, it could be used  in the wrong hands to create hawok, you could do what valve has done where you can find previous Display Names (like a history of things you have called yourself) then people will know if that is the real you or someone copying you.

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Right after I installed this, I got the following error:


Your version of Second Life does not know how to display the  notification it just received. Please verify that you have the latest  Viewer installed.

Error details: The notification called 'PaymentRecived' was not found in notifications.xml.

https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-23603

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Display names - Incredibly disappointed that this idea has survived to this point.

Groups & Events - Just for clarification, will this mean that if you don't own land yourself or you do not have group rights for group-owned land, you will no longer be able to post an event? This could be a good thing, except in cases where a venue neglects to post a performer's show (not that many performers take the liberty to post it themselves, but at least the option has been there)

Viewer hints: Yet another great feature that would have done older viewers wonders for helping out new people. Nice to see it in V2, which I love and use exclusively. Sucks to know you HAVE to download V2, a wildly unliked viewer, to get it. Missing the boat, LL.

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I installed the new beta (2.3.0.212977) and I dont see the option for display names under my profile tab, do I need to do something to activate it?

also can you please bring back local lights? the world is not the same without them

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Content Creators still need a way to protect their unique names. If a movie star or TV star can have their name protected, then any individual with a legally registered DBA (a "doing business as" name), should get the same protections. Because that is ALL that a movie star does to "change their name" to their "professional name" that they are known to the public as. They just register a DBA for the stage name, so they can cash checks made out to that name, and sign contracts with that name.

"Ceera Murakami" is my legally registered DBA. So how do I get the same protection as any "celebrity",  to prevent my legally registered DBA from being abused?

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The code to support Display Names only on some of the main grid's servers so far. Try "Bay City - Morton". I know that sim has Display Name server code already.

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If you listen to your residents - then why is this feature being implemented?

Most of the reactions to your previous blog posts about this feature have been along the lines of "DO NOT WANT" with only a few copmmenters not understanding the concerns (or simply ignoring them as a non issue) raised by those who didn't feel this is a good idea.

Which comments have you been reading? Just the ones telling you they liked the idea then, I presume...?

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This is STILL in the FAQ:


Can I prevent other Residents from using my display name?

No, display names are not meant to be unique identifiers. Instead, if  you notice that others are using a similar display name, feel free to  change your own name.

 

You are really going ahead with this?  You obviously are not listening to the feedback.

If someone uses my name, creates a mess, and I have to use my time and effort to straighten it out, dont be surprised if I sue for damages.  This is an easily avoidable problem, and LL is showing that they are not willing to do the right thing.

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Awesome Display Names and the viewer works flawlessly \o/

When people complain, it is almost always because they have asked impossible things- thanks LL for making Second Life possible in a world where it was once considered impossible. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed.

Keep up the great work

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Regarding v2.3, you say in known issues :  "Antialiasing + OS X 10.6 causes Viewer 2.3 to render the screen as a white "glow" - If you're running OSX 10.6, go to Me > Preferences > Graphics > Hardware and set 'Antialiasing' to 'Disabled'.

Since antialiasing does not work on OS 10.6, this is a lame direction. It should read thusly:

"f you're running OSX 10.6, go to phoenixviewer.com, get the much better Phoenix viewer, and set 'Second Live Viewer 2.anything' to 'Disabled"

Regarding display names....Hmm, I wonder if you can set your display name to be a Linden name - if not, that would sure be telling, wouldn't it?!

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Unique names make the process of confusing two users practically impossible, in my opinion. Even if someone uses your display name, how're they supposed to use your unique name?  Unless they're using both your unique name and display name, how is someone going to confuse you with someone else or vice versa? To verify someone's identity, wouldn't looking at both their unique name in conjunction with their display name serve the purpose?

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@CW  - This got hashed to death a month or so.  You can read the 50 variations for yourself as to why people want to reserve their own name for themselves.  LL has chosen to ignore what many see as a pretty legitimate concern.

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I havent been able to get the display names to work. I downloaded and redownloaded the new beta version of SL and there is no button to change the display name.

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That's what I thought too, except if I picked Joe User as my display name (and it was cleared), and then the next day some noob signed on as Joe User, there would be a conflict. Who gets to use Joe User? A case could be made for either person.

I still want to know if you are allowed to create a username of, say, Jack Linden. Anybody know if this is possible?

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Regarding v2.3, you say in known issues :  "Antialiasing + OS X 10.6 causes Viewer 2.3 to render the screen as a white "glow" - If you're running OSX 10.6, go to Me > Preferences > Graphics > Hardware and set 'Antialiasing' to 'Disabled'.

Why is this still not fixed?  I was going to download the 2.3 beta, but now I will wait.  I'm too used to the SL world at 4X antialiased to view it with antialiasing disabled.

As soon as antialiasing works again on Mac OS 10.6, I'll give the new viewer a try.  For now, I'm forced to stay at v2.1.1.

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I've read through the myriad posts on the subject and never cared enough to toss my hat in the ring before now, but honestly, I've yet to hear a plausible and logical explanation as to how any user can mistake another user for someone else if they know both their unique name and display name. I could understand the concern if display names were the only form of identity. Your unique name can't be changed, therefore it would be impossible for any user to mistake you for someone else unless the hijacker were using both your unique name in conjunction with your display name.

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Question: does the user name now show in local and IM chat too?

Question does the user name show in the friends list or will I have to guess who is who?

Question: does the user name show on my SL dashboard or again will I have to guess who is who?

Question: how do any of the so-called changes stop anyone pretending too be me?

Question: why are you still doing this despite great opposition?

Question: have you all seen this?

Its a little out of date but still makes it's point.

 

The point being that SL will not be safe from now on.

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I'm not sure how you NOT using a display name would prevent ME from calling myself ColdFrixion Writer.

Let me know if you can set your display name to Jack Linden and I'll be satisfied that the Lindens believe that there's no problem with identity theft.

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