Jump to content

Tools and Technology

  • entries
    126
  • comments
    916
  • views
    281,434

Contributors to this blog

Viewer 2.5 with Web Profiles Has Arrived


Q Linden

38,185 views

Today we launched Viewer 2.5, now out of Beta. The most significant update is a new, web-based profile system, which allows profiles to be viewed and edited both on the web and in the Viewer. For example, here's mine. Please note this is just a starting point for the web-based profiles; we’ll be doing a lot of work to refine the usability and make them richer over time.

In response to your feedback from the early beta versions of Viewer 2.5, we've added some privacy settings that will allow you to control just how public your profile is. Once you’ve logged in, click on “Privacy Settings” in the upper right corner of your profile. Group settings set in the Viewer will be overridden by these group privacy settings.

  • "Everyone" means that the information is available to the whole Internet and can be picked up by search engines.
  • "Second Life" means that the information is available to all Second Life Residents who are logged into the website or inworld. This is the default for all existing Residents using Viewer 2.5.
  • "Friends" means that only your Second Life friends can see the information on the web and inworld.

This is why we have a beta process--to address concerns and improve your user experience. We will continue to iterate as we get more feedback. Thank you for all your help and comments. Please attend the Viewer 2 User Group meetings if you would like to share your thoughts and feedback directly with me and the Snowstorm team.

Viewer 2.5 also has some other new features. The one I like best is that you can now have your Favorite landmarks also appear on the login screen, so that you can log directly into your favorite locations. Torley made a video about this, so check it out! We've also improved some texturing performance and fixed another batch of bugs. Watching the internal data, we've already seen a noticeable improvement in stability and performance--on par with Viewer 1.23.

Download Viewer 2.5, try it out, and keep the feedback coming! And, if you Twitter, please use the hashtag #slviewer2.

Helpful Links

461 Comments


Recommended Comments



KAT you sexy bish

If your like me i download files on a program called  flash get and it holds old downloads.. i just uninstalled the 2.5 and installed 2.4 again and changed it so it wouldnt auto update.

Link to comment
  • Lindens

A new version of my.secondlife.com has just been deployed that addresses the following issue:

  • Clicking on someone else’s web profile and it turns into the user’s: FIXED
We are working on the following issues right now:
  • Web profiles slow to load: The first time a profile is opened in the Viewer can take a few seconds due to the OpenID login. We are working on logging users is automatically upon logging in to the Viewer to improve load times.
  • Profile turns white with text and loses formatting: This affects OSX Leopard 10.5.8 users only. We're working on a fix for this.
  • Aspect ratio issue/profile too big: For those of you experiencing aspect ratio issues we recommend uploading a new picture, since this is now free of charge.
Many users asked for the ability to associate their YouTube account with their SL profile. So we went ahead and added that feature to this release, enjoy!
Link to comment

Are you serious?  Really.. Are you serious??  People are NOT wanting this Web Profile crap... you're NOT LISTENING!!  For God's Sakes man, open your eyes.. NO ONE WANTS THIS CRAP!!!

Sure.. there are a couple of poeple in these forums that will take anything you throw at them and say "Thank you, sir, may I have another".. But the VAST MAJORITY.. are saying NO!!!.. God you people make me so ANGRY!!

Link to comment

TriloByte, I have heard that sort  of statement about games like WoW for years... and I still don't quite  understand the reasoning.  I'm probably misunderstanding what you mean  but let me just ask:

1.  In what way does the number of different  textures/objects have anything to do with the way in which they are  rendered?  Aren't all textures rendered by the same engine(s)?  Aren't  all objects rendered by the same engine(s)?  The server feeds  information into the viewer, why does it matter how many different  textures/objects there may be?

2.  In connection with #1, aren't  all avatars the same basic object as well?  Being rendered by the same  engine(s)?  Doesn't the server just send the "modifications" to the  avatar object?  Why should the behavior of the overall system change from one day to the next?

Now obviously the amount of time required to render a  given scene/texture/object can vary quite a bit, but that in itself  isn't the question.  I always thought that my "custom content" was  stored in a database and otherwise treated as any other object/texture  would be.  Other than the time factor (perfectly understandable), how do  the comments about WoW vs. SL have anything to do with loading/rezzing  failures in SL?

I am not being critical, I am asking so that I can understand.

 

I never expected this to be my first forum post ever, being that I'm not terribly technical, but the answer is that its a simple matter of finite versus infinite. All those MMO games like WoW have only a "set" of textures/objects/models and all of them are installed onto your machine, so the only data you request from the game servers is where/when/how those assets are implemented. WoW currently takes up 20+ GB of space. I couldn't even fathom how large SL would be if they tried to cram every texture/object/model ever made onto your hard drive.

Since MMOs and their ilk only have a limited set of assets, the designers intentionally try to make use of a single asset as many times as possible. The "Flimsy armor of cowardice" might have the same textures and model as the "Armor of Legend +10", but they hope you don't notice the palette swap or how it looks WAY different when combined with other items. In this way your machine only has to render one instance of “whatever” and copy+paste to the rest.

However, in SL no matter how close those two avies look, each one has an independent ID and the computer doesn't pay attention to the aesthetic similarities. It just loads each one as it comes down the assembly line, with each one having to be downloaded (unless they're stored in your cache of course).

Anyways, I hope I didn't ramble too incoherently!

Link to comment

I still use the old viewer, never could stand the new ones.  Theyre cleaner looking, take up less space, easier (for me) to use. when i cant use it someday i guess ill have to sell my sim and move on:(

Link to comment

A new version of my.secondlife.com has just been deployed that addresses the following issue:

Many users asked for the ability to associate their YouTube account with their SL profile. So we went ahead and added that feature to this release, enjoy!

Where is the YouTube link on the my.profile web page? Shouldn't it be in the Share Elsewhere area as an icon?

Link to comment

Thanks Fredrik, YouTube support in profiles is a welcome feature.

Videos are a very effective way to show what people can do with Second Life! (or to document a new bug, as shown below)


Link to comment
Where is the YouTube link on the my.profile web page? Shouldn't it be in the Share Elsewhere area as an icon?

That's where it appears in my profile. Maybe try reloading the profile page, or repeat the connection process.

Link to comment

A new version of my.secondlife.com has just been deployed that addresses.................

Oh, thank you very much to Linden Lab for hear us, really that is the post that we were waiting. "A new version has just been deployed". The vast majority of the posters in this thread (and comments and votes and watchers in JIRA) were expecting a new deployed.

PS. Mmmmm... where is the emoticon for "sarcasm"?

Link to comment

Please, Please Please .. someone at Linden read all of these. The changes to profile suck. If you want a web presence through our profiles do it, but, don't saddle us with the same thing in world. It's been said again and again, it's too big, it takes too long to load, it is just unworkable.

I'm following the links posted in some of the messages and going back to 2.4

 

##*&+@*, I downloaded the 2.4 beta to try to go back but when I open it, I get a message that forces me to viewer 2.5. The only options are download viewer 2.5 or Quit...HELP!, please?

Nevermind, I found an old blog post for the 2.4 release. That link downloaded the 2.4 viewer, let me install it and did not give me the annoying, you better download 2.5 stop...here it is

http://blogs.secondlife.com/community/technology/blog/2010/12/16/viewer-24-released

Link to comment

Hey all,

Sounds like you have a lot of really great feedback. I encourage you to log the bugs in JIRA and/or to participate in the Viewer 2 User Groups. That way, you can discuss your experiences and recommendations directly with the product owners. Thanks!

Link to comment

@Amanda:

While the JIRA and the User Groups are wonderful, I'm hoping that the Lindens look at this blog!  It's not rocket science to figure out what people think.  You don't need to rely solely on the user groups or the JIRA to figure that one out.

Link to comment

##*&+@*, I downloaded the 2.4 beta to try to go back but when I open it, I get a message that forces me to viewer 2.5. The only options are download viewer 2.5 or Quit...HELP!, please?

Theres a setting in you're preferences to automatically download updates or not.  I had to do the same thing.... accidentally downloaded 2.5.... tried it out.... hated it so I went back to 2.4 and changed that aweful automatic updater.

Last thing I need is to be pushed into something I don't like repeatedly.

.... oh wait.

And Mr Linden.... I urge you to actually pay attention to the whole thread.  Not pick and choose which ones you're going to read.

.... oh wait. 

Pretty sad, gotta say....  the one thing we're screaming over and what do they do?  Try and polish it more bright and shiney... hopeing the light blinds us into thinking its better and more useable and HEY LOOK OVER THERE!  ... oh wait, still a web based profile.  *shrugs*

Lindens can do what they want....  I'll be sitting right there til something major happens ( /me points to the chair over in 2.4)

Link to comment

Shure. Adding a new Thread to the JIRA will chage anything... like the Thread about the not working viewer cache, opened 2,5 years ago. The cache does not work correctly, with the 2.5 it is buggy - nothing happens.

You are not interested reading anything beseides the postings of some claqueurs. Thats it. Linden never has heared anything what has even slightest critics in it.

Link to comment

@Fredrick -

You forgot to add the bullet about deleting the profiles opening up in a separate window.  It is CLUTTERING THE SCREEN.  Isn't SL about being IN-WORLD and seeing what goes on there?  It's getting harder and harder to see.  Believe it or not, you have created the reality of people seeing less of SL.  Is this what you really want?  The reality of more and more people leaving is not far behind I fear.  I mean, if we can't see the world, why be in it?

This should be optional not mandatory.  Put the profiles back on the sidebar please and put a link there to open in a browser if we want to.  OPTIONAL please!

Link to comment

HAHAHA  Great point...  pretty soon we won't have to be in SL to be IN SL.

Its all going to be web based or we'll be playing from a damn App in Facebook!

Link to comment

@Fender:  While I appreciate your grace, there is the other side of the coin.  Would we have racial equality in the U.S. without someone to stand up for people's rights?  Would Eygpt be free without people standing up for what they want?  I'm one of those people who stand up.  Sorry, but I can't lay back and say nothing or "whatever" without a fight.  :-)

Link to comment

@Crys again...

OMG...what if Facebook is taking over LL!  I mean, if LL is in financial trouble, there could be a master plan at work to get it all hooked up to facebook.  Does that mean my avatar can go to Farmville too?  LOL!  Omg, this is too pathetic.

Link to comment

×
×
  • Create New...