Linden Lab

HTTP Project Recap Earlier this year we blogged about the HTTP project and how, step-by-step, the project is overcoming various limitations. Viewer release 3.4.3 introduced a new HTTP library that made better use of network resources. Texture fetches were the first operations to take advantage of this library, which improved throughput while using fewer connections. But the viewer was still constrained by a one-request-per-connection model. Changing that model required back-end modifications. Those shipped early in 2013 in the DRTSIM-203 simulator release. For the first time, texture fetches could re-use existing HTTP connections. And for most users, this doubled the theoretical maximum texture request rate. But all the world is not textures, and mesh fetches were next to receive attention. Meshes required quite a bit more work. Both back-end and viewer engineering was needed, culminating in viewer release 3.7.2. This release brought mesh fetching into behavioral parity with textures. These releases have brought the viewer up to the request rate limits of region 'C'. Here, the limits are dictated by serialization, distance, and the speed of light. We are preparing to move beyond this region with changes to concurrency and locality. HTTP request concurrency will be vastly increased by the introduction of HTTP pipelining. Locality will be changed by the use of a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to move texture and mesh data nearer to most users. Pipelining Common HTTP communication is a simple back-and-forth exchange of requests and responses. A request is issued, a response is returned, and only then is another request issued. As distance increases between endpoints, the time to perform this ping-pong increases, which lowers the effective request rate. Pipelining attacks this distance-induced loss by issuing multiple requests at once without waiting for responses. The pipelining viewer will use this more aggressive request model for both texture and mesh fetches. This viewer is currently in QA and is expected to go to RC soon after the 3.7.16 release. It has also had trials outside of North America and the results have been very good. The effective request rate has approached the limits imposed by our servers and has exceeded the download rate of UDP texture fetching. CDN As for those server limits, the operations team at Linden has been making rapid progress on the CDN project (DRTSIM-258). This project will replicate the Linden services that supply meshes and textures to a CDN's PoPs (Points-of-Presence). With PoPs on multiple continents, request service time will be reduced for most users. Combined with pipelining, CDN experiments are producing results that have only been dreamed about. How fast? Well, the engineer's universal response of "It depends" applies. But several 100's of fetches per second have been seen far from the USA. This takes us into never before encountered performance territory. And one more thing The HTTP Project has focused on textures and meshes. But the inventory system, which maintains item ownership, is often described as... sluggish. So as an exercise in expanding the use of the new HTTP library, the pipelining viewer was modified to use it for inventory fetches. As with textures and meshes before, inventory is now fetching in the 'C' region of its specific performance graph. The difference can be surprising. For several years, HTTP has figured prominently in Linden's plans for Second Life. "HTTP will give you speed and throughput, consistency and robustness." A promised land, but never quite realized. These next steps are payment on that promise. HTTP done well can support an amazing experience. And you'll have no reason to look back to the V1 world of UDP textures and inventory. Nous sommes embarqués, Monty (Linden)

Limited Time Only! 50% off Premium Membership & Premium Perks For a limited time, you can get a Premium Second Life Membership for 50 percent off*! Upgrade now at half-off and enjoy premium perks, including brand new premium gifts. Perks for Premium subscribers include a a L$1000 sign-up bonus, exclusive access to Premium Sandboxes (special areas inworld where you can build objects, rez purchased items and meet other creative users), a weekly L$ stipend to spend on whatever you like, your own home, and special free gifts. Limited Edition Premium Gifts Just in time for Halloween, we have some new gifts for Premium subscribers - the bag of treats includes jack o'lanterns, witches’ brooms and more - including a bone-shaking skeleton avatar to haunt your favorite spooky spots in. Go Premium, then pick up your gifts at the inworld Gift Kiosks. Haunted Halloween Tour for Everyone - Oculus Rift or Regular Experiences Available There’s also a special treat for everyone! Come visit the Haunted Halloween Tour and ride through a terrifying gauntlet of thrills and chills! For those who dare, step through the Halloween path from the Portal Park. If you have an Oculus Rift, you can check out the tour’s VR option - just grab the latest Project Viewer to get started. pR48wior414 Second Life Fab-OO-lous Snapshot Contest Last, but certainly not least - we know how much you love to dress up and show off your seasonal side this time of year - so why not join us on the forums for Second Life’s Fa-BOO-lous Snapshot Contest. Your frightful and delightful snapshots could win you L$10,000, L$5,000, L$3,000, or L$1,000! Happy Halloween! *TERMS & CONDITIONS FOR 50% DISCOUNT This limited-time discount offer is available only for memberships on the Quarterly billing plan. Discount will be applied to the first quarterly billing cycle only, and all future charges will be at the regular Premium price; price will return to USD 22.50, excluding VAT where applicable. To qualify, Second Life members must have an active Basic account or create a new Second Life account. Discount offer begins on Wednesday the 15th of October at 08:00 am Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) and expires on Monday the 3rd of November 2014 at 08:00 am Pacific Standard Time (PST).

In March, OnLive introduced SL Go - a service that brings the Second Life Viewer to mobile devices. The service had previously been available for Android devices, but today brings an exciting expansion: SL Go is now available for the iPad! With SL Go, you can now access Second Life on your iPad using Wi-Fi or 4G LTE and enjoy a high-fidelity experience with great graphics quality, full shaders, shadows, and full motion capability. SL Go gives you access to the full Second Life Viewer interface, including edit menus, inventory, preference settings and chat management, adding intuitive touch controls. To use SL Go on your iPad, you’ll need an OnLive account to launch the app, and then you’ll log into Second Life with the same credentials you’ve always used. To learn more about SL Go, including pricing and regional availability, and to get started with a free trial, visit https://games.onlive.com/landing/slgo

A few months ago, we released a Project Viewer that made it possible to use the first generation Oculus Rift development kit (DK1) anywhere in Second Life. Since then, Oculus Rift has released a second generation development kit, DK2. The new hardware offers an even more immersive experience when used with Second Life - there’s less likelihood of feeling motion sick thanks to the motion-tracking features, and less of the “screen-door effect” on the visuals, thanks to higher resolution and brighter display. We’ve integrated the DK2 with Second Life, and today are releasing a new Project Viewer so that virtual reality enthusiasts with the DK2 can use it anywhere in Second Life, just as DK1 users can. Unfortunately, though, there are still some bugs impacting the experience, which we won’t be able to fix until we receive the next SDK from Oculus Rift. Because Second Life uses OpenGL in its browser, we cannot support direct mode in the Rift until Oculus releases a version of the SDK that supports that. In addition, juddering is an issue (as it is with most DK2 demos).This can be significantly improved on Windows by turning off Aero, which allows the Rift to use its full refresh rate rather than being limited to the refresh rate of the primary monitor. This refresh rate is a major factor in the judder and turning off Aero can significantly improve your experience. We’ll continue to fix bugs and improve the experience as quickly as we can once we get the next SDK, but in the meantime, we wanted to get this Project Viewer out into testers’ hands. If you have an Oculus Rift development kit, you can download the new Project Viewer here. Here again is our video to help you get started using the Oculus Rift with Second Life. gWE91IB9QMI

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "mAGICAL WORLD" by Sniganna Dannitza. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Just Another Tequila Sunrise" by Jewell Wirefly. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

You’ve fared well thus far, traveler, and survived last week’s itinerary of terror with body and mind mostly intact. Perhaps you’re up for some more frightening scares? We double dog dare you to test your bravery against this next round of Halloween fun courtesy of the Second Life Destination Guide. Start your voyage in a techni-colored Halloween village with a frighteningly fun tour before fending off the ravenous dead in a sweltering bayou. Lose yourself in a dank cavern system and wander through a dark neighborhood perfect for some trick-or-treating. Will you escape two uniquely haunted forest parks? Think you’ve got something scarier, or just a cool spot in general? Share it with us! Snapshot those scary moments and submit them to the official Second Life Flickr Page - you could end up being a featured Pic of the Day! 2014 Halloween Town Halloween Town is full of shops for all of your Halloween needs, from party food to costumes. Go from spectator to participant at the haunted house as you pay tribute to the greatest horror movies of all time. Visit in Second Life Zombie Bayou Welcome to the bayou, come join in a small hunt for Halloween! Zombie Bayou's a fun place to hang out, enjoy each other's company, do some trick or treating, watch a movie, maybe even shop a little. Most of all, have fun. Just... You know... Beware of the zombies. Visit in Second Life Caverns of Doom Marcy Mansion is not your typical haunted house. Below the mansion are the infamous Caverns of Doom, spanning three full sims. Will you find the entrances, explore the labyrinthine tunnels, fight off zombies and the hellhounds, take a ride with the Ferryman and find the Aztec ruins? There are hidden doors to a secret laboratories and old cemeteries. Explore if you dare, but beware the danger that lurks around every corner... Visit in Second Life Havenhollow Returns Holiday Appreciation Association presents Havenhollow Returns, an interactive neighborhood featuring a door to door trick-or-treating experience. Trick or be treated, leave no stone unturned or corner unexplored. This town is packed with fun, mystery, and excitement for you and your friends to experience together. Many surprises await in fog-lit Havenhollow Returns. Discover them soon. Visit in Second Life Masoma County Haunted Halloween Sim Masoma County welcomes you to 2014's Haunted Halloween Sim. Feeling the itch for a bit of suspense and frightful sights? Follow the foggy path and hope you make it out alive. Wander around, searching all of the hidden destinations, but he sure to watch your back. Who knows what could be following you. Do you dare to take cover in the Haunted or Horror house? Visit in Second Life Nightmare at the Park That eerie feeling crossing a darkened bridge in the night, where trees howl and ghosts wail... Walk dark foggy paths, chased by unseen presences. Will you find out what lurks in the shadows of the night? Or will you delve into the hilltop house of fright? Grab a flashlight, you'll need it. The perfect Halloween is the one you never forget. No matter how hard you want to. Visit in Second Life

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "One + one=♥" by Sniganna Dannitza. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Untitled" by Purz Nirvana. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Frisland" by Yoanna Mallory. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "FeroshSS2014" by Gwen Aloix. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Rainy night at La Petite Joie Cafe" by Lam Erin. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

A chill wind howls through moonlit trees. Pumpkins smile fiery grins as children cackle through masks with candy-breath. This can only mean one thing - Halloween approaches. Allow the Destination Guide to be your host during this magical and uncertain holiday. So step into the boat, pay your two coins and let the river boat take you where it will. Don’t mind those clocked figures at the helm - they’ve made this trip millions of times. Your first stop is a cheery spot filled with friendly ghosts and cute Jack-o-lanterns. If you think you’re ready for it, the next stop is a lantern-lit tour through gore-clotted and dangerous locales. Survivors might even let their guard down for live music as a popular hangout succumbs to the enchanting spell of Halloween. All rides end at the aptly-named Screaming Woods. Join the fun and terrify us with a new creation, and share your survival shots on the Official Second Life Flickr Page. Haunted Forest Come visit the Haunted Forest this Halloween. Find scavenger hunts, ghosts, skeletons and more! Visit in Second Life Return of the Nightmare Walkthrough Satisfy your hunger for terror with the Return of the Nightmare Walkthrough. Celebrate Halloween with a fresh house of horrors and a free hunt for prizes. Face your fears, hunt for pumpkins, and get lost in the maze of terrors in this October-only event! Visit in Second Life Halloween Rock and Shock 2014 Celebrities Hangout presents Halloween Rock and Shock 2014, a journey into your darkest nightmares! Visit the haunted island, take the canoe ride to the psycho village and see if you can survive the madness. They've got live trick or treats, concerts and rock parties. Visit in Second Life Screaming Woods Welcome to Screaming Woods. Not feeling well? You are in luck, the doctors will be ever so delighted to see you! Right before they check you into the asylum. So come, join the spookily haunted Screaming Woods, where there are lots of fun things to see. Most of the props are interactive, so be sure to take lots of pictures and tell your friends. At Screaming Woods, the name says it all. Visit in Second Life

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Witchy Woman" by Pretty Parkin. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in Second Life has kicked off their fundraising initiatives and activies inworld and will be hosting lots of great events for you to check out. Inara Pey has outlined some of this week's events in her blog here, including contests, hunts, ways to virtually participate in events that help raise awareness and funds, and other activities to show your pink pride. You can pick up a fundraising kit with event submission instructions if you are interesting it throwing your own Think Pink event. Just review the fundraising guidelines, and drop by the MSABC kiosk where you can pick up free goodies, make a donation, and find more information about the events and contributors to the event!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Intergalactic Recipe" by Amelie Fravoisse. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

As of today, several projects have reached the Project Viewer stage, and we wanted to share a bit about how you can expect to see your Second Life experience improve with these initiatives. Graphics Settings Benchmarking: This is a new way of figuring out the best default graphics settings. Maybe this has happened to you: you got an awesome new graphics card, fired up SL… only to discover your graphics settings are set to Low, and can’t be changed? No more! This Viewer does away with the old GPU table and instead uses a quick benchmark measurement to detect your GPU to assign appropriate default graphics settings on startup. The settings on shiny powerful hardware should really let that hardware shine. Get a Project Benchmark Viewer today and help us gather metrics! Please file bugs in JIRA if you find them. Installation and Login screen changes: A new look for the login screen is coming in stages. We’re tweaking the login screen and A/B testing the results. We’ve simplified the new user login screen to remove distractions, and we’re adding instructions for new downloads and installs. We’re also streamlining the returning user login screen to help you get where you’re going faster - or find a new place to visit. You’re likely to see some incremental changes continue over the coming weeks. Performance Improvements: Two complementary projects are going in neck-and-neck: A new texture and mesh asset service (a CDN) is in testing on a limited set of regions, and so far it’s showing encouraging results. Particularly for those who login from places far away from our US data centers, this has the potential to significantly improve how quickly textures and meshes load. In the coming weeks, we will expand the number of regions using this new service as the next step in our testing. We’re also taking the next step with the HTTP project - Pipelining. We will soon put out a viewer that will pipeline HTTP requests for texture and mesh fetches, improve inventory folder and item fetches, and have some general adjustments for using a CDN-enabled grid. Separately, each of these will improve texture and mesh loading performance, but put together, you should really see some exciting improvements in how long it takes to load new areas and objects - making touring the many fabulous places in Second Life you have not yet visited even better!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Flamigo's Dance" by May Coba. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

On September 1, 2014, the updated Skill Gaming Policy for Second Life went into effect. As a reminder, this policy allows for skill gaming activity in Second Life, but establishes that only approved Creators may make skill games with L$ payouts, only approved Operators may run them, and they may only be run on designated Skill Gaming Regions, where access is restricted to those who meet certain qualifications. As our FAQs explained, applicants to the program who submitted their applications prior to the September 1 deadline have been permitted to continue their skill gaming activity while their applications are reviewed. Beginning November 1, 2014, the enforcement of our Policy will apply to all Residents, including those with pending Skill Gaming applications that await Linden Lab review and approval. As of that date, any objects or regions found in violation of our Policy will be taken down.We strongly encourage all applicants to submit any outstanding materials for our review as soon as possible so that their applications may be processed before the deadline. From the start, we’ve seen strong interest from Residents seeking to become approved skill gaming Creators and Operators. You can find the current list of approved participants here, and we’ll continue to review applications as quickly as possible to expand that list. If you would like to apply to become an approved skill gaming Creator or Operator, you can do so here.

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "LTD magazine" by Mr Godard. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Pumpkin spiced everything seems to be everywhere - you can practically smell the cinnamon even in Second Life! For this week's Destination Guide Highlights, we've frothed up some tasty places to explore if you're looking to sample a seasoned variety of themes. Start your adventures roleplaying at scenic Innsmouth, where there are absolutely no half-human cults hell bent on summoning mind-shattering elder gods to devour the earth.* Regain sanity in a cute multiplayer medieval battle arena, or stock up on your horror movie survival supplies at the Level Up event. Before it ends - stop by the steampunk Clockwork Spiral - where designers have turned to dark-Victorian inspiration to help raise funds for the National Kidney Foundation. Creative types might enjoy the retrospective look at one of Second Life's prolific artists - Bryn Oh. Lastly, be sure to curl up with a good story in a fantastically imaginative library. Head on over to the Second Life Destination Guide for more spots to enjoy. If you've created something you think is missing from the Destination Guide, let us know about it, and share your adventures on the Official Second Life Flickr Page. *Should a half-human cult book a stay and summon such elder earth hungry gods, we advise packing for any occasion. Innsmouth Why was this New England coastal town abandoned in the 1930s? Perhaps the giant sea-monster emerging from the south ocean might be the answer. Nevertheless, Innsmouth remains a dark, damp place with perpetual rain and ruined buildings well worth exploring. Visit in Second Life It's a Block It's a Block is a free-to-play multiplayer game. Play to earn store credits, bring your friends for extra fun. Jump in, choose a free demo character and join a match! Visit in Second Life Level Up Hunt Come join the second round of Level Up, launching September 18th. Titled Zombies Eat Flesh, this hunt takes bloody inspiration from horror and survival-themed video games. So choose your weapons, grab your flashlights and start hunting! Visit in Second Life A Clockwork Spiral Welcome to the Clockwork Spiral! This benefit aims to help the National Kidney Foundation, so prepare yourself for sixteen days chock full of steam, diesel and dark Victoriana. Everything opens September 15th at 6:00pm. With music, events and gifts, this is a benefit you won't want to miss. Visit in Second Life The Chamber Library The Chamber Library is one-of-a-kind, bringing together art and literature in a never-before-seen way. Relax and read an ever-increasing number of articles and stories amidst an absorbing display of environmental art. They welcome writing submissions from Secondlife residents for inclusion in the library. The Chamber Library is a simply stunning space to loose yourself in. Visit in Second Life Bryn Oh Retrospective Come see a retrospective of the virtual artworks of Bryn Oh from 2007-2014. This hybrid event occurs simultaneously with at the Art & Algorithms digital festival in Titusville, Florida. For more information, visit http://artandalgorithms.com/. Visit in Second Life

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Red" by Twig Aho. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Back in April we blogged about the University of San Martin de Porres Perú is offering a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) called "Introduction to Second Life for Educators" that was specifically designed to help Spanish speaking educators leverage Second Life for educational purposes. Since then the course has been improved and updated, and a new session is set to start on September 29th at Second Life Para Docentes. About the course: The Virtual Worlds Project of The University of San Martin de Porres from Perú starts this September 29th the second edition of the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) entitled "Introduction to Second Life for Educators 2nd. Ed.". The course is free and is designed to train Spanish speaking educators on the use of the virtual world Second Life, and to provide knowledge that allows educators to benefit from its potential, especially in the education field. If you or someone you know might benefit from a course like this, you can watch an (in Spanish) and register at their website. Start Day: Sep 29thYou can also visit the headquarters of the course within the virtual world from our Destination Guide entry. En español: El Proyecto en Mundos Virtuales de la Universidad de San Martín de Porres de Perú, inicia este 29 de setiembre la segunda edición del curso en la modalidad MOOC (Curso Masivo Abierto En línea) titulado "Introducción a Second Life para Educadores 2da. Ed.". El curso es gratuito y está diseñado para capacitar a educadores y público en general de habla hispana en el uso del mundo virtual Second Life, a fin de ofrecer conocimiento que permita desempeñarse en este entorno y aprovechar su potencial, especialmente en el ámbito educativo. Si tú o alguien que tú conoces pueden beneficiarse de un curso como éste, pueden acceder al y registrarse en la página web. Inicio: 29 de Set.Además se puede visitar la sede del curso dentro del mundo virtual desde nuestra Guía de Destinos. okLLa60fBbI

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "BLOG: LTD Magazine - Sept/Oct 2014 - Decorating With Elvi." by Elvi Hartley. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "intellectual conversations" by Strawberry Singh. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!