Why am I so happy with the latest SL Viewer?

Well, some of you might know that the last SL RC Viewer (RC0) crashed on me every time I logged in. Yup, no Windlight (since the Lindens in their infinite wisdom merged Windlight into RC). Concierge customer support (as usual) yielded very little, other than asking me to start (yet) another JIRA entry, which usually means more work for me so the Lindens can sit back and laugh at our pathetic little efforts. (At least it feels that way.)

So, what little surprise to find RC1 released only a few days later (granted, the solution was found by a resident and posted on JIRA). And yay, I can login and Windlight is back! To those who can live without beauty, good for you. Me, I’m an aesthete. I thrive on art and aesthetics – it’s the one theme that I try to let permeate in all that I do, whether it’s textures, animations or vendors. So, I need my Windlight fix! With RC1, once again, there is a crackle in the ether above, and a sparkle in waters below. You can almost hear the evensong in between. I can create again.

And another bonus… Media Browser! Now you can open web pages right within Second Life. For once it seems the Linden gods are smiling upon me, methinks. Couldn’t have come at a better time, when I’m integrating my little online help with the Signature HUD.

The main problem with an online help is that you need leave Second Life, if only for a few minutes. Those few minutes are enough to spoil the fantasy for some. Now, with Media Browser, you remain in-world, and in a Windlight-world, to boot. Cool.

You know what this means right?

… exciting possibilities.

Luv, Lulu

I’m bored.

First person who can tell me what happens when you click the rats scurrying around the Docks in City Noir, wins a Signature Art.

By now, many of you know that the Signature Command HUD prompts you to save your settings by detaching it every time it has detected an important setting change. Failure to do so means that those settings will be lost the next time you crash, which we all know, happen a few times a day.

Now, this sort of database behavior is never accepted in mainstream MMORPG games. Imagine you are in Everquest 2 or World of Warcraft. You spend the last 6 hours gaining one whole level and getting that phat loot from that uber monster that you just killed. And then you crash, only to lose everything. No one accepts that, and rightly so – that’s why it never happens. Your stats and stuff still remain safe on their servers. You’re not required to detach anything to save anything. It’s automatic.

Why is it then that we accept this sort of thing from Second Life? No wonder people complain there is nothing to do here. It’s not serious enough a platform for roleplaying.

Want a better way? Please vote on the Jira. Votes matter in getting the Lindens to take note of something. If you not quite sure how to, start here instead.

Meanwhile, you’ll all have to keep detaching your HUD to save settings. Until the Lindens get off their bum and actually do something.