So... Linden Lab releases a new Release Candidate (RC) viewer and shortly after, release a new WindLight updated viewer.
My creative side (and love is SL photography) has kept me in the WindLight viewer consistently since it's been available. The new WindLight viewer incorporates "most of the fixes" included in the most recent RC viewer.
Wow, at first I was a bit worried. I have a pretty hardcore machine, including cutting edge video board and so on. The new WindLight viewer at first blush just crawled. I went in world and everything was grey. Okay, I don't just mean grey - I mean ZERO textures in world. Nothing. Zip, zilch, nada. Wow. On top of that, my view of the world, usually an average of 25 to 25 frames per second dropped to 1 frame per second. Really. I'm serious. I timed it. Holy shitola.
Okay - so I went and downloaded the latest drivers for my graphic card (highly recommended for ATI boards, but I went and grabbed the latest nVidia just for kicks.) Installed updated drivers and everything was right as rain (in Seattle).
Umm... except for a couple of quirks: Voice is just 'on' by default.
The next quirk - and this one can be a doosey for accidental clicks: the "Release Keys" button (which is always on screen if you are wearing any scripted attachment that does or can animate you among other things) appears at the far left... where your Instant Message (IM) notification button appears. it seems these buttons are now dynamically left-aligned and shift as needed, based on priorities.
The big complaint here has to do with people being in the habit of just clicking the button that appears here, subconsciously thinking it's an IM. And, when doing so, the Animation Overrider (AO), submission collar, cuffs, rip-away clothing - whatever - comes popping off.
Wow. Totally uncool. Now, I don't blame the problem on Linden Lab. But I do blame the idea and act of making what turns out to be a radical change in the User Interface (UI) of the viewer. What the hell is that damned button needed for anymore anyway? A couple years ago - yes. But now?
Then a lesser annoyance is that active tabs in your communication window, such as IM, no longer continuously blink. Okay, that's an annoyance.
Except for the dumb move by Linden Lab to set-up the toolbar buttons that way they have (the "release keys" button ending up left-justified where it will get accidentally clicked-on more often than not) - I believe the others are simply unintended bug introduced with this update and i also have faith Linden Engineers will fix them.
But, understanding of all this aside, my gripe is with all the whiners on the SL Blog. Whiny crybabies that really need to get a clue and learn to deal with it or move on. The funny thing is that 80% of them are always the same ones!
Okay, a sampling of posting on the new WindLight announcement on te SL blog:
"skills Says: too bad latest nicholaz builds finally stopped working"Gee, that's real helpful feedback, isn't it, Skills? (This is his/her full post by the way)
"Ponk Bing Says: I would like to be able to TP without relogging please."Same to you, bonehead.
"Jayme Llewellyn Says: This is just typical of Linden Labs pathetic customer performance. The constantly update all of the extras and details, yet completely overlook the key issues. Linden, if you are reading this, the issue is not with the windlight or any other extras - the problems are with the main grid and the central gaming/drive engine for SL!!! For crying out loud …. listen to your customers!!! And telling us that we need to update our video cards is just you guys saying that you’re too damn lazy to fix the problem. Essentially, you’re saying its our fault. I’m telling you, Lindens, if you carried on with the pathetic level of customer service in the real world …. you’d be shut down quick smart. Get your act together, fix the main grid/central gaming-drive engine and give us the sort of internet game we deserve. Not this crap we currently have."Yo - there is a REASON it's called beta. So, who the hell at Linden lab is breaking your arm to use the WindLight viewer? As for issues with the main grid, are you so ditsy that you can't figure out there are 'main grid' engineers that ARE working on it? That there is a WindLight team that is SEPARATE with regard to the main grid work? Please put brain into gear before engaging mouth. Oh, never mind, I guess you have to double-clutch it all time, don't you?
"Selkit Diller Says:Good god. I downloaded and installed this debacle. Lindens– I have applauded you in past, and I have criticized you. This is one occasion where I will be doing the latter quite singularly..."Ummm - like we really know all of SL was built just for you and only your method of use and requirements count.
~ SNIP THE USELESS ~
"Entirely glad I still have 1.18.3 to fall back on. I am discontinuing the use of Windlight in the face of these current and continuing issues. Give us an off-switch for VWR-3101’s alpha culling behavior. I didn’t ask to be saddled with that, I don’t remember anyone asking specifically for it, and now we machinimatographers are stuck with it, without recourse."
Here's my favorite:
"Broccoli Curry Says: Good so far, only a couple of things."
~ SNIP USELESS BULLSHIT ~
"2) Voice on by default - please no, no a thousand times NO. We all know voice was a huge failure that nobody uses, do you really need to try and make it look like we use it by the hundreds of people who won’t realise what the white dot is and how to turn it off?"I’d love to see the stats for how many people have voice enabled, on any given day. My guess is about 6."
It's published every month. But that's right, you don't need to go and check, because you are a genius and know everything, even more than what Linden Lab knows, right? For the record, not only is voice not a failure, it's gaining in popularity since it's introduction. BUT, remember everyone like you were predicting the demise of SL because voice was being introduced. Are you scared of voice because you're a MESBIAN? Oh, and I guess music downloads on cell phones have been a failure, too. Everyone knows that, right?
Yes, I half read the LL/SL blog as much for entertainment as for information. All the whiny blowhards that have absolutely nothing to contribute except wasted bad breath. But you know, sometimes it's better the let people think you're a fool rather than to open your mouth (or contribute to the SL blog) and remove all doubt.So, to all you whiners about voice, WindLight, 'Age Verification" (which is really just identity verification and has nothing to do with age) - The more of you that put your money where your mouth is and 'leave because SL is going to shit" - the better the grid will be for all the rest of us.
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