A 2017 photo from my space station. The view of space here is created by a photosphere generator, which makes a 256×256 spherical bubble around the generator, with the unit at the center point. Imagine if I could set the environment on this level to space without needing to use a generator. This can expand space role-play tremendously — just one new use for EEP.
What looks like excellent news from Linden Lab, put up on the Community Blog, and brought to my attention by Daniel Voyager’s plurk today. LL has released the Environmental Enhancement Project to the main Grid. For users of the Linden viewer, at least, the new abilities will be available to all Residents on all sims. And that includes, as I’m seeing this, sims that you rent, even if you don’t have owner environment privileges. (Third-party viewers don’t have this yet, as it will take a code revision. However, I think we can expect a scramble to integrate the new code into Firestorm and other top TPVs. Firestorm users such as myself should probably expect an update notice at some indeterminate point.)
Some possibilities:
You don’t need to be an estate owner to change the environmental settings.
New environmental settings panel
Custom day cycles
Changeable textures for the clouds and moon
Different settings for different altitude settings
Changeable locations for sun and moon
Save settings in Inventory instead of an XML file, and import existing XML files to the new settings
Creators can set permissions for next owners
Settings can be applied at the parcel level, for everyone to see
Here’s a really nice aspect to enhance your possible revenue stream: the new settings can be saved as Inventory assets — and given, shared or (ka-ching)sold. This could result in a whole fresh category on the Marketplace, or new stores for EEP files. (That’s E-E-P, by the way, not “eep.” Which, of course, means everyone will promptly ignore the Lab, just as they do by calling them “Linden Labs.”)
Patch “Lirpa” Linden has made an announcement in the Community Forum about an experimental improvement to the new residential areas in Bellisseria — improved weather!
Hamlet Au has written up an interview he’s done with Ebbe Altberg, Linden Lab’s CEO, and posted a video of the talk as well. I’ll leave you to link to the article and read (and watch) it there, but I’ll interject: it’s my belief we were lucky that the Lab, which was thrashing for direction five years ago, managed to get this man. There may have been some jokes about the “IKEA CEO (some assembly required),” and I myself did a version of that:
But I think he’s been a godsend to Linden Lab and Second Life, and sounds committed to growing what’s old as well as supporting what’s new (Sansar). Hopefully we’ll have him for some time to come.
Daniel Voyager, long-time correspondent since his days on the old Teen Grid, gives a quick summation of the recent Town Hall, with some news in brief here. Be sure to read his article, and reply to him there.
Here are some of the updates that I found most interesting in simple terms during the recent town hall event with Ebbe Altberg the CEO of Linden Lab on Thursday 13th September 2018.
To see the whole video of the Town Hall session, see my previous blog post. It’s definitely worth watching. I hope there will be many more Town Hall sessions in the future with more announcements.
1. Return of Last Names
Linden Lab set a goal to return last names in Second Life in 2018. It’s now probably going to be returning either at the end of 2018 or sometime in 2019. There is no date when it will be deployed but the team are on it.
2. Animesh
It’s apparently very close to release and the Environment Enhancement Project is close to public testing very soon.
I just came across this in my mail, from Dec. 17. (This tells you how hectic December is for someone who works in retail.) This news is important for two reasons: (1) the obvious thing, the information contained within — hands and face mobility, especially, will be a vast improvement over current SL state of the art; and (2) this, in my perception, shows Linden Lab’s ongoing commitment to the original Grid, as well as exploring new areas with Sansar. Look forward to these additions; when the tools come down to improve our smiles or frowns, I suspect a whole new era of SL photography will open up!
On Wednesday 16th December Linden Lab announced Project Bento, adding new bones and attachment points to the Second Life Avatar Skeleton. This is the biggest change to avatars in years and the good news is that it’s fully backward compatible with existing avatars.
This is excellent news for sure and this announcement sounds very exciting indeed. :)
We know how much work, value, personalization and emotional investment goes into a Second Life avatar, so we have always been careful when considering avatar changes. While we want to make improvements, we also want to maximize backward compatibility. Get ready for the biggest thing that’s happened to avatars in years …
Ever wish you could incorporate a tail, wings, or second set of arms into your avatar? How about having animations for facial expressions and finger movements? Yes, we know that there are some incredibly creative workarounds that give you some of these…
You have to say, as does Daniel, that these new default avatars look a whole lot classier than what I entered Second Life with in October 2007. It almost makes me want to start up a new “walking” alt and see what folks have to say. To demonstrate:
Thanks much to Daniel Voyager for this news. Linden Lab will be rolling out some delicious changes to Second Life in the upcoming months. Not all of them may be useful to everybody, but everyone should find something in this batch to like. Read the article, and salivate!!
This is an excellent thing to see and hear about. I wish I hadn’t been at work today, else I might have dropped by the Project to meet our new välvillig magnat (benevolent overlord) myself. Let’s hope for more drop-ins by many more Lindens!
Earlier today (still April 1st) Ebbe Linden aka Ebbe Altberg CEO of Linden Lab, posted this mysterious message on twitter;
A very exciting message although also a little mysterious.
Has an official decision been made about Lindens are going to be inworld more often?
For some time now people started noticing that Lindens were becoming a rare sight, much to everyone’s dismay.
Most of us like seeing a Linden pop in during events or just wandering around.
Last year I heard rumours about there being some sort of restrictions about Lindens being allowed ‘out in the wild’ and it would be fantastic if that has now been overturned.
Being a rather demure and subtle lady, I immediately decided to try and test Ebbe’s post;
Schnaps and stroopwafels, an offer impossible to resist!
Although I didn’t really expect him to pop up in 1920s Berlin within minutes of that post!
I have been holding back on taking any position on the TOS question, primarily because I make and sell nothing that is particularly original to me outside of my own individual photographs. With ongoing consideration of the matter, though, I support the UCCSL and any other attempts in reason to modify Linden Lab’s current TOS changes. I hope you’ll follow Daniel’s link here and vote to support the UCCSL’s letter.
I’m following the news closely relating to changes to the terms of service for Second Life and it appears that the UCCSL group are doing a Critical Vote starting today to send a email to Linden Lab on TOS. The email will be apparently be sent on Monday at some point and this time the hope is for Linden Lab to release more info what happens next. Voting ends on Sunday 3rd November at midnight SLT, so if you are interested then please participate in this critical vote.
Vote Here< All votes (likes) will be anonymous and every vote is important!
Daniel Voyager reports that Linden Lab is changing the code for groups this week. According to the official announcement:
Beginning tomorrow, Linden Labs will be rolling out some changes across the grid in the code for groups that will affect ALL viewers being used in SL right now – including the SL viewers. The rollout should be completed by Friday.
What it means is that you will be unable to access the member lists in any group with 10,000 or more in the group. You will still be able to get group chat. You will be able to send group notices and invite people to join the group if your group role allows it. You will be unable to assign a role and you will be unable to eject anyone from the group since you will not have access to that particular individual’s name. If you are a moderator in the group, you will be unable to exercise any mod abilities such as taking away chat privileges for the same reason.
The SL viewer should be updated soon. Firestorm will be updated but the timeline is unsure at this point (hopefully this weekend but that’s not a sure thing yet).
We have no information about any of the other viewers at this time.
As I’m reading Daniel, the loss of powers should be a temporary thing, until the viewers themselves are updated to handle the new code. Daniel says, “The new code changes will fix groups using HTTP which makes it more reliable for loading and editing for 10k+ members in SL groups. This is a switch-over from the old UDP which is not that great for handling large groups with 10k+ members. Its slow loading and harder to edit things with additional issues within groups.”
Second Life® with Harper, Conan, Jem, Diana and Morgan
If you like what you read, then please consider linking back. We also link to other Second Life blogs we think are good. You may also retweet any individual article on Twitter, when looking at that article, by clicking on the "Tweet" button just above the Comments section.
Around the Grid is willing to provide unbiased and unreserved reviews of Resident-created and -sold, non-pornographic products, especially fashion and hairstyles, and of Real World books on Second Life. Submissions for review should be sent in world to Harper Ganesvoort.
Book publishers please contact harper.ganesvoort@gmail.com for instructions.
All submissions become the property of Around the Grid.
We reserve the right to not write about a submitted item at our discretion.
Archives
Join 1,601 other subscribers
Episcopal Relief and Development
Please consider donating, especially in times of disaster, to Episcopal Relief and Development, a worldwide ministry of the Episcopal Church in the United States. 100% of your donation goes to relief work; no administrative costs are taken from contributions.
Ebbe Altberg At Town Hall Meeting 
Around the Grid 