New Browser for Second Life Junkies!

Great job!

This sounds really cool, although I have to say I'm a bit concerned about security issues, being that the browser is based on IE's core, instead of a decent one like Firefox (not bashing your browser, just IE )

I don't know what would be the difficulty of porting this project as a Firefox extension, but I'm sure it would be really worthwhile. I might consider using it in that case, but as it is now... Let's just say that I don't want to have anything to do with IE. Not that my mind is in a very good state right now... I'm being forced to program with Visual C++ (Ahhhh, the horror!).

True, I myself have NEVER seen a transparent browser window. I didn't even think it's possible.

Though if anyone likes it, and would like to do the same at home, I give you this link/code (NOT my code), without any 'trade secrets'.

Make Internet Explorer Transparent

I do have to apologize. It is a mistake to measure your achievement according to an engineer's scale, when it should be measured not according to that.

In my job, if you have a program working, that's worth nothing. Anyone can hack together a program. However, if it is well architectured and written in the inside, that measures it's quality. This might seem silly at first, but it is actually a reasonable thing.

MadamG, this looks very cool! I definitely look forward to trying it out. It looks like it'll be a perfect companion to SL for those of us who habitually use the web and SL at the same time. Very nice work. Thanks for going the extra mile to make something useful for the SL community.

Reasonable statements. However, without having used it yourself I do not know how you could make such assumptions? Since when do engineers and programmers reach such conclusions from a partial illustration of a new product? All I gave you was an illustration and a few features...that's it. Already you have it sized up in your mind that I just "hacked it together".

Perhaps it would be wise to hold your tongue until you have actually had a chance to use the browser and then perhaps your constructive critism will actually mean something. Right now, passing judgements based on a "picture" of the top half of the browser" sems a little petty...even for a fellow programmer, engineer or whatever you may be. I would expect more tact from someone in this business.

Do you have any suggestions that might enhance it? Any additional sites that have not been mentioned yet? Have a beautiful day Zonax!!!!!!!

No, not just based on the picture, remember, you had posts, too But it doesn't matter. I never questioned that your program looks and works as written in the posts, either



Based on what I've saw and read about it, to have more suggestions, I would have to download it (from where?), and test it. I do not currently have any more ideas, sorry.

Ahhh, that's too bad.

-Ghoti

MadameG... WOW! lol

Congratulations on bringing to this level of completion a truly original and unique idea that I'm sure will be immensly popular!

And to all of those people sniping about it above (and probably below): take note - THIS is the kind of inventive concept that drives SL forward and makes the whole experience much more enjoyable for everyone. Try putting your energy into something more useful!



Me too, me too!!

I have a couple of suggestions for additional features too (please excuse me if these have been suggested - I tend to have a mental filter for pointless flames and may have missed a useful post accidentally).

1. Always on top - so I can position the transparent browser over the SL window with the chat bar visible and still chat while I browse.

2. Text Editor (or link to Notepad) - for copying and pasting script snippets - useful info etc.

If I get any more I'll post them here.

Well done again - brilliant work

Visual Basic coding with a IE browser object stretched over a form. Nice trade secret.

Hang on - LL are involved in this? This is going to be official?

This is getting scary.. is this another handover of a semi-official channel to a private individual with no warning or election?

Thanks for that lovely dose of snark. It's just what this place needs!

Way to be positive!

Ohhhhhhh gawd.

You are kidding right? I can't read this without feeling sure that it's said tongue-in-cheek. I can't honestly believe anyone is THAT paranoid.

Try finding the confidence to actually walk up to a Linden and say 'Hi' sometime - you'll find that they're eminently approachable and more than interested in helping out anyone with a unique or interesting project/build/problem.

Not scary... fair, friendly and community spirited channel that's open to everyone with enough confidence to ask.

I can.

You used your own HTML rendering engine? Or is it using the Microsoft HTML control for that?

JESUS CHRIST, WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WITHOUT CONFIDENCE? WE HAVE TO STRAP EVERYONE TO A TABLE JUST SO THAT THE CONFIDENT DON'T GO TRYING TO GET THINGS DONE WHILE THE MEEK DO NOTHING -- 'CAUSE THEY'RE SCARED AND ALL.

Sorry. I just thought I would get that all out of the way and save us a good 20 pages.

We cool, everybody? That covers it, right?

Now, back to the browser.

Though this has already been kinda answered in the thread:

She used the Microsoft HTML (ActiveX) component, and the program might be written in Visual Basic, though that can be only said for sure after we can download the program and see.

I'm not sure whether it's Visual Basic.NET or Visual Basic 6, I'm betting the latter.

Well, ok. That was an over-reaction - but it still bothers me.

I have chatted with Lindens before, and yes, I have found they are approachable and very friendly, and deserving of much kudos for that fact. However, I also appreciate the fact that they are busy people; that this is work for them; and that not all of them work in customer service.

The thing is, I suspect if every SL user who would have been able to write a VB shell over IE had contacted LL they'd have been massively spammed. Same thing if every scripter who'd have been able to write a grid-wide information distribution system had contacted them. If people in general were contacting LL for every project that could benefit from their help, LL would be digging themselves out of their IMs for months, and the ultimate result would be that they'd close down that avenue because it would be impractical.

This is the problem. Based on the current system, it has by definition to be exclusive, because if it ever stopped being exclusive it would collapse from inability to scale.

Anyway, never mind. I think Friends Online in a browser would be great as well. But I think I've worked out how it can be done without needing any custom work from LL. Firefox is running and I've got GUID.

No, I'm not suggesting that the confident should be stopped. I'm suggesting that the people who aren't confident should be enabled to start. But as I mentioned above, not contacting LL with every idea you have isn't a matter of "meekness" but appreciating their situation.

Or they could just make sure that everyone's confident, of course. A subliminal message overlayed on 1/60 frames rendered by the client would do the trick.

No. It's being a wuss.

Is it productive to IM a Linden with every whimsical thought that pops into your head? Certainly not.

But if you have an idea that you believe will be helpful and valuable to a potential partner, in this case Linden Lab, you develop the idea to a reasonable level so that you can explain it and then you start knokcing down doors until you've sold it.

It's called getting results. If you're not interested in doing the work necessary to make things happen, don't bitch when someone else does.

Not everyone shares your limitations.

Do you seriously believe that no-one has had this idea before?

I don't mind not everyone sharing my limitations. I do mind being told I am being held back by my limitations, when the system that has caused that to happen depends on some people having those limitations in order for it to work.

I don't really care who else had the idea. This person executed and shopped it. That's the difference between getting out of bed and going back to sleep.

This thread is proof that no good deed goes unpunished

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road to hell, good intentions, yada yada...
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