settings.ini - wow, that's useability in action!

So hover tips are changing, but don't worry you can still go back to the old behaviour by changing a settings in the settings.ini file:



Somebody really needs to get a grip on useability at LL. Why add or change a feature if you can't be bothered to put the effort into providing a way for it to be used via. the normal interface?

You need to get better on your useability, not worse. This is but a small example, but it shows the trend for how lowly useability features in your development.

I suspect they don't want us to us this feature. I believe they wanted to remove it because the overhead on the asset server caused by everyones minor mouse movements querying data on objects. This lead to the idea of simply removing it but because existing members who use it still wanted it, they left a little way for us to turn it back on if we really needed, but kept it hidden from new users to decrease interest in the feature moving forward.

Actually that's a good point, and not something I'd thought about. I'd presumed that the data that's shown on a hover tip was streamed with the object data itself. I didn't realise it was requesting it individually when your mouse caused a hover tip to be displayed.

I seriously have to wonder which brand of crack these people were smoking when they came up with an architecture where everything depends on a centralized server and you cant even move your mouse without asking the centralized server for data, and where scaling the god damn thing isn't as trivial as putting up more computers on the rack.

Well, it's all good. They're moving in the right direction. For example, I still feel HUD was a masterstroke in making SL an extensible platform.

So I think technically, things have gotten better, though a lack of backup and a terrible release process show that their are still some junior ideas floating around in upper management.

My concern is less technically and more the business decisions, that are concerning me, and Philip's arrogance towards his customers.

No, blaze, they are not moving in the right direction. They are in the business of selling access to content and resources, so they should be concerned in moving MORE resources and allowing RICHER content!
It does not make sense to restrict our usage because of a crappy infrastructure.
What DOES make sense is to have a SCALABLE architecture and a SCALABLE business model. If you just keep restricting usage then soon people will have to wait in a queue before they can rez a little object. This is not a long-term sustainable strategy.
A long-term sustainable strategy is to think about what it would take to make the asset subsystem easy to scale and then let people pay for their use so LL can put more coal in it.
As demand grows, you must meet that demand.
Or just sell me my own asset server! Jesus.
It's clear that some people are willing to buy servers by the dozen. Anshe has 90!
LL should be catering to THEM. Not a crowd of silly socializers. We need to encourage the most resource demanding projects and make SL a viable development platform so that professional content teams can offer the crowds of socializers something SLIGHTLY more interesting than box-shaped clubsinos and sexball-laden suburban housing.
SL will be a serious development platform when Sony can seriously consider developing the next version of Everquest in SL, and bring in millions of new users without killing asset system performance for everyone else.

Eggy is absolutely right.

The thing is, this isn't a hit on the central asset server, its surely culled from the cached sim data (otherwise someone should be shot).

Another thing we need is llGetOwnerName() so it calls from the sim data rather than hitting the central asset server with a data server request.

Regards,

-Flip

Could we at least see this stuff hidden somewhere in the debug menu, if that is the aim?

Or pehaps a console-like command input solution, a la Quake or Unreal or HL-2?

edit: I just hate to use something clunky, hidden deep in a system directory, in a text editor.

Also, can we make shiny a mandatory feature that can only be killed using debug?

thx

I like having this new option which makes tooltips more a matter of actual relevance and less a matter of omnipresent annoyance.

Even so, I have to wonder why this is being implemented right now.

If it's not a matter of load on the sim, asset server, or just bandwidth then why all the attention on what is, in the end, an aesthetic matter?

I agree with Enabran, the debug menu is already heavy geek territory, just move the more complex stuff there. I bet only a small fraction of users have debug enabled anyway...

Amen. Or IMHO, have the ability to load textures/music/etc. directly off another external server. A simply llLoadTexture(<URL>,<SIDE>, llPlayExternalSound(<URL>,<VOL>, etc. Don't tie it with land, but rather the object. It would be a win to LL - less bandwidth cost and reduced damaged to the central asset server. It would be a win to developers - the ability to easily update items, use dynamic content, etc. It would be a win to the socializers - Better objects, decreased texture load time, etc. Heck, if they would even untie the QT from land but rather objects, that would allow some functionality (although it will still need to loaded texture from the asset server).

But Kenny has a point also. Too many options overwhelm people. At least they provided some method of reverting back to the previous version, unlike some things in the past (i.e. hover text for the AV's). Although I am used to text based option files (I run Linux on a couple of machines) so a normal user might be more opposed.

If you're of the mindset that all you want to do is "hang out" and "meet people," why should the name, description and owner of an object be of any concern to you?

That would be my purely unfounded guess.

I'd agree - and when "just playing" in SL, the tooltips are often simply in the way.

But they become a good tool when building or scripting or investigating a strange object on your property. This really needs to be easily changeable on-the-fly, not hidden away.

It would be if the HUD could tap sources other than the LL data stream. Changing settings in the inis wouldn't be such a bother if we could build an object that gave people control of those files from inworld through a client API. Gotta go with 3ggZ00r and Alondria on this one. Things get more centralized and less extensible with every update.

But it's their "experiement," their livelihoods; who are we to preach extensibility to them?

Oh and I must say this.

Perhaps.

Or perhaps not. Our needs may not be nearly as important.

Second Life is in the midst of a populist expansion. Ultimately, the needs of everyone but the technically-inclined will be the most important.

As it should be. Think about it. About a dozen people, initially much less, are involved in the conceptualization and design of an iPod. Millions of people who understand iPod much less are the audience.

Who should have an easier time using iPod? The millions, or the dozen? Obviously, it must be designed with the millions in mind.

Second Life is marching toward its millions, too. You, I, and other pixel technicians, Jillian, may be well served by having a given feature, but the millions of others are best served without it. Be happy we even get to keep such features in any form.

This is not to say that Linden Lab should (or will) shaft us in favor of the un-initiated. Their business plan depends on our being able to create things that their uninitiated will buy, simply because that larger group will lack the interest, time or skills necessary to develop things on their own. But we should get used to more shifts of this nature, as technical yet inconsequential design elements are trimmed away to make things more palletable.

Are you going to tell those of us who don't know how to change these settings in the setting.ini? I don't even know where that's located.

Edit: Okay, found it. Would it just be changing a False to a True?

I should add that I have absolutely nothing against settings.ini or tooltips or whatever.
I'm just tired of having to explain people why they have to put up with so many castrating restrictions and are given no option even when they have deep enough pockets to buy the whole SL grid several times over.
The usual way of solving problems in a corporation is to throw more money at it.
LL should give us that option.
Not enough server power? Easy, we'll give you the money to buy more servers.
Understaffed? Who cares, hire us a dedicated sysadmin and we'll foot the bill.
You don't have feature X? Ok, how much would it cost you to get it developed?
Come on guys, sometimes it looks like you're afraid the company will actually grow or something

Too many options can overwhelm, but it depends on how they are presented as to how much of a problem this is. I'm used to text-based option files but, as a content creator, the useability of the platform for those who come to use the content is of paramount importance to me. And I'm concerned. Very little seems to be developed with the useability of the normal consumer in mind. I could list plenty.

Take the debug menu for instance. Most of it is pointless for most people but there are a couple of options on there that are absolutely pointless being hidden away on there - forcing daylight is the most obvious of these. Why oh why do people have to find out how they can activate the debug menu first before they can use this option? I'd be suprised if I was alone in using this option pretty much every time I log into Second Life. That's not useable.

As for blaze's comment on HUDs being a master stroke for extensibility - I must be having a slow brain day or something, because I can't see how having exactly the same functionality available but just having a prim visible to you makes the platform more extensible. It adds an extra dimension, but that's different.

And finally, in direct response to Kelly and the Lindens. I'm yet to see real proof that useability is actually seriously thought about when developing new features or the platform in general. HUDs are a great example of this - a quick development approach was taken that omitted even the basic of tenets of HUDs - auto-attach is one, and fixed size would be another. I could go on with those. I have the distinct impression that the system is designed and developed by coders without the required input from useability experts. I'd say that needs to change, to make the platform accessible to those the content creators wish to create their content for.

So the problem is we don't want to clutter the preferences window yet we don't want to bother with having to dig into the filesystem to open an INI file that holds these settings.

My simple solution is to apply this new default hover tip behavior but allow it to be toggable by holding a shortcut key down and then hovering over the object to retrieve this information. When the shortcut key is not pressed, nothing is retrieved. This is non-obtrusive and it is on the fly. The only thing it requires is educating the user. Then again, having the user edit an INI file requires educating them as well so not much difference there.

Lets do consider this though. It's possible for someone to make mistakes in INI files and I'm not sure what SL would do if settings got whacked. Hear me out though. This is why interfacing features is a good approach because it eliminates the user from having to do things the manual/technical way and lead to user error.

The debug menu is not a bad idea as well since the more technical people are attracted to it.

Another thing I was thinkiing about. When someone in game asks how change their hover tip settings to allow for more tips we would have to explain to them in tech jargon how to do so. If anything I think it is more appropriate to fit features for the computer illiterate folks over those who are computer savvy. This ends up covering everyone.

I don't know. What do you think?

"Show hovertips on all objects" could be put into an advanced settings tab. I don't like the idea that I have to go digging around in an INI file for it. What about the vast majority of people who don't read these forums, let alone this particular thread? It's like when Arthur Dent is told the plans to demolish his house are in a filing cabinet in a basement somewhere with a "Beware of the Leper" sign outside the door.

<3

"Beware of the Leopard" I believe. </pedant>