Is this going to be the new client look???

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Viewer_Visual_Update
God forbid, i hope not. They really can't expect me and other Mac and Linux users to look at that while playing SL.
I have no problem with improvements to the UI but this is just ridiculous. They should make it look at least neutral.
Therefore i request that this 'feature' will NOT be introduced.

Doesn't it say it's skinnable. I think the aim is to let you decide.
The colour also seems to have more in common with Mac's historic liquid scheme than any default Window's look.

Even the button widgets look more KDE (QT) than windows based.

Besides, Electric Sheep's OnRez viewer will be available long before than if you're hoping for choice, and a more innovative UI.








Looks like we're about to be spoilt for choice.

My only real gripe is the existence of that "Communicate" button.

I don't think it looks too bad, quite similar to the style I skin over my Windows except that I have mine shaded with a beautiful metallic red. One thing I do not like with this is the Create Objects screen. If this viewer was not set up to allow you at least shade the viewer with other colours I believe it's a very dull lifeless view.
My two cents.

Reminds me of a WindowBlinds theme. I prefer a simple, clean interface without many gradients or shiny things.

how come Walker's URLs show, but Lucian's do not?

Because links still kind of work with the [IMG]tag, but not at all with the tag, and all of Walker's URLs are images.

Hmmm, this WILL NOT END WELL

Having stated the obvious - it's just sooooo 'Ooooh! Shiny!'

I mean, what's wrong with the old look. At least the panels aren't THAT obtrusive, and can go translucent. But that is simply a bright shiny mess hanging in front of your SL experience.

I'd go further than the Wiki commentator who observed how easy it was to skin the existing interface in a pastiche of Apple's Aqua interface 'look' - but that what LL really ought to do is read and inwardly digest Apple's Human Interface Guidelines - then implement it, properly.

You have to face it, Apple are the masters of Human Interface design, not just how it LOOKS, anyone can cobble up something that LOOKS Apple'ish, what Apple do rather well is creating an efficient logical clean interface.

And I say that as a user of both PC and Mac, though due to the awful performance of the OSX viewer I consistently use the Windows version, which consistently out performs the OSX despite that running on higher spec hardware!

If LL is going to expend ANY effort revamping the UI they need to do it completely. And properly. Which means bringing in outside help.

However, having years of experience of LL's abilities generally, I have no doubt we are going to suffer a(nother) ghastly mess...

if they changed it to a chrome color scheme and rounded the edges of each button then it would look like 99.99% of mac apps so it isn't that bad.

You missed the point Gordon - there's a LOT more to the Apple interface than shiny buttons.

It's all about things working logically, simply, intuitively, something the SL UI definitely doesn't do. Think back to your first months... Remember trying to get to grips with building?

So many splinters from tiny wood textured boxes... /me shivers.


Yes I get the point, I wish they'd provide some shots of how various UI elements other than the main bars will look like the build screen or the chat (I refuse to call it communicate since in this case that would be oxymoronic) screen looks.

Regardless of the "It's an Apple rip off" or whatever, I kinda like it. I find it MUCH more readable than the existing one.

Now, what they SHOULD do it make something LIKE WindowsBlinds (SLBlinds?) to allow the community make skins! I know all the WindowsBlinds ones are free, but I know I'd pay a couple of bucks on SL exchange for a different skin than the existing one.

https://lists.secondlife.com/pipermail/sldev/2007-October/006184.html

You can give it a try yourself now.

What I want to know is... where do I get that sheep client?

From the onrez website -- although you'd be advised to wait for the next version; the Sheep have admitted the current client has a huge memory leak problem (both Mac and Windows) and a rather large security hole in the in-client browser -- don't , understand *any* circumstances, use it for any secure website access right now.

It's horrid. Agreed. But: If it looks like internet explorer and works like internet explorer it will be *familiar* for most people. This will make SL more attractive to the masses. The more "normal" SL will look (and less "game"ish), the better it will be.

I would actually LOVE to have a normal address bar on top where you could drop down your recent landmarks and enter new ones and TP there. I would like to have googlebar style search! And of course: a *BACK BUTTON* and a TP history. It's a web browser after all so make it work like one

Agreed, it could be so much better. But then you're forgetting one thing; 99.9% of Windows users can't work Apple programs, because they're used to putting so much effort into finding options that they skip over all the accessible ones and complain that a feature is missing when in fact it's right in front of them, on a big shiny button that's flashing vainly to try and get their attention =)

I'm not sure that's true of some Apple programs. Pro Tools for instance. Specifically one computer I was using that had it for some reason didn't like the "space bar to play and stop" that way it should have. Or the "command-space bar to RECORD."

I didn't have the TIME to poke around inside the bowles of the program to figure out why, I needed to record and NOW so I used the significantly less efficient method of clicking the record button, then the play button on the interface (which, when play was hit again, did not stay in record mode).

Not to mention that half the time just using these machines the mouse will pick up a "middle click" I didn't initiate, which apparently doesn't do anything useful--infact seemingly the opposite, it brings up that special mac "you need a calculator? a clock? or what running program?" thing it does (I'm not even sure what that's called). These computers I'm working with have the mouse that came with them: a one button mouse with a teeny ball in the middle that counts as a 4 way scroll wheel and "middle" mouse button.

Every time it's done that I've notably NOT had a finger on the mouse wheel. It was only when I tried to use that "middle" click in FireFox to scroll like my middle moust on my PC does that I realized, "OH! That's what's causing that!"

Heh, sorry to be the one pointing this out to you, but the symptoms you're describing sound very much like you're right-clicking =P
The mouse you're describing is an Apple "Mighty Mouse" which is in fact a two-button mouse!

I have one at a home but I have switched back to my ailing wireless Logitech MX-1000 mouse, I do not like the Mighty Mouse at all, it feels all wrong and since the two mouse buttons use the same piece of plastic (you just press down more on the right-side to get a right-click, takes some getting used to) you can't actually use both at the same time, which is a big problem for unreal Tournament! (UT2k4 lets you hold the right mouse-button to load rockets into the rocket launcher, then pressing the left-button before release will cause the rockets to fire out in a tight spiral, can't do that on the Mighty Mouse). I can understand the original design decision for Apple to have a one button mouse, back then programs weren't complicated enough to need multiple mouse-buttons, and later on there were many designers being lazy and putting tons of stuff into right-click menus that could be better designed instead.

As for Pro Tools, you'd have to point me to an example, but the only Pro Tools I know of doesn't follow ANY of the Apple GUI design standards. It has it's own, entirely image based interface which isn't that great but more importantly, is inconsistent with other Mac programs as described by Apple's recommendations/standards.

No, no it is not. I tried. Repeatedly to get a right click out of the sucker. I'm distinctly talking about removing my hand entirely from the mouse, touching the scroll wheel, and pressing.

The point is.. i wouldn't that, even if i'm a mac user. The rather dark interface is almost perfect imo. Shiny color schemes only distract.
Take a television for example.. what would you prefer? A chrome like case that blinds you while you watch a movie.. or a black case so you can fully concentrate on a movie without any distracting reflections.

Hmm, what's the scroll-ball press set to do in System Preferences >> Mouse and Keyboard?

I will check next Tuesday.

Though it does somehow trigger without my touching it.

Hmm, I'd just try turning off whatever the scroll ball does. I've been very disappointed with the might-mouse in general, sure it looks kind of stylish, but it's just an incredible pain to use. The scroll-ball is too small and very tempermental, I'm pretty sure mine is also broken as it won't scroll down anymore, I'm gonna take it back if I can find the receipt.

Apple makes excellent computers, and a fantastic operating system, but the mouse is crap =(

I'm probably going to look at getting a more high-end wired mouse, or see what other options there are for wireless. On that note; Apple seems to have failed with their new wireless keyboard as well, as I will not be getting one. I want a full-size wireless keyboard, they seem to be trying to force stylish new twists into a design that was not fundamentally wrong to begin with. The previous keyboard was fine, the new aluminium look is awesome, the new layout is not. A combination of the two would have been perfect =(
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I'll see about doing that.

On a side note, I don't think I've ever seen a Mac mouse design I've liked. The worst was the round one, how the f*ck do you figure out which way its facing?

And the only thing that stops me wanting a Mac laptop is the fact that I like my right-click, and as far as I've managed, their laptops don't have one. Also, the touch pad doesn't register taps as clicks, which I use involuntarily, even if I prefer the actual buttons.