SL for Dummies Viewer 2.0 Coming Soon! (February)

https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/technology/blog/2010/01/21/coming-soon-viewer-2-public-beta

Partial quote:

scary.

SLDumbViewer 2.0?

SimpleLifeViewer 2.0?

Isn't that the viewer in which parcel-level script tools will be available?

A viewer for dummies, by dummies. (tm)

I have no idea but that would be great.

What that means: We removed the features Milla Janick uses most frequently, or we made it looks like Blue Mars and just removed all the menus.

I was kind of hoping there might be something in there about improved support for multi-core CPUs, 64-bit operating systems and an improved cache system. That was stupid, wasn't it?

Instead they redesign the UI to solve the problem of abysmal retention rates. Did you guys put in a button for "Please don't dump me at one of your griefer filled craphole welcome areas, and send me somewhere with compatatively friendly, helpful people. Like Stepford."? That would help more than anything else you could do to the viewer.

Well, if they are putting it out to specifically piss you off, I approve.

Who's seen this new viewer? Has anyone installed it and ran it yet?

I am beginning to suspect that is the motivation for most of their actions.

Bastards.

This might be in violation of the NDA I signed but I will deny everything: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAZHJa91JHk

People complain if there's no forward looking upgrades.
People complain if there IS.

Should be glad that things are moving forward, albeit slowly.

I guess that's SL viewer 2.0? Somehow I don't believe it. So, I'll ask again.......has anyone run 2.0?

I agree. Or course, you're assuming this is actually a move forward. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I don't know. I still have issues with Viewer 1.x. I have never been comfortable using the chat windows. They are quite bewildering at times. then there's the idea that you chat automatically when you type, except when you don't and leap up into the air instead, think you are in local chat.

I'll reserve judgment until I try it. Maybe 2.0 will be an improvement in the long run.

I love when I do that. Scares the hell out of people.

Here's a link to a preview on Massively: http://www.massively.com/2009/06/12/second-life-2-0-a-sneak-peek-at-the-new-user-interface/

How accurate this is, I don't know (this was posted in June). Not exactly a radical change from what I can see.

You also need to bear in mind what Howard said about that Massively post:

https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/technology/blog/2009/06/12/viewer-2009

Those were apparently very preliminary mock ups and will be quite different from what is actually released.

Looks like they've added a lot of....junk. It kind of reminds me of the Dashbored. (tm)

Okay, thanks............so I know how to interpret all these posts from the in group.

Hence my qualification.

As comments on the blog post referenced in the OP?

If you are asking if I read the blog......the answer is yes. If you're asking if I read all the comments......the answer is no. What I do know (with a fair amount of certaintly) is that no one here has used Viewer 2.0. That means your comments and critiques are conjecture (both positive and negative)...........and in that light, that's the way I will read what people say about it.

That depends who you mean by "anyone". Lindens have been running it in-house for, golly, must be about six months by now. And some folks in the Battery Street Irregulars signed a non-disclosure from hell and have been testing it since at least October: some tester feedback from that group leaked, finding its way a couple weeks later to the Herald (http://foo.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2009/11/alexa-lindens-prehalloween-treat.html) and Massively (http://www.massively.com/2009/11/10/leaked-test-feedback-offers-insights-into-linden-lab-design-proc/).

Once it's in beta, I'm going to do my best to accommodate an unfamiliar UI. I'll miss the pie menu, for example, but a lot of folks find it confusing at first, so as long as the important stuff can be found somewhere, I'll try not to gripe about it.

I must say, though, that for the huge roadblock that 2.0 has imposed on new features, it's discouraging to hear what long-anticipated things will be missing. For example, Q stated that it will definitely not include mesh import. While Nyx wouldn't explicitly violate the gag order, he was pretty clear that we shouldn't expect multiple clothing articles on the same layer (although, reading between the lines, I think avatar alpha-masking made it in).

Hell of an opportunity cost, with pretty much all other development frozen for months while this thing slouched towards release. Sure hope it will be worth it, to somebody anyway.

I'm asking if you understand that the comments made here are about the information Howard posted on the blog.

Not including any testers (who, if they are in any way reliable, would abide by their NDA) there is no one here who can attest to the validity of anything about the viewer. No one knows what's in or what's out for sure. We've been told by official sources (the blog) that things have changed, been moved, but that most of the things we are used to are still there.........I believe most can deal with that type of change.

It's unrealistic to expect such huge changes as mesh imports..........that's a long way in the future.

So, I'll read along knowing that 90% of the statements are either guesses, wishes, assumptions, or just plain BS. That's why I asked.