Running more than one SL at a time

Because I'm smart like that, I've forgotten how to run multiple SL's at a time. I know it's something like -multiple, but I've forgotten what to take out and the specific placing of the dash, so please help me. I know that this question has been raised before, but I can't seem to find the answer in search. Thanks.

Don't take anything out.

Just add -multiple to the end of the 'Target' field of the SL shortcut.

For those who choose not to take part in the one-dash-or-two controversy, there may be an option.

I just tested this, you apparently have to set AllowMultipleViewers to TRUE, then close SL.

The you can run multiple accounts without having to modify your shortcut.

the list of known command line flags:
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Client_parameters

It's "--multiple", two dashes. They may still accept a single dash for a while, but the use of two dashes for keyword options is more standard.

more standard.... where?

Every time I've ever used a command line flag (Be it in the command line or in the target of a shortcut) it's been a single dash.

At least, with windows for the past 4 years or so, since I learned about them at all.

Second Life parses command line arguments using the POSIX command line conventions, which date back to the UNIX command line developed in the early '70s. Originally the practice was for a single "-" to proceed options, with each option being a single character. For example:

ls -ltr

"list files, long format, sort by time, reverse order".

Some commands used word arguments, for example:

find -name '*.c' -print

In the early '80s there were a number of attempts to regularize these alternatives, with now forgotten variants such as "plus options"* or "equal options" for multi-character arguments**. By the end of the '80s this had more or less settled down to "--" for word options, and "-" for single character options.

Second Life originally used "-" with word options, but switched to using "--" and allowing "-" for compatibility, even on Windows.

* The command line parsing library I wrote at the time used the "plus option". I don't think the "equal option" was even vaguely sane... the options for "dd" were really a joke that got out of hand.

** Microsoft had an additional problem: their command line was based on CP/M and TOPS-20, which used "/" as an option character, but they were trying to standardize on a syntax compatible with their highly successful UNIX port Xenix. They opted for an environment variable, "SWITCHAR". If it was set to "/" then file names used "\" to separate components, and "/" was the option character. If it was set to "-" then file names used "/" and "-" was the option character. After Bill Gates fell in love with Macintosh and dumped Xenix in favor of Windows this option was deprecated and eventually lost, though Windows still accepts "/" as an alternate file name separator internally.

In spite of your 'ever so slightly biased' history lesson, it's -multiple or --multiple. Both are good and both are standard.

ooooooh.... a geek war!

Yes, I just POINTED OUT that they didn't remove -multiple when they added --multiple. My point was that they *DID* add the "--" option because that's a more standard mechanism for using word-based options than a single dash. You'll even see it in code Microsoft distributes.

I think you did a little more than just point it out, including your own brand of biased nonsense. Suffice it to say that both - and -- are good and both are perfectly standard. That's all it needed.

I believe the pocket protector has been thrown down in this geek war

What I want to know is how long Microsoft will continue to use '\' in directory paths, when everyone else uses '/'. That messes me up every time I have to use a windows box.

Cheers!

-Atashi

Why are you being a bloody jerk, Phil? Someone piss in your wheaties?

Linden Labs changed the behavior of the viewer, to make it use "--". They did that to conform to GNU and POSIX standards. If you look at the command line they provide even on Windows, in the desktop shortcut to SL, you will see that they have also changed their own usage from single to double dash. There is a significant possibility that they will, eventually, remove the compatibility mode that allows the single-dash options.

As for my "nonsense", what are you complaining about? My calling Xenix the best version of UNIX at the time? Explaining the MS-DOS "SWITCHAR" environment variable? Noting that Bill Gates fell in love with the Mac? We were all wowed by the Mac and Lisa, and the Xerox Star and Dorado, back then. The love affair didn't last (neither for Bill nor for myself), but there was nothing prejudiced, biased, or unusual about it back in good old 1984.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uau0aIbrzkQ

Indefinitely. They started to switch over in the early '80s but the effort got derailed.

Back when MS-DOS came out, there wasn't any kind of standard*, and Microsoft's early moves toward standardizing on "/" were quite heartening.

* Real examples of file names:

RL:[1,54]CMD.TSK;1
_DUA0:[SYSTEM]CMD.EXE;1
(reel01)ranger*exec(11).format/sym
pd2:<cpm>cpm.crclst

I was just being a bit silly, I assume that 'for ever' was the answer. Or indefinately, as you put it better than I.

Re. the file name examples, your memory is much better than mine, but now seeing those... I do remember that sort of thing. Ick.

Coincidentally, my first computer ran CPM86/80 (DEC rainbow 100) but I've managed to forget most everything I knew about that OS. My 2nd computer was a Tandy 102 and the colons and square brackets remind me of that... which (also coincidentally) is supposedly the last machine that Bill Gates did any hands-on programming for. He did the BASIC interpreter I believe, and if you do a ROM-dump you can find his name in there along with the other developers.

Cheers! And sorry for the OT/derailment.

-Atashi

I just use a 2nd computer and don't worry about -, --, /, \, ..., and dingleberries

for me only the -- will work

I have tried it with the - but no go
when I found out -- works, I tried that and yep, it worked

strange

and I am running windows xp

Exactly! The -- conforms with *a* standard. So what was all that silly history lesson about it being "more standard"? A simple "both --multiple and -multiple" would have done, expecially since they are both standards, and SL recognises them both. You do seem to have a problem with the idea of standards.

It was your very biased comment about Bill Gates falling in love with the Macintosh. Such stupidities rub me the wrong way. I think we know one person fell in love with the Macintosh, and it wasn't Bill Gates. Let me guess - you use Firefox too, right?

I only use one hyphen, and it works fine on my XP and Vista machines.

Um, because conforming to a standard is more standard than not conforming to a standard? Because Linden Labs is in the process of transitioning to that standard?
Um, dude, that's documented in detail in several books (such as Eller's) and he's on record in a number of places, including that YouTube video I linked to. I have no idea why that set you off, it should be about as controversial as tapioca.

And, oh yes... I use Firefox, Safari, Camino, Internet Explorer, and Opera, all for different reasons. Internet Explorer was my browser of choice when I had to use Mac OS 9 (which I was in hate with, by the way, but I needed it because it had the best support for my HP scanner).

Well done! Now you're getting there. So there are two standards that SL recognises and neither is "more standard" than the other. Grasp that and you'll have it

Are they really? So when LL ditches one and keeps the other, then we'll have a real reason to say something like, "It's the standard that SL uses". In the meantime, both are right and neither is "more standard" than the other.

Actually, I don't believe you and, judging by that video, in which Bill Gates says nothing remotely similar to what you attributed to him, I am right not to believe you.

Btw, it wasn't the only thing that set me off.

*sigh*

One is a standard. It's documented, there's multiple packages that implement it (the one SL uses is called 'boost'), and it behaves consistently across packages. One is not a standard, its behavior differs across implementations, relatively few programs support it at all, and it's been deprecated since 1978.
If you're going to call me a liar you can just **** right off, Phil. *plonk*

You are not altogether up on standards are you? I've explained it to you in the past, so you ought to undertsnd.

I suggest you look at the video yourself if you want to know what Bill Gates said. Btw, I'm not going anywhere. You could always put me on ignore if you don't like my posts