Back in early May, we blogged to let you know that we were seriously considering whether Linden Lab should continue supporting Mac OS X 10.3, “Panther,” which was first released by Apple back in 2003.
As we wrote then, our tracking shows that very few of you, about 1/4 of 1 percent of all of you, the entire base of Residents, are still using Apple’s Mac OS X 10.3 when logging into Second Life.
The vast majority of responses from you confirmed that you agree, it makes sense to free up the Linden engineers from working to support an operating system used by so few Residents, and instead we should let them move on to other work which will benefit a much larger group.
We wanted to make sure there was plenty of time for the news to spread, and now, a little over two months later, it’s time to actually cease support of this relatively little-used OS.
What does it mean to “stop support”? Basically, it means we stop new development for the SDK (software development kit ) of that operating system, and also stop doing QA testing on OS 10.3.9.
What will you notice? If you are one of the few logging in with Panther, OS 10.3.9, you can still do so today, even though we are officially now not supporting it — and that may be true for some time.
Exactly how long we can’t guarantee, because Linden engineers will no longer be testing to make sure that new releases will work with Panther (OS 10.3.) So, eventually, there may be a time when some new element will interfere significantly enough to result in folks who will not be able to log in with OS 10.3 on their hardware. At that time such folks would need to upgrade their OS in order to do so.
What if you plan to keep using OS 10.3? We will continue to support the 1.19.4 viewer, which does work with Panther, (OS 10.3.9), and we will do our best to give reasonable notice before we stop supporting 1.19.4. So to be clear, stick with that viewer if you don’t plan to upgrade from Panther. Residents still using OS 10.3 will be able to log in to SL with Panther, 10.3.9, using the 1.19.4 viewer, they will just not be able to update to new Second Life versions, as new versions of the viewer which will continue to be released with improved stability and additional features will not support OS 10.3.
Please be careful to note, as we blogged yesterday, that the most recent optional Release Candidate will not run on a PowerPC running OS 10.3.9:
The current viewer, version 1.19.1, still supports the Mac PowerPC that is running Mac OS X 10.3.9.
At this time we’re not considering dropping any other operating system.
Our general approach to supporting older releases of operating systems on any platform is to fully support the current and most recent OS for each platform. For example, we will actively support both Vista and Windows XP until such time as Vista is replaced with Microsoft’s next major operating system release. Similarly, we all support the most recent releases of Mac OS 10.5 and 10.4. Again, in all cases, we will attempt to provide at least 60 days notice prior to dropping formal support for any operating system, as we did in this case.
I’ll note that I personally run Second Life on one of two MacBook Pro laptops, one running Tiger (OS 10.4,) and one running Leopard (OS 10.5.4.)
[To briefly recap the history of the last five years of Mac OS: Panther, OS 10.3, was first released in October 2003, and updated to 10.3.9 in 2005. Apple has followed Panther with two more recent versions of the Apple OS, “Tiger” (OS 10.4,) released in April 2005 and “Leopard,” (OS 10.5.4,) released in October 2007 and most recently updated in June 2008.]
Today, we are pleased to announce that a brand new set of ‘default’ avatars are now available.
You’ll find them in two places, as part of the new Resident registration process and inworld, in your avatar’s Library inventory folder.
For some time now, we’ve had a very dated set of avatars available during the registration process, at Secondlife.com, for new Residents to choose from when creating an account. Now, thanks to the work of five top-notch Resident designers, we can offer new Residents a look they can be proud of from the minute they login.
Without further ado, we’d like to acknowledge the tremendous work of:
Adam n’ Eve
Wraith Unsung
Nylon Pinkney
Renegade Clothing
Grendel’s Children
who made this possible. If you have a chance, we highly recommend visiting their in-world locations to check out more of their creations. You can also see an image of the new Default Avatars, as well as information on their creators, in the Second Life Wiki.
Each of these avatars was specially made for this project, and includes the outfit and any gear shown. What you see now is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. In the coming weeks, we hope to include even more new avatars to be swapped in and out of the avatar selection part of the registration process. Each of the new avatars represents a different style, to appeal to the widest possible number of new users. (A fixed number of avatars are available for selection during the registration process, so we’ll try to keep changing up which are available.) Watch for the new avatars!
And now, if you would like to try out one of the new avatars yourself, we have, hot off the presses, a special Torley video tutorial demonstrating how to swap avatars using your choice of these new avatars inworld! ENJOY!
How to Wear one of the new Avatars
Simply login to Second Life, open your inventory, and go to:
Library > Clothing
There, you will see a folder for each of these featured avatars. Simply drag the folder on to your avatar to experience a new look. In each folder, you will also find a notecard from the designer with information about the avatar and a landmark to the designer’s Second Life store. Show them your support!
And, as a special bonus for all Residents, we’ve included 4 extra avatars that are only available inworld, in your avatar’s Library folder.
We feel strongly that by giving new Residents great looking avatars, we can provide a compelling and fun introduction to Second life for all.
Second Life Login Screen, now with More Information
We have made a few changes to the Second Life login screen, as you may have noticed, and we hope you’ll find them useful. You will see headlines from two sources, the most recent posts from the Official Second Life Blog and also the most recent Second Life GridStatus Reports. You can also subscribe to either feed, directly from the login screen, using the handy new RSS buttons.
A bit more detail:
1. Second Life Grid Status. This hasn’t changed, and does still display both the status of Second Life and the numbers logged in.
2. Second Life Grid Status Reports. This is new, and shows the latest few Status Reports. Each title is a live link, click to open the full report.
[A brief, recent history of feeds on this page. For some time after the Second Life Grid Status Reports page went up, the latest few Status Reports were displayed in area number three. For a few weeks they replaced the posts from the Official Second Life Blog, which were not shown on the login screen during this time.]
3. Official Second Life Blog. Back where they used to be, this area now displays the last few posts from the Second Life Blog. Posts are a live links, so you can click to go to the blog page and read the post.
4. RSS. Note the yellow circles we’ve drawn to highlight the RSS buttons in this screenshot. You can use to directly subscribe to a feed to either or both feeds, to read in your favorite RSS reader. (Click or drag them into your reader.)
We Want to Hear from You!
We Lindens would like to ask you about your thoughts, opinions and experiences in Second Life. Since there aren’t enough of us to speak to each of you directly, we are experimenting with login page polls as one way for us to ask for your feedback on a variety of issues. You may notice new questions appearing in a pop-up window when you login to Second Life.
Please, note that all of your responses are anonymous and you do not have to answer. We will not be sharing or selling your information or responses with other parties, (see our Privacy Policy.) These questions are simply to help us better understand you as a Resident of Second Life.
For now, these questions are in English and on the main login page, but we are working on ways to reach Residents with other languages and methods as well. Keep your eye out for new questions, and let us know what you think!
Thank you!
– This post is a joint project by Christa Linden and Katt Linden
Welcome to the latest “Inside the Lab” Podcast, a Discussion on Education in Second Life
I had the pleasure of talking with Pathfinder Linden and Claudia Linden about some of the fascinating education projects taking place in Second Life. These two expert Lindens share some of what they’ve learned working with educators inworld and at conferences, as well as from participation with some of the groups described in the podcast (see links, below.)
Torley’s image of Katt Linden, Claudia Linden and Pathfinder Linden
(dressed as a dragon,) at the suitably out-of-this-world
Ars Simulacra (SLurl), overlooking amazing art by Madcow Cosmos,
where we met to discuss education in Second Life.
“Inside the Lab” Podcast Series
This Discussion on Education in Second Life is fourth in the series of behind the scenes looks at Second Life, talks with a variety of Linden Lab team members about what they’re doing in Second Life and how their work could impact your experience.
Please join us for an informal look into the people, projects, and culture at Linden Lab.
Discussion on Education in Second Life, What’s Going On and How To Get Involved
Listen in (or read the .pdf or text or html transcript) for Claudia and Pathfinder’s interesting - and helpful –perspectives on topics including:
Some of the cool educational projects going on in Second Life – and who is involved
The benefits – what is it that educators are finding so useful about Second Life
How you can get involved – both inworld and in your regular life
A look into the future of education in Second Life
I hope you’ll enjoy the discussion as much as we did! And do let us know what other topics you’d like to see us cover in future Inside the Lab podcasts.
Inside the Lab Discussion on Education in Second Life (mp3)
Credits Podcast with Pathfinder & Claudia Linden, in discussion with Katt Linden, produced by Melissa Linden, recorded and edited by Torley Linden, photography by Torley Linden
Each year, on the date that Second Life came out of beta (June 23rd 2003), Residents and Lindens have gathered to celebrate the amazing world we’ve been creating. This June 23rd, our community marks its Fifth Birthday, and the volunteer Birthday Team (who has been planning this party since last year) picked a theme that will be hard to resist– “Celebrating the cultural diversity of Second Life”.
Who do you hang around with in Second Life? What are your communities’ traditions and signature characteristics? Are you proud of your sexy blue fur? Your excruciatingly detailed tea ceremony? Your murky environments? Your sculptures? The help you’ve given to others?
Build an exhibit!
Whatever it is you do, flaunt it at this years’ Birthday celebration by entering an exhibit and showing off your unique culture. The team has put together an entry form that will initiate your application process. Fill it in, make your proposals, and wow the team with a description of your vision and skills. The form contains a pull-down list with some obvious “culture” choices already on it, but many of you are not obvious, are you? So, fill in that box marked “other”, as the team will be attempting to put the exhibits of related cultures near each other.
This is a Resident-created, Linden Lab-sponsored event, which means that Linden Lab has donated the land and various basic resources, but the rest comes from you, the community. And there is room for many people to get involved. Even if you don’t want to enter an exhibit, you can volunteer to help the Birthday Team build-out the event infrastructure, help with publicity, translate signs into various languages, give tours of the exhibits, etc. Please send an IM to SignpostMarv Martin or email birthday@signpostmarv.name if you’d like to help with event logistics.
Application Deadline
The team will be accepting exhibit applications until May 25th. You can expect to see the regions open for building on or shortly after June 1. The deadline for completing your builds is June 20. Gates open on June 23 and the event runs until June 30th.
Got Images?
The team is putting together a retrospective of scenes from previous SL Birthday events. If you have movies or still images of 2004, 2005, 2006 or 2007 that you can share with full permissions, please drop then on Evie Fairchild, and include a notecard that explains which year the photos are from. If you have photos on a photo-sharing site, please send Evie a notecard with links to them. Once the photos are compiled, you may be invited to donate a voice remembrance to add to the slide show. Please remember to give full permissions on anything you’d like to submit.
As the launch date gets closer, the team will be back with more details of the festivities planned. Until then, let’s start building a diverse and memorable event!
Teen Second Life
The Teen grid will be having it’s own celebration– more details on that coming up in a later post.
Edited for Clarity: Sorry for the confusion. The new rules do not prohibit a group from sending more than 200 messages. They do mean that if a group has more than 200 notices stored, starting with the 201st, the group can expect those notices to be regularly removed from storage in the database.
Group messages older than 14 days or in excess of 200 can be expected to be deleted from the database (once each day.) – Katt
- - -
As part of our ongoing effort to provide you with the highest quality Second Life experience possible…we have identified and tested an issue that should help alleviate load on the databases.
Starting Tuesday, 6 May, 2008, all group notices that are older than 14 days will be removed from storage in the database. (Notices were previously held for 31 days.)The reason for this change is to help reduce load on the database. Note: Nearly *every* group that uses notices in Second Life will be effected by this change, which will be ongoing.
Groups will now be limited to 200 notices *per group* each day. Older messages, over the 200th, will be regularly removed from storage in the database. There are about 135 groups we expect will be impacted by this limit. The owner of each of these groups should see a message in-world Tuesday, notifying them of the change.
Please note that in both cases this process would remove the *oldest* notices, if any. This will start on Tuesday 6 May, 2008, and is intended to help stabilize the databases.
As part of our ongoing effort to provide you with the highest quality Second Life experience possible, part of our process is to ask ourselves, periodically, if we’re working on the right things.
Today we’d like to let you know we’re seriously considering whether Linden Lab should continue supporting Mac OS X 10.3, “Panther.” Our tracking shows that very few of you, about 1/4 of 1 percent of all of you, the entire base of Residents, are still using Apple’s Mac OS X 10.3 when logging into Second Life.
We’d like to let the Linden engineers stop working on supporting an operating system released in 2003, and instead move on to other work which will benefit a much larger group of Residents.
If we do stop supporting that version of the OS, it would not be until 60 days from now, to make sure there is plenty of time for the news to spread.
To briefly review the last five years of Mac OS: Panther, OS 10.3, was first released in October 2003, and updated to 10.3.9 in 2005. Apple has followed Panther with two more recent versions of the Apple OS, “Tiger” (OS 10.4,) released in April 2005 and “Leopard,” (OS 10.5,) released in October 2007 and updated Feb. 2008.
What would it mean to “stop support”? Eventually we would stop developing for the SDK (software development kit ) of that operating system, and we would also stop doing QA testing on OS 10.3.9.
What would you notice? If you are one of the few logging in with that OS, you would still be able to do so the day we stop supporting it — for some time. Exactly how long we couldn’t guarantee, because we would no longer be testing and developing to make sure it does work.
Are you following the Second Life Grid Status Reports? If your business, your event, or your time with friends may be impacted by the Grid Status, we want you to have all the information we can get you, as quickly and easily as possible.
We’ve been posting Status Updates mixed in with a variety of posts on other topics. We realize that many of you don’t want to have to hunt through the blog for needed Status information, so in an effort make it easier for you, we’re following the tech industry standard and moving that information to a Status page.
Starting today, we’ll be collecting all the Second Life Grid Status Reports onto that one page. Now, you can check for an update without having to scan through all the other blog posts.
You can also subscribe to updates on your mobile phone using Twitter, or with an RSS reader.
Yep, get your Second Life Grid Status Reports, wherever you go.
Subscribe!
Now you can subscribe to the reports, and make sure they’re sent directly to you.
* Subscribe with your mobile phone and you can get Twitter updates while you’re out and about. Go ahead, take that meeting, go back to class, do your shopping, take a walk, get some other work done, and when the next Second Life Grid Status Report comes out, you’ll hear about it.
Thwack…thwack…is this thing on? Oh, hi. This is Katt, one of the newest Lindens.
I’m the new Communications Manager, and kudos to those of you who noticed the position had been filled.
So what am I here to do?
A big part of my job is to listen. I will also be aggregating your comments here and monitoring the blogosphere, to follow developing trends and opinion. I’ll be working to update our communications tools. And, I’ll be doing my best to help all of us at Linden Lab be more consistent and effective as bloggers and communicators.
Linden Lab knows how important it is that we have clear and consistent communications with Residents. We know that we have work to do, and that’s why I’m here.
As for me, I’ve been paying attention to Second Life, and reading your blogs, for a couple of years now, and like you, I care deeply about Second Life. And I’m more proud than I can say to be part of Linden Lab, “working to connect us all to an online world that advances the human condition.”
My role here is, however, a work in progress, and so I’m going to start out by saying that I’ll need to ask for your patience.
This is surely going to be evolving, and I welcome your feedback.
Update: Join us TODAY for the The Day of Remembrance, a new community event commemorating the life, spirit, and creativity of all the residents who have left us.
Join the Parade! Come by at 5:00 pm or 11:00 pm
Upcoming Music at the Main Stage, hourly from 1:00 pm to 12:00 pm midnight
— 24 Hours — April 17, until 11:59 pm SLT — 24 Hours !!
At the Big Easy region, http://slurl.com/secondlife/Big%20Easy/212/238/26
Have you ever lost an in-world friend? As years pass in Second Life, more residents will have the sad experience of logging in to find that someone they know and love in-world has passed away in Real Life.
The Day of Remembrance is a new community event commemorating the life, spirit, and creativity of all the residents who have left us.
The event is organized around the tradition of the Jazz Funeral in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. When someone dies, all their friends gather for a parade in their honor. They play loud Jazz music as they move through the streets of the old town, carrying parasols and pictures of their friend. It is a time to celebrate the life of the dearly departed, as well as to mourn their passing. Our parade will depart from historic Jackson Square and crash joyously through the Big Easy region four times today– so that residents in all time zones can participate. We will have an interactive memorial garden and temple, and 24 hours of truly great music on the main stage.
Participate!
Parade: Join the Parade! Come by at 5:00 pm or 11:00 pm and join in the “second line” of the parade. Second liners spin parasols, twirl hankies, play various instruments and carry pictures of the dearly departed, all to a Jazzy beat. Parade starts at Big Easy http://slurl.com/secondlife/Big%20Easy/212/238/26
Interactive Installations: Help build a temple and raise money to benefit the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. By touching the building materials, and making a donation, the temple will build itself before our eyes.
Walk in the Memorial Garden, where you can plant a flower for a resident who has died in Real Life.
Meditate in the Memorial temple, where you can light a candle for anyone you wish to remember.
The Remembrance Team invites you all to join the rest of our community for this special event.
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