Getting started with Second Life
A Guide to the Second Life Viewer Software
(also known as Beginner's Guide, Manual, User Guide, User's Guide, User Manual, or User's Manual)
Interacting with the Second Life virtual world requires you download, install, and run a "Viewer" program on your computer. The Viewer allows you to log in to the Second life grid, and then see and interact with objects and avatars around your current "location" in the virtual world.
This Guide is intended to document how the current version of the Official Viewer software works.
In addition to the Viewer, some features are accessed via the Second Life website (like this wiki page, for example).
Downloading
Hardware and Software Requirements
The supported hardware and operating system requirements are listed on the Official System Requirements Web Page. Although certain configurations are not supported (for example, satellite or wireless internet), they can still be used with some limitations.
To use the Viewer with good frame rates and low lag on the highest graphics settings requires (1) a high end gaming computer with a good graphics card, (2) a fast internet connection, and (3) the Second Life server you connect to be not overloaded. If some or all of these are not met, the viewer settings can be adjusted to handle a wide range of circumstances.
Optional hardware includes a headset or microphone to use the voice features, and 3D mouse.
Versions and Download Locations
The Second Life software is under constant development. Therefore only recent versions will work properly.
The latest official software version can be downloaded from the Downloads Page. Older versions can be found on the Old versions page. Note that only versions 1.23 and 1.22 are currently supported. When a new version is being beta tested, a series of "Release Candidates" are available for download, and updated even more often (weekly or less) than the official version (every few months on average)
The viewer software has been open-sourced, so there are numerous alternate viewers available with different features:
- Partial List of Alternate Viewers
- Another List of Viewers
- (add any other lists or individual viewers here)