Editors Note:
On Friday, 17 October, at 7 pm SLT, about eighty new regions suddenly erupted from the Void in the area formerly known as the Nautilus Lacuna. This unplanned manifestation mystified residents of South Nautilus and land management Lindens alike. I was asked to investigate, and this represents my hasty collage of evidence. I will stress that there does not appear to be any danger to either Nautilus residents or the Grid itself. The new lands, though full of wonders and apparently well maintained, are unpopulated. This island is now called Nautilus City.

== The Nautilus Lacuna ==
Land management Lindens have long acknowledged the odd gap in South Nautilus. The Nautilus and Satori continents link on the west with water regions. For rest of the border, everywhere east of Pan Suong and Giranzo, there was only the Uncrossable. The Void separating the two continents is only two sims thick for most of the length, raising questions as to why the intervening Ocean regions were not rezzed. Jack Linden replied "Well that's just it -- we believed that we *had* gridded the open spaces between Nautilus and Satori. All our instruments showed that the Nautilus Lacuna was filled, but we could never teleport there, and nothing ever showed on the map."

I asked how this could be, and Jack admitted it was beyond him, but he pointed me toward the one Linden who might have the answers.

== Magellan ==
Jack spoke of Magellan Linden, the famed explorer whose footprints were the first to grace most of the known continents of Second Life. Magellan discovered Nova Albion, Heterocera, Gaeta, and he first explored all the other continents. For those unfamiliar with Magellan's legacy you might want to check out:
* [http://secondlife.blogs.com/magellan/ His blog posts] on the discovery of Heterocera and the original Moth people culture
* [http://secondlife.wikia.com/wiki/Magellan_Linden A short bio].
* [http://web.mac.com/salazarjack/Site/Magellan_Linden.html Another bio].
* [http://headburroantfarm.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/the-search-for-magellan-linden-starts-now/ Recent activity] over the discovery of Gaeta and the crash of his airship. There's a picture of his airship inside the Bay City mooring mast.
* [[Magellan and Gaeta]] Some pictures from Magellan's voyage of discover to Gaeta.

Magellan Linden's desk was unoccupied, of course -- he's never spent much time there, nor indeed made any effort to be reachable by his fellow Lindens. On the desk lay a weathered map. Opposite corners of the map's curling edges had been weighted down on one side with a bottle of single malt scotch, and on the other a box of thickly-rolled Havanas. The map shows an island whose shape matches the landmass revealed in the heart of the Nautilus Lacuna. The map appears to be several centuries old, though several food stains attest to more recent use. A scanned and 'shopped image of the map appears below.

[[Image:Old Nautilus Map Weathered.jpg | 700px]]

Magellan was unreachable though any means, inworld or out. Podmate Michael Linden noted that "Mag hasn't been around much in the last few months. He's been hanging out with the Moles, as far as I know. I'm sure he's behind all this. I'd check with the Moles."

== "You built him a *what*?" ==
I went inworld and IM'ed the LDPW group. A couple of moles were on, and responded cryptically to my questions about Magellan Linden's whereabouts or activities. "We don't know where he took the Mole Tank," one little furry said before being shushed (yes, "shushed" in group chat). "Mole Tank?" I asked.

Eventually the Moles informed me that they had constructed an odd vehicle, made to Magellan's specs. This "Mole Tank" is some kind of armored, boring, submarine -- or so I gathered. They didn't know (or wouldn't say) what Magellan intended for this vehicle. They did note, however, that they gave the vehicle trans-Void capability. Like Magellan's famous suit itself, this vehicle could exist in both Second Life and the Void.

== Magellan's flash drive ==
Michael then provided the next clue. He brought me back to his pod of desks and pointed to Magellan's Mac. There, sticking out of the side of the laptop, was a USB flash stick hand labeled "Helmet Cam". Sadly, only one salient video file remained. The rest had been recorded over with something more recent: Magellan at home, wearing his Void suit and drunk IM'ing various Linden alts with deprecations and curses.

Below you can see several stills from the one remaining segment. I offer these to you with only the most modest of explanation, so that you may form your own opinions. Where appropriate I detail what I can make out of the audio track.

[[Image:MagCam 1.jpg | 650px]]

The segment starts with the suit apparently prone on the floor of an unknown interior space. Audio indicates that Magellan is inside as he can be heard breathing and making other, um, biological noises. He gradually stands, offering up confused and unintelligible mutterings on the audio.

[[Image:MagCam 2.jpg | 650px]]

The interior space has some kind of door, which opens to reveal the outside. The cant of the land seems to indicate that the floor of the interior space is pitched at an odd angle. Magellan rights himself, moves to the door and steps outside.

[[Image:MagCam 3.jpg | 650px]]

The view outside shows a wide canal, stone lined, flowing through a land with some low buildings on the far bank. I cannot confirm the location, though the map view of Nautilus City does show a long canal leading to a central circular bay. I leave it to the reader to determine if this is correct.

== Chat log ==
A final bit of evidence came from the GTeam. A resident (name withheld) filed an Abuse Report against Magellan a while ago, and included a chat log.

Resident: Excuse me, but could I ask you please to move?

Resident: I mean, with that huge suit you're wearing, it's hard for people to walk around you in here.

Resident: Please?

Magellan: Hush, woman! I'm in three different IMs and they're all more important than you.

Resident: But this is my art gallery. People are here for the opening party.

Magellan: Just tow it out to Weiland or Shenning. I'll board it there, head south.

Resident: What?

Magellan: Damn it!

Resident: What did I do? Tow what?

Magellan: No, some arty-farty cow is making noise and confusing me.

Magellan: Damn it again!

Resident: Hey, wait, are you talking about me?

== Further investigation ==
Lastly, I was just contacted by a resident who claims to have "evidence" relating to both Magellan Linden and the appearance of Nautilus City. He says he won't meet with me directly. Instead I have to create a new alt and go to a certain meeting place tonight. He says, "The deals off if my sensor script smells a Linden anywhere on the sim." I'm not sure what he means, as he hadn't previously mentioned any "deal", but I'll go anyway. Hopefully I'll have more to report after the meeting.

== Rez Zones ==
I’ve established four Rez Zones for boaters around the Nautilus island; they each have a blue mooring bouy in them. One at the eastern end of the canal, one at the smaller island off the south shore, one in the outer harbor area, and one on the northern side, in the “notch” below the citadel wall. I guess the ancient Nautilonians … Nautiloids? … Residents didn’t need Rez Zones. Anyhow, the bouys aren't particularly ancient! -- Michael Linden

== Mole Tank ==
One of the LDPW Moles (name withheld) shared the following photos with me. These are two views of the Mole Tank, the special vehicle built for Magellan Linden by the Moles. I include them here to help identify any tracks, tunnels, or wreckage that may be found.

[[Image:Borer Preparations 001.jpg | 650px]]

The above shot shows the Mole Tank stowed on a barge and apparently ready for deploy. Location is unspecified.

[[Image:Borer Preparations 002.jpg | 650px ]]

This shows an interior view of the Mole Tank as it underwent pre-launch testing.

== Elcano ==
Magellan has still not surfaced, though evidence of his presence has been discovered in the new Nautilus City.

As alluded to earlier, I was approached by a resident who was manifesting as an obvious alt (account created yesterday). The resident, Elcano Swashbuckler, offered information on the appearance of the new lands below the Nautilean continent and the connection to Magellan Linden. Elcano seemed exceedingly paranoid, and had several requirements for our meeting. Both of us would show up in alts, no Lindens allowed anywhere on the region (so no god powers?), and he said that he would run all his chat messages through a translator twice, so as to hide any telltale phrasing which might give away his identity (?!). Here is our chat log:

You: Nice to meet you, Elcano. You said you have evidence about Magellan's activities in the new Nautilus island?

Elcano Swashbuckler: Yes, I am in the semi-Magellan. I've been there, when the island is called NOCHIRASUSHITI was discovered.

You: Uh, um, did Magellan discover Nautilus City?

Elcano Swashbuckler: Of course, you fool! That's what I said is. I found it here in the city of the MAZERANNOCHIRASU.

You: Mazer-what?

Elcano Swashbuckler: I do not know - the only annoying to the translator. I "" meaning the city of Nautilus. Anyway, I have the pictures.

Elcano Swashbuckler: I believe that these new areas of Magellan Linden discovered the true picture is called NOCHIRASUSHITI prove.

You: huh? You have pictures? May I see them?

Elcano Swashbuckler: Sure, I will send them through. Here you go. So I thought, Magellan is in trouble gridding for the lost city?

You: Magellan is in danger?

Elcano Swashbuckler: No, damn it, it is Magellan will face charges when you find it?

You: Face charges? What for?

Elcano Swashbuckler: To disable the invisible shield, you jerk! Eighty to cause new areas suddenly appear.

You: Invisible shield...?

Elcano Swashbuckler: Nautilus City on the island, protected by a transparent shield said. Since ancient times. Magellan's shield to figure out the secret, these areas now, all that you can take it down, using his legendary skills.

You: Protected? The city was protected by a transpar--- by an invisibility shield? That's why we thought it was still ungridded Void?

Elcano Swashbuckler: Yes. No one did not have idea, with the exception of the great Magellan. He came to the place where the lost city of three hundred years old maps.

You: Maps.. yeah, I found an old map on Magellan's desk.

Elcano Swashbuckler: You rummaged through Magellan table! You are the evil pig! You steal one of his cigars? If you have you shall have it.

You: Easy, now. I'm just trying to understand what occurred. Do you know the fate of the original inhabitants of Nautilus City?

Elcano Swashbuckler: I have no idea. Maybe they left, perhaps some strange disease, perhaps they are all still there. In any case, whatever happened there happened centuries ago. The crystals kept in place and ready to drive.

I was unable to get further useful information out of Elcano. I present the photos he showed me below.

[[Image:Mag Remote 1.jpg | 650px]]

[[Image:Mag Remote 2.jpg | 650px]]

[[Image:Mag Remote 3.jpg | 650px]]

[[Image:Magellan In Nautilus 001.jpg | 650px]]

File:Magellan In Nautilus 001.jpg

2008-10-21T19:13:30Z

Periapse Linden:

File:Mag Remote 3.jpg

2008-10-21T19:12:41Z

Periapse Linden:

File:Mag Remote 2.jpg

2008-10-21T19:11:51Z

Periapse Linden:

File:Mag Remote 1.jpg

2008-10-21T19:10:42Z

Periapse Linden:

Nautilus City investigation

2008-10-21T18:30:41Z

Periapse Linden: /* Mole Tank */

Editors Note:
On Friday, 17 October, at 7 pm SLT, about eighty new regions suddenly erupted from the Void in the area formerly known as the Nautilus Lacuna. This unplanned manifestation mystified residents of South Nautilus and land management Lindens alike. I was asked to investigate, and this represents my hasty collage of evidence. I will stress that there does not appear to be any danger to either Nautilus residents or the Grid itself. The new lands, though full of wonders and apparently well maintained, are unpopulated. This island is now called Nautilus City.

== The Nautilus Lacuna ==
Land management Lindens have long acknowledged the odd gap in South Nautilus. The Nautilus and Satori continents link on the west with water regions. For rest of the border, everywhere east of Pan Suong and Giranzo, there was only the Uncrossable. The Void separating the two continents is only two sims thick for most of the length, raising questions as to why the intervening Ocean regions were not rezzed. Jack Linden replied "Well that's just it -- we believed that we *had* gridded the open spaces between Nautilus and Satori. All our instruments showed that the Nautilus Lacuna was filled, but we could never teleport there, and nothing ever showed on the map."

I asked how this could be, and Jack admitted it was beyond him, but he pointed me toward the one Linden who might have the answers.

== Magellan ==
Jack spoke of Magellan Linden, the famed explorer whose footprints were the first to grace most of the known continents of Second Life. Magellan discovered Nova Albion, Heterocera, Gaeta, and he first explored all the other continents. For those unfamiliar with Magellan's legacy you might want to check out:
* [http://secondlife.blogs.com/magellan/ His blog posts] on the discovery of Heterocera and the original Moth people culture
* [http://secondlife.wikia.com/wiki/Magellan_Linden A short bio].
* [http://web.mac.com/salazarjack/Site/Magellan_Linden.html Another bio].
* [http://headburroantfarm.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/the-search-for-magellan-linden-starts-now/ Recent activity] over the discovery of Gaeta and the crash of his airship. There's a picture of his airship inside the Bay City mooring mast.
* [[Magellan and Gaeta]] Some pictures from Magellan's voyage of discover to Gaeta.

Magellan Linden's desk was unoccupied, of course -- he's never spent much time there, nor indeed made any effort to be reachable by his fellow Lindens. On the desk lay a weathered map. Opposite corners of the map's curling edges had been weighted down on one side with a bottle of single malt scotch, and on the other a box of thickly-rolled Havanas. The map shows an island whose shape matches the landmass revealed in the heart of the Nautilus Lacuna. The map appears to be several centuries old, though several food stains attest to more recent use. A scanned and 'shopped image of the map appears below.

[[Image:Old Nautilus Map Weathered.jpg | 700px]]

Magellan was unreachable though any means, inworld or out. Podmate Michael Linden noted that "Mag hasn't been around much in the last few months. He's been hanging out with the Moles, as far as I know. I'm sure he's behind all this. I'd check with the Moles."

== "You built him a *what*?" ==
I went inworld and IM'ed the LDPW group. A couple of moles were on, and responded cryptically to my questions about Magellan Linden's whereabouts or activities. "We don't know where he took the Mole Tank," one little furry said before being shushed (yes, "shushed" in group chat). "Mole Tank?" I asked.

Eventually the Moles informed me that they had constructed an odd vehicle, made to Magellan's specs. This "Mole Tank" is some kind of armored, boring, submarine -- or so I gathered. They didn't know (or wouldn't say) what Magellan intended for this vehicle. They did note, however, that they gave the vehicle trans-Void capability. Like Magellan's famous suit itself, this vehicle could exist in both Second Life and the Void.

== Magellan's flash drive ==
Michael then provided the next clue. He brought me back to his pod of desks and pointed to Magellan's Mac. There, sticking out of the side of the laptop, was a USB flash stick hand labeled "Helmet Cam". Sadly, only one salient video file remained. The rest had been recorded over with something more recent: Magellan at home, wearing his Void suit and drunk IM'ing various Linden alts with deprecations and curses.

Below you can see several stills from the one remaining segment. I offer these to you with only the most modest of explanation, so that you may form your own opinions. Where appropriate I detail what I can make out of the audio track.

[[Image:MagCam 1.jpg | 650px]]

The segment starts with the suit apparently prone on the floor of an unknown interior space. Audio indicates that Magellan is inside as he can be heard breathing and making other, um, biological noises. He gradually stands, offering up confused and unintelligible mutterings on the audio.

[[Image:MagCam 2.jpg | 650px]]

The interior space has some kind of door, which opens to reveal the outside. The cant of the land seems to indicate that the floor of the interior space is pitched at an odd angle. Magellan rights himself, moves to the door and steps outside.

[[Image:MagCam 3.jpg | 650px]]

The view outside shows a wide canal, stone lined, flowing through a land with some low buildings on the far bank. I cannot confirm the location, though the map view of Nautilus City does show a long canal leading to a central circular bay. I leave it to the reader to determine if this is correct.

== Chat log ==
A final bit of evidence came from the GTeam. A resident (name withheld) filed an Abuse Report against Magellan a while ago, and included a chat log.

Resident: Excuse me, but could I ask you please to move?

Resident: I mean, with that huge suit you're wearing, it's hard for people to walk around you in here.

Resident: Please?

Magellan: Hush, woman! I'm in three different IMs and they're all more important than you.

Resident: But this is my art gallery. People are here for the opening party.

Magellan: Just tow it out to Weiland or Shenning. I'll board it there, head south.

Resident: What?

Magellan: Damn it!

Resident: What did I do? Tow what?

Magellan: No, some arty-farty cow is making noise and confusing me.

Magellan: Damn it again!

Resident: Hey, wait, are you talking about me?

== Further investigation ==
Lastly, I was just contacted by a resident who claims to have "evidence" relating to both Magellan Linden and the appearance of Nautilus City. He says he won't meet with me directly. Instead I have to create a new alt and go to a certain meeting place tonight. He says, "The deals off if my sensor script smells a Linden anywhere on the sim." I'm not sure what he means, as he hadn't previously mentioned any "deal", but I'll go anyway. Hopefully I'll have more to report after the meeting.

== Rez Zones ==
I’ve established four Rez Zones for boaters around the Nautilus island; they each have a blue mooring bouy in them. One at the eastern end of the canal, one at the smaller island off the south shore, one in the outer harbor area, and one on the northern side, in the “notch” below the citadel wall. I guess the ancient Nautilonians … Nautiloids? … Residents didn’t need Rez Zones. Anyhow, the bouys aren't particularly ancient! -- Michael Linden

== Mole Tank ==
One of the LDPW Moles (name withheld) shared the following photos with me. These are two views of the Mole Tank, the special vehicle built for Magellan Linden by the Moles. I include them here to help identify any tracks, tunnels, or wreckage that may be found.

[[Image:Borer Preparations 001.jpg | 650px]]

The above shot shows the Mole Tank stowed on a barge and apparently ready for deploy. Location is unspecified.

[[Image:Borer Preparations 002.jpg | 650px ]]

This shows an interior view of the Mole Tank as it underwent pre-launch testing.

== Elcano ==
Magellan has still not surfaced, though evidence of his presence has been discovered in the new Nautilus City.

As alluded to earlier, I was approached by a resident who was manifesting as an obvious alt (account created yesterday). The resident, Elcano Swashbuckler, offered information on the appearance of the new lands below the Nautilean continent and the connection to Magellan Linden. Elcano seemed exceedingly paranoid, and had several requirements for our meeting. Both of us would show up in alts, no Lindens allowed anywhere on the region (so no god powers?), and he said that he would run all his chat messages through a translator twice, so as to hide any telltale phrasing which might give away his identity (?!). Here is our chat log:

You: Nice to meet you, Elcano. You said you have evidence about Magellan's activities in the new Nautilus island?

Elcano Swashbuckler: Yes, I am in the semi-Magellan. I've been there, when the island is called NOCHIRASUSHITI was discovered.

You: Uh, um, did Magellan discover Nautilus City?

Elcano Swashbuckler: Of course, you fool! That's what I said is. I found it here in the city of the MAZERANNOCHIRASU.

You: Mazer-what?

Elcano Swashbuckler: I do not know - the only annoying to the translator. I "" meaning the city of Nautilus. Anyway, I have the pictures.

Elcano Swashbuckler: I believe that these new areas of Magellan Linden discovered the true picture is called NOCHIRASUSHITI prove.

You: huh? You have pictures? May I see them?

Elcano Swashbuckler: Sure, I will send them through. Here you go. So I thought, Magellan is in trouble gridding for the lost city?

You: Magellan is in danger?

Elcano Swashbuckler: No, damn it, it is Magellan will face charges when you find it?

You: Face charges? What for?

Elcano Swashbuckler: To disable the invisible shield, you jerk! Eighty to cause new areas suddenly appear.

You: Invisible shield...?

Elcano Swashbuckler: Nautilus City on the island, protected by a transparent shield said. Since ancient times. Magellan's shield to figure out the secret, these areas now, all that you can take it down, using his legendary skills.

You: Protected? The city was protected by a transpar--- by an invisibility shield? That's why we thought it was still ungridded Void?

Elcano Swashbuckler: Yes. No one did not have idea, with the exception of the great Magellan. He came to the place where the lost city of three hundred years old maps.

You: Maps.. yeah, I found an old map on Magellan's desk.

Elcano Swashbuckler: You rummaged through Magellan table! You are the evil pig! You steal one of his cigars? If you have you shall have it.

You: Easy, now. I'm just trying to understand what occurred. Do you know the fate of the original inhabitants of Nautilus City?

Nautilus City investigation

2008-10-20T22:27:38Z

2008-10-20T15:35:48Z

Periapse Linden: New page: Move this page to the public wiki when Nautilus City is opened. Call the page: "Nautilus City Investigation" Editors Note: On Friday, 17 October, at 7 pm SLT, about eighty new regions s...

Move this page to the public wiki when Nautilus City is opened.
Call the page: "Nautilus City Investigation"

Editors Note:
On Friday, 17 October, at 7 pm SLT, about eighty new regions suddenly erupted from the Void in the area formerly known as the Nautilus Lacuna. This unplanned manifestation mystified residents of South Nautilus and land management Lindens alike. I was asked to investigate, and this represents my hasty collage of evidence. I will stress that there does not appear to be any danger to either Nautilus residents or the Grid itself. The new lands, though full of wonders and apparently well maintained, are unpopulated.

== The Nautilus Lacuna ==
Land management Lindens have long acknowledged the odd gap in South Nautilus. The Nautilus and Satori continents link on the west with water regions. For rest of the border, everywhere east of Pan Suong and Giranzo, there was only the Uncrossable. The Void separating the two continents is only two sims thick for most of the length, raising questions as to why the intervening Ocean regions were not rezzed. Jack Linden replied "Well that's just it -- we believed that we *had* rezzed the open spaces between Nautilus and Satori. All our instruments showed that the Nautilus Lacuna was filled, but we could never teleport there, and nothing ever showed on the map."

I asked how this could be, and Jack admitted it was beyond him, but he pointed me toward the one Linden who might have the answers.

== Magellan ==
Magellan Linden, the famed explorer whose footprints were the first to grace most of the known continents of Second Life, is he of whom Jack spoke. For those unfamiliar with Magellan's legacy you might want to check out:
* [http://secondlife.blogs.com/magellan/ His blog posts] on the discovery of Heterocera and the original Moth people culture
* [http://secondlife.wikia.com/wiki/Magellan_Linden A short bio].
* [http://web.mac.com/salazarjack/Site/Magellan_Linden.html Another bio].
* [http://headburroantfarm.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/the-search-for-magellan-linden-starts-now/ Recent activity] over the discovery of Gaeta.

Magellan Linden's desk was unoccupied, of course -- he's never spent much time there, nor indeed made any effort to be reachable by his fellow Lindens. On the desk lay a weathered map. Opposite corners of the map's curling edges had been weighted down on one side with a bottle of single malt scotch, and on the other a box of thickly-rolled Havanas. The map shows an island whose shape matches the landmass revealed in the heart of the Nautilus Lacuna. The map appears to be several centuries old, though several food stains attest to more recent use. A scanned and 'shopped image of the map appears below.

[[Image:Old Nautilus Map Weathered.jpg | 700px]]

Magellan was unreachable though any means, inworld or out. Podmate Michael Linden noted that "Mag hasn't been around much in the last few months. He's been hanging out with the Moles, as far as I know. I'm sure he's behind all this. I'd check with the Moles."

== "You built him a *what*?" ==
I went inworld and IM'ed the LDPW group. A couple of moles were on, and responded cryptically to my questions about Magellan Linden's whereabouts or activities. "We don't know where he took the Mole Tank," one little furry said before being shushed (yes, "shushed" in group chat). "Mole Tank?" I asked.

Eventually the Moles informed me that they had constructed an odd vehicle, made to Magellan's specs. This "Mole Tank" is some kind of armored, boring, submarine -- or so I gathered. They didn't know (or wouldn't say) what Magellan intended for this vehicle. They did note, however, that they gave the vehicle trans-Void capability. Like Magellan's famous suit itself, this vehicle could exist in both Second Life and the Void.

== Magellan's flash drive ==
Michael then provided the next clue. He brought me back to his pod of desks and pointed to Magellan's Mac. There, sticking out of the side of the laptop, was a USB flash stick hand labeled "Helmet Cam". Sadly, only one salient video file remained. The rest had been recorded over with something more recent: Magellan at home, wearing his Void suit at his computer and drunk IM'ing various Linden alts with deprecations and curses.

Below you can see several stills from the one remaining segment. I offer these to you with only the most modest of explanation, so that you may form your own opinions. Where appropriate I detail what I can make out of the audio track.

[[Image:MagCam 1.jpg | 650px]]

The segment starts with the suit apparently prone on the floor of an unknown interior space. Audio indicates that Magellan is inside as he can be heard breathing and making other, um, biological noises. He gradually stands, offering up confused and unintelligible mutterings on the audio.

[[Image:MagCam 2.jpg | 650px]]

The interior space has some kind of door, which opens to reveal the outside. The cant of the land seems to indicate that the floor of the interior space is pitched at an odd angle. Magellan rights himself, moves to the door and steps outside.

[[Image:MagCam 3.jpg | 650px]]

The view outside shows a wide canal, stone lined, flowing through a land with some low buildings on the far bank. I cannot confirm the location, though the map view of Nautilus City does show a long canal leading to a central circular bay. I leave it to the reader to determine if this is correct.

== Chat log ==
A final bit of evidence came from the GTeam. A resident (name withheld) filed an Abuse Report against Magellan a while ago, and included a chat log.

Resident: Excuse me, but could I ask you please to move?

Resident: I mean, with that huge suit you're wearing, it's hard for people to walk around you in here.

Resident: Please?

Magellan: Hush, woman! I'm in three different IMs and they're all more important than you.

Resident: But this is my art gallery. People are here for the opening party.

Magellan: Just tow it out to Weiland or Shenning. I'll board it there, head south.

Resident: What?

Magellan: Damn it!

Resident: What did I do? Tow what?

Magellan: No, some arty-farty cow is making noise and confusing me.

Magellan: Damn it again!

Resident: Hey, wait, are you talking about me?

== Further investigation ==
Lastly, I was just contacted by a resident who claims to have "evidence" relating to both Magellan Linden and the appearance of Nautilus City. He says he won't meet with me directly. Instead I have to create a new alt and go to a certain meeting place tonight. He says, "The deals off if my sensor script smells a Linden anywhere on the sim." I'm not sure what he means, as he hadn't previously mentioned any "deal", but I'll go anyway. Hopefully I'll have more to report after the meeting.

LSL HTTP server/beta

2008-10-17T20:39:06Z

Periapse Linden: New page: The new http-in functions described on LSL http server are available on the preview grid for beta testing. ; Where? :Aditi, the preview grid. Regions are named "Http In Sandbox n" w...

The new http-in functions described on [[LSL http server]] are available on the preview grid for beta testing.

; Where?
:Aditi, the preview grid. Regions are named "Http In Sandbox n" where n is 1,2, or 3.
; What viewer should I use?
: Use a mono-compatible main grid viewer (version 1.20 or later), and have it log you into aditi. Shift-control-g at the login screen brings up the grid select dropdown. Aditi = preview grid, Agni = main grid.
; But the viewer won't know about the new functions
: With Mono, compilation is done server side. So make sure you select the Mono checkbox and you will be able to compile a script with the new functions as long as you are in one of the http-in sandboxes.
; How do I report bugs?
: Check this meta JIRA - [http://jira.secondlife.com/browse/SVC-3238 SVC-3238]. Existing issues for http-in are linked. Check the open issues to see if your bug is already listed. If so, consider commenting on that issue to add any insights you have. If not, create a new issue. Make sure you:
* JIRA should be SVC
* Title should start "http-in:"
* Component "Scripts"
* Affects version is unimportant
* Please include a minimal repro of the bug. Pare down the code to the minimum necessary to exhibit the issue.
* Link your issue "Relates to" SVC-3238
; What if I have questions?
: Several resources are available
* Use the discussion tab for this page to ask questions about the beta
* If you are a member of secondlifescripters@lists.secondlife.com you can post a question.
* Or try asking on the second life lsl forum.
* I (Periapse Linden) hold an office hour on Fridays at 3pm. Location is Beaumont, eastern edge, under the hill with the observatory dome.
; What about Teen Grid residents?
: Teen grid residents are welcome to participate in this beta. Log in to aditi with the appropriate viewer (see above). Teleport to "Http In Sandbox Teen".

== Resources ==
* New functions and their arguments: [[LSL http server]]
* Meta JIRA with all known issues: [http://jira.secondlife.com/browse/SVC-3238 SVC-3238]
* [[LSL_http_server/examples | Code samples]]
* Design JIRA: [https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/SVC-1086 SVC-1086]
* Design docs: [[LSL_http_server/design]]

LSL HTTP server

2008-10-17T18:30:01Z

Mono

2008-08-19T17:50:17Z

Periapse Linden:

{{Help |Glossary=*}}
'''"Mono for Second Life" refers to a simulator upgrade which can dramatically speed the running of scripts — especially calculation intensive ones.''' The Linden Scripting Language ( [[LSL Portal | LSL]] ) will not change in any way[[#FAQ-Differences|*]], so all of your existing scripted objects and attachments continue to function as before, only now they will have the opportunity to run faster. The key to this improvement is an open-sourced scripting engine called [http://www.mono-project.com/Main_Page Mono].

'''Mono is slated for the Main Grid with server version 1.24, which should deploy during the week of 17th August.''' Prior to that you can still give Mono a spin on the preview grid (see below).

You can also '''[[Mono_demos|see videos of Mono in action]]'''.

= How LSL scripts work =
All your LSL scripts are run by the simulator (Linden Lab server program) that also runs the region you are in. When you teleport, or region cross, your new region's simulator takes on the duty of running all your scripted attachments. But the simulators cannot understand LSL directly -- the language was designed for human readability, not machine. So before the script can be executed, it must be turned into a machine readable format. This process is called compilation, and the resulting machine readable version of the script is called bytecode. LSL scripts are compiled when they are created by resident-programmers. The bytecode itself is stored on the Linden Lab asset servers and never needs to be referred to directly by residents. Instead, when you rez a scripted object, the simulator for the region you are in notes the script(s) in the object, and requests the appropriate bytecode from the asset database. The simulator program has several parts, and the part which runs the script bytecode is called the LSL scripting engine or virtual machine.

In today's Second Life, scripts are everywhere in regions: from simple rotating objects to complicated vehicles, vendors, or attachments that respond to your chat commands. For many regions the scripting engine is kept busy trying to execute hundreds of scripts all at once. As the number and complexity of scripts in a region rises, so do the demands upon the simulator. After a certain point the scripting engine starts taking up so much processing time that the rest of the simulator (particularly the physics engine) bogs down, and server-side lag results. Thus anything that can speed up the execution of scripts can push out the point where server lag starts to occur.

= Enter Mono =
Mono is another kind of scripting engine. It is fully open-sourced and has a proven record of speed and versatility. For over a year now Mono has been considered by Linden Lab as an alternative to the original scripting engine (sometimes called the LSL2 VM). But there are difficulties with switching engines. The most fundamental problem is that all bytecodes are different. So the LSL bytecode is just gibberish to Mono, and vice versa. Before we could start using a Mono scripting engine, we need to develop a compiler which can take LSL scripts and turn them into Mono bytecode. This is tricky, because the goal is to make scripts running under Mono behave 'exactly' like scripts running under the original engine. It's painstaking work, and requires an extraordinary amount of testing. The final sprint of coding was completed in the third quarter of 2007, and since November Linden Lab QA has been rigorously pounding on the new scripting engine with an assortment of tests both automated and manual.

= The Plan =
Thanks to the efforts of the beta test residents, and the Linden development and QA teams, Mono is now ready for the main grid. The viewer and server changes will deploy separately in August.

The Mono viewer changes are checked in for the 1.21 viewer, which should go to release candidate on 20th August. The viewer changes include a checkbox on the script edit dialog (which allows you to make a script compile to Mono), a Tools menu item to allow you to recompile to Mono all the scripts in your selection, and a change to simulator statistics to show events per second instead of instructions per second.

The Mono server changes are checked in for the 1.24 server. This server is currently deployed to nearly all regions of the Preview Grid. The plan is for the Mono server to roll out to the main grid the week of 17th August.

Those who would like to try out Mono before it goes to the main grid can download the preview grid viewer from the [http://secondlife.com/support/downloads.php downloads page] and test Mono on the various preview grid regions.

According to this plan the Mono server will deploy before the 1.21 viewer is available as a release candidate. Thus, although the main grid will be Mono enabled, no one using the regular or release candidate viewer will actually be able to create Mono scripts. During this time before the viewer release enterprising scripters can use the preview grid viewer and force it to connect to the main grid. Note that no special viewer is required to run Mono scripts -- that is automatic and handled by the server. A Mono viewer is only required in order to change the compile target of a script (from LSL2 to Mono, or vice versa).

Once Mono has been live on the main grid for several months we may turn off compilation to the original scripting engine. At that point all new and edited scripts will be Mono. We will, however, keep the original scripting engine running. This means that old scripts will continue to run as before, but as soon as they are edited they will become Mono scripts.

= Mono benefits =
We've run some benchmarks to compare the performance of the original scripting engine and the Mono VM. When we run the tests side by side we found that Mono is up to 220x faster than LSL2. These benchmarks were math intensive scripts usually used to evaluate performance. It should be noted that for ordinary scripts the gains are much more humble.

Mono uses more memory than the typical LSL bytecode. It offsets this by introducing dynamic memory allocation. With LSL2, a full 16K is allocated for all scripts, even simple "Hello, Avatar" ones. Mono allocates only the memory it needs. In tests on typical regions it turns out that the combination of Mono using more memory, but allocating memory better, is about a wash as far as overall memory footprint goes.

In some extreme cases Mono scripts can use up to 4 times the memory as LSL2 scripts. In order to maintain backwards compatibility the script size limit has been increased from 16K to 64K.

Mono tip:
Mono can do bytecode sharing. Thus multiple copies of scripts with the same asset id will only take up as much room as one instance. Imagine some script that you use a dozen times on your land. If each of the objects containing the script is separately compiled from text source, you will use up a dozen times the script's size of memory. But if instead you simply drag a copy of the single, already compiled script into each of the dozen objects, then no matter how many copies exist they only take up the size of one script (plus data) in memory.

= Mono How-to =

Mono is scheduled for deployment to the main grid with the 1.24 server, starting 17th August. After that deployment all regions will be able to run LSL scripts compiled to Mono. The 1.21 viewer, scheduled for first release candidate on 20th August, has the user interface needed to compile scripts to Mono (any viewer will run a previously created Mono script). The following information should help developers start working with Mono during this transition period, until both server and viewer are fully deployed.

* '''Download a viewer with the Mono UI if you want to create Mono scripts'''
** When the 1.21 viewer is available in release candidate, use it. See the Test Viewers section of the [http://secondlife.com/support/downloads.php downloads page].
** Before the 1.21 viewer is available, you can still compile to Mono using the preview grid viewer, available from the Test Viewers section of the [http://secondlife.com/support/downloads.php downloads page].
* '''Log in to SL and go to a Mono-enabled region'''
** Mono will deploy to the main grid with the 1.24 server. It will deploy over three days starting 19th August (see the [http://blog.secondlife.com/ SL blog] for a post when it happens). After the deploy all main grid regions will be Mono enabled.
** If you wish to test Mono before it rolls out to the main grid, you can go to the preview grid. Nearly all regions on the preview grid are now running Mono. Check the server version by doing Help / About Second Life.
** If you want to use the preview grid viewer to compile mono scripts on the main grid (necessary until the 1.21 viewer is available in release candidate), you will need to force that viewer to log you in to the main grid instead of the preview grid.
*** Open the preview grid viewer
*** At the login page hit Ctrl-Shift-G. This will bring up the grid select drop down menu. (If Ctrl-Shift-G isn't available on your system, you can set ForceShowGrid to TRUE under [[Debug Settings]].)
*** Select "agni" (the main grid) from the drop-down menu, and log in normally
*** Note: if, later, you want to use that viewer for the preview grid again, select the preview grid (aditi) from the drop-down.
* '''Create/edit a script an compile it to Mono'''
** Rez your script in an object.
*** Edit the script from the object's contents tab.
*** On the script editing dialog you will see a new checkbox at the bottom "Mono". Check it.
*** Hit Save to recompile this script to Mono.
** You may now treat this script like any other. It will automatically run in the Mono runtime, regardless of ownership transfers or viewer version.
** If you fail to see the checkbox, you are not running a Mono viewer.
** If the checkbox is grayed out for Mono, you are not in a Mono enabled region.
** To convert a Mono script back to ordinary LSL2, uncheck the checkbox.
* '''To convert a number of scripted objects all to Mono at once'''
** Rez all the scripted objects
** Use the select tool to select them all.
** From the Tools menu select Recompile Selection / Mono.

After you have converted a scripted object to Mono you will need to do a full QA run. Though Mono is compatible with old LSL2, there are timing differences which may cause object behavioral changes. Test your objects thoroughly before releasing Mono versions.

'''To report Mono issues, use JIRA'''
* First check [https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/SVC-1276 this meta JIRA] to see if anyone has reported the issue already
** This may not be doable unless you've drilled down into your script to locate what is breaking.
* If a JIRA already exists, and it appears to be the same failure, then simply add your information as a comment and attachment to that issue.
* If not, open a new SVC ticket for each bug you find. In the ticket summary please use the word "Mono" so that we can filter for them.
* In addition to your description of the problem please attach your script itself, or (ideally) a smaller script which illustrates the difference in behavior between the two scripting engines.
* Link your JIRA to the meta JIRA.

= Testing =
During the integration of Mono we have used tests to ensure there are no regressions. For the current version of the regression test see [[LSL Language Test]]. This effectively serves as the specification of LSL.

There are tests for library call bindings in [[LSL Library Call Test 1]] and [[LSL Library Call Test 2]]. This is split to overcome the memory limitations.

[[Event test script]]

There are several benchmarks to test the performance. They are available here:
*[[LSL Recursion Benchmark]]
*[[LSL Mandelbrot Benchmark]]
*[[LSL Partial Sums Benchmark]]
*[[LSL NSieve Benchmark]]
*[[LSL NSieve Bits Benchmark]]

= FAQ =
Section for questions.
; Can you give a few examples scripts where Mono's speed increase is readily apparent? : These calculation intensive scripts run considerably faster under Mono: [[LSL_Recursion_Benchmark]], [[LSL_Mandelbrot_Benchmark]], [[LSL_Partial_Sums_Benchmark]],[[LSL_NSieve_Benchmark]], [[LSL_NSieve_Bits_Benchmark]].
; As far as previously purchased LSL scripts, why do I have to wait for the scripter to convert the script to run on Mono, why can’t I just do this myself? : The increase in speed provided by Mono can cause problems with objects using communication between multiple scripts and there are a few cases where we have had to make Mono behave slightly differently to LSL. It's much safer to have the original scripter convert and '''test''' the scripts.
; Will scripts compiled to Mono work on an older version of the viewer? : Yes. You only need a viewer version 1.21 or later if you want to make Mono scripts. You can run Mono scripts from any viewer since Mono actually runs on the server.
; How long until scripts can be compiled to Mono? : The 1.21 viewer release candidate should be available on Wednesday, 20 August.
; Is there an indicator of some kind to tell me that a script is running on Mono? How can I tell? : No. It's very difficult to work out whether objects and all the objects they contain use Mono scripts, so we haven't attempted to display it.
; Given that OpenSim runs on Mono, will LL implementing Mono expedite interoperability between the two worlds? : We are talking to OpenSim developers about script interoperability based on Mono.
; Has the available memory for scripts changed? (Currently 16k in LSL2 VM) : For the same LSL script the Mono bytecode and original (LSL2) bytecode will be of different size. In order to be compatible with all known scripts, we have expanded the size ceiling for Mono to be 64k. This is ok to do for Mono because unlike LSL2, Mono allocates memory dynamically, whereas all LSL2 scripts occupy 16K. Mono scripts only allocate the memory that they need.
; 64K? Wow, isn't that going to encourage inefficient scripting? : We hope that the change will promote more efficient scripting. Currently programmers have to get around the 16K limit by using multiple scripts, and a lot of cycles get spent on passing data between those scripts. With a single script that would not be necessary.
; Will I have to manually convert all my objects to using Mono, or is there an automated tool? : Yes, you must manually invoke compilation to Mono. Though you can make use of the Tools Menu to recompile all scripts in selection to Mono.
; Can I keep my scripts running on the original scripting engine forever? : We have no plans to eliminate the original engine. This will be re-examined after Mono has been live on the Main Grid for a while. But right now it is easier to continue to support the original scripting engine than to migrate all scripts.
; Will I be able to write scripts in languages besides LSL since Mono supports lots of languages? : Eventually. Right now our goal is to make Mono completely compatible with the original scripting engine for LSL scripts.
;Why didn't you use <favorite_language> instead of Mono? (ie lisp, python, lua, javascript) : TBA
; Will LSL be getting real language features with this change? (ie arrays, references/pointers, includes/imports)
: No. The LSL language is not changing with this update.
; In the original scripting engine scripts are compiled on the viewer then uploaded, will that change with Mono? : Yes, Mono compilation is done in a distributed fashion on the sim hosts.
; Related to the above, I use a "clever trick" to upload my compiled bytecode in LSL2 with out the correct script text. What will happen to scripts I uploaded in this way when converted to Mono? Will I be able to continue to use my "clever trick" for Mono scripts? : The Mono compiler looks only at the script text. The Mono engine will only run bytecode which has been compiled by our Mono compiler. You will not be able to run any uploaded Mono bytecode.
; What about scripts whose LSL code has been lost, ie scripts that still run, but result in "Script missing from database." when you try to edit them? Is there any possibility of bytecode translation, or are these scripts stuck in the original scripting engine forever?
: There are currently no plans to allow byte code translation of LSL scripts, only compiling from source. This may be considered depending on resident demand.
; What are the known differences between the LSL2 and Mono compilers and runtimes?
: We have not tried to make Mono 100% compatible with the original engine. At least not to the point of duplicating any of the tricks or hacks that LSL2 allowed. Below are listed some known behavioral differences. Add to the list as more are discovered.
:* Unicode support. From Strife Onizuka "In LSO LSL, the entire Unicode range was supported by complying to RFC 2279 (about 2 billion possible characters). Mono supports RFC 3629 which supplants RFC 2279 and limits the Unicode range to the first 1,114,112 character codes. This directly effects these functions: [[llBase64ToString]], [[llUnescapeURL]]. Strings being passed from LSO scripts to Mono scripts will become corrupted (in a reliable way) if they contain characters outside the limited Unicode range." -- {{Jira|SVC-1960}}
; After Mono launches why not recompile *all* scripts everywhere on the Grid to Mono?
: While it is certainly appealing to have only one compiler and runtime to support, practical concerns make this not feasible. Here's a list of the difficulties that give us pause:
:* We do not have the text asset (the LSL code) for all running scripts. These "bytecode only" scripts would stop working.
:* The automatic recompile would restart all scripts. Many scripts are meant to run continuously without restarting.
:* Mono scripts have a different timing profile than the original (usually faster). This will introduce behavior differences which will lead to some scripts breaking, often in subtle ways.
:* Some scripts take advantage of undocumented "features" of LSL2. We did not strive for 100% compatibility in such situations, but rather made Mono behave as sensibly and predictably as possible.
:* As a result of both reasons above, scripts need QA work after they have been recompiled. Residents who code and sell LSL scripts will have to test and possibly adjust the behavior of Mono versions of their scripts. If conversion were automatic they would not be reimbursed for their QA effort. With manual recompilation the resident scripters can sell Mono versions of their scripts as an upgrade, after they have tested and modified them.
:* Recompiling all scripts would play rather heavy-handedly with the permissions system. If someone has made and sold a script as "no-modify", an automatic recompilation would violate their policy. While some scripters would be ok with this, many would not.
; Is Mono still available on the preview grid? : Yes, see [[Mono/Beta FAQ]].

[[Category:Features]]