Alternate viewers
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Introduction
The Extended FAQ states that it is okay to create and distribute homebrew viewers as long they adhere to the respective licenses for code usage and server usage.
The code itself is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which governs modification and redistribuition of the source code. Use of Linden Lab's servers will still be governed by the Second Life Terms of Service].
Homebrew viewers are obviously not associated with LindenLab, are governed by their own respective licenses. LindenLab is not responsible for any desired or undesired results in association with those viewers.
Note to authors: If you make a viewer available make sure to include platform, version numbers and dates.
Able Edition
Description
This is a Windows viewer is an unofficial build which adds a Mute Visibility feature, which allows objects in-world to be rendered partially or entirely invisible.
Extra Features
- Mute Visibility
- Improvements to the Mute List
- Muting objects applies to entire linksets
Links
- Website: Able Whitman on Blogspot
- Direct download link: http://ablewhitman.org/viewer/
- Source code: http://ablewhitman.org/viewer/
Version and timestamp
- Version : Build 41752, compiled on SL official viewer 1.18.0.6
- Date : 07/18/2007
- Status : Discontinued
Dale Glass Edition
Description
This is a Windows (soon Linux) viewer which adds new experimental features. The features are intended to give users more information about the world and to simplify moderation by making it easier to tell where people are and what they're doing.
Extra Features
- Avatar Scanner
- Shows nearby avatars, roughly in drawing distance range.
- Shows name, age, payment info, current activity.
- Land and estate commands for ejecting/banning multiple avatars at once
- Integration with Luskwood moderation tools
- Buttons to open profile, IM, teleport to or track selected avatars
- Event Log: Experimental feature, shows a list of active particle effects (soon sounds too), and their owners. Allows moving camera to emitter.
- Branding: Replaces LL branding with my own. Different login page, checks for updates against my server.
- Logging of the owner and location of speaking objects
Links
- Website: http://sl.daleglass.net
- Blog: http://daleglass.wordpress.com
- Direct download link: http://sl.daleglass.net/download
- Source code: http://svn.daleglass.net/sl/release/ ( subversion )
Version and timestamp
- Version : 1.18.3.5.285, compiled on SL official viewer 1.18.3.5
- Date : 09/30/2007
- Status : Discontinued?
Henri Beauchamp Edition
Description
This viewer, codename "Cool SL Viewer" combines elements of several of the other viewers, as well as some extra patches very carefully tested.
Extra Features
- Reverses many of the unpopular interface changes made in the transition to voice being standard (including reinstating the packet loss and bandwidth indicators, the old toolbar and buttons layouts, the old, more visible, status bar icons, and optionally reinstating the old, more visible, tracking dots in the mini-map).
- Implements the "Restrained Life" API discussed more fully in the Marine Edition client.
- Allows to configure the date and time formats to match your locale or personal preferences.
- Defines double-click default actions for many types of inventory.
- Allows to optionally prevent IMs to show in the main chat.
- Allows to optionally prevent notifications to show and be logged in the main chat.
- Allows to hide the "Release Keys" and/or the "Master volume" in the panel overlay.
- MUD/MUSH/MUCK/MU* style "poses" (i.e. you can type ":" instead of "/me " to emote), and OOC double parenthesis auto-close (i.e. you can type: "((phone, BRB" and it will show as "((phone, BRB))").
- Allows to build and TP over 768m of altitude (and up to 4096m).
- Allows to build large prims (up to 128m in any or all dimensions) on OpenSim (not on SL, because of server-side limitations).
- Improved build tool floater (smaller increments in several parameters, extra "slice" parameter for some prims).
- Allows to bulk-set permissions in an object (handy for scripters/builders).
- Allows to connect to all existing grids (and not only LL's) from the login screen.
- Implements a teleports history floater.
- Implements a new "Worn" tab in the inventory floater.
- Implements various backports for the v1.19.0.5 version (Mono compilation support, security fixes, etc).
- Various patches by Nicholaz Beresford, Gigs Taggart, Blakar Ogre, McCabe Maxsted and others, fixing a lot of bugs and memory leaks.
- More minor improvements, to be discovered on the website...
Links
- Website: The Cool SL Viewer homepage
- Linux viewer: please, check the The Cool SL Viewer homepage for files and installation instructions.
- Windows viewer: See Boy Lane's site for files and instructions.
- MacOS X viewer: See Hyang Zhao's site for files and instructions.
- Source code: The standard Linden codebase is used, with the addition of the patches listed and linked to on the homepage.
Version and timestamp
- Version : i686 1.19.0.5 CoolRelease 45 (stable viewer with legacy renderer)
- Date : 2009/01/28
- Version : i686 1.21.6.0 CoolRelease 13 (stable viewer with Windlight renderer)
- Date : 2009/01/28
- Version : i686 1.22.7.0 CoolRelease 1 (experimental viewer)
- Date : 2009/01/29
- Status : All Active
Imprudence
Usability, Stability, Flexibility
Description
The primary goal of Imprudence is simple: to greatly improve the usability of the Viewer. In particular, there are 3 aspects of usability that we intend to address:
- Approachability. Improving comfort and ease of use, especially for new or non-technical users.
- Efficiency. Improving speed and ease of common tasks and workflows.
- Satisfaction. Improving the emotional effect of the software on the user.
This is not to minimize other aspects of usability, such as reliability, accessibility, or internationalization/localization. We recognize their importance, but lack the expertise to properly address them. We welcome people with such expertise to join the project and help.
Enhancing the flexibility of the viewer makes all other goals easier to achieve, and hence is a generic target. Client-side scripting is being investigated as an enabling technology in this area.
Windows, Mac, and Linux versions available.
Note: This viewer does not use the FMOD, libKDU, or Vivox modules in order to be fully GPL compatible, so there is no voice. Sound will be part of the next release in January.
Extra Features
- Hidden prim parameters are exposed - you can slice/dimple boxes, pyramids, and other non-spherical prims.
- Stability patches by Nicholaz
- Invite button in the Groups list, Teleport button in the IM window
- Miscellaneous usability improvements
- Full comparison vs. SL 1.21.6: http://imprudenceviewer.org/wiki/Release_Notes
- Socket-connected plugins for language-agnostic client-side scripting are in the planning phase.
Links
- Website: http://imprudenceviewer.org/
- Download: http://imprudenceviewer.org/wiki/Downloads
Version and timestamp
- Version : 1.0.0
- Date : 12/17/2008
- Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
- Status : Active
Kirstens Viewers
Description
These Viewers are built for win32 platforms, and originally took code from the SLDev and patches from 3rd parties or jira some major components are totally re-written, and should be considered experimental compared to the standard release client, compiled for best performance or to fix specific problems and have proved very stable with minor performance increases and added stability in some cases.
Kirsten also builds Viewers based off snapshots, very experimental and sometimes not yet available from the official website.
Extra Features
- Compiled For Maximum Performance
- Quicker Loading,More Responsive,better memory use.
- Faster Rendering
- Avatar Scanner, Asset Browser, More Build Tools
- Viewers Released to Fix specific problems (Including Kirstens Own Patches)
- Snapshots Preview Builds of Newest Viewers (Sometimes Before Official Release )
- Redesigned Skins on Viewers & Clearer Fonts ,Better Contrast For Those who have Visual issues with dazzle.
Marine Edition
Description
This viewer, codename "RestrainedLife" is an attempt at enhancing the experience of people who practice BDSM in Second Life. It is used jointly with simple scripts made to use its features in-world, such as making an attached object undetachable, preventing chat and such. An API (Application Programming Interface, a text file) is provided so that every content creator can create their own scripts to interface their own items to the viewer and use its features.
Extra Features
- Attachments can be made undetachable
- Chat and IM prevention on demand, with exceptions if needed
- Teleport and sit-tp prevention on demand, with exceptions if needed
- Editing and Rezzing prevention on demand
- Adding/Removing clothes on demand, + force remove clothes and force remove unlocked attachments
- Force sit and prevent stand up (even after a relog) on demand
- Manual (by IM) and automatic (by script) version checking
- Force attach objects and outfits
- API for content creators
- And more...
Links
- Website: Marine Kelley's blog on Blogspot
- Direct download link to the Windows viewer: Download for Windows (Executable and readme)
- Direct download link to the MacOS X viewer: Download for MacOS X (Executable and readme, courtesy of Mo Noel)
- Direct download link to the Linux viewer: Download for Linux (Executable and readme, courtesy of Loom Kish)
- Source code and text API : Download (Text files)
- API as a wiki page : API (Wiki format)
- Specification to interface cages and furnitures with the viewer through the use of a relay : Relay Specs (Wiki format)
Version and timestamp
- Version : 1.15 , compiled on SL official viewer 1.21.6(0)
- Date : 11/30/2008
- Status : Active
Nicholaz Edition
Description
These are Windows viewer based on SL builds with a focus on stability, usability and performance (see Installation.txt for homebrew disclaimer). Mac and Linux variants are available through other open sourcers (links on the website).
Extra Features
- Improved stability
- Lower memory footprint
- GUI redesigns
- Workarounds for common annoyances (Group IM Filtering, "Release Key" button, etc.)
- see this entry for an overview of different versions
Links
- Website: Nicholaz Beresford on Blogspot
- Direct download link: Download versions of this viewer
- Source code: Look at the download site for the source-xxx-zip files in the respective folders and see the readme.txt inside the archives
Version and timestamp
- Date : 05/12/2008
- Status : Discontinued
Meerkat
Goals
- To create a fully GPL viewer (no proprietary dependencies)
- To encourage a community of developers that will submit patches for prompt integration
- To have the freedom to make the sort of changes that Linden Lab has traditionally been unable to integrate (translation patches, refactoring, fixing intentionally crippled features, changes that touch many files)
- To retain compatibility with Linden Lab's grid and protocols, present and future
- To implement a loosely coupled cross-grid functionality that requires no central authentication authority.
Extra Features
- Log out and back in without quitting
- Loosely coupled intergrid teleport -- In Process
- Most of the other changes common to third party viewers
Links
- Website: Meerkat Viewer
- Direct download link: Download versions of this viewer
- Source code: svn co http://svn.meerkatviewer.org/svn/trunk/ meerkat
Version and timestamp
- Date : 010/2008
- Status : Active, but On-Hold Due to Funding Issues
Onrez Viewer
Description
The Onrez viewer was made by the Onrez company in connection with a Second Life themed story on the high tech forensics based TV show "CSI: New York".
Extra Features
- A back and history button for teleports
- In-viewer web browsing.
Links
- http://viewer.onrez.com for the download
Comment
The source code for this viewer is closed source.
Version and timestamp
- Status : Active
RealXtend Edition
Description
The realXtend viewer is a heavily modified version of the Linden Lab's Second Life client by a partnership of two Finnish companies, ADMINO technologies and LudoCraft.
Extra Features
* Second life compatibility mode for use in SL and Opensim worlds * Teleports between realXtend and Secondlife
Links
- Website: [1]
- Direct download link: http://www.realxtend.org/downloads.html
- Source code: http://sourceforge.net/projects/realxtendviewer/
Version and timestamp
- Version : 0.3
- Date : 07/28/2008
- Status : Active
METAbolt
Text Based SL Viewer/Reader Edition
Description
METAbolt is a non-graphical (text based) viewer/reader. It is light weight and cross grid, which means it will work in Second Life as well as other grids that are based on OpenSIM. METAbolt is Open Source so it's free...it is built ground up using libopensv and it is not a modified version of the official SL viewer. Currently METAbolt is only available for Windows platforms.
METAbolt is ideal if:
- the graphical viewers are not allowed at your work place
- you have a low powered computer that has difficulty running the SL viewer
- you have a low speed internet connection e.g. dial up/ISDN
- you need to run multiple alts at the same time for land security, modelling, group management functions etc
- you can't or don't want to run the SL viewer all the time but need the ability to stay online for communications or other reasons
Extra Features
Too many to be listed here! Here are just a few:
- Ability to mass distribute products, objects, scripts etc
- Ability to start multiple instances for different alts from a command and/or batch file
- Auto log-in upon SL disconnect
- Built in Machine Translation with 16 language pairs
- Emoticons on chat & IM. Feature can be switched on/off
- Land monitor: monitor parcels that are for sale on a SIM
- Object Manager: Detailed object information & stats
- (optional) Group Manager plug-in for sending direct group invites
- Uses extremely low computing power and bandwidth
- Displays advertising from various partners
- One-to-One technical support via METAforums
Links
- Website: http://www.metabolt.net/
- Download: http://www.metabolt.net/download.asp
Version and timestamp
- Version : 0.9.1.7 BETA (at the time this page was prepared)
- Date : 11/30/2008
- Platform: Windows Only
- Status : Active