Meerkat Viewer Runs Wild in Second Life – And Beyond
by Alphaville Herald on 09/06/09 at 7:41 am
Is unleashed client a threat to Linden Lab supremacy?
by Tenshi Vielle
The long anticipated Meerkat viewer has been released for both Windows and Mac – and features radical goals such as cross grid access without a central authentication authority and cross grid content import/export – goals that may ultimately threaten Linden Lab's control this corner of the metaverse. Given the number of viewers already out there, here'shoping this one is both stable enough and feature-worthy to give ussomething to depend on, since LL's viewers are so crashtastic.
The Meerkat viewer is being developed by the Open Metaverse Foundation. Beyond clever coding, a smart Meerket marketing effort began with a viral campaign called "Shanti"that left internet cryptographers scratching their heads at theSLUniverse forums for some time in a marathon 2200 post thread last year.
The Meerkat Viewer goals:
- To create a fully GPL viewer (no proprietary dependencies)
- To encourage a community of developers that will submit patchesfor prompt integration
- Tohave the freedom to make the sort of changes that Linden Lab hastraditionally been unable to integrate (translation patches,refactoring, fixing intentionally crippled features, changes that touchmany 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.
Current Meerkat Viewer features:
- Intergrid Teleport – Teleport to any grid instantly via the map screen.
- Grid Manager (see Intergrid Teleport) – An intuitive interface which allows you to save grid and avatar info and use it instantly to connect to virtual worlds.
- Content import/export – Bring objects, scripts, and textures you've created to other grids or work offline in OpenSim.
- Avatar List – View just about everything you can aboutevery avatar in the sim. It even allows you to track someone thousandsof feet in the sky, and see what custom client other users are using!
- Teleport History – See a list of all the previous placed you visited.
- Limits removed – Upload unlimited length sounds, buildobjects of any size (opensim only), advanced cut available for allobjects, maximum bandwidth increased, and many debug options enabled bydefault.
- Copybot protection – Prevents your client from sending the keys used for each layer of clothing you're wearing.
- Bulk Permissions Tool – Set the permissions of multiple items with one click.
- GPL compatible libraries – We've replaced Quicktime and other non redistributable libraries with ones we're allowed to give out.
Wyrdwolf Legion
Jun 9th, 2009
Is this a news article or an advert??
Please leave bullet points to the marketing experts.
How about you try writing something about how useful these features might or might not be.
Have you test driven this viewer? What’s it like to use on a day to day basis. What features do you use, and what features are best forgotten. How will this viewer impact on the user, and how can we expect it to colour other competing viewers in the future.
Anyone can copy and paste a product notecard.. try being a journo.
Trolling Runner
Jun 9th, 2009
If only you knew what I know.
Amanda
Jun 9th, 2009
Maybe something on the trust worthiness of this viewer. Have an independent coder go over the code to look for anything suspicious. Investigative Journalism..
Darien Caldwell
Jun 9th, 2009
Most of these features are standard in most any 3rd party viewer. The only thing remotely original is the inter-grid stuff.
And frankly built-in ability to stalk people doesn’t sound like a good feature, nor does the ability to steal people’s creations and cart them off to another grid. I hope LL acts to ban this viewer from the Second Life grid, as they have other viewers that were designed to do harm.
Darien Caldwell
Jun 9th, 2009
oh, and for those who don’t realize, OpenMetaverse foundation is the new name for LibSecondlife, the original creators of CopyBot. Seems the name can change, but their destructive work goes on.
markbyrn
Jun 9th, 2009
Appreciate the info on the new viewer what’s with the hysterical comment about LibSecondlife and their destructive work O.o
Darien Daldwell
Jun 9th, 2009
What a dull viewer.
Emperor Norton hears a who?
Jun 9th, 2009
Amanda @ “Maybe something on the trust worthiness of this viewer. Have an independent coder go over the code to look for anything suspicious. Investigative Journalism.”
Now would would anyone be leery of giving their Liden account information and access to their credit card to the creators of CopyBot?
better living through modern technology
Jun 9th, 2009
Thanks for the heads up Tenshi. I have not been to the libSL site for some time but I just went there and downloaded the Meerkat viewer (as well as getting fresh copies of libSL). Since it is made by libSL it will probably be good and do lots of good things. Smile. I was just getting ready to go boating in the waters West of Waterhead so maybe I will try this new client out around there and see if it does anything new and great.
IMHO
Jun 9th, 2009
It looks like the viewer allows you to build megaprims again in the opensource part
Jill
Jun 9th, 2009
The source code to this viewer is available from the website, you are able to look at the code and decide for yourself if you want to run it. Many people have vouched for this viewer already, so there’s no need to automatically assume it’s bad.
This isn’t copybot. You can only export stuff that you created. I’m hoping they let us do any full perm objects like with Second Inventory.
Darien Caldwell
Jun 9th, 2009
Mark, it’s not hysterical. I can probably understand your comment if you genuinely don’t know the history of Copybot and libsecondlife. But to long time residents it’s all too well known. Go to the forums and search up on Copybot, you’ll learn far more than you would ever care to know.
ninini
Jun 9th, 2009
Copybot was a necessary tech demo and is the precursor to apps like Second Inventory. Copybot still exists, and is a basic function of the open metaverse test client. No one uses it to steal content because that is idiotic. Believe it or not, LL actually deals with DMCA claims, and that is why you won’t find the resale of ripped content within SL.
The only real problem that copybot caused was making forums and media outlets overreact, and over dramatize the problem, in turn causing land owners and content creators to flood SL with anti copybot scripts (which don’t actually do anything) and poisoning the grid with lies and fear.
Anon
Jun 9th, 2009
I hear Plastic Duck did the majority of work on this viewer. Makes a body wonder what sort of fun things are lying beneath that code…
Melissa Yeuxdoux
Jun 9th, 2009
Neat. How about a Linux version?
Jimbo Kumbaya
Jun 10th, 2009
Me, I’m all for this. This will give me more chances to share the awesomeness of my pimped-out bling-laden avatar with the ladies (haha) on other the grids. What can be better than that???
Living in Darien’s SL, most of us would be the serfs of the corporate interests that only want to monetize the interwebs. No fun, sanitized, and all about making $$$ for the few favored ones. Wait… that does sound familiar already, doesn’t it?
Darien Caldwell
Jun 10th, 2009
Actually quite the opposite Jimbo. Every person should have the right to create in SL, and not have it stolen by others. It’s a universal right, not reserved for corporations.
I have to laugh at ninini’s post, she must come from some alternate reality. People do use Copybot to steal content all the time, they do sell it, and you can find it everywhere in SL. And LL has a bad track record of dealing with DMCAs, many have been blatantly ignored.
As a recent Example, Julia Faulkland of Fairlight closed her store because of her creations constantly being copybotted, and resold. It puts a damper on creativity by all, because who wants to put in 100+ man-hours making something really nice, only to have some fucktard come along and copy it in 5 seconds and start selling it or even worse spreading it around for free? No, I’m against copybot and this viewer for one simple reason, to champion people’s right to have control over their own ideas and the freedom to make decisions concerning what they do in SL. Copybot is tyranny. A few deciding for everyone else what should happen to what they create. And that sort of thing is always wrong, in any form.
O_O
Jun 10th, 2009
“I hear Plastic Duck did the majority of work on this viewer. Makes a body wonder what sort of fun things are lying beneath that code…” -Anon
The answer is….none. Really. It’s possible to be a decent coder and enjoy the work without making a client that steals your furry penises or whatever. And honestly, that guy hasn’t been on SL for a long time, I doubt he cares about griefing people.
Kichibei
Jun 10th, 2009
This viewer only backs up things that YOU are the creator of. It does not steal from anyone.
I am very happy to see it. Now I can backup my creations to my hard drive without being extorted to pay for a program to do it. It should be a part of LL’s viewer.
Other grids are so crappy at this point, that I am not interested in exporting my works there, except just to see that it works and it does. This is wonderful, to finally have your creations sitting safely on your computer.
I sell my works in SL also and can see no reason to fear this viewer. If someone is determined to steal your things, they will, but not with this viewer.
Reality
Jun 10th, 2009
Darien – I hate to be the one to break this to you but the ‘copy’ function within this client is nothing more than a warmed over Second Inventory.
Try again with facts next time.
By the by – I have seen someone use Copybot before – it takes longer than five seconds.
Ajax
Jun 10th, 2009
Seems there is still an outstanding, unresolved issue with music streams and this viewer. Well, at least you can do your building in peace and quiet with this thing
Witness X
Jun 10th, 2009
Not to mention the fact that this client actually FOILS Copybot by not reporting UUID’s of layers used in clothing you’re wearing to CopyBot when it queries. It’s actually ANTI-Copybot, that actually works, at least for the stuff you’re wearing at the time.
People who make uninformed statements just look stupid later.
IntLibber post complaining about Witness X exposing his latest load of crap in 3 … 2 …
Anonymous
Jun 11th, 2009
I’ve tested this client, works decently, though grid to grid transfers is a bit wonky. (though namely because it wont transfer over something you didnt make, but it didnt even transfer what I did have on that I made)
and Yes, it only backs up what you made.
I’m waiting for the lindens to crack down on this for some unspecified reason. Unlike second inventory, anyone can download this, and everyone being able to take their own creations to other grids may make Linden labs sweat a little. Even though they claim that all user created content is property of the creator, they can technically turn around and claim it’s their content as it’s on their physical property.
Who wants to bet this will happen?
Lordfly Digeridoo
Jun 11th, 2009
Misinformed commenters are misinformed.
At0m0 Beerbaum
Jun 11th, 2009
I love how people had the knee-jerk reaction of “ZOMG COPYBOT IS BACK” before even trying it out.
It isnt copybot, it isnt like copybot, and it only backs up objects you’re the creator of like a few posters said.
Of course Second Life is full of groupthink, and people jump on the bandwagon of decrying something and condemning it before they personally see what it can do for themselves. They go on one or two peoples’ words.
It happened to someone I know too, who managed to become the biggest threat to SL for doing next to nothing other than be someone’s scapegoat for all that went wrong on the grid. Now we’re seeing the same idiocy in these comments.
Bravo, stay in second life, we dont need people like you roaming in the real world anyway.
Witness X
Jun 12th, 2009
heh. Maybe if he wasn’t ACTUALLY DOING the stuff he was accused of doing, you’d have a point, Atom0.
We ARE talking about Mr. DiSTENtion here, aren’t we?
Get better friends.
Alyx Stoklitsky
Jun 13th, 2009
lol @ Witness X implying Atomo has friends.
And no, he’s talking about Tizzy. Durr.
At0m0 Beerbaum
Jun 13th, 2009
@WitnessX
Deadlycodec? hell no.
Bmerlin
Jul 25th, 2009
Needs work. Doesn’t support Adult sims or adult search. Particle chat and radar chat * not documented at all! * cause client to lock up.
What is Phantom mode? * not documented at all *
On the upside, textures load very fast. Video card settings were “guessed” correctly by the client, SL clients never get it right.
Grace
Aug 6th, 2009
Looks like NeilLife is now opensource…
Mirror: http://www.2shared.com/file/7031965/38b2749a/neillife-opensource20.html
Lots of Emerald Viewer features and a special Neil Life “ToolBar” with some hacks.
Impervious Zing
Aug 12th, 2009
Um I remember also reading some blog like half the emerald team are hackers.
creator of neillife was also part of the emerald team and I found the link to his real site http://neillife-lol.blogspot.com/
Creator of cryolife’s name is cryogenic blitz who is apart of the emerald team. Which also dealth with perm exploits.
Creator of vlife is also part of the emerald team known as jcool410/ alias turbo.
Several others are there not just him. And PN(named nexii) from thuglife/shoopedlife is also working on on emerald but name is not mentioned in the emerald site but his account is used on the forums there.
A lot of this information was got on a few other sites and its been proven that they have hidden information site. Please check the sluniverse link where chalice yao admits that cryogenic blitz who is apart of the emerald team really did make cryolife which has destroyed many creations over all of sl.
Axaes Xandal
Dec 25th, 2009
I’m so tired of the whining reactionaries who want to conrol everybody and everything. If I had a blog their comments would go into Nirvana.
Meatspace Afterthought
Sep 6th, 2011
Kinda curious how many detracters here are using pheonix???