We will be blocking two of our releases Tuesday Oct 19th around 3pm SLT. The releases effected will be 1.5.0.0 and 1.5.0.1. If you are currently using one of these viewers we strongly encourage you to update prior to the block so you don't have any interruptions in your SL experience.
We have made many HUGE improvements in our most recent releases of 1.5.1.225 and especially 1.5.1.373. Because of these improvements, and compared to the significant amount of bugs, crashes and multiple other issues in the old releases, we feel this block will be beneficial to everyone.
To give you some numbers in the form of crash rates provided to us by Linden Lab...
Percentage of sessions that end in crash.
1.5.0.1 = 16.96%
1.5.0.0 = 14.40%
1.5.1.225 = 12.90%
1.5.1.373 = 12.69%
We hope those of you effected can understand the reasoning behind this decision. Our support teams will be standing by during this time to help you with any issues you may have.
Thank You
Jessica Lyon
Phoenix Viewer
Bummer. 1.5.0.0 is the only one that works on my old XP system. Now I'll have to revert to the LL viewer. Yep, that's a real bummer. Oh welllll. It was nice while it lasted.
ReplyDeleteI almost never ever crash on 1.5.1.373, normally the only reason I get knocked off is the TPs where you are stuck between two places and eventually get that little ding letting you know Linden Labs goofed up TPs lately and I am yet a victim of it again.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work :)
ReplyDeleteTry to keep up with LL SL VIEWER stable and beta,updates or new stuff etc.
Emerald, phoenix 4 ever.
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ReplyDeletei do understand your reasoning, that somehow because there has been an improvement in the number of crashes the vast majority will benefit by being forced to use the newer version. The problem with this reasoning is that in many cases the reason people do not upgrade is because it doesn't work for THEM, and the previous version is more acceptable. For some small part of your community, the update is less usable then the buggier early version. You may be forcing that small part of your community over to 2.0, and I'm afraid I may be one of them.
ReplyDeleteI really see no reason why you need to block the old versions, just make sure (motd screen) that the users of the early versions know that they are unsupported. Its a better solution then isolating those few that require it.
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ReplyDeleteAbeing blocked with 1.5.0.1 I installed Phoenix 1.5.1.373. Fail. it aborts during startup. Using 64 bit Windows 7 on an Intel i7 @ 2.67 GHZ and an dual Nvida GeForce 9800 GT Crossover, so I don't think it's the 'puter. Will be using Kirstens and SL view 1.23 until you tell me it's fixed.
ReplyDelete1.5.0.1 is the most stable SL Viewer I've used.
ReplyDeleteFriends of mine who use the newer versions of Phoenix have had several crash issues.
This forced upgrade is frustrating at the very least.
This new version sucks. In the last hour I have crashed 5 times. I almost never crashed with the previous version. If this continues I will leave SL its just not worth the effort. If it isn't broke don't fix it. It wasn't broke for everyone.
ReplyDeleteWell, I was using the old version of Phoenix because I could still use my Speed rezzer with that version. I too have switched to the SL viewer. This blows.
ReplyDeletethe old version I had major and constant issues with textures (a major problem as I'm a clothing designer) and even viewing snapshots so was thrilled there was a new version but now I crash and crash and crash... texture issue is solved. Too bad I cant stay logged in :(
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit irritated about the forced upgrade. PLANNED events should be announced in advance, not posted the day of the event. The notice wasn't posted when I originally logged on today. Imagine my surprise when I was kicked out of SL and forced to upgrade to log back in! Not cool at all guys... Very unprofessional on your part. It was the middle of a live performance so when I did finally get back inworld, I had to deal with the hideous skin which, due to the default fonts, made half the people on my radar hard to even read the names. At that point I was just happy it worked though...
ReplyDeleteSad part is I'm never a complainer but the way this was handled was just horrible. I hope next time there is a little more consideration shown for your users.
Two days now and I am continuously knocked offline and it takes almost an hour to get back on. YES I have the newest version. I am so ungodly tired of all this crap. New versions old versions banned versions. This is soooo intensley BS. Seriously if I can't get back on and play a simple game I am changing to somewhere else. Just not doing this garbage anymore.
ReplyDeleteseems like I crash more now than I did on the older versions of phoenix...
ReplyDeletei keep crashing with either of the new versions 225 as well as 373. i want 1.5.0 back *pouts*
ReplyDeleteim using the latest update 1.5.1 (373) and experienced zero crashes, and no issue with instillation either. maybe the issues are local in regards to the installing of the program. If it was an issue with installer i think we'd all be experiencing it not just one or two =/
ReplyDeletethis newest version actualy is the most stable for me and im on a crummy laptop.
I don't experience crashes ... well that often anyway ... and have 1.5.1.373 but I am most always a 'cloud' when I log in and have to rebake each and every time. It stopped for awhile but is happening again. I'm not sure what the issue is and I have tried all rememdies I can find posted ... it didn't happen with previous versions and doesn't happen when I switch to Viewer 2. I have a friend using Phoenix and now rebaking isn't working for her at all, she can't get her avatar to fully rez at all ... I so don't want that to happen with mine. It happens on both my laptop and desktop. Loving using Phoenix thoough and I do NOT want to switch.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone sould have Windows Xp with Service Pack 3, it's not a big Deal to get and Install, so Netframework 3 can be installed.
ReplyDeleteIf you done that you can use Phoenix 1.5.1.373
With the official blocking of 1.5.0.1, I would love to be apprised of the Phoenix team's solution for the corruption of uploaded sculpt maps, seeing that 1.5.1.373 is useless for content creators who work with sculpties. Is there a fix; if not, when will one be available? I've tried searching the Jira, but the Jira is often a morass of poorly written, imprecise bug reporting that it's been next to impossible to glean any helpful information on the matter. Ever since the release of SL 2.0, third party viewers have been the saving grace for second life builders, even surpassing 1.23. So it's incredibly frustrating and disappointing that we users of Phoenix who are builders and who work with sculpts are forced to use .373 while this bug persists. Regards.
ReplyDeleteDammit people! Why mess with something that worked just fine?? I've now done the enforced download of the new version and it gets to halfway through loggin, sits at 'initializing media' then blinks off my screen - gone - poof. Won't loggin. Half hour to download a new version of something that now no longer works. So off in search of another viewer that actually works. Well done guys - thanks for nuthin!
ReplyDeleteBlocking the old versions is a very bad idea. You should reconsider and just flag them as "unsupported".
ReplyDeleteI have never had a blue screen episode until I loaded `1.5.1 (373). Now I have them one after another, I love Phoenix, its the best viewer I have tried and I was pissed at loosing Emerald, is this a bug that can be fixed? I have been sending you my crash reports... does that help? Love Manda
ReplyDeleteI gotta say this, 373 causes crash issues on my windows XP desktop PC,and it's a great gaming rig , but no issues on my Asus gaming laptop, so I'm reckoning the problem is XP and Phoenix 373 compatibility hopefully ya'll at Phoenix are aware and trying to fix this.
ReplyDeleteFor everyone using Windows 7 64bit. the LAA version of 373 is the best ever! I had no crash since using that! Only once the viewer was stalled in a very laggy environment and i had to relog. But no crash! Try the 373 LAA version!
ReplyDelete@Joex The Problem isn't XP most of time updates are missing on windows Xp go on the update page from MS and shose Manuel research u will see there will be Updates missing on ur system, Same for Netframework from MS. Have u this missing (not intsalled) it give probs. The £73 version wiorks perfect stable on my xp system. The most off issue's are coming is userside. I found thats the right dession. PS: When u have a illegal Windows where u cant update, thats not the fould of any viewer
ReplyDeleteI will never understand, why the crash ratio for all SL clients is still so damn high - some time last year LL reported an overall ratio of more than 20%...
ReplyDeleteA good idea might be to clean the cache after EACH crash - at least for me this solved 100% of those 'crash on login' beasts without trying other versions. Maybe that could be automatic in a future version?
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ReplyDelete>>>FYI<<<
ReplyDeleteStatistics serve only those who possess the additional information required to accurately assess the data.
I don't recall finding any sympathetic information supporting the interpretation you have chosen to stand on.
However, I have conducted my own inquiry among members (with whom I am acquainted) of groups I belong, what I found was:
only 17 were users on Viewer versions prior to 1.5.1.xx
7 averaged 30% of their sessions ending in crash;
> of these, 2 were in clubs and were happy with the viewer, claiming the clubs crashed them more often when they used a LL official viewer.
> the other 5 are content creators who crash 80% of the time ^however^ these users consistently maintain their sessions over multiple days and seldom log out.
The remaining 10 users of these early viewer versions want to keep their version due to their collective computer configurations and are happy with their installed version.
on Phoenix 1.5.1.215 (the one with the typo claiming it is 1.5.1.210 & the file version properties state that it is 1.5.0.167 and remains unblocked) My personal average session spans a full week (which is tougher than you think due to the new weekly roll-outs of server updates) My record on this specific version was 13 days.
Archival Note: My record on Emerald was 38 days.
While I acknowledge that I don't interact continuously during my sustainable sessions, they are sustainable, and I am able to continue my interactions where I left off.
I have taken a step back from continually 'updating' my preferred viewer in favor of downloading and assessing the major releases. As an in-world service provider, I need to maintain a level of reliability.
In short, I believe your position is too similar to the unpopular one Linden Labs has chosen, and will substantially reduce your popularity, unless you also retain active versions of previous major releases.
Erm if you look at an earlier blog post on the front page, it actually states that 1.5.0.1 was going to get blocked for a major bug as well, so people whining about the fact they didn't get a warning don't really have much excuse...
ReplyDelete@Scarlett: They disabled the Speed Rezzer gestures because they actually did something smart and added in a function that does the exact same bloody thing without spamming an area with useless chat commands. A function that trips on teleport, as it should.
ReplyDelete@Christopher: The Sculpt Map corruption was happening on earlier versions of the client. Oblong Sculpties were not being rendered properly.
I'm on the 373 version and after updating all my video drivers, clearing my cache and clearing the inventory cache in preferences; advanced menu... world... click on dump region object cache. Log out and back in again. Since I have done that I have not crashed but once in a 5 to 7 hour time frame. I am on windows xp pack 3. It's no different then if I were back on the 1.23 so if you decide to do away with Phoenix I feel it will be the biggest mistake ever. This is a great viewer and much easier to figure out than LL Viewer 2. Many of us will be totally lost without it.
ReplyDeleteYOU will be blocking those releases? How would you possibly do that? I can only imagine that Linden Lab will be blocking them. Please don't start the same sh*t that went on over at Emerald. Honesty and transparency, otherwise we don't have any reason to trust you.
ReplyDeleteI've had nothing but crashes after going from 1.5.1.225 to 1.5.1.373
ReplyDeleteHey, I "UPGRADED" to 373 and now I can't get Phoenix to even run. When it installs over the old version it says it cannot move an exe file and crashes. I tried to uninstall the old version first but still came up with cannot delete files, please see a program administrator. i had to restore my Op Sys to before I put in the upgrade. I am on windows 7 64bit so what is the prob and how in hades do I remedy it?.
ReplyDeleteLMFAO i cant believe this idiot jessica lyon is part of a viewer.
ReplyDeleteNot only is she the biggest prick in sandbox weapons testing, she is also a huge greifer who gets her kicks out of annoying noobs..
silly bitch needs to get off the internet and start getting her roots done on her hair lmao !!!!
I'm with the "Alert, don't block" and "Who's really blocking?" crowds. If this is Linden Labs blocking those viewer versions, that's one thing, but if you're forcibly moving users to a newer build, that's unwise. Unless you can account for all of the different hardware and software variances in all the world, that is. And since your software is capable of crashing, I'm willing to bet that's not the case.
ReplyDeleteI am running the latest version on 64 bit Vista.
ReplyDeleteNo problems whatsoever. Enabled HTTP textures, and the rez speed has increased dramaticaly.
Keep up the good work, this is the only viewer that has all the features I want. In particular 1024 meters draw distance.
One thing I would like however, is the simple grey skin that was used on the first version of Phoenix, the one with the square buttons and white text.
The fact that you can block your viewer from working on my computer? means that I will never go near one of your releases again.
ReplyDeleteDon't be foolish. The blocked versions work on your computer, but you cannot log into SL with them. Be shure they have good reasons to block this versions.
ReplyDelete