How do I dislike thee? Let me count the ways
Things I hate about Viewer 2, in no particular order
Note: I actually wrote this somewhat ranty piece on Viewer 2 (in its greater substance, at least) several days ago, shortly after I more or less promised to do so. Unfortunately I was then unable to commit any time to testing out the StarLight skin recommended by Otenth Paderborn as I had also promised. Hence the regrettable delay in actually publishing this.  (I may also have been distracted by a shiny thing or two. It happens.) The opinions expressed here are of the out-of-the-box, virgin Viewer 2. I will be trying out the Starlight extension as soon as time allows and will follow up with further observations once I’ve done so. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!
As I mentioned previously, I’ve been fussing with Viewer 2 and trying to figure out just how LL intends for me to use it. In short, there are an awful lot of things I don’t like about it. Here I ramble, rant and free-associate about these in no particular order. Please remember that these are just my opinions; feel free to share yours in a comment. “You’re just a dumbassâ€â€”while it’s a valid opinion and others may well agree—isn’t really very constructive. In the spirit of fairness, I’ll try to mention things I do like as well as things I don’t, but I warn you in advance that my overall opinion is fairly negative.
The consolidated “fly-out†inventory etc. panel is bold and ambitious, and I think there might be a good idea in there somewhere. As it’s implemented, though, it’s confusing, it’s frustrating, and it fairly sucks. Although it’s clearly intended to be browser-like, it simply does not navigate in a sensible manner, and I think this kills it. Going “back†should return me to where I actually was before I went “forwardâ€â€”but it does not, at least not always. For example, pulling up landmark info while on the inventory tab and then hitting back returns me to the Landmarks tab. Also, pulling up a profile’s info via an item’s properties while on the inventory tab and then hitting back returns me to the People tab. In both cases, I should be returned to the prior inventory tab. This is counter-intuitive and not actually very browser-like. However, although some friends hate this, I do actually like how it can “bump over†your view of the world when you open the panel and then restore it when you close. This is actually very helpful when editing an attachment, such as a hairstyle, or when flipping through wardrobe changes while modeling.
Speaking of inventory, must making an inventory offer be so complicated? I mean, really? Seriously. I had to IM Oscar the other evening to ask for help, and although I had had a cocktail (one!), I really don’t think I’m an idiot. Unless we’re missing something, you have to find (using Search or in your Friends list) the person to whom you want to offer inventory, then open an IM window, then click the Share button, then drop the inventory item(s) on that panel. Are you kidding me? I have to start an IM session although I neither want nor need to chat? Please tell me I’m missing something and it isn’t really that complicated. This seems to be an outgrowth of the new inventory panel which, due to the way it consolidates everything into a single view, can’t present both your inventory and a person’s profile at the same time. Oh, yes, that makes sense.
What happened to the More/Less button on the edit panel? Screen real estate is often at a premium, and more often than not I don’t actually need all the details. Usually I’m just modding a hairstyle or fitting some shoes. Why change something that works just fine as it is into something that does less rather than more? In fairness, this isn’t exclusive to Viewer 2—this change showed up in Viewer 1.23, and (along with the rearranged pie menus) it’s the reason I resisted “upgrading†from 1.22 until I had no choice.
Search is really not very intuitive. I’ve poked at it six ways from Sunday, and I can’t figure it out. Clicking on some things spawns new panels, others move forward and backward like a browser (which seems to be the general model that underlies Viewer 2, albeit with frustratingly inconsistent implementation), still others spawn activity in what I still think of my Inventory panel. The whole thing makes me dizzy.
As promised, installing Viewer 2 doesn’t replace or uninstall Viewer 1.23. But it surely does jack up my graphics and other settings every single time I switch from one to the other. Which I do fairly regularly because Viewer 2 makes me crazy, and sometimes I just need to get things done quickly. I do so love the constant recurrence of notices that “You are editing a sculpted prim†and “This parcel is playing streaming media” and such.  Let’s not even talk about how Viewer 2 overrides (ah, “remembers”) the outfit I was last wearing while using Viewer 2, yet somehow doesn’t let 1.23 do the same.  Or how Viewer 2 doesn’t remember things like the size and placement of open notecards.  Didn’t 1.23 do that?  Why yes, I believe it did.  *grrrr!*  *sigh*
What the hell is up with the pop-up info bubbles that are constantly getting in my way when I’m trying to edit something or check my own profile? I’m not for sale, and neither is the belt I’m fitting on my own avatar—so why are there info bubbles bobbing in and out? If they must be there at all, they should vanish instantly when I right-click. I’m still trying to figure out if these can be turned off, but so far no luck.
Believe it or not, I miss the pies. I do like some things about the new context menus—the nested sections for Remove, Detach and the like are actually an improvement. But still I miss the pies.
Anecdotally, I can report that I’ve spoken to a number of friends, including some who design and build. Almost without exception, they report that they do not (or simply cannot) use Viewer 2 for designing or building because of various weirdnesses for which they simply have no time or patience. “I don’t use Viewer 2 when I’m designing clothing because it often renders me invisible.†“I don’t use it for building because the build tools suck impossibly.†You get the idea.
There may well be more as times goes by, but I think that’s pretty much it so far. Note that for the most part I’m not talking about new functions here—these are things I’ve been doing every day for years, and now I’m IMing friends because I can’t figure them out. Truly, I am not an idiot—this shouldn’t be that hard. Please do feel free to share your thoughts in a comment, especially if you think I’m way off base on something and just haven’t figured out how to do it yet. Your helpful advice would be most appreciated.  :)
I have mixed feelings, but now prefer Viewer 2 for everything but building. It was perhaps easier for me because I’m so new that I didn’t have much experience with the 1.x viewers. If my monitor’s native resolution wasn’t 1920×1080 though, I’d probably hate it because it doesn’t lend itself well to lower resolutions at all. That much is obvious when I drag it across to my secondary (19″) monitor with a resolution of 1280×1024.
People search in Viewer 2 is worse than the equivalent in Viewer 1 now too because avatars can hide their profiles from the search results completely. That makes IMing and sharing stuff with people not on your friends list so much more difficult. I wrote a script to workaround that problem, but it’s a “new feature” that should never have been implemented in my opinion.
Good Job Ryan,
You know, LL broke the 10% rule, never change a interface currently in use, more than 10%. It’s a basic rule in Usability…. their grand “fix-it-all-at-once” attempt has a few good ideas… and lots of bad ones…. like the tiny text I can’t make bigger and the ya that dumb pop up that gets in the way of my drop down list when I try to edit something… and end up with my own damn profile.
While the Starlight extension may help, it’s not LL supported…. if we’re going all the way there… why not just use Emerald?
It’s not just the 10% Rule – there’s also If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It. Of course that’s highly subjective, but imho many of the changes are change for change’s sake, which isn’t good enough. If it doesn’t improve usability for core users, it’s not a a worthwhile change.
Right there with you. 2.0 sucks harder than a Californian Porn Star. No wonder less than 10 percent like and use it and of those 10 percent, many are new and not aware that there is an alternative.
As someone once said: “If i wanted a browser-based experience, i’d go surf the internet”
Don’t hold back, Marcus – tell us how you really feel!
Really good piece. But yes I agree with the multitude of comments before this. Though I still have to admit I thought it was hilarious when SL had that survey about how people feel about viewer 2 and halted it because of the overwhelming negative feedback.
There was a rumor circulating at one point that viewer 2.1 or something along those lines would inplement the old UI from 1.23; whether it’s true or not – I really don’t know. I think some of the features seem cool but struggling with that UI thing….well..pulling my hair out seems more fun. XD
Nice to see I”m not the only one that would rather saw off my own toes with a rusty butter knife than to use 2.0. If they force us to go to that UI, I will either quit, or live in Emerald-land even though I crash every 5 mins while using it. Whoever the crackpots are at LL that came up with 2.0, need to be stripped naked & have thin rubber bands dipped in alcohol shot at them repeatedly. Of course, it wouldn’t be as bad as having to find your friends list in 2.0.
I know you were really angry while writing this post, but in some way…you made me laugh! Still laughing while writing this coment
. No, not because I think you are an idiot. But because of the way you wrote it.
See you on a post about those?
Back to the point. The only 2 things I like about 2.0 is the “save outfit” option and the “teleport history”(because I almost always forget to landmark a cool place). And what I hate the most is the missing of the windlight. It’s a really mood/joy of taking pictures in SL killer. Or maybe I haven’t found it yet? And number two is that I can’t figure out how to drag something into a group notice.
LL has now disabled the log-ins for any version of Emerald and we will have to “love and enjoy” the crap they left us with.
I like Viewer 2! I find Viewer 2 to be intuitive to use.
Does that make me weird?
Did you take time to learn anything in Viewer 2 before this “ramble, rant and free-associate ” on Viewer 2 got posted? Seems to me most of the things you don’t like are also true of 1.23 and Emerald and Phoenix and Snowglobe and every other viewer.
Yes, V2 it takes some getting used to. I was upset I could not see my position any more. I really need too know where I am at when editing. So I clicked the address bar and my position appeared. That was impressive to me. Where else would it be? Cluttering up my screen?
so why are there info bubbles bobbing in and out”… This probably new to you.: Ctrl-P ! You will find in there a way to turn off popups. “the ‘endless popups’ is the same in Phoenix, I get them all the time now that I just loaded it… same goes for Emerald (may it rest in peace after telling anyone with the key your Real Name) 1.23, or any other browser after a fresh install. You don’t notice them in your fav browser because you’ve read them all! Go to Ctrl-P prefs and turn them off.
“it consolidates everything into a single view, can’t present both your inventory and a person’s profile at the same time.” * sighs* The same cure works in 1.23 and V2. Use “New Window” in inventory. – tear off a new inventory window, with the “new Window’ button. and stick it somewhere, just like the old viewer.
Sending inventory to another user works the same way as in 1.23, by using IM or drag and drop onto their profile box. I fail to see what’s different. Tear off the inventory tab and drop it on their name.
Pies? Ewwww.. Gimme a break. I have spent countless hours getting people to understand how to the Pie menus. They sucked. Big Time. May they rest in peace forever. That was the worst possible decision the lab ever mad.
V2 seems like it’s 10 times faster loading textures than any other viewer, even after I turn on fetch http which is of course buried in Ctrl-P, p[hoenix, Menu2, blah blah buried way down in the mud in the few viewers that support it. V2 still renders much quicker, and I have yet to see grey goo like most viewers do when the old and lousy deprecated UDP texture cache screws up.
Shared Media is a rich visual experience you are missing out on. You can poke a finger in my water and stir it with your mouse. Come talk to my tree and my paintings. Go see the real 3-D galaxy on the inside of a giant prim. In Viewer 2, you get an experience. Got an iPhone? Oh. Wait. You can’t see flash in your iPhone, or your viewer, either. Never mind.
And Raspberry, Windlight is in the lower right corner.
Whoops, hadn’t checked back on this one for a while. Email notification of comments must have gotten lost in the shuffle. I’m sure they’re in the inbox somewhere.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with liking Viewer 2, or liking some things about it and not others. That’s where I find myself. The good news is that I’m finding more things to like and fewer to dislike having upgraded to the since-released 2.1 (my rants in this post were based on my experiences with a 2.0 build). There’s definitely a learning curve, which surely accounts for some of people’s frustration, and there are also some things that just don’t work for me, at least not yet. I keep working my way up and over that learning curve. In the meantime, I go back and forth between different viewers for different purposes, kind of like I do with web browsers. Hmm, maybe the browser metaphor isn’t so off-base after all!
I had intended to mention this before, but apparently got sidetracked by something, you know, shiny. Although it isn’t her primary focus, Megg is doing a great job covering SL viewer developments (including alternative viewers) at the :sey blog. You’ll find some fashion stuff mixed in as well, but her viewer posts are easy to spot.