Linden Lab Testing Version of Second Life That Runs on a Web Browser Next Month, Codenamed "Skylight" (UPDATED With FAQ on Test Deployment Strategy, Requirements)

Very interesting development: Second Life developer Claus Uriza recently Tweeted, "Pop Art Lab sim will participate in testing SL Skylight (browser based access!) Interesting how this will be received!" SL blogger Tateru Nino gets this confirmation from Linden Lab:

We plan to test a number of ways... to experience Second Life without having to download the full Second Life Viewer, and we’re testing that with SL Web Viewer in the next few weeks... These tests will run from time to time and for various lengths, and we may choose to further pursue some or none of these approaches, depending on what we learn from our testing.

Feel free to discuss!

Update, 1:3pm:

The website of a Second Life dance spot has posted the Linden FAQ for Skylight's test deployment strategy -- here's some excerpts:

• This test is currently planned to begin on or around Nov. 8 and will run approximately two weeks.
• In order to introduce the best Second Life experience to potential new Residents, Linden Lab has selected a small sample of locations that demonstrate some of the most interesting, entertaining, and popular types of Resident-created content...Locations were selected from the wider Destination Guide, which also factors in a venue’s popularity, appeal and overall quality.
• The web experience can be accessed from PCs running Windows XP or Windows 7 using Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome and Mac O/S X using Safari, Firefox, or Chrome.

More:

• During the test, a select number of participants will be presented with the option of accessing a web-based version of Second Life. For those guests, a link will be displayed that can be used to launch Second Life inside their browser.
• As they begin each session, test participants will be able to select from several introductory looks. Test participants will have a maximum of 60 minutes to explore and experience Second Life. However, the avatar and username information is not retained once that time has expired.
• Each guest will have a temporary username that distinguishes their “guest” status. All guests will be identifiable through use of a common naming protocol.
• This test is not meant to compete with or replace the existing Second Life Viewer. Depending on what we learn from our testing, we may ultimately pursue some or none of these [alternate] approaches...

Hat tip: Daniel Voyager.

Comments

[Metacam Oh]

Very good news, let's just hope it doesn't take 3 years to develop, by then it may be an Open Sim project.

[Adeon Writer]

I'm personally hoping for a Unity3D based viewer.

[jjccc]

Wow does this mean that we will have a viewer that dosent crash every 5 mins and is lagg free or is this the begining of the end for second life as we no it

[FlipperPA Peregrine]

I'm curious if Adobe's announcement at AdobeMAX that Flash 11 will support both OpenGL and DirectX will lead to a decent browser version of Second Life and Blue Mars.

[Chantal Harvey]

Good news. Period. This will be good for SL. I am so looking forward to this. M talked about this at Metameets 2010!

[LokiLoki]

Believe when i see

[hugobiwan zolnir]

Let's be clear.

We need it if we don't want to be like fishes in a glass bottle and want to share and spread what can be done with this 3D world.

H.

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

For all my griping about LL after the price-hike for education and nonprofits, this is exciting news.

Students would love this. It would play on the type of hardware they actually tote around with them on campuses.

[Daniel Smith]

Am glad this will "Unite" the browser and SL :)

[Wizard Gynoid]

Gojiyo has this now. It's funny, but Gojiyo seems to be everything that Linden Lab wants SL to be. It's almost like LL is using Gojiyo as the ideal model. The only problem is, i found Gojiyo to run relatively slow, albeit in a browser. http://www.gojiyo.com

[Rodion Resistance]

Thanks for the info on Gojiyo, Wizard! I tried it and it was pretty nice--very straightforward, not much hassle in getting in, just needed to install the 2mb Unity installer before getting in. Reminds me a lot of the now-defunct There.com.

[Gwyneth Llewelyn]

Katharine Berry posted an image of the SL Web Viewer, showing how it looks like from the inside:

http://plixi.com/p/57165883

For a "simplified" web-based viewer, the graphics are astonishingly good!