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Introduction to Linden Scripting Language

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the fad-or-fantastic dept.

prostoalex writes "Dr. Dobb's Journal runs a lengthy introduction to Linden Scripting Language, the language behind avatars and their interaction in Second Life: "LSL is a scripting language that runs server-side, on a piece of software called the simulator. The simulator does just what it's name implies — it simulates the virtual world of Second Life. Each simulator runs everything for 16 acres of virtual land — buildings, physics, and of course, scripts. While you manipulate the script text in a form that is somewhat easy to read, the actual code that runs on the simulator is compiled. A compiler is a piece of software that takes the text version of the script and converts it into something that can actually run. In the case of LSL, the compiler exists within the Second Life viewer itself. In the future, it is likely that the compiler will move from the viewer into the Second Life simulators, but where the code is compiled isn't very important. What matters is that the text is converted into a form that can run on the simulators.""

8 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. A Way For Closed Source Scripts? by excelblue · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Is this a way for Linden Labs (and possibly for others) to provide closed source scripts and objects? This seems to be a very possible thing with such technology.

    What if someone only made available a compiled copy of something? It'd be scary if you can't tell what's really going on with all the stuff.

  2. Credit where credit is due by Chairboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Credit where credit's due, it's important to note that LSL is the first scripting language to have furry specific classes. This is an oft-overlooked aspect of modern languages.

    1. Re:Credit where credit is due by mrcdeckard · · Score: 5, Interesting


      it's funny, i just checked out 2nd life last night -- first time since a year or two ago -- and i was pretty amazed -- the place is one big car lot or sex club. really. i guess there are two kinds of people in 2nd life now -- the people selling "sex", and the people trying to sell their objects to buy the "sex".

      it really was a cool online social experiment -- it only ultimately confirmed what we knew all along -- the internet is good only for porn and consumerism.

      now, think about this for a second. first, it's not real sex that is drawing people. it's not even imagery of real people having sex. it's interaction of poorly-rendered avatars in a virtual world. this is a testament to the power of the sexual drive in humans, and what we decide to do with our best technology..... just a friendly reminder that yes, we are doomed.

      mr c

      --
      "Physics is like sex. Sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it." - R. Feynman
    2. Re:Credit where credit is due by notthepainter · · Score: 4, Informative

      it's funny, i just checked out 2nd life last night -- first time since a year or two ago -- and i was pretty amazed -- the place is one big car lot or sex club. really. i guess there are two kinds of people in 2nd life now -- the people selling "sex", and the people trying to sell their objects to buy the "sex".
      This is why I started my web site http://www.secondseeker.com/. The parent poster is mostly right and completely wrong.

      All that is easy to find is sex.

      There is a lot more out there, it is just hard to find. I've spent a lot of time sailboat racing in SL. I no longer have access to a boat and I really missed it. It it the same? Certainly not. Is it better, than nothing. You bet! When I raced sailboats I was on a big boat with others, now I'm at the helm. I couldn't afford to do that in the real world.

      I hate to sound like spam but if you think sex is all that there is to SecondLife, just check out my web site, you might find something to do there that interests you. (Note, the site is supported by AdSense ads, if that offends you, please don't visit, or at least don't click on the ads!)

      Paul aka Seeker Gray

  3. What happened to Mono? by IL-CSIXTY4 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There was talk about converting the server-side scripting engine to Mono, with huge (50x) performance gains. There was supposed to be a LSL->CIL compiler at first, then libraries for other .Net languages. Has anyone heard anything about this recently?

  4. Re:what a strange summary by jfengel · · Score: 5, Informative

    The article isn't much better. It spends a lot of time going over what most Slashdotters already know, like what an "integer" is, and very little on what's novel about a scripting language for an interactive world (or whatever you want to call Second Life.)

  5. the summary: intro to computers by mrcdeckard · · Score: 4, Funny


    hello class, this is a COM-PU-TER. computers run a set of instructions called a PROOOGRAAAM. programs are nothing but 1's and 0's. heheheh, but we don't program in 1's and 0's, we program in a language, such as linden script. another computer program, called a com-pi-ler, compiles the script into a format the computer can understand. ok, class, this is a DISK DRIVE . . .

    sheesh, i thought this was /.

    (actually, it must be -- even *I* am complaining about the summaries...)

    mr c

    --
    "Physics is like sex. Sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it." - R. Feynman
  6. Not a very good article... by Cereal+Box · · Score: 4, Funny

    I was expecting a tutorial on how to program an army of flying penises to interrupt a virtual press conference...