Script Memory Road Map

This week linden labs made it possible to see the amount of memory a scripted object is using on the beta grid using viewer 2.0.

Linden Labs are planning to limit the amount of memory each parcel of land and avatar is able to use.  They need to do this because some people are making scripts that hog memory, which causes the region to use harddisk space as memory, resulting in mega lag!  Technically it is called thrashing when the region spends more time moving scripts on and off the harddisk than it does on executing the scripts.

At the moment LSL scripts are using 16k of memory, and mono scripts report they use 64k of memory.  So the maths is easy Total_Memory = ((Mono_Scripts * 64k) + (LSL_Scripts * 16k)). This is what the beta grid is reporting as script usage at the moment.

LSL scripts will always report 16k because they really do use 16k on the server no mater what.  However mono scripts will soon have the ability to set a value below 64k and then be counted as using that new lower value. 

This means that some mono scripts will be able to set their value to 4k and be counted as using only 4k, while others will remain at 64k if they need that much memory.  LSL scripts will not be given the ability to reduce their size.

Once we have the ability to reduce the size of scripts we will have the script limits imposed on our avatars and land.  Each avatar will have X amount of memory for their attachments, and each parcel of land will have X amount of memory per meter of land. 

Linden Labs have stated again this week that they have not decided what those X limits will be, although some people are posting silly guesses in blogs.  Kelly Linden did say that he expects some of us may chase them around with a pitchfork when the numbers are released.

The final step in the process will be to let us set a script memory usage above 64k in the same way I described above for lowing the limit.  So a script will be able to ask for more memory, if there is memory available. 

The hope is that script authors/programmers will try to use as little memory as they can.  It has become apparent that some people dont care how much they use, while others try hard to keep their memory usage low.  The bad people have forced Linden Labs to enfore a limit.  I am sure we all know someone who owns a product that lags the region the moment they arrive! 


Road Map 4 Change
* Viewer 2.0 on Beta grid can now see your memory usage
* Mono Scripts will soon be able to shrink their memory usage below 64k
* Memory will then be limited on a per avatar and per parcel basis
* Mono Scripts will then be able to use more than 64k