[opensource-dev] User Story: Improved Cache

[Dale Mahalko]

I just don't have the motivation for it myself, but I would really
like it if a 3rd party developer would gut out LL's texture cache and
eliminate the VFS, and replace them with a simple disk cache that
writes all assets in raw format, with files named by UUID on disk.

* Decode all JPEG2000's once, to all levels of mipmap scale, and write
the raw RGB mipmaps to disk as individual files (UUID+mipscale.bmp),
discarding the source JP2's.

* Decode all OGGs to WAV once, and write the raw WAV to disk,
discarding the OGGs.

* Oh, and don't ever delete any assets until your dedicated 2 terabyte
cache drive is 99.99% full.

* Let the local operating system deal with the file caching. If you
have 4+ gig of system memory, let the OS manage it for caching
frequently accessed world data.

This cache would much simpler than the layered mess of caches
currently used, and it would give a speed boost over the constant JP2
to RGB mipmap decoding and discarding that is in place now. Decode
once and don't ever do it again.

,

But I know it is just a dream. LL will never let it happen since it
will lay bare the data contents of every prim, texture, and object in
the virtual world, rather than obfuscating asset storage within the
current VFS / JP2 method.

This viewer would get blacklisted before it ever got out the door.

- Dale Mahalko / Scalar Tardis