[sldev] re: Plugin architecture

[soft at softnoel.org]

Mike Monkowski wrote:
> I can understand in a browser how plugins can be
> inserted in the stream of data and act as a filter
> for specific file types.  Would this mean that the
> SecondLife plugins would be inserted in the message
> stream between the client and server? Or would they
> work off of the local cache?  Or would they
> reference a class that had accessors for each of the
> global variables?

The proposal in the wiki is that the plugins would be dynamically linked
libraries that can add callback hooks to existing functions. The plugin
would run and then cause an early return, or merely take action before the
regular SL code.

Please reference this as a starter:
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Plugin_architecture

Much is up in the air. A class for accessors hasn't been mentioned except
as implicit in the COM suggestion, as COM is usually implemented in a way
not assuming a shared memory ABI. Relying on accessors - even with shared
memory - is advisable if plugins aren't going to be tied to specific
builds of the viewer.

The answers to your questions, then, are: "possibly through SL code,"
"possibly through SL code," and a plain old "possibly." :) Now is a great
time for putting suggestions out there.