@DataMine
Yeah, I get the impression not much has changed. It seems to backwards to me, to have dynamic lighting and other, nice graphical improvements for the Beta/Next ..but not make the steps for antialiasing and having it not look like ass. I mean besides the coding ease you mentioned. To me the writing is on the wall, develop a new client that uses the same framework as Next, but as a full, standalone executable and 64 bit. I know that's way easier said than done, but I figure if SL can have multiple viewers, there shouldn't be much reason a million dollar company cannot develop a newer client that isn't just a web or mobile port.
Of course though! I've always wondered if ReShade would also work with IMVU. I have seen users on Reddit using it, so it must in some capacity ..but frankly it looked terrible. I sense that's just user error and lack of taste, though. Maybe there's even a decent preset already out there. Personally? I'm not a massive fan of ReShade. I don't like the extra load it produces, or the level of tweaking it entails. But it is at least a one-and-done deal once you set things how you like. I've always thought the vanilla Classic client looks decent for what it is, but I'm even happier with the GPU tweaks and prefer things looking 'as-is'. Particularly when other people are going to be seeing the same things, I'd rather see everything through the same lens, not the "Michael Bay goes to Mexico" one. I forget my exact GPU settings, but it's such a nice quality of life change, especially when it comes to AA. I have recently noticed some seams and minor artifacting from certain angles, but I don't think that's as a result. I never noticed it before, so I assume it's product-related.
I completely agree with SL though, it's why I've never fully switched over and in general have neglected it. I use Firestorm and want to try Black Dragon at some point, but it's just a chore to navigate and equally as much of a chore to shop. Things would be so much easier if you could shop by mesh/derivable like you can with VU, but alas I don't think you can and searching/keywords are pretty unreliable. Results in an eternity of literal in-world shopping to hopefully find what you want and leaving landmarks respectively. It can be fun, but it's annoying if you just want to make x or y outfit. ...and a nightmare for me, considering I more or less want to replicate my IMVU avi's and the OC's that have spawned from them respectively. That said, I'd be happy to help with SL clothing and stuff if I can at any point, feel free to ask. Not a veteran or expert by any means, but I managed to get past that hurdle of nothing working together and things have been fine since. Though I forget stuff and end up feeling rusty with how long I spend away from SL lol. If I could give a single tip? Get into the habit of clicking "Add", not "Wear". The latter overwrites and leads to a bunch of issues with the modern mesh stuff.
I should clarify though, I'm not suggesting VU get a UI like SL, or freedom of movement. I purely mean Linden running the show from a company, business and ownership point of view. I haven't been around SL enough to really gauge how good or bad they are, but my general impression is they're pretty fair and amicable and a pretty decent company.