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xelag // User Searchuniverse caretakers: bot SDK bug alertApr 24, 2004, 6:46pm
Since a few bot SDK builds, there is a problem for universe caretakers
if they set universe options using bots. If the "Latest 2.2 Browser" value is different to the "Latest Browser" value in the universe options, using a bot to change ANY universe option (universe message, for example) will change the "Latest Browser" and make it equal to the "Latest 2.2 Browser" value. The workaround is to make both values the same in the universe options, using a browser. Pull up "Latest 2.2 Browser" value to the same value as "Latest Browser". I have reported this to the AW developpers team. I'm CC-ing this message to them too. Alex Asking questions the Smart way.Apr 26, 2004, 12:04am
Although I agree with a lot on that page, I think the author is
justifying in many ways a rude and unconsiderate attitude from the side of hackers, as if it was right to do so. A middleway may be better? Alex [View Quote] >I give credit to TonyM For finding this, and its actually really funny to >read :) > >http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html Re: help me :)Apr 26, 2004, 7:45am
Heu,
are you sure you are caretaker in the world? your citizen number has to be known to the world server. there are 2 ways to do that: 1) in the world.ini file. in thr [rights] section (more than one caretaker? separate with comma) [rights] caretaker=123456,78954 2) using the remote administration tool, after you set a special password (not your login or privilege password, a third one) in the aworld.ini [server] section [server] password=my$erverPa$$word Both are explained by Mauz on her page http://mauz.info/worldrunning.html If you are certain you are caretaker, then I can not help further, maybe Andras or others can. Good luck :) Alex [View Quote] [View Quote] Xelagot 3.504 availableApr 27, 2004, 8:59am
Please see http://www.imatowns.com/xelagot/xlgwhatsnew.html for
details. Alex GhostsApr 28, 2004, 12:25pm
This is the newest xelagot topic: Ghosts
http://www.imatowns.com/xelagot/xlgtopicghosts.html It applies to all bots and browsers, so I make it generally available. For particulars about xelagot, see What's New http://www.imatowns.com/xelagot/xlgwhatsnew.html Alex GhostsApr 28, 2004, 8:50pm
I'm glad Linux is getting some attention. But your reply does not
address the point I made :) Alex [View Quote] >Maybe I should spill the beans... But during some chat with Will (999), >he mentioned a new linux world server that was a total rewrite of the >first, including support for MySQL. I'm not sure about any of the >details, or any estimated release date. He just said he had been working >on rewriting the server and that it supported MySQL. > >-Jeremy > > > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >Jeremy Booker - Owner / Webmaster >JTech Web Systems >www.JTechWebSystems.com >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about >itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -Mathew 5:34 > > > > [View Quote] GhostsApr 29, 2004, 8:21am
A rather rude reply, jerme.
It was the wrong thread, that's all. Linux is a separate problem, there's a lot written here about it and it deserves its own thread :) Alex [View Quote] >dude... ease up a little... take a step down off the pedestal. > >I had relevant information about the server... > >It's being rewritten. Maybe they'll fix your ghost bug in the rewrite?? > >-J > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >Jeremy Booker - Owner / Webmaster >JTech Web Systems >www.JTechWebSystems.com >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about >itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -Mathew 5:34 > > > > [View Quote] GhostsApr 30, 2004, 1:58am
I did not chose to leave them out of my report, I mention bots
explicitely. Bots do not log in with a citizen number, they actually log in with citizen privs. If you check world logs, you will see the following when an entity logs in: for tourists, a cit 0 and privs 0 for cits, a cit x and a priv y for bots, a cit 0 and privs x notice also that bots log in with the priv password. In the SDK events, because AW did not at first mention privs, avatar adds events for bots use the cit field for its privs, and of course so do the bot user interfaces. It is inconsequent, but presents no problems, as one can distinguish a cit from a bot by its name (the famous [...] thingies) I tried to keep it readable in the pages... for technical and especially non-technical people. If you have a suggestion on how I can rephrase it, welcome: xelag at 3dee.nl Alex On 29 Apr 2004 22:28:29 -0400, "tony m" [View Quote] >I'm not sure if you thought of it before, but bots are the only other entity which can be represented by your citizen number concurrently while you're logged in. So your second case does not consider any existing bots the citizen may be running in that world. > >Just a thought -- maybe you do know about it, but chose to leave it out of your report. > [View Quote] GhostsApr 30, 2004, 2:12am
On 29 Apr 2004 20:23:38 -0400, "ep0ch" <deltawolf at deltawolf.com>
[View Quote] >Thanks Alex, I will work on adding a "ghost checking" system to my bot. >Shouldn't take more than 5 minutes with the information you've provided. > >Cheers, >Ep0ch Oh it will... the fact is, unless this is solved at world server level, we will not get a watertight solution. If you start analising the case, you will see a few problems: case 1: how do you distinguish the live from the ghost? how do you make sure that when you get an avatar delete, you delete the ghost and not the live (if both are present)? In fact, you need to have a counter, counting up and down the number of adds and deletes per session number... In these cases, the SDK also gets confused, and chat does not propagate. case 2 and 3: which session number is valid? the last one received, or the previous one? Bots are mobile, and entities can come in and out of reach. Since for the world server, both the ghost and the live are real, you can get avatar add and avatar delete for both session numbers. Bots in global mode should be able to solve these problems easier, but it's not a 5 minutes work, I've been at it for months :) Alex GhostsApr 30, 2004, 2:36am
What I forgot to mention is that, in the very begining of the SDK, we
did not even get the citizen number in the avatar add and delete event (and no privs of course) so you could not even know who owned a bot. And you could not even know what citnum XelaG or E N Z O had, except by querying the universe server for the citnum of a name. This was for me the reason to introduce the xelagot greet. At least xelagots could identify themselves and their owners to other xelagots. It took a while for AW to realise the cit was important. Botmakers from the start pointed out to AW that cit, privs and IP (for bots with eject rights) should be sent to bots directly with the events concerning entities entering a world... after a while, first cit and then much later privs were added, IP is still a matter of querying the world server. Seems that what AW itself does not need for its own projects is of no concern: no vision in this sense, and certainly they do not consult other programmers who do have some sort of experience about all this. Alex [View Quote] >I did not chose to leave them out of my report, I mention bots >explicitely. Bots do not log in with a citizen number, they actually >log in with citizen privs. If you check world logs, you will see the >following when an entity logs in: > >for tourists, a cit 0 and privs 0 >for cits, a cit x and a priv y >for bots, a cit 0 and privs x > >notice also that bots log in with the priv password. > >In the SDK events, because AW did not at first mention privs, avatar >adds events for bots use the cit field for its privs, and of course so >do the bot user interfaces. It is inconsequent, but presents no >problems, as one can distinguish a cit from a bot by its name (the >famous [...] thingies) > >I tried to keep it readable in the pages... for technical and >especially non-technical people. If you have a suggestion on how I >can rephrase it, welcome: xelag at 3dee.nl > >Alex > >On 29 Apr 2004 22:28:29 -0400, "tony m" [View Quote] Lower AW's rating back to PGApr 29, 2004, 9:51pm
Graf Dracul,
these ratings set by AW are only due to commercial needs. Parents in USA and some other countries think they need this, so AW implements it to be able to sell and to comply to laws and expectations. It has little to do with reality, kids bypass all these adult expectations anyway :) Alex On 29 Apr 2004 17:53:22 -0400, "count dracula" <dracula at netsonic.fi> [View Quote] >I have always found this PG this and that somehow amusing. >We seem to live in a sociaty where every little thing has to be classified >into something. While doing this one often miss the big picture. > >One can hurt another person by using only the lowest rated words, and one >can praise the other by using only x-rated words. >A clothed person can do/ be as offensive one can be and a nude person can be >the most humble person. >Yet we resufe to look at the result, and rather stare at meaningless >details. > >One person once said, the ratings are so we adults would not have to listen >to the kids cussing. > AW 3.5Apr 29, 2004, 4:54pm
incorrect. you may not get the upgrades, but you wont get them either
when AW makes upgrades compulsory. you keep older versions at your own risk, because new world features will not work with older browsers: 1) terrain offset 2) water under terrain 3) special urls that send signals to bots (aworld:?) etc... i suggest that worlds that do use the new features place a global mode bot that ejects on entry (with an explanatory message, of course) all browsers that are lower than a certain build. i will provide either a xelagot script for that, or include it in the xelagot options :) Alex [View Quote] >That's inacceptable since it gives less space for the action buttons which >would then run beyond the edge of the screen. >Install 3.4 and delete the file called upgrade.exe, then you won't have to >worry anymore about accidentally pressing the OK button. > > AW 3.5Apr 29, 2004, 7:06pm
On 29 Apr 2004 16:38:34 -0400, "jaguar hahn"
[View Quote] >Alex NO! That's crazy! Some people (like me) love to use older versions of >AW. I have been using 3.3 since it has come out, and if I get ejected from >another world........ > >Jaguar Hahn Jaguar, world owners also have rights. If you have, as world owner, spent a lot of time and care building your world with certain properties, and someone comes in and sees a mess, they may want to decide you must come in with the right browser. I'm adding this feature to the next xelagots: the caretaker bot can set a minimum browser restriction, send a message about this to the person, and can optionally eject the person for 20 seconds. The don't need to use this feature, but they can if they think their work requires this :) Alex AW 3.5Apr 29, 2004, 10:01pm
[View Quote]
>"The[y] don't need to use this feature, but they can if they think their
>work requires this :)" Exactly, zeofatex. If people stop being so emotional about changes in layout and features, and just try them out honestly, you might find out a lot of goodies are in store, and more will come. If you don't want the goodies, it's your choice, it's also the world and universe owner's choice to allow what they will. Fair is fair. But don't expect that a universe owner (let alone AW) will keep on supporting older builds. 2.2 browsers are banned, and AW will certainly ban browsers when security or other changes call for it. What I do hope is that newer browsers and bot SDKs will allow backward compatibility. That is for me essential to carry on supporting my bot development. Alex AW 3.5May 1, 2004, 5:27pm
From http://www.activeworlds.com/help/aw35/beta.html
Toolbar images can now be variable size. The button size is the height of the toolbar image divided by 5. .... More info on the toolbar.cfg file The new toolbar will load the toolbar_image.bmp from the /default directory. This image is divided into 32x32 images to be used as toolbar buttons. The buttons are numbered horizontally starting with 0 on the left. The image file is divided into four rows as follows: Row 1: Image of button in its normal, unpressed state. Row 2: Image of button pressed Row 3: Image of button in its normal, unpressed state with mouseover. Row 4: Image of button pressed, with mouseover Open the toolbar_image.bmp to see how this works. .... I don't know if it would help making 1x16 pixel buttons, at least more should fit in the toolbar. Alex [View Quote] >It also reduces the number of action buttons on 800*600 screen >resolutions, since when you place the tab left of the main screen, you >need to reduce the width of the main screen by that amount. This is, >without a question, a worsening for some people who use those buttons >and have this or even a lower resolution. > >I still do not see a technical reason why the tabs could not be placed >as a child in the main window container and the graphic window is then >resizing itself to match the width. This would not withstand stand-alone >windows, since the simple windows and elements still maintain their own >resources, the only difference then is that the container would be >completely filled (in width) by the graphic child. > >As a matter of fact, the other elements still are in a container >(examine the application with a subclassing tool), only the tab control >is not. > > > [View Quote] 3.6 confirmed...May 1, 2004, 9:47pm
These ones seems interesting too:
http://www.activeworlds.com/help/aw33/frame_command.html http://www.activeworlds.com/help/aw34/frame_command.html http://www.activeworlds.com/help/aw35/frame_command.html Been here a while :) Alex [View Quote] >This looks interesting: >http://www.activeworlds.com/help/aw36/frame_command.html > [View Quote] 3.6 confirmed...May 2, 2004, 7:05am
Well I suppose it is easier to write on sign objects than on picture
objects. If the media command is in an activate section, you can write a description and show what it is. Once you click on the object, the media download starts and the screen changes. But maybe picture objects could also be used? Alex On 2 May 2004 04:22:07 -0400, "alexthemartian" [View Quote] >by tv objects i ment picture objects, tvs being picture objects > [View Quote] 3.6 confirmed...May 2, 2004, 6:55pm
Legion,
even the 3.6 beta testers do not know yet full details of how this media will be implemented, except that it can be used in the usual sections of the action field: create, activate, etc.. The stage we are in is just debugging the actual media stream. Once that is completed, we will offer our ideas to the AWI people. Of course, any concrete ideas you have even if you are not beta testers are welcome here, only don't send them directly to AWI yet, or you might get fulminated, fried or quartered, we have been asked to wait with suggestions :) Alex [View Quote] >I just got an email from someone named Marcus W with a question regarding AW >3.6. I couldn't answer his question since I'm not exactly an expert on that >subject so I asked him if I can post his question here so that you folks can >answer and he said yes, so you can answer this question. Here is the copy: > >Hello, > >It is great to see streaming being added to AW. I was curious how this >would be achieved. If someone puts stream A in location 1, and another >stream B in location 2, is there a way to keep stream A going and not cause >an interruption when someone moves from location 1 to 2? Vice versa, if >someone goes to location 2 first is there a way to make sure they can still >hear the stream without another stream interrupting? > >It's a great idea to add streaming but I see a lot of soft spots. Would it >be possible to have like a headphone feature where a user could listen to 1 >constant stream, which they would select at GZ, and this would override any >other stream assignments? (Like someone listening to a headset on a bus, >train, car, etc... ) Re: AW 3.5May 1, 2004, 9:06pm
Yes, I think the explicit animation buttons really need rethinking (so
does the avatar list). One solution is what I have in xelagot, a screen with two lists with scroll bars, one for avatars, one for their corresponding gestures (caretaker bots see it if they downloaded Andras zipdll.dll plugin). However wide or narrow the aw browser, this has always been a problem. Alex [View Quote] >It was not about the toolbar - the action (gesture) buttons is the >problem. :-) > >Of course, one can make all actions 1 or 2 letters only, but that >wouldn't be much talkative anymore. Even with a lot of abbreviations, >the maximum action buttons was until 3.4 at 20-25, now it will shrink to >about 15-20. >What is needed is some new method of calling actions - for example a the >transformation into the possibility of pictogram style buttons combined >with a fly in/out action bar (actually, why are the toolbars rollbars >and not fly out bars that can be placed horizontally too...). > Xelagot 3.505 availableMay 1, 2004, 10:40pm
Please see What's New:
http://www.imatowns.com/xelagot/xlgwhatsnew.html Alex A.W. 2004 Economic Report...May 3, 2004, 6:27pm
[View Quote]
>hmmm, you forgot to mention the SWE industry, and major SWEige! >_<
> > -SWE and XelaG Quality Bots, which enhace the products AWI sells :) Alex > [View Quote] - DELL Dimension 8250, Intel Pentium4 2.4GHz, 1GB RAM, 4GB paging file, ATI Radeon 9700 (DELL) 128MB, ATI driver 02dec2003, Creative Soundblaster Live! Series (WDM), driver p16x.sys 22 september 2003, XP pro, DirectX 9.0a, ADSL 2048/320 Kbit/s Can we be silent in our Community?May 6, 2004, 10:19pm
a Gorean molested
get rid of Goreans a Homosexual molested get rid of Homosexuals a Jew molested get rid of Jews a Muslim molested get rid of Muslims a Negro molested get rid of Negros a Woman molested get rid of Women a White Male Good American Father molested get rid of White Male Good American Fathers .... protect our Children but there were none left and no one to protect them .... would it not be better if we took care to educate our children to face life as it is the good and the bad? to teach them to make their own choices in life? to target the individual who does a wrongdoing instead of generalising as is being done here? internet is not the only joy or peril in life.... Alex - DELL Dimension 8250, Intel Pentium4 2.4GHz, 1GB RAM, 4GB paging file, ATI Radeon 9700 (DELL) 128MB, ATI driver 02dec2003, Creative Soundblaster Live! Series (WDM), driver p16x.sys 22 september 2003, XP pro, DirectX 9.0a, ADSL 2048/320 Kbit/s Can we be silent in our Community?May 6, 2004, 10:35pm
To target I mean by legal means at our disposal, with reasonable proof
of fact, not by slandering and spreading rumors. Alex [View Quote] >"to target the individual who does a wrongdoing >instead of generalising as is being done here?" > >precisely > >Sharon Can we be silent in our Community?May 6, 2004, 11:26pm
Sharon,
I don't say let the pervs roam, I have taken action against child molestors before in AW. But I do say do not generalise, as was done. If you have to report, do so, but then to the proper authorities. Send logs to the ISPs, report to AWI, if necessary to the police. This I call generalising: "The truth is we have more bondage sadomasochistic worlds than ever before and any kids can go in them. All they have to do is lie about their age to a bot. We have people claiming to be one sex when they are another and young when they are old. The standard answer is let the Mom and Dad deal with it, just keep sending in the money. The people behind the keys here in Active World are real and they are hurt by pedophiles and other sick deviant behavior". If there are pedophiles in AWI (and the probabilities are they are anywhere, not only here), the poster throws everything into one basket: adult worlds, people claiming wrong sex or wrong age, and goes on to pedophiles. His/her main theme is to protect our children. Excuse me, but if this is not a sort or scrambling, I don't know what to call it. If there are grown up individuals who are *approaching* young kids with explicit sexual intentions here, they should go, sure. This does not justify the harrassment of adult worlds, or virtual age or gender. Parents are responsible where their children go, both in RL and in VR. Children will see transgender in the streets of London, New York or Calcutta, and people hiding their age. Internet has its own perils too. I'm not trying to minimise the problem, Sharon, and I know it is a difficult and sensitive subject, and even more difficult to act effectively agains child molestors. But we gain nothing by pointing the finger at people and groups who are minding their own legitimate business, and who are often attacked by people who do not share their lifestyles. Alex Can we be silent in our Community?May 7, 2004, 9:17am
TheMask,
each case is different. The basics is that the 'child' learns or has learned to be equipped to face the challenges. That is the purpose of upbringing and education. This requires a relationship of trust between parends/guardians and child. The object can not be to keep a child in a sterile and germ free environment, but to give them the tools they need and teach them to use them, and the protection they need while they can not use these tools. Every situation in life has a certain risk factor, this includes growing up. This learning process goes on all your life, it does not stop at 20, as some say. The younger the more vulnerable, true in general, especiall at very early ages. Some people learn, some people never learn. Legally, your parents or guardians are responsible for you until you reach a certain age; that does not mean that you have no responsability yourself, on the contrary, it is not like when you reach a certain age your parents stop and you start to be responsible, there is no magic age line. If the relationship of trust between you and your parents means that they need not monitor you, all the better. Alex [View Quote] >This is all real offending to me. In all seriousness, it really is. I'm 14, >and i'm responsible. It's just the kids who are new to the internet is just >so, vulnerable. I've gone threw allot, both sides, bad and good [not bad >like ogmogg i am like 23 and want your nekkid picz plpzlzplz and shes like.. >12.] Like I said, i'm 14, been on the internet since 8. Built my >security/privacy online. I'm real knowledgable about the internet, not like >MANY kids today, but some are the same as me, private, and secured. My >parents dont need to monitor me, they know i'm a tech wiz. > >Thats my 2 cents. Can we be silent in our Community?May 7, 2004, 9:24am
Bro,
I was being ironical, if you did not notice it. You had the bad taste to throw adult worlds and others in the same basket as child molesters: that was my reply to you. If you are targeting child molesters, target child molesters, don't bring into the subject categories that do not belong. Alex Can we be silent in our Community?May 7, 2004, 2:43pm
Sharon,
If I understand you properly, you object to someone hiding gender and age, you call it damaging for other people. I can partially agree with you on this, at least, I feel unconfortable in such situations. But what damage is actually caused? The only damage I see is if a certain task requires honesty in this... and even then, this is no grounds for witch hunt. The whole thread was started by Bro, creating a climate of red-alert about children protection. In this climate, adult worlds, age and gender mascarading, pedophiles, were all put into one basket. And then the spear was pointed at one individual, who is not directly accused of molesting children... but in the context that has been created, is put into that danger category. This is the modern version of witch hunt hysteria: create a climate of panic and then point your finger at individuals. If you or anyone has serious problems with someone gender and age mascarading, you should have stuck to that from the begining, without first creating a mediaeval stage. How on earth do you expect to be taken seriously otherwise? Alex Can we be silent in our Community?May 7, 2004, 8:47pm
Sharon,
I'll be short in answering, as my previous posting says it already. The way this whole issue was brought in, by creating a high tension general feeling of disgust for child molestors, and then directing this feeling on one person is basically wrong and for me, outrageous, it is a crass witch hunting technique. That is what I criticise. This invalidates the whole argument as it was presented. If you are talking of a specific person comitting fraud, i.e. misusing the right that a person has of role-playing in VR sense, for dishonest purposes, you might want in future to chose a differnt approach than witch hunting. No, I'm not selectively listening, I think you are :) Alex [View Quote] >Hi Alex, > >This isn't about me "objecting to someone hiding gender and age". As I have >clearly stated more than once; what a person chooses to reveal about their >real life identity when online is their choice. However, to purposely >masquerade as someone completely different in order to obtain control of, >power over, to perform any abuse on, gain favors of etc, is what is >WRONG! It hurts real people :-( > >Now in this one case there is an ongoing long term problem started with >trickery from Seiya cast over quite a period of time affecting many lives >Have you missed the post where BRO received a threatening gram? In HIS post >in HIS thread named "Can we be silent in our Community?", he never once >mentioned Seiya's name but wow it didn't take Seiya long to know who BRO was >talking about did it !!?? It was Seiya that began freaking out saying it >was being called a molester and such things. Now if that isn't Seiya's own >guilt coming out what is it? > >Alex, you seem to pick and choose which words you want to hear rather than >hear what is being said in total by several people. Seems that there are >some people reading between the lines, some are unfortunately leaving >important words out . > >We just happen to see the pattern and maybe some don't yet. Seiya plots >going from schemes and lies of which we have proof. Proof in part of which >is being shown in Seiya's own thread up there entitled "I'm Not Michael >Jackson!". Do you see it Alex? Those pastes by BRO are saved NG posts >written by Seiya in the past. Seiya is only one of the problems out of a >selection of them in which would be so properly placed under the category of >Community Abuse. > > [View Quote] Re: Community newsgroupMay 9, 2004, 1:49am
[View Quote]
>Could the community newsgroup be renamed into "community"?
>With the quotes the name would meet the latest topics there >better. No, not good enough. Suggestions: Gossipity BushWarity HuntingGround Prejudice BashYou GetThePervert ProtectOurChildren WeirdosRaus! WeAreTheLightOfTheWorld Vigilantes any more suggestions? Alex really disgusted by witch-hunting practices go gossip elsewhere by proof notify authorities keep your backgarden clean, allow others to do their own I would like to admit something shameful in public too.May 10, 2004, 5:07pm
WAAAA.
I'm not 55 yo, I'm 5000 yo. I'm not male, I'm an amoeba from outer space My xelagots impersonate humans, mostly, sometimes other species too. Their gender and age is FAKED! I hope the judge will be lenient... Cyber-Amoeba On 9 May 2004 16:12:37 -0400, "ubermonkey" <ubermonkey at wcalliance.com> [View Quote] >I hate to have to bring this difficult topic up in a public forum, but I >feel that, since we're all discussing and sharing our personal secrets, I >need to come clean too. > >I'm not really a monkey. > >I know, I know -- for the past eight years, I've been letting everyone I >knew in AW believe I was in fact a monkey -- an ape to be specific -- which, >through complex genetic tampering, had become capable of communicating using >a rough form of "English" and a computer, and had even learned how to >program through a system of "banana rewards." > >Well, it's all lies. > >I'm so ashamed. > >Sincerely, >Uber "Not A Monkey" Monkey. > |