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Jul 16, 2003, 2:15pm

The only real difference is that there is an actual entry in the avatars.dat
file
for them.

As the information on the page Stacee cites points out, the .seq for the
special
avatars as well as their names are not taken from the avatars.dat file at
all,
they are hard coded.

So by putting the entries into the avatars.dat file, you are basically
creating
a non-special special avatar.

The only thing really special about the standard special avatars is that you
must
be a public speaker to use them. Putting them into avatars.dat allows anyone
to use them.

[View Quote]

Jul 16, 2003, 3:29pm

Ahhh.. so there is now a 'special' tag in the avatars.dat that is
almost the same as the 'avatar' tag.. to the point that is
must be matched up with an 'endavatar' tag, and avatars defined this
way can only be used by public speakers?

Cool! Document it :-)

[View Quote]

Jul 17, 2003, 12:13pm

Yep... it works as well. Typically though, a couple of times a day the
connection will go down briefly for whatever reason, and then the
bot can't log back in.

You don't need to even have a PPW either. If I'm not doing anything
that requires one.. I set it to nothing, and then noone can log in using
any PPW.

[View Quote]

Jul 24, 2003, 11:02am

if ($Content = strrchr ($QUERY_STRING, '.'))
{
if (stristr ($Content, ".zip"))
Header ("Content-Type: application/zip");
else
if (stristr ($Content, ".mp3"))
Header ("Content-Type: application/mp3");
else
Header ("Content-type: image/jpeg");
}


> if ($Content = strrchr ($QUERY_STRING, '.'))
> {
> if (stristr ($Content, ".zip"))
> Header ("Content-Type: application/zip");
> else
> Header ("Content-type: image/jpeg");
> }

Jul 24, 2003, 12:05pm

This is an example of how the 3.4 browser referrer string can be
used to deny leeches the use of your object path. You must
enable the referer string option for your world.

If you can't read code, comprehend what applies to you,
and ignore things that an experienced coder will see obviously
need to be changed to work with your own OP, just ignore this
post.

Sorry about the formatting. I messed it up intentionally to bait
the anal people into starting a flamefest.

--

if (!empty($HTTP_REFERER))
{
// potential 3.4 browser
$a1 = explode("/", $HTTP_REFERER, 4);
$a2 = explode(":", $a1[2], 3);

$world = $a1[3];
$server = $a2[0];
$port = $a2[1];

// this switch needs to really be a
// loop that checks a subscriber database
switch($port)
{
case "5670": // Main AW Universe
switch($world)
{
case "xxxxxxxx":
$Leech = false;
break;
}
break;
case "5685": // Main OW Universe
switch($world)
{
case "cwlab":
$Leech = false;
break;
}
break;
case "5702": // AW Europe
switch($world)
{
case "xxxx":
case "cwlab":
case "xxx":
case "xxxxxxx":
$Leech = false;
break;
}
break;
default:
break;
}

// if it is not a leech, point the path at the real objects
if ($Leech == false)
{
$ObPath = REAL_PATH;
}
}
else
{
// probably a 3.3 browser
// Let the megapath sort it all out
header("Location: ". REDIRECT_PATH . $QUERY_STRING);
exit;
}

if ($Leech == true)
{
// Record info about the request
LeechLog();
Header('Status: 403 Not Authorized');
exit;
}

....
process the request normally

Jul 24, 2003, 1:11pm

Here is another snippet. This one checks to see if the request is coming
from an AW browser. This can easily be spoofed, but it will mean
someone needs to actually do some work to rip you off.

This will allow both 3.3 and 3.4 browsers to access your path.

--
define(BROWSER_AGENT_ACCEPT, "ActiveWorlds");
define(BROWSER_AGENT_ACCEPT2, "Active Worlds Browser");

$agent = explode("/", $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']);

if ($agent[0] != BROWSER_AGENT_ACCEPT)
{
if ($agent[0] != BROWSER_AGENT_ACCEPT2)
{
Snooper(); // log this and then die
}
}

...

process the request normally

Jul 25, 2003, 11:32am

There was another thing noone mentioned. My previous code should have
defined $Leech = true at the beginning before any of the other code.

[View Quote] The method shown will log each attempt to access your path by inreasing
the log file size. This introduces a vulnerability to a type of DOS attack.
A malicious person could simply hammer your OP repeatedly, causing
the log file to increase in size in an unbounded manner until your OP
space is all used up, and your performance would begin to degrade
well in advance as the log file gets bigger and bigger.

Here is a function (sorry about the formatting again) that will record
leech attempts in a log file, but will only record one line for each
world that is trying to leech. This will keep the leech log file from
growing unbounded.

Notice also that it is the REFERER that should be logged. The
REMOTE_ADDR in this case is just someone who is visiting
a world that is trying to leech off your path. The REFERER
will be blank if the leech is not a 3.4 world, or it will actually
tell you which world is trying to leech your objects if it is a
3.4 world.

Also note the use of the ' at ' in front of many functions to prevent
them from printing errors into your HTML document if they fail
for some reason. PHP functions often print information you don't
want people to see, and if the script wishes to do something more
such as creating 'fake' objects or textures to give to leech attempts,
error messages in the HTTP stream will corrupt the stream and
cause them to be unrecognized as valid MIME objects.

The code is loosely based of some page hit counter code. It
really should use a database to record this kind of thing.

--

function LeechLog()
{
$cnt = 0;
$found = "false";
$filename = LOG_PATH."leech.counter";

// potential 3.4 browser
$a1 = explode("/", $_SERVER['HTTP_REFERER'], 4);
$a2 = explode(":", $a1[2], 3);

$world = $a1[3];
$server = $a2[0];
$port = $a2[1];

$agent = explode("/", $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'], 2);

// it's good practice to limit the size of any string that came from the
// outside world so as to protect against buffer overrun based hacks
// we plan to sprintf these all into a buffer, so clean them up a bit
if (strlen($agent) > 16)
$agent = substr($agent, 0, 16);
if (strlen($world) > 16)
$world = substr($world, 0, 16);
if (strlen($server) > 16)
$server = substr($server, 0, 16);
if (strlen($port) > 5)
$port = substr($port, 0, 5);

$key = sprintf("%16s%5s%16s", $server, $port, $world);

if (file_exists ($filename))
{
$fp = at fopen($filename,"r+");
}
else
{
$fp = at fopen($filename,"w");
}

if ($fp)
{
$offset = 0;
$cnt = 1;
while (($found == "false") && ($row = at fgets($fp,4096)))
{
$cols = explode(";",$row);
$cols[1] = trim($cols[1]);
if ($cols[0] == $key)
{
$cnt = ++$cols[1];
$record = sprintf("%s;%8d;%16s\n", $key, $cnt,
$_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']);
at fseek($fp,$offset);
at fputs($fp, $record);
$found = "true";
}
$offset = at ftell($fp);
}
at fclose($fp);
}

if ($found=="false")
{
// no record found
$fp = at fopen($filename,"a");
if ($fp)
{
// record 1 offense
$record = sprintf("%s;%8d;%16s\n", $key, 1, $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT']);
at fputs($fp, $record);
at fclose($fp);
}
}
}

Jul 25, 2003, 12:28pm

<note the use of "sandwich" posting>

[View Quote] My strategy for dealing with the avatars.zip and the terrains is to do as I
think Alex suggested...

Refuse to do anything at all to try to fix them :-P

AW needs to simply add a per world name for the avatars.zip file, and a
per world prefix for the terrain texture names.

I suspect it's ugly to do the avatars.dat file because I think it may be
built
into the browser. If this info starts to come from the server in some future
version, they will not have an easy choice of what to do when the browser
enters an older world whose server doesn't provide the info.

They could make the browser try to read a file called avatar_config.dat
from your OP path though. It doesn't exist on older OPs, so if it doesn't
exist, they can go ahead and do what they do now.

If said file does exist, it could contain a list of names of files
associated with
particular worlds such that the browser could determine if it was in one of
the worlds listed, and load the appropriate files. If the user is in none of
the
listed worlds, then it would fall back to loading the avatars.dat as it does
now, and using 'terrain' as the prefix for the terrain textures.

An alternative would be to extend the capabilities within the existing
avatars.dat file format to allow each avatar listed to have a list of worlds
it may appear in. This would be a very ugly way to do it, but it would be
better than nothing, although it doesn't at all address the issue of all the
terrain texture names being the same.

Another alternative would simply be to pre-pend the world name in
front of the filename with an underscore and just try to read that file
first... i.e. look for cwlab_avatars.dat first, and try to load
cwlab_terrainXX.jpg. This is a bit ugly too.. an actual configuration
file would be much more preferable.

Many of the things that would make life easier for OP path hosters and
people trying to make dynamic content based on server side scripting
could be done without having to expose GUI based methods to set up
and control them. There is no built in GUI based mechanism for editing
the avatars.dat file for example, so the precedent has already been set
for controlling aspects of your world via a text file on your OP path
with no GUI tools for doing so provided in the browser.

In addition to not requiring GUI tools for such things, the *world*
server would not need to keep track of this information. I suspect
that AW is loathe to do anything with the world server code and
protocols, and I don't blame them. Changing the way that works
should not be treated lightly, but adding additional text files to your
OP path to control some new features should be a pretty simple
and safe way to go about some things.

> sorry
> So how would the mutlipath deal with the avatar.zips? Man im being a
pain..

news:3f209886 at server1.Activeworlds.com...
[View Quote] <note the use of "sandwich" posting>

Aug 3, 2003, 1:37pm

"mold release agent"

[View Quote]

Aug 26, 2003, 1:59am

Whatever someone ends up convincing you to use, just don't put your
credit card numbers on it, and don't let it play with your other computers
if you have any.

I didn't know they had a KF Server... if it's anything like their chicken it
sounds tasty. Don't go near the MacServer... it can serve billions, but
you probably want to have some idea what they're actually being
served.

[View Quote]

Aug 30, 2003, 4:52pm

Does he mention proof by "while you twits were arguing
around the blackboard I built one and it works"?

:-)

PS - "it's now patented"!

[View Quote]

Sep 21, 2003, 2:51am

There is far too much tension in these newsgroups, so I thought
I would do my little part to try to help out.

I have hired a masseuse and a masseur to give everyone a massage...

Helga... Benito... do your stuff....

WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA
WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA
WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA
WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA
WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA
WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA
WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA
WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA
WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA
WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA WHAPPA

There.. now doesn't everyone feel better?

Oct 16, 2003, 3:31pm

A lot of world owners are very eager to see everyone using 3.4 when you
demonstrate that some if it's features can go a long way toward deterring
other worlds from leeching from your object path.

[View Quote]

Oct 19, 2003, 3:13pm

You've actually uploaded the .cob file

It may even be sitting in your cache if you put the wrong kind there and
then
wrote the right kind on top after.

Rename the model (add a 0 at the end or something) and redo the translation
in Accutrans, and make sure that it's really the .rwx file you upload.

Alternatively, just use the .cob model directly (put it in a .zip of
course), and in
the build dialog make sure you put object.cob as it's name.

[View Quote]

Oct 31, 2003, 11:18am

Since the 'float' depends on what you set your 'don't let the framerate
go below ??', why not try setting your desired framerate very high.

Also, why not look into using the Settings->Advanced->Local Path
feature so that the browser will look for objects on your local hard
disk before trying to get them from your actual HTTP server. If
you are willing to do what you are doing backing up your cache,
using the "Local Path" option is definitely what you should do
instead.

Finally, if your object path is serving objects out through a PHP script,
there is a pretty good chance that no matter what you do, objects will
be downloaded every time you go into your world. This isn't AW's
fault.. it's the server and script's fault.

[View Quote]

Nov 30, 2003, 11:21am

Wait in line until one is empty, then put a quarter in the door and
enter.

Don't forget to flush!

[View Quote]

Dec 5, 2003, 2:46pm

The teleport mechanism is not documented anywhere.

Send email to support at activeworlds.com

They will give you the same info they gave me a while ago.

Essentially, it's a MIME type and a file association in your Windows
registry that allows you to invoke the browser and send it a DDX
message telling it where you want it to go.

The DDX message could actually be used from any windows app
to send you somewhere, and you can even create little text files with
teleport targets in them and just double click them from your desktop
to go to a specific place.

Since it's not documented though, it's not really official. I stopped
wasting time on it because the email from their support essentially said
that it's 'unsupported'.

The mechanism also does not work in other Universes. It can be made
to work, but as said.. it's an unsupported feature. Why spend time on
something when the company that made it doesn't even support it?

I guess they are happy enough that it works for them in their own worlds
in their own Universe.... like the "Search" tab in AW and no other universe.

[View Quote]

Dec 6, 2003, 1:05am

This tells you how to get your browser to invoke AWorlds and take you
to a certain place in AW when you go to this particular server.

This does not tell you how to teleport someone to somewhere in your own
world using your own server.

For this you need to know what is actually inside a MIME attachment of
type application/x-activeworld, and I don't think that information is
documented anywhere.

And when you figure out how it works, you realize that it will only work
for the main Active Worlds Universe without a lot of manual fiddling
around and/or creating additional MIME types for each universe.

[View Quote]

Dec 5, 2003, 2:49pm

Amidst all the griping (of which I am certainly guilty), it's nice to hear
something positive about what they are doing.

Very encouraging to hear them assisting Universe owners like that.

[View Quote]

Dec 8, 2003, 9:57pm

In a surprise move that stunned the industry and left Borland
representatives
slack jawed. M$ announced it will sidestep the virus with a scopeless
language.

"It's really just the logical extension of the .NET framework" said Mike
Tiggins,
chief architect at the software giants computer language research division.
"Our
research has shown that lining up brackets is what gives people the most
trouble
so we remeoved them from the language entirely"

Gone also is the position dependence of code. Every line in a Visual C+-
(pronounced Visual C give or take a little) can be positioned anywhere in
the code without affecting the programs operation.

"People always remember code they should have put somewhere well after
they have moved to another section of the program. Now they can just
type in the appropriate source as they remember it and we'll move it to
where
we think it should go"

Programmers will not be the only ones to enjoy the benefits of Visual C+-.
Users as well will find it easier to use programs created with the new set
of tools slated to ship early in the new year.

"Users complain about having to learn new tools with each application. Using
our tools guarantees that your app looks exactly the same as any other
app, so users will quickly learn how to invoke the spell checking function"

When asked about applications in which a spell checking function makes no
sense, the spokesperson declined to answer and called a quick end to the
press conference.

[View Quote]

Dec 9, 2003, 4:16am

[View Quote] I invoked my internal AppWizard.. answered some simple questions.. and
out it came.

Of course it's all BS just like an AppWizard framework. If you look closely
it's not real.

Dec 15, 2003, 6:04am

You can't use that as an excuse if you *intentionally* break
it just to avoid cleaning....

[View Quote]

Dec 19, 2003, 9:47am

[View Quote] Even truck drivers have the courtesy to either eat at truck stops
where the rules are a little looser or to watch their language when
they eat at a 'family' restaurant.

Find a bunch of truck drivers, and then curse out some child in front
of them and see if they don't take you aside and educate you about
the 'rules' of swearing....

I was not raised with a 'strict Catholic upbringing'. Cross me the
wrong way and profanity can come out of my mouth that would
make a truck driver blush. If you overheard me when I'm alone and
working on something, you'd wonder if it wasn't Andrew Dice Clay
sometimes.

But when I'm in a public place like AWGate, I watch my language.

It's called 'common courtesy'. It's a form of respect.

Going into AWGate and hassling the GK's is disrespectful. I have
no respect for any of you who do it. You have 1000 worlds to hang
out in and do whatever you want. The only reason for you to hang out
in the gate is to flaunt your disrespect, and it's BS to say that you've
tried hanging out in other worlds but they are empty.

Maybe they are empty because people don't *want* to hang out
with a bunch of disrespectful people.

Maybe not everyone *wants* to swear.. even if they are not
Catholic.

It's possible to hang at the gate and have fun, and even have some
fun joking around *with* the GK's. Note that I said *with* them
and not *at* them.

GK's are people and all people deserve respect. I suspect a lot of
you who don't believe that will learn it when you get your first
job at McDonalds, and people start to treat you like a piece of
shit simply because you are wearing a particular uniform and
you say "would you like fries with that" a lot.

Dec 19, 2003, 3:43pm

Too late.. Brock is on your side now.. so all of you are wrong.

[View Quote]

Dec 20, 2003, 1:39am

Actually Rossyboy.. you have the right idea with what you're
saying here.

AW is a business, and they are trying to be a place where people
with many different levels of tolerance for language and discussion
topics can hang out.

It only makes sense to rank those tolerance levels from least
tolerant to most tolerant, and to have the people who have not
chosen yet's first experience be the least 'risky' place.

People who can tolerate foul language or sensitive discussion
topics can certainly also tolerate the lack of foul language or
sensitive topics, so there shouldn't be a problem if they enter
and don't see a lot of swearing or rude behaviour. You know
as well as I do that they won't have to look far to find it.

But you can't bring people who might be offended by that kind
of thing in to a place where it will be happening and then tell
them to go somewhere else. It just won't work.

So what you are saying is the most sensible thing to do, and
if you are the new leader at vwtv, then I don't think you'll
have too tough a time turning it into a great VR station. You
seem to have the ability to think clearly, and you seem to be
able to see the other persons side of an issue. If you ever want
to be a journalist, then both of those abilties are vital.


[View Quote]

Dec 20, 2003, 1:41am

[View Quote] BTW - sorry I forgot to put a smiley on that. I was being sarcastic.

[View Quote]

Dec 20, 2003, 9:57pm

Yes.... sorry.. excuse me if it oozes out of every pore once in a
while.

[View Quote]

Dec 20, 2003, 9:58pm

Aha!!

I've been looking for that angst for days. I need to make some angst
pudding to put out for Santa on XMas eve

[View Quote]

Dec 20, 2003, 11:14pm

[View Quote] At least the marketing weenies had the sense to make him
remove the "impregnate virgin" button.

Dec 18, 2003, 12:29am

Not reading anything... just replying.... just passing through...

[View Quote]

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