I am seeing lots of forums around where people is complaining about content theft, and complaining that it is hurting the SL economy.
Then, while sipping on my whisky, and smoking my cigar on the porch of my house in front of the lake, looking down at my brand new red 2010 camaro by the pool, I was wondering:
How much can someone make out of SL these days?
One dollar is about 260 lindens, so I was doing a quick calculation here:
To pay the bills, pay the rent and feed the kids in real life, one should be making at least one million lindens month in Second Life. Is that possible? Is any of you willing to share your experiences on this field? Any thoughts about this?
Friday, October 30, 2009
Should I release the source code?
Well ... the thing is written in C#, so think about it: the source code is already there, for everyone to see.
If you don't know what I am talking about, just visit this page: http://www.red-gate.com/products/reflector/
It is a small standalone free application that will allow you to reverse engineer the source code of MyProxy, to the flavour you want, C#, VB, Delphi, whatever you prefer.
I am amazed by this software, and I bet you will have much more fun taking my source code off the executable with it than getting it in a lame .RAR file.
If you don't know what I am talking about, just visit this page: http://www.red-gate.com/products/reflector/
It is a small standalone free application that will allow you to reverse engineer the source code of MyProxy, to the flavour you want, C#, VB, Delphi, whatever you prefer.
I am amazed by this software, and I bet you will have much more fun taking my source code off the executable with it than getting it in a lame .RAR file.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Version 2.10 is out
The only difference between this version and 2.09 is that this one has been converted to a Windows Forms based application, so it is easier now to copy/paste stuff from the console window to the viewer.
Download it here: http://www.4shared.com/file/144368245/6879d4be/MyProxy210.html
(Still no E.T.A. to publicly release the source code, but I can provide it to whoever wants to help the development.)
Download it here: http://www.4shared.com/file/144368245/6879d4be/MyProxy210.html
(Still no E.T.A. to publicly release the source code, but I can provide it to whoever wants to help the development.)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
On Proxies and Quantum Mechanics
OK, here's a quick how-to on using MyProxy.
MyProxy is based on the proxy code from LibOpenMetaverse (formerly known as LibSecondLife), so all of the command line parameters are the same. Even though you don't need any of them for regular use.
Step 01: Download the latest version of MyProxy, then extract the .RAR file in any folder you select.
Step 02: Start MyProxy by double clicking on the executable. It will load, and present the following screen:
Step 03: Create a shortcut for your SecondLife viewer of choice, then change the "Target" field, by adding "--loginuri http://127.0.0.1:8080/" at the end of it. It will look like this:
Step 04: Log in to your viewer as you normally would, the proxy will reflect your log-in information, the screen will look like this:
Step 05: Once you're in the viewer, just type "/help" and you will get a list of the available commands. If you type a command name followed by the keyword "help", like in "/consoleonly help", the proxy will present a more detailed help on that command. So you're good to go.
Everything that the proxy "says" to you will show up also on the proxy's console. So you can disable the text on the viewer using the "consoleonly" command, to prevent clutter on the viewer's screen.
If you use a viewer which allows doing that, change the default local chat channel on the chat-bar from zero to something else (any number will do), to prevent a proxy command to go inadvertently onto the local chat due to a typo, people may get upset that you're using such tool.
Anything you make backups of will end up on the folder you started the proxy from, so once you have finished your session, just go there and check it out.
I recommend going to a calm and quiet place, not a sandbox, but a place that would allow rezzing objects, so you can test out some commands, before going into the "wild".
If you guys need more specific explanation on one specific command, just ask here on this post comments. I'll do my best to explain.
Also, use this blog as a forum to report any bug you find, or any misbehavior the proxy is presenting.
Also: (VERY VERY IMPORTANT) be aware that this proxy was created with the sole purpose of allowing people to back up and restore their own stuff (yeah, right), so don't go on a demo shopping spree or replicating people around, as this is wrong, and your mom may send you upstairs without diner by doing that.
If you do that (and get caught, of course), the guys at Linden Labs will come, lock out your avatar, steal your lindens, auction your inventory, spank your dog AND bang your mom.
(I think I made this scary enough)
Cheers,
The Borg.
PS.: Oh, I forgot to talk about the Quantum Mechanics ... maybe on a next post.
MyProxy is based on the proxy code from LibOpenMetaverse (formerly known as LibSecondLife), so all of the command line parameters are the same. Even though you don't need any of them for regular use.
Step 01: Download the latest version of MyProxy, then extract the .RAR file in any folder you select.
Step 02: Start MyProxy by double clicking on the executable. It will load, and present the following screen:
Step 03: Create a shortcut for your SecondLife viewer of choice, then change the "Target" field, by adding "--loginuri http://127.0.0.1:8080/" at the end of it. It will look like this:
Step 04: Log in to your viewer as you normally would, the proxy will reflect your log-in information, the screen will look like this:
Step 05: Once you're in the viewer, just type "/help" and you will get a list of the available commands. If you type a command name followed by the keyword "help", like in "/consoleonly help", the proxy will present a more detailed help on that command. So you're good to go.
Everything that the proxy "says" to you will show up also on the proxy's console. So you can disable the text on the viewer using the "consoleonly" command, to prevent clutter on the viewer's screen.
If you use a viewer which allows doing that, change the default local chat channel on the chat-bar from zero to something else (any number will do), to prevent a proxy command to go inadvertently onto the local chat due to a typo, people may get upset that you're using such tool.
Anything you make backups of will end up on the folder you started the proxy from, so once you have finished your session, just go there and check it out.
I recommend going to a calm and quiet place, not a sandbox, but a place that would allow rezzing objects, so you can test out some commands, before going into the "wild".
If you guys need more specific explanation on one specific command, just ask here on this post comments. I'll do my best to explain.
Also, use this blog as a forum to report any bug you find, or any misbehavior the proxy is presenting.
Also: (VERY VERY IMPORTANT) be aware that this proxy was created with the sole purpose of allowing people to back up and restore their own stuff (yeah, right), so don't go on a demo shopping spree or replicating people around, as this is wrong, and your mom may send you upstairs without diner by doing that.
If you do that (and get caught, of course), the guys at Linden Labs will come, lock out your avatar, steal your lindens, auction your inventory, spank your dog AND bang your mom.
(I think I made this scary enough)
Cheers,
The Borg.
PS.: Oh, I forgot to talk about the Quantum Mechanics ... maybe on a next post.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Update 2.09
Ok, there's a change on the version numbering. I want to have some room for improvement before I reach version 3.0, so I decided to turn 2.9 into 2.09.
No reason to get confused... just go after 2.09 here: http://www.4shared.com/file/143933121/40d51ce1/MyProxy209.html as this is the latest one (so far).
Changes on this version:
. Did some cleaning on the code, getting ready to release the source at some point in the future (I will not have closed versions of my proxy, what you have is what I have, and it will be open source as soon as I clear the mess I make when I code something).
. Took out some unnecessary messages on the console when exporting objects.
. Tried to make copying of self shape, skin and such work, however only self shape is working fine. Other assets may or may not work.
No reason to get confused... just go after 2.09 here: http://www.4shared.com/file/143933121/40d51ce1/MyProxy209.html as this is the latest one (so far).
Changes on this version:
. Did some cleaning on the code, getting ready to release the source at some point in the future (I will not have closed versions of my proxy, what you have is what I have, and it will be open source as soon as I clear the mess I make when I code something).
. Took out some unnecessary messages on the console when exporting objects.
. Tried to make copying of self shape, skin and such work, however only self shape is working fine. Other assets may or may not work.
Update 2.8
Fixed the shape backup, and also some other stuff related to self appearance.
New version is at: http://www.4shared.com/file/143673707/9bdbb3f1/MyProxy28.html
Enjoy. And please share your comments.
Cheers,
The Borg.
New version is at: http://www.4shared.com/file/143673707/9bdbb3f1/MyProxy28.html
Enjoy. And please share your comments.
Cheers,
The Borg.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
MyProxy SL Proxy
Hello there.
Version 2.7 of MyProxy is released. On this version I have corrected exporting of sculpts with the "mirror" and "inverse" options on.
The first publicly released version was 2.6.
Whoever is interested, can get a copy of MyProxy at http://www.4shared.com/file/143434620/13d41195/MyProxy27.html
This proxy is loaded with features, and is very useful when backing up things to move to OpenSim for example.
I will be giving out more details about it here soon. Just waiting for the blog to "start moving", as it is pretty much stale now.
Cheers.
Version 2.7 of MyProxy is released. On this version I have corrected exporting of sculpts with the "mirror" and "inverse" options on.
The first publicly released version was 2.6.
Whoever is interested, can get a copy of MyProxy at http://www.4shared.com/file/143434620/13d41195/MyProxy27.html
This proxy is loaded with features, and is very useful when backing up things to move to OpenSim for example.
I will be giving out more details about it here soon. Just waiting for the blog to "start moving", as it is pretty much stale now.
Cheers.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Are CopyBots real?
People keep asking me this question, so the answer is: yes!
There are some ripping tools around, some will exploit the client side of the connections, some will exploit the data stream itself (proxies) and some rely on bugs (or vulnerabilities) on the server side.
Some of these tools are detectable (that's good), and some are not (uh oh, that's bad).
OK ... let me rephrase this: Some of these tools are detectable (that's bad), and some are not (yay, that's good). Does it sound better for you now?
The fact is that, whatever you viewer needs to draw: be it Avatars, Objects, Particle Systems, Animations ... anything that you will see or hear through the network ... must be transferred to you from the servers, and thus can be decoded, saved and duplicated.
You can even duplicate the topology of a land you like, and use that on your own land, if you have one, so you don't have to teleport around to climb that mountain, or sit under that tree.
So in theory, anything you see can be yours, for no charge (and that is what scares the hell out of some content builders).
What is not going to be yours? the scripts inside those objects. For example: you can duplicate someones jewel with a bling script on it, or someones glasses with auto-shading behavior, but you will end up only with a copy of the objects, the bling and the auto-shading behavior will be gone, as the scripts will not be copied.
In fact, the particle system of an object (the bling, for example) can be extracted and reverse-engineered into a LSL script, but if you see someone using a cloth, weapon, or any other thing that would have a script on it, it is unlikely (unless someone can prove me wrong) that you will be able to rip out a copy of that script. However, if you have a script on your inventory that's "no modify", there's a chance that exploring some bug you would be able to full-perm that one, but I'm still to see someone post a way to do it.
So copypots do exist, in different sizes and shapes, and no prim is safe in the virtual world (now you can go outside and scream in terror).
The only thing is that, by using a copybot (without being careful), you can get banned from SecondLife, and have your avatar account disabled by LL, believe me, it happened to me, and with around L$7000 on my avatar account (what's that worth? 20 bucks? lol).
One nice measure against copybotting skins I saw lately comes from some viewers that do "Cloth Protection".
It basically blends all the layers together onto the baked textures, so if you want to steal that specific skin, you must take all the clothes (wearables, not prims) with it, then you will always have to be wearing the same stuff ... which renders that skin useless.
So if you cherish that skin you got yourself for L$0 on a freebies store, and is exactly the same as the one that sells for L$500 on another store, just use the "Cloth Protection" thing and you will be fine.
There are some ripping tools around, some will exploit the client side of the connections, some will exploit the data stream itself (proxies) and some rely on bugs (or vulnerabilities) on the server side.
Some of these tools are detectable (that's good), and some are not (uh oh, that's bad).
OK ... let me rephrase this: Some of these tools are detectable (that's bad), and some are not (yay, that's good). Does it sound better for you now?
The fact is that, whatever you viewer needs to draw: be it Avatars, Objects, Particle Systems, Animations ... anything that you will see or hear through the network ... must be transferred to you from the servers, and thus can be decoded, saved and duplicated.
You can even duplicate the topology of a land you like, and use that on your own land, if you have one, so you don't have to teleport around to climb that mountain, or sit under that tree.
So in theory, anything you see can be yours, for no charge (and that is what scares the hell out of some content builders).
What is not going to be yours? the scripts inside those objects. For example: you can duplicate someones jewel with a bling script on it, or someones glasses with auto-shading behavior, but you will end up only with a copy of the objects, the bling and the auto-shading behavior will be gone, as the scripts will not be copied.
In fact, the particle system of an object (the bling, for example) can be extracted and reverse-engineered into a LSL script, but if you see someone using a cloth, weapon, or any other thing that would have a script on it, it is unlikely (unless someone can prove me wrong) that you will be able to rip out a copy of that script. However, if you have a script on your inventory that's "no modify", there's a chance that exploring some bug you would be able to full-perm that one, but I'm still to see someone post a way to do it.
So copypots do exist, in different sizes and shapes, and no prim is safe in the virtual world (now you can go outside and scream in terror).
The only thing is that, by using a copybot (without being careful), you can get banned from SecondLife, and have your avatar account disabled by LL, believe me, it happened to me, and with around L$7000 on my avatar account (what's that worth? 20 bucks? lol).
One nice measure against copybotting skins I saw lately comes from some viewers that do "Cloth Protection".
It basically blends all the layers together onto the baked textures, so if you want to steal that specific skin, you must take all the clothes (wearables, not prims) with it, then you will always have to be wearing the same stuff ... which renders that skin useless.
So if you cherish that skin you got yourself for L$0 on a freebies store, and is exactly the same as the one that sells for L$500 on another store, just use the "Cloth Protection" thing and you will be fine.
Who is the borg?
Hi folks,
After all these years using SecondLife (and all the disabled and blocked avatars) I have decided to share some information with you, and also learn from you as well, because this is how we evolve, by constantly learning from each other.
Let me introduce myself: I am a 42 years old programmer, with more than 20 years experience with different programming languages. Even LSL. So, no kiddo-hacker here.
I am not of native English language, so do expect some language mistakes, even though I will try to keep the posts as readable as possible.
I do code for a living, but when I have free time (which doesn't happen often) I code for fun, and lately I have had LOTS of fun coding with LibOpenMetaverse (formerly known as LibSecondLife).
And before someone asks: no, I am not mad at LL, I am not trying to destroy SecondLife's economy, I am not going to write a copybot for you, I am just coding for fun (and for the lulz of course).
So, I decided to create this blog to share information about this project (LibOpenMetaverse) and what can be achieved with it.
Also to share ideas, concepts and opinions about the virtual worlds, like SecondLife, OpenSim and others.
So, feel free to ask, share, comment, collaborate.
Be aware that I will only update this blog from time to time, when I have free time, and when I am not coding. So don't worry if takes some time to see new stuff here. But I will try to keep it updated at least on a weekly basis.
Cheers,
The Borg.
(because Resistance is Futile)
After all these years using SecondLife (and all the disabled and blocked avatars) I have decided to share some information with you, and also learn from you as well, because this is how we evolve, by constantly learning from each other.
Let me introduce myself: I am a 42 years old programmer, with more than 20 years experience with different programming languages. Even LSL. So, no kiddo-hacker here.
I am not of native English language, so do expect some language mistakes, even though I will try to keep the posts as readable as possible.
I do code for a living, but when I have free time (which doesn't happen often) I code for fun, and lately I have had LOTS of fun coding with LibOpenMetaverse (formerly known as LibSecondLife).
And before someone asks: no, I am not mad at LL, I am not trying to destroy SecondLife's economy, I am not going to write a copybot for you, I am just coding for fun (and for the lulz of course).
So, I decided to create this blog to share information about this project (LibOpenMetaverse) and what can be achieved with it.
Also to share ideas, concepts and opinions about the virtual worlds, like SecondLife, OpenSim and others.
So, feel free to ask, share, comment, collaborate.
Be aware that I will only update this blog from time to time, when I have free time, and when I am not coding. So don't worry if takes some time to see new stuff here. But I will try to keep it updated at least on a weekly basis.
Cheers,
The Borg.
(because Resistance is Futile)
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