[OpenVerse] Search Spider

[Andy Goth <andygoth@vetec.com>]

Remember my search spider idea?  I have some more questions and musings
about it.

It was mentioned that servers don't give out lists of names.  If not, then
how does the client know who is in the room?  Obviously names aren't kept
secret.  So it shouldn't be much trouble for a search spider to compile a
list of names for itself... the client already does it for the Names menu.

Room exits are trickier.  I don't know whether or not the client has a list
of exits since I know nothing of the OV protocol (I'd better read up on
it.).  But with a /roominfo command (or an /exits) command that lists exits
this would be no problem.  Objects that cause exits also need to be dealt
with.

I've been thinking... spiders can do more than search for people.  A spider
could also index the whole OpenVerse world.  It could merely find how many
servers are up, or it could put them all in the passageways menu.  It might
also download all the room images to speed up manual exploration.

Speaking of passageways, do you guys think that the passgeways menu can
also be made hierarchial like the avatars menu will be?  I only use it so
that I can get to the living room quickly, so no es importante a mi, pero
tus might find el interestante.  Wow... language shifts... how strange...

Spiders won't be very useful if room connections continue to take as long
as they do now.  For me, it's often twenty seconds even if I have every
avatar and room image downloaded.  What happens during this connection
period?

And of course there is the issue of people not wanting to be found.  Hiding
might be accomplished by changing names, but then all it would take to find
their true identity would be a whois.  And there's no way to hide IP
addresses... I guess it's impossible to hide other than logging off or
going to a room that isn't in the same web of rooms that the searcher is
on.

Ack... I've been trying to connect to the Internet for three hours, but
I've been coming up with nothing but busy signals.  I sincerely doubt that
my ISP is actually busy.  It's more likely that they're having other
problems.  Obviously, if you are reading this, they got over them
eventually.

Un

+-------------------------------------*
| +---------------------------------+
| | Andy Goth    andygoth@vetec.com |
+-| "And then the Windows failed--" |-+
  |               [Emily Dickinson] | |
  +---------------------------------+ |
*-------------------------------------+
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