@osAvatarName2Key usage restrictions

[Virtouse Lilienthal]

Hi,

I would like to know what makes osAvatarName2Key so bad that it cannot be generally used anymore?
This new restriction affects the usage of my products for Kitely users in a very bad way.
There's no alternative to lookup the key of an Avatar but using this function. Unlike Secondlife there are no out-of-world databases which could be queried.

I just happened to stumble across this in some 'Oh btw we just restricted the usage of some useful OSSL functions' blog post.

I'd like to hear at least a proper reasoning why this is so bad. I wouldn't mind a proper alternative, which does not immediately return. e.g. some kind of dataserver reply would be working for me just fine.
Also you could rate limit the function if this is the problem. Make it sleep some time, whatever, but I really do need this functionality.

Thanks.

[Graham Mills]

URL?

...
I just happened to stumble across this in some 'Oh btw we just restricted the usage of some useful OSSL functions' blog post.
...

[Virtouse Lilienthal]

URL?
...

https://www.kitely.com/virtual-world-ne ... her-grids/

[Virtouse Lilienthal]

Just to make it clear: I know that world managers still can use `osAvatarName2Key` however that is very restrictive.
And I am also quite surprised that osMessageObject falls under that category. It's anyway only working in the same region and seems somehow better to me than channels or llRegionSayTo. But well what can you do...

[Ilan Tochner]

Hi Virtouse,

The changes in osAvatarName2Key's threat level were made in the OpenSim 0.8.2 development branch and Kitely adopted them when we upgrade to that OpenSim version. These are not Kitely specific changes, they were just rolled out here sooner than on grids that are still running earlier OpenSim versions. These changes were originally made in the core version of OpenSim, because members of the OpenSim core developers group have come to consider some functions to be more dangerous than previously thought. We chose to accept these changes in order to maintain security and compatibility with other grids that are using the latest version of OpenSim.

You can see the updated list of the current permissions required to run the various OSSL functions here:
https://www.kitely.com/virtual-world-ne ... functions/

[Virtouse Lilienthal]

Hi Virtouse,

The changes in osAvatarName2Key's threat level were made in the OpenSim 0.8.2 development branch and Kitely adopted them when we upgrade to that OpenSim version. These are not Kitely specific changes, they were just rolled out here sooner than on grids that are still running earlier OpenSim versions. These changes were originally made in the core version of OpenSim, because members of the OpenSim core developers group have come to consider some functions to be more dangerous than previously thought. We chose to accept these changes in order to maintain security and compatibility with other grids that are using the latest version of OpenSim.

You can see the updated list of the current permissions required to run the various OSSL functions here:
https://www.kitely.com/virtual-world-ne ... functions/

I know very much of this list, and I just disagree with the classification of those two functions in particular, however I do care most for osAvatarName2Key, because this decision is destructive. Not only for this grid, but for all grids if they are adapting it. If you're not willing to change it, I will have to put a disclaimer for products that are using it and are Kitely that they can only be used by Kitely World Managers only and put into the other products that use it, said disclaimer as well.
This just will kill my sales completely.

As for other grids, the ones having my products will have at the very least osAvatarName2Key enabled for everyone, that's something I can predict you.

[Ilan Tochner]

Regardless of Kitely'sl assessment of how dangerous these functions are, the function threat level changes were made in the OpenSim 0.8.2 development branch and aren't likely to be changed by grid owners once they upgrade to OpenSim 0.8.2. I would therefore recommend that you work around these restrictions if you want to maximize your customer base. Most of your products' potential buyers are not likely to be able to change them.

[Virtouse Lilienthal]

Regardless of Kitely'sl assessment of how dangerous these functions are, the function threat level changes were made in the OpenSim 0.8.2 development branch and aren't likely to be changed by grid owners once they upgrade to OpenSim 0.8.2.

The threat level of osAvatarName2Key has not changed since it's inception in 2009. Those new overrides aren't threat level changes they are individual restrictions now.

I would therefore recommend that you work around these restrictions if you want to maximize your customer base. Most of your products' potential buyers are not likely to be able to change them.

... Well call me ignorant. But I don't care, if the grid owners aren't complying with it, I blame them. To be honest, I rather stop selling my products on those grids than having to remove the ability to lookup an avatar's key.

Because this is an usability nightmare to ask for the UUID...

[Ilan Tochner]

I recommend you look at the OpenSim developers mailing list to see what we think of these changes. We weren't the ones pushing for them. However, due to Kitely Market's central role for the OpenSim ecosystem, once they were made we felt it was important that products that work in Kitely will also work when delivered to other grids running the default OpenSim OSSL function settings.