Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:28 pm
Web Interface Systems
I'll add a lot more to this later but for now I found something really cool last night... eyeOS, a LAMP based OS-like CMS. Its in beta, FOSS, extremely slow, but functions like a basic OS. Not many programming available for it but thats slowly changing. I don't really care for the theme but otherwise I think it would be great for creating a web based Openlancer IDE. Bad news is it includes some java, which means I'd have to learn java since I'll probably be the one working on it, although the demo site didn't cause JVM to load so I'm not sure how much java is in there.
This also got me thinking about creating a standardized OS style interface for computer terminals in Openlancer. Since we have to create a interface for them anyway, why not make it seem like an OS. In time this can be extended to include different OS's for different factions. If its done right the players might actually yap about how they like one OS over another. If we create a Linux based Live CD then we could create a heavily customized theme for each mock OS and allow the user to pick which ever one they want to use.
As with adding more OS's in time, we can also add networks, a simulated internet, access to the real internet, and a set of hacking interfaces (I'm sure someone saw that coming). The hacking interfaces should look pretty ugly with lots of generated data that can actually be used to find and exploit weaknesses in the system's security. Lane Hackers could be come just Hackers. This would have little real impact on system load, wouldn't take very long to develop, and could be a neat and useful feature if properly implemented. Possible interface could include good old command line, bots, virii, worms, trojans, boxes, “neural interface” for “visual hacking” (maybe), and various hacking programs characters would have to find, buy, steal, or possibly develop themselves via Neural Net Programs. If we used some real stuff in there like IPv6, actual exploit tactics, and a character OS account system susceptible to brute for attacks with certain boxes. Other practices like spying, pseudo-forensics, key loggers, “social engineering”, and finding PDA's with account information, could also be used. The massively overused and at this point lame use of NPC's just leaving their username/password on a “datacube”, note, unprotected email, or really anywhere else should be avoided. There are lots of other options here.
Other website stuff...
I was thinking it might be nice to add a back end for blogs, so people can export a select part or most/all of their Neural Net data to their personal blog automatically. Most of the popular blog systems have well documented API's for software tools so thats not really a big problem but the ones that lack such API's won't be supported unless someone writes something specific for that blog.
I can develop a Firefox extension to pull data from the Openlancer Master (global) and MP servers so players can stay up to data on whats happening. Basically RSS feeds with some extra stuff tacked on. I'm not messing with any other browsers though and certainly not IE.
I'll add more stuff later. Most/all of the web stuff in the first framework still applies so we'll have a lot of good stuff. Key to it is just supporting existing data systems and developing stuff a few API's and a couple CMS's. That eyeOS will be pretty cool when its finished, I can certainly see writing some stuff for that, both for Openlancer and myself.
Sometimes I just feel like I have to add a glossery even though you can certainly look any of these terms up or just ask.
LAMP = Linux Apache, MySQL, PHP as a standardized platform for websites.
OS = operating system, e.g. windows, Linux, BSD, etc...
CMS = content management system for websites.
FOSS = free open source software
IDE = integrated development environment for creating program code or something general content.
JVM = java virtual machine, its required to run java applets and is normally loaded by a web browser to run web based applets.
Live CD = bootable OS on a CD, DVD, flash memory, or other portable media.
Boxes = Back in the "good old days" people would build boxes to assist with gaining access to different systems ranging from security to phone systems to pay phones (free calls and drop the change return, I miss that one) to ATM's to some computers.
IPv6 = The next version of the Internet Protocol, it uses larger hexadecimal addresses, we're currently using IPv4 and I hope everyone knows what that looks like (e.g. IP addresses are x.x.x.x where x = a number between 1 and 254).
Social Engineering = Is normally tricking people into giving the hacker the information they want, such as a username/password, but is now considered to include more direct means like bribery, threats, interrogation, and more violent means of extracting information.
</public service crap>
-Burn
"Only the dead have seen the end of war"-Plato
This also got me thinking about creating a standardized OS style interface for computer terminals in Openlancer. Since we have to create a interface for them anyway, why not make it seem like an OS. In time this can be extended to include different OS's for different factions. If its done right the players might actually yap about how they like one OS over another. If we create a Linux based Live CD then we could create a heavily customized theme for each mock OS and allow the user to pick which ever one they want to use.
As with adding more OS's in time, we can also add networks, a simulated internet, access to the real internet, and a set of hacking interfaces (I'm sure someone saw that coming). The hacking interfaces should look pretty ugly with lots of generated data that can actually be used to find and exploit weaknesses in the system's security. Lane Hackers could be come just Hackers. This would have little real impact on system load, wouldn't take very long to develop, and could be a neat and useful feature if properly implemented. Possible interface could include good old command line, bots, virii, worms, trojans, boxes, “neural interface” for “visual hacking” (maybe), and various hacking programs characters would have to find, buy, steal, or possibly develop themselves via Neural Net Programs. If we used some real stuff in there like IPv6, actual exploit tactics, and a character OS account system susceptible to brute for attacks with certain boxes. Other practices like spying, pseudo-forensics, key loggers, “social engineering”, and finding PDA's with account information, could also be used. The massively overused and at this point lame use of NPC's just leaving their username/password on a “datacube”, note, unprotected email, or really anywhere else should be avoided. There are lots of other options here.
Other website stuff...
I was thinking it might be nice to add a back end for blogs, so people can export a select part or most/all of their Neural Net data to their personal blog automatically. Most of the popular blog systems have well documented API's for software tools so thats not really a big problem but the ones that lack such API's won't be supported unless someone writes something specific for that blog.
I can develop a Firefox extension to pull data from the Openlancer Master (global) and MP servers so players can stay up to data on whats happening. Basically RSS feeds with some extra stuff tacked on. I'm not messing with any other browsers though and certainly not IE.
I'll add more stuff later. Most/all of the web stuff in the first framework still applies so we'll have a lot of good stuff. Key to it is just supporting existing data systems and developing stuff a few API's and a couple CMS's. That eyeOS will be pretty cool when its finished, I can certainly see writing some stuff for that, both for Openlancer and myself.
Sometimes I just feel like I have to add a glossery even though you can certainly look any of these terms up or just ask.
LAMP = Linux Apache, MySQL, PHP as a standardized platform for websites.
OS = operating system, e.g. windows, Linux, BSD, etc...
CMS = content management system for websites.
FOSS = free open source software
IDE = integrated development environment for creating program code or something general content.
JVM = java virtual machine, its required to run java applets and is normally loaded by a web browser to run web based applets.
Live CD = bootable OS on a CD, DVD, flash memory, or other portable media.
Boxes = Back in the "good old days" people would build boxes to assist with gaining access to different systems ranging from security to phone systems to pay phones (free calls and drop the change return, I miss that one) to ATM's to some computers.
IPv6 = The next version of the Internet Protocol, it uses larger hexadecimal addresses, we're currently using IPv4 and I hope everyone knows what that looks like (e.g. IP addresses are x.x.x.x where x = a number between 1 and 254).
Social Engineering = Is normally tricking people into giving the hacker the information they want, such as a username/password, but is now considered to include more direct means like bribery, threats, interrogation, and more violent means of extracting information.
</public service crap>
-Burn
"Only the dead have seen the end of war"-Plato
