Libsl vs copybot

From libopenmetaverse - libomv - Developer Wiki

libsecondlife overview

The libsl project is an open source effort to create a stable platform for third-party Second Life development. Since its inception, libsl has helped Linden Lab identify many potentially serious vulnerabilities, before they were detected and exploited by malicious users. It continues in these efforts to this day, reporting any potential bugs and security issues to Linden Labs once they are confirmed and reproduced. Linden Lab appreciates the effort being put into the Metaverse ideals by the libsecondlife development team, and have assisted the group when possible.

There are many potential uses for the libSL project. The project itself is geared towards creating an API that any programmer could make use of for their own application. Possible uses include

• light weight, more efficient clients
  • Image:Clouds is a shot of clouds from one such client
  • Image:Sceneviewer is a shot from another one
  • Dedicated chat client such as SLChat
• Import / Export or backup tools
  • Would allow content creators to develop their work in other applications such as Blender or Maya
  • Would allow for off-world backup of their intellectual property, or the ability to make use of it in other environments -- this is of particular concern due to inventory hiccups
• Client-side plugins
  • Alternative Controls such as joysticks
  • Teledildonics
  • Accessability (text-to-speech)
• Testing of the Second Life platform
  • LL is already making use of libSL internally to facilitate sim unit-testing
• NPC style "bots"
  • Intelligent greeters
  • FAQ / Support systems

About Copybot

Copybot was created as a debugging tool by the development team. It became rapidly apparent that it could be used to show the potential of the libsecondlife project. The official Copybot application required a user to ask to be copied, and presented a disclaimer before it occurred. The libSL project has since tightened its source control system to lessen the potential for abuse of debugging applications.

Open Source software is a double edged sword. In the case of a project like libsecondlife, it enables new imaginative uses of the Second Life platform, as well as providing a valuable service by finding and reporting potentially dangerous security issues before an incident occurs. The other side is that people can make use of the software provided for less noble causes. The libsecondlife team does not endorse the theft of intellectual property in any way shape or form. Linden Lab has declared that they take intellectual property rights and copyright law seriously, and are considering several methods to help combat misuse. As well, the libsecondlife project could potentially evolve into a tool which could help detect and report upon users who are misusing intellectual property.

Copybot acts similar to the official Second Life client. The difference being that instead of drawing the information being presented, it is "reflecting" it back down the connection to the server. Primitive-based attachments are reconstructed, and attached. This information is freely available on the Second Life protocol stream, it is just being made use of in a different manner. Similar functionality has been available via LSL scripting as well as GLintercept based tools for some time now.

What the Official Copybot Could / Could not do

Note that you would have to ask Copybot to do this, and a disclaimer would be presented.

• Could
  • Make use of existing baked avatar textures
  • Make use of existing avatar shapes
  • Rebuild avatar attachments and attach them
    • These are purged upon boot / daily
  • On occasion crash Simulators
    • This is a simulator bug, and has been reported -- a good example of libsecondlife helping uncover a hidden problem that could have exploited to wreck the grid
• Could not
  • Copy contents of objects
    • Includes scripts
  • Cause any damage to the SL official Viewer, simulators, or any content.
    • This includes client-side hardware