Method for importing real-time data into SL

This is something along the lines of the recent "SLIP" proposal but would be quite a bit simpler for LL to implement and would provide a lot of the same functionality without the security risk.

What I propose is *some* way to pipe text from the outside into SL. This could take many forms, here are a few options:

1. A function that retrieves the text that is returned from a certain URL. For example, I could put a text file on my webserver, and llGetHttp(www.mywebserver.com/file.txt) would retrieve the text.

2. A full system to read and parse RSS feeds. This is essentially #1, with some XML-like stuff added in.

3. Some sort of special stream system, whereby you can connect an object to a text stream server that runs on someone's computer. The server would have all the extensibility, whereby a user could pipe the output of something into the stream server, which would then be fed to the in-game client.

Perhaps there are more and better ways to do this, but that's just a few. To start with, I'd propose #1 because it would take minimal effort on LL's part and would provide a lot of the functionality we need. A full-on network system like the "SLIP" thread would be nice, but I think we need to walk before we can run. Perhaps if a simpler model is successful, LL would be more inclined to take on the more complex option at a later date.

Feel free to reply not just with better ways to do this but also with possible uses. I have the feeling that the chance of getting something like this implemented is dependent on a large number of creative uses - so let's tell LL what we could do "if only"...

Of course, there's always llGetNextEmail()...

If it worked...

llGetNextEmail has too high a latency (potential latencies of several days!) for many uses.

I like this idea, especially the simplicity of recieving raw text via HTTP.

I'm not asking for HTML or XML or parsing of any type.

Just give me (at the very least) the first 4096 bytes of text that comes back from an HTTP request.

This would have two great benefits:

- Our request itself can push data out to the RL world (by using urlencoded CGI arguments)

- Our request can pull real data into the SL world.

This would go a long way toward realizing the "metaverse" direction that SL is headed in.

Currently we are living on a deserted island, separated from the rest of the world, with only the ability to throw a message in a bottle (llEmail) which may eventually get picked up and handled.

I've had similar ideas.

I think RSS is a good solution for short updates, but I think it is best to set up as a manual pull mechanism (llGetRSS( "url" ) and an on_rss event). It's easy enough to set a timer up around this.


Another standards based route is WebServices. Better yet, but not as common, are GridServices, which are just a stateful variant of web services. See:
http://www.globus.org/ogsa/


Meek