XML-RPC or bust!

"Security compramising features that are applied retroactively should never be opt-out. "

In general, sure, but when you do something as wildly crazy as not to enable key technologies in QA environments you need to make an exception.

Besides, there are a limited # of people who would be effected. Give them ample notice and if they do not make the changes then it's their problem.

True words blaze. These mechanisms, which are going to be hit hard, absolutely need to be tested.

However, LL's model has often been to test things out in prime time. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they forego pleasing the scripters (as they have before) in favor of testing the SL bread 'n butter...standing around and chatting. Overall XMLRPC is probably on the "lunatic fringe" feature list so may not be perceived as warranting the time at this point.

I've got high hopes for 1.6, just wish they would release more info and turn on the features so you all could do more than just load test the grid servers.

Is SLExchange, GOM, and SecondServer .. lunatic fringe?

Perhaps!

Apparently it's not possible to enable XML-RPC on the preview grid.



I'd be curious as to why it's not possible. You'd think a one line sentence explanation would be reasonable, but maybe I'm not FIC enough for the Lindens.

You'd think that given all the problems that SL has they'd want us to test their software to the limit.

But clearly this doesn't seem that important?

I just don't understand. If I was having quality issues with my software and I had users *begging* to help test, I would be happier than heck to make it easy for them to help test.

I have over 5000 lines of code which would test the following if xml rpc was enabled

- message passing (via llSay)
- item rezzing / and de rezzing (ghost testing)
- xml communication
- object moving

All en-masse in a way that would stress test the system. But LL is blocking me from doing so by not enabling these sub-components of their system.

Also, I *regularly* hear complaints about how unstable the LL email system is. From people like Adam, Nexus Nash and the GOM people, and yet they're not here asking to be able to further stress test the preview grid to make sure it works.

Do we not care that this works?

LL, if you're constantly going to be putting out fires in 1.6 because these things don't get tested in preview - how are you going to have time to help people with real problems, like messed up video cards and what not?

I guess all I can hope is that the XML-RPC problem is a really big one, like a software licensing cost or a huge investment in order to fix. I don't see it, but I guess it's possible.

As a wild guess, I'd say the reason they can't turn on XML-RPC is that they've only got one backend server set up for it.

It must be fun working at LL. You work hard all day facing advanced technical problems with a futuristic system, and amongst your customers you don't have a friend in the world...

You miss the point.

We are trying to help them.

I was always very annoyed at all the people who whined about 1.5 when most likely probably only 2% of them actually jumped in the preview and stress tested it.

So, I told myself: when the next major update came through I'd try to help test a lot to make sure if there were problems it wouldn't be because I didn't try to help test.

Now I'm trying to help test and I can't.

Hell, we have people whining about llEmail in the technical issues forum, and they are arguing with me that we shouldn't test it in preview?

Does something about this situation not seem a little non sequitur?

Well I think as much as you think they're messing up they're doing their best and working hard... I'd say, no matter how annoyed you get you should endeavour to play nice...

Well, they need to leverage the community!

Let us help. We are dying to help! Even if it is just QA!

And at what point was I not nice?

We have tested Email and XML-RPC internally.

We have been talking about enabling limited XML-RPC on preview, but not outbound email for the preview. Long term we want to enable outbound email as well as XML-RPC for the preview. However, the problem is we need to enable this in a way that makes it super very clear to those that use the system that they can identify that a message is coming to and from preview vs. the live grid. Until we can solve that problem and make everyone very aware of this we cannot take the risk of enabling Email/XML-RPC.

Chris

XML-RPC would have a seperate, preview URL. What needs to be done there in order to 'secure' it?

if llEmail isn't enabled, then XML-RPC is completely safe.

Also, it's not just XMl-RPC that needs to be tested but also the fact that some of us have all our software which revolves around XML-RPC and without it, we'd need to refactor it just so we can test on preview.

need: llIsPreview()