About kicking 'dead' bots
 

about the "dead" bots ( wasnt there a separated thread somewhere ?! ) ... since we just had the prob in the irc that a lot of ppl came there since they had problems with IVP bot and some guys were already pissed off because they didnt want to reply to such questions any more, I decided to start this thread ( or better to continue the old one, but looks like I'm blind or it doesnt exist ... )

So my suggestion would be, to add some rule our constitution. somewhat like we ask a bot developer who looks to be inactive all the way what he wants to be done about this situation. if the developer doesnt answer at all, my idea would be to remove that bot site from the link row above, but still host the site, maybe with a frame in top of the whole site which declares that this site is 'dead' and it's only still hosted, but that noone here can give any support. So we could keep up some sort of "bot history", but we don't have to host files ( might come in handy if we might ever run out of traffic, and this ivp bot stuff downloads for example are using the most traffic of our downloads ) ...

at least we have to state it clear that those sites are just hosted, nothing more. if ppl in irc get annoyed because of frequent questions about dead and maybe more or less unkown bots where nobody knows anything about it, this doesnt look good, our "reputation" might get damaged ...

dunno, just a thought

Re: About kicking 'dead' bots
 

I agree with everything said here.

Todo:
- write the draft for this rule
- add a poll to this thread
- ask other councilors to validate it (ask the users what they think in the same time)

If a good soul would mind to write the draft and add the poll, that would be great :) /me would not prefer to do it myself right now, I'm very busy until next weekend... thx :)

Re: About kicking 'dead' bots
 

Well, I like to write, so I pounded this draft out for review. It deals with more than just "dead bots", but it's all related stuff and I think should be kept together.

Note: I have not done a detailed proof read, or even spell checked it.

Forum and Website Hosting
=========================

Joining Bots United
-------------------
If you have developed a functional bot, or bot related tool of some significance, and you wish to have a forum and/or Website hosted at Bots United, the first step is to let us know who you are, and tell us what you have created. The best place for introductions is in the Agrora forum. The Agora is where Bots United conducts almost all of its business, and every member is free to join in on the discussions.

Please note that Bots United is only interested in hosting original material, therefore your creation must be your own original work, rather than a patch job, or modification to an existing open source bot template. The originality requirement is not black and white, and modifications to an existing bot may be accepted as original material provided the modifications result in a bot that differs significantly from the original and/or is a big improvement. We are also interested in bots that have been ported to a different game engine provided the port provides the bot community with something new and unique.

If Bots United looks like a good fit for your bot creation and you want to join in on all the fun as a hosted developer, you must post a formal request to join in the Agora with a public poll (yes/no). As soon as a majority of council members vote 'yes', your request will of been granted. You'll be contacted by one of our server administrators who will assist you with the installation of your website and your forum. A ftp/CVS/mail account and other services will be installed as required if resources permit.

There some rules to Observe
---------------------------
Hosted developers must be present often (e.g., at least once or twice a week), and you must moderate your forum yourself if one was provided. As a moderator you must agree to, and abid by all the guidlines set forth in the Forum Board Rules of Conduct (FBRC).

LINK: http://www.bots-united.com/member-rules.html

In general, you are expected to always be kind and helpful to all the other members, and be cooperative with the other bot authors. Of course there should be no abuse of the provided services (e.g., forum, web space, bandwidth, email accounts) or the hosting and moderator privilages will be withdrawn.

The design of your website will be completely up to you, however a nice website template is available on request.

You are free to do anything you can think of to generate interest for your bot (or bot related creation), provided that your hosted webpages and forum remain dedicated to your bot creation, and that you observe all rules as set forth in the FBRC.

As a moderator, you'll have access to the moderators' forum where you can take part in mundane technical discussions about maintaining the server. Take note that discussions in the moderators forum are rare, and most of our talks are expected to take place in The Agora, which is open to the public.

Moderators also have the potential of joining the Bots United Council which is tasked with the overall governance of The Bots United organization. See Bots United Council for more details.

LINK: http://www.bots-united.com/council-rules.html

Removal of Hosting Privilages
-----------------------------
If a hosted member can no longer provide sufficient attention to their hosted website or forum (for any reason), then the hosting privilages may be withdrawn. If a hosted member intends to become inactive for a lengthy period of time, or perhaps forever, you are expected to inform the council members of your departure so that proper arrangements can be made to deal with it.

Should a hosted member depart for extended periods of time without giving notice, control over the site and forum will pass on to the Bots United Council, and a decision will be made with what to do about it. If attempts to reach the owner to not succeed, then the site may be modified into a read-only mode and archived as a reference, or removed entirely.

Re: About kicking 'dead' bots
 

Looks good to me. =) I think this is pretty clear in general. The question now is whether to determine certain deadlines concerning the removal of a "dead" bot and whether to make the forums read-only or delete them altogether.

Re: About kicking 'dead' bots
 

I think each case will be different. For example, if the owner does not just disappear entirely, the site may be passed on to someone else with his/her permission. In the case where the owner vanishes without a trace, the site may be placed on ice in an archive, but only if there's enough interest to warrant keeping it around, or perhaps some other decision will be made under some unique circumstance that we cannot foresee.

I the case of a vanishing act, I suggest that at most a 3 month waiting period be placed on the site, and that 3 separate attempts be made to contact the owner. One by last known email addr or email addrs if more than one, another by a public post in the owners forum, and the third by a PM.

Re: About kicking 'dead' bots
 

Yes, that sounds reasonable. In case of doubt, we can always ask ppl if they would like to have the stuff concerning the "dead" bot kept up for reference somewhere, or if they would rather just try a different bot and let the Council remove the site and the forum.

Re: About kicking 'dead' bots
 

FYI all, I've put a notification in the IvPBot and E[POD]bot forums that these bots are orphaned bots, so that the users are aware that they are visiting a dead bot forum and so they can be easily pointed towards the available replacements.

Even MarD cannot seem to contact LightNinja, so at least him looks gone for good anyway.

Re: About kicking 'dead' bots
 

news from server side: we have the easy ability to limit resources soft and hard now, i did implement hard quota and soft traffic limits (the former is for safety the latter for "other" reasons).

questions ? ask !

-- viel spass am geraet

Re: About kicking 'dead' bots
 

Resurrecting this thread now since it's time to finish the discussion and agree on the draft.

Several things happened, E[POD]bot has resurrected from its grave and other bot authors joined us recently.

I'm adding a poll to this thread to validate what botmeister said, after that if it's approved it will be added to the www pages along with the council and member rules (this of course when the server will be repaired, which shouldn't be long now).

**** EDIT ****

STUPID ME! the draft has already been accepted with another vote. I just forgot it.
Well what is needed is just to put it into shape and add it to the front page. :)