Cool VL Viewer forum
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Display names support
http://sldev.free.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=399
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Author:  Henri Beauchamp [ 2010-11-20 20:00:41 ]
Post subject:  Display names support

Starting with today's v1.25.0.14 release, the Cool VL Viewer supports display names, although in a voluntarily limited way (display names can only be a nuisance in the Inspect and Object Properties tools, for example, since someone could try and fake someone's true avatar name with a display name).

With this first version (others will follow), the following is implemented/supported:
  • You can choose how the display names are used: either disabled entirely (only "legacy names" are displayed and new residents appear as "<TheirUserNameHere> Resident"), or displayed as "Display Name [Legacy Name]", or entirely enabled (only the display names showing). Note that when an avatar doesn't have a display name, only their legacy name is displayed, whatever the setting.
  • The display names are used (when enabled) for the avatar names bubbles, for the avatar tooltips (including for the tooltips of the dots in the mini-map), in the local chat and in the avatar profiles (note that in the latter, display names are always followed with the [legacy name]: this is on purpose, of course).
  • You can change and reset your display name from the Display Name floater (open it via the "Edit" -> "Display Name..." menu item).

The future versions will extend the use of display names to IMs, friends list and radar (perhaps with independent configuration settings depending on what solutions I'll find to keep the UI clean and coherent).

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR NEW RESIDENTS:: to log in with the Cool VL Viewer (or any v1 or v2.0 to v2.2 viewers), you must put your registration name (user name) in the input box for the "Firstname" and "Resident" in the input box for the "Lastname", on the login screen.

Author:  Lance Corrimal [ 2010-11-21 12:35:12 ]
Post subject:  Re: Display names support

Henri Beauchamp wrote:
The future versions will extend the use of display names to IMs, friends list and radar (perhaps with independent configuration settings depending on what solutions I'll find to keep the UI clean and coherent).



how does this sound:

- when display names are off they are off everywhere
- if the user configured "only display names, no user names", its only display names everywhere (this should come with a warning or such), maybe the places where money gets involved should have the legacy name someplace nonetheless...
- if the user picks "Display Name [Legacy Name]", that choice should extend to IMs as well (Why should IM and local chat be different?), and another choice gets enabled, "Behaviour in lists" which lets them choose between three options, "Display Name [Legacy Name]", "Display Name (Legacy Name as hovertip)" and "Legacy Name (Displayname as hovertip)"...

Author:  Henri Beauchamp [ 2010-11-21 18:51:32 ]
Post subject:  Re: Display names support

Lance Corrimal wrote:
Henri Beauchamp wrote:
The future versions will extend the use of display names to IMs, friends list and radar (perhaps with independent configuration settings depending on what solutions I'll find to keep the UI clean and coherent).

how does this sound:

- when display names are off they are off everywhere
This is already the case and will not be changed.

Quote:
- if the user configured "only display names, no user names", its only display names everywhere (this should come with a warning or such), maybe the places where money gets involved should have the legacy name someplace nonetheless...
No, *not* everywhere ! I already coded the viewer so that legacy names are *always* presented in the Profile floater, whatever the setting, and things such as money transfers don't have anything to deal with (or benefit from) display names (which can even be dangerous: imagine someone using your Legacy name as a display name...). This is a step I will *not* take in the Cool VL Viewer: money transfers, inventory offers, inspect and object properties floaters, about land floater, mute list, etc will all retain the legacy name as the only identifier, since it's the thing that will never change for any giiven avatar in SL (when display names can change every week).

Quote:
- if the user picks "Display Name [Legacy Name]", that choice should extend to IMs as well (Why should IM and local chat be different?),
The only usefulness of display names is to be able to change it for RP purpose (so that your avatar can have a name matching your exact wish for a given RP), but even there, it fails short for people like me, who can RP in half a dozen of different RPs (with different storyline and avatar appearance) with the same avatar in the same day (and since you can change the display name only once a week, it's pretty useless !).

<ranting mode>
In fact, the reason why LL implemented display names is just because they think that they will get more users registering to SL if the registration form only got one box to fill in with a username of their choice... LL forgot two things: since there is only one field for the username (instead of two fields with legacy names, one for the first name and another for the last name), the potential new residents that were giving up before with the old registration process will still give up on the new registration form after entering a few variations of a username (try registering "John", and you'll see if it's not taken already...). They also forgot that if a person is not willing to spend some time to fill up the registration form, they will not bother with SL either and will give up after the first login never to come back again (the learning curve for the viewer and world features in general is much more demanding than the effort to fill up a simple form with two fields for the avatar name...).
The very damaging result of this very stupid idea of some pretty ignorant and illogical person (or group of persons) in LL's staff, is that now you will have John1234 and John1324 on the grid, and good luck to distinguish them from their username !...
Another problem is that people won't be happy with IRC-like names in SL, and that's why LL made out the whole idea of display names, also arguing that people always wanted to be able to change their name (when the actual need was to be able to choose whatever lastname you want when registering a new avatar, like you can do on almost all OpenSim grids)...
</ranting mode>

In any case, IMs and chat are *not* the same thing, especially for role-players, but also in groups and for friends: display names can eventually be useful in chat, for RP purpose, and for the poor new John1234 Resident (so that they get a decent avatar name), but since display names can change at the whim of the avatar owner, and since IMs are most often used for "serious" stuff, you (or at least *I*) need to be able to keep things clearer and stable for the identifier of the person you communicate with.
However, there might be cases where you might want to use only the display names in IMs (for example when you must switch to IMs to RP with John1234 Resident and want to see him as John Doe while RPing in the IM window). That is why I am currently planning on using the same logic as for profiles for IMs (and friends list), i.e. to show the legacy name in all cases, but also plan on adding a small check box so to switch the setting of a specific IM window to display name only. I'm still not decided about the friends list (eiher still showing the legacy name in tooltips, or allowing to switch the NAme column back and forth between legacy names and display names with a check box ?...).

Quote:
and another choice gets enabled, "Behaviour in lists" which lets them choose between three options, "Display Name [Legacy Name]", "Display Name (Legacy Name as hovertip)" and "Legacy Name (Displayname as hovertip)"...
Not sure I will implement this either: the reason for the choice of the "Display Name [Legacy Name]" format is that parenthesis are already used for "Display Name (user.name)" (reminder: display name can be whatever, legacy name is Henri Beauchamp, user name is henri.beauchamp) and also, in avatar names bubbles, for the Away/Busy indicators. Also, when you enable display names, it's only logical to show them first (especially with the new residents who will have little choice but to use display names), and only the legacy name between brackets as a mean of trusted identification (invariable identifier)...

Things are not yet settled, so I may still change my mind on this, but it's what I came up with so far...

Author:  Lance Corrimal [ 2010-11-21 20:11:21 ]
Post subject:  Re: Display names support

you have a bunch of pretty good points there.


one small "but":


I see only one actual use for display names. And it's not anywhere close to roleplay (who plays one rp per week anyways, like you said as well...)

Right after my wife and me got married in SL and again later when we tied the same knot IRL we asked the lindens if she could change her avie name... And in such a case you'd want the "new name" everywhere, or in at least as many places as possible.

putting that aside, I pretty much see the whole display name thing pretty similar to the way you do...

Author:  Henri Beauchamp [ 2010-11-28 10:43:16 ]
Post subject:  Re: Display names support

In today's release (v1.25.0.15), display names are also implemented for:
  • The "active speakers" panels (such as the panel showing in the chat history when you click on the "<<" button).
  • The IM windows title.

In both cases, as soon as the display names are enabled in the viewer, both the display name and legacy name are shown (like for the Profile window).

Note that in v1.25.0.15, the radar was also expanded to implement display names support (this time with the same convention as for the chat and avatar name bubbles and tooltips, i.e. you may disable completely the legacy name in the radar).

More will follow in future releases.

Author:  Henri Beauchamp [ 2010-12-10 16:04:42 ]
Post subject:  Re: Display names support

In today's release (v1.25.0.17), display names are also implemented for:
  • The IM panels posts (same convention as for chat, and I kept (as soon as display names are enabled) the full "Display Name [Legacy Name]" format for the title of the private IMs panels).
  • The Friends list floater.
  • The friends-related notifications (such as online/offline notifications), with the full "Display Name [Legacy Name]" format when display names are enabled and the notification deals with security-sensitive stuff (like allowing to modify your objects).
You may however choose to force legacy name usage for Friends related stuff (friends list and notifications) whatever the display name setting you chose (the corresponding setting can be changed in the Preferences floater, "Cool features" tab, "Chat/IM" sub-tab) since it might prove difficult (and hardly interesting) to track your friends' display name changes.

Note that in v1.25.0.17, the HighlightPostsWithOwnName feature was also expanded to implement display names support (allowing to highlight others' posts containing your display name), and RestrainedLove's @shownames feature was also made display names aware (meaning it can filter out display names from censored system messages/notifications when @shownames=n is in force).

Since display names load asynchronously, the friends list might not show them immediately: I added some code so that closing and reopening it forces a refresh of the friends list (and thus of their name).

Author:  Henri Beauchamp [ 2010-12-24 16:49:15 ]
Post subject:  Re: Display names support

In today's release (v1.25.0.18):
  • Display names support was added to the "New IM" panel of the IM floater (with the same rules as for the Friends floater).
  • A new settings ("Never display 'Resident' as the last name in legacy names", in "Preferences" floater, "Cool features" tab, "Chat/IM" sub-tab) was added.

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