Repbot

[zobell]

Repbot is not useful to me.  

Having played on FIBS since close to the beginning, my observation is that outright droppers are few and far between.  A small number still exist, but once burned, I stay away from them.  My best guideline is to engage in games with players with more than 1000 experience points.  That may be unfair to beginners (and we were all there once!), but it certainly reduces the delays and the drops encountered when your opponent is not facile with FIBS.

[burper]

You're extending "I played a match successfully with this person once", to, "I trust this person's judgment."  I don't think that's a valid leap.

You're extending that into "I'm only ever going to play one match and depend on that outcome forever".
That's certainly not valid.

[don]

As far as FIBS rules are concerned, Patti should enforce them when they are broken.  I admit I'd like to see these rules listed somewhere.

RepBot was an attempt at filling a hole not provided by FIBS, has *some* value and has shortcomings that were discussed years ago.

I would like to encourage a *list* of the rules of FIBS.  Where is it?  Does Patti enforce it?  But Patti is not being unreasonable in the case of RepBot contacts and having to put up with them.  Burper is in antagonistic mode these years, sigh.  He's capable of a contribution when he's less oriented to his own ego, as is Patti.

--
don

[don]

In fact, I'm a little surprised that Patti would start a conversation like this about her "problems" with a FIBS' program when she can't seem to enforce the first rule of FIBS:  no racism.

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don

[Tomawaky]

I can't understand people who want repbot go.
It's only a feature available at fibs.

Those who want to use it, do.
The other, don't.

So what is the matter to keep it or not.

Sure this bot must stay
And sure people who don't like it, must ignore it.

It's the same thing as people who keep complaining about Fibs and keep playing.

Isn't some king of masochism ?


Personnaly I used repbot only to have info about saved games and sometimes I look at people who vounch or complain about players. It's help me sometimes to confirm my mind.
So yes for people who don't understand the way repbot works, it can be some confuse.
That's not enough for me to ban Repbot.

[don]

Tomawaky:

You are a contributor to FIBS.

I don't think you understand the way RepBot is used to "10K" new users who fall a'foul of some old jaded users.

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don

[adamosad]

The friends command sounds really good. I used to get the list of a candidate opponent. Now it is even easier that before.

A solution for Patti is to ignore all the multi-accounts that are related to repbot and just copy paste the link of this topic to the people who emails her.

Now if Patti has a problem with communication, then I think Webrunnerââ,¬â,,¢s suggestion can work. He can create a mailbox for repbot.

Finally about the misunderstanding of all the new users: We can create a new topic here and explain them how the bot works. This post can be pinned by Socksey or webrunner. The programmer can enter a simple message after each Repbot reply which will contain the link to that new topic, so all fibs users can read about its ââ,¬Å"hiddenââ,¬Â usage and get the unbiased results.

Finally all who dislikes repbot can ignore it. We can not destroy a bot which someone spend a lot of time to write it; a bot which gives a lot of useful info that we can not get from any other source only because we are forced to do some extra work. (Expesially when there is a solution which can lower that work and gives to the bot the opportunity to contunue serving our community)  
 

[gammboy]

In fact, I'm a little surprised that Patti would start a conversation like this about her "problems" with a FIBS' program when she can't seem to enforce the first rule of FIBS:  no racism.

Don - what I think you don't understand is that Patti does not need to concern herself with petty matters, like what YOU might consider rules violations, or what I might consider repbot abuse.  Her task is to keep the server running, and to do so without significant load on herself.  She does so for free, and does an exemplary job if you ask me.  Her task does NOT involve babysitting.

Without putting words in her mouth, her modus operandi is clear to me: "I will run and maintain the server for free.  I reserve the right to squash anything or anyone that causes me grief.  I get to decide what those things are.  This is not a democracy.  If you don't like it, there are other backgammon servers on the net."

If you want a full time moderator and babysitter, I would imagine there would be a salary involved for that individual.  I would rather gag people I find offensive and keep Fibs free myself.

GB

[webrunner]

The friends command sounds really good. I used to get the list of a candidate opponent. Now it is even easier that before.

A solution for Patti is to ignore all the multi-accounts that are related to repbot and just copy paste the link of this topic to the people who emails her.

Now if Patti has a problem with communication, then I think Webrunnerââ,¬â,,¢s suggestion can work. He can create a mailbox for repbot.

Finally about the misunderstanding of all the new users: We can create a new topic here and explain them how the bot works. This post can be pinned by Socksey or webrunner. The programmer can enter a simple message after each Repbot reply which will contain the link to that new topic, so all fibs users can read about its ââ,¬Å"hiddenââ,¬Â usage and get the unbiased results.

Finally all who dislikes repbot can ignore it. We can not destroy a bot which someone spend a lot of time to write it; a bot which gives a lot of useful info that we can not get from any other source only because we are forced to do some extra work. (Expesially when there is a solution which can lower that work and gives to the bot the opportunity to contunue serving our community)

 

[Patti]

adamosad,

People are NOT going to go trot off to some webpage to get more information, for the most part.  They're just going to see something that happened on RepBot and ###### to me.  Building a bot interface into clients has made it worse, since more people just think RepBot is part of the FIBS service.

And copying-and-pasting a link into email is the same amount of work for me as giving them any other canned response.  One of my goals is to reduce the number of complaints I get.


And thanks, gammboy.  Honestly, Don is just trying to derail the discussion with his own pet peeve. I'd recommend that everyone just ignore him.

[adrian]

I give up!

I will donate some money for the person who can replace repbot with something that can show the number of saved matches of a player, without the hassle of  opening a web page, search within it and count.

Plug it out.

[hss]

I will donate some money for the person who can replace repbot with something that can show the number of saved matches ..

How much is some money?
2 cents?
2 Euros?

[gammboy]

I will donate some money for the person who can replace repbot with something that can show the number of saved matches of a player, without the hassle of opening a web page, search within it and count.

Give your money to the 3DFibs author.  It already does that automatically.

GB

[boomslang]

A way to have a look at the saved games of the player that just invited you, would be that the client of the inviter literally tells you the result of a 'show saved' command.

Suppose I have 2 saved games and the result of my 'show saved' looks like

 opponent         matchlength   score (your points first)
 PLAYER_B                   5              2 -  0
 PLAYER_C                unlimited         0 -  0

(The latter can be ommited because it doesnt say anything about me being a dropper or not.)

If I invite PLAYER_A to a 3 point match, my client could -- right after sending the invite -- do a

  'tell PLAYER_A boomslang has 1 unfinished game with PLAYER_B'

or just

  'tell PLAYER_A boomslang has 1 unfinished game.'

The show saved command can be done after each whoinfo message or just after each invite sent.

I do know that it requires some work for the client programmers and that the show saved command can be cumbersome to parse because you don't know exactly when it is finised displaying.  Maybe adrians money can persuade the cthulhus and tucsonAZs in this world ;-)

[adrian]

@gammboy : 3dFibs does that for now, by "ask"ing Repbot. How about in the future, when there won`t be a repbot ? That was my point , hope it`s clearer now.

@boomslang : That was a good and  documented answer. TY

[webrunner]

@gammboy : 3dFibs does that for now, by "ask"ing Repbot. How about in the future, when there won`t be a repbot ? That was my point , hope it`s clearer now.

@boomslang : That was a good and  documented answer. TY

Actually, 3DFibs gets the saved games list from Fibs and parses that....

[diane]

Does this mean that feature will still work, even if repbot is absent?  And can I set a programmable button in javafibs to check the saved in the same way ( if I ever get my head around all that ) to replace my current repbot look ups?
Sorry if i am asking you to state the pbvious - but none of this is obvious to me - honest!  

I think it is time to get serious about contigency plans - I think Patti means it this time....
The main deal being the actual system work - deleting accounts rather than answering whiney emails - which cant be passed on in the same way emails can.

[diane]

I just don't see the sense of the complaining and vouching.
SHOW THE NUMBER OF SAVED GAMES AND LET PEOPLE JUDGE FOR THEMSELVES IF THEY WANT TO PLAY THE PERSON.
That's my 2 cents.

This does tickle me - although you are wonderful maria - this does expose the biggest inconsistency of all.  One time I noted that you had complained about a dropper - when i asked about why the break from usual form - you replied - ahh this dropper dropped my freind.....  
So it seems you do actually agree with the idea of repbot after all - you just dont consider most of fibs to be your friends...I can sympathise with that...

[adrian]

Actually, 3DFibs gets the saved games list from Fibs and parses that....

Then "some money" will go to Solomon.

[socksey]

Patti,

I have just received an answer from Avi.  Apparently he has placed his own email for contact info for Repbot now.  That will address at least one of your concerns and may in itself end most of your emails concerning Repbot.

Maria,

why can't you just overlook the rep and only look at the saves information Repbot gives?  

i've never used repbot as a weapon or a popularity contest.  i've only used it to vouch for players who lose to me and don't drop and to complain to it if i am truely dropped.  i think this is true of most players.  i know who the players are who abuse repbot, you included, so i look to the listing for that.  if a players saved games do not correspond with the rep, i look at the list to see who complained on that person.  that almost always tells me if it is really a dropper or not.  

i will give you one exception.  i complained once on someone who had dropped a friend.  i then later removed the complaint.

i have been admonished by a friend for vouching for someone at least once, but i didn't remove my vouch.  i've tried to be completely honest about my complaints and vouches.  it would be nice if everyone would, then we might not be having this discussion.

socksey  




"Dissent is the highest form of patriotism." - Thomas Jefferson