| Delta Virtual Airlines Water Cooler | Airline Operations |
Fleet Installer musing |
DVA043
Senior Captain, MD-11
OLP
Joined on June 10 2001
Event Half Century Club
Online Double Century Club
50 State Club
DVA Twenty-Year Anniversary
Everett 1500 Club
Bi-Millennium Club
Four Million Mile Club
"Col. Panic"
Marietta, GA
2,347 legs, 9,466.0 hours
240 legs,
553.9 hours online
2,005 legs,
8,259.1 hours ACARS
75 legs,
196.3 hours event
2,383 legs, 9,600.9 hours total
91 legs dispatched, 66.4
hours
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Posted onPost created on
August 06 2004 18:12 ET by Luke Kolin
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As many of you are aware, I am in the process of working with the DVA staff to provide a new version of our Fleet Installers. My goals are two-fold: first, I want to provide our pilots with more varied and better textures. Second, I'm updating the common installer code to be more robust and flexible. It's this second area I'd like to get some feedback from you on.
I've received extensive feedback regarding problems with our installers detecting MSFS install locations. I'm presently working with a few of our pilots to ensure that the installers can reliably detect what you have installed and if you've got a valid copy of Flight Simulator, to install. The whole purpose of these utilities is to eliminate the hassle of ZIP files and folder manipulation.
The next improvement in our installers is the ability to save sound packages in the same folder as the installer itself. Many of our sound packages are in the range of 4-8MB in size, a not inconsequential download even with broadband. My "download server" when I run an installer has only switched 100 megabit Ethernet between it and my computer, so downloading isn't a hassle for me. For everyone else, on the other hand.....
The next, and incomplete, change to the installers relates to personal information. I'm curious if I could make two changes. First, the installers have the ability to send your system information to DVA. Right now, I get these specs linked with an ID such as 62ETM3, but no names or pilot IDs. I'm wondering, could I give you the option to submit your name/ID along with your system information? If you run into problems, I can easily get a handle on your system specs and get a feel for what is going on. I would of course retain the checkbox that allows you to "opt-out" of sending this information, and I have no ulterior motives for this information. To be honest, right now I don't look at it or extract any statistical information out of it.
The last change I'm considering for the installers involves requiring authentication to run them. You'd simply provide your user name and web site password, and if they validate you'd be allowed to install. Right now, there's not a huge reason why I'd want do this, but I'm interested in down the road placing restrictions on the installers. Perhaps at some point I might try to arrange a "site license" with a shareware/payware panel designer, and part of the conditions of that license would be that a) only registered DVA users could install the panel, and b) only 30 active users could have it installed at one time. Basically, to enforce such an agreement the installer would need to query my web server to determine if installation was permitted.
Do you have an internet connection active when you run the installers? Would this requirement be onerous? Would you be willing to support such a requirement only in the case of a restricted package, but not for general freeware installers? I'd like to get a feel for what folks are thinking.
Cheers!
Luke KolinSenior Captain, MD-11
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DVA1044
Senior Captain, B767-300
Joined on January 12 2003
Century Club
"Fly Delta Jets"
Roswell, NM USA
127 legs, 388.8 hours
62 legs,
199.3 hours online
2 legs,
5.2 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
August 06 2004 18:14 ET by Lloyd Arms
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I have no problems with any of your suggestions Luke 
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DVA953
Senior Captain, B737-800
E-MAIL
Joined on November 17 2002
50 State Club
Double Century Club
Online Double Century Club
"V1 means V1..."
West Lafayette, IN USA
214 legs, 376.8 hours
211 legs,
373.0 hours online
117 legs,
223.6 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
August 06 2004 18:19 ET by James Brickell
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I have Cable, so my internet connection is on all the time. I have no problems with these restrictions, since you don't eat kittens for breakfast. Good thing Matt Young doesn't do the installers though..
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DVA950
Senior Captain, B737-800
Joined on November 19 2002
Online Quadruple Century Club
Millennium Club
Million Mile Club
Events Double Century Club
DVA Twenty-Year Anniversary
"Houston, We have a Problem"
Nazareth, PA USA
1,210 legs, 2,875.1 hours
1,147 legs,
2,716.7 hours online
886 legs,
1,977.2 hours ACARS
206 legs,
484.9 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
August 06 2004 19:50 ET by Anthony Piasecki
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Luke, That would be an interesting Idea , Hooking up wIth a payware/shareware Coperative. Locking out the installers would allow only Dva Members to access the site, which in whole give the creators peice of mind that they are doing for the good of DVA, and not everyone in the Cyberworld, unless of course the authors wish to publicy post there creation, that would be simply up to them.
As far as tracking goes, I got nothing to hide on my machine, this is my gaming machine, and for the fact of tracking the usage, that should be a TOS agreement, when you join up with DVA, heck , everyone out there in the FS community is doing it now, AVSIM, Vatsim, and so forth. My blessings to you.
Anthony PiaseckiSenior Captain, B737-800
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DVA1271
Senior Captain, MD-11
Joined on June 27 2003
Double Century Club
Central America
234 legs, 910.2 hours
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Posted onPost created on
August 06 2004 19:59 ET by Rolando Alvarado-Scott
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i say go ahead with it.. i'v got nothing to hide.. :o]
but actually they are great suggestions.. if you already know the system specs and a few other things about their computers you could help better solve problems with the planes and other stuff.. great ideas..
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DVA1320
Senior Captain, B777-200
COMM
Joined on August 29 2003
Online Six Century Club
DVA Ten-Year Anniversary
Everett Millennium Club
Flying Colonel
Three Million Mile Club
Arlington, VA USA
1,752 legs, 7,042.0 hours
610 legs,
2,627.6 hours online
272 legs,
966.9 hours ACARS
5 legs,
12.2 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
August 06 2004 20:37 ET by Daniel Ward
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| All looks fine to me, except one question. Since we already have to use web identification to get to the PILOT CENTER where the fleet is located, why would you need another level of identification? Not a criticism, though. We are deeply indebted to you for all the fantastic work you have done for DVA!!
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DVA1271
Senior Captain, MD-11
Joined on June 27 2003
Double Century Club
Central America
234 legs, 910.2 hours
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Posted onPost created on
August 06 2004 20:44 ET by Rolando Alvarado-Scott
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i think maybe its because the file could get into the 'wrong hands'.. once it's out of the server and on someone's computer it can be made public.. so i think it would be just to avoid any situation like that.. and someone couldn't just give their PILOT IDs and PASSWORDs to everyone cause after a while luke i guess would notice someone installing a package from 5 different computers.. and just inactive the pilot.. and no more package.. :o]
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DVA1785
Captain, B767-300
E-MAIL
Joined on July 14 2004
DVA Five-Year Anniversary
Roanoke, VA
45 legs, 93.0 hours
14 legs,
21.6 hours online
40 legs,
81.6 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
August 07 2004 04:29 ET by Corey Fisher
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I have no problem sending my system specs with my name, I think you've got a great idea going with the shareware/payware situation if that happens. It's all good by me and I appreciate all the work and effort your doing to make things better here for the future of DVA and your past contributions. Cheers M8.
Corey FisherCaptain, B767-300
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DVA1427
Senior Captain, MD-11
OLP
Joined on December 14 2003
Online Double Century Club
50 State Club
Tri-Jet Triumph
Globetrotter
Moose Club
US Capital Club
Everett 250 Club
Quincentenary Club
DVA Twenty-Year Anniversary
"Livin' in the Dog Pound!"
Kannapolis, NC
558 legs, 1,984.3 hours
250 legs,
611.8 hours online
384 legs,
1,530.5 hours ACARS
38 legs,
82.7 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
August 07 2004 04:40 ET by Lewis Gregory
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No problems with it here, Luke.
Lewis GregorySenior Captain, MD-11
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DVA953
Senior Captain, B737-800
E-MAIL
Joined on November 17 2002
50 State Club
Double Century Club
Online Double Century Club
"V1 means V1..."
West Lafayette, IN USA
214 legs, 376.8 hours
211 legs,
373.0 hours online
117 legs,
223.6 hours ACARS
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Posted onPost created on
August 07 2004 06:17 ET by James Brickell
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Trevor,
Access to the actual mirror directories where the files are located is not regulated, so if someone knew the URL, they could get to the installer.
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DVA1650
Captain, L-1011-100
Joined on April 24 2004
Century Club
"The O-N-L-Y Way to Fly!"
Southeastern United States
103 legs, 174.7 hours
49 legs,
94.5 hours online
2 legs,
2.1 hours ACARS
2 legs,
3.2 hours event
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Posted onPost created on
August 07 2004 07:18 ET by Daniel Malneritch
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I didn't think of that. All sound fine to me, Luke. But what about dialup users? they aren't necessarily online all the time. (In fact, when I had dialup, I downloaded at friends' houses, even the sounds I'd install, and then copy to a USB flash drive and bring to my house...)
Also, I install these on 2 different computers. I don't know how that works (even now) with sending the system data. maybe a checkbox for like 5 different comps would work in the installer (did you understand that?:})
For the most part, sounds great to me.
Daniel MalneritchCaptain, L-1011-100
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