Emerald 1.5.0.2600 Released – Last Version?

A couple of days ago Emerald Viewer 2600 was released. This viewer is compiled post team lockout. I commented on the viewer and the lockout in the post Emerald Viewer DEAD!!!. This viewer appears to somewhat be a direct taunt of Linden Lab.

According to an audio post on YouTube.com and reported by Alphaville Herald (See Emerald Viewer DEAD!!! For links) this viewer version has the ability to spoof its version and ID. There is in fact a debug setting that appears to allow one to do that.

If you have not realized that the entire emkdu.dll hullabaloo was about being able to detect this type of spoofing, then you have missed a significant piece of the motivation of the Emerald team. Yes, it included information in a way that violated the ToS and TPV privacy conditions. But the purpose was to allow detection of viewer spoofs by Onyx users, a privileged set of people associated with some Emerald team members. It is nearly impossible for LL servers to detect determined viewer spoofs. This feature has led many to say it will be impossible for LL to block the Emerald Viewer. It won’t be easy but don’t bet on it being impossible.

Also, this version of the viewer uses a copy of emkdu.dll. It appears to be the same version used with the previous release 1.5.0.2587.

As far as I could tell in a few minutes, the 2600 version is almost the same as 2587, with the exception of the new Debug Setting.

For those that do not know 2600 has special significance in the hacker community. In an interview Phox discusses the choice to bump the presumed last version number of Emerald to 2600. There is a certain ironic justice there. Whether or not Linden Lab will consider it a taunt is something we will likely know Friday 9/3.

If there has been any doubt in one’s mind that the Emerald Viewer will be banned, the inclusion of emkdu.dll and the ability of the viewer to use llkdu.dll, plus it being compiled by Phox who LL required to be hands off any future versions, and the addition of the viewer ID spoof that should convince one a Linden Lab block is coming.

Opinion

When one starts to follow all the various interviews, leaked chat logs, posted audio and video recordings from Emerald Point, team participants’ postings in forums and on blogs… it very much begins to sound like a politicians campaign speeches, one story for the union members and another for business owners.

How does one know a politician is lying about another politician? It doesn’t matter. You can’t believe anything they say. You have to find some other way to determine the truth and that is often more trouble than it is worth. In this case, flip a coin. Use the 2600 viewer or not.

One thought on “Emerald 1.5.0.2600 Released – Last Version?

  1. It always seemed to me that the TPV list, and a lot of other stuff, was useless as protection against harmful viewers. If you were going to do something bad, why have your viewer be honest about its identity. If you’re copybotting, claim to be the Linden Lab viewer.

    And now we see it happening.

    I don’t have the skills to compile my own viewer, or to review code. I’ve got to trust somebody. And no way can I trust an openly dishonest viewer.

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