Development Notes
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VROC is currently under development. We plan to add a number
of additional features to make VROC more useful and more convenient.
Here are some notes regarding VROC's current status and our future
plans for it.
Browser
VROC's race list pages require Netscape 4.07 or higher to
work properly. Originally we required 4.05, but that version
lacks full support of Java 1.1, and we plan to discontinue support
for versions earlier than 4.07 in the near future.
Earlier versions of Netscape lack critical Java functionality
and will not function correctly with the VROC Java applet.
Differences in the security models used by Netscape and Microsoft
require accommodations for each browser. To keep the workload
down during the development phase, I'm only supporting Netscape.
Support for Microsoft Internet Explorer may be added later.
Security
We are now using a Java applet signed with an electronic security
certificate. You no longer need to activate Codebase Principals.
If you have already turned on Codebase Principals, you might
wish to turn them off.
Known Issues
Can't Join Races with [Join]
This section has been moved to VROC Troubleshooting.
Netscape Dies Slowly
When you visit a page, such as the VROC race list page, which
has a Java applet on it, your browser starts a separate module
for executing Java.
In older versions of Netscape (4.05 through 4.07), when you
exit Netscape after starting Java, Netscape continues running
in the background for a minute or so. If you view it in the Windows
Close Program box (press Ctl-Alt-Delete) you will see it continue
to run. Eventually it will show as not responding, and then a
few seconds later it will disappear.
If you attempt to restart Netscape while it is still running
in background, bad things happen, not the least of which are
Netscape and/or Windows hanging. I've become very careful to
check to make sure Netscape has terminated before I restart it.
This appears to be a bug in Netscape versions 4.0x, and preliminary
tests of Netscape 4.5 suggest that it has been quashed in that
version. For this reason, among others, we plan to discontinue
support of Netscape versions prior to 4.5.
Chat Applet Can't Start
Sometimes the third-party chat applet presents only a blank
window and shows a message in the status line, "Chat applet
can't start". Usually returning to the VROC Main Page and
then re-entering the chat window will restart the chat applet.
Loading a New Version of the VROC Applet
For some reason, once Netscape has loaded a particular applet,
it refuses to reload it unless you stop and restart Netscape.
Therefore, if we install a new version of the applet, you'll
have to stop and restart Netscape to get it. When you do, beware
of the problem described under Netscape Dies
Slowly, above.
Incorrect Local IP Address
If the VROC applet reports an incorrect IP address for your
Internet connection, no one will be able to join races you host
(although you will be able to join other peoples' races).
There are at least two reasons why the VROC Race List applet
might display an incorrect IP address for your machine. There
are workarounds for both problems.
Here is a discussion of the potential causes of these problems,
and workarounds.
Reconnecting DUN while Browser is Running
If you're like most people who connect to the Internet through
Dialup Networking (DUN), you have a have a dynamic IP address.
A new IP address is assigned each time you connect to your ISP.
This means that if you close your Dialup Networking connection
to the Internet, and reconnect, you will now have a new IP address.
If you do this while Netscape is running, Netscape will not
be aware of the change in your IP address, and will incorrectly
report to the VROC applet the IP address which your machine had
when Netscape started.
The solution is to remember to shut down Netscape and restart
it if you disconnect from your ISP, and you plan to host a race
through VROC.
Multihomed Machines
Machines with two IP addresses are known as "multihomed".
If your machine is attached to a LAN and to the Internet, and
you are running TCP/IP on the LAN, it is a multihomed machine.
If your machine is multihomed, Java may report your LAN IP
address instead of your Dialup Networking (or other Internet)
IP address.
As of VROC Beta 3f, the applet addresses this by retrieving
a list of all IP addresses belonging to your machine. It ignores
nonroutable IP addresses, including those in the ranges 192.168.*.*
(most commonly used in home and other small LANs) and 10.*.*.*.
and picks the other. If there are multiple routables, it takes
the last one it finds.
If I hear enough cries of dismay, I'll make the applet ignore
nonroutables in the range of 172.16.*.* through 172.31.*.*.
If, despite this, VROC is still reporting an incorrect IP
address, you can enter the correct IP address in the IP Address
Override field in VROC
Setup.
Note: If you formerly used VROC Setup to override the IP address
on a multihomed machine, you might like to delete the override
and see if the applet now correctly reports your Internet IP
address.
Null Pointer Exception
You might get a Null Pointer exception. I kept quashing
this and it kept popping up again in the early days of development,
but I don't see it very often these days. It appears to be due
to a timing issue when initially painting the stuff on the applet.
Unless and until I nail this bug, you must stop and restart
Netscape to make it go away. Sometimes it recurs a couple of
times, but keep trying.
Status Line Messages
Keep an eye on status line messages (in the little window
at the bottom of your browser window). Right now, this is the
only way I can display what's going on inside the applet. Eventually,
I plan to add popups which will be more noticeable and more informative.
Other Errors
If you see any other errors, please let Tech
Support know.
Future
We have plans for a number of enhancements. See the VROC To Do list for details.
Continue to Part 2 |