chat - sort of

Hi

sorry truly new at this.

I was wondering if it's ok to post a question which is software related, but maybe not directly and it has to do with MSN or yahoo Messenger. Is it ok to ask it here? or should i ask elsewhere?


If yes, here it is below:

When I am online anyone on my user list knows that i am BUT i have the option of appearing to be offline. Is there anyway for someone to find out if I am really offline or online (by over-riding it somehow)?

Thanks

 

Welcome To Major Geeks


Nothing that I'm aware of will allow you to do this. If you appear to be offline then people can't connect to you.

 

Well, actually there is a way.

Im working on it....

its to do with the timing of the FLN commands sent from the msn server.

but appart from that, your pretty safe i would have thought!

Oh yea and if they have your IP they can ping it, and if you reply, then you are online. simple.
(people can get your IP from accepting a file transfer from you or them. during the transfer a direct communication between your and their computer is occouring, and so they can find out who the are connected to, and thus you)

 

pinging the IP would only prove connection to the internet not truly being online using MSN.. or are you referring to something else?

Pleaese explain FLN commands.. I'm interested now..

 

wow, i got Kodo interested..

when a user goes offline, the msn server sends the command FLN to all the clients with them on their contact list. (when they come online the same thing happens with NLN)

Also when the user goes offline, it tells the msn server that anyone who wants to know the status of that person after its updated it tells them so. BUT i think that the main server might update one before the other when they send the appearing offline command (that is not the disconnect command) with the disconnect command i think that both update simultaneously, but with the appear offline one is done before the other.

Its only a theory, but im going to do it at some other point with my programming, if it works at all........

http://www.hypothetic.org/docs/msn/index.php

Website about MSN protocol. its good!

 

so you want to intercept the commands coming in from the server.. interesting.. I don't know that I would bother with the timing of it .. why not just match ?

 

bascially, yes.

maybe.

i havnt given much thought on it, but once ive got all my other projects out the way i will look into it.

 

Thanks guys

So for now, if i understand correctly, what is being said is tha "NO" it is not possible to find out if I (or someone) is actually really off line or just saying s/he is off line. Is this correct?

and goldfish: you are actually saying that u r working on a program that can i fact do exactly this. Is this correct?

M

 

To the average person, there is no real way, but nothing is imposible. I'd say 99% sure that there isn't a practicle way to do this without custom built software,
Goldfish, next time your online lets talk about MSN thing, i'm curious massive packet sniffing tests will needed to be run on both ends and what not. If we can't do it, well then we need to study more mate

 

I've found some sites that tell you if a person is on or offline and yes it does work.All they need is your email address, and I;ve seen countless software that can be a block checker, never actually seen one that works though....But yeah, they can find out...