It's not something I'd give up playing on KGS over. I'm not demanding that KGS implement a "hide avatar" feature, either.

However, I absolutely reject the view that just because an image is approved by the admins I ought to be compelled to see it if it creeps me out. That's basically telling me I don't own my own eyes. In the absence of a hide button, I'll go on censoring locally using Window on Top. A hide button would be cleaner and easier, but the other method works and does not affect KGS itself at all.



It's just that this ain't a philosophy or politics forum. You could connect a go issue with almost any philosophical hot potato you liked, but sometimes life is just too short. By all means decline to support my wish for a local avatar hide button, but please don't expect me to entertain some tangentially related debate over hiding faces in public places etc., etc.,.

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Learn the "tea-stealing" tesuji! Cho Chikun demonstrates here:

I recall there is an admin on KGS that requires you to have a picture before he/she helps you... I feel like that is a crazier demand than having to look at other people's avatars!

Which admin is that?

I saw it also, I don't remember specifically who it was. I recall assuming it was a joke.

my avatar is master chief pooping and reading a book.

.




<----------One of my avatars

Often people like to use fairly violent avatars to represent their warrior-self when going onto the go battlefield. Others use distracting images such as mine, or sexy girls while still others are satisfied just showing their ugly web-camed mug. Some of the evilest show a tsumego that you start trying to figure out when you should be concentrating on the game while still others choose to present themselves with some Japanese flair by choosing a manga. In a tiny, and not very meaningful way, this is all psychological warfare. If you have to cover it up, your opponent has already earned half a point.

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Patience, grasshopper.

I updated the "unofficial client" to hide avatars if you right-click on them. Here is a screenshot, with zyoda's ugly face hidden: http://i.imgur.com/P0ish.png. Also, fullscreen mode and kibitz can be toggled in the options.

I don't think it's a good idea to post a link here publicly, so i won't. There is no support for this client, but I've been using it happily for quite a long time.

Let me look...

Javaness info:


❤ No picture, no game ❤
❤ I will not help users without pictures! ❤
❤ KGS FAQ :: http://www.igoweb.org/~jyem/ ❤

I have to confess that I have been struggling with the temptation to use the unofficial client, but I cannot bring myself to do it. It's simply that I had an argument with the late and notorious jb several years ago in which I criticised the KGSueMe project, likening the use of homebrew to turning up to a smart dinner party with the wrong clothes on, and not only breakign the dress code but also trampling muddy shoes over the carpet and so on. Also, I would hate to be the one who used an unofficial client and somehow crashed the server, spoiling the enjoyment of hundreds or even thousands of others.

In other words, I respect WMS's decision not to open the source code up and not to allow alternative clients.

However...

if the unofficial client really did not risk crashing the server

and

if WMS was tolerant, if not encouraging, of it

then I might change my mind.

I would like to stress, en passant and one more time, that I am not demanding KGS add features. That's not polite. It would, though, be rather good to see KGS improve its user experience in various ways. I sometimes get the feeling the adminship view user suggestions as mere irritations, rather than as sincere attempts to make the server better for everybody. Perhaps, despite its currently high user numbers, KGS has passed its zenith. Everything passes, in the end, but certainly KGS has brought a lot of pleasure to many, many people, and we should be extremely grateful for it.

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Learn the "tea-stealing" tesuji! Cho Chikun demonstrates here:

That is a very bad analogy though, since nobody at the dinner party realizes you have the wrong clothes on. It's only in your living room, which you were so eager to point out is your own private space. Also, this is a modification of the original client where the network code has never been touched, and there is no risk of this client crashing the server. Every few years it will stop working when the version number gets bumped and protocol changes are introduced, like with buddy comments etc. last year.
As far as the server goes, it is not able to distinguish between clients, with the one exception that the client sends -1 as bugfix version (i.e. 3.5.-1) on log in. I don't know how this came to be, but it's been that way for years, so probably a silent understanding. This should not be read as encouragement, rather it's probably the realization that this is better than people using a different client anonymously.


That sounds more like a proper reason.