Jopsy Pendragon's

Completely Unofficial Second Life® Display Names FAQ

-- updated:  3:40PM Sept 7, 2010 --

This document is in  the public domain, no rights reserved.  

Bias warning:   I believe display names have both GOOD and BAD ramifications, and will attempt to include BOTH below.

Questions included in this faq:

1. What are “Display Names”?
2. Where are DisplayNames used?  
3. Why aren’t display names unique?   Why allow duplicate Display Names?
4. Why allow someone to use MY username as their display name?  
5. What is UTF-8 or UNICODE?
6. What can I do if someone is using my username as their display name?
7. I met someone (but didn’t friend them yet) and now I can’t find them now.  What can I do?
8. Will display names allow someone to control my stuff?  or Access my Money?
9. What about scripts?
10. What’s an example of something else that has DISPLAY NAMES and USERNAMES like this?  
11. Is this change from “User Name” to “user.name” and display names leading up to something?  
12. Why is LL implementing Display Names?
13. Why are people angry about display names?
14. How will I be able to track my friends if they regularly change their display name?
15. Why won’t LL just let us change our USER NAMES instead?
16. How do display names look in testing?
17. How does changing them only once a week help?
18. Where are DISPLAY NAMES and USER NAMES going to be seen and used?

Q: What are “Display Names”?

A:

Display names are NOT usernames, (you will keep your username (slightly altered) and it will still be seen in many places associated with everything you do and own).  Display names allow us to change who we appear to be... not who we are.  When used as a disguise they are easy to see through.  The rules for display names are:

1. Duplicates are allowed, many people may have the same display name.
2. Easy to Change, up to once a week, (but reset anytime apparently)
3. They may contain letters from other language’s alphabets.  

These rules are different from usernames which are unique, near impossible to change and very limited in what characters can be used.

Q: Where are DisplayNames used?  

A:          

Typically, a DisplayName is shown with the Username next to it.   Examples:

inspecting objects, abuse reports, transaction notifications, friend/tp invites, ...

Sometimes, DisplayName is seen alone.   (To see the username, you must mouse-over or click.)

        Examples: common in high-use areas, like: Chat/IM’s and friends list, Name-Tags, ...

Less often, DisplayName is not shown... only the Username appears,

(for example: the login screen, mute/block lists, parcel ban/access lists, ... )

For more, see the list of where displaynames and usernames are used, included at the end.

Q: Why aren’t display names unique?   Why allow duplicate Display Names?

A: Three main reasons:

1. Usernames are still our ‘bonafide’ identity, display names are not intended to replace them.
2. Some display names are more popular than other, and several people will want to use them. (For example, people who want to use their real name or facebook handle without adding #’s or middle initials.)
3. Even if LL wanted to prevent duplicates, it would be very difficult because of multi-language aspect. It is trivially easy to make a name that LOOKS identical to human eyes using letters from other languages.  To a computer program, they would look nothing alike, and be hard to detect.            Even Linden Lab is having trouble preventing people from using things that look exactly like “Linden” in display names.

Q: Why allow someone to use MY username as their display name?

A: Same reason as #3 in the previous question.  Because of UTF-8 and UNICODE it is nearly impossible to guarantee that someone won’t create a name that looks (to human eyes) identical to your name.   Even Linden Lab is having trouble blocking the name “Linden” in Display names.    We carry “I.D.” in real life to prove who we are.  In Second Life, our “I.D.” will be our easily seen username, NOT our display name.  In real life you don’t use your driver’s license or passport as your nametag.

Q: What is UTF-8 or UNICODE?

A: Just a standard way to allow the alphabets of multiple languages to be used.  Many languages have letters that fall outside the normal A-Z English alphabet, and more than half of Second Life’s residents are non-Americans.

Q: What can I do if someone is using my username as their display name?

A: If you have a common name, and they’re not trying to commit fraud or defame you, there’s probably not much you can do.  If they are violating the ToS/CS and trying to swindle people or ruin your reputation, abuse report them by username.  Include screenshot and exact chat text if possible.  We all have to warn people to check username before trusting people who appear familiar.

Q: I met someone (but didn’t friend them yet) and now I can’t find them now.  What can I do?

A: If you meet someone and they change their display name, you need to know their username to find them.  If you don’t remember their username, then you’re out of luck.  Ignore usernames at your peril.

Q: Will display names allow someone to control my stuff?  or Access my Money?

A: Absolutely not.  Display names have *nothing* to do with ownership of land, objects or L$.

Q: What about scripts?

A: All existing scripts will completely ignore display names unless updated with new LSL functions.  New features are being added to LSL so that scripts will be able to see display names... but they should be used with caution due to the UTF-8 / UNICODE problem.   Display names may include weird letters that are more difficult for residents to type, it’s better if your scripts ask their users to type USERNAME not display name

.  

It’s fine to use display name for scripts that say people’s names, but perhaps unwise scripts that require the user to type a name in chat or a notecard, (huggers for example), because name matching is difficult due to UTF-8 / Unicode.

Q: What’s an example of something else that has DISPLAY NAMES and USERNAMES like this?

A: Email.  For example “Jopsy J. Pendragon III” <jpendrag@not.a.mail.server.com>   In this case, “jpendrag” is my username, “Jopsy J. Pendragon III” is my display name.   Most email readers may only show my display name without the address... but the address is still unique and far more important.

Q: Is this change from “User Name” to “user.name” and display names leading up to something?

A: Other than the obvious attempt to attract facebook users?  Possibly yes.   To become a true metaverse, ownership of the grid must not be restricted to a single company.  It is possible that this change is a step towards multi-grid teleport.   For example, if you created a username on a trusted alternate grid, SL may allow you teleport from that grid into SL and automatically create a username for you of  username (at) othergrid (dot) com, with the display name of your choice, rather than forcing you to go through the registration process just to visit SL.   Purely hypothetical, but ideas like this have roots that go back to the old MU*’s that were common in the 1990’s.

Q: Why is LL implementing Display Names?

A:

RECRUITMENT:  Many people quit the sign-up process because they can’t get the name they want. They may wish to use their Facebook name, a Real Name, or something else.   The name may already be in use or they may not like any of the last names available for use.

UNICODE.   SL is multi-national.  Some residents wish to their spell their names in their native alphabets.

SITUATIONAL:  

1. to allow wedded avatars to share a common last name,
2. to allow people to take on nicknames, or for
3. (long-term) role-playing without having to create alts,
4. lingering dissatisfaction with username choice and not wanting to start over with a new alt.

Q: Why are people angry about display names?

A:

LACK OF AWARENESS:  many believe that a significant number of residents simply do not have the technical savvy, the language skills or have enough experience to understand the important differences between display names and usernames.  Their ignorance and confusion is expected to make in them easy prey for impersonators.  They will also be confused when old scripts fail to behave correctly when given a Display Name instead of a Username (huggers, games, lucky chairs, ‘buy for friend’ vendors,

and numerous other instances requiring users to enter an avatar’s “name”)

IMPERSONATION: Display names look exactly like user names, making impersonation trivially easy.  It won’t hold up to the scrutiny of someone that understands display names, but many business owners are deeply worried about the potential for abuse:

1. impostors defrauding customers into paying directly for things that won’t be delivered
2. impostors impinging upon existing brand names or trademarks to sell knock-offs
3. impostors alienating loyal or potential customers with disreputable behavior
4. impostors goading people into filing abuse reports against innocent residents

ANONYMITY:   griefers and grudge-holders often use alts to harass people.  Display names allows someone to wear a temporary name, spread rumors, lies, and other hearsay, and then revert back to their default name.  Attempts to contact/confront the avatar later, without knowing their username, will results in “no avatar found”... or wrong avatar(s) found, leaving no way to respond to the attack.

INCONVENIENCE:  Friends list does not show username.  If a friend changes their display name,

your friend’s list will (eventually) change to reflect it  This can make old friends very difficult to find, even if you do remember their username.  If you don’t remember their username (or they yours), it can be nearly impossible to keep track of friends as display names change.

LOSS OF UNIQUE IDENTITY:  Many residents are simply outraged, not merely because of the risk of abuse, but because their names, their unique identity, is being ‘given away’ to others to use freely.   For example, anyone can be a “Prokofy Neva” now, and there will likely be several, where as before there was the only one.  “Name” is the primary component associated with recognition

between online people.  Allowing others to use our names within the same scope diminishes our individuality.

Q: How will I be able to track my friends if they regularly change their display name?

A:  Make sure you remember your friend’s User Names.  Without them, it won’t be easy.Make sure you tell your friends you’ve changed your Display Name too, if you think they didn’t pay attention to your User Name, or you’ll be a stranger to them.   Unless that was your intent anyway.

Q: Why won’t LL just let us change our USER NAMES instead?

A: User name changes are possible.  But they only happen in extreme circumstances, (like an offensive name that slipped through the registration process, for example).    I don’t know LL’s exact reasons for it disallowing name change requests.   But I can guess.   Name changes contribute to several problems:

1. discarded identity theft:   If you were "Joe Smith" and become "Jerry Samson"... someone else can become "Joe Smith" and people will assume that he is you.
2. confusion and concern as group and parcel owners suddenly ‘change’ without warning
3. merchant transaction histories will be inaccurate, making refunds/re-deliveries, difficult or even impossible to verify.
4. It would likely cause problems for many in-world “buy for a friend” vendor systems, (which rely on external “name to key” databases).
5. legacy product scripts that expected user names to NEVER to change will breakd
6. There are likely more (and probably better) reasons as well.

Q: How do display names look in testing?

A:

Almost exactly like it was announced that it would.

If someone says something under a display name and logs off or leaves the region, you are STILL ABLE TO SEE THEIR USERNAME by clicking on their display name, as long as it’s still in your chat history.  (assuming you’re in plaintext chat mode, if not, then mousing-over their name will also work too).

Nearby display name changes are clearly announced in Local Chat.

LSL does not have a llDetectedDisplayName() use llGetDisplayName(llDetectedKey()).

The propagation delay is... annoying.    The [Nearby Residents] list seems to show stale display names for a very long time, which is strange considering the avatar with the new display name is standing right next to you.

Plain-text-chat strangeness:: mousing-over a display name in plain-text chat does nothing, but can still be clicked on.... unless the display name ends in .com or some other extention that gets them treated like a URL.  Viewer will attempt to open the URL not the mini-profile.

Q: How does changing them only once a week help?

A:  By reducing the frequency that someone can abuse display names, it will (hopefully) make people be more careful about how they chose their display names.

Q: Where are DISPLAY NAMES and USER NAMES going to be seen and used?

A:

        DISPLAY NAME *ONLY* (with no usernames visible at all):

1. LocalChat logfiles will contain only the display name or the username, not both. (depending on plain-text-chat-mode).   If plaintext is disabled, logs record display name, not username. Logs are in .LLSD format, and not intended for human eyes anyway.  Chatlogs do include the speaker’s avatar key, which is an excellent “fingerprint”.  It can be used to look up the speaker’s username... if necessary.

1. The new LSL functions involving “DisplayName”

        Active DISPLAY NAME alone.  (Mouse-over for username, click for mini-profile).

1. Friends List
2. Nearby Residents List
3. Group Chat Participants list
4. Chat & IMs (plaintext-mode requires clicking to see mini-profile, mouse-over does nothing)
5. Avatar’s Name Tag  (the default setting)  

        Both DISPLAY NAME and USER NAME always shown together:

6. Avatar’s Name Tag (optional, not the default)

2. Avatar Profile
3. Object Creator & Owner
4. In-world transaction activities
5. Friendship offers
6. Teleport invites
7. Mini-map (mouse-over green-dots)

7. Group Membership Lists
8. Private IM Chat Log Filenames, (but not their contents)
9. The Abuse Reporter and its People Picker

8. The parcel Access/Ban Lists and their People Pickers (assumed, but not verified)
9. Offline IM’s sent to email (assumed, but unverified)

        ONLY the USER NAME shown/used, (without display name):

10. Avatar’s Name Tag (optional, not the default)

2. Logging in:  User Name or user.name only.

10. Block / Mute / Ignore List.

3. All legacy LSL functions involving “Name”
4. Calling cards in inventory

11. Search (all results tab and people tab, I thought it was going to have both)
12. Private IM (in plain-text mode, display name is only shown in chat title bar)
13. L$ Transaction History on website:  User Name only (assumed, but unverified)

Customizability:

1. Preferences -> General -> [x] Usernames only affects nametags
2. Preferences -> Setup -> [x] View Display Names can be used to completely hide display names.
3. Plain-text chat logs seem to only store username and avatar key, while non-plain-text chat logs seem to store only display name and avatar key, again, chatlogs are .LLSD format and not very human readable.

Not tested:  Local Voice or Avatar-to-Avatar voice calls, or Group Voice calls.

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