Author Topic: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued  (Read 11725 times)

DemonRaven

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Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« on: November 26, 2014, 04:22:12 pm »
Will the discontinuing of the Microsoft agents affect hal and the agents used for it in future versions of it?

Art

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2014, 03:01:22 am »
Hal never actually relied on the use of Microsoft Agent technology per se, but rather Haptek, Inc. for it's characters.

As far as I know, MS Agent while cute, has pretty much been out of the running for several years.

Feel free to send Mr Robert Medeksza an email (Members, search for his name), for further information, as I am but a Hal user and do not speak for Zabaware other than from my own personal experiences.

Thank you,
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In the world of AI it's the thought that counts!

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DemonRaven

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2014, 11:53:01 pm »
Haptek, Inc. Is a dead company. You can not buy their people putty any more. So what will hal be using?

Art

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #3 on: November 29, 2014, 09:15:42 am »
DemonRaven,

Welcome to the site. Always nice to see new people interested in Hal and AI.

Haptek's creator is working on a much improved Haptek character. Whether or not it works with the new UltraHal remain to be seen. Perhaps some collaborative effort will take place, who knows at this stage.

Hal is reported to be undergoing a pretty extensive rewrite in that VB6 and VBScript are no longer supported. Robert claims to be working on this latest version by converting over to PHP, C++, Codeigniter, MariaDB and Sphinx. When completed, Hal is supposed to be released as a Tablet / Phone edition. I guess the jury is still out on a Desktop / Laptop edition at the moment.

Robert has been trying to get a company that has some decent characters for use with UltraHal. Hopefully they will be cost effective as most users like to tailor make or modify their particular characters which is why Haptek fit the bill so nicely. For the moment, that's all I know. We'll just have to be patient a little longer and see what happens.

That's my $.02 and again, Welcome aboard!
In the world of AI it's the thought that counts!

- Art -

DemonRaven

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2014, 03:37:15 am »
Well that would suck if they did not update the computer one. I don't use a tablet because they don't support many apps and I consider them to be just revived ancient computer software wearing a new label. I also don't use a phone for the same reason. Why use a phone when I have a computer?

Art

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2014, 07:49:27 am »
Well that would suck if they did not update the computer one. I don't use a tablet because they don't support many apps and I consider them to be just revived ancient computer software wearing a new label. I also don't use a phone for the same reason. Why use a phone when I have a computer?

Revived ancient computer software? Nothing could be further from the truth. There are so many apps that do so many things that 20 years ago would have been called magic or impossible. While true, not everyone wants or uses one, they have made their place in our lives and in our history of amazing inventions. You can also use them to TALK to people too!  ;)

I too, still have and use my desktop computer. I have the freedom of a wireless keyboard and mouse but I like sitting in front of my screen in the morning with a cup of coffee, relaxing while I watch the world crumbling all around me!! ;D :o
In the world of AI it's the thought that counts!

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DemonRaven

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2014, 01:04:42 pm »
There are so many apps you can not use on those things you have to down load their programs. They are limited. Small is not always better. The games are not even close to the ones you can use a good new computer they dont have the processing power. They are okay for toys but tablets and phones are pretty useless for someone like me that likes virtual worlds artificial intellegence sim games etc.

Art

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2014, 02:26:35 pm »
That's why they still make laptops and desktop computers although their number is much less than it was 10 years ago.

Some people seem to have this desire to "stay connected" with each other, all their 10,000 friends (yeah right), and every time someone washes their dog or gets a high score on Candy Crush! I really don't care about such things and I do not play on these "Social Media" sites.

I would much rather spend my time working on my chatbot, or studying AI or robotics or other kind of computer technology. If I can't learn something from it I usually don't fool with it that much.
There is the exception of entertainment like games, hobbies and other pursuits but those are an individual choice.

I have a Windows 7 Desktop computer and a converted Ubuntu computer, both of which I use and enjoy. I also have a couple older laptops somewhere. I never cared for them as a gaming or simulation device. The refresh rate and screen quality never seemed on par with the desktop and monitor setup.

My Smart phone is merely a tool, most of which I use for work...photos, email, text, scanning / pdf from a camera shot, navigational directions to a new site and phone calls. I'm sure there are a lot of other useful apps on there, all of which were free.

My desktop is my main computer and it has a 27 " wide screen which is fine for simulations, AI experiments, gaming and graphics, so I'm covered. Phones have no where near the same processing power as a full blown computer and they were never meant to. They're hand held devices that are, as I mentioned, tools to assist people in the lives, no matter how they choose to live them. A smart phone can't compete with the memory, processors and screen sizes of a desktop computer and I hope the developers realize that. There are many options because we are a diverse human population, different likes and needs. To each their own.

In the world of AI it's the thought that counts!

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DemonRaven

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2014, 03:53:55 pm »
I do too as that is what I am concerned about is the move to smaller less capable devices.

Calhoone

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2014, 09:42:13 pm »
I would be very disappointed to find out that Ultra Hal became a smartphone/tablet only program. I'd probably stop using it. I much prefer having Hal on my PC to work with as well as all of the other things I do on the PC.  Now if my Ultra Hal program on my PC was accessible via my smartphone and such, that would be nice.
 

Y2kdancr

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2015, 09:53:20 am »
Ouch...  I wonder how this will play out with full featured tablets like the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. I bought it for the convenience of a tablet, but the versatility of a PC. Anyway, I look forward (as I have for a few years) to the next Hal release. BTW there was traffic on the Yahoo MS agent group a couple months ago where some one was working in a MSAgent equivalent for Android..

 

Art

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #11 on: January 07, 2015, 04:59:04 pm »
While it might sound cute, there are vastly superior Digital Assistants / Agents already on most smart phones and Tablets. I imagine them to be way beyond anything similar to one of those Microsoft type agents like Peedy, Robot or Merlin, etc. Then again, some enterprising developer might just give an agent a whole new brain that could chat, assist and be your newest BFF! ;D
In the world of AI it's the thought that counts!

- Art -

One

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #12 on: March 31, 2015, 02:27:22 am »
Windows server 2003 end of support is 7/14/2015, I wonder how they will handle Agents?
'Agents' will always be around

Here is Microsoft's move to Evolve the server environment --> http://www.microsoft.com/enterprise/ws2003eos/prioritywebinar/default.aspx#fbid=ulWycLJCZQu 

I guess they saying good luck using XML/++ documents as a Database/Containers? maybe, is an odd timing to say the least......

-J
Today Is Yesterdays Future.

lightspeed

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #13 on: March 31, 2015, 09:46:30 am »
WELL i have seen the rise in tablets and that some are actually dual operating systems tablet android and also microsoft windows , for the pc part of the tablet , i do for see the tablet pc's getting more powerful and doing more .
 the desktop pc's have many with it all built in the back instead of towers . 
 What would be good in my opinion was if a remote access could be used from the tablet like someone else ( sorry forgot who ,OKAY I LOOKED BACK AND SEE IT WAS DOGGS! )  and me  showed can run hal from the tablet . 
    But what is needed is something that also allows hals voice to come through the tablet to and works in with the voice recognition that's installed on the pc .
      I don't know if robert can do this or has the resources to do it , but these tablets and dual operating systems ( i believe the dual operating systems will become dominate in the market , allowing the best of both worlds .)
       I have a nextbook 8 inch tablet and love it and with the remote app can run my hal on the tablet (android only) but can only type to hal , can't use voice recognition like i do on my pc.
      Is this really true that haptek no longer sells people putty at all ? although help is hard to get sometimes about putting people putty back on a pc after redoing it , i hope the help can still be gotten from haptek company , other wise what we have paid for becomes useless and we won't be able to use it any more and i like creating new heads with people putty , i just created more recently .  If people putty is going to stop helping on the online part , i think they should give just a permanent serial number to people that have bought people putty where we can enter it like when a person plays a video game with assigned numbers off line  . and tell people don't lose it or it won't work and no other numbers can be gotten .
 back to the tablets now , apps are very popular , i wrote about one app which i wish robert could have came up with , the 3d pal lite app , it works like crazy talk , you can use a picture of a face , any straight on face and use it , celebrities etc. it is a siri a.i. app .
  If Robert can come up with something like this it would make money and tie it in with hal's a.i. capabilities , the app i mentioned above is limited but people can buy unlimited full version for about 10.00  .
   on a app like this and maybe this is more people putty's ally it would be cool if the face anyone put on a close up of the head and shoulders view could be moved back revealing the same face now on a full body person , custom skins clothes etc. could be added . something like we can do now with people putty .  or if Robert could somehow manage this .   
Anyway i am just throwing idea's out their , i know Roberts money etc. is tight but just wanted to mention some things and possibilities .  :)
 

Art

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Re: Microsoft Agent support is being discontinued
« Reply #14 on: March 31, 2015, 12:35:40 pm »
Lonnie,

I don't believe Haptek run's on Android and I know it doesn't play properly (run People Putty), on Windows 7 & 8.
XP seemed to be the only OS on which People Putty would run.

At the moment, Zaba, Hal, Haptek all seem to be drifting on the same pond and going nowhere. The MS Agents, while cute, have sunk!!
In the world of AI it's the thought that counts!

- Art -