Steve Jobs was a bot created during Solstice v2. It was the equivalent of a similar bot on Solstice with the name of "Robyn" that allowed staff with the passcode to log on and access the AdminCP remotely. The main purpose of the bot was to allow staff that were on hiatus or retired to make changes to the board without being detected. Very few people had the passcode.
Primary Function and History
Initially, the bot was used to 'cover the tracks' (per-se) of members attempting to access the admin control panel remotely. At times, this made the heavily guarded bot a dangerous item, due to the fact that, if using a proxy, one could make changes to the AdminCP and the forums and go completely undetected. The bot, however, as a safety precaution, did not have access to the two most important sections of the CP, those being "Forums & Moderators", along with "Forum Options."
The past model of the bot used on Solstice v1 had access to both of these sectors, and although it was even more secretive than SteveJobs, the ability to modify both of these crucial sections made the past bot a grievous weapon. The fact that anyone with the password could have access to the entire forum CP made it so. This proved severe when Skyler, after being demoted, used the bot to get back into the system and demote Hollow Abyss and Poke Pokey. He later retracted his actions, and the password was changed, leaving only Hollow with access to its features.
The main feature of the bot (on Solstice v1 and 2) was to send out a 'Welcome Message' to any user who joined the forums. The message would usually include helpful links to a staff list, a FAQ, and a rules page. The Bot was also used to notify users if they recieved an infraction or a reminder/warning.
Resurgence on Solstice v2
While the other bot remained when Solstice was reopened a second time, Hollow Abyss decided in April, a few months after the forums opening, to create a new bot with similar priviledges. However, due to the unprecedented abuse the past bot recieved, Hollow decided to remove the ability to modify positions and forum settings, effectively making the bot useless for destruction.
The bot was rarely used when first made, however, the staff with access to it soon began to use it as a method of avoiding interaction with members and the ability to have their names not appear on the "Users Online" list, a list updated every hour with the users online at the time. Due to the fact that the bot was also invisible (a setting which allowed the said account to not appear on the users online list) users browsing the forum would not be able to tell which staff member was online, or if they even were. This function, towards the end of Hollow's reign, became abused by the staff with access to the user, most notably Hollow Abyss himself.
Towards the end of their friendship with Hollow (and subsequently after) both Xenia and Bill Gates used the bot to avoid their staff duties, specifically so members would not ask them for help. It should be noted that Xenia and Bill were usually the only staff online past 12AM, due to the fact that they would stay up late every night on the forums. Not only did this function enable them to avoid detection, it also shielded them from any users online during that time.
The bot was re-named Tim Cook after the real life Steve Jobs passed away.
Controversy
A small amount of controversy arose out of the staffs ability to use the bot, primarily around Aradia's use of it to avoid detection. In the :rolleyes: poop thread, where emotions had reached a peak between the two opposing friend groups, Adam lashed out on Bill Gates, outing their for using the bot to go undetected.They became upset at this, and took a temporary leave from the forums.
A small dispute started between Hollow Abyss and Palcks when Hollow Abyss used and modified one of Palcks's proposed rank images and pegged it onto the bot. Brad complained, and Hollow procedded to argue about it over what lasted close to a week. Eventually, the dispute was settled when Hollow decided to make his own and remove Palcks's, effectively ending their brief turmoil.
Use of Bot post Hollow-era
After Hollow Abyss 'retired', he admitted to Aradia and Xenia that he would be using the bot to perform routine 'check-ups' on the forums to see how they were doing, while not being caught by the members on his primary account. This became problematic, because Hollow, although having 'given' the board to Aradia and Xenia, would constantly make suggestions, or at times, complain, about the current state of the board or its threads/posts. Xenia and Aradia could not do much about this, seeing as Hollow was funding the forum.
After Xenia and Bill Gates effectively terminated their friendship with Hollow Abyss using the "explosions?" thread, they figured it just 'didn't matter', so they de-railed the bot and changed the password. In tandem, this effectively made it so Hollow could not access the Bot without first logging in to he Dream Eater account, a move that would raise suspicion among members.
After locking Hollow out, they changed the user named to the 'The Red Baron', an in-joke between the two based off of an episode of SpongeBob Squarepants. They used the account to play around with members on the forum, while creating blog posts, un-ironically engaging users into contact with the bot.
The 'Red Baron' would also make posts and threads within the spam section, making it the first forum bot to interact with the userbase. It should be noted, however, the Aradia and Xenia did it for the sake of trolling, and had no wish to get any members involved, actually hoping for the opposite.
A brief moment of confusion was caused when the bot changed names, prompting multiple users to post about it in the community box, with users Palcks and Person Man citing it as immature. Seeing as the forum was declining in activity and its userbase was dwindling, Xenia and Bill Gates did not bother changing the bots name or removing it; it remained static within the community.
Retirement
When Hollow made the final descision to close Solstice and stop paying for the server and host permanently, he used his main account to log back in and disable the bot and all of its admin powers, whilst also changing its name back to Tim Cook. The bot was nulled, along with every other account on the board, when the forum closed on December 27th.
User access chart
| Bot Name | Users with Access |
|---|---|
| Robyn | Hollow Abyss, Skyler, Sableye |
| Steve Jobs | Hollow Abyss, Bill Gates, Xenia |
| Tim Cook | Hollow Abyss |