Hacking Allowed/Legal to Host Files on vps?

[climhazzard36]

Hello,

I am currently creating a Wii Softmod guide section on my website. I have compiled a few applications into a zip archive (bannerbomb, hackmii installer, IOS's, applications).

If I state where you can get these files at the source, is it allowed/legal to store said archive on my vps and allow users to directly download from my server?

Also are they any security risks with allowing users to download files?


Thanks,
Jamie

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Quite frankly it'd just be easier to link them to Modmii instead of making your own tutorials.

 

[The Pi]

Since the thing has IOS's, Nope illegal. NUSD would be fine though.

 

[climhazzard36]

so the package is fine to host if I remove the IOS WAD files? Is it safe to give a link to a site where these (the IOS WADs) can be downloaded within my guide?

Any links to legality / what to be careful of when talking about softmodding?

 

[DeadlyFoez]

You can not host the hackmii installer.

No point of reinventing the wheel. Just point people to ModMii. You certainly aren't going to earn any fame.

 

[climhazzard36]

Right I think I will scrap hosting any files as I have links to all the sources. Question now is legality with links to the sources that contain the files?


I'm not looking for fame, I just want to create a guide myself. I have tried a few exploits and would like to attempt / understand all of them mainly as a learning experience.
After creating a guide I am also including sections such as a history to exploits, how cIOS and IOS differ, how IOS /= Firmware, etc etc

 

[DeadlyFoez]

Just don't provide links to any copyrighted material and you'll be fine.

Easiest solution. http://ModMii.zzl.org

 

[climhazzard36]

After a bit of reading I am taking everyone's advice and using modmii combined with a few notes, screenshots and background info to make it easier.

Gives me more time to focus on my main point which is writing about how this actually works!

 

[DeadlyFoez]

Well, if you care to kinda streamline things, ModMii does take command line arguments, and also plenty of great things that not many people are aware of. Ask XFlak, he would probably give you a few great hints about a few things that you may be able to utilize with ModMii.

If there is anyway XFlak or I can help you, then let us know. This type of thing is really more of XFlaks realm, but I will help however I can as long as it does not point to any illegal activity.

 

[climhazzard36]

Thank you for your help. As for 'streamlining' via command line arguments, that could be useful;

I would rather avoid the option of 'game-disk' exploits and reference them in an "alternative methods / history of exploits" page.
I would like to only install [initial exploit if needed], updated IOS patches, cIOS installation. So no apps or themes until later on.

How would I go about writing a config file to meet those requirements?
Also can such a script be used later just for app downloads: e.g: no modding, just updated Launchers, forwarders, etc

 

[DeadlyFoez]

giantpune's wilbrand exploit will work on all firmwares from 3.0 and up for every region. It is a great exploit. But the fact that it should only be bothered to be used for 4.3 SM users because it does required much more user input for the user to type in their MAC address.

Why make someone type in their MAC address when they are on 4.1 SM when they can more easily use bannerbomb that does not require any user input for the detailed wii info?

In the end, don't waste your time reinventing the wheel. You can not make it any bit more simpler than what ModMii does. No guide can compare to what ModMii can do oh so easily.

Even if you want to make individual downloads for predefined settings to run ModMii, it will still take a lot more effort than you just linking to ModMii by itself.

There is a good reason why no one thus far has taken advantage of ModMii's command line arguements or predefined settings that can be done through another bath file. Instead of making the user have to spend more time and effort figuring out if they got the right config file to run with modmii, why not just let them run modmii on their own? ModMii is a complete wii modders solution, and then some more.

Most people that try to do this stuff, like what you are wanting to do, just want the attention. If you were really good enough to make any type of guide then you would not need the advice from other scene members.

Hey man. I'm all for you trying to learn something new, but when you somehow make a mistake and I have to repair the Wii's that got messed up from your instructions that you did not understand fully, then you won't be happy for users demanding you to pay their repair fee. Waninkoko comes to mind here.

To give you a little bit more of the history from Waninkoko that you might learn from. Wanky put out many pieces of careless software that ended up bricking many wii's and many PS3's. To all those people that came to me to repair those bricks, I gave them Waninkoko's home address. He never responded or compensated a single person. He did what he could to make his fame and then when he saw that shit went wrong he flew the coup and never did a damn thing to help anyone. Great hacker he was (sarcasm). Do you want to follow in those same footsteps?

Don't waste your time reinventing the wheel. The wheel is already smoothly rolling with people using ModMii.

 

[XFlak]

How would I go about writing a config file to meet those requirements?

Call ModMii.exe (or ModMiiSkin.exe or shortcuts to either) from a cmd window and enter "ModMii help" (or "ModMii anything" will work), then you'll see the following help menu

ModMii 6.1.5 - by XFlak

Command Line Usage: ModMii [function] [parameters] [Options]

Functions:

W          Wizard
AW         Abstinence Wizard
U          USB-Loader Set-up
HS         HackMii Solutions
SU         sysCheck Updater
RC         Region Change
S          SNEEK Installation
E          Emulated NAND Builder
SE         SNEEK Installation + Emulated NAND Builder
L          Load ModMii Download Queue

O          ModMii Options: Options cannot be used by themselves
but they can be applied to other functions. Saved\default
settings will be restored after each command. If an
option is not defined saved\default settings are used.

NOTE: Too see detailed descriptions and parameters for any of the above,
use 'ModMii [function] Help'

You can then get even more info by typing "ModMii W Help", "ModMii AW Help", etc.

Also can such a script be used later just for app downloads: e.g: no modding, just updated Launchers, forwarders, etc

yes, by loading a preconfigured modmii download queue (i.e. "ModMii L Help")

edit:
you can see some example scripts in ModMii's support folder (Casper2BootMii.bat and d2x-beta-md5-updater.bat), but your scripts will likely be a lot less complex, probably consisting of just a few lines each if that

 

[climhazzard36]

Thanks for the tutorial XFlak!

This seems to be the best solution for windows users, but what would you recommend for Mac/Linux users who do not have access to a Windows machine?

 

[DeadlyFoez]

Thanks for the tutorial XFlak!

This seems to be the best solution for windows users, but what would you recommend for Mac/Linux users who do not have access to a Windows machine?

Wine, VM's.

Most people that care to hack a wii that use linux will take the time to understand the full workings of it all and can answer any and all questions themselves. The majority of users do use Windows.

And, quite frankly, anyone can go to their local library or work place and use those Windows machines to get what is needed using ModMii to mod a wii.

There is not one single person that can ever say that they don't have access to a Windows PC. If someone can honestly say that, then they must be on the international space station. And if they are on the International Space Station, then they are far more concerned about bigger things than how to mod a Nintendo Wii.

 

[koopakid08]

Right I think I will scrap hosting any files as I have links to all the sources. Question now is legality with links to the sources that contain the files?


I'm not looking for fame, I just want to create a guide myself. I have tried a few exploits and would like to attempt / understand all of them mainly as a learning experience.
After creating a guide I am also including sections such as a history to exploits, how cIOS and IOS differ, how IOS /= Firmware, etc etc

Linking, even to copyrighted material is not illegal. If that was true Google or any other search engine would be illegal. Only hosting copyrighted material is illegal.

 

[DeadlyFoez]

Right I think I will scrap hosting any files as I have links to all the sources. Question now is legality with links to the sources that contain the files?


I'm not looking for fame, I just want to create a guide myself. I have tried a few exploits and would like to attempt / understand all of them mainly as a learning experience.
After creating a guide I am also including sections such as a history to exploits, how cIOS and IOS differ, how IOS /= Firmware, etc etc

Linking, even to copyrighted material is not illegal. If that was true Google or any other search engine would be illegal. Only hosting copyrighted material is illegal.

When you are talking about what is allowed on GBAtemp, linking to copyrighted material is illegal.

With your logic, anyone can google search and find child porn.... so is that legal bc it was found through google?

 

[koopakid08]

Right I think I will scrap hosting any files as I have links to all the sources. Question now is legality with links to the sources that contain the files?


I'm not looking for fame, I just want to create a guide myself. I have tried a few exploits and would like to attempt / understand all of them mainly as a learning experience.
After creating a guide I am also including sections such as a history to exploits, how cIOS and IOS differ, how IOS /= Firmware, etc etc

Linking, even to copyrighted material is not illegal. If that was true Google or any other search engine would be illegal. Only hosting copyrighted material is illegal.

When you are talking about what is allowed on GBAtemp, linking to copyrighted material is illegal.

With your logic, anyone can google search and find child porn.... so is that legal bc it was found through google?

Wow I've been away for awhile, agaist GBAtemps TOS and illegal is not the same thing.

Child porn is not under copyright law, it is child porn and I'm pretty sure even linking to it is illegal (not sure, I'm not into that sort of stuff). I don't see how child porn has anything to do with us discussing COPYRIGHT.

 

[actar]

Answering to the first post (not the last post about porn... )

I made WiiDownloader exactly for that. (but actualy I can't find time for finish it and complete database)

Everyone can make personal guide for softmod, but using it for download homebrew, IOS and cIOS from the "correct" source.

You can made your custom script, creating new one.. or make a merge using standard script and custom script.

No need to upload more file on web, everything is just present.