XSW SP #4 – Rime of the Ancient Shell (2000-12-11)
WareWolf has been the silent owner and webmaster of LiteStep.com
for some time now. Although it seems that the site isn’t as popular as
LiteStep.net is within the community, it has some really great content.
After the interview I held with c0mrade, I approached WareWolf on
the merger of the two sites. What follows is a very interesting interview
on that subject and many others.
+——-<*>——-+
<XSWeelky> Hi, let me first thank you for taking time out to have this
interview.
<WareWolf> You’re quite welcome, I’m honored…
<XSWeelky> Now, we all know that you run LiteStep.com. What first got you
into LiteStep and what got you into running a LiteStep tld?
<WareWolf> Well – the moment I saw LiteStep – I was BLOWN OVER!
<WareWolf> I hadn’t before, (and haven’t since) seen an application so
unique.
<WareWolf> I began a website immediately.
<WareWolf> Dunno if it was just dumb luck or what, but many of the sites
were in a transition and it seemed CLEAR that LiteStep wasn’t
readily available.
<XSWeelky> What site was that?
<WareWolf> That was the LiteStepMegaSite.
* WareWolf shudders at the graphics I used.
<WareWolf> MegaSite had rainbow lettering.
<XSWeelky> How did you happened into ls.com?
<WareWolf> Soon after starting MegaSite – Bob Wells approached me;
eventually we united and LiteStep.com was born.
<WareWolf> Bob is one of those people that I’ve met on the net, because of
LS, that is 100% genuine. Fahim is another person, like this
to me. Both are great guys.
<XSWeelky> As i remember correctly, you had come up with a totally new
theme section. Revolutionary for that time for submissions and
viewing. Tell us about that.
<WareWolf> Yes, soon after that we launched TheLeanMeanThemeMachine at
LiteStep.com. It was a strong php theme archive.
<WareWolf> At that time I had found us a sponsor that was willing to let
us host on their lines for free… well, I had to do their
website too but once a server is up, more sites are a breeze
to add.
<WareWolf> Anyway, we had a free managed t1 that went into the isp next
door. Then we had the theme machine…
<WareWolf> The place I made the agreement with was bought out.
<WareWolf> Eventually our line had to change…
<WareWolf> That was when we ran on PlanetLabs.com lines.
<XSWeelky> Where is it hosted now and what happened to the Theme Engine
that you had originally built?
<WareWolf> Nowadays we run on a line that I have in my house. We have a
co-location with another locale north of here, 30-40 miles.
<WareWolf> We’re forming an additional co-location 15 miles south.
<WareWolf> Our next co-lo will work using NO LAND LINES.
<WareWolf> All wireless.
<WareWolf> The theme engine was lost when planetlabs was acquired. I lost
hardware too, in the process.
<WareWolf> Aa expensive DAT tape drive, and a RAID scsi card.
<WareWolf> c’est la vie
<XSWeelky> I had heard that c0mrade had taken your code base. Is that
true?
<WareWolf> c0mrade most definitely took the basics for his theme archive
from the thememachine.
<WareWolf> BUT! If I were to make one now it would look much the same as
both too.
<WareWolf> So beware the major-gray-area.
<WareWolf> WebTechniques has a rather pertinent paragraph in next months
issue about just this sorta thing…
<WareWolf> The author speaks in the 3rd person – stating that he’d
[paraphrased] “…he ordered these words himself…”
<WareWolf> Anyways, yeah, we all see powerful things in other sites, and
integrate them.
<WareWolf> I have, and always will, kept a theme archive from ANYWHERE I
CAN FIND themes. Most of the users now take care of it for
me. We have a very functional submission system at .com.
<WareWolf> But… all the themes we have from LiteStep.net, I was
given permission from c0mrade to take.
<XSWeelky> For a while now it seems LiteStep.com has sat idly by as
litestep.net has been dominating the web playing field. Then
c0mrade states in an interview with that ls.net and ls.com
will become one site. Any comments on this?
<WareWolf> c0mrade and I spoke of merging — ain’t gonna happen.
<WareWolf> I’m not against him, but he’s non-responsive so I’ve teamed
elsewhere.
<WareWolf> We’ll be moving OFF this line, and onto a different one. In the
process we’re going to gain access to dev staff and tools.
<WareWolf> For our web that is.
<XSWeelky> Is it only his non-responsiveness lately that has driven you to
team with others or was it something he stated in the interview?
<WareWolf> I’ve been apprehensive from the start.
<WareWolf> I’ve had a bad feeling about him… Others have stated similar
feelings.
<WareWolf> You see, when I integrate a webserver, it isn’t just a simple
intel machine. There is firewalls, vpn’s, etc.
<WareWolf> These high-end network items are quite expensive.
<XSWeelky> What kind of “bad feelings” did you get?
<WareWolf> Well, for example, I invited him into my machine once before.
<WareWolf> Setup 15 or so logins, emails addresses, whole sh-bang.
<WareWolf> Took some time to get all those hosts masked I can tell you.
<WareWolf> Anyways,he comes in and blows away webpages written by others
knowing who they were and how to contact em.
<WareWolf> Before I knew it something that looked JUST like .net was
running on my webserver in place of other authors work.
<WareWolf> When c0mrade walks he always stomps, he never treads lightly..
not that I do either…
<WareWolf> But that was not right and it put me in a bad position with
content providing staff already in place at .com.
<XSWeelky> This goes along with what c0mrade had stated in the interview
with me of .net and .com not existing any more. Both of them
becoming just one site. Apparently this isn’t what you had
originally though the deal would be was it?
<WareWolf> Well, in the past I had agreed to something LIKE he described
to you. He and I hadn’t communicated enough to get to the full
picture he painted. Now, I’m off to do something better than
he’s dreamt of, and finally have a web dev staff to use and
create the ULTIMATE theme site.
<WareWolf> Mark my words.
<WareWolf> By the way, the theme machine is still here @ .com, it’s not
turned on now.
<XSWeelky> Well, this sounds very interesting. Care to elaborate on some
of the plans that you have for ls.com?
<WareWolf> I can’t.
<WareWolf> I would… if I could
<XSWeelky> Nothing at all?
<WareWolf> I will LATER?!
<WareWolf> Dev staff, faster lines, more & deeper integration.
<WareWolf> LiteStep will explode.
<WareWolf> Watch.
<XSWeelky> Sounds like the resurrection of LiteStep.com. Do you see the
focus shifting from .net to .com because of this?
<WareWolf> I don’t care to speculate on that
<WareWolf> My traffic is and always has filled whatever pipe I put it on.
<WareWolf> From 45k/sec to the current 75k/sec
<WareWolf> Those are the nominal rates 24/7.
<WareWolf> Chris, or whoever controls the banners at .net, are making some
money off the ads. I don’t.
<WareWolf> We don’t do ads.
<WareWolf> A button or something for the hosting is one thing… punch
the monkey is another…
<XSWeelky> From the enthusiasm in your statements, this should really be
something to see. I really hope that this comes to light.
<WareWolf> So do I. Some of my most trusted staff is deeply involved so
it should be a good thing.
<XSWeelky> A while back you and Azathoth, now of DarkStep, had a falling
out because of Godzillamk. Any comments?
<WareWolf> GodzillaMk is a interesting character.
<WareWolf> I sided with him, and shouldn’t have.
<WareWolf> I want to see LiteStep succeed. I was mean to Azn and shouldn’t
have been. I welcome all people who want to come and help
with LiteStep.com.
<WareWolf> Its WAAAAY too big for any one person to do for long.
<XSWeelky> Tell us a little about your self.
<WareWolf> I’ve been in the computer industry since I was 14.
<WareWolf> I programmed some things for the teachers to use on the then
state-of-the-art “fat”-mac.
<WareWolf> I caught the bug.
<WareWolf> Since then, I’ve run bbs’s, then websites. As for work, I have
worked for Intel, Franklin Covey, NACT, Sears… all are Nasdaq
traded…
<XSWeelky> How was it working for Intel? I have heard horror stories.
<WareWolf> I loved it.
<WareWolf> They’d gimme 2 – 5 big multi-proc servers to throw management
cards and os’s on and we’d test their stuff.
<WareWolf> It was so fun.
<WareWolf> Coppermine was all the talk then and I got to test 800mhz
multi-proc-machines while 500′s were the biggest available.
<XSWeelky> Did you work for them before they became like they are now?
<WareWolf> I dunno how they are now.
<WareWolf> I’d love to go back. Great bunch of intelligent-as-hell people.
<XSWeelky> What else besides LiteStep and computers do you do?
<WareWolf> I have a wife, 2 kids, 1 car – a mid-sized American job…8)
<XSWeelky> Before we end this interview, is there anything you would like
to add that I haven’t asked yet?
<WareWolf> I ask that people who have been in LiteStep for a while, talk
with their LiteStep peers and assemble these events such that
you can separate the people from the time line somewhat.
<WareWolf> Few people know what has really happened in the past, and for
that I am sorry…
<WareWolf> Too too many people have STOPPED dev of code, sites, etc…
because of in-fighting.
<WareWolf> I ask that people step forth that want to contribute and lets
all begin anew.
<WareWolf> As always, keep using LiteStep. Try some others, you’ll
return.
<WareWolf> Keep learning, keep understanding windows better and sharing
your info.
<WareWolf> Http://wiwikals.litestep.com is a late bloomer at our server.
<WareWolf> As is http://chrometiger.litestep.com
<WareWolf> Wiwkals is similar to my own faq in that I get asked those
questions all the time.
<WareWolf>
<XSWeekly> Once again let me thank you for taking time out to grant me
this interview.
<WareWolf> You’re welcome. I would like to add that I want to have people
approaching me to submit content and resources. Also, I would
like to thank the dev’s, past and present, and everyone else who
along the way has made LiteStep what it is today.
+——-<*>——-+
Well, needless to say, a lot of what was said within this interview
was news even to me. There seems to be things going on her a bit darker
than I would like, but at the same time, something new and exciting is
growing. If you have some time, pitch in to help out WareWolf. Send him
any ideas that you have, designs, content, anything. He is very open to
suggestions.
- demigod