HamFon

HamFon was the Active Worlds citizen name of Nelson Crowle, a programmer and developer who was an important contributor to the early Active Worlds software and bot community.

Active Worlds

HamFon joined Active Worlds in 1999 and became known for developing bots and programming tools for the Active Worlds platform. He later worked for Activeworlds Corp., contributing both to the Active Worlds browser and to the growing ecosystem of automated bots.

An Active Worlds newsletter from July 2002 described Crowle as one of the company's celebrated developers and noted that he was transitioning away from his role at Activeworlds Corp.<ref name="July2002">Active Worlds Newsletter, July 2002</ref>

Crowle's programming work included several areas of the Active Worlds browser. Among the projects he specifically identified were trueSpace support, RenderWare animation in version 3.3, internationalization, the tunnel server, and numerous smaller browser features.<ref name="July2002" />

HamBots

HamFon is particularly associated with the development of HamBots, a family of programmable bots for Active Worlds.

Early HamBot versions could respond to simple commands, move avatars, and change their avatars. The system subsequently evolved to include a full scripting language, allowing users to create bots for a variety of purposes. HamBots were used as tour guides, building assistants, public-relations assistants, and other automated services.<ref name="March2002">Active Worlds Newsletter, March 2002</ref>

The introduction of the Active Worlds SDK made it possible for other programmers to develop their own bots, but HamBot remained one of the best-known general-purpose bot systems of the period.<ref name="March2002" />

Bots and projects

Among the projects associated with HamFon were:

• BuildBot — a building utility for repetitive construction, moving builds, and backing up building projects.
• BingoBot — a bot used to operate bingo games in Active Worlds.
• Chess/Checkers — bots supporting board games.
• Trivia — a trivia-game bot.
• CustomsAide — an administrative utility bot.
• Numerous custom bots developed for administrative and other specialized purposes.<ref name="July2002" />

BuildBot was particularly notable for its ability to construct large numbers of objects very quickly. An October 2000 Active Worlds newsletter reported that BuildBot could reproduce an area around AlphaWorld Ground Zero at approximately 64 objects per second under the conditions of the test.<ref name="BuildBot">Active Worlds Newsletter, October 2000</ref>

BingoBot

HamFon was involved in the development of the early AWBingo system. In August 1999, Active Worlds reported that HamFon and Young Shamus had worked together to improve AWBingo, producing a faster version with more cards after the original bingo event proved highly popular.<ref name="September1999">Active Worlds Newsletter, September 1999</ref>

Work on the Active Worlds browser

In addition to his bot development, HamFon worked on the Active Worlds browser itself. In his final Bot of the Month article in July 2002, he listed work involving:

• trueSpace
• RenderWare animation in Active Worlds 3.3
• Internationalization
• The tunnel server
• Numerous smaller browser features

He stated that, despite the amount of browser programming he had done, developing bots was the part of his work he found most enjoyable.<ref name="July2002" />

Later years at Activeworlds

By July 2002, HamFon was transitioning away from his position at Activeworlds Corp. The company published a special tribute to him in its newsletter, crediting his contributions to the Active Worlds community and describing his bots as having significantly changed the ways users interacted with the virtual world.<ref name="July2002" />

His departure was also associated with the conclusion of the Active Worlds Bot of the Month articles written under his name.

Legacy

HamFon's work was influential during the formative years of Active Worlds. His HamBot system helped establish bots as an important part of the platform, while tools such as BuildBot demonstrated how bots could automate tasks that would otherwise require users to perform large numbers of repetitive building operations manually.

His work also helped establish a foundation for the many independent bots, games, utilities, and automated services that subsequently appeared throughout the Active Worlds community.

References

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