Abstract: A method, a system, and an article are provided for enabling communication between disparate computer languages. An example computer-implemented method includes: providing on a computing device (i) a first environment supporting a first computer language and (ii) a second environment supporting a second computer language different from the first computer language; providing an instance of an instantiated class definition as an object; accessing the object from both the first environment and the second environment; and deleting the object once a reference count indicates that the object is no longer being accessed by the first environment and the second environment.

Abstract: A method, a system, and an article are provided for managing a file cache for a client application. An example computer-implemented method can include: storing a plurality of files in a memory on a client device for a client application; identifying a first portion of the files in the memory as having been used during a previous run of the client application; receiving, from at least one server, one or more lists of files to be used during a current run of the client application; identifying a second portion of the files in the memory as not being included in at least one of the first portion and the one or more lists of files from the at least one server; and removing, from the memory, at least a subset of the second portion of the files during the current run of the client application.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a computer-implemented method, a system, and an article for managing event data in a multi-player online game. The method can include, for example, receiving user input at a plurality of client devices for a multi-player online game that includes a virtual environment; generating user-initiated events for the online game on the client devices based on the user input; distributing any user-initiated events generated on each client device to other client devices from the plurality of client devices; determining at each client device a plurality of derived game events based on the user-initiated events; storing on each client device the user-initiated events and the derived game events in one or more event queues; and determining at each client device a state of the virtual environment over time, according to the stored user-initiated events and the derived game events.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a method, a system, and an article for managing the use of global position information in a multi-player online game. An example computer-implemented method can include: identifying a number of random events for which each random event has a plurality of possible outcomes and each possible outcome has a respective probability of occurrence for each random event; selecting a first possible outcome from the plurality of possible outcomes; determining a probability distribution for the first possible outcome that defines a relationship between (i) a number of occurrences of the first possible outcome in the number of random events and (ii) a range of probabilities; selecting a first probability from the range of probabilities; and determining the number of occurrences of the first possible outcome based on the probability distribution and the selected first probability.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a method, a system, and an article for translating chat messages. An example method can include: receiving an electronic text message from a client device of a user; normalizing the electronic text message to generate a normalized text message; tagging at least one phrase in the normalized text message with a marker to generate a tagged text message, the marker indicating that the at least one phrase will be translated using a rule-based system; translating the tagged text message using the rule-based system and a machine translation system to generate an initial translation; and post-processing the initial translation to generate a final translation.

Abstract: Logically separating users into isolation groups is described. An example computer-implemented method can include identifying a first group of users of an online system that allows users to interact with one another on the online system. The method may also include grouping the first group of users into a first isolation group. The method may also include identifying a second group of users of the online system separate from the first group of users within the online system. The method may also include grouping the second group of users into a second isolation group. The first isolation group and the second isolation group may include logical boundaries that restrict interaction within the online system between users in the first isolation group and users in the second isolation group. Additionally, the first isolation group and the second isolation group may be hosted on the same server.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a method, a system, and an article for managing bonuses in a multi-player online game. The method can include: providing an online game in which a plurality of users interact with a virtual environment; determining a plurality of user conditions for the users in the virtual environment; determining, based on the user conditions, a plurality of bonuses that influence capabilities of the users in the virtual environment; determining each user's capabilities in the virtual environment based on the plurality of bonuses.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a method, a system, and a computer program storage device for identifying a language in a message. Non-language characters are removed from a text message to generate a sanitized text message. An alphabet and/or a script are detected in the sanitized text message by performing at least one of (i) an alphabet-based language detection test to determine a first set of scores and (ii) a script-based language detection test to determine a second set of scores. Each score in the first set of scores represents a likelihood that the sanitized text message includes the alphabet for one of a plurality of different languages. Each score in the second set of scores represents a likelihood that the sanitized text message includes the script for one of the plurality of different languages.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a method, a system, and an article for reducing start-up times for software applications. An example computer-implemented method can include: initiating a software application on a client device; downloading on the client device an initial portion of data configured to render an operable version of the software application; providing the operable version of the software application on the client device; downloading on the client device a remaining portion of data configured to render a complete version of the software application; and providing the complete version of the software application on the client device.

Abstract: Various embodiments described herein facilitate multi-lingual communications. The systems and methods of some embodiments may enable multi-lingual communications through different modes of communications including, for example, Internet-based chat, e-mail, text-based mobile phone communications, postings to online forums, postings to online social media services, and the like. Certain embodiments may implement communications systems and methods that translate text between two or more languages (e.g., spoken), while handling/accommodating for one or more of the following in the text: specialized/domain-related jargon, abbreviations, acronyms, proper nouns, common nouns, diminutives, colloquial words or phrases, and profane words or phrases.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a method, a system, and an article for binding computer languages. An example computer-implemented method includes: operating an application on at least one computer in a first computer language; operating a platform for the application on the at least one computer in a second computer language; binding the first computer language with the second computer language; and communicating between the application and the platform using the binding of the first computer language and the second computer language.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a computer-implemented method, a system, and an article for managing updates to environment objects within an online application. The method can include, for example, updating, by one or more computer processors on a server, an environment object for use within an online application on a client device to create an updated environment object, and transmitting, by the one or more computers processors on the server, a message to the client device using the online application that the environment object has been updated. A determination is made that the client device requires the updated environment object, and, based on the determination, the updated environment object is transmitted to the client device.

Abstract: Various embodiments described herein facilitate multi-lingual communications. The systems and methods of some embodiments enable multi-lingual communications through different modes of communication including, for example, Internet-based chat, e-mail, text-based mobile phone communications, postings to online forums, postings to online social media services, and the like. Certain embodiments implement communication systems and methods that translate text between two or more languages. Users of the systems and methods may be incentivized to submit corrections for inaccurate or erroneous translations, and may receive a reward for these submissions. Systems and methods for assessing the accuracy of translations are described.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a method, a system, and an article for rendering shadows in a graphical image of a virtual environment. An example computer-implemented method can include: generating a digital image of a virtual environment; providing a depth buffer for the digital image that includes a depth value for each pixel in the digital image; rendering a first shadow in a first region of the digital image by, at least, adjusting colors and depth values for pixels in the first region; and rendering a second shadow in a second region that partially overlaps the first region by, at least: (i) identifying a shadow rendering region to be within the second region but outside the first region, based on the adjusted depth values; and (ii) adjusting colors and depth values for pixels in the shadow rendering region.

Abstract: Systems and methods of various embodiments may enable or refine translation of text between a first language and a second language. In particular, systems and methods may enable or refine a text translation by soliciting and/or receiving feedback for: translation of a first word or phrase from a first language to a second language; transformation of the first word or phrase (in the first language) to a second word or phrase in the first language; or transformation of the first word or phrase (in the first language) to a second word or phrase in the second language. The systems and methods of various embodiments may incentivize user feedback for failed translations in order to encourage user feedback, improve the quality of user feedback received, and to permit development of translation corpora that can evolve with time.

Abstract: Various embodiments described herein facilitate multi-lingual communications. The systems and methods of some embodiments enable multi-lingual communications through different modes of communication including, for example, Internet-based chat, e-mail, text-based mobile phone communications, postings to online forums, postings to online social media services, and the like. Certain embodiments implement communication systems and methods that translate text between two or more languages. Users of the systems and methods may be incentivized to submit corrections for inaccurate or erroneous translations, and may receive a reward for these submissions. Systems and methods for assessing the accuracy of translations are described.

Abstract: Computer-implemented systems and methods are provided for suggesting emoticons for insertion into text based on an analysis of sentiment in the text. An example method includes: determining a first sentiment of text in a text field; selecting first text from the text field in proximity to a current position of an input cursor in the text field; identifying one or more candidate emoticons wherein each candidate emoticon is associated with a respective score indicating relevance to the first text and the first sentiment based on, at least, historical user selections of emoticons for insertion in proximity to respective second text having a respective second sentiment; providing one or more candidate emoticons having respective highest scores for user selection; and receiving user selection of one or more of the provided emoticons and inserting the selected emoticons into the text field at the current position of the input cursor.

Abstract: Implementations of this disclosure are directed to systems, devices and methods for implementing a cache data management system. Webserver computers receive cache data requests for data stored at a computer cluster comprising a plurality of master cache data server computers that do not have corresponding slave cache data server computers to store reserve cache data. Proxy computers in communication with the plurality of webserver computers and the computer cluster route the cache data requests from the webserver computers to the computer cluster. Each proxy computer includes a sentinel module to monitor a health of the computer cluster by detecting failures of master cache data server computers and a trask monitor agent to manage the computer cluster.

Abstract: Implementations of this disclosure are directed to systems, methods and media for assessing the status of data being stored in distributed, cached databases that includes retrieving, from a data cache, variables which include a cache loss indicator and a non-null value. The variables are analyzed to determine a state of the cache loss indicator. If the cache loss indicator indicates an intentional cache loss state, the cache loss indicator is removed and the non-null value is provided to an application. Otherwise, a cache restore process is initiated.

Abstract: Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a method, a system, and an article for identifying events of interest in a multi-player online game and enabling users to witness the events of interest. An example computer-implemented method can include: obtaining a set of parameters for each of a plurality of events in an online game played by a plurality of users; calculating a score for each event based on the set of parameters, the score providing an indication of a user interest in witnessing the event; identifying one or more events as having a highest user interest, based on the scores; notifying at least one user from the plurality of users about the identified one or more events; receiving an indication that the at least one user has selected one of the identified one or more events; and enabling the at least one user to witness the selected event.