LINUX.md

SmarterSmarterChild Quickstart for Linux (x86_64)

This guide explains how to download, configure and connect SmarterSmarterChild running on Linux (x86_64) to an AIM/OSCAR service.

1. Register an Account

   First create an account for your chatbot on your preferred AIM revival platform—SmarterSmarterChild connects to AIM just like any other AIM client. If you don't know where to start, set up Retro AIM Server. Keep the username and password handy for the configuration step. Note that the screen names SmarterSmarterChild and SmarterChild may already be taken by someone else.

2. Download SmarterSmarterChild

   Grab the latest Linux release from the Releases page and extract the archive. The extracted folder contains the application and a configuration file settings.env.

3. Configure AIM Client Settings

   Open settings.env in your favorite text editor.

   • Set OSCAR_HOST to your AIM provider's hostname. If you're running Retro AIM Server locally, keep the default value.
   • Set the SCREEN_NAME and PASSWORD values for the account you created in the first step.

4. Configure ChatGPT Backend

   Finally, configure the Chatbot backend that generates responses to user input. SmarterSmartChild is configured by default to use a mock ChatGPT service that serves canned responses.

   Configure the following values in settings.env:

   • If you don't want to use ChatGPT, keep OFFLINE_MODE=true.
   • To enable ChatGPT for AI-generated responses, set OFFLINE_MODE=false and set OPEN_AI_KEY to your OpenAI service account key. If you don't have one already, register for an OpenAPI Platform Account (you'll need to spend a few dollars on credits) and create a service account.

5. Start the Application

   Run the following command to launch SmarterSmarterChild:

   ./run.sh

   SmarterSmarterChild will run in the terminal, ready to chat.