Request for TOS Clarification: "Third Party Programs"

[Sheer]

Well, the straight answer to your question is that there is no straight answer. If you'd like, I could explain what I've seen/heard from players:

If you're using third-party plugins, such as something to measure your DPS, fine. But the minute you mention it to another player or use it as grounds to act differently than you would without it, you're in trouble. Otherwise, if a GM finds you with it, it really comes down to how generous they're feeling that day. When ARR launched, programs that would automatically keep trying to log you in were becoming popular, and as a result, GMs cracked down on players found to be using that software - would they do the same if you ran a script to log you in today? Considering there's no login queues, it's probably something that, again, would depend on how generous the GM that caught you was feeling.

The general rule of thumb is that anything that provides an explicit advantage is a no-no. Using something like video recording software is fine, because there's nothing about it that puts you at an advantage - if anything, a disadvantage because the software may lead to a framerate drop. I know that still isn't a very good answer, but it's the best you can get from anyone at this point.