[DGD] Changing connect() (network package)

[Par Winzell]

On 12/29/07 5:33 PM, Felix A. Croes wrote:
> As I see it, if you want outgoing connections you can't be too
> concerned about security.  An external daemon is a good solution
> for the sake of keeping up with changes in DGD code, not for any
> other reason.

This debate is confusing me. I may be missing something here, but... it 
seems to me you are both avoiding mention of the most persuasive feature 
of this external daemon idea, namely that it implicitly urges the 
administrator to export only an extremely limited view of the Internet 
to DGD.

A mudlib should by and large *not* have the ability to connect to hosts 
willy-nilly. That is an operating system feature. On the other hand, it 
should not be an entirely passive beast either. Instead, it should be 
handed a separately and explicitly configured bundle of outbound 
connections, identified perhaps with opaque strings.

In the past I've argued with some force for a general network package in 
DGD. I still think it's very useful for all those times when we wish to 
use DGD not as a game engine, but as a programming environment.

But I've changed my mind when it comes to hosting games. There is no 
good reason to include the full power of a general purpose networking 
API in a game engine. A tight Java daemon in the middle feels just right 
to me, and it's how I would do it today.

Zell