Just a bit of musing

[Chris Gray]

:Hmm, I'm not sure what you mean by 'scenario'. 
:The server is designed to run fantasy/sci-fi/modern/historical RPGs.
:
:User hits web page and mud's http port, mud pushes HTML page across.
:Users browser automatically checks objects against cache and only DLs
:new objects.
:Client executes in browser and attempts to connect to mud's playing port.
:Client tells mud that he is special.
:When a character is obtained/created, mud sends body tags and prompt tags.
:and continues to send context tags with mud output.
:
:Everything sent to the user exists in the mud database, including the
:client
:program itself.

Ok, so if a particular RPG running under the server doesn't have combat,
then the various displays you talked about relating to combat status would
not be present? Is this done by sending a Java program to the client, so
that it controls what is in the display, and that program will vary
depending on the needs of the RPG? Or, can all you need be done with
straight push's and fetch's, without needed code in the client?

Sounds do-able, but you're gonna have trouble with security firewalls!

With a custom MUD protocol, the players only have to convice the sysadmin
to allow that port through. Lots of folks are disallowing Java through
firewalls. Also, aren't some systems now disallowing a script in the
browser from making any other network connections? Some allow back to
the same address the page came from, however. If you're aiming for home
PC's running Internet Explorer, then it probably doesn't matter, unless
the individual user is cautious and doesn't allow ActiveX (is that the
right name?) programs to run locally. I know I wouldn't, unless I could
physically write-protect my hard-drive! (But then, I'm known to be
paranoid about such things!)

--
Chris Gray   cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA