[MUD-Dev] Re: Java for Mud Client (Crossfire MUD topic)

[Ben Greear]

On Mon, 27 Apr 1998, Justin McKinnerney wrote:

> >
> >   Well, at work we handle persistence in applets by passing them their
> > identity (the name of their user or whatever) via an applet parameter and
> > sucking data from a server over a socket or jdbc connection. That's good
> > enough for our virtual conferencing system and presumably it'd be good
> > enough for a mud client as well.
> >
> > 	Jo
> 
> The issue was download time for graphics in the java client if it were
> applet based - so the persistance required here is local storage of applet
> data so a user doesn't have to download it every time.

Of course, there are ways of letting the user agree to let the java applet
access the HD and pretty much anything else.  Not sure how it's done
exactly..but Netscape will install stuff on yer HD if you let them
(click here to let this NS signed applet monkey with yer hardware)

For other reasons, and also ease of programming, I'd go application
though.  Another thought is:  Its pretty easy to do both.  I started
my client as an application, but when I realized the total lack of
iniative in downloading a JRE, I modified it to be an applet.  Took me
two or three days, and much of that was a learning curve...

Shameless plug:  Feel free to look at it and or download source code,
see .sig.

Sun's Activator also comes to mind.  Won't work on Linux, but linux
users can install JDK's anyway...  It also gets around the nasty problem
of trying to find a compatable browser....

Ben

Ben Greear (greear at cyberhighway.net)  http://www.primenet.com/~greear 
Author of ScryMUD:  mud.primenet.com 4444
http://www.primenet.com/~greear/ScryMUD/scry.html




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MUD-Dev: Advancing an unrealised future.