[MUD-Dev] Re: Mozilla: unity of interface

[John Bertoglio]

-----Original Message-----
From: J C Lawrence <claw at under.engr.sgi.com>
To: mud-dev at kanga.nu <mud-dev at kanga.nu>
Date: Tuesday, June 16, 1998 2:49 PM
Subject: [MUD-Dev] Mozilla: unity of interface


>
>Consider the following in terms of MUD client interface _and_ MUD user
>interface (currently the MUD command line, potentially something
>differently structured):

<Snipped article at url below>
>
>URL: http://www.mozilla.org/unity-of-interface.html
     ^  add space and url becomes clickable...just a thought


The release of the source code to Netscape 5 is a potential boon for all of
you system level coders out there. I have no doubt that a person who
grafted the HTML rendering functions of Netscape on top of a telnet client
could build an awesome engine for an online mud. Several attempts at adding
some HTML functionality to a mud client exist but none have the anywhere
near the power of N5. While I actually prefer to design to MS IE 4.0 (don't
hate me because I'm conventional), the advantages of IE could wither
quickly as third-party programmers improve Netscape. I heard a report on
NPR's Tech Nation show that after only a week after release dozens of known
bugs were fixed by legions of clever hackers.

Adding HTML to a text mud allows user interface options that can simply not
be done from a command line as well as allowing the intergration of simple
graphics. The addition of a Web-style interface will bring a new generation
of internet users who *know* the web *is* the internet. I don't mean to
suggest a full graphic mud should be build this way, but it could produce a
client program which could enhance any mud. Coding text output to produce
HTML is easy and can also produce displays with much higher data densities
than the traditional VT100-style output.

Add the chat client described in the article noted above and you can
consider dropping telnet altogether and just run the mud with HTTP and
still retain a look and feel oldtime mud users would be comfortable.

Any thoughts?

>--
>J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
>(Contractor)                               Internet: coder at ibm.net
>---------(*)                     Internet: claw at under.engr.sgi.com
>...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...
>

John Bertoglio

>--
>MUD-Dev: Advancing an unrealised future.
>