[MUD-Dev] Re: Unix is a mud (Re: Ugh, IS Diablo a mud?)

[Ola Fosheim Grøstad <olag@ifi.uio.no>]

Koster, Raph wrote:
 after Ola wrote:

> > (Btw: AFAIK Electric Communities' new habitat is not server
> > based, but still
> > provides the same functionality. There you go, you
> > technically oriented
> > classifying racists.)
> 
> Although your term for listmembers at the end end troubles me, your
> reference to EC's new project intrigues me. Can you explain more or
> provide a pointer?

I can understand how weary you guys in Texas must be for the term "racist".
Personally,  I have no trouble with it.  I believe all humans are racists at
heart, it is perhaps an integral part of our self protective instincts
approximation and abstraction mechanisms (stereotyping).  In this case it
seems to fit the bill, I believe a "racist"  is a person who is connecting
value and (soft) abilities to genetic relationships in a "hard" way. The low
level technical side of a MUD is in some sense its genes.  It's (soft)
abilities is however demonstrated by how users use it.  There is clearly a
relation between genes and abilities, but genes does not dictate the
outcome. The context is an essential and influential factor.

I don't know much more about EC Habitat than what you can find on their
website. I am not allowed to participate in their Beta as I am nonamerican
(damn racists :). Anyway, the idea is that a server-client model is
expensive and inefficient for millions of simultaneous users. A peer model
seems to fit their grand vision (JM Jarre??). I believe they solve hacking
by global keys and encryption, which could explain their blatant
discrimination of us poor Europeans (as if the suffering from trans-atlantic
lag isn't enough).
--
Ola