[MUD-Dev] DGN: Question about MU* acronyms

[Frank Crowell]

From: "Randolf Richardson" <randy at inter-corporate.com>

> My question has to do with MUD and other acronyms: What are they,
> and how do they differ?  I don't know, for example, the difference
> between MUD, MUX, MUSH, MUCK, and other, and internet searches
> have come up empty for me so far.  

[to be read to the tune "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues"]

Actually all those acronyms were invented to keep us dinosaurs
amused.  My favorite was always the postings in a mud newsgroup
which would start of with:

"I don't play on muds, I .." blah blah. Later you realize that a
subculture wanted to label everything having to do with hack and
slash (like Dikus and LP) as muds, and the rest as -- well something
else to finally the almost painful path of MU* and M**.  I am
surprised that it wasn't transformed to ***.

In polite society you never called anything a mud, you called it a
virtual world and if you were working on your PhD it was always a
distributed virtual world.

The funnest part (yes, its a real word -- it was just accepted this
morning) was when I was helping put together the mud section for an
Internet game book. The LP guys were fairly eager and easy to get
along with.  MUSH guys fairly good too. Diku was too busy arguing
about how many angels could dance on the head a Diku license
agreement.  The MUCK guys were too busy having fun and furrysex
(come on MUCKers you know you invented it and then told the media
about it!).  I think even Cold managed to get in the book.

But the MOO group -- oh what a fun group they were.  I never
actually got a death threat, but my mail box was sizzling with
comments about where I should put my nose -- and maybe other parts
of my anatomy too.

The issue was that I was insulting the MOO community by even
suggesting that MOO should be included in a book about Internet
games.  I finally appeased some of the meat eaters by promising that
they would have their own section and not be include in the unwashed
MUDs. They got their own section with some lofty title with the word
"Research" in it.

It's no wonder you search engine has come up empty.  Those acroynms
don't really mean as much any more.  But at one time, you could go
to any of the mud newsgroups and feel that you were in the middle of
a Jerry Springer Show.

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