Subject: Free codes...

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1992 12:42:30 -0700

Hello all.  I am interested in finding good code for
my moo.  I know there is the LambdaCore database, but
I wish people could make other databases available for
ftp.

My idea is that we could have a sources ftp site, where
one could grab sources for fun objects:  For example,
I have a phone object, an elevator, etc, etc.  I think
it would spread the one true MUD more widely if people
knew they could get one up and have neat, fun stuff to
add at will...  Just like computers, the MOO would
be more popular if there were more "software" for it.

I would love it if I could ftp code for a bbs, or code
for command aliases like those found on GodNet.  I
wonder if we could make a "script" language, and make
a standard makefile for the code, so that one would
ftp the sources, cut and paste, and the script would
make all the verbs, properties and objects, etc, etc.

Are there already ftp sites for moo code?  Is anyone
interested in the above ideas?  I would be the first
to put my meagre moo sources available for free.  (of
course, there would be the usual honor code as regards
any creative efforts accomplished by a person)

---

---------
T. Pascal, King of Pascal          | "He travels  
fastest who travels alone,
1600 Campus Road, Box 829          | but not when the  
frost drops below zero
Los Angeles, CA 90041              | fifty degrees or  
more."
                                   |         -Old  
eskimo saying
...!gate.oxy.edu!t_pascal  
t_pascal@{cub.math,jaguar.math,bobcat,tiger}.oxy.edu

---

From: Judy Anderson <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1992 13:55:03 -0700

Interesting idea.  I was all set to tromp on it, on the grounds that
it irks me to have copies of things from one mud to another...  For
example, I wouldn't want to see a copy of the lambdamoo hot tub appear
on another MOO.  But a lot of the code on LambdaMOO is pretty generic.
Like, generic furniture.  Maybe I'll make a minor project to @dump my
various generics to go on such an FTP site.  Indeed, might it be
reasonable to use parcftp:/pub/MOO/contrib/ for this purpose?  Just
name the files whatever.moocode...

Judy Anderson yclept yduJ     [email-masked]    'yduJ' rhymes with 'fudge'
   Join the League for Programming Freedom, [email-masked]

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From: Erik Ostrom <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1992 15:04:15 -0700

> name the files whatever.moocode...

Sounds smart to me.  I'd rather have a subdirectory of contrib for it
than just put everything in contrib, though.  Perhaps subdirectories
of that for large systems, if there are any.  Also, I'd prefer a
shorted filename extension: Are there any objections to .moo?

WRT compatibility between MOOs: Yes, it might be a good idea to
document dependencies.  In general objects can be written so the
dependencies are contained in a few properties.  (E.G., code that
wants to know if an object is a descendant of the generic puppet
should check $object_utils:isa(what, this.puppet).)  If this is the
only kind of distinction, objects can be ported just by changing the
values of a few properties.  In fact, I think #404:backup does
something like this.

Even if things can't be worked out that simply, though, converting MOO-code
from one database to another should not be all that hard; in porting
stuff from LambdaMOO to Distortion, I generally felt that if the
LambdaCode called for something we didn't have, either we had something
just as good with a different name, or the thing we were missing was
worth porting anyway.

I think the best method for documenting dependencies depends on what
format people want to use for the source placed on parcftp.  More on
that later, unless a de facto standard pops up before then.

--Erik/JoeFeedback

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From: Judy Anderson <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1992 15:39:58 -0700

Well, I decided I liked this idea so much I just upped and made a
directory on parcftp.

pub/MOO/contrib/moocode/

Currently empty.
						yduJ