Subject: GUI clients for MOO

From: Forrest Aldrich <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 06:56:55 -0700

With the wealth of various GUI interfaces out there (bixnav, ripterm, etc.)
I thought that it might be a neat idea to develop something similar for
LambdaMOO (and perhaps other MUDs).

Bascially, from what I have been able to determine, these GUI clients act
more-or-less as a filter.  The server (the BBS program or what have you)
sends keywords/phrases/codes to the user/client, which in turn acts locally
upon it.  There are local ICONS, menus, etc. etc.

Does anyone have a bit more programmatical (is that a word?? :) knowledge of
these types of programs?  The capabilties of such a thing is, of course,
limitless... local maps, point and click to go somewhere with perhaps local
graphcial effects, sound... exchanges of files (via modem-protocol support),
and on and on.

There are many other uses for these GUI based clients, too, as with bixnav
(the Windows GUI client-interface to the BIX communications service).  

I'm interested in finding out more details about how to program one.

The platform I would be using to do this is the latest Borland C/C++ with
Application Frameworks.

Thanks...

Forrest

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From: Emil Sit <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 09:54:28 -0700

I think a major problem with this is that most M*s are connected to via
telnets, in character based interfaces, rather than a direct dialin. I'm not
sure how one would set-up a (for example) mswindoze interface thru (say)
xtalk. Of course, you could write an x based client for those ppl who have
an xterminal (slip connection, whatever), but it wouldn't be usuable
by all.

Of course, if someone DID write one..... :)

Nagilum

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From: Colman Reilly <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 10:05:28 -0700

I think a major problem with this is that most M*s are connected to via
     telnets, in character based interfaces, rather than a direct dialin. I'm n
     ot sure how one would set-up a (for example) mswindoze interface thru (say)
     xtalk. Of course, you could write an x based client for those ppl who have
     an xterminal (slip connection, whatever), but it wouldn't be usuable
     by all.

Well a way around this suggests itself . . 

There exists a system called the World Wide Web, which is a distributed
information system. It cam support hypertext, including inlined graphics.

There are clients for all sorts of platforms coming on line, some of which
can work as slaves and some of which are text based.
     
So an easy way to do it is to write a client that just calls one of these
as a slave and passes it a reference to a hypertext document somewhere on
the web. 

I'm working on it . . hypertext linked to your MOO anyone?

Colman
     
-------
Colman Reilly ,School Of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.
[email-masked]
(Home)+353-(0)1-8204643 (College)+353-(0)1-7022280 PGP Public Key on Request

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From: [email-masked] (D. Owen Rowley)
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 11:23:48 -0700

> Of course, if someone DID write one..... :)
 
There are other substantive issues that would need to be handled at the 
MOO end first..
for one it would need a real system of spatial co-oridination.

The issue of Graphical front end for MOO seems to have reached 
a sort of critical mass. Many of us are addressing it right now :-)

LUX ./. owen

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From: Emil Sit <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 11:49:11 -0700

I don't know if the original poster meant to have like real pictures of rooms,
or just something that would make navigating the text interface easier. The
latter could be done much easier than the former.

and you're right....I'm addressing it too... but I think I'll keep my mouth
shut about how for a bit.. :)

Nagilum

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 21:44:50 -0700

I've managed to receive funding this semester to either improve the GUI
for accessing M*'s or to build an online support system that helps new
users learn moo-ing faster. My background is in online help design, but
I'm interested in any feedback on what you all would do with 3K to hire a
hacker? Any advice, feedback, or suggestions would be very appreciated;
thanks in advance.

Brad

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