Flame – BBS and MUD

10 months ago (ucc.asn.au)

This is obviously a MUD and not really the same thing, but I can't help think of Citadel BBSes after reading the description.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citadel_(software)

Funny this is maintained by folks at UW. The PNW had quite a robust BBS scene back in the 80s. Not exactly surprising that tech flourished with such inclement weather.

Maybe obvious to others, but on MacOS I had to `brew install telnet` since it was not installed by default and then `telnet flame.ucc.gu.uwa.edu.au 4242`.

In the 90's I thought it would make for a wild scene in a (cyberpunk?) story where the protagonist agrees to meet up with a possible informant in a MUD bar. The two apparently idly chatting possibly state secrets while fights between fighters and magic users break out around them.

  • It's a shame there's not just an embedded applet. Those were always popular on MU*'s websites in the 2000s. Shame that's not an automatic add.

This isn't new at all - MajorBBS/Worldgroup had a module called Hoteleconference that did this, which if I remember correctly, you could do "world building" to design rooms, descriptions, actions, etc. much like a mud but with a more social context.

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  • Hacker News itself looks promising for those needing an easy-to-use cluster management tool. I like its ability to operate on smaller AAA batteries by just putting bits of tinfoil on each end. It seems like a good replacement for Plex. I mangle users and software when necessary, but would like an opensource tool to play with. The orange objects are a nice touch. Curious to see how it evolves and compares to other social edifices like the Catholic Church.