Column 5
June 17, 1996

And Now Off To Virtual Reality?

In concept, e-mail is very much like mail in the physical world (sneeringly called "s-mail" or "snail-mail" by Internet users). Mail is delivered to a mailbox and is retrieved by the recipient -- just as on the physical plane. With the World Wide Web, the user is presented with something to read or watch. While there is great power with use of the Web, the presentation of information on the screen is familiar to readers of newspapers or watchers of television.

Telnet, on the other hand, picks you up and takes you someplace. It brings you to another computer system someplace else in the world and allows you to log on as though you were a local user of that particular system. The metaphor of bringing you to another place rather than information to you is a powerful one and will. hopefully, become clearer as we proceed.

The difference in metaphor becomes more apparent when one compares the telnet function with the e-mail function. With e-mail, you may receive mail from systems all over the world -- from businesses, universities, commercial service, etc. -- but when you receive the mail, it matters little in practice whether the mail originated in IBM’s PROF’s system, a UNIX local provider, Compuserve, Iona College, etc. All you have to know to deal with the mail is the mechanics of the e-mail system that you use.

When using telnet, however, the user must adapt the operational practices of the system to which he/she is telnetting -- and the commands often vary greatly from system to system. It, therefore, requires slightly more knowledge to be a telnet user that to restrict oneself to e-mail and WWW surfing -- or, at least, a more global view of the internet process. If, rather than restricting oneself to keystroke memorization, one takes the overview that “any system which I go to will have a signon method, possibly an e-mail function, a help function, etc.”, it becomes more like stepping into the new rent-a-car at the airport. The user will generally find that the rented car differs somewhat in operation from the renter’s own car -- the gear shift, lights, windshield wiper control, truck lock and gas tank may all be placed differently -- but the renter does not have to learn to drive all over again. It is the same with moving through the Internet (Aside: The keystroke memorization method of operation is particularly galling to the author. We have people throughout the business world who will say “I can use WordPerfect very well but I can’t do Microsoft Word” or “I use Windows but I couldn’t do anything with the Macintosh”. Hint They do the same thing -- find the windshield wipers and go do it! You don’t say “I can’t drive the Buick; I have a Ford at home”.)

Any system telnetted to will have a “login” procedure, often including the use of a password. The system may be a commercial system, such as America OnLine or the WELL, that limits access to paying or trial subscribers; it may be a service that allows guest logins or the on-the-spot establishment of an account.

There are three major reasons to use the telnet function:

1. To go to a remote computer system such as a library to gather information.
2. To logon a remote service in a manner that eliminates long distance charges or increases speed.
3. To join others on a text-based virtual reality platform known as a “MUD” or “MOO” for the purposes of collaboration, education, role-playing games, and/or social interaction

There are a number of useful examples of telnetting for decreased cost or increased speed. There is an hourly charge to subscribers for the use of the very respected conference system, the WELL (Whole Earth Lectronic Link), and, while the charge is reasonable for its many users, it doubles when users connect through their local telephone numbers throughout the United States. Persons calling directly in the Sauslito, California system pay the low rate but direct dialing only makes sense for local Sauslito area users. Enter telnet - a user connected to a local provider or a corporate or college network telnets to “well.com” and signs on, knowing that the charge is at the local lower rate.

Some users of systems may be AOL or Compuserve clients as well as having a local provider or a college or corporate account. If the local numbers for Compuserve or AOL do not support the highest speed modems or are not as local for phone charge purposes as the other connections, it makes sense to signon to the local provider, et al and telnet to the commercial service.

More and more, however, the telnet function’s greatest use is to be the connection conduit for the countless thousands of people who spend part of lives living in cyberspace cities and islands known as MUDs (Multiple User Dimension) and MOOs (Multiple user dimension - Object Oriented). These cities and islands are “text-based” virtual reality environments where people work, study, experiment, collaborate, game-play and develop friendships and romantic involvements more intense than can be imagined by the non-MUDder.

NEXT: Life On The MUDs and MOOs!

Column 6
July 1, 1996

Life On The MUDs and MOOs!

People studying the use of MUDs rapidly found some interesting facts -- in this text-based world, ethnicity, race, age, and physical appearance disappear and, once these superficial barriers found in physical society disappear, people seem to form very intense friendships and other relationships very rapidly. The draw of the systems are such that many of the predominately college student user base spent more time interacting on line than on course work or other social activities. What few stories in the press that mentioned MUDs talked about MUD addiction, on-line sex and other nefarious activities.

As development tools improved and “object-oriented programming” arrived in cyberspace, research centers and businesses took a harder look at this environment. It became obvious that the platform was ideal for “same-time different-place” conferencing; distance education, business meetings, scientific collaboration and other activities of significance. MOOs appeared at the aforementioned Xerox research facility, The Massachusetts Insatiate of Technology (MIT), Bellcore, and other respected institutions.

To travel to a MUD or MOO, the user must invoke the telnet function of a service or invoke a telnet client. Once connected, user may connect as a “guest”, by typing “connect guest”. The next column in this serious will provide a short tutorial in MOO use and discuss the business and educational uses of these systems already going on. Brave readers who wish to explore the worlds, prior to instruction may telnet to the MOO, connect as a guest, and type “help” for a list of commands. These are environments that must be experienced to be understood and I encourage readers to take the plunge - this portion of the internet is still open for mining and there may be gold in those hills.

A few addresses:
· LambdaMOO - Xerox PARC - lambda.parc.xerox.com 8888
· Meridian - Bellcore - sky.bellcore.com 7777
· MediaMOO - MIT Media Lab- microworld.media.mit.edu 8888
· TECFA - U. of Geneva, Switzerland - tecfa.unige.ch 7777

NEXT: Law and Order On the MOO -- Whose law? and Who creates the order?.

Column 7
July 5, 1996

Law and Order On the MOO -- Whose law? and Who creates the order?

Once one reaches a MOO by “telenetting” to the MOO (ex - for Meridian - “telnet sky.bellcore.com 7777), the person must sign on or “connect”. This is accomplished, for the first time, by typing “connect guest”. If the person becomes a permanent part of the community of that MOO, he/she will receive a character name and a password (I am “JohnMac” on various MOOs) and, from then on, the connection command will be “connect character password” - example “connect JohnMac westfair” (Note: “westfair” is not really my password)

After connection, .the user finds her/himself in a virtual room or field. There will possibly be other people present -- and thus begins an adventure in cyberspace. Using MOO commands such as “say”; “emote”; “look”; “page”, and “whisper”, the participant talks, acts, sees the environment and other participants, engages in private conversations, and determines who else in available in this cyberspace city for conversation.

MOOs are used for teaching (I have taught a credit graduate class to students displaced by IBM’s downsizing to such places as Austin, TX; Raleigh, NC; and Burlington, VT. We “met: on a MOO each Sunday 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM and conducted the seminar-type course.); work and educational collaboration; business meetings; scientific conferences, and social interactions.

It is the “social interactions” that become the root of some controversy. People become friends, discuss common problems, become romantically involved, become engaged -- all without ever meeting each other physically. They also may engage in sexual conversations, engage in what is known as “netsex,” and involve themselves in activities that might be frowned upon by others in society (these activities also go on in “chat rooms” found on America on-line and CompuServe).

There are wonderful stories relating to suicide prevention, meetings that resulted in seemingly happy marriages, and lasting friendships that result from these encounters. Unfortunately, there are also cases of pedaphiles masquerading as children as a method of entrapment, persons pretending to be of one gender or background really being of another and preying on the unsuspecting. Horror stories such as these have lead both those of good faith and others who believe in censorship to band together to promote legislation such as the recently passed “Communications Decency Act:, banning all “indecent material” on the Internet. Bitterly opposed by civil liberties advocates,. internet service providers (ISPs), and privacy groups, the act was recently deemed unconstitutional by a federal appellate court. The Department of Justice has appealed the appellate ruling to the United States Supreme Court.

While these issues are complex and find well-meaning people disagreeing, they warrant the attention of each of US. The concern here is indecency; in Singapore, it is anti-government speech which is banned.. Items like this have caused Electronic Frontier Foundation co-founder John Perry Barlow to draft a “Declaration of Independence” (http://www.hotwired.com/wired_online/4.06/declaration/) for residents of cyberspace; a declaration that rejects the domain of any one government over cyberspace. Whether or not we agree with such positions, our future is in an international cyberspace and we must pay attention to these issues.

A few addresses:
· LambdaMOO - Xerox PARC - lambda.parc.xerox.com 8888
· Meridian - Bellcore - sky.bellcore.com 7777
· MediaMOO - MIT Media Lab- microworld.media.mit.edu 8888
· TECFA - U. of Geneva, Switzerland - tecfa.unige.ch 7777

I am “johnmac” at Meridian and Tecfa MOOs

A few MOO commands: · say (or “) to “say” something say hi
· emote (or :) to show action :smiles
· @who to see who else is connected @who
· look to see what is in the area look
· look to examine a person look johnmac
· page to send a private message page johnmac Hi
· @quit to leave the MOO @quit
· help invoke the help system help
Complete MOO commands and tutorials are available, among other places, from the record of an ACM meeting - http://www.lanline.com/~acm/MAY1496.HTML NEXT: Surf’s Up!