Talker
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The talker is a kind of MUD, or a kind of chat system, depending on how it is looked at.
MUDs start with a virtual world in which people log in remotely (usually via telnet), that has a basic text interface with which to communicate and compete with other users to gain experience points, treasure, and so on. Of course sometimes people get bored of fighting and sit and chat with their friends across such a system.
This is where the talker comes in. If all of the combat and competition are cut out, and leave the communication parts, a chat system is left. Most code bases are open source, so anyone can add miniature games and amusements to this system. Fans of talkers believe this gives a real feeling of mutual enjoyment in a nice atmosphere.
Alternatively, in a more modern context, there is the chat system. Typically, these are large systems with proprietary interfaces and limiting abilities, such as the chat rooms on AOL. So if a standard inferface is made, accessible via IP address or host name and a standard port number across telnet, then it is possible to make it so anyone can login in without much in the way of proprietary downloads. Then data all comes streaming across standard routes.
The first talker in history appeared in 1984.
Talker servers can be run on almost any Unix system. Many telnet clients exist and one usually comes standard with the computer's operating system. Many users of talkers enjoy the use of clients such as GMud, zMUD, TinyFugue, the basic telnet interface in a UNIX system, or the standard Microsoft Windows telnet client.
Within a Talker, users can have several ranks. Users with higher ranks are usually known as "Superusers", the higher the rank the more commands (privileges) that user has. Superusers have the ability to give users "residence" (create an account) and also the ability to "nuke" (delete) a user's account as well as other commands.
A feature of talkers is to have a profile that can be seen by other users, this profile shows each user's total login time, users that spend a lot of time on talkers to get a high total login time are referred to as spodders.
Talkers tend to run on a number of code bases, such as Nuts, RamTITS, Amnuts, ew-too, summink, sensi-summink, and playground.
External links
- ewtoo - hosting and codebase downloads (http://www.ewtoo.org/)
- Grim's talker list (http://list.ewtoo.org/)
- BBC Article on talkers (http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A1010106)