From: kadie@cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie)
Newsgroups: alt.comp.acad-freedom.talk
Subject: [comp.admin.policy, et al.]  Re: MUDS: Network menace, or just another service?
Date: 26 Mar 92 14:42:09 GMT
Organization: EFF mail-news gateway
Originator: daemon@eff.org


Newsgroups: comp.admin.policy,rec.games.mud
From: warlock@ecst.csuchico.edu (John Kennedy)
Subject:  Re: MUDS: Network menace, or just another service?
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1992 00:55:08 GMT

In article <jim.701571450@ferkel> jim@ferkel.ucsb.edu (Jim Lick) writes:

-->  Imagine if you will that a MUD server (Multi User Dimension - an adventure,
-->  chat, programming, etc virtual experience) was running at your site. ...

  Personal vendetta #1:  attaching meanings to MUD.  With the various forms
of it these days, it's outdated.  I got on this particular kick when someone
was earnestly trying to convince me that MUDs were a game and IRC wasn't.
"It's a CHAT program?  Is `talk' a game?  NO!  IRC isn't either."  (blah blah
blah)  MUDs may or may not be more than elaborate chat programs or they may
be games outright.  I tend to use LPMUDs as an example for "games" and older
Tiny* as an example of elaborate chats.

  With a reluctant round of hair splitting, MUDs aren't necessarily games.
(This was inspired by Jim's comment, rather than a form of reply to it.)

-->  From: Joe Random User - Podunk University

  From: KDM101%PSUVM.bitnet@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU, butthead extraordinare.

-->  I'd like to bring to your attention a growing problem on the internet.
-->  An increasing number of machines ...  are running these interactive
-->  'games' called MUDs.  ...

  I suppose it's possible that he connected to each and every one and tried
to make some judgement on if it was a game or not (and you would know about
your own, and make a judgement from that), but I don't think so.

-->  ... From experience, I know how much it can slow down legitemate access
-->  to a machine.  Games can be fun, ... but when they start to degrade the
-->  service of a network that is used by people for important research or
-->  work, then it's time to reconsider whether they belong.  ...

  Give me numbers.  Give me proof.  Perhaps a comparison generated by sending
a lot of disinformation, say 300+ lines to 300 sites * people/site.  Plus
all the USENET articles.  I would dearly love it if PSU had a slow link and
the garbage generated by this user pushed it over the edge.  Too bad.

  I don't see any kind of leg to stand on at all for network bandwidth.  IMHO,
he's tossing terms without a true clue.  It's a passable piece of disinformation
though, with just enough truth to get you to pay attention.

-->  This list has been compiled through the efforts of several
-->  people.  It is not by any means complete, as there are many
-->  of these games that remain "hidden" from low use. (or are simply
-->  unknown to any person at this site)

  Oh damm.  The ones that are "hidden" are REALLY impacting the net then.
There is no mention on how he gathered the list.


  It's a low tactic that works.  The boy aimed at administrators who may be
clueless and succumb to such scare tactics.  Spare me from wire jockys.  I
just hope everyone bothered to engage their brains and check out his claims
before they started having a seizure.

-- 
John Kennedy/KC6RCK/warlock@ecst.csuchico.edu  "IBM, You BM, We All BM for IBM!"