GET LAMP: Jim Aspnes Interview

	GET LAMP: Jim Aspnes Interview
	by Jason Scott
	Thumbnail
	Download
	Web page

	One of the more common questions and statements made when
	I was discussing the production of GET LAMP was what role
	MUDs would play in the final work. MUDs, or Multi-User-
	Dimensions, or Multi-User-Dungeons (or Multi-
	Undergraduate Destroyers) were compelling, text-based
	worlds that took the world by storm starting in the 1970s
	and then attracting a mass of new adherents in the late
	1980s and early 1990s with the introduction of many
	college students to the internet.

	Now, as it turns out, while the interface of MUDs is very
	similar to text adventures, it just isn't the case of
	there being a huge amount of overlap. Yes, people who
	used text adventures found the MUDs easier to use, but
	MUDs were not puzzle-fests and not really about
	interactive fiction. But it was worth the exploration,
	and a number of MUD folks got interviewed, and used in
	the movie, but not always discussing MUDs. One of these
	is Jim Aspnes.

	Aspnes is the creator of TinyMUD, which was an attempt to
	bring the MUD world down into a smaller, extensible
	codebase and provide a fun thing to tinker with. While
	the code has gone through many revisions by many people,
	Aspnes' work got a lot of attention and let a thousand
	online flowers bloom.

	He turned out to be both up for an interview, and to be a
	relatively short drive from where I lived. We conducted
	the interview in his office, and it was somewhat short,
	but well worth the time. Plus, how could I pass up the
	opportunity to meet and thank one of the people who
	defined a large part of my life, as I've run a MUD
	variant for over 20 years. Thanks!

	Date Published: 2011-07-08 02:53:14
	Identifier: GETLAMP-Aspnes
	Item Size: 2147483647
	Language: English
	Media Type: movies

	# Topics
	GET LAMP;Jim Aspnes;TinyMUD;Interview...

	# Collections
	getlamp-interviews

	# Uploaded by
	@jason_scott

	# Similar Items
	View similar items

	PHAROS