The beginning of TinyMUSH 3

Undoubtedly some of you have heard the rumors that there's going to be a server which merges TinyMUSH 2.2 and TinyMUX. These rumors are true. The reasons include: - The developers have been exchanging code for some time, and it's  in everyone's best interests to minimize duplication of effort. - A merged feature set reduces porting difficulties, eliminates compatibility issues, and places a broader range of capabilities in  the hands of coders. - A merged set of bugfixes and performance enhancements contributes to a server which is, in general, more efficient and more stable. The combined server will have all of the features of TinyMUSH 2.2 and TinyMUX (most of them compile-time and/or run-time selectable), as well as the performance optimizations of both servers. It will be both more efficient and flexible than either server alone. Please refrain from deluging the developers with questions or 'wishlists'. Below, there is a list of anticipated questions, and the answers we can give at the moment. Future announcements will be posted to the TinyMUSH 3.0 support list, as well as to the new mush-announce@godlike.com list (a list for general announcements of relevance to the MUSH/MUX community), as well as various other relevant forums. Q: What is the combined server going to be called? A: TinyMUSH 3.0, since MUX and 2.2 are both derivatives of the TinyMUSH 2.0 code. It was felt that this effort warranted a new major version number. Q: Who's going to maintain the new server? A: David Passmore ("Lauren") and Lydia Leong ("Amberyl") will jointly maintain the new server. They're also in the process of recruiting a team of people to do support (answer questions, help solve   compilation difficulties, and so forth). Q: What happens to TinyMUSH 2.2 now? A: The final release of TinyMUSH 2.2 is version 2.2.5, which will continue to be supported with bugfixes as reported by users. Q: What happens to TinyMUX now? A: The final release of TinyMUX is version 1.6, which will continue to be supported with bugfixes as reported by users. Q: I'm starting a new game. What should I do? A: Start the game on whatever platform you like best at the moment. Convert to TinyMUSH 3.0 when it becomes available -- the installation and conversion process is painless. Q: Is there going to be a mailing list? A: Yes. There is a public mailing list dedicated to the support of   TinyMUSH 3.0. Its address is tinymush-support@godlike.com, and you can subscribe to it right now. The list is archived on the WWW at   http://www.godlike.com/lists/support/ Q: What about the tinymux@sneakers.org mailing list? A: The fate of the list is uncertain. TinyMUSH 3.0 discussions of the same sort will occur on the tinymush-support@godlike.com list that was mentioned above. Q: How is support going to be handled? A: In addition to the public mailing list, we're also going to have a   tinymush-help@godlike.com list, specifically for bug reports, compilation problems, and the like. This list will be tied to an   email and WWW-based problem-tracking system, and the support team will try to promptly respond to reported issues. Q: Can I join the development team? A: At this time, we are not expecting to add any more primary developers. We will, however, certainly consider integrating patches that we receive from others, and the support list is an open discussion forum. Q: Can I join the support team? A: Yes. If you enjoy helping others to solve problems, have a reasonably good grasp on how to compile and run the server, and can write coherently, please send us email. Q: Will there continue to be an 'open beta' policy as with TinyMUX? A: Yes, although it is not clear what form it will take. Q: Will the server continue to be freely available? A: Of course. Q: Will conversion be difficult? A: Conversion is extremely simple, and all backwards-compatibility issues are automatically handled by the database converter. There should be   no reason not to upgrade -- you can upgrade to TinyMUSH 3.0 just as if    you were upgrading to the current release of whatever server you are currently running. Q: What kinds of things might change for TinyMUSH 2.2 users? A: This is detailed in the preview document. There are a large number of   enhancements, including features previously found only in TinyMUX. Q: What kinds of things might change for MUX users? A: This is detailed in the preview document. There are a large number of   enhancements, including features previously found only in TinyMUSH 2.2. Q: I hate ! Will it be in the new server? A: The new server will be highly configurable. You will be able to   opt to use or not use the features that there have been traditional religious differences over; indeed, you are highly encouraged to tweak the server to your liking. Q: What about the help files? A: We would like to rewrite the help files, but this is a massive project; volunteers would be welcome. Some cleanup and rewriting has been done, though. Q: To what extent is this a reimplementation? A: We're doing this as a line-by-line manual integration. Every piece of   code in both servers will be scrutinized, and some parts will indeed be rewritten. Q: How soon should we expect a stable version to be released? A: We've been at work on this for a year and a half at the time of this post. A stable version is presently available in limited alpha, and a public version should be released in the near future. Q: What's the current status of development? A: The current version is a stable, completely usable integration of the servers, containing all the features available in TinyMUSH 2.2 and TinyMUX. Upgrading is painless. A huge slew of new features have been added, together with bugfixes and performance improvements. Q: Are there any games based on TinyMUSH 3.0 right now? A: Yes. TinyMUSH 3.0 has been run successfully on half a dozen open games, as well as several in-development games. The Godlike Edge (a social   MUSH for admins) at edge.godlike.com 6250 is the best place to look around. Other open games include From the Ashes (an X-Men game,   located at ashes.sneakers.org 5000), HellMUSH (an original-themed    game, located at hell.godlike.com 6660), and Blood of Amber (an    Amber-themed game, located at blood.godlike.com 9000). Q: What does all this mean? A: A better, cleaner, and faster server. Q: Where can I learn more? A: The TinyMUSH 3.0 project has a home page, where you will be able to   find announcements, code releases, and patches. The page's URL is   http://www.godlike.com/tinymush-3.0/ -- The TinyMUSH 3.0 Developers November 13th, 1997 Last updated July 7th, 1999