[MUD-Dev] Clients

[coder at ibm.net]

On 14/01/98 at 07:27 AM, Shawn Halpenny <malachai at iname.com> said: >On
Wed, 14 Jan 1998, Caliban Tiresias Darklock wrote:

>> I think what he's saying is he wants command mode and input mode --
>> sort of like in vi, you're either inputting to the file (the MUD in
>> this case) or controlling the editor (the client). I don't know that
>> I'd completely agree with this idea, as it seems sort of backward;
>> after all, you could probably do just as well with a separate command
>> line altogether for the client. There's also the possibility that he
>> wants the command line to have the same *syntax* as vi. If that's what
>> he's asking for, then I have to kind of wonder what good the majority
>> of vi's commands would be in a MUD client.

>Anyone who has used bash or ksh in vi mode knows exactly what I'm
>referring to.  Essentially, take the majority of the single-line editing
>and movement commands from vi and stick them into the command-line
>editing facilities of the client.

Modal interfaces are generally considered/found to be poor designs from a
human usability viewpoint.  Outside of trained responses, such are your
own history with vi, people don't tend to think in modal manners.

Note: A vi mode would require either the server to run in character mode
(interface is done server-side) with its resultant net bandwidth/lag
problems, or done client-side with the resultant edited line sent to the
server (ie only available to the client, not raw telnet, and requires the
client to maintain significant context data).

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
----------(*)                              Internet: coder at ibm.net
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...