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<H1>[MUD-Dev] Re: DevMUD Event Language</H1>
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<LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI>
<LI><em>Subject</em>: [MUD-Dev] Re: DevMUD Event Language</LI>
<LI><em>From</em>: Jon Leonard <<A HREF="mailto:jleonard#divcom,slimy.com">jleonard#divcom,slimy.com</A>></LI>
<LI><em>Date</em>: Sat, 24 Oct 1998 15:10:53 -0700</LI>
<LI><em>Cc</em>: Jon Leonard <<A HREF="mailto:jleonard#divcom,slimy.com">jleonard#divcom,slimy.com</A>></LI>
<LI><em>Reply-To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#kanga,nu">mud-dev#kanga,nu</A></LI>
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<PRE>
On Thu, Oct 22, 1998 at 08:14:21PM -0400, Hal Black wrote:
> Okay, this is a totally off the wall and demented idea I'd like to throw out:
It's off the wall and demented, but I think we can't throw it away completely.
(And yes, I'm going to throw up some web pages soon.)
> To provide an event model (i.e. state changing through time on a schedule with
> contention resolution), how about mutating VHDL to be mudlike and then using
> that as the mud language?
I know Verilog lots better than VHDL, (I'm paid to design chips in Verilog)
so I may get the semantics a bit wrong. Shouldn't matter much: from the
remote perspective of a MUD developer, they're pretty similar.
Some aspects of programming in HDLs (Hardware Description Languages) are
usefully transferable to MUD design, and some are experiences while not
transferrable.
The model of a large system as a collection of pieces all working in parallel
(with explicit handshakes) can be useful.
Scheduling things via things like "do this 5 time units into the future"
is a useful model for doing long-running processes.
I also like debugging with waveforms. It's really nice to be able to see
relevant variables vs. their values over time. I can literally see where
and when the simulation went wrong.
There are other things about working in HDLs don't map nearly so usefully.
Explicit bit widths: In a software world, I just want all my variables
to be wide enough. The savings of narrower variables just aren't worth
having to declare every variable and constant with a width. "Here's
a 17-bit integer." and "This should be less that 20, compared as a 12 bit
number." hurt readability, and there's no speed gain for doing it.
Extra bit states: Support for strong and weak drive strengths, along with
high-impedance and unknown values is wasteful in non-hardware environments.
Just give me 0 and 1.
The time model is really wierd, too. The concept of simulation time isn't
very useful in a MUD where everything should work according to real time.
Similarly, there isn't a need for clock signals.
[pseudo-VHDL pseudocode trimmed]
Jon Leonard
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<li><strong><A NAME="00466" HREF="msg00466.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: DevMUD Event Language</A></strong>
<ul compact><li><em>From:</em> J C Lawrence <claw#kanga,nu></li></ul>
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<LI><STRONG><A NAME="00367" HREF="msg00367.html">[MUD-Dev] DevMUD Event Language</A></STRONG>
<UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> Hal Black <hal#moos,ml.org></LI></UL></LI>
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<ul><li>Thread context:
<BLOCKQUOTE><UL>
<LI><STRONG>[MUD-Dev] Re: Crack.Com deceased, Golgotha source released (sorta)</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM>
<ul compact>
<ul compact>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00411" HREF="msg00411.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Crack.Com deceased, Golgotha source released (sorta)</A></strong>,
J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#under,engr.sgi.com">claw#under,engr.sgi.com</a>, Fri 23 Oct 1998, 20:16 GMT
</LI>
</ul>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00407" HREF="msg00407.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: Crack.Com deceased</A></strong>,
Marc Hernandez <a href="mailto:marc#jb,com">marc#jb,com</a>, Fri 23 Oct 1998, 18:30 GMT
</LI>
</ul>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00399" HREF="msg00399.html">[MUD-Dev] Game Developers Conference</A></strong>,
Koster, Raph <a href="mailto:rkoster#origin,ea.com">rkoster#origin,ea.com</a>, Fri 23 Oct 1998, 15:35 GMT
<LI><strong><A NAME="00367" HREF="msg00367.html">[MUD-Dev] DevMUD Event Language</A></strong>,
Hal Black <a href="mailto:hal#moos,ml.org">hal#moos,ml.org</a>, Thu 22 Oct 1998, 23:56 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00462" HREF="msg00462.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: DevMUD Event Language</A></strong>,
Jon Leonard <a href="mailto:jleonard#divcom,slimy.com">jleonard#divcom,slimy.com</a>, Sat 24 Oct 1998, 22:15 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00466" HREF="msg00466.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: DevMUD Event Language</A></strong>,
J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Sun 25 Oct 1998, 00:20 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00468" HREF="msg00468.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: DevMUD Event Language</A></strong>,
James Wilson <a href="mailto:jwilson#rochester,rr.com">jwilson#rochester,rr.com</a>, Sun 25 Oct 1998, 01:49 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00469" HREF="msg00469.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: DevMUD Event Language</A></strong>,
J C Lawrence <a href="mailto:claw#kanga,nu">claw#kanga,nu</a>, Sun 25 Oct 1998, 01:58 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00478" HREF="msg00478.html">[MUD-Dev] Re: CVS and LXR</A></strong>,
bruce <a href="mailto:bruce#portland,puremagic.com">bruce#portland,puremagic.com</a>, Sun 25 Oct 1998, 07:31 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
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