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Metamage
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Hello, everyone!
This is the fourth TinyMUSH/Mac update bulletin, sent to those who have sent me mail regarding TinyMUSH/Mac. There is no mailbot involved. If you don't want to receive the bulletins, tell me so.
Once again, it's been a long time between bulletins. Welcome to everyone who's joined us since #3, in April. And once again, what a long way we've come!
Bulletin #3 introduced pre-release Netmush 0.7.0d1, which was a major upgrade to 0.6.0b1, providing leak-free start and stop. Since then there have been five updates (leaving us with the current 0.7.0d6), which have addressed database integrity and configuration nuisances, and incorporated significant advancements in Apple Event Assistant (the class library that makes Netmush scriptable) and Standard App (now codenamed Pedestal). Netmush now causes better teamwork with GUSI and SIOUX to manage events [Notice the working menus?], and finally has an AppleShare-like 'server' icon. :-)
And, of course, Netmush is now PowerPC native! This kicks!
Perhaps someone would like to volunteer and create a benchmark database, with MUSH machines that stress system performance? (I can see it right now: TribbleMUSH...)
I'd like to take a moment to announce and honor the winners of the ongoing TinyMUSH/Mac Bug Report Contest. David Donachie discovered a memory management gem left behind by the original hackers: a 28K local variable (down from 32K, which wouldn't even compile) in the set-handling code, such that using setunion() (or any of those functions) would crash the server. (Fixed in 0.7.0d2.) His prize is System Error 28: "stack has moved into application heap". And thanks also to John Rayford Still, who misidentified, but nonetheless successfully reported, a linking error in the 68K code of 0.7.0d4. He attributed it to a misspelled command, but the actual reason the server crashed was "it was hosed". John wins the CodeWarrior IDE 2.0->2.0.1 patch, which unbreaks the project dependency tracking, courtesy of Metrowerks. Congratulations to both of you.
As a reminder to entrants: in order to be considered, the bug reported must be reproducible by the development team. Members of the development team (me) are not eligible for the contest, and cannot claim prizes.
I'm raising Metamage's Web site to a higher degree of professionalism. One consequence is the division of information about TinyMUSH/Mac into two areas: the project and the product. The project page will remain somewhat informal, with copious technical notes about past modifications and also plans for the future. The product page will detail the package as it stands in the present, possibly offering instructive documentation as well. The FAQ list will most probably be split across both areas. Visit <http://www.metamage.com/> for links to the pages.
Eventually the TinyMUSH/Mac project will give rise to Centrifuge, the game-independent game server. Centrifuge will get its own page, as will its MUSH module.
Finally, I'd like to acknowledge all of you for your appreciation of TinyMUSH/Mac. What I upload to the FTP server is just a stream of bytes -- it's only when you host a MUSH with it that it becomes a really cool program. It's when you and your players are having a great time that I've done great work. My efforts (as well as yours) have made TinyMUSH/Mac what it is; your delight makes what it is truly awesome. And for that, I thank you.
Josh
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