View source for MOO

{{Stub}}

== Definition ==

* A MOOs is a [[Text-based virtual reality]], i.e. a form of [[virtual environment]].
* MOO = '''MUD, Object Oriented''', so a MOO is a kind of [[MUD]].

== MOOs in education ==

MOOs were quite popular in education in the mid-nineties. They were used for a variety of purposes:

* Distance teaching virtual environments
* Virtual meeting spaces (like [[Chat]]
* Foreign language teaching ([http://www.koenraad.info/moo/moo-research-literature-list-1.html])
* Non-intrusive collaboration
* Learning environments (e.g. quests)
* As constructivist environment to learn programming
* As living hypertexts (text with people)
* Social rules experimentation and learning.
* Familiarization with online spaces and international exchange (activities with kids).

MOOs also were popular as environment for carrying out research, e.g. topics like
* Collaboration (e.g. Dillenburg et al. 1997)
* Sociology
* Identity (and in particular [[online identity]]

In 2006, text-based virtual communities have lost a lot of attraction, since some functionality can be replaced by integrated environments such as [[groupware]], [[C3MS]] or [[LMS]] but they are still used for a variety of purposes (since replacements are not really available). In particular, MOO is popular in [[language learning]].

== Software ==

In order to run a MOO, you need a server ''and'' a database. The database contains a lot of code without which building a MOO is extremely difficult. MOO-COWS has a list of the most important software:
* [http://www.moo-cows.com/downloads.html MOO Downloads]

=== The MOO server ===

* [http://sourceforge.net/projects/lambdamoo/ Download from Source Forge] (but before you consider doing this, see our '''[[enCore installation and configuration]]''' hints.

=== Moo Databases ===

There are several databases. To educators we recommend "enCore". More are indexed at [http://www.moo-cows.com/downloads.html MOO Downloads]

; enCore

* [http://sourceforge.net/projects/ele/ enCore Learning Environment] (MOO database recommended by [[User:DSchneider|DSchneider]]). Take version version 5 Beta (12:45, 13 April 2007 (MEST)). It works well enough for a production environment. However you also may take the earlier 4.01 version.

Notes:
* See our [[enCore installation and configuration]] hints.
* Home of encore was Lingua MOO, but the (lingua.utdallas.edu) is dead now (however the project is not dead)

; Lambda Core
(this used to be the most popular core and its the basis of most other cores, e.g. enCore.) 

* [http://www.moo-cows.com/ftp/LambdaCore-12Apr99.tgz Download]
* [http://moo.kcc.hawaii.edu/%7Emoo/MOO/files/documentation/wizbasics.html Wizard Basics and maintaining your own MOO]

=== Moo clients ===

* Some MOOs like encore have a built-in web client. However the experience is not the same (e.g. text tends to be not as rich, e.g. messages triggered by passing through doors may not show). Therefore, many people still prefer to use text-only MOO clients.

; List of Clients

* [[User:Daniel K. Schneider|Daniel K. Schneider]] uses the  [https://github.com/toddsundsted/rmoo RMOO] client for Emacs. You need to be familiar with emacs. If you are and manage to install it, this really is the best client ever. As of 2020, I found a new revised version: [https://github.com/lisdude/rmoo RMOO 1.3]. The Github page (scroll down) explains everything. Prior to rMOO 1.3 you must install xterm-color through the package manager of emacs.
* [http://www.awns.com/tkMOO-light/ TKMOOlight] used to be a popular client (not tested recently)
* [http://pueblo.sourceforge.net/pueblo/ Pueblo] A general MUD client, supposed to work with MOOs.
* [http://www.heynow.com/Savitar/ Savitar] General purpose MUD client for Macintosh.

There are many other clients available (some are even being improved). Google.

=== Moo-like environments ===
(e.g. alternatives)

* [http://www-static.cc.gatech.edu/elc/moose-crossing/ Moose Crossing] -  "A text-based virtual world (or "MUD") designed to help kids to learn reading, writing, and computer programming" from Georgia Tech.

* [http://stunt.io/ STUNT], a modern version (still under development as of 2013)

See also wikipedia article.

== Links ==

(This section is really not complete. Most links [[User:Daniel K. Schneider|Daniel K. Schneider]] had are dead now. Some have emerged in other places, but it takes time to find them again).

=== General ===
* [http://lambdamoo.info/ LambdaMOO] (info page). The '''original'''
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOO MOO] (Wikipedia page)

=== MOOs in education ===

Consult [http://cinemaspace.berkeley.edu/~rachel/moolist/ Rachel's Super MOO List] (More than 150 MOOs sorted according to categories ''educational, ESL, research, RPG, social, or other.'', retrieved 12:45, 13 April 2007 (MEST). But ''alas'' most of the indexed educational MOOs are dead ...

==== TECFAMOO ====

[[User:Daniel K. Schneider|Daniel K. Schneider]] plans to replace it with an encore MOO, since we no longer have the resources to maintain this. A test version is [http://tecfax.unige.ch:7000 here]).
* tecfamoo.unige.ch 7777
* [http://tecfa.unige.ch/moo/how_to.html TECFAMOO Information page]

==== Virtual cities ====

* [http://www.vroma.org:7878/ VROMA] (guest login allowed) - features an encore V5 Interface. Works as of 5/2011

==== Literary Worlds ====

* [http://brn227.brown.wmich.edu/literaryworlds/index.htm Literary Worlds]. Explore, research, interact, and role play in virtual worlds based on literary works -- a resource for students and teachers. (based on enCore Xpress 4.0)

==== Lingo.uib ====
* [http://cmc.uib.no/lingo-uib/ Lingo Project Page] (several MOOs).

=== MOO research indexes ===

(Most good MUD/MOO indexes are now dead)

* [http://www.koenraad.info/MOO/MOOlit References for 'MOO-ing in a foreign language: the claims revisited'] (Koenraad & Goedemé, 2002). this is a very complete bibliography
* [http://www.hayseed.net/MOO/ The Lost Library of MOO] Best resource for free MOO research papers and manuals/tutorials etc.
* [http://tecfa.unige.ch/edu-comp/WWW-VL/eduVR-page.html TECFA's Educational MUD/MOO Page] (very outdated, [[User:Daniel K. Schneider|Daniel K. Schneider]] will move some of the surving links here some day).
* [http://agora.cubik.org/ Agora] is a Wiki regarding the development of online multiuser environments.
* [http://www.hayseed.net/MOO/ The Lost MOO library] reborn index that saved important texts (technical and research)
* [ftp://ftp.lambda.moo.mud.org/pub/MOO/papers FTP Archive, papers from 2003 and earlier]

=== MOO research groups ===

(there were many more, but we have to find them again ...)
* [http://tecfa.unige.ch/tecfamoo.html TecfaMOO project page]

=== User manuals ===

* [http://www.moo-cows.com/docs/faqs/new-archwiz-faq.html New Archwiz FAQ] (e.g. explains how to create wizards)
* [http://tecfa.unige.ch/moo/tecfaman/www/TecfaMOOMan_1.html The TecfaMOO Manuel] (in French). Information on how to use the MOO and how to build elementary things. Voir aussi: [http://tecfa.unige.ch/guides/tie/html/moo-tech/moo-tech.html Introduction technique au MOO] (contient quelques transparents pour simple utilisateurs du MOO)
* [http://tecfa.unige.ch/moo/book2/tm2.html The evolving TecfaMOO book - part II Technical Manuel] Disclaimer: This manual is a (slowly!) ongoing effort. Some parts are still missing, some are bad, but some are useful.
* [http://tecfa.unige.ch/perso/staf/touvet/moo_commandes.html Fiche technique Moo] de WinSet (y compris comment utiliser les channels sur TecfaMOO)

=== Programming Manuals ===

* [http://tecfa.unige.ch/moo/book2/tm2.html The evolving TecfaMOO book - part II Technical Manuel] Disclaimer: This manual is an ongoing effort. Most parts are still missing, some are bad, but some are useful.
* [http://tecfamoo.unige.ch:7000/6982 Melchyor's notes on HTML Rendering in enCore]
* [http://tecfa.unige.ch/guides/MOO/ProgMan/ProgrammersManual_1.html '''The official MOO Programmer's Manuel''']

== References ==

* Bruckman, A. et Resnick, M. (1993). Virtual Professional Community: Results from the MediaMOO Project. In Third Internation Conference on Cyberspace, Austin, Texas. URL: [http://lucien.berkeley.edu/MOO/mediamoo-3cyberconf.ps PS]

* P. Dillenbourg, P. Jermann, D. Schneider, D. Traum, C. Buiu, (1997) The design of MOO agents: Implications from a study on multi-modal collaborative problem solving, Proceedings 8th World Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education, Kobe, Japan. [http://tecfa.unige.ch/tecfa/publicat/jermann-papers/Kobbe/ HTML].




[[Category: Virtual environments]]