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POO

(Pythonic MOO)

What is POO?

POO is a Python program which operates similar to a MOO. A MOO is an object-oriented, live-coding MUD. A MUD is a multi-user dimension...

Let's start again. POO implements a multi-user network virtual environment. Users connect to the server via TCP/IP, and can interact with other users in a fashion similar to any network MUD-type game (see also PUB). But the neat thing about a MOO is that all the coding which makes gadgets and gizmos and ordinary objects work is right there, available to the remote users. It can be viewed, changed, and extended in real time, without restarting the system. POO is the same way, but it is written entirely in Python, and all the code which makes the objects work is (of course) Python as well.

Where are the files?

They're right here... If you want to grab these as a Gzipped tar archive, you can try poo.tar.gz; otherwise, you can just grab the files directly:

poo.py -- the POO engine
pooparse.py -- command-parsing module
poohelp.py -- help module
tostr.py -- improved conversion to string function
qsplit.py -- better string-splitting function
marksub.py -- "markup code" substitution
msg.py -- advanced message handling
poodirect.py -- main program for use without sockets (i.e., connects POO directly to your console)
poosock.py -- main program for using POO as a server -- connect via TCP/IP
poo.dat -- core database
poohelp.dat -- help database
poohelp2html.py -- utility program for converting help database into HTML

How do I use it?

The Implementor's Guide will help you start your own POO server. See the other POO documentation for guides to creating objects, defining your own functions, or just wandering around an existing POO server.

Where can I discuss POO with other POOers?

There are now POO mailing lists for exactly this purpose.

How closely does this follow MOO?

The earliest versions of POO were mostly a proof-of-concept, built to demonstrate the key features of MOO, but without consciously copying its conventions. Since then, it's been decided to follow conventions described in the LambdaMOO Programmer's Manual (e.g., for function and variable names) wherever reasonable. This will make it easier for MOO programmers to migrate to POO, and vice versa.

For more details, see the POO vs. MOO page.

Help! It doesn't work!

I believe POO to be stable, though some bugs may have crept into the latest release. The biggest problem now is documentation, which I am working to improve.

Meanwhile, if you have difficulty getting it running, please write to me and I'll try to help. And please check this page every now and then for new developments.

Credits

I couldn't have created POO all by myself. Here are a few of the many people who have contributed to POO's success.

http://www.strout.net/python/poo/index.html
Last Updated: 9/15/98 . . . . . . Joe Strout