mudFTP 2.4

mudFTP is a protocol used for transfer of text files between a MUD server and a mudFTP client program. The text files can be notes, programs, room descriptions, etc. Once the file is transferred to the client, it is edited locally using the users favorite text editor.

In order to install mudFTP on your server, your server must have a centralized mechanism for editing text entries. In case of most MERC derivatives, this happens via the function string_append which takes a char** and takes over the control over input from the user, reallocating the text string as necessary. In any case, a fair knowledge of the C programming language and your MUD server is required in order to install mudFTP.

Once installed on the server side, mudFTP will listen on another port - typically youd wand this to be 6 higher than the normal port (e.g. if your mud is on port 4444, your mudFTP port would be on port 4450).

You users then use the mudFTP client program to connect. The client program identifies itself to the server with the MUD username/password and then waits for a request.

When a user with mudFTP enabled then edits a text using the text editing mechanism, it notices that there is a mudFTP connection and sends the text there instead of to the normal user screen. The users mudFTP client reads the text, saves it to a temporary file and spawns an editor. The user edits the file, and when satisfied, exits the editor. This causes the mudFTP client to send the text back to the server - which in turn replaces the text the user was editing with the new text from the client.

The server source code is ported to following platforms:

* Diku-like servers:
o Envy 2.2 with ILAB OLC
o Mythran 3.1.6b
o ROM 2.4b6 with Ivans OLC 1.72 (by Jessica Boyd)
o ROT 1.4 (by Dominic J. Eidson)
o Circle 3.0 (by George Greer)
* Non-Diku
o LDMUD (by Markus Peter) - should be portable to any LP [New!]

Ports under development:

If you are interested in porting to a new server platform, please email me. mudFTP should be portable to your server as long as your server has some central mechanism for editing text strings.

The C version of the client code works under the following platforms:

* Linux (libc5 as well as glibc)
* Any UNIX (untested, but the code is fairly compatible)
* Windows 95 and NT (port by Cath Allen)
* Windows 98 (untested)

The Java version of the client will work on any Java-capable platform.
Id very much like someone to port the client to the Macintosh platform