We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Software

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a MOO?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: Jun 04, 2024
Views: 9,513
Share

MOO stands for MUD object oriented, and the acronym MUD can be translated as multi-user domain, multi-user dimension or multi-user dungeon. The MOO is a text-based virtual reality system, which was once commonly used as a means of socializing or game playing. The idea for MOOs came from the number of people who played games online together, which were often text-based adventure games.

The earliest MOO programming was developed by Stephen White, but the first huge step was the text-based “world” called LambdaMOO, created by Pavel Curtis, who corrected earlier bugs in White’s programs. It first went up in 1990, when most people had only dial up connections to the Internet, and was often accessed through UNIX based servers, through telnet connections. Users could not only talk and chat in various “rooms” together, but could also create their own objects, rooms, characters, and commands using fairly simple programming, called MOO programming language, which then would be added to the total MOO.

At the height of its popularity, Lambda had over 10,000 members, but now this number has dwindled with more user friendly text-based Internet virtual worlds. Unfortunately too, Lambda became primarily associated with Internet flirtations and graphic sexual liaisons. Early servers and too much traffic on MOOs could also create significant “lag” which created impatience and annoyance among users.

A more “friendly” application of MOOs was applied to teach distance learners, or to conduct online forums and classes, since these domains allowed for multiple users to communicate. Other MOOs allowed people of like minds to play scrabble together, or perhaps convene on issues in their profession. Yet others became the new forum for adventure games or to create fantasy worlds like Rupert, which is based on the Douglas Adams book, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

MOOs tend to have administrators called wizards, who can expel people from the MOO and might occasionally offer technical assistance. However, newbies were warned to read all help and frequently asked questions (FAQs) before approaching a wizard for help. Some wizards resented intrusions when information to a question could be found elsewhere. Some MOOs also had built in registration limits, but many MOOs like Lambda, allowed people to register as guests. Even if their characters had been expelled, they could come back.

The MOO heyday is primarily over. There are now multiple user online forums that allow for quicker communications, chats, and the like, and even allow for graphic based fantasy worlds instead of those based on text. The charm of MOOs, however, was the individual’s participation in the design. People came together to build “new worlds” of text.

Share
EasyTechJunkie is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a EasyTechJunkie contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.
Discussion Comments
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a EasyTechJunkie contributor, Tricia...
Learn more
Share
https://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-is-a-moo.htm
Copy this link
EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.