| Syntax: | @testexits
@testexits for <person or room> |
Checks that there is an exit named "out" from rooms and that anyone
can use it to find their way to the Student Union. This is required
for all rooms at Diversity University.
With nothing specified, will check exits from the room you're in.
If a person is specified, it checks all the rooms they own. If a
room is specified, it checks exits from that room.
Also see: building in General Help
@wear <clothing> is <message> - What the user sees when they put it on.
@owear <clothing> is <message> - What everybody else sees when it's worn.
@remove <clothing> is <message> - What the user sees when removing it.
@oremove <clothing> is <message> - What everybody else sees when it's removed
@worn <clothing> is <message> - What people see when they look at someone
who's wearing it. %N, %p, etc. refer to
the wearer of the object.
Have Fun!
Also see: communication in General Help
help reference short description
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brief Toggles brief mode (room descriptions)
building-rules Building here is not quite the same as on other MOOs
channels Specialized channels for better communication
climb You can climb children of the generic climbable object
clothing You can wear children of the generic clothing object
DU-communication Describes new ways to communicate on the MOO
exits Displays all exits from the room
feature-list A list of all official DU features
finger Shows personal info about someone
follow You can follow other people or wandering objects
locate Shows the location of any object
login-watcher A feature that shows when people log on or off the MOO
theme Education in a creative way.
wandering_object Objects that move around the MOO randomly
work You are either on or off duty, and everyone knows it
Another minor thing is that the stage talk uses a ! instead of a ` like some
other MOOs use. Use !jeanne hi instead of `jeanne hi.
Diversity University MOO (main campus branch) serves as the central
facility for DU Inc.'s activities. You'll find the DU Inc. office
off the lobby of the Administration building on the DU MOO campus.
You can find information about the structure, bylaws, and activities
of DU Inc. on the web at:
http://www.du.org/duinc/
Also see: local-index
See: local-summary
| Syntax: | @dust
dust |
These commands will display the current "DU Standard Time" (DUST).
"DU Standard Time" will always be the current time predominant in the Eastern United States no matter where our server is located. You will see the current time zone designation folliwing the display.
To access the InterMOO Comm FO's commands, add it to your features:
@add-feature #7796
#7796 -- use `help #7796' for a detailed list of available commands
A summary of commands:
chart - names and interconnectivity of
GNA-net servers
rwho <user>@<server> - info about that user at that server
rwho [@]<server> - list current people at that server
rwho <user>@ - is that user connected anywhere?
rpage <user>@<server> <message> - page <message> to <user>@<server>
rep*age <message> - quickhand reply to last rpage received
remote <user>@<server> <message> - remote emote. Also r:<user> etc.
rpaste to <user>@<server>
rping <server> - check whether <server> is alive.
rwatch <servers> for <people> - set your login watching preferences
rwatch <servers> for - see who you're watching for
rwatch for - see what servers you're watching
rign*ore <servers> - stop watching logins at those servers
rign*ore - see where you're not watching logins
'all' stands for all the known servers (e.g. rignore all, rwatch
all for foo) To watch for anyone, type: rwatch <server> for " "
One of the safespaces of a virtual community is ones own private room. All rooms at DU feature a series of security functions which can be invoked to control who may and may not enter, or even eject uninvited guests.
You can restrict access to your room with @close and unlock it again with @open. Unwelcome persons can be refused entrance to your room at all times with @exclude, while @accept will always allow those welcome.
Use @invite to let someone know that they are welcome and temporarily unlock a secured room for someone by inviting him/her with a timed @invite. To get rid of intruders @eject them from your room. Remember that you can use these security verbs only in rooms you own.
When you are being harassed via paging you can use the @nopage feature to refuse pages. In really bad cases you might choose to @gag a person, which will eliminate all lines coming from the gagged individual from your view.
@witness is available as a way to document harassing behavior from guests and other persons. If a guest is banished or a person is later tagged, the witness log is reviewed by the wizards. The witness logged is required for both those actions.
To protect yourself and other users from obnoxious guests you may decide to @banish a guest and terminate its connection to DU. Before you do so it is required that you capture a log of the guests behavior with @witness.
An option is available to report harrassers to the wizards. With the @tag feature you are able to file a brief description of the harrassment. The witness log is needed for tagging, and if the behavior is severe or if 3 tags are accumulated the wizards will seek a way to stop the behavior.
For all of the features above there is help available. Each help describes in detail how it works and when it should be used. We recommend that you have a clear understanding of each before using them as they should not be taken lightly. Harrassment is a serious matter. Please remember that the bottom line in an environment such as DU is that although the individuals you are communicating with are physically remote, they are real people with real feelings.
Related Topics:
911 -- a summary of commands for dealing with harassment and
security issues
manners -- the Diversity University MOO Manners Policy
In 25 words or less, the theme of D.U. is to teach as much as
possible in as creative and unique a way as possible. Naturally,
this includes allowing teachers to bring their classes online for
interactive sessions.
The physical theme of DU is that of a university. All the streets
that are going to exist already do. This makes the campus itself
finite. This also means no dead ends when you are exploring it.
Wizards created the streets, the buildings, and the halls withing the
buildings.
Users can navagate Diversity University MOO and manipulate the objects they find using comands. Most commands have the form of simple English sentences:
<verb>
<verb> <direct object>
<verb> <direct object> <preposition> <indirect object>
Don't use English articles (e.g. 'a', 'an', or 'the') in your commands; the MOO won't understand them. You can refer to yourself as 'me' and the room you're in as 'here'.
The first six kinds of commands you'll want to know are listed below. Type 'help <topic-name>' for details on any of them:
look -- getting a description of the current room or any other object
say -- speaking to the other people in the same room as you
@who -- showing which people are currently connected to the MOO
movement -- how to move around in the MOO, from room to room
examine -- more info about an object including commands to manipulate it
@quit -- disconnecting from the MOO
Related Topics:
ownership -- general info about object ownership
@add-owner -- add an additional owner
@del-owner -- remove an additional owner
This document describes rules, policies, and procedures for issues involving the security of the MOO and the users of the MOO, as well as legal aspects of operation and use of Diversity University and Diversity University MOO. This is an official legal document, and all users of Diversity University MOO are required to abide by it. Use of this MOO indicates acceptance of the terms and requirements herein. Comments and suggestions are welcome and should be sent via MOOmail to *wizards or via email to du@du.org.
Terms Used in This Document
---------------------------
Throughout this document, the following terms are used to reference specific aspects of Diversity University MOO and its users:
"Diversity University" - The organization which provides, maintains, and administrates Diversity University MOO.
"Diversity University MOO" ("D.U. MOO", "the MOO") - The MOO (Multi-user-domain Object Oriented) server program and database system which Diversity University operates, currently located at moo.du.org, port 8888.
"wizards" - Those responsible for the upkeep and administration of the Diversity University MOO database and its users.
"character", "account" - An association of a name and password providing access to Diversity University MOO, as well as the database object, ownerships, and priveleges associated with said name and password.
Character Responsibility
------------------------
While a fair level of anonymity between users of the MOO is provided for various reasons, individuals will be held responsible for any actions taken by a MOO character which has been given to them, including guest characters, regardless of lost or stolen passwords, or any change of ownership of the account not in accordance with the account ownership guidelines of the Diversity University wizards. For this reason, all users are encouraged to choose good passwords for their characters and to keep them secret, and not to allow others to use their characters for any reason.
For more information on how to pick and keep good passwords, type 'help password-keeping'.
Legal Disclaimers
-----------------
The statements and viewpoints expressed on D.U. MOO are not necessarily those of the Diversity University administration, the wizards of the MOO, or those associated with the supply and maintenance of the hardware and software of Diversity University and its resources. Said parties disclaim all responsibility for actions or statements made by users of Diversity University MOO.
The wizards reserve the right to deny or restrict access for anyone for any reason, or to pursue further legal action regarding actions taken by a MOO character, should it be necessary.
While it is not the policy of the Diversity University administration to do so without due consultation and permission of those involved, users should be aware that it is possible for the wizards of D.U. to access or modify any information contained in the MOO database, including personal mail and objects owned by other users, and that the wizards reserve the right to do so at any time.
All information contained within the MOO database is copyrighted by its respective author(s) unless otherwise stated. This includes, but is not limited to, verb code, room and object descriptions, help texts, and original text documents written by members of the MOO community. Subject to the other stipulations contained in this document, the presence of this information in the MOO's database or use of such information by users of the MOO system does not indicate a relenquishing of any rights or abilities associated with such copyrights on the part of the author.
Security of the MOO
-------------------
Actions that would threaten the functional integrity of the MOO, or provide access to unauthorized information or abilities within the MOO system are violations of federal law and will not be tolerated by the Diversity University wizards. The administration of Diversity University will take necessary actions to ensure the continued and secure operation of this MOO and related Diversity University resources.
Unauthorized access includes, but is not limited to, exploitation of weaknesses in the MOO database and server to read or alter other users' mail messages or private information, grant unauthorized wizard, programmer, or builder status to any character or database object, or disable or damage part or all of the MOO database, server program, or host system.
Use of the MOO for Illegal Purposes
-----------------------------------
Use of this MOO which violates local or federal laws, or use with intent to violate the law, is expressly forbidden. Such actions will result in loss of access to Diversity University MOO, notification of appropriate authorities, and possible further legal action on the part of Diversity University.
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PLEASE NOTE: Continued use of Diversity University MOO indicates your acceptance of these terms. If you do not wish to agree to these terms, type '@quit' now. Please send problems or comments to du@du.org.
If you couldn't read the above text because it scrolled off your screen and
you don't have any text capture mechanism available on your local machine,
type `help @pagelength' and `help @linelength' to learn how MOO can help you
read this and other lengthy text.
Please see the help text for "legal-issues" for a disclaimer
regarding this text. This text is strictly for informational
purposes and is not intended to constitute legal advice.
Copyright in the U.S. is governed by the Federal Copyright Act of
1976. It contains provisions that cover all aspects of creative
property ownership in the U.S. The text here is based primarily from
the writings of lawyers on the subject, especially Stephan Fishman's
book, The Copyright Handbook (Nolo press, 1995). The discussion
here primarily refers to the U.S. and other countries may have very
different laws.
There are several forms of creative work within a MOO, plus the sum
that is the MOO itself. Legally, the MOO might be considered either
a "collective work" or a "joint work." If it is a joint work, then
it is equally owned by all contributors. The controlling factor in
determining if a work is jointly authored is the authors' intent at
the time the work was created. If the authors intended that their
contribution be absorbed or combined with others into an integrated
unit, it is a joint work. However, a MOO is not an especially
integrated or unitary work, since it is composed of objects that may
be and are added, deleted, or easily integrated into other MOOs.
Most people consider MOOs instead to be collective works. In a
collective work, the creators each own their own contributions, and
the collection as a unit is owned by the compiler, in this case the
MOO wizards, archwizard, or corporate sponsor. As a collective work,
the MOO is a body of work in which you own the fruits of your own
creativity. As the owner of the collection, the MOO wizards or other
owner has the right to include or omit people's contributions, though
not to alter or include them without the author's permission.
Who owns the objects in the MOO? MOO objects, like all copyrightable
works, are owned by their creators. However, if you create a child
object, you do not own the programming of the parent. By making the
parent object fertile, its creator has given you implied permission
to make derivatives for use within the MOO. However, they are
entitled to withdraw that permission (check the @disown command).
Note that unless expressly given permission you may not copy work
created by others, within or outside the MOO. That an object is
"readable" doesn't change this. If you customize the object you
created either by adding descriptive text, programming, or other
copyrightable material, you own the copyright to the work you added,
and only that work.
Who owns the text sent as MOOmail or posted to mail folders? The
writer of such texts owns that work. Unless otherwise stated, a MOO
mail folder is itself a collective work, wherein each posting is
owned by its author and the collection as a unit is owned by the mail
folder's creator. The mail folder's owner may decide which postings
will be included in the collection or not, but may not include any
posting that the author requests be removed unless there is some
other agreement in force. For instance, a mail folder's description
may state that people posting agree that the mail folder is
designated as an archive, and that people posting agree the mail
folder owner has a license in perpetuity to publish the posting as
part of that collection. In the absence of such an agreement,
however, the authors of postings have the right to request their
posting be removed.
The injunction against copying works created by others has some
exceptions, generally referred to as "fair use" provisions. The
factors governing if use is considered fair use are: 1) the purpose
and character of the use, including whether such use is of a
commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes, 2) the
nature of the copyrighted work, 3) the amount and substantiality of
the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole, and
4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of,
the copyrighted work. The application of these prinicples is
complex, and can be difficult to determine in many cases.
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This text and the ones associated with it are intended as a guide to
copyright issues relevent to MOO usage. They are not a legal
statement of fact or a contract, but provided strictly for
informational purposes. The author is not a lawyer, but has spent a
great deal of time investigating internet law and other legal areas
that directly impact on MOO operators and users. For specific
questions, you should consult a lawyer who can better tailor an
answer to your own situation.
For more detailed reading, I suggest these books:
The Copyright Handbook. Stephen Fishman. Nolo Press. 1995.
Netlaw: Your Rights in the Online World. Lance Rose. Osborne
McGraw-Hill. 1995.
Cyberspace and the Law: Your Rights and Duties in the On-line World.
Edward Cavazos and Gavino Morin. MIT Press. 1994.
Your legal rights in the MOO are defined by U.S. state and federal
law and the policy texts that lay out the MOO's legal policies. The
two major legal areas of concern to the MOO community are privacy and
ownership of creative work (copyright). The primary federal law
governing copyright is the Federal Copyright Act of 1976. The
primary federal law regarding privacy is the U.S. Federal Electronic
Communications Privacy Act of 1986. In addition, the MOO falls under
state laws for at least the states in which the MOO server is running
and in which the MOO owner resides or is incorporated. Other legal
jurisdictions may apply, but this issue is currently being hotly
debated through various court actions.
Rights that aren't expressly conferred by legislative actions may be
restricted by the service providers, in this case the MOO owners.
Exactly who are the MOO owners is discussed in the "legal-copyright"
help text. In short, it probably means the MOO archwizard, the
founder, the collective of wizards, or the corporation sponsoring the
MOO.
The discussion here and in the associated texts primarily refers to
the U.S. and other countries may have very different laws. Further
information may be found under these help topics:
legal-privacy -- what kind of protection from MOO wizards and
general users can you expect for your
communication?
legal-copyright -- Who owns what in a MOO?
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Please see the help text for "legal-issues" for a disclaimer
regarding this text. This text is strictly for informational
purposes and is not intended to constitute legal advice. The
discussion refers primarily to the U.S. and other countries may have
very different laws.
Privacy issues involving computers and the internet in the U.S. is
primarily governed by the Federal Electronic Communications Privacy
Act of 1986. In addition, the MOO typically falls under one or more
state jurisdictions. Note that this is a rapidly evolving area of
law, and new legal precedents are being set often.
Many details of privacy law in the U.S, especially concerning
computers and the internet, are being set by legal precedent: court
interpretations of legislature. Discussions of the law and
precedents to date may be found in the books from which this
presentation was primarily derived:
Netlaw: Your Rights in the Online World. Lance Rose. Osborne
McGraw-Hill. 1995.
Cyberspace and the Law: Your Rights and Duties in the On-line World.
Edward Cavazos and Gavino Morin. MIT Press. 1994.
The main areas of concern related to privacy in the MOO are MOOmail
messages and live communications. For issues of who owns MOOmail and
other creative work in the MOO, see the "legal-copyright" help text.
Legislature and legal precedent in the U.S. has determined that in
most cases, people may expect privacy for their electronic
communications. This would include both MOOmail and live talking.
However, several exceptions have been defined that consitute most of
the debate and confusion surrounding this topic. These are: the
existance of an agreement abrogating those rights, the justified
suspicion on the part of an authority responsible for the medium that
it is being used for purposes in violation of the law, and lastly,
the examination of private material by the computer operators for
purposes of maintaining the computer system or enforcing rules the
user has agreed upon. Note that in this last case, only the system
operators may review the material and they generally may not release
it to anyone else.
All besides the first exception have been subject to controversial
interpretation. Since the existence of a clear agreement regarding
privacy between system users and operators has a strong effect on
user and operator rights, most service providers require users to
agree to terms they present, else deny the person any use of the
system. You should be careful to read and understand any such terms
that apply to the MOO.
Although law enforcement agencies have the right to monitor
electronic communications if a crime is suspected, system operators
generally do not. However, in cases where system operators have
accidentally found evidence of a crime and presented it to the
police, that evidence has been determined to be admissible in trial.
This does not give system operators the inherent right to violate
privacy with intent, however.
By far the most controversial exemption is that for system operators
to monitor electronic communication for the purposes of maintaining
the system or enforcing terms that users have agreed to. Legal
precedents establish, however, that employers may monitor employee
communication to insure that such tools are used for business
purposes only. How this extends to other electronic communication
service provides is not yet established. For that reason, most
providers include a clause requiring users to accept some forms of
surveillance as part of the terms of use for the service.
Note that the only exceptions of privacy besides when users abrogate
their rights are for law enforcement or by system operators. In no
case is violation of privacy by other service users exempted.
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About DU MOO:
theme -- the MOO's theme; what we're about
introduction -- some quick information on using the MOO
manners -- the DU Manners Policy (must be obeyed by all)
legal -- the legal terms of usage for DU MOO
wizards -- who the DU MOO wizards are, and a little about them
DU-index -- a detailed list of topics that include DU-specific information
DU-incorporated -- About DU, Inc.
DUST -- explanation of DU Standard Time
Some items that include DU-specific information:
@info -- Some suggestions on how to use the @info command
vspo -- what are VSPOs and how are they used at DU MOO
web -- details about the web interface available for DU MOO users
Wizards and managers are the administrators of the virtual world that is the Diversity University Main Campus. They are able to manipulate and look into many parts of the system that are normally restricted. Since they spend a great deal of time maintaining the MOO system, you might want to contact "other wise people" with questions first. However, don't feel discouraged about contact a manager or wizard. Note that managers tend to specifically serve a user-support role, while many Wizards primarily perform technical support services.
Because wizards and managers are often very busy, please don't take it personally if they do not respond to your requests immediately or direct you to other people who are able to help you with your problem. Also, do not continue to repeatedly page or follow wizards or managers (or anyone else, for that matter) if they do not respond to you. Such behavior is rude and is a good way to get yourself kicked off the system.
The "@managers" command will list those wizards and managers who are currently connected, along with notes on their areas of responsibility. You can also use "@managers all" to list every manager and wizard.
This document describes the guidelines and expectations for acceptable behavior on Diversity University MOO, as well as some general suggestions for how to interact with others on the MOO. Users are expected to behave in a reasonable and responsible manner at all times, as laid out by this document, and failure to do so can result in disciplininary action by the wizards of the MOO.
General security issues and matters which involve the functional integrity of the MOO, access to unauthorized abilities or areas, or real-world legal concerns are not covered in this document. For information on these policies, please see 'help terms'.
Social Interaction
------------------
The MOO is not a game. It is a real social environment with people of all ages, from all walks of life, from all over the globe. Citizens of Diversity University are expected to act accordingly. This means the following:
1. Harassment of other users will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, spamming (filling their screen with unwanted text), teleporting them or their objects without their permission, repeated paging or following them after they have expressed a desire to be left alone, broadcasting messages to everyone on the MOO, or actions done with the specific intent of causing another person annoyance or discomfort.
2. While freedom of speech is an important part of Diversity University, obscene language, violence, unwanted sexual acts, or other blatantly offensive behavior will also not be tolerated.
3. Spoofing (displaying text that is not obviously attributed to your character) to deceive others or avoid responsibility for one's actions is traceable and is not allowed. Moreover, programming or making available verbs designed specifically to display text without attribution or misattributed text is also not allowed.
4. Spying on others is expressly prohibited. All objects which relay messages heard in a room to another person or location must clearly state that they do so. Silent teleportation is also a form of spying, as is any mechanism intended to intercept messages not intended for you through unanticipated loopholes (this last is also a security issue, see 'help terms').
5. Common courtesy is expected from all users toward others on the MOO. In addition to the above points, this means paging others before joining them in a non-public space (a private room, a classroom, etc), asking before taking or using objects that do not belong to you, leaving objects where you find them, and all of the other courtesies you would follow when visiting someone else's house or place of business.
Users should also attempt to respect other people's sensibilities. Inhabitants of Diversity University come from a wide range of cultural, religious, and racial backgrounds which should be acknowledged and respected. Not everyone has the same feelings of acceptable speech and behavior, and consideration of others' feelings is an essential part of reasonable behavior on Diversity University.
Diversity University is also a family environment with participants of all ages, and actions and statements made in this environment should reflect this. Public use of language or actions which are not suitable for children will not be tolerated on this system.
Should you have problems with another user who is not following these requirements, please report their actions to a wizard or other designated authority. If none are immediately available, some commands for temporary sanctuary are available. For more information, type "help 911" anywhere in DU MOO.
For tips on contacting wizards and other busy people, see the "help wizards" text.
Polite Use of MOO Resources
---------------------------
Be considerate when designing verbs and objects to perform tasks on the MOO. MOO resources are shared amongst all the inhabitants, and badly designed systems can affect the performance of the entire MOO. Do not design code or create systems that consume inordinate amounts of processing time or resources without consultation with the wizards first, and always design code in such a way as to be as efficient and server-friendly as possible.
Help keep database size down. Use verbs such as @copy only when absolutely necessary. Do not copy nifty verbs someone else has made to yourself so you can use them. Ask them or a wizard to put the verb on a feature object instead. Use @rmm to remove personal mail messages once you are done with them, and keep cross-posting (sending the same mail messages to multiple recipients) to a minimum.
When copying or modifying other people's code, be sure to ask permission first, and comply with any requests they have regarding the use of their code. Simply because something is readable does not give you the right to use or copy it, and use of another person's code against their wishes is both illegal and not allowed on this MOO.
Another limited resource of the MOO is user character names. Character names and aliases, unlike the names and aliases of other types of objects, are required to be unique. This means that if you have taken a certain name as your name or one of your aliases, nobody else can have a character with that name. For this reason, please keep the number of your aliases, particularly common ones, to a minimum. People should only have aliases that relate directly to their character's name, and possibly one (reasonable) nickname.
This policy may be displayed by typing "help manners" from anywhere in DU MOO. Enforcement details and clarifications to this policy are available as a "manners-violations" text, viewable by typing "help manners-violations" at DU MOO. You can find the complete set of DU MOO policies by typing "@go policies" to visit the Policies Library.
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If you couldn't read the above text because it scrolled off your screen and
you don't have any text capture mechanism available on your local machine,
type `help @pagelength' and `help @linelength' to learn how MOO can help you
read this and other lengthy text.
What is considered acceptable behavior at Diversity University is
clearly defined in our policy statements. These are available as
texts in the "Policies Library" of the DU main campus Administration
Building, which can be reached by typing "@go policies" from anywhere
within DU MOO. The main policy describing what is acceptable MOO
behavior, the "Manners Policy," is also available by typing "help
manners" from anywhere in the MOO. The text below describes the
Diversity University MOO procedures for dealing with manners policy
violations.
Guests who violate DU manners are subject to being disconnected
from the MOO by any registered DU member. The procedures and
guidelines for this are described in texts available through typing
"help @witness" and "help @banish" from inside DU MOO, since @witness
and @banish are the commands available to all registered MOO users
for logging manners violations and disconnecting the offending guest.
To summarize, the offending behavior should be logged with @witness,
and once a sufficient example has been recorded, the @banish command
should be used. Using @banish will disconnect the guest and
permanently record a copy of the log. All such logs are read by the
DU wizards to insure the @witness/@ban system is used responsibly.
Registered users are also subject to having their behavior recorded
by other users through the @witness and @tag command. The @witness
command starts logging the activity of the person witnessed. The
@tag command stores a permanent copy of the log, which is read by the
DU wizards. If the witnessed person is clearly violating DU manners,
the steps defined below are followed.
The person in violation of DU's manners policy is warned in a
letter sent by MOO mail to their DU character. That warning includes
a description of the offending behavior, an excerpt of the portion of
the manners policy that was violated, a reference to this document,
and a statement that further violations will result in a restriction
of the person's access to DU. This constitutes the first warning.
If any further examples of manners violations from the same person
are recorded, the person will be blocked from accessing DU MOO for a
period of one week (or up to four). A letter will be sent to their
e-mail address describing the reasons for this action, in a similar
format as the first warning. This constitutes the second warning.
At the end of that period access may be restored, but their actions
at DU will be logged irregardless of their having been @witness'ed by
a user. These logs will be examined by the DU wizards to determine
if the policy violations are reoccuring. The period of logging is
subject to the wizards' discretion.
If further violations of manners are recorded, access to the user's
DU character will be permanently disabled, and any subsequent
character applications from them will be denied. "Dump texts" of
their owned objects, suitable for restoring those objects on another
MOO, will be sent to the violator's e-mail address, after which those
objects will also be recycled. The DU wizards at their discretion
may restrict guest access from sites that person is believed to be
connecting from in order to prevent them from continuing their policy
violations in any manner. The DU wizards may also restrict them from
accessing DU MOO through any inter-MOO network that may be in place.
The DU wizards may also send a first warning based on the reports
of people they believe to be trustworthy, even in the absence of
logs. In addition, if for any reason a person strongly suspected of
manners violations is avoiding being logged using @witness, the DU
wizards at their discretion may initiate continual logging of their
behavior. Wizards may also temporarily deny access to a user without
recorded logs under special circumstances, such as if they witness
clear violation of the manners policy by a user disrupting a public
MOO event, or receive confirmation that such disruption is occuring
from several trusted users. In no case will access to the MOO by a
registered user be permanently denied without actual logs of behavior
that clearly violates the DU manners policy.
Note that MOO users' activities are not generally logged. Logging
is typically initiated by the actions defined in this policy document
or for investigating suspected security problems. In addition,
unless permanent logging is set by the wizards for a user, any
recorded log is erased when they disconnect from the MOO unless the
@banish or @tag command is used before the disconnection, which keeps
a copy of the recorded log. Any wizard who uses a log other than for
protection of the MOO community or as required by law shall be
dismissed and may be subject to prosecution under local or federal
law.
The following are considered major offenses, and may at the
wizards' discretion result in immediate denial of access to Diversity
University either temporarily or permanently:
1. misrepresenting your real name or your age on your character
application
2. applying for a second character (other than "janitor"
characters and other clearly stated special circumstances, such as
replacing a VSPO character with a permanent one)
3. refusing to agree to abide by the conditions stated in the DU
MOO Manners ("help manners") or Terms of Use ("help terms") texts, or
any other policy texts found in the DU MOO Policies Library.
Guidelines for wizards:
As soon as improper behavior is suspected, immedately @witness the
person.
Try to make sure any conversation with a person suspected of
violating DU MOO policies is logged and the log is available to the
other wizards, preferrably through the @witness/@tag system.
Using @newt to temporarily deprive a person of access for one to
four weeks is appropriate before permanently denying access with
@toad is justified.
Any observed policy violation, reprimand, or restriction of access
of a DU user should result in an addition to the notes on that user
(@edit ~user.notes), including an explanation of the circumstances,
the name of the wizard(s) involved and any other witnesses, and the
date this occurred A check of "@notes <person>" should thereby
reveal if they have a history of past problems. A reference to a
message on the *wizards or *witness mail-folder may be sufficient if
the behavior was detailed there.
Sending an explanation to the *wizard mail-folder or writing to the
person's "notes" text is especially vital if action was taken without
an accompanying log that makes clear why the action was appropriate.
Last revised: 10/22/96
Diversity University Mission (Purpose) Statement
The mission of Diversity University is to develop, support and
maintain creative and innovative environments and tools for teaching,
learning and research through the Internet and other distributed
computing systems, and to guide and educate people in the use of
these and other tools, to foster collaboration in a synergistic
climate, and to explore and utilize applications of emerging
technology to these ends in a manner friendly to people who are
disabled, geographically isolated or technologically limited.
The following descriptions and Goals and Objectives while the true
intention of the incorporating Board of Trustees are not considered
part of the Bylaws and are not binding on the Board. They are
included here for informational purposes.
Currently active are DU-Main MOO, DU-South MOO, and DU-Press with
preliminary work beginning soon on developing a DU-Prep MOO. DU-Main
MOO is the primary site and designed structurally as a campus to
facilitate the entry of individuals new to the MUD environment.
DU-South is a Research and Development MOO where programmers will
train, experiment and create.
GOALS
- Teachers will be able to knowledgeably conduct a class on-line in
real time.
- Schools which can connect will have a place to offer real time
classes on-line.
- Students will have access to education regardless of where they
live, how often they move, disability, proximity to a school,
hours they can attend
- Implement new communication and information technology that
enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning process.
- Select, acquire, organize, store, retrieve, preserve, disseminate
and use information related to
- Distance based education in the context of different user needs
- Evaluate and apply results of research in professional practice.
- Evaluate any existing and emerging technologies relevant to
on-line educational systems and services.
- To plan, foster, encourage and conduct such research and
development activities necessary for the provision of DU's stated
services to the best of its ability.
OBJECTIVES
- To increase the availability of education to people from around
the world, [especially those who unable to use traditional methods
of delivery.]
- To increase the available knowledge regarding teaching and
learning using networked communication methods [and to disseminate
that knowledge as freely as possible.]
- To increase accessibility of education and information to people
with disabilities.
- To provide virtual locations where real time education and
research can occur for all people with Internet access.
- To provide an environment for and to promote experimental methods
of teaching and learning.
- To engage in curriculum development for integration of this medium
into the educational process.
To use a POI board directly:
to select a category type TURN PAGE ON <poi board>
to view that category's exhibits type LOOK <poi board>
to see a description of an exhibit type SHOW <item> ON <poi board>
to travel to the exhibit type GO <item> ON <poi board>
to add your exhibits to the board type ADD TO <poi board>
to edit an existing exhibit type EDIT <item> ON <poi board>
to remove an exhibit from the board type ERASE <item> FROM <poi board>
The POI information is also available through a Feature Object. If you want
to use it, @ADDFEATURE #15755 (Guests have that feature as a default).
To use the POI board Feature Object from anywhere in the MOO:
type POI-LOOK (or POI-L) to see what's currently on the board
type POI-SHOW (or POI-S) <item> to see more information about an exhibit
type POI-GO <item> to visit an exhibit
type POI-HELP or HELP POI to see this help
See: policy
In addition, other policies that are in effect may be found in the
Policies Library of the Administration Building. You can type "@go
policy" from anywhere in DU MOO to go there.
Failure to adhere to DU MOO policies may result in your losing access
to DU MOO.
Additional topics:
manners -- the DU Manners policy
terms -- the DU Terms of Use policy
manners-violations -- the DU Manners Violations and Enforcement
policy
See: theme
At Diversity University, building priviliges are given to people who
propose projects that will fit DU's theme and help DU MOO achieve its
purpose: to support and promote learning. Enough quota is conferred
to allow new builders to create a room and to attach it to campus.
How they use their initial allotment of additional determines if they
can get more. People who have created public teaching resources can
generally get a small amount of quota for building personal objects
that may not be strictly learning/teaching tools. Detailed
guidelines for builders are available in the Policy Library of the
Administration Building. Wizard use conformity to those guidelines
of what people have already created as a criterion for determining if
a person should receive more quota.
To request additional quota, write to the *quota mail folder,
describing how many more object you need and what project they are to
be devoted to.
Related Topics:
theme -- what is Diversity University's theme
quota -- what is quota and how to get more
Also see: quota in General Help
FUP-index -- list of all File Utilities Package functions
ctime_tz -- server match moo-1.8.0-pAS5
mktime_tz -- (same)
In addition, the moo-1.8.0-pAS9 server patch has been added, to make
the MOO abit more flexible in handling delete/backspace characters
from crummy telnet clients. No additional MOO-language functions are
associated with this patch.
wander
Makes it wander around the moo.
SEE help wandering_object
put
Put clothes on it.
SEE help wandering_object
take
Take objects from it.
SEE help wandering_object
ramble
Usage: ramble <this> : # of times = 20, delay = 100
ramble <this> for <X> : # of times = X, delay = 100
ramble <this> for <X> <Y> : # of times = X, delay = Y
Causes the gwso to randomly chose phrases and actions for the .talk_list
and spout them, with at a <Y> second interval for <X> number of times.
recite
Usage: recite <this> : # of readings = 1, delay = 10
recite <this> for <X> : # of readings = X, delay = 10
recite <this> for <X> <Y> : # of readings = X, delay = Y
This is slightly different than ramble because it will go through the
whole .recite_list <X> times with a delay of <Y> seconds between each
line. If you want a strategic pause, a '#' as the first character of
a line in .recite_list will cause a delay of <Y> seconds.
index
Usage: index <this>
Gives an index of all the stuff you can ask it about.
The index is automatically compiled from the .ask_list
ask
Usage: ask <this> about <subject>
Ask the gwso about a subject. If the subject is defined in the .ask_list
property, then it will reply appropriately.
talk
Usage: talk to <this>
The gwso will reply using a random expression defined in the .talk_list
property.
add
Usage: add <ask or talk> to <this>
In order to change the .ask_list and .talk_list properties, this command
puts you in the noteditor. Make sure you run check ask or check talk after
you use add to make sure you did it right.
check
Usage: check <ask or talk> on <this>
Makes sure that your .ask_list or .talk_list properties are correctly done.
It will tell you about any problems, and give you the appropriate line #.
stop
Usage: stop <this>
Stops all wandering, rambling, reciting, etc.
See: legal
In 25 words or less, the theme of D.U. is to teach as much as possible in
as creative and unique a way as possible. Naturally, this includes allowing
teachers to bring their classes online for interactive sessions.
But D.U.MOO's purpose is so much greater than that. If you can imagine
walking into a virtual physics room and finding a virtual experiment waiting
to be performed, then you are on the right track. I call it an Experiential
Learning Project. You might be asked to predict the results of the experiment
and then perform it. If you were working on a display of weight in a vacuum,
you might have some vacuum bottles there with things in each one, like a
feather or a steel ball. You would state your prediction and then turn over
the bottles to see which, if any, fell faster. There might be other bottles,
with objects in them closer to the same weight.
This only a very small sample of what could be done here by innovative
teachers and programmers.
****** STRUCTURE of Diversity University ******
The physical theme of DU is that of a university. All the streets that are
going to exist already do. This makes the campus itself finite. This also
means no dead ends when you are exploring it. Wizards created the streets,
the buildings, and the halls withing the buildings.
Even though the campus, itself, is finite, the buildings on it are not.
There is theoretically no limit to the number of hall sections and rooms
that can be added in each one. This is where YOU, the Creative Educator
(whether as vocation or avocation) get a chance to bloom and flower. In this
university, if you are interested in English, you do not have to wander all
over the MOO or constantly ask people where to go to find related areas. You
simply go right to the English building. You may wander in there eternally
but at least everything you find will speak to your area of interest.
This is also true for those interested in science, social work/psychology,
political science, history, ad infinitum. If we don't have a building for
your subject, we will build one, or at the very least add a hall in a
subject-related building for your Department.
If you have a conclusive reason for wanting your name changed that does not collide with DU's real name policy please contact one of the wizards (see a list of wizards with "@wizards all") to request the change.
Also see: user-names in General Help
type: read #14649
You may prefer to use CindyTW's VSPO Help Menu (including examples):
type: look #19976
then type: read <VSPO help information you need> on #19976
If you need more detailed information, please contact a vspo manager or
all of them at once (by addressing a letter to *managers). Thank you.
Also see: vspo in VSPO Help
See: managers