Talker
Encyclopedia
A talker is a chat system that people use to talk to each other over the Internet
. Dating back to the 1980s, they were a predecessor of instant messaging
.
A talker is a communication system precursor to MMORPG
s and other virtual world
s such as Second Life
. Talkers are a form of online virtual world
s in which multiple user
s are connected at the same time to chat
in real-time. People log into the talkers remotely (usually via telnet
), and have a basic text interface
with which to communicate with each other.
The early talkers were similar to MUD
s with most of the complex game machinery stripped away, leaving just the communication level commands — hence the name "talker". ew-too
was, in fact, a MUD server
with the game elements removed.
Most talkers are free and based on open source
software.
Many of the online metaphor
s used on talkers, such as "rooms" and "residency", were established by these early pioneering services and remain in use by modern 3D
interfaces such as Second Life
.
at the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) central office. After searching around the PDP-11 files and directories, Mark found the PDP-11 program talk
, and decided that they could do better. The system had approximately 40 300-2400 bit per second
modem
s attached to it, with a single phone number with a hunt group
. The talk program was named TALK and was written to handle many options that are seen in IRC today: tables, private messages, actions, moderators and inviting to tables.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Dating back to the 1980s, they were a predecessor of instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
.
A talker is a communication system precursor to MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
s and other virtual world
Virtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
s such as Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
. Talkers are a form of online virtual world
Virtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
s in which multiple user
User (computing)
A user is an agent, either a human agent or software agent, who uses a computer or network service. A user often has a user account and is identified by a username , screen name , nickname , or handle, which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term.Users are...
s are connected at the same time to chat
Online chat
Online chat may refer to any kind of communication over the Internet, that offers an instantaneous transmission of text-based messages from sender to receiver, hence the delay for visual access to the sent message shall not hamper the flow of communications in any of the directions...
in real-time. People log into the talkers remotely (usually via telnet
TELNET
Telnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection...
), and have a basic text interface
Interface (computer science)
In the field of computer science, an interface is a tool and concept that refers to a point of interaction between components, and is applicable at the level of both hardware and software...
with which to communicate with each other.
The early talkers were similar to MUD
MUD
A MUD , pronounced , is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, with the term usually referring to text-based instances of these. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat...
s with most of the complex game machinery stripped away, leaving just the communication level commands — hence the name "talker". ew-too
Ew-too
ew-too, short for Elsewhere Too, was the first publicly available code base for Internet talkers and was written by Simon "Burble" Marsh in 1992, following the demise of the second internet talker, Cheeseplant's House, which had been closed down some months earlier. It was based on the LPMud game...
was, in fact, a MUD server
LPMud
LPMud, abbreviated LP, is a family of MUD server software. Its first instance, the original LPMud game driver, was developed in 1989 by Lars Pensjö...
with the game elements removed.
Most talkers are free and based on open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
software.
Many of the online metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
s used on talkers, such as "rooms" and "residency", were established by these early pioneering services and remain in use by modern 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
interfaces such as Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
.
Early Internet talkers
In the school year of 1983-1984, Mark Jenks and Todd Krause, two students at Washington High School in Milwaukee, wrote a software program for talking among a group of people. They used the PDP-11PDP-11
The PDP-11 was a series of 16-bit minicomputers sold by Digital Equipment Corporation from 1970 into the 1990s, one of a succession of products in the PDP series. The PDP-11 replaced the PDP-8 in many real-time applications, although both product lines lived in parallel for more than 10 years...
at the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) central office. After searching around the PDP-11 files and directories, Mark found the PDP-11 program talk
Talk (Unix)
talk was a program originally used for live text communication between different users of a single multi-user computer running the Unix operating system. In 1983, a new version of talk was introduced as a Unix command with BSD v4.2, and would also accommodate electronic conversations between users...
, and decided that they could do better. The system had approximately 40 300-2400 bit per second
Bit rate
In telecommunications and computing, bit rate is the number of bits that are conveyed or processed per unit of time....
modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
s attached to it, with a single phone number with a hunt group
Hunting (telephony)
Hunting, or a hunt group is a telephony concept that refers to the methodology of distributing phone calls from a single telephone number to a group of several phone lines. Specifically, it refers to the process or algorithm used to select which line will receive the call.Hunt groups are supported...
. The talk program was named TALK and was written to handle many options that are seen in IRC today: tables, private messages, actions, moderators and inviting to tables.
Talker hosting
In 1996, talker.com was formed, the first server to sell space for talkers, later giving it the name Dragonroost. The server had up to 90+ talkers on it at one time, during the mid-nineties boom of talkers. A number of other hosts started up as alternative hosting companies to talker.com. Talker.com ceased hosting any other talkers besides its owners' on September 28, 2009.Notable talkers
- Cat Chat (talker)
- Cheeseplant's HouseCheeseplant's HouseCheeseplant's House, frequently known as Cheesehouse, was the second Internet talker, and the first of its kind to achieve more than 100 simultaneous users . Created by Daniel "Cheeseplant" Stephens, it ran on the same University of Warwick Server/Port as the original Internet talker, Cat Chat,...
, aka Cheesehouse - Surfers (talker)Surfers (talker)Surfers was created using ew-too code in 1993, first booting up on 2 December 1993, and was the first internet talker to have 1,000 users logged on at the same time. Founded by Ian "Roosta" Dobbie, it is currently run by Mike and Furry....
See also
- Instant messagingInstant messagingInstant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
- IRCInternet Relay ChatInternet Relay Chat is a protocol for real-time Internet text messaging or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfer, including file...
- ICQICQICQ is an instant messaging computer program, which was first developed and popularized by the Israeli company Mirabilis, then bought by America Online, and since April 2010 owned by Mail.ru Group. The name ICQ is a homophone for the phrase "I seek you"...
- MUDMUDA MUD , pronounced , is a multiplayer real-time virtual world, with the term usually referring to text-based instances of these. MUDs combine elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, player versus player, interactive fiction, and online chat...
- Online chatOnline chatOnline chat may refer to any kind of communication over the Internet, that offers an instantaneous transmission of text-based messages from sender to receiver, hence the delay for visual access to the sent message shall not hamper the flow of communications in any of the directions...
- LPMudLPMudLPMud, abbreviated LP, is a family of MUD server software. Its first instance, the original LPMud game driver, was developed in 1989 by Lars Pensjö...
- NUTS (talker)Nuts (Talker)NUTS, or Neil's Unix Talk Server is a talker base written in C programming language by Neil Robertson, and got the status as the best-known talker base by 1996, surpassing ew-too....
- Ew-tooEw-tooew-too, short for Elsewhere Too, was the first publicly available code base for Internet talkers and was written by Simon "Burble" Marsh in 1992, following the demise of the second internet talker, Cheeseplant's House, which had been closed down some months earlier. It was based on the LPMud game...
- TelnetTELNETTelnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection...
- SpodSpodSpod refers to an avid user of Internet talkers, a type of online chat system. Less frequently, it may be applied to those who use MUDs as if they were talkers. The spod tends to be something of a long-term fanatic, and many have been using the same talker for a decade or more...
Further reading
- an ethnographic study of youth online, analyzes textual interactions, including at Middle Earth-related talkersExternal links
- BBC h2g2 (wikipedia-style) Article on talkers
- Cheeseplant's House History, of some historical significance.