MicroMUSE is a text-based virtual reality, with a community
of users or members. It is similar to IRC or ICQ, except that
the "environment" can be anything you want it to be
- you are not limited to simple "rooms". You can "create"
objects and places through a simple programming languages which
can interact with other people or objects. MicroMUSE is a cylinderical
space-station, orbiting Earth, set a few hundred years into the
future.
Jin is Stan Lim's virtual persona on MicroMUSE. This
is a document about my personal experience as the creator and
founder of MicroMUSE, the world's first virtual community with
an educational charter.
Commonly asked questions:
- Who is Jin?
Jin is the name of my on-line persona. I am the creator and
founder of MicroMUSE, which is the very first MUSE (Multi-User
Simulation Environment). I used to
be the God, Wizard and Prime Director on MicroMUSE, but now I
am retired from active administration.
- Why did you choose the name "Jin?"
"Jin" is part of my real Chinese name. I thought
it was appropriate since it is pretty close to Djinn, Jinn or
however else "genie" is spelled.
- Why did you start MicroMUSE?
- I wanted to have more privileges, like building places and
things. Back then, almost all MUDs required that the Wizard give
you special permission to build. While I was able to build some
elaborate places, I wanted the freedom to build to my heart's
content.
- I felt that the MUD could be a place of learning and fun,
as opposed to places of chaos, violence and anarchy, which was
very prevalent at that time.
- I thought having a space station in the future would be cool.
Nobody had dome it yet.
- I was tired of getting lost. The muds at that time were disorganized,
with un-logical links and exits. Exiting one room could place
you in the middle of a jungle, for example. Or, going backwards
would not take you back to the place you came from.
- Did you start MicroMUSE to gain "power" in a
MUSE?
No, I did not start my own MUSE to have "power"
over other people. Those that know me from the early days know
that I freely shared the responsibilities of running a MUSE with
people who were matured, talented and responsible. More than anything,
I wanted a place that was a positive influence on the players,
and you can't have that by being a power-hungry tyrant. If I were
after power, I would still be "sitting on the throne"
of MicroMUSE government. Instead, I have retired and MicroMUSE
is now run by a responsible board of Directors, many of whom have
made their way up the "corporate ladder."
- What did you like best about being the founder?
I really enjoyed working with a team of motivated and talented
individuals from all around the country to make our vision of
a educational MUSE into a reality. I enjoyed being able to influence
the rapid development of the "universe" within MicroMUSE.
Most of all, I cherish all the friends I made.
- What did you like least?
The worst thing I had to do was to kick players off the MUSE
for repeatedly violating our charter and bylaws. We had a few
players who did not respect our goals and sought to impose their
own standards on the MUSE. I always tried to be flexible, but
I had to make sure that MicroMUSE did not turn into yet another
disorganized and chaotic MUD.
- Why did you leave the adminstration of MicroMUSE?
It was with a deal of sadness that I had to retire from active
administration of MicroMUSE. The main reason was because after
I graduated from school, I found a "real" job that put
food on the table. I was no longer able to put in the many, many
hours a day to forsee the operations of MicroMUSE. Gradually,
my daily involvement became less and less, until I felt that it
was unfair for me to remain the leader of such a dynamic place.
I had an excellent team of collaborators, such as Ender, Moulton,
Priam_Agrivar, shkoo, Aslan and many others, and I was confident
in their ability to manage MicroMUSE without me. It's been many
years since I left, and I am happy to see that my confidence in
their ability was not unfounded.
- What is your involvement in MicroMUSE now?
At this time, I am no longer active in MUSE development. I
still visit MicroMUSE once in a while to chat with old friends,
and to meet a few newbies. Many new players are often very surprised
to see me on line because my visits are infrequent enough that
they think I am a fictional character.
- Will you be involved with MicroMUSE or MUSE in the future?
MicroMUSE is in very good hands. I see no need for me to intervene
in its continual development. As far as MUSE and other on-line
technology goes, I do not know. I have always had the dream of
starting up a commercial version of internet-virtual-reality,
but those are still dreams at this stage.
Created: 95/09/07
Updated: 97/12/31