Found on the Web: MDL Zork sourcecode
Magnus Olsson
the original Zork (the pre-Infocom version from MIT, that
was later ported to Fortran and renamed Dungeon) available
from his retrocomputing site:
<http://simh.trailing-edge.com/software.html>
The link to Zork is at the very bottom of the page.
--
Magnus Olsson (m...@df.lth.se)
PGP Public Key available at http://www.df.lth.se/~mol
Stuart "Sslaxx" Moore
> I just noticed that Bob Supnik has made the MDL sources for
> the original Zork (the pre-Infocom version from MIT, that
> was later ported to Fortran and renamed Dungeon) available
> from his retrocomputing site:
>
> <http://simh.trailing-edge.com/software.html>
>
> The link to Zork is at the very bottom of the page.
Hmmm. Activision own the rights to the original pre-Infocom Zork too, you
know. Wonder if he had permission to upload it.
Bye,
--
Stuart "Sslaxx" Moore.
AIM: MrSslaxx
ICQ: 144089571
YAHOO: mrsslaxx
WEBSITE: http://www.sslaxx.demon.co.uk
LIVEJOURNAL: http://www.livejournal.com/users/sslaxx/
Matthew Russotto
Stuart \"Sslaxx\" Moore <ssl...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>Magnus Olsson wrote:
>
>> I just noticed that Bob Supnik has made the MDL sources for
>> the original Zork (the pre-Infocom version from MIT, that
>> was later ported to Fortran and renamed Dungeon) available
>> from his retrocomputing site:
>>
>> <http://simh.trailing-edge.com/software.html>
>>
>> The link to Zork is at the very bottom of the page.
>
>Hmmm. Activision own the rights to the original pre-Infocom Zork too, you
>know. Wonder if he had permission to upload it.
Isn't he the one who translated it from MDL in the first place, after
someone broke Infocom's security and took it?
Besides, Zork probably pre-dates copyright-on-creation and thus the
work might not be copyrighted at all.
--
Matthew T. Russotto mrus...@speakeasy.net
"Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in pursuit
of justice is no virtue." But extreme restriction of liberty in pursuit of
a modicum of security is a very expensive vice.
katie did.
> In article <b0rv3l$krg$1$8302...@news.demon.co.uk>,
> Stuart \"Sslaxx\" Moore <ssl...@btinternet.com> wrote:
> >Magnus Olsson wrote:
> >
> >> I just noticed that Bob Supnik has made the MDL sources for
> >> the original Zork (the pre-Infocom version from MIT, that
> >> was later ported to Fortran and renamed Dungeon) available
> >> from his retrocomputing site:
> >>
> >> <http://simh.trailing-edge.com/software.html>
> >>
> >> The link to Zork is at the very bottom of the page.
> >
> >Hmmm. Activision own the rights to the original pre-Infocom Zork too, you
> >know. Wonder if he had permission to upload it.
>
> Isn't he the one who translated it from MDL in the first place, after
> someone broke Infocom's security and took it?
That's the one - apparently he's the one referred to as "Bob the
lunatic" in Infocom's newsletter (articles "The History of Zork").
>
> Besides, Zork probably pre-dates copyright-on-creation and thus the
> work might not be copyrighted at all.
Some of the files in the archive are copyrighted 1978-1979 MIT.
HTH
-kd.
David Jackson
>
> Hmmm. Activision own the rights to the original pre-Infocom Zork too, you
> know. Wonder if he had permission to upload it.
>
> Bye,
>
I wonder why a)you care, and b)what difference it makes?
You can easily disassemble any of the Zorks down to their raw text,
which is about the only use of the MDL source code (unless you are one
of those nutty people who still program with it).
Second, not even the guys from the original Infocom care if their
wonderful works are being shared. Not even the guys at Activision care;
there are half a dozen websites that I know of that have downloads for
the entire Infocom collection, and they are widely publicized.
Zork is well-loved; I am one of their biggest fans. And if I thought
for a minute I was taking money out of the hands of Infocom, I would
stand opposed to any sharing (piracy, bootlegging, whatever) of the
Infocom games. But, as it stands, I want as many people as possible to
play them, and fall in love with them, just like I did.
So, what's your beef? Or are you just a self-righteous clod?
-D
Matthew Russotto
David Jackson <ata...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>You can easily disassemble any of the Zorks down to their raw text,
>which is about the only use of the MDL source code (unless you are one
>of those nutty people who still program with it).
There's probably four people on this newsgroup working feverishly to
implement an MDL subset just so they can run the MDL Zork. Two of them are
doing it in elisp, one in Prolog, and the last in Glulx Inform.
(not me, though it IS tempting)
Default User
> There's probably four people on this newsgroup working feverishly to
> implement an MDL subset just so they can run the MDL Zork. Two of them are
> doing it in elisp, one in Prolog, and the last in Glulx Inform.
> (not me, though it IS tempting)
Is it a race? Is someone taking bets?
Brian Rodenborn
Nikos Chantziaras
The "Implement An MDL Subset So We Can Run The MDL-Version Of Zork" minicomp
has begun! Submit you entries to the following address:
@
Deadline is 2002-02-30
-- Niko
Mark W
news:rU4_9.3645$%12...@news.bellsouth.net:
> You can easily disassemble any of the Zorks down to their raw text,
> which is about the only use of the MDL source code (unless you are one
> of those nutty people who still program with it).
But the code will look like gobeldygook, the disassembler assigning random
names to variables and such.
Regards,
Mark
--
http://www.marktaw.com/
Matthew Russotto
Variable names can be determined by hand. As far as I know, though,
no one has come up with a Z-machine decompiler based on known
decompiling techniques. Which is too bad, really, because the
Z-machine has a simple enough structure that it should be feasible. I
started once, but decided I just wasn't interested enough,
particularly as Step 1 would be to reinvent the wheel -- that is,
write a Z-machine disassembler with an output suitable for the later
stages of the decompiler.
Magnus Olsson
Matthew Russotto <russ...@grace.speakeasy.net> wrote:
>In article <rU4_9.3645$%12...@news.bellsouth.net>,
>David Jackson <ata...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>You can easily disassemble any of the Zorks down to their raw text,
>>which is about the only use of the MDL source code (unless you are one
>>of those nutty people who still program with it).
>
>There's probably four people on this newsgroup working feverishly to
>implement an MDL subset just so they can run the MDL Zork. Two of them are
>doing it in elisp, one in Prolog, and the last in Glulx Inform.
>(not me, though it IS tempting)
How fun - a competition :-).
I suppose we're talking about MDL interpreters here. Wasn't the original
language compiled?
Speaking of the MDL Zork, AFAIK it was never ported to any other OS
than ITS (which makes the current porting efforts long overdue, I
suppose). The last real ITS system was shut down in the early
ninenties, I think, but some enthusiasts saved backups and have
managed to re-install and run them under emulation.
One such enthusiast reports that there actually is a Zork binary
on the backup tapes - but running it produces this:
*:zork
There appears before you a huge figure clothed in a dark
robe. As you shrink back in awe, he speaks:
``This is not the machine of the Zork Implementors!''
Then, as suddenly as it appeared, his image dissolves,
leaving you in darkness.
As your eyes grow more accustomed to the dim light,
you notice a clue etched on the wall... It reads:
No MIT machine supports Zork any longer.
Questions may be directed to ZORK@DM.
FMZC, GUE 745
Beneath this message a passerby has scrawled:
No MIT supports DM any longer.
Save your breath.
FMGC, GUE 799
>help
I see no Zork here.
>zork
I see no Zork here.
>quit
I see no Zork here.
Your lamp is growing dim.
>z
I see no Zork here.
Your lamp has run out of light. A hungry grue attacks you
and rips you to pieces. (Next time try Zork on a friendlier system.)
:KILL
*
Pity...
Matthew Russotto
>In article <8wqdnRMo5Y_...@speakeasy.net>,
>Matthew Russotto <russ...@grace.speakeasy.net> wrote:
>>In article <rU4_9.3645$%12...@news.bellsouth.net>,
>>David Jackson <ata...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>You can easily disassemble any of the Zorks down to their raw text,
>>>which is about the only use of the MDL source code (unless you are one
>>>of those nutty people who still program with it).
>>
>>There's probably four people on this newsgroup working feverishly to
>>implement an MDL subset just so they can run the MDL Zork. Two of them are
>>doing it in elisp, one in Prolog, and the last in Glulx Inform.
>>(not me, though it IS tempting)
>
>How fun - a competition :-).
>
>I suppose we're talking about MDL interpreters here. Wasn't the original
>language compiled?
ZIL was compiled. I think there were both interpreters and compilers
for MDL.
>One such enthusiast reports that there actually is a Zork binary
>on the backup tapes - but running it produces this:
>
>*:zork
(nasty message deleted)
It could probably be bypassed (though that would be a DMCA violation,
believe it or no); it's probably just doing some arcane comparison
with machine identifying info. But ITS retro-hacking is a bit too
much for me.
The available sources appear to prevent more than 100 users from using
it, and block users named USERS1, USERS2, SEC, and ELBOW.
Niclas Carlsson
>In article <b1derq$i14$2...@news.lth.se>, Magnus Olsson <m...@df.lth.se> wrote:
>>One such enthusiast reports that there actually is a Zork binary
>>on the backup tapes - but running it produces this:
>>
>>*:zork
>(nasty message deleted)
>It could probably be bypassed (though that would be a DMCA violation,
>believe it or no); it's probably just doing some arcane comparison
>with machine identifying info. But ITS retro-hacking is a bit too
>much for me.
I did a web-search for the above mentioned nasty message. What I found
was a binary (for ITS) which didn't contain much else than the above
message. Probably someone deleted the original and replaced it with
a dummy file on some systems at MIT. Not that I am an ITS expert
or anything, so I may be mistaken...
Nicke
--
"A witty saying proves nothing."
- Voltaire (1694-1778)
Matthew Russotto
Niclas Carlsson <nkar...@abo.NO-SPAM-PLEASE.fi> wrote:
>
>I did a web-search for the above mentioned nasty message. What I found
>was a binary (for ITS) which didn't contain much else than the above
>message. Probably someone deleted the original and replaced it with
>a dummy file on some systems at MIT. Not that I am an ITS expert
>or anything, so I may be mistaken...
Ahh, not much you can do about that. Well, the source is
available.. perhaps the ITS retrohackers can find themselves a working
compiler.
Ethan Dicks
> Speaking of the MDL Zork, AFAIK it was never ported to any other OS
How about this capture session from my account on a machine running TOPS-20?
@ zork
Welcome to Dungeon.
This version created March 30.
You are in an open field west of a big white house, with a boarded
front door.
There is a small mailbox here.
>
.
.
.
>read paper
Taken.
US NEWS & DUNGEON REPORT
3/28/78 Late Dungeon Edition
Note: the question in the endgame regarding the cyclops has been
deleted.
.
.
.
Due to a bug in the save routines, save files made between the
appearance of the version of 3/10 and this version may be defective.
This applies only if the thief was alive and carrying stuff when the
save file was made; if you're losing, you'll find the program in an
infinite loop within a few moves after restoring. There is,
unfortunately, no way to patch the losing files.
This version of Dungeon incorporates many bug fixes, and a more
or less complete reorganization of the internals of the program. As
a consequence, there may be lots of little bugs lurking in the dark
along with the usual grues. Please report any that bite you. (Bugs,
not grues).
ANSWERS 2/22/78
All riddles, conundrums, anagrams and other puzzles are now to be
answered uniformly using: "ANSWER 'answer'". Such places, people,
and things tend to also mention this fact when the question is asked.
>
Unfortunately, this is a somewhat older version. There is no Royal Puzzle,
no nest/bird/egg, etc., and no MDL source for it. :-(
-ethan
Magnus Olsson
Ethan Dicks <e...@infinet.com> wrote:
>Matthew Russotto <russ...@grace.speakeasy.net> wrote:
>> Speaking of the MDL Zork, AFAIK it was never ported to any other OS
>> than ITS...
>
>How about this capture session from my account on a machine running TOPS-20?
>
>@ zork
>Welcome to Dungeon.
>This version created March 30.
>You are in an open field west of a big white house, with a boarded
>front door.
>There is a small mailbox here.
>>
>no nest/bird/egg, etc., and no MDL source for it. :-(
Since it identifies itself as "Dungeon" rather than "Zork", this
is probably Dungeon, the Fortran port. Or do you have any evidence
that this is the original MDL Zork?
Peer Schaefer
This is his reply:
"1) The Tops-20 capture is the MDL version. The Fortran port didn't
even exist then (the bulk of the recoding was done during the great
blizzard of Feb '78, and the first trial version was released in June
'78). Throughout its development period, Zork was known as Dungeon,
and all but the very last non-commercial versions identify themselves
as Dungeon. As the game became more well known, the company that
publishes Dungeons and Dragons complained, and the MIT developers
renamed the game Zork. The Fortran port retained the original name.
2) ITS has been revived, on both SIMH and on Ken Harrenstein's KLH10.
In theory, the simulators should be able to run this source set: IF
someone can find the MDL subsystem and load it onto the simulators'
disks. There was discussion of this in alt.sys.pdp10, but nothing
came of it, as far as I know."
Just for your interest.
Peer
Matthew Russotto
>> Speaking of the MDL Zork, AFAIK it was never ported to any other OS
>> than ITS...
>
>How about this capture session from my account on a machine running TOPS-20?
I think that attritbution is wrong. MDL Zork (from the comments in
the source) was certainly ported to TENEX.
lusol%le...@gtempaccount.com
Doug McIntyre
Anyway, the FORTRAN source is widely available.
--
Doug McIntyre
do...@themcintyres.us
lusol%le...@gtempaccount.com
David Griffith
> On Monday, April 20, 2015 at 4:11:48 PM UTC-4, Doug McIntyre wrote:
>> lusol%lehig...@gtempaccount.com writes:
>> >On Thursday, January 30, 2003 at 10:23:01 AM UTC-5, Matthew Russotto wrote:
>> >> In article <rU4_9.3645$%12...@news.bellsouth.net>,
>> >> David Jackson <ata...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >You can easily disassemble any of the Zorks down to their raw text,
>> >> >which is about the only use of the MDL source code (unless you are one
>> >> >of those nutty people who still program with it).
>> >>
>> >> There's probably four people on this newsgroup working feverishly
>> >> to implement an MDL subset just so they can run the MDL Zork. Two
>> >> of them are doing it in elisp, one in Prolog, and the last in
>> >> Glulx Inform. (not me, though it IS tempting)
>>
>>
>>
>> You do know you are replying to a post from over a dozen years ago, right?
>> Anyway, the FORTRAN source is widely available.
> Dungeon 2 and 3, just a hour ago. My source came from the version 2
> DECUS version and I ported it to Control Data Cyber mainframes around
> 1980. I just revived that code for x86-64 (Mac and Linux), along with
> Adventure. For gfortram, pgf77 and ifort, and was wondering if it was
> OK to post the entire package online for all. Included are my maps
> from then, too... thanks.
the source in ascii and chop it up into decently-sized pieces. If you
can tar it up with a nice Makefile and some documentation, it would be a
nice thing to upload to the IF Archive.
--
David Griffith
davidmy...@acm.org <--- Put my last name where it belongs
gewwgl...@gmail.com
gewwgl...@gmail.com
gewwgl...@gmail.com
David Griffith
Gopher mirror at gopher://gopher.feedle.net/. It's less clear than most
uploads where it should ultimately go.
lars.br...@gmail.com
> Well, the source is available.. perhaps the ITS retrohackers can find
> themselves a working compiler.
We do have the "I see no Zork here" source code, but it's just a short
MIDAS program.
lars.br...@gmail.com
An MDL Zork version newer than the one from Bob Supnik has been found.
Adam Thornton
>A PDP-10 Muddle has now been found.
>
>An MDL Zork version newer than the one from Bob Supnik has been found.
https://github.com/PDP-10/its/issues/12
Or is there newer information than that?
Adam
dav...@davidkinder.co.uk
> Is that this thread:
> https://github.com/PDP-10/its/issues/12
> Or is there newer information than that?
https://github.com/PDP-10/muddle
David
lars.br...@gmail.com
> Adam Thornton wrote:
> > Is that this thread:
> > https://github.com/PDP-10/its/issues/12
> > Or is there newer information than that?
Right.
Actually, not only one but two versions now. One ITS version from 1973, and
another TOPS-20 version from around 1982.
davidk...@yahoo.co.uk
> another TOPS-20 version from around 1982.
Happy MAC XL
Adam (S)