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Re: CF: call for java enthusiasts: server time!




I think everyone agrees that crossedit needs work.  In it's current
form it causes complications in the common libraries and so impairs
taking X11 out of CF server.  Crossedit is also pretty miserable to
use and so impairs making and correcting maps.  I observed that if
crossedit was done in java then it could be used by the client to
greatly improve mapping within the game.

Though, this discussion is really an offshoot of a discussion on
redoing the server in java.  Philip Brown who did the java client
is pushing to rewrite the server and is probably already doing it.
Mark observes that if there are enough public servers out there
then players can play CF via servers instead of being the sole
player on a private CF server.  He also notes that if CF libraries
removes need for X11 then CF server could run on a posix compliant
OS which are fairly common.  But removing X11 from X11 libraries
impacts crossedit.

So we all agree that crossedit needs work.  There is speculation
that if crossedit was done in java then it would reduce the need
for a java server.  There is observation that java crossedit could
be tweaked into improving mapping in the game.

If this was a development organization where someone made decisions
then a hard choice would be made between doing java crossedit prior
to java server.  Those that disagreed with the decision would talk
about missed opportunities and wasted effort.  But this isn't a
development organization so Philip Brown will lead the effort to
make a java server unless he decides to do something else.  There
is general agreement that a java crossedit would be good and Philip
has agreed to give the related java source to whomever wants to
write it.

What would be really nice is someone with the desire and time to
write a java crossedit.  Regardless, the CF libraries used
by server will probably be modified to not use any X11 calls.
The existance of a java crossedit would allow Mark is to not
worry about making libraries that handle the X11 stuff for
crossedit.

Lastly, crossedit need not be written in java, but presumably
one could use display code from java client and maybe other
code from the java server dev effort.  So java rewrite would
seem to be the easiest language for a rewrite of crossedit.

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