LociTerm is a Progressive Web App that provides MUD Telnet connectivity to any platform with a JavaScript enabled Web Browser, through a hosted server component.
Telnet is a network protocol from the early days of the Internet that allows one computer to log into another computer. In the 1990's, before the creation of the World Wide Web, Telnet was ubiquitous. Every networked computer at the time had a Telnet Client, just as every networked computer today has a Web Browser.
MUDs ("Multi User Dungeons") are one of the first type of multi-player online games to take advantage of the growth of the Internet in the 1990's. They are typically modeled after a table top Dungeons and Dragons game, with the computer playing the role of the DM. Because MUDs started in the text-only Internet of the early 1990's, they were written to use the Telnet protocol for access.
As the Internet grew, the Telnet protocol was gradually replaced by more secure options, and the text-only Telnet Internet was replaced by the graphically rich Web Browser Internet. The Telnet Client, which was once available by default on every computer, is now increasingly difficult to install- if a Telnet Client is available for a platform at all.
MUDs, however, live on! There is a community of gamers who have been playing and adding to these text only Telnet games since their inception, and still need a Telnet Client to play them. There are MUD Telnet clients available for Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android and iOS, but they are typically built for those specific operating systems, or are available on the desktop systems, but not on the mobile ones.
This is where LociTerm comes in!
First and foremost, LociTerm is a Web Enabled Telnet Client with a terminal emulator, making it more than a simple line mode MUD client with color support.
There are several Web Based MUD client sites that players can use to connect to MUD games. Notable among them are Grapevine (https://grapevine.haus/) , MudSlinger (https://mudslinger.net/play/), and MudPortal (http://www.mudportal.com/).
These sites are great, but they are all line mode only MUD clients rather than true Telnet Network Virtual Terminal emulators. They simply don't work with games or other services that need terminal emulation or character at a time support. Also, while those sites work and look great on a desktop browser for line mode MUD games, none of them work well on a mobile platform. They were designed for desktop use.
LociTerm started out as a dedicated client for The Last Outpost MUD (https://www.last-outpost.com/), a game that uses character mode, and is more enjoyable to play that way. None of the existing open web clients could do that mode, so the Last Outpost Client Implementation Terminal project was started out of necessity.
LociTerm is two programs, one that runs on a dedicated server "in the cloud", and one that runs inside each user's web browser. The two programs work together to translate the Telnet protocol from a game into one that can be displayed in the browser.
The Server side of LociTerm is written in C, and runs under Linux. It implements a web server for sending the client program to the user's web browser, and a custom WebSockets protocol (libwebsockets) server for talking to the client side program, a MUD Telnet client for talking to game servers (libtelnet), and a database component (sqlite3) for managing a directory of known games. It provides service for multiple clients and games simultaneously.
The Client side of LociTerm is written in JavaScript, and runs in a web browser. It implements the same WebSockets protocol as the server, runs a terminal component (xterm.js) that can render ANSI/XTERM data directly into a browser window, input components that handle line or keystroke entry, and some convenient on screen buttons and menus.
When a player connects to a game, the LociTerm client component contacts the LociTerm server component, and the server component connects to the game. The server bridges the data between the game and the LociTerm client running in the user's web browser.
LociTerm requires libglib2.0-dev, ctags, openssl, cmake, libwebsockets4.4.0, npm, libjson-c-dev. On a Debian 12 system:
apt-get install gcc libglib2.0-dev exuberant-ctags openssl cmake npm libjson-c-dev libsqlite3-dev pkg-config
Will install all of the required development packages to build LociTerm EXCEPT libwebsockets. The version of libwebsockets that ships with Debian 12 is not the right version, is missing some compile time options, and so needs to be re-built from the most up to date source.
Once the packages are installed, running make and make install will install LociTerm into the /usr/local directory. There are additional steps for making the terminal available under its own apache2 document root, and having it start up automatically from systemd.
See the file INSTALL.txt for those details.
Once the locid.conf file is configured with a service port and security model (or as a forwarded host from Apache), clients will be able to connect by going to the configured URL. For a test system, that might look like:
http://localhost:4500
For a production system with Apache port forwarding and live certificates, that might look like:
https://www.last-outpost.com/lociterm/.
When the client connects to the lociterm server for the first time, it will automatically be connected to the default game stored in the server's config file. If the user changes to a different game, that choice is stored on the client side, and will be used as the user's default game whenever they launch.
Creating a URL with host, port, ssl, and menu parameters will force the client to connect to those when the user clicks the link, overriding the last game and menu set stored on the client system. A forced connection URL might look like:
https://www.last-outpost.com/lociterm/?host=www.last-outpost.com&port=4443&ssl=1&menu=lastoutpost
This can be used to direct players to connect to a specific game that isn't the default for a particular LociTerm server.
(Note that the menu parameter should match the "name": of a menu, not the "label":. Some of the built-in menu names are, "lastputpost", "diagonal", "telnet", and "none". This list is subject to change.)
The server config file is installed as /usr/local/etc/locid.conf by default.
The server options are documented as comments in the config file.
CLI options to the server can be shown with locid -h .
-c / --config specify location of config file
-d / --debug run in debug mode
-h / --help this message
-b / --browser launch a browser
-v / --version show the version
-a / --list-approved list approved games by id
-l / --list-denied list denied games by id
-A / --approve <id> Mark game approved
-R / --redact <id> Mark game approved/redacted
-B / --ban <id> Mark game banned
-D / --delete <id> Remove game from DB
If the config file location is not specified on the command file, locid looks for ~/.locid.conf, then /etc/locid.conf.
The --browser option directs locid to open a browser window with xdg-open after the server starts, and is useful for running lociterm as a local client. Locid will only accept connections coming from the local host when started in this mode.
--list-approved and --list-denied show the contents of the locid database, if a database is specified in the config file. The entries are listed by ID number, which is used by the approve/redact/ban/delete commands. Note that as a safeguard, locid will NOT try to connect to sites in the database that have not been approved. If a game suggestion did not pass the protocol and port tests, or if it did not connect for any reason, administrative action is needed to take the server off the --list-denied list before another connection attempt can be made.
--approve allows the entry to appear in the db without any further security or protocol checks. This is useful for adminstrative approval of a game that didn't pass the protocol or port checks, or was offline when it was suggested.
--redact keeps the entry in the db and allows connections via the URL or suggestion UI without further security or protocol checks, but hides the entry from the public list. This is useful for connections to development servers, or when reviewing suggestions of sites that failed auto-approval.
--ban prevents locid from connecting to this entry.
--delete removes the game from the db entirely. If suggested again, the connection will go through the full security and protocol checks, and the game will be given a new ID.
The LociTerm cliet is a "Progressive Web App", or PWA. This means that on many systems, it can be installed as a naitive style app that runs outside of a browser window. On mobile systems, this usually gives the ability to launch the program directly from the home screen, and frees up a little screen space by getting rid of the browser's location bar. On desktop systems, the app can be run directly from the 'start' menu, and runs in its own window just like other local applications. The exact steps for installing a web app as a PWA differ based on the OS and the browser, but all follow a similar process.
Note that if you are building or developing LociTerm on a local system, a web app can only be installed if it is accessed through an https connection, or originating from a "localhost" address. Most browsers will hide the installation option if those conditions are not met.
From Chrome on Debian 12, open LociTerm in the browser. There should be a small "Monitor with Down Arrow" icon next to the "Bookmark Star" on the right side of the location bar. Click the monitor icon, and Lociterm should become available through an icon on your system.
Note that by default Chrome will try to use CSD ("client side decorations") for LociTerm's window border, which may not match your local window manager theme. To have the app use your regular window decorations, edit the .desktop entry for the LociTerm application icon, or change it by right clicking on the application icon and selecting "Edit Application". Under the "Arguments" section, there will be an entry something like
--profile-directory=Default --app-id=lghkcejjofmlimcifmhlkjjfifkdkgjb
Add a third argument to the list that points to the LociTerm server URL, like this:
--app=https://www.last-outpost.com/lociterm/
and then try launching LociTerm through the icon again. Chrome (circa build 129) should skip the CSD look, and run with your preferred window theme.
Open LociTerm in the Chrome browser. From the three-dot browser menu, select the "Install on Homescreen" or "Install Application" menu, and follow the prompts. LociTerm will appear as an application icon on your home screen.
Please see the AUTHORS file, and the "About LociTerm" menu in the client.
"LociTerm - Last Outpost Client Implementation Terminal" is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
LociTerm is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License along with LociTerm. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/.
