Editing FurryMUCK (section)

==History==
[[File:FurryMUCK screenshot.png|right|thumb|A screenshot from ''FurryMUCK'' showing part of a listing of online users and a starting area for guests]]
The first [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]]s appeared in 1978, and provided a [[Text-based (computing)|text-based]] [[virtual world]] focused on [[role-playing game|adventure]]. While the first MUDs were clearly focused on the game, things changed in 1989 when Jim Aspnes released [[TinyMUD]]. TinyMUD allowed users to focus on building and socialisation, rather than game playing.{{R|mitchell}}  It did not take long until [[TinyMUD]] had emerged as the "most popular MUD on the internet",{{R|frenger}} and a [[subculture]] of [[Furry fandom|furry fans]] emerged within the system. These players "described themselves as anthropomorphic animals", and proved to be "somewhat controversial".{{R|mitchell}}

With TinyMUD's success a number of alternative systems derived from TinyMUD's basic architecture emerged.{{R|frenger}}  One of these variants was [[TinyMUCK]], a program originally developed and released by Stephen White.{{R|bralick1}}  Piaw Na became interested in White's TinyMUCK in 1990, and decided to implement [[Forth (programming language)|Forth]] as the [[programming language]] for development within the environment. The result was MUCK Forth (MUF), as implemented in TinyMUCK 2.0, which became the core to Na's short-lived ''AtlantisMUCK'', which was launched in 1990.  ''AtlantisMUCK'' grew to be "tremendously popular", but was shut down in August of that year.  Nevertheless, by that time copies of Na's code had spread,{{R|frenger}} and by late 1990, ''FurryMUCK'' had been released using Na's version of TinyMUCK.{{R|frenger|smith}}
According to Tina "Jahangiri" Smith, the founders of ''FurryMUCK'' were looking for a theme for their new MUCK, and "furries" emerged as an option.  The aim was to combine furry fandom with the MUD's users &mdash; the former group needing a better method of communication, while the latter understood "high speed roleplay".{{R|smith}}  However, one early difficulty faced by the growing ''FurryMUCK'' community related to where to host the system.  The original version of ''FurryMUCK'' was hosted at [[North Carolina State University]] until mid-1991, when it was forced to move.  A new home was found at the [[University of California at Irvine]], where it resided until November of that year.  While at UC Irvine ''FurryMUCK'' was limited to 63 concurrent users.  In November ''FurryMUCK'' moved again, this time to a server at [[Carnegie-Mellon University]].  It remained there until September 1992, when ''FurryMUCK'' was deleted and had to be restarted (with the loss of considerable work) at the [[University of Toronto]].  Toronto proved to be only a short-term home, and in October 1993, after a call for volunteers to host the system, it was moved to [[St. Norbert College]].  This time the address proved to be more stable, and ''FurryMUCK'' remained at St. Norbert until 1999, when it was finally relocated to a dedicated server.{{R|smith}}

At times, ''FurryMUCK'' has undergone turmoil in response to Internet content legislative efforts.{{R|stamper}}

In spite of the many moves, ''FurryMUCK'' grew rapidly, and by 1995 was regarded as one of the "most successful MUDs".{{R|mitchell}} A [[Wired.com]] article called FurryMUCK ''"the first anthropomorphic MUD."''.<ref>[https://www.wired.com/1994/03/muds-3/ ohnny Manhattan Meets the Furry Muckers - Why playing MUDs is becoming the addiction of the '90s.] on [[wired.com]] ''"FurryMuck, for instance, "the first anthropomorphic MUD.""'' (1994)</ref> Four years later, in 1999, ''FurryMUCK'' had become "one of the longest-running and best-maintained social MUCKs online",{{R|newitz}} and it is still online today.