[SWCollect] Zork question
I seem to remember reading somewhere that Zork was named after a mid-70's poetry book called 'A Hastily Thrown Together Bit of Zork'. Can't seem to find where I read it with google. Does anyone know if this is true? Does anyone have the book? Is it also true that only 150 copies of the book were released into general circulation? Just wondered how 'collectible' the book is, since Ive never seen it. -- -- Howard Feldman, Author of The Search for Freedom A Computer Fantasy Role-Playing Game Visit its Homepage at http://home.golden.net/~feldman/SearchForFreedom/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Zork question
I don't know if it's true, but here's some info that may help. "Hastily ..." was written by John Brunner, a well-regarded scienece fiction author, and published in 1974, Nice bio at http://members.aol.com/tishede/brunner.htm. PeterHoward Feldman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I seem to remember reading somewhere that Zork was named after a mid-70's poetrybook called 'A Hastily Thrown Together Bit of Zork'. Can't seem to find where Iread it with google. Does anyone know if this is true? Does anyone have thebook? Is it also true that only 150 copies of the book were released intogeneral circulation? Just wondered how 'collectible' the book is, since Ivenever seen it.-- --Howard Feldman, Author of The Search for FreedomA Computer Fantasy Role-Playing GameVisit its Homepage at http://home.golden.net/~feldman/SearchForFreedom/--This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed tothe swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] wi! th a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect'Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Zork question
While not entirely contradicting the source you suggest, this page suggests around origin, http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Zork "Originally, 'Zork' was a name that any unfinished program around MIT got. When the game was finished the implementors called it Dungeon, but people went on calling it Zork, so the name stuck (not an unusual course of events for software and other high-tech products with entrenched 'working titles')." Hope this helps! Peter Howard Feldman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I seem to remember reading somewhere that Zork was named after a mid-70's poetrybook called 'A Hastily Thrown Together Bit of Zork'. Can't seem to find where Iread it with google. Does anyone know if this is true? Does anyone have thebook? Is it also true that only 150 copies of the book were released intogeneral circulation? Just wondered how 'collectible' the book is, since Ivenever seen it.-- --Howard Feldman, Author of The Search for FreedomA Computer Fantasy Role-Playing GameVisit its Homepage at http://home.golden.net/~feldman/SearchForFreedom/--This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed tothe swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] wi! th a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect'Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Zork question
To my knowledge "Zork" was a word used by computer geeks at MIT for just about everything, as in "give me that zork over there." Its origins are lost in time; it may have been the book you mentioned, but its not the only place the word "zork" was used. For example, Mattel, I think, had toys named "Chopcyles," which predate the text adventure, and one of them was named "Mighty Zork Chopcyle" - http://www.theweaponshop.com/sizzlers.html We could guess that the future Infocom authors may have played with those toys as kids and carried the word over to their college life. Or they read that book. Marco Howard Feldman schrieb: > > I seem to remember reading somewhere that Zork was named after a mid-70's poetry > book called 'A Hastily Thrown Together Bit of Zork'. Can't seem to find where I > read it with google. Does anyone know if this is true? Does anyone have the > book? Is it also true that only 150 copies of the book were released into > general circulation? Just wondered how 'collectible' the book is, since Ive > never seen it. > > -- > -- > Howard Feldman, Author of The Search for Freedom > A Computer Fantasy Role-Playing Game > Visit its Homepage at http://home.golden.net/~feldman/SearchForFreedom/ > > -- > This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to > the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' > Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
Re: [SWCollect] Zork question
To my knowledge "Dungeon" was dropped out of fear that the people behind "Dungeons & Dragons" might claim a TM conflict. Marco Peter Olafson schrieb: > > While not entirely contradicting the source you suggest, this page > suggests around origin, http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Zork > > "Originally, 'Zork' was a name that any unfinished program around MIT > got. When the game was finished the implementors called it Dungeon, > but people went on calling it Zork, so the name stuck (not an unusual > course of events for software and other high-tech products with > entrenched 'working titles')." > > Hope this helps! > Peter > > Howard Feldman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I seem to remember reading somewhere that Zork was named > after a mid-70's poetry > book called 'A Hastily Thrown Together Bit of Zork'. Can't > seem to find where I > read it with google. Does anyone know if this is true? Does > anyone have the > book? Is it also true that only 150 copies of the book were > released into > general circulation? Just wondered how 'collectible' the > book is, since Ive > never seen it. > > -- > -- > Howard Feldman, Author of The Search for Freedom > A Computer Fantasy Role-Playing Game > Visit its Homepage at > http://home.golden.net/~feldman/SearchForFreedom/ > > -- > This message was sent to you because you are currently > subscribed to > the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wi! th a subject of 'unsubscribe > swcollect' > Archives are available at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ -- This message was sent to you because you are currently subscribed to the swcollect mailing list. To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of 'unsubscribe swcollect' Archives are available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/