The focused generalist

Welcome to “Beware of Dragons in the Dungeons,” an online book you can access through a GitHub repository. This book is a unique journey that combines the magic of fantasy with the world of computer systems. In this hands-on online book, you’re about to start a journey to discover the secrets of distributed systems and get lost in exciting stories inspired by fantasy classics and challenging video games like Souls.

Why This Adventure

Becoming skilled at building strong and reliable distributed systems can feel as vast and mysterious as exploring the trickiest dungeons. Making systems bigger, making sure they can handle problems, and figuring out how all the different parts work together can be as tough as battling mythical dragons and old curses. But just like heroes go on quests with the promise of treasure and fame, we invite you to explore the world of distributed systems and make your own epic adventure.

The Fantasy Connection

At the heart of this journey is a text-based Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) created with remarkable technologies like Elixir, Phoenix, and LiveView. A MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) game is a text-based online multiplayer role-playing game where players interact with each other and the game world through text commands. These games typically feature immersive virtual worlds filled with quests, exploration, and social interaction.

It’s inspired by the rich stories of high-fantasy books and the tough challenges of Souls-like games. As you read and learn, you’ll also build this MUD, seeing for yourself how the ideas of distributed systems can become exciting high-fantasy tales. Each chapter is a new part of your high-fantasy adventure, from creating strong systems that can survive anything to discovering cool data storage tricks, much like finding ancient weapons.

Going into the Unknown

Imagine being in the shoes of legendary heroes, with your name known far and wide as a call to adventure. You’re not limited by ordinary things; you’re the one who creates whole worlds, designs amazing places, plans epic battles, and defends all that’s good and fair. As we journey through “Beware of Dragons in the Dungeons,” you’ll be the one designing complex dungeons with tricky traps and cities that rise from ruins like magical phoenixes.

Why Choose to Build This MUD?

This guide isn’t like most technical books. It’s a big adventure! Each chapter will dive into the stories of our fantasy worlds and show how they connect to our technical choices. You’ll be both the storyteller and the coding expert, creating a world as grand as the fantasy realms.

While we focus on distributed systems, we know that a journey isn’t just about solving technical problems. It’s about being part of a group of adventurers and learning together. In this book, we’ll rely on our community’s shared knowledge and experiences, sharing ideas, problems, and solutions in our open-source project.

Closing Thoughts

Remember, brave adventurers, it’s often in the exciting moments of fear and tough challenges that we discover what adventure is really about. Just like the thrill of defeating huge foes in Souls-like games, our journey through the world of distributed systems will test us and push our limits. But that’s what makes the quest so exciting and the victories so satisfying.

So, get ready, put on your armor, cast your spells, and let the adventure start because legends are born when we face tough challenges!

Before we conclude, it’s important to note that the book and project are still a work in progress. The GitHub repository is like a blank canvas waiting for the next steps in the creative process. I am so excited to embark on this journey with all of you as we gradually fill the repository with the tools and knowledge you need to bring ‘Beware of Dragons in the Dungeons’ to life. So, stay tuned, and together, we’ll build an epic adventure from scratch!