kvale,
Thanks for the input. To address some of your concerns, code is modified by hand by editing the file. The administrator is then able to bring his changes on line by issuing a secured command while connected and the code updates itself. Yes - still dangerous.

I am implementing my own variation of an network application that has been around for a going on 2 decades (similar to MUDs). This is for learning purposes only and the actual code may not see the light of day.