Text 12744, 90 rader
Skriven 2009-05-22 02:01:58 av Maurice Kinal (1:261/38)
     Kommentar till en text av Robert Laprise
Ärende: can't find my way home
==============================
Hey Robert!

> Seems like I never got the original message you were replying to

Happens far too often given the lack of originals.

> since IMO it sure as hell isn't what the movies portray them as,
> those are script kiddies AFIC.

I think you've captured the gist of what the original post was driving at.

> Numerous protocols all based on some means of converting a serial
> port transfer into a tcp/ip transfer, yea...

You seem to be making my point except I would revise the 'serial' part to all
character based connections, including/especially telnet. However my objection
wasn't that these types of connections are somehow undesirable but instead that
altering them to include other types of activities such as file transfers isn't
a good alternative since there are much better ways to achieve them, ftp in the
case of file transfers.

> I'm currently dealing with a Linux based port of what was a DOS
> based package originally.

That is part of my objection.  DOS packages needed to do it all whereas Linux,
and all other Unices, don't require that mode of operation given it is a
multitasking AMD multiuser enviroment perfectly suited as a host to a BBS that
can benefit from this unique situation.  Linux is perfectly suited to the more
modern connectivity of the internet which is also multiuser and provides the
infrastucture needed to accomplish this feat.  Gone is the day where a BBS
would only have to deal with one user at a time.  Things that DOS couldn't even
dare dream about are now a reality to the average sysop (eg remote multiuser
real time chat).

> any file that is not in a 8.3 filename format (for DOS
> compatibility apparently)

That is truly sad but doable it the client (end user if you prefer) requires
it.  A simular strategy is me using coreutil's fmt to preformat this reply in
order to compensate for other users that are limited by their client software
to less than 80 columns.  Apparently DOS-thinkers never caught onto the age old
concept of word wrapping and need to be handheld by vastly superior Unixie
users such as myself.  <BFEG>

> From my point of view a BBS is a message board

I would agree with that assessment, although any character based activity could
also be added such as door games.  I am amazed that kids these days still find
them appealing.  Also I've noticed that when friends bring their kids over to
my place and see me typing things on the keyboard and
'magic' happening in response on the monitor they *always* wonder aloud
how is any of that possible!!!  It never fails to amaze.

Look ma!  No stinkin' icons!  :-)

> Adding extra functionality per the site designers needs doesn't
> change the fact that it's a blog, it just makes it a more useful
> blog.

Exactly my point about a BBS running on Linux.  No need to have the BBS do file
transfers since that functionality can be farmed out to an existing ftpd
running on the same machine as the BBS.  It can and does work.

> if I wanted irc in the bbs I could tie it to ircd

Now you're getting the idea.

> but the amount of code rework I'd have to do on the
> current package is more than I want to get into right now

Understood.  I tried to run a Maximns BBS on Linux but eventually gave up given
I came to the realization that it was too much work.  It was easier just to
forget about it given the lack of users and the fact that I could provide
myself with a terminal just for me without any BBS package whatsoever.  It also
can ftp and do whatever else I want to do with it.  However if I were to repeat
what I did on DOS I'd revert back to my original BBS code that I wrote using
DJGPP on DOS as that would be much easier to port since it only concerned
itself with character based operations from a remote and never bothered with
file transfers, etc. I think that would be the right approach these days except
now I could farm the rest out and would likely do so.

> changing the 8.3 filename crap is going to be messy enough

Let it go!  Set it free!

Life is good,
Maurice

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 * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)