Text 16181, 130 rader
Skriven 2013-01-09 13:55:00 av Paul Quinn (3:640/384)
  Kommentar till text 16178 av Nicholas Boel (1560.linux)
Ärende: it is all greek to me
=============================
Hi! Nick,

On Tue, 08 Jan 13, you wrote to me:

 PQ>> Mystic is an uncompleted project, designed to replace my old
 PQ>> RemoteAccess (RA) stuff after the big bang at the end of '98. It's a
 PQ>> total abortion; my greatest regret in BBS-ing.

 NB> Paul, did you ever think to take a look at the open source alphas?

For many years the alphas were closed to a few 'select' buddies of James's. 
That was when all the work was targetted towards web-based boards (telnet?), it
seemed.  All recollection of Fidonet and the like was not even a consideration.
 In fact there was no communication with the Fido echo for seemingly forever,
during those dark times.

I've got either 1.09 or 1.10a13 installed in a Linux vBox, for testing only.  I
haven't used it in nearly a year and have forgotten how to even fire it up.  My
Win98SE vBox still has 1.07.3 for me to use, to occasionally fix email users'
posts.  No one wants a BBS here any longer.  Not even older long-time users.

 NB> I have the latest alpha running here in a VM (I'm a tester, bug
 NB> reporter, and feature requester (plus I've known James for years). If
 NB> you're running 1.09, you're totally missing out on the newest
 NB> features.

Well, there you go.  It's not even priority #99 any more.  I don't have time
for it.

 NB> Granted, upgrading from 1.09 to 1.10a21 or whatever it is these days,
 NB> will require doc reading. :)

They always did.  I have tried updates/upgrades per the docs in the past but
they never worked.  Do you know what dissapointment feels like when after
waiting for eight years to try an update that doesn't effing work?  No matter
if you try upside-down & inside-out, multiple times?

 NB> BUT, I have Mystic running full echomail of 4 networks, adding files

Congratulations.  I am happy for you.  Truly.

 NB> A few more bugs and feature requests with what I know now, and I will
 NB> probably switch back to Mystic, after years of running Synchronet.

Here's where I was at _nine_ years ago...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
# Area : MYSTIC (Discussion and chat about the Mystic BBS software)
# From : Paul Quinn, 3:640/384 (Wed, 22 Oct 03 23:03)
# To   : James Coyle
# Subj : ideas
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi! james,

In a message to All you wrote:

 jc> Anyone have any suggestions for new features in 1.x or 2.x of Mystic?

A few things for 1.x or 2.x (maybe)...

#1 Something that a few other BBSs need too: FTS-9 support for the REPLY kludge
in the internal editor.

#2 Unless I'm missing something, I've been looking for a maintenance function
for file areas where if the OS attributes for a file change (say, date/time or
filesize) then Mystic's filebase could be updated.  I'm thinking of the typical
AllFiles list _file_, itself, that would be generated due to some other
external process.

#3 Something I've missed since having run Remoteaccess in the past: real
grouping of message/file areas, according to some sysop-defined classification
system.  I used to use:

Message groups:

  1 ... LOCAL_CLUSTER                     2 ... DEFAULT ECHOMAIL
  3 ... AMIGA STUFF                       4 ... ADULT STUFF
  5 ... SOUND STUFF                       6 ... MODEM STUFF
  7 ... DOS STUFF                         8 ... WINDOWS STUFF
  9 ... OS/2 STUFF                       10 ... BBS STUFF
 11 ... IBM/CLONE TECHNICAL              12 ... RELIGIOUS STUFF
 13 ... OFFLINE MAIL STUFF               14 ... DATABASE STUFF
 15 ... GAMES STUFF                      16 ... HOMEMAKER STUFF
 17 ... LANs/NETWORKING STUFF            18 ... STUDENTS STUFF
 19 ... FOR SALE/TRADING                 20 ... GENEALOGY
 21 ... BUSINESS RELATED                 22 ... COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
 23 ... MEDICAL & DISABLED RELATED       24 ... SPORTS/RECREATIONAL STUFF
 25 ... SCIENCE STUFF                    26 ... HUMOROUS STUFF
 27 ... K12(INTERNET)                    28 ... PACKET RADIO/ELECTRONICS
 29 ... SPACE TECHNICAL/NASA             30 ... TREK/DS9/DR WHO/BLAKE7/REDWARF
 31 ... COMMS/TERMINAL PROGRAMS          32 ... ALTERNATE OPERATING SYSTEMS
 33 ... VIRUS/ANTI-VIRUS STUFF           34 ... LAND USERS/GARDENING

(The files areas were similar but not as extensive.)

The user selects one of these and is then presented (using an areas list
function) with only areas classed as belonging to that class/group.  Much
easier to navigate a large number of message areas that way.  (I think Maximus
had that functionality too?[shrug])  Other fellers used to classify according
to 'othernet' groupings, say: FidoNet, FamilyNet, KatNet, BIBLEnet, etc.

The grouping was achieved with additional record fields (numeric type, a
primary, and some possible alternates - 3, I think) for file/message areas'
definitions, and activated with a specific menu function for a 'group change'. 
The standard menu function for area lists probably worked only for listing
within the currently-selected group... I can't remember exactly.  Which means
that the user record would have had to provide for a default/last selected
group change.

I'm aware of Michael Grant's use of grouping by classifying the users by group,
and then utilizing area change menu functions incorporating the user's group as
a part of the security level required, but that comes nowhere near RA's/MAX's
flexibility.

Cheers,
Paul.

-+- Radius/W32 4.009-02.01.03/RC10
 + Origin: So Many Messages!  So Little Time!   (ZMH only) (3:640/384)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

I had some tremendous help from Michael Grant to work through the solution to
problem #3.  Can you advise on the status of #1 & #2?

Cheers,
Paul.

... >*BOOM*< Intel Outside!!
--- Paul's Win98SE VirtualBox
 * Origin: Quinn's Post - Maryborough, Queensland, OZ (3:640/384)