Xref: utzoo comp.unix.xenix:2366 comp.unix.wizards:9006 Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mandrill!hal!ncoast!allbery From: allbery@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon S. Allbery) Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix,comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: xbbs features as request Message-ID: <7841@ncoast.UUCP> Date: 31 May 88 21:09:31 GMT References: <203@turnkey.TCC.COM> <3837@uwspan.UUCP> Reply-To: allbery@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon S. Allbery) Followup-To: comp.unix.xenix Organization: Cleveland Public Access UN*X, Cleveland, Oh Lines: 48 As quoted from <3837@uwspan.UUCP> by root@uwspan.UUCP (Sue Peru Sr.): +--------------- | | 18) The following file protocols are available for downloading: | | sliding windows/standard kermit, zmodem, ymodem, batch-ymodem, crc-xmodem, | | checksum-xmodem, ascii, SEAlink, and type. | | 19) The following file protocols are available for uploading: | | (Same as downloading except for "type") | | All the file transfer protocols are external programs - you must have them | on your system to be able to use them. | | | 20) List the contents of an archive file ( .arc, .tar, or .tar.Z ) | | This requires that you have a working copy of ARC on your system... +--------------- If arc, tar, kermit, Xmodem, SeaLINK, zoo, Zmodem, CIS B, etc. were all bundled into a single XBBS (or, for that matter, UNaXcess) binary, you would end up with a singleuser Unix/Xenix system. DOS gets away with it because it's only one process anyway. But most people who run Unix/Xenix BBSes would like to use the multiuser capabilities of *nix -- and humongous, monolithic programs don't allow that. (Okay, you can use a paging 386 system. So now it's multiuser molasses.) Also: what if Arc were compiled into XBBS and some sysop wanted to support Zoo archives? Hmmm? External programs can be announced to the BBS via ASCII control files: edit and voila! New feature added WITHOUT recompiling. It's a design decision. Some of us prefer flexibility. +--------------- | | 21) File directory summary | | Simply a "ls -l directory > file ; cat file > modemport ; rm file" sequence +--------------- Can you say "portable"? BSD has portable directory routines. System V does, too: but calls them by a different name. EARLY System V and previous AT&T releases (and Xenix 2/3, etc.) don't have them at all. UNaXcess will break when used under V.5 with a non-AT&T filesystem -- which may yet happen, courtesy the file system switch. I hate to say this, AT&T: but "struct direNt" was a DUMB idea. Incompatibility still reigns supreme. AAAAARGH!!!!! -- Brandon S. Allbery, moderator of comp.sources.misc {well!hoptoad,uunet!marque,cbosgd,sun!mandrill}!ncoast!allbery Delphi: ALLBERY MCI Mail: BALLBERY