Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!tness7!tness1!sugar!ficc!peter
From: peter@ficc.UUCP (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix
Subject: Re: WRONG!
Keywords: xbbs reply
Message-ID: <837@.UUCP>
Date: 1 Jun 88 13:28:23 GMT
References: <208@turnkey.TCC.COM>
Organization: SCADA
Lines: 28

Note: newsgroups line coalesced...

The following are my nosey-parker comments about what I think (from context)
must be some sort of UNIX-based BBS. I am currently running a UNIX-based
BBS of my own devising, so...

In article ... sandy@turnkey.TCC.COM (Sanford 'Sandy' Zelkovitz) writes:
> The following are my replys to WRONGLY stated comments:
> > The messages are in a non-standard format with all messages stuffed into
> > one huge file.  The messages are limited to a compile time maximum length.

> Firstly, what is a standard message????

Either 1 message per file, a-la news, or  messages per file, a-la mail.
In either case the files should be normal UNIX text files with no message
length limits.

> >	3) The message base, file handling, and bulletins (motd and others)
> >	   use non-standard layouts and fixed length record formats.

> They are MY format; therefore they are standard for xbbs!

Fixed length record files are very rarely appropriate for a UNIX system.
Certainly a low-performance application like a BBS doesn't need them.
The downside obvious: you can't use an editor on them...
-- 
-- Peter da Silva, Ferranti International Controls Corporation.
-- Phone: 713-274-5180. Remote UUCP: uunet!nuchat!sugar!peter.