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From: gl8f@bessel.acc.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
Newsgroups: alt.bbs,comp.misc
Subject: Re: New Ideas in BBSes (No BS!)
Keywords: BBS Client Server Network NOMSDOS
Message-ID: <842@hudson.acc.virginia.edu>
Date: 4 Dec 88 07:44:05 GMT
References: <1217@cps3xx.UUCP> <2093@uokmax.UUCP> <2324@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Sender: news@hudson.acc.virginia.edu
Reply-To: gl8f@bessel.acc.Virginia.EDU (Greg Lindahl)
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Organization: Dept. of Astronomy, University of Virginia
Lines: 40

In article <2324@ddsw1.MCS.COM> karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM(Karl Denninger) writes:
[stuff deleted]
>
> Yep.  Then there's the kicker -- many people don't have systems that can
> handle it, even today, and those that DO will require a specialized client
> software package -- one for EACH type or brand of system you support.

With a nice standardized package like STDWIN, the server program can be
written in C and should function with few changes on all hardware. Also,
most personal computers (pc klones, st, amiga, mac, ][gs) can easily handle
this sort of stuff.

> Then there is the speed issue. A graphics interface might be viable
> on a 9600-baud modem. 

Nonsense. Think of what you do to read messages on a BBS. You
alternate looking at windows which display messages, and windows which
contain a reply or new message you're typing. Almost all of that can
be handled by the server program... the host need only transfer the
message or transfer back the new message. And message transfer for the
next message can be done while you are reading the current message.
Although you're doing a graphical interface, the BBS need not know
that where the windows are or that the user is scrolling through it,
especially for a message reading window. All it needs to know is when
the window is closed or when the user picks a menu item, such as "Next
Message" or "Reply". There isn't much more information transfer here
than in a normal BBS.

Now you would have to port STDWIN or whatever to all the machines
involved.  This is a problem on PC's -- there isn't any such thing as
a run-time for GEM or MS Windows that you can distribute free with a
public domain program, is there? But I think that the hardware
technology exists already, and most of the software technology also.

-- greg

----------
Greg Lindahl                                    internet:  gl8f@virginia.edu
University of Virginia Department of Astronomy    bitnet:  gl8f@virginia.bitnet
"When a 300' dish falls in the woods, and nobody hears, does it make a sound?"