Subj : Re: linked
To   : Bob Short
From : Jasen Betts
Date : Sat Dec 14 2002 07:26 pm

Hi Bob.

13-Dec-02 11:10:56, Bob Short wrote to Jasen Betts

 JB>> it'll require programmers to think a bit more when reading the
 JB>> nodelist and code their software to look-ahead a bit,  but that
 JB>> shouldn't be a problem for experienced programmers.

 BS> Like those worling with IP software?  ;-)

hopefully.  (don't ge me started on crapware)

open source stuff is easily to deal with,  but even closed
source stuff can be "destruction tested" with artificial scenariaos.

nets with 10000 nodes, nodelist lines longer than the available memory,
that sort of stuff :)

Hmm,  has anyone made a lex/yacc parser for SLF nodelists...
it doesn't produce tidy code, but it does produce bulletproof code.

personally I don't feel XML is the answer at the moment
I lean more towards a lightweight structuered list

one format dreamt up by Frank Vest an I went like this:


the line would start much like a regular nodelist line, with the

disposition, address number, BBS-name, location,sysop name,

then there'd be a single field with all the "system flags" - flags that
apply to a fido system rather thanto the connection requirements,
(flags like NEC or GUUCP flags would be examples of this)
instead of commas "," they'd be separated using semicolons. ";"
that'd mean that they could be treated as a lump when reading the line and
the start of the connection information is indicated by the next comma.

following that on the same line would come any number of connections,
a connection consists of three fields, the first field is type specifier,
to specify the type of the connection,  for example POTS (regular dial-up
modem) or IP (internet), ISDN, the second fields is the address,
for a dialup node it's be the international telephone number, for IP it's
be the IP address or domain name, etc...

private, down, or other uncontactable nodes nodes wouldn't have any connections
listed
 eg:

 ,1701,Some_BBS_Name,Some_Town,Some_Sysop,system_flags

a system with both IP and dialup might look like this:
(but all on a single line)

 ,1701,Some_BBS_Name,Some_Town,Some,Sysop,sys;tem;flags,
 IP,IP.or.url.com,CM;MO;LO;IBN;ITN,
 POTS,phone-number,33600;V34;V42b;CM;XA

one with dialup only: (but as a single line)

 ,1701,Some_BBS_Name,Some_Town,Some_Sysop,sys;tem;flags,
 POTS,phone-umber,33600;V34;V42b;CM;XA

one with IP only: (again it would be a single line in the nodelist)

 ,1701,Some_BBS_Name,Some_Town,Some_Sysop,sys;tem;flags,
 IP,IP.or.url.com,CM;MO;LO;IBN;ITN,

someone with multiple dial-up modems could list them all against a single
node entry in the nodelist,just by repeating the POTS,phone-numbe,flags
for each modem or possibly listing all the phone numbers with semicolons
if the modems all have the same capabilities.

new types of conection could be added by using a different connection-type
keyword as mailers would be written to ignore connection types they
couldn't handle...

some exalples of connection types.

  POTS  - regular dialup modem
  ISDN  - isdn digital connection
  IP    - intenrnet connection    (maybe it should be divided into
          protocols like TELNET,IREX,FTP,EMAIL,BINKP)
  and maybe
  VIA   - specify some other node to accept the packets.

 -=> Bye <=-

*---/


 -=> Bye <=-

---
 * Origin: Drive defensively. Buy a tank. (3:640/531.42)

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