Subj : MMTerm?
To   : Jasen Betts
From : Jim Hanoian
Date : Wed Apr 25 2001 03:06 pm

-=> Jasen Betts wrote to Jim Hanoian <=-

 JH> Did you ever get into Kip Compton's work?

 JB> I used Megaread until I couldn't find free fidonet via QWK
 JB> anymore. it was a database reader with some really neat
 JB> features and some really annoying bugs.  It reportedly had a
 JB> 2-part BBS interface for its proprietry format, I only ever saw
 JB> that working with searchlight, and the "verity" qwk door came
 JB> soon after and worked better than megaread with searchlight
 JB> anyway.

Yeah, the reader was an awesome product.  Unfortunately, Kip
stopped supporting the reader the day after he released the
version 2.10.  Never did anything else besides cash checks and
issue registration numbers.  No added code, no contact, no
emails, all gone.

The idea behind the door was pretty good.  The door was constant,
and there was a layer that provided an interface between the
door and the underlying BBS.  Great idea, but again Kip didn't
pay much attention to the software and people got the feeling
that they were abandoned.  Since the reader (and door) did QWK
in addition to the "native" MegaMail format, everybody sort of
forgot about the door and kept the reader.  Later, that went
too.

Funny, he also wrote the software that provided the networking
for the RIME network.  People loved it and then eventually
hated it, mostly for the reasons already in the paragraphs
above... he just stopped making updates but continued to
collect registrations AND annual fees in spite of glitches,
bugs, warts and all.  RIME finally severed their mutually
exclusive relationship with Kip and his software (I think).
I left that network several years ago and vowed never to
go back.

Anyway, all of the software... including the networking,
the door, the reader, etc, were all written when he was 
a student in high school.  He since went on to MIT with
the registration and fees he collected.  Not sure where
he is now, but I'm certain he's never looked back...
never did, never will.


.... Jim Hanoian, Augusta, Maine, USA
.... Graphic Artist seeks Boss with vision impairment.
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