Subj : MSGID To : Maurice Kinal From : mark lewis Date : Fri Feb 18 2005 06:28 pm shortened comments due to time... ml>> many tossers are limited by slightly less than 64k message ml>> size because they pull the entire message into memory and ml>> work with it there rather than spooling excess stuff to ml>> temp disk storage to get to the end of the message and the ml>> needed tossing data stored there... MK> I don't think that is a real problem to compensate for, and MK> might actually be a good thing . actually, it is a problem but the limit on short messages has been "enforced" for so long and by so much software (ie: user's offline QWK readers and such) that it is very commonplace... MK> If pkt sizes (number of messages) aren't a limitation then MK> it makes it a tad easier to come up with a meaningful MSGID MK> but I still think a larger number of characters would make MK> all the difference as far as processing time goes. why is processing time such a factor in your argument(s)?? MK> As far as any machine here is concerned seconds are static MK> over more then just a few messages, especially with a byte MK> limitation as to their size, so having at least a couple MK> extra bytes to play with and keeping a meaningful hex MK> date/time stamp isn't such a bad idea methinks. Personally MK> I prefer a year, day_of_the_year,hour,min,sec base hex MK> field that can be incremented by message number and a 10 MK> character field happensto work out quite nicely. It could MK> go the distance. 8 characters is also doable but then MK> increases the amount of steps to keep any meaningful MK> date/time information as well as increases the limitation MK> as far as how many years one can keep it unique. isn't the time/date info in the message sufficient? at least the time info? ;) MK> I don't know why the three year limit especially with no MK> rhyme or reason behind how we all should be generating it. ummm... i don't know if you are aware of it or not but some of those who developed our fidonet technology also had a hand in developing the internet technology many use today... remember, fidonet was developed for "those who want to experiment with packet switching technology" so sayeth the history files and quotes from the creator of fidonet ;) ml>> that's an old DOS-think limitation... MK> Only DOS-think for those who believed we all should be limited MK> by DOS-think. I think it can be overcome and perhaps even be MK> exploited to all of our advantage. Chances are that anyone MK> using software that old wouldn't even notice any alterations MK> at all. They probably couldn't take advantage of any change MK> but it probably wouldn't hurt them either. On the other hand MK> doing nothing might hurt everybody, including them, whoever MK> them are. let's not forget, either, that many fidonet systems are still run on DOS based systems ;) )\/(ark * Origin: (1:3634/12) .