Subj : proposed new nodelist [2] To : Jasen Betts From : Frank Vest Date : Sat Jul 20 2002 03:36 am On (19 Jul 02) Jasen Betts wrote to Frank Vest... Hello Jasen, JB> JB>> Here I've grouped all the flags for each connection into a JB> single JB>> field and put the modem speed in there too. FV> That would work. Like I said, the format of the new list is not a FV> problem and is expandable. The old list is generated from the new list FV> and has no way to be wrong... JB> depends what you mean by "wrong"... a certain zone 1 sysop who I JB> meantioned earlier has some ususual ideas about what comprises a valid JB> nodelist entry. Well... My thought was that since the person operating the conversion program decides which fields to put in what order in the old style list, it would be hard to make the old style list incorrect (wrong). Since the new style list will have fields that aren't allowed in the old style list, and the new list will have all the information for both POTS and IP, the conversion would be in the proper format for the old style. Kinda like: New style: -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- ,6308,192.168.0.1,McKinney_TX,Frank_Vest,IBN_FTP,CM,Collin_County_Station -9- -10- -11- ,1-972-562-8064,33600,XA_V42 Old style: -2- -8- -4- -5- -9- -10- ,6308,Collin_County_Station,McKinney_TX,Frank_Vest,1-972-562-8064,33600 -7- -11- -6- ,CM,XA,V42,IBN,FTP The translation software would make the old style list and take only what is required for that list from the new style. No matter what the Node put in the new style, the old style would almost certianly be correct... I think. Of course, nothing is fool proof. :-)) FV> if the conversion program is done right. FV> The new list could have a flag at position 11 that indicated the type FV> of connection.. IE: ION for Internet only - no POTS. IPN for Internet FV> and POTS. Then the other flags could tell what "protocol" is available FV> at that Node. IE: IBN for binkp and so on. JB> no. that's not what I mean at all. one connectio-type flag per JB> connection. if they're posts only they start with a pots JB> connection-type flag and omit the IP flag, if they're IP only then JB> they omit the POTS connection. JB> ,1701,Some_BBS_Name,Some_Town,Some_Sysop,system_flags, JB> IP,IP.or.url.com,CM_MO_LO_IBN_ITN, JB> POTS,,33600_V34_V42b_CM_XA JB> ,1701,Some_BBS_Name,Some_Town,Some_Sysop,system_flags, JB> POTS,,33600_V34_V42b_CM_XA JB> ,1701,Some_BBS_Name,Some_Town,Some_Sysop,system_flags, JB> IP,IP.or.url.com,CM_MO_LO_IBN_ITN, Ah ha! I think I see what you mean. The new style list would have two or three lines for each Node. The first line would always be the "basic" Node information. The next line(s) would depend on the type of connection capabilities and be designated by either the POTS or IP flag, or both, as needed? If I got this thought my thick head right? This would work just fine with me... Probably be easier to read and translate to boot. JB> the fact that you can't fit all the information from this into a JB> regular nodelist isn't a problem. users of the conversion software JB> would set up some rules about which connection types they prefer and JB> the software would examine the fileds and spit out a SLF nodeline with JB> the most suitable JB> connection type listed (or possibly PVT etc if nothing was suitable) I was thinking that the *Cs would be the ones running the conversion program to generate the old style list for distribution along with the new list... IE: New Style List = nodeip.* Old Style from conversion program = nodelist.* (just as always). FV> I think that with the old nodelist being generated from the new list, FV> there will be a lot of problems solved. :-) JB> yeah. but not all of them. uncontactable hubs and some other strange JB> zone 1 inventions won't be deterred by a new nodelist and will come JB> out of the converter just as bogus .... unless we put some JB> tricks in the converter (like replacing connection info of the bogus JB> hub with that of their netmail feed, (or that of a local, or global, JB> IP gateway) Remember, Nothing is fool proof because fools are so ingenious. :-)) Actually, you are right. There will still be some problems, but it might be easier to deal with those problems... I dunno. Regards, Frank http://pages.sbcglobal.net/flv http://biseonline.com/r19 --- PPoint 3.01 # Origin: Holy Cow! I'm A Point!! (1:124/6308.1) * Origin: Baddog BBS (1:218/903) .