ME> If the least common denominators are documented as standard,
 ME> then we're stuck with those limits for a long time ahead.  And

errr... minimal standards... somehow, somewhere, there has to be a minimum
standard so that there is at least one avenue of communication open...
otherwise you may be trying to read what i say in tea leaves when i'm
transmitting that info using smoke signals...

 ME> it might make developers impose artificial limits that really
 ME> needn't be there.  Look at the DOS 8+3 filename limit, it's
 ME> everywhere even though it's obsolete.

it is a base standard... there are still many many DOS only machines in
fidonet... heck, i've got 7 or 8 here in my house alone...

 ME> Reasonable limits are okay, like 255-char text fields and
 ME> 16-bit points, but we shouldn't let bad software dictate the
 ME> way IMHO.

you are looking at it backwards...

)\/(ark