-=> Quoting Richard Webb to Nancy Backus on 12-25-07  12:44 <=-

Hi, Richard,

 RW> thanks for bearing with this old man on this.  I'm an audio guy and
 RW> not a computer guy really .

Here's a reply from my other half (the brains of this operation,
computer-wise ), he's also an audio guy (ex-professional):

Ok, you are probably getting pretty frustrated by now...

I think one problem is that you have not stated what functions you want, and
services you require. We have been guessing about that. Answering your question
requires our knowing what functions - not what computers or equipment or
cables - at least not yet.

So, I get the idea that you want to read your mail off-line using your
favorite reader. There are several ways, one of which we have been pounding
you with: use a POP/SMT client to download from a network account using DOS
software to your favorite machine. Easy as pie to do.
You have suggested that you want your own mail server. To do that you have
to rent a domain name, get registered with an outside server, and set up a
computer as a mail server of your own. That is a lot of work just to exchange
email. You usually only do this if you have your own business and need the
capacity.

You have mentioned wanting to transfer files between machines. If you want
the remote files to appear like they are drives / directories on the DOS
machine, then I do not have any suggestions. However, if you are willing
to actually transfer the files in order to use them, then there are many
ways. FTP over the network is one. One of the 2 machines exchanging files
has to run an FTP server (DOS, Windows, ?NIX), and the other is a simple
client (DOS, Windows, ?NIX). If you set up 1 machine as a file server, then
it runs the FTP server and the rest use the client software. FTP is a generic
protocol that is not OS dependent. Windows file sharing is MicroSoft dependent
(not to mention unsafe on most networks).

You give a hint of wanting information about what hardware is needed. As I
said at the beginning, that depends on what you want / need to accomplish
function-wise.

We need to start with a list of the functions, then we can toss around the
software possibilities, along with some of the hardware trade-offs.
You would want someone coming to you for audio help to say that they
wanted to do live recording of small vocal groups instead of just saying
that they were going to get an XYZ recorder, and "how do I hook it up?",
wouldn't you?

R.J.Backus - husband of neb

Me, again.  I have to wonder just how old is old. :)  We're both in
our late 50's, getting kinda old, ourselves.    As a die-hard DOS
user, I'm glad to help others stay with DOS when possible, too, even to
calling in my Wizard.  :)

ttyl      neb

... DOS means never having to live hand-to-mouse

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