============================================
 * Original From: Leonard Erickson, 1:105/51
 * Original To  : Paul Edwards, 3:711/934.9
 * Original Date: 1996-08-25 03:29
============================================

-=> Quoting Paul Edwards to All <=-

 PE> Assuming the pushers of RFC-822 are still around, can you tell me:

 PE> If we were starting up fidonet from scratch, but with the same
 PE> technical objectives, ie absolute minimum bandwidth possible, absolute
 PE> minimum phone-call costs possible, ie allowing messages to take 7 hops
 PE> to get across town, over a period of 3 days, if that turns out to be
 PE> the cheapest route, all via dial-up lines of course, then: 
 PE> 1. What software would you suggest (mailer, mailprocessor and editor)
 PE> for MSDOS? 

You can use whatever mailer you felt like, as the mail processor would
be telling it what to send where. Just use file-attach messages.

Ditto for editor. Since the message is 100% text, you can use any text
editor. You just supply the header for the message as the file you pass
to the editor at start-up, and you validate any fields you feel like
when the editor passes it back to you. (Plus, things like the "From "
line (as opposed to the "From:" line) make playing games with the
header in the editor pretty useless as a way to forge messages)

It's the mail processor you need to come up with. And I suspect that a
quick re-edit of something along the lines of RNR (a newsreader that
comes with full TP source) would do just fine.

Not being terribly familar with OS/2, I'm not sure what's available for
it. On the other hand, with Linux, you'd just use the existing mail and
news programs and replace the UUCP programs with a Fido compatible
mailer. 

The "easiest" way to do things would be to use software that generates
normal uucp files in a spool directory, and use a quick and dirty
program to convert them to files in an outbound directory, complete
with file attach message. Then the receiver can just feed the
received files straight to UUXQT, and his rmail/rnews software.

BTW, note that UUCP routing used to be a lot like Fido routing. You'd
either send the mail to a "hub" that you knew would know where to route
it, or you specified the route yourself using a "bang address" (ie
This!that!joe!sam!etc which would send the message to "This" which
would send it to "that" which would send it to "joe"
which would send
it to "sam" with would send it to "etc". 

 PE> I am assuming that the mailprocessor recommended would be one that
 PE> processed RFC-822 type packets.  And would we need to add as-yet
 PE> never-used extra control lines to RFC-822?

No need to add extra control lines. The existing ones will do just
fine. You can stick Fido addresses into RFC-822 with no trouble (as
long as you don't send the result to a regular Internet site).

There's already a Path, Received works like the Via kludge, and since
Message-ID is *required*, you don't need Seen-by to eliminate dupes.
Organization can hold the info that normally goes in the Origin line.
What else do we need?

Here's an email message, edited lightly to turn it into a "Fido
RFC-822" message:

From 56!1:105/0!75 Sun May  5 07:55:32 1996 remote from 1:105/51
Received: by 1:105/51 (xyz v3.14159)
        via EMSI; Sun, 05 May 96 15:09:45 8
        for system
Received: by 1:105/0 (/\oo/\ Smail3.1.29.1 #29.2)
        id ; Sun, 5 May 96 07:55 PDT
Received: (from John.Doe) by 1:105/75 id LAA15575; Sun, 5 May 1996 11:16:29 -0400
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 11:16:29 -0400 (EDT)
From: John Doe 
To: leonard.erickson{at}1:105/51
Subject: CHKNL
Message-ID: 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Leonard,

I am looking for the latest version of your program. I would like to make
it available on my BBS for users to download. Might it be available 
somewhere on the internet? Thanks in advance for your reply.



See? Simple. And here's a news posting converted to an "echomail"
message the same way:

Path: 51!1:105/40!1:231/9999!57!2:249/999!2:249/34!.5
From: Jane.Doe{at}2:249/34.5
Newsgroups: pdx.forsale
Subject: FS: Fridge/Keg Fridge - Cheap!
Message-ID: 
Date: 24 Aug 1996 23:30:21 GMT
Organization: aracnet.com -- Portland's loudest electrons

It's kinda ugly (a magnificent specimen in harvest gold), but it works
perfectly.  It is a side-by-side and I have all of the drawers/baskets,
etc.  The freezer also runs just fine.  The pegs that hold the drawers in
the fridge are broken, as I've been using it as a keg fridge, but since
its a Maytag, I'm sure replacement parts are available.  I currently own 4
fridges since I bought a vintage fridge to replace this one...don't ask
how it happened, just HELP ME!

Make an offer...$50?...whatever...so long as you come and get it!

Call 555-1212 and leave a message or email Jane Doe {at} 2:249/34.5


Again, simple and straightforward. 

If anything, since these messages will compress *better* than messages
with binary headers, the "extra" verbiage is compensated for by the
extra compression. Especially if you use something like RAR.

Grab a copy of Waffle, and rnr, and play around a bit. You'll quickly
see what parts of waffle are needed (uuxqt, compress, rnews, and
rmail), and what changes need to be made to rnr.


@EOT:

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