-> Is the Windows stuff needed for Netscape? Netscape 4.x under OS2 is
-> just as buggy as Netscape 4.x under Win95/98 and more stable than
-> Internet Exploder.

Well, I tried Netscape (Under WFWG) and it just didn't do it for me,
where Nettamer DID! But with IE 5 and Outlook Express (Under Win98) I'm
a happy camper.  Much as I hate to admit actually LIKING M$ code.

-> What other net tools you need are probably available via free ports
-> of Linux tools.

QUite likely, but in my old age I've resigned myself to the fact that
it's easier to relax and go with it than it is to fight the inevitable.
In other words I wimped out after years of butting my head against the
M$ wall.

-> I had difficulty getting Lantastic to stabilize with the SCSI ROMs
-> more than anything else. With the extra ROMs in the memory map there
-> was even less space

Hah! You made the same mistake I did. I tried to use high end SCSI hosts
and had HELL with that.  Then I stumbled onto som el-cheapo Future
Domain hosts that had agile ROM addresses.  I might have given up a tad
of buss speed, but I got rid of that gnawing pain in the backside from
having ROMS scattered all over my high-memory area.  I will admit to
have wasted hundreds of hours of time picking around in himemory for a
better 'fit' but once I found it I considered it time well spent, and
with nominally 615K free and everything I needed loaded, I blithly
marched on enjoying the best of both. SCSI, and a stable LAN.

-> to OS2 I was able to move all the devices (except the WORM but I
-> stopped using that long before for other reasons) into a single box
-> and still have it run the BBS flawlessly.

I could never afford the WORM or most of those other expensive toys, but
I quickly recognised that for the Y2K machine OS/2 was the only choice.
It's up and running and I've never regretted going that way. And
although my beloved old PCBoard with it's Slovenian tosser probably will
fall down dead on 1/1/2000 the OS/2 box will soldier on. It may not be
elegant, (Personally I don't much care for Maximus) but it'll BE!

-> And you haven't even started stressing it yet ;)

No, but I stressed my MIND the first time the FD mailer started shipping
out Netmail as fast as I was writing it!  I'd forgotten that the mailer
was up and running in a closed window and couldn't figure out where my
netmail had gone! I knew I'd WRITTEN them, but the messages wern't in
the outbound! 

-> All of KA9Qs features (except it's ability to drive HAM radio packet
-> modems) is built into Warp (all flavors).

I wasn't aware of that, but thinking back I guess you're right.  KA9Q
was always somewhat of a mystery to me.  I DID run it, but I never fully
trusted it. Anything that consistently makes a QEMM exception error
after running for an hour, is suspect!

-> Do you share the TCP/IP connection among all the systems on your LAN?

Frankly, modems are too cheap to justify that, and I'm not masochist
enough to do that to myself.   But I have considered Injoy to help
IREX dial more effectively. My BBS OS is a somwhat bastardized mix of
Ver 3 with WARP imposed upon it. (I'm not proud) When I complete the
update to Warp 4 I'll be more confident about letting IREX take command
of the mail scheduling.

And since most of the REST of my LAN consists of Dos boxes and Uncle
Billy's stuff, the TCIP connections are not really needed.  As I build
more OS/2 workstations to replace the Dos machines, I may go that route.
(If I can hold off buying The Lady a Mac......)

 ^..^
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