ml> hunh? message base purging via number of days old a message is carries
ml> some limitations??
 
ml> the only "limitation" i know of in this arena is if the
"days old" count
ml> is done on the message's "write date" or "arrival
date"... it can make a
ml> large difference ;)
 
But can the utility you're using save some message areas to a text file?  I
suppose you could do that with diskette backups or CD or DVD backups, but
that would require intervention on your part.  All message areas being
archived have the header and path information saved as well.  But I don't
let the computer do everything because I don't want to cease being
relevant.
 
ml> neither here nor there in the context of the conversation ;) however, i
ml> can say that the users who do visit my site can find messages, albeit
ml> some months old, and respond to them which may stir up further traffic ;)
 
There are always two schools of thought on any given subject.  There was a
user who replied to some of my messages in the MOVIES echo after three
months had gone by.  I asked the user why and never received a response.
 
ml> understood... this is also why i carry messages for at least a year in my
ml> bases... of course, i always, as does everyone else, have the ability to
ml> save a message to a text file for historical purposes... i've just never
ml> thought of this as an "active archive" option...
 
What happens after a year?  As I stated previously, D'Bridge has always had
the option of saving messages during a purge to text files.
 
ml> from a programing standpoint, it would seem to be just as easy to create
ml> an archivial message base and simply move the messages there (much like
ml> importing them during tossing)... to me, it seems like the search
ml> capabilities of message tools work much better than searching thru a text
ml> file ;)
 
And of course you'd want this done automagically, right?  (-:  D'Bridge's
editor has a text search function.
 
ml> FWIW: DB is the only mailer that i've ever heard of that has an actual
ml> "archiving" option in it... then again, i've only ever
looked at less
ml> than 5 mailers... but "archiving to a text file" is and
has always been
ml> an option for everyone... just not in an "automated
archiving" way ;)
 
I've used the same number of mailers since 1984 and the others don't come
close to D'Bridge.  I'm not even going to mention GateKeeper when I used
AdeptXBBS.  No matter what I tried, I was left feeling something was
missing, which is why I stuck with D'Bridge since I became a node.  It has
been so long, I can't recall if the other mailers I used had an auto-add
feature for new message areas, but then again, not everybody uses their
mailers to toss mail.  D'Bridge is "macht schnell."
 
 
Regards,
 
Roger

... Few hours in life are more agreeable than afternoon tea
--- D'Bridge 3.36