BJ> Another solution would allow a small web page pointing 

 JD> A small web page, I already have the space for.  
 JD> This is interesting.... hmmm...   :)

 JD> Although to pursue it, I would need help ...  a web 
 JD> page creation guru, I ain't.  

I was figuring something that is mainly text and then has URL's to the
on-line bbs's that carry the archives, and maybe also info for freq'ing the
files (if one is a fidonet node).  It is relatively easy to write up such a
page.  If you have a late enough Microsoft word (97 or so), and have
installed the HTML filter (optional if I remember correctly), you can write
up a single page and save it in HTML format.  The only thing I don't like
about Microsoft's way of doing this is that you may have to mannually
correct the URL info.  It can be done in word, but you have to drop to a
mode that allows you to edit the raw HTML.  And once the URL is edited, if
you make changes around or to the URL in the HTML mode of word, then you
have to re-edit the URL again....    [Microsoft Word edits URLs
to fully qualified URL's and not relative URLs.]

Of course one could always look up the current HTML standard on the web and
hand write the ASCII text file from scratch, but that is a little more
work, especially if you aren't familar with the HTML tags....

So, if you want, write up the word document, save it as HTML and then send
that to me for editing if needed....  If you don't have any other HTML
files for your web site, then the file will usually be named index.html or
index.htm .  There are also a few other possible names depending on how
your serverice provider is configured.

 BJ> to where the files could be freq'ed (or downloaded) 
 BJ> from internet connected BBS's.  I can set up a small 
 BJ> (few Mb) web page with my current ISP, but the bulk of 
 BJ> the files I'd have to leave on my BBS. 

 JD> You mentioned binkp in a previous message, right?  I 
 JD> assume your system is connected 24/7 to the internet.
 JD> And I believe you wanted to eventually put all the files up for freq.

Yes.  I'm connected 24/7 using BinkP, Vmodem and Telnet to the internet,
currently with a cable modem.  The telnet URL would be
"telnet://tophat.darktech.org".  If you type that URL into your
web browser (without the quotes), it will open a termial window telnet
session to my system.  While this allows you to look at my BBS, and respond
there, unless you have configured a different telnet program from the
standard, you can't download files because standard telnet doesn't
understand XModem or the like.  :(

As to putting the files up for freq, once I have them configured in my BBS,
they would be available for freq.  I've got Binkley answering POTS, Telnet
and VModem "lines", and bink will drop to Max for the BBS.  And I
have BinkD answering the standard BinkP port.

 JD> Would you be able to, or have any desire to, run an FTP 
 JD> server?  to allow the files to be d/l'd?
 JD> I'm free wheeling and dreaming here...  so if the answer is no,  np....
                       
I have the technical know how to run an FTP server, I just don't have the
proper permission.  Same thing goes for running a web server.  [I actually
have appache running on one of my internal machines here, but it is not
accessable from the internet.]  I also haven't checked my FTP and HTTP
options out for security concerns.  As long as items stay as part of the
current BBS stuff, I should be ok.  I realize if one made things available
via FTP protocol, then one could write a  web page using standard URL's to
reference each file....  My solution requires a little more work on the
user wanting to pick up the files....  On the other hand, we could give
pointers on the web page on how to do a freq via supported TCP/IP protocols
from the various BBS systems.

 BJ> We could 
 BJ> potentially distribute the load by mirroring the files 
 BJ> to a number of BBS's or sites....

 JD> All this is very interesting and encouraging.  Perhaps 
 JD> some others will have ideas to share here too.    

 JD> Thanks

You're welcome....

Take care.....

Bob Jones, 1:343/41
telnet://tophat.darktech.org

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