ML>> dunno, really... its what i've always heard, seen, and
 ML>> used... you toss the messages into the message base kinda
 ML>> like tossing leaves into the air and they settle where
 ML>> ever... you scan the messages out of the message base kinda
 ML>> like scanning your desk for mail to put in envelopes to
 ML>> send... kinda makes sense >

 NB> Aahh...  Gotcha...  Wizardeze...  ;)

hehehe...

 NB> I referred to it as tossing both directions, since to my
 NB> mind, I know about calling it tossing to toss the messages
 NB> into the echo areas on the bbs,

that's accurate...

 NB> and, going the other
 NB> direction I was thinking about gathering the outgoing
 NB> messages and "tossing" them out into the ether (and hoping
 NB> that they would land where they were supposed to, instead of
 NB> the great black hole gobbling them up on the way...)

i can see where a bbs user would have that point of view... echomail
messages, however, are sent to specific systems connected to the echo at
the originating system... unless the archive of messages is corrupted at
one end or the other or during transmission or the software at the
receiving end is buggy, the messages actually travel a well known and very
tracable path... see below...

 NB> I suppose it might have some connection to the usage in the
 NB> mail door, though, where the bbs scans for new messages in
 NB> the various areas, to pack them into your message packet, and
 NB> when you upload messages in a reply packet, they have to be
 NB> tossed into the proper areas once unpacked...  :)

that may be, too... mail doors are pretty similar to mail tossers... the
only difference is that mail doors interface with humans and machine
whereas mail tossers only interface with machine...


===== quote =====


This report covers 5 unique pathlines in area BLUEWAVE
as seen from 3634/12.

3634/12
 +105/50--105/360--106/2000--123/500--123/666
 +106/2000--123/500--123/140
                    +123/666
                    +323/120

===== quote =====


you can see that my system is directly connected to two systems... 105/50
and 106/2000... there are three systems connected to 123/500... you can
also see that there is more than one path for messages coming to me via
123/500... these are the only known systems connected to this echo...
unless someone posts a message from a system not in the above chart, we'll
never know if there is anyone else out there connected to this echo...

)\/(ark