JP>>> I am using .qwk packets and .reps ones too.
 JP>> I get a .qwk packet when I D/L the  mail and I U/L a
 JP>> .rep packet

 ML>> for QWK mail, that seems right to me...

 JP>  Whoever designed the PRG to allow us to communicate
 JP> this way, has my hat off. I thought that the .qwk and
 JP> then the .rep was the way that things happened. Much
 JP> beyond my control but I learned how to use them.

that would be sparky of PCBoard fame/history... there are other methods
that do the same basic functions, too... you already know about the native
bluewave format...

for fidonet, there's also OPX (IIRC) that is used for point addresses... no
entering the bbs at all... you use a mailer of sorts to send and retrieve
your waiting mail bundles which then get processed just like any other
mail...

then there's the SOUP format and another i can't remember...

all in all, there are five to eight different formats that each have their
own methods and reader software... but they all provide the same
functionality... gather messages, download them, read them, create replies,
upload the replies...

technically speaking, you can do the same thing while online by using ASCII
capture of the screen data while "reading" the messages in
non-stop mode... then logoff and read the text file you captured... write
your replies in seperate files and then go pack online to
"upload" them...

the "basic" trouble that folk see and have with that is locating
the message they have a reply to so they can hit the 'r'eply button and
then ascii upload (copy'n'paste works too) the actual reply text... this
wasn't even necessary in the "old" days when everything was
linked via subject line only... nowadays, with the MSGID/REPLY
linking/threading, which makes the linking and threading much more
accurate, one cannot simply do the paste/upload but they must locate the
original message and hit reply to cause that link...

i've thought several times of developing my own format and reader... have
even sat down a few times and worked on the details... updates and changes
to the available technology as well as lack of time have prevented me from
completing my ideas and thoughts on the project... i will say, though, that
the gathering and local storage of messages would likely be based on the
JAM message base format...

)\/(ark