Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!PENNDRLS.UPENN.EDU!GTHEALL
From: GTHEALL@PENNDRLS.UPENN.EDU (George A. Theall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec.micro
Subject: RE: FIDONET ON COMPUSERV    Conf: (74) fRAINBOW
Message-ID: <8910101208.AA17516@remote.dccs.upenn.edu>
Date: 10 Oct 89 13:07:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 47

Comments: Rainbow Echomail from MAYNARD MARQUIS    Read: YES


Well, I finally got to read some DECPC messages on CIS! It took a few
hours and a few more bucks. (I had to read TAPCIS stuff before I could reset
my message counter.)

One suggestion that I thought of... if you folks want to port TAPCIS to
the Rainbow as I kept seeing in the message bases, then why not talk to the
authors of the DEC FOSSIL?

What you folks decribe has already been done in fidonet. I can run BINKLEY
as easliy on my Rainbow 100A as my PC compatible using the appropriate FOSSIL
communications drivers.

Now let me think out loud... TAPCIS is written in TURBO PASCAL. TURBO
PASCAL v5+ compiles on the Rainbow and makes compatible code for the Rainbow
if you avoid certain units (like CRT). The communication hardware dependent

interface can probably be written by a FOSSIL author if he can be appropriatel
compensated. At $80 a pop for TAPCIS, I think that there might be enough "moti
available to share with a FOSSIL author if the owner of TAPCIS is willing.


It seems to make more sense then the suggestion of waiting for MicroSoft
Windows to be ported and buying a windows comm program. ( That is pay some
big bucks, still not have a Compuserve B+ protocol available, and you have
to write scripts. )

One big problem is how many CIS 'bow owners don't have a PC compatible
lying around and can't use TAPCIS directly on their clone? What market exists
for a 'bow TAPCIS?





(BTW, my CIS trial period may stop when their free time does. Do forum
SYSOPS get free access to CIS in exchange for SYSOP duties?)





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