Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!midway!gargoyle!ddsw1!corpane!disk!specter
From: specter@disk.UUCP (Byron Max Guernsey)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cbm
Subject: SPECTER Mail Server Swap...
Message-ID: <4691@disk.UUCP>
Date: 7 Dec 90 17:56:23 GMT
Organization: The Alaskan Organization for Amiga Domination
Lines: 58

I really do hate to do this, but I am planning on swapping the Archive server
over to Amiga files. The BEST I can do for the c64 is support a small section
of popular programs (IE the top 10 or 20 pd programs- Desterm, etc) and hope
that this will serve the c64 users who CAN access the server.

The c64 is a great machine, the best 8 bit system made in my opinion (including
IBM 8 bits!), but there has been a decline in its users for sometime now. 
Alot of the 8 bit users are buying amigas (due to the 1000's and 500's low
prices now!) and many do keep their 64's. So I will continue to support a
"popular" section for c64. The amiga has a c64 emulator that can run much of
the c64's software also.

Here come some reasons. Alot of people wanted the server to stay, but I found
that most were having problems accessing it. I tried to give some advice on
PATHing so that it might be easier, but the problems seemed to be too severre.
The Amiga user base is much larger than the c64, so there is a larger chance
that the amiga users will be able to get through and IE support the server
by donating software to it. I have not had ANY (not one) C64 programs donated
since I was sent the SID tar files. Not one! Its not the users' fault, the ones
who would donate just had too many problems getting through to the server. Their
messages were received, but on the return path they weren't all sending back.

Another reason is that I no longer myself own a c64. I have an amiga 1000 now,
but am still waiting to upgrade its ram so I can run the c64 emulator. I STILL
think desterm was one of the best terminals on any system! Unfortunately it
doesn't run under c64 emulator (its a c128 program regardless). But again, I
will continue to have a section for the top c64 programs regardless of 
whether they work on the c64 emulator or not. I will need some assistance 
however finding and getting the top c64 programs. Please mail me if you would
with your opinion and votes on what should be carried. If anything, this will
serve as a way for users who want the most requested programs, but do not have
FTP to get them. Some inclusions I consider important are: Desterm 2.0,
Kermit 2.2 (or whatever the latest update is), Unix 128, Archivers (which ones
should be included???), and what else? You all tell me. Remember though, I do
not have FTP and I don;t have Unix 128 or The newer DesTerm as yet. So I will
need to find someone who is willing to mail those uuencoded to me.

 I didn't want to drop c64/128 support, so this is the only compromise I could
think of. I think it is only fair that I be able to run the archive for the
system I am currently using. But one of the big reasons I set it up for c64 
was because I could not use FTP and knew that there had to be other that could
not either. The support for c64 was low and I wanted to help out. I still want
to help out, but I don't have space to run a full server for c64 and amiga,
yet I have access to literally tons of amiga software and I believe it would
be of more use to amiga users (again most c64 users had trouble accessing it)

At any rate, my apoligies for the lack of support, I too being a 1000 owner have
the problems the c64 had about 1 or 2 years ago...the 1000 support from 
commodore is gone now and software is slowly dimenishing. Soon the 1000 will be
like the c64 is now. Hopefully by then I will be able to upgrade again. 

Now gimme some input into what programs the c64 section should carry....

Byron Guernsey
Disk Mail Archiver Server (specter@disk.UUCP)
OR try routing through uunet!ukma!corpane!disk!specter  
Remember uunet is known by most machines, and those that do not, you can
route through another widely known machine.. IE rutgers, berkley? etc...