Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!yee
From: yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee)
Newsgroups: news.software.nntp
Subject: Re: NNTP for VMS and MS-DOS?
Message-ID: <12425@ames.arc.nasa.gov>
Date: 27 Jul 88 20:30:09 GMT
References: <793@amethyst.ma.arizona.edu> <12388@ames.arc.nasa.gov> <22344@tis.llnl.gov>
Reply-To: yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov.UUCP (Peter E. Yee)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Lines: 24

In article <22344@tis.llnl.gov> mcb@tis.llnl.gov (Michael C. Berch) writes:
>"Binary-only"?  Does this mean that it is usable by binary-only VMS
>sites, or that the NNTP code is only distributed as binary?  If the
>latter, why?  Does the author not want to release the source, or what?  
>I can see making a binary version available for people at sites without
>compilers (?), but knowing how complex a newsreader is,  I wonder how
>this can work as a binary without the numerous compile-time config
>options.  Besides, how will the bugs (if any :-)) get fixed if the
>source isn't out there to be hacked on?

I meant to say that the program will be released as a binary.  Some of the
options may be set by environment variables.  I think that the software
is being released in a binary-only format because of certain NASA guidlines
concerning the method by which source may be released.  Then again, the
guys who did the port may not want the hassle of people coming up with
bug fixes, mods, and other changes.  

Bugs?  What bugs?  :-)

I'll see what the policy is on source.  In any case, let's wait for the
binary first, okay?

							-Peter Yee
							yee@ames.arc.nasa.gov
							ames!yee