Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!pacbell!sactoh0!quack!mrapple
From: mrapple@quack.UUCP (Nick Sayer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Proline versus Fredmail
Message-ID: <5104@quack.UUCP>
Date: 7 Feb 90 18:52:38 GMT
References: <[1862]apple@oldcolo.UUCP>
Organization: The Goose Egg, Stockton, CA
Lines: 37

dave@oldcolo.UUCP (Dave Hughes) writes:

>Could someone post some basic information comparing the value
>of Proline with Fredmail for Apple IIe BBS systems capable
>of 'talking to' Unix/uucp/netnews systems.

I wrote CMS, which is the original program Fredmail came
from. It is not impossible to get Fredmail to talk to
unix, but it is for the current version. When you first
call a CMS (or Fredmail), it will wait for a character.
One character in particular will tell CMS to go into the
mail transfer mode. Unless you can make a unix system react
and login on a single character (not likely), it won't go.
Similarly, you'd have to teach a unix box to dial out, send
this single character, then get into a file transfer mode.
That's not too tough, but the unix system has to do the
calling. In a new version of CMS, it may be possible
to add "chat scripts" like UUCP, but there has been insufficient
interest. Another problem is that the source for CMS.OBJ was on
my hard drive when it crashed. I have backups, but Apple's
"BACKUP ][" program won't restore what it backed up (GRRRRRRRR!!!!).

Fredmail/CMS's mail transfer is based on xmodem files back and
forth. If anyone wants the details, just ask and I'll mail it
out. There is password security to keep people from sending garbage
into a CMS's mail end and make a mess.

If I am not mistaken, Morgan managed to make a mini uucp/uux
implementation for ProLine, which of course makes it very
easy for ProLine to talk to unix systems. ProLine people would
know more about this than I would.
-- 
Nick Sayer  -  The Goose Egg public unix  -  209-952-5347 (Telebit)
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