Hello,

On Thu, 22 Nov 2018 10:21:48 +1000, Paul Quinn -> Nicholas Boel wrote:

 PQ> Well it started with the demise of my 25 year-old MS-DOS/Windows 98SE
 PQ> system due to an incompatible SVGA adapter driver after a VirtualBox
 PQ> (vBox) *update*, on my 32-bit Xubuntu (X'u) desktop.  It works fine on
 PQ> my 8 year-old Dell 64-bit X'u desktop but cannot run with the same
 PQ> 24/7@365 reliability that I require, due to its UPS battery being
 PQ> exhausted.  It's too late to bring it back on-line now, and, considering
 PQ> its limited future IAC, it's really a lost cause.

Do you even have to incorporate your video card into Vbox? I thought you could
use their built in drivers..

 PQ> FMail32/lnx, which requires a Windows 32-bit FMail configuration
 PQ> program.  As you may know, FMail is stuck in middle-90s Fidonet DOS
 PQ> think.  Its netmail packer/router logic sux megakilos and is limited in
 PQ> basic functionality, so I'm using CF-Route or Crashmail (still),
 PQ> requiring that both of those configurations are updated in parallel with
 PQ> FMail's.  The scripting solutions are a wonder of modern DOS-think.

Bummer. I was hoping Wilfred would have gotten to that by now, but I can see
the motivation level has to be pretty high these days to ditch real life and
work on software for this hobby. However when it does happen I don't mind
testing it. ;)

 PQ> I don't keep a diary.  And we both don't really have the time to pick
 PQ> things apart.  My operating requirements are a bit tight considering
 PQ> that my current Fidonet vBox server is  a 32-bit X'u 14.04 LTS, with 4Gb
 PQ> RAM in the cheapest HP 'junkbox' I could buy.  Its OS needs updating by
 PQ> April next year, according to the warning I get when SSH-ing to it... or
 PQ> else.  ;)

About a year ago I picked up a dedicated HP proliant server machine
specifically for this stuff. Once everything was setup and the quirks were
taken care of, I hadn't had to touch it for months. I'm beginning to wonder if
that's the reason I got bored and found other things to do. ;)

 PQ> After exhaustive research (both in Fido or on the WWW) and/or thought
 PQ> experiments, I am currently playing with a limited Mystic BBS
 PQ> installation, sufficient to feed the current pseudo-hub cross-up/down
 PQ> echomail links.  Trial(s) will begin next week.  Frankly, I am unsure of
 PQ> its netmail routing capability or even of its co-operation with a
 PQ> JamNNTPd configuration (/NB/ I know it has its own _but_ do you know if
 PQ> JamNNTPd could work with it?).

I believe James had worked out any indifferences in Mystic's JAM message base
implementation. That being said, it works with Golded wonderfully, so I don't
see why it wouldn't be able to share it's messsage base with JAMNNTPd either.
Obviously some settings in Mystic would need to be done like making sure you
don't pack or renumber the message bases, but other than that should be good
to go.

 PQ> In brief, I have discounted: other DOS vBox arrangements; HPT (based on
 PQ> indirect advice from Tommi); various Windows vBox arrangements; an MBSE
 PQ> config trashed; a theoretical Syncronet/lnx config; or, even an
 PQ> (unknown-capability) hack of SBBSecho (I did make a nice PDF of its Wiki
 PQ> entry too... it looks vaguely familiar and beaut).  Plus a -lot- of
 PQ> variations.

I've used HPT for quite awhile now, and honestly can't think of any major
issues besides my own misconfigurations or forgetfulness (for example, adding
a route line when a new link is connected, simple things like that) I've ever
had with it.

Regards,
Nick

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