REPLY: 1068.fido_points@1:135/115 28dd3f1c
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Hi Dan,

31 May 23 21:40, from Dan Clough -> All, in URL area://POINTS?ms
id=1068.fido_points@1:135/115+28dd3f1c:
 DC> @BBSID: PALANTIR
 DC> Hello all,

 DC> Just started following this echo, as I may have an interest in setting
 DC>  up a point for reading mail.  I have a few questions, and apologize
 DC> if they've been asked before, which I'm sure they have...

 DC> 1.  What pros/cons are there to using a Point, versus reading/writing
 DC> echomail directly on a BBS, or with an Offline Reader.  I operate a
 DC> BBS, and have used offline mail readers for years.  Just wondering
 DC> how/if a point would be "better" in some way.  What can it do for me
 DC> that I can't currently do with my OLR (MultiMail)?

 DC> 2.  I'm interested (only) in software for Linux.  A glance through the
 DC>  existing messages here would seem to indicate that 'OpenXP' is the
 DC> point software of choice.  Pretty much true?  Any alternatives to
 DC> that?

 DC> Thanks for taking some time to provide me some info/advice, and I look
 DC>  forward to participating here.

currently you've probably only received responses from the Zone 1 perspective
view. But there are also others ...

First is the historical view ...
back in the 80's and 90's as Fidonet starts increasing, this was the
before-internet-time ... all Zone 1 had the so called local-area-calls with
zero addtl. fees using local phone calls. You could start a phone call at
first of the month and could be online 24/7 until the last day of the month
without any addtl. fee except the base fee you've paid for your telephone
provider.

In Zone 2 it was totaly different. Beside the base fee you had to pay monthly,
you've paid for every call time based. So every online minute counted up to a
total amount fee you had to pay to your phone provider.
To get an idea, I've compared back in the late 80's ... 1 coke did cost 1 USD
In Germany the one coke did cost 1 DM. In relation to the phone bill, you had
to pay every 5 minute approx 1 DM. To be one hour online, you had to pay
addtl. 6 DM.

Thats why BBS'sing becomes popular in the US but not in Europe. In Zone 2 you
cannot calculate your online costs. Therefor, the Fidonet developed mechanisms
to call a bossnode with minimum time, if the transfer speed becomes better,
the less time was required to be online, that counts to your phone bill.
Therefor Offline solutions spread in Zone 2 where in Zone 1 BBS'sing was your
friend.

As said, Offline solutions have been developed. One option was the QWK
technique but this didn't only become popular be the users that are still most
time online at BBS'ses. The Point solution becomes more popular in Zone 2
because each user still uses the technique, that connects different BBS'ses
with mailers to exchange mails and files in the background.

Point programs in the beginning uses exactly the same mailer, tossers,
tickers, editors that Node system uses beside their running BBS

Each BBS user works under the hood of a BBS sysop - mostly the Fidonet Node
sysop. Fidonet technical they have no voice.
Fidonet technical you have to apply for a nodenumber to get fidonet member and
have becoming a voice.
With a nodenumber, you can be uniquely identified by your fidonet aka.
As QWK reader you're still running under your bossnodes main nodenumber.
Starting with point you receive your unique Fidonet Point-AKA and becomes
addressable in the fidonet.

The are differences in the Point systems.
Ones that are standalone systems (OpenXP, WinPoint) with their own dedicated
messagebase structures.
You cannot combine these message base with any known BBS systems message base
or other fidonet compatible editors or tossers and tickers. They are
standalone as is. Good for people who dont want continue to discover the world
of Fidonet.
Its only good to select some discussion channels, some fileechos and receive
the traffic for them.

The 2nd type of Point systems, are Point systems, that allow you to move
forward with your journey to get a Fidonet Node member, add a BBS system to
your running system, to play around with different tossers, tickers, netmail
trackers. Playing around with a BBS system in the Background connected to your
local messagebase that interchanges traffic with your bossnode.
Once you've received the learning curve to apply for a Fidonet Nodenumber, you
only switch the Pointnumber with your applied Nodenumber and continue running
your system as before.
With the mailer system you can also add othernets to your configuration to
have a multilevel networking environment.
With such a system you're probably able to switch from one OS system to
another.
Running BinkD mailer you can run your system on Windows, on Linux, on OS2
maybe others. One of such combination of mailer, tosser, editor as point
starter kit is the BinkD, HPT, GoldEd package.
For Linux Philip Giebel deployed the Fidian package.
For Windows long time there was the Fidopoint-Paket-Deluxe available for
Windows, but failed the switch from Windows 32bit to Windows 64bit
The heart of this package is the universal Tosser with the ability to support
different types of FTN compatible message bases.
Therefor this solution is the open-forward system with the best effort if you
want to continue with your fidonet journey



regards, uli    ;-)
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