• Filegate file releases.

    From Janis Kracht@1:261/38 to All on Wednesday, March 01, 2017 12:39:26
    * Original Post FileGate
    * Copied to IFDC

    A reminder to ALL FDN Coordinators that you should ONLY be sending out 8X3 filenames!

    In otherwords, this DOES NOT WORK:

    legl0055.tar.gz

    To Jon: you need to store (not archive) this in a zip envelope, like this:

    zip -jm0 legl0055.zip legl0055.tar.gz

    I thought we went through this before???

    Take care,
    Janis

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-3
    * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)
  • From Allen Prunty@1:2320/100 to Janis Kracht on Friday, March 03, 2017 22:40:44

    A reminder to ALL FDN Coordinators that you should ONLY be sending out 8X3 filenames!

    I know I'm still pretty new to the Filegate crowd, but I am most
    curious as to why we are still sticking to the 8x3 filenames. Just
    about every software out there, and computers that are modern, use
    longer filenames.

    I can understand 8x3 for systems that are still running legacy
    software. But even some of the legacy software can do long filenames.

    The major systems online are running HTICK, and other modalities that
    can handle long filenames. Synchronet and Mystic can handle the long
    filenames and I would guess with the Linux roots so can BBBS. So why
    must we still restrict the linux systems that can handle the long
    filenames?

    Why are we preserving legacy filenames on file echos that probably
    won't be accessed by a legacy system?

    I'm just curious.

    zip -jm0 legl0055.zip legl0055.tar.gz

    Thank you ... this will be quite useful for me in the future.

    Allen
    --- SBBSecho 3.00-Win32
    * Origin: LiveWire BBS - Synchronet - LiveWireBBS.com (1:2320/100)
  • From Janis Kracht@1:261/38 to Allen Prunty on Friday, March 03, 2017 22:48:40
    A reminder to ALL FDN Coordinators that you should ONLY be sending out 8X3 >> filenames!

    I know I'm still pretty new to the Filegate crowd, but I am most
    curious as to why we are still sticking to the 8x3 filenames. Just

    Because we go with the lowest common denominator. It's that simple.

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-3
    * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)
  • From mark lewis@1:3634/12.73 to Allen Prunty on Saturday, March 04, 2017 07:22:24

    On 2017 Mar 03 22:40:44, you wrote to Janis Kracht:

    A reminder to ALL FDN Coordinators that you should ONLY be sending out
    8X3 filenames!

    I know I'm still pretty new to the Filegate crowd, but I am most
    curious as to why we are still sticking to the 8x3 filenames. Just
    about every software out there, and computers that are modern, use
    longer filenames.

    I can understand 8x3 for systems that are still running legacy
    software. But even some of the legacy software can do long filenames.

    as previously noted, lowest common denominator... that because there's not yet any way to carry one file with both naming formats and have it recognized by all involved software... years back there were some ideas tossed out there but nothing was really done to see if they worked as desired so nothing was done to
    document them...

    one idea was to transmit the files with 8.3 and let the receiving mailer decide
    whether to use the 8.3 or the LFN on saving it when it has been received... how
    would the mailer know if it had this option? the mailers would have to be smarter than they currently are... more like a dynamic mailer that reads the netmail and packs it itself on the fly depending on how the schedules qualify mail for sending... the mailer protocol would either need to be changed such that there's two filenames sent for the one file or the mailer would need to learn how to read and parse TIC files... we won't even touch on the OS generated 8.3 names of which there's several formulas to generate and none match the others' results...

    there was a time when mailers transmitted the data files in whatever order they
    wanted but that lead to TIC files arriving before the actual file being distributed... if the connection were broken before the file the TIC described was transmitted the TIC processor would complain about the file missing and set
    the TIC aside... depending on the installation, it may or may not be processed later... then there's the problem with the file possibly being updated and changed before the next connection between the systems... we see this now with some files in a few areas that are apparently updated multiple times a day but tossing schedules or connections may get in the way and cause one's "TICBAD" area to accumulate said files...

    then there's the current documentation on TIC files which was done by the FTSC... it may not be totally accurate since it was written by looking at the available TIC files' contents... that along with some probing and testing to see what broke and what worked instead of getting the necessary information from the TIC processors' documentation... oh wait... the TIC processors were written in a time before today's openness in software... i have the original allfix and the docs, while 350k in plain text, lists 14 TIC file verbs... the descriptions of those verbs, leave a bit to be desired... EG: are there supposed to be multiple DESC lines? is there a limit on the number of them or their length? same questions for LDESC... on the CRC, which formula is the proper one to use? the REPLACES verb? now that opens a can'o'worms with possibilities... the MAGIC verb? does anyone really distribute their files with
    a defined MAGIC name to be used everywhere? what happens if it conflicts with a
    system's existing setup?

    that's just a few things to think about... file distribution isn't quite as easy and simple as echomail distribution... heck, i've lost entire directories of historic files because i forgot and didn't realize that when those areas stopped being distributed the TIC processor was still maintaining them and removing files older than XX days... that's a good idea, in and of itself, but can be quite destructive and painful in some cases...

    )\/(ark

    Always Mount a Scratch Monkey
    Do you manage your own servers? If you are not running an IDS/IPS yer doin' it wrong...
    ... You are standing in the way of my plan for total world domination.
    ---
    * Origin: (1:3634/12.73)
  • From Allen Prunty@1:2320/100 to mark lewis on Saturday, March 04, 2017 10:42:25
    Re: Filegate file releases.
    By: mark lewis to Allen Prunty on Sat Mar 04 2017 07:22 am

    that's just a few things to think about... file distribution isn't quite

    More than a few and it all makes perfect sense now. I thank you for taking the time to write this out. We -do- have more modern software out there now, but your reasons above gave a lot of wisdom to look at. And I'm now making sure I don't have any autopurge turned on :-)

    Allen


    ... It takes Chuck Norris 20 minutes to watch 60 Minutes.
    --- SBBSecho 3.00-Win32
    * Origin: LiveWire BBS - Synchronet - LiveWireBBS.com (1:2320/100)
  • From Jeff Smith@1:282/1031 to Allen Prunty on Friday, March 03, 2017 23:56:10
    Hello Allen,

    A reminder to ALL FDN Coordinators that you should ONLY be sending out 8X3 >> filenames!

    I know I'm still pretty new to the Filegate crowd, but I am most
    curious as to why we are still sticking to the 8x3 filenames.

    I would surmise that even though many and possibly most can deal with long filenames. Some still can't. Therefore to be as compatible to the most as possible 8x3 filenames are being required.


    Jeff



    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-3
    * Origin: The OuijaBoard - Anoka, MN (1:282/1031)
  • From Jon Justvig@1:298/25 to Janis Kracht on Sunday, March 05, 2017 17:19:08
    * Original Post FileGate
    * Copied to IFDC

    A reminder to ALL FDN Coordinators that you should ONLY be sending out
    8X3
    filenames!

    In otherwords, this DOES NOT WORK:

    legl0055.tar.gz

    To Jon: you need to store (not archive) this in a zip envelope, like
    this:

    zip -jm0 legl0055.zip legl0055.tar.gz

    I thought we went through this before???

    I don't recall the instance and I had sent a non-8X3 filename archive a
    moment ago named legl0057.tar.gz, please disregard. I stored the archive
    in a zip envelope like you had instructed and sent it.

    ===

    Sincerely,
    Jon Justvig (1:298/25)
    Stepping Stone BBS
    Legion RPG HQ
    http://vintagebbsing.com:81
    telnet://vintagebbsing.com
    ssh://vintagebbsing.com
    trillian: cr1mson
    --- SBBSecho 3.00-Win32
    * Origin: Stepping Stone BBS - telnet://vintagebbsing.com (1:298/25)
  • From Janis Kracht@1:261/38 to Jon Justvig on Monday, March 06, 2017 13:49:32
    Hi Jon,

    I don't recall the instance and I had sent a non-8X3 filename archive a moment ago named legl0057.tar.gz, please disregard. I stored the archive
    in a zip envelope like you had instructed and sent it.

    Yes, all better, thank you :)

    Take care,
    Janis

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-3
    * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)