REPLY: 1068.fido_points@1:135/115 28dd3f1c   
   MSGID: 2:240/1120@FidoNet 647c9ea6   
   CHRS: CP437 2   
   TZUTC: 0200   
   TID: FastEcho 1.46.1 3756   
   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    ;-)   
   --- GoldED-NSF/W32-MINGW 1.1.5-20090710   
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