🚀 go-pugleaf

"Paul A. Monus" <wk01680@worldlink.com> writes:
>1.  I want to set up nodes running Waffle on a LAN such that text files 
>created on the LAN can be mailed to the Internet by users on the LAN.  
>Do they have to dial up Waffle via a modem to use it?  

sure, why not ???
assuming you have no problem with people getting out to a shell to the OS
(possible security problem maybe).  

Certainly you can execute rmail at the shell level with a file piped to
it as input (actually 'redirected' to it would be more accurate).

>3.  Is there a Waffle node that is public that I could dial up and try 
>it out?

there are LOTS of them depending on how big your phone budget is.
there's a periodic posting of waffle sites as I recall.

>4.  Can Waffle be configured to do automated "polling" such that one 
>node will call another node to exchange mail, without going to the 
>Internet?  The idea would be for various schools to dial up each other 
>with only local phone calls to send and receive mail.

of course it can!  you can set up whatever point-to-point links you
want and they don't have to be on any network at all (but assuming you
want some connections to Internet/USENET and some not to be connected,
you want to think a little before you set up paths files, etc.).

>5.  Can Waffle do ftp?
>6.  Can Waffle be configured to do SLIP or Telnet?

depends on whether you mean can you access these programs or can they
use them as a transport mechanism.  You can set up almost anything as
an 'external' program accessible from within Waffle given enough memory
(usually only a constraint for DOS Waffle).

>7.  How many users can be accessing a node at a time?

unix ? lots.
dos ? a few maybe.

>8.  How much time per day is a sysop going to spend babysitting the 
>system for a 300 user node doing mail?

I'm sure Ralph will answer since halcyon.com is about that big but the
answer no doubt is different for DOS and unix Waffle.  For unix ?
I'd be suprised if it was 15 minutes a day unless there was lots of
user turnover and stuff like validation required.

>9.  I see that NetNews is available, but don't know where it comes from. 
>Or where I'd connect to, if I set up my PC as a Waffle node.  How do you 
>connect?  Do you have to pay a service bureau to get access to the Internet?

you sometimes pay depending on where you live and what handshake deals you
can make with nice folks in your area.  

>10.  I have many more questions, but will stop with these.  Can someone 
>post the FAQ, as well as taking a crack at these?

just appeared here today...have fun!

-- 
   ------------------- Vince Skahan ------ vince@halcyon.com ----------------
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