🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <20130111.2127.13010033snz@i-m-t.demon.co.uk>
           v$af$ppint@i-m-t.demon.co.uk "ppint. at pplay" writes:

> >Just a quick addition to that: the disview package (actually there are
> >two) can be found here:
> >
> >  dl.xs4all.nl/Demon/pub/pub/pub/doc/disview/
> >
> >I've been looking at the 6.01 here which I've had for years, but it's
> >possible that disvw619.zip has more/later info.
> 
>         - hi pete; thanks for the heads up that [ex-demon.nl] xs4all
>         has kept disview - and other demon dos software - available
>         on-line; this's something of which i'd not previously been
>         aware, nor even suspected might be.  good to see someone is :-)

I must admit to stumbling upon it whilst looking for KA9Q PAP info; 
looks like a lot of what used to be available on ftp.demon is still 
available despite the latter's demise.

>         - i've taken a look at disvw619 and can see no sign that pap's
>         been investigated further; the only files replaced/changed are:

I feared as much, having noted that the 619 zip was smaller.  Oh well, 
it was worth a try...

>         - the only people likely to've worked on using the DIS suite
>         with PAP are those moving to (or adding) an isp that required
>         (or at least offered) its use - possibly freeserve? - and who
>         wanted to continue using the familiar and reliable software.
>         (the only thing - well, the other only thing - i remember wrt
>         freeserve was people needed to modify a file or two to allow
>         for their not allocating fixed ip numbers to their customers,
>         as well as a ka9q that did pop3 mail.)

That reminded me: amongst all the other bits of antique sofware not 
looked at for ages I came across a KA9QPOP.ZIP (dated Nov '06, but 
that's probably the date I downloaded it) together with KA9Q218A.ZIP 
(which might be the final Demon version?  Date is Jun '01).

So I thought I'd check those, and the only significant difference I've 
spotted so far between those and GremNOS was a fair bit of extra 
sanity checking in the ALLOC module [memory allocation and freeing].  
Maybe significantly, Graham Kinns' code calls 'abort()' if it finds an 
invalid pointer to a block of memory to 'free()', whilst both other 
versions simply ignore the attempt and quietly return with a warning 
displayed.  Graham hasn't been on the scene for years, and if he 
suddenly reappeared I doubt he'd remember why he did this :-)  I can 
only guess that he had discovered some memory or stack corruption and 
was investigating it [indeed the realloc() function is unsafe as it 
stands, but thankfully is never called!].

But getting back to PAP, the only problem that I was seeing when I 
last tried was falling foul of this code and a premature abort(); 
I think I'll build a version of GremNOS with the abort commented out 
and see how that fares.  The worst that can happen is a memory leak, 
but having the ability to connect even temporarily via PAP when all 
other channels are fubar is better than nothing.

>         - sorry to be unable to offer any useful suggestion re the
>         connexion problem with anchor du-24; when i was affected by
>         what sounds like the same problem with warrington, it took me
>         over four hours of phonecalls to the laughably-entitled "help"
>         line, and eventually the use of a couple of expletives, before
>         i was able to get anyone to actually consider that the symptoms
>         i described in precise detail might perhaps possibly be a guide
>         to the location and nature of a problem internal to demon, and
>         not a problem with my dos set-up that could be cleared by my
>         clicking on something or other.

From what I've read in d.service, it seems that chatting on the Demon 
forums (fora?) is the way to get faults noticed.  Sadly, life here is 
too short for that :-(

Pete

** WARNING - UNADLUTERATED PLUG! **
My son has recently published his first novel: "A 21st Century 
Copernicus Effect".  It's available at www.copernicus-effect.co.uk or 
at Amazon -- a fabulous read (but I would say that, wouldn't I :-)).
** END PLUG **
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