DOUG@ysub.ysu.edu (Doug Sewell) (06/05/91)
In article <1991Jun4.170923.1@cc.helsinki.fi>, harmo@cc.helsinki.fi says: > >Upon further reflection I came upon quite a bad mistake in the scheme. >I believe that there are very few unix-machines (not to speak of mainframes >that could run newsreader) in Nepal, so there probably would not be much >demand, unless NTC set up a modem-based newsreading service. That would >require >quite a lot more than a simple feeding system (many incoming modems, >complicated billing, customer support, ....... a new computer culture, in a >word). Is there really no newsreaders for ms-dos -machines? If you have a 8088 MSDOS machine with 640K and an adequate hard disk, you can run Waffle to read e-mail and Usenet news. Waffle talks UUCP to Unix, and other Waffle systems as well. Waffle can be used for local news-reading or as a dial-in BBS system. It's limited to one user at a time, although I've heard rumors of run- ning two waffle sessions under Desqview. Each user has their own signon. DOS Waffle is shareware - $35/copy registration - source is available. There's also a Unix version of Waffle. By making Waffle the login shell, users have the same interface for news and mail reading as DOS Waffle. Multiple users are supported, and the host system's facilities are used for uucp, news and mail transport. Some public-access Unix systems use Waffle now. This is a commercial product, provided in source, and quite reasonable (about $120 or so). Coming back to the original point, these are some inexpensive, easy to use (from user's point of view, not necessarily the sysop's) ways to make news and e-mail access more widely available. soc.culture.nepal dropped in followups to this article, since we're getting far afield. For more information about either waffle, see alt.bbs.waffle. Doug
elkordy@acsu.buffalo.edu (Mohamed Elkordy) (06/06/91)
DOUG@ysub.ysu.edu (Doug Sewell) writes: >If you have a 8088 MSDOS machine with 640K and an adequate hard disk, >you can run Waffle to read e-mail and Usenet news. Waffle talks UUCP >to Unix, and other Waffle systems as well. Sorry, but I think I do not understand what is going on ! Is this "Waffle" a hardware or just software, and if it is only software you will definitly need modem ? and if u use modem what is the telephone number that you are going to dial from Nipal (or in my case, Egypt). It is not an 800 #, is it? thanks for your anticipated explaination. elkordy@acsu.buffalo.edu