ISC update

[Karl Denninger]

In article <511090 at nstar.UUCP> larry at nstar.UUCP (Larry Snyder) writes:
>
>Sendmail is not handling mail to bbs users (addressed to akcs.larry at nstar) 
>correctly.  When I was running smail - the mail was tossed using the transport
>file which isn't available with sendmail.  I need to get sendmail setup to 
>handle messages addressed to akcs.larry at nstar to place the message in 
>/user/akcs/.users/larry/mbox which seems very possible - maybe in sendmail.cf?

Don't bother.  Throw it out and run smail 3.  We did that, and after a
little tweaking in the EDITME file it compiles and works just fine.  And it
really >is< a drop-in sendmail replacement, including the TCP/IP
connections!

Wonderful stuff :-)

>If I can't get this running, I'll either need to install smail under 386/ix
>or replace akcs.  AKCS is one of the best BBS packages I have ever seen - and
>it's link into usenet is neat - and fast.  The threading is great, when you 
>go into a specific conference, messages are combined by topic instead of by
>message number this way for example all the messages relating to "SCO with
>RLL drives" are combined into one large item.  Not only is this easier to
>read, but doesn't require a single directory entry for each and every message,
>thus saving inodes which means that your drive's inode allocation will not 
>need to be changed.  Karl has done an excellent job with AKCS.   

Thanks for the kudo!  We don't often see stuff like this on the net :-)

>I've been amazed that the Xenix versions of AKCS, support utilities, and
>news software all run just fine under 386/ix.  Xenix versions of ProYam
>and utilities also run just fine.  I am wondering what additional overhead
>is required to run Xenix binaries under Unix if any.  

Not much.  Xenix stuff seems to work just fine here too.  I didn't bother
recompiling the news software ("C" News); it still works ok.

>I've been told that nn is an excellent threaded news reader.  Does it run
>well under X?  I'm in the process of installing nn right now.

IMHO "nn" bites.  But some people do like it.  To each their own.

>Next project - order X-Windows.  Bryan @ ISC mentioned that the next release 
>of X (due in a couple of weeks) will support my ATI VGA Wonder board in the 
>800 by 600 mode - which will be welcome.  Now I need more memory - as 4 
>megabytes will be "on the border" and 8 would be ideal.  At least 1meg*80 DRAM
>are down to 10.00 per chip.  
>
>Futher reading about X brings forth that fact that I *really* should have a 
>math co-processor to run X - now what would you get - 4 more megs of ram 
>(making 8 total) or a math co-processor (the 80387 would only be use with X)?

GET THE MEMORY.  Even if you can't get the math chip.  Our 4MB system was
really bogging with news and all running -- with 8MB it >smokes<!

>PC-NFS also sounds interesting - which I can run on my 286 Fidonet server -
>either that or TCP/IP between the Unix and DOS boxes.   

We have the ISC PC interface.  It's "ok", but not great.  I want to find a
place that has PC/NFS, and/or get an evaluation copy.

>I do miss the Xenix mail program - where I could use ~m and ~v to quote mail
>- maybe I should install ELM under ix?  I wonder how ELM runs under X?  

Install ELM.  We don't have "X" yet (we're waiting for the new release) but
when it arrives....

>So far so good.  I'm happy to be running Unix again, and time will be the true
>test.  I might need to sell my SCO if I need both the memory and the co-
>processor (how does $325 sound for 2.3.2 (with 2.3.3 update) of the '386 
>release (5 months old)?   

On the other hand, my experience with ISC support is just so-so.  Brian has
not returned any of my phone calls (boo hiss).  We have a problem with NFS
which they say will be "fixed in the next release" -- even though it's a
one-line patch, and we NEED it (root mapping cannot be turned off in ISC's
NFS, and there is no tape server -- be wary of this if you intend to do 
backups across the net as this currently appears to be IMPOSSIBLE!)

--
Karl Denninger (karl at ddsw1.MCS.COM, <well-connected>!ddsw1!karl)
Public Access Data Line: [+1 708 566-8911], Voice: [+1 708 566-8910]
Macro Computer Solutions, Inc.		"Quality Solutions at a Fair Price"