Re: Term software development/design

[Stanton McCandlish <anton@hydra.unm.edu>]

All of these ideas (on new term programs for grabbing news, and for
getting PGP sigs from scrollback, etc etc) are all very interesting and
worthy of more work.  However, I think the BEST way to do this, is to
convince Mustang Software (or whoever) to add hooks for PGP or other
encryption packages, and then the rest should soon follow. Most users
WILL NOT quit using QModem (or whatever) for a new term program that has
nothing special but crypto.  BUT if you can get crypto into the popular
packages, then lots of users WILL use it since well it's THERE, and easy
to get to and they don't have to switch software. 

As for the creation of new term programs, I'd have to say making it RELY
on a FOSSIL driver is a BAD idea.  FOSSILs are becoming less useful and
needed over time.  Almost NO new door software uses FOSSILs, because
companies like Compaq are making more-compatible machines with less
proprietary garbage in them.  FOSSIL support that is OPTIONAL would be
very nice, for those using old or wierd machines that can't handle
standard comm routines, but forcing FOSSIL (or anything else) on anyone
is a bad idea in my opinion. 

Also, those into Fido-tech netting should try to get the developers of
FrontDoor, InterMail, D'Bridge, Opus, Maximus, VBBS, BinkleyTerm, etc to
add support for the ^ENC klugeline (an addition to the FTSC-standard Fido
mail headers, that notifies mailer software that the message is
encrypted, so it can be properly processed).  Without this the Fido
SecureMail system is going to remain minor and ignored.  With it,
cryptomail could fast become the norm in Fido NetMail.  For this corner or
cyberspace direct support for this sort of thing could be the "make or
break" for whether crypto becomes accepted.

Just some thoughts.
-- 
        When marriage is outlawed only outlaws will be inlaws!
Stanton McCandlish,  SysOp:  Noise in the Void DataCenter Library BBS
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