Subj : FTSC's "job"
To   : Alan Ianson
From : mark lewis
Date : Wed Jun 26 2019 05:43 am


 On 2019 Jun 25 21:01:26, you wrote to Maurice Kinal:

 AI> It would be best to report issues direcly with the author of the software
 AI> causing issues (if known) or the project when possible.

it isn't software that is causing the main issue reported (characters being 
stripped from message bodies)... it is the specifications in use, how the 
wording they use is understood, and how multiple specifications interact with 
other specifications due to the way they are worded...

eg: does "blah is to be ignored" mean that blah is dropped from the processing 
stream (one form of ignored) or does it mean that blah is to not be acted on 
but must remain in the processing stream and passed on to other systems 
(another form of ignored)...


the secondary issue of software messing with the message bodies of in-transit 
mail on intermediate systems in the path is well known... the problem is 1) 
getting that software up/downgraded until a fix is released and 2) getting the 
maintainer's attention so it can be fixed... both are neigh on impossible to do 
these days when you have operators that simply do not respond to echomail or 
netmail and may take weeks to respond to messages written on their own boards 
which requires that someone go set up an account there and write said 
message...

it was easier back in the day when the nodelist was required for a FTN system 
to operate properly... *Cs could get an operators attention by putting a node 
on HOLD status or even removing said node from the nodelist... removal 
generally garnering the best response since the node wouldn't run properly if 
its number didn't appear in the nodelist... it was at that time the problem 
could be explained and the operator could downgrade to an approved version of 
their software or upgrade to a fixed version if one was available...

)\/(ark

Always Mount a Scratch Monkey
Do you manage your own servers? If you are not running an IDS/IPS yer doin' it 
wrong...
.... I need accurate, brief, and non-redundant information.
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 * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)

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