From: larry@Birdsong.Suvl.CA.US (Lawrence T. Hardiman)
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.waffle
Subject: Re: Help for a new (wannabe) user of Waffle
Date: 23 Jan 93 01:36:21 GMT
Reply-To: larry@Birdsong.Suvl.CA.US
Organization: The Birdsong Company, PO Box 2031, Sunnyvale CA 94087-2031

In <2936659944.0.wk01680@worldlink.com> wk01680@worldlink.com (Paul A. Monus) writes:
>I have been reading the news in this group for a while, in hopes that I 
>could get some clues on how to best know what waffle can and cannot do, 
>to know if it is worth the investment of effort to learn it.

>Here is what I want to be able to do (tell me if it can be done):

>1.  I want to set up nodes running Waffle on a LAN such that text files 
>created on the LAN can be mailed to the Internet by users on the LAN.  
>Do they have to dial up Waffle via a modem to use it?  

No. Waffle users on a LAN logon using Waffle in "local" mode. 
In general, only one machine running Waffle on a local area net should
make and take phone calls. All other users use Waffle in local mode.

>2.  If the answer to #1 is yes, could someone post who has done it, what 
>is connected to the LAN, and how many users are on the LAN.  I want to 
>do both Novell and Appletalk LAN's (with the Appletalk net running 
>Waffle in a SoftPC window).

I have Waffle running on a local net. The net is Windows-for-Workgroups.
There are 2 stations in the local net. I am told that Waffle does quite
well in Novell, Lantastic and some other nets. I have no Idea how it would
do with AppleTalk.

>3.  Is there a Waffle node that is public that I could dial up and try 
>it out?

Try out Waffle? Or try out a local net? I assume you just mean Waffle.
The home of Waffle is "Darkside of the Moon", Tom Dell's machine.
Dial 408-245-SPAM. Keep trying; it's quite busy. Early, early morning
works for me most often.

>4.  Can Waffle be configured to do automated "polling" such that one 
>node will call another node to exchange mail, without going to the 
>Internet?  The idea would be for various schools to dial up each other 
>with only local phone calls to send and receive mail.

Yes. Waffle is perfectly suited to this task.

>5.  Can Waffle do ftp?

I do not think so.

>6.  Can Waffle be configured to do SLIP or Telnet?

Maybe? 

>7.  How many users can be accessing a node at a time?

Waffle is a single user BBS (MS-DOS) versions.

>8.  How much time per day is a sysop going to spend babysitting the 
>system for a 300 user node doing mail?

Someone else answer this one, please....

>9.  I see that NetNews is available, but don't know where it comes from. 
>Or where I'd connect to, if I set up my PC as a Waffle node.  How do you 
>connect?  Do you have to pay a service bureau to get access to the Internet?

Lots of places generate 'News'. This posting is News. The Waffle docs give
a good description of how to get a UUCP connection. In general, if you
are Cheap (like me) you try to get a 'feed' free. In large metropolitan
areas you may be more likely to get a free feed that if you are in a small
town. A big company that has a 'social conscience' or one whose 
system administrator is a nice person may give you a feed free.

A big site, on the internet, will likely bridge your mail to internet.
Register your site in the US domain. This helps.

>10.  I have many more questions, but will stop with these.  Can someone 
>post the FAQ, as well as taking a crack at these?

>Many thanks.

You are welcome.
  larry.

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Larry@Birdsong.Suvl.CA.US