[aprssig] CRUTCH support of RELAY and WIDE

[Bob Bruninga]

Regarding DIGI support for obsolete RELAY and WIDE:

> I'd rather have a sense of accomplishment 
> and belonging that the user will experience 
> when he sees his first time packet digi'd 
> then the frustration of not seeing it digi'd.

Huh?  If he is successful, then he will leave it that way.  And yes, it will work at that one crutch-digi, but you are setting him up for failure on his next trip!

> Sure, the user has used an incorrect path 
> but let's correct his mistake, get him on the 
> air and then help him to understand what he 
> should be doing.

Really?  Who is gong to correct it?  How?  Its working!

If it is working, and if the digi is doing callsign substitution or PATH MODIFICATION ON HIS BEHALF then how will he or ANYONE EVER KNOW!  No one will ever see his RELAY and WIDE path.  You are setting him up for failure.

And you are also setting him up for using the wrong path and looking foolish for not using the correct path.  No. no. no.
The RELAY and WIDE generic paths are bad, are obsolete, and continuting to support them is doing a disservice to the user who wants to do things right.

Bob, WB4APR