[nos-bbs] promoting packet and maybe xNOS?

[Bill Vodall WA7NWP]

> Think about it. Why on earth would I want to use something like JNOS ?
> Almost  everyone around me thinks it's obsolete. Probably it is to them, but I still
> find it the best platform available to experiment with PACKET RADIO apps.
>
> Why do you think that the xNOS's never caught on?
>
> What is solution for serious amateur radio networking if not some NOS
> structure?

This all changed in the past couple weeks..

First, here's a question from Mr NOS Phil/KA9Q himself last year - and my
response.

---

> Really? I thought Linux made my code obsolete a long time ago. Whenever
> somebody asks me about it, I usually recommend that they look at Linux.
> I suppose NOS still has some utility in severely limited address spaces,
> though.

I argue that NOS still has its place:

1.  limited systems as you mention.   I believe Minix will run on my old HP100 but the
512K HP95 will only use NOS.   The old DOS palmtops give me TCP/IP in my backpack.

2.  Virtual systems.   NOS, on Linux, provides a complete virtual network computer
that allows playing or experimenting on radio/TCP-IP without changing the "working"
configuration of the system.

3.  It's a debug tool.   Several of us use it from time to time if we need to test hardware
or software setups.  It's easier to tweak and watch what's happening then using a full
Linux or similar system.

4.  I'm using it as an Internet Email to Packet Mailbox gateway.   There's a significant
legacy AX25 packet system set up here (Western Washington) of digi's, dumb nodes and
PBBS's at some EOC's.   With NOS I can forward real Internet Email to and from the
packets mailboxes.

5. It's fun.  It's smaller and lighter then a *nix box.  It's easily tweakable.   It has RF/packet
functionality.

As *nix is growing and the admin tools are evolving, it'll slowly fade out, but NOS isn't
dead yet...

---

Now - the big new idea...

As Johan, WG7J, wrapped up his work on JNOS, one of his last projects was porting it
to the Kantranics Dataengine.   Embedded JNOS - pretty cool.   Apparently it worked
well but with the high price of Dataengines, it never caught on.

Things are different today.

For $50..$70 we can purchase a totally hackable WRT54G(S - for 2x the memory).   Far more
power then the old dataengine at a far lower price.   One of the common tools for these embedded
Linux boxes is BusyBox - http://www.busybox.net/ - an all-in-on program of linux tools and utilities
optimized for the small space requirements of a "router."

Now suppose we have a similar -all-in-one application that gave us, instead of stock linux tools, a
wide variety of standard Internet Servers and Clients as well as interfaces to the human/ham
world of AX25.    *NOS is that magic all-in-one application!

The comment last week about putting it in the cars truck with the APRS functionality turned on took
it to another higher level of coolness.    Think of where we can go from there.  Add transceiver
controls
and a SCS Pactor TNC -- we'd have a complete HF mailbox in the trunk.  Wow!

Bill - WA7NWP