[nos-bbs] Questions related to JNOS 1.11f

[(Skip) K8RRA]

First of all Barry I don't want this to develop into a hard point
between us.

On Sat, 2007-03-31 at 13:20 -0400, Barry Siegfried wrote:

> ["(Skip) K8RRA" <k8rra at ameritech.net> wrote]:
> 

>>SNIP<<

> >
> > Would you be willing to create perhaps a table or some other human
> > readable description of the 20(+) environments that cause the owner
> > to choose a unique config.h for his installation?
> 
> Ummm... well, 5 of the 20 of them are for my own machines, and with the
> remaining 15 I started with what they thought they needed and then I
> chose the rest of what they really needed and eliminated what they
> thought they needed but didn't really need.

SO - maybe the table becomes 16 long?
That is still a whole lot of example usage.

> 
> > This description really needs to be a one-liner that captures the prime
> > essence of the owners desire.  It needs to capture the imagination of
> > non-jnos users who are willing to download the specific config.h and
> > read the detail for himself.  And yes, the 20 config.h files need to
> > be attachments to the page containing your table.
> 
> Skip, this actually won't help you very much because the structure and
> layout of my own CONFIG.H file highly differs with the one that JNOS
> uses and since this is a JNOS project I suspect that anything I could
> offer as a way of "explaining" my own CONFIG.H files would just serve
> to confuse the JNOS user.

You have made my point exactly...
 1) you have worthy (my opinion) examples in your hands.
 2) the "read config.h" method is difficult to EASILY get comparison
from
 3) the config.h file represents workable detail to making jnos fit into
the chosen environment.

What is needed is SIMPLE environment description (a one-liner?).

> 
> >>SNIP<< I really
> wouldn't know how to make it any clearer than it already is.

Let me try approaching this in this manner:

You carry around in your head a list of say 20 ways of using one
software - jnosx.y.
In your thinking it is crystal clear how to get what you want to happen.

I carry around in my head that jnos is the swiss-army knife of packet
software.
In my thinking it is not particularly clear which blades of the knife to
pull out.
After deciding on the blade, there is a step needed to make it happen
I'd like to explore.

I rather see Misko's experiment being an example of my need to know.
At a little deeper detail perhaps than I want to capture for wiki as he
proceeds.
Certainly as an example posted to the wiki when he is done... (no matter
the success %)

As I approach my wiki, I try to add options in tabular or matrix or
outline form in English.
OK - I've also set the stage for other languages for a later date.
So as I make my choices of what to do I feel comforted when I see others
have done this before me.

The resources I see for my wiki are:
 1) a common language discussion of how jnos has been used by others.
 2) the computer files (config.h and autoexec.nos and others) to
accomplish 1)
 3) the html "linking" features and wiki "search" features to permit
QUICK detail investigation.
Have you ever heard the expression "Drill down into the detail."?

I see how you view reading config.h comment text leading to the same
thing I need to know.
I interpret (my understanding of) your view as one of an expert with
years of experience.
For the wiki I desire to capture your experience in the simplest terms I
can for others to understand.
In my experience elsewhere that means charts and graphs and outlines in
brief form.
It also means attaching the detail for deeper understanding (config.h).

I hope you would allow me to "...$ diff config1.h config2.h" to see the
interaction between choices.
That is after I have made the top-level choice and need further detail
choice.

If you were to ask me to define the user I am trying to satisfy, he/she
would look to the wiki for:
 1) an understanding of the list of capabilities built into the software
(top level summary)
 2) examples of application choices made by others
 3) sample configuration data for plug-and-play into a new use (after
detail editing like call-sign)
 4) enough tech detail to permit trouble shooting of failures to perform

Clearly Maiko's example of mail forwarding into WL2K fits # 2) above.
Jay's use for MI-DRG is certainly another # 2).
Won't Misko's example with FBB forwarding be another?
Let's consider the wiki as a vehicle to permit others we don't know
today to follow in our footprints.
If you, Misko, Maiko, Jay, and I, have created 30(?) patterns of use,
the wiki user stands to create 30(+) we have not seen yet.
I hope they will add their perspective to it after I'm done with my
part.

73
de [George (Skip) VerDuin] K8RRA k
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