ISCA Communications

(Lochner/15792) No indeed not.

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:25:00 -0600

No indeed not.

(Turanga Leela/15791) an Initial Public Offering? Hmm, last I checked we're not doing ...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:39:00 -0600

an Initial Public Offering? Hmm, last I checked we're not doing anything like
that. ;)

(River Rat/15790) I thought you are allowed to know the members of an IPO.

River Rat@rss.iscabbs.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:06:00 -0600

I thought you are allowed to know the members of an IPO.

(Turanga Leela/15789) Notifications went out welcoming new members and they have been ...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:17:00 -0600

Notifications went out welcoming new members and they have been invited to the
appropriate forums (I S C A> and Voting Booth>).

(Turanga Leela/15788) Yes, new members, not users.

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:42:00 -0600

Yes, new members, not users.

(Ace High/15787) There are a few people who have asked to join. Voting is open no...

Ace High@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:43:00 -0600

There are a few people who have asked to join. Voting is open now.

(River Rat/15786) And who would that new member be?

River Rat@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:51:00 -0600

And who would that new member be?

(Lammam P Yrruf/15785) Members. New member approval.

Lammam P Yrruf@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:18:00 -0600

Members.  New member approval.

Somebody thwap Kim.

(Lxndr/15784) I hope you vote to allow new users!

Lxndr@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:36:00 -0600


I hope you vote to allow new users!

(Turanga Leela/15783) minor update: this evening we are opening the vote for new user ...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:59:00 -0600

minor update: this evening we are opening the vote for new user approval, and
the voting window will close next Thursday, January 19, at 22:00 ISCA time.
Results will be announced not long after.

(Chappy/15782) http://www.zashpay.com/

Chappy@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:22:00 -0600



http://www.zashpay.com/

You're welcome.

(Green/15781) KAM> "a service that's better than Paypal"

Green@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:26:00 -0600

KAM> "a service that's better than Paypal"

Your checking account at your local bank? That's what I use to send my dues to
ISCA.

(KAM/15780) For taking occasional donations, point me to a service that's be...

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:01:00 -0600


For taking occasional donations, point me to a service that's better than
Paypal.

(Ace High/15779) i wouldn't use paypal for anything. their fees and terms are gar...

Ace High@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:33:00 -0600

i wouldn't use paypal for anything. their fees and terms are garbage.

(Guardian Angel/15778) Fuck. Pay. Pal.

Guardian Angel@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:06:00 -0600

Fuck. Pay. Pal.

Seriously. If you don't understand why, then see what Paypal has done to
Regretsy and several other folks over the past several months, let alone over
their history.

(Chappy/15777) Zashpay I mean.

Chappy@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:52:00 -0600


Zashpay I mean.

Open up an account at Redneckbank.com
have everyone do a person to person transfer to you.

(Chappy/15776) Holy fuck have you guys not hard of paypal?

Chappy@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:52:00 -0600


Holy fuck have you guys not hard of paypal?

(Spastic Chicken/15775) Square's transaction fees are LOWER than PayPal's unless you get...

Spastic Chicken@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:39:00 -0600

Square's transaction fees are LOWER than PayPal's unless you get a discounted
merchant rate by paying a monthly fee.

Square's 2.75% flat fee with no "swipe" fee is currently the best deal going
for someone who needs to accept credit cards only occasionally.

That said, Square pretty much requires that you have the physical card to swipe
it and get the flat rate. If you just have the number, you're looking at 3.5% +
15 cents per transaction. It's really made for card-present payments.

(Turanga Leela/15774) Well, a merchant account would have a "monthly minimum" fee whic...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:39:00 -0600

Well, a merchant account would have a "monthly minimum" fee which it has to pay
if the monthly minimum charges have not met. For the volume of charges ISCA
receives, Paypal is perfect. I would agree to a merchant account if we had a
much larger membership, and if all the dues didn't come flowing in between
January and March.

(Chappy/15773) Zashpay that shit man!

Chappy@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:26:00 -0600


Zashpay that shit man!

(Tomte/15772) I was actually thinking it would be cool if ISCA got a square ac...

Tomte@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:15:00 -0600

I was actually thinking it would be cool if ISCA got a square account to accept
credit cards but the fee per transaction is pretty high.  Paypal is probably a
better deal.

(Ace High/15771) we should convert to bitcoin.

Ace High@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:58:00 -0600

we should convert to bitcoin.

(Lxndr/15770) Although it hasn't been updated in a while, $30/yr is mentioned ...

Lxndr@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:26:00 -0600


Although it hasn't been updated in a while, $30/yr is mentioned in the helpfile
'ISCA'.

(Fafaf/15769) We only get the KMart specials, ourselves.

Fafaf@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:01:00 -0600

We only get the KMart specials, ourselves.

(BDavis/15768) Senators and presidents cost much more than $30. :-P

BDavis@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:50:00 -0600

Senators and presidents cost much more than $30.  :-P

(Chappy/15767) Zashpay that shit!

Chappy@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:31:00 -0600


Zashpay that shit!

(Turanga Leela/15766) Yes. We're on sale for $30.00 each.

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:20:00 -0600

Yes. We're on sale for $30.00 each.
Hell, it works for senators and presidents, right? ;)

(KAM/15765) You can BUY ISCA members now?? o,O

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:17:00 -0600


You can BUY ISCA members now?? o,O

(Turanga Leela/15764) http://iscabbs.com/index.php?doc=members

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:15:00 -0600

http://iscabbs.com/index.php?doc=members

It's (un)intuitively accessed by clicking the Buy Now button.

(KAM/15762) That would be a good idea. :-)

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:07:00 -0600


That would be a good idea. :-)

(Ace High/15761) we're probably going to need to set up a new one. it was a priva...

Ace High@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:31:00 -0600

we're probably going to need to set up a new one. it was a private address of
one of our former secretaries, i believe.

(Lammam P Yrruf/15760) Along with the address to which dues are papalled. Speaking of ...

Lammam P Yrruf@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:53:00 -0600

Along with the address to which dues are papalled.  Speaking of which - what's
that address?

(Turanga Leela/15759) $30.00/yr if I recall correctly

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:25:00 -0600

$30.00/yr if I recall correctly

We really ought to have all of this info publicly available in one place. That
is going to be one of the tasks I am going to take on this year.

(River Rat/15758) How much are dues currently?

River Rat@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:08:00 -0600

How much are dues currently?

(Turanga Leela/15757) Refunds should one be ousted are pro-rated (hasn't happened yet,...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:35:00 -0600

Refunds should one be ousted are pro-rated (hasn't happened yet, but is
possible). As far as pro-rating upon joining, historically people only joined
at the beginning of the year, so that really hasn't come up.

(Lxndr/15756) Are dues pro-rated?

Lxndr@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:19:00 -0600


Are dues pro-rated?
They're due each January, according to the help file.
What happens if I apply in June? Or do you only accept new members in January?

(Turanga Leela/15755) No, I'm sorry. 24 currently.

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:19:00 -0600

No, I'm sorry. 24 currently.

(Turanga Leela/15754) 26, I think

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:18:00 -0600

26, I think

(Knightshade/15753) How many current members are there?

Knightshade@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:06:00 -0600

How many current members are there?

(Turanga Leela/15752) The reason for the vote is twofold:

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:57:00 -0600

The reason for the vote is twofold:

1. Our bylaws require it (a legal issue)
2. Attempt to bar disruptive individuals

#2 is not foolproof, either. In the past one individual was given the
benefit of the doubt, and acted out even worse in I S C A>.  On the other
hand, other folks who had a history as "problem users" have joined ISCA
and haven't caused any problems beyond perhaps a little too much clowning
around (I include myself, Ace High, and CL in that category) at times.

On another note. . .

It is true that ISCA has stagnated while we waited on one person for a tar
file, but now we're forging ahead on a different path rather than naively
continuing to wait. It's not like there is a lot going on all the time,
even when progress is being made. I expect it would be more active in the
near future as we bang out requirements,  functional specifications, and
testing, and perhaps update the web site (and maybe integrate it with
Gestalt at some level - who knows?) and rewrite helpfiles to install in
the new environment, but in the meantime if you join you get to see just
how much excitement there isn't.

(Smoke Eater/15751) You have to ask to be invited in, the membership votes, and if a...

Smoke Eater@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:39:00 -0600

You have to ask to be invited in, the membership votes, and if a majority votes
you in, you're in.  There are dues.

(Vanity/15750) What were/are the qualifications for being an ISCA member? I se...

Vanity@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:14:00 -0600

    What were/are the qualifications for being an ISCA member?  I seem to
recall that once you had to be at the U. of Iowa, which I imagine is no longer
true, but are there other restrictions, e.g., age, location, type of work?

(Ace High/15748) >>> At least we're trying something.

Ace High@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:27:00 -0600

>>>   At least we're trying something.

it's refreshing.

(Lochner/15747) The way I look at is:

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:04:00 -0600


The way I look at is:

  We could spend the next six months doing one of the following:

    (a) attempting to get the DOC port from Tiberius

    (b) attempting to duplicate Tiberius's DOC port

    (c) attempting to move to Gestalt

  Assuming that all three of these efforts would be successful if attempted,
  at the end of six months, with option (a) or (b), we would still be
  stuck with binary files as the underlying data storage, and we would still
  be doing option (c) at some point under the previously approved roadmap.

  Whereas, if we switched to (c), we'd have successfully migrated the data
  into a database and have accomplished the next step up on the previously
  approved roadmap.

  I also think that the odds of these being successful, ordered from highest
  odds to lowest, are (c), (b), and then (a).  So, I advocated for option (c),
  believing it to have the following benefits:

    (1) dislodge the current porting log jam
    (2) accomplish a milestone already present in the roadmap
    (3) get us off HP-UX
    (4) get us off of binary storage of the database
    (5) have the highest likelihood of success

  The worse case scenario is that we get six months down the road and have
  gotten nowhere.  Oh well.  What's the difference between that, and continuing
  to ask Tiberius for code or trying to debug DOC, and getting nowhere?

  At least we're trying something.

(WORF/15746) Tanj/Lochner> Thanks for the explanation. It sounds like somethi...

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:42:00 -0600


Tanj/Lochner> Thanks for the explanation. It sounds like something that has
been thought through and it also sounds like the balance of responsibility is
where it belongs...in ISCA's lap.

I would say that the position you both put forth is a good arrangement all
around.

(Lochner/15745) Tanj's response is my understanding as well. To respond to your

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:34:00 -0600

 Tanj's response is my understanding as well.  To respond to your
 specific questions:

"What types of assurances does the ISCA board have that Tanj will finish
Gestalt/Raccdoc in a timely fashion?"

 None.  To the extent that ISCA requires modifications to Gestalt, it is
 ISCA's responsibility to make those modifications.

"There are components that have been on the "to do" list for awhile and while
Tanj is not Tiberius, he is a business owner who likely (and rightfully) would
put his work above ISCA."

 As such, ISCA will not rely on Tanj to do any coding on Gestalt.  So long
 as Tanj is a board member, however, he will naturally assist with setting
 up Gestalt in that capacity.

"It would be wise to take some steps to at least mitigate the possibility of
ending up in the same place in a year, with the difference being that we're
waiting on another single person."

 This has been discussed within ISCA, and there is some debate as to whether
 we are setting ourselves up for the same situation.  In my opinion, we are
 not, because ISCA has access, control, and custody to the source code for
 Gestalt, whereas we do not with Tiberius's doc port.  Because we are not
 relying on Tanj for anything, he cannot be the roadblock.

"2) What kind of access to the Gestalt source will ISCA have? Will we be able
to modify/bug fix it ourselves or are we limited to an off-the-shelf product?"

 Full and uncontrolled access, the license is royalty-free, world-wide,
 perpetual, and irrevocable.  The only thing we cannot do is re-distribute
 it outside of ISCA's control.  However, we can designate Authorized
 Developers to have access to it to work on it, etc.

 The details of how the licensing agreement will work out are being
 discussed now.

(Tanj/15744) ISCA will have access to all of the source code; I should not be...

Tanj@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:23:00 -0600

ISCA will have access to all of the source code; I should not be counted on
to make improvements to Gestalt, only provide the existing code and be able
to offer advice and hopefully helpful comments.  Changes to Gestalt -- guide
questions, new user account creation, etc -- will have to come from someone
other than me.

(WORF/15743) Lochner> Regarding Gestalt:

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:10:00 -0600


Lochner> Regarding Gestalt:

1) What types of assurances does the ISCA board have that Tanj will finish
Gestalt/Raccdoc in a timely fashion? There are components that have been on the
"to do" list for awhile and while Tanj is not Tiberius, he is a business owner
who likely (and rightfully) would put his work above ISCA. It would be wise to
take some steps to at least mitigate the possibility of ending up in the same
place in a year, with the difference being that we're waiting on another single
person.

2) What kind of access to the Gestalt source will ISCA have? Will we be able to
modify/bug fix it ourselves or are we limited to an off-the-shelf product?

(Lochner/15742) To be blunt, RR, that's his business, and we take him at his wor...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:08:00 -0600



To be blunt, RR, that's his business, and we take him at his word.

(River Rat/15741) Where does Tiberius work at? That makes him so busy?

River Rat@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:02:00 -0600

Where does Tiberius work at?  That makes him so busy?

(Lochner/15740) There have been some questions about how it is that there is a c...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:42:00 -0600


There have been some questions about how it is that there is a copy of the
"Linux port" of DOC on the BBS web site, yet we are dependent upon Tiberius to
send us a copy of the Linux port.

The answer is that there is "a" Linux port on the ISCABBS web site.  You can
download it and compile it, and if you can re-create the runtime environment,
directory structure, etc, you can get it to work in single-user mode from the
console.  I believe that version was ported by Serendipity.  However, it will
not start into queue mode.

We (as in, ISCA and the Board) have been told by Tiberius that he has a copy
that works in queue mode on a private server to which we do not have access.
Tiberius has told us, as recently as this past summer, that he has started it
up and confirmed that it appears to work.  However, the version Tiberius has,
which works, is different from the version we have, which does not work.

We have been trying without success for at least since I've been in ISCA to get
a copy of this working version from Tiberius.  Tiberius has generally assured
us that he will send the code when time permits, as his job keeps him busy, but
he has not done so yet.

ISCA has decided that we will move forward with other projects and make those
our priority, rather than continue to wait for Tiberius to send his port.  When
and if he does send it, we will resume that project, and intergrate it into the
"new" ISCA environment.  In the meantime, however, we will not hold up any
other projects waiting for the Linux port to be finished.

The majority of what folks want to see us do with ISCA -- integration with
Facebook and Twitter, threaded conversations, web interfaces -- does not
require any modification to the underlying code.  There is already an open-
protocol interface to the BBS message base, and a number of APIs already
written in various programming languages which implement that protocol, so you
don't even have to learn it.

For example, I have written a web interface that lets you read ISCA, which
updates when new messages are posted, and which organizes the forums into
topics.  I'm working on enabling posting, a friends list, and other features
not found on the BBS proper.

None of this depends on the port being completed.

(Copper Lethe/15739) Nothing will happen to that functionality.

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:32:00 -0600


Nothing will happen to that functionality.

(Lxndr/15738) Question: Currently, one can log into gestalt and get access to ...

Lxndr@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:28:00 -0600


Question: Currently, one can log into gestalt and get access to the entirety of
ISCABBS's forums. What would happen to this functionality if/when ISCA moves to
Linux?

(Lochner/15737) The ISCA policy board now has before it a draft of the Gestalt l...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:25:00 -0600


The ISCA policy board now has before it a draft of the Gestalt license, and
will hash out the details and execute the license, and we'll soon start working
on Gestalt.

(Copper Lethe/15736) Except, your not.

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:44:00 -0600


Except, your not.

(God/15735) That's ridiculous, it's obvious I'm reading people's posts.

God@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:40:00 -0600


That's ridiculous, it's obvious I'm reading people's posts.

(Copper Lethe/15734) Actually, that's not true at all. If you actually read people's...

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:29:00 -0600


Actually, that's not true at all.  If you actually read people's posts, you'd
realize this.

(God/15733) What about starting posts with "Actually...", which pretty much ...

God@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:40:00 -0600


What about starting posts with "Actually...", which pretty much always precede
somebody acting like a dick?

I'm speaking in generalities here, of course.

(Turanga Leela/15732) There seems to be quite a few users wanting to join ISCA. This o...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:36:00 -0600

There seems to be quite a few users wanting to join ISCA. This ought to be
interesting, and hopefully given enough input and support, we'll actually be
able to make the move to Linux (we're moving to Gestalt in 1998!) and finally
enter the mid-90s with a real, honest-to-goodness web interface. :)

(Ace High/15731) i would just ask that any member of ISCA, new or old, not begin ...

Ace High@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:57:00 -0600

i would just ask that any member of ISCA, new or old, not begin a post
with the word "Except." ISCA will not be helped by references to
hastily-googled facts, semantic debates, or criticism lacking positive
contribution.

yes, i'm looking at you.

(Lochner/15730) I was also deleted, not that long ago, for merely telling the st...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:39:00 -0600


I was also deleted, not that long ago, for merely telling the story of how I
was twitted for the whiffle bat comment on grounds that it appeared to be a
threat.

(Copper Lethe/15729) Or:

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:30:00 -0600


Or:

I think that's because TV Casualty had the Sysops wrapped around his little
finger.

(Copper Lethe/15728) I think it's because at some point the Sysops decided to only sa...

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:29:00 -0600


I think it's because at some point the Sysops decided to only sanction for
threats seemed like they might be genuine.

(Lochner/15727) I was twitted twice, once for "threatening" Catharsis by proposi...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:18:00 -0600

I was twitted twice, once for "threatening" Catharsis by proposing an ISCANic
activity in which we take turns hitting him with whiffle bats.  Curiously, in
that same threat, TV Casualty threatened to blow up a McDonald's while we were
all in it, and he wasn't so much as deleted.  SYSOP CONSPIRACY.

(Turanga Leela/15726) Yeah, pretty much. Hence, our propensity to take people for thei...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:32:00 -0600

Yeah, pretty much. Hence, our propensity to take people for their word when
they promise to deliver code Real Soon Now(tm)

(Miser/15725) Sounds like the lunatics have taken over the asylum. :)

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:30:00 -0600

Sounds like the lunatics have taken over the asylum.  :)

(Copper Lethe/15724) I was twitted once. I never said "I'm sorry."

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:23:00 -0600


I was twitted once.  I never said "I'm sorry."

(Lochner/15723) I also was once known as a "problem" user under a prior moniker....

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:04:00 -0600

I also was once known as a "problem" user under a prior moniker.  Now I'm more
of a problem board member. :)

(Peccavimus/15722) What? You? A problem user? n'est c'est pas!

Peccavimus@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:01:00 -0600

What?  You?  A problem user?  n'est c'est pas!

(Turanga Leela/15721) I've already shared Knightshade's info with ISCA, and mentioned ...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:58:00 -0600

I've already shared Knightshade's info with ISCA, and mentioned two other
interested parties. One of them I kinda-sorta knew years ago, and the other is
well-known to pretty much everyone here, so no intro was really needed in
that case, or in yours Knightshade. In mine, it was kind of necessary because
I was once a problem user so I had to show that I've changed my attitude a
wee bit. :)

(Turanga Leela/15720) Basically, to reply just shout out your interest or Mail> me, an...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:53:00 -0600

Basically, to reply just shout out your interest or Mail> me, and if you're not
a "high visibility" user, Mail> me a quick note introducing yourself.
Basically, we want members who are willing to participate, even if it consists
of criticism, so long as it is /constructive/ criticism. The reason ISCA
votes on membership is twofold: first, because the bylaws require it, and
secondly, to avoid problem users.  We do ask that input be productive, rather
than constant heckling. We had one such member, and one of those was enough.

There are dues involved but the dues are minimal (it goes toward paying for
hosting, legal fees such as filing paperwork, and so forth), and are
unfortunately necessary. That is one reason moving to Linux is important; we
can move to an inexpensive VPS rather than stay on expensive colocation
solutions.

(Lochner/15719) Turanga Leela.

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:36:00 -0600


Turanga Leela.

(Knightshade/15718) and to whom would be the correct person to direct it, since the ...

Knightshade@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:27:00 -0600

and to whom would be the correct person to direct it, since the two helpfiles
seem to give two different answers to that?

(Lochner/15717) There isn't really one, I don't think. Just a statement that yo...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:25:00 -0600


There isn't really one, I don't think.  Just a statement that you are
interested, a little background on yourself (when you joined ISCA, etc), and
why you want to join.  This information is then relayed to the members for
their consideration prior to voting.

(Knightshade/15716) Is said application online anywhere? the help files don't seem ...

Knightshade@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:12:00 -0600


Is said application online anywhere?  the help files don't seem to have it.

The ISCA helpful just states you need to mail> a membership committee member if
you wish to join.

The Isca-bylaws file mentions one should submit an application with the
Secretary if they want to join, in a form approved of by the board.

(Lochner/15715) To clarify, we've got a few applications pending, and if anybody...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:04:00 -0600


To clarify, we've got a few applications pending, and if anybody is interested
in signing up, now would be the time to submit an application, so we can vote
on all of them at the same time for efficiency's sake.

(Knightshade/15714) Sure

Knightshade@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:17:00 -0600

Sure

(Turanga Leela/15713) Is there anyone interested in joining ISCA?

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:56:00 -0600

Is there anyone interested in joining ISCA?

(Turanga Leela/15712) Crossposted from I S C A>

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:58:00 -0600

Crossposted from I S C A>
The motion to move to Gestalt has been approved by a simple majority of 13
votes for, one abstain, and since a majority vote has been attained voting is
now closed. The official roadmap of the BBS of ISCA, Inc. consists of the
following:


1. Move to Gestalt for the primary use
2. Keep DOC running, if possible, accessed through Gestalt*

The matter is decided and now the policy board and programmers will begin
acting upon this decision.  Continued discussion of the migration to Linux
is not only allowed, but encouraged.

Next on the docket: Admission of new members.

(Turanga Leela/15711) We have been communicating Things That Matter. If you saw what w...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:47:00 -0600

We have been communicating Things That Matter. If you saw what we're discussing
you'd roll your eyes. Just a bit of clowning around. You really wouldn't be
interested.
(Or, are we just reinstituting the Great Sysop Conspiracy? You'll never know)
;)

(Turanga Leela/15710) You could join ISCA and gain access to super seekrit forums wher...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:03:00 -0600

You could join ISCA and gain access to super seekrit forums where we all talk
about KAM, er, I mean, important issues.

(KAM/15709) Still, that would be nice to read. At least we'd KNOW something ...

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:37:00 -0600


Still, that would be nice to read. At least we'd KNOW something is happening,
even if it was inconsequential nerd bombing.

(Lochner/15708) There hasn't been much to discuss, and the discussions are in ...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:25:00 -0600


There hasn't been much to discuss, and the discussions *are* in the form of
notes anyway. :)  When we have anything to report out, TL summarizes it.

Our discussions mostly involve CL and I geeking out over technical things, with
Tanj sometimes correcting me when I get something wrong, and all the
other (read: normal) people rolling their eyes that the nerds are at it again.

(Turanga Leela/15707) We need to start doing that.

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:24:00 -0600

We need to start doing that.

(KAM/15706) There isn't a secretary who takes notes of what is discussed?

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:16:00 -0600


There isn't a secretary who takes notes of what is discussed?

(Turanga Leela/15705) Until recently there hasn't really been anything to communicate ...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:13:00 -0600

Until recently there hasn't really been anything to communicate except "Yep,
we're still taking Tiberius at his word and waiting on him."

(Lochner/15704) I have brought up with the board our historically sparse communi...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:22:00 -0600


I have brought up with the board our historically sparse communication with the
user base.

We do have a procedure in place for communicating with ISCA, though it often
isn't followed (there's often nothing to report), but there's nothing for
communicating with the wider user base and I think we could benefit from a
monthly high-level report of some kind.

Also, if you have questions, I'm happy to answer them as much as I can.

(Knightshade/15703) Plus, nobody ever seems to post about what anyone else is doing,...

Knightshade@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:45:00 -0600


Plus, nobody ever seems to post about what anyone else is doing, so it's hard
to give credit for stuff nobody knows is happening.

I'd love to see that change BTW.

The last thing before this that could even vaguely be called info from ISCA to
users in this forum was 9 months ago.

But in the meantime, yeah, kudos to Lochner for at least getting agreement to
try doing something else.

(WORF/15702) True, and thatpost wasn't meant to disparage anyone else's contr...

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:41:00 -0600


True, and thatpost wasn't meant to disparage anyone else's contribution.

However, sometimes it does take a voice to push the others along. I tried to do
that for awhile, but gave up when it looked (to me) like nothing would ever
change.

You sir, deserve credit for sticking it out.

(Lochner/15701) Thank you, but there has been a lot of debate and discussion and...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:30:00 -0600


Thank you, but there has been a lot of debate and discussion and planning
involving a lot of people that have led us to this point, including the entire
board and a good number of ISCA members.  I just happen to have the loudest
mouth.

And we haven't actually accomplished anything yet other than to agree that we
weren't previously accomplishing anything and we should do something else. :)

But I'm optimistic that This Time It Will Be Different (tm).

(WORF/15700) I would just like to say "Thanks" to Lochner for helping push th...

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:15:00 -0600


I would just like to say "Thanks" to Lochner for helping push this along. It's
refreshing to see that the old ways of thinking are finally clearing out.

No project should be held up by a single person.

(Turanga Leela/15699) The July 1 date was picked because it is a date which seemed rea...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:15:00 -0600

The July 1 date was picked because it is a date which seemed reasonable because
it doesn't assume that the schedule will fall into place perfectly, with real
life getting in the way, and of course unknowns that we cannot predict but have
to be accounted for when setting a hard deadline without having all the facts.
Chances are the date will be easily beat as Lochner said, but it is also
entirely possible to miss as well. That's why it is tentative, until we have
all the requirements, the feature set (we won't have a complete functional spec
or anything but we do need to compile requirements and prioritized features),
and also a test install up and running with users actually logging into it.

(Lochner/15698) Figured now is as good of a time as any to post something here. ...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:54:00 -0600


Figured now is as good of a time as any to post something here.  This is not an
officially sanctioned ISCA message or anything, it's just my personal statement
on where we're at.



I joined the board in April of this year and my sole mission was to either get
a copy of the Linux port of ISCA from Tiberius, or persuade ISCA that he was
not likely to turn it over to us in a reasonable time frame, and we should move
forward on the assumption that we'll never see it.  That meant either porting
DOC on our own or going with another solution.

We tried both -- trying to get a copy of the code, and trying to port DOC.
Both efforts were unsuccessful and ISCA debated what to do next.  The
conclusion was that a revised "roadmap" was appropriate, whereby ISCA would
license Gestalt, and port the BBS to that platform.  We drafted a roadmap and
are officially voting to adopt it over the next few weeks.

Assuming that the vote ratifies the roadmap, we have a tentative deadline of
July 1, 2012, for moving to Gestalt, though many of us feel that we could
accomplish this more rapidly.  A number of steps are required to get from this
point to the end point, including legal work, technical work, and firm project
management.

Regardless, we are optimistic that we will finally move forward.  I appreciate
everybody's patience and hope you all will continue to support and foster our
community as we work.  As one of the (marginally competant) programmers
involved with some of these projects, I will attempt to keep you informed of
what I'm working on in Coding ISCABBS>, and requests for features should be
directed to Future>.

Thank you again for sticking with us.

(Turanga Leela/15697) How could it be reinstated if I have never been twitted?

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:56:00 -0600

How could it be reinstated if I have never been twitted?

(KAM/15696) Reinstate the -TWIT- flag.

KAM@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:09:00 -0600

Reinstate the -TWIT- flag.

(Lammam P Yrruf/15695) I move we censure Kim.

Lammam P Yrruf@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:30:00 -0600

I move we censure Kim.

(Turanga Leela/15694) True. I was going rogue on that post.

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:03:00 -0600

True. I was going rogue on that post.

(Copper Lethe/15693) What do you mean "On behalf of ISCA??"

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:57:00 -0600


What do you mean "On behalf of ISCA??"
We never voted on such a thing!

(Turanga Leela/15692) On behalf of ISCA I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christma...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:12:00 -0600

On behalf of ISCA I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy
Hannukah, and whatever else may apply. :)

(Smoke Eater/15691) Aye laddie, I dinna ken what ye're tryin ta elucidate...

Smoke Eater@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:09:00 -0600

Aye laddie, I dinna ken what ye're tryin ta elucidate...

*floats away into the rafters, expelling a noxious cloud of gas from the rear*

(Guardian Angel/15690) IIRC, there was kinda of an 'ethos' or some other BS that SDF an...

Guardian Angel@rss.iscabbs.com — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:24:00 -0600

IIRC, there was kinda of an 'ethos' or some other BS that SDF and the
'regulars' in Flirting lived by. Anything outside of what they considered the
norm for their roleplay (and that's what it was - it was roleplay) was
viciously stomped on.

Not the purpose of the forum, AFAIK.

(Fuxy Duxy/15689) $33 a pop...

Fuxy Duxy@rss.iscabbs.com — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:24:00 -0600

$33 a pop...

(Lammam P Yrruf/15688) Brought us fifteen people, assuming ten lost being the mode, and...

Lammam P Yrruf@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:44:00 -0500

Brought us fifteen people, assuming ten lost being the mode, and a net gain of
five.

(Miser/15687) The 9-29 jump was from the Google Ads campaign we ran around tha...

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:08:00 -0500

The 9-29 jump was from the Google Ads campaign we ran around that time.  And it
only cost us $500!  Here's the ad:

ISCABBS Log In Now
www.iscabbs.com [+1]
Get all your Internet
vitriol, drama and
info in one place.
Now in color!

(Egregious/15686) I track them unofficially. Here's from the past six months or so

Egregious@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 09:54:00 -0500


I track them unofficially. Here's from the past six months or so
measured every ten days or so:

04-09 671
04-19 667
04-29 666
05-09 658
05-19 673
05-29 663
06-09 666
06-19 655
06-29 653
07-09 658
07-19 649
07-29 648
08-09 640
08-19 639
08-29 635
09-09 625
09-19 616
09-29 621
10-09 610
10-19 614
10-29 ~614

(Giraffe/15685) Kirk used to do that.

Giraffe@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:53:00 -0500

Kirk used to do that.

(Tomte/15684) I can't remember if it was this forum or some other one where so...

Tomte@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:50:00 -0500

I can't remember if it was this forum or some other one where someone had stats
on the number of current ISCABBS users, and the rate of decline per month.

Just wondering what the current numbers are, and if there has been any
levelling off in decline....

(Copper Lethe/15683) Wrong forum.

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:45:00 -0500


Wrong forum.

(Danix/15682) Clockworks> Yup, I've met those kind of guys/gals before. Yes, i...

Danix@rss.iscabbs.com — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:57:00 -0500

Clockworks> Yup, I've met those kind of guys/gals before. Yes, it's sad when
you realize that one of your friends has a girlfriend who's twice his age, and
lives 4000 miles away. Yeeowch! (Not on the age difference thing, but on the
4000 miles one.)

However, there are people who don't consider "meeting someone who you met
online" as actually meeting people. It usually goes under a weird premise that
you HAVE to meet people at a bar, pub, disco, party, whatever. They just can't
understand that people may meet under different circumstances; one of my ex-GFs
I met "on the net", but the actual situation was that she was one of our
client's contact with our company, and thus I chatted a lot with her. This link
didn't die even after we quit our corresponding jobs, we actually met IRL and
started dating after a couple of months.

(Copper Lethe/15677) Awesome, thanks for looking into that, Miser.

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 02:53:00 -0500


Awesome, thanks for looking into that, Miser.

(Miser/15676) I just got an email back.. not bad on the response time! It loo...

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:28:00 -0500

I just got an email back.. not bad on the response time!  It looks like they
changed the rating and category to what I suggested.  I just tested it with a
machine with the Trend Micro client and it works.

Website
http://www.iscabbs.com

New Safety Rating
(originally rated as "Dangerous" by Trend Micro)
Safe

New Content Type
(originally categorized as "Proxy Avoidance; Phishing" by Trend Micro)
Social Networking

(Lammam P Yrruf/15675) Please keep us informed. Thanks!

Lammam P Yrruf@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:09:00 -0500

Please keep us informed.  Thanks!

(Miser/15674) Done. Apparently, they will be writing me back to let me know t...

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:59:00 -0500

Done.  Apparently, they will be writing me back to let me know the result.

(Lochner/15673) May as well.

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:56:00 -0500


May as well.

(Miser/15672) After a quick review of the code, I don't see anything else it c...

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:45:00 -0500

After a quick review of the code, I don't see anything else it could be.  Is
java sometimes used for phishing?  That's the only disconnect I see between the
explanation and the report.

I've been sent a confirmation email from Trend Micro to verify my identity and
that I submitted the request.  Should I confirm?

(WORF/15671) Oh, it might be the Jave telent client that's setting it off.

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:42:00 -0500


Oh, it might be the Jave telent client that's setting it off.

(Miser/15670) Trend Micro lists the site as "Dangerous" with the categories "P...

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:38:00 -0500

Trend Micro lists the site as "Dangerous" with the categories "Proxy Avoidance"
and "Phishing".  I've submitted a request to have the dangerous tag removed and
the site re-categorized as "Social Networking".

(WORF/15669) Has anyone checked the code on the page?

WORF@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:38:00 -0500


Has anyone checked the code on the page?

It's possible that it may have been comrimised at a some point.

(Miser/15668) And, for whatever reason, Trend Micro seems to flag it as danger...

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:33:00 -0500

And, for whatever reason, Trend Micro seems to flag it as dangerous.  The
details show "Verified fraudulent page or threat source."

(Lochner/15667) We might consider updating the web site. It may not get a ton o...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:24:00 -0500


We might consider updating the web site.  It may not get a ton of hits but
people will sometimes hit it from Wikipedia, etc.  Right now it looks like
nobody loves it.

(Turanga Leela/15666) Way prior to the NPO.

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 06:02:00 -0500

Way prior to the NPO.

(Lochner/15665) NPO was ... 2002-2004 ish? I thought Gestalt was a creature of ...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 05:55:00 -0500


NPO was ... 2002-2004 ish?  I thought Gestalt was a creature of the 90's.

(Copper Lethe/15664) Were the political issues surrounding Gestalt before or after th...

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 05:38:00 -0500


Were the political issues surrounding Gestalt before or after the creation of
the NPO?

(Lochner/15662) ISCA Development> is now open.

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:59:00 -0500

 ISCA Development> is now open.

(Turanga Leela/15661) I will respond in Future>

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:28:00 -0500

I will respond in Future>

(Banshee/15660) Turanga Leela> Sorry, I meant to say "Mail" and not "Email" ......

Banshee@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:23:00 -0500


Turanga Leela>  Sorry, I meant to say "Mail" and not "Email" ... as in, Mail>
the users their passwords here -- on the old BBS -- so when they log in here
they have record on how to log in to the new system.

People that abide by this will have a seemless migration.  A Lobby post should
also be made echoing the same instructions.  Provided we do this soon enough
(like next week), and given the Linux port will take more than 4 months to
finish, there should be no users who didn't get the message.

(Lochner/15659) "Lochner> Here's an alternative migration plan:"

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:24:00 -0500


"Lochner>  Here's an alternative migration plan:"

  I'll respond in Future>.

(Turanga Leela/15658) Banshee>

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:18:00 -0500

Banshee>
and when 50% or more of the email addresses turn out to be outdated, how much
of that userbase will try to get it resolved?

(Banshee/15657) Lochner> Here's an alternative migration plan:

Banshee@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 08:05:00 -0500


Lochner>  Here's an alternative migration plan:

1)  Get the Linux port up and running at bbs2.iscabbs.com.

2)  During that time, gather a list of "all" (or at least "active" users).

3)  Create those users into the new system with randomly generated passwords.

4)  Email those random passwords to those users via the "old" BBS along with a
    template message on how to connect to the "new" BBS.  Divide this task to
    "trusted" users or sysops.

5)  Get a list of all the forums and re-create them in the new BBS with the
    proper FM assigned (if the FM wasn't in the user migration list, add them
    to it).  Divide this task to as many people who will help.

 ... Now we are operating in dual-BBS mode ...

6)  When FMs log into the new system, they can update the FI from the old BBS.
    They can also deal with invite-only forums however they see fit.

7)  At this point, users can test the new system and bugs can be filed/fixed.

8)  Research on how to import forum posts can be explored during this phase as
    well.

9)  At some point, everyone signs off on the Linux version, bbs2.iscabbs.com
    becomes bbs.iscabbs.com, the forum posts are either imported or they
    aren't, the old bbs code/machine is retired and we are off to the races.

(Turanga Leela/15654) Yeah, you might have to go back to eating pieces of shit for bre...

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 07:51:00 -0500

Yeah, you might have to go back to eating pieces of shit for breakfast again as
Shooter McGavin! :-D

(Ace High/15653) i can live with or without it.

Ace High@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 07:48:00 -0500

i can live with or without it.

if anyone tries to steal this username, i'll steal their fucking eyeballs from
them. in their sleep.

(Lochner/15652) I think there's some legitimate issues -- one, the BBS isn't agg...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 07:28:00 -0500


I think there's some legitimate issues -- one, the BBS isn't aggressively
staffed and going back through to re-verify everybody for TWR and TMR would be
a hassle, even if it's only a few dozen people.

Second, we could sidestep the issue of the resident Douche Brigade hijacking
user names and masquerading as others.

Third, Mail>, aidelines, forum history, etc, are all preserved and don't need
to be re-created.

None of this stuff is ABSOLUTELY VITAL but it'd sure be nice to make a smooth
cutover, and if that's something within the realm of reasonable possibility if
we can simply regain some access to the box, it's an avenue worth pursuing, if
for no other reason than to firmly establish that access has been indefinitely
lost.

(Banshee/15651) I'm not sure if I speak for everyone, but I don't see any issues...

Banshee@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 07:21:00 -0500


I'm not sure if I speak for everyone, but I don't see any issues whatsoever
with not even bothering to migrate forum data or worrying about invite-only
forums users or x messages or anything.

There's just not enough user activity to really care about.  Start the forums
form scratch.  Losing the past is a small price to pay for taking a step
forward into the future.  Anyone still logging into this dinosaur isn't going
to stop doing so because they have to get re-invited to a forum or clean up
their enemies list...

(Tanj/15650 Forum Moderator) I have updated the forum info to include the ISCA board members.

Tanj@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 07:21:00 -0500

I have updated the forum info to include the ISCA board members.

Please keep this discussion on-topic, or else the few people who are
actually reading it will stop.

(Copper Lethe/15649) "If the issue with migration to

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 06:59:00 -0500


"If the issue with migration to
Linux is testing, why does the private data of the current BBS need to be
involved at all?"

Part of the migration is converting the datafiles to x86.  In fact, that's the
part that we need to test.  We need to test the conversion of the current data,
essentially making sure that everyone can see their Mail>, invite-only forums,
etc.  We only have the ability to check public forums, so we need to run a test
BBS, with current userdata, and involve the userbase in testing.

"There's no need for access to the current BBS
private data to get a test BBS up and running (unless I am completely missing
something.. am I?)"

Yep, you are.  See above.  It's impossible to test the migration of the data
without the data.

"I guess this boils down to: ISCA has the ball and hasn't, apparently, wanted
to
play"

That's not an accurate assessment.  ISCA does want to play.

(Miser/15648) You've gotta blame it on something.

Miser@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 06:58:00 -0500

You've gotta blame it on something.

(Lochner/15647) It keeps falling, falling.

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 06:45:00 -0500

It keeps falling, falling.

(Ace High/15646) well, i blame it on the rain.

Ace High@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 06:40:00 -0500

well, i blame it on the rain.

(Lochner/15645) As I understand it:

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 06:12:00 -0500


As I understand it:

  This is the current HP/UX version:   http://iscabbs.com/iscabbs.tar.gz

  This is the Linux port:              http://iscabbs.com/files/iscabbs.tar.gz

"If the issue with migration to Linux is testing, why does the private data of
the current BBS need to be involved at all?"

  Ideally, they'd like to migrate the existing usernames, account data, post
history, Mail> history, forum info, etc.  And my understanding is that the
programming and tools to accomplish this is 90% complete, and once testing is
done, we can move to Linux with almost literally 2-3 key strokes.

  However, if we have lost access to the old box indefinitely, we obviously
would have to manually migrate everything, with some losses.  This is the
project I was talking about running in Future>, but that's a lot of work and if
we can avoid it by recovering machine access, I think we should.  My
understanding is that the Board is actively engaged in this process.

"Can a testing server be provided and people invited to create accounts, to use
it, to socialize and engage in discussion in some selection of test forums with
the understanding that it's temporary?"

  This is a Future> topic I think, but I agree.  I think it would do wonders
for the BBS community's interest in participating in development if we could
agree to an "official" development platform/location, an "official" bug
list/feature list for people to add things to, and let people go use the test
system to try out new stuff.  Once we migrate, that "official" test platform
can continue to be the test platform, we'll need one anyway.

"Once the Linux port is ready for prime-time, the test data can be deleted and
the actual BBS data migrated.  There's no need for access to the current BBS
private data to get a test BBS up and running (unless I am completely missing
something.. am I?)"

  Exactly.

"If we have access to the working Linux code, why is access to "official"
(Tiberius'?) server necessary?"

  See above.  We can instantly and seamlessly migrate everything.

"I guess this boils down to: ISCA has the ball and hasn't, apparently, wanted
to play.  Can we copy the ball and go play with it somewhere else and then pass
it back to ISCA once it's done?"

  As I've said in Future>, whether or not this is or was true, there appears to
be good, positive momentum going right now and I think it's a mistake to chip
away at it with blame, negativity, or complaining.  I recommend that we foster
and support the current mood, which is enthusiastic and forward-looking, and
stop trying to figure out who to blame.

(Dr Doctor/15644) What code is in the iscabbs.tar.gz file? Is that the current HP...

Dr Doctor@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 06:01:00 -0500


What code is in the iscabbs.tar.gz file?  Is that the current HP-UX code or is
this the Linux code that's awaiting testing?  If the issue with migration to
Linux is testing, why does the private data of the current BBS need to be
involved at all?  Can a testing server be provided and people invited to create
accounts, to use it, to socialize and engage in discussion in some selection of
test forums with the understanding that it's temporary?

Once the Linux port is ready for prime-time, the test data can be deleted and
the actual BBS data migrated.  There's no need for access to the current BBS
private data to get a test BBS up and running (unless I am completely missing
something.. am I?)

If we have access to the working Linux code, why is access to "official"
(Tiberius'?) server necessary?  Can that code not be deployed, tested, and
developed outside of the server to which access cannot be granted?  Once that
code is complete, can it not be deployed on some server acceptable to ISCA?

I guess this boils down to: ISCA has the ball and hasn't, apparently, wanted to
play.  Can we copy the ball and go play with it somewhere else and then pass it
back to ISCA once it's done?

(Copper Lethe/15643) The Policyboard helpfile is way out of date.

Copper Lethe@rss.iscabbs.com — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 04:47:00 -0500


The Policyboard helpfile is way out of date.

Ace High, Lunenburg and Townsaver are no longer board members.
It also doesn't list myself, Turanga Leela, Diarmid or Thobby as board members.

(Turanga Leela/15642) Mar 17, 2011 13:25 from Banshee

Turanga Leela@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:47:00 -0500

Mar 17, 2011 13:25 from Banshee

It would be cool to one day edit this...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISCABBS#Moving_to_new_software

[ISCA Communications> msg #15618 (22 remaining)] Read cmd ->

It would. I'm the one who authored that section when I was cleaning
up some vandalism Nikk pooped on that page. :)

(Sheik Yerbouti/15641) The officers of the ISCA NPO are listed in the ISCA helpfile (al...

Sheik Yerbouti@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:10:00 -0500


The officers of the ISCA NPO are listed in the ISCA helpfile (although
Honeybunny is no longer Treasurer...that should be fixed).

(Giraffe/15640) There's been a need to change it since August 1, 2007 at least.

Giraffe@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:40:00 -0500

There's been a need to change it since August 1, 2007 at least.

(Lochner/15639) To be fair, there's been little need to change it.

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:38:00 -0500


To be fair, there's been little need to change it.

(River Rat/15638) Being the FI hasn't changed since July 25, 2007.

River Rat@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:36:00 -0500

Being the FI hasn't changed since July 25, 2007.

(Lochner/15637) Tanj is the FM, I believe. While I'm sure he's reading the room...

Lochner@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:32:00 -0500


Tanj is the FM, I believe.  While I'm sure he's reading the room, we might drop
him a Mail> as a courtesy to suggest it.

(Giraffe/15636) DrMemory: Is there some way to put that list in the FI?

Giraffe@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:28:00 -0500

DrMemory: Is there some way to put that list in the FI?

(Guardian Angel/15635) IIRC, it's because we had to have a formal organization in order...

Guardian Angel@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:00:00 -0500

IIRC, it's because we had to have a formal organization in order to get UIowa
to allow the board to leave its premises intact.

(River Rat/15634) Why do we need an NPO to begin with?

River Rat@rss.iscabbs.com — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:56:00 -0500

Why do we need an NPO to begin with?