GitLab

Version 4 would introduce things I'd like to do, but hestitate due to backward compatibility (v2 & v3):

• Eliminate binary configuration files (.cnf) in favor of .ini.
• Eliminate .cfg files in favor of .ini.
• Eliminate the sub-board ptridx nightmare.
• Eliminate the node configuration files.
• Allow integration of newslink.cfg, listserver.ini, etc (areas.bbs?) with subs.ini (or whatever).
• Rename sbbs.ini to startup.ini supporting custom versions using hostname syntax only.
• Eliminate many binary data (.dab) files in favor of text (csv, tab, or ini).
• Replace user.dat with user.tab:
• • Problems with current format: field lengths, no end-of-record marker,
• • no end-of-field marker for full-length fields
• • Use a fixed-field/record length, tab-delimited, line base format which would
• • import directly into databases/spreadsheets (e.g. Excel), allow for pretty
• • easy extensibility. Maybe variable field lengths (not as pretty) with padding
• • at end of line to generate fixed record length.
• Eliminate SMB .sch (CRC history) files (redundant with new .hash file support).
• Create data/subs/.ini file to store all application-specific per-sub data (like import/export pointers for SBBSecho, newslink, etc.).
• Use SMB for file databases.
• Replace hard-coded file area functions (e.g. file listings, etc.) with JS modules.
• Replace message (subs/mail) reading functions with JS module.
• (possibly) remove Baja support (only if there's a really good reason).
• Create a stand alone event thread (not part of telnet/rlogin server), with separate, per host (not node) configuration.