Synchronet Version 4 (Meta List)

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.