[Oberon] Multiple incompatibilities with ISPs

[Edgar Schwarz]

Hi Chris,

eas-lab at absamail.co.za wrote:
> NetSystem.Def expects the syntax:
>      ":" ["//"] [ user [ ":" password ] "@" ] host [ "/" ].
> So "@" is the delimiter between the 'user-token' and the 'host-token'.
> 
> When my ISP (apparently merged with another and) changed my
> 'user-token' to include the "@" char, this broke the expected syntax
> for NetSystem.Mod.
I just used the the existing NetSystem.SetUser command to maintain also
the PAP user/password pairs.
It seems that I must change that. I can imagine several simple 
solutions. Give me a couple of days and the problem should be fixed.

> I could investigate the RFCs, but am reluctant to do so, given my 
> perception of ETH's 'management policy': individuals hacking away
> privately and submitting results without feedback/openness.
As long as it concerns PPP I would be happy to receive bugfixes or
improvements.

> I propose an OPEN project be initated to fix these problems: several
> persons looking into this matter.  This could allow the less adventutous
> to also use Sysytem 3 for internet access.  No system can be considered 
> complete without internet access.   The whole beauty of the GUI is lost
> if users have to change to another OS to do internet access.
I'm at the moment experimenting with versioning of files using
some Oberon CGI programs at my provider. So this could be a nice means
to organize such a project. But I'm sorry to say that I don't have much
time at the moment for Oberon so progress is slow.
Perhaps you wonder why I don't propose Sourceforge for such a project
but I fear that S3 couldn't cope with Sourceforge's Webinterface.

> Related to this is a (seldom occuring) problem that when a modem 
> connection is abnormally disconnected, the next time on-line needs
> to pre-boot (or several strategically timed Crtl/break).   Apparently
> the abnormally disconnection doesn't allow a required reset/initialise.
> This symptom exists on Ver 2.3.2, 2.3.6, alpha 2001; and with different
> modems.
It could be a problem of the PPP state machine or the Dialer process.
But problems which only happen once in a while are different to find.


Cheers, Edgar