We have some users who have an immediate need for mail-and-file services
within the institution and the local area.  These are doctors and
researchers who basically need to be able to exchange information and to
post and download files (like grant application notices, etc.).  It
sounds like a simple BBS system is all they would need, but I kind of
hate to institute this as a truly stand-alone system, because I just
-know- someone else is going to want to join in, or someone from outside
our region will join the workgroup, etc.
 
LISTSERVs offer the file archiving and mail management services but I
get the impression that "uploading" to the archives is not as simple as
in the BBS model.  The advantage, of course, is that anyone with
Internet access can get to the resources, without necessarily having to
make a long distance call.  Again, though, this will be
local-calling-area-only, at least for a while.
 
Gopher is the best menuing system I've seen for simple distribution but
lacks the facility for the user to send messages and files upstream.
 
Are there BBS-like products for use on Interneted machines (pc, Mac,
VAX/VMS)? (Would -prefer- not UNIX but we could learn...)  At the same
time, what BBS packages do you prefer these days and why?  It's been a
long time since I looked at BBS packages (RBBS, etc.) so I'm pretty well
out of touch with what's the current crop of features.  Where should I
go to find out?
 
Thanks for any comments and advice!
 
Theodore Allan (Ted) Morris, University of Cincinnati Medical Center
513-558-0177V, -2682F, [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask], WB8VNV
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