Re: Knock Knock

> You are out there in the middle of no-where...but it is good to hear from
> you.  WU-FTP needs a driving force to keep it alive and moving forward.
> With everyone's regular life activities - it has sat dormant for much of
> the time since you were around.

Um .. yes, I think you're correct .. the middle of somewhere around here ..
and it's the better part of a day's drive just to get to the edge of the
Real World.

> The key to making it a success, IMHO, is to put this thing through a
> rigourous design process - starting out with a requirements phase - then a
> design phase - before we commit to one line of code.

Absolutely.

> The requirements phase may include things like vendor independence (If you
> really want to see the windoz thing)

We really do need to support it.  Not older versions, but XP and Longhorn
should get our attention.  I'd perfer full native (ala msys) but cygwin
would be OK for a start.

There will also definitely needs to be an intuative and painless upgrade
path.

> The design phase really focuses on a technical design (allowing the
> implementation of those features) but more importantly, structures to
> facilitate implementaion, support, and maintenance.
>
> In looking at other projects - (Apache for example) there seems to be a
> number of architectural standards they build around.... Maybe would be
> good for this project as well.

Yes.  I've thought a lot about those issues and have no objection to
stealing good ideas when and where we find them.  The project should have a
structure, but it should not go so far as OpenOffice.org went.

> It may be worth (depending on how far we want to take this) to set up a
> sendmail.com/sendmail.org type of thing - hmmm - productize it?

Sounds good for the future.  Inc'ing is cheap.  Doing something with the
Inc, however, is probably too much for us right now.

> Just thoughts.
>
> Now tell me to go away...

What I see as the FIRST requirement is that there needs to be a small core
of dedicated people who really want to make it happen and have a collective
vision about it.  I've thought about, and once even started, doing it myself
but then it'd be Greg's FTP server and not really wu-FTPd Version 2.

Which brings me to a thought .. how about I put up a few of you in the guest
house for a weekend or so and let's really have some bull sessions to start
the design.  I'm sure it'd be a hassle for most to get here, but I cannot
leave and am feel sure a weekend floating in the lake talking (that's all
there is to do here) will get some excitement going.  Besides, if y'all are
like I was a few years ago, you need the R&R time desperately.

Since Ted, Bob and Tuc are still around I specifically invite you three.
Kent, too, if I can reach him.  I'd love it if some others could come the
the ones I'd really like to come are in the EU and Israel and I doubt they
could make it even if the KGB would let them in the country.

If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.  But I'd surely enjoy having
someone I can talk to around for a while.  I suggest doing it here because
(1) I cannot afford to travel and (2) I refuse to submit to the Nazis at the
airports.

Families (or gf, Tuc) are also welcome.  For those of you in the North, it's
actually cooler down here this summer than it has been up there, but the
humidity is so thick you can't tell where the water ends and the air begins.

If we want to turn it into a real conference there's a very good B&B in
Hartwell, and a Days Inn with wireless IP access on the edge of town.  I can
get meeting space any time I want by taking my father's key to the theatre.
(BTW, cf above, Hartwell is somewhat south of here.)