Hi All,

Not sure if you are aware of these things, so I thought I'd send a quick
update on the wonder that is Michael Brutman's mTCP stack for DOS computers.

Mr Brutman himself is about to release an updated version of mTCP in the next 2-4 weeks (first release since 2020). This release will focus on stability
and adding support for a local hosts file. He has been running his mTCP HTTP server on his 4.77MHz PCJr as a test site for 569 hrs non stop at the time of writing. Check it out over at brutmanlabs.org if you are interested in that.

I had been bugging Michael for a while about adding extended keyboard support to mTCP. For example, having the use of PgUp/PgDn when goin through message bases is a real godsend, and the current version doesn't support this. He hasn't gotten around to adding that support yet, however 'jphyle' (github.com/jhpyle/mTCP) has done so. And... a lot more. His modified version of mTCP has support for Sixel graphics, which is insane. I've only just
started playing with it, but this means that if you telnet to a linux box
which you install the sixel binaries onto, you can get it to show you PNG,
JPG and GIF images. It supports Hercules, CGA and MCGA/VGA modes at present (bummer for me as I use EGA!, so I use CGA 4 colour instead). However, it is the most rad thing using the lynx browser and viewing images inside the
browser at the command line on a near 40 year old PC. I will make a video and put it up on YouTube when I get a moment. Aside from extended keyboard
support, sixel graphics, it also supports printing and mouse control. Yep,
you can even copy/paste with your DOS mode mouse.

Hit me up if you wanna know more.

Cheers,
Al


hyjinx // Alistair Ross
Author of 'Back to the BBS' Documentary: https://bit.ly/3tRINeL (YouTube) alsgeeklab.com

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Al's Geek Lab -=- bbs.alsgeeklab.com:2323 (21:1/126)

hyjinx wrote to All <=-

Mr Brutman himself is about to release an updated version of mTCP in
the next 2-4 weeks (first release since 2020). This release will focus
on stability and adding support for a local hosts file. He has been running his mTCP HTTP server on his 4.77MHz PCJr as a test site for 569 hrs non stop at the time of writing. Check it out over at
brutmanlabs.org if you are interested in that.

Very cool. I've been using mTCP under DOSBOX for some time, and it works
well.

EGA!, so I use CGA 4 colour instead). However, it is the most rad thing using the lynx browser and viewing images inside the browser at the command line on a near 40 year old PC. I will make a video and put it
up on YouTube when I get a moment. Aside from extended keyboard
support, sixel graphics, it also supports printing and mouse control.
Yep, you can even copy/paste with your DOS mode mouse.

Hit me up if you wanna know more.

Definitely - looking forward to hearing more!
... When in doubt, predict that the trend will continue.
--- MultiMail/DOS v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Mr Brutman himself is about to release an updated version of mTCP in the next 2-4 weeks (first release since 2020). This release will focus
on stability and adding support for a local hosts file. He has been

Interesting, I've not found any stability issues with mTCP in the past. I've got 4 installs, one for each node of the BBS and one for the mail handler.
Off hand I can't even recall what I'm doing with it.. I have used SNTP..
still always good to know its alive and kicking.

Spec


*** THE READER V4.50 [freeware]
--- SuperBBS v1.17-3 (Eval)
* Origin: A camel is a horse designed by a committee. (21:3/101)

On 04 Jun 2022, Spectre said the following...

Mr Brutman himself is about to release an updated version of mTCP in next 2-4 weeks (first release since 2020). This release will focus
on stability and adding support for a local hosts file. He has been

Interesting, I've not found any stability issues with mTCP in the past. I've got 4 installs, one for each node of the BBS and one for the mail handler. Off hand I can't even recall what I'm doing with it.. I have
used SNTP.. still always good to know its alive and kicking.

The main client stuff was pretty solid in my experience, however I never
really used the HTTPSRV application in anger. I think he has been spending
his time on that, and making it handle lots of connections on seriously
limited hardware, so for that you're going to need to implement some tight threading or something, so that's probably where his stability enhancements
are going. Will be interesting to see what his changelog shows when he releases.

Cheers,
Al


hyjinx // Alistair Ross
Author of 'Back to the BBS' Documentary: https://bit.ly/3tRINeL (YouTube) alsgeeklab.com

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Al's Geek Lab -=- bbs.alsgeeklab.com:2323 (21:1/126)

Mr Brutman himself is about to release an updated version of mTCP in the next 2-4 weeks (first release since 2020). This release will focus on stability and adding support for a local hosts file. He has been running his mTCP HTTP server on his 4.77MHz PCJr as a test site for 569 hrs non stop at the time of writing. Check it out over at brutmanlabs.org if you are interested in that.

LOL - I didn't realize that brutmanlabs.org was run on DOS/mTCP; thats cool. [And, totally makes sense now - derp!]

[Explanation of new mTCP and a fork]

Hit me up if you wanna know more.

Dude - I totally want to hear about the new mTCP and/or the fork you mentioned... I just recently got mTCP working on a FreeDOS install that I'm playing with - so I'm not actually on hardware, but it still breathes life into a DOS install... I'd be excited to play around with the new features, both mTCP supported and the fork w/ SIXEL.

Sure would make for an awesome Geek Lab video. :P Thanks for sharing, I'll try to follow the mTCP site.



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/04/03 (Raspberry Pi/32)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

On 07 Jun 2022, paulie420 said the following...

breathes life into a DOS install... I'd be excited to play around with
the new features, both mTCP supported and the fork w/ SIXEL.

Sure would make for an awesome Geek Lab video. :P Thanks for sharing,
I'll try to follow the mTCP site.

Sure, I'll get to work on a video. The issue is I want to show the client working on real hardware, and for that I need a better camera, taking footage of the monitor on my IBM PC (CRT 5153 EGA) is not easy to achieve without
nasty flickering even when apparently forcing shutter speeds. Anyway, I'll do it maybe this weekend. I have a 50th birthday party on Saturday so it will
have to be Sunday, and hopefully I don't have too much of a hangover ;)

Chur!
Al


hyjinx // Alistair Ross
Author of 'Back to the BBS' Documentary: https://bit.ly/3tRINeL (YouTube) alsgeeklab.com

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Al's Geek Lab -=- bbs.alsgeeklab.com:2323 (21:1/126)