This Upgrade will make Netlink completely a 32 bit program and hopefully increase its performance. Also it will work quite differently from the current Netlink. The current Netlink operates through the Winlink Dll and as such makes calls directly to Winlink. As you know Winlink is a 16 bit program, which means that in order to access the Winlink Dll, the calls to Winlink have to be also made with a 16 bit program. Additionally this also means that Netlink is locked to Winlink and is not available to any other BBS programs. Also, every time a change is made in Netlink or an improvement is made in Winlink, they become dependent on each other to make similar changes so that they continue to work together. Well no more. Hopefully if the planned version works well, the two programs will become completely independent of each other. Netlink will access Winlink through its Import/Export features and it will be able to do the same for other programs that have Import/Export capability such as FBB. Also, Winlink will no longer use the RAS to dial and all its attendant problems, but will make a direct connection directly to the dialup network. This will solve problems that people using various different servers have had in the past, and problems incurred by those people running on a lan.
It is presently expected that this new version will be available for release somtime around the first of the year.
Both Hans, N8PGR and Jim, W5EUT have been hard at work. Not only will there be major changes in Netlink but Hans has had to redo several modules of Winlink and also has had to redo the Winlink.Dll to accompany the changes that Jim is making. Both of them have been hard at it, and hopefully the cooperative effort of both of them will see great improvements in both programs in the near future.