From: Doug Kaufman <dkaufman AT rahul DOT net>
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject: Re: What's up with Simtel?
Date: 23 Feb 2001 03:36:20 GMT
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Martin Ambuhl <mambuhl AT earthlink DOT net> writes:


>While the ftp site for simtel seems to be unaffected, www.simtel.net
>seems to have no way to navigate to the djgpp (or gnuish) file section. 
>They no longer even have DJ's picture, which is a real loss.  What's the
>story here? (Their "contact us" page is useless now.  This may change
>sometime.)

I don't know the latest about the DJGPP aspect of Simtel, but Simtel has
not been able to pay for itself and is no longer being supported as it
was. The following is an excerpt from a private email to me from Keith
Petersen, the main archivist at Simtel for many years (posted with his
permission).


> Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2001 00:13:09 -0500 (EST)
> To: Doug Kaufman <dkaufman AT rahul DOT net>
> Subject: Re: The Simtel situation
> 
> Note: You may quote the information below on the net.
> 
> Doug, you wrote:
> ...
> > I know that Simtel was hosted at Walnut Creek CDRom, which has been
> > taken over by BSDI. How and when did Digital River get into this? I
> > see on the Simtel web site that they now claim that Simtel and
> > Simtel.net are registered trademarks of Digital River. How did title
> > pass to them?
> 
> Simtel.Net was bought by Digital River in October 1999 (see news
> release below).  Their funding model didn't work out as planned, so
> they're having to reduce costs.  This involves letting everybody go
> except David Kirschbaum (the Windows archivist) and try to implement
> an "automated system".
> 
> David has yet to see the automated system, so I haven't a clue what's
> going to be happening there.  But they feel there's too much hands-on
> work, and that the entire archive business can be simplified.
> 
> I don't know what will happen to Simtel.Net - maybe it will automate,
> maybe not.  But it's certain that I won't be a part of it.  And though
> David might be wearing the "Archivist" hat (rather than just the
> "Windows Archivist" sig he's used for the past few years) I don't know
> how long he will be there either.
> 
> ...
> --
> Keith Petersen, President & CEO
> Petersen Data Management, Inc.
-- 
Doug Kaufman
Internet: dkaufman AT rahul DOT net