Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!watdragon!crocus!rtczegledi
From: rtczegledi@crocus.waterloo.edu (Richard Czegledi)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: I need a BBS to buy an Amiga!
Message-ID: <15782@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Date: 9 Aug 89 16:12:50 GMT
References: <20189@louie.udel.EDU> <20717@cup.portal.com> <1587@elroy.uh.edu> <21007@cup.portal.com> <1775@elroy.uh.edu>
Sender: daemon@watdragon.waterloo.edu
Reply-To: rtczegledi@crocus.waterloo.edu (Richard Czegledi)
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Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
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Re:  Good BBS type thing that lets you write online games easily etc...

I've been working on such a beast for over a month, and it's nearing
completion.  I'm probably going to be offering a version SHAREWARE
with a significantly enhanced version for registered users.

My BBS system (if you can call it that) is 'Way' ahead of anything else
out for the amiga at present.  I have a compiled menu system, that's
**REALLY** easy to use and loaded with possibilities.  The whole shabang
is written in Arexx (yes, you need Arexx to run it) and the registed
version will support Multiline, along with a multiline chat.
The system is fast.  Even at 19.2k (I test it on my terminal) unlike things
like atredes which creep along at 2400 baud.  Doors can be written in
arexx, and are loaded in and executed quickly as modules for the BBS.
The BBS uses 80k of FAST RAM (so far) and no chip ram (unless you count the
small console window that lists info). 

Most of the BBS is made up of doors as well (saves memory when running)
and there are several utilities and games that I've written.

It pains my brain to see how long the amiga's gone without a powerful
BBS system.  Sure, there are a lot around, but none offer any great variety
of special features, whereas my system gives you LOADS of teriffic things.


Some of the things I've got are:  Pretend Page Lists (A list of users you
don't want paging you.  when they do page, it only beeps on their end).
Onlypage is a list of the ->only<- people to page you.
When you log on, you are in the lobby, where a certain # of services are
available to users who haven't logged on.  From there you can execute any
of the services the sysop wants.  You can also 'log on' and when you logon,
any additional services available to you will appear in the lobby.  I am
writing utilities to interface existing usenet and fido systems to the bbs.
The message system is also cool.  Something like a cross between Opus's
message reader and magpie's tree structured message system.

The whole thing is sort of 'elegent'.  The actual "BBS" part of the "BBS" is
only 10 lines.  The rest is all support functions (which doors can use,
thereby making doors pretty easy to write).

I'm getting lots of input on the system from local bbs'ers and it's going
well.  File transfer protocols are also doors, so you can easily add new
protocols.  That touches on some general points about it.  We plan on calling
it 'PONS -acadamy-'.  The shareware version won't be crippled like Metro BBS
was, but it won't have things like my 'radical' ansi editor, which also lets
you create the menu files, and can extract ascii menu's from the ansi ones.
Also the shareware version won't have the super-sysop-utilities.

I don't know what else to say.  Look for it about a month from now when
the number of the BBS will be available for calling.
-PONS- and the contents of this message are copyright by
Spaghetti Western Words and Images
100 Kinzie Ave.
Kitchener, Ontario
N2A 2J6   TELNUM: 519-578-8525