clubmac@runx.ips.oz (Macintosh Users Group) (11/14/87)
We are currently operating a BBS for our members, using Red Ryder Host 1.4.
Demand is such that we need to add a second line, if possible.
Does anyone know whether Scott Watson will come out with a multi-user version
of Red Ryder Host?
Also, has anyone found a different solution? I've been thinking that TOPS might
be useful.
Thanks in advance,
Jason Haines, President
Club Mac Macintosh Users Group, Sydney, Australia
Phone Home: +61-2-73-4444
Snail: Box 213, Holme Building, Sydney University, NSW, 2006, Australia
ACSnet: clubmac@runx.ips.oz ARPA: clubmac%runx.ips.oz@uunet.css.gov
UUCP:{enea,hplabs,mcvax,prlb2,uunet,ubc-vision,ukc}!munnari!runx.ips.oz!clubmacbuzz@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Mahboud Zabetian) (11/18/87)
We have to Mac XLs hooked up via appletalk and TOPS. They both have access to eachothers hard disks. Everything workes fine except that you can't have them sharing the same MSGS files. Otherwise in case of simultaneous writes, the file gets corrupted and you will lose any new news items. You also need different CALLERLOGs and CONFIG files. The menus, the up/download files, initmodem, userlog, and most other files can be shared by the two BBSs, so you only need to have one copy of them. Let me know if you come up with anything better. Mahboud Zabetian -- sysop Princeton MUG BBS (609) 921-6925 -- Mahboud Zabetian buzz@phoenix.princeton.edu 183 Little Hall (609) 520-1270 Princeton University (609) 734-7760 Princeton, NJ 08544 buzz@issun.princeton.edu
hammen@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Robert Joseph Hammen) (11/18/87)
In article <1219@runx.ips.oz> clubmac@runx.ips.oz (Macintosh Users Group) writes: > >We are currently operating a BBS for our members, using Red Ryder Host 1.4. >Demand is such that we need to add a second line, if possible. > >Does anyone know whether Scott Watson will come out with a multi-user version >of Red Ryder Host? Actually, does anyone know if Scott Watson plans to revise Red Ryder Host in the near future? It seems to me that Red Ryder is enough to keep anyone busy and since RRH hasn't really had any new features added since its release in March of '86, I don't expect to see much. >Also, has anyone found a different solution? I've been thinking that TOPS might >be useful. The only other solution I've seen is the one that many user groups seem to be taking - run your BBS on an IBM/clone. This is not as bad as it sounds. In the IBM world there are many bulletin board programs that let you have multi-line support, threaded messages, conferencing, a zillion different upload/download formats not supported in Red Ryder Host (YMODEM/Kermit), far superior sysop functions, and more. Some of these programs are free. Another thing to consider is that the cost of a basic clone system with, say, an 80MB hard drive is much less than a comparable Mac system. The main problem with using the Mac as a BBS machine is that you are really wasting the machine. One of the best features of the Mac is the user interface, and you lose that completely with all current Mac BBS software. It's like using a bulldozer to shovel your sidewalk - not the best application of the tool. You could use TOPS for the PC with TOPS for the Mac to transfer files over (you would need to use BinHex 5.0 on them first). Or, if that proposition is too expensive, MacLink will do the job, albeit a bit slowly. BTW, if there are any Mac developers out there who are scratching their heads trying to think of possible applications for the Mac, consider BBS software with a Mac interface. It would open up the mysterious world of telecommunications to the novice just as the Mac user interface opened up the world of the computer to the novice. (Evangelism mode off). ========================================================================= Robert Hammen Computer Applications, Inc. hammen@csd4.milw.wisc.edu Delphi: HAMMEN GEnie: R.Hammen CI$: 70701,2104
lih@cunixc.UUCP (11/19/87)
In response to Scott Watson's plans for the new Red Ryder Host BBS... I hang on EchoMac a lot, which is a FidoNet section for Mac users and Scott Watson is collaborating with the author of Tabby BBS Michael Connick, to add compatibility for EchoMac, so expect to see support for EchoMac in the next version of RRH which may be very far down the road, since it will be a major overhaul... I think that the general consensus on EchoMac is that a BBS for the Mac with a graphics interface would be too limiting and would isolate the Mac from other computers, since the not all people who log into Mac BBSs use a Mac. This may sound strange, but an important point that they are trying to push is compatibility with other computers and protocols. There was a big push on EchoMac to get Ray Lau to put ARC capability in Stuffit, but it seems that there is a separate undertaking for ARC, as some other programmers are using Leo Laporte's (author of MacArc) code and adding the ability to create ARC files. It will be a while before Scott Watson gets another BBS software package out, but when he does, you can bet that it will be compatible with EchoMac and Tabby... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Andrew A Lih Computer Consultant Columbia Universtiy Center for Computing Activities lih@cunixc.columbia.edu ...rutgers!columbia!cunixc!lih "Yeah man, c'mon....let's do crimes...." from that incredible movie "Repo Man" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~