root@.UUCP (Larry Snyder) (08/14/89)
I am running Sandy's latest XBBS and am allowing my users (registered) access to usenet. Is there any way in the configuration to allow all users access to reading usenet messages but to lock them out of posting to replying? Also - is there a way to pass the users name into postnews so the message originates from the user on the bbs rather than from bbs? -- Larry Snyder uucp: iuvax!ndcheg!ndmath!nstar!larry The Northern Star XBBS/usenet Site Fidonet: 1:227/1 Notre Dame, Indiana USA 219-289-3745 (PEP) 219-287-9020 (HST)
palowoda@fiver.UUCP (Bob Palowoda) (08/17/89)
In article <43@.UUCP>, root@.UUCP (Larry Snyder) writes: > I am running Sandy's latest XBBS and am allowing my users (registered) > access to usenet. Is there any way in the configuration to allow all > users access to reading usenet messages but to lock them out of posting > to replying? Not directly, what I did is modified the source when it enters the u(S)net menu it checks for a security level. From there is a spawns two different versions of readnews or vnews, one that has all the shell access and replies stripped out if the security level is not high enough. Bumping up the security level allows the users to access the orig rnews and vnews along with postnews. If you interested I can send you the source changes. > > Also - is there a way to pass the users name into postnews so the > message originates from the user on the bbs rather than from bbs? This would be an excellent imporvement. I been trying to figure out a way to do this myself. What would be nice is if the xbbs software would create a single user profile in the /bbsfiles/usenet/Firstname/Lastname directory. In there it would have there .sig file, term profile, editor type, .newsrc etc. Also allowing users to edit the files in this directory. Somehow there would have to be a translation between the bbs users full name to a psudo unix account name the mailer can handle. I don't really want to create a login name everytime a new users logs in. How does ufgate for fidonet handle this? Another option (which would have to be built into the news reader, is the ability to send the article that your reading with xmodem or zmodem at the time the users reading it. ---Bob -- Bob Palowoda *Home of Fiver BBS* login: bbs Home {sun,dasiy}!ys2!fiver!palowoda (415)-623-8809 1200/2400 Work {sun,pyramid,decwrl}!megatest!palowoda (415)-623-8806 1200/2400/9600/19200 Voice: (415)-623-7495 Public access UNIX system
jackv@turnkey.gryphon.COM (Jack F. Vogel) (08/20/89)
In article <43@.UUCP> root@.UUCP (Larry Snyder) writes: >I am running Sandy's latest XBBS and am allowing my users (registered) >access to usenet. Is there any way in the configuration to allow all >users access to reading usenet messages but to lock them out of posting >to replying? > >Also - is there a way to pass the users name into postnews so the >message originates from the user on the bbs rather than from bbs? Have you heard of that old-fashioned procedure "hacking the code" :-} !! No, seriously when turnkey was running XBBS, I had a modified version of readnews that the users were allowed to execute. It basically would only allow the commands that would allow reading the news while giving a message to the effect that posting and replying was not allowed if they tried to use those commands. A trivial little programming exercise. Now as to how to differentiate between those that are registered and you will allow to post and those unregistered that cannot, since sandy has a privelege associated with any of the commands you could simply have two different commands in the menu, one that was readonly and the other (with a higher privelege) that allows replies and posting as well. Of course, there could be fancier schemes but this seems quick and simple. Now on the matter of how to pass the users real name into postnews, that would be a little trickier, I imagine you could take the users name known to the bbs process and put it into the environment and then make sure that readnews gets if from there. I believe that's the way it works anyway. This, however is going to involve hacking the XBBS code as well. Anyway, with a little imagination it should be doable. My real question is, "WHY do it in the first place???". If you are going to allow individuals all the privelege of inserting their two cents out into the net why not just give them a shell account and be done with it?? Unless you have already altered readnews they could shell out of it anyway. Oh well, just my humble opinion. -- Jack F. Vogel jackv@seas.ucla.edu AIX Technical Support - or - Locus Computing Corp. jackv@ifs.umich.edu