sandy@turnkey.TCC.COM (Sanford 'Sandy' Zelkovitz) (05/17/88)
I have been requested by numerous uucp messages to give a small break down
on the features within XBBS. Well here goes................
1) Up to 99 different bulletins
2) Up to 99 different message bases
3) Up to 99 different file bases
4) Addtional feature section where the system administrator can select up to
99 different external programs for the users to run. The selected programs
can optionally be run interactively or non-interactively.
( Used by many as the USENET link)
5) Up to 99 different selected files to read
6) A humor section
7) "Zip" mail section
8) A conference section
(Similar to CompuServe )
9) On line chat capability
10) On line help
11) System administrator designed questionnaire using the questionnaire
language.
12) Passwords
13) Command privileges
14) Adjustable usage time
15) Adjustable upload/download daily "byte" limits
16) Message of the day (pre-selected)
17) Shell escape ( like other commands, this too has a privilege level assigned)
18) The following file protocols are available for downloading:
sliding windows/standard kermit, zmodem, ymodem, batch-ymodem, crc-xmodem,
checksum-xmodem, ascii, SEAlink, and type.
19) The following file protocols are available for uploading:
(Same as downloading except for "type")
20) List the contents of an archive file ( .arc, .tar, or .tar.Z )
21) File directory summary
22) List all, new, or matched files
23) Each message base contains its own user log for rapid "new" message
information.
24) Indexed messages for rapid retreval and insertion.
25) Automatic enable of message deletion.
26) Private messages
27) Message reply
28) Message scan ( 2 different ones )
29) Read messages in either forward or reverse direction
30) Read only the messages that are for you
31) Select individual message
32) Message base summary ( by you, from you, and new to read )
33) Daily accounting log
34) Usage log
35) Online monitoring ( you see what the user sees ) if enabled
36) Forced chatting
37) File/record locking
38) Signal controlled
39) Alarms --- three different ones
a) login time limit
b) usage limit
c) response limit
40) 100% "C" code using SysV termio
Needless to say, there are MANY more features; however, I think that I mentioned
the main ones.
The following features will be in the next release:
1) Multiple directory file find
2) Request another user to go into CB with an ongoing conference.
I hope that the above information is of help.
Sandy ( 714-898-8634)
P.S. The full source code can be retrived from my system (750K uncompressed)
.......!ihnp4!hermix!alphacm!sandy
.......!trwrb!ucla-an!alphacm!sandy
.......!uunet!turnkey!alphacm!sandy
.......!ucbvax!ucivax!icnvax!alphacm!sandyroot@uwspan.UUCP (Sue Peru Sr.) (05/22/88)
First of all I wish to say that for a first program, Sandy has done an OK job with his XBBS software. This followup is not meant to be a stab in his back or anything at all like that - just a view from the other side of the fence. +---- Sandy Zelkovitz writes in <203@turnkey.TCC.COM> ---- | I have been requested by numerous uucp messages to give a small break down | on the features within XBBS. Well here goes................ | | 2) Up to 99 different message bases The messages are in a non-standard format with all messages stuffed into one huge file. The messages are limited to a compile time maximum length. | 16) Message of the day (pre-selected) This is a hardcoded filename (the date) whose contents get printed out. | 18) The following file protocols are available for downloading: | sliding windows/standard kermit, zmodem, ymodem, batch-ymodem, crc-xmodem, | checksum-xmodem, ascii, SEAlink, and type. | 19) The following file protocols are available for uploading: | (Same as downloading except for "type") All the file transfer protocols are external programs - you must have them on your system to be able to use them. | 20) List the contents of an archive file ( .arc, .tar, or .tar.Z ) This requires that you have a working copy of ARC on your system... | 21) File directory summary Simply a "ls -l directory > file ; cat file > modemport ; rm file" sequence | 22) List all, new, or matched files See 21 with a few additions | 40) 100% "C" code using SysV termio But not all of the code is supplied - you must find your own source for kermit, arc, ...... (see above) | P.S. The full source code can be retrived from my system (750K uncompressed) Before you rush out and download it, be warned: 1) The code is *VERY* unstructured. It looks as if the code was written over a long period of time without any thought to combining similar features - there are several places where the code prints out the contents of a file (Message areas, file areas, ...) and the routines are bulk copies of each other with one or two quoted strings changed. Even the (wrong) comments are the same! 2) The code makes extensive use of the system() call to do even the easiest of things. The code is quite slow when it comes to these sections! 3) The message base, file handling, and bulletins (motd and others) use non-standard layouts and fixed length record formats. 4) The code consists of one HUGE source file (107K) and about a dozen small (< 5K) additions. Many of the parts share the same comments - indicating that they all began life as the same source file - (e.g., many claim to be "file area" listers in the comments, even though the code prints out things like "Message Areas".) If you are interested in doing a lot of work, his code isn't too bad a starting place, but instead of hawking its new features he should be cleaning up what he has. This code is definitely not "comp.sources.unix" quality - it just squeaks by as being something that comp.sources.misc would appreciate. (Sorry Brandon... :-) I tried to talk to Sandy about this stuff (voice, my dime) and he implied that he wasn't interested in anything I had to say. So be warned that things don't look like they will get any better in the future... -John -- Comp.Unix.Microport is now unmoderated! Use at your own risk :-)