aelric@aix01.aix.rpi.edu (John S Schroder) (06/13/91)
I just DL'ed this from a very large BBS in Boston (Channel 1) and thought
since it was interesting others may be interested. It's a text file which
describes a new Fido compatable Amiga BBS program written in Canada (maybe
that's why I'v never heard of it???) There is a discount offer attached
but
there is only a few days keft for that... Guess some information just gets
to the net slow :) (or has it been posted?)
Also I am in no way related to the company.. just looked interesting!
Here goes.
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NOTE: Xenolink is currently available in pre-release form for US$ 128
(or $149 CDN).
This is for a very limited time only, however. As of JUNE 16,
1991,
Xenolink will cost US$ 165.
Canadian users must add PST (8%) and GST (7%) to all listed
prices.
Users who buy a prerelease version will be able to upgrade to the
release version for free.
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INTRODUCING:
Xenolink, the latest FidoNet Compatible BBS for the Amiga.
Xenolink is a new, impressively featured, blindingly quick BBS program
for
the Amiga. No other BBS program currently available for the Amiga can even
compare to Xenolink for configurability, speed, power, and performance.
FIDONET
- Fully integrated FidoNet system, with all supplied programs written
for Xenolink; no awkward third party program hacks are used.
- Built-in FidoNet mailer supporting:
- YooHoo/WaZoo
- LoTek
- DietIFNA
- SEAlink
- Zmodem
- Zmodem-8K
- Crashmail support.
- Full EchoMail and NetMail support.
- NetMail can be auto-routed or custom routed.
- Point addressing supported.
- Inbound and outbound file attaches supported.
- Automatic zonegating and ^INTL line generation for inter-zone
FidoNet mail.
- Multiple origin lines permitted for *each* message area.
- Messages can have a cost factor dependent upon their destination.
- Xenolink nodelist compiler and nodediff utility.
- FAST FidoNet mail processor, which can operate while users are
online, without disturbing anything.
- Mail processor can export to multiple destinations, so hosting
your own conferences couldn't be simpler.
- File request utility.
- SeenBy/Path editing utility for EchoMail messages.
- Session passwords supported for FidoNet sessions.
- Dial out to any FidoNet system with the touch of a key.
- Automatic packet generation if there are no outbound packets.
MENU COMPILER
- Xenolink's compiled menu system is more powerful than that of
ANY other Amiga BBS by an unimaginably large margin.
- Over 130 different menu commands, including command password
protection.
- All menu commands are available from any menu.
- Any number of menu commands per menu.
- Create as many menus as you want.
- Menu commands can perform different actions for users of different
access levels.
- Menu command names can be single or multiple letter commands, such
as "DOOR".
- Menu commands can take parameters; for example,
ChangeFileSection(5) or just ChangeFileSection.
- Menu commands can run executable files, doors, batch files, or
other menus.
- Up to 255 sysop definable menu sets supported (such as ASCII,
16 colour ANSI, English, French, etc.)
- Different menu prompts and menu text for each access level AND
menu set.
- Menus can be hotkeyable, or forced into hotkeyed mode
automatically.
- Menus can be set to autodisplay in expert mode, or to nondisplay in
novice mode, when a user first enters them.
- Menus are dynamic in size; can be as small or large as required.
- Most BBS text is user definable, with different text permitted for
each menu set, a boon for multilingual systems.
- Every single prompt is sysop configurable, and can be different for
every single menu set and access level; you can make "RE" the
command to reply to a message, or a hotkeyed "R", or anything
else; you choose.
- Over 140 embedded control sequences, allowing various information
to
be embedded in text files. Many sequences include conditional
display on/off codes, so that users see only what you want them
to see.
- Embedded control sequences can be in any text file or menu prompt.
DISPLAY
- 1 to 4 bitplane screens supported.
- Overscan and PAL support
- Your 3 favourite screen resolutions can be put in the menu bar, so
that all you have to do is point and click!
- Switch to any number of bitplanes upon a login of a particular
speed
- Bit planes can be selected from the Intuition menu
- Xenolink can be iconified to save memory and increase speed.
- Selectable icon position.
- Selectable screen fonts
- IBM character support
- Foreign character support
- ANSI
- Incredibly quick text/ANSI display
- Full 16 colour high intensity ANSI supported.
- Many extra IBM escape sequences not supported on the Amiga are
correctly processed by Xenolink, such as cursor save and
cursor restore
- Automatic conversion of colours on lower bitplane screens
MULTI-LINE SUPPORT
- Xenolink manager task oversees entire system operation and prevents
conflicts through event scheduling, yet allows many operations to
occur simultaneously, without any adverse effects.
- Configurable serial device driver name and unit for each node.
- Node capacity is limited only by the number of serial port boards
you
can plug into your Amiga.
- Nodes may be run in local mode if desired, so that you can login
without disturbing your users.
- Each node can be configured separately.
- Minimal memory used for multiple nodes (approximately 30k for every
node after the first one).
- Messages can be sent from one node to another.
- When mail is unpacked or sent to a user online on a node, the user
is
automatically informed of the new waiting message, which is then
marked.
DOOR SUPPORT
- Door programs may call Xenolink's own functions, and thus are not
required to include their own i/o routines.
- Door programs have full access all of Xenolink's internal data
structures, so that complex doors (such as callback) can be
created.
- Doors can speak directly to the manager task so that complex tasks
can be performed.
- Xenolink can directly run many Paragon doors, such as Space Empire,
Global War, etc. In fact, in runs them faster than Paragon
does.
- Restrictions can be put on the number of copies of a door which can
be active at any time.
- A custom stack size can be specified for any doors run.
- Multiplayer doors supported.
- Full AREXX support, including external calls. Can run many AREXX
programs written for other BBS's.
CONFIGURABILITY
- As mentioned above, almost all BBS text can be redefined for each
menu set.
- Calls at certain baud rates may be restriced to certain times.
- Uploading and downloading may be restricted to certain times.
- Redefinition of the abort key and the string printed when it is
pressed; most people use ^C but some may want ^P, ^K, or ^X,
and may wish the system to say <Aborted> rather than just ^C.
- Configure how much time is added or subtracted when the add time or
subtract time key is hit.
SERIAL
- Configurable serial device driver and unit for each node.
- Configurable parameters
- Enable/disable RTS/CTS
- Enable/disable XON/XOFF
- Enable/disable high speed serial device flag
- Set serial i/o buffer
- Configurable connect strings and baud rates for each node.
- Configurable setup string, answer string, on/off-hook string,
answer string delay, carrier detect delay, connect delay, hang
up delay.
- The modem can be initialised after each logoff, or just when
Xenolink
first initialises.
- Full support for multiple serial port boards.
- Speeds of 300-38400 baud supported.
- Yes, 38400 baud is supported by Xenolink.
- Locked baud rates supported.
- Highly optimised serial i/o functions for the incredible speed
Xenolink is famous for.
- HST support.
MESSAGES
- Up to 248 separate message sections supported
(currently in the process of removing this limitation)
- All message headers are stored in one file, as is all message text,
resulting in very large space savings; other systems keep each
message in a separate file, resulting in hundreds upon hundreds of
directory entries, slowing the system down and taking up
unnecessary space.
- Because of Xenolink's efficient method of storing messages, it can
just BLAZE through the message file, usually finding any message
in a message file with a single read of under 300 bytes.
- Incredibly fast message display.
- Many message scanning functions, including:
- Search for messages to user
- Search for messages from user
- Search for messages to or from user
- Search for subject text
- Search for all of the above
- Many message reading functions, including:
- Read forwards
- Read reverse
- Read new
- Read marked
- Read waiting
- Global read new
- Users are informed of waiting mail upon login, and are asked if
they wish to read their mail at this point.
- Unwanted message sections may be masked out.
- Messages may be deleted.
- For each message section, it can be specified if users can
delete
mail to and/or from them.
- Messages may be forwarded.
- The original message can optionally be deleted, or kept as a
carbon copy.
- If forwarding NetMail, a new FidoNet address can be supplied.
- Read replies to messages with one command.
- Read original message with one command.
- Reverse read direction with one command.
- Optional continuous read mode.
- Hotkeys are active while messages are being displayed, so you can
hit
<return> to proceed to the next message without having to wait
for
the message to finish displaying. The same applies to all
hotkeyed
message commands.
- Powerful message editor which supports quoting, line insertion,
deletion, replacing, editing, restarting, as well as much more.
- Spell checker included, which can be activated from within the
message editor.
- Message text may be imported to the editor from a text file.
- Files may be attached to messages.
- The formatting of the message header can be changed entirely for
each menu set.
FILES
- Up to 248 separate file sections supported
(currently in the process of removing this limitation)
- Popular file transfer protocols supported:
- SEAlink
- Xmodem Checksum
- Xmodem CRC
- Xmodem 1K
- Xmodem 1K-G
- Ymodem batch
- Ymodem G
- Zmodem
- Xmodem protocols perform automatic padding removal.
- External protocol libraries supported.
- All protocols are *incredibly* fast
- Zmodem subroutines written in assembly language for optimum
speed
- Batch uploading and downloading supported
- Xenolink discerns the file names of any extra files uploaded
- Files may be marked as free downloads
- Files may be
- Catalogued chronologically/alphabetically
- Browsed chronologically/alphabetically
- Searched for globally, or in multiple sections, or just one
- Marked for later (batch) downloading
- Files may optionally be auto-filenoted with their descriptions
- File entries can easily be edited or validated online
- The format of the single line catalogue entry is configurable, and
can be changed to use K (e.g. 96k), bytes (e.g. 96000 bytes),
and
one of three different ways of displaying the date (01-Feb-91,
01-02-91, or 02-01-91)
- The formatting of the single line catalogue entry can be changed
for
each menu set
- When searching for files, the matching portion of the file name or
description can be highlighted in any colour you choose
- ArcView program to view contents of .ARC, .ZOO, .LZH, or .ZIP
archives.
OTHER FEATURES
- Sysop chat
- Sysop can break into chat at any time
- Two colour chat (if user is in ANSI mode) with word wrapping
- System log
- 4 levels of log verbosity (TERSE, NORMAL, EXTENDED, VERBOSE).
- Extensive information about callers is recorded, including
name,
telephone number, files uploaded or downloaded, doors
entered, and the time all of these events ocurred.
- Incoming FidoNet calls are also logged, along with their
Sysop,
mailer software, and file transactions.
- Remote DOS Shell
- Can drop to AmigaDOS, just as if you were in your own CLI.
- Powerful security features
- Add or take away any type of access (total of 11 types of
access, including read, write, view, delete, etc.) from any
section, without changing a user's access level or anything
else.
- Optional automatic newsletter after login.
- Optional displaying of a text file specific to each access level
after login.
ALSO FEATURING
- Very little in the way of memory usage.
- Very low CPU usage.
- Much code moved to a resident xenolink.library to decrease memory
requirements for multi-line systems.
- Almost all Xenolink programs, including Xenolink itself, can be
made
RESIDENT, so that nodes can be run in as little as 30k! Perfect
for multi-line systems.
- Full Intuition interface with windows, menus, and requesters.
- Built in terminal module
- Blindingly fast text display.
- All protocols accessible from within the terminal module.
- Message areas and file areas can be grouped together in SIG
fashion,
or kept separate.
- Compiled event scripting for each node at any time interval during
the
day; have custom scripts run when users log on or log off, or
after
FidoNet transfers.
- Xenolink has been optimised beyond belief for high speed modems
such as HST's, and operates with lightning speed all round.
Routines
requiring the utmost in speed have been rewritten in assembly
language.
- Furthermore, Xenolink is incredibly easy to use from both the
user's
point of view and the Sysop's point of view.
- Incredibly smooth and responsive hotkeys (if you have them
activated).
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
- 512k of RAM
- Xenolink has modest memory requirements.
- Any Amiga, with AmigaDOS 1.2 or later.
- Works perfectly under AmigaDOS 2.0 and on the A3000.
- Hard drive
(Xenolink can run on floppy drives, but this limits the amount
of networking which can be done).
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AND, TRULY, MUCH MUCH MORE! This is only the beginning!
Xenolink is a fully integrated package! Xenolink's FidoNet mailer, mail
processor, nodelist compiler, and just about everything else supplied,
were
written specifically for Xenolink by Xenomiga Technology; thus, they can
easily be improved upon. On the other hand, some other, less capable BBS
packages have resorted to using third party mailers, message packers,
nodelist compilers, and the like, often sacrificing speed, efficiency,
and ease of use.
How would you like to have to read umpteen different manuals to
configure
umpteen different programs, entering the same information in umpteen
different formats? Not so with Xenolink; duplication has been kept to
a minumum, since Xenolink programs all access the same configuration
files.
Xenolink is self-installing; just run a script file for it to be
transferred to your hard drive.
Remember, Xenolink is only available at US$ 128 until JUNE 16, 1991.
Why not order now?
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For more information, call the Xenolink development site:
Xenomiga
Sysop: Jonathan Forbes
(416)-921-6638
1200-38400 baud HST, V.42bis
For a look at another very impressive but differently set up Xenolink
system, call:
City Limits
Sysop: Marc Vaillancourt
(418)-659-7910
1200-2400 baud
Another way to contact Xenomiga Technology is to send NetMail to:
FidoNet address 1:250/642.0
Or, as a last resort, write to:
Xenomiga Technology
1132 Bay Street, Suite #1101
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 2Z4
Canada
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PS: Sprry, I forgot to set VI's wrapmargin back to 0 before I sent that.
ooppss....
--
/John S. Schroder + SCA: East Kingdom, Shire of Anglespur \
/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute + Underachiever, And Proud of It Man! \
/aelric@rpi.edu + Amiga 3000 - THE ONLY Computer \
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