Subj : Re: Doors/Utility Suggestions? To : alt.bbs.doors From : BlueWolf Date : Tue Aug 19 2003 08:02 am "Mike Anderson" wrote in news:tsecnZiZdrDSlNyiU- KYvw@wctc.net: > I am in the mood to develop some BBS doors/utilities. Is there a > feature or something that a lot of people are looking for? Send some > comments and suggestions. > I used to run a BBS and it was great fun! I've recently been > exploring the BBS' available via telnet. Great to see that many of > them have become internet compatible! > > Thanks! > > Mike > > ps. Please include information such as platform and BBS software > compliance if necesary. Here are a few ideas I have been kicking around for a while. After reading this message. Please, keep in mind I never did well in school and can't spell worth a dime. Sorry. 1: door.sys <-> door32.sys program why: There is a barrier between people that run a 16-bit bbs and want to run a 32-bit door game or utility. Simply, because of a fossil driver problem. I run a 16-bit bbs and want to run 32-bit doors. (platform: windows :( ] Concept: It would require three programs (two if the author of the third would add in the support). 1: a 16-bit door kit (ddplus) 2: a 32-bit telnet program 3: gamesrv by mannsoft. 16-32-GS The way it works, I have mine setup, is a person enters the 16-bit door kit (ddplus). When they do that it loads a 32-bit telnet program and it also writes what the user inputs to a file named node?.out . The 32-bit telnet program connects to GameSrv bypasses the login routine (Sorry Rick) and reads what the users have to input out of the file and sends it to gamesrv. GS-32-16 It would work just the same in the reverse. GameSrv would send to the telnet application. Which would in turn write that to a file called node?.in and then the 16-bit application would display that to the user. If Mr. Parrish could have GameSrv read input and output to files you could take out the 32-bit telnet application. drawback: If you don't run GameSrv, you would have to set it up and have it running all the time. More applications open at least 3 running at the same time. I noticed on what I have wrote so far that there is a drain on the data flow if there is more then two people online. (cable here) 2: Usenet Group message base utility Why: To further the connection between internet and bbs community. Also, it would be nice to carry newsgroups I read on my bbs. Conpect: Basicly a Full Screen Message Editor with built in NNTP support. About the one I know about and use, but have comments about. There is one I do use, but it lacks the follow-up feature to link to a previous messages and is a drain on my system, because it requires two seperate programs to download and upload. A gui to collect the messages from the news server then a dos program to make the pkt. So, that means every half an hour to hour I have a dos box pop up while I am doing something on my computer. I use a process hiding software to keep it from coming up, but it still sucks. It also is abandonware. 2a: A utility to allow the bbs user to request groups. It gives them a list to select which groups they would like to add. 3: BBS Listter concept: Same old type of bbs list, but with the extra stuff internet has to offer. 1: Be able to download the list from a website everynight and merge it. 2: Be able to upload new enterys to the website to be merged into the list. 3: Mtel and other telnet clients versions of the list. For easy telnet access to the bbs's. 4: Nightly check on the bbs list to make sure it is up to date, but let at least 3 fails happen before it is erased from the list. 5: A web-crawler (google) type of portal for the BBS scene only that hunts down bbs telnet urls and phone numbers to include in the list and gives a run down the the bbs's you want to find. 6: Sysop override feature that allows a sysop to void out an entrys in there list locally on thier board. 7: Be able to telnet from the door to another bbs in the list. drawbacks: allows spoofing of ips. comments: yes, I know it has been done, but it is time to bring it to the next level. why: people say the bbs scene has died and it would show them the hundred of different systems that are still out there and give them easy access to them. 3a: Windows Gui. That will do the same thing as the bbs list door, but by it lonesome. 4: Telnet Door For those bbs's that are dial up and want to allow telnet to the users. 5: mtel phone book utility. I use mtel for my telnet client and it has a limit of 200 bbs's. Which is great, but there is hundreds of bbs's out there and sometimes I want to try something new and when I look through the list I forget about some of the bbs's I added it to and what they have to offer. A utility that will keep more then 200 bbs's and keep a small description of the bbs and what it has to offer me. So, I don't have to recall it. It would be able to add that bbs to the mtel phone book or telnet to the bbs using mtel. It should to connect to one or many of the bbs list websites out there download the list and import that into it's database for inclution into the mtel phone book or for telnetting out to the bbs. Tie this one into the BBS List website meantion above. 6: p2p file base utility To futher interconnection in the bbs scene and to also go the way of the internet. There should be a bbs utility to all bbs's to share there file bases. So, if your on one board you can download a file that is upon another one. I tried one time to do it with the windows file and printer sharing, but it was to slow and made fdsz give alot of errors with the file transfers, but the point is it worked. how: windows only. Enable file and printer sharing and just put //IP/directory for the file base directory and have the network connection as you get on the net. Allow only read-only and don't link the upload directory have that local. Also, the drawback the weak protection of outside attacks. That is why need someone, else to program it. ms is crappy at networking stuff. 6a: Long File Name Support Again I use a 16-bit bbs program and need an file base utility that will work with long file names, cause the files I want to share sucks if it has to be restrictted to the 8:3 format. 7: IRC BBS script. A script that will connect to a bbs through mIRC. Shrug just an idea. 8: email validation utility to a bbs. Back in the day I recall we had a call back verifier to prevent multi accounts, but now with telnet. You don't really have that option. This would somewhat cut down on the dup accounts. (drawback: yes, it is easy to get email accounts). how: When a user enters a BBS it would ask the usuall, except skip the address and phone number and replace it with IP and EMail. Have it email the user and wait until the user types a special code you sent them in the email. 9: Website to host ansi files that will display the ansi file in a *.gif and have the ansi file ready to download if you like it to use it for you board. Directory structure could look like this. Like this Group Name |_ Year |_ Pack Name |_ Ansi's ICE 1993 ss!abb.zip stat dude uhm ss!bab.zip user matrix freak greetz I am working on this concept. I got alot of packs off of www.artscene.textfiles.com and working with them. :) and using JAlbum (style: bluepro) to show them off. ( Sorry ansi groups, but bbs scene needs your help :( ripping does suck. ) if you got down this far then. man, you really do want stuff todo. want some source and work with pascal. Check it out. www.plain.solidbox.com/onic_projects .