Writting a new BBS door
reddit / bbs

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[deleted] · 2012-05-27 16:13

I am considering making a new BBS door. Anyone created one recently?
Anything security wise I should consider? General advice would be
helpful. Right now I'm prototyping one in Python but the actual
language I develop the application in is up for suggestions.

Here is a link to the mockup:
http://i.imgur.com/qBs3L.png

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FozzTexx · 2012-05-27 20:46

What BBS are you running? Is it dialup or telnet based? Not that I
have any answers for you, I'm just curious. I dug out my Apple IIgs a
few months ago and fired up the BBS I was writing and considered
making a telnet gateway for it.

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[deleted] · 2012-05-27 21:10

[deleted]

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ebookit · 2012-05-28 02:33

Good luck not much BBS Game Door programming stuff out there anymore
due to lack of interest.

I found this project:
http://www.decontextualize.com/projects/lottof/

It seems to have a BBS Game in Python.

I myself am trying to learn Free Pascal because there is a lot of
legacy Turbo Pascal etc BBS Doors/Games out there.

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ebookit · 2012-05-28 02:38

Look up the many BBS Drop File formats, like door.sys or door32.sys
and so on. basically they are just text files with the BBS name,
SYSOP's Name, User's name etc in them in various lines.

Most BBS systems use a FOSSIL driver to do the serial communications
and can copy the console output of any text based program IIRC. But
write it for plain text with maybe some ANSI codes added and test it
out and then add in BBS drop file and other stuff later. Make the main
function that writes out to the console like bbswrite() or whatever so
that you can add in a switch to write to the serial port or a FOSSIL
driver or whatever you need to later on.

Oh yeah be aware of the lower and upper limits of signed and unsigned
number variables because users will try to cheat by flipping them over
so you need to check for that before they are entered by the user and
also check for negative values. Also sanitize your inputs so that they
cannot put in control characters like operating system characters to
force a command line or force it to run operating system commands.

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[deleted] · 2012-05-28 02:42

[deleted]

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ebookit · 2012-05-28 02:56

You are welcome. I hope it works out for you.

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[deleted] · 2012-05-28 03:11

[deleted]

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ebookit · 2012-05-28 03:18

http://www.synchro.net/

SynchroNet is very good, it was originally written to replace WWIV and
grew and evolved over time. It is open sourced and has a Linux and
*nix ports. I think it uses Door32.sys as do most modern BBS systems.
It should do nicely.