Hermes BBS Externals Challenge
Jeff Snyder
Hello everyone!
I am going to call this message "The Hermes BBS Externals Challenge"
If you have visited one of the few Macintosh-based BBSes that remain,
and to be more specific, one that is utilizing the most recent version
of the Hermes II software, that is, Hermes II 3.5.10b3, or if you are a
Hermes SysOp yourself, one thing which you may have noticed is the
serious lack of externals, (or doors, as they are called in the Windows
BBS world). In other words, games, BBS enhancements, etc., that make a
BBS more fun and interesting to visit. Most of us enjoy message
posting, but having those extra treats, like games, really adds to the
fun, right?
The primary reason for this absence of externals is that the old
externals no longer work with the current version of Hermes II. Michael
Alyn Miller, the current developer of Hermes II, has in fact made some
internal changes to Hermes, and created a new way of writing externals,
which he simply calls the "External Development System". Rather than
being Pascal-based, like the old Hermes externals, the EDS is
Python-based, or perhaps more correctly, Jython-based. I think that
means that it is a hybrid of Python and Java.
I am sure that when Michael developed the EDS, he was hoping that some
former Hermes external developers and SysOps would take up the torch,
and begin to write new externals, based on the "External Development
System". Sadly, that never happened. As a result, aside from a
python-based version of the old BBS classic game LEECH, there are no
externals for the last version of Hermes II, other than one which I
wrote myself.
What is interesting about this, is that I am no programmer by any
definition of the word. I don't know C, C++, Pascal, Java, Python,
Jython, PHP, or anything else. I've dabbled a very tiny bit in some of
these, but that's it. But, in spite of my lack of serious programming
experience, about two years ago, I followed Michael's example code in
LEECH, and hounded the guys on the Python/Jython mailng list, and
created an "icebreaker" external called "Get-To-Know-You". It is
basically an external which has 35 questions you can answer, (you only
have to answer as many of them as you want), so that other BBS users
can, well, get to know you a little better. :) You can also get info
on other users to see how they answered the questions.
As you can imagine, I put a lot of work into writing the external, and
it was challenging for a non-programmer like myself, but I got it done,
and it works great! You can have a go at it by typing a period at the
Main Menu on my Armageddon BBS, and then selecting "Get-To-Know-You".
But, as I said, since Michael introduced the EDS, no one else has taken
up the torch, and written any other externals for the last version of
Hermes II. I actually did have a new game about 2/3 of the way done,
but then I lost all of the code when a whole drive's worth of data was
lost while using an earlier version of iPartion quite some time
ago...and I wasn't about to write it again. Since then, I have even
forgotten how I wrote "Get-To-Know-You", and everything I learned from
the experience.
So here is my challenge, or request, or however you want to look at it.
If you are a Macintosh user and know Python and/or Jython, and would
like to help write some new games and enhancements for my BBS, and for
the few other Hermes SysOps that still remain out there, please get
touch with me. Even if you aren't a Macintosh user, or a Hermes SysOp,
if you are just one who enjoys programming in Python and Jython, and
would like to become involved in this project, please contact me here
on my BBS, or via email, at working_c...@yahoo.com.
It doesn't matter how simple, or complex, your external may be. If you
want to write a BBS poll external, or a more comlex game, or whatever,
go for it! If it adds a positive touch to the overall user experience
that members to my board have, I am interested. Just one thing...no
sex, and no guns and violence. I am running a family-friendly BBS.
Please also understand that there is absolutely no payment attached to
this project. If you are planning to become involved with my "Hermes
BBS Externals Challenge", you must be willing to do it, simply because
of your love for the old hobby of BBS'ing. That's it. Of course, since
you are writing the external, you can add your credits somewhere in the
external.
Let me add one more thing. The reason why I mentioned the fact that I
had written the "Get-To-Know-You" external, is to prove a point; and
that is that even a person without any real programming experience, can
write a Hermes external, using Michael's EDS system, if he puts his
mind to it, and perseveres, as I did.
To help you get started, you will find some helpful files in the
"Hermes External Writing" file directory on my BBS, which you can
access from our File Transfer Menu by typing the letter "D". Just enter
the file name "Hermes_External_Writing.zip" in the blue field, and
carefully follow the download instructions which appear on your screen.
This zipped archive includes code examples, (including two full
externals written in Python), and other files from Michael's website
which I converted to PDF format, so that they are easily available on
our BBS. They explain all about Michael's "External Development
System", and how to get started.
You can visit Michael's website to obtain even more information by going here:
http://www.hermesbbs.com/developer/
For additional help, you may also want to join, write to, or view the
following Python and Jython related services, as I did when I wrote the
"Get-To-Know-You" external:
he...@python.org
http://www.python.org/Help.html
http://www.python.org/doc/FAQ.html
http://www.python.org/search/
Mailing Lists:
http://www.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jython-users
jython...@lists.sourceforge.net
I hope that you will take up the "Hermes BBS Externals Challenge", and
help to make Hermes II BBSes even more enjoyable. Will you? Thanks!
Let's show everyone that Macintosh BBSing is not dead! :)
Jeff Snyder
SysOp : Armageddon BBS
Telnet : endtimeprophecy.org (port 23)
Web : http://www.endtimeprophecy.org/ArmageddonBBS/