BBS software for Mac -- need recommendation
Carl Follstad
Of particular interest would be BBSs that support multiline/multimodem
configurations. Protocols needed would be Kermit, Xmodem, Zmodem.
If possible, please include any additional hardware or software
required. Any practical user info is valuable such as "gotchas",
limitations, system resource utilization or info concerning the vendor's
themselves: who's easy to work with, who's technical support sucks, etc.
We're looking at deploying this software in a corporate, production
environment so I'm looking for a good, reputable vendor with a solid,
stable product.
Thanks to anyone who can help. Please send response via email since I
don't normally check these newsgroups.
Carl Follstad ------------ Merrill Corporation - St. Paul, MN -- 612/649-3849
ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN, NOT MY EMPLOYER'S !
Mark B. Priddy
Carl,
I would suggest First Class. It is the premier BBS system for Macintosh. It
sports a client-based graphical interface, it supports Winders (eww), and it
can act as a local server as well as a remote BBS or server.
It is manufactured by SoftArc, a software firm in England, I think - with whom
I have no affiliation. It was authored for Macintosh and is just faboo.
It also has a CLI option for those DOS dweebs and other graphically-impaired
computers. I don't know about the transfer protocols you mentioned, bu that's
because I don't use the CLI option.
Heck, First Class is so flexible that you can read your mail while you're
snarfing down files.
Hope this helps!
Mark <><
Krayon Black
Priddy) wrote:
> I would suggest First Class. It is the premier BBS system for Macintosh. It
> sports a client-based graphical interface, it supports Winders (eww), and it
> can act as a local server as well as a remote BBS or server.
>
> It is manufactured by SoftArc, a software firm in England, I think - with whom
> I have no affiliation. It was authored for Macintosh and is just faboo.
>
Actually, SoftArc is located just outside of Toronto, Canada. Along with
ATI and Delrina....
And I highly recommend First Class too. Download the client software
(from info-mac or wherever) and give a system a try. Way better than a
standard text-based BBS.
--
Krayon Black | | Looking for more info?
km...@tequila.com | fax: 416.490.6856 | try in...@tequila.com
Tequila Films Inc. | | screamin cactus records
Peter Bierman
> Can anyone recommend a good BBS that runs on Macintosh? System 7 or better.
> Of particular interest would be BBSs that support multiline/multimodem
> configurations. Protocols needed would be Kermit, Xmodem, Zmodem.
Anything but Hermes. I'd personally recommend FirstClass.
Anti-Hermes for a zillion reasons that pop up here from time to time.
Suggest FC because I co-sysop a BBS (614/846-1911) that runs it, and while
it can be frustrating, it's generally stable and has quite a nice
interface.
-Peter
--
"The other major kind of computer is the "Apple," which I do not recommend,
because it is a wuss-o-rama new-age computer that you basically just plug in
and use. This means you don't get to participate in the most entertaining
aspect of computer owning, which is trying to get the computer to work."
- Dave Barry 2/6/94 I am: lun...@cs.wisc.edu
Derek Fong
>It is manufactured by SoftArc, a software firm in England, I think - with whom
>I have no affiliation. It was authored for Macintosh and is just faboo.
SoftArc is a Canadian company. Markham, Ontario to be exact.
>It also has a CLI option for those DOS dweebs and other graphically-impaired
>computers. I don't know about the transfer protocols you mentioned, bu that's
>because I don't use the CLI option.
FirstClass supports Xmodem, Ymodem, and Zmodem, but its Zmodem
implementation has been criticized because it only supports CRC-16,
instead of the more popular (and faster) CRC-32. Also, the command line
interface just sucks.
But if you -are- calling with the Client, FirstClass gets
(almost) top honors from me. If that matters, anyway. 8-)
Derek Fong
(der...@pavo.concordia.ca)
Interface Builders
Sight... it is a pain to make do what you want, and a lot of basic things you
would think it would do, it just doesn't.
Disgusted...
Sea-Bass 74041...@compuserve.com
Bill Dickhardt
bie>
bie> Anti-Hermes for a zillion reasons that pop up here from time to time.
bie> Suggest FC because I co-sysop a BBS (614/846-1911) that runs it, and
bie> while it can be frustrating, it's generally stable and has quite a nice
bie> interface.
Why are you so Anti-Hermes... I have been a Hermes user for the better part of
4 years and found it to be a very stable BBS system. A licensed version of
First Class is EXTREMLY EXPENSIVE and it is one pain in the butt to set up. In
addition, the Sysop interface on first class is far inferior to that of
Hermes.
Curious to see when was the last time you looked at a Hermes system from the
Sysops end. The CLI isnt pretty but its effective and for new sysops, a heck
of a lot easier to set up than First Class.
Greg Vaughn
Bill.Di...@f640.n2605.z1.fidonet.org (Bill Dickhardt) wrote:
>Why are you so Anti-Hermes... I have been a Hermes user for the better part
>of 4 years and found it to be a very stable BBS system.
I believe that many of the complaints about Hermes is due to tech support
issues. I doubt anyone will argue about its stability.
>Curious to see when was the last time you looked at a Hermes system from the
>Sysops end. The CLI isnt pretty but its effective and for new sysops, a heck
>of a lot easier to set up than First Class.
Another option for the original poster to consider is Public Address. It
currently sports a CLI interface, but the developer is actively working on
it and plans on adding a GUI. I'm a co-sysop of a beta PA board and it is
rather easy to set up on the sysop end. And I slightly prefer it as is to
Hermes as a user. The license fee is cheaper now than it will be once the
GUI is written and I have every confidence that it will be written. So if
someone might like a GUI BBS, but is unable to afford one now and will
have to settle for CLI anyway, I think PA would be a good choice.
______ | Greg Vaughn G.Va...@ttu.edu
/\__ _\ | Physics Doctoral Candidate
\/_/\ \/ exas | Insulator Research Lab
\ \_\ ech University | Finger: gr...@scm41-2.phys.ttu.edu
\/_/ Lubbock, Texas | Alt. E-mail: ri...@ttacs.ttu.edu
Ugly Heads
It's the BBS software that my Mac user group uses for it's own bulletin
board. Because it's so simple to use, several service bureaus in our area
have set up their own BBS with it so their clients can send files without
the usual headaches of modeming.
Bill Dickhardt
>of 4 years and found it to be a very stable BBS system.
G.V> I believe that many of the complaints about Hermes is due to tech support
G.V> issues. I doubt anyone will argue about its stability.
G.V>
You obviously havent seen Hermes since Frank Price turned over the reins to
Lloyd Woodall. Support is outstanding, you can readily reach the author by
e-mail, fax, or even VOICE at just about any time. Updates are often and for
the most part efficient. In addition the support BBS is now 7 nodes instead of
the paltry one that Frank Price had.
Stephen Wong
Heads) wrote:
I would go for Spider Island's TeleFinder. I have use both FirstClass and
TeleFinder and I find that TeleFinder is much easily to support.
Problem with FirstClass is you have to pay for no. of users vs
TeleFinder's one time payment. FirstClass' charges are sometimes
overboard..... I want to upgrade my network users and it costs US$250!
Then again if you want to go TCP, then perhaps you want to look at
FirstClass. FirstClass also has a TCP site as well beside their modem BBS.
--
Stephen Wong
AppleCentre Kuala Lumpur
MALAYSIA
internet: ste...@emas.pc.my
voice: (603) 261-7809/262-1622
fax: (603) 261-7751
applelink: FEA0005
Gabriel Michaud
ste...@emas.pc.my (Stephen Wong) wrote:
> In article <3ip383$h...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, ugly...@aol.com (Ugly
> Heads) wrote:
>
> > You might want to look into TeleFinder/User from Spider Island Software.
> > It's the BBS software that my Mac user group uses for it's own bulletin
> > board. Because it's so simple to use, several service bureaus in our area
> > have set up their own BBS with it so their clients can send files without
> > the usual headaches of modeming.
>
> I would go for Spider Island's TeleFinder. I have use both FirstClass and
> TeleFinder and I find that TeleFinder is much easily to support.
> Problem with FirstClass is you have to pay for no. of users vs
> TeleFinder's one time payment. FirstClass' charges are sometimes
> overboard..... I want to upgrade my network users and it costs US$250!
> Then again if you want to go TCP, then perhaps you want to look at
> FirstClass. FirstClass also has a TCP site as well beside their modem BBS.
>
Have you took a look at TeleFinder 3.5? It's available since 2 weeks. The
new versions support customization with settings files, 7.5 support(great,
there's now a desktop and no finder imitation, you drag files to the REAL
finder, and TF is now using a desktop), TCP support, ISDN (CTB) support,
TF-TF gateway with internet connectivity (free from Spider Island for 6
months) and more!
I'm a Spider Island beta tester and I can say there is big development
inside TeleFinder. They're coming with other exciting things soon, TF 4.0
(should be available this summer) will support background transfer,
externals functions, and more. A UUCP gateway will also be availble VERY
soon.
Gabriel Michaud, sysop of CyberMac BBS in Québec city, Canada.
--
Gabriel Michaud
CyberMac BBS (418) 841-4449
TeleFinder, Fidonet, Francomedia
James Skee
One GUI neither of you have mentioned is NovaLink Pro. When you look at
it, it has the strenghts of both TF and FC in one package. You can get a
demo by calling Re4sNova at (714) 379-9000 or calling theri BBS at (714)
379-9004...
--
James Skee - Sysop The Panther Moderns (310) 698-7921 28.8 v.fc
"Let's skirt the issue of discipline/Let's start an illusion with hand
and pen/Re-read the words and start again/Accept the Gift of Sin..."