BBS software - where to find - which is best?
Mike Stull
and user information exchange. The problem is that I have NO idea
what the best BBS available is or even where to find out about good
programs. Does anyone out there have any ideas/suggestions of BBS
software to use. I am open to both UNIX and DOS/WINDOWS. If possible
please direct me to someplace where I can get it also.
Thanks for the use of the band with and your help.
Happy Faxing
Mike
---------
Mike Stull V-Systems, Inc.
mi...@vsi.com (714) 545-6442 voice
uunet!vsi!mikes (714) 545-7653 fax
--
Happy Faxing
Mike
Bill Vermillion
David E. Fox <ro...@belvedere.sbay.org> wrote:
>Mike Stull (mi...@vsi.uucp) wrote:
>: I have been given the honor of setting up a BBS for technical support
>: and user information exchange. The problem is that I have NO idea
>: what the best BBS available is or even where to find out about good
>: programs. Does anyone out there have any ideas/suggestions of BBS
>: software to use. I am open to both UNIX and DOS/WINDOWS. If possible
>: please direct me to someplace where I can get it also.
>First, avoid DOS/Windows if you possibly can - there's plenty of
>BBS software for that platform, but if you use it, the single-
>tasking nature of DOS/Windows would essentially make you have
>a dedicated machine to service the BBS - you'd have to bring
>it down to service it.
If it's a technical support machine having a dedicated machine
might just be the best way to go.
The good software handles multiple lines/callers quite well.
The DOS is just essentially the loader. No need for windows.
I ran TBBS a great many years ago - first East of the
Mississippi to be more exact. That was a good commercial piece
of software and run in many business locations. Security is
good - and several government agencies used it.
I'd be leery of having the Unix box be a bbs if there were
anything else of value on the box, just in case some unkown
hole were discovered someone got in where they weren't supposed
to be.
I gave up DOS for Unix back in '83 - but for a BBS that is a
tech support unit - a dedicated machine should be given strong
consideration.
>Unix, since it is a multiuser and multitasking operating system,
>makes running a BBS far simpler. In a sense (if you want to
>be somewhat minimalistic) Unix is its own BBS, since you can
>have as many people logged in to your system as you have
>serial ports for.
TBBS will support 16 the last time I looked - probably much
higher than that now.
>You could use mail to exchange messages, and/or
>use news software / news readers for local discussion groups, and
>no 'real BBS' software is necessary.
>But, of course, that would require your user base to know enough
>Unix to be able to operate the programs involved, which might not
>be practical.
>There exists BBS software for Unix, but personally I have not
>used much/any of it, prefering a shell prompt. I think I have
>seen a "BBS software for Unix" periodic posting in some of the
>comp.unix newsgroups.
I've used a couple. One that was highly recommended, but I
never used, was the one called XBBS by Sandy Zelkowitz (I
probably really mangled his name there - but all who used that
one told he it was the best).
There is at least one commercial Unix based BBS that is out.
But when I talked with them about it (can't remember their
name) it seemed like they were losing some of the Unix
advantages and their interface to Usenet news reeked IMO.
--
Bill Vermillion - bi...@bilver.oau.org | bill.ve...@oau.org
Ed Perry
<<<Stuff Deleted>>>
>Mike Stull (mi...@vsi.uucp) wrote:
>Unix, since it is a multiuser and multitasking operating system,
>makes running a BBS far simpler. In a sense (if you want to
>be somewhat minimalistic) Unix is its own BBS, since you can
>have as many people logged in to your system as you have
>serial ports for. You could use mail to exchange messages, and/or
>use news software / news readers for local discussion groups, and
>no 'real BBS' software is necessary.
>But, of course, that would require your user base to know enough
>Unix to be able to operate the programs involved, which might not
>be practical.
<<<< Stuff Deleted>>>
I am also thinking of a bbs from the command level
but it seems more and more complex to put together
(err Can't figure out terminals YET) but any way
Me and my friend (An Avid Dos user) where discussing
about this and some of the conclustions.
1) one must Make some kind of menu so that Newusers
can be slowly worked into the command level prompt
eg ( 1> Mail {command "mail"}
2> Send user mail { command "mail $useraccount"}
3> )
2) Second not everybody will need the same types of commands
1) if you are creating a pay system
1) you would have to setup a new user account
to help them log on
2) some users would belong to a different group
a new user might not be aloud to do uploads
or downloads ( make a group for paying customers)
3) while others might just want quick access to games
or in this case the most resent mail on a subject
witch will lead me to #3
creating a new login prog to do menu's with would compisate
all the previous problems.....
and ta da ....you have your own rock and roll bbs.
now Just so I don't get flamed this is all just
on paper. and hasn't had more than a couple of
weeks discussion during late night hacking sessions
on my computer.(*meaning *) getting the dam thing
working.*smile*
What does everybody else think? I am curious about our
ideas. please help fill the holes.
Later Ed Perry
David Wright
BV> In article <1993Dec20....@belvedere.sbay.org>,
BV> I'd be leery of having the Unix box be a bbs if there were
BV> anything else of value on the box, just in case some unknown
BV> hole were discovered someone got in where they weren't supposed
BV> to be.
Don't confuse running a BBS under Unix with giving people SHELL access
on the Unix machine.
BV> I gave up DOS for Unix back in '83 - but for a BBS that is a
BV> tech support unit - a dedicated machine should be given strong
BV> consideration.
It would seem to make more sense to me to have the BBS running under
Unix, possibly on the same machine that the software was being developed on,
if for no other reason then you could have the email from within the BBS
piped right to the developers, and their replies piped right back to the BBS.
The closest the BBS users would get to "unix" is typing "bbs" at the "login"
prompt.
BV> TBBS will support 16 the last time I looked - probably much
BV> higher than that now.
A Unix BBS would support as many users as you had serial ports. And if
you are on the internet, it is even harder to figure the maximum users it could
support.
BV> I've used a couple. One that was highly recommended, but I
BV> never used, was the one called XBBS by Sandy Zelkowitz (I
BV> probably really mangled his name there - but all who used that
BV> one told he it was the best).
XBBS is OK, but I have a modified version of "mbox" that I like
better. I haven't looked at "Eagles Nest" yet.
BV> There is at least one commercial Unix based BBS that is out.
BV> But when I talked with them about it (can't remember their
BV> name) it seemed like they were losing some of the Unix
BV> advantages and their interface to Usenet news reeked IMO.
The one that I heard of cost a ridiculous amount of money. Like $1000
or so. They sent me a demo disk of it, but I never bothered trying it when
I heard how much they wanted for the license....
Dave
--
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