QUICKBBS Version 2.75
10/10/91
First things first: We wish to thank a bunch of people for their
contributions, without which, QuickBBS v2.75 would not exist. First, the
BETA team. Without their efforts, frustrations, testing, loss of data,
and feedback, it would be difficult, if not impossible to produce the
quality product that QuickBBS v2.75 is.
Special thanks to Max von der Horst (1:363/320), whose efforts as beta
team co-ordinator, whose friendship, whose advice and council have made a
significant improvement in the quality of QuickBBS, and without whom, it
is likely that QuickBBS v2.75 would never have been.
Other major players include Darrell Cadwallader & Kenneth Wall who spent
significant portions of their past year, documenting, testing, and coding
large portions of QuickBBS. Their efforts show markedly in this release.
We wish to thank Mark Moran, Sander Eek and Crispin Harris, our product
distributers who have really helped us with registrations.
Last, but certainly not least, we wish to thank the hundreds of GOLD key
registerees who have helped foot the bill for our expenses, and of course
all of the people who have registered v2.66 and shown support by those
registrations.
Richard Creighton
Steve Gabrilowitz
PEGASUS SOFTWARE
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Updates, Enhancements & Changes: QuickBBS 2.75
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Please note that this file is only intended to show new features and
enhancements and does not necessarily describe how these are used.
This is by no means an exhaustive list.
Please refer to the QuickBBS documentation for more information on proper
use of these functions. 'Bug-fixes' are not included as part of this
document.
Multi-node operation
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* QuickBBS is now multi-node. Use of an external multitasker such as
Desqview 386 or use of a LAN allows operation of several copies of
QuickBBS to allow multiple local and remote users.
* QuickBBS will now detect the presence of a multitasker or AT-BIOS,
and supply proper time-slices where applicable.
* Enhanced full screen editor interface allows external full screen
editors such as TopEd to display extended information while a user
is entering a message
* Added new menu types to display list of users currently on-line,
and the ability to send/receive messages to/from each line.
+ A real-time multi-node chat feature has been added to allow for
communication between nodes.
* QuickBBS can now display a different message at logon for each node
* New message base locking code has been added to allow QuickBBS to
work with most third-party programs such as GoldED.
* QuickBBS will prevent a user from logging onto more than one node
at one time.
General
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* Added detection of remote caller ANSI capabilities. QuickBBS will
determine whether or not a caller is capable of ANSI graphics and
display the opening copyright notice in color. Also, optional use of
the full screen editor is enabled if ANSI is detected, even if the
user has chosen not to have the color screens displayed.
* An internal split-screen chat facility has been added.
can decide whether or not the full or 'regular' chat functions are
used.
* QuickBBS now incorporates a fully configurable internal call-back
verification system.
* The sysop status bar has been enhanced and expanded to 5 screens.
The bar is now continually updated, even while a user is transferring
a file. Options such as user's time remaining and security levels
can be changed while the user is within the file transfer.
* File download/upload ratios can now be enforced through LIMITS.CTL
* QCONFIG was totally rewritten to take advantage of QuickBBS's new
features and provide a more user-friendly configuration utility.
* 'Look and feel' of many sysop and user prompts was changed. You can
now also delete any default value within a prompt by pressing CTRL-X.
* QuickBBS can now swap itself out to disk or any EMS memory available
on any type 7 DOS shell or when using the full-screen editor.
* There is now a feature that will allow you to perform shell commands
from within a text file. Security of this option is also maintained
through QCONFIG.
* The local screen is now saved before a sysop DOS shell (ALT-J) and is
restored upon return. QuickBBS will also change the prompt in a DOS
shell to remind you that you are shelled from QuickBBS.
* User passwords have been made case insensitive.
* Longer lines in FILES.BBS are now wrapped onto the next line
* The BBS will now re-load EXITINFO.BBS on a type 7 shell, so that most
external doors can be used as a type 7 instead of a type 15 exit.
* Users can now change their own home/voice or business/data telephone
numbers through two new menu types.
* Aliases are now supported. Users can now pick their own aliases
(QuickBBS will now also check to make sure no two users use the same
name) as well as allowing the sysop to configure which message bases
aliases are permitted. Users can also use their alias instead of
their real name at log-in. Any mail addressed to the alias will be
picked up if the user logged in with his or her real name and vice
versa.
* When replying to a message, you are no longer asked if you wish to
quote the message. QuickBBS now passes the quoted text onto the
message editor by default (when using an external editor) and the
user may decide to use the quote by using the quoting functions within
the editor.
* The capability to change the destination or subject of a message has
been completely revamped.
* QuickBBS can now 'simulate' line noise to make it easier for discreet
sysop hang-ups.
* The system usage graph was revamped and is now displayed using ANSI
graphics instead of text graphics.
* Full support of file and message area templates was added.
* Support for points and pointnets has been added in the netmail section.
* NetMail cost accounting now is properly supported.
* QuickBBS now supports the passing of a baudrate of 38400 or 14400 on the
command line.
* Code optimization now makes it possible to run QuickBBS (overlay
version) in under 210K of RAM.
* USEREDIT was completely re-written and redesigned. You can now edit
_every_ field within the user record. Use of a pointing device such as
a mouse is now also supported.
* Birthday and sex information can now be stored in the userfile. QuickBBS
also has the ability to display a customized message to the user on
his/her birthday.
* The local flag is now set when a message is forwarded.
* Improved handling of events.
* When entering a message, the default security is now PUBLIC, unless
the original message was PRIVATE.
* File transfer protocols can now be selectively activated or deactivated
* You can now see/edit most values within the user record while that user
is on-line by using an internal user editor.
* Menu text items can now be centered within the menu itself.
* A new .ANS/.ASC file has been added to allow sysops to display a text
file immediately before asking for the user's data phone number.
* QuickBBS now supports either free-form telephone number entry or standard
North American format (xxx)-(xxx)-(xxxx).
* The page bell can now be temporarily disabled using the Scroll Lock key.
* A new menu type has been added to update lastread pointers as if you had
logged off the system and then back on.
* 'Barefoot' mode has been cleaned up for better modem handling and better
cosmetic appearance.
* Users can now leave the sysop a message right after he/she has reached
the maximum allowable password attempts.
* The questionnaire commands SetFlag and SetSecurity no longer scan the
configuration files to update the internal file and message area
authorization variables. This will cause a significant speedup for those
who use a lot of these in autoexecuted Q-A files.
* Support for .ARJ files has been added to the internal archive viewer.
* The 'page reason' is now displayed on one of the status bars.
+ The number of messages to keep/kill for each area is now stored in the
message record to allow easy configuration of MSGPACK.
* File download/upload ratios and limits can now be enforced or disabled
on an area-specific basis.
* You can now define paths and drives where QuickBBS files are stored.
* Some basic system prompts are now fully customizable.
* Added support for sysop color customization.
* QuickBBS no longer requires the large nodelist files (QNL_IDX.BBS and
QNL_DAT.BBS). A new nodelist compiler is included and the file format
changed to use only a small data file and raw nodelist.
* A new questionnaire command, UpdateBoards has been added. This should be
used after a SetFlag or SetSecurity which will affect the user's access
to file and/or message areas.
* An ELSE capability has been added added to the IF statements in the
questionnaire language.
* The ASK statement in the questionnaire language now allows a minimum
response length to be specified.
* Many cosmetic and appearance-related changes.
* Completely re-engineered mail utilities
Disclaimer
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QuickBBS is Copyright (C) 1991, Pegasus Software. All other names
represented in this work are trademarks of their respective holders.
Pegasus Software or any of its agents do not make any claim to the
accuracy or completeness of this documentation.
Document (C) 1991 Alex Tait. All Rights Reserved.