UltraBBS Version History File
-----------------------------
Upgrade instructions follow each new version's entry; if you are upgrading
past one or more versions, be sure to follow all upgrade steps in order.
If you wish to keep your current configuration, etc when upgrading versions,
be sure not to overwrite files such as UBBS.DAT, UBBS.REG, .BAT files,
the entire FILES directory, etc when unZIPping the new version. Remember to
copy the UTI*.EXE, etc files to all directories where they are used/needed!
v2.08 (08/08/91)
Disappearing cursor problem that occurred with some graphics cards should
be fixed
Private message problem with Session Manager fixed
Searching for only the characters '&', '|', '(', or ')' (or any combo
of solely those characters) previously caused a fatal error; fixed
(R A) auto joining now allows (Ctrl-X) to abort
Problem with blinking text on local screen fixed
Previously, if SHARE was not loaded, the system would lockup instead of
displaying the proper error msg; fixed
(F)ile directory listing command is now much faster
(C)ontinuous option at End of Message prompt has been made less confusing
in prompt and in help files
(11)Drop Other Nodes to DOS command previously set current node to
'Waiting for Calls' temporarily; fixed
UTIIMPRT should no longer set any messages to perm/return receipt/file
attached
Entries with no phone number no longer can be added to the (BB)S listing
Sometimes after returning from a door, the (N)o option of more prompts
would disappear; fixed
Sometimes during a transfer with a protocol that does not support batch,
UltraBBS would incorrectly log that the user had downloaded an extra
file (usually the first file in the FileBase); fixed
The DOOR.ID file is now created by the QWK system (look for many great
improvements to the QWK/mail system in the upcoming v2.10!)
Some annoying problems with the (M)ove Message command are fixed
Auto logoff after file transfer is now immediate
DSZLOG-related sharing violation/network lockup problem is fixed
Problem fixed that occurred when editing last download date in (6)
When $username$, $x$, or $x-y$ is used, it no longer causes alignment
problems in the message header display; they are also now translated
to the name of the user when exporting to .QWK packets
First couple lines of message no longer become corrupted when sysop
enters chat while user is entering message
(O)ffline reading will now always keep you in the conference that you
were in when you executed the command
MANAGER's message pack now displays the current conference #, even if
only packing a single conference
Added support for some more key sequences in the full screen editor;
see the help file for list of them
Minor bug with $ANYKEY$ fixed
Minor bug in (E)dit te(X)t (of a message) fixed
Upload limit now enforced (99 files per upload); previously, uploading
more than 99 files caused problems, but the limit was not enforced
Doors may now be opened by simply typing the name of the door (or part
of the door's name) at the main command prompt
When user selects to be automatically logged off after a transfer, the
BBS now displays the goodbye screen in nonstop mode during logoff
The questionnaire SECURITY command and the (Alt-U) keyboard function
now re-read the limits data file to get new ratio and time limit
information for the user's new security level
(TI)me Bank interface has been further simplified
Number of current conference is now displayed in the main prompt
Bug in sysop chat time compensation fixed
MANAGER's 'Import Text Directory' function now supports DOS 5.00 style
DIR listings
User can no longer auto-join with (R A) when he does not have enough
security to (J)oin
If you have an entry "stuck" in your (BB)S listing with no phone number,
run the FIXBB.EXE program to fix this problem. No other upgrade steps
required.
v2.07 (07/05/91)
Problem with keyboard "locking" in sysop chat fixed
No upgrade steps required.
v2.06 (07/03/91)
A message packing problem that popped up in v2.05 is fixed
No upgrade steps required.
v2.05 (07/02/91)
Problem with packing an empty conference fixed
Other very minor fixes/cosmetic changes
No upgrade necessary.
v2.04 (07/01/91)
Backwards searching problem should be fixed
Extracting files from compressed file previously distorted the users'
kbyte ratio - this is now fixed
Minor cosmetic changes
ANSI driver bug fixed that occurred when an Esc occurred without an
escape code following it
Modem initialization procedure improved
Problem with AND/OR searching fixed
No upgrade necessary.
v2.03 (06/25/91)
Minor (but important!) bug fixes
No upgrade steps required.
v2.02 (05/29/91)
Problem with quoting that causes memory allocation errors is fixed
The 1.1x to 2.0x LCONV utility was mistakenly included as a renamed
UCONV utility - the correct LCONV is now included
Latest version of the Wildcat! CALLINFO.BBS file is now written by
CONVERT
No upgrade steps required.
v2.01 (05/28/91)
Offline Reading asked user to select scan conferences after a QWK packet
download - this is fixed
No special upgrade steps required to go from 2.00 to 2.01.
v2.00 (05/27/91)
(ED)it File Description no longer displays message about only being able
to edit files that you have uploaded, if you have enough access to edit
ANY file
When entering birthdate, the "MM/DD/YY" format is indicated to the user
New users can no longer enter blank city/states, phone numbers, etc
Text Directory Import from a DOS directory now sets all imported files to
current date and time, not date and time in directory file
(Alt-+)/(Alt--) commands go in 5 minute increments now when user has more
than 15 minutes of total time
(M)odify Scan Conferences command implemented for easier editing of scan
conferences
An overlaid version is now available which requires MUCH less memory, see
the documentation for exact memory requirements for both versions
Overall major code optimization/compaction - MUCH smaller and faster in
many places throughout the BBS
New call waiting screen, which includes a display of the modem session for
easier debugging of init string problems
UltraBBS uses complete direct screen writing and an internal ANSI driver,
a BIOS output option is available from SETUP
Shelling to DOS is much faster
(6)Leave Urgent Messages command removed, (6)Quick FileBase Editor added
in its place
There are now several different status lines, and they can be toggled
between using the function keys
'Extended Text' On/Off has been removed as an option from SETUP
Before the (R)/(S) submenu, the read 'modes' that are currently activated
are displayed to the user
The Yes/No conference scan string update method now displays the conference
number in addition to the name
The (L)ocate Wildcard, (D)ownload, and (BI)directional Transfer commands
formerly would not find a file called "TEST" if you entered the name
"TEST."
Text file display, questionnaires, offline packet creation, alias file
scanning, and the importing of a text file into a message are all much
faster
Support for 'terse' call logging, where only the user's login and logout
line are displayed, instead of the normal detailed information
(O)ffline Reading previously did not properly set the 'Echo' flag on
imported messages
Amount of Upload Disk Space Free was reported wrong at some times previously
Entering Chat mode no longer causes keyboard timeout while in FS editor
(O)ffline Reading is now supported in local mode
(BB)S Listing command implemented
(A)bandon Conference now uses the same security level as (J)oin Conferences
Message Capture facility implemented, by means of the (C) and (D) commands
from the (R)ead submenu
Page Bell/Beeps/etc are now correctly restored after returning from door
(F) submenu offers (D)ownload, (VI)ew Compressed, and (F)lag Files commands
FIDOCVT import sped up
Global File Existence checking can now be aborted
Addition of user/file record can now be aborted
ZIP files can now be viewed from all 'More?' prompts
UBBSWHO now tells whether or not each user is paging the sysop
The (R)ead submenu now offers a Read (O)nly mode (no updating of last read
pointers), a (J)oin Conf command, a (RE)set last read pointer command, and
a (YA)Read Messages to You & All command
Expert mode prompts are more terse now
At end of message, (RR)Read Refer-To Number command is now available
User can now download a non-requested file, as long as it is in the FileBase
(for use with BiModem, etc)
Video mode and cursor characteristics are now handled better by UltraBBS
FS Editor supports more key sequences now - see help screen for info
Minor bug with (RE)set Message Pointers has been fixed
Minor bug with (VI)ew Compressed File has been fixed
Minor bugs with (Alt-U) have been fixed
Disconnect is handled better & faster, and goodbye screen is not truncated
"Snoop" mode implemented where sysop can logon, and phone is left on the
hook; when phone rings, sysop is notified and can logoff to have the BBS
answer the call; activated via (S) from call waiting screen, or
"UBBS S" from command line or batch file
Minor bug with removing time from time bank fixed
(R)ead and (S)can submenus offer a sw(I)tch command which toggles between
the two modes
(E)dit of batch queue allowed just before starting transfer
SysOp can now define a security level at which users can edit the text of
messages that they have entered
Free files formerly counted against your DL KB limit; this has been fixed
Daily Download KB limit implemented
Better space and semicolon stacking allowed on file commands
3 way graphics operation: (N)one, (B)&W ANSI, (C)olor ANSI
Files in FileBase w/ size of 0 are now "variable" - actual size of file
is checked instead of size in filebase
(D), (BI), and (VI) no longer require you to enter the extension of a file
if the extension is one of the supported compression types on the BBS
"Has Replies" implemented - messages that have had replies to them show a
"(Has Replies)" next to their refer-to #
Much improved AND/OR searching support
Conferences are stored as bits in user file, not bytes, saving much disk
space - see UBBSFMTS.TXT for description of new user file format
Minor problem with batch downloads fixed
(Z N), (L N) commands implemented - they search for text/wildcards through
all new files
Upload guard time implemented
SysOp-defined maximum number of messages for (O) and (D C) implemented
Extracting files from a compressed file is now supported
MarkMail's "NE:" subject prefix is now supported, to force a message to be
non-echo, even in an echo conference
Transfers have shorter log entries to make room for full protocol name in
log
Foreground and background colors are now reset after displaying text file
A blank directory ID can no longer be entered in text directory import
Shelling to DOS now uses the COMSPEC environment variable
UltraBBS now handles blank lines in messages correctly
PgDn/PgUp keys are allowed from Conference Parameters screen to toggle
between conferences
All Packs (Messages, Users, FileBase) are much faster
FileBase Global Change of File Paths command is implemented
FIDOCVT displays the current conference file that it is processing
The duplicate variable $mins/day$ has been removed ($minsperday$ performs
the same function)
Minor bugs in full screen editor fixed
Non-DSZLOG protocols sometimes went into a continuous loop after the
transfer - this has been fixed
Uploading a .REP file previously did not work when a default transfer
protocol was not defined
Minor problem with editing security level values in SETUP fixed
Information for other programming languages, and the format of UBBS.SYS,
are now included in UBBSFMTS.TXT
New command 'ADDMINUTES' added to questionnaires
When aborting (O), you are now returned to your original conference
"Cannot Hang Up Modem" error is now checked for AFTER initializing the
modem, to eliminate problems with some modems
(E)dit Message at End of Message prompt now allows removing password from
password protected messages
When fatal error occurs, a quick message is now displayed to the user &
he is properly hung up
Press (Any Key) prompt now displayed at end of message scan
Time bank prompts clarified (due to many users' confusion)
Minor problems with (M)ove and (F)orward message commands fixed
The $dlsperul$ macro was previously defined two times accidentally -
as both the required ratio, and the users' ratio; the required ratio
macro has been changed to $dlfsperulf$
Events now work properly on local-only nodes
Viewing compressed files is no longer possible from the 'more' prompt
when already viewing a compressed file
Users no longer get locked out after time expires during a password
failure message
Global user conference adding/removing previously did not work when
(Enter) was used for the high security range parameter - this is fixed
In the message scan display, conference names are no longer truncated -
40 spaces are available, enough to fit any full conference name
Date of upload is now updated when a file is overwritten
When a passworded message is encountered during the preparation of a .QWK
packet, it is automatically skipped now instead of prompting for a
password
Activating UltraBBS after a front-end at a bps rate of 38400 (ie: running
"UBBS 38400") previously did not work - this has been fixed
In MANAGER, '0' is now a valid value for a user's page length
Passwords are no longer echoed to the local screen to provide more
consistency and security
Problem with conference global changes fixed that caused parameters to
disappear from SETUP, and conference information to be erased
To upgrade from v1.1x to v2.00, you should update your MMENU* files (or
use the new ones that come with the package) and replace your help files
with the new ones. You also must delete your current NODEINFO.DAT file.
Then run LCONV.EXE on your Limits Data File, UCONV.EXE on your Users
File, and DATCONV.EXE on your UBBS.DAT File. Running these programs
with no parameters will generate instructions on their proper use.
Also, any batch file which uses the program PCBVUPDT.EXE will have to
be updated according to the program's new command-line syntax--see the
documentation for details.
v1.11 (12/15/90)
Problem with reading '+' or '-' fixed
Message reading routines further optimized
(G X) log offs are now logged in caller log as "Logged Off & Exited"
Limits Data File is no longer searched for security level 0 info
Prompt is completely erased now when viewing non-ANSI extended dir listings
Goodbye screen now goes nonstop after time up/keyboard timeout log off
Previously, beginning a search (in MANAGER) past the last user or file
record caused unpredictable results--now it simply aborts the search
The '*' character after the file date, when a file is new to the user,
is now in a different color than the date
Problem that occurred when user aborted the (O) command is fixed
Problem with editing conference strings fixed (cause infinite printing
of spaces under certain conditions)
FIDOCVT now properly includes tear lines before the origin line
No special upgrade steps required to upgrade from v1.10.
v1.10 (12/09/90)
Heavy documentation improvements
New file scans go by the "last file check date" that was set at the
beginning of the current call
Processing of downloads is not interrupted by carrier loss
(Esc) on local keyboard aborts a ring timeout
Users are not penalized time for downloading free files
(L)ocate now changes "FILE" to "FILE*.*" and "FILE*" to "FILE*.*"
Support to answer on 2nd, 3rd, etc ring instead of only the first
Caller number implemented
(T)hread (+/-) at end of message aborts an (R A) read
(10) (Caller Log Search) command is MUCH faster
Improvements in event support and event timing
When entering a "password failure" message to sysop, it does not
count your earlier time used against the time you have to enter
the message
Offline Reading & Downloading Attached File correctly detects an
aborted transfer when using a DSZ.LOG-supporting protocol
To upgrade to v1.10 from v1.00, you must add two lines to the
BEGINNING of your UBBS.DAT file. This can be done with any
standard text editor (EDLIN works). The two lines you should add are:
D:\UBBS\FILES\CALLNUM.DAT
0
The first line is the filename of the caller number data file, the
second line is the number of rings to skip before answering. Once
you add these two lines, you can modify those two parameters as
normal in SETUP if you wish.
v1.00 CONVERT fix (11/23/90)
Fixed problem with the door conversion utility (CONVERT.EXE)
No special upgrade steps required.
v1.00 (11/22/90)
Initial Release