LEGEND - (applies to html version
only)
- Red lettering are responses from TeleGrafix
below.
- White background with several lines of text
indicates CHANGES below.
Obtain approval from Telegrafix (Pat
Clawson) to resolve each identified Project Cherokee Wish
List issue to insure that a high level of quality is
sustained for the Cherokee product.
Validate existing and additional
specifications to establish a firm and an official
sanctioned specifications base for Project Cherokee.
On November 18th,
1998, Patrick Clawson stated that elements of both ProBoard
and Searchlight technologies, along with TeleGrafix's
award-winning Remote Imaging Protocol (RIPscrip) rapid
Internet vector graphics technology, will be incorporated in
a new TeleGrafix product under development that is code
named "Cherokee."
New updates will be added to Cherokee which
presently do not exist in the present standalone products
once they are combined, and product enhancements will be
added to the existing specifications to advance the Cherokee
product to a higher level of excellence.
Need dedicated homepage for Project
Cherokee
Due to the importance of this Project, it
would be advisable to establish a dedicated homepage at
TeleGrafix, at the earliest convenience, to support Project
Cherokee, to include a current list of specifications with
additional background information on the same.
Determine which Features will remain
after combining products
Will Cherokee absorb all the
features from each standalone product that is being combined
to form Cherokee?
If any specification is going to be
dropped, it needs to be readily identified by TeleGrafix.
Add additional Internet services
Since Cherokee will be an internet server, it needs some
additional internet services to really compete with other
servers:
pop3 protocol (allow users to have
their own email address)
smtp protocol
(allow users to send their own email)
nntp
protocol (allow users to receive NewsGroups)
ftp protocol (allow Filebase to link to files on outside
ftp sites)
irc protocol (allow users to
chat on IRC)
File Structures
Insure that the
file structures used with the different Operating Systems
(DOS, WIN, OS/2) will all share the same structures to
insure that you can run any version without having to use
converters, etc.!
Once this has been accomplished, then
consider porting to other multiple Operating Systems, such
as Linux to take advantage of the commercial/educational
side of the market.
Would like to haveProBoard
UserBase
ProBoard Menu System/ Menu Editor
ProBoard
Macros (Ctrl-k and Ctrl-f)
ProBoard PEX (in 32-bit
engine)
ProBoard Message Bases (definately JAM and
Squish)
ProBoard Language File/Language Editor
| Incorporate some PEX
features into the ProBoard source
|
Some suggestions have been received about
incorporating some of the more popular PEXes into the
existing features of ProBoard.
PEX writers who want to see some of their
PEX features used in ProBoard, may want to convert that
particular PEX source to FreeWare to alleviate any legal
problems arising from the use of that source.
TheEdit, which was originally written by
Alain Schellinck and then later taken over by Constantine
Spiess, was such a feature that was going to be recompiled
for the new version of ProBoard.
TeleGrafix does not have the time or
manpower to rapidly develop new source code for ProBoard
with it's on going commitment to Project Cherokee. Using
existing source code may prove to be the most economical
approach for some updating.
| Run existing 16-bit
PEXes in 32-bit environment
|
Questions have been asked if there will be a
commandline switchable PEX Engine control which would allow
existing 16-bit PEXes to run under the new 32-bit software
forever or in the interim before 32-bit PEXes are actually
developed.
Otherwise, all 16-bit PEXes will be need to
be recompiled under a 32-bit compiler.
The free 32-bit
GNU compiler should be furthered researched to see if it
could be used for this purpose.
Either a single location with the necessary recompiling
software would need to be established with code shrouding
capability or a utility/code developed which would allow
16-bit PEXes to run under 32-bit!
In all cases, the solution should allow the
PEX writers to use their existing compilers or the GNU
compiler without incurring additional programming costs, if
possible.
| |
Previous 32-bit
ProBoard features before the sale |
|
The following is for informational purposes
only, some info is obviously going to change and some info
may not be valid today!
| 32-bit New Features
as compared to DOS version 2.16
|
Incoming Calls
ProBoard v3.00 will mainly contain two EXE
commands:
- a session manager
- a console
The session manager will collect the
incoming calls and then launch the console EXE.
This
means people will be able to launch EXEs in between the
two EXEs.
You could therefore fire up a FOSSIL before
launching the console EXE.
Create sessions on the fly when a modem
receives an inbound call.
No need to dedicate fixed
node numbers to each modem.
Modem Pools
Creates sessions on the fly when a modem
receives in inbound call.
No need to dedicate fixed
node numbers to each modem.
Easily replace modems or
disable specific modems from the modem pool.
Lets you
specify modem profiles.
Each modem can be assigned a
modem profile with the correct init-string and other
settings.
Multiple modems can share one profile.
One system can have an unlimited number of
modems, distributed over several machines running Windows
95 and/or Windows NT 4.0.
You could run 2 modems on
one machine running Windows NT and 4 modems on another
machine running Windows 95, while a third machine running
OS/2 Warp could have one modem and a permanent TCP/IP
connection to the internet accepting telnet sessions.
TCP/IP Support (not in the DOS
version)
Unlimited simultaneous TCP/IP connections.
Log on to the BBS from a LAN or internet connection
(with TELNET).
File transfers over TCP/IP with the
built-in protocols (X/Y/ZModem and Kermit).
Built-in protocols and serial
communications drivers
The following protocols are built in:
XModem, YModem, ZModem, Kermit and Compuserve-B.
No
FOSSIL driver is required (although supported).
The OS/2 version of ProBoard v3.0 will be
a console application in the first release.
The code will be based on the Windows NT
version, which means that it will take advantage of
multi-threading and native TCP/IP support in OS/2.
The price for the OS/2 version will be the
same as the Windows version.
Upgrade prices for switching between the
OS/2 and Windows versions are not listed yet, because it
is not known yet when the first OS/2 beta version will be
available.
The following are the minimal system
requirements for running ProBoard v3.0. As with all
software, the general rule is, the more RAM, the better.
Computer
PC
compatible with 80486 CPU
Memory
8 MB RAM (16MB recommended)
Disk Space
10 MB
| Comparing ProBoard
v2.16 to v3.0
|
Version 3.0 will mainly be a 32-bit
rewrite of v2.xx.
The main changes will be TCP/IP
support and the built-in protocols.
More features will
be added!
The DOS version of PB v3.0 will not have
TCP/IP support because this is not possible in DOS.
The DOS version will run the exisiting
16-bit PEXes written for v2.xx and no 32-bit PEXes.
ProBoard v2.xx is partially year-2000
compliant.
In year 2000, it will set the year number
to 00, but that 00 will stand for year 2000.
The year
number is stored in a byte variable and therefore v2.XX
will continue to function properly until 2156.
| Comparing v3.0
Windows NT/95 to v3.0 OS/2
|
The OS/2 version of ProBoard v3.0 will be
a console application in the first release.
The code will be based on the Windows NT
version, which means that it will take advantage of
multi-threading and native TCP/IP support in OS/2.
| Compatibility Issues
with v3.0 |
External EXE Doors
DOS doors should still work, but is not
guaranteed.
Some doors have been tested.
External
MSG-editors, like T-Edit and GEdit, should still work
under ProBoard v3.0 since they are considered as external
doors.
TheEdit, which was originally written by
Alain Schellinck, will be recompiled for the new version
of ProBoard.
Internal EXE Doors
The DOS-version of v3.0 will run 16-bit
PEXes (even the "old" ones, but no 32-bit PEXes! As
version 3.0 Win95/NT & OS/2 are going to be 32-bit
versions, they will no longer run with the "old" 16-bit
PEXes.
All PEXes will need to be recompiled.
Philippe and Branislav Slantchev are
setting up a system which PEX-writers will be able to send
over their PEX-sources and get a compiled version in
return (or a list of errors).
There will be different
compilers available to the writer.
The sources can be
sent in a shrouded form so no-one else will be able to
read the sources.
At Philippe's place, the PEXes will
be compiled with WatCom C++.
It will not be very hard to update your
previous PEX source code in order for it to get compiled
for v3.0 since the interface routines to the user
(programmer) will stay the same.
You should expect
only internal changes of the libraries.
More library
information will be released.
Mailers
External mailers, like FrontDoor and
Intermail, should still work under ProBoard v3.0, but you
will lose the ability to have modem-pooling and you will
have to run a FOSSIL-driver.
The mailers will work in the same way as
they always did, ie. with errorlevels or with a DOBBS.BAT
system.
Fossil Drivers
To run external EXE doors (not PEX) or to
run a DOS mailer, you will have to use a regular FOSSIL
driver.
By doing so, you will loose the
modem-pooling support of ProBoard.
ProBoard v3.00 will be able to use an
external comms driver (FOSSIL or telnet FOSSIL), but if
you do so, you will be limited to 8 sessions because a
FOSSIL needs a COM port to work on, and a normal computer
has only 8 COM-ports.
Internal protocols (ZModem, ...) within
ProBoard can use an external FOSSIL driver.
External Protocols
You will be able to use external protocols
with v3.00.
A flag will be added to the protocol
configuration to indicate whether that protocol is
telnet-compliant or not.
Maintain all the features found in the
Searchlight BBS, however:
(1) Insure that
the messagebases support both JAM and Squish.
(2) Besides emulating DOOR.SYS, PCBOARD.SYS,
DORINFO.DEF,
support EXITINFO.BBS for
ProBoard.
Need a RIPterm for Windows
Status from
TeleGrafix
We are considering a Windows version of
RIPterm.
We had planned to release
one in November 1997. We put it on the back burner because
of weak market demand. That's because the communications
software that's built into Windows 95/98 has crushed the
market for other dial-up programs.
The average consumer does
not want to buy any software if a basic program is bundled
into Windows. The dial-up communications software market
went into death throes the day Windows 95 hit the market.
Good programs like
Q-Modem, Cyberjack, ProComm, Telix, WinRamp -- all of which
had built-in RIP support -- have disappeared into the
bowels of history.
SysOp Comments
Many SysOps have
been indicating that a windows version of RIPterm is needed
to help promote the popularity of RIPscrip! The terminal
should function with the windows dial-up program.
Promote RIP with other BBS
authors
SysOp Comments
One option that has
been readily available to TeleGrafix has been to contact
other BBS authors to have them include RIP emulation or
update that support in their products.
To show support to those competing BBS
authors, it may become necessary to provide a limited
one-time free offer of needed RIP source code to merge into
their product!
If TelGrafix charges for the code, it is
very likely the other BBS authors will refuse to cooperate.
It is much better at this time of uncertainty, that
TeleGrafix shows those authors that it is ready to do
whatever it takes, within reason and good business
practices, to assist those authors into integrating the most
current RIP emulation into their product, which not only
helps promote the BBS author's product, it helps TeleGrafix
to develop a larger customerbase for purchasing RIP
products!
It is important to stress to the other BBS
authors that they can save a lot of unnecessary time, labor
and expense by using RIP instead of trying to develop their
own proprietary vector graphics!
If success is made in this effort, then
TelGrafix can be assured a much better livelihood in the BBS
vector grapics market than it is experiencing at the present
time by strengthening market demands!
This BBS list is only a sample of new or
higher profile BBS authors who should be considered for
immediate contact:
A more exhaustive list of similar info can
be provided if requested!
| Spinnaker Web Server
Wishes
|
Merge entire Spinnaker package into
Cherokee
Spinnaker's scripting features, database
support, and the ability to put the BBS on the web make it a
very attractive package.
Registration Key Shortfall
It has
been noted that the Registration Key for Spinnaker uses the
IP address as part of the key.
If you ever switch Internet Service
Providers or change your system around, your Package would
not be usable anymore with an invalid key.
This problem should be investigated for a
faster solution instead of requesting a replacement key
which may or may not be a free replacement service.
| Project Cherokee
BackGround
|
To clarify the names of all products that
will be combined to form Project Cherokee, these
technologies are provided:
ProBoard BBS
Searchlight BBS
RIPscrip rapid
Internet vector graphics
Spinnaker Web
Server
A release date for Cherokee has not been
scheduled at this time.
TeleGrafix acquires rights to ProBoard
Bulletin Board System:
http://www.telegrafix.com/pressrel/proboard.htm
ProBoard is THE fastest QuickBBS-style BBS
program around!!
ProBoard is a computer program that allows
you to run a computerized Bulletin Board System (BBS),
where files, messages and other useful items may be
exchanged between users under control of the System Operator
(SysOp).
The SysOp is responsible for setting up and
maintaining the BBS, therefore, the ProBoard manual is
primarily geared towards the SysOp, or people who are
interested in becoming SysOps.
ProBoard has everything you need to
efficiently run a BBS, and more! It's state of the art
technology allows you to run a BBS without consuming large
amounts of your hard disk space.
ProBoard provides the ability to run a
multi-node BBS, allowing more than one user to be online at
a time. Its small size and lightning fast speed make it
ideal for running under a multi-tasker like DESQview, or on
a network.
ProBoard also fully supports the ability to
interface with mail networks such as FidoNet, UseNet,
EchoNet, and mail processors such as SQUISH, FastEcho,
GEcho, Fmail, and others.
The greatest asset of ProBoard, is it's
ability to be enhanced by you the user, through the use of
programs written in C / C++ using the provided ProBoard
Software Development Kit (SDK). You can do virtually
anything with your BBS using the SDK and a C / C++ compiler.
Programs written with the ProBoard SDK are called ProBoard
Executable (PEX) files. This built in "PEXability" assures
you that there's nothing ProBoard can't do!
You do not have to be a C / C++ programmer
to enjoy the benefits of ProBoard's SDK or these PEX files.
There are many 3rd party PEX files available for ProBoard
right now with more being released every day.
ProBoard has the ability to run most, if not
all doors programs and other utilities written for other BBS
systems such as PCBoard, QuickBBS (QBBS), SuperBBS,
RemoteAccess (RA), etc.
When running an external program, ProBoard
can swap itself to disk / EMS, and stay resident in
approximately 2KB of memory!!
ProBoard is highly configurable because it
allows you to use either the SQUISH, Fido Compatible *.MSG,
JAM or the HUDSON message base formats for the contents of
your message base. In addition to supporting all four of
these formats for the message base, ProBoard allows you to
configure your BBS to use all four at the same time. Name
one other BBS that allows you this flexibility!
Not flexible enough yet? Consider then,
that ProBoard allows you to configure up to 10,000 message
areas, and additionally 10,000 file areas. ProBoard also
supports the use of CD-ROM drives. What flexibility!!!
Most, if not all, known utilities for
RemoteAccess (RA) v1.11 as well as RemoteAccess v2.x, will
work with this version of ProBoard.
ProBoard is remarkably easy to setup with
the supplied PROCFG.EXE file. Most users are up and running
within a few short painless (even enjoyable) hours.
| Searchlight BBS
BackGround
|
TeleGrafix acquires rights to Searchlight
Internet servers:
http://www.telegrafix.com/pressrel/searchlight.htm
Searchlight BBS is one of the most popular
dialup BBS systems in the world. A computer, modem and phone
line are all you need to set up a Searchlight.
Starting with Searchlight BBS v5.02,
TeleGrafix has incorporated full support for four-digit
dates beyond 2000 to comply with the Y2K issues.
At this time, no further versions of
Searchlight BBS are planned. Searchlight BBS has enjoyed an
exceptionally long life for a software product (over 10
years), but the emergence of the Internet and the Web has
rendered it impractical for us to continue developing a
commercial BBS system. Instead, we will be putting the
majority of our effort into continued development of
Spinnaker, our next-generation active Web server product.
TeleGrafix continues to support our BBS
products for customers who need them for legacy applications
and places where a BBS system is still the best solution,
such as rural installations.
There are two ways that Searchlight BBS can
use the internet:
(1) It can act as a Telnet
host on an network-enabled Windows PC (a PC with a
continuous TCP/IP connection);
(2) It can import
and export internet email and newsgroups when used with
the Uumail add-on and a dialup UUCP service provider.
Searchlight BBS is not a Web server or an
FTP server; and it wasn't designed to provide internet
features like web browsing to callers who dial in.
If you are interested in a more advanced Web
product, the Spinnaker software may be what you are looking
for.
BBS system featuring configurable menus, an
easy to use interface, message conferences, file libraries,
email, chatting, and more.
You can even install optional programs, like
databases, order entry systems and surveys. Your BBS can be
used with just a modem or it can operate on the worldwide
Internet using the Telnet protocol.
TeleGrafix’s exciting new RIP products are
the only non-proprietary hosts that support multimedia
objects like photographic quality images and sound effects
and Searchlight is the first BBS software to fully support
RIPterm 2.0.
You can display JPEG images, associate WAV
sounds with events, and display any RIPterm 2.0 compatible
file with Searchlight.
TelGrafix's configuration program makes it
easy to use images and sounds without learning the RIPscrip
language or using a RIP paint program. Just plug in your
filenames and go!
Searchlight 5 gives you the best of both
worlds: a DOS version you can run on older machines, and a
32-bit Windows version you can run on modern Windows 95 and
Windows NT equipped PCs.
Some BBS programs offer little or no
opportunity to customize their default menus and prompts.
Others make you buy add-on compilers or
source code and force you to write complex program scripts
to make even minor changes.
Searchlight gives you simple, point and
click customization so you can easily modify our menus,
build new menu branches, change prompts and terminology,
even redesign your entire system.
Install doors and external utilities by
typing the appropriate DOS commands into a form. You don’t
need to understand batch files or error levels.
Install your modem with one keystroke.
Searchlight will detect your modem brand and automatically
make the optimal settings.
Searchlight includes 32-bit Windows 95/NT
and 16-bit DOS versions; Windows version supports Telnet
hosting.
Searchlight's graphical interface is an easy
to use, RIP-based GUI featuring vector & bitmapped
images, digital sound.
Many BBS programs let you use the Remote
Imaging Protocol (RIP) to draw menus with graphics and mouse
buttons. But that’s all they do. They don’t offer true GUI
features like scrollbars or pick lists. And they can’t build
RIP menus, so if you change their defaults, you have to
purchase a paint program and draw the new screens yourself.
Searchlight BBS has RIP support built-in,
not tacked-on. TeleGrafix's fully graphical RIP interface
lets you use a scroll bar to navigate through message lists
and file directories. You can read messages and tag files
with mouse clicks and select choices from pick lists, dialog
boxes and graphical menus.
And since Searchlight creates RIP on the
fly, you can reconfigure your system without manually
redrawing the screens. Searchlight can even incorporate your
favorite RIP files automatically.
And Searchlight is the only BBS software
that gives you Local RIP Graphics. You can see and use the
RIP graphics interface on your computer (or any computer on
your LAN).
Other BBS packages make you call your BBS
from another computer if you want to see RIP, and they can’t
give you a RIP interface at all if you’re using a LAN.
Searchlight's non-proprietary client works
with any RIP, ANSI or TTY terminal. RIP graphics clients
available for Windows and DOS. Searchlight supports RIPterm
3.0, RIPterm 2.0, and RIPterm 1.54, so you can give your
RIPterm 2.0 callers multimedia features without sacrificing
support for callers using the older version of RIPterm. No
other BBS software offers you this flexibility, Searchlight
does it automatically.
Searchlight is fully configurable to build
custom menus, edit prompts and strings. No complex script
languages and nothing extra to buy.
Searchlight's external doors support the
Door.Sys, Dorinfo.Def and PCBoard.Sys dropfiles. It can run
any DOS program online and runs Doors on the same PC as your
BBS.
Searchlight supports Internet Email and
Newsgroups and runs as a Telnet client on Win95 or WinNT.
A hobbyist might want to run external
programs ("doors") to let callers play games. A business
might need to let callers run custom applications online.
Some BBS programs don’t support doors at all, others make
you purchase a shell utility (like Doorway).
Searchlight supports the most popular door
formats, so you can run programs made for any BBS system.
And we’re the only BBS to include built-in support for DOS
shells and text-based DOS programs. Just select the "direct
video" option and you can run any DOS program online,
including programs like FoxPro, dBase, and Paradox or
applications created with Clipper or Clarion.
These days, the ability to interface to the
global "information superhighway" is essential.
TeleGrafix's Uumail option offers seamless support for
internet mail addresses, so you can send and receive
internet messages as easily as you do local messages. Your
callers don’t have to join a special conference or learn a
special procedure to send internet mail.
Just add a "send internet mail" button to
your menu. Searchlight does the rest!
And if a Web site is in your future, you'll
be glad to know that the conferences and file libraries you
set up in Searchlight BBS are compatible with Spinnaker,
TeleGrafix's next-generation active web server product.
Some companies sell you a stripped down
package and charge extra for the features you need most.
Every copy of Searchlight BBS includes our menu editor and
language customization tools, the most popular file transfer
protocols, Fossil and DigiBoard support, a QWK mail host, a
built in DOS shell and a full set of Sysop utilities.
TeleGrafix even includes a free RIP terminal that you can
distribute to your callers.
TeleGrafix offers an unconditional 30 day
money back guarantee with no restocking fees. If you add
lines, we credit 100% of your purchase price toward the
upgrade. Technical support is available 24 hours a day via
TeleGrafix's Web site.
RIPscrip is a graphical presentation
language developed by TeleGrafix.
It contains many
commands and features for the display of fast, high-quality
online graphics. It allows you to mix graphics and text,
from a variety of sources, into one integrated presentation
medium (i.e., the computer screen).
You can mix vector graphics, bitmapped
graphics, photos and text in a variety of fonts and colors
on the screen to create just about any style of presentation
you could imagine. You can even integrate ANSI text into
your presentation so that you can interface with older
online applications. With RIPscrip, you get the best of both
worlds.
RIPscrip is not a graphical user interface
(GUI), per se.
Yes, it contains many of the necessary
features to display a GUI, but it is not, in and of itself,
a GUI. You can display dialog boxes, menus and other
window-like objects that are commonly available in existing
GUI's, but you draw them!
RIPscrip's fundamental design and philosophy
is geared toward allowing you, the service provider, the
ability to display information in any manner that you want.
This is simply not possible in most traditional GUI
environments.
For example, Microsoft Windows applications
typically look very similar, and are quite different than
Macintosh applications. Using RIPscrip, you can make your
applications look like Windows, Macintosh, X-Windows, OS/2
Warp, or just about anything else you can imagine. The
choice is entirely yours!
Currently, RIPscrip graphics is supported in
the vast majority of terminal software packages, and
bulletin board products.
Here is a list of some of the
existing companies with RIPscrip capabilities in their
product(s) extracted from the RIPscrip 3.0 - Technical White
Paper, dated 12/06/96, by Jeff Reeder:
| Terminals |
|
Platform |
|
BBS
Software |
| RIPterm Pro |
|
MS-DOS |
|
The
MajorBBS/WorldGroup |
| Qmodem Pro |
|
MS-DOS |
|
Wildcat! |
| Qmodem Pro |
|
Windows |
|
TBBS |
| SmartCom |
|
Windows |
|
PC-Board |
| WinRamp |
|
Windows |
|
Synchronet |
| Telix |
|
Windows |
|
Searchlight BBS |
| SoftTerm |
|
Windows |
|
Kitten BBS |
| WinCom |
|
Windows |
|
Spitfire BBS |
| HyperTerm |
|
Windows |
|
TSX-BBS |
| ProComm |
|
Windows |
|
Remote Access |
| HyperTerm |
|
OS/2 Warp |
|
PowerBBS |
| SoftTerm |
|
OS/2 Warp |
|
Solaris BBS |
| A.R.G.U.S. |
|
Macintosh |
|
Renegade BBS |
| PowerConnect |
|
Macintosh |
|
NovaLink Pro |
| RIP-ST |
|
Atari-ST |
|
TurBoard |
| UserTerm |
|
Amiga |
|
Osiris
BBS |
Since RIPscrip is a general-purpose
graphical scripting language, it lends itself to many
different applications in the online world.
In fact,
there have been many customers who have used RIPscrip
graphics for non-online oriented purposes (e.g., document
distribution, graphical presentations, etc.).
| Spinnaker Web Server
BackGround
|
TeleGrafix acquires rights to Searchlight
Internet servers:
http://www.telegrafix.com/pressrel/searchlight.htm
The Spinnaker Web server is an advanced Web
server for Windows 95/98/NT that offers a flexible scripting
system, and an ultra-powerful database interface via Windows
ODBC.
Built-in Web-BBS features provide File
Library and Message Conference facilities directly from the
Web pages.
Spinnaker was developed originally by
Searchlight Software beginning in 1995. Now it is being
maintained and marketed by TeleGrafix.
Although Spinnaker and Searchlight BBS are
made by the same company, they are very different products.
Spinnaker is a true Web server:
it is not
a client-server BBS system or some other type of BBS hybrid.
In particular, Spinnaker requires an
internet connection (it doesn't work with just a modem) and
the only type of client that can connect to Spinnaker is a
World Wide Web browser like Netscape or Internet Explorer.
Spinnaker is not a direct replacement for Searchlight BBS.
The connection between Spinnaker and
Searchlight BBS is that they can share the same conference
and file library databases. That means it's possible to have
a Web site and a BBS that have the same conferences and the
same file downloads.
The current specifications for the products
that will be combined to form Project Cherokee are provided
here.
Current FAQ for ProBoard BBS:
http://proboard.thebbs.org/pb_faq/pb_faq.htm
This following is a list of the most
important features found in ProBoard taken from the PB v2.16
Operator's manual. The same headings that were used for the
Searchlight BBS specifications have also been extended to
ProBoard.
RIP Graphics
Full RIP support, and
unlike other BBS packages that leave the SysOp looking at
cryptic RIP codes, we even display the menus your non-RIP
callers see, on your end so you can see what's happening on
your BBS.
Full-Screen Editor
Built-in
fullscreen message editor.
Ability to specify an
external message editor either as door or as a PEX file.
Menu Building
Ability to call menu
editor while user is online (or in local mode) and edit the
current menu. Great for testing, or in case you see
something that just HAS to be fixed while a user is online.
Door System
Compatible with most,
if not all, doors written for other BBS software such as
RemoteAccess, QuickBBS, PCBoard, etc.
Emulates DOOR.SYS,
DORINFO.DEF, EXITINFO.BBS (not listed as important feature).
Ability to specify an external chat program, either as a
door or as a PEX file.
Swaps itself to disk or EMS when
shelling to an external door program, leaving only two Kb
resident!
Modem/Serial Support
Supports all
types of modems. All known connect rates are directly
supported, and you can specify up to 6 user-defined connect
rates.
Direct support for all high speed modems (up to
115,200 bps).
FOSSIL driver support (not listed as
important feature).
Flexible protocol configuration. You
can install any protocol directly in ProBoard (even
bi-directional protocols are supported).
Protocols that
can be installed in ProBoard include X/Y/Zmodem, MPT,
Bimodem, HS/Link, etc.
TTY, ANSI, Avatar (0 and 0+)
terminal emulation.
Local up/downloads
Message System
Support for 4
message base types: Squish, Hudson JAM and *.MSG, all at
the same time.
Support for up to 10,000 message areas
and 10,000 file areas.
Internal QWK support, provided as
a PEX file for seamless integration into your BBS.
REAL-TIME multi-line chat built in. No stupid line-per-line
chat.
"SysOp Next" function, with definable "alert"
music, as well as semaphore file support.
Users and Security
Full alias
(handle) support.
Users (and the SysOp) can send
"personal files" to other users. ProBoard automatically
deletes the files after they have been downloaded.
Automatic validation of users using a very sophisticated
"template" system.
Fully "data driven" system usage
graphs, even in RIP mode.
Ability to limit menu
selections by age, baud rate, gender of user, time online,
or time of day.
Very flexible security system with over
65,000 security levels and 32 security flags as well as
"reverse" flags.
Electronic Mail
ProBoard does not
have any Internet functions built-in, but through special
PEXes, internet mail can be sent/received through ProBoard.
File Transfer System
Support for
up to 10,000 file areas.
Integrated, lightning-fast
duplicate file checking on uploads.
Hooks for external
upload checking programs.
Extremely fast indexed file
system, while still using the standard FILES.BBS-based file
system.
Built in file tagging system.
Powerful "Free
Files" functions, great if you're running a support BBS, or
a BBS to promote your company.
User name can optionally
be added to FILES.BBS when user uploads files.
Built in
file counters, shows which of your files are the most
popular.
Full CD-ROM support. The CD-ROM drive is not
accessed until a file is actually downloaded. It is only
accessed to copy files to a local drive of your choice
freeing up the CD-ROM for other requests.
Multi-lingual Support
Full
Language support. Every prompt in the system can be changed
(including color) and saved in a language file, as well as
multi-language support for menus and textfiles. You can
even replace any prompt with ANSI files or PEX files.
SysOp Utilities
Extremely
user-friendly configuration/maintenance utilities using the
supplied PROCFG.EXE file.
Powerful User Editor including
filter function, allows you to easily find and work with
only the users you specify.
Built in "flag description"
editor, helps you remember just what all of those flags you
have are for.
Fully definable paging hours for every day
of the week.
Expandability
ProBoard is
completely written in highly optimized C++ and assembly
language.
Full multi-line/multi-user support. Up to 255
nodes can share the same user database, message base and
file database. Each node can have its own modem
configuration, welcome screens, menu structure, etc.
Fully buffered I/O for optimum system performance.
A
software development kit (SDK) is included with ProBoard!
You can write your own extensions to ProBoard using C or
C++.
Programs written with the SDK run "inside"
ProBoard, for maximum flexibility and speed. The programmer
doesn't have to worry about modem communications, user
files, etc. THIS IS TOTALLY UNIQUE!! No other BBS software
offers anything that even comes close.
Support for OS/2
2.x time-slicing.
Current specifications for Searchlight
BBS:
http://ripscrip.telegrafix.com/products/searchlight/slbbsspecs.htm
Current FAQ for Searchlight BBS:
http://ripscrip.telegrafix.com/products/searchlight/faq.htm
RIP Graphics
RIPscrip v2.0
support.
Local RIP graphics on the BBS computer.
Automatic transfer feature that makes Searchlight faster in
RIP mode by downloading frequently used menu files and icons
on an as-needed basis.
Built-in RIP GUI features
including scroll bars, pop-up menus and dialog boxes.
Full screen message and file browsers with mouse file
tagging.
RIP menu designer and style editor.
Copy
functions that allow you to easily duplicate existing RIP
styles.
Automatic selection of RIP, ANSI or Ascii
screens.
Regulate doors and menu choices by RIP
availability or RIP version number.
Users can select
large or small font for viewing and entering messages.
Full-Screen Editor
Supports most
common cursor control keys, function keys and WordStar
command sequences.
Uses full ANSI set for fast screen
updating.
Mouse support (RIP & local).
Quote
individual lines from original message.
Upload text with
any internal protocol.
Menu Building
Create and edit
menus with mouse-driven menu editing tool.
Copy functions
that allow you to easily duplicate existing menus.
Up to
64 commands per menu with no limit to total number of menus
in system.
Nest menus up to 40 levels deep.
Over 100
internal command functions can be arranged in any way you
choose.
Add door programs to any menu.
Execute up to
64 commands in sequence.
Regulate access to commands and
menus by 10 criteria, including RIP version.
Design
custom RIP, ANSI or Ascii screens for any menu (or use
built-in displays).
A point-and-click method of assigning
conferences and file directories to any menu.
Door System
Run any text-based DOS
application online without third-party add-on products.
FOSSIL emulation feature that lets you run doors and other
programs that require a Fossil driver through Searchlight's
built-in communications drivers, Windows serial devices, or
DigiBoard ports.
Compatible with most existing Door
products.
Emulates DOOR.SYS, PCBOARD.SYS,
DORINFO.DEF.
Built-in DOS shell capability.
Write your
own door programs without serial programming.
Modem/Serial Support
Supports any
base address and interrupt (IRQ).
16550 buffered UART
support.
FOSSIL driver support.
Windows device driver
support.
Support for Intelligent DigiBoard multiport
cards.
Support for intelligent Equinox multiport
cards.
Support for generic BIOS/INT14 drivers.
Supports connect speeds up to 115,200 baud.
Hands-free
automatic modem configuration.
Windows version accepts
incoming internet (telnet) connections.
Message System
An "instant reply"
feature for chat messages that lets you chat without
interrupting your work in progress.
No limit to number
of conferences or messages per conference "One file per
conference" storage architecture offers the best
combination of speed, size and reliability.
Fast message
searching in headers and/or text.
Indexed personal
message scans.
Full thread maintenance including global
thread operations (kill, forward, download entire
threads).
Message forwarding, carbon copy, text upload
& download, auto purge of old messages.
Attach binary
files to messages.
Supports message sizes up to 1000
lines.
Users and Security
Unlimited
number of user accounts.
Encrypted user passwords for
maximum security.
24 independent security flags plus 256
levels.
Over 16 million security combinations.
Regulate access to conferences, file areas, menu choices,
doors, menu branches, quoting, netmail features, and
more.
Read-only conference areas.
Upload-only and
download-only file directories.
Mutually exclusive
security groups.
Alias names.
Caller ID logging.
Electronic Mail
True private
mailboxes for each user.
Read new mail automatically at
log-in.
Recipient name lookup and name completion.
Internet address support.
Multizone (4D) Netmail
support.
Carbon copy, alias and group names.
Automatic
mail logging feature.
File Transfer System
Unlimited
number of directories and files.
All directories indexed
by name and date.
Files from multiple DOS directories may
be combined into a single Searchlight directory.
Individual file passwords.
Copy, delete, rename and move
files.
View internal directories of ZIP, LZH, ARJ and SQZ
files.
File descriptions up to 400 lines.
Dynamic
download counts in directory listings.
Tag files with
mouse clicks or single-keystrokes.
Built in Zmodem,
Xmodem/CRC & Xmodem/1K.
Up to 15 external protocols
supported including HSLink.
Auto-processing of uploads
supported.
Partial filename completion.
Improved
CD-ROM handling procedure that optimizes file transfers from
CD-ROM discs and other low speed media, especially on
multiuser systems.
Local upload and download for LAN
use.
Supports automatic FILE_ID.DIZ importing.
Multi-lingual Support
Offer up to
64 languages online.
Language files can redefine some or
all text prompts and menus.
Callers' language choices
saved as default for future logins.
Create your own
language files with included tools.
SysOp Utilities
All sysop
functions are available from a remote location.
Most
sysop functions can be run with callers online.
Purge old
users & messages by date, access level, content, and
other criteria.
Rename users (changes name in messages,
too).
Global adjustments to user access levels &
attributes.
Rebuild indexes & repair damaged
files.
Expandability
Multizone Fidonet
(echomail & netmail) support.
QWK offline mail module
included free.
Internet mail support.
Compatible with
all front-end mailers & mail tossers.
Free high-level
software development kit for rapid development of new
applications.
Current specifications for
RIPscrip:
http://www.telegrafix.com/info/ripscrip/features.htm
Current Technical White Paper for RIPscrip
v3.0:
http://www.telegrafix.com/info/ripscrip/whitepap.htm
RIPscrip 3.0 definition has not been
released yet by TeleGrafix.
The prior version of RIPscrip
will be discussed.
RIPscrip 2.0 is a robust technology.
It
has features and options for nearly every aspect of creating
graphical systems. Here is just a short list of its major
capabilities:
Full set of graphical drawing primitives
(e.g., line, oval, rectangle, Freeform curves, text objects
and more).
Complete control over the appearance of
filled-in objects (patterns, multiple colors, etc).
Complete control over object border attributes like
thickness and dash patterns. Multiple column text displays
for news articles and more.
Utilize Adobe(tm) and TrueType(tm) style
fonts for nearly any appearance you could imagine.
Complete flexibility over the appearance of fonts (italics,
bold, rotation, shadowing, spacing and more).
Display
JPEG anywhere on the screen, in any size. Even display them
while they're downloading.
Play digitized audio files while you're
online, even in the background!
Full bitmap BMP
capabilities. Show bitmapped images anywhere on the screen,
including as buttons.
Full set of button and mouse
field objects for making radio buttons, checkboxes, and
other clickable objects.
Reliable client/server architecture allows
for remote resource updating.
Images, scenes and other
data files can be accessed locally, or from the remote
server. Use them locally for ultra-fast performance.
In-depth text variable command language allows you to
perform countless operations online, or whenever a button is
selected by the user.
Advanced Template command language for
complete control over host/server commands.
Built-in
data tables for graphical styles, color palettes, button
definitions, environments and more allow you to "cache"
large amounts of graphics data locally for advanced
client/server applications.
Complete backup system designed for
preserving the current "state" of the RIPscrip environment.
Great for use when creating dialog boxes, or executing door
programs.
Fully resolution independent. A screen you
draw at 640x480 will look just like what you intended to a
caller using 1024x768 resolution!
Fully color palette
independent. New 24-bit architecture allows you to display
artwork on systems with any number of existing colors.
Multiple text windows allow you to create data-entry forms,
and other things!
Full VT-102 and ANSI terminal emulation
built-in!
Creation of entire Graphical User Interfaces
by combining other RIPscrip features.
| Spinnaker Web Server
Specs |
Current specifications for Spinnaker Web
Server:
http://www.telegrafix.com/products/spinnaker/index.htm
Current FAQ for Spinnaker Web Server:
http://www.telegrafix.com/products/spinnaker/spinfaq.htm
Active Web server for Windows.
Built-in
script language.
Native access to local/SQL databases.
User profiles and security groups.
Message
conferences and file libraries.
Built-in database
applications.
Create applications in script or C++.
Write script and HTML in same file.
Stand-alone server
for Win95/98, WinNT.
Does not require NT Server.
Does not require browser plug-ins.
Consider these concerns/comments/suggestions
for improvement of the Cherokee product.
Continue the excellence in Cherokee by
providing the support and development for the product.
I would like to thank Pat
Clawson and TeleGrafix crew for their willingness to hear
these positive concerns/comments/suggestions and the
dedicated contributors who have participated in this effort!