Announcement for the BBS-package ix/MBox 1.6 PL10a                 14.06.1992


The package includes a BBS for UNIX. The following derivations and compilers
have been tested:

- MINIX 386 (You have to have the 386 version!) with BCC

- MINIX 386 with GCC 1.37 (with or w/o ESTDIO-patches)

- ESIX SVR3 with CC (MSC) or GCC

- ISC 2.21 with "Shared Libs"

- DELL UNIX 2.1 SVR4 with GCC 2.1

If you don't have one of those systems or anything that's compatible to
any of them, you may stop reading now!

NOTE: The 64+64 limitation of Coherent and plain MINIX makes it impossible
      to run ix/MBox BBS! The BBS itself needs more than 170kB of memory!


For all who are still reading, some other requirements. The ix/MBox uses
some UNIX services to stay compatible to the UNIX world and to make updates
more easy. You need:

- a mailer like SMAIL (RMAIL) or UMAIL 

- a news-package B/C-NEWS (INEWS) or WNEWS

- a uucp-system like HDB, Taylor or MNXUUCP or UUCP1.2

(The packages UMAIL and WNEWS are MINIX stuff by Fred v. Kempen, UUCP1.2
is the (best) UUCP-package for MINIX by Will Rose)


  
You're STILL (!) reading? Ok, now the features of the BBS. If you're missing
a feature that is important for you, just talk to me. Maybe I've forgotten
to mention it, or I'm able to offer it with the next patchlevel!

The BBS ...

... uses NEWS to handle all boards/articles. You may use the BBS or your
    prevered newsreader to maintain the articles.

... uses an internal mailer for mails between BBS-users.

... uses (R/S)MAIL to receive/deliver mails from BBS-users to system-users
    of the same or foreigen sites and vice versa.

... uses a variable command set. If you don't like the presetted commands,
    just change the config-file to have your own commands set.

... all commands are fitted out with a user-level and a prototype-flag.
    You may have several commands with the same function, but only the
    commands with the prototype-flag set will be shown in the command-
    survey.

... has "user defined commands". If you like to offer an external newsreader
    or mailer to your users, you only have to state that in a config-file.

... is able to communicate in various languages. A german and an english
    language-file are delivered with this package. It takes about two or
    three hours to build language- and help-files for other countries.

... offers PD-areas like all other boards. The trick is, that the articles
    in the PD-boards are including a pointer to the real PD-package. You
    are able to maintain that areas like all other boards. You don't have to
    copy your PD-directories!
   
... uses SX/SZ/SB and RX/RZ/RB as filetransfer protocols. Also ASCII up- 
    and download are available for text and PD transfer.

... has it's own line-editor (B)LED. Users with higher level may use
    fullscreen-editors, of course. You only have to put all offered editors
    in a config-file.

... offers games to the users. Again, there's a config-file, which
    includes the list of your online-games (rogue/nethack etc.).

... may call a CHAT-program. If you don't have one, please tell me. I've
    a PD-mutliport-chat program, too. Otherwise you can use TALK or
    phone as a two-person chat.

... is able to read Bellcore RTF (Richtext Format) and Qouted-Printable.

... creates MIME-Headers. This, and the RTF-feature are the first steps to
    multimedia-mail. 

... allows to change the headerfield of news-articles and mails. (Depending
    on userlevel, of course!)

... allows to reedit articles, if you are the autor. If you are the sysop,
    you may reedit everything ;-)

... is able to generate statistics on calls, downloads, news-articles.

... builds hitlists on calls per user, downloads per file, etc.

... contains a users database with online-maintenance-facility.

... allows users to setup the BBS to hit their preferences. They may
    choose:

    - TERMINAL      ANSI X3.64, VT100, VT52, Dump (have a look at TERMCAP)

    - EDITOR        LED, VI, EMACS, PED, MINED (or whatever you offer)

    - PROMPT        BOARD, TIME, RATES (with or w/o BELL)

    - OUTPUT        TYPE, MORE, MORE with marks, direction, lines, etc. ...

    - INTRO         INFOTEXT, STATE, both
       
    - SCANNER       DATE&TIME, DATE, change scanner date


... supports the following commands by default:

    +, -, ACCOUNT, AREA, BOARD, CHAT, DIR, DATE, DELETE, DOWNLOAD, DIRECTION,
    EDIT, FINGER, FORWARD, GAMES, GOODBYE, HELP, MAIL, MACRO, MESSAGE, MINIX,
    PORTINFO, PROTOCOL, PM, READ, SETUP, SYSINFO, SIGNATURES, STATE,
    STATISTICS, SEARCH, TIME, USERS, UPLOAD, VERSION, WRITE



Let's stop this list here. If you're interested, let me have a mail. I'll
send the package in six UUE-parts (each 60kB) to you.
