Subj : WWiVNews: Archive 20 To : All From : paulie420 Date : Sat Feb 13 2021 08:02 am -----wwiv9403.txt Ú¿Ú¿Ú¿Ú¿Ú¿Ú¿ Ú¿ ÚÄ¿ Ú¿ÚÄÄÄÄ¿Ú¿Ú¿Ú¿ÚÄÄÄÄ¿ ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͳ³³³³³³³³³³³ ÚÅ´ ³ À¿³³³ÚÄÄÄÙ³³³³³³³ÚÄÄÄÙÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º Volume 5 ³³³³³³³³³³³³ ÚÅÅ´ ³ ÀÙ³³ÀÄÄÄ¿³³³³³³³ÀÄÄÄ¿ March-June º º Issue 2 ³³³³³³³³³³³³ÚÅÅÅÅ¿³Ú¿ ³³ÚÄÄÄÙ³³³³³³ÀÄÄÄ¿³ 1994 º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÑÍÍÍÍͳÀÙÀÙ³³ÀÙÀÙ³ÀÁÁÅÅÁÙ³³À¿ ³³ÀÄÄÄ¿³ÀÙÀÙ³ÚÄÄÄÙ³ÍÍÍÍÍÍÑÍÍÍÍÍͼ ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÙÀÄÄÄÄÙ ÀÙ ÀÙ ÀÄÙÀÄÄÄÄÙÀÄÄÄÄÙÀÄÄÄÄÙ ³ ³ Serving WWIV Sysops & Users Across All WWIV Networks ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³This Month's Features³ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Random Factors.......................................Wayne Bell (1@1) ³ ³ ³ ³ Soft Servings: News from WWIV Software Services.....Filo (1@2050) ³ ³ ³ ³ Listing of WWIV Utilities for V4.23..................Joe Barbara (1@6101) ³ ³ ³ ³ The "Helms Hoax" Exposed!............................Polekat (1@7385) ³ ³ ³ ³ Seeking Asylum! An Inside Look at The Asylum Group...Zu Digital (1@7321) ³ ³ and Sam (1@2077) ³ ³ ³ ³ Filling in Gates' Gaps: Undocumented DOS Commands....MicroSource Sysop ³ ³ (1@15136) ³ ³ ³ ³ Tips For Running WWIV Under OS/2 2.1.................Martin (1@6251) and ³ ³ Lord Sigma2 (1@5498) ³ ³ ³ ³ TechnOTES............................................WWIVnews Staff ³ ³ ³ ³ The Power Mac: Panacea or Snake Oil?.................Omega Man (1@15117) ³ ³ ³ ³ Type 0 Forum.........................................Edited by ³ ³ Omega Man (1@5282) ³ ³ ³ ³ A Net Sub Host's Best Friend - AutoSend..............JAFO (1@8861) ³ ³ ³ ³ Posse Comitatus Activity On WWIVNet?.................Mr. Natural (1@8262) ³ ³ ³ ³ Official WWIV Modification Services Listing..........Shadowspawn (1@3900) ³ ³ ³ ³ Filo's Mod of the Month..............................Filo (1@2050) ³ ³ ³ ³ Dateline: @#$*()#!...................................Omega Man (1@15117) ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ³ Random Factors ³ ³ Creative Commentary by Wayne Bell (1@1) ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ WWIVCON ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Well, by the time you read this, WWIVcon has come and gone. I'll be there, and next issue I'll have some comments on the event. Hope everyone who did attend had a good time, though! NET33 BUG REPORT ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Well, as you may know, there's a problem where if a system connects to the same node number in multiple networks, and neither has a password, the first connect made will connect it to the wrong network, thus "crossing" the networks. While looking over the net code yet another time, I noticed that I had a if (stricmp(net_networks[nn].name, name)) { when I should have if (stricmp(net_networks[nn].name, name)==0) { So, that is certainly what is causing the problem now (it will DEFINITELY pick the wrong network). Until NET34 is released, therefore, don't add a new CALLOUT.NET entry for the same node number in different networks at the same time. Add one, get a PW, then add the other. THE GREAT NETWORK SWITCHOVER ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ As most of you are aware, stage two of what's being called "The Great Network Switchover" has taken place. This stage, the WWIVNet to WW4net system changeover, requires that everyone in WWIVNet run the CVTNODES program I sent out UU'd in the related mail-to-all-sysops. This program will convert your node assignments for subs and hosts from WWIVNet to WW4Net assignments, thus saving you a bit of work. In about two weeks, give or take a week, we'll look into moving onto the next stage in the changeover, which will require that you delete the old WWIVNet directory and rename the WW4Net directory to WWIVNet, and make the proper changes in INIT. Don't do this yet, as the delay is to allow all E-Mail in transit to reach its destination before we make the final change. I'll be sending a mail-to-all-sysops when the time comes. WWIV 4.24 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ WWIV v4.24 is moving along smoothly in beta test, but isn't *quite* done yet. The Fidonet support package appears to be working, but will probably be distributed in a separate distribution package. Should this occur, we'll probably see WWIV distributed in three separate packages - one for the basic stock, stand-alone WWIV package, one for getting setup with WWIVNet, and a third containing the Fidonet support executable. As it stands right now, this is what the v4.24 section of the README file for the next release contains. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ 1) Swapping spawn implemented. (Code courtesy of TurboPower Software, distributed in .OBJ/.LIB format, with permission.) 2) Sound Definition Files supported. (Uses local PC speaker to read/play alterable tunes. 3) Various bug fixes as usual. 4) Conferencing improved (confedit). 5) N-Scanning dirs is now done automatically (if set in xfer defaults) only after the first n-scan - no more redundant file n-scans after msgbase n-scan. 6) WWIV.INI file support added. See docs for available settings and details. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Short list, huh? So far, there are really two new major features. The first is a 3rd-party "swapping spawn", which will allow the "shrink" functionality for any external program (fsed, upload event, etc). Related to this, all the various spawn-type functions (and people looking through the source know there are a bunch of hard-to-tell-apart functions for running external programs) have been consolidated into one function - extern_prog(), which will take a commandline, and a series of flags OR'd together, which is much easier to code and decypher. The second major feature is the support for a WWIV.INI file. This will allow you to specify many parameters (some new, some from INIT, and some that used to be OPT_ #defines) in a text file, and even to change the settings while the BBS is running (by modifying the WWIV.INI file, then saying //READINI). You'll be able to specify all the various flags (whether to shrink or not, intercept COMIO, etc) for each external run (fsed, upload event, etc), change newuser colors, sysop-side colors, external programs (ul event, beginday event, newuser event, logon event, terminal prog, etc), simple ASV settings, and many flags (enable simple ASV, new chatsound, enable /s & /z, use fsed for ext desc, local sysop, 2way chat, close xfer, new extract, fast search, etc). These can even be set differently for different instances of the BBS, if you are running in a multi-instance environment. INTERNAL QWK SUPPORT ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Of late there's been some debate on the various Sysops' subs over whether or not an Internal QWK manager should be included in WWIV. As it stands right now, I doubt there will be any QWK support built-in to v4.24, due to the timing. However, I'm not ruling this out for future versions. WWIV.INI ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ As most of you read last issue, WWIV v4.24 will have most of the OPT_ #defines configurable through a .INI file. This file can be changed and reloaded while the BBS is running, which will help those who rely on remote maintenance., The current settings file - called WWIV.INI - currently looks like this: ; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ; ; WWIV Version 4 ; Copyright (C) 1988-1994 by Wayne Bell ; ; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ; Colors are selected numerically. To determine the value for a color, use the ; following chart: ; ; 0 = Black 8 = Dark Gray ; 1 = Blue 9 = Light Blue ; 2 = Green 10 = Light Green ; 3 = Cyan 11 = Light Cyan ; 4 = Red 12 = Light Red ; 5 = Magenta 13 = Light Magenta ; 6 = Brown 14 = Yellow ; 7 = Light Gray 15 = White ; ; Now, to calculate a color, you take the value for the background color and ; multiply by 16, then add it to the foreground color you wish. This will ; provide the value you should use for that color combination. Note that : color values greater than 127 will result in blinking. In other words, ; you should probably restrict background colors to colors 0-7 above. ; ; An example: if you want to find the value for, say, bright yellow on magenta, ; it would be (5*16) + 15. This equates to (magenta * 16) + white. ; ; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ; ; The various spawn options that may be used are: ; ; ABORT Allows ^C to break the spawned program. ; INTERNAL Makes extern appear as part of BBS ; NOHANGUP Doesn't check for hangup ; COMIO Use RETURN.EXE for WWIV's DOS intercept (takes about 50k more ; mem) ; SHRINK Swaps out to XMS, EMS, or disk, to free more memory. ; FILES Creates STAT.WWV and RETURN.WWV files. ; NOPAUSE Turns off user's pause-on-screen. ; NETPROG Tries to run program in network data dir first. ; TOPSCREEN Redraws topscreen after execution. ; ; These options may be combined like: ; ; SPAWNOPTS[FSED]=SHRINK,COMIO,NOHANGUP ; ; Valid locations that can have spawn options specified are: ; ; TIMED, NEWUSER, BEGINDAY, LOGON, ULCHK, FSED, PROT_SINGLE, PROT_BATCH ; ; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- [WWIV] ; ; Default spawn options ; ;SPAWNOPT[TIMED] =SHRINK, FILES ;SPAWNOPT[NEWUSER] =NONE ;SPAWNOPT[BEGINDAY] =SHRINK ;SPAWNOPT[LOGON] =COMIO ;SPAWNOPT[ULCHK] =NOHUP, SHRINK ;SPAWNOPT[FSED] =COMIO ;SPAWNOPT[PROT_SINGLE] =NONE ;SPAWNOPT[PROT_BATCH] =SHRINK, TOPSCREEN ; ; Newuser colors ; ;NUCOLOR[0] = 7 ;NUCOLOR[1] = 11 ;NUCOLOR[2] = 14 ;NUCOLOR[3] = 5 ;NUCOLOR[4] = 31 ;NUCOLOR[5] = 2 ;NUCOLOR[6] = 12 ;NUCOLOR[7] = 9 ;NUCOLOR[8] = 6 ;NUCOLOR[9] = 3 ;NUCOLORBW[0] = 7 ;NUCOLORBW[1] = 15 ;NUCOLORBW[2] = 15 ;NUCOLORBW[3] = 15 ;NUCOLORBW[4] = 112 ;NUCOLORBW[5] = 15 ;NUCOLORBW[6] = 15 ;NUCOLORBW[7] = 7 ;NUCOLORBW[8] = 7 ;NUCOLORBW[9] = 7 ; ; Sysop-side colors ; ;TOPCOLOR = 31 ;F1COLOR = 31 ;EDITLINECOLOR = 112 ;CHATSELCOLOR = 95 ; ; External program commandlines ; ;TERMINAL_CMD = ;EXECUTE_CMD = ;UPLOAD_CMD = ;BEGINDAY_CMD = ;NEWUSER_CMD = ;LOGON_CMD = ; ; System specification ; ;SYSTEMNAME = ;SYSTEMPHONE = ;SYSOPNAME = ; ; System flags ; ;FORCE_FBACK = ;CHECK_DUP_PHONES = ;HANGUP_DUP_PHONES = ;POSTTIME_COMPENS = ;USE_SIMPLE_ASV = ;SHOW_HIER = ;IDZ_DESC = ;SETLDATE = ;NEW_CHATSOUND = ;SLASH_SZ = ;READ_CD_IDZ = ;FSED_EXT_DESC = ;FAST_TAG_RELIST = ;MAIL_PROMPT = ;SHOW_CITY_ST = ;LOCAL_SYSOP = ;2WAY_CHAT = ;OFF_HOOK = ;PRINTER = ;LOG_DOWNLOADS = ;CLOSE_XFER = ;ALL_UL_TO_SYSOP = ;NO_EASY_DL = ;NEW_EXTRACT = ;FAST_SEARCH = ; ; ASV values ; ;SIMPLE_ASV[SL] = ;SIMPLE_ASV[DSL] = ;SIMPLE_ASV[EXEMPT] = ;SIMPLE_ASV[AR] = ;SIMPLE_ASV[DAR] = ;SIMPLE_ASV[RESTRICT] = The only remaining OPT_ #defines are for chain_reg, msg_tag_ability, packscan_freq, registration, can_save_ssm, and extra_color. As with .INI files for other programs, such as Windows, I expect that we'll see third-party WWIV utils and mods start taking advantage of WWIV.INI to provide a common file for user-configurable settings. NET34 ÄÄÄÄÄ NET34 should be released soon. Well, as many of you may know, NET34 has been in beta-test for a while now. The two main new features are the new routing info lines, and support for net calls on multiple instances simultaneously - even on the same net! Beta testing continues in earnest as of this writing. Hopefully, the last few bugs have been caught by the beta testers - the last one being a problem with the DSZLOG with HSLink in multi-instance support, which was caught about in mid-June. This shows that keeping it in test for a while DOES help in the long run. Again, you will receive mail-to-all-sysops from me prior to its release. As I said, routing information has been changed. The ^D0 lines, of course, have been edited for viewing: 0R: net33: @5282 (via @1041) [01:54 04/26/94] 0R 34 04/25 23:16 WWIVnet ->1041 0R 34 04/25 15:32 WWIVnet ->1021 0R: net33: @1040 (via @2050) [15:45 04/24/94] 0R 34 04/24 13:42 WWIVnet ->2050 0R 34 04/24 13:41 WWIVnet 1040->2050 0R: net33: @1040 (via @1) [13:21 04/24/94] 0R 34 04/24 20:03 WWIVnet ->1 You'll notice that, in addition to fields being moved around, the two main changes are that it's shorter, and that the network name is listed. In addition, the fields are in an order such that most fields will line up nicely - when everyone is using NET34+, of course - rather than the current format with staggered lines. This will make it easier to visually see the route taken by a post, and will assist in debugging any network routing problems. With NET34, net calls can be initiated and received on multiple instances at the same time. While it wouldn't be very useful, it will even handle two nodes calling each other on the same net at the same time, without screwing anything up. This involves some increasingly-funny-looking names - you end up sending files like p1-0-2.001 - and NETWORK1 runs even if you don't receive any data so as to update the logs correctly. But it all seems to work out in the end. Additionally, due to a request by Jim Nunn of IceNET, NET34 supports receiving files sent by the NC, into the network data dir. I have been very careful in the NETWORK2 code support for this, so that it will only accept certain files for receipt. Only .NET or .ZIP files will be allowed for receipt, which means that no network files or standard DOS devices can be overwritten. Upon receipt, a NETDAT0.LOG entry is written, and an SSM to the #1 account is sent. Additionally, I've updated NETUP to send out files, splitting it up into multiple 32k packets as necessary. If anyone has any concerns about potential security problems with the file transmission, I'd like to hear about them. I am pretty sure I've caught all the potential problems, but due to the importance of this feature I'd like to make sure that all bases are covered. BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ I'd also like to make a comment about net software compatibility: As I'm VERY paranoid about backward compatibility, I am almost certain that NET34 today is compatible with the very first WWIV version that supported WWIVnet. This, of course, is assuming that you're using a <64k bbsdata.net file. Additionally, WWIV v4.24 will almost certainly work with almost all previous net versions after NET10, assuming again, that you're using a <64k bbsdata.net file, and aren't using groups for net versions that don't support that file size. NOTES ON NETUP ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ For those using NETUP, I've written new versions of EN1 and DE1. These new EN/DE files support compression, but only when it actually compresses, as opposed to the existing WWIVNet DE1.EXE, which always uses compression. Other than the compression, however, the data is not encrypted in any way at all. Instead, the verification involves RSA signatures using MD5 digests. Yes, I am paying a royalty for use of this code, and yes, it has been approved for export from the US. Since it involves only digital signatures, and not any encryption at all, this does not constitute a violation of any sort of legal restrictions on the export of encryption technology. According to an analysis by Dr. Ron Rivest (the "R" of RSA), the security involved in the source verification should be sufficient to withstand attack by a major corporation for at least 25 years. In any case, I can easily generate new EN1/DE1 programs - I wrote a program specifically to do so - and so expect to implement new ones every few years anyway. WWIV 5.0? ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ I hear some people are talking about WWIV v5.0. Well, don't bother, one is not being worked on. If there ever does happen to be one (don't hold your breath), it will probably have a higher registration fee, but currently registered WWIV v4 sysops will be credited the $50 or $80 toward the v5.0, if they wanted to upgrade. But, again, as I said, I am currently not even planning on writing a v5.0, much less started doing anything on one. WHAT'S IN A NAME? ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ There have been some people recently trying to claim some kind of legal protection for sub names. In the past, someone has even tried to require another BBS to change a BBS name that they felt was too close to theirs. Remember: WWIVnet does not have any rules on sub or BBS names, other than that they not be clearly obscene. So, if you or someone else want to try to claim legal ownership of something like that, do not expect me or anyone else to force someone to change their BBS/sub name. RANDOM WAYNE TRIVIA ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ On a lighter note, some of you have been wondering what sort of processor ol' Wayne does his WWIV R&D work on. Currently, this is done on a 386/20. Using the new EN1.EXE for WW4Net, it takes about 15 minutes to do a full network routing update. Naturally, I expect to replace the computer in the next 4 to 6 months to a 586/66 or so. That's it for this month. In the meantime, if anyone knows of some good, reliable deals on a system...:-) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ³ Soft Servings ³ ³ News from WWIV Software Services ³ ³ By Filo (WWIVnet 1@2050) ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ WWIVCON ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ WWIVcon '94 opens in New Orleans on July 1, 1994. The three-day convention features panel discussions which should be of interest to those in attendance, software "door prizes" including the pre-release of a new WSS utility to be distributed with v4.24 when it is released, and lots of "free" time for those who want to explore the New Orleans area. Representatives from most of the major WWIV-Based networks will be in attendance along with many members of the 4.24 Beta Test Team. Topics that will be discussed by panels (with audience participation invited in the question and answer sessions) include: - "BBSes and the Law" - "Networking with WWIV" - "v4.24--New Features and Bug Fixes" - "WWIV -- Past, Present and Future." During the Sunday morning session there will be discussion of topics including suggestions regarding future developments in WWIV and possible sites for WWIVcon '95. Wayne Bell plans to attend and upon request is bringing "the gold pen" and a version of WWIV to autograph. The "gold pen" writes in a gold color and is suitable for autographing both 3.5 inch diskettes as well as 5.25 inch diskettes. Those who attended the WWIV Bash in St. Louis in 1992 may remember it. Let's hope it has not dried out since then :-) Other attending dignitaries include Linwood Davis, the WWIVLink Ombudsman, Jim Nunn, IceNET's 1@1, and JAFO, well-known modder and utility author. The WWIVNews Editor, Omega Man, was scheduled to attend, but could not do so due to some last-minute personal obligations involving several 66Mhz Pentium systems. As he'll no doubt remind us, all those who attend WWIVCon are urged to contribute eyewitness reports of the event for publication in WWIVNews. WWIV v4.24 ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Beta testing of v4.24 is coming along quite nicely in both DOS and OS/2 versions. The most troublesome bug that we are trying to squash is one that shows up occasionally and not on all systems and that locks the board up. Once that is solved and once the FidoNet interface has been tested by more people on the Beta team, then we should have a release. From a purely strategic point of view, it would be good to have completed the network change over (being done to accommodate those area codes without zeros or ones as middle digits) prior to having people work with a new version of WWIV. WWIVNET - WW4NET SUB CONVERSION ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ As most of you on WWIVnet are aware, the Sub conversion will take place on the 25th of June. At this time most traffic flow should move from WWIVnet to WW4net. Anyone on WWIVnet who has not obtained a WW4net node number and the software to utilize that network must contact their GC ASAP in order to get on the "new" network. The renumbering has raised quite a few questions among many of you, and considering the scope of this effort this isn't a surprise at all. For those still unsure as to why we went through this process, and why we did so in the way we did, here's the official explanation: We renumbered the nodes in WWIVNet because the telephone system in this great country of ours has finally outgrown the number of area codes available under its old numbering plans. The old numbering plans called for each area code to have a zero or a one as a middle digit. WWIVnet had capitalized upon this and created a logical system of node numbering that allowed a person to tell which area code a board was in, and which allowed for 250-300 nodes per area code, depending upon the 1st and third digit of that area code. Our old numbering system would simply not work with the new one proposed by the telephone companies. For example, if 626 were to be a new area code, we could not incorporate it easily. Thus, almost -two- years ago, we began discussions regarding how to change the node numbering. Wayne requested that any plan continue to use unsigned integers in order to: (a) maintain as much backwards compatibility as possible. (b) avoid having to rewrite massive parts of the network and bbs software programs. So, now we knew what we -had- to do, the question then put forth was -how- to get the job done. Many excellent proposals were put forth by network sysops, and each proposal was considered carefully. The proposal which was finally decided upon, and put into effect, went basically like this: (1) Node numbers will be either 4 digits or 5 digits in length depending upon whether the group number is 1 or 2 digits. Each group will start with the group number and be followed by node designations ranging from 000-999. Thus each group can have 999 nodes in it. If a group expands beyond that size, the group will be split into two or more groups. (2) GC's were responsible for renumbering their groups. They were allowed to either do it all themselves or enlist the aid of ACs. In the renumbering, the GCs were encouraged to reserve "blocks" of numbers for various area codes and the block should allow the area code some room for growth (see related Q & A section later in this article). Wayne also asked that numbers 001-019 be reserved for Net Servers within each group. So, for example, these procedures would result in: GROUP 4 4000 ................Reserved for GC 4001-4019............Reserved for Servers 4020-4049............Reserved for Area Code xxx 4050-4149............Reserved for Area Code yyy etc GROUP 15 15000................Reserved for GC 15001-15019..........Reserved for Servers 15020-15099..........Reserved for Area Code zzz etc Note the treatment of 4 digit groups as in Group 4 and the treatment of 5 digit groups as within Group 15. (3) As WWIV spreads throughout the world, the outline is to have node numbers reserved for certain areas of the world. Currently there are not enough boards in most of them to justify creating a different group, but when the number of boards increase in those areas then such groups will be created. The basic plan (unless Wayne decides to change it) will look like this: Nodes Area 1000-19999 USA 20000-29999 Rest of North & South American 30000-39999 Europe 40000-49999 Asia and Africa 50000-64999 Held in reserve (4) Charter net members (1-25) will maintain the chartered status and their node numbers will not reflect their group assignment. Now that we had a renumbering formula, the method for implementation had to be developed. What resulted was what we're now using, which was a parallel network called WW4NET. This temporary network will work on the reassigned numbers, and will connect in the same manner as our current network. Thus, everyone would run two networks for a short period of time, and once the connections are successfully established, the process of resubscribing to subs will take place. Once a sub has been converted over to the new network, it can be killed on the old network. After a point, the old network can be deleted and the new network renamed to the old network name of WWIVnet. Of course, to facilitate the conversion process, the CVTNODES program was developed, which went through your *.NET files and changed all the nodes in your distribution lists for you. A word of advice on naming subs during and after the renumbering. Once the network renumbering starts, people will be asked not to do the following: (a) Create new subs until it is finished. (b) Create new subs using numbers as SubTypes. If a person has subtypes that are using numbers, it is NOT necessary that they be changed. Persons using numbers as subtypes may continue to do so but they must not change the number. If the subtype number is changed, it MUST be changed to an alpha non-numeric type. With alpha type subs, it is recommended that subtype names not be more than 6 characters in length. The reason for this is that when SAsubnam is used, the network software will only look at the first 6 letters; thus each sub must be unique in the first 6 letters or the network software will send auto-responses to subscribers as the first SA file encountered where the six letters are the same. For example, if subtypes MODNETA and MODNETB were created, when the SA response was sent it would sent the first SAMODNET file it found. If people want to use ALPHA types and combine numbers, that is permissible. For example, Node 15999 might have 15999A, 15999B, ..., 15999Z which would allow hosting of 26 subs and make them identifiable with that particular board. Alternatively, A15999, B15999, ...,Z15999 would also be acceptable. Another safety tip, of course, is that if a person is using a name subtype such as MODNET, the person should first search the SUBS.* files to be sure that the name is not in use. Finally, on the issue of compatibility with older versions of WWIV and WWIVNet, if anyone is using a version of WWIV that is 4.21A or earlier, they will be limited to taking only numeric type subs unless they upgrade to a newer version or significantly modify their earlier version of WWIV. As you know, the older versions of WWIV will not handle Alpha subtypes. NEW PRODUCTS FOR WSS ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Along with v4.24, a new products list for WWIV Software Services will be released. This list will include software utilities and games that have been obtained by WSS for distribution. All of the Middle Earth product line will be included along with WSSFDI (which is my FrontDoor installer program rewritten to work with v4.24 of WWIV and with the version of WWIVgate which WSS bought from Kevin Carpenter). PLANET CONNECT ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Negotiations are still taking place to have WWIVnet put on Planet Connect, the satellite computer network transmission service. The last word from Boyd Goodin was that it looked quite favorable. The advantage to WWIV is two-fold, as Planet Connect will provide the following: (a) A reduction in the cost of networking significantly for those boards who want to set up to receive the transmissions from the satellite. (b) An increase in the awareness of WWIVnet, permitting those who choose to run WWIV to setup to receive our network in addition to the others that they receive. As this is a major step forward for WWIV networking, we'll keep you posted on developments as they happen. FIDONET COMPATIBILITY STATUS ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Finally, quite a few of you are wondering what's up with the work on making WWIV more compatible with Fidonet. To be totally honest, at the moment, no one knows whether or not v4.24 will have Fido support integrated into it. Let me summarize the current status: (1) WWIV Software Services purchased the code to the WWIVgate program (translator program that translates FidoNet headers into WWIVNet compatible headers and vice versa). This code has been updated to allow for more subs than the 2.0 beta release of WWIVgate, and to operate without requiring a registration number. The "register" nag has been removed. (2) The 4.24 software has various "Fido Hooks". (3) The INIT has a Fido Option. (4) The installation program to modify the WWIV.INI file for use with the FidoNet/WWIV software has been written. (5) Ken Carpenter and myself have been testing the new executable - WFIDOIN and WFIDOOUT - for some time with reasonable success. The next step, I think is to release the FINST (Fido Install in WWIV.INI) and the WFIDOIN / WFIDOOUT programs to the BETA team (or those who want to try it) to see how it works. Before the official release, we should have a utility based on my FrontDoor Installer program that will be available for those sysops who do not have the time or inclination to mess with all the support files required for a FidoNet board but who still want to be on FidoNet. So, I am hopeful that Fido Support will be part of the 4.24 release, but some additional testing is necessary first before it can be a part. That's it for this issue. See you all at WWIVCon! ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ³ Listing of WWIV Utilities for V4.23 ³ ³ Joe Barbara (1@6101) ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ How to Read the list: FILENAME.EXT ID MM/YR Description of file goes here. by: Author Name More description. Registration fee if any. ID = PD, SW, CM for Public Domain, Shareware, Commercial respectively. MM/YR is Month/Year added or updated Most all these programs should be available at any support BBS. Refer to the support BBS list for one closest to you. ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ DFRAG2xx.ZIP SW 1/94 Message base/EMAIL.DAT defragging program. Also by: Spackle repairs files/messages. $15 registration. PAGEME2A.ZIP PD 1/94 Small but GOOD Super Chat Pager for WWIV. Can set by: Jason Johnson high and low times, custom registration available. WCHT3xxx.ZIP SW 5/94 Replacement Chatroom for inter-instance chat. by: Joe Barbara Lots of new features. TRY IT! $20 registration. FSPFDI .ZIP CM 1/94 Front Door Installer program. Everything by: Filo needed for FidoNet/WWIV. $25 NETL285 .ZIP SW 1/94 WWIV Network Analysis Program (single/multinet) by: Aldur Unknown Fee. ALIASxxx.ZIP PD 1/94 Alias - Converts the real name to handle in by: Cris McRae CHAIN.TXT. AUTOSxxx.ZIP SW 3/94 AutoSend - A Full-Featured Network Sub Host Utility. by: Cris McRae Too many features to list. $15 reg.@ BDAYxxx .ZIP SW 2/94 Birthday - A Birthday List Generator and Logon Event by: Cris McRae Viewer. $5 reg. ECLWxxxx.ZIP SW 2/94 Eclipse is a full featured offline mail reader by: Will Hobday designed specfically for WWIV/WOMR. $20 reg. WLxx .ZIP SW 2/94 WWIVList is a viewer for text files with embedded by: Will Hobday WWIV color codes. Free! WOMRxxxx.ZIP SW 2/94 WOMR is an easy to install, easy to use mail door by: Will Hobday for WWIV. $30 for WOMR and WOMR-QWK! WQWKxxxx.ZIP SW 2/94 WOMR-QWK is an easy to install, easy to use QWK mail By: Will Hobday door for WWIV. $30 for WOMR-QWK and WOMR! WWIVESEx.ZIP SW 1/94 External String Editor For WWIV v4.22 and Higher. by: Martin Bourdages Very easy to use, import/export. Unknown Fee. NETCOM21.ZIP PD 1/94 Network Utility - Updating over networks. by: Perry Navarro Current version v2.1 ELN2x.ZIP SW 4/94 Network packet editor - like LNET with GUI+mouse, by: Starship Trooper header edit, extract, reroute, delete... $15 reg. PMELLNET.ZIP SW 4/94 ELLNET net packet editor for OS/2 Pres. Manager by: Starship Trooper Slick GUI, internal multitasking. $15 reg. NSTATxx.ZIP SW 4/94 Automatically log all net traffic thru your system. by: Starship Trooper Create reports of how much systems send/recv. $10 STRIPIT2.ZIP SW 4/94 Net preprocessor to remove ansi & taglines, and by: Starship Trooper delete incoming msgs from "fools". $5 reg. STRCOM11.ZIP PD 4/94 Small and fast WWIV stringfile compiler/decompiler. by: Starship Trooper Edit string files as text with any ASCII editor. WNETD.ZIP PD 4/94 Front end for network mail handling programs. by: Starship Trooper Free. KLINTxx.ZIP PD 4/94 Klintonov, displays random Clinton bashing tags, by: Bull Ship supports WWIV color, used normally as a logon event LINKUPVx.ZIP SW 4/94 LinkUp - Network Update Software, nice interface, by: Jason Whelan with mouse support. registration fee of ONLY 15! NETPROVx.ZIP SW 4/94 NetPro - NETWORK2 preproc. Has many NICE features, by: Jason Whelan E-mail 1@5213(4205)WWIVnet! Only $10! WHELNETx.ZIP SW 4/94 WhelNet - LNET replacement, NICE interface, new by: Jason Whelan LNET options E-Mail 1@5213(4205)! WWIVVGAx.ZIP SW 4/94 WWIVVGA - Allows VGA Planets games to be played by: Jason Whelan in WWIV networks, E-Mail 1@5213(4205)WWIVnet! ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Attention Writers of WWIV Utilities Please send any submissions in the above format to 1@6101 to be added to the list. When a new version of WWIV is released all info must be updated as this list will only contain utilities that are compatible with the current version. FILENAME.EXT ID Description by: Author Description line 2 ^ ^ ^ ^ : : : :.. Description MUST not be longer than : : : 102 characters including spaces. : : : If it is available at a fee then the : : : fee must be included in the : : : description. : : : : : :............. Use PD, SW, or CM as ID to : : indicate Public Domain, ShareWare : : or Commercial. : : : :..................... Self Explanatory : :........................... Filename and Ext Please send this information to 1@6101 WWIVnet (or 4230 WW4net). ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ³ The "Helms Hoax" Exposed! ³ ³ by Polekat (1@7385) ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ [Editor's NOTE: Some weeks back, someone posted a "press release" on the Internet - including several dozen Usenet newsgroups - that claimed to have been issued by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. While this isn't the first time some clown has posted falsified press releases on what's being called the "Information Superhighway", this particular one has caused quite a stir among BBS sysops and users alike for obvious reasons. Polekat, the EFF's loudest voice on the WWIV networks - even louder than Blade X, I'm told - as passed this official disclaimer on to WWIVNews in hopes of helping suppress the panic and agitation that this hoaxer has caused not only among the national BBS community, but within the offices of one rather renowned Senator by the name of Jesse Helms. The original author of this disclaimer was Mike "Johnny Mnemonic" Godwin, who in addition to being one of the EFF's chief legal wizards, was once one of Central Texas' more renown BBSers, the last effective editor the infamous college newspaper _The Daily Texan_ will ever have, and a difficult man to debate against when drunk! Those wishing to reach Mike for more information on this hoax, as well as the EFF, can do so through the internet at mnemonic@eff.org.] ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ At EFF, we have been receiving a number of queries about an alleged EFF "press release" or "statement" announcing the following: "Senator Jess Helms (R-NC) requested that the FBI become more involved in the fight to stop adult images from being distributed on electronic bulletin boards and the Internet." Typically, the "press release" has included the following: : "The EFF has issued a warning to sysops that the following files : which depict any of the following acts are illegal in all 50 : states, and can subject the sysop to prosecution regardless of : whether the sysop knows about the files or not. : : "--Depiction of actual sex acts in progress" : : "--Depiction of an erect penis" *There is no such press release.* *The press release is a hoax.* Several people seem to have been fooled by the false press release, including the new publication SYSOP NEWS, which reprinted it uncritically in its first issue. I urge you to spread this announcement to every BBS of which you a member. Thank you for helping us stop the unethical people who spread this misinformation. --Mike ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ ³ Seeking Asylum! ³ ³ An Inside Look at The Asylum Group ³ ³ by Zu Digital (1@7321) and Sam (1@2077) ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ [Editor's NOTE: Since all the hoopla over the release of the Asylum/QWK, and the subsequent flame debate over whether it should be included in stock WWIV or not, quite a few of you readers have been asking just *who* the Asylum Group. There's been a lot of talk and speculation over their identities, and some have been calling the Asylum Group just another of those 'vapor-groups' that have sprung up on the WWIV networks from time to time. To hopefully shed some light on the truths about the Asylum group, the two founders - Zu Digital and Sam - AKA the infamous "Super American Man" - have submitted the following dossier on just who this group is, how they came to be, and where they're going if the anti-QWK modders don't send them someplace worse first! The one doing most of the first person descriptions is Zu Digital. Sam's the one proving he can take dictation just as well as any secretary!] "COMMON" ORIGINS ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ I suppose it all really began with the COMMON mod. COMMON was conceived to be a set of functions to make WWIV just a little more visually pleasing. My idea of the COMMON series started before COMMON was even thought of being created. I just didn't realize it yet. With the creation of the Pulldown Menus, about 1 year before COMMON ever came out, I had sure plans of making an interface that, number one, used the arrow keys to navigate, and two, just looked better than the old 'tty' interface you've grown to learn and love. In all actuality, COMMON was not my 2nd generation of arrow-key modifications. After the Pulldown Menus were first built - for internal use only - I went to the NTC (for the Army) in California for 30 days. While on guard duty, I planned what would be built, and dubbed it "EMS", which was short for the "Evolution Menu System'. The EMS was not to be judged by today's current menu interfaces for regular DOS applications, but against BBS programs. It evolved from the tty interface, to my Pulldown Menus, to the EMS library which was written in C++. After this, I decided to start releasing my modifications. But I knew that another set of functions would be required to do such, written in standard C, as WWIV will not compile in C++ mode. Needless to say, COMMON now exists because of that reason. PULLDOWN MENUS - THE ACTUAL BIRTH OF ASYLUM ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ With my first major mod, the Pulldown menus, I saw what happens to a fairly good mod when I don't play by a certain set of rules. I had a completed mod, one that I knew was good, but where do I go from here? How is someone supposed to know what your mod will do for them, and how do they know that they 'need' to install your mod. To compound matters, while my mod was completed for my own use, I made the menus all hard coded, didn't do proper bug testing, and ended up posting it, completely, about 4 times on Modnet in hopes of getting some additional beta testing done. I knew this was not the best way to go about things, but I wasn't really sure about exactly *what* it was that I needed to do. Then, through a twist of fate, I found Sam. He posted something about the pulldown menus, and I called his board to see them somewhere besides my board. Shortly after that, Asylum was born. My original plan for Asylum was to have a number of fictitious members, along with myself and Sam, to make us look like an good-sized, organized group. I felt that people would take a "group's" word, over a single person saying "Use this mod! It's cool, and you need it". And with the size of the mods I planned on releasing, I figured I could pass it off. Well, the group name stuck, but we never did get around to adding all the fictitious members, instead we added quite a number of real people that wanted to be apart of something real. Theses are very brave sysops, our Beta Testers, have helped us to release a stable product, one that won't get killed right after it is released from massive BBS breakdown/crashes etc... Sam helped me with everything from getting into the network, (that experience will be in another article), to registering WWIV, to getting my mod introduced. We re-wrote the pulldown menus and tried again, learning as we went, but using a little more common sense in the process. Sam was an up-and-coming C programmer himself at the time, and was learning, literally, by the seat of his pants. We then saw a little more success with the second version, especially after I made the menus more easily-configurable with the PullDown Menu Compiler, eased up on the STACK, removed quite a bit of D-group hogging, and a LOT of bug fixes. |07p|15AULIE|1142|07o |08......... --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/01/26 (Raspberry Pi/32) * Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (11:1/230) .