BBS Toolkit/BBS Toolkit.iso/doors_2/sfatm10.zip/SFATM.DOC

Text File | 1992-06-09 | 6KB | 144 lines

                        Spitfire(tm) ATM
                   Written by David D. Turley
                          June 5, 1992

        "Time bank and more for the Spitfire BBS System."



SFATM is a new Time bank door for use with the Spitfire BBS
System.  The unregistered version gives you the simple time and
byte storage and retrieval that many other Time Banks give you.
However, after registration, you receive a registered version
which unlocks much more.  With your registration you are able to
access Investment banking, which allows the user to save his time
while earning interest.  Also, with your registration, the users
are allowed to swap time and bytes back and forth with Group
Accounts.


USAGE:

To use SFATM, just place it in your SF directory (along with the
SFATM.CFG file if registered) and just add the line:

SFATM SFDOORS.DAT

to your batch file in the appropriate place.  The only command
line parameter is the full filename (path included) for the
sfdoors.dat.  The file then creates all other support files as
needed.


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

Since Spitfire unloads itself when it loads a door, memory is no
problem.  However, a valid system clock is a MUST!  With a
registered version, interest is calculated by the clock.  If the
clock is not functioning properly, neither will the program.
Since most computers currently have built in clock cards, this is
not a major concern.
The communication routines will operate using accepted norms for
Comport addresses COM1: through COM4:, standard IRQ's, and Baud-
rates from 110 to 38400 baud.  Any attempt to us a baud rate above
38400 will cause the comport to be opened at 38400.

SFATM.CFG:

This is a short self-explanatory configuration file which allows
the registered Sysop to change the interest rate and maturation
days for the Investment Banking, and the interest rate for Group
Accounts.  Just load the file into your text editor and change
the values to the desired amounts.

INVESTMENT BANKING:

Why, you may ask, do you want the Users to earn interest on their
saved time?  To make you more popular!
Investment banking allows users to create a special Money Market
account for themselves.  Once started, the amount in the account
will earn 15% (or whatever is specified in the SFATM.CFG file)
interest weekly, for 30 days (see SFATM.CFG).  However, if the
user tries to withdraw from the Money Market before the 30 days
is up, they will loose 1/2 of the total amount in the Money
market in a penalty.  Money Markets will only accrue interest
while in the 30 days.  After that, the time or bytes just sits
there.
One interesting thing to note, interest is only calculate when
the investment banking option is loaded.  There is no program
that has to be run once a day to give everyone interest.  Be
warned, however, of people with "Drop to Dos" access.  The
interest engine uses a simple algorithm, that can cheated by
messing around with the system clock.


GROUP ACCOUNTS:

Group accounts also earn interest, but they only earn 5% (see
SFATM.CFG) interest weekly.  However, there is no time limit or
penalties, so users can use or store time indefinitely.  The real
fun behind a group account is that anyone who knows the group
account name and password can access it!  Thus, a group of people
can pool time and bytes together so that they may share them if
necessary!  For instance, say one user gets 60 minutes a day, and
a friend of his only gets 30 minutes a day.  Now this friend
wants to download a file that will take 50 minutes.  Thus first
person could start a group account, putting 30 minutes in it, and
tell his friend the password.  His friend could then log on, and
withdraw the 30 minutes from the account and use them to download
the file.  Then the friend could call and within a couple of days
save up the 30 minutes to give back to the first person.
Why not just have the friend just save up his time in the first
place?  Well, this encourages user interaction.  User interaction
means more local messages being passed.  And everyone knows that
more local messages mean more activity.  And more activity brings
new users, and more money to contribute to your board!


REGISTRATION:

There is no time limit to register the software.  You may use the
unregistered version forever.  However, you miss out on some of
the best parts of SFATM!  Registration is easy, just send $7
(check or money order, paid to the order of David D. Turley)
along with the registration form to the name and address below,
and you will receive a diskette in the mail with your registered
copy of the latest version of SFATM, and a copy of QUOTE(s), the
on line "Quoter" for your users enjoyment.

Send to:  David D. Turley
          3550 Suniland Circle
          Salt Lake City, Utah, 84109


COMMENTS:

Any comments or questions concerning SFATM, or other TurleySoft
programs can be sent to the above address.  In the future, a BBS
will set up to handle TurleySoft distribution, and comments On-
Line.  The registration fees are going towards this goal, and
other TurleySoft programs.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The author would like to acknowledge the Sysop of the Rocky Mountain
Spitfire BBS who, with his help and critiquing, played a major part
in the developement of SFATM.  Even though all he wanted was better
Spitfire utilities, we give him a piece of spotlight here.  We also
have to mention The Hidden Place BBS, for without this, the author
probably would have never written the program.


DISCLAIMER:

Use SFATM at your own risk.  The author of SFATM takes no
responsibility for damage caused to your hardware or software,
caused in anyway by SFATM or its related files.  Always check new
software with virus checkers before using them.