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Text File | 1993-01-31 | 24KB | 512 lines

╔════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ╟─┐ ║ K E E P I N G I N T O U C H ║ │ ║ ═══════════════════════════════ ║ │ ║ SPITFIRE Monthly Support Newsletter ║ │ ║ for registered SPITFIRE Sysops! ║ │ ║ February 1993 ║ │ ║ Compliments of BUFFALO CREEK SOFTWARE ║ │ ║ Buffalo Creek's BBS * 515-225-8496 ║ │ ║ 38400/19200/9600/2400/1200 Baud ║ │ ║ 2 Nodes ║ │ ║ ║ │ ╚═╤══════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ └────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Edited by Jacque Shipley The Mother Board BBS - (515) 986-3464 - 19200 Baud Sysop Of The Month by Walt Crede Roam This Fertile Land - (515) 288-8755 - 2400 Baud Newly Registered SPITFIRE BBS List by Ann Woltz Other Contributions As Noted ╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ Notes from the author of SPITFIRE! ╟─┐ ╚═╤═══════════════════════════════════════╝ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────┘ SPITFIRE v3.3 Upgrade Notices Mailed ------------------------------------ The SPITFIRE v3.3 upgrade notices and upgrade request forms have been mailed. I guess this means that the release of SPITFIRE v3.3 isn't too far away (smiling). The SPITFIRE v3.3 upgrade policies have been altered somewhat in an attempt to discourage the use of the download upgrade option. There are a number of reasons that we are attempting to discourage the use of the download option: 1) SPEED! I honestly believe that the downloading of registered copies of SPITFIRE could go well into summer. I only have so much disk space available (very little actually) which will cause the process to move very slowly. 2) For whatever reason (and this isn't stretching it), I would guess that I have to recompile 65-80% of the copies downloaded. It seems that an excessive amount of the downloads are aborted thus causing me to recompile the copy and making it available a second time (there will be no seconds with SPITFIRE v3.3) or the Sysop has a crash and needs a new copy of SPITFIRE because he/she failed to make a backup copy after downloading it. 3) We receive upgrade request forms indicating a desire to use the download option. After compiling the copy for download, we discover that the person isn't a caller of Buffalo Creek's BBS. 4) We receive upgrade request forms indicating a desire to use the download option. We compile the copy for download and then it isn't downloaded for months (hogging up disk space). 5) This list goes on and on. Hopefully the above example give you an idea of why we are discouraging the use of the download option. Thank you. Additionally, we have asked you to do a couple of things on the back of the 'upgrade request form'. First, we want you to indicate if or not you are interested in attending the SPITFIRE 1993 conference. Second, it was decided (at the 1992 conference) to have workshops at future conferences. Therefore, we have asked you to indicate your ideas for workshop topics as well as ideas for speakers at the conference. Thank you for your help with this matter. LAKOTA (SPITFIRE QWK Mail Door) ------------------------------- SPITFIRE v3.3 will include its own QWK mail door named LAKOTA. I just want to take a couple of minutes to explain the concept of LAKOTA. Its concept is to be an extremely small, extremely simple and a fast QWK mail door (and it is FREE with SPITFIRE). In other words, LAKOTA is designed and written with the KISS system in mind. I am already receiving messages telling me it has to have this and that feature etc etc etc. If I start adding these things, then it will just be another QWK door which people complain about because it too complex. It is my intention to keep LAKOTA simple. In the event this doesn't meet with your satisfaction, then I strongly suggest that you set the security of the LAKOTA feature in a manner which will prevent it from being used on your board. There are other QWK doors written for SPITFIRE which do contain all the whistles and bells which you want. 1993 SPITFIRE Conference Being Planned! --------------------------------------- While no definite plans are made, I take this opportunity to tell you that the 1993 SPITFIRE Conference is presently being planned to be conducted in Des Moines, Iowa during the weekend of June 18-19-20, 1993. We will get you definite information if and when it becomes available. We had a GREAT time last year and (quite honestly) I am looking forward to it this year. Thank you for your continued support and promotion of SPITFIRE. We honestly appreciate it. May the peace provided by God's grace be with all of you. Until next time.... Mike Woltz ╒══════════════════════════╕ │ SPITFIRE SYSOP'S REQUEST │ ╘══════════════════════════╛ Ed. Note - What follows is a copy of a letter received by Mike Woltz from Henk van de Goor. It has often been acknowledged that SPITFIRE Sysops are a unique group, almost like a family. We hear countless stories of SPITFIRE Sysops banning together to help another in need. It is our hope that some of you might answer the simple request that comes from our fellow-SPITFIRE Sysop of Holland. Henk van de Goor p/a Leidsekade 84hs 1017 PM, Amsterdam Holland/Europe Amsterdam, 20-01-1993 Dear Mike, I've been a registered SPITFIRE SysOp since you brought version 3.0 on the market. I've always been pleased with the way you're BBS-program performed (even on a 12mHz AT). There are some things about it I don't like though. But that's not my reason for me to write to you. As you may (or may not) know it is *very* difficult to get the latest SPITFIRE utilities to reach this side of the ocean. I use some utils that worked fine with version 2.8 - 3.1 but some of them are bound to get out of date. So, I hope you can put my following request in some echomail-area or maybe even in your SPITFIRE Newletter? I mean: I don't recall I've ever read something about a Dutch SPITFIRE Sysop before (hint, hint).... Anyway, this is what I want: I'm looking for some SPITFIRE Sysop(s) who would like to exchange (on a regular basis) diskettes with me with the *latest* SPITFIRE utils. I'm sorry to say that I don't have any files to exchange myself (at least no SPITFIRE utils) that I can think of. Maybe they can think of something? I send you some floppies and you fill them for me..... Problem is: if anyone likes to do this he/she has to write me about it (I'm sorry!). My adress is: Henk van de Goor p/a Leidsekade 84hs 1017 PM, Amsterdam Holland/Europe It costs me about $1,50 for every minute that I call to the USA. Thanks to our PTT-phone company they ****censored*** ... It was expensive enough just sending this message via phone to Mike Woltz. Furthermore I like to know if there are any Sysops that can help me with the exact configuration for FreeMail & Frontdoor 2.2 since I have tried to find that out, but the doc's are a bit to sloppy about SPITFIRE..... Anyway, if anyone feels up to it, he/she can write me. I will send a letter back together with some floppies. If you have any questions or any request I'm willing to help if possible. Guided tours through Amsterdam? You got it! Whatever, let me know.... Yours sincerely, Henk van de Goor. ╒═════════════════════════╕ │ INNOVATIONS IN SPITFIRE │ ╘═════════════════════════╛ SPITFIRE v3.3 introduces some innovative approaches in how it handles some of its routine tasks. Programming modules which once were contained in SPITFIRE for packing the message base and packing the user file have been removed. Before you become alarmed, let me assure you SPITFIRE is still capable of handling these tasks. It simply shells to the appropriate file (SFPCKUSR.COM or SFPCKMSG.COM) when required. There are definite advantages to this approach. The first being, that although SPITFIRE uses these programs, the Sysop can run them independently from SPITFIRE as well. SFPCKMSG.COM and SFPCKUSR.COM can be executed from the DOS prompt or used within batch files. By using the optional command line parameters for these programs, the Sysop can define the criteria desired for purging the records when these utilities are used outside of SPITFIRE. Another advantage, which applies to SFSENDIT and LAKOTA as well, is that it is possible for updated versions of these programs to be available prior to the next release of SPITFIRE. In fact, Buffalo Creek Software is recommending that Sysops periodically call Buffalo Creek's BBS to check for new releases of these programs. The cost of notification simply prohibits contacting all registered Sysops each time a new release of these programs is made available. It is quite likely that Sysops will see more and more of these independent modules with SPITFIRE. Some will handle standard processing such as the packing programs, capable of not only working with SPITFIRE but as independent utilities. Others programs will dramatically enhance SPITFIRE's features, such as LAKOTA's QWK mail system and SFSENDIT's file sends. Yes, another truly innovative means by which Buffalo Creek Software continues to consider the Sysop, constantly striving to provide the highest quality software in the most affordable manner possible. ╒═════════════════════════════╕ │ SPITFIRE BOARD-OF-THE-MONTH │ ╘═════════════════════════════╛ Taurus BBS 302-934-1323 When Mike asked me to take a few minutes to write something about myself and my system, because I was going to be the BBS-Of-The Month, this is when I realized just how much things have changed for me, my family, and my BBS. I started Taurus BBS on June 25, 1991, on an IBM PS-1 with 30 megs of disk space. It took a whole week for me to realize that 30 megs was just not gonna to cut it. I bought a 100 meg SCSI and added it to my PS-1. About five months later I bought a USRobitics Dual Standard. I was in the big time now. Then arose the disk space problem again. So I discussed the problem with a close personal friend John Kelley of Hackers BBS. John informed me that I might as well go ahead and buy a real computer, and John was right. So off I went on a new computer hunt. John was and has been from day one a tremendous help to me through the many problems that come up, plus he assisted me in the computer hunt. So what I ended up getting was a 386.33 DX, with 8 Megs Ram, 1 Gig Seagate, Colorado DJ-10 Tape Back-up. Shortly after, I purchased another USR-HST and DESQview, and set-up another node. Then along came FidoNET, which I am acting as a Sub Hub for in my community. Where to next, Lord only knows, all I can say is my wife (Kathy), is a special woman. She has been supportive of my hobby, even when I know that many nights I have spent far too much time with my computer. She has named my system, "Miss Computer", but Kathy rarely misses a day of logging on, and playing a few of her favorite games. We have two wonderful but 100% normal, kids. Boy (9 yrs), Girl (3 yrs). I came home from work once and found that my little girl had shut the the computer off. I can hear her now, "What does this button do?" I have her trained now, to leave daddy's computer buttons alone. I'm sure my users appreciate this. I really enjoy being a Sysop, and can say that out of all the things I have tried, this by far is my most enjoyed, favorite hobby. Article contributed by Michael Hudson Sysop of Taurus BBS - (302) 934-1323 Ed. Note - A true journalist is not required to reveal there sources, but it was passed along to me that Michael Hudson is more than willing to help anyone trying to run SPITFIRE in DESQview. ╒════════════════════╕ │ SYSOP-OF-THE-MONTH │ ╘════════════════════╛ Jeff Kerry Leprechaun Castle BBS Carriere, Mississippi Jeff got his start with computers like most Sysops. About five years ago, his brother bought a Tandy 1000A with 128K Ram, dual drive and a daisy wheel printer. When he decided he no longer wanted it, Jeff got it from him, not knowing a thing about computers. At first, he used it only to play games from floppies. Then he wanted more out of the thing. "I went to the library," Jeff recalls, "and got books and bought magazines about computers. I found they could do a lot more than just play games. I soon realized I needed to upgrade to 640K. It was done and a 20-meg hard drive was added. I was ready to fly. "Like most beginners, I had many, many bad nights due to the loss of data I entered into programs and not knowing what to do. After a great deal of of reading I started learning how to use my computer. Then I read about modems and how they access what they called Bulletin Boards. I then bought a 2400-baud modem and got onto a few of the pay BBSs such as PCLink, Genie, etc. This did cost a bit. "I then found out about BBSs which didn't cost anything other than a long distance phone call and had almost all the features the paid boards had. I started by calling a couple of the local BBS's in my area. I soon found out about the wide range of BBS software that was out there in phone's reach. The urge began building in me to be able to run my own Bulletin Board System. "I looked at a few different types of BBS software and then found SPITFIRE. It was being run by a couple of local Sysops and I downloaded the shareware version. At first I didn't really know how to go about getting set up to begin running my own board. But after a lot of help from a local Sysop from the Enchanted Forest, I finally got the thing working. "I then needed to come up with a name for my new toy, as my wife called it. Well, with my family roots coming from Ireland, Kerry County to be exact, I decided to call it The Leprechaun Castle BBS. I first ran it on my home phone line only a few hours a day. I couldn't use the line full time due to being Assistant Fire Chief for the local volunteer fire department and Chairman for the Red Cross. "I simply can't explain what it was like to get my first callers. But the problem was, even though up and running, I had only one file area and one on-line game with no messages or conferences for my users. Man, did I become a D/L addict! I also managed to get files from other Sysops either by mail or going to their homes and copying their files. Then when I registered SPITFIRE version 3.1 (now running version 3.2), I wanted more. I purchased a new 386SX, 80-meg HD with 2 megs of Ram, but that still wasn't enough. "I was really hooked on the BBS thing now. A new BBS-only phone line was installed and more changes were made. I purchased a SupraModem running at 14400 and a CD-Rom drive. Today, The Leprechaun Castle has over 110 file areas, 65+ on-line games and running HubNet mail system. I did run CircuitNet and was a moderator for the Fire/EMS conference but had to let it drop for the time being. I have learned a great deal about computers while running the BBS. I even got my wife and children involved. At this time we have plans to add an additional phone line, upgrade the HD and shortly add another CD-Rom drive. I even dream of adding an additional computer to the BBS. "I would like to express my thankfulness to Mike and his family for a very good and what I consider the BEST BBS software around. Whenever I had a problem with the BBS, they were there with all the help I needed. I am hoping to make the next gathering of SPITFIRE Sysops. And am very proud to be picked to be the Sysop-of-the-Month, a dream I never thought would happen. Keep up the good work. I'm sitting on the edge of my chair waiting for SPITFIRE's new upgrade. "In closing, like we say here, come on down to The Leprechaun Castle and see if you can find your 'POT o' GOLD.'" Fascinatin', listening to Jeff...fascinatin' mainly because he is echoing the experiences and dreams of all of us who are Sysops. -Ed. ╒════════════════════════════════════╕ │ NEWLY REGISTERED SPITFIRE SYSTEMS │ ╘════════════════════════════════════╛ A hearty welcome is extended to the following, who have recently become public registered SPITFIRE Bulletin Board Systems: PR PC Info Service...........................809-740-8135....2400 Baud Carlos Quintana, Sysop............................Bayamon, Puerto Rico The Cop Shoppe!..............................404-949-9162...14400 Baud Fred Stemp, Sysop..................................Union City, Georgia L.I.F.E. BBS.................................407-676-7788....2400 Baud Wayne Helsby, Sysop.................................Melbourne, Florida Lost Satellite BBS...........................614-922-6201....2400 Baud Mike Biddlestone, Sysop.............................Uhrichsville, Ohio Jim's Place BBS.............................Phone Unknown....2400 Baud Jim Eslinger, Sysop...............................Linn Creek, Missouri Flagship BBS.................................908-323-9552...14400 Baud Marty Hoffman, Sysop.............................Lakehurst, New Jersey The Badgers Byte.............................402-376-3120....9600 Baud Richard Roosa, Sysop...............................Valentine, Nebraska The Bat Cave.................................405-920-1162....9600 Baud Larry Speaks, Sysop...................................Durant, Oklahoma The Land of Fantasies........................515-284-0059....2400 Baud Ben Garcia Jr., Sysop.................................Des Moines, Iowa The Glory Road BBS...........................803-592-9317....2400 Baud Ken Kirkley, Sysop...............................Inman, South Carolina The LightHouse BBS...........................803-949-0199...14400 Baud Jim Quick, Sysop.................................Lyman, South Carolina Starlink BBS.................................206-252-8932...14400 Baud Ed Boress, Sysop...................................Everett, Washington The NightLife BBS............................503-296-9834...14400 Baud Cliff and Susana Emberg, Sysop......................The Dalles, Oregon Shane's BBS..................................402-334-0479....2400 Baud Shane Haggstrom, Sysop.................................Omaha, Nebraska LSI Online...................................513-793-8042...14400 Baud LSI Lighting Systems, Sysop...........................Cincinnati, Ohio Devil's Island BBS............................708-690-8879...9600 Baud Bob Batek, Sysop.....................................Wheaton, Illinois Mission Control BBS...........................602-882-3914...2400 Baud Bruce Wiley, Sysop.....................................Tucson, Arizona Amizone BBS..................................814-838-9386...14400 Baud Matt Wilcko, Sysop..................................Erie, Pennsylvania Cop Shop....................................Phone Unknown...14400 Baud Clarence Fung, Sysop................................Radcliff, Kentucky OPA's Mini BBS...............................214-424-0153....2400 Baud David Marshall, Sysop.....................................Plano, Texas Iowa Dept. Revenue & Finance.............Phone Unknown....Unknown Baud Iowa Dept. Revenue & Finance, Sysop...................Des Moines, Iowa PC-Bull......................................209-277-8368....2400 Baud Fresno PC Users Group, Sysop........................Fresno, California Shadow Castle BBS............................616-965-3789...14400 Baud Jeffrey Harvey, Sysop...........................Battle Creek, Michigan THE MADHOUSE!................................319-355-8846...14400 Baud Jerry Downs, Sysop....................................Bettendorf, Iowa Wild Guys BBS..........................01-44-480-61723....Baud Unknown Neil Powell, Sysop.........................................APO Address The Main Street BBS..........................515-628-3101...14400 Baud Steve Jansen, Sysop........................................Pella, Iowa Hank's BBS................................Phone Unknown...Baud Unknown David Soderdahl, Sysop.............................Ingleside, Illinois Red Shift BBS................................908-224-0617...14400 Baud Al Crowton Consulting, Sysop......................Red Bank, New Jersey Southern Bytes...............................706-602-8153....9600 Baud John Williams, Sysop..................................Calhoun, Georgia Type Too! Basement BBS.......................513-451-8990....2400 Baud Mike Nelson, Sysop....................................Cincinnati, Ohio Christians Unite.............................671-632-1886....2400 Baud Bruce Dinsman, Sysop......................................Dededo, Guam All Forces BBS...............................214-467-8765....9600 Baud Thomas Lacey, Sysop......................................Dallas, Texas Deano's Hot Dog Stand!.......................313-292-2355....2400 Baud Timothy Borbas, Sysop.................................Taylor, Michigan Fantasy Gamer's Association..................515-255-1941...14400 Baud Chris Winterscheid, Sysop.............................Des Moines, Iowa The Unlimited BBS............................519-969-6580...14400 Baud Mike Poirier, Sysop.........................Maidstone, Ontario, Canada Emergency Response BBS.......................707-526-9875....2400 Baud Sonoma County Fire Department, Sysop............Santa Rosa, California Orthodox Bulletin Board......................404-577-0302...14400 Baud Blessed John Eastern Orthodox Church, Sysop...........Atlanta, Georgia Silver Fox...................................812-685-2623...38400 Baud Robert Bowles, Sysop.................................Birdseye, Indiana The Final Frontier...........................706-638-5918....2400 Baud New Innovations, Inc., Sysop........................LaFayette, Georgia The Lone Dog BBS.............................708-263-9848...14400 Baud William Poteet, Sysop...............................Waukegan, Illinois In addition, there were 8 new private SPITFIRE BBS Systems registered. These private SPITFIRE BBS's included registrations from: Marshalltown, Iowa; Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; Hamilton, Ohio; Richardson, Texas; Olympia, Washington; San Diego, California; and Little Rock, Arkansas. There were 9 registrations for whom registration information was incomplete. These included BBS's in: Brantford, Ontario, Canada; Calgary, Albany, Canada; Odessa, Texas; Vandergrift, Pennsylvania; Plainville, Connecticut; Marion, Indiana; Murray, Utah; Marystown, Newfoundland, Canada; and St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. New Jersey; San Jose, California and Pineallas Park, Florida. The increase in registrations where information is incomplete is largely due to Buffalo Creek's Software's new policy of accepting on-line Mastercard and Visa credit card registrations. JUST A REMINDER...the newsletter is always looking for contributions! Please forward any articles in ASCII text to either Buffalo Creek's BBS or The Mother Board BBS.