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1994-07-24
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┌┐┌┐┌┐┌┐┌┐┌┐ ┌┐ ┌─┐ ┌┐┌────┐┌┐┌┐┌┐┌────┐
╔═════════════││││││││││││ ┌┼┤ │ └┐│││┌───┘│││││││┌───┘═════════════╗
║ Volume 5 ││││││││││││ ┌┼┼┤ │ └┘││└───┐│││││││└───┐ March-June ║
║ Issue 2 ││││││││││││┌┼┼┼┼┬┐│┌┐ ││┌───┘││││││└───┐│ 1994 ║
╚═══════╤═════│└┘└┘││└┘└┘│└┴┴┼┼┴┘││└┐ ││└───┐│└┘└┘│┌───┘│══════╤══════╝
│ └────┘└────┘ └┘ └┘ └─┘└────┘└────┘└────┘ │
│ Serving WWIV Sysops & Users Across All WWIV Networks │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────┐
│This Month's Features│
┌──────────────────────────┴─────────────────────┴────────────────────────────┐
│ Random Factors.......................................Wayne Bell (1@1) │
│ │
│ Soft Servings: News from WWIV Software Services.....Filo (1@2050) │
│ │
│ Listing of WWIV Utilities for V4.23..................Joe Barbara (1@6101) │
│ │
│ The "Helms Hoax" Exposed!............................Polekat (1@7385) │
│ │
│ Seeking Asylum! An Inside Look at The Asylum Group...Zu Digital (1@7321) │
│ and Sam (1@2077) │
│ │
│ Filling in Gates' Gaps: Undocumented DOS Commands....MicroSource Sysop │
│ (1@15136) │
│ │
│ Tips For Running WWIV Under OS/2 2.1.................Martin (1@6251) and │
│ Lord Sigma2 (1@5498) │
│ │
│ TechnOTES............................................WWIVnews Staff │
│ │
│ The Power Mac: Panacea or Snake Oil?.................Omega Man (1@15117) │
│ │
│ Type 0 Forum.........................................Edited by │
│ Omega Man (1@5282) │
│ │
│ A Net Sub Host's Best Friend - AutoSend..............JAFO (1@8861) │
│ │
│ Posse Comitatus Activity On WWIVNet?.................Mr. Natural (1@8262) │
│ │
│ Official WWIV Modification Services Listing..........Shadowspawn (1@3900) │
│ │
│ Filo's Mod of the Month..............................Filo (1@2050) │
│ │
│ Dateline: @#$*()#!...................................Omega Man (1@15117) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
───────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────
│ Random Factors │
│ Creative Commentary by Wayne Bell (1@1) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
WWIVCON
───────
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
────────────────
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
────────────────────────────
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
─────────
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.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
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.
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
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
────────────────────
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
────────
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
─────
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
───────────────────────
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
──────────────
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?
─────────
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?
─────────────────
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
───────────────────
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...:-)
───────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────
│ Soft Servings │
│ News from WWIV Software Services │
│ By Filo (WWIVnet 1@2050) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
WWIVCON
───────
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