Communications Part II  ======================  Anatomy of a BBS  ================ By Dave Freeman  ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## Welcome back to another article on the wonderful world of communications. In the last issue we dealt with the basic requirements for getting yourself on-line to your local BBS. In this article I will briefly discuss the various areas that make up a BBS. This is only going to be an overview with each section being discussed in further detail in later articles. What is a BBS? -------------- A BBS (or Bulletin Board System) is just a computer that has been connected to a phone line using a modem. Quite possibly it is a computer just like your own. The major difference is in the software that is running on this computer. The software will answer incoming calls and give you access to various areas as defined by the SysOp (or SYStem OPerator - see below). What you see when you call a BBS is very much determined by what the SysOp has set up for you to see. On a normal BBS you will usually find at least some of the following areas. 1. File Libraries - this is where the programs are. ----------------- The files will be packed up (compressed) into archives. This is done so that the overall size of the file is reduced (which means less time spent downloading) and also so that the program and its support files and documents can all be contained in a single file. This way when you download the archive you get all the other files you will need to use the program. Files are divided up into areas according to their usage. When you select to enter the files menu you will be presented with a choice of file areas from which to choose. When you make your selection you will then be able to view the files that are actually available in any given area. To make best use of the file libraries available on a BBS you will need some extra software. The software you need is called an archiver. Their are a number of different flavours of archiver and the one you need will depend on the one used to pack up the archive. Listed below are the main Amiga Archivers and the type of archive generated by them: Latest File Archiver Version Extension -------- ------- --------- LhArc v1.30 #?.LZH Lz v1.92 #?.LZH or #?.LHA Zoo v2.1 #?.ZOO Arc ?.? #?.ARC PkAZip v1.01 #?.ZIP There are other types of archivers but at this stage these are the only ones being used regularly be Amiga owners. Of these the most popular is LhArc (or Lz) with the #?.LZH extension. [Ed: the #? you see above is the CLI's way of saying "any letters or numerals at all", so #?.lzh is a kind of shorthand for saying "any file which ends in 'lzh'".] 2. Message Areas - This is where you go to talk to others. ---------------- The subject of message writing on BBSs is probably capable of supporting a series of articles all by itself. From time to time in this series this will happen. For now I will give you an overview of this area starting at the local level and moving on from there. Any BBS will have some message areas that are for local use only. This means that the messages written in these areas will only be read by callers to that BBS. There are usually few restrictions to these areas and you can do just about whatever you want. Keep in mind though that you do not know who will be reading the message you write - if it is not something you would say in front of your mother then it is probably not a good idea to say it in a message. Many topics will be covered by these local message areas but there is one that will be on every BBS. This area is the 'E-Mail' area. This is where you can write private messages to the SysOp of the BBS or to another user of that BBS. Keep in mind that these messages are not totally private though - anyone with sufficient access (usually just the SysOp and his assistant/s) will still be able to see what you write. If you have suggestions for the SysOp then this is the message area to look for. Once you get away from local message areas you start to get into networked message areas - these are usually referred to as 'Echos' because the messages that are written in these areas will be sent to all the BBSs that participate in that particular echo. The actual distribution of these messages will range from ones local to a city all the way up to some international message echos. Keep in mind what sort of echo you are writing in - there is no point in giving someone a Brisbane Phone number if they are in Europe. 3. Doors - The Games and stuff. -------- By strict definition a 'Door' is a program that is written in such a way that it can take information from the BBS program and pass information back again. This feature means that a BBS program does not have to have every feature that you would want built-in but can use other programs as a part of the overall BBS. The most common use of Doors is for Games. Because of the limits in communications most of these games are text style games. Some games will also make use of the standard IBM graphics characters to give some extra life to the games. These games will let you pit your skills against other users of the BBS. If you are looking for a way to get something more out of just calling into a BBS then this sort of thing will interest you. There are a few things to remember though. If you decide to start playing one of the more complex games you will need to call the BBS at regular intervals (at least every couple of days, if not every day) to play the game. If you cannot do this then you will just be wasting your time and others. There are also some games that make use of your on-line time to gamble. You can bet your time and if you win you will get extra time. Of course, if you lose enough you could find your call come to a sudden end. There is another type of door program too. These ones are the type that will add extra features to the BBS. For example, the Paragon and StarNet BBS programs do not have a full screen editor built in to them. But, there are a number of doors that will add this feature to the BBS. As a user of the BBS you will not even know that the Full Screen Editor is not an integrated part of the BBS. 4. User Utilities - for want of a better description. ------------------ You will not necessarily find these as a separate entity on the BBS. You will, however, find options to let you alter your online preferences for screen length and such like. You will also find that this area will let you see who else uses the BBS and perhaps other features that relate to how the BBS looks to you. Who is a SYSOP? --------------- A SYSOP is basically just another computer user like you. In most cases the person will be interested in communicating with others. When a SYSOP sets up his BBS he will start with some basic ideas of what he wants the BBS to look and feel like. Most SYSOPs are very open to suggestions on what features should be offered and how they should look. A BBS is nothing without people using it. Suggestions are usually encouraged. BUT, please remember when you make suggestions that the BBS is owned and operated at some expense by the SYSOP. Do not make yourself annoying by continually hassling him for some program or feature that you want. When you get right down to it the SYSOP owns the BBS and can do what he likes with it. Next issue I will go on with looking at what your local friendly BBS can do for you. Once again, if you have any suggestions or queries on what you would like to see in this series then please contact me. I can be reached in the following ways: My BBS: The Ice Cave (070)31-4186 (24Hrs) FIDOnet: 3:640/463.5 AmiNet: 128:400/533.0 Or via Tim Strachan at MegaDisc of course.  ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ## 25 ##