The MICROHOST Personal BBS System Version 1.3 Created by Michael Cox (c) 1987 All Rights Reserved This software is released to the public domain as SHAREWARE. Users are encouraged to distribute it in any free manner. Specifically DISallowed are any forms of distribution where anyone makes a profit, no matter how small. This includes BBS systems that charge a fee for access to their databases, and user group libraries if they charge more than media costs for copies. Also disallowed are collections of public-domain software that cost more than the media itself, except Fred Fish or AMICUS disks. This file MAY be put on any public telecommunications service like GEnie, BIX etc. What is MICROHOST? MicroHost is intended as a personal file transfer utility. It is similar to a BBS in some ways; it has uploading and downloading, a two-way message service, bulletins and CHAT mode. It is also a full-featured XMODEM terminal. It is NOT intended as a general-purpose BBS system, though several user groups are using it as such. To use MicroHost, put all these files in your default directory. Most of them are text files for various purposes; WELCOME is seen upon connection, LOGGEDON after the correct password is given, BULLETIN when the (B) command is used at the menu, MENU for the main menu, and CATALOG shows what files you have for downloading. These are ordinary ASCII files. The file called PASSWORD must contain a 10 letter case-sensitive system password; everyone uses the same password. To let anyone at all on the system, simply include the password in the WELCOME file. You must also create a subdirectory called MAIL. This is for messages to and from you (the only kind allowed). To send a message to someone, construct an ASCII file named "To_User" where USER is the user's exact name. They will see it upon logon. Mail to you will appear as "From_User". You can read this with the DOS TYPE command or any textfile reader or editor. Only one message to or from each user is maintained; if another is entered, the previous one is deleted. This is to facilitate minimum upkeep. If a user requests a CHAT, all Intuition screens will flash and the window title will say CHAT REQUEST! Enter CHAT at any time by selecting the CHAT gadget. Exit chat by hitting ESCAPE. The database uses ORDINARY XMODEM. You should make a note of this in your CATALOG file. It does perform auto-chopping. Uploads and downloads normally happen from the default directory; they can be redirected with pathnames. The DOS PATH command should allow files on any disk to be retreived but this doesn't appear to be the case. Any thoughts on this? About the gadgets: To log onto the board locally, hit the SYS (SYSOP) gadget. The system powers up in BBS mode; to go to term mode hit the MODE gadget. To hang up on someone hit the BYE gadget. To CHAT, as mentioned, hit the CHAT gadget. A new, much-requested addition is the MODEM file. Here's how it works. The system automatically sends an AT Z command to reset things between calls. If you have a MODEM file, it will wait one second after the AT Z, then send the contents of your MODEM file. You MUST have an AT X1 or equivalent command in this file to set your modem to extended command mode. Anything else you put there is up to you. If there is no modem file, the system uses a default message of AT X1 S0=1. Note however that you MUST have a modem file if you want to be able to "power up" ready for a call; if there is none, a requestor appears telling you about it (likewise for the PASSWORD file). A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE about the modem file: The command must be ONE line, maximum 40 characters, and MUST END WITH A CARRIAGE RETURN. This is important because the simple-minded ED and similar editors will use a linefeed instead, which is guaranteed to bollox things up. I recommend using MicroEmacs (on your EXTRAS disk in the TOOLS drawer). Type your command, DON'T hit RETURN, then hit control-Q, control-M. This puts a control-M (another name for a CR) at the end of your line. This should work. Alternately, just edit the existing MODEM file. Your modem switches must be set as follows: DTR line controlled by the computer (NOT forced true), Carrier detect line NOT forced true, and command echo disabled. This is the first place to check if you have problems. A few possible problems and their solutions: MH doesn't work on 1200 baud calls: check your MODEM file and the DTR line setting. MH won't disconnect callers upon logoff: check DTR setting. MH doesn't detect dropped carrier: Check carrier detect switch. TERM MODE MicroHost is also a pretty nice little XMODEM terminal. To use it, hit the MODE gadget to turn the BBS off (very important). Now you can set your baud rate (default is 1200) and use your modem commands to dial. To turn on the buffer save hit the CAP gadget. Hit it again to turn it off. I have really grown to like the way the uploads and downloads work. When you see a file you want, click in the string gadget in the title bar and enter the filename AT THE TIME, while the board is still talking. Then when the system is ready for the transfer, just hit the DL gadget and away you go. UL works the same way. That should be enough to get you going. I really hope you enjoy this program and distribute it widely; it seems to me to really fill a gap in Amiga software. If you use it, please send a contribution to the address at the bottom of this file. The next version will be greatly enlarged with true ANSII emulation and its own screen, true IBM character set and a lot more, and will be available only to registered users of 1.3. A last note: You are not allowed to use this software to distribute pirated software. Software pirates are nothing more than common crooks and I will not have my software used in that manner. Special thanks to all who have been so enthusiastic about previous versions of MicroHost and who have contributed ideas (if not money...sigh), and to Sean Thomas, SYSOP of the A.G.E. board, for beta-testing. Remember Los Gatos. Michael Cox 637 Bristol Drive El Paso Texas 79912 BIX: Michael_Cox Questions, suggestions, updates, news, & propositions: The ICONOCLAST BBS (915) 833-3899 One of America's first all-Amiga BBS systems, online since February 1986; 300/1200, 24 hrs, 20 meg database.