By no means must you read through this documentation in one sitting, or a day, or a week. Take it in bite-sized (byte-sized?) chunks; I sure remember the intimidation I felt when I saw the original manual…​ Just take a deep breath, have some milk and cookies, and come back to it later. Scribble stuff in the margins. Tune in, turn on, boot up!

Also, I would like to collect any information about Image BBS you or your friends and colleagues have. Back in the 1990s there were hundreds of Image sysops-—they can’t all have died yet. :) Any plus-files, programming information, “Reflections” or NISSA (New Image Sysop Support Association) e-zines you’ve got—in short, anything Image-related-please forward it to me.

My goal is to revive Image BBS and its network, to re-kindle the feelings of anticipation when there was a new plus file or mod to download.

Anyway, drop me a line—I want to hear from you! plzkthx.

PinaDox (^tm & pat. pend.—I’ve never patted a pend. before but I’m willing to try anything): The only user-friendly documentation with a built-in sense of humor. footnote[Well, okay, I amuse myself, and that’s what’s mportant.]

Dear Reader:

Here it is, the much-needed documentation of Image 1.2a BBS.  This is an OCR of the original documentation, which included the Image 1.0 manual and addendum sheets for Image 1.1 and 1.2.  If you are setting up 1.2, make sure to read the 1.2 addendum as well as the 1.0 manual.

Notes:

If you are setting up Image, use the 1.0 diskette, and copy over the 1.2 files on to a copy of the 1.0 diskette (overwriting the outdated 1.0 files).

There are special notes if you are using a Supra 2400 baud modem as well as using a CMD or Lt. Kernal hard drive.

The modification diskettes for TurboRELs and BBS-to-BBS networking contain their own install/usage documentation on the disk image. (Note: Using TurboREL message bases on a 1581 drive may be problematic; e-mail me if you need more info on it.)

In its' time, Image BBS was one of the top-of-the line Commodore 64 BBSes, even compared to PC counterparts of the day. Image held its own in features and adaptability.

Enjoy!

Larry Anderson

Sysop - Silicon Realms BBS

larry@portcommodore.com

New Image Software

P.O. Box 525

Salem, UT 84653

801-423-1966

Dear Customer and Friend:

We thank you very much for ordering IMAGE BBS v1.0!! We think that you will be very happy with your purchase, and intend to fully support our customers in any way that we can. If you need any help whatsoever in setting up your BBS or maintaining it, please feel free to contact us by mail, phone, or BBS, and we will do what we can.

This version was supposed to be released long ago, but due to problems in relocating our offices and other things, it is late. (Ever have 5,000 screaming sysops on your phone line?!?) We apologize immensely for this, but feel that the quality of the program will make you forget about this very soon! Read the manual through and see the options that you have with this BBS program!

Please also notice that we have added a few things that are not documented in the manual. The List function in the subsystems now shows to the user if the sub-board/library is a “special” one, highlighting the library in color, and also showing an abbreviation at the beginning:

N-An means a non-anonymous sub-board.

Anon means anonymous sub-board.

Pass means password-protected sub-board, and

Free means a free UD/UX library.

See the manual for more information on these.

Also, please note that the support BBS and voice numbers for the northern (Michigan) region are no longer valid.  The new BBS support line for the north (Lyon’s Den BBS) is 313-453-2576.

24 hrs—300-1200 baud.

The new main voice support line will be located in Utah, as listed in the manual, 801-423-1966.

The new southern (Florida) support lines are: voice: 904-756-1206 (sysop is Ron Fitch), and the Tec-Net BBS is 904-756-2700.

Night Flight BBS listed in the manual is no longer associated with us; the rest of the numbers are all still valid.

Add these variables to the list on page 53: BF, CH$, PO$, KP%, MM.

Our plans for the future:

There is no programmer’s manual for the software available yet, but we do plan to write one in the near future. You will be seeing many modules available for IMAGE soon, both translated from old popular winners, and brand new! You will also see utilities for running your BBS, both in module form, and runnable in BASIC to make things easier for you. We plan to write a terminal program that will interact with IMAGE to allow full sound, high-res graphics and sprites for the user, and will have the same module routines as the BBS does. This will allow you to write a module (plus file) for BOTH the term and the BBS that will interact. A 128 version of IMAGE is also planned. As is our policy, NO release announcements will be made until the new products are ready.

As always, we welcome comments, suggestions, and criticism at any time, so please let us know what you think! Looking forward to a long, happy, and mutually satisfying relationship with you! Keep in touch!

Don Gladden

New Image Software

Congratulations on your purchase of IMAGE BBS V1.2a.

We believe that you have purchased the finest BBS program available today for the Commodore 64.  The program is continually being updated and refined and some of the latest updates have not yet made it into the manual.  For that reason we are including this short addendum.  Version 1.2a differs only slightly from 1.2.  It includes the “CMD Mods,” or the changes necessary to allow the use of partitions from 1 to 255 on that particular drive.  It can still be used on any other system, including the Lt. Kernal.  Caution should be taken however, as it is now possible to address LU 10, the DOS LU.  All of the “mods” are installed so there is no need to download any “CMD Mod” packages.

Some of the features from 1.2 that are not clear in the manual include the selection of the proper modem file.  The manual states, incorrectly, that you should choose a modem file that matches your modem and rename it to .modem`.  That has been changed.  There is now a `.modem file on the disk that is universal.  Be sure to use that file, and use the modemconfig file to select your proper modem type.

The u.alpha file has been replaced by u.index that is maintained and manipulated by a file called .alpha/ind`.  Should your index become corrupted, one common complaint is that users can sign on with their ID number but not their handle.  If that should occur, run `.alpha/ind from the main prompt and choose the options LOAD, CLEAR, MAKE and SAVE in that order.  It is very important that you follow those steps; saving is required, since the program will not save for you.

The “macros” are installed in 1.2.  There are “mods” out that call for lines to be added to setup and im but they are already in, all you need is the +.ME (macro editor) that is available on the PlusFile disk ^#4.  After you have the macro editor, you can define your macros and then turn them on by putting the check mark on the right side of Exp on the second page of the lightbar (press f8).

The support numbers in the manual are wrong.  The one voice support line is 801-423-2209.  The BBS numbers are:

We hope you enjoy your IMAGE and if you need help don’t hesitate to call.

—NEW IMAGE SOFTWARE

Here are some changes that have been made since the manual was printed. Please note them carefully.

Pg 1  DISK DRIVES

Since the release of the Creative Micro Designs hard drive, IMAGE was updated to version 1.2a, which includes the “CMD Mods.”  IMAGE now has the ability to address partitions 1 through 254.

Pg 4  DESIGNATING DRIVES

IMAGE 1.2 added some new files called scn.xx (where xx are t1 t2 t3 t4 c1 c2 c3 c4).  These eight “screen” files are the text of and color for 4 screen masks displayed either at system idle, or other areas on the BBS. These files must be placed on the plus file drive for proper operation.

Pg 5  COPYING FILES

In this section you are told to choose the modem file that matches your modem and rename it to .modem`.  That is no longer necessary.  There is now only _one_ modem file for all 1200 and 2400 baud modems, and it is `.modem.  After you have completed the configuration of your board, run the modemconfig file and select the modem type you are using.  It will then write the parameters to the etcetera disk.  Any time you change modems it is only necessary to run the modemconfig or +.modemconfig to re-select your modem type.

Pg 16 THE LIGHTBAR

There are now two pages to the lightbar. The first page remains the same, the second page has only three functions that are used immediately.

The first is Asc which is:

Left: ASCII on/off

Right: linefeeds on/off

The second is Ans which is:

Left: ANSI on/off

Right: IBM Graphics on/off.

The third is Exp which is:

Left: expert mode on/off

Right: macros on/off (note that they are already installed)

In addition, the Turbo-RELs use Fn5 for:

Left: credit when file is uploaded or when validated

Right: log off after file transfer is complete

The CMD mods (1.2a) also introduced the right side of Fn1 which turns MCI off when checked.

Pg 29  COMMANDS

There is no longer a BC (baud change) option.

We feel that the program you have just received, IMAGE BBS version 1.2b, is the most versatile and elaborate BBS program for the Commodore 64 computer available today!  It is the result of over five years of work and many hours of programming time, has taken ideas from modem users and BBS sysops all over the world for its design, and offers many hours of pleasure for both BBS callers and sysops.  If you are a programmer, or even a novice programmer, IMAGE BBS is designed to be easy to modify to suit your own tastes, and even to add modules to do any type of function on the BBS that you may wish to have!  With some practice, and knowledge of IMAGE programming techniques, virtually anything is possible to add to your BBS.  We have included some basic information on technique to get you started, and plan on releasing a more comprehensive programmer’s manual in the near future.

Thanks go out to all who have supported us in the past with our programs, and for all the suggestions and ideas that have been shared with us.  If you need to contact us for anything at all, please feel free to at any of the voice or BBS numbers supplied on page v of this preface.

Special Thanks To:

Peggy

For being an understanding wife while this program was being developed, taking over the business end of things at a time when it was needed, and helping to make decisions, some of which were really tough.  I don’t believe this program would be possible without her.

Jamie, Christy, Billy, and Kim

For their support, patience and understanding in giving Dad (and sometimes Mom) up for all the extended programming and business sessions.

Ray Kelm (PROFESSOR)

For being the sharpest ML whiz-kid in the world, and all the quality work.

Fred Dart (THE CHIEF)

For the extensive beta-testing and bug reports. (Not sure why I’m thanking him for bugs, but…​) Also, for his enormous phone bills in getting this thing done as soon as possible. And for many other things too numerous to detail.

Jay Levitt

For representing us on QuantumLink for so long, and the work he has helped with on the program, especially the e-mail routines.

Bob DiLorenzo (BLINKY)

For beta-testing, the vacation and tour of Opryland in Tennessee when I needed that break so bad, and for being such a good friend.

Jim Flinn (MUZAK MAN)

For designing the awesome title screen and beta testing.

Mark Verellen (KING TRENT)

For bringing over the Cokes when I was broke, and being official IEEE beta tester.

Mike Coley (THE HAPPY HACKER)

For the voting booth, and so many great ideas! (Where are you, Mike, haven’t heard from you!)

Julie Rhodes (BLUE ADEPT)

For the new BBS List program, and all her support.

John Moore (LITTLE JOHN)

For joining up with us, and starting work on the 128 version of IMAGE. Also for the graffiti routines in the logon.

Rich Matteo (SHADOW WARRIOR)

For the use of his modifications for the multi U/D and full disk exchange routines, to make it so much easier for us to add.

Tony DeLiberato (ULTRA LORD)

For his help on the production of this manual and advertising layouts.

John and Paul at QuantumLink

For their help and support on Q.

Fiscal, Xetec, Trans-Comm, InConTrol, and the many other companies who were so cooperative in helping us develop the program to allow their products to be used.

And finally, to you, for trying IMAGE BBS out! We’re sure you won’t be sorry you did!

-Don Gladden

New Image Software

You have the non-exclusive right to use the enclosed program.  Copying the program with the intention of distributing it to others, whether or not for personal gain is illegal and not in accordance with this agreement.  Modifications of this program may be made for personal use, and to share with other REGISTERED owners; however, the modifications should be shared as modules.  Do not distribute the program in its entirety.

Backups may be made of this program; however, you must include the copyright notice and serial number on any back-up copies.  Transfer of registration may be done by sending signed written notice from the original purchaser, releasing his registration rights.  Contact New Image Software for further instructions regarding transfer.

This program and documentation manual are copyrighted under the laws of the United States and Canadian governments.  You may not copy the program for distribution purposes at any time, whether for personal gain or not.  You may NOT remove the copyright notice or serial number at any time.

New Image Software warrants the DISK on which the program is furnished to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of 90 days from the date of purchase on your receipt.  To obtain service or replacement, you must deliver the disk prepaid to New Image Software.  The responsibility of New Image software is limited to repair or replacement of the original disk and/or documentation manual. The program and the manual (“software”) are provided without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.  New Image Software does not warrant, guarantee, or make any representations regarding the use of, or the results of use of, the program in terms of quality, correctness, accuracy, reliability, currentness, or otherwise, and you rely on the program and results solely at your own risk.  New Image Software also does not warrant that the program or manual will meet your requirements, or that the program will be uninterrupted or error-free.

EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ON THE DISK IS LIMITED TO THE DURATION OF THIS LIMITED WARRANTY.

In no event will New Image Software be liable to you for any damage in excess of your license fee paid, including, without limitations, any lost profits, business goodwill or other special incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use the program, or for any claim made by any other party, even if New Image Software or the dealer had been advised of the possibility of such claims or damages.

This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

In order to be able to obtain any customer support or updates of the program, you must complete and return the enclosed registration card to New Image Software.  If this registration card has not been received by New Image Software, or New Image Software is aware of breach of any part of this agreement by you, New Image Software is under no obligation to make available to you any customer support or updates of the program even though you have made payment of the applicable update fee.

You acknowledge that you have read this agreement, understand it, and agree to be bound by  its terms and provisions by filling out and returning the enclosed registration card.  You also agree that this agreement is the complete and exclusive statement or agreement between the parties and supersedes all proposals or prior agreements, verbal or written, and any other communications between the parties relating to the subject matter of this agreement.

Should you have any questions concerning this agreement, please contact in writing:

New Image Software

Customer Sales and Support

P.O. Box 525, Salem, UT 84653

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR PURCHASING IMAGE BBS!  This manual is a very detailed description of the features and capabilities of the program. However, if you have any questions left unanswered, or if you discover any problem with any part of the program, please feel free to contact us at any of the following BBS or voice support lines.

LYON’S DEN BBS (Central Region: Michigan)\ BBS: 313-453-2576  24 hrs.  300-2400 baud.\ System Operator: Ray Kelm (Professor)

PORT COMMODORE BBS (Western Region: Utah)\ BBS: 801-423-2734  24 hrs.  300-2400 baud.\ 9:00AM to 5:00PM MST\ Voice Tech line: 801-423-1966\ System Operator: Fred Dart (The Chief)

For support, call any of the support boards listed or any of the tech lines listed during the hours listed.  These locations are set up for your convenience, you may call any of them but you might want to call the one nearest to you; they are located in the states shown.

The bulletin boards listed all have many users that are IMAGE BBS owners; they love to share modifications and ideas!  You can benefit greatly by being a member of any of these BBSes.

Additional support can be found on QuantumLink.  Each of the above listed support personnel are available on QLink as: IMAGE Don, IMAGE Fred, and IMAGE Jay and will make every attempt to assist you in any way.

Also, stop by Jeff Ledger’s [Commodore TelBBS forum](http://jledger.proboards19.com/), where there is some archived information about Qlink and telnet BBSes.

IMAGE BBS has been tested with many different types of peripherals, and usually has no problem running with any Commodore compatible equipment. If you have any problems, please contact us at one of our support centers listed in this manual for help, and we will do all we can to help you to make IMAGE BBS work with your system.  Some modems and drives deviate from the Commodore standard enough to cause some problems, but this is usually fixable with some patches into the program(s).  Some of the peripherals tested with IMAGE BBS and found to work well are:

• All Commodore drives (1541, 1571, 1581, and IEEE drives)

• Xetec Lt.Kernal hard drives

• Creative Micro Designs hard drives

• ICT Datachief and Minichief hard drives (see notes below)

IMAGE was completely developed using a Lt. Kernal drive, using LUs 0 to 9, so is completely compatible with this drive in all respects.

This drive has a problem in chain mode that will not allow more than one file to be open at a time.  IMAGE does use more than one file at once in some areas, so we suggest not using the ICT drive for the E-mail or Etcetera disk, or for sub-boards.  Any other system function should work fine with the ICT drive.

See Modem Configuration for more information on setting the BBS up for your particular modem or telnet bridge.

IMAGE BBS has been tested successfully on systems using REUs in conjunction with other peripherals.  Version 4.2 (dated 07/14/87) of Commodore’s RAMDOS is provided.  It is set to define your RAMdisk as device 7, which is how it is supported by Image BBS.

Most Commodore compatible printers should work with IMAGE BBS.  Standard Commodore routines are used by the program; using logical file #4, device #4, with a secondary address of 7 to allow for upper- and lower-case.

Some IEEE or printer interfaces could feasibly cause some problems due to memory conflicts, and would need some customization of the program to allow use.  Two IEEE interfaces commonly used and tested with IMAGE BBS are the “IEEE Flash!” by Skyles Electric Works, and the “BusCard II” by Batteries Included, both of which perform well.

There are two files: ml.rs232/user (for the user port) and ml.rs232/swift (for a SwiftLink or Turbo232 high-speed interface). Depending on the type of modem or telnet bridge you’ll be using, rename one to ml.rs232 in order to achieve the proper setup.

At the present time, we recommend that no fastloader cartridges be used with IMAGE BBS, they may only cause problems.

Please give any information about other fastload solutions you have success with using.

There are patches to make the BBS run at 20 mHz. During serial I/O, the BBS must be slowed down to 1 mHz with a POKE to the SuperCPU’s speed register.

IMAGE BBS is designed to use up to eight drives, and possibly use even more with limited functions.  It will support:

• single or dual drives

• Lt. Kernal logical units (LUs) 0 through 10 (the DOS LU, a side effect of applying the “CMD Mods” in Image BBS v1.2a—which, among other things, let the BBS access partitions numbered 1-255)

You will want to plan your setup on what space you have available, so read the following information carefully to help you in this regard.

Although it is possible to run Image BBS using only one 1541 disk drive, we highly recommend you use at least two, since you will find that disk and directory space gets used quickly.

When referring to “device,” we mean the device number assigned to the particular drive (i.e., one drive online is usually set to device 8, two to 8 and 9, etc.).

When referring to “drive,” we are talking about the drive number (or partition if using a hard drive):

• 0/1 on a dual drive such as the MSD-2 floppy drive

• partition 0-10 on a Lt. Kernal hard drive

• partition 1-255 on a Creative Micro Designs hard drive (0 refers to the current partition)

• If you have two physical drives, there may either be a switch somewhere on the drives to change device numbers, or—as with older 1541 drives—you must cut a solder pad (the drive manual should describe how).

You may also “software change” the device number with the BASIC program dv change included on your IMAGE BBS disk, or online with the CD command.  If you only have single drives on your system, then the drive numbers will always be zero.

“Directory space” refers to the number of directory entries available on the drive, which is usually limited, depending on the type of disk drive.  A 1541 drive allows 144 directory entries, while an SFD allows 244, etc.  Check your drive manual to see what the limitation is.

“Drive space” or “blocks free” mentioned here will refer to actual blocks used/unused on the drive.

Now you will want to plan out which disks you want to use for which functions on the BBS.  There are six “designated disks” for BBS functions.  These can be combined in any form on any drive or number of drives.  They are described as follows:

1: The “system” disk

Contains mostly SEQuential (text) files that do not change often. Menu files, sub-board entry files, and other text/graphics files are all included on this disk.  Also, BBS news files are located here.  Will not use too much directory or drive space.

System filenames on this disk start with s.. News filenames start with n..

2: The “e-mail” disk

Contains all user e-mail and forced e-mail files. Will use much more directory space than disk space.

E-mail filenames start with m..  Forced e-mail filenames start with f..

If your BBS is part of a network, the NetMail files are stored here. These may take up a significant amount of drive space, but not too much directory space.

NetMail filenames start with nm..

3: The “etcetera” disk

Contains miscellaneous files used to supply BBS information.  Many online games and functions use one or more of these files to store their data.  Some of these files are RELative files, and most of them change frequently.  Storage depends on the number and type of online games and programs you are using.  If no online programs use the etcetera disk, it will not use too much disk or directory space.

Etcetera filenames start with e..

4: The “directory” disk

Contains all directories used on the BBS, whether for sub-boards, U/D libraries, text file libraries, or similar.  These files change often, and this disk will use a fair amount of directory space, but not too much disk space.

Directory filenames start with d..

5: The “plus file” disk

Contains all BASIC or ML modules needed to run the BBS.  They load when needed to execute various functions.  None of these files will change, unless modified offline.

Plus file filenames start with several different prefixes based on these categories:

+. BASIC modules

++ ML modules

scn. top and bottom sysop screen displays (idle screen, online user screens, Image Terminal screens)

6: The “user” disk

Contains all user data files, which are expanded as new users sign on. There are two files that keep all user information available to the BBS.  Two directory entries, a little over one block per user total.

User data filenames are u.config (REL) and u.index (PRG).

Different devices and drives can also be assigned to each of the following:

• Sub-board in the message base subsystem

• Upload/Download or user exchange library in the file transfer subsystem

• Plus file in the online programs subsystem

• Movie file in the movie file subsystem

• Text file in the text files subsystem

These need not be the same as any of the six pre-defined system drives, but the above types of files may also be stored on those drives if so desired.

Now, format a new or usable fresh disk (or partition if using a mass-storage device) for each system drive you will have online, and copy over the files from the disk that you backed up.  We also suggest that you label each floppy disk with the device and drive number so that you will not get confused as to its purpose.

We’ll start by copying the files which the BBS needs to function to their proper system disks.

Bla bla, some sort of intro. fixme

You begin by loading the configuration program from your back-up disk (side 2 of a 1541 disk). Use the standard Commodore load command (assuming 8 is the device number you’re booting from):

load"config",8

After it is loaded, type run. The configuration editor is very complete and self-documenting.  You should follow each step in sequence just as they are listed in the configuration menu.

To select an option, use the crsr 🡡 and crsr 🡣 keys. To change the value the highlight bar is on, hit Return.

You can usually back out of a menu option by pressing ←.

Use this procedure with any menu item in the configuration editor.

The first menu selection helps define the devices and drives you have to run your BBS on.  Selecting the Devices/Drives menu option will bring up a sub-menu of options.  The system of sub-menus will take you completely through your device and drive setup, defining each of the six required system drives, identifying which device and drive they are set to, as decided earlier.

The default values are for device 8, drive 0.

You should now define your access groups.  There are 10 groups, numbered 0-9. Each access group can have different capabilities as you wish.

All new users signing on to the BBS are automatically placed into group 0.

We also suggest that, at least to start, you define group 9 as the most powerful group.  When you first log on to your BBS as sysop, you are assigned group 9 access.  You may change your access group after logging on for the first time.

Now you get to identify your BBS.  Select the BBS Info option from the main menu.  It has several specific questions about you and your BBS to help personalize it.

A period where everyone is limited to being online a certain number of minutes, and U/D access is limited to users with the “U/D at Prime Time” flag set.  If you are just starting out, you may wish to wait to see how busy your BBS is before setting up Prime Time.

If you decide to set it up, you are asked for:

• The time to start

• The time to end

• The number of minutes you will permit users to stay online

This information may be changed later if you wish.

When you are finished with the Prime Time option, choose Keep Parameters to return to the BBS Info menu.

This completes the “BBS Info” section of your configuration!

tcpser is a telnet bridge program which can interface with either a real Commodore 64 via a serial cable, or an emulator. It was originally written by Jim Brain, and a slightly updated version can be downloaded from FozzTexx’s GitHub repository:

https://github.com/FozzTexx/tcpser

This is the same thing as tcpser, except written in Java. You configure it via an XML file (there is a well-documented sample file included), then have the included .bat (Windows batch) or .sh (Linux shell script) file reference that XML configuration file.

FIXME: add mention of DTMF/dial sounds, creating 2 virtual modems to bridge real C64 and VICE

This is a Windows program designed to allow a real Commodore 64 to run Image BBS.

Expansion port; plans are available at http://www.go4retro.com/projects/link232/

• sends ATA immediately upon answer

• User port; available soon from http://www.commodoreserver.com/

• A SwiftLink clone available from http://gglabs.us/.

Tell the seller it’s for hooking up to an Image BBS. This makes sure all the control lines are wired correctly.

*fixme*

load"image 1.2b",8,1

Unless your BBS clock is set automatically, you should see a flashing message to Set Time!  The message continues to flash until you do so.  (The BBS runs fine if the time is not set but timestamps for news items, message base posts, and such will be incorrect.)

For now, we will assume you are setting the BBS clock manually.

To set the time and date, type 1 while at this idle screen. Type the time and date at the following prompts:

For the day of the week, type one of the following numbers:

Type the month, date, and last two digits of the year at each separate prompt.

Enter the hour (don’t use military or 24-hour time), minute, and A or P for AM/PM for each following prompt.

The top status line changes to reflect the entered date and time.  If the information is correct, respond to the OK? prompt by typing y (and press Return).  Type n (or any key besides y) if you have made a mistake and need to re-enter the data; note that answers to prompts now reflect what you just typed to minimize effort.

Now a large clock is displayed, and the BBS waits for a call. At the top of the idle screen are several items of interest:

This top information line is displayed whenever the screen is not blank, no matter what the BBS is currently doing. It shows, from left to right:

• The day of the week, date and system time

Depending on conditions on the BBS and what you or the user online is doing, four different letters can appear next:

The clock and status letters are followed by the minutes and seconds remaining for users while they are online.  (Since no one is online at the idle screen, it shows 00:00.)  When you or a user logs in, the number of minutes left on the call is displayed.

100 minutes or more is considered “unlimited time,” and time remaining changes to --:xx (xx being seconds).

There can also be check marks in the left and right corners of this line: the left check mark indicates the user is in Commodore C/G mode, and the right check mark shows when a modem carrier signal is present.

At idle, this area of information just underneath the status line shows the handle of the last caller, followed by their logoff time, and the time of the last log restart (LR).The window to the right shows the number of accounts currently used in the user file (UR).

When a user logs on, these displays will change to show additional information, described on page fixme.

You may toggle this “screen mask” on or off using F1, or a programming command (see Other & Calls).

Several functions are available at this screen from the console, which are outlined in a menu if you press any key aside from a “command” key. The functions are as follows:

TODO: explain these options

The fifth screen line is referred to as the lightbar. This line monitors and changes many features of the BBS. It displays eight abbreviations per page (there are two pages) for functions or options on the BBS. Check marks on one, both or neither side of the option indicate the state of a particular feature or setting is enabled. It is light gray and has a “lit” white portion indicating the current function or option you can change the behavior of. Most options can be toggled locally by the sysop at the console, or remotely through utility programs (+.lb move, discussed in Miscellaneous Plus Files). This is handy for remote maintenance when you can’t be at the console).

(If the screen has blanked itself due to inactivity, it is restored when you receive a call or hit a key on the keyboard.)

Along the bottom two lines of the screen is yet more useful information.  The line just below the text display area contains BBS operating information in this order:

The last row on the screen has a Receive window (R:) which displays the last 10 characters received from the modem.  When the “trace” function is enabled, the BASIC line number currently executing appears in the left half of this window.

The center portion of the bottom line can display any sixteen characters you wish.  Typical phrases include:

• Image BBS 1.2b at system idle

• The type of computer a caller is using when online

• The reason for chat if a user online requests a chat session and you are unavailable.  The window also flashes until either you answer the page, or the user logs off

• It is also available to display custom information (see Other & Calls for more details)

The final section of the bottom line is the Transmit (T:) window.  This displays the last 10 characters sent to the modem.

• Use the f3 key (moves the white highlight left) and/or f5 key (moves the white highlight right) to highlight the Loc position on the lightbar.

• Press f7, which puts a check mark on the left side of Loc.

This starts logging in from the console, and is called a “local login.”

When a user has logged on, either remotely or locally, the program’s copyright message and serial number are displayed.  With a remote login, the user is prompted to hit their backspace (delete) key to detect whether they are in Commodore color/graphics (hereafter abbreviated as “Commodore C/G”) mode, or ASCII mode.

Depending on which mode they are in, the file s.login 0 (for ASCII), or s.login 1 (for Commodore C/G) is displayed. For simplicity’s sake in the following references, the character x at the end of a filename will refer to either the digit 0 (this file is seen by ASCII callers) or 1 (this file is seen by Commodore C/G callers).

Then the user is asked to Press RETURN/ENTER.  Actually, A can be typed to abort the start screen; you could mention that in the s.login x files.

If Return is pressed, the program will read the disk file s.start x.

Next, the BBS instructs the user:

If the user has no account, or makes a mistake entering the information, they are instructed to type NEW.

If a mistake is made logging in, and if a file called s.errmail exists on the disk, the contents of this file are sent in an e-mail message to the user, informing them of the mistake.  If they should get this message in their mailbox, and they weren’t the ones to make the mistake, urge them to change their password.

A file called e.telecheck is either created or appended to, which contains the login time and date, the missed security question, and the correct answer.  This file is viewable using the VF (View Feedback) sysop utility.

If the user has made four mistakes and has not entered NEW they are logged off for excessive login attempts.

If the user has a “reserved” account, they can enter RES at the prompt to enter the RES function of the new user program.

This feature is reserved for the sysop, for it can only be used from the console.  It is meant for a fast, easy way for you to log on to your BBS to do maintenance functions, posting, or anything you would normally do on a call.

The main difference from a regular logon is that none of your stats will be updated or saved to disk, and your last call date will be set to your logon time.

To use the instant logon feature, type I at the Hit RETURN/ENTER prompt. You are prompted for your password, and immediately taken to the main prompt.

A RES, or REServed, user is one that you have set up an account for already using the RS or ED commands on the BBS.  (Perhaps you won’t be around to validate the user, for example.  See the fixme section for more information.)

They are asked to type their RES ID number and password—which you should provide them with when you set up their account—and then be taken through the normal new user application.  When they are done, they are logged on with the pre-approved access and credit points that you assign to them.

If a user enters a handle that is not found in the user log, they are asked if they want to log on as a new user using that handle.

If they type Y, the new user procedure is gone through, beginning with the reading of the file s.new user (but skips the handle prompt).

The NEW login procedure consists of four parts:

1. General information: handle, real name, password

2. Terminal parameters: computer type, column width, linefeeds, etc.

3. Miscellaneous questions: address, occupation, baud rate, etc.

4. Personal statement: a chance to type a paragraph or two about themselves.  This is required; if aborted they are logged off without signing up as NEW.

Once the new user login procedure is completed, this user information is put in new user feedback for you to view later with the VF command, and they are taken into the BBS with access group zero status.

If a user enters a handle that already exists, plus a password, then they are asked a random security question:

• Their first or last (real) name

• Sections of their phone number: 3-digit area code, 3-digit dialing prefix, or 4-digit suffix

This is used as an extra security measure.  If this question is missed, the same procedure regarding the s.errmail and e.telecheck files above is taken.

Once a user has logged on and their password is verified, the top of the sysop screen changes quite a bit from what it shows at the idle screen.

The very top line is the same as discussed in the section "The Status Line."

The next five lines contain specific information about the user logged on:

• First is the user’s handle, login ID (including the two character BBS identifier), last call date, and number of calls today and total to the BBS.

• Next is the user’s real name, their access group, phone number and five flags-the first four are single digits-which include:

• Expert mode (0=off, 1=on)

• Color/graphics mode (0=ASCII, 1=Commodore)

• Linefeeds (0=off, 1=on)

• Default file transfer protocol (fixme…​)

• Column width (between 22 and 80 characters wide)

Once a user has successfully logged on to the BBS, either remotely or locally, as either a new user or a user with a login ID and password already, the BBS reads the file entitled s.welcome x, and informs them of:

• what their access group is

• how many calls they can make on that particular day (if not an infinite number)

• the amount of time they have for this call

Then it will check for:

Table : Login activities

Once all of this has been completed, the user is placed at the main command level.

You now should be at the main command level, where you can do many things.

Since this is your first call, you may wish to edit the following files to suit your own tastes and coincide with your BBS plans.  Sample files have been included on the disk, but may be edited or replaced with whatever you wish.

While at the main command prompt, you can use the WF command (see Write File command for this. It will give you access to a line-oriented text editor you can use to edit files. If you have files other than ones included on the setup disks you would like to use, you can import them into the text editor using a “get file” dot command (type .G at the left margin).

Here is a summary of the files discussed in this section. Remember, the suffix x stands for the digits 0 or 1, for ASCII or Commodore Color/Graphics files, respectively.

To create or edit these files, use the WF option (see Write File) at the main command level. You can also use the .Put and .Get options in the editor. (See The IMAGE Text Editor for more information.)

C requests a chat with the sysop.  A short (38 character) reason for chat is requested; the first sixteen characters of that is displayed at the bottom of the sysop’s screen.  This reason is also recorded in the call log on disk and printer (if used).

If the left side of Sys is checked, the user is given a message informing them that the sysop is being paged, and the BBS monitor sounds three sirens.

If the left side of Sys is not checked, the user is told that you are not available. The s.chat x file is shown, and they are asked if they want to leave feedback instead.

The “reason for request” continues to flash until they log off or you answer the chat page.  If the user requests chat more than once without you answering the first chat request, they are told that the page is already on, discouraging them from continuing to type C.

Feedback is “mail” left on the BBS to the sysop(s), that any user with local or remote maintenance access may read.  It is left to the sysop(s) by entering F at most prompts, or when logging off.  The user is placed into the editor to write their message.

Any user, including a new user, is allowed to leave up to three feedback messages per call.  If they try to leave more, they are informed they have left their limit of feedback for that call.

Feedback, along with new user information and error messages, are read by the sysop by typing VF at the main command prompt. (VF is described more on page [63](#anchor-292).)

? reads a menu of commands available at whichever command level the user happens to be.  Depending on how much information is in the menu, a “More?” prompt for additional command information may appear (although this is put in the menu file itself, and is not always present, depending on the file’s length).  At this prompt, Y (meaning yes) continues, most others mean no and stop reading the file.

If the user is not at the main prompt, the main menu is then read.

CF shows the file s.config.  This file should contain general information about your BBS, perhaps the hardware and software it runs on, its hours (if not 24 hours a day) and anything else interesting about it.

The last call date is used to determine which messages on the BBS will be displayed as new when a “read new messages” command is given. If a user needs to log off before they can see all new messages, the next time they call, they can use LD to move their last call date back to the date of their last call.

O will ask if the user really wants to log off (type Y to do so), asking if they want to leave feedback first.

O% saves the last call date, in case they did not read all the new messages in the message bases.

O! logs off instantly, without prompting for feedback.

O% and O! may be combined: O%! logs off instantly and saves the last call date.

From most prompts (and in some subsystems, just pressing Return) gets the user to the main prompt.

If Q is entered at the main prompt, the user is asked whether they wish to log off, like O.

T displays the current time, the time the user logged on, and the amount of time remaining on the BBS this call.

EP enters a menu which allows a user to change their computer type, graphics translation mode, terminal line length, whether linefeeds are required, toggle their expert mode, and change their account password.

PM toggles prompt mode on or off. When on, and a user reads new messages in the message base (using RN or RA commands), they do not receive the “end-of-bulletin” prompt between message threads, or the [P]ost [N]ext [Q]uit prompt between sub-boards.

Useful for callers who want to speed-read or buffer messages.

It also eliminates the prompt after the A (About this file) command in the U/D subsystem.

ST allows users to see their status on the BBS, including:

• Their handle, plus real first and last name

• Last call date and time

• Their login ID

• Their access level

• Number of lines in the editor

• Calls to the BBS, today and total

• Downloads allowed (0=unlimited)

• Number of uploads and downloads made

• Number of blocks uploaded and downloaded

• Credit points and credit ratio

• Total posts and responses

• User Flags

Then the user is asked if they wish to view this information again. If not, they are returned to the BBS.

SY reads a random “saying” or “fortune,” such as the one read at logon, from the RELative file e.say.

LG lets designated users read the daily log, listing what activities callers have done on the BBS.

BA lets designated users view the Board Activity Register stats as shown between calls.

AT chooses between Commodore Color/Graphics, plain ASCII, and ANSI graphics modes.  This option is saved to the user file when logging out.

XP toggles Expert Mode.  When on, subsystem and sub-board entry screens are skipped.  This option is saved to the user file when logging out.

NU reads the s.new user file, displayed when a new user logs on to the BBS for the first time.

ZZ allows users with local mode access to enter pseudo-local mode so they can do maintenance functions remotely.  These functions include copying files, reading directories, sending DOS commands, etc.  This is very powerful, and should be given to only the most trusted users on your BBS.

Any of the main commands entered at any prompt can be “stacked” by using the up arrow key (^) between the commands. If the following command were entered at the main prompt:

Then the BBS would:

Certain places, such as choosing “quit” in the “end of bulletin” prompt, usually clear stacked commands—if a user realizes they need to do something in the middle of executing the stacked commands, their only recourse is to hold down the spacebar to stop them.

See the “MACS” command on how to automate command stacking.

Since several subsystems share similar commands and usage, this section outlines them.

When a user enters the subsystem or a SIG, only the sub-boards/SIGs that their access group can go to are loaded into memory.

So, if you have five sub-boards, but a user logs on with an access group which can only access boards one and five, they’ll see only two boards, re-numbered as 1 and 2.  In this way, they aren’t aware that other areas exist which they can’t access.

A user can list which sub-boards they have access to when they first enter the SIG by typing L (optionally followed by the board number to start the listing from).

If they are subop of a particular sub-board, the board name is preceded with a >.

If you have set up Special Interest Groups, only SIGs the user has access to are displayed.  In this way, they are not aware of areas they cannot access.  When they get the "What SIG?" prompt, they may type either:

• The SIG number by itself

• The SIG number, a comma, and the board number within that SIG (this works for SB, UD, and UX subsystems)

For example, if a user responded to the "What SIG?" prompt with "4,10", they are taken into SIG \#4, Sub \#10 (or U/D \#10, etc.), assuming they have access to it.

When a user enters a SIG number that is too high, the available SIGs are re-listed, instead of exiting to the main prompt.

When a user enters a sub-board/library number that is too high, available boards are re-listed.

Pressing Return at the Which Sub (or U/D or U/X)? prompts return the user to the list of available SIGs. (If SIGs are not active, they exit to the main prompt.)

N displays the current sub-board’s name.

A user can change the current sub-board by:

Entering the new sub-board number at the "Sub \#x: " prompt

< or ; takes then to the previous sub-board

> or = takes them to the next sub-board

If a number is typed after the previous two commands, (ie, >>4 or <<5) the user is taken to the previous/next SIG, plus the specified board number.

If a user moves to a board they are subop of, they are informed of this.

If a move cannot be made, the user is told the board number they requested does not exist.

Scanning bulletins lists information about each bulletin in the following format:

1. Number

2. URL mapping

3. Response block

   • The number of the bulletin

   • How many responses have been made, if any

   • The bulletin’s status:

• The bulletin’s title (in quotes)

Typing S begins scanning at either the first bulletin, or after the bulletin most recently read on the sub-board.

S x starts scanning at bulletin #x.

/ or Space abort a scan at any time.

This displays the

• Subject

• Author (and node number if in a NetSub)

• Date and time of creation

• Number of responses to a bulletin

• Date and time of the latest response

Typing A tells a user about the bulletin following the one most recently read or manipulated.

A followed by a number finds out about that specific bulletin.

This displays the same information as the “About” function, but reads the text body of the message, followed by each response until the end of the thread (group of bulletins under that title).

Typing R (or just pressing Return) reads the next bulletin in the sub.

R x reads bulletin #x.

While reading a bulletin, a user can:

• Press Space to skip to the next response in the thread

• Press / to skip directly to the end of the bulletin.

Once at the end of a bulletin, a user has several options in, appropriately enough, the “end-of-bulletin” prompt (only displayed if the user’s Prompt Mode is enabled):

• Press Return to continue to the next message in the sub-board

• P sends a private e-mail message to the user that posted the original message

• R responds to the post

• O reads the post over from the beginning

• Q or / stops the RN or RA function

• K lets a SubOp or Sysop kill the post. The original poster may also kill the post, if there are no responses.

• F toggles the bulletin’s “frozen” status (if the user is the original poster, or the user is a SubOp or Sysop)

• ? brings up a menu of these options.

The following commands work on the current sub-board, with messages considered new since the user’s last call:

To stop an RN in progress, press / while reading a message.

To read or scan new messages on the current sub-board, plus all higher-numbered sub-boards, type RA or SA, respectively.

To stop an RA or SA at the current sub-board, press /.

During an RA, if the user reaches the last sub-board and has any stacked commands remaining (for example, RA^UD), the [P]ost [N]ext [Q]uit: prompt is displayed to allow the user to post to the last sub-board before executing the next stacked command.

If a user types P and there is room in the directory (a limit of 60 posts per sub-board exists), the user is asked for the post’s title. If this title is unique to the directory, the user is asked:

If they wish to post anonymously, if the board is not set up to be non-anonymous.  If they elect to post anonymously, the author will appear as:

• Anonymous to normal users.

• * followed by the user’s handle (e.g. *PINACOLADA, to users with subop, sysop, or sub-board maintenance access.

The user is then placed into the BBS text editor subsystem to write their message.  .S on a blank line exits, as usual.

This removes the original post concerned, along with all its responses, from the sub-board and its message directory.

K begins listing all bulletins starting with the first one

K x starts with bulletin #x

The user is asked whether they want to kill the bulletin:

K followed by a number begins the listing with that number, offering the same choices.  Once the end of the list is reached (or S is typed), the directory is re-written to disk.

A regular user can kill their bulletin only if there are no responses to it.  Once responses are added, only a subop can kill it.

To edit a previously written bulletin, type E x (x is the bulletin number to edit). The bulletin is opened, and the BBS searches through the thread for messages that the user can edit (if they are the author, or sub-board operator).

If such a message is encountered, the user is prompted with:

In the Edit function, SubOp access users have an added command: (K)ill Old Resp. This function first asks if you want to auto delete old responses:

• No asks for confirmation before deleting each response. (A aborts the operation, but any deleted responses stay deleted!)

• Yes deletes any responses made before your last call date.

Both functions stop when they reach responses posted on or after your last call date. Remember, this function is tied to your last call date, so use LD to set the cutoff date first.

Also remember, the Auto Delete function cannot be aborted once started and is only available to SubOp access users!

To freeze a bulletin means to not allow further responses to be made to it. A bulletin can be frozen either when:

• The user first posts the bulletin

• The original poster, SubOp or Sysop can freeze the bulletin later (using the End-of-Bulletin Prompt)

To prevent bulletin responses when the post is first written, begin the title with an up arrow (^) (e.g. type ^Frozen Post).

The BBS reports this bulletin as frozen during a scan or About, and will not allow responses to be made to it.

Bulletins can be un-frozen by the original poster or a SubOp or sysop reading the message with Prompt Mode enabled, so you get the end-of-bulletin prompt.  There, type F, which toggles the bulletin’s Frozen status.  The current status is then reported, and the user is returned to the end-of-bulletin prompt.

V views the current sub-board’s operator

M sends a private e-mail message to them

Only sub-board or users with general sub-board maintenance can access this function.  Type Z.  The sub-board maintenance menu has two options:

1. Edit the entry file.

   • You have a choice between ASCII and C/G.  A sub-board’s entry file is displayed upon entering the sub-board.  If there is an entry file already, it is loaded into the BBS text editor. Use the usual editor commands, and type .S to save.

2. Edit board detail.

The user can change

• Sub-board title

• Sub-board type

• Open/closed status

• Access level required to enter the sub-board

If the user is in local or pseudo-local mode, they also have the option to change the current sub-board operator and device/drive assignment.

While defining sub-boards using the +.reledit program, you may specify any of your sub-boards to be:

The program makes available to you several new features which enhance your BBS to its maximum potential, including:

• Enhanced board types

• Separate password for each board

In the case of U/D’s or U/X’s:

• Last download date

• Local mode multi-uploads and downloads

• Expanded “about” function

• Online program reader

The User Exchange bases have all the same features above, plus:

• The E command when downloading multiple files to select all files matching a selected pattern, with one easy keystroke.

A few variables can be set in line 1 of +.UD: yy% and it.  (They are currently defaulted to zero.)

• Setting yy% to 1 deducts credits for files read online. Setting yy% to 2 deducts double credits, and so on.

• Setting it to 1 freezes the user’s remaining time on the BBS while they are in the U/D’s, giving it back at exit.

Some more things to consider:

• If you have no SIGs defined, you are limited to 30 board names.

• With SIGs defined, you are allowed 999 board names (30 libraries per SIG).

Toggling Fn5 's right check on, you activate the “no credit until validated” feature of the BBS.  This check mark can be toggled on or off any time a user is online and uploading, until the point the End Of Transfer message appears.

• If the check is off, the number of times downloaded is set to 0, and credits are awarded to the user according to their credit ratio.

• If the check is on, the times downloaded is set to -1, but no credits are awarded until the file is validated by the subop or SIGop.

Toggling Fn5 's left check on activates the Log off after file transfer complete? prompt.

A, Ax When this option is selected, the user sees information about the file, including:

• the date and time it was first uploaded

• the date and time it was last downloaded

• the type of computer it’s for

(If a C128 user views a file meant for the C64, they are told it is for the C128 in 64 mode.)

• approximate download time

• if any user-submitted comments exist for the file (and if so, the first one is displayed; a quick mod by Pinacolada).

After that information is displayed, the user is prompted with the following options:

C Comments read/add. This feature was written by DER DEUTSCHER. If the user would like to add a comment, they may.

D Download the file.  If the user has selected a multi-file transfer protocol, this adds the file to the download queue.  (fixme: correct?)

N Move to the next file in the directory; if they are on the last file, they wrap around to the first file.

L Move to the previous file in the directory; if they are on the first file, they wrap around to the last file.

M E-mail the file uploader.

R Read any file, whether SEQuential or PRoGram.

• A program with a hexadecimal load addresses of:

• $0401 (CBM PET)

• $0801 (The Commodore 64’s BASIC 2.0)

• $C101

• $4001 (The Commodore 128’s BASIC 7.0 (fixme))

display the program just as if LISTed with that computer’s respective version of BASIC.

• You can also opt to display “control characters” such as clear/home, delete, or color codes in quotes in an expanded, easy-to-read format.

• A program with any other load address (or a BASIC “head” and machine language “tail”) produces a “hex dump” like a machine language monitor would:

  MMMM  HH HH HH HH HH HH HH HH  PPPPPPPP

MMMM: Memory address

HH: Hex value of each byte

PPPPPPPP: PETSCII code of each byte

• As previously mentioned in the setup of the U/D system, credits can be charged for reading programs online by setting the variable yy% to the number of credits you want subtracted per block read.

For users with maintenance access:

U Unvalidate a file, taking back credit for the upload.

V Validate new uploads.

For the user who uploaded the file:

E Edit the file (computer it’s for, and filename)

All commands selected here, including Download, return you to the same file in the listing you were on before selecting the command.

Hitting Return (or any key not listed/not applicable to the user) aborts the About function.

S Scan files normally

This has been enhanced to use both 40- and 80-column screens. A normal file scan will list files in this format:

From left to right, the columns represent:

After all files have been selected, the total estimated download time is displayed to the screen with a new prompt allowing you to:

Scan selected files

Download selected files

Clear list and restart

Kill a file from the list

(All other user features are the same except having been moved into mini-plus files to make the system easily expandable.)

SS Sorted scan

The scanned files can be sorted by:

• Size

• Number of times downloaded

• Alphabetically

DM Download Multiple Files

As with the D command above, this command now shows a complete description of each file:

The user is shown the:

• Total number of files in the directory

• Number of new files uploaded since his last call

• Total number of credit points they have

• Current protocol in memory

• Blocks free if in local/pseudo-local mode (fixme?)

If they are the library’s subop, they are informed of this.

If a move cannot be made, they are told the requested library number does not exist.

N displays the name of the current library.

Libraries which a user can access are listed by typing L.

PR New Punter, Slow Punter (for noisy telephone lines) and Xmodem-CRC/1K protocols are available for use with IMAGE BBS.  Commodore 64/128 and Amiga users default to Punter; all others use Xmodem.

\[I have no idea what Starlink is, but I’m including this info anyway:\]

"Slow Punter" has relaxed timing that works very well with Starlink. If your BBS is reachable by Starlink, people will be able to use the "Slow Punter" for file transfer, or you can use it to call boards using Starlink.

Each library allows a maximum of 60 files.  The user is asked for information describing the file, which is saved along with their handle, ID number, and the current date and time.  They receive credit points at the ratio of whatever his access group or flag allows per block uploaded.

There is also an option to add a file comment, used to describe what the file is for.  Other users can view this comment, and add their own.

(The user must be using the Multi-Punter protocol.)  The BBS prompts:

The BBS records filenames as they are received, entering them into the directory, along with the:

• Uploader’s handle

• BBS ID number

• Current date and time

• A description which says "Multi-Upload" (fixme: wasn’t this changed?)

Users may edit the entry to provide descriptions.  Credit is given just as with a single file upload.

D, Dx Single File Download

Type D followed by the file number, from the main U/D prompt

Type D at the "About" prompt.

Note that a user can download a file if:

The files downloaded that call are less than the number of files allowed per call, as dictated by their access group settings, unless the user’s status includes unlimited downloads per call.

The time remaining is sufficient (to begin with; errors causing delays during transfers are ignored, since they can’t be known in advance).

They must have at least as many credit points as the number of blocks that the file contains, unless their status includes unlimited downloads (in this case, no credits are subtracted for a download).

The user is asked for a starting file number, then shown each file in the directory from that file number, and prompted

Each Yes selection: the approximate download time is shown for their baud rate.  All the requirements to add the file to the download queue are the same as for downloading a single file.  If everything is okay, they can continue adding files until they reach the maximum number of files, or choose as many files as they want to.

kbd:[\]tart: The BBS shows the list of files chosen, asking them to confirm the list. If they do so, they are given 20 seconds to go to receive mode, and the files will be transferred.

Scanning the file directory shows:

The directory file number

Number of blocks (or kilobytes, blocks divided by four) depending on the user’s computer type)

Number of times downloaded

Filename and file type (PRG or SEQ)

Several scanning variations exist:

S, Sx …​…​…​ Scan titles from first entry, or starting from entry \#x

SA …​…​…​…​ Scan titles uploaded after last call date (all libraries in current SIG)

SN …​…​…​…​ Scan titles uploaded after last call date (current library only)

SS …​…​…​…​ Scan titles sorted by:

• Number of blocks

• Number of times downloaded

• Alphabetically

SU …​…​…​…​ Scan for unvalidated files

Space or / aborts.

A, Ax …​…​…​ About first file, or file \#x. This shows, in addition to information displayed by the "scan" command above:

• The uploader’s user ID and handle

• The date and time it was uploaded

• The date and time it was last downloaded

• The computer type it’s meant for

• Comments about the file

A sysop, subop, or the user that uploaded the file may enter K followed by the file number to delete it from the file directory. They are also asked if the file should be scratched from the disk.

If they answer No to this prompt, an entry to the daily activity log titled Kill: plus the filename is made.  If a printer is online, the same notation is printed there also.  This shows a file on disk is not in the file directory.

When a file is killed, credit points are deducted equal to the number of points they were given when they uploaded the file.

A sysop, subop, or the user who uploaded the file may type E followed by the file number to change information about it.

(fixme)

A user may enter R followed by the number of the file to display a SEQ or PRG file.  They may also select R when doing an "About" on a file.

(fixme: dupe)

Sysops, subops, and the user who uploaded the file can "see" all unvalidated (ie, not downloaded and/or tested) files.  When downloaded and verified to be working files, they are validated, available for other users to download and add comments to. In the process of downloading a file to validate, subops:

• Will not have credit deducted

• The download does not count against the number of downloads per day (if not unlimited)

• The time remaining is not checked when subops download in their own libraries.

Subops or sysops validate files by typing:

• V, Vx to validate either the first unvalidated file (or file \#x)

• VN to validate new files since their last call

• VA to validate all files in the library

Unvalidated files will have a leading asterisk in the filename, and show zero for times downloaded:

When a file is validated, the number of downloads changes to 1.

A user who uploaded a file that is not yet validated has full access to read or download it, but will not have the power to validate it (unless they happen to be the library’s subop).

If a user is in true local mode (from the console), when they enter the U/D subsystem, the "copier" protocol is loaded.  To copy a file, type Dx (where x is the file number).  The BBS tells them the approximate copy time, allowing a filename change, or to be copied to a different device/drive.

If no destination device is specified, it defaults to one number higher than the source device.

If a user is in local or pseudo-local mode, type M and the file number. They are prompted for the new directory to move the file to.

  \* L lists all available boards.

  \* If the directory is to a different device/drive, the file is copied to that device/drive, otherwise only the directory entry is moved.

  \* If the file is moved, an option is given to scratch the file from its source device/drive after the move is completed.

A listing of files may be obtained by entering $ or S. The user is prompted for a pattern (if none is given, the default is \* for all files).

While defining libraries using the .reledit` program, you may specify any of your libraries in the U/D or U/X to be FREE libraries; that is, no credit is deducted from the user when he downloads from these areas. To specify a FREE board, use the `.reledit program or the Z command for local maintenance.

In a FREE download board, the number of files per call and credit points are not checked prior to starting a download.

>>>

To obtain a list of the e-mail a user has waiting in the order they were received, type L (or L x to begin listing at message #x) at the E-Mail: prompt. This reports:

• Handle of the sender

• Date and time the message was sent

• Message subject

Return reads the first e-mail message (or the next message if the user has multiple messages in their inbox).

Once the last message is read, they are told No more mail.

R x reads message #x.

A reads all messages. All messages are displayed in succession.

Typing N reads any new messages since their last call.

This replies privately to the user who sent the message being read. After reading a message, the user is presented with several options:

• Yes: This replies to the sender.

(fixme)

R x responds to message #x from the list of messages received.

The BBS prompts for the handle or user ID number who will receive this message.  If the ID number is entered, the user log is searched, and the handle (if found) is shown.  The sender confirms this is the user they intended to send the message to, and are placed in the BBS text editor.

D prompts to delete messages. (fixme)

(The user is also prompted to delete messages if there are any left in the mailbox before either Quitting the e-mail subsystem or typing a command to change subsystems, like UD or SB. This encourages users to keep their mailboxes tidy and not use un-necessary disk space.)

When a user deletes their e-mail, they get the following prompt:

• All deletes every message held in their mailbox, after confirming an Are you sure? prompt with Yes.

• None keeps every message held in their mailbox.

• Some goes through all messages in the user’s mailbox, prompting them:

  [D]elete, [K]eep, [R]ead, [F]ile away:

• Delete deletes the selected e-mail message.

• Keep holds the message in the user’s mailbox.

• Read views the message to help decide whether they wish to keep or delete it.

• File away Removes the message from the user’s mailbox, but places it in a separate file on the e-mail disk.  These stored messages can be later accessed with the FR (File Retrieval) command at the e-mail prompt, discussed now.

FR (File Retrieval) lets users:

• Read previously “filed away” e-mail messages

• Get a directory of their personal e-mail files with $

• (fixme) is there a delete option?

Type V (and the user’s handle when prompted) to see how many e-mail messages they have, and how many are from you.

Type VE (then the user’s handle when prompted) to edit any e-mail you have already sent to that user.

A user with remote maintenance access may send “forced e-mail;” that is, e-mail which is displayed to a user when they log on to the BBS.  It is unabortable, and cannot be deleted by the user.

The user creating this e-mail is asked whether they want to create or remove a “forced e-mail” file, and prompted for the user’s handle the forced e-mail is for.

When reading a forced e-mail file, if either of the last two lines contain the single word

ERASE, the forced e-mail file is erased.

OFF, the user is logged off immediately after reading the forced e-mail.

Note that ERASE and/or OFF must both be entered with all capital letters.

Q or a command that takes you to any other subsystem.

If the user has any messages left in their e-mail inbox, they are prompted whether they want to delete them.

There are four separate types of files handled by the same program:

Movie Files

SEQuential (text) files containing cursor movement, color, and uppercase/graphics characters, displayed if the user is in Commodore C/G mode). A delay between each character output can be set.

Plus Files

Games or BBS utilities.

RLE Files

Black-and-white, high-resolution graphics which require certain telecommunications or viewer programs. Graphics data is represented by ASCII text. Control sequences begin and end the file, telling the terminal or viewer to switch into or out of high-resolution graphics mode.

Text files

Plain Commodore PetSCII text files.

Since the subsystem libraries may have sub-directories—​and possibly sub-directories under those sub-directories—​the number following the prompt refers to the directory level you are at. When you first enter a subsystem, you are placed in directory level 1 (the Main Directory).

(We’ll use <Subsystem>-Maint as an example in this section, but the same principles apply to the other library types.) If you have “File Maint Access,” you start in <Subsystem>-Maint 1. Otherwise the prompt is <Subsystem> 1.

To enter a sub-directory, type the number of the item tagged (Directory).

If you’ve entered a sub-directory and wish to return to the “parent” directory (the directory “above” the one you are in), type B or < at the subsystem prompt.

M returns you to <Subsystem>-Maint 1 (the Main Directory) from any sub-directory level.

MF at most prompts enters the Movie File library.

CS is the Change Speed command, which allows you to set the delay between characters output while viewing the Movie File.

Type the number (see List) of a file to:

• read it (Movie Files, Text Files)

• run it (Plus Files)

• enter it (sub-directories)

To add a sub-directory, you must have “File Maint access.” Type A at the <Subsystem>-Maint prompt.

1. Enter the title.

This is the title the user sees when listing the directory.  It has no relation to the actual filename about to be created.

1. Enter the filename.

2. Enter the access level(s) which see that sub-directory when listing the files available. Access is determined in the usual way; either from the chart shown in , or by typing ? and answering Y or N for each group.

3. Enter how many credits to charge users to access this sub-directory, if any. You can charge credits for:

   • entering the sub-directory, but make accessing the files free

   • viewing the files within, but not entering the directory itself

   • both entering the sub-directory and viewing the files within

Or you need charge nothing if you wish.  It’s up to you! The credits charged here are put into the BBS-wide credit pool.  Refer to [credit-pool] to learn how to set that up.

To add a file to a directory or sub-directory, enter the directory or sub- directory where you wish to add the file, type A at the prompt.

Here is a discussion of the following prompts:

1. Title: As above. Again, this is just what the user sees, and has no relation to the actual filename viewed when the item is selected.

2. Filename: Type the filename as it appears on disk.  (In the PlusFile area, there is no need to type the leading +., the program adds that automatically.)

3. Device: Type the device number where the item can be found.

4. Drive: Type the drive number where the file can be found.

If you do not have a dual drive (or the file is not on a dual drive), just press Return.

1. Access: Type the access level you will allow to view this file. (Remember, you can type ? at the access prompt to let the BBS help calculate it.)

2. Credits: Type the number of credits (if any) you will charge users for viewing this file.

Killing a File/Sub-Directory

A maintenance only operation, K followed by the number of the file or sub-directory you wish to kill. You will also have the option of scratching the file referenced by the directory entry off the disk. Killing a sub-directory is not possible if there are files present in that directory.

QL lists the items in the directory like List does, but

QLeaving

To leave the file areas, Q takes users to the main command level, or type a command taking you to any other area of the BBS.

BBBBS Database Subsystem

This takes users to a bulletin board listing program that allows users to add, list, or delete the numbers for other bulletin board systems.

When first entering the system they are presented with a menu of options and arrive at the BBS database prompt dBASE:

Commands

The active commands for this module are:

    L)ist BBS Numbers

    Q)uit To Main Menu

    D)isplay Notes

    A)dd A Number

    R)emove An Entry

    E)dit An Entry

The last three options only appear if the user has post and respond capabilities.

L brings up another menu of options which allow users to narrow down the scope of the listing they would like:

Table : Bulletin board listing options

Space or / aborts any of the listings.

Typing this at the dBASE prompt allows users with post/respond capabilities to add a BBS number to the listing.  They are prompted for the complete information on the board they wish to add, including

• The BBS name

• Phone number

• Baud rate

• Hours of operation

Several characteristics of the BBS are asked about (and listed when a user lists that BBS):

• - If it charges a fee

• Has U/D areas

• Has online dating, games or role-playing games

• Is PC Pursuitable, networked, etc.

The database is checked for a duplicate under this phone number.  If there is one, the user is notified, and returned to the dBase prompt.

After all prompts have been answered, the results are shown, and they can

• change any answers they’ve given

• continue and write the entry to the database

• or abort back to the dBASE prompt

Adding an entry first uses any previously deleted entries, otherwise adds to the end of the list.

Only the sysop, a user with maintenance access, or the user that posted a number may remove it.  Anyone else attempting to remove a number is told the entry can only be removed by the original poster.

A BBS name is prompted for.  The list will be searched and if the entry was posted by the same user, it will be deleted.

A sysop or the user who posted a BBS number may edit the information. The program asks for the entry number to edit, checking to make sure the user has access.  If so, they may change any information in the entry, and re-file it.

D brings up a listing of abbreviations used in the BBS listings. These include CBM for Commodore, etc.

Q quits the BBS Lister, (which takes users to the main command level), or a command taking you to any other area of the BBS.

This function is only available to users with Vote-Maint access.  Type K and the topic number (see LIST below) to be killed.  You are asked to verify killing the topic.  If you answer Y, the topic is killed from the Voting Booth topic directory, and erased from the disk.

Available to all users, typing the topic number allows you to vote on it (if you have not yet voted on that topic) and/or view the results.

The voting booth uses ID numbers and handles to keep track of who voted, so a user cannot vote twice on the same topic.

Available to all users, L lists all topics available to that user’s access level and the date each topic was created.

If you have Vote-Maint access, the access level for each topic is also listed.

Users may leave the voting area by typing Q to return to the main command level, or type a command which takes them to any other area of the BBS.

A “quick list” shows you only the handle and user ID number. You can sort the user list one of two ways:

• Numerically

• Alphabetically

You can start listing at a particular user ID number or alphabetic character(s) depending on the type of sort you select.

To search for a particular user or attribute (or if you want more information than just the handle and ID), use this option.

Type the number of attribute(s) to search for, then fill in the information to narrow down the search.

When you are done, or if you wish to list all users, hit Return.

Next, type the number to start the listing from.  The program continues from that point to the end of the user file.

Space or / aborts the list at any time.

If a user has remote maintenance access, the list shows all information about a user:

• handle

• ID number

• last call date

• computer type

• area code and phone number

• access group

• real name

Otherwise, the list only shows:

• handle

• ID number

• last call date

• computer type

• area code

To leave the user list, type Q or hit Return (which takes users to the main command level), or a command taking you to any other area of the BBS.

`End of Memory`

When the text buffer is full, or if . is typed as the first character on a line, you enter Command Mode.

These are called “dot commands” because they begin with a . (dot) as the first character on a line.  They display Command: and wait for you to press another key.  This is Command Mode.

• If you press Delete or Return keys, the Command: prompt is removed, and you are returned to the editor.

• If you press an unrecognized command key, the editor exits to BASIC to check if you have added that command before assuming it is an illegal command.  (The +.WF program uses this technique extensively.  The “put”, “get”, and “view directory” commands in im also use it.  If you wish to program your own commands, we suggest you examine these files to see how it is done.  No documentation is available for this as yet.)

If you press a key corresponding to a command, the editor displays the command, waiting for you to either:

• enter a line range (or another character, for some commands).

• or press Return to accept the command.

Most commands allow a line range to be entered after the command, just like BASIC’s list command.  A line range can be specified in one of the following ways:

Any delimiter (comma, etc.) may be used in place of the -, depending on your preference.

The commands available in the editor are grouped into related commands, and discussed here.

There are two ways to get out of the editor:

• The first way is to abort the message you were typing, with the .Abort command.

• The second way is to save the message with the .Save Text command.

• Neither command requires or allows line ranges.

There are several options to view the text you have already typed:

• First, the .Read command.  This displays each line just as it was typed.  Each color change character and MCI command is shown without being acted upon. This might be useful to “proofread” your message.

• Next, the .MCI Read command.  This interprets MCI commands, and displays color change codes.

• Finally, you can also .List the text, which displays line numbers (used in line ranges for other commands), plus behaving like .Read.

If no line range is given for the .Read, .MCI Read or .List commands, all text in the buffer is read or listed.

You can pause text with Ctrl+S or Home keys at any time.  Messages may be aborted while paused with Space or / keys.

.Delete removes lines of text from your message permanently; there is no “undo” capability.

• Any line range you type after .Delete is removed from the buffer.

• If no line range is specified, the last line of text is deleted.

.Edit changes lines of text.  When a line is edited this way, the line number is displayed, then the text itself, just like the .List command does.  You may then type the new line below it.  (See Control Keys for useful editing keystrokes.)

• Pressing Delete or Return as the first character on the line causes the editor responds with (No Change.) and returns to allowing text entry.

• Typing . as the first character causes Command:Exit to appear and abort the Edit command, once again allowing text entry.

• If no line range is specified, .Edit defaults to the last line of text entered.

The .Justify command allows you to format your text in one of 7 different ways.  After typing the J command, you are prompted:

These are the seven Justify commands.  Press the key corresponding to which justification mode you want, or to escape, type (fixme: period?) Delete or Return.

If a valid command is selected, the editor displays the command name, and then allows you to enter a line range.

If you do not specify a line range, the Justify commands default to all text in the buffer.

The Justify commands are:

The .Border command puts a border around your text made up of a character you specify after the Border Character: prompt. If you do not specify a line range, it will default to all text entered. If there is not enough room on a particular line to add both border characters, that line is ignored.

The .Columns command followed by a two-digit number between 22 (for VIC-20s) and 80 (for 80-column Commodore 128s, or ASCII/ANSI terminals) changes the number of characters the editor allows you to type on a line before wrapping text around to the next line.

If you do not specify a column width after the command, the current column width is displayed.

A related command is .. This displays a 40-column scale for manually centering text, among other purposes.  There is no prompt for a line range; the scale gets displayed as soon as you hit .

The .New (Clear Text) command re-starts the editor, erasing all text you have typed.

The .Find command allows you to search for any occurrence of a character, word or phrase.  If no line range is entered, all text will be searched.  Find will prompt you for the text to search for, and will list all occurrences of it.

The .K (Replace) command will prompt you for an optional line range, then a Search Phrase: as .Find does, but also ask what phrase you want to replace it with.  Then it will go through the text.  If the replacement phrase is too large to fit within the current line length, the editor will display Too Big, Can’t Fit. and skip that line.

(These commands are available from local/pseudo-local mode only.)  The .Get and .Put commands allow you to load a file from, edit using all the normal editing facilities, then save that file to any device and drive, rename it, etc., and resave them to the same device/drive, or a different device/drive if desired.

Type .? or .H to read a condensed version of this manual section.

Certain key combinations are used to edit your text while you are typing it, whether in the BBS editor or at a BBS prompt.  For example, any character that you delete with the Delete key can be “re-typed” with Ctrl+U.  Other control keys:

The Message Command Interpreter (MCI) allows you to do a variety of things within messages you type.  Each MCI command consists of:

• the British pound sign (£) for Commodore users, or backslash (\) for other computers

• a command letter (can be either upper- or lowercase)

• a number or letter parameter

• any additional parameters.

Since the parameter after a command is usually limited to one character, letters are substituted for numbers larger than 9, as follows:

In general, MCI is what “spices up” an IMAGE BBS.  It allows you to add color, cursor movement, and a “personal touch.”  The MCI commands available in IMAGE BBS are:

Compare MCI variable £V_x_ to TEXT.  Notice the ending pound sign which delimits the comparison.  (For a list of MCI variables, see the £V command.)  The comparison result can be used with £D or £T.

£A2SYSOP£ Compares the user’s handle (£V2) to SYSOP.

Send x bell characters [CHR$(7)] to the user; if the user’s terminal supports bells, they are heard.

Set the current display color to x from the following table:

• 0, black, is omitted since that is usually the color choice for terminal backgrounds.

• Commodore users can use Ctrl or Commodore 1 - 8 instead of £Cx.

• In ANSI graphics or Commodore 128 80-column mode, £C8: dark purple, £CK: dark cyan

Skips x lines when the result of the last compare command (£A or £T) was not equal.

Display an appropriate message based on whether the user’s handle is or is not SYSOP:

Skip x lines if the result of the last compare command (£A or £T) was equal.

Display a message based on whether the user’s handle is USER:

This command sends a “clear screen” character to the user. [CHR$(147) on Commodore computers, or CHR$(12)--a form feed—​in ASCII mode].

Wait until the user presses a key.  The keypress is stored in an$ (MCI variable £v7).

If x=1, input is converted to uppercase. If x=0, both uppercase and lowercase are allowed.

Display x backspaces/deletes (depending on the user’s terminal).

Pauses output, allowing the user to input a line of text. The input is stored in an$ (MCI variable £v7).

• If x=0, the input can be in both upper- and lowercase.

• If x=1, the input is in uppercase only.

Do not display the next x lines of the message or file.

£Kx Kolorific mode

Changes the color of each character output.

• If x=0 (zero), Kolorific mode is turned off.

• If x is any other color code (see £Cx), Kolorific mode is enabled, starting with £Cx.

Control the printer attached to the BBS, if online.

• If x=0, printed output is stopped.

• If x=1, printed output is started (or resumed).

£Nx New line

Display x carriage returns.

This command repeats character x 19 times.  It is useful for making menus, etc.

Sometimes referred to as “cursor dancing,” print modes allow each character output to be displayed in a variety of ways, usually to move the cursor, or perform “special effects.”  Replace x with the print mode number.  The print mode is set back to 0 at the end of each line.

There are thirteen very powerful print modes in IMAGE BBS.  We suggest trying to come up with interesting ways to use them—​it is possible to create an entire “movie” file entirely within the IMAGE BBS text editor using these commands!

(fixme: add the rest, 4 diagonals)

£Qx Reset MCI defaults

Turns off the following features:

• Printer mode (see £Lx)

• Reverse mode (see £Rx)

• Uppercase mode (see £Ux)

The current print mode (see £Px) is set to 0 to print normally, and print speed (see £Sx) is set to 0 to output at the fastest speed.

Parameters:

If x=0, then the current color is set to the default color. Otherwise, the default color and current color is set to x.

(fixme: fix what?)

£Rx Reverse mode

Controls displaying text in normal or reverse modes.

Parameters:

If x=0, reverse mode is turned off. If x=1, reverse mode is turned on.

£Sx Print speed

Delay character output by a multiple of tenths of a second. x ranges from 1-J (.1 to 1 second)

£TxTEXT£ Test variables

Used in conjunction with £D and £E.  Compares a variable to TEXT (similar to £A).

If x=1, tests user input (an$, in a module).

If x=2, tests access group (ac%, in a module).

Display the desired MCI variable. x ranges from 0-M.