RATSoft ST/BBS/commercial
From: Doug Wokoun (aa384@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 04/18/92-07:22:13 PM Z
From: aa384@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Doug Wokoun)
Subject: RATSoft ST/BBS/commercial
Date: Sat Apr 18 19:22:13 1992
Taken from: Z*Net Atari Online Magazine (#92.12) - March 21, 1992:
|
| ======================================================================
| * RATSOFT ST
| ======================================================================
|
|
| Specifications and Features of ~ RATSoft ST ~
| January 27th, 1992
| Revised March 6th, 1992
|
|
| RATSoft ST was conceived, designed, and written by Rat Master. It is
| NOT a modified ANYTHING. RATSoft is the property of R0dent Labs, Inc.
| This text file may be freely passed around, in UNMODIFIED form!
|
| ~ RATSoft ST ~ and all R0dents Labs Products Support and Information
| BBS:
|
| The Rats Nest Bbs
| (714) 989-3381
| US Robotics Dual Standard
| 730 Megabytes Online
| Located in Southern California
| Voice and East Coast support will be added at a later date
|
| --- NOTICE! ---
|
| This is by no means a complete list of the specifications and features
| of RATSoft ST, it is merely intended to give you an idea of what
| RATSoft can do, and requires in order to run.
|
| RATSoft ST and RATSoft PC are products of R0dent Labs, Inc., and are
| Copyright (c) 1991 - 1992 R0dent Labs, Inc. California.
|
| ---------------
| System Requirements:
|
| - Atari ST, Atari STE, or Atari TT030 with at least 1 megabyte of RAM.
| For 1 meg machines, unnecessary DA's need to be removed to free up as
| much memory as possible.
|
| - Hard Drive of at least 20 megs or greater. I have included no floppy
| support.
|
| - Hayes Compatible Modem
|
| Optional:
|
| - Printer for BBS logs, user log lists, file lists, etc.
|
| Features of RATSoft ST:
|
| - It's a snap to install and use! Click on "RATSOFT.PRG", the BBs takes
| care of the rest. It will create your necessary paths as it goes.
| No ".OPT" files to edit.
|
| - Speed - a big thing. It's extremely quick. EXTREMELY.
|
| - Unlimited translation support. All translation codes are SysOp-
| definable! RATSoft will mask out foreign translations on the SysOp's
| screen to avoid garbage, as well as filter color on monochrome
| systems. (And yes, you may add Instant Graphics without any trouble!)
|
| - Multiple welcome screens and optional separate text files for each
| translation.
|
| - Full color support in messages! 4 color VT52 with reverse and 16
| color ANSI with reversed text. Any translations foreign to the
| computer or to the caller online will be masked to their respective
| outputs.
|
| - Modular capabilities. The size of the BBS is not limited to memory
| limitations, just how much free disk space you have! It will retain
| most environment information throughout all modules including user
| information, color codes, bbs pointers and data.
|
| - Full Screen chat for ANSI and VT52. In ANSI, it uses VT52 on the
| SysOp's side, and translates it into ANSI on the caller's side. Also
| incorporates a "normal" chat feature with word wrap.
|
| - Up to 10 conferences. Each conference has it's own set of message
| bases and file sections.
|
| - Ultra quick new message and new file scans. It takes less than one
| half of one second to determine how many new messages or files a
| caller has, no matter how many messages or files are on the board.
|
| - Up to 50 message bases and file sections on the board.
|
| - Message options: Two reply modes - normal reply, and "Reply with
| Include" (which will include the parent message), also an option to
| view the parent message and return without starting a complicated
| trace. A user may also send E-Mail to the sender of a message
| without exiting the bases and going to E-Mail.
|
| - SysOp-definable main menu commands, responses, and all commands may
| be bit-masked. Allows a SysOp to add functions and modules to
| RATSoft, along with creating their own command set.
|
| - A full scheduler which shell to programs or process batch files.
| There may be an unlimited amount of entries in this scheduler. This
| may be used for things such as automatically backing up your data
| files, running the mailer, online game maintenance programs. It's
| very flexible.
|
| - Supported Protocols: Zmodem, Ymodem-G, Ymodem Batch, Fmodem, 1k
| Xmodem, Xmodem CRC, and standard Xmodem.
|
| - You may add or delete any protocols. Just tell RATSoft the name of
| the protocol, the file to shell to, and the parameters, and it's off!
|
| - Will run doors made for FoReM ST and ///Turbo Board, including Space
| Empire Elite.
|
| - Files may be defined as being "free" or "offline" in the file areas.
| A maximum of 2,147,483,647 files per section. Yes, that's two
| billion. Each file may have it's own path, it is not mandatory to
| have, for example, all your Application programs in a folder named
| "APPLIC".
|
| - Advanced file options, including ARC Utilities, ZIP Comment support
| (it will add a BBS ad for your system to any ZIP file), view text
| from within archive, offline file list creator.
|
| - RATSoft supports LHARC, ARC, ZIP and ARJ archive formats.
|
| - Smart*Batch Uploading. If a user fails to enter descriptions, the
| BBS will immediately ask for them upon their next call.
|
| - A user does not receive any credit for their upload(s) until it has
| been reviewed by a SysOp. This does away with those that upload
| worthless material only to receive credits to download.
|
| - Universal batch marking. A user may mark files ANYWHERE in the BBS
| and download them all at once... this includes database files, files
| attached to messages, and file-mail.
|
| - More than one file may be attached to any message or F-Mail.
|
| - Conditions. One may add conditions to various sections of the BBS
| including the message bases and news files. These conditions set
| criteria which must be met in order for the user to have access to
| the information. Some of the conditions are the 3 levels, time
| limits, area code (if you wanted to post a news bulletin to locals,
| or post one to everyone except locals, for example).
|
| - User definable message macros. Macros may be chained with each
| other or with message functions.
|
| - Search options for files and messages, both of which are fast. It
| takes under a second to scan 250 messages.
|
| - "Canvas" E-Mail and F-Mail. Up to 15 people may be sent one message
| or F-mail at once.
|
| - Each message base and file section may have it's own Sponsor, that
| sponsor being able to preform limited SysOp functions in their
| appropriate areas.
|
| - Any text file the board reads may be turned into a database file, or
| Info-Form (Questionnaire) and attributes may be set for each file.
| (Such as no Control-C, mandatory page break, environment variables
| on/off, conditions, etc).
|
| - Variable commands that may be used ANYWHERE in the board. Over 125
| of them! Variable commands may be used to insert information about
| the user in text files, etc. Similar to Express, only a lot more.
|
| - Upload to Download Ratio, Upload K to Download K ratio, Posts to
| Calls Ratio, and Database Upload K to Database Download K ratio. All
| ratios are treated as percentages rather than numbers. A "25" file
| K ratio would signify that a user must have uploaded "x" K equal to
| 25% of what he's downloaded.
|
| - Port Locking, for maximum throughput.
|
| - Low Speed lockout. A user below "xxxx" bps (SysOp definable) must
| enter the low speed password in order to access the system or file
| sections.
|
| - ( You were looking for this ) Crossnetting! It will interface with
| BinkleyTerm, but we recommend using the RATSoft specific mailer. It
| has not been finished at this writing, but it will be done soon. It
| will incorporate a new, more efficient method of crossnetting
| including true bi-directional crossnetting. In addition, much more
| may be passed through the net than just messages and E-Mail, such as
| data files for online games.
|
| When RATSoft PC is released sometime in late 1992, its mailer will be
| compatible with the ST mailer, opening up a world of choices for
| crossnetting your message bases.
|
| - I will release frequent updates at no charge. I will also promptly
| fix any bugs that should arise.
|
| - Most Importantly: I am willing to work with every SysOp to make
| RATSoft the best there is! Unlike some other ST BBS authors, I'm
| open to suggestions and comments.
|
| - An ADVANCED SCRIPT LANGUAGE! Includes decision making commands (IF/
| ELSE IF/ELSE/ENDIF and REPEAT/UNTIL), supports array variables, and
| powerful input/output routines which allow you to create quality
| script programs for your users!
|
| Again, this is only an overview of a few of the options RATSoft~ST
| incorporates. It can be yours for only $50.00, too!
|
| To do any BBS program justice, you must see it in action! If you are
| at all interested in running a BBS program you can shame your PC
| friends with, check out RATSoft ST on the R0dent Labs Support Board at
| (714) 989-3381.
|
| Thank you! (o1/28/92)
| rev. o3/o6/92
|
|
--
Doug Wokoun
(aa384@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
- - -
Atari SIG
-----------------------------------------
Return to message index
