Ÿ/* * CITANEWS / The national newsletter about room-based BBS systems * March 1988 * Assembled by Steve Yelvington * C86: Steve Yelvington @ Test System US 612 866 1804 * ST: Steve Yelvington @ Pell US 612 377 9239 * Usenet: ihnp4!meccts!stag!pell!Steve_Yelvington * Delphi: YELVINGTON * CompuServe: Don't bother; I don't read my mail there anyway * This newsletter may be distributed freely. Contributions for the * next issue may be uploaded at Test System, posted as a net message * in the CitaNews room of any participating Citadel, or posted as * a net message on the STadel network. */ /* * CITANEWS RETURNS * Editor caves in and churns out another copy */ The last issue of CitaNews was sometime last autumn. Did we say monthly? (slap--> face).... Your humble editor has tried to find another sucker to assemble this monster, and has received a couple of nibbles, but nobody took the hook and ran with the ball. (Gag). So here's another issue. The next one will come out as soon as your humble editor has enough material to put it together. Want it monthly? Want your favorite system/software mentioned? Put together an article and upload it. We ESPECIALLY need information from Seattle, from Stonehenge systems, from Inner Sanctum, from CitGrem (Gremlin's MS-DOS Citadel), etc. /* * PROMOTE YOUR BBS * Be sure you're listed in the national BBS list */ The national list of room-based BBS systems has been taken over by Bill Karpowicz @ Sinkhole Utopia US 203-873-8518. The deadline for the monthly list is the 20th. SYSOPS ONLY should leave a message for Bill and it should include the following information: System name number bps software sysop date Aardvark ! 902-454-0199 o 1200 Cit86 V3 Stuart Glen 87Dec ^ policy: o for open, etc. Bill can be contacted at Sinkhole Utopia, Pell (US 612-377-9239) or Funny Farm (US 317-842-7564). The list is distributed as RSYSxxxx.LST, where xxxx is the date (0388 for March 1988, for example.) /* * WHAT'S UP IN MINNESOTA * New versions of STadel, Citadel-86, Citadel Plus */ Since the last issue of CitaNews, both STadel and Citadel-86 have had several upgrades in the 3.xx version series. Both systems now feature optional floor organization of rooms, more uploading/downloading protocols and enhancements to the file access system. STadel now has a built-in archive table-of-contents reader; C86 now inserts a file description in the message that is automatically posted in a room whenever a user uploads a file. There have been other changes too numerous for us to digest at the moment. (Networking is discussed in another article in this issue.) STadel, which runs on any Atari ST, is available by mail from the author. His note: "Send me three disks (single-sided disks; If your machine will handle double-sided disks, all you need to do is send me two disks) and a SASE (or $8.00 and I'll buy the disks and the envelope) and I'll send you all the various bits of STadel." Write to: David Parsons (orc) 2624 Bryant Ave S #2 Minneapolis, Minn 55408 Citadel-86, which runs on PC clones and the Zenith Z100, is available by downloading from Test System or Illusions in the Twin Cities. Here's a note from Hue, Jr.: -------- --------- --------- -------- --------- --------- 88Feb25 10:18 pm from Hue, Jr. @ C-86 Test System C-86 SYSOPS, I am almost ecstatic to announce that V3.03 is available. Due to the extended time between the release of 3.01 and 3.03, (caused by various problems) MM and I have taken the liberty of making an ARC file of CTDL.EXE, CONFG.EXE (which is now at 9.7, fixing a number of problems), INCREM.12 & INCREM.13, a real, true Operator's Manual, and various other gunk. Essentially, this ARC file is good for upgrading any system at V3, V3.01, V3.02, or V3.03 -- if you are at V3, the ARC file contains SETUP31.ARC, which you should absolutely run before you do almost anything else. So, where can you get this, says you? Well, of course it is available on Test System in Latest Citadel. However*, if you are going to request this via the network, I ask that you request it from the room Update] on Illusions, (612) 470-0093 300/1200/2400 (nets from 3:00 to 3:45 Twin Cities time), because Test System is very* heavily into traffic these days. In particular, if you are doing backboning, you should get this. The name of the file that is in both Latest Citadel on Test System and Updateon Illusions is CTDL303.ARC. It's about 250K. Good luck, and thank ghod that's over with! -------- --------- --------- -------- --------- --------- Jay Johnson's Amigados Citadel-68K continues to be frozen in version 2.14, unfortunately. We heard earlier this year that he had returned to the compiler with the latest version of Hue, Jr.'s C86 source code, but then we heard otherwise. Jay's system, the Phoenix, has a new number: 612-739-6953. Amigados Citadel is available for downloading there. Corvair's Citadel Plus for the Commodore 128's CP/M mode is being enhanced; Corvair is working to install C86-compatible networking. Corvair reports that the best way to get a copy is by contacting a beta tester, such as Janus @ Black Service US 612 774 0133. Corvair's Garage is down for the time being. We haven't checked in awhile on the status of Hue, Sr.'s NeoCitadel, a Cit-alike written in Turbo Pascal. Maybe next issue. If you're interested in NeoCitadel, contact Hue, Sr. @ Supercomp II, US 612 431 1107. /* * WHAT'S UP IN CALIFORNIA? * Sacramento Citadel activity */ A group of Sacramento BBS operators has been working on upgrading the old CP/M Citadel in the direction of Citadel-86. We had a note here about the project, but it seems to have slipped off the disk. Sacra-mentors: An article for CitaNews would be appreciated. /* * MN-BASED CITADEL NETWORKS EXPAND AND DIVIDE * Incompatibilities arise, but the message traffic still grows */ It wasn't long ago that the first Citadel network message jumped across the Canadian-American border on a connection between STadel systems in Minnesota and Nova Scotia. Now there's a steady flow of international message traffic, with STadel and Citadel-86 systems located throughout the United States communicating with their peers in several Canadian provinces. There's even a STadel node in Milan (Milano), Italy, called ST-Log that networks intermittently with Pell in Minneapolis. Here are two network maps. The first is from STadel's point of view; the second is from Citadel-86 Test System. If your city should be indicated and isn't, contact CitaNews. .----------------------------------------------------------------------------- . . Edmonton, Alberta --- Calgary, Alberta . \ \ . Portland ___________\_________________ Mpls _______________ Connecticut . / |\ \ / . / | \ Lancaster, PA. / . Salt Lake --- Denver | \ \ / . City / | \ Indianapolis --\ . \ / | \ New Jersey . \ / | Knoxville . Phoenix \_______________.... Milano . Italy .----------------------------------------------------------------------------- . Edmonton is: The Secret Service, The RRrrrRRROck!, Computer Works, . Chaos II (C-86), and the Round Table. These systems net . via Chaos II (2400 baud) . Calgary is: Poopsie (2400 baud) . Mpls is: C-68 Test System (C-86), Pell, **POOF**, Midiapolis, . Ewetwo, Images_Minnesota_US (C68K), The Phoenix (C68K), . Haven II (C68K), and First Rays. These systems net via . Pell (2400 baud), except for Edmonton, which nets via . C-86 Test System (2400 baud). . Portland is: smiley, 3cpu, Co-op, Amigaint (C-86), TGC (C-86). These . systems net via smiley (2400 baud). . SLC is: Gateway, Primordial Ooze (C-86) These systems net via . Gateway (2400 baud). . Denver is: FWBBS.DEN, The Pot of Gold.DEN. These systems net via . FWBBS.DEN (2400 baud). . Phoenix is: JS BBS, BBR BBS. These systems net via JS BBS (1200 baud). . Connecticut is: Sinkhole Utopia (2400 baud). . Indiana is: The Funny Farm, Cuckoo's Nest (C68K), Luna Free State. . These systems net via the Funny Farm (2400 baud). . Knoxville is: STone Ground (1200 baud). . Lancaster is: Rabbit Hutch (1200 baud). . New Jersey is:The Gateway (1200 baud). . Milano, IT is:ST-log [the official Atari Italy BBS!] (1200 baud) .----------------------------------------------------------------------------- <88Feb14> Geographical topology in text "graphics"? Ya gotta be kidding! Oh, well, here goes... -------- |Edmonton| -------- Calgary _ _/-\ ---- |---------------------------| |________/--- / / | NS | | \----------------/TJ's/ ---- |______ --------- ------ / | | | TC Area | | MICH | / | OR | --------- -- ------ --------- | |------------- |IN| Island | NY Area | | | | UTAH | -- --------- | | CAL |------ Saint -----| \ |--------- | SNJ | \ | AZ area | -----| \ |--------- | \---------------- | \ ---------------------\ | Island == The Island of Vanderbilt U. (is this up?) (C-86) Edmonton == Chaos II (C-86) The Round Table (STadel) The Rock (STadel) Secret Service (STadel) Computer Works (STadel) Calgary == Arkham Asylum (C-68K) IN is Indiana == The Funny Farm (STadel) The Cuckoo's Nest (C-68K) Meadow Party (C-86) CAL is the entirety of California == Compucations of Santa Barbara (C-68K) [down?] The Onion Fields (C-86 [modified]) Kat's Alley (C-86) OR is Oregon == 3cpu (STadel) smiley (STadel) Co-op (STadel) Great Corrupter (C-86) Amiga Intuition (C-86) TJ's == Trader Jack's of Rhode Island (C-68K) Saint == Saint Citadel of Kansas City, MO (C-68K) NS is Nova Scotia, Canada == Lair (STadel) AARDVARK! (C-86) MICH (616 Michigan area) == Pentacate3 (C-68K) Beach (C-86) Arcadia (C-68K) AZ Area is Arizona (602) == JS BBS (STadel) Bert's Place (STadel) UTAH == GateWay (STadel) Primordial Ooze (C-86) SNJ Area is Southern New Jersey == MorningStar Keep (C-86) Galactic Keep (C-86) Gateway (STadel) Blue Ridge (STadel) NY Area == Spies (C-86) [down] Utica College (C-86) Camelot II (STadel) [down] Secret Citadel (C-86) TC Area is Twin Cities of Minnesota == Test System (C-86) Images at Twilight (C-68K) DogLink (C-86) BackFence (C-86) Corvair's (C-86) (temp down) The Phoenix (C-68K) Bad Sector (C-86) Illusions... (C-86) SuperComp II (NeoCitadel) Pell (STadel) SynTel (C-86) Sanctuary (C-86) [down?] Rainbow Bridge (C-86) Haven II (C-68K) Avalon (C-68K) First Rays (C-68K) New Eden (C-68K) MIDIapolis (STadel) Poof (STadel) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- With this growth, the network's rudimentary message-routing capabilities needed enhancement. Citadel-86 and STadel both have changed, and the changes have brought about some incompatibilities. STadel's current incompatibilities with C86 networking are: * STadel can receive a net call without being in net mode * System password works differently * Long-distance roomsharing is completely incompatible * STadel offers private mail routing; C86 doesn't Room-sharing among local systems is not affected; an STadel can be a ``peon'' client of a C86 backbone and vice versa, but a C86 system cannot communicate with an STadel system as a backbone-to-backbone long-distance relationship. /* * ACCESS LEVELS, TIME LIMITS AND DOWNLOADING * How much should a Citadel system support? */ Citadel programmers have shunned the ``accounting features'' included in other BBS programs as a matter of philosophy. Where other programs seem obsessed with secrecy, security levels and discouraging various user practices, Citadel has provided an open environment, encouraging user participation. With the strengthening of Citadel's file-transfer capabilities, however, a number of system operators have asked for some sort of controls over system use, especially downloading. A number of user groups have considered STadel as a download system, but have balked at not being able to place controls on the amount of downloading in a single session. Hue, Jr., and orc have been working on various forms of limits. Hue's approach in C86 is to limit the amount of time a user can spend downloading files; orc's is to limit the number of kilobytes of data that a user can download. Another possible change orc has mentioned: "The network may be modified a bit so that the receiving machine sends back a site ID -- I've found that when I call a system at the same time as a system calls me (this happens at least once/night), I lose a call. And it can't be guaranteed that the site I'm calling is the site that is calling me...." On a somewhat related topic, Royce Howland in Alberta reports a dangerous side effect of the tremendous increase in network traffic: a system's temporary net files may overwhelm its disk capacity: His report: "My board recently got swamped by a huge net-transfer from Chaos II. Chaos apparently hadn't gotten through to Test System for a night or two, and thus when the connection was finally made, there was a huge amount of net traffic to be passed along. Now, unfortunately, I didn't have enough free space in my net directory to handle the volume. So things blew up. Aide> never said a word about what had happened. Since I'm a pretty savvy guy (:-), I figured out what had gone down. But others might have trouble (indeed, one node of our swarm had exactly the same recurring problem, and didn't know what was going on...so the Sysop dropped off the net)." /* * UNIX CITADEL: ROOMS WITH MULTIPLE USERS? * Taking a port to multi-task */ No, Unix is not the word for those fat little guys who guard the harem. Unix is a trademark for AT&T's multiuser, multitasking computer operating system. Versions and clones of Unix run on machines as big as the Cray-2 supercomputer and as small as a PC. It's especially popular in scientific/technical environments. Unix has a legion of almost fantatical supporters who have been predicting for years that Unix would sweep the industry. Now they may be right. IBM's PS/2 and Microsoft's OS/2 have thrown the PC industry into disarray just as Unix-based systems preparing to bloom: Apple's Macintosh A/UX, Steve Jobs' NeXT system and a flood of (relatively) cheap high-powered workstations from Sun Microsystems. Atari Corp. is offering Idris for the ST and claims it will sell a 68020 or 030-based Unix box for networks, as well as its mysterious parallel-processing Abaq, which will run a Unix-like operating system called Helios. Unix- and Xenix-based BBS systems are beginning to show up all over the United States. The quality of the BBS software varies rather widely. Some sysops, determined to reinvent the wheel, seem to be trying to make one that's square. We're seeing not only menus and numbered messages, but also disastrous attempts at implementing full-screen message editors. Fortunately, there are reports of projects to port Citadel to Unix. It's a natural matchup. After all, the C programming language -- the basis of Citadel -- was invented so that the Unix operating system could be written. David (orc) Parsons, author of STadel, has been tinkering with such a port for months. Now he has acquired an AT&T Unix PC and says he'll convert the latest version of STadel as soon as it's debugged. (He's also mentioned that he may create Amiga and Macintosh versions of STadel.) We also recently saw this note about another Unix port: -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- 88Mar02 3:22 pm from Peter Clark It's running on my private voice line right now. I'm gonna set up a board soon (a proper 24 hour one) in England, and you will all be able to call it. As fer detecting CD there is no machine specific stuf, I initialise the modem and set it into an endless loop like this: Start | KeyAtConsole | | Y N | | IsQuit? - IsMsgFrmModem? | | Y N Y N Q ToStart FndBaud ToStart 88Mar02 3:24 pm from Peter Clark Incase U didn't understand my msg, I loop round looking for key from console or modem message. It the key at console is quit then I drop to Unix/Xenix. If the modem sent a message, then I look to see (in a user defined table) what bauds are valid and what was reported. Else, I just loop endlessly for ever and ever and ever and ever waiting for a caller. Else it's just a normal Citadel-86. -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- Unix is a multiuser system, but Citadel running under Unix would not necessarily support multiple users at once. Citadel and its derivatives are designed as single-user programs. The Amiga version, Citadel-68K, runs in a multitasking environment, but only one caller can use the system at a time. Similarly, Citadel-86 can be run under DoubleDos on a PC Clone. We have had conflicting reports about running Citadel-86 under DesqView; we hope for a full report in the next issue of CitaNews. STadel can be run in ``background'' under Amulti, a shareware multitasker, and probably under Beckemeyer Development Systems' Micro RTX as well. Jeffrey McArthur @ Gateway has volunteered to be a tester/victim running STadel as a background task under RTX/ Multitasking C Shell and from Gulam with MX2, another freeware multitasker. In these schemes, the system operator can run one or more other programs concurrently -- perhaps a text editor or a compiler. Creating a true multiuser BBS that adheres to the Citadel command and room structure probably would require a major rewrite. That's the approach being taken by Morning Star in the Twin Cities: -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- 88Feb23 2:11 am from Morning Star @Haven II I have recieved various inquiries about my working on a new Citadel program. To everyone wondering: Yes I'm working on a Unix Citadel (unidel) and I am making progress on it. I'm not sure when it'll be up, because I am doing the whole thing from scratch i've looked at the Citadel source code (just once) promptly freaked, and decided if I wanted to learn C better, I needed a project.. well.. Another thing, various people have listed Grand Central Station as a bbs well its not (yet) it does answer the phone, but it's a Unix system and we have people that do* use it remotly. if you want to call it, log on as guest and leave me validation info. I'll be getting back to you when the bbs goes up.. I just thought I'ld let everyone in... -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- There probably are other, similar, projects under way. CitaNews would like to hear about them. /* * TAPPING INTO A WORLDWIDE NETWORK * STadel merges Usenet conference with Citadel structure */ Networking bulletin board systems pale in comparison to the ``real nets'' -- Usenet, BITnet, ARPAnet and their relatives. These networks connect mainframes and minicomputers at literally thousands of universities, research centers and private businesse s. Usenet alone has more than 5,000 installations. Each of these networks has ``gateways'' to the others, and collectively they constitute a truly global computer network. What gets networked? Mail is an obvious answer, but, for many users, the most interesting part of these ``wide-area networks'' are the public conferences. There are conferences on a wide variety of subjects, many (but not all) related to computers. To participate in a conference, you ``subscribe'' by registering with a conference moderator, who puts you on an electronic mailing list. Thereafter, messages ``mailed'' to the conference are ``echoed'' to you, the subscriber. Some conferences are collected and edited into digests; some conferences are available only as digests (sort of like electronic magazines.) Usenet, the wide-area network of Unix and compatible systems, consists of automated file transfers among machines running UUCP (Unix-Unix Copy Program) or a compatible ``mailer.'' Generally, these wide-area networks are available only to people with university or other connections to mainframe and large minicomputer systems. Recently several compatible programs (such as UUPC) have allowed personal computers to gain access to the nets. STadel, the Atari ST version of Citadel, has had Usenet mailing capability for many months through UUCALL, an external program that STadel can run at scheduled times. Recently David (orc) Parsons added a feature that merges Usenet conference messages i nto a Citadel discussion room. The feature was tested for a week in February 1988 as messages from Usenet's comp.sys.atari.st conference were channeled into a room of that name at Pell (US 612-426-1374). The UUCALL program cleans the messages of Usenet's long and complicated header fields, then enters them into the STadel message base as if they came in from another networked STadel system. It was great, but there are drawbacks. Orc turned off the feature after the test, since the tremendous volume of messages can overwhelm the rest of the BBS. Another potential drawback is the responsibility a sysop must bear for the messages entered ont o the network. If public BBS systems develop a reputation as sources of problems for the network, it may become difficult or impossible to obtain a Usenet connection. Many major cities have Unix user groups that can provide aid and advice on setting up a Usenet node. Another source of information is the computer science department of any university. For those who already have Usenet connections, Parsons' network address is orc@pell.UUCP or ihnp4!meccts!stag!pell!orc /* * INFECTION, DESTRUCTION AND A MEDIA SCARE * Invasion of the computer viruses */ ``It could be a science-fiction nightmare come to life,'' warns the New York Times. Kevin Kelley, an editor of the Whole Earth Review, likens it to AIDS. What is it? The recent outbreak of ``computer viruses'' embedded in public-domain and shareware programs. The outbreak has been getting headlines in newspapers that look like something out of the National Enquirer. For years, system operators have been on the lookout for ``Trojan horse'' programs that pretend to be harmless utilities, then turn malevolent, performing such acts of vandalism as reformatting the user's hard disk. Computer viruses are potentially even worse: Like biological viruses, they can replicate themselves and attach themselves to unsuspecting ``hosts,'' generally burrowing into the operating system. Two relatively innocuous virus-like programs have touched off a storm of news coverage recently. The first, dubbed the ``Christmas virus,'' was really just an automated electronic chain letter, a Christmas greeting that instructed the user to type ``Christmas.'' That action prompted the program to dip into the user's mailing list and send copies o f itself to every name it found there. The Christmas card was written by a West German student; it migrated to North America via BITnet and eventually found its way into IBM Corp.'s private network, where it reportedly flooded the system with trash mail and brought the network to a virtual halt. The Christmas card wasn't quite a virus because it didn't ``infect'' other programs. The Macintosh ``Church of the SubGenius'' virus, however, is real, if benign. It infects the system files of any Macintosh that is used to run the program it uses as i ts ``disease vector.'' The SubGenius bug's programmers publish a magazine called MacMag in Montreal, Canada. On March 2, the virus is scheduled to become active and display this message: ``Richard Brandow, publisher of MacMag, and its entire staff would like to take this opp ortunity to convey their universal message of peace to all Macintosh users around the world.'' Programmer Peter Lount called the virus an artistic act intended to celebrate the anniversary of the introduction of the Mac II. The programmers describe themselves as followers of the ``Church of the SubGenius;'' hence the name. Before you jump to conclusions about cults, you should know that there isn't any such thing; it's just a label that pops up occasionally, attached to v arious pranks. The ``church'' supposedly deifies a cartoon character named Bob who is something like Ward Cleaver with a lobotomy, and promotes a philosophy of life that is straight out of Zippy the Pinhead. How did the Mac virus get distributed? The culprit was NEWAPP.STK, a Hypercard application that was available briefly on CompuServe. The virus supposedly detaches itself from the application, burrows into the system, and waits for March 2. There have been vague reports of far more malevolent viruses attached to IBM-PC and Amiga software, and a lot of talk that viruses will bring an end to public-domain software distribution and threaten the existence of wide-area computer networks. Some corporations, such as Hewlett-Packard, are said to have banned PD and shareware. Is this real? Or just a scare? If you've encountered any viruses, CitaNews would like to know. /* * ON THE LIGHT SIDE * Some daffynitions and doggerel */ The following was brazenly stolen from ANUG.WIR, the Atex News Users Group newsletter. COMPUTER GLOSSARY BASIC: Computer language used for generating errors. Most billing programs are apparently written in BASIC. Crunch: Noise made when putting a floppy into a disk drive. EBCDIC: Security code for IBM computers. Means ``Erase, Backup, Chew Disk, Ignite Cards.'' Language: A system of organizing and defining syntax errors. RAM: Acronym for ``randomize all memory.'' Scroll: What the instructions do when you are trying to read them. State of the Art: Undefined. A POEM ``Under a spreading computer room, The operator stands. The op, a slightly man is he, With pale and delicate hands. And the muscles of his scrawny arms Are strong as rubber bands.'' (Heard any good ones lately? Send 'em to CitaNews.) /* * PARTING SHOT */ Is CitaNews' publication schedule highly irregular? You bet! Want to see more? Write something. This works just like a BBS: You get out of it what you put into it. CitaNews is especially interested in hearing from sysops and users of Protosoft and Stongehenge. Upload your contribution to Citadel-86 Test System, US 612-866-1804, or enter it as a net-message in the CitaNews room on any participating C86 network node. CitaNews also monitors the ST-networked STadel and net.gossip rooms, or you can send private mail to: Steve Yelvington @ Test System US 612 866 1804 (Citadel-86) Steve Yelvington @ Pell US 377 3469 (STadel) ihnp4!meccts!stag!pell!steve_yelvington (Usenet) /* * END OF FILE */