Keeping in Touch
May 1992
SPITFIRE Monthly Support Newsletter for registered SPITFIRE Sysops
Compliments of Buffalo Creek Software
In this issue
- SPITFIRE CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED!
- SPITFIRE SYSOP CONFERENCE INFO
- REVIEW OF SFV3_20
- SYSOP-OF-THE-MONTH
- NEWLY REGISTERED SPITFIRE SYSTEMS
Archival transcript
The text below is a faithful Unicode rendering of the original SF05-92.TXT. Its DOS line wrapping, spacing, capitalization, spelling and CP437 box art have been retained.
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║ ╟─┐
║ K E E P I N G I N T O U C H ║ │
║ ═══════════════════════════════ ║ │
║ SPITFIRE Monthly Support Newsletter ║ │
║ for registered SPITFIRE Sysops! ║ │
║ May 1992 ║ │
║ Compliments of BUFFALO CREEK SOFTWARE ║ │
║ Buffalo Creek's BBS * 515-225-8496 ║ │
║ 38400/19200/9600/24400/1200 Baud ║ │
║ 2 Nodes ║ │
║ ║ │
╚═╤══════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
└────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Edited by Jacque Shipley
The Mother Board BBS - (515) 986-3464 - 19200 Baud
Sysop Of The Month by Walt Crede
Roam This Fertile Land - (515) 288-8755 - 2400 Baud
Newly Registered SPITFIRE BBS List by Ann Woltz
Other Contributions As Noted
╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ Notes from the author of SPITFIRE! ╟─┐
╚═╤═══════════════════════════════════════╝ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
1992 SPITFIRE SYSOP CONFERENCE
------------------------------
The 1992 SPITFIRE Sysop conference has been scheduled and
will be conducted in Des Moines, Iowa at the Park Inn
International on June 13-14, 1992. There will be a reception
the evening of June 12th. Previous SPITFIRE Sysop conferences
have served to create life-time friendships. It is fun to put
faces to voices and messages. We realize that our economy is
not in good shape and that times are not good but we hope you
will be able to attend this conference.
SFCHKUP Version 2.0
-------------------
The next version of Buffalo Creek Software's SFCHKUP will be
released in the next couple of days. For those of you who are
not aware, SFCHKUP is a program written to test the integrity of
files uploaded to a SPITFIRE BBS. SFCHKUP can be used in a very
simple or a very complex manner. It can be used to do nothing
more that put your personalized comment in .ZIP files (simple)
or it can be used to perform a series of tests limited only by
your ability to write a batch file (complex).
There are a number of revisions in SFCHKUP that basically
fix some minor, little problems which existed in the first
release. However, there is one major change which performs a
very special test on uploaded .ZIP files which (to the very best
of my knowledge) is not performed by any other program in the
world. While there are those who apparently believe that there
is nothing wrong with providing board-crashing information to
every looney-tune in the world, I do NOT believe publicly
discussing this kind of information is proper. Therefore, I
will not provide information regarding what test is being
performed but I do STRONGLY suggest that every SPITFIRE Sysop
use SFCHKUP to perform this test regardless of whether SFCHKUP
is used for anything else.
NEAR FUTURE PLANS
-----------------
I have approximately 2 years of plans for revisions to
SPITFIRE. However, before starting on the next release of
SPITFIRE I plan to revise some Buffalo Creek Software utilities
which are written for SPITFIRE. These utilities include
SFFILEXT, SFMNUEXT, SFUSERS and MKSFFBBS. I will also finish
the SPITFIRE UTI which I have written in assembler.
I am starting to re-think our free SPITFIRE upgrade policy.
It is extremely discouraging to spend 8 or 9 months developing a
new release of SPITFIRE, give FREE upgrades and then read
negative messages in mail systems rather than good, positive
messages which discuss the new features in the software. I
believe that SPITFIRE v3.2 contains some of the best
improvements which have ever been released in SPITFIRE. I
believe that the file tagging system in SPITFIRE is second to
none and far better than most. However, I do not read messages
about these nice improvements, rather, I read about some chat
problem that affected (it's been fixed) less than 1% of the
systems operating SPITFIRE. I also read messages with totally
erroneous information (sometimes intentional and sometimes
honest mistakes). The problem I have with changing our policies
is that the actions of the loud minority affect the SUPER
majority. We have always strived to treat everyone as fairly as
possible and we don't want to abandon that goal. Your comments
regarding this problem are welcomed. Something surely needs to
be done.
(One last thought on the above. There was a time that I
was nearly convinced that negative junk was human nature
and that I needed to learn to cope with it. I have had
many people phone me and ask how and why I put up with it.
They tell me that they quit participating in the mail
systems because of all the negative messages. Upon
receiving these phone calls, I have to think that my
feelings aren't wrong.)
SPITFIRE v3.2 Questions & Answers
---------------------------------
QUESTION: I have been reading in a SPITFIRE support conference that
there is a problem with messages addressed to the Sysop
and marked as a 'mail system' message. I understand that
SPITFIRE will not mark a message addressed to the Sysop
as a 'mail system' message. Will there be a fix for this?
ANSWER: There will not be a fix because nothing is broken. I think
it is about time for the TRUTH to be known about this matter.
The reason I say nothing is broken is because a SPITFIRE
Sysop reported that SPITFIRE would allow a message addressed
to the Sysop to be marked as a 'mail system' message. This
Sysop believed this was a 'bug' in SPITFIRE and asked me to
change it. He felt it was a bit silly to send a message
addressed to the Sysop out on a mail system. I did make the
change and such change is noted in WHATSNEW.32 (the text file
which provides information for the Sysops who are beta testing).
Listed below is that excerpt from WHATSNEW.32.
"AUGUST 10, 1991 Someone (I can't remember who - Jim
Myles I think) explained that a caller could address
a message to the Sysop and then toggle it as a 'mail
system' message. I have changed SPITFIRE to watch
for this... when it happens, SPITFIRE simple (without
notification) reverses the 'net-mail' toggle. I ask
that this change be tested completely and I request a
report of your findings."
It is interesting and important to know that the person
responsible for now stirring this issue up was a SPITFIRE v3.2
beta tester (claimed to be at least). It appears to me that
this person is playing dirty politics or he wasn't properly
performing his responsibilities as a beta tester. In other
words, if he has a problem with this feature, the proper time
to discuss it would have been during the development and
testing of SPITFIRE v3.2 instead of waiting until after
the new version was released. And now you know "the rest
of the story" (smiling).
I take this opportunity to thank each of you who have left
me messages telling me how much you and your callers like
SPITFIRE v3.2. I also appreciate the phone calls of
encouragement which I have received in the last week (I think
you know who you are). We truly appreciate your support and
your comments.
Until next time, may God bless you...
Mike, Ann & family
╒════════════════════════════════╕
│ SPITFIRE CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED! │
╘════════════════════════════════╛
1992 S P I T F I R E S Y S O P S C O N F E R E N C E
Buffalo Creek Software takes this opportunity to invite you and your
family to attend the 1992 SPITFIRE Sysops Conference to be held at
the below listed location.
PLACE: Park Inn International
1050 6th Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50314
DATE: Evening reception, June 12th
Conference, June 13th & 14th
Time: Reception - 4:00 PM
Conference - 9:00 AM
We plan to adjourn by noon Sunday, June 14th. The Sysop mailing
contained a reservation card for your convenience which needs to be
returned as soon as possible to insure room availability. You may
choose to make your reservation by phone at the number listed on the
reservation card. Whichever way you elect to make your reservation,
you MUST specify that you will be attending the BUFFALO CREEK
SOFTWARE CONFERENCE to be eligible for the specially negotiated room
rates of $50.00 for a single and $58.00 for a double. The hotel
provides transportation from the airport. We would also appreciate
it if you would let Buffalo Creek Software know if you are planning
to attend so proper preparations can be made.
There will be various conference speakers providing you the
opportunity to participate in discussions on many BBS related
topics. Should you wish to make a presentation or if you have a
suggestion for a topic, please contact us at the number listed
above. In the event you have any questions pertaining to this
conference, please do not hesitate to contact us.
As in the past, there will be door prizes for everyone. We are
contacting software firms and modem manufacturers to solicit
speakers and donations. Door prizes will be given to the oldest
Sysop attending, the Sysop attending from the greatest distance etc.
No one goes home empty handed.
We hope to see you June 12th to renew old friendships and to make
new friends. It's fun to put faces to the voices.
╒════════════════════════════════╕
│ SPITFIRE SYSOP CONFERENCE INFO │
╘════════════════════════════════╛
In keeping with the Buffalo Creek Software tradition, it should
be mentioned, that there is no registration fee associated with
attending the SPITFIRE Sysop Conference.
A text file, DOORPRIZ.LST, will be available on Buffalo Creek's
BBS and The Mother Board BBS. This file may be downloaded or read
online and will list all the door prizes that will be given away at
the conference. This file will be updated as prizes are donated.
Although, the complete agenda has not yet been formalized, full
details will be reported in the June newsletter. The June newsletter
is expected to be available June 1st, to allow adequate distribution
time prior to the conference date.
However, be assured top billing will belong to Mike Woltz as he takes
advantage of this opportunity to visit with the SPITFIRE Sysops. One
of the topics Mike will be discussing will be his plans for future
upgrades of SPITFIRE. Currently, other guest speakers include Steve
Newman and Steve Cox. Steve Newman will discuss CircuitNet, SPITFIRE's
own netmail system. Steve Cox will talk on his soon-to-be-released
doors for a SPITFIRE BBS. One is a call-back verification door and the
other a CD Rom door. Sunday morning promises to be a special treat as
Steve does an updated rendition of his artificial intelligence presentation,
which undoubtedly was one of the highlights of the last conference.
And, by popular demand, Ira Lichtenstein will perform his reknowned
"duck walk", a Sysop conference tradition.
╒════════════════════╕
│ REVIEW OF SFV3_20 │
╘════════════════════╛
Most Sysops have experienced the frustration of providing full
access to the valid BBS caller while at the same time limiting or
denying access to those who sign on their BBS illegitimately. It
isn't always practical for Sysops to voice verify all new callers.
SFV3_20 provides an alternative solution.
SFVerify was the first call back verification program to be written
specifically for SPITFIRE. SFV is designed to interface directly
with a SPITFIRE BBS. The advantage of this is that SFVerify
interacts with the features of SPITFIRE. SFVerify uses .BBS/.CLR
display files, logs information to CALLERS.LOG, and utilizes
information contained within SPITFIRE's SFUSERS.DAT and DAILYLMT.DAT
files. (SFVerify has recently been upgraded to be compatible with
SPITFIRE v3.2, capable of handling both the old DAILYLMT.DAT format
and the new format found in v3.2.)
The shareware distribution package comes with an assortment of
display files that are used to provide the caller with detailed
information on the process of becoming a verified caller to the BBS.
A sample SFMAIN.BAT file is included to simplify the installation
process as well. SFVerify's documentation is well presented and
easy to follow.
The fundamental workings of SFVerify are not unlike other
call back verification programs. When a new caller logs on, a
display file should be used to inform the caller what needs
to be done to become a verified caller to the board. In other
words, if the system is set up to run SFVerify through the
Main Menu Sysop configurable command, the display file will
instruct the caller to select this option from the Main Menu in
order to become a verified caller.
When the caller selects the option that will initiate the
verification, SFVerify does a check to see if the security of the
caller is less than the security used in SFVerify's /S command line
parameter. If not, the caller is returned to SPITFIRE. If the
check determines verification is warranted, SFVerify will disconnect
the caller (after displaying instructions regarding the verification
process) and begin dialing the caller's phone number to verify
the legitimacy of the caller. Once verified, the security of
the caller is adjusted.
For the Sysops who do not wish to verify the long distance
callers, SFVerify uses the AC_PREFX.SFV (area code prefix) data
file to determine what numbers will be verified. Or, it is even
possible, using a SPITFIRE event, to configure the BBS to verify
the long distance calls in the late evening/early morning hours when
phone rates are lowest but not during times when rates are high.
If you operate a SPITFIRE BBS and would like to incorporate a
call-back verification program, SFVerify deserves consideration.
A registration fee of $20 is comparable to similar verification
doors. Upon registering, information stored in AC_PREFX.SFV is
hard coded into your registered copy, which speeds the verification
process.
╒════════════════════╕
│ SYSOP-OF-THE-MONTH │
╘════════════════════╛
Mike Achenbach
The Hobbit Hole
Sanford, Maine
Mike's initial experience with computers was rather tragic, to say
the least. A 13-year-old, he was visiting his mother where she worked
at a large New York insurance firm. There in her office was a computer
terminal. He immediately started playing round with it and just as
immediately shut down the whole system, building-wide.
"When I moved to Maine in 1981," Mike reported, "several acquaintances
there had Commodores and Tandy CoCos, which seemed pretty neat--so I bought
a CoCo. I messed around with it a few times and came to the conclusion it
wasn't for me. In 1988, I started taking business classes at a local college
where they made the mistake of showing me the computer room. I've been
hooked ever since. I purchased a PC/XT system with a modem that year,
called a local BBS and was hooked even harder. Within three months I was
trying all sorts of bulletin board software--RBBS, Fido, PCBoard and several
others when a Sysop recommended SPITFIRE.
"I downloaded a copy of Version 2.5 and entered into an everlasting
love affair. My board went public in June of '89 with 2400 baud and 20
megs. Since then it has grown by leaps and bounds, to the point where
it now has two high-speed modems, 1.9 gigabytes of hard drive/CD-ROM--
all dedicated to the board. This makes it Maine's largest BBS, running
on 386/20 and 386/40, networked with ethernet cards using Netware Lite
I believe mine was one of the very first SPITFIRE boards to have echo mail,
but I did it the hard way. I ran PCBoard as a door under SPITFIRE to bring
echo mail's compatibility to my board. (This was before there was any UTIs
or anything else for SPITFIRE.) Now I run the Maine-based echo "RelayME."
"I've had the privilege of being one of Mike Woltz' BETA Testers for
a couple of versions, including V3.2. I was able to attend the first
SPITFIRE Sysops' Conference a few years back, at which time I met a lot of
folks as hooked on BBSing as I am. I count that as my best vacation ever!"
Mike's turning 30 in less than a month and is setting up a keg o' suds
for the occasion, if anyone's interested in coming up to Maine to join the
party. He has two daughters, Andrea who is seven and Amie who, at age 6
months, is determined to eat all of his computer books and catalogs. For
the past seven years, Mike's been working as an electro-mechanic for several
different firms, but after repeated layoffs decided to get into computer
sales...and now works out of his home selling computers and peripherals to
local computer enthusiasts and Sysops.
He's getting married 26 September to his fiancee Robin, who'll have to
cope with a gang of computing and BBSing, for which she's dully being
trained and will join the growing list of long-suffering computer-oriented
wives, including one Gladys Crede, bless her little heart. She sympathizes
with you, Robin.
With summer coming on, Mike's time'll be divided between his family,
his bulletin board and a Harley Davidson chopper {if he can finish
rebuilding it.)
At the moment, there're eight SPITFIRE boards in his locality. "I push
the use of the Woltz software for any potential system operator looking for
a BBS package," he says. "They're given my voice phone number so I can
provide any help possible. I also keep all SPITFIRE utilities online for
them to download.
"A hearty word of thanks to Mike Woltz for all the work he's done, for
all the bull he puts up with from me...and I'd certainly be amiss if I didn't
extend my thanks to Ann and the kids, for without them SPITFIRE wouldn't be
the great program it is today."
╒════════════════════════════════════╕
│ NEWLY REGISTERED SPITFIRE SYSTEMS │
╘════════════════════════════════════╛
A hearty welcome is extended to the following, who have
recently become public registered SPITFIRE Bulletin Board Systems:
WB3IKP....................................302-798-8186...2400 Baud
Dave Nemeth, Sysop..............................Claymont, Delaware
Mobike Maniac.............................206-964-5306...2400 Baud
Birgit Murphy, Sysop.........................Ft. Lewis, Washington
The Outhouse..............................409-295-1760...2400 Baud
John Stewart, Sysop..............................Huntsville, Texas
One Oh Wurst..............................615-648-0021...2400 Baud
John McConnell, Sysop.......................Clarksville, Tennessee
Land Of The Gypsy's.......................503-297-0626...2400 Baud
Nancy Porter, Sysop...............................Portland, Oregon
Starship Enterprise.......................912-427-3310...2400 Baud
Jay Weinstein, Sysop...............................Jessup, Georgia
T.W. Express..............................716-224-0262...2400 Baud
Thomas Wollschleger............................Rochester, New York
Computer Program Exchange.................609-456-8785...2400 Baud
Tim Browning, Sysop.........................Gloucester, New Jersey
Camalot BBS............................402-779-2308...Baud Unknown
Thomas Cooper, Sysop............................Waterloo, Nebraska
The Exchange BBS.......................410-529-1716...Baud Unknown
Gary Pfeffer, Sysop............................Baltimore, Maryland
"Big Den's Pen"...........................312-582-2458...2400 Baud
Dennis Gruhlke, Sysop............................Chicago, Illinois
Remote Control............................708-462-6794...2400 Baud
David Stevenson, Sysop...........................Wheaton, Illinois
Heartbeat.................................702-566-1433...2400 Baud
Grace Carr, Sysop................................Henderson, Nevada
The Ghost Rider...........................817-690-3926...2400 Baud
David McCoy, Sysop..................................Killeen, Texas
The Resputed BS...........................708-295-9133...9600 Baud
Peter Richter, Sysop.........................Lake Forest, Illinois
Commodore Club BBS........................904-744-5111...2400 Baud
Charles Jackson, Sysop.......................Jacksonville, Florida
Peaches BBS...............................404-471-1773...2400 Baud
Ron Shattles, Sysop.............................Jamesboro, Georgia
The Mainline..............................504-622-4794...2400 Baud
Kenneth Castille, Sysop....................Prairieville, Louisiana
Over The Hills............................712-328-8385...2400 Baud
Dam Ross/Tamra Horn, Sysops...................Council Bluffs, Iowa
PC Paradise...............................702-735-1412...2400 Baud
Edward Whitely, Sysop............................Las Vegas, Nevada
Dew's Hole................................309-793-4693...2400 Baud
Donald Wilkie, Sysop.........................Rock Island, Illinois
In addition, there were 5 new private SPITFIRE BBS Systems
registered. These private SPITFIRE BBS's included registrations
from: Houston, Texas; an out of the country APO address; Tulsa,
Oklahoma; Metairie, Louisiana; and Grandview, Missouri.
There were 14 registrations for whom registration information was
incomplete. These included BBS's in: Sterling, Virginia; Paducah,
Kentucky; Lakewood, New Jersey; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Toulosse,
France; Plymouth, Minnesota; Springfield, Missouri; an out of the
country APO address; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Baltimore, Maryland;
Houston, Texas; Melbourne, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; and
Mabelvale, Arizona.
The increase in registrations where information is incomplete is
largely due to Buffalo Creek's Software's new policy of accepting
on-line Mastercard and Visa credit card registrations.
JUST A REMINDER...the newsletter is always looking for
contributions. Please forward any articles in ASCII text to
either Buffalo Creek's BBS or The Mother Board BBS.Source note
This reading edition was decoded from SF05-92.TXT in the original SF05-92.ZIP package. The page date records the preserved archive timestamp; it is not a newly inferred publication date.