<< HERE'S WHERE YOU SHOULD PUT SOME INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CONFIGURATION >> For example... Hardware Configuration ---------------------- This system runs on a standard AT-compatible. The key piece of equipment that makes it possible is the Galacticomm GalactiBox: a chassis for up to 16 standard internal PC modem cards, serial cards, etc. Our equipment mix is always changing, though, so on a particular call you might be logged into a Model 2408 (8 modems on one card, 3/12/2400 bps), a Supra 2400i (3/12/2400 bps), a Digicom 9624PC (12/24/9600 bps, V.32), or an external U.S. Robotics Dual Standard (3/12/24/9600 bps, V.32 or HST). Our particular system configuration happens to be a 33MHz 386 from Altec Technology, although any standard PC, XT, AT, or 386-based AT-compatible will run The Major BBS. We have a 150MB ESDI hard disk, a CD-ROM drive made by CHINON running the "Shareware Grab-Bag" from ALDE Publishing, and two floppy disk drives. We are using an EGA display card and a Princeton UltraSync monitor (but any standard monochrome or color display card and monitor will work). The connections to the phone lines are accomplished by means of ordinary RJ-11 cables... one cable and one modem per phone line. Our lines are all "hunt-grouped", so that all lines are accessible at a single phone number. Software Configuration ----------------------- This software is running under standard MS-DOS V5.0. The key software package that makes it possible is the GALACTICOMM SOFTWARE BREAKTHROUGH, a linkable object library containing 42 routines that take care of most of the real nitty-gritty of putting together a system like this. In fact, the BREAKTHROUGH library contains considerably more flexibility than is needed, since several of the routines are not even needed to implement this system. Tim Stryker and colleagues have written all of the software you are using here: the BREAKTHROUGH library, the BBS shell, and all of its submodules. Parts of it are written in Intel 8086/8 Macroassembler, and parts in Borland C++ V3.1. This BBS package, called The Major BBS, serves as a "software backplane" for current development in a wide variety of areas. A two-user copy of The Major BBS, suitable for use with Galacticomm, Hayes, or U.S. Robotics modems, is available for $259 from Galacticomm Inc., 4101 SW 47th Ave., Suite 101, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33314. Other software we use: Btrieve, a database record manager available from Novell, Inc., and KEDIT, a great text editor developed by The Mansfield Software Group. Neither of these packages is required to run The Major BBS.