XXXXX BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM Users Manual XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual i Pursuant to the Electronic & Communications Privacy Act of 1986, 18 USC 2510 et.seq., notice is hereby given that there are no facilities provided by this system for sending or receiving private or confidential electronic communications. All messages shall be deemed to be readily accessible to the general public. Do not use this system for any communication for which the sender intends only the sender and the intended recipient(s) to read. Every user explicitly acknowledges that all information/software from XXXXX is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and that the entire risk of acting on any information, or use of any software obtained from this bulletin board system, including the entire costs of all necessary remedies, is with those (users) who choose to act on the information provided. In addition, you should understand that although the software available for download here is individually tested, insufficient time exists for us to evaluate every piece of software made available here. If you use any of the files found here, you do so at your own risk; please take the necessary precautions to protect your equipment. The operators of XXXXX are in no way responsible for the safety of your equipment. All persons who use this bulletin board system do hereby consent to be bound by the terms contained herein and assume all risks of whatever nature or kind which may arise through the use of this system. CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS MANUAL All screen displays shown in this manual are set apart by horizontal, broken lines before and after text that will be sent from XXXXX to your computer. All commands listed in this manual are enclosed by one of two sets of brackets: or [command]. All prompts have the first letter capitalized, for example "N". This indicates that XXXXX considers pressing as the same as pressing or . So whenever you see a similar prompt, you will know that pressing will perform the same action as pressing the capitalized key. TRADEMARKS & COPYRIGHTS DesqView is a registered trademark of Quarterdeck Technologies. IBM is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation. Lantastic is a registered trademark of Artisoft. Microsoft, MS, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. TriBBS is a registered trademark of Mark D. Goodwin. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual TABLE OF CONTENTS - ii Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Equipment Used By XXXXX . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Policies & Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Logging On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 New User Log On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Registered User Log On . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Quick Log On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 XXXXX Menu System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Bulletin Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Message Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 File Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Door Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Door Bulletin Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Questionnaire Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Odds & Ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 File Transfer Protocols . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Chatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Other Helpful Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual INTRODUCTION - 1 FEATURES XXXXX is a TriBBS-based system. TriBBS is one of the newest Bulletin Board Systems around and it enables us to offer you these and many other powerful features: Chatting Netmail Doors Archive Testing Please read this manual. Many of your questions are answered here. EQUIPMENT USED ON XXXXX The equipment used on XXXXX is as follows: Hardware 1 - 386/40 (operates two remote nodes) 1 - 286/16 (operates the sysop's node) 2 - network interface cards 1 - 2400bps external modem 1 - 9600bps internal modem 1 - 330meg ESDI Hard Drive 1 - Optical storage device Software TriBBS version 3.2 MicroSoft DOS version 5.0 Lantastic Network Operating System Desqview Multitasking Environment version 6.0 POLICIES & REGULATIONS Use your real name (aliases are not allowed). Caller ID is in effect at all times. Anything that is considered illegal is not welcome here and will be deleted. Do not upload commercial software, games, graphics files or adult materials. We only support ZIP file compression format here; please do not upload other formats. Thank you for your time and effort in sharing some of your shareware programs with your fellow users. We reserve the right to read all messages. Obscenities are not allowed. This is a family board, so keep it clean. XXXXX would like to continue to expand its usefulness to the community. Therefore, the owners/operators appreciate any suggestions and contributions. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual LOGGING ON - 2 NEW USER LOG ON Make sure your modem is set to 8,N,1 (8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit) before dialing XXXXX. When you first log on, the screen should clear and display: ---------------------------------------------- CONNECT Baud Rate / 10-02-92 (15:48) Welcome to XXXXX BBS - Node #. A TriBBS x.x Bulletin Board System Copyright (c) 1991-1992 By Mark D. Goodwin Your Sysop is Melanie Byas. Registration Number: ## Do you want ANSI color graphics (y/N)? ---------------------------------------------- This display simply displays that a connection at a baud rate has been made, the name of the board, the node number, and your sysop's (system operator) name. Also, it notifies you that it's a TriBBS bulletin board system with a copyright notice and it's registration number. You will also note that you are prompted as to whether or not you want ANSI color graphics. If you have a color monitor and ANSI is loaded (refer to your DOS manual), you will probably want to respond affirmatively by pressing . If you don't have a color monitor, ANSI is not loaded or you just simply do not want a color display, respond "No" by pressing either or the key. Also, if your communications program has ANSI support, XXXXX will display everything using ANSI color graphics. Otherwise, XXXXX will display everything using monochrome (non-color) text. After you select the appropriate color choice, XXXXX will prompt you to enter your name as follows: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your FIRST and LAST name: ---------------------------------------------- Simply type your name (John Doe, for example) and press . Because this is your first log on, XXXXX will display the following: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your FIRST and LAST name: John Doe Searching user records for John Doe. oodbye, eenter name, or ew User? ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual LOGGING ON - 3 Because you are a new user, you should press . If you weren't a new user, you could either re-enter your name by pressing or log off by pressing . After you enter your name and indicate that you are a new user, XXXXX will display the new user screen which informs you about the board's setup, it's regulations, what's offered here, and what's expected of you as a user. The new user questionnaire is displayed after the introduction to XXXXX is made. The following is an example of the sequence of questions in that questionnaire. Please answer all questions truthfully because those answers help us to support your needs as a user of XXXXX. ---------------------------------------------- Please answer the following questions: :What type of computer do you own? :What type of modem are you using? :What type of comm software do you use? :Are you interested in as a user of XXXXX? ?Are you the Sysop of a bulletin board :What is the name of your BBS? #What is the BBS's phone number? ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX will now prompt you for a password as follows: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your password (1 to 15 chars.): ---------------------------------------------- Simply type in a password (stall, for example) and press . Please Note: Be sure that you use a unique password. If somebody finds out what your password is, it is possible for them to log on to the board with your name and password; so be careful with your password. Also, remember your password or you will not be able to log onto XXXXX. XXXXX will then ask if you entered your password correctly as follows: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your password (1 to 15 chars.): stall Is Stall correct (Y,n)? ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual LOGGING ON - 4 If your password is correct, press or . If it is incorrect, press and XXXXX will once again prompt you for your password. The reason for allowing you to re-enter your password is because you may get hit with line noise and not realize that it wasn't entered properly. After verifying your password, XXXXX will prompt you for your city and state: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your City, State: ---------------------------------------------- Then, XXXXX will give you the opportunity to change it as follows: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your City, State: Alexandria, VA Is Alexandria, VA correct (Y,n)? ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX continues by asking for your phone number and date of birth: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your phone number ###-###-####: Enter your phone number ###-###-####: 703-765-4321 Is 703-765-4321 correct (Y,n)? Yes Enter your date of birth MM/DD/YY: Enter your date of birth MM/DD/YY: 10/11/55 Is 10/11/55 correct (Y,n)? ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX then will prompt you to select a default file transfer protocol: ---------------------------------------------- Xmodem Xmodem-1K Ymodem Ymodem-G Zmodem No Default Please select a default protocol: ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual LOGGING ON - 5 Select the default protocol (Page 18) you want to use. If you select "No Default", XXXXX will prompt you for a protocol before each file transfer. XXXXX will then prompt you to select a default editor as follows: ---------------------------------------------- Line Editor Full Screen Editor No Default Please select a default editor: ---------------------------------------------- If you select "No Default", XXXXX will prompt you for an editor before you enter each message if ANSI graphics is enabled. The XXXXX newsletter will be displayed next. If there are bulletins, you will then be presented with the Bulletin Menu: ---------------------------------------------- [1] Rules of The Road [2] Who Called Today You have been on 8 minutes with 52 remaining. Enter Selection? ---------------------------------------------- If there are no bulletins, the following will be displayed: ---------------------------------------------- There are no bulletins available today! ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX continues by displaying the Main Menu with the following selections: ---------------------------------------------- Bulletins Your Information Messages System Information Files List of Users Comment Expert Mode ANSI Graphics

Page Sysop Newsletter Goodbye ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual LOGGING ON - 6 XXXXX's Main Menu is its central hub and is the gateway to other areas. You will also see the following prompt: ---------------------------------------------- You have been on 9 minutes with 51 remaining. Enter Selection - [B M F C A N Y I U X P G ?]? ---------------------------------------------- From this point, you can log off XXXXX at any "Enter Selection" prompt by pressing . Before logging off, XXXXX will give you a final chance to change your mind as follows: ---------------------------------------------- Are you sure you want to log off (Y/n)? ---------------------------------------------- Before XXXXX disconnects, it will display the goodbye screen. REGISTERED USER LOG ON When a connection is made with XXXXX, the screen should clear and display: ---------------------------------------------- CONNECT Baud Rate / 10-02-92 (15:48) Welcome to XXXXX BBS - Node #. A TriBBS x.x Bulletin Board System Copyright (c) 1991-1992 By Mark D. Goodwin Your Sysop is Melanie Byas. Registration Number: ## Do you want ANSI color graphics (y/N)? ---------------------------------------------- The name of the board, the node number, and your sysop's (system operator) name. XXXXX also notifies you that it's a TriBBS bulletin board system with copyright a notice and it's registration number. You are prompted as to whether or not you want ANSI color graphics. If you have a color monitor and ANSI is loaded (refer to your DOS manual), you will probably want to respond affirmatively by pressing . If you don't have a color monitor, ANSI is not loaded or you just simply do not want a color display, respond "No" by pressing either the or the key. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual LOGGING ON - 7 After you select the appropriate color choice, XXXXX will prompt you to enter your name as follows: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your FIRST and LAST name: ---------------------------------------------- Simply type your name (John Doe, for example) and press . XXXXX will display the following: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your FIRST and LAST name: John Doe Searching user records for John Doe. ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX will now prompt you for a password as follows: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your password: ---------------------------------------------- Simply type in your password (stall, for example) and press . ---------------------------------------------- Enter your password (1 to 15 chars.): stall Is Stall correct (Y,n)? ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX will then check for any messages waiting for you in any of the message conferences. XXXXX will display the following: ---------------------------------------------- Checking for Waiting Messages. You have # messages. ---------------------------------------------- If the newsletter has been updated since your last call, XXXXX will display the newsletter. If there are bulletins, XXXXX will present Bulletin Menu next as follows: XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual LOGGING ON - 8 ---------------------------------------------- [1] Rules of The Road [2] Who Called Today You have been on 8 minutes with 52 remaining. Enter Selection? ---------------------------------------------- If there are no bulletins, the following will be displayed: ---------------------------------------------- There are no bulletins available today! ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX continues by displaying the Main Menu. QUICK LOG ON After you are connected to XXXXX and you make the appropriate color choice, XXXXX will prompt you to enter your name as follows: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your FIRST and LAST name: ---------------------------------------------- Simply type your name (John Doe, for example), followed by ";password" (notice that no spaces are used) and press . XXXXX will display the following: ---------------------------------------------- Enter your FIRST and LAST name: John Doe;..... ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX allows you to enter both your name and password at the "Enter your name" prompt. Simply separate your name from the password with a semicolon <;>. For example, a caller with the name "Mark Goodwin" and a password of "install" could enter his name and password at the name prompt as follows: Mark Goodwin;install You should note that for security reasons XXXXX will display the password as a series of periods <.>. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual THE MENU SYSTEM - 9 The heart of XXXXX is TriBBS's powerful menuing system. This system is comprised of seven menus: Main, Bulletins, Messages, Files, Doors, Door Bulletins and Questionnaires. MAIN MENU The Main Menu is the central hub of the board. Use this menu to gain access to other menus of the system. XXXXX will display the following: ---------------------------------------------- [B] Bulletins [M] Messages [F] Files [D] Doors [T] TeleChat [Q] Questionnaires [C] Comment to Sysop [A] Toggle ANSI Graphics [N] Newsletter [Y] Your Personal Information [I] System Information [U] List of Users [W] Who's On [X] Expert Mode [P] Page Sysop [G] Goodbye ---------------------------------------------- Descriptions of the 16 Main Menu items are as follows: [B] Bulletins Pressing will branch you to the Bulletin Menu. [M] Messages Pressing will branch you to the Message Menu. [F] Files Pressing will branch you to the File Menu. [D] Doors Pressing will branch you to the Door Menu. [T] TeleChat Pressing will branch you to the TeleChat Menu. You can then chat online with other users who are logged onto the board (see Page 22). [Q] Questionnaires Pressing will branch you to the Questionnaire Menu. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual THE MENU SYSTEM - 10 [C] Comment to Sysop Pressing will let you send a private message to the sysop. The message will be saved in the board's first message conference. [A] Toggle ANSI Graphics Pressing will toggle ANSI color graphics on and off. [N] Newsletter Pressing will display the board's newsletter. [Y] Your Personal Information Pressing will display your user information. You can then edit some of that information. XXXXX will display the following menu to you: -------------------------------------------------------------- Name......: John Doe Address...: Alexandria, VA Phone.....: 703-765-4321 Birth.........: 10/11/55 First Call: 11/23/91 Last Call.....: 06/24/92 08:36 Uploads...: 66 Downloads.....: 49 K Uploaded: 168 K Downloaded..: 603 Messages..: 14 Editor........: None Times On..: 95 Security Level: 90 Password..: Stall Protocol......: None Chat......: Available ddress,

assword, Phone umber, efault Protocol, ditor, Unailable for Chat, uit: --------------------------------------------------------------- As you can see, the "Your Personal Information" menu features the following seven options: ddress Pressing prompts you for your new city/state.

assword Pressing

prompts you for your new password. Phone umber Pressing prompts you for your new phone number. efault Protocol Pressing prompts you to select a new default protocol. ditor Pressing prompts you to select a new default editor. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual THE MENU SYSTEM - 11 Unaailable for Chat Pressing toggles your chat status. By default, all your chat status is set to "Available". You can change your chat status to "Unavailable" if you don't want to be interrupted by chat pages. Pressing toggles your initial chat status between "Available" and "Unavailable". uit Pressing returns you to the Main Menu. [I] System Information Pressing will display a number of XXXXX's statistics. [U] List of Users Pressing will display a list of the XXXXX's users. [W] Who's On Pressing will display a list of who's logged onto each all of the XXXXX's nodes. [X] Expert Mode Pressing will toggle your expert mode flag. If your expert mode flag is set for "Expert", XXXXX will not display the menus and will only display the prompts for you. If your expert mode flag is set for "Super Expert", XXXXX will not display the menus for you and will use abbreviated prompts. Otherwise, XXXXX will display the menus. [P] Page Sysop Pressing

will page the sysop. One of three screens will be displayed: one, if the sysop isn't available for chat; another, if the chat is initiated at your request; or, a third, if the chat is initiated by the sysop. [G] Goodbye Pressing will log you off the board. BULLETIN MENU Bulletins are revised periodically, so you should check them from time to time to stay abreast of board and industry-related activity. The following is an example of the Bulletin Menu: ---------------------------------------------- [1] Rules of XXXXX [2] How to Receive Color Menus You have been on 8 minutes with 52 remaining. Enter Selection? ---------------------------------------------- XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual THE MENU SYSTEM - 12 MESSAGE MENU XXXXX supports several local and Netmail (both public and private) message conferences. Only users with certain security levels are allowed access to the private conferences. If a conference is a net mail conference, you are able to enter messages to a person who isn't a registered user of XXXXX. In this case, you will be asked whether or not the message will be echoed. XXXXX is a node on the TriNet, FidoNet, PCRelay, Intelec and SmartNet Netmail systems. Selecting [M] from the Main Menu will cause the following to be displayed: ---------------------------------------------- [C] Change Conference [E] Enter a Message [R] Read Messages [N] New Messages [Y] Your Messages [S] Set Conference Queue [M] Main Menu [X] Expert Mode [P] Page Sysop [G] Goodbye ---------------------------------------------- Descriptions of the 10 Message Menu items are as follows: [C] Change Conference Pressing will let you change your current message conference. After displaying a list of the conferences that are available to you, XXXXX will prompt you for the new conference. [E] Enter a Message Pressing will let you enter a message in the current message conference. XXXXX will prompt you for the name of the person to whom the message is to be addressed. If the conference is a net mail conference, XXXXX will ask you if you want the message echoed. If the conference is a Fido-style netmail conference, XXXXX will ask you for the recipient's network address. If the current conference isn't a netmail conference, XXXXX will check to see if the addressee is a user of the board. (All messages addressed to the sysop will be changed to the sysop's name.) If the message is addressed to an individual, XXXXX will ask you if the message should be flagged as Public. XXXXX will then prompt for the message subject. From there, XXXXX will let you enter your message using the line or full screen editor. If you are using the line editor, the editor's menu can be displayed by pressing on a blank line. The following are the options the line editor menu offers: XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual THE MENU SYSTEM - 13 ave Pressing will save the message. bort Pressing will abort the message. ontinue Pressing will start the line editor again where the message left off. ist Pressing will list the message. elete Line Pressing will prompt you for the line number you want deleted. nsert Line Pressing will prompt you for the line number you want a blank line inserted before. dit Line Pressing will prompt you for the line number you would like to edit. eplace Text: Pressing will prompt you for the line number you would like to search and replace text in. After selecting the desired line, XXXXX will prompt you to enter the search and replace strings. These strings are entered on the same line with a semicolon separating the two strings. XXXXX will then search the line for occurrences of the search string. If the search string is found, it will be replaced by the replace string. uote Pressing will allow you to quote from the message to which you are replying. XXXXX will display the original message and then prompt you for the first and last lines to be quoted. (This option is only available if you are replying to another message.) If you are using the full screen editor, the editor's menu can be displayed by pressing . The following are the options the full screen editor menu offers: ave Pressing will save the message. bort Pressing will abort the message. ontinue Pressing will return you to the full screen editor. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual THE MENU SYSTEM - 14 elp Pressing will display a help screen that describes what control keys the full screen editor offers. While editing, you can use any of the following control keys: WORDSTAR IBM FUNCTION Move left 1 character Move right 1 character Move up 1 line Move down 1 line Move cursor to next tab zone

Move to end of line Move to beginning of line Move up a page Move down a page Delete character under cursor Delete character to left of cursor Delete current line Reformat paragraph Redraw screen Quote message Toggle insert/overtype mode Please note that the IBM keys are only available to you if your communications program supports ANSI keyboard emulation. [R] Read Messages Pressing allows you to read messages. XXXXX allows you to read messages in the current conference only, all conferences, your queued conferences only, or quit to the Message Menu. For each message conference, XXXXX prompts you to choose the number of the first message to be read, to read new messages only, or to quit to the Message Menu. While you are reading messages, you will be presented with the following options: eply Pressing will enable you to enter a reply to the message. If the message is public, XXXXX will allow you to make the reply private. Read Re

lies Pressing

will enable you to read a message's replies. After you read all of the replies, XXXXX will return to the original message. (This option is only available if the message has replies.) umber Pressing prompts you to enter the number of the message to be read next. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual THE MENU SYSTEM - 15 elete Pressing will allow you to delete the message. (This option is dependent upon three conditions: your security level, whether the conference allows user deletion, and whether the message is either from or to you.) ndelete Pressing will allow you to undelete a previously deleted message. (This option is only available if you have the required minimum security level.) Pulic Pressing will make a private message public. (This option is only available if you have the minimum security level and if the message is private.) Priate Pressing will make a public message private. (This option is only available if you have the minimum security level and if the message is public.) <-> Prev Pressing <-> will move back to the previously displayed message. <+/Enter> Next Message Pressing <+> or moves to the next message. uit Pressing will allow you to quit reading messages in this message conference. [N] New Messages Pressing allows you to read new messages. XXXXX maintains pointers in each message conference of the highest message number you have read. XXXXX will prompt you to choose to read messages in the current conference only, all conferences, your queued conferences only, or quit to the Message Menu. For each message conference, XXXXX allows you to read the conference's new messages, skip the conference, or quit to the Message Menu. While you are reading messages, you will be presented with the same options that XXXXX uses with the "Read Messages" menu option. [Y] Your Messages Pressing allows you to read your messages. XXXXX will prompt you to choose to read your messages in the current conference only, all conferences, your queued conferences only, or quit to the Message Menu. For each message conference, XXXXX allows you to read the messages to you in the conference or quit to the Message Menu. While you are reading messages, you will be presented with the same options that XXXXX uses with the "Read Messages" and "New Messages" menu options. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual THE MENU SYSTEM - 16 [S] Set Conference Queue Pressing allows you to set a conference queue. A conference queue allows you to select whether or not a conference will be read while reading messages. XXXXX will display a menu with the following three options: ist Your Queue Entering presents you with a list of the conferences that are available to you and indicates whether or not they are queued conferences. <####> Conference to Toggle Entering a conference's number toggles its queued status on and off. to Quit Simply pressing returns you to the Message Menu. [M] Main Menu Pressing returns you to the Main Menu. [X] Expert Mode Pressing will toggle your expert mode flag. If your expert mode flag is set for "Expert", XXXXX will not display the menus for you. If your expert mode flag is set for "Super Expert", XXXXX will not display the menus for you and will use abbreviated menu prompts. Otherwise, XXXXX will display the menus. [P] Page Sysop Pressing

will page the sysop. [G] Goodbye Pressing will log you off the board. FILE MENU XXXXX has over _____ shareware programs available to its users. All files on XXXXX use the ZIP compression format. Whenever you enter a filename without an extension, XXXXX assumes the .zip extension and appends the .zip to the filename. You must have the PKWare utilities in order to use these files. You may obtain a copy of these utilities by downloading PK110.exe from the "DOS Utilities" file directory. Archive testing for errors and viruses is done on all files which are uploaded to XXXXX. The McAfee utility, Scan.exe, is used in this process. We take this precaution in our users' interest and are confident that our measures are adequate. Scan.exe is perhaps the best utility of its kind. However, it is not infallible so take additional precautions to protect your equipment. Selecting [F] from the Main Menu will cause the following to be displayed: XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual THE MENU SYSTEM - 17 ---------------------------------------------- [C] Change File Area [L] List Files [N] New Files [T] Lists Text Search [U] Upload File [D] Download File [V] View Archive [M] Main Menu [X] Expert Mode [P] Page Sysop [G] Goodbye ---------------------------------------------- The following are descriptions of the 11 File Menu items: [C] Change File Area Pressing will let you change your current file area. After displaying a list of the file areas that are available to you, XXXXX will prompt you for the new file area. [L] List Files Pressing will let you view the board's file lists. XXXXX will prompt you to enter a file mask which uses the same format as the DOS "Dir" command. After you enter the appropriate file mask, XXXXX will ask you if you want to view the file list for your current file area or all file areas. The "More" prompt will allow you to flag files for downloading by pressing . XXXXX will prompt you for the name of the file(s) you want to flag. [N] New Files Pressing will let you view the board's new files. XXXXX will prompt you to enter a date for which to begin the search. If you simply press , XXXXX will use the date of your last new file search. XXXXX will then ask you if you want to see the new files for the current file area or all file areas. [T] Lists Text Search Pressing will let you search for a text string in the board's file lists. XXXXX will prompt you to enter the string to be searched and will ask you if you want to search the file lists for the current file area or all file areas. [U] Upload File Pressing will let you upload a file. The upload screen is displayed and you are prompted for the filenames and descriptions for the files to be uploaded. If a blank description is entered for a file, XXXXX will attempt to extract and use either a FILE_ID.DIZ or DESC.SDI file for the description. You will be prompted to select an appropriate protocol if you haven't chosen a default protocol. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual THE MENU SYSTEM - 18 [D] Download File Pressing will let you download one or more files. The download screen is displayed and XXXXX will prompt you for the names of the files to be downloaded. After you enter a blank line in the description field, XXXXX will ask you to select an appropriate protocol if you haven't selected a default protocol. [V] View Archive Pressing will let you view the contents of an archive. XXXXX will uncompress the archive and display a complete list of it's contents. You then have the option of either relisting the archive's contents, displaying one of the archive's files, compressing and downloading one or more individual members of the archive, or returning to the File Menu. [M] Main Menu Pressing returns you to the Main Menu. [X] Expert Mode Pressing will toggle your expert mode flag. If your expert mode flag is set to "Expert", the menus will not be displayed. If your expert mode flag is set to "Super Expert", abbreviated menu prompts will be displayed. Otherwise, XXXXX will display the menus. [P] Page Sysop Pressing

will page the sysop. [G] Goodbye Pressing will log you off the board. DOOR MENU Doors are gateways to external programs that are available to users of XXXXX. Selecting [D] from the Main Menu will cause the following to be displayed: ---------------------------------------------- [1] Bowling [2] Time Bank You have been on 8 minutes with 52 remaining. Enter Selection? ---------------------------------------------- You gain access to these and other external programs by making a selection at this prompt. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual THE MENU SYSTEM - 19 DOOR BULLETIN MENU The Door Bulletin Menu gives a list of text files which give specific information about the items listed on the Door Menu. Selecting [B] from the Door Menu causes the following to be displayed: ---------------------------------------------- [1] King of the Board Points [2] Imperium Top Ten [3] Scrabble Status [4] Scrabble Top Ten [5] Hobbit Trivia Top Ten [6] Stackem Top Ten You have been on 8 minutes with 52 remaining. Enter Selection? ---------------------------------------------- Making a selection at the "Enter Selection?" prompt displays the appropriate door bulletin. QUESTIONNAIRE MENU Questionnaires are offered on XXXXX so that we may continually gauge the needs of our users or to obtain statistical information for analysis of our industry. Selecting [Q] from the Main Menu causes the following Questionnaire Menu to be displayed: ---------------------------------------------- [1] New User [2] Security Level Upgrade [3] [4] [5] [6] You have been on 8 minutes with 52 remaining. Enter Selection? ---------------------------------------------- Selecting a number allows you to complete a questionnaire. Please note that all users have completed the New User questionnaire during their first log on. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual ODDS & ENDS - 20 FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS The file area allows movement of files between XXXXX and your computer. Transfer protocols control that movement. Data transfer can be done by using a number of protocols available on XXXXX. New error checking protocols are being added on a regular basis, and the following is a summary of those which are available. Xmodem XXXXX supports two variations of the Xmodem protocol, originally developed by Ward Christensen, called Xmodem and Xmodem/CRC respectively. Xmodem offers the advantage of error checking on a block by block basis to assure that the data sent contains no errors. It does this by adding a checksum byte to the end of each 128 byte block of data; the receiver calculates its own checksum and compares it to the one received. If an error is detected in the transmission, Xmodem will request that XXXXX retransmit the block of data. In addition to the above checksum comparison, Xmodem/CRC adds another level of error detection using a complex Cyclical Redundancy Check algorithm. Xmodem and Xmodem/CRC are slow transfer protocols when compared to many others available. They should only be used when your software supports no other protocol. Xmodem/CRC is preferable to Xmodem due to its greatly improved error checking. Xmodem-1K This protocol performs exactly like regular Xmodem/CRC, but increases the block size to 1024 bytes, hence the name 1K. It is slightly faster (on fairly clean phone lines) than regular Xmodem due to a smaller number of blocks being sent, and therefore fewer block checks being made. Ymodem Ymodem is a protocol devised by Chuck Forsberg of Omen Technology which adds a number of enhancements to protocol based transfer. Block sizes are variable at 128/1024, but 1K is the usual size. Error checking makes use of CRC-16, accurate to 99.99%. By definition, all Ymodem transfers are capable of sending multiple files (batch) at one request, with the file size and date included in the "header block" sent prior to each file. Use of Ymodem, if it is supported by your software, is recommended speed over Xmodem, Xmodem/CRC and Xmodem-1K because of its speed, reliability, and features. Ymodem-G This variation of Ymodem is available only to you if you make a "reliable" connection using a modem supporting MNP (Microcom Networking Protocol) or the U.S. Robotics ARQ hardware error checking. MNP is a hardware-based system in which the modems perform the actual error checking and correction. Ymodem-G is among the fastest protocols with the exception of the newer versions of Zmodem discussed below. If you have a modem that supports MNP or ARQ, Ymodem-G should be your choice. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual ODDS & ENDS - 21 Zmodem This is another protocol developed by Chuck Forsberg. It is a "streaming protocol" which sends variable sized blocks of data with CRC-32 error checking for an accuracy of 99.9999%; it does not wait for an acknowledgment from the receiving computer. The sending system assumes data received is correct unless a repeat request is sent for a specific block. This streaming activity tends to make Zmodem one of the fastest protocols available (but very slightly slower than Ymodem-G or Xmodem-1K). Zmodem also supports multiple file transfer capability, and should be considered in situations where MNP is not available, or another batch transfer protocol cannot be used. Zmodem also has the unique capability to resume file transfers that have been aborted for some reason and thus only partially completed. This is called crash recovery. Kermit This protocol's main claim is not speed, but rather its ability to interact with many types of computers from mainframes to micros. It can cope with systems limited to seven-bit characters even when the data to be transmitted is in eight-bit form. All characters to be sent are translated into standard printable characters and reconstructed on the receiving end. While Kermit is not terribly efficient, it is sometimes an absolute necessity for data transfer involving different types of systems and terminal types. ASCII ASCII transfer is simply the sending of information as characters, and is limited to 7 bit information. The transfer of files in ASCII mode can be done if your system is capable of any type of data capture. ASCII transfer is limited, and some sort of error checking protocol is required if you intend to transfer files with extensions of .exe, .obj, .com, .arc or .zip, as well as tokenized BASIC programs and files containing the IBM PC special ASCII characters (ones with ASCII values above 128). These files cannot be transferred in ASCII mode since ASCII transfer is only 7 bit and these types of files require the full 8 bit transfer of the data, with no translation of the contents of the file. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual ODDS & ENDS - 22 MAINTENANCE All messages marked "Deleted" by users are removed on a daily basis. All unread messages that are older than 30 days will be deleted from XXXXX's message base. Game scores are updated after each log off. The system is available for mail runs only between the hours of __ and __ a.m. CHATTING XXXXX supports chatting through TriBBS's TeleChat system. Unlike the system's normal sysop/caller chat mode which is a real time chatting where key strokes are sent in both directions almost instantaneously, the TeleChat system sends lines of text a line at a time. Enter chat mode by selecting [T] from the Main Menu. XXXXX offers two distinct types of chat: Node and Group. NODE Chat Where two nodes chat back and forth between each other. To page another node, you simply enter the desired node's number at the TeleChat Menu. As soon as you enter the node number, XXXXX will send the other node a special message which states that you wish to chat with that node. When the user of that node enters node chat, XXXXX will send you a message that you are in the chat mode. As stated above, text is sent back and forth between the two nodes a line at a time. When entering text, XXXXX will automatically word wrap each line at 60 characters. Because of this relatively short line length, lines of text are sent back and forth at a fairly quick rate and aid in the flow of the conversation. While you is actually entering text, XXXXX will not scan for any chat text from the other node until you have stopped entering text either by pressing the key or erasing whatever text is on the current line with the key. This is done so that the text you are typing won't be garbled by incoming messages. You may leave chat mode by simply entering the word "exit" by itself and pressing . As soon as you leave chat mode, the other caller will be informed by an appropriate message. GROUP Chat Group chat is very similar to node chat except that any caller on any node can enter group chat at anytime. Please note that unlike node chat, you are not paged when another caller enters group chat. However, like node chat, the appropriate message is sent to all nodes in group chat whenever another caller either enters or exits the group chat. Text entry is performed exactly as with node chat. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual ODDS & ENDS - 23 OTHER HELPFUL HINTS SUPPORT You may obtain assistance by leaving a comment for the sysop or by entering a message for the sysop in the appropriate conference. Also, your fellow users may be able to help, so public messages are encouraged. If you are having a problem with XXXXX, please try to be as specific as possible. For example, don't say something like "I can't get doors to work". Unfortunately, statements like this are all too common and do nothing to help resolve the problem. Instead, try to explain as best you can exactly what is happening when you try to run a door. Most problems can be cured in one message if the problem is explained in enough detail. However, if you do not provide specific details, it can take many messages and a lot of frustration before resolving the problem. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual GLOSSARY OF TERMS - 24 Abort To terminate the execution of an operation. Access Time The time allotted for use of the system. ANSI An acronym for American National Standards Institute, an organization that develops and publishes industry standards. Archive A file which contains all or parts of a shareware program or text file. It is created and expanded by using of a compression format. ASCII An acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange, an organization which defines the codes for a character set used for information interchange between equipments of different manufacturers. Asynchronous Unpredictable or irregular with respect to the time interval between characters transmitted (not synchronized). Batch A number of files grouped together for the purpose of processing them as a single unit. Baud Rate The measure of signaling speed equal to the number of code elements per second. Bit A binary digit; a unit of data in binary notation. Block A unit of information to be transferred. Carrier A flow of energy that can carry information. Compression Format A routine which reduces the size of a shareware program while preserving its content and purpose. Download The process of moving files from XXXXX to you. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual GLOSSARY OF TERMS - 25 Echoed Mail Messages transmitted to or received from a netmail system. Editor A routine which performs editing operations of messages. Error Correcting Code A code constructed in such a way that the representation of each character contains a number of redundant bits, allowing the character to be correctly recognized if certain of the bits are erroneously transmitted. Flag A method of selecting a file to be added to a queue for batch downloading. Header Block The first part of information used for identification purposes. Line Noise Unwanted signals, such as current or voltage variations, that interfere with data transmission over telephone lines. Netmail Address The coded representation of a message's destination. Netmail System A system established for the purpose for exchanging electronic messages. Some include TriNet, FidoNet, PCRelay, Intelec and SmartNet. Parity Equivalence of value in the check digit of the transmitted and received data. Parity Bit A binary digit appended to an array of bits to make the sum of all the bits always odd always even. Queued Conferences A list of conferences to be read. Shareware Copyrighted software which is marketed to consumers with the understanding that the software may be shared and used without cost for a specified trial period. In other words, "try it before you buy it" software. XXXXX Bulletin Board System Users Manual GLOSSARY OF TERMS - 26 Synchronous Predictable and Regular with respect to the time interval between characters transmitted (synchronized). Stop Bit In asynchronous serial transmission, the last element of a character used to insure recognition of the next start element. Transfer Protocol Software which synchronizes data transmission. Upload The process of moving files from you to XXXXX.