Bikerbob Posted September 2, 2019 Share Posted September 2, 2019 Hey guys. Looking for something that WE KNOW works with an 8-bit and a UDS device. All this is - is a test of the UDS device.. make sure it will handle incoming calls. After that I am going to play with other bbs software. I know nitelite and PUFF BBS require some sort of hardware to use.. (dongles) Any others?? Anyone tried AMIS - one of the original BBSs? Says works with a Hayes but I have only got a weird audio tones when I have set it to auto answer.. But I am not sure I have the no-ip.net setup correct so that people reach the UDS device. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcamp48 Posted September 2, 2019 Share Posted September 2, 2019 I have an Atari 8 bit, and BBS software from APE plus a UDS device, and a PR - connection device, sure I can set up a test BBS on it, but I think the APE device already has R: access incoming calls, I have the registered version of Ape as well as the dual port device, right now I am having problems with the USB ports not recognizing it on Windows 10, if I did not already have a BBS running on an Atari Mega ST4, I would switch over to the 512 K 8 bit Atari 600 XL that I have, BUT I remain committed to the ST and Forem software, there is a copy of Forem XE floating around , and I have a cartridge for Basic XE, I can always put up a temporary second BBS with Forem XE and APE. (I will look for Forem XE , I do believe I have it.) Russ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcamp48 Posted September 2, 2019 Share Posted September 2, 2019 I have a copy and the history of Forem XE Version 5.4, available for download, I just found it online, I will post all 4 here: fxep54_a.arc fxep54_b.arc fxep54_c.arc Forem-XE Pro BBS Forem-XE Pro is a public domain BBS program, being a rewrite of Matt Singer's original FoReM XE BBS. My first experience with it was late 1989, when version 4.5 had just been released. When I finally purchased a Basic XE cartridge and upgraded my 800XL to 256k, I was finally able to switch over from the old Oasis Jr. program to FXEP. What impressed me about it was the ability to run external programs and then return right where it left off, plus the message networking on this system was second to none, with information stored in the message data that allowed complete threading of messages and replies across different systems. There were also several excellent online games written for it, incuding Darel Schartman's 'Horror Castle', probably the best 'haunted house' game ever written for an Atari 8-bit BBS. The core of the BBS was the Automatic Modem Processor (AMP). This machine language core handled the sysop display screen, X/Ymodem block transfers, word-wraps and page-breaks on text files and messages, and was the main "traffic cop" for all I/O, automatically opening and closing the modem channel as needed, as well as watchdogging the carrier. By version 4.8, the program had outgrown even the extended memory capability of Basic XE, and the file transfer section was spun off into its own module. Version 5.0 saw AMP rewritten, tightening some of the code, especially the modem output. The last released version, 5.4, saw TWO versions of AMP, one for the SIO modem interfaces, the other for the PBI interfaces. The PBI version especially was optimized for 19.2k port speed. In the main program, some Basic routines were replaced with machine code, which speeded some functions up considerably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted September 2, 2019 Share Posted September 2, 2019 Carina works on the UDS-10. I also believe I used it with the UDS-1100. I think I had to make a couple minor adjustments but nothing major. I think I might have actually remembered to record them somewhere too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPolka Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 On 9/1/2019 at 7:55 PM, Bikerbob said: Anyone tried AMIS - one of the original BBSs? Says works with a Hayes but I have only got a weird audio tones when I have set it to auto answer.. But I am not sure I have the no-ip.net setup correct so that people reach the UDS device. James The Lantronix UDS-10 with some BBSs require the user to press return/enter a a few times before the BBS recognizes an incoming call. Did you try this? Also AMIS is written in Atari Basic, so it may be possible to look at the souce code to determine what it's looking for when an incoming call comes in. Maybe it's expecting something like a certain modem message when a call comes in that the Lantronix does not produce. I'd first start by looking for any modem init strings (i.e., anything that starts with AT, for example, ATZ) in the AMIS source code. The modem init strings might give you a clue as to what AMIS is expecting for an incoming call. If AMIS expects something that the Lantronix does not support, it may still be possible to modify AMIS to work with the Lantronix. -JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikerbob Posted September 3, 2019 Author Share Posted September 3, 2019 11 hours ago, JohnPolka said: The Lantronix UDS-10 with some BBSs require the user to press return/enter a a few times before the BBS recognizes an incoming call. Did you try this? Also AMIS is written in Atari Basic, so it may be possible to look at the souce code to determine what it's looking for when an incoming call comes in. Maybe it's expecting something like a certain modem message when a call comes in that the Lantronix does not produce. I'd first start by looking for any modem init strings (i.e., anything that starts with AT, for example, ATZ) in the AMIS source code. The modem init strings might give you a clue as to what AMIS is expecting for an incoming call. If AMIS expects something that the Lantronix does not support, it may still be possible to modify AMIS to work with the Lantronix. -JP YEP.. totally agree John I was looking at that (see another thread where I asked about editing basic code) BUT - the more I read about AMIS the more I think, its not unique.. its just OLD - one msg base.. and no flavor and any Flavor I add wont amount to much. SO I am moving on to.. Bulletin Board Construction Set II - Antic publishing.. might be interesting enough to get calls. - Have to see if that will work with the UDS - not basic, and not sure those routines are modifiable. FOrEM XL(prefered) or XE - XE I can find .. but for the life of me I cannot find an Image anywhere on the net of Forem XL - though I found many posts around where people said they ran it back in the day. My only thought here is to run something thats different.. EXPRESS PRO! is fantastic and runs great etc.. but we have 3 or 4 of those bbs. I currently do not see any BBSs running either of the two above systems. I did test out EXPRESS! 1.0 APE version yesterday.. works perfect.. no hitches issues etc.. SO I could run that and modify it to make Biker's Clubhouse. This could be my fallback plan. I would love to run Steve Carden's last effort he called it TCP/IP express - not sure what other than dealing with the net was updated from Express PRO! I saw some posts from people asking about buying Express PRO.. seems like the guy who currently owns it is quiet. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 BBCS was a good one from what I remember, but also prone to crashing. Forem XE was good too from what I recall. As to the Lantronix, sometimes it can just be a matter of what its sending. Might just want to use a term program to verify the string being sent is what tbe software expects. The Connect or Ring string might be off, or include other data. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnPolka Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 (edited) 8 hours ago, Bikerbob said: YEP.. totally agree John I was looking at that (see another thread where I asked about editing basic code) BUT - the more I read about AMIS the more I think, its not unique.. its just OLD - one msg base.. and no flavor and any Flavor I add wont amount to much. SO I am moving on to.. Bulletin Board Construction Set II - Antic publishing.. might be interesting enough to get calls. - Have to see if that will work with the UDS - not basic, and not sure those routines are modifiable. FOrEM XL(prefered) or XE - XE I can find .. but for the life of me I cannot find an Image anywhere on the net of Forem XL - though I found many posts around where people said they ran it back in the day. My only thought here is to run something thats different.. EXPRESS PRO! is fantastic and runs great etc.. but we have 3 or 4 of those bbs. I currently do not see any BBSs running either of the two above systems. I did test out EXPRESS! 1.0 APE version yesterday.. works perfect.. no hitches issues etc.. SO I could run that and modify it to make Biker's Clubhouse. This could be my fallback plan. I would love to run Steve Carden's last effort he called it TCP/IP express - not sure what other than dealing with the net was updated from Express PRO! I saw some posts from people asking about buying Express PRO.. seems like the guy who currently owns it is quiet. James Actually you might be surprised by the interest for a resurrected AMIS BBS. Many people got their start with AMIS and it would certainly bring back memories. It would be unique now that there's no other AMIS BBS up. In this day and age, one message base is plenty. However, it's my understanding that it's not difficult to modify AMIS to support more than one message base. My first BBS program was MPP AMIS and iwhen I got it, it had already been modified to support more than one message base. By all means try Bulletin Board Construction Set (BBCS), but beware that it was very crash prone back in the day. A flavor of FoReM on the 8 bit would be a decent choice too. -JP Edited September 4, 2019 by JohnPolka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcamp48 Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 We are getting a flavor of Forem on the 8 Bit I will run a second BBS for a month and as I mentioned in another thread try both....I have an AtariMax Ape system, and just got the new update so it is a possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcamp48 Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Here is Forem XE Professional , all unarced, and in folders ,etc, all set up for anyone that wants to try it, I have put everything in new ZIP folder, unarced all of the text, game01, message, etc arc files, I left the arc files in to just in case there is an installer that uses the in a special way, BUT I don't really know , I have yet to make several atr files for it , that I will do this afternoon and upload them here, (after I make the 90 K disks needed for the Forem XE BBS) at least it is worth a try and with my skills in programming I may be able to update the program itself.. I have a few programming courses from college under my belt, am fairly fluent in Basic and have used Basic XE before. (I used it to modify Forem XE back in 1989 to run the Original Spy Visits Spy BBS). I intend to put 300-600 hours into the BBS , I have the time, as I had already put 300 hours into 1 video, I can do the same on the BBS. For me it is easy to sit for 18 hours and just solid program without taking many breaks , I get so involved in it, basically I put 100 % into what ever I am doing at the time. Unfortunately I have a lot of projects on the go at the moment, but this one comes first...... Russ ForemXE Pro 54.zip Everything is set up, and ready to go, I will of course experiment with it and the UDS-10 or the APE this afternoon..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lastic Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Coming from an PC background concerning BBS'es, I used to fiddle around with Vision/X and PCExpress a lot back in the days so I thought of setting up a Forem XE Professional BBS (since it's the ancester of Vision/X) using FujiNet as an excercise and retro nostalgia. Are there any manuals on how to setup Forem XE Professional ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 From what I recall, there should be documentation on the Forem XE archive. I remember setting it up to play with a few years ago. I know Amis has been working with some people on getting Forem XL to work (with FujiNet or was that with AWS/ECS?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amis Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Lots of documentation for Forem XE and should be contained within the standard package from download - ATR # 3 is all docs: http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/software/ATARI/EIGHTBIT/FOREMXE/ As far as set up with FujiNet - a couple of issue with the RLISTEN need to be worked out otherwise with emulator, everything works fine. Also FujiNet has a packet issue as you will see by logging into the test board Jerry from Mouse Net has set up bbs-mousenet.dynip.online:8889 You will have to wait a long stretch to connect as the RLISTEN routine for some reason ATZ 0 reset followed by ATA for connect - you will see the modem commands after pressing return a few times.. Also - 9600 + Baud is a problem you can look at connecting with basementbbs.ddns.net:9000 and see the lock ups and how 9600 is too fast for FujiNet Southernamis.ddns.net:23 is 2400 baud and works with FujiNet but I can tell based upon the ACK occurring that data flow is not standard such as you see in SyncTerm. Large data packets could cause a lock up or delay. I haven't tried my XE or XL cart with FujiNet but have read it works.. A few returning to our community do have fully functional Forem XE boards progressing on real hardware and emulator. Emulator will come online before native hardware just due to the issue above being worked out. It will be interesting also to see if Forem experiences the same issues as BBS Express Pro and FujiNet.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 Sorry.. .that's what I meant by "archive". And just to point out, the one he linked to is the one I was able to get successfully running. So maybe I misunderstood... are you guys working on Forem XL or XE? I guess I was under the impression it was XL for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amis Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 Hi Tillek - Your right XL is the current version in process for AWS and/or FujiNet. Has been a real pain and lent some of the code from XE.. All started with wanting to run on real hardware but has changed so your are correct. The XE version has been much easier to work with as the files floating around required much less programing repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lastic Posted November 20, 2020 Share Posted November 20, 2020 Thanks everbody for your input, will have a look further next week when I'm in holidays read stuck at home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikerbob Posted December 18, 2020 Author Share Posted December 18, 2020 Hey hey.. just thought I would post here.. just scored 4 UDS-10s for $40 CDN.. That will allow me to do a multi line ST BBS with Michtron if it works out.. OR I have back ups if one blows - which one did earlier this year.. so I now have some extras. Finding most software runs best on my good old STFM 520 (4mb) .. I would like to have this bbs.. whatever I go with .. running on my MegaSTE. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 I hope you have better luck..... I found a similar deal with 5. So far I've tested 3. 2 dead or unreachable, one good. I haven't bothered to try the last 2 yet but I'm not hopeful. I actually found that my MSTE ran the bbs best. The Falcon and TT030 usually were ok with RatSoft, but would have various issues with games and such. So I'm predicting you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikerbob Posted December 23, 2020 Author Share Posted December 23, 2020 Well the 4 UDS did come.. I did not notice but they were 3rd party units with a custom Firmware.. but deviceinstaller found them.. and I was able to flash the latest Lantronix firmware to them. SO all 4 are good for now! (knock on wood) James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikerbob Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 Anyone have a TT030 that you can test Michtron BBS on? I have tried to run it.. but something with the speed of the machine is messing it up once I am online.. Maybe thats just an issue with the console? going to the bbs? no idea.. but all my input is garbage.. it does not run. I know Tillek has run ratsoft on the TT.. so that works.. Wondering maybe will foresite will run. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted December 30, 2020 Share Posted December 30, 2020 14 hours ago, Bikerbob said: Anyone have a TT030 that you can test Michtron BBS on? I have tried to run it.. but something with the speed of the machine is messing it up once I am online.. Maybe thats just an issue with the console? going to the bbs? no idea.. but all my input is garbage.. it does not run. I know Tillek has run ratsoft on the TT.. so that works.. Wondering maybe will foresite will run. James Hmmm... well, if it's the speed, probably won't be much different. Or maybe worse since I have a CaTTamaran. I thought you had a Mega STE too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikerbob Posted December 30, 2020 Author Share Posted December 30, 2020 I do have a MegaSTE.. but not in one piece at the moment. I have 2 both open .. I will need to get them closed up.. need to put some time dedicated to it. I will then try MichTron at 16mhz see if I still am getting some of the same issues. Unfortunatly there is no one except maybe the ratsoft author we can get an experienced answer. OR maybe it has to do with the UDS. All I know is its like there is a bit of a skew of the baud. I type on the console and it is not receiving what I type correctly.. and then board cannot understand what I am sending.. what I might do is take a video of it. More experienced minds with the faster machines might have an idea. I did find a MichTron 2.1 bbs disk - that has a bunch of manuals for mcl - so I have a start on programming. The basic like command structure is fine, what I am wondering is about screen positioning for menus etc.. I have not got to that part of the manuals yet. ForeSight has a way to program it as well.. I like its interface better, much more advanced msging.. I also got it to run to the point of waiting for a call.. so I can work with that system as well. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillek Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 I'd call "Blasphemy" but my Mega STEs are in the same state (though to be fair, one was lightning striked and therefore, awaiting some kind of reanimation miracle). The Ratsoft author knows about Michtron? I'm sorry I've been behind.... My vacation is more than half over and I've done nothing fun... Just work related stuff to make sure our boss returns to a happy status report on the project from hell, job search related stuff to tell the bastard that put us in that position (not our boss) to go to hell and I quit when he finally decides to return to work and being stressed out from those two things. So are you more interested in Michtron or Foresight? I mean, the multi-line concept is cool, but let's face it.... the BBS community doesn't have the user base where it would matter. If Foresight is more preferable, I won't waste my time scanning manuals (well, not this week anyway). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikerbob Posted January 6, 2021 Author Share Posted January 6, 2021 (edited) Found another interesting BBS - Transcendence BBS and so far it is running pretty nice on the TT030 (setup programs etc.. not received a call yet) Configurable.. which I like, most of it through Style sheets not a script language which is good too.. less of a learning curve. No Tillek I mean you have had discussions with Ratsoft author .. but as far as I can tell everything has gone quite there again. Michtron is good, and if I could get the 4 ports on the TT030 working on it, would be kind of cool, if only to say, kinda cool. I am looking at FS and Trans, and still Michtron, but only Michtron have I got running to the point of accepting a caller, and thats where I had issues with the TT030, so until I can get any of these working with the TT030, the 4 nodes, or whatever are a pipe dream, so I will just work on getting the megaSTE I want running up and going.. because overall for compatibility with everything its the machine to use. James Edited January 6, 2021 by Bikerbob addition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctor_x Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 On 11/18/2020 at 1:26 AM, Lastic said: Coming from an PC background concerning BBS'es, I used to fiddle around with Vision/X and PCExpress a lot back in the days so I thought of setting up a Forem XE Professional BBS (since it's the ancester of Vision/X) using FujiNet as an excercise and retro nostalgia. Are there any manuals on how to setup Forem XE Professional ? Curious... What did VX have to do with Forem???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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