1 - Commodore Is Awesome

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negative image it has seems due
largely to the deluge of new
0 axsBBS
MaxsBBS
gets
Sysops
some
popping
stick. Whatever
up all
over the place. They set up over night with little
more than the original Maxs config of
crude ANSI screens and the distinct taste synonymous
with poor quality BBSs. There are
so many that good Max boards are overshadowed
and tend to get caught up in the same
image. Max lacks the power of BBS software
you pay for on the market nowadays, kind of
like using Deluxe Paint 2 with Brilliance 2 and
its power, extras and more polished look,
should you take to pixel art.
But what better way to try the waters of
comms than via a free Public Domain, easyto-use,
all-in-one package. I'm going to show
you what's possible with this program and
the tricks up its sleeve that give a polish, making
all the difference as to whether new users
call back.
After a few months, if you like what being
a Sysop is all about, you might consider
upgrading by buying one of the newer BBS
systems available like Zeus and Xenolink. Or
you may stick with Max's, A Sysop can make
his BBS a permanent agenda on his HD,
going 24 hours, but finds Max's still offers all
he requires.
MAX CONFUSION
Though one of the most easy-to-use BBS systems,
some parts of Max's and how they link
together can confuse;; the general under
standing of how it works taking time to sink
in. You might well end up reading the manu
al through by the end of it, but dipping in at
random is probably how you'll begin.
Before getting stuck into the secrets and
ways of improvement behind Max's, we'll
make sure we're together. We'll assume you
have a modem, a hard drive, and have experienced
the comms scene long enough to be
past the teething troubles of downloading
files and logging on to BBSs.
Max's BBS version 1.54 is available to
download on plenty of BBSs. The 1.54 archive
is largely to be found containing just the master
program and none of the manuals and
assorted bits necessary to go into your BBS
directory. If this is the case, use. the search
files option on a B85 to track down version
1.52 - usually the archive you'll find
A NS I ma
Thousands of HD files, extensive mail network support,
multiple on-line CD-ROMs, a 24 hour BBS and preferably
an extra node is what a user wants from his local
board when he's after the works to pick and choose
from. Boards offering much less ore still used, usually
when it's the only local one or when he gets along with
the Sysop.
This, above all, helps in creating a professional B85,
along with upgrading by buying better software more
capable of handling the system of mail nets and so on
you may wish to offer the user. In the end, anyone can
save up and buy and work on setting up these things, but
what about a BBS that stands out? It's all in the ANSI.
Polished, well designed ANSI will set your BBS out
from the rest - like reading a well presented fact sheet
Want to be a Sysop?
Then let us begin.
Jason Jordache
'takes you through
containing everything you need.
The 1.52 archive of Max's should come
equipped with a startup-sequence and all the
drawers necessary for booting from floppy.
There have been Max's boards run from floppy,
complete with limited mail network ability
and a few files in the external drive. A hard
drive makes sense with a BBS, and not just to
avoid people feeling sorry for you. With the
AMIGA COMPUTING
OCTOBER 1
996 .
The BPS directory
on your hard drive
won't be the
same, but similar
with thousands spent on graphic designers compared to
the original text scribbled on bits of paper. The image,
how the information looks in its presentation, decides
the first and continuing impression. If you don't feel
artistic you need to track down ANSI. To help with this
there will be fresh ANSI screens - to add to and replace
the old - that I created for my own BBS for you to build
upon.
One night wondered what could be done to make a
BBS different. Mine evolved into a novelty approach
based around a medieval castle, Knights and wenches,
which most appeared to take to instantly. That explains
the nature of the ANSI you'll find on future coverdisks
and lets you in on the secret of one potential path to
success using the themed approach.
A
Part 1
LL ABOUT
MAX
Long ago, everyone was hooked into a
mail network called MaxNet, built around
a gathering of Max's BBS Sysops spanning
all the way - via a link - to Australia. The
people loved Max and were demanding
updates. They didn't even mind paying for
the pleasure. Apparently some guy down
under had taken over updating Max's
from the original programmer, Anthony
Barrett, but the rumour goes that his hard
drive crashed and all the work for Max's
was lost.
The project was never restarted, if
indeed it began. As far as I know, Max's
will stay in its current form, the 1994 version
1.54. I came in at 1.52 where we
stayed for a while before 1.53 came
along. This was quickly backed up with
the release of 1.54, which had a back
door removed that had been originally
coded in and known only by Anthony. But
it's gone now. No system is completely* ft
safe of course - a hacker finds his way
into the most well protected area, back
door or no back door, but there's no greati t
cause for worry as far as hackers are concerned.
You never hear reports of hacked
Max's boards, and Sysops sleep sound at
night with their BBS left on. It's only when
glmeone hates you...
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