CHATeau BBS v1.0

By

Eugene Tiffany

The CHATeau loader program is pretty darn fancy.

Introduction:

Mr. Tiffany must indeed be an idealist. To have so carefully crafted such a large system with so few features in order to maintain the purity of something called a "Room" system must have strained the programmer's creative urge.

The loader program IS pretty though.

CHATeau is basically an unthreaded, ASCII-only, message bases-only system with some well-crafted help files. The lack of modern user security and access control, message structure of any sort, transfers, or ANY bells and whistles makes one long for All American.

A menuless, featureless, screen-saving waiting for call system.

Aside from giving one the ability to load the off-line configurer and to log on, the waiting for call system is remarkable only in that the information you see above is constantly floating around the screen, giving one the effect of a screen saver.

Here are your hotkey options (well, some of them).

Care was taken to make sure that everything can be done from the main menu, which is basically a message area menu that allows you to log off.

I suppose I shouldn't be so hard on a message-bases only system. After all, message bases are the best part of a BBS. However, if more work had been done in the message bases themselves so that at least THAT area shined, this program might be salvagable. However, lacking support for Commodore graphics, lacking message threading or message structure of any kind, and lacking scanning and other standard features makes it tough.

The Facts:

Hardware Information

Computer    :   Commodore 64 or 128 in 64 mode
Video       :   40 columns, with online viewing support for 60, 80 columns.
Drives      :   CBM, limited CMD (no parts, no subdirs)
Modems      :   1670 compatibles only (300-1200)
Input       :   Keyboard
Output      :   Printer optional
RAM use     :   N/A
Special     :

General

Pgm Struct  :   Single, large, self-sufficient program
Menu Struct :   Single menu system, hotkey with some word-like meta commands.
Translation :   ASCII only
Access      :   Open system, or Guest/Validated users, passwords.
Handle/ID   :   Handles not allowed, users listed by initials
User info   :   Name, city, access
User Logs   :   Name
Calls/Time  :   Limits hard coded?
Network     :   N/A
Customizing :   Not terribly customizable
  Programs  :   Program is compiled BASIC, not changable
  Displays  :   Displays are SEQ files, easy to change
  Commands  :   Not changable
Areas       :   Almost all selections from main menu
  E-mail    :   From main menu
  Messages  :   From main menu
  Transfers :   N/A
  Network   :   N/A
  Programs  :   N/A
  Text      :   From main menu
  User Cmds :   N/A
  SysOp     :   From main menu, and integrated functions
  Voting    :   N/A
  News      :   Does the connection screen count?
  Help      :   From main menu
Other       :

SysOp Utilities and Support

Offline     :   Configurator for message bases, users only
Online      :   Chat, disconnect
Remote      :   Message base configuring, message editing only
On-L Display:   Lines of text before prompt, showing name, city
W.F.C. Utils:   Log on, ability to load configurator, validate drives
Chatting    :   From any prompt
User        :   Certain limited editors from offline configurator
Msg Bases   :   Base/Message editing online and Bases from configurator
Transfers   :   N/A
Programs    :   N/A
Network     :   N/A
Drives      :   Validating only?
Terminal    :   N/A

News

Structure   :   Easily changable connection screen
Header      :   No set header
Weeding     :   By SysOp only
Display     :   At connection time

Messages

Structure   :   Linear style, nonthreaded
Bases       :   Named "Rooms", listed by number
Limits      :   Limited only by drive
            :    Enforced by hardware/SysOp
Reading     :   Forward, local new, newest 4
Headers     :   Name, city, time
Format      :   Text only
Writing     :   New posts only
Anonymous   :   Not allowed
Network     :   N/A
Other       :

Message Editor

Structure   :   Line editor
Commands    :   Menu system
Editing     :   Search/replace
Formatting  :   None whatsoever
Graphics    :   Not supported

Transfers

Bases       :   N/A
Storage     :   N/A
Limits      :   N/A
Credits     :   N/A
Protocols   :   N/A
Headers     :   N/A
Selection   :   N/A
Listing     :   N/A
Network     :   N/A
Other       :

Text Libraries

Structure   :   Open unstructured ability to view seq files on disk
Storage     :   As unlisted seq files
Network     :   N/A
Other       :

E-Mail

Structure   :   From main menu, as posts to a room
Sending     :   By name
Receiving   :   On demand
Network     :   N/A
Other       :

Program Libraries

Structure   :   N/A
Programs    :   N/A
Network     :   N/A
Other       :


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