From: "Don Brown" <cptquirk@centurytel.net>
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.tbbs
Subject: Answering questions
Lines: 68
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000
Message-ID: <lq558.286$U41.229669@feed.centurytel.net>
Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 21:32:10 -0800
NNTP-Posting-Host: 64.91.55.122
X-Complaints-To: abuse@centurytel.net
X-Trace: feed.centurytel.net 1012196113 64.91.55.122 (Sun, 27 Jan 2002 23:35:13 CST)
NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 23:35:13 CST
Organization: CenturyTel.Net


Nice letter Don - I am a fromer TBBS owner - been away for a few years ;-^)
since the Internet pretty much broke things up -- Some questions about what
you
talked about:

1) "WWIVnet" - Not familiar with this ... Is this what Fidonet became or a
Surviving net?
2) Would making TBBS available to this WWIVnet allow it to operate like a
BBS
on the Internet?
         (something like SoftArc's First Class BBS)
3) Would Upgrades Cost something?

I guess I am asking where all this would be heading...???

Thanks - Tom Porter

Now you got me wanting to fire up the old box and see if I can find my Point
software too... ;-)

WWIV (World War Four) is a BBS that was written by Wayne Bell in the early
80's as a high school programing project. He shared the software with 25
friends and soon the need arose to share messages from one board with all
the rest. WWIVnet was born from this need. Originally programed in basic,
more power was needed and WWIV was redone in Pascal and then moved to "C".
In all its forms WWIV's source code has always be available to registered
owners. This encuraged sysops to develop new features for WWIV and these
ideas were released as "Mods" that others could add to their own copies.
There are many professional "C" programmers that got their start pouring
over WWIV source code. WWIVnet was also available to those that registered.
In its hayday there were over 1500 BBS's connected through this world wide
network. Yes, it was much smaller than FIDOnet, but the sysops were very
involved and dedicated to BBSing, as a result a small core of systems are
still running and more importantly still developing WWIV. The new owner of
WWIV Software Services, Trader Jack, heads an all VOLUNTEER team of
programmers that are developing a Windows version of WWIV and a LINIX
version is also in development. The DOS version is still being improved as
well. WWIV and WWIVnet can be found on the internet at WWW.FILENET.WWIV.

TBBS has TIMS which produces FIDOnet mail packets and WWIV has support
software that also produces FIDOnet packets. Connecting TBBS to WWIVnet is
possible now, but only by stepping through mulitple layers of software. As
anyone can tell you reducing the steps to one greatly improves the ease of
setup and reduces errors. It is my hope and plan to develop sofware that
will directly write WWIVnet mail packets for TBBS.

As for connecting a TBBS system to the internet, that is already possible.
Look back in the messages here and you find referances to that subject.
Current software requires a second computer to act as a gateway for the TBBS
computer.

Cost? WWIV registration is required to join WWIVnet (currently $80 although
you can just register the netware for a smaller fee). I am currently
attemping to get TBBS released to public domain so, if successful, no cost
there. I can't really say about newly developed programs, but my plan is
that the volunteers also release their work to PD. A limited liablity corp,
like WWIV currently has, might develop and if so small fees might be
charged. Or we could fold this project into WWIV as a new dept. if Trader
Jack is interested (There is some interest there).

Heading? I am not looking to make a fortune, or even a living. I have been a
BBS SYSOP since 1980. It is my hobby and my passion! I love WWIVnet, and
have many freinds there. I also spend two years developing a TBBS system for
my local public library and feel TBBS is the most configurable BBS software
ever developed. I want to save it! I want it, like WWIV, to find a new place
in the new world of the internet.