o Prime Bulletin Board System
o Zippety-Doo-Dah! Zippety-Day!
THINKING ABOUT STARTING A BBS? How many of you have wanted to start a
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" local bulletin board system (BBS) but
just didn't want to spend the money on the new equipment such a venture
would entail? Well, you may have the equipment hidden away in a closet or
garage someplace. Dig out that Apple II+, IIc, or IIe and take a look at
Prime.BBS version 2.2 which went public domain in the middle of 1992 and is
available right here on GEnie, in the A2 Library.
Prime.BBS is perfect for starting up a small (25 to 200 subscriber)
local bulletin board. Its easy to install, simple to operate, and will run
on any Apple II with 64K of RAM, including an Apple ][+ with some
limitations. You will also need a modem (modulator/demodulator) that
operates at 300, 1200, or 2400 baud and a Super Serial Card. A small hard
drive of 5 to 10 Megs is also recommended but not mandatory if you have two
disk drives, either 5.25 inch floppy or 3.5 inch. However, if you are
using two 5.25 inch floppy disk drive you would be somewhat limited in your
scope of operations, being able to have an E-Mail and a bulletin board area
but not a software library. With two 3.5 inch drives you can handle just
about everything with your software library or libraries on one drive and
everything else on the other. A ProDOS compatible clock card is strongly
recommended. A printer is optional.
You may already have some or all this stuff just hanging around doing
nothing. Now you can put it to work and become an all powerful System
Operator (SysOp) on your own BBS. Start a BBS for your local Apple II
users group. Share a collection of shareware, freeware, and public domain
software with the club, and the club with you. Local BBSs are popping up
all over and cover all types of special interests from chess clubs to
retired senior citizens.
Prime.BBS offers you complete access control so you can setup areas
of your board that have limited access to users. You control everything
your users see and do while they are on your board. If you don't like the
look and feel of the default menus or the structure of the libraries,
change them to meet your desires. You can edit almost anything about
Prime.BBS. Electronic mail is an important part of every bulletin board
and Prime.BBS supports a simple, elegant E-Mail system.
You can create as many special interest areas within your board as you
need, with each area having its own bulletin board and library. The
libraries can also be divided into categories which reflect the type of
software in them, such as separate sections for graphics, utilities, games,
etc. A SysOp can be assigned to monitor and control each area.
The External program section adds real power to your board and allows
for the addition of external programs such as games, phrase of the day,
"this day in history," or a calculator. You can even add external menus.
You can control how the board answers callers, with a message for new
subscribers that outlines what the board has to offer and the rules and
etiquette required of a all subscribers.
The 89 page (not counting appendices) manual covers every aspect of
Prime.BBS and is written in Classic Appleworks for easy access. It is will
organized and easy to follow, even though it covers everything you need to
know down to the last detail.
Downloading Prime.BBS can be done in two ways depending on your
choice of disks. If you want to use 5.25 inch floppy disks you would have
to download the following:
File number Volume name
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
18893 /INSTALL
18894 /SYSTEM
18895 /UTILITY
18896 /XFER1
18897 /XFER2
19050 /MANUAL PART1
19051 /MANUAL PART2
For 3.5 inch disks, or a hard drive, download the following:
19189 /Prime.BBS
18837 /Prime.BBS Doc
Other recommended downloads are:
19649 /BUGS AND FIXES
18994 /USER REPORTS
19706 /USER REPAIR UTILITY
19175 /SYSTEM DIRECTORY LISTING
19249 /PRIME.TIP1
19228 /PRIME Alternative Xfer System
19227 /Prime Xpress Xfer Documentation
19545 /Prime Xpress Patch & Fixes
For a complete listing of all Prime.BBS files just do a search of the
A2 library for "Prime". They range from role playing games, sport
simulations like golf and football, adventure games, board games, a lottery
system, and general information like the complete history of the Apple II.
Everything you need to make your BBS entertaining and fun to use.
The best feature of Prime.BBS is William T. Goosey, Jr. (W.GOOSEY)
here on GEnie and the Prime.BBS category. "Goose" is the resident guru for
Prime.BBS and is available to answer any of your questions concerning
installation and operation. So if you run into problems just go to
Category 41, Topics 4: Prime BBS System goes Public, Topic 5: Prime Help
and Bug reports, and Topic 6: Advertise your Prime BBS here. Goose has
uploaded over 70 Prime BBS programs that can be used to enhance your
bulletin board operation. He continues to upload tested modules for Prime.
So what's holding you back? Dig out that unused Apple II and get
into the Bulletin Board business. It's easy if you have Prime.BBS. And
how can you go wrong with a resident expert right here on GEnie?