From: j...@imt.net
Subject: DS102FAQ: DarkStar 1.02a Frequently Asked Questions
Date: 1995/05/26
Message-ID: <3q5640$r0n@cu.comp-unltd.com>
X-Deja-AN: 103366000
distribution: world
organization: Internet Montana
keywords: DarkStar
newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
I am part of Team DarkStar. I just thought it was time for pure informtion
about DarkStar... since so many people seem to be having trouble
finding information, or are being misled by other people.
DS102FAQ.DOC -- rev1.0 (a rough draft)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frequently Asked Questions
about DarkStar 1.02A
5-22-95
Definitions
- Team DarkStar
- Beta
- Onlineable Beta
- Full Release
General Questions
- What is DarkStar 1.02a?
- Was there ever a 1.00 or 1.01? Why didn't I hear about them?
- If 1.01c is available, why shouldn't I use that until 1.02a is released?
- What software company is writing DarkStar 1.02a?
- Paragon Labs...is that a large, bloated, beuracratic organization?
- Could someone fill me in on what's happening with r&d and production?
- How can one person possibly rollout a quality project as huge as DarkStar
seems to be?
- How do I get the beta? and the enhancement patches?
- What if I don't want to mess with being on Team DarkStar, but I want to
run DarkStar NOW?
- When the full release is available, how much will it cost?
- How do I find out more?
Technical Questions
- Which graphics formats are supported?
- What sound files can be used with DarkStar?
- DarkStar has built-in online database features? Which database formats are
supported?
- What is a 'panel'?
- What resolution and how many colors does DarkStar support?
- How many ON SCREEN colors does DarkStar support?
- When I try installing DarkStar by running the INSTALL.EXE it crashes.
- How do I install under OS/2?
- Why does the session crash when I try to use the Local Dial mode for
DarkStar 1.02a?
- QWK support yet?
- How are CDs handled - in other words, can files from the same CD path be
placed in other file areas?
- When is the anticipated full release (approx)?
- Does the Beta yet allow log-ons?
- Does DarkStar support client-server technology?
- What are the online interactive features of DarkStar like? Will there be
doors available that allow interaction between users?
Plans for the Future
- DarkStar has a lot of features that are part of the Web (Netscape, Mosaic,
etc), will DarkStar be capable of being a Web server? DarkStar obviously
can't be compared to the World Wide Web, but down the road, where will
DarkStar fit into its intended BBS market?
- Video compression techniques are getting better and better, will DarkStar
offer more than just plain vanilla .FLI at some point? What about the
newest graphic compression techniques such as fractal compression?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
DEFINITIONS...
>> Team DarkStar
Team DarkStar is a name that was self imposed by the members of the DarkStar
Beta Team, because we are a team striving for one common goal... to produce
the MOST AWESOME BBS software in existence.
The three rules for gaining Team DarkStar beta status are:
1. Register DarkStar 1.01c. (Receives free upgrades depending on node licence
purchased)
2. Join the DRK_BETA echo in DarkNet. This is how Team DarkStar communicates
with the author, Jerry Hunter. In this echo Jerry will post the modules that
he would like tested as they are created and fixed. And this is how he gets
the bug reports from the Beta Team.
3. Sign and return the confidentiality agreement (in the DSBETA0A files called
CONFIDEN.TXT) to DarkStar Publishing Company at 10601 Grant Rd. Suite 102,
Houston, Tx. 77070.
>> Beta
DarkStar is written by one man, Jerry Hunter. At present it has well over 820,
000 lines of code. As one can see this would be a major undertaking for a ten
man programming team, much less one guy. This is why the need for a beta team.
DarkStar is modular, meaning that the different areas are written seperately and
after each section has been thoroughly tested and debugged it is then pasted
into the main code.
There are just about as many different brands of hardware and configurations for
that hardware as there are people with computers. With this in mind Mr. Hunter
decided to get help in testing the modules as he creates them, hence the beta
team. The goal for DarkStar 1.02a is a completely bug-free public release.
Although DarkStar has had previous versions on the market as shareware for over
two years, 1.02a is the first commercial release. Therefore we as beta team
members have agreed to do our part in order the bring a bug free release
to market.
>> Onlineable beta
As stated above DarkStar is written in stages. Once Mr. Hunter feels that the
product is stable enough for someone to be able to run it 24 hours a day with
out worry of it crashing the system, locking up or allowing a user to drop to
dos, he will release it to Team DarkStar. The beta team will continue testing
the updates as Mr. Hunter puts them out. The difference is that the beta team
will be accepting calls from users during this phase of testing. There will
probably still be bugs and it is our job to find them and report them to Mr.
Hunter in the DRK_BETA echo of DarkNet.
>> Full Release
This is what the world is waiting for. This is the fruit of our labor. Once we,
the beta team, show that it is completely RIGHT the beta team members as well as
the public will receive shrink wrapped disks with a printed manual.
This is the stage that the person who is not willing to help test needs to
purchase. Unless one is willing to roll up his/her sleeves and help, wait for
the public release. At which point the price of the 9,999 node version will be
in the neighborhood of $10,000. There will still be a one node shareware
version available for $149. But free upgrades will stop.
>GENERAL QUESTIONS...
>> What is DarkStar 1.02a?
The first commercial release of THE Multimedia BBS software. Version 1.02a is a
complete ground up rewrite of the software. It not only has the great features
of the previous versions; like sound in MOD format, pictures in PCX, GIF and BMP
formats, and built in databasing; but goes far above and beyond with online
databasing in dBase II, III, III+, IV and Foxpro formats with Photo fields and
Audio fields. DarkStar 1.02a will now do sound in five different formats: MOD,
WAV, VOC, MIDI, and CMF while also playing full-motion FLI format video.
(see the Technical Questions & Anwser Section below!)
DarkStar 1.02a, although a DOS based platform, implements WINDOWS format icons
and fonts, sysop-defined text in any windows .FON font, in any color or size
provided by the font file itself. Multiwindow text imports allow up to twelve
smooth-scroll text windows onscreen at the same time.
DarkStar 1.02a will support most industry standard messagebase formats: Hudson,
JAM, MSG, Squish, QWK, and UUCP. Multinode chat is provided with on-the-fly
color and "facial" icon embedding plus global and targeted page/broadcast
features.
Support for standard ANSI doors is provided as well as our own arcade-quality
multimedia doorware through third party programs called INTERWARE.
All of this and much more are included. No suprise "extras" are required to go
online. DarkStar 1.02a will include: the Graphics Editor, Icon Editor, Mouse
Pointer Editor, ANSI editor (supports ANSI, ASCII, and AVATAR), Media Player,
Messagebase Editor, and StarLink Terminal all for one low price.
Paragon Labs offers the DS-SDK toolkit that allows for third
party authors to produce full multimedia applications with MicroSoft Quick Basic
Extended (PDS) and is available through DarkStar Publishing Company at
713-894-8555 voice.
>> Was there ever a 1.00 or 1.01? Why didn't I hear about them?
Yes, there was a 1.00 and a 1.01 version and have been on the market in
shareware format for over two years. Until now DarkStar has been a hobby of
Jerry Hunter. The first version was written for Jerry himself. He has run a
BBS since the early '80s and in 1992 set out to prove that he could write a
graphical BBS. The result was DarkStar. By version 1.01c he had proved to
himself and several others that it could be done. This is when he set out to
produce an actual commercial release. So he started from the ground up writting
version 1.02a.
>> If 1.01c is available, why shouldn't I use that until 1.02a is released?
You should. It is COOL! It is the first BBS software to do digital audio
online, the first BBS software to do pictures in GIF,PCX, and BMP. In a word,
it is cool. But, it is not idiot proof. Some of your users might not be
computer literate enough to get the terminal program, Commlink, working. Because
MOD music needs XMS memory, if the user has his/her memory configured as EMS,
when they log on your BBS, their terminal will lock up. Commlink was written
back when 9600 BPS was the standard, so it does not support some of the high
speed modems of today and it does not support Comm 3 or 4, only 1 and 2. So if
you don't mind babysitting your users, DarkStar 1.01c is a COOL system to run.
>> What software company is writing DarkStar 1.02a?
Smile. The software company is called Paragon Technologies, Inc. This software
company is 100% owned and operated by one man, Jerry Hunter.
>> Paragon Labs...is that a large, bloated, beuracratic organization? (Ok, ok,
so I'm leading you into that anwser...*grin*)
Smile. See above.
>> Could someone fill me in on what's happening with r&d and production?
The beta team has it's own echo on DarkNet called DRK_BETA.
This is where Team DarkStar congregates. Jerry Hunter, the author posts what
he wants tested in this echo and you post your bug reports in here. The beta
team is kept up to date by the author himself in this echo.
R&D... everything that DarkStar IS came to be because J. Thomas Hunter _knew_
it could be done... And currently, the RoundTable echo on DarkNet is the place
where we as the sysops running DarkStar can gather to submit ideas for comment,
brainstorm with the developer, and help form a new era in online
communications...
Development... Jerry locked away in his office cranking out code ... smashing
through bugs single-handedly, and holding off the drooling, rabid sysops and
wild-eyed visitors he regularly gets down in Rogers, AR.
Might as well throw in Marketing/Distribution/Support... DarkStar Publishing in
Houston, TX... 713.894.8555 (voice).
>>How can one person possibly rollout a quality project as huge as DarkStar
seems to be?
It would be almost impossible for one man to tackle a job this big if it weren't
for the help of the rest of Team DarkStar. DarkStar Publishing Company, in
Houston, TX, does all of the tech support and sales so that Mr. Hunter can stay
in the code.
The old saying goes that 'Too many cooks spoil the stew.' You don't throw more
people at a project to get it done faster. You go at it in a logical step by
step manner. That is what Jerry and the beta team are doing.
>> How do I get the beta? and the enhancement patches?
The core _B E T A_ Release of DarkStar 1.02a...
dsbeta#1.zip 1350649 7-28-94 21:01
dsbeta#2.zip 1360783 7-28-94 21:09
dsbeta#3.zip 1185266 7-28-94 21:04
dsbeta#4.zip 1393767 7-28-94 21:10
The required patches to give it POWER...
b0a_add4.zip 984403 11-23-94 18:04
b0a_add5.zip 165961 11-27-94 22:00
b0a_add6.zip 166208 11-27-94 22:00
b0a_add7.zip 311617 12-28-94 20:41
b0a_add8.zip 535616 12-11-94 0:41
b0a_addc.zip 248480 3-07-95 15:08
b0a_adde.zip
b0a_addf.zip
Note: DarkStar Publishing Company always updates the beta pack with all of the
ADDENDUMS as they come out. So if you get the beta pack from us, it is up to
date. You don't need any of the previous B0A_ADD? files. The DarkNet address is
2001:2500/100 or Fido 1:106/5993. Magic name DSBETA0A. You can also get any
files that you need from DSPC by simply file reguesting with the magic name as
the file name without the extention. (ie.B0A_ADDG.ZIP magic name is B0A_ADDG)
If you download and install the 1.02a BETA (which is NOT onlineable at this
point, but FULLY capable to begin designing your board)... remember to fill
out the non-disclosure agreement included with the archive. Send it to the
friendly guys and gals at DarkStar Publishing...
10601 Grant Road, Suite 102
Houston, TX 77070
>> What if I don't want to mess with being on Team DarkStar, but I want to
run DarkStar NOW?
You can also run version 1.01c. But unless you join Team DarkStar in DarkNet
and help beta test then you don't receive the free upgrades.
>> When the full release is available, how much will it cost?
$149 for the shareware, one-node version.
$299 for the Sysop, four-node version.
$999 for the Commercial, 128 node version.
The above is not lock in stone at this point however. The 9,999 node version
will retail in the neighborhood of $10,000.
>> How do I find out more?
Call voice at 713.894.8555.
Fidonet 1:106/5993
Internet darks...@phoenix.phoenix.net
Shortly we will have a WWW page on the internet. More on this as it progresses.
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS...
>> Which graphics formats are supported?
Right now, PCX, BMP and GIF. But, with the ongoing scandal with Unisys and
CIS, the public release may or may not support GIF. For later releases
Mr. Hunter plans to support several other formats (Possibly even his own).
>> What sound files can be used with DarkStar?
As of this writting the beta will play WAV, VOC, MIDI and CMF. The code for
MOD has already been completed and is fully working in version 1.01c.
Therefore there was no reason for the testing of this. It will just get
linked in.
>> DarkStar has built-in online database features? Which database formats are
supported?
DarkStar supports dBase II, III, III+, IV and FoxPro. All of the databases
created in DarkStar 1.02a, including the internal system databases like the
userbase, can be manipulated and reports generated using your normal databasing
tools like FoxPro, Paradox, dBase, etc.
>> What is a 'panel'?
A panel is a graphical menu. Only much more. With the Graphics Editor that
comes with version 1.02a, all of the funtions like databasing, on-screen
smooth-scroll text windows, audio, video, etc. are incorporated into the panel
file called called a .DST. You see the DarkStar Graphics Editor in actually
a 4GL/Case Tool. Therefore the sysop can basically program the BBS with it by
just pointing and clicking to produce a menu with what they want on the screen.
The saved result would be a menu panel with the .DST extention.
>> What resolution and how many colors does DarkStar support?
DarkStar 1.02a is designed to work on as many IBM compatible systems as
possible. It uses industry standard formats for just about everything. The
same applies in the video department. We can't count on the user having an SVGA
monitor. Therefore, DarkStar uses 16 colors (VGA). DarkStar will support up to
256 color picture files and dithers them down to 16 for display. The resolution is 640x480.
>> How many ON SCREEN colors does DarkStar support?
DarkStar supports 256 color images and dithers them down to 16 colors online.
>> When I try installing DarkStar by running the INSTALL.EXE it crashes.
>> How do I install under OS/2?
Use the following command: INSTALL NOSOUND
This will disable the sound files from playing. Sound is not supported
under OS/2 in the beta release (and probably won't be supported with the
actual commercial release either, but possibly in a future release.)
Note: Sound, of course, will play on the users side, and thats what counts.
>> Why does the session crash when I try to use the Local Dial mode for
DarkStar 1.02a?
To be able to logon, you need to go to the TOPPANEL.DST and edit out the
line with 17LIGHTUP.
Reason: DarkStar is a DOS application which is NOT OS/2 aware. The sound
routines are not written to function with OS/2, they were written to support
as many different sound boards as for DOS.
>> QWK support yet?
QWK will be supported internally. It is currently not built into 1.02a as of
this writting.
>> How are CDs handled - in other words, can files from the same CD path be
placed in other file areas?
As it currently stands, like files are grouped by subdirectory. A download area
consists of a collective path, such that all files in a given download area
share a common path. All files in a given path do not necessarily have to
appear as downloadable... Two seperate areas can share the same directory
however.
In addition, to eliminate performance bottlenecks resulting from the use of
slower CD-ROM drives during file transfers, all CD files are cached to a temp
directory under the SWPATH defined in SETUP (default \DSTAR\).
>> When is the anticipated full release (approx)?
"When it's right, and not a moment before!"(tm) - J. Thomas Hunter
>> Does the Beta yet allow log-ons?
We have five sites which the Beta Team are currently dialing into. Once the
onlineable version of DarkStar 1.02a is debugged in its entirety, then it may
be openly distributed to the Beta Team so they can bring their own boards
online.
>> Does DarkStar support client-server technology?
DarkStar IS client-server technology.
>>What are the online interactive features of DarkStar like? Will there be
doors available that allow interaction between users?
INTERACTION...big time YEPPER! When the onlineable comes out, you'll be able
to have people online and be able to 'grab' their pointer and move them
through the menus.. and the Chat program Jerry designed and coded while on
a tangent (resting from fighting a couple NASTY bugs) is to KILL for. This
isn't even mentioning the Interware games coming out for DarkStar... a
multiplayer wolfenstein-style game, multiplayer tank warfare game, DarkTris,
a gothic adventure/mystery game...
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE...
>> DarkStar has a lot of features that are part of the Web (Netscape, Mosaic,
etc), will DarkStar be capable of being a Web server? DarkStar obviously
can't be compared to the World Wide Web, but down the road, where will
DarkStar fit into its intended BBS market?
We just hooked DarkStar up to a ZyXEL terminal server set up on the internet.
We logged on to our Internet provider with StarLink and then telnetted to the
DarkStar Host that we had set up on the terminal server.
Low and behold, we actually logged into our own BBS over the internet. We
moved through the menus, played full-motion video (FLI), and downloaded, all
over the Internet.
What this means is that users around the world will be able to dial up their
internet provider on a local call and log in to your BBS. This increases your
potential user base to the astronomical number of about 30 million.
>> Video compression techniques are getting better and better, will DarkStar
offer more than just plain vanilla .FLI at some point? What about the newest
graphic compression techniques such as fractal compression?
DarkStar has been the pioneer in the multimedia BBS arena. I would venture to
say that we will continue this trend.
>> Are there plans for other products from Paragon Labs that will integrate with
DarkStar? (for example, an offline mail reader or a front-end mailer?
Rumor...'Orion')
More than you can imagine!