 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group How to set up your own BBS: Part 2 John Karmouche |
The simple three-step process for setting up your own BBS described in PC Update, April 1995, recommends that you first choose the software, second set up a dedicated phone line and third advertise your presence. From here on everything you do with your BBS is optional. The next thing with which you may wish to concern yourself is the "look" of your BBS.
The first, and perhaps most surprising, point to note is that most good BBS software packages have their own standard menu layouts. They come "ready to use" and require little modification for most standard applications. Setting up a BBS is easy; if you can get a modem to work then setting up a BBS is child's play.
Menu structures
A standard BBS setup has three basic menu structures. The Main Menu is the default, or first, menu that a caller sees after the welcoming screens. From this menu most BBSs branch to a File Menu and a Message Menu. The file menu is where others can access software to download. It is also where they can send (or upload) files. The BBS configuration program enables you to specify where on your hard disk (or CD-ROM) those files reside, and where files sent to you will end up.
There is no limit to the number of menus that you can attach to these three menus. The main menu may enable a caller to go to Questionnaire, Bulletin, Newsletter or Door menus, or a BBS Statistics Display. A door is for running programs that did not come with the original software. Good BBS programs have plenty of scope to modify this standard layout, however I am yet to see a BBS that has strayed too far from this basic structure.
Add a little colour
To some people, the look of a standard BBS menu may seem a little bland. Some BBS sysops like to personalise and make their menu screens more colourful and attractive. This is also not difficult to achieve. The standard for most BBSs is the ANSI format; therefore, you will require a good ANSI editor if you want to change the look or colour of your menu screens. Wildcat! comes with its own colour codes that enables you to add specific colours and effects. Consequently, all that is needed here is a text editor.
Remote Imaging Protocol (RIP) is another format now making its presence felt in the BBS world. RIP allows callers to use a mouse, instead of typing commands. Searchlight and Wildcat! are two BBS packages that enable users to log on with a RIP communications program. In my experience, only about two percent of my callers use RIPscrip, however I expect its use to grow over the next few years.
In any case, your BBS software will come with standard screens in all of the supported formats and you really don't have to worry about it in the early stages as you develop the look of your BBS.
Modifying keyboard input
Changing the keyboard input required by each menu is done by the BBS configuration program. Wildcat! also has a program called MAKEMENU that makes this task a little simpler.
The target audience
From the information I have covered so far, you should begin to understand that it is possible to configure the look of your BBS to suit your target audience. Wildcat! actually enables the sysop to allocate more than one security classification so that callers with differing security classifications can be presented with completely different menus. This is a handy tool which allows the sysop to control the application of the BBS.
Conclusion - keep it simple
By now you should understand that a BBS can have many applications. Most sysops set up a BBS without giving much thought to their audience. In my case, I simply went online and waited for callers. You may however wish to target a specific audience, perhaps a few friends, business contacts or an interest group. A BBS simply allows people to stay in contact via a central facility, which in this case just happens to be a BBS. What you do with your BBS is up to your imagination and I encourage more people to explore this simple medium, as I believe that it will inevitably lead you towards a better understanding of how PCs will fit into our lives after the year 2000.
Are you a sysop?
The following sysops have contacted me since the publication of my article in PC Update, April 1995. These people are members of Melb PC and each provides a particular service. Whether you are new to BBSs, or have been calling BBSs for some time, then I suggest that you call them. You will always be welcome.
Mag-Net BBS (03) 9873 3430 Sysop: Stephen Loosley
Good News Australia! BBS (03) 9803 2726 Sysop: Ken Walker
So far I have helped one person to set up their own BBS and several others have indicated an intention to enter the arena. I am available to assist or advise anyone who may want more advice on this subject. I can be contacted via my BBS - Freedom Seeker, on (03) 9877 2236.
Reprinted from the June 1995 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
