[877] in linux-announce channel archive
COMMERCIAL: VUBBS Beta-3 for Linux
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lars Wirzenius)
Thu Aug 3 19:59:03 1995
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 1995 17:38:49 +0300
From: Lars Wirzenius <wirzeniu@cc.helsinki.fi>
To: linux-activists@niksula.hut.fi, linux-announce@vger.rutgers.edu
X-Mn-Key: announce
From: DyfetT@aol.com
Subject: COMMERCIAL: VUBBS Beta-3 for Linux
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce
Approved: linux-announce@news.ornl.gov (Lars Wirzenius)
Organization: ?
Followup-to: comp.os.linux.networking
VU BBS Beta Release 3 has been made available to the public today. This is
the third public beta release of VU BBS under Linux and includes many new
features. This release represents the last major 'beta' level release for
VU BBS, though future versions of VU BBS will remain freely available through
major public access ftp sites.
WHAT IS VU BBS
--------------
VU BBS is a visually oriented terminal based BBS system that includes
resources and tools to manage your system, user accounts, log files,
tape backups, etc, as well as provide BBS services to remote dial-up or
telnet users. VU BBS applications use a common object oriented event
driven windowing interface that supports windowing on a variety of
terminals and display devices.
For the remote caller, VU BBS provides a menu shell, a visual file
browser, a visual news and mail client, a multi-user 'chat' system, and a
very friendly login module. All VU BBS users appear as system accounts
and may access other UNIX shell resources either directly or through the
VU BBS menu shell. In addition, VU BBS provides support for running MS-DOS
door programs on your Linux BBS! VU BBS also supports flash pop-up messaging
and daily time quota restrictions which may be used on shell accounts as
well as in VU BBS.
By using your existing system resources, VU BBS requires limited memory
and overhead for inbound callers on your system. Further reductions are
achieved through use of shared libraries and modular nature of VU BBS
itself. Typical memory requirements are now less than 200k of memory per
VU BBS user, under Linux! (Yes, this is far less than a bash shell login!).
VU BBS is more than a BBS package. It also provides a standardized
visually-oriented system administration environment. As a system
management tool, VU allows you to manage user accounts, log files, ppp
network connections, and monitor modem activity, as well as providing a
visually-oriented solution for software installation and updating.
VU BBS is also less than a BBS in that many components and utilities found
in this package may be used stand-alone and separately, or even with other
BBS packages, as needed.
NEW FEATURES
------------
Many new features have been added for VU BBS Beta-3. The most prominent
include the following:
* VU BBS News
VU BBS now incorporates a standard VU based news client. In addition, if
you do not wish to run c-news or inn, VU now includes a complete and easy
to configure news system of it's own! For part-time internet connections,
the VU BBS news system can send and receive news at pre-scheduled times
through a foreign nntp server. The VU BBS news system is not meant to
replace either c-news or inn, but instead provides an easy to configure
alternative for sites which do not need to redistribute newsfeeds.
* Bookmarks
The VU BBS menu shell now supports an individual user shortcut menu known
as a bookmark. Bookmarks may be used to create a shortcut to a favorite
directory in the file transfer area or an ftp site referenced off a menu!
* Visual Installation
Living up to our commitment of 'ANSI out of the tar', the Linux release of
VU BBS now 'ships' with our visually oriented product installation tool for,
Linux, 'package'.
* API Toolkits and Elf Binaries
VU BBS is now distributed in both AOUT and ELF binary formats. The visual
packaging tool allows selection of appropriate binaries for your system. In
addition, the VU BBS header files and link kits are now bundled with the
VU BBS package allowing other users to create VU applications.
FINDING VUBBS
-------------
VU BBS is made available on our primary archive site, ftp.amaranth.com,
under /pub/VUBBS, as well as sunsite.unc.edu under
/pub/Linux/system/BBS/vubbs. Look for vubbs-b3.tar.gz wherever you go!
REGISTRATION
------------
There has been some discussion of our registration policy and plans for
the future. Beta-3 will be a freely available public release of VU BBS,
and future public releases may also occasionally be made available through
various ftp sites.
Currently, we are offering an annually renewable registration program.
This program would allow a VU BBS sysop to subscribe for one year, at
$45.00, and receive unlimited direct ftp access to updates and
application source changes for that year. A similar program for non-
internet connected systems through the use of quarterly disk mailings
is offered at $55.00/year. See release notes for registering or contact
mycroft@mnsinc.com.
Our approach is that the committed VU BBS sysop will want to register for
the purpose of getting updates and enhancements. One can get a
functional system and try VU BBS before 'buying' on any public ftp site,
and one can terminate future subscriptions without a large financial
investment if so desired. Where else can you purchase a commercial UNIX
BBS package, use it for one year, and then return it for a refund of the
'unused' portion of the purchase price? Furthermore, all VU BBS
registrations are on a flat per-machine basis and no deliberate node or
'simultaneous user' access limitations are to be found in the software.
Fully commercial releases of VU BBS will differ primarily in packaging and
pre-printed manuals, and in bundling of additional services targeted at
commercial users, such as VU BBS telephony. The commercial version will
also be available on a wide variety of UNIX platforms. Pricing and
availability to be announced.
All registrations for VU BBS are processed through Tycho Softworks. VU BBS
registrations are used to further fund VU BBS development, such as the
upcoming multinational release and drop-in replacement shared libs for
VUrip.
SUPPORT
-------
Support for VU BBS is maintained through the publicly available mailing
lists hosted by majordomo@julie.pond.com. Simply enter a e-mail message
with the body composed of:
subscribe vubbs-sysop
subscribe vubbs-announce
subscribe vubbs-dev
Direct e-mail support and responses to this announcement should be directed
to either dyfett@aol.com or mycroft@mnsinc.com.
FUTURE PLANS
------------
This beta release is intended to provide a stable VU BBS platform from which
we can expand upon. VU BBS has gone through a very rapid initial
development phase and three full beta releases over the last several months.
Beta-3 is, however, represents only the very initial stage of VU BBS
development. Active development for future releases is now underway in the
following areas:
* LGM support of MIME e-mail and file attachments.
* News integration with uqwk.
* Sysop defined forms in the menu shell and mail system.
* Threading in news client.
* Drop-in libvu.so replacment for RIP display services.
* Multilingual resources and multinational support.
* dscan support for cd-rom changers.
* zmodem-ftp file transfers for dial-up users through the internet!
* irc and world-VU internet clients.
* VU BBS Telephony integration services.
* Hyper-text links in the text browser.
* HC resource files for use with VU context-sensitive pop-up help.
* 'mbase' conferencing system with text search and retrieval.
* Ports to other systems (UnixWare and SCO, initially).
* VU based BBS-lists and 'classified' advertising database modules.
* True 'tape librarian' services in VU BBS system admin.
* VU desktop integration of talkd notification, wall, and write services.
* Multi-machine 'who' and flash message integration.
* Distributed network version of 'party'.
* FAX support in 'modem' and lgm.
* Single real-time system monitoring screen.
* Ttysnoop integration.
* System admin 'report' modules.
* VU BBS multi-line voice services (under Linux yet!).
* Network/internet based software package update installation.
* Visual mailing list and news admin services.
If you are interested in contributing to VU development or multinational
translations, leave e-mail for dyfett@aol.com.
OTHER TYCHO PRODUCTS
--------------------
* VU For Embedded systems development
VU was originally designed as a compact user interface for real-time and
embedded systems developers. The VU interface has been ported and used on a
variety of traditional and specialized environments including QNX (both 2
and 4), Linux, SCO Unix, as well as with embedded MS-DOS based systems and
micro-controllers. VU is provided in source for these applications. Please
contact mycroft@mnsinc.com for current pricing and availability.
--- LSM!
Begin3
Title: vubbs
Version: Beta-3
Entered-date: 24JUL95
Description: VU BBS provides a complete BBS environment for the Linux
operating system. VU BBS offers a very user friendly object
oriented visual interface. VU also includes tools to simplify
general system administration, including visual tools to manage
system accounts and log files easily and automatically. VU BBS
includes a news, mail, and party chat system, as well as ip-
demand, a menu shell, a complete easy to use system admin
environment, a visual file transfer system, MS-DOS doors,
and support for telnet access. VU BBS is distributed with both
aout and elf binaries. VU BBS components can be used
seperately or as part of an integrated BBS environment.
Keywords: BBS, VU, admin, users, tape, backup, tycho
Author: dyfett@aol.com (David Sugar)
Maintained-by: dyfett@aol.com (David Sugar)
Primary-site: ftp.amaranth.com /pub/VUBBS
vubbs-b3.tar.gz
Platforms: Late Linux 1.1.x and above. Uses later console driver
escape sequences for 8 bit transparency modes.
Copying-policy: Free/subscription-ware.
End
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