Path: kernighan.cs.umass.edu!barrett From: mathias.axelsson@coders.ct.se (Mathias Axelsson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews Subject: REVIEW: Reccoon BBS v0.67 (registered) Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.datacomm Date: 8 Jul 1996 14:58:35 GMT Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett Lines: 284 Sender: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu (comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator) Distribution: world Message-ID: <4rr7mr$mqu@kernighan.cs.umass.edu> Reply-To: mathias.axelsson@coders.ct.se (Mathias Axelsson) NNTP-Posting-Host: knots.cs.umass.edu Keywords: BBS, Fidonet, shareware X-Review-Number: Volume 1996 Number 21 Originator: barrett@knots.cs.umass.edu PRODUCT NAME Reccoon BBS v0.67 (registered) BRIEF DESCRIPTION A integrated BBS system with support for Fidonet echos, as well as fileechos. Good MSGID/REPLY linking, and support for long file desc. AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION Name: Henric Andersson (1996-), Niclas Emdelius (1991-95) Address: Smedjegatan 10 S-260 60 KVIDINGE SWEDEN E-mail: edc@klippan.se Fidonet: Henric Andersson, 2:200/236 (+46-435-25251) (24h) LIST PRICE 700 SEK (~US$ 100) This includes free updates and a keyfile. You can send the payment either via PostGiro 5010164316 (Scandinavians only, mark with "Reccoon / Andersson") or via direct bank transfer to Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SE Banken), Clearingnr 5620, Account 56200005109. DEMO VERSION Demo version is available on Aminet, e.g. in the directory /pub/aminet/comm/bbs at ftp.luth.se as Reccoon-Eval.lha or via Fidonet filerequest of "rcn067.lha" from 2:200/236. The demo version can only run with a locale node, but you can get the feel of the BBS system anyway. You can still import msgs, upload files etc. When you register you'll get a keyfile, and will also be able to download your personal executables directly online from Henrics BBS. I've mailed Henric about getting the updated personal executables via EMail, but I haven't got any answer yet. That would make it cheaper for people in other parts of the world. SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS HARDWARE 1 MB RAM required, but more is preferred. Installable on disc, but HD is preferred if you want to run the registered version. The program runs on any 680x0 processor, but the faster the better... :) SOFTWARE AmigaOS 2.04+ is required. Working just fine on AmigaOS 3.1. If you want to run as a Fidonet node you'll need a Fidonet compatible mailer like TrapDoor. A tosser is included, as well as programs to handle fileechos. COPY PROTECTION There is no visible copy protection, but you get your personal keyfile and will also need to download your personal executables before you get the fully working version. I guess you could get the executables Email:ed to you from the author as well. It can be installed on a hard drive (preferred). No need for any original disk. MACHINE USED FOR TESTING Amiga 3000 25 MHz Workbench 3.1 (40.42), Kickstart 3.1 (40.68) One internal 1.76 HD disk drive and one external DD disk drive 2 MB Chip RAM 12 MB Fast RAM Fujitsu 1.05 GB, 100 MB Quantum HD NEC 2x CD-ROM SupraFAXmodem 28k8 V.FC/V.34 INSTALLATION The product has an easy to use Installer script, but in earlier versions there's been some trouble with the installation failing. This is not the case in the current 0.67 version. It's easy to update from an earlier version, since the script does all the necessary changes. There's also dozens of doors specially wrote for Rcn, and they are easily installed in the DOORS: directory. REVIEW The BBS packages comes with all the utils you need, like Front, which is a front end if you do not have any real mailer. A tosser is included to handle msg import/exporting and there's both a STDIO and a GUI config program as well as user editor. It's easy to create your own menus, and the system supports configurable number of menus (you can have e.g. ANSI/non-ANSI menus with swedish or english text). All strings in the BBS program can also be translated if you want to. If your a new user and haven't programmed C before, then there might be some problems to get started with the FPL programming, but since there's a lot of people to ask in the Fidonet echos, or the author, that won't be that big a problem. There's also a lot of examples in the fileechos, and a good online manual for FPL. You don't need to know FPL to create your own menus, even though you can write your menus directly in FPL. The configuration is quite easily made. All you have to do is start the config program. If you want to install Fidonet stuff, then some Fidonet basic will be good to have. Setting up msg areas and file areas isn't hard at all, just press the Create area button and fill in what you need. I only run my BBS as a one line BBS, but there is some people running multi-line BBSes, and they say it works perfectly fine. There's also some chat doors to enable chat between two lines, as well as between more than two people. The BBS system can handle DOS doors, the old Paragon style doors as well as the new Rcn doors. Most doors I've installed works with some of those configs, which gives us a lot of doors. There is currently not as many doors as Xenolink or AmiExpress have, but work is under way. New doors and utils will be uploaded to Aminet in comm/bbs, and will begin with 'rcn' to make it easier to locate the special doors/utils (according to the author). The BBS system does also support XEM libraries, which means you can get RIP support by just adding the xemrip.library to your system. There's also support for ANSI mouse. DOCUMENTATION The documentation is all in AmigaGuide format, and it includes documentation for the system, as well as docs about special escape codes, and a separate doc file for FPL (Frexx Programming Language, which is a C like language), which is used for writing the menus, as well as other stuff that you want to change in the BBS system. The upcoming v14 of FPL will also include a compiler to speed up the execution of FPL programs. The documentation is easy to read, and explains all the functions of the BBS system, new features, updates etc. There's also autodocs for the reccoon.library, and some example templates for writing your own doors. The include files is only C versions, but there is work on E modules and asm/E door templates. The autodocs could be better, as some functions is missing a description. You can still code your own doors without too much hassle, and you can always mail Henric, or ask a question in any of the Fidonet support echos. I've always got fast replies from Henric concerning questions on how to code certain stuff, and there's also a bunch of other Rcn sysops to ask questions to, or talk with. LIKES The best thing of this BBS system is that it uses FPL for scripts (ARexx can be used if you want), which makes it very configurable. There's also both STDIO and GUI versions of the Config and UserEd programs (even though the GUI versions has to be updated to include the new stuff). The msg part is also good, as it supports MSGID/REPLY linking. The filebase has also been improved to allow long filenames as well as long (more than two rows) descriptions. There's also going to be support for File_ID.DIZ in the future. I'm also running Enforcer to check all new programs that I install, and I'm glad to say that Rcn hasn't given me any hits with this version. DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS I would like to see some support for REPLY-ADDR kludges, as well as To:/From: fields to enable good support for gated Internet EMail/News. The tosser is also a little bit slow, and it doesn't come with a GUI config program, which would be much better, as it makes it easier to config nodes/echos. There isn't any good way to delete a msg area or a file area, so you have to set the access to a high number to exclude it for users. I've talked to the author and he said it will be fixed in a later version. One quirk with the system is the special version of FSED that comes with the system. This is the full screen editor that is used when writing msgs.It's a bit old, and has some really annoying features, like when I press =F6 (a swedish char) and the cursor goes down one line instead of printing an =F6... :( COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS I've only tested TransAmiga a little before I tested Rcn and registered. As Rcn is a swedish product, and I live in Sweden, that made me chose Rcn, as I could get fast support. In comparison to TA I would say that Rcn is easier to install and configure. It has also got better Fidonet support in the msg base. BUGS There has been some bugs in earlier versions, but they're fixed in this version. I've had no problems at all since I installed 0.67. VENDOR SUPPORT You can contact the author via Email at edc@klippan.se or through Fidonet ar 2:200/236. For his full address, see the beginning of this review. There's also a couple of Fidonet msg echos and file echos where the author and other Rcn sysops can exchange sources, help, suggestions etc. These Fidonet echos are exported to the UK as well, so if you want support in the UK, then please contact Richard Bell at 2:251/31. I've written some doors for Rcn and I'm currently working on a new online editor for Rcn, with support for signatures, headers, ANSI colours and a lot of other stuff. This editor is a port from OS/2, where it was originally written by Bjorn Stenberg (2:201/328 or bjst@sth.frontec.se). I've added a lot of stuff since the original port, and also removed some bugs. The reason I ported it was that there was no support for FSED any more (there is a special version of FSED for Rcn included in the archive) so I thought I should fix a better editor. Beta testing is currently under way, and a full release will be included in the next release of Rcn. WARRANTY The author doesn't take any responsibility if anything goes wrong. You use the program on your own risk. CONCLUSIONS The conclusion will be that this is a great BBS package, with a few glitches like no News/Email support and no File_ID.DIZ support (yet!). The tosser is a little bit slow, and doesn't have all those fancy things I wanted, so I run another tosser for the main tossing and only use ReccProc to import/export msgs to the BBS. It do contain a msg filter though, so you can add your own robots, like Areafix/Raid programs. The Fidonet msg system is also very good. I give it four out of five stars. The product gives a good first impression, and the easy installation makes it even more positive in the first impression. When you get the feel of the system I'm sure you're going to like it even more, at least I did. The easy way to create doors and add scripts makes the system very configurable, and you can add almost anything to your personal setup. With both ARexx and FPL supported, you can easily add customized menus, add extra menus to the GUI, and a lot of other stuff. COPYRIGHT NOTICE This review may be freely distributed. Copyright 1996 Mathias Axelsson (max@coders.ct.se or 2:204/211) --- Accepted and posted by Daniel Barrett, comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator Send reviews to: amiga-reviews-submissions@math.uh.edu Request information: amiga-reviews-requests@math.uh.edu Moderator mail: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu Anonymous ftp site: math.uh.edu, in /pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews Web site: ftp://math.uh.edu/pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews/index.html