Die Ultimative Software-P…i Collection 1996 & 1997/Die Ultimative Software-Pakete CD-ROM fur Atari Collection 1996 & 1997.iso/m/mailbox/turbo/t_board/help.txt

Text File | 1996-09-18 | 64.0 KB | 1,589 lines

TOPIC: HELP

Help Information is available on the follow command or topics:

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  L  M  O  P  R  S  T  U  !  +  *  %

COMMAND_STACKING   ^Y

Enter the name of the listed item you need help with.

Note: At any topic/subtopic prompt, entering ? will repeat the current topic.
      Hitting Return by itself exits HELP

>
TOPIC: A

A)  Macros

This option allows a user to choose a "Macro" which is defined by the SysOp
to use a function that is popular. For example, .N might read all the new
messages.  To see what's available, type A at the main prompt and go from
there... If there's a macro you'd like added, let your SysOp know.

>
TOPIC: B

B)  Reprint the logon system bulletins.

This will display the System Bulletins contained in the Database section.
>
TOPIC: C

C)  Chat mode/Yell for system operator.

If the chat mode is enabled then the SysOp will be paged by the console bell.
Usually chat is active in the evening. If the SysOp doesn't respond you may
want to leave him Email.
>
TOPIC: D

D)  Data base system

You will enter the Database sub system where you may read text files that the
SysOp has placed there.  ///Turbo Board will also allow a privileged user the
ability to upload text files to the database system, but the incorporation of
those uploaded text files must still be accomplished by the SysOp. If you
have a text file that would be of interest to all, feel free to upload it to
the SysOp.
>
TOPIC: E

E)  Electronic Mail system (E-Mail)

The E-Mail system is used for sending private messages to another user on the
system.  The messages may include an 'attached' file, in which case it is
F-Mail (File mail).  All F-Mail is received (message read and attached file
downloaded) within the E-Mail section.  When a user enters the E-Mail section
they are notified if there are any E-Mail or F-Mail messages for them with
a line such as:

You have 2 piece(s) of mail waiting.

At this point you have five options: Read, Send, Word wrap toggle, F-Mail send
or Quit to the Main menu.

~Additional Information Available

READ  SEND  F-MAIL
>
TOPIC: E READ

Reading E-Mail

If the Read command is entered and there are messages either to him or from him
in the system, you will be asked which messages you wish to read with the
following prompt:

Read mail [F]rom you  [T]o you  [B]oth:

The messages satisfying the read parameter that you input will then be
displayed in forward order of date sent.

At the end of each message read the user is given a selection of options.
You may:

[@]gain  - Reread the message
[A]nswer - Answer the message
[N]ext   - Read the next message
[Q]uit   - Quit to the E-mail menu

You will also see [B]ack if you have more than 1 piece of Email and have already
read more than one. What this will allow you to do is go back to the Email you
previously read and read it again. This will come in handy if you think of an
answer for the previously read message.

Additionally, if you have the required privileges granted by the SysOp he
may:

E - Edit and resave the message if it was "From" him/her.  The
    message editor will be entered and errors may be corrected or
    changes made to the message.
S - Save message.  The message will not be automatically deleted
    at the specified E-Mail deletion time.
$ - Save as an Fnet message.

With additional privileges, normally reserved for the SysOp and co-SysOps, the
following commands are available:

D - Delete message
E - Edit the message, even if not from the current user.
P - Print message on the system printer
F - Display who an anonymous message was from.
T - Display who the message was To if it was a reply to an
    anonymous message.
>
TOPIC: E SEND

Sending E-Mail

If you select S at the E-Mail menu, then the system will first check to see
if there is room for a new message.  E-Mail messages are saved until read or
deleted by the SysOp and will not be deleted automatically to make room for new
messages.  If there is no room you will be informed of this and requested to
try again at a later date.

If there is room, you are shown the prompt

To [?=Help]:

If the ? is entered for help, the following will be displayed:

Enter addressee's name or

List      = Send messages to 1-10 users
Search    = Search for user name spelling
Fnet      = Send F-Net message to remote BBS
Fido      = Send Fido compatible Net mail
<Return>  = Address message to 'ALL'

Note:  You can not send E-Mail to ALL, so if you press <Return> with no
input, the system will default to the Search routine.  In the message bases
this function works properly.

If List is typed, the system will ask for the name to send the message to, and
repeat asking for the name to send to until 10 users have been selected or you
enter a bare <Return> to end the input of names.  If Search is typed (or a
bare <Return>) the system will display the instructions for searching and then
show

Enter search name:

The search is accomplished using whatever string you input.  For example,
if searching for a user named John Smith, then you could enter John, or Joh,
or John S, etc.  Any match on the string entered with a user name will be
shown.  On each match the system will ask you if you want to send the message
to this user, continue the search, or abort.  If you wish to stop at every
user on the system you may enter ALL as the search string.


If you enter the name to send to directly, then the system will search the
password list to insure there is a user with that name.  The system will not
accept an E-Mail message to a user whose name does not exist in the password
system.

Once a name has been entered and verified the BBS will ask for the subject of
the message.  If no subject is entered the message is aborted and the send
E-Mail command is exited.

Once an addressee has been selected you will be notified of how many messages
are waiting to be read by the addressee.

If you have the send anonymous messages privilege they will be asked for a
Yes/No answer on whether you wish to send the message anonymously.

You will then enter the message editor where they may create a message
containing a maximum of 20 lines by 76 characters.
>
TOPIC: E F-MAIL

See command X
>
TOPIC: G

G)  Goodbye/logoff

You are first asked to verify the logoff.  If you are a new user you are
asked if you would like to have your user ID number saved for future use.  If
you answer yes, then your logon information is sent to the system log and
the system checks to see if there is space to save the record in the
password file.

If there is insufficient room in the password file you will be informed that
the system is full and that the SysOp has been notified of your request for
permanent access.  If the file has room for you then you will be issued a four
digit ID number to be used for future logons.

If your SysOp has the Greeting message option enabled you will now be given the
oppurtunity to leave a short greeting to the next caller.

You are then given a thank you for calling message, your logon and logoff
times, connect time and time charged and then logged off.
>

TOPIC: H

H)  Help system

Invokes the ///Turbo Board Help utility.  This may also be entered by typing
Help on any line outside of the message editor.  (Note: entering a message
subject of Help will also cause the system to enter the help utility.)

You may enter a topic name or a 'bare' <Return> in order to exit the help
system.  A topic may have subtopics, in which case once the main topic has
been described a list of available subtopics will be shown.

When moving around in the help system it is important that the topic and
subtopic names be entered exactly as shown.  For example, if one of the topics
was Sysop_mode, then the name would have to be entered with the '_' character
as shown.

When you have entered a command to see help on, such as Sysop_mode, you have
moved one level down into the help system.  If that topic has subtopics, you
may move further into the system.  To move back up one level you should enter
a 'bare' <Return>.  A "?" entered will display the last help screen.
>

TOPIC: I

I)  Graphics/menu selection

///Turbo Board allows the SysOp to customize his BBS with alternate menus,
including the ability to display graphics files in place of standard Ascii text
files.  When this capability is active you will be prompted to make a selection
upon first logging on to the system of the style menus you wish to use.
To change the selection later the I command is used.  This will display the same
text file as shown when your initial selection was made.
>

TOPIC: J

J)  Jump to subprogram (Doors)

///Turbo Board allows the SysOp to set up additional programs such as games or
quizes etc. for the users to run from within the BBS.
Access to these programs is provided with the J command.
>

TOPIC: L

L)  Leave message to system operator

This command allows you to easily send a message to the SysOp.  First you
will be asked for the subject of the message, with the default subject,
shown in <>'s, being Message to Sysop.  After entering a new subject or
pressing <Return> to keep the default subject, you will enter the ///Turbo
Board message editor where you may leave a standard sized message to the SysOp.
>

TOPIC: O

O)  Other BBS listing

A list of BBSs, added to by the + command at the main menu, is obtainable by
using the O command.  When O is selected the user will be shown:

Search by:

[0]-All
[1]-State
[2]-Area Code
[3]-Name
[4]-Baud
[5]-System type:

If anything other than 0 is selected then the user will be asked to input the
search string.  The baud shown in the list is the maximum baud rate of the BBS.
So if the user searches for 2400 baud BBSs, he will be shown only the BBSs
with a maximum baud rate of 2400 and would have to repeat his search if he was
also interested in 1200 and 300 baud systems.

The information shown following a search is:

St  Name                    Phone            Baud  Storage  Software

ON  ///TURBO BOARD SUPPORT  416-274-1225     9600  320      ///TURBO BOARD
FL  THE TWILIGHT ZONE       407-831-1613     9600  108      ///TURBO BOARD
>

TOPIC: P

P)  User Profile

The user will be shown his current account status.
>

TOPIC: R

R)  Ringback command

This can be used for security measures or to save the caller long distance
charges.  When the R command is used ///Turbo Board will display a message
stating that ringback was requested and then hang up the user.  ///Turbo Board
will pause thirty seconds to allow the user time to set his modem to
autoanswer, after which it will dial the phone number in your password.
>
TOPIC: S

S)  Clear screen toggle

This command will toggle the user's clear screen setting.  If on the screen
will be cleared for each new menu or message shown.  To change the setting
simply select S.
>
TOPIC: T

T)  Connect time toggle

If on, your connect time as well as the amount of time you have left will be
shown when the user is at the main menu prompt.
>

TOPIC: U

U)  Display user log

You will be asked whether to display all users or only users on since a
specified date.  If a date is entered all users whose last logon date is equal
to or greater than the date entered will be displayed.  If a date is entered it
must be in the form mm-dd-yy, with dashes separating the elements.  The / may
not be used as ///Turbo Board interprets that as a delimiter for stacking
commands.  If a bare <Return> is used the command will be aborted.
>

TOPIC: X

X - Xfer file with F-Mail

F-Mail is a method for a user to send a file to from one to ten other users.
F-Mail may also be sent over the Fnet to other BBSs.  F-Mail may also be sent
from the E-Mail section.  When you enter the X command at the main menu prompt,
or enters F at the first E-Mail sub-menu, ///Turbo Board will display the
instructions on how to send the file and then ask the user to:

Enter F-Mail filename:

After entering a filename, ///Turbo Board will check to insure an F-Mail file
of the same name is not already waiting to be sent.  If it is you will be
informed that the filename is in use and asked to re-enter a new name.  After a
valid filename has been entered ///Turbo Board will ask you to select the
file transfer protocol desired.

Once the file has been received you will be entered into the E-Mail section and
asked to address the F-Mail and enter an E-Mail type message to the addressee.
The F-Mail message is saved in the E-Mail message base, and is identical to the
standard E-Mail message with the exception that it has a maximum length of 19
lines instead of the standard 20 lines normally allowed.

When the addressee logs on they will be advised that they have F-Mail.  To
receive their F-Mail they must enter the E-Mail section and read the F-Mail
message.  After displaying the F-Mail message ///Turbo Board will indicate that
there is F-Mail attached, to use the X command to download, and if not
downloaded the file will be erased after [x] days.

The X command referred to by ///Turbo Board at this point is to be entered now,
not at the main menu.  If the user enters a question mark to see the command
choices available after reading his F-Mail message the X command will be
displayed.

After entering an X to receive his F-Mail file, the user will be shown the
filename and size and asked to select a download protocol.

If the user does not download his F-Mail, then ///Turbo Board will not erase
his F-Mail file or message and the next time he/she logs on they will again be
advised that they have F-Mail waiting.  Once the file has been downloaded, or
if the user does not download the file in the alloted number of days, ///Turbo
Board will erase the file.

Note:  To send F-Mail to more than one user enter the word List at the To:
prompt.  F-Mail, just as E-Mail, may be sent to from 1 to 10 users this way.
>
TOPIC: +

+)  Add to Other BBS list

When the + command is used ///Turbo Board will ask for the name, phone number,
maximum baud rate, storage capacity, state where located and system type of the
BBS to be added to the list.  The data will then be appended to the current
BBS list.
>

TOPIC: *

*)  Set line feeds/computer type

The user will be shown the same mini-menu as a new user is shown for selecting
his line feed setting, screen width and computer type.
>

TOPIC: %

%)  Change password

You will first be asked to verify your old password by entering it again.
If entered correctly you will be asked for a new 1-12 character password.
The new password will take effect on the users next call.
>

TOPIC: !

!)  Surveys

This command capability allows the SysOp to conduct user surveys.  Up to 99
surveys may exist at any one time.  Upon entering the survey system you
will be shown a list of surveys to select from.  If a survey is selected you
will then be asked to answer the questions for that survey set up by the SysOp.

Optionally, survey one may be automatically invoked at login for a new user,
following his password application.
>

TOPIC: ^Y

The <Control> Y command, performed by holding the Control key down while
pressing Y, is used to abort to the main menu prompt.  This command will only
work though if used during text output by the BBS.  If you wish to abort
to the main menu at other times (when the system is waiting for a command),
enter the word "Menu".
>

TOPIC: COMMAND_STACKING


Command Stacking

Most system entries that are not yes/no type answers or message prompt
responses may be 'stacked'.  This means you may enter a series of commands
on a single line, speeding up the process you wish to accomplish.  When
command stacking is used, all the text information ///Turbo Board normally
displays after a command is not shown.

To stack commands the / character is used to separate each individual
command on the line.  For example the following string entered at the
main menu prompt will read all the new messages in message base 1, and
then return you to the main menu.  Note: this will only work if
continuous scroll of messages has been previously selected.

Main prompt> M/1/R/N/Q/Q
>

TOPIC: M

MESSAGES

///Turbo Board can support up to 64 separate message bases.  Access to
each message base for both reading messages and entering of messages is
individually controlled by the SysOp for each user.  E-mail is an
individual message base that is not counted in the 64 message base
total.

Accessing the message bases

To access the message bases enter the M command at the main prompt.  You
will then be shown a list of the message bases you have read access to.

    ///Turbo Board BBS Message Base Selection

    *=Contains messages new to you

    * 1) General
      2) Sports
    * 3) At the Movies

    [A]ll new messages

At this point you are not 'in' a message base yet.  As you can see,
///Turbo Board will alert you to which message bases have new messages
that you have not read yet.  ///Turbo Board keeps track of the highest
message number you have read in each message base.

Enter the number of the message base you wish to gain access to in
order to enter the message base.  You may also enter an A and will be
shown all the new messages on every base that has new messages
automatically.  To exit the message base selection menu without
entering a message base you must enter a bare <Return>.  Typing a Q to
try and exit back to the main menu will not work.  If you are
following along on your BBS, type a 1 to enter message base 1.

You will now see something like (depending on the name of your message base 1
and the number of messages in the base):

Switching to General

///Turbo Board BBS Message System

Current Message Base: General

50 messages - High message received: 0

Last message: 105
Next message: 106

Continuous scroll off

Msg Cmd (?=Menu):

There are a couple of items that might not be obvious here.  First, the "Last
message" is the message number of the last message in the base.  The "Next
message" is the number that will be assigned to the next message entered.  So,
105 is the last message you can read on the base.  You can not read 106 as it
has not been left yet.  Second, "Continuous scroll off" means the system will
stop after showing each message to you.  Turning continuous scroll on and off
will be covered below.

If a question mark is entered at the Msg Cmd prompt, or simply a bare <return>
(defaults to the ? command) you will see:

[A] = Check for All messages to or from you
[B] = Check for Messages Addressed from you
[C] = Check for Messages Addressed to you
[D] = Delete Message
[E] = Enter Message
[F] = Read Flagged Messages
[H] = Toggle Message Editor InItial Command Summary ON/OFF
[L] = Locate and Read (search) Messages
[M] = Read Marked Messages
[R] = Read Messages
[S] = Scan/Mark Messages
[W] = Message editor Word Wrap toggle
[Y] = Set Message base defaults
[@] = Toggle continuous scroll on/off
[#] = Set continuous messages scroll delay
[O] = Other Message bases
[Q] = Quit to Main menu

Msg Cmd (?=Menu):

Reading messages will be covered first, as many of the other commands are
extensions of the read command or alter it in some way.  If you are just
starting the BBS and there are no messages currently in the message base skip
to Entering Messages.


~Additional Information Available

ABC  D  E  F  L  M  R  S  W  Y  @  #  O  EDITOR

>

TOPIC: M R

Reading Messages

To read messages use the R command.  ///Turbo Board will show you:

Read/Scan Messages - General

This message base has 50 messages

The first message is # 37
The last  message is # 105

Read Cmd (?=List):

Notice that the current prompt, Read Cmd, is different than the previous
prompt, Msg Cmd.  This prompt has it's own set of options for choosing which
messages to read.  To see the choices enter a question mark or a bare <Return>.
You will see:

100;105;103  List
2-15         Range
+ or F       Forward read
- or R       Reverse read
N            New messages
Q            Quit

First, to list individual messages enter the message numbers separated by
semicolons.  This list does not have to be in ascending order as you can see
from the example.  If you want to read a block of messages you may enter a
range as shown.  Note you may also show the range in descending order, such as
15-2, and ///Turbo Board will show them starting at message #15 and working
backwards to #2.  To read all the messages in ascending order, enter a + or F.
Similarly, to read all the messages in descending order enter a - or R.  To
read all the new messages in ascending order, enter an N.
To exit the Read Cmd enter a Q.

Once a valid Read Msg command has been entered the first message selected will
be shown.  If continuous scroll is on, all the messages chosen will be shown.

At the end of the message you will see:

Read Msg Cmd (?=List):

Again, this is a new set of commands, not to be confused with the Read Cmd or
Msg Cmd prompts.  The options shown will depend on the user's privileges.  A
standard user with the ability to enter messages will see:

[@]gain
[A]nswer
[B]ack
[H]old after command
[N]ext
[Q]uit

The @ (again) command will re-display the message.  Answer will take you
into the message editor for entering a message and will be covered in the
Entering messages section.  Back will show the previous message if there is one
in the current Read message set of messages.  Hold will allow you to perform
a function and then be back at the Read Msg Cmd for THIS message again, to read
the message again you will need to use the @ command.

For example: if you wanted to Answer the message but remain at the current
message in case you wanted to re-display it or enter another reply, you could
enter A/H to answer but remain at the current message.  Next will display the
next message in the read message set of messages.  Quit will exit the reading
of messages in this message base.

If the message you are reading is a reply to a message, then you will be shown
an additional command; [M]essage this is a reply to.  This allows you to jump
back the message reply chain, even if the message you are jumping to is out of
your current read 'set' of messages.

If the message has replies then the message numbers for the replies will be
shown at the end of the message, such as:

Replies: 99 103

Which means this message has two replies, message numbers 99 and 103.  You will
also see [R]eplies as a choice at the Read Msg Cmd prompt.  This allows you to
read all the replies to the message that have been entered; in this case it
would show you messages #99 and #103.  Once the replies have been read the
messages shown will pick up from the next message in your read command set.  If
you wished to read the replies and then remain at the current message, perhaps
to enter another reply to the message if the current replies did not answer the
message fully, you would enter R/H.  After reading the last reply you would see
a repeat of the Read Msg Cmd prompt.  At this point you are back at the
original message.  To see it again type the @ command.  To reply to the message
enter an A.

If the message is an anonymous message (the From field shows Anonymous instead
of the user's name) and the current user has the privilege  to find out who
the sender was, there will also be the command shown of [F]rom anonymous user
 name.  This command will display the name of the sender of the anonymous
message.  To remain at the current message Read Msg Cmd prompt after finding
out the sender, type F/H.

If the message is a reply to an anonymous message and you wish to find out who
it is addressed to use the [T]o anonymous user name command.  Note, you
must have the required privilege to use this function, or see the command at
all.

If the message is from you and you have the privilege to edit your own
messages, or you have the ability to edit all messages, you will also see
the command [E]dit listed in the Read Msg Cmd list.

There are additional options that are normally reserved for the SysOp's use.
These are:

[C]opy to another message base
[D]elete
[L]og print
[P]rint on printer
[$]ave as F-NET Message

The Copy message command allows the current message to be copied over to
another message base.  Note: The message will not be deleted on the
current message base when copied.  To copy and delete stack your commands
as C/D.

Delete message will do just that.  The ability to delete any message is
normally reserved for SysOps.  If a message is from  the current user
then they will also see the Delete option as a valid choice.

Log to print will log the current message to the system log, either the printer
if active or the disk log.  Print on printer will print the message no matter
what the current status of the log is.

The $ command will allow you to redirect the current message as an Fnet
message.

Messages themselves are shown in the following format:

Message header consisting of:

Conf :
Msg# :      Lines:    Read:
Sent :               at
To   :
From :
Subj :

Message body.

Replies: (If there are any)

If the first line of the message header says Locked Message, then that message
is only readable by the addressee, the sender, and those with the privilege to
read any locked message.

Conf: is the name of the Message base you are currently in.

Lines: is the number of lines in the message.  If the message is an extended
message the word EXTENDED will appear here.  This is because extended messages
are saved as files and ///Turbo Board does not necessarily know how many lines
are in the file.

Read: is how many times the message has been read.

The Sent line is filled as Sent: Apr 28, 1990  at 8:52 PM

If the message is addressed to a name other than All, then when it has been
received by the addressee there will be an additional line in the header
between Sent and To of Rcvd and the date (only) the message was read by the
recipient.
>
TOPIC: M E

Entering Messages

There are two ways to enter a message in ///Turbo Board.  You may use the E
command at the Msg Cmd prompt, or the A (for Answer) option at the
Read Msg Cmd prompt.  If you use the E option at the Msg Cmd prompt you will
be asked first for the addressee of the message with the following prompt:

To: (?=Help)

Entering a question mark will display:

Enter addressee's name or

List     = Send message to 1-10 users
Search   = Search for user name spelling
<Return> = Address message to 'ALL'

Note:  List is only valid when entering an E-Mail or F-Mail message.

If Search is now entered you will be shown an explanation of how to use the
search function.  The search function requests a name, or part of a name,
and will show all users that have the target string in their name.
The user will be asked to:

Enter search name:

///Turbo Board will search the password files and look for any matches of the
string entered with the user names in the password file.  For example if the
user was not sure of the spelling of BILL MILLER, but wished to send him a
message, they could enter BILL and have the BBS search for users with the
string "BILL" anywhere in the name.   When it finds a match it will display:

BILL MILLER  Last on: Apr 26, 1990  (0=Continue 1=Send 2=Abort):

Entering a 0 will continue the search, a 1 will automatically address the
message to that user, and a 2 will abort the search, returning you to the To:
(?=Help) prompt.

If a bare <Return> is entered it will cause ///Turbo Board to substitute a 0,
continue, as the command.  Note:  This search for the string BILL would also
stop at a name of JOE BILLIE.  The target string need not be the first part
of the user's name.

Privileged users may see additional commands available.  These are:

Fnet     : Send F-Net message to a remote BBS
Sysusr:X : Send message to level X users

To send an Fnet message the user must have the privilege.

If you enter a bare <Return> at the To: (?=Help) prompt, the message will be
addressed to ALL.  You may also enter the word ALL as the addressee, but it is
easiest to just press <Return>.

If the message is entered as an Answer to a message at the Read Msg Cmd prompt,
then the addressee will be set automatically to the sender of the message this
is a reply to.

Next the BBS will ask for the subject of the message.  If the message is a
reply, then the subject of the message this is replying to will be displayed in
<>'s.  To keep the old subject simply press <Return>.  If entering a new
message (not a reply), or to change the subject on a reply message, just type
in the subject (up to 76 characters) for the message.  If entering a new
message from the Msg Cmd prompt and a bare <Return> is entered, the system will
abort the message send.

If the message is addressed to anyone other than ALL, ///Turbo Board will ask
if you want the message to be read only by the addressee.  If you answer yes then
the message will be a locked message, and only you, the addressee, and users with
special privileges will be able to read the message.  ///Turbo Board will not
check to see if there really is a user with the addressee's name in the user log
for messages sent 'locked', so if you enter as the addressee "All 520ST users", it
will still ask you if it is to be read only by "ALL 520ST USERS".

If the user has the privilege to send messages anonymously the system will ask
if the message is to be saved anonymously.  If answered with a Y the From field
will show the word ANONYMOUS instead of the author's name.  User's with the
FANON_P privilege will still be able to obtain the name of the sender using the
F command when reading the message.

Note:  There is an additional address which may be used: SYSUSR:x.  This is
generally a SysOp privilege.  If you have the privilege and addresses the message
to SYSUSR:x, where x is a number between 1 and 32767, then the message will be
flagged as addressed to all users with a download (file) access level of x or
higher.  If the message is sent as a locked message, readable only by the
addressee, then only users with a download level of x or higher will be able
to read the message.

Next you will be asked how you want to enter the message:
[A] Message editor, [B] Upload message, [C] Copy File or [D] BBS Remacs:

If a bare <Return> is entered at this prompt the system will default
to the ///Turbo Board Editor.

An uploaded message's body is also saved as a file, similar to an extended
message, but can be any length since the ///Turbo Board editor is not used to
enter the message.  Uploaded and extended messages may not be edited after
uploading as can be done with standard messages.

The Copy file command is used to take a text file already on the system drives
and add it as a message.  This priviledge is normally reserved for SysOps.

The [D] will only show if the R_Emacs program can be found on the BBS. It is a
version of Emacs that has been modified to work with ///Turbo Board.
>
TOPIC: M EDITOR

The Message Editor

The last printed line immediately before stopping to let you enter your message
will display the status of the word wrap and line numbers.  If line numbers are
on you will see 1) on the line for you to begin entering your message.  If word
wrap is on you continue typing as in a word processor, not pressing <Return>
unless you want to force a new line at that point.  If word wrap is off the
editor will not move to a new line until you press <Return>.

Commands:

/A - Abort
/S - Save
/J - Center Justify preceding line
/T - Goto top of message
/B - Goto bottom of message
/Nnn - Next nn lines
/Dnn - Delete next nn lines
/Lnn - List next nn lines
/# - Toggle line number mode
/W - Toggle word wrap on/off
/MT - Change Message To
/MS - Change Message Subject

/C/svar1/svar2 - change first occurrence of svar1 with svar2
/I/svar        - insert line svar above the current line

///Turbo Board is a line editor.  This means you may only edit the line you
are currently on.  To move around in the message you use the commands /G /T /B
or /N.  /G is the Goto command, and you must enter a line number after the G to
goto, as in /G2 to go to line 2.  /N operates the same as the /G command.  /T
will move you to the top of the message (line 1), and /B will move you to the
bottom of the message.

Error Correction:

Type the change command, /C, another backslash (/), followed by the word
as spelled on the line, a third /, then the correct spelling.

Example: to changed the word speled to spelled, you would use:

/c/speled/spelled

Now press <Return>.  You should see the line retyped with the word corrected.

If ///Turbo Board says it could not find the word you asked it to change,
check your spelling and/or format of the command again.  An important point
to remember with the change command is that it replaces the first occurrence
of the string requested with the second string.  You need to make sure your
first string is sufficiently unique so the correct string is replaced.
For example, if your line of text was:

This is speled correctly.

You would enter /C/speled/spelled and then it would be corrected.

A common mistake for new users is to enter a message and then to try and list
it to check for correctness.  The mistake is they only use one of the /
commands to move to the top of the message and do not use the /L (list)
command.  Instead they will simply press <Return>, which moves them down one
line.  They then see the next line displayed, determine it is correct and press
<Return> again to move down the message line by line.  What they have actually
done is replace every line of text with a blank line.  You MUST use the /
commands to move around a message.  If anything is typed that does not start
with a / in position 1 of a line it is used to replace the current line.

To see how the list command works type /L on a new line.  The entire message is
displayed and you are returned to the line you were on when the /L command was
issued.  If you enter a number following the /L, then only that many lines will
be displayed.

To delete a line or group of lines use the /D command.  If no number is used
with the command it will delete one line, the line you are currently on.  If
the command is used with an optional number, as in /D5, it will delete that
number of lines from your message, starting on the line you are currently on.
You may also center justify the preceding line of text using the /J command.

To insert a line in between two previously entered lines, use the /I command.
To use the insert command type /I/new line, where "new line" is your new line
of text.  This line will be inserted above the line you are presently on.  The
/# command will toggle your line numbers on and off.  /W will toggle word wrap
on and off.  To abort a message use the /A command.  If you enter /A, the BBS
will prompt you with "Abort?" to verify you really want to abort the message
without saving.

The last general message editing command is the /S for save command.  When you
are finished entering your message enter /S on any line or at the Msg Edit>
prompt.

There are two additional commands privileged users may use.  They are the
commands to change the message subject and who the message is addressed to.
The /MS command will change the message subject.
The /MT command will change who the message is addressed to.
>
TOPIC: M ABC

The easiest searches to accomplish use the A, B and C commands at the Msg Cmd
prompt.  These are used to search for messages addressed to you, messages
addressed from you, or both.  If one of these is chosen the message base will
be rapidly scanned and any messages matching your search parameter will be
displayed as Read message #xxx.

Note:  These commands only search for and flag the messages, they do not show
them to you.  To read the messages use the F command - Read Flagged Messages.
>
TOPIC: M L

The [L]ocate command enables the user to search messages for a specified string
in the message body, from, to or subject fields.  It also allows you to search
for messages from a specific Fnet node.  The search on the Fnet node may use
either the node number or BBS name.

When an L is entered the user will see the following prompt:

Select search field
   [1]  - To
   [2]  - From
   [4]  - Subj
   [8]  - Message text
   [16] - Node:
   [32] - Date:

You will notice that the valid selections increase by the power of two.  This
is because the search parameters are bit-mapped and may be combined to enable a
search on multiple fields.  To combine search fields just add up the numbers
associated with the fields you wish to search.  For example, to search for the
string "Atari ST" in either the Subject or Message text you would enter 12.   4
(Subj) + 8 (Message text) = 12.  After making a selection the BBS will display:

Enter search string:

Enter your search target string and press <Return>.  Note:  The search will
ignore character cases, as in a search for the string "Atari" will match on
"ATARI", "atari", etc.

After pressing <Return> the system will show the first and last message numbers
and present the "Read Cmd" prompt.  This allows you to restrict the search, or
specify the direction of the search within the message base.  To search the
entire message base in reverse order, enter a - or R.  To search all the
messages in the forward direction enter a + or F.  To restrict the search to a
range of messages enter the message starting and ending numbers, separated by a
-, as in 100-200.

///Turbo Board will now search the messages for the string you have entered.
If a match is found it will display the message.  To continue searching press
<Return> or enter N.  To abort the search enter a Q.
>
TOPIC: M D

A user may use the D (Delete) command to erase messages on the system.  When
the D command is used ///Turbo Board will ask for the message number of the
message to be deleted.  If the message was entered by the user or they have
the delete any message privilege the message will be deleted.
>
TOPIC: M M

The M command is used to read messages that have been marked using the S -
Scan/mark command.  Only those messages marked will be shown.
>
TOPIC: M S
S - Scan/Mark Messages will display the same Read Cmd prompt as the Read
Messages command.  However, once the range of messages to be scanned has been
entered only the message number and subject will be shown, along with a prompt
asking of the user wishes to mark the message.  If a Y is entered the message
will be Marked for later reading with the M command.
>
TOPIC: M W

The W command is used the same way as the /W in the message editor.  It will
toggle the word wrap on/off for message editing.
>

TOPIC: M Y

Y - Set Message base defaults, is a powerful command that can make reading
messages much easier for you.  If Y is selected a list of all the message
bases they have access to will be shown.  After each message base number and
name will be a YES or NO.  The YES/NO is the status of that message base for
use with the All command at the message base selection menu.  (The Read All
new messages.)  To change a base's status enter the number of that message
base.  As in most locations the commands may be stacked, so to change the
status of message bases 1, 2 and 6, the user could enter 1/2/6.

An example is:  The BBS has 4 message bases, General Messages, Atari 8-bit
Messages, Atari ST Messages, and IBM Messages.  The current user has an IBM and
does not wish to read the messages in the two Atari bases.  They would enter
the Y command at the Msg Cmd prompt, and enter 2/3 to switch message bases 2
and 3 off (to NO).  Now when they type an M at the Main menu to enter the
message bases and then enter an A for Read All new messages, only the messages
in message bases one and four will be shown.  The user may still enter the
other two messages if desired by manually selecting the message base, the Y
command only sets what messages will be shown when the A command is used at the
message base Select prompt.
>
TOPIC: M @

@ Command - This command will toggle continuous scroll on and off while reading
messages.  If off ///Turbo Board will stop after each message and display the
Read Msg Cmd prompt.  If on, ///Turbo Board will pause for the time set using
the # command (see below) after each message.  If no key input is received
during the pause time ///Turbo Board will immediately display the next message.
If you presseany key during the pause ///Turbo Board will stop and display the
Read Msg Cmd prompt, just as if continuous scroll had been off, but only for the
current message.  To simply stop the text output while reading messages the
Control S command may be used.
>
TOPIC: M #

The # character at the Msg Cmd prompt will set the time, in 1/10 second
intervals, that ///Turbo Board will pause after each message if continuous
scroll is on.  To set it to pause for two seconds the value 20 would be
entered.
>
TOPIC M: O

To switch message bases use the O (Other) command.  You will be shown the same
message base selection menu, with asterisks in front of each base with new
messages, as displayed when first selecting the message bases from the main
menu.  The All command may be used at this point or an individual message base
number entered.
>
TOPIC: F

FILE AREA

Upon selecting F at the main menu you are shown a menu of available
file areas.

1 - Atari 8-Bit Files                 2 - Atari ST Files
3 - IBM Files

L= List ALL NEW files                 l= List ALL files
S= Scan ALL NEW files                 s= Scan ALL files

If a valid number (1, 2 or 3 in the example) is entered you will enter the
selected file area and be shown:

///Turbo Board Files System

Current file directory is ATARI_8

Files Cmd (?=List)>

If a question mark or <Return> is entered at the Files Cmd prompt you will
be shown the commands that are valid in the File Area:

[A]rchive Tools - For Download of Partial Archives
[B]atch Files Transfer
[C]hoose directories for ALL NEW command
[D]ownload
[F]ind file
[L]ist files
[M]ark file for Batch
[O]ther file directories
[Q]uit
[R]emove from Batch
[S]can files
[T]oggle Continuous Scrolling Directory List On
[U]pload
[V]erbose ARC directory
[W]ide directory listing

xxxxxx total bytes available for uploading
yyyyyy bytes maximum upload file length

Current file directory is ATARI_8

Files Cmd (?=List)>

Where the xxxxxx is the total free space that is free and allocated for use
by the BBS, and yyyyyy is the free space on the drive with the largest free
available.  The free space figures are slightly smaller than the actual free
space to allow a buffer (8K on each drive) so the drives are not completely
filled.

~Additional Information Available

A  B  C  D  F  L  M  O  S  T  U  V  W  PROTOCOLS

>
TOPIC: F A

A - The Archive Tools is used to download, clear or add to the temporary files
ARCDL.ARC or LZHDL.LZH.  This can only be used in conjunction with files that
have been saved on the BBS using the ARC (Archive) or LZH (LHARC) file
compression programs.  When a file is ARCed or LZHed it can contain one or
many individual files.  If a user desires to download only one file from a
larger group of files that have been ARCed or LZHed into a file, he should use
the A command at the List Cmd prompt to add it to the approiate file. ARCDL.ARC
for files with a .ARC extender or LZHDL.LZH for files with a .LZH extender.
When the Archive Tools command is used ///Turbo Board will show the files
currently contained in ARCDL.ARC, LZHDL.LZH and ZIPDL.ZIP (Note: ZIP support is
currently under development and is not supported at this time). If you haven't
added any files yet they will all show as empty.  You will then be given the
following prompt:  "Arctools, Enter type: [A]rc [L]zh [Z]ip >"
After making your selection ///Turbo Board will then display three sub-commands
for use with the Archive Tools command - [A]dd [C]lear [D]ownload.

For ease of reading, in the following the file ARCDL.ARC is used, if you had
specified LZHDL.LZH substitute that file name.  If Add is selected ///Turbo Board
will ask for the file name or number, then display the individual files within the
ARCed file, and ask which file to add.  If Clear is selected ///Turbo Board will
erase the current ARCDL.ARC file.  Download will allow the user the download the
ARCDL.ARC file.
>
TOPIC: F B

B - Batch file transfer is used after one or more files have been marked for
batch download.  Files may be marked for batch download using the M command at
the Files Cmd, or the B command at the List Cmd.  If files have been marked for
batch download, then ///Turbo Board will locate the files that have been marked
and then display a sub-menu for selecting the batch file download method - [Y]modem
Batch [S]EAlink [F]modem [Z]modem.  If a valid file transfer protocol is entered,
either Y, S, F or Z then the transfer will begin.
>
TOPIC: F C

C - Choosing the directories for the ALL NEW commands is similar to the Y
command in the message bases.  A list of the file directory short names, with
associated numbers, will be displayed and a YES/NO depending on the current
state of that directory for the ALL NEW commands.  You may enter the number of
the directory to switch, stack a list of directories to switch, or press <Return>
by itself to end the command.  The ALL NEW commands the Choose command is
referring to are the L and S commands when selecting a file directory.  In our
example BBS the C command would show:

1 - ATARI_8                   YES  2 - ATARI_ST                        YES
3 - IBM                       YES

If you did not want to see the Atari 8-bit files when using the L or S commands
at the "Select" prompt, they would enter 1 and then press <Return>. ///Turbo
Board will then redisplay the file areas, showing the new status.  You may make
further changes or press <Return> by itself to exit the C command.
>
TOPIC: F D

D - If you desire to download a file, and know the file name or file number,
you may use the D command at the "Files Cmd" prompt.  ///Turbo Board will then
search the drives and locate the selected file.  After locating the file the
file size, transfer blocks using the different file transfer protocols, and time
to download will be shown.  If you do not have sufficient time remaining to
download the file you will be so advised and the D command will be aborted.
If sufficient time remains the user will be shown a list of the file transfer
protocols to choose from.  See the File transfers section for details on the file
transfer protocols.  Note: The time displayed is the approximate time for the
transfer using Xmodem protocol.  The actual time may be different depending on
the transfer protocol used, number of block retransmittals any delays in saving
the file to disk.
>
TOPIC: F F

F - The find file command will search every file area you have access to for a
match on the string entered with the file names.  This command uses the List
command and you may perform the same function manually by using the List and
Other file directories commands.  When the search for the file has been completed
you will be in the last file directory you have access to.
>
TOPIC: F L

L - The list command displays the full information on the files, one file at a
time unless continuous scroll of the directory lists is enabled.  When you
enter L for list files, they will be shown a sub-menu of:

[A]ll files
[N]ew since last on
[S]ince specified date
[F]ile number >=
[L]ocate/search

Select>

For all the selections, ///Turbo Board will only display file information on
files that have an access level lower than or equal to your file access level.
[A]ll will display all the files that meet this requirement in the current
directory.

[N]ew will only show the files that have a date equal to or greater than the
date you were last on.  Note:  New users on their first call will have a last
call date of the current date, so would be shown only files uploaded on that
date.  It is important to remember that this function will show files since
the last call date, not necessarily since you last checked the file section.

[S]ince specified date allows you to enter a date in the format mm-dd-yy, and
///Turbo Board will display the files uploaded on or after that date.  This
can be used if you do not check the file area each time you call, in order to
see the files uploaded since they last checked.

[F]ile number >= will allow you to enter a file number and then display all
the file's with a file number that is greater than or equal to the entered
number.

[L]ocate/search is a powerful command that will display the prompt:

Enter search field (1=Name 2=Description 4=Application 8=Uploader):

If Name, Description or Uploader is specified in the search field number you
will be shown the prompt:

Enter search string:

If the application is being searched you will be shown a list of the
application types and asked to select one.

The entry process is the same as the Locate feature of the message bases, ie.,
the search fields are bit mapped and may be combined.  When the search fields
are combined it is an OR search.  For example, if searching the Name and
Description (3 entered as the search field) for the string "QUIZ", a match on
the string "QUIZ" in either the name OR description will pause the search and
display the file.  If the search combines a text search with an application
search it is still an OR search, so any match on the file application OR the
string will result in the file being displayed.

Once the list sub-menu has been completed ///Turbo Board will display all the
files that meet your list parameters and that are at or below your file access
level.  ///Turbo Board will display the following information for each file:

File # 1    Filename: ALLNTOWN.ARC

Uploaded on  : Sept 4, 1986          Uploader     : SYSOP
Application  : Song                  Level        : 0
File Type    : Binary                Language     : AMS
Byte count   : 3333                  Access Count : 6
Last Download: Aug 15, 1987          Download Time: 2 minutes
Blocks       : 27-Xmodem/SEAlink,  4-Ymodem,  1-Fmodem,  6-B Protocal

Description:

AMS song ARCed.  Use ARCX to extract.

List Cmd (?=List)>


If a question mark is entered at the List Cmd prompt the user will see:

[B]atch mark
[D]ownload
[N]ext
[Q]uit
[S]how again

If the file has an extension of .ARC, .LZH or .Zip ///Turbo Board will also
display the choices:

[A]dd to ARC/LZH/ZIPdl
[T]ype File (will extract from archive)
[V]erbose Archive


See the section on Archive Tools, above, for information on the file ARCDL.ARC.

The Verbose listing will display the same information as shown when the
Verbose ARC directory is used at the Files Cmd prompt (see below).  Type File
will allow you to view a text file that is contained in an archived file.
Batch mark will mark the file for later download using the Batch Files Transfer
as described above, and the Download selection will allow the user to download
the file using one of the file transfer protocols described in the File Transfer
section.

If a bare <Return> is pressed ///Turbo Board will default to the Next command
and display the next file's information.  If the file is downloaded you will
be returned following the download to the List Cmd prompt and may resume their
listing by pressing <Return> or N for Next file.
>
TOPIC: F M

M - Mark file for batch

Files may be marked for batch download while listing individual files or from
the main Files Cmd prompt by using the M command.  ///Turbo Board will ask for
the file name or number for the file to add, then search the drives, looking
in the current file directory, for the file and if the file is found, with an
access level at or below your access level, it will be added to the list of
files for batch download.
>
TOPIC: F O

O - Other file directories

When an O is typed at the Files Cmd prompt the file area selection menu will
be shown.  You may select an individual file area or use the ALL commands
(L,l,S and s) at this point.

>
TOPIC: F S

S - Scan files

After selecting Scan files, you will be shown the same sub-menu as for Listing
files.  When displaying files after the submenu selection has been made,
///Turbo Board will display each file on a separate line with the information
shown of:

Number Filename       Length  U/L'ed   Description

The description is the first 40 characters of the first line in the file's
description.
>
TOPIC: F T

T - Toggle Continuous Scrolling Directory List On/Off

Normally ///Turbo Board shows a single file at a time when listing files,
or a screen at a time when scanning or using the Wide directory listings.
To have ///Turbo Board display the files without stopping use the T command
to switch to continuous scroll on.  Once set on it may be turned back off
by again using the T command.
>
TOPIC: F U

U - Upload

To upload a file to the file area the U command is used.  When entered the
system will ask:

Enter filename:

It will then show you the name and ask you to verify that is the correct name
of the file to upload.  If it is correct ///Turbo Board will then do a search
of the file directories to see if there is a duplicate file name already on
the BBS.  If there is it will say:

Filename in use.  Try another name.

And again show the "Enter filename" prompt.  Once a valid name not in use has
been selected ///Turbo Board will ask:

Enter File Type or Language: (Ex: C, EXE, ARC, SQ):

The file type/language may be up to ten characters long.  You will then be asked
to verify your input.  If ///Turbo Board doesn't understand the extension of the
file you will then be asked whether the file is an Ascii text or binary file.
Only text files should be specified as Ascii, all others should be binary.

Next you will be asked to enter the type of application that the file is. You will
be given a menu of the various choices and then asked to input the number of your
choice at the following prompt:

Select program application type:

Next you will be asked to enter the access level to be assigned to the file.
Access to [A]ll  [S]ysop only  [H]i Access only:

If All is selected the file will be saved with an access level of zero.  If
Sysop only is selected it will be at level 32767.  If Hi Access only is chosen
the file will have the same access level as your file access.  An additional,
not shown option is to enter the file access level itself.  For example if
you have an access level of 100 and wanted the file to be for all users with
an access level of 20 or higher, they could enter 20 instead of A, S or H.

After selecting an access level you will use the message editor to enter a
description of the file.  This description may be up to five lines in length.
The same editor commands as used to enter messages are used.  If the
description is saved using the /S command the user will then be asked to select
a file transfer protocol.  See the File Transfer Protocal section for an
explanation of the protocols used by ///Turbo Board.

If the BBS is running low on drive space you will be asked if the file length
is greater than the maximum single drive free space.  If you answer No the file
transfer will begin.  If yes the file transfer will be aborted.

If the file is uploaded successfully the log will be annotated with the file
information entered by the user.  It will also be noted in the UPLOAD.LOG file.
>
TOPIC: F V

V - Verbose ARC directory

The V command may be used to display the contents of an ARCed or LZH'ed file
on-line.  If selected from the main Files Cmd prompt the user will be asked
for the file number or name.  If a valid file name or number is entered and
the file is either an ARCed ot LZH'ed file, ///Turbo Board will display the
individual entries within the file using the format:


Filename      Size      Comp      %Comp  Date      Time      Method    CRC
------------  --------  --------  -----  --------  --------- --------  -----
WHEEL.BAS         6656      4676   30%   14-02-89  12:35:02  Crunched  2B5D
------------  --------  --------  -----
Total      1      6656      4676   30%

>
TOPIC: F W

W - Wide directory listing

The last of the three file listing methods is the Wide directory listing.  This
selection will also display the same sub-directory as used by the L and S
commands, but when displaying the files will only show the file name and size.
It does this in three columns across the screen, as in:

SIMON.ARC       1505    SWITCH.ARC      8287    ROAD.ARC        7150
ANADATA.ARC    14144    POWER.AMS       2586

If continuous file directory scroll is off it will stop after every 15 lines
and allow you to continue the listing (the N command, or a 'bare' <Return>),
Download a file or Quit the listing.  If continuous scroll is on all files
that meet the user's selection criteria will be displayed, non-stop.
This is handy for capturing a list of the files on the BBS.
>
TOPIC: F PROTOCOLS

File transfer protocols

When a file is to be uploaded or downloaded ///Turbo Board will display the
following prompt:

Select file transfer protocol (?=List, <Return>=Abort):

If a question mark is entered the options below will be shown:

[A]scii / Xon-Xoff
[C]compuserve B
[F]modem (4K block)
[S]EAlink
[X]modem
[Y]modem
[Z]modem
[8]bit Atari Xmodem

~Additional Information Available

A  C  F  G  S  X  Y  Z  8
>
TOPIC: F PROTOCOLS A

Ascii / Xon-Xoff

If a file is transferred using the Ascii method it will be sent with no error
correction - a straight 'dump' of the file.  This is useful only for text
files.  The Xon-Xoff refers to the characters used to start and stop the file
transmission.  Xon is the <Control> Q character, Xoff is the <Control> S
character.  Note: Ascii / Xon-Xoff may not be selected as the transfer method
when uploading if the file type was specified as binary.
>
TOPIC: F PROTOCOLS C

Compuserve B

CompuServe (CompuServe Information Service) instituted their own file transfer
protocol, using 512 byte blocks of data.  If this protocol is selected the BBS
will ask for the "filename for YOUR computer".  The version implemented on
///Turbo Board, unlike the version on CompuServe itself, does not start the
transfer automatically.  For this reason many of the terminal programs will not
be able to use Compuserve B with ///Turbo Board (especially the Atari 8-bit
terminal programs.)
>
TOPIC: F PROTOCOLS F

Fmodem (4K block)

Fmodem is one of the four batch capable file transfer protocols available on
///Turbo Board.  A batch transfer protocol has the ability to send multiple
files from the BBS to the user automatically.  You must first mark the file(s)
for batch download, then select B at the main Files Cmd prompt.  Also, your
terminal program must, of course, support the batch file transfer method being
used.  Batch transfers may not be used to upload files to the BBS, only
download.

Fmodem was developed by Commnet Systems specifically for the high speed data
transfer of files when used with high speed (9600bps) modems.  It is similar to
Ymodem batch, but uses 4K block size instead of the 1K used by Ymodem.  This
results in fewer control bytes being transferred, and less time spent in 'turn
around' waiting for the acknowledgement of each block of data.  Because of the
large block size however, a single bad block can negate any gain achieved by
the larger block size.  For this reason Fmodem should only be used on
connections that perform independent error checking, such as between two
USRobotics HST modems, or two MNP equipped modems.  MNP is the Microcomm
Networking Protocol, a proprietary error correction scheme available on many
modems.

In tests performed at 9600 bps using the different transfer protocols, Fmodem
was approximately 33% faster than Ymodem and 65% faster than SEAlink.  Fmodem
is available with the ST-Term terminal program found on many bbs systems.
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TOPIC: F PROTOCOLS G

Ymodem G

Ymodem G is a variant of the regular Ymodem transfer, and is intended for
use with error correcting  modems only.  It will abort on any error it
encounters,  but if used properly, will give the highest cps rate of
any of the protocols available.  See Ymodem for additional information.
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TOPIC: F PROTOCOLS S

SEAlink

SEAlink is a sliding window Xmodem derivative developed by System Enhancement
Associates.  128 byte data blocks are used, but the sender does not wait after
each block is sent for an acknowlegment that the block was received correctly.
Instead, each block acknowledgement is 'labeled' for the block it is referring
to and the sender may continue to send blocks until the 'window', which is the
number of blocks the sender may 'get ahead', is reached.  If a bad block is
received the receiver sends a NAK (Not AcKnowledged) signal, with the block
number of the bad block, and the sender goes back to the bad block and begins
sending again.

This protocol is the most efficient method when there are inherent delays in
the communications link, such as when a packet switching network is used.  An
example of a packet switching network is the PCPursuit system.

SEAlink is also a batch file transfer capable protocol.
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TOPIC: F PROTOCOLS X

Xmodem

Xmodem is one of the oldest file transfer protocols available.  It was
originally developed by Ward Christensen circa 1979, using 128 byte blocks and
checksum error checking.  Since then many variations have come about, the most
common being the use of CRC (Cyclical Redundancy Check) error checking.  With
standard checksum error checking, one out of every 256 erroneous complete or
oversized Xmodem packets would have a 'valid' checksum.  When CRC error
detection is used the theoretical calculations show it will allow only one
undetected error for every 10^14 bits transmitted.  That equates to one
undetected error per 30 years of constant transmission at one megabit per
second!  However, sometimes theoretical calculations and reality do not agree.
Still, CRC error detection provides a very high reliability of detecting any
bad data before it is saved.

If downloading a file the type of error detection will depend on the terminal
program being used by the receiver.  When uploading a file ///Turbo Board will
attempt to use CRC error checking first.  If the file transmission does not
start with ///Turbo Board sending the CRC NAK character, it will switch to
checksum error correction and send the checksum NAK character.  Because of this
procedure, users who are trying to use CRC error detection on uploads must begin
the file transfer as soon as possible.  If there is too long a delay from the
time the BBS says it is ready to receive until the first block is received,
///Turbo Board will have switched to checksum error detection and the transfer
will be aborted.
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TOPIC: F PROTOCOLS Y

Ymodem

Ymodem is similar to Xmodem, but always uses CRC error checking and has 1K
block sizes.  Ymodem is also batch capable, but many terminal programs do not
support the batch Ymodem protocol.  If you have questions you should look in
their terminal documentation to see if it supports batch file downloads using
Ymodem.
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TOPIC: F PROTOCOLS Z

Zmodem

Zmodem also uses  1k blocks of data. It does it's error checking 'on the fly'
so there is no waiting for ACKs or NAKs. Zmodem is also batch capable and is
best used with a 9600 error correcting modem, although it will  correct  for
any errors encountered during transmission.

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TOPIC: F PROTOCOLS 8

8 bit Atari Xmodem

The 8 bit Atari Xmodem is Xmodem with checksum error detection.  It will not
attempt to use CRC error detection.  If your terminal program does not support
Xmodem CRC, then you should use the Atari 8-bit Xmodem protocol even if not
using an Atari.  This transfer protocol is also designed to work with the
Amodem terminal program, some early versions of which used non-standard Xmodem
parameters.  If an Atari 8-bit user has a terminal program that supports
Xmodem CRC, then they should select the Xmodem transfer protocol and not the
8-bit Atari protocol.
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