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CONDOR.COM - Allows use of RBBS doors with PCBoard
Ver 1.5 (C) Copyright 1987 Intermountain Softworks
Please study documentation for proper use
April 8, 1987
Intermountain Softworks is pleased to add a short but useful software
product to the worldwide PC-standard inventory. Although CONDOR.COM
will only interest PCBoard system operators running enhanced versions
11.8D/E under license, we are hopeful that BBS'ers everywhere will
find more reasons to enjoy their local systems, and support them to
the fullest.
Written entirely in 8086 assembler, CONDOR will thoroughly convince
15.1A releases of RBBS-PC "doorware" they're running under RBBS.
For suggested sources of these applications, refer to our resource
list at the end of this document.
Users are cordially invited to visit our own PCBoard system at
509/529-7229. Our maximum bit rate is 2400. We operate 24 hours on
weekends, and between 1600h and 0600h weekdays, Pacific.
Weekdays, the system is subject to availability after midnight.
CONDOR.COM - Installation and Use
1.0 - Acknowledgements 2
1.1 - Limited License 3
1.2 - Overview 3
2.0 - Installation 6
2.1 - The MS-DOS Environment 6
2.2 - Disk Buffers 6
2.3 - Subdirectories 8
2.4 - Batch Files 9
2.5 - Possible Errors, Results 9
3.0 - Resources 10
3.1 - A Note for Door Developers 10
Appendix A - CONDOR Registration Request Form 11
1.0 - Acknowledgements
PCBoard (C) 1985..1987 Clark Development Company, Inc. (Murray, UT)
RBBS-PC (C) 1983..1987 D. Thomas Mack (Great Falls, VA)
Microsoft, MS, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation.
Turbo Pascal is a registered trademark of Borland International, Inc.
Within the context of this document, MS-DOS and PC-DOS are
equivalent.
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CONDOR.COM - Installation and Use
1.1 - Limited License
The CONDOR package, consisting of CONDOR.COM and this document,
CONDOR.DOC, is the exclusive property of Intermountain Softworks,
P. O. Box 2043, Walla Walla, WA 99362. The package may also include
certain non-copyrighted sample data and/or batch files.
Users are granted a limited license to copy and freely
distribute copies of the CONDOR package, so long as the distributed
copies are unmodified, the copyright notice is neither changed,
removed, or bypassed, and that an unmodified copy of this
documentation accompany the package. The preferred method of
distribution is via one's bulletin board system. Except for the
actual cost of disk media, mailer, and postage, or the normal BBS
subscription fee, if any, such distribution must be without charge.
Although Intermountain Softworks is satisfied that this product
will perform as represented, and that due care has been exercised in
development, CONDOR is offered on an "as-is" basis, without warranty,
either express or implied. By use of this product, the user assumes
all risk, to include responsibility for installation consistant with
examples included in this document, and as promulgated by the
developers of PCBoard.
CONDOR is distributed under the shareware marketing tradition,
on a "try-before-you-buy" basis. Users are encouraged to register
individual copies for the modest sum of $10 per PCBoard installation.
Registered users will receive one year's complementary access to our
PCBoard system for thirty-five minutes per day, and access to all
operating "doors." Registration also entitles one to technical
support within the scope of CONDOR, via our PCBoard system. A
registration form is included for your convenience.
1.2 - Overview
RBBS-PC has come a very long way since the CPC-14 series
releases. While we prefer the look and feel of PCBoard, that is not
to suggest that RBBS-PC 15 isn't worth a serious look. Further
comment on our part would be idle nit-picking.
The system's evolution has altered doorware as well. Our humble
utility allows single-node use of 15.1A doorware with PCBoard
11.8D/E. A network version of Condor is in the works, and should be
available by Friday, April 24, 1987, if not sooner. You may download
the latest version from us without validation, or other formality.
Our program "Condor" is not a trademark, and we hope that the
only entity who owns a vested interest in the name is a certain bird.
Needless to say, we didn't ask the bird for permission to use his
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CONDOR.COM - Installation and Use
name. Condor is a convenient six-character filename (to allow space
for the revision level). It is sort of an acronym for CONvert DoOR.
It doesn't convert anything, but merely translates PCBoard's exit
file PCBOARD.SYS into a format that version 15xx doorware expects.
Condor was originally written as a quick fix for our own
problems in running "Tradewars" with PCBoard. At the time, we were
not aware that doorware author Bob Westcott was making an attempt to
support PCBoard SysOps with an MS-QuickBASIC effort called
DOORCONV.EXE. We merely needed a small, fast utility that would do
the necessary translation in a flash, and get out of the way. And,
it needed enough flexibility to adapt to virtually any PCBoard
subdirectory configuration.
Let us not crow, however, over Condor's 1600+ bytes. The next
release will probably increase that tenfold, to pick up floating-
point math support (for elapsed time routines), and MS-DOS file-
sharing support for true networks. At 40,000 bytes, Bob's effort
already contains such support within the compiler's run-time module.
It should be obvious that none of us is getting rich from BBS
support applications and doors. Condor represents, by this time, far
more hours of work than we imagined. The "work" is attempting to
decipher what certain applications are doing, and what they expect,
rather than writing brilliant code in assembler. If you wish to
undertake this yourself (in lieu of our modest $10 fee), blessings
and peace be upon you!
The concept of a "door to MS-DOS" within BBS software
probably originated with Tom Mack and Jon Martin as part of their
RBBS-PC development. Tom writes of "horizontal growth" and adds
that the term "doors" was coined to eliminate any confusion with
MS-Windows. Doors are not even remotely like "Windows"; indeed,
a door is little more than an exit from the BBS to a separate
application, on the tenuous thread of an MS-DOS batch file.
We suspect that Microsoft never intended batch files to be
invoked remotely by BBS patrons. The vehicle, however, is provided
with MS-DOS, and with careful planning and judicious use of
support utilities, batch files are secure enough.
A "conversion" utility like Condor shouldn't be necessary. Any
programmer who spends all the time and trouble to write a door for
either PCBoard or RBBS-PC may address both audiences with little
additional effort. Ideally, a door configuration screen would
ask under which system a user proposes to operate. Unless the
door author has some political reason for limiting his product to
one system or the other, the larger market potential in building
flexible doors makes infinitely more sense. After all, shareware
dollars are not that easy to find!
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CONDOR.COM - Installation and Use
Condor reads in and parses the 128-byte PCBOARD.SYS file. It
then writes a "messages" file in a format RBBS-PC doorware expects
to find. This procedure also allows one to run doorware
applications from any drive or subdirectory on the system.
Half of the problem is now solved, that of passing currently-
logged-user data to the door. The other half of the problem
is that doorware also expects to find an RBBS-PC.DEF file within
the current directory.
Some of the doorware applications display one's system name
on various screens. RBBS-PC.DEF provides that, limited to nineteen
characters. If one wishes to walk through a doorware application
from the local console, the messages file must be in a slightly
different arrangement. We've included two sample messages files
with variables set to allow this. Don't be alarmed if "Mike
Davidson" is temporarily recognized as SysOp by the doorware
application. The variables have absolutely no effect on PCBoard.
Indeed, you'll want to set some of the variables within RBBS-
PC.DEF to your own preferences or requirements. The only feasible
way to do this is with CONFIG.EXE (version 30.1), available from us
or from any of the four RBBS-PC systems in our resource list.
Doorware applications are self-contained communications
programs. Certain parameters like the bps rate MUST be passed to the
door. Other parameters are optional. For example, if you wish to
follow a PCBoard convention of seeing what the user sees if he or she
chooses color graphics, option ten within CONFIG.EXE must be set to
allow this.
There is provision within the exit file, PCBOARD.SYS, to pass
elapsed time (both as a four-byte single-precision real, and as a
five-byte ASCII string) to a door application. There is an
eight-byte ASCII string within the RBBS-PC node record (a part of
the "messages" file). We could find no evidence that 15.1A
doorware applications use time references from the main
program. For the moment, time restrictions will have to be set
directly within each door, or else by limiting the number of turns a
player may use each session. Doorware instructions usually explain
how to do this. Bob's MONITOR program will control time limits
within individual doors. Lacking additional evidence, we may choose
to have Condor write a TIMEOFF.DOR file, as does the monitor, and
properly pass the elapsed time this way. Stay tuned!
The result of all this is that use of RBBS-PC doorware
applications is now possible with PCBoard 11.8D/E, with a minimum of
fuss. The capability may well provide added interest for your users.
One of our particular favorites is BBSLIST - a do-it-yourself
database of BBS profiles, which allows callers to update a local
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CONDOR.COM - Installation and Use
list, or search and sort to suit. TRADEWARS, a space-merchant
trading game, a la Asimov's Foundation series, is clearly the most
popular on our system.
2.0 - Installation
CONDOR.COM installation on your PCBoard system (11.8D/E) is no
more difficult than properly configuring a batch file and installing
WATCHDOG. CONDOR's operation (that is, generation of the RBBS-PC
messages file) may be tested off-line; indeed, even the operation of
version 15.1A doorware applications may be inspected before
committing oneself to callers. We strongly recommend, however, that
you arrange to do a walk-through via modem - perhaps with a dedicated
user - before leaving the system to run itself.
2.1 - The MS-DOS Environment
As you may be aware, MS-DOS has the ability to find an
executable file anywhere, provided you've told it where to look. The
matter becomes an issue with some of the new doorware releases. Two
filename references are written into RBBS-PC.DEF that concern you.
One is the file RBBS uses to open a door (RCTTY.BAT, by default), and
the other is the file to reinvoke the BBS. The PCBoard equivalent of
these two files is DOOR.BAT and BOARD.BAT. If you try to change the
defaults with CONFIG.EXE (which is the RBBS-PC.DEF editor), you'll
find that only a drive specifier and a filename are permitted.
Options 103 and 104 on screen [F6].
It turns out that some of the 15.1A doorware applications use
this information. So, if you have config tell the door that the
first file is C:DOOR.BAT, when in fact it is C:\PCB\DOOR.BAT,
"MONITOR" (among others) won't be able to find it.
MS-DOS, however, can find it for the application, if your
"environment" statement within AUTOEXEC.BAT includes C:\PCB. Ours
looks like this:
path c:\dos;c:\util;c:\pcb
The RBBS-PC.DEF file we've supplied uses PCBoard names for these
files.
2.2 - Disk Buffers
In the case of a CONFIG.SYS file which tells MS-DOS to trust
one's judgment in a few matters, rather than reverting to defaults,
most of us have safely specified FILES to equal some number, asked
that MS-DOS install a RAMdisk, and have loaded the ANSI driver.
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CONDOR.COM - Installation and Use
Common sense may suggest that the operating system simply reads
information from a disk and passes it directly to an application.
This is not the case. An interim holding area, called a disk buffer,
gets it first. A disk buffer is a 512-byte block of memory that MS-
DOS uses to temporarily hold information it is reading from, or
writing to, a disk.
If the buffered data will be used repeatedly, access time will
be improved significantly if MS-DOS does not have to reread the
same data each time it is needed. Users are given the
responsibility of telling MS-DOS how many 512-byte disk buffers to
allocate. This is done within CONFIG.SYS, and uses the syntax...
BUFFERS = nn
where nn is an integer between 1 and 99. Each buffer requested will
increase the resident size of MS-DOS by 528 bytes.
Some simple algorithm could doubtless be written to suggest the
optimum number of buffers for a particular configuration. For a 20-
megabyte hard disk, with the number of subdirectories that PCBoard
requires, the magic number, we believe, is between 15 and 25. The
ultimate authority may be a stopwatch. 15 will astound you if you've
accepted the MS-DOS default of 2; indeed, PCBoard subdirectory
searches will appear almost instantaneous.
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CONDOR.COM - Installation and Use
2.3 - Subdirectories
Users should carefully review CDC's instructions for
implementation of doors, contained within PCBOARD.DOC. The following
paragraphs build on that knowledge.
Assuming CDC's standard model for running one or more main board
doors (conference doors are also possible), where subdirectories are
arranged as shown below, we'll walk you through installation of the
doorware application, BBSLIST.
Drive C:\ (Root)
|
(Subdirectories) |
+-----+------+------+---+--------------+
| | | | |
Lotus WP dBase etc C:\PCB (Default)
Sub Sub Sub |
BOARD.BAT
PCBOARD.EXE
PCBOARD.DAT
PCBOARD.SYS
REMOTE.SYS
Note: PCBTRAP.COM is normally EVENT.SYS
installed via AUTOEXEC.BAT -> PCBTRAP.COM
-> WATCHDG1.COM
-> CONDOR.COM
-> BBSLIST.BAT
|
(All below would be C:\PCB\+name) |
+-------+------------+------------+-------+------------+-------+
| | | | | | |
UP MAIN GEN HELP DOORS DL1 DL2
| | | | | |
Files MSGS BLT HLPA BBSLIST.EXE Files
Uploaded FSEC BLTG thru BBSLIST.* for
to PWRD BLTxx HLPZ MESSAGES Down
Main TCAN etc... DIR etc... RBBS-PC.DEF Load
Board DOORS.DAT DIRG etc...
DOORS
DOORSG
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CONDOR.COM - Installation and Use
2.4 - Batch Files
The contents of C:\PCB\BBSLIST.BAT should be as follows:
echo off
c:\pcb\condor pcboard.sys c:\pcb\doors\messages
cd \
cd\pcb\doors
bbslist.exe
cd\pcb
c:\pcb\board.bat
Note our preferred use of fully-qualified pathnames. Some ill-
behaved applications have been known to confuse MS-DOS, which
normally remembers a batch file's subdirectory and last line
executed. Calls to WATCHDOG may be safely removed, since no user
intervention is allowed within the batch loop, and 15.1A
doorware properly monitors the communications port for loss of
carrier.
WARNING: CDC's proprietary PCBTRAP.COM should be installed without
fail for trapping attempted user breakouts, as well as fail-safe
recovery from system errors that otherwise may abort to MS-DOS.
Recall from CDC's discussion of C:\PCB\MAIN\DOORS.DAT, that this
security file requires the ACTUAL filename of the door's primary
batch file. If your door's controlling batch file were named
BBSLIST.BAT, then that is the name that must appear within DOORS.DAT.
Finally, observe CONDOR.COM's command line arguments. The first file
specification is the input file, and ALWAYS calls PCBOARD.SYS. The
second argument is the output file, MESSAGES. If you choose a
different filename, the name must also be changed within RBBS-PC.DEF.
2.5 - Possible Errors, Results
CONDOR.COM can and will generate error messages if it can't
locate command-line filespecs you've supplied, or if your spelling is
bad. All messages, including our copyright slug, are sent to the
standard error device (local monitor), not over the modem. Errors
result in a well-behaved abort to your calling batch file, not a
crash. The fully-insured may wish to provide an IF EXIST test in the
line following the call to CONDOR. This MS-DOS equivalent of "Are
you there?" might then invoke BOARD.BAT if the expected files
are missing. Our next release will provide exit-code support.
Be warned, however, that if the RBBS-PC messages file is not
written, or the doorware application cannot find either MESSAGES or
RBBS-PC.DEF, that unpredictable results will occur. At worst, the
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CONDOR.COM - Installation and Use
door will hang; at best, your caller will see some cryptic error
messages and an instruction to "Press any key to return to system."
CONDOR.COM will confirm a successful write of the required RBBS
data as "RBBS data written" which appears within a moment or two of
the copyright box. Execution then passes to the next line of the
calling batch file.
This may be the proper place to advise that error-trapping is
not a fully-developed science within doorware. Indeed, we have
witnessed occasional unrecoverable communications errors, most often
when a caller is using a machine that simulates the 8250 UART chip.
On such occasions, PCBTRAP.COM will reboot the system in an eyeblink.
Doorware fortunately writes a file to the current directory called
ERRORS.DOR, reporting what probably happened, in QB error messages.
3.0 - Resources
The four major sources of RBBS-PC doorware are...
415-689-2090 CA Concord
Jon Martin 4 Home of RBBS-PC West
701-293-5973 ND Fargo
Loren Jones 4 Fargo PCUG,RBBS Beta
603-424-5497 NH Merrimack
Bob Westcott 4 On-Line adventure,Ham
703-759-5049 VA Great Falls
703-759-9659 VA Great Falls
Tom Mack 4 Home of RBBS-PC
3.1 - A Note for Door Developers
PCBoard's exit file, PCBOARD.SYS has been extensively documented
by David Terry and others. David's Turbo Pascal (tm) example is
the standard reference.
The following PCBoard system maintains a private conference on
the subject of doors. A restricted-distribution door kit is
available to PCBoard licensees.
201-729-7410 NJ Lake Mohawk
Paul Kopit B 4 Software Soc'ty,140M
Also, we attempt to stay abreast of essential utilities and
tools for door applications programmers. Feel free to call our
system during the hours indicated.
Page 10
CONDOR.COM - Installation and Use
Appendix A - CONDOR Registration Request Form
SEND TO:
Intermountain Softworks
P. O. Box 2043
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Quan Item Price Total
[ ] Diskettes $10:_____________________
[ ] Support $10:_____________________
Company P.O. +$ 5:_____________________
WA orders add 7.9%:_____________________
TOTAL (US dollars):_____________________
[]Check []P.O. []Visa/MC
Visa/MC #:______________________________
Exp. Date:______________________________
Signature:______________________________
SHIP ORDER / USER MAIL / BBS VALIDATION
Name:___________________________________
Company:________________________________
Address:________________________________
City,St,Zip:____________________________
Business or Data Phone:_________________
Home Phone:_____________________________
Choice of BBS password:_________________
(Limit of 12 characters, one word please!)
Registered users automatically receive complementary validation on
our PCBoard system, which operates 24 hours weekends, and between
1600h and 0600h Monday through Friday. On weekdays, the system is
subject to availability after midnight (Pacific).
509/529-7229
No parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit
Bit rates: 2400, 1200, 300
Thank you!
Page 11