This is probably the chapter that most of you that have made the request for me to write this have been waiting for. I have not been trying to hedge, just trying to demonstrate the competition. I might start by saying that I have finally reached the decision to convert all my TeleFinder Users to FirstClass as of last week. I will be closing down my TeleFinder system just as soon as I can operate Fidonet from FirstClass directly, this will probably happen soon after SoftArc releases there developer kit.
TeleFinder Pros & Cons...
Pros:
TeleFinder offers probably the simplest system for both the User and the Administrator. For the User end there is virtually no learning curve to get in there and start telecommunicating. TeleFinder offers one of the fastest ZModem 32 bit CRC protocols that I have seen. The other plus to having a ZModem protocol is that if you were to drop connection for one reason or another while downloading in this protocol you will be able to pickup right where you left off.
TeleFinder really does give you a feeling of being in an extended Finder when you are online, if you like the Finder, you will love TeleFinder. While online the behavior of the User software works just like the Finder, you are able to double click on all mounted volumes that have been made available to you from your Host, (as well as your own) if you see a number of files from a folder that you would like to have you need only use the shift key and click on each one of the files that you want. Once the files are highlited all you need to do is drag one of them to one of your mounted volumes or folders and presto, "Batch" downloading.
TeleFinder is currently (and has been for sometime now) Fido/Tabbynet compatible. This might not mean much to those that have never used the "nets" before, but for those that have this is truly one important feature. (Its a pretty heady feeling to have an open window to the world in which to communicate) TeleFinder has a terrific feature of letting you make an announcement at the moment of connection which is really useful for mentioning something new on the board that the Host wants to make available to all callers, along with this feature you are able to link a text file (up to 32K) that will appear right after the announcement.
This is but a short list of some of the positive features of TeleFinder, time does not permit me to go into all the features that I would like to. This applies to all portions of the rest of this Chapter.
Cons:
With TeleFinder there are no ways to "attach" a file to a message or to send a copy of a message to another user built in. Except for the mailbox, there is no visual clue if there is anything new added to the Host since the last time you were on. (There is a preference setup that allows you to see only new files upon the opening of a folder or message however) There is no way for the caller to talk to someone that is logged on at the same time to the system. (No “inter node” chatting)
A "Find File" feature has just been implemented in the new version of TeleFinder Professional that will enable you to search any or all areas of the remote Host, and even though this was one of the most requested features, the current implementation only works in remote mode and not Local mode, which makes the Job of sysop considerably more difficult to find new messages that have been added to the message boards.
Creating a new message thread on a remote system (to start a new topic) is "Kludgy" at best and sometimes doesn't work at all. Since the introduction of System 7 and the new Desktop manager you cannot have TeleFinder display the contents of a folder in the exact way that it appears on your desktop like you could in "pre 7" days. There is no support for color icons other than what the host has available in his own Finder.
FirstClass Pros & Cons...
Pros:
FirstClass feature list is extensive and I cannot possibly cover all of them in this document. Some of my favorite features though are the fact that you can do virtually everything with a simple keyboard command. One of the newest things that I just learned was the ability to be able to search through the entire Host BBS by just using the Command + Spacebar, this will instantly take you to the first conference with a Red Flag (indicating that something new has been added since the last time you were online) and instantly open the first unread message, if you wish to reply to that message you just need to type a Command + R (for reply) and if you want to attach a file to that message just type a Command + F. (For file) When you are ready to send the message just type Command + E. To close the message just type a Command + W or type the Command + Spacebar again and this will take you to the next message. I just love this feature and with it I can go through a system in no time at all, though you wouldn't think so if you seen my phone bill. ;)
Speaking of Red Flags, this is a really nice feature to be able to tell at a glance at the moment you are connected if there is anything new for you, but how many of you know about the Clear Flag? The Clear Flag (usually in your mailbox) means a message that has not been sent. For example, say you are busy responding to a message when all of a sudden your connection is lost for some reason, FirstClass does an auto save at that moment and marks the message that you were working on with the Clear Flag so when you are able to logon again you will be able to complete and mail that message without having lost a keystroke, bravo SoftArc!
FirstClass, through the use of custom (color, B/W, greyscale) icons, sounds and a custom startup screen enables the Host to distinguish there system from other FC systems and make what used to be a cold harsh telecommunications environment to a warm and friendly place to be. Even the CLUI (Command Line Users Interface) part of FirstClass is top notch and since this is usually how the caller first see's your board (before they are able to download the User software) it leaves the caller with a great first impression with the VT100 interface and the full online help system. In fact, I don't believe there is anything that you can't do in the CLUI mode that you can in the GUI (Graphic Users Interface) mode, including chatting with other callers and the administrator.
In my opinion, the FirstClass CLUI mode is right up there with other BBS's that have this as there only interface i.e., PC Boards, Second Sight, Hermes, WWIV etc. FirstClass's "Auto-Register" is a real administrators dream and a callers as well. This means that no longer does a caller have to wait usually 24 to 48 hours to be validated, the caller simply logs on and is presented with a form to fill out, once the form is completed you are able to click the "Register" button and have "instant" access to all the areas that the administrator has setup for first time callers.
Cons:
Yes, FirstClass does have something’s in my opinion that have to be "fixed." In the first place, FirstClass works great in 2400 bps mode (see TeleFinder Cons) but here high speed connections are tenuous at best, though SoftArc says this is high on there list for correcting. FirstClass also does not offer any "standard" for file downloading, in fact, in CLUI mode all files downloaded are in Binary format which is useless to Macintosh owners until the file is converted to MacBinary with another utility. (Not provide by SoftArc)
The protocol offered by FirstClass for downloading, though is nearly as fast as ZModem at 2400 bps has no "pickup" feature if you have lost your connection in the middle of a download, unlike the way they save there messages. This is a real pain when you are downloading a large file to have it poop out on you at about 96% then you have to reloggon and start the whole process over again.
Another problem that I take issue with is the backing up of the BBS. No longer can the FirstClass administrator simply backup there volumes with there favorite backup software and expect the system to function if a Restore becomes necessary. The administrator must use the Install program to back up there files to either disks, single file or a mounted tape. Personally I use the Single File method with the thought that it has to be much faster to backup to another hard disk than to either of the other choices. The size of my backup file is now a little over 40 megabytes and takes just about an hour to backup. Unfortunately you cannot run the install application and the Server software at the same time so this means your entire board comes down for this length of time while you are doing backups.
I also think that the links and indexing system that SoftArc uses needs to be beefed up. I don't know if this is still true but the last time I had to reformat my hard disk, I restored my BBS with the install program and all the links got scrambled and I had to start all over again. As I said, I don't know if this is still true because I have been afraid to even think of reformatting my disks again since I have just put in a major effort at renovating my BBS.
A also think that FirstClass should allow the administrator to make corrections to their posted messages to the public conferences that have files attachments without making you have to re download the software that is attached and create a new message the upload the file again because of a typo? I would also like to have the ability to have a two way conversation with a caller without having to logon to the system yourself to say hello. Currently the only communication that the administrator has with a caller without logging on their selves is to make a one way "Broadcast."
