        ͻ
                                                    Ŀ
              K E E P I N G   I N   T O U C H        
                      
            SPITFIRE Monthly Support Newsletter      
              for registered SPITFIRE Sysops!        
                        June 1993                    
           Compliments of BUFFALO CREEK SOFTWARE     
             Buffalo Creek's BBS * 515-225-8496      
               38400/19200/9600/2400/1200 Baud       
                          2 Nodes                    
                                                     
        ͼ 
          
                    Edited by Jacque Shipley
       The Mother Board BBS - (515) 986-3464 - 19200 Baud
                Sysop Of The Month by Walt Crede
      Roam This Fertile Land -  (515) 288-8755 - 2400 Baud
         Newly Registered SPITFIRE BBS List by Ann Woltz
                  Other Contributions As Noted



ͻ
    Notes from the author of SPITFIRE!   Ŀ
ͼ 
  

PLEASE DON'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE
------------------------------

    As you may or may not be aware, the record number (# in
SFUSERS.DAT) of the last caller can be passed to SFCHKUP.  When
the record number of the last caller is passed, then SFCHKUP
does not have to search through SFUSERS.DAT to find the last
caller.  For example, SPITFIRE v3.3 passes the record number of
the last caller to SFINIT.BAT thus allowing such information to
be passed to SFCHKUP.  In other words, if SFCHKUP is operated
from within the SFINIT.BAT file, then SFCHKUP should be booted
within the SFINIT.BAT file using the %1 (%1 represents the
record number) command line parameter, for example:

SFCHKUP %1

    I have received reports at various times from certain Sysops
that something is corrupting their SFUSERS.DAT file and they
have always kinda pointed the finger at SFCHKUP.  They said that
it always seems to happen when an uploaded file fails the
integrity test during the SFCHKUP operation.  I finally figured
out what the problem is and I hope that you WON'T MAKE THIS
MISTAKE.

    As you are aware, if SPITFIRE is operated under a frontend
program, then the SFINIT.BAT file is never executed.  Therefore,
if the Sysop wants to use SFCHKUP it can't be used within the
SFINIT.BAT file because the SFINIT.BAT is never executed.  Here
is the mistake that is being made.  When operating SPITFIRE and
SFCHKUP under a frontend program, Sysops are executing SFCHKUP
(within the batch file executed from the frontend program)
immediately after the SPITFIRE command.  There is nothing wrong
with this, in fact, it is the correct way to do it.  However,
they are executing SFCHKUP with the %1 command line parameter
(BAD NEWS).  %1 to this batch file means something totally
different (normally it is the baud rate) than what %1 means to
the SFINIT.BAT file.  You see, the %1 in the frontend batch file
most likely represents the baud rate of the caller so when the
%1 is used in the frontend batch file then SFCHKUP thinks the
record number of the last caller is 2400 or 14000 or whatever.
This will cause a serious problem with your SFUSERS.DAT file.
PLEASE DON'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE!  Only use the %1 command line
parameter when operating SFCHKUP from within SFINIT.BAT.


GOOD TURNOUT ANTICIPATED FOR THE SPITFIRE CONFERENCE 
----------------------------------------------------

    As the time winds down to the 1993 SPITFIRE conference, it
surely appears that we are going to have a good turn out.  The
agenda for the conference is still somewhat tenuous, however,
it will be extremely informative and entertaining for everyone
who attends.  Previous conferences have served to create
lifetime friendships and I am sure this conference will not be
different.

    In the event you are the author of any software program(s)
or you know a author, we request some copies of such software
for door prizes at the conference.  You can contact Jacque
Shipley (The Mother Board - 515-986-3464) or myself (Buffalo 
Creek's BBS - 515-225-8496) to provide such door prizes.  Thanks,
we sure appreciate your support and generosity.


SFPCKMSG v1.4 RELEASED!
-----------------------

    There have been a couple of small problems found in SFPCKMSG so
these problems have been fixed and version 1.4 was released on June 6,
1993.  You can obtain a copy of this revision from Buffalo Creek's BBS
by download SFPCKMSG.ZIP.  Thank you.

    Until next time, may God's rich blessings and comfort be with each
of you.

                                            Best wishes...
                                            Mike Woltz


͸
 REGISTERED SPITFIRE BOARD LIST 
;

  SPITFIRE Sysop, George Flatman has taken on the task of compiling
a national BBS listing of all registered BBS systems.  Below is the
form George would like each registered SPITFIRE Sysop to complete
and return to him to ensure that they are included in the listing.

BBS Name:

BBS Number:

BBS Program Type:

Baud Rates Supported:

Sysop Name:

BBS Number:

BBS Program Type:

Baud Rates Supported:

Sysop Name:

and also include what your BBS has to offer i,e, File Areas, Message
Areas, Net-Mail, Doors, CD-Roms, etc.  

Please send all that great info to George at the address listed below.

                        George Flatman
                        c/o Wett Comunications
                        3120 Ramrod
                        Las Vegas,NV 89108

Or, as an alternative, Sysops may leave a message to George which 
contains the requested information when calling Buffalo Creek's BBS.


͸
 SPITFIRE UTILITY REVIEWS 
;


SFDP (SPITFIRE DOWNLOAD PROCESSOR)
----------------------------------

   David Pierron, registered SPITFIRE Sysop of Wombat's Wagon has 
several new SPITFIRE utilities, one of which is SFDP.  SFDP stands
for SPITFIRE Download Processor.

   SFDP tracks the frequency of which a file is downloaded on a
SPITFIRE BBS.  This information is added to the last line of the file
description.  Not only is this information interesting to the Sysop
and BBS caller but it can also be very a valuable tool to the Sysop.
It provides a quick, "at-a-glance" activity log for all downloadable
files on the BBS.  And for Sysops facing a disk space "crunch" this
utility is a useful means for monitoring which files can be moved
offline and which files are in demand by the callers to the BBS.

   Below is an example of how SFDP updates the file description to
provide the number of times a file is downloaded and the time stamp
of the last download:

SF05-93.ZIP  05-02-93  11,015  SPITFIRE Support Newsletter - May 1993
                                Downloads: 8     Last: 05/26/93 at 15:30

   Features of SFDP include:
     Support of up to 384 file areas, including CDRom file listings
     File sharing with advanced error handling for multi-node systems
     Supports SPITFIRE's Free Download Areas
     Supports SFRom downloads
     Optional log file
     Extremely fast runtime

   SFDP runs immediately after a caller logs off the BBS so the 
download data is always current.  Another nice feature is the
ability to easily convert to SFDP from other "times downloaded" 
utilities written for SPITFIRE, such as Alexander Erne's TIMES or 
Jeremy Collake's SFDNC.

   David Pierron has developed a unique registration process for most
of his SPITFIRE utilities.  He does require his utilities be
registered but the registration is FREE.  (Although, donations would
be appreciated they are not mandatory.)  To obtain a registered copy
of SFDP, contact David Pierron by mail or on Wombat's Wagon
(215-331-2590), providing the information outlined in the
documentation file.  Your personalized copy will then be made
available for download.



SFROM120  - SPITFIRE CD ROM DOOR
--------------------------------

   SFROM Door is not a utility which will attract every SPITFIRE
Sysop but it does have some unique features which make it the door of
choice for SPITFIRE Sysops who elect to make their CDRom files
available either as a door or using one of SPITFIRE's menu
extensions.

    SFROM Door can be used to access and download files located on CD
Rom disks, magnetic drives or both.  In addition, it can also serve
as a menu extension, allowing the Sysop to combine CD-ROMs and other
doors on the same menu.  This is done by Error levels which are used
in batch files to pass control to the selected external door.

   SFROM is written to work specifically with SPITFIRE, and can be
run either as a door or from any of SPITFIRE's Sysop configurable
command options.  The overall features and operation of the SFROM
door do indeed parallel SPITFIRE's own design, offering the ability
to browse file lists, speedy text search, file tagging and
single/batch downloads.

   As outlined in the documentation, some of the more prominent
features include:

    Multiple disk support for up to 100 disks, with up to 1000
     separate file areas per disk.
     
    Disks can be put on/off line by setting one value in the
     configuration file.  Offline disks look the same as online
     except no downloads.

    MegaSearch feature can search ALL disks for matching text.
     SFROM performs a very rapid text search of both file names and
     descriptions with matches highlighted in color.
   
    Separate custom access control for each disk using the caller's
     security level.  This sets which levels can access each disk.  In 
     addition, any number of specific security levels can be set for 
     each disk to allow browse-only access with no downloads.

    Batch downloads and file tagging of up to 20 files.

    Number of files/bytes downloaded is recorded in the SPITFIRE
     main database and in the registered version daily download limits
     are enforced.

    Multi-colored file lists just as within SPITFIRE 3.2 & 3.3.  Also,
     supports SPITFIRE style multi-line descriptions.

    Complete logging of all caller activity (registered versions).

    Download from within door using Xmodem, Ymodem or Zmodem (requires
     a copy of DSZ.COM or DSZ.EXE).  Zmodem MobyTurbo is supported.

    File sharing and locking for multi-node and network operation. 

    Automatically uses SPITFIRE's communication port settings.  Comm 
     port speeds to 115,200 bps with hardware or software flow control.
     Uses value passed by SPITFIRE to calculate estimated download times,
     factoring in a speed increase due to error correction.

    Reads DAILYLMT.DAT to determine allowable downloads per day.

    Carrier detection. Resets the BBS if caller drops carrier.

    Inactivity timeout configurable from 1 to 10 minutes.

    Multitasker aware. Releases time slices (clock tics) to tasks
     running in other windows when SF-Rom is idle.

    Runs locally inside of SPITFIRE (where baud rate = 0).
     Local browse and copy to hard drive mode.

    Detailed status lines visible on top of local screen displaying
     caller name, statistics., time left, etc.

    Detailed status screen displayed during download. Shows caller's 
     entire download/upload history and more.

    Sysop local keyboard controls same as SPITFIRE.  For example, ALT+C
     enables chat, F6 takes five minutes from caller, F7 gives caller
     five minutes, ALT+F1 exits door, etc.

    Several configuration options which are available to the Sysop include:
          Optional logoff after transfer.
          Optional time penalty for dropped carrier.
          Configurable number of lines displayed per page.
          Can now specify the character used in determining which lines
              in a file list contain a valid file for tagging and display
               purposes.
          Configurable activity log format.

    DSZmodem is "trapped" inside a window so that data does not scroll off
     the screen as the download progresses.

   SFROM also uses SPITFIRE's file naming convention for its' display
files.  ANSI display files use a .CLR extension and ASCII display
files use the .BBS extension.  SFROM is easily configured to support
either single disk or multiple CDRom disks.  When using the multiple
CDRom disk configuration, the Sysop can also toggle a disk so that
the file listing is available to the caller but the download feature
is disabled.  This feature will definitely appeal to Sysops with
multiple disks and one drive.

    SFROM Door is written by Mike Robinson, registered SPITFIRE Sysop
of The Soft Parade.  SFROM Door can be registered for $20.  When
registered a key (which is compatible with new releases of SFROM
Door) is made available for download from The Soft Parade.

   The current version of SFROM Door is 1.20.  However, Mike expects
to release a new version probably within the next six weeks.
Features he plans to incorporate in the upcoming version include to
ability for the caller to make offline requests, internal viewing of
archive files, and the capability to insert the BBS comment into the
ZIP file before downloading.


͸
 SPITFIRE BOARD-OF-THE-MONTH 
;

                             
                        THE CRYSTAL BALL   
                      Covington,  Kentucky
                          502-439=2038

Greeting's all. My name is Brett Morris. Being chosen as one of the
SPITFIRE boards of the month was quite a nice surprise as well as an
honor to be associated with such a fine group of people. I am 28
years old, married with one son age 2, and one on the way. I am an
aviation technical inspector, and most important a SPITFIRE sysop. I
first started in computers around 1984 on a Timex Sinclair,
progressed through the Commodore 64c, Apple, etc...  scene but not
really to serious, just small haphazard attempts at programming.

I finally got into the IBM side of the computer world, and began
taking a class in Basic programming, and will progress into the other
languages. Upon getting my first real IBM compatible computer early
in 1992, I was aware of the modem world, but not very knowledgeable
of it. When my computer arrived I decided to get a modem, so I could
have access to programs and just check out what the BBS world was all
about. I found that for the most part, most of the boards local to
me, which by the way is Oak Grove, Ky, located just outside the gate
of Ft. Campbell, were not real user friendly, and some just down right
rude.

Thus the beginning of The Crystal Ball. I decided to make a BBS that
would be fun, informative and above all user friendly--and helpful.

All messages are answered daily, and promptly. No copyright material
is on this board, just plain comfort for the most part. I started
this board on the computer I received with my programming course
which was a 286/12,no hard drive, and one single high density 51/4
floppy drive. I promptly added a 40 meg hard drive,and found that was
soon filled in about one month. I have finally grown after being
online for a year now,to a 386/DX33, dual cdrom, net-mail via RIME
network, 105 meg hard drive, and over 1.5 Gig's of files.
 
More upgrading will include another node, and high speed
communications.  I thank Mike Woltz, for all the help he has given
me, and the patience he has had with me on some of the off-the-wall
questions I had in the beg ginning, realizing we all start somewhere,
and not making me feel dumb.

My wife has finally accepted SPITFIRE as part of our family, and is
very supportive of the board. If you want to visit a friendly board
give us a call, were online 24 hrs a day, and all SPITFIRE Sysops
will receive full access to the board.  it's a family thing I guess
you could say <Grin> 502-439-5038. As Mike says, "SPITFIRE Sysops are
for the most part top shelf folks."  I wish all of you success in
your BBSing, and above all keep it fun and friendly, and remember we
all started out slow.



͸
 SYSOP-OF-THE-MONTH 
;        

                       Larry "Tex" Easley
                  The Ranch House/VetLink #31
                     Universal City,  Texas
                    (210) 945-9304 (14.4bps)

When I found a message waiting for me at Buffalo Creek, telling me I
had been selected as the Sysop-of-the-Month, the first thing that
crossed my mind was, "Well, that sure took long enough!"  But then I
realized that many things have changed with SPITFIRE over the years,
and there's a whole flock of folks who are probably more qualified
than I for the honor.  So, if I'm the one selected from over 2000
registered SPITFIRE sysops, I've got to consider that it's quite an
honor.
 
Past Sysop-of-the-Month articles generally reviewed the background of
the sysop being recognized, and I won't be any different in that
regard.  Let's see - it all started in 1984 when I picked up a
TI99-4A and a cartridge to use in it.  A big $50!  Shortly
thereafter, the TI99 bit the big one, and, after journeying to
England compliments of Uncle Sam, I bit a bit deeper into the
computing fun by picking up a cassette-tape loaded Spectrum computer.
Business related software showed me how useful computers could be,
and from there I graduated from the Spectrum to a TRS-80 Model 4, to
a Tandy 1000A, and finally, to the 386/33 I now use for the Ranch
House, and a companion 286SX I use to fool around with.
 
Shortly after returning from overseas in 1987, someone told me what a
modem was and what was available through its use.  I logged onto my
first BBS in Del Rio, Texas, and was immediately fascinated by the
electronic means of communicating.  I tricked my wife into buying me
my own 1200 baud modem in 1988 (a birthday present!), and it's been
downhill (or uphill, depending on who's doing the talking) since
then.  In late 1988, after heading for another assignment in
Massachusetts, I grabbed a copy of SPITFIRE 2.3 and set up my first
BBS, called at the time the Lunenburg Connection.  In 1989, I changed
the name to the Ranch House - the good years in Texas wore off on me,
and, besides, Massachusetts needed a friendly neighborhood cowboy!  I
was it, and it's been the Ranch House ever since.
 
SPITFIRE was my choice because it was affordable, extremely easy to
set up and use, and probably more important than anything, the family
of SPITFIRE sysops, as Mike likes to say, was, for the most part, top
notch!  Folks like Mike, Jacque Shipley and others were instrumental
in forming the final link that makes SPITFIRE, in my mind at least, a
package that can't be beat.  Over the past few years I've helped many
a new sysop set up a SPITFIRE BBS, and even here in San Antonio, the
SPITFIRE family is growing fast.
 
The Ranch House is what I like to call a friendly neighborhood
down-home BBS, and our motto is "The campfire is always lit, and you
are always welcome!"  I carry FidoNet and VetLink echo mail, and
consider messaging to be the mainstay of the board - testified to by
the large number of users who call regularly for their mail.  I've
had many folks say they can't believe I have such a complete BBS with
only an 80-meg hard drive, but that's been the secret to my success,
if there must be one...keep it simple for the users.  I've never
intended to make a buck off of it (and a good thing, too!).
 
Family-wise, I'm married to the missus (Starr), and we have four
children, all grown (for the most part).  With only my son still at
home (I can't seem to make him want to fly on his own), Starr and I
have much more time available to do the things we enjoy doing, and
that's to travel as much as possible.  Who knows, one year may find
me attending the SPITFIRE Sysop Conference!  It seems that every year
I'm away on a business trip the week of the conference, and this year
it will, unfortunately, be the same.  I work for the Air Force as the
Chief of the Air Force Bowling Program, which basically means I keep
an eye on how Air Force bowling centers operate.
 
That's it!  This is me...and I'm happy to join the rest of the select
group previously chosen as Sysops-of-the-Month.  Ya'll be good, now,
hear?
  
    
͸
  NEWLY REGISTERED SPITFIRE SYSTEMS 
;

   A hearty welcome is extended to the following, who have
recently become public registered SPITFIRE Bulletin Board Systems:

Zacone's BBS.................................215-544-7327...57600 Baud
Ted Zarcone, Sysop................................Secane, Pennsylvania

Viking.......................................919-933-8545...14400 Baud
Viking Computer Services, Sysop............Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Leisure Time.................................505-434-6940...14400 Baud
Bob Riddell, Sysop..............................Alamogordo, New Mexico

Free At Last.................................814-734-3512....2400 Baud
Jeremy Smock, Sysop..........................Cranesville, Pennsylvania

Electric Magazine............................707-961-0735...14400 Baud
Bob Shannon, Sysop..............................Fort Bragg, California

Lite My Fire.............................Phone Unknown....Unknown Baud
Fred Claiborne, Sysop.................................Des Moines, Iowa

Shady's Place................................912-545-9729....2400 Baud
Samuell Grady, Sysop.................................Ludowici, Georgia

Starlite BBS.................................603-226-3344....2400 Baud
Ken Kalloch, Sysop..............................Concord, New Hampshire

The Pit Stop BBS.............................705-461-6117....2400 Baud
Gerry Marengere, Sysop....................Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada

Brad's BBS...................................403-875-7705....2400 Baud
Brad Collyer, Sysop......................LLoydminster, Alberta, Canada

Jimmy Ray's Hometown BBS.....................907-696-7706...14400 Baud
Dr. Roger Eyman, Sysop...............................Anchorage, Alaska

Rich-Systems Remote..........................918-664-8227...38400 Baud
Rich-Systems, Inc., Sysop..............................Tulsa, Oklahoma

Don's Den of Iniquity........................515-253-0164...38400 Baud
Don McNew, Sysop.......................................Urbandale, Iowa

Wizard's World...............................603-642-3375...14400 Baud
Michele Raymond, Sysop.........................Kingston, New Hampshire

EEI..........................................908-901-7471...14400 Baud
Frederick Ehlers, Sysop.............................Howell, New Jersey

Bob's Genealogy Forum BBS....................218-879-9658....9600 Baud
Robert Hunt, Sysop..................................Cloquet, Minnesota

The Bottoms Up BBS...........................502-942-1540...14400 Baud
Brian Stewart, Sysop...............................Fort Knox, Kentucky

The Get Busy BBS.............................206-589-1154....2400 Baud
Johnny Moore, Sysop.................................Tacoma, Washington

Showcom Online...............................416-476-1046...14400 Baud
Anthony Trollope, Sysop.......................Keswick, Ontario, Canada

Savage Jungle................................817-268-1914....2400 Baud
David & Cindy Savidge, Sysops.............................Hurst, Texas

Sam's Shoe String BBS........................702-289-6615...14400 Baud
Sam Baker, Sysop...........................................Ely, Nevada

R&K's Hottub.................................813-447-5469....2400 Baud
Kevin & Rhonda Austin, Sysops......................Clearwater, Florida

Take A Byte..................................614-894-6803....2400 Baud
Larry Shockley, Sysop..................................SouthPoint,Ohio

Miami Vice BBS...............................803-871-5835....2400 Baud
James Pry, Sysop...........................Summerville, South Carolina

Castle Sunfire...............................513-481-4967....2400 Baud
John Armstrong, Sysop.................................Cincinnati, Ohio

The Publishing BBS.....................01182-351-869-3511...14400 Baud
Michael Robinson, Sysop....................Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri

The Matrix BBS...............................216-949-5787...14400 Baud
Jack Palur, Sysop......................................Sheffield, Ohio



   In addition, there were 6 new private SPITFIRE BBS Systems
registered.  These private SPITFIRE BBS's included registrations
from: Independence, Kentucky; Issaquah, Washington; Odessa, Texas;
Marysville, California; Cedex, France; and Crestline, California.

   There were 22 registrations for whom registration information was
incomplete.  These included BBS's in: Richardson, Texas; Milton,
West Virginia; Portland, Oregon; Arlington, Texas; 2 APO addresses;
Topeka, Kansas; Wahiawa, Hawaii; Gresham, Oregon; 2 in Cincinnati, 
Ohio; Peabody, Massachusetts; Claremont, New Hampshire; Robins Air 
Force Base, Georgia; Reserve Mines, Nova Scotia, Canada; Macon, 
North Carolina; Hartford, Connecticut; Glendale, Arizona; Lakehurst,
New Jersey; Mem Martins, Portugal; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Cedar
Rapids, Iowa.

   The increase in registrations where information is incomplete is 
largely due to Buffalo Creek's Software's policy of accepting on-line
Mastercard and Visa credit card registrations.


   JUST A REMINDER...the newsletter is always looking for contributions!  
Please forward any articles in ASCII text to either Buffalo Creek's BBS 
or The Mother Board BBS.  
