        ͻ
                                                    Ŀ
              K E E P I N G   I N   T O U C H        
                      
            SPITFIRE Monthly Support Newsletter      
              for registered SPITFIRE Sysops!        
                      November 1994                  
           Compliments of BUFFALO CREEK SOFTWARE     
             Buffalo Creek's BBS * 515-225-8496      
               38400/19200/9600/2400/1200 Bps        
                          2 Nodes                    
                                                     
        ͼ 
          
                    Edited by Jacque Shipley
       The Mother Board BBS - (515) 986-3464 - 57600 Bps
                Sysop Of The Month by Walt Crede
      Roam This Fertile Land -  (515) 288-8755 - 14400 Bps
         Newly Registered SPITFIRE BBS List by Ann Woltz
                  Other Contributions As Noted

        Happy Thanksgiving Wishes to all SPITFIRE Sysops!

ͻ
    Notes from the author of SPITFIRE!   Ŀ
ͼ 
  

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I am reminded of all that we
have to be thankful for.  I understand that some are more fortunate
than others, however, we all have much to be thankful for.

I once read a plaque which has stuck with me over the years.  I would
like to share this with you.

   "I used to feel sorry for myself because I didn't have
    any shoes until I saw a man who didn't have any feet."

I pray that each of you are able to spend Thanksgiving with your
loved ones.  I also hope that you have plenty to eat (gain 5 pounds -
smiling).  May God's grace be with each of you.


                         Until next time, may God bless you...
                         Mike, Ann & family

                         ͻ
                           Greet ye one another with a kiss     Ŀ
                           of love.  Peace be with you all that  
                           are in Christ Jesus.                  
                         ͼ 
                           

͸
 SFMSGLMR - SF LAST MESSAGE READ UPDATE 
;

   The following is a correction to the article, SFMSGLMR - SF LAST
MESSAGE READ UTILITY, which appeared in SPITFIRE's October 1994
'Keeping In Touch' newsletter.  During the explanation of the command
line parameter options, the /GET and /SET were inadvertently turned
around.  The explanation should have read:

   SFMSGLMR uses two command line parameters.  The /GET is used with
SFMSGLMR when executed prior to running SHILOEXP.  SFMSGLMR stores the
last read message pointer information of the caller.  The last read
message pointer is then saved to a file on the drive.
  
   After running SHILOEXP and transferring the mail packet through DSZ,
the batch file determines what processing should occur next based on
the errorlevel returned by DSZ.  If the DSZ reports the file transfer
was successful, the file containing the last message read pointer
information of the caller prior to running SHILOEXP is simply erased.

   However, in the event DSZ returns an errorlevel which indicates the
file transfer was not successful, the batch file processes some
additional commands.  SFMSGLMR using the /SET command line parameter is
used to reset the caller's last message read pointers to what they were
prior to initiating the export.  Then after resetting the pointers, the
file which stores the last message read pointer information is erased.


   Mike Woltz has since made a revision to the new SFMSGLMR utility.
SFMSGLMR now has the capability of including the caller name when using
either /GET or the /SET command line parameters.  This feature allows
hubs which prepare packets in advance to also take advantage of this
utility and to ensure that their nodes have properly received their
mail packet.  The format of the command line using this option would
be:

       SFMSGLMR /GET <Caller Name>
or 
       SFMSGLMR /SET <Caller Name>
  
   When no <Caller Name> is included in the command line, SFMSGLMR will
read the SFDOORS.DAT to determine the caller information.  If <Caller
Name> is included on the command line, then this is what is used by 
SFMSGLMR.  As when used with a caller online, using the /GET <Caller Name>
option allows this callers last message read pointers to be saved.  In the
event, the mail packet is not successfully transferred, then the /SET 
<Caller Name> can be used to restore the last read message pointers to
what they were prior to extracting messages from the SPITFIRE message 
base.


͸
 SFUPDHDR - SPITFIRE UPDATE HEADER UTILITY 
;

   If there is any SPITFIRE Sysop that has earned a reputation for
himself as offering quality SPITFIRE utilities at more-than-fair
registration costs it is Timothy J. Ward.  SFUPDHDR is one of these
utilities.

   SFUPDHDR creates a header for SPITFIRE's SFFILES.BBS file listing.
From the information in SFFILES.BBS it creates a header which is both
attractive and also provides statistical information regarding the
number of files that available for download and the total downloadable
bytes in the file area.

   SFUPDHDR uses allows the Sysop to choose one of 9 header designs.
The Sysop specifies the header design in the configuration file.
SFUPDHDR uses a default configuration file but by specifying the
configuration file on the command line, the Sysop may use multiple
configurations.  In this manner, the Sysop may elect to rotate the
header designs which are available in SFUPDHDR.

   Some of the header designs will even allow you to include up to two
lines of text.  The text included in the header is configured by the
Sysop when creating the configuration file(s).  Also, worth noting, is
that each header is personalized to contain the BBS name.

   SFUPDHDR will create a backup copy of the existing SFFILES.BBS prior
to making the SFFILES.BBS.  A command line option parameter provides an
option to delete the backup file when processing is completed.  Other
command line parameters allow you to specify the file area or range of
file areas for which to create headers and instructions whether to
include file areas configured as CD Rom file areas.

   In addition to the SFUPDHDR utility, Tim also includes SFROMHDR.
This is a companion utility for creating headers for CD Rom file areas
used by SFROM.  It works in much the same way as SFUPDHDR, using the
SFROM configuration file to determine the file lists for which it will
create the headers.

   SFUPDHDR is fully functional in its shareware version.  However, for
the registration fee of $1, it is well worth registering!

  
͸
 KEEPING IN TOUCH PUBLICATION 
;

   Some of the SPITFIRE pioneers out there can probably remember
when 'Keeping In Touch' came to you as a monthly mailing.  Due
to the time and expense involved this was discontinued quite
some time ago.  However, there have been many Sysop express a
desire to see the mailings continue.

   Jerry Davidson, of Polaris BBS, recently contacted Mike about
publishing and distributing the SPITFIRE newsletter on a monthly
basis.  To quote Jerry's message:
   
   "I wonder if you would consider putting a note in your next
newsletter relative to the possible publishing of the newsletter.  As
you may recall, I have been toying around with the idea for some time
and I would just like to get some sort of feel for what the SF Sysops
(and other users) would think about such an idea.  I could publish the
newsletter but it would have to be on some sort of subscription basis.
I know what you, Ann and your family must have gone through publishing
it for no charge and then sending it out at your expense for months on
end.  Thats dedication and my hat is off to you all.  I would have to
charge something reasonable for the paper, and mailing expense.  I am
not interested in making a profit, but just want to make some sort of
little contribution to the betterment of SF.  Perhaps this is one way
that I could do it."
  
   If you are interested in receiving SPITFIRE's Monthly Support
Newsletter, 'Keeping In Touch' in publication, please contact
Jerry on Polaris BBS.  The BBS number is 801-831-4906 and supports
speeds up to 19200 bps.  If there is sufficient interest in this,
'Keeping In Touch' may again arrive delivered to you in the near
future.


   
͸
 SPITFIRE BOARD-OF-THE-MONTH 
;

The Glory Bound BBS                              SFNET   A0803001
Inman, SC  29349          803-592-5208         FIDONet   1:3652/5
Ken Kirkley, Sysop                             FMLYNet   8:8301/3


   Well, I have always heard that good things come to those who keep
their nose clean and mind their own business. That is exactly what I
was doing on Sunday afternoon when my son told me I had a phone call.
Having talked voice with Mike Woltz previously, I immediately
recognized his voice.  I was pleasantly surprised when he informed me
that The Glory Bound BBS had been picked as the SPITFIRE Board of the
Month for November!

   No doubt I would not even be running a BBS if it had not been for my
father-in-law (Jim Quick of The Lighthouse BBS). It was him who got me
hooked on computers.  After using an Amstrad word processor for about a
year I jumped into the deep water of a computer.  I purchased my
father-in-laws old Tandy 1000.  The Tandy had a massive 20 meg
harddrive and an EGA monitor.  In a few months my father-in-law had
run across an external 300/1200 baud modem for my use.  With this
attached to the Tandy I was now ready to reach out to the world.

   My first experiences with a modem were with Compuserve.  After a few
months of paying them for fun, I discovered a couple of local boards.
It seemed that the more I called these boards the more intrigued
(hooked <g>) I became.  There was no doubt in my mind, but that I had
to have my own BBS.  After *much* work with RBBS and a couple of other
programs my father-in-law gave me a copy of SPITFIRE.  In a very short
time I had it installed on my massive 20 meg drive (stacked to 40) and
ready to run.  During the setup time I knew that I needed a larger and
better system.  Needless to say, I rationalized how much work I could
get done with a new system, also.  Christmas of '92 found me purchasing
a new 386 DX-40 tower with a 130 meg harddrive.  Of course having a new
computer meant needing a new and faster modem.  The ZOOM 14.4 was soon
to follow.

   The Glory Bound BBS officially went on-line on January 14, 1993.  I
called the local boards and sent out messages informing the users of
the area that a new BBS was on-line.  I remember vividly my awaiting
the first few callers.  It was kinda like awaiting the arrival of my
two children.....nervous!  Did I have everything configured properly,
would my modem (still at 2400) be compatible with the callers
modem.......etc.

   Almost two years later The Glory Bound is still on-line!  This BBS
is by no means large (user base of around 250) and probably never will
be.  But it meets the expectations and needs of myself.  Running this
board is a hobby that gives me much pleasure.  I have had the
opportunity to meet many new people who have become friends.  I have
had the "fun" of helping newbies become acquainted with the wonderful
world of BBS'ing.  The BBS has also allowed me to share my personal
faith in Jesus Christ with many individuals.  This was one of my
reasons for starting the BBS.  There were many good boards around, but
none that were truly Christian with a Christian message.

   The Glory Bound currently participates in four mail networks;
SPARNet (for our local area), SFNET, FIDONet, and FMLYNet.  All
conferences are clean, G-rated areas.  No porno nor adult material is
allowed within the message base nor the file base.  The file base now
consists of 470 megs of harddrive space plus one CD-ROM drive on-line.
Three other ROMS are available via SFROM Request.  Files range from
educational, games, general DOS utilities, SPITFIRE utilities (some 12
megs worth) to personal Bible study.  One file area is devoted entirely
to the On-Line Bible program and another one to Bible programs in
general.  The BBS now operates under Desqview 2.42.  Remember, I said
earlier that I rationalized about how much more work I could accomplish
with a faster system. <G>  The multitasking has truly allowed for
greater personal use of the system.

   In closing, I would like to thank Mike Woltz for the privilege of
being the Board of the Month, but more importantly for writing a fine
piece of software that allows us Sysops to personalize our BBS to our
taste.  Thanks, Mike.  More importantly, I want to thank Jesus Christ
for my salvation!  Without Christ there is no telling where I would be
and what I would be doing.  He has really made life worth living!

May God Bless,
Ken Kirkley


͸
 SPITFIRE SYSOP-OF-THE-MONTH 
;        

                           Eric Lofgren
                           Sea Spray BBS
                           (902)-765-6867
                      Wilmot, Nova Scotia, Canada

   Well I have never written anything like this before but here I go.

   My name is Eric Lofgren and I must admit I was very suprised when
Mike Woltz called me today and told me I had been selected as Sysop of
the month.  Noreen, my wife, was wondering why I looked as if in shock
when I came upstairs from the call.  I told her about the call and she
promptly said I will be impossible to live with for the rest of the
week.  I am 31 years old and married for over 11 years.  Noreen and I
have 3 wonderful children; Matthew 11, Mark 8 and a daughter Nicole 7.
   
   I have a small BBS up here in Wilmot, Nova Scotia called Sea Spray
BBS.  Noreen and I decided on the name one evening while thinking of
hundreds.  It sounded good to a sailor as myself and it stuck.  On the
local boards my alias is Salty so it all fits in.  I first started
BBSing when I downloaded a copy of a number of different BBS types off
a local Wildcat BBS.  I tried a few but they were so badly crippled or
so expensive they were quickly deleted, then I came to SPITFIRE.  It
was easy to set up (even for me) and I could set up doors and
everything right away.  Not knowing much of what I was doing, the
instructions were straightforward and away I went.
   
   I started using our voice phone with my 386sx16, 40 meg HD, and a
2400 baud modem on 23 June 93.  Callers had to first call let me answer
and then call back for the BBS.  Noreen figured no one would call
anyway so why not let me have fun in the basement.  Well surprise,
surprise they actually did call and I soon had some people wanting to
pay me to register doors and things WOW.  Needless to say the calls
were annoying her and I soon got my own phone line as long as I could
assure her no LD calls.  Well that will be no problem <BG>.
   
   I soon went out and bought a CD-Rom player to get more files online
as the 40 Megs were filling fast and now the kids had no games left on
the machine.  This Sysop stuff is fun but sure consumes a lot of time
but I would not have it any other way.  Now running on the same
computer with a 170 Meg HD a 14,400 baud modem and a CD-Rom drive with
6 CD's to download or request files from the callers say I have the
best BBS in the area and the Sysop actually answers the pages.  I
really enjoy meeting people through the computer and have many friends
that I have not even met.
   
   Then along came SFNET.  I was already hooked on netmail from another
BBS that used to carry Circuit Net and had met a lot of wonderful SF
Sysops through there.  They had helped me along the way solving the
problems I was having getting things to work right, modem inits, etc.
Mike was actually going to start a SPITFIRE exclusive message net,
Count me in!!  How do I sign up?  I called Buffalo Creek and Mike broke
in and explained the files I would need and I called him back voice
that night and was up and running as the SFNET Area Code Hub for 902
area code.  Finally I had the contact back with some old friends and a
whole slew of new ones.  I have since been given the honor of
Moderating the BBS Doors Conference which is new to me but I am trying
to live up to what is expected and loving it.
   
   I want to thank Mike Woltz for writing excellent software in
SPITFIRE and the associated utilities which I have gotten so much out
of, as well as all the other SPITFIRE Sysops who have helped make
SPITFIRE, Sea Spray and SFNET what it is today.  I have been running
with just the default menus since I started, so I also want to say a
special thank you to Adrienne and Louann Alger for fixing me up some
ANSI screens the other day which I am putting on the board.  Thanks to
ALL and God Bless.  Eric
  

͸
  NEWLY REGISTERED SPITFIRE SYSTEMS 
;

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

Club Paradise.................................206-373-8751...14400 BPS
Robert Boursaw, Sysop............................Bremerton, Washington

SHARE-IT BBS..................................513-821-5533....2400 BPS
Jim Mohr, Sysop..........................................Wyoming, Ohio

The Junk Yard BBS.............................601-799-3241...19200 BPS
Barry F. Hauser, Sysop...........................Picayune, Mississippi

UCDFX, Inc....................................614-878-9010...38400 BPS
Paul Nippert, Sysop.....................................Galloway, Ohio

The Honey Tree BBS......................011-81-3117-628914...28800 BPS
Dwight A. Collins, Sysop...................................APO Address

Nirvonna BBS..................................616-691-7653...19200 BPS
Dale Wilcox, Sysop....................................Lowell, Michigan

Chaotic Mind..................................709-282-3373...14400 BPS
Bart MacCara, Sysop...........................Wabush Lab, Newfoundland

Mustang Country.........................011-82333-661-3033...14400 BPS
Steve Broughton, Sysop.....................................APO Address

Bits N' PC'S..................................907-337-6291...28800 BPS
R. Jason Newman, Sysop...............................Anchorage, Alaska

The Highlander................................205-565-5816...19200 BPS
Duncan Meadows, Sr., Sysop..........................Tacoma, Washington

Road Kill Cafe................................616-361-0848...19200 BPS
Martin Flack, Sysop.............................Grand Rapids, Michigan

The Night Owl.................................606-678-2833...14400 BPS
Benny Gibson, Sysop.................................Somerset, Kentucky

Daddy Longlegs BBS............................817-443-6023....2400 BPS
Carl Linde, Sysop....................................Fort Worth, Texas

Starlight Computer............................214-496-0729...14400 BPS
Brian Hurley, Sysop......................................Sachse, Texas

The Q Continuum...............................207-724-2464...14400 BPS
Jason Worswick, Sysop..................................Gardiner, Maine

The Outer Edge................................601-328-0378...14400 BPS
Thom Geiger, Sysop...............................Columbus, Mississippi

Continental Cablevision Connection of Jax.....904-733-9617...14400 BPS
Continental Cablevision Connection, Sysop........Jacksonville, Florida

New Orleans Digital Frontier..................504-398-1962...14400 BPS
Matthew Sell, Sysop............................Belle Chasse, Louisiana

The Game Keeper BBS...........................408-778-3889...14400 BPS
James Morris, Sysop............................Morgan Hill, California

Wonk's World BBS..............................817-439-1814...19200 BPS
Steven Thomason, Sysop...............................Fort Worth, Texas

Transitions BBS...............................905-355-5495....9600 BPS
Patti May, Sysop.............................Colborne, Ontario, Canada

The Playhouse II BBS..........................513-868-7605...14400 BPS
Marvin Bowling, Sysop...................................Hamilton, Ohio

Doom Central..................................713-575-0932...14400 BPS
Jeff Cruser, Sysop......................................Houston, Texas

The Panacea BBS...............................619-366-7942...14400 BPS
Tom Kitchell, Sysop............................Joshua Tree, California

Unknown BBS...................................702-453-6939...14400 BPS
Bill Huff, Sysop.....................................Las Vegas, Nevada

Reality Bytes BBS.............................205-469-5861...28800 BPS
Lehn Lambert, Sysop.................................Andalusia, Alabama

Fishing Haven.................................817-539-6532...28800 BPS
Nadine Walsh, Sysop...................................Fort Hood, Texas

The OAN Citadel, Sector CD....................816-767-1488...28800 BPS
Brian J. Stewart, Sysop............................Grandview, Missouri

Pixels N' Bits................................205-222-0030...14400 BPS
Larry Defilippi, Sysop...............................Andalusia, Alabama


     In addition, there was 7 new private SPITFIRE BBS Systems
registered.  The private SPITFIRE BBS was registered to Sysops in
Victorville, California; Port Lavaca, Texas; Powell, Tennessee;
Sacramento, California; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Friendship, Maryland
and Rochester, New York.

     There were 12 registrations for whom registration information
was incomplete.  These included BBS's in: Waterville, Maine; Tampa,
Florida; Portage, Michigan; Lovelock, Nevada; Fairhope, Alabama;   
Cranford, New Jersey; Anjou, Quebec, Canada; Des Moines, Iowa;  
Terrace, British Columbia, Canada; Vancouver, Washington; Homedale,
Idaho and Great Falls, Montana.

     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.

