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Color 64 BBS Version 8.10a Introduction

Color 64 BBS is a historical juggernaut in the Commodore 64 BBS world with years of development under its belt. It is a marriage of complexity and simplicity that provides powerful features for the system and at the same time, ease of customization to make your system unique.

This BBS program is comprised of two parts. The first part is the set of BASIC programs, called Overlays, which are responsible for the operation of the BBS program. The second part is a section of machine language code, which extends the functions of BASIC to allow it to operate with a modem and to allow BASIC to run as fast as possible. The original authors purposely wrote the overlays in BASIC for ease of modification by Sysops, which was how my development of version 8.1.0a came to be. With a little BASIC programming knowledge, you can make your system stand out from others; yet this is not a requirement. Even without a programming background, the stock system includes enough features to run an excellent BBS system.

Before setting out to install your system, you should read through all the installation documentation carefully. Do some planning on paper so you will have almost everything decided BEFORE you begin installation. Some key considerations are your BBS theme (what is your BBS about or for?), storage-space availability versus content (message and filebase categories), and what hardware will be supporting the system. More on all this in Chapter 2: Installation.

Features of Color 64 BBS 8.1A include:

Support for ANSI, ASCII or PETSCII (CBM) graphics          Public and Private Messaging o   Autoreply to public and private messages o   MCI (if permitted by user s level) o   Version 8.1a permits user signatures and banners          Text files and on-line help repository          Nine configurable permission levels, permitting customization of permitted commands, message and file access, and time limits for each level.          Y2K Compliant          Autorecovery from System / Program errors          Several system modes for local sysop use: o   BBS Wait for call (normal operation) o   Local Mode (Sysop logs in locally at system) o   Terminal Mode: Built-in terminal program with upload and download capabilities (for calling other boards) o   DOS Mode: Built-in DOS Wedge for system maintenance

Supports 300-2400 baud natively, or up to 38,400 baud when using Swiftlink (either natively or in VICE 64 emulated environment)          File transfer base o   File transfers using Xmodem or Punter protocols (including multi-receive mode) o   Configurable permission-based file access, allowing uploads and downloads to remain hidden from users that are not permitted o   Permits multiple categories either with multiple or singular disk systems o   A download directory system that keeps all files dated and in chronological order          Configurable maintenance clean-up features to include automation of: o   Automatic deletion of old unread mail o   Automatic purging of members who have not called for a certain number of days          Caller Log history          Chat (Sysop / User)          Supports Ram Expansion Units (REU) up to 2MB