• Wishing!

    From GREG YOUNGBLOOD@1:124/5013 to All on Thu Jan 31 19:10:44 2019
    Date: Wed, 09 Mar 2005 18:39:45 -0400
    From: GREG YOUNGBLOOD
    To: HECTOR SANTOS
    Subject: Wishing!
    Newsgroups: win.server.wish.list
    Message-ID: <1110411585.33.0@winserver.com>
    X-WcMsg-Attr: Rcvd
    X-Mailer: Wildcat! Interactive Net Server v7.0.454.5
    Lines: 26


    Hello Hector


    Any chance in the near future of making a change so that a Win Server
    BBS-Site can use handles but in the message areas having a choice of
    pick a setting for handles or real name. Say handles to log in and
    use in local messages areas but in a network area like fido having a
    switch for real names only.


    Also, I know a lot of sites also use real names for gaming also, but
    again that is handled through a network.


    If so, laughing I'll be the first to sign up for AUP!!!


    Thanks


    Greg



    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.1
    * Origin: Prison Board BBS Mesquite Tx //telnet.RDFIG.NET www. (1:124/5013)
  • From HECTOR SANTOS@1:124/5013 to All on Thu Jan 31 19:10:44 2019
    Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 21:51:21 -0400
    From: HECTOR SANTOS
    To: GREG YOUNGBLOOD
    Subject: Re: Wishing!
    Newsgroups: win.server.wish.list
    Message-ID: <1110682549.33.1110411585@winserver.com>
    References: <1110411585.33.0@winserver.com>
    X-WcMsg-Attr: Rcvd
    X-Mailer: Wildcat! Interactive Net Server v7.0.454.5
    Lines: 217

    You are speaking to the foremost expert on BBS systems having developed
    Silver Xpress for 22 different BBS systems in the 80s and 90s. :-)

    Silver Xpress was designed to follow the behavior and security of the BBS it was installed on to the letter. I use to call this Silver Xpress concept:

    "Providing the Online Experience..... Offline"

    <grin>

    So I am very aware of the differences and Wildcat! was unique among others
    in the area of alias and anonymity concepts in the mail areas. It was very restrictive in this area.

    Why?

    There was an early conscious decision to concentrate on corporate mandated security issues. I always felt the evolution of alias and anonymous mail concept was the primary reason we have spam today.

    But you always had the ability to add it via wcBASIC (formerly called wcCODE for Wildcat!/DOS). It just wasn't built-in.

    With that side, when I purchased Wildcat!, this was most definitely an area
    I want to pursue, and today, there are some level support for it via some of the current wcBASIC modules that creates mail for you.

    But it was never completed (adding the options in wcCONFIG) and put into the work list for the planned Message/Conferences database restructuring that
    will give you the following:

    - Alias and Anonymous Support
    - Long File Names support for Wildcat! Message Attachments
    - User Mail Limitations,
    - Better GUI WCCONFIG Mail Area manager
    - Support over 2 GIG databases
    - Billing, Accounting, Tracking
    - Blogging Concepts

    For alias/anonymous support, based on the other BBS systems that offered the most complete ideas in this areas, the followings is planned model:

    First, the definition of alias vs. anonymous:

    Alias Mail:

    The From Field is a known name, it is part of user account,and the user can
    not change the FROM: field.

    Anonymous Mail:

    The from field is unknown, the user can type any name. No check is done.

    So based on the above, the following is done:

    Legend:

    (_) a Radio Option
    [_] a Check Box

    For Mail Area Manager, the new conference option is added in the Edit Conference Settings tab:

    Conference From (Author) Options:

    (_) Use Default
    Default Name: _____________________
    (_) Force Real Name
    (_) Force Alias Name
    (_) Force Anonymous
    [_] Allow User to Select (Real, Alias, Anonymous)
    [_] Remember user selection per conference

    For the Mail Clients, this is where it is very complex because we have many mail clients:

    - ANSI/telnet, (console)
    - web mail client
    - wcNav
    - Offline (OPX, QWK)
    - network mail (internet Newsgroups and Fidonet Echos).
    - SDK functions

    Silver Xpress offline mail reader is 100% ready to handle the above Real,
    Alias and Anonymous feature that the particular BBS supports.

    For network mail, it is more complex, but it needs to be addressed because
    some systems need to follow policies of the network mail area. For SDK,
    this means the security must be supported by the Wildcat! Server, i.e., the server needs to consider stopping 3rd party SDK clients bypassing your settings.

    Nonetheless, in general, the following is offered for the user when creating
    or replying to mail:

    - Force Default: From: field fixed, no edit allowed

    - Force Real: User's real name is used, no edit allowed

    - Force Alias: User's alias name is used, no edit allowed. If user has no alias, use real instead.

    - Force Anonymous: User an enter any name.

    If the checkbox [X] Allow User to Select, then a prompt is shown:

    1) Use my real name
    2) Use my alias name
    3) Allow me to set name

    If the checkbox [X] Remember user selection, then the selection will be
    saved in the user's extended database per conference. If he chooses #3,
    then the real, alias or anonymous will be the default value.

    Like I said above, there was some partial support added based on the model I described. This was done back in AUP 449.5 (almost 3-4 years ago) but it was never finished, mostly from a configuration standpoint and making it work
    for ALL the clients.

    First, the SDK TConfDesc Record structure has the field called "AuthorType" which can be one of the following:

    //!
    //! 449.5
    //! Option for TConfDesc.AuthorType field. This will define the
    //! conference option for how the From field will be defined when
    //! a message is created.
    //!

    enum {
    authorDefaultName, // default logic,
    authorForceUserName, // force the user name
    authorForceAliasName, // force the user's alias (profile string)
    authorAllowBoth, // allow either the user or alias
    authorAnonymousName // anonymous from name (any name allowed)
    };

    And I believe, if wcCONFIG allows you to set the AuthorType in the mail conference, then wcBASIC has the following to honor it

    This is part of the CreateMessage() function in MSGUTIL.WCC module (part of the plus pack) which is used by the Web Mail and ANSI/TELNET client:

    dim author as string = "" //user.info.name
    if cd.DefaultFromAddress <> "" then
    author = cd.DefaultFromAddress
    end if

    select case cd.AuthorType
    case authorDefaultName:
    case authorForceUserName:
    author = user.info.name
    case authorForceAliasName, authorAllowBoth:
    dim AuthorAlias as string = user.Profile("alias")
    if AuthorAlias <> "" then
    if (cd.AuthorType = authorForceAliasName) then
    author = AuthorAlias
    end if
    if (cd.AuthorType = authorAllowBoth) then
    //TemplateSetVariable("AuthorSelect",TRUE)
    //TemplateSetVariable("AuthorAlias", AuthorAlias)
    end if
    end if
    case authorAnonymousName:
    //TemplateSetVariable("AuthorAnonymous",TRUE)
    end select
    //TemplateSetVariable("author", author)

    if (author <> "") then
    msg.From.Name = author
    end if

    As you can see above, it has logic to handle the authortype and it has commented out TemplateSetVariable() lines that was intended to be use by the web mail client "http\template\message_create.htm" template to offer the extended from options.

    But it isn't complete and it is certainly not tested to cover all possibilities.

    Anyway, you get the idea, this is the plan and that plan is to do it right
    when we also do all the other things regarding the mail system.

    If you can't wait, then you have to get a 3rd party developer or do it yourself using wcBASIC stuff already added above.

    -- Hector


    <GREG YOUNGBLOOD> wrote in message news:1110411585.33.0@winserver.com...

    Hello Hector


    Any chance in the near future of making a change so that a Win Server BBS-Site can use handles but in the message areas having a choice of
    pick a setting for handles or real name. Say handles to log in and
    use in local messages areas but in a network area like fido having a
    switch for real names only.


    Also, I know a lot of sites also use real names for gaming also, but
    again that is handled through a network.


    If so, laughing I'll be the first to sign up for AUP!!!


    Thanks


    Greg




    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.1
    * Origin: Prison Board BBS Mesquite Tx //telnet.RDFIG.NET www. (1:124/5013)
  • From GREG YOUNGBLOOD@1:124/5013 to All on Thu Jan 31 19:10:44 2019
    Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 08:07:49 -0400
    From: GREG YOUNGBLOOD
    To: HECTOR SANTOS
    Subject: Re: Wishing!
    Newsgroups: win.server.wish.list
    Message-ID: <1110719269.33.1110682549@winserver.com>
    References: <1110682549.33.1110411585@winserver.com>
    X-WcMsg-Attr: Rcvd
    X-Mailer: Wildcat! Interactive Net Server v7.0.454.5
    Lines: 24




    If you can't wait, then you have to get a 3rd party developer or do it yourself using wcBASIC stuff already added above.

    -- Hector


    Hello Hector

    Of course I'll wait for the developer to make the changes rather a
    second party! I would think the next thing I would ask being the buzz
    word on some sites (no bbs) is that BBS/portals are making a come back
    is what is your time frame for these changes to take place? I can see
    that it will take some time coding, but any idea?



    Also, you got got to put in your achievements one hell of a typist!


    Greg
    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.1
    * Origin: Prison Board BBS Mesquite Tx //telnet.RDFIG.NET www. (1:124/5013)