


        So, what does the future hold now that Mark has sold TriBBS to
 Gary. Well, the answer to that depends on who you ask. Personally, I've
 gone directly to the source, Gary himself, and found out just exactly
 what his current plans are for the immediate future.

        Gary has been hard at work, reading code for up to 70 hours per
 week. There are many things that need to be done, and Gary is taking each
 of them in order. By far, the most important for him, and new sysops, was
 getting new information into the code showing that FreeJack's Software now
 owns TriBBS, and where they can send their registrations. This first step
 is now complete with the release of TriBBS 11. (and related utilities)
 Because of the existence of at least one "key creation" program for TriBBS
 10, and to better take control of the new release, Gary has also created
 a new key scheme for TriBBS 11. Current owners of a 10.1 Pro key need only
 ask Gary for a new code. 10 Non-pro, 10 Pro users will need to pay the
 appropriate upgrade fee. Please see the registration documentation for
 the current information.

        Users of TriBBS 11 will notice one new exe program in the archive.
 The DOS4GW.EXE has been added so that FMAN32.EXE can still use the protected
 DOS mode for operation. Why you ask is this needed now, and not before ?
 Mark purchased the rights to the DOS4GW.EXE and was able to bind it to
 the FMAN32.EXE. This was not included in the package that Gary received
 from him. The price for this program is high considering that it is not
 really needed. All you need do is keep this program in your mail TriBBS
 directory, where FMAN can find it, and all will work as before. (note,
 TRITOSS Pro users will see the same program in their archive, for the
 same reason. There is no loss in the ability of the programs by doing
 it this way)

        So, what is next on the program, and what will the future hold ?
 Truthfully, Gary is looking at alot of different ideas and suggestions,
 but I would not count on seeing any of these for quite a while. TriBBS
 is a very complex program, with god knows how many lines of code in it,
 and the related utilities. Imagine if you will someone sending you most
 of the parts for a modern Jet Fighter, plus some of the tools used to
 put it together, but no instruction manual. You would be in about the
 same boat as Gary is right now.

        Gary's first chore is the building of new PowerBasic API for
 TriBBS. He is doing this at the same time as he goes through and
 learns the present code. Some of the POSSIBLE changes in the distant
 future may be:

        Some parts of the code may be dropped in the next version, to
     be added back at a later date. One "feature" mentioned was the RIP
     graphics. I personally feel that RIP is dead, and I think most
     of you will agree.

        Possible support for choice of several types of Message Bases.
     Jam is one format that has been mentioned. Gary has stated that
     if you are interested in any particular format, to contact him
     and provide the information for that format. He will not promise
     support, but will consider all options.

        An eventual port from C++ to PowerBasic. This of course is
     a long time down the road so don't look for it next week.

    None of these POSSIBLE changes are written in stone. They are all things
 that Gary is looking at as possible improvements and should be considered
 specalitive at this time.

        So, the bottom line is this. You and I will not see any major
 changes in TriBBS for quite a while. Gary has taken on a huge task and
 it will take time for him to even get to know what line of code does
 what. We all need to have patience and give Gary the time, and our support
 during this time. If you have questions, there are plenty of us who can
 help you, and if we don't know it, we will get you the answer.
