S.O.F.T.W.O.R.X BBS Possible Revive? Maybe!

[Shift838]

I have been able to obtain the latest XB code for Mark Shields S.O.F.T.W.O.R.X. BBS software that he coded in the 80's and which ran U.S.S Enterprise BBS as well as mine called USS Valiant ][.

 

I have the Machine Code and XB code. I just need to regenerate the system files that are required. I'm hoping to get that done soon so we can at least have it up on the FTP site for archive purposes. No, I am not planning on running it. But I think it would be a good idea to at least get it working again.

 

Some of the TI'ers around now do not know who Mark was. He was an avid TI user back in the early and mid 80's and coded his own BBS software.

 

Mark got the idea of a BBS when he watched 'War Games' for the first time. He then created a 'War Dialer' program that called a series of telephone numbers to find computers for Mark to call out to. He eventually adapter this war dialer to accept incoming calls and his BBS idea was formed. He used Brian Wilcutt’s Zyolog BBS machine language for the back end assembly routines and coded the rest of his BBS in Extended Basic.

 

Version 1.0 (at least I think it's 1.0 - it was the first version I obtained from Mark) is up on the FTP site.

 

Hopefully I can get the system files re-created correctly for the BBS to function again. Mark did a few things to his system files that I have since forgot and will need to hammer out again. Mark was a very fluent coder for the TI Extended Basic and his code is very streamlined for as much as his BBS did.

 

It had message bases, xmodem file transfers, chat, online door games and more. A few of the ideas that I put in my BBS program (FuSiON BBS) was in his original program like 'One Liners'.

 

Just something for everyone to look forward to!

 

 

[+Ksarul]

Nice--every program out there needs to be available in an archive. You never know when it will come in handy as either an example or as the jumping-off point for something new.

[Shift838]

Would anyone like to assist? If so please PM me.

 

I plan on starting some preliminary work this weekend to identify all the files i need to create.

[Opry99er]

What kind of files are we talking? Blank DV80 files for saving info? Are there assembly support routines missing?

[Shift838]

no, not assembly files. These are system level files that would be in like a Display Fixed format of some type. Each has data in them, for example maybe variables like BBS name, etc. This is where the trial and error is going to happen. Not sure what data is in it.

 

I will also need to be creating some menus from scratch, which will be strictly DV80 text files, and these instead of saving the files will need to be printed to a file on disk. By printing to a file it will remove the straggling characters at the end of the file that is created with the editor.

 

I started to attempt to restore functionality a couple few years ago, but tabled it when I started working on my BBS program. I think it will be faster to just to start over to get SOFTWORX working again then try to figure out where I left off.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Shift838

[Shift838]

so I started going line by line through the code yesterday evening and found all the files that need to be created.

 

It seems the latest version of Marks SOFTWORX which I have actually may have Uploads/Downloads removed. I should be able to add them back.

 

I also noticed he had a voting booth program that was separate that the BBS would run to vote, so that will need to be re-coded. I am sure it will not be exactly the same as his original version when I am done. Also the BBS maintenance utility. He had some door games, i will not be recreating those.

 

There was just a handful of menus that have to be recreated. I don't think it will be all that hard to get it working again. There are some things I need to figure out of exactly what Mark was storing in the system files as he has some statements that are carving up certain variables and placing pieces of them in other variables. Those will take some extra analyzing to get it done.

 

Hopefully I can get it going over the next month (if time permits).

[Opry99er]

Too cool!!