238 lines
8.9 KiB
Plaintext
238 lines
8.9 KiB
Plaintext
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CHAMAS HELP FILE
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0. Remark
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1. Introduction
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1.1 General Explanations
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1.2 Level Structure
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2. Menu system
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2.1 Root menu
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2.2 Submenu BBS
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2.3 Submenu PD
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2.4 Submenu Manager
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2.5 Submenu Subnet
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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0. Remark
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This help file has been translated into English by Thomas Zielke
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(113355 AT DOLUNI1). The CHAMAS operators would like to announce that
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everyone who would like to translate this help file into languages other
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than German or English (how about French?) is heartily welcome to do so.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1. Introduction
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1.1 General explanations
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Why an introduction?
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Well, that's simple...I don't know where to start...
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Ok...CHAMAS stands for Chaos Mailbox System. The word Chaos
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has its roots in the period where CHAMAS was developed and programmed,
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a time when we had chaos at its best.
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CHAMAS is on-line since April 1988 and can be reached via EARN
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under userid $ nodeid 107633 $ DOLUNI1.
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This mailbox is menue-operated which means that there is one
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root- and several submenues.
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At some points of the structure there are sub-submenues to some
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sub-menues, but generally our structure is not deeper than two levels.
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CHAMAS is supporting the GEONET-standard, which has been developed
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some years ago for the GEO1-mailbox. Up to now there are several
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mailboxes supporting this standard and thereby simplifying the
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use of them.
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Because of CHAMAS' connection to EARN, we were unable to produce
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a fully-compatible GEO-shell, which can easily be seen in the fact,
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that contributing to a board does not happen through a kind of
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editor-like menue but by sending a file to CHAMAS in BTSMP-format
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(which is generally required from all gateways and servers on EARN).
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1.2 Level structure
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After subscribing to CHAMAS with the command NICK <nickname>
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(a procedure that is only necessary when using CHAMAS for the
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very first time), one is given the level-3-user privilege class.
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On CHAMAS, we have five user-privilege levels:
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Level 1 - System operators
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(at the moment: TERRA and WALDI)
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Level 2 - OBBS-board administrators
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In some cases we give level-2-privileges
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to other users, as long as they support
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us by giving advice or supervising CHAMAS.
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Level 3 - Normal user.
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Level 4 - Banned user, someone who has tried to 'sabotage'
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or misuse CHAMAS (for example, by steadily and
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unnecessarily using the NEWS-gateway).
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Remember also the RELAY conventions on the use of
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bad language, offending other users etc.
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Level OUT - This level hinders level-3-users from accessing
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CHAMAS, which may happen during maintenance-time.
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In that case, users trying to access CHAMAS get
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the message:
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*Chamas shutdown in progress - Try again later
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Users with levels 1 and 2 have a larger set of commands than level-3
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users. These additional commands can be seen by sending the SYSCMD
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command. Level 1 and 2 also include the permission of writing onto
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the OBBS-boards which means that all OBBS-format-files sent to
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CHAMAS will be processed and added to the board. Sending files without
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having this special permission will result in re-sending the file
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then named ERROR NOTE to the contributing userid.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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2. Menue system
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2.1 Root menue
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In the root menue, we are offering the following services:
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PBBS - Public Bulletin Board System
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OBBS - Official Bulletin Board System
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INFO - Infos on CHAMAS and its site Oldenburg
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You can also find special information, i.e.
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on data networks, in this section.
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SUBNET - Info/and Diskussion via UUCP by Netmbx Berlin
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GATES - Gateway to CCC, MCS and CHAMAS-users
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PD - Public Domain software bank
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MANAGER - User Manager with system-functions
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PBBS includes read/write-boards like CHAMAS or HACK.
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OBBS includes read-only-boards like CCC or MCS. Only level-2-users
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have permission to contribute to these boards, which, however, means
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that they are responsible for 'their' board.
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The PD-system can be used for exchanging public-domain-software
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(which we understand to be software without copyright restrictions).
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The Manager includes general functions like changing one's nickname,
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asking for a list of users etc.
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2.2 Sub menue - BBS
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BBS includes the submenues PBBS and OBBS, which are working in a
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similar way. Valid commands are:
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LIST PBBS / LIST OBBS - will list the said boards and tell
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your the date when they were last changed.
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INV <board> - will list the contents of a board.
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The list contains fileid, sending userid,
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date and topic of all contributions to
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the board. The fileid is necessary for all
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requests to read or getting sent a message.
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INFO OBBS - gives you short information on OBBS.
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RE <fileid> - enables you to read a message.
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This is especially useful for PBBS-files
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as these are generally that short, that
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a send request would be quite a waste of time.
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However, if a file is larger than 50 lines,
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the file will not be sent and the user will be
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asked to submit a send request (cf. SE-command)
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RE <id1> <id2> .. <idn> - Read more than one message
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SE <fileid> - will tell CHAMAS to send you a copy of
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a message in NETDATA format. This command
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is of great use in OBBS, as messages there
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are normally larger than 50 lines.
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SE <id1> <id2> .. <idn> - Send more than one message
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DE <fileid> - deletes a message. Note that you are
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only authorized to delete your own messages.
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WR <board> (PBBS only) - will give you a short help about how to
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contribute to a board via mail.
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Writing to a board is accomplished only by sending a note or a file.
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If you want to contribute to a PBBS-boards, you have to do it like this:
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First you have to write a file with your site-specific editor.
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The file header should look like this:
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FROM: <nickname> <userid&nodeid>
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BOARD: <boardname>
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SUBJECT: <name of subject (no more than 25 characters|)>
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DATE: <date>
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<text>
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<blank line>
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NOTE:
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The headlines beginning with SUBJECT and BOARD must not be omitted,
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and you have to provide a blank between SUBJECT: and the name of
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the subject you want to contribute to.
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The following forms are used in CHAMAS:
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BOARD: RPO /* contribute to the RPO-board */
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SUBJECT: <text> /* where <text> can also be a general remark */
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SUBJECT: RE: <text> /* answer or comment to a file
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Make sure to specify the subject of the file
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you want to comment or answer. */
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SUBJECT: Q:<text> /* question */
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SUBJECT: A:<text> /* answer to a question, where <text> should
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be the same as in the 'question-file' header.*/
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Examples:
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SUBJECT: Virus in Arpanet /* a simple header */
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SUBJECT: RE: Virus in Arpanet /* remarks or comment to a contribution*/
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SUBJECT: Q: Where's Singapore? /* Can anyone tell me where ... */
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SUBJECT: A: Where's Singapore /* I know where... */
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WARNING: The filetype of your message must not be CCC or NEWS or MCS,
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which would be mixed up by CHAMAS with the name of a gateway (see
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also the section on gateways).
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2.3 Submenue PD
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I've no idea 'bout that... Waldi is working at it at the moment...
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2.4 Submenue MANAGER
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The MANAGER offers you the following commands:
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NICK - changes your nickname
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CMD - shows the rootmenue
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HELP - returns the CHAMAS-logo, nickname and total
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amount of commands you have sent to CHAMAS
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up to now.
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WHOIS <nick> - tell you userid and nodeid of a CHAMAS-user
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WHOAT <node> - List of User at a Node
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CALL - calls a system-operator (if anyone's there)
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NEWS <opt> - informs you which new messages have been added
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to the NEWS service
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opt could be:
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-l - See a List of New Messages
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-s - Send new messages as File
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-p - Send a List of new PD-Software
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optional: n - Don't erase the entry in the
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Userlist.
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i.e.: news -l , news -ln , news -p , news -sn , a.s.o.
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2.5. Subnet
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No Help available - Type SUBNET
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