o Prime Bulletin Board System o Zippety-Doo-Dah! Zippety-Day! THINKING ABOUT STARTING A BBS? How many of you have wanted to start a """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" local bulletin board system (BBS) but just didn't want to spend the money on the new equipment such a venture would entail? Well, you may have the equipment hidden away in a closet or garage someplace. Dig out that Apple II+, IIc, or IIe and take a look at Prime.BBS version 2.2 which went public domain in the middle of 1992 and is available right here on GEnie, in the A2 Library. Prime.BBS is perfect for starting up a small (25 to 200 subscriber) local bulletin board. Its easy to install, simple to operate, and will run on any Apple II with 64K of RAM, including an Apple ][+ with some limitations. You will also need a modem (modulator/demodulator) that operates at 300, 1200, or 2400 baud and a Super Serial Card. A small hard drive of 5 to 10 Megs is also recommended but not mandatory if you have two disk drives, either 5.25 inch floppy or 3.5 inch. However, if you are using two 5.25 inch floppy disk drive you would be somewhat limited in your scope of operations, being able to have an E-Mail and a bulletin board area but not a software library. With two 3.5 inch drives you can handle just about everything with your software library or libraries on one drive and everything else on the other. A ProDOS compatible clock card is strongly recommended. A printer is optional. You may already have some or all this stuff just hanging around doing nothing. Now you can put it to work and become an all powerful System Operator (SysOp) on your own BBS. Start a BBS for your local Apple II users group. Share a collection of shareware, freeware, and public domain software with the club, and the club with you. Local BBSs are popping up all over and cover all types of special interests from chess clubs to retired senior citizens. Prime.BBS offers you complete access control so you can setup areas of your board that have limited access to users. You control everything your users see and do while they are on your board. If you don't like the look and feel of the default menus or the structure of the libraries, change them to meet your desires. You can edit almost anything about Prime.BBS. Electronic mail is an important part of every bulletin board and Prime.BBS supports a simple, elegant E-Mail system. You can create as many special interest areas within your board as you need, with each area having its own bulletin board and library. The libraries can also be divided into categories which reflect the type of software in them, such as separate sections for graphics, utilities, games, etc. A SysOp can be assigned to monitor and control each area. The External program section adds real power to your board and allows for the addition of external programs such as games, phrase of the day, "this day in history," or a calculator. You can even add external menus. You can control how the board answers callers, with a message for new subscribers that outlines what the board has to offer and the rules and etiquette required of a all subscribers. The 89 page (not counting appendices) manual covers every aspect of Prime.BBS and is written in Classic Appleworks for easy access. It is will organized and easy to follow, even though it covers everything you need to know down to the last detail. Downloading Prime.BBS can be done in two ways depending on your choice of disks. If you want to use 5.25 inch floppy disks you would have to download the following: File number Volume name """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 18893 /INSTALL 18894 /SYSTEM 18895 /UTILITY 18896 /XFER1 18897 /XFER2 19050 /MANUAL PART1 19051 /MANUAL PART2 For 3.5 inch disks, or a hard drive, download the following: 19189 /Prime.BBS 18837 /Prime.BBS Doc Other recommended downloads are: 19649 /BUGS AND FIXES 18994 /USER REPORTS 19706 /USER REPAIR UTILITY 19175 /SYSTEM DIRECTORY LISTING 19249 /PRIME.TIP1 19228 /PRIME Alternative Xfer System 19227 /Prime Xpress Xfer Documentation 19545 /Prime Xpress Patch & Fixes For a complete listing of all Prime.BBS files just do a search of the A2 library for "Prime". They range from role playing games, sport simulations like golf and football, adventure games, board games, a lottery system, and general information like the complete history of the Apple II. Everything you need to make your BBS entertaining and fun to use. The best feature of Prime.BBS is William T. Goosey, Jr. (W.GOOSEY) here on GEnie and the Prime.BBS category. "Goose" is the resident guru for Prime.BBS and is available to answer any of your questions concerning installation and operation. So if you run into problems just go to Category 41, Topics 4: Prime BBS System goes Public, Topic 5: Prime Help and Bug reports, and Topic 6: Advertise your Prime BBS here. Goose has uploaded over 70 Prime BBS programs that can be used to enhance your bulletin board operation. He continues to upload tested modules for Prime. So what's holding you back? Dig out that unused Apple II and get into the Bulletin Board business. It's easy if you have Prime.BBS. And how can you go wrong with a resident expert right here on GEnie?