• DOS BBS software as a door and ANSI detection on Linux

    From Nightfox@21:1/137 to All on Fri Sep 23 18:51:59 2022
    I'm currently running my BBS using Synchronet on Linux. I have DOSEMU2 set up for DOS-based doors. I've set up my old RemoteAccess BBS setup from the 90s to run as a door, and it runs, but it seems it's not detecting the user's ANSI capabilities, and it's reverting to no ANSI. I'm curious if anyone has set up any DOS BBS software as a door in Linux with DOSEMU? I'm wondering how I can get it to detect whether the user has ANSI capabilities.

    I've checked the command-line parameters for RA.EXE (RemoteAccess), and it doesn't have a parameter to force ANSI. But it also looks like Synchronet doesn't provide a command-line option to specify whether the user's terminal supports ANSI. (unless I missed something in the docs..)

    Nightfox
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    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)
  • From Charles Blackburn@21:1/221 to Nightfox on Sat Sep 24 03:56:52 2022
    Re: DOS BBS software as a door and ANSI detection on Linux
    By: Nightfox to All on Fri Sep 23 2022 18:51:59

    I'm currently running my BBS using Synchronet on Linux. I have DOSEMU2 set up for DOS-based doors. I've set up my old
    RemoteAccess BBS setup from the 90s to run as a door, and it runs, but it seems it's not detecting the user's ANSI
    capabilities, and it's reverting to no ANSI. I'm curious if anyone has set up any DOS BBS software as a door in Linux with
    DOSEMU? I'm wondering how I can get it to detect whether the user has ANSI capabilities.

    under synchronet, there is "dosutils" in there is an ansi.com file... run that right before your door.. have to do that on a couple of other DOS door games that don't recognise the ansi capabilities. give that a whirl

    I have a batch file that i run that does that as for example, mayhem requires the node number be in a specific environment variable.


    I've checked the command-line parameters for RA.EXE (RemoteAccess), and it doesn't have a parameter to force ANSI. But it
    also looks like Synchronet doesn't provide a command-line option to specify whether the user's terminal supports ANSI.
    (unless I missed something in the docs..)

    that is technically in the door drop file i beleive. the main issue you're going to have maybe the runtime error crap from turbo pascal stuff. having the dosemu flag set to 486 may stop that however.

    I just copied my renegade install over from my dosemu drive to a door drive so i'll play with that

    regards
    ===

    Charles Blackburn
    The F.B.O BBS 21:1/221 618:250/36
    bbs.thefbo.us IPV4/V6
    DOVE-Net FSX-Net MicroNET USENET
    --- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
    * Origin: The FBO BBS - bbs.thefbo.us (21:1/221)
  • From Charles Blackburn@21:1/221 to Nightfox on Sat Sep 24 04:08:34 2022
    Re: DOS BBS software as a door and ANSI detection on Linux
    By: Nightfox to All on Fri Sep 23 2022 18:51:59

    I'm currently running my BBS using Synchronet on Linux. I have DOSEMU2 set up for DOS-based doors. I've set up my old
    RemoteAccess BBS setup from the 90s to run as a door, and it runs, but it seems it's not detecting the user's ANSI
    capabilities, and it's reverting to no ANSI. I'm curious if anyone has set up any DOS BBS software as a door in Linux with
    DOSEMU? I'm wondering how I can get it to detect whether the user has ANSI capabilities.

    ok renegade works fine with "standard" for the IO. All i'm doing for that is running renegade -L which runs it locally.

    the "menu" that you see at the start is all messaed up, but if you hit L for logon the main bbs itself runs fine..

    I just snagged a copy of RA so will give that a try

    regards
    ===

    Charles Blackburn
    The F.B.O BBS 21:1/221 618:250/36
    bbs.thefbo.us IPV4/V6
    DOVE-Net FSX-Net MicroNET USENET
    --- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
    * Origin: The FBO BBS - bbs.thefbo.us (21:1/221)
  • From Charles Blackburn@21:1/221 to Nightfox on Sat Sep 24 04:23:27 2022
    Re: DOS BBS software as a door and ANSI detection on Linux
    By: Nightfox to All on Fri Sep 23 2022 18:51:59

    I've checked the command-line parameters for RA.EXE (RemoteAccess), and it doesn't have a parameter to force ANSI. But it
    also looks like Synchronet doesn't provide a command-line option to specify whether the user's terminal supports ANSI.
    (unless I missed something in the docs..)

    runremote access in local mode "RA -L".. just worked perfectly for me :D

    if you wanna log in to mine i'll add it as a special option for ya :D

    regards
    ===

    Charles Blackburn
    The F.B.O BBS 21:1/221 618:250/36
    bbs.thefbo.us IPV4/V6
    DOVE-Net FSX-Net MicroNET USENET
    --- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
    * Origin: The FBO BBS - bbs.thefbo.us (21:1/221)
  • From Nightfox@21:1/137 to Charles Blackburn on Sat Sep 24 11:11:17 2022
    Re: DOS BBS software as a door and ANSI detection on Linux
    By: Charles Blackburn to Nightfox on Sat Sep 24 2022 03:56 am

    under synchronet, there is "dosutils" in there is an ansi.com file... run that right before your door.. have to do that on a couple of other DOS door games that don't recognise the ansi capabilities. give that a whirl

    I'll try that. Thanks.

    I've checked the command-line parameters for RA.EXE (RemoteAccess),
    and it doesn't have a parameter to force ANSI. But it also looks
    like Synchronet doesn't provide a command-line option to specify
    whether the user's terminal supports ANSI. (unless I missed
    something in the docs..)

    that is technically in the door drop file i beleive. the main issue you're going to have maybe the runtime error crap from turbo pascal stuff. having the dosemu flag set to 486 may stop that however.

    RemoteAccess is an entire BBS program though, and as such, it wasn't written to run as a door, and thus doesn't read drop files.

    Nightfox
    --- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)
  • From Nightfox@21:1/137 to Charles Blackburn on Sat Sep 24 11:12:54 2022
    Re: DOS BBS software as a door and ANSI detection on Linux
    By: Charles Blackburn to Nightfox on Sat Sep 24 2022 04:23 am

    I've checked the command-line parameters for RA.EXE (RemoteAccess),
    and it doesn't have a parameter to force ANSI. But it also looks
    like Synchronet doesn't provide a command-line option to specify
    whether the user's terminal supports ANSI. (unless I missed
    something in the docs..)

    runremote access in local mode "RA -L".. just worked perfectly for me :D

    Interesting, I wouldn't have thought the local parameter would work. The parameters I'm using are -C1 -R%d . Maybe I should try -L to see if that's any different. However, if you're telling RA to run in local mode, I'm not sure if it will do any detection of the remote user's terminal capabilities (which would still be useful).

    Nightfox
    --- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)
  • From Nightfox@21:1/137 to Charles Blackburn on Sat Sep 24 11:22:49 2022
    Re: DOS BBS software as a door and ANSI detection on Linux
    By: Charles Blackburn to Nightfox on Sat Sep 24 2022 03:56 am

    under synchronet, there is "dosutils" in there is an ansi.com file... run that right before your door.. have to do that on a couple of other DOS door games that don't recognise the ansi capabilities. give that a whirl

    That didn't seem to help when run remotely.. Remotely, it still didn't detect my ANSI capabilities (though it does show ANSI when I run it locally from a DOS prompt).

    Nightfox
    --- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)
  • From Charles Blackburn@21:1/221 to Nightfox on Sat Sep 24 17:48:16 2022
    Re: DOS BBS software as a door and ANSI detection on Linux
    By: Nightfox to Charles Blackburn on Sat Sep 24 2022 11:12:54


    runremote access in local mode "RA -L".. just worked perfectly for me :D
    Interesting, I wouldn't have thought the local parameter would work. The parameters I'm using are -C1 -R%d . Maybe I should
    try -L to see if that's any different. However, if you're telling RA to run in local mode, I'm not sure if it will do any
    detection of the remote user's terminal capabilities (which would still be useful).

    yea i realise that, but as you said in the other note, it's not designed to run as a door so.

    im assuming in local mode it thinks that the "console" is just a regular monitor.

    but as i said, i ran it in local mode and it worked fine ansi and all.

    YMMV but IANAL so give it a try :D

    regards
    ===

    Charles Blackburn
    The F.B.O BBS 21:1/221 618:250/36
    bbs.thefbo.us IPV4/V6
    DOVE-Net FSX-Net MicroNET USENET
    --- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
    * Origin: The FBO BBS - bbs.thefbo.us (21:1/221)
  • From Nightfox@21:1/137 to Charles Blackburn on Mon Sep 26 08:35:40 2022
    Re: DOS BBS software as a door and ANSI detection on Linux
    By: Charles Blackburn to Nightfox on Sat Sep 24 2022 05:48 pm

    yea i realise that, but as you said in the other note, it's not designed to run as a door so.

    Yes, but RemoteAccess did take some command-line parameters (such as the user's connected speed, etc.) because it was possible that another program would have answered the modem first (such as FrontDoor, a FidoNet mailer), and in such a case, it was useful to be able to leave the modem connected and have RemoteAccess take over. That still wasn't local mode.

    Nightfox
    --- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (21:1/137)
  • From Charles Blackburn@21:1/221 to Nightfox on Mon Sep 26 14:23:13 2022
    Re: DOS BBS software as a door and ANSI detection on Linux
    By: Nightfox to Charles Blackburn on Mon Sep 26 2022 08:35:40

    yea i realise that, but as you said in the other note, it's not designed to run as a door so.
    Yes, but RemoteAccess did take some command-line parameters (such as the user's connected speed, etc.) because it was
    possible that another program would have answered the modem first (such as FrontDoor, a FidoNet mailer), and in such a case,
    it was useful to be able to leave the modem connected and have RemoteAccess take over. That still wasn't local mode.

    good point, but then it would try and do ansi determination (this is all from memory :D) so i am thinking along the lines of maybe ther terminal type is not being sent to RA?

    is there a way to force it to use a certain terminal type (in this case ANSI) ??

    I'll have to dig a little deeper into the RA docs when i can

    regards
    ===

    Charles Blackburn
    The F.B.O BBS 21:1/221 618:250/36
    bbs.thefbo.us IPV4/V6
    DOVE-Net FSX-Net MicroNET USENET
    --- SBBSecho 3.15-Linux
    * Origin: The FBO BBS - bbs.thefbo.us (21:1/221)