Subject: REVIEW: Reccoon BBS v0.67 (registered)
From: [email-masked] (Mathias Axelsson)
Date: 8 Jul 1996 14:58:35 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

PRODUCT NAME

	Reccoon BBS v0.67 (registered)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	A integrated BBS system with support for Fidonet echos, as
well as fileechos.  Good MSGID/REPLY linking, and support for long
file desc.

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		Henric Andersson (1996-), Niclas Emdelius (1991-95)
	Address:	Smedjegatan 10
			S-260 60 KVIDINGE
			SWEDEN

	E-mail:		[email-masked]
	Fidonet:	Henric Andersson, 2:200/236 (+46-435-25251) (24h)

LIST PRICE

	700 SEK (~US$ 100) This includes free updates and a keyfile.
You can send the payment either via PostGiro 5010164316 (Scandinavians
only, mark with "Reccoon / Andersson") or via direct bank transfer to
Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SE Banken), Clearingnr 5620, Account
56200005109.

DEMO VERSION

	Demo version is available on Aminet, e.g. in the directory
/pub/aminet/comm/bbs at ftp.luth.se as Reccoon-Eval.lha or via Fidonet
filerequest of "rcn067.lha" from 2:200/236.

	The demo version can only run with a locale node, but you can
get the feel of the BBS system anyway.  You can still import msgs,
upload files etc.  When you register you'll get a keyfile, and will
also be able to download your personal executables directly online
from Henrics BBS.  I've mailed Henric about getting the updated
personal executables via EMail, but I haven't got any answer yet.
That would make it cheaper for people in other parts of the world.

SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

	HARDWARE

		1 MB RAM required, but more is preferred. 

		Installable on disc, but HD is preferred if you want
		to run the registered version.

		The program runs on any 680x0 processor, but the
		faster the better... :)

	SOFTWARE

		AmigaOS 2.04+ is required. 

		Working just fine on AmigaOS 3.1. 

		If you want to run as a Fidonet node you'll need a
		Fidonet compatible mailer like TrapDoor.  A tosser is
		included, as well as programs to handle fileechos.

COPY PROTECTION

	There is no visible copy protection, but you get your personal
keyfile and will also need to download your personal executables
before you get the fully working version. I guess you could get the
executables Email:ed to you from the author as well.

	It can be installed on a hard drive (preferred). 

	No need for any original disk. 

MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

	Amiga 3000 25 MHz
	Workbench 3.1 (40.42), Kickstart 3.1 (40.68)
	One internal 1.76 HD disk drive and one external DD disk drive
	2 MB Chip RAM
	12 MB Fast RAM
	Fujitsu 1.05 GB, 100 MB Quantum HD
	NEC 2x CD-ROM
	SupraFAXmodem 28k8 V.FC/V.34

INSTALLATION

	The product has an easy to use Installer script, but in
earlier versions there's been some trouble with the installation
failing.  This is not the case in the current 0.67 version.  It's easy
to update from an earlier version, since the script does all the
necessary changes.  There's also dozens of doors specially wrote for
Rcn, and they are easily installed in the DOORS: directory.

REVIEW

	The BBS packages comes with all the utils you need, like
Front, which is a front end if you do not have any real mailer.  A
tosser is included to handle msg import/exporting and there's both a
STDIO and a GUI config program as well as user editor.  It's easy to
create your own menus, and the system supports configurable number of
menus (you can have e.g. ANSI/non-ANSI menus with swedish or english
text).  All strings in the BBS program can also be translated if you
want to.  If your a new user and haven't programmed C before, then
there might be some problems to get started with the FPL programming,
but since there's a lot of people to ask in the Fidonet echos, or the
author, that won't be that big a problem.  There's also a lot of
examples in the fileechos, and a good online manual for FPL.  You
don't need to know FPL to create your own menus, even though you can
write your menus directly in FPL.

	The configuration is quite easily made.  All you have to do is
start the config program.  If you want to install Fidonet stuff, then
some Fidonet basic will be good to have.  Setting up msg areas and
file areas isn't hard at all, just press the Create area button and
fill in what you need.

	I only run my BBS as a one line BBS, but there is some people
running multi-line BBSes, and they say it works perfectly fine.
There's also some chat doors to enable chat between two lines, as well
as between more than two people.

	The BBS system can handle DOS doors, the old Paragon style
doors as well as the new Rcn doors.  Most doors I've installed works
with some of those configs, which gives us a lot of doors.  There is
currently not as many doors as Xenolink or AmiExpress have, but work
is under way.

	New doors and utils will be uploaded to Aminet in comm/bbs,
and will begin with 'rcn' to make it easier to locate the special
doors/utils (according to the author).

	The BBS system does also support XEM libraries, which means
you can get RIP support by just adding the xemrip.library to your
system.  There's also support for ANSI mouse.

DOCUMENTATION

	The documentation is all in AmigaGuide format, and it includes
documentation for the system, as well as docs about special escape
codes, and a separate doc file for FPL (Frexx Programming Language,
which is a C like language), which is used for writing the menus, as
well as other stuff that you want to change in the BBS system.  The
upcoming v14 of FPL will also include a compiler to speed up the
execution of FPL programs.

	The documentation is easy to read, and explains all the
functions of the BBS system, new features, updates etc.  There's also
autodocs for the reccoon.library, and some example templates for
writing your own doors.  The include files is only C versions, but
there is work on E modules and asm/E door templates.

	The autodocs could be better, as some functions is missing a
description.  You can still code your own doors without too much
hassle, and you can always mail Henric, or ask a question in any of
the Fidonet support echos.  I've always got fast replies from Henric
concerning questions on how to code certain stuff, and there's also a
bunch of other Rcn sysops to ask questions to, or talk with.

LIKES

	The best thing of this BBS system is that it uses FPL for
scripts (ARexx can be used if you want), which makes it very
configurable.  There's also both STDIO and GUI versions of the Config
and UserEd programs (even though the GUI versions has to be updated to
include the new stuff).  The msg part is also good, as it supports
MSGID/REPLY linking.  The filebase has also been improved to allow
long filenames as well as long (more than two rows) descriptions.
There's also going to be support for File_ID.DIZ in the future.  I'm
also running Enforcer to check all new programs that I install, and
I'm glad to say that Rcn hasn't given me any hits with this version.

DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS

	I would like to see some support for REPLY-ADDR kludges, as
well as To:/From: fields to enable good support for gated Internet
EMail/News.  The tosser is also a little bit slow, and it doesn't come
with a GUI config program, which would be much better, as it makes it
easier to config nodes/echos.  There isn't any good way to delete a
msg area or a file area, so you have to set the access to a high
number to exclude it for users.  I've talked to the author and he said
it will be fixed in a later version.

	One quirk with the system is the special version of FSED that
comes with the system.  This is the full screen editor that is used
when writing msgs.It's a bit old, and has some really annoying
features, like when I press =F6 (a swedish char) and the cursor goes
down one line instead of printing an =F6... :(

COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	I've only tested TransAmiga a little before I tested Rcn and
registered.  As Rcn is a swedish product, and I live in Sweden, that
made me chose Rcn, as I could get fast support.  In comparison to TA
I would say that Rcn is easier to install and configure.  It has also
got better Fidonet support in the msg base.

BUGS

	There has been some bugs in earlier versions, but they're
fixed in this version.  I've had no problems at all since I installed
0.67.

VENDOR SUPPORT

	You can contact the author via Email at [email-masked] or
through Fidonet ar 2:200/236.  For his full address, see the beginning
of this review.  There's also a couple of Fidonet msg echos and file
echos where the author and other Rcn sysops can exchange sources,
help, suggestions etc.  These Fidonet echos are exported to the UK as
well, so if you want support in the UK, then please contact Richard
Bell at 2:251/31.

	I've written some doors for Rcn and I'm currently working on a
new online editor for Rcn, with support for signatures, headers, ANSI
colours and a lot of other stuff.  This editor is a port from OS/2,
where it was originally written by Bjorn Stenberg (2:201/328 or
[email-masked]).  I've added a lot of stuff since the original
port, and also removed some bugs.  The reason I ported it was that
there was no support for FSED any more (there is a special version of
FSED for Rcn included in the archive) so I thought I should fix a
better editor.  Beta testing is currently under way, and a full
release will be included in the next release of Rcn.

WARRANTY

	The author doesn't take any responsibility if anything goes
wrong.  You use the program on your own risk.

CONCLUSIONS

	The conclusion will be that this is a great BBS package, with
a few glitches like no News/Email support and no File_ID.DIZ support
(yet!).  The tosser is a little bit slow, and doesn't have all those
fancy things I wanted, so I run another tosser for the main tossing
and only use ReccProc to import/export msgs to the BBS.  It do contain
a msg filter though, so you can add your own robots, like Areafix/Raid
programs.  The Fidonet msg system is also very good.

	I give it four out of five stars.  The product gives a good
first impression, and the easy installation makes it even more
positive in the first impression.  When you get the feel of the system
I'm sure you're going to like it even more, at least I did.

	The easy way to create doors and add scripts makes the system
very configurable, and you can add almost anything to your personal
setup.  With both ARexx and FPL supported, you can easily add
customized menus, add extra menus to the GUI, and a lot of other
stuff.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

	This review may be freely distributed.

	Copyright 1996 Mathias Axelsson ([email-masked] or
2:204/211)

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