The Major BBS Forums (Archive)

Greetings all, this is my first post here.

I am a former user from the Recommended Info Service (RIS) BBS in Vacaville, CA, which ran from the mid-to late 80s to the early 90s, going down for good in 1994 with the rise of the Internet. I am still, after all these years, a major fan of Mike Murdock's Galactic Empire, and as such I'd like to set up a system to run it. I was pretty surprised to find out that GE for DOS was re-released under the GNU General Public License.

First, I'd like to get ahold of the GNU-GPL'd GE for DOS, which I can't seem to find anywhere as a complete ZIP file.

Second, I need to find a (legal) copy of MajorBBS for DOS, somewhere. I figure I'll have to buy one, as I've not seen any version of MBBS/WG software as open-source/freeware.

Third, I don't run Windows or DOS either. I've switched to Linux and now I run Fedora 7 with KDE on my AMD64 platform with a older single-core Athlon 64 4000+ @ 2.4GHz and a full 2 gigs of RAM. I think I should be emulate DOS fine under DOSbox or a similar program, but I'm not entirely sure, and it would be an interesting experiment, either way.

So I have to ask -- What are my options for setting up a DOS-emulated system for GE ... and more importantly, what would it cost me?

-- Crotalus
-- aka 'Harvester of Sorrow' on the Recommended Info Service BBS, circa 1988-1994

Crotalus wrote:Greetings all, this is my first post here.

I am a former user from the Recommended Info Service (RIS) BBS in Vacaville, CA, which ran from the mid-to late 80s to the early 90s, going down for good in 1994 with the rise of the Internet. I am still, after all these years, a major fan of Mike Murdock's Galactic Empire, and as such I'd like to set up a system to run it. I was pretty surprised to find out that GE for DOS was re-released under the GNU General Public License.

First, I'd like to get ahold of the GNU-GPL'd GE for DOS, which I can't seem to find anywhere as a complete ZIP file.

Second, I need to find a (legal) copy of MajorBBS for DOS, somewhere. I figure I'll have to buy one, as I've not seen any version of MBBS/WG software as open-source/freeware.

Third, I don't run Windows or DOS either. I've switched to Linux and now I run Fedora 7 with KDE on my AMD64 platform with a older single-core Athlon 64 4000+ @ 2.4GHz and a full 2 gigs of RAM. I think I should be emulate DOS fine under DOSbox or a similar program, but I'm not entirely sure, and it would be an interesting experiment, either way.

So I have to ask -- What are my options for setting up a DOS-emulated system for GE ... and more importantly, what would it cost me?

-- Crotalus
-- aka 'Harvester of Sorrow' on the Recommended Info Service BBS, circa 1988-1994

you can download ge from my arczone.org site.

as far as your linux question i havent the slightest, i only have an experimental linux box up running mandriva 2007 but i have yet to tinker with it using any major/worldgroup applications.

I think it's time that major bbs was considered freeware, but it'll never happen. I remember talking to one of owners many years ago, after they quit "supporting" major bbs for DOS, and their response was that because worldgroup nt used major bbs source code, there's no way they could ever release it as open source.

Now, you have a dispute of who actually owns worldgroup. Someone named tessier wrote this on a mbbs wikipedia recently:
according to documents turned over by 3 different banks and 2 private lenders, Elwynor Technologies is not a legal entity allowed to sell worldgroup, please contact netvillage.com to purchase a legal copy of worldgroup. until the final hearing on 11/16/07 where the new owners of galacticomm inc are finalized netvillage is the only company legally able to sell new worldgroup products

I'm wondering if Rick is going to be at that hearing, to state his case, or if this hearing is even for real.

Netvillage will never release it as freeware if it is actually owned by them, and I don't think any one else will either. If you have the prospect of selling 1 or 2 copies a year, that would be incentive enough not to release it as freeware.

No one has sold major bbs dos since what 97? 99? - In my eyes, it is abandonware, since no dos mbbs stuff is compatible with any thing they're selling now, with the exception of the ascii files lol..

Whoever wrote that certainly isn't Yannick Tessier, and whoever wrote that added no proof, attribution, or reference.

It was removed.

Private Lenders are irrelevant to the ownership discussion - there is one bank that matters, which held the first-position primary lien on the company since Stryker signed the loan. Also what matters is easily internet-searchable documentation in Florida courts that re-affirms that bank's first position, ownership and rights to all assets, and instructing whomever has the rights to return them to the bank.

It's pretty clear. Netvillage is selling stolen IP.

If they're so concerned about my ownership you'd think they'd have contacted me to be present at such a hearing in the past, and that's never happened.

Malakai wrote:I think it's time that major bbs was considered freeware, but it'll never happen. I remember talking to one of owners many years ago, after they quit "supporting" major bbs for DOS, and their response was that because worldgroup nt used major bbs source code, there's no way they could ever release it as open source.

Now, you have a dispute of who actually owns worldgroup. Someone named tessier wrote this on a mbbs wikipedia recently:
according to documents turned over by 3 different banks and 2 private lenders, Elwynor Technologies is not a legal entity allowed to sell worldgroup, please contact netvillage.com to purchase a legal copy of worldgroup. until the final hearing on 11/16/07 where the new owners of galacticomm inc are finalized netvillage is the only company legally able to sell new worldgroup products

I'm wondering if Rick is going to be at that hearing, to state his case, or if this hearing is even for real.

Netvillage will never release it as freeware if it is actually owned by them, and I don't think any one else will either. If you have the prospect of selling 1 or 2 copies a year, that would be incentive enough not to release it as freeware.

No one has sold major bbs dos since what 97? 99? - In my eyes, it is abandonware, since no dos mbbs stuff is compatible with any thing they're selling now, with the exception of the ascii files lol..

freeware may be overstepping it. cheaper than before im sure, but to release it as freeware would do more damage than good, the bbs scene isnt dead its actually growing with more and more people just wanting to play somne simple games and what nots. teleconference,forums,file libraries sure thats gonna be obsoleted but lets face it the best online games ever written for bbs's were done by worldgroup isv's.

so theres a market its just a matter of rick and company organizing what they have, and restructuring from the ground up. as far as the netvillage/worldgroupware/elwynor debate that's something that will be settled in given time, and doesnt affect pre-existing sysops just people wanting to run pirated majormud bbs's mainly. dont get me wrongthere are good people that want to run a nice system but of all the emails i get weekly 90% are people wanting keygens,hex cracks, etc.. by rick slow rolling it that should be viewed as a good thing the longer it takes to restructure gcomm llc the better it will be because time is being put into it.

i mean hell once ya own the wg package with the source you can do whatever ya want to it you just cant distro it so anyone with good code reading skills can mod it any way they want.

alot of sysops still have these systems sitting in closets somewhere and have no problem giving them away pending you pay shipping i bought 2 systems last week one cost me $44 to ship and one cost like $18 to ship.
problem is i cant mix and match the addons cause of licensing, lol what i think im gonna do with some of them is give them to rick to give away/sell to sysops wanting new systems, i dont want to cross the bridge of selling a system that may or may not be legit so send to him let him look it over and sell it/give it away but it will open the legitimacy of the business up a little bit.

Questman wrote:Whoever wrote that certainly isn't Yannick Tessier, and whoever wrote that added no proof, attribution, or reference.

It was removed.

Private Lenders are irrelevant to the ownership discussion - there is one bank that matters, which held the first-position primary lien on the company since Stryker signed the loan. Also what matters is easily internet-searchable documentation in Florida courts that re-affirms that bank's first position, ownership and rights to all assets, and instructing whomever has the rights to return them to the bank.

It's pretty clear. Netvillage is selling stolen IP.

If they're so concerned about my ownership you'd think they'd have contacted me to be present at such a hearing in the past, and that's never happened.

hearing or mock court? lol

im not a lawyer or anything but wouldnt it be easier for the bank to just go after the companies selling the stuff they shouldnt?
or they feel it isnt worth the money spent.
my grandmother worked as a vp of the loans and collections division of crestar before retiring when suntrust bought em out and she said in a situation like this the bank weighs the profit vs loss when going after things like this, maybe the bank doesnt see a heavy market and whoever buys the loan from them can go after em thereself.
pcboard had a similiar issue with a guy selling pcb versions with a keygen.

Thanks for the info, guys.

If DOS GE is not an option, there is always the WG for NT version I could buy, and buy the compatible GE version for it. That would work under WINE, I assume.

Questman, how much do you charge for a NT GE license?

For that matter, do you know much a WG for NT license is?

thanks..

-- Shane

Heya,

(President here), Dread and I bought RIS from RTL back in 94. I still have it and well, just recently, though about putting it online (If I can every find a way to get a legal TCP/IP module). I still have the old galactibox (16 old 2400 baud modems in it)

Have you kept in touch with anyone else? I still keep touch with Dread, Sysop (Jay), and a few others.

What do you mean when you wrote legal TCP/IP module? Do you mean MajorTCP/IP or just TCP/IP service for the BBS like the Internet Connectivity Option or ICO? if its just ICO that shouldn't be a big deal but if you are looking for MajorTCP/IP you will need to talk to Vircom and its a pain to get anything from them.

Nono, I didn't write it. I'm even familiar with it. I was just trying to find a way to purchase a legal version of MajorTCP, but from what you just said, that's some unfortunate news.

I was going to try and bring up the ol' BBS, but using telnet instead of buying 16 phone lines for the galactibox.

I don't know if "just" TCP/IP is what I need. Whatever module is needed to allow users to telnet in.

Now that I think about it, I have a 16 user license. I suppose trying to upgrade that is going to be a chore as well?

What have I gotten myself into here.

--David

Talk to Questman or Dspain they can help....I think all you need is the gcomm ICO its the same thing as MajorTCP/IP but it was made by galacticomm.

Questman owns the rights to Worldgroup and can help you with upgrading and Telnet support.

Talonp wrote:Questman owns the rights to Worldgroup and can help you with upgrading and Telnet support.

and as soon as i find the old IPSWITCH SDK we can update the DOS ico.

I am still looking but no luck so far man

Talonp wrote:I am still looking but no luck so far man

yeah even the people over at IPSWITCH dont have one handy.

I know I have aready called them too trying to find a copy

Why would we want to update the DOS ICO?