This is a mock-up of the in-progress Image BBS 3.0 Sysop Guide (using content from the Image BBS 1.2b Sysop Guide) to illustrate where sections could belong in the finished manual. A short idea of who wrote which sections or what information goes in new sections goes here too, for team feedback.
It would be really nice to use conditional includes (which ASCIIdoctor can do!) of sysop-level commands/chapters and be able to output an Image BBS 3.0 User’s Guide with only user-level commands.
I have decided to remove gerunds (nouns/verbs ending in ‘-ing’) from most headings whenever it makes sense ( e.g. change Reading → Read, Viewing → View, Editing → Edit). It’s easier to read, and easier to find using search functions. An argument for this: https://ffeathers.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/death-of-the-gerund-in-technical-documentation/
I vacillate between retaining the “headline text” style of Image BBS’s menu entries in headings, and converting to only initial caps—​so for now there’s a mixture of both. Send help. https://businesswriting.com/guide-to-capitalizing-words-in-titles-and-headings/

Preface

Special Thanks

In Memoriam

Al wrote these.

Product Information

Why a New Version?

What’s New

Sysop Features

User Features

Programming Features

Support Channels

NISSA BBSes

List them, addresses. Mention cbbsoutpost.

Social Media

Facebook, Brent’s forum, Google Hangouts?

imagebbs.net

Online documentation hosted there, someday. Having https://www.github.io available for this preview helps immensely in the meantime.

Ryan is writing these.

License, No Warranty

MIT license? https://mit-license.org/ Only trouble is “for profit” phrasing.

Supported Hardware

Disk Drives

Image Drive Numbers

JiffyDOS

Mass Storage

CMD HD, ThunderDrive

Lt. Kernal HD, Rear Admiral

SD2IEC

1541 Ultimate II

Modems

RS-232 Bridges

Telnet BBS Cable

Interfaces

GGlabs GLink232-LT

CMD SuperCPU

Printers

A lot of this is from 1.2, some newer hardware will be talked about.

Set Up Image BBS 3.0

Upgrading From Previous Versions

Upgrading From 1.x

Modifying Files

Upgrading From 2.0

Setting Up 3.0 From Scratch

BBS/Sysop Information

Clock Set Method

Shared Image BBS 3.0 Setup Steps

Since a lot of steps are shared between different upgrade options, I chose to add this “Shared Image BBS 3.0 Setup Steps” section to cut down on a few pages of duplicate instructions. TODO: Verify the steps are in fact word-for-word duplicates.

GGlabs GLink232-LT

SwiftLink clone

TODO: This will incorporate Larry’s docs plus re-use additional information in the expanded 1.2b docs. Give URL of GGlabs order page. This needs work to be fully converted to ASCIIdoctor still.

Final Notes

Boot Up

Startup Files

Idle Screen Display

TODO More stuff here later.

The Lightbar

Lightbar Defaults

Lightbar Function Keys

Lightbar Functions

Alarm Triggers

NetMail Triggers

Lightbar Interface: &,52

This probably should be in the Programmer’s Reference Guide.

Run Module

Image 1.x Emulation Mode

Command Classes

Device,Drive Prompt

Value of Variable

Complete Module Type List

FIXME Some items here duplicate those of “Set Up Image BBS 3.0” section. Combine them somehow.

Get Things Going

Designate Drives

Copy Files

Boot Disk

Copy im to i* module disk for error recovery.

Configure Your BBS

Set Up a New System

Clock Set Method
Device/Drive Assignments
Enter BBS Information

Upgrade from Image 1.x

Upgrade from Image 2.0

Shared Image 3.0 Setup

Introducing The IM Configuration Editor

TODO: Cross-reference more in-depth IM chapter.

Modem/Telnet Bridge Setup

Telnet BBSes and Bridge Software
tcpser 1.1rc1

TODO: mention jbrain GitHub repo, not FozzTexx repo (Ray tested that, it didn’t work as well?)

tcpser4j

Advantages: Play DTMF tones, play sound on connect, running multiple virtual modems is possible

BBS Server

TODO VSPE - Al

TODO any others?

Booting Up

The Idle Screen

The Bottom Screen Mask

The Bottom Status Line

Set the Time

Automatically From Real-Time Clocks

CMD HD, CMD FD 2000/4000, Lt.Kernal Clock

Manually From Console

Idle Mode Command Keys

The Lightbar

e.idle weekday Logging

Log On

Console Logon

Remote Logon

Graphics Modes

Logon Options

Instant Logon

Logoff

Mail Check

Redetect Graphics Mode

TODO Toggle Linefeeds

BBS Reservations

Network Reservation

Sysop Reservation

NEW Users

RES Users

VISITOR Account

Security Questions

Disable Second Security Question

Login Modules

The Bottom Screen Mask After Logon

What Now?

Learn about WF, RELedit, etc.

Edit System Info Files

RELedit: Edit Sub-Boards/Libraries

Make these the first 2 chapters. Maintenance and configuration are really important sysop tasks.
The commands listed in these headings are just temporary. I’m checking them against s.menu * files to make sure I don’t forget something. They will be transferred to both the TODO Command Reference Appendix and relevant chapters.

Main Prompt Maintenance Commands

CP Online File Copier

DE Direct download editor (works with DX)

ECS Extended Command Set Editor

ED User Editor

IM Image Configuration

MENU Menu Editor

Generates e.menu * (PRG) files from s.menu * (SEQ) files which are access level aware (that way, the user only sees commands they have access to). The access levels have to be set for each command.

MU Message Move Utility

NW Edit/Kill/View/Weed Netwall

R Run i* or +.* File

RELRD RELative File Reader

RF Read PRG/SEQ/REL Files

Written by X-TEC

RP Read Program File

RS Reserve an Account

SF Sysop’s File Editor

UU User View (Graphic Menu)

VL Variable List

All Level Maintenance Commands

BFx,y Blocks Free

CA Add Credits To User

DCx,y Disk Command

DRx,y Disk Directory

FG Force Garbage Collect

ME Change ID to another User

MM Memory Management

RDx,y Read SEQ File

RF Read REL File

RS Reserve an Account

VF View Feedback + Logs

WF Write/Edit File FIXME: Missing from menu?

ZZ Toggle Pseudo-Local Mode

AutoWeed

Remove users who haven’t called in a specified time limit.

Nightly AutoMaint

Hourly NetMaint

Main Level Commands

CM Credit Mall

DX Direct Download

JA Jerk Award

UB User Biographies

Account Configuration

AT C/G-ASCII-ANSI Mode Translation

EP Edit Parameters

I Account Information

P Terminal Parameters

LD Last Call Date

MN Toggle Cursor Menu Mode

MP Toggle "…​More (Y/n)?" Prompt

MX Make/Edit Personal Macros

PM Toggle Prompt Mode

PS Personal Signatures

PW Change Your Password

TZ Select a Time Zone

XP Toggle Expert Mode

All Level Commands

? Help Menus

BA Board Activity Register

C Chat Request/Chat Mode

CF System Configuration

F Feedback

LG Activity Log

LN List NetNodes/Show Maps

NU New User Message

Log Off

O Regular Logoff

O! Instant Logoff

O% Save Last Call Date

O%! Instant + Save Last Call Date

QM Quick Mail

ST Status

SY Read a Saying

T Time and Date

TT Top Ten Users

Command Stacking

^ between commands executes multiple commands in one string.

Command Queue

^^ displays the last ten commands you’ve entered.

^1 - ^9 executes that command.

Enter/Change Subsystems

If while the user is in one subsystem and types another subsystem command, Q reloads previous subsystem.

SB Sub-Boards

Message Base System

Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

Move to Another Sub-Board

L  Lx List Sub-Boards

Sx SA SN Scan Bulletins

Bulletin Status Indicators

--- *NEW* *NRB*

A  Ax About Bulletins

R RA RN Read Bulletins

End-of-Bulletin Menu

R Respond Publicly to Thread
P Respond Privately to Original Poster
Px Respond Privately to Responder #x
O Read Entire Thread Over
x Read from Response #x
Q Quit RA or SA
N New Response Rescan

Sysop Commands

K Kill This Bulletin
F Freeze or Unfreeze Bulletin

New Messages

P Post New Bulletins

^ Frozen Bulletins

Kx Kill Threads

Ex Edit Bulletins

Subop Commands

KO / KA Kill Old/Kill All Messages

Anonymous/Password/Non-Anonymous Boards

Upload/Download Subsystem

Move to Another Library

PR Upload/Download Protocol

U Single File Upload

UM Upload Multiple files

D Single file download

DM Download Multiple files

L Lx List files

Kx Ex Kill Directory Entry/Scratch File

Ex Edit File Details

Rx Read SEQuential/PRoGgram Files

Vx Validate files

Copy/Move Files

Subops

UX Full Disk eXchange Libraries

Free UD/UX library

Electronic Mail Subsystem

#, Return Read E-mail

D Delete e-mail

FR Personal file storage

L List e-mail

R Rx Respond to a Message

S Send Private E-mail

V Verify User’s E-mail

VE Verify/Edit E-mail

NetMail Commands

LN List Active Nodes

NA List All Nodes

NIx Node x Information

NM Network Node Map

NS Send NetMail

Sysop Commands

FM Write/Erase Forced E-mail

SL Read NetMail Sysop Log

VL Read NetMail Transfer Log

News Subsystem

A Add a news file

K, Kx Kill news files

E, Ex Edit news files

L, Lx List news files

GF General Files Libraries

Movie file library

Modules library

RLE file library

Text file library

d.name Make Subdirectory

A Add a File

# Enter a Subdirectory or run a file

K Kx Kill a Subdirectory or File

E Ex Edit a Subdirectory or File

L Lx List Files

BBS Database Subsystem

A Add a BBS

D Display BBS notes

E Edit BBS flags

L List BBSes

R Remove a BBS

VB Voting Booth Subsystem

A Add a Topic

K Kill a Topic

# Vote/View Results

L List Topics

UL User List Subsystem

Q Quick Listing

R Regular Listing

Image Text Editor

Entering text

Editing Control Keys

Dot commands

New dot command prefix: /

Line Ranges

.A / .Q Exit the editor

.R / .M Read what you have typed

.L List lines

.Q Query buffer

Manipulating text

.B Banner Text

.C Column width

.D Delete line (range)

.E Edit line (range)

.Y Move line (range)

.Z Copy line (range)

Editor modes

.I Line Insert mode

.O Line Numbering mode

.T Text transfer mode

.J Justify text

Center

Expand

Indent

Packed

Left

Right

Un-Indent

.N Starting over

.F / .K Searching for or replacing text

Disk Access

.G / .P Get/Put File

Mention .Put instead of .Save required when .Getting a file

.S Save Text

.& Read Text File

.! DOS Command FIXME still available?

.? / .H Getting Help

Message Command Interpreter (MCI)

Online Terminals

Image Term

Terminal Menus

The Phone Book
File Operations

MT Mini Terminal

Miscellaneous Modules

i.alpha/ind

Credit Pool

Setup

AutoMaint module

Offline Utilities

copy-all.64l

edata edit

fcopy+

image mod maker

image seq reader

rel copier

uconfig edit

Image BBS Networking

Planning a Network

Joining an Existing Network

Network Utilities

i.NM/util

VersatIle Commodore Emulator

RS232 Options

Serial I/O Options

FD4000 ROMs

TODO Incorporate Jay Campey’s Facebook post on how to set this up.

JiffyDOS ROMs

TODO Mention http://www.go4retro.com is a licensed distributor of physical JiffyDOS and emulator ROM images.

Appendices

Command Summary

Lightbar Summary

Troubleshooting, Q&A

Index