Cottonwood II

[wiskow]

I got a Commodore 64c set up and running Ivory BBS software. I decided to put it online so that people could see what Ivory is like. I'm calling the BBS "Cottonwood II", and you can access it at the same address as my main BBS, but at port 6400 instead of 32. So... From most terminals, you'd use the following address:

cottonwood.servebbs.com:6400

Or, with CGTERM, just replace the colon with a space:

cottonwood.servebbs.com 6400

A couple notes for those who are unfamiliar with Ivory BBS... First, when you connect, tap return/enter once to complete the connection. Then, the BBS should ask you to press "SHIFT-@" for graphics mode. This method of graphics terminal detection was used because Commodore computers were the only ones that were able to transmit this particular key combination (most other computers have "@" above the number "2", so you can't shift a shifted charachter). With CGTERM, the "@" key is mapped to "[", to the right of the letter "P", so you'll need to press "SHIFT-[" when it asks you to press "SHIFT-@". Of course, if you're calling with a non-Commodore graphic terminal, just press anything and you'll enter in ASCII mode. Finally, the first time you call, it'll ask if you're a member of the BBS. Answer no, then it'll ask for your name or user #. Since you don't have a user # yet, just type the handle you'd like to use. When you get to the main menu, press "A" to fill out an application for membership, and as soon as I validate your new account, you'll have access to the Sub-Boards (message area) and file transfer sections. I normally validate new accounts within 24 hours. If you'd like me to send you an e-mail letting you know when your account has been validated, just leave me a feedback message before you logoff and let me know what your Internet e-mail address is.

Any questions? Just ask!

-Andrew

[RedWolf]

Cool.  Thanks for letting us know about it.  I'll try to connect soon and check it out.  I still haven't tried CGTERM yet though.  Is the experience much better with that?

Benj

[RedWolf]

Actually, scratch that.  I just connected with CGTerm and it was pretty neat.  I can't figure out how to add a bookmark in that program though.  Any idea?

[wiskow]

Actually, scratch that.  I just connected with CGTerm and it was pretty neat.  I can't figure out how to add a bookmark in that program though.  Any idea?

To change the bookmarks in CGTERM, you have to use a text editor (such as Notepad in Windows) and edit the cgterm.cfg file in the CGTERM folder.  Also, by default, CGTERM starts up in windowed 40-column mode.  You can easily change to fullscreen by pressing Escape and then F, but the method for using 80-column mode is not so apparent.  You have to add a "-8" tag to the end of the command line when you run the program.  You can also add a "-f" tag to startup in Fullscreen mode.

BTW - For those who have never used CGTERM, you can download it at http://www.paradroid.net/cgterm/ ... Run it, press Escape for the menu, and you're on your way. The only tricky thing about CGTERM is
the fact that they keyboard is mapped to a Commodore keyboard layout. If you're not familiar with where keys are at on a Commodore keyboard, you can print out a copy of the C64 keyboard photo at the
bottom of my BBS's homepage at http://hometown.aol.com/cottonwoodbbs/ ... Or, if you really want to go all out, you could get the keyboard overlay stickers at http://tinyurl.com/2djxml and transform your PC/Mac keyboard into a Commodore keyboard.

-Andrew

[RedWolf]

To change the bookmarks in CGTERM, you have to use a text editor (such as Notepad in Windows) and edit the cgterm.cfg file in the CGTERM folder.  Also, by default, CGTERM starts up in windowed 40-column mode.  You can easily change to fullscreen by pressing Escape and then F, but the method for using 80-column mode is not so apparent.  You have to add a "-8" tag to the end of the command line when you run the program.  You can also add a "-f" tag to startup in Fullscreen mode.

I figured as much.  I added your BBS to my bookmarks.

Also, you can set CGTERM to start up in fullscreen or 80-column mode by default in the cgterm.cfg file (just remember to uncomment -- i.e. remove the "#" sign -- before the options you set).

Do you recommend 40 or 80 column mode for your BBS?

[extrarice]

Actually, scratch that.  I just connected with CGTerm and it was pretty neat.  I can't figure out how to add a bookmark in that program though.  Any idea?

To change the bookmarks in CGTERM, you have to use a text editor (such as Notepad in Windows) and edit the cgterm.cfg file in the CGTERM folder.

And if you're on a Mac, command-click on the CGTerm application, click "Show Package Contents", navigate to Contents/Resources/etc/ and edit cgterm.cfg in a text editor.

[wiskow]

Do you recommend 40 or 80 column mode for your BBS?

For any BBS that's running on a C64, 40 column mode is best.  For any BBS that's running on a C128, 80 column mode is best.  Cottonwood BBS (at cottonwood.servebbs.com) is running on a C128, so use 80 column mode if possible.  Cottonwood II (at cottonwood.servebbs.com:6400) is running on a C64, so use 40 column mode if possible.

-Andrew

[wiskow]

I've updated the Cottonwood website at http://hometown.aol.com/cottonwoodbbs to include information about Cottonwood II as well as a photo of the setup.

-Andrew