Ami Express Version 5

After getting an old backup of my BBS back up and running in an Amiga emulator in early 2018, I decided it would be nice to have a new version of /X with all of the main features we loved back in the day and some new features added.

The /X 3 source is widely distributed but has a lot of functionality missing from /X 4, so I decided to take the /X3 code and also disassemble some of the /X 4 code in an attempt to create an up to date copy with the plan of open sourcing it for improvement now and in the future.

Rather than messing around with C compilers on the Amiga i decided to port it to Amiga E - which is freely available and while it lacks some features that C has, it has a nice debugger and it compiles very quickly.

There are a number of new features and/or fixes already in place in /X 5 and I am looking to the community for additional suggestions for new features.

Here is a list of a few of the things improved:

• Account editing screen correctly handles 115200 baud and above
• Support for large partitions >2gb
• Cursor left/right/insert/delete capability added to the line editor
• Command history can be saved between sessions
• Remote shell (needs fifo handler and library)
• Display callers IP address in status bar
• Option to display node callers log from await screen (Shift F6)
• Option to change file size into MB instead of bytes in file list when it is too big
• Option to allow timeout to be treated as a normal logoff instead of a carrier loss
• New FM (File Maintenance command) allows files to be moved between conferences
• Configurable node timeouts
• Configurable email notifications
• specify default upload location for local uploads for each conference
• New US command (upload sysop) allows files to be uploaded to any directory anyhere on the system
• Query callers ip/hostname from telnetd.device and record to callers log, provide via door interface
• OwnDevUnit.library support for locking/releasing serial devices
• Kalacon.device (or any other) replacement console device support
• ACP and Express will be started as commodities (unless disabled in the configuration for ACP or the node)

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Special thanks must go to the following people who have contributed to the development of /X5:

• -TCB- (Sysop: METAL iMPACT) for helping to drive /X5 forwards and make it a more stable product
• Tobias Karlsson for lots of testing and suggestions
• Ordyne (Sysop: 7HE EdGE) for helping out with alpha and beta testing and being brave enough to put this live on his BBS

Thanks to everyone else still active in the /X BBS community for their support. If you wish to help out with testing in the future please contact me.

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Version 5.6.0

• Improved password encryption
• MUI Based Setup Tool
• Full Installer based install process

Version 5.5.0

• IEMSI support (auto login)
• FTP Direct Server support (see Setting up the /X FTP Server)
• Improved CPS display in ACP
• XMODEM support
• HYDRA support

Version 5.4.0

• Optional FTP authentication
• YMODEM and ZMODEM-8K support
• Auto user validation based on password or time limit
• New submenus and keyboard shortcut mode
• multiple FTP and HTTP ports can be defined
• Support for telnet NAWS so that /X can query your telnet client for window size
• Bulk activate/deactivate users
• Option to track number of new uploads in each conf since last logon for every user

Version 5.3.0

• Added HTTP transfer support
• Internal Zmodem so xprzmodem.library is no longer required
• Improved ami-x-net support (as complete as it is likely to ever be)
• Multiple message bases per conference (useful for setting up mailing networks)
• Fully working conference accounting
• Connecting to FTN and QWK message networks
• Add email address attribute for user
• Allow password reset via email
• Improved support for >4gb bytes uploaded/download and >64kb upload/download speeds
• Estimated download time based on previous download CPS rather than connect string
• MCI code to display ANSI animations at a slower speed
• 16 Colour screenmode support (requires console device that supports 16 colours)
• Support for even larger partitions (now into the terrabyte range)

Version 5.2.0

• Added FTP file transfer support
• Added native telnet support (no longer needs telnetd.device)
• Added partial ami-x-net support
• Disabled insert volume requests that could lock up the bbs
• Support for asyncio.library to speed up FTP and ZMODEM transfers
• Track remote ip and hostname for native telnet
• Add denial of service attack detection for native telnet
• Add list messages option when reading messages

Version 5.1.0

• Disable the daily byte download of a user by setting it to 0
• Tracking flagged files according to the conference you were in when you flagged it. You can now flag a file, switch conference and flag more files and it will still know how to find the file (even without duplication of the download paths)
• Tooltypes to define what conference flags are set for new users (new file scan, new message scan, zoom messages)
• Ability to make Bulk updates to accounts
• Support for upload and download cps values >64k although many doors will still max out at 64k
• Track number of times user has called today
• Allow sysop to make notes for each user
• Option to reply to OLM
• Show which settings can actually be changed in CF and which cannot.
• Override complete name prompt
• Override password prompt
• Disable Ansi prompt and force a particular setting
• Option to save new user questions in a central place and view them from the account editor
• Support for some S!X host commands (900-912)
• Persist last callers/uploads/downloads in ACP window.
• Simplified telser.device support

Finally, In December of 2018 I contacted Joe Hodge and he has given me permission to continue developing this piece of software and to (continue to) use the Ami-Express name, so I would just like to say a big thanks to him for allowing this project to continue to be developed from the ashes of the old Ami-Express v4.xx