Help on: boards

Ishar's bulletin boards come in three basic versions: message tracking boards, non-tracking boards and anonymous boards.

Message tracking boards keep track of the the most recently posted message you have read and display a count of unread messages when you enter their presence. These boards only display unread messages unless you request otherwise. You can use the RESET command to set the 'highest read' counter to any message you choose.

Non-tracking boards do NOT track your highest read message, nor do they support the reset command. These boards are typically used for system reference information that users may with to consult from time to time.

The anonymous boards are for those times when you want to speak your mind without letting everyone know whose mind is speaking.

Each board has its own board number. This number is displayed each time you look at a board. This number is useful because it can be used to unambiguously identify the board. For instance, suppose board #23 is your favorite board. You can 'goto' right to that board by padding the number to three digits and sticking it on the end of the word, 'board' to form 'board023'. Board 6 = board006, board 223 = board223, etc. 'goto board223 take you right there.

All of Ishar's boards have a maximum message length of 5000 characters (about 75 lines), and all boards use the following commands:

      LOOK BOARD - If you are standing in front of a bulletin board and
      want to see what messages are posted there, you LOOK at it.  The 
      message headers displayed all include message number, date
      posted, subject of message and the author's name.  If the board
      is an anonymous one, the author's name is replaced by
      "Anonymous".  If the board is a message tracking board, only
      the unread messages are listed.

      READ [<message number>] - To read message 12, simply type 'read 12'.
      The message are displayed, one screenful at a time, until it
      is finished or you tell it to stop.  Without a number, you will
      simply read the next unread message.

      WRITE <subject line> - To write a message, just use the 
      write command followed by the subject of the message.  The maximum
      length of the subject is about 45 characters.

      REMOVE <message number> - To remove a message you have written,
      use the remove command.   A message can only be removed by the
      author or the board's moderator.

      RESET [<message number>] - Reset the board to mark as unread all 
      messages beginning with the specified number.  If no number is given, 
      all messages are marked as unread.

See also: Read, Write, Remove, Reset, Display