Adding Atari BBS Gateway to FujiNet Config
Have been working on this for some time and finally all the parts are assembled to add a menu function to FujiNet config for the direct access to the Atari BBS Gateway. The plan of building a gateway to simplify bbs access was one step, the last step is to make access to the atari bulletin boards seamless and easy for anyone. This accomplishes that for all FujiNet users by simply pressing G.
This change Im submitting to FujiNet, adds a G — BBS shortcut to the Atari FujiNet CONFIG host and drive menus. It opens an ATASCII terminal inside CONFIG and connects directly to ataribbs.ddns.net:6502.
Once connected, everything passes through FujiNet’s N: device in read/write mode, with translation disabled to preserve ATASCII characters and control codes. There’s no separate XEX download, D1: replacement, or reboot. Pressing OPTION closes the connection and restores the CONFIG menu.
The terminal uses a 40-column, 24-row display with ATASCII graphics, inverse text, cursor controls, editing and scrolling. Network reads are handled in short chunks to keep the keyboard responsive, and idle polling is paced to reduce unnecessary SIO traffic.
The Atari memory layout was adjusted to keep application variables clear of CONFIG’s screen, font and selection-bar buffers. Here is a video of the change in action:
FujiNet Atari BBS Terminal — Update and Testing
I have been working with the FujiNet team on making today’s Atari BBSs easier to discover and call from FujiNet.
The first proposal added a BBS shortcut to CONFIG. We also tested a terminal built directly into CONFIG, but the discussion moved toward keeping the terminal as a separate application. The team then raised a fair concern about routing every call through the Atari BBS Gateway: they wanted users to have a directory that could connect directly to each board.
That led to the current project, FujiNet Netcat – Atari BBS Terminal, contributed by Southern AMIS Projects. The FN Team created a dedicated repository, fujinet-bbs-client, so the client can be developed and reviewed before we return to the CONFIG shortcut. I rewrote the XEX file and created an N: Device terminal which will load the BBS list from the FujiNet URL's by platform type.
The client loads a BBS directory over HTTPS, displays the available boards, and connects directly to the selected address using FujiNet’s N: device. It supports native ATASCII display and keyboard input. After a connection closes, you can return to the list, reconnect, or boot FujiNet CONFIG. Option disconnects the active session.
FujiNet is also developing a WordPress-managed directory for its website, with platform and terminal-type filtering. Once that API is available, I will adapt the client to its agreed format and test it on hardware.
A Southern AMIS test version is available now.
This version is preset to load the 13-board list hosted on southernamis.com. It is a community test build, not an official FujiNet release. The Atari BBS Gateway remains available as a labeled fallback if the directory cannot be loaded; calls selected from the downloaded list go directly to those BBSs.
The Gateway itself continues operating as before. This client gives callers another choice.
To try it, mount the supplied XEX in FujiNet and boot it. Use:
1–8: Call a board on the current page
N / P: Next or previous page
R: Reload the directory
Option: Disconnect
After disconnect: L for the list, R to reconnect, or C for CONFIG
C boots the CONFIG supplied by your FujiNet firmware; it does not reload a custom CONFIG disk you previously mounted.
Thanks to everyone testing, the independent Atari BBS sysops, and the FujiNet developers helping shape this into something the wider community can use.
— Amis