shadowlands.org : forum software: New Features for 1.9.6
Description: Shadowlands Forum is a flexible, friendly, robust chatroom reachable via any telnet client. It uses UNIX username/password authentication, and includes the authlocal module to authenticate quickly from localhost.
Keywords: chat, chatroom, forum, shadowlands, daemon, server, authlocal

    This page lists new features for Shadowlands Forum 1.9.6.1, 1.9.6, and 1.9.5.

    Shadowlands Forum 1.9.6 -- Just Released

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    	(see also ChangeLog-userfeatures -- new user features changelog)
    	(see also ChangeLog -- code ChangeLog)

    Capacity and Convenience:

    	Supports 60 max users instead of 30.   (1.9.6.1 only)

    	Authlocal works properly on Linux 2.4 kernels, no more occasional
    	fallbacks to asking for username/password.

    New User Conveniences:

    	If you are about to be marked as away due to idle, you will be
    	told you can hit any key to cancel that.  (You can disable this
    	if you wish in 1.9.6.1.)

    	Can hide AWAY:idle users in !showaway and !users via a per-user
    	preference.

    	Can hit ESC ESC to exit a whisper and talk to the whole room again.

    Topic-related Enhancements:

    	The user who set the current topic can change it at any time,
    	instead of waiting 2 hours (the standard time, which can be
    	changed in slfprefs.h).

    	Dynamic topics on/off switch: Topics are compiled in, but disabled
    	at startup, by default; use !admin topics on/off to switch from
    	within SLForum.  As always, slfprefs.h contains settings you may
    	use to override this behavior on your server.  (1.9.6.1)

    	Prevent topic monopolizing -- the "Time until topic change
    	allowed" is not reset when topic changes, unless the user setting
    	the new topic is different from the last topic.  This prevents
    	any user from owning it for more than the standard time.  (1.9.6.1)

    	When topics are off, admins trying a topic-related command will be
    	reminded once (hint message) how they can turn topics on.  (1.9.6.1)

    Shadowlands Forum 1.9.5 -- New Features in Previous Stable Version

    Virtual Users:

    	Forum now supports "virtual users" who have Forum accounts only;
    	they are kept in a flat-file database.  Virtual users are no different
    	than system users within Forum, and can be forum admins as well.

    Convenience:

    	Full 8-bit ASCII is now allowed.

    	It's now much easier for users to run their own copy of Forum, fully
    	administered by them alone, with its own set of preferences, banners,
    	and (virtual) users.

    	Added an emote (!me) command, with appropriate formatting of its output

    	The !set jetlag command lets users display time-related information
    	(including alarms they set) using their local timezone.

    	Also, you can now hit Ctrl-T to rot13 the input buffer.
    	This combines well with Ctrl-N to paste the last public line into
    	the input buffer.

    	For you IRC addicts, you can now have two command characters via
    	!set altcmd /   (or any other character of course); this lets you
    	use standard forum ! if you're used to that, and still say /me for
    	emotes

    	!roll now handles up to 1600 dice with any number of sides.

    Macros:

    	Simple keystroke macros can be recorded and played back.  Macros can
    	put text into your input line, execute Forum commands, and call other
    	macros.

    Administration/prefs:

    	All files related to SLForum are now stored in one directory

    	Full interactive admin menus, and one-line admin commands to add,
    	change, and delete virtual users

    	Command line option to set the admin group (a unix group id number)

    	Command line option to set the SLForum home dir

    	Command line option to set the banner dir

    	Now accepts command line arguments in any order

    	!version now displays room uptime

    	Maximum number of lines in a banner

    	(back to main page)
    	(back to features)
    	(see also ChangeLog-userfeatures -- new user features changelog)
    	(see also ChangeLog -- code ChangeLog)