                                  GAEN Advanced Talker Server
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                                  GAEN M (18.2) final version
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                                          Description
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   GAEN Talker Server is based on NUTS 3.3.3 original program and it has many important and
   useful additions.

   GAEN Talker Server consists mainly in:
     * GAEN Dimensions - multiple skies dimensions
     * GAEN Mirror - four faces of same talker
     * GAEN Natural Chat - ability to express natural language constructs
     * GAEN Gala - advanced security, management of users
     * GAEN Simple Language - powerful programming features: run commands files, test and
       cycle statements, user private variables
     * GAEN Events - event-driven talker, watch users facility
     * GAEN Shell - minimal set of shell commands (e.g. ls, cp, more, cd, chmod, grep, tail,
       who, stat, ps and other useful build-in UNIX shell commands)
     * GAEN Games - Hangman, Puzzle, Paintball and Fit
     * GAEN Distribution - free distribution of GAEN sources and additional files for UNIX
       (Linux)
     * GAEN Easy Compile - easy compiling script for multiple UNIX platforms (new faster and
       portable version!)
     * GAEN Flexible - enhanced flexible features for administrating, configurating and using
       the talker server
     * GAEN Community - regular live meetings of the users


                                           Facilities
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   Original implemented concepts:

     * multiple dimensions
     * mirror chat
     * user "tones" and "stereo" "voices"
     * socials, macros and hints
     * GSL (version 4.2)
     * gsh (version 2.7)
     * events
     * hidden skies and message boards
     * blackhole
     * autosave user details facility
     * quotes (total of 700 quotes)
     * users' multiple environment files
     * watch users
     * secure passwords
     * restrictions
     * execute commands files
     * swear file control
     * management of users
     * greetings at pre/post-login time
     * fun: prayers, guessing, kill methods, DILI mirror
     * internal hosts file
     * commands aliases
     * games: Hangman - more than 7000 words in two (Romanian and English) dictionaries,
       Puzzle, Paintball and Fit
     * user notes
     * identification of users (real account and e-mail address)
     * transparency of superior users
     * command line arguments
     * superior level users notification system

   Some additions to old NUTS commands/features are:

     * more information showed by .prompt, .system, .allclones, .who, .examine, .people,
       .status, .help, .site
     * optional parameters accepted by .quit, .wake, .entpro, .map, .kill, .logging,
       .clearline, .minlogin, .rmsn, .rmst, .topic, .examine
     * multiple and detailed logging files
     * more parameters in config file
     * get exact/real name of users
     * colours impact
     * more short-cuts
     * enhanced swearing control
     * global muzzle system
     * more help topics
     * new mail check and counting of mail messages facility
     * .charecho was replaced by .terminal, .swban by .swears and .ignall by .ignore (you can
       ignore certain users)
     * variable number of paged lines and auto-wrapping lines on dumb terminals

   Other interesting and useful facilities:

     * pre-loaded default topics
     * much flexible .afk and new .listafks command
     * ASCII fun pictures
     * help commands available by level
     * substitution of true site/level
     * user/clone rename facility
     * boss .alert concept
     * .lock session facility
     * safety delete files
     * beep tell
     * list of users logins/logouts
     * list of all or some talker's users (output XML documents support)
     * hackers attack security
     * dynamic change of commands' level of access
     * auto-showing hints at help facility
     * pseudo-variables which replace some users' information at .desc, .examine or .who
     * different script files for checking GAEN configuration and easily compiling GAEN
       sources

                                            Sources
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   GAEN is freeware. You may modify the code to suit your needs, but you must NOT alter the
   credits.

   GAEN Distribution is freely available in the following distribution: the GAEN M (18.2)
   version (August 1996 - May 2002). This version is available in .tar.gz format (unpack with
   gunzip and tar -xf commands at the UNIX shell prompt):
     * gaen_M_18_2.tar.gz talker files (sources, config, data, help, additional files) -
       about 350K (see http://www.infoiasi.ro/~busaco/gaen/)

                                       Compiling advices

   To understand some things, you must have some familiarity with NUTS and you must read
   first the NUTS original documentation files (not included in this distribution). Then,
   read the documentation files included within GAEN Distribution package. To compile the
   sources, you may use easy.compile, a fast and portable shell (sh) script file written by
   Victor Tarhon-Onu.

   If you prefer a direct method, type cc gaen.c -ogaend -O2 (for RedHat 5 or later, you must
   compile with -lcrypt optional parameter; for Sun Solaris, -lsocket -lnsl, also), then use
   go (or gaend) to boot up the server. We provide a simple Makefile, too.

   Then, you must create an administration account: type gaen -b Name. After this, to connect
   to talker server, you may use telnet localhost 7000, type Name as a name and Name as a
   password. Enjoy!


                                            Authors
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   The main authors of this software are:

     * Neil Robertson: neil@ogham.demon.co.uk (UK) - the original author of NUTS talker
       server
     * Sabin-Corneliu Buraga: busaco@infoiasi.ro (Romania) - the actual author of GAEN
       Advanced Talker Server
     * Victor Tarhon-Onu: mituc@ac.tuiasi.ro (Romania) - the author of some portions of GAEN
       code and the main author of easy.compile script

   Also, thanks for help and support to Stefan Ludovic Kocsis (aka Beavis), Sergiu Craciun
   (aka Billy), Bogdan Craciun (aka Ulen) and many other persons involved in this project
   over the years!

   Many thanks to Victor Tarhon-Onu (aka Mituc)!

   Please, send your suggestions or report bugs to busaco@infoiasi.ro.


Last update: 18 May 2002 | Sabin-Corneliu Buraga 1996-2002
