Since at least the late 1980s, Mustang Software's Wildcat has been on the short list of the most popular BBS programs. Version 4 is a major rewrite designed to meet the need for increased capacity and more powerful system administration. The basic Wildcat program now has more flexible menuing, a spelling chec ker, faster search and retrieval capabilities, and GIF Thumbnailer which lets you view miniatures of large, throughput-sapping graphics files before downloading them. In addition, Mustang Software is now offering a separately priced BBS Suite that adds a slew of configuration and programming utilities. I took a look at the BBS Suite, which includes Wildcat 4.
Installation is relatively painless.
Naturally, you first have to back up the entire system as a safety precaution. Once you've done that, be prepared for at least a few hours of upgrading, and possibly an overnight job if your system is large. Wildcat will convert most everything for you, but you will have to move a few things over to the new version, such as bulletin and menu files. Because the new message databases differ fro m those in previous versions of Wildcat, any program or utility that accessed them will no longer work and must also be upgraded. Wildcat's Makewild, a menu-driven installation utility, made installation a snap.