BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News COPYRIGHT 1990 Feburary 1990 Volume 3, Issue 2 Table Of Contents ----------------- Article Title Author Policy Statement and Disclaimer.................Staff Editorial Column................................Dean Costello Birmingham BBS Scene Predictions For The 1990's.Tyros Big Weanie In The Big Easy......................Dean Costello Review & Overview of ProDoor 3.1................Ricky Morgan What Is A BTN Party Like?.......................Bill Freeman Profile: Karsten Propper.......................Chris Mohney Insights........................................Ron Albright Book Review.....................................Gene Ebert Message Board...................................Barry Bowden Known BBS Numbers...............................Staff EzNet Multiple Echo List........................Staff ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer and Statement of Policy for BTN We at BTN try our best to assure the accuracy of articles and information in our publication. We assume no responsibility for damage due to errors, omissions, etc. The liability,if any for BTN, its editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or omissions, etc., shall be limited to the cost of a one year subscription to BTN, even if BTN, its editors or writers have been advised of the likelihood of such damages occurring. With the conclusion of that nasty business, we can get on with our policy for publication and reproduction of BTN articles. We publish monthly with a deadline of the fifteenth of the month prior to publication. If you wish to submit an article, you may do so at any time but bear in mind the deadline if you wish for your work to appear in a particular issue. It is not our purpose to slander or otherwise harm a person or reputation and we accept no responsibility for the content of the articles prepared by our writers. Our writers own their work and it is protected by copyright. We allow reprinting of articles from BTN with only a few restrictions. The author may object to a reprint, in which case he will specify in the content of his article. Otherwise, please feel free to reproduce any article from BTN as long as the source, BTN, is specified, and as long as the author's name and the article's original title are retained. If you use one of our articles, please forward a copy of your publication to: Mark Maisel Editor, BTN 221 Chestnut St. BHM, AL 35210-3219 We thank you for taking the time to read our offering and we hope that you like it. We also reserve the right to have a good time while doing all of this and not get too serious about it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWSFLASH The Islands BBS is still with us but due to drive troubles, it will be down until it is fixed. How is that for accurate reporting? Keep trying and when you connect, let us all know via EzNet! There are two boards that I had to drop this month from the list. ProSoft Systems and Gizmo's Atari BBS both are not answering me at any time. I am particularly saddened by the loss of ProSoft as it was one of the older boards in town and the sysop is a good friend. I don't know for certain if he is down for good but I intend to find out. Gizmo's reported a new number as the BBS moved but I have not been able to get an answer out of it. It may well turn out that this new number will answer this month so I can add Gizmo's back to the list. Anyone with clues as to the whereabouts of Scott Ferguson and/or his Penny Arcade will be rewarded with a year's free subscription to BTN if they come forward with any information leading to contact with either or both. Until next time, I am MM, and still the editor Deanie Weanie! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Editorial by Dean Costello Don't say anything. Mark went to sleep, and he thinks I am just fiddling around with Mah-Jongg in the computer room. In December, when I wrote my thing on how I feel about Southerners, I was scheduled to write the editorial, but Mark wouldn't let me. So, here is my chance. Well, to task. First thing is to make some succinct and pithy points about something that is going on. Unfortunately, nothing is coming to mind. It kind of bothers me the nasty turn some of the argument conferences have taken, but I really cannot say anything about this since I am knee-deep in some of them, so that is the end of that. How about the business with all of the strange "Project" conferences? Some of us seem to think that it is some insidious plot against somebody, using them, but I don't know, so I cannot say anything about that either. I could write on the amount of pizza I have eaten at the august editor's house, with no apparent return on his/their investment, but that would just get him upset, and I wouldn't be allowed to eat there anymore, leastways on their buck, not mine. I could write about the efficacy and place of Jonathon Chick's comics in today's society, but even I cannot pull that trick off. However, Kathy, the editor's current wife, seems entranced in them. When asked by this reporter, she says, "I have often wondered whether or not there is anyone out there that are more stupid than Bible Thumpers. Well, I seem to have found the answer to that. But, they haven't changed my life." However, Chris Mohney, the ProFile writer, said, "Well Goodness, they have done wonderful things for me. Without reservation, Chick Comics have changed my life." Well, you heard it here first, kids. Anyway, this has gone on long enough, so I suppose this is the end of the pithy comments section, and onto the next area. We now move onto the review of everyone's articles. Mine's good. In fact, it is incredible. I couldn't believe that I could have written this, it is so wonderful. But enough about me. Tyros cranked out an intriguing little article about what is going to happen in the not too distant future. I like it since he refers to me several times. Rick Morgan has his third installment of ProDoor, not too bad, but he doesn't mention me by name once. Chris Mohney, in his magnificent omnipotence, chose Karsten Propper as this month's ProFile. Brother Ron Albright yaks about various insightful subjects in his monthly column of "Insights". Gene Ebert reviews a book; and Barry Bowden does his usual Message Board. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Birmingham BBS Scene Predictions for the 1990s by Tyros ** 1990 ** R. Dean Costello returns to his native Maryland, but finds that his former peers now shun and scorn him for his instinctively acquired accent and mannerisms. A Man Without A Region, he adopts a nomadic lifestyle, wandering America's roads; he eventually emigrates to the U.S.S.R. and finds happiness supervising the remainder of the 25-year hazardous waste cleanup at Chernobyl. Randy Hilliard's two-year term as sysop of Channel 8250 ends, and he is replaced in an election upset by Tim Straughn, who hopes to elevate his standings in the yearly BBS survey. The Connection scores another BBS first with its unprecedented ambitious billboard advertising campaign. Birmingham's citizens are reminded that the Connection is Alabama's Premiere PC-Board while driving on state highway 79, U.S. 280, I-65, Valley Avenue and other major thoroughfares. ** 1991 ** Under the aggressive hand of Rocky Rawlins, the Matrix expands further, adding a dozen extra nodes and taking over Sperry BBS, ST BBS, Magnolia, SouthTrust Bank, the Birmingham Race Course and a large controlling share in University Hospital. Telecommunicating at less than 1200 baud is finally made an official traffic violation, with a fine of $49.00 (excluding court costs) and repossession of the violator's modem upon second offense. Kelly Rosato is elected mayor of Birmingham, after a tight and messy city election. ** 1992 ** Financially-troubled Commodore Business Machines tries a desperate move, as it releases the first 64K IBM clone that the industry has seen in several years. The machine includes a discount coupon applicable to the first ten repairs. Debate over the secret behind the mysterious Project Conference, a private message base seen on several local PC-Boards, renews with intensity after a user list from the conference slips into public domain and is found to include the names o f BO JACKSON, HOWELL HEFLIN, MARILYN QUAYLE, DENG ZIAO-PING, RANDY HILLIARD, KATHY MAISEL, and JIMI HENDRIX. Photographs from the most recent BTN party disappear under unknown circumstances; they resurface months later, circulating among America's premier adult photo magazines while being acclaimed for their artistic quality and tastefulness. ** 1993 ** Joseph McDonald appears on a "Just A Minute" editorial segment on WVTM, channel 13, and spends sixty seconds complaining about Fred Hambrecht. A new BBS, The Palace, appears and raises controversy by only being online for fifteen minutes every week, between 7:00 and 7:15 p.m. every Tuesday. The board becomes one of Birmingham's most popular, despite this, and a popular political debate over microwave oven technology lasts nearly four years. The popular female user who calls herself "Melanie" surprises her many admirers by renouncing all material things, becoming a nun, and joining the St. Cecilia Convent in Houston, Texas. ** 1994 ** The national echo Metronet, carried by Birmingham's Channel 8250, makes its first link with the Soviet Union. Response from the U.S.S.R. is minimal, however, as no one there can still get their hands on a computer. PC-Board version 20.0 is released amid much hoopla; the most hyped new feature is an option in the sysop's menu that will electrocute an online user when the sysop presses F10. Sohail Rabbani returns to his native Pakistan and becomes an official in Benazir Bhutto's democratic government, as the newly created Minister of Alcohol. ** 1995 ** Mark Maisel becomes the first Birmingham City Councilman elected under the Libertarian ticket. He promises hard fun for all. Begun in the late-'80s, the surge of women in the local BBS scene reaches its highest point ever, as the number of female users finally overtakes the number of male users. Several women-only BBS's spring up. ** 1996 ** David Shockey begins his campaign for the Republican nomination for President of the United States, but trailing in the polls behind George Bush, Jack Kemp and Morton Downey Jr, Shockey quits the race and accuses the Republican Party of being filled with wimps, centrists and "unnatural persons". The Unofficial Birmingham BBS Poll, now in its eighth year, is fundamentally changed in structure, as it begins calling local users, rather than vice versa, in order to collect votes. ** 1997 ** The Matrix upgrades to 2.4 terabytes and annexes the city of Homewood. After years of corporate climbing, Mark Kieskowski is promoted to regional director of AT&T. Richard Arrington, out of local politics, starts his own public BBS, where the debate over the confederate flag begins anew. ** 1998 ** BTN celebrates its 10th anniversary with a mention on the local TV news. A jubilant editorial staff raises the price from "nothing" to "next to nothing". Circulation steadily drops as wary subscribers puzzle over what that means. A group of listless ex-Mormons discover some old BBS messages saved to disk from the late '80s, and, believing that Dean Costello truly was the Almighty, begin a new religion revolving around him. Douglas Reinsch and Mark Maisel capitalize on their new theological status and start asking for money on local public access cable television. Ed O'Neill emigrates to Pakistan. ** 1999 ** Telecommunication technology breakthroughs render modems obsolete as bulletin board systems may now be accessed via telepathy. Despite this advance, the Birmingham BBS scene remains unchanged for the most part. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Big Weanie In The Big Easy (*D1) by Dean Costello I have always, for the most part, had good feelings toward our illustrious leader, Mark Maisel, so I didn't think much of it when he came to me one day. Over the last few months, he and I have spent a lot of Tuesdays and Wednesdays together, since my schedule is such that I can change things around easily, and he has those two days off and very few people can do anything with him. This being the case, I have come to expect strange phone calls at about 8 a.m., Tuesday or so to go with him to some strange place I have never heard of. Now, about (*M1)(*D2) 3 weeks ago, he comes up to me and says, "Hey Deanie Weanie, I have a couple of tickets to Winter Comdex in New Orleans, and I want to know if you would like to accompany me?" I, never thinking about the fact there is no such thing as Winter Comdex, in New Orleans or wherever, said, "Duh, Okay. Sounds like fun, Mark." He then makes arrangements for a place to stay in the French Quarter. "Why there?", I ask? "It is close to the Superdome where Comdex is being held this time.", he replies. "Wow, it must be a real big event this time!" I exclaimed. "Yes, it will be", he answered with a wicked grin on his face. I also discovered that the place we were going to stay was $40 per night for the both of us. I started to get nervous. So, I go over to his place on the 18th of December. It is cold and raining. I think, "Well, this is a good omen." I wasn't all that far off. He wandered home about half an hour after I arrived. He then took a shower, we loaded up the car, and moved out. The drive was relatively uneventful. We sung along to Frank Zappa's album, "Thing-Fish", until the sun went down. We rolled into Mississippi, took a leak at a Mississippi rest stop, and continued on. We got to some curious part in the road somewhere south of Jackson, where they had just finished repaving the road. Unfortunately, it was also raining or sleeting, so we started going down the interstate sideways for a stretch. We got into New Orleans at about 10:30. We found the place after driving around that part of town for a while, and settled in. "Well, Deanie Weanie, here we are, let's go for a walk." That sounded good to me, so we bopped down to Bourbon Street to find a place to eat and drink. Wandered around for a while, saw some places, had a dinner that just couldn't be beat, and wandered back home again. We went to sleep at about 12:30-ish. Also, I would like to say here that trying to sleep in the same room as Mark is like trying to sleep in a saw mill. (*M2)But I will leave the subject at that. Next morning, Mark dragged my ass out of bed at 8:30am. I asked him about when we were going to the Comdex. He then admitted that there was no such thing as Winter Comdex, and it served me right for being here since I was dumb enough not to know it. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, but I settled down and accepted the inevitable: (*M3)I had to be nice to Mark for another couple of days or I would be marooned. So, we shopped around some and ate a nice breakfast, (*M4)drank some of that evil sludge they call coffee down there, and did the streetcars. We rode the Saint Charles streetcar and had a nice ride, except on the way back. Something curious occurred. (*M5)Someone threw a milk carton at the streetcar, and it hit the window in front of me, spraying me with milk and glass (*D6). Now, the day was starting to pick up! We wandered and rode back toward Canal Street, got some lunch, and strolled back to the room to drop off our paraphernalia. Unfortunately, Mark parked his car in an area that was scheduled to be cleaned that day. We turned the corner, I kind of looked ahead, and said, "uhh, Mark, is that your car?" "No, that's a Toyota.", he replied, as we continued up the street. "Well, if that isn't your car, where is it?" "Oh dear!" (*D7). We then walked into the guest house, and asked the desk clerk what happened to Mark's car. She said that since we parked in a spot that was to be cleaned that day, New Orleans had the car towed to the impound yard. Mark thought that was just dandy, and asked for a cab to be called. We found out that the price for liberating the car is $70. "That's too way too high!, where is the courthouse?, I want to appeal this!", Mark exclaimed to the surly folk at the impound yard (*D8). They told us where it was, so we hoofed down there, 4 blocks down and eight blocks up. It was 4:10 by now, so we were in a hurry since this part of New Orleans wasn't exactly the best part of town to be in. We got down to the courthouse, filled out some forms, and Mark went in to see the Judge. The Judge agreed with Mark, and so they let us out of there with no fine due. We got down to the impound yard again, got the car out of hock, and went back to the room, noting where we could park and not get towed again. By this time, my knee was swollen up to the size of a softball, so I demanded that we sit for a while until I could bend my knee again. We discovered that the thrill was gone in New Orleans. We took off again in about 45 minutes, and again wandered around French Quarter. Checked out some art galleries in Mark's ongoing quest to find a Boris Vallejo print. (*M6)We went to a local music store that was long on local flavor and short on commercialism, called Tower Records. We went back up the Quarter, and ate dinner at a very good Italian Restaurant (and I should know). We drank wine, ate way too much dinner, and sang songs that amused us. We were not sure about the patrons but the owners didn't kick us out. After we left, we picked up a bottle of Bacardi 151 rum and we ended up drinking most of it in the lobby of our guest house. We played a curious game called (*M7)(*D10) Trunk out in front of the building way into the early hours of the morning. Next morning we out and about again. And we left New Orleans at about 9 or 9:30. A few scattered notes. 1). Mark has a strange predilection toward what he calls "Titty Bars". 2). Mark can do some snoring. Tuesday night, he passed out about two hours before I went to sleep. As I shut the lights off, he was in rare snoring form. I smiled to myself, and said,"Snore for me, big boy." He didn't even break stride, and replied, "Can Do". (*M8)Scared the piss out of me. Wrap-up paragraph. It was, on the whole, a pretty cool time. I think that New Orleans is a nice place to visit for about 3 days, but that is about it. Also, I got annoyed with the smooth boys trying to get money out of me down there. I would also like to have seen Mark change his clothes more often, but that is a personal thing, I suppose. And I never did get to see the Superdome. Editor's Notes ad nauseum (*M1) The time period is relative to the beginning date of the trip, December 18, 1989. mm (*M2) It is probably best that Dean left "the subject at that". His own sleeping habits are extremely amusing and could be embarrassing to the point of damaging his future career should they be revealed. I will keep my silence, this having been cleared up. mm (*D3). (*M3) In my experience, I have found that most folks don't "have to be nice" to me. It comes naturally since I am nice to them. Perhaps it is Dean's Yankee heritage and upbringing that makes him "have to be nice" to me as with everyone else Southern that he encounters down here. mm (*D4) (*M4) I drank some of that evil sludge out of curiosity, since I don't normally drink coffee at all, and out of cultural respect, I tried it and actually half-way enjoyed it. It was the only coffee I have ever had that had any taste other than that of dirt. Dean sipped his once and proceeded to make an offering to the New Orleans Sewer of his cup. He did not drink the coffee so much as he tasted it. mm (*D5). (*M5) Dean found out the hard way that Southerners universally do not care for Yankees and can spot them at great distance as did the youth who threw the milk carton. Fortunately for Dean, the youth was not a very accurate thrower. Since this incident, Dean has been much more appreciative of the mere taunts and looks he gets from Alabamians since he has seen how much more reactionary other Southerners can be to his presence. mm (*M6) I believe Dean has this backwards. Tower is a huge national chain with more floor space than I have seen in any three other stores combined. The people there were extremely helpful and friendly considering the intimidating size of this place. Even the policeman who demanded our posters before we could enter was nice, especially when we noticed his hand on his gun. mm (*D9). (*M7) The correct name of the game we played is Tunk which is a very simple and amusing game for losing much money very quickly. It was difficult to play outside and it was cold but neither of us cared very much since we were full of Puerto Rican gasoline. mm (*M8) He is quite literal in what he says here. It was very embarrassing for him when I called the nice girl at the desk to ask for more sheets, particularly since I explained in great detail why we needed them and for whom. I thought everyone could converse when asleep. I do it all the time. mm (*D11). Writer's responses to the Editor's Notes, ad infinitum. (*D1)--I didn't call this Big Weanie in the Big Easy. I wish he would stop calling me that. dc (*D2)--Yup, he is about right on that. dc (*D3)--The Hell! He snores like a steam engine. And the only noise I made the entire night was rustling my sleeping bag which I was using as a pillow. dc (*D4)--Yeah, right. And if I wasn't nice to him, I'd probably still be there. He threatened me with being marooned in Algiers if I didn't play nice. And remember, this is from a someone who is "Nice to others." If that is nice, I would hate to see vindictive. dc (*D5)--That stuff was rude. When it hit the water in the sewer, the water started the bubble. And I noticed about an hour later or so, after the caffeine rush started to wear off, he wasn't as entranced with the coffee anymore since he was starting to get sleepy. On that day he became another statistic of the evil scourge of coffee addiction. It was like smoking marijuana, and then jumping right into LSD. Pathetic to watch, yet amusing nonetheless. dc (*D6)--I maintain that the event was just a random act of violence on the general tourist, not on a Northerner particularly. Besides, it was a native that was struck directly by the flying glass, not I. dc (*D7)--Well, he really said more nasty, evil, wicked, and unChristian-like statements, than "Oh, dear", but he demands a PG newsletter, so I edited it to suit the more genteel reader. For those of you who are not quite so gentile, think of him raving about something for about 15 minutes, with a lot of cursing thrown in for good measure. He wove a beautiful tapestry of language over the French Quarter that evening, so well that it remained hovering overhead until we left the next morning. dc (*D8)--See footnote D7. The same applies in this circumstance. He was not a patient person. dc (*D9)--What is the problem with you people and irony? Do you get lost on such advanced ideas? dc (*D10)--I also discovered that he learned this little game at the Post Office. My tax dollars at work. dc (*D11)--It did startle me, there is no way around that. But he takes it to its ludicrous extreme. Nothing unsavory came out of me but an exclamation of surprise. dc Editor's Closing Comments So, it comes to this. Whose version will you believe, mine, a long known and trusted friend, or this Deanie Weanie, Johnny-Come-Lately who has barely gotten his feet wet around these parts? Most of you have known me for years and those of you who don't, know those who do and you can ask them who is believeable and who is not. I contend that Dean is aspiring to his typical "K & G" laxative type behavior that is so common among graduate students from Northern climes. Perhaps he will outgrow it in time. We can only hope as he settles down to his new home in Montgomery working for ADEM or some other such environmental agency. Writer's Rebuttal. Oh really? Just because he puts together this rag called "BTN" doesn't mean he is God, but unfortunately he doesn't know this. This egomanical fiend is trying to cast dispersions upon my veracity. Alright, I have only been around for about a year (active for 8 months, present in Birmingham for 1.5 years), but does that automatically disqualify me from being right? I don't think so. Ohhh. He's a non-profit celebrity. Whoaaaa. I'm impressed. And then he has the nerve to attack my article as not being an accurate account of what happened in New Orleans. I am somewhere between miffed and truly pissed off. . Besides, he probably won't even bother to proofread this anyway. Some editor... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ProDoor 3.1 of 10-08-89; Copyright (C) 1987, 1989 Samuel H. Smith by Ricky Morgan ProDoor and the Message Base This month we are going to look at the 'bread and butter' of the Electronic Bulletin Board systems. File transfer and new software is all well and good but what makes most of the BBS's run, is active participation in the message bases (I'll not get into the subject of Game Doors here). Most of the systems I frequent and most of the SySops I have gotten to know, are interested in the free exchange of information and ideas. Where as you maybe unable to contribute new and better software to the File directories, we can all leave a message on the boards. You don't have to be a super genius with computers to get involved in the message base (I think I am proof of that). Whatever subjects interest you, you will probably be able to find a board with a conference that will fit your needs. If not, you may be able to convince the SySop that he needs a different conference and if enough people show willingness, in the form of messages, you may get your conference. What, specifically, is a conference? It is a section of the board set aside for messages pertaining to a given subject. Every board has a Main Board area for general messages. 'Hi, how ya doing?' etc. From the Main Board you can then (J)oin a conference. Here is where you really start to see the differences in BBS's. Almost every board will have an IBM or Hardware conference, geared for the sharing of information on computer hardware and software, after that the conferences go in all directions; religious, non-religious, writing, reading, listeners, reviews, want ads and yes Virginia, even Adult or X rated conferences. The list goes on endlessly. PCBoard allows access to the conferences, provided your security level allows you access as some areas are off limits to the casual user. ProDoor, however, allows for easier access to the conferences and easier manipulation when changing from conference to conference. The first command you will want to look at is (J)oin. At this point, provided you are in ProDoor, you will be prompted with several different options. (A)config or auto configure is probably the best place to start. ProDoor will the start listing the available conferences one at a time and ask if you wish to Scan this base for new messages. From then on, ProDoor will automatically scan these message bases for you and tell you if there is new mail. If new mail is found you will be prompted as to whether or not you wish to join this conference and read the mail. Once all the new mail has been read, ProDoor will then continue the scan of the conferences for more new mail. What could be simpler? Let's look at the available conference commands: (J)oin Allows you to switch to a different conference. You may specify either a conference number or a conference name. Don't use in hotkey mode. Examples: J M ;main board J;+ ;join next available conference J;6 ;join conference 6 J TOOLS ;join tools conference J;2;Q ;quick join, bypassing conference news J S ;status of all conferences Auto Conference Messages New Last Msg High Msg Active Scan Num Name To You Messages Read Number Messages ---- --- ---------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- Yes 0 Main Board 0 0 7836 7836 887 Yes 1 EZNET 0 0 4987 4987 301 Yes 2 Readers 0 0 435 435 39 No 3 Listener N/A 1606 89 1695 143 No 4 argument N/A 491 4301 4792 1004 No 5 gamers N/A 437 1 437 104 Yes 6 BTN 0 0 550 550 38 No 7 Amiga N/A 520 1 520 18 Yes 8 MSDOS 0 0 912 912 147 Yes 9 Writers 0 0 505 505 35 Yes 11 XRated 0 0 2632 2632 139 Yes 13 BTNWA 0 0 424 424 98 Yes 14 Anti 0 0 375 375 121 J S + ;status of conferences after current one J A 20 ;configure autoscan starting with conference 20 These subfunctions are available: (A)uto-join configuration update (M)ain board (N)ew message status (S)tatus of all conferences (Y)our mail. Scan for conferences with new mail for you (+)next higher conference (-)next lower conference So by now you should be able to get in and out of the conferences faster and easier with ProDoor. How do you read mail and, all importantly, reply to mail with ProDoor? From the Main Board prompt, you can simply enter R S (Read since) and ProDoor will start scanning. (0 used, 49 left) [Main Board] Command? r s Active message numbers are 6891-7836. Use (J +) or (J -) to change conferences. EZNET has 0 new messages. Readers has 0 new messages. BTN has 0 new messages. MSDOS has 0 new messages. Writers has 0 new messages. XRated has 0 new messages. BTNWA has 0 new messages. Anti has 0 new messages. Had there been new, unread messages I would have been asked I wanted to join this conference. I could just as easily scanned for any mail addressed directly to me (R Y) or for any mail addressed All (R A). Once ProDoor finds a message addressed to you (or All, in the case of R A) it will display the message for reading. If you want to look for a message with a specific topic you can (Z)ip-search. This will scan the messages for a string, i.e BTN. Once the message is found it will be displayed: To: RICKY MORGAN From: MARK MAISEL Read: 01-20-90 (19:35) City: BIRMINGHAM, AL Last On: 01-19-90 (01:29) Subj: ARTICLE? Where the @!?! is that article you promised me on ProDoor? I have to have it soon for this month's BTN.... Then you will be asked: Zip search for (BTN), (Enter)=Continue search, (Z)=Quit search. At which point you may continue looking or quit back to the command prompt. Sooner or later you will want to reply (RE) to a message or enter (E) a new one. Both PCBoard and ProDoor will prompt for the name of the person you are addressing the message to, (the name will already be filled in if it's a reply), the subject (again this will be filled in with the current topic if it's a reply. You can change it if you want to). Then you reach the point where ProDoor and PCBoard differ. In PCBoard you will simply type in one line of text at a time. A blank line will take you to the menu for (S)aving, (L)isting , etc. ProDoor asks the cryptic, Use Visual Editor:? (Enter)=yes? If you answer no you get the basic PCBoard style of text entry. Answering yes, will get you into ProDoor's 'text' editor. At this point let me warn you, you will need ANSI support and your escape key better work or you'll stay in the visual editor until your automatically logged off or you disconnect. I have just recently had an experience along these lines and I must admit it can be frightening. I was using an automated message program and I jumped to terminal mode to leave a message. I had forgotten that the escape key for this program worked locally to get me in and out of terminal mode. I started to enter a message and when I hit I was prompted by the local program, instead of by the visual editor. I couldn't get out of the message. I had to disconnect to break out. I don't like doing this and I'm sure a lot of SySops don't care for it either (but then I'm paranoid too). Live and learn. The Visual Editor is, in itself, very simple to operate but there is a long list of commands that accompany it. For this article I am simply going to list them for your convenience. It will give you a list to print out and have handy when you go into the editor. If you want to find these on-line, simply type H while inside the visual editor. Here goes. << ProDoor Visual Editor >> << Q u i c k H e l p >> ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍ< Cursor Movement >ÍÍÍÍÍÍÑÍÍÍ< Delete >ÍÍÍÍÑÍÍÍÍÍ< Miscellaneous >ÍÍÍÍ͸ ³ ^S Char left ^D Char right ³ ^G Character ³ ^B Reformat paragraph ³ ³ ^A Word left ^F Word right ³ DEL Char left ³ ^N Insert a RETURN ³ ³ ^E Line up ^X Line down ³ ^T Word right ³ ^O Original msg display ³ ³ ^I Tab cursor ^P Line end ³ ^Y Line ³ ^Q Quote original msg ³ ÆÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ< Scrolling >ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͵ ³ ^V Overtype/Insert mode ³ ³ ^C Screen up ^R Screen down ³ ^J Join lines ³ ESC Exit to command mode ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ The ProDoor Visual Editor provides full-screen visual editing for online message entry. Visual editing requires ANSI terminal emulation. Visual editing commands are WordStar-like control characters. If your terminal program provides ANSI keyboard emulation you will also be able to use the indicated function keys. << Cursor Motion >> Ctrl-S Move left 1 character (Left arrow key) Ctrl-D Move right 1 character (Right arrow key) Ctrl-E Move up 1 line (Up arrow key) Ctrl-X Move down 1 line (Down arrow key) Ctrl-A Move left 1 word (Ctrl-Left arrow key) Ctrl-F Move right 1 word (Ctrl-Right arrow key) Ctrl-I Tab cursor to next tabstop (Tab key) Ctrl-P Move cursor to line end (End key) Ctrl-W Move cursor to line start (Home key) << Scrolling >> Ctrl-R Move up a page (PgUp key) Ctrl-C Move down a page (PgDn key) << Delete >> Ctrl-G Delete (gobble) character under cursor Ctrl-H Delete character to the left of the cursor (Backspace) Ctrl-T Delete the word following the cursor Ctrl-Y Delete the current line Ctrl-J Join current line with next line << Miscellaneous >> Ctrl-B Reformat paragraph. A paragraph ends with the first line that is blank or that has leading spaces. Ctrl-L Clear screen and redisplay. This also scrolls the screen so the cursor line is in the middle of the display. Ctrl-N Insert a RETURN. Splits line at the cursor. Ctrl-O Review the text of the Original message you were reading or replying. You may also quote selected lines from the original message. Ctrl-Q Allows quoting from original message. Same as Ctrl-O but does not display the original message again. Ctrl-V Toggle insert/overtype mode. (Ins key) Ctrl-U Quit visual mode and return to the Message Entry Command prompt. ESC Exit visual mode and return to the Message Entry Command prompt. [Additional notes and tips on next page] Insert Mode versus Overtype Mode -------------------------------- In insert mode, all characters typed are INSERTED before the cursor. The ENTER key splits the line and BACKSPACE can re-join lines. In overtype mode, characters "type over" what was on the screen before. Overtype mode also disables the automatic line SPLIT / JOIN available in insert mode. Use ^N(split) and ^J(join) to manually split and join lines while in overtype mode. Keyboard emulation ------------------ The easiest way to control the cursor in Visual Edit mode is to use your cursor keys. Most popular terminal programs provide some sort of keyboard emulation. Unfortunately, this emulation is either incomplete or requires you to go through an involved configuration process. ProDoor also supports the "Doorway" keyboard mode of Qmodem. The WordStar* command set was chosen as a control-character command set because it can function on virtually any keyboard and with any terminal emulation mode. It also has the advantage of letting you keep your fingers on the "home" keys while moving the cursor around. Function Keyboard Codes Recognized Doorway Codes -------- ------------------------- ------------- Cursor up . . . . . . . . . . . ^E or A H Cursor down . . . . . . . . . . ^X or B P Cursor right. . . . . . . . . . ^D or C M Cursor left . . . . . . . . . . ^S or D K Word right. . . . . . . . . . . ^F t Word left . . . . . . . . . . . ^A s Beginning of line . . . . . . . ^W or H G End of line . . . . . . . . . . ^P or K O or R Page up . . . . . . . . . . . . ^R or r I Page down. . . . . . . . . . . ^C or q Q Insert mode toggle . . . . . . ^V or n R In this table, the symbol means any one of these character code sequences: chr(27) chr(27) [ chr(27) [ O The symbol means chr(0) or an ASCII NUL. These codes correspond directly to the IBM extended scan codes produced by the corresponding keyboard keys. These codes are used if your terminal program supports "Doorway" mode. This provides support for a wide variety of keyboard emulations. This long list of commands may intimidate you at first. Don't let it bother you. If your machine has ANSI support, using the Visual Editor will be simple. Now let's look at the option offered while entering a message. Once you have started a message, To: MARK MAISEL From: RICKY MORGAN Read: NO City: BIRMINGHAM, AL Last On: 01-19-90 (01:29) Subj: ARTICLE? Mark, Why I outta... While entering text you can press at any time and get a command prompt that looks something like this: A)bort, C)ont, D)el, E)dit, I)ns, L)ist, O)rig, Q)uote, S)ave, V)isual Message Entry Command? A)bort, quit the message. The message will not be saved. C)ont, takes you back to text entry. D)el, A line of text by it's number. E)dit, A line of text. Here you will be asked for the line number. It will then be displayed and you will be prompted with, Enter: (Old;New), (Enter)='No change' You should enter the original string then ; then the new string. This function is really not necessary since in the full screen mode you can move the cursor to where ever you want it and edit from that point. I)ns, Inset a line of text. Again you can do this just as easy with- out leaving the full screen editor. O)rig, will list the message you are replying to (if it is a reply) and then ask if you want to quote from this message. Q)uote, also allows for viewing of the original message and will copy lines of text you pick, from the original message into your message. This helps in keeping the thread of the message alive, as well as gives you the ability to pin point the part of the message you are replying to. S)ave, saves your message and take you back to the command prompt. V)isual, refreshes the screen and put you back in the text entry area. That is pretty much it. I do want to add that you can Zip your mail (Zipm) and ProDoor will flag it for downloading. You can then download it, Unzip it, read it and write replies off-line. All you need is a current version of PKZIP and a text editor (word processor) that will save text in ASCII format (right margins set for 72 characters). Then next time you are on-line you can upload your replies to these messages. Simply enter the visual editor, then initiate an ASCII upload of the file name for your reply. The screen will be filled with a tremendous amount of garbage as ProDoor receives your text. Once the upload is complete, simply press escape, V) for visual and all the garbage will be replaced with your reply. This method saves time and allows for more composed replies. Try it sometime. I will end it here for this month as this thing has gotten rather long. I will attempt to wind it all up next month with all the other items I haven't covered or only touched on briefly. If anyone has any questions or a subject you would like to see more on I can be reached easiest on The Crunchy Frog, Channel 8250 or EZNET. If it will make you feel better, I am not a professed 'expert' on ProDoor. I have been learning as I go along. So don't be intimidated about trying things. What? It's obvious I don't know what I'm talking about? Why I outta.... ProDoor 3.1 Copyright (C) 1987,1989 Samuel H. Smith. PCBoard is a registered trademark of Clark Development Company. WordStar is a registered trademark of MicroPro International Corp. PKzip is Copyright 1989 by PKWARE Inc. --- * Via ProDoor 3.1R ----------------------------------------------------------------------- What is a BTN party like? by Bill Freeman That's an interesting question. It's like most any other party. I know what you're thinking - a bunch of computer nerds on one side of the room, and the techno-geeks on the other. Well, that is a fair assessment, but it doesn't contemplate hunch punch and phallic symbols, pseudo-priests or major havoc, or any of the antics that occur at these special happenings. I mean, after you hear that Friar Tuck woke up in the front yard and Maisel woke up three days later with a frog that he thought was his wife (and may have been at one time), I guess you're pretty bummed out over missing this party, right? I usually get there late. I usually don't know when they start, and if I did, I'd be late as a matter of habit. It doesn't matter if you're late, because Roland can mix a little diddy that'll catch you up to warp speed in just a few sips. In fact, from my inside information, I've heard threats have been made against Roland because he turbo-charged the punch last time. They said that 90 proof would have been OK, but 190 was a bit stiff... but that's another article on the intricacies of proper punch procedure. So, who was that four foot masked frog? I dunno, but she giggles at everything. It's amazing. "How's the weather?", and she giggles. "What are you drinking there?", and she giggles. You move your lips like you're speaking, but you really aren't, and she giggles. You laugh too, and go watch Jet dance. I was hoping Jet would play one of his games with us. We played one at the picnic and it was a riot. Grown people, trying to tell each other things by using only body language, can be funny when forced into compromising situations. The question invariably is asked: So, did Bill hug Mark again? The answer is usually yes. I think Mark likes it. Gives me the sentiment of two old soldiers, reunited after the war or something. Neither one could help it that the nerve gas got used on the other. The whole scenario may change if his silly string works next time. Forgive me, Father Rocky, for I have come short of the grace of COBOL... Satan was there too. He showed me his keyboard. Several big keys on it. The biggest one said "DELETE USER". I appreciated this very much. It takes a true sado-freak to run a bulletin board. If it gets boring, you can sit down and tell them about your adventure with the exploding phone booth at the dog races, how the jeep got turned into a big Roman candle, and how the dead dog ate your transmission: all within 24 hours. Did I leave out the part about driving to Panama City in gear, without a clutch, and never stopping? Everything was just fine until the elastic broke and my nose fell off. Have you ever noticed the snails in your yard always sing out of tune songs on your window sill after BTN parties? I have. So, next time you are invited to a BTN party, don't discount what a bunch of computer nerds can do on their own. You might find that you make a friend or two, and maybe wake up with a few of them... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ProFile by Chris Mohney The Pro File is a short, half-serious biographical sketch given to various computer telecommunications personalities around Birmingham. Victims are selected randomly from a group of names put into the notorious Hat. Anyone who thinks himself brave or witty enough may petition for admittance to the Hat by leaving E-Mail to me (Chris Mohney, most boards around town) to that effect. Anyone who wishes to suggest more questions or sneakily nominate someone without their knowledge may take the same route .... --------- Pro File on KARSTEN PROPPER --------- Age: 14 Birthplace: Birmingham, AL Occupation: student at Gresham Jr. High Years Telecomputing: 1 year My oddest habit is: Volleying a ping pong ball when it is clearly going to go out. My greatest unfulfilled ambition is: to find the one Pink Floyd album of my dreams The single accomplishment of which I am most proud is: Never liking New Kids on the Block. My favorite performers are: Pink Floyd, Scorpions, Aerosmith, Negative Land, Living Color, Traveling Wilburys, Billy Joel, Led Zeppelin, and Loretta Lynn. The last good movie I saw was: Glory The last good book I read was: Weasel's Luck If they were making a movie of my life, I'd like to see my part played by: J-J-J-J-Jimmy Stewart My pet peeves are: psychopaths, Charles Manson followers, rock bands that think they are good but really aren't, and teachers from the 9th plane of hell. When nobody's looking, I like to: eat printer ribbon and squeak my ear. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Insights by Ron Albright With the whole computer world using the term "desktop publishing" as one of it's catch-phrases for the 1990's, I'd like to propose a new one: "disktop publishing." Let's start with a definition. "Disktop Publishing" is the production of books, articles, and other written materials in a format readable directly from disk. The reader format may take any form from rudimentary ASCII files that can be read from DOS to more complex "hypertext" documents that require special reader software. No printed materials are used but may be produced from the application if desired. I want to center this discussion on the latter variety and offer a specific example. When I self-published my third computer book, "The Communicating Computer," in 1988, I was fortunate enough to sell out of the 1500 copy run in short order. Feeling that all my market had been reached and not wanting to spend another $2000 or so for a second run, I let the project drop. Recently, I ran across a software product that has enable me to revive the publication with little expense. Dubbed "Black Magic" (NTERGAID, Inc., 2490 Black Rock Turnpike, Suite 337, Fairfield, CT 06430; 203-368-2174; $99.95), the project allows for some sophisticated hypertext production of materials and its public-domain reader program allows widespread distribution with no royalties or expenses (other than disks and mailers). As a result. I am releasing "The Communicating Computer[EE]" ("Electronic Edition") as a new "publication." Hypertext, most famous as implemented on the Mac line of computers with Hypercard, has been available for the PC in several formats. The well-known "Guide" software system is useful but expensive. With Black Magic, price is a minor hindrance to anyone who wants to electronically publish in hypertext for the PC. Hypertext is a hard concept to explain. It's basic premise is that traditional reading materials - books, articles, etc. - are contrary to the way people really think. We have to read these publications in a linear fashion while we think in non-linear form. Linear reading means we start at the beginning and finish at the end. Non-linear means we start anywhere we wish, jump around, make connections, and end up wherever our minds finishes. Hypertext allow just that. Using "links," you can read a section of material, click on it with a mouse or keyboard, and see more material connected to it. We can follow chains of thought in published materials just as we make logical connection when we think. All free-form - all self-directed. Black Magic allows just such composition of documents. I have take the text of "The Communicating Computer" and added links to related materials here and there and, now, the reader can click, bob and move, and read wherever he wants more information or wants to follow a line of thought. Hypertext is more like human thinking and makes reading a more natural process. I think this sort of "disktop publishing" is destined to be the wave of the future. I foresee a day when electronic publishing will become more common than printed materials. With it, anyone with thoughts to share can be their own publishing house. Advantages are: - cost savings (disk copying costs less than a run of books) - no waste (you can produce disks as they are needed and not be stuck with unsold books destined for the pulp factory) - the ability to produce materials fast (a book takes 6-12 months to produce; writing the materials is the least time-consuming aspect) - a corollary to fast output is fast revision - you can update and correct materials without having to rewrite and republish the entire tome - and, of course, the ability to use varied formats - hypertext being only one - as the medium. Graphics can be added electronically and displayed on screen. Sound can be linked; even speech can be incorporated. The only real limitation is the argument is that you cannot "curl up by the fire with a computer monitor." With the advent of notebook computers, even that falls to the wayside. I can see a day when books will be on disk. Everyone will be a publisher. Whole books and even series of books will be available for downloading from electronic publishing houses. You will be billed for downloading. The authors will get royalties based on electronic sales. You will get updates quickly and easily. Bookshelves will be replaced by disk cabinets. I am excited and I think, sincerely, you will come across more and more of this type of publishing in the near future. "Magazines On Disk" are just a start. They are currently crude, but cute. As hypertext and more sophisticated methods of presenting materials are developed, we will see more and more electronic publishing. Anyone with a computer will be an author - if they chose to be. By the way, if you want a copy of "The Communicating Computer[EE]," look around on your local BBS. It's shareware, $10. If you send me a disk and a mailer with postage, it can be yours for $7.50. Drop me a line and let me know what you think - about these comments or the book. And keep turning those electronic pages! Ron Albright CompuServe 75166,2473 1160 Huffman Road GEnie R.ALBRIGHT Birmingham, AL 35215 MCI Mail RALBRIGHT ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Book Review by Gene Ebert BOOK: Odyssey, Pepsi to Apple... A journey of adventure, ideas, and the future BY: John Sculley with John A. Byrne John Sculley was the president of the Pepsi-Cola division of Pepsico, Inc. when, in 1983, he was invited by Steve Jobs of Apple Computers to become that company's president. Sculley took over at Apple, presiding over the still-small company along with Jobs. In fact, the two were often referred to as the "Dynamic Duo" because of their close personal and professional relationship; Sculley once said "Apple has one leader: Steve and me." Sculley was at Apple during the development and eventual release of the Macintosh computer (over which Jobs presided), as well as the phase-out of the Lisa, and the switch in concentration at Apple from being a company aimed at the home/educational market to one aimed at the business/educational market. In 1985, after a disastrous first quarter (the Macintosh didn't sell as many units as the company had planned, the inventory of parts and supplies was overextended, and the announced "Macintosh Office" had failed to materialize) Sculley and Apple's board of directors decided to remove Jobs from his position as the head of the Macintosh development team. Earlier that year the co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak, had left due to his perception that the Mac was unjustly receiving more attention than the Apple II, which had practically, according to Sculley, carried the company through the holes left by the problems with the Mac. Sculley's and the board's perception was that Jobs was unprepared and ill-suited to run such a large division of a major company (by that time, the Mac team had swelled to "hundreds of employees"), and that his youth and inexperience were contributing to the problems with the company. After his ouster as head of the development team, although he remained as Chairman of Apple, Jobs felt that his removal as head of the division necessitated his departure from the company. When he left (despite claiming that the people he was taking with him were "low-level" employees) Jobs was accompanied by "one of the company's most important engineering designers,...the marketing manager for [the] higher education business,...[the] manager of software engineering for the Mac,... the senior controller for U.S. sales and marketing, ...[and] an engineering manager with vast Macintosh experience." With the departure of these important people, many inside Apple wondered how the company could go on. After the removal of Jobs, the company was faced with what some of its employees saw as a future without the vision and genuine inspiration with which Apple was started. Not only that, but the company was in deep trouble financially: profits had dropped from $46.1 million in the last quarter of 1984 to a loss of over $17.2 million in the first quarter of 1985, inventory was swollen with parts and computers which they were unable to sell, and facilities were overextended. Sculley decided that the time had come to put Apple through a complete reorganization - he closed two of their six manufacturing facilities, released many employees (1,200 out of 5,800), and redistributed the managers responsible for different divisions. Eventually, despite the worries of the employees and the board, Sculley was able to "turn the company around" and make it a viable player in the computer industry. Although some of the book (specifically, the first three chapters) is devoted to Sculley's time at Pepsico, most of it is concerned with his presidency at Apple. He describes his "culture shock" when he moved from the rigid, hierarchical structure at Pepsico (which he describes as a "second-wave" corporation) in Purchase, New York, to the open, unstructured company that Apple (a "third-wave" corporation) was in 1983, in Silicon Valley, California. He tells how he came to admire and believe in the principles inherent in the company's design, and some of the most interesting reading here is his comparison of corporations such as Pepsico and those such as Apple. Sculley believes (not surprisingly) that the future belongs to companies designed along the lines of Apple, and that "second-wave" corporations like Pepsico can no longer compete effectively in the world marketplace. The format Sculley chose for his book is also worth mention. "Odyssey" follows the normal structure of division into chapters, but at the end of each chapter is a unit of what Sculley calls the "tutorial", short explanations and expansions of the central idea in each chapter. These small units have names like "Living Out the Genetic Code" and "Laying Claim to `Share of Mind'". At the end of the book Sculley sets forth his vision of the future not only of American business but also of computer technology. He foresees a "Navigator" device which will utilize AI (artificial intelligence) and intuitive communications (the operator uses no keyboard, but speaks to the device) to learn the operator's preferences for the presentation of information and to guide him to the knowledge he seeks. Overall, "Odyssey" is quite entertaining, instructive, and thought-provoking. The insider's view of Apple Computers and Pepsico shows how a "second-wave" manager can be transformed into a "third-wave" one, and in the process rediscover that business can be fun! Not only is it an important book for anyone who wants to see how companies like Apple operate, but also for the reader who wants to see the future of American business. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- MESSAGE BOARD by Barry Bowden February 1990 Club Events/Meetings -------------------- -------------------- S M T W T F S 3 FAOUG 14 Valentins 1 2 3 4 BIPUG 19 CCS (Amiga) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 BAC Washington's B-Day 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 11 BCCC 20 CADUB 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 12 BACE 25 BCCC 25 26 27 28 13 CCS (C64) 27 CCS (C64) Lincoln's 28 Ash Wed B-Day BEPCUG CCS Birmingham East PC Users Group Commodore Club South Jefferson Sate Jr. College Springville Road Library Ruby Carson Hall, Rm 114 2nd & 4th Tuesday (C64/C128) 3rd Friday, 7-9 PM 3rd Monday (Amiga) Paula Ballard 251-6058 (after 5PM) 7:30-10 PM Maurice Lovelady 684-6843 BCCC BIPUG Birmingham Commodore Computer Club Birmingham IBM-PC Users Group POB 59564 UAB Nutrition Science Blg Birmingham, Al 35259 RM 535/541 UAB School of Education, Rm 153 1st Sunday (delayed one week 2nd and 4th Sundays, 2 PM if meeting is a holiday) Rusty Hargett 854-5172 Marty Schulman 967-5883 BACE FAOUG Birmingham Atari Computer First Alabama Osborne Users Enthusiast Group Vestavia Library, downstairs Homewood Library 2nd Monday, 7 PM 1st Saturday, 1PM Benny Brown 822-5059 Ed Purquez 669-5200 CADUB BAC CAD Users of Birmingham Birmingham Apple Corps Homewood Library Graphic Zone 3rd Tuesday, 6:30PM-8:30PM 10 Office Park Bobby Benson 791-0426 Mountain Brook 2nd Saturday, 10:30 AM Informal get together every Saturday, Kopper Kettle, Brookwood Village at 9 AM J. Jenkins 823-1968 If you belong to or know of a user group that is not listed, please let me know by sending E-Mail to me on The Matrix. Please leave the group name and a contact person/phone number. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Known BBS Numbers For The Birmingham Area NAME NUMBER BAUD RATES SUPPORTED MODEM TYPE *American BBS 674-1851 300, 1200, 2400 *Bus System BBS 595-1627 300, 1200, 2400 *Byte Me 979-2983 1200, 2400 Cat House 854-5907 300, 1200, 2400 *Channel 8250 744-8546 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST, V.32 *Crunchy Frog 956-1755 300, 1200, 2400 D3 Systems BBS 663-2759 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST, V.32 +Duck Pond BBS 822-0956 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST, V.32 Eazy's Playhouse 870-0434 300, 1200, 2400 Elite Fleet 853-1257 300, 1200, 2400 +I.S.A. BBS 995-6590 300, 1200, 2400 *Joker's Castle 744-6120 300, 1200, 2400 *Little Kingdom 823-9175 300, 1200, 2400 LZ Birmingham 870-7770 300, 1200, 2400 *Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST Role Player's Paradise 631-7654 300, 1200, 2400 Shadetree BBS 787-6723 300, 1200, 2400 Sperry BBS 853-6144 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 Hayes *ST BBS 836-9311 300, 1200, 2400 Teletech BBS 674-0852 300, 1200, 2400 The Commodore Zone 856-3783 300, 1200, 2400 The Connection Node 1 854-9074 1200, 2400 The Connection Node 2 854-2308 1200, 2400 The Islands BBS 870-7776 300, 1200, 2400 The Matrix Nodes 1-4 323-2016 300, 1200, 2400 The Matrix Node 5 251-2344 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST *The Professional's Board 856-0679 300, 1200, 2400 Willie's DYM Node 1 979-1629 300, 1200, 2400 Willie's DYM Node 2 979-7739 300, 1200, 2400 Willie's RBBS 979-7743 300, 1200, 2400 Ziggy Unaxess 991-5696 300, 1200 Boards with a "*" before their name are members of our local network, EzNet, and public messages left in the EzNet Conferences of any of these boards will be echoed to all members. Boards with a "+" before their name are members of FidoNet, an international network that provides a variety of public forums as well as private mail services all over the world. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- EzNet Multiple Echo List EzNet now supports multiple conference echoing but there are a few things you should be aware of regarding private mail. A. You have one 'address' for private mail. If you are registered for private mail on Channel 8250 and someone sends you a private message in the Writers conference from Crunchy Frog it will wind up in the Writers conference on Channel 8250 as it should. However, if you were registered for private mail on Magnolia and someone sends you a private message in a conference that Magnolia does not support (echo) then the message will wind up in the twilight zone. B. If you go by a handle on one BBS and your real name on another even if the private message goes where it is supposed to, you will not be able to read it because it is addressed to someone else as far as PC Board is concerned. PC Board has no way of knowing that Red Foxx and John Doe are the same person. No tickee, no washee. Advice on sending private mail: If you don't know if the person you are sending private mail to is registered for private mail then keep a copy of the message in case you have to find an alternate route. EzNet Central will delete your private, undelivered message and inform you that the user you attempted to reach is not registered for private mail on any EzNet Node. This is a list of the current echoes that I am aware of. More are in the making and will be posted in future issues. If you are a sysop and are running an echo not listed for your board, please make us aware of it so we may correct it next issue. Eznet Program IBM Adult Scitech BTNWA American BBS ........ * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .. Bus System BBS ...... * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... * ..... * .. Byte Me ............. * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... .. Channel 8250 ........ * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... * ..... .. Crunchy Frog ........ * ..... ..... * ..... * ..... ..... * .. Joker's Castle ...... * ..... ..... ..... * ..... ..... .. Little Kingdom ...... * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... .. Magnolia BBS ........ * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .. Professional's Board * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .. ST BBS .............. * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..