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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
JUN RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+---------------------------------+
| EDITORS FILE |
| |
+---------------------------------+
by John Dodson, Node id ->CANTINA.
Welcome to the June issue of RIME Times! It continues to amaze me that
another month passes and we are still receiving outstanding contributions
for our little newsletter! I think I am getting used to the panic that
strikes about the 10th of each month. This is when the "official" article
submission deadline is well past and we have received very few submissions.
Somehow the users and sysops of RelayNet keep coming through, albeit a
little late. As someone once said, "Punctuality is the virtue of the
bored". It is comforting to know that the members of RelayNet are not
bored and that you somehow find the time to submit some great articles!
We have changed the format to single column. I believe this will give us
greater flexibility in accomodating the great variety in style and layout.
The newsletter is now easier to read on-line or viewed with a file viewer,
which should please you "save the tree" folks out there! <grin>
RelayNet continues to experience steady growth. Last count was 460 nodes!
Of course along with the growth come growing pains. Howard B. shows
frustration at the disregard for the 10 line limit in COMMON. Trouble in
the DEBATE conference spills over to other conferences and results in a
user being ousted from the network. Some cry censorship while some cry out
for a "get tougher" policy. Some have suggested a software solution
(natural enough!) as a way to gain better control of the message bases. As
the network continues to grow, how do we insure orderly growth and what
course of action will we follow?
On the more pleasant side of growth, nodes from Japan, England and our
first node from Hawaii was greeted with warm aloha's. It seems nodes from
the UK are joining up left and right with BBS names like Crispy and Biddles
.... names _only_ the English can come up with! I think it may be time for
me to download the node-list file (RIME.ZIP) again and find out who all
these folks are!
If you like a column, please be sure to route a nice message to the author.
If you don;t like a column, submit one of your own!
See you on the next relay!
Page 2
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+---------------------------------+
| ONE SYSOPS MUSINGS |
| |
+---------------------------------+
by Lana Fox, Node id ->MODEMZN
Sometimes when I'm reading the messages captured in the Boosters conference
on The ToolShop BBS, I start thinking (I know, I know ... that's dangerous
for me). Dangerous or no, I DO start thinking and what I think rambles
along the following lines:
I sense personalities in the messages I read. The awful thing about THAT
is I've noticed a definite personality change in the person or persons who
write the messages with Samuel Smith in the FROM: field and signed as ;;
Sam.
I hold that this personality change occurred sometime after the sudden
'disappearance' of Sam from the message bases in October of 1989. Prior to
the disappearance, Sam answered EVERY message addressed to Samuel Smith in
the Booster's conference EVERY day and still managed to write excellent
code every day as well as hold down a full time job. This Sam also knew
exactly where a problem was likely to be stemming from, most of the time,
when sysops had some difficulty with a new beta version. This Sam never
lost his cool and NEVER "yelled" in his replies. He didn't make typos or
spelling errors, either.
After the disappearance, upon resuming communications with us, the NEW Sam
surfaced. This new Sam never caught up on his mail and no longer answers
each and every message addressed to him. Why not just start fresh? I've
seen this new Sam trip over a new feature in ProDoor and ProSM as the
obvious culprit in a sysop's dilemma. The old Sam would have known
immediately! The new Sam has been seen to yell (all caps and exclamation
marks) in replies to some sysops. The new Sam makes typos and misspells
words on occasion. The personality that shows through the typed words
changes, as though it were not just one person replying to the messages.
In short the new Sam says and does things the old Sam would NEVER have said
or done!
Now, sometimes I go so far as to get ANGRY at the hoax being perpetrated
upon us (this could, of course, be due solely to the phase of the moon or
even PMS!). When I do get angry, (imagine if you will a cartoon bubble
depicting thoughts) I think, "Just how STUPID does this person or team of
persons think we sysops ARE, anyway?". I mean, if this is really a team of
people (and that would make perfect sense), then why not admit it? If the
original "Sam" was replaced, again, why not admit it?
Perhaps it IS only one person and this person has undergone a personality
change. There are lots of reasons for personality changes, not the least
of which is dealing with so many demanding people. Or it might be health
problems, medication, a nervous breakdown or the simple truth of being
tired of the whole mess!
Page 3
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Take your pick. I'm sure we can all imagine worse things than the probable
truth of the matter. One sysop I know thinks Sam is short for Samantha and
hence the mood swings. I, for one, just wish I knew so I wouldn't have
these angry thoughts that someone is pulling a spoof on me. Hey Sam! I
sure would like to communicate "voice" with you just once! Do you think
that might be arranged?
+---------------------------------+
| A DB2 PUZZLE |
| |
+---------------------------------+
by Ed Lazarowitz, Node id ->CAPCON
I know we must have a few IBM mainframers out there in RelayNet land. So
for those of you who (think they) know a little about DB2, I'd like to
propose the following SQL problem. To give you all plenty of time to think
about it, I'll present the solution in the next issue of the Rime Times
Newsletter.
You're the owner of the company whose employees are listed in the table
Q.STAFF. Unfortunately, the id numbers assigned to each employee no longer
bear any resemblance to anything logical. You therefore wish to design an
SQL query that will generate a result table that includes a single entry
for each of your employees, containing all of the information in Q.STAFF,
as well as an SQL-generated number, unique to each row in the result table.
This number will be used as a new id number. To allow plenty of room for
future insertions or deletions, the number should be the employee's current
DEPT multiplied by 100, plus a sequence number unique within his
department. A portion of the result table will look like this:
New Id Field
|
COL1 DEPT NAME JOB YEARS SALARY COMM
----------- ------ --------- ----- ------ ---------- ----------
1010 10 DANIELS MGR 5 19260.25 -
1020 10 JONES MGR 12 21234.00 -
1030 10 LU MGR 10 20010.00 -
1040 10 MOLINARE MGR 7 22959.20 -
1510 15 HANES MGR 10 20659.80 -
1520 15 KERMISCH CLERK 4 12258.50 110.10
1530 15 NGAN CLERK 5 12508.20 206.60
: : : : : : :
: : : : : : :
: : : : : : :
: : : : : : :
8410 84 DAVIS SALES 5 15454.50 806.10
8420 84 EDWARDS SALES 7 17844.00 1285.00
Page 4
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JUN RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
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8430 84 GAFNEY CLERK 5 13030.50 188.00
8440 84 QUILL MGR 10 19818.00 -
If you currently work at a site that has DB2 and QMF installed, you should
find the table (Q.STAFF) used in this problem in your sub-system DB2
catalog. It is included with the install tape.
Have fun, remember to think relationally, and see you in the next
issue.
+---------------------------------+
| CONFERENCE NEWS |
| |
+---------------------------------+
by Skip Ross, Node id ->ACC
NAME: PCRELAY SUPPORT
NUMBER: 202
DESCRIPTION: A conference dedicated to the support of PCRelay
software, and is available to all networks running
PCRelay software.
HOST: Bonnie Anthony Node ID ->RUNNINGA
ACTIVITY: Moderate
NAME: TLX-Host
NUMBER: 203
DESCRIPTION: When Dan Horn created his Telix Script "HOST3" over
a year ago, he also created a new very simple
method for ordinary folks to start up a very
capable BBS in minutes - literally! This conference
supports all versions of Dan's Host program, which
now includes a file database, a very small message
base, a full-screen visual editor, full SysOp
utilities, etc, but can be set-up and functional in
minutes.
HOST: Dan Horn Node ID ->DBORED
ACTIVITY: New
NAME: WAR-ZONE!!!
NUMBER: 204
DESCRIPTION: A place to vent your anger, carry on heated flaming
debates, and generally let-your-hair-down! Rules
are simple and few.
HOSTS: STEERING COMMITTEE
ACTIVITY: NEW
Announcing RIME/RelayNet's newest conferences. Please note that
the conference #205 is a limited-run conference, and will be
replaced after testing is done with the PALRUN software.
NAME: Computer Assembly
Page 5
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JUN RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
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NUMBER: 199
DESCRIPTION: Discussions centering around the construction of
computers. Included will be specific hardware
tips. This conference is for the serious amateur
computer builder and will offer extensive help from
peers.
HOST: Mark Balch Node ID ->HELIX
ACTIVITY: NEW
NAME: PALRUN SOFTWARE
NUMBER: 205
DESCRIPTION: This conference is for the Beta Testers of PALRUN
software. This is a limited-run conference.
HOST: Robert Tolz Author Node ID ->PAL
ACTIVITY: NEW
+---------------------------------+
| THE FUTURE OF RIME |
| |
+---------------------------------+
by Jeff Woods, Node id ->MUSICAL
or
10 Psychic Predictions from the National Inquisitor Staff
1. Howard Belasco will have a religious conversion to Moslem, changing
his name to Hamid Belasco, and will express joy and peace in every
message. We will never see the words "END THIS THREAD NOW" in his
messages, and he will remove his caps lock key and exclamation point
from his keyboard.
2. Someone will upload a voice emulation to RUNNINGA that will tell
Bonnie Anthony to quit her job and follow a tribe of pygmies across
the African wilderness. She will listen, and take the nethub with
her. All calls to the nethub will be over cellular phones.
3. Kip Compton will get married in the next year, most likely to a
user on the network (the names Debby Kryger and Becky Pickel have
been tossed about). Release software will not have come out by
then, and Kip will turn over all programming to Mark Herring, who
will rename the software "QRelay" and re-write it in BASIC.
4. Matt Giwer will experience a complete turnaround, gaining such
confidence of the SC that he will become the eighth member of the
SC (to replace Hamid's missing exclamation points). To keep the
SC in balance at an odd number, the ninth member will also be
chosen, and it will be Paul Waldinger. He will decline the
position, and it will be given to Rick Fry, who will increase his
message postings threefold, if that is possible.
5. Skip Ross will present to the SC the idea that we have way too many
conferences. It will be suggested that ONE large conference with
Page 6
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JUN RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
all topics at once might work better. This idea will be rejected
in favor of keeping only 3 conferences: COMMON, UNCOMMON, and the
UNIQUE conferences.
6. Patrick Lee and David Greenberger will become roommates with the
"other" Patrick Lee and with David Greenberg, who just joined the
net. They will set up a BBS, and all have the same password. No
one will be able to tell who is who when they leave a message, as
all of their messages will be left under the name "David Lee".
7. William Parfitt will take over US NETHUB responsibilities when
Bonnie goes to Africa, and will become very annoyed when Bonnie's
calls step on his time slot. He will lock her out, but new SC
member Matt Giwer will intervene, diverting the battle, and getting
Bonnie and Bill arguing about flag burning and abortion instead.
Bill will allow users to see the log on the Nethub, but other users
revolt when they find HE is the one who has been stomping. Bill's
system will be offered in sacrifice to Allah by Hamid.
8. Jim Spinelli and JThomas Howell will go on vacation together.
After much discussion, they decide to cruise Lake Michigan on a
fan-driven sailboat. They never return, as once on the lake, the
debate is finally settled in that the fan will NOT drive the boat.
9. Jeff Woods will be shot by an angry emigre' from Montreal at a
cafe in Toronto. The event stems from Jeff being brought the
wrong soda with his meal, not knowing the derogatory slang for the
French Canadians. He makes his mistake by shouting angrily at the
French Canadian waiter, "I said 2 Cokes, you fool! I hate Pepsis!"
10. AT&T will announce the abolition of long distance charges on January
1st, 2000 (predicted by Arthur C. Clarke in 2061: Odyssey 3).
Users of the network will wait for this momentous event, and mail
will accumulate on nodes for nine years. At midnight on that date
all nodes will dial in, so overloading the nethub and the phone
lines (there will be 23,158 nodes by then) that Scott Anthony and
his wife (who will then be in charge of the nethub after that one
unfortunate incident in 1997 that got Bonnie kicked off the network)
will come home and find that their 531 gigabyte hard drive FULL,
and users screaming about the runaway thread from 1991 that won't
die. RIME continues to grow, but some things never change......
+---------------------------------+
| SHORT AND SWEET |
| |
+---------------------------------+
By Lucien R Greif, Node id ->PAL
When I was young and unbridled, I worked for a public relations firm as a
technical writer. My job: prepare articles for business publications on a
wide variety of industrial topics.
Page 7
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JUN RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
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One day, my boss sent back a manuscript to me, to which he had appended
these three "rules for good writing," with the suggestion that I study
them:
1> Can I say it with FEWER words.
2> Can I say it with SHORTER words.
3> Do I have to say it AT ALL?
Stung by his audacity in questioning my Shakespearean prose, I fired back,
"No I don't have to say it at all. But will you continue to pay me?"
Lucky for me, the man was not only wise - in retrospect - but he also had a
sense of humor. We ended up good friends.
Why this long litany about something that is of no interest to anyone?
Well, because it occurs to me that my boss' guiding philosophy could - and
should - apply to all of us who use the RIME network. I've read that one of
the Sysops sends about $100 per month to the telephone company, just so
that you and I can converse with each other. At NO cost to us. Needless to
say, I am firmly convinced that we must do all we can to hold his expenses
down to a quiet roar and to minimize the aggravation we cause. Toward this
end, I have composed a set of rules - for ME(!) - that I will make every
effort to live by.
1> I will compose the shortest message I can in response to another.
2> I will reread it, to make it even shorter.
3> I will make SURE the message contributes something; if not, I'll
kill it.
4> I will check it for spelling and grammatical usage. And make it
shorter.
5> I will hold messages in COMMON to 10 lines, MAXIMUM.
6> I will route message and "R/O" them whenever possible, to cut
costs.
7> I will not GUESS; I will provide only correct technical
information.
8> I will be only positive in my thinking, not hurtful or snide.
9> I will try to help the other person, not cut him down or show off.
10>I will not argue pointlessly to prove that I'm right; it does not
matter.
11>I will not assume the other person is a dunce; I have not lived his
life.
12>I will not use profanity and I will write only when my anger has
subsided.
13>I will at all times speak quietly, graciously, never in a mean
spirit.
My wife has promised to needle-point this bakers' dozen, suitable for
framing. I will hang it over my computer, to refresh my memory when I
forget.
Page 8
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+---------------------------------+
| BEGINNERS CORNER |
| |
+---------------------------------+
by Jim Daly, Node id ->TREASURE
The MAIL/MESSAGING functions of a Bulletin Board System (BBS)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: Any Functions discussed are specific to Bulletin Boards that are are
running under the PCBoard system. Other BBS Systems will have a have
similar set of commands.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the primary benefits of the nationwide BBS system is the ability to
meet new friends and business associates and to become involved in a
multitude of topical conversations. This is particularly true if you
happen to call a BBS that is a Member of one of the Worldwide message ECHO
bases (most commonly known as NETS). A future article will go into more
detail on this fascinating field of BBS messaging.
The most important consideration in BBS messaging is this:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
!!! IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE MAIL - YOU MUST LEAVE MAIL !!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.> An important consideration when becoming involved in the Message bases
of any BBS you may call is that each System you call tends to have
developed a "personality". By "personality" I mean the overall sort of
feeling you get when reading through the various Messages Bases. Serious,
frivolous, amusing, exciting, inspiring, boring, etc. This general feeling
is usually the result of how the SysOp and his various co-SysOps and SigOps
interact with the other members of the Board. You will quickly discover
whether or not you are comfortable on any particular Bulletin Board.
2.> As mentioned in a previous article, when you first logon to a BBS, you
will find yourself in the MAIN Area. Messages in this part of the system
will normally be of the General Interest type and also the most likely
place to find messages from the Sysop to ALL of the Members of the BBS.
In addition to the MAIN Message Area, most Bulletin Boards will
also have additional CONFERENCES in which you will find messages
that are specific to Special Interests. This is particularly true
on Boards that are Members of Message ECHO groups such as RelayNet
FIDO, InterLink, etc.)
3.> Following are some of the more important Messaging Commands along
with a brief description of its function:
(R)ead Mail and its various sub-commands
(Y)our - Mail addressed to you specifically
(S)ince - Mail left since your last visit
(A)ll - All Conferences
Page 9
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JUN RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
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As with other Board functions, you can Enter the single letter
commands one at a time or you can "string" them. As an example,
R;Y;S;A or R Y S A (note the spaces)
will show you (Y)our Messages (S)ince the last time you called in
(A)ll Conferences to which you have Access. On the other hand,
R;Y;S or R Y S
will allow you to (R)ead (Y)ours (S)ince in the Conference you are
now visiting. And just R S will show you EVERY Message in that Area
of the BBS (S)ince your last call because we did not delimit the
search by using the (Y)ours.
(RE)ply to a message
When you finish reading a message, you will see a line that says;
"End of Message Command:". If you now Type RE, the screen will
clear and be refreshed with a Header showing the name of the writer
of the original message in the TO:, your name in the FROM:, and the
cursor will be at the end of the SUBJECT: line (which will read
exactly the same as the original message). You may hit the <ENTER>
key to retain the SUBJECT: line as is or you may use your Backspace
key to erase what is shown and replace it with a new subject. You
will then be in the body of the message and you can then proceed with
entering your REply.
When you have finished with your REply, hit <ENTER> on a blank line
and Select S to (S)ave.
(E)nter a message
If you wish to leave a message, simply hit the E key which is BBS
shorthand for (E)nter a new message. You will be prompted for the
name of the person to whom you wish to send the message (TO:), your
name will automatically appear in the FROM:, and you will be at the
SUBJECT:. At this position, type in a brief description of what
your message concerns and hit <ENTER>.
NOTES on the TO: line:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
As mentioned above, you may address your message to a specific
person or by typing ALL, you are sending the message to everybody
who is a member of the Conference you are in at the time.
If your SysOp has enabled the "check for existence of Member" Option
you will be advised if the Recipient is not a current Member of the
BBS and you can either (A)bort the message or accept the fact that
whomever you are addressing the message to will probably never see
it!! (Same thing happens if you mis-spell the name).
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 10
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JUN RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
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You will now be asked to enter a security level for the message.
A security level prompt will appear as follows:
Security: (G)roup, (R)eceiver, (S)ender, (H)elp, (N)one
(G)roup allows assigning a password to the message so that
only other callers who know the common password will be
allowed to read the message.
(R)eceiver makes the message private to all except you - the
person leaving it - and the person to who it is addressed.
(S)ender allows you to assign a password to the message so
that only you can kill it later. This prevents the other
person to who the message is addressed from killing it.
(N)one means that the message will be open for all to read.
Note that you can NOT assign (R)eceiver protection to a message
which has been addressed to ALL.
After completing the above steps, you can enter your text. Each line
you enter will be preceded by it's line number. Up to 72 characters
per line are allowed. Typing beyond the 72 character limit will
cause your text to automatically "word-wrap" down to the next line.
It is important to remember that hitting <ENTER> when you are in the
first position of a blank line signals the System that you are now
finished writing the message and want to Post the message. So, if
you want an actual blank line for a paragraph separator, space over
to the Second position before hitting the <ENTER> key.
To complete entering text, press (Enter) alone on a blank line, at
which time the following command will be displayed:
Message Completion Subcommands
------------------------------
(A)bort, (C)ontinue, (D)elete, (E)dit, (H)elp, (I)nsert, (L)ist, (S)ave,
(SC)
(A)bort abandons or cancels your message entry.
(C)ontinue allows you to continue entering text.
(D)elete allows you to delete a line of text from the message.
(E)dit allows you to edit a line of text.
(H)elp displays this Help file.
(I)nsert allows inserting a line of text in front of another.
(L)ist relists your text entry so far to the screen.
(S)ave actually writes the message to disk.
(SC) allows saving the same message to another individual.
(SK) save your message, kill replied to message (if applicable)
(SN) save your message, skip redisplay of replied to message
Page 11
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Note: The format to (E)dit a line of text is:
old text;new text
where the "old text" is the text you wish to replace, followed
by a ";" followed by the new text. The old text search is case
sensitive - so capital letters must match exactly. If your new
text causes that line to exceed 72 characters, the characters
beyond 72 will be truncated from the line.
Next month's article will continue with the messaging function and we will
take a look at some of the more advanced functions such as how you can
Search the entire BBS for a message containing a specific word, Quoting
from another message, and posting pre-written messages using the ASCII
UPload function.
Once Again... IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE MAIL - LEAVE MAIL!!
+---------------------------------+
| 'C' TUTOR |
| |
+---------------------------------+
by Doug Maclean, Node id->RUNNINGB
Many times I find tab characters to be annoying in text viewers that
display the ASCII code for the tab and which do not convert them into
spaces. Very often, form feeds in documentation cause strange paginations
which leave two or three lines alone on a page. The following program,
strip, will convert tab characters into any number of spaces that you want
and remove pesky form feeds. This code also serves as a guide to writing
your own linked list programs and it contains a routine to insert one
string into another.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <malloc.h>
#include <string.h>
#define MAXLINE 128
#define OPTIONS "ft:v"
#define BUFSIZE 20480
extern char *optarg;
extern int optind;
int getopt(int argc,char * *argv,char *optionS);
void addlst(char *s);
void strins(char *buf,char *ptr,char *str);
void main(int argc,char **argv);
struct list
Page 12
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JUN RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
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{
char *str;
struct list *next;
} *croot = NULL, *clast = NULL;
void
main(argc,argv)
char **argv;
{
FILE *fn;
char buf[MAXLINE];
char *srcbuf;
char *ch;
char *spaces;
char opt;
int sp;
int ff=0,vt=0,verbose=0;
if((argc != 3) && (argc != 2))
{
fprintf(stderr,"usage: strip [-%s] file\n",OPTIONS);
exit(1);
}
while((opt=(char)getopt(argc,argv,OPTIONS)) != EOF)
switch(opt)
{
case 'f':
ff = 1;
break;
case 't':
vt = 1;
sp = atoi(optarg);
spaces = calloc(sp+1,1);
memset(spaces,' ',sp);
break;
case 'v':
verbose = 1;
break;
default:
fprintf(stderr,"usage: strip [-%s] file\n",OPTIONS);
exit(1);
break;
}
srcbuf = malloc(BUFSIZE);
if((fn=fopen(argv[optind],"rt")) == NULL)
{
fprintf(stderr,"unable to open file %s for read\n",argv[optind]);
exit(2);
}
setvbuf(fn,srcbuf,_IOFBF,BUFSIZE);
memset(buf,'\0',MAXLINE);
while(fgets(buf,MAXLINE,fn) != NULL)
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{
for(ch=&buf[strlen(buf)];--ch >= buf;)
if(*ch < 0x20)
switch(*ch)
{
case 12:
if(!ff)
*ch = 0x20;
break;
case 9:
*ch = 0x20;
if(vt)
strins(buf,ch,spaces);
break;
default:
*ch = 0x20;
break;
}
addlst(buf);
if(verbose)
puts(buf);
}
fclose(fn);
if((fn=fopen(argv[optind],"w+")) == NULL)
{
fprintf(stderr,"unable to open %s for write\n",argv[1]);
exit(3);
}
for(clast=croot;clast;clast=clast->next)
fprintf(fn,"%s\n",clast->str);
fclose(fn);
printf("%s converted\n",argv[optind]);
}
void
addlst(s)
char *s;
{
struct list *cp;
if((cp=(struct list *)malloc(sizeof(struct list))) == NULL ||
(cp->str=malloc(strlen(s)+1)) == NULL)
{
fprintf(stderr,"out of memory\n");
exit(4);
}
strcpy(cp->str,s);
cp->next = NULL;
if(croot == NULL)
croot = cp;
else
clast->next = cp;
clast = cp;
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}
void
strins(buf,ptr,str)
char *buf; /* original string */
char *ptr; /* pointer to position to insert */
char *str; /* string to insert */
{
char *temp;
char *pos;
int i;
int len;
temp = calloc(strlen(buf)+strlen(str)+1,1);
for(pos=buf,i=0;pos<=ptr;pos++,i++)
*(temp+i) = *pos;
strcat(temp,str);
len = strlen(temp);
for(pos=&ptr[1],i=0;pos<=&buf[strlen(buf)];pos++,i++)
*(temp+i+len) = *pos;
strcpy(buf,temp);
free(temp);
}
I hope everyone enjoys this article. Coming events in my conferences
include:
'C': programming MSC 6.0's PWB
OOPS: learning the new Turbo C++ compiler
Systems: Interviewing problems
ASM: Loops and jumps
Brief: Re-write your startup macro
Genetics: Use of fetal tissue
+---------------------------------+
| DOS SHELL SHOOT-OUT |
| |
+---------------------------------+
by Jim Daly, Node id ->TREASURE
XTree Pro-Gold and Norton Commander
I became acquainted with the XTREE series almost 3 years ago when I
purchased a PC that had the original XTree on its hard drive. At that
time, I was using IBM's Fixed Disk Organizer as my DOS Shell program. In
fact, up until the time I discovered XTree on the used XT, I bundled IBM-
FDO on every system I installed. After comparing the 2 programs, XTree
became our standard DOS Shell management program. The release of XTreePRO
added many new features including a built-in text editor.
XTreePro-GOLD continues building on the features that have made its 2
former versions so successful. The environment created by "GOLD" helps
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both the novice and power user manage their files, directories and disks
faster and more easily than ever before.
I will touch on just a few of the many many features of "GOLD" in this
article.
General Overview
----------------
In addition to duplicating all of the standard DOS features in its on-
screen windows, "GOLD" offers some special operations either not offered by
DOS as enhancements to DOS.
. View the complete Directory structure of any of your disks in one clear
graphic display (split the window and look at 2 different disks at the same
time).
. Log up to 26 drives and 13,000 files and display all files
across all logged drives simultaneously.
. View every file in every directory as a single list. The files
can be shown with or without sizes, dates, and attributes and
can be displayed in different sort orders.
. View files created in dBASE, WORD, WordStar, WordPerfect, Multi-
Mate, Hex, ASCII, and LOTUS formats (Exact LOTUS formulae are shown
whereas Commander only shows that a cell contains a formula). While
in the View Mode, you can also search for exact text strings in the
displayed files or groups of files.
Norton Commander adds the ability to also view several types of
Graphics formats. With the increasing popularity of Desk Top
Publishing, this missing feature is a definite handicap in "GOLD".
. Specify up to 16 different file specifications at one time so that
you can view specific combinations of files. You may also specify
specifications that EXCLUDE files from display.
. Move a single file or group of files from one directory to another.
. Start Applications and perform other Batch operations using the
customizable Application Menu. (When using the Application function,
"GOLD" is shrunk to only 7kb resident.
. GRAFT-move an entire sub-directory and its files to a different parent.
PRUNE-a branch of a directory, completely deleting all sub-directories
and files contained in the pruned directory.
. Maintain a history of up to 15 responses for every operation or command
that requires text entry.
. Change any attribute on any single file or group of files.
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Although "GOLD" will allow you to enter a DOS command from within its
Command Shell, Norton Commander's "always on" DOS line is a better
approach.
Since I have been a User of the XTREE family for several years and have
become familiar with its overall "look and feel", XTreePro-GOLD is my
program of choice. However, for a new User of DOS Shell Manager, I believe
either one would be well-served by either COMMANDER or GOLD.
System Requirements:
100% IBM-PC compatible
256K (Minimum)
PC or MS-DOS v3.1 or greater
GRAPHICS-All supported
+---------------------------------+
| TRADEMARKS |
| AND SERVICE MARKS |
+---------------------------------+
by James J. Spinelli, Node ID ->VMC
In our past three articles of this series we explored the areas of patents,
copyrights and trademarks in protecting our ideas. In this, our final
article in the series, we'll take a brief tour of state and common law
protections.
Patents, copyrights and trademarks are all created by federal law.
Individual states may afford additional protection under such common law
concepts as "unfair competition" and "trade secrets." Although the laws of
each state may differ, they all follow a similar pattern. The discussion
that follows assumes a product that is not patented.
TRADE SECRETS
-------------
Let's say that you have a special formula for SUPERSODA which makes it
taste better than any other softdrink on the market. It has its own secret
recipe. This recipe formula is a trade secret.
A trade secret is basically confidential information used in a business to
give a competitive advantage over others who do not know or use it. It can
include formulas, patterns, customer lists, manufacturing processes,
devices, and many other types of information, including new product ideas.
You can own a trade secret even if you are not in business, as long as it
is of economic value and is confidential. In deciding whether something is
a trade secret, courts look at how well known it is, how valuable it is,
the effort taken by the owner to protect it, and how difficult it was to
develop.
Common law trade secret protection differs significantly from patent law:
- There is no obligation to disclose the details publicly.
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In fact, while confidential disclosures do not destroy the
protection, indiscriminate or unconditional ones do. If selling
or exhibiting your product reveals the secret, you may no longer
be protected. The same is probably true if you enter your idea
in a contest.
- There is no arbitrary time limitation on common law protection,
as there is with patents.
- The rigid standards for patentability do not apply to common
law.
- Common law does NOT bestow the right to exclude others from
making and selling an identical product if they legitimately
have information that enables them to do so. The crucial
question is basically HOW they got that information. Unless they
obtained it wrongfully, they can use it any way they wish.
Therefore, to maintain your protection, you must take
precautions to ensure that your idea remains confidential. If
another individual independently invents your product, however,
you have no rights against him.
How does someone "wrongfully" obtain a trade secret? It can happen in any
number of ways. Theft and industrial espionage certainly fit the category.
But so does breach of a "confidential relationship," a term that
essentially encompasses any situation where the parties anticipate (and
mutually agree) that information will be kept confidential or used only
with permission. This can arise from an express written agreement, such as
a "Non-Disclosure" agreement, or it may be implied from the circumstances.
For example, when you submit an idea to a company, the law presumes that
you are doing so with the expectation of payment. The company may not use
the concept without compensating you. Most firms will agree to review your
idea if you sign a document disclaiming a confidential relationship. They
do this not to intentionally steal your ideas (or so it is reasonably
believed), but to protect themselves from unjust lawsuits by disgruntled
inventors.
One precaution you can take is to tell people with whom you are dealing
that the information is confidential and should not be disclosed. You could
try to have them sign a simple form stating that they will respect your
confidence. Ideally, everyone should sign, including consultants,
employees, suppliers, manufacturers, graphic artists, and anyone else to
whom you must reveal the information. In reality, asking people to sign
such an agreement may alienate them and destroy trust.
About the only time these agreements are recommended is for presenting
ideas to small companies. Informal requests, handshakes, and eye contact
are probably more effective in most situations.
UNFAIR COMPETITION
------------------
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The state common law equivalent of federally registered trademarks is the
doctrine of unfair competition. Through consistent use, the public often
comes to associate certain words or symbols with the goods or services of a
particular company. They are said to have acquired a "secondary meaning."
For example, most people will immediately think of McDonald's when they see
golden arches. Even if this were not a registered trademark, it would
probably be protected by the common law of unfair competition.
This law basically prohibits anyone else from "passing off" or "palming
off" his goods or services as those of a competitor by using the words and
symbols associated with the competitor. Therefore, you probably could not
franchise fast foods under similar yellow spans without hearing from
McDonald's lawyers. Similarly, you could not market canned peas using a
laughing leafy leviathan logo (the "Green Giant"). Geographic
designations, common words, and even your own name may acquire secondary
meaning relating to others' products. If that is the case, you cannot use
them in ways that would tend to confuse your goods with theirs. (For
example, at least in the BBS/shareware arena, let's say your name is
Sparks. You may not be permitted to call your product(s), "Sparkware.")
This is a technical area of the law, and if you have any doubts, you would
do well to consult a knowledgeable attorney in your state.
SAMPLE NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT
-------------------------------
We hereby agree to receive in confidence full details about [your
idea/invention/product] to be submitted by [your name].
In consideration for receiving such information, we agree that all
materials provided will remain the property of [your name] and that they
will be returned immediately upon written request. We agree to maintain
the confidentiality of all information and materials provided and to
refrain from divulging any details of the [your idea/invention/product]
without prior written consent.
We agree not to make use of any feature or information of which [your name]
is the originator, without payment of compensation in an amount to be
negotiated.
[Your idea/invention/product] is being received and will be reviewed in
confidence. However, we assume no responsibility whatsoever with respect to
features or related technology that can be demonstrated to be already known
to us. All information and correspondence regarding the subject of this
agreement will be marked "CONFIDENTIAL."
We agree that within a period of _____[days/weeks/months] we will report to
[your name] the results of our review and will advise whether we are
interested in negotiating for the purchase of the rights to use [your
idea/invention/product].
Date: ____________ Company: _______________________________
By: ______________________________________________
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Title: ______________________________________________
***************************************************************
In the next issue of RIME TIMES, we'll begin a series of articles dealing
with Media and Communications Law, including libel, the First Amendment,
and their implications to the BBS arena and BBS operators.
+---------------------------------+
| TIPS FROM DAVE! |
| |
+---------------------------------+
by David W. Terry, Node id ->SCORE
(on the argument as to whether to run a modem at 19200 or 38400)
If you do some benchmark tests you'll find that running your system at
either 19200 or 38400 makes very little difference (in most cases). Here's
a quick list for you sysops to ponder on...
At 19200 with modem compression turned OFF
- downloading an ASCII file will achieve a maximum rate of 1700 cps
- downloading a compressed file will also achieve a maximum of 1700
At 19200 with modem compression turned ON
- downloading an ASCII file will achieve a maximum rate of 1920 cps
- downloading a compressed file will SLOW DOWN to something less
than 1700 cps depending on the data being transferred
At 38400 with modem compression turned OFF
- downloading an ASCII file will achieve a maximum rate of 1700 cps
- downloading a compressed file will also achieve a maximum of 1700
At 38400 with modem compression turned ON
- downloading an ASCII file will achieve a maximum rate of 2300+ cps
- downloading a compressed file will SLOW DOWN to something less than
1700 cps depending on the data being transferred.
Now look for patterns in the above information.... let me point out a few:
1) Most files downloaded are of the compressed type (ZIP or ARC files)
and in the two cases above where compression is turned OFF the
maximum transfer rate is about 1700 cps REGARDLESS of whether you
run at 19200 or 38400.
2) With compression turned ON the same compressed files slow down to
something less than what you'd like to see whether you run at 19200
or 38400.
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Therefore the only (readily tangible) advantage to running at 38400 is for
those users who connect with compression _ON_ and then download only ASCII
(or other non-compressed) files.
Unless you have a lot of people connecting with compression ON who are
downloading ASCII files you will not experience very much of a difference
whether you run your modem at 19200 or 38400.
+---------------------------------+
| ASK MISS NETIQUETTE! |
| |
+---------------------------------+
Dear Miss Netiquette,
In matters of taste, what subjects are generally considered to be network
"taboo"? I cannot seem to make a determination based on conference
content...:-)
signed, "Anything goes" Nola
Dear Miss Nola,
You must have *quite* a storied past if you cannot determine what is and
what is not "taboo" in RelayNet conferencing. A woman of your loose
judgement (and probably morals) should proceed with care while
participating in the conferences.
What can and cannot be discussed should be apparent to the most casual
observer. While the large variety and number of conferences covering
topics such as Religion, Politics, Rock and Heavy Metal Music, Gay Issues,
Men's and Women's issues and Medical and Science issues seem to cover it
all, there are certain topics which need to be handled very carefully and
ONE topic to be avoided at ALL costs and is very MUCH "taboo".
You must understand that all sysops and quite a few users eat at least one
daily meal in front of their computers while reading network mail. If you
follow the guidelines of appropriate dinner time conversation you cannot go
wrong. While not "taboo" the topics concerning bodily functions,
obsessive/compulsive behavior and sexual perversions need to be discusssed
with sensitivity out of respect for thousands of digestive tracts across
the country.
If you had been reading the COMMON conference, you would know by now THE
one forbidden topic. I hesitate to mention it here. Even though THE
forbidden topic consists of simple words, the synergistic power unleashed
when these simple words are combined is quite alarming! Under no
circumstance, must you bring up "Fan-Driven Sailboats"! I am sure the
reason is obvious to you and will say no more.
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+---------------------------------+
| NAME THAT AUTHOR! |
| |
+---------------------------------+
Below are three quotes. If you can name the authors of all three, Ed
Lazarowitz will bestow upon you some high honor and/or some fabulous prize!
Please route your answers R/O in COMMON to Ed at Node id
->CAPCON.
"If I'd have known I was going to live so long, I'd have taken better
care of myself."
"Advertising is 85 percent confusion and 15 percent commission."
"Advertising is legalized lying."
+---------------------------------+
| NOTES FROM |
| ADMIN |
+---------------------------------+
Relaynet is now 460 nodes strong!
PCRelay 4.1 is released!
+---------------------------------+
| AS SEEN ON THE BIT STREAM |
| |
+---------------------------------+
TAGLINE OF THE MONTH:
"STUPIDITY is not a handicap, PARK ELSEWHERE!!"
BORING THREAD OF THE MONTH:
"OIL" (on the relative merits of different motor oils)
THE THREAD THAT LOST CONTROL:
"DAN QUAYLE" (on what state is Dan from? Maybe no state wants to claim
him?)
MALFUNCTION OF THE MONTH:
After an enthusiastic welcome from many members, our first node from Hawaii
posted a system password in COMMON to give us all "special access" to his
BBS. Ed, we are hoping that the access is not TOO special and that you
make your system password a true "mystery".
Page 22
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+---------------------------------+
| NOTICES |
| |
+---------------------------------+
The RIME Times is published monthly by the membership of RelayNet In-
ternational Message Exchange as its official newsletter. Users and Sysops
are encouraged to contribute. Submissions and questions may be directed to
the editors John Dodson, node ->CANTINA or Ed Lazarowitz, node ->CAPCON.
(c)Copyright 1990, The RelayNet International Message Exchange. Permission
is hereby granted for unlimited distribution and duplication, provided
such distribution and duplication are strictly for non-commercial purposes
only. All other rights reserved. RelayNet and RIME are registered
trademarks.
Reference in New Issue Copy Permalink