1296 lines
62 KiB
Plaintext
1296 lines
62 KiB
Plaintext
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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+---------------------------------+
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| EDITORS FILE |
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+---------------------------------+
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by Ed Lazarowitz, Node id ->CAPCON.
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Welcome to the July issue of RIME Times! John has asked me to fill in a
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little for him this month, as he's been kinda busy. Between his consulting
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business, his BBS, and managing to squeeze in a vacation, he didn't have
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much time to devote to Rime Times. But, that's what a co-editor is for!
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We have several good items this month. I'm continuing my regular series.
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"Meet The Conference Host", with a piece by Doug MacLean. As you'll find
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by reading his article, Doug is *very* involved in both BBSing and
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RelayNet. Also this month, I have included the solution to the DB2 Puzzle
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I presented in the last issue. Also on a technical note, Doug MacLean
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continues his excellent "C" Tutor series.
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Our Conference Coordinator, Skip Ross, informs us about changes in various
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RelayNet conferences and Nathan Anderson presents the results of his latest
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Rime Times Poll. I'm sure the results will surprise you! I know they did
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me. Another item you'll definitely want to read is the comic soap opera,
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DIME TIMES. It's a tongue-in-cheek spoof of some of our more visible
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RelayNetters, written by Jim Prohs. I guarantee that you won't be able to
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control your laughter.
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With all the recent problems and inter-conference discussions revolving
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around the issue of 'individual rights as they relate to network usage',
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you'll want to spend some time with Jim Spinelli's article this month. As
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always, Jim's analysis is insightful and well-written. If you haven't
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learned anything after reading his article, go back and read it again!
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Well, that's about all I have to say for this month. I'd like to take a
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moment to thank those individual Conference Hosts I've been working with on
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my ongoing series. And if you're a CH, and I haven't yet contacted you,
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don't fret. The current conference list is long, and I've just begun to
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work my way through it!
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See you on the next relay!
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Page 2
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JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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+---------------------------------+
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| MEET THE CONFERENCE HOST |
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+---------------------------------+
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by Doug MacLean, Node ID ->RUNNINGB
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For those who don't know me, my name is Doug MacLean, and I'm the
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Conference Host of several RelayNet conferences. The six conferences that
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I host are very important to me. It is a way for me to return some of the
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kindness and support that the people here have shown me. The reason I host
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six conferences is that, with the exception of Genetics, they are all
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inter-related. We look at various problems from many different views and
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the topics are lively and informative. As a matter of reference, the
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conferences I currently host are: 'C', ASSEMBLER, GENETICS, OBJECT-
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ORIENTED, BRIEF EDITOR SUPPORT, and SYSTEM'S ANALYSIS & DESIGN.
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I'd like to take a few minutes and tell you more about myself and the
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various conferences I host.
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I currently work for First Boston as a senior system's analyst and network
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administrator. The job is very interesting as I work under a variety of
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different environments including DOS, Windows, OS/2 and Unix. I very often
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have to write various utilities; which I enjoy. As part of my job, I have
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to evaluate and install a lot of different packages. This also includes
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training people in the new products, as well as teaching various aspects of
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programming and the network.
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I started to teach myself computers during the mid seventies while I was in
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a PhD/MD program at Mt. Sinai in New York City. I was basically a medical
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researcher that just happened to have a liking for the various computers we
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had. Soon, I was placed in charge of all the computer functions for the
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department. Budget cuts from the Federal government put an end to my
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research grant and I started working directly in the computer field.
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I started hanging out on the various New York area boards in 1985. I saw
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that there was a great deal of quality software and interesting
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conferences. Soon, I started to release my own set of utilities. In
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January of 1989, Bill Johnson asked me to Sysop the Vernon BBS with him. Of
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course I said yes and we started the board. He became a RelayNet hub
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shortly after that and I started to host the 'C' Conference. While working
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with Bill on the Vernon, I became involved as the Co-Sysop on the Double
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Helix BBS and the Aero Board. Each board I'm actively involved in has a
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slightly different focus. While the Vernon has a lot of files and
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conferences, the Double Helix is a science-oriented board and the Aero
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Board is the main distribution site for the Boyan Communication program, of
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which I am a beta tester.
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In addition to my role as Conference Host for the 'C' Conference on
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RelayNet, I was also playing host to a local assembler-oriented conference
|
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on the Vernon and a local genetics conference on Double Helix. Shortly
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Page 3
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JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
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|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
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after Vernon joined RelayNet, these too became official RelayNet
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Conferences with me continuing on as the host.
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As interest in my three conferences grew, it became apparent that a need
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still existed for additional conferences relative to the programming
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process. I strongly believe that programming is just part of the process
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of creating a program, utility or system. I started the Object-Oriented
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conference with Rick Kingslan and soon afterwards the System's Analysis &
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Design conference. My sixth conference, Brief Editor Support, went on line
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near the beginning of this year. I think I will stay put with hosting six
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conferences for now.
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A while back I started to change the format of the conferences to more of
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an on-line magazine. I would write and post articles, programs and
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routines to help stimulate the threads. This has worked out extremely
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well. Requests for reprints of the articles encouraged me to request a
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monthly column from John Dodson. I encourage the topics started in one
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conference to overlap with other ones on my conferences. I feel that this
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adds a lot of dimension to the threads on my conferences and the people
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seem to enjoy it. We often look at a problem from a lot of different
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perspectives this way.
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The following is a brief overview of the six (6) conferences I host:
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'C' -- Concerned with the 'C' programming language, with
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message traffic averaging about 50 messages per day.
|
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This was the first of my conferences that I tried
|
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the on-line magazine format with. The topics are
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lively and always interesting. People interested
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in programming can get a good taste for the
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|||
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language here.
|
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|||
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ASM -- Topics of interest to the assembler programmer. Since
|
|||
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few are programming in assembler at the moment, message
|
|||
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traffic tends to be very light. Many topics that start
|
|||
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on the 'C' conference end up here. We often talk about
|
|||
|
interfacing assembler code with higher languages.
|
|||
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|||
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Systems -- Concerned with the analysis and design of programs towards
|
|||
|
the end result of integration into larger 'systems'. We
|
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|
cover all types of problem solving, not just for
|
|||
|
programmers, with the overall message traffics ranking
|
|||
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as light to moderate.
|
|||
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|
|||
|
OOPs -- This conference is dedicated to topics of concern to the
|
|||
|
object oriented programmer. Languages such as C++ are
|
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discussed at length. Since the release of Turbo C++,
|
|||
|
message traffic has been moderate. People interested
|
|||
|
in knowing more about this new trend in programming
|
|||
|
can learn a lot here.
|
|||
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|
|||
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Page 4
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JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
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|
|||
|
Brief -- Support for the Brief Editor is provided in this
|
|||
|
conference. Many useful tips on the use of the very
|
|||
|
complex Brief macro languages are presented in this
|
|||
|
conference, with message traffic in the light to
|
|||
|
moderate range. I have provided many useful macros for
|
|||
|
use of EZ-Reader on RIME, drawing with Brief, etc. in
|
|||
|
this conference.
|
|||
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|
|||
|
Genetics -- Concerned with the impact of genetic research in today's
|
|||
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changing world. Anyone concerned with the advances in
|
|||
|
research and medicine will find this conference
|
|||
|
interesting.
|
|||
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|
|||
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|
|||
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I am proud to serve as the host for all six of my RelayNet conferences.
|
|||
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These conferences contain some of the brightest, helpful and willing people
|
|||
|
anywhere. After reading this article, you feel that you would benefit by
|
|||
|
joining us, by all means drop in and check us out!
|
|||
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|
|||
|
If you want to converse with me personally, simply send me a message on any
|
|||
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one of my conferences, or on COMMON routed to node id ->RUNNINGB Although
|
|||
|
my RelayNet mail is received through Howard Belasco's Running Board BBS, as
|
|||
|
mentioned earlier in this article, I am the Sysop of The Vernon BBS (201-
|
|||
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827-6441) along with my good friend Bill Johnson, and Co-Sysop for The
|
|||
|
Double Helix BBS (212-865-7043) and the Aero Board (201-865-7043).
|
|||
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|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
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| A DB2 PUZZLE |
|
|||
|
| The Answer |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
by Ed Lazarowitz, Node id ->CAPCON
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I just know you all have been waiting with baited breath for the
|
|||
|
solution to my DB2 Puzzle from last month's issue, so here it is:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
--
|
|||
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--- Solution to Rime Times Newsletter DB2 Puzzle
|
|||
|
--
|
|||
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SELECT DISTINCT
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(A.DEPT*100)+(COUNT(*)*10), -- New Employee Id Number
|
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A.DEPT, A.NAME, A.JOB, -- Data From Q.STAFF Table
|
|||
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A.YEARS, A.SALARY, A.COMM -- Data From Q.STAFF Table
|
|||
|
FROM Q.STAFF A, Q.STAFF B
|
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WHERE A.DEPT = B.DEPT
|
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AND A.NAME >= B.NAME
|
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GROUP BY A.DEPT, A.NAME, A.JOB, A.YEARS, A.SALARY, A.COMM
|
|||
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ORDER BY A.DEPT, A.NAME
|
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--
|
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--
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-----------------
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--- END QUERY ---
|
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-----------------
|
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Page 5
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JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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The reason this query works is due to the 'iterative' join. First we join
|
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the Q.STAFF table back to itself, connecting the two 'versions' on the
|
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common column, DEPT. Knowing that DB2 will create the DISTINCT result set
|
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prior to performing the scalar function, we specify the conditional A.NAME
|
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>= B.NAME. This creates the counter that's incremented in the scalar
|
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function portion of the SELECT statement, (A.DEPT*100)+(COUNT(*)*10). This
|
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causes DB2 to count all iterations of A.DEPT, within A.DEPT, where the
|
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A.NAME is greater than or equal to B.NAME. Simple math builds the new
|
|||
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department number, COL1.
|
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|
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|
Note that if this conditional had been coded A.NAME = B.NAME, there would
|
|||
|
have been no incrementation. Likewise, if we had coded A.NAME <= B.NAME,
|
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|
we would have set up a decrement within each A.DEPT, with the
|
|||
|
alphabetically ascending names having descending COL1 values. I also
|
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|
arbitrarily chose to create my new Employee Id Numbers (COL1 values) based
|
|||
|
on the employee name. Another permutation could have been to build the new
|
|||
|
numbers based on years of service or Job Title. Can you figure out how to
|
|||
|
modify the query to make it work that way?
|
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|
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|
Well, that's it for DB2 this month. If you've enjoyed working on this
|
|||
|
little puzzle, drop me a line at node id ->CAPCON and tell me about it. If
|
|||
|
enough people respond, I will come up with other DB2 Puzzles for future
|
|||
|
Rime Times editions. Yours in a relational mode, Ed Lazarowitz.
|
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|
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+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| CONFERENCE NEWS |
|
|||
|
| |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
by Skip Ross, Node id ->ACC
|
|||
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|
|||
|
New Conferences!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
NAME: French Language
|
|||
|
NUMBER: 206
|
|||
|
DESCRIPTION: This conference is for our French speaking members,
|
|||
|
but is open to all.
|
|||
|
HOSTS: Armand Michaud Node ID ->CAMBMIC
|
|||
|
Daniel Steffen Node ID ->ULTRABBS
|
|||
|
ACTIVITY: NEW
|
|||
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|
|||
|
NAME: Spanish Language
|
|||
|
NUMBER: 207
|
|||
|
DESCRIPTION: This conference is for our Spanish speaking members,
|
|||
|
but is open to all.
|
|||
|
HOSTS: Ana Wenzel Node ID ->GRAPEVNE
|
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|
Dan Beko Node ID ->TREASURE
|
|||
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ACTIVITY: NEW
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
NAME: Session Manager
|
|||
|
NUMBER: 208
|
|||
|
DESCRIPTION: This conference is for one of the newest Off-Line
|
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|
|||
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Page 6
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JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
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|
|||
|
Readers, compatible with the .QWK packet.
|
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|
HOST: Pat Hart Node ID ->TWEXCH
|
|||
|
ACTIVITY: NEW
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
NAME: Scanners/SWL
|
|||
|
NUMBER: 209
|
|||
|
DESCRIPTION: This conference will feature discussions about the
|
|||
|
monitoring of radios and user exchange of
|
|||
|
frequencies, shortwave loggings, and the radios we
|
|||
|
use in monitoring. Come and join the exciting world
|
|||
|
of Scanner and ShortWave radio, and ever growing
|
|||
|
hobby.
|
|||
|
HOST: Ken Fowler Node ID ->NETEAST
|
|||
|
ACTIVITY: NEW
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
NAME: Pre-Teens
|
|||
|
NUMBER: 210
|
|||
|
DESCRIPTION: This conference is for those under the age of 13.
|
|||
|
To give our younger computer users the opportunity
|
|||
|
to learn BBS skills while communicating with their
|
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peers. Parental guidance expected.
|
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|
HOSTS: Karen Brown Node ID ->GODFTHR
|
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|
Debbie Campbell Node ID ->
|
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ACTIVITY: Re-Instated
|
|||
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|
|||
|
NAME: HDTV (High Definition TeleVision)
|
|||
|
NUMBER: 211
|
|||
|
DESCRIPTION: This conference is dedicated to the discusions
|
|||
|
about the new technology in television. HDTV is a
|
|||
|
wide screen, very high resolution TV that has been
|
|||
|
on the air in Japan since late 1988, and will be
|
|||
|
coming to America in the near future.
|
|||
|
HOSTS: Steve Hannah Node ID ->PUNKIN
|
|||
|
Tom Tcimpidis Node ID ->MOGUR
|
|||
|
ACTIVITY: NEW
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
NAME: WordStar
|
|||
|
NUMBER: 212
|
|||
|
DESCRIPTION: This conference is dedicated to the discusions
|
|||
|
and techniques used in the day to day operation of
|
|||
|
all versions of WordStar Word Processing Software.
|
|||
|
HOSTS: Suzanne Hoyle Node ID ->GAS
|
|||
|
Ralph Drayer Node ID ->BSO
|
|||
|
ACTIVITY: NEW
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I also would like to announce that we have a new Host in our
|
|||
|
Engineer conference (net #107), please make welcome Wayne Vearil
|
|||
|
of Node ID ->ENERGY
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
We also have a new Host and new name for conference # 158. The conference
|
|||
|
was named ADLIB, but in light of the ever changing market, the name has
|
|||
|
been generalized to SOUND CARDS, and is now Hosted by Randy Blackmond
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 7
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|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Node ID ->BASEMENT
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I also want to take a minute and thank the departing Host, Kirby
|
|||
|
Kalbaugh, for creating and building this great conference. Kirby,
|
|||
|
Thank You!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| RIME TIMES POLL |
|
|||
|
| |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
By Nathan Anderson, Node id ->OUTER
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
It's time for the results of the second RIME Times poll. For the past two
|
|||
|
months, you have probably seen many of my pleas to answer my poll. I think
|
|||
|
all the messages paid off since 123 users answered.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This recent survey asked how long you usually use your computers, at home
|
|||
|
and at work, if applicable. I didn't organize this poll very well,
|
|||
|
however, and the answers were extremely varied, so the results are probably
|
|||
|
not too accurate. So, on with the results.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Out of the 123 users who answered, 122 use PC's at home, and 72 use them at
|
|||
|
work. Many of you who answered gave a range of time that you used your
|
|||
|
computer. This throws off the poll even more.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The average of the average of ranges says that we work about 4.6 hours a
|
|||
|
day on the computer and 6.2 hours a day at work. (I say "work" at the
|
|||
|
computer, but it might be better to say "use" the computer.) The ranges
|
|||
|
that you gave to me don't make too much of a difference, however. The
|
|||
|
average of the longest hours is about 4.8 hours at home and 6.6 hours at
|
|||
|
work, and the average of the shortest hours is 4.2 at home and 5.9 at work.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
If everyone worked a short day, the total number of hours logged would be
|
|||
|
about 949 hours, an average day would be about 1005 hours, and if everyone
|
|||
|
worked a long day on the computer, there would be a whopping 1061 hours
|
|||
|
logged!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Now, for all of you who think you work too long on the computer, or are
|
|||
|
repeatedly pestered by parents or spouses, I've got a bit of information
|
|||
|
for you. The longest any of you uses the computer at work is 16 hours a
|
|||
|
day, and some of us use the computer at home for up to 14 hours a day!
|
|||
|
(Those of us that don't work, of course.)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I hope you enjoyed the results of this poll, and I'll try to continue
|
|||
|
providing some hopefully useful information to the users of RIME!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
If you have any ideas on what I could ask in my poll, please drop me a line
|
|||
|
in the COMMON conference with your suggestions.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 8
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| BEGINNERS CORNER |
|
|||
|
| |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
by Dane Beko, Node id ->TREASURE
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
An Alternative to File Gathering
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
When most people think about bulletin boards (BBS), they immediately
|
|||
|
envision lots of files that can be downloaded. The focus of this article
|
|||
|
is to introduce another facet of BBSing, messages.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
There are two basic types of messages, local and echoed. The local
|
|||
|
messages are messages that stay on the particular BBS that they were
|
|||
|
written on. Echoed messages are just that; echoed from one BBS to another
|
|||
|
via modem. There are a number of message networks across the US and the
|
|||
|
world. Here are but a few of them:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
RelayNet SmartNet HyperLink
|
|||
|
MetroLink InterLink FidoNet
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Each bulletin board that you call will have what are known as conferences.
|
|||
|
Each conference will deal with a particular subject. For instance, on
|
|||
|
Treasures-BBS, there is a Hard Drives conference that focuses on hard
|
|||
|
drives, problems, questions, technical assistance, etc. Depending on what
|
|||
|
the system operator (SYSOP) of the board wants in terms of the conferences,
|
|||
|
will depend of the number carried. FABulous BBS carries 126 conferences for
|
|||
|
instance. Some of these conferences will be local while others will be
|
|||
|
echoed ones.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A BBS that carries echoed (or relayed) conferences each night will extract
|
|||
|
the day's new messages into a compressed packet of mail and call another
|
|||
|
board and exchange it for a packet of new mail. The new mail is then
|
|||
|
imported into the board's message bases for you to read. If you've been
|
|||
|
attending the BBS/Modem SIG after every Main meeting, this has been the
|
|||
|
topic for the last few meetings. We've been talking about ways to read,
|
|||
|
reply and enter messages while on-line. This method is a bit crude as it
|
|||
|
uses your valuable on-line time and also ties up the board for other
|
|||
|
callers. It also doesn't allow you to really think about what you're
|
|||
|
typing since you've only so many minutes on-line. The July BBS/Modem-SIG
|
|||
|
meeting will address another way of messaging, using an off-line reader and
|
|||
|
a maildoor such as MarkMail or Qmail. But this article will serve as an
|
|||
|
introduction/orientation of sorts for that meeting.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
As I have mentioned, reading mail while on-line can become quite lengthy.
|
|||
|
To this end, there are a number of maildoor programs that the sysops of the
|
|||
|
boards can use that will collect all of your mail, scan for new files and
|
|||
|
bulletins, and compress them all into a packet that you then download. The
|
|||
|
most popular type of maildoor is either MarkMail or Qmail.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 9
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Both of these doors create packets of mail that are compatible with each
|
|||
|
other. Every board down here in Orlando uses the MarkMail door so that's
|
|||
|
the one that we'll discuss here.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Once you've downloaded that packet of new mail, you then use an off-line
|
|||
|
reader such as Ez-Reader or Qmail Reader to uncompress, read/reply/enter
|
|||
|
your messages, recompress it into a reply packet which then you upload back
|
|||
|
through the maildoor for distribution into the board's message bases.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Using an off-line reader allows you several things. The first of which is
|
|||
|
that you now have more time to read your new messages and reply to them. If
|
|||
|
the message that you'd like to reply to is one of a technical nature, this
|
|||
|
allows you to do some research before replying. You can give more thought
|
|||
|
to the messages and in general, make more intelligent conversations. The
|
|||
|
latest version of Ez-Reader (v1.28) can be found on a great many boards
|
|||
|
here locally.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Using the MarkMail door is fairly straight-forward. On each board, that
|
|||
|
uses it, will be a door listing informing you of what door number it is.
|
|||
|
As a point of reference, on FABulous, it's 5 and on Treasures, it's 2 in
|
|||
|
conference 11. After you've opened the MarkMail for the first time, the
|
|||
|
door will recognize the fact that you're a new user to it and will display
|
|||
|
prompts telling you what you need to do. After the welcome screen is
|
|||
|
displayed, the following prompt will appear:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
(154 min. left) MarkMail Command?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
If you just hit the enter key here, it will display a list of the commands
|
|||
|
that you can use in MarkMail:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
[C]onfigure Door
|
|||
|
[D]ownload Messages
|
|||
|
[U]pload Replies
|
|||
|
[O]perator Page
|
|||
|
[Q]uit to BBS
|
|||
|
[G]oodbye, Logoff
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Since you're a new user of the MarkMail door, you'd want to select
|
|||
|
C)onfigure Door. This will bring up the following screen:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
(54 min. left) MarkMail Command? C
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Configuration Menu
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
1. Select Transfer Protocol. Currently: Zmodem (DSZ Forsberg)
|
|||
|
2. Toggle Receiving Bulletins. Currently: On
|
|||
|
3. Toggle Receiving Your Own Messages. Currently: On
|
|||
|
4. Toggle New Files Scan. Currently: On
|
|||
|
5. Toggle QMail Deluxe Reader Menu. Currently: Off
|
|||
|
6. Set Maximum Size of MESSAGES.DAT. Currently: Unlimited
|
|||
|
7. Set Conferences, Message Pointers.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 10
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
8. Set All Pointers to the High Message.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Menu selection 1 is to set your default upload and download protocol.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Enter your Selection or [Enter] to Return: 1
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
1. Zmodem (DSZ Forsberg)
|
|||
|
2. 1K-Xmodem-G (Full Flow)
|
|||
|
3. Ymodem Batch
|
|||
|
4. 1K-Xmodem (Old Ymodem)
|
|||
|
5. Xmodem-CRC
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Menu selections 2-4 are toggles in that you select them once to turn them
|
|||
|
on and then again if you want to turn them off.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Menu selection 5 is for those callers who have registered the Qmail reader
|
|||
|
and received Qmail Deluxe. Ez-Reader currently has a message per
|
|||
|
conference limit of 200 messages. Qmail Deluxe has no limit, hence the
|
|||
|
special toggle for it.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Menu selection 6 is so that you can limit the size of your mail packet.
|
|||
|
This is useful if you're using two floppy drives (or one) to read your
|
|||
|
mail. You can specify any size here and once your messages reach that
|
|||
|
limit, MarkMail will stop collecting new mail.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Menu selection 7 is important as this is the one that allows you to select
|
|||
|
in which conferences you want MarkMail to collect mail. When you choose
|
|||
|
this menu choice, a screen similar to the following appears:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Enter your Selection or [Enter] to Return: 7
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
* = All Mail # = Your Mail Sort: Numerical
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
0 *Main Board 16 #COMMON 30 *RELAY 44 HANDICAP 58 *SCUBA
|
|||
|
3 *TRADING 17 ENTERTAN 31 FIREARMS 45 *NEWUSER 59 *BOATING
|
|||
|
4 SPORTS 18 *USR 32 GADGETS 46 *PCBHINTS 60 ASHTN-DB
|
|||
|
5 *SYSOP 19 VACATION 33 FIRE\EMS 47 REMEMBER 61 ASHTN-AP
|
|||
|
6 CASINO 20 *MILITARY 34 POLICE 48 *SOFTWARE 62 LAPTOP
|
|||
|
7 TRIVIA 21 *VETERANS 35 *FLA-NET 49 SATELLITE 63 GRAPHICS
|
|||
|
8 AVIATION 22 *BBSADS 36 WEATHER 50 CELLULAR 64 MINI
|
|||
|
9 *ADULT 23 *ANSI 37 *FLSYSOP 51 MENS 65 *NETADMIN
|
|||
|
10 CUISINE 24 *QMODEM 38 *DESKTOP 52 JAPAN 66 *WORKAREA
|
|||
|
11 *MARKMAIL 25 *DESQVIEW 39 *SYSOP-WORK 53 GAMBLING
|
|||
|
12 *NATSYSOP 26 SMALLBUS 40 *JOBBANK 54 HAM
|
|||
|
13 *4$SALE 27 GLOBAL 41 BROADCST 55 MUSICIAN
|
|||
|
14 CURRENT 28 SENIOR 42 *SCI-FI 56 *MODEM
|
|||
|
15 POLITICS 29 *EZ-READ 43 GEMOLOGY 57 *LANTASTIC
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Enter Your Choice or [L]ist, [S]ort?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 11
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
At this time, the door is ready for you to start telling it what
|
|||
|
conferences you want to collect main in and what the last message number in
|
|||
|
each will be. If you are already reading mail in the conferences, then
|
|||
|
those will reflect the message number that you read. If you haven't read
|
|||
|
any messages in a particular conference, then the MarkMail door defaults to
|
|||
|
0 as being the last message read. As you can see from the above sample
|
|||
|
screen from Treasures-BBS, there is a variety of conferences to choose
|
|||
|
from.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Next month, we'll take a closer look at messaging and how to use Ez-Reader
|
|||
|
and the MarkMail door. I think that you'll find that off-line messaging
|
|||
|
will become more enjoyable than just logging on and downloading files.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| 'C' TUTOR |
|
|||
|
| |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
by Doug Maclean, Node id->RUNNINGB
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This month's program is another that demonstrates the use of the linked
|
|||
|
list. The purpose of the program is to read one or more ASCII text files,
|
|||
|
sort and merge the lines and write them to another file. The destination
|
|||
|
file may be the console (con), printer (prn) or any legal filename. The
|
|||
|
sorting is done as each line is read in. This is a very powerful feature
|
|||
|
of the linked list system. Since the sorting time is distributed over many
|
|||
|
entries, the processing time is minimized for the user.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This program will also be the basis of next month's column which will show
|
|||
|
how a 'C' program can be changed into a C++ program.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
#include <stdlib.h>
|
|||
|
#include <stdio.h>
|
|||
|
#include <alloc.h>
|
|||
|
#include <string.h>
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
#define MAXLINE 128
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
/* function prototypes */
|
|||
|
void addnode(char* s);
|
|||
|
void main(int argc, char **argv);
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
/* setup structure for linked list */
|
|||
|
struct list
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
char *str;
|
|||
|
struct list *next;
|
|||
|
} *croot = NULL, *clast = NULL;
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
void
|
|||
|
main(argc,argv)
|
|||
|
char **argv;
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 12
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
char dest[64];
|
|||
|
FILE *fn;
|
|||
|
char buf[MAXLINE];
|
|||
|
char *ch;
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
if(argc < 3)
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
fprintf(stderr,"usage [<file>...] dest\n");
|
|||
|
exit(4);
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
strcpy(dest,argv[argc-1]); /* save destination file name
|
|||
|
*/
|
|||
|
while(argv++,--argc> 1) /* loop thru all file names
|
|||
|
*/
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
printf("file: %s\n",*argv);
|
|||
|
if((fn = fopen(*argv,"rt")) == NULL) /* open a file to process */
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
fprintf(stderr,"Error opening %s\n",*argv);
|
|||
|
exit(1);
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
/* get a line of text and convert to NULL terminated string */
|
|||
|
while(fgets(buf,MAXLINE,fn) != NULL)
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
for(ch=&buf[strlen(buf)];--ch >= buf;)
|
|||
|
if(*ch < 0x20)
|
|||
|
*ch = '\0';
|
|||
|
addnode(buf); /* add current line to linked list */
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
fclose(fn); /* be polite and close the file */
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
printf("dest: %s\n",dest);
|
|||
|
if((fn = fopen(dest,"w+")) == NULL) /* open destination file */
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
fprintf(stderr,"Error opening destination file %s\n",dest);
|
|||
|
exit(2);
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
/* loop thru sorted list and write to destination file */
|
|||
|
for(clast=croot;clast;clast = clast->next)
|
|||
|
fprintf(fn,"%s\n",clast->str);
|
|||
|
fclose(fn);
|
|||
|
printf("All files sorted and merged into %s\n",dest);
|
|||
|
exit(0);
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
void
|
|||
|
addnode(s)
|
|||
|
char *s;
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
struct list *cp,*curr;
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
/* Allocate memory for list structure and string */
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 13
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
if((cp=(struct list*)malloc(sizeof(struct list))) == NULL ||
|
|||
|
(cp->str=malloc(strlen(s)+1)) == NULL)
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
fprintf(stderr,"Out of memory\n");
|
|||
|
exit(3);
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
/* Initialize new stucture */
|
|||
|
strcpy(cp->str,s);
|
|||
|
/* first time - anchor with first entry */
|
|||
|
if(croot == NULL)
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
croot = clast = cp;
|
|||
|
cp->next = NULL;
|
|||
|
return;
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
/* insert before the first */
|
|||
|
if(strcmp(cp->str,croot->str) <= 0)
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
cp->next = croot;
|
|||
|
croot = cp;
|
|||
|
return;
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
/* insert after the last */
|
|||
|
if(strcmp(cp->str,clast->str) > 0)
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
clast->next = cp;
|
|||
|
clast = cp;
|
|||
|
cp->next = NULL;
|
|||
|
return;
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
/* insert in the middle of the list */
|
|||
|
for(curr=croot;curr;curr=curr->next)
|
|||
|
if(strcmp(cp->str,curr->next->str) <= 0)
|
|||
|
{
|
|||
|
cp->next = curr->next;
|
|||
|
curr->next = cp;
|
|||
|
return;
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
}
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Notice how the routine to add a node is implemented. It sorts the lines as
|
|||
|
they come in. The first while loop in the main routine loops through the
|
|||
|
command line arguments. The last argument is taken off as the destination
|
|||
|
file. The command line syntax is:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
merge file1 file2 dest
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I look forward to presenting the C++ version next month.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Coming Events:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 14
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
'C' Why move to C++
|
|||
|
OOPs Operator overloading
|
|||
|
System's Data normalization
|
|||
|
ASM TASM vs MASM
|
|||
|
Brief Startup macros
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I'll be looking for ya there!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| DIME TIMES |
|
|||
|
| |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
By Jim Prohs, Node id ->NITERIDE
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+-------------------------------+
|
|||
|
|THE DIME TIMES ... A SOAP OPERA|
|
|||
|
+----------+-------------------------------+-----------+
|
|||
|
| The Cast: |
|
|||
|
| Skip Boss; Conference Coordinator / DimeNet |
|
|||
|
| Bonnie Dimeisme; Executive Director / DimeNet |
|
|||
|
| James Spa'moan'i; Legal Advisor / DimeNet |
|
|||
|
| Howard Bellow; S.C. Member (rumored to be |
|
|||
|
| related to Bonnie Dimeisme) |
|
|||
|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|
|||
|
|THE TIME: near future THE PLACE: a conference call|
|
|||
|
+------------------------------------------------------+
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
SKIP: Bonnie, what ever am I to do? I have had a request from the
|
|||
|
Swahili Nation? They want a Swahili Language conference.
|
|||
|
BONNIE: Stall for time, Skip... Explain to them we need at least
|
|||
|
five BBS's that promise to carry it.
|
|||
|
JAMES; Yes, Skip, but we must be careful how we word it. We don't
|
|||
|
want to offend a whole nation. The international legal
|
|||
|
implications would be very serious. I had better take it under
|
|||
|
advisement.
|
|||
|
SKIP: O My! O My!, the Native American Movement has requested a
|
|||
|
conference on gardening. They want to call it the "Care and
|
|||
|
Cultivation of Peyote Conference."
|
|||
|
JAMES: That's a big one, Bonnie. It has implications reaching
|
|||
|
clear up to the Supreme Court. We must be careful how we word
|
|||
|
it. Better let me take it under advisement.
|
|||
|
SKIP: B-B-B-Bonnie, You know I have to meet with the C-C-C-
|
|||
|
Conference Ch-Ch-Chair's Union next week. W-W-What am I to d-d-
|
|||
|
do about their demands?
|
|||
|
BONNIE: Now calm down, Skip. You'll have another episode. I'll
|
|||
|
call the pharmacy immediately after this call and get you
|
|||
|
something to calm your nerves. Then I will call my office and
|
|||
|
get you an emergency appointment for tomorrow. We can take care
|
|||
|
of your nerves and plan our strategy at that time.
|
|||
|
HOWARD: Just let me go to that union meeting, those ungrateful
|
|||
|
********, I'd let them know where we stand.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 15
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
JAMES: That's a huge one Bonnie. We'd have to be very careful
|
|||
|
about how he'd word it. I wouldn't advise it.
|
|||
|
BONNIE: We have another problem. We have gotten so large we are
|
|||
|
squeezing out our grass roots boards. Every call is long
|
|||
|
distance to them. And now with over 250 messages a day in
|
|||
|
common, 300 a day in for sale, and other conferences getting
|
|||
|
equally as big, those bbs's can not afford to carry us. And it
|
|||
|
is sad too, because they contributed so much. And you know, the
|
|||
|
European Boards broke away and formed their own network for
|
|||
|
that very reason. The calls to the US just got too expensive.
|
|||
|
SKIP: It's just too bad we can not encourage more route only
|
|||
|
mail. It could cut the long distance costs for most nodes by
|
|||
|
60%. We could continue to grow and yet still be affordable.
|
|||
|
HOWARD: You have as much chance of getting our users to R/O as
|
|||
|
Jim Prohs has of getting me to switch from PC Board to
|
|||
|
Spitfire....and believe me he can be pretty persuasive.
|
|||
|
JAMES: Bonnie, I think I've come up with a way. It may not save
|
|||
|
the full 60% but it will save a bunch. Let's ask the authors of
|
|||
|
our readers to put in a feature. It goes like this; When the
|
|||
|
user hits the keys to respond to a message he is automatically
|
|||
|
asked if he wants to send it route only with a Y/n response, Y
|
|||
|
being the default. The reader then could check the original
|
|||
|
message for the id of the BBS the message originated from and
|
|||
|
include it in the top line of the text. If there are BBS's
|
|||
|
that can not handle route only you could simply end their Dime
|
|||
|
ID's with a letter such as x and the readers would then know
|
|||
|
the message couldn't be r/o. What do you think Bonnie?
|
|||
|
BONNIE: You know, that idea may have some merit, James. Let's
|
|||
|
post the idea in Administration and see what some of the others
|
|||
|
think of it.
|
|||
|
HEY, EVERYBODY, THIS IS BONNIE DIMEISME. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF
|
|||
|
THIS IDEA?
|
|||
|
**NEXT WEEK, WILL SKIP GO NUTS?, WILL HOWARD SPEAK AT THE UNION
|
|||
|
MEETING? STAY TUNED TO DIME TIMES**
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| INTENTIONAL INTERFERENCE |
|
|||
|
| WITH YOUR PERSONAL RIGHTS |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
by James J. Spinelli, Node ID ->VMC
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Except for so-called acts of God, any interference with your personal or
|
|||
|
property rights, whether intentional or through negligence, is a tort. Here
|
|||
|
we shall begin to discuss intentional interference, particularly as it may
|
|||
|
apply to the medium of the electronic bulletin board system (BBS).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Currently and in the past there have been discussions in RIME's Legal
|
|||
|
Conference pertaining to such things as libel, slander, privacy,
|
|||
|
defamation, the First Amendment and other related topics. This article will
|
|||
|
attempt to address some of the concerns expressed in these discussions. Of
|
|||
|
course, we'll only be scratching the surface. However, we trust that you
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 16
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
will have some factual information from which to better understand the
|
|||
|
issues involved and the remedies available. (NOTE: This information is NO
|
|||
|
WAY intended as a substitute for competent legal advice which you may
|
|||
|
obtain from a competent attorney in your state.)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Here we'll examine three types of interference torts:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
(1) Interference with Your Peace of Mind
|
|||
|
(2) Interference with Your Privacy
|
|||
|
(3) Interference with Your Reputation (defamation: slander & libel)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Interference with Your Peace of Mind
|
|||
|
------------------------------------
|
|||
|
The growth in the sciences of medicine and psychology has brought about an
|
|||
|
expansion of the idea of freedom from fear or apprehension. You may have an
|
|||
|
action against someone who intentionally inflicts mental suffering on you.
|
|||
|
For example, if someone falsely tells you that your spouse has been struck
|
|||
|
by a car and rushed to the hospital, you may sue him or her for the
|
|||
|
emotional anguish you suffer as a result of the lies. Similarly, you may
|
|||
|
use this kind of suit to protect yourself against the high-pressure methods
|
|||
|
of collection agencies that harass you with abuse and accusations and
|
|||
|
threats of lawsuits.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
If the person who receives a series of lewd and obscene telephone calls (or
|
|||
|
messages) could identify the caller, he/she would probably have an action
|
|||
|
against the caller for the mental distress suffered. So would the person
|
|||
|
who receives telephone calls (or messages) regarding threats of physical or
|
|||
|
mental harm -- and who suffers severe mental shock as a result. You have a
|
|||
|
right to freedom from the consequences of this kind of malicious act, and
|
|||
|
the courts protect that right by awarding damages -- nominal, or small, if
|
|||
|
the harm is slight; punitive, or large, if the damage is great or the act
|
|||
|
particularly outrageous.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Interference with Your Privacy
|
|||
|
------------------------------
|
|||
|
Another right increasingly protected by the courts is the right to PRIVACY,
|
|||
|
i.e., your right to be let alone. The right to privacy has been recognized
|
|||
|
in a large number of lawsuits and now exists in almost all states, either
|
|||
|
as a result of court decisions or by legislation. Interference with your
|
|||
|
right to privacy can take many forms. Perhaps the simplest examples of
|
|||
|
interference are the most obvious: searching your house without a warrant
|
|||
|
(such a search would also be a trespass, giving you additional grounds for
|
|||
|
suing the searcher); eavesdropping on your telephone conversations by
|
|||
|
wiretapping your phone without the court's consent.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
BUT there are less direct ways of interfering with your right to privacy
|
|||
|
that also give you the right to sue. One of these is giving objectionable
|
|||
|
publicity to private information about you. For example, if the Sysop of a
|
|||
|
particular BBS you access publishes information about you, such as a credit
|
|||
|
card number, an unlisted telephone number, or some other information that
|
|||
|
only he and you are privy to without your
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 17
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
permission or against your wishes, you may have a right to sue him/her for
|
|||
|
invasion of your right to privacy, particularly if the sysop has provided
|
|||
|
assurances that information you provide will be kept confidential and/or if
|
|||
|
your relationship is contractual and/or commercial (i.e., a subscription
|
|||
|
BBS). The Sysop has no right to make public the private facts he/she knows
|
|||
|
about you.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Interference with Your Reputation
|
|||
|
---------------------------------
|
|||
|
As important as any freedom to which you are entitled is freedom from
|
|||
|
unwarranted, untruthful attacks on your character. This kind of attack, if
|
|||
|
made in the presence of other people, constitutes DEFAMATION, for which you
|
|||
|
are entitled to nominal or punitive damages, as the case may be. If you are
|
|||
|
defamed orally, you have been SLANDERED. If the defamation is in writing
|
|||
|
and shown to or seen by someone else, you have been libeled. Slander is the
|
|||
|
less serious of the two torts because it is fleeting. The spoken words of
|
|||
|
defamation exist only as they are uttered and then disappear forever. Libel
|
|||
|
is permanent as long as the letter, magazine article, book or message in
|
|||
|
which the words appear continues to exist, and the damages awarded are
|
|||
|
therefore usually larger. Generally speaking, defamatory statements made
|
|||
|
over radio and television are now considered libelous rather than
|
|||
|
slanderous. Defamatory statements made about you in writing as appear in
|
|||
|
BBS messages are libelous.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You can recover damages for slander or libel without having to prove actual
|
|||
|
financial loss if you are accused of something as serious as having
|
|||
|
committed a crime or having a "loathsome" disease (such as venereal disease
|
|||
|
or AIDS) or if you're accused of being a butcher if you are a surgeon or a
|
|||
|
shyster if you are a lawyer. The reason is that, since the good reputation
|
|||
|
of a professional person is essential to his/her ability to make a living,
|
|||
|
the law assumes that such accusations will diminish that ability and will
|
|||
|
therefore damage him/her. Lawyers call this kind of attack slander or libel
|
|||
|
PER SE.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
[The statute of limitations for starting a civil action for libel
|
|||
|
in some states are as follows -- the number is IN YEARS:
|
|||
|
Arkansas = 3, Florida = 4, Massachusetts = 3, New Hampshire = 6,
|
|||
|
New Mexico = 3, Rhode Island = 6, Vermont = 3. The remaining states
|
|||
|
have a statute of limitations ranging from 1 to 2 years. BUT NOTE:
|
|||
|
If a New York resident, where the statute of limitations is 1 year,
|
|||
|
is libeled in New Hampshire, he/she may have up to 6 years to pursue
|
|||
|
legal action. With bulletin board systems that are attached to
|
|||
|
networks that cover a rather large geographical area, libel may not
|
|||
|
necessarily be confined to the state in which the person libeled
|
|||
|
resides. Therefore, networked-BBS users are well-advised to
|
|||
|
exercise a great deal of caution before engaging in what may be
|
|||
|
construed as a libelous statement regarding another networked-BBS
|
|||
|
user.]
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Remember that to entitle you to recover damages both libel and slander must
|
|||
|
be "published" -- that is, communicated to others. If your neighbor call
|
|||
|
you a thief over the backyard fence, with no one else
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 18
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
present to hear him, he has not slandered you. Nor has he libeled you just
|
|||
|
by writing you a letter charging you with bigamy: he must show his letter
|
|||
|
to you to someone else.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Of course the attacks on you, written or oral, must be untrue to constitute
|
|||
|
libel or slander. Truth is almost always a perfect defense in an action for
|
|||
|
either tort. Freedom of speech is one of our most cherished rights. It
|
|||
|
wouldn't amount to much if we were not free to say things about others that
|
|||
|
we know to be true. The only exception to this -- and it is a rare one --
|
|||
|
is when statements were true but the sole motive in making them was to hurt
|
|||
|
you. The court might in this case hear a suit for the malicious use of true
|
|||
|
information. Spreading lies about others, however, is different especially
|
|||
|
when the lies affect their ability to make a living or may hurt them in
|
|||
|
their family or public relationships.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You can go pretty far in expressing your opinion these days, but you risk a
|
|||
|
lawsuit if you go too far in commenting on your neighbor's personal traits.
|
|||
|
An amusing example was provided by the drama critic Heywood Broun, who
|
|||
|
wrote such a savagely critical attack on an actor's performance in a play
|
|||
|
that the actor sued Broun for libel. The lawsuit was still in the courts
|
|||
|
when the same actor appeared in another play. All concerned rushed to
|
|||
|
Broun's review to see what he had to say about the actor this time. The
|
|||
|
actor's performance, Broun wrote simply, "wasn't up to his usual standard."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Say you are alone in your office, when someone comes in and starts calling
|
|||
|
you a crook, a liar and a cheat. Can you sue that person for defamation? No
|
|||
|
-- even if you aren't a crook, a liar and a cheat. Why? Because the
|
|||
|
defamatory remarks must be heard (or read, in the case of libel) by someone
|
|||
|
besides yourself.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Now suppose that your secretary heard the person call you a crook and such
|
|||
|
but didn't believe a word of it. Does this prevent you from suing the
|
|||
|
person for defamation? No. It doesn't matter whether the person who heard
|
|||
|
the false remarks believed them or not. All that matters is that he or she
|
|||
|
heard the untrue statements and knew they referred to you. The fact that
|
|||
|
nobody believed the false statements does, however, have a bearing on how
|
|||
|
much you will recover in damages. If no one believed the remarks, your
|
|||
|
damages are minimal. On the other hand, if a major client of yours took his
|
|||
|
or her business elsewhere after hearing (or reading) the statements, you'll
|
|||
|
collect much more in damages.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Sometimes a statement is defamatory only if you are able to put two and two
|
|||
|
together. If, for example, the local society reporter states that Mrs.
|
|||
|
Smith is pregnant with her second child, this may at first appear innocuous
|
|||
|
enough at face value. However if the statement is untrue, and Mrs. Smith
|
|||
|
has been widowed for two years, the statement takes on a new meaning. If
|
|||
|
you know Mrs. Smith, you can put the missing facts together to get the
|
|||
|
underlying -- and defamatory -- meaning of the statement.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A possible defense, mostly in actions for slander, is that the statement
|
|||
|
was PRIVILEGED; that is, the person who made it had a special immunity from
|
|||
|
legal action at the time the statement was made. Legislators have absolute
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 19
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
freedom of expression on the floor of the legislature. So if your
|
|||
|
congressman makes a speech in the House of Representatives accusing you of
|
|||
|
having supported a subversive group of terrorists or of financing or
|
|||
|
engaging in illegal activities in your state, all you can do is write him a
|
|||
|
letter or issue a statement to the press daring him to make the same
|
|||
|
charges off the floor of the House -- where he won't have his defense of
|
|||
|
privilege abed you may sue him. But don't let your anger goad you into
|
|||
|
accusing him in public of being a liar and a cheat and a child beater,
|
|||
|
unless you can prove what you say, or you may find yourself being sued.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Similarly, judges while conducting their official duties are privileged to
|
|||
|
say whatever they want, whether in addressing witnesses, talking with
|
|||
|
counsel in court or chairing the jury. Other public officials have more
|
|||
|
limited privilege.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In recent years another legal doctrine has grown up in connection with
|
|||
|
charges of slander and libel. This is the rule of FAIR COMMENT, under which
|
|||
|
courts have held that public figures and elected and appointed officials
|
|||
|
must expect and accept a harsher degree of criticism about the conduct of
|
|||
|
their jobs than private persons. If a newspaper charged the state treasurer
|
|||
|
with incompetent handling of public funds, this criticism would probably
|
|||
|
fall under the fair comment rule, because the treasurer's competence is a
|
|||
|
legitimate subject of public interest. He could not recover damages in a
|
|||
|
libel suit against the paper. But if the same newspaper was to attack a
|
|||
|
private citizen as being a criminal, the citizen could probably sue and
|
|||
|
recover successfully.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
For bulletin board systems, we come to grips with what is referred to as
|
|||
|
the concept of a media defendant. As yet, there is no particular case law
|
|||
|
or precedent that defines the BBS as a media entity, such as newspapers and
|
|||
|
magazines. However, let's say, for the sake of argument, that the typical
|
|||
|
BBS is, indeed, a media entity. As such, the sysop will generally be held
|
|||
|
to the same or similar type of standard as are newspaper and magazine
|
|||
|
publishers. But, such a "protective" standard does not protect users of the
|
|||
|
BBS in the same manner -- that is, while a sysop may have somewhat more
|
|||
|
leeway in expressions of opinion (versus fact) about people, users are
|
|||
|
generally not as free to express the same types of opinions about people.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In conclusion, we can say that the laws of slander and libel are as complex
|
|||
|
as they are inviting. However, a reasonable rule of thumb for each BBS
|
|||
|
participant, be he sysop or user, is: If you cannot say something nice or
|
|||
|
at least neutral about someone's character and/or reputation, then don't
|
|||
|
say anything. Use of the BBS medium to spread falsehoods, cast aspersions,
|
|||
|
suggest inuendos, etc., subject the maker to the more serious charges of
|
|||
|
LIBEL, not slander, because the statements are IN WRITING and certaining
|
|||
|
are "PUBLISHED." Further, if the BBS sysop is or provides reasonable
|
|||
|
indication that he or she is a participant in the libel, then he or she too
|
|||
|
may risk the consequences of such defamation.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A point that many of us may not realize at this juncture is that should you
|
|||
|
ever find yourself involved in a lawsuit for libel, whether you win or lose
|
|||
|
may be of short-term consequence only. The more long-term impact can very
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 20
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
well be that you have damaged your reputation by being labelled (or
|
|||
|
branded) as one who engages in potentially libelous statements. That in
|
|||
|
itself may prove more costly and harmful to you in the long-term than any
|
|||
|
immediate financial loss.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In our next article we'll examine the applicability of the First Amendment
|
|||
|
in the BBS arena.
|
|||
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|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| INTERNATIONAL/CANADA |
|
|||
|
| NRC DISCOVERY |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
(Posted in Global by Frederick Lonsdale, node id ->CHANNEL)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The heaviest element known to science was recently discovered by
|
|||
|
physicists at the NRC Research Centre. The element, tentatively named
|
|||
|
"ADMINISTRATIUM", has no protons or electrons and thus has an atomic
|
|||
|
number of 0. However, it does have one neutron, 125 assistant neutrons,
|
|||
|
75 vice-neutrons and 11 assistant vice- neutrons. This gives it an
|
|||
|
atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together in a nucleus
|
|||
|
by a force that involves the continuous exchange of meson-like particles
|
|||
|
called morons.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Since it has no electrons, ADMINISTRATIUM is inert. However, it can be
|
|||
|
detected chemically as it impedes every reaction it comes in contact with.
|
|||
|
According to the discoverers, a minute amount of ADMINISTRATIUM caused a
|
|||
|
reaction to take over four days to complete, when it would normally
|
|||
|
occur in less than one second. ADMINISTRATIUM has a normal half-life
|
|||
|
of approximately three years, at which time it does not actually
|
|||
|
decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which assistant
|
|||
|
neutrons, vice-neutrons and assistant vice-neutrons exchange places. Some
|
|||
|
studies have shown that the atomic weight usually increases after
|
|||
|
each reorganization.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Research at other laboratories indicates that ADMINISTRATIUM occurs
|
|||
|
naturally in the atmosphere. It tends to concentrate at certain points,
|
|||
|
such as government agencies, large corporations, universities and NRC,
|
|||
|
and can actually be found in the newest, best-maintained buildings.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Scientists point out that ADMINISTRATIUM is known to be toxic at any level
|
|||
|
of concentration, and can easily destroy any productive reactions where it
|
|||
|
is allowed to accumulate. Attempts are being made to determine how
|
|||
|
ADMINISTRATIUM can be controlled to prevent irreversible damage, but
|
|||
|
results to date are not promising.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
- Anon member of the National Research Council, Ottawa
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 21
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| TIPS FROM DAVE! |
|
|||
|
| |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
by David W. Terry, Node id ->SCORE
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
(on setting up PCBSM to perform ratio adjustments)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Most people get confused by the ratio adjustments because they think they
|
|||
|
can tell it HOW MUCH a caller can download. And that is not the case.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The ratio adjustments take place 'after the fact' as a reward or punishment
|
|||
|
for actions already committed.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Re-read the above two paragraphs a couple of times and it will start to
|
|||
|
sink in... you're likely thinking about using ratios just the opposite of
|
|||
|
how they are designed so the 2nd paragraph should help clear things up.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You'll notice that in the ratio table you see ratios on the LEFT and
|
|||
|
security levels on the RIGHT. This is to help you realize that it is their
|
|||
|
CURRENT RATIO that determines what SECURITY level they will GET rather than
|
|||
|
the other way around (where security level dictates a ratio).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In other words if you set up a table like this:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-200 30
|
|||
|
-199 40
|
|||
|
0 50
|
|||
|
20 60
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
What you have told PCBSM is that if a user has an upload ratio of 2:1 that
|
|||
|
his security level should be CHANGED to 60. If his upload ratio is 1:1
|
|||
|
it'll be changed to 50. If his download ratio is between 1:1 and 19.1:1
|
|||
|
he'll have a security level of 40. But if his download ratio drops to 20:1
|
|||
|
or more then his security level will drop to 30.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
So what SECURITY LEVEL he gets depends on how good he's been.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Then in PCBSetup you can control time limits and K-Byte limits based on
|
|||
|
security level as well as access to the D)ownload command. You might set
|
|||
|
the security level for downloading to something higher than 30 (in the
|
|||
|
above example) so that people that have downloaded 20:1 can no longer
|
|||
|
download. You might also cut their time short. Then as their ratio
|
|||
|
improves you give them more time, more bytes, permission to download, etc.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 22
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| NAME THAT AUTHOR! |
|
|||
|
| |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I was quite disappointed with the truly dismal lack of response to last
|
|||
|
month's addition of this regular feature. Not a single RelayNet user
|
|||
|
guessed the correct authors of last month's quotes:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"If I'd have known I was going to live so long,
|
|||
|
I'd have taken better care of myself." --Leon Eldred--
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"Advertising is 85 percent confusion and 15 percent
|
|||
|
commission." --Fred Allen--
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"Advertising is legalized lying." --H. G. Wells--
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I guess I'll just have to make my quote selection a little bit simpler.
|
|||
|
Below are three more quotes. If you can name the author of any *one* of
|
|||
|
the three, I will bestow upon you the high honor of Quote King (or Queen)
|
|||
|
of the Month. Incumbent with the title comes the right and privilege to
|
|||
|
use it in your tagline(s) for the following month! Please route your
|
|||
|
answers R/O in COMMON to me at Node id ->CAPCON.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"An alcoholic is someone you don't like who drinks as much as you do."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"In our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom
|
|||
|
of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice
|
|||
|
either."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"Communism is like one big phone company."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| NOTES FROM |
|
|||
|
| ADMIN |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
RelayNet is now 500 nodes strong!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| AS SEEN ON THE BIT STREAM |
|
|||
|
| |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
TAGLINE OF THE MONTH:
|
|||
|
From: KEITH Standifer
|
|||
|
"Can lyposuction be performed on FAT tables?"
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Page 23
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
JUL RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1990
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
PROTRACTED THREAD OF THE MONTH:
|
|||
|
Anything to do with Matt Giwer
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
THE THREAD THAT LOST CONTROL:
|
|||
|
Photo-Radar (on COMMON)
|
|||
|
Of course, everything is out of control on COMMON!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
MALFUNCTION OF THE MONTH:
|
|||
|
A mysterious acting CONFIG program (released with PCRelay 4.1). The
|
|||
|
problem has been positively traced to either a bad ZIP file, a bad Compaq
|
|||
|
computer or bad Karma!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
| NOTICES |
|
|||
|
| |
|
|||
|
+---------------------------------+
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The RIME Times is published monthly by the membership of RelayNet
|
|||
|
International 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.
|
|||
|
|