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[HEA]
_____________________ ___ _
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| || | | | | |
| || | | | ____ _ _ _ _ ______ | |
| || | | | / __ \ | | / \_/ \ | ___ \ | |
| || |__ ____ | | / / \ | | /\ /\ \ | | \ \ | |
| || _ \ | _ \ | | \ \__/ | | | |_|| | | |__/ / | |
| || | | || |_|| | | \___/|_| |_| |_| | ____/ |_|
| || | | || |__ | |____________________ | | _
|__||_| |_|\____/ |________________________| | | |_|
| |
Lighting Your Apple II Path On Delphi | |
|_|
>>> WELCOME TO THE LAMP! <<<
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WEB SLINGING 101: Sprintnet And Tymenet Alternatives
PERSPECTIVE POSITIVE: Where Are You by Tee Cashmore
AND THE BEST OF THE A2 AND A2PRO MESSAGE BOARDS
"Teaching the Apple II user how to fish since 1998"
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Lamp! An Onipa'a Software Production Vol. 2, No. 11
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Publisher & Editor.......................Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W.
Internet Email....................................thelamp@sheppyware.net
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
TABLE OF CONTENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
November 15, 1999
OPENING PITCH
How Big Did You Want That Bridge? ------------------------------ [OPN]
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED [FOR]
The Heat Is On ------------------------------------------------- [HET]
Miscellanea [MSC]
Rumor Mill ----------------------------------------------------- [RMR]
Public Postings [PUB]
Best Of The Best ----------------------------------------------- [BOB]
WEB SLINGING 101
Tymenet and Sprintnet Alternatives ----------------------------- [WEB]
PERSPECTIVE POSITIVE
Where Are You? by Tee Cashmore --------------------------------- [POP]
EXTRA INNINGS
About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN]
[*] [*] [*]
READING THE LAMP! The index system used by The Lamp! is designed to make
""""""""""""""""" your reading easier. To use this system, load this
issue into any word processor or text editor. In the index you will find
something like:
EXTRA INNINGS
About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN]
To read this article, simply use your search or find command to locate
[INN]. There is a similar tag at the end of each article: [EOA].
:: DISCUSSED ON DELPHI ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
: :
: Give me chastity and continence, but not just now. :
: :
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: TONYW1 :::::::::::::
[EOA]
[OPN]------------------------------
OPENING PITCH |
-----------------------------------
From The Editor
"""""""""""""""
by Ryan M. Suenaga, B.A., M.S.W., L.S.W.
[thelamp@sheppyware.net]
HOW BIG DID YOU WANT THAT BRIDGE?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't normally start my editorials with jokes--at least not
intentionally--but there's a point to this, trust me:
A guy was walking down the beach in Hawai'i and he found a bottle. He
opened it and a genie popped out, saying, "Thanks for freeing me--I now
grant you a wish." The guy said, "Well, I've always wanted to go to
California, but I'm terrified of flying. Could you build me a bridge?"
"Sorry, that's just too hard to do," the genie replied. "Could you
choose something else?"
"Okay. . . I always wanted to understand women."
"How big did you want that bridge?"
It seems to me that when you're asked to do the impossible--something
that Apple II users ask of their machines, their community, and themselves
every day--something just slightly less impossible seems routine.
Unfortunately, the impossible this month was getting this issue out on
time. What was just slightly less impossible was getting it out at all. A
pretty serious case of the flu and some pretty serious turbulence in my
family and personal life have combined to make this issue a lot later than
I'd like. I'd blame it on work if I could, but this time I can't.
In any case, in my penultimate issue as editor, I'd like to say that
I'm leaving you to a better schedule than I could provide. My recent
tardiness doesn't speak to how much I've enjoyed doing this, and how fun
it's all been. Or how hard it's been to get it done.
Of course, I haven't had time to reflect enough on that.
I've been busy building a bridge.
[*] [*] [*]
Toll Booth Department: there's no A2Pro section in this issue, as,
interestingly, there wasn't a single post in Delphi's A2Pro Forum this past
month.
Additionally, we have two articles in this issue--one from one of our
regulars, Tee Cashmore, the other a combination of work by Howard Katz,
Lyle Syverson, and myself. This last article ought to be of particular
interest to those Delphi users using Sprintnet or Tymenet as their method
of access.
The big news this month is that the Delphi Online Service is
discontinuing direct dialup access--that is, you will no longer be able to
access Delphi by Sprintnet or Tymenet. Before anyone starts off on an AOL
rant, the reality is that Delphi -will- continue to be accessible by Apple
II users--it'll just only be accessible via telnet.
For those of you still using Sprintnet or Tymenet access, please read
the article in this issue co-authored by Howard Katz, Lyle Syverson, and
myself. It's specifically designed to assist those of you who will need to
transition to some other type of access.
This is known as building another bridge.
Ryan
thelamp@sheppyware.net
ASCII ART BEGINS
_________ _ _ _
|__ __| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
| | | |___ ____ | | _____ __ ___ _ _ _____ | |
| | | ___ \ / __ \ | | /____ \ | v v | | v ___ \ | |
| | | | | | | /__\ \ | | ____| | | /\ /\ | | / \ \ | |
| | | | | | | _____| | | / ___ | | || || | | | | | |_|
| | | | | | | |_____ | |____ | |__| | | || || | | \___/ / _
|_| |_| |_| \______| |______| \____^_| |_||_||_| | |\____/ |_|
| |
| |
|_|
ASCII ART ENDS
[EOA]
[OPN]------------------------------
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED. . . . |
-----------------------------------
Checking out A2 on Delphi
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Ryan M. Suenaga, B.A., M.S.W., L.S.W.
[thelamp@sheppyware.net]
* The Heat Is On
* Miscellanea
* Rumor Mill
* Public Postings
* Best Of The Best
THE HEAT IS ON
""""""""""""""
[*] Graphics And Sound ....... Old Apple TV Ads Offline
[*] Telecommunications ....... Cable Or DSL And A ][
[*] Entertainment Software ....... Return Of Rescue Rover
[*] Telecommunications ....... Textside Troubles?
MISCELLANEA
"""""""""""
TOO MUCH POWER? Yup, I know of at least two motherboards that got fried
""""""""""""""" by flaky output from a high powered supply. (It was an AE
heavy duty supply that, for no particular reason, liked to spike the
voltage every once in a while.)
If you have been using that power supply consistently through a few
different motherboards, I'd give a stock supply a try to see how long
things run/last with that.
Gary R. Utter
(UTTER, 26312, GO COM A2)
>>>>> I know you said your stuff was toast, but I'm throwing this out
""""" anyway.
A fellow in my Apple club bought a Buggie power supply. It came and his
RamFAST would not work. He took the Buggie out and had Steve send another.
It also would not allow him to boot.
He asked me for help so I brought my Buggie power supply over and his IIgs
booted fine.
I took both supplies home and tried them on my system. Neither would work.
I then measured the 12 and 5 volt supplies (and if memory serves) one or
both of the 5V supplies was too hot. These measurements were taken while
the power supply was connected to the IIgs.
In conversation with Steve it turned out that (at that time at least) he
didn't have a RamFAST so he could not test his supplies to see if it would
work. It appears that the RamFAST is very critical of any deviations from
5V. In addition, he didn't measure the voltage while the unit was plugged
into a working //e or IIgs, which I think is crucial. (Where is Harold when
you need him?)
So, my bottom line in this is to ask if you have measured the four voltages
that the unit produces?
FWIW, there was a guy a couple of years ago on csa2 that got pretty hot
towards Steve in an interminable thread about having such a high powered
device connected to a unit that was designed for considerably less current.
His point was that Steve should put four in-line fast blow fuses to protect
the Apple and any boards connected to it. (Harold would probably also like
to see some sort of in-line inducters to keep a sudden "burp" within
bounds.)
Kind Regards, Joe Walters/BirdLives Email - yardbird@primenet.com
(BIRDLIVES, 26320, GO COM A2)
CARL KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A ][ AND ][+ For someone with an
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" original Apple ][ who
would rather have a ][+, this is a great item. I upgraded my ][ with a Rom
swap many years ago. I don't know if the resulting Integer Rom card is
still in my closet with the ][(+) or not. :)
--
Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech - Wed 13 Oct 99 9:27:24 pm
cknoblo@novia.net - Via Spectrum v2.2 & Crock O' Gold v3.1
Y][Kfest, July 26-30, 2000 - 287 days till Y][Kfest
Using Marinetti 2.0.1 - Thank you, Richard.
(CKNOBLO, 26572, GO COM A2)
<<<<< The switch selected which Rom you got at power-up. DOS would switch
""""" between them as needed, so the position was moot with a bootable
disk on line.
One socket empty? This may be an Integer card, not an AppleSoft card. The
only difference was the Roms. Check the Roms for MicroSoft copyrights.
--
Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech - Fri 15 Oct 99 9:12:01 pm
cknoblo@novia.net - Via Spectrum v2.2 & Crock O' Gold v3.1
Y][Kfest, July 26-30, 2000 - 285 days till Y][Kfest
Using Marinetti 2.0.1 - Thank you, Richard.
(CKNOBLO, 26637, GO COM A2)
<<<<< It goes in slot zero, replacing the 16K ram card, if you have one.
""""" If you put it in a II+ and try to run an integer program and it
runs, it's an Integer Card. If it's an AppleSoft card, you should get a
"Language Not Available." This assumes you do have a disk drive attached.
You could swap the Roms with the motherboard, and they would work just
fine, but Most people I knew, including myself, swapped the other way.
--
Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech - Sat 16 Oct 99 10:44:06 pm
cknoblo@novia.net - Via Spectrum v2.2 & Crock O' Gold v3.1
Y][Kfest, July 26-30, 2000 - 284 days till Y][Kfest
Using Marinetti 2.0.1 - Thank you, Richard.
(CKNOBLO, 26683, GO COM A2)
<<<<< What I and most others did was change a ][ into a ][+. This made it
""""" possible to run ProDOS, which required AppleSoft on the
motherboard. The discussion was about putting a rom card into a ][+, to see
if it was AppleSoft or Integer. From the description, it is probably an
Integer card.
--
Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech - Sun 17 Oct 99 7:11:47 pm
cknoblo@novia.net - Via Spectrum v2.2 & Crock O' Gold v3.1
Y][Kfest, July 26-30, 2000 - 283 days till Y][Kfest
Using Marinetti 2.0.1 - Thank you, Richard.
(CKNOBLO, 26713, GO COM A2)
I JUST WANT PLAIN TEXT Just about any word processor can save (export)
"""""""""""""""""""""" files as plain text. My choices would be
AppleWorks and Hermes (nee ShadowWrite.) Hermes is available here in the A2
Database. CoolWriter should be able to do this as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Tony Ward, A2 Database Manager - Tue Oct 05, 1999 1:32:37 am
[Delivered with Spectrum v2.2 and Crock O' Gold v3.2]
--
(TONYW1, 26326, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Also, depending on your needs, several comm programs have fairly
""""" decent if not totally feature-filled text editors (read: word
processors). There's one in ProTerm and Modem MGR; not sure about Spectrum
since I can't run it. :)
Leon, if you're going to be using the files on the internet, you do need to
add a LF character to each line since the Unix shell you have will
otherwise read the Apple file (CR only) as one long line. I've got a couple
of very small utilities from Joe (Yardbird) Walters that will "convert" the
file either way. Contact me via email and we'll get these over to you.
Tony--I can name one WP that didn't output to text files: GeoWorks. I
bought it, found out it didn't, and since I needed it for that purpose, I
took it back to the store I got it at.
Later............Howard
(HKATZ, 26331, GO COM A2)
CR? LF? CR/LF? I do know from personal experience that if you take a
"""""""""""""""" text file written on an Apple and try to read it with a
unix shell editor such as pico, it comes thru as one long line, and also
that as you noted, IBM clones (a PC is a "personal computer" - our Apples
are that! :) ) can have problems too. That's why whenever I do a file
transfer, I always run it thru the apple-to-unix program before sending it.
Later..........Howard
(HKATZ, 26354, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Well, just so you and anyone else who is interested knows, here are
""""" the end of line (EOL) characters as used by some platforms:
Platform End Of Line character(s) Abbreviation ASCII
----------------- ------------------------ ------------- ---------------
Apple II & Mac Carriage Return CR or ^M 13 or $0D
Unix Line Feed LF or ^J 10 or $10
IBM & compatibles Carriage Return followed CR/LF or ^M^J 13/10 or $0D/$10
by a Line Feed
I usually just use Spectrum's editor to do a find and replace on all the
end of line characters in a document if I want to clean it up for use on my
IIgs or for sending to a different platform. For example, if I transfer a
text file from my Pentium II, I'll replace all occurrences of ^M^J with ^M.
There are other utilities that will do this as well and probably faster but
I have Spectrum installed and often I'm using it when I'm sending or
receiving files that need the EOL character changed so I just use it.
By the way, this is why ASCII mode should be avoided when transferring
binary files via FTP. ASCII mode will automatically change the EOL
character during transfer so unless you are getting the file from a Mac FTP
server you will end up changing or losing some of the data that gets
transferred.
Jeff Blakeney
Dean of the Apple II University in A2Pro
(JBLAKENEY, 26357, GO COM A2)
THE IMAGEWRITER II LIVES Two things that the Imagewriter (I or II) can do
"""""""""""""""""""""""" better than any newer technology printer:
1. print out really long source code listings really cheap and on one
continuous piece of paper.
2. print effectively to multipart carbons. . .
-
Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. -- Editor and Publisher, _The Lamp!_
My words are not to be posted to usenet without my permission ever.
Boycott Alamo! Boycott Alamo! Boycott Alamo! Boycott Alamo!
Posted by PTMM v2.5 - The integrated information solution
(RSUENAGA, 26475, GO COM A2)
HP INKJET HACKING There are a couple of things that need to be looked at
""""""""""""""""" on the DeskJet/Writer.
There are 3 or 6 little O rings under the paper pickup. I do not remember
if they can be seen from the top of you need to disassemble the printer.
The entire printer has no screws, is all snapped together. The top comes
off, the print assembly comes off the bottom for three major parts. The
mini O rings are definetely accessible if it's apart. One or two of them
tend to 'derail', (when you see them you will know what I mean).
As for the 'rubberizing' bit, my terminology, using steel wool or light
sand paper you need to 'deep clean' those three LARGE rollers that suck up
the paper. Then take deglosser or lacquer thinner and clean them off, do
that a couple times. They have loads of paper dust all imbedded in them and
they skid on the paper and "peel out" pushing a whole mess of paper in or
not picking up any.
Do not ask me for more specific details on disassembling the printer, I
have not done one in a while so I can not graphically describe it. I will
tell you that it is not hard, there are some "latches" hold the top DOWN to
the bottom, so if you go around the perimeter on the bottom you will see
it. You need to stick a flat head screwdriver in some slots and push the
latches to one side. I can have one apart in 30 seconds if it's on front of
me so it's not that hard to do.
Tony
(T_DIAZ, 26497, GO COM A2)
>>>>> In most auto parts stores, there is a product called "RubberLube".
""""" This will work. Also, in electronics stores, i.e. Radio Shack,
there is a similar product (don't remember the name) that is made to apply
to a cassette tape deck's capstan drive wheel.
There are probably sever other "home" products that will serve this purpose
as well, but I have no idea what they might be.
Jeff Carr
Sun, 10 Oct 99 @ 19:23:06
Cruising the 'rainbow' path provided by:
Spectrum v2.2 and Crock O' Gold v3.2
Serial Interface - A spoon.
(LUMITECH, 26498, GO COM A2)
>>>>> There was a certain period during which Hewlett Packard produced
""""" some DeskWriters and DeskJets with defective rubber in the rollers.
They made a kit which consisted of a plate which held abrasive material
against the rollers while included software (Mac and Windows only, sorry)
made the rollers run continuously for 15 minutes. This did a nice job of
fixing those rollers, and will do a nice job with your rollers, if you can
get your hands on one. :) (Call HP about it, you MIGHT get lucky.)
If you can't get your hands on a kit, you should be able to build the gizmo
with a small piece of wood and a ScotchBrite (TM) scrub pads. (This is what
HP is using, a pretty aggressive grade of ScotchBrite.)
You can make the rollers turn simply by switching the printer on (and off,
and on, and off and on).
I have performed this operation on half a dozen HPs, and never needed to
"re rubberize" the rollers afterwards. (I DID have a lot of rubber dust to
clean out, though.)
Gary R. Utter
(UTTER, 26515, GO COM A2)
QUICK RAMFAST FIXES It may be as silly as taking the RAM out and putting
""""""""""""""""""" them back. I usually swap them around in the
positions.
Sometimes pushing tight on them fixes it, otherwise scavenge some RAM off
something else.
If you have a well stocked or been around in business for a while PC store
in the area you can usually get 2 44256s out of them on a slow day. Or a
GSRAM Ultra, RAMPak 4 GS, newer PC Transporter will have RAM that can be
borrowed.
If you have a RAMFast Rev C it's even simpler to find 41256 chips.
Check http://www.apple2.org/ <--- The hardware reference link, RAM Cards
for info on what cards use what RAM.
I find that RAMFasts kill a lot of 44256 chips.
Tony
(T_DIAZ, 26484, GO COM A2)
THE EVOLUTION OF APPLE II FRIENDLY ISPS? Recently, my ISP started a new
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "service" that intrigued me so I
called them and asked for more information. It seems that they now are
offering "nationwide" dialup service.
Having been friends with the owner of my ISP for a couple of years now I
was interested in knowing how they could do that. Seems that a lot of the
independent ISPs are starting to do a number pooling - call in, give your
full email address, and the local provider will connect you thru to your
home ISP. And from what I gathered, no additional charge is involved.
Since my ISP is going to continue to offer shell accounts, this might be a
way for someone outside the chicagoland area to sign up for a shell
account. (and if you use a PPP/SLIP connection, that's supposed to work
too.)
The one drawback to consider is if the local ISP you're connecting thru
decided to pull out of the cooperative setup, you'd lose your access to the
account. (BTW--I just called them--no extra charge for connection thru the
local number setup.)
If anyone's interested, check out the homepage for Foxvalley Internet at
www.foxvalley.net and choose the link about nationwide service (some
Canadian towns are listed too.) Their phone # is 847-742-4623. Not all
areas or states are covered, but there's a growing list. If you've lost
shell access in your area, and one of these phone numbers is local to you,
you could get an account with them for $14.95/mo or less (if you pre-pay
your service. (and if anyone asks--no, I don't get anything for signups if
you join--I just thought it's an interesting alternative for shell
accounts.) The website is accessible from here via Delphi's lynx option.
Later...........Howard
(HKATZ, 26525, GO COM A2)
SOME LYNX ADVICE All Lynx users should bookmark this site:
""""""""""""""""
http://www.crl.com/~subir/lynx.html
Among other things, this site points you to places where you can access
Lynx via telnet. Delphi may not have the latest version of Lynx, but it
does have telnet. For example, you can telnet to lynx.bob.bofh.org and
you'll be able to use Lynx 2.8.2 right from your Delphi account.
Here's the URL to the list of Lynx public telnet sites:
http://www.crl.com/~subir/lynx/public_lynx.html
Be sure to note the logon instructions for the site you choose.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Tony Ward, A2 Database Manager - Wed Oct 13, 1999 8:35:18 am
[Delivered with Spectrum v2.2 and Crock O' Gold v3.2]
--
I'll get to it on the 2nd Tuesday of next week.
(TONYW1, 26563, GO COM A2)
DELPHI DROPPING DIAL IN ACCESS This is the first I heard of it, but I'm
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" not terribly surprised. That access is
probably the most expensive (to Delphi and it's users) so, if the number of
users was dropping, it made sense to drop it. With my IIgs, and Marinetti,
I've been using TCP/IP to reach Delphi from my ISP for some time. Before
that, I used my ISPs shell.
For those who used the dialup due to not finding an ISP with a shell, and
having older IIs that can't use Marinetti, this is a real hardship, unless
they can afford to upgrade their hardware. IIgs computers aren't all that
expensive anymore, unless you want an accelerator. Macs that can run Bernie
at reasonable speed are getting more affordable, and those who went down
the Intel path can get Sweet 16, if they have hardware that can reasonably
run BEOS.
Unix shells are going to get harder to find, and direct text access is
doomed to cost considerations ending them. I know many would rather not
move on, but it has to happen sometime.
--
Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech - Fri 15 Oct 99 10:33:14 pm
cknoblo@novia.net - Via Spectrum v2.2 & Crock O' Gold v3.1
Y][Kfest, July 26-30, 2000 - 285 days till Y][Kfest
Using Marinetti 2.0.1 - Thank you, Richard.
(CKNOBLO, 26642, GO COM A2)
>>>>> We don't know the reason that Delphi is dropping dialups. I wonder
""""" if the Sprint/MCI merger may be the root cause here, are you in a
position to speculate?
Gary R. Utter
(UTTER, 26645, GO COM A2)
<<<<< Speculate? Sure. I can do that as well as anyone. I have no inside
""""" info, however, since I don't work for either of them. (Yet) (And
hopefully never will.)
--
Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech - Sat 16 Oct 99 11:03:49 pm
cknoblo@novia.net - Via Spectrum v2.2 & Crock O' Gold v3.1
Y][Kfest, July 26-30, 2000 - 284 days till Y][Kfest
Using Marinetti 2.0.1 - Thank you, Richard.
(CKNOBLO, 26685, GO COM A2)
>>>>> With at least one (and probably more) ISPs doing number pooling,
""""" there's bound to be a lot of our A2 dialup folk who can still stay
online if they wish. My previous message about the ISP I use is a good case
in point. Factor in the cost of the per-hour usage of Delphi, vs the
monthly cost of the ISP, and it should be fairly close. Foxvalley Internet,
the one I mentioned will NOT be getting rid of its shell accounts. Since
it's run on Linux as it's base operating system, the shells will be there.
And the owner tells me that he prefers Linux to any of the other ISP
software packages, so I'm not worried about losing shell access. :)
If one of the numbers they have listed is local to you (www.foxvalley.net
for the list, then getting an ISP to log onto Delphi is pretty painless. :)
later...........Howard
(HKATZ, 26664, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Such is why I've made the decision to go to the Mac and Bernie.
""""" I've ordered my Mac.
Yesterday it was in the midst of a controversy as to what will be shipped
versus what was ordered. Today I know what I ordered will be shipped, but
not when :-(
While Primenet has shell accounts, I don't think anyone can sign up for a
new one since they have announced that dial-up shell will go away "sometime
in the (near) future."
Shell accounts will continue to shrink. In Primenet's case it seems, from
reading many internal posts, that the folks that maintain the shell side of
the business don't really understand shell i.e., shell accounts are not
evil, just maintained by folks that don't understand them (IBM PC heads).
I also hear that "shell folks consume too many resources." In e-mail with
David Kerwood, where I described how I log on to Delphi (via telnet), and
use ProTerm macros to read all the topics I'm interested in to a text file
on my HD and then log off and use AppleWorks to read and compose replies
(such as this one) - David said that I'm the low cost spread.
It seems that most shell folks dial-up to their and read the topic,
newsgroup, etc., messages message-by-message which ties up resources for a
long time.
Kind Regards, Joe Walters/BirdLives Email - yardbird@primenet.com
(BIRDLIVES, 26753, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Staying on-line for a long time reading messages via telnet is not
""""" a big strain on your ISP's resources. In fact, it's negligible.
Think about what you're doing. Very little data is sent back and forth.
Most of the time you're either reading what has already been sent, or
composing a reply.
The biggest hogs are chat bots and news readers. In fact, chat bots are so
resource intensive (not to mention ripe for misuse) that many ISPs forbid
them. You can check the top resource hogs on your shell via the 'ps' and
'top' commands. But be careful with 'top' since it can be a hog itself.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Tony Ward, A2 Database Manager - Tue Oct 19, 1999 7:34:59 pm
[Delivered with Spectrum v2.2 and Crock O' Gold v3.2a]
--
Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours.....
(TONYW1, 26801, GO COM A2)
>>>>> But for those of us who live outside the US, it is a great strain
""""" on our wallet!
I now have free phone calls at weekends, but to an ISP that requires CHAP
to log on. Until Marinetti can support CHAP, it costs me 1.5 cents a minute
to stay online...
Ewen Wannop - Speccie - Wed 20 Oct 1999 - 280 days till Y2KFest
Delivered without using a IIgs by Spectrum 2.2 & Crock O' Gold 3.2
Bernie ][ the Rescue 2.5.1 woofing at 55Mhz on a G3/350
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ewannop/
(EWANNOP, 26808, GO COM A2)
SETTING UP SCSI ID'S BLIND Follow the wires to the ID selector, see if
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" it's labeled in some numerical order, either
1, 2, 4, or 0,1,2 ... if it's 0,1,2, well, there you go. If not it's A0 to
1, A1, to 2, A2 to 4. the ground or common wire needs only to connect to
one of the three pins.
The trick is you need to examine the drive and see which side of the three
is ground and which is the signal. On Quantums you can see traces running
toward the connector, you will see three traces individually going towards
the pins on the board. Connect the common wire to a pin on the other side.
o o----- trace
o o----- trace
o o----- trace
GND A0 ...
Like that. Set the ID to three, if the computer says the ID is three you
got it right, if it's 4 the A0-A2 wires are 180 degree backwards, if it's
something else you got it really screwed up. :)
Tony
(T_DIAZ, 26661, GO COM A2)
DELPHI MAIL COMMANDS As you are using COG, all you need to do is read up
"""""""""""""""""""" the !Help! section on 'Messages & File Search'. This
explains how to use the 'E-Mail Search' feature.
That will do all that you want. As long as Delphi has not rolled off the
messages and deleted them!
As long as you have actually received the messages, then you should be
archiving your message files after you read them with COG. Then you can do
a search on those archives later. Read the !Help! files for a fuller
explanation.
Ewen Wannop - Speccie - Mon 18 Oct 1999 - 282 days till Y2KFest
Delivered without using a IIgs by Spectrum 2.2 & Crock O' Gold 3.2
Bernie ][ the Rescue 2.5.1 woofing at 55Mhz on a G3/350
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ewannop/
(EWANNOP, 26726, GO COM A2)
>>>>> If you go to the MAIL page and type DIR you'll get a list of all
""""" your mail. Actually, you'll get a list of the currently open mail
folder which will either be NEWMAIL if you have any unread mail, or MAIL
which contains stuff you have already read (it's kept for a few weeks.) The
name of the open folder is displayed at the top of the screen if I recall
correctly.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Tony Ward, A2 Database Manager - Mon Oct 18, 1999 2:16:27 am
[Delivered with Spectrum v2.2 and Crock O' Gold v3.2a]
--
Lackland's Laws: Never be first; Never be last; Never volunteer for
anything
(TONYW1, 26729, GO COM A2)
>>>>> When I first started using telnet in OLRight!, I had problems with
""""" 'hunks' of data from Delphi mail just disappearing. With the two
listserves that Lady Technophobe subscribes to bring in upward of 100
messages a day, I was retrieving a lot of data at once. It was not unusual
to lose whole blocks of data from the mail stream. I would sit there
watching it, and there was no visible 'gap' on this end. I finally decided
that there must be some kind of glitch in how Delphi's mail works via
telnet, because I had no such trouble with Sprintnet. There was one other
who was helping me test OLRight! at the time, and he had the same problem.
At the time, I was using the command that basically spools all the mail to
the terminal window. I eventually gave up on it because of this problem. I
now retrieve each letter individually.
It sounds as though you are having a similar problem. When Delphi's mail
system sends out the mail (either using the EXTRACT command or in single
letters), it marks the message as 'read' when it starts to send it. There
is no way that I know of to tell Delphi (in its textside mail) that you did
not get the whole letter, or that the mail that you receive was missing
something (as evidenced by unrelated mail being concatenated in the same
'letter').
I used a two-fold solution to this problem in my ANSITerm scripts. First, I
retrieve the mail one letter at a time, just pressing ENTER between
letters. I also close and re-open the download buffer between letters,
because that writes the buffer to disk, and that way I have all previous
letters if there is a 'stall' or other problem (I have a really bad phone
line). Second, when new mail is read, it goes from a NEW folder to the MAIL
folder. Before reading the mail, I copy everything that is in the MAIL
folder into a folder called ARCHIVE (deleted and re-created at each
session). This way, when I log on, I have the new mail available, plus the
previous session's mail, plus the mail from the session before that. I
delete everything else each session.
Don V. Zahniser (IronTooth)
Woofed to you by OLRight! scripts for ANSITerm via Bernie ][ the Rescue!
(DZAHNISER, 26913, GO COM A2)
SUPER MINI NULL MODEM HOW-TO Software needed:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Telecommunications software on both ends. Modem MGR, TIC, or ProTERM 3.1
would be great choices on the //c. I'll leave the software for the other
computer to someone who actually uses one regularly :)
Hardware needed:
Null modem cable.
Modem MGR is a freeware (formerly commercial) program that can be had here
in the Delphi A2 database or at better Apple II ftp sites (such as
trenco.gno.org). TIC is currently not available except in source form.
ProTERM is available from Intrec Software (http://www.intrec.com).
Null modem cables. . . well, give me a few weeks :)
Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W.
Editor and Publisher, _The Lamp!_, published monthly on Delphi
Boycott Alamo! Please don't quote without permission.
Delivered by Spectrum 2.2 and Crock O' Gold 3.0!
(RSUENAGA, 26870, GO COM A2)
>>>>> In addition to the ones that Ryan mentioned, there is also Kermit
""""" for the Apple ][. A lot of folks seem to ignore it, because there
are lots better communications programs available, but it does work! If you
have ever used a command-line version of Kermit on any platform, you could
probably get up and running in a few minutes. Kermit v3.86 or better (maybe
earlier, but I never used them) supports Xmodem also.
As for the PC side, I was doing the transfers to a Windows 3.1 machine
using the Terminal program supplied with Windows. I imagine HyperTerminal
would work just fine.
You could look on almost any Apple ][ ftp site for kermit.
Don V. Zahniser (IronTooth)
Woofed to you by OLRight! scripts for ANSITerm via Bernie ][ the Rescue!
(DZAHNISER, 26914, GO COM A2)
MORE ON THE CSA2 FAQ It is my *guess* that a FAQ becomes "official" when:
""""""""""""""""""""
1. Initially someone (A) decides to write one.
2. Feedback to (A) causes the FAQ to get updated. Loop
between 1 and 2 for some period of time.
3. (A) becomes tired of updating the FAQ and somewhat abandons it. This
continues for some number of months until (B) contacts (A), or if (A)
has left the group, takes over the FAQ.
4. (B) does great work in updating the FAQ over a period of time. In
fact, after a period of time (B) thinks that he "owns" the FAQ even
though the original was the result of many folks' contributions.
5. (B) decided that because the majority do not support his views to the
level that he wishes, that he will "Take his marbles and throw them
into a volcano," and then forbid anyone from *touching* existing
pictures of his marbles.
6. Nobody challenges (B's) assertions so we all sit and watch the once
really good FAQ become less relevant with each passing day.
My read of the birth and death of the csa2 FAQ.
Kind Regards, Joe Walters/BirdLives Email - yardbird@primenet.com
(BIRDLIVES, 27099, GO COM A2)
HOW TO MOVE YOUR APPLE II DISK IMAGES TO AN EMULATOR Do what I did. Null
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" modem it directly
from the GS to the PC. It only took 20 hours for two 32mg partitions and a
100mg HFS partition, which is almost my whole GS setup.
I just started it when I went to bed and closed it down when I got home
from work.
It's amazing. My whole GS in a folder on the old 233.
Dave....
(UNCLE_DUCK, 26270, GO COM A2)
DEFENDER OF THE CROWN RETURNS Emulation site Emu Camp has reported that
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Game Boy Color programmer Charles Doty is
porting the Cinemaware Commodore 64/Amiga/Apple IIGS strategy action title
Defender of the Crown to the Gameboy Color. This is currently a pet project
and no mention was made regarding possible publishers of the game.
-Ken
(KEN_GAGNE, 26267, GO COM A2)
RUMOR MILL
""""""""""
WHAT HAPPENED TO APPLEWORKS GS? AWGS has been discontinued for quite some
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" time, far longer than Appleworks 5 has
not been available. . .
-
Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. -- rsuenaga@apple2.org
Editor and Publisher, _The Lamp!_, published monthly on Delphi
Posted by PTMM v2.5 - The integrated information solution
(RSUENAGA, 26351, GO COM A2)
SHEPPY ON SWEET16 STATUS Sweet16 isn't a IIgs project, it's a BeOS
"""""""""""""""""""""""" project, and will be getting a *lot* of my
development time for the forseeable future.
I'll be doing a lot more BeOS programming from now on.
---
Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd
sheppy@sheppyware.net
http://www.sheppyware.net
(SHEPPY, 26237, GO COM A2)
WHAT DOES WOZ THINK IS TRUE? This Is True is a weekly email of true,
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ridiculous news stories - good for many
laughs! I've been a subscriber for years, and as it turns out, someone else
we all know very well is also enjoying his subscription. Read his letter to
the editor:
http://www.thisistrue.com/woz.html
-Ken
(KEN_GAGNE, 26310, GO COM A2)
CAN I STILL BUY 5.25 DSDD FLOPPIES? It's not unusual to find them at
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Office Depot here. . . you can always
pick up a Computer Shopper and check the mail order route. . .
-
Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. -- Editor and Publisher, _The Lamp!_
My words are not to be posted to usenet without my permission ever.
Boycott Alamo! Boycott Alamo! Boycott Alamo! Boycott Alamo!
Posted by PTMM v2.5 - The integrated information solution
(RSUENAGA, 26421, GO COM A2)
>>>>> Most of the Wal-Marts I've visited still have some DS/DD 5.25"
""""" disks, made bye 3M/Imation. They're not cheap (around $3.00/box)
compared to the 3.5" disks. Unfortunately, Wal-Mart won't special order,
but if you ask the dept. manager to check, they might be on their order
list, and if you promise to buy several boxes.....
And for folk who for political reasons are boycotting WalMart, you might
try K-Mart. :)
Later.........Howard
(HKATZ, 26432, GO COM A2)
>>>>> My 1997 MEI catalog lists DS/DD for $0.19. Minimum order 100 disks,
""""" shipping $1.20 per 100 disks. 800/634-3478.
If these disks are for Apple then you do NOT want DS/HD disks which MEI
also sells
Kind Regards, Joe Walters/BirdLives Email - yardbird@primenet.com
(BIRDLIVES, 26467, GO COM A2)
>>>>> As of a month or so ago, you could buy 5.25" DSDD floppies from
""""" Imation's online store at {<http://www.imation.com>
www.imation.com.}
Their online store is currently offline, though, being upgraded. But if I
recall correctly, the price was decent.
---
Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd
sheppy@sheppyware.net
http://www.sheppyware.net
(SHEPPY, 26567, GO COM A2)
APPLE II SALES CASE IN POINT: SILVERN CASTLE Got a letter from Jeff Fink
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" last week, and it is my
understanding that he had indeed registered about 10 copies of Silvern
Castle since its release last summer. I don't think he's particularly
disappointed, although I had hoped he'd receive more payments than this. He
may be amazed that he was actually able to make $150 off an Apple II
shareware product at this late date in our history.
Good news .... In addition to sending me an updated version of Silvern
Castle (v2.x), he also sent along several other games for upload. I'll get
those packed up properly and deposited in the database in coming days.
Max Jones
Juiced.GS
http://www.wbwip.com/juiced.gs
(JUICEDGS, 27005, GO COM A2)
>>>>> I think we've had to realize for some time now that there are not
""""" that many people who will pay for Apple II products. For instance,
I'm not a gamer on -any- platform, so I haven't bought Silvern Castle. That
doesn't mean I haven't paid MyEsource money recently for updates. . . .
Still, it is a shame to see such few sales for such a work.
Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W.
Editor and Publisher, _The Lamp!_, published monthly on Delphi
Boycott Alamo! Please don't quote without permission.
Delivered by Spectrum 2.2 and Crock O' Gold 3.0!
(RSUENAGA, 27009, GO COM A2)
PUBLIC POSTINGS
"""""""""""""""
A FLURRY OF SHEPPYWARE STUFF Beginning on October 28, WebWorks GS will
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" become shareware. You'll be able to download
the complete product from my web site and try it out. If you like it, pay
$15.00 (US) for it (a price decrease of $5!). If not, delete it! It's
win-win for everybody!
The documentation is in the process of being converted into lovely HTML for
viewing in a web browser, and will be included with the software (and will
also be available on my web site for your viewing pleasure).
---
Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd
sheppy@sheppyware.net
http://www.sheppyware.net
(SHEPPY, 26860, GO COM A2)
<<<<< On October 28, I'll be releasing the complete Shifty List,
""""" uncrippled, for everyone to download. It will remain shareware, but
you'll no longer have to try it out with a crippled copy of the software.
The price will remain unchanged at $20.
---
Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd
sheppy@sheppyware.net
http://www.sheppyware.net
(SHEPPY, 26861, GO COM A2)
<<<<< My web site is being totally redesigned. There will be some :
""""" sections temporarily unavailable during the redesign, but once it's
done, it's gonna be pretty nice.
The new design will go into effect tomorrow. It will already be set up for
the newly shareware WebWorks GS, even though that doesn't actually happen
until the 28th, so don't freak out. :)
---
Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd
sheppy@sheppyware.net
http://www.sheppyware.net
(SHEPPY, 26888, GO COM A2)
NEW BERNIE STARTER KIT I just wanted to let folks know that an updated
"""""""""""""""""""""" Bernie ][ The Rescue Starter Kit CD-ROM went into
the mail today; it includes v2.5.1 of Bernie.
The instant that v2.5.1 was released, Shareware Solutions II stopped
mailing Bernie CDs with the older v2.0.2. It took a little while to re-do
the CD and the packaging, but if you've been waiting for your Bernie on
CD-ROM, you won't be waiting much longer.
woof, woof
Joe Kohn
http://www.crl.com/~joko
(JOE_KOHN, 26404, GO COM A2)
A QUICKEN Y2K REPLACEMENT The "Ohmigosh, It's Almost 2000" Sale...
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Speaking of clocks ticking, and time running out...
In a little more than 2 months, the Apple II version of Quicken will become
obsolete, as not too many banks will be willing to cash checks that were
written in the year 1900.
CheckWorks is a Y2K-problem-free alternative solution.
CheckWorks works from within AppleWorks, versions 3 thru 5. In order to use
Checkworks with AW3, you will need Ultra 4.1. To run CheckWorks with AW 4
and 5, nothing extra is required except, of course, AppleWorks Classic.
Having concerns about Y2K, I sent an evaluation copy of CheckWorks to Ms
Y2K (Bev Cadieux), and she confirmed that all will be well with CheckWorks
come next January.
CheckWorks costs $20; I'll dispense with the usual $3 s/h charge.
If you want to use your Apple II for checkbook reconciliation in the year
2000, CheckWorks will let you.
AppleWorks Classic is required!
To order CheckWorks, send $20 to...
Joe Kohn
Shareware Solutions II
166 Alpine St
San Rafael, CA 94901
http://www.crl.com/~joko
(JOE_KOHN, 26792, GO COM A2)
BERNIE AUTHOR BARKS FOR HELP Hello everyone,
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I'm currently involved in a project dealing with legacy software, industry
standards and obsolescence in the computing industry.
The basic idea is that technology advances at mind-blowing speed which
renders your past investments useless. Changing standards and marketing
strategies lead to forced obsolescence. The concept of a compatibility
market will be developed that is currently heavily underrated. In a second
part emphasis will be put on benefits of software emulation, technical
implementation (notably JITs), and so on.
If...
- you are using Apple II computers or other out-of-production platforms in
your business
- would be willing to share some figures with me and/or your thoughts on
this subject
- you are using a well thought out software such as proprietary
applications or heavily customized standard software (such as AppleWorks
Classic), and that system does a non-trivial task
- would like to prove a few people wrong that phased-out equipment is
obsolete
then I would greatly appreciate if you could back to me. I assure you 100%
confidentiality and any data you provide will be published in aggregated
form only. The project is a joint effort of the faculties of technical
informatics and economics at the University of Basel.
Please e-mail me at {<mailto:emutech@magnet.ch> emutech@magnet.ch} .
Thanks!
Henrik Woof Gudat
woof woof
(GUDATH, 26543, GO COM A2)
JUICED.GS--BETTER LATE THAN NEVER Hey gang,
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I know I've been scarce around here lately, but I wanted to drop by to let
you all know that the new issue of Juiced..GS (V4,I3) is in the mail. U.S.
subscribers should be receiving their copies within days, if not sooner.
:-)
Thank you all for your patience. We ran about three weeks late on this
issue, but I plan to be back on schedule next time around.
I'll post an index of this issue in a few days.
Max Jones
Juiced.GS
http://www.wbwip.com/juiced.gs
(JUICEDGS, 26603, GO COM A2)
JUICED VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3 HITS THE MAILBOX Announcing ...
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
===== Juiced.GS, Volume 4, Issue 3 =====
The October 1999 edition of Juiced.GS, the Apple II world's premier
IIGS-specific magazine, was delivered to 229 subscribers in 44 states and
numerous points around the globe.
Here's what you'll find in this issue:
============
FEATURES
Cover Story: Kfest '99 -- Another summer of celebration ... The annual
Apple II conference in Kansas City shined bright lights on some of the "old
reliable" software users have grown to know and love. Juiced.GS was there
to record all the festivities, and presents the most complete report you'll
find anywhere of what went on during official sessions as well as behind
the scenes. We even have photos!!
Programming: Introduction to GSoft BASIC ... Part 4 in our in-depth
tutorial from Eric "Sheppy" Shepherd on the latest, greatest BASIC
implementation for the GS. The author again offers advice and direction to
both beginners and advanced programmers who want to learn more about what
GSoft BASIC has to offer and how it performs its coding magic.
Emulation: Bernie, meet Ernie ... Ryan Suenaga, the Apple II world's top
dog when it comes to Mac emulation and Bernie ][ The Rescue, introduces
users to Sweet16 (known lovingly as Ernie), the IIGS emulator for BeOS
running on Macs or Intel PCs.
COLUMNS
Telecommunications: Back on the GS side of things ... Tony Ward turns his
telecom attentions to the greatest tools available to users who want to
make their online lives easier and more productive.
My Home Page: Digging out from a busy summer ... A few thoughts from the
editor about the hectic pace and unpredictable events that delayed
production of this issue.
II Be Named Later: Our columnist, Ryan Suenaga, gets nostalgic about
another Kfest gone by, and looks ahead to yet another one in 2000.
DEPARTMENTS
Shareware Spotlight: Ken Gagne reviews Silvern Castle, the new 8-bit
role-playing game, and Howard Katz brings readers up to date on software
status reclassification efforts.
DumplinGS: Lots of news from around the Apple II world, including exciting
news about IIGS/Marinetti compatibility with Earthlink, a nationwide ISP,
and specials galore from Shareware Solutions II.
============
Juiced.GS is a quarterly, printed publication available by subscription
only.
A subscription for 1999 is $14 in the U.S., Canada or Mexico, $20
elsewhere.
To subscribe, send a check or money order in U.S. funds to:
Max Jones
Juiced.GS
2217 Lakeview Drive
Sullivan, IN 47882
Make checks or money orders payable to Max Jones. Sorry, no credit cards or
purchase orders can be accepted.
Complete sets of 1996, 1997 and 1998 issues are available for $14 each ($20
overseas). If you would like to purchase only a specific single copy (or
copies) of back issues, they are available for $4 each ($6 overseas). An
index and brief description of articles published in '96/'97'98 are
available on the Juiced.GS web site. See URL below.
Apple II Forever!
Max Jones
Juiced.GS
Delphi: JuicedGS -- Internet: juicedgs@delphi.com
World Wide Web: http://www.wbwip.com/juiced.gs
(JUICEDGS, 26912, GO COM A2)
SILVERN CASTLE REACHES VERSION 2.1 GreetinGS!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I have just uploaded the v2.1 update of Silvern Castle to the Entertainment
topic of the Apple II Forum Database. It will be available for download
after our library wizards do their thing.
Version 2.1 requires a fully installed version of Silvern Castle v1.0. The
update archive does not produce a functional game by itself. The
installation procedure is explained by author Jeff Fink in the
READ.ME.FIRST file in the SCupdate21.BXY archive. Enjoy!
I will also be uploading some new titles from Jeff Fink in coming days.
Ain't new software fun!!
Max Jones
Juiced.GS
http://www.wbwip.com/juiced.gs
(JUICEDGS, 27072, GO COM A2)
NEW STOP ON THE WEB FOR THE TREASURE CHEST PROJECT WE HAVE MOVED !!!!!!!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" |87)
{<http://www.treasurechestproject.org>
http://www.treasurechestproject.org}
Finally, after the long hassles of trying to locate a good website.
Treasure Chest Project now is sitting in a server that is accessible almost
all of the time by me |87)
Took a while to get InterNIC stuff all organised, moving the registered
domain names and stuff, as well as applying to InterNIC for my DNS server
to be 'seen'.
FTP access will be soon up |87)
It certainly helps when you are the SysAdmin of the box !
(WILLIEYEO, 26391, GO COM A2)
BEST OF THE BEST
""""""""""""""""
26727 18-OCT 03:15 Welcome to A2/Announements
Delphi is dropping local dial-up! (Re: Msg 26642)
From: RSUENAGA To: ALL
Here is the issue with dial up access as I see it:
Those of you who are using Web only or Telnet accounts are unaffected.
The people who we are concerned about and who we have some fear of losing
contact with are those who are using Sprintnet or Tymenet to connect.
If you're one of those people, we can see what we can do to help you get a
different kind of account and find an access route that you can use so you
can stay in contact with us. There's already a lot of published information
out there on getting to Delphi via other means and there are ways for us to
find some kind of access local to you, but if we don't know who you are and
how many of you there are, there's nothing we can do for you.
We don't want that, at least I certainly don't.
The Apple II community is already small enough. Let's keep it from getting
any smaller.
-
Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. -- Editor and Publisher, _The Lamp!_
My words are not to be posted to usenet without my permission ever.
Boycott Alamo! Boycott Alamo! Boycott Alamo! Boycott Alamo!
Posted by PTMM v2.5 - The integrated information solution
[EOA]
[WEB]------------------------------
WEB SLINGING 101 |
-----------------------------------
Delphi Forums And The Apple II
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Written by Howard Katz, Lyle Syverson, and Ryan M. Suenaga
[hkatz@delphi.com],[lyle837@delphi.com],[thelamp@sheppyware.net]
Tymenet and Sprintnet Alternatives
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's official--the Delphi Online Service will stop supporting dialup
access very soon.
This news was not welcomed by the Apple II community. Although more
and more of the focus of telecommunications is being moved from traditional
online services and electronic bulletin board systems (aka BBSs) to the
Internet, many of the Apple II faithful continue to use and champion the
traditional dialup online service.
Unfortunately, that traditional online service is dying a relatively
quick death as the Internet assimilates old style telecommunications in a
fashion that even the Borg would envy. The old per hour charge model of
the traditional online service has given way to the flat rate model used by
modern Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and the standard ASCII access has
been largely replaced by a TCP/IP connect. Just where does that leave
those of us who still champion the Apple II?
It leaves us with some very viable options.
Let's take a look at some ways you can continue accessing Delphi--and
the rest of the Internet--with your Apple II. We'll take a look at options
for both 8 bit and 16 bit Apple IIs, including some at very low cost, and
some that many people may not have thought of.
EIGHT BIT OPTIONS In order to access Delphi without Sprintnet or Tymenet
""""""""""""""""" services with an 8 bit Apple II, you will most likely
need some kind of text based dialup service. Since there is no way to make
a TCP/IP connection to the Internet using the 8 bit Apple II computers you
will need to find some type of service--either an ISP or one of the options
below--that has dialup access and provides telnet software on that system.
You will also need communications program on your Apple II that
provides VT100 emulation or higher. _ProTERM_ can be purchased from
http://www.intrec.com/. _Modem MGR_ and _Kermit_ can be downloaded from
the A2 Database on Delphi. _Talk is Cheap V4_ might be available on the
used market. (Versions of _TIC_ earlier than V4 do not provide VT100
emulation.)
Low Cost Alternatives include freenets, BBS's, libraries, colleges,
""""""""""""""""""""" universities, and employers.
To find these alternatives check the yellow pages, the local library,
any local computer user groups, and local colleges/universities. Ask
friends and coworkers what they use for an ISP. Ask your employer if they
provide any ISP privileges.
Freenets and Community Networks The term freenet implies an ISP that can
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' be used free of charge. Often these
organizations offer certain services free but charge a modest fee for other
services such as telnet. Not all freenets offer telnet.
In addition to the suggestions above search the World Wide Web for
freenets. Some freenets can be located at this URL...
http://www.lights.com/freenet/. Search for "freenet" using HotBot.
(http://www.hotbot.com)
BBS's Some of the local BBS's offer telnet. Costs to connect to BBS's
''''' vary widely.
Libraries vary widely as to any internet services they offer. If you are
''''''''' lucky you might find one that allows you to dial in and
provides telnet service on its system.
Colleges and Universities sometimes provide dial in internet service.
''''''''''''''''''''''''' Sometimes you will be able to use their system
but will have to do so on campus. You might have to be a student or on the
staff in order to use the system.
Employers sometimes will allow you to dial into their system from home.
''''''''' If telnet software is included on that system you can probably
use it with your Apple II.
The Conventional ISP Finding an Internet Service Provider is easy these
"""""""""""""""""""" days, especially if you live in a metropolitan area.
The phone book yellow pages usually has a comprehensive listing of them.
Even in more rural areas, there should be some that are listed. However,
not all ISPs are created equal, and many of them will not be able to
interface with an Apple II computer.
For those with a GS, the _Marinetti_ option, described later in this
article, is available. For 8 bit Apple II users, or those GS owners using
an 8 bit communications program such as _ProTERM_ or _Modem MGR_, you need
to find an ISP that offers a shell account. This section will deal with
ISPs where Marinetti is not being used.
ISPs tend to fall into 3 broad categories, based upon the operating
systems they use.
Windows and Windows NT Servers Many ISPs are based on these Microsoft
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' products. While the price per month for
use of these systems tends to be low, they're normally inaccessible to 8
bit Apple II users, since they need access protocols (TCP/IP,PPP or SLIP)
not available to the communications programs.
Unix-based Servers These come in a variety of "flavors" since there's
'''''''''''''''''' several variations of Unix available. If an ISP is
running one of these, connecting usually isn't a problem, since the shell
account you need to connect is built in. (Caveat: some ISPs may have the
shell system disabled, and you would need to get then to turn it on for
you. It's also possible that you might have to dial a separate number to
access the shell.
Mixed Systems Some ISPs will use different operating systems for
''''''''''''' different functions. For example, you might find your ISP
uses NT for internet access, but Unix for mail usage.
Mixed systems may or may not offer shell accounts. They may offer
them at an additional charge, or if the Unix machine is dedicated to a
specific function, they may decline to allow you access to it for security
reasons.
If an ISP offers what they call a "Telnet-only shell", it's best to
avoid them. These are designed for Windows or Macs that would connect via
one of the above named protocols and then run a program to "telnet" back to
the shell system. Since 8 bit Apple II programs don't incorporate this
telnet package, this option doesn't help out.
What's needed is a true dialup shell. In most cases, you get the
shell when you dial the ISP's telephone number, and connect to their
system. You're greeted with the operating system information (usually) and
a prompt for your username and then your password (always). This is
similar to Delphi's asking dialup users to log on to the system. From
there, you issue commands to use the system to navigate around the ISP--say
to get your mail, or to access the internet via lynx. Delphi users would
also issue commands to telnet to Delphi's computers. Shell accounts
usually can be accessed in other ways too. You may be able to telnet back
to your shell account from another computer (say, at a cybercafe if you're
on the road) and work with it as if you had dialed directly in.
You may find a variant in the shell system. Instead of a prompt where
you issue the commands, some shell accounts are set up with a pre-defined
menu, limiting your command options. This may be done for security
reasons, or an attempt to help users with the more commonly used functions
of the server. Obviously, a command line prompt gives you greater
flexibility, but if your ISP only offers a menu-driven shell, and it has
the commands you most likely would use, then it would be a workable
alternative. Many school or university based systems have decided to use
menus for the reasons noted above.
Finding out if the ISP you want to use has a shell account isn't
always easy, especially if they're not using a Unix-based system. If
customer service doesn't seem to know what a shell account is, ask for
someone in the technical department. Always make sure that the shell, if
it exists, can be accessed via direct dialup, and not via telnet only.
When choosing an ISP, look at your needs. If you're going to travel a
lot, you might be interested in one of the "national" ISPs that offer
dialup numbers throughout The U.S. and Canada. If you tend to stick close
to home, numerous regional or local ISPs might work for you. Many of these
smaller ISPs can be accessed away from home too, either by the telnet
method mentioned above, or via shared or pooled dial-in numbers: many
smaller ISPs are allowing users from other ISPs to use their numbers to
connect you back to your "home" ISP. This gives you greater flexibility in
your connection methods, as well as greater accessibility for the ISP.
Charges for usage will also vary from ISP to ISP. Some may offer a
flat per-month usage rate. This rate may vary depending on the access
speed used, or may also be discounted if you pre-pay for service. You
might find some that are timed: x number of hours a month "free" for your
monthly subscription, and then additional charges for any time used in
excess of the "free" hours. There's also mail-only accounts for people who
want to just get email. These are cheaper still, but obviously won't get
you onto the Internet for other things.
If your look in the yellow pages has been fruitless, let your browser
do the walking at http://www.thelist.com/, a website dedicated to helping
folks find ISPs in their area. If you absolutely cannot find a shell
account in your area, please check out Howard Katz's Delphi A2 Forum
message 26525, included in this issue.
Shell accounts are not as easy to find as they once were, since the
majority of internet users are connecting via graphics-based browsers. But
shell systems do still exist, and once you find one and get comfortable
with using it, you'll probably find yourself online longer and more often
than you thought possible.
Esoteric Connections Many Apple II users today also have computers that
"""""""""""""""""""" run other operating systems, such as Mac OS,
Windows, or Unix variants such as Linux. It is also now feasible to have
high speed Internet access available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for
such computers. Cable modems and Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) have made
these things possible.
If you happen to use a Unix or Unix-like system (such as Linux or
NetBSD) in addition to your Apple II, you may be in luck. Provided that
you are able to set up (1) a TCP/IP connection between your Unix box an the
Internet and (2) a null modem connection between your II and your Unix box
that allows you to use your Apple II as a smart terminal, you can use this
to connect to the Internet. This is exactly the same as having a Unix
shell account you dial into, except your connection is via a null modem
cable rather than a phone line.
Linux is gaining tremendous popularity as a low cost powerhouse of an
operating system that runs on multiple hardware platforms. From a brand
new Athlon or Power Mac G4 to an old 386, you can get Linux running for
close to nothing. Simply connect your Apple II and your Linux box with a
null modem cable and you're on your way to easy Internet access.
If you happen to have a Linux (or some other Unix variant) running
computer connected to the Internet--preferably with a permanent connection,
but dial up would be fine too--you too could create your own shell account
that your Apple II can access using a null modem connection. This is not
for the faint of heart, but the details can be found in Devin Reade's
excellent linux.gs.login file in the Delphi A2Pro Database. This is a
setup one of the authors has available at home, and it makes accessing the
'Net with an Apple II as fast as currently possible.
SIXTEEN BIT OPTIONS If you're using an Apple IIgs, you can use all of the
""""""""""""""""""" options available to the 8 bit Apple II crowd as well
as true TCP/IP connectivity using the Marinetti package developed by
Australian programmer Richard Bennett. Marinetti will allow you to connect
directly to the Internet to any host providing dial-in or null modem access
using the Point-to-Point Protocol PPP) or the Serial Line Interface
Protocol (SLIP)--it does not, however, support the CHAP sign on used by
some Internet Service Providers offering PPP accounts.
SLIP accounts are becoming as difficult to find as shell accounts.
PPP accounts are more common; however, some users report problems getting
Marinetti to work with certain ISPs. With the assistance of the Delphi A2
Forum members, we have compiled the list below of known Marinetti
compatible ISPs:
ISP Name ISP Webpage A.C. Link Layer Verified by
------------------- -------------------- ------- ---------- ---------------
Compuserve www.compuserve.com (UK) PPP (S) Ewen Wannop
Pacific Bell www.pacbell.net 209 PPP Eric Shepherd
Netcarrier www.netcarrier.com 215/610 PPP Barry Rees
Mindspring www.mindspring.com 336 PPP Jim Llewellyn
Internet Nebraska www.inebraska.com 402 PPP Dain Neater
Novia www.novia.net 402 PPP Carl Knoblock
Navix Internet www.navix.net 402 PPP Dain Neater
Compuserve www.compuserve.com 415 PPP (S) Joe Kohn
Slip Net www.slip.net 510 PPP Janet Loftis
Videotron www.videotron.ca 514 PPP Mark Percival
Sirius Systems www.sirinet.net 580 PPP Thomas Compter
MHTC Net www.mhtc.net 608 PPP Aaron Pulver
Concentric www.concentric.net 661 PPP Jeff Carr
Barrie Connex www.bconnex.net 705 PPP Jeff Blakeney
Xcalibur www.iinc.com 716 SLIP Don Zahniser
ACI Net www.aci.net 775 PPP Bill Dooley
Concentric www.concentric.net 808 PPP Ryan Suenaga
Pacific Onramp www.poi.net 808 PPP Ryan Suenaga
Triton Technologies www.triton.net 810 PPP Daniel Kruszyna
Earthlink www.earthlink.net 810 PPP Eric Heim
Solve Net www.solve.net 816/913 PPP Allen Moore
Nationwide www.nationwide.net 817 PPP David Pierce
Enteract www.enteract.com 847 PPP Tony Ward
IAG Net www.iag.net 904 PPP Chuck Stites
Fayetteville Net www.faynet.com 910 PPP R. Schnorenberg
A.C. = Area Code, PPP (S) = Scripted PPP
Please note that while it appears safe to assume that a national or
international ISP that works with Marinetti in one area would also work
with it in another area, we can make no guarantees about that. For
instance, I can say with certainty that the last time I used a
concentric.net account with Marinetti in the 808 area code, it worked
great. I can't make the same statement for every concentric.net node out
there.
If you have a shell account (but no SLIP or PPP), you can also try
using the SLIRP PPP/SLIP emulator to get Marinetti working. SLIRP is a
UNIX shell program that emulates a PPP or SLIP connection. See
http://www.webcom.com/~llarrow/tiarefg.html for more details on SLIRP.
Finally, when the MacIP Link Layer module for Marinetti is released
you can use a Macintosh connected to the IIgs as a TCP/IP server with
proper software.
In conclusion, even when Delphi drops its Sprintnet and Tymenet access
options, Apple II users will have many, many options to connect to Delphi.
Apple II Forever!
[EOF]
[POP]------------------------------
PERSPECTIVE POSITIVE |
-----------------------------------
TEE'S POINT OF VIEW
"""""""""""""""""""
Written by Tee Cashmore
[teec@execulink.com]
Where Are You?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We, the Apple II supporters, are everywhere! Of course you knew that
didn't you?
I started using an Apple ][+ in December 1983 and have run the gambit
of IIe, IIc, Laser 128 EX, IIgs, Mac Plus, Mac SE/30, IIsi, IIci, to my
present Quadra 700 with Power PC card. On the way I became a dealer for
Applied Engineering & Abracadata software and still service some schools,
hospitals and small businesses, having accumulated a lot of hardware and
software for Apple IIs and older Macs on the way.
I was curious to know exactly where current Apple II users lived and
how they connect to the Web. I know that many users didn't respond to my
posting and some I cheated on by noting there whereabouts from Delphi
message postings, but in a short time I did get 49 responses, some very
detailed, some with very little information.
Out of the 49, the fact that 30 are from the USA is not surprising;
actually I expected more; then 5 from Australia, 5 from Canada, 3 from
Germany, 1 from Austria and 1 from UK (no prizes for guessing who that is)
and 5 didn't say for some strange reason.
Connections run from using Apple IIc, IIe, IIgs, Macs of varying
vintage and a few "Windoze", although most of those were at work and use a
IIgs at home. I found the software used very interesting, as it ran the
whole gambit from PPP through _Crock O' Gold_.
I have to admit to a lack of knowledge of most connective software for
the Apple II world and I pity any user who wants to know what to use,
especially the novice user, as I find little information as to what does
what best, how to obtain it and how to use it. As much of this information
is only available on Delphi and related sites, how does anyone find out
about what is available? Might I suggest that one way would be to produce
a two sided printout sheet of basic software detail, contact all the Apple
II User Groups using the old fashioned snail mail system, asking them to
distribute same sheet to their membership lists.
Almost all the respondents to my survey had accounts of the Telnet
variety, but many had regular ISP accounts. I also have to mention that
many users are actually running _Bernie ][ The Rescue_ on their Macs,
thereby emulating a IIgs. This ingenious system is also a very unsung hero
and I'd be willing to bet that very few Mac users are aware of this
possibility of getting the best of both worlds. Perhaps contacting Mac
groups as detailed above may be one way to let the word be known.
My conclusion is that there is still an untapped market for connection
software, even more so now that Delphi is changing access possibilities,
but the major problem is advertising, specifically how to reach the Apple
II community.
Thanks to all the respondents to my Delphi survey.
:: DISCUSSED ON DELPHI ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
: :
: Acid test? You're soaking in it. :
: :
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: LUMITECH ::::::
[EOA]
[INN]------------------------------
EXTRA INNINGS |
-----------------------------------
About The Lamp! The Lamp! is published on the fifteenth of every month in
""""""""""""""" the Database of the II Scribe Forum on the Delphi online
service (GO CUS 11).
This publication produced entirely with real or emulated Apple II computers
using Appleworks 5.1 and Hermes. Apple II Forever!
* The Lamp! is (c) copyright 1999 by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W. All
rights reserved.
* To reach The Lamp! on Internet email send mail to
thelamp@sheppyware.net
* Back issues of The Lamp! are available in the II Scribe Forum on
Delphi as well as The Lamp! Home Page,
http://lamp.sheppyware.net.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors, and do not
necessarily represent the opinions of the Delphi Online Services,
Syndicomm, Inc., or Ryan M. Suenaga. Forum messages are reprinted
verbatim and are included in this publication with permission from the
individual authors. Delphi Online Services, Syndicomm, Inc. and Ryan M.
Suenaga do not guarantee the accuracy or suitability of any information
included herein. We reserve the right to edit all letters and copy.
Material published in this edition may not be reprinted without the
expressed written consent of the publisher. Registered computer user
groups, not for profit publications , and other interested parties may
write the publisher to apply for permission to reprint any or all material.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
[EOF]
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