1387 lines
47 KiB
Plaintext
1387 lines
47 KiB
Plaintext
FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:00:48 Page 1
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Volume 2, Number 23 22 July 1985
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+----------------------------------------------------------+
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| _ |
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| / \ |
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| - FidoNews - /|oo \ |
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| (_| /_) |
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| Fido and FidoNet _`@/_ \ _ |
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| Users Group | | \ \\ |
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| Newsletter | (*) | \ )) |
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| ______ |__U__| / \// |
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| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
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| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
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| (jm) |
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+----------------------------------------------------------+
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Publisher: Fido 107/7
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Chief Procrastinator: Thom Henderson
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Fidonews is published weekly by SEAboard, Fido 107/7. You
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are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
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Fidonews. Article submission standards are contained in the
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file FIDONEWS.DOC, available from Fido 107/7.
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Disclaimer or don't-blame-us:
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The contents of the articles contained here are not our
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responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them;
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everything here is subject to debate. We publish EVERYTHING
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received.
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User Unsupported Software
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Last week I wrote about the high cost of marketing a
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software package. This week I'll write about an
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alternative.
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You are all familiar with it -- it's called user supported
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software. It's more commonly referred to as "freeware", but
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that name has been trademarked (as has almost every other
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variant of {something}ware). But "user supported software"
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is a clumsy term, so I'll be lazy and call it freeware.
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The freeware concept is an ingenious idea. The author is
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able to sell his wares without the immense gamble of a
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normal commercial offering, and can thus offer quality
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products at a low cost. The user benefits from the low
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costs, and is in addition able to extensively "test drive" a
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program before purchasing it. Everyone benefits!
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Well, not quite. The user benefits from copious quantities
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of "free" software, and a small handful of authors make a
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decent buck. The sad truth is that most freeware vendors
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receive little if anything for their trouble.
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:00:51 Page 2
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Let's face it. If you have a freeware product that you are
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still using after a couple of weeks, you are out of the
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"test drive" category. If you haven't sent in a donation,
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then you are effectively a software pirate. The author may
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say it's okay (since he can't really do anything anyway),
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but you are still deriving benefits from his work without
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providing any compensation.
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I see freeware as an attempt to open a new marketing
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channel. When viewed that way, a freeware product is no
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different than a product sold at your local computer store.
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In either case it is wrong to use the product without paying
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for it. The penalties differ, however.
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For stealing a product offered through standard commercial
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channels you might find yourself being sued by large
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corporations, though this is unlikely if you are stealing on
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a small scale.
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But for stealing a freeware product the penalty is much more
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subtle, and much more severe. If people use freeware
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products without paying for them, then the entire freeware
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concept will cease to be valid. The good authors will have
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to go find something else to do (probably working for the
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large corporations), and low cost quality software will
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become a thing of the past. Also no more "test drives";
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you'll have to shell out the bucks if you want to try
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something out.
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So how about it? You know what you're using that you
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haven't paid for yet. Send in the donations, and let's keep
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the freeware concept alive.
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:00:52 Page 3
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============================================================
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NEWS
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============================================================
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A FIDO BBS WITH A MISSION
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11/499
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USER : "I've been a computer user both at home and
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work for several years now. Recently my vision has begun
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to fail and reading the CRT is getting more and more
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difficult. Anyone have any suggestions ?"
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SYSOP: "Yes there are a few articles in the rehab
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file section that might be of interest to you. You can
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download these files or just use the T)ype command they
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are store in ASCII. If you don't find an answer here let
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me know. For about $18.00 we can sign-on through DIALOG or
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BRS and access the Abledata (National Rehab. Info. Center)
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where listings of over 8000+ commercial products for the
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disabled have been stored."
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USER : "I read your articles and found some good
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leads will let you know what happens."
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USER : "Wow I just ordered the PC-Talker program and
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a Vortrax synthesizer today. The total solution to my
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problem ... for under $700.00. The price was so reasonable
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that my employer picked up the tab."
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This dialog is an example of what a new BBS forming
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in South Bend Indiana is all about. The System is know as
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Care-Net. Care-Net (Computer Aided REhabilitation NETwork)
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is a member of FIDO Network #11 Node 499. The system is
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run by a husband and wife team, Marlin and Kathy
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Sheffield. They are not new to rehabilitation or
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computers. Kathy has been an employee of Council For The
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Retarded for the past eight years. Kathy works at the
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community sheltered workshop known as Logan Industries.
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Kathy has served as Work Adjustment Supervisor, Work
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Evaluator, and now as Rehabilitation Director. Kathy is a
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member of the National Association Of Disability Examiners
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and is CC-WAVE certified as a work evaluator. Marlin also
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worked at the sheltered workshop for about 4 years;
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currently he is the Manager of Information Services for a
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metal stamping and fabricating firm. He has been involved
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in programming micro-computers personally and as a
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consultant for some 8 years now. Perhaps, as much a
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motivation as any, is the fact that the couple is the
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rather proud foster parents of two developmentally
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disabled teenagers.
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The goals of the BBS are described by the systems
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editorial as :
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Care-NET is a non-profit effort to utilize a computerized
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:00:55 Page 4
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message exchange with the following goals :
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o A Forum Between Inconvenienced Citizens.
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o A Tool To Encourage Dialogue Between Consumers
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Of Rehabilitation Service And The Professionals
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Providing These Services.
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o A Medium For Health Care And Rehabilitation
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Professionals To Share Information, Resources
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Ideas and Develop Joint or Regional Projects.
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o A Free Alternative To TTY Services -Private as
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Well As Public Messaging Is Supported.
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o A Link To The Rest Of The Telecomputing World.
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We will maintain a library of public domain
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programs available for downloading or uploading
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by any computer enthusiasts. We will also post
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your ideas for needed software to aid
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rehabilitation efforts. Hopefully some of the
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computer wizards can help contribute to the
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cause.
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The sysops are willing and excited about sharing
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information with others who are willing or already are
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running similar bulletin boards. This networking of
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similar services was the primary reason for the selection
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of Fido software.
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For such an ambitious project to succeed regional
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input is needed. If you have articles to contribute or are
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in need of information please give Care-Net a call. The
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system is on-line from 10PM to 5PM on weekdays (19 hours)
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and from 10PM to 9AM on weekends. The Sheffields are
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running the BBS on their Leading Edge Computer and single
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phone line. They are looking forward to trying to add an
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additional phone line and machine so Care-Net can be a
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twenty-four hour a day seven day a week service. (This
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author is frankly a little puzzled about how they plan to
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do this since the system charges no access fees, does not
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require or even request subscriptions, and claims to be
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funded only by free will contributions. I hope their faith
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in the goodness of the computer community is not aimed too
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high.) The system is a closed but free system and is not
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limited only to rehabilitation and social service issues.
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You are required to log on the system and complete a brief
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questionnaire before full access to the system is granted.
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Your status is upgraded usually within 24 hours. Give the
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Sheffield's and their project of love 'CARE-NET' a call at
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1-219-233-1261 (300/1200 baud). Or drop them a line or seek
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more information or express your support by writting :
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Care-Net
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% Marlin & Kathy Sheffield
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820 Whitehall
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South Bend, Indiana 46615
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:00:58 Page 5
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:00:58 Page 6
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Fido V10j Documentation correction.
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Lloyd Miller, Calgary_Fido, #17/418
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If anyone has tried the "previously undocumented" feature
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decribed in the V10I.doc update they probably had trouble
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getting it to work if they followed the documentation. It
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states that you should a file called QNEWUSER.BBS! This is
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obviously wrong because that file is used for new users not
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for users who forgot their password. The correct file name
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is QNOPWD.BBS, which is logical and you could probably
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guessed it your self.
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I have set up the file to display the following message
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since I have an open board and got tired of calling users
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who couln't remember their password to tell them what they
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should have known anyway.
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"The penalty for forgetting your password is - you cannot
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log in for 30 days. See you then, Bye."
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Of course all I do is use the "O)ld" command from the sysop
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utility to delete users after 30 days so when they come back
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they will be able to log in and enter a new password.
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Lloyd Miller
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Calgary_Fido
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#17/418
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:00:59 Page 7
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Running Fido with MultiLink
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Allen Miller, Fido 108/0
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This brief document is an attempt to describe how to
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use MultiLink (by Software Link) to run 2 Fido's on one PC.
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The reader should be able to use this information to
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determine how to run Fido as a background task while being
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able to run other programs in the foreground. Software Link
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is located at 8601 Dunwoody Place, Atlanta, Georgia, 30338.
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Their policy, when I bought MultiLink, was to allow a 30 day
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trial period. MultiLink is copy protected.
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I said I would do this a long time ago, and I apologize
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for its tardiness.
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Accompanying this document should be 4 files:
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AUTOEXEC.BAT, AUTOEXE1.BAT, FUP1.BAT and FUP2.BAT. These
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are commented batch files that I use on my system. For
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those of you that are interested, Fido 108/0 at 513/579-2587
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runs on an IBM AT with a 20 meg internal drive and a 35 meg
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external Tallgrass drive, 2 Hayes 2400 baud modems and is
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supported by phone service providing 'hunt' when an incoming
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call encounters a busy on line number 1. I am currently
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running DOS 3.0 and MultiLink 3.01.
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MultiLink has several parameters that may be set via
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the MLUTIL utility program. This will allow the operator to
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modify keyboard loop polling, allocation of cycles between
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partitions, relative priority between partitions, resource
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(COM port) allocation and others. I have experimented with
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this and found an arrangement that is good for me that you
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will see in the .BAT files.
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Please feel free to contact me if you find that this
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collection is not enough help to get you going or get out of
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trouble. I have been running Fido with MultiLink since
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December, 1984, and both have run flawlessly.
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------------------------------------------------------------
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:FILE AUTOEXEC.BAT
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:FOR RUNNING MULTILINK WITH FIDO BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM
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:ALLEN MILLER, FIDO 108/0, 7/13/85
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:SYSTEM - IBM AT, DOS 3.0, ML 3.01
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PATH=C:\BAT;C:\DOS;C:\UT;C:\RB\F;C:\ML
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:REPLACE DOS C> PROMPT
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prompt 2 $p
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:ACTIVATE ML TIMESLICING
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MLSLICE
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:INVOKE ML PARTITIONING
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MLINK /9,280
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:ENQUE ML RESOURCE (COM2:) TO THIS PARTITION
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MLUTIL ENQ -3
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:NORTON UTILITY TO COLOR CODE PARTITION
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SA CYAN
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:01 Page 8
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:CALL SECOND FIDO PARTITION
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FUP2
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:FILE AUTOEXE1.BAT
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:FOR RUNNING MULTILINK WITH FIDO BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM
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:ALLEN MILLER, FIDO 108/0, 7/13/85
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:SYSTEM - IBM AT, DOS 3.0, ML 3.01
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PATH=c:\DOS;c:\UT;c:\BAT;c:\RB\f;c:\ML
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:REPLACE DOS C> PROMPT
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prompt 1 $p
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:ENQUE ML RESOURCE 4 (COM1:) TO THIS PARTITION
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MLUTIL ENQ -4
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:NORTON UTILITY TO COLOR CODE PARTITION
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SA YELLOW
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:CALL FIRST FIDO PARTITION
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FUP1
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:FILE FUP1.BAT
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:FOR RUNNING MULTILINK WITH FIDO BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM
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:ALLEN MILLER, FIDO 108/0, 7/13/85
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:SYSTEM - IBM AT, DOS 3.0, ML 3.01
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:RUNS COM1, WITH NO OUTGOING MAIL
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:SET DIRECTORIES
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CD C:\rb\f
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CD D:\
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CD E:\
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:DISABLE ML KEYBOARD POLLING
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mlutil dis
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:SET/RESET ML PARTITION PRIORITY TO 2
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mlutil pri 2
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:CALL FIDO
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fido_ibm 11/j 8/w 30/l 15/F 60/D 350/K 3/S /x 128/V /u 1/g 1/i /y
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:SYSOP '0' BRANCH
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if errorlevel 8 goto DOS
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:
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:
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:CTRL-C BRANCH
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if errorlevel 1 goto end
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fup1
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:DOS
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:TO MONITOR CARRIER
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WATCHDG1 ON
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:ML CYCLE ALLOCATION TO GIVE 2:1 PREFERRENCE
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mlutil time 2
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CTTY COM1:
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COMMAND
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CTTY CON
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WATCHDG1 OFF
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:ML CYCLE ALLOCATION TO RETURN TO 1:1
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mlutil time 1
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: return to run Fido after DOS
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:02 Page 9
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FUP1
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:end
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:ENABLE ML KEYBOARD POLLING
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mlutil nod
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------------------------------------------------------------
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:FILE FUP2.BAT
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:FOR RUNNING MULTILINK WITH FIDO BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM
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:ALLEN MILLER, FIDO 108/0, 7/13/85
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:SYSTEM - IBM AT, DOS 3.0, ML 3.01
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:RUNS COM2, PROCESSES OUTGOING MAIL
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:SET DIRECTORIES
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CD C:\rb\f
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CD D:\
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CD E:\
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:DISABLE ML KEYBOARD POLLING
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mlutil dis
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:SET/RESET ML PARTITION PRIORITY TO 2
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mlutil pri 2
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:CALL FIDO
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fido_ibm 11/j 8/w 30/l 15/F 60/D 3/S 350/K 128/V /u 1/g 2/i /2 /y
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:SYSOP '0' BRANCH
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if errorlevel 8 goto DOS
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:EXTRACT RECENT CALLERS LIST
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if errorlevel 5 goto USERLIST
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:CTRL-C BRANCH
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if errorlevel 1 goto end
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fup2
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:DOS
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:TO MONITOR CARRIER
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WATCHDG2 ON
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:ML CYCLE ALLOCATION TO GIVE 2:1 PREFERRENCE
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mlutil time 2
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CTTY COM2:
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COMMAND
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CTTY CON
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WATCHDG2 OFF
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:ML CYCLE ALLOCATION TO RETURN TO 1:1
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mlutil time 1
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: return to run Fido after DOS
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FUP2
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:USERLIST
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users 3 >\A\UPLOADED\USERS.LST
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FUP2
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:end
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mlutil nod
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------------------------------------------------------------
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:03 Page 10
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News Flash!
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Memphis, Tennessee abandons tradition! Fido Nodes
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proliferate as Memphis makes bold move into network
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telecommunications!
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Seriously folks, we Memphians are proud to join your ranks.
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Historically, we've had one private board operating Fido
|
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software for over seven months. In the two weeks preceding
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the adoption of the net/node format, another board opened up
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|
augmenting that sysop's local service, non-Fido bulletin
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board system. Currently, the City on the Mississippi River,
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sports four different nodes, each with different
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personalities. Several more are being discussed. Already a
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local Fido Users' Group (FUG) is being formed to coordinate
|
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support for sysops in the acquistion of FIDONEWS, NODELISTS,
|
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FIDO software updates and general files. Our users base
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spans a wide range of occupations, ages and interests.
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Among our endevours thusfar is one which might be of some
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interest. Collaborative writing projects have too often
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become either very disjointed or overly restrictive
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creatively. Our "project" has been set up to maximize both
|
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creativity and cohesiveness and, thusfar, has been very
|
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successful in both regards. We are considering uploading it
|
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to the Fido Newsletter as an experiment in reader
|
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interaction, where readers would be able to help determine
|
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plot lines and character development by providing
|
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suggestions in feedback to project staff and contributors.
|
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We intend to get beyond a Writers Guide, Prologue and four
|
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Chapters before making a decision in this regard. A Readers
|
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Guide would also be published to provide procedures for the
|
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interactive feedback. In essence, we are, as with this
|
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article, attempting to introduce our new net in order to
|
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develop contacts for our users to establish Fido-mail
|
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correspondence with.
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One topic, which has produced a lot of message traffic
|
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locally, has been that of sysop and user rights and
|
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responsibilities. We would be very interested in hearing
|
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from any other node's sysop or user in this regard.
|
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Specifically, we are curious about the types of rules
|
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established, levels of compliance, ratio of "active" users
|
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to "lurkers" and any distinctions made between local usage
|
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and networking. Generally, we'd like to profit from your
|
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experience and guidance.
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Again, we'd like to express our joy in joining the ranks of
|
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networking Fido systems and look forward to establishing our
|
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community as vibrant, contributing members of the Fido
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Fraternity.
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Bob Allman
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:05 Page 11
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FUG
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Radio Free Fido
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Region 18/Node 13
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(pending approval of
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new net assignment)
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[Sysop: Jim Key]
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901-754-3850
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5:00 PM CST to
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8:00 AM CST weekdays;
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24 hrs weekends
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300/1200 baud
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(soon at 2400!)
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------------------------------------------------------------
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:06 Page 12
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Mike Ringer
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Fido 437/ in net 107
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For about eight months in Bryan/College
|
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Station has had a computer service called
|
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Fun-net. What is Fun-net? Good question
|
|
Fun-net is simillar to the C.B. option on
|
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compuserve. up to 16 people can be on at
|
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one time with lines coming in from
|
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Houston and Austin. The operator of this
|
|
system Capt K operates a company out of
|
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Houston T.x. called FYI systems. Capt K
|
|
said that "FYI means nothing as a company
|
|
name but Normally it is an acronym for
|
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`For Your Information'". I asked Capt K
|
|
where he got the idea for Fun-net he said
|
|
that "Fun-net is a spin off of
|
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Roundtable... The first of interactive
|
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computer entertainment networks, Which
|
|
was designed and developed by one Jim
|
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Penny.... Clear Lake City Texas." Capt K
|
|
said that there is one basic version that
|
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has been in exsistence for about one
|
|
year. When asked if fun-net was outside
|
|
of Tx he said "Not yet... There are plans
|
|
to put it in other cities and states...
|
|
At the moment there are only five in
|
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exsistence...All in Texas. Fun-net works
|
|
only on the TRS-80 Model 4 with an
|
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additional outboarded cpu... The first
|
|
time I asked him how much it cost he said
|
|
"I don't know how much Fun-net cost
|
|
yet...So far it's just been my house and
|
|
3 cars" after a little prodding he said
|
|
that "it cost 10k plus instalment. When
|
|
asked if if was to be developed for other
|
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Computer he said "Its not planned for
|
|
any other hardware and it takes a modem
|
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for each incoming line." I think with a
|
|
little prodding (and money) you might be
|
|
able to get Capt K. to give you the
|
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source.
|
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FYI systems
|
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P.O. Box 690111
|
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Houston, Texas 77269
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------------------------------------------------------------
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:07 Page 13
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A few Ideas about the rewrite of FIDO.
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by
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Paul Kelly and Jim Lynn
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13/11 13/384
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When in the course of human events, it becomes
|
|
necessary for two or more FIDO Sysops to sit around and
|
|
discuss the operations of a FIDO-BBS, the topic (BS) always
|
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turns to the impending re-write of FIDO as a Public Domain
|
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system. After all of the pros and cons have been beaten to
|
|
a pulp, the simple fact emerges that no one is quite sure
|
|
just what they want in FIDO. When last the Sysops of FIDO
|
|
#13/384 (PITTBULL) and FIDO #13/11 (PITTSBURGH'S SANYO FIDO
|
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BOARD) got together (through the keyboards), two major
|
|
points of discussion arose. The first was the subject of
|
|
compatability with existing FIDO systems/mail-
|
|
communications. The second topic was that of the ability to
|
|
customize one's own board to allow expanded functions on
|
|
that particular board.
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One of the current plus points of Fido at this time is
|
|
due to the fact that there is in reality, only ONE correct
|
|
version of Fido, that being the latest revision issued by
|
|
Tom Jennings. This allows a person to log into almost any
|
|
Fido board in existence and enter commands that have become
|
|
familiar and expect consistent results. Rather than feel
|
|
like a stranger when entering a `new' board, one can almost
|
|
feel as at home as when dialing into the local home board;
|
|
something like putting on an old pair of well broken-in
|
|
shoes, everything seems to fit.
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|
At the same time, with Fido being a public domain
|
|
program, written to play to a general audience that is
|
|
growing at rate beyond anyone's dreams, many groups feel
|
|
that while Fido is well designed to handle the original
|
|
goals, there could be an acceptable means for customizing
|
|
their own board to better suit the particular interests of
|
|
their users. This could be anything from allowing a search
|
|
through the FILES.BBS of an area to list only newly
|
|
available files since their last log-in, to allowing a
|
|
continuously running "forum" type conversation where the
|
|
messages would simply be added into one file and accessed as
|
|
a whole rather than tracking through messages and threaded
|
|
replies.
|
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|
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A case in point is occuring on the PITTBULL system
|
|
which has become a standard meeting place for several local
|
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special interest groups. The board has added a separate
|
|
area for each of these groups, and within each group are
|
|
designated individuals who are `in charge' of that
|
|
particular area of the board. They assume the task of
|
|
testing uploaded files, editing the FILES.BBS display,
|
|
monitoring messages and generally acting as an "assistant
|
|
sysop" within that particular area.
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:09 Page 14
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Within these local areas, we feel there is the
|
|
possibility of customizing the type of displays and type of
|
|
functions to meet the needs of this group to allow quicker
|
|
access to the type of operation that the group desires.
|
|
This we envision as some type of a customizable overlay to
|
|
allow, from within this area only, access to a variety of
|
|
external routines which could for example:
|
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|
|
A) Provide a database type program which would allow
|
|
better facilities for searching and retrieving files and
|
|
messages relating to certain subjects than could possibly be
|
|
provided within Fido.
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|
|
B) Allow conferences between users on multi-line Fido
|
|
systems.
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C) Display mail waiting for a user when the user logs
|
|
on.
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D) Show a list of files uploaded or newly available
|
|
since the last time a user was in the files area.
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E) Allow the user with proper clearance to "run"
|
|
programs from within FIDO such as adventure games or any
|
|
program which is a "line-output" type.
|
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|
|
And yet, by far the majority of Fido boards across the
|
|
country would not have a need of this type, hence the idea
|
|
of an overlay to Fido, utilizing Fido's device drivers and
|
|
privilege determination, and allowing a return to `standard'
|
|
Fido operation for the user on exiting these specially
|
|
`operator configured' areas.
|
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A rewrite is comparible to re-inventing the wheel, and
|
|
the wheel we now are re-inventing would not require that
|
|
much extra work to function in a way which may be more
|
|
flexible for certain applications.
|
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We all know what Fido looks like from the outside, and
|
|
once source is written to provide similar action to THE Fido
|
|
we have come to know and love (or hate, or accept), there is
|
|
such a great possibility that chaos will erupt. In witness
|
|
to this, look at the thousands of versions of RBBS that
|
|
exist, with none being compatible with any other.
|
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|
|
We feel that what should be recommended is that the
|
|
"code committee" guard the material during the re-write in
|
|
order to prevent a "leak" of the souce code for the new FIDO
|
|
and only release compiled versions to guarantee the
|
|
existence of only one current version of FIDO, in a fashion
|
|
very similar to the current situation. The `hooks' for
|
|
overlays and the format that they must conform to could be
|
|
distributed. This would provide with fair certainty that
|
|
there would be no pirated or customized FIDO's which would
|
|
lead to a situation like the RBBS "net-work" where every
|
|
board in existence is different.
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:12 Page 15
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In this manner, the work that goes into the `new' Fido
|
|
source code is still available for later groups to work on
|
|
and modify if the original re-write group becomes unable to
|
|
handle the task, and yet the code is not available for
|
|
casual perusal and modification at the whim of a curious
|
|
passerby with the intent of creating a back door entrance or
|
|
other obvious detrimental effect.
|
|
|
|
Fido can remain the viable and compatible `operation'
|
|
that it always has been, and with some changes, it may
|
|
become the ONLY RBBS system to exist. People that feel
|
|
`handicapped' due to not having source code to `operate on
|
|
and patch' would need no longer yearn to get at the innards
|
|
of our standard and compatible Wonder Dog. Change and patch
|
|
your overlay to you hearts desire, make it as unique or
|
|
complex or fancy as you wish, without begining the ruination
|
|
of the friend that has caused us to come together as such a
|
|
large group of enthusiasts.
|
|
|
|
We encourage other operators to submit their views
|
|
toward our suggestions. Maybe we can draft some optimum
|
|
goals to obtain towards having a system that remains
|
|
totally compatible and yet as flexible as it needs to be,
|
|
without the fear of negating the efforts to remain an
|
|
integrous network that have already been put forth so well.
|
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------------------------------------------------------------
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:13 Page 16
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SAUNTERING SYSOPS BATMAN...
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|
|
Picture a bus load of Fido Sysops with a printed
|
|
text file as a guide scooting north on the Garden State
|
|
Parkway. That's what we had on our hands when Dan North,
|
|
Comm Sig Chair; Bob Klahn (Fido Coordinator); Jim
|
|
Goldschneider; Joel Garrett; Gwen and Van Olmstead dog
|
|
tracked to a Fido Sysop conference a couple weeks ago. You
|
|
thought we only traveled at 300/1200/2400 baud? Not so. We
|
|
also move at sub-warp speeds. We were answering the call of
|
|
Thom Henderson (Node #107/7 on the national list) who fidoed
|
|
an invitation to all Net 107 Sysops to join him on his boat
|
|
for a day of sun, suds, surf and sysoping. Spouses and all.
|
|
I, for one, relished the opportunity to bring Spouse Gwen
|
|
along. She is a distant observer of most of this PC junk
|
|
and she could burn her bronze body while the Sysops lamented
|
|
the routing system bugs and generally yapped about kennel
|
|
business.
|
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|
|
Dogbreath Klahn, (he started the name himself), our
|
|
leader dog, called to inform me that the directions that
|
|
were Netmailed to him were wrong. "Thom's message says
|
|
these directions are to his boat. They are the same
|
|
directions he sent last time--those were to his house!" Not
|
|
to worry. We called Thom Henderson on the conference line
|
|
and we were promised a correction.
|
|
|
|
With the location all co-ordinated we could go on to
|
|
coordinate other things. Irene, Thom's POSSLQ (Person of
|
|
Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters), did not relish
|
|
providing more than relish for the whole of Net 107 so there
|
|
was food to co-ordinate. Do Fido's eat dogs? What do they
|
|
woof down? Where should the pack congregate? What doggone
|
|
time do we leave?
|
|
|
|
I drove the van. It seemed fitting. It's Gwen's
|
|
Van. She has several, counting me, my son and the Toyota.
|
|
She let us use it. That was nice. Her van isn't like
|
|
home...it's better. Graphic equalizer, ice maker and refrig
|
|
at hand make two-hour drives almost pleasant, even if the
|
|
directions don't lead you where you wanted to go. We made
|
|
it anyhow. To Thom's barkentine.
|
|
|
|
Actually, it wasn't a barkentine. Thom and Irene
|
|
own a cabin catamaran. The nicest thing on two hulls! Big
|
|
areas to sun and lots of cabin space. Computer nuts should
|
|
have gadgets and the Hendersons did. Binoculars with the
|
|
compass headings visible in the eyepiece make it much easier
|
|
to spot the nudist colony at 193 degrees magnetic. He
|
|
showed us all sorts of electronic navigational gadgets.
|
|
Among the neatest was their friend Mike. We let Mike sail
|
|
us across the bay. Mike is an electronic helmsman. He
|
|
sailed just fine.
|
|
|
|
The day was warm enough and we got a chance to toss
|
|
the hook and go swimming in the bay. I stepped on a crab
|
|
but I didn't tarry long enough for it to retaliate.
|
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:16 Page 17
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|
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Besides, nobody was working hard that day. The most labor
|
|
done had something to do with pop tabs on cans. After
|
|
enough sailing and swimming was done to satisfy the interest
|
|
of all, we headed for the marina and made fast. Then we got
|
|
down to real business.
|
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|
|
Like all good computer related stuff, Fido would be
|
|
lost without sufficient jargon to confuse the user and
|
|
observer alike. We convened long enough to get some of the
|
|
conventions adopted. Some definitions:
|
|
|
|
1. Dogyard, kennel, puppy palace all refer to the Fido
|
|
environment. "Thanks for stopping by my dogyard."
|
|
"Appreciate you sniffing around the kennel."
|
|
|
|
2. A bone is free credit on the users' behalf to be used for
|
|
long distance communication by FidoNet. "Thanks for
|
|
throwing me the bone."
|
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|
|
3. Fido programs do not have bugs but rather fleas.
|
|
|
|
4. Barking dogs are those who use the Yelp command too
|
|
frequently.
|
|
|
|
5. Routing codes mean your message goes through Africa to
|
|
save phone charges.
|
|
|
|
6. Almost anything can be paid for by credit on one's board.
|
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|
|
7. No right thinking Sysop will accept payment for anything
|
|
by means of credit on a Fido.
|
|
|
|
8. Veterinarian--what Bob Klahn does if you give him Sysop
|
|
privs.
|
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|
|
9. Although dognames may be used to refer to sysops (e.g.
|
|
Dogbreath, Edifido, K-9, Diversifido [should be my
|
|
board]) there are no laws on the books with respect to
|
|
the practice. In short, it's not Dogma!
|
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|
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Van Olmstead, Fido 107/214
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------------------------------------------------------------
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:17 Page 18
|
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|
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Chris Rowley
|
|
Sysop, Fido 359 LINDA (301) 340-1376
|
|
Sysop, non-net Fido WITHK Systems (301) 340-0246
|
|
|
|
The following text is from the Sex Story board RAUNCH that I
|
|
have been running on my boards for the last 7 months. It
|
|
originally ran on my Fido at college, Hell Central, where it
|
|
got off to a slow, diversified start. Now on my board at
|
|
home (which doesn't have the hardware to make my being in
|
|
the net feasible) it continues to expand in characters and
|
|
realism, although the number of contributors has lessend.
|
|
Below are the first four entries; you will notice that they
|
|
are more juvenile than subsequent entries will be, but I
|
|
believe the quality is well above that of most story board,
|
|
sex story boards to say the least. Hope you enjoy it, and
|
|
if you want, give the board a call and contribute.
|
|
|
|
Now many would call me a peeping Tom, but my name is
|
|
Mark, and am only an admirer...really. Anyway, I couldn't
|
|
believe it yesterday. I'm not bad looking, but hunting down
|
|
females around here is quite a chore. For that reason I was
|
|
really surprised when the Wheelers moved next door. There
|
|
used to be a older couple, but they headed off to Florida or
|
|
something... Anyway, I was my usual interested self and wan-
|
|
dered next door to check out what was going on. There was a
|
|
little obnoxious kid running around, just like my younger
|
|
brother. This wasn't a good sign. But I looked in the door
|
|
and politely knocked. Mrs. Wheeler appeared, holding some
|
|
books I guess she was putting them away at the time. Being
|
|
the neighborly sort I offered my aid in moving them in and
|
|
she graciously accepted.
|
|
I was getting curious as to the make-up of their fam-
|
|
ily, only seeing the mother and the little kid named Scott.
|
|
After about ten minutes a sleek new corvette came rolling
|
|
into the driveway. Mr. Wheeler got out of the passenger
|
|
seat. He wasn't THAT old, but was definitely middle-aged.
|
|
But what got my eyes popping out of their sockets was the
|
|
image exiting from the driver seat. Never, and I mean
|
|
NEVER, had I seen such a vision...not in any of the many
|
|
sexpot mags I had hidden away in my closet (shhhh....), or
|
|
anything around here. I wish I had a chance to get a better
|
|
look at that time, but she headed right inside blocked by
|
|
the car. I knew I would have a better opportunity if I
|
|
played my cards right.
|
|
Mrs. Wheeler said that her number one daughter was
|
|
named Rachel. "Number one?" I thought..."could there be
|
|
more?" I inquired to this, and Mrs. Wheeler said that
|
|
daughter number two was named Stacy.
|
|
|
|
About an hour later we finished up. I was both hyper
|
|
to see Rachel and use the restroom facilities. I had
|
|
learned that Stacy was with her grandparents until they were
|
|
all moved in. She is 16 like me, while Rachel is 18. I
|
|
wandered towards the bathroom, and, upon seeing the door
|
|
locked, knocked. It was then that I saw Rachel up-close for
|
|
the first time...well, only her face, but it was enough to
|
|
send me off into my wild dream land. Her face was perfectly
|
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:20 Page 19
|
|
|
|
shaped, with long brown hair, soul-piercing eyes, and full,
|
|
waiting lips. I can't even remember what she said, as I was
|
|
too caught up in my imagination. I remember wandering off
|
|
and Mrs. Wheeler inviting me to dinner once they were all
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set in, but the next thing I knew I was in my bed.
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I woke up to my mom's shakings...it was dinner time.
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Being a saturday, I knew I could stay up without the usual
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parental pestering, and spy on my new voluptuous dream. I
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rushed through dinner, and wandered around aimlessly until
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about 10. It was ripe time for spying...especially since
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the Wheelers were just moved in and would like to hit the
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sack after a long day.
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I circled their house until I saw Rachel in her room on
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the first floor. This was a stroke of luck, putting the
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"kids" upstairs, so I wouldn't have to do as much
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maneuvering. Rachel was on her bed, back turned to be. I
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was really getting pumped up just thinking about her. A
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half an hour passed in what appeared to be an eternity when
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she got up and walked to her dresser to get her nightgown.
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She then lifted her blouse high. "Damn," I whispered, since
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her stance blocked her reflection in the mirror. She
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turned, and undid her bra. "Gasp," could be my only
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utterance, as beautiful, round, full, HUGE tits swung into
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view. I had to catch my breath, and by the time I turned
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back she was slipping on her gown. I managed to get a quick
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glimpse at her smooth, long legs, and was once again on the
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ground. I quickly ran home. This was enough excitement for
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one night!
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After that sight, I couldn't wait to see the other
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daughter. Sure enough, after a couple of days, she arrived.
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This was a sight worth waiting for. Picture the ideal slut
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that every man has in his head. She was it. Long blond
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hair,red lips, too much eye makeup, and the biggest set of
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knockers I had ever seen on such a petite frame. They were
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stuffed into a sheer tank top that left no doubt about the
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absence of a bra. Below this was a pair of cutoffs that
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revealed the bottom third of a pair of perfect ass cheeks,
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and a few wisps of dark curly hair.
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No sooner had she climbed from the corvette than her
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father hustled her into the house. From the look on his
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face I could tell that he didn't approve of her appearance.
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That didn't matter I sure did. I knew that when the dinner
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invitation came I would be there. I also hoped to get her
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over for a swim in our pool.
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The next day Mrs. Wheeler invited me over. It was a
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good deal since my parents were going to a small party for a
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couple of hours and I'll take home cooking over TV dinners
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anyday. But the absence of my parents made the prospect of
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getting Stacy over for a swim even better, and would possi-
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bly allow me to get a BETTER view of the 16-year old dream.
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I certainly had spent much of this first week fanta-
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sizing about the Wheeler girls, so much that I was really
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being distracted in school. Not that it mattered since
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school is just there, but my friends were getting to wonder-
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ing what was going on and I didn't want them to learn of my
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:22 Page 20
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"find" as of yet.
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At 6:30 I walked over to Wheelers. The little brat was
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there with is big wheel and proceeded to roll over my toes
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before I practically leaped through the door. Stacy was
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there and introduced herself. My earlier observa-
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tions/wishes were re-invoked and she usually gave me that
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certain stare and squeezed her huge chest together with her
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arms and she blinked her eyes like an innocent. This girl
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was not! And she still had that tank top that was driving
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me crazy.
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|
It was near dinner so I sat down and Stacy sat next to
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me. Mr. Wheeler seemed to keep an eye on us all the time,
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and his presence combined with my nervousness made my speech
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very weird. We talked a bit about where they used to live
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and all the people around here, and about school (ugh!).
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The dinner was great, but I was hoping the desert would be
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better. I helped clear the table and then walked into the
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family room to sit by Stacy and struck up a conversation.
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*** TO BE CONTINUED ***
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FIDONEWS -- 22 Jul 85 00:01:23 Page 21
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============================================================
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NOTICES
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============================================================
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The Interrupt Stack
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27 Nov 1985
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Halley's Comet passes closest to Earth before perihelion.
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24 Jan 1986
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Voyager 2 passes Uranus.
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9 Feb 1986
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Halley's Comet reaches perihelion.
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11 Apr 1986
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Halley's Comet reaches perigee.
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24 Aug 1989
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Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
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If you have something which you would like to see on this
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calendar, please send a message to Fido 107/7.
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