1255 lines
44 KiB
Plaintext
1255 lines
44 KiB
Plaintext
Volume 2, Number 43 9 December 1985
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| / \ |
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| - Fidonews - /|oo \ |
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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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Publisher: Fido 1/1
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Editor in Chief: Thom Henderson
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Review Editor: Allen Miller
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Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
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Fidonews is published weekly by SEAboard, Fido 1/1. You are
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encouraged to submit articles for publication in Fidonews.
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Article submission standards are contained in the file
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FIDONEWS.DOC, available from Fido 1/1.
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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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Table of Contents
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1. EDITORIAL
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The Two Faces of Users
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2. NEWS
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Rover, Rovermsg, Renum, and the UN*X Gateway
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They've struck again
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New Kaypro PC Announced
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The PC's Space Program
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3. COLUMNS
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Why I Buy Mail Order
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USRobotics Courier 2400 Baud Modem
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Rainbow Corner
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4. WANTED
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Fido's Wanted- Earn Money!
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5. NOTICES
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Software Listings from BYTE Articles Available on Disk
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The Interrupt Stack
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============================================================
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EDITORIAL
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The Two Faces of Users
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There seem to be two general classes of BBS users out there.
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One group is into long-distance BBSing, calling boards all
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over the country. The discussions are generally (though not
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always) technically oriented. Systems frequented tend to be
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one or two established BBS packages, such as Fido or RBBS.
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Users tend to share files a great deal, and the most popular
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boards are those with a large selection of downloadable
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files. Almost everyone has either an IBM-PC or a DEC
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Rainbow, and anyone who doesn't have a 1200 baud modem is
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trying hard to get one.
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The other group tends to stick with local boards, rarely
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making toll calls. Discussions range far and wide, covering
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hacking, phreaking, fantasy and RPG, and "war boards".
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Almost any sort of BBS system will do, and many seem to be
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"home grown". Users have almost total disregard for files,
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and many popular boards have no downloadable files at all.
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People use a mixed bag of hardware, mostly Apples,
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Commodores, and TRS-80s, and the 300 baud modem is the
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universal standard.
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One obvious difference is that the long distance crowd is
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spending alot more money on this. They have more powerful
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machines, faster modems, and heftier phone bills than the
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local crowd does. Perhaps they are the "serious computer
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users", while the local callers are the "recreational
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computer users".
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So which group are we in? I'd say most Fido sysops are in
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the former group, and perhaps most users as well. Our own
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board has several users in each group, though they all tend
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to stay in separate subboards (Fido is handy that way).
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We've come to expect that some of our most frequent callers
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won't really understand the whole "message area" idea, and
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why should they? After all, they spend their time calling
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dozens of other boards, each of which works differently.
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Most of our "general" callers understand how the board works
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quite well, since they mainly talk to other Fido boards.
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I guess I'd class myself in the long-distance crowd. I have
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an IBM-XT, a 1200 baud modem, and my phone bill is delivered
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with a forklift. I'm much more into shooting the breeze
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with another techie than I am into fantasy games, and I
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can't see why anybody would join in on a war board. I guess
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I'm glad I've found a niche among fellow techies like
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myself.
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But, boy, they sure do seem to have fun.
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Fidonews Page 2 9 Dec 1985
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NEWS
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Rover, Rovermsg, Renum, and the UN*X Gateway
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by
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Bob Hartman
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Sysop Fido 132/101
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The UN*X Gateway
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and Home of Rover
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Ok, I have been receiving enough FidoNet mail to choke
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a horse lately. This article is simply an update to keep
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people (especially other sysops) up to date on what is
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happening with my many ongoing projects. Let me start with
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the stuff that people are most interested in - the UN*X
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Gateway itself. The software seems to be working
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flawlessly, and it has been in use now for a couple of
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months. My Fido BBS can send mail destined for remote UNIX
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systems, and accept mail from remote UNIX systems, and
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forward it to the appropriate Fido nodes, I also receive
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many of the USENET newsgroups, including net.micro.pc,
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net.lang.c, net.games.hack, and a few more. Since I have
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received many requests to repeat the information on how to
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use the gateway, here it is:
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To send from Fido to a UNIX host:
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Send a FidoNet message to node 132/101 and make
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the recipient be 'Usenet' instead of a person's
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name. This keys my software that this is destined
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for a UNIX system. The subject can be anything
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that you want it to be, and it will be placed in
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the outgoing message. Now comes the tricky part,
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the first line of the message MUST be the UNIX
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host path to take to get to the message
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destination. If you don't know what I am talking
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about, then don't use the gateway. A quick
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example is to get to my UNIX address the first
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line would be "vaxine!rch", to get to someone at
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microsoft it might be "decvax!microsoft!someone".
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Anyway, that is the general idea.
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To send from UNIX to a Fido node:
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Send a mail message addressed to:
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vaxine!spark!net!node!user
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where net is the FidoNet net number, node is the
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FidoNet node number, and user is the user who is
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supposed to receive the message. The user name
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should have all blanks converted to underscore
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characters. An example to get to me would be
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vaxine!spark!132!101!Bob_Hartman. The messages
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are sent as private FidoNet messages.
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For sysops interested in receiving USENET newsgroups
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messages:
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Fidonews Page 3 9 Dec 1985
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You must contact me and tell me which newsgroups
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you would like to receive. I currently forward
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net.micro.pc, and net.lang.c, but I am willing to
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forward others if asked nicely. The only catch is
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that you must be willing to poll my node to get
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the messages. I simply ARC all of the messages
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once a week (after deleting those that are more
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than a week old), and send out the archive. When
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you receive the file, simply delete all the old
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messages from the message area, and un-ARC the new
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ones. They are already in Fido message format, so
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you have an instant message base!
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So much for the UN*X Gateway. If you have any questions,
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feel free to send me FidoNet mail and ask them.
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As for Rover, that project seems to be on hold for a little
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while. Rovermsg seems to be pretty complete (at least I
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haven't received too many complaints lately), and I will
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probably release another update to it in the near future.
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The rest of Rover is on hold until I complete some of the
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consulting projects that I have been working on, since the
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consulting projects generate a lot more money (although
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Rovermsg has generated some money - sysops are a lot better
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about sending money for freeware than I thought!). Anyway,
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to recap, Rovermsg is a standalone Fido message base reader.
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It was designed to be used in place of Fido in /T mode.
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Since I generally only read messages in /T mode, Rovermsg is
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a total replacement. It also has some additional features
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that make it much nicer to use. For example, you can use
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your favorite word processor/editor to create messages, you
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can also change messages that have already been saved, you
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can exit to DOS temporarily, and some others that are too
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numerous to mention. Anyway, if you want a copy, it can be
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downloaded from my board, and probably countless others also
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(at last count there were 100+ sysops using Rovermsg).
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Finally, my standalone message base renumbering program
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(RENUM) is at version 1.5. It can be used to do whatever
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can be done with the Fido '8' command for renumbering
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messages. It can kill old messages, and it can renumber
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messages. The new version now properly handles messages
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created by SEAdog (at least I think it does, how about it
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Thom?).
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Anyway, that is the status of the UN*X Gateway, and the
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software that I have been responsible for creating. I hope
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that this helped answer some questions.
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Fidonews Page 4 9 Dec 1985
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The Associated Press reported today (10/17) that a ring of
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juvenile computer hackers (their term) broke into a data
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base containing financial records of Chase Manhattan Bank,
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according to the FBI.
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No arrests were made Wednesday, but the FBI spokesman said
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more than 40 agents armed with 23 search warrants
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confiscated computers, keyboards, modems and software from
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the youths' homes Tuesday.
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The investigation, which began in July, is continuing. An
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affidavit filed in San Diego U.S. District Court says the
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juveniles gained entry via their home computers to the
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records of Interactive Data Corporation in Waltham, Mass.
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The database is used by 25,000 subscribers.
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The affidavit says some records were modified and/or
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destroyed and on July 22 and 23 an unauthorized person
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gained access to an account which could transfer funds.
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There were 40 attempts to penetrate the system in August.
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Four attempts were made on Aug. 14, all from computers in
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San Diego County. Attempts to break into the system were
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observed as recently as Oct. 9, according to the affidavit.
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The AP also reported that Ronald Mark Austin, 21, was
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sentenced in Los Angeles Wednesday to three years probation
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plus being ordered to serve 600 hours of community service
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"not to involve computers in any shape."
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Austin, a former UCLA student, was convicted of 12 felony
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counts of malicious accessing of a computer system in June.
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Austin reportedly taught himself to use a $200 home computer
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when he couldn't get into an overbooked computer course. He
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said he didn't know he was breaking the law.
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Prosecutors said he broker into more than 200 computer
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accounts through ARPANET. Among them were the Defense
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Dept., the Rand Corp. and UCLA.
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Fidonews Page 5 9 Dec 1985
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THE NEW KAYPRO PC: TOPPING THE DESK AND THE REST
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The KAYPRO PC combines features and value to meet and
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exceed "IBM compatibility." As a complete desktop business
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associate, it commands a place above the others.
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Envision an accurate picture of the KAYPRO PC. First,
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clear your memory of the angular grey machine that is so
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characteristically Kaypro. Next, paint a beige beauty with
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eggshell trim, whose profile closely resembles that of the
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KAYPRO 286i. Finally, visualize an external 12-inch
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diagonal monitor displaying no-nonsense output in eye-
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soothing green. Handsome, no.
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Strong Internal Control
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Looks can only take you so far in the computing world;
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intelligence is the real key to success. Although the
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KAYPRO PC breaks tradition with its striking countenance, it
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still maintains the Kaypro hallmark of superior computer
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intellect.
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Analytical power is provided by an 8088 cpu, operating
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at a timely 4.77 MHz. An extra socket accepts an 8087 math
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co-processor, providing more calculating users with an easy
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upgrade for their number-crunching pleasure. The 8087
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option permits business and research operations to be
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executed by a single computer.
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The KAYPRO PC's short-term memory begins with a
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standard 256K RAM, expandable to 640K by plugging 256K DRAM
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chips into the multifunction board. Accessing the board
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requires hood removal via a simple four-screw procedure.
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Long-term memory? The KAYPRO PC has total recall from
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two double-sided, double-density disk drives totalling 768K
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storage. While we're on the subject of memory, 1986 will
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introduce a mega-memory version of the KAYPRO PC, the KAYPRO
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PC-10, with one 360K diskette drive and a 10 megabyte hard
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disk.
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The best administrators exchange information with
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external sources. The KAYPRO PC is no exception. A serial
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and a parallel port are compatible with all peripherals
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produced for the giant IBM after-market. The KAYPRO PC can
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make all the right connections for successful import/export
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of data.
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The KAYPRO PC becomes a more versatile personality by
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utilizing its nine expansion slots. Three slots contain a
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multivideo card (capable of monochrome, color graphics, or
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composite video display output), multifunction card, and a
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CPU card. The remaining six slots can accommodate luxuries
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like a networking card, digital to analog converter,
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internal modem, and more.
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Even with numerous hardware additions, the KAYPRO PC
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Fidonews Page 6 9 Dec 1985
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won't get caught with its power down. The 132 watt power
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supply can be jumpered to operate on 110 or 240 volts (60/50
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cycles).
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Human Relations Expert
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IBM compatibility is terrific, but what about user
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compatibility? Can the KAYPRO PC relate?
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In addition to displaying a professional character, the
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KAYPRO PC also has the common touch. Dance your digits
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across our IBM PC AT-style keyboard with easy to reach
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RETURN, SHIFT, and CTRL keys. Forget the other guys with
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IBM PC XT-design keyboards; why stifle typing speed while
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promoting premature arthritis
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It is clearly seen that the 12" diagonal monitor won't
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advance CRT-induced myopia. The crisp character set is
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brilliantly displayed in shades of monochrome green. Sit
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back, relax, and stop squinting; the KAYPRO PC is a visual
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communications expert.
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The KAYPRO PC is not abuser friendly. A keyswitch has
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been included to lock out all unauthorized keyboard input.
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Take your byte out of computer crime and rest assured of
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tamper-proof files.
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Programmed for Performance
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Complementing its impressive list of attributes, the
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KAYPRO PC has proven programs for immediate business
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success.
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Disciplined under MS-DOS, the KAYPRO PC includes GW-
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BASIC as its programming language. BASIC is probably the
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most widely used and easiest to learn of all programming
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languages. Furthermore, if you already use a library of
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programs written in BASIC-A (IBM's verion), GW-BASIC is
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BASIC-A compatible.
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Plan to cut costs for all typing assignments with
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WordStar, a professional word processing program. This all-
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purpose industrial-strength program can manipulate
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everything from memos to manuscipts. Teamed with MailMerge
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(a terrific file merging program), it can generate hundreds
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of form letters from a mailing database. Time consuming?
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Not really. Remember, the KAYPRO PC is willing to work
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nights so you don't have to.
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Not implying that there will be operator errors, but
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the KAYPRO PC and company can act as dutiful copy editors.
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CorrectStar checks for spelling errors, while StarIndex
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creates reference material such as indexes, tables of
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contents, and lists of illustrations, etc. These gems take
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the drudgery out of word processing.
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Fidonews Page 7 9 Dec 1985
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The KAYPRO PC software entourage also includes MITE, an
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expert telecommunications translator. Programmable auto-
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dial, protocol, file transfer, modem type, and numerous
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other options make unlimited electronic correspondence a
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snap. There may not be a more sophisticated
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telcommunications program on the market today.
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And last, the KAYPRO PC acts as your personal assistant
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through PolyWindows K-Desk. This memory-resident program
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provides instant access to a document editor, file card
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library, calendar, appointment book, calculator, telephone
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list with dialer, puzzle, key redefinition, and alternate
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file access. The only thing it can't do is make coffee.
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If you need a professional business associate and
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consultant, then bring the new KAYPRO PC on board. For only
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$1595, it's a small price to pay for success.
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Fidonews Page 8 9 Dec 1985
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The PC's Space Program
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by Gene Plantz
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I've often wanted just a bit more room on a start-up
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floppy disk to store more of my favorite programs. Before I
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installed my hard disk, I attempted to transfer the
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utilities that I used most frequently to my start-up disk.
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Invariably, I'd need a tad more room. By not placing the
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desired utilities on that basic disk, I wasted time swapping
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disks when I needed a stray utility program.
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This cumbersome process is no longer necessary.
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Spacemaker, from Realia, lets you compress the .COM and .EXE
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files of your favorite programs to conserve space on the
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disk. After the files are compressed, you can run the
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programs as you normally would.
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Spacemaker is designed not for novices but for active PC
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users who have more floppies - and less free space - than
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they'd like. Programming expertise can help you make the
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most of the utility but it is not essential. The program
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works on just about any .COM or .EXE file that can be
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executed from the DOS prompt. Application programs, of
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course, require at least one of the two files to function.
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Spacemaker can also convert .EXE files to .COM files if
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the compressed version takes up less than 64K. The
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advantage of doing so is that loading and directory searches
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are generally faster for .COM files than for .EXE files. To
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make the conversion from .EXE to .COM files, you use
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Spacemaker as you would the DOS utility EXE2BIN (which
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performs a function similar to Spacemaker's but, unlike
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Spacemaker, alters the file's logical format.).COM files are
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understood by the computer at its most basic level and thus
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differ from files written in source code, which is far more
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accessible. The computer always loads .COM files into a
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specific location in memory..EXE files, which can be loaded
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anywhere in RAM depending on how much memory is used, are
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capable of supporting bigger programs. Functionally the two
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are the same; the difference is in how DOS handles them.
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Other file compression programs are on the market, but
|
|
none allows you to leave the program compressed and still
|
|
use it; most file compression programs require that you
|
|
reconstitute the program before running it. HOW THE PROGRAM
|
|
WORKS: Spacemaker reads your .COM and .EXE files, then
|
|
produces fresh .COM or .EXE files that retain the original
|
|
files' information. The program compresses binary zeros as
|
|
ti reformats the file. The result is a smaller file that is
|
|
equivalent in every way to the original program file except
|
|
that superfluous disk space has been eliminated.
|
|
|
|
The Spacemaker process actually adds code to the
|
|
beginning of a program file. This code is called the
|
|
"loader." It reconstructs the program file in memory to its
|
|
precompression form. This loader routine uses little space
|
|
and is hardly noticeable when the program is running. The
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|
Fidonews Page 9 9 Dec 1985
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|
routine is designed to work when the program is loaded under
|
|
DOS (via COMMAND.COM). This means that virtually any
|
|
program you initiate from the DOS command prompt is a
|
|
candidate for compression.
|
|
|
|
You start Spacemaker by providing the program with file
|
|
specifications, such as the names of the input and output
|
|
files. If anything is missing the program will ask you for
|
|
the necessary information. To compress a program, you
|
|
simply give the command SPACEMKR INFILE OUTFILE, with INFILE
|
|
representing the name of the input file and OUTFILE
|
|
representing the name of the output file.
|
|
|
|
You must use a different name for the output file than
|
|
you've used for the input file. Spacemaker does not alter
|
|
the input file in any way. Under the program's default
|
|
settings, .EXE files are input and .COM files are output.
|
|
|
|
SPACE TO SPARE: The program's results are noteworthy. When
|
|
I ran Spacemaker with the PC-DOS LINK.EXE program, I
|
|
recorded a 22 percent savings in disk space - about 10K -
|
|
upon completion of compression. The program file now
|
|
requires less disk space than it formerly did, and being
|
|
smaller, it also loads faster than before compression. I've
|
|
used the compressed LINK program for four months without a
|
|
hitch.
|
|
|
|
Although Spacemaker is best suited to help you get the
|
|
most from floppies, it also enables hard disk users to store
|
|
more files and reduce program load time. My hard disk, for
|
|
instance, contains roughly 700 files. Using Spacemaker, I
|
|
compressed 17 .COM files and 25 .EXE files. The .COM files
|
|
used an average of 8 percent less space following
|
|
compression; savings for the .EXE files averaged 15 percent.
|
|
Crunching these 42 files freed up slightly more than 500K.
|
|
|
|
Ironically, some files grew slightly after compression.
|
|
My bulletin board programs, written in Compiled BASIC were
|
|
larger following compression. If the program code doesn't
|
|
contain many groups of binary zeros, there won't be much to
|
|
compress. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell in advance
|
|
whether a file will benefit from the compression process.
|
|
Other Compiled BASIC programs have realized significant
|
|
space savings from Spacemaker's efforts.
|
|
|
|
TO COMPRESS OR NOT TO COMPRESS: As these examples suggest,
|
|
Spacemaker is easy to use and the results can be impressive.
|
|
The only difficulty is in determining what you can and
|
|
cannot compress.
|
|
|
|
A few programs that start from the DOS prompt - including
|
|
the word processing program MultiMate - did not run after
|
|
compression. And compression will prevent some .COM files
|
|
from running, including 1-2-3 utilities like FILEMGR.COM.
|
|
But of the hundreds of programs that I compressed, only ten
|
|
or so failed to run properly after compression by
|
|
Spacemaker.
|
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|
|
Fidonews Page 10 9 Dec 1985
|
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
Discussions with the utility's author revealed that a
|
|
problem could occur if a program's developers use a linker
|
|
program other than the standard DOS LINK. The rule is, if a
|
|
.COM or .EXE file is loaded by a program other than DOS, you
|
|
should not attempt to compress it. If you do, you'll lock
|
|
up your system, lose any new data, and need to reboot.
|
|
|
|
The documentation for Spacemaker includes sufficiently
|
|
detailed explanations of what the program does and how it
|
|
works. The manual is concise and particularly insightful
|
|
for the technically inclined.
|
|
|
|
I found it interesting that the files that Spacemaker
|
|
compresses are hard to debug. Conceivably, software
|
|
developers could use the program as a copy-protection
|
|
technique that avoids unconventional disk formats yet
|
|
"hides" code from those who know how to use DOS's DEBUG
|
|
feature to disassemble programs.
|
|
|
|
Overall, I found Spacemaker to be an effective means of
|
|
getting more from less. Active PC users can, with minimal
|
|
effort, save both space and time.
|
|
|
|
Spacemaker
|
|
Realia, Inc.
|
|
10 S.Riverside Plaza
|
|
Chicago, IL 60606
|
|
312-346-0642
|
|
Retail price: $75.00
|
|
|
|
Note: there are at least three switches /O /N and /S
|
|
/O is for converting files complied under DOS 1.0 or 1.1
|
|
/N is for converting files compiled under DOS 2.x or 3.x
|
|
/S functions are unknown
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
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|
Fidonews Page 11 9 Dec 1985
|
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|
============================================================
|
|
COLUMNS
|
|
============================================================
|
|
|
|
Why I Buy Mail Order
|
|
|
|
By Fred Povey
|
|
CKCS Board Member
|
|
|
|
Imagine that you are about to buy a new car. One
|
|
dealer will sell you the car you want for $10,000 and will
|
|
throw in a free driver education course. Another dealer will
|
|
sell you the same car for $7,000, but leaves it up to you to
|
|
learn how to drive it. Which dealer would you buy from?
|
|
|
|
Of course, if you already know how to drive, as most
|
|
car buyers do, the answer is easy. In the early 1900s, when
|
|
the automobile was as new as personal computers are today,
|
|
the decision might not have been so easy. You might have
|
|
been willing to pay extra for someone to spend time with
|
|
you, showing you how to run the car.
|
|
|
|
Today, with personal computers still not as simple
|
|
to use as they will be someday, you may find it worthwhile
|
|
to pay full retail price in order to get advice and support
|
|
from a computer dealer. But you should know that when you
|
|
pay full retail price, you are buying two things -- the
|
|
product, and support for the product. If you need only the
|
|
product, and can support yourself, mail-order can save you a
|
|
lot of money.
|
|
|
|
I have been working with computers for 12 years, so
|
|
I already knew something about them when I bought my system
|
|
four years ago. By buying mail-order, I saved enough money
|
|
to buy a disk drive. Since then I have bought other hardware
|
|
and software, nearly all by mail-order, and have been well-
|
|
satisfied. That doesn't mean I haven't had problems. But the
|
|
minor ones I solved myself, and the few major ones I solved
|
|
the same way a dealer would -- calling the vendor.
|
|
|
|
Price is not the only reason I buy mail-order. No
|
|
computer store this side of Silicon Valley can offer you the
|
|
range of hardware and software available to you by mail.
|
|
While you might not be surprised if the local dealer doesn't
|
|
stock the LISP interpreter you want, you may have just as
|
|
much trouble finding more common products, because some have
|
|
minimum-order requirements that are too steep for your local
|
|
dealer.
|
|
|
|
That's understandable. But often, the reason you
|
|
can't find what you want at the dealer's is that he hasn't
|
|
kept up with what's available, or that he gets a better
|
|
markup on other products. If you keep up with the products
|
|
yourself, and find that dealers can't answer your questions
|
|
anyway, you may as well save money and buy mail-order.
|
|
|
|
This may sound like a slam at dealers, but it isn't.
|
|
True, many dealers could do a better job of keeping up and
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fidonews Page 12 9 Dec 1985
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of supporting customers. But you don't necessarily expect
|
|
your grocer to know about gourmet foods, and it makes sense
|
|
for a computer dealer to concentrate on selling Lotus 1-2-3
|
|
or Appleworks, where he can make money, instead of learning
|
|
how to answer your questions about assembly language.
|
|
|
|
On the other hand, you can't have it both ways. If
|
|
you buy mail-order, don't expect a retail dealer to bail you
|
|
out of a bad purchase unless you plan to buy something from
|
|
him. Send your friends to dealers unless you plan to
|
|
support them, or unless they can support themselves.
|
|
|
|
Mail-order is not without its risks, but the way to
|
|
minimize them is to do your homework. Read magazine reviews,
|
|
talk to other users, and find out who the reliable vendors
|
|
and mail-order dealers are. Whenever possible, pay by credit
|
|
card; you have much better legal protection against fraud
|
|
then if you pay by cash or check.
|
|
|
|
I hope I've made it clear that mail-order isn't for
|
|
everyone. The discounts are good, but they are essentially a
|
|
reward to you for doing your own research, your own training
|
|
and your own installation. If you enjoy doing that anyway,
|
|
mail-order may be the ticket for you.
|
|
|
|
(c) copyright 1985 Fred Povey. All rights reserved.
|
|
Permission to reprint in non-profit user group publications
|
|
granted.
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
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|
|
Fidonews Page 13 9 Dec 1985
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Allen Miller, 108/10
|
|
|
|
USRobotics Courier 2400 Baud Modem
|
|
|
|
I run a Fido electronic bulletin board at (513)-
|
|
579-2587 and would like to take this opportunity to record
|
|
some of my impressions of the USRobotics Courier 2400 baud
|
|
modem. Let me qualify my comments as those of someone that
|
|
uses modems a lot but is not up on the technical or
|
|
engineering side of the little boxes. I had previously used
|
|
Hayes 1200 Smartmodems and Hayes 2400 Smartmodems. While I
|
|
always liked the widespread acceptance and compatibility of
|
|
the Hayes 1200, I finally chose to try the Courier after
|
|
many compatibility difficulties experienced with the Hayes
|
|
2400. Currently, the Courier list price is $200 lower than
|
|
the Hayes price.
|
|
|
|
The Courier is noteworthy upon first removing it from
|
|
the box. It has a plastic case that is a little cheaper
|
|
looking than the aluminum type case of the Hayes. If you
|
|
turn it upside down and look at the bottom you will only
|
|
find everything you ever wanted to know about your modem.
|
|
There is a small window exposing the DIP switches making
|
|
them easy to access and change. Adjacent to the window is
|
|
complete notations on the function of each switch. Also on
|
|
the bottom of the modem is complete notation on the entire
|
|
set of AT modem commands, special dialing commands and the
|
|
Sn storage registers. There is a slide type variable volume
|
|
control near the front of the modem that takes the volume
|
|
from 100% down to 0%.
|
|
|
|
If all that information on the bottom of the case were
|
|
not enough, there are HELP commands that can be entered from
|
|
the keyboard of your terminal program (like AT$) that will
|
|
give you all that reference information on your screen.
|
|
Just imagine that.
|
|
|
|
Operationally, the Courier modem functions at 2400,
|
|
1200 and 300 bauds without any of the non-intuitive tricks
|
|
need to, say, initialize the Hayes 2400 nonvolatile memory
|
|
to autoanswer a Fido system at 2400. Since installing the
|
|
Couriers on my Fido system, I have had several users leave
|
|
messages saying that they had not been able to sign on my
|
|
system before and all of a sudden they were able to sign on.
|
|
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
Fidonews Page 14 9 Dec 1985
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rainbow Corner
|
|
by
|
|
Ted Needleman
|
|
|
|
|
|
The folks at Hardcopy are real nice to me, but they do
|
|
insist that occasionally I let some of the other writers
|
|
have some editorial space. This translates into Rainbow
|
|
Corner having a finite length (usually about 900 words)
|
|
rather than the verbose meanderings that I am truly capable
|
|
of. Now that the Rainbow Corner Fido is actually in
|
|
existence, it struck me that I have the opportunity to
|
|
exercise these uncontrollable urges to run off at the word
|
|
processor. Welcome to the first of my Rainbow Corner
|
|
Ramblings. This will be an irregular feature here at the
|
|
fido, and will be completely unpublicized. The only people
|
|
who will get to read this trash, are those who are
|
|
adventurous enough to call and explore. Future "Ramblings"
|
|
depend entirely on 1> the response to this one (leave a
|
|
message to the sysop) 2> whether or not I have something to
|
|
say and 3> the phase of the moon.
|
|
|
|
This first "column" concerns DEC's immanent announcement of
|
|
the PC500. This machine, describe in a text file elsewhere
|
|
on the board, is DEC's IBM-AT compatible. It sure sounds
|
|
great to me, but considering the drubbing DEC got the last
|
|
time around in the retail market, I can't help but wonder
|
|
how they are going to sell it? Maybe telemarketing? DEC
|
|
Direct? After all, DEC has closed most of their "Business
|
|
Centers".
|
|
|
|
Actually, secret documents, obtained at great personal
|
|
expense and cost, show that Digital has come up with a plan
|
|
unique in the industry. If you REALLY want a PC500 bad
|
|
enough, DEC may let you adopt one! The way this works, is
|
|
that you make an application to DEC, spelling out your
|
|
qualifications to be a "PC Parent". This application,
|
|
together with a processing fee of about seven thousand
|
|
dollars, goes to "Adoption Central". If DEC's initial
|
|
processing doesn't disqualify you, they send a "special
|
|
investigator" out to your office or home (i.e.- the "PC
|
|
Domicile") to verify that it is a proper place to bring up
|
|
your PC500. It must be clean, well lit, comfortable
|
|
temperature, and not have excessive static. Furthermore,
|
|
you must be sufficiently financially responsible to insure
|
|
that "PEECEE" gets fed only the best in diskettes (i.e.- DEC
|
|
Brand). If you can't provide your new arrival with a room
|
|
of its own, don't bother to apply.
|
|
|
|
Of course, not everyone will be able to meet the stringent
|
|
requirements DEC will establish to permit adoption of a
|
|
PC500. But there is at least one consolation. If, after
|
|
six or seven months, Digital can't make up their minds about
|
|
you, or turns you down, they WILL send you a Cabbage Patch
|
|
Kid.
|
|
|
|
That's it for this time around, see you on the phone line.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fidonews Page 15 9 Dec 1985
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(c)opyright 1985 by Ted Needleman-all rights reserved
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
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|
Fidonews Page 16 9 Dec 1985
|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
|
============================================================
|
|
WANTED
|
|
============================================================
|
|
|
|
Steve Nyman
|
|
Fido 107/22
|
|
|
|
NEED FIDO'S TO PRINT E-MAIL
|
|
|
|
My company, Micro Information Services, needs Fido's from
|
|
across the U.S. to receive our customer's e-mail, print it
|
|
and mail it via U.S. Mail. We anticipate moderate mail
|
|
volume, depending upon the region.
|
|
|
|
NO COST TO YOU: All envelopes, paper, and postage will be
|
|
provided in advance.
|
|
|
|
PROFITS: You will be paid for your services.
|
|
|
|
IF INTERESTED: Direct inquiries via e-mail to Steve Nyman
|
|
on Fido 107/22. Thanks.
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
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Fidonews Page 17 9 Dec 1985
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
============================================================
|
|
NOTICES
|
|
============================================================
|
|
|
|
Software Listings from BYTE Articles Available on Disk
|
|
|
|
Starting December 9, 1985, program listings associated with
|
|
articles in BYTE magazine will be available in a wide
|
|
variety of disk formats. The listings are text files of
|
|
source code and available for noncommercial purposes only.
|
|
|
|
Listings from BYTE have been available for over a year now
|
|
on the magazine's BYTEnet listings electronic bulletin board
|
|
service and the magazine's readers have called the service
|
|
an estimted 50,000 times since the service began in October
|
|
of 1984. That service will remain in operation at (617)
|
|
861-9764 is accessible 24 hours per day at 300 or 1200 baud.
|
|
|
|
Through an agreement with Control Data's Media Duplicaion
|
|
Services subsidiary, BYTE readers can now obtain those same
|
|
listings on disk. Cost will be $5 for most 5 1/4 inch
|
|
floppies and $6 for micro floppies, high-density 5 1/4 and
|
|
single-density 8 inch CP/M disks. Prices include postage
|
|
shipping and handling in North America. Add $1 for orders
|
|
to Europe and South America and $2 to Asia, Africa and
|
|
Australia.
|
|
|
|
BYTE says that while it cannot guarantee availability of all
|
|
formats, it will endeavor to meet as many requests as it
|
|
can. More details on the new service are found in BYTE's
|
|
December, 1985 issue editorial. Order forms are found on
|
|
Page 60 of the same issue.
|
|
|
|
---------
|
|
|
|
Questions or more information, contact: Doug Webster
|
|
Director of Public Relations, BYTE, 70 Main Street,
|
|
Peterborough, NH 03458 (607) 924-9027.
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
The Interrupt Stack
|
|
|
|
|
|
24 Jan 1986
|
|
Voyager 2 passes Uranus.
|
|
|
|
9 Feb 1986
|
|
Halley's Comet reaches perihelion.
|
|
|
|
9 Feb 1986
|
|
Diana Overholt (109/74) has another birthday.
|
|
|
|
11 Apr 1986
|
|
Halley's Comet reaches perigee.
|
|
|
|
19 May 1986
|
|
Steve Lemke's next birthday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fidonews Page 18 9 Dec 1985
|
|
|
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|
|
24 Aug 1989
|
|
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
|
|
|
|
|
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|
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|
|
If you have something which you would like to see on this
|
|
calendar, please send a message to Fido 1/1.
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
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Fidonews Page 19 9 Dec 1985
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