1510 lines
75 KiB
Plaintext
1510 lines
75 KiB
Plaintext
Volume 4, Number 14 13 April 1987
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+---------------------------------------------------------------+
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| _ |
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| / \ |
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| /|oo \ |
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| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
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| _`@/_ \ _ |
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| International | | \ \\ |
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| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
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| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
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| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
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| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
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| (jm) |
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+---------------------------------------------------------------+
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Editor in Chief: Thom Henderson
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Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
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FidoNews is published weekly by the International FidoNet
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Association as its official newsletter. You are encouraged to
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submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission
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standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from
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node 1/1.
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Copyright (C) 1987, by the International FidoNet Association.
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All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted
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for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
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please contact IFNA.
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Table of Contents
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1. EDITORIAL
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What is this thing called IFNA?
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2. ARTICLES
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Letting 9 to 5 Go By the Board by Alice Kahn
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Medical Bulletin Boards
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SEAdog node list problem
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Pointless Nodelist Hassles
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Electronic Mail--Plague or Panacea?
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3. COLUMNS
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Tandy User Group Newsletter (MARCH, 87)
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4. FOR SALE
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UNDER-C(tm) PFS2TXT Program
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5. NOTICES
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The Interrupt Stack
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Fidonews Page 2 13 Apr 1987
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=================================================================
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EDITORIAL
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=================================================================
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What is this thing called IFNA?
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What the heck is IFNA anyway? And what can it do for ME? This
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is a valid and important question. We've created this outfit
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called IFNA, and even voted on bylaws for it, but just what does
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it all mean, anyway?
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First and foremost, IFNA is a legal entity, a not for profit
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corporation in and of the State of Missouri. So what does that
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buy us?
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Well, it turns out that there are certain advantages to having a
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corporation around.
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One that's been highly touted by a lawyer who was involved in the
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bylaws committee is the "corporate shield". I wish I had a
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nickel for every time I've heard that phrase. The general theory
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is that if the business of IFNA is running bulletin boards, then
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if any member of IFNA is sued for something he did while running
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a board his own personal assets will not be on the line. All the
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plaintiff will be able to go for is the assets of IFNA itself.
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I'm less than incredibly impressed with that argument. It sounds
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to me like, if push ever really comes to shove, the so-called
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corporate shield of IFNA will be just one of many points the
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lawyers will bandy about, much to the expense of the parties
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involved.
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But that's not to say that there's no point in having IFNA
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around. I can see some advantages to it.
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The thing is that we seem to have two separate entities here. On
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the one hand we have IFNA, which is this legal entity which may
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or may not mean anything. On the other hand we have FidoNet,
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which is a coalition of sysops each doing his or her own thing.
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IFNA is governed by a Board of Directors elected by its members,
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while FidoNet is governed by a loose hierarchy of coordinators on
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several levels. The two are quite different, so how do they
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connect?
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"The Net" we all know and love is FidoNet, of course. We don't
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need IFNA to govern the net. FidoNet has its own policies and
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procedures to handle all of that quite nicely, thank you. So why
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bother with all of this corporation nonsense? There are a few
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reasons:
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1) Tax reasons; This is really why IFNA was formed in the first
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place. Ken Kaplan, the International Coordinator, was
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incurring some heavy expenses, so he asked for some help to
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defray the costs. People responded (thank you!), but the IRS
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saw those donations as income for Ken Kaplan, and did NOT see
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his expenses as legitimate tax deductions. Incorporation
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Fidonews Page 3 13 Apr 1987
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solves that.
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2) There are some advantages to copyrighting the node list and
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FidoNews. Mainly, by copyrighting them we can enforce our
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policy that no one may sell them for a profit. But someone
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has to hold the copyrights. Saying that each is a collective
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work of 1200+ people doesn't help much. By forming a
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corporation we create a legal entity to hold the copyrights
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on our collective property.
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3) We're attracting some attention. Various people in the media
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and in business are interested in what we're doing. Having a
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recognized business entity for outsiders to deal with makes
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public relations a lot easier. And it sure doesn't hurt the
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average sysop for bulletin boards to get a little positive
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press for a change!
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4) While we're at it (and since, once you get right down to it,
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we're a pretty potent market force) it'd be nice if we could
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coerce manufacturers into giving us some deals on hardware
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and software. But companies aren't used to dealing with
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loose aggregations of individuals. If I call a modem
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manufacturer, for example, and say "Hi! I'm a sysop, and I
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have a lot of friends who are sysops -- what can you do for
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us?" it isn't going to cut much ice. But if I call and say
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"I represent the International FidoNet Association, a
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coalition of over twelve hundred sysops worldwide" it carries
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some weight. A good example of this is the current situation
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with 9600 baud modems. We're in a pretty good position to
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establish the de facto standard for 9600 baud. It behooves
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us to (a) figure out which modems will do what we want, and
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(b) get the best deal we can from anybody making modems that
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are good enough. But we can't do that unless we have some
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sort of cohesive organization for the manufacturers to deal
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with.
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So what is IFNA? Three things, mainly. It's our PR department,
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our legal department, and our public face. That's all, but
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that's enough.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 4 13 Apr 1987
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=================================================================
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ARTICLES
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=================================================================
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LETTING 9 TO 5 GO BY THE BOARD
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by Alice Kahn
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(c) San Francisco Chronicle, 1987. Reprinted by permission.
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So I'm sitting in Hamburger Mary's talking to a guy with
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orange hair and a skateboard. Big deal. There are plenty of
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fish with Technicolor hair skating in the SoMa sea.
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But Tom Jennings is different. He's fresh and rad beneath
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the surface, a nonconformist trying to create his own life in a
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world that stomps on nonconformists. He seems determined to go
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where no man has
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gone before.
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Jennings recently went "high profile" as a genuine
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character when, at 31, he retired from his job at Apple Computer
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to live by his wits and his skateboard.
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WHY'D HE DO IT?
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For me, the only fun in being a journalist is having the
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license to call up any unusual person you hear about and lunch
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him. So I ask Jennings why he has done something as weird as
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leaving a 9-to-5 office job to skateboard - to "shred" the
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streets. I'm not the first; many have asked why he left his
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"dream job" as a well-paid systems programmer at Apple, as if a
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young man who has worked a third of his life in the electronics
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bussiness has no basis for feeling bored with it. "I think it's
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the West Coast infatuation with Apple Computer," he says. "I
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don't mean to knock it. For some it may be the orgasm of a job.
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But it's still a big corporation. It is run by a guy from Pepsi."
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It's soon clear that I'm with an artist whose masterpiece is his
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own life. His delight in risk-taking also makes it fun to be
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around him. There's not a dead bone in his body. Jennings sees
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himself as a product of the tacky '70s and the punk anti-culture
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spawned by what he calls "the era of John Travolta, a time when
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the emperor's clothes were really off." Opportunities for men of
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his generation seem to range from service-sector yuppie to
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marginal bum. The real curiosity about Jennings is How can a
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smart punk live as a grown-up? Bright in math and science but
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somewhat of a "wise-off" in high-school, Jennings barely managed
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to graduate from what he calls "the cesspool of public
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education." Just out of the cesspool, he went to work in the
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electronice industry near his hometown of Woods Hole, Mass. In
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the late '70s, like other lone nuts with a catalog, he began
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mail-ordering components for his do-it-yourself personal
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computer. Eventullly, Jennings developed his own computer
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networking software, FidoNET, which allowed him to have
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electronic intercourse with people all over the world.
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Fidonews Page 5 13 Apr 1987
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His software accomplishments resulted in Jennings'
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nomination for the Andrew Fluegelman Award, named after the late
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editor of PC World and MacWorld. He explains that Fluegelman was
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also a computer hobbyist who believed that computer software
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should be free. But, Jennings added, some say that Fluegelman
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ended up, at 41, jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.
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A year ago, Jennings began his late-night solitary
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glidings through the streets of San Francisco. This led to the
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decision to live by the board rather than die by the chip. He
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now works full-time with Shred of Dignity, a skateboarders' union
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formed to fight various ban-theboard crusaders. His politics are
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a strange mixture of reverence for organization and distrust of
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authority and bureaucracy. In his warehouse digs, just a wheelie
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away from Moscone Center, the walls are covered with punk
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graffiti and Shred of Dignity notices, yet it seems oddly neat
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and organized. The handwriting-on-the-wall philosophy ranges
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from "Skate Free or Die" to "Duke's a Dweeb" to "SFPD: Skate for
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Pedestrian Destruction" to "Drugs, Just Say No." The House of
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Jennings reminds me that being a grown-up needn't involve the
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surrender to drugery that most of us end up with. Of course,
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being a grown-up is a lot more laughs without a job and kids.
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In place of the traditional family, Jennings finds support from
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the electronic network and the skateboarding community. Like
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other urban explorers, he sees the skateboard and the computer as
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"guerrilla technology" in the battle to survive with dignity.
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He finds friends through skateboarding events and encourages use
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of the Shred of Dignity message phone (882-9973). The tape
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closes with the group's credo: "Skate until you puke." He
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proudly shows me the Shred of Dignity Ragazine (sic). "Our
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'Zine," he calls it. It includes a map of the city highlighting
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places to skate and the risks involved (occupational hazards like
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getting busted and getting beat up). One skating site - "The
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Dish" - is described in the Ragazine as a concrete object that is
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"great for skating, but be prepared to get the hell out at the
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first hint of trouble. Macho bull---- is insane, be a wimp."
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Jennings seeks out other likeminded wimps for his brave new
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world. He describes his people as "straight-edge compatible."
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It's an attitude, he explains, not a lifestyle - whatever that
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means. The basic components are "don't pollute anything; drugs
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aren't revolutionary, they're nasty; we're not fighting the
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government, we're not participating in the government."
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Many in this pit of punk culture are also vegetarian and
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celibate -more evidence for the It's Hip to Be Square theory.
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"Some say straight-edge punks are just late-model Puritans," adds
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Jennings.
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LATE-MODEL PURITANS
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Among the favorite pastimes of these modern Puritans is
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"thrashing," a kink of dancing that Jennings gleefully describes
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as "violent." Participants are thrown into a pit packed with
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people. It could be a metaphor or just a weird thing to do.
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Standing 6-foot-4 and cachectically thin, Jennings throws so much
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energy into conversation that you can almost see the calories
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Fidonews Page 6 13 Apr 1987
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burn off. But he becomes most animated when he talks about the
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animosity to skateboarders. For him, skateboarding is both
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ecologically sound transportaion and a physical way to enjoy "the
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three dimensions of the city, the textures of the world. We
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didn't grow up in the country with outhouses. The streets and
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the concrete are our natural environment." This theme of the
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lone pioneer finding kinesthetic beauty in the concrete jungle is
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echoed repeatedly by other rolling poets in the Shred of Dignety
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'Zine. Writes one: "To the skater, CITY is a place with
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unlimited potential, speed, slides, bails, broken bones, walls,
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banks, curbs, even the grim feeling of swiftly moving pavement
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along your thigh." "I'm also into shooting guns," Jennings adds
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with a wide grin, relishing the shock value of his comment. "But
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I shoot them purely for fun - not to hurt anybody; not to protect
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myself; not to kill animals. Hunting is disgusting. I was once
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with someone when he shot a seagull. I was sick for the rest of
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the day." Tom Jennings can always make a buck if he has to. And
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he can give it away, which he has. This allows him the freedom
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to live his life for the hell of it. He's a socially responsible
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punk. He also gives great lunch, but I'm glad to be heading home.
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The burden of being the ordinary one is an incredible drag.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 7 13 Apr 1987
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Edward DelGrosso
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Black Bag BBS 126/120
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Late in 1984 I began to search the nations bulletin boards
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in order to create a list of boards specifically related to
|
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medicine. That first list had about 5 numbers on it and that
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really took some searching !
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Since that time, health care professionals have really begun
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to take advantage of this powerful new form of communications,
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and now the list consists of over 90 numbers. Fido Net has been
|
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instrumental in this growth. Although still small in number, the
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||
sysops of these boards are now publishing their own weekly
|
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medical newsletter (Thanks to Dave Dodell at 114/15) and with the
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advent of echo mail, conferences have developed on a variety of
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medical topics including AIDS, Social Work, Alcoholism and
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Emergency Medical Services.
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I have submitted the following list of medical bulletin
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boards to Fido News because I think they are a special resource
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within Fido Net. In addition to being a unique and vital
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medical communications link, these boards offer general users
|
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access to a wealth of medical information in the form of files,
|
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programs and on line professionals.
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I'd like to appeal to the Fido Net Community in enhancing
|
||
this list. It is an important asset which I feel needs to be
|
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aggressively maintained. For my part, I've confiiirmed the
|
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existence of these boards on the dates shown below and will
|
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continue to do so. I hope any Fido Net users having any
|
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additions !!!!!, corrections (especially name and baud rate) or
|
||
suggestions would take a few minutes and net mail me the info
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at the address below.
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Finally, I'd like to thank ALL those who have made
|
||
Fido Net possible. It truly is the wave of the future and I
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congratulate those who have been, and are being so responsible in
|
||
assuring that it evolves in a useful and coherent manner.
|
||
Also, a special thanks has to go to all those medical Fido Net
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sysops who have done a superior job in attempting to help and
|
||
educate society using this new medium.
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Edward DelGrosso M.D.
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Black Bag BBS 126/120
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***** ALASKA *****
|
||
|
||
ANMC (Alaska Native Medical Center) 907-265-9550 1200 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** ARIZONA *****
|
||
|
||
Doktur's Z Node 602-279-2762 1200 03/04/87
|
||
EMBBS 602-626-7957 2400 03/04/87
|
||
Eye Net (114/14) 602-941-3747 2400 03/03/87
|
||
St.Joseph Hospital BBS (114/15) 602-235-9653 2400 02/10/87
|
||
Fidonews Page 8 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
***** CALIFORNIA *****
|
||
|
||
AIDS Info BBS 415-626-1246 1200 03/08/87
|
||
Digex-SDCS Disabled Int. Group. 619-454-8078 1200 03/04/87
|
||
Disability 415-841-6253 1200 ? Gone ?
|
||
Dr's Office RBBS 415-365-9124 1200 03/03/87
|
||
Environmental Health 408-298-4277 1200 03/04/87
|
||
Fog City Fido(125/10) 415-863-9697 1200 03/04/87
|
||
Friend of Bill W. (Alcohol) 415-833-1780 300 03/03/87
|
||
Legacy 213-553-7418 1200 03/08/87
|
||
LLUMC Medical Library 714-824-4328 1200 03/04/87
|
||
Medic 714-964-0454 1200 ? Gone ?
|
||
RBBS BIOMED 916-454-3324 1200 03/04/87
|
||
Recovery Room (125/9) 415-621-5206 1200 03/08/87
|
||
Survival Communications (125/7) 707-545-0746 1200 03/03/87
|
||
The ARB Research Bulletin 916-324-6997 1200 03/08/87
|
||
Wellspring 714-856-7996 1200 03/08/87
|
||
|
||
***** COLORADO *****
|
||
|
||
8th Sea (104/610) 303-252-9235 2400 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA *****
|
||
|
||
Casualty Care BBS 202-576-0211 1200 03/08/87
|
||
Psych Research 202-466-2485 1200 12/12/86
|
||
|
||
***** DELAWARE *****
|
||
|
||
Chemist's Comport (150/190) 302-479-0302 1200 03/08/87
|
||
|
||
***** FLORIDA *****
|
||
|
||
Dr. Fido (18/15) 305-744-7862 2400 03/03/87
|
||
Epics Division EBBS (135/9) 305-883-6892 1200 03/03/87
|
||
Medical Information Sys. 813-885-5443 1200 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** GEORGIA *****
|
||
|
||
Atlanta Medical Forum 404-351-9757 1200 03/08/87
|
||
Head-Board 404-987-0666 1200 03/03/87
|
||
|
||
***** HAWAII *****
|
||
|
||
Doc Overlook's Fido (12/1) 808-941-5827 1200 12/01/86
|
||
|
||
***** ILLINOIS *****
|
||
|
||
Dirty Ole Man(100/482) 618-254-2763 2400 03/09/87
|
||
Midwest Biomedical Engineering 312-227-7455 1200 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** INDIANA *****
|
||
|
||
Testing Station 317-846-8917 1200 03/08/87
|
||
|
||
***** IOWA *****
|
||
Fidonews Page 9 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
Anesthesiology BBS 319-353-6528 1200 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** KANSAS *****
|
||
|
||
Medical Network BBS 316-688-5329 1200 03/08/87
|
||
|
||
***** KENTUCKY *****
|
||
|
||
Fido-Racer(11/301) 502-762-2155 1200 03/03/87
|
||
Operating Room 502-245-3516 1200 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** LOUISIANA *****
|
||
|
||
LA Medsig 504-737-8173 1200 12/01/86
|
||
|
||
***** MARYLAND *****
|
||
|
||
Maryland Med-Sig 301-332-7386 2400 03/04/87
|
||
Micronetics Mumps BBS 301-948-6825 1200 03/04/87
|
||
The FIDO Solution(109/644) 301-363-7617 2400 03/03/87
|
||
|
||
***** MASSACHUSETTS *****
|
||
|
||
Physics Forum (101/110) 413-545-1959 1200 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** MICHIGAN *****
|
||
|
||
Michigan Med Sig 517-782-5342 1200 03/08/87
|
||
Psych Forum MSU 517-353-2003 1200 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** MINNESOTA *****
|
||
|
||
Minn. Medical Conference 612-434-6315 300 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** MISSISSIPPI *****
|
||
|
||
Optometry Online (100/514) 314-553-6068 1200 03/08/87
|
||
|
||
***** NORTH CAROLINA *****
|
||
|
||
Health Education Forum 704-264-0674 1200 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** NORTH DAKOTA *****
|
||
|
||
N.Dakota Family Med. 701-780-3228 1200 03/03/87
|
||
|
||
***** NEBRASKA *****
|
||
|
||
Creighton U Pharmacy 402-280-3023 1200 03/08/87
|
||
|
||
***** NEW JERSEY *****
|
||
|
||
BMBBS The Hospital 201-992-9893 2400 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** NEW YORK STATE *****
|
||
|
||
Fidonews Page 10 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
Infancy Research (260/208) 716-244-7418 1200 03/04/87
|
||
The Med Tech Fido (260/10) 716-897-0504 2400 03/08/87
|
||
MicroLab BBS (107/233) 516-682-8525 2400
|
||
|
||
***** NEW YORK CITY *****
|
||
|
||
American Psych Exchange 212-662-7171 1200 03/04/87
|
||
Clinically Oriented Fido 716-897-0504 2400 03/04/87
|
||
Emergency Info Line 212-269-3023 1200 03/01/87
|
||
Emergency Medic (107/110) 718-238-8120 2400 03/04/87
|
||
NYU Medical Fido (107/18) 212-254-3190 2400 03/08/87
|
||
Pharm Stat 718-217-0898 1200 03/08/87
|
||
|
||
***** NEW YORK STATE *****
|
||
|
||
Infancy Research (260/208) 716-244-7418 1200 03/04/87
|
||
The Med Tech Fido (260/10) 716-897-0504 2400 03/08/87
|
||
MicroLab BBS (107/233) 516-682-8525 2400
|
||
|
||
***** OHIO *****
|
||
|
||
Black Bag BBS (126/120)!!!!!! 614-421-7254 1200 03/09/87
|
||
CHIPS (157/697) 216-929-8483 1200 03/08/87
|
||
CHRF 513-559-8098 1200 03/08/87
|
||
Free-Net 216-368-3888 1200 03/04/87
|
||
Health Care (157/501) 216-331-4241 1200 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
***** OKLAHOMA *****
|
||
|
||
Laboratory Forum 405-721-4502 1200 03/08/87
|
||
|
||
***** PENNSYLVANIA *****
|
||
|
||
Datamed 412-656-0775 2400 03/04/87
|
||
Eye Opener BBS 215-834-8594 1200 03/04/87
|
||
Freedom Network (13/18) 717-253-4354 2400 03/04/87
|
||
Hemisphere 215-489-2768 1200 01/03/87
|
||
Jets RBBS (Jefferson Med) 215-928-7503 1200 03/04/87
|
||
North Star Medical CP/M 412-881-1749 2400 03/04/87
|
||
Phila Med 215-848-1152 1200 02/08/87
|
||
Scooters Sci Exchange 215-922-2541 1200 03/04/87
|
||
The Abstraction 215-295-1864 1200 02/15/87
|
||
The Second Opinion (129/31) 412-826-0822 2400 03/08/87
|
||
|
||
***** TEXAS *****
|
||
|
||
Bare Bones Tox Net (117/1270) 409-845-9316 1200 03/08/87
|
||
COMSYS (Chemistry) 713-747-9547 1200 03/04/87
|
||
DataBank_II(160/102) 512-643-2251 1200 12/21/86
|
||
Diabetes Discussion 512-454-9821 1200 03/04/87
|
||
Disabled Interest Group 915-592-5424 1200 03/04/87
|
||
Doc's Dental Office 214-463-6581 2400 03/04/87
|
||
Health Link 512-444-9908 1200 03/04/87
|
||
NET-WORKS Medi-Quip-Network 713-747-1232 1200 03/04/87
|
||
NFormation(Neurofibromatosis) 713-558-9908 1200 03/08/87
|
||
Vet Tech Hos (117/1261) 409-845-9199 1200 02/28/87
|
||
Fidonews Page 11 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
XRoads Med Net (19/210) 512-572-0715 1200 01/23/87
|
||
|
||
***** VIRGINIA *****
|
||
|
||
ShanErin (109/604) 703-941-8291 2400 03/04/87
|
||
The Flying PC_AT(109/612) 703-556-0253 2400 03/08/87
|
||
|
||
***** WASHINGTON STATE *****
|
||
|
||
Cardio Board 206-328-7876 1200 03/08/87
|
||
Health Online 206-367-8726 1200 12/12/86
|
||
Midwife's Bag (138/41) 206-275-4146 2400 03/08/87
|
||
US HDS Human Service (138/35) 206-442-8127 1200 03/01/87
|
||
|
||
***** WISCONSIN *****
|
||
|
||
Dent-Tech 414-224-1062 1200 03/04/87
|
||
|
||
The latest version of the list along with the Qmodem phone
|
||
directory used in its compilation is always available on the
|
||
BLACK BAG BBS (126/120) (614) 421-7254
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Fidonews Page 12 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
Thom Henderson, 107/6.1
|
||
|
||
SEAdog node list problem
|
||
|
||
|
||
A bug has turned up in SEAdog 4.0 when it compiles a very large
|
||
node list. Some people are hitting it now with the latest node
|
||
list plus private lists, and everyone will probably hit it when
|
||
the public list gets a little larger.
|
||
|
||
Yes, this is truly a bug, and we apologize for it. It shows up
|
||
as MAILER hanging when it compiles the node list. TELL, SEND,
|
||
and GET can handle a somewhat bigger node list, and MAIL should
|
||
be able to handle an even bigger list, but all would get stuck on
|
||
it if given a large enough node list.
|
||
|
||
Future versions of SEAdog won't have this particular bug, but
|
||
that doesn't help much right now. So to deal with this problem
|
||
we've written a program called NLBUG.EXE, which should be able to
|
||
compile a node list of any size. Or at any rate, we know from
|
||
testing it that it'll properly handle a node list of over 5000
|
||
nodes in over 300 nets. The suggested sequence of events is:
|
||
|
||
1) Run XlatList to create NODELIST.BBS
|
||
|
||
2) Move NODELIST.BBS to wherever SEAdog normally looks for it.
|
||
|
||
3) Run NLBUG.
|
||
|
||
4) Delete NODELIST.BBS
|
||
|
||
5) Proceed as usual.
|
||
|
||
NLBUG will then compile the node list properly.
|
||
|
||
To get a copy of NLBUG, either file request NLBUG.EXE from node
|
||
107/6, or send us network mail and we'll send you a copy.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Fidonews Page 13 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
Pointless Nodelist Hassles
|
||
|
||
|
||
I just had one of the stupidest experiences in my life:
|
||
trying to get a current nodelist. Bear with me.
|
||
|
||
I have been away from the IFNA net for a while, but I had
|
||
lots of experience with it in the past. I have a nodelist from
|
||
Oct 86, and want to get a somewhat current one. Easy, right? Dead
|
||
wrong. After over an hour of long distance calls, no luck.
|
||
|
||
I tried 1/0, 618- something. Said "loading Opus...",
|
||
never came back. (3+ minutes) Tried 1/2, its now 100/22 only, no
|
||
problem with that, but no nodelist. OK. Wrote down various
|
||
help/bug nodes, modem help, etc. Called those. NYC, LA, etc. No
|
||
nodelist files AT ALL! Not even nodediffs. Finally found some
|
||
stuff on echohelp in NYC? Dozens of DIFF files, a few nodelist
|
||
files, but Opus wouldn't let me list selectively through the 100+
|
||
files in the area, and anyway, the newest nodelist was Jan 87,
|
||
and Id have to get all the DIFFs to bring it up to speed.
|
||
|
||
This is stupid and absurd. Can't there be somewhere in
|
||
region 1 that is a small number of places where the nodelist can
|
||
be found? Like maybe a complete ARC'd nodelist from the beginning
|
||
of the month plus DIFFs, or maybe even just a complete nodelist
|
||
every week?
|
||
|
||
My experience isn't that unusual, lots of people get out
|
||
of sync with the diffs, or drop out and come back like I'm trying
|
||
to, or maybe just messed up and want to get cleaned up. DIFFs are
|
||
great, but they were supposed to be a time & effort saver, not
|
||
another bureaucracy. Let's be real folks.
|
||
|
||
DIFFs are a waste of time under many conditions, like
|
||
when you have to get a number of them to get up to date, that's
|
||
not what they were meant for. Take a 70K nodelist, add a dozen or
|
||
so DIFF files, and you have a huge download, and a complex and
|
||
error prone XLAT process. Any arguments about disk space, etc are
|
||
a waste of time. It's just not that big, and besides, you could
|
||
just not bother keeping so many old DIFFs around. (If the
|
||
nodelist complete is say 70K, then you reach break even when the
|
||
DIFFs total 70K, right? To keep a 70K nodelist, plus dozens of
|
||
DIFFs, "to save disk space" is silly. A 70K nodelist, plus the
|
||
last months DIFFs is plenty. The files just aren't that
|
||
inherently interesting historically. Maybe someone should keep a
|
||
copy of every one ever made, but not everyone needs to.)
|
||
|
||
The nodelist is the life blood of the IFNA net, and if I,
|
||
an experienced FidoNet sysop, cannot find a copy then certainly
|
||
relative-novices and other outside people certainly cant.
|
||
|
||
The flyer I received in the mail also doesn't have ANY
|
||
phone numbers on it. I realize as well as anyone that BBS numbers
|
||
aren't reliable, but don't the IFNA overhead ones tend to stay up
|
||
for months at a time? Like 1/1, 1/0, etc? Can't these be
|
||
published with a disclaimer, and the address "if all else fails,
|
||
Fidonews Page 14 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
write ..."? It would probably save a LOT of letters & stamps &
|
||
hassles in answering questions.
|
||
|
||
I still don't have a nodelist, and I don't know what to
|
||
do, except make more expensive phone calls and hope that 1/0 will
|
||
finally load Opus or something so I can see if the files are even
|
||
there.
|
||
|
||
I think a number of NODELIST NODES in region 1 would fix
|
||
this, all they have to do is have the damn files around. Or
|
||
maybe put it in the comment section, or something. Just so there
|
||
is some way for someone like me (or worse off) can find a
|
||
nodelist!
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Fidonews Page 15 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
Electronic Mail--Plague or Panacea?
|
||
|
||
A Random Walk Courtesy
|
||
of the Keyboard
|
||
of
|
||
Kurt Reisler
|
||
SYSOP
|
||
The Bear's Den (109/74)
|
||
The Pot of Gold (109/483)
|
||
|
||
[AARRGGHH!! Stop me! I feel an article coming on!]
|
||
|
||
Every once in a while, something happens out there in the wild
|
||
and wacky world of FIDONET that triggers the creative juices.
|
||
Usually I just wipe it off the keyboard. However, the recent
|
||
spate of repetative messages that have been reverberating around
|
||
the country in the national echomail conferences (the national
|
||
SYSOP conference in particular) caused me to put the following
|
||
thoughts down. I would have put them into the echo, but these
|
||
thoughts should be shared with the FIDO community at large (at
|
||
least I think so, and the FIDONEWS will publish anything).
|
||
|
||
The advent of electronic mail has opened a wonderful tool for
|
||
communications. In this microcomputer age, it is possible to
|
||
exchange thoughts (great or not-so-great) on a one-on-one or a
|
||
one-on-many basis. Though the use of echomail conferences, the
|
||
ability to have many-on-many exchanges exists. All of these are
|
||
a two-edged sword. They can be both a panacea and a plague.
|
||
|
||
Echomail messages take several forms. On rare occaisions, they
|
||
are private messages between two individuals, or groups of
|
||
individuals (i.e. SYSOP to SYSOP). The latter message type is
|
||
really public, as everyone in that "class" has access to these
|
||
messages. So in a sense, they are privledged, rather than
|
||
private. For the most part, messages in an echomail conference
|
||
are public, open for response and comment by all participants in
|
||
that echo.
|
||
|
||
The content of these messages can vary widely, as anyone who
|
||
participates in an echo can verify. Some are the general "how do
|
||
I do this, or why does my program do this" question that is
|
||
addressed to no one in particular. These messages propogate
|
||
accross the net, in a manner not unlike the ripples caused by a
|
||
rock thrown into a pond. However, unlike the ripple, this
|
||
message can generate a reply from each and every node that it
|
||
passes through. Because of propogation delays, these replys may
|
||
take several days to get back to the originator of the original
|
||
"rock". And each of these replays also propogates around the net
|
||
in the same fashine. Soon, you have a very rough surface on this
|
||
otherwise calm pond, as the replies and replies-to-replies bounce
|
||
back and forth accross the net. Eventually the "pond" calms
|
||
down, until someone who has not been read the mails for a while,
|
||
responds to the question, and the entire process begins again.
|
||
|
||
In the case of the "REN/RENUM/REN" ripple, the results are rather
|
||
benign. The responses that have been repeating from almost every
|
||
Fidonews Page 16 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
node have been essentially the same. Everyone seems to be of the
|
||
opinion that they would be the only one to reply to this
|
||
relatively straight-forward problem. This is not a bad thing,
|
||
but it is taking up bandwidth (as is this article, which is
|
||
getting to be a LOT longer than I thought it would). In other
|
||
cases, it is interesting to note that everyone seems to have a
|
||
different opinion about a technical question, which would appear
|
||
to have a single, correct answer. It is left up to the reader to
|
||
determine which of the barrage of "feedback" to the original
|
||
question is the correct one. This is also not a bad thing.
|
||
|
||
However, there are other, nastier, things lurking in the echos.
|
||
Quite often, an individual will make a statement or observation
|
||
of how "things seem to me". Usually, these pass unnoticed
|
||
through the nets. However, occaisionally they trigger a reaction
|
||
that can be very ugly. A recipient of the message will decide
|
||
that not only does the sender have no right to express this
|
||
opinion, but the recipient will make sure that the originator
|
||
never is foolish enough to again clutter the bandwidth with an
|
||
opinion that is contrary their own outlook on life, the universe
|
||
and other things (wow, that was a close one!). The resulting
|
||
flamage, results in severe cluttering of the net, with personal
|
||
attacks that are senseless, pointless, redundant, immature,
|
||
vindictive and in some cases potentially libelous. We see the
|
||
ugly head of the "you can express your opinion, as long as it
|
||
agrees with mine" beast rearing up over the keyboard. Usually a
|
||
single message will result in a bararge of abuse, usually from
|
||
individuals who are well known for their writing styles. Often,
|
||
they succeed in their objective, and the originator of the
|
||
message is beaten into submission and will seldome venture into
|
||
the echos to express another opinion. In other cases, they
|
||
succeed in driving these valuable individuals to giving up on the
|
||
echos and fidonet. Those of us who have been at this for a while
|
||
have seen this happen. And it is not limited to echomail
|
||
conferences over FIDONET. I have seen the same type of thing
|
||
happen accros USENET, which has a much broader user base.
|
||
|
||
So, what is my point? (This article has gotten out of hand!)
|
||
Electronic mail in the form of echomail conferences can be a two-
|
||
edged sword. It can be used for a creative purpose, such as the
|
||
solving of technical and non-technical problems, the sharing of
|
||
information, or just communicating with a fellow communications
|
||
addict via the keyboard and screen. It can also be used in a
|
||
very destructive manner to put down, to ridicule, to lie, to
|
||
slander, to confuse, to generate disinformation or generate
|
||
apathy. There are a lot of individuals of both types out there.
|
||
There is a little of both in each of us. The final decision as
|
||
to whether we use this electronic blade as a tool for progress or
|
||
a weapon of destruction is in our own hands. As Pogo once said
|
||
"We have met the enemy, and it is us." The ultimate choice as to
|
||
where we head as a network, is in OUR hands.
|
||
|
||
Your comments are most welcome and encouraged. I can be reached
|
||
by name or as SYSOP on FidoNet nodes 109/74, The Bear's Den
|
||
(703-671-0598); and 109/483, The Pot of Gold (703-359-6549). For
|
||
those of you with access to USENET (the FidoNews is available in
|
||
Fidonews Page 17 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
mod.mag.fidonet) I can be reached at ..!seismo!hadron!klr. If
|
||
there is any interesting response of either type, I will
|
||
"summerize them to the net". The above ramblings were aimed at
|
||
no one in particular, and everyone in general. However, I am
|
||
sure that there will be some who feel I am refering to them. All
|
||
in all, this got entirely too long.
|
||
|
||
"IFNA, love it or change it. If you chose to ignore it, don't
|
||
complain about the directions it takes."
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Fidonews Page 18 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
COLUMNS
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
|
||
Things have gone well this past week. I stopped by my local
|
||
dealer and he was very busy. He was due to give a seminar at a
|
||
computer show in the area and didn't have the time to learn how
|
||
to use the software, and he wanted to give a demonstration during
|
||
the seminar. I offered to help him out, and as a result got a
|
||
chance to play with the latest in Desktop Publishing software. I
|
||
had some time to look around the show and am happy to report that
|
||
Springboard is taking Certificate Maker seriously, at least I
|
||
found someone selling the first library disk of certificates. The
|
||
new disks also include several new border styles as well as over
|
||
one hundred new certificates. Other than that there wasn't much
|
||
else at the show, although I was seriously tempted to buy a
|
||
laptop computer that was on sale (I hate myself later when I
|
||
empty my checking account at these shows). Thanks to the money I
|
||
made giving the demonstration at the seminar, I have ordered
|
||
ATI's EGA Wonder which is a sort of Swiss Army knife among video
|
||
cards and will be letting you know how it works out in a few
|
||
weeks.
|
||
|
||
-- PageMaker (Aldus corp. list price $695.00) --
|
||
|
||
Those of you who are fans of PageMaker on the Macintosh will
|
||
be pleased to hear that it works the same on the PC. The PC
|
||
version of PageMaker runs under Windows, so any monitor and
|
||
printer that Windows understands will run PageMaker fine. The
|
||
only catch is that Windows is SLOW! I tried running it on an XT
|
||
initially and eventually gave up because of the delays. On an AT
|
||
the speed is bearable, and it probably wouldn't even be noticed
|
||
on a 386 machine. The speed problem is due to Windows
|
||
multitasking capabilities, if your machine runs Windows at an
|
||
acceptable speed you shouldn't have any problems with PageMaker.
|
||
There's a whole list of software that the PC version can work
|
||
with for text and pictures, and I will say it did read my text
|
||
files created with Word, WordPerfect and Wordstar. In the
|
||
graphics department all I got it to read in was Windows Paint
|
||
pictures and Lotus PIC images. It is supposedly capable of
|
||
bringing in drawings from AutoCad and some other programs, but I
|
||
didn't have any of the other one's around.
|
||
|
||
I found it exceptionally easy to move my text around the
|
||
pages although at first it seemed odd to divide the page into six
|
||
different sections each containing part of one of my columns. My
|
||
only complaint on it's text capabilities is that the text
|
||
wouldn't flow around my pictures to easily. In order to get a
|
||
picture to fill half a column I had to divide my text into three
|
||
different parts; the part above the picture, the part next to the
|
||
picture and the part below the picture. I would have liked it if
|
||
things had been a little easier for something like this. Another
|
||
nice extra is that PageMaker automatically determined which word
|
||
processor had been used when it read in my text, the only
|
||
exception was I had to "tell" it when I was reading in straight
|
||
Fidonews Page 19 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
ASCII. The editing capabilities within PageMaker are nothing
|
||
fantastic, although they would be more than adequate to make a
|
||
few last minute changes.
|
||
|
||
Manipulating the graphics images wasn't as easy as the text.
|
||
Those of you familiar with the Macintosh version may enjoy
|
||
PageMaker's methods for cropping a picture, but I found it
|
||
slightly clumsy to my way of working. This isn't to say that they
|
||
aren't extremely capable, once I got used to how it worked it
|
||
wasn't that bad. It's just that it isn't as instinctive to me as
|
||
the rest of the program, and I was never able to get the text to
|
||
flow around a picture as easily as I'd like. The other newcomer
|
||
into the PC Desktop Publishing arena did things a little better
|
||
in this department.
|
||
|
||
-- Ventura Publisher (Xerox corp. list price $895.00) --
|
||
|
||
Ventura Publisher is Xerox's bid into the PC Desktop
|
||
Publishing market and this one really blew my mind! First off it
|
||
runs under GEM instead of Windows. While I am not really a fan of
|
||
either of these two operating environments, GEM beats Windows any
|
||
day. Mainly because GEM doesn't suffer from the delusion that a
|
||
PC or XT can be a good multitasking system so it runs a lot
|
||
quicker. Also since software manufactures can get a run time
|
||
version of GEM, you don't have to buy GEM in order to use Ventura
|
||
(you have to buy Windows if you want to run PageMaker). While you
|
||
don't get the full GEM operating environment, Ventura runs fine
|
||
and you don't have to do any extra work when you exit it (you
|
||
have to exit Windows after exiting PageMaker). While PageMaker
|
||
costs less than Ventura, keep in mind that you've got the hidden
|
||
cost in PageMaker that you don't have with Ventura (so don't
|
||
write me telling me how PageMaker costs so much less than
|
||
Ventura). For those of you unfamiliar with a run-time library (or
|
||
"program" in this case) what it means is that Xerox can give you
|
||
the necessary part of GEM in order to use their product and they
|
||
just pay Digital Research so much for every copy of Ventura they
|
||
sell. Aldus can't do the same thing with PageMaker because
|
||
Microsoft doesn't have a run-time version of Windows, you either
|
||
have it or you don't.
|
||
|
||
Ventura matches PageMaker's text editing capabilities in
|
||
every department and destroys it because Ventura uses style
|
||
sheets. A style sheet is one of the things that makes Ventura a
|
||
lot better than PageMaker in my book, it allows you to define the
|
||
characteristics (justification, size, type face, etc.) of any
|
||
paragraph of text. If you're doing a magazine type layout you
|
||
might have a particular way you want a liftout to look (a liftout
|
||
is those few lines of text that publisher's take out of the text
|
||
and turn into big bold letters that stand out from the text and
|
||
either catch your eye or annoy you depending on what mood you're
|
||
in). In Ventura you'd merely define what a liftout should look
|
||
like, click on the paragraph that should be "lifted-out," and
|
||
click on your liftout definition (when "categorizing" paragraphs
|
||
all your defined styles appear in box to the left of the screen).
|
||
If you're looking over the text for the first time it's just as
|
||
easy to mark the text that should be a liftout, copy it to
|
||
Fidonews Page 20 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
wherever you want the liftout and then mark it as such. All this
|
||
made Ventura an utter joy to use. I can't emphasize enough how
|
||
easy style sheets made it when creating a document. While Ventura
|
||
only comes with 21 different style sheets, you can modify any of
|
||
them or create totally new ones.
|
||
|
||
Ventura beats PageMaker hands down when in comes to image
|
||
pictures in my book. Some of the image pictures from other
|
||
programs it can use are PC Paintbrush, GEM paint, and supposedly
|
||
anything from a Microtek Dest image scanner. I found it much
|
||
easier to enlarge and shrink the pictures, and the cropping was
|
||
much more powerful AND easier to use. You can set the sizing and
|
||
scaling in a few keystrokes, and crop the image within it's
|
||
frame. I should mention that everything in Ventura goes in a
|
||
frame, if no other frame is specified the background page becomes
|
||
the frame. Border's around pictures became a snap, and it would
|
||
allow a border to be made up of as many as 3 lines with you
|
||
controlling the thickness of each line and the spacing between
|
||
each of them. Captions to pictures were just as easy and you can
|
||
easily move them from either side of the picture or above and
|
||
below. You are also capable of squeezing a lot into the caption
|
||
and controlling how much space is set aside for it.
|
||
|
||
With line art (as Ventura calls it) you can import pictures
|
||
from AutoCAD (although once again I wasn't able to really test
|
||
this), almost any of the GEM programs (GEM Graph, GEM Draw,
|
||
etc.), Lotus 1-2-3 PIC files and Symphony picture files (might
|
||
even handle Framework if Framework generates a "standard" picture
|
||
file). I know it can handle AutoCAD because of some of the
|
||
samples included with Ventura, mainly the nozzle picture and the
|
||
picture of the Space Shuttle which I have seen being manipulated
|
||
using AutoCAD. One of the nice things you can do with Ventura is
|
||
add some text to a picture and then make an arrow pointing to
|
||
from your text to part of the drawing. I used this to make a
|
||
comment on a graph and actually point to that section of the
|
||
graph. On line art you can't do very much in the way of cropping,
|
||
but you are capable of resizing it up to a full page.
|
||
|
||
Let me point out that Ventura is NOT a good drawing program.
|
||
It's capabilities in that department are minimal, mainly just add
|
||
a small box of text and draw lines, circles, and boxes. If you
|
||
plan on doing much "free hand" drawing, you'll want a decent
|
||
paint (or drawing) program like PC Paintbrush. This shouldn't be
|
||
a problem since you would probably be using a word processor to
|
||
generate the initial text and either a scanner, paint program, or
|
||
drawing program (or CAD program) to create the individual parts
|
||
of a document and just bring them all together using Ventura.
|
||
|
||
Printer support in Ventura is pretty decent. They've covered
|
||
most of the laser printers out there (mainly through
|
||
compatibility to the HP laser printers and PostScript) although
|
||
dot matrix wise you'd need something that's compatible with an
|
||
Epson. An unusual capability is the Xerox color printer, if you
|
||
have either that or a color printer compatible with it you can
|
||
print in up to eight different colors. The catch is you really
|
||
need a PostScript printer to take full advantage of a wide
|
||
Fidonews Page 21 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
variety of different type styles and sizes. Is there any
|
||
PostScript printers out there besides the Apple LaserWriter's
|
||
(excluding the professional typesetting equipment)? If so please
|
||
let me know about them, it's a shame that only one company will
|
||
support what is bound to become a standard since IBM's
|
||
announcement (yes, IBM is now officially endorsing PostScript).
|
||
|
||
That's about all on the hot new software I promised I'd look
|
||
at last week. I didn't intend it to run on for so long, but I
|
||
just had to write about it while my memory was still fresh. If I
|
||
had to choose between PageMaker and Ventura right now, I'd have
|
||
to say go with Ventura. It seems to have a lot more capability
|
||
than PageMaker, and I think it's worth the extra bucks (which
|
||
isn't that much after you toss Windows into PageMaker). Maybe one
|
||
of these days I'll have the money to buy one of these products
|
||
(and a PostScript printer) and I'll be able to give you a better
|
||
run down on them. Until then, this is going to have to do.
|
||
|
||
-- Winding Down.. --
|
||
|
||
Best game I've had a chance to play with this week has been
|
||
EMPIRE, which is available on many bulletin board systems. It's
|
||
you against the computer in taking over a world. After a few
|
||
hours I was able to beat the computer at the easy level and in
|
||
setting out to explore the world I gained a lot of insight in the
|
||
logistic problems of today's armies. You start out with one town,
|
||
and every town you control can produce one "product" be it
|
||
armies, planes, various types of ships, etc. Each town you
|
||
capture will also produce something for you. In trying to manage
|
||
several cities, you could get bogged down in the commands to
|
||
every troop, plane, and ship. Thankfully you can "automate" a lot
|
||
of your commands like telling an army to just roam the continent.
|
||
I've had quite a bit of fun with it, and like HACK it was
|
||
initially written for a UNIX type machine so just about everybody
|
||
out there can run it.
|
||
|
||
Best book this month goes to "Using PC DOS" by Chris DeVoney
|
||
(QUE books, $21.95). It would make an excellent supplement to
|
||
Learning MS-DOS which I commented on a few weeks ago. It has
|
||
sections in it for both the beginner and more advanced users and
|
||
covers the topics well. Some of the topics include how to prepare
|
||
diskettes, managing DOS directories, and what a RAM disk is and
|
||
how to use it. It will probably become a well worn book in the
|
||
next few months in my own library (from loaning it out to friends
|
||
who are just beginning if nothing else).
|
||
|
||
Next column I should get around to looking at the new SEAdog
|
||
(originally meant to write about it in this column, sorry Thom)
|
||
and a nice database program I found on a local board. I once
|
||
again welcome your comments on my column. I'd especially like to
|
||
hear from you if you think I should look over any specific
|
||
products (hardware or software). If you're a user of a bulletin
|
||
board please mention to your sysop that mail to me must be routed
|
||
through either 157/0, 157/502, or 157/1 , and sysops just take
|
||
note of this sentence. All of those nodes are running SEAdog and
|
||
will take mail (and files) to be forwarded to me anytime. I'll
|
||
Fidonews Page 22 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
try and answer any mail, so please give a node number (or site
|
||
name on USEnet) if you send anything though US Snail (oops US
|
||
mail).
|
||
|
||
|
||
Dale Lovell
|
||
3266 Vezber Drive
|
||
Seven Hills, OH 44131
|
||
|
||
uucp: ..!ncoast!lovell
|
||
FidoNet: 157/504
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Fidonews Page 23 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
from OpusNODE 362/1, The Last Resort - Chattanooga, TN
|
||
|
||
Tandy User Group Newsletter.... March, 1987
|
||
PC MAGAZINE REVIEWS TANDY COMPUTERS
|
||
|
||
Earlier this week, several Tandy executives attended the "1987
|
||
PC Forum" in Scottsdale, Arizona. PC Magazine publisher William
|
||
Lohse and Editor Bill Machrone made it a point to tell Graham
|
||
Beachum and/or me, how well they think we're doing in the
|
||
marketplace, and how highly they regard our MS-DOS product line.
|
||
Too bad they don't write the reviews in their magazine!
|
||
|
||
When we returned to Fort Worth, we found the March 31 issue of
|
||
PC, with reviews on the Tandy 1000 EX, 1000 SX, and 3000 HL
|
||
computers. The reviewer obviously didn't share their enthusiasm.
|
||
But... neither did he understand or have accurate facts about the
|
||
machines he reviewed.
|
||
|
||
We won't argue with a reviewer who forms his negative opinions
|
||
based on fact, but these reviews weren't in that category. I'll
|
||
say that the reviewer obviously didn't understand the 1000 EX and
|
||
its positioning as an entry-level home and school product. He
|
||
tried to measure it by office standards... the need for IBM board
|
||
compatibility, the lack of hard disk capability, etc. I would
|
||
suggest that it actually is a computer capable of running IBM PC
|
||
software, at a price most people would expect to pay for a
|
||
computer principally intended for entertainment.
|
||
|
||
That said, I will try to overlook his opinion-based
|
||
statements and address some of the half-truths and outright
|
||
errors...
|
||
|
||
1) The EX was panned for lack of expandability, and it was said
|
||
we offer "640K RAM expansion and a 300/1200-baud modem." The
|
||
impression left was that only two boards are available. Fact
|
||
- we offer seven... the RAM, a 300-baud modem, a 1200-baud
|
||
modem, RS-232, mouse/clock board, Network 4 card, and STB's
|
||
new EX Chauffeur display adapter. More are coming.
|
||
|
||
2) Of both the EX and SX, the reviewer said our video signal
|
||
timing is so far off the IBM standard that the 25th line of
|
||
the display disappears behind the monitor bezel of non-Tandy
|
||
monitors. Fact - ours are 220-line monitors, while IBM's
|
||
display 200 vertical lines. There is a MODE 200 command which
|
||
may be keyed in or put in an AUTOEXEC.BAT file to compensate
|
||
if you're using a non-Tandy monitor.
|
||
|
||
3) The EX was described as "... a moderate performer, yielding
|
||
nowhere near the double speed its fast clock would imply."
|
||
Fact -7.16 Mhz is 50% faster than 4.77 Mhz, not double. We
|
||
claim a 20% throughput gain, which is exactly what PC found.
|
||
|
||
4) "The EX's 4.77 Mhz speed was even more disappointing, at best
|
||
10 percent slower than the standard IBM time." Fact - With
|
||
256K RAM, the video refresh is interleaved. When you expand
|
||
beyond 256K, video RAM is re-positioned, and refresh is no
|
||
Fidonews Page 24 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
longer interleaved. Speed should at least equal the IBM.
|
||
|
||
5) "For anyone accustomed to the IBM standard, the EX keyboard
|
||
is a terror." By the time he reached the SX, the same
|
||
keyboard was "Both compelling and confounding. The touch is
|
||
positive, with both audible and "tactile feedback." Fact -
|
||
it's the same keyboard that received raves on the Tandy 2000.
|
||
Absolute keyboard cloning is hardly a major issue to a first
|
||
time user. Our "enhanced keyboard", an exact duplicate of
|
||
IBM's "enhanced keyboard" (except for indicator lights), can
|
||
be adapted to the SX for those with a need for key placement
|
||
compatibility.
|
||
|
||
6) Personal DeskMate was described as "... all the software
|
||
you'll need--until you discover how much better commercial
|
||
programs can be." Fact - it's furnished free with the
|
||
computer. It's an entry-level program designed to give the
|
||
user immediate utility and the ease of use provided by
|
||
Microsoft Windows conventions. There was no intention or
|
||
claim that DeskMate replaces hi-level, full-featured
|
||
applications packages. We hope introducing new users to the
|
||
concepts involved, will allow them to make a more informed
|
||
choice of full-featured, megabuck "commercial programs", when
|
||
they're ready.
|
||
|
||
7) "... the 1000 EX will not run PC-DOS 3.2." Fact - the 1000 EX
|
||
absolutely runs PC-DOS 3.2. (It obviously won't run IBM's
|
||
BASIC, since part of IBM's BASIC is and always has been in
|
||
ROM. Could this be what confused the reviewer?)
|
||
|
||
8) "...the 1000 EX has severe limitations. The worst of these
|
||
are proprietary expansion, no provision for a hard disk, and
|
||
its odd keyboard." Fact - most entry-level users or
|
||
"homework" users, will need video, a printer, and the ability
|
||
to expand to 640K. They'll transport their work on floppies,
|
||
hardly on hard disks. And to my knowledge, all the popular
|
||
software is still delivered on floppies... Lotus, Ashton-
|
||
Tate, Microsoft, etc. If your needs are greater, you should
|
||
be looking at a 1000 SX anyway.
|
||
|
||
9) "You must buy a special Tandy adapter cable to tie in your
|
||
parallel printer." Fact - We use an industry-standard
|
||
parallel I/O... there's no adapter involved. Yes, you have to
|
||
buy a printer cable -- regardless of the computer you choose.
|
||
|
||
10) The Tandy 1000 SX is described as a "stripped down though not
|
||
unlikable machine." Fact - The SX comes with 384K, two
|
||
drives, faster clock, dual speed processor, printer
|
||
interface, monochrome and color video interface, graphics
|
||
capability, composite and RGBI outputs, sound, line-level
|
||
audio output, light pen port, two joystick ports, an 8087 co-
|
||
processor socket, and five open PC-compatible slots (even
|
||
with 640K RAM on board.) And, it's supplied with DOS, BASIC,
|
||
and DeskMate II. Maybe I'm getting subjective, but I'd sure
|
||
like him to tell me when a computer ceases to be "stripped
|
||
down."
|
||
Fidonews Page 25 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
11) "The standard MS-DOS 2.11 operating system of the 1000 SX
|
||
allows access to a huge library of PC-Compatible programs.
|
||
Yet the machine does have its incompatibilities. Like many
|
||
older compatibles, it will not run PC-DOS 3.2." Fact - not
|
||
only does it run PC-DOS 3.2, but it is supplied standard with
|
||
MS-DOS 3.2, not 2.11 as stated.
|
||
|
||
12) On both the EX and SX, memory benchmark tests were not run
|
||
"because of insufficient memory." We'd have been most happy
|
||
to send additional memory, had it been requested. We supply
|
||
reviewers with any configuration they ask for. Had the memory
|
||
been installed, the video memory change would probably have
|
||
resulted in better numbers for all the tests.
|
||
|
||
13) In a chart on page 168, parallel ports were listed as
|
||
optional on both the 1000 EX and 1000 SX. Fact - They're
|
||
standard... built right onto the motherboard.
|
||
|
||
14) Same chart shows expansion slots for the EX as "none". Fact
|
||
- The EX has one proprietary slot. Our memory expansion card,
|
||
when plugged into that slot, provides two additional "plus
|
||
slots" for two more option boards.
|
||
|
||
15) The review of the 3000 HL says it has seven slots, three "XT-
|
||
style 8-bit" and four "full AT-style 16-bit." Fact - reverse
|
||
the numbers and you have it... four XT and three AT slots.
|
||
|
||
Don't get me wrong... I know the senior executives at PC
|
||
magazine, and have great respect for them and their publication.
|
||
This is a commentary on three Tandy reviews, nothing more.
|
||
|
||
Less than two days after the review reached us, there was at
|
||
least one message thread, about the inaccuracies, on CompuServe's
|
||
Tandy forums. I believe it is appropriate that we should take
|
||
this avenue -- about the most timely one open to us -- to set the
|
||
record straight. I have asked PC Magazine's publisher what can be
|
||
done to set the record straight with his readers.
|
||
|
||
LARGEST MODEL 100 CLUB ?
|
||
|
||
I had a call this week from Rick Hansen of "Club 100", a Model
|
||
100 user group which claims to be the largest. Rick reports a
|
||
membership of about 600 people. Can anyone top that? In case
|
||
you'd like more information, the address is P.O. Box 23438,
|
||
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. They have a BBS, too... (415)939-1246.
|
||
|
||
MOUSES
|
||
|
||
Or "mice" or whatever you prefer. We've had a few questions
|
||
recently about the discontinuing of our 26-1197 Digi-Mouse. No,
|
||
we're not abandoning these little critters. Currently, we have
|
||
the Logitech Mouse in our Express Order system (Cat. No. 90-2055
|
||
for 25-pin, 90-2056 for 9-pin). They will replace our Digi-Mouse
|
||
as a store-stocked item in the second quarter of this year, and
|
||
can be ordered from Express Order between now and then.
|
||
|
||
Fidonews Page 26 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
TANDY 1000 DOCUMENTATION
|
||
|
||
Many Tandy computer buyers are novice computer users in every
|
||
sense of the word. One of the most frightening things to any
|
||
first-time computer user, is to be confronted by a mountain of
|
||
documentation. That's why we elected to hold the "standard"
|
||
documentation down to a minimum. We tried to include just enough
|
||
to get those first-time users up and running with off-the-shelf
|
||
applications packages or DeskMate.
|
||
|
||
We firmly believe our decision was absolutely right for those
|
||
first-time users. That's the good news. The bad news is the folks
|
||
among you who are quite computer-literate felt short changed.
|
||
|
||
First off, let me assure you that you got what you paid for.
|
||
Had we included detailed documentation on MS-DOS and GW-BASIC,
|
||
the cost of the computer would have increased a bit. And for
|
||
those of you who want that documentation, there is an MS-DOS/GS-
|
||
BASIC reference manual available... Cat. No. 25-1508, $29.95.
|
||
|
||
It's a question that comes up often at user group meetings, so
|
||
I thought maybe you'd like to know our reasoning.
|
||
|
||
HARD DRIVE OWNERS
|
||
|
||
Our merchandising department would like to alert hard drive
|
||
owners to a potential problem area that doesn't have to be. It
|
||
has to do with hard drive formatting. From personal experience, I
|
||
can assure you it will cause trouble.
|
||
|
||
When you format your hard drive, you must enter the "bad track"
|
||
information that is supplied with your drive. If you don't, you
|
||
can have failures which will look exactly like hardware glitches.
|
||
Be sure you enter this information any time you format.
|
||
|
||
The media error map should be taped to the bottom of the
|
||
computer or external hard drive case. If yours was installed by
|
||
our service center, it may be taped to the top of the drive
|
||
itself.
|
||
|
||
That's about it for now... see you next month.
|
||
|
||
Material contained herein may be reproduced in whole or in
|
||
part in user group newsletters. Please quote source as Tandy
|
||
Corporation/Radio Shack.
|
||
|
||
Send questions/suggestions to:
|
||
Ed Juge, director of market planning
|
||
Radio Shack
|
||
1700 One Tandy Center
|
||
Fort Worth, TX 76102
|
||
|
||
NOTE: Join the Tandy EchoMail Conference by contacting myself or
|
||
Neal Curtin (138/14) 206-527-5618. KeyWord for conference is
|
||
"MOD1000."
|
||
|
||
Fidonews Page 27 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Fidonews Page 28 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
FOR SALE
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
Stanley Quayle
|
||
Fido 126/1
|
||
|
||
Do you have files created by pfs:Write or IBM Writing Assistant?
|
||
Want to convert to another word processor but can't?
|
||
|
||
The UNDER-C(tm) PFS2TXT Program can convert pfs:Write and IBM
|
||
Writing Assistant files to ASCII text format. The headers,
|
||
footers, bolding, and underlining is included in the output
|
||
file.
|
||
|
||
$25 for printed instructions with executable program on a 5-1/4"
|
||
disk. 3-1/2" disk is available for an extra $5. Ohio residents
|
||
please include 6-1/2% sales tax. Shipping extra on overseas
|
||
orders.
|
||
|
||
NOT copy-protected.
|
||
|
||
|
||
Conversion service is available for $5 per file. 24-hour
|
||
turnaround on files sent through Fido to Stanley Quayle, 126/1.
|
||
|
||
|
||
MasterCard and Visa orders: (216) 237-4395
|
||
|
||
Quayle Research, Inc.
|
||
6548 Edgerton Road
|
||
N. Royalton, OH 44133
|
||
|
||
|
||
For more information, contact Stanley Quayle on 126/1. The
|
||
source code of the PFS2TXT Program comes with purchase of the
|
||
UNDER-C Library.
|
||
|
||
UNDER-C is a trademark of Quayle Research, Inc.
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Fidonews Page 29 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
NOTICES
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
The Interrupt Stack
|
||
|
||
|
||
27 Apr 1987
|
||
Start of the Semi-Annual DECUS (Digital Equipment Corp. Users
|
||
Society) symposium, to be held in Nashville, Tennessee.
|
||
|
||
17 May 1987
|
||
Metro-Fire Fido's Second Birthday BlowOut and Floppy Disk
|
||
Throwing Tournament! All Fido Sysops and Families Invited!
|
||
Contact Christopher Baker at 135/14 for more information.
|
||
|
||
21 Aug 1987
|
||
Start of the Fourth International FidoNet Conference, to be
|
||
held at the Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, VA.
|
||
Details to follow.
|
||
|
||
24 Aug 1989
|
||
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
|
||
|
||
|
||
If you have something which you would like to see on this
|
||
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1/1.
|
||
|
||
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|
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|
||
Fidonews Page 30 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
|
||
ORDER FORM
|
||
|
||
Publications
|
||
|
||
The IFNA publications can be obtained by downloading from Fido
|
||
1/10 or other FidoNet compatible systems, or by purchasing them
|
||
directly from IFNA. We ask that all our IFNA Committee Chairmen
|
||
provide us with the latest versions of each publication, but we
|
||
can make no written guarantees.
|
||
|
||
Hardcopy prices as of October 1, 1986
|
||
|
||
IFNA Fido BBS listing $15.00 _____
|
||
IFNA Administrative Policy DOCs $10.00 _____
|
||
IFNA FidoNet Standards Committee DOCs $10.00 _____
|
||
|
||
SUBTOTAL _____
|
||
|
||
IFNA Member ONLY Special Offers
|
||
|
||
System Enhancement Associates SEAdog $60.00 _____
|
||
SEAdog price as of March 1, 1987
|
||
ONLY 1 copy SEAdog per IFNA Member
|
||
|
||
International orders include $5.00 for
|
||
surface shipping or $15.00 for air shipping _____
|
||
|
||
SUBTOTAL _____
|
||
|
||
Mo. Residents add 5.725 % Sales tax _____
|
||
|
||
TOTAL _____
|
||
|
||
SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:
|
||
IFNA
|
||
P.O. Box 41143
|
||
St. Louis, Missouri 63141 USA
|
||
|
||
|
||
Name________________________________
|
||
Net/Node____/____
|
||
Company_____________________________
|
||
Address_____________________________
|
||
City____________________ State____________ Zip_____
|
||
Voice Phone_________________________
|
||
|
||
|
||
Signature___________________________
|
||
|
||
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|
||
|
||
Fidonews Page 31 13 Apr 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
__
|
||
The World's First / \
|
||
BBS Network /|oo \
|
||
* FidoNet * (_| /_)
|
||
_`@/_ \ _
|
||
| | \ \\
|
||
| (*) | \ ))
|
||
______ |__U__| / \//
|
||
/ Fido \ _//|| _\ /
|
||
(________) (_/(_|(____/ (jm)
|
||
|
||
Membership for the International FidoNet Association
|
||
|
||
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
|
||
pays an annual specified membership fee. IFNA serves the
|
||
international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to
|
||
increase worldwide communications. **
|
||
|
||
Name _________________________________ Date ________
|
||
Address ______________________________
|
||
City & State _________________________
|
||
Country_______________________________
|
||
Phone (Voice) ________________________
|
||
|
||
Net/Node Number ______________________
|
||
Board Name____________________________
|
||
Phone (Data) _________________________
|
||
Baud Rate Supported___________________
|
||
Board Restrictions____________________
|
||
Special Interests_____________________
|
||
______________________________________
|
||
______________________________________
|
||
Is there some area where you would be
|
||
willing to help out in FidoNet?_______
|
||
______________________________________
|
||
______________________________________
|
||
|
||
Send your membership form and a check or money order for $25 to:
|
||
|
||
International FidoNet Association
|
||
P. O. Box 41143
|
||
St Louis, Missouri 63141
|
||
USA
|
||
|
||
Thank you for your membership! Your participation will help to
|
||
insure the future of FidoNet.
|
||
|
||
** Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization
|
||
in formation and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted
|
||
by the membership in January 1987. An Elections Committee has
|
||
been established to fill positions outlined in the By-Laws for
|
||
the Board of Directors. An IFNA Echomail Conference has been
|
||
established on FidoNet to assist the Elections Committee. We
|
||
welcome your input on this Conference.
|
||
|
||
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|
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