932 lines
42 KiB
Plaintext
932 lines
42 KiB
Plaintext
Volume 4, Number 46 14 December 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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Contributing Editors: Dale Lovell, Al Arango
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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 1:1/1.
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Copyright 1987 by the International FidoNet Association. All
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rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for
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noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
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please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067.
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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. ARTICLES ................................................. 1
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Fee Based Bulletin Board Systems ......................... 1
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Benchmark Testing Of Archive Utilities ................... 3
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GizLib - A Fine Improvement To Quick Basic ............... 5
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StarSeed -- A New Age BBS ............................... 9
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A New Kind of DUPE ....................................... 10
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Softguard Strikes Out At Honest Pc-Users ................. 12
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2. NOTICES .................................................. 15
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The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 15
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Region 18 Nodelist Changes ............................... 15
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Latest Software Versions ................................. 15
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FidoNews 4-46 Page 1 14 Dec 1987
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=================================================================
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ARTICLES
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=================================================================
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Bob Allman, 161/8 and 123/7
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Fee Based Bulletin Board Systems:
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Bill Paul's FidoNews 4-37 Article and the Responses
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Bill Paul, Sysop of The Think Tank, 123/7, Memphis, Tennessee,
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authored an article which outlined his thoughts on BBS fee
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charging practices and solicited feedback from others. What I
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seek here is to provide a synopsis of the feedback he shared with
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me and offer my own observations.
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Bill queried the propriety of users financially supporting a
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hobby, and equated fees received with obligations incurred by the
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recipient. He did acknowledge echomail and netmail services were
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legitimately chargeable to users of those services. Responses
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were received from among others: 381/20, 107/16, 381/1, 148/1,
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115/478, a PC-Board SysOp, a Miami SysOp and Don Daniels,
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President of IFNA. Here, with apologies to the respondents for
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any loss of context, are the major points made:
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- Fee payers' are better and more committed users.
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- User support, financial and otherwise, is conducive to
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system excellence and longevity.
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- Fees seperate users who want a system's services from
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curiosity seekers and twits.
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- Fees reduce system access gridlock problems.
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- Fees can be mandatory for access, tied to special
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priviledges only, or solicited analogous to the shareware
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concept (eg your donation will be gratefully accepted).
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- Fee supported systems do incur some obligations on the part
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of the operators consistant with the fee basis.
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- Users do derive benefits, systems are only as good as the
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sysops AND their users - hence BBSs' are two way streets.
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- System operation is expensive.
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- Hobby activity and community service don't have to be
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mutually exclusive.
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- FidoNet shouldn't include any system designed and operated
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exclusively to make money.
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- Bulletin Board Systems and Electronic Mail Networks are
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different; BBSs can be free, networks require management and
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appropriate financial involvement.
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- No one rule can be equally applied to every BBS.
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Having been involved in a user group initiative to provide
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funding to a Net to help defray costs, I know that responsible
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users, concerned with both the benefits received from excellent
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systems and the commensurate high costs of operating good systems
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are not unwilling to donate their time or money unsolicited by
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SysOps. Bill's issue, I believe, was on what basis should money
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FidoNews 4-46 Page 2 14 Dec 1987
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change hands. Is it a form of contract, with obligations on the
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part of both parties? I think so. The terms "user" and
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"operator" alone impart a sense of this relationship. I have no
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tolerance for board "rapists" and twits who believe access to
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systems are their god given right, nor SysOps who want monies up
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front without providing a trial period to permit prospective
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users to reasonably evaluate their fee-based systems. Let them
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both be plagued with gridlock, line noise and faulty modems! I
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believe that non-profit making fees are an acceptable option for
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System Operators. But the option does incur obligations to
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provide services commensurate with the fee charged. This is
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rarely a problem as most fee structures are nominal, and I know
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of no case of a system going fee-based only to shut down within
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weeks without making appropriate refunds.
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My preference is that any fee-based system be willing to
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extend to prospective new users a short "check it out" period.
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Sure, downloads and to a lesser degree, message base access can
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be limited, but no one likes to invest in anything sight unseen.
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I find too many of the "new" fee-based systems want money before
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you can see anything but the logon welcome, registration form,
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and the logoff screen. Good systems have nothing to fear from
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scrutiny and that is the basis upon which the appropriateness of
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fees should be judged.
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To set the record straight, I have been active in
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telecommunications for number of years and, although having moved
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from Tennessee to California in July 1986, I continue to be a
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registered user of Bill's system. I have never been a SysOp,
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although I have Sub-SysOped or SigOped for several systems. I am
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an active user of electronic mail networks and message bases. I
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am NOT speaking for Bill, although I publicly wish to thank him
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for providing the Think Tank's great forum.
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Replies may be addressed to 123/7 or 161/8.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 4-46 Page 3 14 Dec 1987
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Gene Coppola 107/246
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Benchmark Testing Of Archive Utilities
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With the release of version 1.5 of the Zoo archive utility, I
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decided to run my benchmark tests and report on the 3 major
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archive utilities again.
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For those of you that have read my past articles, you are
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familiar with these tests. For new readers, I will explain the
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tests now.
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The test are run against a standard collection of 14 files I
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have put aside for these types of tests. The total size of the 14
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files together are 269118 bytes. Some are .COM, some are .EXE and
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some are .OVL files. The times reported below are the average of
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10 tests for each program I tested.
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The equipment I run the test on has changed. I am now using a
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QT/2-6 computer.
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This is a PS/60 clone with twelve (12) Megabytes of Ram
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installed on the motherboard. The clock speed is 20Mhz. An 80386
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is the main processor. An 80387 NDP is installed as well. The
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hard drive used for testing is a Seagate ST-251 with an access
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time of 23 ms. The price of the QT/2-6 is $2450 as tested.
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A seperate sub-directory was created for testing purposes.
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The drive was optimized (Mace 4.10) between tests to provide
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accurate results. OS/2 (Beta) was used as the operating system
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for these tests.
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Here are the time results of the tests.
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NAME TYPE OF OPERATION % REDUCED MINS SECS HUDS
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========================================================
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PKARC35 Create An Archive 34 Percent 00 09 02
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ZOO150 Create An Archive 33 Percent 00 17 06
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ARC520 Create An Archive 33 Percent 00 56 13
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PKXARC Extract An Archive N/A 00 05 14
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ZOO150 Extract An Archive N/A 00 07 15
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ARCE Extract An Archive N/A 00 07 21
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ARC520 Extract An Archive N/A 00 42 14
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KEY: N/A=Not Applicable In This Test
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As you can see PKARC has come in again as the fastest utility
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for creating an archive. PKXARC is the fastest extraction
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utility. ARC520 still does not recognize other archive formats.
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PKARC35 will produce either it's own ARC format file or you may
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produce an ARC520 formatted file. ZOO150 creates it's own
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formatted file.
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As computer speeds get faster, I expect to see these times
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remain relatively stable. The work these programs do is disk
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FidoNews 4-46 Page 4 14 Dec 1987
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intensive. I expect that in the future speed gains will be from
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faster drives, and not from faster computers.
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I hope this helps some of you who are new to computers.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 4-46 Page 5 14 Dec 1987
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GizLib
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A Fine Improvement To Quick Basic
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GIZLIB is a set of routines that are callable from either QB3 or
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QB4. Some, such as ERRMSG, more resemble sub-programs than sub-
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routines. To say this is not to overstate their value, but to
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point out that, in general, they perform or can perform multiple
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functions or entire routines.
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Most of the routines are assembler based, but where it makes more
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sense, they are in QB. In terms of speed and such, assembler
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based is undoubtedly faster (though I doubt that the amount by
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which it is faster is always noticeable) QB routines on the other
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hand can be a bit more useful, the most noticeable difference
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being that QB subroutines can alter string lengths while
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assembler cannot. The downside is that QB routines are a bit
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bigger, but I still appreciate having them right on hand and not
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having to type them in numerous times.
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II. Calling Conventions
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If you are not familiar with calling library routines from QB,
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you are advised to STUDY this in the QB books, as it is an
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important aspect of calling sub programs.
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Brief Rules:
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A. The passed parameters shown do not need to be used
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literally as is. That is, if a routine is documented as:
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CALL myroutine(StringParm$, IntegerParm%)
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The following convention will work just as well:
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CALL myroutine(parm1$, parm2%)
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The following will not (because the variable data
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types are reversed):
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CALL myroutine(StringParm%, IntegerParm$)
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What this is saying is that called subroutine parameters
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are only POSITIONAL, but they can have any name you choose
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("IntegerParm%" vs "parm2%"), and as long as the TYPE is correct
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(integer versus string variables, versus double precision etc),
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and as long as the passed arguments are initialized correctly.
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B. Unless otherwise noted, subroutines require non-string
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arguments to be INTEGERS. This means that either a DEFINT a-z
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statements is required early on in your program or numeric
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arguments must be implicitly set to integers, ie; the "%" integer
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declaration used.
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C. Aside from the right TYPE of argument or parameter being
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passed, and the use of integers, make sure you pass the right
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FidoNews 4-46 Page 6 14 Dec 1987
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NUMBER of arguments. If a program requires you to pass 7
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arguments and either as a typo or because you only use 6, you
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miss one within the parentheses, then as they say, unpredictable
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results may occur.
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D. In most cases, the examples shown will reference
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parameters as variables.
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ie: CALL subr(x%, y%, z$); where x, y and z$ are set to
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certain values to get specific results from the routine. However
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in many cases, you can pass arguments directly.
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ie: CALL subr(1, 4, "String"). The times when you CANNOT do
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such direct passing is when the subroutine is going to modify or
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return one of the arguments passed. Some routines will change
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one of the arguments to indicate an error or a level of success.
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Those arguments that are altered or changed by the subroutine
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MUST be passed as a variable. For example, if "subr" above uses
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x, y and z$ to specify what you want it to do and y returns a
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level of success or error situation, it would have to be passed
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as a variable:
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CALL subr(1, y%, "String")
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E. Major QB 3.0 bug
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There is a fairly well known bug in QB3 that creates non-
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executing .EXE files when your program performs calls to
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assembler routines. The work around is this:
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DO NOT compile your source from INSIDE the editor to make a
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.OBJ file.
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DO exit to DOS and make the .OBJ file from DOS:
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C>QB myprog /o;
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Then when you link it, the EXE file will run.
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By "fairly well known bug" I mean that most serious users
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know about it. I have let MicroSoft know and provided 4 examples
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and they now understand what the problem is, but DO NOT expect a
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fix for it, because they are more intent on OS/2 and QB4 is now
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out.
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Here is a brief list of the available commands in GizLib and
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a brief description of each one.
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GizLib Quick Reference Guide
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Version 1.3
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Released: November 29, 1987
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FidoNews 4-46 Page 7 14 Dec 1987
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GIZLIB Index
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-------------
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BOXES ........... Outline one of 6 menu type boxes to
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the screen.
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* CHRP ............ Sound the speaker in a CHiRP
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fashion.
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CLOFF / CLON .... Disengage-engage keyboard Caps Lock.
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** CLRKBD .......... Clear keyboard buffer of type-ahead
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keys.
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CMDLINE ......... Parse the command line into a string
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array.
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CPUINFO ......... Returns very low level system info,
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cpu type etc.
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DATE ............ Returns current day, month, year and
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day of week as integers.
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DFRMAT .......... Date Formatting.
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+4 DIR.............. Returns DOS directory in a string
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array.
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DLRFRMAT ........ Numeric string formatting to Dollar
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conventions.
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DLY ............. Delay for x number of seconds.
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DOSV............. Return DOS Version installed.
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DRVSPACE ........ Return total and free drive space.
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* ERRMSG .......... Display temporary message with
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color, sound control.
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EXIST ........... Determines if a file exists on disk
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or not.
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EXTMEM .......... Return the amount of Extended (AT)
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memory installed.
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FADE ............ Screen fade or dissolve routine,
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maintains attributes.
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FILCNT........... Returns the number of files in disk
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matching a mask.
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FED ............. BASIC text input routine.
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** GETDSEG ......... Returns BASIC's DS (Data Segment)
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** GETSTACK ........ Returns the state of BASIC's Stack.
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** GET/SET DRV ..... Get or set the default drive.
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** GET/SET VERFY ... Get or set the system VERIFY state.
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GRAPH ........... Produce a Vertical or Horizontal
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graph from an array.
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KBLOOP .......... Enter a blind loop until a key is
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pressed.
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-3 LCASE ........... Convert a string to lower case
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** MDLY ............ Delay processing for a number of
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milliseconds.
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NFRMAT .......... Extensive Numeric string formatting.
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NLOFF / NLON .... Disengage-engage Keyboard Num Lock
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PCASE ........... Convert string to proper case.
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PINIT ........... Initialize the printer.
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** PFILE ........... Send a disk file to printer.
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PRTSCRN ......... Print the current display on the
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printer.
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PSTAT ........... Return the printer status.
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QUIKPRT ......... Another implementation of BYTE's
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qprint routine.
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RAMFREE ......... Returns memory installed in the
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FidoNews 4-46 Page 8 14 Dec 1987
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system.
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** RSTSCRN / SVSCRN. Restores a screen previously saved
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by SVSCRN
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U-,D- SCROLL .... Scroll a portion of the screen up or
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down.
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** SCROLLER ........ Scroll the screen left or right.
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SCRLOFF / SCRLON. Set Scroll Lock Off.
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SCRNDUMP ........ Dump the current display to disk.
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SETERR .......... Sets DOS "ERRORLEVEL" code upon
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program termination.
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* SINFO ........... Equipment info: RAM, parallel,
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serial, EGA and VGA.
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-3 STRIP ........... Strip Leading and trailing blanks
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from a string.
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-3 STRIPL .......... Strip trailing blanks and tabs from
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string.
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-3 STRIPR .......... Strip leading blanks and tabs from
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string.
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TFRMAT .......... Time formatting
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-3 UCASE ........... Converts a string to upper case
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** WDW ............. Windowing subroutine with sound,
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color control.
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* Minor improvement from previous version
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** New or Major enhancement in this release
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-3 Routine is in QB3 USERLIB ONLY.
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+4 Has altered syntax or requirements in QB4 (QLB).
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GizLib can be downloaded from the author's bulletin board
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system at (316)-684-8744.
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It may also be SEAdog requested from 107/246. Request the
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file "GIZLIB" (without the quotes) to get the entire package. The
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file is archived and is about 120k.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 4-46 Page 9 14 Dec 1987
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StarSeed Fido 15/1001
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Jami Morgan, Sysop
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If you are interested in metaphysical topics, expanding and/or
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||
opening your mind to new thoughts, or just curious then you
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||
should drop by StarSeed -- A New Age BBS in Albuquerque, New
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Mexico. It's Node 15/1001 or you can call direct (505) 822-8268
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AFTER 10 p.m. Mountain Standard Time (10 pm - 10 am, daily).
|
||
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||
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A special discussion area called Stargate offers interesting
|
||
comments on a wide range of New Age topics. WHAT IS NEW AGE?
|
||
Well, Omni Magazine took a stab at defining it in their October
|
||
issue. It was described as a consciousness, a concept, an
|
||
alternative religion, a sub-culture, a new era, and a holistic
|
||
approach to life. I would say it's all of the above. It's an
|
||
open-minded search for answers to life's questions. It
|
||
encompasses such things as astrology, sciences of the mind and
|
||
body, herbal medicine, native american practices, eastern
|
||
religion and other alternative religions, earth magic, crystal
|
||
power, the supernatural and/or para-normal.
|
||
|
||
On the lighter side, there is also a great Science Fiction
|
||
Conference and "OddQuest" -- a silly adventure game (just
|
||
starting).
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StarSeed has been in operation around 6 months (the same Fido
|
||
Node has been around for over four years). I would like to start
|
||
a New Age Echo Conference if the interest is out there. If you
|
||
are so inclined, drop by StarSeed. If any nodes are interested
|
||
in such an echo, please contact me at 15/1001.
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*** Jami Morgan, StarSeed Sysop
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 4-46 Page 10 14 Dec 1987
|
||
|
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|
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Larry DiGioia
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||
NEVERBOARD -- 129/17
|
||
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||
|
||
DUPLICATION OF ECHOMAIL CONFERENCES
|
||
|
||
|
||
If you are keeping track of the various echomail conferences
|
||
that are forming almost daily, you will have noticed a rather
|
||
distressing trend: DUPLICATION OF SUBJECT MATTER. An example:
|
||
|
||
For more than two years (since before echomail) there has
|
||
been a discussion area on my board called "Electric Images".
|
||
When I let it out into the rest of the matrix I shortened the
|
||
name to simply "IMAGES". The subject of the conference has been
|
||
movies, via both theatre and videocassette, and "regular" video
|
||
as in "TV". As of last month, it had made it's way across the
|
||
country and had many enthusiastic participants.
|
||
|
||
Then I started seeing an area available on some of the large
|
||
echo hubs called "FILM", as well as another called "REVIEWS".
|
||
Both were supposed to have the same subject matter as IMAGES.
|
||
|
||
I started out by entering messages into these echoes, asking
|
||
who the coordinator was. I got no response (well, almost no
|
||
response; one person replied saying "coordinator? what's a
|
||
coordinator? why do we need one?") I tried again, this time
|
||
asking "if there is no coordinator, could someone at least tell
|
||
me who started this thing?" No response. Finally, after I
|
||
arranged to actually receive both echoes on my board, I decided
|
||
to concede to the greater distribution of FILM (which actually
|
||
had some messages in it) and merge my own conference into it by
|
||
renaming it to FILM. Meanwhile, after several more tries, still
|
||
no one answers to the title of coordinator in REVIEWS.
|
||
|
||
I am also seeing three different but similar "MUSIC" echoes,
|
||
and many more along those lines. The point is, I thought that we
|
||
had an "official keeper of the echolist" (Thomas Kenny) who puts
|
||
out an excellent list of echoes, along with their coordinators
|
||
and hub numbers. Heck, it was even included inside this very
|
||
newsletter! I guess not everyone reads it.
|
||
|
||
I don't have any particular solution to this problem, except
|
||
to say that I hope in the future that sysops, echomail
|
||
coordinators and all others involved in distribution will keep a
|
||
closer watch on what is actually going around, subject-wise.
|
||
I should also point out that experience has shown that an echo
|
||
with no coordinator doesn't last very long, and at best will
|
||
degenerate into random discussion and flames.
|
||
|
||
I would also like to take this opportunity to plug some of
|
||
the echoes that I coordinate here at NEVERBOARD:
|
||
|
||
SHORTWAVE - discussion of radio listening, including long-
|
||
distance reception on HF bands, as well as broadcast band,
|
||
scanners, satellites, and "PIRATE" radio. No ham radio.
|
||
FidoNews 4-46 Page 11 14 Dec 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
AUDIO - discussion of stereo equipment and accessories,
|
||
sound reinforcement, tips for improved sound, and the recordings
|
||
that provide the best examples of Hi Fi.
|
||
|
||
FILM - discussion of movies, including those in theatres, on
|
||
videocassette and broadcast. Also video hardware such as HDTV,
|
||
Hi Fi VCRs, and satellite TV.
|
||
|
||
DR_DEBUG - The one and only! He's a little eccentric and yes,
|
||
he has been known to spill a little Gin on his magnetic media.
|
||
But you won't find a better authority on software for a variety
|
||
of computers, including IBM, COMMODORE, APPLE and ATARI. Ask
|
||
here, if he can't answer it then you don't need to know. The
|
||
Doctor is IN!
|
||
|
||
We also carry MUSIC, SF, HUMOR and many other conferences.
|
||
Come and get it!
|
||
|
||
NEVERBOARD - Pittsburgh Pa. - 129/17 - 412-243-5880
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 4-46 Page 12 14 Dec 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
From: The SysOp BBS Quantico, VA (703)640-2603
|
||
To: All Sysops
|
||
|
||
Subj: TROJAN ALERT
|
||
|
||
|
||
It seems SOFTGUARD may be distributing a TROJAN "unprotect"
|
||
program to erase disks and bolster their "shrinking" copy
|
||
protection business.
|
||
|
||
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
||
|
||
The following message was found on the Morningstar Keep node of
|
||
the Citadel BBS system (609)268-9597. What makes this message
|
||
especially alarming is the fact that, as far as can be
|
||
ascertained, so-called "shrink-wrap" license agreements have
|
||
never been shown to be enforceable in a court of law. Thus, not
|
||
only is it probably legal for you to make a backup copy of so-
|
||
called "licensed software", but if the publisher omits to
|
||
register the work with the Copyright office and submit two copies
|
||
of the software to the Library of Congress, he may not even be
|
||
entitled to attorney's fees and punitive damages even if he sues
|
||
you for real dishonest copyright infringement. (If the publisher
|
||
does register the work with the copyright office, it becomes a
|
||
published work and it becomes impossible for the publisher to get
|
||
any kind of trade secret protection, or enforce a prohibition
|
||
against reverse-engineering. (There goes the software protection
|
||
scheme!! -- A delightful dilemma for the software publisher.)
|
||
Consult your attorney for specific legal advice, but make sure he
|
||
doesn't consult for a software company. R.DHESI
|
||
|
||
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
||
|
||
From Ted Mozer @ Brick
|
||
|
||
**** DANGER !!!! Data Destroying Program !!!
|
||
|
||
The file called SUG.ARC (or SUG.COM) is purported to be an
|
||
unprotect for Softguard. It is, in reality, a real WORM of the
|
||
worst magnitude! This little gem will ask you to put your
|
||
ORIGINAL Softguard protected disk in the drive, and then BAM, it
|
||
displays this message:
|
||
|
||
|
||
"You have violated the license agreement under which you received
|
||
the software. All your data has been destroyed. This
|
||
destruction constitutes prima facia evidence of your criminal
|
||
violation. If you attempt to challenge Softguard Systems, Inc. or
|
||
the software vendor in court, you will be vigorously counter-sued
|
||
for infringement and theft of services; we believe that our case
|
||
will have more merit to it than yours. If you have any questions
|
||
concerning this matter, you are invited to contact our lawyers at
|
||
the following address:
|
||
|
||
Softguard Systems Incorporated
|
||
address and telephone number given -.
|
||
FidoNews 4-46 Page 13 14 Dec 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
We'll be happy to explain to you the precarious legal position
|
||
you're in. We wish you good luck in restoring your software from
|
||
backups and we hope that in the future you'll act more like an
|
||
honest user and less like a thief.
|
||
|
||
Happy Computing."
|
||
|
||
... AND IT IS SERIOUS!!
|
||
|
||
It will look for drives A: & B: and, get this, a drive C: or
|
||
better!! In other words, it will wipe out the FAT on your hard
|
||
disk too, just to "teach you a lesson". Attorneys are presently
|
||
looking into what can be done to stick this up the lower
|
||
abdominal region of the person or persons responsible for it's
|
||
existence.
|
||
|
||
.. IF YOU HAVE IT, GET RID OF IT !!!
|
||
|
||
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
||
|
||
Interesting? Here's one from the Atlanta PC User's Group BBS,
|
||
home of the Lone Victor:
|
||
|
||
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
||
|
||
Date: 09-03-86 (17:14) Number: 3265
|
||
To: LONE VICTOR Refer#: NONE
|
||
From: BILL MOSS Recv'd: YES
|
||
Subj: SUG.ARC Sec'ty: PUBLIC
|
||
MESSAGE
|
||
|
||
Please take a look at SUG.ARC which purports to unprotect
|
||
Softguard, but destroys the diskette by erasing all files but not
|
||
the FAT. It appears to be in retaliation for your work. More
|
||
than ever we need your help with SOFTGUARD 3.00. The lecture
|
||
that goes along with SUG.ARC is too much!!!
|
||
|
||
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
||
|
||
Assuming that Softguard really did create this file, we have the
|
||
following comments.
|
||
|
||
First, Softguard's battle (battle? You might prefer to call it
|
||
terrorism) against protection busters is almost moot, for most
|
||
major software publishers have dropped the idea of copy-
|
||
protection altogether in favor of registered customer support.
|
||
Perhaps this very fact has put Softguard's management in a mood
|
||
bad enough to lash out thus.
|
||
|
||
Second, Softguard's legal position seems quite shaky to me. Last
|
||
year Vault corporation announced a software protection scheme
|
||
that would, if it detected a fraudulent effort to copy the
|
||
software, make "Vietnam look like a birthday party" (or some such
|
||
thing) by planting a worm that would slowly but surely destroy
|
||
the user's files. When Vault announced it's worm-based copy-
|
||
protection scheme, many knowledgeable people expressed the
|
||
FidoNews 4-46 Page 14 14 Dec 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
opinion that Vault was likely to be liable for damages if people
|
||
lost valuable data because of the scheme. What Softguard seems
|
||
to be doing is definitely more vicious. Add together a probably
|
||
unenforceable license agreement (to which Softguard isn't even a
|
||
party as for as the user is concerned) and clear evidence of
|
||
vicious attempt to destroy the user's data, and you have a pretty
|
||
good case against SUG.ARC's creator. In fact, you could very
|
||
easily create a test case by (a) taking a legally-purchased copy
|
||
of Softguard-protected software; (b) unpacking it without ever
|
||
reading the "license agreement" in a state other than the handful
|
||
(such as Louisiana and Illinois) that attempt to make such
|
||
agreements enforceable; (c) having some valuable software on your
|
||
hard disk; (d) "accidentally" destroying any backup copy already
|
||
provided; and (e) trying to make a backup copy of the original
|
||
with the help of SUG.ARC. It would be interesting to see what
|
||
would happen if you then sued Softguard for damages.
|
||
Interesting, but not very surprising.
|
||
|
||
We think therefore that the Softguard folks (if SUG.ARC did
|
||
indeed originate from them) are relying on the individual not
|
||
having the financial resources to sue them or to withstand a long
|
||
legal battle if they sue him. It's therefore a strategy of
|
||
intimidation.
|
||
|
||
(As an aside: That such a strategy of intimidation could be a
|
||
viable one demonstrates a major flaw in this legal system.
|
||
Justice costs a lot, sometimes so much that one can't afford it.
|
||
There are several reasons for this, all avoidable, but none
|
||
appropriate for discussion in the message or under this topic.)
|
||
|
||
How do users fight back?
|
||
|
||
Perhaps we won't have to. It may be enough that the presence of
|
||
this dangerous file be made widely known.
|
||
|
||
Possibly as a result of the public outcry that followed it's
|
||
announcement of the worm scheme, Vault went into Chapter 11
|
||
bankruptcy -- poetic justice, I think. This left Softguard with
|
||
a near-monopoly on the software protection business in the IBM PC
|
||
world.
|
||
|
||
If the SUG.ARC file is indeed Softguard's creation, then it seems
|
||
to me they are following Vault down the Yellow Brick Road (or is
|
||
it the garden path?) -- and we look forward to more poetic
|
||
justice when the public outcry occurs again.
|
||
|
||
(As an additional aside: Don't rule out the possibility that an
|
||
outside party has created this file. There are a number of
|
||
people out there that do not like BBS's and do not like free
|
||
exchange of information. These people have defined their goal in
|
||
life to destroy all means of public information interchange,
|
||
including and especially, the BBS environment!)
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 4-46 Page 15 14 Dec 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
NOTICES
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
The Interrupt Stack
|
||
|
||
|
||
9 Jan 1988
|
||
The next net 104 FidoNet Sysop Meeting. Contact Oscar Barlow
|
||
at 104/0 for information.
|
||
|
||
25 Aug 1988
|
||
(pending BoD approval) Start of the Fifth International
|
||
FidoNet Conference, to be held at the Drawbridge Inn in
|
||
Cincinnatti, OH. Contact Tim Sullivan at 108/62 for more
|
||
information. This is FidoNet's big annual get-together, and
|
||
is your chance to meet all the people you've been talking with
|
||
all this time. We're hoping to see you there!
|
||
|
||
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 1:1/1.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
Things are VERY different in Region 18
|
||
|
||
|
||
There have been many changes and additions to the Nodelist in
|
||
Region 18. Nets have been added, Net Coordinators have changed,
|
||
Independent Nodes added and dropped, numbers changed, etc.
|
||
|
||
If you haven't updated your Nodelist lately (and why haven't
|
||
you?), please get NODELIST.345 and recompile your Nodelist. It
|
||
may save you a few needless calls to non-BBS numbers.
|
||
|
||
Nets 116 and 362 have NEW Coordinators and Host numbers.
|
||
|
||
Get with it! We thank you.
|
||
|
||
Christopher Baker
|
||
Region 18 Coordinator
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Latest Software Versions
|
||
|
||
BBS Systems Node List Other
|
||
& Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
|
||
|
||
Dutchie 2.71* EditNL 3.3 ARC 5.21
|
||
FidoNews 4-46 Page 16 14 Dec 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
Fido 12d* MakeNL 1.10 ARCmail 1.1*
|
||
Opus 1.03a Prune 1.40 ConfMail 3.2*
|
||
SEAdog 4.10 XlatList 2.84 EchoMail 1.31
|
||
TBBS 2.0M MGM 1.1*
|
||
|
||
* Recently changed
|
||
|
||
Utility authors: Please help keep this list up to date by
|
||
reporting new versions to 1:1/1. It is not our intent to list
|
||
all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 4-46 Page 17 14 Dec 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
__
|
||
The World's First / \
|
||
BBS Network /|oo \
|
||
* FidoNet * (_| /_)
|
||
_`@/_ \ _
|
||
| | \ \\
|
||
| (*) | \ ))
|
||
______ |__U__| / \//
|
||
/ Fido \ _//|| _\ /
|
||
(________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm)
|
||
|
||
Membership for the International FidoNet Association
|
||
|
||
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
|
||
pays a specified annual membership fee. IFNA serves the
|
||
international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to
|
||
increase worldwide communications.
|
||
|
||
Member Name _______________________________ Date _______________
|
||
Address _________________________________________________________
|
||
City ____________________________________________________________
|
||
State ________________________________ Zip _____________________
|
||
Country _________________________________________________________
|
||
Home Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
|
||
Work Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
|
||
Zone:Net/Node Number ____________________________________________
|
||
BBS Name ________________________________________________________
|
||
BBS Phone Number ________________________________________________
|
||
Baud Rates Supported ____________________________________________
|
||
Board Restrictions ______________________________________________
|
||
Your Special Interests __________________________________________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
In what areas would you be willing to help in FidoNet? __________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
Send this membership form and a check or money order for $25 in
|
||
US Funds to:
|
||
International FidoNet Association
|
||
c/o Leonard Mednick, MBA, CPA
|
||
700 Bishop Street, #1014
|
||
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813-4112
|
||
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
|
||
and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted by the
|
||
membership in January 1987. The first elected Board of Directors
|
||
was filled in August 1987. The IFNA Echomail Conference has been
|
||
established on FidoNet to assist the Board. We welcome your
|
||
input to this Conference.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 4-46 Page 18 14 Dec 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
|
||
ORDER FORM
|
||
|
||
Publications
|
||
|
||
The IFNA publications can be obtained by downloading from Fido
|
||
1:1/10 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
|
||
|
||
Fido Software's Fido/FidoNet $100.00 _____
|
||
Fido/FidoNet price as of November 1, 1987
|
||
ONLY 1 copy Fido/FidoNet per IFNA Member
|
||
|
||
International orders include $10.00 for
|
||
surface shipping or $20.00 for air shipping _____
|
||
|
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SUBTOTAL _____
|
||
|
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HI. Residents add 4.0 % Sales tax _____
|
||
|
||
TOTAL _____
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|
||
SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER IN US FUNDS:
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||
International FidoNet Association
|
||
c/o Leonard Mednick, MBA, CPA
|
||
700 Bishop Street, #1014
|
||
Honolulu, HI. 96813-4112
|
||
USA
|
||
|
||
Name________________________________
|
||
Zone:Net/Node____:____/____
|
||
Company_____________________________
|
||
Address_____________________________
|
||
City____________________ State____________ Zip_____
|
||
Voice Phone_________________________
|
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|
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Signature___________________________
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|
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|