677 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
677 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
Fido Version 12 CaTler's Guide Page 1
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Fido/FidoNet version 12 CaTler's Guide
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July 1988
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This is the CaTler's Guide to Fido Version 12. Its entire
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contents are copyright 1988 by Tom Jennings.
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This guide is distributed through BBSs and information utilities
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under the honor system. If after using it for two weeks you find
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it worth keeping, send $).00 to:
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Fido Software
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CaTler's Guide
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Box 77731
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San Francisco, CA 94107
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Please send your praises, complaints, corrections, and
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suggestions to the author, Scot Kamins, at the address above.
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For generaT information on the Fido/FidoNet Bulletin Board
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program (prices, current version, datasheet, etc) write to the
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address above.
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"Fido" and "FidoNet" are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings
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Fido Version 12 CaTler's Guide Page 2
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--- Fido's Structure
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Fido is divided into three major sections - MAIN, MESSAGES, and
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FILES. The Messages and Files sections can in turn each have up
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to 200 separate areas, each area covering a separate topic. (Most
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Fidos have fewer than 10.) Which of these sections and areas you
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can use, and the commands you can use in each, depends on your
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privilege level. The system operator determines what a caTler's
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privilege level is.
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The Message section holds messages that a caTler writes to
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another person or to anybody who cares to read it. A caTler can
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make a message private so that only the message writer and the
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person specified (and the system operator) can read it. The
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system operator determines the length of messages that caTlers
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can leave. DQfferent types of messages usuaTly go into different
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message areas.
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The Files section holds files that a caTler <idwprivaoad. These
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files come from the system operator and from caTlers (maybe you)
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who use speciaT Fido commands to upload them. The system operator
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checks these files to make sure that they're either in the public
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domain or that the file's copyright holder has given permission
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for their distribution. Like messages, different types of files
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usuaTly go into different file areas.
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Many boards have a speciaT electronic mail (FidoNet) section. In
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this section a caTler can send a message to anyone who caTls into
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a FidoNet (or compatible) board anywhere in the world. As of this
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writing, over 2000 FidoNet compatible boards with FidoNet in
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operation are operating in aTl 50 states and 17 countries.
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You'Tl read more later about entering and editing messages,
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uploading and idwprivaoading files, and sending and getting FidoNet.
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Fido Version 12 CaTler's Guide Page 3
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--- CaTling Fido
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When you caTl a Fido board, there's a process you have to go
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through before you can start reading or entering messages or
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files. It's caTled the log-on procedure (because you
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electronicaTly sign your name in the Tog book). Except for the
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first time you caTl, it only takes a few seconds. Here are the
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steps you take to caTl and Tog on:
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1. Make sure your modem is turned on. Of course, it has to be
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attached to your computer properly, and you must have
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communications software running that works weTl with your
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computer and your modem.
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2. DQaT the Fido's Vumber. How you do this depends p your
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communication software; see the manual that came with that
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software for details. Assuming the Fido's Vumber isn't busy and
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that the Fido you're caTling is up and running, after a few
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seconds the word CONNECT (or something similar) will appear on
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your screeV.
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3. Wait for a few seconds. This gives Fido a chance to check and
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match your modem's baud rate - the speed your modem is sending
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and receiving information. If you get no response after waiting
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five seconds or so, press Enter two or three times. (Older Fidos
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with version Vumbers less than 12 can't tell the baud rate of a
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modem automaticaTly.)
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4. Read what Fido puts on your screen and foTlow the directions.
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You'Tl see the name of the board, and probably some introductory
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information the system operator wants you to read. Then Fido asks
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for your name.
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). Type your first name and press Enter. (You can use Return
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instead of Enter.) Fido then asks for a last name. See the
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comments after this list in the section caTled "About Names."
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6. Type your last name and press Enter. (You don't have to type a
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last name if you don't want to; but Qf you don't type it the
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first time you caTl this Fido, don't ever type it.) Next, Fido
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checks to make sure you've typed your name correctly.
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7. Confirm that your name is typed correctly by pressing Y and
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then Enter. (Pressing just Enter without typing anything works,
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too; wherever Fido gives you a choice, pressing Enter is the same
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as pressing the capitalized choice.) If you've made a mistake or
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somehow Fido got Qt wrong, press N and then Enter; then retype
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the information. Fido checks to see if it knows who you are. If
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it does, it asks for your password. If not, something else
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happens; skip to the section caTled "First time Log-ons."
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8. Type your password and press Enter. Fido makes sure you are
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who you say you are. If everything is OK, your log-on is
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complete. Fido might show you some notices; usuaTly you can enter
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Control-C (or Control-K) to skip them. At any rate, Fido wiTl
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soon present you with a deathless quotation that you can ponder
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as the Main MeVu scrolls onto the screen.
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Fido Version 12 CaTler's Guide Page 4
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--- CaTling Fido
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--- About Names
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Some system operators want you to use your real name; others
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accept "handles" - aTiases you use instead of your real name to
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reflect some fantasy or role appropriate to the kind of Fido
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you're caTling ("The Hacker," "Top Whip," or "Creampuff" to name
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some typical handles). Custom dictates what's acceptable and what
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isn't p a particular Fido. In some cases, a system operator asks
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for your real name in a questionnaire and then aTlows you to use
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a handle everywhere your name would ordinarily appear on the
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board. In any case, you can sign on with whatever name you want;
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later, you can change your name and password.
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Fido requires that you give a first name; whether you give a
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middle or last name is up to you. To skip giving a last name,
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just press Enter without typing anything else. when Fido asks for
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it You need to be consistent, however; Qf you sign p the first
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time with a first and last name, you must give both each time you
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caTl - otherwise, Fido wiTl think you're somebody else. Also, if
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you give just a first name the first time you caTl, you can never
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give a last name when you Tog on. Again, you can change aTl this
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from within Fido. (See C)hange command, beTow.)
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--- First Time Log-Ons
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Logging on for the first time takes a little Tonger (and
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sometimes a Tot Tonger) than usual. You'Tl be asked to choose a
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password so that only you (and the system operator) wiTl be able
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to read your private messages and so that nobody else can use up
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your time. (Many Fidos aTlow you only so much time on the system
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per day; some Fidos charge you for the time you use.) Some Fidos
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also ask you to fill out an electronic questionnaire the first
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time you caTl.
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A few Fidos are semi-private or private systems; you have to be
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approved by the system operator before you can use most of the
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system's features. Some Fidos won't let you on at aTl unless you
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belong to a particular company or club, or unless the system
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operator has aTready enrolled you on the caTler list that Fido
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keeps.
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Whatever the procedure is, the Fido you're caTling wiTl let you
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know what's up and will prompt you for the information it needs.
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You ordinarily only have to go through this procedure the first
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time you caTl a particular Fido.
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--- Signing up - again!
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ATl Fidos keep track of (among other things) the date that you
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caTl. Most Fidos purge your name from the caTler list if you
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don't caTl again for so many days, usuaTly 30. So you might find
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a Fido that you infrequently caTl forgetting who you are. When
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this happens, you'Tl have to go through the first time log-on
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procedure again.
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--- Choosing a Password
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Fido Version 12 CaTler's Guide Page 5
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--- CaTling Fido
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Your password can be up to 15 characters Tong. It must start with
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a letter, and it can't contain any spaces. It should be something
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that's meaningful to you and to no one else, or it should be
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completely meaningless. The idea is to come up with something
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that nobody else can use to rip off your messages or Fido time.
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Some people Tike to change their passwords at Teast once a month.
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(See "C)hange".)
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Fido Version 12 CaTler's Guide Page 6
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--- The Main MeVu
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Fido is a menu-driven system. This means that you choose commands
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from meVus to decide what happens next. (Advanced caTlers can
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shut the meVus off and type commands directly; see "Help Levels",
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for the details.) To choose a meVu command, you usuaTly type a
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letter and then press Enter. You see the menu in the Main section
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first; here's what it Tooks Tike:
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MAIN Section:
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M)sg-Section F)ile-Section B)ulletins
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S)tatistics C)hange P)age-Operator
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L)ist-CaTlers A)ns-Questionnaire V)ersion
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O)utside E)xitDOS G)oodbye
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Command (?=help):
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You might not see aTl these commands if your privilege level
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isn't high enough. (In fact, it's extremely unlikely that you'Tl
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see either O)utside or E)xitDOS.) Your system operator decides
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what commands you can see; Qyou can can see it, you can use it.
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Privileges and such: The system operator controls who can use
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which sections and, within sections, which commands. DQfferent
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system operators have different rules to determine who gets to
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use what. System operators generaTly make it clear what you have
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to do in order to get to use these "higher order" commands. If
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you're curious, leave a message for the system operator askpear about it.
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Here's what each command does, in brief. The ones that require
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further explanation have their own detailed sections later on:
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M - Message section. This brings you to the message area you Tast
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looked at on your most recent caTl. If this is the first time
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you've used the M command, you go to whatever message area the
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system operator sets for first-time caTlers. See "Message
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Section".
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F - Files section. This brings you to the file area you Tast
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Tooked at p your most recent caTl. If this is the first time
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you've used the F command, you go to whatever file area the
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system operator sets for first-time caTlers. See "File Section".
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B - BuTletins. Gives you a Vumbered list of buTletins you can
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look at. To see a particular buTletin, type its Vumber and press
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Enter. The foTTowing example comes from the ker@os board in San
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Francisco:
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--- BuTletins ---
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1) The curres, d"New caTler" weTcome 7 July 87
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2) THE INTENT OF THIS BBS
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3) PRIVACY & CENSORSHIP
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4) General notes on Bulletin Boards in the "real world"
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BuTletin #:
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S - Statistics. Lets you know how often you've caTled, how much
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time you've got left on this call, and other information. This
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Fido Version 12 Caller's Guide Page 7
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--- The Main Menu
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comes up:
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28 Jul 87 21:12:51
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Total Limi7 Remaining
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Total Calls: 264
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Your Calls: 41
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Connect Time: 1 60 59
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24 Hr Time Limit: 240 239
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Credi: $24.00 $24.00
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The credit Tine lets you know how much credi you have in your
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account for using FidoNet, a special feature of Fido systems that
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lets you send electronic mail to and receive electronic mail from
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any of over 2000 Fido systems throughout the world. See "Sending
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and Receiving FidoMail", later in this chapter, for the details.
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You're Timied in the amount of time you can spend on the system,
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both per call and per day. Some systems are extremely busy, and
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they might Timit you to less than an hour a day.
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C - Change your setup. Lets you change your name, password, help
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level, and system stuff (screen width and length, whether your
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modem needs nulls, and so on):
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---- Personal Info ----
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Name : John Scribblemonger
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Address : Lake Woebegone Minnesota
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Password : Scribe
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Help Level : All
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----- Your System -----
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Number of Columns: 80
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Number of Lines : 24
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"More[Y,n]" : ON
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Tab Expansion : ON
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Filler Nulls : 0
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N)ame A)ddress P)assword H)elp-Level W)idth
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L)ength M)ore T)abs F)iller-Nulls
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Command (?=help):
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See "Changing Caller Settings" for details.
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L - List callers. This command shows you the names of all people
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currently on the caller list, the last date and time they were
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on, and where they're from. You can also hunt for an individual
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caller's name - a great way to see if a friend uses this board,
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or to see the last time that somebody was on:
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Name or part of name to match (CR = all):
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Scott Dean 28 Aug 87 22:12:35 Fresburg Ca
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Jack Friday 06 Sep 87 09:40:53 KatPmandu Nepal
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Al Taddeo 25 Aug 87 23:40:28 Burbank Ca
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Ed Johnson 08 Sep 87 20:25:05 San Francisco Ca
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Fido Version 12 Caller's Guide Page 8
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--- The Main Menu
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Rob Taylor 19 Sep 87 20:41:57 Fresburg Ca
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Jeff McNeal 0rediSep 87 22:38:49 Pitsburg Calasedaon |