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56 KiB
Plaintext
990 lines
56 KiB
Plaintext
ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
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º º
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ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ º
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ɼ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ º
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º Û ÜÜÜ Û Û ÜÜÜ Û Û ÜÜÜÜÛ Û ÜÜÜÜÛ Û ÜÜÜ Û º
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ɼ Û ÜÜÜÜÛ Û ÜÜÜ Û ÛÜÜÜÜ Û Û ÛÜÜÜÜ Û ÛÜÛ Û º
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º ÛÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ º
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º º
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º ÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ º
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Éͼ Û ÜÜ ÛÜ Û ÜÜ ÛÜ Û ÜÜÜÜÛ º
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º Û ÜÜÜ Û Û ÜÜÜ Û ÛÜÜÜÜ Û º
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ɼ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ º
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º º
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ÉÍͼ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÉÍÍͼ
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º Û Ü Ü Û Û ÜÜÜ Û Û ÜÜÜÜÛ Û ÜÜÜ Û ÛÜÜÜ ÜÛ ÛÜ ÜÛ Û ßÛÛ Û Û ÜÜÜÜÛ º
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ɼ Û Û Û Û Û ÜÜÜ Û Û ÛÜÜ Û Û ÜÜÜ Û ÜÛßÜÛÛÜ ÜÛ ÛÜ Û ÛÜß Û Û ÜÜÜÛÜ º
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ɼ ÛÜÛßÛÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÛßÛÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ º
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ÌÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÊÍÍÍ»
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º November 1994 Volume 2 Number 11 º
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ÇÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĶ
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º Board of Trade BBS New Port Richey, Florida (813) 862-4772 º
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ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
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In This Issue
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-------------
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þ How Tampa Bay Landed ONE BBSCON '95
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- with comments from Jack Rickard and Phil Becker
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þ A Look at the Association of Online Professionals
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þ Buy, Bye Cash. The Seven Most Common Game Purchasing Mistakes
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- by Paul Pollack
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þ Mines of Gorr - Door Game Review - by Matt Holden
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þ Favorite Taglines, the latest BBS news and more!
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+ + + + +
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Editor's Welcome
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----------------
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Welcome to the November issue of the Pasco BBS Magazine. Hard to believe that
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another year is rapidly drawing to a close. I imagine some people have
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already started their Christmas shopping.
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This month's issue tells how Tampa Bay landed ONE BBSCON '95. Hear what Jack
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Rickard and Phil Becker have to say about next year's event. There is also an
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article on a new national Sysop organization. While few can doubt the
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necessity of such an organization, historically efforts to organize Sysops
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have not met with much success. I want to wish the Association of Online
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Professionals good luck with this latest attempt. Paul Pollack returns with
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an interesting feature called "Buy, Bye Cash. The Seven Most Common Game
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Purchasing Mistakes." Paul is sort of a game guru around these parts, and
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look for his articles in the magazine for some time to come. We also
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introduce a new regular feature this month, BBS door reviews by Matt Holden.
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Thanks go out to Matt for his help, and I look forward to his future
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submissions. This month also has another installment in our Favorite
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Taglines, a couple of interesting press releases and more.
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Thank you to all who helped with this month's issue.
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+ + + + +
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ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
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³ PASCO BBS MAGAZINE ³
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ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
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³ EDITOR: Richard Ziegler ³
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ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
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³ HOME BBS: Board of Trade BBS (813) 862-4772 ³
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ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
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+ + + + +
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How Tampa Bay Landed ONE BBSCON '95
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-----------------------------------
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This month the Pasco BBS Magazine begins its extensive monthly coverage
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leading up to ONE BBSCON '95, which will be held in downtown Tampa next
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August. In three short years, ONE BBSCON has developed into the most
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significant assemblage of on-line enthusiasts held each year. Early estimates
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are that 7,000 to 8,000 people will attend the event when it comes to the
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Tampa Convention Center August 16-20, 1995. The partnership of Jack Rickard,
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editor of Boardwatch Magazine, and Phil Becker, author of the TBBS BBS
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Software and President of eSoft, Inc., has made the dream of an on-line
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industry show a reality. At ONE BBSCON '94, both these gentlemen were kind
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enough to talk with the editor of the Pasco BBS Magazine about how Tampa Bay
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landed the 1995 version of BBSCON.
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Phil Becker confirmed the rumors that Tampa Bay was in the running for ONE
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BBSCON '94, before the decision was made to hold it in Atlanta. "They were.
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Atlanta won because I was little bit concerned about going away from the
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population center. We've been in the mountains for two years, this is our
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third show, this is a really critical one, and I really went for Atlanta
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mostly because it is a very easy hop here from so many places on the airlines.
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That is really a lot of what made this one win."
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What were the major factors that lead to Tampa Bay landing next summer's
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convention? Phil Becker explained, "I'll tell you the honest truth, it was
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the Convention Center that did it. That facility is gorgeous and it is really
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structured for the way we do this show." Jack Rickard also talked about the
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Tampa Convention Center. "I think it will work real well for the ONE BBSCON.
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I think they've got 600,000 square foot in there, beautiful session rooms,
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right on the water. I think it will be a delightful place with adequate
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room."
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Jack Rickard was a bit more candid on the factors which lead to the final
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decision on where to hold the event. "It was selected as the site because the
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Convention Center down there has a big hole in August, and they've got a
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beautiful Convention Center. They were effectively persuasive. They want the
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business. We find that people like that are a lot easier to work with, we can
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be pretty demanding on hotels, Convention Centers and things of that nature."
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Which hotel will act as the headquarters hotel for ONE BBSCON '95? Phil
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Becker began, "right now it looks like it is going to be the Hyatt that is
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near the Convention Center downtown. The Wyndham is the other one, but I
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suspect it will be the Hyatt. We'll have both hotels full." When asked about
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the headquarters hotel, Jack Rickard indicated that a final decision has not
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been made. "I am not sure yet. That Convention Center, right down on the
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Bay, is the focus right now for our purposes. They have several hotels down
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there, but I don't know which one will be the headquarters." To elaborate,
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Phil Becker was talking about the Hyatt Regency Tampa and the Wyndham Harbor
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Island Hotel.
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How many people can we expect to come to the Tampa Bay area for the event?
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Phil Becker gave his best guess. "This thing is growing at such a curve.
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This is our third show, it was only two years ago we did the first one. We
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had 980 people at the first one, we had 1,950 people last year and we'll have
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close to 4,000 this year. And I would say that the way we're growing and
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going, in Tampa we will probably have 7,000 to 8,000 at least."
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The Pasco BBS Magazine will continue to keep you up to date on the events
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||
leading up to ONE BBSCON '95. Each month we will have coverage of what will
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be the most dramatic event in the history of the Tampa Bay on-line community.
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Next month's issue will feature the history of the ONE BBSCON.
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||
+ + + + +
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||
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||
ÕÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑѸ
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||
ÆØØØØØØØØØØØ Board of Trade BBS ØØØØØØØØØص
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||
ÆØØØØØØØØØ New Port Richey, Florida ØØØØØØØص
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||
ÆØØØØØØØ (813) 862-4772 FidoNet 1:3619/10 ØØØØØص
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||
ÆØØØØØ ØØØص
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||
ÆØØØ Home of the Pasco BBS Magazine Øص
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||
ÆØ Øµ
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||
³ Home of Shadoware ³
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||
³ ³
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||
³ Home of Westcoast 813 BBS Directory ³
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||
³ ³
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||
ÆØ Official Support BBS for Pasco ComPats Computer Club ص
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||
ÆØØØ ØØص
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||
ÆØØØØØ Member ØØØØص
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||
ÆØØØØØØØ Pasco Sysop's Association ØØØØØØص
|
||
ÆØØØØØØØØØ Electronic Frontier Foundation ØØØØØØØص
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||
ÆØØØØØØØØØØØ American BBS Association ØØØØØØØØØص
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||
ÔÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏϾ
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||
|
||
+ + + + +
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||
|
||
A Look at the Association of Online Professionals
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-------------------------------------------------
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||
The Association of Online Professionals (AOP) was announced at the ONE BBSCON
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held in Atlanta during August. This is a new Professional Organization for
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system operators and others interested in on-line activities. The primary
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||
goals of the AOP are defined in the mission statement. "The Association of
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Online Professionals is a non-profit service and support organization that
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||
exists to foster and promote the growth of individuals, organizations and
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companies that operate, consult with and support electronic communications and
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information services worldwide."
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||
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David McClure, Executive Director of the AOP, spoke at the ONE BBSCON during a
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||
session to introduce the new trade organization. "The industry has grown up.
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It's come from a handful of boards run by enthusiasts, to a rich and wonderful
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||
land populated by major on-line services, mail services, the Internet and more
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||
than 60,000 electronic bulletin boards. Much of what has happened to our
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||
industry, and to Sysops, over the last two decades has been very positive.
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||
But, as we look to the future there are concerns that, if we don't begin to
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||
act in our own interests, much of what we worked so hard to build is going to
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||
be lost. There is trouble coming for our industry. It is trouble that will
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||
reach down and touch every system operator, every on-line service and every
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||
user in our electronic community."
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||
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||
McClure went on to discuss some of the legislative activities going on in our
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nation's capitol which threaten the on-line community. "In Washington, D.C.,
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||
the working group on Intellectual Property Rights of the Federal Information
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||
Infrastructure Task Force has release a preliminary report that reflects the
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||
administration's plans for revisions to copyright laws. Among these are
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||
amendments to the law that would hold Sysops responsible for the collection of
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||
royalty fees on electronic works, and financially liable for copyright
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||
infringement on their boards, weather or not they were aware of that
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||
infringement. A new Senate bill requires public access elements of the
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National Information Infrastructure to set aside part of their operating
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capacity for use by public interest groups and arts organizations."
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There are also concerns and test cases occurring at the local levels of
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government. David McClure continued, "in the state of Pennsylvania,
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aggressively seeking new tax revenues, they have adopted section 61 of
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Pennsylvania Constitutional Statute 60.13. This new policy will for the first
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time place a state sales and use tax on changes for connection time, downloads
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and other on-line services. Pennsylvania is not alone, twenty-five other
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states are watching closing and may be expected to introduce similar policies
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in the near future. Missouri is one of the states that plans to attempt to
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apply an entertainment tax against all on-line services including bulletin
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boards. Why is this worse than a sales tax? Sales and use taxes tend to
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average around 4-6%, entertainment taxes generally range from 8-13%."
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The AOP's Executive Director also talked about some of the other legal
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problems now facing system operators. "In New York, Ohio, California and
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elsewhere, federal agents have raided BBSs, seizing equipment and shutting the
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boards down for copyright infringement. Are these Sysops guilty of copyright
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infringement? We may never actually know the answer know the answer to that,
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because a year, two years later, not a single charge has been files against
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these Sysops. Their equipment remains seized under lock and key, the boards
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are silent and these Sysops have not had their day in court."
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David McClure also touched on some of the perception problems with bulletin
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boards, much of which can be attributed to unbalanced reporting in the media.
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"In cities and towns across the county, media focus of our industry has been
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on software piracy, credit card theft, child pornography and other criminal
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activities. Even main stream computer publications have come to question
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weather families and children are safe on-line. Look at the number of
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organizations that are suddenly pulling away from the bulletin board, or
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electronic bulletin board. Did you notice how everybody is trying to call
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their system now, information service, because they do not want to use the
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dreaded word BBS? That is a warning sign."
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The Association of Online Professionals is planning a full range of member
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services. There will be opportunities for interaction with other
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professionals, including seminars, conferences and regional events. The AOP
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will give a voice in Washington, D.C., and in state capitols, working to
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protect on-line interests. They will offer members professional advisory
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services on legal, business management, marketing and accounting issues.
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There will be increased opportunity for career development, education and
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accreditation services for professionals. There will be industry-wide
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promotional programs to foster the growth of the on-line community, including
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media relations, joint marketing and public education. There will also be AOP
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publications that include membership directory, resource guide, on-line
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systems legal guide and more. There will be a member's only BBS system for
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communication of information vital to on-line operations and management. The
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AOP will also publish a monthly newsletter, legislative alerts, accurate
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industry and marketing information, and other timely news. They plan to offer
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discounts on essential products and services. There is also the opportunity
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to take an active role in the growth and evolution of the world's fastest-
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growing and most vital industry.
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McClure elaborated on the topic of member discounts. "We plan to leverage our
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buying power. For some reason, that I have yet to understand, thousands of
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bulletin boards with millions of users all over this country, pay some of the
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highest long distance rates. It seems to me, that ought to be the other way
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around. Those discounts are something that we intend to seek very
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aggressively."
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Dennis Hayes announced, at ONE BBSCON's Welcoming Session, that he will serve
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as Chairman of the Board for the AOP's first year. "I think that Sysops need
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their own group," Hayes began, "and there is one that is being proposed that
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is ready to go. It has initial funding to get it started. It is called the
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Association of On-line Professionals. I have agreed that we can raise enough
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money to operate that for a year, and a good part of the funding comes from
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Sysops, that I'll serve as the chairman for the first year."
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David McClure commended Dennis Hayes on leading this new organization during
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its first year. "It takes guts and commitment to step up to the plate and
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throw your support behind the Sysop community. I truly believe that Dennis
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Hayes, and his staff, deserve recognition for their willingness to make this
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commitment."
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The AOP will have numerous mechanisms in place to run the association. There
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will be a Public Policy Group to coordinate legislative and regulatory
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responses at the International, Federal and State levels in support of member
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interests. A Sysop Certification Committee will design a training course and
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test to become an AOP Certified System Operator. This designation is a
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hallmark of professional achievement, and oversight of this process is one of
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the most important contributions a member can make. There will be an Industry
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Marketing Group to develop and implement joint marketing programs to members
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and consumers. A Sysop Section Board of Governors will direct the activities
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of the System Operator membership section, setting priorities and guiding the
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section staff in providing services to system operator members. An Industry
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Awards Committee will establish categories, define criteria, select judges and
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make awards for achievements in on-line communications. The Standards
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Committee will establish a Code of Professional Standards for member system
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operators. In cases where violation of this code is alleged, member of this
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committee will serve to evaluate cases and recommend appropriate actions.
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The AOP will have three separate classes of membership. System Operator
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($150.00 a year): System Operator members are individuals who manage or
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operate systems that include BBS systems, nodes of the Internet, nodes on
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message networks, remote access computers and other systems. Corporate
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($5,000.00 a year): Corporate members include companies that provide
|
||
hardware, software, access services and other direct services or support for
|
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system operators. A Corporate membership includes five individual
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memberships. Associate ($150.00 a year): Associate members are actively
|
||
involved in the industry, but do not manage systems. These include service
|
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providers, educators, law enforcement officials, government employees and
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others who share a commitment to the growth of the on-line community.
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||
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To those who may feel that the dues may be too high, and could actually hamper
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the growth of this young association, McClure explained the reasoning behind
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||
the dues structure. "Unless we build a strong core and make ourselves
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financially sound, we know from the experience of other associations, that
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offering a very inexpensive class of membership immediately has the greatest
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likelihood of putting the association under financially within its first year.
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We did not include a membership class for those who essentially want a social
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association, but we will include them in AOP. We are non-profit, the only
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people who are going to get rich from our efforts are our members."
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It will be interesting to follow the progress of the Association of Online
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Professionals. Few can doubt the need for such an organization, but
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unfortunately, past attempts to organize Sysops have not yielded much success.
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David McClure explained why the time was right for the AOP. "There comes a
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time in the growth of every industry where the responsible and forward
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thinking members of that industry recognize that we have to begin to work
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together, if we want to maintain independence from unwanted regulation and
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legislation. For our industry, that time is now. The ability to speak as an
|
||
industry, with a single voice, is the only viable means to counter unwanted
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regulation and shape public policy in ways favorable too our industry's
|
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growth. This has to be done at the federal, state and the local level."
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For more information contact the AOP Director of Membership at (202) 265-1266.
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Or write: Director of Membership Services, Association of Online
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Professionals, 1818 Wyoming Av NW, Washington, DC 20009. Email:
|
||
70631.266@compuserve.com.
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||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
|
||
º -ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ-- Software Creations BBS -ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ-- º
|
||
º - Dedicated to the Development and Distribution of GREAT Software - º
|
||
º -ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ-Ä "Home of the Authors" -ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ-- º
|
||
º -ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ-- º
|
||
º * Software Creations Voted #1 BBS for 1993 & 1994 * º
|
||
º -ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ-- º
|
||
º 1200/2400 V.42/MNP Lines : (508) 365-2359 º
|
||
º 2400-14.4k HST US Robotics Lines : (508) 368-7036 º
|
||
º 2400-16.8k V.32/V.42bis US Robotics lines : (508) 368-7139 º
|
||
º 14.4-28.8k V.32/V.42bis/V.fc Hayes Optima lines: (508) 365-9352 º
|
||
º 14.4-28.8k V.32/V.42bis/V.32terbo/V.fc US Robotics lines: (508) 368-3424 º
|
||
º -ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ-- º
|
||
º * Software Creations BBS continues to bring you the Best of the Best * º
|
||
º Member of the Worcester County Sysops Association º
|
||
º Member of the National Computer Ethics and Responsibilities Campaign º
|
||
º Clinton, Massachusetts Sysop: Dan Linton º
|
||
ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
Buy, bye cash. The Seven Most Common Game Purchasing Mistakes
|
||
--------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
By Paul Pollack, author of GamePlay, New Port Richey, FL
|
||
Edited by Alex Thomas, editor of GamePlay, New Port Richey, FL
|
||
|
||
Gaming is a hot and ever-changing industry. If you're a gamer, which you
|
||
probably are if you're reading this, you have bought games. Admit it, one
|
||
time or another you've been ripped off by flashy advertising or just plain-old
|
||
impatience. I know of a person who had a fifty dollar gift certificate for
|
||
Electronics Boutique. He first spent it on SimCity 2000, then found out it
|
||
wouldn't work on his computer and returned it. Then he wasted it on Space
|
||
Quest IV packaged with a hintbook. Why do I say wasted? Two weeks later I
|
||
got an ad from Sierra advertising the same thing for only twenty-five dollars.
|
||
I'll tell you how to be sure this doesn't happen to you. I'm about to present
|
||
the seven most common mistakes when buying a computer game.
|
||
|
||
Mistake #1: Buying a game to make your computer look good
|
||
|
||
If you buy a game to make your computer look good, then that's probably all
|
||
the game will do, and you might even be better off just buying a screen saver.
|
||
A lot of games are long on graphics utilizing digitized video and sound, but
|
||
when it comes to interactivity come out short. Another related topic is
|
||
seeing the graphics of a game on a demonstration window and immediately
|
||
assuming that the other elements of the game are just as good.
|
||
|
||
Mistake #2: Buying a game packaged with a hintbook
|
||
|
||
No matter how much self-control you think you have, one time or another you're
|
||
going to sneak a peak at the hintbook. Far too often though, many gamers
|
||
simply use the hintbook in an improper way, for puzzles that they could have
|
||
figured out on their own. Buying a hintbook with a game can be a huge waste,
|
||
because it not only costs more, but limits the replay value. Although game
|
||
manufacturers try, there are very few adventure games that are replayable more
|
||
than once. And although plot branches like those in Heart of China and Rise
|
||
of the Dragon add to the replay value, the main objective never changes and
|
||
you never get direct control over the storyline.
|
||
|
||
Mistake #3: Buying a game because you like the genre
|
||
|
||
Not all games are created equal. Just because you like one game in a
|
||
particular genre doesn't mean you'll like all the others in that genre. Games
|
||
of the same type can vary widely, often tremendously. Take RPGs (Role-Playing
|
||
Games) for example. Most RPGs are first-person, but the core of the RPGs
|
||
differ. The EOB (Eye of the Beholder) series takes place in the AD&D II
|
||
edition universe, while Betrayal at Krondor takes place in the world presented
|
||
in Feist's novels. The presentation in the games also vary. While Eye of the
|
||
Beholder uses the "10-step at a time" method for movement, Betrayal at
|
||
Krondor, Ultima Underworld, and The Elder Scrolls: Arena all use the newer
|
||
smooth-scrolling Wolfenstein-type movement. And in some games like
|
||
Daemonsgate, you aren't even presented with a first-person view, rather an
|
||
overhead one. The differences in these games are huge, but they all go under
|
||
the broad heading of role-playing games.
|
||
|
||
Mistake #4: Buying a game because the ad looks good
|
||
|
||
Looks can be deceiving, and what may look good in an ad in a little two inch
|
||
square, may look blockier on a fourteen, seventeen, or twenty-one inch
|
||
monitor. In many ads you don't even know if you're viewing the actual screen
|
||
shots because in small print it says "Actual screens may vary." Besides,
|
||
these ads are put out by the manufacturers and they want you to buy their
|
||
games whether they're good or not. In the ads they show only the good points
|
||
of the game, while keeping back the bad.
|
||
|
||
Mistake #5: Buying a game without researching the prices
|
||
|
||
It's the same as buying anything else. You have to try and find the lowest
|
||
price before you buy a game. Often times, I've seen games selling for more at
|
||
a local store or through the mail, than if you bought directly from the
|
||
companies themselves. A couple of years ago we were thinking about purchasing
|
||
Sierra On-Line's Quest for Glory I remake computer game. We kept looking
|
||
around for better prices. It turned out that Sierra itself was selling it
|
||
cheaper than most of the mail-order places. Research the prices. It'll PAY
|
||
off in the long run.
|
||
|
||
Mistake #6: Not checking hardware requirements beforehand
|
||
|
||
Imagine this. You're sitting on your couch watching television, and someone
|
||
with a package arrives at your door. It turns out that the package is the
|
||
latest, and best game out. You tear past the wrap and eagerly insert the
|
||
disks. After installation you type in the command to start. Suddenly the
|
||
message "Insufficient memory" comes across the screen. Trust me, this happens
|
||
a lot, but you can make sure it doesn't happen to you by checking the labels
|
||
before buying, or asking the person on the phone before ordering. Making sure
|
||
you have the right hardware can save time and money in the long run.
|
||
|
||
Mistake #7: Buying a game because the other versions were good
|
||
|
||
Many gamers were probably eager to start lightning kicks and fireballs on
|
||
their home PC last year with the release of Street Fighter II. "It has to be
|
||
good," they thought to themselves. After all, SF II was and still is one of
|
||
the hottest games at the arcades. But SF II for the PC was a big
|
||
disappointment, due to the clumsy code and infuriating control. Another
|
||
example would be the CD version of Maniac Mansion II. The CD version is
|
||
terrific with good voice-overs, but without them it's just another adventure
|
||
game. Reviews for the CD version may not be applicable to the disk-based
|
||
version and vice versa. To sum it all up, you can't really judge a game until
|
||
you've played it.
|
||
|
||
Editor's Note: The above article is from GamePlay version 8.0. Look for more
|
||
from Paul Pollack in next month's Pasco BBS Magazine. He has also assembled
|
||
over 50 of the best Shareware programs on 16 jam packed disks, which is
|
||
available for only $30 (the price includes all shipping and handling). For
|
||
further information on this Shareware collection contact Gator's Place BBS
|
||
(813) 376-0087. Paul can also be reached at Dr. Duck's BBS (813) 849-3562 and
|
||
the Board of Trade BBS (813) 862-4772.
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
|
||
º ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ º
|
||
º ßßßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ º
|
||
º ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ º
|
||
º ßßßß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ º
|
||
º ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ º
|
||
º ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ º
|
||
º Ò Ò ÖÄÄ· ÖÄ· ÖÄÒÄ· ÖÄÄ· ÖÄÄ· ÖÄÄ· ÖÄ· ÖÄÒÄ· º
|
||
º ºÖ·º ÇÄ ÓÄÄ· º º º º ÇÄĶ ÓÄÄ· º º
|
||
º Ó½Ó½ ÓÄĽ ÓÄĽ Ð ÓÄĽ ÓÄĽ Ð Ð ÓÄĽ Ð º
|
||
º Ö· · ÖÄÄ· ÖÄ¿ ÖÄ¿ ÖÄ· ßßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ º
|
||
º ÖÐз º Ķ ÇÄÁ¿ ÇÄÁ¿ ÓÄÄ· ÞÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ º
|
||
º ÓÄĽ Ð ÓÄĽ ÓÄÄÙ ÓÄÄÙ ÓÄĽ ÞÛÛßÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ º
|
||
º ÒÄÄ¿ Ò ÖÄÄ¿ ÖÄÄ· ÖÄÄ· ÖÄÒÄ· ÖÄÄ· ÖÄÄ¿Ò Âß ÜÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ º
|
||
º º ³ º ÇÄÂÙ ÇÄ º º º º ÇÄÂÙÓÄÒÄÙ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ º
|
||
º ÐÄÄÙ Ð Ð Á ÓÄĽ ÓÄĽ Ð ÓÄĽ Ð Á Ð ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛßßÛÛÛÛÝ º
|
||
º ßÛ ÛÛÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛ º
|
||
º Editor: CLARK D. GILBO ßÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ º
|
||
º Û ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ º
|
||
º This is a 813 BBS Directory ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ º
|
||
º ßÛÛÛß º
|
||
º "NOT JUST A BBS LISTING ÜÜþ º
|
||
º BUT A DIRECTORY" ÜÜßßßß º
|
||
º º
|
||
º º
|
||
º Westcoast 813 BBS Directory, 4348 Plaza Dr. Suite #V103, Holiday, Florida º
|
||
ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
Hallways
|
||
--------
|
||
|
||
by Matt Holden, Sysop Storms's Fury BBS, New Port Richey, FL
|
||
|
||
Hello.. Every month, I plan to review one door. I have a staff of three
|
||
reviewers on my BBS to rate the game. I will show the registration amount,
|
||
Pasco BBSs the door is available on, the latest version and filename. This is
|
||
the first edition of my door column. This month's door is going to be Mines
|
||
of Gorr. All doors reviewed will be available for play on The Storm's Fury
|
||
BBS, (813) 843-8905, (813) 849-2272. I am not going to be able to list every
|
||
system that has a door, but I will do my best. If I miss you, email me on my
|
||
BBS and I will acknowledge you in the next column.
|
||
|
||
ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
|
||
º Mines of Gorr º
|
||
ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Latest version to date: ] 0.26 Beta
|
||
Filename: ] MOG026.ZIP
|
||
Registration: ] $20
|
||
Author: ] Scott Jibben/Jibben Software
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Available on:
|
||
The Storm's Fury BBS: (813) 843-8905/849-2272
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Door Types:
|
||
[X] Role Playing [X] Action [X] Strategy [ ] Futuristic
|
||
[X] Adventure [X] Midevil [ ] Sports [ ] Trivia
|
||
[ ] War [ ] Space [ ] Casino [ ] Trading
|
||
[ ] TV Show [ ] Board Game [ ] Humorous [ ] Empire-building
|
||
[ ] Crime [ ] Simulation [ ] Word Game [ ] Rewrite of another game
|
||
[ ] Other:
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Graphics: [ ] ASCII [X] ANSI [ ] RIP [ ] EGA [ ] Soundblaster [ ] Terminal
|
||
Term Program filename, if applicable: [ . ]
|
||
|
||
Multinode Support: [X] YES [ ] NO
|
||
FOSSIL Required: [ ] YES [X] NO
|
||
Door Files Supported:
|
||
|
||
[X] DOOR.SYS [ ] PCBOARD.SYS [ ] GTUSER.BBS
|
||
[ ] DORINFOx.DEF [ ] PCBOARD.DAT [ ] JUMPER.DAT
|
||
[ ] CHAIN.TXT [ ] CALLINFO.BBS [ ] USERS
|
||
[ ] SFDOORS.DAT [ ] AUNTIE.SYS [ ] INFO.BBS
|
||
[ ] TRIBBS.SYS [ ] USERINFO.TXT [ ] USERINFO.XBS
|
||
[ ] OTHER:
|
||
|
||
Required Runtime Libraries:
|
||
[ ] BRUN25.EXE [ ] BRUN30.EXE [ ] BRUN45.EXE
|
||
[ ] BRT71EFR.EXE [ ] DORPCH38.EXE [ ] SHARE.EXE
|
||
[ ] OTHER:
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
---Reviews---
|
||
|
||
All categories are scored on a scale of 1 - 10 or - if it does not apply.
|
||
|
||
Reviewer 1: Matt Holden
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Graphics: [ 10 ] Comments:
|
||
Playability: [ 10 ] This game is simply amazing! The maze (The Mine) is
|
||
Speed: [ 10 ] drawn out so well that it reminds me of the Ultima
|
||
Sound: [ - ] games of old. I applaud Jibben for their outstanding
|
||
Interesting: [ 10 ] work!
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Reviewer 2: Dan Skelton
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Graphics: [ 9 ] Comments:
|
||
Playability: [ 10 ] Since the upgrade to 0.26 Beta, this game is better
|
||
Speed: [ 10 ] than it ever was before! 2 Thumbs Up! A MUST have
|
||
Sound: [ - ] for BBSs!
|
||
Interesting: [ 10 ]
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Reviewer 3: Alex Phillips
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Graphics: [ 10 ] Comments:
|
||
Playability: [ 9 ] This game RULZ!
|
||
Speed: [ 8 ]
|
||
Sound: [ - ]
|
||
Interesting: [ 10 ]
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Our conclusions:
|
||
|
||
Average Graphics Score: 9.67
|
||
Average Playability Score: 9.67
|
||
Average Speed Score: 9.33
|
||
Average Sound Score: N/A
|
||
Average Interest Score: 10
|
||
|
||
Worth registering: YES [ X ] NO [ ]
|
||
|
||
Next Month's Door: [ Advanced Xoru ]
|
||
|
||
Thanx to Dan and Alex for playing Mines of Gorr for me.
|
||
|
||
CYa Next Month!!!
|
||
|
||
Editor's Note: Thank you to Matt Holden for the article. Look for more door
|
||
reviews from him in future issues.
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
Favorite Taglines
|
||
-----------------
|
||
|
||
Some bulletin boards and off-line mail readers are set-up to add taglines
|
||
to network type messages. This is typically done to add a humorous thought
|
||
onto the message. The Pasco BBS Magazine will on occasion run some of our
|
||
favorite taglines found while browsing the local nets. Here are some more of
|
||
our favorite taglines.
|
||
|
||
International Brotherhood of Tagline Thieves.
|
||
|
||
Blood's thicker than water; and it tastes better too!
|
||
|
||
Armed we are citizens, unarmed we are subjects.
|
||
|
||
Daddy...what's UNREGISTERED mean?
|
||
|
||
The more you run over a cat, the flatter it gets.
|
||
|
||
Read enclosed instructions carefully before opening.
|
||
|
||
Faster modem = less time spent? Naah, more files grabbed.
|
||
|
||
Blow your mind - snort Nitroglycerin.
|
||
|
||
Is there a lawyer in the house? <!BLAM!> Any more?!
|
||
|
||
Be vewy, vewy quiet - I'm hunting taglines...
|
||
|
||
Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface.
|
||
|
||
Where is our Boris Yeltsin??
|
||
|
||
Welcome to Tampa Bay, lightning capitol of the #$^&&&&& NO CARRIER
|
||
|
||
General failure reading drive A: Please remove your fist.
|
||
|
||
Be nice to your kids. They choose your nursing home.
|
||
|
||
Learn to laugh at yourself...We have!
|
||
|
||
C Program, C Program crash, C Programmer quit.
|
||
|
||
Life is obviously a battle, but exactly who is the enemy?
|
||
|
||
Test. Test. T E S T !!! Is this thing on????
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
|
||
º º
|
||
º ßÛß ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ Ûßßß ÛßÛ Ûßßß ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ ßßÛßß Û Û ÛßÛßÛ º
|
||
º Û Û Û Û Û Ûß ÛßßÛ ßßßÛ ÛßßÛ Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û º
|
||
º ßßß ß ß ß ß ßßßß ß ß ßßßß ß ß ß ß ßßßß ß ßßßß ß ß º
|
||
º º
|
||
º ÛßÛ ÛßÛ Ûßßß º
|
||
º ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ ßßßÛ º
|
||
º ßßßß ßßßß ßßßß º
|
||
º º
|
||
º Since 1985 - Pasco County's Oldest BBS º
|
||
º º
|
||
º Sysops - Rob & Carolyn Marlowe º
|
||
º º
|
||
º Popular Chat Board, On-Line Games, CD-ROMS, Internet, FidoNet º
|
||
º º
|
||
º Ten Lines - (813) 848-6055 (813) 944-5533 º
|
||
º º
|
||
ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
Murphy's Law of Computers
|
||
-------------------------
|
||
|
||
It's only when you need to knock on wood that you realize that the world is
|
||
entirely made up of aluminum and plastic.
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
S H A R E W A R E R E V I E W
|
||
|
||
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
|
||
³ Program ³ WordMax ³
|
||
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
|
||
³ Author/Vendor ³ William Soleau ³
|
||
ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
|
||
³ Special Requirements ³ EGA, VGA ³
|
||
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
|
||
|
||
WordMax Review
|
||
--------------
|
||
|
||
Soleau Software is well known in the Shareware market for logic and strategy
|
||
games which are suitable for the entire family. WordMax is another very well
|
||
done game, which can be quite addicting.
|
||
|
||
The objective of WordMax is to spell as many words as possible using the
|
||
letters from a "master word." The words you create will be checked against a
|
||
dictionary of over 80,000 words. New words have to be at least three letters
|
||
in length, and if the master word contains a "S" remember to try the plural to
|
||
make another word. You may be surprized by how many words are contained
|
||
within some of the master words. For example, "bastille" contains 157 words.
|
||
You can also enter your own words, as WordMax will check your word against its
|
||
dictionary and let you know how many words can be created using the letters in
|
||
the word you have entered.
|
||
|
||
The Shareware version has a list of 35 master words, but registration gives a
|
||
list of 100. The Shareware version only allows inputing your own custom word
|
||
of four letters, but the registered copy allows for up to eight letters.
|
||
The registration fee for WordMax is $18.00.
|
||
|
||
WordMax is very well done. It is the type of game where, if you are not
|
||
careful, you might learn something.
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
FBI Raids Major San Fernado Valley BBS
|
||
--------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
The Federation Bureau of Investigation on Saturday, September 13, 1994, raided
|
||
"Moonbeams," a computer bulletin board located in Northridge, CA, which has
|
||
allegedly been illegally distributing copyrighted software programs. Seized
|
||
in the raid on the Moonbeams bulletin board were computers, hard disk drives
|
||
and telecommunications equipment, as well as financial and subscriber records.
|
||
For the past several months, the Software Publishers Association ("SPA") has
|
||
been working with the FBI in investigating the Moonbeams bulletin board, and
|
||
as part of that investigation has downloaded numerous copyrighted business and
|
||
entertainment programs from the board.
|
||
|
||
The SPA investigation was initiated following the receipt of complaints from a
|
||
number of SPA members that their software was being illegally distributed on
|
||
the Moonbeams BBS. The Moonbeams bulletin board. It had 2 nodes available to
|
||
callers and over 6,000 subscribers throughout the United States and several
|
||
foreign countries. To date, the board has logged in excess of 1 million phone
|
||
calls, with new calls coming in at the rate of over 250 per day. It was
|
||
established in 1987 and had expanded to include over 6 gigabytes of storage
|
||
housing over 10,000 files available to subscribers for downloading. It had
|
||
paid subscribers throughout the United States and several foreign countries,
|
||
including Canada, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands,
|
||
Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
|
||
|
||
A computer bulletin board allows personal computer users to access a host
|
||
computer by a modem-equipped telephone to exchange information, including
|
||
messages, files, and computer programs. The systems operator (Sysop) is
|
||
generally responsible for the operation of the bulletin board and determines
|
||
who is allowed to access the bulletin board and under what conditions. For a
|
||
fee of $49.00 per year, subscribers to the Moonbeam's bulletin board were
|
||
given access to the board's contents including many popular copyrighted
|
||
business and entertainment packages. Subscribers could "download" or receive
|
||
these files for use on their own computers without having to pay the
|
||
copyrighted owner anything for them.
|
||
|
||
"The SPA applauds the FBI's action today," said Ilene Rosenthal, general
|
||
counsel for the SPA. "This shows that the FBI recognizes the harm that theft
|
||
of intellectual property causes to one of the U.S.'s most vibrant industries.
|
||
It clearly demonstrates a trend that the government understands the
|
||
seriousness of software piracy." The SPA is actively working with the FBI in
|
||
the investigation of computer bulletin boards, and similar raids on other
|
||
boards are expected shortly. Whether it's copied from a program purchased at
|
||
a neighborhood computer store or downloaded from a bulletin board thousands of
|
||
miles away, pirated software adds to the cost of computing. According to the
|
||
SPA, in 1991, the software industry lost $1.2 billion in the U.S. alone.
|
||
Losses internationally are several billion dollars more.
|
||
|
||
"Many people may not realize that software pirates cause prices to be higher,
|
||
in part, to make up for publisher losses from piracy," says Ken Wasch,
|
||
executive director of the SPA. "In addition, they ruin the reputation of the
|
||
hundreds of legitimate bulletin boards that serve an important function for
|
||
computer users." The Software Publishers Association is the principal trade
|
||
association of the personal computer software industry. It's over 1,000
|
||
members represent the leading publishers in the business, consumer and
|
||
education software markets. The SPA has offices in Washington DC, and Paris,
|
||
France.
|
||
|
||
Editor's Note: The above is from a press release from the Software Publishers
|
||
Association. For more information contact: Software Publishers Association,
|
||
Washington, DC, Ilene Rosenthal, (202) 452-1600, Ext. 318, or Terri Childs,
|
||
(202) 452-1600 Ext. 320.
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
|
||
² ²
|
||
² Board of Trade BBS New Port Richey, Florida ²
|
||
² ²
|
||
² Home of the Pasco BBS Magazine ²
|
||
² ²
|
||
² Home of Shadoware ²
|
||
² ²
|
||
² Home of the Westcoast 813 BBS Directory ²
|
||
² ²
|
||
² Official Support BBS of Pasco ComPats Computer Club ²
|
||
² ²
|
||
² (813) 862-4772 12/24/48/96/14400 baud ²
|
||
² ²
|
||
² Member of Pasco Sysops Association ²
|
||
² Electronic Frontiers Foundation and American BBS Association ²
|
||
² ²
|
||
² Official Distribution Site: ²
|
||
² Alive Software, Apogee Software, Epic MegaGames, Gamer's Edge, ²
|
||
² Id Software, MVP Software, Safari Software, Software Creations ²
|
||
² and Soleau Software ²
|
||
² ²
|
||
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
Quarterdeck Announces QEMM 7.5 for Windows and DOS
|
||
--------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Quarterdeck Office Systems, Inc. today announced version 7.5 of QEMM, its
|
||
award-winning, category-leading memory manager. This new release marks the
|
||
first time a memory manager has been released with native Windows
|
||
installation, configuration, and reporting utilities. The new version will
|
||
ship by the end of the fiscal quarter to Quarterdeck distributors and
|
||
retailers.
|
||
|
||
"We are constantly updating QEMM to meet the requirements of the newest
|
||
platforms and applications," said Alexander Eckelberry, group product manager
|
||
for utilities. "This new version has many enhancements including new
|
||
utilities for Microsoft Windows, and significant under-the-hood improvements
|
||
to QEMM itself. We have also increased our support for the IBM Thinkpad and
|
||
Toshiba lines of portables, certain Compaq PCs and Stacker disk compression
|
||
software; as well as enhancements to QEMM's ability to accommodate and
|
||
configure a wider variety of unusual system architectures to provide increased
|
||
available memory to these systems."
|
||
|
||
"QEMM has been completely re-engineered internally" added Michael Bolton, QEMM
|
||
technical product manager. "We are now using a 32-bit flat memory model that
|
||
puts us in line with the present and future of PC operating environments, and
|
||
that gives us improved performance. The QuickBoot feature and Stealth support
|
||
enhancements are also impressive technological innovations from our
|
||
developers."
|
||
|
||
The major enhancements found in QEMM 7.5 are:
|
||
|
||
Windows Installation - QEMM 7.5 can now be installed from DOS or Windows,
|
||
detecting the user's environment and presenting the appropriate DOS or native
|
||
Windows user interface. This is an improvement over having separate programs
|
||
for DOS or Windows installation.
|
||
|
||
Windows Version of Qsetup - QSETUP is the utility that allows the user to
|
||
optionally customize QEMM configurations quickly and easily, and provides a
|
||
wealth of technical tips for advanced users. Formerly a DOS-only program,
|
||
Qsetup automatically presents the user with a DOS or native Windows interface
|
||
in the same way as the installation program.
|
||
|
||
New Manifest 3.0 - Manifest, Quarterdeck's award-winning system reporting and
|
||
diagnostic utility, now comes in a version that presents a DOS or native
|
||
Windows interface in the same way as the setup and installation programs. In
|
||
both environments, new reports on hardware IRQs and on PCMCIA assist users in
|
||
learning about their system configuration. Under Windows, Manifest will also
|
||
provide detailed reports on memory usage by Windows itself and by the programs
|
||
running under it.
|
||
|
||
Enhanced Support for Stacker - Through a cooperative effort between
|
||
Quarterdeck and Stac Electronics, QEMM 7.5 now includes technology to save
|
||
Stacker 4.0 users an additional 8K, 16K or 32K of conventional memory,
|
||
depending on disk size. This allows the Stacker driver to reduce its memory
|
||
footprint to less than 10K in conventional memory, an innovation accomplished
|
||
by providing a means for a Stacker driver to load its disk buffer into
|
||
extended memory. This functionality is provided through a new Stacker driver,
|
||
to be made available free of charge within the next 30 days by Stac
|
||
Electronics to registered Stacker 4.0 users.
|
||
|
||
"With Stacker 4.0, we significantly reduced our conventional memory footprint
|
||
and our users responded very positively," said Anne Galdos, senior product
|
||
manager for Stac Electronics. "Now, thanks to this cooperative effort between
|
||
Stac and Quarterdeck, Stacker 4.0 users will get even more conventional memory
|
||
when using QEMM 7.5."
|
||
|
||
Enhanced Support for IBM Thinkpads - The design of some IBM Thinkpads
|
||
prevented previous versions of QEMM from correctly configuring these systems.
|
||
QEMM 7.5 can now properly detect and optimize all current IBM Thinkpad models.
|
||
|
||
PCMCIA Support - QEMM 7.5 is now the only memory manager to detect and
|
||
accommodate automatically the memory addresses used by PCMCIA cards. This
|
||
feature is essential for users of most current laptops and notebooks.
|
||
|
||
QuickBoot - QuickBoot provides substantially faster system rebooting by
|
||
providing a highly efficient routine for initializing the system hardware and
|
||
BIOS. This is particularly valuable for programmers, power users and those
|
||
configuring systems. It also makes the OPTIMIZE process faster.
|
||
|
||
Stealth Enhancements - Stealth is the patented QEMM feature that gives users
|
||
extra High RAM by mapping system, video, and other ROMs out of the first
|
||
megabyte of memory. Stealth and OPTIMIZE have been improved to accommodate
|
||
unusual BIOS designs. This will provide users of these systems with even more
|
||
High RAM than was previously possible.
|
||
|
||
32-bit Flat Memory Model - QEMM's internals have been modified to use a 32-bit
|
||
flat memory model. This provides improved performance and establishes a clear
|
||
path for future innovations.
|
||
|
||
Documented 3rd-party API - A previously undocumented feature of QEMM is its
|
||
Application Programming Interface (API), which allows third party software
|
||
developers to design their products with built-in support for QEMM. This
|
||
gives access to ROMs that have been "Stealthed" away using Quarterdeck's
|
||
patented Stealth technology and allows developers to manage or even emulate
|
||
hardware via I/O port trapping.
|
||
|
||
Built-in Fail-Safe Recovery - QEMM now records and saves your system
|
||
configuration at installation and each time you run the OPTIMIZE program. At
|
||
any time you can restore one of these configurations using the new
|
||
OPTIMIZE/RESTORE option.
|
||
|
||
The suggested list price of QEMM 7.5 is $99.95. In the United States upgrades
|
||
for QEMM 7.5 are available both directly from Quarterdeck and from dealers.
|
||
The upgrade price directly from Quarterdeck for QEMM 7.5 is $29.95 plus $5.00
|
||
shipping and handling. The suggested list price of the upgrade through
|
||
dealers is $34.95.
|
||
|
||
Quarterdeck registered users who purchased the current version of QEMM after
|
||
July 20, 1994 may upgrade for $5.00 shipping and handling, with proof of
|
||
purchase. All upgrades include new manuals.
|
||
|
||
In the United States, users may upgrade from Quarterdeck by calling 24-hours a
|
||
day. Contact Quarterdeck's automated order processing system, Quartermaster,
|
||
at (800) 854-3210 (customer ID number is required), send a fax to (800)
|
||
354-3329 or call Quarterdeck's order department at (800) 354-4757. Canadian
|
||
users may contact Quarterdeck Canada Upgrades at (800) 268-5181, or via fax at
|
||
(905) 528-9349. Large volume MultiPaq and FlexiPaq upgrades are available
|
||
upon request.
|
||
|
||
Quarterdeck is a leader in software technology and specializes in enhancing
|
||
the power and performance of personal computers. Their best known product,
|
||
QEMM, manages a PC system's memory resources to make sure that applications,
|
||
utilities, DOS and Windows programs can work together. Other Quarterdeck
|
||
products provide multitasking of DOS applications running on one computer;
|
||
while still others support seamless distributed computing by ensuring
|
||
cooperation among multiple systems in cross-platform applications.
|
||
Quarterdeck Office Systems, Inc. is located at 150 Pico Boulevard, Santa
|
||
Monica, CA 90405. The company can be reached at (310) 392-9851.
|
||
|
||
Editor's Note: The above is from a press release from Quarterdeck Office
|
||
Systems. For more information contact: Jeff Greenberg, or Rolf Rudestam, at
|
||
(310) 314-4215 (Voice), or (310) 314-4218 (FAX).
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
Next Month
|
||
----------
|
||
|
||
In the December issue of the Pasco BBS Magazine, BBS Basics will return with
|
||
an updated BBS Glossary. We will continue our coverage leading up to BBSCON
|
||
'95, with a look at the history of the ONE BBSCON. There will also be an
|
||
article by Paul Pollack called "Surfing the Boards." Matt Holden is scheduled
|
||
to review another door program, next month he is planning to take a look at
|
||
Advanced Xoru. New Releases will return with a look at the latest Shareware
|
||
programs. Of course, we will have all the latest BBS news.
|
||
|
||
Look for the December issue of the Pasco BBS Magazine to be available on, or
|
||
before, November 22.
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
Important Information
|
||
---------------------
|
||
|
||
The Pasco BBS Magazine is distributed free of charge, as long as it is
|
||
unaltered and complete. When uploading make sure the original archive is
|
||
intact with all files included.
|
||
|
||
The Pasco BBS Magazine is the sole property of the Board of Trade BBS and
|
||
Richard Ziegler. It is legally copyrighted material and all rights are
|
||
reserved. No part of this magazine may be used without permission. No
|
||
compensation of any kind may be received for the viewing, distribution, or
|
||
for any other use of the magazine files.
|
||
|
||
By submitting something, you are agreeing to allow publication of the
|
||
material in the magazine. Articles reprinted with permission remain the
|
||
property of the cited source. Guest contributions may not necessarily
|
||
reflect the views of the Pasco BBS Magazine. The editor reserves the right
|
||
to edit submissions, however, this is normally only done to correct spelling
|
||
or grammatical errors. The editor makes all determinations on what and when
|
||
articles will run.
|
||
|
||
Every effort is made to insure that all information contained within the
|
||
Pasco BBS Magazine is accurate, but inadvertently mistakes can appear.
|
||
The Pasco BBS Magazine, Board of Trade BBS or Richard Ziegler cannot be held
|
||
liable for information contained within this document. It is intended that
|
||
this magazine exists for the personal enjoyment of the readers.
|
||
|
||
Rather than place a trademark symbol at every occurrence of a trademarked
|
||
name, it is stated that trademarks are only being used in an editorial
|
||
fashion with no intention of any infringement of the trademark itself.
|
||
|
||
More information can be found in the other files distributed with the
|
||
magazine's archive.
|
||
|
||
Comments, questions, suggestions and submissions can be left on the Board
|
||
of Trade BBS (813) 862-4772, or mailed to Board of Trade BBS, P.O. Box 1853,
|
||
New Port Richey, FL 34656.
|
||
|
||
+ + + + +
|
||
|
||
(C)Copyright 1994 Richard Ziegler - All Rights Reserved
|
||
|
||
+ + + + + |