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Volume 3, Number 45 24 November 1986
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| _ |
| / \ |
| /|oo \ |
| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
| _`@/_ \ _ |
| International | | \ \\ |
| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
| (jm) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Editor in Chief: Thom Henderson
Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
FidoNews is the official newsletter of the International FidoNet
Association, and is published weekly by SEAdog Leader, node 1/1.
You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
FidoNews. Article submission standards are contained in the file
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from node 1/1.
Copyright (C) 1986, by the International FidoNet Association.
All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted
for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
please contact IFNA.
Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL
What's Up?
2. ARTICLES
Marketing Research Questionnaires
WHO "COPYRIGHTED" MY ECHOMAIL CONFERENCE?
The Brian Walsh Logical T's FRAUDULENT Contest
MULTITECH 224EH
Keep a Running Scoreboard on your system!
dBASEIII Bible project
Tom Jennings, Thrasher
National Vietnam Veteran's Echo-Mail Conference
3. COLUMNS
Review of Boyan-C1 (a NEW term program)
4. FOR SALE
Magazine On Disk for IBM PC and Compatibles
The Structured Programming Language for PC/MS DOS Dennis Baer
5. NOTICES
The Interrupt Stack
Fidonews Page 2 24 Nov 1986
=================================================================
EDITORIAL
=================================================================
What's Up?
I can't stand it. I've tried my best to be a good boy. Shortly
after the conference in Colorado Springs several people told me
that I should hold back and not express my opinions, but should
wait for a general consensus to develop without me.
But to quote the immortal Popeye, "That's all I can stands, I
can't stands no more!"
Right off the bat, yes, a great many mistakes were made, and I
made my own share of them. What can I say? I don't really think
that anyone really realized just how many seriously concerned
people there are out there. I am quite pleased at the breadth
and depth of feeling that exists in the FidoNet community, even
though it may have been painful to experience at times!
I suspect that quite a lot of us now realize that FidoNet (like
much of the software that spawned it) is growing to be a far
greater thing than anyone would have thought even so recently as
this time last year. We are now being taken quite seriously
indeed by many outside groups. We are coming to have a presence
in the market and in the industry that cannot be ignored.
And the International FidoNet Association, like it or not, is
being recognized as the visible manifestation of that presence.
IFNA is by no means ready for the sort of attention that is
already being focused on it by the various trade publications,
trade groups, manufacturers, and so on. But as time passes, we
grow and we learn.
Many people within FidoNet have expressed concern over IFNA.
Will this legal fiction, this corporate person, that we are
creating be what we want, or will it be a Frankenstein's Monster?
I personally feel that it will help. The sysop has generally
been a much ignored and much maligned figure, bringing visions
(if anything at all) of hackers working away in their basements
to bring about World War III. IFNA would give us a central
source that the media could go to for information and advice,
through which we could express our own opinion of the sysop as a
dedicated volunteer performing a public service.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 3 24 Nov 1986
=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================
Andrew Kanter
Sysop Fido 101/301
******************************
Can You Prevent a Nuclear War?
******************************
Well, if you have every wondered what is really
going on out there in the land of Star Wars and
Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles,
nows your chance to find out... and do something about
it!
Fido 101/301 (The Beyond War/IPPNW BBS) is back on-
line! Moved from Los Angeles to Cambridge, Mass, then
on to Brookline, Massachusetts, Fido 101/301 is up and
running 22 hours a day. The new phone number is (617)
731-1575, 300/1200 baud.
If you want to get more information about the
prevention of nuclear war, or want to discuss the
feasability of Star Wars with other concerned modem-
users, call today. There are many articles available
for t)yping or d)ownloading, ranging from interviews
with Nobel Laureates to opinion articles by your
average college student. Want to hear what the
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear
War have to say about Chernobyl or the summit? Tired
of not finding solutions to this ultimate problem?
Call and check out the articles by Dr. Lown, Beyond
War, and others!
If you are interested in seeing a list of available
files, simply fidomail a message to Sysop of 101/301
and I will send it out to you. Later, if you would
like some of them, maybe we can arrange to have them
arced and sent along too. What better way to help
prevent the Last Epidemic then spreading the word by
sharing these important articles!
Many of you carried some of these articles at one
time (when the BBS was in L.A.). Now is the time to
"renew your subscription"! Send a message today!
And if you are interested in medical issues, the
latest updates on AIDS, radiation, and the flu, you can
get them from 101/301 too. Remember, that's:
( 6 1 7 ) 7 3 1 - 1 5 7 5
Call today! Yes, you CAN make a difference!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 4 24 Nov 1986
Review of FlickerFree 11/2/86
D. Ellison
Fido 18/4
FlickerFree, A User Review
FlickerFree is a memory resident utility to "dramatically
increase text display performance". This it does...remarkably.
Some of the other claims made in the advertising is not quite as
accurate. The program was tested on an IBM-PC under PC-DOS 3.1.
The quotes come from their current advertising.
"DRAMATICALLY INCREASE TEXT DISPLAY PERFORMANCE".
The program delivers! Scrolling speed with the DIR command is
truly impressive. Also the TYPE command scrolls the file with
dizzying speed. Not mentioned is that if you use the MORE filter
when typing the file to screen, FlickerFree is disabled so you
lose the speed advantage. This limits the usefullness of the
program.
"ELIMINATES THAT ANNOYING SCROLLING FLICKER".
It's true, the flicker is gone completely. If you don't mind
flicker, you can speed scrolling even more by selecting a faster
scrolling mode from the FlickerFree menu.
"CONTROL DOS FOREGROUND AND BACKGROUND COLORS"
Again, the program does allow easy selection of screen colors as
long as FlickerFree is on. What isn't mentioned is that it
disables the ANSI.SYS driver. If you use imbedded codes in files
or if you call any bulletin boards that use them, you'll see the
escape codes and not the colors.
"100% COMPATIBLE WITH ALL PCs, COMPATIBLES, AND WITH ALL OTHER
MEMORY RESIDENT UTILITIES"
The program falls down a bit on this one. The documentation
states that it isn't compatible with PC-WRITE or SMARTCOMM.
Oddly enough, the documentation that came with FlickerFree
describing the incompatibility with PC-WRITE is dated June 86 but
their October ads still claim 100% compatibility. They provide
another program that will automatically disable any incompatible
program if their FFIX.COM is run first against the incompatible
program. There is a problem, though. If you do as they say and
FFIX ED.EXE, then run ED.EXE (PC-WRITE's editor) PC-WRITE runs
normally until you try to use the DOS shell within PC-WRITE. You
can go to DOS but the machine locks up when you EXIT back to
PC-WRITE. You can turn FlickerFree off by typing FF off at the
command line but the program seems to remain in memory. Even
with FlickerFree off, I lost a document when trying to exit
PC-WRITE. Even worse than the problem with PC-WRITE is that the
program seems to have difficulty with Fido. I found Fido would
crash unpredictably after FlickerFree had been loaded. Each
time, this required a cold boot. Unfortunately, cold boots with
a hard disk can cause data loss because the heads aren't parked.
I spent the afternoon reformatting my hard disk.
The ad quotes Peter Norton in his 6-86 PC Magazine article
Fidonews Page 5 24 Nov 1986
claiming FlickerFree "...solves several problems that muck up
display screens: snow, flicker, and lack of speed...". When you
read the documentation, they claim Peter Norton was mistaken when
he said the program eliminates snow. It seems a bit misleading
to quote someone about your program when you clearly know him to
be mistaken.
"FULL, MONEY-BACK, SATISFACTION GUARANTEE"
I sent them their program back for a refund. This guarantee
makes the program well worth a try. If you are annoyed by the
flicker and slow pace of your display, FlickerFree may be the
answer. If you run a Fido BBS or use PC-WRITE, you'll want to
keep their satisfaction guarantee in mind.
FlickerFree $39.95
Gibson Research Corporation
9 Lago Sud
Irvine, Ca 92715
(714) 854-1520
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 6 24 Nov 1986
Dear Sysops,
As a senior at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New
Hampshire, I am majoring in Marketing, within the Division of
Business Administration. In order to graduate, each business
student must complete an independent study project which results
in the completion of research and the writing of a formal
research paper. This thesis must be defended before the faculty
and administration of the college.
The thesis topic I have chosen is Fidonet. I am
investigating its marketing potential and as part of that
investigation, I also need to identify and quantify the various
types of users of FIDONET. I have therefore designed two
questionnaires - one for sysops and one for users. Your
assistance is urgently needed in order to obtain this
information.
The first questionnaire is for sysops. Please use your word
processor to answer the questions and return it to me via 101/27
(Dave's Fido in Gardner, MA) under the name Lyndalee Foster, or
simply print it out and send the completed survey to:
Lyndalee Foster
P.O. Box 360
Franklin Pierce College
Rindge, NH 03461
It would also be very helpful if you could send me a file
which simply contains the opening screens and menus on your
system.
The survey for users follows the survey for sysops. Please
make it available to all your users as is. Directions to the
user describe the purpose of the study and how they should
respond.
Please try to respond by November 20 as the results are
urgently needed in order for me to complete my thesis on time.
The results of the survey have to be coded, tabulated, analyzed,
and reported in the thesis by December 3. I have tried to obtain
this information through public sources but so far without
success. If you know of any sources which address the questions
which are in my survey, please let me know. Since I have been
unable to find the information, I would be most appreciative if
you could help me.
Thank-you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Lyndalee Foster
Fidonews Page 7 24 Nov 1986
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SYSOPS
PART I
Please fill out these questions in the method indicated by each
question as honestly as possible to insure the validity of the
questionnaire.
1. How long (years, months) have you been a sysop?
2. What comprises your message section? (for example, FIDONET
mail, messages to/from sysop, ect.)
3. Please list other features that you offer on your system
below (such as type of files).
4. How do you finance your Fido operation?
a. suggested fee of $__________ (1)
b. manditory fee of $__________ (2)
c. charge only for Fidomail (3)
d. other______________________________________________ (4)
5. Approximately, how many current users (i.e. active within the
last six months) do you have on your Fido?
6. The overwhelming majority of users on most systems seem to
be male. What would you estimate is the percentage of users
who are female on your system?
7. What options do you feel could be added to Fido to increase
its usage?
PART II - BASELINE QUESTIONS
The following are background questions for classification
purposes. Please mark or fill in the appropriate blank to
answer the questions as accurately as possible.
1. What is your sex?
2. How old are you?
3. What is your marital status?
Fidonews Page 8 24 Nov 1986
4. Do you operate your system out of your home or from an
office?
5. On what type of computer is your system operated?
6. How many years of school have you completed? (e.g.
highschool graduate equaling 12 years)
7. What is your current or most recent occupation?
**The results of this survey will be reported in a future
newsletter.**
------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 9 24 Nov 1986
To All Fido Users:
As a senior at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, New
Hampshire, I am majoring in Marketing, within the Division of
Business Administration. In order to graduate, each business
student must complete an independent study project which results
in the completion of research and the writing of a formal
research paper. This thesis must be defended before the faculty
and administration of the college.
The thesis topic I have chosen is Fidonet. I am
investigating the marketing potential of FidoNet. As part of that
investigation, I also need to identify and quantify the various
types of users of FIDONET.
Please use your word processor to answer the questions
and return it to me via 101/27 (Dave's Fido in Gardner, MA) under
the name Lyndalee Foster, or simply print it out and send the
completed survey to:
Lyndalee Foster
P.O. Box 360
Franklin Pierce College
Rindge, NH 03461
Please try to respond by November 20 as the results are
urgently needed in order for me to complete my thesis on time.
The results of the survey have to be coded, tabulated, analyzed,
and reported in the thesis by December 3. I have tried to obtain
this information through public sources but so far without
success. If you know of any sources which address the questions
which are in my survey, please let me know. Since I have been
unable to find the information, I would be most appreciative if
you could help me.
Thank-you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Lyndalee Foster
Fidonews Page 10 24 Nov 1986
FIDO USERS QUESTIONNAIRE
PART I
The following is a questionnaire dealing with your usage of FIDO
and other bulletin board services. Please fill out these
questions in the method indicated by each question as honestly as
possible to insure the validity of the questionnaire.
1. How often do you access Fido?
a. every day (1)
b. more than once a week (2)
c. more than once a month (3)
2. What options do you utilize most on Fido (for example, e-
mail, uploading and downloading programs, Echomail, bulletin
board, etc)?
3. What options would you like to see added to Fido?
4. Do you subscribe to other systems?
a. yes (1)
b. no (2)
5. What system, other than FIDO, if any, do you use most often?
(Compuserve, The Source, MCI Mail, etc.)
6. What options do you use from the other system, for example,
e-mail, bulletin boards, uploading or downloading programs,
etc?
7. How often do you use the other system?
a. every day (1)
b. more than once a week (2)
c. more than once a month (3)
8. Are there any other systems to which you subscribe?
9. How did you first hear about Fido?
PART II - BASELINE QUESTIONS
The following are background questions for classification
purposes. Please mark or fill in the appropriate blank to
answer the questions as accurately as possible.
Fidonews Page 11 24 Nov 1986
1. What is your sex?
a. male (1)
b. female (2)
2. How old are you?
a. under 18 (1)
b. 19-30 (2)
c. 31-40 (3)
d. 41-50 (4)
e. 51+ (5)
3. What is your marital status
a. married (1)
b. single (2)
4. Do you own a home computer?
a. yes (1)
b. no (2)
5. If yes to question 4, what type of system do you own?
6. How many years of school have you completed? (e.g.
high school graduate equals 12 years)
7. What is your current or most recent occupation?
**The results of this survey will be reported in a future
newsletter.**
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 12 24 Nov 1986
Robert E. Spivack
Sysop Spiv's Fido 143/3
Sillicon Valley Net 143 Host
(408) 247-3296
Greetings fellow Sysops and Fido Users. It has been a while
since I last wrote a column for Fidonews, but so much is going on
it is time to comment.
I. Mark Welch's problems with PC-SIG (tm): Mark -- I support
your position and hope that you plan to put your education (U.C.
Law) to work ASAP to fight those *@$@%%#! (I recall reading
somewhere you were now attending law school.)
II. Commercial Fidonet: I don't care what you call it, how you
structure it, whether the goals are noble or not, but FORCING any
kind of charge for Fidonet (being in the nodelist, being serviced
by a national or regional host, etc.) just isn't a hobby anymore.
Instead of worrying about some Fido's (SUCH AS MINE) that might
drop out and how that would affect the net, why don't all you
money-hungry anti-hobbiests JUST DROP OUT NOW AND FORM YOUR OWN
COMMERCIAL NET IN THE FIRST PLACE! (How's that for turning the
tables with an interesting suggestion)
III. Commercial tag-along "points": A recent Fidonews (#339, I
think) carried a proposal for extending the hierarchical routing
beyond zone:net/node to include subnodes called points. Although
I think the motivation is wrong (to faciliate commercial nodes
and payments) the concept of "points" is interesting.
I would like to propose an alternate use. "Points", or
degenerate nodes, could be used for individuals that want to link
to the Fido network but do not want to set themselves up as
nodes. Essentially, these are casual users that might be online
for several weeks, disappear for a month or two, etc. "Points"
are maintained only by the local node as private extentions to
the nodelist (That is already possible using the XLATLIST option
for a private nodelist.)
The real value of "points" is that it allows someone (Shareware
authors, are you listening?) to create a single-user simplified
Fido package that simply allows a user to create Fidonet messages
offline and send/receive them to/from their supporting node.
This creates a form of electronic mail where "points" are
primarily involved with sending messages to/from other Fido users
(either normal nodes or other "points").
The key is that the supporting node HOLDS all mail for the
"point" until the "point" calls (polls) to receive it. Since
this mini Fido program is limited in function, it would be small
enough to fit on a floppy disk and be usable with a
portable/laptop computer, maybe even implemented on a Z80 machine
like the Tandy 100, etc.
Finally, since "points" are users without the responsibility of
Fidonews Page 13 24 Nov 1986
having their nodes up 24 hours a day (or even every day at
Fidomail time), anyone that wants to join Fidonet but doesn't
have the time, money, dedicated phone line, or discipline can
still participate rather than join as a full fledged node and be
counted among the "missing, lost dogs, or disappearing" nodes.
Just like the original proposal, the real benefit/simplification
of "points" is that the list of them is not compiled and
circulated with the nodelist. "Points" are like real Ma Bell
phone numbers, you gotta know them to call them and any "Phone
Books" available are published as a favor, not a requirement.
(I.E. users can voluntarily exchange their "point" addresses
and/or publish their own phone directories, but the operation of
Fidonet and "points" does not REQUIRE it. Thus, no additional
overhead to IFNA, Fido 1/0, et. al.)
IV. Echomail - I must admit, although quite technical myself,
I've waited too long and only recently started joining this
FANTASTIC facility. I'm glad that ideas are being generated for
bringing order to this wildly growing feature and at the risk of
covering ground that may already have been discussed, let me
propose a few simple things:
A controlled list of Echomail conferences should be compiled and
distributed on a weekly basis listing the name of the conference,
the conference coordinator, and a short description. This may or
may not be distributed WITH the weekly nodelist update.
A more formal acknowledgement of a second kind of Echomail
capability should be made. I'll coin the term "Broadcast" mail
to refer to the desire for one user or Sysop or send a message to
many systems and have the message "tossed" into a specific
message area. The easiest example is trading/selling something
we no longer want. If I want to sell a hard disk, modem board,
or even a bicycle, I would like to broadcast (should I say
carefully execute a "bombing run") to many boards and have the
message appear in an area reserved for it. Most likely, many of
us have a message area called "FORSALE".
All that is needed is for the most common ones (For Sale, Wanted,
Gossip, News, etc.) to be assigned standard NAMES and have a list
compiled showing which nodes have them. Thus, a Robot-like
utility could then send Fidonet mail only to those nodes that
have a message area (an implicitly then are saying its ok to
forward the message to me) on that topic.
Note that the default Fidonet area is a degenerate case. We all
know we can send a message to any Fido and have it be received in
its Fidonet message area, however, many systems restrict the
Fidonet area to only certain classes of users.
V. Fido enhancements - Boy, we all have lots of ideas here, I'll
try to restrict myself to a few things which may benefit a lot of
Sysops. Again, I apologize if some of these are already being
addressed by the next revision or have already been shot down.
Fidonews Page 14 24 Nov 1986
International - I hope the "country" stuff will make Fidonet
smarter and simply refuse to deliver mail directly to a node that
has an incompatible modem. Right now, it is up to the Sysop to
manually remember which systems just can't receive using US Bell
std modems. I know that I would spare the $$ to dial up our non-
US friends, it is the modems, not the bucks that is keeping the
ocean a barrier for many of us.
Nodelist Processing - It seems strange to me that the
NODELIST.IDX file is bigger than the NODELIST.BBS itself. It
might be interesting to include parameters inside Fido itself
that obsolete the XLATLIST stuff. I mean, instead of batch
converting canonical phone numbers to local dialing codes, etc.
why not just include the parameters inside Fido (or via a control
file) so that Fido converts a phone number on the fly when it
uses it to dial. It would only take less than a second to
convert one phone number in real time, rather than forcing us to
endure ever-longer xlatlist,routegen sessions.
Independent Message and File Areas - I think the original
thinking for having each SYSTEMnn.BBS file describe a message and
a file area needs a revision. I know that many Fidos do not have
pairs of areas. (I.E. very few Fidos actually have a UNIX
message area with a UNIX file area; a DOS message area with a DOS
file area; etc.) This pairing makes setting privileges very
difficult because often you want to disable access to a message
area but allow access to the file area. Right now, you've got to
juggle them around and re-pair up different areas to get around
this.
User Privileges by Area - One of the biggest suggestions I keep
hearing is to enlarge the USER password file to allow specifying
for each user which file or message areas they can access. This
would provide a much richer more granular way to control the
system. Right now, all you can do is define classes of users
(twit, normal, extra, sysop, etc.) and then assign class
attributes to file/message areas. Today, you can't have two
users each the same class (normal or extra) with each one
restricted to DIFFERENT message areas. (Note: Since there can
be up to 99 areas, a reasonable restriction might be to only
allow room for 10 or 20 areas that can be controlled this way)
Whew! and I thought all I was gonna write was two sentences..!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 15 24 Nov 1986
WHO "COPYRIGHTED" MY ECHOMAIL CONFERENCE?
by J. Brad Hicks, Sysop 100/523 (WeirdBase)
I have now seen the following in almost every Echomail conference
that I participate in, including the one I created:
_________________________________________________________________
#165 02 Nov 86 21:45:00 (PRIVATE)
From: Thomas Gentry To: All
Subject: LEGAL NOTICE
This ECHO area Copyright 1986 by Thomas Gentry All rights
reserved. All electronically transmitted messages in this area
become the sole property of Thomas Gentry and the CHAI Way BBS
(c) 1986. A limited license is granted to sysops and users to
utilize this information freely. ANY attempts at regulating the
exchange of this copyrighted material will result in legal action
against the offending party or parties.
Contact: IFNA node - 136/200 (IFNA-(c)1986 International
Fido Net Association)
TECHNET node - 950/200 (TECHNET-(c)1986 Mike Johnson)
for more information.
--- v1.36
* Origin: (c) 1986 CHAI_Way_OPUS (512) 388-3464 (136/200)
_________________________________________________________________
Sounds like a joke, doesn't it? This guy can't possibly be
trying to assert prior claim over the Echomail conference I
founded, can he? Well, I've been trying for a while now to get
through to Mr. Gentry, and he has yet to reply to ANY of my
messages on the subject in the Echomail areas where the offense
took place. And that's close enough to a legal notice that I'm
worried.
_________________________________________________________________
I, Brad Hicks, sysop of Fido 100/523, renounce the copyright no-
tice excerpted above. Thomas Gentry is a newcomer to the con-
ference, and cannot demonstrate ANY WAY in which he has contri-
buted to the concept, creation, or operation of the MAGICK
Echomail conference prior to the entry of this message. Further,
existing documents, both paper and electronic, verify that I,
along with Josh Gordon (sysop of Fido 161/93) and Dave Rene
(sysop of Fido 101/27, aka Fido 101/0) are the originators and
creators of the MAGICK Echomail Conference. Our contribution is
visible and significant, both in distribution and in authorship
of messages.
Therefore let it be know to all that the MAGICK Echomail con-
ference is PUBLIC DOMAIN, and not property of any person or
organization. Neither the name, nor the concept, nor the
structure may be claimed to be owned by any person. The public
messages of this conference are put into the public domain and
may be reprinted in whole or in part, in any medium, by any
person without let or hindrance. The private messages of said
conference should be considered the property of their authors and
Fidonews Page 16 24 Nov 1986
the addressees.
_________________________________________________________________
It is possible that Mr. Gentry thinks he is trying to "protect"
us by keeping unscrupulous operators from claiming ownership of
our material and by some arcane legality charging us money for
our own names, or something. Oh well, I suppose stranger things
have happened (anybody who knows the history of Fantasy Role-
Playing games knows what I'm talking about). But the sysop of
136/200 should NOT have taken this action without consulting ME,
whom he knew full well to be the founder and coordinator of this
conference. Far from it! And I suspect he didn't warn the
coordinators of any of the OTHER conferences (such as BIBLE) that
he tried to "land-grab". And I do NOT consider myself protected
by Mr. Gentry's claim that he OWNS MY WORDS--"sole property of
Thomas Gentry ... (c) 1986," it says here. I am therefore taking
direct action to protect myself and the other members of the
MAGICK conference from prosecution by returning "ownership" of
their words to where it belongs, and where any sane court would
have ruled it was before this obnoxious entry: the public domain.
If Mr. Gentry really does think he can get away with claiming
full, sole ownership over my words and work, he had better retain
an attorney and prosecute his claim, because I will CONTINUE to
distribute this conference as I see fit, as I have done for six
months now. I hate to put it in these terms, but remember, I
didn't start this fight. Should it become a legal battle, I in-
vite, I BEG all Fido Sysops (and IFNA) to assist me in defending
me against take-over of my work and words.
I may be contacted via FidoNet at my own address of 100/523, or
via U.S. Mail to: J. Brad Hicks, 3900 Roland, Apartment B, Saint
Louis, Missouri 63121, United States of America. Thank you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 17 24 Nov 1986
Howard Feil
User of The Heart of Gold 109/624
October 23, 1986
The Brian Walsh Logical T's FRAUDULENT Contest
In mid August of 1986 Brian Walsh, sysop of Logical
Technologies FidoNet 109/640, ran a contest under the
name of Computerland. The contest stated that the first
person to upload 100 public domain files would win a 1200
baud Hayes Compatible Modem. I, Howard Feil, was later
informed by Brian that I was the "winner" of the contest
he ran under name of Computerland.
At this point Computerland Bulletin Board had gone down;
however, Brian had started a new board with the SAME
fidonet numbers 109/640 only under the name of Logical
Technologies. It was in a data conversation with Brian
on this board that I learned I had "won" the modem that
it would be mailed to me by UPS after he received the
modem on Friday, September 5, 1986, and during this same
data conversation Brian also informed me that all the
programs uploaded to the Computerland Board had been
lost. It should be noted here that I was under the
impression that the Hard Disk the BBS was running on
hadn't been backed up although Brian later informed me
that this was not true. He informed me that he had
absolutely no idea where on earth the software for his
Tape Backup system was (I'm assuming it didn't occur to
him to put it on his Hard Disk), and the floppies he had
backup the Hard Disk had been taken by someone else in
the store. (Computerland) I offered to bring the
software to Brian on Floppy disks to Computerland where
he was working at the time, and he would mail them back
with the Modem I rightly deserved. Brian was out on a
service call at the time so I gave the disks to another
person at Computerland and had them give the disks to
Brian. He later informed by Fido Mail that he did
receive the disks.
I NEVER received the modem or my floppies from Brian. On
September 28, 1986, I had my last data conversation with
Brian of any length His parting words explained what had
happened (This is a direct screen capture.)
I sold IT since then because I had NO intentions of EVER
giving you one until about 10mins. ago. talk to you
toimmorrow, Bye.
Brian had agreed to order another modem at this time
(so he said) and was going to call me tomorrow and also
agreed to call me on two more occasions. He never did.
I never received the modem I rightly deserved. I never
received the eight floppy disks I lent to him. Brian
Walsh has Conducted a FRAUDULENT Contest. He has never
Fidonews Page 18 24 Nov 1986
denied this and he appears to have planned it all along.
I was informed on the phone by Son of the Owner of
Computerland that Computerland had no knowledge that
Brian Walsh had operated a BBS under the name of
Computerland and that Brian Walsh was fired from
Computerland for selling "products we don't even carry."
Brian Walsh denies this stating that he resigned, and he
had a written copy of his resignation. I would prefer
not to comment on which story is true for I have no hard
evidence for either story.
I justly "won" the modem in a public contest sponsored by
Brian Walsh. All I asked of Brian Walsh, was to be give
the modem that I am entitled to and the disks I lent him
which are my own personal property. He has never done so
and has given no indication that he is going to
compromise on the issue in anyway; not even in returning
the disks I lent to him. I have persistently asked Brian
questions on this issue, and all he has done, is deleted
my messages.
I formally request that Brian Walsh sysop of Logical
Technologies 109/640's future in FidoNet be considered by
the members of FidoNet as to whether or not they want
members who have conducted Fraudulent Contests.
Any Comments to this article can be sent to Howard Feil
on FidoNet 109/624.
Note: The sysop of FidoNet 109/624 is in no way involved
or affiliated with the above proceedings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 19 24 Nov 1986
Jin Tan
Fido 107/701
MultiTech 224EH (with MNP)
This is a plea to owners of the above modem who have run
Fido during mail hours without ANY problems. I need to know your
dip switch settings as well as your Fidomdm.bbs contents. I have
tried Modem_Help_East, Tech Echomail as well as MultiTech but to
no avail. This is my last resort!
I am having problems getting Fido (11w) to work with the
224EH. The problem I am having is getting the modem to answer
2400 baud calls during Mail hours. Error message on my end says
it is waiting for sync and that it is not a Fidonet. On the
callers' log, they see a "no response to whacking CR" message.
This problem is especially severe (100% of the time) for a Hayes
2400 and moderate (50%) for the USR Courier. I have tried nume
rous suggestions including adding "AT&Q1" in the Fidomdm.bbs
file. I also tried 1/J, 11/J, 5/J as well as AT&E0 (no MNP). My
PROM version is 2.09. This problem exists ONLY during Mail hour.
Despite the above problem, I am still very happy with the
MultiTech modem. The servicing policy is Excellent. (Once, I
sent in two modems (a Hayes and a MultiTech) back to the
manufacturer to be repaired. The MultiTech took 1 week; the
Hayes took 2 months. The techical support personnel know their
modems VERY well (too bad they don't know Fido). And the special
sysops' price for the modem just can't be beat!
Thanking you in anticipation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 20 24 Nov 1986
Allen Miller, 108/10
November 4, 1986
Now don't anyone feel sorry for me because I don't feel bad about
this.....
I have had a lot of fun running this Bulletin board and now I am
to a point where I am rearranging my priorities. As part of this
I will be retiring from the Sysop business. I appreciate all the
support that the users of Allen's Board have contributed; you
have made it very rewarding for me.
Jesse Armontrout, Fido 108/64, will be the new Cincinnati Net
Host. If anyone needs assistance of a Net Host, contact Jesse.
He is very capable and I am sure he will do a good (probably
better) job of Host.
Once again, thanks.
Regards, Allen Miller
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 21 24 Nov 1986
Daniel Tobias
Soft Fido, 19/216
I have just released a new program that lets Fido sysops run
online games and activities with a running scoreboard. This is
a feature present in some other BBS systems, such as NoChange,
and is very popular with users of such systems. Users compete
to become System Champion, and can see a display of the top ten
scores at any time.
The SCOREKEEPER program, downloadable as the file SCOREKPR.ARC
in file area 6 of SOFT FIDO [(318) 636-4402, 24 hours, 300 or
1200 baud], works in the OUTSIDE section of your system. It is
fully compatible with either OUTSIDE or OUTER, and probably any
other Outside menu program you might be using. The scores are
kept in a standard ASCII file (the data format is documented in
the accompanying text), so you can write games and other
programs of your own which manipulate this data.
SCOREKEEPER includes a routine to find the current user's score
and move it to a short file CURRSCOR.BBS for easy access by
other programs, when the user enters the Outside section;
another routine to replace this score data in the master score
file (SCORES.BBS) when the user leaves the Outside section, to
save any changes in his or her score; commands to increase or
decrease the current user's score; and a command to output the
current top ten. Instructions are included showing you how to
use SCOREKEEPER on your system.
I plan on releasing game programs designed to work with
SCOREKEEPER in the future. Right now, I have "The Numbers
Game", downloadable from Soft Fido as NUMBERS.ARC, which is a
"lottery"-style drawing with some interesting twists.
Once again, our number is (318) 636-4402; our FidoNet node
number is 19/216. Check us out; we also have a wide selection
of other Fido utilities available for download, and no pre-
registration is needed for download access.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 22 24 Nov 1986
Ken McVay
Fido 138/45
WORD.DBF
In 1983, I began to assemble a database which will, in time,
contain the entire Bible. The project was begun using an
Osborne-1 and dBASEII, and was upgraded to dBASEIII in 1985.
I began the project on the assumption that by the time it was
completed, the equipment required to utilize it would have
become inexpensive enough that small congregations could readily
afford it. It was assumed that the need for automated accounting
and congregational record-keeping would provide the impetus
which would lead to the purchase of an XT or compatible. At
that point, I felt that the usefulness of the datafile would
make the purchase of dBASEIII worthwhile.
The Bible was already available in one version at the time the
project began, but dBASEIII offered advantages which were NOT
available, to wit, the ability to append commentaries through
the MEMO field - including sermons relating to specific verses,
citations from biblical dictionaries and commentaries, etc.
After browbeating a few friends, active in the Christian
Community, who were also PC owners, I managed to solicit some
help, and the file grew apace.
The file structure includes a field for VERSION, which permits
the file to contain differing versions of the same books, for
comparisons which would not be possible in commercial bible
databases. 90% of the work presently available has been done
using Beck's New American Translation, with the balance from
the Good News Bible. About 75% of the NT is presently avail-
able through 138/45, and is found in WORD.ARC. Individual files
(books) are also available.
I would deeply appreciate volunteers to help in this work. Fido
has made it possible to seek them. Those willing to add a chap-
ter or two are invited to contact me, so that I can co-ordinate
the work and avoid needless duplication. Those who send me a
new book at their expense will receive the entire project file
at my expense...more than a fair trade!
WORD.ARC also contains two crude command files to facilitate
creating new files and searches. A dBASE programmer I am not,
and I would be delighted if someone out there would provide me
with a menu-driven command file which could be useful to non-
computer types, enabling searches, comparisons, appending
commentaries without entering manual commands, etc.
The following data file structure must be created with dBASEII
(minus the memo file) or dBASEIII:
WORD.DBF
FN FIELD TYPE SIZE
Fidonews Page 23 24 Nov 1986
------------------------------------
1. NEW L 1 ;logical T=New Testament
2. VERSION C 5 ;translation version
3. BOOK C 3 ;Book title, abridged
4. CHAPTER N 3
5. VERSE N 3
6. L1 C 50 ;text goes to the Ln fields,
7. L2 C 50 ;with no word-wrap. Use
8. L3 C 50 ;quotes where appropriate
9. L4 C 50
10. L5 C 50
11. L6 C 50
12. XR1 C 10 ;cross-references to other
13. XR2 C 10 ;verses - often found in
14. XR3 C 10 ;the margins between col's
15. XR4 C 10
16. COMMENTS MEMO ;citations, comments, sermons
Please contact me through 138/45, or by voice at 604-758-4137,
and let me know if you would like to participate. Thanks!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 24 24 Nov 1986
typed by Infect
Note: The following article was typed in from the October/
November issue of THRASHER magazine, page 75.
In The Crowd: Tom Jennings
The THRASHER Computer Bulletin Board System (BBS) has been
an information exchange for more than 1200 skaters since its
start in 1985. Those who have called might recognize the name
Tom Jennings -- not only is he a regular caller, but the author
of Fido -- the BBS program -- the standard in electronic BBS's.
Since Tom's first crude Fido program in late 1983, his creation
has spread across the entire U.S., most of Western Europe,
Australia, and parts of Asia. Each Fido board is linked into a
gigantic network, FidoNet, which comes alive automatically every
night at 1:00am. Machines call each other and exchange informa-
tion across the globe. If you're asking yourself what this means
read on, as Tom sheds some light in an interview with the sysop
of THRASHER BBS.
THRASHER: EXPLAIN WHAT FIDO IS.
TJ: Fido is a program which turns a personal computer into a BBS
system. A BBS is a computer connected to a telephone line thru
a modem to form a kind of information base. Other people with
computers call BBS's and write messages to other callers, read
messages from other callers, amd take programs and text files. A
different community develops with every BBS and many times the
conversations that take place thru the messages are quite good.
A lot of boards are set up by techies for techies, but there are
more and more underground, non-technical boards, like THRASHER.
Anyone who uses Fido software to run a bulletin board can be
part of a network called FidoNet. FidoNet is a loose collection
of BBS's with nothing in common but Fido software.
FidoNet connects all the BBS's together, so the machines
themselves exchange long distance connections and help keep
phone costs down. There are about 1500 'nodes' grouped together
into different 'nets'.
Up until about September most organizational work for Fido-
Net was being done by a few people in one place. This didn't
really work, so we've recently gone to a system of total
anarchy. Implemented anarchy thru computers -- a real science
fiction organization. There's going to be no center, the work
will be spread out over the country and generated simultaneously
in 13 places.
There are lots of ways to look at the new organization. One
is that it's taking a lot of decision making out of human hands
and giving it to a machine. But what's being taken amounts to
grunt-work, making a fucking list. This list has got to be 100%
accurate, it's boring work -- no creativity involved. Machines
can do that shit. It might sound de humanizing, but now instead
Fidonews Page 25 24 Nov 1986
of having to do such boring work, people can go out and have
fun. That's what it's all about, that's what computers are
about, not the opposite.
Everyone thinks of computers as these big institutional
things with narrow, specified applications. People don't
realize that computers are just another toy. They're just
another tool. You can do anything you want with a handsaw, you
can build all sorts of things, and a computer is just another
tool. So many people won't believe that, just don't understand.
It's really obnoxious. Kids at school now have BASIC examples
in the columns of their textbooks, but computers are not about
learning different computer languages. Computers can help
change the way you think about things and teach you to define
new realities. Like, what does this look like or do for the
user, what does it look like to me the programmer? Problem
solving is what it is, learning to think about how to break
problems down.
All the concepts of computers -- loops, stacks, multitasking
and interrupts -- those are human concepts. They're narrow,
rigid human concepts, which is why they can be put into machines
like this. Humans made those ideas up. You're reading a book
and somebody interrupts you...you put your finger where you were
and you talk to them and you come back and start from there.
That's exactly what the machine does. And it does it because
that's the way humans defined it, it's not the other way around.
The techie guys are making it seem like it's some arbitrary,
holy mathematical construct. It's just another idea, and they
never explain it like that. No one uses those analogies because
they don't sound technical.
THRASHER: I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO AVOID COMPUTERS
BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BREAK THEM...
TJ: That's typical, but the opposite is true. I was at Malibu
Grand Prix yesterday, where most reasonably good drivers can
do between 55 and 60 seconds per lap. There was a guy who kept
doing 88 second laps -- turning it around the corners, not
squealing the tires. Then, all of a sudden his time jumped to
60 seconds. He got out and he said, "I just realized how it
works, you don't just roll it around, you make the thing work."
Skateboards are like that. If you just roll along and turn by
steering the trucks you'd never get anywhere, it would be boring
very quickly. You realize the only way to make it go is to beat
the living shit out of it and make it work for a living. Thrash
it on the curb, flip it in the air and jump off ramps and land
on your ass a whole lot, and you get better and better. You
realize there's a whole other level you go beyond. Sometimes
you find out by breaking it. And even that applies to things
like computers, or anything, because human techniques are human
techniques and people learn how to do things. That's what makes
us human beings and not dogs. A dog will figure out how to open
a door and it won't usually figure out that it means you can
open the other door this way, it will go thru the whole same
process with another kind of door. A little kid will figure it
Fidonews Page 26 24 Nov 1986
out instantly and see a parallel, a door is a door. And that's
how humans solve problems, machines or no machines. That is the
level it works and people just don't see it because it's alwaus
clouded in mystique and bullshit.
THRASHER: WHERE DO YOU THINK COMPUTER FIT INTO, OR WILL FIT
INTO, THE LIVES OF KIDS WHO READ THRASHER?
TJ: I have an 18 year old friend who has an Apple with a printer
and he uses it just like he uses his calculator. He couldn't
care less about it. When he wants to write a paper for school
he does it on his computer, just because it's easier to type
there than on a typewriter or by hand, because he can go back
and fix things. It's not a big deal for him. And that's
probably a pretty typical attitude, not liking it but putting up
with it. It's just another tool, might as well know how to use
it. Actually, I was out skating in Golden Gate Park, trying to
learn a few tricks, and these kids came by and gave me the most
non-asshole advice I'd ever gotten in my life. None of this
put-down stuff, no expert-playing, a couple of kids came by, it
was very humbling at first, I'm like twice their age...but any-
way, we got to talking about computers and stuff. They weren't
particularly interested, they said they didn't see a connection
between it. I mean, why would anybody with a skateboard be
interested in computers and viceversa. I mentioned the THRASHER
BBS, which one kid had heard of, so who knows. I think now it's
just another fun thing out there. It might be fun and it might
be boring. It's just the computer nuts who want to have it
different.
THRASHER: NOT MANY PEOPLE START SKATING AT YOUR AGE [31], WHAT
MADE YOU START?
TJ: I think it was your fault. You started sending me THRASHER.
I started looking at it and sort of laughing. And the more I
looked at it the more it looked like fun, so I went out and
bought myself a board. If something is scary or a mystery it
should be learned. There are too many things that are just
stupidly scary for no reason at all. Just get rid of them. All
of these things are being built by human beings, for human
beings, so...if it's fun you should do it, if it's not any fun
you shouldn't do it -- if you can possibly avoid it.
-=>THRASHER BBS.............(415) 822-5630 125/8
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 27 24 Nov 1986
Todd C. Looney
Vietnam Veteran's Valhalla
Fido 143/27
(408)293-7894
300/1200/2400 Bauds
NATIONAL VIETNAM VETERAN'S ECHO-MAIL CONFERENCE
There is one other wall, of course.
One we never speak of.
One we never see,
One which separates memory from madness.
In a place no one offers flowers.
THE WALL WITHIN.
We permit no visitors.
By Steve Mason
I started out with Steve Mason's poem because it tells a story in
itself. I believe it accurately describes in very few words one
of the very many complex, and probably one of the most protected,
commonalities shared not only among a vast majority of military
combat veterans of ANY war, but among nearly every person who has
witnessed and survived any kind of life-threatening traumatic
experience as well. This "wall" shields us from our darkest,
most horrifying memories. It is, without question, one of the
most significant components manifested in Post-Traumatic Stress
Syndrome (PTS).
One of the toughest things for any combat veteran can be to open
his or herself up (yes, there are women who have seen combat,
too) to another human being and share the traumatic events from
their past. It is rare in this instance when the occasion can be
found when both the will and and a sympathetic, non critical ear
are both available at the same time. Most of find it very hard,
even when conditions are perfect, to "tell it like it really
was". One has to have an awful lot of trust in a person to risk
the consequences of lowering "the wall" , much less to permit
others to visit among our long-since buried memories and
feelings. When it gets right down to the line, most of us lose
the courage to face the emotional ramifications which
unmercifully enshroud us when we dare to share our deepest, most
personal secrets with someone else. It is especially difficult
when that other person has never experienced the same kind of
traumatic events, making it difficult if not impossible for them
to truly understand our pain.
How do you tell someone who has never experienced combat what it
REALLY feels like to witness a comrades violent death? What will
that person think of you when you tell them what it REALLY feels
like to have to take the life of another human being? Is the
emotional relief from getting it off your chest REALLY worth the
gamble of possible rejection, ridicule, or criticism? Well, I
can tell you from my own experiences that is is far less painful
to keep the "walls" in place than it is to face up to the
terrifying realities they imprison.
Fidonews Page 28 24 Nov 1986
There are a few places where I can feel safe bringing up those
old, painful memories; places where I can slowly pull each one
out and deal with it in a comfortable atmosphere free of mis-
understanding and criticism. The local Vietnam Veterans Outreach
Center is one, but I sometimes have problems in one-on-ones. The
others are computer bulletin boards where I can find others like
myself who have been there and understand where I am coming from.
I started a bulletin board just like that in my home in San Jose,
California, now the Vietnam Veteran's Valhalla. I also conceived
of a national echo-mail conference devoted to the Vietnam Veteran
and put out the call for supporters across the country. That
call was answered by three other Fido bulletin board sysops.
Together, we have linked our systems between the east and west
coasts and I am proud to boast of our success. The other boards
who have become a part of this conference are:
The New York Transfer, 107/105, Bob Richards-sysop
718-442-1056 300/1200/2400 bauds
The BNC Connector, 151/301, Bob Schreiber-sysop
704-262-1861 300/1200/2400 Bauds
The Blowtorch, 109/606, Alexander Wall-sysop
202-686-9398 300/1200 Bauds
There are people from all walks of life contributing to the
National Vietnam Veterans Echo-Mail Conference; combat and non-
combat veterans from all wars, non-veterans of all ages,
Vietnamese military veterans and refugees. Just because you are
not a Vietnam Veteran, or even a military veteran at all for that
matter, is no reason not to call one of the boards closest to
you. All you need is an interest in learning about the realities
of the Vietnam war, and hearing about it from those of us who
were actually there; who know the true cost of war and have paid that
price. No historian, unless he or she has been there personally,
can tell you what WE can!
We want to put out the call again and ask for the support of
other Fido sysops around the country to become a part of this
valuable public service by hosting and/or coordinating the Vietnam
Veterans Echo-Mail Conference in your area. Please contact me,
Todd Looney, at the Vietnam Veteran's Valhalla in San Jose,
California by FidoNet mail at node 143/27 to tell me you have
decided to join us! If you are on the east coast, please contact
Bob Richards, the east coast coordinator, at the New York
Transfer in Staten Island, New York 107/105.
If you're a regular subscriber of the Fido Newsletter, this will
be the third time you have read about this. Why are you putting
it off? We need your support today! We especially need your
help if you are in one of the Mid-Western states (or anywhere
between California and New York for that matter). This type of
public service is still quite a unique one to the world, and I
think you will agree it is a service whose time has come and
needs desperately to be addressed. We can't really make it as
Fidonews Page 29 24 Nov 1986
successful as we would like without your help.
Echo-Mail is one of the most effective means of mass-
communications brought to light this century, let's USE it!
PLEASE JOIN US!
.....
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 30 24 Nov 1986
=================================================================
COLUMNS
=================================================================
Jerry Hindle
123/6 123/0
MemphisNet
2400 baud MAX
901-353-4563
Hello again......
This time I am reviewing a terminal program called BOYAN-C1.
This program has quite a few unique features that will no doubt make
it a LOT easier for one to operate when calling a bulletin board. I
have only had this file for a few days and already I have noticed a
distinct drop in my on-line time when calling long distance systems.
This in itself should be enough for most but the author has decided
to go a lot farther by adding such features as a complete file
handler BUILT IN the program itself. You can do such mundane things
as copy, move, rename, or delete files with this feature but I find
the best use is one I think not one person has thought of before...to
wit marking the files for either uploading or downloading. He has
also included a feature that makes X-modem protocol file transfers
almost as easy to do as the Tele-Link file transfer is now. This is
the ability of the terminal package to remember the filename you are
downloading from a bulletin board when you type it in, thus when you
have entered the information for downloading on the system all you
need do is hit the PgDn and the term program will insert the filename
for you on your disk.
This program has no limit to the amount of buffer since it uses
the disk itself for storing info automatically. It also can handle
editing a file of any size due to the same reason, it uses the disk
as a buffer !
The many features of this program are too varied and good for me
to fully describe here, but I will say that the author has shown a
great deal of imagination in writing this one and I for one think it
is well worth the requested SHAREWARE donation.
The file in ARC format is about 144k long but when you un-ARC it
you should do it to either a hard drive or an EMPTY floppy as it is a
real hog for space.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 31 24 Nov 1986
=================================================================
FOR SALE
=================================================================
MAGAZINE ON DISK FOR IBM PC AND COMPATIBLES
The first issue of BIG BLUE DISK, a magazine on disk for the IBM
Personal Computer and compatibles, is currently on sale.
It is contained entirely on a floppy disk. Each issue contains
programs, articles, feedback from subscribers, program reviews
and demos, and more.
For example, issue number one contains the following:
- PLANET OF THE ROBOTS: In this text adventure, a time warp has
transported you to a future Earth where robots rule. Can you
find your way back?
- HOP-A-LONG HANGMAN: A new version of the classic word game,
with three different skill levels and word sets.
- LIFETIME CALENDAR: Travel back in time or plan the future.
Display any month from January, 1753 to December, 4999.
- LOAN AMORTIZATION: Calculate simple interest loan terms that
best suit your budget. This easy-to-use program produces a full
amortization schedule.
- STRING ART: This program generates many captivating patterns.
Check it out; a little high-tech cloud watching is good for the
soul.
In addition, BIG BLUE DISK #1 contains a column of hints and
tips; and a report of late-breaking news in the computer
industry. Also, for the first time anywhere, BIG BLUE DISK
presents a review of VersaForm XL version 4.0, the latest version
of an inexpensive but powerful forms-oriented database.
This issue is available at many outlets nationwide,
including Waldenbooks and B. Dalton Booksellers. You can also
order it by direct mail by sending $9.95 (check, money order, or
Visa/Mastercard/American Express accepted) to: BIG BLUE DISK, PO
BOX 30008, SHREVEPORT, LA 71130-0008.
Mail subscriptions are also available: One year (12 monthly
issues) costs only $69.95. (A 41% savings over newsstand price.)
A six-month subscription is available for $39.95.
BIG BLUE DISK requires an IBM PC or compatible, with at least
256K of memory and a Color Graphics Adapter or compatible
graphics board.
Send questions/comments to Daniel Tobias on FIDO 19/216.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 32 24 Nov 1986
Bill Hunter
FidoNet BBS 109/626
Disk I/O Slowing you down?
Are you dealing with a large Database that takes forever to read?
Is your Network bogged down due to disk seek time?
Do you simply want to make better use of the Extended/Expanded
memory capacity on your system?
Your solution is:
D I S C A C H E V 0.01
DISCACHE can help you recover lost seconds when it counts.
DISCACHE works by keeping commonly accessed disk data in memory
so that when such data is read it is copied from memory rather
than read from disk.
DISCACHE supports 3-types of memory:
Conventional (to 640K)
Extended - AT memory via BIOS INT 15
Expanded - via Lotus/Intel EMS
DISCACHE can help you utilize ALL of your Extended/Expanded
memory to the fullest, as it helps you get the most from your
system.
DISCACHE is available to you through the FidoNet News, not at
the full price ($75.00), but for only: $49.00 (aren't you glad
you read the FidoNews?).
DISCACHE can be obtained by sending your check or money order
(NO CASH PLEASE) and a description of your equipment type (i.e.
System and Hard Disk/controller card, etc.) to: W.E.G. Systems,
P.O. Box 5072, Springfield, VA 22150. Or contact us via FidoMail
for information, on the WAFRUG_BBS 109/626 at (703)-425-0695.
(DISCACHE supports only those hard disks that are accessible via
standard BIOS interface!)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 33 24 Nov 1986
Full Disclosure announces a special subscription drive for
new subscribers. Full Disclosure is offering for a limited time
only, absolutely FREE three issue subscriptions. This offer
applies to new subscribers only. All you have to do is reply to
this offer now. Full Disclosure is normally $15/yr (12 issues).
Full Disclosure is a hard hitting newspaper that doesn't use
government press releases for its stories. We use information
obtained from private sources that don't have a vested interest
in promoting big government, and from extensive use of the
Freedom of Information Act. Summaries of world news from
numerous foreign publications are also included in each issue.
Since 1984, we've reported on citizens rights, government
corruption, secrecy, and other topics of interest.
And our stories bring results. Full Disclosure's interview
with retired CIA agent Victor Marchetti had such a big impact
that it was included in a course on intelligence at Yale
University, an Ivy League school and one of America's most
prestigious institutions of higher learning. That's the kind of
coverage that led Sound Choice to remark:
``This is a type of publication that is especially needed.
Full Disclosure publishes research on government agencies'
illegal and immoral (often highly secret) actions against its
citizens and environment... Don't think such things aren't
happening -- they are. Don't get scared -- get aware.''
Hurry and send your name and address along with a request
for a special three issue free subscription to: Full Disclosure,
Box 8275-FI2, Ann Arbor, MI 48107. Or reply to Fido 120/31.
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Fidonews Page 34 24 Nov 1986
The Structured Programming Language is a SHARE WARE free format
block structured programming language that runs on MSDOS and
PCDOS computer systems. It may be obtained by calling a bulletin
board system at 516 334 8221. Download SPLLIB.ARC at 1200 or 300
baud. It takes only 20 minutes to download at 1200 baud. It is
also available from PC BLUE in New York City. If you like the
software I strongly recommend that you REGISTER and PAY for the
software because I would like to make an honest living just like
you do. There is no need to be validated on the bbs to download
files. For software support call Electronic Digital Computer
Systems at 516 694 5872. In the near future look for the
language on net.micro.pc conference on USENET.
Some major features and advantages of SPL
o SPL is an alternative to the PASCAL and C languages
o SPL programs can be run on MACINTOSH,AMIGA,ATARI ST,CP/M
o The SPL processor will run on MSDOS emulators on MACINTOSH,
AMIGA,ATARI ST
o PROCEDURES
o WHILE loops
o FOR loops with REAL and INTEGER indicies and increments
o REPEAT loops
o Powerful IF THEN ELSE constructs
o Powerful RANDOM and SEQUENTIAL INPUT/OUTPUT including
formatted OUTPUT
o GRAPHICS statements PSET DRAW LINE CIRCLE PRESET SCREEN .....
o BEGIN END blocks
o ERROR trapping
o Statement labels (multiple labels supported)
o Strong data types INTEGER REAL STRING scalars and arrays
o Names of variables and labels up to 40 characters upper and
lower case
o Supports mathematical functions SIN COS TAN LOG EXP .....
o STRING functions MID$ LEFT$ RIGHT$ STR$ VAL$ ASC$ .....
o Your compiled BASIC programs do not become obsolete link
them together
o SPL programs run faster than PASCAL programs
o SPL programs can take advantage of an entire 640k IBM PC
o The SPL processor will work on an IBM PCjr with 128k and
1 drive
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Fidonews Page 35 24 Nov 1986
=================================================================
NOTICES
=================================================================
The Interrupt Stack
3 Dec 1986
Start of the Electronic Mail Association conference in
Washigton, D.C.
7 Dec 1986
The Next Occasional MetroNet Sysop Meeting. Contact Gee Wong
at 107/312 for details.
24 Aug 1989
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1/1.
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**** 1987 - A Microprocessor Odyssey ****
( or Who needs a Monolith? )
. + .
* _ +
* . -(_)-
+
_______________ *
-=|| |
. . -=|| | .
-=|| | +
-=|| |
-=|| 80386 |
-=|| |
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\|_____________|
MY GOD, ITS FULL OF BUGS!!!!!!!!!
Artwork By Randall Kobetich 150/130
Idea - Mike Jacobs 150/900
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I.P.R. Echomail
( Interpersonal Relationships )
Fidonews Page 36 24 Nov 1986
Are you interested in the discussing the moral,social, and
ethical issuses of our time? I have had quite a bit of success
offering such a message sig on my B.B.S. It has encouraged a
great deal of intelligent interaction. Have several issues often
passed through your board on today's controversial subjects like
Euthinasia, Divorce, Abortion, public aide programs, Genetic
Engineering Etc.? Well then you may be interested in hooking your
users into I.P.R. National Echomail. This forum is assured to
spur users to engage in stating the various viewpoints in an
interesting fashion that will get all involved. It is an
enjoyable sig for everyone. It is a fun "CONTROVERSY" forum.
For information on how to hookup please Netmail a note to:
Randall Kobetich 150/130
Wilmington, Delaware
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Fidonews Page 37 24 Nov 1986
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Charter Membership for the International FidoNet Association
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
pays an annual specified membership fee. IFNA serves the
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Is there some area where you would be
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Send your membership form and a check or money order for $25 to:
International FidoNet Association
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Thank you for your membership! Your participation will help to
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** Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization
in formation and BYLAWS are presently being prepared by an
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