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BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News
COPYRIGHT 1988
June 1988 Volume 1, Issue 3
Table Of Contents
-----------------
Article Title Author
Policy Statement and Disclaimer................Mark Maisel
On The Care and Feeding of The Hayes 2400 Smartmodem......
....................................Co-Sysop One, Channel 8250
Protecting Your Password.......................David Alge
Sysops Are Not Gods, Part 2....................Tim Straughn
Telecommunications And Women, part 3...........Michele Cahoon
BTN Personals..................................Gary Godsey
Gamer's Corner.................................Osman Guner
Known BBS Numbers..............................Mark Maisel
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer and Statement of Policy for BTN
We at BTN try our best to assure the accuracy of articles and
information in our publication. We assume no responsibility for
damage due to errors, ommisions, etc. The liability,if any for BTN, its
editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or ommisions,
etc., shall be limited to the cost of a one year subscription to BTN,
even if BTN, its editors or writers have been advised of the likelihood
of such damages occurring.
With the conclusion of that nasty business, we can get on with our
policy for publication and reproduction of BTN articles. We publish
monthly with a deadline of the fifteenth of the month prior to
publication. If you wish to submit an article, you may do so at any
time but bear in mind the deadline if you wish for your work to appear
in a particular issue. It is not our purpose to slander or otherwise
harm a person or reputation and we accept no responsibility for the
content of the articles prepared by our writers. Our writers own their
work and it is protected by copyright. We allow reprinting of articles
from BTN with only a few restrictions. The author may object to a
reprint, in which case he will specify in the content of his article.
Othewise, please feel free to reproduce any article from BTN as long as
the source, BTN, is specified, and as long as the author's name and the
article's original title are retained. If you use one of our articles,
please forward a copy of your publication to:
Mark Maisel
Editor, BTN
221 Chestnut St.
BHM, AL 35210-3219
We thank you for taking the time to read our offering and we hope that
you like it. We also reserve the right to have a good time while doing
all of this and not get too serious about it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
On the Care and Feeding of the Hayes 2400 Smartmodem
By Co-Sysop One, Channel 8250, Birmingham, Al, (205) 785-7417
Hayes Smartmodem 2400 is a registered trademark of the Hayes
Microcomputer Products, Inc.
DISCLAIMER
Any and all mistakes found within this article are probably original;
That is to say: mine. On the other hand, if I could write relevant,
technically correct, readable articles, I wouldn't have to give them
away; I could sell them. So if you try some of these commands and your
Hayes modem sits up and demands a cup of coffee (assuming it's never
done this before) prior to executing something as ridiculous as the
command you just gave it, don't call me; Mine refuses to do anything in
the morning before it finishes it's first cup.
ABSTRACT
I shall attempt to convey to the reader some reasonable semblance of
what is available in the Hayes 2400 command set, what it means, and how
to use it in asynchronous communications.
PRELIMINARY
The Hayes mode has two modes of operation: the first is the Command
state in which it watches the keyboard for Command lines and the other
is the On-Line state in which it is merely a conduit from your system to
the remote system.
COMMAND LINES
Command lines alter the operating parameters of the modem and are (with
one exception - covered later) always preceded with AT and terminated
with a Carriage Return <CR>. The line can be either all upper-case or
all lower-case characters but not a mix of both (Using a mix of upper
and lower-case characters in a single command line will probably get you
a blank look, a "Do WHAT?", or a request for a second cup.)
Non-conflicting commands can be stacked can be stacked up to a total of
40 characters (Spaces, the AT prefix, and the <CR> are not counted.) The
modem will only respond to a Command line when in the Command state.
COMMAND STATE
In the Command state the modem scans the local keyboard for Command
lines to execute. (I'm going to take the time to mention that the
Command state is not Washington D.C. [which is a district anyway] nor is
it the 51st state of the US. It is a state of awareness of the modem.)
Something worth mentioning is that being 'on-line' with another system
and being in the On-Line state are two entirely separate things. It is
possible to call another system and after getting connected drop your
modem back to Command state without dropping carrier (losing the
connection). In fact, some operations require doing just that (see
&T(X) under COMMANDS).
There are 9 things that will cause the modem to go to the Command state:
Powering the modem up
The reset command (AT Z).
The factory configuration is retrieved (AT &F).
No carrier detected when receiving or originating a call.
The carrier from the remote modem is lost.
The command &D!, &D2, or &D3 command has been issued and the modem
detects an on to off transition on the DTR circuit.
A semicolon (;) was used at the end of the dialing command to return the
modem to the command state after dialing.
The escape sequence (+++) is entered while the modem is on-line.
ON-LINE state
When the modem is in On-Line state data can be received from and
transmitted to a remote system. Command lines are not accepted by the
modem while in On-Line state although it does scan the outgoing data for
the escape sequence (+++). If it sees the escape sequence it will go to
Command state so that Command lines can be issued.
The modem attempts to go to On-Line state under 5 conditions:
The dial command is issued. (AT DT or AT DP).
The On-Line command is issued. (AT O0).
The answer command is issued. (AT A).
The dial command is issued with a reverse dial modifier (R) suffix on
the Command line.
Modem register S1 equals register S0. (S1 equals the number of rings to
answer on and S0 equals the actual ring count.)
DIP SWITCHES
If you have examined your Hayes 2400 closely in search of the DIP
switches found on most modems (Did you look under the end plates also?),
you will have come to the conclusion that either you have purchased a
defective modem that somehow made it through inspection without the DIP
switches or that Hayes is incredibly adept at hiding the #$%^& things.
Actually neither is true; The Hayes 2400 Smartmodem uses NVM
(non-volatile memory) to store its operating parameters instead of DIP
switches.
About 90% of the operating parameters of the modem can be store in
either of 2 user defined profiles. I have one profile set up for PC
Board and the other set for my terminal program. Switching or altering
profiles either permanently or just for the session in progress can be
accomplished with just a few keystrokes and becomes second nature after
a while.
COMMANDS
AT - Precedes all Command lines.
A - Go off hook but remain in Command state. The modem will pick up the
phone line and scream abuse (send a carrier signal) at anyone who
happens to be on the other end of the phone (if there is anyone there,
it will do this to a dead line also). This command is useful when your
sister is tying up the phone or when aluminum siding people are trying
to sell you siding for your brick home.
A/ - This is the exception mentioned earlier. It is the only command
that is not preceded with AT nor followed by a <CR>. It will cause the
modem to re-execute the last Command line. If you have an archaic
terminal program that does not support automatic redial then this makes
life a little easier. If you had issued an ATDT 123-4567 and got a busy
signal then hitting A/ would cause it to redial the same number.
B0 - Select CCITT V.22 standard for 1200 baud operation only. B1 -
Select Bell 212A Standard for 1200 baud operation only.
At 300 baud (or lower) Bell 103 standards are automatically used. At
2400 baud CCITT V.22 standards are automatically used.
D - Go to originate mode and dial the following number, attempt to go to
On-Line state (listen for carrier sent from remote system).
DS=n - Dial number stored in location 'n' (0-3). The Hayes 2400 allows
you to store up to four numbers in the NVM (see the &Zn command). This
will cause the modem to dial one of those four numbers.
E0 - Disable character echo in Command state. E1 - Enable character echo
in Command state.
Since this command is viable only when you are on-line with another
system but have moved your modem into the Command state (to alter an
operating parameter or initiate a test) it will rarely concern you. If
you drop back to Command state while on-line with another system and
what you are typing does not show up on your screen then issue an E1
command to the modem. If every character you type shows up twice on the
screen the issue an E0 command.
F0 - Not supported on the Hayes 2400. If issued will return an ERROR.
F1 - On-line character echo disabled. This is a preset value that
cannot be changed. The Hayes 2400 does not support on-line character
echo.
H0 - Go 'on-hook.' Hang up the phone line. H1 - Operate switch hook and
(if &J1 is enabled) auxiliary relay.
If your modem is connected to a standard phone line and not one of the
fancy megabuck type PBX phone systems then the H0 command is all you
will ever need. H0 is the most common command issued to disconnect you
from a remote system.
I0 - Return product code from modem. This will be an ASCII string such
as 24x where x is the modem revision.
I1 - Perform checksum on modem firmware ROM. This will cause the modem
to generate a checksum of it's ROM. Hayes Customer Service can compare
this to the correct checksum for your model to see if the ROM has been
somehow destroyed. The I0 command should return a three digit code.
I2 - Perform checksum on modem firmware ROM and return either an OK or
ERROR result code. This is the same test as I1 but after the modem
finishes counting it's fingers and toes it peeks in it's memory to see
if the checksum matches the checksum the factory stored in memory.
If you have a problem and suspect that it is the modem perform the above
test (see also the &T test) and write the data down as it gives it to
you. If you cannot resolve the problem yourself contact Hayes Customer
Service at (404) 441-1617.
L0 - Low speaker volume. L1 - Low speaker volume. (Same as L0.) L2 -
Medium speaker volume. L3 - High speaker volume.
M0 - Speaker off at all times. M1 - Speaker on until carrier is
detected. M2 - Speaker on at all times. (For masochist.) M3 - Speaker
on until carrier detected except when dialing.
O0 - Go to On-Line state. If you have connected to another system and
issued the escape sequence (gone into Command state) this is the command
used to go back to On-Line state. O1 - Go to On-Line state and initiate
equalizer retrain.
The equalizer retrain is a frequency conditioning that attempts to
reduce attenuation (loss in signal amplitude).
Q0 - Modem returns result codes. Q1 - Modem does not return result
codes.
The Q1 command is for those of you who like playing 'blind mans bluff.
The modem will not send any messages back to the terminal regardless of
what happens. See also the V and X commands.
Sr - Set pointer to register 'r'. When a pointer is set to a particular
register the value of that register can be read with the AT? command.
This is mainly for programmers and others who are interested in esoteric
and useless information. Besides, the Sr? and the &V are easier to use.
Sr=n - Set register 'r' to value 'n'. This is a more useful command
that can be used to accomplish a lot of the things that make
telecommunications more pleasant such as dialing speed, auto- answer,
and others. See REGISTERS.
Sr? - Display value stored in register 'r' regardless of where the
pointer is set. Although the Sr? commands can be stacked on a Command
line to show the values of many registers at one time if many are to be
viewed the &V is easier (&V shows the value of all S registers.)
V0 - Display result codes in numeric form. V1 - Display result codes in
verbose form .
Some terminal programs look for result codes from the modem. Some of
these programs do better with numeric codes than verbose (words) codes.
Try the verbose codes first since they are easier to interpret for the
average person than a numeric code. If this seems to weird your
terminal program out then switch to the numeric form. See RESULT CODES
for a listing of both.
X0 - Enable features represented by result codes 0 to 4 X1 - Enable
features represented by result codes 0 to 5 and code 10 X2 - Enable
features represented by result codes 0 to 6 and code 10 X3 - Enable
features represented by result codes 0 to 5 and code 7 and 10 X4 -
Enable features represented by result codes 0 to 7 and code 10
See RESULT CODES for a listing of these features.
Y0 - Disable long space disconnect. Y1 - Enable long space disconnect.
A break signal is a string of zeros sent by the modem for four seconds.
If the Y1 command is issued and your modem receives a break signal for
longer than 1.6 seconds it will get annoyed and hang up the phone.
Z0 - Reset modem and recall user defined profile 0. Z1 - Reset modem and
recall user defined profile 1.
See USER DEFINED PROFILES for information on what can be stored in the
profiles.
&C0 - Assume that data carrier is always present. &C1 - Track presence
of data carrier.
DCD (data carrier detect) is a pin (#8) on the serial connector that is
active only when an acceptable carrier signal is received from the
remote system.
&D0 - Ignore DTR &D1 - Go to Command state if an on-to-off transition of
DTR is detected. &D2 - Hang up and assume Command state if an on-to-off
transition of DTR is detected. &D3 - Reset if an on-to-off transition of
DTR is detected.
DTR (data terminal ready) is a pin (#20) on the serial connector that is
active only if the computer is monitoring the modem. Some terminal
programs attempt to hang up the modem by dropping DTR. If your terminal
program does so you will need to use either the &D1 or &D2 command. You
will also need to pay attention to the value stored in register S25. See
REGISTERS. If &D3 is selected and DTR drops the modem will reset to the
default user defined profile.
&F - Recall factory settings as active operating profile. If you have a
bad case of tinkeritis and play with the user defined profiles there is
a chance that you will squirrel up the active profile to the point that
the beast won't operate in a satisfactory manner. The &F command will
take you back to safe waters again so you can play some more. Eventually
you'll get it correct.
&G0 - No guard tone. &G1 - 550 Hz guard tone. &G2 - 1800 Hz guard tone.
Since a guard tone is not needed in the United States leave it set for
&G0. Since I can't afford to call overseas I really can't tell you much
about this feature.
&J0 - Select RJ-11, RJ-41S, RJ-45S teleco jack. &J1 - Select RJ-12,
RJ-13 teleco jack.
The &J command tells the modem what kind of telephone jack that it is
connected to. &J0 is the most common setting for most installations
unless connecting to a multi-line telephone system.
***** CAUTION ***** Some RJ-11 telephone jacks provide power for those
phones with lighted dials. In this case, if the &J1 command is issued
it may well cause damage to the modem.
&P0 - Selects pulse dial ratio of 39/61. Ignored with tone dialing. &P1
- Selects pulse dial ratio of 33/67. Also ignored when tone dialing.
&Q0 - Select asynchronous mode. &Q1 - Select synchronous mode 1 &Q2 -
Select synchronous mode 2. &Q3 - Select synchronous mode 3. &Q4 - Select
synchronous mode 4.
If you have a need to operate in any of the synchronous modes, I suggest
that you find someone else to give you instructions on how to do it. I'm
lucky to get it spelled correctly without having to copy it from the
book. Most BBS type tele-communications are performed asynchronously.
&R0 - Track CTS according to RTS. Required for half-duplex operation.
&R1 - Ignore RTS. Always assume presence of CTS.
CTS (clear to send) is a pin (#5) on the serial connector that is active
when the modem is ready to receive data from your computer.
RTS (request to send) is a pin (#4) on the serial connector that is
active when the modem wants to send data to your computer.
Worth mentioning is the fact that while in On-Line state RTS is ignored
regardless of which setting is used (&R0 or &R1).
&S0 - Assume presence of DSR. &S1 - Track presence of DSR.
DSR (data set ready) is a pin (#6) on the serial connector that is
active whenever a valid carrier is being received.
&T0 - Terminate test in progress. (What test?)
&T1 - Initiate local analog loopback test. (Oh, these test.) This test
checks the path from your computer to the modem and back again. Issue
command E1 and &T1 and start typing. Every character you type should
show twice on the screen. This test is performed without being
'on-line' to another system. Terminate the test with the &T0 command
when you have finished.
&T3 - Initiate digital loopback test. This test checks the data path
from a remote modem, to your modem, and back to the remote modem. This
means that you have to be 'on- line' to another system and have the
co-operation of the remote operator. Incidentally, this test checks the
operations of both modems, the remote terminal equipment, and the phone
circuit.
Get your system on-line to another system, drop back to the Command
state, and issue a &T3 command. The remote operator should then begin
typing a few sentences. If the data he receives back at his terminal is
not garbled then the test was successful and you terminate the test with
the &T0 command.
&T4 - Allow remote digital loopback test from remote modem. Issuing this
Command allows the modem to grant a request from a remote modem for an
RDL. If this Command is not issued and another modem request an RDL
your Hayes will thumb it's nose at the remote modem.
&T5 - Deny request for remote digital loopback. See above.
&T6 - Initiate remote digital loopback test. This is the same test as
&T3 but begins from your system, to the remote system, and back to
yours. This time your terminal equipment gets checked instead of the
remote terminal equipment.
&T7 - Initiate remote digital loopback with self test. This is the same
as &T3 but instead of manually keying in the data at the keyboard the
modem sends a standard test string automatically (probably a sentence or
two disparaging other modems and extolling it's own virtues). It
compares the incoming and outgoing messages for errors and reports a
three digit number signifying an error count (000 for no errors to 255
for 255 errors or more.) If you get anything other than 000 initiate a
&T8 (local analog loopback with self test) to narrow the problem down to
either your system or something external to your system.
&T8 - Initiate local analog loopback with self test. Same as &T1 and is
set up the same way but this test generates it's own data and loops it
through the the local terminal. Then it compares what it sent with what
it received. Terminate with the &T0 Command. A result code of 000 to
255 indicates the number of errors encountered during the test.
&V - Displays active configuration, stored user defined profiles, and
stored numbers.
&W0 - Writes storable elements of active configuration to user defined
profile 0. &W1 - Same as &W0 but writes to user defined profile 1.
&X - Used in synchronous communication.
&Y0 - Use user defined profile 0 on power up sequence. &Y1 - Use user
defined profile 1 on power up sequence.
&Zn=x - Store phone number 'x' in location 'n'. (0 to 3)
RESULT CODES
0 OK Command executed
1 CONNECT Connection at 300 baud or lower
2 RING Ring signal detected
3 NO CARRIER Carrier signal not detected or lost
4 ERROR Invalid command, checksum, or command line
5 CONNECT 1200 Connection at 1200 baud
6 NO DIALTONE No dial tone detected
7 BUSY Busy signal detected
8 NO ANSWER No silence detected while using the @ dial modifier
10 CONNECT 2400 Connection at 2400 baud
DIAL MODIFIERS
Dial modifiers are use in the command line to tell the modem who to dial
and how to do it.
0-9,#,*,A,B,C,D 0-9 represent digits to be dialed and the other
characters represent tone pairs which can only be used
when tone dialing.
T Tone dial
P Pulse dial
, Wait for the length of time specified in register S8
before processing next character.
W Wait for dial tone before proceeding to next character
@ Wait for five seconds of silence before proceeding to
next character.
! Hookflash. Causes the modem to hang up for 1/2 second
and then reconnect. Used with PBX services
R Used to reverse dial an originate only modem
; Used just before the <CR> in the Command line to cause
the modem to execute the Command line and then return
to the Command state without attempting to raise
carrier.
S=n Dial number stored in location 'n'
REGISTERS
S0 Ring to answer on
Range of 0-255, default 0
If set to 0 will disable auto answer.
S1 Ring count
Range of 0-255, default 0
Number of time the phone has rung.
S2 Escape sequence character
Range 0-127, default ASCII 43 (+ sign)
Setting a value greater that 127 disables the escape sequence
S3 Carriage return character <CR>
Range of 0-127, default ASCII 13
S4 Line feed character
Range 0-127, default ASCII 10
S5 Backspace character
Range 0-32,127, default ASCII 08
S6 Wait before blind dialing
Range 2-255 (in seconds), default 2
Used with X0, X1, and X3
S7 Wait for carrier after dialing
Range 1-55 (in seconds), default 30
S8 Duration of delay for comma dial modifier
Range 0-255 (in seconds), default 2
S9 Carrier detect response time
Range 1-255 (in .1 seconds), default 6 (.6 seconds)
How long a viable carrier must be present before accepted
S10 Delay between lost carrier and hang up
Range 1-255 (in .1 seconds), default 14 (1.4 seconds)
The time a carrier has to be lost before the modem hangs up
S11 DTMF tone duration
Range 50-255 (in milliseconds), default 95
Determines the speed of tone dialing. Does not affect pulse
dialing
S12 Escape sequence guard time
Range 20-255 (milliseconds) in increments of 20, default 100
Sets timing required for escape sequence
S18 Modem test timer
Range 0-255 (in seconds), default 0
Determines maximum duration of modem self test
The balance of the S registers are either reserved or used with
synchronous communications.
IN CONCLUSION
This should be more than enough information to have you thoroughly
confused.
I would like to thank the people who have so freely offered their
advice to me ("Try a decaffeinated brand") and for the people at Hayes
Microcomputer Products, who were gracious enough to provide me with the
Smartmodem 2400 Quick reference Card and User's Guide (I just had to buy
the modem to get them). I have used both of these as guides in the
preparation of this turkey and have para-phrased from them shamelessly.
As I said before: Any and all mistakes in this article are my own.
I'd also like to note that one sure way to spot a Hayes 2400 Smartmodem
owner is by the scorch marks on his parts; This comes from the
spontaneous combustion of large amounts of cash...
Should you have any questions or complaints regarding the contents of
this article, simply write them out in full on the back of a postage
stamp (be generous with details), lick the stamp, place the stamp on the
envelope, enclose money in the envelope, and mail it to me. Then hold
your breath and wait for a reply.
On the other hand if you wish to extol the great wit, wisdom, technical
expertise, etc ... Leave E-Mail to Co-Sysop One, Channel 8250,
Birmingham, Al. (205) 785-7417. I promise that I will NOT hold my
breath; I have few illusions as to my own writing ability.
The Hayes 2400 Smartmodem is a fine modem that will give years of
trouble free service as long as you don't mind keeping it's request for
more coffee. I don't mind my modem asking for coffee so much anymore
since I have gotten used to it by now.
What really bothers me is that my word processor has started requesting
has started requesting chewing gum...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Protecting your Password
by David Alge, Sysop, Apple Valley PCBoard
From my experience as a BBS sysop, I have noticed that many people do
not protect their password like they should. I'm sure they figure that
someone getting their password will not cause them any problems on BBS's
like it would on services like Compuserve, Genie, and the Source. This
is where they are mistaken. When someone gets your password, they can
cause you many problems and could possibly have your access denied or
reduced on that particular bulletin board system.
I have noticed people on my BBS that are using someone else's account or
password. They usually will start to download as many files as they can.
If the particular BBS uses those upload/download ratios, you will see
your time on that board severely reduced. Also, they may start abusing
other users and/or using foul language which will normally mean having
your access denied on most systems. To get your access back, you will
have to prove to the sysop that you weren't the one. If you are a sysop
and/or co-sysop of a board, you can have your board destroyed by someone
deleting your files or worse, formatting your hard drive.
Problems like this should not happen. With a little care, you will
never have to worry about your password. Here are a few guidelines when
selecting a password:
1. Always try to use as many characters as the system
will allow. It is much more difficult to decipher
a password with 12 characters than one with only
one or two characters in it.
2. NEVER use a password that references your name,
city, or state. These usually are the first attempts
when someone tries to get in a system as someone
else. Instead, think of a password which can not
be connected to you in any way.
3. Always try to change your password frequently. By
changing your password every two weeks or so, it
is extremely difficult for someone to get it.
4. You should never leave your password lying around
your computer where others can see it.
If you follow these guidelines, your calls to the many fine boards in
Birmingham and around the country will be happy ones.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sysops Are Not Gods, Part 2
by Tim Straughn, Sysop, The Bus System PCBoard
Now that we have established that sysops are indeed human,
another fact of being human is that humans need sleep and a break away
from things sometime, if not just a peaceful evening at home watching
the tube. While being otherwise understanding and patient, if you want
to get your favorite sysop mad at you, you have but to start calling him
at home on a regular basis.
Once I got The Bus System set up, and all the little PCBOARD quirks
worked out, I was ready to leave it un-monitored for a while. Hmph. So
I actually thought I could get away from it. First things first, new
users were calling in on the voice line asking when they were going to
be validated as normal users. Well, a one for one call basis wasn't
working for me, because I just didn't have the time to make all those
phone calls and try to weed out the bogus phone numbers. So, I set up
an additional Questionnaire to get the information for me, and just
spend a few minutes checking out the obviously bogus names and numbers,
and randomly spot checking the not so bogus looking ones by looking them
up in the phone book. Ah. Finally, another little detail that makes
life easy too. If I am here watching the system, and a new user logs
on, I just pick up the other phone and dial the number they are leaving.
If they have call-waiting then it disconnects them, or I get a busy
signal because they have it disabled. If not, then I just get a busy
signal. If neither of the above, then it ain't them calling, and a
single key press stops them from ever calling again.
Not to repeat my statements of the first article, but a sysop has to
spend a lot of time with his system to keep it up and cleaned of bad and
pirated wares. Not only that, he has also donated his system as a
public service. Now considering the fact he has already donated his
equipment, an additional phone bill, and anywhere from two to three
hours a day maintaining this public service, it must seem that he should
be able to exclude himself from it once in awhile. But unfortunately,
this is not the case. Some of the users are eager learners, some are
users having problems with the PCBOARD code, some are users who just
want to chat with that person with the 5-pin DIN plug on each one finger
and a 25 pin RS-232C connector on another for direct input to his
machine. Now chatting is nice, and meeting new people, particularly
when those people share some of the same interests a yourself, is also
nice. But lets do some mathematics now. If I just spent 5 minutes a
day with each user from my little biddy system (approximately 300 users
now) on the phone this very closely approximates 25 hours a day. (Hmmmm.
Sometimes I wish there were 25 hours in a day) And this doesn't even
include the time it takes to dial the phone and get an answer. Could
you imagine what it would be like on a system with 1000+ users?
Since there are only 24 hours in a day, the maximum number of callers I
could possibly get to would be on the order of 288. Now, we also have to
subtract 8 hours for doing what my boss pays me to do, so there went
another 96, reducing the total to 192. Then again, I left out a few
minutes to get a bite to eat, and maybe go to the can, say 10 minutes at
least, so there goes two more, now bringing the maximum to 190. So now
what about sleep. Most doctors recommend a good eight hours, so there
goes 96 more bringing the total on down to 94. Oops, time to go make the
coffee, so there went two more, so now we're down to 92. I almost
forgot, for those of you who don't live close to where you work, there's
that 1 hour lost while in the car traveling the wilds of 280 or any
other highway in the Metro area to get back and forth to where we get
paid. So now we're down to 80 calls a day. Quite frankly, I don't want
to talk to 80 people a day after having spent most of the day on the
phone with a customer who doesn't really know what the heck is going on
with his equipment, or staring at a CGA monitor writing programs on a
contrary operating system such as Concurrent CP/M.
I guess what I am trying to explain here is that we sysops are already
donating a large chunk of time to you the users with our efforts in
responding to your messages and keeping the boards up and running. We
spend a lot of time experimenting with the systems trying new ideas and
different programs to make life easier for us and in the long run,
easier for you.
If you have a question about the boards, then check the help selections
first. PCBOARD has a very explicit help menu and some super
explanations of the commands to help you get where you want to be. Then
if you are still having problems, then drop a short comment. Most of us
check the mail daily and try to give response within 24 hours. The
boards are our best answering machines, not to mention, while reading
the mail, or doing some other task to take care of the board, we can
always check in several places to see if the problem is on our end, or
yours. Many times, having the board in hand and seeing a note helps us
solve a problem much more quickly.
Unless you have tried to get response via the mail boxes, then please
don't call. Most of all, don't call just to chit chat, because more
than likely, we are outside trying to catch up with the grass cutting,
car repairs, or trying to catch up on some sleep or home life with our
families. Some of us even have children who also need attention, which
we cannot give them while on the phone. We are providing you with a
free public service, and all we ask is that you respect that, and honor
our requests for a little peace and quiet.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Telecommunications and Women
Part two of ?
by Michele Cahoon
This issue is in reference to Bubba Flaval, our resident red-necking
BBSer.
Mr. Flaval, I believe you should stick to the 4 x 4 instead of the
computer. A man with such a little mind should not open his mouth. Women
can do more for the public than stay barefoot and pregnant. That
statement was made from pure ignorance. There are not too many men still
left in the stone ages, you must be a truly a lonely man.
My dear sir I do not confuse others but help others. You are truly
misinformed. I can't believe you could actually get the word processor
started. Hmmm, you might have a few brain cells left for us to recover.
The truth my good man, women are on the BBS's and will remain on the
BBS's and more will join in telecommunications. That is the truth, so
you better start getting used to the idea of it. I would like to know
where you get off thinking that computers and telecommunications are for
men only? Our messages, which you refer to as which type of permanent is
best, are not like that at all. We have more civilized conversations
than most of the men. In fact you don't see us going around saying "roll
tide suxs", this & that and the other about useless arguments.
You contradict yourself in your rebuttal about the women being assets
and the point you try to make that we shouldn't be in on the boards. My
dear sir I believe that you must be careful before you get your brains
caught in your zipper.
In response to your comment about the ANSI.SYS, I'm very capable of
understanding that, I am a programming student. My favorite is the one,
which is the HARDRIVE.SYS? Did your eyes cross? Or do you need more?
Mr. Flaval did you compose an AUTOEXEC.BAT for your system? Do you know
how to copy from the floppy drive to a hard drive?
Well Bubba I need a recipe for quiche, do you happen to have one? Sir
you are a rare breed and hopefully, you will soon be an extinct one.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
BTN Personals
Just for FUN for Now
****************************************
* Former Head - Hunter from Bora Bora *
* seeks position in local butcher shop *
* Please call A.S.A.P *
* 288-43238 *
****************************************
****************************************
* Ms. I.M. Eazy *
* 19 yr. old looking for older man in *
* bad health. *
* Looking for love and companionship. *
* Must have large bank account and *
* short time to live. *
* Send photo and resume to: *
* 123 Igo 4 Bucks Ave. *
* Birmingham , Alabama 35209 *
* P.S. Those with less than 6 months *
* to live will get top priority *
****************************************
****************************************
* Young Man Looking for Same *
* Need to be tall, dark (I just love *
* Hispanics), and well endowed *
* Send Resume and Recent A.I.D.S. test *
* results to: *
* The 3rd Bench at Rushton Park *
****************************************
****************************************
* Law Student at Cumberland seeks *
* accident victims of all kinds. *
* Send info to any hospital emergency *
* room phone booth. *
* I pick up on Thursdays. That is the *
* day of my ETHICS IN LAW CLASS which *
* I am able to cut since I'm a senior *
* this year *
****************************************
****************************************
* Young Masochist looking for kittens *
* and puppies to mutilate. Will take *
* all breeds but prefer lighter colored*
* kittens and short haired puppies. *
* Send Pets to: *
* 666 S and M Blvd. *
* Docena , Alabama *
****************************************
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Gamer's Corner
by Osman Guner
TIPS ON "BAY STREET BULLS"
--------------------------
Supporting Boards Phone Status
----------------- ------------------- ------
America Online (205) 324-0193(4,5) Up
Apple Valley (205) 854-9661(2) Up
Pt. of No Return (205) 664-9609 Up
This is an excellent stock-market simulation game. 10,000 stocks
for each of 15 large companies are provided, the values of which change
according to the impact of daily news at the particular companies. Some
news items do influence the stock market, some do not and it is up to
the players to decide which. According to the documentation for the
game, the rate of stock exchange also have an influence on the market.
In this game, patience plays an important role; make an investment and
simply wait for opportunities while carefully evaluating the market.
There may be various strategies depending on how much time one wants to
spend on the analysis, and how frequent one wants to play. Unlike the
TradeWars and Power Struggle, that were evaluated in the previous issues
of BTN, one does not get killed by not playing the game frequently.
Hence, it is possible to design a strategy for very occasional players
that can still make money...
TIPS FOR FREQUENT PLAYER: Follow each stock very carefully. In
fact, if you have time, plot a graph of stock prices vs days. Buy the
stocks that reach a low value at the time when it just starts climbing;
sell the ones that have been climbing and just reached a plateau. The
only exception to this straight-forward rule may be the stocks with very
low values; do not wait until it reaches the bottom, at which time,
there may not be any stock left. Follow the news very carefully, some
of them play an important role in the stock-market. For example, if a
particular company pushes a new product (in the news), it is likely that
their stock prices will increase; if, on the other hand, a company is
charged by, lets say, EPA for some misconduct, their stock will probably
lose value. Generally it is a good idea to acquire some low priced
stocks. For example, if a stock has a value of $1, you can not possibly
lose money on that since it can not go any lower. Similarly you can not
earn money from a $99 stock. Let us assume you have $500, not
calculating the percentage for the broker for the sake of simplicity, it
is a better idea to buy 500 of $1 stocks than 10 of $50 stocks. If the
values of both stocks increase by $1 the next day, you can double your
investment to $1000 with the first option; whereas, you can only gain
$10 with the second. It is also a better idea to diversify your
investment...
TIPS FOR OCCASIONAL PLAYER: If you are going to play this game once
a month, then I recommend you not to diversify, but to put all your
money in the company with cheapest stock. The lower valued stock will
usually increase their value in the long run, and vice versa (The law of
levels [Archimides?]). When you logon next month, it is likely (though
not necessarily always) your stock will increase their value and
possibly there will be some other stock with lower value. At this
point, sell all your stock and buy the new lower priced ones. With such
a strategy, one can not lose; though not gain as much as a frequent
player who is following the previous strategy. One last hint:
occasionally check the overall stock-market value too. If the market is
in a decline, than you might want to keep stock with higher values to
prevent fluctuation of your investment. Conversely, if the market is
climbing, than go for the cheapest stock...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Known BBS Numbers for the Birmingham Area
NAME NUMBER BAUD RATES SUPPORTED
68FREE 933-7518 300, 1200
Scott's Penny Arcade 226-1841 300, 1200, 2400
America Online 324-0193 300, 1200, 2400
American BBS 674-1851 300, 1200, 2400
Amiga Alliance 631-2846 300, 1200
Apple Valley Node 1 854-9661 300, 1200, 2400
Apple Valley Node 2 854-9662 300, 1200, 2400, 9600
Birmingham BBS Node 1 251-2344 300, 1200
Birmingham BBS Node 2 251-8033 300, 1200
Birmingham Business BBS 856-0679 300, 1200, 2400
Bus System BBS 595-1627 300, 1200, 2400
Channel 8250 785-7417 300, 1200, 2400
Commodore Club-South 853-8718 300, 1200, 2400
Fear & Loathing 985-4856 300, 1200, 2400
Fortress BBS 664-9040 300, 1200
Ivory Tower 833-0616 300, 1200
LZ Birmingham 870-7770 300, 1200, 2400
Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300, 1200, 2400
Misty Mountain 979-8409 300, 1200, 2400
Music Alley BBS 969-2416 300, 1200, 2400
Point of No RETURN 664-9609 300, 1200, 2400
ST BBS 836-9311 300, 1200
Southern Regiment 647-9176 300, 1200, 2400
Sperry BBS 853-6144 300, 1200, 2400
The Connection Node 1 854-9074 1200, 2400
The Connection Node 2 854-2308 1200, 2400
Ziggy Unaxess 991-5696 300, 1200, 2400
This is hardly a complete list of local bulletin board systems but
these are a good start. If you have any to add, please let me know.

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