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BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News
COPYRIGHT 1990
June 1990 Volume 3, Issue 5
Table Of Contents
-----------------
Article Title Author
Policy Statement and Disclaimer................Staff
Editorial Column...............................Mark Maisel
Its' Not Too Late!!!...........................Ricky Morgan
Copyright Law..................................Jordan J. Breslow
PC-MENU MASTER: A Review.......................Radio Active
WWIV: Part 2 of 3..............................Duck Capps
Profile: Richard Foshee.......................Chris Mohney
PC Board 14.5 (beta) New and Enhanced Commands.David Terry
Known BBS Numbers..............................Staff
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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, omissions, etc. The liability,if any for BTN, its
editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or omissions,
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.
Otherwise, 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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
N E W S F L A S H
For those of you who read BTN regularly, please pay
attention! Several boards in town that maintain
transfer ratios allow BTN to be downloaded freely
through ProDoor. You may download BTN from these
boards without penalty to your ratio. Among these
that I am aware of are CONNECTION, LZ BIRMINGHAM,
CHANNEL 8250, and Bus System. I am sure that
there are more of them out there.
If you are a sysop and you allow BTN to be downloaded
freely, please let me know via EzNet so that I can
post your board as a free BTN distributor. Thanks.
I am also looking for a new, more useful format for
the Known BBS List. Please send me your suggestions
via EzNet or upload them to Channel 8250, Bus, or
Crunchy Frog. The best way to demonstrate a
suggestion would be to edit the bbs list in this
issue and show how you want it to look. Should
there be more WWIV info, PC Board info, FidoNet
info, other networks and/or systems info???
Remember, I can't do it if you don't suggest it. I
gave up telepathy a few years ago.
MM
EVEN MORE NEWS!
There are two new boards in town worthy of note.
Alter-Ego, run by Lee & Maggie Harden has some,
well, weird conferences. It is definitely worth a
look. If you are a ProDoor freak, you will love
it. Camelot BBS is also a newcomer, so to speak.
Joe McDonald has pulled down Professional's BBS and
put up Camelot in its place. This is much more
than a facelift. He is now running Teleguard 2.5,
has more drive space, no subscriptions, and all are
welcome. Please give these new boards a call.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial
by Mark Maisel
The summer is upon us and the seasonal BBS lull has struck. The
local systems are, for the most part, pretty dead as far as messages go.
It is nothing to be alarmed about. It happens every year. Pretty soon,
the sysops will start griping about the kids tying up the boards playing
games and leaving weird messages. We are going to do our best to keep
publishing during the summer as we have in the past. I had thought that
this being self-employed business would have allowed me more time for
stuff like BTN. It has not, at least not yet. I am taking a week in
June to visit up north, much further north than Dean's home swamp. I am
also going to be gone to New England later in July and August. Yes, it
is nice. No, you can't accompany me. We will do our best to keep the
articles coming and you can help by writing a few yourself. Don't give
me that business about how you can't write. I have heard it too many
times. Just talk with your fingers. It works every time.
This issue is a good mix. We have humor, reviews, information
about software copyrights, articles on WWIV and PC Board BBS software,
and of course, the ole BTN Known BBS List. Please take the time to read
the articles that have been prepared for you and comment publicly on
them. We don't care if your comments are favorable or otherwise, we
just want to hear them. We can't possibly attempt to go on without
feedback from you. Well, we might attempt it but it will go much better
if we are an interactive publication. Thanks for taking the time!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Its' not too late!!!
by Ricky Morgan
Well, here it is after midnight...again. The kids have long since
been in bed. My wife stumbled off after them not long ago. So what am I
still doing sitting here, staring bleary eyed at this stupid computer?
Sound familiar? If it does, you just may want to read on. I think
maybe I can furnish an answer for you.
I remember it as if it were only yesterday. I purchased a copy of
"Computer Shopper Magazine" just last year. I was enthralled by the
shear number of ads for computers, parts and peripherals. I leafed
through the hefty magazine, eyeing each ad with lecherous desire,
turning each page slowly. Hoping against hope that one day, soon, I
would be able to afford a better, faster machine than the one I owned.
It wasn't until later that I realized my credit rating wasn't the only
thing in danger from this simple looking magazine.
Unknown to me, laying innocently in the back of this cumbersome
magazine, lay a sleeping virus. Titled, innocently enough, "Bulletin
Boards."
I had been on CompuServe years ago during my Commodore 64 and 300
baud modem days but I found the system too slow and expensive for my
simple needs. But as time passed my work began to demanded that I was
more and more IBM literate. So I found I was able to use the work angle
in acquiring an IBM clone and a new 2400 baud modem. So it was with
naive curiosity that I decided to log on to one of these local
electronic bulletin boards. After all, unlike CompuServe, these boards
are free. Little did I suspect, as I anxiously logged onto The Pinson
Valley PCBoard, that I was changing the direction that my life and my
computer would take; perhaps forever.
I sat diligently reading all those warnings and notices for new
users. Scrutinizing each screen, I sat and watched in wonder, eyes
gleaming with excitement, as the glow from the CRT cast malevolent
shadows across the darkened room where I sat, hunched over the keyboard.
At the time, I saw a whole new world of information opening for me.
Unfortunately I was oblivious to the fact that, even at this early
stage, I was now entrapped in an addiction stronger than any drug.
It wasn't enough that Pinson Valley taunted me with all sorts of
information, messages and free, or semi-free, software. At the end of
the session, I was teased with "Numbers of other BBS's to call."
My heart pounded as I quickly jotted down each number. I was
surprised that there were more boards out there, just sitting, yearning
for me to call. If only I had known. There was still hope for me. Now
it's too late.
Within minutes each new number was in my dialing directory and I
began calling these other systems. I sat there and watched the program
(Procomm 2.4.2) dial each number over and over; waiting for an open
line. I sat on the edge of my chair listening intently as the modem
dialed number after number. If only I had listened closer I would have
noticed that my modem (I always keep the speaker on during dialing)
dialed each number with a sinister chuckle. It knew what I did not. I
was addicted.
I logged on and registered on each system. I couldn't help myself,
the questions were easy and the SySops asked for so little. It was an
easy way to pass computer time, plus, I vindicated myself by saying,
"Look at all the free software, the message bases. All the subjects that
were covered! Call the Birmingham News and cancel the subscription!" I
covertly schemed to put that money to good use. Upgrade!
Oh, I raped and pillaged a few of the first boards. Taking any file
that looked good but soon that wasn't enough. I started reading messages
and actually leaving my own. I started getting replies. I also started
seeing a lot of the same names from board to board. Did I ever once
suspect that this was because these people might be addicted to BBS's?
No. Had the thought crossed my mind, would I have taken action? No.
Months passed, I was registered on more BBS's than I could log onto
in any 24 hr. period. With the, so called, help a local SySop, who shall
remain nameless, I gained access to programs that would call and get
mail and files for me automatically. I didn't even have to be awake.
Finally, I could get some sleep. No longer would I spend endless hours
sitting in front of my screen listening to busy signals; praying
endlessly for an open line. Alas, I still found myself compelled to read
all those messages. It started cutting into less important things; work
and family.
I found that I became nervous and restless, even down right
irritable if I didn't get on at least three boards a day. It was
becoming impossible to even carry on an intelligent conversation with
someone who wasn't into "BBSing." I was a junkie. I still hadn't
realized what was happening. After repeated threats, from my wife, to
have the phone lines disconnected, I tried to cut back on the number of
boards I called. To compensate the loss, I started getting more involved
in the message bases; leaving longer and more detailed messages on the
few systems I let myself call. I even started trying to write articles
for the local newsletter (BTN). It still wasn't enough.
I started lugging my old Compaq into the hotel room with me when I
worked out of town. I accessed boards where ever and when ever I could.
This still wasn't enough.
I began talking to friends and associates about the BBS'. Trying to
get them addicted; I was turning into a pusher. First I would tease them
with files, then turn them on to the message bases. Always helping and
cajoling them to get ever deeper involved. Then, when I no longer could
resist the temptation to be more involved, I actually began
contemplating starting a board of my own; to feed my habit. It was then,
sometime after midnight one night, while I sat pouring over the DOCS for
setting up a BBS, that I realized what was happening. I sat there amid
pile upon pile of incomprehensible instructions and the seed of
realization dawned on me. What a fool I had been.
It's too late for me but I still can warn others. I believe a
computer intelligence, somewhere, has awaken and decided to take over
the world. For good or bad I can't say. It's plan is deceptively simple.
Get as many people involved in electronic communication as possible.
Offer them free software, conversation with intelligent and worldly
people, games, even worldwide mail echoes; no more long distance phone
calls. Entice them, tease them. Once converted they will convince others
to join. Soon you have a self-replicating virus pulling all of humanity
into and under it's control. By controlling the message bases and files,
it controls your thoughts, actions and...your computer.
How many times have you sat down at the computer to, "just waist a
few minutes," only to walk away hours later. Shaking your head and
wondering, "Where did all the time go?" Those little phosphor dots have
a strangely hypnotic effect. What all did you do while you were
hypnotized by the computer? Notice any long distance calls on your phone
bill last month that you're SURE you didn't make? Notice any new files
on your hard disk that you don't remember downloading? Can you really
trust Norton Utilities to tell you the truth?
Do you really know what your computer does at night after you've
gone to bed? How do you know that those files you've gotten off some
board aren't covertly running your computer. Using your computer to call
others after you've left for work. Spreading itself relentlessly.
It's not too late. You can still escape. Don't log on to another
BBS. Toss your modem in the trash. Wipe your hard disk of any and all
software gleaned from BBS'. Then low level format the sucker! It's your
only hope. Good luck!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is reprinted with permission from CPU/STR 16/32bit
Magazine, No. 4.19, May 11, 1990. It has been split into two parts of
which this is part one. This part ends with Chapter 1. MM
Copyright Law
=============
Jordan J. Breslow
1225 Alpine Road, Suite 200
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
+1 415 932 4828
I am an attorney practicing copyright law and computer law. I read
a series of queries in net.legal about copyright law and was dismayed to
find that people who had no idea what they were talking about were
spreading misinformation over the network. Considering that the
penalties for copyright infringement can include $50,000.00 damages per
infringed work, attorneys fees, court costs, criminal fines and
imprisonment, and considering that ignorance is no excuse and innocent
intent is not even a recognized defense, I cringe to see the network
used as a soapbox for the ill-informed. For that reason, this article
will discuss copyright law and license law as they pertain to computer
software.
My goal is to enable readers to determine when they should be
concerned about infringing and when they can relax about it. I also want
to let programmers know how to obtain copyright for their work. I'll
explain the purpose of software licenses, and discuss the effect that
the license has on copyright. For those of you who are programmers,
I'll help you decide whether you own the programs you write on the job
or your boss owns them. I will also mention trademark law and patent
law briefly, in order to clarify some confusion about which is which.
Incidentally, if you read this entire essay, you will be able to
determine whether or not the essay is copyrighted and whether or not you
can make a printout of it.
This is a long article, and you may not want to read all of it.
Here is an outline to help you decide what to read and what to ignore:
1. The Meaning of Copyright from the Viewpoint of the Software User
1.1 A bit of history
1.2 The meaning of copyright
1.3 The meaning of public domain
1.4 A hypothetical software purchase
1.5 Can you use copyrighted software?
1.6 Can you make a backup copy?
1.7 Licenses may change the rules
(C) Copyright 1986 Breslow, Redistributed by permission
2. Copyright Sounds Neat -- How Do I Get One? Or, How Do I Know
If this Program is Copyrighted?
2.1 How do you get a copyright?
2.2 How do you lose a copyright?
2.3 How do you waste a stamp?
2.4 Do you have to register?
2.5 How copyright comes into existence
2.6 The copyright notice
2.7 Advantages of registration
2.8 A test to see if you understand this article
3. Who Owns The Program You Wrote?
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Programs written as an employee
3.3 Programs written as a contractor
4. A Brief Word about Licenses
4.1 Why a license?
4.2 Is it valid?
5. Trademarks and Patents
5.1 Trademark law explained
5.2 Patent law
6. Conclusion
1. The Meaning of Copyright from the Viewpoint of the Software
User
1.1. A bit of history
If you're not interested in history, you can skip this paragraph.
Modern copyright law first came into existence in 1570, by an act of
Parliament called the Statute of Anne. Like most laws, it hasn't
changed much since. It was written with books and pictures in mind.
Parliament, lacking the foresight to predict the success of the Intel
and IBM corporations, failed to consider the issue of copyrighting
computer programs.
At first, courts questioned whether programs could be copy- righted
at all. The problem was that judges couldn't read the programs and they
figured the Copyright Law was only meant to apply to things humans
(which arguably includes judges) could read without the aid of a
machine. I saw some mythical discussion about that in some of the
net.legal drivel. Let's lay that to rest: programs are copyrightable as
long as there is even a minimal amount of creativity. The issue was
laid to rest with the Software Act of 1980. That Act modified the
Copyright Act (which is a Federal law by the way), in such a way as to
make it clear that programs are copyrightable. The few exceptions to
this rule will rarely concern anyone. The next question to arise was
whether a program was copyrightable if it was stored in ROM rather than
on paper. The decision in the Apple v. Franklin case laid that to rest:
it is.
1.2. The meaning of copyright
Now, what is copyright? As it is commonly understood, it is the
right to make copies of something -- or to put it the other way around,
it is the right to prohibit other people from making copies. This is
known as an exclusive right -- the exclusive right to reproduce, in the
biological language of the Copyright Act -- and what most people don't
know is that copyright involves not one, not two, but five exclusive
rights. These are (1) the exclusive right to make copies, (2) the
exclusive right to distribute copies to the public, (3) the exclusive
right to prepare derivative works (I'll explain, just keep reading), (4)
the exclusive right to perform the work in public (this mainly applies
to plays, dances and the like, but it could apply to software), and (5)
the exclusive right to display the work in public (such as showing a
film).
1.3. The meaning of public domain
Before we go any further, what is public domain? I saw some
discussion on the net about public domain software being copyrighted.
Nonsense. The phrase public domain, when used correctly, means the
absence of copyright protection. It means you can copy public domain
software to your heart's content. It means that the author has none of
the exclusive rights listed above. If someone uses the phrase public
domain to refer to freeware (software which is copyrighted but is
distributed without advance payment but with a request for a donation),
he or she is using the term incorrectly. Public domain means no
copyright -- no exclusive rights.
1.4. A hypothetical software purchase
Let's look at those exclusive rights from the viewpoint of someone
who has legitimately purchased a single copy of a copyrighted computer
program. For the moment, we'll have to ignore the fact that the program
is supposedly licensed, because the license changes things. I'll
explain that later. For now, assume you went to Fred's Diner and
Software Mart and bought a dozen eggs, cat food and a word processing
program. And for now, assume the program is copyrighted.
1.5. Can you use copyrighted software?
What can you do with this copyrighted software? Let's start with
the obvious: can you use it on your powerful Timex PC? Is this a joke?
No. Prior to 1980, my answer might have been No, you can't use it!
People actually pay me for advice like that! Well think: you take
the floppy disk out of the zip lock baggy, insert it in drive A and load
the program into RAM. What have you just done? You've made a copy in
RAM -- in legalese, you've reproduced the work, in violation of the
copyright owner's exclusive right to reproduce. (I better clarify
something here: the copyright owner is the person or company whose name
appears in the copyright notice on the box, or the disk or the first
screen or wherever. It may be the person who wrote the program, or it
may be his boss, or it may be a publishing company that bought the
rights to the program. But in any case, it's not you. When you buy a
copy of the program, you do not become the copyright owner. You just
own one copy.)
Anyway, loading the program into RAM means making a copy. The
Software Act of 1980 addressed this absurdity by allowing you to make a
copy if the copy "is created as an essential step in the utilization of
the computer program in conjunction with a machine and ... is used in
no other manner ...." By the way, somebody tell me what a machine means.
If you connect 5 PC's on a network is that a machine or several
machines? A related question is whether or not running software on a
network constitutes a performance. The copyright owner has the
exclusive right to do that, remember?
1.6. Can you make a backup copy?
OK, so you bought this copyrighted program and you loaded it into
RAM or onto a hard disk without the FBI knocking on your door. Now can
you make a backup copy? YES. The Software Act also provided that you
can make a backup copy, provided that it "is for archival purposes only
...." What you cannot do, however, is give the archive copy to your
friend so that you and your pal both got the program for the price of
one. That violates the copyright owner's exclusive right to distribute
copies to the public. Get it? You can, on the other hand, give both
your original and backup to your friend -- or sell it to him, or lend it
to him, as long as you don't retain a copy of the program you are
selling. Although the copyright owner has the exclusive right to
distribute (sell) copies of the program, that right only applies to the
first sale of any particular copy. By analogy, if you buy a copyrighted
book, you are free to sell your book to a friend. The copyright owner
does not have the right to control resales.
1.7. Licenses may change the rules
At this point, let me remind you that we have assumed that the
program you got at the store was sold to you, not licensed to you.
Licenses may change the rules.
1.8. Can you modify the program?
Now, you're a clever programmer, and you know the program could run
faster with some modifications. You could also add graphics and an
interactive mode and lots of other stuff. What does copyright law say
about your plans? Well ... several different things, actually. First,
recall that the copyright owner has the exclusive right to make
derivative works. A derivative work is a work based on one or more
preexisting works. It's easy to recognize derivative works when you
think about music or books. If a book is copyrighted, derivative works
could include a screenplay, an abridged edition, or a translation into
another language. Derivative works of songs might be new arrangements
(like the jazz version of Love Potion Number 9), a movie soundtrack, or
a written transcription, or a long version, (such as the fifteen minute
version of "Wipe Out" with an extended drum solo for dance parties). In
my opinion, you are making a derivative work when you take the
store-bought word processor and modify it to perform differently. The
same would be true if you translated a COBOL program into BASIC. Those
are copyright infringements -- you've horned in on the copyright owner's
exclusive right to make derivative works. There is, however, some
breathing room. The Software Act generously allows you to adapt the
code if the adaptation "is created as an essential step in the
utilization of the computer program in conjunction with a machine ...."
For example, you might have to modify the code to make it compatible
with your machine.
1.9. Can you break the copy protection scheme?
Moving right along, let's assume your store bought program is copy
protected, and you'd really like to make a backup copy. You know this
nine-year-old whiz who can crack any copy- protection scheme faster than
you can rearrange a Rubix cube. Is there a copyright violation if he
succeeds? There's room to argue here. When you try to figure out if
something is an infringement, ask yourself, what exclusive right am I
violating? In this case, not the right to make copies, and not the right
to distribute copies. Public performance and display have no relevance.
So the key question is whether you are making a derivative work. My
answer to that question is, "I doubt it." On the other hand, I also
doubt that breaking the protection scheme was "an essential step" in
using the program in conjunction with a machine. It might be a "fair
use," but that will have to wait for another article. Anyone interested
in stretching the limits of the "fair use" defense should read the Sony
Betamax case.
1.10. Summary
Let me summarize. Copyright means the copyright owner has the
exclusive right to do certain things. Copyright infringement means you
did one of those exclusive things (unless you did it within the limits
of the Software Act, i.e., as an essential step ....).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PC-MENU MASTER: Hard Drive Menu System
by Radio Active
Found on local systems under the name: PCMENU11.ZIP ...71,002
System requirements:
None mentioned
Features:
Execute 80 DOS commands, (any DOS command!)
and/or .EXE, .COM, .BAT programs from one menu window
Easy to set up and use
Power and convenience of a large program without large memory
requirements
*Registered version includes:
Three levels password security
Compress data set for efficiency and space utilization
Control of PC-Menu Master banner page and trailing banner page
Printed documentation
Technical support
Update notices
PCMENU is one of the better hard drive menu programs I have looked
at for the novice computer user. The author mentions in his
documentation that it is especially useful for someone whose wife or
kids may not be too familiar with running programs. I think this is an
excellent point for this menu program.
It doesn't take much technical ability to set it up and once it is,
all there is to running 80 different commands or programs is just
highlighting your choice with a highlight bar and pressing enter twice
(once for your choice and again to confirm that you want to execute the
command). There are two main files, the one memory resident file is
very small and the other one drops out of memory when you run any
command or program. And when I said you could run 80 commands from the
menu, I didn't mean to limit it to that because you can have more than
one of these 80 command windows to work from. This makes this program a
very powerful menu program as well as a very friendly one! The shareware
version 1.10 that I looked at didn't have the password option enabled,
but for a small registration fee that and some other nice extras like a
printed manual can be had.
The commands you're limited to when configuring the menu can be any
DOS command, BATch files, EXEcute files, or COMmand files, I think
"limited" is the wrong word here! Also for every command name on the
menu (80 per menu) you can list up to twelve commands to be processed.
I.E.: 1. CD\GAMES
2. LIST CARDS.DOC
3. 5_CARD .....
4. (etc. up to 12)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
WWIV: Part 2 of 3
By: Duck the Everpresent
Co-Sysop: The Cathouse
In my last article, I went over some of the basic functions of the
WWIV bulletin board software. Hopefully this helped some people to
better understand some of the operations of a WWIV system and how to go
about logging onto one. This time I will explain the transfer section,
as well as a few of the modifications that can be made to the software.
The most important part of a BBS, (besides the message bases) is
the transfer section. The transfer section is a way to exchange software
of interest and to contribute to a boards assets. The WWIV transfer
section is set up in an easy-to-use format that almost anyone, even the
telecommunications novice, can master in a few minutes.
Uploading to a WWIV system is a very easy task. You press "U", name
your file, give a one line description, then pick your transfer
protocol. There are many protocols, and any that aren't on a system
already can be installed. The letter "Z" will upload the file to the
sysop, but on some systems this is done anyway for verification
purposes. Downloading is accomplished in similar fashion; you press "D",
type the name (or a partial name, an asterisk, then an extension or
asterisk (i.e.: CONQ*.*)) and pick your protocol. If you use the same
protocol every time , then pressing return when it asks for the protocol
will pick the defaulted one . Batch downloads are available with the
letter "X".
Listing the files available for download is as easy as pressing
"L". It will then prompt you with a 'File Mask: ', to which you can
assign a certain letter, word, or extension to search for. For example,
typing *.ZIP will search for all files of the zip extension and list
them for that section. If you want to scan all sections then type "S"
and follow the same procedure for default. If a file is offline, it will
be followed by <ASK> on version 4.10 or lower or <N/A> on 4.11. Changing
sections is accomplished by pressing the appropriate number at the
transfer main prompt, and a listing of sections can be seen by typing an
asterisk at the main prompt. Pressing the "+" or "-" keys will also go
up or down a section respectively. If you wish to search all directories
for new files, pressing "N" will do the job.
There is also a way of viewing what is in an ARCed or ZIPed file
pressing "A", extracting the files you want and placing them in a
temporary file for download, the letter "E", and shuffling these files
around with various other commands attained by the letter "G".
The WWIV BBS is a very expandable system, whether you know how to
program or not. Such feature include ANSI menus, quote/ joke events, and
user best/ worst stats. The ability to expand is almost endless,
especially if you have the source code (obtained by registration) and a
working knowledge of the C programming language.
Well, that's about it for this article. My next article will
explore the different kind of online games available for WWIV's and a
word about networking. Till next time, Hasta.....
WWIV Bulletin Board System is Copyright Wayne Bell 1987, 1990
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ProFile
by Chris Mohney
The ProFile is a short, half-serious biographical sketch given to
various computer telecommunications personalities around Birmingham.
Victims are selected randomly from a group of names put into the
notorious Hat. Anyone who thinks himself brave or witty enough may
petition for admittance to the Hat by leaving E-Mail to me (Chris
Mohney, most boards around town) to that effect. Anyone who wishes to
suggest more questions or sneakily nominate someone without their
knowledge may take the same route....
---------
Pro File on RICHARD FOSHEE
---------
Age: 22
Birthplace: Birmingham, AL.
Occupation: Surviving childhood
My hobbies include: Computers, Music, Dancing, Dating, Sex.
Years telecomputing: 7
Sysop, past/present/future of: Amiga Alliance
My oddest habit is: I like to get (CENSORED), and suck (CENSORED)
My greatest unfulfilled ambition is: To get a picture of Kelly Rosato
hitting on a drag queen.
The single accomplishment of which I am most proud is:
Getting Kelly Rosato into a gay bar on the night of the male
strippers.
My favorite performers are: Laura Hunter, The Weather Girls, Cher,
Paula Abdul
The last good movie I saw was: The Little Mermaid
The last good book I read was: Where the Red Fern Grows
If they were making a movie of my life, I'd like to see my part played by:
Jeff Stryker
My pet peeves are: Someone saying "I'll respect you in the morning"
when they don't even respect you now.
When nobody's looking, I like to: Bite my toenails
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
PC Board 14.5 (beta) New and Enhanced Commands
by David Terry (Clarke Development)
this article has been edited to fit our space and we hope you
find it useful. MM
B)ulletin
added: A = All, display all bulletins
added: N = New, display all new bulletins
added: S = Scan, allows AND/OR searches and then displays the
entire bulletin if the text was found anywhere in it
added: D = Download, queues up all requested bulletins for
downloading (whether explicitly requested or requested
via the All, New or Scan subfunctions)
D)ownload
enhanced: Batch downloads now accept wildcards
added: Ymodem and Ymodem/G as internal BATCH protocols
enhanced: During shelled protocols the top 3 lines are frozen
enhanced: Prior to initiating the file transfer you can edit the
list of files batched up for file transfer - adding or
removing files from the list.
E)nter Message
added: Full Screen Editor
added: F = return to Full Screen Editor
added: Q = quote mode
added: U = upload mode (non-echo mode)
enhanced: Saves the message "as is" if carrier is lost prior to
the user saving the message (the message can later be
re-edited using the new EDIT command described below)
E)dit Header (subfunction of read command)
added: N = Refer Number
added: R = Read Status
added: P = Protection (including Sender and Group Password)
EDIT) Msg (subfunction of read command)
new cmd: Allows the originator of a message to re-edit his
message after having posted it.
F)iles
enhanced: Optionally will colorize DIR files on the fly (applies
to the "L", "N" and "Z" commands as well)
enhanced: V)iew now passes the comm port number to the batch file
added: G = Goodbye
FLAG) File main prompt, subfunction of Files prompt or more prompt
new cmd: Allows the caller to "flag" a file for later download.
Any number of files may be flagged up to the batch file
limit set by the sysop.
J)oin
enhanced: Now accepts either a conference number or a name
L)ocate
enhanced: Displays all secondary lines after the matched filename
enhanced: If an invalid file is requested it will automatically
switch to a Z)ippy search command
enhanced: If the filename is less than 8 characters long and no
wildcards have been used it automatically appends "*.*"
to the name (ie searching for BETA turns into BETA*.*).
enhanced: Changes a request of "FILE*" to "FILE*.*"
added: D = Download, download files that are found
added: N = New, locate files using filespec and date
N)ew
enhanced: displays all secondary lines after the file is found
added: D = Download, download files that are found
O)p Page
enhanced: When done the caller's screen is restored and the
session continues from where he left off
OPEN a DOOR
enhanced: Now accepts either a door number or a door name
Q)uick Scan
enhanced: TS (see TS enhancements in the Read command)
R)ead command
enhanced: TS = now scans the message text as well as the header
enhanced: TS = if in graphics mode it highlights the text
enhanced: TS = allows AND/OR searches to be performed
enhanced: TS = allows stacking of search text and msg number
added: COPY = COPY a message (similar to MOVE a message)
added: RR = read the reference message
added: L = read in reverse order from the last message back
added: Z = zip (compress) capture file before downloading
added: SET = set last message read pointer
added: G = Goodbye
added: J = Join a conference
added: USER = Read mail either to or from a specific user
added: O = Read Only - it doesn't set Last Msg Read pointer
it doesn't mark a message as being read. It can
be restricted by security level.
SELECT
new cmd: Can be used to select or deselect conferences the user
wants to scan and also to reset the last message read.
TEST
new cmd: Can be used to test a file for CRC errors or viruses
prior to downloading (if the sysop provides the test).
U)pload
added: Ymodem and Ymodem/G as internal BATCH protocols
enhanced: Allows external batch uploads using DSZ-log compatible
protocols
enhanced: Allows user supplied multi-line descriptions with word
wrapping while typing in the descriptions
enhanced: Records the name of the uploader in the description
WHO command
new cmd: Allows a caller to view the list of callers currently
online - WITHOUT giving them access to the node chat
functions (can be useful if you want the caller to know
who is there but don't want them tieing up the system
chatting with other callers while online).
Y)our Mail Scan
added: Q = Quick Scan for your mail. It displays only the
number of messages found and the number that are
for you using 1 line per conference instead of the
normal 3 line display.
Z)ippy Search
enhanced: Displays all secondary lines as well as filename
enhanced: If in graphics mode it highlights the "found" text
enhanced: Allows AND/OR searches to be performed and will even
find matches if keywords are on SEPARATE lines in the
DIR file
added: D = Download, download files that are found
added: N = New, locate files using filespec and date
USERS command
new cmd: Allows caller to see the names of users in a conference
and to search the user names/cities for any text
Enhanced:
* At logon it now displays the bulletin numbers of updated bulletins.
* PCBoard now uses an "auto ansi detection" routine so that if a user
chooses not to use color graphics but his comm program has ansi
capabilities PCBoard will take advantage of them (for faster cursor
movement, defaulting to the full screen editor, etc).
* PCBoard now displays an asterisk "*" to the right of the FILE DATE
when displaying file listings to indicate that the file is new to
you i.e. the file is more recent than your "Date of Last DIR Scan".
* PCBoard now removes the vertical bar "|" from the display when
secondary file descriptions are found.
* PCBoard now only updates the user's "Last Date DIR Scanned" to match
the date of the most recent file posted rather than using the date
on which he performed the scan.
* All multi-letter commands (COPY, MOVE, LANG, OPEN, NODE, etc) can
now be called by typing just the first two letters.
* For a "R A c/d/z" command (capture,download,zip) you can now set the
maximum number of messages by area and total for the scan so that
the caller does not overrun your hard disk on a capture.
* The status lines include not only the logon time and current time
but also the current minutes online and minutes remaining.
* Searching for files (for downloading) now begins with the default
filename extension if no extension was provided by the caller - in
other words if the caller asks for TEST it will first search for a
file called TEST.ZIP and not finding one will then search for TEST.
* When reading messages the caller can have the screen cleared prior
to displaying a message - this can be set with W)rite User Info.
* Input fields which are surrounded by parenthesis (i.e. having the
"(" and ")" characters around the field) can be edited using the
cursor keys or the CTRL-Key substitutes that are used by the Full
Screen Editor.
* PCBSetup now differentiates between "editing your own message" and
"editing any message" for security purposes.
* Door applications can now be executed without having to type OPEN
or DOOR and a number. Plus they can now be given command line
parameters at the time of opening.
* PCBoard now records (in the user's record) when a message is left
for him via PCBoard so that when he logs on he will be informed of
the fact that there is mail waiting for him AND which conferences
have mail waiting without having to scan for new mail.
* Replying to a message that is FROM yourself will now result in the
TO field being copied over to the TO field of the reply rather than
copying the FROM field across.
* Replying to a NON-echo message will now default to NO when asked if
the message should be echoed.
* Added support for FREE files - where files can be downloaded and not
be charged in the files or bytes downloaded record as well as not
charging against the time online if desired.
* The sysop can now set in PCBSetup the hours when he is 'in' for
answering the page bell.
* The name of the message CAPTURE file can now be set in PCBSetup or
when not specified it defaults back to the caller number.
* The CAPTURE file when downloaded can now be set to not charge the
download time against his session time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(example usage of some of the new commands):
* TS A 1+ <enter>
PCBoard & LANtastic <enter>
The above commands will search thru every available message in ALL
conferences areas you are set to scan for any message that has both
the word "PCBoard" AND the word "LANtastic" in it.
* TS A 1+ <enter>
PCBoard & (LANtastic | DESQview) <enter>
The above commands will search thru every available message in ALL
conferences areas you are set to scan for any message that has both
the word "PCBoard" AND either the word "LANtastic" OR the word
"DESQview" in it.
The parenthesis tell PCBoard how you want to group your criteria if
you have a complex search request such as the one above. It will
allow for nearly any number of parens and any combination of AND's
(using the "&" character) and OR's (using the "|" character).
* TS A 1+ USER JOHN DOE <enter>
PCBoard & Help <enter>
The above command (similar to examples above) adds the keyword USER
to the command line specifying that only messages that are either
TO or FROM John Doe should be displayed if they are found to have
both the words PCBoard and Help in them.
* Z A <enter>
PCBoard & DESQview <enter>
The above commands will search all of the file directories for any
file that has both the word "PCBoard" and the word "DESQview" in the
description (anywhere - including secondary description lines).
* L PCB*.* A N <enter>
120189 <enter>
The above command combines a Locate Search of the file directories
with a "new files search" for files that begin with "PCB" and were
posted on or after 12/01/89.
* Z DESQview A S D <enter>
The above command combines the Zippy Search of the file directories
with a "new files since" search and then tags all files found for
later downloading (i.e. files with "DESQview" in the description
that are new since the last time you were on)
* USERS <enter>
Utah <enter>
The above command searches for the names of users that participate
in the current conference who have the word "Utah" in their user
record (USERS does a text search on the name and address fields).
* 7 S <enter>
John & (Smith | Doe) <enter>
The above command (sysop function 7) will search the entire user
record (name,address,phone,comments,etc) for the any user record
that has both the word "JOHN" and either the word "SMITH" or the
word "DOE" in it.
* OPEN QMAIL <enter>
The above command will search and find the QMAIL door and open it
(rather than having to know the number of the door).
* J SUPPORT <enter>
The above command will search and join the SUPPORT conference
(rather than having to know the number of the conference).
* B A <enter>
The above command will display all bulletins.
* B N D <enter>
The above command will download all new bulletins.
* B A S D <enter>
DESQview & LANtastic
The above command will download all bulletins that have both the
word "DESQview" and the word "LANtastic" somewhere in the file.
* R A Z <enter>
The above command will capture all messages in all conferences since
the last message read, compress the capture file and the begin the
download procedure.
* 13 A S <enter>
JOHN DOE | JOHN SMITH <enter>
Searches all caller logs and displays entries where either John Doe
or John Smith were logged on.
* R SET 100 <enter>
Sets the last message read for that conference to 100.
* Y A S Q <enter>
The "Q" which is a new parameters gives a new display showing each
conference on a single line and shows only the number of messages
for you and the number found. It looks something like this:
Messages Messages
Num Conference To You Found
--- ---------- -------- --------
0 Main Board 0 18
1 Support 12 1628
2 DOOR 5 370
3 Utility 0 431
4 Net_Mail 1 895
5 LANtasti 2 642
* SELECT D 1-3 6 <enter>
The select command is used to select or deselect conferences. The
above command starts out by deselecting all conferences after which
it reselect conferences 1 thru 3 followed by 6. It will then prompt
the caller for any last message read changes in each of the newly
selected conferences.
* OPEN 1
* OPEN MYDOOR
* OPEN 1 PARAMETERS TO MYDOOR
* OPEN MYDOOR PARAMETERS TO MYDOOR
* MYDOOR
* MYDOOR PARAMETERS TO MYDOOR
All of the above are now valid ways of opening a door. In these
examples the door name is "MYDOOR" and it can be opened either with
or without the words OPEN or DOOR. Additionally, parameters may be
typed in on the command line which will then be sent to the door
application on the assumption that it can use the parameters.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Known BBS Numbers For The Birmingham Area
NAME NUMBER BAUD RATES SUPPORTED MODEM TYPE
*Alter-Ego BBS 925-0707 300, 1200, 2400
*American BBS 674-1851 300, 1200, 2400
*Bus System BBS 595-1627 300, 1200, 2400
#*Byte Me 979-2983 1200, 2400, 9600 HST
Camelot BBS 856-0679 300, 1200, 2400
^Cat House 854-5907 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 V.32
-*Channel 8250 Node 1 744-8546 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST, V.32
-*Channel 8250 Node 2 744-5166 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST
*Crow's Nest 951-5678 300, 1200, 2400
*Crunchy Frog 956-1755 300, 1200, 2400
D3 Systems BBS 663-2759 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST, V.32
+Duck Pond BBS 822-0956 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST, V.32
^*Eazy's Playhouse 870-0434 1200, 2400 MNP4
Elite Fleet 853-1257 300, 1200, 2400
Emerald Castle 871-6510 300, 1200, 2400
EzNet Central 785-7417 1200, 2400, 9600 HST
Hacker's Corner 674-5449 300. 1200, 2400
+I.S.A. BBS 995-6590 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST
*Joker's Castle 744-6120 300, 1200, 2400
^*Lands Of Brittania 791-0421 1200, 2400
*Little Kingdom Node 1 823-9175 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST, V.32
*Little Kingdom Node 2 823-9192 300, 1200, 2400 MNP4
LZ Birmingham 870-7770 300, 1200, 2400
*Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST
Posys BBS 854-5131 300, 1200, 2400
*Radio Free Troad 592-6234 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST
Role Player's Paradise 631-7654 300, 1200, 2400
Safe Harbor 665-4355 300, 1200, 2400
Sandwich Shop 226-1872 300, 1200, 2400
Shadetree BBS 787-6723 300, 1200, 2400
Sperry BBS 853-6144 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 Hayes
*ST BBS 836-9311 300, 1200, 2400
The Commodore Zone 856-3783 300, 1200, 2400
The Connection 854-9074 1200, 2400
The Islands BBS 870-7776 300, 1200, 2400
The Kingdom Of Teletech 674-0852 300, 1200, 2400
-The Matrix Nodes 1-4 323-2016 300, 1200, 2400
-The Matrix Node 5 251-2344 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST
VCM(ee) BBS Node 1 655-4059 300, 1200, 2400
VCM(ee) BBS Node 2 655-4065 300, 1200
Victory Express 425-0731 300, 1200
Willie's DYM Node 1 979-1629 300, 1200, 2400
Willie's DYM Node 2 979-7739 300, 1200, 2400
Willie's RBBS 979-7743 300, 1200, 2400
Ziggy Unaxess 991-5696 300, 1200
Boards with a "*" before their name are members of our local network,
EzNet, and public messages left in the EzNet Conferences of any of these
boards will be echoed to all members.
Boards with a "+" before their name are members of FidoNet, an
international network that provides a variety of public forums as well
as private mail services all over the world.
Boards with a "#" before their name are members of our local WWIV
network, and public messages left in any of the netowrk conferences
will be echoed to all members.
Boards with a "-" before their name are members of MetroNet, an
international network that provides a variety of public forums as well
as private mail services all over the world.
Boards with a "^" before their name are members of WWIV-Net, an
international network that provides a variety of public forums as well
as private mail services all over the world.
If you have any corrections, additions, deletions, etc., please let us
know via EzNet.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
EzNet Multiple Echo List
EzNet now supports multiple conference echoing but there are a few
things you should be aware of regarding private mail.
A. You have one 'address' for private mail. If you are registered for
private mail on Channel 8250 and someone sends you a private
message in the MS-DOS conference from Crunchy Frog it will wind
up in the Hardware conference on Channel 8250 as it should.
However, if you were registered for private mail on Magnolia and
someone sends you a private message in a conference that Magnolia
does not support (echo) then the message will wind up in the
twilight zone.
B. If you go by a handle on one BBS and your real name on another even
if the private message goes where it is supposed to, you will not
be able to read it because it is addressed to someone else as far
as PC Board is concerned. PC Board has no way of knowing that Red
Foxx and John Doe are the same person. No tickee, no washee.
Advice on sending private mail: If you don't know if the person you
are sending private mail to is registered for private mail then keep a
copy of the message in case you have to find an alternate route. EzNet
Central will delete your private, undelivered message and inform you
that the user you attempted to reach is not registered for private mail
on any EzNet Node.
This is a list of the current echoes that I am aware of. More are
in the making and will be posted in future issues. If you are a sysop
and are running an echo not listed for your board, please make us aware
of it so we may correct it next issue.
Eznet Program IBM Adult Scitech BTNWA
Alter-Ego ........... * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..
American BBS ........ * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..
Bus System BBS ...... * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... * ..... * ..
Byte Me ............. * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... ..
Channel 8250 ........ * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... * ..... ..
Crow's Nest ......... * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..
Crunchy Frog ........ * ..... ..... * ..... * ..... ..... * ..
Eazy's Playhouse .... * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... ..
Joker's Castle ...... * ..... ..... ..... * ..... ..... ..
Lands Of Brittania .. * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... ..... ..
Little Kingdom ...... * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... ..
Magnolia BBS ........ * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..
Radio Free Troad .... * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..
ST BBS .............. * ..... ..... ..... * ..... ..... ..
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