941 lines
49 KiB
Plaintext
941 lines
49 KiB
Plaintext
BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News
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COPYRIGHT 1992 ISSN 1055-4548
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February 1992 Volume 5, Issue 2
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Table Of Contents
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-----------------
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Article Title Author
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Policy Statement and Disclaimer................Staff
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Publisher's Corner.............................Mark Maisel
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Review: Speed 1.0.............................Eric Hunt
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The Reality of (my) Life.......................Shawn Trucks
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Review: Jabber 1.01...........................Patrick Grote
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Notes From The Trenches........................Dean Costello
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The Adventures of R.G. Strangemind & Herbert...Jeremy Lewis
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Special Interest Groups (SIGs).................Barry Bowden
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Known BBS Numbers..............................Staff
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Disclaimer and Statement of Policy for BTN
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We at BTN try our best to assure the accuracy of articles and
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information in our publication. We assume no responsibility for damage
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due to errors, omissions, etc. The liability, if any for BTN, its
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editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or omissions,
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etc., shall be limited to the cost of a one year subscription to BTN,
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even if BTN, its editors or writers have been advised of the likelihood
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of such damages occurring.
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With the conclusion of that nasty business, we can get on with our
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policy for publication and reproduction of BTN articles. We publish
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monthly with a deadline of the fifteenth of the month prior to
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publication. If you wish to submit an article, you may do so at any
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time but bear in mind the deadline if you wish for your work to appear
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in a particular issue. It is not our purpose to slander or otherwise
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harm a person or reputation and we accept no responsibility for the
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content of the articles prepared by our writers. Our writers own their
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work and it is protected by copyright. We allow reprinting of articles
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from BTN with only a few restrictions. The author may object to a
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reprint, in which case he will specify in the content of his article.
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Otherwise, please feel free to reproduce any article from BTN as long as
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the source, BTN, is specified, and as long as the author's name and the
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article's original title are retained. If you use one of our articles,
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please forward a copy of your publication to:
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Mark Maisel
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Editor, BTN
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221 Chestnut St.
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BHM, AL 35210-3219
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(205)-956-0176
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We thank you for taking the time to read our offering and we hope that
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you like it. We also reserve the right to have a good time while doing
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all of this and not get too serious about it.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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F R E E B I E : G E T I T W H I L E I T S H O T !
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The following boards allow BTN to be downloaded freely, that is with no
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charge to any existing upload/download ratios.
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ADAnet One Alter-Ego Arkham Asylum
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Channel 8250 Little Kingdom Joker's Castle
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Crunchy Frog Myth Drannor Owl's Nest
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The MATRIX Abject Poverty The Bus
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The Outer Limits Bloom County The Round Table
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DC Info Exchange Radio Free Troad Owlabama BBS
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Amiga Alliance ][ DataLynx Martyrdom Again?!
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Safe Harbor Kiriath Arba
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If you are a sysop and you allow BTN to be downloaded freely, please let
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me know via EZNet so that I can post your board as a free BTN
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distributor. Thanks. MM
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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N E W S F L A S H
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I don't have any earth shattering news right now. I would
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like to thank Bob and Doug for the roast. In all honesty, I
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had absolutely no idea how it would go over, and was a bit
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concerned that it might not work. I was very wrong. 45
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people demonstrated it quite clearly. Everyone I've spoken
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to since has said that they had a grand time, myself
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included. Yes, I do speak to myself, and sometimes I say
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the darnedest things. Anyway, I'd like to congratulate them
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for coming up with an idea, planning and enacting it, and
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having it be an incredible success. MM
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The bbs list is as accurate as I can manage it, given my
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other obligations. If you observe any inaccuracy or missing
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information, please drop me a note in any EZNet conference.
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The message may take a few days to get to me, but I'll get
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it. Thanks. MM
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Publisher's Corner
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by Mark Maisel
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Have you ever noticed how some folks keep their PC's? What I mean
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is, the way they install, use, or not use software, and their
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configurations too. I've been sitting here, relaxing, and looking over
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the system of a friend; no, I won't say who it is as I don't want to
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embarrass anyone. I've nearly always been rather production minded in
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regards to my computers, especially the IBM compatibles. Way back when,
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when I had a VIC-20, and it was a fairly new fad for the average
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American to purchase a micro-computer, I, like most everyone I've ever
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known to get into it, grabbed every piece of software for my machine as
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I could locate. I kept it all too. Used the computer to inventory it,
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hahahaha! Most of it never got used, and was not in my line of interests
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anyway. Why did I hoard it and lust for it so? Good question, if I do
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say so myself. Others do the same thing. It continues to happen every
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day.
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As I was saying, this computer I'm checking out, has more "mess" on
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it than I can shake a stick at, as the saying goes. There are multiple
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copies/versions of nearly every piece of software on the poor thing. The
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HD is nearly full of redundant stuff, and the real pity of it is, that
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the owner never uses, at least regularly, 95% of the software on the
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machine. I was horrified to find out, naive me, that he didn't even know
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how to use the vast bulk of it. I was trying to help him fix some
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problems and we waded through stuff that has been on the HD for a year
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or more, and he hadn't the slightest idea how to use more than one or
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two replacement commands from a DOS enhancement package. I really
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shouldn't be surprised. I am a consultant, when need and the proper
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amount of $$$ arise. I see this sort of thing, and worse, all the time.
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Why does it sting me so to see it? Most people, at least Americans,
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don't like to be perceived as being ignorant of something as trendy and
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today as computers. You can't be an expert at everything, no matter how
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hard you try. Could Albert Einstein wrestle? Could Ghengis Khan solve
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the riddles of the universe? Of course not, and not everyone is going
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to be a computer user extraordinaire. Much of it can be forgiven, but I
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cannot understand the notion of collecting, hoarding, and trading
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software, even the good ole legally tradable shareware and public domain
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titles. I download or otherwise acquire new software from time to time.
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I check it out for reviews in BTN, for client recommendation, or for my
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own use. I have staples that I use for my daily computing needs; a text
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editor, word processor, terminal software, mail reader, compression
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utility, and DOS shell. I have database software and some other stuff,
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but they don't get used nearly as often as the former. I keep the few
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things I need infrequently either stowed in compressed format or on a
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floppy diskette, ready to be retrieved and used as need arises. Who, in
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their right mind, needs two versions of Word Perfect, two of Lotus
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1-2-3, and a few copies of Quattro, several DOS shells, none of which
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are ever used, a handful of database programs, and two versions of
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Procomm, one of which that is so out of date, that it doesn't even
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properly support the modem this fellow owns???
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I am confused. I am frustrated. This fellow is a known pack rat.
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He does this with everything of interest to him, be it hobby or job
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related. There are others who are not so bad in life except when it
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comes to software. Why have it around if you aren't going to use it? I
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know of a couple who have a room that is pretty much dedicated as their
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software collection. There are shelves of purchased commercial and
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shareware products, much to their credit, plus boxes and more boxes of
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disks, filled with every sort of software you can imagine. I asked,
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once, why they keep it all. I was told that you never know when someone
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may want a copy of some program from 1983, and by gum, they'll be ready
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with it when it happens. Its a life, I suppose. They have this complex
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cataloging system that would do the Library of Congress proud, and can
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find anything pretty quickly. I've tested them and know it to be true.
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Is there something to be said in the positive on software hoarding? I
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can't find it, save repositories such as those who sell disks with
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shareware and public domain stuff. They are excellent clearing houses
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who have an obvious business interest. Another reasonable excuse for
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this behavior is the bbs. Sysops often have huge collections of
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software for their users to peruse that act as an attractant to users.
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This is also understandable, especially if the sysop runs the bbs for
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profit.
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There are variations on hoarding. I know of many who only want the
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latest and greatest and become extremely insulted and insulting if you
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offer something else. There are also specialists. These folks collect
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all of a certain kind of software, sometimes they branch out to more
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than one kind, but limit themselves still, which separates them from the
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general collectors. Why only have one word processor when you can have
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twenty? Never mind that the time required to learn twenty different
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command sets would eat up any time and resolve to do any useful writing.
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Of course, who wants or needs to learn the packages. They are only
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objects to be collected. Digital butterflies to be collected and pinned
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to a board for display.
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Perhaps I'm the odd man out. I know many more folks who keep
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spareware around the house than don't, that is, among my computer owning
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acquaintances.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Review: SPEED Read 1.0
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by Eric Hunt
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Offline mail readers have been around for several years now, and
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their novelty and newness is wearing off. From the original two or three
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readers to today's dozens of them, generally there has been room for
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improvement, room for distinct innovation. SPEED Read provides that
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improvement and innovation. Based upon what is commonly called the
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'database style' mail reader, SPEED Read provides all the flexibility
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and power that one can expect from a traditional offline mail reader,
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while adding the capability to archive, or 'database,' entire message
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bases from reading session to reading session. One can now maintain an
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entire collection of messages from a particular conference and have them
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accessible at the touch of a key. SPEED Read has a proven capacity of
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between 3000 and 4000 messages, depending on local system
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configurations. That's a lot of messages, folks!
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Installing SPEED Read is very easy. After typing in the random 5
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digit 'unregistered' code, you are presented with a short configuration
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screen that allows you to tell SPEED where to look for incoming .QWKs,
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where to place outgoing .REPs, what editor/command line combination to
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use, various utility programs you might wish to use, all the basics for
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getting any mail reader started.
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Opening and reading a packet is as simple as selecting the BBS with
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waiting mail in it and pressing <enter.> From there, SPEED unzips the
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.QWK, and builds the new BBS database. That takes a short while, and
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SPEED even has logic to detect if you have multiple packets from the
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same BBS waiting on you (i.e. BBS.QWK BBS.QW0 BBS.QW1). Then you are
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presented with a list of conferences. At first I found the conference
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list quite daunting, as ALL conferences are displayed, regardless of
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whether they have mail or not. But a quick press of F1, and I'm
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introduced to one of SPEED Read's strongest points: Extensive
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context-sensitive online help. In fact, I am told that the entire
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written manual for SPEED was developed primarily from the online help
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screens, they're that good. Help tells me that there are various easy to
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use keystrokes that will move me around in the conference area listing.
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No more anxiety. Conferences can be added/dropped from the main
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conference area listing. However, the QMAIL 4.0 add/drop commands are
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not supported directly, you'll have to generate those messages by hand.
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While every reader has it's differences, the largest of all is the
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placement of keys to move around a message base. Every reader I've used
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has a different layout. With that said, SPEED Read has the standard
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controls for moving around a message base, with special keys to mark
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individual messages to either be KEPT no matter what, or KILLED no
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matter what in the message database. While reading messages, ANSI
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messages can be displayed on screen, but the ANSI support is NOT
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internal, ANSI.SYS or compatible device driver must be present in your
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config.sys. This is not a drawback, however, as internal ANSI support
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would unnecessarily bloat the code for SPEED. And messages can be saved
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to text files for use elsewhere. The message header is also included on
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messages saved to disk (outside of the database, in other words.)
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SPEED Read can be configured to bring up the reply information
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dialogue box before, after, or before and after you write the reply. I
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have mine setup to show the box after I reply, but you can change it to
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whatever you like. Another strong point of SPEED Read is evident in the
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reply info dialogue: Picklists. Picklists allow you to press a key, and
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have a listing of possible values for that particular entry field be
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displayed. Taglines, TO:, FROM:, CONF#, all have picklists. They are
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very powerful, and very handy. You can 'tell' the TO: picklist to keep a
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list of commonly used TO: names that are persistent from session to
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session. And moving a reply to a message from one conference to another
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is as easy as popping up the conference picklist and selecting the
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conference you wish to move the reply. Searching for
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taglines/conferences is also very easy using the picklists.
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The support for long messages in SPEED is mixed. Users can enter
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long messages, and SPEED will break them into neat, nice, 100 line
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chunks as multiple messages. If you need to re-edit a long message, the
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split messages are invisibly recombined behind the scenes, and you are
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presented with the original message again. However, if you download a
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message more than 100 lines, SPEED will only display the first 100.
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RIME routing in SPEED is present, and done very well. The default
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is to insert the routing code on ALL RIME replies, which is nice, since
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deleting it takes one keystroke in the editor. What's even better is
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that a LONG (100+ line) routed message has the routing code inserted on
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EACH INDIVIDUAL part of the message, a godsend for those sending long
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messages on RIME.
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Taglines are handled exceptionally well by SPEED Read. The user can
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have any number of different tagline 'files,' each containing 100 tags.
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Switching between tag files is painless. SPEED also fully supports the
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add-in tagline manager, John Hancock II. Stealing tags is a breeze. Hit
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't' while reading a message, and SPEED looks in the proper place for the
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tag. If you like what it thinks the tag is, fine. If you don't, you can
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scroll through EACH LINE of the message, stealing any line in the
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message you wish. Extremely powerful for those people with lists of tags
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inside messages, or those that don't use standard style readers.
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Keeping the message base up to date has been a problem with other
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database .QWK readers. SPEED Read has taken steps to minimize this
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problem. First of all, you can tell the reader how many old messages to
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retain in a conference. The default is 50, but that can be changed to
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whatever number you wish. I have some of the technical conferences set
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to 500 old messages, some of the chitchat to 100, and some of the 'I'm
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just glancing at it' conferences to retain *0* messages. Yep, that's
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right, you can tell SPEED not to keep any messages in a conference from
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session to session. In fact, you can effectively turn SPEED Read into a
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'.QWK-at-a-time' reader by setting ALL the keep old's to Zero. Handy.
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And if you're so inclined, you can set all conference keep old messages
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to one number with one keystroke. Purging (deleting the oldest messages
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as they get moved past the keep old number) is done automatically each
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time a new packet is imported, but can be done manually. The auto-purge
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is nice, you never have to worry about the message base growing out of
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hand. Also, the message bases can be stored in either compressed or
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uncompressed state. This is VERY nice for those out there with smaller
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hard disks. The compression is done with PKZIP, and is automatic, just
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say the word, and SPEED does it. Finally, SPEED has detection routines
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to prevent you from losing unsaved replies in the even of a power
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failure, system crash, etc. This feature has saved me several times!
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While I could go on and on about the good things in SPEED Read,
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there are some little annoyances. First of them is ironically the name!
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SPEED is not a speed demon when compared to traditional QWK-at-a-time
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readers. HOWEVER, when you evaluate the fact that an entire message
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database is being kept, SPEED works pretty darn fast! The importing of
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new messages into the conferences at the start of a session can become
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slow, even on my 386sx, as the number of old messages retained
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increases. Another minor annoyance is the lack of huge tagline support.
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Instead of unlimited numbers of 100 tag tagline files, 1 file containing
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unlimited tags would be better. QMAIL 4.0 ADD/DROP would be nice, in
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addition to the current MarkMail style add/drop. SPEED Read does not
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allow anyone, not even registered users, to completely suppress the
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generation of taglines, including the SPEED stamp. This primarily
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prevents users with registration numbers from posting in conferences
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where their identity is best left unknown, such as the 12-step, or
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Recovery conferences. Threading and sorting in this release is also a
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bit weak, but I personally prefer to read messages in a straight line,
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like the old days, so that doesn't bother me much. And finally, an
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option for including the message header in the text of a reply is
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needed, so that absentminded people like me can still remember who they
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are writing a reply to!
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The author of SPEED Read, Jim Smith, has directly addressed every
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concern I have above except the complete removal of all traces of a
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tagline and stated that the rest are slated to be fixed/added in a
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'future version.' In addition, Jim has gone above and beyond the call of
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duty in providing product support for this offline mail reader. He has
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his own product support conference on the U'NI-net/US echomail network,
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and is active in the SHAREWARE and OFFLINE conferences of many other
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nets, including RIME, ILINK, U'NI, and soon FidoNet. Product Support is
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another gem SPEED Read can add to its hat. Another kudo for Jim is his
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decision to allow give ALL REGISTERED USERS of SPEED the chance to beta
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test new releases of the software as he writes them. Currently, version
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1.10 is being pounded out of the compiler, and registered users now have
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access to fixes of some of the problems I detailed above, and additional
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features, like auto-import of .QWKs from the command line (great for
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batch files), enhanced threading and sorting options, and more.
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In short, SPEED Read is an innovative product in a sometimes
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stagnant shareware marketplace, and has an extremely bright future ahead
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of it. SPEED is easy enough for beginners and powerful enough for the
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old pro's. The database of messages can prove invaluable to many people,
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and makes life easier for those on erratic schedules. Registration for
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SPEED Read is $25, a *very* competitive price in light of an extensive
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feature list.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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The Reality of (my) Life
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An Equally Hopeless Sequel
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by Shawn Trucks
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I don't know exactly what it is, but I seem to be coming to some as
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of yet undisclosed point in my life and if things don't change
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drastically, and soon, I feel it will be a point from which I don't
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return. As melodramatic as that sounds, I honestly believe it to be the
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truth. And more so now than ever before, due to the warm response I
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received from certain individuals because of my previous article, (See
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BTN043) even though nothing I said in that article was the least bit
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untrue. I don't even really know why (small fib) that I feel this way. I
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don't seem to be any more depressed (bigger fib) than I normally would
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be, and I honestly believe everything will work out okay. (Blatant lie!)
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Depression is a sneaky thing. Maybe after a time it just builds and
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builds until it is either resolved through some sort of release, which I
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have yet to find, or eventually culminates in a self destructive act of
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desperation.
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My emotions are in a maelstrom of turmoil; At times I seem to be
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almost apathetic. Other times I just start to cry with seemingly no
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provocation whatsoever. Which is not to imply that I don't know the
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*reasons* for the tears. I know them all too well. They weigh on my heart
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like a ton of lead, and anything I do or say to try and resolve them only
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seems to add more weight. But there's no point in going into the reasons,
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that was the previous article. And then of course there are the very
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brief moments of semi-happiness that only serve to make the moments of
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despair all the more painful when they've returned. Semi-happiness is
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probably too strong a word also. It would probably be more truthful to
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say that sometimes my mind is temporarily occupied with something else,
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so I don't think about how hopeless everything is. Then seconds later
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when I come to my senses, as it were, it all washes back down on me like
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a tidal wave. And so the cycle continues. Instability is the foundation
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of my life, it would seem.
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What makes it all the more worse is the fact that I always seem to
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alienate and turn the people I care about against me. I can't even talk
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to some of my friends on the phone without inadvertently saying
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something to either make them angry or hurt their feelings. It's no
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wonder they don't call as often as at one time. One of my good friends,
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Crystal has called a lot lately, but she recently separated from her
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boyfriend so I imagine it's because she's depressed and needs to talk.
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Another friend, who usually calls several times every day, hasn't called
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for quite awhile, but I would guess that's because she's pissed off
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because I refused to call this guy for her with whom she's been cheating
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on her husband. What a fucking soap opera huh? So occasionally I hurt
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someone's feelings, but it's never on purpose. I've never wanted to hurt
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anyone in the least, but it seems that's the only thing I'm really good
|
|
at. Too bad there aren't any good career opportunities in it. So many
|
|
times I have wanted to do them all and myself a big favor and just
|
|
disappear from their lives forever.
|
|
|
|
I guess an excellent case in point would be the way I've turned the
|
|
one person I ever truly loved against me. During the times we spent
|
|
together, I never would have believed I could have caused her to feel
|
|
about me the way she apparently does now. But I guess I should never
|
|
underestimate my ability to take a good thing and turn it to shit. It's
|
|
pretty damned funny actually, that the one thing she could do that would
|
|
really hurt me would simply be to dislike me. She holds the key. All she
|
|
has to do now is turn it. Maybe if she's reading this it will make her
|
|
happy to know that, but I don't think so. I don't believe it was ever
|
|
her intention to hurt me, just as it was never my intention to hurt her.
|
|
Sometimes things just get out of hand. And now things have escalated to
|
|
the point where I can't even remember when everything first started to
|
|
go downhill. But I guess it doesn't really matter how things come to be.
|
|
It doesn't matter how much two people once cared for each other. All
|
|
that matters is the end product. The past exists only in memories... And
|
|
how soon we seem to forget.
|
|
|
|
Unfortunately, this article is not going to end on a somewhat
|
|
optimistic note like the last one did. Try as I might, I just couldn't
|
|
think of any last minute sugar-coated message of hope to close with this
|
|
time. As far as I can see right now, there *is* no light at the end of
|
|
the tunnel and the dark just keeps getting darker. Of course I can't
|
|
blame anyone but myself for the way things have turned out. I've tried
|
|
to reconcile the situation, but it always ends up back-firing. It would
|
|
seem then that the obvious solution would be: Stop trying! Nothing I say
|
|
or do is ever good enough for anyone anyway. Just give up and chalk the
|
|
whole thing up as a lesson in futility. And who knows? Maybe if I'm
|
|
lucky, this article will stir up a little more controversy and perhaps
|
|
even some more hate mail like the last one did. Although hopefully it
|
|
will be a little more original this time, and a lot less anonymous also.
|
|
Trust me people, insults are a lot more effective if they come with a
|
|
NAME. All those interested in joining in the fun, get your tickets now;
|
|
I'm sure the Dante Bash-Wagon will be comin' round again soon enough.
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Review: Jabber 1.01 (offline mail reader)
|
|
by Patrick Grote
|
|
|
|
PROGRAM: Jabber Version 1.01
|
|
AUTHOR: Marcos Della and Shad Muegge
|
|
Della and Muegge Enterprises
|
|
Post Office Box 4251
|
|
Santa Rosa, CA 95402
|
|
RELEASED: November 25, 1991
|
|
REGISTRATION: $15.00 ($10.00 for students and seniors)
|
|
RESTRICTIONS: None
|
|
RATING: 6.9 out of 10
|
|
NAME/SIZE: JABR101.ZIP, 101k
|
|
|
|
The evolution of the QWK standard for mail reading has been
|
|
amazing. We have witnessed the market exploding from two reader (Qmail
|
|
Deluxe and EZ Reader) to over 10 (SLIMER, KingQWK, and Speed among
|
|
others.) The typical shareware rule of thumb has taken over when
|
|
applied to each category of software it has affected. Mail readers are
|
|
no different.
|
|
|
|
One of the later entries into the race was a reader called Babble.
|
|
Babble has been renamed to Jabber, which is the subject of this review.
|
|
|
|
Jabber is written by two people who are members of the "Association
|
|
of Babble Fish Programmers." The documentation is roughly 30 pages in
|
|
length and is extremely general. Without the aid of previous experience
|
|
in the shareware market, users may be confused as to the purpose and
|
|
scope of the configuration file setup, specifically the color selection.
|
|
|
|
When you first run Jabber, you are placed in the internal editor to
|
|
modify the configuration file. Straight out of the {COMMO} school of
|
|
configuration, the file contains variables scattered about between {}s
|
|
that may have to be changed by the user. {COMMO} users will feel right
|
|
at home, but people who have no experience with the {} method of
|
|
configuration may shy away.
|
|
|
|
When you are editing the configuration file, you become pretty good
|
|
friends with the internal editor. As with most internal editors,
|
|
Jabber's is quick and efficient, but lacks any advanced commands. A
|
|
good example concerns the Control Q, Control A keystrokes which allow
|
|
you to search and replace a phrase. Upon finding and changing the first
|
|
phrase, the editor stops looking until you hit Control L to continue.
|
|
Throughout the message reading, though, the editor does a decent job of
|
|
allowing you to reply. Standard WordStar keystrokes are used.
|
|
|
|
The second screen you will see is the QWK file control screen.
|
|
Jabber renames your QWK packets to CHANNEL1.111 where it used to be
|
|
CHANNEL1.QWK. There is no information available on the packet past the
|
|
filename. You cannot see the date, time or size of the file, nor what
|
|
archive method was used. This could definitely lead to problems if you
|
|
are trying to sort through 10 or so packets.
|
|
|
|
When you select a file to read, Jabber kicks into full force. It
|
|
will unarchive your packet and start you off reading mail with your
|
|
personal messages. The first thing you notice about the reader screen
|
|
is that the colors appear to have been picked by a blind, color blind
|
|
fish. Luckily, these can be toned down in the configuration file.
|
|
|
|
Jabber never really follows the path of other readers. When you
|
|
start reading mail, the familiar I or INSERT command now enters a new
|
|
message. In most readers it allows you to view a thumbnail sketch of the
|
|
conference. Likewise, Jabber only lets you see the conferences that you
|
|
have mail in. Others, with no mail, are not shown. This can hamper
|
|
offline configuration of your mail packets.
|
|
|
|
As you read mail, you can try out several of the more useful
|
|
features of Jabber. The first to catch your eye should be the LOGGING
|
|
function. By invoking this the messages that you tag are logged to a
|
|
disk file, in addition to the replies you send.
|
|
|
|
The next useful feature is the ability to view the News, Welcome,
|
|
Goodbye and Files files from inside the message base. You can tell
|
|
which of these files are included in the mail packet via a display.
|
|
|
|
The last pleasantry that you will notice is the amazing control you
|
|
will have over ANSI screens. Jabber allows you to play the screens back
|
|
slowly, like you were logged onto a BBS, or as if you were TYPING them
|
|
out. You can even enter a millisecond delay in the configuration file.
|
|
|
|
Replying to mail is fairly straight forward. I was disappointed by
|
|
the lack of an easy facility for modifying your replies before they are
|
|
archived. You can configure the reader to reply in the PCRelayNet or
|
|
Fido format, if necessary. Auto routing is not supported, nor is the
|
|
ability to bulk mark messages for saving.
|
|
|
|
As you draw your replies to a close, you may come across a neat
|
|
idea in mail sending: semi-private mail on a public network. How is
|
|
this accomplished? Hit the / key to invoke the ROT13 encryption method.
|
|
This is an extremely simple method of switching the first thirteen
|
|
characters of the alphabet with the last 13. This is not fool proof,
|
|
but a very nice way of keeping messages to Jabber users.
|
|
|
|
In summary, Jabber is a good start to a untypical reader. It has
|
|
alot of features that are needed in other readers, but then again it
|
|
lacks very basic features such as bulk marking and packet information.
|
|
In the late 70s/early 80s, 7Up was referred to as the "uncola." We can
|
|
define Jabber as the "unreader."
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Notes from the Trenches
|
|
by Dean Costello
|
|
|
|
"Home? Why, It's Holiday Inn, Of Course"
|
|
|
|
|
|
"You know, after a long day of selling widgets, nothing's better than
|
|
stopping in at a Hotel 6..."
|
|
-Tom Bodet
|
|
|
|
Some of you probably know by now that I have been on the road for
|
|
the last nine weeks. Kind of intriguing, but there are bad parts to not
|
|
having a home to call your own. As a result, this month's column is
|
|
about the trials and tribulations of being on the road.
|
|
|
|
There are some bad things about the road, including:
|
|
|
|
-Waking up in the middle of the night, and not knowing what city you are
|
|
in. Or, for that matter, why the bed is weird. Very disconcerting...
|
|
|
|
-Coming home to mounds of mail.
|
|
|
|
-As a function of the above, the editing by either the U.S.P.S. or by
|
|
the management of the apartments of the backed-up mail, so I lose
|
|
bills, and a goodly part of my mail. I haven't seen a "Newsweek" in 2
|
|
months, or a "Rolling Stone" since July.
|
|
|
|
-As a function of the above, finding your phone and cable cut off when
|
|
you get home since you never received the bills that they are cutting
|
|
you off for.
|
|
|
|
-Discovering that you forgot to empty the garbage before you left.
|
|
|
|
-Discovering that you forgot to start the dishwasher before you left.
|
|
|
|
-Discovering that you forgot to turn off the air conditioner
|
|
before you left.
|
|
|
|
-Thinking about just leaving the damned cable disconnected since you
|
|
ain't around to use it anyway, or at least that's what you think on
|
|
Monday when you leave, but on Friday when you return you discover that
|
|
cable is very essential; even though it costs $45 a month, thus working
|
|
out to about $12.00 a day for being home.
|
|
|
|
-Wondering why a U.S. Secret Service agent came by to leave a "Please
|
|
Call Us" note on your door.
|
|
|
|
-Restaurants in a town with few restaurants, especially Chinese places.
|
|
|
|
-Having to call long distance for anything.
|
|
|
|
-Lack of computer when hands are hurting from arthritis.
|
|
|
|
-Having to fill out expense reports.
|
|
|
|
-Having to fax time sheets to the head office.
|
|
|
|
-No entertainment in this town.
|
|
|
|
But being on the road isn't a complete bite in the bag. There are
|
|
a few good things, including:
|
|
|
|
-Per diem. This is a very cool concept. Depending on what city you are
|
|
in, you get a specific amount of money per day to handle food, tips,
|
|
etc., and the town I'm in allows me to charge $26/day. But I can eat
|
|
comfortably here for $10-15 a day, so I get to keep the difference. No
|
|
shit, perfectly legal, its the way my company handles this. Its great.
|
|
|
|
-Away from office. Being in the office is nice, for about 6 hours, but
|
|
then it becomes yucky.
|
|
|
|
-Away from home. You can duck the bill collectors.
|
|
|
|
-Get a rental car. No Fiero for me, by God.
|
|
|
|
Oh well, these things happen. But the important thing is that I
|
|
feel like I am making a difference, which is good, I guess. It keeps me
|
|
warm at night, which due to my being high in the Blue Ridge Mountains is
|
|
pretty bloody important.
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Those that know what's best for us,
|
|
Must try and save us from ourselves..."
|
|
-Neil Peart
|
|
|
|
"Religion is the opiate of the masses."
|
|
-Karl Marx
|
|
|
|
"Uh-OH! I smells trubba!
|
|
CHRISTIANS comin' up!"
|
|
-Frank Zappa
|
|
|
|
And this leads me to something else, as I think of it. Remember
|
|
that friend of mine that turned Christian a couple of months ago, the
|
|
one that had the same background as I did, yet became One Of Them, and I
|
|
was very concerned, since if it could happen to Brian, it could happen
|
|
to me? You don't? Oh well, pay attention then. I was talking to him
|
|
a couple of nights ago, and I noticed something interesting, in that he
|
|
is using several different tactics to try and convert me to his brand of
|
|
icon worship. One of the tactics is:
|
|
|
|
How Can You Not Believe in Jesus?
|
|
|
|
Very simply put, he attacked my, well, disbelief. He assumed that
|
|
my unbelief was fairly spurious, and was then surprised to find out that
|
|
I really spent time on determining my beliefs. Poor child discovered
|
|
that I was, as I express it, an educated heathen when it comes to things
|
|
eschatological. Yes, there was a person who was probably cruicified on
|
|
a cross (along with several thousand other terrorists of the time.
|
|
Remember, crucifixtion was not the way Rome executed any criminal, but
|
|
was the way that one took care of terrorists and such (remember
|
|
"Spartacus"?)), but was he a messiah? Who can say. The original
|
|
meaning of 'messiah' was "Annointed One". There have been many
|
|
Messiahs, including David and his successors (Solomon, etc.). Messiah
|
|
means a SECULAR king, no more. Oh well. Anyway, the next attempt was:
|
|
|
|
Flattery Can Get You Anywhere!
|
|
|
|
This was an evilly seductive method, at least towards me. You see,
|
|
I crave flattery. Anyone that says the simplest words of praise will
|
|
have me for a slave for an awful long time. I was taught as I was
|
|
growing up to drive any good comments away with a stick. "Good speach,
|
|
Dean." No it wasn't. I talked too long, and didn't even know what was
|
|
going on towards the end. I fidgeted too much, and was awfully boring.
|
|
"Good job, Dean". I could have done a lot better. It was slipshod, and
|
|
I didn't take much care in its completion. You should have had someone
|
|
else that knew what they were doing take care of the project. Besides, I
|
|
don't want flattery, I want worship. Screw the "Thank you", I want to
|
|
say, "No, my subjects, arise and look your Sun God in the face".
|
|
|
|
Anyway, he leads off with, "You know, as intelligent as you are,
|
|
and with the amount of facts and such, plus your analytical ability, you
|
|
would be one of the finest Christians around, especially with teaching
|
|
the Word to others, answering questions, things like that." Ooooh, this
|
|
was a low blow. Fortunately, though, I was intelligent enough <oh yeah>
|
|
to see through the praise to spot Evil Intents. Not to mention that he
|
|
had the subtlety of a Panzer division going through the Ardennes.
|
|
|
|
The final one that I have run into is:
|
|
|
|
Why Aren't You Dead?
|
|
|
|
Yes, why aren't I dead. This one was a strange method, I felt. It
|
|
opened up with "How can you be happy without God?" and ran the gauntlet
|
|
to "With the despair that you must feel without God, why haven't you
|
|
killed yourself?" to "What's it like not having any meaning to your
|
|
life?"
|
|
|
|
I'm not really sure how to respond to such questions. I would
|
|
argue it is a lot like going up to, say, Sir Alec Guiness and asking him
|
|
what its like to be a knight. Kind of a pointless question, when all is
|
|
said and done. Or saying, "What's beyond the universe?" to Stephen
|
|
Hawking. I have noticed that Christians like asking questions that
|
|
cannot be answered, and using it to substantiate the presence of God.
|
|
Alas, we each have our own delusions. I just like to think that my
|
|
delusions at least have a basis in rationale thought.
|
|
|
|
One last thing. For those of you that have been tracking my will,
|
|
it is all done. I have decided that instead of specifying to specific
|
|
people what I would like them to have, we are instead going to have
|
|
gladitorial combat. The winner gets her/his choice of
|
|
stuff/bux/posters/whatever. Second place gets second choice, etc., etc.
|
|
So, if you want to be considered for The Games, please let me, or my
|
|
executor Chris Mohney, know so you can be placed in the combat listings.
|
|
|
|
"I have noticed that whenever people get in Trouble, they
|
|
oftentimes turn to religion, usually in order to get a reduced
|
|
sentence from the jury. That's how you can tell that I am having
|
|
real problems..."
|
|
- Hunter S. Thompson
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
The Adventures of R.G. Strangemind and Herbert
|
|
by Jeremy Lewis
|
|
Copyright 1991,92 by Jeremy Lewis
|
|
no reprints without the permission of the author
|
|
|
|
Part XI
|
|
|
|
"Eh," mumbled Emperor Splort, shaken out of his delirium by the
|
|
intercomm. "WHAT?!?!?"
|
|
|
|
"Sir," stammered the voice on the intercomm,"You keep killing all
|
|
the stewards we send to your cabin."
|
|
|
|
"So!" Splort bellowed back, not seeing the relevancy of the voice's
|
|
statement.
|
|
|
|
"How do you expect us to deliver a message that doesn't anger you
|
|
if you kill the messangers and ignore our comm messages?" Comes to
|
|
think of it, realized The Emperor, he hadn't been paying attention to
|
|
the steward's pitiful pleas and until now he hadn't paid any attention
|
|
to the intercomm whatsoever.
|
|
|
|
"What do you have to report?"
|
|
|
|
"Well, sir, As I've been trying to explain, we've spotted Slob's
|
|
ship."
|
|
|
|
The Emperor was happy.
|
|
|
|
"R.G.?" called Herbert, "Where are you? I'm getting tired of
|
|
looking for you." Herbert was in a terrible fix he couldn't find R.G.
|
|
and no matter how he tried, he could find no one to help him.
|
|
|
|
"Oh, please" yelled Herbert,"won't somebody help me?"
|
|
|
|
"Yes?" responded a pleasant, but artificial male voice,"How may I
|
|
aid you, Herbert?"
|
|
|
|
"Huh?"
|
|
|
|
"Elegant to the last, sir." spoke the computer,"I see you are
|
|
getting the hang of astral travel."
|
|
|
|
"Who are you?", herbert finally thought to ask.
|
|
|
|
"I am the Ship's Computer. I stated that if I was needed all one
|
|
had to do was call my name and I would reactivate, obviously you are
|
|
aware of this and that is why you called me. Since, however you don't
|
|
seem to need my help...Oh yes, and R.G. Strangemind is lying senseless
|
|
of deck five while an alien ship is approaching on the starboard bow.
|
|
Good day."
|
|
|
|
Herbert shrugged and began looking for R.G. again. He passed a
|
|
flight of stairs marked "Level Six", but not having much a feel for
|
|
reading ignored it as gibberish and began walking up the stairs to level
|
|
seven.
|
|
|
|
"WHERE IS TOATUS????" yelled and irrational voice.
|
|
|
|
"As I told you, sir", responded a much more sensible voice,"I can
|
|
no longer sense him."
|
|
|
|
"BUT HE WAS JUST THERE!!!!"
|
|
|
|
"Maybe he is asleep, sir." suggested the reasonable voice.
|
|
|
|
"SUPER-BEINGS DO NOT SLEEP!!!"
|
|
|
|
"Of course, sir.", responded the calm voice. "Perhaps you have a
|
|
better explanation."
|
|
|
|
"YES! He's obviously gone to sleep. Look for him." "Of course,
|
|
sir."
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
SIG's (Special Interest Groups), Computer Related
|
|
-------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
BEPCUG CCS
|
|
Birmingham East PC Users Group Commodore Club South
|
|
Jefferson Sate Jr. College Springville Road Library
|
|
Ruby Carson Hall, Rm 114 2nd & 4th Tuesday (C64/C128)
|
|
3rd Friday, 7-9 PM 3rd Monday (Amiga)
|
|
Paula Ballard 251-6058 (after 5PM) 7:30-10 PM
|
|
|
|
BCCC BIPUG
|
|
Birmingham Commodore Computer Club Birmingham IBM-PC Users Group
|
|
POB 59564 UAB Nutrition Science Blg
|
|
Birmingham, Al 35259 RM 535/541
|
|
UAB School of Education, Rm 153 1st Sunday (delayed one week
|
|
2nd and 4th Sundays, 2 PM if meeting is a holiday)
|
|
Rusty Hargett 854-5172 Marty Schulman 967-5883
|
|
|
|
BACE FAOUG
|
|
Birmingham Atari Computer First Alabama Osborne Users
|
|
Enthusiast Group
|
|
Vestavia Library, downstairs Homewood Library
|
|
2nd Monday, 7 PM 1st Saturday, 1PM
|
|
Benny Brown 822-5059 Ed Purquez 669-5200
|
|
|
|
CADUB
|
|
CAD Users of Birmingham
|
|
Homewood Library
|
|
3rd Tuesday, 6:30PM-8:30PM
|
|
Bobby Benson 791-0426
|
|
|
|
SIG's, Non-Computer Related
|
|
---------------------------
|
|
|
|
BBC Birmingham Astronomy Club
|
|
Blue Box Companions Subject: Astronomy
|
|
Subject: Dr. Who Red Mountain Museum Annex
|
|
Hoover Library 4th Tuesday, 7:30PM
|
|
1st Saturday, 2PM-5PM
|
|
|
|
If you belong to or know of a user group that is not listed,
|
|
please let us know by sending E-Mail to Barry Bowden on
|
|
The Matrix BBS.
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Known BBS Numbers For The Birmingham Area
|
|
|
|
NAME NUMBER BAUD RATES MODEM BBS SOFTWARE
|
|
SUPPORTED TYPE
|
|
|
|
29 ADAnet One Node 1 854-9074 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
|
29 ADAnet One Node 2 854-2308 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
|
29 ADAnet One Node 3 854-0698 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
|
29 ADAnet One Node 4 854-5863 9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
|
1 Alter-Ego BBS 744-7733 300-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.5
|
|
1 Amiga Alliance ][ 631-0262 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
|
4 Arkham Asylum 853-7422 300-9600 USR DS WWIV 4.12
|
|
Asgard 663-9171 300-2400 WWIV 4.11
|
|
Baudville Node 1 640-4593 300-2400 Oracomm Plus
|
|
Baudville Node 2 640-4639 300-2400 Oracomm Plus
|
|
10-=! Bloom County 856-0587 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
|
13 Bus System 595-1627 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2
|
|
17 Byte Me! 979-BYTE! 2400-9600 USR HST WWIV 4.12
|
|
CM(ee) BBS Node 1 655-4059 300-2400 Oracomm Plus
|
|
CM(ee) BBS Node 2 655-4065 300-1200 Oracomm Plus
|
|
Camelot BBS 856-0679 300-2400 Telegard 2.5
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136 Channel 8250 Node 1 744-8546 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
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136 Channel 8250 Node 2 744-5166 300-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.5
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1 Crunchy Frog Node 1 956-1755 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
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1 Crunchy Frog Node 2 956-0073 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
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DataLynx 322-3425 300-2400 WWIV 4.12
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Disktop Publishing BBS 854-1660 300-9600 V.32 Wildcat! 3.01
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Empire 428-6074 300-2400 Image 1.2
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F/X BBS Node 1 823-5777 300-2400 PC Board 14.5
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F/X BBS Node 2 822-4570 300-2400 PC Board 14.5
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F/X BBS Node 3 822-4526 300-2400 PC Board 14.5
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12{ Family Smorgas-Board 744-0943 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5
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Graphics Zone Node 1 870-5306 300-9600 MNP4 TBBS 2.1(16)
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Graphics Zone Node 2 870-5329 300-9600 MNP4 TBBS 2.1(16)
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Hacker's Corner 674-5449 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
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Hardeman's BBS 640-6436 1200-2400 Wildcat! 2.55s
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13 Hard Disk BBS 987-0794 300-2400 PC Board 14.5
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2 I.S.A. BBS 995-6590 300-9600 USR HST Remote Access
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Infinite Probability 791-0421 2400 PC Board 14.5
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13 Joker's Castle 664-5589 300-2400 USR HST PC Board 14.5
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Kiriath Arba 681-8374 300-2400 WWIV 4.20
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15 Little Kingdom Node 1 969-0007 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
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15 Little Kingdom Node 2 969-0008 300-2400 MNP4 PCBoard 14.5
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1- Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.2
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# Medicine Man BBS 664-5662 300-2400 GTPower 16.00
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29 MetaBoard 254-3344 300-2400 Opus
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Missing Link 853-1257 300-2400 C-Net
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Night Watch 841-2790 1200-2400 TriTel 2.0
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Optical Illusion 853-8062 300-1200 C-Net
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# Owlabama BBS 833-7176 300-2400 GTPower 15.00
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1 Owl's Nest 680-0851 300-9600 PCBoard 14.5
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Paradise City 853-1439 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
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Pooh's Korner 980-8710 300-2400
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# Safe Harbor Node 1 665-4332 300-2400 GTPower 15.00
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# Safe Harbor Node 2 665-4355 300-9600 USR DS GTPower 15.00
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Sperry BBS 853-6144 300-9600 Hayes PCBoard 14.5
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1 ST BBS 836-9311 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2
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Strawberry Fields 856-0267 300-2400 Telegard 2.7
|
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Teasers 987-0122 300-2400 WWIV 4.20
|
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2 The Bone Yard 631-6023 300-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.5
|
|
The Castle 841-7618 300-2400 C-Base 2.0
|
|
The Commodore Zone 856-3783 300-2400 Image1.2
|
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The Den 925-0707 300-9600 USR HST ProLogon/ProDoor
|
|
4 The Dragon's Hoard 833-3790 300-2400 WWIV 4.12
|
|
12378 The MATRIX Nodes 1-4 323-2016 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
|
12378 The MATRIX Nodes 5-7 323-6016 2400-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
|
The Monster 967-4839 300-2400 Telegard 2.5i
|
|
2 The Outer Limits 985-1725 1200-9600 USR HST Wildcat! 3.01
|
|
The Quiet Zone 833-2066 300-2400 ExpressNET
|
|
2@ The Round Table 938-2145 300-2400 Telegard 2.5i
|
|
The Safety BBS 581-2866 300-2400 RBBS-PC
|
|
The Word 833-2831 300-2400 WWIV 4.12
|
|
Wildfire 1 942-9576 300-2400 Telegard 2.7
|
|
Wild Side 631-0184 300-1200 WWIV 4.20
|
|
Willie's DYM Node 1 979-1629 300-2400 Oracomm Plus
|
|
Willie's DYM Node 2 979-7739 300-2400 Oracomm Plus
|
|
Willie's DYM Node 3 979-7743 300-1200 Oracomm Plus
|
|
Willie's DYM Node 4 979-8156 300-1200 Oracomm Plus
|
|
Wonderland Avenue 699-5811 1200-2400 MNP4 PCBoard 14.5
|
|
Ziggy Unaxess 991-5696 300-1200 Unaxess
|
|
|
|
The many symbols you see prior to the names of many of the bbs' in the
|
|
list signify that they are members of one or more networks that exchange
|
|
or echo mail to each other in some organized fashion.
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|
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1 = EzNet, a local IBM compatible network
|
|
2 = FidoNet, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
3 = Metrolink, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
4 = WWIV-Net, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
5 = Intellec, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
6 = Uni'Net, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
7 = ThrobNet, an international network, adult oriented
|
|
8 = ILink, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
9 = ADAnet, an international network dedicated to the handicapped
|
|
0 = USNetMail, a national network, multi-topic
|
|
- = RIME, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
= = TcNet, not certain at publication time
|
|
! = RF-Net, a national network, dedicated to amateur radio
|
|
@ = 93Net, a national network, dedicated to the occult
|
|
# = GTNet, a national network, multi-topic
|
|
|
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If you have any corrections, additions, deletions, etc., please let us
|
|
know via EzNet.
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