1608 lines
83 KiB
Plaintext
1608 lines
83 KiB
Plaintext
BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News
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COPYRIGHT 1992 ISSN 1055-4548
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April 1992 Volume 5, Issue 4
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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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User Interface Observations....................Brian Anderson
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Review: Coherent 3.2...........................George Brockman
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Stop on a DYM..................................Scott Hollifield
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Notes From The Trenches........................Dean Costello
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Top Ten Reasons...Mail Readers.................Scott Kelley
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Of All The Nerve...............................R.H. Crawford
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Losing My Religion?............................Shawn Trucks
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A Day In The Life of Michael Davidson..........Michael Davidson
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BBS Spotlight..................................Eric Hunt
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Music Review...................................Michael Davidson
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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
|
||
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 Owl's Nest The Bus
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The MATRIX Abject Poverty Teasers
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The Outer Limits The Round Table Kiriath Arba
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DC Info Exchange Owlabama BBS Safe Harbor
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Amiga Alliance ][ Martyrdom Again?! DataLynx
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||
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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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It is that time again! I am having another lapse of sensibility and
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inviting you all into my home. Please try to leave it in some
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semblence of the state in which you found it. Be aware of the rules
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below and observe them.
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Anyway, back to the invitation: the party will be:
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Where: Mark Maisel's House a map will follow this
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221 Chestnut Street invitation
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205-956-0176
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When: April 25th
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6:00 p.m. until it ends
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Rules: Don't bring anything that will get you or me arrested.
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If you wish to imbibe legal substances, then BYOS*.
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Use discretion and intelligence when parking. The police may
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not be so nice next time. The entire yard is not for parking.
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We have gone to great expense to shape it into its present form.
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Some spaces will be made available but they will be limited.
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No weapons of any kind are desired or will be tolerated. If
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you feel the need for them near you, leave them in the vehicle
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in which you came. That is as close as they need come to my
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home.
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If you are outside, please keep the noise down, especially after
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10:00 p.m. We don't need annoyed neighbors or police to visit.
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*Bring Your Own Substances
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<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
|
||
M o n t c l a i r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
|
||
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
|
||
Bruno's<>O<EFBFBD> Texaco : McDonalds<64> <20> apartments<74> <20> dead<61> church
|
||
Super <20>p<EFBFBD> : <20> <20> & <20> <20> end <20>
|
||
Market <20>o<EFBFBD><6F><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> <20> houses <20> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ĵ
|
||
<20>r<EFBFBD><72><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20>
|
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<20>t<EFBFBD>Express : office <20> <20> <20> <20>
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||
<20>o<EFBFBD>Oil Change: bldgs <20> <20> <20> <20>
|
||
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
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M o n t e v a l l o - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - *TO INTERSTATE*
|
||
<EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
|
||
<20>R<EFBFBD> <20>R<EFBFBD> INSTRUCTIONS!!! <20>A<EFBFBD> <20>B<EFBFBD>old <20>C<EFBFBD> <20>D<EFBFBD> <20>E<EFBFBD>
|
||
<20>o<EFBFBD> <20>e<EFBFBD> <20>l<EFBFBD> <20>u<EFBFBD> <20>h<EFBFBD> <20>a<EFBFBD> <20>l<EFBFBD>
|
||
<20>s<EFBFBD> <20>d<EFBFBD> Look on Chestnut <20>p<EFBFBD> <20>s<EFBFBD>chu-<2D>e<EFBFBD> <20>l<EFBFBD> <20>d<EFBFBD>
|
||
<20>e<EFBFBD> <20>w<EFBFBD> after Shades and <20>i<EFBFBD> <20>h<EFBFBD>rch <20>s<EFBFBD> <20>y<EFBFBD> <20>e<EFBFBD>
|
||
<20>w<EFBFBD> <20>o<EFBFBD> my home is 221, <20>n<EFBFBD><6E><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>t<EFBFBD><74><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD> <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>r<EFBFBD><72><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
|
||
<20>o<EFBFBD> <20>o<EFBFBD> the 3rd house <20>e n S h a d e s
|
||
<20>o<EFBFBD> <20>d<EFBFBD> on the left. Call <20> <20><>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>Ŀu <20><><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD>Ŀ <20><><EFBFBD><EFBFBD><EFBFBD>
|
||
<20>d<EFBFBD> <20> <20> 956-0176 if you <20> <20> <20> <20> <20>t <20>3rd<72> <20> <20> <20>
|
||
<20> <20> <20> <20> need further <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20>one<6E> <20> <20> <20>
|
||
<20> <20> <20> <20> direction. <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20>
|
||
<20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20> <20>
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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N E W S F L A S H
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Announcing the 1st Annual Baud Brothers Spring Picnic
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brought to you by the fine folks from the
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Baud Brothers Conference
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on the
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Alter Ego BBS
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This event promises to become a favorite Springtime gathering for
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the Birmingham BBS community and with everyone invited, we're sure to
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have folks from all over the place popping in! Before you gather up
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your clan and make the trek to Birmingham to attend, there is a bunch of
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stuff you really need to know....Like
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||
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Where: Hawkins Park in Roebuck (find the entrance to the golf course and
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you'll find us!)
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When: Sunday, May the 3rd --- Rain Date will be May 17th ---
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Time: Formally....1:00 pm.......actually....anytime you get there after
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9:00 am.
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Who to contact...
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For directions call Bob Crawford at 205-251-4202 or
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Doug Griffin at 205-640-4139
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For Food and Goodies Call Patsy Sullivan at 205-854-7612
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There is NO CHARGE for this thing, but we're asking everyone to
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bring something to be shared with everyone. Patsy Sullivan has agreed
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to coordinate this effort. You can reach her at 205-854-7612 DURING
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REASONABLE HOURS!! Patsy is kind enough to lend a hand with this thing,
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please be kind to her when you're calling.......she'll have a list of
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what we need and who's bringing what! If you have a special item you'd
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like to bring, tell her what it is and she'll jot it down. There are
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tennis courts there and if you come early enough, you'll be able to see
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Doug and I slug it out on the courts or play a little yourself. There
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is a small playground for the kids and a covered area with tables and
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a grill. If you have a grill you want to bring, DO IT! We'll find a
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place for it.
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For more information, contact Doug or Bob ONLY!!! Don't bug Patsy
|
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with questions she won't be able to answer, she'll just tell you to call
|
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one of us. See you there and watch for more info on the nets as it
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becomes available! Remember, the RAIN DATE will be the 17th of May!
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Publisher's Corner
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by Mark Maisel
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This issue marks the 4th anniversary of the publication of the
|
||
first issue of BTN. Back when we put it together, we were trying
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something to see how it would work, or if it would work at all. I
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suppose you could say it did. We're still here and putting out BTN
|
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every month. I thought I'd share some stuff from the first issue to let
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you see how things have changed, and how they've remained the same.
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The following is a slightly altered table of contents from the first
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issue. The alterations consist of giving the names of the authors.
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This was not initially done because BTN was distributed as a single file
|
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and each article as a separate file, for the benefit of those who lacked
|
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the disk space and/or memory to download/read an entire issue. Prodoor
|
||
could be made to extract the table of contents; let the user view them,
|
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and then extract and download only the articles of interest. This
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policy lasted for a few issues and then died for lack of interest. The
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original table of contents listed the names of the files that could be
|
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extracted to give a reader a desired article.
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BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News
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COPYRIGHT 1988
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April 1988 Volume 1, Issue 1
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Table Of Contents
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-----------------
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Article Title Filename
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Policy Statement and Disclaimer................Staff
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Editorial Column...............................Mark Maisel
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1st Annual Breezin' Birmingham Awards Survey...Tyros
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PC-DOS 3.3: Whats' New........................Ed O'Neill
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Starlan Networks...............................Rick Curl
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Sysops Are Not Gods............................Tim Straughn
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Phone Lines....................................Tom Moore
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Its' A Boy.....................................Gary Godsey
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Telecommunications And Women...................Michele Cahoon
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Gamer's Corner.................................Osman Guner
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Known BBS Numbers..............................Staff
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Some of these folks are still around and producing articles. Such
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longevity is to be applauded, especially in light of the quality that
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has remained consistently high among them all. I want to thank each and
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every one of you who has taken the time to make BTN what it is today.
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One other piece of memorabilia that I thought you might enjoy is
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the first Known BBS List. Check it out and see who is still hanging
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out after all this time.
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NAME NUMBER BAUD RATES SUPPORTED
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Penny Arcade 226-1841 300,1200,2400
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America Online 324-0193 300,1200,2400
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American BBS 674-1851 300,1200,2400
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Amiga Alliance 631-2846 1200
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Apple Valley Node 1 854-9661 300,1200,2400
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Apple Valley Node 2 854-9662 300,1200,2400
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Birmingham BBS Node 1 251-2344 300,1200
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Birmingham BBS Node 2 251-8033 300,1200
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Bus System BBS 595-1627 300,1200
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Channel 8250 785-7417 300,1200,2400
|
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Commodore Club-South 853-8718 300,1200,2400
|
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Magic Star BBS 591-1571 300,1200
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Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300,1200,2400
|
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Music Alley BBS 969-2416 300,1200,2400
|
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Point of No RETURN 664-9609 300,1200,2400
|
||
Raven BBS 674-6214 300,1200,2400
|
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ST BBS 836-9311 300,1200
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Sperry BBS 853-6144 300,1200,2400
|
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The Connection Node 1 854-9074 1200,2400
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The Connection Node 2 854-2308 1200,2400
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Beltron BBS 836-3846 300,1200,2400
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68FREE 933-7518 300,1200
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America Online and the nodes of Birmingham BBS eventually were
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consolidated by Rocky into one system that is now part of MATRIX. The
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Connection has become ADANet One. Notice how nearly all of the systems
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supported 300 baud and there were no 9600 baud systems. Apple Valley
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shortly after became Pinson Valley and became the first system in town
|
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to offer 9600 baud. I bought that modem from the sysop after he took
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the system down. He also was one of the early members of Interlink, now
|
||
called ILink. He had the first QMail door and QMail offline mail reader
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offered in Birmingham. I hated that software, but it was new stuff so
|
||
I played with it for a while and put it down. Now, I find it hard to
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believe that I was as active as I managed to be before offline mail
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reading came of age.
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Things have changed, but much is the same. I still enjoy putting
|
||
together BTN as much as I did the first issue. I've made lots of good
|
||
friends and learned an awful lot about people and computers. Thanks for
|
||
the opportunities and I hope that I have more to come. Speaking of
|
||
opportunities, I hope you read the invitation to the next BTN Party!
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
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|
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User Interface Observations
|
||
by Brian W. Anderson
|
||
|
||
I'm sitting in the usual position, hunched over in an unused
|
||
(except when company comes) kitchen chair, working on a C file for a
|
||
friend of mine that shows how to access the mouse. He couldn't find any
|
||
reference to it in his studies, and I couldn't either for a while. I
|
||
did, however, come across this needed info while browsing the main B'ham
|
||
library ( C Programming by Steven Holzner and Peter Norton Computing).
|
||
|
||
At any rate, I decided to include a piece of some info from another
|
||
file that was incredibly bigger than my text editor would allow. My
|
||
first reaction was to not include the info, leaving my buddy to fend for
|
||
himself on the details. But I stopped and said to myself, "This ought to
|
||
be easy. Write a program that simply scans/scrolls through this huge
|
||
text file, and pick out the stuff I tell it to." Finally achieving the
|
||
task of finding a purpose in life for that particular Saturday morning,
|
||
I wrote the program in question.
|
||
|
||
And, as many of you know, it was as simple as I had imagined.
|
||
Still, I was quite pleased with myself, and after adding a short .DOC
|
||
file, I zipped it up and sent it to a local BBS so others could enjoy
|
||
the ability to perform this sometimes needed function.
|
||
|
||
Some time later, a friend called me about the upload. I had left my
|
||
name on the exit of the program (much like a dog peeing on an old tire
|
||
to mark his territory), and he had some suggestions about my little
|
||
effort. It worked fine, he said, but why didn't it have any color to it?
|
||
If I was going to go to the trouble of writing a program, then why
|
||
didn't I at least provide some semblance of a "Graphical User
|
||
Interface"? You know, he went on, if you are going to program in the
|
||
'90s you have to make sure it captures the user's attention. Command
|
||
line programs aren't wanted any more, because they are representative of
|
||
everything that people hate about computers.
|
||
|
||
Well. I thanked him for his advice and input on my little problem
|
||
solver. I hung up, and immediately fired up my compiler to add the
|
||
needed stuff, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Yes, I could easily guild
|
||
this lily, but why? This program does exactly what it needs, nothing
|
||
more. Does simple black and white text turn people off to the point that
|
||
they won't even use a program unless it is equipped with bells and
|
||
whistles of the utmost degree? Sitting at my kitchen chair, I wondered
|
||
if adding colors and pull-down menus and flashy graphics and sounds and
|
||
config files and user selectable colors and...........
|
||
|
||
Would any of this change the function of the program? No. If I did
|
||
add Windows capability, would it run any better or faster (stop it, your
|
||
killing me)? No, of course not. It would only slow down the intended
|
||
process. The concept of a utility is (correct me if I'm wrong) a thing
|
||
that makes your job or life easier by it's function. If you have to go
|
||
to a lot of trouble to finally make the "Utility" do what it is supposed
|
||
to do, you may be better off without it.
|
||
|
||
I suppose I am prejudiced to some extent. I have been an MS- DOS
|
||
user for some time. But I have also extensively used Microsoft's Windows
|
||
and GEOWORKS a little. My experience with Windows has been negative,
|
||
only because it has been touted as the answer to DOS-phobic people's
|
||
prayers. The thing is, if these same people can make Windows do their
|
||
bidding, they certainly would find DOS a welcome relief. The level of
|
||
intelligence it takes to actually make this thing work is not for the
|
||
average first-time neophyte. These are people that could use their
|
||
machines ten times more efficiently if given the chance. But, anyway....
|
||
|
||
I didn't want to bash Windows (it does a fine job by itself).
|
||
Actually, it works fine for a lot of people. My point was why dress up a
|
||
program that does exactly what it is suppose to do anyway? You might,
|
||
at this point, think that my perspective is "bent" because of my friend.
|
||
Unfortunately, he was not the only one. Two other users expressed their
|
||
feelings along the same lines. These are normal (almost) people, and
|
||
they come to expect things from software that wasn't even in existence a
|
||
few years ago. Am I being an "Old Fogey", computerwise?
|
||
|
||
I think the answer to that is yes and no. Yes, I should write
|
||
programs that interface with people who are using computers today, now.
|
||
Yes, I shouldn't ever stop or chastise someone for using a particular
|
||
format of software on any computer, period. People using computers is
|
||
what it is all about, and the more, the merrier. We are living in an age
|
||
where computers aren't for the weird, the geeks. They finally are there
|
||
for the average person. They are accepted as a part of life. Coming from
|
||
a period of "geek" users, I should be happy it finally caught on, and I
|
||
am. Truthfully.
|
||
|
||
No, I am not an "Old Fogey" when I refuse to make a program
|
||
"pretty" for no reason. Anyone who has an IBM compatible computer should
|
||
be able to deal with (to some extent) the "Dreaded DOS Prompt". I know a
|
||
person who bought a computer from a mail order firm with Windows
|
||
installed on the hard drive. Something went wrong, and it dropped to the
|
||
DOS prompt, "c:\>". They call the technical support line, because their
|
||
computer was "broken". I see this as a lack of knowledge about the
|
||
product they have purchased, not unlike a VCR that flashes 12:00 all the
|
||
time (okay, that's much worse). No, I don't think that people should be
|
||
completely shielded from DOS. That is the operating system your computer
|
||
is running. (Most people who are running something else, say OS/2 or
|
||
UNIX, and probably know more about MS-DOS than MS-DOS users, so they
|
||
don't apply here. It's a bad generalization, but you catch my drift.) If
|
||
you bought an IBM clone, IBM compatible, or other such equipment that
|
||
runs some sort of IBM DOS, MS DOS, ZENITH DOS PLUS, or other renditions
|
||
of the same, you'd better figure out how to make "that part" of your
|
||
computer go. Otherwise, your computer will be "broke".
|
||
|
||
Some of these IBM "users" have told me that it's too hard to figure
|
||
out all of those DOS commands. Who can say they have completely mastered
|
||
all of the DOS commands? How many people really need to? I thought back,
|
||
and could only come up with about seven that I used on a regular basis.
|
||
Think about the number of things you have to remember to get up and get
|
||
ready to go to work in the morning. (on time)
|
||
|
||
Okay, so I probably haven't convinced some of you that you need a
|
||
basic knowledge of DOS. I am going for a job interview soon with a major
|
||
company that supplies service to owners of IBM compatible computers.
|
||
Maybe I'll be there to fix your Windows. A new chair.....
|
||
Hmmmmmmmmm.........
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Review: Coherent 3.2
|
||
by George Brockman
|
||
|
||
Product: Coherent v 3.2 - Unix clone
|
||
Mark Williams Company
|
||
Requirements: IBM AT or compatible
|
||
640 K RAM
|
||
10 meg Hard Drive suggested
|
||
|
||
Somewhere in the background waiting for personal computers to grow
|
||
in terms of speed and memory size, UNIX has been waiting. It started on
|
||
the big monster computers. It's biggest influence on PCs had been
|
||
limited to the impact on DOS features such as the file structures and
|
||
even some of the commands are similar. Now, with the improvements in
|
||
home computers comes the opportunities to run bigger and more flexible
|
||
software. With these big computer operating systems have come slower
|
||
operation and bigger price tags. With some notable exceptions.
|
||
|
||
Coherent, by Mark Williams Company, offers an impressive UNIX clone
|
||
for a refreshingly reasonable price. With many UNIX systems starting at
|
||
over $500 and that not including many of the development tools (running
|
||
over $2500) the $99 investment in Coherent is a bargin. However, the
|
||
low price does not mean it comes stripped.
|
||
|
||
Coherent is an excellent educational opportunity. Their ads boast
|
||
of over 200 UNIX commands and a glimpse of their 1000+ page manual makes
|
||
that easy to believe. The system comes packaged with utilities that DOS
|
||
left out or is just now getting around to incorporating in their
|
||
bundles. Perhaps with DOS so common among PC users, it would be best to
|
||
use that as the basis for my comparison.
|
||
|
||
DOS was developed to be a single-task, single-user system while
|
||
UNIX is a multi-tasking, multi-user system. Coherent supports local and
|
||
remote terminals and UNIX networks.
|
||
|
||
Many of the commands that DOS has have a counterpart in UNIX.
|
||
Among those similar commands are:
|
||
|
||
DOS UNIX
|
||
dir ls
|
||
cd cd
|
||
md mkdir
|
||
rd rmdir
|
||
copy cp
|
||
del / erase rm (remove)
|
||
type cat
|
||
find grep
|
||
sort sort
|
||
edlin vi (pronounced vee-eye)
|
||
|
||
While some commandline switches are different, many are easy to
|
||
learn and adjusting to the variations is not "too painful". Commands
|
||
like "ls" differ in output format from DOS's "dir" principly because of
|
||
differences in the way the systems handle files. For example, with
|
||
multi-user abilities, permissions of who can run, read, and write to
|
||
which files is included in directory entries. Another habit that may be
|
||
hard to break is that sub- directories are seperated with '/' instead of
|
||
DOS's '\'.
|
||
|
||
While standard to UNIX, Coherent's 'vi' is only slightly less
|
||
painful than DOS's edlin. Fortunately, it also comes with a very
|
||
pleasant editor called MicroEMACS ('me'). The 'me' editor is full of
|
||
features including special operations that ease program development.
|
||
|
||
Until recently, DOS included BASIC with its operating system. It
|
||
lets you write your own programs without going out and buying a whole
|
||
new programming language. Coherent comes with several languages and
|
||
development tools. The biggest may well be their implementation of C.
|
||
While a DOS C compiler may cost more than the whole Coherent system,
|
||
this compiler offers a great deal. An integrated development enviroment
|
||
(like in Turbo C or MircorSoft C) is not available but the 'me' editor
|
||
will interface with the compiler. When you compile a program with the
|
||
-A option, the editor is automatically invoked in the event of an error.
|
||
|
||
Along with C, Coherent comes with awk, lex, and yacc. 'awk' is a
|
||
powerful pattern matching language. 'lex' and 'yacc' may best be
|
||
described as a tool for C development. For the more conventional
|
||
programmers, Coherent offers an assembler ('as') and debugger ('db').
|
||
The assembler supports instructions for the 8086, i8087 , and 80286
|
||
processors.
|
||
|
||
The DOS batch file programmers will enjoy the flexibility of
|
||
UNIX-style script files. Users can put more than one command on a line
|
||
with semi- colon separators. Also, redirection is heavily supported
|
||
including the 'tee' command which enables users to send output to two
|
||
devices.
|
||
|
||
Of course, not everybody is a budding programmer. For the user who
|
||
just wants to use Coherent, it comes with the standard UNIX type extras.
|
||
There is a built in calendar, 2 calculators, commandline spellchecker,
|
||
built-in communications, internal and external mail, and personal
|
||
scheduler. All from the commandline without loading extra shells or menu
|
||
facilities.
|
||
|
||
The calendar 'cal' will display a calendar for any month or a whole
|
||
year. With a commandline argument you can specify a whole year or a
|
||
month with any date. For example, the command line 'cal april 6' will
|
||
default to the current year and show the whole month like this:
|
||
|
||
April
|
||
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
|
||
1 2 3
|
||
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
|
||
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
|
||
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
|
||
25 26 27 28 29 30
|
||
|
||
With the 'calendar' command you can schedule events and then with
|
||
the 'cat calendar' command you can check your schedule. With each
|
||
login a user can create a '.profile' file that acts like an AUTOEXEC.BAT
|
||
for each user that checks the calendar for any appointments of the day.
|
||
Two calculators also come with the system 'bc' and 'dc'. Both are
|
||
programmable and one has 'arbitrary precision'.
|
||
|
||
Communications is second nature to this enviroment. Consider how
|
||
many remote control programs there are out there for DOS that lets you
|
||
run your computer as if you were sitting at your desktop even if you are
|
||
calling from across the country. With the simultanious multi-user
|
||
nature of this enviroment, access from different terminals (local or
|
||
remote) is imparative. Built in is a program called 'uucp' which is
|
||
actually representative of several programs that handle communication
|
||
from e-mail handles to uploading and downloading from one unix system to
|
||
another. Along with the UUCP command set comes kermit and Coherent's
|
||
own ckermit which handle communication with more user control. With
|
||
uucp you can queue a request to copy a file from one system and when
|
||
that system is next scheduled for connection, the system will
|
||
automatically handle the transfer.
|
||
|
||
Security is also available. Like locking the door to your home,
|
||
security is only as good as you enforce but with a few precautions a
|
||
full line of security measures are available if you decide to put your
|
||
system on line. If you opt to go online you can even run accounting with
|
||
a full line of features to monitor individual usage.
|
||
|
||
Nearly any command you would run can be run in the background by
|
||
ending the commandline with the '&' ampersand. For those programs you
|
||
want to run at predetermined times you can schedule with the 'at'
|
||
command.
|
||
|
||
If you know a command you think is right but want to verify its
|
||
function or want to see what special options it has, you can access the
|
||
online help or the HUGE online manual. Some entries have several
|
||
screens worth of useful information. With all of the commands and
|
||
options, this will be useful even after you use this system for awhile.
|
||
|
||
DOS support: a toss up. You can read from or write to a DOS disk
|
||
or partition but running DOS programs appears to be out. DOS also can't
|
||
run or access any of the Coherent system. If fact, the computer must be
|
||
cold- booted to move between enviroments.
|
||
|
||
This is just an overview of some of the many capabilities of the
|
||
Coherent system. But how good a clone of UNIX is this system? The best
|
||
test I could think of was to come up with a good book on the real thing
|
||
and see if I could use what I learned in it on Coherent. With all of
|
||
the sources I came across, I had no trouble learning Coherent from UNIX
|
||
books. It may be fair to assume the opposite is true. The manual that
|
||
comes with Coherent is a fair introduction to the operating system and
|
||
the Lexicon is an excellent resourse for every command and feature. It
|
||
is one of the most detailed manuals I have ever seen. Wow! The biggest
|
||
question of compatibility has to be asked with the understanding that
|
||
the differences between versions and implementations is vast in what are
|
||
considered "true" UNIX systems.
|
||
|
||
But no operating system is perfect. The 2 problems I saw that may
|
||
be a consideration for some users would be the huge project of
|
||
installation and the apparent absence of graphics. The first is
|
||
probably unavoidable but it is a bear. The ads boast of 20-30 minutes
|
||
installation time but to install the system you must partition your hard
|
||
disk and give a partition exclusive access to Coherent. It took me 3
|
||
hours to back up my current DOS system, install Coherent, and then
|
||
restore the DOS file system. During installation you will be given some
|
||
scary messages that are meant to give you fair warning. Intermediate
|
||
users would do well to have a trusted, more experienced user sit in on
|
||
the installation (if only for piece of mind). They are not for the faint
|
||
of heart. The absence of graphics may be remedied with a little
|
||
handcoding of your own routines, but that has not been tested.
|
||
|
||
Overall, Coherent caters to the curious in the computer world. If
|
||
you want to learn all about that little machine on your desk (or maybe
|
||
lap now-a-days) and the different operating systems, a good step may
|
||
well be this product. And beyond education, Coherent is a good
|
||
operating system. For the word-processing family with several people
|
||
pushing for computer access, the multi-user mode could be indispensible.
|
||
If the terminals are in separate rooms, a 'write' command will send
|
||
messages between users. Devices like printers can even be shared.
|
||
|
||
Note: There are several additional packages offering more programs
|
||
than can be covered in this writing. They range from database,
|
||
spreadsheets, to games and communication programs. Also, Mark Williams
|
||
Co. has a bbs for their customers. Coming soon, a local conference on
|
||
ST is in the works for Coherent and UNIX users in a DOS forum.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
"STOP ON A DYM"
|
||
|
||
A regular interview feature which looks
|
||
at the goings-on on Willie's DYM (Dial-Your-Match) BBS
|
||
|
||
by Scott Hollifield
|
||
|
||
------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Unless you've been keeping your head underwater for the past year,
|
||
or you've been calling nothing but the Sperry BBS (which is pretty much
|
||
the same thing), you've probably heard about the four-node phenomenon
|
||
known as "Willie's Dial-Your-Match BBS" (or "Willie's DYM"), the
|
||
hippest, trendiest, most sexually gregarious system to call in town. In
|
||
fact, it's safe to say that before Willie's, there was no such thing as
|
||
a trendy BBS. Whether or not you choose to call it, though, is another
|
||
matter entirely.
|
||
|
||
Some say it's too weird, its users too willing to do strange
|
||
things. Some complain that the message content is invariably vulgar and
|
||
immature. They say that the "match-maker" questionnaire format of the
|
||
board is too much like some insane local version of "Love Connection".
|
||
Some will point to the fact that Oracomm, the software used by Willie's,
|
||
is arcane to the point of being an acquired taste, in the same sense
|
||
that eating grass is an acquired taste - after a few months and with
|
||
some salt and ketchup, you do manage to get used to it.
|
||
|
||
However, there is no denying the influence of Willie's - the level
|
||
of anonymity ensured by the software is very very attractive to some
|
||
people (not only does Willie's recognize you only by a handle, but it
|
||
forces you to keep the handle at 8 characters or less). The multi-node
|
||
chat system affords possibilities only dreamt of by the regulars on the
|
||
real-name Matrix down the road. Willie's has what is quite possibly the
|
||
highest percentage of female users in town - and in the history of
|
||
Birmingham bulletin boards. It also has an abnormally high percentage
|
||
of "exclusive" users - users who, outside of Willie's, call no other
|
||
boards, or only a very few. And for the first time, the reigning elite
|
||
of the local BBS scene, which, despite some shuffling here and there,
|
||
has remained pretty much the same since the early '80s, is seeing its
|
||
territory invaded from the outside, by the upstarts from Willie's.
|
||
|
||
To this end, I've decided to allow our regular BTN readers who may
|
||
not be overly familiar with Willie's DYM to have a small glimpse into
|
||
this eerie other world, in this new monthly feature which begins this
|
||
month. Every month in this column, I will, using my own account, call
|
||
Willie's DYM and interview the first user I see; the idea is to allow an
|
||
improved climate of understanding among everybody.
|
||
|
||
This month's STOP ON A DYM features a fairly friendly guy who calls
|
||
himself "LAMBERT".
|
||
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Okay, for starters, how long have you been using BBSs?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: A little less than 2 years.
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Is Lambert your real name or just a pseudonym?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: [censored] is my name.
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Oh, well you didn't have to tell me that.
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: No problem.
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: It's just that I know someone else who is actually named
|
||
Lambert, and I thought you might be he.
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: No, I had a friend named Lambert years ago, and he would
|
||
have loved this BBS...so....
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: I see. Well, is this the only BBS you call, or do you call
|
||
other others as well?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: A few others on occasion.
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: But this is your favorite, huh?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: Yep!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: But why? What's the appeal?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: Well, being unknown is part of it, and feeling free to say
|
||
or do whatever you like (as long as you don't hurt someone
|
||
else). And also the chat mode is fun. You can talk to a
|
||
variety of interesting people at any hour of the day!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: And it's free.
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: True... although I am a registered user!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Oh yeah! Well, good for you. The BBS scene needs more of
|
||
you. How long have you been using this board?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: I found Willie's about a month after I started modeming!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Do you chat with a lot of people?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: Quite a few! I have talked with a much larger variety of
|
||
people than I might ever have in real life!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Well, that's a good thing I suppose. Have you actually met
|
||
anyone you talk to on here?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: Not a one!! I have come close a few times, but it hasn't
|
||
worked out yet. I have become pretty good friends with a
|
||
few people on here. I have met a lot of folks on the screen
|
||
anyway. I can chat with someone at four in the morning if I
|
||
wanna talk. Or if I have a problem, I can invariably find
|
||
someone who can help... therapeutic, I guess you could say!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: When you say "it hasn't worked out", what do you mean
|
||
exactly?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: Well, for one reason or another, we haven't connected.
|
||
Like the their kids needed to go to a ballgame at the last
|
||
minute, or I ended up working late or something. But I
|
||
really haven't tried REAL hard to meet anyone yet!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Are you actually looking for a romantic encounter with
|
||
someone - I don't mean actively, but hopefully - or are you
|
||
just scouting around for new friends?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: Mostly for new friends, I do think that modem sex is safe
|
||
sex!! But, mostly friends to talk to, or tell my problems
|
||
to, without having to watch what I say, or who I talk
|
||
about!!!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Yeah, but you know, it seems like an awful lot of the time,
|
||
modem sex gradually leads to real sex, which is not quite as
|
||
safe safe.
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: Well, that's true, but in 2 years I have never met one
|
||
person off a BBS!! So, I am not too worried. I have a lot
|
||
of new friends. And I am not primarily looking for even
|
||
modem sex!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Well, okay. In recent months, it seems like the so-called
|
||
"Willie's crowd" has gotten more and more prominent in town.
|
||
They're staging parties, meeting each other more often, and
|
||
are crossing over into what was once the mainstream of local
|
||
BBS socializing. Do you see any of that?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: Yes, I can say I have noticed a bit more of that...Is that
|
||
a bad thing?
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: I don't know. I suppose it depends on your perspective. I
|
||
just think it's interesting. Do you consider yourself part
|
||
of this "crowd"?
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: Good question...I am on the outside looking in, I guess you
|
||
could say. I am a fairly private person in real life! I
|
||
say a lot on Willie's that I would not dare say on the
|
||
street! I guess I am somewhat of a part of this crowd...
|
||
but from a safe distance!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Well, you seem to be happy where you're at, in regard to
|
||
everything else.
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: Yes, I have a lot of fun on here... but I don't rock the
|
||
boat... I don't plan on going to any parties or anything...I
|
||
probably wouldn't fit in to be honest!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Some people work best from a distance, I suppose. Although
|
||
I will say, to be fair, that the parties usually attract a
|
||
diverse bunch. From my experience, and the ones I've
|
||
personally been to (which I should say were not actually
|
||
geared toward the Willie's people at first), it's a bit
|
||
easier to fit in than it might be at other kinds of parties
|
||
because of the common ground involved.
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: True...Diverse is the word in this case...I have an IQ of
|
||
168... And I would venture to say, that quite a few of the
|
||
users on here are probably in the upper range! I don't mean
|
||
to say that I wouldn't enjoy meeting some of these folks...I
|
||
just have not decided to jump right in yet. I guess i am a
|
||
little more wary than a lot of these gregarious people are.
|
||
I am not quite a as outgoing as they are..i would appear to
|
||
be a stick in the mud to many. I like a lot of these
|
||
people...and I guess I do consider them "my" people, in a
|
||
way...some of them know more about me than many of the
|
||
people that I work with and socialize with now!!!
|
||
|
||
SCOTT: Well, it does pay to be careful.
|
||
|
||
LAMBERT: True...there are a lot of strange people out there in the
|
||
world today...and you don't want to let them in your living
|
||
room! But I believe that happiness is a matter of
|
||
choice...you can choose to be happy, or you can choose to be
|
||
miserable. I choose to be happy, and a lot of these people
|
||
seem to be happy people.
|
||
|
||
--------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Lambert was a decent enough sort of fellow, and I figured that what
|
||
he had to say would be a good beginning. In the coming months, I hope
|
||
to get a little deeper into the soul that turns DYM - dig up some of the
|
||
dirt, draw out what some might be afraid to say, find out a little more
|
||
about what goes on with those who KNOW. You know? See you next month.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Notes from the Trenches
|
||
by Dean Costello
|
||
|
||
"The Pain, the Pain"
|
||
|
||
There are few things in the world today in which I can claim to be
|
||
superior. I have a Masters degree, but hell, they're a dime a dozen. I
|
||
have a mediocre ability to play keyboards, a relatively unique writing
|
||
style, and a little talent for verbal (and written) humour.
|
||
|
||
But there are very few things that I can say "I, Dean, am better
|
||
than 'X'", whatever X may be. And I have finally identified what 'X'
|
||
is. 'X' is those people that enjoy "America's Funniest Home Videos".
|
||
|
||
For the unitiated, "America's Funniest Home Videos" is a television
|
||
show Sunday nights that shows segments of video tapes that people have
|
||
ostensibly shot of family, friends, total strangers, and/or critters and
|
||
other objects. The deal is this: If you have a video tape with a clever
|
||
or whatever sequence on it, send in the tape (with a self-addressed
|
||
mailer and $5.00 for the ubiquitous 'handling' charge), and if they use
|
||
it, you get a T- shirt. If it is considered to be one of the best of
|
||
the night, the audience then votes and decides the best. The best gets
|
||
$10K, the second best gets $3K, and the third best gets $2K.
|
||
|
||
Okay, all well and good, I guess. This show has had very high
|
||
Nielsen television ratings. And net expenditure is $15K? Not bad,
|
||
really. Well, the cost of Bob Sagget isn't included. A curious
|
||
creature, this Sagget fellow. His job is to introduce the video shorts,
|
||
and he also makes 'wry' comments as the short progresses. He strikes me
|
||
as being extremely unfunny. He claims that he writes his own material,
|
||
and that is a good thing, since I wouldn't think that a 'real' comedy
|
||
writer would be caught dead submitting the bland and stupid comments.
|
||
|
||
The thing that bothers me about this show is that it illustrates a
|
||
concept that I have been noticing over the past couple of years. That
|
||
is:
|
||
|
||
"It constantly amazes me how little it costs to buy ones soul"
|
||
|
||
The particular genre of humour called the inadvertant pratfall is
|
||
very rampant. An awful lot of pictures of old people tripping and
|
||
falling, dogs running into sliding glass doors, cars being left out of
|
||
gear and hitting something, that kind of thing. But what strikes me as
|
||
being somewhat nasty are the kid shorts. An example: video of a child
|
||
of about 3 or 4 walking down a dock. Mom/Dad holding camera calls
|
||
child's name. Child, while continuing to walk, looks towards Mom/Dad.
|
||
Child then walks off end of dock and into water. Yux ensue.
|
||
|
||
You see, one of the mainstays of this show is that of people
|
||
getting hurt. For instance, one overweight woman was being lowered onto
|
||
a horse. She got on, then the horse bucked and ran out from under her,
|
||
causing her to fall about six feet straight on her ass. As I watched
|
||
that, I was horrified since that looked very painful, but the segment
|
||
stopped as soon as she hit the dirt. No tears, no pain, just the fall.
|
||
Ha ha. Fade to next short.
|
||
|
||
Now, getting back to my comment above, one is going to have to go
|
||
an awful long way before being able to convince me that events like the
|
||
baby going off into the water aren't staged by the adults in order to
|
||
make a video short that would be more likely to make money. And the
|
||
parents seem quite happy to place their child (pet, friends, whom or
|
||
whatever) in jeopardy.
|
||
|
||
It kind of underlines some things about the basic cruelty in humans
|
||
to take delight in other's pain. There was a study a bunch of years ago
|
||
(before rules were placed into effect that limited the head games
|
||
psychology experiments could play with subjects) that showed
|
||
that...Well, let me explain the experiment a bit better. The premise
|
||
was this: Would electrical shocks effect learning? The experiment had
|
||
one person with electrical leads attached to himself in a room where he
|
||
was taught. Another person was in another room and was to administer
|
||
electrical shocks whenever a wrong answer was given, and the voltage was
|
||
to increase with each wrong answer. The first couple of wrong answers
|
||
were low, but as the experiment continued, the voltage of the shock
|
||
would be increased. As time went on, groans were heard from the
|
||
learning room, but the person continued to apply shocks. Soon, the
|
||
groans increased to screaming, but the shocks continued. After a while,
|
||
the screaming stop, but the order to increase the voltage was given and
|
||
obeyed. The upshot of the experiment was that the person giving the
|
||
shocks was really the test subject and the test was to determine what a
|
||
person would do to another person. It was discovered that something
|
||
like 85-95% of the people would continue to shock the learning person
|
||
until after the person was 'unconscious', and 70% gave indications that
|
||
they enjoyed giving the shocks. I'm not exactly sure how this ties in,
|
||
except that people that are surprised by man's inhumanity to man
|
||
shouldn't be. But the popularity of show that displays such should also
|
||
not be suprising, and you should pardon my feeling somewhat smug by me
|
||
despising such a show.
|
||
|
||
The whole thing reminds me of an event from a couple of months ago,
|
||
just before I left Birmingham. Mark Maisel and myself went to "China
|
||
Garden", a Chinese <gasp> restaurant near Mark's house. As he and I were
|
||
getting food, someone in line whispered, in a sotto voice, that the two
|
||
of us would eat all the food before he got there; laughs from the crowd,
|
||
rimshot. That kind of shit doesn't bother me a whole lot since I have
|
||
heard that kind of thing since I was about 6, but apparently Mark was
|
||
not as mentally prepared as I for that kind of comment. Preparation
|
||
doesn't make it less painful though. I don't care if it is considered
|
||
'politically correct' (the catchphrase of the 90s, similar to 'liberal'
|
||
last decade), goddammit, its still humiliating and painful to hear it.
|
||
|
||
As much, if not more than, falling from a horse, and a friend/
|
||
relative recording it for posterity and then sending it to a show in the
|
||
hopes of getting money. But pain seems to sell. The people that shot
|
||
the segment got $3,000 for their efforts.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Top Ten Reasons to Use a Mail Reader
|
||
by Scott Kelley
|
||
|
||
10. Easier to come up with witty responses to stupid messages
|
||
9. The sysop can't see how slow you type
|
||
8. Answer mail at work when the boss isn't looking
|
||
7. You can read all of the conferences you wouldn't want to be seen in
|
||
6. Much easier to lurk in more conferences
|
||
5. More time to look up obscure references for argument conferences
|
||
4. Easier than ever to add a 16 line ANSI signature to EVERY
|
||
MESSAGE you post
|
||
3. More time to call other boards and read EVEN MORE MAIL!
|
||
2. Because all my friends are using mail readers
|
||
1. It's safer than going to singles bars
|
||
|
||
|
||
Top Ten Reasons to Not Use a Mail Reader
|
||
also by Scott Kelley
|
||
|
||
10. Because there's not a mail reader for your Timex Sinclair
|
||
9. Like having 120 minutes on every board you call
|
||
8. Thought BBS doors were only for on-line games
|
||
7. Tried a mail reader, but the on-line chat function didn't work
|
||
6. Are never off-line long enough to set up a mail reader
|
||
5. Typing at 300 baud in an online full page editor really floats your boat
|
||
4. Thought XMODEM was one of those kinky positions
|
||
3. Want to impress Dean Costello with your intellectual abilities online
|
||
2. Want to distinguish yourself from the masses
|
||
1. Because you're too busy getting .GIF files to get a .QWK packet, too
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
"Of All The Nerve!"
|
||
by R.H.Crawford
|
||
|
||
There has been an ongoing controversy, one that seems to crop up
|
||
from time to time concerning SYSOPs and what they do or do not owe their
|
||
users in the way of services, system access and basically how the board
|
||
is setup and run. Most recently this mindless monster has sprung upon
|
||
The Matrix, brought to life by one I shall not bother to name, although
|
||
I would really like to, REALLY! But I fear that in naming the culprit I
|
||
would lessen the impact of the act itself......many may be prone to
|
||
"consider the source" and leave it lay,....... bad move!
|
||
|
||
So I direct this article to those of you who have the gall to
|
||
complain to ANY SYSOP of ANY BOARD about how THEIR board is setup and
|
||
run! You know who you are, and so do we!
|
||
|
||
Just where the hell do you get off telling any of us how YOU think
|
||
we should do anything? Suggest, Request, Inquire about, certainly! But
|
||
tell, complain, badger, whine, cry, create public messages and basically
|
||
make yourself look like the mindless bowl of embarrassing puke you are
|
||
SHOULD be out of the question! But Nooooooooooooo, some of you just have
|
||
to have something to screech about on occasion don't you?
|
||
|
||
Have you ever run a BBS? Have you ever been close to a running
|
||
BBS? Have you ever known anyone who would let you in the same room with
|
||
a running BBS? Before you allow any of that slobber run out of your
|
||
whiney mouths again, perhaps you might like to step into a SYSOPs shoes
|
||
for awhile? I suggest YOU spend the money to register the software, not
|
||
only for the board, but for the various doors and services many boards
|
||
offer. After that, get your ass out and fork over YOUR hard earned bucks
|
||
for the hardware it takes to run a decent board. Now that you've done
|
||
the EASY part, sit down for a few days (at best, weeks more than likely)
|
||
and LEARN how to set it up, configure all the doors, get the echoes
|
||
working properly, set up the events to run without a hitch, apply and
|
||
pay for the hub status you want, and get the various directories set up
|
||
and load in the initial files you'll start running with, and don't
|
||
forget that YOU have to type in all the initial descriptions for all
|
||
those files.
|
||
|
||
Ahhhh, now you've finally got YOUR board up and running and it's a
|
||
piece of cake from here right?? Nothing to do but sit back and bask in
|
||
the glory of being a SYSOP right? Wrong again brainless ones! The fun
|
||
has just begun! First you have to come up with a way to validate all
|
||
those users, uh YOU WILL validate won't you? After all, if YOU don't,
|
||
you're sure to have all kinds of "FUN" people uploading all sorts of
|
||
wonderful stuff to YOUR board. Validation takes time from whatever life
|
||
you think you have.
|
||
|
||
Now there is the matter of maintenance, the up keep of the software
|
||
and hardware is YOUR responsibility. What do you do when the board
|
||
crashes, when files become corrupted, data bases become lost to the
|
||
great abyss and hard drives suddenly seem to have disappeared? Well, if
|
||
you have LOTS and LOTS of money, you can call a REAL SYSOP and hope
|
||
he/she has the good graces to give you a hand! This is ONLY feasable if
|
||
you haven't been a total pain in the ass to the rest of the BBSing
|
||
world, otherwise I wouldn't hold my breath. All of this TOO takes time
|
||
out of what little life you now have left.
|
||
|
||
Now that you have all of that under some form of intermittent
|
||
control, you can enjoy the fun and games of dealing with the users. Now
|
||
THIS is the best part of SYSOPing for the most part. I won't put a
|
||
percentage figure to it but I know for a fact that the vast majority are
|
||
great, fantastic, caring, warm, fun-loving, generous people. These
|
||
Users you don't "deal" with, you have FUN with! But the others, DAMN!
|
||
There are those who have no idea of what it's really all about, choosing
|
||
to use the BBS as a forum for their mindless tirades against all sorts
|
||
of imagined injustice and attacking any and all who disagree with them
|
||
in the slightest. These idiots from the "I am an escapee from the
|
||
Persecuted Persons ward" have no idea what real FUN is and merely serve
|
||
to make the rest of the sane world wonder how these people managed to
|
||
actually purchase a computer in the first place.
|
||
|
||
Next we have the "Macho-Women-Hungry-I'm-The-Best-You'll-Ever-Have"
|
||
set. Here's a group you'll really enjoy calling your board. In no time
|
||
at all you'll find your user base reduced to 95% hormone driven
|
||
slime-balls and 5% hard-assed women who like nothing better than to deal
|
||
with morons who actually think they're going to get somewhere with them.
|
||
You'll love fielding all the private messages from the rest of the
|
||
female users who become intimidated and start trashing your board to
|
||
everyone else. Drop some more of your precious time in the
|
||
toilet........
|
||
|
||
Next up on your list of "Folks I could sure do without" will be the
|
||
tough guys and gals, those who think they can get anything they want
|
||
through intimidation, verbal and/or physical. These mental midgets are
|
||
a host of fun and games. It's with these goofy, attention seeking
|
||
sociopaths that you'll loose the most users and gain a reputation that
|
||
you could really do without. Keeping these idiots under control will
|
||
trash even more of what life you now THOUGHT you would have.
|
||
|
||
Last, but certainly NOT least, you'll have to deal with the
|
||
WHINERS. Those who constantly bombard your private as well as PUBLIC
|
||
mail with post after post of what a lousy job you're doing because
|
||
you're NOT doing things to please THEM specifically. And believe me, NO
|
||
MATTER WHAT YOU DO, you'll not ever satisfy them! Offer to allow them
|
||
to come to YOUR HOME (invading your privacy) to get files and listen to
|
||
them gripe about how YOU have nerve asking them to actually travel
|
||
somewhere to get a program that THEY want. Tell them to inform you of
|
||
what program they would like to have and you'll get it for them on YOUR
|
||
board to download at their leisure and they'll cry about how YOU expect
|
||
them to call ANOTHER board just to get a program THEY want. Try to be a
|
||
decent friend and SYSOP and they'll let you know, in no uncertain terms
|
||
that they don't appreciate your efforts to help them out UNLESS it's on
|
||
THEIR terms!
|
||
|
||
So you, who know damn well who you are, should give me a call when
|
||
you've been at this SYSOP thing for more than a few minutes in a day
|
||
dream. Let me know how you're life is going and tell me what a great
|
||
time YOU'RE having pleasing ALL THE PEOPLE, ALL THE TIME!
|
||
|
||
As for me, hell, I'm only a Co-SYSOP on Baudville BBS. Doug
|
||
Griffin has to do all the work on the board. It's his money in it, and
|
||
much of his life on a day to day basis. But I'm aware of his, and many
|
||
many other SYSOPs, day to day problems and to tell you the truth, I
|
||
wouldn't put up with you morons for a minute. I'd just find that
|
||
"delete" key and ban you from my world
|
||
altogether.......................PERMANENTLY!
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Losing My Religion?
|
||
You Can't Lose What You Don't Have
|
||
by Shawn Trucks
|
||
|
||
I found out recently, much to my own surprise that I am the Anti-
|
||
Christ. This especially comes as quite a shock to me seeing that I don't
|
||
even believe in the existence of Hell or Satan. Although there are some
|
||
things that I *am* anti, such as abortion, censorship and racism, Christ
|
||
is not one of them. I have nothing against people who believe in God.
|
||
But it seems that a lot of these same people can't accept the
|
||
possibility that maybe I don't. In the immortal words of Drivin N Cryin;
|
||
"Not that it's right or it's wrong, it just ain't for me." Of course
|
||
you're not supposed to show any signs of individuality around these
|
||
people. And they have no real understanding of how to distinguish right
|
||
from wrong. What's right is what God says is right. What they fail to
|
||
realize is that there are no absolutes, no black or white. It takes a
|
||
little more than looking up passages in a book to decide what is right
|
||
and what is wrong. Whenever I make this point I'm made out to be some
|
||
instrument of evil, placed here to test the faith of the righteous. My
|
||
mistake for assuming I'm allowed to think for myself. I really wonder
|
||
what it's worse to be, anti-Christ or anti-choice?
|
||
|
||
The subject of this article is the result of a telephone
|
||
conversation I had recently with a certain female friend. Because of
|
||
this, she hasn't called in several days. (Hmmm... Feels like d<>ja vu.)
|
||
We've had discussions like this before. The last time she stopped
|
||
calling for about three weeks. But I know she'll call back... She always
|
||
calls back... Scary huh? Anyway, the conversation (argument) went
|
||
something like this:
|
||
|
||
I'm minding my own business, watching some forgettable T.V. show
|
||
when the phone rings. Sighing audibly, hoping it's not for me and
|
||
knowing that it probably is, I reach down from where I'm lying on the
|
||
couch and pick up the receiver.
|
||
|
||
Shawn: "Hello." (Spoken in a dull monotone)
|
||
Kristie: "Hey. Whatcha doin?"
|
||
S: "Nothing..." (All of our conversations ALWAYS begin this way)
|
||
K: "Is Wendel still over there?" (This is the name she uses for a friend
|
||
of mine Garret, no one knows why)
|
||
S: "No."
|
||
K: "I knew he wasn't."
|
||
S: "Really?" (Said with very little enthusiasm)
|
||
K: "Yep. You act different on the phone when he's there."
|
||
K: "Listen, I want to tell you this story. Okay?
|
||
S: "..."
|
||
K: "OKAY?"
|
||
S: "Yeh yeh."
|
||
K: "Okay. There was this mobile home that was hit by a tornado. It just
|
||
tore the whole thing apart. These people had a three month old baby.
|
||
After the storm was over they went looking for the baby, cause they
|
||
thought it was dead. The tornado had taken it up in the air, and
|
||
dropped it in a tree. It was hung upside down by it's clothes, but it
|
||
was still alive. Now tell me that wasn't a miracle of God!"
|
||
S: "Luck..."
|
||
K: "It was not just luck!" (Sounding a little upset)
|
||
S: "Sure it was."
|
||
K: "It wasn't luck! It just wasn't its time to die."
|
||
S: "That's because it doesn't have any predetermined time to die. It's
|
||
death will only be determined by circumstances and chance."
|
||
K: "It does NOT have anything to do with chance! If it's your time to go,
|
||
it's your time to go!"
|
||
S: "Bullshit."
|
||
K: "It is not bullshit! You keep thinking that way and you're going to
|
||
Hell!"
|
||
S: "I don't believe in Hell."
|
||
K: "It doesn't matter if you believe in it or not! That's where you're
|
||
going!"
|
||
S: "Sure..."
|
||
K: "I don't care! I know I'm right! People like you were put here to test
|
||
us!
|
||
S: "You're so full of it."
|
||
K: "I don't mind telling you, you're pissing me off! You know I don't
|
||
like people talking about stuff like that and I don't want you
|
||
bringing it up again!!" (Just who called whom here?)
|
||
S: "So?"
|
||
K: "Yeah so!"
|
||
(Several long seconds of complete silence...)
|
||
K: "Well I gotta go."
|
||
S: "Yep."
|
||
K: "Bye."
|
||
S: (No reply. Hangs up phone)
|
||
|
||
That was the last I heard from her. I'm so heart broken... Anyway,
|
||
the thing I don't understand about this "miracle of God" is that if God
|
||
is all powerful, why did he have to let the tornado pick up the baby and
|
||
dump it in a tree in the first place? To prove he could perform miracles
|
||
by sparing its life? Even though the baby wasn't killed, it would seem
|
||
awfully cruel for someone to allow an infant to go through such an
|
||
ordeal when it didn't even have to happen. Also, if everyone has a
|
||
certain time to die, wouldn't that mean that every other aspect of our
|
||
lives is likewise determined by God in the same manner? Does this mean
|
||
that babies which are abused and molested are done that way because of
|
||
some predetermined "program" that is being run? Because it was their
|
||
time to be abused and molested? I think it's rather frightening to
|
||
suppose that our lives are being controlled and manipulated in such a
|
||
simplistic fashion. And if it is true that people who take their own
|
||
lives are condemned to eternity in Hell, then where is the justice in
|
||
that? If you commit suicide, wasn't it just because it was your time to
|
||
die? If each of our deaths are determined beforehand by God, then how
|
||
can you be punished for an act that you are locked into performing from
|
||
the beginning? If the course of our lives is somehow being guided, then
|
||
the deteriorating condition of the world today, both environmentally and
|
||
socially is also part of some predetermined plan. If this is true then
|
||
we never had a chance. What are we, some kind of cruel experiment? An
|
||
initial prototype race, just until God gets the bugs worked out?
|
||
|
||
I'm not trying to offend anyone here, although I usually do anyway.
|
||
Christ -oops! I mean Jeez! Is jeez more acceptable? Just ask about my
|
||
first article. Offending is what I seem to do best. The funny thing is
|
||
I've never once told anyone I don't believe in God. I'm not an atheist,
|
||
just an agnostic. Kristie's response when I mentioned this to her once
|
||
was, "A what?" Needless to say, I gave up a long time ago trying to
|
||
discuss any issue with her of any greater depth than phone sex or the
|
||
subtle nuances of how to make the perfect prank phone call, which for
|
||
some reason she has a bizarre fascination with. Everything is fine as
|
||
long as you don't question God. On the subject of questioning God, I'll
|
||
draw from an experience I had during an ethics class in college. As in
|
||
the biblical story of how God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son
|
||
Isaac, we were asked if we would without question sacrifice one of our
|
||
own children if God commanded us to. I was actually shocked when several
|
||
people said that yes, they would if God commanded them to. Is God above
|
||
being questioned? Wouldn't it be acceptable to question, or even refuse
|
||
such an action if not for your own sake, then at least for the sake of
|
||
the child in question? Are we supposed to think that something is right
|
||
just because God commands it? What about the people who murder their
|
||
families because they say God told them to? The same people who say it
|
||
would be right to sacrifice your offspring at Gods command would be the
|
||
first to condemn the family killer as evil or insane or both. No one
|
||
really believes that God actually vocally speaks to anyone. It may sound
|
||
nice in print, but it just doesn't happen.
|
||
|
||
I find it interesting that although I have an enormous capacity for
|
||
caring and a very high regard for others feelings, I'm made to feel like
|
||
I'm a bad person because I question the existence of God. And by people
|
||
who place their self worth above that of people they don't even know on
|
||
the basis of how they look, what they wear or what type of music they
|
||
listen to. Maybe there is a God. I've never said that there wasn't, just
|
||
that I have doubts. And if some people are made uncomfortable when I
|
||
question His existence, then maybe they just aren't secure enough in
|
||
their own beliefs. But since as far as I know I still possess a free
|
||
will, I'll continue to question whatever I want, whenever I want. After
|
||
all, this *is* still a free country... Isn't it?
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
A Day in the Life of Michael Davidson
|
||
by Michael Davidson
|
||
|
||
I finally got sick of seeing all of these articles about a school
|
||
day for Colby Gibson, so I decided to write one of my own and bore the
|
||
socks off all of you who feel the same way I do about Colby's articles.
|
||
(Very little offense meant, Colby.) I will, however, try to make it as
|
||
interesting as possible for all of you. I just thought you needed
|
||
another perspective of school.
|
||
|
||
All of my days are different, so I will pick the most extreme:
|
||
Thursday. Bear in mind that usually I do not put in twelve hours at
|
||
school, this day is just the day that I do a little bit extra. Usually
|
||
these days I only stay ten.
|
||
|
||
I tend to arrive at around 7:40 AM, and I head to the gym where
|
||
they store the students who arrive early. I look for my friends, who are
|
||
usually in two different places, and I decide which clique to visit. At
|
||
7:45, we are all dismissed to homeroom. My homeroom teacher has to be
|
||
the most moody and tempramental in all of the eighth grade, and needless
|
||
to say, I don't have much fun. I usually have some homework to finish up
|
||
from the night before, but any hopes of finishing then are dashed when
|
||
Mrs. Ruffing asks me to show her a math formula, or how to solve some
|
||
goofy problem that any fourth grader in his/her right mind could solve.
|
||
After homeroom, I stay put, because first period is algebra with the
|
||
dragon lady. I usually sleep in this class, because I took algebra last
|
||
summer at UAB, and consequently I happen to know as much as the teacher.
|
||
Actually, I could probably teach the material better, and on some
|
||
occasions I have, but that's getting off the subject, and besides that,
|
||
I'm beginning to sound too conceited.
|
||
|
||
After 45 minutes of happy dreams, I go to speach with the second
|
||
best teacher at Pizitz Middle School, Elisabeth McCord. If any of you
|
||
are involved in local theatre, you might know the name. Sometimes we end
|
||
up actually doing work in the class, but usually it turns into one long
|
||
class discussion and a contest to see how far off the subject we can
|
||
wander. I really like that class.
|
||
|
||
But alas, to all good things, there must come an end. I must
|
||
traverse the halls until I come to science, with Ms. Donna Moore, the
|
||
blonde teacher. Now generally, I'm not prejudiced against blondes, but
|
||
this is a different story. This lady is an AIRHEAD. The only things she
|
||
knows is that that the book tells her. I end up sleeping through this
|
||
period also.
|
||
|
||
Next comes English, with Mrs. Richardson, the dinosaur, who has NO
|
||
control over her class. I end up finding a comfortable spot on the
|
||
counter amongst the dictionaries and rest a while until I am shouted at
|
||
enough that I feel it is appropriate to move. This is my first class
|
||
with the very same Ricky Eanes that we all know and love. We talk all
|
||
period, and no amount of shouting can stop us, or the 22 other kids in
|
||
that class for that matter.
|
||
|
||
Finally, I get to go to lunch. I am very weird about packing my
|
||
lunch. I end up doing it based on my mood at the time. If I'm not hungry
|
||
when I make my lunch, I don't make much. If I'm not in the mood for an
|
||
apple then, I won't put one in. It's a pretty good strategy, actually,
|
||
and it has failed very rarely. Here at lunch we all sit at one end of
|
||
the table and make fun of my friend Brad's obbsession with dirty movies.
|
||
It's fun to see how red we can make him. Well, not really fun, but it
|
||
brightens up in comparison to the rest of my day.
|
||
|
||
After lunch, I head to American History, with Mrs. Thomas. This is
|
||
where I get all of the homework that I mentioned in homeroom. As I am
|
||
writing this, I have a few pages left to do and a day left to do them.
|
||
But, she likes me, so I end up pulling A's, no big deal.
|
||
|
||
Next, I go to PE for some pointless exercises and games. I've never
|
||
understood the motivation for someone to become a PE coach. I mean,
|
||
didn't they make fun of their coaches when they were little? Things
|
||
haven't changed. If I'm lucky, I manage to get a chuckle or two out of
|
||
my friends before I move on to the seventh and final period of the day.
|
||
|
||
Seventh period is play practice. In the winter, we practiced for "A
|
||
Christmas Carol", now we're getting ready for "Luann". This is probably
|
||
the most fun time of the day. I have a lot of friends in this class, and
|
||
we pretty much monkey around. I like to play catch with my friend Niko,
|
||
but it ends up turning into a game of keep away, which we make into a
|
||
contact sport. Luckily, there aren't many sharp objects on the stage.
|
||
|
||
After school, I head to Mrs. Breckenridge's room. She is the best
|
||
teacher in school, mainly because she is willing to sacrifice her time
|
||
after school in this manner. Four of us, well, actually two, practice
|
||
for MathCounts, a national math competition. The day I'm writing this
|
||
article, we just went to the state competition, and I made the team that
|
||
goes to nationals, so I'll end up staying after for another two months.
|
||
Anyway, we eat Grasshoppers (the cookie, not the insect), and drinking
|
||
Dr. Pepper, as these delicacies are the OFFICIAL snack of the Pizitz
|
||
1992 MathCounts team. (Whoopty doo.) We practice until around five, when
|
||
we order pizza. We eat, and then we take a class from Mathew Crawford, a
|
||
math genious who is in the ninth grade at VHHS. Some ninth graders from
|
||
MBHS (Mountain Brook) join us for this, and it ends up mostly being a
|
||
social hour, although we occasionally get some work done. At 8:00 PM, my
|
||
dad picks me up, and I go home.
|
||
|
||
That's a day in the life of Michael Davidson. Normally, I don't go
|
||
to Mathew's class, and I only have MathCounts from 2-5 times a week, but
|
||
other than that, I pretty much described an average day. Not that you
|
||
care, but I did it anyway.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
BBS Spotlight
|
||
by Eric Hunt
|
||
|
||
This is a revival of an old favorite of BTN, the Bulletin Board
|
||
Spotlight. I've redone the questions, and added a few more questions.
|
||
I've also given the BBS sysop an opportunity to write a free response
|
||
paragraph or two if they wish at the end.
|
||
|
||
My method of selecting BBS' will be completely by whim. If you wish
|
||
to nominate a BBS for the spotlight, drop me a note most anywhere,
|
||
preferrably on EZNet or the main board of the Matrix.
|
||
|
||
Check the end of BTN for the numbers to the BBS selected as the
|
||
spotlight each month.
|
||
|
||
Enjoy!
|
||
Bulletin Board Spotlight
|
||
|
||
1) Name of the BBS:
|
||
F/X BBS - Birmingham's File Xchange
|
||
|
||
2) Name of the sysop:
|
||
Ken Browning
|
||
|
||
3) BBS software used:
|
||
PCBoard v14.5a/E3
|
||
|
||
4) How long have you been sysoping:
|
||
Right at 3 months
|
||
|
||
5) Are you a subscription only / completely free / hybrid of the
|
||
two BBS?
|
||
Hybrid
|
||
|
||
6) How many incoming phone lines and approximate disk space? Do
|
||
you support high speed modems? If so, what type(s)?
|
||
We currently have 3 phone lines, two are running Intel 9600ex
|
||
modems, 1 is running a generic 2400 baud modem. Disk space
|
||
right now is approximately 622 megabytes.
|
||
|
||
7) Is your BBS primarily a files BBS, primarily a message based
|
||
BBS, or a combination of the two?
|
||
Combination of the two. I really don't think one can survive
|
||
without the other.
|
||
|
||
8) If you've sysop'd more than just this BBS, briefly list previous
|
||
endeavours and their lifespans.
|
||
This is my first Sysop experience.
|
||
|
||
9) What made you decide to take the masochistic plunge and become a
|
||
sysop:
|
||
I have always been an avid BBSer and had always wanted to have
|
||
my own board. One day I just decided to do it!
|
||
|
||
10) What is the general 'thrust' or area of specialty for your BBS:
|
||
I am still taking a lot of direction from the user base as to
|
||
where they would like to see the board go. We are still new
|
||
enough that we can still branch out without getting the masses
|
||
upset with us!
|
||
|
||
11) (optional) What is your regular job/career to support this
|
||
leeching hobby of sysoping?
|
||
I have been with BellSouth for just shy of 15 years. My job
|
||
title there is Staff Analyst (that's phone company talk for
|
||
Senior Programmer).
|
||
|
||
12) What are your plans for the coming year?
|
||
I really want to see F/X expand- more nodes, more disk space and
|
||
to also get some CD-ROM drives online. I would also like to add
|
||
some different, more diverse Network feeds.
|
||
|
||
13) Where would you like your BBS to go over the next 5 years?
|
||
Naturally I want it to continue to grow and prosper along with
|
||
an expanded user base. I would like F/X to become a 'fixture'
|
||
like one or two other area boards have become.
|
||
|
||
14) What do you feel the highlights of your BBS are?
|
||
I think we have a very good selection of files - particularly in
|
||
the GIF - SoundBoard and MIDI areas. The Esterian Conquest door
|
||
has also proved to be a great draw. The hottest new thing we
|
||
have added is the RIME Network echo.
|
||
|
||
15) What is your personal vision of the 'ideal user?'
|
||
One who gives back a percentage of what he/she gets and one who
|
||
doesn't always expect to get something for nothing.
|
||
|
||
16) What is the thing you've enjoyed most about providing your BBS?
|
||
I have made a lot of new friends since we came up in December.
|
||
I have also learned a lot about areas in which I had little or
|
||
no expertise up to that point.
|
||
|
||
17) What is the thing you've enjoyed least about providing your BBS?
|
||
Writing the checks! I have invested a nice sum of money making
|
||
the BBS usable as well as trying to make it attractive. I
|
||
sometimes cringe when I think about just how much money I have
|
||
spent!
|
||
|
||
18) What is the funniest story you can tell about your BBS and/or your
|
||
users?
|
||
(no answer provided)
|
||
|
||
Here's a space to write a paragraph or two to cover any
|
||
points/details/questions I missed, yet you feel should be addressed.
|
||
(no response provided)
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Music Review
|
||
by Michael Davidson
|
||
|
||
Well, this month, I decided to go back to music for two reasons.
|
||
One, there is a GREAT new CD I want everyone to hear about if they
|
||
haven't already. Two, CD's are around in stores longer than movies are
|
||
in theatres. With deadlines and all, it is fairly difficult to review a
|
||
movie that will be around only for a few more weeks, and then everyone
|
||
has to wait around and be all antsy until it comes out on video months
|
||
later. So, here's my review of Teenage Fanclub's "Bandwagonesque".
|
||
|
||
Voted Spin magazine's album of the year for 1991, and definitely
|
||
the best CD made in 1991 that made it into my magazine, this is truly a
|
||
spectacular CD. The vocals are soft, and the guitars are hard, but
|
||
simple. It's not really any one kind of music, it's its own new blend.
|
||
The lyrics, unlike some popular lyrics today, are intelligable and
|
||
smart, yet they remain easy to understand. They range from songs about
|
||
groupies to gained love to superstitions to giving up love. Another
|
||
GREAT accomplishment made on this CD is the fact that they were able to
|
||
sign with Geffen, and manage to keep David Geffen's symbol from a
|
||
position of prominence on the cover. In fact, it doesn't even appear on
|
||
the front!
|
||
|
||
In my opinion, the low point of the CD is the last song, "Is This
|
||
Music?". It goes back to an 80's sound, with heavy keyboards, reminding
|
||
me of the top of Billboard for the entire year of 1987. The high point
|
||
is probably "The Concept", although there are a few REAL close
|
||
contenders. This song is a single about a groupy who follows the band
|
||
around. It has a video, but they cut the song short in it. I can hardly
|
||
blame them, it's over 6 minutes long.
|
||
|
||
Well, that's about it for this month. I didn't have that much to
|
||
say about this one, but next month I will review "They Might Be Giants"
|
||
new release, Apollo 18. They might be my favorite band (no pun
|
||
intended), so hopefully I'll do a better job then.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
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
|
||
|
||
129 ADAnet One Node 1 854-9074 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
||
129 ADAnet One Node 2 854-2308 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
||
129 ADAnet One Node 3 854-0698 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
||
129 ADAnet One Node 4 854-5863 9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
||
1 Alter-Ego BBS 925-5099 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 Major BBS 5.3
|
||
Baudville Node 2 640-4639 300-2400 Major BBS 5.3
|
||
Baudville Node 3 640-7243 300-2400 Major BBS 5.3
|
||
Baudville Node 4 640-7286 300-2400 Major BBS 5.3
|
||
Birmingham BBS 854-5131 300-2400 Mind-Pawn
|
||
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 300-2400 Oracomm Plus
|
||
Camelot 856-679 300-2400 Telegard 2.5
|
||
136 Channel 8250 Node 1 744-8546 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
||
136 Channel 8250 Node 2 744-5166 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
||
$ Christian Apologetic 808-0763 300-2400 Wildcat! 3.00
|
||
1 Crunchy Frog Node 1 956-1755 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
||
1 Crunchy Frog Node 2 956-0073 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
||
DataLynx Node 1 933-6784 300-2400 Oracomm Plus 5.3
|
||
DataLynx Node 2 933-7032 300-2400 Oracomm Plus 5.3
|
||
Disktop Publishing BBS 854-1660 300-9600 V.32 Wildcat! 3.01
|
||
Domino Effect 853-4675 300-2400 MNP4 PC Board 14.5
|
||
Empire 428-6074 300-2400 Image 1.2
|
||
- F/X BBS Node 1 823-5777 300-9600 V.32bis PC Board 14.5
|
||
- F/X BBS Node 2 822-4570 300-9600 V.32bis PC Board 14.5
|
||
- F/X BBS Node 3 822-4526 300-2400 PC Board 14.5
|
||
12{ Family Smorgas-Board 744-0943 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
||
Graphics Zone Node 1 870-5306 300-9600 MNP4 TBBS 2.1(16)
|
||
Graphics Zone Node 2 870-5329 300-9600 MNP4 TBBS 2.1(16)
|
||
Hacker's Corner 674-5449 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
||
$ Hardeman's BBS 640-6436 1200-2400 Wildcat! 3.02
|
||
2 I.S.A. BBS 995-6590 300-9600 USR HST Remote Access
|
||
Infinite Probability 791-0421 2400 PC Board 14.5
|
||
13 Joker's Castle 664-5589 300-2400 USR HST PC Board 14.5
|
||
4 Kiriath Arba 681-8374 300-2400 WWIV 4.20
|
||
Lemon Grove 836-1184 300-2400 Searchlight
|
||
15 Little Kingdom Node 1 969-0007 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
||
15 Little Kingdom Node 2 969-0008 300-2400 MNP4 PCBoard 14.5
|
||
1- Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.2
|
||
# Medicine Man BBS 664-5662 300-2400 GTPower 16.00
|
||
29 MetaBoard 254-3344 300-2400 Opus
|
||
Missing Link 853-1257 300-2400 C-Net
|
||
Night Watch 841-2790 1200-2400 TriTel 2.0
|
||
Nirvana 942-6702 300-2400 WWIV 4.21
|
||
Optical Illusion 853-8062 300-1200 C-Net
|
||
Ouija Board 669-0623 300-1200
|
||
# Owlabama BBS 833-7176 300-2400 GTPower 15.00
|
||
1 Owl's Nest 680-0851 300-9600 PCBoard 14.5
|
||
Paradise City 853-1439 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
||
Party Line 856-1336 300-2400 Tritel 2.11
|
||
Pooh's Korner 980-8710 300-9600 USR DS Remote Access
|
||
Ravens Bluff 681-4096 300-2400 Telegard 2.7
|
||
# Safe Harbor Node 1 665-4332 300-2400 GTPower 15.00
|
||
# Safe Harbor Node 2 665-4355 300-9600 USR DS GTPower 15.00
|
||
Sperry BBS 853-6144 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
||
1 ST BBS 836-9311 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2
|
||
Strattosphere 428-1066 300-1200
|
||
Teasers 987-0122 300-2400 WWIV 4.20
|
||
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
|
||
The Den 933-8744 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 2.7
|
||
The Other Side 520-0230 2400-9600 USR DS PC Board 14.5
|
||
2 The Outer Limits 985-1725 1200-9600 USR HST Wildcat! 3.01
|
||
The Quiet Zone 833-2066 300-2400 ExpressNET
|
||
The Safety BBS 581-2866 300-2400 RBBS-PC
|
||
The Word 833-2831 300-2400 WWIV 4.12
|
||
Triangle 933-8227 300-2400 Hermes 1.8
|
||
Warrior River BBS 520-9540 300-2400 Wildcat! 3.02
|
||
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.
|
||
|
||
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
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= = TcNet, not certain at publication time
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! = RF-Net, a national network, dedicated to amateur radio
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@ = 93Net, a national network, dedicated to the occult
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# = GTNet, a national network, multi-topic
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$ = WildNet, a national network, multi-topic
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If you have any corrections, additions, deletions, etc., please let us
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know via EzNet.
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