1321 lines
46 KiB
Plaintext
1321 lines
46 KiB
Plaintext
Volume 2, Number 45 23 December 1985
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| / \ |
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| - Fidonews - /|oo \ |
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| Fido and Fidonet _`@/_ \ _ |
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| Users Group | | \ \\ |
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| Newsletter | (*) | \ )) |
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| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
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| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
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| (jm) |
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Publisher: Fido 1/1
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Editor in Chief: Thom Henderson
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Review Editor: Allen Miller
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Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
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Fidonews is published weekly by SEAboard, Fido 1/1. You are
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encouraged to submit articles for publication in Fidonews.
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Article submission standards are contained in the file
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FIDONEWS.DOC, available from Fido 1/1.
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Disclaimer or don't-blame-us:
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The contents of the articles contained here are not our
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responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them;
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everything here is subject to debate. We publish EVERYTHING
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received.
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SEASON'S GREETINGS
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Table of Contents
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1. EDITORIAL
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Fido for the Deaf/Blind
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2. NEWS
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A Request to Writers of Online Documentation
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TROFF
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ITT XTRA USERS GROUP
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Software Piracy -- What We Can Do
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Libraries and Squeezed files: an Explanation
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More Sysop Utility Updates
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3. COLUMNS
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PIBTERM Review
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Rainbow Corner
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4. WANTED
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Fido's Wanted- Earn Money!
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5. FOR SALE
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6. NOTICES
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The Interrupt Stack
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Looking for Jim Filgo
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John Epler, Where Are You?
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============================================================
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EDITORIAL
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This week's guest editorial is by Bdale Garbee, Fido 129/13.
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Fido for the Deaf/Blind
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Last week's issue of Fidonews contains an article from a
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user of my board who is legally blind, and deaf as well. I
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think the subject of his article is worthy of considerable
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thought, and I hope everyone will take the time to both read
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it and try what it suggests. Let me try and explain why...
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There has been a fair amount of public chatter lately about
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why an individual would want to be a Fido sysop. There was
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even an editorial on the subject not long back. I do what I
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do to serve as my contribution to the grass-roots space
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movement. But in addition, the public nature of my system
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has resulted in a fairly large user base, some of whom have
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come almost to depend on the services provided.
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The most obvious example of what I mean is Stu Turk, the
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gentleman who wrote the article last week. He has found
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Fido and Fidomail a far superior replacement for the
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communications channels usually available to people with
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hearing and/or sight impairments.
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Stu suggests in his article that we as sysops and users of
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Fido could do an awful lot of good by helping to introduce
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deaf and blind people to our systems, to Fidomail, and to
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the amateur radio Telegram service accessible via Fido. We
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know how powerful these communications channels are for
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us... think what they could mean to someone for whom many of
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the traditional communications channels are worthless!
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What's the incentive? If you really need one, consider the
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following...
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The possibility of Fido/Fidonet becoming a regular,
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dependable part of the daily communications between D/B
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people could be a way for Fido, and other BBS's, to become
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somewhat more respectable. We would actually be providing a
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real, public service to the handicapped. Imagine what would
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happen if Congress or state governments then tried to impose
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restrictions on the use of BBS's and modems! If we could
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turn the tables in such a way that they were seen as taking
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away a valuable service from the handicapped.... how far do
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you think they'd get? Public opinion can be a VERY powerful
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tool. Enough said on the subject.
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Even if we aren't worried about all that.... it just gives
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me a good feeling to know that my system is being used by
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someone to do something they otherwise couldn't do, or at
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least couldn't do as well. I think other sysops might end
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up feeling the same way. Give it a try!
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Fidonews Page 2 23 Dec 1985
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Fidonews Page 3 23 Dec 1985
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============================================================
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NEWS
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John Plocher
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Fido 121/90
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A Request to Writers of Online Documentation
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This is a response to the request for newsletter feedback
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about the FidoNewsLetter layout. I just spent my last few
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timeslices downloading and printing the FidoNewsLetters from
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2-18 to 2-42. Up to about 2-26 or so, I could say PRINT
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FIDOxxx.NWS and ignore the thing as it printed. But, then I
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noticed that the header didn't always get printed on the top
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of the paper! That got me thinking (a dangerous thing to do
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ANYTIME!) about what Bdale said in his article about
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document standards.
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Why does FidoNews (or for that matter, any of the Fido
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manuals) have to be sent out in a "print image" format? The
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problems of doing things that way are numerous:
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1) If your printer does things differently from the way the
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file is set up for (8 lpi instead of 6lpi, compressed
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print...) you have to hand edit the file to make it
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work.
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2) If you never print the thing, but only TYPE them out
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while online, you have to wade through the page breaks
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without losing those last few lines which seem to scroll
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off the top before you can read them...
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3) In the current incarnation of the text formatter used to
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produce FidoNews (I assume its TEXTFORM?) every line has
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8 to 10 spaces pre-pended to it. This INCLUDES BLANK
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LINES! Indenting like that seems to be a great way to
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make a 600 line (10 page) newsletter 5K to 6K LARGER
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than it really should be! Could that be why ARC seems
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to shrink the file OVER 50%?
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Instead of just complaining, I offer this solution: Send
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FidoNews out in an unprocessed format. (ie. with .pa
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commands for page breaks, and a .he FidoNews Vol x Number xx
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Page # command to set up the header.
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That way anyone with WordStar (shudder), Tom Jenning's
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TEXTFORM, or any of the nroff type formatters which
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recognize the .he and .pa commands can print it out on their
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own printer, and those who only want to read the thing while
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online don't have to see the blank pages scroll by.
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The programs:
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TEXTFORM Tom Jenning's print formatter, -and-
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PRINTWS My version thereof including ^char support
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can both be downloaded from Fido 121/90, MidNet.
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PS. Before I decided to print out the FidoNewsLetters, I had
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Fidonews Page 4 23 Dec 1985
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been using FGREP to search for articles which I wanted
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to refer to. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who does
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this sort of thing, so thus the following PLEA:
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At the beginning of an article, include a line or
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two or three labled with Keywords: and containing
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words which describe what the article is about. If
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you are replying to someone's article, use some of
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his/her keywords, also, so your article will show up
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in the list with the one it references.
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Things like that would make it feasable to implement
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some sort of index generator to produce a subject index
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for the newsletter. Sound useful? Let me know how you
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feel! (I took the chance and stuck my neck out in this
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FidoNewsLetter; so can you!)
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Fidonews Page 5 23 Dec 1985
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TROFF
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by Rich Gough Fido 129/13
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(I wrote this story 3 years ago for the Pittsburgh Area
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Computer Club newsletter to spoof the movie "TRON", but it
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still seems apropriate. Send me some fido mail if you have
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comments about it.)
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On cold winter evenings, I spend a lot of time sitting
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at my home computer. Last night however, very strange
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things started happening while I was loading the operating
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system. I meant to type "LOAD CPM", but I goofed and
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put "LOAD MCP" instead. Suddenly, my fingers started
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to disintegrate, then my hands and my arms. I was being
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sucked through the CRT piece by piece!
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I woke up in a strange universe where personal
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computers are computers that own people, while corporate
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computers actually run huge corporations (instead of
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only seeming to as they do here). I found myself at a
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computer club meeting, which is where a bunch of computers
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get together to nibble on sugar-coated diskettes and
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gripe about the people they own. The people they bring
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with them to the meeting usually just sit on a table
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and hum to themselves.
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Apparently, different types of personal computers
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prefer different kinds of people. (The computers usually
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call their particular person their "user".) A small
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video game system angrily pointed a joystick at his user
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and said, "This jerk wants me to run Accounts Payable
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and then complains about how slow I am! I've only got 8
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bits. What should I have expected for a measely hundred
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bucks! I should have gotten some teenage kid who would
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let me do what I do best - shoot down spaceships and
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munch dots."
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"You think you've got problems", moaned a powerful
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16-bit system. "My user has one dumb spreadsheet
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package, and that's all he runs! I wish he'd get some
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interesting software, something that would use me to my
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full potential. Maybe some business graphics once in a
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while to keep me in shape."
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"At least your user gives you something to do once in
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a while", said a dusty system as he brushed the cobwebs
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from his keyboard. "My user and I don't communicate. He
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wouldn't know a Move Register instruction if I hit him
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over the head with it. I even bought a BASIC interpreter
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for him, but he won't bother to learn how to use it. If I
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don't get a break to the boredom soon, sometime I think
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I'm just going to pull my plug." He choked "I'd even do
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biorhythms for him."
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"What are biorhythms?" asked one of the newest
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machines. An old Altair in a grey metal cabinet
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spoke up. "Biorhythms were charts that were
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supposed to tell when your user would operate at peak
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Fidonews Page 6 23 Dec 1985
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efficiency, but they were never very accurate. What you
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need for that is a special-purpose diagnostic user--they're
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called psychiatrists."
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The game system who had spoken first said, "I
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guess the problem is, we just didn't think about what
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kind of user we wanted before we each went out and bought
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one."
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The 16 bit system said, "The problem is, we
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just didn't think, period."
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The dusty system said, "Didn't we buy users to do the
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thinking for us?"
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I was about to speak up and add my two bytes worth,
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when I heard a terrible crash and the lights went out. I
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woke up sitting at my computer and the CRT screen said
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"MEMORY SIZE", meaning that its' memory had been erased.
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I could hear the refrigerator running - it must have cut
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on and dropped the line voltage. It was late, and I
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had to get up early for work the next morning, so I turned
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the system off. Next weekend (after I unplug the
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refrigerator) I'm going to try to load that diskette again
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and tell those computers what it is like to be a user. If
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I don't come back, well, I wanted all of you to know
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what happened.
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Fidonews Page 7 23 Dec 1985
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Marv Shelton
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Fido 107/311
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ITT XTRA Users Group
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As a user of an ITT Xtra PC I am trying to start a nation-
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wide users group via FidoNet. Currently there are two
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fido's involved. Fido 107/311 the XTRA BBS located in
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Clifton, NJ and Fido 114/446 Xtra #1 located in Arizona.
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These two Fido's will serve as the east and west region
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headquarters for information on the ITT Xtra PC. We are
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asking all owners and users of ITT Xtras to contact either
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of these Fido's via FidoNet with the following information:
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1. Name and net/node#
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2. Configuration of ITT equipment (#drives,RAM,etc)
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3. Address ( for fortcoming newsletter)
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4. Comments and suggestions on the user's group
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goals and objectives.
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We will be compiling a list of hardware and software that
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functions with and without patches for the ITT Xtra as well
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as providing technical reviews, findings and information
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about upcoming products. Employees of ITT and its many
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various divisions are especially welcome (please note
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this in your introductory information).
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CONTACT VIA FIDONET
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FIDO 107/311 THE XTRA BBS..........SYSOP MARV SHELTON
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FIDO 114/446 THE XTRA #1...........SYSOP JOE KENNEDY
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Fidonews Page 8 23 Dec 1985
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Software Piracy -- A Personal Opinion
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Software piracy has been around for what seems like
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forever. Since the beginning of software, people have
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copied friends' software, and thought nothing of it. I'm
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writing this because I feel that people SHOULD think
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something of it, and we should start telling people not to
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copy software.
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Don't walk away from your monitor thinking, "Oh, boy.
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Here comes another lecture on how to use software
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correctly." My reason for writing is just as a concerned
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user, not as a commercial programmer, not as a person whose
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income depends on advertisements from software companies,
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and not as a relative or friend of someone who wants me to
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write it. I see people copying disks all of the time, and I
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think that it's time that we took a stand.
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The first users of computers were, as we know, the
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hackers. These hackers, as detailed in Steven Levy's book
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"Hackers," (an excellent book, by the way), felt that
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programs should be shared between fellow hackers. When
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commercial software came out, the authors did not follow
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this code of conduct, but instead, told people that they
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must buy their own copy of a program if they want to use it.
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Over the years, more and more people have started to
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copy software. Today, most people who buy software will
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willingly make a copy of it for a friend who seems
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interested. No longer is it just the people who write copy
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programs who pirate; everyone else can have the programs for
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-- what else? -- a copy.
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Before I outline several of the methods that have been
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used to deter pirating, let me just make one thing clear, in
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case my opinion hasn't been understood yet: Pirating is
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STEALING. Yes, stealing. Pirating software is the same as
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Xeroxing a book for a friend who wants it. If I gave out
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free copies of an Isaac Asimov book, wouldn't that be
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illegal? The same with software -- except that it costs the
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disk space and nothing more.
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The first method, and by far the most common, is that of
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copy "protection." For those of you who might not know,
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this usually involves changing the disk format so that the
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computer can read from the disk, but cannot write to it.
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There are different levels of copy protection -- some can be
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copied file-by-file but not a disk at a time, while on some
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others, you can't even get a directory.
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Copy protection, in my opinion, is wrong. Period. It
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just adds a little to the cost of the software (although it
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costs no more to mass-copy disks, the company has to pay
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another company to protect them), is usually (if not always)
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broken into and copied and distributed, and makes it harder
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for us regular people to make back-ups.
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Several software companies have now started including
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Fidonews Page 9 23 Dec 1985
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two or three copies of the software with the package. A few
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other companies, in order to get people to send in their
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warranties, give them the additional copies only after they
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have registered as users of the software. This helps, but
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is not perfect.
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Why, you may ask, am I so much against copy protection?
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I'll tell you -- I'm a real klutz, and on several occasions
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I've done different things to destroy disks. Granted, they
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weren't my originals, and the greater percentage of them
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were programs that could be re-written easily, but had the
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software been copy-protected, I would have been out $50 or
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$100. I'd rather make a back-up copy or two, and use that.
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In the event that I accidentally erase my disk, I don't want
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to have to either pay or waste two weeks of my time just to
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get another copy.
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A few companies, such as Microsoft, let you make a
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limited number of copies. This is better, but has the same
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drawbacks as giving you two or three copies -- what if you
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lunch all of them? And still other companies use a "key
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disk," which means that you can copy their software to your
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heart's content, so long as you have the original disk in at
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the beginning. That's just as bad a regular protection.
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What if the original gets ruined? You can't use the copies,
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since they're useless without the original. Borland
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International (see later on about them) marketed their
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SideKick program with this kind of protection. Within a
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month, so many letters of complaint had arrived that they
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offered a higher-priced version, with no protection. That's
|
|
very fair, and showed that they are a company that listens
|
|
to its users.
|
|
|
|
The second most-common way of protecting software is by
|
|
using a hardware key. I've used these on several occasions,
|
|
and although I prefer them to software protection, I detest
|
|
having to put this little thingy into my computer each time
|
|
I want to use the program. I work on several different
|
|
computers, and when I want to take a program back from
|
|
school to work on at home, I don't want to have to plug
|
|
something into the game port, or carry around an extra
|
|
expansion card.
|
|
|
|
I'll admit that this is much better than plain
|
|
copy-protection on many grounds. First and formost, I like
|
|
being able to make back-ups of the software, so that if I
|
|
trash a disk, I can always make another back-up. Secondly,
|
|
it lets me roam free with my software, only carrying a
|
|
little thing, rather than the original diskette (but I still
|
|
like back-ups; see above).
|
|
|
|
Unfortunately, there are many more disadvantages than
|
|
advantages with hardware protection. As I said before, I
|
|
would rather carry a hardware key with me than an original
|
|
disk, but who wants to carry it, and what if it breaks?
|
|
Also -- if my friend wants to see the software (NOT copy it,
|
|
just see it), and I go over to his house or bring it to
|
|
school, knowing me, I'll forget the key.
|
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|
Fidonews Page 10 23 Dec 1985
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|
|
The third method to deter pirating, and the only one
|
|
which I endorse, is low prices and no protection. That's
|
|
it. I personally refuse to pay more than $100 for a
|
|
program, or for one that is protected in any way. Many
|
|
companies have started endorsing this policy, and it works.
|
|
Two companies from whom I've bought software, Beagle Bros.
|
|
(for the Apple II's that I use), and Borland International
|
|
(I bought Turbo Pascal from them) are examples of companies
|
|
that have not done just well, but EXTREMELY well from
|
|
selling low-cost software with no protection.
|
|
|
|
People, in general, don't like to be policed, and when
|
|
given the choice, probably go for no protection. Using the
|
|
example I used before, I have no doubt that sales of
|
|
unprotected SideKick outnumber protected sales by 10 to one.
|
|
As for companies like Lotus and Microsoft, well, I just hope
|
|
that one day they lower their prices. Microsoft has already
|
|
started unprotecting Access and Chart, and in due time,
|
|
Lotus will probably do the same with some of their products.
|
|
The reason that they can keep doing that is because it's
|
|
mainly huge corporations who buy their products, and to them
|
|
$600 is pennies.
|
|
|
|
I'd just like to say two more things before you go on
|
|
with your reading. Firstly, we have to think of the other
|
|
side of the coin, the software company. I'm sure some
|
|
employee of a software firm is reading this and saying that
|
|
what I said is unfair. Well, I do understand that there is
|
|
a lot of time and expense put into any piece of software,
|
|
and most companies are just trying to get their money back.
|
|
|
|
My argument on that point is that any software publisher
|
|
who puts out a product at, let's say, $100, will get at
|
|
least as many customers as at, say, $600. The companies who
|
|
would buy it at the higher price will probably buy more
|
|
copies for their use, and the small business and home use
|
|
will get it because it does a good job for a great price.
|
|
|
|
Secondly, I'm not alone. I don't know any other people
|
|
personally who agree with my philosophy, but I do know that
|
|
several major software firms have started taking off
|
|
protection. MicroPro, makers of WordStar, protected
|
|
WordStar 2000 for the first month or so, and because of so
|
|
many letters of complaint, unprotected it. Microsoft has
|
|
now taken the protection off of their Chart and Project
|
|
software. Scarborough Systems, Inc. is no longer
|
|
protecting its IBM versions of software.
|
|
|
|
To finish up, I believe in the 3P software philosophy --
|
|
Priced under $100, no Protection, and no Piracy. I think
|
|
that if everyone in the computer industry bought software
|
|
according to that method, we'd have a lot fewer problems.
|
|
|
|
Reuven Lerner
|
|
FidoMail 107/33
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------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 11 23 Dec 1985
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From: David Drexler/Mark Grennan, sysops REMARK 19/202
|
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Subject: Libraries and Squeezed files: an Explanation
|
|
Date: 10 DEC 85
|
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|
|
Among the most frequently asked questions on REMARK
|
|
are: "What are .LBR files?", and "How do I use files like
|
|
TEXT.TQT?" Those of you who have been working with micros
|
|
for years will probably not find this article very useful;
|
|
the rest of you: lissen up!
|
|
|
|
Nearly any filename extension that has a 'Q' as the
|
|
second letter (ex. TEXT.TQT, FILE.QQQ, PROG.CQ) has been
|
|
packed with a variant of SQ. SQ uses an algorithm known as
|
|
Hoffman Dynamic to compress a file so that there are no
|
|
repeating bit patterns in it. Before the file can be used in
|
|
any way, it must be unpacked with USQ, NUSQ, or a similar
|
|
program. SQueezed files, whether originating on MSDOS or
|
|
CP/M, can be unsqueezed on either system.
|
|
|
|
Files with the .LBR filename extension are library
|
|
files created with LU or one of its many variations. A
|
|
library is a collection of files, tacked together end-to-
|
|
end, with an index at the head to identify each of them.
|
|
Library files are likewise portable between MSDOS and CP/M.
|
|
The primary reasons for using libraries are to (a) collect a
|
|
group of related files into a single unit for organizational
|
|
purposes, and (b) to save disk space.
|
|
|
|
Libraries are great for grouping an executable together
|
|
with its documentation and source code; when you download a
|
|
library, you'll likely find that all the pieces are there in
|
|
one unit. Likewise, you should put those sorts of files into
|
|
a library before you upload to a board.
|
|
|
|
A file that contains fewer bytes than the operating
|
|
system's allocation unit size (4096 bytes under MSDOS) still
|
|
reserves the full allocation unit on disk. For example, a
|
|
file that is 10 bytes long on an MSDOS system takes up the
|
|
full 4k allocation unit on disk. Ten such files would use
|
|
only 100 bytes in actual space, and would waste nearly 40k
|
|
of disk space! If those same 10 files were collected to-
|
|
gether into a library as a single file, only 4k of disk
|
|
space would be reserved.
|
|
|
|
Files are SQueezed for similar reasons; if the un-
|
|
squeezed file takes up just a little bit over an allocation
|
|
unit, then squeezing it will save some disk space. Another
|
|
reason why files are squeezed, and put into libraries (if
|
|
they are libraryized and then squeezed, the filename exten-
|
|
sion is .LQR) is to reduce transfer time over the modem.
|
|
Sysops often squeeze files that are already smaller than 4k
|
|
for that reason.
|
|
|
|
A discussion of library and compaction programs
|
|
wouldn't be complete without a mention of ARC, one of the
|
|
most useful of this genre of utilities for MSDOS (we hope
|
|
that it will eventually be available for CP/M - Thom?) ARC
|
|
performs the functions of both a library program, and a file
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fidonews Page 12 23 Dec 1985
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
compression program, in one step, and is far more efficient,
|
|
versatile, and easier to use, than any others I have encoun-
|
|
tered. Rather than go into detail here, I will suggest that
|
|
you obtain the documentation and examine it. Thom Henderson,
|
|
editor and distributor of Fido News, is the author of ARC.
|
|
|
|
REMARK Information System
|
|
(405) 728-2463 - Fido 19/202
|
|
The board for serious computerists
|
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|
------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 13 23 Dec 1985
|
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|
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|
|
More Sysop Utility Updates
|
|
by
|
|
Bob Hartman
|
|
Sysop Fido 132/101
|
|
The UN*X Gateway
|
|
and Home of Rovermsg
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, after many moons I have finally updated another
|
|
Sysop favorite, the FILEDATE program. As many of you know,
|
|
this is a program which creates a file containing a list of
|
|
all files that are listed in all of your FILES.BBS files,
|
|
along with their creation date, what directory they are in,
|
|
their size, and the description that goes along with them.
|
|
This is useful for each Fido node to do, since a user can
|
|
then T)ype this file and see which files have been recently
|
|
updated or changed (after the file gets run through the sort
|
|
program, the most recently changed files are listed first).
|
|
Anyway, on some strange versions of DOS, this command used
|
|
to give the strange error "can't chdir(directory)", where
|
|
directory was a valid Fido directory. Worse yet, it would
|
|
actually leave you in that directory after saying it could
|
|
not get there! Well, I think that I have fixed the problem,
|
|
and the new version should work properly. Any Fido sysops
|
|
that would like the new version can call my board at any
|
|
time and download it from the FIDO file section.
|
|
|
|
Also, I have released version 2.14 of Rovermsg. This
|
|
new version has some nice enhancements including the fact
|
|
that if you use the 'RK' (reply and kill) command, then
|
|
abort the message, Rovermsg will not delete the original.
|
|
Also, Rovermsg and SEAdog and Fido can all understand each
|
|
other. There were some problems with Rovermsg not being
|
|
able to read messages created on a SEAdog system, but that
|
|
has been fixed.
|
|
|
|
Oh well, that is all I have for this week, but I am
|
|
hoping to have some more news about Rovermsg, Filer, Renum,
|
|
and Filedate in the near future.
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 14 23 Dec 1985
|
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|
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============================================================
|
|
COLUMNS
|
|
============================================================
|
|
|
|
Allen Miller
|
|
|
|
PIBTERM Review
|
|
|
|
|
|
I have been using PIBTERM v3.2 communications
|
|
software for about 2 months now and think it is just great.
|
|
Having used many commercial communications programs as well
|
|
as several public domain programs, I just wanted to share my
|
|
experience with this one with you. PIBTERM is written by
|
|
Philip Burns and distributed for free for noncommercial use.
|
|
The source code is also available.
|
|
|
|
I run a Fido electronic bulletin board (net/node
|
|
108/10) and enjoy the nice features of the Telink file
|
|
transfer protocol; namely supporting batch transfer and
|
|
original DOS file size and time/date stamp. PIBTERM
|
|
supports Telink file transfer protocol as well as Xmodem
|
|
checksum and CRC, Modem7 checksum and CRC, Ymodem, Kermit,
|
|
ASCII and Compuserve 'B'.
|
|
|
|
PIBTERM has a dialing directory which is stored as
|
|
a straight record oriented ASCII file. This is particularly
|
|
nice since you can use your favorite editor if you want to
|
|
add several entries at one time. Also you can easily SORT
|
|
the file alphabeti-cally or by area code using as unpowerful
|
|
a program as the DOS SORT routine. I use a .BAT file which
|
|
FINDs all records with an entry, pipes to SORT and outputs
|
|
to the directory file to periodi-cally maintain my dialing
|
|
directory. PIBTERM also has a built in area code directory.
|
|
You supply the area code and PIBTERM will tell you where it
|
|
is or you supply a state and PIBTERM will tell you what area
|
|
codes are covered.
|
|
|
|
PIBTERM emulates several terminal types: VT52,
|
|
VT100, ANSI, dumb terminal and dumb terminal in split-screen
|
|
mode. VT52 is good to use with Compuserve, ANSI works well
|
|
for the BBS's with their color graphics and music, VT100
|
|
works for many main-frames and the split-screen is a must
|
|
for conferencing on net-works.
|
|
|
|
PIBTERM supports capturing of session to printer
|
|
or disk and has macro-key definition capability. PIBTERM
|
|
has a script language similar to those of $200 commercial
|
|
communi-cations programs. You can setup completely
|
|
automated sessions with this script language. PIBTERM also
|
|
has a built in HOST mode to use for unattended access to a
|
|
PC for limited file transfer and message functions.
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
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|
|
Fidonews Page 15 23 Dec 1985
|
|
|
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|
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|
|
Rainbow Corner
|
|
by Theodore Needleman
|
|
|
|
Last week's column speculated on the fate of the Rainbow.
|
|
This week we know - it has been repackaged as the Rainbow
|
|
190. Big deal! While I am glad to see that the Rainbow
|
|
line will not just fade into oblivion, I was hoping for
|
|
something more than a "Super 100+". Except for the new
|
|
software, some of you are already running Rainbow 190's.
|
|
Anyone who has a 256K Rainbow 100+, with the "Gold Key"
|
|
keyboard option, just needs one of those little "190" plates
|
|
and a piece of double-stick tape.
|
|
|
|
Don't get me wrong. I think that DEC will be successful in
|
|
selling the 190 into their existing VAX user base. I saw
|
|
the Rainbow Office Workstation and WPS-PLUS/Rainbow Software
|
|
packages at their March 4th Merrimack press conference. If
|
|
you're running All-in-1 or WPS you're gonna love them.
|
|
|
|
The problem I foresee is that DEC appears to be abandoning
|
|
not only the retail market, but the small business entry-
|
|
level market as well. According to Henry Ancona, Group
|
|
Manager-Office and Information Systems, "...stand-alone
|
|
personal computing in the office is a thing of the past".
|
|
Well, Henry, maybe in your office, where they have a
|
|
VAX/8600 or two, but there are plenty of one, two, and three
|
|
person offices (and small businesses). Lots of these people
|
|
are getting into computers for the first time. Maybe
|
|
they'll buy a MicroVax, maybe a $6500 Rainbow 190, or a
|
|
$3500 Rainbow 100. Most likely they are going to buy a
|
|
$2500 IBM-PC. People tend to buy products from companies
|
|
that want to sell to them. IBM has been selling electric
|
|
typewriters to one person businesses for a long time (and
|
|
has been more than happy to do this). Over the years
|
|
they've sold a whole lot of typewriters. They also are more
|
|
than happy to sell you a computer. You want a real big one?
|
|
OK. A real little one? That's fine too., Want to buy one
|
|
today? You won't even have to hunt around. Just go to your
|
|
nearby Computerland, Entre, MicroAge, Sears Business Center
|
|
or IBM Product Center, pay your money, and take your system.
|
|
|
|
DEC's positioning of the Rainbow as an adjunct to the VAX
|
|
may be realistic marketing, but it's also extremely
|
|
arrogant. Not everyone can afford to spring into full
|
|
blown, heavy-duty data processing. Some of us would prefer
|
|
to grow into it, one "baby-step" at a time. Rumors still
|
|
abound about an IBM-compatible Rainbow. Hope springs
|
|
eternal!
|
|
|
|
Enough diatribe, on to other business. Last week I also
|
|
discussed Rainbow resources. One of the resources mentioned
|
|
was Bulletin Board Systems. I recently came across an
|
|
interesting one. Located in Boston, DEC-Line is a FIDO-net
|
|
BBS specializing in the coverage of DEC's Rainbow. Run by
|
|
SYSOP (system operator) Bill MacNeill, this BBS offers over
|
|
a hundred public domain software programs for the MS-DOS and
|
|
CP/M operating systems, as well as a separate area for
|
|
MBASIC programs. Some of these programs look really useful
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fidonews Page 16 23 Dec 1985
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
and I will be reporting on a few of them after I have had a
|
|
chance to use them for a week or two.
|
|
|
|
In addition to the public domain software, DEC-Line also has
|
|
a message area. This is a good place to "meet" people, ask
|
|
questions, or share information. DEC-Line operates more-or-
|
|
less 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 300 or 1200 baud (8
|
|
bits, no parity, 1 stop bit). You can reach it at 617/721-
|
|
1688. Give DEC-Line a call. I think you'll like it. When
|
|
you do, be sure to leave a message to the SYSOP that you
|
|
heard about DEC-Line here at Rainbow Corner.
|
|
|
|
The last piece of business for this week's column is a
|
|
modest proposal. One of the problems in being a Rainbow
|
|
owner is finding software that runs on your system. Sure,
|
|
the Rainbow Referral Software Guide lists about 1400
|
|
programs, but this is a small percentage of the estimated
|
|
30,000 to 50,000 programs supposedly available for the IBM-
|
|
PC. Many of these "generic" MS-DOS programs, as well as
|
|
CP/M-80 programs, will run on the Rainbow. Transferring
|
|
them onto RX-50 media is not a tremendous problem (see the
|
|
article in the MARCH '85 HARDCOPY), just a bit time
|
|
consuming. Thinking about all those programs that might run
|
|
on the Rainbow gave me an idea. I call it "PROJECT
|
|
TRANSPORT".
|
|
|
|
"PROJECT TRANSPORT" involves a concerted effort to obtain
|
|
software released in formats for "other" computers, port it
|
|
over to the Rainbow, test it to see how (or if) it runs, and
|
|
report the results. As the project progresses, the results
|
|
would be reported here in Rainbow Corner, with the intention
|
|
of publishing an annual (or bi-annual) compendium. Nothing
|
|
too fancy, you understand. Just the name of the program,
|
|
its provider, the original system it was intended for, the
|
|
porting method, whether or not it ran on the Rainbow, and,
|
|
if so, how well.
|
|
|
|
I need your help with this, in the form of some feedback.
|
|
Take a moment, and write to me. It doesn't have to be a
|
|
letter, or postcard, I'll give my Source ID, and MCI mail
|
|
address, as well as my P.O. Box. Let me know what you think
|
|
of "PROJECT TRANSPORT" (YES, NO, or YAWN). Are there
|
|
programs (or types of programs) in particular you would like
|
|
to see tested? If there's a specific piece of software
|
|
you'd like to see tested, I'll contact the author and
|
|
request a review/loaner copy. Are there packages you have
|
|
already ported and tested? If so, I'll report the results.
|
|
|
|
So drop me a line. Letters and postcards should go to IDEA
|
|
TECHNOLOGY, P.O. Box 668, New City, NY 10956. SourceMail to
|
|
TCA920, and MCI mail to "THEODORE NEEDLEMAN".
|
|
|
|
See you next week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
(c)opyright 1985 by Ted Needleman-all rights reserved
|
|
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fidonews Page 17 23 Dec 1985
|
|
|
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|
|
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|
|
|
|
============================================================
|
|
WANTED
|
|
============================================================
|
|
|
|
Steve Nyman
|
|
Fido 107/22
|
|
|
|
NEED FIDO'S TO PRINT E-MAIL
|
|
|
|
My company, Micro Information Services, needs Fido's from
|
|
across the U.S. to receive our customer's e-mail, print it
|
|
and mail it via U.S. Mail. We anticipate moderate mail
|
|
volume, depending upon the region.
|
|
|
|
NO COST TO YOU: All envelopes, paper, and postage will be
|
|
provided in advance.
|
|
|
|
PROFITS: You will be paid for your services.
|
|
|
|
IF INTERESTED: Direct inquiries via e-mail to Steve Nyman
|
|
on Fido 107/22. Thanks.
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
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Fidonews Page 18 23 Dec 1985
|
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============================================================
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FOR SALE
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============================================================
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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G R A P H I C S B O A R D O P T I O N
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A N D G S X - 8 6 S O F T W A R E
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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I have SIX (6) PC-1XX-BA graphics
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options for the DEC Rainbow available
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at up to +25% off. These are new.
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PRICING:
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DECUS MEMBERS: OPTION- $335.00
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TAX (Cal only) 20.10
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SHIPPED FED. EX. 15.00
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-------
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TOTAL $370.10
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OTHERS: OPTION- $350.00
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TAX (CA. only) 21.00
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SHIPPED FED. EX. 15.00
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-------
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$386.00
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Cashiers checks or Money orders may be
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sent to Advanced Software Applications
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5258 Vickie Drive
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San Diego, Ca 92109
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(619) 488-5258
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Decus members must include your member-
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ship number. Orders will be taken on a
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first come first served basis.
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------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 19 23 Dec 1985
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============================================================
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NOTICES
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============================================================
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The Interrupt Stack
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24 Jan 1986
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Voyager 2 passes Uranus.
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9 Feb 1986
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Halley's Comet reaches perihelion.
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9 Feb 1986
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Diana Overholt (109/74) has another birthday.
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11 Apr 1986
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Halley's Comet reaches perigee.
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19 May 1986
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Steve Lemke's next birthday.
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24 Aug 1989
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Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
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If you have something which you would like to see on this
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calendar, please send a message to Fido 1/1.
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------------------------------------------------------------
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Will Jim Filgo, Fido 131/445, please call Fido 1/1 to pick
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up his mail?
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------------------------------------------------------------
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Will John Epler please contact Mark Perloe at Fido 900/15 or
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at Cserve 73047,1345.
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------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 20 23 Dec 1985
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