993 lines
52 KiB
Plaintext
993 lines
52 KiB
Plaintext
BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News
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COPYRIGHT 1991
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January 1991 Volume 4, Issue 1
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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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Editorial......................................Mark Maisel
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Handles & Anonymity............................Lord Baron
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Windows Column: Round-up Time..................Eric Hunt
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Review of Esterian Quest.......................Chris Mohney
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? Why I Compute ?..............................Kathy Maisel
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Extinction & Obsolescence......................Colby Gibson
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Confessions of a Software Meister..............Dean Costello
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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
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damage due to errors, omissions, etc. The liability, if any for BTN, its
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editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or omissions,
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etc., shall be limited to the cost of a one year subscription to BTN,
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even if BTN, its editors or writers have been advised of the likelihood
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of such damages occurring.
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With the conclusion of that nasty business, we can get on with our
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policy for publication and reproduction of BTN articles. We publish
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monthly with a deadline of the fifteenth of the month prior to
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publication. If you wish to submit an article, you may do so at any
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time but bear in mind the deadline if you wish for your work to appear
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in a particular issue. It is not our purpose to slander or otherwise
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harm a person or reputation and we accept no responsibility for the
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content of the articles prepared by our writers. Our writers own their
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work and it is protected by copyright. We allow reprinting of articles
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from BTN with only a few restrictions. The author may object to a
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reprint, in which case he will specify in the content of his article.
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Otherwise, please feel free to reproduce any article from BTN as long as
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the source, BTN, is specified, and as long as the author's name and the
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article's original title are retained. If you use one of our articles,
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please forward a copy of your publication to:
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Mark Maisel
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Editor, BTN
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221 Chestnut St.
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BHM, AL 35210-3219
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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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N E W S F L A S H
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Our first party of the year comes early. It is coming quickly, nipping
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at the heels of our overwhelmingly successful Christmas (sort of) party.
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Don't miss it! Be there or not.
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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: January 19th, 1990
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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 front 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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The side yards in front of and behind the hedge are fair game
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though.
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*Bring Your Own Substances
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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M o n t c l a i r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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Bruno's³O³ Texaco : McDonalds³ ³ apartments³ ³ dead³ THERE WILL BE
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Super ³p³ : ³ ³ & ³ ³ end ³ A SIGN IN FRONT
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Market ³oÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ ³ houses ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄ´ OF THE HOUSE SO
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³rÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ YOU CAN FIND IT
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³t³Express : office ³ ³ ³ ³ EASIER!!!
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³o³Oil Change: bldgs ³ ³ ³ ³
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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M o n t e v a l l o - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - *TO INTERSTATE*
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄÄ
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³R³ ³R³ INSTRUCTIONS!!! ³A³ ³B³Wes-³C³ ³D³ ³E³
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³o³ ³e³ ³l³ ³u³lyan³h³ ³a³ ³l³
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³s³ ³d³ Look on Chestnut ³p³ ³s³Chu-³e³ ³l³ ³d³
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³e³ ³w³ after Shades and ³i³ ³h³rch ³s³ ³y³ ³e³
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³w³ ³o³ my home is 221, ³nÀÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÄÙtÀÄÄÄÄÙ ÀÄÄÄÙrÀÄÄÄÄ
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³o³ ³o³ the 3rd house ³e n S h a d e s
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³o³ ³d³ on the left. Call ³ ÚÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄÄ¿u ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄ¿ ÚÄÄÄÄ
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³d³ ³ ³ 956-0176 if you ³ ³ ³ ³ ³t ³3rd³ ³ ³ ³
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³ ³ ³ ³ need further ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³one³ ³ ³ ³
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³ ³ ³ ³ direction. ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³
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³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³ ³
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**********************************************
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*If you have any news, especially you sysops,*
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*that you want to get out to the readership *
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*of this august publication, let me know and *
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*it will be placed in this space. MM *
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**********************************************
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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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The Connection LZ Birmingham Alter-Ego
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Channel 8250 Little Kingdom Joker's Castle
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Crunchy Frog Myth Drannor Posys BBS
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The Matrix Abject Poverty The Bus
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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.
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MM
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Editorial
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by Mark Maisel
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Happy Belated New Year! We're a bit late this month but that is OK
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by me. I'm getting most all of my articles in a timely manner and the
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tardiness is mostly due to me. All editors should have such problems.
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It has been a good year for BTN and I can only hope that 1991 is as
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good. I've got a few things to say and you should listen so this isn't
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an utter waste of space.
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I would like to salute one of the elder members of our little bbs
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community, Ed O'Neill. His EZNet has kept us all together with locally
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echoed conferences for the last few years and I would have had a much
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more difficult time without it. EZNet and Ed have had to part paths
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recently and Rocky Rawlins, sysop of The Matrix, offered to pick it up
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so that we wouldn't lose one of the most useful tools we have for
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communicating on bbs'. At the last BTN party, the sysops got together
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and worked out the details for making the change. Unfortunately, not
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all sysops were able to make it. This has resulted in a temporary
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outage for some systems. If you were in the past an EZNet node, or
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would like to become one, drop a comment to Rocky on The Matrix, or
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leave me mail in EZNet. We will do whatever we can to get you online
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with the new EZNet Central.
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The survey was supposed to appear in this issue but that was not
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possible. Oh well, it will hopefully be ready in time for the February
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issue. Leave a note annoying either Ty Ros, or Scott Hollifield. That
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ought to get his attention and let him know that you want to see the
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fruits of his labors.
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I'm thinking about expanding our horizons here at BTN. I have been
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getting favorable comments and critique from areas far from home. Is it
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time for BTN to grow beyond its local boundaries? You tell me. I am
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seriously thinking of expanding our boundaries to include people and
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events beyond Birmingham. I need to know what you think of this or else
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I will do what I wish without your input and wait for your reaction to
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judge the results. This is a lot more work for me so lets spare me some
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effort if it ain't wanted or needed.
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On a high note, its party time again! See the invitation and map
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included in this issue and possibly on the local EZNet conference you
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peruse. I hope to see you all there.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Handles and Anonymity
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by Lord Baron
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With the advent of handles, new horizons opened for the average
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modem buff. No longer did you have to reveal your true identity. For
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once, brother could war with brother without causing unrest in the
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household. All was bliss. Only those you revealed yourself to knew
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your actual name.
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Due to the number of boards that cater to handle-users, they have
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become quite popular. You only have to look to WWIV, Teleguard and
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others to find dozens of happy handle-users relieving the day's stress
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behind a monitor. Most have one handle they cling to (as yours truly
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prefers), but some have multiple handles or even change handles from
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time to time. What appears to be a new user might actually be an old
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user with a new handle.
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I believe people use handles for a variety of reasons. Some may
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have been in a losing argument and decided to seek a change of pace.
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Others like the release a handle gives. Like the masked hero, we are
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exhilarated by the fact that no one knows our secret identity. We are
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able to overcome those personality traits that have hampered our social
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livelihood in the past. There is no longer a reason to be shy because
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it's not really us in the public's eye; it's a fictional character.
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The grandmother can automatically become the naughty teenager. The thin
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hacker can fantasize about being a muscle-bound jock. Ah, what
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possibilities!
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All good things must come to an end, unfortunately. The anonymity
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is quickly shattered with your first BTN party, or your first meeting
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with a fellow modem user that tells all. Now, everyone knows who you
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are and what you look like. What is there to do? It's simple: change
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your handle. Thus begins the endless cycle of changes you incur in this
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electronic wonderland.
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There is another reason for using a handle, though. Some people
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use them just because they're fun! I'm sure there are many other
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reasons, also. I just wanted to present a few. Also, there are
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different levels of attachment between user and handle. One handle-user
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might take an insult to their character in a joking manner, whereas the
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same insult could hurt another badly. Who's to say who's right? Not
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me!
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Windows Column: Round-up Time
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by Eric Hunt
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Wow! This month has been a real humdinger for Windows 3.0
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shareware. Birmingham has recently been inundated with excellent
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shareware for Windows 3.0, and here is a brief listing of what I have
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seen that is good out there so far:
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(BTW, muchas gracias and many thanks go out to Ron Albright for bringing
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us MANY of the following packages straight from CompuServe!)
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WINFRA.ZIP:
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This has got to be the hottest thing since sliced Spam! As many of
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you know, I am a complete fractal nut, and regularly use Fractint, a
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WONDERFUL, WORSHIP deserving fractal generation program from The Stone
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Soup Group. I have now come across the Stone Soup Group's offering for
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Windows: Fractint for Windows 3.0! This program is a really nice port of
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the current Fractint 15.0 to the Windows environment. Many, many of the
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options from Fractint 15.0, including 3d operations, save and restore,
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printing, and the ever wonderful zoom and pan, are available in FFW,
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and it is a must see! Note: for any palette based operations (color
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maps, color cycling), a SVGA video driver must be present. The standard
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VGA driver supplied with Windows doesn't support palette based
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operations, so, alas, no beautiful color cycling. Also, as I rudely
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found out, on my 386sx with 1meg RAM, there is not enough memory to
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generate an onscreen fractal in standard 640x480x16 or even 640x350x16.
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I'll tinker around and see what the largest possible size for an image
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is with 1meg RAM. This program might force me to break down and buy some
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more RAM for my system...sigh.....[grin] The program will also read and
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save GIF files (Fractint saves its images in GIF files. Great, huh?) and
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cut and paste portions of the screen to and from the clipboard. If you
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have the slightest interest in fractals, get this program!
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FP.ZIP:
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Again, another nice Fractal program for Windows 3.0. This one is
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slightly different from Fractint FW, though, for it uses the L-system
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turtle graphics fractals and a simple paint program engine to allow you
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to create your own fractal landscapes. Define an L-system fractal, and
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then use it as a brush in the paint portion to create some interesting
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images. A complete system of L-system fractals comes with the package,
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for an easy start. Paint program features such as circle, ellipse, box,
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line, freehand draw, and text are also supported. Some very realistic
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and beautiful images can be created with this program!
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ZM301.ZIP
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Zip Manager 3.01 is the best zip/arc/lzh shell I've seen yet. A
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fine product from Moon Valley Software, this program enables you to
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manage any zip file activity from directly within Windows. Everything
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but actually unzipping or creating a zip file is done from within the
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program, saving lots of time. Supports ALL of the command line options
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found in PKZip/UNZip for a very complete interface. Also has hooks for
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managing ARC, ZOO, and LZH files. An excellent program, especially for
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the Windows user new to ZIP files.
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WSMOOTH.ZIP
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PC Magazine, known for its excellent DOS utilities, has produced a
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winner for Windows 3.0. WSMOOTH enables any text file to be smoothly
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(pixel by pixel, not line by line) scrolled across the screen at varying
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speeds. Set this baby to go on a .DOC file and you'll not have to touch
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the keyboard or mouse to scroll down the file again! Custom coloring is
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also available, for those who like purple letters on a pink background.
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And lastly, the ability to print the text file from within WSMOOTH is
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also available.
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MARK30.ZIP
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Don't you hate that silly little message that pops up when you want
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to run an older Windows 2.x program in 3.0? Well, if you are tired of
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seeing that message, and are 100% that your 2.x program won't trash
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Windows in Standard or Enhanced mode, then Mark 3.0 is for you! This
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program sets the Win 3.0 compatible bit in the file header of any old
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Win 2.x program, to eliminate that annoying message. That's it, that's
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all it does, but it sure does save a lot of headaches! NOTE: Please make
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sure that your 2.x program is well-behaved under Standard or Enhanced
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3.0 before marking it, or serious damage to your HD could occur if your
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old program decides to go on a rampage. I cannot stress this message
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enough, for I had a program that I MARKed bomb on me while doing a file
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transfer, and I had to press reset to get the computer back, and as a
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consequence, several files were left open, damaging them.
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WINGIF.ZIP
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Another simple little utility that does one job, and does it well.
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WinGif is a simple .GIF file displayer that allows for conversion of
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GIFs to PCX or BMP. Cutting parts of the picture to clipboard is also
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available. That's it, quite simple.
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ScreenPeace screen saver and assorted modules:
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(sorry, file names escape me here)
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Only Windows could make screen savers so fun! ScreenPeace is a
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general screen saver engine that allows for programmers to write
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external screen saving routines. Options for the screen saver itself
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include the usual: time idle before kicking in, hotspot to active the
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screen saver immediately, demos of the different modules, etc. What
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makes this program so unique are the various screen saver modules
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available for it. My favorite is the fish tank, where a screen full of
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colorful tropical fish proceed to swim around and eat each other. Other
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modules include a bouncing ball, a moving spotlight, a slowly fading
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screen, various random and kaleidoscopic line type patterns, and many
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more. Lots of modules come in the main package, and there are at least
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two more support files floating around out there that contain extra
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modules.
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WED10A.ZIP
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WinEdit 1.0A from Wilson Windoware is an excellent unlimited file
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size ASCII editor for Windows. Supports smart paragraphing for source
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code editing.
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WINKER.ZIP
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The ultimate in silliness hits Windows. This program really does
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nothing more than sit with a pair of eyes and watch your cursor. The
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eyes follow the cursor around on the screen, and will blink in boredom
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if you don't move the mouse after a certain amount of time. Also
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includes an alarm clock. Quite amusing.
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LANDER.ZIP
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Remember the old lunar lander game that was quite popular back in
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the early days of video games? Well, now it's here for Windows. You get
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to pilot a lunar landing module on its decent to the moon's surface.
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Control over gravity, thrust, and fuel enable the game to be
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disgustingly easy, or absolutely impossible. A nice something to do
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while waiting on file transfers!
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WinPoker (sorry, no file name)
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Windows 3.0 came with a Solitaire game that can't be beat, now
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here's a Poker game that's not to bad either. I'm not a poker player, so
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I am not too educated as to whether it is actually good or not, but it
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does play 5 card poker, and has good graphics. At least give it a try,
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and let me know what you think!
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MRMind (ditto)
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Another old favorite has been ported to Windows. MisterMind, the
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game of colors guessing is now Windowized. Retains the complete
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functionality of the real game, while adding lots of options. You are no
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longer stuck with a 5 peg playing board. Can be reduced or expanded a
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number of pegs, resulting in a wide range of playing strengths.
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PBicon (sigh, ditto)
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So....You've become an iconaholic with Windows? You've generated
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icons till you don't know what to do with them anymore, and you yearn
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for still more??? PBIcon can cure you of your disease. It basically
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allows you to clip any portion of the screen larger than 32x32 pixels
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and save it in icon format. I find it particularly useful for extracting
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out icons from the gargantuan IconLib file, a huge file of over 400
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icons all compiled into one great big (>500k) file. This way, I can cut
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out the particular need and not have to worry about paging through ALL
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those icons only to zip past it by mistake and have to go through them
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ALL AGAIN.
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TFT.ZIP
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The File Search 2.0 is a very versatile file finder for Windows
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3.0. Written in Germany, it is a useful, yet amusing piece of software.
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The author does not have a 100% grasp of the English language, and it
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shows up in the program. TFT allows you to search for any file and then
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perform a host of operations on that file(s) once you've found it.
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Operations like copying it around, moving it around, viewing it (in HEX
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and ASCII), changing the attributes, and even trashing it (complete with
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Trashcan icon. Do we hear Apple say "litigation?") are a mouse click
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away and can come in very handy when you've found a file, but really
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don't know what to do with it yet. Highly recommended for people with
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bad memories (like me) or clogged hard drives (like me) or both (like
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me).
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PS.ZIP
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Graphics conversion could never be easier. The Paint Shop is a no
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frills conversion program that will take in as input GIF, PCX, or BMP
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files and produce as output GIF, PCX, or BMP files. These three file
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formats are perhaps the most widely used in the Windows world, and this
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program fits in quite nicely with the graphics nut who needs to do it
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all, and do it in Windows. Simple, elegant, and to the point. If you do
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Windows graphics, do this program.
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UC-20C.ZIP
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Unicom 2.0c is a full-featured communications program designed to
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run under Windows 3.0. This is one of the most popular comm programs for
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use under Windows 3.0, and one of the most full-featured. A central
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dialing directory, akin to many of the DOS comm packages, is where most
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of the action is. Most of the major transfer protocols are included,
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including ZMODEM and Compuserve Quick B. Terminal emulations are limited
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to a couple DEC terminals and ANSI BBS (Which, by the way won't work at
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speeds greater than 4800 baud. Go figure). Complete scripting is also
|
|
supported, as well as TONS of user-defined hotkeys, available at the
|
|
click of a mouse. My impression of the program is one of complete
|
|
disarray, for the screen is hopelessly cluttered with buttons and boxes.
|
|
However, the program will get what you need done. Owners of fast modems
|
|
might want to think twice about using this comm program, first, because
|
|
Unicom doesn't support any baud rate higher than 9600 and secondly,
|
|
because Windows itself does not support the new 16550a buffered UART
|
|
chip, which can really help transfers. Lastly, this might be a nice comm
|
|
program, but the shareware version is 100% nagware, nagware almost to
|
|
the point that file transfers might be lost. Whenever an upload or
|
|
download is initiated, nagware screens appear for more than 10 seconds.
|
|
A small price to pay for reviewing the software. If automatic ZMODEM
|
|
downloads are added to the program, it might be a winner.
|
|
|
|
WQVT436.ZIP
|
|
Another excellent comm program for Windows 3.0 is WinQVT. WinQVT
|
|
was designed to be a DEC terminal program, but does quite nicely in the
|
|
BBS area as well. Not as full-featured as Unicom, but as functional, for
|
|
I hardly use any functions besides the comm program and the download and
|
|
upload facilities. Because it is a DEC term program, the ANSI support is
|
|
spotty at best, and it might be wise to turn off ANSI on the BBS end.
|
|
Also, no extended IBM graphics characters are supported, resulting in
|
|
total garbage when seeing the pretty intro screens that Maggie designs.
|
|
These limitations, however, are surpassed by the program's extreme
|
|
simplicity and elegance. No buttons, boxes, or other assorted
|
|
paraphernalia are on the screen to distract you from the main topic at
|
|
hand--BBSing. A simple menu bar at the top is all. Internal X, Y, and
|
|
ZMODEM protocols, as well as Kermit and Compuserve Quick B are
|
|
supported, making file transfers no problem. An interesting side note is
|
|
the program's ability to shrink the comm window to a small
|
|
size--approximately 2" on a side. This allows for convenient monitoring
|
|
of the session while working with other things on the desktop. Finally,
|
|
there is no central dialing directory. A config file is loaded for each
|
|
Host machine, allowing icons to be associated with different BBSs. This
|
|
approach allows for double clicking on a BBS to load WinQVT and place
|
|
the call. Windows as it was meant to be!
|
|
|
|
BANGBANG.ZIP
|
|
A quite trivial cannon shooting game that is interesting to look
|
|
at, but nothing to get worried over. Cute graphics make this one a
|
|
necessary addition to your library.
|
|
|
|
FSRCH.ZIP
|
|
Another file search program! Not as full-featured as TFT (The File
|
|
Search) but quite useful, anyway. Whole drives, or ALL drives on a
|
|
system can be searched at once for a specified file or group of files. A
|
|
routine for copying the list of found files to the clipboard is
|
|
included.
|
|
|
|
-------------------------------
|
|
|
|
I'm sure there are many more Windows 3.0 files out there, some I've
|
|
seen and some I've not. I'll try to get another list like this one up
|
|
for next month's issue, hopefully more Windows 3.0 shareware will have
|
|
come my way! If you have any questions or comments about any of the
|
|
programs presented here, or would like to suggest YOUR favorite Windows
|
|
3.0 shareware to be included in the next collected descriptions, just
|
|
leave me a note, Eric Hunt, on any of the local boards around town. I'm
|
|
"Eric Hunt" most everywhere, but I'm "Monk Eric" on The Crunchy Frog and
|
|
I'm "ASYSERIC" on VCM[ee] (Vulcan's Computer Monthly, Electronic
|
|
Edition). I look forward to hearing from you!
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Review of Esterian Conquest (Gamers Corner? Whatever ...)
|
|
|
|
by Chris Mohney
|
|
|
|
A few months ago, a new door game appeared on the Matrix here in
|
|
sunny Birmingham, Alabama. Its name is Esterian Conquest, and at the
|
|
time it was being beta-tested by its author, Birmingham BBS grunt and
|
|
game buff Bentley Griffith. I hadn't touched a door game in a year or
|
|
two, having lost the fervor after my initial exposures. Still, I
|
|
figured it would be interesting to check out a home-grown product and
|
|
simultaneously do one of my invisible friends a favor.
|
|
|
|
If only it had been that simple. After I learned the basic premise
|
|
operation of the game, I was hooked. Esterian Conquest is easily the
|
|
best strategic door game I've ever seen on a local-level BBS. The
|
|
amount of detail is almost frightening to a non-programmer like myself,
|
|
and the game concept itself plunders past favorites for their best
|
|
aspects. Shortly after beginning the game, I had printed out the game
|
|
map and often caught myself looming over it, snickering in anticipation
|
|
of future pillaging. I'm now playing all four games the Matrix is
|
|
running, and I desperately hope none of the other sysops in town puts
|
|
Esterian Conquest up or my remaining free time is shot for sure.
|
|
|
|
The game concept is relatively simple, highly reminiscent of the
|
|
now-passe Planet Busters. The universe is a vast grid with planets
|
|
scattered about. You begin the game with one planet and a handful of
|
|
ships. Your mission, of course, is to take up the sword and perpetuate
|
|
your empire with as much blood and thunder as possible. After this, the
|
|
game begins to act a little like Tradewars and its myriad clones, in
|
|
that the various planets have different production values. Planetary
|
|
production can be turned to any number of uses, such as armies, ground
|
|
batteries, starbases, troop transports, and of course attack ships.
|
|
There are three different types of attack ships: destroyers, cruisers,
|
|
and battleships. The cost of each ascends with the effectiveness of the
|
|
unit, but it is wise to have numerous little-ship support for the more
|
|
powerful ships. An unclaimed planet needs to be terraformed, or in
|
|
layman's terms made suitable for human life, and to that end you can
|
|
produce ETAC ships (Environmental Transformation And Colonization or
|
|
some such) which will do the job quite nicely.
|
|
|
|
Of course, you're not alone in this little ASCII universe. There's
|
|
up to twenty-four other players out there, and it's your duty to either
|
|
frighten them into obedience (or at least respect) or annihilate them.
|
|
It's difficult to actually kill another player, as one ship may escape
|
|
and roam forever as a homeless rogue. Still, no one can be effective
|
|
once reduced to zero planets. There is a command that will allow you to
|
|
communicate with other players, as well as a very versatile ranking
|
|
system that lets you size up the opposition; both are vital tools to
|
|
game play. One of the most pleasant things about Esterian Conquest is
|
|
that there is no commerce side, such as was so relentlessly prevalent in
|
|
many space strategy game. I always felt that if I wanted to bother with
|
|
trading I'd go play Bay Street Bulls. I'm here to CONQUER, by Triton!
|
|
Commands can be stacked as well, which really speeds up play. Other
|
|
time-savers, like ANSI on-off and an expert mode make the game quite
|
|
user-friendly.
|
|
|
|
I'm told that Esterian Conquest is also extremely sysop-friendly,
|
|
requiring little if any attention. Being a militant user I'm a little
|
|
hazy on that; specific inquiries should be addressed to Bentley
|
|
Griffith. I do know that the game fully supports PCBoard, and will soon
|
|
be compatible with both RBBS and Gap software.
|
|
|
|
For a game as complex as Esterian Conquest, it would be easy to go
|
|
on at length about strategy and "tricks." That could make for a long
|
|
article, but my personal philosophy can be put pretty concisely: "Strike
|
|
first, strike hard, and strike repeatedly." It's kept me alive so far,
|
|
and gotten a few other folks dead.
|
|
|
|
In conclusion, I can offer nothing more than a very strong thumbs-
|
|
up. It took a game as good as Esterian Conquest to raise me out of door
|
|
apathy, and all involved deserve accolades (as well as heaps of cash).
|
|
Anyone interested in more information on this fine game should inquire
|
|
at the following address:
|
|
|
|
ATTN: ESTERIAN CONQUEST
|
|
Griffith International
|
|
P.O. Box 530703
|
|
Birmingham, AL 35253
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
?Why I Compute?
|
|
by Kathy Maisel
|
|
|
|
So, why do I compute? I had never thought about it before, until
|
|
Mark turned to me today and asked that very question. Why, after
|
|
programming all day at work, do I come home and actually enjoy myself at
|
|
another terminal? Maybe I'm brain-dead, maybe I'm a masochist, maybe my
|
|
shoes are too tight. I'm not sure why I enjoy computing, but I will
|
|
explore this right now.
|
|
|
|
The first time I saw a BBS was in 1983 when we got our first modem
|
|
with the Commodore 64. It was a whopping 110/300 baud, the wonderful
|
|
Mighty Mo! Yes, the Mighty Mo called out to a little board here in town
|
|
called The Lonely Mountain and I saw the games and games and games. I
|
|
often said to Mark that I would like to join in those games, but I
|
|
simply didn't have the time while studying in college. So, I contented
|
|
myself with just lurking over Mark's shoulder. Then came Quantum Link!
|
|
Ah, there was my first fervor at wanting MORE BAUD! I assisted Mark in
|
|
scrimping up the cash for a blazing 1200 baud Volksmodem (complete with
|
|
overpriced cable for the C64).
|
|
|
|
Oh, the wonder of it all! Chatting with other users across the
|
|
U.S.! Reading daily news online! Leaving secret messages to people I've
|
|
never seen! Oh, the joy! Oh, my poor Visa bill! That stopped soon
|
|
after it started.
|
|
|
|
I turned again to the local free systems here in town, this time
|
|
picking up the keyboard myself. I debated free-market strategy on Ein
|
|
Fiestburg. I argued religion with its sysop. I played Empire on China
|
|
Town...I was Brave Sir Robin, and no one got my joke with that name. But
|
|
I was having fun. The computer room in our house consequently moved to
|
|
the largest bedroom, and we resigned our master bedroom to a smaller
|
|
domain.
|
|
|
|
It was at this time that I met the sysop of China Town and watched
|
|
the users call in one by one and play games. I could have watched that
|
|
board for hours, saying..."Oh, I know that person! Someone is calling
|
|
in! Who could it be this time?" Then, I made the fatal mistake. I
|
|
started making noises about running my own BBS.
|
|
|
|
One day Mark came home with a surprise. I had gotten away from
|
|
calling boards again, just school and all. We had even acquired our
|
|
first IBM compatible, but I was using it for school. I walked into the
|
|
house and he presented me with an old IDS 8088, complete with two
|
|
hard-drives which had previously been Pinson Valley BBS. The drives
|
|
were full of files. Files! Files! Wonderful files! And I looked at
|
|
it, then I looked at Mark, then I entertained the idea of writing my
|
|
own version of Empire, the game I loved on the C64. Then I entertained
|
|
the idea of writing my own version of Bay Street Bulls...a PC Board door
|
|
game, and I said to Mark, "But, I haven't BBS'd since Ein Fiestburg left
|
|
town. I don't know if I want to run a BBS anymore."
|
|
|
|
The computer sat there for months. Every time I walked into the
|
|
computer room, that lonely IDS was staring at me. I lurked over Mark's
|
|
shoulder as he called more and more local BBS's. He occasionally
|
|
downloaded board software and showed it to me. I was impressed as I saw
|
|
all my favorite games converted in some fashion to the IBM machines. It
|
|
seemed every board in town had games, and they were all the same.
|
|
|
|
We ran a private BBS on our 80286 machine to collect Mark's
|
|
articles for BTN. It was called Roxanne's Massage Parlor and Chainsaw
|
|
Repair. It had quippy little changes to the pcbtext which said things
|
|
like, "Tell Roxanne how much it weighs." I started reading the message
|
|
bases again, this time, fully into the debates and rants on my own. I
|
|
got a raise at work, and I decided to use the extra money to put up
|
|
Roxanne's full time on that sad little IDS machine. It whirled with joy
|
|
when I took over Mark's data line and then, we bought our first BBS
|
|
software. We decided that Roxanne's was too much to be opened to the
|
|
general public, so we gave her her own conference and looked for a board
|
|
name. One Saturday morning, while Mark was at work, I was lying around
|
|
in bed thinking about the board. A name came to me, then a graphics
|
|
opening screen! It was too good to be true! It was such a great inside
|
|
joke! The Crunchy Frog! Surely very few people would understand it,
|
|
and it was very odd. I was disenchanted with games, so I decided I
|
|
wanted a message base and a convenient place for Mark's articles to be
|
|
gathered. I didn't care if people called much. There was always going
|
|
to be a regular base of users because of BTN...but did I find out what
|
|
word-of-mouth can do. And did I get caught up? You bet I did!
|
|
Answering mail, chatting with users! This was the life! I found out
|
|
more people knew about my inside joke, and we carried on to become the
|
|
most outlandish and weirdest board in town.
|
|
|
|
So, why do I compute? The people. I compute because I love the
|
|
people who call boards and I love the humor they display. I don't
|
|
debate much anymore. I don't play games anymore. But, I do love to
|
|
send and receive messages...and boy, do I get my fill as a sysop. When
|
|
I call other boards, I hang out in the message bases. The more obscure
|
|
the message base, the better. Give me a rant! Give me a saying! Give
|
|
me a tagline, any old day! Why do I compute? Because, my hovercraft is
|
|
full of eels!
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Extinction and Obsolescence
|
|
by Colby Gibson
|
|
|
|
I was reading a "Compute" magazine the other day during school, and
|
|
I came across the ad section where different companies offer their
|
|
services. I ran across one that advertised to fix drives for the lowest
|
|
prices anywhere. The really funny thing was that they would fix a 3.5
|
|
drive for $35, and a 8.5 for $75. Then the thought hit me. It's
|
|
expensive to be obsolete.
|
|
|
|
Example: you have an XT, 8 mhz, cga, and standard memory. You
|
|
decide that it would be nice to go out and buy a new game. You do, and
|
|
the description really excites you. When you get the game home, you read
|
|
in fine print on the front that the game requires an EGA or better
|
|
graphics adapter. You are then forced to spend a couple hundred bucks
|
|
for a better graphics system. Then you get a game like Wing Commander
|
|
that won't even run on an XT.
|
|
|
|
The fact is, that computer standards are changing faster than
|
|
frying hamburgers change color. You spend a hundred bucks on a modem,
|
|
and then one year later the one you purchased is obsolete and there is
|
|
one twice as fast for the same price.
|
|
|
|
This problem plagues many users, especially the ones that don't
|
|
have the financial blessing to keep up with the changing society. At
|
|
least what you have will last long enough to get enough money for your
|
|
next purchase.
|
|
|
|
A common solution to this problem is either wholesale or salvaging.
|
|
There are many computer dealers that claim to sell systems for
|
|
"wholesale" value. You need to check around. Sam's wholesale sells some
|
|
KICK BUTT systems that run faster than 486s for $1550 complete with VGA
|
|
and hard disks.
|
|
|
|
Buying different parts and using them together is one thing that
|
|
tinkerers like to do, and some even succeed with it. This reduces the
|
|
cost of it and you might get some hardware that won't turn extinct for a
|
|
while.
|
|
|
|
That's a growing hobby of mine as well. If there is a computer
|
|
company that chunks out defective parts or ones who have ceased to
|
|
function, GET THEM. It really doesn't matter if you have to search
|
|
through a dumpster. You're going to find something that you can use
|
|
somewhere.
|
|
|
|
Another thing you can try to do if you have connections in a
|
|
hardware corporation is try to get the defective parts. Many defective
|
|
parts really have nothing wrong with them, but maybe a keyboard error
|
|
which can be solved with a little soldering.
|
|
|
|
There are also a couple of things the new users need look out for.
|
|
A dealer may take advantage of your ignorance of PCs and sell you a
|
|
system that is TOTALLY obsolete and you not even know it until you get
|
|
home with it for 90 days or more. Be sure you pick a good computer
|
|
service.
|
|
|
|
A little note. I had a little Citizen 120d printer that is
|
|
currently sitting on a shelf in my closet, broken. I bought my first XT
|
|
from a local dealer and it was a good system. But there were a couple of
|
|
things wrong with it that I think could have been avoided.
|
|
|
|
1. They set the hard drive interleave incorrectly, which slowed
|
|
the overall performance.
|
|
|
|
2. The I/O card's DIP switches were set incorrectly. I could only
|
|
use a joystick on select software.
|
|
|
|
3. I had that printer fixed THREE times. The first time it got hit
|
|
my a spike, which is understandable. When I got it back, it
|
|
worked GREAT. For about a week. Then the print head began
|
|
having trouble moving, it would die right in the middle of a
|
|
print, and it wouldn't come up at all. I had it repaired, and I
|
|
got it back and it did the SAME THING. I had it fixed, and
|
|
about a YEAR later i got it and it BROKE FOR THE SAME REASON.
|
|
|
|
4. They gave me a couple of crappy floppy drives.
|
|
|
|
This experience taught me a great deal about dealers and computers.
|
|
You should be very careful when selecting a computer dealer. Most of
|
|
them are very good at what they do and are very helpful, willing to
|
|
answer questions and such. There are some out there who are not and
|
|
will do whatever they think they can get away with in order to make a
|
|
buck. It can be a good idea for someone with little computer experience
|
|
and/or knowledge to purchase from a dealer because of the support you
|
|
should receive from him after your purchase. If you know someone who is
|
|
knowledgeable, then it is a good idea to get them to help you select a
|
|
dealer and the sort of machine and software you need.
|
|
|
|
I'm lucky I learned enough to find out what happened to my system
|
|
and avoid such problems in future purchases.
|
|
|
|
If you suspect that you equipment has become obsolete, or if you
|
|
have a reputable piece of hardware, but it has just become old, there
|
|
are things you can do about it. The dealer can help, but that may not
|
|
help unless they are a good dealer. The second is to do what I have
|
|
suggested in this article.
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Confessions of the Software Meister
|
|
by Dean Costello
|
|
|
|
Computers are neat devices, in and of themselves. I suppose,
|
|
though that this goes without saying, or else you wouldn't be reading
|
|
this little missive. But they are frustrating.
|
|
|
|
I have an Atari 1040ST (hard disk, 2400bd modem, you know, the
|
|
usual outfit for the Real Computer Owner). I remember when I first
|
|
bought this thing, oh about 3.5 years ago. My younger brother, Scott,
|
|
bought one a year before I did, and I was impressed with his system, so
|
|
much so that I went and bought one just like it. But he was smart, in
|
|
that he also bought some software to go along with it. I was not. All I
|
|
had was the ST Basic that came with the console. I saw Scott's games,
|
|
and began to bum. The ST Basic sucked, so there I was, with a pretty
|
|
computer that was never utilized.
|
|
|
|
So, I decided the best thing to do was to gather software. Lots of
|
|
it. Of all shapes and sizes, colors and flavors. Some very good
|
|
("Empire"), some not so good ("OutRun"). Now, I have a big stack of
|
|
disks sitting here on my desk, a hard drive filled with more utilities
|
|
than I can shake a stick at. So what do I do with it?
|
|
|
|
Of course, play with it. I have them sorted (roughly) into a good
|
|
stack of disks, a not-so-good stack of disks, and a looks-
|
|
pretty-good-but-I-haven't-gotten-around-to-reading-the-docs-yet-
|
|
so-it-just-sits-and-gathers-dust stack of disks. This stack is usually
|
|
located near the some-of-the-functions-work-but-the-
|
|
interface-is-not-very-intuitive-so-I-am-not-going-to-bother-to-
|
|
figure-out-how-the-more-arcane-functions-work stack. The unfortunate
|
|
thing is that there is a lot of potential in the LPGBIHGATRTDYSIJSAGD
|
|
and SOTFWBTIINVISIANGTBTFOHTMAFW stacks, and the real shame is that the
|
|
probability of my ever really USING a program to its fullest potential
|
|
is extremely low.
|
|
|
|
As a result of my not reading the manuals, the LPGBIHGATRTDY-
|
|
SIJSAGD and SOTFWBTIINVISIANGTBTFOHTMAFW stacks are growing by the day.
|
|
Sometimes, however, I use one or another program out of necessity, and I
|
|
stumble over something devastatingly neato. F'r instance, I finally
|
|
figured out how to invoke the ANSI emulator on my "Interlink" terminal
|
|
program. This was about 6 months ago. I have had the damned thing
|
|
since June of '88. My only excuse is that if I really needed to know
|
|
how to do it, I would have figured it out by now, but I haven't needed
|
|
it, so I came across the ANSI by accident. It was an incredible feeling
|
|
of triumph. You know, Man vs. Machine, that kind of thing. Deus no ex
|
|
machina, I suppose. Unfortunately, I always feel that this was
|
|
something everyone already knew, so I try not to let anyone know about
|
|
my Tragic Lapse.
|
|
|
|
Little things arouse my emotions on my little child, here. Like a
|
|
smallish file I ran across a couple of months ago called 4PAK. It
|
|
allows one to compress an executable file, such as a .PRG, an .ACC, a
|
|
.TTP, or a .TOS., but it allows the file to still be executable, with
|
|
the compression in place. I romanced about 5 megs off the ol' HD with
|
|
just this little gem. I want to have the programmer's children.
|
|
|
|
There is one program, though, that illustrates the problem of
|
|
experimenting with dangerous new toys. It is called "DLII". It has the
|
|
potential for incredible greatness, but I am afraid to use it except in
|
|
the most dire of emergencies. It is apparently like a Norton's Utility,
|
|
except for the ST. It can do incredibly handy things, like undeleting a
|
|
file, restructuring a fragmented drive, check and repair any lost
|
|
clusters; you know, things of that nature. But it can also trash a hard
|
|
drive in no time flat. I discovered, the hard way a couple of times,
|
|
that no matter what happens, you DO NOT try to undelete files in a
|
|
deleted folder. You will get crosslinked directories coming out the
|
|
yingyang. Can you say low-level format? I knew you could...
|
|
|
|
Well, it looks like it is about time to wind this puppy up. I guess
|
|
the point of this little missive is that even though some programs are
|
|
good and some are bad, there are still some surprises out there that
|
|
will either test your mettle, or give you an instant woody.
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
Maurice Lovelady 684-6843
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
Š
|
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
* Abject Poverty 680-9680 300-2400 ProBBS/ProDoor
|
|
* Alter-Ego BBS 925-0707 300-2400 MNP4 ProBBS/ProDoor
|
|
* American BBS 674-1851 300-2400 PC Board 14.5
|
|
Amiga Alliance ][ 631-0262 BBS-PC 4.20
|
|
Arkham Asylum 853-7422 300-2400 WWIV 4.12
|
|
Bus System 595-1627 300-2400 PC Board 14.2
|
|
* Byte Me! 979-BYTE! 9600 HST/V.42 WWIV 4.12
|
|
Camelot BBS 856-0679 300-2400 Teleguard 2.5
|
|
-* Channel 8250 Node 1 744-8546 300-9600 HST/V.42 PC Board 14.5
|
|
-* Channel 8250 Node 2 744-5166 300-9600 HST PC Board 14.5
|
|
* Crunchy Frog 956-1755 300-9600 HST/V.42 PC Board 14.0
|
|
D3 Systems BBS 663-2759 300-9600 HST/V.32 Quick BBS 2.04
|
|
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)
|
|
+ I.S.A. BBS 995-6590 300-9600 HST TCOMM
|
|
* Joker's Castle 664-5589 300-2400 MNP4 PC Board 14.2
|
|
K-9 Corner 424-8202 300-2400 Image 1.2
|
|
*& Little Kingdom Node 1 969-0007 300-9600 HST/V.42 PC Board 14.5
|
|
*& Little Kingdom Node 2 969-0008 300-2400 MNP4 PC Board 14.5
|
|
LZ Birmingham 870-7770 300-2400 PC Board 14.5
|
|
* Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300-9600 HST PC Board 14.2
|
|
@ Missing Link 853-1257 300-2400 Image 1.2
|
|
^ Myth Drannor 699-5811 1200-2400 MNP4 WWIV 4.11
|
|
Outside It's America 951-2473 300-2400 MNP4 WWIV 4.11
|
|
Owl's Nest 680-0851 300-2400 PC Board 14.2
|
|
@ Pirate's Cove 942-7429 300-1200 Image 1.2
|
|
Posys BBS 854-5131 1200-2400 RBBS CPC17.3
|
|
* Radio Free Troad 979-6183 300-9600 HST/V.42 PC Board 14.2
|
|
Safe Harbor 665-4355 300-2400 GT Power 15.00
|
|
Shadetree BBS 787-6723 300-2400 Phoenix 1.36
|
|
Sperry BBS 853-6144 300-9600 Hayes PC Board 14.5
|
|
* ST BBS 836-9311 300-2400 PC Board 14.2
|
|
@ The Commodore Zone 856-3783 300-2400 Image 1.2
|
|
The Connection Node 1 854-9074 1200-2400 PC Board 14.1
|
|
The Connection Node 2 854-2308 1200-2400 PC Board 14.1
|
|
The Dog House 425-9255 300-1200 Image 1.2
|
|
The Dragon's Hoard 833-3790 300-2400 WWIV 4.12
|
|
The Hanging Tree 938-2145 300-2400 WWIV 4.11
|
|
- The Matrix Nodes 1-4 323-2016 300-2400 PC Board 14.5
|
|
- The Matrix Node 5 251-2344 300-9600 HST PC Board 14.5
|
|
+ The Outer Limits 985-1725 1200-2400 Teleguard 2.5i
|
|
The Quiet Zone 833-2066 300-2400 ExpressNET
|
|
VCM(ee) BBS Node 1 655-4059 300-2400 new modem? Oracomm Plus
|
|
VCM(ee) BBS Node 2 655-4065 300-1200 Oracomm Plus
|
|
Vampire's Crypt 833-8494 300-2400 MNP4 WWIV 4.12
|
|
Victory Express 425-0821 300-1200 Image 1.2
|
|
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
|
|
Ziggy Unaxess 991-5696 300-1200 Unaxess
|
|
|
|
Boards with a "*" before their name are members of our local network,
|
|
EzNet, and public messages left in the EzNet Conferences of any of these
|
|
boards will be echoed to all members.
|
|
|
|
Boards with a "@" before their name are members of our local Commodore
|
|
network, Image Network, and e-mail left on any member board may be
|
|
directed to any other member board.
|
|
|
|
Boards with a "+" before their name are members of FidoNet, an
|
|
international network that provides a variety of public forums as well
|
|
as private mail services all over the world.
|
|
|
|
Boards with a "-" before their name are members of MetroNet, an
|
|
international network that provides a variety of public forums as well
|
|
as private mail services all over the world.
|
|
|
|
Boards with a "^" before their name are members of WWIV-Net, an
|
|
international network that provides a variety of public forums as well
|
|
as private mail services all over the world.
|
|
|
|
Boards with a "&" before their name are members of Intellec, an
|
|
international network that provides a variety of public forums as well
|
|
as private mail services all over the world.
|
|
|
|
If you have any corrections, additions, deletions, etc., please let us
|
|
know via EzNet.
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
***THIS INFORMATION IS NO LONGER VALID. EZNET CENTRAL HAS MOVED AND IS
|
|
NO LONGER RUN SOLELY ON EZNET SOFTWARE. WHEN DETAILS BECOME AVAILABLE,
|
|
THEN IT WILL BE REPORTED HERE. MM
|
|
|
|
EzNet Multiple Echo List
|
|
|
|
EzNet now supports multiple conference echoing but there are a few
|
|
things you should be aware of regarding private mail.
|
|
|
|
A. You have one 'address' for private mail. If you are registered for
|
|
private mail on Channel 8250 and someone sends you a private
|
|
message in the MS-DOS conference from Crunchy Frog it will wind
|
|
up in the Hardware conference on Channel 8250 as it should.
|
|
|
|
However, if you were registered for private mail on Magnolia and
|
|
someone sends you a private message in a conference that Magnolia
|
|
does not support (echo) then the message will wind up in the
|
|
twilight zone.
|
|
|
|
B. If you go by a handle on one BBS and your real name on another even
|
|
if the private message goes where it is supposed to, you will not
|
|
be able to read it because it is addressed to someone else as far
|
|
as PC Board is concerned. PC Board has no way of knowing that Red
|
|
Foxx and John Doe are the same person. No tickee, no washee.
|
|
|
|
Advice on sending private mail: If you don't know if the person you
|
|
are sending private mail to is registered for private mail then keep a
|
|
copy of the message in case you have to find an alternate route. EzNet
|
|
Central will delete your private, undelivered message and inform you
|
|
that the user you attempted to reach is not registered for private mail
|
|
on any EzNet Node.
|
|
|
|
This is a list of the current echoes that we are aware of. More
|
|
are in the making and will be posted in future issues. If you are a
|
|
sysop and are running an echo not listed for your board, please make us
|
|
aware of it so we may correct it next issue.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eznet Program IBM Adult Scitech BTNWA
|
|
|
|
Alter-Ego ........... * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..
|
|
American BBS ........ * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..
|
|
Byte Me! ............ * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... ..
|
|
Channel 8250 ........ * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... * ..... * ..
|
|
Crunchy Frog ........ * ..... ..... * ..... * ..... ..... * ..
|
|
Joker's Castle ...... * ..... ..... * ..... ..... ..... ..
|
|
Little Kingdom ...... * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... ..
|
|
Magnolia BBS ........ * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..
|
|
Radio Free Troad .... * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..
|
|
ST BBS .............. * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..
|