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BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News
COPYRIGHT 1991 ISSN 1055-4548
April 1991 Volume 4, Issue 4
Table Of Contents
-----------------
Article Title Author
Policy Statement and Disclaimer................Staff
Publisher's Corner.............................Mark Maisel
Editorial......................................Monty
BBS Users As Angels............................Don Bennett
Talking With Strangers.........................Randy Hilliard
GeoWorks Ensemble vs Microsoft Windows.........Kelly Rosato
The Adventures of R.G. Strangemind & Herbert...Jeremy Lewis
Notes From The Trenches........................Dean Costello
Why I Compute?.................................Colby Gibson
A Review: Robocomm 3.0........................Eric Hunt
Have You Ever Noticed..........................Michele Cahoon
Video Electronics: Part 1.....................John Lane
Special Interest Groups (SIGs).................Barry Bowden
Known BBS Numbers..............................Staff
Echoes/Network List............................Staff
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer and Statement of Policy for BTN
We at BTN try our best to assure the accuracy of articles and
information in our publication. We assume no responsibility for damage
due to errors, omissions, etc. The liability, if any for BTN, its
editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or omissions,
etc., shall be limited to the cost of a one year subscription to BTN,
even if BTN, its editors or writers have been advised of the likelihood
of such damages occurring.
With the conclusion of that nasty business, we can get on with our
policy for publication and reproduction of BTN articles. We publish
monthly with a deadline of the fifteenth of the month prior to
publication. If you wish to submit an article, you may do so at any
time but bear in mind the deadline if you wish for your work to appear
in a particular issue. It is not our purpose to slander or otherwise
harm a person or reputation and we accept no responsibility for the
content of the articles prepared by our writers. Our writers own their
work and it is protected by copyright. We allow reprinting of articles
from BTN with only a few restrictions. The author may object to a
reprint, in which case he will specify in the content of his article.
Otherwise, please feel free to reproduce any article from BTN as long as
the source, BTN, is specified, and as long as the author's name and the
article's original title are retained. If you use one of our articles,
please forward a copy of your publication to:
Mark Maisel
Editor, BTN
221 Chestnut St.
BHM, AL 35210-3219
(205)-956-0176
We thank you for taking the time to read our offering and we hope that
you like it. We also reserve the right to have a good time while doing
all of this and not get too serious about it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
F R E E B I E : G E T I T W H I L E I T S H O T !
The following boards allow BTN to be downloaded freely, that is with no
charge to any existing upload/download ratios.
The Connection LZ Birmingham Alter-Ego
Channel 8250 Little Kingdom Joker's Castle
Crunchy Frog Myth Drannor Posys BBS
The Matrix Abject Poverty The Bus
The Outer Limits Bloom County The Round Table
DC Info Exchange Radio Free Troad Programmers Shack
If you are a sysop and you allow BTN to be downloaded freely, please let
me know via EZNet so that I can post your board as a free BTN
distributor. Thanks.
MM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Publisher's Corner
by Mark Maisel
I ain't gonna tell you whats in the issue. It is late and I'm tired of
hearing about it. Life has been very hectic lately and thats the way it
is here at BTN Central. I've spent the afternoon, finally free, working
on this monster, trying to maintain the (ha ha) standards that I've so
diligently created for BTN. There are some wonderful things in here
this month. Check out Don Bennett's article for some thought provoking,
for those of you with thoughts, insights and ideas. Oh damn, I said I
wasn't going to talk about the issue.
I've got lots of travel coming up so my writers are going to have to
exert some discipline and get their stuff in on time without the crack
of my whip to inspire them. You can do your part by encouraging them
with your comments regarding their articles. I don't care if your
comments are positive or negative, or downright hateful. Just provide
them publicly, preferably in EZNet so we can all see what you think,
that is, if you do. If you don't, opine anyway.
I like this new section because I can do pretty much what I want and if
I'm hurting for ideas, being squeezed under the pressure of those who
want BTN to keep its schedule religiously, I can be brief like in this
case.
Enjoy the issue and tell us how you feel about it!
Oh yeah! Ya'll be sure and berate Chris Mohney for me publicly and
loudly for failing to get his Profile article in to me on time for the
umpteenth time. There is nothing like a bit of public humiliation to
bring those recalcitrant writers into line.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial
by Monty, Sysop of Crunchy Frog
well, i gotta write this editorial before i get to do anything fun, so
here it is. we got a great issue this month, i especially like the
angels article. dean's whining is real good too. then we got the
yucky technicle stuff...i know some of you really like that, so go
figure. mark is holding my credit card until i get done, i got a date
with jcpenny for some new lingerie on a friday night. god, look at the
time, it's 8 o'clock and i only got an hour to shop! i need to get done
with this.
anyway, the issue is real silly. that's just the way i like it, as you
all know. so, how's the weather? it's been raining around here and the
front yard is about to wash away. the water started rising and i
grabbed my bbs and jumped up on the table. SAVE THE BOARD! i screamed
as mark got washed out the door. sarah had found my big green chair
floating in the kitchen, so she was paddling around with her violin.
everything was fine, until the power strip didn't have enough cord to
stay above the water...then things got really hot.
at any rate, that is why i haven't answered my mail this week and why i
only call out once a month. see, i'm real busy keeping the board out of
hot water...hehehehehehe.
and now, for something completely weird...here's btn.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BBS Users As Angels
by Don Bennett
Before you read the title and shrug this off as something religious
by pressing page down until you get to the next title, rest assured that
it is not. It is however a very thought provoking article which
directly addresses the nature of BBS communication via the bits and
bytes.
As an avid reader, I come across some really interesting stuff.
Right before I joined the BBS community last November, I read Mortimer
Adler's book "The Angels and Us". I consider Adler to be a world class
scholar and philosopher and have felt this way ever since I read his
several hundered plus page book entitled "How to Read a Book". (Good
book too!) In my opinion, anyone who can get away with such an endeavor
deserves the label 'world class'.
Anyway - in 1943, Adler was commissioned to create a list of great
ideas for Encylopaedia Britanica as a guide to western literature. After
two years, he produced a list of 102 ideas with which he had little or
no problems getting approval from his associates and peers - except for
his inclusion of the idea ANGEL. It only made matters worse since the
list was alphabetical and thus started with angel. After Adler's
persistence, the guide was eventually published - starting with angel.
This little story is included in the preface of "The Angels and
Us". When I read this story, I felt the same as Adler's associates. The
preface concluded by describing that when and wherever Adler gives a
lecture on the subject of angels, it always produces his largest
audiences. Perhaps this interest was what drew me to his book and you
so far into this article.
Adler defines angel as a mind without a body on page one. He then
spends the next 200 pages talking about that definition. If you think
about it, it is really quite an interesting idea since such is not
really possible or provable as we know it. After I finished the book, I
started trying to find a real example of an angel - a mind without a
body. The closest I have yet come is the computer BBS message base.
This opinion was slow in crystallizing but was confirmed at my first BTN
party in December.
Computer programs at best are nothing more than a list of commands
and boolean or random operations that operate at such a speed that
intelligence is generally assumed. One of my older relatives after
seeing my computer crash thus dumping a bunch of ascii garbage across
the screen was convinced that a silicon life form was alive and well on
my desk cursing me in computerish. As hard as I tried, I could not
convince him otherwise. To him, my Macintosh was a mind with a computer
body.
With this occurrence and Adler's book fresh in my mind, I
coincidentally entered into the world of computerized BBS message bases.
I generally frequent technical, Star Trek, religious, political and
similar conferences. In these conferences, I have met many friends and
even some foes. It occurred to me after several disputes caused by
misunderstandings and poor assumptions that I was dealing with a MIND
rather than what I perhaps was expecting - a computer program that would
understand what I meant if I used the correct command and syntax. Such
works in Pascal but not always with the user on the other end.
Thus, I had discovered the closest example of an Angel - a mind
without a body! For with each message reply, my lifeless Macintosh all
of a sudden had developed a personality unique to each message. My Mac
had evolved to where it spoke with the audacity of Dean Costello all the
way over to the compassion of Maggie Harden. It truly was a life form -
a collection of minds that periodically flashed across my computer
screen.
I began to write down the character traits of those who I regularly
met trying to get an idea of who they were. In my mind, I painted a
picture of what they looked like. This picture also included at times
their voices and other traits. As I compiled my imaginative
descriptions, I at once thought of Steve Martin in "The Man with Two
Brains" where he fell in love with this beautiful female mind. In the
story he found a way to transplant that mind into a beautiful woman only
to find out the mind he fell in love with actually produced an obese
woman in the flesh. Funny movie with a good point. Had I actually done
something similar?
I have found the answer to this question to be yes, over and over
again. When I ask a computer a question or give it a command, it either
does it or does not without offense. This is not so with a message
base. My best intentions at times get taken totally wrong and I have
visited the same experience on several other well intentioned folks as
well. The real point is that conversation between humans ordinarily
involves a lot in the form of audio and visual gestures. Since such
does not currently pass through computer keyboards and screens, one is
reduced to the caps lock key, format and little smiley faces. In other
words, the message bases are reduced to pure intellect that can be as
clear or as vague as allowed by written language. Now I realize that
the written word can paint a beautiful picture, but come on - normally
one does not write in the style of "Gone with the Wind" especially given
the limits of the message length and limits of the message receiver's
attention span on the other end.
Since attention is something to consider, I will close by saying
the quality of messages zooming across the conferences may be directly
related to the realization that a mind and not a silicon chip is on the
other end of the phone jack. This is a mind that has feelings and
intellect that can be both harmed and enlightened. For the longest,
Maggie and Dean looked alike to me - they looked like my Mac screen.
They were in fact angels - minds without bodies that frequented my tiny
screen. My imaginative image of Dean (for the sake of interest) was
that of a skinny black haired teenager with the personality of Bart
Simpson. My image of Maggie was of a nun type lady with glasses.
Needless to say, the BTN party was indeed enlightening for me.
In closing, let me say that I think the BBS message base system is
a utility that warrants the tremendous amount of time required to really
participate. Such will develop communication skills as well as provide a
rather good source of intellectual information given that most who have
computers and know how to operate them seem to be on the upper level of
intelligentsia. I consider myself privileged to share the nebulous land
of digital electronic pulses with you in this unique silicon sea.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Talking With Strangers
by Randy Hilliard
Since Hayes and USR have both embraced the V.32 and V.42 standards
there has been some confusion as to what V.32, V.42, and V.42bis
actually means to a modem purchaser. By explaining what these
mysterious 'V' symbols represent in layman's terms, I hope to give
enough understanding that the average person can make a sensible
purchase of their next modem. To try and keep the body of the text
reletively free of jargon, there will be a glossary of terms at the end
of the article.
Before I get into the body of the text let me mention a few words
about MNP. MNP classes 2, 3, and 4 have to do with error correction and
are in the public domain. MNP classes 5 and 7 have to do with data
compression techniques and may be licenced from Microcom. MNP classes
6, 9, and 10 are specialty Microcom classes and need not be considered
here.
MODULATION STANDARDS
There have been established modulation standards for 300 (Bell
103), 1200 (Bell 103 or CCITT V.22), and 2400 (CCITT V.22bis) baud
operation for quite a while so when you went down to purchase a
3/12/2400 baud modem you were confident that it would 'talk' to other
3/12/2400 modems without any problems. Purchasing a 9600 baud modem was
a little more complicated since there was not an established standard
for 9600 baud operation. Hayes, U.S. Robotics, Multitech, and the other
manufacturers all seemed to have their own ideas about how 9600 baud
operation should be accomplished. Consequently, none of their 9600 baud
modems would talk to the other brands of 9600 baud modems at a speed
greater than 2400 baud.
V.32 is a method of Trellis coding modulation for 9600 baud modems
that splits the frequency used by the modem into 2 separate 9600 baud
channels. This allows full duplex asynchronous communications at 9600
baud on both channels. The CCITT V.32 standard deals only with error
correction techniques encompassed within MNP levels 2,3, and 4.
ERROR CONTROL
V.42 is a feature found on some V.32 modems and like MNP levels 2,
3, and 4 it is a form of error control that includes LAPM. LAPM is a
modified form of the LAPB error correction protocol developed by Hayes
for 9600 baud operations and can co-exist (but not operate
simultaneously) with the MNP2-4 error correction protocol. When two
V.42 modems connect they will first test to see if they are both LAPM
compatible, if both are then the connection is governed by the LAPM
error correction protocol. If LAPM negotiation fails (either one is
incompatible) then they will negotiate for MNP-4 error correction. If
MNP-4 negotiations fail then the connection will proceded without
benefit of error correction.
DATA COMPRESSION
Data compression is not required for high speed connections but
depending on the data that you are transmitting, it can make life a
whole lot sweeter.
If you are transmitting large quantities of text then data
compression will be a definite plus. Already compressed files such as
ARC and ZIP files either benefit very little or even suffer a little
from MNP types of compression because a compressed file will accrue
additional data without significant compression. This additional data
will increase the time it takes to transfer a file. MNP-5 uses an
unspecified algorithm to yield compressions of up to 200%. MNP-7 uses
Huffman encoding to yeild compressions of up to 300%. Both of those
figures depend on the type of data being compressed.
V.42bis is a superset of V.42 but includes a new feature: efficient
data compression using Lempel Ziv encoding techniques. L/Z will yield
compressions up to 400% depending on the data being compressed. The L/Z
compression techniques will efficiently handle already compressed files
without a speed degradation.
CONCLUSION
V.32 modems talk to V.32 modems at high speed regardless of brand.
Error correction isn't an absolute neccesity at 9600 baud but is pretty
close to it. Data compression is very helpful if you are moving large
quantities of text but otherwise is a nuisance.
ed. There is yet another new standard on the
horizon. V.32bis is a CCITT standard for connecting
modems at 14.4 Kilobaud. It is but one alternative
to the proprietary HST 14.4 Kbaud method. It has
been implemented in a few modems already but they are
expensive. These modems are becoming available but
are not yet common on bbs'. When they do start
coming out, we will report on them. Information, at
the moment, is scant. MM.
Trademarks and glossary:
HAYES Hayes Microcomputer Inc.
USR U.S. Robotics
CCITT (Consultative Committee on International Telegraphy & Telephony)
HST (High Speed Technology), U.S. Robotics
LAP- (Link Access Procedure B or M), Hayes Microcomputer Inc.
MNP (r) (Microcomm Networking Protocol), Microcomm Systems, Inc
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
GeoWorks Ensemble vs. Microsoft Windows
by Kelly Rosato
In the last year there has been much fanfare over Microsoft Windows
release 3.0, arguably the most popular Graphical User Interface (GUI)
for the IBM & Compatible PC since the concept's popular debut in the mid
eighties. Since then there have been other ports of GUI software to the
IBM, most notable of which is GEM, used on Atari's ST line. Now there is
another player to add to the field, Ensemble from GEOworks, an old hand
at Commodore graphical interfaces, introduced for the PC in early
November at Fall ComDex in Las Vegas.
In this article I will endeavor to explain both systems' strengths
and weaknesses, and provide a comprehensive overview and history of both
Ensemble and Windows 3.0 since they are the major players in the PC
market at this time.
In starting, I will attempt to explain the reasoning and need for a
GUI to the people that do not currently use them on a widespread basis.
In it's simplest terms, a GUI provides a user with a easy to use,
consistent interface between the user and the operating system that the
computer runs, by mean of windows and other minor, but important
additions, such as a mouse or pointer and icons. In such a manner, a
consistent interface is achieved in that the look and feel of one
program will be similar to the look and feel to that of the next program
but still accomplishing their individual goals.
Anyone that has ever seen or used a Macintosh, Atari, or Amiga knows
that there is a certain comfort knowing that the next program will not
be severely different from the one that they were using previously due
to the continuity that a GUI affords.
Windows from Microsoft has been around since at least 1985 in some
form or another, aiming originally to be a friendly cute little DOS
shell with Icons that used a mouse sometimes. Since then Microsoft has
waxed and waned over the fate of Windows, introducing in succession,
Windows 286 and later Windows 386, both lackluster at best, really
giving the user little reason to migrate to Windows since there was a
chronic shortage of mainline applications (programs specifically written
to run under and use Windows to it and their fullest ability) and most
of the hardware requirements were not something that the average user
could afford pocketbook wise. Then Microsoft and IBM got together in
1987 and started planning OS/2 a 100% start to finish GUI, multitasking,
multiuser. Unfortunately, OS/2 suffered the same problem of requiring
too much from the users system again, requiring 2 megabytes of memory at
minimum to do anything effective and to this day languishes, used by
only 1% of total PC's. But early in 1989 all that started to change,
Microsoft started working on the best, worst kept secret in the
business, Windows 3.0, it would run on a 286 OR 386, could break the 640
DOS memory barrier, would multitask in as little as 640k of memory.
Awaited impatiently for by users and PC managers alike, Windows 3.0's
release date was pushed back time after time, resulting in many bad
feelings against Microsoft as "vaporware", never to appear. But all was
not in vain, last year Microsoft rolled out Windows 3.0 to much fanfare
and a 200 million dollar promotional campaign, all but giving away
Windows 3.0 in hopes of bringing in flocks of new converts to the GUI
market and porting much of the Microsoft Macintosh software directly
into the newly made market. In the meantime IBM was still languishing
with OS/2 and was seeing Windows as a direct threat to OS/2 as the "new"
user interface, causing strife in the successful workings between
Microsoft and IBM. In the end Microsoft has stated that they consider
Windows to be a stepping stone between a character based DOS environment
and OS/2, citing, that Windows is for people that have mid to high range
systems, and OS/2 for people that have high to very high range systems.
As it stands right now there are about 45 - 60 commercial packages that
are true Windows Apps (Applications), ranging from, Desktop Publishing
to Games of all sorts, along with dozens of shareware and public domain
utilities and programs.
Geoworks is not the software giant that Microsoft is. Their
greatest claim to fame being Geos for the Commodore 64, originally
slated to be the operating system for the 64 but when the deal fell
through, Geoworks and Commodore went their separate way and Geoworks
sold their GUI separately for several years.
Although there are only minor differences in the ways that Windows
and Ensemble work, the ways that they go about it are much different.
Windows uses a pattern of windowing designed by Microsoft to mirror the
Macintosh as closely as possible on a PC, resulting in a very efficient
clean design, whereas Ensemble uses Motif from Open Software, a company
that is helping to build a standardized GUI for many Unix & Xenix
graphical work stations. Both are very eye pleasing and intuitive, but
as far as esthetics go, that is best left to personal opinion. For
references sake, all tests were conducted on a clone 80386sx, AST 80486,
and a Packard Bell Turbo XT. We will start at the first point that many
buyers will look at before buying a new software package, the minimum
requirements of the system that the package will be running on:
Windows 3.0: 80286 (10mHz or faster recommended), 640 memory, CGA or
HGA adapter support, XMS memory specification for memory above 640k.
Ensemble 1.0: 8088 (8Mhz or faster recommended), 512k, CGA or HGA
Adapter, supports EMS 4.0, XMS, or plain Extended memory above 640k.
The next thing we'll look at is features, what do you get for the money?
Which includes more for the money? Well they stack up like this:
Microsoft Windows 3.0 Geoworks Ensemble
Write GeoWrite
Terminal GeoComm
Calculator Calculator
File Manager GeoManager
Solitaire Solitaire
Calendar Geoplanner
Notepad Notepad
Macro recorder *
Cardfile GeoDex
Pif Editor *
Clock GeoClock
Reversi *
Paint Brush Geodraw
* America Online
* Banner
*Nothing comparable included
In comparison starting from the top of the list and going down:
Write and GeoWrite are comparable only in the sense that both are
What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) word processors, Write being a
mid range word processor derived from Microsoft Word for Windows, and
GeoWrite a full fledged WYSIWYG word processor especially for Ensemble,
supporting more fonts, in larger sizes (up to 124 points in some cases)
straight from box, GeoWrite has a cleaner layout for DeskTop Publishing
if you decide to use it for that. Ensemble wins this one hands down.
Terminal and GeoComm, in this arena, Microsoft did a slightly
better job between the two communications programs but neither will win
any awards for completeness. Terminal supports 2 transfer protocols,
Kermit and Xmodem, while GeoComm supports Xmodem only. I don't consider
transfer protocols to be the deciding factor between the two programs,
but when you really boil it down, that was the only difference that was
readily apparent. Both have scripting abilities, macros and so forth, so
we'll call them both poorly executed, but they do let your modem talk.
Calculator and Calculator. Almost exactly the same, neither wins in
this one.
File Manager and GeoManager, here is area where Geos REALLY did
their homework. Bringing a smooth Macintosh-like file folder system with
disk drive Icons (both for floppies and hard drives), a trash can (no
more of that Delete rubbish), system folders, executables (including
.BAT, .COM and EXE's) together in a true point and shoot system, clearly
surpassing Windows in both the need to set up Windows and non-Windows
Apps, PIF's and the slow and confusing File Manager. In this sense alone
Ensemble pulls the almost mythical "easy to use" interface for DOS
together.
Solitaire and Solitaire, No major differences, although Ensemble
wins a kudos for a new method of "beaming" in the cards during play.
Calendar and GeoPlanner, some major, some minor differences, again
Calendar vs. GeoPlanner is almost no contest, as Geoplanner is as close
to a full fledged planner that one can get without going to PFS:Planner.
Including alarms for appointments, daily, weekly and so forth.
Notepad and Notepad. Really no major differences here, except for
one thing, ALL Geos Apps have a thumbtack on the first part of the FILE
menu for specifically pasting to the notepad and scrapbook, something
that is a major improvement over the notepad system for Windows.
Macro Recorder for Windows. There is nothing comparable for
Ensemble.
Cardfile and GeoDex, a small cardfile flat database for addresses
and phone numbers. Neither is clearly superior in this category.
PIF Editor. Since Geomanager does not need PIF files or anything
comparable nothing like it is included in Ensemble. A clear point to
Geoworks for doing away with those bothersome PIF's.
Clock and GeoClock. No major differences.
Reversi. An Othello like game for Windows, Ensemble does not
include anything comparable.
Paint Brush and GeoDraw. Both are middle if the road paint
programs, GeoPaint having a few more features, Paint Brush having a
cleaner layout. No real clear winner in this category.
America Online (anybody remember that name?) Geoworks has included
a 1 month subscription with full America Online support for Geoworks ,
one of the US's premier GUI pay for service BBS systems. A good value.
Windows has nothing comparable.
Banner, GeoWorks has also included a incredible banner program,
able to use any of the systems fonts in a full WYSIWYG banner program.
Which includes preview, scaling and features that I'd though a banner
would never need. I don't do many banners, but this one beats
PrintMaster's banner section hands down. Windows does not include
anything comparable.
The next sections will deal with performance on different systems.
Windows will not run on an XT at all, alienating all the XT users that
remain in the PC world, whereas I found Ensemble to be snappy if not
stunning on my Fiancee's XT, therefore giving the 20 million PC's that
will never have the horsepower to run OS/2 or even Windows the ability
to Multitask, use WYSIWYG and scalable fonts, in a mouse driven GUI
without a performance loss. On the SX and the 80486 I found Ensembles'
load time, execution, on the fly - point and shoot file running to be
anywhere from 10 to 150% faster than Windows running the same or
comparable program. Ensemble clearly wins this category. Also Windows,
even though being a Microsoft product is still hampered some by the DOS
imposed 640k barrier, that still hamstrings many Windows Apps to this
day, whereas Ensemble completely disables DOS for memory purposes and
provides the program as much memory as it needs on the fly. As a matter
of fact you will find only 2 .EXE's in the whole package, Setup and GEOS
(which is the starter kernel) all executables under Ensemble are .TOS
files and it also support file names of up to 32 characters in length,
making, "COMPLAI.DOC" now "Complaint Letter to the Manager".
In a final look, there are many things to consider about the two
packages, Windows clearly has better support, more dealers and a larger
applications library. Ensemble is from a smaller company, has fewer apps
available and costs more off the shelf than Microsoft Windows ($199.00
for Ensemble, $99.00 for Windows 3.0 on a suggested retail price) But
the bottom lines are this, Windows is a heavily pushed product from am
major company, with backing that no-one in this business can afford to
ignore, but in my humble opinion, (and as it would appear in other
people opinions with several "Best in Class" type awards) that Ensemble
is clearly the superior product and will win support over time. And also
understand that many of Ensembles drawbacks are only temporary, Lotus,
Borland, and WordPerfect are developing Ensemble Apps. And as it becomes
more mainstream others will follow suit. So go with what you feel most
comfortable with, but don't overlook Ensemble, it deserves a second
glance.
Microsoft, OS/2, Word for Windows, Windows 3.0 are trademarks of
Microsoft Corp, 1990
IBM is the Trademark of International Business Machines, 1990
Ensemble and Geoworks are trademarks of GeoWorks, 1990
WordPerfect, Borland and Lotus are trademarks of their respective
companies, 1990
PFS: Planner is trademark of SPC Corp.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Adventures of R.G. Strangemind and Herbert
by Jeremy Lewis
Copyright 1991 by Jeremy Lewis
no reprints without the permission of the author
Chapter II
R.G. worked at a nuclear power plant and Herbert was his assistant.
R.G. was very careful, however, only to let Herbert perform the most
isignificant tasks (flipping the light switch on, emptying the waste
basket, etc.). Today, Herbert task was to push the blue button that
started the generators testing sequence. Unfortunately, there were two
blue buttons on the console and Herbert, afraid to ask which button,
pushed them both. Herbert, who didn't notice his mistake, reacted by
smiling and thought that the flashing red light and the blaring sirens,
were new additions to the testing sequence. R.G., who noticed Herbert's
error reacted by screeming and making terrible remarks about Herbert's
parentage. The Nuclear Reactor and accompanying research complex also
noticed Herbert's error and reacted by blowing itself and everything in
a very wide area quite to pieces.
At this moment several not so important thing happened: a large gray
space ship kidnapped a great number of purple things with a lot of
teeth, that didn't exist, On the planet Earth a small nuclear reactor
exploded blowing up everything around it for miles(Fortunately is was
soon reconstructed along with its inhabitants and the surrounding area,
by a little blue alien in a large gray space ship), A large number of
nonexistant purple thing with multiple teeth escaped onto a small blue
green planet called Earth, and a little boy by the name of Renaldo, ran
happily out into the street just in time to be runover by a Mack truck.
The truck, however, upon remembering that it had been blown up earlier
that morning, quietly exploded.
R.G. awoke and hit Herbert. R.G. hit Herbert again. Herbert did
nothing. R.G. picked up a hammer from his tool chest and was about to
use it on Herbert's head when he realized something. He realized that
they were alive and that they shouldn't be. R.G. dropped the hammer,
which unfortunately landed on Herbert's head. R.G., not noticing where
the hammer had landed, began pacing the room. Herbert woke up and
picked up the hammer.
"You should leave your tools lying around, R.G."
"Yeah, Geek!"exclaimed the hammer.
"It's alive, R.G." yelled Herbert,"It's alive!"
R.G. left the room quite oblivious to Herbert's rantings. Herbert
dropped the talking hammer and followed R.G. out of the room, ignoring
the ravings of the hammer, who was upset about having been dropped.
As Herbert walked outside he noticed R.G. standing in the road. Suddenly
they were surrounded by Purple thing with a lot of teeth (that didn't
exist). Herbert didn't whether they existed or not, they looked
dangerous enough to him. Just the creatures were about to reach them,
there was a flash of blinding blue light and a large gray spaceship was
now overhead. The nonexistant purple thing (with as lot of teeth) leapt
at R.g. and Herbert. Herbert yelled as one of the creatures swung at
him, missing his head by only a hairsbreath. R.G., being a far less
courageous creature retreated violently to the ground, unconscious.
Herbert, seeing his fallen friend, charged one of the ceatures in a last
ditch effort for victory. It is was at that time, that there was a
blinding flash and everything went black.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes from the Trenches
by Dean Costello
This Month: "Not in MY house, you don't!"
Ahh, here we are, in week 3 of my Eastern Shore captivity; and I am
still not all that impressed. I seem to have worked out an armed truce
with Mom (Dad is away most of the time, working at the Bar & Grill).
Basically, I keep the house clean, make every other dinner, and in
general don't fuck up; and Mom doesn't stay breathing down my neck all
of the time. Seems more or less reasonable, when all is said and done.
The house isn't all that tough to clean, since I am the only one at
home during the day, and Mom doesn't do much to the house itself.
Usually it only requires cleaning the kitchen (which in and of itself
usually only requires putting the dishes in the dishwasher and wiping
off the counters), washing clothes, and schlepping stuff from one level
of the house to another.
Let me describe the house real quick. It is a split-level number,
with three levels. The bottom level is the lair of my father. It used
to be the family room, but it got subverted while my brother and I were
at college. I usually don't fool around with that room at all, except
to get an occasional tape for my VCR. Dad does have a lot of
videotapes, each and every one of them recorded on bad tape with a worse
videotape machine (Montgomery Wards "Wards Special" VCR, circa 1981).
For whatever reason, Dad feels that he is the repository of all western
thought, mainly sports (he has NCAA quarter final basketball games from
1984), and so we have this huge collection of bad movies. But, as
Hunter Thompson said, even swine sometimes come across acorns, there are
some things that are worthwhile watching. So, on one tape, there are
combinations like "Cleo/Leo" (silly hard-R movie about this pig of a man
who 'dies' and becomes a woman; laughs-a-plenty, as you can well
imagine), followed by the second half of "Patton", followed by
"Mannequin" without any sound, followed by the first third of "My
Favorite Year". I also discovered that indexing is not Dad's forte,
either. A box had written on it "Apocalypse Now", a movie that I happen
to really like. I took the tape out of the box and found "Green
Mansions" on the label. I then watched the movie, and it ended up being
"Hatari". This from a person that took glee (Well, a fatherly glee, in
a "This hurts me more than it inconveniences you" way.) from putting
junior bantam welterweight fights over top of a Genesis concert I found
on USA Network's "Night Flight" since I "didn't label the tape
correctly".
Anyway, I was talking about the house. Also on the lower level is
the utility room that has the washer/dryer and shelves to put Mom's
wretched spaghetti sauce that she insists on making every year upon; and
a small bathroom leading off of that. Also off the family room is the
doorway to Hell, in other words, the garage. Needless to say, it isn't a
garage that contains cars. Just about everything else, from TI-99
computers to freezers to old Tonka trucks to tires to SCUBA equipment.
And it is arranged in Dad's favorite manner: Absolutely no order. Dad,
of course, says that he knows "where everything is". I hardly think so,
and every so often Dad has to swallow his pride, and call me and Scott
into the garage to go on a Search-and-Rescue mission for a torque
wrench. Dad put up a wall in the garage last year; the garage used to
look like this this:
_____________________________
Back of | |
House | Mess |Doors to garage
| |from front
|_____\_____________________|
Family room door
but now it looks like this:
____________________________
Back of | |<-New wall |
House | Mess | |Doors to garage
| | Mess |from front
|______\__|_________________|
Family room door
Thereby dividing one large mess into two smaller messes, each with
a corresponding lack of complex order.
Let's see now. We now move upwards to the second level, or Mom's
level. That includes the living room, dining room, and kitchen. The
living room is nice enough, with a number of sofas and chairs for
sitting about 7-9 fairly comfortably. We used to have a fireplace in
the living room, but it got turned into a woodstove insert about ten
years ago when the cost of electricity (the house runs on electricity
alone) increased around '80. This is also a curious room since every
available surface is covered with Mom's expensive cheap knickknacks. A
veritable truckload of Franklin Mint figurines and dolls populate the
endtables, mantlepiece, coffee tables, and organ. The cats have already
destroyed a number of them, at a price of between $100-$400 each,
depending on the item, but Mom thinks it 'cute' when the cats climb up
on the table, and gets very angry when I shoo them away (I only kick
them when she isn't around; I'm not stupid), usually with the term "Stop
bothering the cats, they aren't hurting you." Yeah, maybe they'll take
out the Italian crystal seagull next (SRP of $950). They also claw the
furniture with impunity, and the carpeting, the wallpaper, the walls,
and just about everything else. Mom thinks it 'cute'. Mom also says
that the cats are the only thing in the house that love her, so I guess
it is proper for the cats to destroy things in the house. Love always
has a pricetag. Dad, more enamored with the cats than I, but much less
than Mom, says when the new carpeting comes, those cats are going to be
declawed so fast they won't even feel it. I asked him if I could do it,
being pretty handy with the vice grips. He hasn't answered me yet. I
know I could, since I have dissected cats before. No problem, for I am
a biologist.
To the kitchen. A nice enough kitchen, I guess, with all the
emenities, like stove, sink; those kinds of things. There is a
dishwasher that when it runs sounds like a Panzer division going through
the Argonne forest. A microwave large enough to beam messages to
Voyager. And some strange devices that hang from under the cabinets. I
don't know what they do yet, but they were made by Black & Decker, if
that is of any difference. I will need to check into it further. The
problem is that the kitchen is so small, about 10x12. Not much room to
get anything accomplished, as you could well imagine. This room also
has lots of knicknacks, but they are hanging from the wall, as opposed
to just sitting on surfaces. Lots of ducks, and stuff of that genre. A
singularly unexciting room. I was rooting through the pantry, and noted
that frequent inventories apparently are not made. I found 7 cans of
pineapple chunks, 4-1 quart size containers of bread crumbs, and 3 cans
of baking powder. I cannot fathom the need for so much bread crumbs. I
asked Mom, and she didn't know why they were there either, and promptly
blamed Dad, and called him stupid. Dad shook his head angrily and
stalked upstairs. I think I came across a bone of contention the size
of a femur.
Upstairs is fairly common. 4 bedrooms, no, only three now. The
'Master Bedroom" and one of the peasant bedrooms were combined to form
one room the size of a tennis court; with a bathroom attached to it. My
room isn't that elaborate. It is about 12x15, with a queen-sized bed, a
low set of dressers, and a desk with bookshelf. I didn't have room there
for my computer and stuff, so I put all of my A/V equipment in my rack
and jammed it all into the closet, set up my $200 card table and "Viking
Ultimate Support A-frame Keyboard Rack" into a corner formed by the
closet and the desk, and created a refuge from the vageries of the
outside world for the forseeable future.
And that's pretty much my house. I need to get out, but quick,
before I explode in a detonation of pent-up frustration, supressed
cursing, and unvented spleen. And as everyone knows, an explosion of
unreleased splenic material is never easy to clean up.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Why I Compute?
by Colby Gibson
Why do I compute? Good question. Probably because of the fact that it is
entertaining, lots of fun and it gives me something to do when I get to
stay home from school. BBS's are a major part of my time, and I would
probably crack into a million pieces if I couldn't call them.
I did happen to write an article several months ago about how I felt
when I first started computing. It's the truth. Of course, I feel quite
bit different than that now. Most of the people you will find on boards
are intelligent, trustworthy (minus a few, no names given) and an carry
on an intellectual conversation. I got a kick out of reading the
conversation about the probability of the doors in the game show.
As many of you probably know, 15 year olds have little or no income.
That prevents us from buying peripherals. Of course, you can beg mommy
or daddy for them, but that does eventually run out. I started out with
a 1200 baud modem, and I hated it. Of course, most people have 2400 now,
and 9600 is going to become standard soon. I guess what I am trying to
say is, I try to keep up with everything that is happening, and can't.
Most of my friends know nothing of what I speak of when I talk to them
in this "computer language", so to speak. And you all know what I am
talking about. This doesn't bother me, however. The mere peons are more
concerned with what color clothes they are going to wear tomorrow.
Like Ricky said in his article, many things have changed since I started
this business a while back. I have a new set of friends, I spend most of
my time in front of a monitor instead of on the seat of a bicycle (it
has a flat tire, anyway), and several new words and phrases have come
about with new meaning. These were the meanings before BBS' came into my
life.
1: Gumby was this little green guy.
2: A cache was a storehouse.
3: EMS sounded like something only women talk about.
Of course, as most people know, various groups see the users as these
super/hyper intelligent geeks that sit around in groups and oil their
hair. We all know that this is not true, because we have parties, and
engage in all manner of non-computer related activities. It would indeed
strike those people dumb if they knew how much fun BBSing can be. And,
it is a lot safer than skateboarding and gangs, unless you like to stick
screwdrivers inside your activated power supply. Can you say
"BZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!"? I knew you could.
The BBS world is its own little universe, and the only admittance fee is
a computer, a modem and a will to type. And that user can find out when
Star Trek is coming on for the rest of the year, get help with that part
of the game he is stuck on, or he can engage in messages on the Frog.
Once that particular user is hooked, nothing will get him off it spare
lightning, thiefs, or a defective hard disk.
Why do I compute? For the hell of it? Maybe, but I do know that I am
hooked on it, and super glue remover couldn't separate me from my
terminal and keyboard (fire? Probably) as long as there isn't another
BTN party that night. I like all of the aspects that BBSing has to
offer. My hat is OFF to whomever thought this would be cool.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
A Review: Robocomm 3.0
Dan Parsons Consulting
P.O. Box 67D07
Los Angeles, CA 90067
SHAREWARE: $35
by Eric Hunt
Are you a BBS junkie? Do you find yourself running out of time on
every BBS you call, but still have messages to read and files to
transfer? If so, Robocomm is for you. Robocomm is an integrated PCBoard
calling environment that allows totally hands-free calling of all BBSs
running PCBoard BBS software. With Robocomm, you can upload and download
files while you are asleep or away, and can upload/download mail door
message and reply packets as well. In short, anything you can do while
online, Robocomm can do for you. Robocomm will even log onto BBSs using
any number of PCBoard add ins, such as ProDoor, ProLogon, DoorDoor, and
others. In addition to extensive BBS automating, Robocomm has a
full-featured files management module. New files for any BBS are stored,
along with size, date, and description information. A database of files
uploaded is also kept, and the ability to import standard PCBoard
allfiles listing into either database is available. Sysops can also
download files, have them screened for virii, have them placed in the
appropriate download directory, and a directory listing entry made, all
automatically! Sysops can also set Robocomm up to make mail runs using
any of the popular echo mail doors, such as PCRelay, MarkMail/Qmail,
NetMail, and others. Robocomm will run from the command line, enabling
it to be placed in the nightly event for a BBS. Finally, Robocomm will
scan each file as it is downloaded for virii using an external virus
scanning program, such as McAfee's SCANV.
At the heart of Robocomm is the "agenda." An agenda is simply a
list of things to do while online with a particular BBS. Agendas are
extremely easy to create. For example, to download ROBO30-A.ZIP from
God's BBS (located in sunny heaven), you simply hit 'd' and Robocomm
will prompt you for the system to download the file from, the filename,
and the conference from which to do the downloading. It's that simple.
The process is reversed for uploading. Sending and receiving mail
packets is even easier. One letter for downloading the packet and
another for sending the replies. Robocomm will even scan your designated
replies directory and tell you which BBSs have reply packets waiting!
Any number of agendas can be created, limited by available disk space.
Robocomm not only shines in the area of automating, it is also
it's own full-featured communications program! Many of the features from
straight communications programs, such as internal ANSI, and internal
protocols are there! Internal protocols are YMODEM, YMODEM-G, and ZMODEM
(autodownload!) And we won't EVEN mention the script language available,
ok? [wink]. An agenda can be interrupted for some reason, and it will
pick right back up where it left off when the interruption is complete
(perhaps you wanted to see who was online on The Matrix and chat a
while. Interrupt the agenda, chat a while, and then give Robocomm the
reins again, nothing's hurt!)
While any program can brag about features, (and this one sure can!)
the ease of use is the real litmus test. Robocomm 3.0 is one of the
easiest programs to use, from initial installation to daily running. I
installed Robo 3.0 with Robo 2.0 already on my system. I simply unzipped
the new 3.0 files on top of the old 2.0 ones. Robo 3.0 detected
automatically that this was an upgrade to the new 3.0 version and
stepped me through the entire setup the first time I ran the program. As
I stated earlier, getting an agenda up and running is a breeze. Even
setting up the directory entries for each BBS is simple. Customization
is also available, in case the standard prompts that Robocomm expects
from the BBS are changed somehow (ahem, monty?) I had that problem with
the Crunchy Frog and it's Graphics conference. The conference name has
the word "graphics" in it, and every time the main board prompt came up
while I was in the graphics conference, Robocomm insisted upon sending a
"n;q;ns" This was due to the fact that Robocomm initially expects to
send "n;q;ns" in response to the "do you want graphics" question when
logging on. It kept seeing "graphics" and kept thinking that the
question was being asked. Poor program. I straightened it out, though,
simply by changing the expected graphics question prompt. Very simple.
Another outstanding ease of use is the DOS shell. Robocomm pulls off the
amazing feat of leaving everything but 8k of the original RAM free when
shelling to DOS. I was even able to run Telemate (a voracious RAM hog)
from the Robocomm DOS shell! Finally, hooks to mail readers, file
browsers, zip browsers, and list utilities are providing, extending an
already excellent integrated environment!
Robocomm itself can support com speeds from 300 to 38.4k. It also
will take advantage of the 16550 UART and its FIFO buffers. 460k free
RAM is required, and it will only run from a hard disk.
This review is fairly short because Robocomm does one thing and it
does it well. There have been no bugs or crashes in the month that I
have been using both version 2.0 and 3.0. For those of you out there who
don't have the time you'd LIKE to spend on BBSs each day, Robocomm can
help you realize that goal.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Have You Ever Noticed.....
by Michele Cahoon
Have you ever noticed when you go shopping, whether you are just
looking or decided to buy something---your service from sales personal
always depends on if you look like you have the money or not ?
If you don't have the money for that big item and are just out
looking and dreaming....You can always find a pushy sales person. They
are all over you! If you are ready to buy that big item--You can't get
anyone to wait on you!!
The reason which prompted this article was Friday, March 15, 1991,
I went to a computer store which I had always thought highly of---UNTIL
THEN--!! So here's the story, a true one, I think you will find quite
interesting.
My husband woke up that morning and said, "Let's go buy you a VGA
today!" I lit up. We went to a computer store in Homewood, near the
curve, walked in the back entrance and saw a bunch of sales people in a
back office and few were out on the floor. There were approximately 3
customers when we went in. Their selection was very limited on
everything. I had never seen this store have such a skimpy display of
merchandise. We proceeded to look around and then stand at the counter.
We stood there for about 15 minutes, we didn't even get as much as a
nod, no acknowledgement of being there at all. Finally after the sales
people helped 2 people who came in after us....I turned to my husband
and said loudly, " It would be nice to have at least an acknowledgement
of being here". One of the sales people looked up and said, "I'll be
right with you". (Famous words).. Another 5-7 minutes passed and NO
salesperson. My husband stopped a salesman coming up from the back and
asked him if he minded selling us a VGA, the salesman replied, "I'll be
right with you".... Steam was rolling out my ears by this point, I was
fuming...I turned to my husband and said, "I guess we should go to the
competition and buy a VGA!" A smart alec salesman turned and said, "We
are busy right now so you can go elsewhere." The volcano blew! I asked
him his name, which he said was "Zac", I asked him the managers name and
he told me. I promptly told him a choice few of my colorful words and
also told him, he just missed out on selling a VGA.
I am sure the owner of this tore is REAL PROUD of his sales team. I
will never step foot in that store again and I will never refer anyone
to them again. I bought my computer from them and I will never purchase
another thing from a store who could care less about their customers.
Final note: Never the less I did get my Super VGA with a .28 dot
pitch but I didn't buy it from them!!!!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Video Electronics: Part 1
The Truth About VCR's
by John Lane
This letter is in reference to some of the questions that people
may have on this subject. Being that I work for an electronic retail
outlet, (the largest chain in the nation!) I feel that I am a good
authority on the matter but by far not an expert. I can give you some
good suggestions but, please no tech questions on how they are put
together. After all I just sell them, not build them in my basement.
It is my intent to bring a series of articles to you through BTN
describing and suggesting options to satisfy your needs and wants in
regards to video electronic equipment.
Some basic differences about VCR's that most people ask me about
are "what's the difference between a two-head and a four-head VCR?...
What is HQ?... Can the remote turn the volume of my TV up? (Believe it
or not, I get the most unusal questions!) Does any VCR work on any TV? "
and many more that I am sure you yourself have if you are in the market
for one of these mystical electronic pieces of hardware.
First...The differences between a two head and a four head is that
a four head is designed to give you a better recording than a two head
and a four head is also designed to give you the special effects, like
slow motion, reverse slow motion (not available on all models) still
pause, and fast-forward and reverse and being able to still see the
picture. On a four head, each head is designed to do a special
function, ie on recording, one for playback, one for rewind etc. When
you get into the more expensive models ($500.00 and up) you actually
get more than four heads but that's another chapter. Traditional four
head designs cannot give you a better recorded picture than an advanced
designed head.
That sounds simple enough. Technology on designs have changed so
much in the past few years and they will continue to change at an
astonishing rate. Can you see the differences between the two? Well
how much of a videophile are you? Yes there is a visible difference but
you have to look close. For example, the Mitsubishi VCR's (model number
HSU 32) is going to offer you the cutting edge in technology. It lists
for about $360.00 or so) Probably the least inexpensive four-head VCR
we offer is the Magnavox or Quasar (model numbers QUA VH6400 OR MAG
VR3235AT... I think and sells for about $250-$270). There's about a
hundred dollar price difference. For the average consumer, bells should
go off as to what you are getting. Yes the Mitsubishi comes packed
with features but definite performance. In fact it is rated number one
with Consumers Reports--Model number HSU 52. (I take what these people
have to say with a grain of salt, but they are usually a good unbiased
third party representative to use strictly as a guide and not as a
bible.) Kind of like the difference between a Yugo and a Cadillac. Both
will get you there but one will do it with more style and performance.
The latter is the underlined word. With electronics, I'm afraid, you
WILL get what you pay for.
Perhaps the best question to ask yourself is " how am I going to
use the VCR?" Are you going to use it to start your own video library?
Are you going to use it to dub movies and old home video's? Do you have
a video camera to use that you want to make copies of home movies to
send to Grandma? If you plan to record often then a four head is what
you might want to consider. The video information on the latest
designed head is to give more video information tape so that when you
play back it will give you a better picture. If you plan to only see a
movie once in a while and perhaps make a recording now and again then
you should consider a two-head. Now that wasn't hard.
What does HQ do for you? HQ is a special circuitry that came out
not too long after VCR's came out. It was designed to enhance playback
but in fact on most models decreases picture performance when you
record. It doesn't mean that when you record you won't get a good
recording. I t just means that when you record, especially when you dub
movies etc., your recordings can be better. Look for an "edit" switch
that turns the HQ circuitry off. The Toshiba M440 (I think that's the
correct model number) is the least inexpensive VCR that has this
function.
What is onscreen menu, you ask? On screen menu was the best thing
that came out on a VCR. It allows the user to use the television to
walk them through the functions on how to set the time up or to have it
record. In a recent Vid Review magazine, an article was published that
75 percent of the people who own a VCR has the light blinking
permanently at 12:00 because they found it too difficult to set. Most
of the time it was probably because they didn't read or want to read the
manual. (But that's beside the point.) The on-screen programming was
the answer to that problem. Now people can get more out of their VCR's.
Any VCR will work on any TV. However, if you choose a VCR with the
same name brand there's a good chance of having just one remote control.
That means that you would be able to use your VCR remote control to
control the television volume. That is true if your TV isn't older
than about 5 years old. Most manufacturers have a nasty habit of
changing the infrared remotes about once every 58 years or so. Keeps
things going their way, if you know what I mean. The lesser expensive
VCR's doesn't offer this feature be it a two or four-headed monster. The
more you pay the more features and advantages you get. It all go es
back to "you will get what you pay for."
For more information and suggestion I will be happy to respond to
this text or most any video questions that you may have. Please feel
free to leave me a message on the Matrix or the Crunchy Frog and better
yet, since I don't have a whole lot of free time, leave it specifically
to my attention. That way when I sign on I get the message and have a
chance to answer you right away. Anyway, it lets me know that people
are paying attention and I love getting mail. And we thank you for your
support!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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
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 PCBoard 14.5
Amiga Alliance ][ 631-0262 300-2400 Ami Express
^ Arkham Asylum 853-7422 300-2400 WWIV 4.12
*% Bloom County 856-0587 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5
-* Bus System 595-1627 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2
*% Byte Me! 979-BYTE! 2400-9600 USR HST WWIV 4.12
Camelot BBS 856-0679 300-2400 Telegard 2.5
-*# Channel 8250 Node 1 744-8546 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
-*# Channel 8250 Node 2 744-5166 300-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.5
* Crunchy Frog 956-1755 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
DataLynx 322-3425 300-2400 Oracomm5.L.30
Graphics Zone Node 1 870-5306 300-9600 MNP4 TBBS 2.1(16)
Graphics Zone Node 2 870-5329 300-9600 MNP4 TBBS 2.1(16)
Hacker's Corner 674-5449 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
+ I.S.A. BBS 995-6590 300-9600 USR HST TCOMM
-* Joker's Castle 664-5589 300-2400 PC Board 14.5
K-9 Corner 424-8202 300-2400 Image 1.2
*& Little Kingdom Node 1 969-0007 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
*& Little Kingdom Node 2 969-0008 300-2400 MNP4 PCBoard 14.5
LZ Birmingham 870-7770 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5
* Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.2
MICROTECH Comm. 951-5678 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5
@ Missing Link 853-1257 300-2400 Image1.2
^ 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 PCBoard 14.2
PC Echange Link 663-2759 300-9600 USR DS QuickBBS 2.04
Posys BBS 854-5131 1200-2400 RBBSCPC17.3
+= Programmer's Shack 871-3356 300-9600 USR HST Telegard 2.5i
* Radio Free Troad 979-6183 300-9600 USR DS PCBoard 14.2
Safe Harbor 665-4355 300-2400 GTPower 15.00
Shadetree BBS 787-6723 300-2400 Phoenix 1.36
+= Sherwood Forest 838-1432 1200-2400 Telegard 2.5i
+= Source Line 674-0852 1200-2400 Telegard 2.5i
Sperry BBS 853-6144 300-9600 Hayes PCBoard 14.5
* ST BBS 836-9311 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2
@ The Commodore Zone 856-3783 300-2400 Image1.2
The Connection Node 1 854-9074 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.1
The Connection Node 2 854-2308 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.1
The Connection Node 3 854-0698 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.1
The Dog House 425-9255 300-1200 Image1.2
^ The Dragon's Hoard 833-3790 300-2400 WWIV 4.12
-*! The Matrix Nodes 1-4 323-2016 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5
-*! The Matrix Node 5 251-2344 2400-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.5
-*! The Matrix Node 6 323-0799 2400-9600 UDS V.32 PCBoard 14.5
+= The Outer Limits 985-1725 1200-9600 USR HST Telegard 2.5i
The Quiet Zone 833-2066 300-2400 ExpressNET
+= The Round Table 938-2145 300-2400 WWIV 4.11
VCM(ee) BBS Node 1 655-4059 300-2400 USR V.32 Oracomm Plus
VCM(ee) BBS Node 2 655-4065 300-1200 Oracomm Plus
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
The many symbols you see prior to the names of many of the bbs' in the
list signify that they are members of one or more networks that exchange
or echo mail to each other in some organized fashion.
* = EzNet, a local IBM compatible network
@ = Image network, a local Commodore network
= = Telegard network, a local IBM compatible network
+ = FidoNet, an international IBM compatible network
- = Metrolink, an international IBM compatible network
^ = WWIV-Net, an international IBM compatible network
& = Intellec, an international IBM compatible network
# = Uni'Net, an international IBM compatible network
% = ThrobNet, an international IBM compatible network
! = RastaNet, an international IBM compatible network
If you have any corrections, additions, deletions, etc., please let us
know via EzNet.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
EzNet Multiple Echo List
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.
E P I A S B A W G
Z r B d c T s e M
N o M u i N t b C
e g l t W r e
t r t e A o s
a c n y
m h u s
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Abject Poverty X X X X X
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Alter-Ego X X X
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American BBS Not hooked into new central yet. MM
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Bloom County X X X
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Bus System X X X X X
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Byte Me! X X X X X
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Channel 8250 X X X X X X X X
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Crunchy Frog X X X X X
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Joker's Castle X X X X X
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Little Kingdom X X X X X
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Magnolia BBS X
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Radio Free Troad X X X X
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ST BBS X X X
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Matrix X X X X X X X
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