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WHAT IS A BBS?
    BBS, or Bulletin Board System,  refers to a method of leaving
public or private notes on computers for others to see.  They might
be a plea for technical help, a for-sale ad,  a notice of an upcoming
event, a medical discussion, or just plain socializing among friends.
But they can also be more, much more!
    Most BBSs offer programs and files, free for the taking, that
you can "download" over the phone to your computer and save to disk
for future use.  Every kind of program imaginable; business
packages, games, music and art, programming languages, better
modem programs... and nearly always FREE!  Some systems also let
you order merchandise such as concert tickets, gifts, commercial
software, or anything else.  Some will allow you to pay your
bills via modem, letting the computer keep track of all expenses.
    And some will let you "chat" in real time with several other
people, a sort of party line that's always fun.  There's always
something new, and no limit to what a BBS can be.

HOW DO I START?
    This disk contains a modem program (sometimes called a
"communications program").  All you have to do is select "Start
Communications Program" at the main menu, after this text.
    There are several OAS member systems already loaded into the
phone number library of the modem program, waiting for you to select
one.
    When you run the program from the menu, a message will appear
advertising the communications program.  Press any key and it will
disappear.
    If you have Call Waiting, you should have it turned off when
calling any board.  It can be turned off manually, or using the
software.

Cancelling Call Waiting manually:
    Pick up phone and dial *70 (rotary dial 1170) and you'll get a
second dial tone.  Then dial the board and anyone calling you will get
a busy signal and you won't get cut off from the board.  Call waiting
is disabled for the duration of THAT call only; no need to re-start it
when your call is done.  (NOTE: Some phone company hardware systems do
NOT yet support this feature.  If you don't hear a second dial tone,
yours doesn't.  Sorry!)

Cancelling Call Waiting from your modem program's Dialing Directory:
    Prefix all your BBS numbers with: *70 and a pause character, as:
             *70,921-1186
    You can also ammend your "modem dial string", as in Telix, from
"ATDT" to "ATDT*70,".  This will take care of ALL numbers in your
directory as well as those that you manually dial from within the
program.  In some exchanges, you may need more time to get the second
dial tone.  In that case, use more pauses (*70,,,).  Normally the
comma gives a two second pause but it may be different for your setup,
so check it out.
    NOTE: To turn off call waiting in this package, just put a !
before the telephone number.  We have already stored the characters
*70 in the exclamation mark character in Telix.

HOW DO I DIAL A BBS?
    To begin calling a BBS, press ALT-D (hold down the ALT key and
press D while still holding the ALT key down) and a menu with phone
numbers will appear.  Simply type the listing number of one of the
boards you would like to call and press Enter.  The program will dial
the number for you.  If the number is busy, try another one.  If it
is not, you will hear the ring, some high pitched tones as it answers,
and then you are connected!

WHAT DO I DO WHEN I'M CONNECTED?
    The typical BBS will start with a few words about the type of
BBS software, or the name of the system, or something like that.
    This may be several paragraphs, or it may be almost nothing at
all.  Then you will be asked for your name.  The BBS will then check
to see if you are a user it knows.  If you are not (of course you
won't be on your first call, unless someone else has logged in with
the exact same name as you), it might ask you if you spelled your
name correctly, or it might say "Not a known user - (R)e-enter or
(C)ontinue?", or something to that effect.
    Provided you have spelled your name right, you should then
continue.  You'll be asked what city you're calling from, and what
you'd like to use from a password from now on.
    NOTE: This is where a lot of BBS users mess up.  You should be
VERY CAREFUL what password you choose.  DON'T just use your own name
again, or the brand of computer you use, or a loved one's name, since
those are all very easy to guess.  Use something like your mother's
initials and birthdate, or your first crush's name spelled backwards,
or something equally obscure.  Just don't make it so obscure you
can't remember it, because little can be done for you if you do!
    MAKE SURE YOU REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD!  If you MUST write it down,
don't just leave your password laying around; put it in a safe place,
like your wallet.  Just in case.

    That will usually be all that's asked of you, although many
systems also ask you questions about your equipment, etc.  If the
sysop (System Operator, the person who runs the BBS) is extra
security conscious, you may also be asked for your work or home
phone number.  Don't worry, it's just so we can track down any
troublemakers, and keep ur systems nice and clean.
    Once that's done, you'll usually be shown a "Welcome, New User"
file, which will explain more about the individual system, what to
expect there, and perhaps a bit of BBS etiquette.  Then you'll be
shown the Main Menu, which will offer the commands to read messages,
download files, join conferences, or whatever that BBS has to offer.
    There's a good chance that you won't be allowed to use some of
the features on your very first call (for security reasons), but
you'll soon be "validated" by the sysop for "higher access".  On the
other hand, some systems will let you use every function right from
the start.

    That's all there is to it.  If you need help, most systems will
give you help menus if you press H, or will give you a bit more info
if you press ?, or if it's not unreasonably late and you're really
stumped you might try "paging" the sysop into "chat" mode.
    Save that for a last resort, though... some sysops sleep odd
hours, and many don't welcome the interruption at busy times.
    Feel free to leave them a private comment at any time, though.
Mind your manners, and behave like a good guest at someone's house,
and you'll find most sysops to be gracious hosts.

WHAT IF I BREAK SOMETHING?
    Don't worry, you can't.  Bulletin boards are designed to withstand
direct attacks, and can easily take any little boo-boo you might make.
If, by strange chance, you do manage to trip on some problem the sysop
has left laying around, then just drop him a note explaining the
circumstances so he can fix the problem.  He'll thank you for pointing
it out.

TIPS FOR USING DOWNLOADED SOFTWARE
    If the file has an extension of .ZIP, it means that the file has
been archived, a method of joining a number of files into one file for
easy transmittal. Archiving (also called "packing") also includes a
file compression technique which makes the packed file smaller than
the sum of the files it contains.  The file needs to be unpacked
before it can be used.
    This is done by using an unpacking program, the most popular of
which is PKUNZIP.EXE, written by Phil Katz.  If your file has a ZIP
extension, it can be unpacked by issuing the following command:

                         PKUNZIP filename.ZIP

    It is usually best to unzip the files from an archive program onto
a new diskette.  There are usually many files in a ZIP and you can
easily keep up with which files go together if you unpack them to a
clean diskette first.
    Here's an example of how to do this:
          Put your archive file and PKUNZIP.EXE in drive A. Put a
    blank, formatted diskette in B.  Make sure you are on the B drive
    (you have the B prompt) and type:

                      A:PKUNZIP B:filename.ZIP

    This will extract and uncompress the archive files to the disk
in the B drive.
    After you have unpacked the file, type DIR to look at the files
you have extracted.  Look for a file with the extension DOC or a file
with a name like README.TXT, READ.ME, README.1ST etc. Use the DOS TYPE
command (using Control-S to stop and start the screen scrolling) to
look at the files.  You can also send the files to your printer with
the following command:

                     TYPE filename.DOC > prn

    This will redirect (>) the output of the TYPE command to your
default printer (prn).  You can also use the program LIST.COM on
this diskette to look at a file by typing:

                     LIST filename.DOC

    If you want to try out the program before you look at the docs,
(not recommended) scan the list of files for a file with an extension
(the last three letters found after the period, as in LIST.COM or
AUTOEXEC.BAT) of BAT, COM, or EXE.  These are called executable files
and can be run by just typing the name of the file.


WHAT ABOUT "COMPUTER VIRUSES"?
    It has been our experience that probably 99% of all "virus"
problems turn out to be something else, usually operator error or
power defects (too much machine for your power supply, power line
glitches, etc.).
    In a long search for a real virus, the only actual virus we've
been able to come up with was one we wrote ourselves to experiment
with the myriad "vaccine" programs available.
    Don't misunderstand, there really are some risks out there, but
not nearly what the media has made such a fuss about.  There are
discussions on many BBSs (including OASis) about precautions you can
take to protect your data.  REMEMBER:  You should have your data
FULLY BACKED UP anyway!  Virus or not, "Stuff Happens"...

    Remember, the OAS is here to help you!  If you have any
questions or need any help, ask.

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