›               o=o=o=o=o=›› "Minutes" of OHAUG-LIAUG Joint Meeting›                 4/3/98›         by Alan Sharkis, Editor›› April Fool!›› Well,  4/3/98's  joint meeting had so› much to offer that we decided not  to› set  up  the  OHAUG tape recorder and› write formal minutes.  I can tell you› what did transpire, however.›› The  joint  meeting was well-attended› by  members  of   both  user  groups.› LIAUG   President  and  OHAUG  member› PATRICK MULVEY opened the meeting and› welcomed the OHAUG contingent.  OHAUG› President JACK  GEDALIUS  waived  the› formal  OHAUG business portion of the› meeting,   but  Editor  ALAN  SHARKIS› conveyed a list (still  growing!)  of› OHAUG  members'  e-mail  addresses to› secretary RON FETZER.›› LIAUG  did  discuss  some   business.› Vice-President,     Treasurer     and› Webmaster  MARK  GLICKSMAN  announced› that  LIAUG's  treasury  was  in  the› black  and  that all banking business› had been taken care  of.   Some  time› was  spent  going  over the LIAUG Web› Page and how to improve it.   Mark is› taking  a  vacation  in  a  couple of› weeks.  At that time, he is confident› that  he'll  be  able  to  make   the› desired        improvements       and› simultaneously  make  the  page  more› text-friendly.›› There was a lot of discussion on  the› topic  of  using  8-bits for Internet› access.   It  was  stimulated  by  my› discovery  that  the  Nassau  Library› Internet   System,   also   known  as› NassauNet   AND  contrary   to  their› publicity, _CAN_  provide  text-based› access    and   lower   baud   rates.› Therefore,  it  can  be  accessed  by› Nassau  County  residents  with  more› mature computers, including Atari  8-› bits.›› While  we  couldn't actually dial out› to demonstrate how this access works,› we  did  get enough of ITAY CHAMIEL's› Ice-T Terminal Program on the  screen› to  show  that it's 80-column font is› quite   readable,  even  on  a  color› composite monitor.›› I went over the features of  the  800› version  (1.0)  and  the  XE  version› (2.72)  of  Ice-T  and  also those of› FlickerTerm.     Both    Ice-T    and› FlickerTerm can handle 80 columns  on› the  screen  at a time.  This is very› important  because  menus  and  other› screen   displays   would   be   very› difficult  to  interpret  with the 40› columns   presented  by  BobTerm  and› others of that vintage.  In addition,› Ice-T  and  FlickerTerm  have  VT-100› emulation, which is necessary for Web› browsing with Lynx.  Lynx is a  text-› based Web browser that resides on (or› is   accesed   from)   the  library's› system.    NassauNet   also  provides› Internet e-mail and  access  to  many› newsgroups        including       the› "comp.sys.atari" series, but NOT  the› "alt.binaries" series.  Nassau County› library  patrons  need  only  present› themselves, their  library  card  and› another  form  of  identification and› fill out a  form.   Login  names  and› passwords are generated by the system› and are  supplied  to  you  within  a› month.  The service is free.  Members› of LIAUG who already  belong  to  the› Suffolk  Library  System's   Internet› facility  were  able to tell a little› about that  system,  too.   I  stated› that  my  tests  revealed  that   the› Nassau system would go as low as 1200› baud,   but   one   Suffolk  resident› claimed   that   their  system  would› actually work at 75 baud!›› LIAUG   Newsletter   Editor   and  ST› Librarian  HARVEY  SCHOEN  asked  why› ICE-T  and  FlickerTerm  have  to  be› individually   configured   for  each› user.  I explained that in the  8-bit› world, some users have direct-connect› modems and  some  have  conventional,› "external"  modems  that work through› interface units.  Some, but not  all,› of  the  interfaces  have  an  RS-232› handler  in firmware, which has to be› "called" by DOS before  the  terminal› program  starts up.  A short machine-› language program  does  this.   Other› interfaces  and  the   direct-connect› modems  have no such handler, and one› has to be loaded from DOS before  the› program  can  run.    To   complicate› matters even more, each 8-bit DOS has› its own handler-loading programs.›› I also spent some time talking  about› the potential of the Nassau system to› set up both "personal"  and  "global"› mailing  lists, and that the "global"› list might  be  a  vehicle  for  mass› mailings to members of either or both› user groups.›› PAT MULVEY spent some time  reviewing› his attempts to install and learn RED› HAT LINUX, a freeware UNIX clone  for› PCs.›› Pat  also  spent  his  lunch hour and› beyond, with the able  assistance  of› TERRY  MADDEN, diagnosing problems in› a series of 1050 drives brought in by› a visitor who wished  to  revive  his› son's  old  8-bit  BBS.   While   Pat› demonstrated  to  us  that  he  could› determine   that   the   drives   had› functioning  mechanisms,  there  were› multiple    problems    with    their› controller boards  that  Pat  coudn't› fix  on  the  spot.   He  suggested a› likely component for replacement, and› the visitor agreed to try that and to› contact Pat if it doesn't work.›› After a  lunch  break  at  the  local› pizzeria,  we  watched  portions of a› videotape made in  1983  at  a  LIAUG› meeting  of a demonstration of the 8-› bit VIRTUOSO program.   This  program› allows   interactive   creation   and› control   of   music,  graphics,  and› animation.  Indeed, the action of any› one  element  can control the actions› of all  the  others.   Of  particular› interest    was     the     program's› modification  to allow it to simulate› LORAN, the navigational  system  used› by vessels.  The tape was supplied by› SAM COREY, who'd  like  to  find  out› what  happened  to  the  designer  of› Virtuoso  and  would  also  like   to› obtain  a  copy  of  the program.  We› thank Sam for the tape.  It was  most› interesting.›› The joint meeting concluded at 4PM.››               o=o=o=o=o=›››