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Text File | 1992-05-28 | 27.4 KB | 801 lines

#EF Welcome to the world of ~G~IElectronic Bulletin Board systems!~N Using just your computer, modem and phone line; you can connect to these BBSes. This gives you access to a whole world of information, people, services and entertainment. Using BBSes, you can get the newest high quality software for your computer. You can also communicate with other people both in your area and around the world. You can get help with just about any question, discuss issues of importance to you and meet people who share your interests. BBSes also commonly offer exciting multi-player games, news and publication services and many other services you can't get elsewhere! #WN #NC #EF The great thing is that you already have everything you need to access the exciting world of BBSes! And what's more, BBSes are most often run by hobbyists who provide everything free of charge. BBSes are usually very easy to use once you are familiar with them. However, it can be very difficult to find out what is available and to learn how to access it all. When people first get a modem, it is not uncommon for them to try a few BBSes. They look around and then never use the modem again because they didn't know what was available to them. Well, that's why we are here! If you are interested in learning how to make use of everything that is available for you on BBSes-turning your computer and modem into a truly powerful tool, read on! #WN #EF Since you're still here, I take it you are interested in finding out more about BBSes! The first thing to know is that BBSes are as diverse as the many different people who use them. There are small hobbyist systems with only a few files or message areas, but usually a very friendly atmosphere. And then there are large commercially-run boards with many lines and more features than you could possibly imagine. While some boards offer features of interest to just about everyone; others will be aimed at a particular group of people or interests. When you first become involved with bulletin board systems, you will probably want to explore as many different BBSes as you can find. You will probably want to get involved with everything that is happening on the BBS. #W #EF ~W~IGETTING STARTED ON BBSES!~N Before you can really start to explore all of the features available on a BBS system, there are a few things you must do. Since you are reading this, we'll presume that you have already figured out how to actually get connected to the BBS. As we mentioned before, BBSes vary widely in what they have to offer. Later on, you will probably want to try calling other BBSes in your area. Available from the main menu is a list of BBS systems in this area that you will be able to call. A BBS system is listed with its name, its phone number and the maximum baud rate supported by the BBS. The baud rate is a measure of the speed at which information can be transmitted between the BBS system and your computer. You probably already know what the highest baud rate your modem will support. For example, a 2400 baud modem will support all baud rates up to 2400 baud. When you #WN #EF call a particular BBS, you must simply have to set the baud rate in your terminal or communications program to the highest speed supported by both the BBS and your modem. To do this, consult the documentation for the terminal program. Be sure your follow your modem maker's recommendations. An error-correcting modem, such as an MNP or v.42bis, should be set as outlined in the manual. When you first connect to a new BBS system, you usually have to complete some sort of registration process. Until you have completed this registration process, most of if not all of the features on the BBS will be unavailable to you. Take heart, registration is usually very easy! The operators of the BBS system (called SysOps for short) do so on their own time and budget. They require a bit of information from you - this allows them to protect their systems from people who might try to wreak havoc. The registration process can take one of many different forms. Sometimes you simply have to fill out a #WN #EF simple "registration" form. Other times, you will be required to complete a "call back verification" process. The BBS system will call you to confirm that it has your correct phone number. Sometimes the SysOp will give you a quick call to check that you are who you say you are. (S)He may also welcome you to the BBS and answer any questions you might have. When you first log onto the BBS as a new user, you will be given more detailed instructions as to the registration process. Be sure to read this information - there can be some important notes you would have otherwise missed in here! Once you have been validated or verified on the BBS system, you will want to look at what is available. Explore the various menus and choices that are available on the BBS, just to get a "feel" for what that system has to offer. If you haven't already been in touch with the SysOp, it is usually a nice gesture to leave her or him a message. Introduce yourself and thank them for access to the system. #W #EF Now read on to find out what you should and should not do on a BBS. Then we will learn how to access all of the fantastic features available on BBS systems that we mentioned before! #WN #EF ~W~IWHAT'S EXPECTED OF YOU~N While there are no hard and fast rules as to what you should and should not do on a BBS, it is important to not to out-stay your welcome! If you just use your common sense and think of yourself as a guest in your SysOp's home, you shouldn't have any troubles. Here are a few suggestions that would probably be expected of users on any BBS: 1.) SysOps like users who contribute something to the board as well as getting something from it. This doesn't mean that you are expected to spend your whole time on-line uploading hundreds of files. However you should not log onto a board, download files and then hang right up every time you log on! This will ensure you will not remain welcome on the board. Think of yourself as a guest in #WN #EF someone else's home. Would you walk in, borrow some food from their refrigerator and then walk out again without even saying `hi'? If you are unable to find any files to upload, alert the sysop to your troubles, and he/she will give you a hand. 2.) We all experience difficulties on BBSes at some time or another. If you're having trouble with some aspect of the system, re-read the instructions. If this does not help, feel free to ask the sysop for assistance. Obviously, you don't want to say to the SysOp "Your stupid BBS doesn't work right" (some of us get quite defensive about this!) Just say that you're having some difficulty and most sysops will spend as much time as it takes to help you fix your problem. 3.) Keep in mind that you are not the only person who uses the BBS. Most systems have some sort of daily time #W #EF limit to give everyone a fair chance of using the board. If not, try to limit yourself to a maximum of 5-7 hours on each board per week. 4.) Try to get involved. There is little worse than a user who logs on, looks around, and then logs off again without doing anything. Once you have been "validated" or "registered" on a new board, leave a message to the sysop and the rest of the users. Let everyone know that you are there, and tell them a bit about who you are. Don't be afraid to experiment with new features of the board that you have not used before. If you have any questions, again feel free to ask the SysOp for help. 5.) Try to follow the instructions for the BBS you are calling. BBSes will often have some rules regarding things such as use of aliases and profanity. It is always a good idea to find out about these limitations #WN #EF before you log on under a false name or use a lot of swearing in your messages. At times some pretty heated debates can develop in the message bases, but remember that these are all in fun. You should not take these debates too seriously. The motto I like to use is "attack ideas, not people". If you have already failed to do any of the above - don't worry! We have all made many mistakes when we were starting out on BBSes. As long as the SysOp realizes that your intentions are good, most of them will be very understanding. They will do their best to help you out along the way! Now you know how to get started on BBSes, and have a general idea of how to get the most out of BBSes without outstaying your welcome. Let's take a closer look at some of the things you can do on a BBS - to really take advantage of all that your computer and modem can do for you! #WN #EF ~W~IMESSAGES AND MAIL - COMMUNICATING WITH THE WORLD~N Even with all of the new features and frills appearing on BBSes, the "Messages" still remain the central attraction to most people. Yet calling them "messages" may be somewhat of a misnomer. They are much more than just leaving a short message to someone you know. They are an electronic form of socializing. You need not know anyone else who uses BBSes to become involved in the conversation. When you first log onto a new BBS, simply leave a message to `ALL' introducing yourself. Soon you will find yourself talking to all sorts of new people. It is surprising how many new and interesting people you can meet who share your same interests on a BBS. Now with international message echoing, you can be in touch with thousands of other users around the world! People have traced their family #W #EF roots, met their spouses and much more, all through bulletin boards! As well as giving you a chance to meet new people, you can discuss issues and hobbies of interest to you. You can ask questions about everything from cooking to science to Word Perfect, or just learn a bit more about other cultures. The messages on BBSes are classified into different message areas, according to the topics of messages in a given area. For example, typical message areas might be named "General", "Programming", "Star Trek" or "Teens". If you are interested in the conversations, the best thing to do is to take the time to read the messages in that area. This will allow you to get a feel for what type of conversation is going on there. Then, just jump right in and join some of the conversations! It might not be easy at first, but before long you'll find you are really enjoying it! You will also find different types of messages on a BBS #W #EF (usually each message area will be only ONE of these types): ~W~IPUBLIC LOCAL MAIL~N - These are messages that can be read by everyone that calls this BBS, but are not available on any other BBS. Since these messages are "public" in nature (ie, they can be read by anyone, not just the person to whom it is addressed), they are especially useful for taking part in "round-table" discussions. Anyone can jump in at any time to make their own contributions to the conversation. Just because a message in one of these areas isn't addressed to you, doesn't mean you shouldn't reply to them. Instead, don't hesitate to join in! The only messages that aren't intended for you to read or reply to on the BBS are the ones that you won't be able to read anyway! ~W~IPRIVATE LOCAL MAIL~N - These are messages, like the "Public Local Mail", that are only available by calling the BBS which #W #EF they were written. Unlike the public message, a private message can only be read by the person who wrote it, the person it is addressed to, and the SysOp. This is where you would want to leave a private message to another user on the BBS that you don't want other people to be able to read (say, if you wanted to give someone your phone number.) ~W~IECHOMAIL~N - EchoMail areas contain messages that can be read and replied to on many different BBSes. Sometimes these will just be various BBSes from around the area. Much of the time though, these will be BBSes throughout the country, continent, or even around the world. In many respects, the messages in EchoMail areas are similar to those in the public local mail areas. However, when you write messages in an EchoMail area, it will be "Echoed" to all BBSes that receive this particular echo. This usually occurs in a matter of a day or two! Since many people #W #EF usually pay to transfer every message you write around the world, you should try to keep your messages on-topic for the particular message area. You should also stick to the rules of the particular EchoMail area. ~W~INETMAIL~N - NetMail is a sort of private form of EchoMail. Like local private messages, NetMail message can only be read by the person who wrote the message, the person who the message is addressed to, and SysOps. However, unlike EchoMail, NetMail messages are not sent to all of the systems connected to the BBS Network, but only a single system. Thus, you can use NetMail to write a (semi)private message to a user on a particular BBS in another city or country. This may be someone you met through an EchoMail area or someone you already knew. In order to send a NetMail message, you must know not only the name of the person to which you wish to send #W #EF it, but the "node address" of the BBS which that person will call. There are other types of message areas, such as GroupMail, but we won't go into those here. However, there are things that all message types have in common, such as the ability to "quote" messages. When you are replying to a message, you will often want to "quote" part of the message. This will help maintain the continuity of the conversation. Quoted text will usually appear in your message with the user's initials, followed by a `>' symbol. For example if you were replying to a message written by John Doe, and quoted from it, your message might appear as: ~W~I Hi John! JD> What did you think of the performance? It was fantastic! I really enjoyed ....~N #W #EF The BBS will allow you to select the lines you wish to quote from the message to which you are replying, and automatically place these lines in your message for you. In EchoMail areas, you may wish to limit the size of text you quote in your message, to help limit the size (and thus cost to other people) of your message. #W #EF ~W~IFILES - THE PROGRAMS AND INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON BBSES~N BBSes also have files available for you to use. Among the files you'll find on BBSes are top-quality application programs, utilities, games, specialty programs, informative text files, image files and much much more. Usually programs will appear on BBSes around the world only days or weeks after they are released by their authors. BBSes are truly a very powerful way for you to share files with other users. The first thing that you should be aware is that all of the files on BBSes are ~Hpublic-domain or shareware files~N that can legally be distributed in this manner (for example, you could not share a copy of Windows on a BBS). Public-domain, or "freeware" files are ones that you can use free of charge. "Shareware" files are ones that you can freely distribute, but #W #EF must pay for if you wish to use them. Another issue that may be of some concern to you - but really need not be - is that of the possibility of having your computer invaded by a computer virus. In all of the time that I have been running a bulletin board system, I have never come across a single virus. So long as you only get your files from reliable sources, you shouldn't have any difficulty! (If you're still nervous, there are several virus detection programs available on many BBSes) Files on BBSes are stored in archive files, such as ~H.ZIP files, .ARJ files or .LZH files.~N These are individual files that you can transfer to and from the BBS, which can contain one or more separate files in a compressed format. The use of archived files on BBSes allows you to deal with a single package, even though the program actually consists of many separate files. The archived files are also "compressed" to save space on the BBSes, and decrease the amount of time required to transfer the file. In order to extract the files contained within a single archive, you #W #EF must obtain the file decompression utility for the particular file format you are dealing with. For example, if a file ends in the extension: ~W~I.ZIP, you will need the utility "PKZIP" .LZH, you will need the utility "LHA" .ARJ, you will need the utility "ARJ".~N Each of these utilities are available on many BBSes. You may also obtain a copy of some key files that you will need to get started from the menu of choices in this program. So, how do you transfer these files to and from your computer and the BBS? When you are receiving a file from the BBS (known as `Downloading'), or when you are sending a file to the BBS (known as `Uploading'), the same basic procedure applies. Files are transferred using a "file transfer protocol" such as Xmodem, Ymodem, or Zmodem. When you are either uploading or downloading a #W #EF file, you must select the same file transfer protocol on both the BBS and your terminal program. If ~HZmodem~N is available on both, you will probably want to use it as it is generally considered to be superior to the others. The next in order of preference is ~HYmodem.~N ~HXmodem is SLOW and least desirable~N but almost always available. When you wish to either upload or download a file, you must tell both the BBS and your terminal program that you want to do so, and then enter the protocol and filename to transfer. #W #EF ~W~IDOORS, ONLINE GAMES AND THE LIKE~N Many of the features available on BBSes, such as online games, multi-user chat facilities, reading periodical and publications online, on-line shopping and more are accessed through what are known as ~h"doors"~N. Technically, a door is simply a separate program to which the BBS system will transfer control. This is to provide many different online applications (in fact, BID - the application you are using right now - is a door itself). One of the most common sorts of doors are on-line games. These games can be a lot more exciting and dynamic than conventional games, as you are often playing with many other players who are real people. Typically, each time you play one of these games you are allotted a certain number of "turns". Then #W #EF between each time you play the game, other players are able to enter the game, play their turns. You should be aware that various online games can differ considerably, and only some of them use this individual "turn" style. On-line games will often make use of ~HANSI~N graphics. This is to provide color and animation for graphs, charts, and other items of interest. Another very popular feature on some multi-line BBSes is multi-user chatting. Multi-node chatting, which is commonly accessed through a door, provides you with an exciting method of communicating with other BBS users. Unlike messages, multi-node chatting allows you to carry on a conversation with one or more other individuals in real time - the user sees what you are typing as you type it! We are a ~Hsingle-node~N board here, though. The only one you can chat with on-line is the SysOp. #W #EF ~W~IMORE OF WHAT BBSES ARE ALL ABOUT~N ~CWhere Did BBSes Come From?~N My idea here isn't to bore you with a bunch of useless trivia you could probably care less about, but to give you a glimpse of how the BBS world has evolved. The first BBSes ran on computers with double floppy drives, 300 baud modems and seldom more than 64K of memory. Those first boards look little like the giant boards of today, with megabytes and megabytes of disk storage, high-speed modems and often some of the most complex software in existance. However, one thing has remained the same through the ten years in which BBSes have prospered. This is the spirit of the people who make this such a wonderful and dynamic hobby. #W #EF While modern BBSes often have hundreds or even thousands of files available for download, on-line games, international message `echos' and more, the original ideas behind BBSing have never changed. As BBSes first started to pop up in the early 80's, they seldom offered little more than "message" bases. People could chat with one another, carrying on conversations that often last weeks or months. BBSes were places where computer users from all over could meet and talk about both computer and non-computer related topics. Since then, they have evolved to also allow these people to play games together, share public-domain and shareware files, and much much more. There are now some boards appearing that are trying to make money by offering large collections of files. However, BBSing still remains largely a hobbyist's venture. Even those few boards that do charge a membership seldom make any profit. #W #EF ~CBehind the Scenes~N What makes this all work? You, of course! The BBS world could not survive without all the wonderful people who work together to keep their hobby alive. If users did not participate on BBSes, they would simply cease to exist. BBSing is a hobby for both the people who use them and the people who run them alike. The SYStem OPerators, or SysOps, almost always put a lot of time, effort and money into maintaining their boards. They do this because they enjoy it. Generally speaking, all that most SysOps want in return for running the BBS is for the users to contribute to and enjoy the board. This helps keep things going. #W #EF ~CWhere We're Going~N Since my first section was entitled "Where we came from", it seems rather appropriate that the last one be called "Where we're going". In the last couple of years, BBSes have really began to take off. However they have also been experiencing some of their greatest threats. While there are more and more users getting involved these days, there is also more of a tendency for people to try to get the most out of BBSes without contributing to them. But if things keep up the way they have been going, BBSes will be around for quite some time yet! Obviously this program has not covered everything you could ever want to know about BBSes. But it should help you to get off on the right foot by "setting the stage" and hopefully you too will come to enjoy this hobby as much as the rest of us do ourselves! ~W~IWelcome to THE BBS WORLD!~N #W #EF ~W~IHOW DO I GET MORE HELP?~N BBSes usually have some sort of on-line help system that will instruct you in the commands and procedures to accomplish various things on the BBS. If at any time you are experiencing difficulty with some feature on the BBS, you will likely find that referring to this online help will answer your questions. However, if after consulting the instructions, online help, etc., you are unable to solve your problem, don't hesitate to contact the sysop. He/She will usually be able to answer any questions you have, and after all, that's what they're there for! #W #X