The Lightman Project - Named after David Lightman, the main character of the movie "WarGames" which introduced the technique of having a computer dial phone numbers in search of other computers to the general public. The programs that do this became known as 'WarDialers' in the underground community.
The Lightman Project is an attempt to create a new, more reliable wardialer with more features. Especialy features that have been available on other platforms but never offered for the Macintosh.
Features
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1. Blacklist - A database of numbers that the wardialer will not dial even if they are in the range of numbers to be scanned determined by the user. You would keep the phone numbers of local law enforcement: police departments, Secret Service, FBI, Military, and any one else that you wouldn't want to call in this file.
2. Built-In Terminal - This feature will allow you to watch the commands being sent to the modem, the messages sent from the modem to the terminal, and the responses from the remote host. You will also be able to save it to a text file for further study.
3. More Accurate Read Outs - Most of the Macintosh wardialers have very unreliable readouts. I'm using HolyWarDialer 2.0 (Probably the most reliable one) right now and all the readouts are fine except for the estimated time remaining is way off, the percent finished read out is at about 168%, and status bar indicator is running off the screen. We hope to improve the accuracy of the readouts as well as including more readouts like: Matching the area code with it's corresponding area name, More descriptive status, Current Number, Starting Number, Ending Number, Prefix, Carrier Delay, Step, Call Blocking Status, Calls Made, Calls Remaining, Estimated Time Remaining, Time Elapsed, Number of Busy Signals, Number of Carriers, etc.
4. Fax Machine Recognition - Sure, not every one has a fax modem but they are fairly popular. I don't know the specifics of implementing this feature but we'll try. Most likely, you will have to tell the modem to specifically look for fax machines, although I would rather it be able to discern fax machines from normal carriers.
5. Retry Buy Signals - Think of all the numbers you miss because they happen to be busy when you are scanning. This wardialer will make a note of all busy signals so that they can be retried later.
6. Timed Scans - This feature has been implemented in a few other wardialers and has proved very useful. This feature allows you to determine when the scan will start and when it will end. I've only seen it using a twenty four hour cycle. We will try to implement it with 'day-of-the-week' and/or 'date to begin' options as well.
7. Calling Card Compatibility - Now you will be able to use someones calling card to pay for your scanning. Not safe, but still a good feature to have.
8. System Identification - Will use the login string to identify what kind of system has been contacted. Will only work with systems that identify themselves but hey, it's good information to have.
9. Accelerated For Power Macintosh
Accessories
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1. Area Code Database - This is just about finished and can supply you with the area code for a location in the United States, or can be used in reverse. You can give it an area code and it will tell you the names of the areas it is used in.
2. International Code Database - Provides international codes for the telephone network. Hey, we're living in a global community right?
3. Carrier Database - Maintains a database of found carriers, fax machines, busy signals to retry, System Information for the carriers that were found, notes, etc.
Suggestions
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We always welcome suggestions. We crave new ideas. If you've got one or would just like to discuss The Lightman Project, email me at LightmanProject@hotmail.com. I'm not on very often, so forgive me if I don't get back to you quickly but I will get back to you.
Contributing
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If anyone out there would like to contribute to the project, email me at LightmanProject@hotmail.com and I will give you all the information you need. If anyone would like to create some artwork for the project, it would be a great help. If you know of a phone number that should be included in the blacklist then please email it to me with a short description. We could also use distributors. Anyone with a hotline server, ftp site, or web page can be a distributor. This is going to take a while, we're going to need as much help as we can get to get it up and running anytime soon.
Appreciation
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Thanks to dreamz, d3|ty, ISAM, _Bomb_, and everyone else that provided their suggestions and support. Thanks to Lupus Gentry for donating his artwork. I would also like to thank Jambo from Happle for publishing this so that I can make more people aware of the project. <HINT>Hopefully, most of those people will contribute.</HINT>