Software Vault: The Gold Collection/Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO/cdr11/crsguid_.zip/CRSGUIDE.TXT

Text File | 1993-07-07 | 237KB | 5,639 lines

                               CRS Online

                    NEW USERS GUIDE  (TEXT VERSION)

                               CRS Online
                         24 - 12 Steinway Blvd.
                         Etobicoke, ON M9W 6M5
                             [phone]

                                May 1993
                    Copyright 884097 Ontario Limited
                          All Rights Reserved

              For the use of CRS Online subscribers only.
       May not be reproduced by any means without express written
                             authorization.


                         First Published - 1988
                    This interim revision, May 1993

                             CONTENTS

Welcome to CRS Online. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

HOW TO TALK TO CRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
     Sales And Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
     Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

POLICIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

GETTING ON-LINE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
     Setting Up Your Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
     Busy Signals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
     Out of Town Phone Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

CONNECTED! NOW WHAT? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
     A Note On Speed   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
     Main Board  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
     Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
     Exploring The Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
     Electronic Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
     Sending Mail To Everyone  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
     Sending Private Mail  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
     Sending Comments To The System Operator . . . . . . . . . 12
     Reading And Erasing Mail Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
     Sending a Prepared Document to the Mail Facility  . . . . 13
     Downloading And Uploading Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
     Uploading Files To The Board  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
     Downloading Files From The Board  . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
     Downloading Archived Files  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
     Batch File Transfers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
     Bulletins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
     Script Questionnaires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
     Other Bulletin Board Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

INFORMATION SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
     News And Information Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
     Stock Market Results. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
     Archival CD-Roms  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

HOW TO USE CD-ROMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
     General Introduction: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
     Limitations:  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
     Getting Started:  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
     A Brief Description of the CD-ROMs: . . . . . . . . . . . 23
     Using the CD's: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
     Database Searching: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
     While Viewing an Article: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
     Taking a Look Around: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
     Contents: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
     Summary of Key Commands:  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
     Downloading Saved Articles: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

CRS ONLINE STOCK DOOR  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

CRS FAXMAIL SERVICE  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

COMMERCIAL AREAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

USENET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
     Sending A Public Message  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
     Sending A Private Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
     Site Addresses  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
     Common Usenet Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

HOW TO GET HELP  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

CRS Online HOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

TELEPHONE NUMBERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
     Office & Technical Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
     CRS PCBoard/Online System Lines:  . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

PASSWORDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

USER REQUESTED UPLOADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

24 HOUR CLOCK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

SHUTDOWNS AND MAINTENANCE  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

INET/DATAPAC USERS   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

REACH ACROSS CANADA  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

CRS Conferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
*****
-->NOTE:  In order to keep this ASCII Text format of the user
guide down to size, we have removed the listings of the
conferences.  These following files should be downloaded:
USENET.CRS for Usenet Conferences
CRSCONF.LST for all other Networks shown below
*****
     NorthAmeriNet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
     PRIVATE and/or SPONSORED CONFERENCES. . . . . . . . . . . 49
     Intelec Echo Mail Conference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
     RIME Echo Mail Conferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
     EchoNet Mail Network Conferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
     ILink Echo Mail Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
     QUEBECNET Echo Mail Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
     ADANET Echo Mail Conferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
     MidiLink Echo Mail Conferences  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
     FidoNet Echo Mail Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
     Vervan's RPG Net. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

USENET CONFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

SOFTWARE: FILE AREAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
     MACINTOSH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
     IBM/DOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
     AMIGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
     ATARI ST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
     COMMODORE 64/128. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
     APPLE II+, //e, //c, //gs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

ECHOMAIL NETWORKS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

POPULAR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

GETTING YOUR PERSONAL OFF-LINE READER  . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Files On-line - Why the .ZIP extension?  . . . . . . . . . . .104

Introduction to Using Other BBSs   . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

High Speed Modems  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Why are my file transfers slow?  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

HIGH SPEED MODEM SETTINGS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

PCBOARD - REFERENCE  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117



Welcome to CRS Online


Since beginning in 1981, CRS has grown steadily.  From a
single line system, attracting 20 calls a day, CRS has grown
to over 200 incoming lines and 5000 calls a day.  This
continuing growth is a tribute to you, our subscribers.
Anyone can put the hardware together to run a bulletin
board, but without the input, support and guidance of
subscribers, you'll have just hardware.   CRS subscribers
make the difference, and we would be remiss if we didn't
thank you for your continued support.

CRS is the largest system of our type in Canada and the
second largest in North America.  Our all inclusive annual
fee structure means that you don't have to worry about per
minute connect charges or file downloading charges.   Files,
messages, and network mail are all included in your low
annual subscription fee.

Our systems are constantly changing, and we've tried to keep
this manual fairly generic.   If something in here doesn't
seem to be applicable or work any longer, check the on-line
help systems (Type H from any menu), or review the on-line
bulletins (Type B from any menu).  On-line help and on-line
bulletins are typically more current than our printed
material.

This manual is, of necessity, complex.  Please take some
time to read through the manual.  Once you've done that,
give our systems a call.  And, if you have problems, give
our tech line a call at [phone].  The tech support
line is staffed by our full time system operators (sysops)
from Monday to Friday 1pm to 7pm.  We also run Thursday
evening seminars about once every three weeks, so there's
plenty of help available for you.

Thank you for your support of CRS.  We hope you enjoy our
on-line services.



David Chaloner
General Manager


HOW TO TALK TO CRS...


We'll give you more info regarding the computer setup later,
but the most important #'s we have (and the ones you should
keep in mind) are our voice #'s.

Unlike most small bulletin board services, CRS Online is a
commercial full time operation.  We have staff you can talk to.
As a result, you'll find that questions or problems can often
be resolved over the phone with very little delay.

Sales And Administration

Our sales and administrative staff deal with new accounts,
password problems, time allocation, and the like, and they can
be reached from 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday at:

     [phone]      Toronto and Area
     [phone]      North America

If you encounter a problem with your account on any of our
systems, call us, we will try to assist you in any way we can.

Technical Support

Our technical staff deal with system problems and questions.
They cannot fix account problems, but they'll be happy to
assist you with technical questions relating to CRS.   They can
be reached from 1pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday at:

      [phone]  All Areas

If you are calling the technical line, please be seated at your
computer and have a brief description of the problem ready.  Be
as detailed as you can.  The more information that our tech
staff has, the better they can assist you.  Tech support is
limited to CRS subscribers only and is typically fairly busy,
so please be patient if you encounter some busy signals.

You can also leave messages on-line to the sysops, but keep in
mind that their workload is such that it may be up to 7 days
before you get a response.   If your question is more urgent,
you will get the fastest response by calling voice.  If you
have a less urgent question, then leaving a message to "SYSOP"
is recommended.
POLICIES

CRS Online has some policies that you should be aware of -

1. Nothing illegal is permitted on-line.  No uploading of
commercial or copyrighted software of any kind is permitted.

2. No excessive profanity.

3. No undue abuse of the system.

4. We do not typically edit or censor messages in any way, but
reserve the right to do so.

5. The use of our systems is at your own risk.  We particularly
caution you that doors are add-ons to PCBoard, and may not be
of the same high quality as PCBoard.  Some doors are prone to
crashing.

Administrative Policies

1.  It may take up to 3 working days to make an account change
(new or existing).  While we typically make changes the same
day we receive a request, please allow 3 days.

2.  Subscriptions are automatically suspended by the system on
the date of expiry.   Allow 2 weeks for your renewal to be
processed, and don't leave it until the last minute if you want
to ensure your access will continue uninterrupted.

3.  An administrative charge of $20 will be levied for the
following:
          i.   Change of Account Name
          ii.  Returned cheque

4.  CRS reserves the right to cancel any subscription with or
without cause by refunding the balance of your subscription
fee.  Subscriptions are non-cancellable by a user.

CRS Online is operated by 884097 Ontario Limited as a private
system.   While we exercise due care and caution, we will not
be responsible for any losses or damages you suffer while using
our systems.   We do not guarantee access at all times, and
expressly reserve the right to change our policies at any time.



GETTING ON-LINE

Setting Up Your Software

To deal with any electronic medium, you have to have a modem,
computer and communications software.  While the choice of a
terminal program and modem is yours, we recommend one of the
newer shareware packages as your communications program
(typically Telix, Procomm or our own CRSEasyLink for the PC
Based machines) and as high a speed modem as your budget will
allow.

Before reading any further in this handbook, now would be a
good time to make sure that you do have the necessary
equipment, and adequate documentation for your communications
program.  If you're not sure that it all works together, do the
following:

a.  Turn on your computer (and modem, if you have an external
modem)

b.  Bring your communications software up.  This is usually
explained in the manual that comes with your software package.
As  each package is different, we can't give specific
instructions about getting your particular software running,
but look for an EXE or a BAT file on your communications disk
and try running it.  Almost all communications software will
start up in the "Terminal Mode" - this simply means that
whatever you type on the keyboard is sent to the modem.

c.  Type (on your keyboard) "ATZ" (without the quotes) and hit
a carriage return.

d.  If your modem/computer/software are all responding
correctly,  you will see on your screen either a "0" or an
"OK".  Either indicates proper functioning.  If you don't see
this, then you'll need to stop right here and get it all
working together.  We'll be happy to assist you on our
technical line, but if you purchased   the modem/software
elsewhere, our first response will be to refer  you to your
dealer.




If you did, continue on. If you did not, go back to "Setting up
 your software"

Now, that you're communicating with the modem, you'll have to
tell your software about CRS.  CRS (and most Bulletin Boards)
expect you to set up for 8 data bits (that's the number of bits
in a computer character), 1 stop bit (that's the number of bits
after the character is sent) and no parity.  Basically, what
this means is that we'll send you 10 bits for each character,
allowing us to use 255 different combinations  of bits to make
characters that you and your computer can understand.  You'll
usually need to set these parameters (and the maximum baud rate
of your modem) in two spots - One in the defaults section of
your communication program and the other in the dialing
directory of your communication program. Again, the exact
specifics of your communications program cannot be covered in
this manual, but look for a menu command in your software
called "OPTIONS" or "TERMINAL OPTIONS". (See appendix J for
special instructions on setting up error correcting modems)

Once you type in the phone # (or activate your dialing
directory),  you'll hear a dialing.  When the modems connect,
you'll hear a couple of tones and then a short song or screech.
Your software/modem should then say "Connected at xxxx Baud".

You can also instruct the modem to dial one of our phone
numbers by first entering our numbers into a dialing directory
(This is often done with an ALT-D command, but check your
software manual for dialing instructions)  Phone #'s for our
on-line systems are contained in the appendices section.

Busy Signals

If you are having problems getting through, and you've not been
successful in the past, we suggest you try calling with your
telephone as if you were going to talk to someone on the other
end.  You may find that we're busy, or that something else is
wrong.   When in doubt, call manually and listen first. CRS is
often busy in the evening hours.   We attempt to provide enough
lines so that you'll wait no more than 10-15 minutes during the
peak time, but you cannot expect immediate access during peak
hours.  As well, our systems have scheduled shutdowns daily
from 12:00noon to 12:45pm, and you will never be able to access
us during that period.

If one set of numbers is busy, try the other number.  We search
for open systems only within a particular hunt group (A hunt
group is a fancy way of saying that if the first line in the
213-6002 group of numbers is busy, your call will go to the
next number, and so on until it reaches an open line).   You'll
generally need to dial only one or two numbers to have access
to the entire set of modems available on the system.

Out of Town Phone Numbers

CRS has placed a numbers of lines into communities surrounding
Metro Toronto.  If you are local to one of these lines then you
can reach our systems without any long distance charges.  For
callers, even further away from CRS, our systems are accessible
through iNET 2000 and Datapac (Canada) and a variety of
alternative long distances services (US).  If you'd like more
information on iNET 2000 or Datapac, please call our office and
ask us for details.
CONNECTED! NOW WHAT?

Once you are connected to our on-line systems, you will be
prompted whether or not you want graphics.  (How do you know
you're connected?  The modem speaker will turn off, and your
software will normally say CONNECTED). If you're using a
program which supports ANSI graphics, answer Y and press
Return.  For other software, check to see if it supports the
ANSI.SYS emulation; if so press Y, otherwise answer N.  (If you
aren't sure, just hit N.)

Next you will be prompted for your first name, last name, and a
Password.  Enter these three identifiers as requested.  (If you
have not already been enrolled as a subscriber and assigned
these  three items, you will only be able to enter the on-line
systems for a one hour demonstration.  Contact CRS at (416)
213-6000 or (800)  563-2529 to register.)  If you're not sure
about your name and  password, check the CRS invoice that came
with your new  subscribers kit.  Typically, we use your first
and last name as shown on the invoice.   If we have set you up
in any other manner, you'll see a note on the invoice "bb:
name"  which will identify you.

(Note - If you're not recognized, one of two things has
happened:  a.  You may not be entered into our systems yet.
Typically, we set up subscriptions the same day we receive a
request, but occasionally it can take a little longer.  If you
are not set up within two business days, give us a call and ask
what the status of your account is. b.  We have set up your
account incorrectly.  Give our office a call and we'll fix that
right away.)

Once the board has identified you as a subscriber, we'll
display a NEWS file.  This file appears the first time you log
on and every other time you log on if the news file has been
updated.  It is an important source of news about the on-line
systems and events that affect our subscribers.  Avoid
frustration - read this file when you log on.  If you missed
anything, you can always redisplay the file by typing NEWS.

Following the news file, you'll be prompted to scan for new
messages.  Selecting YES will cause the board to search the
message base for mail addressed to you starting from the last
message you read.  If you don't read mail on a regular basis,
this may take a few seconds to complete, so be patient.  The
main menu will follow and you are now on your way to accessing
all the services available on CRS Online.

A Note On Speed

We run our system on a Novell Network with over 30 gigabytes of
storage.   More than 95% of our workstations or nodes (the
computers you call into) are high speed AT class or better, but
there are still a few older nodes.  Speed is always a relative
thing - and we'll take a moment to address it here.

In most instances, you'll find system speed to be more than
adequate.   However, when opening doors (external programs to
the PCBoard software) or scanning messages, there may be a
noticeable delay.  This occurs for three reasons:

     a. The door software code must be moved from the file
     server to the workstation, and PCBoard BBS software
     unloaded.  More popular doors may result in 300+K of code
     being moved across the network.  If the systems are busy,
     there will be a network delay in providing your
     workstation with this code.
     b. Rosemail and Prodoors search an extended user file that
     is more than 400 megabytes in size for your name. If this
     is the first time you've logged onto the door, a delay of
     up to a minute may be encountered.

     c.  In message scans, we're scanning tens of thousands of
     messages.  Typically, our main and IBM message bases are
     in excess of 2000 messages each, even though we only keep
     them for periods of 4 to 30 days, and we generally receive
     20,000+ messages a day.

We constantly upgrade workstations to eliminate any bottleneck,
but we're somewhat hamstrung with the other problems. As we
don't charge you for connect time, it's not a big issue, but
have patience in peak periods.

Main Board

The Main Board is a generic
information area where you
may view Bulletins, send
Comments to the System
Operator (Sysop) and change
some of your Users
Parameters.  The Main
Conference (Conference 0) is
where you will find
non-specific files.   For most of you, you'll scan messages in
the main conference and then move immediately to a computer
specific conference (eg. IBM, Macintosh, Amiga, ...etc.) if you
are interested in downloading software or a message conference
if you want to browse messages on a certain topic.  The Main
conference contains private messages only, and unless there is
a message to you, you'll see no messages in the Main
conference.

Conferences

Many of the BBS features are available only after you have
joined a conference, so the first step toward accessing more
information is to "join a conference".

Conferences are the basic
areas into which the bulletin
board is divided.  When you
first log onto the bulletin
board, you will be presented
with the "Main Board" menu.
At this main board menu,
enter J to join a conference.


After typing "J", you'll be
presented with a list of
conferences.  Conferences are
available immediately by
typing the conference number.
Once inside a conference, you are presented with the message
"Scan Message Base Since 'Last Read' (Enter)=yes?"  Press
Return and the message base is searched for any new electronic
mail, E-Mail, that has been sent to you.

After searching the message base, the system tells you if there
are any messages for you, or from you.  It will also tell you
how many new messages were entered since you last read a
message in this conference.

Press Return again, and the system tells you the number of the
last  message you read (L/Msg.Read), the number of the highest
message entered (High Msg.#:) and the number of active
messages.

Pressing Return again brings you to your Conference Menu.  The
command prompt at the bottom of the menu lists which conference
you're currently in.  At this menu you can read bulletins; send
electronic mail to all conference subscribers or send private
messages to specific subscribers; read public or private mail
sent  to you, upload a file (send a file to the conference) or
download a file (copy a file from the BBS).  Most of these
files can be downloaded either directly to your screen, printed
on your printer, or saved to disk for later use.

Conferences available at the time of reprinting of this book
are shown in the appendices.  The list changes often, however,
so to get the current listing, just enter "J".  There are some
special conferences that are worth note -

     a.  Computer Specific Conferences (1,2,3,5,6,13,14).  Most
     of the files available here are in computer specific
     conferences.  File listings do not cross conferences, so
     you must join the computer specific conference of your
     choice to obtain files for that computer type from CRS.

     b.  Technical/Help Conference (#9) - All responses from
     the System Operators go into Conference 9.   There are 3
     operators dealing with your messages/comments/scripts, and
     to ensure that you can find our response, we place our
     answers to you in conference 9.

     c.  Information Services (#39) - This area contains direct
     news feeds from Reuters and UPI, a selection of CD-ROMS,
     and closing stock market results from seven North American
     exchanges.  This conference is an extra to the basic
     subscription, and you may join it only after paying an
     additional fee.  (Call the office to join).  It's
     described in some detail later in this manual.

     d.  Buy and Sell (#34) - A very popular area to buy and
     sell products of all types.  This area is intended for
     personal use only.   Companies may not advertise products
     unless they are either corporate subscribers or have
     purchased the "commercial advertising" add-on.  Call the
     office for details.


Exploring The Board

Feel free to try out the commands listed on the menus and
explore your way through the BBS system.  If you enter an
invalid command, you'll get a message telling you what went
wrong.

Sometimes at high transmission speeds, these messages disappear
before you can read them.  You may usually stop these by typing
Ctl-S to stop and Ctl-Q to restart, or your communications
software may support some form of scroll back feature.  Unless
you are using some kind of a script that requires continuous
sending of information, we recommend that you use the "P"age
Length command to set your page length to a suitable number
(this ensures that our systems only send your computer as much
information as it can display at one time).
To ensure that everyone has a
chance to use the BBS, each
subscriber is allocated a
certain amount of time per
day to access it.  The board
keeps you continually
informed of how much time you
have remaining.  Each
subscriber can save up some
of their unused time so that
they can use it another time.
There is a section later in this guide that covers the use of
the Deposit door.

Whenever you want information about an operation, just enter
the "H" command to display Help text.  Anytime you're ready to
log off the BBS, just enter "G" for Goodbye.

Electronic Mail

Four types of electronic mail communications are provided:

Public Mail - To all other conference subscribers - provides a
public forum for exchanging information of interest to all
conference subscribers.  At the main or conference menu, enter
"R S", and all public mail active since you last called will be
presented.

Private Mail - To and from another individual - a direct
message to another individual.  Should be used for personal
messages and messages that would typically not be of interest
to all subscribers.

Echo Mail - To other systems - public mail that is echoed out
through our connections to other systems.  With echo mail, you
can address questions and/or comments to hundreds of other
Bulletin Boards and thousands of other users.  Not all
conferences permit echo mail. (See the appendices, for full
details on our current echo connections)

Comment to SysOp - When you have a question about the Bulletin
Board system - send a (C)omment to the System Operator by
entering "C".  The SYSOPs typically respond to messages within
4 days and all SYSOP responses are placed in conference 9 (our
technical/help conference).  Use this for general questions.
System related problems (file not found, door not working, etc)
should be addressed to the SYSOPs by completing Script
Questionnaire #6 (type <<S>> from any menu prompt).

Sending Mail To Everyone

To send your questions, answers, or comments to all conference
subscribers, at any conference prompt, enter "E" to Enter a
message. When asked to enter the subscriber for whom the mail
is intended just press Return to send the mail to all
subscribers.  You're presented with an area into which you can
type your mail. The built in editor will provide word wrapping
so you don't have to worry about carriage returns at the end of
each line.  (To insert a blank line, type a space, then
Return.)  If your software supports it, you may use the full
screen editor that is provided on our system.


When the message is finished, press Return on a blank line (in
Full Screen mode you would hit the escape key). You're then
asked if you want to send the message, abort it, delete it,
re-enter the message area for editing, and other options.
Selecting "S" will save and send the message to everyone in
your conference. You are encouraged to address your mail to all
subscribers when you feel the topic is of general interest to
your conference subscribers.  In many instances, another caller
already knows the answer to your question, or can benefit from
the question and public reply. In this way, all subscribers can
participate in and benefit from the conference.

Sending Private Mail

To send comments or questions privately to a CRS subscriber,
enter "E" to Enter a message. The process is the same as that
for sending mail to everyone, except that when asked to enter
the subscriber for whom the mail is intended, enter the
person's first and last name. Enter your message in the
displayed, numbered blank lines (up to 99 lines), and end the
message by pressing Return on a blank line.

You're then asked if you want to send the message, abort it,
delete it, re-enter the message area for editing, and other
options. Select "S" to save and send the message to whomever
you addressed it. Selecting "SC" will save and send the
message, then ask you if you want to send a "carbon copy" (of
the same message) to another person.  As long as you keep
entering a first name/last name on the blank line you can
continue sending carbon copies to individuals. To stop the
process, just press Return on a blank line.

Depending on the conference
you are in, the system may
check for the identity of the
intended recipient and you
will be advised if he/she
does not exist.  DO NOT RELY
ON THIS. It is not enabled in
most conferences due to the
additional time delays
involved. If you're not sure
of the name, you're better
off not sending the mail.  If
sent to an invalid name, the
recipient will not be able to
retrieve it. (In many cases,
if you are sending mail to a
user on another system, our
user records will not show
the identity of that person -
make sure you have the correct name, and send the message
anyway.)

Many of CRS's message bases are shared with other BBSs in North
America and throughout the world through a system called echo
mail.  All messages (public and private) marked for echo will
be passed to all the participating systems. In these
conferences, an additional "Echo Message" prompt will appear
when you enter a message. If the message is for someone on CRS,
do not echo the mail.  If, however, the person you wish to send
mail to is not on CRS, then you must set this flag to "Y". If
you do not wish to echo the mail, make the first three
characters of the SUBJECT = "NE:".


Sending Comments To The System Operator

When you have a question about the bulletin board system - send
a (C)omment to the System Operator, who will re-direct the mail
for you.  Enter "C", and the process is the same as that for
sending mail to everyone, except that you're not asked for a
subscriber name. Enter your message in the displayed, numbered
blank lines (up to 99 lines). End the message by pressing
Return on a blank line and entering "S" to save the message.

The Comment to SysOp feature also provides a way for you to
request more information about the BBS, comment on it, and
request new features, such as the creation of a conference area
for a topic of interest to you.  Comments to SYSOP are
automatically flagged private.  Comments to system operators
are always responded to in conference 9, but they may not be
handled for a number of days.  We offer faster, more effective
ways of dealing with your questions -

Script #6 is our general system problem script.  This is where
you tell us if something is wrong with the system. You usually
will not get responses to this script, but the problems will be
fixed as soon as we can examine them. Other scripts allow you
to order products, renew your subscription and more.  You may
use either the Comments to sysop or scripts, but Scripts will
normally be handled slightly faster than will comments.

Reading And Erasing Mail Messages

When you joined your conference, if you pressed Return when
asked "Scan Message Base Since 'Last Read' (Enter)=yes?", the
system replied by telling you what new messages, if any, were
waiting for you. If you enter "R" at the conference prompt, a
numbered list of available messages is presented. If you had
new messages waiting you should enter the number of the first
one then press Return. Or you may enter "Y" for Your Mail, and
then "S" for since the last time you logged on, and the system
will begin displaying your new mail since the last time you
checked.

As you become experienced you will learn that you can stack
commands to save time. For example you could accomplish all of
the above by entering the string "R Y S" Return. This tells the
system that you want to read all your new mail since you last
checked it. Many of the commands that you use within the
conferences can be stacked in this manner.

Once read, the messages remain stored on the board until you
"kill" (delete) them. To kill a private message, enter K after
reading the message, then press Return.

Automatic Purging - We purge our message bases once daily.
Messages will be deleted when either of the following
conditions are met:
     a. The message is older than the predetermined conference
     parameter. Typically, messages will be purged (whether
     read or not) after 25 days (NANET) or 6 days (Other
     Networks);
     b. The message is both private and has been read.

This catches some users who read a message but do not respond
immediately. By the time they return to reread the message and
respond, the automatic maintenance has deleted the message.  It
is best to respond to a message as soon as you read it if you
want to avoid the automatic purging.

When reading mail, you can reply to messages with the Reply
("RE") option.  If you select this option, you're presented
with space into which you can enter the reply. Enter and send
your reply just as you do when sending new mail to someone (see
the sections above on sending mail).
Every reply to a message becomes logically tied to that
message. This includes replies to replies. This logical tie is
called a "thread".  When a message you're reading has replies
associated with it, you are presented the option of reading
them. In this way, you can thread through all the responses to
a topic and add your own comments to the forum, which are in
turn threaded to the other messages.

Text searches may be done on a message base with the TS
command. The searches can be done with logical AND/OR
parameters. For example, if you wanted to find all messages on
laser printers for the Atari and Amiga computers, the command
would be:

     TS Laser & (Atari | Amiga)

The "&" sign indicates a logical AND while the "|" represents a
logical OR. The TS command can handle multiple parentheses and
logical searches.

Sending a Prepared Document to the Mail Facility

You can prepare a document off-line (on your computer) and send
it to the BBS as a mail message using many communications
programs. You'll need to do an ASCII upload as follows:

Set your Character line length to be 72 characters or less.

A completely blank line is assumed to end the message. To
insert a blank line, enter a space character, then a carriage
return. Once you've composed your offline message, log on to
CRS and join the CRS message conference of your choice.  Start
your message by completing the users name and subject matter in
the normal manner. Then, when you see the 1: from our system
(indicating the first line of your message), do an ASCII upload
to us. You should see your offline message appear on-line.
When the upload is complete exit the message editor and save
the message as you normally would.

Downloading And Uploading Files

The BBS stores files for distribution to subscribers. Files can
be sent to the board only by subscribers.  If you are sending a
file to us, it's called uploading (only subscribers can upload
files to CRS).  Files can also be transferred to your own
computer's disk for usage or reading. This is called
downloading.

Files can be transferred between the BBS and your computer with
error-free file transfer protocols. Text files can also be
transferred using ASCII protocol which does not perform error-
checking.

If you select T at the main board or any conference prompt, you
can then select the desired file transfer protocol.  Among
those available are:

     HSLINK
     Xmodem
     Xmodem CRC
     Xmodem-1K blocksG
     Ymodem Batch
     Zmodem (recommended protocol)
     None
If you're just starting, we
suggest that you choose
ZMODEM, as it remains the
most reliable protocol.

When you select a BBS
protocol, select the same
protocol in your
communications software.
Note that not all
communications software uses
the same naming convention,
so you may have to
experiment.

To use ASCII protocol to
transfer text-only files,
first turn on your
communications software's disk capture option (if you want to
save to disk).





Uploading Files To The Board

If you have a file you think might be of interest to other
subscribers, select "U" at a conference menu.  You're asked to
enter the name of the file as you want it to appear on the
bulletin board. Set your communications software to the desired
file transfer protocol, and begin transferring the file.
Before uploading, please make sure that you are in the proper
machine specific conference (i.e. IBM/DOS is conference 2).

After you upload a file to the board, it is immediately
available for downloading from the appropriate upload area.
All uploaded files must first pass an integrity check that
includes scanning for viruses.  On a regular basis, CRS sysops
will review the file and place it in an appropriate area on the
BBS.

Please note that Canada Remote does not accept for upload
OFFENSIVE, COMMERCIAL or PIRATED software.  Subscribers found
uploading such software will have their subscriptions
suspended.

Downloading Files From The Board

CRS has defined a number of file areas to help find files more
easily. To view the files in these areas, use the "F" command.
You'll be presented with a menu of all the available file areas
in the present conference.  Select the area that interests you
and enter the number when the system prompts you for it.
You'll then be given a list of the files and their description.
These file listings may also be downloaded. View file area 2
for the exact names of the file listings.

You can also display the names of files that have appeared on
the BBS since a specific date. To do so, select "N" for New
Files, and enter the date in the numerical format mmddyy.  For
example, October 31, 1987 would be entered as 103187.

Alternatively, you can search for filenames using the wildcard
character *.  Enter "L" for Locate File, then supply the
wildcard designation.  There are a number of sub-commands
available for the locate command.  Adding the number of a
particular file area will instruct the system to search only
that area, while "A" will search all areas.

If you're not sure of the
file name, you can use the
Zippy search.  The Zippy
search can be used to find
files from the description as
well as the file name.  It
searches on any combination
of characters and will advise
of matches regardless of
where they fall in a name or description.  For example, a Zippy
search on "COMM" would turn up things like "teleCOMMunications"
and "COMMand" in the same search.  Zippy is a text search and
does not require (and cannot handle) wild cards.

Both the LOCATE command and
the ZIPPY command are
searching text file listings,
created by CRS.  While we
attempt to keep the text of
the file listings up to date,
there may be instances where
a file is shown in the
directory, but is not
actually on-line.  You will
not know this until you actually try to download the file with
the "D"ownload command and receive a "file not found" error.
For files not on-line will generally be unavailable.

Once you've located a file you want to download, enter "D" at
the menu and supply the name of the file you want to download.
Then instruct your communications software to begin receiving
the file to disk.  Remember, CRS runs on IBM DOS based
equipment, so the format of the file is always xxxxxxxx.yyy -
(eight or fewer characters to the left of the period, three or
fewer to the right).

Downloading files is generally a two step process - First you
tell us to send you the file, using the "D" command.  Then, you
tell your computer to receive the file. This is often done with
PageDown key, but again, will vary from communications package
to communications package.  If you tell us to send, and 60
seconds later you get a "Transfer Aborted" message, then you
didn't tell your end to receive.  When receiving files, most
communications software will place them in your current
directory, unless you specify otherwise.  When the transfer is
complete, a message to that effect is displayed.

Downloading Archived Files

Some  of  the files available for  downloading  have  the
extension .ARC or .ZIP.  These extensions indicate that the
file has been archived.  Archiving a file reduces its size to
conserve space on the BBS's host computer disk, and also to
minimize the amount of time it takes to transfer the file.  The
.ARC. or .ZIP. file may actually be an archiving of multiple
files into one.  You can view the file makeup of an archived
file by selecting "V" before downloading it.

Once you've transferred an archived file to your disk, you need
to "unarchive" it so it can be used.  To do so, use the program
PKARC.COM or PKUNZIP.EXE.  If you don't have these "shareware"
programs, you can download a copy of them from file area 1.  Be
sure to print out
and read the documentation that comes with this series of
programs.  You may also find other compression formats on-line.
There are many different compression systems for the various
computer types.  Some of the more popular ones are:

          ARC  Use PK361.EXE  IBM
          PAK  Use PKZ204G.EXE     IBM
          ZIP  Use PKZ204G.EXE     IBM
          SIT  Use Stuffit         MAC
          CPT  Use Compactor  MAC
          USQ  Use Unsqueeze  CPM
          LU   Use Library Utility CPM
          PIT  Use Stuffit         MAC
          LZH  Use LHARC      IBM

Working versions of these unpacking utilities are always
maintained in our file area 1.  To see the current contents of
file area 1, enter "F 1", and then download the utility
necessary for your machine.  For IBM users, unzipping is done
by typing PKUNZIP fn.ft (where fn.ft is the file name.file
extension). For PKUNZIP, the extension must be .ZIP, so don't
call it something else when you download it.

Batch File Transfers

We allow you to select a number of files for upload or download
with the "UB" and "DB" commands respectively.  When you select
one of these commands, the system will prompt you for all of
the files you wish to transfer.  Once the file names are
entered (and file descriptions in the case of uploads), we'll
prepare to transfer them one at a time to you without further
intervention.

When you have selected all of the files you wish (or the
maximum that you have time or bytes available for), we'll give
you the option of logging off immediately after the transfer.
To do this, select "G" when prompted after you select the last
file.

Bulletins

Messages the SysOp feels are of general interest are posted on
the board as bulletins.  Topics posted in the bulletins include
information on each conference, tips on using the BBS, special
announcements for the conferences, and other subjects.
Bulletins are placed there by CRS and contain important
information on the operation and use of our systems.

To read a bulletin, enter "B" at the main or conference menu.
A list of bulletins are displayed, their numbers, and a
description of their contents.  When you see a bulletin of
interest to you, enter its number to display it.  To capture a
copy to disk, turn on the disk capture option on your software
and then display the bulletin.

To reread the daily news, type "NEWS" at the main menu.  To
read the news for any particular conference, "J"oin that
conference and type "NEWS".

Bulletins can be downloaded or captured through a screen
capture using your communications software capture feature.

Script Questionnaires

A script questionnaire is a method of allowing you to report
problems, make requests, renew subscriptions and the like in a
formal manner.  We use scripts rather than allowing you to
complete free form messages as there's a considerable amount of
information we need to act on your request. You reach the
scripts by typing "S" at any main menu.

For example, script #6 is our trouble reporting script. It's
here that you report system problems.  Script #6 asks you for a
considerable amount of information including the Node Number
(that's the workstation that you actually entered the system
on).  Each node has over 75 batch files controlling it and with
175 nodes, that's 10000+ batch files, one of which will be
wrong when you report a problem.  Without the node #, it's
sometimes hard for us to know where to begin to solve your
problem.  The node # is displayed on logon, but can always be
obtained on-line by entering "I" to redisplay the initial
welcome.

Please use the proper script to make requests of us. Scripts
are handled daily.  Message to Sysop may not be for a number of
days, depending on workload here at CRS Online.

Other Bulletin Board Features

As you become more experienced at using the BBS, you may wish
to try out some of its other features.  Use the H command, as
needed, to display help messages.  The X command changes to
Expert mode, in which menus are bypassed.  Review bulletins and
messages for tips on features and short cuts available.  If you
ever have any questions or suggestions, just send a (C)omment
to the System Operators.

The M command, which toggles Color Graphics on/off, can be
changed anytime.  You will find that your screen writes will be
slightly faster while you are in the Non Color Graphics Mode,
however, the Color Graphics Mode On may be more presentable.

Doors

Doors are a means of exiting from the PCBoard controlling
software to DOS.  In essence, they allow us to provide you with
services that are not built-in to the PCBoard BBS software used
for our main BBS.

When you select the door
command, you are presented
with a list of options.  On
CRS, all doors are identical
in all conferences except for
the gaming conference (#11)
where, due to the nature of
this conferences, additional special doors reside.

Doors are constantly changing, but three that you should always
be aware of are:

RoseMail (for IBM users Only) is a door that will actually
reduce your time connected to CRS while letting you participate
with the message bases as much as you want.  CRS does not
supply you with an offline reader, but we recommend RoseReader
or QMAIL DELUXE (see Appendix G). The door allows you to select
the message bases you wish to keep track of and then download
to you automatically all new messages available.  Unpacking of
the message packet is handled off-line at your end, and replies
are created automatically.  The replies are compressed in a
file that you upload through the door where they are inserted
into the correct message base(s).

To access doors, simply "open
##" (where ## is the door
number). Doors are available
from every conference as well
as the main conference.
Conference 11 (the Gaming
conference) has a different set of doors - specifically for
gaming.


Other Features

CHATS

CRS supports full interactive CHAT between nodes. You can use
it at any time. To enter a CHAT, just type CHAT. At that point,
a list of all users on-line will be presented, and by typing
the number of the user you want, he/she will be alerted that
you'd like to CHAT. Wait up to 2 minutes for a response, as
Chats are only available from the main prompts, and the person
you wish to chat with may be doing something else.

To enter a group chat, just type CHAT G.  This is the same as a
private chat, except that any node wishing to participate may
join in the session.

SUPPORTING VENDORS

CRS is pleased to have the support of many vendors, and you can
talk directly to these vendors in conference 4 (the Vendor
Support Conference).  Your messages to vendors are answered at
least weekly by the supporting vendors, and you have direct
access to their technical and sales staff.  For a current list
of vendors, Join conference 4 and type NEWS.

We know that we can't possibly cover everything in this short
guide, so feel free to ask questions- either on-line (as a
comment to the Sysops) or on our technical line (213-6001).
Please don't call the sales lines with system related
questions.

INFORMATION SERVICES

CRS is a leader in the provision of information services at a
fixed fee.  The following are available to you in conference
39.  You must be registered in (and have paid an extra fee) to
access conference 39.

Here's what's currently available to you:

News And Information Publications

Newsbytes - Current Computer News and Information - (Updated
Mon-Fri)

Newsbytes is an electronic publication available five times a
week.  Through a network of international correspondents,
Newsbytes provides you with latest happenings in the world of
computers.  The local Newsbytes reporter, Grant Buckler,
provides Newsbytes with Canadian Happenings.

Toronto Computes Newspaper - (Updated monthly)

Appears here at approximately the time it is sent to the
printers for printing. Toronto Computes covers the local world
of computer happenings, but also provides a window across
Canada.  No ads, but the entire editorial coverage is here.

Denver BoardWatch Magazine - (Updated Monthly)

BoardWatch is an electronic magazine published by Jack Rickart.
Oriented towards telecommunications, it often provides BBS
information not available any place else.

UPI Wirefeed (updated continuously)

A one hour time delayed feed directly from United Press
International. Approximately 4 megabytes per day of news are
moved over this wire feed.  It's available to you in conference
39, door 59 or conferences 2381-2490.

Reuters Wirefeed (updated continuously)

A one hour time delayed feed directly from Reuters Financial
Services.  This wirefeed covers financial information and is
moved into conference 39 by typing "reuters", through door 60
or conferences 2369, 2370 and 2380.

Stock Market Results

Currently available are over 14000 common stocks from seven
difference stock exchanges. (High, Low, Close and Volume).  We
update these daily at approximately 5:45pm, with the closing
prices. See later section for more details.


Archival CD-Roms

CD-ROMS

A multitude of on-line information is available in our
Information Services package, including the Canadian
Encyclopaedia on CD-Rom, Family Doctor, World Book of Facts and
Shakespeare on disk.  See later section for more details.
HOW TO USE CD-ROMS

General Introduction:

In May of '91 CRS Online announced the addition of CD-ROMs to
its list of Information Services.  Since then the Family Doctor
(1500 common medical questions with straightforward easy to
understand explanations) Shakespeare on Disk and the CIA World
Fact Book have been added.  We expect to be adding the Canadian
Enclyclopaedia on CD-Rom in June 1993.

Limitations:

There are a few limitations that as a user you should be aware
of before trying to use the CD-ROMs. None of these limitations
affect the value of the service, but if you are unaware of
them, you may find them to be quite annoying.

1) Some of the CD-ROMS have VGA graphics; these are unavailable
due to the type of interface used for accessing the CD-ROMs.

2) All of the CD-ROMs provide facilities for saving and
printing information located by your searches, however the
files are not directly sent to your disk drive or printer. When
you make a request to have the data printed or saved it is
actually saved as a file on a hard drive located at CRS. At the
end of your session with a particular CD-ROM, a menu will pop
up that will allow you to select and download any of the
articles you have requested. Once you have downloaded the
articles of interest you may do with them what you wish (keep
in mind that all articles are covered by standard copyrights).

3) CRS has placed two limitations on the CD-ROMs.  They both
deal with the amount of data a single user can access.  The
first one deals with the amount of disk space a user is able to
use on CRS' hard drives.  This limitation has been introduced
so people that are unfamiliar with the CD-ROM services don't
end up requesting that the entire database be saved for
downloading and causing CRS to run out of disk space.  The
second one deals with a limit on the amount of data a user can
actually download.  At this time the limit has been set to 100
kilobytes.  This limit exists simply because CRS would like to
avoid unnecessary problems with the distributor of the CD-ROM
should they feel users are downloading the data down in large
volumes.  While many distributors feel that it would be of some
advantage to have their CD-ROM visible to 9,000 computer users,
they don't want to see a loss in revenue due to it being
available on such a service as CRS.

4) While CRS enjoys adding such interesting services as
the CD-ROMs we make no guarantee as to the functionality of the
service nor to the continued existence of any particular
CD-ROM.  We strive to maintain a fully functioning CD-ROM
capability, but (as with so much here), we're pushing the state
of the art, and the operation of the CD-ROM's is sometimes
fragile.


Getting Started:

The CD-ROMs share several things in common in terms of how they
are accessed. First, all information services are located in
conference 39 (J 39). Since PCBoard doesn't and couldn't be
expected to know how to handle CD-ROM information services, you
will need to OPEN a door to access the CD-ROMs. Below is a list
of the CD-ROMs and the door you will need to open to access
them:

16 for the Family Doctor
18 for the World Fact Book
19 for Shakespeare

After a few seconds the system will display a screen similar to
the following:

CIA World Fact Book.


CRS Online.
Installed Aug 6th/1991.

Welcome to the CIA World Fact Book, before

When using this information service make sure that your
communications software supports ANSI Graphics. The use of a
communications package that supports DOORWAY mode is also
recommended, but not necessary.

Options
1) Enter the CD-Rom.
2) Return to the BBS.


Which one? (1/2)


There are two terms used above that may be unfamiliar: ANSI
Graphics and DOORWAY.  ANSI Graphics refers to the ability of
your communications package to support the sending and
interpretation of certain character sequences that tell your
communications package how to change the colors, clear the
screen, and position the cursor.  ANSI Graphics does not mean
the ability to show GIF pictures or draw pretty pictures on the
screen of your computer.

DOORWAY is a mode that your communications package can enter
that will allow you to use certain keystrokes not usually
supported while in a telecommunications package.  For example:
ALT-F (holding down the ALT key while pressing the F key) is a
keystroke that does not belong to the ANSI Graphics terminal
emulation, but under DOORWAY is able to be transmitted.
Currently there are three telecommunications packages that
support DOORWAY mode, Telix (for IBM compatible computers),
QModem (IBM compatibles), and JR-COMM (for the Commodore-Amiga
line of computers).  If you are not using one of these
communications packages it does not mean that you will be
unable to access the CD-ROMs, just that it will require
different keystrokes to be used to execute the same commands.
These keystrokes will be listed at the end of this article for
convenience and while reading this article NON-DOORWAY
keystrokes will appear in parentheses '()' right beside their
DOORWAY equivalents.

If you are using one of the communications packages mentioned
above you would need to enter DOORWAY mode at this point. In
Telix and Qmodem the command to enter DOORWAY mode is "ALT-=".
After enabling DOORWAY mode you will then choose option '1'
from the screen shown above followed by a 'Y' to enter the
CD-ROM and inform it of the fact that your communications
package supports DOORWAY mode.  If you are not using one of the
packages mentioned above you will choose option '1' followed by
a 'N'.  This would enable the CD-ROM to be accessible in
NON-DOORWAY mode.

Once you've entered your choices the CD-ROM database software
will be loaded. At this point each of the CD-ROMs are accessed
differently. Depending on which CD you are trying to access you
may wish to skip certain sections of this article.

A Brief Description of the CD-ROMs:

The Family Doctor CD-ROM contains advice and information to
over 1,500 commonly asked medical questions.  Family Doctor
also contains Health Update Booklets with detailed information
regarding the most common health problems, names and addresses
of support groups and informational resources and complete data
on over 1,600 prescription drugs from Consumers Guide to
Prescription drugs.


World Fact Book carries a wealth of information on different
countries of the world. Such tidbits vary from the country's
literacy rate to what import and exports can be found in that
country. It's really quite an impressive body of data.

Shakespeare on Disc. If I had only had this when I was in
school! Full copies of every play and poem that Shakespeare
every wrote are available from this CD-ROM in both American
English and Queen's English versions. Shakespeare on Disc would
be a valuable resource to anyone that needs to find references
to characters or incidents that happened within any of his
works.

Using the CD's:

When you enter one of the three CD-ROMs listed above, you will
be shown a welcoming message and asked to press ENTER (ENTER)
to continue.  After the welcoming screen you are placed inside
the retrieval software.  At the top of the screen will be a
pull down menu containing such options as Search, Browse,
Contents and Database.

Database Searching:

Finding a particular piece of information is a easy as choosing
the Search option from the pull down menu located at the top of
the screen. The cursor keys (CTRL-S, CTRL-D,CTRL-X and CTRL-E)
will allow you to move around the menu and ENTER (ENTER) can be
used to select an option.

The search function is broken down into four different
categories:
     Search every word contained in the database
     Search only by the authors name
     Search by the subject of an article
     Search by the title of an article

Note: depending on which CD-ROM you have chosen, not all of the
options described above may be available. i.e. A search by the
authors name in Shakespeare on Disc would be of no value, so
that menu option has been made unavailable.

Once you have selected the type of search wanted, a new window
appear asking you to supply the criteria for locating the
article of interest. The CD-ROMs will allow you to supply up to
7 pieces of data, each item being separated by a boolean
operator.

For example to search for "chickenpox and children" in the
Family Doctor CD-ROM you would enter:

Type: Chickenpox(ENTER)
The display will show: [AND]
Press: ENTER to use the boolean AND function, or the SPACE BAR
to
select a different boolean operator
Type: Children(ENTER)
The display will show: [AND]
Press: ENTER to use the boolean AND function, or the
SPACE BAR to select a different boolean operator
Press: ENTER again to inform the software you are finished
with entering the criteria

When finished the display should look something like this:

Use: CHICKENPOX______________
[AND] CHILDREN_______________
[AND] ___________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________

Next you'll see yet another window open, this one containing a
list of the articles found matching the criteria. Use the
cursor keys (CTRL-S, CTRL-D,CTRL-X and CTRL-E) to move around
the menu and press ENTER (ENTER) on the article you wish to
view.

While Viewing an Article:

When viewing the article you'll find that the cursor keys
(CTRL-S, CTRL-D, CTRL-X and CTRL-E) are active and can be used
to scroll through the article. If you decide that you would
like to save copy of the article, just press the F8 (CTRL-C)
key. You will be prompted to enter a filename. YOU MUST prefix
the file name with B: in order to save a copy of the text.
Please refer to the section "DOWNLOADING SAVED ARTICLES" for
more details.

Pressing the F3 (CTRL-N) key will cause the next article in the
list of ones found matching you criteria to be displayed. The
F10 (CTRL-T) key will cause the screen to display the area of
text where the next match of the criteria was met to be
displayed. SHIFT-F10 (CTRL-B) will cause the software to
display the previous match.

Taking a Look Around:

Another way of checking out what is on the CD-ROM is to use the
Browse feature from the main pull down menu. This feature like
the search feature has four sub-functions, which describe what
part of the CD-ROM is to be browsed.  Once, a method is
selected a window will appear listing the contents of the
CD-ROM with the number of occurrences for each entry.  A quick
way to check for a particular entry is to enter part of the
text that would be found in that entry. Likewise, full cursor
key support is available.

Contents:

This area will change dramatically for each CD-ROM. For
instance, World Fact Book uses this area to provide information
on each continent, whereas The Family Doctor places the
Consumer Guide to Prescription Drugs in the area. No matter
which CD-ROM you are using, everything should be quite clear as
to what to do.

Exiting the CD-ROM:

When finished with the CD-ROM place yourself back at the main
menu and select the option Change/Exit. From there choose the
Exit option. If you have saved any articles they will be made
available to you for downloading at this point.

Summary of Key Commands:

DOORWAY and NON-DOORWAY Commands are listed below:

Option/Command      DOORWAY Keystroke   NON-DOORWAY Keystroke

FIND LAST OCCURRENCE          Shft-F10            CTRL-B
FIND NEXT OCCURRENCE          F10                 CTRL-T
SAVE ARTICLE             F8                  CTRL-C
NEXT ARTICLE             F3                  CTRL-N
RESTART SEARCH           F2                  CTRL-R

Cursor Controls:    DOORWAY Keystroke   NON-DOORWAY Keystroke

Up                  Cursor UP                CTRL-E
Left           Cursor Left                   CTRL-S
Right               Cursor Right                  CTRL-D
Down           Cursor Down                   CTRL-X
Insert                  INS                       CTRL-U
Delete                  DEL                  CTRL-J
Home               HOME                 CTRL-I
End                END                  CTRL-K
PageUp             PAGEUP                    CTRL-O
PageDown           PAGEDOWN             CTRL-L


Downloading Saved Articles:

If you have saved any articles while using one of the CD-ROM
information services, you will be displayed a menu that will
list all of the files available for downloading.  To select or
deselect a file from being transferred, enter the corresponding
file number followed by a return. Should you find that you had
saved more that nine articles use the cursor keys or their
matching NON-DOORWAY counterpart to scroll through the list.

Entering the letter "T" will allow you to change your transfer
protocol. The CD-ROM services support three protocols: Xmodem,
Ymodem (Batch), and Zmodem (Batch).  The door will
automatically check which protocol you use when inside the CRS
BBS; if it finds that you have a protocol selected that it does
not support the door will immediately ask you to choose one
that is supported.

Pressing escape with no files selected will cause the service
to return you to the CRS BBS.  Pressing escape with any file
selected will cause the door to begin transferring the file
after confirming that you are ready to receive the file.

With any luck the CD-ROMs will have become somewhat easier to
use after reading this article. If you find there are questions
that still remain unanswered, post a message in conference 39
(INFOSERV).  Another subscriber will probably be more than
willing to give you the answer.

CRS ONLINE STOCK DOOR

CRS offers you (as part of our information services) an after
hours feed of closing stock prices.  There are 7 exchanges
available as follows:

     Toronto        Prefix "T"
     New York       Prefix "N"
     Composite      Prefix "3"
     Nasdaq         Prefix "4"
     Montreal       Prefix "M"
     Alberta        Prefix "C"
     Vancouver      Prefix "V"

Stock symbols used are those used by each exchange.  While we
have a cross-reference here, it would take hundreds of hours to
turn it into computer form for you, but any stock broker should
be able to provide you with a Symbol Table.  We use the Dow
Jones/Telerate service at CRS Online.

Using The Stock Door

Using our Stock Door is easy - Just <J>oin Conference 39, OPEN
61 and you'll be in it.  The door can hold approximately 100
symbols for you, and once stored, your portfolio will be held
for you so that you don't have to update it daily.

There are very few commands for the door:

$ - Displays the closing value for your personal stock
portfolio. This portfolio is one that you create with the +
command, and it will be retained until you change it.

= - Sends the closing value for your personal stock portfolio
to a file for later downloading. You cannot download directly
from this program, but on returning to the CRS BBS, you'll be
able to download your personal file.

+ - Allows you to create or edit a stock portfolio. You have 10
lines to place your information on, and may place as many
symbols as will fit on a line (separate each one by a space).
The rules for these symbols follow.

You may request any quote just by entering the appropriate
symbol. You may enter the full ticker symbol - or a wildcard.
Symbols used are those of the exchanges involved, which are not
necessarily the same as those published in the newspaper.
Consult your stock broker for symbol tables.

Examples:

Single Stocks  Toronto IBM         Symbol  TIBM
          New York IBM   Symbol  NIBM
          Composite IBM  Symbol  3IBM

Batches of Stocks   All TSE starting with A  TA*
Our stocks are updated at approximately 7:30pm and 10:30pm. We
currently bring in over 11,000 stock symbols, and it does take
a while to get it all done.

If you wish a full listing, this is available for downloading.
Currently, the file is about 90K zipped, and can be downloaded
daily as STOCKS.ZIP. Prior day versions are available in
conference 39, file area 10.

CRS FAXMAIL SERVICE

CRS offers its subscribers a complimentary outgoing FAX service
to exchanges local to Etobicoke. We're pleased to announce that
this gateway will now take uploaded files and include them in
your fax.

To Send A Fax

a. Join Conference 106 - Fax Traffic is sent only from
conference 106.

b. Compose your fax as follows - i.e.

     i. Address it to FAX GATEWAY in conference 106
     ii. Make the first line of your message: TO: xxx-xxxx
     iii. Leave the second line of your message blank (put a
     few spaces on the line)
     iv. Use the next 98 lines for your fax text.


To Include A File In Your Fax:

a. Upload it in the normal manner to conference 106. It will
arrive here as a private upload.

b. Compose your fax as follows - i.e.

     i. Address it to FAX GATEWAY in conference 106
     ii. Make the first line of your message: TO: xxx-xxxx
     iii. Leave the second line of your message blank (put a
     few spaces on the line)
     iv. Use the next 98 lines for your fax text.

c. At the point in your message where you wish to include your
file, just say:

    "/*INCLUDE: filename"

Your file will then be automatically included in your fax. Your
file should be straight ASCII text. The gateway does not have
the ability to handle graphics or word processor files.

Faxes may be sent to any exchange that is local to CRS in
Etobicoke. Bell Canada is constantly adding new exchanges. If
there's one that you know is local to Etobicoke that the FAX
GATEWAY cannot reach, just leave a comment to SYSOP and it will
be added.

PLEASE NOTE -

a. Faxes are sent from the Gateway approximately every 10
minutes.  You will not receive a confirmation that your fax has
been successfully sent.

b. Incoming Faxes are not supported by CRS Online.

c. There is no charge for this service.

COMMERCIAL AREAS

We'd like to take a few minutes to highlight some of the new
and interesting Commercial Conferences on CRS Online.

These Conferences are open to all CRS subscribers, so feel free
to go in and browse around.

TAXATION, MANAGEMENT, AND ACCOUNTING - CONFERENCE 69

Moderated by Mr. Keith Doxsee, C.A., this conference has been
set up for both individuals and small businesses to ask for
information on important financial items. If you have questions
about taxes, small business management, or accounting, feel
free to oin Conference 69 and pose a question to Keith. Keith
is a Chartered Accountant of long standing, and has kindly
agreed to address these issues on CRS.

COMPUBOOKSTORE - CONFERENCE 71

Mr. David Chen, owner of CompuFamily Inc. is the proud sponsor
of this new endeavour on CRS. His motto of "Any Book, Any Time,
Any Place", reflects his goal of making available almost any
computer-related book to CRS subscribers. Go into Conference 71
and look around. The Conference Bulletins provide most of the
information on how to utilize this new service. He has
available for sale many thousands of computer books - and
offers the vast majority of them to CRS subscribers at a price
lower than that of most regular bookstores. His discounts range
up to 27.3%, and convenient pickup or delivery can be arranged!
Leave any queries or messages to COMPUBOOK STORE. So, if you're
looking for a book on WordPerfect, on a programming language,
or on almost any computer-related topic, please give David's
new service a try!

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF BUSINESS COUNCILS (ICBC) - CONFERENCE
29

This new conference has been set up for the subscribers of the
ICBC, a group that exists to facilitate business networking
opportunities between small businesses. It will be used mainly
to exchange business leads, and will facilitate communication
between the various subscribers of this association. Any CRS
subscriber is welcome to go on in and browse (ie - read
messages), but only ICBC subscribers may leave business leads
in this Conference. Mr.Greg Warren in the Conference Moderator,
and will be happy to tell you all about the many other
advantages of becoming an ICBC subscriber.

EDUSERVE - CONFERENCE 65

This Conference is proudly moderated by Mr. Paul Shuster.
Designed to be a meeting place for all types of educational
institutions, this new area is already collecting its following
of regular contributors. Calling in regularly from Ottawa, I'm
sure Paul will be happy to pass on any information he can about
his goals and objectives.

EDPAA/ISSA - CONFERENCE 72

We're very pleased to welcome the subscribers of the Electronic
Data Processing Auditors Association (EDPAA) and the
Information Systems Security Association (ISSA). Recently
having migrated to CRS, this Association Conference is
moderated by two individuals - Mr. David Rostoker and Mr. Ed
Ing. These organizations exist to spread the word about
security, virus, and electronic auditing issues. Join
Conference 72, and look at some of the bulletins for more
details on these two groups!

PENSION COMMISSION OF ONTARIO - CONFERENCE 149

The Pension Commission of Ontario has made available through
its on-line conference, most of its policy materials.  Recent
news bulletins are also made available.  For more information,
join conference 149 and enter "menu" to see what is available.

CANBUILD, THE CONSTRUCTION CONFERENCE ON CRS - CONFERENCE 36

Moderated by Mr. Steve Hartwell, an Estimator by trade, the
CANBUILD Conference is dedicated to the Construction Industry.
If you need information on almost any type of do-it-yourself or
construction-related issue, Steve and the regulars in
Conference 36 will be happy to help you out.

USENET

Introduction

The birth of USENET happened in 1979 when two grad students at
Duke University in North Carolina decided that they needed to
be able to exchange information. The original implementation of
the USENET Software was written as UNIX shell scripts, which
resemble DOS batch files.  During 1980, the USENET Software was
rewritten in C and debuted at the conference of UNIX
professionals.  It was at this conference the Network was given
the affectionate name of USENET.  In twelve years the Network
has grown from two computers to a network of approximately
30,000 computers, with a daily readership of over 15 million
people worldwide.

Since its creation, the network has allowed people from the
areas of research and development, education, commercial
business, military, and hobbyists to come together and exchange
their views and help each other with problems they may be
experiencing within an "infinite" number of topics.  At this
time USENET contains over 2400 different topics.

Access to information such as commercial product updates,
newsbriefs on research projects, the ability to obtain the
views of people around the world on just about any topic under
the sun, and technical help are available at the touch of a
button. But with any connection between two different services
(software) there are adjustments.

One of the major differences between USENET and CRS Online is
in the software used.  CRS uses a package called PCBoard for
its callers. It imposes a 99 line limit when entering a
message, whereas the UNIX software allows messages up to a size
of 64 kilobytes. Another difference is how messages are entered
on CRS; unlike the PCBoard based E-Mail networks, messages that
are to be sent out via the PCB/USENET Gateway require
additional information - an EMail address.  An EMail address is
similar to the postal address at your place of residence.  Your
address for EMail via the USENET Gateway is the following:

[e-mail]

For example: If your login on CRS was John Doe, your USENET
Email address would be: [e-mail].  What the
"@canrem.com" tells the person sending mail to you is that you
are a user at the site "canrem" (CRS Online) which belongs as a
commercial subscriber to the electronic mail network.  There
are several other mail networks that are accessible through the
USENET Gateway, which include CompuServe, MCI Mail, Bitnet,
Internet, FidoNet, and few others.  Sending mail to these
networks will be described a little further on.

Now before continuing on with how to enter a message to a
person on USENET, there is one more difference between USENET
and PCBoard that needs to be clarified.  That is, the
difference between public messages on USENET and CRS.  On CRS
when a user wants to read public messages, he or she only needs
to 'join' the conference of interest; the same is done on a
UNIX system except it is called a "newsgroup". The difference
between the two only crops up when private mail enters the
picture. A conference on CRS has the ability to contain both
private and public messages. USENET newsgroups do not have this
ability; they draw a more dramatic line between public and
private messages. Public messages are posted to a newsgroup,
while private mail is sent to a specific user. Please keep in
mind the incongruency between the way private messages are
handled on PCBoard mail networks as compared to USENET mail
network.


USENET uses a point to point mailing method whereas PCBoard
mail networks send a copy of the private message to all systems
that talk to each other. What this means is that if two people
have the same name on PCBoard mail network both will be able to
read the message; this will not happen if sending private mail
via USENET. This is why an address is needed before being able
to send private mail to a user on USENET.

Sending A Public Message

When reading USENET public messages - which will be referred to
as newsgroups for the rest of this article - and you wish to
respond to it with everyone being able to read your message
you'll need to use the following:

     I)  Choose 'E' (for 'Enter' as message) from the PCBoard
     menu.
     II) When prompted for who the message is TO, enter "ALL".
     III) When asked for a subject, precede it with "UN: ".
     (The space is necessary)
     IV) When asked if you would like echo the message, enter
     "Y" (YES). V)  Begin entering your message.

NOTE: If your message will not be seen as of interest to
everyone reading that newsgroup, please send a private message
instead, to the specific user.

The following is an example of a public message posted in a
USENET Conference:

Main Board Conference Command? J U-ONTTEST

U-ONTTEST Conference Command? E

TO (enter=ALL)? (ALL )
SUBJECT (enter=ABORT)? (UN: This is a test. )
Echo Message? (Y)

1)This is just a test message.
2) (A,C,D,E,I,Q,S,S,SN,SC)  Text entry command? sn

Your message will be sent out by the USENET Gateway within the
hour.

Sending A Private Message

Private messages can be entered in the main conference,
conference 104 (U-REPLIES), and any USENET Newsgroup. (Writers
Note: I recommend using conference 104, so that you can keep
track of your private mail easier.)  As stated above you'll
need to have the receiver's address before you'll be able send
private messages. This is not a big problem because every
message be it private or public will contain the original
sender's EMail address.  Once you have the receiver's address
you will enter the message using the following format:

     I) Choose 'E' from the PCBoard menu.
     II) When prompted for who the message is TO, enter "USENET
     GATEWAY".
     III) When prompted for a subject, enter the subject of the
     message. IV) When asked for the message security, enter
     "R" for receiver only.  (This is not needed if you enter
     the message in conference 104.)
     V)  Set the echo flag to "N" for no.
     VI) The first line of your message should have "TO:
     useraddress"
     VII) Place a blank line between the user address and the
     first line of your message. Use the space bar to make sure
     that you have a blank line.

The following is an example of a private message posted in
USENET Conference 104:

Main Board Conference Command? J 104

U-REPLIES Conference Command? E

TO (enter=ALL)? (USENET GATEWAY )
SUBJECT (enter=ABORT)? (This is a test to Joe )
Echo Message? (N)

1)TO: [e-mail]
2)
3)This is just a test message.
4)
5)Thanks,
6)Michael.
7)[e-mail]
8) (A,C,D,E,I,Q,S,S,SN,SC)  Text entry command? sn

Your message will be sent out within the hour.

Site Addresses

Now that we have handled how to enter private messages you
probably want to know how to interpret the many different E-
Mail addresses. The following is a list of the several
addresses and the corresponding network it is used with:

   Format      Example

1) SITE!USER canrem!michael.macdonald  or
cunews!carleton.ca!victor.kamutzki
This was the original method used to send private mail on the
USENET mail network. It required the sender know every site the
message had go through to get to the destination. This method
is known as the "bang path method". A bang refers to the
exclamation mark used to separate the pieces of data in the
address.

2) USER@SITE [e-mail]

This is referred to as the smart mailing method, because of the
fact a user does not need to know the entire bang path to the
receiver. It was originally used with the Internet Mail
network, but it is currently being adopted - if it hasn't been
already - by most USENET sites.

3) USER%SITE@VIA-SITE Michael.MacDonald%canrem@telly

This method is primarily used when a direct path to the
receiver does not co-operate. For instance: Lets say LSUC (Law
Society of Upper Canada) ran into some difficulty handling your
message, it could be sent indirectly via another stop. The
example above tells the sites handling your message to send it
to the site TELLY first, then direct the message to the site
CANREM.

4 a) #####.####@COMPUSERVE.COM [e-mail]

Use this method when you want to send private mail to a
personal account on CompuServe. The "#####.####" refers to the
account of the receiver on CompuServe with the comma changed to
a period.

b) [e-mail] [e-mail]

The method is used when you need to send private mail to a
company that has an account on CompuServe.

5) ####@MCIMAIL 2344@MCIMAIL

When sending mail to an account on MCI's EMail service.

6) USER%SITE.BITNET@GATEWAY-SITE
VKamutzk%carleton.ca.bitnet@cunews
This method is actually the same as method three except it
explicitly mentions the fact that the message is bound for a
user on the BITNET EMail network. The GATEWAY-SITE refers to a
system that is able to convert messages from a USENET system
into a format the BITNET systems can handle.

7) FIDONET USER@P#.F#.N#.Z#.FIDONET.ORG James Dean at the
FidoNet
Site 1:350/12.2 would become:
[e-mail] For sending mail to users
on the FidoNet mail network.

Common Usenet Terms

With the introduction of CRS Online's connection to the USENET
world, subscribers who are interested in using this may find it
helpful to know some of the more commonly used terms.  What
follows is a list of terms often used when referring to the
USENET EMail network:

DOMAIN: A method used to break up geographical areas or topical
areas. Examples of geographical domains are: ON for Ontario and
CA for Canada. Topical areas include: COM for Commercial
Organizations, EDU for Educational sites, and ORG for non-
profit organizations.

GATEWAY: A program or system setup to handle the mingling of
messages between two non compatible EMail Networks.

MAILER-DAEMON: The program responsible for directing messages.
Users usually never see anything from this program except when
a message turns out to be undeliverable (often referred to as
bounced messages).

SITE: Site refers to a system able to handle and process USENET
messages or one of the deviations of it.  A site can be made up
of the following information:  SITE = ( MACHINE.) SITENAME ( .
(SUBDOMAINS.) DOMAIN )

UUCP: UUCP is actually an acronym for Unix to Unix Copy
Program. It is the actual program used for transferring
messages between two UNIX sites.

We hope this article has helped in solving some of your
questions about USENET. If you find that there are some
questions left unanswered by this document, we would like to
recommend the following: Download the file USENET.CRS; it
contains a list of the newsgroups available on CRS from the
USENET Gateway. Download the file USENET2.ZIP; this document
was compiled by CRS subscribers (Thanks Jack) and should answer
just about any questions you may have.  If you find that more
information is required leave a message in the USENET Support
conference (#8), where we and several knowledgeable subscribers
will try to answer your questions.
HOW TO GET HELP

By Modem:

Call our systems and go to conference 9 (technical/help
conference).  You'll find a series of bulletins and messages
covering most common system problems. If you still can't
resolve your problem, leave a <C>omment to the Sysops.

By Telephone:

Call our technical line at 213-6001. It's staffed by our tech
staff between the hours of 1pm and 7pm Monday to Friday.

In Person:

CRS provides free seminars on a variety of topics including a
new users seminar and an advanced seminar.  Check the
newsletter or the online news or call the office (213-6000) for
a current list of upcoming seminars.

CRS Online HOURS

Office/Tech Support Hours

Sales/Administration Line:    9:00 am - 5 pm      Monday -
Friday

Technical Support Line:  1:00 pm - 7 pm      Monday - Friday

Office and Voice Phone lines are closed Saturdays, Sundays and
Holidays.  The systems operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
except for scheduled downtimes.

If you have a problem relating to a crashed node, call the
technical support line 213-6001.
TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Office & Technical Support

Sales/Administration:    [phone]
               1-800-563-2529

Technical Support Line:  [phone]

Fax:  [phone]

CRS PCBoard/Online System Lines:

300/1200/2400/9600/14,400/16,800: MNP2-5/USR HST/V.32/V.32bis
213-6002 or 213-6003

 Hayes V9600/V.32        213-6006
 Telebit Trailblazer     213-6032
 CompuCom Speed          213-6007

Out of Town Lines

          Brampton (to serve Georgetown)  *  874-3001
          Burlington/Milton  *               681-4048
          Hamilton/Stoney Creek/Dundas  *    572-7773
          Oshawa (to serve Oshawa/Bowm)  *   404-2021
          Newmarket  *                  836-4074
          Barrie  *                [phone]
          Hespeler (Kitchener/Waterloo)  *   [phone]
          Moonstone (Orillia/Midland)  *     [phone]

     (*)  Supports 300-16.8K baud with USR HST/V.32/V.32bis
modems.

          iNet 2000               ACCESS CRS
          Datapac (for NUI Users) 43700818

CRS UNIX BOX LINES

          T2500 - PEP/V.32        213-6004
          Trailblazer+ - PEP      (call CRS)
          2400 Baud               (call CRS)

Phone lines are changed from time to time.  Check Bulletin 1
ON-LINE for the most current list of phone lines.

PASSWORDS

Passwords are yours and yours alone.  While we may assign an
initial password (if you haven't indicated a choice), you
should change that password with the "W" command as quickly as
possible.

We have run into 3 or 4 instances recently of users finding
that their passwords have been changed. As best as we can tell,
these users used the same password on other systems.  We don't
recommend that you do so.  Keep your CRS password confidential
and unique.

We also suggest that you use the "W" command from time to time
to change your password...... If you haven't done so for a
while, please do so now.


                    USER REQUESTED UPLOADS

Due to the high volume of users, we cannot deal with individual
USER REQUESTED UPLOADS.  If a file is not available on-line, it
is not likely to exist here at CRS.  We simply don't have the
human resources to go out and search for individual files for
you.

However, PCSIG and PCBLUE disks are ALWAYS available. To access
these, you'll need to open door 70 (or 71) to mount our CDROM,
and then access the files in the normal way. PCSIG and PCBLUE
disks are available only from conference 2.


24 HOUR CLOCK

Your subscription entitles you to a certain amount of time
on-line per day, on an as available basis, and in most cases,
you'll have no problem in achieving this time on-line each and
every day should you so wish.

However, the time calculation in PCBoard isn't perfect, and if
you are on the systems at midnight, some strange things will
happen.

Here's how it works -

PCBoard maintains 2 pieces of information in your user record,
namely your last date on and the time used for that particular
day.  The time used is cumulative, so if you make multiple
calls, PCboard will simply add your session time to the
previous counter.


At midnight, your counters will not be zeroed if you are on the
system.  Effectively, PCBoard will update your last date on to
the current day (e.g. the day after midnight) and show your
cumulative time for the session along with any time for
yesterday's session.  The net effect is that you'll lose time
for the current day.

The answer is simple - log off before midnight and log back on
after midnight. That way, the counters will be properly
updated.

CRS time is set daily from the National Research Council Atomic
clock in Ottawa, and our time is normally accurate to 2
seconds.  Don't second guess us.  If you want to ensure you
have your full time the next day, log off before midnight.


SHUTDOWNS AND MAINTENANCE

Like any major system, CRS must shut down from time to time for
maintanence, backup and upgrading.  Here are our scheduled
shutdown times:

12:00pm - 12:45 pm - Daily - for backup/system logs/etc
10:00am - 3:00 pm - Tuesdays - for scheduled maintenance

Note that if you log on between 10am and 12pm, your available
time is automatically reduced to the amount available before
12pm. You get it all back after the shutdown. Other shutdowns
occur as required. They will typically be of relatively short
duration and to the extent possible, we will announce them in
advance where possible.

Remember, we are running one of Toronto's Largest Novell
Networks, and while our uptime is greater than 95%, we cannot
guarantee that we'll be up all the time.


INET/DATAPAC USERS

We run our systems into an EDA 8 port pad, giving you access to

4 systems through our iNet/Datapac address.  Here are some
tricks about iNet -

a.  Make sure that you have a program that supports YMODEM
protocol.  Most of the popular ones do.  Telix, Qmodem, Flash,
Red Ryder 10.0, Procomm, and MEX all have Ymodem protocol.
Ymodem protocol transfers packets of data 1024 bytes at a time,
rather than 128 byte blocks. This means that the overhead on
iNet/Datapac is much less, and you'll achieve 1000-1100 baud
without difficulty.
When using YMODEM, select YMODEM protocol as your transfer
protocol at our end (using the command to set it), and then
choose a similar protocol at your end (this may be called
YMODEM, 1K Xmodem, or something of that nature).

If you don't use YMODEM, your effective throughput here will be
no better than 400-500 baud.

b. Interactive messaging, due to the echoing back from our end,
is very slow.  No fix in sight.  PCBoard requires full duplex
due to screen wrapping, and we can't change to half duplex.
The slow interactive messaging is just something you'll have to
learn to live with.

c. If you find that you're dropping back to the iNet menu for
no apparent reason, change your escape character from / to
something unusual (we use a ~).  You do this from the main iNet
menu (personal parameters).  That should solve most of your
problem, although iNet will occasionally get confused no matter
what.
We don't advise using 2400 baud. 2400 baud on iNet can incur a
'bulk transfer charge', which is not mentioned in any of your
iNet documentation.  This charge can be up to $70/hour.  You'll
never encounter it at 1200 baud.

 We know that there are problems in iNet.  Over the years,
we've tried to eliminate most of them, but haven't got them
all.   Sorry for the inconvenience. You are being charged, by
iNet, an amount that's considerably less than what it would
cost you for the dial up lines......I guess the problems we
encounter are the price we pay for 'cheaper transmission
charges'.

REACH ACROSS CANADA

If you've signed up for our "Reach Across Canada" program, then
you've been issued a Datapac Network User ID (NUI) by us.  With
this NUI, you can reduce your access charges to as low as
$4/hour (depending on time of day, location and bytes
transferred).

To access CRS with your NUI:

a. Call your local Datapac # - it's in your phone book, or you
may
call our office for the port nearest you.

b. After establishing carrier with Datapac, enter .. <<cr>>

c. Datapac will respond with an 8 digit #.  The # is not
important.
d. Then type: NUI "yournui" <<cr>>
Leave a space between the I and the first letter of your NUI.
You received your NUI from CRS and it's typically a 6 character
code.

e. Datapac responds: XXXXXXXX

f. Type your Password

g. Datapac responds: NUI yournui active

h. Type:  43700818 <<cr>> <<cr>> and you'll be on CRS.

It's simple, but you must be precise.  If you have problems, or
for more information, call our technical staff at (416)
213-6001.


CRS Conferences

Remember - if you're looking for certain topic, you can use the

      J S xxx

command where  xxx  is the text you're looking for.

This is a full conference listing of the conferences available
to  you on CRS Online.  To join any conference, just type J xxx
where xxx is the conference #.

COMPUTER AND FILE SPECIFIC CONFERENCES - All software (files)
resides in the computer specific conferences only.

Other conferences are messaging only and will contain no files.
These areas contain both messages and files.  Use the <F>ile
command to check the various file areas within these
conferences.

***
---> NOTE:  In order to keep this ASCII Text format of the user
guide down to size, we have removed the listings of the
conferences.  These following files should be downloaded:
USENET.CRS for Usenet Conferences
CRSCONF.LST for all other Networks - NorthAmeriNet, FidoNet,
Intelec, EchoNet, and others.
***

TECHNICAL SUPPORT CONFERENCES - CRS provides technical support
to its members via these conferences.   Check these conferences
for messages related to CRS specific problems/questions.

Qmail Support ........24 | Usenet Gateway.........8 |
Technical/Help ........9

Additional Information on Mail Networks is available as
follows:
Files may be downloaded from any conference.

USENET.CRS   A listing of the Usenet Conferences on CRS
CRSCONF.LST  Current List of CRS conferences (all nets)
CRSALL.LST   Current List of CRS conferences (alphabetical)
IL-APP.ZIP   Interlink Application Form
ILCONF09.ZIP Interlink Conferences
ILNK0912.ZIP Participating Interlink Systems
INTCONFS.ZIP Intelec conference list and decriptions
RLYCONF.ZIP  RelayNet conference list and description
NANETAPP.ZIP NorthAmeriNet Application Information
NANET.SYS    NorthAmeriNet Participating Systems
RELAY.FRM    Application Form for Relaynet
RLYMAN1.ZIP  Relaynet rules/regulations
THROBNET.ZIP Application for Throbnet Network


USENET CONFERENCES INFORMATION
Please note the following rules for posting message to Usenet:

Procedures for entering PUBLIC messages.

a) Enter the message to ALL or anyone else you desire
b) Mark the message as PUBLIC
c) Make the first 3 letters of the subject UN: to signify that
you want this message to be sent WORLD WIDE on Usenet.
NOTE - PUBLIC MESSAGES should be of interest to the USENET
Community.As your public messages are sent to thousands of
different sites, please make sure that they will be appropriate
both as to topic and to content.

Procedures for entering PRIVATE messages.

a) Enter the message to USENET GATEWAY
b) Mark the message as RECEIVER ONLY
c) Make the first line of the message "to: user@site"
(important - you must leave a space after "to: ")
d) Leave a blank line (important) and then continue entering
your message on the next line.

All Incoming Private Messages from our Usenet Gateway are
posted in Conference 104. Outgoing mail may be left in
conference 0, 104 or any of the Usenet specific conferences

104                   U-REPLIES       *Conference for incoming
private mail.
SOFTWARE: FILE AREAS

───═══ MACINTOSH FILE AREAS ═══──-
Conference 1

   7. The Best for Mac -- Files Everyone Should Have

USER GROUP DISKS

  10. Educorp Disks 2000 - 3999
  11. Educorp Disks 4000 - 5999
  12. Educorp Disks 6000 and up
  13. Public Domain Exchange Disks
  14. Los Angeles Mac Group
  15. Berkley User Group
  16. Washington Apple PI
  17. Boston Computer Society
  18. Club Mac Disks (U.S.)
  19. Mac Tutor Journal's Source Codes

COMMUNICATIONS

  20. Anti-Viral Utilities/Information
  21. Archive Utilities (for .sit .cpt .zip .arc etc.)
  22. BBS Lists (world wide)
  23. BBS Software
  24. Communications Software
  25. Networking / Mac  IBM Utilities

PRODUCTIVITY and EDUCATION

  30. Business and Financial
  31. Database - Programs, Utilities, Templates
  32. Spreadsheet - Programs, Utilities, Templates
  33. Programming Utilities and Languages
  34. Programming Source Codes
  35. Word Processing / Text Editors / DTP
  36. Science, Math, Health and Medicine
  37. Other Productivity

GRAPHICS and SOUND

  40. Graphics Programs, Editors and Viewers
  41. Still Graphic Files (clip art)
  42. Nudes / Adult Files -- See Adult Conference
  43. Moving Graphics
  44. Digitized Sounds
  45. Music
  46. Sound Utilities / Applications

SYSTEM RELATED SOFTWARE AND UTILITIES

  50. System, Finder and Multifinder Utilities
  51. Hardware Utilities (eg. SCSI related, clock speed test)
  52. Printer Utilities
  53. Disk and File Utilities (incl. resource editors)
  54. Icons and Icon Utilities
  55. Screen Utilities (screen savers, copiers etc)
  56. Fonts and Font Utilities
  57. Utilities for Hypercard
  58. Misc. Utilities
  59. Apple Licensed Software - Not to be redistributed except
            by license from Apple.
GAMES

  60. Adventure and Fantasy Games
  61. Arcade Games
  62. Board, Dice and Card Games
  63. Puzzles and Word Games
  64. Simulations (eg. car racing, etc.)
  65. Sports Games
  66. Misc. Games

OTHER FILES

  70. Mac II Specific Software (works only on Mac II family)
  71. Reference / Text Files / Misc. Information files
  72. Software not Classified or Unknown

RECENT UPLOADS

  97. Uploads by CRS - Automated File Collection
  98. User Uploads - Two Months Ago
  99. Current User Uploads



─══ IBM/DOS FILE AREAS ══-
Conference 2

 A.  GENERAL INFORMATION - All Computer Types

 Information on CRS...................1  Catalogs and Lists..................2
 Byte Listings........................3  PC/MacTutor Magazine Listings.......4
 Computer Language/AI Listings........5  Unclassified........................6

 B.  USER GROUP DISKS - User Group Software is more nicely cataloged than
     Topical Software, but may not be as complete or as current.

 PCSIG is on CD-ROM,                     PCBlue (NYACC) is on CD-ROM,
 Type OPEN 70 to download...........351  Type OPEN 71 to download..........352

 C.  TOPICAL SOFTWARE - Software in the following areas is arranged by topic.
     You may find considerable duplication and older versions, so exercise
     some caution when looking in these areas.  New software always resides
     in areas 394 to 399.


         ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE            BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM SOFTWARE
 LISP programs.......................17  BBS News...........................27
 Updates/Text files..................19  BBS Listings/Information...........26
 Misc. AI files......................18  Front End Mail Handlers............33
                                         Multi-BBS Doors....................25
                BUSINESS                 Opus/Maximus/FIDO (inc doors)......30
 Finance.............................39  PCBoard related (inc doors)........28
 Forms...............................48  QBBS/RA/Etc (inc doors)............31
 Inventory...........................40  RBBS related (inc doors)...........29
 Loan Amortization...................41  Other BBS types....................32
 Mailing list programs...............42  Misc. BBS Utilities, Convertors....34
 Metastock/TAS.......................46
 Productivity/Management.............44       COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (CAD)
 Real Estate/Rent....................47  AutoCAD Graphics Files............198
 Statistics..........................45  AutoCAD Utils/AutoLISP Routines...199
 Misc. Business......................43  AutoCAD Misc......................200
                                         AutoDesk Animator related files...201
                                         AutoSketch related files..........202
                                         Misc. CAD Files...................203
                                         Misc. CAD Graphic files...........204
                                         Misc. CAD programs................205
                                         Misc. Drawing programs............206

             COMMUNICATIONS                           DATABASE
 Area Code Information..............219  CLIPPER, and related software.....222
 External protocols.................210  DBASE, and related software.......223
 Fax Related........................156  FOXPRO/Foxbase, and related.......227
 Modem Utilities/Settings...........217  PARADOX, and related software.....225
 Off-Line mail readers, and utils...211  RBase, related files..............226
 PROCOMM related files..............213  Misc. Database....................224
 QMODEM related files...............214
 Remote Operation...................215              EDUCATIONAL
 TELIX and related files............216  Computer related...................52
 Other Terminal Programs/Dialers....218  English............................54
 Misc. Communication related........212  Educational Games..................53
                                         Geography/Maps.....................61
                                         History............................60
                                         Instructor tools...................55
                                         Language tutors....................56
                                         Mathematics........................57
                                         Science, Space.....................59
                                         Misc. Educational..................58

                 GAMES                                  GRAPHICS
 Adventure Games.....................74  Animation, Simulations............235
 AD&D/Roleplaying Games/Files........78  ANSI Enhancements, Pictures.......236
 Arcade Games........................67  Editors, Drawing Programs.........237
 Board Games.........................68  GIF's and Viewers.................238
 Card Games..........................77  Grasp Art and Viewers.............239
 Cheat Files/Hints/Tips..............70  Misc. Graphics Files/Programs.....240
 Games of Chance.....................69
 Flight Simulators and related.......65               MULTI-TASKING
 MahJongg............................62  Desqview...........................80
 Mean 18/JNicklaus Golf Courses......71  Double Dos.........................81
 Puzzles/Tetris Clones...............79  O/S 2..............................84
 Real Life Games/Simulations.........76  Windows - Drivers/Typefaces........87
 Sports Games........................66  Windows - Games....................85
 Strategy Games......................75  Windows - Graphics (BMP/ICONS).....86
 War Games, Modern/Historic..........63  Windows - Utilities................83
 War Games, Futuristic...............64  Windows - Misc. Windows files......88
 Word Games..........................73  Misc. Multi-Tasking................82
 Misc. Games.........................72

             HOME/PERSONAL                          MUSIC and SOUND
 Astronomy..........................248  AD-LIB/Soundblaster Files..........94
 Automotive.........................259  Files for Other soundcards.........93
 Cooking/Kitchen Aids...............249  Midi/Cakewalk......................90
 Finance/Personal...................256  Music and Sound Players............92
 Genealogy..........................250  ROL Files..........................95
 Ham/Packet Radio...................244  Misc. Music and Sound..............91
 Health/Medicine....................251
 Lottery Programs...................252                NETWORKING
 Organizing (Database/etc)..........258  Lantastic..........................99
 Religion...........................257  Novell............................100
 Speech Synthesis...................246  Serial Networks...................101
 Sports/Hobbies.....................254  Other Networking Files............102
 Tax/Legal/Laws.....................245
 Weather............................255
 Misc. Home/Personal................253

              PRODUCTIVITY                          REFERENCE/DEMOS
 Calculators........................260  Commercial Game Demos.............109
 Calendars..........................261  Commercial Software Demos.........110
 Desktop Managers...................262  Entertainment.....................107
 Geoworks/Framework.................264  General Interest Text Files.......111
 Misc. Productivity.................263  Jokes/Humour......................108
                                         Magazines/Publications............115
              PROGRAMMING                Mysteries/The Unexplained.........106
 Assemblers (ML) and aids...........269  PC Magazine Related...............117
 Assembly Lang. Programs............270  Real Life Applications............112
 Aseembly Lang. Tutorials...........271  StarTrek..........................116
 BASIC Related files................272  Tech - Hardware Related...........113
 BASIC Tutorials....................273  Tech - Software Related...........114
 "C" Compilers and aids.............274
 "C" Libraries......................275               SPREADSHEETS
 "C" Tutorials......................276  Excel related software............124
 "C" Source Code....................280  Lotus related software............123
 Pascal and Related Files...........278  Quattro Pro related software......125
 Programming Utilities..............282  Misc. Files.......................126
 Source Code for Other Languages....281
 Misc. Programming Languages........277
 Misc. Programming..................279

                                   UTILITIES
 4DOS and related files.............307  Mouse.............................302
 Archiving/Packing/Zipping..........285  Printer - Banner programs.........303
 Backup.............................286  Printer - Non-laser Fonts.........304
 Batch Files........................287  Printer - Graphics................305
 Cache..............................288  Printer - Label makers............306
 Clock..............................289  Printer - Laser general...........308
 Directory..........................290  Printer - Spoolers................311
 Diskette...........................291  Printer - System setup............310
 Display............................292  Printer - Misc....................309
 DOS fixes/Addons...................293  Ram Disks.........................312
 Emulators/Convertors...............318  Screen Control/Speedup/Misc.......313
 File...............................295  Security (locks)..................314
 Hard Drive.........................297  System Setup......................301
 Keyboard...........................298  System Diagnostics................317
 Memory.............................299  Unprotects (for backup)...........315
 Menu...............................300  Virus Scanning....................316
                                         Misc. and General Utilites........296

                                WORD PROCESSING
 Desk Top Publishing - Add-ons......134  PFS First Pub. Files/Graphics.....140
 Desk Top Publishing - Clip Art.....155  Qedit and Related.................147
 Desk Top Publishing - Misc.........133  Text File Related (Not Editors)...138
 Editors (Text/Hex).................294  Text Readers......................152
 Foreign Language Editors...........157  Ventura, related files............141
 H.P. Fonts.........................151  WordPerfect Graphics..............142
 H.P. Miscellaneous.................150  WordPerfect Utilities.............143
 Hypertext..........................154  WordPerfect Printer Disks.........144
 Microsoft Word Related.............136  Wordstar Graphics.................145
 Optical Character Recog. (OCR).....158  Wordstar Utilities................146
 Postscript Related.................137  Writing Aids/Dictionaries/Etc.....153
 Printmaster Graphics...............139  Misc. Word Processing Related.....148

                                   NEW FILES
                Uploads - RoseMail/RoseReader Files......391
                Uploads - Graphics Files from Usenet.....392
                Uploads - Uploads via FidoNet Filebone...394
                Uploads - Over 90 Days, Not classified...395
                Uploads - Over 90 Days, Not classified...395
                Uploads - 60-90 days old.................396
                Uploads - 30-60 days old.................397
                Uploads - BY CRS 0-30 days old...........398
                Uploads - BY CRS via Fido Network........394
                Uploads - BY MEMBERS.....................399

 Files marked (CRS) have been sourced by CRS and have been virus scanned.
 Files marked (ASP) have been received directly from the authors or via
 the Association of Shareware Professionals.


──══ AMIGA FILE AREAS ══─-
Conference 5
                     AMIGA SPECIFIC FILE DIRECTORIES
 +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
 | Further information on where you are likely to find specific files |
 | can be found in the file DIRINFO.TXT in directory 70 (Information  |
 | for users)                                                         |
 +--------------------------------------------------------------------+

 A. Collections, Disk Sets (Including Related Utilities and Databases)

  - AmigaLibDisk (Fred Fish) disks ..................................  7
  - Other disk sets (ABUG/AMICUS +) .................................  8
  - Other collections ...............................................  9

 B. System Resources and Tools

  - OS/System/RAM (OS patches/general libs/testers/snoopers +) ...... 10
  - I-O excl. storage (printer/keyboard/monitor/mouse/I-O libs +) ... 11
  - Interface/WB (screen/window/gadget/icon/pointer/requester/menu +) 12
  - Archiving/Backup/Compression (Lha/DMS/Zoo/Zip/XFH/Imploder +) ... 13
  - File/Directory control (dir util/cataloger/lister/finder +) ..... 14
  - Disk tools (edit/format/diagnose/repair/salvage/prep/mount +) ... 15
  - File tools excl. text editors (edit/convert/modify/encrypt +) ... 16
  - Fonts > Compugraphic Outline .................................... 17
  - Fonts > Postscript Outline (Types 1 and 3) ...................... 18
  - Fonts > Bitmapped (2 colour) .................................... 19
  - Fonts > Colour .................................................. 20
  - Fonts > Proprietary (ProPage/Aladdin/Toaster/NimbusQ +) ......... 21
  - Font manipulation (edit/view/convert +) ......................... 22
  - Shell/CLI oriented utilities excl. file/directory/disk listers) . 23
  - Platform/CPU emulation (BridgeBoard/Amax/Emplant +) ............. 24
  - Virus checking and killing ...................................... 25
  - Connectivity (networking/remote access/direct file transfer +) .. 26

 C. Applications [Including Editors/Converters/Viewers/Readers]

  - Bitmap painting + ............................................... 27
  - 2D vector object drawing/CAD/structural design + ................ 28
  - 3D object modelling and rendering + ............................. 29
  - Fractal/Landscape/Mathematical Function imaging ................. 30
  - Music/MIDI/Sound ................................................ 31
  - Animation (standard OP-X modes)/Video/Film ...................... 32
  - Charting (business graphics/plotting/project planning +) ........ 33
  - Authoring/Multimedia/Hypertext .................................. 34
  - Database/Information Management excl. disk catalogers) .......... 35
  - Numerical/mathematical analysis (spreadsheet/calculator +) ...... 36
  - Finance/Accounting/Budgeting/Bookkeeping/Stocks ................. 37
  - Text incl. ANSI processing/editing (interactive) ...............  38
  - Desktop Publishing/Presentation ................................. 39
  - Telecommunications (BBS/term/fax/modem/protocol lib +) .......... 40
  - Education/Learning/Science/Arts/Crafts/AI/Engineering ........... 41
  - Personal utils excl. databases (nagger/scheduler/calendar +) .... 42

 D. Programming Code/Deck Samples, Aids, Development Tools, Libraries

  - AREXX (general) ................................................. 43
  - Assembler ....................................................... 44
  - C ............................................................... 45
  - Basic ........................................................... 46
  - Graphically oriented languages (CANDO/AMOS/SEUCK +) ............. 47
  - Other languages (Modula/Forth/Perl +) ........................... 48
  - AmigaDOS scripts ................................................ 49
  - Multi-Language and general tools/utilities/references/libraries . 50

 E. Sound and Music                                            (DATA)

  - IFF/8SVX digitized sounds ....................................... 51
  - Self executing sounds and scores ................................ 52
  - Program-specific scores/instruments (DMCS/Sonix/SuperJAM! +) .... 53
  - MODs (MED/'Tracker/OctaMED +) ................................... 54
  - MIDI (Bars&Pipes/Music-X/KCS +) ................................. 55

 F. Images, Objects, Document Samples, Icons & Pointers        (DATA)

  - Standard mode/format OCS/ECS/AGA bitmaps/brushes (IFF/ILBM +) ... 56
  - Special mode/format bitmaps/brushes (24-bit IFF/JPEG/DCTV/GIF +)  57
  - 3D vector objects/clips (Imagine/Lightwave/Aladdin +) ........... 58
  - 2D vector objects/clips/drawings (ProDraw/AegisDraw/DR2D +) ..... 59
  - EPS and special format text-oriented documents (Pagestream +) ... 60
  - Icons/Pointers/Patterns/Palettes/Prefs/Presets .................. 61

 G. Anims, Productions and Scripts                             (Data)

  - Standard mode OCS/ECS/AGA anims/animbrushes (IFF OP-5/6/7/8 +) .. 62
  - Special mode anims (>8-bit/24-bit/DCTV/OpalVision/Scala/MPEG +) . 63
  - Movies/Toons (Director/MovieSetter/Deluxe Video +) .............. 64
  - Interactive productions/flows (AmigaVision/Scala/Director +) .... 65
  - Self executing/booting graphics and music "Demos"/"slide shows" . 66

 H. References, News, General Reviews, Events, Magazines +

  - Electronic magazines, general news, rumours and opinions ........ 67
  - General references .............................................. 68
  - Hardware news/reviews/specs/how-to/benchhmarks .................. 69
  - Information for users ........................................... 70

 I. Entertainment, Fun, Games and Simulations

  - Screen/System hacks ............................................. 71
  - Adventure/Strategy role playing games/simulations ............... 72
  - Board/Tile games ................................................ 73
  - Card games ...................................................... 74
  - Sports/Technology simulation games .............................. 75
  - Word/Text/Trivia/Quiz/Numbers games ............................. 76
  - Physical Puzzles/Static Obstacles games ......................... 77
  - Shoot-em-up/Moving Obstacles games .............................. 78
  - Unclassified games .............................................. 79
  - Game Cheats/Tips/Reviews/Announcements/Editors .................. 80

 J. Current

  - Uploads - >60 days (unsorted) ................................... 96
  - CRS automated uploads - up to 60 days ........................... 97
  - Graphics files (USENET Newsgroups) .............................. 98
  - Members' Uploads - up to 60 days ................................ 99


──══ ATARI ST FILE AREAS ══─-
Conference 6

                   ATART-ST (Conference 6) FILE AREAS

                         GENERAL INFORMATION
  1. Canada Remote Systems Info        4.  PC/MacTutor Magazine Listings
  2. Catalogs and Lists                5.  Computer Language/AI Listings
  3. Byte Listings                     6.  Unclassified

                           *COMMUNICATIONS*
  7. Archive Utilities (ARC/LZH/ZIP)   10. Communications Utilities
  8. BBS and Support Programs          11. Virus Remedies
  9. Terminal Programs

                            *PROGRAMMING*
 15. Languages General                 18. Other Source Code
 16. GFA Programming                   19. Programming Utilities
 17. C Programming

                            *PRODUCTIVITY*
 25. Databases                         27. Business Utilities
 26. Spreadsheets                      28. Home/School Utilities
                                       29. Calculators\Math Utilities

                          *WORDS AND PRINT*
 30. Wordprocessors                    34. GDOS/Other Fonts
 31. Text Readers/Processors           35. Clip Art
 32. Desktop Publishing                36. Print Utilities
 33. Calamus Fonts                     37. Calamus Support

                             *TEXT FILES*
 40. Online Magazine                   42. Other Text Files
 41. Computer References

                      *GAMES AND ENTERTAINMENT*
 50. Arcade Style Games                53. Misc. Games
 51. Adventure Games                   54. Educational Games
 52. Board Dice Card Games             55. About Games/Help/Reviews

                               *MUSIC*
 60. MIDI Programs and Patches         63. Other Songs
 61. MIDI Music/Sound Files            64. Music/MIDI/Sound Utilities
 62. Other Music Programs              65. Music and sound Players
                                       66. Sound Samples
                         *SYSTEM AND DESKTOP*
 70. Alternate Desktops                72. TOS/GEM Fixes/Utilities
 71. Alternate Operating Systems       73. Desktop Icons

                              *GRAPHICS*
 75. Drawing Programs                  78. Graphics utilitiesn
 76. Pictures                          79. Graphics and Sound Demos
 77. Animation                         80. Picture Viewers
                          *OTHER UTILITIES*
 85. Disk Utilities                    87. Emulators et al
 86. Misc. Utilities                   88. System Utlilties

                           *PORTFOLIO*
 90. Portfolio Programs                91. Portfolio Information

                           *NEW UPLOADS*
 96. Graphics Files-Usenet Newsgroups
 98. Unclassified/Previous Months
 99. Current Month


                  COMMODORE 64/128 FILE AREAS
Conference 13

  7. C64 - Utilities                    18. C128 - Utilities
  8. C64 - Communications               19. C128-Communications
  9. C64 - Games                        20. C128 - Games
 10. C64 - Graphics Utilities           21. C128 - Graphics Utils
 11. C64 - Graphics                     22. C128 - Graphics
 12. C64 - Music Utilities              23. C128 - Music Utilities

 13. SIDPLAYER Music                    24. C64/128 Music
 14. CPower C                           25. C64/128 Misc
 15. GEOS - Utilities                   26. GEOS - Games
 16. GEOS - Graphics                    27. GEOS - Fonts
 17. GEOS - Documents                   28. GEOS - Drivers
 29. CMD Support                        30. CP/M
 31.  Commodore Education               32. Current User Uploads


** APPLE II+, //e, //c, //gs (APPLE Conference 14) **
Conference 14

         7. The Best for Apple -- Files Everyone Should Have

PDE SOFTWARE

        10. Public Domain Exchange Disks ApII - 1988-89
        11. Public Domain Exchange Disks ApII - 1990 and up
        12. Public Domain Exchange Disks IIgs - 1988-89
        13. Public Domain Exchange Disks IIgs - 1990 and up
        14. New from other sources (by CRS)

COMMUNICATIONS

        20. Anti-Viral Utilities/Information
        21. Archive Utilities (for .BXY .BQY .BLU .QQ etc)
        22. BBS Lists (from Toronto Computes!)
        23. BBS Software
        24. Communications Software
        25. Networking

PRODUCTIVITY and EDUCATION

        28. HyperCard - Utilities and Stacks
        29. HyperStudio - Utilities and Stacks
        30. Business and Financial
        31. Database - Programs, Utilities, Templates
        32. Spreadsheet - Programs, Utilities, Templates
        33. Programming Utilities and Languages
        34. Programming Source Codes
        35. Word Processing / Text Editors / DTP
        36. Science, Math, Health and Medicine
        37. Misc. Files and Utilities
        38. Educational templates / files / games, etc.

GRAPHICS and SOUND

        40. Graphics Programs, Editors and Viewers
        41. Still Graphic Files (clip art)
        42. Nudes / Adult - Also, see Adult Conference 35
        43. Animated Graphics
        44. Digitized Sounds
        45. Music
        46. Sound Utilities / Applications
        47. MIDI
        48. Print Shop Graphics
        49. GIF

SYSTEM RELATED SOFTWARE AND UTILITIES

        53. System and Finder Utilities
            (CDA's; NDA's; CDevs; Inits
        54. Hardware Utilities (eg. SCSI tester)
        55. Printer Utilities
        56. Disk and File Utilities
        57. Icons and Icon Utilities
        58. Screen Utilities (screen savers, copiers etc)
        59. Fonts and Font Utilities
        60. TrueType Fonts

GAMES
        64. Eamon
        65. Adventure and Fantasy Games
        66. Arcade Games
        67. Board, Dice and Card Games
        68. Puzzles and Word Games
        69. Simulations (eg. car racing, etc.)
        70. Sports Games
        71. Misc. Games

OTHER FILES

        75. Tech Notes
        76. IIgs Specific Software (works only on a IIgs)
        77. Reference / Text Files / Misc. Infomation files
        78. Software not Classified or Unknown

RECENT UPLOADS

        99. Current 2 Months - User Uploads
                      ECHOMAIL NETWORKS

CRS supports the concept of Echo Mail and participates in a
number of international networks.

Echoing into and out of CRS are the following networks -

a.  NorthAmeriNet - over 500 worldwide systems, now set up on a
regional basis, NorthAmeriNet (NANET) is one of the most active
nets in Canada.  It's been expanded to the U.S. under the name
NorthAmeriNet, and regionals are now in place in a dozen or so
locations in the US.   We expect to see NorthAmeriNet grow
dramatically over the next few months as more and more systems
start to tie into the regionals.   Canada Conference
Mail/NorthAmeriNet conferences are the usual CRS conferences from
1-106 and from 300-350.

b.  Usenet - Over 30,000 primarily Unix based systems, around the
world.   With 2800+ conferences, Usenet is one of the oldest and
most active systems in the world.   Offering true point to point
mail capabilities as well as international echo capabilities, the
Usenet conferences may be accessed through all conferences
starting with U-.

c.  Intelec - A relatively small system, Intelec offers some 100
conferences.  Intelec conferences all start with I-.

d.  RIME - Through arrangements with RIME, CRS subscribers have
access to the entire RIME network and conferences.   PCBrelay is
a network of some 650+ systems and over 150+ conferences,
including some very important vendor support conferences. RIME
conferences all start with R-.

e.  Echonet - A very local network of some 12 conferences and 35+

systems, Echonet offers many things of local interest.  Echoed
only into systems in the Toronto area, the entire echonet set of
conferences is available.  Echonet conferences all start with E-.

f.  ILINK - A professional network of some 150+ conferences.
ILINK is a very tightly moderated net, and you'll find that
messages in ILINK conferences are almost always on topic and of
a high quality nature.  ILINK is not noted for idle chitchat, but
you'll find some very interesting conferences.  ILINK conferences
all start with L-.
g.  Throbnet - An adult network, accessible only to those that
have the adult add-on.  Throbnet conferences all start with T-.


It's very simple to send message in network conferences.  Simply
join the conference of your choice and leave your message in the
normal manner. Networks have their own rules and regulations, and
if you plan on participating in the many mail networks, please
review the appropriate documentation found in file area 1.

                 POPULAR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS

Q1 - How do I join the Adult Conference?

A1 - Go to the main conference and complete script #3 by hitting
"S" followed by a carriage return and then "3".   Please note
that this script must be filled out entirely and all information
must match.  We're very concerned about the material in this
conference. We ask you for some personal information (which is
not recorded in our database, but which is used to verify your
age), and without it, we simply will not allow you into the Adult
Conference.   This conference is an add-on to your basic
subscription, and you will be asked to provide credit card
information.

Q2 -  How do I get the latest version of Qmail Deluxe?  I can't
find the door or the door doesn't recognize me.

A2 - OPEN (Door) 67 for the latest version of Qmail Deluxe.  The
door must find your serial # in our user file.  If you get a
message that your serial # is not found, just leave a comment to
SYSOP in any of the machine specific or main conferences.  We'll
update the database, typically within 24 hours, so you can get
the latest version.

Q3 -  I tell CRS to download and then it gives me a time out
error.  I don't get any files.  How come?

A3 - After telling us to send a file to you with the "D" command,
you must tell your end to receive the file.   This is often (but
not always) done by hitting the PageDown key.   Unfortunately,
each software package may be different, so you'll have to look in
your manual for exact downloading instructions.  Downloading is
a two step process - tell us to send, and then tell your end to
receive.

Q4 - How do I unarchive a file ending in ZIP?

A4 - Get PKZ204G.EXE from our system, and use it.  ZIP files are
a different type of compression, and require PKZIP.  Latest
version is PKZ204G, and it can be downloaded from Conference 2.
(Note that this version # changes from time to time.  The latest
version may always be found in file area 285, conference 2).

Q5 - Can I download the directory listings?

A5 - In most cases, yes.   Directory listings for MAC, IBM, CP/M,
Amiga and ST are all downloadable using the format xDIRyy where
x is the first letter of the conference, and yy is the number of
the directory in question.   To download IBM Spreadsheet info
(directory 34) for example, you would download IDIR34.  The New
File Upload directories are the only listings that cannot be
downloaded in this manner, as they are constantly being updated
on our net. To capture a new file listing, use the screen capture
feature of your communications program.

Q6- I tried to open a door and the system hung.   Why?

A6 - Doors are add-on programs, and have to load themselves.
Some are quite large.   Thus, depending on the speed of the
workstation/node that you are on, the network activity, and where
you are in the extended user file, it may take  2 to 4 minutes to
open a door.


Q7 - What is the fastest protocol for file transfer?

A7 - Fast is a relative term. In purely theoretical terms, any
Non- Error correcting protocol designed to be used with Error
correcting modems will be the fastest.  In practice, line noise
may play a significant role in the speed of your transfer.
Xmodem-1K-G will be the fastest.   However, we use (and
recommend) Zmodem.  Although it will be a bit slower, it's a more
robust protocol and you are less likely to have an aborted file
transfer.

Our choices (in descending order of preference are)

ZMODEM
XMODEM-1K-G (for error correcting modems)
XMODEM-1K
XMODEM-CRC

Note that with slower modems, the choice of protocol makes little
difference in file transfer speed.

Q8 - How do I use .SIT or .PIT files from the Mac area?

A8 - Download STUFFIT 1.51 from the Mac conference.  Click on
Stuffit and then use Stuffit to open your .SIT or .PIT file.

Q9 - How does CRS keep track of our time on-line?   I signed on
at 11pm and off at 1am, and the system won't let me on today.

A9 - PCBoard keeps two variables in the user files - The date
last on and the amount of time used on that date.   This works
fine unless you are on the systems over midnight.   If you are on
over midnight, PCBoard will charge the current day with the
entire time on-line for that session.   Thus, if you log on at
11pm and off at 1am, PCBoard will record todays date and 120
minutes, and not allow you back on until tomorrow.

To get around this, simply log off a minute or two before
midnight and then log back on.

Q10- I haven't called the system for a number of months, and it
doesn't recognize my name.  I know my subscription is still paid
up.

A10- Something's wrong.   It is possible that something in your
user record has been changed (this will be a problem at CRS).
Try calling our main Etobicoke #'s (213-6002 or 213-6003).  If
your name still isn't recognized, call the CRS office at 213-6000
and we'll sort out the problem for you.

Q11 - I can't ever get on at noon between 12:00pm and 12:45pm.

A11 - Our systems shutdown automatically for maintenance between
12:00pm and 12:45pm (eastern time).  During that time, our tape
backups are completed, new users added, and other system
maintenance is done.  Call back after 12:45 and you'll get on.

The systems also are scheduled down between 10am and 3pm on
Tuesdays.


Q12- How do I use LHZ extensions?

A12 - LHZ is simply another method of packing/squeezing files.
It's very efficient, and some boards are moving towards it.  We
don't plan to do so here at CRS, but some files are coming in in
the LHZ format.   To extract, you need LHARC.EXE, available in
conference 2, area 36.

Q13 - What steps do you take to ensure virus free software?

A13 - CRS cannot guarantee that you'll never get a virus from
CRS.  No professional software company can make this claim.
However, as all our software comes from known and reputable
sources, your chances of contacting a virus at CRS is quite
remote.  In 10 years of running a BBS, we've only seen two trojan
horses.  All programs that show (CRS) at the front of their
description have been virus scanned.

CRS runs virus scanning software on all new IBM software that we
acquire over the phone lines, but in the final analysis, it's
your responsibility to take appropriate precautions.  Since the
most common threat of viruses is from disks passed from user to
user, you should be constantly checking for viruses on all
software that you bring onto your computer.  You can get the
latest virus protection software from McAfee from CRS in the IBM
file areas.

Q14 - Can I send private mail through NorthAmeriNet Systems?

A14 - Yes, you can.   Mail left privately here at CRS will travel
to any NANET system that accepts private mail, and replies will,
in turn, travel back to CRS.  However, the remote system must be
willing to accept private messages.

Q15 - Are my messages on CRS private?

A15 - Yes and no.   Messages left on CRS can only be viewed by
someone with System Operator status.   That includes only full
time staff of CRS, and generally is limited to the three
individuals involved in running the board.  As a matter of
policy, we do not comment on or involve ourselves in private
messages unless there is clearly something illegal going on.   We
do not delete messages except in very rare instances and then, a
message will be left by "Sysop" advising why a message has been
deleted.

Conference Chairmen may also review and respond to private
messages IN THEIR CONFERENCE only.  Again, they typically will
not involve themselves in private messages.

Other employees of CRS, Canada conference sysops, and subscribers
of CRS cannot view private messages, as long as you do not mark
them for ECHO.  If marked ECHO, then your private messages echo
throughout our network, and can be read by other network sysops.

Q16 -  What protocols do you support for high speed transfer?

A16 - Our phone list has a breakdown for the different modem
protocols CRS supports.


Q17 - How do I view GIF files?

A17 - GIF files are in a Graphics Interchange Format, a protocol
developed by Compuserve for display of graphics files.   In order
to read them, you need a GIF reader.   GIF readers vary in their
capabilities, but will be found in file area 29 of conference 2.
 Most popular is a GIF reader called CSHOW, but you'll need to
check the listings for your particular combination of
hardware/software.

GIF readers are available for some other machines, in the
graphics areas of the machine specific conference.

Q18 - Why is your tech line so busy?  Why isn't it toll free?

A18 - Our tech line is busy for two reasons - First, the tech
staff will attempt to assist you with virtually any of your
questions, and are a valuable resource for you to call on.
Second, it's free, and you can't get a better price than that.
It's most busy between 1pm and 2pm - just after it opens daily
and between 6pm and 7pm.   Call between 2pm and 6pm and you'll
often get right through.  If it is busy, please keep trying.
Don't call on the sales lines.  The sales staff aren't equipped
to answer technical questions and thus cannot help you.

The tech service is free, but we cannot pay for your long
distance calls.  If you can't make the long distance call, feel
free to write us or leave a message on the system.  Letters and
messages get responded to but not quite as quickly as telephone
calls.

We know the tech line is busy, but the alternative is to add more
staff and charge for access to it.  We think you'd rather have it
free.     TECH ASSISTANCE  213-6001
            GETTING YOUR PERSONAL OFF-LINE READER

CRS Online offers free on-line updates of the Qmail Deluxe. You
may obtain your original copy of QMAIL Deluxe for $30 by calling
the office.

Many of you asked how to go about getting the Qmail reader or the
latest upgrade of same. Believe it or not, it is quite simple!

QMail Deluxe

Qmail Deluxe is available for downloading to the public as
Deluxe2.ZIP at the time of this writing. Note that this name may
change with future revisions. The file you download is a demo
version only which requires a QMAIL.KEY file to make it fully
functional. You can always download the latest version of the
reader (the demo) regardless if you have purchased the software
or not. If you have a .KEY file you are all set. Should the .KEY
file have changed or if you have just purchased the reader you
will need to download the .KEY file from us. You can do this
quickly via the QMail system. At our main system prompt simply
enter "QMAIL4 KEY" (without the quotes!) and you'll be on the
way!

If you acquired Deluxe from CRS Online simply select the download
option. Note that the transfer is automatically set for XModem -
not your default protocol! This is a very small file and it makes
sense to use XModem.

If you acquired Deluxe at Sparkware or some other place you must
have a .KEY file in order to get a new one from us. Simply select
the upload option, transmit your current .KEY file and you will
receive the latest copy automatically via return transfer. If you
have no .KEY file or if your Deluxe serial number contains the
letter "s" (sysop copies) you must call Sparkware for the
upgrade. If you have the original disk from us, you can simply
leave a comment to SYSOP along with your serial # and we'll
provide further instructions on obtaining the latest version.

Once you have the latest version of the .KEY file place it in
your Deluxe directory and you are all set!

This is all there is to it. Give it a try you'll find it simple
and quick! Should you have further questions we'll be happy to
answer them.

QMAIL

The Qwikmail System is a combination of a door accessable by
users from PCBoard, and a reader program available on this board.
The Qwikmail door allows you, the user, to download a copy of all
the public messages (and any private messages addressed to you)
available since your last call.  You are not deducted or credited
for downloads or uploads during message transfer.  The door will
package up the messages in a format usable by the QMail reader
program.  Before using the door, you should download the reader
program for a few reasons.  First, the door is useless to you
without it.  Second, it contains a more detailed explanation of
the door, the configuration process and usage.  The program is
available for downloading as "QMAILnnn.ARC" where 'nnn' is the
current release version number.  At the time of this writing, it
is QMAI01.ARC, however check for new releases by using the Locate
command (at the Command prompt enter "L QMAIL *.ARC A", without
the quotes).  The reader program, Qmail, which runs on the IBM PC
family and compatibles, allows MS-DOS or PC-DOS users to read the
messages offline in an environment very similar to that of
PCBoard and, best of all, reply to messages while reading.  The
replies are then uploaded to the Qwikmail door on a second call
and placed in all the appropriate conference and main message
bases.

Qmail also gives you the ability to:
* scan the messages for your personal database of keywords.
* scan for messages only from a list of users you choose.
* read only the messages you haven't yet seen.
* thread through conversations by subject.
* import text into messages.
* send public or private messages
* send carbon copies of private messages to several users

To download messages through the QMail door, you must use either
the XModem CRC, 1K-Xmodem (also called YModem), 1K-XModem-G (used
to be called YModem-G) or Z-Modem protocols.  YModem-G will not
be available unless you have an MNP connection here.  To use the
Qmail reader, you must have the PKXARC and PKARC (or PKZIP)
utilities available in your DOS PATH.

There is one other caveat - the MOST IMPORTANT ONE.  You must
follow this procedure carefully to avoid serious problems (and to
save your Sysop some grief).  If you are familiar with the
PCBoard conference system, be aware that your Qmail packet will
contain ALL the public messages in ALL the public conferences on
the board.  That means, that if you have never entered a PCBoard
conference with the Join option, your message pointer (the
highest message number you have read) is ZERO.  When you open the
Qmail door, ALL THE MESSAGES WITH NUMBERS GREATER THAN THIS
MESSAGE POINTER WILL BE SENT.  If they are extremely active
conferences, this could be several megabytes of text files.

Since CRS Online has several megabytes of free space, you'll get
a big file (you'd better have a hard drive and be ready for it!).

Follow this simple procedure the FIRST TIME you pick up Qmail.

1.  Open the Qmail door.
2.  Select the transmission protocol you desire.
3.  Select and deselect conference to indicate just which topics
you wish to receive.
4.  For conferences you selected, check and if needed reset the
message pointer somewhere near the highest message shown.
5.  Choose D (to begin the packing and download procedure).  WAIT
for the board to tell you when to begin your download.  With
ZModem, the board supplies the filename for you.
6.  Once the download is complete, choose Q (Quit) to return to
the Executive Network or G (Good bye) to hang up On your
computer, make sure the CRS.QWK file that contains your messages
is in the same directory as QMAIL.EXE.  Type Qmail at the DOS
prompt and begin the program.  From here, please rely on the
documentation that comes with Qmail. To upload replies, simply
call the board back, open the Qwikmail door and choose the U
(upload) option from the Qwikmail prompt.  WAIT for the board to
prompt you when to begin your upload.  If your upload is
successful, it will notify you of that fact.  You can immediately
read the messages you have just posted in conferences and on the
main board.

If you have bug reports or suggestions on the program, please
leave all messages in the QMail support conference.

The bottom line is simply a very large savings in your connect
time, which translates to savings of $$.  In addition, you gain
immediate access to several other conference areas with
specialized topics of interest.  You will find QMail to be a
significant addition to BBS-ing for sure.

Configuring the Qmail Door

Before you can use The Qmail Door you really need to spend some
time on it and configure it for your needs and usage.  This
bulletin will introduce the latest features available and
describes how best to use them.

"A" - The AUTOSTART sequence

AutoStart sequences are Qmail Door commands that are stored
inside your private configuration area.  Every time you open The
Qmail Door and there is an AutoStart sequence defined the door
will count down ten seconds before it executes the command(s).
You can abort the AutoStart sequence by pressing the [ESC] or
[CTRL-K] keys TWICE during the countdown.

The AutoStart sequence is designed to get around the problem of
"line noise" that can plague SCRIPTED sessions.  Sometimes during
a SCRIPTED session line noise (usually seen as random characters)
can be introduced on the telephone line.  This can cause
incorrect commands to be transmitted to The Qmail Door and cause
a scripted session to fail. The AutoStart sequence is a stack of
Qmail Door commands (up to ten characters long) separated by
semicolons that are sent to the door when it is first opened.
This means that your script no longer needs to transmit commands
to the door - the script can wait for certain prompts to take
appropriate actions.  Since no characters are ever accepted from
the script by the door line noise can no longer affect the door's
performance.

 There can be many different AutoStart commands - you can define
any sequence of valid characters you wish.  The AutoStart
sequence below offers the best performance by The Qmail Door
(when certain options are combined with it):

 D;Y;U;G

 This sequence performs the following tasks:

 "D" Downloads waiting messages.

 "Y" "Download this packet (Y or N)? " is answered with a "Y".
OPTION #2 must be set to OFF if this sequence is used.  See
OPTIONS for more information.

 "U" Uploads any replies the you have ready to send.  The script
should check to see if  you have a reply packet waiting for The
Qmail Door.  If a packet is found it should be uploaded to the
door.  If one is not found then the script should transmit
CTRL-X's to abort the upload process.

 You might want to turn OPTION #3 ON when using this sequence.
This lets you upload your replies and then logoff the system
BEFORE messages are integrated into the message bases.

 "G" Goodbye - and disconnect from The Qmail Door You can erase
an AutoStart sequence by entering SPACES instead of a command.

@BULLET =  "ARC" - Selecting an archiver

 The Qmail Door has the ability to work with up to five different
archiving systems.  The door will not let you upload or download
messages without selecting an archive system first.
 Currently we support only the .ZIP and .ARC formats, both
through the use of the PK series programs.

 The "ARC" command will give you a list of the archivers
supported by The Qmail Door.  You can then select from the list
and the door will use this archiver to pack their messages.

 ! The Qmail Door does not use this archiver selection to unpack
.REP files.  The door scans the .REP file and matches it to the
correct archiving system used.  This lets  you change to a
different archiver and still upload a .REP file used by their old
selection.
"F" - Packet formats

 The Qmail Door has the ability to send your messages in three
different formats.  You can choose which format you wish to use.

DeLuxe 1.xx and shareware readers.

 This selection will send you packets that are compatible with
the shareware Qmail Reader and the Qmail DeLuxe 1.xx readers.  If
you have been using the older Qmail Door 2.33 you should select
this choice.

DeLuxe 2.00.

 The DeLuxe 2.00 format has yet to be defined inside The Qmail
Door so for the time being this selection will default to the
DeLuxe 1.xx format.

Text format.

 The Qmail Door will send you a text file that contains messages
scanned by the door.  The file also includes the WELCOME, NEWS,
bulletins and new files lists, if any.

@BULLET =  "K" - Keywords

 The Qmail Door lets you enter and store up to five keywords in
your setup.  These keywords are stored inside a file on our
system for you.

 You can enter the keywords one keyword per line.  You will then
be asked if you wish to search for all messages that contain
these keywords or messages that DO NOT contain these keywords.

 If you set KEYWORDS to search for all messages that contain
these keywords, then Qmail Door will only include messages that
contain any one of the keywords.

 If you set KEYWORDS to search for all messages that do not
contain these keywords, Qmail Door will reject any messages that
contain any one of the keywords.

 A keyword can be erased by typing SPACES instead of a keyword.

"L" - Limit packet sizes

 If you will be using the Qmail readers on floppy disk system,
you might not like receiving a mail packet that unpacks to over
500k - the packet wouldn't fit on a 360k diskette.

 You can limit the size of your packets by using the "L" command.

All you need to do is to enter the largest packet size you wish
to receive (in Kbytes) and the door will stop scanning when the
packet size reaches this limit.

 ! You cannot exceed the total amount of workspace allocated by
the sysop.  This figure is displayed by The Qmail Door at the
beginning of each download.


"P" - Protocols

 You must select a protocol before you can upload or download
messages.  When you enter The Qmail Door for the first time the
door will attempt to use your PCBoard protocol (if it is
defined).

 A list of protocols will be displayed and you can enter the
LETTER associated with the protocol's name.  For example, "Z"
always refers to the ZMODEM protocol.

  "OPT" - Options

 Options are "configuration switches" that you can turn on or off
inside The Qmail Door.

 Some options may be disabled by the sysop - or they may have
passwords attached to them.  If one of these options is NOT
displayed inside the door then the sysop has disabled it.

#1 - Download your own replies

 This option, if ON, will send you any message replies you have
uploaded since your last download scan.  Some folks like to see
their own replies; others like to write a reply and never see it
gain.  Now they can decide how to do this for themselves.

#2 - Download packets without messages

 If this option is ON The Qmail Door will not ask the question
"Download this packet (Y or N)?" if the scan does not find any
messages.
Some scans may find new files or bulletins but no messages.  This
option will simply bypass the question and return you to the
"Command?" prompt.

 If a stacked command line is being used in the door (either from
AutoStart or from you directly) then The Qmail Door will "bleed
off" the next keystroke in the buffer when this option is turned
ON and when no messages were found.  This prevents the door from
trying to interpret the "Y" response as a valid Qmail Door
command.
#3 - Logoff after uploading replies

 This option, when ON, will let you log off The Qmail Door before
message replies (.REP packets) are inserted into PCBoard.  The
door will give you a ten second countdown before being logged off
- you can abort the logoff by pressing the [ESC] key twice (but
inserting messages continues).

 This option is great for long distance callers who don't want to
stay connected to the system while their messages are being
inserted into PCBoard.

#4 - Send the WELCOME screen

 This option will insert the Executive Network's WELCOME screen
in your .QWK message packet.

#5 - Send the NEWS screen

 This option will insert the NEWS file in your .QWK message
packet.

#6 - Scan for new BULLETINS
  This option will insert any new bulletins found during the
message scan into your .QWK message packet.

#7 - Scan for new FILES

 This opti will scan the main upload directory and any conference
upload directories you have access to into your .QWK packet.

#8 - Send the LOGOFF screen

 This option will insert our logoff file into your .QWK packet.

#9 - Send the Qmail DeLuxe menu

 This option will insert the Qmail DeLuxe menu screen into your
.QWK packet.

#10 - Download only network mail
  This option will ignore any mail entered locally on this system
and will only scan mail that was received over InterLink.

#11 - Show "dots" while scanning

 Sometimes you may think that The Qmail Door is "hung" when it's
really scanning large bases.  If this option is ON then the door
will transmit "."'s to you - one for every five messages scanned.


 If you are capturing the message scan to a file in your SCRIPT
this option should be left OFF.  Otherwise, the display captured
might look a bit strange (due to the backspacing over the dots).

#12 - Display extended prompts

 This option, if ON, will send "extended" prompts to you so your
SCRIPT might easily "pick up" on them and perform actions on your
end.

 Some of you have wondered why use these extended prompts in the
door? Here are a few reasons:

 A script cannot rely on the fact that a prompt in Qmail Door
will not change ("Command?" for example).  The Qmail Door fully
supports international languages and this would force script
authors to support multiple versions of one script.  The extended
prompts are HARDCODED into the door itself and will always be
presented in English.

 Some telecommunications programs seem to have problems picking
up some prompts.  Extended prompts can help fix this problem (see
option 13 for more information).

 Using extended prompts along with an AutoStart sequence gives
scripted users as close a chance as possible to a 100% successful
mail transfer every time.  All scripts should use the extended
prompts option.

 These prompts are supported by The Qmail Door:

 AUTOSTART

 If you have defined an AutoStart sequence this prompt is sent by

the door.  The SCRIPT can send [ESC] or CTRL-K twice in ten
seconds to disable the AutoStart command from executing.

~ COMMAND

 This prompt is sent whenever The Qmail Door is at the "Command?"
prompt.  Scripts should delay sending commands to the door for
one second after receiving this prompt.

 UP

 The door is about to send you a message packet that was scanned
by the system during a maintenance schedule.  No message scanning
has been done and the SCRIPT should be ready to accept a .QWK
packet.

 TRANSFER

 This prompt is sent whenever option #2 is ON and no messages
were found in the message scan.

 This can also be sent after a message packet has been archived
but
there is insufficient time left for the you to download the
packet.

 DOWNLOAD

 The door is ready to begin sending the .QWK message packet to
you.  The script should be ready to accept the download.

 <L> SUCCESS

 The Qmail Door has checked the transfer log and found that the
message packet was transmitted successfully.

 <L> ERROR

 The QmaiDoor has checked the transfer log and found that the
message packet was NOT transmitted successfully.

AD

 The Qmail Door is ready to accept a message reply packet from
the script.  The script should check to see if a .REP packet is
waiting to be sent.  If one is found then it should be uploaded
now.  If a packet was not found the script should transmit
CTRL-X's to abort the upload function.

SUCCESS

 The Qmail Door has checked the transfer log and found that the
reply packet was transmitted successfully.

 ! This does not mean that the messages were inserted into
PCBoard correctly.  This prompt is sent when the file transmitted
was successfully uploaded.

ERROR

 The Qmail Door has checked the transfer log and found that the
reply packet was NOT transmitted successfully.

MESSAGES INSERTED

 The Qmail Door has completed inserting messages.  The script can
now take whatever action it wants to with the .REP reply packet
on your system (usually the script should delete the .REP packet
at this time).

 This prompt should be used to delete .REP packets by the script
instead of  SUCCESS because the script may upload the wrong .REP
packet.   In this case, the door would reject the packet - but
the script, keying only on the success of the upload, would
DELETE it.

MESSAGES NOT INSERTED

 Qmail Door could not identify the archiving system used to pack
the reply packet or the replies uploaded were not intended for
this system.  The replies were not inserted so the script should
not delete the .REP file.

HANGUP

 The Qmail Door has hung up on you.  The script should disconnect
at this time.

#13 - Delay extended prompts one second.

 If option #12 is ON this option, when ON, will delay sending the
extended prompts by ONE second.

 Setting this option ON is a good idea for those using a script.

 Some telecommunications programs have problems picking up
prompts
because their input buffers may get behind incoming text from the

door.  This option will force a one second pause before
transmitting
the extended prompts - giving these programs a second to "catch
their breaths".

#14 - Clear the keyboard buffer.

 If this option is ON then The Qmail Door will clear any input
received before the prompt was transmitted to the you.  This
helps cutdown on any "line noise" effecting script commands.

#15 - Configuring Qmail Door offline.

 More to come on this option later.  Stay tuned!

 "S" - Select conferences

When you open The Qmail Door for the first time you are assigned
conferences that have been defined as "default conferences".

 If you wish to remove or add conferences, this is where you need
to go.

If you are in GRAPHICS mode or are using a telecommunications
program that uses ANSI then the Qmail Door will send you what
might be called the "fancy" configuration screen.  Otherwise, you
get a conference selection screen that scrolls down the display.

           Files On-line - Why the .ZIP extension?
* System note: if you have trouble with a ZIP'd file - download
PKZ204G.EXE *

Most all of the files on our system have a .ZIP extension on
them, for example, in directory #1 there is a file called
CRSNOV91.ZIP  (Our November/91 Newsletter)

What is the significance of .ZIP and why is it used here?

A program called PKZIP, created by Phil Katz, has been used to
create the files you see on this system with the .ZIP extension.
Each of those files may contain within themselves one or more
files in a compressed format.

The reasons for ZIPing a file are:

  1) creates a smaller file which saves disk space
  2) the same file, being smaller, takes less time to download
  3) because the file can contain entire groups of files (even
directories)  inside of a single file it is easier to download
one file and get all of the necessary components of a program or
system at one time.  For example, in the file mentioned above,
CRSNOV91.ZIP contains within itself 33 separate DOC files.  These
separate DOC files adds up to 179240 bytes - which could take
nearly 30 minutes to download at 1200 baud.

By compressing all 33 files into one file you are able to
download all 33 files at once and the size of the download is now
only 80,723 bytes (a savings of nearly 15 minutes of download
time at 1200 baud).

What do I do with a ZIP file after I've downloaded it?

To extract the files from a ZIP file you use the companion
program to PKZIP called PKUNZIP.  An example might be:  PKUNZIP
CRSNOV92 which will extract all  33 files into the current
directory.

What if I get the message "warning don't know how to handle this
file"?

That means that the file you are trying to UNZIP was created with
a later release of PKZIP.  For example, you might be using
version 1.10 of PKZIP and PKUNZIP and if you try to extract files
from a ZIP file created by version 2.04G of PKZIP then you will
get that message.  To correct this - you need to download a newer
copy of PKZIP and PKUNZIP.

Where do I get PKZIP and PKUNZIP?

The file is available from CRS and is called PKZ204G.EXE.  This
is a self-extracting file - which means that you download only
one file but when you run this file it will extract a number of
files from itself (including the PKZIP.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE files
mentioned above).
              Introduction to Using Other BBSs

Observing how people use an Electronic Bulletin Board has led me
to conclude that many of you spend a fair amount of time
floundering around before you get comfortable with its use.
Therefore, I'd like to offer some suggestions on how to optimize
your time and minimize your phone bill.

BBS COMMANDS

Learn the basic command set. Most BBSs have similar commands (R
for Read, B for Bulletins, etc.). Usually you'll find either
on-line help (for PCBoard systems, type H and the letter of the
command on which you need help - "H R" for help on the Read
command), or a user's guide. If you 'capture' this info the first
time you use an unfamiliar system, and keep it handy for
reference, you'll save considerable time.

BBSs FOR IBM PC AND COMPATIBLES

If you're using an IBM PC, you should probably take the time to
get comfortable with the three major BBS systems - RBBS, FIDO,
and PCBoard. There are others, but these three make up the
majority of IBM PC based boards and are quite similar.

You will find it much more economical to familiarize yourself
with these different systems using local boards, than trying to
learn them while on a long distance connection. You should not
have much difficulty finding these in most cities.

SCREEN GRAPHICS CHARACTERS AND ANSI.SYS

IBM PC screen graphics characters can be used in board menu and
other info screens to make the screens more interesting. These
characters do not require that ANSI.SYS be installed at your end,
but the screen files may use ANSI.SYS commands that will not
produce the desired effect at your end unless you have ANSI.SYS
installed. If you haven't bothered with ANSI.SYS yet, you may
want to soon because its commands are being used more and more
commonly.
ANSI.SYS is used by having it loaded when you boot your system.
That is done by having the file ANSI.SYS (from your PC/MS-DOS
program disk) in your bootup drive's root directory and the line
"device=ansi.sys" in your CONFIG.SYS file.
CALLER STYLE

Develop a style for maneuvering about a new board.  Most
experienced callers will do the following when dialing into a new
board:
1. Note any particular requirements in the initial logon message
- this is not usually repeated. Some boards require that you
leave
a comment to the Sysop (SYStem OPerator) with particular
information. Most boards require that you answer a questionnaire.


2. Review the bulletins - particularly if you are having
problems.
There's usually a fair amount of information there that the Sysop
thinks you ought to know.  Usually he or she spent a good deal of
time putting these bulletins together.

3. Read or scan the primary message file - I'll generally read
the
first few and last few messages (if it's a large message base),
and do a Quickscan of the entire message base, noting any message
numbers of particular interest. Doing this will give you a sense
of the board's "style" and users.  If you're on a PCBoard system,
try the "Thread" command if you find a particularly interesting
topic - this allows you to go through an entire mini- conference,
staying on a single topic, hopefully.

4. Capture (don't print) the download directories.  On your first
visit, you may not be able to download files, but you will
usually be allowed to review what's available.

5. If you decide that a board will be of use to you and plan to
dial back in, make sure you've supplied all of the requested
information, and leave a comment or message to the Sysop noting
your interest/appreciation.

SAVING TIME

To optimize your time (and minimize your long-distance charges)
switch to expert mode (type X on PCBoard and RBBS systems).  If
you get stuck later, simply type X again, and you'll be switched
back to novice mode.

Note that many systems (e.g. RBBS, PCBoard) permit you to "stack"
commands.  For example, at logon, when you are asked to enter
your first name, you can often enter your first name, last name,
and password, all separated by semicolons or spaces:

ENTER YOUR FIRST NAME: JOHN;DOE;NHOJ

Also, you can often stack requests for downloads, bulletins, etc.

If you're using a 300 or 1200 bps (bits per second) modem, unless
you're only calling local boards, a 2400 bps modem (about $75
these days) will quickly pay for itself in reduced long distance
charges. Also, a number of boards no longer permit 300 bps
access.

LINE NOISE

If you're suffering through lots of line noise - garbled text,
numerous errors during uploads and downloads - it'll probably be
better to hang up, and dial back in, hoping for a cleaner
telephone line.  Some of the alternate long distance services
have difficulty handling 2400 bps transmission. It may be
worthwhile to dial back in at 1200 bps.  Also, check with your
long distance service; some of them have special dialing
sequences for data calls.

DOWNLOADING FILES

When you first logon to most systems you will be asked to specify
a download "protocol" (some systems will make you specify this
each time you do a download). Your choices are generally one of
the following:

1. ASCII - files will be sent as normal text files. Note that
this will not allow re-transmission in case of errors, or allow
you to receive any "binary" files (executable modules or com
pressed files).

2. XMODEM - files are sent as blocks of 128 bytes, with a block
sequence number and a checksum. If there is an error in either
the block number or checksum, the block will be retransmitted.

3. CRC-XMODEM - this is the same as XMODEM, except that a cyclic
redundancy check (CRC) character is used instead of the checksum.
This provides greater reliability.

4. YMODEM - this is like CRC-XMODEM, but with longer blocks (up
to
1024 bytes) being transmitted. If you have a good telephone
connection this will greatly speed up your file transfer. On the
other hand, if you have lots of line noise, this will be slower
than XMODEM.

5. KERMIT - this is a machine-independent protocol, sometimes
used for accessing mainframe computers.

6.  ZMODEM - Files are sent in a streaming manner, with longer
blocks.  ZMODEM is generally the protocol of choice if your
software supports it.  It's a little slower than -G protocols
when used with error correcting modems, but much more robust.

7. NONE - this will cause you to be prompted for the transmission
protocol each time you request a download.

You should check the documentation for your communications
package to see which of these are supported.

It's considered bad manners to do nothing but download - try to
download only a couple of files at a time.  Use your remaining
time to upload something in return or else to participate in the
messages.  Remember, you can always dial in the next day and
download additional files.  Many Sysops recommend that you try to
maintain a ratio of at least one upload for every ten downloads.


UPLOADING FILES

Avoid uploading files currently on the board or ones that are not
of interest to a particular board.  If you've just installed a
new printer, why not write up a review of it.  If you've had good
or bad dealings with a particular mail-order house, a lot of
people are interested in reading about it.

TALKING TO THE SYSOP

Most BBSs allow you to page the Sysop (on RBBS and PCBoard, use
O for Operator). If the Sysop has authorized paging and is
around, he or she will generally be happy to help you with
problems, answer questions, etc.

Larger boards may not have the time to monitor your session or to
answer your CHAT call.   CRS sysops monitor over 180 phone lines,
and they cannot respond to CHAT calls. Try leaving a message to
ALL if you are in need of urgent help.

Occasionally, the Sysop may notice that you're having difficulty
and enter "chat" mode to offer help. (The Sysop's monitor
displays your session, just like your own).

On chat mode - in the first place, remember that there's a real
human behind the computer you've dialed in to.  One time, I noted
a visitor leaving a somewhat hostile comment, and broke into chat
mode to discuss it with him.  He was immediately apologetic and
somewhat flustered at dealing with a person instead of a
disembodied keyboard/monitor.
Secondly, spelling and grammar don't really count in chat mode
(unless a typo changes the meaning of a sentence).  I think it's
rather a waste of time to backspace a few words to insert a comma
in the right place or fix up a mis-spelling.

CONFERENCING

Many Sysops have established separate conferences as sub-boards
of their main board. These may be either public or private. These
conferences are intended to provide a special area for messages
and files of a particular nature. For example, you may run across
conferences dedicated to a particular software package (Turbo
Pascal, Framework, Lotus, etc.), or to a topic dear to the
Sysop's heart (religion, running a BBS, AI, and so on). Usually,
the Sysop will allow you to join these conferences simply by
leaving a request.

SHOULD I PAY FOR USING A BBS?

Sometimes a Sysop will request (or require) you to donate money
to help fund or expand a particular board.  If you are a regular
user of the BBS, it may be worthwhile for you to help keep it
operational.  Most boards are funded out of the Sysop's pocket,
and while the original equipment may already be paid for, there
are a number of ongoing expenses (telephone service, supplies,
repairs, etc.).  Additionally, it may be to your advantage to
support a board's expansion for higher speed modems, additional
disk storage, and the like.  Sysops will often try a number of
incentives to obtain funding (additional time allotments, access
to special files, etc.) - you'll need to evaluate its services
against your needs and pocketbook.

Boards like CRS are large commercial services, and subscription
is required for access.   The larger services may have their own
quirks (for example, you are not required to upload files at
CRS), but the basics will remain the same.

                      High Speed Modems

(REPRINTED from Salt Air BBS - The Home of PCBOARD) - This is a
somewhated dated article, as the HST now is a 16.8K modem and the
V.32 has been extended to V.32bis (14.4), but it does give a good
summary of differences in modems.

We have received numerous messages asking about high speed
modems, their capabilities and compatibility between modems from
different manufacturers. The following text basically discusses
the US Robotics HST 9600 bps modems and the Hayes V-Series 9600
bps modems. It also covers the subject of v.32 modems.

1) The old USR HST had a top transmission speed of 9600 bps. This

is before  taking into account any kind of MNP compression.
Typical throughputs with the old HST ranged from 1150 cps on a
compressed file with the modem-compression-DISABLED to 1900 cps
on a regular text file with modem-compression-ENABLED.

The HST will only transmit at 9600 bps when connected to another
HST but  will connect at 300/1200/2400 baud to other standard
modems.

2) The new USR HST (termed the 144) is able to transmit data at
14400 bps  (again, this is before taking into account MNP
compression, etc). Typical throughputs with the new HST will
range from about 1500-1700 cps on a compressed file with
modem-compression-DISABLED to about 2300-2400 cps on a  text file
with modem-compression-ENABLED -- this is assuming that you've
opened your comm port at 38400 bps.

The HST will only transmit at 14400 bps when connected to another
HST but  will connect at 300/1200/2400 baud to other standard
modems.

3) The Hayes V-Series 9600 modems are similar to the old USR HST
described in #1 above.  You will typically see throughputs as
high as 1900 cps on text files but only about 960 cps on
compressed files.

The Hayes V-Series 9600 will only transmit at 9600 bps when
connected to  another Hayes V-Series 9600 modem but will connect
at 300/1200/2400 baud to other standard modems.

4) Hayes has recently begun shipping its V-Series modems with new
ROM chips in  them giving them v.42 compatibility.  This means
that the V-Series 9600  modems can now provide an error-corrected
session when connected to any  regular MNP modems at 2400 bps.
This is because v.42 implements MNP levels 1 through 4 (which
excludes MNP compression).  You will typically see  throughputs
of about 260-280 cps on a 2400 bps line due to MNP's stripping
of the start and stop bits.

5) The v.32 modems (such as those made by US Robotics and GVC)
run at 9600 bps and will give you similar throughputs to those
described in #1 above (i.e. v.32 will give you slower
transmission speeds than will the new  HST's running at 14400
described in #2).  However, the advantages of v.32  are that it
provides you with better "interactive response times" (such as
when typing) and that because v.32 is a CCITT "standard" they
will connect at 9600 bps to modems made by OTHER manufacturers.
By "other" I mean that you can connect US Robotics v.32's to
MultiTech v.32's to any other v.32's.  The v.32 standard appears
to be one that remain for some time to come .. so purchasing a
v.32 modem may be a better investment if you are concerned about
future compatibility.

6) The USR Dual Standard is BOTH a v.32 and an HST modem.  When
it is in the  "HST mode" everything said in #2 above (about the
new 144 HST's) is true.  When it is in "v.32 mode" then every
thing said in #5 (about v.32 modems) is  true. In other words in
v.32 mode you will not get the full speed advantage  of the Dual
Standard for file transfers.  However, one BIG advantage to the
Dual Standard is that it is compatible not only with the v.32
standard but  with all of the existing HST modems as well. This
may or may not be an  advantage for you depending on which modems
you frequently dial into or  which modems dial into you.
               Why are my file transfers slow?

From Salt Air BBS - The Home of PCBOARD

The above question is one that just doesn't seem to want to go
away. It is most often asked by users who have just recently
purchased a high speed modem but even the veterans with high
speed modems sometimes ask the same question. Let's look at a few
possible reasons:

Line Noise at Connect Time

If line noise occurs during the connection process where your
modem and the host modem perform their handshaking sequence
looking for common ground then it is very likely that the two
modems will agree to a SLOWER speed to avoid having problems
during the remainder of the connection.

For instance, we very commonly have users with US Robotics HST or
HST Dual Standard modems complain that their modems are capable
of 1700 cps but they are seeing only 1400 cps or maybe 1150 cps
or even lower and they ask why.

Let me explain: the HST modem has real BPS rates of 14400, 12000
and 9600. With the effects of MNP or v.42 (no compression here)
you can figure about a 20% speed increase making the CPS rates
1700, 1400 and 1150 respectively.

That makes it very obvious then that during the connection phase
the modems agreed to only 12000 or 9600 bps instead of the full
rated speed of 14400 bps. In fact, if line noise occurs during
the call the modems may very well decide to shift down at that
time as well. If 9600 bps is noisy your modem may shift down even
further to 7200 or 4800 bps.

For the USR HST user you can, immediately after logging off, type
ATI6 and your modem will tell you what your connect speed was
which may help you determine if the slow down was the speed of
the connection.

Other modems have similar drop down capabilities.

Line Noise During the File Transfer

For years people used to state that 2400 bps was as fast as DIAL
UP phone lines could handle and that we would never go beyond
that rate due to the low bandwidth and high noise levels of
telephone lines. Then along comes people like US Robotics and
Hayes and many others who make high speed modems practical even
on dial up lines.
Well, line noise is NOT a thing of the past, lost and forgotten.
It
is still with us. These new modems are not magic either. They
manage to HIDE the line noise and in some cases are able to
filter it out or even through special encoding cancel some of the
line noise. But it is still there.

When line noise occurs during a file transfer between two modems
which have established an error correction session the only
TANGIBLE EVIDENCE of this line noise may very well be SLOW FILE
TRANSFERS and nothing else.

The USR HST modem has a light on the front panel labelled ARQ.
Depending on which modem may have to recover from the line noise
by re-sending its data you may see the ARQ light flash perhaps
randomly, sometimes very quickly to indicate that it is having to
retransmit the data. Most modems give no indication at all that
extra work is being required of the modem. Some modems eventually
give up and just drop the carrier completely.

Like the first example above the HST's ATI6 report (after hanging
up) can give you information as to how many times packets of data
had to be retransmitted which may give you some clue as to how
noisy the line may have been.

Inability to Compress ZIP Files

If you find that downloading ASCII files produces OUTSTANDING
file transfers but that downloading ZIP files cuts file transfer
CPS rates 25% or more off of your expected throughput then very
likely you have turned on what is called "data compression".  If
you've ever tried to use PKZIP to zip a .ZIP file you usually
find that PKZIP will decide to just "store" the file rather than
"shrink" or "implode" the file. Why? Because in its attempt to
shrink the file it actually causes the file to GROW in size!
Quite the opposite of the desired effect.

The same exact thing happens when you try to use your modem's
built-in data compression capability on a file that is already
compressed. The modem's compression algorithm actually causes the
data to GROW (i.e. it sends more bytes out over the phone line
than are coming into the modem) which slows the file transfer.

PCBoard's modem configuration program, called PCBModem, is
generally set up to turn data compression ON by default! Why? You
ask... because it is generally believed that it should be up to
the CALLER to decide if he wants to take advantage of the data
compression capabilities of his modem. If PCBModem were to turn
data compression OFF then *nobody* calling your system would get
data compression. Leaving it enabled allows the caller to make
the choice.

However, many sysops like to use the same high speed modem that
they set up for use with PCBoard to dial out to other systems.
What they are forgetting is that PCBModem has turned data
compression ON and they go right ahead and try to download a ZIP
file.
Our recommendation is this: Leave data compression turned on when
the BBS is up and running but turn data compression off when
dialing out (assuming you are planning to download ZIP files).

One "high tech" solution to the problem is to upgrade your modem
to the v.42bis standard. In theory, like PKZIP, v.42bis data
compression will detect when it is making the data grow and turn
itself off so that the data is sent out un-compressed (similar to
PKZIP's simple "storing" of zip files). Again, in theory, that
means that you can leave data compression turned on all the time
and never have to worry about slow transfers of pre- compressed
files.

Flow Control Problems

For high speed file transfers to work you generally want to open
your port speed (the speed that your PC talks to your Modem) at
a rate that is faster than the line speed (the speed that your
Modem talks to the other Modem).

This is somewhat akin to squeezing a bottle to make the liquid
come out faster than if you just poured it out directly. If the
data is sent to the modem at 9600 bps then the fastest
over-the-phone-line rate will be 9600 bps. By sending data to the
modem faster than the over-the-line rate you give the modem time
to work on packetizing the data (this is where the 20% increase
in speed comes from) and possibly even compressing the data (if
compression is turned on and the data is not already compressed).


The only trouble is, if you are sending data to the modem FASTER
than it can send it across the line then there are times when the
PC simply must stop sending and wait for the modem to catch up.
That is when a traffic light called CTS and RTS, must enter the
picture to control the flow of the data. To indicate when the
modem's buffer is sufficiently empty to receive data and to
indicate when it is full and the data flow must be stopped.

If your modem is not configured correctly for flow control, or if
your software is not configured correctly to use flow control, or
if your asynch board does not support flow control, or if your
modem's cable does not have the CTS and RTS lines wired properly
... all of these possibilities can result in flow con trol errors
which will cause data to be lost.

When data is lost due to flow control problems there is only one
solution and that is to send the data again! This results in
slowing down your file transfer. Zmodem will give a ZRPOS error
(which means resend the last block of data) while other protocols
will simple indicate an error and expect a retransmission of the
data. Full flow protocols such as Ymodem/G and 1K-Xmodem/G have
no built-in facility to request that data be re-sent and there
fore must CANCEL the entire file transfer if such a loss of data
occurs.
Similar to the modem's buffer and its traffic light to control
the
flow of data, your PC, and the SOFTWARE it is using, will set up
its own local buffer to receive data from the modem. If you are
multitasking on your PC you may be asking the PC to perform other
tasks besides attending to the data coming in from the modem. If
the modem's buffer (or even the buffer on your asynch card) gets
too full and is not emptied quickly enough the data can be lost.
Your software should be configured to use flow control to tell
the modem when to stop sending data to it. Another course of
action is to utilize the National Semi-conductor NS16550AFN uart
chip in your asynch port which has a 16-byte buffer on it (that
may sound small but it is 16 TIMES the size of the buffer used by
all uart chips before it).

All things must come together to work in harmony, your modem,
your software, your asynch card and cable. And this is only on
one side of the connection. The same requirements are necessary
on the other side of the telephone line to ensure fast and
reliable transmission of data.

File Transfer Protocols

One more area that people need to learn about is choosing the
right protocol for the file transfer. Too often you'll find
people using Xmodem to download files when their modems have
established a high speed connection.

What's wrong with Xmodem, you ask? Xmodem sends packets of 128
bytes of data and after each and every packet is sent it waits
for the receiver to tell if it the packet was good or bad. This
is fine at slower speeds because if it takes 1/10th of a second
to receive this acknowledgement at 1200 bps then at most you've
lost the ability to send 12 characters out the port. At 2400 bps
that same 1/10th second delay means a slow down of 24 characters.
And at 9600 cps the delay means 96 characters. And a 1/10th of a
second delay is being OPTIMISTIC here because if you are dialing
long distance or going over a satellite or using a packet-switch
network the delays might actually be measured in full seconds.

Ymodem sends packets of 1024 bytes. This means that the same
delay that Xmodem experiences occurs only 1/8th as often because
it sends 8 times as much data before waiting for an acknowledge
ment. Okay, that means that Ymodem will give you faster file
transfers than Xmodem. But it still is not perfect.


Zmodem, on the other hand, does not wait for an acknowledgement
but instead continually sends data until the receiving end tells
it to back up to a previous location (ZRPOS) in the data stream
and resend that information. Since there are no built-in delays
every X-bytes of data you'll find Zmodem gives you excellent file
transfer rates.
Ymodem/G, having less over-head than Zmodem because it ASSUMES
that
your modem is configured correctly and that there will be no data
loss, is able to send the data even faster than Zmodem. The one
caveat: if an error *does* occur then the file transfer will be
aborted.

In summary

With the above arsenal of information, about line noise, about
data compression, about flow control and about file transfer
protocols you should have enough information to guide you to the
real cause of the slow down in file transfers. There is no "one
set answer" to the question. But taken together the above should
help you determine which answer, or answers, may apply to your
specific situation.

One final point: Make sure the software you use is top-notch.
PCBoard for the host connection has been tested to give very fast
and very reliable transfers all the way up to 115K bps. On the
caller's side programs such as Qmodem, Telix and Procomm are all
worthy of evaluation.

(note: the US Robotics HST was mentioned in the above, not to
pick
on HST for line noise, but simply because a very large majority
of PCBoard sysops use HST's and can identify with the examples
given)

                  HIGH SPEED MODEM SETTINGS

We get many requests for proper settings for high speed modems -
The new modems are complex, and most often, the factory settings
are not proper for optimal communications.

Here's what we use - Those running PCBoard systems can use these
settings directly.  Those running other BBS systems may have to
modify these settings (Sorry, we do not support other BBS
systems).
Those communicating with BBS systems should set these up once,
write them to the modems NRAM with an AT&W command and use ATH0
as an initialization string in their communications program.

Modem Selected:  USRobotics HST (9600 model)
Set Switches - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Rear   - U U D D D U U D D U
NRAM Settings
ATC1F1M0Q0V1X4S2=255&B1
AT&A1&G0&H1&I0&M4&N0
AT&P0&R2&S1&Y1S7=60&W

Modem Selected:  Hayes V-Series with V.42
Comments:  None
NRAM Settings:
AT&L0&G0&J0&P0Y0N1E0&K3&Q5
ATM0L2Q0V1X4W1&C1&D2&S0&X0
ATS2=255S0=0S36=5S37=0S38=2&W

Modem Selected:  USRobotics HST (14400 model)
Set Switches - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Rear -    U U D D D U U D D U
NRAM Settings:
ATC1F1M0Q0V1X4S2=255S15=8&B1
AT&A1&G0&H1&I0&M4&N0&P0
AT&R2&S1&Y1S7=60S0=0&W


Modem Selected:  USRobotics Dual Standard HST
Set Switches - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Rear -     U U D D D U U D D U
NRAM Settings:
ATC1F1M0Q0V1X4S2=255B0S13=1&B1
AT&A1&G0&H1&I0&M4&N0&P0&C1
AT&R2&S1&Y1S7=60S0=0&D2&W

Modem Selected:  ATI2400ETC Modem
NRAM Settings:
ATM0N1Q0V1W1Y0&C1&D2&G0&I0&J0&B0
AT&K3&L0&P0&Q5&R0&S1&T4&X0&Y1
ATS2=255S0=0&E1X4


Modem Selected:  Telebit Trailblazer Plus
NRAM Settings:
ATE0F1M0Q0V1X1 S2=255
S52=0S53=3S54=1S58=2S59=4S66=1S68=2S95=2S110=0

Modem Selected:  Practical Peripherals PM2400
NRAM Settings:
ATB0E1L2M0Q0V1X4Y0/C1/D2/G0/J0/L0P0/Q0/R0/S1/X0

In all cases, if a register is not shown, the default is assumed.
Setting up high speed modems is not difficult, but the settings
are sometimes tricky.  These settings have worked here at CRS.


                     PCBOARD - REFERENCE

(A)bandon Conference

Subcommands NONE

Description:   Places you back in the main section of the board.
               If you are not in a conference, the main menu is
               re-displayed along with the main command prompt.
               You may also use the (J 0) command and get the
               same effect.

(B)ulletin Listings

Subcommands (#) (A) (D) (N) (R) (S) (NS)

     (#) Bulletin number to view.
     (A) Displays all of the bulletins.
     (D) Immediately goes into download mode to send the
bulletin(s). See examples below.
     (N) Displays a bulletin only if it has been updated since
you were last on.
     (R) Re-displays the Bulletin Menu. (S) Scans the bulletins
for text. (NS) Displays file in     non-stop mode.

Description:   Allows viewing Bulletins available.

Selecting Bulletins Numbers can be stacked such as (1 2 3) or
(1;2;3).

Typing (A) will select all of the bulletins for display.

Combining (A) with (N) would display all new bulletins while
combining (A) with (S) would search all bulletins and display
only those bulletins containing the search text entered.

Reading Bulletins Typing (NS) selects Non-stop mode which avoid
page breaks in the display.

Typing (D) puts the system immediately into download mode to send
the file using the default protocol. (D) option must be specified
as the last variable of command. Imagine using the proper
commands for viewing and then stack a (D) at the end.

Examples:
     1 2 3 D Displays bulletins 1, 2 and 3
     2 N D Displays bulletin 2 if, and only if, it is new.
     B A N D Displays all new bulletins.
     B A N D D Using a batch protocol sends all new bulletins.
     1 2 D - Download Bulletins 1 and 2.

(C)omment to Sysop/System Operator

Subcommands NONE

Description:   Allows leaving a private message or comment to
               the system operator.

See (E)nter a Message for information on how to actually enter
and save your comment text.


(CHAT) or (NODE) Node CHAT

Subcommands (#) (G) (A) (U)

     (#) Any other active Node Number.
     (G) Places you in Group CHAT with others.
     (A) Flags your Node as being available for CHAT (default).

     (U) Flags your Node as being Unavailable for CHAT.

Description:   Allows interactive keyboard conversation with one
               or more other system nodes. To CHAT with only one
               other node, enter that node's number. To CHAT
               with a group of nodes, enter (G). If a Node is
               unavailable for CHAT, you will be advised of
               such. If the Node requested is available, they
               will be informed of your request. When entering
               (G)roup CHAT, only other Nodes which are already
               in Group CHAT will be advised that you have
               joined them.

When in Node CHAT, the following subcommands are available:

(Q), (E), (U), (H)

     (Q) Quits Node CHAT.
     (E) Also quits Node CHAT.
     (U) Displays the status of the other Nodes.
     (H) Gives a quick display of these subcommands.

When conversing in Node CHAT, there can be, and usually will be,
delays between when you enter your text to the other person, and
the time it takes them to respond. Since text is only sent to the
other Node when an (Enter) key or word-wrap occurs, there can be
time periods of several seconds between text coming back to your
screen. Please WAIT until it is your turn to type! End your text
with a (/ga) or (/o) to indicate it is the other person's turn to
type D and then WAIT!

(D)ownload a File

Subcommands (filename 1) (filename 2) (etc) (protocol) (gb or
bye)

     (filename) any valid DOS filename may be used and more than
     one filename may be entered if you choose to use a BATCH
     protocol for the file transfer

     (protocol) is a letter from A-Z or 1-9 of the protocol
     desired based on the protocols available.  For a listing of
     protocols, see the (T) command.

     (gb) Either (gb) or (bye) may be entered on the (bye)
     command line to indicate that you want  the system to hang
     up after it finishes the file transfer. You will have ten
     seconds to press  CTRL-K to abort before the board hangs up.


Description:   Allows transferring a file from the system being
               called to your machine.

There can be up to 26 different types of protocols available. If
you have not previously set a default protocol for the system you
are calling, you will be asked for the protocol type each time
you request a download.

Ascii protocol transfers are only available on non-binary text
files. Filenames which have extensions of .EXE, .ARC, .COM, .WKS,
etc. can not be downloaded using Ascii protocol.

Selecting Files; Filenames do not need to be typed in completely
in order for the system to locate the desired file. A default
filename extension is usually provided by the Sysop such as
(.ZIP) so that if you request a file called TEST it will first
search to see if a file called TEST.ZIP can be located and if not
it will search for TEST and send which ever file it finds.

In some cases this default extension can make it difficult to
download a desired file. For instance, if both TEST and TEST.ZIP
exist on the system then typing (D TEST) will always result in
downloading TEST.ZIP. To download the file called TEST in this
instance you would need to type TEST followed by a period with no
extension like this:

(D TEST.)

You may also locate files for download by using the * and ?
wildcard characters - the same as those used by DOS to specify
files. See the examples below.

Batch Downloads Some protocols allow you to download more than
one file at a time. Examples of this are the Ymodem and Ymodem/G
protocols. Downloading more than one file at a time requires that
you select a batch protocol on both your end and the host end of
the connection. The system will continue to ask for filenames
until it reaches it's batch limit, or you press enter at the
filespec prompt.

Examples D TEST - Downloads TEST using default protocol. D TEST
X - Downloads TEST using Xmodem protocol. D TEST1 TEST2 Y -
Downloads TEST1 & TEST2 using Ymodem. D TEST? G - Downloads TEST1
& TEST2 using Ymodem/G. D TEST*.* - Downloads any file starting
with TEST.

(E)nter a Message

Subcommands NONE

Description:  Allows leaving a message to another person(s) for
them to read at a later date.

Full Screen Editor: After selecting (E), you will be asked if you
want to use the Full Screen Editor. To use the Full Screen Editor
your software must be capable of interpreting ANSI cursor
position commands. The default answer to the question will be NO
if the system did not detect ANSI on your end or if you are in
novice mode.

Addressing the Message: You will be prompted to enter the name of
the person the message is being addressed to. If the system
operator has enabled message name verification on his system, the
name entered will be checked against all names in the user's file
to insure a proper match. If the user's name is not found, or the
user is not registered in the same conference or board area where
the message is being left, you will be advised of such to avoid
leaving a message to a non-existent individual. However, a
SOUNDEX search to locate a name that sounds like what you entered
can be performed or you can override the verification and answer
(C) to continue and use the name that you have entered which
might be done to facilitate leaving a message to a group of
people. By not entering a username at the "To:" prompt, it will
automatically address the message to (ALL).

Brackets will be displayed either above the line or surrounding
the area on the screen in which you are allowed to enter text.
Entering a Subject: Next, up to a 25 character subject must be
entered. If no subject is entered you will be returned to the
main menu and command line prompt.

Message Security: A security prompt will next appear looking
something like this:

Security: (G)roup, (R)eceiver, (S)ender, (H)elp, (N)one
     (N)one means that the message will be open for all to read.
     (G)roup allows assigning a password to the message which
     only other callers who know the  common password will be
     allowed to read the message.
     (R)eceiver makes the message private to all except you and
     the person to whom it is addressed.
     (S)ender allows you to assign a password to the message so
     that only you can kill it later. This prevents the other
     person to whom the message is addressed from killing it.

Note that you can NOT assign (R)eceiver protection to a message
which has been addressed to ALL.

All Messages Private? A message base can be set up such that all
messages are initially flagged as private. In this case the above
security prompt is skipped and the message will be saved using
(R)eceiver security so that only you and the person to whom the
message is addressed can read it.

Entering a Message: After completing the above steps, you can
enter your text. Each line you enter will be preceded by it's
line number. Up to 72 characters per line is allowed. Typing
beyond the 72 character limit will cause your text to
automatically "word-wrap" down to the next line.

Exiting the Editor: There are two modes in which text can be
entered which you will have already chosen by the time you get to
the editor. One of them is the Line Editor mode where only one
line at a time can be entered or edited and the other is Full
Screen Editor mode in which the entire screen is used as the
workspace for message entry.

To exit the Line Editor, press (Enter) alone on a blank line. To
exit the Full Screen Editor, press (ESC).  After you exit the
Line Editor or the Full Screen Editor you will be prompted for
message completion subcommands as described below:

Message Completion Subcommands

     (A)bort Abandons/cancels your message entry.
     (C)ontinue Continue using the Line Editor.
     (D)elete Delete a line of text from the message.
     (E)dit Allows you to edit a line of text.
     (F)ull Continue using the Full Screen Editor.
     (H)elp Displays Help file.
     (I)nsert Insert a line of text above another.
     (L)ist Relist your text entry so far.
     (Q)uote Quote a portion of the replied-to message.
     (S)ave Writes the message to disk.
     (U)pload Upload ASCII text into message w/o echo.
     (SC) Save the same message to another individual.
     (SK) Save message, kill replied-to message.
     (SN) Save message, skip redisplay of replied-to message.

Note, The format to (E)dit a line of text is:

(old text;new text)

where the (old text) is the text you wish to replace, followed by
a (;) followed by the (new text). The old text search is case
sensitive - so capital letters must match exactly. If your new
text causes that line to exceed 72 characters, the characters
beyond 72 will be truncated from the line.

When uploading Ascii text to the message base, insure your text
lines are 72 characters or less in length.

Note, while in the full screen editor you can press CTRL-Z to get
help on the editing keys available in the full screen editor.

(F)ile Directories

Subcommands (#) (D) (L) (N) (R) (U) (V) (Z) (NS)

     (#) Directory number to view.
     (D) Download a file.
     (L) Locate Files by Name (wildcarding OK).
     (N) Locate Files by Date Scan.
     (R) Re-lists the directory menu.
     (U) Display Upload Directory.
     (V) View contents of a compressed file.
     (Z) Zippy DIR Scan by Text Search.
     (NS) Displays request in non-stop mode.

Description:   This command allows you to view a listing of the
               files available. After selecting (F), a listing
               of the file directories available will be shown -
               usually grouped by category. To view one or more
               of the directory listing files, enter the number
               to view. Multiple listings can be viewed at the
               same time by entering several numbers at the same
               time.

e.g. (F) (1) (2) (10)

By adding the (NS) non-stop parameter at the end of your request,
the entire listing will be displayed without screen pauses every
23 lines.

You can use the (V)iew subcommand to view the files included in
a compressed file listed in one of the directories. If you elect
to (D)ownload the file just (V)iewed, the filename of the Viewed
file will automatically be carried forward as the download
filename request unless over-ridden by you.

Additionally, you can request a download of a specific file from
the (F)ile Subcommand prompt to avoid having to return to the
main menu.

Also, you can request a Download, Upload, or the Viewing of any
file at all "More?" prompts while scanning a file directory.

(FLAG) Files for Download

Subcommands (filename 1) (filename 2) (filename 3) (etc)

(filename) is the name of the file to be downloaded. Multiple
names can be stacked on the same line and wildcards may be used
in the name.

Description:   The FLAG command is used to flag files or groups
               of files for later download. For instance, you
               may be busy looking at a list of download files
               and find some that you want to download but don't
               wish to download them at that very moment. Rather
               than having to write down the name or try to
               remember it later you can simply tell the system
               to flag the file and remember it for you.

To download the files that are flagged you would then issue a
(D)ownload command at which point the system will ask you if you
want to download the files that were flagged. Answering NO will
cause the system to forget the files that were flagged.

Examples * FLAG test1

Functioning the same as the download command, this command will
first check to see if TEST1. exists where  is the default
extension for the system you are on. For example, it will see if
TEST.ZIP exists and if not it will attempt to flag TEST instead.

* FLAG file1 file2 file3

Flags all three files for download.

* FLAG file*.txt

Flags any files matching file*.txt for later download.

(G)oodbye

Subcommands NONE

Description:   Disconnects you from the host system. This
               command should always be used to log off of the
               system to insure proper updating of all message
               pointers, etc. NEVER just drop carrier by issuing
               an (Alt-H) (or equivalent) command to your
               communication's software without first entering
               the (G) command!

Some systems also ask that you complete a (S)cript Questionnaire
at the time of logoff.

(H)elp

Subcommands (A-Z) (CHAT) (DOOR)

     (A-Z) is any letter of the alphabet.
     (CHAT) or (NODE) displays Node CHAT help file.
     (DOOR) or (OPEN) displays DOOR help file.

Description:   Displays the appropriate help file which
               corresponds with the command you need help with.
               The software usually indicates that help is
               available by displaying a (H) option at the
               command line you are at. Additionally, the code
               will also recognize a (?) in place of the letter
               (H) when requesting help. If no help is available
               it will simply redisplay the command line prompt.


(I)nitial Welcome

Subcommands NONE

Description:   Redisplays the initial welcome screen, along with
               the version number of PCBoard which the system is
               running.

(J)oin a Conference

Subcommands (#) or (Name)

     (#) Valid conference number from 0 to the highest conference
     number on the system.    (Name) Name of any existing
     conference.

Description:   Allows joining an active conference on the
               system. The conference name or number to be
               joined can be included with the (J) command on
               the same line if desired. If you are not
               registered in the conference requested, you will
               be advised of such and returned to the main
               command line prompt.

The entering of a "J 0" will act as if you did an (A)bandon
command
and return you to the main board message base area.

Examples J 1 - to join conference #1 J SYSOPS - to join the
Sysops conference
(K)ill a Message

Subcommands (#)

     (#) Valid active message number

Description:   Allows marking a message as inactive or killed so
               that others can no longer read it. Additionally,
               when the system operator packs the message base,
               the message will be purged from the system.

Entry of an invalid message number returns you to the main
command line.

(L)ocate Files by Name

Subcommands (filename/wildcard) (A) (D) (N) (U) (NS)

     (filename/wildcard) Filename to search for.
     (A) Scans all available file directories.
     (D) Download all files found.
     (N) Combine the search with a date scan.
     (S) With (N) indicates new files since the last date you
scanned.
     (U) Scans only the available upload file directory.
     (NS) Displays listing in non-stop mode.

Description:   Allows you to search the file directory listings
               for filenames which match those you are looking
               for. You can also use valid DOS wildcards in your
               filename request if you are unsure of the exact
               filename you are looking for.

Examples:
     L TEST A - Search all directories for a file called TEST.
     L TEST*.* A - Search all directories for any file beginning
with TEST.
     L TEST A D - Find TEST or TEST.(ext) and download it.
     L TEST*.* U - Find TEST*.* in the UPLOAD directory.
     L TEST*.* N A - Find only new files matching TEST*.*.

Other examples of wildcards: TEST? TEST?.ZIP ??TEST.*

Note, If the filename is less than 8 characters long and no
wildcards have been used it automatically appends "*.*" to the
name (i.e. searching for TEST turns into TEST*.*).

If an invalid file is requested it will automatically switch to
a (Z)ippy search command

(LANG) Language Change

Subcommands (#)

(#) Language number to change to.

Description:  Allows you to change from the current default
language to a new language of your choice. If the system you are
calling does not support language changes, you are returned to
the main command line prompt.

(M)ode

Subcommands NONE

Description:   Switches your screen display mode between ANSI
               graphics and non-graphics mode. If you toggle
               ANSI Graphics on, you must be using a
               communication's program which supports standard
               ANSI (Esc) code graphics. If you select graphics
               and get a lot of symbols such as "[01;49m" on
               your screen mixed in with the normal text
               display, your software does not support ANSI
               graphics and you should toggle Graphics off by
               re-entering the (M) command.

Note, The system will automatically detect if you have ANSI
capability and your system supports the CURSOR POSITION REPORT
sequence. However, you still must select whether or not you want
the color graphics sent to you.

(N)ew Files by Date

Subcommands (date) (A) (D) (S) (U) (NS)

     (date) Valid date in mmddyy format (no spaces!).
     (A) Scans all file directory listings.
     (D) Download all new files found.
     (S) Scan for new files since your last directory scan.
     (U) Scans only upload file directory listings.
     (NS) Displays output in non-stop mode.

Description:   Displays file listings based on a date scan of
               when the file was placed on the system. Matching
               files are those found which have a date equal to
               or later than that requested.

Entering an (S) indicates that the last DATE scan or the DATE of
the most recent files found on your last scan should be used as
the scan date.

Entering a (D) on the command line will cause all files found to
be
queued up for download on your next (D)ownload command.
Examples
     N A S - Scan for all new files since last scan.
     N U S - Scan for new files in the upload directory.
     N U 1 D S - Scan for and download new files in directory 1.

(NEWS) File - Redisplay

Subcommands None

Description:  Redisplays the NEWS file for the message base you
are in.


(O)perator Page (NOT AVAILABLE ON CRS)

Subcommands NONE

Description:  Allows paging of the system operator to come
to the host keyboard and enter an inter-active typing mode with
you. If the system operator is not available, a message will be
displayed and you will be returned to the main menu. You can
abort the page in advance of the 30 second timeout period if
desired by pressing (Ctrl-K).

(OPEN) a (DOOR)

Subcommands (#) or (Name)

     (#) Number of the DOOR to open
     (Name) Name of the DOOR to open

Description:   A DOOR is an extension to the system. A part of
               the system which is not built directly into the
               PCBoard Bulletin Board Software.

(P)age Length

Subcommands (#)

     (#) Valid number between 0 and 50.

Description:   Allows setting the number of display lines you
               want sent to you before the displaying a "(H)elp,
               More?" prompt.  If you select 0 as your page
               length, you will never pause during any screen
               display. The default value for this command is 23
               lines per page.

(Q)uick Message Scan

Subcommands (#) (F) (Y) (S) (NS) (+) (-) (TS)

     (#) Any number from 1 to 9999999.
     (F) Scans for message headers from you.
     (Y) Scans for message headers to you.
     (S) Scans for headers above those you have already read.
     (NS) Displays text in non-stop mode.
     (+) or (-) appended to the end of a numbers forces the
     display to be shown in forward or reverse order
     respectively.  (TS) Search message headers for specific
     text.
     (USER) Selects only those message to or from a specified
user.

Description:   Allows viewing a quick description of the message
               header information available. The display
               includes the message number, the message
               reference number (if any), who the message is to,
               who the message is from, and the subject matter
               of the message.

Due to screen width constraints, some fields are shortened for
display purposes. Messages which are protected from reading will
not be displayed to you.


(R)ead Messages

Subcommands
     (#) Message number between 1 and 9999999.
     (F) Selects only messages from you. (Y) Selects only
messages for you.
     (YA) Selects only messages for you or addressed to "ALL".
     (S) Selects messages above the last one you have read.
     (A) Read messages in all (SELECT)ed conferences.
     (ALL) Read messages in all conferences in which you are
registered.
     (L) Read in backwards order from the last message to the
first.
     (C) Capture the messages to a file for download.       (D)
Implies a (C)apture and immediately downloads.
     (Z) Implies a (D)ownload but compresses the file before.
     (G) Goodbye - Logoff. (J) Join another conference.
     (Q) Display only message headers (see (Q)uick message scan
function).
     (NS) Displays text in non-stop mode.
     (RM) Re-read previously "memorized" message.
     (RM+) Re-read "memorized" message plus forward read.
     (RM-) Re-read "memorized" message plus backwards read.
     (+) Alone reads messages forward from present position or
     when appended to a number causes forward reading from that
     message number.
     (-) Alone reads messages backwards from present position or
     when appended to a number causes backward reading from that
     message number.
     (TS) Searches messages for the specified search criteria.
     (SET) Sets the number of the last message read.
     (EDIT) Puts the current message into the editor for
re-editing.
     (NEXT) Reads next higher message number available.
     (PREV) Reads next lower message number available.
     (JUMP) Skips to the next conference on a (R)ead (A)ll
command.
     (SKIP) Sets the last message read pointer, skips to next
conference.
     (USER) Selects only those message to or from the specified
user.
     (SELECT) Selects the current conference for future scans.
     (DESELECT) Deselects the current conference for future
scans.

Description:   Allows reading messages left on the system. All
               public messages will be displayed, along with
               private messages left either by you or for you.
               If a message has more display lines than what
               your (P)age Length is set for, a "(H)elp, More?"
               prompt will appear asking for your input.
               Multiple message numbers to read can be entered
               on the same command line if desired.
               Additionally, combinations of the above commands
               can be entered on the same command line if
               desired.

Examples:
      * R S
The above command will read all mail that is new since you last
read mail in this message base.

* R Y S

The above command will read all mail that is addressed to you
that is new since you last read mail in this message base.

* R 1+

The above command will read all messages from #1 to the end.

* R 1 5 10 20

The above command will read messages 1, 5, 10 and 20 and then
stop.

* R L

The above command will read all mail in reverse order from
beginning
to end.

* TS A 1+
PCBoard & LANtastic

The above commands will search through every available message in
ALL conference areas you are set to scan for any message that has
both the word "PCBoard" AND the word "LANtastic" in it.

* TS A 1+
PCBoard & (LANtastic | DESQview)

The above commands will search through every available message in
ALL conferences areas you are set to scan for any message that
has both the word "PCBoard" AND either the word "LANtastic" OR
the word
"DESQview" in it.

The parenthesis tell PCBoard how you want to group your criteria
if you have a complex search request such as the one above. It
will allow for nearly any number of parens and any combination of
AND's (using the "&" character) and OR's (ing the "|" character).


* TS A 1+ USER JOHN DOE
PCBoard & Help

The above command (similar to examples above) adds the keyword
USER to the command line specifying that only messages that are
either TO or FROM John Doe should be displayed if they are found
to have both the words PCBoard and Help in them.

* R A Z

The above command will capture all messages in all conferences
since the last message read, compress the capture file and then
begin the download procedure.

* R SET 100

Sets the last message read for that conference to 100.

End of Message Command

Commands Available to All

     (Enter) Continues on with message read function.
     (N) Stop reading messages.
     (NS) Continue reading messages in non-stop format.
     (T) Thread read (forward) (or T+).
     (T-) Thread read (backwards).
     (#) A specific message number between 1 and 9999999.
     (+) Alone reads messages forward from present position or
     when appended to a number causes forward reading from that
     message number.
     (-) Alone reads messages backwards from present position or
     when appended to a number causes backward reading from that
     message number.
     (F) Selects only messages left by you.
     (Y) Selects only messages for you.
     (YA) Selects only messages for you or addressed to "ALL".
     (S) Selects messages above the last one you have read.
     (A) Read messages in all (SELECT)ed conferences.
     (ALL) Read messages in all conferences in which you are
registered.
     (L) Read in backwards order from the last message to the
first.
     (C) Capture the messages to a file for download.
     (D) Implies a (C)apture and immediately downloads.
     (Z) Implies a (D)ownload but compresses the file before.
     (G) Goodbye. (J) Join another conference.
     (Q) Display only message headers (quick scan mode).
     (/) Redisplays the current message.
     (RE) Enter a reply to the message just read.
     (RR) Read the referenced message.
     (M) Memorize that message number for later return.
     (RM) Return to a previously (M)emorized message number.
     (TS) Searches messages for specified search criteria.
     (SET) Sets the number of the last message read.
     (NEXT) Reads next higher message number available.
     (PREV) Reads next lower message number available.
     (USER) Search for messages to/from a specific user.

Additional Commands Available if Message is To/From You

     (K) Kill the message.
     (E) Edit the "To:" and "Subj:" of the message header and
'Echo' flag if applicable.

(REPLY) To Messages

Subcommands (#)

     (#) A message number between 1 and 9999999.

Description:   Allows replying directly to another message from
               the main command line. Message numbers can be
               stacked together if desired.

(RM) Read Marked Message

Subcommands None

While there are no subcommands the RM function can take any of
three separate forms:
     RM Read the marked message and stop.
     RM+ Read the marked message then continue going forward.
     RM- Read the marked message then continue going backward.

Description:   When reading messages you can use the (M)ark
               Message command to tell the system to remember
               that number for you so that you can easily go
               back to it. To return to that Marked Message you
               simply issue one of the above three RM commands.


Tips: To redisplay and possibly capture the message you are
currently reading you could issue a command such as this:
M RM NS

It first marks the message you are reading, then it re-reads that
message in NON-STOP mode. Another form of the same thing if you
wanted to re-read that message and then keep going would be:

M RM+

Note, You must be in the conference where you marked the message
in order for the system to properly locate it.

(S)cript Questionnaire - Function Help

Subcommands NONE

Description:   A script questionnaire is a set of questions that
               the system operator has set up where the answers
               that you provide will be recorded in a file for
               later analysis or processing.

If no questionnaires have been defined, you will be told such and
returned to the main command line. If scripts are present, you
will be displayed a menu of them, including a number of the
choices available. To complete a script, enter the number
indicated.

After selecting a valid number, you will be displayed a brief
description of the what the questionnaire is for and asked
whether or not you wish to continue. If you indicate (Y)es, the
script will begin execution. During execution, you will be
displayed a prompt of one or more lines which will ask you a
question, followed by an input field in which you can enter your
response. You are limited to a one line response for each
question asked. Responses can not be longer than the brackets
shown above the input line. Attempting to exceed the input length
will cause the host to send you a BEEP and will pause awaiting
either the shortening of your response or the pressing of your
(Enter) key.


(SELECT) Conferences to Scan

Subcommands (S) (D) (#) (#-#)

     (S) Selects ALL conferences.
     (D) Deselects ALL conferences.
     (#) Toggles a specific conference on or off.
     (#-#) Toggles a range of conferences on or off.

Description:   The SELECT function is used to tell the system
               which conferences you are interested in (or not
               interested in). It affects the scanning of
               conferences when reading or searching for mail.

The command can also be used to reset the Last Message Read
pointers in each of the conferences selected.

Examples:

* SELECT S

The above command would select ALL conferences to be scanned or
read.  (Not recommended for CRS.  This can take up to an hour to
execute).

* SELECT 1

If conference #1 was already selected then it is turned off. If
it was not already selected then it will be turned on and you
will be prompted for a new Last Message Read number for that
conference.

* SELECT D 1-3 6

The above command starts out by deselecting all conferences after
which it reselects conferences 1 through 3 followed by 6. It will
then prompt the caller for any last message read changes in each
of the newly selected conferences.


(T)ransfer Protocol - Function Help

Subcommands (A-Z)

     (A-Z) is a valid protocol defined to that system

Description:   Allows setting of a default transfer protocol.
               The choices of protocols available will vary from
               system to system based on the protocols which the
               system operator has enabled. A default of (N)one
               can also be entered, in which case you will be
               asked to specify the protocol type each time you
               begin either an upload or download from the
               system. If you specify a value here, it will be
               used as the default each time you request a file
               transfer. However, this default can be
               over-ridden at the time of a file transfer
               request by including the protocol desired as a
               separate entry on the same line as the filename
               is entered. (i.e. (filename) (F) would over-ride
               any default here as specifying 1K-Xmodem
               Full-Flow protocol.)


(TEST) Files

Subcommands (filename)

     (filename) Name of the file you want to test. Like the
     download function it will append the default extension to
     the filename if one is not specified.

Description:   Allows you to test a file's integrity prior to
               downloading the file. The system operator must
               specify the kinds of tests that will be performed
               if this option is available. It could, for
               example, perform a CRC check on the file as well
               as scan for a virus and then inform you prior to
               downloading if the file passes the tests that
               were executed on it.

(TS) Message Text Search

Subcommands :

     (F) Selects only messages left by you.
     (Y) Selects only messages left for you.
     (S) Selects messages above the last one you have read.
     (A) Scan messages in all (SELECT)ed conferences.
     (ALL) Scan messages in all conferences in which you are
registered.
     (L) Read in backwards order from the last message to the
first.
     (C) Capture the messages found to a file for download
     (D) Implies a (C)apture and immediately downloads
     (Z) Implies a (D)ownload but compresses the file before
     (NS) Displays text in non-stop mode
     (RM+) Re-read "memorized" message plus forward read.
     (RM-) Re-read "memorized" message plus backwards read.
     (##+) Scan messages from a selected number forward.
     (##-) Scan messages from a selected number backward.
     (USER) Selects only those message to or from the specified
user.

Description:  Allows searching the messages on the system to find
messages that match the search criteria that you provide.

Examples:

* TS A 1+
 PCBoard & LANtastic

The above commands will search through every available message in
ALL conferences areas you are set to scan for any message that
has both the word "PCBoard" AND the word "LANtastic" in it.

* TS A 1+
PCBoard & (LANtastic | DESQview)

The above commands will search through every available message in
ALL conferences areas you are set to scan for any message that
has both the word "PCBoard" AND either the word "LANtastic" OR
the word "DESQview" in it.

The parenthesis tell PCBoard how you want to group your criteria
if you have a complex search request such as the one above. It
will allow for nearly any number of parens and any combination of
AND's (using the "&" character) and OR's (using the "|"
character).

* TS A 1+ USER JOHN DOE
PCBoard & Help

The above command (similar to examples above) adds the keyword
USER to the command line specifying that only messages that are
either TO or FROM John Doe should be displayed if they are found
to have both the words PCBoard and Help in them.

(U)pload a File - Function Help

Subcommands (filename 1) (filename 2) (etc) (protocol) (gb or
bye)

     (filename) Any valid DOS filename may be used and more than
     one filename may be entered if you choose to use a BATCH
     protocol for the file transfer.
     (protocol) Letter from A-Z of the protocol desired based on
     the protocols available.
     (gb) Either (gb) or (bye) may be entered on the (bye)
     command line to indicate that you want the system to hang up
     after it finishes the file transfer.

Description:  Allows transferring a file from your machine to the
host system.

There can be up to 26 different types of protocols available. If
you have not previously set a default protocol, you will be asked
for the protocol type each time you request a download.

Ascii protocol transfers are only available on non-binary text
files. Filenames which have extensions of .EXE, .ARC, .COM, .WKS,
etc. can not be downloaded using Ascii protocol.

Selecting Files: Unlike downloading a filename must be specified
exactly as you intend to send it. In other words, if you type the
word "TEST" then the name of the file when posted will be called
"TEST" with no other extension added to it.

After giving the system one or more filenames to be uploaded it
will ask you for a description of each file. If you wish to make
a particular file PRIVATE so that it is not posted in the public
upload directory you simply place a "/" at the beginning of the
first line of text in your description.

Batch Uploads When uploading a batch of files you must enter at
least ONE filename even if it is a dummy filename. Then on your
end you simply tell your software to send all of the desired
files. Any files that are received which you did not specify
originally will then be brought up on the screen with the system
asking you to describe each of them.

Examples U TEST - uploads TEST using the default protocol U TEST
X - uploads TEST using the Xmodem protocol U TEST1 TEST2 Y -
uploads both TEST1 & TEST2 using Ymodem/BATCH

(USERS) Display Users (NOT AVAILABLE ON CRS)

Subcommands (search text)

     (search text) Any text that you want to search for. You
     could for example, search for a name or a part of a name or
     a city or state.

Description:  Displays the user name, location and last date on
for all users that have access to the current conference.

Alternatively, you can enter search criteria to limit your search
to only those users or locations that match the criteria.

Examples:

* USERS

Display all users that are registered in the current conference.

* USERS David

Display all users that have the name "David" in their record.

* USERS Utah

Display all users that have "Utah" in their record.

* USERS David & Utah

Display all users that have the name "David" who are in "Utah".


(V)iew User Settings

Subcommands NONE

Description:  Allows viewing your current user settings. Included
in the listing are:

     The number of system caller you are.
     Your Default Page Length.
     Your System Expiration Date (or NONE).
     Your Security Level.
     Your Last Date On.
     The last message number you read.
     The current high message number.
     Number of Active Messages.
     Available download bytes available for that day.
     Default Transfer Protocol Selected.

(W)rite User Data Base Information

Subcommands NONE

Description:  Allows changing some of your data base information
stored on that system, including:

     Password desired.
     Location you are calling from.
     Your Business/Data Phone Number.
     Your Home/Voice Phone Number.
     A Comment Field of 30 characters.
     Choice of having the screen cleared before reading a
message.
     The Message base areas you want to scan with the "Y A"
command.

If the system operator has restricted you to only password
changes instead of all of the above, you will only be allowed to
change it and not the other items listed.

(WHO) is Online

Subcommands None

Description:   On multinode systems this command displays the
               name and location of users that are currently
               online on all of the nodes in the system.

(X) Expert/Novice Mode Toggle

Subcommands NONE

Description:  The (X) command lets you toggle between Expert and
Novice mode. When the Expert mode is active, the main menu is
never displayed, and most command line prompts are considerably
abbreviated.

In Novice mode, all menus are displayed and all command line
prompts give a more descriptive definition of the commands
available.

(Y)our Mail Check

Subcommands (A) (S) (NS) (+) (-) (C)

     (A) Scans all message bases.
     (S) Scans only for mail left since the last message read.
     (C) Limits scan to current message base only.
     (+) or (-) forces the direction of the scan.
     (Q) Display in Quick Scan format.
     (L) Display in Long Scan format.
     (NS) Displays text output in non-stop mode.

Description:  Allows checking for mail left to you or from you in
a message base. The above commands can be entered in combination
on the same line to limit the scan function as desired. The
default for the (Y) command is to scan the current message base
only, in reverse direction, checking for mail left by you as well
as for mail addressed to you and to scan the complete message
base, from the end of the file to the beginning.

You can select which areas you want to be scanned when using the
(A) subcommand by typing (SELECT) or by using the (W)rite User
Info command.

(Z)ippy Directory Listing Scan

Subcommands (text) (#) (A) (D) (N) (U) (NS)

     (text) Text you wish to search for.
     (#) Valid directory number.
     (A) Scans all directory listings for the text input.
     (D) Download all files found.
     (N) Combines the search with a date scan.
     (S) With (N) indicates new files since last date scanned.
     (U) Scans only the upload directory(s) for the text.
     (NS) Displays screen output in non-stop mode.

Description:   Allows you to search the download directories for
               words or phrases either in the filename itself or
               in the description of the files. See examples
               below. (D) will cause all files found to be
               flagged for later download the next time you
               issue a (D)ownload command.

(N) combines a new files search with the text search.

Examples:

* Z A PCBoard

The above command will search all of the file directories for the
word "PCBoard" (anywhere - the filename, the description or even
the extended description lines).

* Z A
PCBoard & DESQview


The above commands will search all of the file directories for
any file that has both the word "PCBoard" and the word "DESQview"
in the description.

* Z PCBoard A N
120189

The above command combines a text search for the word PCBoard
with a date search of 12/01/89 or later in search all of the
download directories.
* Z DESQview A S D

The above command combines the Zippy Search of the file
directories with a "new files since" search and then flags all
files found for later downloading.

Examples of using boolean (and / or) searching

There are numerous places where PCBoard will ask you for some
kind of search criteria for the text you want to scan. In those
areas you can simply type in a word or phrase or you may create
much more complex searches by using boolean logic symbols in your
request.

The symbols "&" and "|" can be used to mean AND and OR
respectively. In addition you can combine criteria using
parentheses to denote the grouping of the search.

The rules below apply at any prompt given where PCBoard wants you
to tell it what to scan for and the following rules can be used
whether you are scanning through the message base, the download
directories, the users file or the caller logs.

Multiple words making up a sentence or phrase

PCBoard version 14.5

Searches for the words "PCBoard version 14.5" all together in a
line.
Multiple words searching for each word separately

PCBoard | Qmodem | Procomm

Searches for any text having either PCBoard OR Qmodem OR Procomm
anywhere in the text.


Multiple words searching for each word separately requiring ALL
to match

PCBoard & Qmodem & Procomm

Searches for any text having ALL THREE words but not necessarily
in any order or even next to each other.
Using parentheses for grouping

DESQview & (PCBoard | Qmodem)

Searches for any text having DESQview in it AND having either
PCBoard OR Qmodem also in the same text in any order and not
necessarily together.