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------------------------------------------------------------------------ Teach Me, Tell Me... 20-Mar-96 All About CompuServe ABOUTCIS.201 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --- IN THIS ISSUE --- TAPCIS NEWS BRIEFS TAPCIS News Has a New Name TAPCIS 6.1 w/ HMI Released We've Moved! New Address, Same Phones COMPUSERVE NEWS BRIEFS H&R Block to "Spin-Off" CompuServe WOW! from CompuServe Coming Soon CompuServe Stats for the Period Ending 31-Jan-96 Sign-up "Temporary Password" Assignment Discontinued What's New on CompuServe Expands Non-U.S. Coverage Weather Channel Online International Classifieds Now Covers U.K. Kid Central Opens INTERNET NEWS BRIEFS SpryNet Offers Unlimited Internet-only Access for $19.95/mo. CompuServe to Offer Netscape and Internet Phone Free to Users TEACH ME... TAPCIS 6.1 & NISA/HMI Parental Controls NEW FORUMS Caribbean Travel Forum (CIS:CARIBFOR) Colorado Forum (CIS:COLORADO) CompuServe Companion Forum (CIS:MORECIM) IBM CICS Developers Forum (CIS:IBMCICS) Latin America Forum (CIS:FORLATIN) Migraine Forum (CIS:MIGRAINE) Netscape(tm) Users Forum (CIS:NSUSER) Parental Controls Forum (CIS:PCCFORUM) Photo Gallery Forum (CIS:PHOTOE) Pinter Consulting Forum (CIS:PINTER) Sterling Software Storage Management Forum (CIS:STORAGE) User Group Forum (CIS:UGFORUM) WWW Browser Vendors Forum (CIS:WEBBRO) What Personal Computer Forum (CIS:WHATPERS) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --- TAPCIS NEWS BRIEFS --- TAPCIS NEWS HAS A NEW NAME After almost four years of covering the CompuServe community, we've decided to rename TAPCIS News to "Teach Me, Tell Me... All About CompuServe" (ABOUTCIS for short). We've always covered more than just news about our TAPCIS access program. Now our new name reflects that broader coverage. We will continue to cover news and tips about CompuServe and TAPCIS, while increasing the publication frequency and expanding upon the areas of CompuServe we explain in tutorial articles. TAPCIS 6.1 w/HMI RELEASED TAPCIS 6.1 has been released to the TAPCIS Forum Lib 1/TAPCIS as TAPTRY.EXE (complete program and documentation). This file is also available from 100+ other forums. The file UPDATE61.DOC describes the changes between 6.0 and 6.1. This is a *required* update. Versions prior to 6.1, like all exclusively ASCII access methods, are not able to access the new "NISA" forums. (See TAPCIS 6.1 & NISA/HMI) WE'VE MOVED! NEW ADDRESS, SAME PHONES Support Group, Inc., has moved to a new location. Since we're only 4 miles from the old location, and we've got the best post office in the country, you can use either the old address or the new address to reach us. Our telephone and fax numbers remain the same, and are shown at the end of this newsletter. --- COMPUSERVE NEWS BRIEFS --- H&R BLOCK TO "SPIN-OFF" COMPUSERVE H&R Block (the tax return preparation folks) currently own CompuServe as a private subsidiary. The only way to "own stock" in CompuServe is to buy HRB stock. That changes in April when less than 20 percent of CompuServe Inc., will be sold through an initial public offering to raise capital for a newly independent, debt-free CompuServe. The remaining ownership of CompuServe will be passed tax-free to existing HRB stockholders within the next 12 months. WOW! FROM COMPUSERVE COMING SOON CompuServe is launching a separate information service geared towards the home market. Unlimited usage, including Internet access, for $17.95/mo ($14.95 if you sign up as a charter subscriber and maintain your CIS account). Requires a well-equipped Windows 95 multimedia machine. WOW! will use a customized version of the Microsoft Internet Explorer and a CD-ROM to quickly load most of the graphics and sound associated with the service without having to transmit them through the modem. To request a free sign-up kit call 1-800-9GETWOW, or visit http://www.wow.com on the Web or GO CIS:WOW using WinCIM. Although we don't plan regular coverage of WOW! in this newsletter, we'll discuss how WOW! might fit into your online usage strategy once the service is officially available. COMPUSERVE STATS FOR THE PERIOD ENDING 31-JAN-96 * 165,000 new members added per month * More than 4.3 million members worldwide * 2.5 million members in North America * 588,000 members in Europe * CompuServe Network usage almost 16 million hours per month * 54,712 total network ports (to increase to 105K by May 1) * 450 domestic and 71 international points of presence, SIGN-UP "TEMPORARY PASSWORD" ASSIGNMENT DISCONTINUED The password assigned during new account sign-up will no longer be replaced by a permanent password sent via postal mail. While this previous system was designed to reduce the fraudulent use of credit cards, it was a significant headache for all concerned. Now the password assigned during sign-up for a new account will not change unless you GO PASSWORD to do so. WHAT'S NEW ON COMPUSERVE EXPANDS NON-U.S. COVERAGE The European What's New has been replaced with specific What's New menus for the United Kingdom (CIS:UKNEW), France (CIS:FRENEW), Germany (CIS:GERNEW). A Pacific (Australia, New Zealand) What's New (CIS:CPNEW) is also available. These menus along with the standard What's NEW (CIS:NEW) can be automated using an updated TAPCIS service script called WHATSNEW.SCR available in the TAPCIS Forum (Lib 2/Scripts) and as part of the version 6.1 distribution. WEATHER CHANNEL ONLINE Global maps and reports, aviation-related products, a program guide for The Weather Channel cable network, and a pointer to the Weather Channel Forum are now available. GO CIS:TWC to visit The Weather Channel Online area and CIS:TWCFORUM for their forum. INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFIEDS NOW COVERS U.K. Go CIS:CLASSIFIEDS interactively to access the new section of classifieds for members in the United Kingdom. KID CENTRAL OPENS Kids of all ages will find all kinds of kid-related information, entertainment, forums, and contests in the new Kid Central. Go CIS:KIDCENTRAL to access one of the three areas available; Friends & Pets, Fun & Games, and Study Hall. --- INTERNET NEWS BRIEFS --- SPRYNET OFFERS UNLIMITED INTERNET-ONLY ACCESS FOR $19.95/MO. CompuServe's Internet Division has launched SpryNet which offers unlimited, Internet-only access for $19.95/mo. This price was announced before WOW! ($17.95/mo with unlimited Internet access) and before AT&T and MCI announced they would be offering 5 free hours per month of Internet access to their customers, with unlimited access for the same $19.95/mo. The price competition has only just begun... which is great for us users! Only three years ago we were paying $22.80 PER HOUR for a 9600 connection. COMPUSERVE TO OFFER NETSCAPE AND INTERNET PHONE FREE TO USERS Separate agreements have been announced to offer the Netscape browser and the Vocaltek Internet Phone software to members at no charge. So, if you were about to purchase either of these products, you may want to wait a couple of months and get a free registration. Making calls through the Internet does work. There is a reduction in voice quality, and significant time delays are common. Still, it is likely to eventually supplant Internet Relay Chat and online "line at a time" conferences which can be--depending on the speed of the typists--as fast moving as watching flowers bloom. With unlimited Internet access at $20 or less, many people who talk long distance with in-country and overseas friends and family will be checking out this new technology. Not surprisingly, traditional telecommunications firms (long distance and local Bell companies) are filing suit to block the use of the Internet for telephone calls (good luck, guys!). --- TEACH ME... --- TAPCIS 6.1 & NISA/HMI The conversion to a new software/hardware architecture is never easy and painless. Our offices have just undergone our first wave of conversions to Windows 95 workstations on a Novell network. What should have been a day's work ended up taking weeks. As I outlined in CISHMI.FAQ (available from many forum libraries as well as from the TAPCIS Forum Lib 16), CompuServe is in the midst of a transition from old generation hardware/software to their New Information Service Architecture (NISA). Of nearly 900 public forums on CIS, currently 15 forums have converted to NISA. More are being converted each week. This conversion is taking longer than expected, and there are some patches of rough road and detours we will have to endure during the construction process. As previously noted in our newsletter, these can include "Application unavailable" and "Protocol transport" errors, as well as some periods of slow performance as CIS works to tune the new systems. These shake-out problems affect all HMI access programs, including WinCIM. When confronted by one of these errors, you can usually try the session again and have it work. CIS developers are working diligently to resolve these issues and have made progress on them in the last few weeks. Many of you have commented on the time it takes to transfer from a forum on an old host to a NISA forum. It's a lot like transferring from the bus to the subway. There are a lot of transactions and moving around involved. This will improve as more of the forums you visit are under the NISA architecture. HMI REQUIRED --- Once a forum converts to NISA, you must use an access program that supports HMI (the Host Micro Interface protocol). TAPCIS 6.1 offers HMI support. Version 6.0 and all 5.x versions do not. Therefore, if you are running a version of TAPCIS prior to 6.1, you need to upgrade... NOW... before your favorite forum(s) convert. You can download TAPTRY.EXE from one of 100+ forums across CompuServe. Registered 6.0 users need only run this program from their TAP directory, overwrite all files (except for the .PIF file if you've modified it), and you'll be up and running. HOW & WHERE TO ACTIVATE HMI --- With TAPCIS 6.1 you can continue to use ASCII access in all non-NISA forums and in MAIL. We built-in auto-detection of NISA forums in 6.1. Unfortunately, CIS currently has a bug where, after sending out the alert message that the forum has converted to NISA, it sends out a block of garbage. This currently defeats the auto-detection process. (It has been reported to CompuServe; we expect it will be fixed soon). Until then, when a forum switches to NISA, you will need to use Setup | Forums | Edit (or double click on the forum in the Forums/Services Box), and manually change the "Use HMI:" option to Yes. Or, you can turn HMI on for all forums under Setup | Forums | Defaults, and for CompuServe Mail under Setup | Mail. In fact, in our performance tests we're regularly finding that CompuServe Mail now performs better under HMI than it does under ASCII, especially for file uploads and download. Members with ZD Net (Ziff) accounts in particular should use HMI Mail due to some differences between the ZNT: gateway accounts and the CIS: accounts. PARENTAL CONTROLS We fence in our yards to allow our kids to play outside without being under our constant surveillance. We can watch from the window, or run inside to change a load of laundry, knowing that while there is a CHANCE that something unpleasant might happen, that chance is on the order of them being struck by a falling tree rather than the much greater likelihood of them being hit by a car if they are playing in the road. As a parent, I enjoy watching my young son work at the computer. Even though I do preview the software he uses, I don't (honestly) watch over him every second nor do I want to. As he explores the online world, I'd like to feel comfortable that there are some reasonable restrictions placed on his access by the system itself, and not solely require my diligence at every moment. It's the same thing we expect from movie theaters; we don't expect them to allow unaccompanied 14-year-olds into R rated films even if it is to those films that they are attracted. Clearly, there is a lot of interest in this issue as more children come online. The new WOW! service is targeted directly at families who want to create a safe, "Discovery Zone" kind of environment. On the CompuServe Information Service itself, the new parental control approach is less restrictive--in keeping with CIS' more business-like membership. Once the parental control lock is activated, the following areas on CIS are blocked: Adult CB Band I (GO CBIADULT) Adult CB Band II (GO CBIIADULT) Amiga Arts Forum (GO AMIGAART) Archive Classics Forum (GO ARCCLASS) Artist Forum (GO ARTIST) Bettmann Archive Forum (GO BETTMAN) Color Computer Forum (GO COCO) Crime Forum (GO TWCRIME) Fantasy Isle Forum (GO ISLE) Firearms Forum (GO FIREARMS) Human Photo Forum (GO PHOTOHUMAN) Glamour Graphics Forum (GO GLAMOUR) Good Pub Guide (GO UKPUBS) Graphics Corner Forum (GO CORNER) Graphics Keyclub Forum (GO KEYCLUB) Graphics Plus Forum (GO GRAPHPLUS) Human Sexuality Forums (GO HSX) Outdoors Forum (GO OUTFORUM) Photodex Forum (GO PHOTODEX) Photo Gallery Forum (GO PHOTOEXHIBIT) Playboy TV (GO PLAYTV) Private Forum (GO PRIVATE) Sci-Fi Literature Forum (GO SFLIT) Showbiz Media Forum (GO SHOWBIZ) Unabomber Manifesto (GO UNABOMBER) Wine Forum (GO WINEFO) I've included the full list here because I wanted to make the point that these are not sleazy haunts! Some clearly are for sexual content, such as Playboy TV and Private Forum. But there are some surprises here. The Outdoors Forum is a great resource for those interested in national parks, tourism, waterskiing, etc. What puts it on the parental controls list is its section 17/Naturism/Nudism and two accompanying libraries where nude pictures can be downloaded. The WINEFORUM is on the list solely because its topic is adult beverages. The restriction list is developed by a company separate from CompuServe, Microsystems Software, which also publishes the Cyber Patrol software for the Internet which I'll discuss in a moment. In evaluating areas for inclusion on the "CyberNOT" list, they consider the effect on a typical 12-year-old. Any online content that contains more than 3 in 100 messages or easily available pages/files which fall into one the categories below is listed: Violence/Profanity Partial nudity Nudity Sexual acts (graphic or text) Gross depictions Racism/ethnic impropriety Satanic/cult Drugs/Drug culture Militant/Extremist Gambling Questionable/Illegal Alcohol, beer, and wine On CIS if a forum or area falls into one of these categories due to some or all of its content, it will be blocked when you turn on the parental controls block. Out of 3000+ services, you can see that there are few areas on CIS affected. To activate Parental Controls, you must use WinCIM (TAPCIS will not work in this special area) and GO CONTROLS. You will assign a password and turn the lock ON. Once the lock is ON, all the CIS areas covered under parental controls are inaccessible. You can use WinCIM to turn off controls for a particular session. Limitations of GO CONTROLS: * Applies to ALL areas on this list. You cannot turn off just certain ones. * Cannot be turned on/off by an automated program such as TAPCIS. * Not easy to share an account between a parent who may want to visit one or more of these areas and children who are to be blocked. INTERNET CONTROLS --- The Internet is, of course, a much wilder and uncontrolled environment. Whereas CompuServe does choose content providers, ANYONE can provide content on the Web, in USENET newsgroups, and via telnet and ftp. To address this concern, CompuServe is offering the Cyber Patrol software which works in conjunction with the Internet access software (Mosaic, Netscape, Microsoft Internet Explorer) to block access to sites on the CyberNOT list (which is continuously reviewed and contains over 6000 sites that fall under its criteria). As a tool for parents, Cyber Patrol lets them restrict access by time of day and total time spent online, and lets them turn on or off sites individually based upon the criteria (blocking nudity for example but not violence/profanity). RATINGS, CENSORSHIP, REAL CRIMES --- The addition of parental controls and the Cyber Patrol software allowed CompuServe to lift its suspension of over 200 newgroups. This worldwide suspension had been hastily implemented due to CompuServe's belief that it faced possible criminal prosecution in Germany due to the content of various newsgroups (over which CIS has 0.00% control!). Add to this the U.S. Government's broad criminalization of the transmission of "indecent" material (a term not clearly defined in law), and a broad range of "local standards" across the globe from San Francisco to Iraq, and you have a situation where everyone is scrambling for acceptable solutions. The Cyber Patrol approach is a start. The emerging ratings systems from Safesurf and PICS will help with the filtering process as well. Certainly, motivated teens are likely to figure out ways to "jump the fence." But these are steps in the direction of putting the responsibility and technology into the parents' hands rather than trying to impose government restrictions that would affect consenting adults as well. As a final note, I hope everyone is clear that long standing criminal activities such as child pornography are not what we're discussing here. Such activities where found should be stopped and prosecuted to the extent humanly and technologically possible. --- NEW FORUMS --- The Caribbean Forum (CIS:CARIBFOR) Covers most of the major islands in the Caribbean Basin. Other sections include Tourism Professional and Caribbean Classifieds. Colorado Forum (CIS:COLORADO) Information on Colorado ski resorts, hiking, fishing, hunting, national parks, and politics. CompuServe Companion Forum (CIS:MORECIM) Helps you make CompuServe Information Manager (CIM) more powerful. Tips, tricks, and advice from fellow CIMusers, the latest information about add-on enhancements and programs like spell checkers, mail managers, and file cabinet utilities are available. IBM CICS Developers Forum (CIS:IBMCICS) Devoted to the developers and/or potential developers of IBM CICS products. Ask questions about products such as CICS for OS/2, CICS Client, and/or CICS for AIX. Comments and suggestions about present or future product needs are welcome. Latin America Forum (CIS:FORLATIN) Information on Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Topics range from history, geography, economy, political science, travel, and business. Migraine Forum (CIS:MIGRAINE) For those who suffer from migraines or know someone who does. NETSCAPE(tm) Users Forum (CIS:NSUSER) All aspects of Netscape -- including the latest news from the Netscape community, new Netscape and Netscape-based products, and developer information are discussed. Parental Controls Forum (CIS:PCCFORUM) If you are concerned about how to ensure a healthy online experience for your children, visit the forum to learn more about the tools and techniques available to help encourage kids into the great online areas--and to keep them away from putrid playgrounds of perverts, pornographers, and pedophiles. Photo Gallery Forum (CIS:PHOTOE) Exchange images with photo enthusiasts from all over the world. Pinter Consulting Forum (CIS:PINTER) A resource for FoxPro and Visual FoxPro professionals. Solve technical problems, share libraries, classes, and useful code, or simply commiserate about object-oriented woes. Sterling Software Storage Management Forum (CIS:STORAGE) Support and product information regarding Storage Management products. User Group Forum (CIS:UGFORUM) User group officers, members, and vendors are welcome in the forum to discuss all aspects of a user group, including starting a user group, how to get volunteers to write for user group newsletters, and dealing with vendors. WWW Browser Vendors Forum (CIS:WEBBRO) Provides complete support and information resources for the customers of the following vendors: Browser Watch, TWG Emmissary, Intercon NetShark, IView/Icomm, Mariner, QMosaic, NetSurfer, InterGo, FrontierTech, Oracle PowerBrowser, Internet Explorer, and PathLink Netrunner. What Personal Computer Forum (CIS:WHATPERS) Text versions of some of the most popular articles from What Personal Computer Magazine, including the most requested features from the How To... section are available in the forum. Swap hints and tips with other readers or ask for advice from their resident team of experts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Teach Me, Tell Me... All About CompuServe" is an electronic newsletter delivered directly to your CompuServe Mailbox. Our "news briefs" TELL you what is happening. Then, we TEACH you how to take advantage of CompuServe's many resources, and help you master the software you use to access the service. A one year subscription is only $12, with a 90-day money back guarantee. We have been active in the CompuServe community--helping members make the most of their online time and money--since 1986. We also publish the automated access program (navigator) TAPCIS(R). Support Group, Inc., Phone 1-800-USA-GROUP (872-4768) 24445 Garrett Highway 1-301-387-4500 McHenry, MD 21541-0130 USA Fax 1-301-387-7322 CompuServe 74020,10 Internet: TAPCIS@cis.compuserve.com Suggestions and questions for future issues should be directed to: Rick Wilkes 76701,23 Bonnie R. Thomas 75300,2444 Editor/Publisher Managing Editor Entire contents Copyright (c) 1996, Support Group, Inc.