The 640 MEG Shareware Studio 2/The 640 Meg Shareware Studio CD-ROM Volume II (Data Express)(1993).ISO/info/tutbbs19.zip/WALTUT1.CHP

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

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              Welcome to the world of ~G~IElectronic Bulletin Board systems!~N
       Using just your computer, modem and phone line; you can connect to
       these BBSes. This gives you access to a whole world of information,
       people, services and entertainment. Using BBSes, you can get the
       newest high quality software for your computer. You can also
       communicate with other people both in your area and around the
       world. You can get help with just about any question, discuss
       issues of importance to you and  meet people who share your
       interests. BBSes also commonly offer exciting multi-player games,
       news and publication services and many other services you can't
       get elsewhere!
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               The great thing is that you already have everything you
       need to access the exciting world of BBSes!  And what's more,
       BBSes are most often run by hobbyists who provide everything free
       of charge. BBSes are usually very easy to use once you are
       familiar with them.  However, it can be very difficult to
       find out what is available and to learn how to access it all.
       When people first get a modem, it is not uncommon for them to try
       a few BBSes.  They look around and then never use the modem again
       because they didn't know what was available to them.  Well,
       that's why we are here! If you are interested in learning how to
       make use of everything that is available for you on BBSes-turning
       your computer and modem into a truly powerful tool, read on!


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               Since you're still here, I take it you are interested in
       finding out more about BBSes!  The first thing to know is that
       BBSes are as diverse as the many different people who use them.
       There are small hobbyist systems with only a few files or message
       areas, but usually a very friendly atmosphere. And then there are
       large commercially-run boards with many lines and more features
       than you could possibly imagine. While some boards offer features
       of interest to just about everyone; others will be aimed at a
       particular group of people or interests. When you first become
       involved with bulletin board systems, you will probably want to
       explore as many different BBSes as you can find.  You will
       probably want to get involved with everything that is happening
       on the BBS.



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~W~IGETTING STARTED ON BBSES!~N


               Before you can really start to explore all of the
       features available on a BBS system, there are a few things you
       must do. Since you are reading this, we'll presume that you
       have already figured out how to actually get connected to the
       BBS. As we mentioned before, BBSes vary widely in what they have
       to offer.  Later on, you will probably want to try calling
       other BBSes in your area. Available from the main menu is a list
       of BBS systems in this area that you will be able to call. A BBS
       system is listed with its name, its phone number and the maximum
       baud rate supported by the BBS. The baud rate is a measure of the
       speed at which information can be transmitted between the BBS
       system and your computer. You probably already know what the
       highest baud rate your modem will support. For example, a 2400
       baud modem will support all baud rates up to 2400 baud. When you

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       call a particular BBS, you must simply have to set the baud rate
       in your terminal or communications program to the highest speed
       supported by both the BBS and your modem. To do this, consult the
       documentation for the terminal program.  Be sure your follow your
       modem maker's recommendations.  An error-correcting modem, such
       as an MNP or v.42bis, should be set as outlined in the manual.

               When you first connect to a new BBS system, you usually
       have to complete some sort of registration process. Until you
       have completed this registration process, most of if not all of
       the features on the BBS will be unavailable to you.  Take heart,
       registration is usually very easy!  The operators of the BBS
       system (called SysOps for short) do so on their own time
       and budget. They require a bit of information from you - this
       allows them to protect their systems from people who might
       try to wreak havoc. The registration process can take one of
       many different forms. Sometimes you simply have to fill out a


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       simple "registration" form.  Other times, you will be required
       to   complete  a  "call  back  verification"   process.
       The BBS system will call you to confirm that it has your correct
       phone number. Sometimes the SysOp will give you a quick call to
       check that you are who you say you are.  (S)He may also welcome
       you to the BBS and answer any questions you might have.  When
       you first log onto the BBS as a new user, you will be given more
       detailed instructions as to the registration process.  Be sure to
       read this information - there can be some important notes you
       would have otherwise missed in here!

               Once you have been validated or verified on the BBS
       system, you will want to look at what is available. Explore the
       various menus and choices that are available on the BBS, just to
       get a "feel" for what that system has to offer. If you haven't
       already been in touch with the SysOp, it is usually a nice
       gesture to leave her or him a message.   Introduce yourself and
       thank them for access to the system.


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               Now read on to find out what you should and should not
       do on a BBS.  Then we will learn how to access all of the
       fantastic features available on BBS systems that we mentioned
       before!









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~W~IWHAT'S EXPECTED OF YOU~N


               While there are no hard and fast rules as to what you
       should and should not do on a BBS, it is important to not to
       out-stay your welcome!  If you just use your common sense and
       think of yourself as a guest in your SysOp's home, you shouldn't
       have any troubles. Here are a few suggestions that would probably
       be expected of users on any BBS:

         1.) SysOps like users who contribute something to  the  board
             as well as getting something from it. This  doesn't  mean
             that  you  are  expected to spend your whole time on-line
             uploading hundreds of files.  However you should not log
             onto a board, download files and then hang right up
             every time you log on!  This will ensure you will not remain
             welcome on the board. Think of yourself as a guest in



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             someone  else's  home. Would you walk in, borrow some
             food from their refrigerator and then walk out again
             without even  saying `hi'?  If you are unable to find any
             files to upload, alert  the  sysop to your troubles, and
             he/she will give you a hand.

         2.) We  all experience difficulties on BBSes  at some time or
             another. If you're having trouble with some aspect of the
             system, re-read the instructions.  If this does  not
             help, feel  free  to  ask  the sysop for assistance.
             Obviously, you don't want  to  say  to  the  SysOp  "Your
             stupid  BBS  doesn't  work  right"  (some of us get quite
             defensive about this!)  Just say that you're having some
             difficulty and most sysops will spend as much time as it
             takes to help you fix your problem.

         3.) Keep in mind that you are not the only  person  who  uses
             the  BBS.  Most systems have some sort  of daily time



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             limit to give everyone a fair chance of using the board.
             If  not,  try  to limit yourself to a maximum of 5-7
             hours on each board per week.

         4.) Try to get involved. There is little worse  than  a  user
             who  logs  on,  looks  around,  and  then  logs off again
             without doing anything.  Once you have been "validated"
             or "registered" on a new board, leave a message to the
             sysop  and  the  rest of the users.  Let everyone know
             that you are there, and tell them a bit about who  you
             are.  Don't  be afraid to experiment with new features of
             the board that you have not used before.  If you  have
             any questions, again feel free to ask the SysOp for help.

         5.) Try to follow the instructions for  the  BBS  you  are
             calling.  BBSes  will  often  have  some  rules regarding
             things such as use of  aliases  and  profanity. It  is
             always  a good idea to find out about these limitations


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             before you log on under a false name or use a  lot
             of swearing in your messages. At times some pretty heated
             debates  can  develop  in the message bases, but remember
             that these are all in fun.  You should  not  take these
             debates  too  seriously.  The motto  I  like  to  use is
             "attack ideas, not people".

               If you have already failed to do any of the above - don't
       worry!  We have all made many mistakes when we were starting out
       on BBSes. As long as the SysOp realizes that your intentions are
       good, most of them will be very understanding. They will do their
       best to help you out along the way!

               Now you know how to get started on BBSes, and have a
       general idea of how to get the most out of BBSes without
       outstaying your welcome. Let's take a closer look at some of the
       things you can do on a BBS - to really take advantage of all that
       your computer and modem can do for you!


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~W~IMESSAGES AND MAIL - COMMUNICATING WITH THE WORLD~N


               Even with all of the new features and frills appearing
       on BBSes, the "Messages" still remain the central attraction to
       most people.  Yet calling them "messages" may be somewhat of a
       misnomer.  They are much more than just leaving a short message
       to someone you know. They are an electronic form of socializing.
       You need not know anyone else who uses BBSes to become involved
       in the conversation.   When you first log onto a new BBS, simply
       leave a message to `ALL' introducing yourself.  Soon you will
       find yourself talking to all sorts of new people. It is
       surprising how many new and interesting people you can meet who
       share your same interests on a BBS. Now with international
       message echoing, you can be in touch with thousands of other
       users around the world!  People have traced their family



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       roots, met their spouses and much more, all through bulletin
       boards!  As well as giving you a chance to meet new people, you
       can discuss issues and hobbies of interest to you.  You can ask
       questions about everything from cooking to science to Word
       Perfect, or just learn a bit more about other cultures.

               The messages on BBSes are classified into different
       message areas, according to the topics of messages in a
       given area. For example, typical message areas might be named
       "General", "Programming", "Star Trek" or "Teens". If you are
       interested in the conversations, the best thing to do is to take
       the time to read the messages in that area.  This will allow you
       to get a feel for what type of conversation is going on there.
       Then, just jump right in and join some of the conversations!
       It might not be easy at first, but before long you'll find you
       are really enjoying it!

               You will also find different types of messages on a BBS
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       (usually each message area will be only ONE of these types):

       ~W~IPUBLIC LOCAL MAIL~N - These are messages that can be read by
               everyone that calls this BBS, but are not available on
               any other BBS. Since these messages are "public" in
               nature (ie, they can be read by anyone, not just the
               person to whom it is addressed), they are especially
               useful for taking part in "round-table" discussions.
               Anyone can jump in at any time to make their own
               contributions to the conversation.  Just because a
               message in one of these areas isn't addressed to you,
               doesn't mean you shouldn't reply to them.  Instead,
               don't hesitate to join in!  The only messages that
               aren't intended for you to read or reply to on the BBS
               are the ones that you won't be able to read anyway!

       ~W~IPRIVATE LOCAL MAIL~N - These are messages, like the "Public Local
               Mail", that are only available by calling the BBS which



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               they were written. Unlike the public message, a private
               message can only be read by the person who wrote it, the
               person it is addressed to, and the SysOp.  This is where
               you would want to leave a private message to another
               user on the BBS that you don't want other people to be
               able to read (say, if you wanted to give someone your
               phone number.)

       ~W~IECHOMAIL~N - EchoMail areas contain messages that can be read and
               replied to on many different BBSes. Sometimes these will
               just be various BBSes from around the area. Much of the
               time though, these will be BBSes throughout the country,
               continent, or even around the world. In many respects,
               the messages in EchoMail areas are similar to those in
               the public local mail areas. However, when you write
               messages in an EchoMail area, it will be "Echoed" to all
               BBSes that receive this particular echo.  This usually
               occurs in a matter of a day or two!  Since  many people



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               usually pay to transfer every message you write around
               the world, you should try to keep your messages on-topic
               for the particular message area.  You should also stick
               to the rules of the particular EchoMail area.

       ~W~INETMAIL~N - NetMail is a sort of private form of EchoMail. Like
               local private messages, NetMail message can only be read
               by the person who wrote the message, the person who the
               message is addressed to, and SysOps. However, unlike
               EchoMail, NetMail messages are not sent to all of the
               systems connected to the BBS Network, but only a single
               system. Thus, you can use NetMail to write a
               (semi)private message to a user on a particular BBS in
               another city or country. This may be someone you met
               through an EchoMail area or someone you already knew.
               In order to send a NetMail message, you must know not
               only the name of the person to which you wish to send


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       it, but the "node address" of the BBS which that person
       will call.
               There are other types of message areas, such as
       GroupMail, but we won't go into those here. However, there are
       things that all message types have in common, such as the ability
       to "quote" messages. When you are replying to a message, you will
       often want to "quote" part of the message.  This will help
       maintain the continuity of the conversation.  Quoted text will
       usually appear in your message with the user's initials, followed
       by a `>' symbol. For example if you were replying to a message
       written by John Doe, and quoted from it, your message might
       appear as:

~W~I               Hi John!

                    JD> What did you think of the performance?

                   It was fantastic! I really enjoyed ....~N


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       The BBS will allow you to select the lines you wish to quote
       from the message to which you are replying, and automatically
       place these lines in your message for you. In EchoMail areas,
       you may wish to limit the size of text you quote in your
       message, to help limit the size (and thus cost to other
       people) of your message.













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~W~IFILES - THE PROGRAMS AND INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON BBSES~N


               BBSes also have files available for you to use. Among
       the files you'll find on BBSes are top-quality application
       programs, utilities, games, specialty programs, informative text
       files, image files and much much more. Usually programs will
       appear on BBSes around the world only days or weeks after they
       are released by their authors. BBSes are truly a very powerful
       way for you to share files with other users.

               The first thing that you should be aware is that all of
       the files on BBSes are ~Hpublic-domain or shareware files~N that
       can legally be distributed in this manner (for example, you
       could not share a copy of Windows on a BBS). Public-domain, or
       "freeware" files are ones that you can use free of charge.
       "Shareware" files are ones that you can freely distribute, but


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       must pay for if you wish to use them. Another issue that may be
       of some concern to you - but really need not be - is that of the
       possibility of having your computer invaded by a computer virus.
       In all of the time that I have been running a bulletin board
       system, I have never come across a single virus. So long as you
       only get your files from reliable sources, you shouldn't have any
       difficulty! (If you're still nervous, there are several virus
       detection programs available on many BBSes)

               Files on BBSes are stored in archive files, such as ~H.ZIP
       files, .ARJ files or .LZH files.~N These are individual files that
       you can transfer to and from the BBS, which can contain one or
       more separate files in a compressed format. The use of archived
       files on BBSes allows you to deal with a single package, even
       though the program actually consists of many separate files. The
       archived files are also "compressed" to save space on the BBSes,
       and decrease the amount of time required to transfer the file. In
       order to extract the files contained within a single archive, you


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       must obtain the file decompression utility for the particular
       file format you are dealing with. For example, if a file ends
       in the extension:

                      ~W~I.ZIP, you will need the utility "PKZIP"
                      .LZH, you will need the utility "LHA"
                      .ARJ, you will need the utility "ARJ".~N

       Each of these utilities are available on many BBSes. You may also
       obtain a copy of some key files that you will need to get
       started from the menu of choices in this program.

               So, how do you transfer these files to and from your
       computer and the BBS? When you are receiving a file from the BBS
       (known as `Downloading'), or when you are sending a file to the BBS
       (known as `Uploading'), the same basic procedure applies. Files
       are transferred using a "file transfer protocol" such as Xmodem,
       Ymodem, or Zmodem. When you are either uploading or downloading a



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       file, you must select the same file transfer protocol on both
       the BBS and your terminal program. If ~HZmodem~N is available on
       both, you will probably want to use it as it is generally
       considered to be superior to the others. The next in order of
       preference is ~HYmodem.~N ~HXmodem is SLOW and least desirable~N but
       almost always available. When you wish to either upload or
       download a file, you must tell both the BBS and your terminal
       program that you want to do so, and then enter the protocol
       and filename to transfer.




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~W~IDOORS, ONLINE GAMES AND THE LIKE~N


               Many of the features available on BBSes, such as online
       games, multi-user chat facilities, reading periodical and
       publications online, on-line shopping and more are accessed
       through what are known as ~h"doors"~N. Technically, a door is simply
       a separate program to which the BBS system will transfer control.
       This is to provide many different online applications (in fact,
       BID - the application you are using right now - is a door
       itself).

               One of the most common sorts of doors are on-line games.
       These games can be a lot more exciting and dynamic than
       conventional games, as you are often playing with many other
       players who are real people. Typically, each time you play one of
       these games you are allotted a certain number of "turns". Then

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       between each time you play the game, other players are able to
       enter the game, play their turns. You should be aware that
       various online games can differ considerably, and only some
       of them use this individual "turn" style. On-line games will
       often make use of ~HANSI~N graphics. This is to provide color and
       animation for graphs, charts, and other items of interest.

               Another very popular feature on some multi-line BBSes is
       multi-user chatting.  Multi-node chatting, which is commonly
       accessed through a door, provides you with an exciting method of
       communicating with other BBS users. Unlike messages, multi-node
       chatting allows you to carry on a conversation with one or more
       other individuals in real time - the user sees what you are
       typing as you type it!  We are a ~Hsingle-node~N board here, though.
       The only one you can chat with on-line is the SysOp.


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~W~IMORE OF WHAT BBSES ARE ALL ABOUT~N

  ~CWhere Did BBSes Come From?~N


                My idea here isn't to bore you with a bunch of useless
         trivia  you could probably care less about, but to give you a
         glimpse of how the BBS world has evolved.  The first  BBSes
         ran  on  computers  with  double  floppy drives, 300 baud
         modems and seldom more than 64K of memory. Those first
         boards look little like the  giant  boards  of today, with
         megabytes and megabytes of disk storage, high-speed modems
         and often some  of the  most  complex software in existance.
         However, one thing has remained the same through the ten
         years  in  which  BBSes have  prospered. This is the  spirit
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                While modern BBSes  often have  hundreds  or  even
         thousands  of  files  available  for download, on-line games,
         international  message  `echos'  and more, the original ideas
         behind BBSing have never changed.

                As  BBSes  first  started to pop up in the early 80's,
         they seldom offered little more than "message"  bases.
         People could chat with one another, carrying on conversations
         that  often last weeks or months. BBSes were places  where
         computer  users from all over could meet and talk about  both
         computer  and  non-computer  related topics. Since then, they
         have evolved  to  also  allow  these  people  to  play  games
         together,  share  public-domain and shareware files, and much
         much more.  There are now some boards appearing that are
         trying to make money by offering large collections of files.
         However, BBSing still remains largely a hobbyist's venture.
         Even those few boards that do charge a membership seldom make
         any profit.

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       ~CBehind the Scenes~N


                What  makes  this  all work?  You, of course!  The BBS
         world could not survive without all the wonderful people  who
         work  together  to  keep their hobby alive.  If users did not
         participate on BBSes,  they  would  simply  cease  to  exist.
         BBSing  is a hobby for both the people who use them and the
         people who run them alike. The SYStem OPerators,  or  SysOps,
         almost  always  put  a  lot  of  time,  effort and money into
         maintaining their boards.  They do this because they enjoy
         it.  Generally  speaking, all that most SysOps want in return
         for running the BBS is for the users  to contribute to  and
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       ~CWhere We're Going~N


                Since  my  first  section  was entitled "Where we came
         from", it seems rather  appropriate  that  the  last  one  be
         called  "Where  we're  going".  In  the last couple of years,
         BBSes have really began to take off.  However they have also
         been experiencing  some of their greatest threats. While
         there are more and more users getting involved  these  days,
         there  is also  more of a tendency for people to try to  get
         the  most out  of  BBSes  without  contributing to them. But
         if things keep up the way they have been going, BBSes  will
         be  around for quite some time yet!

                Obviously this program has not covered everything you
         could ever want to know about BBSes. But it should  help  you
         to  get  off  on  the  right foot by "setting the stage" and
         hopefully  you  too  will come to enjoy this hobby as much as
         the rest of us do ourselves!   ~W~IWelcome to THE BBS WORLD!~N


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~W~IHOW DO I GET MORE HELP?~N


               BBSes usually have some sort of on-line help system
       that will instruct you in the commands and procedures to
       accomplish various things on the BBS. If at any time you are
       experiencing difficulty with some feature on the BBS, you will
       likely find that referring to this online help will answer your
       questions. However, if after consulting the instructions, online
       help, etc., you are unable to solve your problem, don't hesitate
       to contact the sysop. He/She will usually be able to answer any
       questions you have, and after all, that's what they're there for!




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