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================================================================= The $ R / O R E A D O N L Y -=( November 1986 Issue )=- The monthly news magazine of the Tampa Bay Kaypro User's Group and the DataCOM Super Systems(tm) ================================================================= News and reviews of programs, hardware, and peripherals for users of microcomputers with CP/M, MP/M, MS-DOS, PC-DOS, or TurboDOS multi-user operating system. ================================================================= Steven L. Sanders - Editor (Sysop) ================================================================= The DataCOM Super Systems(tm) is a "state of the art" multi-user remote database with 115mb of files online. An annual fee of $35.00 is required for access, an application may be downloaded by calling (813) 791-1454 at 300/1200/2400 baud, (813) 796-5627 at 1200 or 2400 baud, or send a SASE along with your request to: TBKUG / DataCOM Super Systems(tm) 2643 Cedar View Court Clearwater, FL 33519 -==( DISCLAIMER )==- Articles and reviews of microcomputers, hardware, software, and other peripherals reflect currently advertised prices as released by the distributors and are included here for YOUR INFORMATION ONLY. The TBKUG/DataCOM Super Systems(tm) is NOT being paid to advertise these products and we cannot be held accountable for the actual retail price and/or performance of said products. ================================================================= -={ WHATSNEW - New Files }=- [MS/PC-DOS] QMODEM23.ARC The latest version (2.3) of QMODEM, one of the premier shareware modem programs for DOS. QMODEM supports every known transfer protocol, has nice pop-up (and moveable) window displays, settable colors, script language, and the list goes on and on. If you've never heard of QMODEM, you should! PCOPY5.ARC PCOPY is a DOS command utility used to copy files between disks and directories on disks. In addition to just copying files, PCOPY also allows selection criteria to be specified to better qualify the files to be copied. PCOPY provides a safer way to copy files than is provided by the DOS COPY command. It warns you if a file is about to be overlayed and lets you have complete control over the copy operation. VCRDBASE.ARC is a program used by a person who needs an easy and structured way of keeping track of all the movies he or she has. VCRDBASE is quite unique in that it uses a Linked List data structure for record management and sorting. In this data structure, the Header file, HEADER.DAT, contains the record number of the first alphabetical movie. That movie (the first alphabetical) contains a forward link and a backward link. The forward link contains the record number of the next alphabetical movie and the backward link contains the record number of the preceding record. GT1012-1.ARC, GT1012-2.ARC, & GT1012-3.ARC - GT Power Comm v10.12 GT is a very nice IBM-PC modem program with all the features we've come to expect; pop-up help windows, settable colors, all standard file transfer protocols including YMODEM. Super-nice review buffer, complete script file language for auto-logon files and auto-download sessions. GT is right up there with Procomm and Qmodem, I use em all! However, all these rapid-fire updates tend to wear us collectors out. GT and ProComm have been getting updated every three weeks lately which makes for great confusion as to which is current, etc... DP12.ARC DataPath is used to specify directories, other than the current one, to be searched by executing programs, in the event that a file that needs to be read cannot be found in the current directory. DataPath requires 2162 bytes of disk space (5 512-byte sectors). It becomes memory resident the first time it is run and increases the size of the operating system by 1440 bytes. It will run on any computer using the MS-DOS or PC-DOS operating systems version 2.0 or higher. HOTDOS2.ARC HOT-DOS is a small but powerful program that, with the press of the CTRL-SHIFT -- LEFT-SHIFT combination, allows any currently executing program to be temporarily suspended so that a second copy of COMMAND.COM can be loaded and run in the background (the aptly named HOT-DOS partition.) MPLANNER.ARC MANAGER'S PLANNER vers 1.00 is designed to help you plan your workday for maximum effectiveness. It maintains your schedule, organizes your daily tasks, and gives you the tools to keep your mind on the high priority activities which really deserve your attention. With MP, you can put your promises and future obligations out of your thoughts until you are ready for them, and still never forget. Run MP once a day, either at the end of your workday or first thing in the morning. At the end of your session, MP will print out a plan for your workday. TELIX110.ARC Excellent communication program v1.10 Very fast & Clean I must admit that I've sort of snuck this one on the system for the moment by using the date of release of the file rather than today's date. I'll cahnge that later after I've had a chance to really put this new version of Telix through its paces. PCGAZ108.ARC PC-Gazette magazine 10/86 edition. A very inter- esting graphic-oriented monthly magazine with programming tips for Turbo Pascal and 'C' programmers. Some very nice graphic displays as well. Seems to be getting better than some of the earlier issues. MASTRKEY.ARC The search for a shareware program that unerases on large hard disks formatted with DOS 3.x is over. This one works, and it's easy to use and has many other powerful capabilities as well. Master Key is a utility that gives you full access to your MS-DOS disks. It is a collection of features bundled into one easy to use program. It is a disk editor, a file editor, a file manipulator, and more. It gives you the ability to work with individual files or the disk as a whole and lets you perform operations that DOS usually isn't able to provide. Generally, it lets you manipulate everything on your disks easily and with very few restrictions. PRCM242A.ARC This is a minor update to ProComm 2.4 that 99% of the users would never notice, a very obscure bug was fixed, see PRCM242.NEW file. For those of you who have already downloaded the PRCM24A, PRCM24B, and PRCM24C archives, you only need the PRCM242A.ARC for the new EXE file. Anyone upgrading from v2.3 needs all three archives plus notice that there have been major changes in the syntax for script files. IR164F.ARC Instant Recall was designed for the busy person who has many ideas and doesn't know where to store them. The business executive. The writer. The personnel administrator. It was designed to replace awkward filing cabinets and restrictive database systems with an instant cross- referencing system that lets you store bits and pieces and retrieve them together so you can turn them into a coherent whole . And it lets you cut and paste information from Instant Recall's records right into another document without exiting from either program. PATCH1.ARC The hottest tool for getting into and fiddling with the nitty- gritty of any kind of file, or just taking a good look at it. It is called PATCH, and it's a "byte editor". What that means is that you see a HEX/ASCII display screen (it kinda' looks like "dump" in DEBUG) of your file, and can move around in it with your standard cursor movement keys, making changes it it in either HEX or ASCII. For futzing with binary files, PATCH is to DEBUG as WordStar is to EDLIN. It is a "full screen" byte editor. CAMERA.ARC CAMERA will remain resident in memory and reduce your available memory by 1552 bytes (not much). The program is invoked by pressing Alt PrtSc which will take the contents of the graphics screen buffer and save it in a file, the contents of the mode and color registers will also be saved so that the image will be displayed with the settings in effect when its picture was taken. If the image on the display screen is a graphic image it will be stored in a compressed mode. Text screens will be saved "as is", in other words a 40x25 screen will use 2048 bytes of storage and an 80x25 screen will use 409 bytes. ROS-PC35.ARC Remote Operating System (ROS) v3.5 by Steve Fox. This is the new DOS version of a very fine RBBS system that was originally written and developed for CP/M computers. Program written entirely in Borland's Turbo Pascal and distributed as ready-to-run compiled programs. Very easy to install for part- time Sysops or anyone who wants a very secure full-featured RBBS system. ROS even allows access to LBR and ARC files from the Files menu system. XMODEM CRC and YMODEM transfers are fully supported as well as ASCII with XON/XOFF protocol. -={ 720k Capacity Floppies with DOS 3.2 }=- by Dave Whittle The following procedure will format a double-sided, double- density diskette to allow 720KB of storage on one disk using a 1.2MB drive and DOS 3.2. 1) Change your CONFIG.SYS file to include the line: DEVICE=DRIVER.SYS /D:0 assuming the file DRIVER.SYS from DOS 3.2 is in the root directory and drive D: is the next available logical disk, i.e. that you have one fixed disk but no ramdisk or external drives. Alternatively, if your DOS files are in a subdirectory named C:\DOS, and if you have a ramdisk and an extra fixed disk, then drive F: would be your next logical drive and the command line to include in your CONFIG.SYS file would be: DEVICE=C:\DOS\DRIVER.SYS /F:0 The rest of the steps will assume your next logical drive is D:. 2) Reboot using DOS 3.2. 3) Insert a DS/DD diskette in the High Density drive. 4) Make sure you can access drive D: by issuing the command DIR D: from the DOS prompt, making sure the light on the High Density drive comes on. If the wrong drive or no drive lights up, D: is not your next logical drive. Try E: or whatever. 5) Respond with 'Abort' to the time-out query if the diskette is not already formatted. 6) Issue the command FORMAT D: 7) After the drive starts formatting, press Ctrl-Break to abort. 8) Issue the command DEBUG from the DOS prompt. 9) From the DEBUG - prompt, press E 40:90 <Enter>. 10) Press 57 <Enter> to change the byte from 15 or 74 or whatever. 11) Press Q <Enter>. 12) Again issue the FORMAT D: command, but this time let it go to completion. 13) Answer N to the question about formatting another. You have to go through steps 6-12 for each diskette. 14) Optionally, you can remove the DEVICE= command from your CONFIG.SYS file, or leave it in if you have memory to burn and think you might want to format 720K diskettes often. 15) If you get brave, experiment with skipping the first FORMAT D: and Ctrl-Break commands. That's it! The DS/DD diskette is now formatted to hold 720KB. Obviously, you can't hurt your drives, but you may want to exercise caution with the kinds of data you entrust to the newly formatted diskettes. -={ Tough New Computer Crime Bill Passed }=- by Wayne Rash Senate Passes Computer Crime Bill The US Senate last night passed unanimously the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986. The bill places penalties of up to $100,000 and/or prison terms of up to 20 years for breaking into computers used by the government or by financial institutions. The bill goes to the White House next, where a signing by Reagan is virtually assured. Under the bill, a person would be guilty of computer fraud if he or she caused the loss of $1000 or more from any computer owned or used by the government or any of its agencies or by a federally insured financial institution. The bill offers similar penalties for modifying or destroying government medical information. The bill also prohibits traffic in passwords and other information related to accessing these computers or where such use affects interstate or foreign commerce. This is an attempt by the government to give federal prosecutors a way to crack down on pirate bulletin boards and similar operations since virtually all large business computers, networks such as Tymnet, and services such as BIX are considered interstate commerce. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Paul Trible (R-VA) and was passed by the US House of Represent- atives in identical form earlier this year. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, passed by the full Senate on October 1, makes some sweeping changes in how the federal government can deal with activities it considers to be criminal. For the first time, it will be illegal to simply use computer time on a government computer if you're not supposed to be there, even if you don't change or copy data. This is also the first time it will be a violation of federal law to access computers owned or used by financial institutions or medical facilities. While it is unclear just how far the prohibition of this access will go, it will serve to put a new weapon in the hands of federal prosecutors in their battles against computer criminals. One of the most significant changes is in the way the government determines if it has suffered loss. Previously, the government had to prove that the data itself suffered significant losses before fraud could be shown. With the passage of this bill, all the government has to prove is that any combination of losses adds up to $1000 before a person falls under the provisions of this bill. These losses can be counted in a variety of ways, including actual costs to replace data or to reprogram. They also include the cost of computer time, the cost of the network to reach the computer, as well as the costs involved with making the port unavailable to others. These costs can be combined from one incident or the combination of many incidents over a period of time. To be guilty of computer fraud or abuse, the person only needs to be performing the act intentionally and without authorization. The bill also provides for people who are authorized to use a specific computer but exceed the level of authorization they are permitted. This is the first time a federal computer crime statute has included federally insured financial institutions. This relates to banks, savings and loans organizations, credit unions, and the like. As in the case of government computers, the bill covers computers owned or used by these institutions. It is unclear whether this would include credit bureau computers that are accessed directly by banks. Any combination of losses must exceed $1000 for a case to fall under the provisions of this bill. Cases involving the breaking into of medical computers don't have the $1000 threshold. In those cases, any change that modifies or impairs medical diagnoses or treatment records would cause the person doing so without authorization to be dealt with according to the provisions of the bill. In what might put a crimp on pirate bulletin boards, the bill prohibits traffic in passwords or other similar information needed for computer access. A bulletin board operator would have to do this knowingly and intentionally, which would protect operators in those circumstances where a message containing this information was posted without the operator's permission or knowledge. The bill prohibits traffic in passwords or similar access information for any computer engaged in interstate or foreign commerce. In the hearings on the bill, it was the obvious intent of the drafters that this provision would include services such as Tymnet and Telenet and systems such as BIX, CompuServe, and the Source. The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, S.2281, was sponsored by Senator Paul Trible (R-VA) and was passed unanimously by the Senate. If signed into law by the President, the bill will amend title 18 of the United States Code. -={ TROJAN PROGRAM ALERT }=- The following has been posted on GEnie, "General Electric Network for Information Exchange," IBM Roundtable BBS special alert notice. Seems SOFTGUARD may be distributing a TROJAN "unprotect" program to erase disks and bolster their "shrinking" copy protection business. 86Sep19 02:15pm from Andy Meyer 86Sep18 02:46pm from Ted Mozer @ Brick **** DANGER !!!! Data Destroying Program !!! The File called SUG.ARC (or SUG.COM) is purported to be an unprotect for Softgard. It is, in reality, a real Worm of the worst magnitude! This little Gem will ask you to put your ORIGINAL Softgard protected disk in the drive, and then BAM!! it displays this message: "You have violated the license agreement under which you received the software. All your data has been destroyed. This destruction constitutes prima facia evidence of your criminal violation. If you attempt to challenge Softguard Systems, Inc. or the software vendor in court, you will be vigorously counter-sued for infringement and theft of services; we believe that our case will have more merit to it than yours. If you have any questions con- cerning this matter, you are invited to contact our lawyers at the following address: Softguard Systems Incorporated [address and telephone number given]. We'll be happy to explain to you the precarious legal position you're in. We wish you good luck in restoring your software from backups and we hope that in the future you'll act more like an honest user and less like a thief. Happy Computing." ... AND IT IS SERIOUS!! It will look for drives A: & B: and, get this, a Drive C: or better!! In other words, it will wipe out the FAT on your hard disk too, just to "teach you a lesson". Attorneys are presently looking into what can be done to stick this up the lower abdominal region of the person or persons responsible for its existence. .. IF YOU HAVE IT, GET RID OF IT !!! // Interesting? Here's one from the the Atlanta PC User's Group BBS, home of the Lone Victor: Date: 09-03-86 (17:14) Number: 3265 To: LONE VICTOR Refer#: NONE From: BILL MOSS Recv'd: YES Subj: SUG.ARC Sec'ty: PUBLIC MESSAGE Please take a look at SUG.ARC which purports to unprotect Softguard, but destroys the diskette by erasing all files but not the FAT. It appears to be in retaliation for your work. More than ever we need your help with SOFTGUARD 3.00. The lecture that goes along with SUG.ARC is too much!!! Assuming that Sofguard really did create this file, I have the following comments. First, Softguard's battle (battle? you might prefer to call it terrorism) against protection busters is almost moot, for most major software publishers have dropped the idea of copy- protection altogether. Perhaps this very fact has put Softguard's management in a mood bad enough to lash out thus. Second, Softguard's legal position seems quite shakey to me. Last year Vault corporation announced a software protection scheme that would, if it detected a fradulent effort to copy the software, make "Vietnam look like a birthday party" (or some such thing) by planting a worm that would slowly but surely destroy the user's files. When Vault announced its worm-based copy- protection scheme, many knowledgeable people expressed the opinion that Vault was likely to be liable for damages if people lost valuable data because of the scheme. What Softguard seems to be doing is definitely more vicious. Add together a probably unenforcible license agreement (to which Softguard isn't even a party as far as the user is concerned) and clear evidence of a vicious attempt to destroy the user's data, and you have a pretty good case against SUG.ARC's creator. In fact, you could very easily create a test case by (a) taking a legally-purchased copy of Softguard-protected software; (b) unpacking it without ever reading the "license agreement" in a state other than the handful (such as Lousiana and Illinois) that attempt to make such agreements enforcible; (c) having some valuable software on your hard disk, (d) "accidentally" destroying any backup copy already provided, and (e) trying to make a backup copy of the original with the help of SUG.ARC. It would be interesting to see what would happen if you then sued Softguard for damages. Interesting, but not very surprising. I think therefore that the Softguard folks (if SUG.ARC did indeed originate from them) are relying on the individual not having the financial resources to sue them or to withstand a long legal battle if they sue him. It's therefore a strategy of intimidation. (As an aside: That such a strategy of intimidation could be a viable one demonstrates a major flaw in this legal system. Justice costs a lot, sometimes so much that one can't afford it. There are several reasons for this, all avoidable, but none appropriate for discussion in this RT or under this topic.) How do users fight back? Perhaps we won't have to. It may be enough that the presence of this dangerous file be made widely known. Possibly as a result of the public outcry that followed its announcement of the worm scheme, Vault went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy -- poetic justice, I think. This left Softguard with a near-monopoly on the software protection business in the IBM PC world. If the SUG.ARC file is indeed Softguard's creation, then it seems to me they are following Vault down the Yellow Brick Road (or is it the garden path?) -- and I look forward to more poetic justice when the public outcry occurs again. Until next month - happy computing! Steve Sanders - Editor. {eof}