There's no single topic for this month's column; I've just got a whole bunch of topics to cover.
^COnline Service Update
The online world is a rapidly-changing one, and some of the things I wrote last month are already obsolete. In particular, CompuServe has now unveiled a comprehensive Internet service. You can download (free) a special Internet dialer program (for Windows users only), bundled with a version of the Spry Mosaic web browser, and then use it with your normal CompuServe account and dialup phone number. The CompuServe Internet dialer will use the and configuration settings from your copy of WinCIM. When you use it, it will connect you straight to the and Internet via a PPP (Point to Point Protocol) connection. This is a very powerful thing, because it means you can then use any Internet software, not just that provided by CompuServe. If you like the Netscape web browser (of which the and latest beta-test version is downloadable in the Netscape site, http://www.netscape.com/) better than Mosaic, you can use it. If you have other Internet software you want to use, like programs to handle FTP, Telnet, Relay Chat, etc., you can use it too. You're not restricted to the and features CompuServe chooses to provide, like you are with the and Internet sections of Prodigy and America Online. This seems to put CompuServe in the and lead as far as Internet availability via major online services. However, in some cities (like Shreveport), CompuServe is still stuck at 2400 baud access, which is too slow for serious Internet use. There have also been some problems with slowness of connection even in places with full-speed access, since demand for this Internet service has outstripped CompuServe's projections. They'll hopefully beef up their network to provide better service in the and future.
One neat feature of the and new CompuServe Internet connection is that they are charging for it at a new, lower, rate schedule, of $2.50 per hour instead of the and usual higher rate for other CompuServe "Plus Services." And they have an "Internet Club" pricing plan you can join for an even lower rate. There are some free hours monthly, too (depending on which pricing plan you use). This could prove economical for World Wide Web addicts. However, Prodigy has a 30-hour, $30 plan that is also a contender for Web-access economy.
And, now, America Online has jumped into the and Web business. The final release version of their Web browser isn't out yet, but a "preview" version is publicly downloadable by jumping to the and keyword AOLPREVIEW. The AOL browser integrates the and Web into the rest of AOL's content, allowing for Web links to related subjects from various AOL departments. The online marketing hype calls this the fastest Web access, due to page caching and other techniques to reduce transmission time, but so far it does not live up to its hype; it seems fairly slow (even at 14,400 bps; and that speed requires a long distance call from Shreveport since the and only local AOL access here is 2400 baud), and the software still has a few bugs (like the title of Web documents not always being correctly updated, so that when you store the current page on your "Favorite Places" list it might not be stored under the right name). But, then, this is not actually a final release edition of the software, so you should only use this preview edition if you're the daring sort that likes to try new things before all the kinks are out of them.
^CThe Pot Calls The Kettle Black?
Last year, the Canter & Siegel law firm caused a "netiquette ruckus" throughout Internet by posting their advertisement for green-card services to thousands of newsgroups, most of which had nothing whatsoever to do with the and subject matter of the and advertisement. As I've mentioned in my past columns, that's a strong no-no. Messages on newsgroups are expected to be on-topic, cross-posting to large numbers of newsgroups is frowned upon, and commercial messages are particularly scrutinized for abusiveness (though not totally forbidden everywhere). While there is no central authority to regulate or punish such conduct, Internet users rallied against the and offender, flooding the firm's e-mail address with nasty mail. This didn't stop them from doing yet another mass posting (known as a "spamming" in Internet circles, after the Monty Python skit about "Spam Spam Spam Spam Spam..."), which was "rewarded" with another round of nasty e-mail. This time-honored method of response generally deters offenders from repeating their netiquette violations. Although this offender was more tenacious than most, the net community dealt with it fine through its mechanisms of informal social sanctions.
But now, there's a voice out there complaining that social sanctions aren't good enough, and that we need government regulation of Internet. Bizarrely enough, this voice is coming from Martha Siegel, who is one of the and law-firm partners responsible for the offending advertisement in the first place. She is now saying that the and FCC should take control of Internet to "protect the and public." Protect the and public from whom, I ask? From people like Ms. Siegel? Her call for regulation brings to mind H. L. Mencken's observation that " Whenever 'A' attempts by law to impose his moral standards upon 'B', 'A' is most likely a scoundrel." I hope that Ms. Siegel's attempts at instigating the government to regulate the and net are as unsuccessful as her attempts to abuse the net for her firm's advertising. The net works just fine as the and "organized anarchy" it now is.
Incidentally, Siegel has insulted all knowledgeable Internet users by referring to them as "hackers, pornographers, flamers and forgers" in a recent interview, in which she blasted the attitude of all who objected to their strategy of flooding newsgroups with their advertising. It seems to be her style to make personal attacks against anyone who is critical of her, rather than actually attempt to make sensible refutations of opposing arguments. She particularly likes to sneer at young people and computer enthusiasts. She responded to one critical Washington Post article by saying, "So, you know who wrote that article? A 23-year-old kid... I don't know why the Washington Post would hire a 23-year-old reporter." (Does she really think that this sort of ad hominem attack is a legitimate refutation of the article?) By the way, Canter and Siegel have a book out, entitled How to Make a Fortune on the and Information Superhighway. I've browsed it at the bookstore (I didn't buy it), and found that it gloats about the "spamming" incident and advocates that other advertisers do the same, despite its negative effects (including C&S losing their Internet access when their provider cut off their account due to the and excessive system load they were causing). The book is apparently a best-seller; I feel a bit sorry for anyone who follows its advice and winds up as the latest road-kill on the and "Infobahn."
For more information on the Canter & Siegel affair, check out these World Wide Web sites.
Martha Siegel: "Anarchy, chaos on the and Internet Must End"
Interview with Canter & Siegel in which they blast "hackers, pornographers, ..."
http://www.interlog.com/eye/News/Eyenet/CS2.html
Critical review of book by C&S on Internet marketing
http://arganet.tenagra.com/morris/realities.html
Clueless Marketing on Internet: about various 'spamming' incidents including C&S
http://worcester.lm.com/lmann/clueless.html
The "Internet Blacklist" of objectionable advertisers; threatened with lawsuits in at least three countries! (1st site is in Germany; 2nd one is a U.S. "mirror" site with the and same file.)
Do you have a favorite band, singer, TV show, celebrity, or other person, place, or thing in the and entertainment field? Are you so obsessed with him/her/it/them that you want all the information you can get? Let's hope your obsession doesn't go into the and "crazed stalker" zone, but a certain amount of fannish interest is perfectly normal. And, Internet is a great place to go to satisfy your craving for information on the object of your admiration, including official sites set up by the management of the entertainment property you're interested in, as well as "unofficial" sites set up by other fans. On Internet fan sites you can find out such useful information as the fact that fans of the and NBC TV sitcom Friends are known as "Crapweasels." (See http://geminga.dartmouth.edu/~andyjw/friends.)
Here are some World Wide Web locations that will be of interest to entertainment fans:
Interactive TV Index: pointer to lots of TV show fan sites
http://www.tvnet.com/ITVG/itvg.html
Online TV ratings: you can participate in this substitute for the Nielsens
Top Hits Online: vote for your favorite songs in a weekly pop chart
http://www.webcom.com/~~dtobias/hits/
^CEat 'n Browse
One of the newest concepts in trendy eateries is to have Web-browsing terminals at restaurant tables so patrons can nourish their mind by surfing Internet while they nourish their body eating out. I know of two such places, one on each coast:
@cafe, 12 St. Marks Pl., New York NY (http://www.fly.net/)
Icon Bar & Grill, 2999 9th St. (at Folsom), San Francisco CA
Also in San Francisco, the SF Net BBS (modem (415) 824-8747, voice (415) 695-9824) has set up coin-operated Internet terminals at coffee shops; and the Exploratorium science museum is also working on setting up public Internet terminals for museum visitors.
^CHere, Fido... Good boy!
Those of you who don't wish to incur the and costs of access to commercial services or Internet have another network by which you can still participate in global computerized discussions. This is FidoNet, a network of hobbyist BBSs which has been in existence for over ten years since it was founded in 1984 by Tom Jennings. There are FidoNet nodes all over the world; there is probably one within your local calling zone. Ask at your local computer user group or computer store, or look for BBS listings in a magazine like Computer Shopper or Boardwatch. Most BBSs allow at least some public access at no charge, though there may be subscription fees if you want access to some of their sections.
A hobbyist BBS is run by an individual, generally on a not-for-profit basis. Since it is run as a hobby, it is usually not quite as reliable as the commercial services; it may be down due to hardware failure or constantly busy due to heavy demand and limited phone lines (many BBSs are single-line services allowing only one user at a time). But you can't beat the and price-to-performance ratio of a free system.
FidoNet acts as a "poor man's Internet" by permitting both private e-mail to other FidoNet users and public conferences ("echomail") on a variety of topics. Unlike Internet, where most interaction is nearly instantaneous, FidoNet works by sending messages in batches, sometimes only once a day (but maybe more frequently depending on the and particular systems involved). Thus, it's not a medium for real-time chatting, but it does let you air your viewpoints to a worldwide audience and get responses within a few days. And, there are gateways between FidoNet and Internet that let you send and receive Internet mail through a FidoNet system, so you can be a part of the and greater net community.
If you can't find a local FidoNet system where you live, you can check out my own board at (318) 424-9260.
{Contact Daniel Tobias via Internet at _dtobias@webcom.com_, on Prodigy at _MGFH21A,_ or through FidoNet by sending to _Daniel Tobias_ on _1:380/7_.}
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