Cream of the Crop 11/Cream of the Crop 11-1.iso/comm/mbtc9602.zip/MBTC-FAQ.TXT

Text File | 1996-01-16 | 17KB | 397 lines

Mark Baum's Tagline Collection FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated 1/16/96 (c) Mark Baum

Contents of this FAQ:
* - Indicates New or Updated information

     [0] - About the FAQ:
          [0.1]* Latest changes & additions
          [0.2]* The scope of this FAQ

     [1] - About Mark Baum's Tagline Collection:
          [1.1]* What is the MBTC?
          [1.2]* Tagline order
          [1.3]* Tagline screening
          [1.4]* Tagline sources

     [2] - About the tagline acquisition/compilation tools:
          [2.1]* The MBTC archive generator
          [2.2]* Other utilities used.
          [2.3]  Companion programs
               [2.3.1]  OLXTAGS.BAS
          [2.4]* Future projects

     [3] - Distribution notes:
          [3.1]  Contents of the MBTC archive
          [3.2]* Distribution sites
          [3.3]* Contacting the Collector

     [4] - Flotsam & jetsam:
          [4.1]* Recommended programs
               [4.1.1]* QuikSort
               [4.1.2]* Tag-X Pro
               [4.1.3]* Norton Editor
          [4.2]* Special thanks


[0] - About This FAQ

[0.1]* Latest changes & additions.

     Due to the rushed release of the debut tagline collection (MBTC9601.ZIP)
I have found ample time to polish up some of the many inconsistencies which
may have plagued the previous release.

     The previous MBTC-FAQ.TXT (from now on, all references to this file will
be referred to as FAQ) was hastily assembled with no clear order whatsoever
due to last minute bugs in the MBTC Generator (see [2.1]).  It was basically
a "down to Earth" Q&A file.  However I've changed that.  There is now a table
of contents which will allow you to quickly find information pertaining to a
specific topic.  As well, by simply glancing at the table of contents you'll
quickly find which parts were updated and which were not.

     Speaking of updated information, I have greatly expanded the scope of
this FAQ as well as expanded (or, in this case, expounded on) several topics.
So this FAQ will be approximately 2.5 times larger than the FAQ included with
the debut release of the MBTC.  So most of the information in this FAQ has
been updated accordingly.

     Also, the previous release of the FAQ was composed in record time using
Norton Editor instead of a word processor.  This meant that the previous FAQ
may have been plagued by spelling mistakes or other formatting errors.  All
of this means the FAQ will have a more professional appearance.




     I hope you enjoy reading this "new and improved" FAQ as much as I have
in writing it.  Hopefully it will answer some of the questions you may have
regarding my Tagline Collection.

[0.2]* The Scope of this FAQ

     This FAQ will cover any questions you may have about the MBTC.  Also, I
set aside some space in the FAQ to cover my recommendations for the best
software I ever used in my tagline collection activities.

     Questions about running BASIC, A86, Norton Editor, QuikSort, Tag-X Pro
and other programs which are not shipped with the MBTC are beyond the scope
of this FAQ.


[1] - About Mark Baum's Tagline Collection

[1.1]* What is the MBTC?

     Mark Baum's Tagline Collection (this will be referred to as MBTC for the
remainder of this FAQ) is a collection of taglines for use with offline mail
readers.  It is published monthly featuring the best taglines which I may
have run across.

     Unlike many other tagline lists out there this list presents the
taglines in a unique fashion.  Instead of being sorted I've gone out of my
way to randomize the order (refer to [1.2]) as well as filter out most
"risque" taglines and duplicates (see [1.3]).  This gives this file a unique
look and feel as well as instilling the user who obtains it with the full
knowledge that he is getting a quality tagline list which won't get him/her
booted off of a network.

[1.2]* Tagline order

     This tagline file has not been sorted.  That doesn't mean that the
taglines contained within the MBTC are in the order they were submitted.
I've gone out of my way to do something completely different to this Tagline
Collection.

     All tagline files which I have seen released are always sorted.  So
instead of me sorting the file after it had most of the duplicate and
possibly vulgar taglines removed I created a small subprogram which will go
through the file and "shuffle" the taglines one by one until anarchy
resulted.

     As an unforeseen benefit, if you decided to use the MBTC as your main
tagline file and want a completely random tagline appended to the end of your
message, just change your tagline function to sequential mode.  This ensures
that you won't get the occasional duplicate tagline which happens with some
offline mail readers' "Random Tagline" functions.

[1.3]* Tagline screening.

     As this collection grows in size the possibility of near-duplicates
being found increases.  Also I do my best to screen out any vulgar taglines
where possible...but I won't say that 100% of such taglines have been
removed.

     This tagline collection is scrutinized by a program I've written to help
clean up the file by removing such taglines where possible and it is always
in a constant state of improvement (see [2.1]).  Yes, all exact and some
near-duplicate taglines are removed and most but not all vulgar taglines are
removed.



     All submitted taglines get screened and/or modified to "standardize" the
Collection.  This involves standardizing display codes (ex: converting
pseudo-ANSI strings to real ANSI strings), removal of tagline manager
specific codes (ex: the leading "... " strings) as well as filter out any
duplicate or "network offensive" taglines.

     Fortunately, the only human intervention on my part is to simply prepare
any newly-acquired taglines for importing into the master list of taglines
and to run the software which handles all of this dirty work before uploading
the resulting archive to the BBSes I call (see [3.2]).

[1.4]* Tagline sources

     Most of the taglines in this Collection have been routinely stolen from
various BBSes, networks and the Internet.  Some have even been submitted by
other tagline thieves who wish to further the expansion of this Collection.

     These sources include the Taglines conference on Wildnet, the Taglines
conference on FidoNet, various joke/humor conferences (networked and
otherwise), various tagline files and any taglines I can gleam from the
Internet.


[2] - About the tagline acquisition/compilation tools:

[2.1]* The MBTC archive generator

     This whole Tagline Collection archive is generated using QuickBASIC v4.5
(with some portions hand-tuned in A86) in which I wrote the software  which
handles all of the mundane aspects of its creation...and for a good reason.

     It all comes down to whether human intervention is feasible.  For
example, me sitting down and reading each individual tagline.  With the size
of this file, that task would be rather inefficient.  By using a program to
automate the process of removing such taglines it saves plenty of time on my
part and allows for each release to seem more consistent.

     But the computer isn't human.  You have to tell it exactly what to look
for.  And I mean exactly.  I don't have the time to create a context-based
tagline filtering system.  But by looking for small phrases and words which
may sound a little suggestive it can help reduce the risk.

     As for some near-duplicate tags which are different because of
misspellings I pray to the gawds to find a spell checker which doesn't
require human intervention.  I'm sure that there may be a few out there by
now so time will only tell until I implement such a program.

     As for the MBTC Generator itself I do not plan on making it available to
any individual...or the public for that matter.  It is always in a state of
flux and I'm always adding something new to it to either make it more
efficient or to just do a better job at keeping the MBTC clean.

[2.2]* Other utilities used

     In order for the duplicate removal routines to be very successful I had
to resort to using a very fast file sorting program which is indeed very
flexible but has an interface which would scare many users to death because
A) it is a DOS program and B) it has a command line parameter set which
actually REQUIRES you to read the accompanying manual.

     This program is called "QuikSort" which was designed and released as a
shareware program by a small company by the name of "Omniware" (see [4.1.1]).

     The reason that I chose to use this program is because it can sort very
quickly and can handle any proprietary database format as long as you know

how the fields are organized.  And, with the size of the temporary file
generated with the MBTC generator in the duplicate deletion phase, I didn't
have time to code anything nearly as fast or as optimized as QuikSort.

     Since the generator relies on this program during that phase, it would
be rather foolish of me to release the MBTC generator requiring such a
program.

[2.3]  Companion programs

[2.3.1]  OLXTAGS.BAS

     Included with this tagline collection is a small BASIC program which
goes through a tagline file and extracts taglines which are 57 or less
characters long from my Tagline Collection.

     To run this program load a BASIC interpreter (common ones are BASICA,
GWBASIC and QBASIC).  Load "OLXTAGS.BAS" into memory and RUN the program.

     The program will display a small file list showing what "*.LST" files
are in the current directory.  Enter in the name of the tagline file you wish
to extract the taglines from (make sure you include the ".LST" extension) and
the program will go through the file searching for the taglines and add what
it finds to "TAGLINES.OLX".  When completed it will exit to DOS.

     Be patient!  The program isn't the fastest in the world under QBASIC or
GWBASIC but it does get the job done.

     For users of SLMR, rename the newly generated TAGLINES.OLX file to
TAGLINES.MR.

[2.4]* Future projects

     Now and then during the process of maintaining the MBTC and the MBTC
generator I tend to code something which could prove to be useful to other
users or just because someone requested it.

     I plan on releasing the "tagline file randomizer" portion of code under
the guise of "Simple, HiDeOuS Tagline Randomizer" (or "SHiTR", for short) in
about a week after this Tagline Collection is released upon the world.

     Also, if I feel that the MBTC Generator is near-perfection I may just go
back to working on my other pet project known as FlexText.  It is a
collection of routines for QuickBASIC which allow for efficient and
professional-looking text-based screen handling.  So far it can draw boxes,
create windows, save portions of the screen as string variables plus some
other useful functions.  Plus, and I have tested this, because they write and
read directly from screen memory, they are much faster than the tools
QuickBASIC provides.  It even includes BIOS and Windows compatibility modes.

     You don't even want to see how much code I packed into FlexText for the
three years it has been residing on my hard drive.


[3] - Distribution notes:

[3.1]  Contents of the MBTC archive

     Here is a list of all the files which comprise the complete MBTC
archive:

     DESC.SDI     - Short BBS description of this release.
     FILE_ID.DIZ  - Long BBS description of this release.
     MBTCyymm.LST - Mark Baum's Tagline Collection (where "yy" and "mm"
                    indicates the year and month of release respectively)

     MBTC-FAQ.TXT - The FAQ file your are reading right now.
     OLXTAGS.BAS  - A small BASIC program which extracts the taglines which
                    are 57 or less characters long and creates a TAGLINES.OLX
                    file for use with SLMR or OLX.

     Any other files which aren't mentioned on this list are not officially a
part of this release.

[3.2]* Distribution sites

     You may download my latest Tagline Collection from the following BBSes:

     Metropitt BBS                [phone] 28.8k
     Software Creations BBS       [phone] 28.8k
     The Dead Leeeeeeeech Society [phone] 14.4k
     Brinkman's Hollow            [phone] 28.8k

     The magic filename is "MBTCyymm.ZIP"...where "yy" and "mm" indicates the
release year and month of the tagline file.  The latest version is always
uploaded a few days before the first of the next month to these BBSes to
allow for the new release to be downloaded and spread to other BBSes.

     Please note that I have no say as to how these BBSes operate.  If you
are a new user to any of these BBSes please make a note as to what is
required for access.  Read the rules and bulletins which these BBSes supply.

[3.3]* Contacting the Collector

     If you have any questions, comments or taglines to share, you may leave
me a private on any of the BBSes above or send Internet E-mail to
"[e-mail]".  Make sure that you have the Subject of the message
as "Taglines" so that it catches my eye.

     The previous address, "[e-mail]" will be disconnected soon
as I change Internet providers once again.  So don't send any mail to that
address or it will be bounced.

     Also, you may participate in the WildNet Taglines conference which I
have the honour of moderating.  To find the nearest BBS which offers WildNet
please call Brinkman's Hollow and download the latest WildNet nodelist.

     I will NOT accept Fido Netmail due to excessive lag time.


[4] - Flotsam & jetsam

[4.1]* Recommended programs

     This is the official "plug" section of the FAQ.  For those who are
looking for utilities that can enhance their tagline lists, I'll offer a few
suggestions.  If I run across something useful, I'll upload it to the
official MBTC distribution sites (see [3.2]).  And likewise, if you find
something useful, let me know!  I may use it and if it is truly useful I'll
devote some space for it.

[4.1.1]* QuikSort

     For those who wish to sort this Tagline Collection or any other tagline
file, I must give the nod to Omniware's QuikSort program.  This is _the_ file
sorting program to have.  It requires a minimum of 64K of memory, is
extremely fast and can sort files of UNLIMITED length.  Also, it has the
ability to sort Btrieve and dBase files.




     In fact, if you compare how fast "QuikSort" sorts this file to the sort
function in OLX, you'll swear off using OLX's tagline sort function FOREVER!
If the file is big enough, OLX will take about a few hours to sort it.

[4.1.2]* Tag-X Pro

     Also, I heard a lot of great reviews of Tag-X Pro.  I haven't used it
personally but I might as well recommend that program as well just from the
reception from the users.

[4.1.3]* Norton Editor

     For text editors I simply love Norton Editor.  It may not be as fancy as
any other text editor but it has all the features any user may need.  It too
can handle unlimited file sizes, allows customized tab stops and line
length...including word wrap, and also has a simple split-screen mode which
allows you to work on two files at once and a Spartan set of help screens.
Unfortunately, since this an OLD program, its display mode is hard-coded in
25 lines by 80 columns.

     Since this program was distributed with an old version of the Norton
Utilities I don't know whether it is now officially in the public domain or
still considered as commercial software not intended for unauthorized
duplication except for backup and/or archival purposes.  All I do know is
that it hasn't been distributed with Norton Utilities v4.5x and up.

     If you find this program, grab it immediately!  Even for an old program
it beats the pants off of Microsoft's version of EDIT, MSI's OLXED, OLX
v1.x's internal editor...or any other editor that I know of and have used
before getting hooked to Norton Editor.

[4.2]* Special Thanks

     I would like to take this opportunity to thank a few people who have
been there behind the scenes and out in front center who helped make this
small project a reality...as well as those who always have been there:

     Marlyn Bumpus & Lori Smith: The two major driving forces that helped
make the WildNet Taglines conference a reality.

     Patrick Long: The esteemed moderator of WildNet Groaners and self-
confessed tagline thief.

     Jim Powers & Jimm Crawford: Two of the best sysops I have ever met.
Thanks Jim for putting back in my place numerous times and to Jimm for
letting me "steal" his tagline file.

     Slave Pit Inc.: Mike Bonner, Dave Brockie, Mike Derks, Don Drakulich,
Bob Gorman, Ethan Isenberg, Hunter Jackson, Scott Krahl, Pete Lee, Matt
McGuire, Dave Musel, Charlie O'Donovan, Casey Orr, Brad Roberts, Danielle
Stampe & Chuck Varga.  Thanks for the photo opportunities and for doing
unspeakable things to me backstage as a form of payment for such a privilege.

[END OF FAQ]