AOL File Library: 2,801 to 2,900/aol-file-protocol-4400-2801-to-2900.zip/AOLDLs/TAWUG/TAWUG Disk No. 77 (SHK)/TAWUG77.shk/FIRST.MODEM

AppleWorks Document | 1989-01-03 | 7KB | 124 lines

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9The following account is the true story of a man and his
first modem.
=I am the kind of person who never buys anything quickly.  In >
<the case of getting a modem, I thought about it for several <
:years.  I had gotton used to my computer very nicely.  It <
:was a good friend and I could really play it well.  But a >
<modem, a modem was something utterly alien.  It wasn't just ?
=another piece of software, at least that is what I thought.  ;
9Anyway, after years of keeping the "m" in the back of my ;
9mind, I finally decided to seriously consider purchasing <
:one.  I read some articles in some magazines and got some ?
=helpful data from them.  But the best information I received <
:was from a couple of friends.  I wanted a relatively fast >
<modem (2400 baud) at a relatively inexpensive price.  After >
<doing my background search, I decided on the epic mini 2400
external modem.
8I believed that I would be able to use an extra printer <
:cable I had, because the pins on the modem cables sounded ?
=identical.  After ordering from a reputable company, why not ;
9spend a little more to insure you will be satisfied with ?
=your item and be able to return or exchange it if necessary,
it arrived three days later.
:It sure was a cute little sucker.  It was smaller than my =
;3.5 Unidrive and had those pretty little red lights on the 8
6front of it.  Well I couldn't wait to try it out so I ?
=extended my lunch hour somewhat and plugged the little thing <
:into the computer, the power source and into at&t.  Those /
cute little lights came on but not much else.
5Maybe, I thought, the cable I was using could be the ?
=culprit.  I took the manual with me when I went back to work =
;and had a friend there look it over, now this friend was a >
<quote "expert" when it came to working on computer cables.  ?
=After all, he hadn't fried too many machines at work.  After 4
2looking over the manuals, he informed me that the 6
4manufacturer hadn't included any specs on the cable 9
7pin-outs.  Sure enough, he was right.  Speaking of the <
:manual, it is a pretty sorry excuse for a manual.  Only a ;
9few pages and not a whole lot of pertinent information.  ;
9After wating around for a couple of days while my friend 9
7kicked around the prospects of preparing me a cable, I <
:decided on a fine wednesday afternoon that having a modem ?
=that didn't work was not a lot of fun, even though it was so
cute.
8The modem had only taken two and a half days to arrive, ?
=hopefully the cable would arrive as quickly and I would have ?
=the weekend to explore the world of modem-communication.  By =
;six friday afternoon, I resigned myself to the notion that >
<the cable wouldn't make it that day.  Maybe they deliver on ?
=saturday I said to myself, trying to salvage some small part >
<of my dignity for not having ordered the cable in the first
place.
Guess what, saturday and the cable did not arrive.
Monday at lunch, nothing.
;Monday after work there was a note on my door from federal ?
=express that there was a box next door for me.  That's right <
:the cable.  Quickly I plugged it in.  I had been studying ;
9the manual on my software program, proterm, and had some ?
=small amount of knowledge about it.  I called up my computer 8
6club's gbbs.  I heard the dial tone ringing from that :
8previously quiet little box.  The line was answered and <
:after some noise to let me know that I had connected with 0
the other end, a message came onto the screen.
<Then, a bit of terror grabbed me.  What was I doing?  Did I ?
=really need this, this not being in control?  Not only did I >
<not know what was going on, I didn't suspect what was going '
on.  Well maybe I suspected a little.
:I must have punched the help key that the board had 10-15 >
<times in those first few minutes.  I couldn't get anywhere, <
:I was just spinning my disk, so to speak.  Then something .
,wonderful happened.  The sysop (that is the 6
4telecommunications system operator to all you modem ?
=illeterates out there in computer land) typed out a personal <
:message to me, using my name.  He took my electronic hand ?
=and guided me through some of the paths of the system he was <
:operating.  This was great, I said to myself.  This modem ;
9stuff wasn't so bad afterall.  After looking at the main <
:bulletin board I signed off, profusely thanking gary, the
sysop.
9The next day it was back onto the board to try something 9
7different, downloading some files and programs.  After 7
5signing onto the system, I found myself back in that >
<proverbibel quicksand, sinking into the never-never land of :
8endlessly repeating help screens.  Then without warning :
8there again was the sysop to help me again.  After some <
:assistance on his part he helped me to do a batch y-modem ;
9download from his board.  This was great, I thought, now =
;lets try a x-modem transfer.  After gary's previous help I <
:was able to perform this new task on my on.  What kind of =
;material was I downloading you are asking yourself, I know =
;you are I can just tell.  Well, I decided that it might be <
:appropiate to take the first items on the board, which in =
;this case were some packing programs, which were developed ?
=to be used with modems and telecommunications.  Those little <
:programs were easy compared to the bulletin board and the
program I was using.
.I was finally getting there.  I was becomming =
;modem-litterate, well a little bit anyway.  It was great.  ;
9The next day I downloaded some more information from the ?
=bulletin boards: questions from people looking for help with ?
=software or hardware problems, and there below the questions :
8were answers to those questions.  It was great.  In the 7
5classified ads section were all these great deals on >
<software and hardware items.  That was great.  The nexd day >
<when I signed on, the board beeped at me, I had some e-mail <
(electronic-mail), my first piece of e-mail, great, super.
=Then I found some more phone numbers of other gbbs boards in :
8the local area.  Some I was able to get into and read a *
little bit, others were constantly busy.
<In five days I had become what I am today.  I am a lover of :
8the great computer transmission line, the means to have .
friends at your fingertips and so much more.
:There are so many more boards and people out there that I =
;want to score with.  And now I will be able to work better =
;with my partner in my volunteer work.  No more twenty mile <
:round trips to drop off or pick up disks and files, now a :
8ten minute phone call will do the same.  Save gas, save
time, save money.
6If you are considering getting a modem, I can heartly )
recommend it for you.  It works for me.
=The above account was from a highly excited new modem user.  >
<Your experiences may have been similar or will be similar.
Who knows, ... Modem knows.