Internet Surfer 2.0/Internet Surfer 2.0 (Wayzata Technology) (1996).iso/pc/text/mac/faqs.016

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS);faqs.016



AirHitch (212-864-2000) is a consolidator which buys unsold seats very
close to the wire. Their customers provide a window of times (or
destinations), and AirHitch lets them know about available flights on
extremely short notice. Not for the faint of heart.


;;; ********************************
;;; Credit Card Voucher Offers *****
;;; ********************************

Several credit card companies offer vouchers for cheap airline travel
as an incentive to enroll students.

1. American Express.
   Students who apply for the standard green card ($55/year) will
   receive four vouchers if approved. If you travel within the
   same zone the price is $129/ticket roundtrip; cross-zone travel
   is $189/ticket roundtrip (Mississippi is the dividing line).
   (The prices are $10 extra in the summer, and one of the vouchers is
   good for two tickets at $189 each.) There are some restrictions on
   destinations and some blackout dates. The vouchers expire 1 year
   after issue and are not transferrable (and the airlines do check
   your student id both at the ticket counter and at the gate). You
   must purchase your tickets with the AmEx card. The stay is for a
   maximum of 6 nights and must be over a Saturday night.

   To work around the non-transferrable restriction, use your first
   initial instead of your first name, and (if female) ask to have
   your maiden (alternately, married) name on the ticket (which
   allows you to substitute an arbitrary last name, if you're not
   bothered by the sleaziness).

   Although the current AmEx tickets are for travel on Continental
   Airlines, USAir will honor them for travel on USAir (non-summer
   coupons only; you may use the non-summer coupons during the summer,
   however). Give the following promotion code to the travel agent
   when using the AmEx/Continental vouchers for travel on USAir:
        H/CO AMEX STUDENT
   USAir seems less likely than Continental to check for student id.
   In general, USAir seems to accept coupons from almost any other airline.

   If you are a student, have an AmEx card and haven't received the
   vouchers, call the 800 number (1-800-582-5823 or 1-800-528-4800)
   and they'll send them out to your billing address.

2. Chase Manhattan VISA
   [ THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. ]
   Same cost structure as the AmEx/Continental vouchers ($129 if you
   don't cross the Mississippi River, $189 if you do), but for
   travel on USAir. Maximum stay of 60 days (Saturday stay not
   required). Tickets must be purchased within 48 hours of reservation.
   Valid student id must be presented at time of ticketing.
   Blackout dates around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and some
   destination-specific days.

3. US Sprint

;;; ********************************
;;; Special Meals ******************
;;; ********************************

Most of the major airlines will provide alternate meals on meal-flights
upon request, if the request is made 24 hours in advance. Special
meals include: Kosher, Muslim, Hindu, vegetarian, children, low-fat, low-salt,
diabetic, low-glutin, and seafood. Simply ask for the meal when you
make your reservation; there is no extra charge.

The Kosher meals are glatt and double-sealed. Wilton Caterers is the
largest supplier of these meals, although there are a number of
smaller companies as well.

If you will be having a special meal, be sure to let the flight
attendant know as you entire the plane. Airlines sometime forget to
load the meal (especially kosher), and if you let the flight attendant
know, they can sometimes catch this.

;;; ********************************
;;; Airline Reservation Phone Numbers
;;; ********************************

AeroMexico              1-800-237-6639
Air Canada              1-800-776-3000
Alaska Airlines         1-800-426-0333, [1-602-921-3100]
American                1-800-433-7300, 1-800-223-5436, [1-817-267-1151]
America West            1-800-247-5692, [1-602-693-0737]
British Airways         1-800-247-9297
Canadian Partners       1-800-426-7000
Continental             1-800-525-0280 (Dom), 1-800-231-0856 (Itl)
                                        [1-404-436-3300]
Delta                   1-800-221-1212, [1-404-765-5000]
Northwest               1-800-225-2525, [1-612-726-1234]
TWA                     1-800-221-2000, [1-404-522-5738]
United                  1-800-241-6522, [1-312-825-2525]
USAir                   1-800-428-4322, [1-412-922-7500]

;;; ********************************
;;; Frequent Flyer Programs ********
;;; ********************************

Most programs (e.g., United, Northwest, American, USAir) will give you
a free domestic roundtrip for 20,000 miles, a ticket to Hawaii or the
Carribbean for 30,000, a ticket to Europe for 40,000 and a ticket to
Australia or Asia for 60,000. Delta requires 40,000 miles for a free
domestic ticket. Given joining bonuses and mileage promotions, one can
often reach this with one overseas flight.  Northwest and USAir give
you a minimum of 750 (Delta, 1000) miles for each flight segment.
Northwest will give you a one-way ticket for 10,000 miles.

Air Canada              1-800-361-8523
        Partners with Austrian, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, First Air,
        Singapore
Alaska Airlines         1-800-654-5669
        Partners with Northwest, TWA
Aloha Airlines          1-800-486-7277
AAdvantage (American)   1-800-882-8880
        Partners with TWA, Cathay Pacific, Singapore
America West            1-800-247-5691
        Partners with Air France, Virgin Atlantic
Canadian                1-604-270-7587
        Partners with Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa
Continental             1-713-952-1630
Delta                   1-800-323-2323
        Partners with Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Japan Air Lines (no
        economy), KLM, Lufthansa, Singapore, Swissair
        Restrictions: US/Canadian residents only, only with voucher,
        travel must originate in US.
Midwest Express         1-800-452-2022
Northwest               1-800-435-9696
        Partners with KLM.
TWA                     1-800-325-4815, 1-800-221-2000
        Partners with American, Alaska, Air India, British Airways
United                  1-800-421-4655
USAir                   1-800-428-4322, 1-800-872-4738

;;; ********************************
;;; Complaints and Compliments *****
;;; ********************************

If you have a legitimate complaint about service, write a
well-written letter to the appropriate people at the airline. This can
often result in real results. But don't become a habitual complainer.
Many airline customer service departments keep records of all
complaints and compliments. If you complain too often, you'll get
tagged as a flamer, and they'll ignore future complaints. If you are a
frequent flyer and don't complain often, complaints can end up in
travel discount compensation.

Airlines do keep track of who complains and how frequently, so if you
complain too often about trivial matters, your complaints won't have
the same effect as they would if you complained about only important
problems. Keep track of the names of all airline personnel you deal
with, and be as specific as possible about dates, times, places, and
flight numbers in your letter. Enclose copies of any receipts for
expenses incurred because of missed/delayed flights.

        The Department of Transportation accepts consumer complaints
about airlines and records, compiles, and publishes statistics on
airline performance. The statistics are available in a monthly Air
Travel Consumer Report. For a free copy, write to the Office of
Consumer Affairs, US Department of Transportation, 400 7th Street, NW,
Room 10405, Washington, DC 20590. 202-366-2220. The statistics vary a
lot from month to month.
        On-time:
                Best  -- America West Airlines 84.8%
                Worst -- Delta 74.3%
        Overbooking:
                Best  -- American 89 involuntary bumps/19 million passengers
                Worst -- America West 1,805/3.7 million
        Mishandled baggage:
                Best  -- Southwest
                Worst -- America West

Customer Relations Departments of various airlines:
Aloha Airlines Inc., Customer Relations, PO Box 30028, Honolulu, HI 96820.
Alaska Airlines, Consumer Affairs, PO Box 68900, Seattle, WA 98168.
America West Airlines, Consumer Affairs, 222 South Mill Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281.
Continental Airlines, Customer Relations, PO Box 4607, Houston, TX 77210-4607.
Delta Air Lines Inc., Law Dept, Hartsfield Atlanta Int Airport, Atlanta, GA 30320.
Eastern Air Lines Inc., Consumer Affairs, Bldg 11, Rm 1433, Miami Int Airport, Miami, FL 33148.
Hawaiian Airlines, Consumer Affairs, Honolulu Intl Airport, PO Box 30008, Honolulu, HI 96820-0008.
Northwest Airlines, Consumer Affairs, Minneapolis/St. Paul Intl Airport, St. Paul, MN 55111.
Pan American World Airways Inc., Consumer Affairs Dept, 200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166.
Southwest Airlines Co., Customer Relations, PO Box 37611, Love Field, Dallas, TX 75235-1625.
Trans World Airlines Inc., Customer Relations, 605 Third Ave., New York, 10158.
United Airlines, Customer Relations, PO Box 66100, Chicago, IL 60666.
USAir, Consumer Relations, Washington National Airport, Washington, DC 20001.

;;; ********************************
;;; On-line reservation services ***
;;; ********************************

Eaasy Sabre is an ailine reservation system. It can be accessed via
Prodigy, Compu$erve, Delphi, or America Online for an additional
fee. GENIE provides Eaasy Sabre for free (other than the normal
monthly $4.95), assuming you use the service during their off-peak
hours, which are 6pm-8am weekdays, all day holidays and weekends.

PARS TravelShopper is available on Compu$erve and Delphi.

Official Airline Guide (OAG) Electronic Edition is available on
Compu$erve, Delphi, direct TYMNET (with credit card billing), and
GEnie (for a surcharge).

None of these save you the commission charges, so it doesn't save you
much over calling the airline's 800 number or using a travel agent and
asking lots of "what-if" questions.

;;; ********************************
;;; Miscellaneous Notes ************
;;; ********************************

        The largest travel agency in the US is Thomas Cook Travel.

        Keep in mind that ticket agents and gate attendants are
people, and if you're nice to them, they may be able to bend the rules.

        Seat assignment on most airlines starts 3 weeks in advance of
the flight (some are 30 days). No seat assignments on Southwest and
shuttle flights.

        Non-refundable, non-changeable, non-transferable tickets are
the default; you might have to pay more to have a transferable ticket.
But then you might be able to sell half your ticket, and thereby
recoup some of your costs. (This only works on domestic flights, where
you don't need to show a passport.)

        Bargain seats are almost always limited, so start looking
early and be flexible with your times and dates.

        January, February, September and October are the slack travel
months; ticket prices will be cheapest around then.

        Because of the way airlines price tickets, it is sometimes
cheaper to buy a ticket from point A to point C making a mid-trip stop
in point B (i.e., two tickets AC and CB) that it is to buy a ticket
direct from point A to point B. Note, however, that if you do this
your luggage should be carryons, since the airline usually checks the
luggage direct to the ultimate destination. Also, some airlines will
cancel your entire ticket if you skip one leg of the trip.

        Airports notorious for heavy traffic and air-traffic-control
snafus: Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta, Logan Airport in Boston, O'Hare
in Chicago, Stapleton in Denver, JFK in New York, and San Francisco
International.


;;; ********************************
;;; Other Sources of Information ***
;;; ********************************

        The best source of information is the US Department of
Transportation. All carriers must file their fares with them for
tariff purposes.

        A variety of companies publish rate guides based on the US
Department of Transportation files. The subscription prices are a bit
steep, but your library may have some.

;;; ********************************
;;; Further Reading ****************
;;; ********************************


Consumer Reports Travel Letter
        $37/yr, monthly
        Pox 53629
        Boulder CO 80322-3629
        800-234-1970

Best Fares Magazine (consumer edition):
        $58/year
        Best Fares, Inc.
        1111 W. Arkansas Lane, Suite C
        Arlington, TX 76013
        1-817-261-6114

Travel Secrets:
        $30/year
        Box 2325
        New York, NY 10108

Travel Unlimited:
        $25/year
        Box 1058
        Allston, MA 02134

Official Airline Guide, Pocket Edition:
        $82/year

;;; ********************************
;;; Jetlag *************************
;;; ********************************

To reset your clock, there are several things you can do:
        o  Stay up 24+ hours and go to sleep at the normal time
           for your destination.
        o  When you wake up in the morning, go for a half hour
           walk in the bright morning sunlight.
        o  Do not eat right before you go to sleep. Eat a light dinner.
        o  Eat your meals according to the destination time zone.
        o  Do not drink any alcoholic or caffeine-based beverages
           during your flight.


;;; *EOF*
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From: [e-mail] (~{QG9p~})
Subject: How to Read Chinese Text on Usenet: FAQ for alt.chinese.text
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Keywords: faq, chinese text
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Organization: Indiana University
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Archive-name: chinese-text-faq
Original-Author: Ya-Gui Wei
Last-modified: 19 Dec 1992
Version: 0.7

 CONTENTS

 (1) What are those ~{BRF_0KTc5D6+Nw~}'s posted to alt.chinese.text?
 (2) Where can I find the software to read Chinese articles?
 (3) Are these software packages pretty easy to use?
 (4) How do I post Chinese text articles to usenet?
 (5) What are 'zW' and 'HZ'?
 (6) What is FTP and how do I use it?
 (7) How do I convert zW/HZ Chinese text to/from GB or Big5 systems?
 (8) How do I access or contribute to the alt.chinese.text archive?
 (9) What else do I need to know about alt.chinese.text?
(10) My site does not carry alt.chinese.text. What can I do about that?
(11) Where may I obtain the latest version of this FAQ?

    *           *             *             *             *


 (1) What are those ~{BRF_0KTc5D6+Nw~}'s posted to alt.chinese.text?

     Believe it or not, they are supposed to be Chinese characters.
They are coded in one of two protocols: 'zW' and HZ. You'd need some
software that understands these protocols to read them.


 (2) Where can I find the software to read Chinese articles?

     It depends on what kind of machine you are using. The following is
probably an incomplete list of software which you can use to read
this newsgroup:

     [This list contains general purpose Chinese software programs that
support the 'zW' or 'HZ' protocols and are available through internet
without user fees.  If you know of any other such programs that I may
have missed, please let me know.]

     [If you have problems using the programs listed below, you could
seek assistance from (1) local users; (2) fellow alt.chinese.text netters;
(3) software authors. The FAQ maintainer most probably can't help you.]

  a. If you are using a PC/Compatible running MS-DOS:
     (1) ZWDOS -- is a MS-DOS kernal extension that gives DOS text mode
     programs the ability to enter, display and manipulate 'zW' and HZ
     Chinese text. Small memory requirement. Supports CGA, EGA, VGA
     or Hercules Monographic displays. Available for anonymous ftp at:
               cs.purdue.edu:pub/ygz/zW-hz/zwdos*.zip
               ifcss.org:software/dos/ZWDOS/*.*
     [Author: Ya-Gui Wei <[e-mail]>]

     (2) KORE -- Fast Chinese/Japanese text viewing program for MS-DOS.
     Supports GB and HZ. Chinese fonts are now provided.
     Available at:
               mindseye.berkeley.edu:pub/kanji/kanji-viewer/*.*
     [Author: Frank Klemm <[e-mail]>]

  b. If you are using an Apple Macintosh, try:
     (1) Subtitle -- a program which decodes zW and HZ texts as subtitles
     for some terminal emulators. Runs with or without Chinese OS. A trial
     version can be ftp'ed from:
               ftp.apple.com:pub/lai
     [Author: Ed Lai <[e-mail]>]

     (2) HZTerm -- a simple terminal emulator that supports the HZ coding.
     HZTerm requires Mac Chinese OS prior to version 6.0. Available at:
               ifcss.org:software/mac/viewer/HanziTerm.hqx
     [Author: Ricky Yeung <[e-mail]>]

     (3) If you have a Tektronix compatible terminal emulator (such as
     VersaTerm), you may be able to use Chirk.  See c. (3).

  c. If you are using a Unix system/workstation:
     (1) CXTERM -- is an xterm with Chinese extension. It understands
     Chinese text coded with the Guo-Biao format. To read HZ and 'zW'
     codes, you also need 'HZTTY'. Requires X-Windows. Available:
           cs.purdue.edu:pub/ygz/cxterm*.Z
           cs.purdue.edu:pub/ygz/zW-hz/hztty*.Z
     [Author: Zhang Yongguang [e-mail]]

     (2) MULE -- Mule is a MULtilingual Enhancement to GNU Emacs which
     can handle Japanese, Chinese or Korean (16 bits) characters.
     For Chinese there is support for both GB and Big5. Subscribers of
     alt.chinese.text will find it useful to use GNUS with hz2gb.el,
     which does HZ/zW encode/decoding automatically. Runs as stand-alone
     X client or with CXTERM. Available at:
               sh.wide.ad.jp [133.4.11.11]:/JAPAN/mule/*
     [Author: Ken'ichi Handa [e-mail]]

     Alternative pinyin input methods (including phrase input) for MULE
     available at:
               linac.fnal.gov:pub/pig.tar.Z
     [Author: Ping Zhou, [e-mail]]

     (3) Chirk -- A Unix program for viewing Chinese text on Tektronix
     compatible graphic terminals (Graphon 225, 230, 140; DEC VT240,
     VT330/340; etc.) and terminal emulators (XTerm on X-Windows,
     VersaTerm on Macintosh, etc.)  C source code is provided and may
     be portable to other platforms. Supports Guo-Biao, Big5, zW and HZ.
     [To use Chirk with rn, try "s | chirk".]
     Available for ftp at:
               crl.nmsu.edu:pub/chinese/ChiRK*.tar.Z
               ifcss.org:software/unix/viewer/ChiRk*.Z
     [Author: Bo Yang [e-mail]]

  d. If you have access to a PostScript Printer:
     GB2PS -- converts Guobiao or HZ Chinese text into hard copies
     by using PostScript printers. Ftp site:
               bellatrix.anu.edu.au[150.203.23.14]:
               pub/gb2ps/gb2ps.2.02.tar.Z.
     [Author: William Sun [e-mail]]

  e. If you only have access to a dumb terminal. Reading Chinese on a
     dumb terminal is not going to be confortable, but it can be done.
     You may use 'hzview', but will need hz2gb from the HZ package
     described in question 5 (despite the name, hzview does not support
     HZ coding directly.)  Ftp'able from:
               ifcss.org:software/unix/viewer/hzview.2-0.tar.Z
     [Author: Fung Fung Lee [e-mail]]

     Hzview is also useful for making large Chinese character banners.


 (3) Are these software packages pretty easy to use?

     Supposedly. Some of the software listed above is either terminal
     emulators or can be run in conjunction with a terminal
     emulator.  Once you install them, reading Chinese text on this
     newsgroup should be easy.  For example, if you are using ZWDOS
     or cxterm with hztty, the Chinese texts posted on this newsgroup
     will show up on your screen as Chinese characters automatically
     without any efforts on your part.  Other programs (text viewers)
     requires that you run the program with the Chinese text file as
     input every time.

     Consult the documentation with the software for exact their
     specifications.

     If you have problems installing the software, you may post
     help requests to alt.chinese.text or contact the software
     authors.


 (4) How do I post Chinese text articles to usenet?

     If you are using a software package listed above that supports
     Chinese character input, (such as ZWDOS, cxterm, or Mule), you
     can already do this, and it is probably very similar to posting
     English articles. Consult the documentation for the software
     package for information about how to input Chinese characters
     with the package.

     If you do not have a software package into which you can directly
     type in Chinese characters, but you do have access to softwares
     that produce GB or Big5 coded Chinese text, you may use the
     conversion programs mentioned in question (7) to convert them
     to HZ or zW and then post them to usenet.


 (5) What are 'zW' and 'HZ'?

     They are Chinese coding protocols derived from Guo-Biao,
     the standard Character set used in mainland China. Compared
     to Big-5 (character set used in Taiwan), Guo-Biao has
     the property that each character in the set can be easily
     represented by 2 printable (7-bit) ASCII characters. The 'zW'
     and HZ are protocols that allow mixing of these Chinese
     text and ASCII (English) text, which are the main reason
     they are being used in this newsgroup.

     A description of the HZ protocol is available for ftp at:
               ifcss:org:software/unix/converter/HZ-2.0.tar.Z
     [Author: Fung Fung Lee [e-mail]]


 (6) What is ftp and how do I use it?

     It is beyond the scope of this document to provide a detailed
     tutorial about network file transfers. Yet I hope the following
     example will give you an idea.

       ftp ifcss.org
       username: anonymous           [or just "ftp"]
       password: your_name           [or anything else]
       binary                        [use binary transfer]
       cd software/unix/converter    [change directory]
       get HZ-2.0.tar.Z              [get file]
       bye

     After getting the files, you'd probably need to uncompressed/
     unarchived the files in some system specific manner. Your local
     system admin or users of similar machines should be your best
     source of help for this.

     The CND Chinese Magazine (Hua Xia Wen Zhai) has compiled a suite
     of help files some of which may be useful for you. To obtain
     an index, send a mail "get cmhelp index" to [e-mail].


 (7) How do I convert zW/HZ Chinese text to/from GB or Big5 systems?

     If you are using a Guo-Biao based system, conversion programs
     can be found in the HZ-2.0.tar.Z package mentioned in questin
     (5). Use hz2gb and gb2hz to convert between Guo-Biao and HZ
     text. If you are using a Big-5 based system, check out
     hc.tar.Z in ifcss.org:software/unix/converter, which lets you
     convert from Big5 to GB which can then be converted to HZ (and
     back).

     The Macintosh version of hc is in ifcss.org:software/mac/viewer.


 (8) How do I access or contribute to the alt.chinese.text archive?

     The alt.chinese.text archive is only recently set up, and is
     currently maintained manually by Ya-Gui Wei. You may access the
     archive via anonymous FTP at: ifcss.org:chinese/hz.

     All netters of alt.chinese.text are invited to contribute to
     the archive. All submissions should be uploaded via anonymous
     FTP to ifcss.org in the directory chinese/hz/incoming.

     All submissions should be in HZ or zW coded Chinese text, with
     no topical restrictions. If possible, please leave a second file
     in the same directory with a description of your submission,
     its source and other relevant information, and how you wish
     to be acknowledged.

     When uploading submissions, please be sure that you do not
     write over another netter's contribution.


 (9) What else do I need to know about alt.chinese.text?

     Alt.chinese.text is a free forum. It is not a topic oriented
     newsgroup, as long as your articles are in Chinese or is
     otherwise related to the subject "Chinese text." Nonetheless,
     after you get a hang of the software, you are strongly
     suggested to post in Chinese. Even for articles that best
     serve their purposes in English, a Chinese summary should
     still be provided.


(10) My site does not carry alt.chinese.text. What can I do about that?

     The first thing to do is to tell your news administrator about
     alt.chinese.text and ask him/her to carry it. Some sites do
     selectively carry alt groups so it may be simply a matter of
     asking.

     The long term cure, of course, is to upgrade our newsgroup into
     one of the "official" usenet hiararchies (rec, soc, comp,
     etc -- I am not sure exactly which hiararchy our group belongs
     to), provided someone is willing to spending time leading us
     through the voting process. Until the day, your best bet will
     be to ask a site the carries alt.chinese.text to give you
     remote access.


(11) Where may I obtain the latest version of this FAQ?

     This FAQ is posted frequently to alt.chinese.text and news.answers.
     The latest version of this FAQ is also available from the following
     anonymous FTP sites:

     pit-manager.mit.edu:pub/usenet/news.answers/chinese-text-faq.Z
     ftp.uu.net:usenet/alt.chinese.text/H_t_R_C_T_o_U:_F_f_a.c.t.Z
     ifcss.org:chinese/hz/chinese-text-faq  (uncompressed)


 Compiled by Ya-Gui Wei ~{N:QG9p~}.

 Acknowledgements:
     Thanks are due to Dan Jacobson ~{;}5$Da~} and Fung Fung Lee
     ~{@n7c7e~} for valuable advice for the improvement of this
     document.


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From: [e-mail] (John R. Levine)
Subject: comp.compilers monthly message and Frequently Asked Questions
Expires: Fri, 1 Jan 1993 23:59:00 GMT
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Archive-name: compilers-faq

This is the comp.compilers monthly message, last edited December 1992.

NOTE:  At the end of this message are some answers to frequently asked
questions.  Please read them before you post.

-- What is comp.compilers?

It is a moderated usenet news group addressing the topics of compilers in
particular and programming language design and implementation in general.
It started in 1986 as a moderated mailing list, but interest quickly grew to
the point where it was promoted to a news group.  Recent topics have
included optimization techniques, language design issues, announcements of
new compiler tools, and book reviews.

Messages come from a wide variety of people ranging from undergraduate
students to well-known experts in industry and academia.  Authors live all
over the world -- there are regular messages from the U.S, Canada, Europe,
Australia, and Japan, with occasional ones from as far away as Malaysia.  I
have no idea how large the readership is, since the anarchic nature of
usenet makes it impossible to tell who reads it, but I believe that the total
is in the tens of thousands.

Unless there is specific language to the contrary, each message represents
only the personal opinion of its author.  I claim no compilation copyright on
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