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Text File | 1987-05-25 | 19.4 KB | 455 lines | [TEXT/MACA]

The following is an article summarizing Scott Watson's talk on February 26 at Princeton University. The opinions expressed are those of the authorand do not reflect the policies of Princeton University or the Princeton Macintosh User's Group. -Laurie Larson Red Ryder is a telecommunications program for the Macintosh which offers features found in very few other telecommunications programs. Scott Watson, the author of Red Ryder, spoke to a small but enthusiastic group of PMUG members and friends on Thursday, February 26. Scott dazzled the audience with a demonstration of the power that the next version of Red Ryder will make available to its users. Red Ryder is a shareware program. Scott's experiences with software publishers led him to believe that he couldn't do worse by doing it himself, and indeed he has had remarkable success with shareware distribution. He asks $40 if Red Ryder does what you want; if it doesn't, give it to someone else. The fee entitles you to updates (for the cost of shipping and handling) and support via the GEnie online system. The philosophy of the software is to give the user as much flexibility and as many options as possible, combined with ease of use. At first, you may not need to do anything more than change the serial communications settings. As new options are needed, they can be explored; you will discover that you can customize on-screen buttons, write automatic logon procedures, capture and manipulate text, control various aspects of terminal emulation, and even turn your Mac into a host with passworded login, all by using options built into Red Ryder. These features have been available in the most recent versions. Version 10 will offer these familiar features, some of them in new forms, and an assortment of extremely interesting new ones. Many aspects of the interface will be subject to user preference; for example, menu choices will allow you to choose whether or not you will receive confirming dialog boxes for choices such as saving and quitting. Another menu choice will allow you to send set-up codes to your printer. You can even add your own menus. The real gee-whiz aspect of the new version is the display itself. There are no restrictions on the size and shape of the display window; it is adjustable, up to a practical limit of 132 columns wide, and its actual length is limited only by available memory. Vertical and horizontal scroll bars allow movement around the window if it is larger than the Mac's display. A search function allows automatic location of a string no matter where in the window it is located. Fonts can be installed and displayed with a standard font menu, and changed as desired (Zapf Chancery makes a particularly nice display). Text can be selected, copied, pasted, and otherwise manipulated with familiar mouse and menu commands. A buffered keyboard feature allows you to enter a line and edit it as needed before sending it to the remote computer. And it is FAST. Scott estimates that Red Ryder is operating its display at 4800 baud, nearly the theoretical maximum for a bitmapped display. There's more to come. A multi-window, multi-function editor; a filtering function, to allow the user to instruct Red Ryder how to convert various host formats to a specified preferred format; and ability to program a graphical shell/user interface -- all these remarkable features are planned, and promise to make Red Ryder not just a telecommunications program, but a whole environment with exceptional control and ease of use combined. Because of Scott's determination to issue only finished, tested, and fully useful software, he declines to give any estimated date for completion of the new version. RedRyder (version 9.4) is available from PMUG, along with documentation on disk; you can register, if you like it and use it, by sending $40 to FreeSoft Co., 10828 Lacklink, St. Louis MO 63114. Laurie Larson February 28,1987 NEW MAC PUBLICATION ANNOUNCED ----------------------------- . The Macintosh is about to get it's first Weekly publication devoted exclusively to Macintosh coverage. . MacWeek Magazine, a newsweekly to be published by Patch Communications of Titusville, Fl, will release it's first issue Tuesday, March 10th. The preview issue will be of limited circulation, running about twenty pages, to allow the company to test reader reaction to the format. Patch Communications, publisher of the Computer Shopper newspaper, expects full production to begin within a month. . Assistant MacWeek editor John Anderson (Formerly of A+, Softalk, and Computers and Electronics), in an interview with the CheckIn Newsservice, said the format of the new magazine will be similar to that of PC Week. While the first issue will be relatively small, Anderson expressed hope that the newsweekly could eventually reach 60-70 pages per issue. According to Anderson, the decision was made to launch a Macintosh weekly mainly because of the Mac's increased penetration into the business market. Support, he said, will be one of the magazine's primary functions, along with reporting the latest in Mac news and developments. Feeding the magazine will be a network of stringers across the country, who, said Anderson, will be selected for their expertise in various programs and important areas of Macintosh usage. PC PURSUIT SERVICE UPDATE: MARCH 1987 No doubt about it, PC Pursuit is marching on, as evidenced by our ever increasing number of users and new access cities. As PC Pursuit's reach increases, so does the volume of your input as a nationwide user group. Keep the messages and letters coming! Your suggestions to our staff, and advice to your fellow users, keep the ball rolling in our unique "PC partnership," helping us provide the best possible service to our friends and neighbors around the nation. We could not do it without you. Enjoy the final days of winter, and until next time, enjoy PC Pursuit. ACTION ALERT -- FCC'S COMPUTER III Many of you have recently asked about the FCC's pending "Computer Inquiry III" ruling and its implications. In a nutshell, the FCC is considering taking action which would subject the competitive packet switching market to government regulation, dramatically increase the costs of local dial access to packet networks, and threaten the very existence of innovative new services such as PC Pursuit. The FCC currently plans to decide this issue on March 26, so it is of great importance to let the Commission know your views immediately. Letters should be sent to: The Honorable Mark Fowler, Chairman Federal Communications Commission Washington, DC 20554 202/632-6600 with copies to the other Commissioners: Commissioner James H. Quello 202/632-7557 Commissioner Mimi Weyforth Dawson 202/632-6446 Commissioner Dennis R. Patrick 202/632-7117 Commissioner Patricia Diaz Dennis 202/632-6996 The following provices some background on this subject. Additional information on Computer III can be found in the general file section of the Net Exchange BBS. Computer III is a proceeding in which the FCC is considering whether to "re-regulate" public packet switching networks such as Telenet, that were deregulated in 1980. As a result of the FCC's 1980 decision, the packet market has flourished; many new competitors have entered the market, and new services such as PC Pursuit have been introduced. AT&T and the Bell Operating Companies (BOCs) are now also entering the packet market, and prefer to offer their services on a regulated, tariffed basis rather than in a nonregulated mode. They would also like to see the existing packet networks, such as Telenet, regulated as well. There are three principal reasons for this AT&T/BOC attitude. First, these carriers would like to subsidize their packet services with revenues from their basic telephone service. This would enable them to price their packet services below cost, at least long enough to drive out competition in this market. Second, the BOCs would like to be able to charge competing packet networks "carrier access charges" for the use of local dial access lines, which would add more than $7.00 per hour to the cost of providing a service such as PC Pursuit. This would provide additional revenue for the BOCs and greatly increase the prices which packet competitors would have to charge for their services, undermining their ability to price their services at attractive levels. Third, re-regulation of packet services is likely to reduce the enthusiasm of entrepreneurs to enter this market and provide additional competition to the AT&T/BOC services. Many companies simply do not wish to operate in a regulated industry, with all the restrictions and red tape that regulation may imply. In order to achieve these three objectives, AT&T and the BOCs have pressured the FCC to reverse its 1980 decision and re-regulate all packet networks. In an address on Computer III, Paolo Guidi, President of Telenet Communications Corp., explained what would result for the consumer if the full extent of the proposal is voted into being: "With the competitors driven out of the market, prospects for success of their own (AT&T's and the RBOCS) packet services would improve. Of course, the user would be deprived of the benefits of competition, and would be left with no choice but a carrier-provided packet service which fails to offer many of the innovative features that have been introduced by the Value Added Networks. Continued rapid advancement of the remote computer industry would be dealt a serious blow, and the consumer would be the ultimate loser." The potential consequences of the FCC's Computer III proposal for the value-added services you know and enjoy are quite serious. There is no need to take such action, and it would be contrary to the entire deregulatory thrust of the Reagan Administration and the FCC in recent years. The proposal should be stopped. Again, time is extremely short on this issue. Any letters or phone calls to the FCC must be received no later than March 23 in order to be effective. FEBRUARY BILLING Telenet PC Pursuit Service charges for January were filed late, such that the statement you received in February probably showed no PC Pursuit billing. PC Pursuit subscribers that received no February billing will have two bills recorded on their next statement. We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience that this may cause, and are taking steps to correct the problem. RECENT EXPANSION Service areas for PC Pursuit have been expanded to include the following cities. 503 Portland 813 Tampa 305 Miami 408 San Jose 818 Glendale 612 Minneapolis 602 Phoenix 216 Cleveland 919 Research Triangle Park 414 Milwaukee 801 Salt Lake City This brings our current total number of service areas to 25, approximately 40% of the U.S. PC market. BBS LIST CONTEST Each quarter, Pursuit is determined to provide our users with updated BBS lists for each city. Our source of this information? You the user, and features like the BBS List Contest. To enter the contest and help keep our lists of area bulletin boards current, simply access the Net Exchange BBS (703) 689-3561 (or via Telenet by entering @C PURSUIT,ID,PASSWORD), register by sending a message to Bob Chernow, an avid PC enthusiast who is acting as our Conference Contest Administrator, and upload your best BBS list. The contest continues through April 15. The best list from each city will entitle that contestant to a $25 credit, with winners announced on April 30. So go get 'em, good luck, and may the best entrants win! The official rules for the contest are in the general file section of the Net Exchange BBS. DECEMBER DOUBLE-BILL A few PC Pursuit subscribers received an erroneous double-bill in December. This was corrected with a credit to their January credit card statements. Sorry for any inconvenience. DAYTIME USAGE Remember: Pursuit's $25 flat rate applies to calls originating and concluding during the hours of 6pm - 7am, Monday - Thursday, and 6pm Friday - 7am Monday, local time. Any calls originating during daytime hours (7am-6pm, M-F) will be billed at $10.50 to $14 per hour (depending on access location) for the duration of the call. It is important to note that any call that starts or terminates between 7am - 6pm will be billed entirely as a day call. For example, a call originating at 5:45pm and concluding at 7:45pm will be billed as 2 hours of daytime usage. Remember also that any traffic or network usage to hosts other than PC Pursuit city addresses will be billed at standard Telenet hourly rates. SPOTLIGHT BBS: LEGACY/THE LAW NETWORK We recently discovered Legacy, a legal bulletin board geared for business professionals and attorneys, and thought we'd pass our findings along. Legacy is a forum for the free exchange of ideas and information on a variety of business and legal subjects, providing callers access to standard form agreements, legal and business updates, messages posted by lawyers in many different fields, and even free legal advice (through the "Pro Bono Publico" conference). For more information about Legacy, its features and registration procedures, access the BBS at (213) 553-1473. STATUS: EXEC-PC BBS Note: The direct connection to the Exec-PC BBS has been brought down for a while at the sysop's request. We now have regular outdial service to Exec-PC and the many other bulletin boards and computers in the Milwaukee area. THE NET EXCHANGE GOES MULTI-PORT! PC Pursuit's Tech Support BBS, the Net Exchange offers PC Pursuit users the opportunity to send and receive messages, or ask questions of other users and the PC Pursuit support team. The Net Exchange BBS is an excellent source of information about other bulletin boards available through PC Pursuit, and can be accessed at either (703) 689-3561, or through Telenet by entering the following at the "@" sign: @C PURSUIT,YOURID, (carriage return) PASSWORD=YOURPASSWORD This second port on the Net Exchange BBS is accessible only to PC Pursuit users; the 689-3561 port is accessible to the public. The most useful and timely information about PC Pursuit Service can be found on the Net Exchange, not on the New User Guide BBS (800-835-3001). The New User Guide BBS is for potential customers -- to learn more about PC Pursuit and to register for the service. Access the NET EXCHANGE for news on recent service updates and other important information. PURSUIT PRESCRIPTION A BBS number that is not accessible from a PC Pursuit city will look BUSY. This may confuse you, so remember to check the exchange lists when dialing a new BBS. If you constantly get BUSY signals, it may be that the BBS is out of the PC Pursuit city area. RACAL-VADIC COMMAND MODE Telenet PC Pursuit Service supports only the Hayes command set used on the PC Pursuit outdial modems. There is another command mode, Racal-Vadic, which may also be used with PC Pursuit. The Racal-Vadic command mode gives additional call status when dialing. The commands that you may find useful are: User Input System Response Explanation ATZ C OK To clear the modem using Hayes mode. Must be done before pressing Ctrl E. Ctrl E C Hello I'm Ready To enter Racal-Vadic mode * (astersik confirms that you are in R/V mode). ? C Lists commands DXXXXXXX C Dialing... To dial a number. R C RedialRedial 1-9 times. Ctrl C To disconnect from remote PC. Ctrl D C I C To Idle the modem, and return it to Hayes mode. Be sure to do this at the end of your session. C = carriage return XXXXXXX = phone number Reminder: Telenet Customer Service supports the Hayes command set only. SAN FRANCISCO OUTDIAL EXCHANGES Due to high message unit charges for access to certain PC Pursuit exchanges, it became necessary to block service access to the exchanges listed below. Please note that these exchanges are no longer accessible via the Dial415 node: 229 322 327 365 370 471 481 484 489 581 591 651 659 672 689 790 791 792 793 794 795 797 829 837 937 939 948 949 961 965 Telenet will continue to provide the most cost-effective outdial access possible in each PC Pursuit city. And yes, we plan to add even more cities to expand coverage in the future. NO DIAL TONE Occasionally you may receive a NO DIAL TONE message when dialing. If you encounter a NO DIAL TONE response, you can usually wake-up the telco line by dialing in the Hayes mode (with relaxed dial tone detection). Leaving the line off the hook for several seconds, then putting it back on hook will often bring the line back to life. Try this procedure several times before giving up and calling Customer Service. It should save a lot of modems from being needlessly "busied out" or taken out of service. TELENET "SET" COMMANDS To use SET commands, you must be connected to a PC Pursuit city. Return to the Telenet "command" mode by entering "@" carriage return. You will still be connected to the PC Pursuit city, but can now modify or view the current port settings. To return to normal communications, enter CONT. Parameter Explanation Possible Values 1 Escape to command with "@ C " 0=disable, 1=enable 2 Echo all data typed from keyboard 0=disable, 1=enable 4 Send unfilled packet after N x .05 0=disable, 2-255=N seconds of idle time. 6 Service message transmit 0=supress, 1=transmit 7 BREAK signal action 0=ignore, 1=send INTERRUPT to host, 2=send reset to host, 4=send break indication, 8=escape to command mode, 16=discard output 9 Add NULLS after C 0=none, 1-7=null count 10 Line folding 0=none, or 1-255 columns C = carriage return There are many more, but most do not apply to PC Pursuit. EXAMPLE: "SET" COMMANDS The procedure below disables the "@ carriage return" sequence, but tells the network to respond to a BREAK signal. This way, when doing file transfers you won't be accidently dropped to "command" mode if the "@ C" sequence is in the file. @C DIAL415/12,MYID C PASSWORD = MYPASSWORD C DIAL415/12 CONNECTED @ C TELENET @SET? 1:0,7:8 C PAR1:0,7:8 @CONT C ATZ C OK C = carriage return ----> end of newsletter <----