Before I begin, you might be interested in knowing something about my own telecommunications background. Without boring you with how many licenses I hold or accomplishments I have behind me, let me just say that I was there when it all began to happen.
Presently, I am the author of SlickBBS, and owner of a small software consulting company in the South. One of my reasons for writing a Bulletin Board was the result of many years of frustration using other code writers BBS products. This may sound arrogant to some, but I believe it is a well know fact that most software authors have serious problems relating to the real world around them and tend to concoct pseudo worlds via their creative programming abilities. The final result is horrific. You wind up with a BBS like WWIV, that only another master of cryptic menus could ever safely navigate. While this does tend to stir the competitive spirit in other would be Sysops, it leaves you and I, the end users of the BBS, up a mystic tree. When it became necessary to start contemplating ZEN in order to survive the trip down the typical yellow brick road of winding selections offered by most BBS menus, I knew it was time to write my own board. To me it was clear, a menu selection should be obvious and intuitive. But, more important, it should do what you expect of it. Upon this premise, I began writing and giving life to SlickBBS. That is my history.
No matter why a budding Sysop starts his own BBS, his users will have their own reasons for why they visit (if they continue to logon with regularity at all). It is this authors opinion that a BBS has, weather intended to or not, become the primary and exclusive means of distributing software products called Shareware. And, I think, more than 90% of regular BBS activity nationwide is devoted to the movement of this Shareware. The remaining 10% have interest in electronic mail, games and special interest groups that tend to peak the interest of the participant very rapidly and seldom provide the glue necessary to maintain long lasting stick to it involvement on a BBS.
Shareware, however, is not a fad and has proven its ability to survive and more importantly, keep an audience. The fact that the most successful Boards today have well manages file databases, is testament to this reality. EXECPC in Milwaukee is a prime, if not overpowering example. I mentioned this particular BBS for two reasons. First, it is an honest example of why users not only frequent a Board, but would also be willing to pay for it. Second, the fellow who runs the BBS also wrote it, wrote it with the words "User Friendly" stamped into almost every byte of code. I say almost, because like myself, he seems to be still experimenting with what works and with what doesn't. It's a never ending battle in choosing generic terms to convey ideas. Nothing is as simple as it seems. If you proceed down a road and come upon a sign that simply says "slow" it could have any number of possible implications. If the sign said "stop", it intention might be more obvious. So it is with menus and bulletin boards.
Well, I promised some advice. So, before Brother Jules contacts me from the grave and advises that I have lost sight of the central theme of my essay today, let me get on.
Ultimately, when you log onto your favorite Boards (and incidentally, that list of 150 will soon dwindle down to five or six when you really get serious) you will find several things of serious interest, new files, personal E-Mail, new E-Mail in conferences of interest and new Bulletins on system changes and updates (maybe). To keep line time to a minimum, you want to learn to do as much work "Off Line" as possible. This means, go in, get the raw data, then hang up (until you know exactly what you want to do next).
NEVER read echos, new bulletins or new file descriptions while connected! This can tear up a budget and has been known as a divorce carcinogen. The alternative is thus. If you have the talent for it, use Communication programs that allow the user to run automated logons via script files (little simple instructions you write <like Basic code> to tell the terminal program what you want to do. Many such fine products exist, some even supply ready written script files or have automatic features to create a script while you go through the manual motions. ProComm Plus Version 2.0 happens to be my favorite, but there are many others to consider as well.
The great thing about "scripts" once you have mastered the technique, is the ability to run then at late off hours while unattended. Think about that! There you are, in bed, at 3am, while your PC checks into all of your favorite Boards, extracts just what you want, using the least possible number of toll charge minutes to do it. Is that modem heaven or what?
Ok, so you have no bit or bytes in your veins and not only can't but are not interested in writing script programs, what's next? Really, not much. You simple lose the advantage of the automated aspects. Otherwise, you do all of the above manually. Even if you are never able to toggle the expert menu mode, you will save money by collecting data for off line viewing. So, lets talk about that for a second.
First, you will need to learn how to use the "screen data capture log" of your terminal. In simple terms, what this feature does, is save every bit of data you see being written to your screen to a ascii (text) file on your disk for later reading. Once you toggle the feature on, its imperative you learn the BBS command required to allow NON STOP scrolling of the bulletin, etc so you will not have to sit and continually hit the Enter key or SpaceBar after each complete screen full. Most Boards give users the option to see new files listings first, bulletins next, then mail. You simple say, yes, yes, yes and go non stop scroll in each case, then logoff. Notice I said logoff not hangup. Dropping carrier in the middle of a Board menu is the equivalent of suddenly leaving a friends home without explanation and then slamming his door on the way out! (very rude and unprofessional).
Now, assuming you are off line, whats the next step you ask? Close the capture buffer log file, exit the terminal and get a good ascii text reader, preferably with a text search and high ascii filter mechanism. Vern Buergs famous "LIST" utility comes to mind, but most good text editors will surfice including most wordprocessors that have an ascii load capability. I use a great programmers text editor called QEdit that just about does everything in my computer shack short of baking my bread. Whatever works is my general motto (although I do get very sick when I find a client with 97 files in the root directory of his hard drive).
Now, if everything is going according to plan, you may leisurely read the dam notices of failed hard drives, cries for financial support, and radical opinions that plague almost everybody's BBS. If you are extra sharp, you can even compose replies to your E-Mail for later ascii uploading which can save even more time next time you go online. Finally, you can cherry pick the files you wish to review (and later register, right?) and have your list made up for an efficient batch download using a good efficient protocol. There is lots of time that can be saved here if you were careful to note the key words. Batch and efficient protocol. Batching your downloads saves repeating a lot of unnecessary repetitious steps. My suggestions are Ymodem B, Puma/Lynx or the exceptional Zmodem. There may be others equally good, these just come to mind.
If I were asked to pick between them all, I guess I would have to go with Zmodem. Its a little extra work to set up on some older terminal programs, but found built into the later versions of more up-to-date products like ProComm, Telex and Lync, to name a few. Why is it so good say compared to your absolute favorite Xmodem? you ponder.. well, for beginners, aside from the batch capability we already mentioned, it has several other unique abilities that can save an already thin head of hair. No modem explorer worth his salt has not at one time or another attempted to download a 299k file at 1200 baud with Xmodem only to have his connection involuntarily broken off halfway through the transmission. Ugh! you are going to have to pay for 30 minutes with nothing to show the wife....now thats pain! Not so, has you used Zmodem with the -r switch active. You get to keep the first half, and when you are ready to retry, pick up where you left off, all automatically!
It doesn't end here either, suppose your line is noisy. Z will count the number of errors and downsize the data packets in an effort to eliminate the frequency of repeated packet transmissions. This also increases efficiency considerably. Last I guess we could mention the 32bit CRC test for accuracy of bytes transmitted and received. Without the explanation of polynomials and right shifting of double word byte values, let me just say that this comes pretty darn close to perfection for its purposes.
Now, lets review what we should have gleaned from this nice chat.
Things NEVER to do while on-line!
A) Read bulletins thoroughly
B) Read/Answer E-Mail interactively
C) List read and review new uploads
D) Use Xmodem protocol
Things to learn or do while on-line!
A) Learn to use SCRIPT files
B) Use your log capture buffer
C) Find out how to use BBS nonstop scrolling
D) Get a good ascii text viewer/editor
E) Learn to upload prepared messages
F) Learn to use Batch protocols
Actually, if you learned to incorporate any one of these items you could increase your on-line efficiency considerably. Meanwhile, for the latest copy of ModemNews Magazine or just to leave me your opinions and comments, I can be found on my company support BBS, Host Line, N81/1200/2400 at 504-283-9785 or EXECPC in Milwaukee. Address all E-Mail to Gary Raymond.
REAL OPERATORS GUIDE...
Brought to you by the Hexagon Suite
...RULES TO LIVE BY
1. Real operators don't call themselves "SysOp" and don't have silly handles.
Ever seen operators with handles such as "THE MASTER" or "TECHRAT" or some such other nonsense? Have a little dignity. And "SYSOP" is such a meaningless handle.
This goes for users in general as well. If you're going to be using a handle for the rest of your lifetime in the modem world, why not pick an appropriate and interesting one?
2. Real operators know how to spell, and have a moderate grasp of English grammar.
How many systems have you called on which the operator couldn't spell to save his life? If you're heading an organization designed for the distribution of free information (presumably that's why most people run a system in the first place), shouldn't you have enough of a grasp of the English language to get your point across at all?
3. Real operators can type faster than 20 words per minute.
Every get into chat with a system operator only to find out he types slower than your grandmother? It's a rather worrying experience. This doesn't mean that an operator should be able to type 120 words per minute with 100% accuracy; merely that he should be able to get his point across in a minimal amount of time. After all, if you're going to be communicating with all your users via this medium -- the typewriter -- you'd better be able to type.
4. Real operators don't pick silly names for their system.
How many systems have you seen around the country called "THE TAVERN" or "FORTRESS"? Again, if you're going to go through the trouble of putting up a system, why not give it an interesting title? Different titles always attract more users than the same old same mold.
5. Real operators write their own system software.
Most users are tired of calling systems with the same old software used by a hundred others -- Wildcat, QuickBBS, and the like grow old very quickly. In addition, that "UNREGISTERED EVALUATION VERSION" message at each log on tends to get on the nerves as well. If you're going to put up a system, why not do the original authors of it the courtesy of _registering_ their system software package?
If you don't have the expertise necessary to write your own system, perhaps you shouldn't be running one at all. Good systems are characterized by the computer literacy of the management.
6. Real operators run their systems 24 hours a day.
Ever seen "Call this BBS -- from 9pm to 6am. It's run on my own private line..."? Why bother putting up a system if it's only going to be up on a partial time schedule? All this does is complicate things for both the user and the operator. The user is never sure of when are the exact times allowed to call the system, and because of this, the operator gets calls from modems all the time. In addition, many BBS lists don't have a field for hours up, so new users getting the BBS number from there may not even _know_ that it's not 24 hours. And I'm almost embarrassed to say I've called a system that had call-waiting on the phone line! Users would kick each other off trying to get on.
7. Real operators don't call other systems on their own system line.
It's a little ridiculous to tie up the system that you've put all your time and effort (and perhaps money) to set up just to get onto a few other systems. For God's sake, get another phone line!
8. Real operators have a separate, distinct phone line for their system.
This follows a few of the other guidelines above. If you're going to invest in system software, you might as well go the extra length and get a separate phone line for it. Otherwise...why bother?
9. Real operators run their system off a hard drive of reasonable size.
How many systems have you called and been shocked to find out that they're running off of two floppy disks? Be serious. You can't have any system worth calling on only a meg or so.
10. When real operators call other systems, they don't advertise their system at the end of their every post.
It's annoying to see "CALL MY BBS -- 408-555-1212" at the end of someone's post every single time. If anything, this would probably make other users _not_ want to call your system.
RANDY'S RUMOR RAG
WINDOWS NEWS
 
Look for updates to Word
for Windows and Project
Manager for Windows to be
announced at Comdex in May.
Windows 3.1 should debut in
late summer.
Meanwhile, Borland has unveiled Turbo Pascal for Windows and is shipping C++ for Windows.
The pressure is on Lotus to get 1-2-3 for Windows to market before Excel 3 closes their window of opportunity (no pun intended).
Apple Computer is expanding their copyright infringement suit against Microsoft to include specific reference to Windows 3.
Microsoft is shipping a utility for PowerPoint applications that will convert Harvard Graphics programs into editable PowerPoint files. Expect similar translation to PowerPoint software soon for Freelance, Adobe Illustrator and others.
Look for new Windows software from Symantec. Included are an executive word processor called JustWrite, a basic project manager called On Target, and Norton Backup for Windows.
1-2-3/W
Lotus Development recently assembled 20 elite beta testers at the company headquarters for the purpose of distributing beta copies of 1-2-3 for Windows.
Company officials say that the product will likely be demonstrated at Windows World in Atlanta and eventually the beta testing program will spread to 200 sites.
Expect to see a programmable toolbar similar to what WordPerfect for Windows will use, leaked one company official. (The Excel toolbar is hardcoded and cannot be changed.)
FILE EXPRESS 5
Back in my early days of PC computing, I belonged to a local user group (but that's another story). One night while going through their list of shareware programs, I came upon a flat-file database manager called File Express. These guys were located about a hundred miles away and I really liked their database. Unlike most database managers, it was fast and easy to use.
I've used File Express for several years now for keeping track of everything from my software collection to registrations for a professional photography school.
Anyway, they've finally introduced Version 5 of this wonderful shareware program. They've upped the ante for registration to $99.95, but it's still worth many times that price.
Included in the upgrade is the ability to do a lookup in an external database, an extensive screen painting module, updated and more extensive report and label modules, and even a mini-word processor.
If you've liked previous versions, you'll love this one. The mini-word processor lets you create a short letter using fields from a database in a mail merge operation - a nice feature.
I don't want to go into too much detail, except to say that if you're looking for a flat-file database that's not only fast, but also easy to use, File Express is the way to go.
QEMM vs 386-TO-THE-MAX
One of the things that has bugged me since Windows 3 came out is that HIMEM.SYS assumes that you want to use your extra memory for Windows and nothing else. Wouldn't it be nice if your extended memory were usable for something else besides Windows?
I've tried both Qemm-386 and 386-to-the-Max and here are my conclusions.
What both of these products do is allow you to use your extended memory as EMS when you're in DOS and let Windows use it as extended when you're using Windows. This is like having the best of both worlds.
My experience with 386MAX is that it is quirky. The installation is simple enough and it seems to do a good job the first time around with no tweaking necessary. I had problems with it locking up Windows and giving some strange error codes from time to time. HP's NewWave refuses to work with 386MAX at all. Disk activity is also slowed noticeably (such as formatting disks) and this is noted in the documentation.
On the other hand, QEMM-386 seems to have no problems with Windows or disk operations. Installation of both programs is similar, but QEMM requires a little tweaking. To maximize your memory, you must run ALL of your programs, then return to the included Manifest program and see where little chunks of unused memory may be located, then adjust your CONFIG.SYS accordingly. This is not a complicated procedure, but it takes some doing to run all of your software.
Overall, I'll give my nod to QEMM-386. Both products are priced similarly, but QEMM seems to have a smoother feel when you're operating the computer and shows none of the quirks of 386MAX when used with Windows.
AMI PRO
I've been dying to find a decent word processor that runs under Windows. Don't mention Word for Windows, I still think it sucks.
I've recently had the opportunity to try Ami Pro from Samna. Actually, they were recently bought out by Lotus Corporation, but I hope that doesn't sound the death bell for the product.
The Lotus touch is there during the program's installation process when it asks you to ID your disk before continuing with the installation. I hate that!
Once up and running, I like the program much better than Word for Windows. You have a toolbar running down the left of the screen.
The program seems much faster than that other Windows word processor. Included are modules for charting and drawing, so it's a pretty complete package. Of course you've also got a spell checker and thesaurus along with all the other features you'd expect in a full-blown word processor.
There's something I just don't like about a Windows-based word processor, but this one would at least come close to getting my nod. I'm holding out for WordPerfect for Windows, but in the meantime Ami Pro does a great job. Let's hope Lotus doesn't screw it up.
POS AWARD
This month's piece of s__t award goes to Practical Peripherals for their 2400 SendFax card.
This is a fax/modem card that on the surface looks great - combine a modem with fax capabilities at an extremely reasonable price.
The clue here is in the name "SendFax". This card will only send faxes, not receive them. What imbecile in the marketing department dreamed this up? Just when you think you've seen everything ...
Under the heading of gossip comes this piece from Computer Reseller News. The story is that Bill Gates expressed interest in developing a Windows version of Quicken. After taking a look into Intuit's business operations and tempting the company with the possibility of a merger, Gates told Inuit's president that Microsoft was not interested in buying the company. In addition, Gates told them that Microsoft planned to announce its own Windows- based personal finance package this summer. What a guy!
RAndY's RumOR RaG is published on a more or less monthly basis and is posted on GEnie and miscellaneous BBS's. Feel free to copy and distribute at your discretion. Opinions expressed are those of the author only.
Questions, rebuttals, and other contemptuous comments may be addressed to:
