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Text File | 1992-12-26 | 50.3 KB | 955 lines

╔════════════════╗ ║ ║ ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ ║ ╔╝ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ║ ║ █ ▄▄▄ █ █ ▄▄▄ █ █ ▄▄▄▄█ █ ▄▄▄▄█ █ ▄▄▄ █ ║ ╔╝ █ ▄▄▄▄█ █ ▄▄▄ █ █▄▄▄▄ █ █ █▄▄▄▄ █ █▄█ █ ║ ║ █▄█ █▄█ █▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ ║ ║ ║ ║ ▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ║ ╔═╝ █ ▄▄ █▄ █ ▄▄ █▄ █ ▄▄▄▄█ ║ ║ █ ▄▄▄ █ █ ▄▄▄ █ █▄▄▄▄ █ ║ ╔╝ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ ║ ║ ║ ╔══╝ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ╔═══╝ ║ █ ▄ ▄ █ █ ▄▄▄ █ █ ▄▄▄▄█ █ ▄▄▄ █ █▄▄▄ ▄█ █▄ ▄█ █ ▀██ █ █ ▄▄▄▄█ ║ ╔╝ █ █ █ █ █ ▄▄▄ █ █ █▄▄ █ █ ▄▄▄ █ ▄█▀▄██▄ ▄█ █▄ █ █▄▀ █ █ ▄▄▄█▄ ║ ╔╝ █▄█▀█▄█ █▄█ █▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄█ █▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄▄▄█ █▄█▀█▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ ║ ╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╩═══╗ ║ January 1993 Volume 1 Number 1 ║ ╟───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╢ ║ Board of Trade BBS New Port Richey, Florida (813) 862-4772 ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ In This Issue ------------- - Welcome to the Pasco BBS Magazine - Interview with Nels Anderson (Game designer and Sysop) - Feature on PascoNet - BBS Basics (What is a BBS?) - Latest News Updates - Game review, humor and more!! + + + + + Welcome to the Pasco BBS Magazine --------------------------------- What you are looking at is the first issue of a monthly magazine about Pasco County Florida BBSing. We have an exclusive interview with Shareware game designer Nels Anderson, a feature on PascoNet and even a article called "What is a BBS?" It is hoped that this magazine will appeal to the novice and veteran BBS enthusiast alike. But, this is a first issue. With your help future issues could become even better. Writing something is among the various ways to help, but that's all explained elsewhere. For now, welcome to the Pasco BBS Magazine. + + + + + Exclusive Interview with Nels Anderson -------------------------------------- Most of you know Nels Anderson as the designer of some of the most popular Shareware games around, but did you know he was also a Sysop? During the terrible storms that hit the Northeast in mid December, Nels Anderson took time out of his busy schedule for an exclusive interview with the Pasco BBS Magazine. First a little background information. Nels Anderson was born in Connecticut, but moved to Massachusetts following graduation from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1978. He worked for Honeywell and Prime Computer before going into Shareware/BBSing full-time in 1989. His first game Mah Jongg Solitaire was released in 1987, followed by EGATrek (1988), Cipher (1990), Shooting Gallery (1990), SuperFly (1991), Cipher for Windows (1991) and Tile Match (1992). Pasco BBS Magazine (PBM): How did you get started designing games? Nels Anderson (NA): I actually started programming way back in the dark ages of computers, well before personal computers were available. I was just in high school at the time and they had a PDP-8/L which was hot stuff at the time (4K of memory, paper tape for I/O, and a Teletype). I learned a lot from it and naturally some of the stuff I did was games. I got started on PC games about six years ago when I got my first PC. It had EGA graphics, so I immediately started trying to figure out how that worked. My tinkering gradually developed into my Mah Jongg solitaire game. The game was actually a combined learning experience rather than something that was originally intended as a product. I was trying to learn PCs, the C programming language, and how EGA graphics worked, all at the same time. PBM: Where do you get your inspiration for your games? NA: Very few game ideas are totally original and that's been the case with all my games. Mah Jongg was a computer game long before I did my version, though I did not know of any version for MS-DOS PCs when I first did mine. EGATrek was inspired by the classic minicomputer game, one of the first computer games ever, that I've traced back at least as far as 1971. Cipher was taken right out of the newspaper puzzle section. Shooting Gallery was suggested by a friend, though the real life shooting ranges it represents have been around for a long time too. PBM: What made you think of SuperFly? NA: SuperFly is actually an updated version of another pre-PC era computer game. Where I worked we had a programmable computer terminal (the screen and keyboard you use when connected to a minicomputer) and this terminal could play exactly one game: "Fly". The terminal did not support graphics, so the flies were just asterisks. A very simple game, it was still very addictive and many lunch hours were spent moving the cursor around swatting asterisks. SuperFly is a graphical version of basically the same game, though with multiple rounds, different bug types and other obstacles a lot has been added to the original concept. PBM: How much time goes into designing a game program? NA: Well, the actual game design comes more as a flash of inspiration rather than a well thought out effort to sit down and design a game. The implementation phase takes quite a while though. And actually, a lot of the design comes out during the implementation. The concept I start with often ends up changing before I'm done. I'd guess my typical game has taken about six months from original concept to when version 1.0 is released. PBM: Which game is your personal favorite? NA: I guess Mah Jongg is still my favorite. Partially because it was my first, but also since it's one of the few games that I can play myself. One disadvantage of programming games is that the ones you create are often not much fun to play, since you already know all the tricks! PBM: Any comments on how popular your games have become? Surprized or disappointed by the number of registered versions. NA: I've been quite surprised at how many people have wanted to register my games. When I first released Mah Jongg I told my friends at work who had helped me with testing and suggestions, that if I ever made $100 off of it I'd take them all out to lunch. Well, my first registration arrived in about a week and it wasn't long before we had our lunch date. I started putting pins in a U.S. map where each registration came from, but it wasn't long before no more pins would fit in some areas! Even after five years I still think it's great that a system like this can work. I've had registrations from all fifty states and over fifty foreign countries as well. Amazing! PBM: Any plans for future programs? NA: Well, I don't intend to stop doing what I'm doing, that's for sure! Most of 1992 was spent on a non-Shareware project since I think it's good to have income coming from several sources--at least until the day comes when I have to get a "real" job again <grin>. My current project is to update each of my current programs with ideas I've received since their last update and then I'll go on to something new. I've have a whole file folder full of game ideas so I won't having any trouble coming up with something. PBM: What are your feelings on Shareware or the future of Shareware? NA: I think the future looks good. More people become aware of Shareware all the time, especially since it's becoming available in more and more places. Plus some of the Shareware rack vendors are starting to pay small royalties to authors, which will help a lot of people stay in the Shareware business. PBM: Tell us a little about the Xevious BBS. NA: The original Xevious was started by another fellow way back in 1983 and was located in Needham, Massachusetts. It was my favorite BBS. When he announced he was shutting down I talked it over with some of the other regular users and ended up buying the system from him and eventually moving it to my home in Framingham. It's been here since mid-1985. Originally the system was run on Apple II's, which is what I and all my friends had in the early 1980's. When my Shareware business got going I converted the BBS to MS-DOS computers and it's grown like crazy, right along with my Shareware business. It's currently running 4 lines, with over 1-gig of actual files on line (>14,000 files) and gets about 250 calls a day. PBM: The Xevious BBS supports several different Shareware authors. NA: Yes, in addition to myself, I support the following authors: Dick Olsen, David Pabst, Graham Cluley and Dan Linton. I'm the United States representative for Graham (who lives in England) and all the others are long time friends. PBM: Any comments on BBSes in general? NA: Well, they're a lot of fun :-) Unlike most people, I use BBSes primarily for the message conferences. Even with all the files I have sitting on my BBS hard drive I really have tried very few of them. I love reading messages though. One of my favorite activities is flight sims, and I started and am currently the host of the RelayNet (or RIME) flight sim conference. I still love playing computer games or using Microsoft Flight Simulator. In fact, a year ago I got my pilot's license--I needed an excuse to get out of the house more often, since spending a lot of time at home can be a disadvantage at times. PBM: Any thing else who would like to comment on? NA: Yah--I wish the blizzard we're having would stop! Thank you very much Nels Anderson for your interesting comments. You can reach the Xevious BBS at (508) 365-2359, it is located in Framingham, Massachusetts. One more thing, what's a blizzard? + + + + + ▄▄▄█████▄▄▄ █▀▀▀ ▀▀█▀▀ █ █ ▀█▀▀█ ▀█▀ █▀▀█ █▀▀█ █▀▀▀ ▄█▀ ▀█▀ ▀██▄ ▀▀▀█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █▀▀▀ █ ▄██ ▄▌ ▄██ ▀██▄ ███▄ ▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▐██▌██ ▐████ ▀███▌████▌ Located in Sunny Port Richey Florida ██████▐██████ ▀████████ 2.4 Gigabytes with over 31,000+ Files! ▐█████████████ ▐██████▌ (813)862-8850 (813)862-1809 (813)862-4632 ▀███████████ ██████▀ All Nodes Support 300 to 16,800 Baud ▀███▀▀▀ ▀██▀ HST/V.32b/V.42b ▀▀▀█████▀▀▀ Approved by the Association of Shareware Professionals + + + + + PascoNet Profile ---------------- Those of you who call West Pasco BBSes are most likely familiar with PascoNet. PascoNet allows users on one local BBS to leave a message which is sent to several BBSes in Pasco County. The popular PascoNet may seem like it has been around forever, but was started just over a year ago. The Studio PC BBS in Port Richey is the host system for PascoNet. This means that other PascoNet boards call the host to transfer their mail. This way every member board has the latest messages received from one central source. This is how the BBSes talk to one another and how mail is received by the various boards. The PascoNet host, the Studio PC BBS, dates back to 1986 and is one of Pasco County's oldest boards. It was originally run on a Commodore 64 and called the Studio 64. A few years ago the system switched to a IBM clone and was renamed, but remains one of Pasco County's most popular BBSes. Ralph LoBianco, Sysop of the Studio PC BBS, first brought national network mail to this area several years ago by introducing FidoNet. FidoNet is one of the world's largest and oldest echo networks with 18,000 systems participating world-wide. FidoNet offers hundreds of conferences on various topics. Ralph LoBianco is the FidoNet Network Coordinator for this area, assuring that area systems abide by the rules and are up to date. One more "very important position" is that of Echomail Coordinator, who is Rob Marlowe of the Inner Sanctum BBS. The Echomail Coordinator handles the transfer of mail between the local nodes and the Regional Hubs. Ralph LoBianco puts it this way, "PascoNet is like FidoNet, but on a much smaller scale." On the birth of PascoNet LoBianco continues. "Local systems had been sharing many of the national conferences, but nothing on a local level except for a Tampa Bay conference. There was a need for a localized conference for just systems within Pasco. It would enable people to talk to their friends on other bulletin boards in the area. Messages posted in the for-sale conference would reach several bulletin boards and many more users." PascoNet currently offers several different conferences. Pasco Talk is for general discussion, Pasco 4 Sale is self explanatory and Pasco Sysops is a private conference for Sysops. Recently Pasco Teen was added at the request of one of the PascoNet Sysops to allow younger users a place to chat. A Bulletin Board System does not have to become a member of FidoNet to join PascoNet. BBSes must be able to transfer mail using QWK or Fido style mail packets. There are no fees for membership. For more information contact the Studio PC BBS at (813) 862-8850. Ralph LoBianco says "I would like to see more bulletin boards in the area using the PascoNet messages." The increase in the number of BBSes has lead to PascoNet growth, as about eight systems are now carrying PascoNet. (Thank you to Ralph LoBianco for his help with this article) + + + + + ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ╥─┐ ╓──┐ ╓──┐ ╥──┐ ╥──┐ ║ ║ ╟─┴┐ ║ │ ╟──┤ ╟─┬┘ ║ │ ║ ║ (813) 862-4772 ╨──┘ ╙──┘ ╨ ┴ ╨ ┴ ╨──┘ New Port Richey ║ ║ ╓──┐ ╥──┐ Florida ║ ║ ║ │ ╟─ ║ ║ ╙──┘ ╨ ║ ║ Free ╓─╥─┐ ╥──┐ ╓──┐ ╥──┐ ╥──┐ Lots of Files ║ ║ Access ║ ╟─┬┘ ╟──┤ ║ │ ╟─ ║ ║ 24 hours ╨ ╨ ┴ ╨ ┴ ╨──┘ ╨──┘ Game Doors ║ ║ a day ╥─┐ ╥─┐ ╓─┐ ║ ║ ╟─┴┐ ╟─┴┐ ╙─┐ Fun! ║ ║ ╨──┘ ╨──┘ ╙──┘ ║ ║ home of the Pasco BBS Magazine ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ + + + + + Computer Humor -------------- Definitions by Tom Gordon, New Port Richey, FL Bandwidth--Rock singer Meat Loaf's waist size. Basic--Nauseated Buc's fan. Expansion Board--Fashion designers for Oprah Winfrey's new wardrobe. Handshaking--Alcoholic's wake-up call. Hertz--Car rental company that guarantees to put you in a painful seat. Hardware--Clothes for body-builders. Interface--The midpoint of Michael Jackson's plastic surgeries. I/O--My usual monetary state. Line driver--Baseball batter who never hits flies, pop-ups or grounders. Local Area Network--All you'll be lucky to see without cable. Machine Language--Aronld Schwarzenegger's acting. Mainframe--Enclosure for a portrait of our easternmost contiguous state. Memory--Usually, something best left forgotten. Modem--What the lawn mower did to the lawns. Operating System--Surgical priority according to patient's bankroll. Port--Wino connoisseur's favorite drink. Protocol--Telephone message from an amoeba. Serial Port--Police jargon for a left-handed mass murderer. Throughput rate--Tollbooth charge. UART--Paintings of female sheep. Upload--Helping your mother-in-law onto a horse. + + + + + Telix Update ------------ After a long period with little or no news about Telix, a major announcement was made during December. The developers of the popular Shareware communications program, Exis, Inc., announced they were selling the rights to deltaComm Development. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the new owner is actually a former Exis manager. According to reports, all parties feel this move will help with the long term development of Telix. deltaComm Development has big plans for future versions of Telix and is anticipated to have a major upgrade during 1993. Some minor changes were made in December's release of version 3.20 and users were introduced to the new company. Version 3.20 also added a new "script learning" feature along with several cosmetic changes. Telix is a very popular communications package, and it will be interesting to see what effect these changes will have. Maybe someone will send along a review of the new version of Telix for a future issue? + + + + + ╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ║ ║ ▀▀▀▀▀██████████████████████████████ ║ ║ ▀▀████████▀▀ ▀█████████████ ║ ║ ▀▀▀▀ █████████████ ║ ║ ▀████████████ ║ ║ ███████████▌ ║ ║ ╥ ╥ ╓──╖ ╓─╖ ╓─╥─╖ ╓──╖ ╓──╖ ╓──╖ ╓─╖ ╓─╥─╖ ║ ║ ║╓╖║ ╟─ ╙──╖ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╟──╢ ╙──╖ ║ ║ ║ ╙╜╙╜ ╙──╜ ╙──╜ ╨ ╙──╜ ╙──╜ ╨ ╨ ╙──╜ ╨ ║ ║ ╓╖ ╖ ╓──╖ ╓─┐ ╓─┐ ╓─╖ ▀▀▀▀███████ ║ ║ ╓╨╨╖ ║ ─╢ ╟─┴┐ ╟─┴┐ ╙──╖ ▐████ ███████▌ ║ ║ ╙──╜ ╨ ╙──╜ ╙──┘ ╙──┘ ╙──╜ ▐██▀███ ███████ ║ ║ ╥──┐ ╥ ╓──┐ ╓──╖ ╓──╖ ╓─╥─╖ ╓──╖ ╓──┐╥ ┬▀ ▄██ █████████ ║ ║ ║ │ ║ ╟─┬┘ ╟─ ║ ║ ║ ║ ╟─┬┘╙─╥─┘ ███ █████████▌ ║ ║ ╨──┘ ╨ ╨ ┴ ╙──╜ ╙──╜ ╨ ╙──╜ ╨ ┴ ╨ ███ ████▀▀████▌ ║ ║ ▀█ ███▄ ▄█████ ║ ║ Editor:CLARK D.GILBO ▀█ ██████████ ║ ║ █ ████████▌ ║ ║ This is a 813 BBS Directory ▀███████ ║ ║ ▀███▀ ║ ║ "NOT JUST A BBS LISTING ▄▄■ ║ ║ BUT A DIRECTORY" ▄▄▀▀▀▀ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ ║ Westcoast 813 BBS Directory, 4348 Plaza Dr. Suite #V103, Holiday, Florida ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ + + + + + Introducing the BBS Cookbook ---------------------------- Editor's Note: You may be wondering why a magazine devoted to BBS usage doesn't have a list of BBS phone numbers. If you have seen the Westcoast 813 BBS Directory, you know why. Clark Gilbo's Directory is a comprehensive list of BBSes in the 813 area code, which is available free of charge on many boards. Next month the Pasco BBS Magazine will feature an article on the Westcoast 813 BBS Directory. For now, Clark Gilbo wrote about a new project he is working on. Westcoast is sponsoring a BBS Cookbook & Disk Combo. There are a lot BBS users out there, and I know there are many of us looking for new recipes to try out on our families and friends. So a cookbook of 813 user's recipes is being compiled. Since there are no funds to put this cookbook together, you are being asked to help. Only five things are being asked of you! The first three are somewhat easy, three recipes of yours. Please don't copy them out of a book. Heheheeeheeee. Please put your recipes on a disk, as this will help to compile the recipes. The next thing is to fill out COOKBOOK.FRM, and mail in with a prepayment of $6. Now, what you'll get is a certificate for $9 (This includes your prepayment plus a $1 off for each recipe and another $2 off for the putting recipes and Cookbook Form, COOKBOOK.FRM, on disk). That's $11 off the cost of the cookbook and disk. A disk with recipes will be included with the cookbook. This disk will not be available for Shareware, or a limited disk will be available. The purchaser will send in mail back form to get a full disk. If the disk is available to everyone no one will buy a cookbook, so some kind of package will be made up. The total cost should be between $16.99 and $24.99, then with the $10 off the remaining payment will be between $5.99 and $13.99 plus Sales Tax. I must receive at lease 375 users for this cookbook to be published. I know, I know, what if I send in my prepayment and the book isn't published, so where is my money? Good question!!!! You'll get a refund of all money sent in by return of your check! Your check will not be cashed until the book is ready to be published!!!!! The check MUST be made out to Westcoast Enterprise, Unlimited. As of this minute, I have no account by the above name to cash these checks. When I get enough users to publish this cookbook, I'll set up an account to get things started. I'd like the cookbook to be published by July or August of '93, but will continue to take recipes and orders until November of '93 if I need too. Hopefully the cookbook and disk will be ready before Christmas of 93'. If you wish to send in recipes only, you may and you'll get coupon for $3 off (or $5 off if disk is mailed with recipes and COOKBOOK.FRM on it.) the purchase, but it will be off the total retail price which will be about $25.00 - $35.00 depending on how many users prepay and how many users send in recipes. Prepay users will pay a discount price. There will be a contest to "Name the Cookbook." The winner will get two cookbooks and disks, and the prize of a 9600 baud high speed modem. The modem will be awarded only if enough users order the cookbook to cover the cost of the modem!!!! On each recipe there will be the name of the user that sent in the recipe, the town they live in, and the BBS you'll visit with their BBS data number. You'll be asked for five BBSes you visit in the included Cookbook Form (COOKBOOK.FRM). So please tell your friends and neighbors about this great cookbook. (Thank you to Clark Gilbo for the article, and looking forward to reading about the Westcoast 813 BBS Directory in next month's Pasco BBS Magazine.) + + + + + G A M E R E V I E W ┌───────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Game │ Starfire │ ├───────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Author/Vendor │ Silver Lightning Software (Australia) │ ├───────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Special Requirements │ 286 or higher, VGA │ ├───────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Supports │ Joystick, mouse, Adlib/SoundBlaster │ └───────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────┘ Starfire Review Starfire is an all out space war against the evil and relentless Sloboids. The graphics and action are truly arcade quality, and the sound card support is well executed. This is a fast action battle to save the planet. The Shareware version offers six levels of killing aliens with your guns and bombs. Alien motherships are headed towards earth with all types of bombs and bullets coming at you from all directions. There are enemy fighters, gun turrets, and the deadly heat seeking missiles to avoid. With the SoundBlaster card, the game has all the explosions and synthesized speech too. It is a nice touch to hear "Bonus Life" or "Weapon Upgrade" when you pick up the tokens. Starfire is better than most space battles. The game is Shareware, designed by Lightning Software in Australia. Good game, mate. + + + + + ╓───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╖ ░ ║ COME AND VISIT THE ║ ░ ║ ╥─────┐ ╓─────┐ ╥ ┬ ╥─────┐ ╥─────┐ ╥ ╓─────┐ ║ ░ ║ ║ ║ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ ║ ║ ║ ░ ║ ╟── ║ │ ║ │ ╟───┬─┘ ╟── ║ ╙─────┐ ║ ░ ║ ║ ║ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ ║ │ ║ ░ ║ ╨ ╙─────┘ ╙─────┘ ╨ ┴─ ╨─────┘ ╨─────┘ ╙─────┘ ║ ░ ║ BBS ║ ░ ║ Beautiful Downtown New Port Richey Fla. ║ ░ ║ 24 HRS (813) 842-3695 MIKE LAFFEY ║ ░ ║ FREE ACCESS Home of FISHNET Email Net SYSOP ║ ░ ║ Regional Hub of ZONET Network ║ ░ ║ ~~~ TRIBBS 3.3 * THE BEST IN RECENT SHAREWARE * DOORS GAMES ~~~ ║ ░ ╙───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╜ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ + + + + + PKZip Update ------------ The highly anticipated release of the new version of PKWare's popular Shareware archive program is now expected during January. PKZip 2 is currently in the final stages of beta testing. There are hacked files floating around claiming to be the new version, but only versions 1.10 and 1.93 (a beta test) are official releases. + + + + + Acronyms ________ Acronyms are abbreviations which stand for a series of words. The perfect example would be BBS, which is an acronym for Bulletin Board System. Some people use acronyms in messages left on BBSes to save on the typing time. This is quite common on some echo networks. A few of the more commonly used acronyms are listed below. If you have any favorite acronyms send them along. ADN - Any day now AFAIK - As far as I know ╔══════════════════════╗ BTW - By the way ║ become a ║ CU - See You ║ ║ FYI - For your information ║ Pasco BBS Magazine ║ GIWIST - Gee, I wish I said that ║ ║ IC - I see ║ Distribution ║ IMHO - In my humble opinion ║ Site ║ IMNSHO - In my not so humble opinion ║ see ║ IOW - In other words ║ INFO.TXT ║ OIC - Oh, I see ║ for details ║ POV - Point of view ╚══════════════════════╝ WYSIWYG - What you see is what you get + + + + + Did You Know? ------------- The First Federal Savings and Loan in Nebraska was the first to offer an outside automated teller machine in 1974? + + + + + ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ░ ░ ░ ░ ░ ╥ ┬ ╓──┐ ╥ ┬ ╥──┐ ╓──┐ ╥──┐ ╥ ┬ ╥──┐ ╥──┐ ╥──┐ ░ ░ ╙──┤ ║ │ ║ │ ╟─┬┘ ╟──┤ ║ │ ╟──┤ ╟─ ╟─┬┘ ╟─ ░ ░ ╙──┘ ╙──┘ ╙──┘ ╨ ┴ ╨ ┴ ╨──┘ ╨ ┴ ╨──┘ ╨ ┴ ╨──┘ ░ ░ ░ ░ See INFO.TXT for details ░ ░ ░ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ + + + + + BBS Basics ---------- What is a BBS? If you mention to a friend, who is not into computers, that you call around to Bulletin Board Systems you will probably get a blank stare in return. If that same friend looks to their dictionary to find out what a BBS or Bulletin Board System is, their search will come up empty. So, just what is a BBS? An Electronic Bulletin Board System is simply a computer hooked up to phone lines. People may call the computer if their own computer has a modem and communications software. A modem is a device which allows computers to talk to each other over the telephone lines. The right communications software can make the job of connecting to a BBS quite simple. Once one calls a BBS, a whole new world of information, services and fun opens up. Bulletin Boards are one of the best places to get the latest in software for your PC, most of the time before you can get the programs through disk vendors. Callers can also leave messages to people who call the board or discuss issues with computer users all over the world. Many BBSes have games which you can play, sometimes against other callers. Some boards offer unique services which cannot be obtained anywhere else. Bulletin Board Systems vary greatly, from the small hobbyist to the big software companies support boards, each BBS has it own feel and selection of features. Most of the boards which users access are set up by hobbyists for their own enjoyment. The system operator (Sysop for short) tries to have all the information you will need to get started posted somewhere on the board, but most are more than happy to answer any questions users might have. In the next issue we'll talk about calling a BBS for the first time. Future issues will discuss BBS etiquette, file transfers, game doors, networks and many other aspects of BBS usage. + + + + + Floppy Fredie's Puzzle ▄▄▄▄────────▄▄▄▄ ▄█▄ ---------------------- ████ °° ████ █ ▄▄▄▄▄████ └────┘ ████▄▄▄▄█ Can you figure out what █ ████████████████ Floppy Fredie is saying? ▀█▀ ████████████████ Find out by solving his ████████████████ puzzle. Complete the █▄████████████▄█ puzzle by choosing the █ █ letters from the columns ▄▄█ █▄▄ directly underneath. Each letter can only be ╔═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╤═╗ used once and the left ║ │ │ │▓│ │ │ │ │ │▓│ │ │ │▓│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │▓║ over letters spell out ╟─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─╢ another message from ║▓│▓│▓│ │ │▓│ │ │ │▓│ │ │ │ │▓│ │ │ │ │ │▓│ │ ║ Fredie. Floppy Fredie ╟─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─╢ suggests you hit your ║ │ │ │ │▓│ │ │ │ │ │ │▓│ │ │▓│ │ │▓│ │ │ │ │ ║ print screen key, as it ╠═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╣ hard to write on your ║S│H│E│I│P│H│T│C│P│N│B│X│S│T│M│T│G│N│N│I│S│T│H║ monitor. The answer, ╟─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─╢ and another puzzle, will ║E│E│E│Y│O│A│A│H│E│E│N│B│T│T│O│A│S│A│D│G│T│E│S║ appear in next month's ╟─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─╢ issue. ║T│V│E│R│S│U│S│P│O│E│B│E│S│O│M│U│H│I│Z│I│N│K│O║ ╚═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╧═╝ + + + + + Sysops, Please Read ------------------- The Pasco BBS Magazine will be beginning a BBS Classified Ads section, hopefully, with the next issue. Sysops who forward a line of information about their BBS will receive a free classified ad. The ads will be one line with a maximum of 78 characters and will run in the order received. These ads would typically give the board name, phone number and a short description. The best way to forward your ad is to leave it as a message on the Board of Trade BBS. Also, classified ads could be sent through the mail. These ads do not have to be restricted to Pasco County boards, but the editor has the final say on which ads will run. + + + + + Murphy's Law of Computing ------------------------- When you get to the point where you really understand your computer system, it's probably obsolete. + + + + + ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ╥ ┬ ╥ ┬ ╥──┐ ╓─┐ ╓──┐ ╓──┐ ╥──┐ ─╥─ ╥──┐ ╥──┐ ╓──┐ ╥──┐ ╓─╥─┐ ╓─┐ │ │ ╟──┤ ║ │ ║ │ ╙─┐ ║ │ ║ │ ╟─ ║ ╟─┬┘ ╟─ ╟──┤ ╟─┬┘ ║ ║ │ ╙─┐ │ │ ╨ ┴ ╙──┘ ╨──┘ ╙──┘ ╙──┘ ╨ ┴ ╨ ─╨─ ╨ ┴ ╨──┘ ╨ ┴ ╨ ┴ ╨ ╨ ┴ ╙──┘ │ │ │ │ Mancini Plaza │ │ New 10048 S.R. 52 Buy │ │ Used Hudson, FL 34669 Sell │ │ (813) 856-8125 │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ + + + + + News Release ------------ Nintendo Joins in Seizure Against Illegal BBS Software Recently Nintendo announced it was joining forces with software developers, such as Lotus and Mircosoft, in the prosecution of a BBS operator who was distributing pirated software. The APL BBS in Baltimore was, according to Nintendo, actively encouraging users to upload and download large amounts of pirated software. Nintento's General Counsel Lynn Hvalsoe stated her company's position. "Counterfeiting and illegal use of video games and business software has grown immensely over the past few years. We have and will continue to prosecute those who've become part of the underground network." Nintendo's news release also talked of a new law "which elevates copyright infringement, such as that engaged in by bulletin board operators, to a felony with penalties of up to $250,000/and up to five years in prison." The news release was followed, a few days later, by a letter from Nintendo's lawyers. The letter stated "we recognize that there are many legitimate bulletin boards and many honest system operators who support the ethical use of software." I guess Nintendo took some heat from Sysops who didn't like the insinuation. Software and video game companies should exercise their right to prosecute those who steal their work. However, lets hope Nintendo realizes that the vast majority of BBSes are ethical. + + + + + ╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ ╥─┐ ╓──┐ ╓──┐ ╥──┐ ╥──┐ ║ ║ ╟─┴┐ ║ │ ╟──┤ ╟─┬┘ ║ │ ║ ║ (813) 862-4772 ╨──┘ ╙──┘ ╨ ┴ ╨ ┴ ╨──┘ New Port Richey ║ ║ ╓──┐ ╥──┐ Florida ║ ║ ║ │ ╟─ ║ ║ ╙──┘ ╨ ║ ║ Free ╓─╥─┐ ╥──┐ ╓──┐ ╥──┐ ╥──┐ Lots of Files ║ ║ Access ║ ╟─┬┘ ╟──┤ ║ │ ╟─ ║ ║ 24 hours ╨ ╨ ┴ ╨ ┴ ╨──┘ ╨──┘ Game Doors ║ ║ a day ╥─┐ ╥─┐ ╓─┐ ║ ║ ╟─┴┐ ╟─┴┐ ╙─┐ Fun! ║ ║ ╨──┘ ╨──┘ ╙──┘ ║ ║ home of the Pasco BBS Magazine ║ ╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ + + + + + Update ------ Akron BBS trial update By David Lehrer, Sysop, Akron Anomaly BBS, Munroe Falls, OH You may already know about the BBS 'sting' six months ago in Munroe Falls, OH for "disseminating matter harmful to juveniles." Those charges were dropped for lack of evidence. Now a trial date of 1/4/93 has been set after new felony charges were filed, although the pretrial hearing revealed no proof that *any* illegal content ever went out over the BBS, nor was *any* found on it. For those unfamiliar with the case, here's a brief summary to date. In May 1992 someone told Munroe Falls police they *thought* minors could have been getting access to adult materials over the AKRON ANOMALY BBS. Police began a 2-month investigation. They found a small number of adult files in the non-adult area. The sysop says he made a clerical error, causing those files to be overlooked. Normally adult files were moved to a limited-access area with proof of age required (i.e. photostat of a drivers license). Police had no proof that any minor had actually accessed those files so police logged onto the BBS using a fictitious account, started a download, and borrowed a 15-year old boy just long enough to press the return key. The boy had no knowledge of what was going on. Police then obtained a search warrant and seized Lehrer's BBS system. Eleven days later police arrested and charged sysop Mark Lehrer with "disseminating matter harmful to juveniles," a misdemeanor usually used on bookstore owners who sell the wrong book to a minor. However, since the case involved a computer, police added a *felony* charge of "possession of criminal tools" (i.e. "one computer system"). Note that "criminal tool" statutes were originally intended for specialized tools such as burglar's tools or hacking paraphernalia used by criminal 'specialists'. The word "tool" implies deliberate use to commit a crime, whereas the evidence shows (at most) an oversight. This raises the Constitutional issue of equal protection under the law (14'th Amendment). Why should a computer hobbyist be charged with a felony when anyone else would be charged with a misdemeanor? At the pretrial hearing, the judge warned the prosecutor that they'd need "a lot more evidence than this" to convict. However the judge allowed the case to be referred to a Summit County grand jury, though there was no proof the sysop had actually "disseminated", or even intended to disseminate any adult material "recklessly, with knowledge of its character or content", as the statute requires. Indeed, the sysop had a long history of *removing* such content from the non-adult area whenever he became aware of it. This came out at the hearing. The prosecution then went on a fishing expedition. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer (7/21/92), "[Police chief] Stahl said computer experts with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation are reviewing the hundreds of computer files seized from Lehrer's home. Stahl said it's possible that some of the games and movies are being accessed in violation of copyright laws." Obviously the police believe they have carte blanche to search unrelated personal files, simply by lumping all the floppies and files in with the computer as a "criminal tool. "That raises Constitutional issues of whether the search and seizure was legal. That's a precedent which, if not challenged, has far-reaching implications for *every* computer owner. Also, BBS access was *not* sold for money, as the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The BBS wasn't a business, but rather a free community service, running on Lehrer's own computer, although extra time on the system could be had for a donation to help offset some of the operating costs. 98% of data on the BBS consists of shareware programs, utilities, E-mail, etc. The police chief also stated, "I'm not saying it's obscene because I'm not getting into that battle, but it's certainly not appropriate for kids, especially without parental permission," Stahl said. Note the police chief's admission that obscenity wasn't an issue at the time the warrant was issued. Here the case *radically* changes direction. The charges above were dropped. However, while searching the 600 floppy disks seized along with the BBS, police found five picture files they think *could* be depictions of borderline underage women; although poor picture quality makes it difficult to tell. The sysop had *removed* these unsolicited files from the BBS hard drive after a user uploaded them. However the sysop didn't think to destroy the floppy disk backup, which was tossed into a cardboard box with hundreds of others. This backup was made before he erased the files off the hard drive. The prosecution, lacking any other charges that would stick, is using these several floppy disks to charge the sysop with two new second-degree felonies, "Pandering Obscenity Involving A Minor", and "Pandering Sexually Oriented Matter Involving A Minor" (i.e. kiddie porn, prison sentence of up to 25 years). The prosecution produced no evidence the files were ever "pandered". There's no solid expert testimony that the pictures depict minors. All they've got is the opinion of a local pediatrician. All five pictures have such poor resolution that there's no way to tell for sure to what extent makeup or retouching was used. A digitized image doesn't have the fine shadings or dot density of a photograph, which means there's very little detail on which to base an expert opinion. The digitization process also modifies and distorts the image during compression. The prosecutor has offered to plea-bargain these charges down to "possession" of child porn, a 4'th degree felony sex crime punishable by one year in prison. The sysop refuses to plead guilty to a sex crime. Mark Lehrer had discarded the images for which the City of Munroe Falls adamantly demands a felony conviction. This means the first "pandering" case involving a BBS is going to trial in *one* month, Jan 4th. The child porn statutes named in the charges contain a special exemption for libraries, as does the original "dissemination to juveniles" statute (ORC # 2907.321 & 2). The exemption presumably includes public and privately owned libraries available to the public, and their disk collections. This protects library owners when an adult item is misplaced or loaned to a minor. (i.e. 8 year olds can rent R-rated movies from a public library). Yet although this sysop was running a file library larger than a small public library, he did not receive equal protection under the law, as guaranteed by the 14'th Amendment. Neither will any other BBS, if this becomes precedent. The 'library defense' was allowed for large systems in Cubby versus CompuServe, based on a previous obscenity case (Smith vs. California), in which the Supreme Court ruled it generally unconstitutional to hold bookstore owners liable for content, because that would place an undue burden on bookstores to review every book they carry, thereby 'chilling' the distribution of books and infringing the First Amendment. If the sysop beats the bogus "pandering" charge, there's still "possession", even though he was *totally unaware* of what was on an old backup floppy, unsolicited in the first place, found unused in a cardboard box. "Possession" does not require knowledge that the person depicted is underage. The law presumes anyone in possession of such files must be a pedophile. The framers of the law never anticipated sysops, or that a sysop would routinely be receiving over 10,000 files from over 1,000 users. The case could set a far ranging state-wide and nationwide precedent whether or not the sysop is innocent or guilty, since he and his family might lack the funds to fight this--after battling to get this far. These kinds of issues are normally resolved in the higher courts--and *need* to be resolved, lest this becomes commonplace anytime the police or a prosecutor want to intimidate a BBS, snoop through users' electronic mail, or "just appropriate someone's computer for their own use." You, the reader, probably know a sysop like Mark Lehrer. You and your family have probably enjoyed the benefits of BBS'ing. You may even have put one over on a busy sysop now and then. In this case; the sysop is a sober and responsible college student, studying computer science and working to put himself through school. He kept his board a lot cleaner than could be reasonably expected, so much so that the prosecution can find very little to fault him for. *Important* Please consider a small contribution to ensure a fair trial and precedent, with standards of evidence upheld, so that mere possession of a computer is not grounds for a witch hunt. These issues must not be decided by the tactics of a 'war of attrition'; *however far* in the court system this needs to go. For this reason, an independent, legal defense trust fund has been set up by concerned area computer users, CPA's, attorneys ,etc. Mark Lehrer First Amendment Legal Defense Fund (or just: MLFALDF) Lockbox No. 901287 Cleveland, OH 44190-1287 *All* unused defense funds go to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit, 501c3 organization, to defend BBS's and First Amendment rights. Help get the word out. If you're not sure about all this, ask your local sysops what this precedent could mean, who the EFF is--and ask them to keep you informed of further developments in this case. Please copy this file and send it to whoever may be interested. This case *needs* to be watch-dogged. Please send any questions, ideas or comments directly to the sysop: Mark Lehrer CompuServe: 71756,2116 InterNet: 71756.2116@compuserve.com Modem: (216) 688-6383 USPO: P.O. Box 275 Munroe Falls, OH 44262 (Courtesy Computer Underground Digest) + + + + + ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ █ ▀██ █ █ ▄▄▄▄█ █▄▀█▀▄█ █▄▄ ▄▄█ █ █▄▀ █ █ ▄▄▄█▄ ▄█▀▄▀█▄ █ █ FishNet Profile █▄█▀█▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄█▀█▄█ █▄█ Westcoast 813 BBS Directory feature ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ The NASA Spacelink BBS █ ▄ ▄ █ █ ▄▄▄ █ █ ▀██ █ █▄▄ ▄▄█ █ █▄█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █▄█ █ █ █▄▀ █ █ █ █ ▄▄▄ █ And a few surprizes? █▄█▀█▄█ █▄▄▄▄▄█ █▄█▀█▄█ █▄█ █▄█ █▄█ + + + + + Plea For Help ------------- If you would like to write something for the Pasco BBS magazine, please upload your submissions to the Board of Trade BBS. The more who contribute, the better the magazine will become. All authors will receive a by-line in the Pasco BBS Magazine. Sysops or local businesses may receive a free ad for their efforts. Game reviews, articles, computer related humor, questions, general feedback and artwork would be greatly appreciated. Sysops interested in becoming a Pasco BBS Magazine Distribution Site please leave a message on the Board of Trade BBS. The idea is to have a Distribution Site in south, central and east Pasco so readers will not have to call long distance to get a copy of the magazine. Hopefully, Distribution Sites will be selected over the next few months. These boards will probably get a few more calls and will get a free ad in every issue. Not a bad deal. So, please send your submissions or suggestions along. Questions or general feedback can be left as a message on the Board of Trade BBS. + + + + + Important Information --------------------- The Pasco BBS Magazine is distributed free of charge, as long as it is unaltered and complete. When uploading make sure the original archive is intact with all files included. The Pasco BBS Magazine is the sole property of the Board of Trade BBS and Richard A. Ziegler. All rights are reserved. No part of this magazine may be used without permission. By submitting something, you are agreeing to allow publication of the material in the magazine. Articles reprinted with permission remain the property of the cited source. Guest contributions may not necessarily reflect the views of the Pasco BBS Magazine. Every effort is made to insure that all information contained within the Pasco BBS Magazine is accurate, but inadvertently mistakes can appear. The Pasco BBS Magazine, Board of Trade BBS or Richard A. Ziegler cannot be held liable for information contained within this document. It is the intended that this magazine exists for the personal enjoyment of the readers. More information can be found in the file INFO.TXT, which is included in the archive file. Comments, questions, suggestions and submissions can be left on the Board of Trade BBS (813) 862-4772, or mailed to Board of Trade BBS, P.O. Box 1853, New Port Richey, FL 34656. + + + + + (C)Copyright 1992 All Right Reserved + + + + +