BMUG PD-ROM A/PD-ROM A.iso/Telecom/BBS List's/MacUUCP_alternatives_9108

Internet Message Format | 1991-10-18 | 8.9 KB | [TEXT/ttxt]

From [e-mail] Wed Aug 14 04:53:12 1991
Flags: 000000000201
From: [e-mail] (Rich Akerboom)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp,comp.sys.mac.comm
Subject: Macintosh/uucp/Usenet Talk Summary
Summary: Info from my talk on uucp/Macintosh/Usenet at MacWorld Boston
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 14 Aug 91 01:03:28 GMT
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

Because I received about 20 requests, here's a summary of the important
information from the talk I gave on a panel at MacWorld Boston, August 8, 1991.

If you have any constructive comments, please e-mail me. Thanks for your
help and patience.
=======================================================================
Usenet News and uucp Networking for Macintoshes
by Richard Akerboom
Sylvan Software
8/13/91

email: [e-mail]

This contains the information I presented at the 1991 MacWorld
Boston panel entitled "Almost-Free, Almost-Instant, Global Mail
and News." Thanks to the many from the net who supplied
information for this paper.

[Disclaimer--The information here is accurate to the best of my
knowledge, but that doesn't mean it is complete, correct or up to
date.]

Introduction:

This article gives information on how Macintosh users can take
part in global electonic mail and Usenet news. Since you are
reading this via Usenet, or I have e-mailed it to you, I assume
you are familiar with the 'net'. To give you some idea of Usenet's
size, in two weeks, 124,152 articles, totalling 251 Mbytes were
submitted from 12,929 different Usenet sites by 32,790 different
users to 1631 different newsgroups for an average of 18 Mbytes per
day.

In this article, 'Usenet' is the global news system, some of which
runs on the Internet (largely using NNTP) and some of which runs
over uucp links. 'UUCPnet' is the network of hosts that
communicate by uucp connections.

-----------------------------------
In order to take part you need to find someone to whom you can
connect and then you must get software for that kind of connection.


How To Connect: (software info below)

1. Terminal Emulation--Use Mac as a terminal, login to remote system.
   Similar to Compuserve, Genie, Prodigy, etc. Some options:

WORLD--A computer at Software Tool & Die. Voice [phone],
modem (617) 739-WRLD, free 1 hour trial, regularly $5/month+$2/hr
or $20/month for 20 hours.
WELL--Register online. Dial up modem number [phone] and when
you see the opening screen for the WELL, login in as TnewuserU.
ECHO--No information other than it is supposedly in New York City.
CLEVELAND FREENET--No information.

2. Fidonet Connectivity--Usenet exchanges information with fidonet,
   so you can get Usenet information on fidonet.

3. uucp--Easiest way to set up your own node. Usually runs over
   dial-up serial lines, but can go over networks (eg Appletalk,
   TCP). Is closely tied to Internet (see below). Most small
   systems use uucp rather than connect to the Internet directly.
   Ideally the person you dial in to would be on the Internet.
   Need to register your site so you can be found and so no one
   takes your name. (register w/ uucp mapping project-see articles
   in comp.mail.maps).

To find someone to connect to, try user groups, universities, local
computer companies or look in the uucp maps. Some commercial
services are:

UUNet, Inc.--Voice [phone].
Performance Systems International, Inc. (PSI)--Voice [phone].
Anterior Technologies, Menlo Park, CA --Voice [phone].
Datacomp Systems, Inc.--Contact person, Sydney S. Weinstein, voice--
[phone].

4. Internet--A worldwide network of computers connected using the
   TCP/IP protocols. Typically tied together by leased, 24-hour
   telephone lines. Large universities, research organizations,
   corporations. Usually very high speed connections. Services
   other than electronic mail and Usenet news include remote
   logon, remote file transfer and others. A hypercard stack
   describing the Internet is available from the NSF Network
   Services Center at BBN, voice [phone]. See also "Riding
   the Internet" in the Feb. 4, 1991 InfoWorld.

NEARnet (New England Academic & Research Network)--Local New
England NSFnet regional network. Voice [phone]. Cost for
9600 bps dial-up IP line, $350/month + telephone charges. Shared
lines are available at a discount. Non Profit.

If you're not from New England (who isn't? :-), either NEARnet or
the NSF Network Services Center at BBN can probably tell you who
is your local NSFnet regional network.

SOFTWARE TO USE: None of the PD/shareware programs below (except
Zterm) are presently available in the Boston Computer
Society%Macintosh Group, Berkeley Mac User Group or Washington
Apple Pi shareware/PD collections, although this may change.

1. Terminal Emulation--Zterm (shareware, v. 0.85 is newest),
Microphone II (commercial), etc.

2. Fidonet--Ask someone on fidonet.

3. uucp--For uucp transport and mail reading, both shareware,
   Public Domain and commercial software are available, but the
   only Usenet news reader on Macintosh is uAccess, a commercial
   package. Best way to get shareware/PD is to download it over
   the Internet.

uAccess--Produced by ICE Engineering, version 1.5, voice (313) 449-
8288. Cost $375 list. Also available through:
in US, Anterior Technologies, Menlo Park, CA --Voice [phone].
in US, Griffin Software Systems--Voice [phone].
in UK, Sak Wathanasin phone:  [phone].

MailLink Remote--A gateway from Star Nine that connects between
Quickmail or Microsoft Mail, and uucp. $195 for 10 users, plus
must have Quickmail or MS mail. Mail, no news reader. Voice (415)
548-0391.

GatorMail--MailLink Remote is also marketed by Cayman Systems under
GatorMail name. Voice [phone].

UMCP\QM--A gateway between Quickmail and uucp. Must have Quickmail.
Mail only, no news reader. Contact Information Electronics, voice
[phone].

uupc--Free, but latest version 2.1 has many problems and no news
support. Version 3.0 will be available in a few months with bug
fixes, a Mac interface and many new features, but still no news
support. Contact Dave Platt about the new version, email:
[e-mail].

Gnuucp--Version 4.3, port of the Free Software FoundationUs uucp.
Source available, stack based mail reader, no news. Contact James
E. O'Dell by email at: [e-mail]. Reported to be slow. Tom
Fitzgerald is also working on an improved version, email:
[e-mail].

Waffle--Runs under AU/X, other Unix systems and DOS only, not
Macintosh OS. Has news reader. By Thomas Dell, version 1.62, call
modem at [phone] and log in. For more details, email
[e-mail]. Shareware--with sources for Unix (necessary
for AU/X) fee is $120; DOS binaries on disk are $40; if you
download it the suggested fee is $35.

MS/DOS Based News Readers: uupc Extended--No news reader, author is
Drew Derbyshire; FSUUCP--No information.

Fernmail--Version 1.1b5. Better mail reader for uupc and gnuucp on
the mac. Shareware fee is $20. Until you pay the fee, it puts a
header line in all mail that says "Unregistered, shareware fee not
paid." The author is Dave Platt, see uupc above.


4. Internet--Normally mail is sent using Simple Mail Transfer
   Protocol (SMTP) over TCP/IP links. News is sent using Network
   News Transfer Protocol (NNTP). These products rely on
   connections with MacTCP or equivalents (typically over an
   ethernet), and the presence an SMTP server for mail and an NNTP
   server for news. These servers are typically found on Unix
   computers. If you can use these products, it would typically be
   at the office if you work at a university or corporation.

TCP/Connect II--From InterCon Systems Corp. Voice [phone].

The News--An NNTP news reader. Version 2.02 is available via ftp
from: isca02.isca.uiowa.edu, mac.archive.umich.edu and sumex-
aim.stanford.edu.

Netnews--A hypercard stack by Harry Chesley. Available through APDA
for $20 as part M0228LL/A.  It is also available thru anonymous
ftp to apple.apple.com, in directory pub/dts/mac/stacks/ or from
iubio.bio.indiana.edu, in diretory [archive.util.mac]netnews-
reader.hqx.

Eudora--Mail only, no news. Requires a POP protocol server, rather
than SMTP.

Newswatcher--It's on ftp.apple.com, directory /dts/mac/hacks, file
"newswatcher.hqx" and on latest DEVELOP CD(?) Author is Steve
Falkenburg(?). Excellent reviews.
---------------------------------
If you know of other uucp and/or Usenet news connectivity products
or services for Macintosh, please let me know. I may include them
in a followup posting (or I may not). I have heard rumors of a
program called 'Leemail' so let me know if you know what it is.

Richard Akerboom

--
Rich Akerboom        Internet, etc.:   [e-mail]
Sylvan Software      UUCP:             decvax!dartvax!eleazar!boomer
P. O. Box 566        Telephone:        [phone]
Norwich, VT  05055  USA