Night Owl - The Best of BBS

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Text File | 1992-07-24 | 66KB | 1,185 lines

************ CALLER'S MANUAL ************* 19 pages for RBBS-PC version 17.4 written by Coke H. Dilworth Sysop for The Hub (512) 327-0235 BBS for the Central Texas PC Users Group Austin, Texas July 24, 1992 **** Other Sysops may modify to suit their systems. **** Modified by: For: Date: RBBS-PC is a superb piece of work by Thomas Mack, Ken Goosens and Doug Azzarito. The work started under the auspices of the Capitol PC Users Group in the Washington, DC area in 1981. Since then, it has blossomed into the finest, most capable and flexible BBS software there is. PC Mag gave it the Editor's Choice award in 1991. The source code is distributed widely and modifications are contributed by countless Sysops. Most of its command structure is easily understood by users. This manual is intended as a complete listing and explanation of all the commands and their sub-commands. Some of the more obscure ones may surprise and delight you. There are three principal Menus (function areas): MAIN - Where you read and enter messages FILES - Where you search for, upload and download files UTILITIES - Where you set the way RBBS-PC responds to you. We will explain each command, in each menu, in alphabetical order. But first, there are some generalities and a Log-on trick or two. CALL WAITING If you have this service from your phone company, it should be defeated before any use of your modem. Otherwise, incoming calls will break your connection. Your dialing prefix should be changed from ATDT to ATDT*70W for touch-tone lines. If you use pulse dialing it should read ATDP1170W. Call Waiting will be restored as soon as you hang up. The "W" (Wait for next dial tone) can be replaced with a comma (,) which will cause a 2 second pause. Register S8 can change the duration of that pause. There are a very few exchanges where the *70 will not work. In that case, investigate Call Forwarding. PRE-LOG screen This is a text file that you see immediately after a connection is made. The Sysop thinks this information is important enough to make everyone see it. It's astonishing how many people don't take the time to read, much less understand what's on their screen. This is a plea for new users to slow down enough to EXAMINE what they see. Usually, the information one needs is right there on the screen. The command prompts for RBBS-PC are fairly cryptic because they are constrained to one line. They usually ask a question. "STACKING" Commands When you are asked for a response at the prompt lines, it's frequently appropriate to type two or more commands separated by a space (or a semicolon) before you hit the Enter key [CR]. These will be mentioned as we encounter them. A prime example is found at Log-on. Usually, you're asked to enter your First name, then your Last name and then your Password. If your communications software allows it (most do) you can assign one of your Function keys to send a string that looks like this: firstname lastname password}. The "}" represents the [CR] and should be replaced with the character(s) required by your software. Now, after you have gotten a connection and are prompted for your First name, just press that Fn-key and you're logged on in a jiffy. Of course, you can simply type the string on the First name line. You can avoid the Welcome Screen with " $" after your password. Try something like this: firstname lastname password $<CR>. Using the "!" instead of the "$" will take you straight to the Main prompt. Please avoid using the "!" because you miss all the pertinent new bulletins, files, news, messages and conference info. Only scum-suckin' File Hogs use the "!". File Hogs can actually download files from the First name prompt. It might look like this: What is your FIRST name? snidely whiplash ... ! f d file1 file2 z /g See the last page (Bulletin 10) for another example of command stacking. REMINDER screens Sysops sometimes like to remind you of your "Terminal Profile" and how many files you have uploaded and downloaded. The former is only a convenience and the later is intended to make you feel guilty. You can see your Profile in the Utility menu with the R)ead Profile command. In the interest of saving time, many Sysops defeat one or both reminders. Some Sysops require you to see the latest News about the BBS and offer you options to see New Files and Bulletins since your last log-on. The New Files and Bulletins options can usually be T)oggled on or off from the Utility menu. Don't toggle them off or you'll miss changes to Bulletins. BULLETINS Many Sysops require you to see the list of bulletins at Log-on. They have put a lot of pertinent information there. Answers to commonly asked questions are often found in bulletins. 1 ...List 2 ...of 3 ...Bulletins Read what bulletin(s), L)ist, S)ince, N)ews ([ENTER] = none)? <--Prompt Pick the number of the one you want, or stack them (1 2 3) and then [CR]. After you've read a bulletin you only see the Prompt line. Hit [CR] to go on without reading any of them. You may want to enter another number or the L) to see the listing again. You can read only the new bulletins S)ince your last call or see the N)ews again. CHECKING MESSAGES..... Each time you log on you'll be asked if you want to check for waiting messages. For heaven's sake answer YES. Even though you may not have left mail for others, there may be some waiting FOR you. Messages are the heart of any decent BBS. The same goes for Conferences, answer YES to the query. Pay attention to the response. If there are any messages To or From you their numbers will be displayed. Any with an asterisk (*) are private. See E)nter S)ave, below. Unlike other BBSs, The Hub asks that you NOT kill your old messages. Next you see: RBBS-PC Version CPC17.3C Node 1 Caller # 22659 # active msgs: 16 Next msg # 296 Last msg read: 164 - Node 1 tells you which Node you're on. - You are the 22,659th caller to the BBS. - # active msgs: There are 16 messages that are still active (not Killed). - Next msg #: If you E)nter a new one, its number will be 296. - Last msg read: The last one you read was number 164. More <[Y],N,C,A,J>? Any command option in brackets "[ ]" is the default. Just hit Enter to choose it. This is the ubiquitous "More" prompt. It's a device to keep things from scrolling off the top of your screen. All screens are interrupted every 23 lines by the More prompt. A 3-line display might have 20 CRs on the end so that you can have time to read it. Obviously, the N)o means you don't want to see any more. Choose C)ontinuous to let the text stream up your screen. This is most useful when you've opened a "Capture" (or Log) file and intend to read all that stuff while OFF-line. C)ontinuous disables the More prompt for the duration of the current command, only. Please see L)ines per page in the Utility menu. The A) aborts the command. The J) is for Jump and will ask for the text string for which to search. This is useful only in very large text files like the master File Directory. In that case, you could ask the system to J)ump to something like "09-01-89" (no quotes) and it would take you to the first occurrence of that string. * Ctrl-K(^K) / ^X aborts. ^S suspends ^Q resumes * If you have a C)ontinuous scroll going and want to stop it, then hold down the Ctrl key and press "S". To resume the scroll hit any key or Ctrl-Q. Ctrl-K aborts a text file scroll. Ctrl-X aborts a text display and will even interrupt a file Download. The HELP system RBBS-PC has a great collection of H)elp screens. Actually they are small text files stored in a separate subdirectory and they are mostly "context sensitive". Most prompts have an H) option. We encourage you to use them and even play with them. They contain information that I consider beyond the scope of this short document. Some of the files are long and you get several More prompts. Have patience. Eventually you'll find what you want to know. What you see... EVERYTHING you see on your screen, with the exception of the Prompt Lines, has been built by the Sysop. Each listing, Menu, Directory, etc. is a text file which (s)he maintains from day to day. The color and music files are purely a labor of love. Perhaps, self defeating. If you find errors or inconsistencies, please leave a C)omment. Sysops need your feedback. The Hub's MAIN menu - Central Texas PCUG ----- MAIL ---------- SYSTEM ------------ ELSEWHERE -------- *[E]nter Messages *=Validation req'd [F]iles Menu *[K]ill Messages [B]ulletins & News [U]tilities Menu [P]ersonal Mail [C]omment to Sysop [Q]uit to F,U,S [R]ead Messages [I]nitial Welcome [G]oodbye, log off [S]can Messages [H]elp (or ?) *[J]oin Conferences [T]opic of Msgs [X]pert on/off [V]iew Conf. Mail [W]ho else is on ------------------------------------------------------------ 43 min left MAIN command <?,B,C,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X>? ****** A)NSWER Questionnaire(s) Not active on The Hub. ****** B)ULLETINS Takes you back to the list of Bulletins with the Prompt line below it. You will avoid the re-listing of Bulletins if you're in X)pert mode. ****** C)OMMENT Leaves a special, private message that only the Sysop can read. All the margin widths and Editor functions operate here. See E)nter. There are many Comments every day. There isn't a Sysop in America that doesn't read the Comments daily, if (s)he can. The feedback is always instructive and occasionally makes 'em feel good. However, can you imagine yourself answering all those questions? Don't look for answers to questions left as Comments. E)nter a message to All instead. ****** D)OORS (not used on The Hub) A Door is a passageway to other programs that may be on a BBS. With this feature, you can drop out of RBBS-PC and run another program, remotely. Perhaps a game or an accounting program. You can imagine why it's dangerous to the system. If everyone pays close attention, it's Ok. Otherwise --- Disaster! Dropping carrier (hanging up) at just the wrong time can cause the BBS to seize up. Some Sysops keep the Doors closed because of the dangers to the system. Others maintain MANY remote programs. Running other programs can tie up the system for a LONG time. Busy BBSs seldom allow Doors. ****** E)NTER a message There are 3 fields which require a response before you start entering the body of the message. To A)ll,S)ysop,D)istribution, or name ([ENTER] quits)? <-prompt Carbon copy to another (Y,[N])? <-prompt Subject? <-prompt "To" is usually the recipient's name or A)ll (everyone) or the S)ysop. S)ysop simply flags it to the Sysop and the message can be pUblic. D)istribution is for systems that have pre-arranged lists of people to receive the same message (not active on The Hub). "Carbon Copy" is like Distribution except that you must enter each person's name to whom the same message can be sent. If the message is pRivate, then it's private to each recipient. "Subject" is obvious except that it must be 25 characters or less. Next, you'll see: Type message 30 lines max ([ENTER] quits) [----------------------------------------------------------------------] 1: The dashed line represents the 72 characters (max) that each line can hold. This can be changed in the Utility menu. The number 1: is the first of successive line numbers. RBBS-PC has "word wrap" so you don't have to place a [CR] at the end of each line. Just keep on typing as if you were using your favorite text processor. However, do NOT try to move your cursor around the screen! You may backspace on the current line, only. This is NOT a full-screen editor! See the last page (Bulletin 10) for how to enter messages by uploading ASCII files you've written while off line. To end your message put a [CR] as the first character on the last, empty line. You will then see: Edit Sub-function <A,C,D,E,I,L,M,R,S,?>? If you enter ?, you'll get: A - Abort without saving the message. C - Continue. Enter more lines of message. D - Delete line(s) of the message. E - Edit a line of the message. (Replace a text string) I - Insert line(s) into the message. L - List the entire message. M - Set the right text margin. R - Revise the message header (msg subject) S - Save the message. This option must be used in order to send the message. ? - Print this information If you choose S)ave, you'll get: Make message p[U]blic, p(R)ivate, (P)assword protected, (H)elp? If you choose H)elp, you'll get: U - pUblic. Message that can be read by anyone but can only be killed by the sender, addressee, and SYSOP. R - pRivate. The message can only be read (and killed) by the sendor, the addressee and the SYSOP. P - Password. The message can be read and killed only by persons who can give the password you attach to this message, and the SYSOP. ? - Shows this summary All Carbon Copies receive the same security chosen at this prompt. 'Nuff said? Try to avoid pRivate and Password. pUblic is the way to go and is the default in most cases. P)assword messages cause most people's script files to crash. ****** F)ILES This takes you to the Files function area where you can read the directories containing the file names and descriptions. You must be in the F)iles area in order to Upload or Download files. This is a separate Menu of commands. See the Files menu, below. ****** G)OODBYE G immediately logs you off the system, disconnects the phone line and recycles the system to await another call. You can say G)oodbye from both the Main & Files function prompts. G in the Utility menu means Graphics so you'll have to Q)uit to the M)ain menu before saying goodbye. If you're in Novice mode (see Xpert) you'll be given a chance to change your mind with a Yes/No prompt before actually dropping the carrier. ****** H)ELP Here's where the real help resides. Do H)elp from Main, Files or Utilities and you get: FILE - general help with file section commands MAIN - general help with main section commands UTIL - general help with utility section commands LIBR - general help with library section commands ZIP - what ZIPed files are and how to use them JUMP - How to use the RBBS-PC "jump" option SMARTEXT - A demo of RBBS-PC's "Smart Text" feature RBBS-PC - How to get a copy of RBBS-PC for your own use. Enter MAIN or ZIP or RBBS-PC and follow your nose. Darn near anything you want to know about the system is in H)elp. Far more than can be addressed here. You may have to wade through several More prompts to get to the level of help you're seeking. Please feel free to poke around in H)elp! ****** I)NITIAL Welcome The "Prelog" and "Welcome" screens, which you saw when you first logged on, will be displayed. ****** J)OIN a Conference A Conference is nothing more than a separate message-base file. Once you have J)oined a Conference, all of the system's functions are the same as if you were in the MAIN message-base. You are only looking at a different, random access file containing messages about a particular subject. You must J)oin and R)egister in a conference before the G)lobal message search will work (see Read, Global below). R)egistering takes no more than the R key to pass your settings preferences to that conference. At the Main menu prompt enter J and you will be shown a list of the conference names and their descriptions. Something like: ------ The CONFERENCES are ---------------- CONF1 - Description... CONF2 - Description... CONF3 - Description... What conference, L)ist, M)ain ([ENTER] quits)? <--Prompt If you enter CONF2 you'll join that conference. Some systems have private conferences. Others have separate Files systems attached and are called Sub-boards. L)ist - will cause a list of the conference Names to be shown. M)ain - If you are in a Conference and want to return to the Main message base you must J)oin the M)ain base. From the conference Main function prompt just do J M. You may also do Q C (Quit the Conference) to rejoin the Main message base. Any conference may be joined from any other. From any Main memu do something like J CONF2. There is a "Feature" here that you may or may not like. RBBS-PC keeps track of the your "last message read" number in a file called USERS. It also keeps track of your U)tility preferences in the same USERS file. There is a separate USERS file attached to each Conference. Therefore, it's possible to make each Conference have different colors, etc. and still keep track of the last message number you read. It's a very nice feature until some poor soul gets into trouble in one Conference and can't figure out how to fix it in another. All, I mean ALL, your U)tility choices can be changed in one Conference and not effect the other Conferences. You must check how your U)tilities are set in each Conference! ****** K)ILL You can kill a message directly from the Main function prompt if you know its number. See P)ersonal Mail, below. Most systems will K)ill your old messages after a certain time (say 30 days). We ask that you NOT kill your old messages on The Hub. ****** O)PERATOR PAGE (not active on The Hub) Many Sysops set "office hours" for when they can be paged. If you page outside those hours you will be shown what they are. Some Sysops don't allow any paging. When you page within the office hours the system will beep for the Sysop for 30 seconds. If (s)he's home, not in the shower or the middle of a meal (s)he will switch to "Chat" mode and you can type stuff back and forth. ****** P)ERSONAL MAIL You will be shown those message numbers addressed To/From you just like at log-on. ****** Q)UIT C, S or to Files, Main or Utilities QUIT C)onference, S)ession or to section F)ile, [M]ain, U)til? <-prompt This seems redundant in the Main menu, but makes sense in the Files and Utilities menus. Q F will take you to Files. Q U will take you to Utilities. Q S (Session) will log you off. Each of these are simpler with G)oodbye. If you are in the Utilities area, G is for Graphics and you must do Q Main) or Q F)iles before you can say G)oodbye. If you are in the Files area and want to go to Utilities you must do Q U. If you're in a Conference, Q C will take you to the Main message base. ****** R)EAD MESSAGES Reading messages is the essence of your contact with a BBS. Files can be passed much more efficiently on diskettes. 100Megs can take no longer than a handshake. For that reason, the Read command is the most powerful and sophisticated in the RBBS-PC system. If you only enter R, you'll get: Msg # 5176-5573 (H)elp,S)ince,L)ast,G)lobal,T)o,F)rom,M)ine, text, [Q]uit)? If you enter H)elp, you'll get: H)elp - the Help system S)ince the last message # you read thru later messages. L)ast message in the base and backwards thru earlier messages. G)lobal - continue with this read command in all linked conferences. Option will show only if there are links. T)o you. F)rom you. M)ine, both To and From you. text, look for a text string in the message headers and the body of the messages. Enter "fubar 300+" and the system will look for that string in message 300 and all messages since then. Q)uit the Read function. G)lobal links are established only when two factors are true: 1. You have Joined and Registered in a conf so your name can be linked. 2. There is a NEW message in a conf since the last one you read. You'll be left in the last, linked conference and must do "J M" to re-join the Main message base. Now, after entering R, let's say you only tell it M. You'll get: Only msgs TO/FROM you. Read from what msg # (e.g. 1+,4010-) <-Prompt The system is looking for more information. At least a message number! You specified a "filter" (M), but still didn't say where to start searching. The system is asking for a "range" like 5176+ or 5573-. Start from the first message and look forward (+) or from the last and look backward (-). See what's needed? R to start reading, an optional filter or at least a message number with an optional direction. That command could have been entered from the Main prompt like this: "R M 5176+" (no quotes). If S)ince or L)ast are chosen, then no direction is needed (Since last msg# read, forward or Last msg#, backwards). There's no need to stack commands if you don't wish to. It's a nifty time saver, though. Here's what the Help system shows about the first prompt. Msg # 5176-5573 (H)elp,S)ince,L)ast, T)o,F)rom,M)ine, text, [Q]uit)? H RANGE options: S (or *) = forward from where you last read (the highest numbered message you read during this or previous sessions). n- = backward from message number n n+ = forward from message number n L = Start with LAST message left, and work backwards. G = Global - continue with this read command in all linked conferences - option will show only if there are links. FILTER options: C = Continuously. Defeats the "More" prompt. Open a "capture" file and read them off line. F = Only mail From you T = mail To you specifically (or to ALL) M = My (your) mail. From you or To you. <text> = only messages with specified text in them. The TO/FROM & SUBJ as well as the text of the message will be searched for <text>. Note: If the text you wish to search for is a number, enclose it in quotes (ex. "100") to distinguish it from a RANGE. Examples of complete READ commands are: R S Read ALL messages left since the last time you read. R S G C R)ead all msgs, S)ince last # read, G)lobally in all linked conferences, C)ontinuously. You should open a "capture" file beforehand. R T 100+ Read messages 100 and above that are addressed TO YOU. R GAME 5000- Read messages 5000 and below that have the word GAME in the message (or in the TO, FROM or SUBJECT). The "More" prompt has some added features when you are R)eading messages. Here's what the Help system says: More [Y]es,N)o,C)ont,A)bort,H)lp,R)eply,T)hread,=,+,-? <-prompt Y: or [Enter] to continue to read or scan messages. [ ]=default N: if you do not wish to display additional messages. C: to read all messages referenced in your read command continuously. (without further pauses from the "More" prompt.) A: Abort message read and return to the MAIN menu. R: to enter a reply to the current message without having to go to the main menu. T: Thread (read only messages (R)eplies about the same SUBJECT). =: reads same message again +: switches to reading messages forward -: switches to reading messages backward F: Forward a copy of this message to someone else (if your sec lev permits) K: Kill (erase) the message you just read before continuing. TIPS: 1. Range and Filter options can be used in many combinations. Feel free to experiment, and ask the Sysop if you have any problems. 2. Messages are numbered consecutively so that the most recently entered messages have the highest numbers. 3. You can rapidly identify the messages you would like to read with the S)can and P)ersonal mail commands. 4. Linked conferences make it easy for you to review all your mail on the BBS with a single Read command like "R S G C". You'll be left in the last conference with linked messages and must do a "J M" to return to the Main message base. Every now and then the message bases fill up. Most Sysops allow for a base of 100 to 1000 messages. Periodically, the Sysop must "Pack" the base to make room for more. All killed messages and those older than specified (say, 30 days) will be gone, forever, without warning. The Hub keeps 400+ messages active. 600 total messages are culled down to +-400, keeping no less than one month's worth on line. ****** S)CAN MESSAGES Only the TO:, FROM: and SUBJECT: lines are displayed. You will be prompted to enter a message number and a direction (5280-). Exactly like the R)ead prompt. You can search for text strings across the To, From and Subject fields as well the WHOLE BODY of the messages. A command like "S fubar 3400+" will search for "fubar" in every message since #3400. As with all string searches in RBBS-PC, the search is case insensitive. Either CAPS or lower case work well. ****** U)TILITIES Utilities, for want of a better word, are where you tell the system how you want it to respond to you. This option will take you to the Utilities menu where you can change all of your system log-on settings and a few other handy things. See the Utilities menu section of this manual. ****** V)IEW Conference(s) You were given a choice to check Conference mail at log-on, V will show you exactly the same info. A list of conferences, the number of messages you haven't read, links if any, and if any are To you. Checking Message Bases... (* = linked) CONF1 : 0 new message(s) *CONF2 : 4 new message(s) Some to you ****** W)HO else is on the system This is intended for use with systems running with multiple phone lines. It is not active on most BBSs. Otherwise, it will show you the names and locations of those on the other Nodes of the system. Node 3 on The Hub is nothing more than the keyboard assigned to COM0: (nothing) so that the Sysop can log on like a regular caller and not disturb Nodes 1 & 2. ****** X)PERT toggle - Expert/Novice When in the Novice mode you will see all the Menus displayed above the prompt lines. If you switch to X)pert mode only the prompt line will show. The X)pert command is an on/off toggle from Novice to Expert. RBBS-PC will remember which mode you were in when you said G)oodbye, unless you are in a Conference. The next time you call, it will be the same as when you logged off. The X)pert toggle is available at each of the major Menus. It's a great little time saver. All you've gotta do is learn a few of the the commands. A caveat is appropriate here. Many prompts and listings are effected by your Xpert mode. For instance, if in Xpert, the list of Bulletins will NOT be re-shown after you've read a Bulletin. All you get is: Read what bulletin(s), L)ist, S)ince, N)ews ([ENTER] = none)? If editing messages you'll NOT see: A)bort,C)ont,D)el,E)dit,I)nsert,L)ist,M)argin,R)ev,S)ave Just: Edit Sub-function <A,C,D,E,I,L,M,R,S,?>? X)pert mode is the way to go. It only takes a little experience to get the hang of it. Same for command stacking. Have patience. If you feel the need for temporary help, just enter ? or H. If you're in Xpert, "?" will bring back a menu while leaving you in Xpert. The Hub's FILES menu - Central Texas PCUG -- TRANSFER ------- INFORMATION ----- SYSTEM ------ ELSEWHERE --- *[D]ownload file(s [L]ist Dirs [H]elp (or ?) [G]oodbye *[U]pload file [N]ew files [X]pert on/off [Q]uit to M,U *=Validation [S]earch for required [V]iew inside .ZIPs ----------------------------------------------------------------- 44 min left FILE command <?,D,G,H,L,N,Q,S,U,V,X>? File transfers work basically the same way for all on-line services (BBSs, CompuServe, etc.). First, tell the BBS what to send and how. Second, tell your computer to expect the same things. The "More" prompt, in the Files menu, has some additional features. More [Y]es,N)o,C)ont,A)bort,J)ump,V)iew,M)ark,D)nld? <--prompt You can Mark files for later Download or Viewing with "D M" or "V M" by doing M, then FILE1, FILE2, etc. Files can be downloaded directly from the More prompt by simply entering filenames separated by a space. The D is only necessary when you want to download the marked ones. If you have entered multiple files to download and don't have enough time remaining the system will re-display the files, one at a time, with a Y/N prompt for each. By choosing No for one or more files, the remaining filenames need not be re-entered. Sort of a poor man's Edit feature. ****** D)OWNLOAD a file Download means to transfer a file from the BBS to you. After entering the D you will be prompted: Download what file(s)? blahblah.exe <--Filename of your choice Make very sure that the filename you enter is EXACTLY as listed in the directory, complete with any extension (.EXE, .TXT, etc.). On The Hub the default extension is .ZIP and need not be added. At this point all DOS sub-directories are searched. Searching for BLAHBLAH.EXE.. If the file was found, you'll be asked to select a transfer protocol. Protocol A)scii B)atch Ymodem (DSZ) C)rc Xmodem (Safer, use w/ your Xmodem) K)ermit G) Ymodem-G (DSZ batch) <--Shown only to "Reliable" connections X)modem (old Checksum) Y)modem (1K Xmodem CRC) W)indowed Xmodem Z)modem (DSZ batch) N)one - Cancel Select Protocol? z <--Z used for illustration only The system then reports: File Size : 41 blocks 41500 bytes Transfer Time: 3 min, 19 sec (approx) <-- at 2400bps Protocol : Zmodem (DSZ batch) Ready to send blahblah.exe The BBS has just told you it's ready to send the file when you have done what's required on your end. Now, you must tell your communications program what it needs to know. Usually 4 things, not necessarily in this order. 1. You want to start a download transfer. (Alt-R, CAPTURE, PgDn, etc.) 2. Where you want the file to be stored. (drive B:, C:\PATH\, etc.) 3. What transfer protocol to use. It must be the SAME as you told the BBS. 4. The filename under which you want to store it. (Not neces'ly same as the BBS's) When you have done everything on your end correctly the file transfer will begin automatically. It should end automatically when both systems encounter the EOF (End Of File) marker and close their files. There are so many things that can go wrong on your end that I'm not about to try to address them here. Sysops KNOW there's nothing wrong on their end because they have tested and tested and tested and tested and tested and tested and tested... You need not be looking at any particular directory to download a file from RBBS-PC. When you ask for the filename, all available DOS subdirectories are searched, not the text Directories. See L)ist, below. Filenames can be stacked for downloading. D BLAHBLAH DOODAH Z /G. D starts the process. Both BLAHBLAH and DOODAH are .ZIP files. Z is the protocol of your choice and "/G" is for Goodbye. You'll be logged off after completion of the last transfer. If your protocol doesn't support multiple (batch) file transfers, you must tell your program what to do between each file. Even so, its still a nice time saver. ****** G)OODBYE You can say G)oodbye here just like at the Main function prompt. If you're in Novice mode, you'll be given a chance to change your mind with a "Log off? Yes/[N]o" prompt. Don't say goodbye from the Utility menu or you will be asked to select your G)raphics mode. ****** H)ELP Please see Help in the Main menu, above. ****** L)IST Directories and Files L shows a list of file Directories. L DirName shows a list of files within that directory. L U or L A shows a list of files in the Upload dir or All files. A simple L won't show you a list of files. It shows a list of the file Directory names (or numbers) and their categorical descriptions. The file Directories are part of a TEXT file which contains the file names and their descriptions. They are not to be confused with DOS subdirectories. The Hub has 5 logical/physical drives that are tightly packed with downloadable files. What you see on your screen, when asked for a Directory, is nothing more than a sort of that huge TEXT file. The extreme, right-hand characters of HUBFILES.ZIP will show you the catagories. Therefore, when S)earching for a string or a filename, choose A)LL directories. The search is EXTREMELY fast in one text file. The same holds true for the U)pload directory. Same file! Uploads have the characters "NEW" attached to the right of the description. No other difference. So, you can use L A or L U with equal effect. L) will show you: * Ctrl-K(^K) / ^X aborts. ^S suspends ^Q resumes * DirName ----- ***** Directory of Drectories ***** ALL - All files in reverse date order (same as U)pload dir.) NEW - The directory to which all uploads go first BAS - BASIC language tools, routines, programs & patches COMMO - Communications programs and info. and so on.... Some BBSs have dozens of Directories EXAMPLE - From the Files Menu type `L COMMO' to see that listing or L U or L A to see ALL files. What directory(s) (U)pload,A)ll,L)ist,E)xtended +/-, [Q]uit)? <--Prompt The prompt is waiting for a DirName like BAS. A, for All, works nicely. Some BBSs won't let you look at the files in the U)pload directory. Again, you can do some serious stacking, like L NEW BAS COMMO. The files in those directories will be shown in that order. At this writing, I'm not sure what E)xtented +/- does. It's a toggle that turns "Extended directory display" on or off but has no effect (currently) on The Hub. ****** N)EW FILES since you last called. That's the intention of the [N] command. After entering the [N] you will be prompted: Files on/after MMDDYY, [ENTER] = 021992? <--date of your last call You can specify another date like 010190 or just press [CR] and you will be shown those files that have been added since your last call. You'll see that same prompt, again: What directory(s) (U)pload,A)ll,L)ist,E)xtended +/-, [Q]uit)? <--Prompt Just tell it A)ll. This sequence can be stacked from the Files menu with "N S A". The S is Since the date of your last call. Again, there's a handy trick. If you would like to have a complete list of all the files on the BBS for your later study, open an ASCII capture file on your end. Then, do L A C to list all files, continuously. If you are calling a large capacity BBS and are operating at 1200bps, this process can take forever. A MUCH better way is is to download the file that contains all the file listings. Most BBSs offer this kind of master file which is updated at varying intervals (sometimes daily). This file is called HUBFILES.ZIP on The Hub and is updated monthly. ****** Q)UIT Please see Quit in the Main menu, above. ******* S)EARCH for a string in filenames and descriptions. Let's say you wanted to search for the string "form" in all of the directories. S) will show you the prompt: Search string or filename (wildcards OK), [ENTER] quits)? form <-your entry If you're in Novice mode you'll be shown the Directories again before you can tell it A)ll dirs. A better way is to stack the command like "S FORM A". Then you'll see: Scanning directory ALL for FORM - All files NEURAL.ZIP 61926 10-11-90 C++ code form 10/90 AI Expert pms EZFMT311.ZIP 225899 09-28-90 EZFormat, Gt! FD Formatter UD6.0 PBS FM300.EXE 78456 09-21-90 FormatMaster v3 for flppys slf extr FORMULA.ZIP 11149 01-29-86 math functions implemented in Turbo See what happened? The entire line, including the description, was searched. This is a powerful tool that not many know about, much less use. Wildcards (?*) work only on the filenames. The shorter the string, the more "finds". Had you asked for `formula' there would have been just one find. Since file searches are extremely fast, it's best to search ALL directories. ****** U)PLOAD a file Upload means sending a file from you to the BBS. It works much like downloading. First, the BBS. Then, your end. After entering U) you will be prompted: Upload what file(s)? BLAHBLAH.ZIP <-enter the filename.ext Next, you will see: Searching for BLAHBLAH.ZIP... <-does the file already exist? Upload disk has 16306176 bytes free <-is there room for your file? You'll be asked to pick a protocol unless you've chosen a default one in the Utilities function area. If you did, you'll next see: C)rc Xmodem RECEIVE of BLAHBLAH.ZIP ready. <Ctrl X> aborts <-your default Now, start the process on your end with something like Alt-S or PgUp. Pick the SAME protocol and tell it the \path\filename. Upon completion of the upload you'll be asked for a description of not more than 40 characters: Upload successful Describe BLAHBLAH.ZIP (Begin with '/' if for SYSOP only) |----+--Min<..-+---2+0---+---3+0---..Max> ? <--10 chrs Min, 40 Max. PLEASE think up the most succinct and thorough description you can. Hundreds of other people are relying on your 40 character communication. Sysops have neither the time nor the inclination to look at the uploads and add or modify descriptions. The "/" is intended as a way to send a file that only the Sysop can find. For God's sake, don't ask him to evaluate it! Your Sysop has many other things in his life. YOU make very sure that the file is in good shape, complete, bug-free and not a commercial product. As of this writing, RBBS-PC can't handle multi-file UPloads using streaming, batch protocols like Zmodem. RBBS asks for a description at the end of each file and those protocols don't pause between files to allow for it. The second/third files go off into the ozone and you're asked for the description of the first one. Multi-file uploads with X)modem, C)RC and Y)modem work fine. So does Zmodem if you send one file at a time. ******* PIRACY ****** Now, let's talk about copying software. There are gazillions of utilities, games and patches which are offered to the world by the authors. Does it have the request to "pass it on"? These are surely Public Domain. Copyright (c) symbols are nearly meaningless. Everyone does that to keep some jerk from using their code. These programs are very useful, fun and informative. Freebies! The middle ground is occupied by "Shareware". Does it have a plea from the author for money? Shareware is intended to be passed around, freely. You pay for it only if you like it and use it fairly regularly. It's a great concept that provides us with top quality software at a very low cost. PLEASE support the authors because that makes the system work. On the other end of the stick are commercial programs that are sold for "money up front". Did they take thousands of man hours to write? YOU know those programs when you see them. Well, this BBS doesn't deal in pirated (cracked) software. If you encounter one of these, please notify your Sysop so (s)he can help take it out of circulation. ****** V)IEW inside .ZIPs Files with the extension of .ZIP usually contain more than one file and each of those has been squeezed down to its minimum size. There's a fine explanation of what ZIP means in the H)elp system. From the Files menu, you might enter V SCANV74B and you'd get: Searching for SCANV74B.ZIP... SCANV74B.ZIP has these files Name Length Stowage SF Size now Date Time CRC ============ ======== ======== ==== ======== ========= ====== ==== AGENTS.TXT 8616 Imploded 57% 3680 14 Feb 91 14:21 9038 SCAN.EXE 80951 Imploded 49% 41161 15 Feb 91 09:50 C4A0 VALIDATE.COM 6495 Imploded 70% 1895 31 Oct 89 16:16 B09D SCAN74-B.DOC 32599 Imploded 62% 12374 15 Feb 91 10:40 5809 README.1ST 3626 Imploded 50% 1802 29 Nov 90 01:59 470F REGISTER.DOC 3350 Imploded 60% 1318 14 Feb 91 14:03 1CAC VIRLIST.TXT 18670 Imploded 72% 5060 14 Feb 91 18:21 1C3F VALIDATE.DOC 2844 Imploded 50% 1406 14 Feb 91 14:25 0B57 ------ --- -------- ---- -------- *Total 8 157151 56% 68696 ****** X)PERT mode Please see the explanation in the Main menu. The Hub's UTILITIES menu - Central Texas PCUG -- DISPLAY -------- INFORMATION --- SYSTEM ---------- ELSEWHERE --- [G]raphics [H]elp (or ?) [T]oggles [Q]uit to F,M [L]ines/Page [R]ead Profile [C]lock Time-Date or Session [M]essage margin [S]tatistics [F]ile Protocol *=Validation [X]pert/Novice *[U]ser log [P]assword Change required ------------------------------------------------------------------- 42 min left UTIL command <?,C,F,G,H,L,M,P,Q,R,S,T,U,X>? Most of the Utility functions are there so that you can control the way the BBS responds to you. Most are remembered in your Main USER record. How you had them set at log-off will be how they are set when you log-on the next time. However, each Conference has its own USER records attached to it so that your last-msg-read can be remembered. Changes in your Main Utility settings do not automatically change your Conferences Utility settings. The exception is the FIRST time you join a Conference. Your settings in the Main are then transfered to your Conference records, once. You should join each Conference and change them manually by checking with the R)ead Profile command. ****** B)ANK TIME (not active on The Hub) On some systems, unused time in a session can be placed in a "Bank" for extending the time allowed during later calls. ****** C)LOCK Time-Date It shows how long you have taken during the current call, thus: Now: 02-21-1992 at 11:59:04 On for 8 mins, 15 secs ****** F)ILE transfer protocols (your "default" protocol) This is where you come to select a protocol that will automatically be invoked each time you transfer a file. You will no longer be shown a list from which to choose every time you up/download unless you choose N)one. This default is overridden by your choice at the end of a stacked command. If you do D BLAHBLAH.EXE C, CRCxmodem will be the protocol for that download, only. A transfer protocol is a very clever way to send manageable blocks of information, check for errors and if necessary, re-send that block until the two computers agree that they have it right. I'm not quite sure that I understand all of Ward Christianson's XMODEM and I ain't about to try to explain it to you here. Suffice it to say that his basic idea is part of every protocol developed to date, including Zmodem. There are references below to "Reliable" modems. They are modems that have error correction protocols built into the hardware. If you call The Hub with one of those modems, the word Reliable will be echoed as part of the Welcome immediately after the connection is made. The built-in protocols include HST, MNP1-4, V.32 and V.42. MNP level 5 has been defeated on The Hub. It's a compression protocol that only slows things down when transferring files that are already compressed (ZIPed). V.42bis remains active on The Hub because it's smart enough to recognize a compressed file and get itself out of the way. V.32bis should be available on The Hub soon after this writing. RBBS's Help files contained a woefully inadequate explanation of the SOFTware protocols. So the following, verbose descriptions have been added to the Help system. If you're in Novice mode, the whole darn thing will be displayed. Just choose No at the first More prompt to go straight to the protocol choices (as shown in Files, Download, above). A)SCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange This isn't even a protocol. There is no error checking. It is just a continuous stream of ASCII characters. Every computer in North America understands ASCII 0-127 (0-255 on DOS machines). It only works with text (non binary) file transfers. When you are capturing screen scrolls to study later, this might be a good tool. A better tool would be to open a "Log" or "Capture" file because these usually strip out any ANSI (color) code. Use ASCII on your end when you want to upload a prepared file into a message. See the last page (Bulletin 10) for how to upload messages. X)modem (old Checksum) The sending computer counts the number of bits in a block of 128 bytes of data and divides by a pre-determined number. The receiving computer does the same thing and echos the REMAINDER back to the sender. There is a tiny pause between blocks while this agreement is reached. If they agree, the next block is sent. If not, there are 9 more tries to re-send and agree. After that, failure. Reliable connections slow down the process. C)rc Xmodem Xmodem/CRC (Cyclical Recundency Check) offers a significantly higher transfer accuracy than Xmodem - 99.9995% versus 99.6%. There is no noticable difference in transfer time because the block size is the same. Your software probably supports it. The redundancy is that CRC keeps a running count of the remainders and checks that, also. Communications programs published since 1986 should be able to distinguish between Xmodem and CrcXmodem automatically. If your commo program appears to only handle Xmodem, choose C)rc Xmodem on the BBS and Xmodem on your end. See what happens. It's a much safer protocol than old Xmodem (Checksum) but, slowed by Reliable connections. Standard modems on trashy phone lines should choose CRC Xmodem because of it's small block size. It will work when truly horrible line conditions will crash Zmodem. Y)modem (1K Xmodem CRC) This is exactly like CrcXmodem except that the block size is 1024 bytes and is, therefore, faster with good line conditions. It is slowed by Reliable connections. Older comm programs call this Ymodem. Therefore, so does RBBS-PC. Don't confuse it with B)atch Ymodem. B)atch Ymodem (DSZ) This is the real, original Ymodem. Y)modem (1K Xmodem) is described above. Your commo software must explicitly recognize it or you can run it as an option under Omen Tech's (Fosberg's) DSZ module. This protocol has a 16-bit CRC and allows multiple downloads automatically. The block size is 1024 bytes and it can handle Reliable connections. It's smart enough to recognize your request for Ymodem (1K CRC) and send it to you, anyway. K)ermit All I know about Kermit is that it was developed at Columbia University so that binary files could be transferred to/from mainframes using the 7-E-1 parameters in 90 byte blocks. It is slower than a lava lamp with Reliable modems. And, yes, it was named after our Beloved Frog. I have not used it for many years but, here it is for the very few of you that have not figured out 8-N-1 or are calling with Weird Iron. W)indowed Xmodem The block size and CRC are the same as Xmodem/CRC. Wxmodem takes advantage of the full duplex capabilities of the phone lines by confirming the CRCs DURING the block transfers. There's no wait between blocks so, it's faster than Xmodem or even Ymodem. The "sliding window" tries to keep 4 blocks ahead of the CRCs and, therefore, works well on packet-switching networks like Telenet. It bombs out on 9600bps Reliable modems and is slowed by 2400 Reliables. G) Ymodem-G (DSZ batch) <-- displayed ONLY if the connection is Reliable This works for Reliable modems, only, and counts on their error detection and correction. It just counts blocks and facilitates batch downloads. It is "transparent" to software and relies on the built-in modem protocols. However, for most international/satelite or packet-switching calls, it's actually slower than Zmodem. Don't ask why. It sizzles at 1,700cps plus for local calls using HST or V.32bis. Z)modem (DSZ batch) At this writing, Zmodem is the fastest, most secure protocol available (see B)atch Ymodem about Fosberg's DSZ module). Zmodem is a full duplex, 32-bit CRC protocol who's block size can adjust from 128 to 1024 as line conditions permit. It can handle all Reliable connections. It has many handy features like auto-download and crash recovery. Multi-file (batch) DOWNloads are seamless. It's THE recommended protocol. If Zmodem is built into your commo program it's likely that it lacks some of the features and speed of the external DSZ module. Find a recent release of DSZ.COM and attach it, as an external protocol, to your commo software. You won't be sorry. And, pay for it! I'm convinced that we must support this kinda wizardry. N)one (cancel your default or cancel the up/download) If you choose N)one, each time you d/l or u/l something you will be asked to make a choice of protocols. This can be an advantage if you want to see the ASCII files as they are u/downloaded or play around with protocol choices. Otherwise, pick your best protocol and stick with it. ****** G)RAPHICS FORMATS If you are in Novice mode when you enter G, you'll be shown a screen that explains ANSI color graphics and ASCII graphics. Your choices will be: Change from N to N)one, A)scii-IBM, C)olor-IBM, H)elp ([ENTER] quits)? N)one It's boring but, fast! A)SCII graphics You will see all the DOS ASCII characters in monochrome. ASCII 176-223 have those line and box drawing characters. C)olor If you have a color monitor, pick C)olor. Sysops have put a lot of time into those screens. (You'll put even more time into them if you don't switch to X)pert.) Your communications program must support color (Qmodem does, BITCOMM doesn't). You must boot with "DEVICE=ANSI.SYS" in your CONFIG.SYS file and have called in with parameters of 8-N-1. Procomm+ (and maybe others) have ANSI built-in so you don't have to mess with your CONFIG.SYS unless you have other reasons. H)elp Shows you the same things listed here. Except, someone provided a nice demonstration to let you know if you can see color. It blinks at you in Red if your machine & commo program are already set up as described in C)olor, above. When you've made your choice from above, you'll be asked: Do you want colorized prompts ([Y],N)? Tell it YES even if you are running monochrome and have chosen None or ASCII, above. See T)oggles H)ighlights, below. You'll then be asked to choose: Make text R)ed,G)reen,Y)ellow,B)lue,P)urple,C)yan,W)hite ([ENTER] quits)? This is for all the normal text you see. Play with it. The next prompt will ask if you want it Bold (high intensity) or not. It's all a matter of taste. If you're running monochrome, DON'T choose Bold. See T)oggles H)ighlights, below. ****** H)ELP Please see Help in the Main functions area. ****** L)INES per page (screen) CHANGE page length from 23 TO (0-255, 0=continuous)? You probably have 25 lines on your screen. Line 25 is reserved for your system and line 24 is where the various prompts show up. That leaves 23 lines to scroll up the screen before you get another "More" prompt. If you are running a CoCo you will want to change this to suit you. Otherwise, leave it at 23. 0 (zero) defeats the all More prompts for all functions on the system and is NOT recommended. The C)ontinuous option at many prompts defeats the More prompt for the remainder of that command, only, and is a lot more predictable. Besides, you don't have to go to Utilities to do it. ****** M)ESSAGE MARGIN Remember that line of dashes when E)ntering a message? If you enter an M you'll see: SET Right-Margin from 72 TO (8...72)? <--prompt Eight is ridiculous. Why not fill the screen with 72 characters per line in your messages and Comments? Your Sysop will like you because it saves space in the message bases. ****** P)ASSWORD CHANGE You can change your password here. That seems pretty straight forward. Just type in a new password when you are prompted to do so. And, please remember it!! There's a little known feature here, too. The Sysop may have assigned a special password to let a person change their access level for the duration of that one call. The Sysop will let you know, somehow, what the magic word or number is. After entering a P you will be prompted to enter the password. Pick the special one and your old password will remain UNCHANGED. You just get extra time or some other privilege until you log off. ****** Q)UIT to other Function areas (Menus) Q)uit is your ONLY way out of Utilities! Please see Quit in the Main function area. Q M will take you to the Main menu. Q F will take you to the Files menu. Q S will let you quit the Session and log off. ****** R)EAD Profile (User's preferences/settings) Enter an R and you get: Your PROFILE Novice Text Graphics: None Highlighting On Protocol: None UPPER CASE and lower If you don't like your settings, Line Feeds On change 'em here in Utilities. Nulls Off Prompt Bell Off Skip old Bulletins in logon Check new files in logon TurboKey Off Autodownload Off ****** S)TATISTICS Remember this? It was shown at log-on. RBBS-PC 17.3C Node 1 Caller # 28908 # active msgs: 273 Next msg # 5593 Last msg read: 5573 ****** T)OGGLES The following are all off/on or yes/no toggles. A)utodwnld B)ullet C)ase F)ile H)ilite L)ine feeds N)ulls T)urboKey X)pert !)bell Toggle which options on/off? (Press [ENTER] to quit)? A)uto-download If your commo program supports it or if you are using Zmodem, you won't even have to touch your keyboard after telling the BBS to start a download. It just happens. If you want to experiment, please do it with small files so as not to tie up the BBS too long. B)ulletins This allows you be prompted for only the new bulletins at log-on. Most people set it for Skip (the old bulletins). C)ase Change - UPPER to Upper and lower Are you only getting UPPER case letters on your screen? Come here and change it. Of course, there are a few pre-Colombian computers that can only generate upper case. I guess this is for them. ** CAUTION ** If you have somehow asked for H)ighlight or C)olor AND upper case the results may cause your program to hang! The only remedy is to call, using another name, and ask the Sysop to reset your G)raphics to N)one. ANSI code (color) depends on many lower case characters. If you ask the BBS to convert everything to caps, bloowie. You get a lot of darkness. F)iles Do you want to see new files, since your last call? This is a Yes/No toggle. Skip or Check. H)ighlight (prompts) Even if you have a monochrome screen, we recommend that you turn Highlighting ON. It highlights the prompts but, it ALSO highlights the "finds" when searching files and messages. If it doesn't work for your setup, you can always change it back to OFF. This depends on your system understanding ANSI code. See G)raphics C)olor. L)ine feeds This tells the BBS whether or not to send a line feed and [CR] at the end of each line. Your communications software probably has the option to supply line feeds, or not. If both you and the BBS are supplying LFs then your screen will be double spaced. If neither is providing LFs then everything is overwritten on the same line and no scrolling occurs. Most users let the BBS send the LFs so, set them to ON here and off on your end. N)ulls This is REALLY archaic. Somewhere in the world there must still be a "Hard Copy Terminal" in use. They are sort of like the old Teletype printers. No screen! Just a printer. If you have one of these, a few "Nulls" are desirable in order to give the print head time to return to the start of a line. Otherwise, the Null setting should be OFF or things will be just a tad slower. T)urboKey When it's ON, your commands are executed with one keystroke. You are prevented from stacking commands. The recommended setting is OFF. X)pert Here it is AGAIN. Please see Xpert in the Main function area. !)bell Most people find a Beep at each prompt to be annoying. Change it to ON if your spouse needs to be reassured about what you're doing or if your cat has been getting too much sleep. ****** U)SER Log - Who's been on the system Upon entering a U the system asks you: List - U)sers, R)ecent callers? If you choose U)sers you will be shown all the registered users of the system. ALL of them, in no particular order. The information is name, their location and the date and time of their last log-on. Thus: SAM DOE AUSTIN, TX 02-15-91 22:13 JIM SOMETHING AUSTIN, TX 03-31-91 12:03 MARY DOE GEOGETOWN,TEXAS 02-14-91 18:52 JAMES DOODAH AUSTIN, TX 04-06-91 22:03 JOE SMITH AUSTIN TEXAS 03-29-91 14:59 That's only part of what's in the "Users" files. All your settings from the Utility menu and your "last msg read" number are stored there, too. See J)oin in the Main function area. The display will be different for each conference. If you pick R)ecent callers, the system will list, in descending date/time order, all the Callers on that Node before you . Like this: JOE BLACK on at 04-11-92, 01:22 AM from AUSTIN, 2400 BAUD,N,8,1 RICH WHITE on at 04-11-92, 00:39 AM from AUSTIN, TX, 2400 BAUD,N,8,1 DAVID GREEN on at 04-10-92, 11:55 PM from AUSTIN. TEXAS, 9600 BAUD,N,8,1 JEFF BROWN on at 04-10-92, 11:15 PM from AUSTIN,TX, 2400 BAUD,N,8,1 That's the "Callers" file. Each Node has it's own Callers file attached and you can only see the callers for your current Node. The Users file is permanent. Periodically, the Sysop must "pack" the Users file to delete the inactive ones and make room for more. The Callers file, on the other hand, is a record of each caller's activity. It can grow to a size bigger'n Dallas and must be deleted from time to time to avoid Drive Cram. Happy Modeming! -Coke The following is a Bulletin on The Hub. ******* BULLETIN 10 ******* Time on this BBS (or any other) is PRECIOUS. Please heed The Hub's Golden Rule: "Make short calls so that many others may make short calls". There are about 600 Group members and only ONE Hub. Try your best to keep your calls SHORT so that others don't have to wait so long. There are several ways to help out. First among them is to junk those 1200bps modems. Good, 2400bps modems are widely available for less than $50. Like they used to say about hard drives: Don't tell me why not, just Get One! D)ownloading files: Download about 10-15-20 minute's worth and log off. Wait 10 minutes to give others a chance then, call back in. "File Hogs" quickly become social outcasts because members can go to U)tilities U)sers R)ecent and find the jerk's name that previously had the line for 45 minutes. Don't waste time by reading +-2,000 file descriptions while ON-line. Download HUBFILES.ZIP and make your selections OFF-line. When you call back in to d/l, use RBBS's command stacking capabilities. They're mighty powerful. From the MAIN menu, try something like: "f d file1 file2 file3 c /g<enter>". F takes you to Files, D is for Download, the default filename extension is .ZIP and need not be entered, C is the protocol of your choice and /G logs you off automatically. Walking away from downloads and relying on the Sleep Switch is just plain lazy and rude to others. R)eading messages: Send 'em to a file and read 'em OFF-line!!! Open a Capture or Log file and then do "R S G C". (Read, Since the last msg# you read, Globally in the conferences, Continuously) Let 'em stream up your screen. They'll all go to your capture file and you can read them OFF-line. E)ntering messages: Messages can be sent as ASCII uploads!!! Compose your message OFF-line so that it says exactly what you want it to say. Messages take one helluvalot of time to type ON-line. Make sure that your word processor (or editor) can save files in pure ASCII (32-126) with no more than 72 chrs/line. The Hub is set for 30 lines/msg. File contents should look ok with the DOS "TYPE" command. After you have answered the To and Subject prompts and see: [-----------------------------------------------------------------------] 1: That's when you start your ASCII upload (not Xmodem, etc). It all squirts up in a few seconds. Hit Enter on the last, blank line and S)ave it. This BBS is dedicated to the widest possible spread of information. There should be darn near NO pR)ivate messages and please DON'T kill your old ones. There are a few folks that only log on once a month and we use those old messages for the "Best of the BBS" in the newsletter. ******************************* All of our thanks go to the hundreds of callers who already comply with these guidlines. THEY are why the two-line Hub serves over 80 callers a day. There are about 1,800 downloads and 400 messages per month. All this AND you don't get a busy signal most of the time. -Coke ************* END **************