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Birmingham Telecommunications News 065
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COPYRIGHT 1993 ISSN 1055-4548
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Volume 7, Issue 1 Issue #65 January 1994
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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article title author
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Disclaimer/Statement of Policy.............................Staff
From The Editor.................................Scott Hollifield
Submission Guidelines...........................................
This City By Night..................................Lurch Henson
Conspiracy Klatch.........................Rebecca Krypton Ellery
Taming the Ugly Beast: Installing UnixWare 1.0........Gary Hasty
Unnamed Column.......................................Mark Maisel
BBS Behavior, Part I.................................Damion Furi
Notes From The Trenches............................Dean Costello
QmodemPro Windows Press Release.................Mustang Software
Local Music in January..............................Judy Ranelli
BTN ProFile: Steven Wheeler...........................The Bishop
Special Interest Groups (SIGs).........................Eric Hunt
Known BBS Numbers..........................................Staff
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DISCLAIMER
AND STATEMENT OF POLICY
FOR BTN
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We at BTN try our best to assure the accuracy of articles and
information in our publication. We assume no responsibility for damage
due to errors, omissions, etc. The liability, if any for BTN, its
*editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or omissions,
etc., shall be limited to the cost of a one year subscription to BTN,
even if BTN, its editors or writers have been advised of the likelihood
of such damages occurring.
With the conclusion of that nasty business, we can get on with our
policy for publication and reproduction of BTN articles. We publish
monthly with a deadline of the fifteenth of the month prior to
publication. If you wish to submit an article, you may do so at any time
but bear in mind the deadline if you wish for your work to appear in a
particular issue. It is not our purpose to slander or otherwise harm a
person or reputation and we accept no responsibility for the content of
the articles prepared by our writers. Our writers own their work and it
is protected by copyright. We allow reprinting of articles from BTN
with only a few restrictions. The author may object to a reprint, in
which case he will specify in the content of his article. Otherwise,
please feel free to reproduce any article from BTN as long as the
source, BTN, is specified, and as long as the author's name and the
article's original title are retained. If you use one of our articles,
please forward a copy of your publication to:
Mark Maisel
Publisher, BTN
606 Twin Branch Terrace
Birmingham, AL 35216
(205) 823-3956
We thank you for taking the time to read our offering and we hope that
you like it. We also reserve the right to have a good time while doing
all of this and not get too serious about it.
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NEWSFLASH!
NEWSFLASH!
NEWSFLASH!
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BBS LIST POSITION NOW VACANT!
TEEMING HORDES FLOOD BTN IN PANIC!
To be a part of the magic, see
From The Editor for details.
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FROM THE
EDITOR Scott Hollifield
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January... a time of renewal. Of rebirth. Of... resolutions.
No, you won't find the typical "New Year's Resolutions" article
in BTN, whether it be those of our staff, of local sysops, or of anyone.
Why? Because it only occurred to me today that it would be a passable
idea for an article. Oh well.
Big deal, anyway. I hate to repeat myself, but this is the same
phenomenon I talked about in other columns, the need to codify our
nobels and ideals into one holiday or one time of the year, so we can
goof off the rest of the time.
In other words, if you're gonna resolve something, then do it every
day, or when it occurs to you to do so. Don't use the calendar as a
crutch. And, for those of us who don't care to resolve *anything*,
we're going to have a New Year's Eve party and sleep till noon.
I'd like to welcome a couple of new faces to BTN this month. I'm
always pleased to see our writerscape shift a little, however so
slightly, and the pleasing curves of our own version of continental
drift have brought us a couple of winners.
First of all, our old friend Gary Hasty, from The Comfy Chair! in
Dalton, Georgia, makes his first-ever appearance in BTN. His welcome
technical moxie has a good bit of that old BTN flavor to it, and while
we don't know if he'll be a regular contributor, we'll be showing him
the chains and beckoning invitingly.
Second of all, BTN is proud to present someone who is relatively new
to our medium but is an old friend of paranoia, suspicion and hidden
motives, so we think she'll fit right in. Rebecca Krypton Ellery is a
local conspiracy theorist who, you'll find, is quite offbeat, even by
the standards of conspiracy theorists. I chatted with Rebecca on The
Matrix recently for the first time, and eagerly persuaded her to write
for BTN. In case it's not apparent, "Rebecca Krypton Ellery" is not her
real name. Rebecca claims that her identity on The Matrix is also
false, although she dutifully pays the subscription bills. With any
luck, Rebecca will be joining us on a regular or semi-regular basis,
for a friendly peek into her own universe.
Most of the usual gang are here as well, including the beginning of
a new three-part series by Damion Furi.
Now, to some business:
It's official--please welcome fairly-reliable contributor Bernie
Starchaser as BTN's new Assistant Editor. Bernie will be, and has
been, helping me put together each month's issue of BTN, and so he
gets a nice little title for his efforts, just so long as he is willing
to take half the blame for the mistakes as well.
James Minton has regretfully picked up his hat from the hatrack and
said, "Sayonara, amigos"; due to lack of time, James will no longer be
able to man the helm of our Known BBS Numbers list. So, without trying
to sound like a malicious carnival barker... Would anybody else like to
step up and take a shot? Volunteers for the Keeper of the List may now
apply. It's an awesome responsibility, rife with hidden rewards and
pleasures, only some of them sexual in nature. If you're interested in
this high-profile, thrill-packed position, leave me (SCOTT HOLLIFIELD)
mail on The Matrix, Crunchy Frog, or Channel 8250. No salesman will
come to your door.
We're also taking submissions of the non-BBS-list variety, as
usual; for details on how to submit material to BTN, see the upcoming
submission guidelines.
That's it, buckaroos; I'm gone to finish off the last bit of egg nog
before the expiration date hits. Have a happy arbitrarily-mandated
calendar kick-off.
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FREEBIE!!!
GET IT WHILE IT'S HOT! Systems That Offer Free BTN
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The following boards allow BTN to be downloaded freely, that is
with no charge to any existing upload/download ratios.
ADAnet One Alter-Ego Bone Yard
Bus System The Castle Channel 8250
C.A.B. The Comfy Chair! Crunchy Frog
DC Info Exchange Final Frontier The Guardian
Hardware Hotline Homewood's Hell Hole Joker's Castle
Leaping's Lounge Lemon Grove Lion's Den
Martyrdom Again?! The MATRIX Milliways BBS
The Outer Limits Owl's Nest Playground
Safe Harbor Southern Stallion Starbase 12
Thy Master's Dungeon Weekends BBS
(This list includes some systems which are not local to Birmingham and
therefore not included on our BBS Numbers list.)
If you are a sysop and you allow BTN to be downloaded freely, please let
me know via The Matrix or Crunchy Frog so that I can post your board as
a free BTN distributor. Thanks.
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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
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I. ARTICLE LENGTH
Right now, there's no strict enforcement of a length restriction,
but if your submission is somewhat short, I may request that you make it
longer. Anyone can sit down and type out a screen's worth of stuff. I
have yet to encounter an article that was too *long*, so don't worry
about that.
II. SUBJECT MATTER
Again, there's no hard-and-fast rules about subject matter. I'm
interested in seeing material on a wide variety of topics. That
includes BBSs, politics, music, books, or better yet, something that
doesn't neatly fall into any one category. Next to that, my favorite
articles are the ones that have something to do with BBSing, since that
is supposedly what we're sort of about. Technical reviews are also
good. I tend to kind of frown on fiction, but I'm willing to take a
look at anything you've got. If it's interesting enough, your chances
are good.
Politics is fine, but try not to rant--and make whatever you have to
say original. I can go out and find ten Rush Limbaughs if I want.
Also refrain from "This Is What Happened To Me Today" slice-of-life
articles unless it's leading somewhere good.
Reviews should be both informative and opinionated. Don't be too
objective, but still tell us about what you're reviewing.
III. FILE FORMAT
Plain and simple ASCII is preferred, but we can convert WordPerfect
files if need be.
IV. STYLE GUIDELINES
1. Use a right margin of 72 columns.
2. Indent paragraphs at the fifth column.
3. Put two spaces after each sentence.
4. Skip a line after each paragraph.
5. Refrain from using BBS-specific devices like "<grin>" and ":-)".
6. Be sure to give your article a title.
7. Try to use correct grammar, spelling and capitalization! My staff
proofread as best as we can, but a well-typed article makes our job
easier.
8. The dash is correctly typed as two hyphens, like "--". Use it to
set apart phrases and clauses--as with this sentence.
9. To emphasize a word, place a pair of asterisks around it, like
*this*. This takes the place of italics (except for titles; see
12).
10. If you have to emphasize a group of words, use capitals, AS IN THIS
EXAMPLE. I generally don't like the way that looks, so use it
sparingly, if at all.
11. If you're unsure whether to spell out a number or not, leave it in
numeral form.
12. Titles of books, films, plays, albums and works of art are
surrounded by underlines, like: U2's _The Joshua Tree_. This takes
the place of italics in this regard; I call it "title-cizing".
On the other hand, television shows, songs, poems, article titles
and short stories are surrounded by quotation marks.
V. HOW DO I SUBMIT AN ARTICLE?
The easiest way is to upload it as a private file on one of two
systems: The Matrix and the Crunchy Frog. (Their phone numbers are
listed at the end of this feature.) To upload a file privately, begin
your file description with a slash ("/"). Then leave me (SCOTT
HOLLIFIELD) a private message telling me what the file name is, so that
I can have the sysop make it available for me.
Another way is to leave me the article as a private message, or a
series of private messages.
If you become a regular contributor to BTN, you can get access to
the private BTNWA conference, which is for BTN writers. There we
discuss articles, policy, ideas, etc. The BTNWA conference also
contains a private file directory which I can access more easily than a
private file outside BTNWA.
That's it!
Get to work!
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THIS CITY BY NIGHT
Lurch Henson
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My job, while more aggravating than most, gives me a unique
perspective on this city. Tonight, for instance, I am at the Botanical
Gardens, a lovely place anytime, but especially so at night. Tonight
is cool. A light rain is falling, and there is no one to bother me
out here. I can roam the Gardens at will, the only obligation being
that I let no one else do the same. I just spent an hour down in the
Japanese section, waiting to make my checks there, inspecting the
grounds to make sure no one has slipped over the fence or squeezed
through the gate, and I sat and listened to the rain. Quiet. Peaceful.
Enjoyable. Better if I had a Lady in here with me, but then, you can't
have everything.
Another place is Vulcan Park. Again, it's quiet, peaceful, and
there is no one to bother you. You can go up into the observation ring
and look out over the city, seeing it like few others are... shining
brightly in the night, like no one below has a care in the world.
Beautiful, tranquil, quiet.
Then, my friends, there is another place. This is the place I was
in charge of protecting a few nights ago. This is a city park, with
nothing to steal, and little to destroy. This park is surrounded on
three sides by the projects, and it is *not* quiet. I spent twelve
hours on post out there, and from nightfall until about 3 a.m. there was
gunfire to be heard every 30 minutes. Usually there wasn't a fifteen-
minute stretch of time that went by without some shooting going on, many
times quite close to me, once or twice *very* near me. During the
twelve hours that I was there, I heard and saw ambulance runs about
nine times. I only saw police five times. Possibly the extra four
runs by medical personnel were for non-gunshot related reasons, but
somehow I doubt it.
From where I sat on the edge of the park, I could see the towers on
"Radio Mountain". I could see the tallest of the buildings in downtown
Birmingham. Early in the night I even saw a searchlight racing across
the clouds, most likely from some car dealership letting everyone know
they had the best prices on cars you didn't need. From where I sat you
could tell there was something else out there besides the gunfire and
the crack houses pointed out to me by the city guard in the projects
nearby. But it didn't matter. No one outside cared about what was
going on inside, and those on the inside had gotten so used to it that
they rarely noticed until the shots were directed towards them. The
city guard on duty near the park was slightly surprised that I, the only
white guy for miles, didn't jump every time someone fired off a few
rounds. The city guards refuse to work the park I was working, for
obvious reasons, and he was expecting me to refuse as well. He, and the
man that relieved him later, thought I was crazy for doing it. City
guards are paid nearly twice what I make, get plenty of benefits from
the city, and rarely have to work past midnight. I, a supervisor, am
paid $5.25/hr, no benefits, and I work all night long nearly every
night. But I still did my job.
Why? Simple. Because I'm stupid. You see, this world is
actually falling apart around you, but you don't see it. Why don't you?
Several reasons. One, because you don't want to. If you cared to find
out how things are out here you could. All you'd have to do is be
stupid yourself. Get in your car and drive through neighborhoods you've
heard about but never seen. You won't make it home, but it WILL be
educational. (DON'T do this; this is sarcasm, in case you couldn't
tell.) And two, the worst reason, because it's not important enough to
tell you. Sad, but true. I sat there and watched the police and the
ambulances run all night long. It didn't stop at 3 a.m., it just slowed
down a little. But did any of it make the newspaper or the news on TV?
Nope. I looked. Do you know why? BECAUSE IT ISN'T NEWS! Simple
enough answer. It isn't news because it happens EVERY NIGHT. If you
tried to write it up in the paper, you'd run out of room. If you tried
doing a news story about it on television, you'd soon just be giving
body counts. This goes on all the time, all day, all night, and no one
*really* tries to do anything to stop it. The police make the attempt,
but police work in the country is little more than clean-up work. When
someone breaks the law, they try to catch them and put them away. It
doesn't stop anything, it's just cleaning up after the mess. Social
workers preach long and hard to people that are tired of hearing the
same thing day-in and day-out, and other than helping a few more people
sign up for different forms of government aid, do little good. Teachers
work too long and too hard in classrooms too full to allow them to
really reach their students in any more than a superficial way. In all
these cases there are too few people trying to do too much with too
little to have any more effect than one man with a paper cup trying to
bail out the Titanic.
Until *everyone* wakes up and starts paying attention, starts
addressing some of the very real and very deadly problems we have
staring us in the face these days, not a damn thing is going to be done
about it. People are going to keep getting killed for stupid little
reasons. Nothing is going to change. Why not? Because it's easier to
let people kill each other than it is to do something about it. It's
easier to sit back and let things happen. It's easier to ignore it. The
problem is, people, this time it's *not* going away. This time it's
coming closer. This time the wolf is walking right up to your front
door, and this time he's coming inside. Don't believe me? Read the
papers. See about where it *is* still news. When it moves out of the
projects and the neighborhoods on West End and starts coming across
town, *then* it makes the news. You can find it if you look, it's in
there. Every now and then there is a story about something a little
closer to home. Every now and then there is a story about something
that happened that *could* have happened to you. Every now and then.
Why wait? Why wait until it is your daughter that gets carjacked,
raped, or killed? Your wife? *You*? Why wait until it gets personal?
Why isn't it personal *now*? These are people getting murdered out
there every day, and we never hear about it until it happens to some 16-
year-old girl minding her own business, or some elementary school kids
shot in a crossfire, and even then it's just "Oh, that's sad. Pass the
sugar, please," over the paper at breakfast. This is not the way it
should be. That's not the way it has to be. This city is the way
it is because of each and every person that lives in it. As they say,
"If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem."
I can show you people the magical parts of this city. I can take
you by the hand and lead you through a wonderland in this city at night.
I can show the Ladies romance they never dreamed of in this very city.
And I can take you by the hand and lead you down into hell, all without
leaving this one little city. Is that the city you want?
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CONSPIRACY KLATCH
Rebecca Krypton Ellery
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Conspiracies turn the world, and don't let anyone tell you any
different.
Conspiracy theorists are all too often tarred with the brush of
paranoia. Is it paranoid to consider that the public-at-large is *not*
made fully aware of what goes on behind closed doors? Is it paranoid
to think that somewhere, someone has a secret? A man named Thomas L.
Scholz said that the only sane way to behave is as if everything is a
conspiracy, because most of it probably is. He was murdered by a
"burglar" who left behind stains of some kind of strange purple ink on
the floor.
I've been asked to provide some food for thought about some
contemporary conspiracies here, and that I shall endeavor to do. First,
let me say a couple of words about myself. I've been involved in
conspiracy research for some time now, but I make it a habit to shy away
from conventions and gatherings of other theorists. A disturbing
practice among such people is the tendency to create "conspiracy
policy", the party line as it were. The more popular an idea becomes in
conspiracy circles, the more likely it is to be believed as fact, just
as in mainstream media. As a result, much of what I consider to be
"popular conspiracy" is just as distorted and biased as the mainstream
media. Therefore, I try to work on my own, more or less, so my research
isn't affected by the think tank factor. So, a lot of my ideas don't
"jibe" with what fashionable conspiracists may be saying this week. I
used to go to a number of workshops and meetings. My name has been
placed on two government lists that I know of, Suspected Threats To
National Security and Suspected Organized Anarchists (those two, plus
the big list of subversives that just about everyone gets their name on
at some point).
That being said, I am fairly new to bulletin boards, and to be
honest, I don't trust them very much. Once information is converted
into electronic form, it can be manipulated much, much easier, by both
the individual, and those with less pure interests. An Orwellian
scenario, with Winston Smith churning out tubes of rewritten history in
the Ministry of Truth, is now one step closer to plausability. However,
I am also something of a cheerful nihilist, and as such, I recognize the
fact that the world of information is Darwinian as well as Orwellian,
for as with physical society, the strongest survive, and that winner is
usually the powermongers. So I don't have much of a problem with
setting my ideas adrift into this medium. If reprisals come, then so be
it. Unlike many of my fellow conspiracists, I am not a crusader for
justice. I don't think there's any way in the world to turn things
around. Breaking one's back to reveal the truth will only work to their
advantage, in the long run.
Pseudo-President Clinton was recently ordered by his superiors to
kick out Defense Secretary Les Aspin and replace him with one of their
own, retired admiral Bobby R. Inman. Thus is set into motion a deep,
wide agenda that has been in the making for over twenty-five years.
Inman, as the general public knows, was the National Security Advisor
under Jimmy Carter, and also one of the architects behind the
drug-and-gun Iran/Contra deal as the number two man in the CIA in the
early months of the Reagan administration. Inman was shoehorned out of
his job by the Reagan camp (Reagan, Casey and Baker), who didn't know
anything about what was really going on. Perhaps sensing how these
bunglers were doomed to blow the operation into the sunlight, Inman went
pretty quietly. He's been kept on the blue list, or unofficial
consultant payroll, throughout the administrations of more cooperative
presidents Bush and Clinton. Certain elements have recently taken
decisive action, however, to veer Inman into another role, of which I'll
talk about in a second.
Mere days before Aspin's departure, the American media was awash
with reports of a new figure on the Russian political scene, that of
Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Concidence? Don't believe it.
Zhirinovsky is in favor of an ultranationalist Russia. He is on
record as being in favor of an active, aggressive nuclear policy, and
claims that he will use nukes to liberate portions of the globe for
the betterment of Russia. He plans on taking Alaska back with military
force. He believes the Jews were "responsible" for both World Wars,
and doesn't see anything particularly wrong with the ethnic cleansing
atrocities of Bosnia.
And, by certain accounts, he is also an operative for the CIA.
I don't like to keep going back to Orwell, but remember the slogan
"War is Peace"? Orwell prophecied the Cold War with those words. The
Cold War was a war that was not a war. Not only that, but unbeknownst
to most, there was indeed a *true* peace, a true unity of nations. The
reason for this is because, from 1945 up to Boris Yelstin's rise to
power, both the USA and Soviet Russia have been controlled by the same
people, with the same interests. The Cold War was the first stage of a
true world government. The next stage, with Mikhail Gorbachev as the
conspiracy's man in Russia, was to be a full, adorned peace between the
superpowers, from which the resources of the wealthy nations like the
USA, Japan and Canada could be used to improve the standard of living
in Russia and its satellites. Boris Yeltsin, without even knowing it
probably, proved to be a major setback to this agenda. A loud,
stumbling, meddling blowhard, Yeltsin was the one thing the worldwide
conspiracy didn't want, a megalomaniac who wasn't on *their* side.
Yeltsin trashed the KGB and other intelligence agencies in Russia; he
ordered the dismissals and secret executions of many of the essential
personnel behind the Russian arm of the New World Order. He's like a
Russian Nixon, almost, a man who didn't play by the established rules,
and surrounded himself with enough trustworthy allies to fend off
his position. Whether he'll continue to be able to do so is extremely
questionable.
The solution: back up, try again. Zhirinovsky, who is only a
fiercer, more militant version of Gorbachev, is brought in.
Zhirinovsky has long been involved in the joint-cooperation between the
CIA and the underground Russian fascists who have quietly pulled a good
many of the strings in Moscow over the last forty years. Like Inman,
Zhriniovsky has been kept on the back-burner until very recently.
My strongest information reveals that Inman's people, who are sort
of renegades in their own right, are interested in setting Inman up
as a public office-holding figure, which is, ironically, not in the
interests of the conspiracy. My guess is that Inman secretly likes the
media attention, a somewhat common malady with gray men, and is having
his people set him up for "daylight" work, fronting for the real policy-
makers. Like many before him, Inman is making the mistake of thinking
that he can still stay in touch with the inner workings, and
unfortunately for him, it doesn't work that way--as Inman's predecessors
in the game, like Brzezinski and Carlucci, could tell him, it's either
in or out. So the policy has been reluctantly shifted so that it can
work around him. Taking a cue from the back-pedalling Russians, Inman
is now being poised to take the presidency in 2000, a few years after
Zhirinovsky is due to take the Russian presidency. (1996's American
election will probably go to Dan Quayle, in a narrow victory over
Clinton; entertainingly, Quayle will have very little work to do, as his
public policy will be virtually the same as Clinton's, circa 1996.)
The New Cold War, then, is set to launch, with the Inman presidency.
Inman, whose boyish smile and military sensibility will win him the
public, will be the bold American hero standing toe-to-toe with the
vicious, fascist dictatorship of Vladimir Zhirinovsky. And then what?
That's still a way into the future, even for conspiracy theory, but I
don't turn away a figure of 10 years or so for the New Cold War before
the two ends of this organization can meet again and be wed, like
the globalists have been planning for most of the century.
They can afford to wait a little while longer.
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TAMING THE
UGLY BEAST:
Installing UnixWare 1.0 Gary Hasty
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Let me start this off by admitting, "I Like UNIX!"
Okay...calm down now. It's been *the* 32-bit operating system for
years, long before Windows NT ever came out--err, will be coming out,
but will it ever shake the ghost of being the most cryptic and user-
unfriendly OS known to man? With this in mind, and the slew of new and
improved Graphical User Interface (GUI) based UNIX SVR4.2s on the market
waiting to take the wind out of Microsoft's sails, I decided to take a
look at what was to be the leader of the pack.
UnixWare 1.0 from UniVel (a joint venture between UNIX System
Laboratories and Novell) is being heralded as the UNIX that will make
the OS a household name... but this time a good household name. After
reading over all the sales literature received after this years Spring
Comdex it sounded too good to be true: pure UNIX SVR4.2 compatibility,
runs DOS-Unix-Windows applications, integrates easily into a Netware
LAN, Multitasking, Multi-user and a Motif or Open-Look based GUI. It
may have been too good to be true.
UnixWare comes in two different configurations: a 2-user Personal
Edition retailing at $249 and an unlimited Application Server retailing
at $1089. So the order was placed for the UnixWare Personal Edition for
evaluation; thus starts the experiment.
The only way to receive UnixWare is either on CD-ROM or tape, so I
opted for the CD-ROM. It was on backorder. One week later, the package
arrived, along with the NEC-74 CD-ROM and the NEC SCSI adapter I had
ordered to install it with into a 486sx/25 with 8M and a Quantum
ProDrive LPS 240M SCSI drive. The minimum requirements for UnixWare are
a 386 or better, 80M HD, and 8M RAM, stated in the minimal documentation
that accompanies UnixWare (one 80-page installation handbook and one
210-page user manual, in *big* type, with an entire chapter explaining
such accessories as Using The Clock and Using Calculator). The install
consist of loading three diskettes, and then the rest is loaded from the
CD. Thirty minutes into the install, I was asked how to continue the
installation. The CD-ROM option was not offered! A quick call to
UniVel Tech Support revealed that the NEC-74 IS supported but the NEC
SCSI controller is *not*, and that they would fax me an up-to-date list
of supported hardware options. I asked if there was any way to receive
UnixWare on floppies because the installation program asked me if I was
installing from diskettes (it only takes up around 30 meg on the CD) and
was told that they are working on a diskette version that would be ready
in two to three weeks. Now on to phase two of the experiment.
After receiving the fax, I ordered an Adaptec 1542C from my
distributor. (Only B and A were listed on the "updated" supported
hardware sheet, but C has replaced both of them.) When it was received,
I quickly tore into it and put it in the machine. Hmmmm, the cable I
needed to connect to the NEC-74 was SCSI-to-SCSI, and I received
SCSI-to-Parallel with the drive. Here we go again! Out of frustration,
I called UniVel one more time and asked if the diskette version was
shipping yet (through all the backorders and delays, I was now on week
three of the evaluation with nothing actually running yet) and was
told, "That has been promised but is at least two to three months from
now." I asked if they had been getting a lot of complaints about the
required hardware and was told they have had some "request" for other
media. I called a client who luckily had external SCSI cables lying
all over the place, and he loaned one to me for the experiment. I
started the *real* install late on a Friday afternoon and let it run all
night. (If I see the message, "This will take a few minutes"
again, I'll blow chunks.) After returning Saturday morning to my
office, I was greeted with another hour of answering some more prompts
and waiting.
IT'S DONE! Finally I was told that the UnixWare installation was
now complete, and that I may now reboot the system to bring it up. I
rebooted. I waited! I waited more. At this point I knew I was in for a
let-down when it took almost six or seven minutes to ask for my
login/password. Once into the OS I found it very simple to connect to
my in-house LAN, play a mean version of Tetris, run some DOS
applications and even some UNIX apps--but all deathly S-L-O-W! Tech
Support was closed on Saturday, so I called back on Monday morning to
ask:
ME: "Is it supposed to be this pathetically slow?"
THEM: "How much memory do you have?"
ME: "8 Meg on a 486sx/25 with SCSI HD."
THEM: "Oh yeah, you need atleast 16Meg."
ME: "It says I need 8 Meg!"
THEM: "Oh, it'll *run* on 8 Meg..."
ME: "$!&^$&*$!&!$^%$(*"
At this point I decided the experiment had ended. Most of my time
evaluating had been spent on simply installing the OS and acquiring the
required parts to do so. Sure! UnixWare may work on a "standard
system" (I hardly call 16M standard) but you can't *load* it on a
run-of-the-mill PC. I wish I could encourage a user to put 16 Meg in
his personal station so he could run a version of the ultimate operating
system, UNIX, but I'm afraid that just won't happen. I have taken into
my thoughts that this is a 1.0 version and that it will/must improve,
but for now, I do not see UNIX becoming the OS of choice even if it is
not "vaporware" like some of the other 32-bit OS's.
Installation time: One month, give or take an hour!
Recommendation: Skip it...
(RevHasty@aol.com)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
################################################################
UNNAMED
COLUMN Mark Maisel
################################################################
I just got back from Fall Comdex. I headed out to see what the
computer and software industries have been up all year and what they
plan for the future. I'll be using this column each month to tell you
about these things and try to explain them in easy to understand terms.
Unfortunately, specialization seems to come with its own language as a
prerequisite, thus excluding the majority of the citizenry, even those
who are users or otherwise directly affected by these products and
ideas.
I'll also solicit ideas for this column from you. If there is some
computer or software technology you'd like to learn more about, please
send me e-mail or send a letter to the editor. He'll make sure I hear
about it. There is so much happening. It should be no problem at all
to come up with topics. Research could be tricky but that is a core
component of my business.
For now, I've nothing further to add. Please feel free to start
sending those requests in now. I'll have a huge stack of information to
pore through in a few weeks, so we'll have a lot to talk about!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
################################################################
BBS
BEHAVIOR
Part I of III Damion Furi
################################################################
There seems to be some disagreement as to how words on a BBS should
be taken.
One group believes that words on a bulletin board system have no
substance, no effect, and no reality.
The other group believes that words have power, in any media.
I don't understand why some people believe that words are "Nerf
bats" on a bulletin board system, yet simultaneously believe that words
have power in newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and everyday
face-to-face discussion.
No, I don't buy that. Words have power. You can get mystical
about it if it suits you, but the bottom line fact of the matter is that
wars have been fought over nothing more than words. If that doesn't
prove anything to you, then I would suggest that you might be a bit
simple.
There seem to be a number of people on the boards that find it
convenient to set aside their manners while online. I don't know why
that is, but I regret it.
It has happened a few times where I have suggested that an offending
party "put up or shut up," as the saying goes. I've been heavily
criticized for it, too, primarily by "Cardinal Dean" Costello, a man
known for his propensity for flames. On the other hand, he is not
alone in having criticized me for this.
I admit that I may be in the wrong for extending such invitations.
I don't think I am, though, obviously, or I wouldn't do it. I simply
accept the possibility for the sake of argument.
My terms for dealing with people are simple: if you don't insult
me, I won't insult you. If you *do* insult me, I expect you to be man
enough to be willing to take responsibility for your words and defend
them, if necessary. If you are unwilling to defend harsh words, you
should be willing to keep your biscuit trap shut. Anything else is
simply cowardice.
I think our society has gotten soft. Too many people are wandering
around loose, whining, doing everything they can to avoid taking
responsibility for their words and deeds. Bulletin boards suit these
people well, since there is absolutely nothing about a BBS that requires
a person to say, "Yeah, that was me." On the rare occasions when that
does happen, it's a bonus.
I've done a lot of heavy thinking recently about personal
responsibility because of a couple mistakes I've made recently. I don't
make these little mistakes where I could say, "I'm sorry" and everything
is alright again. No, when I screw up, it's strictly FUBAR.
Between these recent mistakes and yet another argument with Dean,
I've come to the conclusion that, though I'm not always in the right, I
can live with it. But whichever way things work out, I am willing to
accept responsibility for whatever it may be that I've done or said.
I'm too aggressive, and I know that. I'm not entirely happy with
it, but I've been working on it. And I don't think I'm out of line to
ask that someone step up to bat if they've called me an asshole or
whatever. Nor do I think it's out of line for someone to call me on it
if they feel the need. (As a matter of fact, I pretty much expect to be
called on something fairly soon. In this case, though, I will simply try
to avoid being damaged; I know I'm in the wrong. I'm not masochistic
enough not to defend myself, but I'm not sadistic enough to add injury
to insult.)
If you judge yourself to be a non-combatant, don't get into
combative situations. Don't write something in a post to someone that
you would not be willing to say to their face. Don't get into
situations of any sort that might require an aggressiveness that you
can't back up.
Dean's fond of calling me a "stud" when I start in on this, but I
have nothing to prove to anyone. I simply have no tolerance for
stupidity, not even mine, and these mistakes that I've been alluding to
were stupid. I know myself well enough to know that I'm going to be
touchier than normal because of it.
And that's one of those behind-the-scenes sort of things that you
won't always know about when you post something obnoxious to someone
while online. Maybe you will accidently push a button that causes the
other person to step out from behind the corner of a building one day
and--*surprise!*--put an aluminum baseball bat across the bridge of your
nose.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
################################################################
NOTES FROM
THE TRENCHES:
All This, And Offline Readers! Dean Costello
################################################################
I am writing today as a result of attending the latest BTN party.
A curious thing, these BTN parties. At one time, their purpose was to
bring together the writing staff of "Birmingham Telecommunication News"
and allow discussion as to the means and ends of putting out a
newsletter. Now... Well, lets just say that attendance is a tad more
open than in the "old days".
I am writing from the point of view of what I consider to be a
middle modem user. I am not one of those that drove a Commodore 64 and
coded communication programs in assembler to allow the computer to use a
1200-baud modem and disk drive. I did, however, come in before offline
mail readers (OLRs), the scourge of any True Believer (and I blame the
OLRs on Jay Enterkin, who bitched and moaned to sysops to get them to
install OLR systems, which he then never used, and then left town). So,
I refer to myself as a middle person: I came after hardcoding programs
in binary, but before any buffoon could call and use a BBS.
We were a fairly tight group, we of the middle ground: myself, Jet
Thomas, Brett Thorn, Chris Mohney, and to a greater or lesser extent
Scott Hollifield, Maggie Harden, Kathy Maisel, and Kelly Rosato. We
would see each other at parties, chit-chat over the phones (real-time),
eat with each other, and discuss Deep Things (again, to a greater or
lesser extent). Others that we came in contact with were the old
timers, They That Used 300 Baud: Tim Straughn (king of the batch file),
Ed O'Neil (designer of EZNet), Mark Maisel ("Oh yeah? Well, I remember
[insert improbable event here]"), Bill Freeman ("Don't do anything
foolish: I have a honorary deputy's badge"), and Mark Kieskowski
(Master of South Central Bell, except for that one unfortunate
incident). And that was pretty much it. Well, not really 'it', but that
was the core group. And we were happy.
Sometime around 1990, or so, OLR became all the rage. "Yeah, yeah,
uh-huh, and get this: You can READ messages without actually being
logged on! No, really!" As a result, a new kind of user came about.
This user rarely if ever leaves messages "live", by being able to employ
OLR software at all times. I would argue that at this point (the
individual user using very little online time through the use of OLR), a
shift occurred in the average user. By using the OLR software, any yutz
could (and did) use BBSs. And on top of that, the average user refused
to not use OLR software to talk to BBSs.
So in essence you have the three groups that I spoke of in the
second paragraph. Well, that's all well and good. But something else
that I have noticed is what happens at parties since the Great OLR
Awakening. You see, at the party that I attended, there was very little
mixing of groups. It is almost as if everyone knows their place, and
refuses to associate (or limits contact to a minimum) with others. But
if you think about it, it makes sense. Each of the crowds has a common
start point (dinosaurs-early coding/debugging, middles-live messages/
commercial software, newbies-OLR; with each successive group having an
easier time of it), and as a result, they have a tendency to hang out
with their own type.
But that doesn't completely dismiss the idea of a newbie not using
OLR. As I was writing this, I thought of Judy Ranelli as being a good
example of that type of person. Even though she was relatively late to
the process (1990-1991), she doesn't use OLR, and she apparently fits in
with the middles better than to others. Another example is Scott
Hollifield, who has been using BBSs since approximately 1983 or so, yet
cannot code his way out of a paper bag.
The point in time when a person starts using BBSs appears to be an
important indicator of who you hang out with (BBS-wise). There is no
great sociological discovery there that any group of new people will
have a tendency to gather together. Mark Maisel, the evil dwarf sitting
to my left at the moment, noted that even though he was characterized as
a dinosaur, he uses OLR. I cannot dispute that. However the socially
decisive point in time is when he started using BBSs, which was before
easily accessible commercial software. His start was therefore with a
like-minded group, these are for the most part the individuals he
interacts with the most (to some extent; as time passes, the number of
individuals available in each group shrinks due to attrition), though he
takes time to chat with most individuals that want his attention.
Unfortunately, he doesn't fit into my paradigm very well. He suggests
that I just refer to him as an "enigma", but I think that that is
disingenuous, so I prefer the above fast-talk explanation instead.
So, what have we learned? Hard to say. I think that for the most
part there are three major types of users, each differentiated by the
type of interface with computers that was common to each group. The
first group, more or less the ones that came into BBSs first, is
characterized by slow, clunky machines and user-hostile interfaces. The
second group came about a bit later after communications software became
more commercially available, as well as better computers and modems to
allow BBS connection to be more easily accomplished. The latest group
are those that use both the more powerful machines and modems, as well
as software to allow utter ease of use of BBSs. And guess what? They
hang out with each other, with minimal interaction between the groups.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
################################################################
PRESS RELEASE:
QmodemPro For Windows
################################################################
*** Official Announcement ***
For more information contact:
Jim Harrer, President/CEO Sales (800) 999-9619
Mustang Software, Inc. Office (805) 395-0223
P.O. Box 2264 Fax (805) 395-0713
Bakersfield, CA 93303 BBS (805) 395-0650
Las Vegas, NV - November 15, 1993. Mustang Software unveiled the new
Windows version of its popular QmodemPro communications program during
COMDEX/Fall '93. Called QmodemPro for Windows v1.0, it is the first
communications program to offer support for both data and Fax
communication in one integrated package.
File transfers are supported using Zmodem, CompuServe B+, Kermit,
Ymodem, Ymodem/G, Xmodem/1K, Xmodem/1KG, Xmodem/CRC, Xmodem, or ASCII.
A built-in GIF viewer allows you to view GIF graphics files as they are
being downloaded. You can zoom any GIF or BMP file, and even mark and
copy portions of the picture to the Windows clipboard. Users can easily
upload files using drag-and-drop from the Windows File Manager to
QmodemPro's upload window.
QmodemPro for Windows offers a wide selection of terminal emulations
including: ADDS VP60, ADM 3A, ANSI, Avatar, DG 100, DG 200, DG 210,
Hazeltine 1500, Heath 19, IBM 3101, TTY, TVI 910, TVI 912, TVI 920, TVI
925, TVI 950, TVI 955, Vidtex, VT 52, VT 100, VT 102, VT 220, VT 320,
Wyse 30, Wyse 50, Wyse 60, Wyse 75, Wyse 85, Wyse 100, and Wyse 185.
BBS callers will appreciate the addition of Doorway and RIPscrip to this
impressive list of supported emulations. QmodemPro for Windows is the
first Windows product to offer support for RIPscrip, which is quickly
becoming the de facto graphics standard for bulletin board systems
worldwide, including Mustang Software's Wildcat! product.
Besides offering full data communication, MSI has also integrated both
send and receive Fax support directly into QmodemPro for Windows. Using
any Class 1 or Class 2 Fax modem, QmodemPro for Windows can send text
files as well as PCX and BMP graphics files. Cover pages can also be
attached to these documents. Automatic Fax receive is also supported
and a complete Fax viewer includes thumbnail sketches, zooming, copying,
and printing.
The phonebook allows you to view the dialing directory in a traditional
tabular form, or you can use the icon view mode to create a true icon
window of your online services, making it a simple double click to dial,
connect, and be online. Each dialing directory entry can hold up to
five phone numbers, the default device, emulation, transfer protocol,
user ID, password, login script, RIP icon directory, and macro file. A
note file can be attached to any dialing entry allowing you to add your
own notes and comments about the dialing entry.
QmodemPro for Windows even allows you to review the scrollback buffer
while you're capturing information online. You can customize the
terminal window using a variety of fonts. The screen behind the
terminal window can be customized with your favorite pattern or
wallpaper file giving you full control of your desktop.
Sporting a completely new Script Language Interface for QmodemPro
(SLIQ), QmodemPro gives you unparalleled power, speed, and flexibility.
Based on the popular BASIC language structure, it adds extensions for
the Windows communication environment and includes a Quicklearn feature
for creating scripts without having to learn the language. It even
includes a compiler for compiling the scripts so they run faster and are
more secure. A powerful script debugger and full editor are also
included.
QmodemPro for Windows allows you to take advantage of the Windows
multitasking environment. Download files or capture data in the
background, while working in a word processor or spreadsheet. QmodemPro
for Windows makes full use of the 16550 UART, Digiboard multi serial
port card, or any other intelligent serial interface with appropriate
Windows drivers. Also supported are Interrupt 14 compatible LAN modems
and other devices.
The newest member of the QmodemPro family now supports sound cards,
allowing you to assign standard Windows WAV files to certain events in
your communications session. For example, you can have a WAV file
played when you connect to a BBS or when your download is completed.
There are many events you can assign sounds to: connect, dialing, file
transfer success and failure, and many others.
QmodemPro for Windows has a suggested retail price of $139.00. This
product will be available within the next few weeks in the over 300
Software Etc. stores throughout the United States. Software Etc. has
also put QmodemPro for Windows on their "Reservation System" so your
local store can reserve your copy. To find the Software Etc. store in
your area dial (800) 328-4646.
Qmodem, QmodemPro, and Wildcat! BBS registered owners can upgrade to
QmodemPro for Windows for a limited time for only $50.00 plus shipping.
Have your registration number handy and dial Mustang Software at
(800) 999-9619 or (805) 395-0223 to place your order. Please expect a 4
to 6 week back order for delivery, order today to be one of the first to
receive this program.
Resellers in the United States can order QmodemPro for Windows directly
from INGRAM MICRO. The part number is 185415. YOu can reach INGRAM
MICRO by dialing (800) 456-8000.
Customers in the U.K. can reserve their copy by contacting Telesystems
LTD in London. Telesystems can be reached at +44 494 866365,
FAX +44 494 866050, or BBS +44 494 891903.
Customers in Scandinavia will be pleased to know that Swedish, Danish,
and Norwegian versions will be available soon after the U.S. version.
Please contact PC Security in Norway for additional information. PC
Security can be reached at +67 53 11 53, FAX +67 53 63 25, or
BBS +67 58 33 58.
Customers in Australia should contact Banksia Technology Pty. Ltd in
Lane Cove, NSW. Banksia can be reached at +61 2 418-6033,
Fax +61 2 428-5460 or BBS +61 2 418-7693.
For additional information regarding QmodemPro for Windows, QmodemPro
for DOS, or the Wildcat! Bulletin Board System, please contact Mustang
Software, Inc. P.O. Box 2264, Bakersfield, CA 93303-2264. Phone
800-999-9619, 805-395-0223, FAX 805-395-0713, BBS 805-395-0650.
MSI can also be reached via e-mail at sales@mustang.com, CompuServe (GO
PCVENA, section 9), America Online (Keyword = Mustang), and GEnie
(MUSTANG RT).
-END-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
################################################################
BTN PROFILE
This Month: Steven Wheeler The Bishop
################################################################
The ProFile is a light-hearted attempt at allowing the BBS community
to get to know the selected user or sysop better. The harassees...er...
candidates for the ProFile are selected purely by random (or maybe not--
read up on "chaos"). If anyone has any suggestions for questions to be
included in the ProFile, or for users to be harassed by the ProFile, then
feel free to E-Mail them to me (THE BISHOP on the Crunchy Frog, or AARON
DEES on most other boards in town).
[Editor's Note: Steven Wheeler has moved out of Birmingham--so naturally,
we wait till he's gone to find this ProFile and run it. So consider this
just a fond tribute to one who is no longer with us. Ladies and gentleman,
I give you: the local user was *was*... Steven Wheeler.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ProFile: Steven Wheeler, a.k.a. Dr. Strangelove
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Age: Too old to change, too young to retire. 39
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Birthplace: Cullman, AL (yeah, I know.....)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Occupation:
Electronic Tech, AL Army National Guard. Jack of all trades,
actually. I do everything nobody else can... and don't get paid
damned near enough for it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
My hobbies include:
Between work, family and BBS'ing who has time for hobbies? Oh yeah,
I do collect belly-button lint and fish sometimes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Years telecomputing: About 5, going on 20.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sysop, past/present/future of:
Co-Sysop, past, of Crow's Nest and most recently, Night Watch BBS.
Hopefully it will be back up soon. Are you reading this Lamar? <G>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
My oddest habit is:
Does this qualify? No, okay, chasing cars and howling at the moon.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
My greatest unfulfilled ambition is:
To make it to tomorrow.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The single accomplishment of which I am most proud is:
Making it to today.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
My favorite performers are: Tull, Led, Doors, Rundgren, Bowie,
Aerosmith, Lords and Lynne.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The last good movie I saw was:
You think I want Jimmy Evans on my butt?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The last good book I read was:
See the answer above.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If they were making a movie of my life, I'd like to see my part
played by:
Me.....I need the bucks.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
My pet peeves are:
Modern civilization (?) Who needs it?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
When nobody's looking, I like to:
None of your business. If I wanted everyone to know I'd do it while
they were looking. Give me a break.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
################################################################
LOCAL MUSIC
IN JANUARY Judy Ranelli
################################################################
Judy Ranelli is on vacation from her duties here this month, so
feel free to go out on the town and see whatever bands you want,
without fear of recrimination! Next month: more mandatory
directives from Judy.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
################################################################
SPECIAL INTEREST
GROUPS (SIG's)
[COMPUTER RELATED] compiled by Eric Hunt
################################################################
BIPUG Alabama UniForum
Birmingham IBM-PC Users Group Homewood Public Library
UAB Nutrition Science Blg 1st Tuesday
RM 535/541 Shawn Cleary 870-6130
1st Sunday (delayed one week
if meeting is a holiday)
Marty Schulman 967-5883
Birmingham Apple Core
Informal breakfast meeting every Saturday, 9am - 11am
@ Kopper Kettle, lower level Brookwood Village Mall
Formal meeting held second Saturday of each month, location
variable (to be announced at breakfast meetings and in the
user group's newsletter "The PEEL".)
President: Sam Johnston - 322-5379
Vice-Prez: Marie Prater - 822-8135
The SIG listing is being re-verified. If you know of an active
Computer Related user's group, please let me know.
I can be reached via Internet email at
eric.hunt@the-matrix.com or drop me a note directly on The
MATRIX.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
################################################################
KNOWN BBS NUMBERS
FOR THE
BIRMINGHAM AREA
################################################################
Sysops, PLEASE check your listing to make sure everything is
correct, especially the networks. Corrections should be mailed on
the Matrix or Crunchy Frog to Scott Hollifield or Mark Maisel.
ADAnet One (Nodes 1-3) 250-0013 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5
[ez, fi, ad]
ADAnet One (Node 4) 254-6050 2400-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
[ez, fi, ad]
Alcatraz BBS 608-0880 300-9600 PCBoard 15.0
[he, vi]
Alter-Ego BBS 925-5099 1200-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.5
[ez, mn]
Baudville (Nodes 1-7) 995-0013 300-2400 Major BBS 6.12
[none]
Bus System 987-5419 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2
[none]
Byte Me! 979-BYTE! 2400-14400 USR HST WWIV 4.12
[none]
Castle, The 841-7618 300-2400 Image 1.2
[none]
Channel 8250 (Node 1) 744-8546 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
[ez, un]
Channel 8250 (Node 2) 744-5166 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
[ez, un]
Cherry Tree 681-1710 1200-14400 TriBBS 4.01
[wm, ca]
Christian Apologetic 808-0763 1200-14400 V.32bis Wildcat! 3.90
[ez, cp]
Crocodile Country BBS 477-6283 1200-16800 USR DS Searchlight 3.5 *RIP*
[sl, fi]
Crunchy Frog (Node 1) 823-3957 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
[ez, mn, lu, ll]
Crunchy Frog (Node 2) 823-3958 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
[ez, mn, lu, ll]
Crystal Village 856-3749 1200-2400 VBBS 6.10
[cr, cs, al, ho, co, fn, vi]
Den, The 933-8744 300-9600 USR HST ProLogon/ProDoor
[ez, mn, il]
Digital Publishing 854-1660 300-9600 V.32 Wildcat! 3.60
[pl]
Electro-BBS 491-8402 300-14400 V.32/42 Maximus 2.01
[fi]
Family Smorgas-Board 744-0943 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5
[ez, fi, mj, bc, fa, ic, cf, cd, np, ag, ve, ad]
Final Frontier 838-5634 300-14400 VBBS 6.11 *RIP*
[al, he, re, fn]
Genesis Online(Nodes 1-6) 620-4150 300-14400 V.32bis Major BBS 6.11
[mr]
Guardian, The (Node 1) 425-1951 1200-14400 V.42bis VBBS 6.11
[vi]
Guardian, The (Node 2) 425-1956 1200-14400 V.42bis VBBS 6.11
[vi]
Hardeman's BBS 640-6436 1200-14400 Wildcat! 3.51
[wi, di, bc]
Homewood's Hell Hole 987-7823 2400-14440 V.32bis VBBS 6.10
[he, bi]
Joker's Castle 664-5589 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
[ez, mn, un]
KickAxis BBS 733-0253 1200-14400 USR DS PCBoard 15.0
[he]
Leaping's Lounge 856-2521 1200-14400 GTPower 18.00
[gt, ez, mn, wm, di]
Lions D
en 969-5733 300-14400 USR DS Wildcat! 3.90
[wi, fi]
Lumby's Palace 520-0041 300-14400 VBBS 6.0
[he]
Magic City (Node 1) 664-9883 300-14400 USR DS Wildcat! 3.90
[di, wm, wi, ca, cm, pe]
Magic City (Node 2) 664-0435 300-2400 Wildcat! 3.90
[di, wm, wi, ca, cm, pe]
Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300-14400 USR HST PCBoard 14.5
[ez, mn]
MATRIX, The (Nodes 1-14) 323-2016 300-2400 PCBoard 15.0 *RIP*
[ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr]
MATRIX, The (Nodes 20-23) 323-6016 9600-14400 USR DS PCBoard 15.0 *RIP*
[ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr]
MATRIX, The (Node 25-26) 458-3449 9600-14400 V.32bis PCBoard 15.0 *RIP*
[ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr]
MetaBoard 854-4814 300-14400 USR DS Opus CBCS 1.73
[fi, ad]
MetroMac BBS (Node 1) 323-6306 1200-14400 V.32bis TeleFinder 3.1
[none]
MetroMac BBS (Node 2) 252-0582 1200-14400 V.32bis TeleFinder 3.1
[none]
Milliways BBS (Node 1) 956-3177 1200-2400 Major BBS 6.11 *RIP*
[none]
Milliways BBS(Nodes 2-6)956-2731 1200-2400 Major BBS 6.11 *RIP*
[none]
Missing Link 853-1257 300-16800 USR DS C-Net Amiga 2.63
[cl, cn]
Neon Moon 477-5894 300-14400 TriBBS 4.0
[none]
Outer Limits (Node 1) 426-5611 1200-16800 ZyXEL Wildcat! 3.90 *RIP*
[fi, do, ec, er, pn]
Outer Limits (Node 2) 425-5871 1200-16800 ZyXEL Wildcat! 3.90 *RIP*
[fi, do, ec, er, pn]
Outer Limits (Node 3) 426-2939 1200-16800 ZyXEL Wildcat! 3.90 *RIP*
[fi, do, ec, er, pn]
Party Line 856-1336 300-14000 V.32bis TriBBS 4.0
[cc, wm, di]
Penny Arcade 699-4625 300-2400 Running Force! 3.75
[none]
Playground 681-5070 1200-14000 V.32 TriBBS 5.0
[wm, di, al, ez]
Posys BBS 854-5131 300-9600 V.32 PCBoard
[none]
Programmer's Shack 988-4695 2400-14400 HST DS Renegade
[ws, fi, it]
Quiet Zone 833-2066 300-2400 ExpressNet
[none]
Safe Harbor (Node 1) 665-4332 300-2400 GTPower 18.00
[gt, ez, mn, il, lg]
Safe Harbor (Node 2) 665-4355 300-14400 USR DS GTPower 18.00
[gt, ez, mn, il, lg]
Sam's Domain 956-2757 1200-14400 VBBS 6.0
[da, he]
Safety BBS 581-2866 300-2400 RBBS-PC 17.4
[none]
Southern Stallion 322-3816 300-16800 ZyXEL PCBoard 15.1
[ez, lu, th, rs, ss, it]
Sperry BBS 853-6144 300-2400 V.32/42b PCBoard 15.0
[none]
ST BBS 836-9311 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2
[ez]
StarBase 12 647-7184 300-2400 TriBBS 4.0
[ez, mn, wm]
The Light 979-0368 300-14400 V.32bis PCBoard 15.0
[ch, nl]
Thy Master's Dungeon 940-2116 300-57600 V.32/42b PCBoard 14.5
[fr]
Torch Song 328-1517 300-9600 V.32 Wildcat 3.6
[pr, se, st, do, fs]
Travelog BBS 491-3898 300-2400 TriBBS
[none]
Weekends BBS 841-8583 2400-16800 USR DS Wildcat! 3.9
[ca]
Willie's DYM (Node 1) 664-9902 300-2400 Oracomm Plus
[or]
Willie's DYM (Node 2) 664-9903 300-2400 Oracomm Plus
[or]
Willie's DYM (Node 3) 664-9895 300-2400 Oracomm Plus
[or]
Willie's DYM (Node 4) 664-9896 300-2400 Oracomm Plus
[or]
Ziggy Unix BBS 991-5696 300-1200 UNaXess
[none]
*RIP* = BBS Software is RIP Graphics capable. You must be using a RIP
compatible term software to view them. RIPTerm or QmodemPro v1.50 are
the only two I know of that support it at this time. RIPTerm is shareware
and can be downloaded from most BBS's. QmodemPro is a commercial product.
The two-letter abbreviations you see on the line below the names of
many of the bbs' in the list signify that they are members of one or
more networks that exchange or echo mail to each other in some organized
fashion.
ad = ADAnet, an international network dedicated to the handicapped
ae = ANet, uncertain at press time
ag = AgapeNet, a national Christian network, multi-topic
al = AlaNet, a local network, multi-topic
an = AnnexNet, an international network, multi-topic
at = AdultNet, a national network, adult-oriented
bc = BCBNet, a local network, religion-oriented
bh = BhamTalk, a local network, multi-topic
bi = BitchNet, uncertain at press time
ca = CafeNet, a local network, restaurant/dining, recipes, etc.
cc = Coast2Coast, a national network, multi-topic
cd = CDN, a national Christian network for file distribution
cf = CFN, a national Christian network, multi-topic
ch = ChristNet, a national Christian network
cl = CLink, uncertain at press time
cm = CompuLink, a national network, multi-topic
cn = CNet, multi-topic
co = ComicNet, a local net for comic book readers
cp = CAPNet, a national Christian network, multi-topic
cr = CrystalNet, uncertain at press time
cs = ChaosNet, uncertain at press time
cy = Cybernet, uncertain at press time
da = DateNet, uncertain at press time
de = DevNet, an international network for programmers and developers
di = Dixie Net, a regional network, multi-topic geared toward the south
eastern United States
do = DoorNet, a national network for the distribution of BBS doors
ec = EchoNet, an international network, multi-topic
er = ErosNet, an international network, adult oriented, files & messages
ez = EzNet, a local IBM compatible network
fa = FamilyNet, an international network, multi-topic
fi = FidoNet, an international network, multi-topic
fn = FrontierNet, a local network, multi-topic
fr = FredNet, a regional network, political discussion
fs = FSNet, uncertain at press time
ga = GameNet, a local network, uncertain at press time
gl = GlobalLink, an international network, multi-topic
gt = GTNet, an international network, multi-topic
he = HellNet, a local network, multi-topic
ho = HobbyNet, a local network for hobbyists
ic = ICDM, an international Christian network, multi-topic
ie = Intelec, a national network, multi-topic
il = ILink, an international network, multi-topic
in = InterNet, an international network, linking businesses,
universities, and bbs', multi-topic
it = ITCNet, a national network, multi-topic
lg = Local GT Net, a local network, connecting GT Power systems
ll = LlamaNet, a national network, freeform correspondence
lo = LocalNet, uncertain at press time
lu = LuciferNet, an international network, adult oriented
ma = MAXnet, a local network, connecting WWIV and VBBS systems
mj = MJCN, an international network for Messianic Jews
mn = Metronet, an international network which echoes RIME, multi-topic
mr = MajorNet, an international network, multi-topic
nl = NewLife, uncertain at press time
np = NPN, a national network for new parents
or = OraNet, a national E-mail network
pe = Planet Earth Network, a national network, multi-topic
pl = PlanoNet, a national network, multi-topic
pn = PoliceNet, an international network, law-enforcement only
pr = PrideNet, a local homosexually oriented network
rf = RF Net, a national network for ham radio users and hobbyists
ri = RIME, an international network, multi-topic
rb = RoboLink, a national network, multi-topic
re = RealityNet, uncertain at press time
rp = RPGnet, a local network for role-playing games
rs = RoseNet, a national network, technically orient*ed
ru = RushNet, a national network for Rush Limbaugh fans
sc = Science Factor Net, a national network, science and technology
oriented
se = SEC, a regional network, homosexually oriented geared toward the
southeastern United States
sh = Shades N Shadows Net, a national network for role-playing games
sl = SearchlightNet, a national network, multi-topic
sm = SmartNet, a national network, multi-topic
sn = ShadowNet, a national network for role-playing games
ss = SexSations!, a national network, adult-oriented
st = StudsNet, a national network, homosexually oriented
te = TECHnet, a local network, hardware and utility oriented
th = ThrobNet, an international network, adult oriented
un = U'NI-Net, an international network, multi-topic
ve = VETLink, a national network for military veterans
vi = VirtualNet, an international network, multi-topic
wi = WildNet, a national network, multi-topic
wm = World Message Exchange, an international network, multi-topic
ws = WishNet, uncertain at press time
ww = WWIV-Net, an international network, multi-topic
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