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ZIP Magazine Volume 4 Issue 2
Ú-----------------------------------------------------------¿
| É------------------» |
| ±±±±±±±±± Editors: | Volume 4 Issue 2 | |
| ±± Ron Alcorn | March 1991 | |
| ±± W.H. Lambdin È------------------¼ |
| ±± |
| ±±± Heres A Peek At What's Inside! |
| ±± ------------------------------- |
| ±± |
| ±± þ NEWS ..................... 8 |
| ±±±±±±±±± |
| þ DELBUT, ATTRIB, & WHERE .. 9 |
| ±±±±±±±±±± |
| ±± þ .QWK/.REP PACKET FORMAT .. 10 |
| ±± |
| ±± þ SOFTWARE CAROUSEL UPDATE . 14 |
| ±± |
| ±± þ COMPRESSOR COMPARISON .... 15 |
| ±± |
| ±± þ ORG 1.32 ................. 16 |
| ±±±±±±±±±± |
| þ QUICK VERSE V 2.02 ....... 18 |
| ±±±±±±±±± |
| ±± ±± þ A LOOK AT ROBOCOMM ....... 24 |
| ±± ±± |
| ±± ±± þ RAMAIL ................... 27 |
| ±±±±±±±±± |
| ±± |
| ±± Ú¿ Ú-¿ Ú-¿ Ú-¿ Ú-¿ -Â- ¿  Ú-¿ |
| ±± | | Ã-´ | ¿ Ã-´ / | |À¿| Ã- |
| ±± Á Á Á Á À-Ù Á Á À-Ù -Á- Á ÀÁ À-Ù |
| ----------------------------------- |
| "For Home MS-DOS users" |
| |
| /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ |
| \ "Be sure to read every section in all issues!" / |
| / We hope you enjoy this issue a lot. Thank you! \ |
| \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ |
| ------------------------------------------------------- |
| Up coming reviews... |
| |
| Cardinal 700 VGA Graphics Adapter, NEC CD-ROM drive, |
| and what ever we can gets our hands on. We need more |
| reviews and articles from you folks, so help us out! |
| |
| É-------------------------------------------------------» |
| | ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ZIP MAGAZINE DIRECT SUPPORT BBS'S ® ® ® ® | |
| Ç-------------------------------------------------------¶ |
| | ZIP BBS "Home Of ZIP Magazine" - HST 14.4K/V.32 9600 | |
| | Call (606) 878-9500 from 7 P.M. to 7 A.M. [EST] | |
| | Intelec Network BBS - 2 V-Series 9600 and 1 HST 9600 | |
| | Call (516) 867-4446, 4447, 4448 - ZIP Magazine Conf | |
| È-------------------------------------------------------¼ |
À-----------------------------------------------------------Ù
É-----------------------------------------------------------»
| |
| TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| |
| VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2 |
| |
Ì-----------------------------------------------------------¹
| |
| EDITORS CORNER .................................. Page 3 |
| FEEDBACK ........................................ Page 4 |
| NEWS ............................................ Page 8 |
| TOM'S TIDBITS ................................... Page 9 |
| .QWK & .REP PACKET FORMAT ....................... Page 10 |
| ACTIVE LIFE 1.5 ................................. Page 13 |
| SOFTWARE CAROUSEL UPDATE ........................ Page 14 |
| COMPRESSOR COMPARISON ........................... Page 15 |
| ORG 1.32 ........................................ Page 16 |
| QUICK VERSE V 2.02 .............................. Page 18 |
| A LOOK AT ROMOCOMM .............................. Page 24 |
| PROGRAMMERS CHALLENGE (RAMAIL) .................. Page 27 |
| QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ........................... Page 32 |
| BBS LISTING ..................................... Page 33 |
| USER GROUPS ..................................... Page 36 |
| ZIP INFO ........................................ Page 37 |
| |
È-----------------------------------------------------------¼
þþ EDITORS CORNER þþ
Some of you are probably tired of hearing me talk about
Intelec. ;-) If not; here is something new. Intelec has a
Bi-Monthly newsletter (In-Basket). There is a possibility
that ZIP Magazine and the In-Basket will merge forces.
Don't faint yet. ;-) ZIP Magazine will be the same as it has
always been, informative and free. After this merger, ZIP
Magazine will have more information, and access to new
readers. This will mean that ZIP Magazine will be from 40 to
50% larger than you are accustomed to, and we will pick up
three or four more editors.
I want to thank the Pee Dee exchange BBS, David Palmer, and
H.B, Fuller for their donations to ZIP Magazine. It is
appreciated!
þþ FEEDBACK þþ
03 Feb 91
ZIP Magazine
William H Lambdin, Editor
POB 118
East Bernstadt, KY 40729
Dear Bill,
Bill?! You wanna be called "Bill"? That's something that
the phone company sends me every month. I druther not be
reminded of it.
I didn't find a whole lot of interest in the back issues of
ZIP Mag. But then I got to thinking about BYTE, and how much
there is of interest in it. Ummmmm, er, ah, I read Jerry
Pournelle's column because I like his programming style.
Occasionally there is something else of interest, but I'm not
into supporting a gaggle of computer salesmen.
That's my same complaint about ZIP too, buy [NOT sic] the
way. My mental development seems to have gotten stuck at the
IBM 1620 FORTRAN stage. It's neat to have an intelligent
typewriter (I don't need to marry a secretary!), but as for
computing, I can do everything I want to do on an Apple II in
BASIC. You can even do neat things like run ZIPcode sorters
& spaceships with just an Apple II. Hooda thunk it!
Don't waste my time trying to sell me more computer than I
need. Not in our wildest ravenings did any of us imagine
that we would have our own computer to play with.
If I tell you how to mail your disks for 2 oz [save $.23@ =
$1.38/year], will you let me subscribe at the old price? Put
your mailer & disk on your postage scale & weep. Put my
mailer & disk on the same scale & rejoice. Put on another
disk and feed your Calumet mailers to the stove! [But if you
ever mail 3 disks per mailer, then they are no more expensive
than my mailers.] Interested? See MAILERS.TXT
I didn't know that anyone else in this part of the world was
computer literate. It took me four years to believe all the
hoopla about cheap computers back in the early 80's [Is that
"'" legal American English punctuation? You need an English
perfesser to edit yer magazine.]
I've actually been close to East Bernstadt a couple times,
there being an Interstate Highway there. Last year the sum
total of my Interstate Highway travel was from the London KY
80 exit up to the Rockcastle River exit for an Earth First!
meeting at ASPI.
I'd like to set up a programming contest. I happen to like
BASIC, but I see no reason to limit it to any particular
language. I like the BASIC two liner format because it makes
for compact programs. Anybody interested? See file
2_LINERS.TXT
How do I get an ad for SURVEY LAND YOURSELF into ZIP? By
interviewing myself? How about an interview with GunSmoke,
our Quality Assurance Engineer?
Thanx for the PKZIP. My version is outdated.
Enclosed is the prerelease of my new product, KILOBYTERS.
Lotsa files meant to fill up the empty space on your
distribution disks, so that the customer thinks that he got
something even if he doesn't like <your> product.
Are you acquainted with John Galuszka of Serendipity
Systems, POB 140, San Simeon CA 93252? He publishes the
Electronic Publishers' Forum & BOOKS ON DISK. He's got a
modem, but I don't have the number handy. Anyway, it's not
online, since he has a shortage of electrons -- no RECC out
there in the California Boonies. When he needs hot
electons, he has to wait for the sun to shine on his
collectors.
Another prospect is Factsheet Five BBS 518/479-3879, Mike
Gunderloy. Wildcat, 2400 baud, 24 hr, 7 days. This is the
home of the inimitatable and uncomprehensible Factsheet Five
Magazine.
Go forth & exponentiate^
Dave Byter
To: Ron and W.H. for Zip Magazine . . . 2/21/91
From: Jim Hood (address inside packages)
Wouldn't it be nice if all the vendors reprinted SUT51
verbatim in their catalogs? Submitted for your review and
posting on local BBS. PLC51 is update of PC-LEARN with still
more goodies! Thanks for reviews and nice treatment in ZIP
MAG. Many vendors are now shipping my other program (SMS) to
all authors who ship a disk to a vendor. We're gonna do some
GOOD things in this industry! SUT51 is my next goodie aimed
at helping beginners really understand nutty conventions in
the shareware industry! I deliberately made SUT51 real small,
real simple and real ASCII so everybody will use it! SUT51
took me a day to do. All the beginners out here in the
Pacific Northwest computer clubs say it works! Give SUT a
spin . . .
SUT: THE SHAREWARE USERS TUTORIAL (c) 1990-1991 Version 5.1
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The shareware user's tutorial is a detailed presentation on
how to use and enjoy shareware! Topics include: eight easy
steps to using shareware FAST, determining what is on a
disk, how to run a program, how to unpack an unarchive,
commonly asked questions, a short DOS review course,
shortcuts, using filenames and extensions, locating
documentation on disk. Even includes a short pop quiz to test
your "shareware survival skills!" Chapter titles of this
excellent tutorial are as follows: What is shareware, public
domain, freeware? Eight easy steps to using shareware FAST!
Minimum DOS commands for using shareware. Copying the master
disk. The directory listing of a shareware disk. File names
and extensions - the keys to the kingdom. A turbocharged
shortcut! Finding, reading and understanding documentation
within a file. Unpacking and installing, including ARCS,
ZIPS, LZH and more! Configuring the program if necessary,
running the program. Feedback: either register or send your
regrets! Common questions and answers! Recommended reading
list for shareware users and authors.
PCL: The PC-LEARN computer tutorial system (c) 1990-91
Version 5.1
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
PC-LEARN is a training system which includes chapters on
buying and using a computer, an entertaining history of
computers, DOS lessons, hard disk drives and tech tips. It
also includes information on word processing, a suggested
reading list, software selection, computer clubs, batch
files, spreadsheets, databases, and even a glossary! New
tutorials include using shareware for beginners and
environmentally sensitive computing. PC-LEARN runs on all IBM
compatible PC's. PC-LEARN has been selected a recommended
beginner's choice by 21 computer clubs and has been featured
in two national computer magazines. PC- LEARN is shareware.
Program runs on ALL systems and does NOT require color or
special graphics. A hard drive or high density floppy drive
is required for this version. A classic program!!
þþ NEWS þþ
ZIP BBS should be carrying some of the Intelec Network
conferences by the time volume 4 issue 3 is released. We
will be sure and let you know if all goes well.
1Soft Corporation sent us their Active Life 1.5 program for
review. Versions are available for DOS, Windows, and OS/2.
I chose not to review it, for a couple of reasons. It was
off my topic, so I didn't feel I could review it honestly.
Also it did not contain any real documenation. It did come
with a .DOC file, but it more or less was just the built in
help that the program contained. There were no table of
contents, page numbers, or indexes in the .DOC file. Before
volume 4 issue 3 is released, I will try to get one of our
supporters or editors to review it. For this issue, I will
just publish the description of the product which was
contained on the disk in a README file.
NOTE: See Active Life else where in this issue for the
contents of that file.
þþ TOM'S TIDBITS þþ
-------------------
by
Tom Croley
Here are a couple of handy tidbits that I use regularly. I
hope you find them handy too.
-DELBUT-
Have you ever wanted to erase everything in a disk directory
except for a few items. Here is a little program I saw
floating around on a bbs that does just that. It's called
"DELBUT." Place this program somewhere in your active path
where DOS can find it at any time. When you want to zap
something, type "DELBUT filename" where "filename" is the
name that you do not want to erase. Wild cards can be used.
for example, "DELBUT *.exe" erases everything in the
directory except the exe files. I have included the delbut
program in the magazine for your convenience. Delbut works
only on the default directory. It was written by scott pakin
in 1985.
-ATTRIB-
Are you tired of losing files by accident? May be it hasn't
happened to you yet. It will. The attrib command can help.
You can use the DOS attrib command to change the read/write
attribute of a file?
"huh? say wha??"
Let's say that you have a file that is very precious to you
and you do not want it changed or erased. you can change the
attribute of the file to "read only" by using the attrib
command. Simply type ...
attrib +r filename
And press enter. The file will become unchangeable.
attrib -r filename
Restores the file to its normal state. Try it. Use the +r
command on a scrap file and then try to delete it. Then use
the -r command on the same file. If you are the lazy sort,
you could make a couple of batch files to handle the process
for you, then you would not even have to remember the +r and
-r.
The following batch file named "r.bat" changes a file to read
only.
echo off
cls
if %1 .==. goto usage
echo changing %1 to read only
attrib +r %1
goto stop
:usage
echo you must type the name of the file.
echo for example r filename
:stop
Make another batch file called "w.bat" just like the one
above only change the +r to -r. Also change the words "read
only" to "read/write." Now you can type "r filename" to
protect a file and "w filename" to unprotect it. In order
for all of this to work, the dos program attrib.com or
attrib.exe must be in the active path so that it is available
to dos.
-WHERE-
Sometimes a hard disk can be like a jungle. files are
scattered everywhere and you can't remember where you put
them. Next time you can't remember where you put something,
try using the "where program". Simply type "where filename"
and press enter. A quick search of your entire hard disk
will be made and every occurance of your program will be
found and reported.
þþ .QWK & .REP PACKET FORMAT þþ
EDITORS NOTE: The following information on the .QWK and .REP
packet format was taken from messages from Greg Hewgill in
the SLMR conference.
I was beginning to think this data was a matter of national
security. ;-)
-----------------------------QWK-----------------------------
All of the messages in a mail packet are contained in a file
named MESSAGES.DAT. The file's logical record length is 128
bytes. The first record of MESSAGES.DAT always contains
Sparkware's copyright notice produced by The Qmail Door.
Messages start in record #2 and use this format:
Starting Position,Length Description
------------------------ ----------------------------
1,1 Message status flag
2,7 Message number
9,8 Date (MM-DD-YY)
17,5 Time (HH:MM)
22,25 To
47,25 From
72,25 Subject
97,12 Password
109,8 Message reference number
117,6 Number of blocks
123,1 Message status
124,1 Conference number
The text of message continues in the next record. You can
find out how many blocks make up one message by looking at
the value of "Number of blocks". Message text is delimited
by a pi symbol (ASCII 227) between lines.
The xxx.NDX files contain record numbers that point into the
MESSAGES.DAT file for actual messages. Each conference that
contains messages has its own "xxx.NDX" file. The "xxx" is
the conference number for the index file.
Each .NDX file uses a five byte logical record length and is
formatted to:
Starting Position,Length Description
------------------------ ------------------------
1,4 Record number of message
in MKS$ format.
5,1 Conference number.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The formula for converting x, a LONGINT in MKS$ format, to
MKSToNum, a binary integer, is (this is Pascal, should be
easy to figure out ["SHR" is shift right, other operators are
bitwise]):
MKSToNum := ((x AND NOT $ff000000) OR $00800000)
SHR (24 - ((x SHR 24) AND $7f));
It's not pretty but it works (and it only handles positive
numbers, no big deal). There is probably an easier way to do
this in Quickbasic (the reason it is used is because PCB used
to be written in QB 1.0).
As for the format of CONTROL.DAT...here's part of the one
from this packet and associated comments:
Ivo Andric Memorial BBS ;bbs name
Victoria, BC, CANADA ;bbs location
604-380-0297 ;bbs number
Gwen Barnes, Sysop ;format is "First Last, Sysop"
20001,ANDRIC ;DOOR_SERIAL,PACKET_ID
01-09-1991,14:54:44 ;mm-dd-yyyy,hh:mm:ss ..pkt time
GREG HEWGILL ;user name
;name of QMENU file if exists
0 ;unknown
0 ;unknown
254 ;total # of conferences - 1
0 ;# of first conf
Local ;name of conf (10 chars max)
1 ;# of second conf
I_Central ;etc...for 255 confs
...
255 ;this is the 255'th conf (#24
U_C_Prog ; is omitted from this packet)
HELLO ;filename of welcome file
NEWS ;filename of news file
GOODBYE ;filename of goodbye file
If you're looking at a real CONTROL.DAT, any further stuff
you can ignore because current mail doors don't generate it
(it's obsolete).
-----------------------------REP-----------------------------
Sure. The BBSNAME.REP file contains one file, called
BBSNAME.MSG. This file is in almost the same format as
MESSAGES.DAT, with a couple of exceptions:
1. The first block in the BBSNAME.MSG file should be all
spaces except for the packet ID in the first few bytes.
2. Instead of the message number in the message number
field, you should place the number of the *conference*
into which the message will go. This is in addition to
placing the conference in the conference number byte.
However, you should use the number in the message number
field to be consistent.
BTW, there are all sorts of slight modifications to this
format to handle (a) over 256 and (b) over 1000 conferences,
let me know if this is a consideration.
þþ ACTIVE LIFE 1.5 þþ
1Soft Corp. Technical Support
800/326-4391 -or- 707/987-0256
Mon-Fri 6:00am - 6:00pm (PACIFIC)
Sat-Sun 9:00am - 5:00pm (PACIFIC)
Active Life 1.5 - Time Planner/PIM for Windows
----------------------------------------------
Active Life 1.5 - Time Planner/PIM for DOS
------------------------------------------
Active Life 1.5 - Time Planner/PIM for OS/2 PM
----------------------------------------------
Active Life 1.5 is a powerful system for planning, managing,
and tracking one's active business and personal life.
Flexible schedules manage work-flow effectively. All types of
recurring items need be entered just once. Features pop-up
calendars, week-at-a-glance, alarms, printed schedules, and
more. There are versions of Active Life 1.5 for DOS, Windows,
and OS/2 Presentation Manager. The DOS and Windows editions
also include a timer and an indexed text/graphics notebook
manager with auto-dialer. Shareware by 1Soft Corporation.
List $149.
Active Life can plan time for everything you want to do!
Active Life is very popular. Since first appearing on
CompuServe several months ago, Active Life has consistently
been accessed more often than any other business application.
CompuServe is the world's largest on-line service with more
than 600,000 members.
System requirements:
Active Life for DOS........ DOS 3.0+
Active Life for Windows.... Microsoft Windows 3.0 or 2.x
Active Life for OS/2 PM.... OS/2 1.2+
Shareware Distribution Disks
----------------------------
On this 1.2 meg (high density) 5.25" are all three editions
of Active Life 1.5. It's easy to distribute these on
standard 4 360K diskettes, because we've organized the
appropriate files into four subdirectories:
\DOSDISK1 - DOS edition, Disk 1 of 2
\DOSDISK2 - DOS edition, Disk 2 of 2
\WINDISK - Windows edition
\OS2DISK - OS/2 PM edition
When you are distributing on 3.5" 720K you might merge the
contents of DOSDISK1 and DOSDISK2 so that the Active Life DOS
edition is on 1 3.5" disk instead of 2. Both the Windows and
OS/2 editions would be on 1 disk eachin either format.
How to Install Active Life 1.5
------------------------------
The DOSDISK1, WINDISK, and OS2DISK directories contain a
README.txt file with complete installation and instructions,
and an explanation of how to access the on-line Guide.
NOTE: If you are interested in Active Life, you can download
it from ZIP BBS.
þþ SOFTWARE CAROUSEL UPDATE þþ
by
Tom Croley
Some time ago, I presented a review of "Software Carousel" by
Softlogic Solutions inc. If you recall, Software Carousel is
a memory switching program that takes all of the ram that you
have and allows you to use it to run programs simultaneously.
Your ram, plus any hard disk space that you want to use like
ram, is divided up into compartments called partitions. You
may have one or more programs running in each partition and
switch instantly between them without closeing files or
shutting off the programs. The speed at which you can switch
from one program to another depends on the type of machine
that you have and on the amount of real ram memory you have.
Since zip magazine published that review, software carousel
has gone through at least two upgrades, 4.0 and 5.0. there
are lots of new features that make this program a must for
anyone who sits at a computer a lot and wants convenience and
increased productivity. Here are a few of the new features
that I cherish the most.
1. All types of screen output are now supported. You can
switch to and from most graphics programs and games
without zapping the picture.
2. You can now have up to twelve programs running at
once, not counting memory resident ones.
3. A built in notepad and calandar alarm will notify you
of most anything you an imagine.
4. The main program can run in high memory releasing more
memory to DOS.
5. A handy utility allows you to cut and paste most any
text from one program into another.
6. Best of all!! A built in print spooler that uses no
extra ram memory swallows huge amounts of data
allowing you to go on to something else while you are
printing a long document. This spooler sends its
output to disk rather than ram memory. it works with
graphics as well as text. You can actually start
printing a print shop greeting card and then design
your next card while the first one prints out or
better yet, switch to another partition and work on a
spread sheet or play a game.
Do I appreciate this program? The other day my daughter was
hot into a record breaking game of double blocks. She had
been playing for about 35 minutes and her score was
astronomical when suddenly I needed the computer to look up
some information in my database to give to someone on the
phone. It was an emergency and could not wait. Software
Carousel to the rescue! I hit the hot key and switched
partitions to where my database resides. in about one
minute, I looked up and printed the information that I
wanted, then, with a stroke of the hot key, my daughter was
able to continue her game and set a new and outstanding
record.
þþ COMPRESSOR COMPARISON þþ
by W.H. Lambdin
I thought it was time I compared the different archive
routines. This is not a review. It is some tests to compare
speed and compession, and nothing more.
All of these tests were ran on my 25 MHZ 386; so your tests
may vary.
I compressed the files in my C:\MAIL directory with 825,344
(806K) bytes. There were some compressed files mixed in. The
tests were with the following archivers. ARJ .20 beta, HYPER
2.5, LHA 2.05 beta, LHArc 1.13c, PAK 2.20, PKpak, and PKzip
1.10
ARCHIVER SIZE TIME REDUCTION
-------------------------------------
LHA 714.1k 55.74 91.9K
ARJ 714.5K 107.95 91.5K
LHArc 721.1K 93.32 84.9K
PAK 722.0K 63.76 84.0K
HYPER 732.2K 57.17 73.8K
PKzip 737.1K 38.05 68.9K
PKpak 738.2K 37.13 67.8K
I sure never expected to see PKzip 1.1 come in so low on the
chart. If Phil doesn't get to work with the new algorythm he
has been talking about. He will be in trouble.
ARJ, LHA, and PKzip are capable of recoursing sub
directories. ARJ is capable of spanning diskettes. It would
be good to use as a hard drive backup program. However; I
would recommend for you to put all the parameters it requires
in a .BAT file because there are too many parameters to
remember. One other thing. use the -4 compression option.
This parameter will give you a good compression ratio, and be
reasonably fast in operation.
Comparing the five compression programs. I would recommend
LHA. It is reasonably fast, and the compression ratio is more
than adequate. Sometimes ARJ beats LHA, but never more than
two or three K. PAK 2.5 is available now; but I don't have
access to it.
-------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: I found one small bug in LHA. It will not allow you
to extract an archive to another directory.
þþ ORG 1.32 þþ
by Hank Hurteau
Program Name: ORG v1.32
BBS File Name: ORG132SW.ZIP
Program Type: Disk Optimizer
Authors: M.H. Greve
D. Rifkind
SW Reg: $25
Comment: Nice and Easy
If your hard drive gets lots of use, your files will
eventually become "fragmented". As you add and delete files,
parts of those files get scattered all over your disk. This
makes it slower when loading files and can lead to loss of
important data. This is where a utility known as an optimizer
or defragmenter is needed. These programs read the files on
your disk and puts them back together making them easier to
read. It also packs the files so when you add new files, they
get put behind your existing files and not scattered in
pieces.
If you have PC Tools or Nortons, then you already have a disk
defragmenter. But, if you don't have one of these or
something similar, look for an excellent shareware program
called ORG - Hard Disk Organizer Utility. With a registration
of $25, this makes a good alternative to the high priced
commercial programs. Also, for such a powerful program, it is
extremely easy to use. But, more importantly, it's fast and
it works!
The twenty page manual is the kind that I like. It contains a
wealth of information in clear, concise language. However, it
also contains a 2 page quick start section that will get you
up and going in no time at all. There are several options
that you can specify when doing your optimizing and they are
all fully covered in the manual. You can instruct it to
delete such files as .BAK files and such. You can also have
it pack either by file or subdirectory. This is all
accomplished via a configuration file, but for the first
time, you needn't really worry a about that. The defaults
should be fine for most anyone.
Whenever you do any serious work on your hard drive, like
using an optimizer, it is very important to make a back up
first. That way, you always have something to fall back on if
you run into problems such as a power failure while the work
is being done. I also recommend booting from a DOS disk
without any other resident programs loaded.
Another important step is running CHKDSK to correct any lost
clusters or crossed-linked files before starting ORG.
However, ORG will detect any problems and refuse to run if it
encounters any.
After all that is done, using ORG is as simple as typing:
ORG [d:] (where d: is the drive you wish to defragment)
There also a few switches that can be added, and like I
mentioned above, they are fully explained in the manual.
When you load the program, a nice graphic display of your
chosen hard drive is shown. The commands consist of just 3
things. Hit RETURN to start, hit F1 to view the
configuration, or ESC to exit. Nothing complicated about
that!
The configuration file is just a simple ASCII text file that
can be edited with any editor or word processor. This file
can be viewed while in ORG by hitting the F1 key. The only
thing that I think is missing is a way to edit this file
while in the program. This would make it a bit easier for the
inexperienced user.
There are a few other shareware optimizing programs, but the
ones that I have seen weren't as easy and reliable as ORG.
I'm not sure that I would trust my important data to some of
the others. I have no problem recommending ORG to anyone. ORG
will run on any IBM PC/XT/AT, PS/2 or 100% compatible using
MS DOS 2.1 or higher.
Whether you use ORG or some other reliable defragmenter,
using one should be a regular routine to ensure the safety
and integrity of your data.
þþ QUICK VERSE v 2.02 þþ
I want to thank Shelley Jilek, and Parsons Technology for
sending me a copy of Quick Verse Version 2.02 to review. The
kindness, and help is much appreciated.
Quick Verse is bible software (requires 512K RAM). QV2
retails for $69 and comes with the translation you prefer.
Other versions may be bought for $39. THey are as follows
King James Version
New International Version. $49
New King James Version
Revised Standard Version
New revised Standard Version
Strongs Greek and Hebrew Dictionary.
NIV costs $10 more due to Royalties to Zondervan.
In case you are interested in ordering a copy for yourself; I
have enclosed the address along with their toll free
telephone number.
Parsons Technology
375 Collins Road NE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402
1 800 223 6925
Parsons Technology sent me the bible program with the New
International version. They were nice enough to send the
Strong's Greek and Hebrew dictionary too. However; the
dictionary demands the King James version of the bible before
you can get the utmost use from it. So I will not be
reviewing the dictionary until I buy the King James Version.
The program alone requires 900 K of hard Disk space, and each
translation of the bible you have requires approximately 2.3
meg of Hard Disk space. The Greek and Hebrew dictionary
requires 4 meg of disk space. So be prepared to lose some
space on your hard drive.
------------
INSTALLATION
------------
To install the programs; you must learn to juggle.
You have to insert the install diskette several times.
1. When you load the program
2. Between the program diskette and the Data diskette
3. Between the Data Diskette, and Bible Disk #1.
After you finish installing one option, the Install program
stops, and you have to run Install every time you add other
options.
Other Versions of the Bible, the Quick Verse companion.
One quick note; the Install program will NOT work if you
have the Share program loaded (Share is a program that allows
you to have large hard Disk partitions with DOS 4.01). A
quick and simple work around it to edit your Autoexec.BAT
file, and place REM before the Share command. Then reboot the
computer.
On a scale of one to 5, I would rate the install program as a
2. I have seen lots of better installation routines in the
last 13 years.
-------
PROGRAM
-------
I am reviewing Quick verse before I read the documentation.
This is for a reason. If I can find my way around without
having the refer to the manual; the program is designed well.
Quick verse has pull down menus, and even supports a mouse.
This makes Quick verse very easy to use.
One thing that bugs me about the menus. Most programs use
F10 or the ALT key in conjunction with the first letter of
the menu names. ALT-F to pull down the File menu. Quick Verse
uses the escape key, or the / key to activate the menus. I
can get used to the new commands, but I still hit F10 or the
ALT key to pull down the menus.
I do appreciate the fact that menus display short cut keys .
Short cuts are commands like CTRL-L to display a list of
references. You can press CTRL-L easier than pulling down the
Search menu, then cursor to the proper command. Displaying
these short cuts allow new users to use the menus, then use
the short cuts as they learn. This reduces the learning
curve.
Quick Verse is the first computer bible I have seen to
actually display the words of Christ in red.
Quick Verse has the following pull down menus in its arsenal
Browse
Search
Notes
Index
File
Print
Windows
Misc
Quit
-----------
BROWSE MENU
-----------
Bookmarks
Previous Verse
Next Verse
Previous chapter
Next chapter
Previous book
Next book
Most of these commands are straight forward. The only
possible exception would be Bookmarks.
BookMarks will allow you to set up to 10 bookmarks. Bookmarks
are pointers to sections of the bile you like to read. With
bookmarks you can jump directly to a book, chapter and verse
instead of spending hours searching for something.
-----------
SEARCH MENU
-----------
Phrase
Reference
List Occurrences
Previous Occurrence
Next Occurrence
Phrase: Allows to to search the bible for words or phrases.
As a test; I had it search for the phrase "Son of Man". It
found 202 occurrences in only 9.67 seconds. I have a 25 MHZ
386 computer; so expect your tests to vary. Quick Verse
reports the number of times the phrase occurred, and the
number of verses the phrase was in.
Reference: This allows you to jump to any place in the bible.
List Occurrences: this displays a menu of the locations your
phrase was found.
One very interesting addition to the program is that you can
use the left and right cursor keys to move through the list
of references.
----------
NOTES MENU
----------
New Notes
Open Notes
Close Notes
Pack Notes
List
Verse Note
Word Note
Edit Note
Delete Note
File info
KJV Word Study
Resize Windows
Notes are little comments you can write about specific verses
or words. Notes are similar to footnotes. When you place the
cursor on a verse that you edited a comment about; Your
comment will be displayed in the small window at the bottom
of the screen.
This would be a boon to pastors, and Sunday school teachers.
You can even configure Quick verse to print your note along
with the verse.
----------
INDEX MENU
----------
New Index
Open Index
Close Index
Duplicate Index
List
Verse
All Verses
File Info
An Index is like a folder in a file cabinet. Several people
like to study the bible by topics. With the Phrase command in
the search menu, and the index option you can do the same
thing. After you find all occurrences of your phrase; open
the Index menu, then choose New Index. to create a new Index
file. then use the All verses command to copy all verses into
the index file.
This option will be great for me because I like to study the
bible by characters.
The only limitation to Index files is the amount of space on
your hard drive.
It would be a lot better if Parsons Technology would
introduce a Naves Topical bible to Quick Verse.
---------
FILE MENU
---------
New File
Open File
Close File
Verse
All Verses
Index
File Management
File Management offers you the ability to copy, delete,
rename disk files.
The other commands are straight forward
----------
PRINT MENU
----------
Verse
All Verses
Index
Formfeed
------------
WINDOWS MENU
------------
Translation
Open Window
Close Window
Next Window
Synchronize
With this menu; you may open up to a maximum of 4 windows. It
is up to you whether to have four different versions of the
bible or 4 different locations in the same version.
Translation: allows you to read in other versions of the
bible
Synchronize: This command is used when you want to display
more than one version at a time. If you turn this feature on;
when you update the location in one wondow; the other windows
will keep up.
---------
MISC MENU
---------
Help
Configuration
Dictionary
Configuration: This allows you to specify some defaults.
Printer configuration
Notes printed with the verses
Abbreviate the books of the bible
and lots more
Dictionary: To use this option; you must have the Strongs
Greek and Hebrew Dictionary open in a window.
---------------------
QUICK VERSE COMPANION
---------------------
The Quick Verse Companion is a TSR program that has some of
the features of Quick Verse. It also allows you to past text
into word processors.
Quick Verse companion comes along with Quick Verse in the $69
package.
I use a Word Processor that accepts ascii files; so I use the
File menu to create my documents. Then I only need to load
the files into the word Processor. This doesn't initiate any
new compatibility problems.
The manual is approximately 150 pages in length, and has
several appendices, and seems to be very helpful. I may
actually get around to reading it later. ;-)
If you are interested in buying some Bible software; you
can't go wrong in buying Quick Verse 2.0.
I have tried several different programs; both in Share Ware,
and Commercial. I have never seen one that gives you more
features. Even at a higher price.
Parsons Technology also offers a 30 day money back guarantee.
I know it is honored too. Because I bought version 1.1 of
Quick Verse a few months ago. I didn't like it at all; so I
returned it. Parsons Technology sent me a refund in about 3
weeks.
While I am unhappy with a few aspects of this program; I am
happy with the program over all.
1. The Install program leaves a lot to be desired
2. A version of the bible takes 4 360K diskettes.
There is one file on each diskette. The Install
program merges the 4 files to make one file that
is over 1 megabyte.
3. I don't like the idea of the complete bible being
in one large file. If the file were to become
corrupted; I would have to install the version from
scratch.
4. The non standard commands to open the menu system.
This is of no major consequence
Quick Verse is almost perfect! really deserves 5 stars.
The Install program is in need of work. Good thing you only
have to install the program once; if you backup your drive on
a regular basis. ;-)
Overall Rating ****+
þþ A LOOK AT ROBOCOMM þþ
by Hank Hurteau
Uncle Hank's Shareware Reviews
Program: Robocomm
Type: Communications
Rating: 9 1/2
SW Reg: $30
Robocomm is one of those "gems" that are floating around just
waiting to be discovered. I had this in my download
directory for several months and never even gave it a look.
Why look at another terminal program when I was quite
satisfied and comfortable with the one I use now? After
fighting with scripts to do the morning mail runs, I decided
that there had to be a better way. After trying all the
script demos and tutorials, I decided to take a look at
Robocomm. Actually, I was told by another Sysop that there
was nothing better! This is one of those files that always
gets adjectives like GREAT, AWESOME, and THE BEST, when you
see it in a dir listing on any BBS. Well, those describe
this program exactly! Anyone from the Sysop to the seasoned
pro to the casual user can find a use for Robocomm. If you
have an IBM compatible machine and a modem and make regular
calls to BBS's using PCBoard (any version #), you have to
look at this program.
The first thing you want to do (after un-zipping) is print
out the manual. DON'T let the 50+ pages scare you. They
are very well written and easy to follow. There is a "quick
start" page that takes you step by step and is quite painless
to set up. First you will need to set up your modem defaults
etc. By using the values given as examples, it should be no
problem. Then you go in and edit your paths, mail reader,
editor, favorite archiver, etc. After all your defaults are
set, you start entering the data for each BBS you frequent.
Here you will need to know such things as where ProDoor is,
what door program it uses for a mail door and the door
number, what conferences you want to read, download and
upload from, etc.
Ok, now that you have your defaults done, you can create your
"Agenda". When you chose the Agenda menu, you are given the
options to SET, EDIT, CREATE, or DELETE an Agenda. The first
time you enter this menu, you will need to choose Create.
You can call it anything you want. After you Create and Set
your agenda, you now go and edit it. This is where you tell
Robocomm exactly what you want to do where. For an example,
let's say you need to call BBS's A, B and C. On A, you want
to get your mail using MarKMail, send replies, and do a scan
of new files since your last call. On BBS B, you want to use
Qmail for your mail, and there is a file you want to
download. On C, you want to get your mail via ProDoor, look
at a bulletin, and upload a file. All these things and more
can be done just by using the menu on the left of the screen.
Robocomm supports Qmail, MarkMail, Netmail, PCRelay, ProDoor,
and PCBoard capture files. The right side is the Agenda
itself, listing all of the tasks that it will perform. Any
of the instructions can be either temporary or permanant
depending on which option you choose. So, for instance, you
can have it scan for new files everytime it calls BBS A, etc.
There are lots of features included that make the task of
editing your agenda painless. The author thought of
everything. For instance, if you want to download a file and
forgot the exact name, just hit F10 and it will display the
file names you gathered last time you were on. You can also
import an entire BBS files list to browse and store for
later use.
Your Agenda done, all you need to do now is tell it when you
want it to run. You have the option of running it NOW, or
wait until a specified time. If your favorite BBS is busy
the only time you can get on, set it to go at another time
when you know the chances are good that you can connect. You
can set it to dial any number of times to insure that you
will get on.
Those of you with PC Pursuit will appreciate the support for
this service. When you add a BBS to your database, all you
need to do is put in city name where asked. Your local phone
number, account number and password are already in your set
up file. Robocomm will not dial during prime time, unless you
instruct it to do so. It will even keep track of your PC
Pursuit time.
Sysops who do daily mail runs will love the ease with which
Robocomm can handle this. All that needs to be done is
include it in your EVENT batch file.
About the only problem I have with this program is the large
amount of memory it uses. After you use it a few times, you
will find ways to overcome this, though. Also, I've been
waiting several weeks for the registered version. Not much I
can do about that!
To sum up, if you have an IBM compatible computer and
regularly call PCBoards, you owe it to yourself to try this
one!
þþ PROGRAMMER'S CHALLENGE DEPARTMENT þþ
As an editor of this magazine, I will be challenging you,
programmer or user, to make or find a program that is better
than one(s) I will be discussing. Usually I will only be
discussing one or two programs per issue. Reason being is
that I'll only be picking what I consider to be top quality
programs that are the best in their category.
Also you, as a programmer, are welcome to send in a challenge
yourself. If you write a program that you think is better
than anyone else's, send it to us along with an article, not
a document, about your program showing off its features so
that we can place it here in this department for others to
know about. This may help you make some money if your
program is Shareware, news can travel around pretty fast on
BBS's. Along with reception of your program and article, you
will get a reply from me in this department, whether it be
compliments, comments, suggestions, or criticism. So don't
complain about what I might say, because you can clearly see
what all possible statements can be made toward your program.
Remember, if you send in a program and article, it would seem
that you are confident in what you do. Also all statements
are toward your program, not you. I would not want to offend
any person and start a argument. Don't let these statements
scare you off, I'm not a bad guy, I just try to give public a
general view. Everything I will be saying will be my
opinions only, unless I actually run tests to get true
statistics about your program.
Reader's please send in your responses to me. Let me know if
you think my choices are good or bad. It doesn't matter to me
if you agree or dis-agree with me because everyone has their
own opinion.
RAMail
by Ron Alcorn
RAMail is a QWK mail door for Remote Access bulletin board
systems written by Randy Blackmond. It is very comparable to
PCBoard's MarkMail 2.0 QWK mail door. The current public
release is version 2.1, though version 2.2 may be out while
you are reading this.
In general, QWK mail doors are a method to download and
upload messages from and to a bulletin board. Several
message readers are available, that allow you to read those
messages offline. Also the mail reader will allow you to
create replies to those messages, so you can send them to the
BBS for others to read. A few of the more popular QWK
message readers are, Silly Little Message Reader, EZ-Reader,
QMail Deluxe, and Session Manager.
RAMail is very easy to use, both from a sysop and user stand
point. To begin with, I'll explain the sysop side of the
program. The configuration process is very simple. Just
copy the RAMAIL.EXE file and the RAMail setup program
RAMCONF.EXE, to your Remote Access directory. From this
point, load the setup program and fill in the blanks. I'll
take you on a step by step view of each option.
Sysop Name : Your name
Registration Number : 00000000000 (If you have registered
RAMail, you will receive a number that
will place your BBS and sysop name in
the program, plus RAMail will handle
more conferences)
BBS Code : This is the name of the .QWK and .REP
files that RAMail creates and expects.
This name should be relative to your
BBS name
Path To CONFIG.RA : Self explanatory. Example: C:\RA\
Path To EXITINFO.BBS : Self explanatory. Example: C:\RA\
Path To DSZ : You must include a complete path, file
name, and extension
Example: C:\UTIL\DSZ.COM
Path To PKZIP : Same as above
Example: C:\DOS\PKZIP.EXE
Path To PKZUNZIP : Same as above
Example: C:\DOS\PKUNZIP.EXE
Path To RAUSER.DAT : Self explanatory. Example: C:\RA\
Required Conferences : This option allows the sysop to force
a user to download messages from these
particular conferences. Example: 2 9
Local Message Limit : Sets a limit for the amount of
messages that a user logging on from
the local console can download
300 Baud Msg Limit : Same as above except pertains to 300
baud callers
1200 Baud Msg Limit : You know
2400 Baud Msg Limit : You know
9600 Baud Msg Limit : You know
Default File Ext : This is the default file extension
that is used for the files that are
available for downloads on your BBS
Enable File D/L's : This allows you to enable or disable
downloading files from inside RAMail
Enable Hi Filter Bit : I assume that this option removes
characters in messages, that have an
ASCII decimal value greater than 127
Sec Lev For Prv Msgs : This is the minimum security level
that allows users to download private
mail other than to and from themselves
As you can see, configuring RAMail is quite simple. The only
command line parameter that RAMail and RAMConf require is the
name of the configuration file.
Example: RAMAIL RAMAIL.CFG or RAMCONF RAMAIL.CFG
To actually add RAMail to Remote Access, load up RAMenu and
create a type 7 command. On the options line, type in the
following line:
RAMAIL.EXE RAMAIL.CFG *M
The *M is not necessary, and is not an option of RAMail.
That parameter is a Remote Access option that allows memory
swapping. So if you are tight on memory, I recommend using
that option. I'll not go in to any details, so if you are
hesitant, refer to your Remote Access documentation for
setting up a command.
RAMail is also compatible with multi-node Remote Access
bulletin board setups. Since I am not familiar with these
particular types of setups, you'll have to refer to the
author, and the RAMail and Remote Access documentation.
I hope I have enlightened you Remote Access sysop's about the
quality and simplicity of RAMail. Enough at least to
encourage you to give it a try? I believe it to be a superb
program.
For some reason, if you haven't come to a conclusion why you
should use a QWK mail door, well here are a few reasons to
consider using it. They cut down on the online board usage,
thus giving other callers an opportunity to call. It saves
both you and your callers money. It saves your callers money
by lowering the costs of their phone bills. It saves money
for you, by allowing less wear and tear on your hardware.
Another advantage for the user, is he can use his favorite
editor to reply to messages. About any text editor (except
EDLIN of course, though I don't mean to offend you EDLIN fans
out there), is better than a BBS message editor. QWK mail
doors especially help BBSs that carry message conferences for
various networks, where huge amounts of messages exist.
Another reason, the QWK method is much more popular than
these other Remote Access mail doors and readers. With
RAMail, your users aren't stuck with using one particular
message reader. To prove that QWK mail is more popular, just
consider that the heavily used PCBoard and Wildcat systems
are using it. Even the new Ultra BBS package, contains QWK
mail support directly.
That's enough I hope to complete the description of RAMail on
the sysop end. Now I'll try to let you know what it is like
from a callers stand point.
The first time a user loads up RAMail, he or she will be told
to select the C command to configure his or her conferences.
To select a conference, just type in the number that
corresponds to the desired conference. Next you will be
prompted on what type of mail you want from that particular
conference. You can select "ALL MAIL", "YOUR MAIL AND MAIL
ADDRESSED TO ALL", and "YOUR MAIL ONLY". Also while the
conference selection list is up, you can type S to select all
conferences, or D to de-select all conferences. For the
remainder of the available commands, I'll just describe each
one at a time.
T - Select a default transfer protocol. The available
protocols are ZModem, YModem-G, 1K XModem, and XModem
B - Toggle whether or not you want to download the bulletins
along with the messages
M - Modify your last message read pointer
S - Shows the highest and lowest numbered messages along with
the amount of active messages on the board. Also a bit
of information about your self and the system is shown
U - Upload a reply packet that your message reader created
D - Download a message packet to read with your message
reader. Some other files may be included in your packet
that your message reader will take advantage of, such as
new bulletins, news, new files, and your status on the
board. Also if you flagged any files to download, they
will be included along with the download, but "not"
inside the packet
N - Displays a list of the new files available for downloads
since your last call to the board
F - Allows you to select a file area to view, and then it
will let you flag and unflag files to download
P - Page the sysop for a chat
H - Help on the commands available in RAMail
G - Hang up
Q - Quit back tothe board
I hope you have found this information useful. If you are a
Remote Access caller, and deal with messages quite a bit,
urge your sysop to give RAMail a try. If you are a sysop, I
personally urge you to give it a try. RAMail only costs $20
dollars, much cheaper than other QWK mail doors. If you
would like to download the latest RAMail, give my board a
call, listed else where in this issue, or call Randy
Blackmond's Basement at (505) 589-0317. If you can't get
through at that number, it may be 0319. Randy has just
moved, and the phone company isn't operating to fast, plus
the numbers they are issuing him may change.
As stated earlier, RAMail 2.2 may be released by the time you
are reading this. It contains a few more features and
extras. Randy does a good job of support and consideration.
If you start to use RAMail, or hopefully even register it, be
sure and tell them that you heard about it in ZIP Magazine!
Rating: *****
þþ QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS þþ
Q: What is the zip magazine all about? Ken Hedgecock
A: ZIP Magazine is an electronic Magazine that Ron Alcorn
and I created in September of 1988.
ZIP Magazine is a free Magazine distributed over BBSs in the
U.S., Canada, and several other contries.
ZIP is poised toward the beginning to intermediate MS-DOS
computer users.
ZIP Magazine generally has software reviews. Some times we
review commercial software in ZIP; but it usually costs under
$100. The only exception to the rule is programs like
PC-Tools. It costs over $100; but it gives you a lot of bang
for the buck.
If you want to get a copy of -4-1 look for the filename
(ZIP-4-1.ZIP. It should be about 117 K.) You can file
request if from Intelec Online. Intelec Online has all back
issues.
þþ BBS LISTING þþ
201 471-6391 PASSAIC BBS. Baud 300 - 19,200 using Hayes
V-series. Storage unknown. Sysop James Roy.
207 374-2303 CELEBRATION SHOP. Baud 1200, soon to be 2400.
Storage unknown. Operates 24 hours a day, Sysop Paul
Stookey. #3 Neworld Square, Blue Hill Falls Maine, 04615.
Paul Stookey was Paul in the singing group {Peter, Paul,
and Mary.}
216 264-5116 <TRI>-<WAY> BBS. Baud 300 - 2400 24 hrs.
Running Wildcat 2.0 multinode. Storage 130 meg. Carrying
ZIP Magazine. Over 500 files. Located in Wooster, Oh.
Sysop Dann Way
314 774-2736 The Waynesville BBS. Baud 300 - 2400. Running
Wildcat 1.13. with 104 meg. Sysop Raynond Andrell.
Specializes in FUN!!!
318 352-8311 Genesis BBS. Baud 300 - 2400. operating 24
hours a day. 65 meg storage. Sysop James Pottorff.
Genesis BBS is located in Natchitoches, LA.
318 457-1538 Toepfer's Electronics BBS. Baud 300-2400 Running
M&M BBS on a C-64. 24 hours of operation. Free
Registration. Storage 2 meg. Files for C-64, and MS-DOS
computers. Member of KSAT QDP. Home BBS of Citizens
Aligned for Better Television. SYSOP Darrel Toepfer.
Located in Eunice, La.
409 362-2020 Almost Heaven BBS. running Remote Access on 386
with 65meg HD. A Zip Magazine dist. point & other news
files. Online Reading of Zip and others news ; Caller
can d/l these on first call with no u/l's . 24 hour a day
. SysOp Woody Angel in Chireno,Texas
416 751-6337 (Data on 20 Node RBBS Customized System) Operate
BBS under the name of THE TORUS SUPPORT NETWORK,
Division of PCanada Systems Inc. 3 Giabytes on-line
including 4 CD-ROM's and operate primary server under
Microsoft OS/2 base LAN Manager (330 megabyte Priam Main
Server on a 386 20 Mhz Acer platform). System Sysop is
Bob Eyer, and we are currently in our seventh year of
operation.
501 273-9257 THE CHICKEN COOP. Baud 300 - 2400.
501 273-0152 THE CHICKEN COOP. Baud 9600. FOR HST, and V.32
modems. Running TBBS 2.1m. 130 meg of storage. Has many
online features including ZIP Magazine, InfoMat, and USA
Today. A member of the Software Distribution Network
which supplies virus and trojan free software direct from
the author's. SysOp Don Chick.
501 422-8777 The Personal Resource System. Baud 300 - 2400
501 444-8080 USRobotics Dual Standard (HST/V.32). This BBS
has several online publications such as InfoMat, Business
Sence, ZIP Beep, NASA Press, Online Digital Music Review,
USA Today, Amy Info, C-News Letter, and ZIP Magazine.
24 hours of operataion with 260 MEG of storage.
606 432-0879 STRAWBERRY PATCH. Baud 300 - 9600. Running PC
Board on a 286 machine. storage 1000+ meg (with PC Sig
library on CD-ROM. Files for MS-DOS. No download ratio,
but uses a point system. 45 mins access on first call.
Sysop Terry West. Located in Pikeville, Ky.
606 789-3423 The AdventureComm BBS. Running ProLogon 1.0, and
ProDoor 3.2. Baud 300 - 9600 (HST). Storage 95 meg.
Sysop Charles Baldridge. Located in Paintsville, Ky.
606 878-9500 ZIP BBS. Baud 1200 - 9600 using USRobotics Dual
Standard (HST/V.32). Running Spit Fire 2.8 on 12 Mhz AT
machine. Storage 60 MEG. Files for MS-DOS. Download
ratio 25 to 1. Full access on first call, no
registration hassles. Operates from 7 P.M. to 7 A.M.
(EST) 7 days a week. Sysop's Ron Alcorn & W.H. Lambdin.
Located in London, Ky.
609 327-5553 UNION LAKE BBS. Baud 300 - 2400. Running PC
Board on an 8088 machine. Free Registration. Storage 94
meg. Sysop George Cuccia. Carries 29 mail conferences.
612 654-8372 G C B BBS. Baud 1200 - 9600 Using U.S. Robotics
HST. Storage 200 meg. Online 24 hours a day. SysOp
Christine Blount. 30 minutes access on first call. This
BBS is located in St. Cloud, Mn.
616 382-3555 BIOS. Baud 300 - 9600 HST. Running WWIV v4.10
on a 8 MHz 8088 Turbo XT Machine. Storage 100 Meg. WWIV
national network node 6650 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Large
MS-DOS file selection, interesting message base and many
on-line games. SysOp Scott Randall.
703 742-6279 CORVETTE DRIVERS. Baud 1200 - 19,200. Running PC
Board on a 386 machine. Storage unknown. Files for
MS-DOS Download ratio 25 to 1. 45 mins access on first
call. Sysop David Arline.
714 785-9176 THE SOLID ROCK (CACOL) BBS. Baud 1200 -2400
Running WildCat 1.13. 80 meg storage. Sysop Ron Hossack.
Christian oriented system and doors available.
818 961-7903 CALIFORNIA BUILDERS BOARD - (A MicroLink PCUG
SubBoard). Baud 300 - 2400. Running PCBoard 14.1/E3
919 383-8707 Bull City BBS. Baud 300 - 2400. Running Wildcat
1.13 on an 8088 machine. Storage unknown. 24 hrs
operation. Sysop Roy & Shirley Gurley. This BBS has over
55 doors.
If you would like to advertise your BBS in ZIP Magazine,
leave a message on either of the two home BBS's. If you have
access to the ZIP Magazine message conference (Part of the
Intelec network) you may leave you BBS ad's there. We would
allow you to leave a message on any support BBS, but they are
getting to numerous, and also the busy signal doesn't help us
any either.
þþ USERS GROUPS þþ
É-----------------------------------------------------------»
| |
| B.G.A.M.U.G. |
| The Bowling Green Area MS-Dos Users Group |
| |
| BGAMUG meets the 4th Tuesday of the month in the library |
| of Bowling Green High School at 7:00pm. Beginning Dos |
| classes are being planned and will be held in the |
| Computer Science classroom of Bowling Green High School |
| on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. |
| |
| For more information contact: |
| |
| BGAMUG |
| P.O.Box 20384 |
| Bowling Green, KY |
| 42102 |
| |
È-----------------------------------------------------------¼
P.A.C.E User's Group
(Prestonsburg Area Computer Enthusiasts). We meet at 7:00pm
each first and third Tuesday at the Prestonsburg Public
Library. All age groups are welcome. We provide guest
speakers, DOS instruction, and are preparing to start a Q&A
column in the Floyd County Times. The group also supports a
BBS, The PACE/Library BBS, 1200-2400 baud, 24hrs at (606)
886-8403.
þþ ZIP INFO þþ
by W.H. Lambdin & Ron Alcorn
This is ZIP Magazine, a paperless publication. All
submissions will be printed, unless you ask us not to. We
will not modify any text you submit except for spell checking
and delete foul language. So views expressed here do not
necessarily reflect views of editors.
If you want to send us a submission, upload it to one of
BBS's with a * beside it. You can also send them to ZIP BBS
at (606) 878-9500, or the Intelec BBS in New York. The phone
numbers are (516) 867-4446, 4447, and 4448. Upload material
to conference number 58, the ZIP Magazine conference. When
you upload a submission, use MAG as the extension. We would
appreciate it if all submissions were just ascii, and margins
set at 10 on left, and 10 on right. This isn't demanded, it
would just be easier on us. If you want to submit programs
you have written, send them along in an archive with your
text. We will check all programs and if they prove to be
unsuitable, we will reject them. (You know, trojans,
viruses, and other harmful programs).
If you submit a review, follow examples here. If you think
it is a very good program, rate it at 5 stars. If you think
it is of poor quality, then give it one star. If you think
it falls between grades, use a plus as this. ***+ This means
a rating of 3 1/2 stars, or a little better than average.
We will not make you run from place to place in order to read
one article. When we start an article, it will be printed in
it's entirety before another article will be started. All
advertisements will be found in back. I like to read articles
with as little trouble as necessary, and the same goes for
ad's. We will have advertisements, but the editors take no
responsibility in what you may see advertised, so buy at your
own risk.
With Volume 3 Issue 6 of ZIP Magazine, we are using Galaxy
Lite 1.6. It has all the features in Galaxy 2.43, but more
features have been added. Galaxy Lite is produced by Star
Lite Software. Omniverse has released version 3.0 of Galaxy.
I think they made a mistake!
In order for this magazine to survive, it will need help from
it's readers. If you wish to correct us on something, or
write an article or review for ZIP, please send us your
responses. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If you
wish to reprint an article or review from ZIP, feel free to
use it any way you wish, we only request that you give author
credit, and report that the article appeared in ZIP.
