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                           BOARDWATCH MAGAZINE

                 ELECTRONIC BULLETIN BOARDS AND ON-LINE SERVICES

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     Editor: Jack Rickard Volume V: Issue 5 ISSN:1054-2760    May 1991
    ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ

             Copyright 1991 Jack Rickard - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

       Boardwatch Magazine is published 12 times a year in printed form at
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       (303)973-6038 (voice) or (303)973-4222 (data). 



  EDITOR'S NOTES

  The early science fiction writers probably did more to form our initial
  collective view of computers than any other group. Their original
  wordscape painted a bleak picture of large, monolithic computers
  controlled by governments and those wealthy and powerful enough to afford
  them. In most scenarios, they served as an all too efficient tool for
  controlling individuals at the expense of their personal liberties. The
  basic theme seemed to be that personal freedom was the byproduct of
  government's inability to artfully track the comings and goings of
  millions of people. The computer would eliminate this little problem and
  personal liberty with it.

  The past decade has seen an enormously powerful and encouraging trend
  toward a kinder, gentler computer. The growth from zero to 60 million
  desktop computers in about 15 years will come to be regarded as a
  "revolution" of some sort. The PC became the tool of every man, while the
  Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration have
  floundered pathetically for decades trying to upgrade their monoliths. In
  many areas of the world, desktop PCs and their communications capabilities
  have been a force for liberation - not tyranny.

  But as PCs begin to link up through increasingly effective communications
  techniques, the dark side of computing is emerging again. Within
  corporations, the decimated minions of corporate computer control are
  gaining new life through Local Area Networks. The PCs are connected, and
  then the edicts begin. Standardized software, standardized peripherals.
  And then, because of the hazard posed by virus attacks (everyone does
  recognize this grave threat don't they?), no outside or personal software.  To
  world is forfeited. The PC becomes a kind of overpowered terminal on the
  now "downsized" corporate mainframe. They were unsuccessful in killing or
  banning PCs, so they connected them to reinvent the monolith.

  It is true that Americans are basically jealous of their personal
  freedoms. But within the past few decades, we've become fearful. Fearful
  of each other, of whatever is "out there". This is partly because most of
  us spend inordinate amounts of time "in here." There is little life on the
  streets of America. We don't sell each other barbecued pork on the
  streets, roast corn, vegetables, or peanuts. We don't socialize in the
  streets at all. We once asked a relative who had just arrived in the
  United States from the Philippines what her first impression of the
  country was. "There's nobody outside!" was the instant reply.

  Look out your door. The streets are deserted - particularly in the 'burbs
  but even downtown. You see people in cars. An occasional delivery man
  perhaps. But basically, there's nobody outside. We huddle indoors glued to
  a television that reminds us hourly how dangerous all our neighbors are.
  We'll be robbed, raped, shot, and sued if we venture out of doors by the
  drug-crazed, the Satanic, or the desperate.

  And we've developed a societal tendency to blink stupidly into space
  whenever we're asked to forfeit any personal liberty in the interests of
  safety. The conflict inherent in the question is paralyzing. Your liberty
  or your life. But it's the devils trade of this quarter century. Give me
  your soul and I will make you safe. We are afraid. We want safety. Just
  give up a little personal freedom? It's not too much to ask. These are
  dangerous times. But no matter what we give up, we don't become safer.

  And there are those who have learned to take expert advantage of this
  fear. They don't actually make anyone safer from anything of course. But
  bit by bit they gain a little more control by making small trades where
  they can - a little more illusory safety, for a little more forfeited real
  liberty, for a little more control. Just a few years ago, the sanctity of
  the family in America was unquestioned. Any intrusion by government into
  how a couple raised their children or into the intimate details of their
  marriage would have been unthinkable.

  Parade a few cases of abused children about on the TV screen. Interview a
  few battered wives. Dredge up the micropercentage of victims of the
  tragedy of living with other imperfect human beings and paint it as a
  looming threat that will consume us all. When will YOU be next. Promise
  safety from these family tragedies. Never mind you can't possibly deliver.
  Promise it and the citizenry will allow whatever laws you need to make
  them safe.

  You may not realize that your local law enforcement officials can now
  enter your home and seize your children with impunity based on any
  suspicion, however slight, that there may have been abuse. They not only
  can intervene in a marital spat, but in most cases once on the scene they
  are mandated to arrest someone before they leave - to prevent violence in
  the home. Here in Colorado, a local TV station recently did a story on a
  social worker who had been given an unconscionable amount of power and
  abused it to the point of making the evening news. Wrecked several
  families most thoroughly in the process. But, as the commentator noted, a
  few families "caught in the system" is a small price to pay when abused
  children MAY be at stake. Let us be above all else safe. I couldn't agree
  less.

  Over the past few years, we've begun, somewhat clandestinely but not
  furtively, to connect our personal computers in the night, and they have
  become thereby somewhat less personal. The emerging online counter-culture
  has formed a tempting target for the bureaucrats and safety Nazis who seek
  to control. At the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy Conference held in San
  Francisco this past March, several came forth to explain the importance of
  bashing in doors, seizing computer equipment, and arresting individuals
  for such heinous crimes as having their computer dial another in the night
  with wrongful intent - or listing credit card numbers online.

  In most cases, the actual dialing hadn't even occurred. Steve Jackson had
  his business wrecked because Secret Service agents suspected one of his
  employees of KNOWING someone who might belong to a group that advocated
  computer intrusion. Ever hear of right to peaceable assembly? The "legal
  search warrant" did not detail any of the who, what, or why of their
  search of his business, and indeed they did not search it at all. They
  seized anything looking remotely computer like and hauled it away in a
  truck to search at their own convenience.

  Craig Niedorf was brought to the bar for publishing a document deemed
  dangerous. It contained some information on E911 services. Like who runs
  them. Who provides training. Administrative drivel. Valued by the
  telephone company at over $70,000. Also available for $13 - from the same
  telephone company. His tiny publishing operation was seized, searched, and
  shut down. Even though the prosecution was forced to drop the case, they
  did manage to convince Niedorf never to publish again. The estimated
  $100,000 in legal expenses may have had something to do with that. And
  according to Sheldon Zenner, the lawyer representing Niedorf, without the
  direct intervention of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Niedorf would
  be looking at two years in jail.

  More recently, a computer system was seized for dialing another BBS three
  times in succession. The medical professional who ran the system called
  out the dogs after repeated "attacks" on his system by callers trying to
  "hack" into his private system. Calls were traced and one unlucky
  individual was tapped for his equipment.

  Oh, yes, here too there were a few mitigating factors. The telephone
  number had belonged to ANOTHER very popular BBS system a couple of weeks
  before. After it went down, the telephone company reassigned the number to
  the medical system. It had NO logon information or identifying banner for
  "security reasons." The "hackers" were simply people with the original BBS
  number in their dialing directories, who wrongly assumed the sysop had
  simply redesigned the system or changed software and they would have to go
  through the logon process again.

  While rape is rising at alarming rates and drug use in America reaches
  epidemic proportions, two Atlanta youths are spending 14 months behind  bars f
  apparently not so great as to cause their detection in over a year of
  regular system access. And they were fined $233,000 in restitution needed
  by BellSouth to make their computers secure from such intrusions in the
  future. Yes, the intruders were fined to fund the locks that should have
  been on the door in the first place. The prosecutors in this case are
  enormously proud of what they've done.

  In defending these actions, all legal representatives at the Computer
  Freedom and Privacy Conference repeated two basic themes. One is that we
  are all in terrible danger and if we will just waive our rights to a free
  press, freedom of speech, and freedom of peaceable assembly, THEY can make
  us safe. Safe from software copyright infringement. Safe from telephone
  intrusion. Safe from having our PBX hacked. Safe in our intellectual
  property. Safe from having our credit card companies defrauded.

  Two, it is terribly inconvenient for our legal system to afford the normal
  protections of constitutional law given the current state of technology.
  We actually had one legal eagle describe how the rules of evidence pretty
  much precluded his observance of constitutional rights. The courts won't
  let him submit a tape backup of data as evidence so the entire computer
  must be seized - even to investigate a single e-mail message by a single
  caller. Another noted that the "presumption of innocence until proven
  guilty is a popular fallacy." It was amazing to see how disposable these
  people view our liberties when it comes to their own convenience in
  prosecuting "crime."

  One of the nation's leading constitutional law scholars, Dr. Laurence
  Tribe, proposed an amendment to the Constitution. Not being an
  accomplished legal scholar, I can't say that I understood all his points
  in their full nuance. But the gist of it seemed to be that we'll pass
  another amendment avowing that the original Constitution and all the
  previous amendments still apply today - just like they did before. Good. I
  like that. Maybe we should vote on the whole thing over again?

  The disturbing thing about the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy Conference
  was that most of the representatives of our justice system seemed to
  acknowledge that they may not have had a good sense of scale, but they
  were sincerely trying to make someone safe in the process. That they did
  not yet have a grasp of what our real fears were was obvious. When they
  get smart enough to put together a better "show" of gruesome examples of
  individuals REALLY damaged by the tragedy of living in an electronic
  society with other human beings, they'll be back to parade them before us.
  When they do, the question we will have to ask ourselves is what price
  safety? And what price freedom?

  I've not been overly fond of the idea of organizing the BBS world. For one
  thing, my own sock drawer is a holy wreck so where would I get the holier
  than thou idea the BBS world should be "organized." Secondly, I believe it
  is a truism of our little world that if all the BBS operators on the
  planet were laid end to end, they couldn't reach a consensus on lunchtime
  - much less anything important. No effort to organize the BBS world into
  anything other than a loose set of technical standards has been even
  modestly successful. And I LIKE the confusion, the diversity, the anarchic  fr
  corporation representing me to any great degree.

  Further, there is something of an uneasy view among BBS operators about
  online ne'er do wells. Who among us has not had a problem caller we wished
  we could send away with a simple telephone call to the legal authorities?
  There actually is not a strong "defend the hacker" constituency among BBS
  operators. And the examples cited in the early stages of "settling the
  frontier" are not likely to be heroic martyr types. They are more likely
  to be the socially maladjusted who IS up to no good, to the extent that
  can be accomplished online. Most system operators drive Chevies, have a
  wife and two kids, and a mortgage slightly higher than they can afford.
  They view themselves as law abiding and have an inclination to support law
  enforcement on most matters.

  The problem is that Marshall Dillon is riding into town and he doesn't
  know modems from Chester's gas pains. He views your BBS as a remarkable
  evidence gathering machine available for his convenience. Your rights
  under the Constitution of the United States are only assured through a
  laborious process of case law and precedent that is being set even as we
  speak. And it appears the precedent is shaping up to spell out "right to
  peaceable assembly - as long as it's not electronic. Freedom of speech -
  through your mouth but not through your keyboard. And the right to a free
  press - as long as it's printed on paper."

  Carefully crafted legislation, and yes, perhaps even amendments to our
  Constitution may be needed. But if passed THEY have to be tested in the
  courts as well. There are no shortcuts, and no easy outs. When a hundred
  cases, or maybe a thousand, have been tried at law, the die will be cast
  as to how our Constitutional rights are applied in an electronic world.
  The test cases are NOT going to be about your heroes. They will not be
  necessarily heroic. They may even have done something you and I consider
  seriously wrong. But observe VERY carefully the process used to convict
  them. Whatever you allow done to them in the name of law, you establish as
  appropriate treatment in the future for yourselves - guilty OR innocent.

  And as of this minute, all of the BBS operators in the United States, and
  all of the callers to those BBS systems, don't have a single solitary
  voice in the process. No input at all! In every industry that has ever
  been regulated, and all have to one degree or another, those plying the
  trade always formed some form of organization to have a voice in the
  process. Railroads, telephone companies, radio stations, the cable TV
  industry, all participate so fully in the process that in many cases, it
  becomes difficult to tell who's regulating whom. But at this juncture, it
  appears almost inevitable that the BBS world will be fully settled without
  the settlers ever speaking up in any type of coherent fashion.

  A most unlikely champion has stepped forward and pledged his time, his
  financial resources which are considerable, his management skills, already
  proven, and his reputation, already firmly established in the computer
  community, for a cause he only recently discovered and that is distinctly
  NOT popular with many of his peers in industry. With John Perry Barlow,
  John Gilmore, Steve Wozniak, and Stuart Brand, he has formed an Electronic
  Frontier Foundation that has already made a striking difference in the
  future online world awaiting us.
  Mitch Kapor, co-founder of Lotus Development, current president of
  OnTechnologies, and co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, went
  to a very genteel, collegial conference in San Francisco like a bulldog to
  a tea party. And he made his position brutally clear in a short address
  Wednesday morning - that the bureaucrats should be held accountable for
  any infringement of our Constitutional rights - in the online world or any
  other - and that only a true dog fight would ensure that that happened. He
  pledged the EFF to that continuing struggle to the limits of its
  resources.

  The remarkable thing is that before taking this tact, EFF didn't go out
  and count heads, take a vote, do surveys and market studies, or try to
  organize everyone in Kingdom Come to reach a consensus first. Kapor saw a
  need, and acted on it virtually immediately. That's leadership. Leadership
  of a "Lead, Follow, or Get the Hell Out of the Way" style we have to
  admire.

  So OK, we'll follow then. We view the EFF as the most likely, and the most
  effective voice to represent the online world before the legal system in
  the United States. And we would like the BBS segment of that online world
  to have an effect on EFF policies and positions. I DON'T want to see it
  become the voice of just the "big" systems, or the Unix world, or
  Internet, or commercial services, or just the large BBS systems for that
  matter.

  There are 32,000 BBS systems operating in the U.S. today. If half those
  systems operate on a subscription basis, and if every subscription
  supported BBS in the country sent in a contribution equivalent to ONE of
  their paid subscriptions, EFF would have the funding and constituency to
  be a very effective force in the legal battles and definitions that will
  very much influence the online world we'll live in.

  We would urge each of you to in turn pledge your support to the Electronic
  Frontier Foundation and make it the organized voice of the BBS world. And
  we're most pleased to carry Mitch Kapor in full froth at the Computers,
  Freedom and Privacy conference as our cover girl this month. You can
  contact the Electronic Frontier Foundation with contributions or for
  information on how you can support their efforts at 155 Second Street,
  Cambridge, MA 02141; 617-864-0665 voice; 617-864-0866 fax.




  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
  Dear Mr. Rickard:

  I would like to comment on some recent editorials in Boardwatch.

  Feb 91 - Telephone exchange names: Exchange names were kept in
  Philadelphia until about 1980. Many people in the city still use the
  exchange names. I raised this issue on my local BBS's telecom section and
  many people recalled, fondly as you did, their old exchange name and
  number. Everyone thought names like EVergreen and ORchard sounded better
  than 387 and 676 and wished we still used them.
  In New Jersey and New York City, where they're running out of exchange
  codes, zero has already been used as the middle digit in exchange names.
  With the growth of FAX, modems, and Centrex, they're running out of
  exchange names.

  Per your comment of accessible data bases containing nation-wide telephone
  directory information, I feel it should NOT be so readily available to the
  corporate world as well as to individuals. There are quite a few data
  bases that carry rather personal information. For example, in
  Philadelphia, there's a data base of "problem" apartment renters. If you
  end up on this system, you'll have a lot of trouble finding an apartment.
  But, most people don't know of this system, let alone if they're on it.
  Suppose you complained about poor maintenance, and your landlord
  "blackballs" you on this database? A person has no idea of why he has
  problems. Also, there's quite a few con artists who could misuse the data.

  Mar 91 - Operation Desert Storm/Middle Eastern commentary: I object to
  your comment about "Jews going over there, carve out some real
  estate....". First, there has been Jewish people in that area for
  thousands of years. Secondly Israel was not created to fight with the
  Arabs. To this day, the Arabs remain in a state of war against Israel,
  which started in 1948. Also, there's an economic boycott against Israel.
  Finally, Israel was not involved at all in the Kuwaiti-Iraqui conflict,
  yet Iraq chose to attack Israel anyway in an attempt to widen the war.

  Per your other comments about Desert Storm, I agreed with some, disagreed
  with others. However, I did not subscribe to your magazine to read your
  opinions on general politics. I subscribe to read educated opinions and
  objective news stories on telecommunications and computers. I don't mind
  if you discuss politics, provided it pertains in some way to computers or
  communications, such as the FCC, statue utility regulators, etc.

  Thank you.
  Sincerely.

  Lee R. Winson.

  Lee:

  On your letter, I agreed with some, disagreed with others.

  The trip down memory lane on telephone exchanges is a bit embarrassing
  actually. I'm reminded by family members that of the two I remembered
  fondly in the issue you cite, I had one wrong. COrning 42286 was actually
  COlony 42286. Interesting to learn they lingered in Philadelphia to that
  late date.

  The question of data bases and privacy is a thorny one and I heard a good
  deal on the privacy side of it at the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy
  conference in San Francisco this past month. I see a tremendous number of
  opportunities in assembling databases such as the one you describe for
  apartment owners. I also see a lot of problems for apartment renters. I've
  heard of similar databases for medical bill deadbeats, etc. I'm opposed to  re
  opposed to such information being used against individuals. The question
  goes to the heart of the increasing value of information - who's got it,
  what it's worth, and how it can in the wrong hands be used as a weapon.
  But whether we like it or not, information is the name of the game in the
  future. Should only large corporations and government agencies be allowed
  to play? Do you advocate a future of "no information - it's illegal"?

  While I agree that individuals can be hurt, what do you propose? I'm
  persuaded that neither side of this question has yet to see it in its full
  scope.

  You object to my comment regarding those Jewish. Well, you're not alone.
  While I did receive a surprisingly large response to the Desert Storm
  editorial, it was actually enormously positive support for what I assumed
  would be a very unpopular point of view when I wrote it. I had managed in
  one thesis to take a vigorous swipe at both the peace activists and the
  proponents of the war and expected the worst from all sides.

  But there was a good half-dozen e-mail comments primarily from Jewish
  readers who took vigorous exception to my comment regarding Jews scrapping
  with Arabs and that did catch me completely by surprise. The comment was
  completely parenthetical to the editorial. In rereading it, the entire
  phrase could be deleted without any impact on the editorial whatsoever,
  and in hindsight, probably should have been. It was meant to express my
  personal indifference to the Jewish/Arab situation which I steadfastly
  retain. It was not meant as a thinly veiled anti-Jewish position - but
  more literally as a statement of indifference to what I view as a struggle
  predating 1948 considerably and without easy solutions - much after the
  fashion of all conflicts in the area - the only tie-in with the remaining
  editorial matter. The point being that I favor a very limited role for the
  U.S. in the post-war region and it appears we are headed for a very active
  one.

  However, I truly don't have any negative feelings toward those of Jewish
  faith, Israeli nationality, or those related, sympathetic, or opposed all
  around. Not that it matters even in the slightest, but what opinions I do
  have would tend toward admiration for a group that has clung tenaciously
  to a cultural and religious heritage dating back to the dispersal.

  On the last, your reasons for subscribing and my reasons for writing are
  not, I fear, necessarily the same. In truth, it is somewhat to my chagrin
  that the laborious work of researching and compiling the technical matter
  in Boardwatch receives so little attention, while the much easier to write
  editorial opinion gets the lions share of reader response. But it strongly
  appears to be the case. More to the point, it's a ragged, opinionated
  little rag but it is mine. You're most likely to see anything in these
  pages at any time without restriction. We've been thinking of publishing
  pie recipes, a board game hall of fame, and perhaps results of the dog
  races. I'm seriously toying with the idea of cartoons. Should it happen
  that someday I DO feel constrained to the limits you so arbitrarily
  impose, Boardwatch will release its last issue and I'll go do a rag on
  free-style power embroidery or some other equally fascinating area.
  We're most pleased to have you as a reader along with us on an
  intentionally eclectic journey. And if your interests and ours diverge,
  there are nearly 6,000 other publications eagerly awaiting your attention
  - a very rich and happy banquet when you consider it. It really is a
  distinct and notable honor to have a few moments of your attention each
  month. But I will certainly understand if you find better use of your
  time. There are two things that are almost constantly intriguing to me:
  There are now at least 18,000 people who read Boardwatch Magazine in the
  United States each month. There are certainly 249,982,000 people who do
  not. And I can't honestly tell you why in either case.
  Jack Rickard



  Dear Jack:

  In your October issue, you put Channel 1 on the front page. I noticed the
  BBS Callers Digest, another magazine, carried them on their front page in
  their April issue. In January, you had BBS software authors on the cover
  in Boardwatch. In the Jan/Feb BBS Callers Digest, they had a 'Who's Who in
  the BBS World' section. In your March issue, you reviewed Commander Keen
  and the same article appeared in their April issue. Even the ads look the
  same. Am I buying two magazines and getting one for the price? I can't
  wait to see their take on Toffler. Are you guys the same company or
  something? Keep up the good work with Boardwatch. I read it cover to
  cover.

  Lee Richardson
  L.A. California.


  Lee:

  Rolex is still making watches and we're still publishing Boardwatch. There
  are over 50,000 shareware titles on the market in the U.S. and over 30,000
  BBS in operation. In the course of a year, you will likely read about less
  than fifty software packages and less than a hundred BBS systems - even in
  passing mention - within the pages of Boardwatch. My own personal
  frustration has nothing to do with what anyone else does in the publishing
  field. It has more to do with the fact that in producing a handful of
  pages about the BBS world each month, I feel like I'm chipping paint
  flakes off the hull of a ship and showing them to people who've never seen
  a ship, in a vain attempt to explain what a ship is, what it looks like,
  what makes it move through the water, what ships are for, and whether this
  particular ship is the Starship Enterprise or the S.S. Titanic.

  We can only show a tiny splinter of the BBS world in Boardwatch. There are
  more excellent BBS systems that DON'T make the pages here than do, and
  more superb shareware packages out there we simply don't get around to
  reviewing than we ever possibly will. In selecting that that our readers
  might find interesting and useful, I am reduced to simply documenting what
  "I" found interesting and useful in the previous 30 days. I can't even
  claim that it is "representative" of the BBS world. Since the substantial
  part of our readership seems to be among the movers and shakers in the  indust
  edge issues and leave the introductory pieces for beginners for other
  magazines to cover. While it strains the limits of credulity that other
  publisher's would occasionally chip off some of the same paint chips, it's
  not an issue on which to spend any time. There is still a LOT of ship hull
  out there yet to cover and the ship is growing faster than we can chip
  paint.

  Boardwatch is the sole publication here. We have no affiliation with any
  other magazine or publisher. We do cooperate quite regularly and gladly
  with larger more established magazines covering the wider world of PCs in
  general whenever and wherever they take an interest in things online and
  even grant reprint rights on occasion. This was not the case with BBS
  Callers Digest.

  I encounter BBS operators chafing at this "me too-ism" to a greater degree
  than publications actually. A sysop will work for weeks or months to
  develop a new approach, online service, or concept, only to find it on
  dozens of other "me too" BBS in the area within a few days. I typically
  advise them to look forward to the next innovation, not back at the trail
  of debris, and that there are gratifications to being a leader - rather
  than a follower. Imitation IS the sincerest form of flattery. And I
  suppose all of that applies to magazines as well.

  Realistically, the online world needs MORE press coverage, not less. We've
  received dozens of calls complaining about both BBS Caller's Digest and
  Telecomputing Magazine. It simply isn't an issue. Both are new
  publications struggling for survival in a very tough industry. Let's hope
  they enjoy sufficient success to gain the resources and expertise to do
  independent, original work that contributes to the online world. Few
  individuals truly interested in a particular field limit themselves to
  "one" magazine on the topic and I myself subscribe to dozens of
  publications - many covering the same fields. You might find it
  interesting to note that Boardwatch wasn't the first publication dedicated
  to BBS. The real old timers may remember a newsletter titled PLUM that
  preceded us as well and did a pretty good - if very different - job of it.
  We hope the future brings many good publications to the online world, both
  in print and electronic form, and that each chips off a few fresh paint
  chips.

  The bottom line is that we hope you find Boardwatch interesting, readable,
  and useful in your online journey, and we're exerting every effort to make
  sure that every issue of Boardwatch you receive is an improvement over the
  last. If we do that well, subscriptions, retail newsstand sales,
  advertising, and competition from other magazines, <MI>will all take care
  of themselves quite satisfactorily without much further attention.

  Jack Rickard


  Dear Jack Rickard,

  I'd like to take this chance to congratulate you on your magazine, your
  fifth anniversary.  I think the publication is brilliant, extremely well-
  written.
  How good is it?  I edit a newspaper myself, called the Northwest Examiner,
  a Portland news monthly, which also just turned five.  I'm the computer
  guy there.  My partner is hopeless -- I just can't get him riled up about
  computers. I did show him your magazine once, and he said, "Let me see
  that."  He reads it just for your writing (which isn't too strange,
  because he likes mine also, and, Jack, you and I are about twins.)

  Your paper is so good that there are three magazines to which I don't
  subscribe.  After deadline, we have lunch and then I buy my three favorite
  magazines to read in my favorite cafe and then go home to doze off with --
  Harper's, Columbia Journalism Review, and Boardwatch.

  Enclosed is a copy of our Portland Computer Club newsmonthly, of which I
  am associate editor.  I'm going to write about Boardwatch in Silicon
  Valley Gazette this month.

  Thanks for your wonderful work.

  Bob Chieger
  Portland Oregon.


  Bob:

  It's an odd thing to consider, but I'm pleased you chose to include us in
  the list of magazines to which you do NOT subscribe.  That's pretty fine
  company to be included with.  We consider ourselves fortunate with the
  occasional comment from readers who award us a few minutes attention in
  the throne room.  The cafe and nap sound even more delightful.  Of course,
  we also value the less enthusiastic readers who DO subscribe.

  For our reader's information, the Silicon Forest Gazette is the monthly
  journal of the Portland Personal Computer User's Group PPCUG.  The group
  also runs a BBS at 503-226-4142<MI>. Membership information is available
  from PPCUG, 921 SW Morrison, Suite 529, Portland, OR 97205.

  Thank you for the kind words.

  Jack Rickard



  Dear Jack:

  Longtime telecommunicator here, friend and former associate of Dave Hughes
  in Colorado Springs.  I compliment you on your achievement and continuing
  progress with Boardwatch.

  I'd like to remind you, though, that some of your fans are California
  residents. We don't take kindly to this term "Californication." It may be
  tempting for people in other localities to believe so, but Califonians are
  not the authors of all the nation's problems.
  Further: I marched in the biggest peace demonstration here, not to look
  for a "cheap date" but to express deep distress about the war.  I don't
  like being called an "airhead."

  Had you been here and witnessed this march, you wouldn't be able to
  stereotype the tens of thousands who participated.  Among them were the
  longhairs and black-leather types you might have expected, but the vast
  majority were office workers, high school baton twirlers, PTA mothers,
  seniors...  You might have seen people rather like yourself: responsible
  citizens with deep reservations about the war.

  Very truly yours,

  Louis Jaffe
  San Francisco, CA

  Louis:

  Actually, at this point we have more subscribers from California than from
  any other single state or country. Since I got the term "Californication"
  from a California resident, it would appear that not all Californians
  speak with one voice as to what they "take to" and don't.

  The leather and long hair is your characterization, not mine. I don't mind
  either one and have worn both at one time or another. I just don't
  subscribe to knee-jerk peace-at-any-price dogma so fashionable among those
  PTA mothers and baton-twirlers you cite. In that editorial, I expressed my
  opinion.  Now I've even printed yours.  It's a great place we live in. I
  just wish the Kurds and Kuwaitis had it so good.

  Jack Rickard


  COMPUTERS, FREEDOM, AND PRIVACY CONFERENCE

  The first conference on Computers, Freedom, and Privacy was held in San
  Francisco March 25-28th at the SFO Airport Marriot Hotel.  The conference
  gathered some 400 attendees from the legal community, the online world,
  corporate computer security experts, and privacy advocates for a rigorous
  series of panels on the legal issues raised by computer technology and PC
  communications.

  The conference was officially sponsored by Computer Professionals for
  Social Responsibility but a dozen other organizations were listed as co-
  sponsors as well including IEEE Engineers USA, ACM, Electronic Networking
  Association, Videotext Industries Association, Whole Earth Lectronic Link
  (WELL), and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.  But from what we could
  tell, the man behind the conference was Conference Chair Jim Warren.

  Warren is best known as the founder of the West Coast Computer Faire,
  probably the first notable exposition for personal computers.  He's also
  founder of Infoworld Magazine, founding editor of Dr. Dobb's Journal and
  the original host of PBS TV's Computer Chronicles.  He currently writes a
  column for Microtimes, a California regional computer publication and
  publishes Silicon Gulch Gazette.  True to form, Warren had the conference supe
  panels moving briskly from one topic to another all day every day.  The
  topics covered the legal implications of computer networks, personal
  privacy issues,
  and recent prosecution of various computer crimes.

  The opening conference included a proposal for an amendment to the U.S.
  Constitution by Laurence H. Tribe, Professor of Consititutional Law,
  Harvard University Law School and considered one of the nation's leading
  Constitutional Law scholars.  His address "The Constitution in Cyberspace:
  Law & Liberty Beyond the Electronic Frontier", was a subject of hallway
  discussion for the rest of the conference.

  Wednesday evening, William A. Bayse, Assistant Director of the FBI
  Technical Services Division, gave a presentation on the National Crime
  Information Center (NCIC) service operated by the FBI for local law
  enforcement centers.  This may well be the nations largest BBS, although
  Bayse was somewhat humorless in having it depicted that way.  The system
  serves 64,000 terminals - some by packet radio - and processes 1,003,783
  average daily inquiries. It is expected to process 410 million
  transactions this year at an average cost of three cents each.  As of
  March 1, 1991, it had 7,102,790 records online including over 2 million
  records of stolen guns.

  There were several "hackers" in attendance including Craig Niedor, AKA
  Knight Lightning, who had been prosecuted for publishing PHRACK, an
  electronic newsletter that had included a copy of an E911 administrative
  document from BellSouth.  Phibre Optik and Acid Phreak were also there as
  well as Steve Jackson, publisher of a number of role-playing game books
  including Gurps: Cyberpunk.

  Mark Rasch, the U.S. Department of Justice trial attorney who had
  prosecuted the Robert Morris/Internet Worm case was there, along with a
  several representatives of various California district attorney offices,
  to describe some of the difficulties in prosecuting data crimes.

  On the privacy front, there was much discussion of the Lotus Marketplace
  Database on CD-ROM that was withdrawn from the market after some 30,000
  consumer complaints.  The new calling party identification services
  offered by most of the Regional Bell telephone companies was bashed pretty
  much incessantly. Karen Nussbaum, Executive Direction of the National
  Association of Working Women presented a positively chilling account of
  how companies are using computer technology to monitor worker performance
  - turning some industries into virtual slave labor camps. Katherine F.
  Mawdsley, Associate Librarian at University of California at Davis,
  described the dilemna faced by Librarians when FBI agents seek to obtain
  information from them on individual library patrons and their reading
  habits - an apparently active FBI program. And John Gilmore, who helped
  found Sun Computer, presented a stirring and eloquent call for individual
  rights to privacy that met with a wildly enthusiastic standing ovation.

  John Perry Barlow and Mitch Kapor, co-founders of the Electronic Frontier
  Foundation were present and Kapor delivered an address describing the role
  of the Electronic Frontier Foundation in educating law enforcement and the  pu
  He pledged the EFF to an ongoing role to ensure Constitutional protections
  are applied to the electronic frontier.

  During the Electronic Speech, Press, and Assembly roundtable, Jack
  Rickard, of Boardwatch Magazine described for the conference the state of
  the BBS community and the possible effects the current law enforcement
  procedures could have.  George Perry, Vice President and General Counsel
  for Prodigy Services Company was also on the panel and advocated diversity
  in the online world. During the presentation, a very loud and somewhat
  elderly gentleman from the audience stormed the podium raving wildly about
  Prodigy's recent conflict with e-mail users.  Jim Warren, conference
  chair, stepped in and had the man removed from the room.  He scheduled a
  separate meeting for that evening in an obscure meeting room in the hotel
  after the conference had closed for discussion of "the Prodigy issue", but
  only six people attended.

  The entire conference was videotaped.  A transcript of the proceedings of
  the conference is available at $29.95. CFP Porceedings, 345 Swett Road,
  Woodside, CA 94062; 415-851-2814 fax.



                                TELEBITS

  RUMORS

  According to FCC Industry Analysis Division, AT&T regained some lost
  market share in the long distance carrier market during the fourth quarter
  last year. AT&T enjoyed 63.3% of all Interstate long distance minutes
  compared to 62.9% in the third quarter. This is the first reversal of a
  long term decline in AT&T's market share over the past few years.

  ISDN STILL COMING - The North American ISDN Users Forum and the
  Corporation for Open Systems International claim to have hammered out an
  agreement calling for implementation of Belcore's National ISDN 1
  technical specification by the end of 1992. ISDN, or Integrated Services
  Digital Network, offers the promise of 64kbps data channels to the home
  over existing wiring. The Basic Rate service consists of two 64kbps bearer
  or "B" channels and one 16kbps "D" or supervisor channel.

  For the PC community, ISDN would mean data connections through the public
  switched telephone network at 64kbps or conceivably 128kbs rates. Where
  they've actually been implemented, ISDN has generally been only slightly
  more expensive than ordinary residential telephone service. The problem is
  that currently there are only islands of service available in a few
  cities.

  A national ISDN network appears to be ever just over the horizon - the
  horizon now seeming to settle at the end of 1992. But the COS organization
  now includes AT&T, several regional bell operating companies including
  Nynex, Bell Atlantic, and Southwestern Bell, and switch manufacturer
  Northern Telecom, along with some of the larger ISDN users such as GM and
  IBM. At this point it appears a significant number of the major players
  have all finally settled on a single technical specification at least.
  The FTC appears to be conducting a full scale anti-trust investigation of
  Microsoft. They are reported to be looking at the possibility that
  Microsoft has sought to monopolize the operating system software market
  for personal computers.

  Prodigy Services Company is introducing consumer classified ads as part of
  their Prodigy services under the USA Today banner.  An ad of seven,
  thirty-character lines may be entered for $60 per week.  The service is
  now claiming one million subscribers.

  Are ALL telephone companies this way?  While we hold our breath waiting
  for ISDN to be implemented nationwide, Bellcore shows us why we're
  waiting.  The company recently mailed out thousands of direct mail pieces
  with "See for yourself what's possible today with ISDN!" blazed across the
  cover.  The piece offered a 15-minute videocassette titled "Information
  Networking...ISDN Does It!"  The price?  $295. That's $19.67 per minute
  for those who care. Let's hope, ISDN itself comes in at something under
  that rate. Bellcore, Room 4D-114, 290 West Mount Pleasant Ave.,
  Livingston, NJ 07039; 800-527-1080.


  QUICKBBS AUTHOR JOINS ESOFT INC

  Adam Hudson, author of the QuickBBS software package, has joined eSoft,
  Inc., developer of The Bread Board System (TBBS) and The Data Base System
  (TDBS) software. eSoft Inc. president Phil Becker jokingly announced that
  eSoft, Inc. now sports the "largest collection of BBS egos under one
  roof."

  Soft had earlier added Bob Hartman and Alan Applegate, two of the
  "Binkley Trio" who developed Binkley Term, a popular Fidonet-style mailer
  front end package, along with Vince Perriello. The addition of Hudson
  brings authors of BinkleyTerm, QuickBBS, and TBBS under one roof under the
  leadership of TBBS author Phil Becker.

  Hudson first gained some acclaim as one of the youngest regional
  coordinator's for Fidonet. At age 11, he served as RC for the New Mexico
  area. At age 14, he developed the QuickBBS software package in Turbo
  Pascal. QuickBBS became quite popular based on its very flexible design
  interface, and a very low $25 registration fee. Hudson sold the QuickBBS
  package nearly two years ago to a development group in Florida. Hudson
  will assist with both design team functions and telephone product support.

  eSoft is expected to release version 2.2 of their high-end BBS software
  package this summer - supporting up to 64 telephone access lines on a
  single 80486 machine, ZMODEM file transfer protocol, and compatibility
  with the dBASE III+ .DBF database files and development language. eSoft,
  Inc., 15200 E. Girard Avenue, Suite 2550, Aurora, CO 80014; 303-699-6565
  voice; 303-699-0153 support BBS.


  HAYES ANNOUNCES UPGRADES TO SMARTCOM III AND SMARTCOM EXEC
  Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. introduced new releases of both the
  Smartcom III communications package and Smartcom Exec.

  Smartcom III is a $199 communications software package offering several
  attractive features. The new Version 2.0 includes support for Local Area
  Networks, the ZMODEM file transfer protocol, and mouse support.

  Additionally, Smartcom III offers several features not found on most
  communications packages. The product works well with LAN communications
  servers such as Novell NACS, 3Com Communications Server, Network Products
  ACS2 and NMP, and J&L NCS. In this way, a single modem or small pool of
  modems can be used on a network allowing anyone on the LAN to dial out by
  modem.

  Smartcom III Version 2.0 also provides support for some fairly unique
  Hayes hardware product. The Hayes Ultra 9600, for example, can be used on
  an X.25 packet switch service directly. With Smartcom III, up to four
  simultaneous users can be online to a mainframe host via the single modem
  and packet connection. Smartcom III also makes full use of the 1 KB FIFO
  buffer and Direct Memory Access (DMA) capabilities of the Hayes Enhanced
  Serial Port (ESP) card. This is one of the most exotic and capable
  hardware add-ons available to solve the serial port bottleneck users are
  experiencing with very high speed modems. Finally, Smartcom III can make
  full use of the Hayes ISDN adapter card, allowing communications sessions
  over the 64 kbps Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) telephone
  service gradually appearing around the U.S.

  Hayes other communications product is Smartcom Exec now in Version 2.1.
  Smartcom Exec, at $129, had been a reduced function version of Smartcom
  III after the fashion of many software companies who are introducing a
  "lite" version of their more expensive software that eliminated some of
  the lesser used functions. Smartcom Exec seems to be moving towards some
  differentiation from Smartcom III. The new Exec version supports multiple
  languages including English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. They've
  also added two new terminal graphic emulations, Prestel and Teletel,
  popular in Europe with some of the online services there. Hayes
  Microcomputer Products, Inc. P.O. Box 105203, Atlanta, GA 30348; 404-441-
  1617.


  GALACTICOMM RELEASES THIRD PARTY CATALOG

  Galacticomm, developer of the multi-line BBS software package THE MAJOR
  BBS has announced a recent merger with Scott Brinker's Galactic
  Innovations, a company known for development of third-party add-on
  software for the MAJOR BBS. THE MAJOR has made some inroads in the BBS
  community with one of the best interactive chat functions in the game -
  giving rise to a number of social/sex chat systems across the country.
  One of the main draws to these systems is interactive multi-player games
  and Galactic Innovations was one of the leading producers of such games.
  Brinker will act as Vice President of Galacticom and Bob Stein has been
  promoted to President and CEO.  Tim Stryker, the company founder, will
  remain as Chairman of the Board.
  The company recently released a catalog of third-party products for the
  Major.  Approximately 75 add-on software packages are available from ten
  different vendors.  We found RING MASTERS intriguing.  It's a boxing
  simulation where you attempt to beat the stuffing out of some other
  hapless yuck who also dialed into the system. This may have wide ranging
  application across the world of BBS where flame wars run rampant.  In
  theory, conference moderators could send two flamers who disagree "to the
  ring" to settle it once and for all.  The program is available from
  InfiNetwork and they have an online demonstration of the product at
  (301)498-6183.

  Galacticomm has also introduced a new full-screen editor add-on for their
  product at $129 and an eight-port serial card termed the Octacomm at $635.
  The company has also introduced the Database/BBS, an integrated package
  including their Major BBS and a Btrieve-based database manager allowing up
  to eight simultaneous databases on line with multi-user access.  The
  product is priced from $939 for a two-line version up to $2439 for a 64-
  user system.

  Most notably, the company has made up some Galacticom T-shirts with their
  corporate philosophy blazoned across the back "To do really cool things in
  the field of computerized communications, and make a buck at it.".
  Galacticomm, Inc., 4101 S.W. 47 Ave., Suite 101, Fort Lauderdale, FL
  33314. 305-583-5990 voice; 303-583-7808 demo BBS.


  BOOK ON FACSIMILE USAGE

  We ran across a fascinating little book providing a wealth of statistical
  information on the use of facsimile machines in the home office. David
  Day's Facsimile Facts and Figures 1990/91 details statistics, innovative
  uses of fax technology, history, and state and federal legislation
  governing the use of junk fax and fax directories. The book also contains
  the full results of a Mitsubishi Home Office Facsimile survey, and a
  report on telephone usage in Hong Kong. The book is 134 spiral-bound pages
  priced at $69 plus $9 shipping. International Facsimile Association, 4023
  Lakeview Dr., Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403; 602-453-5330 voice; 602-453-9234
  fax.


  GVC SM-96 - A SOLID 9600 V.32 MODEM FOR $399

  A friend and I have a little bet regarding when the street price of a true
  9600 bps V.32 modem will fall below $400. I think the bet was whether or
  not the price would fall before autumn and I rather foolishly fell on the
  wrong side of the wager. Apparently, it barely made spring. The GVC
  Technologies, Inc. model SM-96 does not quite break that price barrier yet
  to the general public. But it doesn't fall far short either.

  GVC is not a known name in modems. But actually, they've been
  manufacturing modems for nearly a decade as a source to a number of
  Original Equipment Manufacturer's (OEM). Several companies have been
  selling GVCs as house brands for a number of years.
  The company has introduced the model SM-96 under their own name. Like the
  majority of V.32 modem offerings currently available, the GVC uses the
  Rockwell V.32 daughterboard. It offers CCITT V.32 9600 bps connections,
  V.42 and V.42bis error correction and compression, as well as the Microcom
  Networking Protocol MNP5 data compression. This suite of standards is
  becoming the most ubiquitous configuration among 9600 bps V.32 modems
  across the board.

  The GVC unit is most notable in that it is physically quite small. It's
  5.5-by-9 inch steel case, standing 1.5 inches tall, bucks the trend toward
  larger modem cases we've seen in the V.32 market. It also bucks the trend
  toward plastic. The sturdy steel case is reassuring. One of the most
  appealing things about this modem is that it actually has twelve front
  panel LED indicators including those marked 12, 24, 48, and 96 to show
  exactly what speed connection has been made and a TST light indicating
  links using the V.42 error correction. It also has a hardware call back
  security feature with a three-number memory. The unit features a five year
  warranty.

  The SM-96 does use some fairly non-standard commands to switch various
  features on and off. But they are comparatively easy to figure out and a
  %F2 command sets the entire thing up for optimum performance in most
  situations.

  For the relatively modest price, the GVC SM-96 offers a physically solid
  package, all standards necessary for 9600 bps error-free connections, and
  flawless performance connecting with a number of other brands at the 9600
  bps rate. The best thing we can say about it is that with our best
  "scorched earth slash and burn" editorial posture, we can't find fault
  with this box. It works solidly under all conditions.

  The modem carries a list price of $699. They do discount the unit to $379
  for system operators but include a somewhat unusual proviso. You must have
  run a BBS for at least six months and it must be a FREE BBS. To take
  advantage of their system operator discount program, dial their product
  support BBS at 201-579-2380 and download the file GVCSYSOP.ZIP. Fill out
  the form and mail it in to GVC Technologies , Inc., 99 Demarest Road,
  Sparta, NJ 07871; 800-289-4821 voice.

  Interestingly, The Hardware and Software Shoppe of Lexington Kentucky
  offers a special price on this modem specifically to user groups at $399
  plus $6 shipping each. They've somewhat generously agreed to consider
  Boardwatch subscribers as a user group. All orders are prepaid, no COD.
  This price is not generally available to the public so you must mention
  either your user group affiliation or Boardwatch Magazine. The Hardware
  and Software Shoppe, 189 Moore Drive, Lexington, KY 40503; 606-277-9777
  voice; 606-277-2676 fax.


  EXPANDING SERIAL PORT OPTIONS

  There are two basic approaches to operating a BBS on more than one
  telephone line. Multi-Node systems use a LAN to connect a series of
  computers to a file server. Each computer, or node, services one telephone  li
  Remote Access, and Searchlight BBS systems use this multi-node approach to
  service multiple telephone lines.

  True Multi-Line systems use a multitasking software package on a single
  PC. SCO Unix, eSoft's TBBS, Galacticomm's The Major, and Surf Computer
  Service's Oracomm all use this approach. But the original IBM PC supported
  only two serial ports.

  Serial ports classically consist of a port address and an interrupt. When
  a byte of data is received through the serial port, the Universal
  Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) chip triggers a hardware
  interrupt. This is basically an electrical signal to the system's
  microprocessor that it has something requiring immediate attention. The
  microprocessor stops execution of the current program, saves its state in
  memory, and processes the interrupt by executing an interrupt service
  routine program. Usually, this program retrieves the incoming data byte by
  examining the memory location specified in the port address. It puts the
  byte in a buffer in memory for later processing, and returns to its
  previous task.

  The original IBM PC had two interrupts devoted to serial ports. COM1 used
  interrupt IRQ4 with a hexadecimal port address of 03F8h while COM2 used
  IRQ3 with a port address of 02F8h. That's still basically all the
  interrupts we have to work with for serial communications.

  Many internal modems come with configuration options for COM1, COM2, COM3,
  and COM4. How can this be? Well, conventionally, COM1 and COM3 share the
  same interrupt with different port addresses while COM2 and COM4 use the
  other interrupt. In this way, each communications ports has its own port
  address, but they are sharing interrupts.


  COM1 = 3F8h  IRQ4
  COM2 = 2F8h  IRQ3
  COM3 = 3E8h  IRQ4
  COM4 = 2E8h  IRQ3


  Note that no two devices can use the same interrupt at the same time
  directly. So while you can configure your communications ports as COM1,
  COM2, COM3, or COM4, you still can't have more than two in use
  simultaneously.

  Multiline BBS systems typically use 8, 16, 32, or even 64 modems and
  telephone lines from a single PC. So there is a basic conflict between the
  needs of multiline BBS software, and the limits of the original PC design.

  Most all such systems use serial breakout cards - often termed multi-port
  serial cards. These cards allow the use of more than two serial ports
  simultaneously, but special software must be written to take advantage of
  the serial ports provided.

  Essentially, multi-port serial cards still use the two original interrupts
  and in some cases actually only use one of them to handle a large number  of p
  equation. This is simply a memory location where the card can indicate, by
  the bits set on or off within the byte examined, which serial port caused
  the interrupt.

  On an eight-port card, for example, anytime any of the eight ports
  receives an incoming byte, the same IRQ may be used to signal the
  Microprocessor. However, the serial port interrupt service routine in DOS
  has been replaced by a software device driver for the card. The device
  driver software first examines the STATUS register on the serial card.
  This register will indicate which specific serial port caused the last
  interrupt by setting the bit corresponding to that port. In this way, the
  interrupt service routine can then go to the correct serial port address
  to get the incoming data byte. This technique allows a number of serial
  port addresses to all be mapped to a single IRQ.

  The most popular multi-port serial card is manufactured by Digiboard
  Incorporated, 6751 Oxford Street, St. Louis Park, MN 55426; 612-922-8055
  voice. Digiboard's most popular models are probably their four-port PC/4
  card ($459 list price) and their eight-port PC/8 model ($685). Digiboard
  maintains an excellent product support BBS system at 612-922-5604.

  Because it has been primarily a niche market, multi-port serial cards are
  not inexpensive. We did find a company in Taiwan that manufactures serial
  cards quite cheaply. Decision Computer International Company Ltd. offers a
  four port serial card for as little as $36 and an eight-port model for as
  little as $135. We priced an eight port card, loaded with NS16550A UART
  chips, at $170. The difficulty is in dealing with a company in Taiwan, you
  get virtually no support, the shipping can be as high as $65 for a single
  card, and arranging the order and payment can be somewhat difficult.
  Casper Chang, Decision Computer International Company Ltd. 4/F No. 31-3,
  Alley 4, Lane 906, Ming-Shen East Road, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. 886-2-766-
  5753 voice; 886-2-766-5702 fax.

  As a rule, most DOS-based multiline BBS software packages that provide
  their own multitaskers cannot run external programs, often termed "doors".
  The holy grail of multiline computing is to combine the ability of multi-
  node software, such as PCBoard, to run external programs, with the
  multiline capability of systems such as TBBS or The Major. So far, it
  hasn't happened. But there are some interesting experiments. A number of
  operators have successfully run two, three, or even four copies of PCBoard
  under Quarterdeck's Desqview multitasker. More recently, there has been
  some interest in running several BBS sessions under Microsoft Windows
  Version 3.0. Here again, the problem is that Windows normally supports
  only two simultaneous serial ports.

  Cherry Hill Software has introduced a $99 software driver program titled
  W3COM5 which marries Windows version 3.0 to the Digiboard PC/4 four-port
  serial card. It uses the four-port card on one IRQ while also using the
  existing serial port on the other to support up to five comm ports,
  simultaneously, from one PC, under Windows 3.0. In this way, you could
  conceivably run five simultaneous copies of Remote Access or Wildcat under
  Windows, with each serving a single telephone line to run a five line
  system. Cherry Hill Software, 1930 East Marlton Pike, Bldg. O, #76, Cherry
  Hill, NJ 08003; 609-751-2809.

  SHAREWARE NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE

  There are some 50,000 shareware programs available for the IBM PC. This
  treasure trove is actually overwhelming. Current versions of DOS only
  allow you to run one at a time and even with Desqview and Windows you
  can't quite get all 50,000 in action on one machine simultaneously. The
  number of creative people out there coding into the night is frightening.
  And because of the online world, almost any title you want is a telephone
  call away. Fortunes are made and lost. Titles become "best sellers" and
  are then knocked off by newcomers with a better idea. It's actually one of
  the most exciting industries in the world and you are seeing and helping
  it form. If we didn't do a magazine on the online world, we'd probably do
  one on shareware.

  And Steve Enzer does. We recently received a copy of his Alternative
  Software Bulletin, a 16-page newsletter on shareware. It's tastefully done
  on ivory paper (so we're a bit biased here), and unlike Boardwatch, it
  features great graphics design and layout. The newsletter is published ten
  times per year at $18. It has some affiliation with Public Brand Software
  in that they have an area on the Public Brand Software BBS at 317-856-
  2087. But it does seem to be a genuinely independent publication. There
  are no ads or come-ons to order shareware from them or from Public Brand
  although they do list the file name of the program on the PBS BBS. But
  they also have a listing of What's New On-Line that covers various
  CompuServe and GEnie forums and our impression is Enzer is trying to
  present independent reviews of shareware software programs. The March 1991
  issue, their fifth, includes a roundup of genealogy programs and another
  extensive article on investment analysis software. Most notably, the
  publication includes lots of artfully done screen shots. Binary Press,
  P.O. Box 757, Brooklyn, MI 49230; no contact telephone.


  16550 UARTS - NOT SO SIMPLE

  The current fad in online paternalistic advice revolves around the use of
  higher speed modems and the need to upgrade your serial port. Many people
  are investing large wads of soggy cash in high speed 14,400 V.32bis and
  9600 bps V.32 modems. Vendors claim data throughput of over 38,000 bits
  per second in all their literature. And after purchasing such modems, most
  users feel a bit miffed if they can't get the advertised throughput.

  There are actually a couple of issues here. First, you are not going to
  get throughput of 38K over analog telephone lines. Forget it. To be
  vendors, vendors have to vend. And to vend, they have to sell it just a
  bit. And to sell it just a bit, they have to first shovel it a bit. Nobody
  gets 38K throughput in the real world. So if you don't, it does not mean
  you've been cheated, your modem doesn't work, or your PC is too "old."

  But there are a few things to note. The claims are based on theoretical
  throughputs obtained through data compression and error correction. Most
  of these new high speed modems offer CCITT V.42bis and MNP5 as features.
  CCITT V.42 and V.42bis are international standards for data error  correction 
  more common, data compression technique developed by Microcom, a modem
  vendor. These compression techniques provide theoretical data compression
  at up to 4:1. Using 9600 bps modem connections, if you compress data to
  1/4 its original size, your effective throughput would appear to be 38.4
  kpbs.

  The problem is, unless you routinely transfer a 100K file full of nothing
  but the character "A", you won't ever see it. On normal text files, you
  can occasionally pass data at close to 3000 characters per second or
  30,000 bps. On the already compressed .ARC and .ZIP files commonly
  transmitted in the world of bulletin boards - more likely 1100 cps on a
  V.32 connection. With the 14,400 bps connections offered by V.32bis, you
  may see 1700-1750 cps.

  Unfortunately, some older machines can't quite handle that high a data
  rate through the serial port. The original 8250 Universal Asynchronous
  Receiver/Transmitter, or UART, in the IBM PC was rated at 9600 bps.
  Contrary to current online wisdom, it WILL generally do more than that,
  but not reliably so. The more recent 16450 UART common in AT class
  computers does a better job, but as modem rates increase, the serial port
  problem becomes more apparent. And when running multitasking software such
  as Desqview and Windows, it is not so much the UART that causes problems
  as the fact that the Microprocessor can only do so much in a set period of
  time. If it's spread too thin among applications, it is quite expected
  that some incoming bytes will be lost through simple inattention by the
  processor.

  If your system is not getting the speed you need, it might pay to take a
  look at your modem LED indicators during a file transfer. During high
  speed downloads, your receive data (labeled RX or RD usually) light should
  be on with a fairly steady flicker with a windowed protocol such as
  ZMODEM. If you notice some fairly regular pauses in the process, indicated
  by a switch from receive data to transmit data (TD or TX usually) and back
  on the modem light panel, you may need some serial port help. Your system
  is sending flow control to the other modem to tell it that some data has
  been lost and needs to be resent. The data was lost because the two modems
  overpowered your serial port, and your computer signalled that it lost
  something and is requesting the last block be resent. This process can
  dramatically slow the rate of transfer.

  The standard solution noted online is to replace the UART chip with a
  model manufactured by National Semiconductor titled the NS16550A. This
  chip adds a 16-byte first-in/first-out (FIFO) buffer. The buffer, when
  activated, allows the data rate to get a few bytes ahead of the computer's
  ability to process the incoming data occasionally, without data loss. This
  is true. It works. But it's not as simple as it sounds.

  For one thing, the NS16550A operates just like the 16450. It was designed
  to be pin and software compatible with it. So replacing a 16450 with a
  NS16550A doesn't of itself do anything whatsoever. The NS16550A must
  receive a software command to turn on the FIFO buffer. If your
  communications software doesn't support the NS16550A FIFO, you'll never
  know its there. There are several public domain utilities floating around  to 
  works in some situations. But it can really complicate life in others.
  Some software actually locks up the computer if it encounters the FIFO.
  Our serial label printer software locks up the machine if the 16550 FIFO
  is on when it comes up. So does a credit card validation program that uses
  the modem. So to get the use of a new UART, you must have a communications
  program that will use it.

  The actual physical replacement of the UART chip can be problematical as
  well. For one thing, most of the clones sold today are sold on price. One
  way to lower price is to combine functions on a single card. You may find
  your serial port is on a little half length card with a game port, two
  serial ports, and a printer port. The UART socket described in a lot of
  magazines may not even be present. You may have a tiny, square, surface
  mounted chip that handles printer functions, serial ports, game ports, and
  anything else. In many systems sold today, the serial ports may even be on
  the mother board of the computer. Finally, if you are lucky enough to have
  normal UART chips on a serial port card, most often you will find the chip
  soldered into the card with no socket provided.

  You can desolder the chip and replace it with a socket and a new chip of
  course. Or you can take the card and slam dunk it into your twenty-year
  drawer. Unless you happen to have a shop where you regularly solder
  electronic components, or you have a very strong HAM radio reputation to
  live up to, it is absolutely not worth the trouble.

  We went shopping for a cheap serial port card recently and found a dandy.
  The Everex 170B Magic I/O card features three serial ports, a game port,
  and a printer port. All three serial ports are fully configured with UART
  sockets, but only one has a UART in it as shipped. Jumpers on the card
  allow a flexible array of configuration options. It's a half-slot card and
  we bought one at Frye's Electronics for $59. A NS16550A UART chip cost
  another $11.95. Assembly took about five minutes. So, for about $71 plus
  shipping you can solve the UART problem with regards to hardware. Fry's
  Electronics, 1177 Kern Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086; 408-733-1770

  A public domain program with very little identifying data is available
  titled 16550.EXE. The command 16550 1 ON would enable the FIFO buffer on a
  serial port designated COM1, while 16550 1 OFF would disable the buffer.
  16550 1 ? causes the program to return the current state of the buffer.
  Again, note that some programs that make use of the serial port can use
  16550 buffered modem, and others simply cannot. The 16550 program makes it
  easy to experiment with program operation in the different states. The
  program is widely available for download, and of course we have a copy on
  the Boardwatch Online Information Service at 303-973-4222 for system
  subscribers.


  UNICODE - A NEW ASCII FOR A NEW WORLD

  The American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) evolved as
  the lingua franca of virtually all computers everywhere. It uses a single
  8-bit byte of data to represent all characters of the alphabet, numbers,
  and punctuation. The 8-bits allow 255 different characters to be  represented.
  isn't enough.

  Most non-English languages use characters not included in the original
  ASCII definition. The problem is that ASCII is American in origin and use
  and simply doesn't account for the many variations inherent in scribing
  other languages into print. French, Italian, Spanish, and German, all have
  unique letters that are required to accurately transmit their languages -
  despite the fact that most of the alphabet is quite common to our own.
  When you consider Cyrillic, Arabic, and numerous Asian alphabets, ASCII
  doesn't work at all.

  This past February, a company titled Unicode Inc. released the final draft
  of Unicode, Version 1. Unicode is intended as a replacement for ASCII and
  will support virtually all living languages by using a two-byte (16-bit)
  code capable of presenting 65,536 different characters. Unicode Inc.
  counts among its members representatives from IBM, Apple, Sun, Microsoft,
  Novell, and NeXT.

  Unicode is not entirely different from ASCII. The lower 8-bits actually
  contain ASCII along with the European accented characters usually referred
  to as Latin-1. The upper 8-bit byte allows the addition of additional
  accented characters defined in other ISO Latin standards, an international
  phonetic alphabet, and codes for Greek, Cyrillic, Armenian, Hebrew,
  Arabic, African, Middle Eastern, Asian, and Far Eastern languages. They
  have also defined a host of punctuation marks, and math, graphic, and
  technical symbols along with other symbols referred to as basic dingbats.

  The code supports both Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji alphabets used in
  Japan, Bopomofo from Taiwan, Hangul characters from Korea, and Han - a
  generic term for Chinese ideographs. In all, nearly 25,000 characters are
  mapped in Version 1 - leaving room for a future expansion of as many as
  40,000 characters.

  A number of BBS systems in the Far East already use double-byte codes to
  represent Chinese and Japanese characters. The one drawback to all this is
  storage. The typical word processor text file is twice as large as current
  since each character requires two bytes of storage vice one. A mass
  conversion from ASCII to Unicode appears troublesome. For more
  information, contact The Benjamin Group, 3945 Freedom Circle, Suite 540,
  Santa Clara, CA 95054; 408-988-0831.


  TELEVISION TRANSCRIPTS

  The popularity of cable television has notably broadened the diversity of
  offerings available on the one-eyed monster. A number of news magazines,
  science and technology shows, and political commentary items are now
  available that deal with, and in some ways reflect, what is considered
  topically important in our society. Despite the constant blare of critics
  who decry the quality of television programming, the world watches on.
  The one drawback is once a program has aired, it is gone into the ether.
  Aside from the occasional rerun popular with situation comedies, all the
  work that went into Barbara Walter's journalist masterpiece is lost to us,
  for the most part, as soon as the closing credits roll.
  But if you're a news or public television junky, you've undoubtedly seen
  the closing screen noting that "transcripts of this show are available
  from Journal Graphics." Journal Graphics now provides written transcripts
  of some 50 shows weekly including most of the numeric news magazines such
  as, 20/20, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, Face to Face with Connie Chung, and
  Nightline; as well as a host of Public Broadcast Television shows such as
  Nova, American Experience, Bill Moyer's Specials, Frontline Special, Race
  to Save the Planet, and Washington Week in Review. The also provide
  transcripts for some of the racier fare such as Donahue, Giraldo, The
  Oprah Winfrey Show, and The Sally Jessy Raphael Show; and numerous CNN
  broadcasts such as Crossfire, Evans and Novak, Larry King Live, Health
  Week, Pinnacle, and Science & Technology Week. Transcripts are typically
  available for $3 to $5 depending on the show.

  The company is a bit unique. According to company President Jim Smith,
  some sixteen transcriptionists are located all across the U.S. They tape
  their assigned shows, transcribe them on personal computers, and upload
  the files to a two-line Major BBS system in New York. All transcripts are
  indexed using a Foxbase database.

  The index itself is fascinating and is available published as a quarterly
  printed publication at $21.95 which includes a January index of the entire
  previous year. The same index is also available on 3.5-inch or 5 1/4-inch
  floppy disks for $37.95. This electronic data version is particularly
  attractive as a research tool.

  Simply counting the topics dealt with on television over the past year
  provides fascinating insight into what our society found notable to talk
  about on television over the past year. We found a transcript of We Know
  Where You Live - a Nova show on junk mail, databases, and personal privacy
  issues fascinating. Likewise a transcript of an August 23rd Good Morning
  America show that interviewed Steve Wozniak and Gail Thackeray on the
  subject of computer hacking was fascinating. The index is organized
  topically of course with entries such as Farming and Agriculture,
  Gorbachev, Soviet Union, Middle East, Children, Persian Gulf War, Roman
  Catholicism, Sex Crimes and Rape, Parenting, Defense/Pentagon, and so
  forth. A section on Comics and Comedians lists dozens of interviews with
  different comedians. Only in seeing all this assembled together in a 326-
  page printed index can you get a grasp of how much information is
  transmitted once via television and essentially lost in the ether.

  The company has a number of delivery options. Printed transcripts can be
  ordered at $3 to $5 each and charged to your credit card. Shipping charges
  are a bit pricey at $2.50 for the first transcript and $1 for each
  additional. Fax delivery is available at $15 for half-hour shows and $5
  for each additional half-hour. The company even offers a $250 monthly
  satellite/FM side carrier delivery service that allows you to receive 50
  programs each week as they come online. And according to Smith, they are
  considering using a BBS to provide online search access to the index and
  online transcript orders.

  The service is not only unique, but the company organization illustrates a
  point concerning telecommuting. Not only do all the transcriptionists work  fr
  Smith, most of his work in running the operation is done by voice mail,
  modem, and other remote access methods.

  Many of the early self-styled techno-sages and futurists predicted that a
  significant percentage of our population would work at home and commute to
  the office by electronic means. This has been seized on and parroted ad
  infinitum with much effort expended to work out the details of commuting
  to the office electronically - telecommuting. I can't quite subscribe to
  this theory as it stands. The numbers are right but the paradigm is wrong
  - much as Alexander Graham Bell foresaw a day when telephones would be
  installed in every city - for the reception of musical concerts.

  Today telephone's ARE everywhere but they don't carry music. Likewise,
  tremendous numbers of people WILL work from home. And they WILL
  communicate primarily by electronic means. But the conventional office
  structure won't play any significant role in it at all. They will be
  primarily cottage industry homeworkers - many if not most in some form of
  information industry or direct sales. Journal Graphics Incorporated is a
  working example of a new form of organization, involving more than just a
  single household cottage shop, that is organized, and operates primarily
  electronically with workers located across the nation. A very interesting
  example. Journal Graphics, Inc., nominally located at 267 Broadway, Floor
  3, New York, NY 10277; 800-825-5746 voice.


  MULTI-TECH ANNOUNCES 14,400 BPS V.32BIS MODEM

  Multi-Tech Systems Inc. has earned a good reputation among BBS operators
  for their very solid modem line. The company recently revealed they are
  wrapping up a new model, the MultiModem V32B, offering full-duplex 14,400
  baud connections using the new CCITT V.32bis standard. V.32bis is an
  extension to the V.32 modulation standard now universal for 9600 bit-per-
  second (bps) modem connections. The V.32bis standard raises the speed ante
  50% to 14,400 bps. Currently, only U.S. Robotics and Forval America offer
  V.32bis modems although Intel PCEO is also rumored to have a V.32bis model
  "in the works."

  The new model is not currently available and Multi-Tech sales group
  expects delivery in late May or early June at a list price of $1099.

  Multi-Tech now offers a BBS system operator discount program allowing BBS
  operators to purchase modems at 50% off the retail list price. Their
  MT932EAB model has been popular offering V.32 modulation at 9600 bps, and
  both V.42bis and MNP 5 error correction/compression. The external model
  lists for $899 and is available to qualified BBS operators at $449.50.

  Multi-Tech produces a very full line of communications products including
  rack mount modems, packet switch interfaces, multiplexers, and even LAN
  equipment. Full price list and descriptions are available on their product
  support BBS at 612-785-9875. Multi-Tech Systems Inc., 2205 Woodale Drive,
  Mounds View, MN 55112; 800-328-9717 voice.

  HAYES ANNOUNCES POCKET MODEM

  Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. has introduced a 2400 bps pocket modem
  for laptop owners titled Pocket Edition 2400. The unit is a tiny 3-ounce,
  3-inch long modem designed specifically for the traveler and laptop
  market. The tiny modem requires no external source of power such as AC,
  battery, etc., deriving all needed power from the RS-232 serial port and
  the telephone line itself. The unit passes data at 2400 bps using CCITT
  V.22bis, at 1200 bps using either Bell 212A (common in U.S.) or V.22
  (common in Europe), and at 300 bps using Bell 103 standards. But it does
  not offer the V.42bis or MNP error correction or fax capabilities becoming
  common in pocket modems. It's main draw is a very portable size. It comes
  with 18-inch 9-pin serial cable, six foot telephone cable, Smartcom EZ
  communications software, and a carrying case. The unit plugs into the 9-
  pin serial ports common to laptops and carries a list price of $179 and a
  two-year warranty. Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc., P.O. Box 105203,
  Atlanta, GA 30348; 404-441-1617 voice. Hayes operates a toll-free product
  support BBS at 800-874-2937.


  HARDWARE-BASED HARD DISK DATA COMPRESSION: EXPANZ VS. STACKER

  By: Matthew Rapaport

  In the last five years, a wealth of utilities have appeared to help PC
  users get more mileage out of precious disk real estate. Most of these
  products require you to perform compression/decompression cycles manually.
  Archive utilities like ARC, PKZIP and LHARC have become invaluable aids in
  the process of transferring files between systems. A few programs, like
  LZEXE and the newer PKLITE permit compression of executable programs with
  automatic decompression into RAM when the program is run, but they suffer
  from compatibility problems with some software. SQUISH Plus from Sundog
  Software (New York City) performs on-the-fly compression and decompression
  of all types of files, but it slows disk performance. Other such products
  like Fontspace and Newspace from Isogon Corp., SQZ Plus from Symantec, and
  Cubit from Softlogic, are designed to function only with certain data
  files like dBase tables, and Lotus 1-2-3 spread sheets.

  In 1990, two new hardware-based compression systems emerged: EXPANZ from
  Infochip Systems of Santa Clara California, and STACKER from Stac
  Electronics of Carlsbad California. These systems use hardware mounted on
  cards that fit into PC board slots. Both promised compatibility with all
  PC applications software, and performance that actually improves disk
  throughput.

  My interest in the value of these technologies caused me to forgo my usual
  trepidation regarding untested products. I ordered the EXPANZ card
  immediately upon its release, installed, and played around with it for a
  couple of weeks. A number of problems with the product caused me to reject
  it, but undaunted, I tried the Stack product just a few months later. What
  follows is an independent assessment of both products, their advantages,
  and some of their problems.

  Considering the difference in approach between the two technologies, their
  performance is remarkably similar. Both achieve compression ratios of  1.5:1 t
  compression ratios, while database, and many kinds of image files are
  squeezed from 2:1 to 4:1 ratios. On one data dictionary file, I achieved
  8:1 compression, exactly the same with either product.
  Compression/decompression speed is excellent. At worst, disk operations
  take no more time than they do without the products, and for many
  operations, there is a noticeable performance increase because you are
  reading and writing smaller disk files.

  Currently, the EXPANZ card works only on machines running PC or MS-DOS
  version 3.x (A DOS 4.x and Compaq 3.3x compatible version is due shortly).
  It actually coverts the disk drive to EXPANZ volumes on a partition-by-
  partition basis. For example, if you have a 72MB disk divided into three
  partitions, C:, D:, and E: of 30MB, 30MB, and 12MB, you can make one or
  all of them EXPANZ volumes. The product correctly handles the enlarged
  capacity of these drives even though they exceed the DOS 3.x 32MB volume
  limit, and this applies as well to single files that may become larger
  than 32MB in uncompressed form. The product is compatible with device
  drivers that permit construction of large volumes under DOS 3.x. For
  example, if you use Speedstore or Vfeature to generate a single 60MB
  partition, it can be successfully converted to a compressed volume.

  There is also a 40K driver that may be loaded into high memory using
  memory management utilities like Quarterdeck's QEMM386 or Qualitas'
  386Max. The driver alone will not permit reading or writing to compressed
  volumes. If the compression card fails, you cannot access compressed data.
  While you can compress the boot partition, this is a little dangerous. If
  your machine fails to boot from the hard disk one day, you must boot from
  a floppy containing the EXPANZ driver or you risk destroying your data.
  The system supports RLL, MFM, EDSI, and SCSI drives, though in the latter
  case, you can not compress the boot partition.

  EXPANZ replaces the normal File Allocation Table with a special FAT. While
  functional in most application, this special FAT prevents the use of disk
  utilities such as Optune and SpeedDisk to optimize and defragment. Not
  only will these products fail to perform, they will destroy your data if
  used on compressed volumes. This caveat applies not only to third party
  disk utilities, but such traditional DOS tools as CHKDSK. The disk shipped
  with the card includes a special version of CHKDSK (IDISK) which functions
  like CHKDSK (including repair operations) on a compressed volume.

  Otherwise, the product works well, though in my environment I had some
  problems when running Magellan under Desqview. During Magellan's file
  indexing and compression cycle, the product locks up when it tries to
  index files on a compressed volume. This occurs only under Desqview for
  some reason, but at one point, all my data on the compressed volume was
  scrambled and I could not recover it without restoring from backups. The
  Infochip technical support group insisted they could not replicate my
  problem, so it was quite possibly a result of the combination of drivers
  on my machine. Other than this, I had no problem with any of my
  application software.

  The STACKER product operates on DOS versions from 3.1 to 4.x, including
  Compaq DOS 3.3x. It takes a tack opposite to that of EXPANZ by creating  virtu
  3.x can be divided into two volumes (F: & G: in our example) of 16MB and
  15MB respectively (smaller volumes may be created at the user's
  discretion). At least 1MB of each drive is automatically maintained in an
  uncompressed state. A 60KB section of this partition is used to store
  hidden, read-only files that provide driver handles to the compressed
  volumes located on that drive. Otherwise the space can be used as usual.
  The product assumes an average compression ratio of 2:1 permitting storage
  of up to 32MB on a 16MB virtual volume. If you get better compression
  ratios, say 4:1, then you should not create a virtual drive larger than
  8MB for these files because the product will not permit storage of more
  than 32MB on a single virtual volume. DOS 4.x raises this limit to 512MB.

  In our three drive example above, you might end up with drive letters
  ranging from C: to J:  if you convert all of your disk real estate. The
  only limitation is that STACKER's driver, any drivers loaded ahead of it
  (like memory managers), along with your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files
  must reside on an uncompressed volume. Any two disk letters can be swapped
  using a special driver included with the package. For example, virtual
  drive F: can be named C:, G: can be named D:, etc.

  Like EXPANZ, there is a driver that occupies 20K and can be loaded into
  high memory. The system also operates in a software only mode, and is also
  sold this way (intended for laptops). In software mode, the driver
  occupies 37K and will permit reading and writing compressed volumes. The
  significance of this driver can not be over estimated. My STACKER card
  failed on its fifth day of operation. The failure was reported at boot
  time, and the software-only version took over automatically. I lost no
  data, and was able to operate normally until a replacement card arrived.
  Software-only operation is reasonably efficient. In benchmarking large
  file transfers to and from compressed volumes, I measured a 25%
  performance increase using the STACKER card vs. the software alone on a
  20MZ 386. Adding a disk cache with a delayed write to the hard disk
  reduced this difference to only 12%.

  As for compatibility, STACKER seems to do better than EXPANZ, at least in
  my environment. The product reads and writes directly to/from disk sectors
  rather than clusters, so optimizers that work at the cluster level will
  not really optimize your compressed volumes. In fact, they may fragment
  them more, but at least they will not destroy your data. My Norton
  Utilities reported correctly on my compressed volumes recognizing their
  new capacities. Third party undelete utilities also work properly. I have
  had no problems with Magellan under Desqview in either hardware or
  software-only compression modes. On the other hand, STACKER will not
  operate in an environment with OEM disk drivers used to produce large
  volumes under DOS 3.x because these alter the DOS sector size which
  STACKER depends upon. It does function equally well with MFM, RLL, SCSI,
  and ESDI drives.

  CONCLUSIONS: The EXPANZ card is the more configurable of the two products.
  Both use a 16K buffer window in high memory. The EXPANZ buffer can be
  located anywhere in high memory while the STACKER buffer is limited to a
  smaller range of addresses. EXPANZ has jumpers that permit the use of
  different interrupt request (IRQ) lines, STACKER does not. Finally, EXPANZ  is
  of new virtual drives to access your compressed volumes, and operates on
  floppy drives as well. You can also optimize the EXPANZ FAT for different
  compression ratios, something you can not do with STACKER.

  STACKER, by contrast, appears to be safer. A failed STACKER card will not
  impede data access. You can run test and undelete utilities on STACKER
  volumes. It is a bit more cumbersome both because of its multiple volume
  requirements, and because it requires the minimum 1MB non-compressed
  volume on each drive in which you build compressed partitions. On the
  other hand, it is already compatible with DOS versions ranging from 3.x to
  4.x, but will not yet operate on floppy disks. Either product is worth
  examining in the constant effort to get more from each byte of hard disk.

  For more information contact: EXPANZ, InfoChip Technologies, 2840 San
  Tomas Expressway, Santa Clara, CA 95051; 408-727-0514 Price: $199

  STACKER, Stac Electronics, 5993 Avenida Encinas, Carlsbad, CA 92008; 619-
  431-7474 Price: $225 (software-only version: $125)


  COMMUNICATIONS BASICS - 9600 BPS MODEMS

  by Alan D. Applegate

  All of us in the online community started somewhere. For me, it was a
  simple Radio Shack 300 baud modem connected to a Radio Shack Color
  Computer 2. It was terrific! I found that there was a tremendous universe
  of information out there for the asking. The more I learned and the more I
  got out of it, the more I wanted. But the longer I spent online, the
  slower the world appeared to turn. Soon I found myself hungering for a
  1200 bps modem!

  My Avatex 1200 literally sprayed data all over my computer screen, moving
  bits at a whopping FOUR TIMES faster than my now-antique 300 baud modem.
  Sure, the effect lasted awhile, maybe it lasted even a long while. But it
  wasn't exactly forever before I found myself longing for a 2400 bps modem
  and the doubled throughput that it offered. Data was like a drug. I wanted
  more, and I wanted it faster, and my USRobotics 2400 internal barely
  stirred my soul. I knew I needed more, and I needed it now.

  My first high speed modem is still in service, and it still amazes me.
  Sure, I'll want more someday ("more" is already available today in fact)
  but this is where I get off the roller coaster of modem technology, happy
  and relatively sated (at least for now).

  If you're well on your way to acting this story out yourself, this article
  will help you make some wise (or at least informed) choices about 9600 bps
  modems. But a little history is in order before we begin talking about
  specifics.

  Modems that operate at 9600 bps have been around for some time, and have
  existed in many forms. The first to appear were half-duplex modems,
  meaning that data flowed in only one direction. When data needed to flow  in t
  line, and data went the other way. This contrasts with the full-duplex
  modems you're most likely used to (the 300, 1200 or 2400 bps modem you
  have is most likely full-duplex).

  Because so much data was being sent so quickly, full-duplex 9600 bps
  modems were more difficult to design and implement. Sophisticated echo
  cancellation and signal processing circuitry was required, and for a long
  time the cost of such technology was prohibitively expensive. The
  preeminent full-duplex design was CCITT V.32, an outgrowth of the
  Consultative Committee on International Telephone and Telegraph (CCITT)
  standards organization that also gave us V.22bis, the standard that our
  2400 bps modems use. Although V.32 has been a standard since the early
  1980s, modems that incorporated it cost several thousand dollars each
  until relatively recently.

  For this reason, several modem manufacturers created their own less
  expensive proprietary technology for 9600 bps modems. One of the most
  prominent was USRobotics' "High Speed Technology" or "HST" as its commonly
  known. USR's HST modems found their way into the hands of BBS Sysops by
  the hundreds, thanks mostly to USR's pioneering of the "Sysop discount
  program" concept. Sysops could buy them at a steep discount, promoting
  them to their users and other Sysops. HST became an early front runner in
  the high speed modem race.

  Hayes and Telebit weren't to be left behind. Hayes developed a method
  commonly called "ping-pong", in effect, a half-duplex variation of V.32.
  This technology formed the basis of the Hayes V-Series 9600 modems, which
  found most of their use in business environments.

  Telebit developed "Packetized Ensemble Protocol" or "PEP" which also had
  some following among the BBS community. Today, however, PEP modems find
  the highest concentration of usage in the Unix/Internet/UUCP community,
  Europe, and the far east with few public BBS systems in the US using them.
  The PEP technology was particularly resistant to noisy lines, which
  contributed to their popularity across the Pacific Rim.

  The problems with a fragmented 9600 bps modem marketplace quickly became
  apparent. HST modems only talked at 9600 to other HST modems. If an HST
  called a Telebit, they'd talk at 2400 bps. In fact, none of the three
  technologies talked to one another at all at high speed - 2400 bps was the
  most you'd get.

  The pressure was on to move toward an established standard common to all
  manufacturers. V.32 was a logical choice, but remained very expensive.
  Rockwell, a chip set maker, sought to address the issue of cost with V.32
  technology by designing a V.32 modem "module" which modem manufacturers
  could design into their products at low cost. Several million dollars
  worth of research and development later, the Rockwell V.32 "daughterboard"
  module was ready. Most of the major manufacturers designed modems around
  it, with USRobotics among the first to bring one to market.

  Their Courier HST Dual Standard remains a popular choice today (though
  they've since abandoned the Rockwell module in their designs). In addition  to
  can communicate with the thousands of HST modems still in use. Hayes and
  Telebit have also developed "dual personality" modems that are V.32
  compatible, while still able to talk at high speed with their earlier
  proprietary efforts.

  All of this is fine and good, but what if you're trying to select a 9600
  bps modem for yourself?

  Well, prices are much lower today, and it's now possible to buy a 9600 bps
  V.32 compatible modem for around $400. That's still a lot of money, so it
  makes sense to examine all the issues before sinking hundreds of dollars
  into a new computer toy.

  First, the issue of price and performance. It's true that you can find
  9600 bps modems at prices lower than $400, but look closely. Is the modem
  9600 bps full-duplex? Half-duplex and asymmetrical full-duplex modems
  won't offer you the throughput and smooth "feel" of a full-duplex modem
  because they constantly "flip-flop" the high speed data path as described
  earlier.

  Asymmetrical full-duplex modems move data at high speed in one direction
  only, and offer a slow-speed "back channel" that in theory eliminates the
  "choppiness" of a half-duplex modem. In reality, these modems still have
  an awkward feel online, and don't offer throughput comparable to full-
  duplex modems in most situations.

  Many 2400 bps modems claim "throughput over 9600 bps!" so don't be
  deceived by baud rate claims that include the effect of data compression.
  A 2400 bps modem with V.42bis data compression can in some situations
  deliver data at effective rates approaching 9600 bps, but in real world
  situations, virtually never do. Expect modest throughput improvements with
  data compression - but it's not a substitute for a high speed modem. And
  virtually all 9600 bps V.32 modems now also include the V.42bis data
  compression as well - providing data throughput somewhat higher than 9600
  bps as well.

  When pricing V.32 modems, look at the other standards it supports. Does it
  also have V.42 error correction and V.42bis data compression, or is MNP
  the only protocol for that? If it's MNP-only and doesn't feature
  V.42/V.42bis, pass it by - it doesn't make a good long-term choice, and it
  won't offer as good an effective throughput. Most V.32 modems today offer
  both V.42/42.bis AND MNP5 data compression.

  Second, the issue of compatibility. V.32 is the only true, widely
  recognized, international standard for full-duplex 9600 bps transmission.
  HST, PEP, Hayes Ping-Pong, CompuCom and others are proprietary in nature.
  They will "talk" at high speed ONLY with another modem of the same type.
  When you dial incompatible modem types, you'll receive a 2400 bps
  connection at best. For some time, people were driven to proprietary
  technologies for reasons of cost. The proprietary technologies still cost
  less, but you're tied into high speed connections to modems ONLY of the
  same type. This is no real bargain any longer.
  Third and last, be a wise consumer. When shopping for V.32 modems, look
  around. Do you recognize the brand name? What kind of warranty is offered?
  Where must the modem be sent for service in the event something goes
  wrong? What type of technical support is offered? Can you return the modem
  for a refund if you're unhappy with its performance? You don't have to
  trade these things for price. Many modems, such as the Practical
  Peripherals 9600 SA, offer excellent warranties, support, common standards
  including V.42bis - all at a price under $450 ("street" price). You'll
  find other recognized brands with the same basic features in that price
  range as well. Shop carefully.

  In summary, V.32 modems ARE more expensive than some of the alternatives,
  but you get what you pay for. If you do significant amounts of long
  distance file transfer, you may be able to recoup the cost of a V.32 modem
  just from your phone bill savings alone. In any case, the performance of a
  V.32 modem can't be beat. Remember - 9600 bps is FOUR TIMES faster than
  2400 bps, EIGHT TIMES faster than 1200 bps, and if you're still in the era
  of yesterday, that's THIRTY-TWO times faster than your 300 baud relic.

  The next generation of modems incorporate a new CCITT standard, V.32bis.
  This is an extension to the basic V.32, and provides 14,400 bps full-
  duplex data transfer. V.32bis isn't yet a formally approved standard, but
  it's expected to be approved soon with little or no changes. For that
  reason, some modem makers have begun to manufacture and sell V.32bis
  modems. USRobotics was one of the first to market such a modem, and in
  fact, they no longer sell plain V.32 modems. All their V.32 modems now
  incorporate V.32bis as well. Some other manufacturers, such as Forval,
  have also begun shipping V.32bis equipment. Rockwell already has V.32bis
  modules available to manufacturers in quantity, so it's likely we'll see
  more V.32bis entries soon.

  V.32bis won't become a real issue for at least another year. At this
  point, many manufacturers are scrambling to get a V.32 product out the
  door, let alone V.32bis. Still, V.32bis offers ONE AND A HALF TIMES more
  throughput than a plain V.32 modem, churning data down the phone line at
  an alarming pace. To put this in perspective, a 250K file would take over
  17 minutes to transfer at 2400. The same file would take a little over 4
  minutes at 9600 bps, and UNDER 3 minutes at 14400 bps! Even at the
  cheapest 12 cent per minute night/weekend long distance telephone rate -
  that's a $1.78 difference in long distance costs - for one file.

  If a high speed modem is in your future, shop carefully and compare prices
  and features, bearing compatibility in mind. If you're still at 2400 bps
  or less, you won't regret the move.


                               INTERNET NEWS

  INTERNET NEWSLETTER INTRODUCED

  John S. Quarterman's The Matrix, Computer Networks and Conferencing
  Systems Worldwide gained some acclaim by providing a good overview of the
  world network of computer networks, described by Quarterman asory.
  This is a directory on a Unix system. You can store files
  there, and you will usually be allowed a certain amount of storage on the
  system at no extra charge. You're now in the world of UNIX. And you are
  facing the equivalent of the DOS command prompt.

  The best way to get started is pick up a book on basic UNIX commands. They
  are not all that different from DOS. You can list directories, change to
  another directory, copy files, etc. There is an atrocious editor called vi
  you can use to abuse yourself no end. But access to Internet is just a
  couple of commands away.

  Internet is basically an enormous collection of systems offering various
  services. If you know how to access them, you're in the game. If not,
  you're staring at a Unix system prompt. While there are a few books on
  Internet, there is no "User's Manual" covering everything you can do.
  Surprisingly, however, almost everything you want to do is quite well
  documented somewhere. But tracking down the pieces of documentation can be
  quite a treasure hunt.

  The heart of Internet documentation is the Request For Comment (RFC).
  Anyone can submit an RFC by simply sending it to Jon Postel via e-mail at
  Postel@ISI.EDU. There is something of a review and correction process but
  if it is deemed valuable, it is placed in an RFC collection maintained by
  SRI International Network Information Center, 333 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo  Park
  two systems: The Defense Data Network Information Center at nic.ddn.mil
  and the CSNET Coordination and Information Center maintained by Bolt,
  Beranek, and Newman (BBN) Systems and Technology Center in Cambridge. Both
  services allow full access to anyone with an interest in RFCs.

  The first RFC you will want to obtain is the index listing other RFCs. On
  the DDN system, simply send an e-mail message by entering mail
  service@nic.ddn.mil. In the subject field, put RFC:RFC-INDEX.TXT. The body
  of the message doesn't actually have to have anything at all in it. The
  index will be returned to you by e-mail.

  We found the CSNET system a bit faster and easier to use. Send e-mail
  addressed to info-server@sh.cs.net. You don't need to enter anything on
  the subject line. On the first line of the message, enter REQUEST:RFC and
  on the next line enter TOPIC:HELP. Then end the message. A help file will
  be returned to you containing an index of all available RFCs and how to
  request them. There are some twelve hundred odd RFC documents. But you
  will likely want to start with something like RFC1118, Hitchhiker's Guide
  to Internet by Ed Kroll of the University of Illinois. It details what
  Internet is, where to get more information, who runs what within Internet,
  how to use mailing lists, and so forth. RFC1206 - Questions and Answers
  for New Internet Users is also good as well as RFC1175 Where to Start - A
  Bibliography of General Internetworking. You can request these RFC just as
  you did the index by again sending e-mail to

  mail info-server@sh.cs.net
  Subject:
  REQUEST:RFC
  TOPIC:RFC1206
  TOPIC:RFC1175

  All the requested RFC should be in your mailbox the next day.

  You don't really need to be on Internet to request such information. Since
  it is passed by e-mail, you can get it just as easily from CompuServe or
  MCI Mail. On MCI Mail, enter

  TO:CIC(EMS)
  EMS:Internet
  MBX:info-server@sh.cs.net
  REQUEST:RFC
  TOPIC:RFC1206

  On CompuServe, at the > address prompt:

  >Internet:info-server@sh.cs.net
  REQUEST:RFC
  TOPIC:RFC1206

  You can spend most of the next few years requesting RFCs and poring over
  them. They describe not only general information about getting started in
  Internet, but in some cases very technical information on protocols such
  as SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol).
  Another good place to get information for starting up on Internet is
  Usenet News Groups. You read news groups normally using the read news
  program from the command line. One excellent place to start is with the
  news group news.announce.newusers. Simply enter rn news.announce.newusers
  from the command line. This group provides answers to a lot of questions
  continually asked by new Internet users. Another good news group is
  news.lists, which lists all the other 2000 news groups currently available
  for reading.

  Finally, an excellent document is available online titled the Internet
  Resource Guide. This document lists Super Computer centers, library
  catalogs, and specialized data collections available on the Internet. It
  is updated regularly. To obtain this document, send e-mail to resource-
  guide-request@nnsc.nsf.net. The document is also available in printed form
  by calling the NSF Network Service Center at 617-873-3400.


  MORE ON GAINING ACCESS TO INTERNET

  Access to the Internet is clearly becoming more of a topic of
  conversation, both within the Internet and among those left out of the
  party. Our March article on Colorado SuperNet has drawn more response than
  anything we've done in the last six months. Colorado SuperNet provides
  access to Internet for individuals, high-tech companies, and educational
  institutions at a reasonable cost. At the lowest level, it provides 9600
  bps dial up access to individuals for $2 per hour with a $20 monthly
  minimum. But Colorado SuperNet's main mission is to provide such access to
  those who reside in Colorado. After our article, they've apparently been
  receiving calls from interested parties from around the nation. Clearly,
  there is a market demand for Internet access.

  And with good reason. Internet does have some drawbacks. The interface is
  very poor and it is NOT a good place for novices to the online world to
  make their first tentative steps. Documentation of the network is actually
  pretty good - it's just scattered. Pieces of information are stored all
  over the network - much of it superbly done, just difficult to locate.

  But we have found Internet to be the world's largest electronic bulletin
  board system bar none. It makes CompuServe, GEnie, and Prodigy combined
  look like a single line RBBS system with nobody home. Even better, it is
  actually made up of LOTS of systems - small and large - with a very
  refreshing culture quite different from that of a corporate commercial
  online offering.

  The definition of Internet is a bit problematical. We have had a number of
  knowledgeable people quote us chapter and verse as to specifically what it
  is, read several books held in the highest esteem, pored through very
  official Request For Comment documents by the dozens and frankly we've
  come to the conclusion that anything we make up to define Internet is
  about as correct as anything we've read. The definitions are terribly
  conflicting. Each "authority" we've spoken to personally has given us
  their definition and assured us that we were confused, there was no
  ambiguity in definition and now we could know for sure. The problem was
  that rarely did any two such definitions match.
  Purists argue that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
  (ARPANET) was originally, and historically THE INTERNET and everything
  else is something else. The problem with this is not only that ARPANET is
  phasing out, but also has to do with what ARPANET was. ARPANET was an
  experiment to network networks. They started with a few, and added more to
  the net as they went along. The element that bound them was the Department
  of Defense internetworking protocol suite known as TCP/IP (Transmission
  Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). At what point a network, connected to
  ARPANET by TCP/IP, came to be considered NOT a part of the Internet is
  still unclear. We will refer to "the Internet" as a global collection of
  local and regional networks internetworked via TCP/IP. This is handy
  because all systems connected by such protocol can in theory be accessed
  by the Unix programs telnet and ftp across the network - providing a real-
  time access to that system. So we like the concept of an Internet where
  all machines have real-time access. Within Internet, you can "logon" to
  any machine on the Internet that gives you permission to do so.

  There is a further development known as the Domain Name System (DNS). DNS
  is a relatively recent development giving Internet a hierarchical and
  manageable means to address e-mail. Along with some other technical
  developments, DNS has allowed connection of networks such as BITNET and
  DECnet, which clearly do NOT use TCP/IP, to be connected to Internet for
  mail purposes. So while it is not possible to directly connect to such
  systems in a real-time fashion, they are connected to Internet in a store
  and forward fashion allowing bi-directional e-mail. At this point,
  CompuServe, MCI Mail, SprintMail, and AT&T Mail all have mail access to
  Internet. Internet, plus all the systems that can be accessed for mail
  from Internet, could be considered a Metanet, or as John Quarterman refers
  to it, THE MATRIX.

  There are four basic services on Internet analogous to the BBS world.
  Telnet, FTP, Mail, and Usenet News Groups.

  Telnet is a Unix program that allows you to logon to remote systems and
  databases. This is very much like logging on to a BBS. Many systems on the
  Internet allow very limited outside access to their network. But a small
  minority allow other Internet callers to logon to their services and
  access information databases and so on. Although this is a very small
  minority actually, out of the total number of systems on the network, it
  still winds up being a number in the hundreds or even thousands. Over a
  hundred University and public libraries allow telnet access to their card
  catalogs - including our own local Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries
  - C.A.R.L. C.A.R.L. provides over 4 million citations to various books and
  publications online and is arguably the largest online card catalog in the
  nation. They provide dial up access at 2400 bps at 303-863-1350. But you
  can gain 9600 bps access or higher from any Internet site by entering the
  command telnet pac.carl.org. One of their databases, incidentally, is an
  Internet Information Database compiled by BBN Services of Cambridge
  Massachusetts. You can enter a searchword and find a wealth of information
  on almost any Internet regional network and many sites.

  Telnet also allows you to access systems that allow access to areas
  containing multiplayer adventure games. Other systems have chat services  wher
  interesting "BBS" run by the University of Uolo in Finland. Not a lot of
  it was in English but we don't get to dial BBS internationally at $2 per
  hour often so we said hello anyway.

  FTP is the File Transfer Protocol program. It allows you to transfer a
  file from a remote system to your host system into your "home directory".
  From there you can download the file to your PC using xmodem, ymodem, or
  zmodem. This corresponds to the BBS file download function. We were
  surprised at the number of shareware libraries and repositories available.
  SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL seems to be the EXEC-PC of the Internet world providing
  a large and very well maintained library of shareware programs for the IBM
  PC.

  Another absolutely fascinating service is provided by the Ames Research
  Center and JPL. The ames.arc.nasa.gov system provides open anonymous FTP
  access to a gigantic and fascinating library of graphics files. Currently,
  they offer over 16,000 photographs from the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2
  spacecraft including images of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. They plan to
  add additional images of Neptune from Voyager, and Venus, from the
  Magellan spacecraft.

  To transfer a file, you normally connect with the system by entering a
  command such as ftp ames.arc.nasa.gov. You will be asked for a logon name
  and you respond with ANONYMOUS. The system will notify you that anonymous
  logons are ok and ask for a password. At the password prompt enter the
  actual user ID you use on your host system. You really have no anonymity,
  the term means the system will allow contact from those who don't have a
  prearranged account on that particular remote system.

  From there, you normally change to the directory of interest using the cd
  command, in this case /pub/SPACE/CDROM, to browse the offerings. In the
  case of these particular space graphic files, you will also need to go to
  /pub/SPACE/SOFTWARE and download IMDISP56.ZIP. This file contains programs
  to decompress the images (average size is 670KB) on an IBM PC and display
  them. The command get imdisp56.zip will transfer the file from the Ames
  system to your local host. You can then download it later to your PC using
  ZMODEM, XMODEM, or KERMIT.

  Another resource of interest is Usenet News Groups. These act somewhat
  like Fidonet Echomail conferences on BBS systems. The difference is that
  there are now over 2000 of them. A program titled Read News is used to
  access them and again the interface is terrible. The first news group you
  will want to access is news.lists. This is an updated index of what news
  groups are available. Enter rn news.lists from the command line and you'll
  learn what news groups are available. The second news group you want to
  look at is comp.archives. This one provides a couple thousand messages
  where individuals describe what file collections they have available for
  anonymous FTP and what the address and directory is to locate them. There
  are news groups for everything imaginable and some topics you wouldn't
  consider likely. And the level of discussion, for whatever reason, seems
  to be a bit more informative and entertaining, and a bit less harsh and
  confrontational, than we are accustomed to seeing on BBS systems.
  And finally, there is mail. Enter the command mail and an address and you
  can enter a message that goes to the recipient. Addressing Internet mail
  can be very simple, or somewhat complex, depending on who you are sending
  it to. The move to domain addressing has greatly simplified the process.
  You can send me mail by the simple command:

  mail jrickard@csn.org.

  Others may have addresses forty characters or more long.

  What's so hot about Internet mail? It goes EVERYWHERE. You can send mail
  to users on CompuServe, MCI Mail, SprintMail, and best of all -
  Internationally. We probably passed fifteen messages between here and the
  Soviet Union to come up with our tiny list of U.S.S.R. BBS for this issue
  with at least four different individuals scattered over the country there.

  The most stunning thing about Internet mail is how quickly it is catching
  on. Six months ago I didn't know three people with Internet addresses and
  two of them couldn't actually tell me what it was without firing up a
  computer and looking it up in a file somewhere. In the last couple of
  months, it seems like EVERYONE has an Internet address somewhere and
  suddenly we're seeing the addresses on business cards and stationary. The
  MAJORITY of business cards I've seen in the last month have had Internet
  addresses on them - though a few were penned in by hand.

  Why the sudden popularity? There has always been an awkwardness about e-
  mail deriving from the problem of different people having different e-mail
  services. If you were on MCI Mail, and I was on GEnie, we couldn't pass e-
  mail. And when exchanging e-mail addresses - even among those active in
  the online world with accounts on several services, we first had to play
  an awkward game of twenty questions of "are you on x, are you on y" to
  find a common carrier. The public e-mail carriers such as SprintMail, MCI
  Mail, CompuServe, and AT&T have made what appears to be an honest attempt
  at linking their services through X.400 over the past year or so. But
  learning all the various addressing tricks was tedious and somehow, if you
  had an Internet address EVERYONE could reach you there from any of those
  services.

  Another element is that the domain addressing used by Internet, as funny
  as it looks - is memorable. I can easily remember jrickard@csn.org. I can
  also reach almost anyone on the WELL as name@well.ca.us. They look strange
  but they are oddly mnemonic and usually easy to recall. And here's a
  little secret. The reason I print my CompuServe and MCI Mail addresses on
  the table of contents in Boardwatch is NOT so our readers can reach me.
  It's actually so if I'm asked for my e-mail address on those services, I
  can flip open the latest issue and read it out. I haven't the foggiest
  notion of what my own magic number is on CompuServe or MCI and as a
  result, almost never send myself e-mail.

  So Internet mail is practically universal, and quite international.
  Further, there seems to be some sort of emerging "status" attached to
  Internet addresses. We've noted several people absolutely glowing that
  they now had an Internet address.
  The big question remains, how do you get access to an Internet site. The
  topic of public access to Internet has been an active one in Internet,
  continues to be so, and will likely be more so with the National Research
  and Education Network initiative proposed by Senator Albert Gore. There
  are actually three NREN bills now making the rounds of Congress and it
  looks like one of them will pass this session, providing nearly $2 billion
  in funding for Internet.

  At issue among the various bills are who has access to the NREN network
  and why. Even if there's no congressional action on any of the NREN bills,
  the Bush administration has already included nearly $150 million in
  funding for the Defense Advanced Projects Agency, the Department of
  Energy, NASA, and the National Science Foundation for network related
  research and improvements under the High Performance Computing and
  Communications Initiative for 1992. NREN and Internet quite likely will be
  the biggest thing going in the online world for some years to come.

  But the debate seems to be going in favor of public access anyway. The
  National Science Foundation funded a large portion of NSFNet, the data
  backbone or Interstate Highway of Internet. It also provided grant money
  for what are variously known as "mid-levels" or "regional networks". If
  the NSFNet backbone is the Interstate Highway system for data, then the
  mid-levels are the state highway departments and your driveway largely
  connects to them. But that grant money has largely been phased out and the
  midlevels are under some pressure to become "self-supporting". To do that,
  if they don't want to get into illegal drug sales, they are pretty much
  motivated to basically sell access to the Internet.

  Up to this point, this access has been in the form of quite expensive full
  links to Universities and large research organizations who pay a flat fee
  to "belong" to the club. But more of the mid-levels are experimenting with
  public access by direct dial. And we think this is a very healthy thing.

  The pricing varies ridiculously at this point. Colorado SuperNet seems
  like the best deal going at $2 hourly but CERFNet in California isn't too
  much off with a $25 monthly fee plus $5 per hour although they do demand a
  stiff $200 sign up fee. We understand CONCERT is also trying to bring
  North Carolina online at a reasonable cost. JVNCNet was $200 per month the
  last we heard and BARRNet in California was also enormously proud of their
  Internet offering at $2200 per year. But we hope, in time, that all the
  services eventually come to some consensus on public access in the sub-$5
  hourly range with some monthly minimum in the $20 range.

  The trick is, of course, to locate the contact information for the mid-
  level serving your area. We're compiling such a list and frankly, it's not
  complete at this point. We still have to obtain pricing data and sign up
  requirements. But the response to our March story has been such that we're
  going to show our hand a little early. We promise to put all this in one
  of our usual tastelessly garish sideways tables in a future issue. In the
  list below, we try to list the long name of the network, the resulting
  acronym, mailing address, telephone number, Internet e-mail address for
  more information, and the geographic region they cover. Again, remember
  that you can send e-mail requests for information through Internet from
  CompuServe or MCI Mail as well.
  Bay Area Regional Research Network
  BARRNet
  Pine Hall Room 115
  Stanford University
  Stanford, CA 94305
  (415)725-1790
  info@nic.barrnet.net
  CA

  California Education and Research Federation Network
  CERFNet
  San Diego Supercomputer Center
  P.O. Box 85608
  San Diego, CA 92186
  (619)534-5087
  ftp nic.cerf.net
  CA

  CICnet Inc.
  Computing Center
  535 West William St.
  Ann Arbor, MI 48103
  (313)747-4272
  maloff@merit.edu
  IL, WI, IN

  Colorado SuperNet
  Colorado School of Mines
  1500 Illinois Street
  Golden, CO 80401
  (303)273-3471
  dcm@csn.org
  CO

  Communications for NorthCarolina Education, Research, and Technology
  Network
  CONCERT
  MCNC
  3021 Cornwallis Road
  P.O. Box 12889
  Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
  (919)248-1404
  info@concert.net
  NC

  John von Neumann Center Network
  JVNCNet
  PO Box 3717
  Princeton, NJ 08543
  (609)520-2000
  nisc@nisc.jvnc.net
  NJ, NY, CT, MA, RI, PA
  Minnesota Regional Network
  MRNet
  Minnesota Supercomputer Center
  1200 Washington Street
  Minneapolis, MN 55415
  (612)626-1888
  MN

  National Center for Supercomputing Applications
  NCSAnet
  605 E Springfield Ave.
  Champaign, IL 61820
  (217)244-8297
  network@ncsa.uicu.edu
  IL, WI, IN

  New England Academic andResearch Network
  NEARnet
  BBN Systems and Technologies Corporation
  10 Moulton Street
  Cambridge, MA 02138
  (617)873-8730
  nearnet-staff@bbn.com
  New England

  NorthWest Net
  NWNet
  University Networks and Distributed Computing
  UW, HG-45
  3737 Brooklyn Ave. NE
  Seattle, WA 98105
  (206)543-7352
  danj@cac.washington.edu
  AK, ID, MT, ND, OR, WA

  New York State Educationand Research Network
  NYSERNet. Inc.
  165 Jordan Road
  Troy, NY 12180
  (518)283-8860
  info@nisc.nyser.net
  NY

  Performance Systems International (PSI)
  11800 Sunrise Valley Dr. Ste. 1100
  Reston, VA 22091
  (703)620-6651
  info@psi.com
  National

  Texas Higher Education Network
  THEnet
  Commons Bldg. Room 1.156A
  Balcones Research Center  10100 Burnet Road
  Austin, TX 78758
  (512)471-2444
  info@nic.the.net
  TX

  Southeastern UniversitiesResearch Association Network
  SURANet
  Computer Science Center
  University of Maryland
  College Park, MD 20742
  (301)454-5434
  suranet-admin@noc.sura.net
  DC, AL, DE. FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV

  Advanced Network and Services
  ANS
  100 Clearbrook Road
  Elmsford, NY 10523
  (914)789-5308
  National

  UUNET Communications Services
  3110 Fairview Park Drive Suite 570
  PO Box 2324
  Falls Church, VA 22042
  (703)876-5050
  uunet-request@uunet.uu.net
  National

  PSI and UUNET have actually specialized in commercial access to Internet
  as well as other commercial networking applications, for some time.
  Internet technically has usage restrictions barring commercial use per se.
  All traffic over the NSFNet backbone is supposed to be research/education
  related. While enforcement has been a bit loose, companies who want to
  send invoices, electronic payments, and business related communications
  legitimately have been in an awkward position.

  PSI, UUNET, and CERFnet recently announced a service that while it
  interconnects with Internet, it bypasses NSFnet between the three of them
  - effectively establishing a commercial data backbone as an alternative to
  NSFNet. The three claim that between them they provide 80% of the
  commercial connections anyway and now those companies can pass business
  related traffic over this commercial backbone. And all three provide both
  Internet, and their new commercial backbone service more or less on a
  national basis. While you may wind up a long distance call from the
  nearest dial up location, they will generally accept applications from
  anywhere.

  The remaining mid-levels tend, for various reasons, to want to observe a
  gentleman's geography agreement with regards to serving those in their own
  areas and not competing with another mid-level. Since the online world
  overall specifically and at times pointedly ignores physical geography,
  this is just too quaint to be believed. But there can be a lot of other  facto
  governments for example and it can be genuinely awkward to have state tax
  money used to provide access to those from other areas.

  If you are affiliated in any way with a university or community college,
  you may already have access to Internet without being aware of it.
  Virtually all Universities have connections at this point and there are
  those who maintain that the Computer Science Departments have not done a
  good job of making the remaining faculty and students aware of this.
  Often, if you are attending school or on staff of a University or
  community college, all you have to do to get dial up access - at least for
  e-mail purposes, is ask the Computer Science Department. For the rest,
  contact the mid-level nearest you and ask them what they have available.
  Most of these either have active dial-in programs, or have expressed some
  plans or interest in establishing such a program in the future.

  Clearly the Internet is growing at a fantastic rate now. The body of
  systems on the network has reached a mass large enough to become a
  temptation to anyone operating a LAN to join the party - just to have
  world-wide e-mail access. And it would appear that the Federal government
  may pour about $2 billion worth of "gasoline on the fire" with the NREN
  bill. Internet will very likely play a dominant role in our online
  networking future.


  BOOK REVIEW - !%@:: A DIRECTORY OF ELECTRONIC MAIL ADDRESSING AND NETWORKS

  by Alan D. Applegate

  Boardwatch readers may already know something about the vastness of
  Internet, as we've attempted to cover this "mega-network" from various
  angles before. But this same vastness makes it hard to find your way
  around or to have much of a clue about who and what is available on
  Internet. One of the more powerful features of Internet - electronic mail
  - is daunting to use, and figuring out a proper destination address can
  lead to premature aging. As we've said before, however, there's almost no
  electronic mailbox that can't be reached through an Internet link.

  Enter !%@:: A Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing and Networks from
  O'Reilly and Associates. Edited by Donnalyn Frey and Rick Adams, this tome
  is practically a phone book and map of Internet connections. Its purpose
  is to serve as a handbook for addressing and networks, targeting primarily
  those wanting to send e-mail through the worldwide maze of networks. The
  book lists over 130 of the world's research and educational networks,
  along with commercial networks such as MCImail.

  The bulk of the book is composed of listings of the major networks in
  alphabetical order. Each listing consumes two facing pages, with complete
  facilities, contact, addressing and architecture information on the left
  page, and a map on the right page noting the physical connections to the
  network. For example, the listing for ACSnet - The Australian University
  and Research Network - lists e-mail, file transfer, remote printing and
  USENET news are all facilities available; ACSnet uses Internet-style
  addressing; it's a store and forward network similar to UUCPnet; and  linkages
  on the right) via X.400 links, BITNET, CSNET, EAN, JANET, SUN III links
  and UUCP. (You can find the other networks listed in the book as well.)

  Probably the single most useful portion of the book is Chapter 1 - A User
  Introduction to Electronic Mail. It provides an introduction to e-mail
  message formatting and addressing, complete with examples and thorough,
  easy-to-understand text. If you find yourself overwhelmed by the
  complexity of Internet, UUCP, BITNET or X.400 addressing, this section of
  the book will clear your mind. In my case, I find my mind repeatedly
  reclogged by Internet addressing, so I've found myself referring to it
  over and over. This chapter was especially helpful when I needed to
  convert a UUCP-style address to an Internet-style address in order to send
  an outbound message. Its explanation of the concepts of multi-level
  domains was insightful.

  The appendices are also infinitely interesting, if not useful. A listing
  of domains by various criteria (the lists are sorted by country, then
  repeated, first by system name then by domain name) I found that Symbion
  Videnformidling in Denmark could be reached by the domain "symbion.dk",
  and that Ford Motor Company's domain is - appropriately enough - ford.com.
  Hundreds (thousands?) of domains are listed. Domains aren't specific
  addresses - you still need the specific mailbox name of your desired
  recipient on the host computer carrying that domain. Still, it's
  fascinating to see how interconnected our world really is.

  The book does outline some standard conventions for things, one of which I
  found particularly interesting - you can usually send a message to
  "postmaster" at any of the domains, and reach a system administrator. This
  would seem to suggest that I could send a message to postmaster@uswest.com
  and ask for the e-mail address of my buddies at the phone company
  (although I haven't tried it).

  Bound into the back cover is a pocket guide tear-out card for all you "e-
  mail heads" out there who wouldn't be caught with your addressing pants
  down when on the road. The pocket guide lists all of the networks shown in
  the book, along with their e-mail addressing style.

  !%@:: A Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing and Networks is one of the
  few books I've seen with an upgrade program for new versions. Just be sure
  and send in your postage-paid registration card, and you'll be able to buy
  the next update at 25% off.

  The book is somewhat hard to find and you may need to order it, but it's
  worth the price if you're serious about Internet electronic mail. !%@:: A
  Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing and Networks, 444 pages, $27.95,
  ISBN 0-937175-15-3. O'Reilly and Associates, 632 Petaluma Ave.,
  Sebastopol, CA 95472; uunet!ora!nuts e-mail, 800-338-6887 voice.


  BOSTON COMPUTER SOCIETY TO JOIN INTERNET
  by Adam Gaffin

  The Boston Computer Society plans to give small non-profit agencies (and
  possibly small businesses) in Massachusetts access to the kind of  networked c
  setting up a Unix-based conferencing system tied to the Internet research
  network.

  The society has already committed at least $10,000 and hired a networking
  expert part-time to develop the new system, which will center on a donated
  copy of Caucus conferencing software and which will be called Mass.
  Online.

  Miles Fidelman, the Bolt, Beranek and Newman expert hired to put the
  project together, says he hopes it will go online later this year.

  By tying the non-profits to the network used daily by thousands of high-
  tech and university researchers and employees, Mass. Online could help
  create a new social dynamic, he says.

  "In Massachusetts, we make a big deal about our professional and high-tech
  community, most of which is on the Internet," he says. "You've got this
  huge resource of people out there at the end of a wire, who may be eager
  to help their community but who simply have limited time. With a networked
  PC or workstation already on their desk, though, they could prove to be a
  valuable resource for non-profit groups," he says.

  Fidelman says a key phase of the project will be training the people who
  would use the proposed systems. Although powerful, conferencing systems
  can be confusing even to people who know their way around a computer
  bulletin-board, let alone people who work in small volunteer agencies that
  may not have computers. He says the computer society already has an active
  program aimed at getting computer equipment donated to non-profit groups
  and that he would expect society members would pitch in to help group
  workers learn their ways around any system.

  There has been some grumbling among BCS membership over the money the
  society has already committed to Mass. Online. Some in the ranks question
  doing this when funding for the bulletin-board systems the society already
  runs is only being guaranteed for six months this year.  The Boston
  Computer Society, 188 Needham Street, Suite 230, Newton, MA 02164; 617-
  964-2547 voice; 617-964-7702 fax.

  PILOT'S WEATHER SERVICE ONLINE
  Jeppesen Data Plan Inc. offers national weather service data online with
  several notable features. The weather data includes depictive maps that
  can be viewed on screen or printed out on your printer as well as the
  usual all-capitals printout of national weather service data.

  Several elements make the JEPP/LINK service notable. It is available via
  low cost X.25 packet switching networks including CompuServe's network and
  Tymnet. They also offer an 800 number direct dial at 800-767-7000 (7E1).
  Further, while the service can be accessed using any terminal program, map
  data really requires an associated terminal program. JEPP/LINK not only
  provides this terminal software at no charge, but it is available online
  on many BBS systems.

  Version 1.2 of the terminal program comes in the file JEPLNK12.ZIP. The
  file is currently available on the Boardwatch Online Information Service  as w
  who calls at 800-553-7750.

  The software features an excellent installation program, online
  documentation for both the service and software, and overall it is very
  easy to use. It found and correctly installed our modem and VGA screen.
  Most impressive, it asked us for our area code and exchange and actually
  located the local CompuServe access number from an internal database. If
  it guesses incorrectly, you can obtain your local CompuServe access number
  by dialing 800-848-8199 or Tymnet local access number at 800-336-0149.
  Access by CompuServe or Tymnet is 20 cents each minute and 800 number
  access is charged at 30 cents. There is a $3.50 monthly minimum charge but
  it is only applied if you use the service during that month. Online sign
  up by Master Card or Visa is quite straight forward and you can use the
  service immediately. The service asks for a logon ID. Enter "F" to sign up
  as a new user. The combination of easy to get, free terminal software and
  quick online sign up and access were impressive.

  The service itself provides weather data for a all areas of the country, a
  wide variety of weather maps, and some impressive flight planning
  calculators. All data can be logged to the disk for later viewing, viewed
  online, or printed out to a printer. The program works superbly with any
  HP Laserjet compatible printer.

  The maps of course are the reason to use the terminal software. When you
  select a map from a menu, it automatically downloads to your system where
  it is saved on disk, displays on the screen, and if you want, prints out
  on your printer as soon as the screen display is completed. The maps are
  informative, seem to be well designed for pilots, but were visually not
  terribly impressive. We've seen more attractive maps from other weather
  services. But aside from wow appeal, the software/service combination made
  them very easy to obtain, printout, store, and use and if you're after
  weather data rather than eye-candy, the process is very easy to use.

  The flight planning calculators for pilots were very easy to use. We
  entered a departure point of DEN for Denver, a destination point of STL
  for St. Louis, our time of departure. The service also asked if we wanted
  to manually enter wind data or use forecasts from the weather service in
  the calculation. We also entered a flight speed of 260 knots and a fuel
  rate of 9 gallons-per-hour.

  The resulting calculation was pretty impressive. It indicated our true
  distance would be 678 miles, a travel time of 2:29 with a true airspeed
  corrected for winds of 234 knots. We would burn 22 gallons of fuel getting
  there. It made me wish I actually had an airplane or knew the first thing
  about flying one.

  JEPP/LINK offers nothing notable in National Weather Service data you
  can't get elsewhere and the maps are handy if underwhelming. But by making
  the software easy to obtain, install, and use - even for complete novices
  to the online world, and providing the services at charges that are
  reasonable and convenient with no delay in access, JEPP/LINK has a winner
  here. Pilots with a PC and modem but not a lot of time or inclination to
  become PC communications experts will love it. Jeppesen Data Plan Inc.,
  P.O. Box 1780, Los Gatos, CA 95031.


                              DIRECT DIAL BBS

  MASSACHUSETTS COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND BBS

  by Adam Gaffin

  Speech synthesizers open the world of computing up to the blind. Because
  these devices can read ASCII and translate that into a simulated voice,
  they let the blind and visually impaired manage their finances, dash off
  letters, even play text-based computer games and write computer programs -
  in short, pretty much everything the sighted can do. This extends to the
  world of online communications.

  Last June, the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind started up its own
  BBS (the first state-run BBS in Massachusetts, by the way), using PCBoard
  software whose text and ANSI codes mesh with a user's voice synthesizer.
  The number is 617-451-5327.

  The system carries a large number of text files of concern to the visually
  impaired, such as copies of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act
  and relevant state statutes. There is also a job database that lets the
  blind, who cannot read the daily paper, compete with their sighted
  counterparts, as well as various household and computer-management files
  for downloading.

  But the system is not all business. There are several doors that feature
  games and fun information. For example, many blind people have police
  scanners. But figuring out which frequencies to lock into can be difficult
  because there are no Braille translations of the books that list
  frequencies. So the BBS has a database that lets users put in their
  favorite frequencies and search for others. There is also an online
  dictionary and games aimed at teens.

  The BBS was the idea of Charles Crawford, the head of the commission, who
  is visually impaired himself. Since he ``discovered'' computers four years
  ago, Crawford has steadily computerized his commission. Workers
  communicate extensively by e-mail on a commission local-area network. The
  commission recently added a fax board and optical-character recognition
  software to its LAN. Now, Crawford says, he can read and respond to fax
  messages - even calling them up from home.

  Crawford says the commission hopes to begin experimenting with tying the
  BBS to a CD-ROM drive, which could offer callers access to vast amounts of
  information and programs - if the commission can find anybody willing to
  donate the CDs, since there is no money in the budget for them.

  Crawford has also become an accomplished dBASE programmer - he even wrote
  several of the doors and programs on the commission BBS.

  But Crawford says he is worried about the future, ironically because of
  the growing importance of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), which are
  supposed to make computing easier.
  Because they rely so heavily on graphics and mice, rather than on the
  ASCII and command-line instructions that drives speech synthesizers, GUI-
  based programs and systems start out as a serious impediment to the blind.

  Worse, more and more programs are being written exclusively for GUIs,
  Crawford says.

  ``In a sense it's like having built a bridge between access and no access
  and now somebody puts a land mine at the bottom and it's ticking,''
  Crawford says.

  Crawford says a number of companies, including IBM, are looking at how to
  adapt GUIs for use by the blind, but that the pace of research is far
  slower than the pace at which GUIs are taking over the personal-computer
  market.

  But he says he is confident something will happen eventually - either
  because the software industry voluntarily comes up with a GUI-to-voice-
  synthesizer standard, or because it is forced to by legal action under the
  Americans with Disability Act.

  Crawford says one hope is Unicode, a new attempt to create a sort of mega-
  ASCII encompassing the characters of all the major languages, including
  Chinese and Japanese. It should not be too hard to include an additional
  set of codes or instructions in there that could translate mouse-type
  commands or icons into a set of instructions a voice synthesizer could
  deal with.

  [Adam Gaffin writes a computer column for the Middlesex News in
  Framingham, Mass., where a version of this article originally appeared -
  Editor].


  EXEC-PC INTROS CHAT SERVICE

  EXEC-PC, by all accounts the nation's largest BBS with over 200 incoming
  telephone lines, has inaugurated an experimental chat line service at 414-
  789-4400 on April 4th, 1991

  The new service, operating on a separate 32-line system using
  Galacticomm's The Major BBS software, allows online interactive chat
  service. Throughout EXEC-PC's history, it has focused on business
  shareware program downloads. But during the past year or so, an online
  message system was added which proved popular and the separate chat line
  service addition is somewhat natural.

  The service is priced at $20 for 200 hours online. Existing EXEC-PC
  subscribers ($60 annual access) automatically receive 10 hours free usage.
  Anyone who calls receives a demo account allowing a good browse about the
  system.

  Chat line services comprise their own world. Many individuals enjoy live
  interaction online with the anonymity of the keyboard/screen interface.  And i
  I've always been a little bit lost.

  Galacticomm's THE MAJOR BBSs oftware includes a series of action macros
  that allow callers to hug each other, blush, sneeze, and so forth. Our
  observation is that these tend to be a bit overused with callers snorting,
  giggling, hugging and caressing each other, etc. to the point that little
  in the way of conversation actually occurs. But again, those who like
  these services are quite enthusiastic.

  Bob Mahoney started EXEC-PC in 1982 in an apartment bedroom in Wisconsin.
  The system has grown steadily since then and received it's three millionth
  telephone call on October 19, 1990. They expect to receive the four
  millionth call about the same time this year and will award a V.32bis
  modem to whoever makes it. Today, the system offers 181 dialup lines plus
  the 32-line chat system for a total of 213 incoming telephone lines. They
  are currently receiving over 3300 calls daily and subscribers who pay a
  $60 annual subscription fee download 565,000 files monthly from the 7
  Gigabyte storage area. Slightly over 50,000 IBM programs are available on
  the system. The new chat service operates at 414-789-4400 while the main
  system is available at 414-789-4210. EXEC-PC, PO Box 57, Elm Grove, WI
  53122,


  COMM-POST BBS - ASTRONOMY ONLINE

  by Alan D. Applegate

  As a Sysop myself, I have remarkably little time to be calling around to
  other BBS on a routine basis. But if there's one system I call regularly
  above all others, it's got to be Brian Bartee's Comm-Post BBS in Denver,
  Colorado.

  Bartee has been running the Comm-Post since 1986, when it started as a
  replacement for an older BBS called "Star-Board," an astronomy related
  system that he used to call regularly, after it disappeared in 1985. The
  Comm-Post runs on six incoming lines, two of which feature USRobotics' HST
  modems (one of those being a Dual Standard with V.32 compatibility).
  eSoft's TBBS and TDBS is the software behind the operation. Line capacity
  is increasing this summer, with at least two more lines being added.

  Although its extensive shareware file libraries are actually the main
  "draw" to the Comm-Post today, the system still features a slight
  astronomy bend. A member of the Denver Astronomical Society, Bartee
  maintains an astronomy file collection of over 20 megabytes. All the
  astronomy files are available for download to new users, and there is also
  a special "astronomy access level" for qualified individuals.

  The system has available one of the top ten shareware downloads according
  to Shareware Magazine - SkyGlobe. This shareware package is a
  "planetarium" program, meaning that it displays an accurate representation
  of the sky above for your particular location and date. It comes with data
  tables for years through 1992, and has direct coordinate support for
  dozens of major and mid-size cities that you simply "point and shoot" to  sele
  automatically increments slowly, representing the changes in the sky over
  time. You can modify the display speed (or stop it), increase or decrease
  brightness (how many stars are or are not visible), change the viewing
  angle (which direction you'd be facing when you look up) and pitch (how
  far back you'd be tilting your head) and control many other aspects of the
  display with a simple "increase/decrease" keypress scheme. Look for
  SKYGLOB2.ZIP online.

  Comm-Post features what I personally feel are the most tasteful ANSI menus
  anywhere. The colors blend aesthetically instead of jumping off the screen
  at you, and the designs of the menus are simple yet pleasing. All the
  menus follow the same basic theme and color scheme, but the physical
  shapes and sizes vary depending on which menu in the system is being
  displayed. Bartee's intelligent menu design means you don't spend half
  your life waiting for the menus to paint on the screen, a welcome change
  from a lot of systems. A simple hot-key toggle on the Main Menu allows you
  to turn the graphics screens on and off easily.

  The layout of Comm-Post is vast, yet easy to follow. One of my favorite
  elements of the system is that there are lots of things to "tinker" with
  and look at online. You won't easily get bored with the system, that's for
  sure.

  One section, titled blatantly enough "Time Wasters," is a fun collection
  of miscellaneous goodies. Featuring daily quotes, a day-oriented keno game
  (for daily callers), randomly generated "psychic predictions," useless
  facts, today in history and more, this is a great place to goof around in.
  The section also features a selection of TDBS-based online games.

  Comm-Post includes a joke section with three separate message areas. The
  three areas correspond to fairly clean, somewhat nasty and outright gross
  jokes. Pick your preference with "dirtiness" and read away...you'll be
  rolling on the floor (or groaning) with this mixture of Sysop and user
  posted jokes.

  For those that like files, the Comm-Post has plenty. Featuring over 1.5
  gigabytes of online storage capacity, this is no small collection. The
  Comm-Post usually has the very newest in shareware and freeware available,
  and is my first stop when looking for something in particular. The files
  are thoughtfully arranged, and are accessible by broad categories or all
  combined at once. When accessed by category, the areas are broken further
  into separate groups. This arrangement makes it easy to search the whole
  system for something in particular, or to head right to your area of
  interest for the search. If Comm-Post has a file you're looking for, you
  can generally locate it quickly and without difficulty. Bartee claims that
  there are over 100,000 files online in over 11,000 archives, all of which
  are in ZIP format.

  Reflecting the interests of Brian's brother Roy, the Comm-Post also
  features an extensive collection of files for the old TI- PCs. Roy has
  since started his own TI-specific BBS, but the file libraries and message
  areas remain on Comm-Post.
  Bartee has placed an incredible array of equipment online. Running on a 25
  MHz 386 machine, the system features no less than four large-capacity hard
  disks, two of which are ESDI and the other pair being SCSI. The response
  time of the system while online is excellent, with no noticeable delays
  detected even when performing a file search.

  In past columns, I've mentioned how I really like systems with a homey,
  comfortable "feel" online. Comm-Post is just another one of those systems
  that emanates a great warmth and comfort that's difficult to put in words.
  It's clear that Bartee gives his system a lot of ongoing attention and
  care, and possibly that's the very thing that comes across to the user
  online. In any case, the Comm-Post is a great place to stop by in your
  modem travels. Costs are $25 for six months, $35 for a year, $75 for
  lifetime membership, and can be paid by credit card or personal check.
  Brian Bartee, The Comm-Post, P. O. Box 9601, Denver, CO 80209-0601; 303-
  534-4646 data.


  SOVIET BBS

  In our February 1990 issue, we did a story on the first BBS in the Soviet
  Union - Eesti#1 setup in Tallin Estonia on December 14, 1989 using PCBoard
  software and a modified US Robotics modem capable of a 1200 bps
  connection. A year has passed, with many changes in the world of BBSs and
  many more in the world of the Soviet Union. We thought it might bear a
  revisit.

  And indeed it does. The Eesti#1 system has been upgraded to 9600 bps
  connections. Further, there appears to be some 37 active online services
  within the Soviet Union. Evgeny Chupriyanov operates a system titled The
  Court of the Crimson King in Novosibirsk at 7-3832-35-6722 using Maximus
  CBCS Version 1.02 software. Note the format of Soviet telephone numbers. 7
  is the country code, 3832 is the Novosibirsk city code, and the six-digit
  35-6722 is the actual number.

  The system is 2:50/0 in the International Fidonet Network indicating that
  he is the International Fidonet Region 50 Coordinator for that area. In
  his online travels abroad, Evgeny goes by Eric and is available through
  the Internet as eric@isi.itfs.nsk.su. His voice line is 7-3832-35-7117.

  Serge Terekhov, one of his associates, also publishes a list of active BBS
  titled Known Union of Soviet Socialist Republic Bulletin Board Systems.
  We've reproduced version 10c of his list, dated March 13, 1991, here.
  Novosibirsk is located in the heart of the Soviet Union, in the Siberian
  lowlands just to the north and west of the Sayan Mountains on the Ob
  River. This is many hundreds of miles east of Moscow and the political
  centers we hear mentioned on television and radio. It is almost precisely
  dead center of the nation going east/west and slightly south of center in
  latitude.

  The system participates in an international education network titled K12 -
  part of FidoNet devoted to education issues. Tamara Ovodova, head of the
  Association of Parents of Handicapped Children in Academgorodok, Siberia,
  posted a message in one of the K12 echomail conferences carried on The  Court 
  children with various physical handicaps they are teaching at the local
  University. They are appealing for aid in their work and dozens of people
  from across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Great Britain are responding
  to the echomail message with various items of hardware etc. to aid them.

  During our last visit, we noted that there was no means to direct dial a
  bulletin board system within the Soviet Union. You had to dial an
  international operator and let them place the call for you, switching over
  to data by entering ATX1D on your terminal once you actually heard a modem
  tone. Moscow is now direct dial but anything outside of Moscow, and
  Novosibirsk certainly qualifies, is a dialing adventure.

  Most long distance carriers can't really make this connection so you must
  use AT&T eventually. To avoid the usual runaround, just dial 102880 to get
  the AT&T operator from the beginning. And the call requires a bit of
  setup.

  Plug a normal telephone handset into the telephone RJ-11 jack on your
  modem. Setup your terminal program for 8N1 and the baud rate desired. Type
  in ATX1D on the terminal program but don't press ENTER yet. Dial 102880 to
  get the operator. Give the operator the number you're trying to reach. You
  might mention that you are dialing a data number and she should expect a
  modem tone. When you hear the tone, press the ENTER key on your system and
  the link should make within a few seconds. Carefully hangup the handset -
  although most modems will disconnect the handset anyway.

  The least expensive time to call is between 0200 and 0700 AM MST. There
  are only a half dozen trunks to the Soviet Union so it is quite common to
  be notified that all lines are busy and to try your call later.
  Dmitry V. Volodin, who can be reached by Internet at dvv@hq.demos.su,
  tells us the most popular BBS in the Soviet Union is run by Pete Kvitek in
  Moscow and it's titled JV Dialogue 1st at 7-0953-29-2192.

  We're happy to report that at least in the case of Moscow itself, city
  code 095, you can now dial direct. But even dialing Moscow direct can be
  an adventure. AT&T remains the best service to use placing international
  calls and you can use AT&T by dialing their 10288 prefix before placing
  the call. Following the 10288, enter 011 for the international switch
  followed by the country code (7), the city code (095 for Moscow), and the
  number (329-2192 in the case of JV Dialogue 1st).

  Long distance telephone charges within the Soviet Union rose 20% as of
  March 29th 1991 an action by the Soviet Chamber of Ministers. There are at
  least two modem companies within the Soviet Union now with 1200 bps models
  starting as low as 500 rubles ($18). We look forward to an increasingly
  "wired" Soviet Union.



                              BOARDWATCH MAGAZINE

                      UNITED SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC
                                  LIST OF BBS
  Copyright  1991 - Serge Terekhov.
  ========================================================================
      TITLE                       TELEPHONE          MODEM     FIDONET
  ========================================================================
  Villa Metamorph BBS             7-012-720-0228   ?
  Kaunas #7 BBS                   7-012-720-0274   ?
  WolfBox                         7-012-773-0134   1200       2:49/10
  Eesti #1                        7-014-242-2583   9600/MNP
  Hacker's Night System #1        7-014-244-2143   9600/HST   2:490/1
  MamBox                          7-014-244-3360   19200/PEP  2:490/40
  Space Island                    7-014-245-1611   2400
  Great White of Kopli            7-014-247-3943   2400       2:490/90
  XBase System                    7-014-249-3091   2400/MNP   2:490/40.403
  Mailbox for citizens of galaxy  7-014-253-2350   1200       2:490/30
  Lion's Cave                     7-014-253-6246   9600/HST   2:490/70
  New Age System                  7-014-260-6319   2400       2:490/12
  Flying Disks BBS                7-014-268-4911   2400/MNP   2:490/40.401
  Goodwin BBS                     7-014-269-1872   2400/MNP   2:490/20
  PaPer                           7-014-343-3351   1200       2:490/70
  MESO                            7-014-343-3434   2400/MNP   2:490/60
  LUCIFER                         7-014-347-7218   2400       2:490/11
  Ozz Land                        7-017-277-8327   2400
  Post Square BBS                 7-044-417-5700   2400
  Spark System Designs            7-057-233-9344   1200       2:489/1
  Nightmare                       7-095-128-4661   2400/MNP   2:5020/1
  MoSTNet 2nd                     7-095-193-4761   2400/MNP   2:5020/4
  Kremlin                         7-095-205-3554   2400       2:480/100
  JV Dialogue 1st                 7-095-329-2192   2400/MNP   2:5020/6
  Wild Moon                       7-095-366-5175   9600/MNP   2:5020/2
  Moscow Fair                     7-095-366-5209   9600/MNP   2:5020/0
  Bargain                         7-095-383-9171   2400       2:5020/7
  Alan BBS                        7-095-532-2943   2400/MNP   2:5020/11
  Bowhill                         7-095-939-0274   2400/MNP   2:5020/9
  Angel Station BBS               7-095-939-5977   2400       2:5020/10
  PsychodeliQ Hacker Club BBS     7-351-237-3700   2400       2:5010/2
  Hall of Guild                   7-383-235-4457   2400/MNP   2:5000/0
  Sine Lex BBS                    7-383-235-4811   19200/PEP  2:5000/30
  The Court of Crimson King       7-383-235-6722   2400/MNP   2:50/0
  KREIT BBS                       7-812-164-5396   2400       2:50/201
  Petersburg's Future             7-812-310-4864   2400
  The Communication Tube          7-812-315-1158   2400/MNP   2:50/200

  Note: Only Moscow systems with city code of 095 can be direct dialed at
  this time.  To direct dial a  Moscow system, dial 10288011 plus the number
  listed above.  10288 selects AT&T as your long distance carrier and 011
  selects
  international access.

  Copyright  1991 - Serge Terekhov.