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³ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛº³ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛº³ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛº³ÛÛº ³ÛÛº³ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛº³ÛÛÛÛÚÄÄ·ÛÛÛÛº³ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛº
ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍͼÔÍÍÍÍÍÍͼÔÍÍÍÍÍÍͼÔÍͼ ÔÍͼÔÍÍÍÍÍÍͼÔÍÍÍ; ÈÍÍÍͼÔÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ
Volume 3, Issue 3 The Journal of IceNET December 1993
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ The Editor's Desk ³
³ 1. From The Top 1@1 ³
³ 2. Letters To The Editors Introduction 2@7653 ³
³ ³
³ Feature Articles ³
³ 3. Is IceNET In Danger Of Being Absorbed By FIDOnet 1@5462 ³
³ 4. How To Avoid Burnout 1@9680 ³
³ ³
³ Technical ³
³ 5. The Odd Modem 1@9661 ³
³ ³
³ WWIV Specific ³
³ 6. New Sysop Help Line 1@4707 ³
³ ³
³ Hardware ³
³ 7. Building a Personal Computer System 1@6754 ³
³ ³
³ Software ³
³ 8.Programming In C++ 1@8273 ³
³ ³
³ Light Bytes ³
³ 9. Silly Strings 1@9661 ³
³ 10.SysGods: Sysops With An Attitude 2@7653 ³
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ
T H E E D I T O R ' S D E S K
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ From The Top ³ Jim 1@1
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
IceNEWS is back ! I hope you enjoy this issue as I believe it's just the
first of what will be a very good electronic journal publication. There's a
newfound enthusiasm within the people now helping prepare IceNEWS. I'd like to
give them a hearty thanks and congratulations for getting this issue
published. I feel the new team will continue to grow and develop and will
become a yet another gem in the string of IceNET Innovations you've come to
expect.
With great pleasure, and as Editor-in-Chief (who does nothing :)), I
bring you the new and improved IceNEWS. Read, and enjoy!
Jim 1@1
IceNEWS Editor-In-Chief and Publisher
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ Letters To The Editors Introduction ³ Deacon Blues 2@7653
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
As this month's Managing Editor of the newly restructured IceNEWS, I
would like to announce the arrival of a new monthly feature to the
publication, one that has been long overdue. IceNEWS Letters To The Editors
will now appear in each new issue of IceNEWS as a service from the editors to
the readers.
As the network that it serves has grown, so, too, has IceNEWS. Gone are
the days when only one or two people were responsible for producing IceNEWS as
editors. This new restructuring effort has added many more dedicated and
energetic people into editing and writing capacities for IceNEWS, thereby
(hopefully) broadening the scope of the publication while maintaining the
highest overall quality in every respect. With the addition of new features,
the opportunity for input from our readers also broadens as there will be more
for you to comment on.
When the new editors of IceNEWS and others who also wished to be a part
of the publication got together and began the rebuilding of the publication,
one of the first questions we asked ourselves was "How can we open up IceNEWS
more to the readers, the people we're supposed to be publishing this for in
the first place?" One of the first suggestions was one of the most simple,
basic ideas one can think of, yet so simple that somehow it had never been
implemented before in the history of the publication. One that appears in
almost every other type of publication, from the largest newspaper or magazine
to the smallest school newsletter. A Letters To The Editors section.
At IceNEWS, we want to know what you think about what we publish. As the
editors, it is our job to put forward the best possible product to serve the
network and the people who read it. We need to know from you if you think
we're doing or not doing our jobs. Did you enjoy the issue? What did you like?
What did you dislike? Why? What would you like to see more of? Less of? These
are things we need to know from you, the readers, to keep us on our toes and
to help us produce the types of issues you'd like to read.
Please address your responses or questions to:
IceNEWS Letters To The Editors
c/o Jim, 1@1
Editor-In-Chief, IceNEWS
As this is the first installment of this new continuing feature, we have
no actual letters from readers to print here for this issue. However, we're
counting on you to change that for us. Please take the time to write us
regarding your feelings on IceNEWS, good or bad. We want to hear what you have
to say. We need to hear what you have to say.
Respectfully yours,
Deacon Blues, 2@7653
Managing Editor for IceNEWS - Volume 3 Issue 3 - December 1993
ÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄ
F E A T U R E A R T I C L E S
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ Is IceNET in danger of being absorbed by FIDOnet ³ Jessica Lovecraft 1@5462
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
With the upcoming release of WWIV4.23 many a SysOp have voiced concern
that IceNET in it's current state may be assimilated inside FIDOnet. I think
it's an unwarranted fear mostly found in people who are wary of change.
I've been involved with IceNET for a while now. I've seen the network
grow, change and adapt. In it's present format it has become quite viable.
Perhaps it's not as well spread outside North America as FIDOnet, or
Internet/Usenet, however IceNET continues to grow and expand. With the
multi-language addition it will most certainly attract new systems from other
areas world wide.
What has made WWIV software popular among those who use it is it's user
friendly interface. With a minimum of computer literacy, most have been able
to run a netted WWIV BBS. Such is not the case with FIDOnet compatible BBS
software.
In the past year we have seen features such as multi-network capability.
This has brought to life numerous WWIV based networks, some which are bound to
expand, but most are nothing more then local networks who's well-being is
entirely dependent on one individual the N.C. Most of these smaller nets come
and go without affecting IceNET.
As AC in WWIVnet and IceNET for the 514 area, I've noticed recently that
most of the BBSes that have had longevity with WWIVnet also carry either
WWIVlink , IceNET as well as local networks.
We've had FIDOnet in the 514 area code for as long as I can remember.
Twice a local system had decided to gate subs between FIDO and WWIV. Twice it
was dropped due to the lack of interest from the majority of the sysops in
both networks.
Making WWIV software compatible with FIDOnet will permit those who
already gate subs or run a dual system to continue to do so. Those who are
like myself who like things quick and dirty and had been thinking FIDO will
take the leap, but for most it will be nothing more then an extra feature they
have the option to use.
The philosophy behind both networks is totally different from both the
standpoint of the sysop and also that of the users. We can all enjoy the
anonymity that WWIV provides us. This is extremely important to those who are
part of visible and not so visible minorities. As a female pagan, I have the
opportunity to discuss with others all over without the fear of being
persecuted for my beliefs in my daily life.
FIDOnet does not have the same standards. For instance it is common
practice to send files via the network, through automatic request. IceNET is a
more cost conscious network, where Sysops are concerned about the extra cost
of having routing information imbedded in the messages.
Even the structure of both networks is different. My understanding is
that it is easier to weed out bad apples in IceNET, and keep some control over
the systems that are in the network. Have you tried moderating a heavy traffic
FIDOnet conference?
Assimilated inside FIDOnet? In some people's dreams only. Those who have
made the network what it is today will not go FIDO tomorrow. If they had
wished to do so, they would have left long ago.
Jessica Lovecraft 1@5462
ÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄ
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ How To Avoid Burnout ³ Chris 1@9680
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
One of the most fulfilling hobbies I have ever been involved in has been
BBS communications. And, the most gratifying part of modem communication has
been using bulletin board systems to express my thoughts and ideas. One can
almost completely express themselves through this wonderful avenue. But, if
you are like me, there comes a time when you put so much into the medium, as a
sysop, that you loose yourself and other means of enjoyment from what I call
BBS BURNOUT! This is what I am going to address in this article.
To define burnout I would be best to describe it in practical terms. Have
you ever put yourself into something so much and dedicated yourself so wholly
to something that it seemed to get old? Have you ever seemed to grow tired by
the very thought of the same thing over and over? Have you ever spent so much
time on something that it caused a stress point to the effect that you felt
like just tossing in the towel? How about this? Have you ever felt that your
bbs takes too much of your time? That it seems to be so addicting that you
just can't leave it alone? Your bbs seems to cause undo stress because of,
perhaps, users that just don't understand how you put your all into the bbs
but yet they want you, and even demand you to give them instant action? These
are just some of the symptoms of BBS BURNOUT!
Now how does one handle this situation. Well, that is the point of the
whole matter isn't it. I personally got so burned out that I announced a
premature closing of my bbs. I was so tired of it all that I was about to shut
it down for good. But being as addicted as the rest of us sysops, I decided
that was not the thing to do. I needed to learn how to handle and control my
love for the bbs and, yet, still keep my sanity and my other life's priorities
in line.
Here are some things I learned on this matter that I hope will help you
to never come to the point of burnout, or to help get you through the point of
burnout. First, look at your priorities. If you don't have any, think of some
of these. Which is more important to you. How about your family? How about
your time to get alone by yourself? How about he priority of relationships
outside the bbs life? What about your means of earning a living? Indeed these
should be close to the top of your priority list. One needs to set priorities
in their life if they are to survive.
I have a list that I thought you may like to see. This is my personal
list that, if only I would adhere to, I would be a lot better off.
1. My family. Providing for their care and giving them not only my financial
benefits but my time, quality time, and providing advise and love and just
being there when needed? If this is lacking, it could be most miserable for
you.
2. My job. Where do the bucks come from? Sometimes a job can provide a way of
escape from the same old same old if you know what i mean.
3. My personal time alone. Now this really is a need in everyone's life you
know. We all need time to collect our thoughts and to think the day
through. To evaluate our life and see where we have come from and to where
we are going.
4. My bbs. This is the last of my priorities. Now sometimes this tends to get
on the top of the list, but when it does, I find that is when burnout
becomes a problem. Yes, your bbs is an important thing, but is it more
important than the other priorities?...
Now I am not saying that these are all my priorities, but they are some
of the major ones. How about you? Have you set priorities in your own personal
life? If not, I would suggest that you think your priorities over and set up a
list of importance.
Second, after you have set your priorities, consider how you react to
your bbs. Is it almost an obsessive thing to you? Can you leave it for a day
without feeling that you are missing something. DO YOU CONTROL YOUR BBS OR
DOES YOUR BBS CONTROL YOU? That is the root of the thing isn't it? We all need
to learn that a bbs will survive us say, leaving for a vacation or just
getting away for a day. It will operate fine even if we don't log on every
hour to check our mail or to check who has logged on. We need to learn that we
MUST put it aside at times. If we don't, there may come a time we may just
leave it for good.
The thing I want us to learn here is that we must be able to control all
extra things in our lives if we are to maintain our sanity or our stress
levels. Too much of anything is not good. I guess the word here is MODERATION.
Don't be obsessive about the bbs. Walk away at times. Not that I think we
should abandon it altogether, but just realize it will still be there when we
get back to it.
There are a few things we could do that will give us that time away. How
about a very close friend or relative that will share the sysop
responsibilities with you? I have learned that having another person take some
of the responsibility does wonders for my out look of the bbs. A one person
show, sometimes, is not the best way to go. Delegate some duties to others.
There are those who would be very happy to assist... Just make sure they are
people you can trust. Everyone has someone they can delegate to. If you are
one of the rare ones who doesn't, train someone you like that is on your bbs.
Get to know them. And try them out on different responsibilities to see how
they handle them.
Learn to cope with your stress. Live just one day at a time. Realize that
you can't do it all in a day. Anything is good doesn't come over night. Don't
worry about it so much. Worrying doesn't solve a thing, it only brings on more
stress and eventual BURNOUT. Toss those things you worry about to other people
you delegate to help you. Once you delegate learn that you still have to
follow through on your helpers. Here is a little list on delegation which may
help you, it has me.
Identify the project.
Identify who can deal with the project.
Delegate that responsibility to someone you can trust to do it.
Make sure they have the necessary materials to handle it.
Follow through by asking how it is coming, if they are on top of it.
Let it go and don't worry about it.
Yes, delegation is a tremendous way to aid in lowering your stress
factor. Try it! Anyway, I would rather see that us sysops try to control our
own situations by setting priorities and learning how to delegate
responsibilities than taking down our bbs's.
So, in conclusion, do give in to BURNOUT! Prioritize, and delegate where
you can. You will find these are some of the major keys to avoiding the giving
up feeling and keeping your sanity. Hang in there, and let me know if I can be
of further assistance
Chris Nicholson, 1@9680
ÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄ
T E C H N I C A L
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ The Odd Modem ³ Ima Moron 1@9661
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
Some months ago I received a free Racal Vadic 9632VP modem. The Racal
9632VP isn't listed in Modems.mdm and with Racal's unique service policy where
they burn an eprom according to the customer's needs the modem created a
unique setup problem for putting this modem to use.
Definitions: anomaly; a quirk that is a deviation from the expected norm
but does not render a device useless. TOS; Top Of Screen, the user data.
For one whole day the old Racal operated flawlessly, then the eprom blew
when a user changed the baud while online. BAM! the Racal came offline and I
called Racal Milgo company for a price quote of $257.00 to repair or replace
the modem. Good luck Racal, at that price I could buy a new US Robotics
sportster. I caught a user friend of mine on the BBS and requested that he
look at the modem, he fixed the eprom for the use of the modem for a month. My
sincere thanks Lucas Nihart for having salvaged my Xmas present.
EPROM CHIPS
The eprom chip is the operating brain in a modem. The buyer of a used
modem may expect a standard "hayes compatible" burn, the reality of the
situation is that you never know what the previous owners have had done to the
hardware setup. A smart move for the buyer of a used modem would be to plug it
in and run some diagnostic software to determine if the non-volatile memory
and the uart chip are operating correctly, particularly if you acquired an old
modem used in a business. You can acquire diagnostic software made
specifically for this purpose from;
The Modem Doctor Copyr. 1989, 1990,1991,1992,1993 Hank Volpe
P.O. Box 43214
Baltimore MD 21236
Voice : 410-256-5767
BBS : 410-256-3631
This is semi-shareware that will determine the operating condition of a
modem. If you're interested in acquiring that file watch for MDR51.ZIP,
MODEMD51.ZIP, and MODOC51.ZIP. 51 stands for version 5.1, the latest release
from the programmer. This file determines the condition of both chips and
spells out the operating standard programed into the eprom.
Eprom knowledge learned and applied
An interesting point about the new genre of modems and eprom chips should
be mentioned at this point. Some of these modems have an engineering anomaly
(1) of the eprom, this anomaly in the operation may cause some of what the
operator presumes possible to be impossible. This anomaly has manifested
itself before myself within a GVC corporation manufactured modem which had a
problem switching v42 off and establishing a v22bis at 2400 baud connect, also
a non v42 9600 baud MNP5 v32 connect. The modem was engineered to utilize the
v42 data compression with MNP5, if switched off the modem had a problem
acquiring the connect parameters as per the instructions of the hayes B1
command. GVC believing that this anomaly was harmless had engineered new soft-
ware designed to operate within the hardware limitations. Eventually the
retailer replaced my GVC model 144I modem with a different model of the GVC
144I. I actually believed that GVC had designed the modem to sell a certain
software, actually they just attempted to capitalize on an anomaly that forced
that model of modem to the bargain bins of the Fingerhut Company mail order
businesses. The point here is that you need a working and predictable eprom
chip that you may command to be compatible with software of your choice.
Again, the modem doctor will return whether your eprom is a standard hayes
type or something from mars. When you run modem doctor watch the S register
returns for normal results, if modem doctor receives an unusual return it will
send a message to the display.
The Racal Vadic 9632VP modems.mdm
As it is today, my Racal Vadic 9632VP will connect at all baud rates with
or without MNP 1-5. Below is the current modems.mdm file I have for the Racal
modem, I have since added a 14.4 Infotel to the BBS and now use the Racal on a
different computer, but this file works. Pervious connects with @9680 have
produced bi-directional transfers of 1300 cps throughput, @9680 uses a Supra
14.4.
One more note...always check your terminal software program for which
file number the modem auto-install wrote to, if you don't you might wind up in
a conflict with your BBS modems.dat file when you raise your terminal.
##############################################################################
#
# Racal-vadic 9632VP
#
FILE: "RACAL"
NAME: "RACAL 9632VP"
NOTE: "This is a tested addendum to modems.mdm, created by 1@9661"
SETU: "AT&F{~~~~~AT*E1E*F20M0&C1&D2S2=1S0=0X9&W0{"
INIT: "ATZ0*E1S0=0S2=1{"
ANSR: "ATA{"
PICK: "ATH1{"
HANG: "ATH0{"
DIAL: "ATDT"
SEPR: "/"
DEFL: MS=9600 CS=19200 EC=N DC=N AS=N FC=Y
RESL: "OK" "Normal" NORM
RESL: "RING" "Ring" RING
RESL: "NO CARRIER" "No Carrier" DIS
RESL: "ERROR" "Error" ERR
RESL: "NO DIALTONE" "No Dial Tone" NDT
RESL: "BUSY" "Busy" DIS
RESL: "NO ANSWER" "No Answer" DIS
RESL: "CONNECT 103" "300" MS=300
RESL: "CONNECT" "300" MS=300
RESL: "CONNECT 1200" "1200" MS=1200
RESL: "CONNECT 2400" "2400" MS=2400
RESL: "CONNECT 4800" "4800" MS=4800
RESL: "CONNECT 9600" "9600" MS=9600
RESL: "ERROR CONTROL" '/MNP' EC=Y CON
RESL: "NO ERROR CONTROL" '' EC=N CON
RESL: "CLASS 5 COMPRESSION" '/MNP5' DC=Y CON
RESL: "NO DATA COMPRESSION" '' DC=N CON
Ima Moron 1@9661 - IceNEWS Contributing Writer
ÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄ
W W I V S P E C I F I C
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ New WWIV Sysop Help Line ³ Jack Ryan 1@4707
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
The first few months for a new sysop are trying times. At least, they
were for me. For the most part, a new sysop won't know from what resources
he/she will be able to draw from, and the documentation is not always easy for
the uninitiated to understand. Hopefully, this continuing feature will help
clear up some of the mysteries of running a bbs for new sysops, and also
provide possible sources of information for future questions to be referenced.
This first column is designed to help the new sysop (or any sysop) find
the right place to go for help. While Wayne, Filo and Jim are always willing
to help sysops, it is not always necessary to go to them for assistance. I'm
sure that they enjoy it, but I imagine it can become overwhelming at times.
Hopefully after reading this, there will be a better understanding of the
support system that has been established for all sysops (new or old) in
IceNET.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The [ISB] and [IPSS] Systems
In the two years that I have been a sysop, there have been some dramatic
improvements in assisting new sysops. One of the best, in my opinion, was the
revamping of the ISB (IceNET Support Board), and the addition of the IPSS
(IceNET Primary Support System). These systems can be identified by the [ISB]
or [IPSS] designations following the BBS name. There are a limited number of
ISB and IPSS systems, ISB systems are limited to 1 system for every 10 systems
while IPSS systems are limited to 1 per 100 systems in the network. This helps
to ensure that each system has been checked out, and can provide quality
assistance to the sysops who come looking for files, and answers to questions.
All ISB systems have a Guest Sysop Account [GSA] for visiting sysops to
log in under so that they have immediate access to the board. There will also
be a minimum of 5 megs. of WWIV related files, and the current BBSLIST.* and
CONNECT.* files available for download.
IPSS systems are required to have a sysop with at least one year of WWIV
experience, 30+ megs. of WWIV related files, including the most recent WWIV
support files, and will also have Auto-Sysop Validation [ASV]. I have listed
the IPSS systems below to provide you with a convenient reference.
[IPSS] Systems
Node Number Modem Info. BBS Name
@1 716-592-5652 #38400 < !$ The Great White North [IPSS]
@2050 210-631-5841 #14400 < !$ Dragon's Ice Den [IPSS]
@3402 304-465-5223 #2400 The Empire BBS [IPSS]
@3950 319-296-1529 #14400 < HIT BBS [IPSS]
@5900 509-487-6572 #14400 !$ DATA*NORTH*WEST [IPSS]
@6100 601-969-1190 #14400 !$ Patriot Games [IPSS]
@6211 602-942-9228 #14400 < !$ Moon Valley Triangle [IPSS]
@8315 803-731-0690 #38400 < !$ Trading Post South [IPSS]
[ISB] Systems
@13 716-235-5235 #9600 < ! The Doctor's Office [ISB]
@2101 201-991-2369 #2400 Cyber World [ISB]
@2461 214-661-3410 #14400 !$ Roide's Pleasure Palace [ASV][ISB]
@2920 209-523-5878 #14400 !$ One More BBS [ISB]
@3314 303-755-1884 #14400 !$ Erana's Peace [ASV/ISB]
@3321 303-469-5223 #14400 !$ The Underground [ISB]
@3454 314-963-7960 #2400 Rap City BBS [GSA] [ISB]
@3466 314-432-8031 #14400 !$ Death's Lair [ISB] [ASV]
@3476 314-939-4113 #16800 < !$ Callahan's Crosstime Saloon [ISB]
@3480 314-942-9907 #14400 < !$ Tracy's Place [ISB]
@3500 305-587-0185 #16800 < !$ The Samurai Palace [ISB]
@4903 409-830-0719 #14400 !$ Mental Meltdown [ISB]
@5050 510-256-9809 #14400 !$ Party Wherehouse [ISB]
@5802 508-757-1102 #14400 !$ Sanctuary [ISB] [PIB]
@5814 508-795-7672 #14400 !$ The Bears Cave BBS [ISB]
@5850 518-587-0317 #14400 !$ Florida Keys [ISB]
@5851 518-566-8903 #14400 < !$ Alpha Station [ISB]
@5902 509-624-2480 #2400 Tiki's Express[ISB]
@6258 612-755-1264 #2400 The Shack BBS [ISB]
@6259 612-935-3505 #14400 !$ AeroTech BBS [ISB/ASV]
@7662 716-691-9036 #14400 < !$ The Gaming World [ISB]
@7663 716-691-7257 #14400 < !$ The œunar œounge [ASV/ISB]
@7664 716-691-0798 #14400 < !$ The Nine Worlds of Asgard [ISB/ASV]
@7671 716-675-9384 #9600 < ! Berea [CIN/ISB]
@7686 716-283-7236 #14400 !$ The Tower of High Sorcery [ISB]
@7704 707-539-8361 #14400 !$ Atlantica [ISB]
@7751 717-298-2136 #14400 !$ Starfleet Command [ISB/ASV]
@8135 801-774-5574 #14400 < !$ The Sandbox ][ [ASV/ISB]
@9050 910-000-0000 #14400 !$ The Pet Shop [ASV] [ISB]
@9653 916-275-5708 #14400 !$ The Electronic Maelstorm[ISB]
@9680 916-222-8911 #16800 < !$ Maestro BBS [ASV][CIN][ISB]
@9707 907-356-7632 #14400 !$ The Trading Post [North][ISB]
@9902 909-243-8570 #2400 Mental Illusions[ISB]
@9958 919-924-2373 #2400 InFiNiTe rEaLiTy BBS [ISB]
@9969 919-497-2963 #14400 !$ The Pet Shop [ASV] [ISB]
@15269 512-592-8054 #14400 !$ Secret City BBS [ASV/ISB]
Modem Info Identifiers:
< USR Host ! CCITT v.32 (9600bps) $ CCITT v.32bis (14.4bps)
Daryl (1@5900) is the coordinator of this program, and he (along with Jim
(1@1) have done a wonderful job of implementing this very valuable support
system.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[GSA] and [ASV] Directory
Another recent development within IceNET has been the compilation of
systems that have ASV (Auto Sysop Validation) and GSA (Guest Sysop Accounts).
Lance Halle (1@6211) is handling this task for IceNET, and has done his usual
fan- tastic job with it. These systems allow other WWIV sysops first call
access to the files section on their boards. The list is compiled with
identifiers to show which systems carry what type of files, and the quantity
(number of files). This list may be obtained straight from the IceNET sysops
conference every month, or you may wish to contact Lance for more information.
Here is the updated version of the directory from Lance himself
specifically for IceNEWS:
GSA / ASV DIRECTORY
==== Guest Sysop Account systems [GSA] ====
==== Auto Sysop Validation systems [ASV] ====
+++ NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW +++
Now being distributed on IceNET, and includes two new service flags
and network identifiers.
1 = WWIVnet 2 = IceNET 3 = WWIVnet + IceNET
@ = IPSS (IceNET Primary Support System) ! = ISB (IceNET Support Board)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
### -=* Please read NEW policy on granting access to MODS & MODNET *=- ###
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FILE CATEGORIES
Number of files available
LOWER case list UPPER case list
A = Audio Files 20+ 200+
C = Games For WWIV 25+ 250+ NOTE - This listing only
D = Dos Utilities 25+ 250+ gives an indication of
E = GIFs 30+ 300+ how many files a system
G = Games - off line type 30+ 300+ has to offer. Many
I = IceNET support files 2+ 20+ systems with small hard
L = Link support files 2+ 20+ drives keep only the
M = Mods for WWIV 50+ (SEE BELOW) 500+ BEST and MOST RECENT
N = Communications Programs 10+ 100+ files, so don't overlook
O = OS-2 Utilities 15+ 150+ them!
P = Compression Files 5+ 50+
S = Virus Scanners 5+ 50+
V = VBBS support files 5+ 50+
W = WWIV support files 50+ 500+
X = Windows Utilities 15+ 150+
NOTE ABOUT MODS: Per Filo's & Wayne's request, MODS and MODNET should NOT
be available to first time callers. The Sysop needs to verify the caller's
WWIV registration number by verifying it in the BBSLIST.* files of WWIVnet, or
with Filo (1@2050) BEFORE granting access MODS or MODNET. NOTE: MODNET refers
to SubType 2370. MODS refers to any other Sub or Directory that carries WWIV
mods.
SERVICES
* = Official Source Distribution Site
# = Official WWIV Support Board
@ = IPSS (IceNET Primary Support System)
! = ISB (IceNET Support Board)
% = PCPursuitable
~ = Unknown System
These will be removed from the listing after 30 days to allow
time for errors in the NET updates to be corrected.
NETWORKS
1 = WWIVnet 2 = IceNET 3 = WWIVnet + IceNET
PROTOCOL IDENTIFIERS
< = USRobotics HST protocol ! = V.32 protocol
> = Hayes V-series protocol $ = V.32bis protocol
| = Telebit PEP protocol / = Compucom 9600 protocol
MODEM LINK SPEEDS (Sp)
2 = 2400 9 = 9600 14 = 14400 16 = 16800
ACCOUNT TYPES
A = Auto Sysop Validation systems [ASV]
G = Guest Sysop Account systems [GSA]
DIRECTORY
Files & Account type-|
Services Protocol-| |
ACDEGILMNOPSVWX*#@!% Node Net Phone BBS Name St Sp | |
-------------------- ----- -- ------------ ------------------ -- -- --- --
c M w *# 7 1 415-349-4141 Crest CA 16 <!$ A
W *# 856 1 011-81-611-733-4832 Shinobi's SwordJA 14 <!$ A
c ilm w *#@ 2050 3 512-631-5841 The Dragons Den TX 14 !$ A
C ilM w *#@ 2051 3 512-631-9417 The Dragon's Den II TX 14 !$ A
A DEG Mnops wX # 2077 1 210-659-7267 Sam's BBS TX 14 <!$ A
c lm w % 2456 1 214-570-5950 The Insane Asylum TX 14 <!$ A
ACDeGilMN PsvwX 2623 1 206-252-1568 The FIREHOUSE! WA 9 >! AG
cdeg n ps wx 2660 1 216-743-4215 R.A.D.S Y-TOWN BBS OH 9 ! AG
cdeg w 2661 1 216-337-0758 K's Korner BBS OH 14 !$ AG
CD n s W *# 2914 3 209-549-0423 Anything Goes BBS CA 12 !$ A
c e m 2924 1 209-469-3532 CandyLand BBS CA 14 !$ AG
AcDEG lmNOPSvwX 2932 1 209-274-0621 Ship's BBS CA 14 !$ A
c mn ps wx 3081 3 310-973-4949 Entity CA 14 !$ AG
cd gilm p 3085 1 310-790-8560 The SlowSleep BBS CA 14 !$ G
acdeg mn p x 3101 1 301-229-2957 The Star-Lit BBS MD 14 !$ A
c m w 3106 1 301-208-0832 Dupont Plaza [ASV-GSA]MD 2 AG
cde m w *# !% 3314 3 303-755-1884 Erana's Peace CO 14 !$ A
n ps w * % 3459 1 314-861-1820 The M&M Factory MO 14 <!$ G
egilM !% 3476 3 314-939-4113 Callahan's Crosstime MO 9 ! AG
c il W 3484 1 314-963-7960 Rap City BBS MO 2 G
ac eg lmn w 3518 1 305-587-0185 The Samurai Palace FL 14 !$ A
g lmnOps wx # 3900 1 309-452-2838 Adventurer's Corner IL 16 <!$ A
c mn w 3905 1 309-452-2616 The Dark Side IL 2 A
Cd ilmn p w @ 3950 3 319-296-1529 HIT BBS IA 16 <!$ AG
d n ps 3956 3 319-277-0166 Diamond's BBS IA 16 <!$ A
acdEgILMn ps wx 4052 2 410-252-8355 The Futile Maelstrom MD 14 !$ A
cd g M p x 4065 1 410-374-4696 Doug's Den MD 2 A
4075 1 410-315-9854 Central Station MD 2 AG
Acd gi v 4079 1 410-290-3752 Sorcerer's Quarters MD 14 !$ AG
ACDEGi mNOPSvWX 4654 1 416-208-7029 Sledgehammer Base BBS ON 14 !$ AG
acdi mn ps wx 4656 1 416-267-6559 Cloud 9 BBS ON 9 ! AG
acDEG mnop wX 4703 1 407-352-4699 The Professor's Lab FL 14 !$ A
acdEg mn ps wx 4704 1 407-384-7166 No Name Yet!! BBS Fl 9 >! AG
c eg mn p x ~5208 1 502-877-2573 The New Generation KY 14 !$ A
cdegIlmn ps x 5212 1 502-352-2169 The Barbarian's Hut KY 14 !$ AG
ac m 5480 1 514-652-5752 Twiggy's Board PQ 2 A
Cd IL N PSvw 5489 1 514-948-4802 CYBERGATE! PQ 14 !$ AG
acde ilmn p wx # 5497 3 514-664-4503 Alternative Worlds CN 2 A
AcDEGi MNopS wX # 5800 1 508-795-7672 Bears Cave BBS MA 14 !$ A
d g w 5809 1 508-251-9812 Omega BBS MA 2 G
cdG ilMn ps wX @ 5900 3 509-487 6572 DATA*NORTH*WEST WA 14 !$ AG
ACDEgI MNoPs WX @ 6100 3 601-969-1190 Patriot Games MS 14 !$ AG
CD MN W 6101 1 601-374-0072 Hacker's Heaven MS 16 <!$ G
cd gi Mn ps w *#@ % 6211 3 602-942-9228 Moon Valley Triangle AZ 14 <!$ AG
g mn p w 6401 3 604-578-7634 The BS BBS BC 9 ! AG
ACDEGIL V 6460 1 614-282-3409 The GWE BBS OH 14 <!$ A
AcDegi mNoPS wX % 6754 1 617-247-3383 DataExpress MA 14 !$ G
AcDEG mNoPs wx % 6755 1 617-282-7796 BitByteBob's BBS MA 14 !$ AG
c lmn p w 6956 1 619-434-1482 Cold Fusion CA 16 !$ AG
AcDEG MNOPSvwX 6970 1 619-446-1316 The Clinic BBS CA 14 !$ AG
cd g m 7105 1 701-746-7778 The Hard Disk Cafe ND 14 ! A
d m ps 7111 1 701-293-9197 The Final Frontier ND 16 <!% AG
acdegilmn ps wx % 7313 1 703-978-4611 The Church VA 9 ! AG
aCDeg Mn psvWx*# 7400 1 704-554-1496 Funny Farm (East) NC 14 <!$ AG
C ILM vW # 7652 1 716-684-7939 BoardWalk [DSS] NY 14 < A
acd gilMn ps x 7653 3 716-677-0232 The Cavern [ASV/RIP] NY 16 >!$ A
d Gil * 7663 1 716-837-1636 Paragon NY 16 <!$ AG
acdegI mnops wx ! 7663 2 716-691-7257 Lunar Lounge NY 14 !$ A
ac mn ps 7686 2 716-283-7236 Tower of High Sorcery NY 9 ! AG
d gI Mn psvw ! 7704 2 707-539-8361 Atlantica CA 14 !$ AG
deg n ps w 7707 1 707-485-7143 Divers Delight BBS CA 9 ! G
CD MN PSvw 7750 1 717-823-0027 The Doctor's Office PA 14 !$ AG
cdEgi M w *# 8135 1 801-774-5574 The Sandbox ][ [ASV] UT 14 <!$ A
cd g lMnops w * 8251 1 812-877-4342 The Resource Center IN 14 <!$ AG
m w 8270 1 812-331-1796 The Gate BBS IN 2 AG
cd gi Mn W @ 8315 3 803-731-0690 Trading Post [SOUTH] SC 16 <!$ A
acdeg mn ps wx 8375 1 813-434-0911 The Cat Box BBS FL 16 <!$ A
i m w 8433 3 804-766-3192 Collage VA 14 !$ A
acdeg n vw 8513 1 805-937-5354 Info Center II CA 14 !$ AG
acdegilMn ps W # 8861 3 818-848-4101 Blue Thunder BBS CA 16 <!$ A
a d gi Mn w 9361 1 913-681-0365 The Pipeline BBS KS 14 !$ A
c m w 9402 1 904-771-7770 Data*West BBS FL 2 AG
Ac E n ps wx 9408 1 904-223-5374 The Timewarp FL 14 AG
c e lm w 9654 1 916-891-3546 Mirage Works CA 2 G
acd I mn w # ! 9680 3 916-222-8911 Maestro BBS CA 14 <!$ A
cd m w 9692 1 916-674-0947 The DFLmemCyberStop CA 9 ! A
c g % 9933 1 909-370-3773 Damar's Haven CA 9 ! A
de m s 9939 1 909-931-7395 Dyson's Sphere CA 2 AG
m 9949 1 909-621-2007 The Wireless Cafe CA 2 AG
acdegIlmn psvwx ! 9969 3 919-497-2963 The Pet Shop NC 14 !$ A
M 13452 1 314-821-5146 Ronda's Riverboat BBS MO 14 !$ AG
p 15267 1 512-595-0838 Forbidden Borders TX 14 !$ AG
cDegil NopS wX 15269 1 512-592-8054 Secret City BBS TX 14 !$ AG
cdeg Mn ps Wx 19955 1 919-676-0738 The Rubicon NC 14 !$ A
g m s 29958 1 919-523-3730 The Wizard's Conclave NC 14 !$ AG
******************************************************************************
To apply for a listing, to update your's, or for ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION on setting up a GSA, just send a note to 1@6211.
LISTING ERRORS
I don't have time to "Police" all the listings in this directory. I take
the Sysop's word for the correctness of the listings. If, in your calling, you
find any discrepancies, PLEASE E-mail 1@6211 with that info, and I will look
into it.
As usual, all comments, complaints, and suggestions are welcome. That is
where I get the ideas to improve this directory.
Lance Halle, 1@6211
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sysop Subs
One readily available source of help for any sysop are the numerous subs
designed specifically for sysops. I won't even begin to start calling of sub
names and host, because I'm sure I'll leave some out accidentally. There are
subs designed to assist the sysop with on-line games, setting up hardware, how
to attract new users, and the list goes on forever. These subs can be a
valuable addition to your message area. While your users will never see them,
they can give you valuable insight into many different aspects of running your
bbs. Just look at your SUBS.LST file under "Of Interest to Sysops" and you
should find something that fits your need.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope that this has shed a little additional light on some of the
avenues available to sysops that are looking for assistance. In future columns
I will cover step-by-step procedures for the different aspects of setting up
and running WWIV. So far, most of the feedback that I have received has asked
for assistance in the file transfer section, including protocols, and setting
up CD-Roms for use with WWIV. This will be the focus of the next column.
Please send any comments and questions to me so that I can be sure to
cover them in future columns. I look forward to hearing from you.
Jack Ryan, 1@4707
IceNEWS Contributing WWIV-Specific Editor
ÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄ
H A R D W A R E
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ Building Your Own Personal Computer System ³ Will Crawford 1@6754
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
One of the major stumbling blocks of a computer-related hobby is, of
course, the inherent expense of purchasing ready made computer equipment. One
way to save money on a new computer is to build it yourself. In this series of
articles, we'll discuss how to build yourself a new computer system from
scratch and how to upgrade older systems to new performance levels. In this
issue: How to decide what you need, and how you can go shopping for it.
PLEASE NOTE!! Building your own system will save you money, but not very
much. You also loose the benefits of technical support, factory burn in, etc.
Therefore, this is advised only for experienced computer people, or those with
access to trustful assistance. This author can not be held liable for any
costs you may incur while building your system and also advises that anyone
seriously interested in building their own system obtain additional reference
material.
You can't start buying components until you know exactly what you need or
you'll find yourself either over- or under-buying. It's generally best to go
over exactly what you'll be using the computer for now, and what you think you
may end up needing or using it for in the future. Failure to fully plan ahead
for future upgrades can really cost you in the long run. Know what you need
before you even begin to look into buying.
The first, and most important, thing you need to decide is whether or not
you'll be running Windows or OS/2. If you have a large amount of DOS
applications you're using and merely want them to run faster, then you don't
need a screaming processor. For the purposes of future expansion, an
80386sx-33 is probably the most you'll want. This gives you the opportunity to
break into Windows later (if you want) and will speed up your DOS applications
a good bit. It's also the minimum that's commonly available right now, and is
quite affordable. If you need to shave a few more dollars off, you can dip
down to a 25, 20, or 16 MHz model. If, on the other hand, you will be running
Windows and Windows applications from the start, you'll want something in the
486 range. The minimum here is again the 386sx-33, or better a 486sx-20 or 25
processor, going right up to a 486dx2-50 or 66 for extreme performance. A good
midrange Windows processor is a 386dx-40. This will give you good performance
levels without breaking your bank. If you're interested in running OS/2, the
386dx-40 is a good low end model, although the operating system has been run
successfully on lesser machines.
Like the processor, choosing how much memory you'll need depends on what
programs you'll be running. For a basic DOS system, 1 megabyte is sufficient,
although two will allow you to take full advantage of DOS 5+ memory
management, as well as certain programs capable of using above the 640k line.
For a Windows machine, 2 megabytes is the minimum for the environment to run.
For most applications, as well as reasonable performance, you'll need 4
megabytes. Between 6 and 8 will get you a nice performance increase, and the
ability to easily juggle multiple programs. For an OS/2 system, 4-5 megs is
the bare minimum, and you'll experience a substantial jump in performance with
8 megabytes. The more you can scrape together, the better. If you're going to
try running Windows NT, a minimum of 16 megabytes is recommended.
Another question it's appropriate to ask here is "Will you be running a
BBS?". If you need a machine to handle one node of a board, either on it's own
or on a network, any processor in the 386 or 386sx range will do. Performance
is acceptable on lower machines, though you will run into some problems. Since
the prices for low end 386sx machines have dropped a good deal recently, it's
worth it to spring for a 386, especially since the price differential is
almost nil. If you plan on running a BBS under Windows or OS/2, you'll need at
least a midrange Windows machine, as BBS software takes a large amount of
processing ability. Anything in the 486 range should suffice with some tuning.
Performance will almost always be less than under DOS, even on 486dx2-66's.
A point you will also need to address is hard disk space. This again
varies with the applications you're running. For a BBS, you can get by with as
little as 40 meg drive if you'll forgo a large file area. Prices have dropped
so much, however, that it's not cost effective to purchase any less than a 130
meg drive. For Windows, at least a 130 is the effective minimum if you'll be
using many Windows applications. In the case of DOS, anything around or above
60 is sufficient. As always, the more the merrier. If you find yourself with a
bit of extra money in the budget, the hard disk is the best place to put it.
For a hard disk drive interface, it's best to go with IDE (which stands
for Intergrated Drive Electronics). These drives are generally cheaper, have a
high performance level, and are readily available. For high speed
applications, you may want to go with Fast SCSI-2 which allows daisy-chaining
of up to 7 devices and has a much faster data transfer rate than IDE. Other
drive control standards have fallen by the wayside in recent years, and
shouldn't be considered as serious options.
If you're building a system from scratch, as opposed to updating a
pre-existing system, you'll need to purchase a new case and power supply. The
two are generally sold together. When picking a case, you'll have to take into
account the number of drives and peripherals you want to add, as well as the
size of the motherboard you picked. For high end systems you plan on expanding
in the future, a tower case with at least 6 bays and a 250+ watt power supply
is the best choice. For systems with less lofty aspirations, mini-tower,
desktop, and mini-desktop cases suffice. The case has to be large enough to
hold the motherboard and disk drives, as well as having enough openings in the
back to accommodate all the expansion card slots on the motherboard.
For your video system, you'll want a minimum of VGA if you're running
Windows or graphics in DOS. Local Bus, and co-processed cards will get you the
best performance levels, but to save money a cheap frame-buffer card will
suffice. If you're under DOS and don't care about color, but do want to save
money, a Hercules-compatible monochrome system will save you a lot of money.
The Amber monochrome monitors are great for DOS word processing tasks and for
dedicated DOS BBS systems. It's possible to run Windows on them, but the
resolution is sufficiently low that it's not possible to do very much with
them.
Purchase a monitor according to the type of display system you want. The
size depends on what you can afford. You can often find a good deal on
monitor/controller bundles. With VGA systems, make sure that the monitor can
handle a 72hz refresh rate, and has a dot pitch no greater than .28. If you
find a monitor with a 60hz refresh rate, it's perfectly usable, however, if
you attempt to run it at high resolutions you will see some flicker and
blurring of lighter colors.
Every PC needs a set of serial and parallel ports for communication with
the outside world. If you're only going to be plugging in a mouse, for
example, a cheap $10 card will be sufficient. If you plan on using a high
speed modem, though, you'll need something with a 16550 UART (the chip that
controls dialog between the PC and serial devices). Running a fast modem
without one can be a trying experience. For your parallel port, just about
anything will do. If you think you'll be using LapLink or another parallel
port data transfer utility, make sure you have a bi-directional parallel port
(most are, by this point). If you're only dealing with a printer, anything
will suffice. Generally, the best deal on ports is an "all in one" controller
card. These have floppy, IDE hard disk, serial, and parallel ports all
controlled from one card.
For diskette drives, keyboards, and mice, there aren't many guidelines.
Diskette drives by Teac and NEC are generally good performers, and you won't
find much cheaper. A decent no-name keyboard can be found just about anywhere,
and $10 Taiwanese mice will work just as well as a $100 Microsoft offering.
Once you know what you want, the next step is to go out and buy it. For
demonstration purposes, we'll assume that we're building two computers, a
bare-bones 1 mb monochrome 386sx-33 system with a 130 megabyte hard disk, and
a 486dx2-66 with 16 megabytes and local bus video, and a 520 megabyte hard
drive. We'll assume that both will be used with high-speed modems, and use IDE
hard drive interfaces.
Please Note: For price examples in this article, I'll be using primarily
two companies, JDR Microdevices, a computer parts suppliers, and Insight/Hard
Drives International, a general supplier. While the prices here are not
absolute rock bottom, they are on the low end and both companies are stable
and offer good service and support. If you're interested in cutting costs even
more, the back pages of PC Magazine, Computer Shopper, and other magazines
often offer rock bottom prices on various components.
The rest of the system is molded by the motherboard, so it's a good idea
to pick that part first. For the high end dx2-66 system, JDR sells a Modular
Circuit Technology dx2-66 motherboard with two local bus slots, ZIF socket for
Pentium upgradability, AMI Bios, 8 SIMM sockets, and a 128kb external cache.
The board will fit in full sized or mini cases. The price is $899. A 33 mhz
version is available for $599. For the low end system, JDR also sells a 33 mhz
386sx motherboard with 6 16-bit expansion slots, 4 SIMM sockets, AMI Bios, and
math co-processor socket. The cost here is only $129.
The next step is memory. The dx2-66 motherboard requires SIMMS to be
installed in multiples of 4, so the best way to make 8 megabytes is with 4 4
mb SIMMS, leaving 4 sockets open for expansion. SIMM prices are fluctuating
wildly, but JDR charges $159.95 for each module, bringing the total to
$639.80. The 386sx-33 motherboard requires that SIMMS be installed in
multiples of 2, but since 512k SIMMS are not commonly available, it's best to
use 4 256k SIMM modules. JDR sells these for #14.95 a piece in the 80
nanosecond configurations. 60 nanosecond versions go for 16.95. You need four,
so the total price is $59.80. The drawback here is that you need to remove the
256k SIMMs to upgrade further. If you have the cash available, it pays to buy
2 1 megabyte SIMMS (49.95 a piece from JDR). You pay more, but get more
expandability in the future, have 2 free sockets, and more memory now.
The next purchase you need to make is the case for your new system. JDR
sells it's "Mini Slide Case" for $69.95, with an additional $99.95 for a 230
watt power supply. The case has 3 5.25 inch drive bays, and one vertical 3.5
inch bay. The case will accommodate either motherboard.
If you need something larger, mid-size upright cases are available for
$99.95 each, plus power supply. These hold either two 3.5 inch and two 5.25
inch, or 3 3.5 inch and 2 5.25 inch. For maximum expandability, a 7 bay tower
case is available for $99.95 as well, plus $129.95 for a 250 watt power
supply. Make sure any case/power supply combination you buy comes with a power
cord.
It's best to buy hard drives and interface cards together, both for
compatibility and some excellent bundle deals that are available. For the
sx-33, a Seagate 130 mb IDE drive with a 16 bit hard/floppy interface is just
$189 from Insight/Hard Drives International. This gets you the drive (3.5 inch
1" height, with mounting rails for mounting in 5.25 inch slots), other
mounting equipment, an installation guide, a 16 bit IDE controller (capable of
running two hard IDE hard disks), and two floppy drives. The same kit is
available with a 540 megabyte drive for $619. Insight has a large range of
hard drives in various sizes. Interestingly enough, this author runs his BBS
off of one.
There isn't much difference between floppy drive prices. Insight and JDR
charge about the same, around $60 for each 1.44 or 1.2 mb sizes. For these
systems, we'll assume one drive a piece.
There's a huge array of different monitors available. For the low end
system, an Amber monochrome monitor costs $109 from JDR. A Hercules-compatible
monochrome and RGB color graphics card is $49.95, and includes a parallel
printer port. I've seen these cards as low as $20 at local computer stores, so
go ahead and shop around. For the 486, an MCT VESA Local-Bus VGA card is
available from JDR for $199, and is capable of driving the monitor at 24 bit
color at 640 by 480 pixel resolution, with a maximum resolution of 1280x1024
at 16 colors. The card has 1 mb of RAM pre-installed, and uses an S3
accelerator chip. For a monitor, 17 inch AOC monitor with .26 dot pitch and
72hz 1024 x 768 NI refresh rate goes for $799. For the more budget conscious,
a 1024x768 14 inch VGA monitor with .39 dot pitch and 87 hz interlaced refresh
rate at 1024x768 (72 hz Non-Interlaced at 640x480) is $269.95.
For serial and parallel ports, a fast 16550 multi-I/O card (2 Serial with
16550 UARTs, one parallel, and one game port) is $89.95 from JDR. A cheaper,
lower-performance card (1 serial, 1 parallel, 1 game) is $49.95, with a second
serial port available for $24.95.
All that remains is peripherals such as the keyboard and mouse. For the
mouse, a basic Microsoft compatible serial mouse is available from JDR for
$14.95. A 101 key keyboard is available just about anywhere (JDR offers one
for $49.95). You'll need the full version of Microsoft DOS (or PC-DOS, or
Novell DOS), which will cost around $80.
Congratulations, you now have all the components you need for a new PC!
Let's total up the costs:
33 mhz 80386sx -33:
------------------------------------------
80386sx-33 Motherboard 129.95
4 256 k Simms @14.95 59.80
Mini Slide Case 69.95
230 Watt Power Supply 99.95
1.44mb Floppy Drive 59.95
Serial Mouse 14.95
Keyboard 49.95
130 mb IDE HD + Controller 189.00
Amber Mono Monitor 109.00
Mono Controller 49.95
Multi-IO Card $89.95
------------------------------------------
Total : $922.04
66 mhz 80486dx2-66 :
------------------------------------------
66 mhz 80486 dx2-66 motherboard 899.00
16 mb RAM 639.80
Mini Slide Case 69.95
Power Supply 99.95
540 Mb IDE HD + Controller 619.00
1.44 mb Floppy Drive 59.95
Serial Mouse 14.95
Keyboard 49.95
1024x768 14" VGA Monitor 269.95
VESA Local Bus VGA Controller 199.95
Multi-IO Card 89.95
------------------------------------------
Total : $3011.60
Well, that's it for part one. Next issue we'll get on to how these
expensive pieces go together in a new system, and how to upgrade older systems
with new motherboards. We'll also discuss adding expansion cards and
peripherals, and troubleshooting your new PC.
Will Crawford, 1@6754
IceNEWS Contributing Hardware Editor
ÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄ
S O F T W A R E
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ Programming in C++ ³ Nato 1@8273
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
To start off, and to clear away the initial complexity of programming,
Turbo-C++ (hereby referred to as TC) is not hard to learn and/or use. Now, at
first sight, the appearance of all that garbled code and unintelligible word
sequences is quite overbearing. But you must realize that learning TC (or any
programming language for that matter) is almost like learning a foreign
language. However, instead of learning to use voice tones and new word
structures, you learn the functions of the programming language and also how
to "phrase" it.
I have been programming in TC for about 2 and a half years now, and I
know pretty much how the basis and some higher functions work. For about 2
years I have been working inside of WWIV's source code (MUCH credit goes out
to Wayne Bell for his excellent programming ability, and how much it taught
me), and lately I have also been working on making a door-game for WWIV. I
also have attended several TC college classes, so I I believe I am
knowledgeable enough to give a small teaching on it. Enough about me, though.
Let's take a look at some of the basics of building a simple program.
TC is basically built on the manipulation and creation of information
that, depending on your ability to program, can make a very nice, usable
program. Some of the main abilities in TC is to define strings into certain
arrays: CHAR (characters) and INT (integers, real numbers). Also, these arrays
can be stored in different ways: STATIC (Preserves the value of a variable),
DOUBLE (used only with INT's, allows for decimals), REGISTER (Store variable
in CPU register), UNSIGNED (Alter the data type -not really sure here-), and
many others that aren't immediately necessary to write a simple program.
Another important ability for TC is the manipulation of files. You can
make a program to open a file, write data to it, close it, and re-open to
re-load the data. In my example mini-program I will show how to do this. Let's
take a look at it...
(The text in between /* and */ or behind // are comments, and TC ignores them)
-----MINIPRG.C-----[begin here]
#include <stdio.h> /* These files hold the info to use the inner- */
#include <stdlib.h> /* functions to be used in the program. Some */
#include <conio.h> /* may not be needed, but its nice to have them. */
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <sys\stat.h>
#include <ctype.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <io.h>
struct {
char name[200][36];
int tnum,
iceaddress[200],
iceunum[200];
} data;
void save_stuff(void); /* Definition 'prototype' for save_stuff */
int usernum,f;
int main(void)
{
char ch[81],*s,*s1;
int i,l=0;
clrscr();
if ((f=open("INFO.DAT",O_RDONLY|O_BINARY))==-1) {
f=open("INFO.DAT",O_RDONLY|O_BINARY|O_CREAT);
} else
read(f,&data,sizeof(data));
close(f);
textcolor(MAGENTA);
cprintf("What is your name? ");
gets(s);
l=strlen(s);
for(i=0;i<l;i++) {
s[i] = toupper(s[i]); /* Make the name in all UPPERCASE */
}
for(usernum=0;usernum<data.tnum;usernum++)
if(strcmp(data.name[usernum],s)==0) break;
if (usernum==data.tnum) {
clrscr();
textcolor(LIGHTBLUE);
cprintf("Hello! Looks like you aren't on record yet!\r\n");
cprintf("So, what's your name? ");
textcolor(LIGHTCYAN);
gets(s1);
l=0;
l=strlen(s1);
for(i=0;i<l;i++) {
s1[i] = toupper(s1[i]);
}
strcpy(data.name[usernum],s1);
printf("\r\n");
textcolor(LIGHTBLUE);
cprintf("What's your ");
textcolor(LIGHTCYAN);
cprintf("IceNet ");
textcolor(LIGHTBLUE);
cprintf("node #? ");
textcolor(LIGHTCYAN);
scanf("%d",&data.iceaddress[usernum]); /* The & operator is */
textcolor(LIGHTBLUE); /* important here */
cprintf("What's your user number at %d? ",data.iceaddress[usernum]);
textcolor(LIGHTCYAN);
scanf("%d",&data.iceunum[usernum]);
printf("\r\n");
data.tnum++;
save_stuff();
textcolor(LIGHTRED);
cprintf("Your info has been saved to 'info.dat'...");
} else {
printf("\r\n");
textcolor(LIGHTBLUE);
cprintf("Hello! Here is your information from 'info.dat'!\r\n\r\n");
cprintf("Name : ");
textcolor(LIGHTCYAN);
cprintf("%s #%d\r\n",data.name[usernum],usernum+1);
textcolor(LIGHTBLUE);
cprintf("IceNet Address : ");
textcolor(LIGHTCYAN);
cprintf("%d@%d\r\n",data.iceunum[usernum],data.iceaddress[usernum]);
textcolor(LIGHTBLUE);
cprintf("Total users in this program : ");
textcolor(LIGHTCYAN);
cprintf("%d",data.tnum);
textcolor(WHITE);
}
printf("\r\n\r\n");
textcolor(LIGHTMAGENTA);
cprintf("Thanks for using this DEMO program off of IceNews!\r\n");
cprintf("by Nato 1@8273");
printf("\r\n");
textcolor(WHITE);
return(0);
}
void save_stuff(void)
{
f=open("info.dat",O_WRONLY|O_BINARY);
write(f,&data,sizeof(data));
close(f);
}
-----MINIPRG.C-----[end here]
For the sake of beginning programmers, I have kept the length and
complexity of MINIPRG.C to a minimum for easier understanding. Now, to explain
a bit. The main operations in the "mini-program" are to store information for
one particular user, write it to the file 'info.dat', be able to write more
users, and then retrieve a particular user entered. The file manipulation in
this program might seem complicated at first, but, as you get more fluent with
the logic of Turbo-C the functions will make more sense. You will see
functions such as 'open', 'close', 'write', and 'read' alot and they are
pretty self-explanatory. For more help on any specific function of C, just put
the cursor on the function name, and hit Shift-F1. You will get the functions
purpose, usage, and and example (for most functions at least).
As for the more basic functions you will use in most beginning programs,
the concept of the 'for' loop, the 'do' loop, the 'while' loop, and how to
call a defined function. The 'for' loop basically runs like:
('i' has been defined as an 'int')
for(i=0;i<10;i++) {
printf("%d",i);
}
What that will do is print out the numbers 0 through 10. The loop is
saying that 'i' equals 0 to begin with, to keep running the loop as long as
'i' is less than 10, and for the value of 'i' to increase by 1 each time the
loop is run. In a while loop, it would look like this (also contains a 'do'
loop):
('s' has been defined as a 'char[81]')
do {
scanf("%s",s);
while((s[0]=0)!=0) {
scanf("%s",s);
}
} while(s[0]!=0);
What this will do is have the user input 's' (the [81] after the char
means that the longest the string in 's' can be is 81 characters (it is
actually 0 to 80, the 81st character is a null-pointer to end the string))
and, if the user just hits return and doesn't input anything, he will have to
re-input it. The do loop implemented means that the loop will run at least
once, the last 'while' statement is only needed when using a 'do' loop, it is
the clause for the loop.
Now, the most basic ability (I think at least) in C++: the calling of a
defined 'void', 'int', or 'char' function. If the function is defined by you
(such as the 'save_stuff' function in MINIPRG.C) you will need to define it at
the top of the file such as this:
...
#include <io.h>
void save_stuff(void);
...
And to call the function, all that is needed is: 'save_stuff()'. I stated
that fact because I knew someone who was taking a basic level C class in
college and for weeks did not know how to do that. To learn how to define
functions, refer to MINIPRG.C, as it is shown there.
Well, hopefully this little tutorial helped you somewhat, if not, you
still got a neat little program.
Nato 1@8273
IceNEWS Contributing Writer
ÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄ
L I G H T B Y T E S
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ Silly Strings ³ Ima Moron 1@9661
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
Silly Strings will be a new regular feature to IceNEWS in the Light Bytes
department. Silly Strings are odd or humorous little one-liners that appear on
various BBS systems from around the network. They can include SSMs, ESMs,
modified strings, hard-coded mods, or taglines.
If you have any Silly Strings that you'd like to share with other by
having them appear in IceNEWS, please send your submissions to:
Silly Strings
c/o Ima Moron, 1@9661
IceNEWS Light Bytes Contributing Editor
Enter sex M)ale F)emale O)ther
(From 1@9661, at the newuser information input.)
[Please wait]...the FBI is tapping your phone.
(From 1@9653, when the sysop drops to DOS.)
Naw', don't feel like it.
(From 1@9660, declining an extended file description.)
>MARTIAN INVADER<
(From 1@9661, system title for an unknown system's post on a net sub.)
Parts Unknown
(From 2@7653, system title for an unknown system's post on a net sub.)
Mail's Nuked!
(Formerly on Kling the Lofty's BBS (defunct) when the user deleted mail.)
xxxx claims to have read your mail.
(SSM for mail read from @7653.)
Enter a long winded description?
(Located on Kling the Lofty's BBS (defunct) when a user is asked to enter
an extended file description.)
These people felt inclined to write you
(From 1@8135, located at the mail waiting message.)
Hard Coded: "Making coffee..."
(From 1@8411, in place of "Answering phone, 'H' to abort" at WFC screen.)
Hard Coded: "Waiting for coffee machine..."
(From 1@8411, at WFC screen in place of "Waiting" for modem.)
[MENOPAUSE]
(From 1@4701, replacement for [PAUSE].)
Well, We're waiting...
(From 1@7653, replacement for [PAUSE].)
Well, that should give you something of an idea of what we're looking for
in the way of submissions. If you have submissions to make, please send them
along to me. I'll do my best to publish as many submissions as possible for
each column.
Ima Moron 1@9661
IceNEWS Contributing Light Bytes Editor
ÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄ
ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
³ SysGods: Sysops with an attitude ³ Deacon Blues 2@7653
ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
or "I Did It MY Way"
"You ask me if I have a God complex. I AM God."
- Alec Baldwin in commercials for the film "Malice" -
We've all heard the horror stories. Accounts deleted for "no reason."
Mail from users being routinely ignored or just plain "zapped" without reply.
New user accounts remaining unvalidated for weeks, sometimes months. Sudden
loss of carrier from the BBS, then a busy signal when redialing is attempted.
Seventy-five line posts from the #1 account on a daily basis explaining in
excruciatingly exact detail just why he/she holds the #1 account and what
he/she can do to those who dare to oppose. I am, of course, talking about the
sysop. More precisely, the sysop with an attitude. If you continually
experience any or all of the potential symptoms I've outlined above, you may
have found yourself a sysop with a "SysGod" complex.
The SysGod complex can best be described as a habitual misuse of the
powers vested in being a sysop for reasons of pleasure or personal gain. The
complex causes the sysop to act in a manner that would suggest delusions of
godhood and a semi-divine detachment, thus alienating his/her users to the
point of them no longer calling the BBS. The complex can be broken down into
two categories: "Demi-SysGod Syndrome" [DSS] and "Holy SysGod Syndrome" [HSS].
Believe it or not, in most cases of DSS, the afflicted sysops usually
started their BBS with all the best of intentions, and in most cases used to
be a "regular" user prior to becoming a sysop. But, apparently, somewhere
along the way something happens to them. Maybe it's the fact that running a
BBS is more of a task than they thought it was. Maybe they're experiencing
personal problems. Maybe their pet goldfish died. Somewhere down the line,
they experience a "break" in their attitude as a sysop. A kind of a digital
"Falling Down," if you will, where they start to vent their anger and
frustrations out onto their users. When detected early, most of these cases
manage to correct themselves in a relatively short time and with little
lasting repercussions to their users. Once a sense of normalcy returns to the
sysop's life, so too does it to the BBS in most cases.
HSS sufferers, on the other hand, while also usually being users prior to
becoming sysops, also generally suffer from other outside, pre-existing
personality disorders. As regular users (and I use the term "regular"
loosely), they often acted in "irregular" manners that most would describe as
being combative, disrespectful, disagreeable, belligerent, and/or offensive
toward others. Typically, they are the type of user who feels that they are
"God's gift to BBSs" or a form of "Modem Messiah" and anyone else who has
differing ideas or ideals is irrelevant and only there for his/her personal
amusement. They are usually shallow, close-minded individuals who quite
probably used to be (or still are) either the school, neighborhood or work
bully. Mostly, their motivation to start their own BBS is based on their
feelings that "All of the other 35 BBSs I call suck, so I'll make one in my
own image with my own rules and forget everyone else." While HSS sufferers
make up only a small minority of those who suffer from the SysGod complex,
they are the one's who draw all the scrutiny from others as their affliction
is usually chronic in nature and long in duration.
One of the saddest things about this affliction is that everyone, not
just the sysop, suffers because of the effects of the SysGod complex. This
includes the BBS itself. Many times, in fits of rage and delirium, they will
make changes to the BBS itself to reflect their newfound divine philosophy in
the way of allowing certain policies, adding particular subs that normally
wouldn't be carried, deleting files or users, regularly interrupting or
kicking users offline in order to allow the SysGod to access the computer for
things like playing games, viewing adult .GIFs, calling other BBSs and leaving
posts saying how much that system sucks and how great his system is, etc. As a
result, the users will slowly start to disappear as they either stop calling
back or are deleted by the sysop. Eventually, the BBS will receive sufficient
bad word-of-mouth publicity as to discourage new callers from logging on.
In order to better understand the psyche of those who suffer from HSS, I
decided to look for a local BBS that is run by an afflicted sysop and give it
a call. After searching the advertisement subs of several local systems, I
found the following ad:
CALL HERE!!!!!!
MY DAMN BBS (Sysop: The All-Powerful 1)
If you don't call "My Damn BBS," you're a chump.
716-555-1001
Nine months old and going strong.
As this looked like a good potential candidate for a HSS sufferer, I
called. Here is the capture file I ran while online at My Damn BBS. My
personal notes written later appear in [brackets].
Connected at 14400
Welcome to:
___ ___
/\ /\ | \ | \
/ \/ \ | |\ \ | o /
/ /\ /\ \ | |/ / | o \
/_/ \/ \_\ Y |_ _/ AMN |___/ BS
Sysop: The All-Powerful 1
24 Hours (but not in a row)
2400-14.4 (if I like you) - 1200 (if I don't)
Enter your number or name or `NEW'
NM: NEW
Would you like to use our Guest User account to look around first? Y/N Y
Too damn bad, we don't have one here.
[At this point, I was somewhat certain that I'd reached a HSS sufferer,
but some doubts still remained. Those, however, were washed away by what
followed next. At this juncture, one would expect to see a system rules file
and/or a legal disclaimer. Here's what I got:]
>>Welcome To My Damn BBS<<
My Damn BBS was started because I felt that all the other sysops in the area
are [CENSORED]. So I leeched a copy of WWIV from somebody and started by own
BBS. My motto here is: If you don't like it, too damn bad. Since this
BBS is run on by damn computer, I'm gonna run this place the way I want to and
nobody better tell me any different.
Here's my damn rules for My Damn BBS:
Don't bother trying to chat with me about any of your problems as I got enough
of my own to deal with and shouldn't have to deal with yours too. If you leave
me mail, I might get around to answering it someday if I find it interesting
and relevant, but don't hold your breath. If you don't like it, too damn bad.
If you have problems with using the BBS software, don't bug me for help. I had
to learn once too, you know, and nobody showed me how to do it. If you can't
figure it out for yourself, that's your problem. If you don't like it, too
damn bad.
If you want to swear here, that's fine with me. I'm sure it's nothing I
haven't heard or said already anyway. Cuss all you want. If you've got virgin
ears and don't like it, too damn bad.
Don't bother asking me for files that I have backed-up offline in the transfer
section. I've got "Castle Commando II," "Rocket Jockey IV," and "The Further
Adventures of Happy Henry Hedonist in the Land of the Sexually Explicit Women
Who'll Never Sleep With Him" taking up 85 megs on my BBS HD, so I don't have
the room for them. And I'm not going to clear-up any HD space just for YOU.
This is >>My<< Damn BBS, and if you don't like it, too damn bad.
Don't pester me for more time to download files. If you've got a 14.4 modem,
you should be able to get whatever you want in the 20 minutes I give you
online. If the file is too big and you don't like it, too damn bad. If you
call at any speed less than 14.4 and you want more D/L time, too damn bad,
get a 14.4 modem and I'll start to think about it. Maybe.
Don't post anything contradictory to whatever I post. I'll either delete it or
flame you, probably both. If you get me riled-up enough, I'll delete your
account and throw your name into my trashcan.txt file. Remember, since I've
got the #1 account here, whatever I say is law and whatever I want to do, I'll
do. If you don't like it, too damn bad.
These are the rules for MY Damn BBS. If you don't like them, too damn bad,
press ALT-H to hang up now since you obviously disagree with me and users here
aren't allowed to disagree with me.
Continue to logon? Y/N Y
[At this point, I was fully convinced I had encountered a sysop with a
particularly advanced case of HSS, one which looked terminal for this
sufferer. Sadly, my initial diagnosis for this patient is that he suffers from
a not-so-rare form of HSS in the manifestation of a "Ptolemy complex" in
which, as the name suggests, he sincerely believes that the universe (and his
BBS in particular) does indeed revolve around him, and not vice-versa. On the
average, about 70-75% of HSS sufferers also are afflicted with a Ptolemy
complex. Medical science is currently at a loss to explain the cause for such
conditions and attempts at treatment are usually unsuccessful.]
[I decided that, in the interest of getting better insight into this
ailment, I needed to logon to this system to further see just how far the HSS
had manifested itself. I also decided that, given the nature of this
particular case, it would be best for me to logon under an assumed name with
bogus user info. While considered unethical from a journalistic and a BBSing
point of view, I felt safer personally, since I don't want this loop to ever
know who I really am. I feel that, to paraphrase his own inspired words, if he
don't like that, too damn bad. Following my logon info, I sent the obligatory
new user feedback to The All-Powerful 1 to reflect my bogus statistics and
stated that I'm just a general user looking to check out his BBS. Upon
completion of that, I glean my next view of the effects of HSS on the sysop
and his particular BBS as the logon continues.]
Good Evening, Mr. Blahblahblah.
You are the 3rd caller for today.
Last Callers:
=======================================================================
Call # User Name Time Baud #
=======================================================================
278 Blow Hard #3 2:53 am 2400 1
279 The All-Powerful's Babe #2 3:21 pm KB 1
280 Redneck #4 4:14 pm 9600 1
281 Blow Hard #3 6:00 am 2400 1
=======================================================================
[Things don't look too good so far. Considering that his BBS has been up
(supposedly) for 9 months, 281 calls is pretty sparse business. Also, since I
called at around 10 pm and I'm only the third caller for the day, it looks
like there's not too much activity in these parts. I can't imagine why. I also
don't see a user number higher than 4. Strange. Let us continue on:]
Auto Message by: The All-Powerful 1 #1
Welcome to My Damn BBS
Anyone who changes this automessage dies.
If you don' like it, too damn bad.
User Name Mr. Blahblahblah #9
Member since 10/26/93
Member status Inconsequential Unvalidated New Peon
Time allowed on 10 minutes
Mail waiting 0
Times on today 1
Sysop is NOT going to answer you even if he's here
System is WWIV v4.22 (Reg #[DELETED])
[User #9, eh? After 9 months of operation? Either there have been alot of
deletions, or people have just stayed away in droves. I think it's probably a
combination of both. I also like the automessage. It shows just how possessive
that this person has become. This is common in advanced cases. Also note the
member status and sysop availability lines, as well as time allowed online. At
least you know where you stand with this guy. Let's move on further, shall we.
Now we've made it to the main message prompt, let's take a look around and see
what's online for subs before time expires:]
Time Remaining = 9 minutes, 7 seconds
[1] [The All-Powerful 1's Decrees]:*
Available message bases:
Sub Network/ New
# Scan? Local Sub Name Msgs
======================================================================
1 Yes Local The All-Powerful 1's Decrees 1
2 Yes Local The All-Powerful 1 on Everything 50
3 Yes Local The All-Powerful 1 on Politics 50
4 Yes Local The All-Powerful 1 on Sports 50
5 Yes Local The All-Powerful 1 on News 50
6 Yes Local The All-Powerful 1 on Television 50
7 Yes Local The All-Powerful 1 on Movies 50
8 Yes Local The All-Powerful 1 on Women 50
9 Yes Local The All-Powerful 1 on Programming 50
10 Yes Local The All-Powerful 1 on Games 50
11 Yes Local The All-Powerful 1 on Music 50
======================================================================
Time Remaining = 8 minutes, 59 seconds
[1] [The All-Powerful 1's Decrees]:
[I'm sensing a distinct pattern here. Obviously, this particular patient
is definitely in the most advanced latter stages of the disease. The
aforementioned Ptolemy complex is well represented by this sampling.
Mercifully, I believe that this patient will succumb to the effects of HSS
very soon and his suffering (as well as everyone else's) will then end. While
there still appears to be some life left in the body, let us further sample so
of this person's delusions of Godhood by viewing some messages. We'll start
with The All-Powerful 1's Decrees. Since there's only one message on there,
this shouldn't take long:]
Time Remaining = 8 minutes, 59 seconds
[1] [The All-Powerful 1's Decrees]: Q
< Q-scan The All-Powerful 1's Decrees 1 - 1 msgs >
Message 1 of 1
Title/Subject: If you don't like it, too damn bad. [Random Title]
Name: the All-Powerful 1 #1
Date: Sun Feb 24 11:41:17 1993
Well, I finally got this piece of [CENSORED] up and running. I hope you're all
happy now. I know I am. I've finally got my own little stomping ground and I
plan on stomping anyone who gets in my way here. If you don't like it, tough
[CENSORED].
BTW = The board will be down for the entire month of April because that's when
Star Shooter XXIII comes out and I won't have enough room on my HD for both
the game and the BBS. Whenever I get thru with the game, I'll put the board
back up. Maybe. If you're lucky. If you don't like it, too damn bad.
#1
< The All-Powerful 1's Decrees 1 - 1 Q-scan Done >
Time Remaining = 8 minutes, 53 seconds
[1] [The All-Powerful 1's Decrees]:
[Again, the Ptolemy complex shows here. Deciding to take down a system
that has only recently gone online for the purpose of playing a newly-released
game shows where this particular sysop's priorities lie.]
[Just as I was going to begin to delve into the message bases to see
further preachings of higher thinking from The All-Powerful 1, the following
occurred:]
Time Remaining = 8 minutes, 53 seconds
[1] [The All-Powerful 1's Decrees]:ɵ^áœ/!PIy£ö½Õµ!ú(>Ž="L¢UÑňcÀ⪂ÄÊlk8ÃŽõV
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NO CARRIER
[Man! That's a pretty generous helping of line noise there! My computer
was beeping out the pc speaker big-time on that dosage of dumping. It's quite
possible that this sufferer has installed a combination line noise generating
nuke mod built into his system. As if it's not simple enough to just hit F5 to
dump a user off the system, this guy needs special line noise key to give the
act a true meaning of personal satisfaction. Looks like this sufferer has got
something better to do with his system than to allow me (or others, for that
matter) to use it. Upon redialing, the line was busy. Why am I not surprised?]
[After three hours of solid war-dialing, I finally managed to get back on
the system. After going through my logon, I see the following:]
Last Callers:
=======================================================================
Call # User Name Time Baud #
=======================================================================
279 The All-Powerful's Babe #2 3:21 pm KB 1
280 Redneck #4 4:14 pm 9600 1
281 Blow Hard #3 6:00 am 2400 1
282 Mr. Blahblahblah #9 10:04 pm 14400 1
=======================================================================
[Uh-huh. Just as I suspected. Notice who the last caller was. Me.
Obviously, our HSS sufferer is lurking near the keyboard somewhere. Let's see
if I can call him out.]
Time Remaining = 9 minutes, 45 seconds
[1] [The All-Powerful 1's Decrees]: C
The All-Powerful 1 can't be bothered by your trivial problems. Leave feedback
instead.
Leave feedback to The All-Powerful 1 #1 ? (Y/N) Y
[Since our sufferer seems to be above speaking with me, I decided that I
will leave him feedback instead. I chose to make a fairly neutral statement
regarding what had happened to me earlier. This should manage to get some
response from our esteemed SysGod.]
Enter Title or Press [Return] for a Random Title.
(---=----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----=----)
Title: Hello...
Enter message now, max lines are 20
Type /COLORS to change your default colors.
Type /MACROS to change your default macros.
Type /HELP for help. Type /Q to quote from message.
/S Save /ABT Abort /LI List /CLR Clear CTRL-P # Change color
[...|....1....|....2....|....3....|....4....|....5....|....6....|....7....|....]
Hi there. Sorry to trouble you, but I am a new user here and recently
experienced a problem when I was on your system earlier tonight. I was just
looking around when I suddenly lost carrier. I was wondering if this was due
to a problem on your end, or if it was a problem with my terminal program. I
don't have call-waiting or an extension phone on this line that I call out
with, so I'm kind of puzzled by the dropped carrier problem. Can you enlighten
me?
Thank for any help.
Mr. Blahblahblah
/es
Saving... message sent to The All-Powerful 1 #1.
Time Remaining = 9 minutes, 45 seconds
[1] [The All-Powerful 1's Decrees]:
[What happened next was totally unexpected:]
The All-Powerful 1 is Here:
Hey! What's your problem, buddy?
[Well, I expected a response to my letter, but not THIS fast! Let's see
what he has to say:]
Hello. I'm not sure what the problem is, if it's with my software or if it's
on your end. I was on earlier this evening and
I know, dammit. don't you think I saw the mail you sent me? So, what's your
point?
Well, I was wondering if you were around when I lost carrier here earlier and
saw what happened. Did your board hang? I saw by the daily log that nobody
else been on the system since I lost carrier.
[I deliberately gave him an "out" in my question by suggesting that the
board might have locked-up. This was my way to finally determine once and for
all if he was indeed suffering from HSS. If he was, he wouldn't take the
escape that I gave him, instead opting to blather something to the effect that
it was "his" system and if I didn't like it, then that was too damn bad.]
Hey! I had to do something on the computer. You got a problem with that? What
are you, some kind of [CENSORED] troublemaker?
No, I'm not trying to cause a problem, I just asked a question. If you needed
to use the computer, you could have just popped in on me in chat mode like you
are now and ask me to logoff. I would've done it. There was no need to hang up
on me.
[CENSORED] off, buddy. You're outta here!
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NO CARRIER
[Well, I think that settles it. I decided to try one more time calling
back to see just how badly my little comment had affected this guy.]
Connected at 14400
Welcome to:
___ ___
/\ /\ | \ | \
/ \/ \ | |\ \ | o /
/ /\ /\ \ | |/ / | o \
/_/ \/ \_\ Y |_ _/ AMN |___/ BS
Sysop: The All-Powerful 1
24 Hours (but not in a row)
2400-14.4 (if I like you) - 1200 (if I don't)
Enter your number or name or `NEW'
NM: Mr. Blahblahblah
Sorry, I don't know that user
Enter your number or name or `NEW'
NM: Mr. Blahblahblah
Sorry, I don't know that user
Enter your number or name or `NEW'
NM: 9
Sorry, I don't know that user
NO CARRIER
I think it's safe to say that My Damn BBS isn't going to be long for this
world, so long as The All-Powerful 1 is the sysop. What you've seen here is a
rare glimpse of a sysop who suffers from an extreme case of SysGod Complex. As
I stated earlier, cases such as the one documented above are relatively few in
numbers but I think you can see that while they are few, they also have the
potential to be very acute.
Medical science has thus far been unable to find a cause for this
ailment, let alone a cure. Unless the disease is caught in its earliest
stages, it is ultimately fatal to a sysop and his/her BBS. Like rubber-neckers
gawking at a car wreck while passing it on the highway, there's little anyone
can do or say except "What a shame. I wonder what happened."
The best way to protect yourself from the ravages of the SysGod Complex
is to know the tell-tale warning signs:
-=- Repeatedly hanging-up on your users
-=- Repeatedly taking the board down for your own uses
-=- Chronically ignoring e-mail from your users
-=- Deleting users who question or disagree with you
-=- Continually telling your users that the board is "mine"
If you notice any of these potential warning signs in yourself, you may
be at risk of having one of the two complexes. The best way to tell is to put
up a public post on the board asking the opinion of your users on how you're
running the system. If you see a noticeable number of negative posts, you may
have a problem. If you then begin to delete these posts and the users who made
them, then you DEFINITELY are suffering from either DSS or HSS.
Once you are diagnosed with having a SysGod complex, the only treatment
can come from within. YOU must be the one who treats the disease by changing
your habits and starting to act more responsibly toward your users, your BBS,
and yourself.
Hopefully, this article will help to illuminate others to the effects of
SysGod Syndrome and, perhaps, may save others from succumbing to this most
dreaded of afflictions. For only through effective education and communication
can this monstrous malady ever be eradicated.
Deacon Blues 2@7653
IceNEWS Contributing Light Bytes Editor
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