Distribution: Elsa Cahill, Robert Escamilla,
Phil Gantz, David and Lisa Janakes, Mark Murphy,
Lee Root, Robert Shannon, and Mara Stancavage.
Page 1 had a full-page ad for Magic Kingdom Systems.
Pages 2 and 3 had full-page ads for Laitron Computers.
Page 4 had a full-page ad for Adventure Tickets.
A: Every question or comment we print has been sent to us. We choose which and when they are printed.
Q: How many people read BABBA?
A: We publish 30,000 copies, so assume at least 30,000 people read it. Some other magazines claim that each of their issues is read by over 4 people! We don't know how anyone could claim that. Advertisers should judge the response of an ad, not how many claimed readers might see it.
Q: Why do you list commercial BBSs that do not "provide a useful level of public access" as you described in issue 3? They offer nothing for free and shouldn't take up space in your publication of useful free access BBSs.
A: Good Point. We may someday stop listing commercial services (having no level of free public access) unless they pay for an ad.
C: I am disappointed with BABBA as you seem to have forgotten the first time users. Please keep your articles geared for the newcomer.
A: We keep the newcomer in mind but we are for all levels, not just for beginners. Our first 3 issues were filled with articles specifically for the new modem user. Like any magazine, every issue of BABBA is different. We cannot be all things to all people all the time. Look up our back issues! We will have more beginner level articles in the future.
Q: Can you tell me the name of the Sysop that runs the so_and_so BBS?
A: No. If you do not see a Sysop name in the BABBA summaries, the Sysop wishes to remain anonymous.
Q: Why does BABBA, and many other BBSs, refuse to let in 300-baud modem callers, This is a symptom of BBSs with a bad attitude - with arrogant and snooty Sysops!
A: Some people expect too much from a free BBS, (or a free magazine). Sysops running a BBS out of their pocket and valuable time are amazed when a few non-contributing callers demand the BBS cater to their needs immediately. Our response:
1) The anger is misplaced. Not allowing 300 baud is generally a practicality issue, not a personal one. These days, 300 baud is not fast enough to do anything useful on most BBSs. Some BBSs are very busy and access is metered to each caller. The Sysop can opt to prevent 300 baud callers from wasting time. You will find some lower speed or simpler BBSs where you can log on at 300, but this list is shrinking fast.
2) The Sysop is not obligated to any special requirements. A Sysop can decide "14.4 or up only" if they wish. It is their BBS.
3) We have added a new question to the BABSYSOP.FRM file for Sysops to fill out. The question is, "What is the minimum modem speed your BBS accepts". Soon we will list the minimum speeds so people with slow modems will know.
Q: I wasted a lot of time looking for your magazine. The stores run out fast. Why don't you put more of them out?
A: We are ad revenue limited, and the 30,000 disappear fast. Please to get to the store early in the month, or subscribe. The BABBA picked up from a rack or from the stack is a free magazine. Enjoy it for what it is. We will listen to constructive criticism - but please don't expect too much for free.
Q: Is it effective to place advertising on BBSs?
A: Not really. Printed material, especially the kind that is saved, is more effective than BBS advertising.
C: In response to the letter claiming that internal modems waste power by being on continuously, I might point out that most of the people I know with external modems have units with external power supplies. When you turn off a device which uses a wall adapter, the transformer blithely performs like a small induction heater. If you really want to be "green" try putting your adapters (modem & otherwise) on a separate power strip with a switch. (PATRICK MARSHAL)
A: Good point, especially in the Summer.
A large variety of single node and multi-node BBS software can be found as public domain, freeware, shareware, or commercial software packages. BBS software packages which support multiple node operation usually rely on other packages such as DESQView, or some other multitasker for operation. Setting up an external multitasker properly can be a difficult and time consuming task. Packages that don't rely on an external multitasker tend to be expensive.
One combination of products that I have used which does not require an external multitasker and is extremely configurable is TBBS (The Breadboard System) and TDBS (The Database System) from the eSoft company. TBBS has its own internal multitasking and TDBS allows a Sysop to write code in dBASE III+ which allows for the development of a very custom system. The biggest drawback of this system is that for a two-line system the cost will exceed $500. Beyond two lines, software costs will exceed $1000.
Some shortcomings of dBASE are that it is not designed for such tasks as serial port maintenance. But that is where products (which can be a front end to dBASE) come in. With an operating system or an application handling the dirty work and dBASE code handling the data, it becomes a powerful duo.
Two of its most notable features are its cost of $99.95 and it's outstanding manual. It has been around for a number of years in a variety of configurations. The most recent version is 4.0 which is a true 32-bit operating system. Mark Williams has added many features over the life of Coherent, but still has maintained the low price of $99.95. Over 200 utilities are included along with Borne and Korn UNIX shells. Included is a C language compiler and the necessary communication utilities to connect to other systems via uucp and Kermit protocols. Utilities are also included to read and write MS-DOS diskettes. Additional files for Coherent are available on a support BBS as well as the Internet. System requirements are a 386 or higher processor, 1MB RAM and 10 MB of hard disk space.
VersaSoft offers dBMAN for a variety of operating systems including Coherent. dBMAN can be most accurately described as a dBASE III+ work-alike with additional features. The current version of dBMAN for Coherent is priced at $149.95. This includes an unlimited user license as well as pseudo compiler to speed up dBASE III+ applications by as much as 10 times. dBMAN for Coherent requires version 4.0 of Coherent with 2 MB of hard disk space and about 500K of RAM plus 128K per BBS node.
By configuring the system it is possible to launch an application of your choosing after a user logs on. The application launched becomes a Coherent BBS door. The application launched can be a product such as dBMAN. dBMAN is configured to then start a dBASE III+ BBS application.
The modem file transfers were handled by "shelling" out to the operating system and passing the file name to Zmodem. My test program took less than 150 lines of code. The end result was a way of selecting files for downloading that was easy to use. Sample dBMAN code for the browse window, the selection of files and the actual code to download the selected files is available on the Berryessa Central BBS (Babba Zone 1). The file is named 9308SRC1.BAB and is a free download. (That BBS closed years ago.)
dBMAN supports the dBASE III+ command and function set. It also includes other commands and functions that make setting up a BBS system much easier. Among these are the support of arrays, low-level file reads/writes, a much enhanced browse command, windowing and additional support for multi-user operations. These additional commands and functions make many programming tasks much simpler. There is also an applications generator. I did not have the opportunity to try this utility out, so I cannot comment on its operation. Per the dBMAN documentation it states "... a fully commented source code program is generated."
The pseudo-compiler included with dBMAN is called Greased Lightning. It is not a true compiler. My experience showed that the speed of my application was definitely enhanced after compiling. With the optional run-time license available from VersaSoft, it is possible to compile your application with Greased Lightning and then distribute it with their unlimited run-time version.
Randy Just is the principal owner of
Just Computers! (www.justcomp.com),
developers of
custom Internet, BBS, and business applications software.
Many new CD titles are beginning to hit the retail shelves. We take a peek at some of the more interesting ones:
The best selling CD-ROM currently is The Seventh Guest by Virgin Games. Next issue we will cover more new title releases on CD-ROM.
The Uncle D's Directory is a general purpose BBS that carries many files for the hearing impaired. My niece was born with 5% hearing in one ear and 10% hearing in the other. We tried many things to help her step into our world in the best way she can. We began a search for educational tools that could bridge the gap between her world and ours.
We immediately noticed the attraction of the computer screen to Karina and her deaf friends at school, as the computer provided a tool for communication. The problem was, there was little software that provided educational communication without sound being a major part. In fact there was little software period. What was there was mostly Apple, very little IBM compatible. We felt that the more exposure people got to educational software the easier the language gap could be overcome between the hearing impaired and the rest of the population. Without a doubt, the computer could bridge the language barrier.
We searched many bulletin boards across the country looking for software that would be helpful to the deaf. We made many friends; Herb Bartow who developed a program showing ASL (American Sign Language) on the screen when the letters or words were typed in. Another friend, Frank Holmes developed Fun With Letters and Words and many more programs and has now adapted hand signs into the programs he creates. These friends and many more have become associates of our BBS and have helped our goal of having the type of educational software that is helpful to the hearing impaired.
We started Uncle D's over 4 years ago as a stopping place, a warehouse, a gathering place for enthusiasts who feel that the computer is a universal tool capable of bridging the gap between the worlds of the deaf and the hearing. The name came from Karina's sign for me.
The board is free to all to use and now has over 300 megabytes of files and games of educational and communicational value. In addition, we maintain a free classified ad section, a bulletin section and a message section where all people can communicate. We even have several full electronic newspapers which are changed monthly and are entertaining.
We are becoming very strong in game software and are acting as a central place for many software game developers. We have the RIME network that allows communication on many subjects on a national basis. Many online games and interesting items can be found in our doors. We have grown over the years into a multi-user board. Everyone is welcome!
A 4 node BBS needs 4 telephone lines and allows 4 callers at a time. Multiple lines in a residence sometimes require the Trench. Most single family homes only support 2 phone wire sets. The Sysop needs to invest considerable time and money digging a trench from the street to the house, typically requiring concrete removal and new wiring. If you have to dig a trench or take some other drastic measure, have extra phone lines installed for the future.
You should get plain residence service. Consider getting flat-rate unlimited service so your BBS can call out and you can use the line yourself. Do not get any special features. Multi-Line BBSs should consider "Hunting". For a small fee, all your telephones will appear to have the same phone number to your callers.
How powerful a computer depends on the type of BBS. A single node 2400 baud simple BBS can be constructed with almost any computer. We have BBSs listed in BABBA that do not even have a hard disk! Generally, the more powerful the computer, the better. Multi-Node BBSs with high speed modems always need powerful computers. Many BBSs have huge hard disks on very powerful computers.
When a BBS has more than 2 nodes, special hardware is required. Either a special (expensive) serial board, or a local computer network must be used. This requires more time, money and expertise than does a 1-2 node BBS. Some BBS software companies sell a complete solution for many-node BBSs. Many people hire consultants to help them install such BBS systems.
Wildcat is available for $129 plus shipping from Mustang Software, (800) 236-6878. PRO: Good user interface. Very popular. Good support. CON: Tends to crash (for some Sysops)
PCBoard is available for $170 plus shipping from Clark Development Company, (800) 356-1686. PRO: Robust, never crashes, industrial strength BBS. Price includes 2 node support. CON: Clumsy message interface. Non-intuitive for new BBS callers.
Spitfire is available for $90 from Buffalo Creek Software, 913-39th Street, West Des Moines, Iowa 50265. PRO: One of the simpler BBS packages, modest computer requirements, no extra cost for any number of nodes. CON: Support is limited.
Besides these 3, there are many other good choices for BBS software packages. Multi-Node BBSs require multi-tasking software, such as DESQView, etc. In all cases, a BBS should be set up as a single node BBS first. After it is debugged, then upgrade to a multitasking multinode BBS.
Use the opinion of someone you trust when selecting a BBS package. Make sure you tell that someone your goal in setting up your BBS, e.g. now many nodes, etc.
Having a mentor Sysop to guide you through the labyrinth of BBS configurations really helps. One hour of telephone support from a guru is equivalent to 16 hours of trial and error while thumbing through the manual.
Buy the BBS software package and skim/read the manual. Try the install program, get familiar with the package and how to change things. Try setting it up. When you have troubles, call your mentor. An ideal quick start to set up a BBS is to copy a Sysop's BBS setup - with their permission of course. It is far easier to change a running BBS to meet your needs than to set one up from scratch. Like many other software packages, BBSs are sometimes available as test drive or shareware versions. Like all shareware packages, you should pay the registration fees as soon as possible. Test driving a BBS package is not as useful as test driving other software packages. You should choose a BBS package because you can get support for it, or you like it (as a BBS caller), or you like its features.
If your BBS is located in your home, get a P.O. Box. BBSs usually end up having some sort of mail-in registration or a donation form. You don't want to post your home address on your BBS. When you get your BBS up, you know where to list it!
Rockwell has promised to ship their new V.FAST chip in production quantities by November. This chip includes the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) "data pump" that can handle up to 28.8 kbits/second over normal (analog) telephone lines.
Rockwell's progress on the V.FAST chip set is a setback to the V.32terbo proponents. The V.32terbo proponents formed their own group because they were impatient with the slow progress of the V.FAST specification, and chances for a worthy DSP chip set to be developed quickly. V.32terbo is a "here and now" specification for quickly boosting modem speeds to 19.2 baud.
The current crop of 14.4K modems are a great value and will not be obsolete for a few years. The outlook for BBSs is good because faster modems always increase BBS activity. Soon we will have either 19.2K or 28K modems. Rockwell is helping to decide which one will be available at commodity prices.
What is Archie?
Archie is a system which allows you to search indices of files available on public servers on the 'net'. You can ask Archie to find file names which contain a text string, or ask it to suggest files that contain a certain word in the description. Archie returns the file names that meet your criteria and the name of the server that has the files. You can then use the FTP utility to get your file from the Internet storage site.
Archie gets its name from archive. It is a utility developed in Montreal at McGill University. I personally maintain a database of over 900 Archie sites, allowing access to 50 Gigabytes of information and files. Anyone can log on to an Archie server and easily search for files.
A Session transcript with an Archie site follows. Bold prompts show system prompts and displays, italics show my comments.
{gostsaib:2} Telnet 128.167.254.195
login: Archie
Log in as Archie - to activate the Archie server.
Welcome to the ARCHIE server at SURAnet!
archie.au 139.130.4.6 (Australian server)
archie.nz 130.195.9.4 (New Zealand server)
archie.luth.se 130.240.18.4 (Sweden)
Many more servers are shown when you log in, only the first 3 are shown here.
Currently, the available help topics are:
A list of help commands is displayed next. Then you see the archie prompt.
archie>
archie> list
984 sites are stored in the database
a.cs.uiuc.edu 128.174.252.1 02:40 14 Jun 1993
This lists all 984 archie sites available, only the first is shown here. Following is an example of using the prog command to search the database for a file.
archie> prog surfing
My keyword for Archie to search for is surfing. Archie then gives a large listing of all ftp sites that had files with the name surfing in the title.
archie> bye
{gostsaib:2}
I quit my Archie session back to the local network I started with.
My complete Archie server list, Archie site list, and the Archie help commands, are available on the Berryessa Central BBS (Babba Zone 1) as a file named 9308ARCH.BAB and is a free download. (That BBS closed years ago.)
Page 13 had ads for DC to Light
and Windows Online
(www.wolnet.com).
Page 37 was a full-page ad for New Media Computer.
Page 38 was a full-page ad for TeleText Communications.
End of Issue 6. Go back, or to
Issue 7, or to
Mark's home page.