BBS Popularity Contest • WebTV? • More Hypermedia THE BULLETIN BOARD SERVICES MAGAZINE January 1996 US $3.95 Canada $4.95 70992-35460 Qmodempro.windows95 ^Uiul-uy m$ ^fityai'l Tm "709«"35460' 3 01 > Constructive Surfing: Oxymoron no more Computer Horror Stories? Cry to Lazlow/win a prize Wow! You can do this Users easily manage their mail online or offline with distribution lists, file cabinet, address hook, in box. out bo.x and more. Create stunning menu screens, complete with hot spots, customizable buttons, list boxes, moling ticker displays, animation, sound effects and more. aiifelSsr^i r**mm—m »r-.M liaj 1 ~ — >^-*"— — l*Tlinfc^i.lM P rr Jt— ; t- i-H_^ Offer surveys, applications, tests, data col- lection forms and more, and allow users to immediately view tallied results online. »■■—,.—«» -,— __ ■ ■ cpiirw '•■< :U-" ; j- ' -......-..;, •*•» *-'~ LSa. a— ; f— ^J Configure up to 10.000 discussion areas or Interne! newsgroups for users to exchange ideas on a variety of topics. A Powerful Client/Server Online Environment Extend your workgroup environment to the outside world. Run your own graphical online service on one computer. Add multimedia pre- sentations. Support up (o 256 users on a single computer. With Worldgroup, it's easy. Only Worldgroup. Galaclicomm"s premier client/server online platform, allows you to design an online system that's customized to your vision and configured to your require- ments. The freely distributable Windows client provides an exciting graphical interface and brings application-specific intelligence to your users" PCs. And your server can run on a single DOS or UNIX computer. Animations, 24-bii graphics, hypertext links, digital audio — any look and feel you envision can easily be created for your Worldgroup interface. A Secure, Full-Featured Platform Offers users a rich suite of interactive applications — with e-mail, group message areas, teleconference, polls and more. The server manages all security issues through its Locks and Keys architecture, ensuring rock-solid system integrity. Users can access your service via modem, LAN. ISDN, the Internet and X.25 networks. For non-client users, ASCII, ANSI and RIP terminals are also supported, bringing you the widest possible audience. A Single Internet Solution for DOS or UNIX You can become an Internet access server with the Worldgroup Internet Server for DOS or with Worldgroup for UNIX. Provide SLIP/CSLIP/PPP accounts to authorized dial- up and LAN users so they can hrowse the World-Wide Web. Allow your users to exchange Internet messages with SMTP e-mail, NNTP news- groups and POP3 mail delivery capability for cross-platform compatibility. Promote your products and services over the Internet with a stunning multimedia Web site. Forms, imagemaps and secure Web pages are all supported on this standard HTTP 1.0-complianl Web server. over the Internet?!! Users can chat, whisper, sketch diagrams and exchange files with each other in the multiuser teleconference. Users can bivwsc through full-screen file listings and easily download files of interest. t\ lal-.UTUrt -.-."-. ■95 ,,-T, ...III 1 3-J e.l Set up your own Web site to promote your products and sen-ices over the Internet. Woridgroip ^r«i< flT«»«... - — 1 [;■- Online help is available at every win- dow, with explanations on how to use Workgroup's services. You can even create a hypertext link for Web cullers to download your client program so they can enjoy Workgroup's fully interac- tive services. A Gateway to the Internet and a Site on the Internet Take advantage of the Internet as a global TCP/IP network for workgroup applications. Give your users access to die Internet with telnet, rlogin. ftp. finger and IRC client capa- bilities. And. you can let Internet users access your system's services with telnet, rlogin. ftp and finger server support. Visual Basic and C Extensibility With the Worldgroup Client/Server Developer's Kit you can customize your sys- tem to suit your needs — and even create your own add-ons — using Visual Basic on the client side and Borland C++ for the serv- er side. But you don't have to be a developer to benefit from Workgroup's open architecture. You can plug and play dozens of add-on applications from Galacticomni and our net- work of Independent Software Vendors. Offer online shopping, voice/image tele- conferencing, group schedulers, document management, fax servers. SQL databases and more. Make the Connection to Worldgroup You can make your service accessible via modem, LAN. serial link. TCP/IP. ISDN and X.25 networks. Only Worldgroup gives you this flexibility. Discover for yourself the most open, cost- effective way to provide a successful online server. For more information, call your favorite Galacticomm dealer or call us direct todav. 1-800-328-1128 (outside the U.S./Canada, 954-583-5990) Or browse us at hltp://www.gcommxom \tKRhf*T. ClAtFMIHi (^GALACTICOMM Bringing your vision online Excalibur BBS lets you do more things like download a file and play a game and hit the Internet and preview a photo of a hot redhead and preview a photo of a red hotrod and design a menu using TrueType fonts and object-oriented or bitmapped graphics which according to BBS Magazine "make the likes of America Online pale" and chat with an attractive sysop who's impressed with the size of the new online database and the fact that you got the terminal for free and you're really glad you can keep on chatting while you download yet another file and think to yourself no wonder Windows Magazine named Excalibur to their Top 100 list because after all what other BBS lets you do so many tasks so well at the same time. Excalibur BBS For Windows Modem into the Excalibur BBS HQ at 918.496.8113. Voice 800.EXCAL BBS. Web http://WWW.EXCALBBS.COM, Email SALES@EXCALBBS.COM Excalibur Communications, Inc., 2530 East 71st St., Suite E, Tulsa. OK 74136 [ UMMl'Ml A I ION S IM roro VOLUME 7, NUMBER 1 JANUARY 1996 page 7<> DEPARTMENTS 4 readme.txt 6 Newswire 58 The A-List 68 Netted Boards 72 Classified Ads FEATURE !Wi%\ 12 Communication by Mustang /jH^sjjLk QmodemPro for Windows 95 Jt. Jui^J# COLUMNS : — ttS 18 Games Over \ T^S^*" ^ Webwise by Dave Kramer ^^ktafl!tfB&^ 22 Crash-n-Burn page -10 Technoraves by Lazlow Jones 25 AskTess r — by Tess Heder 26 Sharewaring by Maria Langer 32 bbs.rtotebook by Steve Janas 36 Ask Delilah by Deanna Warren 40 No Kidding The Big Boards by Terry Rossi 44 Hodgepodge Macintosh Online by Michael A. Kuykendall 48 Hot Files by Hank Hurteau 52 Evolving Boards Commodore Connections by Gaelyne R. Moranec 56 Traveling the i-Way on the l-modem Modems by Modem Mage 76 Future Tense by Jacqueline Kramer Page 4# page SI JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE A «... readmeitxt \ D j alin IOMORR Good planning and great technology have put Mustang Software ahead of the other guys on the "For Windows 95" telecommuni- cation bandwagon. They did it with QmodemPro for Windows 95 (released last August) and they did it seemingly without cutting corners to beat the rush. This consistently reliable communications program that has cycled through DOS, Windows and now 95 — turning thousands on to BBSing along the way — is more equipped than it ever was, with cool new entries like Telnet, TAPI, OLE 2.0, drag and drop handling, and 35 terminal emulations. For details and a critical look, check out author David Wolfe's review on page 12. Call it "hype in the pan." This one came and went just like that, though it will probably be sparking up again — and soon. I'm talking about something called Web TV. And if you think you know about it, guess again. Jacqui Kramer (Future Tense) did, and wound up with lots of answers — and perhaps a few more questions. Stay tuned to page 76. Lazlow (Technoraves), in case you missed it on his radio broadcast, is running a lit- tle contest. He's looking for your nightmares — the real ones that include your com- puters. You say you slipped and dropped your new Pentium down two flights of stairs where it bounced, smashed through the front window, flew past mom on the lounger and came to rest with a "kerplunk" at the bottom of your swimming pool? Too bad. Cry to Laz with the others and maybe win a prize (page 22). Speaking of whining, to all those doubters and general complainers who say the Web's nothing but a vast playground for the non-constructive, money-grubbing, ego-stroking and over-indulgent, I say you're only part right. Actually, there's as much excellence as excess on the Web. And on page 18. Dave Kramer (Webwise) proves it with some cool places your head will thank you for. Oh, and don't miss the "contest" we're helping get off the ground. It's a kind of callers' choice awards for the top 20 BBSs on the SBI List of Telnettable BBSs (proba- bly the most comprehensive list of such boards). Read a little more about it on page \b 68 at the start of the monthly run of "Netted Boards. &~ Web BBS? — Things move fast in our business. Make that both of our ^^ businesses — media and online technology. It's a double whammy that keeps the adrenaline pumping and the fact-filters up past their bed times. It almost calls for clairvoyance, this craft of putting it all together in the hope that your premise holds past presstime and pans out in exactly the pattern you foresaw. There are times when this prescience conflicts with converging forces, however, as was the case a couple of issues back when we used the convenient phrase "Web BBS" to describe an element of a product we were reviewing. For shortly after deadline that month, Dan Linton over at Linton Enterprises, Inc., made strides toward trade-mark- ing the term for his own product ("Web BBS" reviewed in the November issue). Unfortunately, we'd already gone to press. So to those who caught all this and were confused by it, I'll try and be less accurate next time in my coining of phrases. For those who've no idea what I'm addressing here: nevermind. Rick Robinson, editor@bbsmagazine.com 4 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE mi B ULLETIN BOARD StftVICES MAGAZINE PUBLISHER Richard Paquette publisher@bbsmag.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER John P. Carcione Iohn.Cardone@bbsmag.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Richard VV. Robinson Ir. editor@bhsmngiizine.com WEST COAST ADVERTISING SALES Wayne I. Fields, 7H.770.2955 adverlisCbbsniag.com DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION Terr)' Wilson Cenyw@voicetiet.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tess Heder, Hank Human, Steve Janas, Lazlow Tones, Dave Kramer, Jacqui Kramer, Michael A. Kuykendall, Maria Langer, Modem Mage, Gaelyne R. Moranec, Terry Rossi, Shari Steele, and Deanna Warren. PREPRESS PRODUCTION Beth Tomasello NEWSSTAND CIRCULATION DIRECTOR William A. Townsend EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING OFFICES BBS Magazine Callers Digest Inc. 701 Stokes Road Medford, N| 08055 609.953.9110 Main Office 609.953.91 10 Advertising 609.953.7961 Fax 609.235.5297 BBS Advertising: advertisSPbbsmag.com Subscriptions: sub.scribe@bbsmag.com SUBSCRIPTIONS USA CAN/MEX OVERSEAS 1 Yr. i 12 issues) S36 S60 Si 20 2 Yrs.(24 Issues) S60 S100 $220 All subscriptions prices arc US Dollars only. SINGLE COPY DISTRIBUTION Warner Publisher Services, Inc., NY, NY Call our order hotline at 1-800-822-0437 8am-4pm EST, Mon-Fri, and charge your subscription to your Visa or MasterCard, or send check or money order, in US dollars, payable to Callers Digest, Inc. Entire contents copyright ©1995 Callers Digest, Inc., all rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without writ- ten permission from the publisher of CBS Magazine. BBS Magazine (ISSN #1055-2812) is published monthly by Callers Digest, Inc., 701 Stokes Rd., Medford, NJ 08055. Callers Digest, Inc. is not responsible for the opinions expressed by contribu- tors. Questions and comments are welcomed. Unless otherwise instructed, we assume all rights to letters, articles, or other communications sen! to Callers Digest, Inc. as unconditionally assigned for publication. Material not accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope will not be returned. Uploads are accepted only in ZIP format at "The Livewire BBS," 609.235.5297 (All Y. Everything modems). POSTMASTER: Please send all change of address (with old label and new addressl to: Callers Digest, Inc., 701 Stokes Rd., Medford, NJ 08055. PRINTED IN UNITED STATES Member of Association of Online Professionals AOP APDI - The Nation's Largest Service Bureau Wilh over 500simultaneous connect lines (and growing fast!) APDI is the nation's premier Service Bureau providing customized on-line systems for corporate and professional organizations nationwide. APDI will work with you to design your on-iine system and then implement and operate it at our state-of-the-art Service Center located just outside of Washington, D.C, We provide all hardware, software and communication facilities required to make your system a success. We also provide a professional Help Desk to assist your users in connecting. You are free to concentrate on the data, APDI takes care of all technical details! Your Choices APDI offers you a wide range of options for your on-line system including: • User Interface: MS Windows Client, RIP, ANSI, Terminal • Connect Method: Toll Call, 800 Number, Local Call Nationwide, ISDN • Internet Access: Telnet, World Wide Web, E-Mail • System Design: Customized to present your unique image On-Line Applications APDI has implemented systems for some of the nation's largest organizations. We have developed service bureau applications for publishing, associations, university courses, customer support, software distribution, CD-ROM order processing, and more! If your project doesn't fit a standard application, we can develop a custom on- line system to fit your needs. Ch MtB ft Far Windows, v.l-M ,'! KT^ ;— Hit list -66 Items fiS^L ?,i }:' fviH^fi.) IQwV-rt Ko. 94 H fc»H Ptug fapflrt: BuBtflmg ■DCPAJV 3«w*CH0ii r F - d " t~[IlodtrlN [dock** rvni si. tj rEDock*iN (- DEPART* r Ammnl nn f"Wiil™iil ti i *^ pu pi i.i i— ' I ariffMil II i" DCI'AATl K f Wrt H r|Fi..i n u i * a *. *■ &}•"*& >9«ti< H 1 -' Ipilw-B.lFil priinii nay wifamtirSmnal [>£>(> in* UmiqowmiI Brwtdi (addrau i ipirtwfl»RJ» my lutwirf M»ai0 wp»') M In jnl i* linilrli I* *« Iwmtinc] rt 17.il t ■'■ 1 ID ftp IliM * uti Ur|«pin>>>i>rl Qinni.-ti b«M**1 1 1 "I f*«J A f HI U.wHuiy '(in uijh I j- iln y Screen shot from APDI's new Cheetah for Worldgroup Product APDI's Cheetah product is the on-line industry's fastest and most powerful full text search and retrieval program. Search one or multiple databases using Boolean and proximity search phrases. Megabytes of data can be searched in fractions of seconds. You can take advantage of Cheetah on your system running at APDI's Service Center or you can buy the package to run on your in-house system. Cheetah is compatible with virtually ail popular BBS programs including a new version for Galacticomm's Worldgroup! President Mark Burnett in one of APDI's Computer Rooms What Makes APDI Number One? Our State-of-the-Art Service Center and Secure Environment • USRobotics 33.6Kbps modems on all phone lines • ISDN, Packet Switching, Frame Relay • Fully redundant hardware systems • Independent backup power facility • Automated data backups daily •Complete virus scanning • 7 by 24 system moniloring • Continuous technology refreshment Our User Support • Professionally staffed Help Desk for your users from 9 a.m. to 1 2 midnight EST Our Customers and Alliances Some of the largest and most progressive corporations, associations and even major online services have selected APDI to implement and operate on-line systems for them. Additionally, many manufacturers and service providers have chosen APDI as a business partner. Among these are: • Galacticomm, Inc. • Mustang Software, Inc. • CompuServe Network Systems Our Reputation and Demand for Excellence ...having worked with APDI in setting up the PTO's on-line information system we continue to be impressed with their high quality of service and professionalism. Jim Moriarty, United States Patent and Trademark Office ...we are very impressed with APDI's excellent support and operation of mission critical Worldgroup based on-line systems. Scott Brinker. President. Galacticomm, Inc. . . . CompuServe is excited about the benefits that APDI can bring to our existing and future client base. Jeff Kiely, CompuServe Network Systems yiPDi Application Programming & Development, Inc. 6805 Coolridge Drive, Camp Springs. MD 20748 Ph: 1-800-785-APDI Fax:301-449-1224 INFO@APDI.NET Worldgroup BBS: 301-449-1835 APDI Wildcat BBS: 301-449-6100 WebSite Pro: Locking Security O'Reilly & Associates is back with another World Wide Web server, this one called the WebSite Professional. What separates the newcomer from its predecessor is improved security: digi- tal signatures and "privacy for the exchange of payment information, per- sonal identification, and intellectual property." WebSite Pro, which was scheduled for public release this winter, supports both Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (S-HTTP) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), the latter of which holds a cryptographically strong random num- ber source. Translation: pretty darn tight security. "I paid close attention to Website's random number source from the beginning," said Robert Denny, WebSite developer. "Its design has been discussed with expert cryptographers, and the imple- mentation has been validated." According to O'Reilly, Denny devel- oped Pro's security features with Enterprise Integration Technologies (EIT), creators of Secure HTTP. WebSite Pro will also include other new features and upgrades from the earlier vl.O. One in particular is WSAPI, WebSite Application Programming Interface with enhanced logging, post processing and other fea- tures. The price is yet to be set, but O'Reilly said there will be a special upgrade program for holders of ver- sions 1.0 and 1.1 — 1.1 was released in December. Give a call to 800.998.9938 for more information. Multi-Tech's DSVDs MultiTech Systems has begun shipping internal and desktop V.34 ver- sions of its own patent- ed MultifvlodemPCS Digital Simultaneous Voice and Data (DSVD) modems. If you're not familiar with these, in a nutshell you're looking at the ability to pass data and voice communication at the same time through your modem. Applications are obvious, like telecommuting and desktop video con- ferencing — talk vox to the sysop while downloading files, etc. The new modems operate with MultiHxpressPCS answering machine software with the "Virtual Modem" driver, MultiExpress fax and data com- munications software, and TALKShow document conferencing software from Future Labs of Los Altos, California. The PCS is S899 (U.S.) for the desk- top model and S499 for the internal version. MultiTech has also released a lower priced DSVD model, a V32bis version, for $249. For more information call 800.328.9717 or 612.785.3500. Turnkeys to the Web They may be the hottest thing going. Their advertising boasts of taking all that technical, complicated stuff usually required for a complete Net presence and packaging it in a neat and simple, non-threatening, user-friendly, newbie- nice, one-stop Web box solution. They're so-called "Turnkey Web Servers" and if you are in the market for a World-Wide Web server to run alongside your BBS, or need such an animal 'cause the boss says the compa- ny needs it, check these collections out first. Two of the latest ones crossing our desks are from eSoft Inc. (known for TBBS software) and Beyond 2000 Systems, Inc. With one of eSoft's $6,995 Turnkeys, expect to find all the hard- ware (486DX2\66 or better) and soft- ware (WindowsNT and WebSite from O'Reilly) necessary for a complete Web site. Combine this with the company's $3,995 Internet Protocol Adapter (dis- cussed elsewhere in Ncwswire this month) and a leased line Net connec- tion — both available from eSoft — and you're set to launch. "Our customers want to be able to write one check for everything they need to set up a complete Internet site," said eSoft President Phil Becker. The I PAD "integrates a router, ter- minal server, and an Internet client/server software suite," he said, concluding that "now, with our pre- configured Web server, specialized JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE PCBoard, Salt Air Files on CD Clark Development Corp. is now offering the best of its best on CD- ROM. Specifically, that's the best of Salt Air (the company's BBS) and a complete commercial version of its two-node PCBoard BBS software. The CD, called "Best of the Salt Air BBS CD-ROM," includes thousands of shareware, demo and freeware pro- grams — plus all the bulletins. Continues... I expertise is no longer needed to install and operate any part of a full-service Internet presence." The Turnkey from Beyond 2000 ($9,995), called WebWerx, includes hardware, WindowsNT-based software, Web page construction, documenta- tion and technical support. According to 2000, WebWerx arrives at your doorstep configured and pre-loaded with your Web pages (designed by 2000 and you) and ready for wiring to the Net. The Pentium 100 comes jammed with Web server software supporting image maps, forms handling, Web- wide text searching, scripting, password security, and the ability to incorporate CGI scripts that work with programs like Excel, databases and Visual Basic. The system will also track usage for different Web pages. Beyond 2000 Systems says it also helps customers connect to an Internet access provider. For more information on eSoft's Turnkeys, call 303.699.6565, or check the Web: http://www.esoft.com/. For info on WebWerx, call (CA) 800.441.2282; Web: http://www.beyond2000.com Six-year-old Heather Shade knows what she wants In a Web page, and she knows just how to get it: Daddy. "I code the pages, she orders me around, " jokes Gary Shade. He's the dad who also happens to be sysop of Shades Landing BBS and a Web designer/ Met provider in Apple Valley, MN. After seeing the atten- tion 13-year-old brother Jason got when he launched his "Snakes and Reptiles" page back when she was five (local TV news came calling and over 3,008 hit the site in short order), she decided that was for her. Unfortunately, Mattel gave a rather lukewarm reception to Heather's idea of a Barbie page (nice pub- lic relations, Mattel), so she moved on, undeterred, to bigger and better things — namely the holidays. Now the Southview Elementary School kinder- gartner's running Heather's Happy Holidaze Page. It began as the "Scary Halloween Page — Kids Only!!!" last September, and soon became a place where youngsters around the world went to reveal what they were gonna be for Halloween via a neat Halloween Wall. There were also safety tips for kids and their parents. Now Heather's getting SCARY PAGE i Kits a c, i; 7 4 Offer SUP/CSLIP/PPP Connectivity through your BBS! Major TCP/IP by Vtrcom is the first TCP/IP solution to provide Pass-Through SLIP directly on The MajorBBS and Worldgroup. Now you can offer your users accounts which can directly provide them with Full SUP/ CSLIP/PPP connections allowing them to use their favorite WEB Browsers. MajorTCP/IP is a proven solution being used by over 750 systems worldwide. It also offers your users Telnet, Rlogin, FTP, and Finger. Users can also telnet into your BBS from anywhere in the world! An SMTP gateway allows your users to send and receive Internet E-Mail virtually instantly. Major TCP/IP also supports DMA which allows you to create virtual BBS's composed of several systems. Call and ask us for details. Major TCP/IP Combo Version - $700.00 20 User Worldgroup tf /Major TCP/IP - $1295.00 Get All Your Worldgroup Heeds With One Easy Phone Call! DCS is an Authorized Dealer for DataSafe, High Velocity, Sirius, ProDesign, Logicom, Labyrinth, East Side Computing, Jabbertfocky, Infinetwork, HighWaterMark, & HumanlVare. Contact us for Fractional & Full Tt Internet Connections. Worldgroup 8-User SCALL! Vmaffl MMIMIMII II User 6- Packs SCALL! ^^^^B^^^^mSElMlM Entertainment Collection $1 75.00 The IntelliServer is an expandable asynchronous communications serverthat Major Gateway/Internet $1 75.00 combines the functionality of a high-performance terminal server with the ex- Fax/Online $1 75.00 tended communications capabilities of an Internet access device. It can be con- Search & Retrieve $1 45.00 nected directly to a TCP/IP Ethernet LAN, and requires no special operating Client/Server Developer's Kit $249.00 system device drivers. It is actually a compact, self-contained RISC workstation HWM Caller-ID Module $100.00 complete with 20MHz MIPS-R300O compatible CPU, 2^1 MB of RAM, resident HWS UPS Shutdown.. $ 79.95 multi-tasking operating system, and menu driven interface. The IntelliServer has Infi-Base $495.00 an impressive list of security and configuration features. Users can be automati- CyberTank $395.00 cally logged onto a specific host, offered a menu of host connections, or given Form Manager $165.00 access to the menu and shell. If desired, passwords can be defined for specific Trade- Wars 2002 (multi-user) $400.00 users and for administrators. IntelliServer's standard feature list includes full PPP, Auto Wars $ 59.00 SLIP, and CSLIP support permitting IP devices to be connected over RS-232 serial StoryLand $ 50.00 ports at up to 200Kbps. This offers an ideal solution for sites that wish to imple- First Class Mail (mass mailings) $ 99.00 ment cost-effective remote access, Internet access, and LAN-to-LAN connectivity. Let's Get Personal Dating Registry.... $ 79.00 Each 16 port IntelliServer can be expanded using low cost 8-port and 16-port GTEK Blackboard-4 (w/Cables) $21 5.00 expansion modules. A single IntelliServer can support 64 physical ports, and up to GTEK BBS-550 (w/Cables) $395.00 32 PPP/SLIP connections. These are ideal to run in conjunction with MajorBBS GTEK Blackboard-8 $5 1 5.00 and Worldgroup by bringing in all users in via TCP/IP. This does not have the BOCA- 16 Port (w/Cables) $349.00 load normally associated with polling modems at high speeds. ISK 1 15K- 16 port $ 1650. Please call for pricing, configurations and availability. Digital Consulting Services, Inc. P.O. Box 2142 - Secaucus, NJ 07094 (800) 899-2002 Sales (212) 697-7340 Support fijyfi Call to request our Free Catalog! ^S^sS We accept MasterCard, VISA, American Express 8, COD Orders QmodemPro It's 32 -bit, multithreaded, programmable, and built for Windows 95. QmodemPro ile Edit View Connection Scripts look Help The phonebook in QmodemPro for Windows 95. - 5 1 X □ m & & & --• a « ^ ii □ ™ °\r| r' *? File Edit Dial View Help Connection j Options \ Statistics | X|%| I Q| ^j#| tlj ssa^ System Name: ggK Mustang Software BBS Fly in' High Work MCI Mail Galacticomm Collosus eSoft 1 object(s) selected CompuServe GEnie Edge BBS |Mustang Softwaie BBS Phone number — Area code: Primary number: Change icon... J805 + J373-2400 Country code: V Chsnnoj] Holonet Channel 1 HSMDOHI Microsoft Connect using: EXEC PC ExecPC Chalk Talk Practical Peripherals PM1 4400FXSA Type z\ Data Configure.. 51SHHHB8H Voice Telnet — arr J "Cancel Apply M WCLIST.ZIP WC26TD-1.EXE WC26TD-2.EXE 0LXWDEMO.EXE ALLFILES.ZIP Add Remove I Open... Look Up Look D own Send Separator Carriaae Return u V Long Filenames W Remove items on Send Send New Close X hat low, bass-filled rumble you've been hearing — the one that's steadily been getting louder since, oh, August of '95 — is not an indication you need an otolaryngologist. Rather, it's something I often refer to as the incessant reverberation of "The Vendor Stampede Phenomenon." Surely you've heard it, or of it — It's that sound made by the throng of software vendors porting their applications over to the Windows 95 format. But way ahead of that throng — in fact, the first telecom- munications vendor to port over its software — was Mustang Software. Its long-popular package has hit the ground gallop- ing under its latest moniker: QmodemPro for Windows 95 (QMW95). Telecommunications '95 — a primer Whether you swear by Windows 95 (or at it), you can't deny that it's here to stay. And with its introduction comes a differ- ent approach to PC computing that places a great deal of reliance on the operating system itself rather than letting the applications have full reign. This has been a trend in PCs ever since Windows was first introduced and something that Mac users delight in pointing out these days. The first wave of telecommunications software was all DOS based {I'm talking PC stuff now). At the time most of us were pretty happy with that — what was the alternative? Then came Windows. Microsoft didn't even seem to give a hoot about telecom- munications when Windows first appeared. So naturally, most first-generation Win-comm software stunk — bad. Then Microsoft seemed to get (a little) hip, and when Continues.. mustang JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 13 ThcIc4bwngmod*fi ittaiujgaHWH Rjn Dlabngfromc Detail Loc« fiisfat BSUitl JaCortdPaH Windows 3.1 1 was released the internal telecommuni- cation architecture of the operating system was much more solid and up to date (at least port speeds of 19,200 bps were supported}. At this point, some really fine telecommunication software was created for the Windows environment that took care of most com- plaints folks had about Windows and its ability to get them online. The problem (was it a problem?) with telecommu- nications and Windows 3.1 1 was that when a telecom- munication application was fired up, it laid claim to the port it was using and until it was done with it, no other task could use that port. Until Windows 95 there was no way for the Windows environment to compe- tently manage all the applications that might want access to the comm port to which a modem was connected. Today nearly everyone is online in some way or another, whether they're utilizing traditional BBS telecommunications, Internet access, dial-up networking, PC faxing... whatever. A method for managing telecommunication software has been built into Windows 95 called TAPI, or Telephony Applications Programming Interface. Basically, this means applications which adhere to TAPI let Windows tell them when they can have access to the modem (comm port) or when incoming data is for them. For example, you can now have multiple TAPI compliant telecommunication programs running in the background to receive data from a modem and the TAPI of Windows 95 will correctly route the incoming data to the right applications. This data might include faxes or actual standard data calls to a host application that may be running (e.g. QmodemPro run- ning in host mode.) "One of the major benefits of TAPI is that it will act as a 'traffic cop' and mediate access to your modem. You can have Microsoft Fax, Dial-up Networking, and any other TAPI- based application loaded up at the same time," said Bob Allman, of Mustang marketing. "The TAPI engine in Windows 95 controls which application has access to the comm port and prevents lock-ups. Try loading two or three programs that access the same comm port under Windows 3.1 and you'll begin to understand how nice TAPI really is." Another great aspect of TAPI is the centralization of modem configuration. All applications that adhere to TAPI will draw from Windows 95's own internal configuration 1 sn rjisfcig ksm The*«£od9tK Jam in tiw fiFmrw— A 1 i J3.7 juried 5tatei of Ame icslll ~3 Ho* I aal'iMriThn beaten To accsu an gtfofe ho. frtf cW FT" lotto* p - Fa long tjatanc* r DtalumcCdngCafd: P tta beaten hat ulttabq Todtabto* eU [ I 3 X ha p hone r/tfsm a fe beaten mat fl" Iorradalng C fiistteang Li O 3. mat Windows now maintains most, if not all of the configuration information a telecommunication application might need. information about ports and modems which are attached to the computer, Until Windows 95, Windows just didn't keep track of all needed infor- mation about the telecom- munications end of things. Now, Windows 95 will keep track of dial codes needed, modem initializa- tion strings needed by the type of modem you have, calling card numbers and so on. TAPI-compliant applications draw from this well of information that the user gave to Windows 95 when the environment was first installed. This cuts down on the setup time of new telecommunication applica- tions and gives novice users a break when it conies to modem configuration. However, it can also be a pain if you happen to have a modem that is not supported (which is very rare), or you have a modem that's flaky and needs special attention (such as the carrier detect signal being on all the time). One of the downsides of TAPI is the fact that the user is only put into direct contact with the port when necessary. For example, in QMW95 you are unable to send AT commands to the port unless you actually dial a number. It is assumed that Windows 95 has already initialized your port correctly and the only task QMW95 needs to do is make a connection. But, for certain, TAPI does help more than it hinders. With more and more transactions being handled via standard modems and PCs, TAPI will help keep things clear. So what about QmodemPro? OK, enough about the guts of the darned thing. How well does the software work? In short, it works pretty well. This coming from a tried and true user of the DOS version of Telix should say something. (For the newcomers, read: cool!) Qmodem Pro for Windows 95 is a solid 32- bit telecommunications package stuffed with a wide range of features, yet trimmed just right so as not to offer features redundant with Windows 95, For example, you will not find A ri 9 h ' clic J k of ' he ~ ° n ne8 ;' . r ly any QmodemPro for Windows 95 any internal fax ability to e|emen , (jn , his case , he , op , oo| QMW95. Since Windows bar) will allow you to change its 95 comes with a decent properties. The QmodemPro for Windows 95 picture viewer beats them all. Not only will it display BMP, 14 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE internal tax service, Mustang Software has decided not to clutter up things with its own fax soft- ware (as in past versions). The result is a very focused piece of software that does what it sets out to do, and very well. One of the best features of QMW95 is its multi- threaded protocols. Now, even if you're an experi- enced Windows type like me, you might be confused by the term "multithread- ed." Multithreaded simply means that when you begin a transfer with QMW95 with any one of its 10 proto- cols, a new processor thread is started which is indepen- dent of the primary thread QMW95 is running under. This aspect allows QMW95 to let the user to do other things with the program like compile scripts, alter set- tings, view the scrollback log, and so on — all while a file transfer is taking place and without stealing time from the transfer. Many other applications including Windows HyperTerminal are single threaded, meaning that processor time is shared among all tasks the telecom- munication software might be running. Mustang's CEO Jim Harrer recognized this as a problem early on, noting that "as communications specialists and Windows 95 beta testers, we immediately recognized that consumers weren't going to be satisfied with the terminal software included with Windows 95." As for appearances, if KE=2HBaMBBI Eto £<* Sfm» lonmctai Satli loth a* \jal^jgj Vlslal Ul H -Id "I t _^j ^jCAPioqidn 1 iklXMllHang SofhmcU ... HBEJl tie E* B«i K*~ H* ®l DlcslHlsl Jtlffalel -<*l«l fclxli ^ >^ 0„ WffiSW Muilar«3 Setup EPSffll^T! SrtTwwsBBS ComouSer,* MCI Tribal ■J „.. 1 \il 1 objecUi) i elected ', \ ..-. .' | | fr Pert Shop fto Dragging and dropping a dialing directory entry to the desktop is a snap. Making a Telnet connection to the Mustang Support BBS. QMW95 is using the built-in Windows PPP dialer for its connection. E^jH it £* £** £cf*wc!>on lenpt Jwfc tJt*> *UW8I >lsi«! 'I si -J.;l lei II I'"""" If 1 ij l.^*-V',!^ h — i.- msa^jjjS i 1 1 B ,-. D H : A { U0ttdl| 0*9** j HMI J StK | Ete-jyj C3W | itjl | Ppu,, | Imh | MS | HjTwie>hM!Witi*4ftjm cwr* ■ 1 ' f 3|Slw{ .J ,zi*»cii* £**<*& m'gwa'SiBria -■£*> - WW ' you like the look and feel of Windows 95, you'll like QMW95. Mustang Software has done a good job of making the software behave in all aspects like Windows 95. A right click of the mouse on almost any item in the QMW95 window will allow you to change its properties. Items like the tool bar at the top, the macro bar at the bottom and the center work space can all be customized to suit your personal tastes. And (newbies pay atten- tion) don't look for a signif- icant learning curve here — QMW95 requires little prior telecomm knowledge as the software is extremely intuitive and even the most novice of users should be able to pick up on it quick- ly. QMW95 also supports the latest Object Linking and Embedding standards (OLE 2.0). Elements from within QMW95 like dialing directory entries can be dragged to the desktop and placed just like standard program shortcuts. Double clicking these objects will fire up QMW95 and begin a dialing process to that dial- ing directory entry. Files displayed in Explorer can be tagged and dragged to the QMW95 window to be sent out via a file upload — very sharp. Since the QMW95 dialing directory is icon-based (some like it, some don't) the Windows 95 feel is again maintained. Gotta hand it to Microsoft — things fit Telnetting with QmodemPro is a snap. Continues 3IF or JPG files as they are being downloaded but it also allows you to change the zoom level. JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE IS Ete £ lJsi together pretty well in Windows 95. (Shut up all you Mac users!) Internet, Internet, Internet! QMW95 now has internal Telnet ability which allows users to log into remote Internet hosts via a TCP/IP connection. Since Windows 95 now comes with an internal NetDialer which can establish a TCP/IP connection via a PPP socket, Internet access is easily had. I don't know about you, but the vast majority of Telnet clients I have had the displeasure of trying to use have been very primitive beasties. All they really did was get you where you needed to go. (Only very recently have some come along to allow file transfers.) Traditional Telnet clients assumed you would fire up an FTP client to do file transfers — FTP clients sometimes being a nightmare in themselves. QMW95 allows you to have the full range of telecommuni- cation resources available to you over a Telnet connection. Yes, you can now do Zmodem transfers with QWM95 via a Telnet connection. Since more and more BBS pack- age are being updated to have internal TCP/IP con- nectivity, this aspect of QMW95 comes just in time. Though this feature is very needed now, I'm not too certain about how long this will be so. More and more BBS packages are going toward client/server arrangements where a unique client application is recommended for logging into a specific host (and required to receive the cool Windows graphics). PCBoard, Wildcat!, Worldgroup, MindWire, Excalibur, Media Host and other big names in BBSing have already moved or are heading toward client/server software. This trend itself may die a natural death, as so many other trends in telecom- munications have. But 1 have a feel- ing it's around to stay. . . you'll just have to keep you ear to the ground on this one. |CE)k>|r>l
>> let a> tistrttati ' Aotoconfio ?A<\ P.VSBHI «*top c« lent ■ .i ., far GIANT fell*. H ,1 [111 inrim./i ■ Ms II [17| l:Ci:nll.,'t" S,*„ [1]| BBSIHIUB.ftP « ov«ri1n.i QUK cd; I QPonlStoPto File: 1 of 3 Time lemainsng; DQOC152 Total lemalrung. CKM&3S CPS:35S1 QmodemPro has a much wider range of sound support 16 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE EmuUImn Keybodid Mapping Fi F2 F3 F4 F5;F6 F7 F8 F9 F10F11F12 ±1 KeyMappiig KeyFl Notmst Shfe Ctrl SMI Ctrl: The keymap Paths Genual Fies Emulations trouble if you're a down- load hound. MD5 Data Encryption — One of the latest data encryption formats is MD5 (Message Digest Algorithm) developed by RSA Data Security Inc. This format is supported by such BBS packages as Wildcat!, PCBoard and Worldgroup (likely others soon). And it is becoming more and more popular as an encryption method for transferring private infor- mation. You must connect to a host that supports this encryption method before it is of use to you. Picture Viewer — The QMW95 pic- ture viewer beats them all. Not only will it display BMP, GIF or JPG files as they are being downloaded but it also allows you to change the zoom level. This lets you to view large images with- out having to scroll all around the screen. The QMW95 viewer is also one of the first viewers to support the defacto Internet image format — JPG. JPG files are compact, high color images that are most often 70 to 80 percent smaller than GIF images. MAPI Support — MAPI (Mail Applications Programming Interface) is an email format that allows standard- ized exchange of information. If your computer is part of a network that sup- ports MAPI then you can use QMW95 to cut information from the screen and send it to a recipient on your MAPI compliant network. Doorway Mode — This seems to be such a minor point but when it's not present, you really feel it. Doorway mode allows you to send raw keystrokes to the host without having them travel through emulation. There are many times when you need to have plain keystrokes sent to a host (such as when conducting a remote drop to DOS session). 95's HyperTerminal does not have this feature. Anything you type in HyperTerminal goes through the emulation filter before it gets sent out. Multimedia Support — In this day and age, if your appli- cation does not have a wide range sound support, you only get half of the experience. Client applications for America Online, SciLkiP* 111 i 1 Bf;sp Ins Hone PgUp Nan ' " Tib |.G H 1 Del End PgDn 7 8 9 Um [' . B \ - .1 l| ■ ' Entei iJ 4 5 E 1 2 ' Options — F10- Menu Hiorfock: Toggles Keypad Selection. Teb Options Dose Sands Desktop Proton* Events; |.T-I.WW5lflPgM Connect with voice Connect with telnet Di^lrtg riumbei Download Eflrlfll Download success Modem hangup 5 htorw I P*ll*d PflM Iftj ftrrf B 01 1 L«*«wi : |Mtp7/MM ipjjj tdu/w#*th*r- info html ID Current Sateffit&Surface Data Composite Weather Map (from Purdue) hi And, if you want to have a little fun, a somewhat frivolous tool is Ambrose Bierce's "Devil's Dictionary." Like any good satire, though, there's a bit of truth in it. See what 1 mean at http://www.vestnett.no/cgibin/devil. And if you need the straight definitions, which aren't as much fun but won't get you in trouble with humorless vocabu- lary teachers, try the searchable Webster's Dictionary at http://c.gp.cs.cmu.edu:5103/prog/webster. Still not satisfied? There's a large index of various types of dictionaries and databases that serve everything from hacker's jargon and acronyms to poetry and poker. Your virtual refer- ence desk is at http://math-www.unipaderborn.de/HTML/ Dictionaries. html. And what good is this library we call the Internet if there aren't any decent books to accompany all of these references? Project Gutenberg, at http://jg.cso.uiuc.edu/PG/welcome.html, has a solid variety of selections available for check-out, from the Hacker Crackdown by Bruce Sterling to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Traveler's aid Making a successful trip, be it for business or pleasure, requires careful preparation. The tools on the Internet can make this a much easier task. A trip to Atlanta, Berlin, Toronto, or any of about 54 major cities in 26 countries can be greatly eased by a careful study of the location's subway map. And this task can be an interactive one thanks to a thoughtful programmer in France, whose site at http://metro.jussieu.fr:100Q1/bin/cities/english lets visitors select their starting and destination points and receive a full itinerary, complete with estimated travel time. Of course, you'll want to know other information before leaving home. An up-to-date U.S. weather map can be found conveniently at http://ast1.spa.umn.edu/weather-info.html. Travelers to foreign locales can make use of the CIA World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/index.h1ml) to determine everything from temperature to the current polit- ical and economic climate. Maps are provided, too. Finally, traveling to places that use the metric system can be cause for conversion. If you're a do-it-yourselfer who doesn't mind a little math, but just wants to be reminded of all those forgotten equations, add it up at http://www.uwosh.edu/stu- den1s/wallip27/convert.html. If all you want to do is translate a lit- tle Celcius to Fahrenheit, try the handy temperature conversion form at http://www.soton.ac.uk/~scp93ch/refer/convform.html. You can also convert distance, area, volume, mass, speed, and pres- sure while you're there. How's that for convenience? Tools for better living Having information at your fingertips is a sure way to stay on top of the things that matter in your life. You got your Internet account hoping that you'd become better organized and more productive, right? Here's you chance to keep that promise to yourself. For instance, suppose you become outraged at some politi- cal or social issue and want to share your views with your con- gressperson. Hey, it helps to know to whom you should address your two cents. Fortunately, The Zipper knows all: Plug in your postal zip code at http://www.stardot.com/--luke- seem/zip.html, and you'll be supplied with your representative's name, address, phone number and voting district — as well as his or her office's email address, if there is one. If you don't know your zip code, or somebody else's, or want to find out about those extra four digits you can never remember, the U.S. Postal Service has a full-service Web site at http://www.usps.gov/ncsc/aq-zip.html. Similarly, there's a look-up service for area codes: lust the tool for finding out which time zone an anonymous phone number on a pink "While You Were Out" message slip belongs to. Check it out before five o'clock comes and goes at gopher://odie.niaid.nih.gov/77/deskref/. areacode/index. If phone numbers are always disappearing on Continues... ulrtfiQ, Ltd • irci rrssonrs ._. ^ -"•WOTeeeBI .ipcorUro Congroi&onol District Mo Icfier Whfl isroujzip code' foiioa] Tht Zipper is ©1995 St*j,k. T CiireufrrE ;, L'd ig^POKWiiiHiim ^■°=i starting and destination points and receive a full itinerary, complete with estimated travel time. JANUARY 1396 BBS MAGAZINE 19 little slips of paper behind your desk, there are a few Web sites that can be of directory assistance. The AT&T 800 number database, http://www.tollfree,att.netfdir800/, is a great way to cut down on long-distance calls to companies that are ready and willing to pick up the toll. And newly online is the U.S. national yellow pages, full of business listings everywhere you want to be. Let your mouse do the walking at http://www.tele- phonebook.com/. Oh, and if you're in France, or planning a phone call there, the progressive Web weavers of that nation have their own online phone directory at http://www.ep ita.fr:5000/1 1/. Viva la telephone! Overheard on the 'Net "I haven't lost my mind, it's backed up on diskette some- Dove Kramer can be reached at reeititne@voicenet.com. Netscape: RTOT internet Toll Tree BOD Director;) v» ■ ■ . k,;. R*ta*d tii] 0{*n O ' ppp BKh Xj00:4B:34J | Nttftt*; |riM B //vwv *"3"lfr»* itln*t/d1r900/ I Toil-Free 800 Directory y;tym?ijy vni-njof/ Cfir.h vn the iirsi lottpr i \;v.ry F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z SEARCH To search the ATSTTall-FrseSOODmowry type in the Held tishiv II Select the type ni zejrch {default i$ 'AnJ'l: JJ*bA OBCwnwrPar* Netscape; Central Source Yellow Poqes Lecihon : |Mtp7/*w it'-tpUr+itttk totr,/ fcc Information ■ a~ ;»-. liiiailB^ o«.^ s p rz Ji' -.:^ C'^JT.+M r-:- f*_ How to differentiate your BBS from 73,000 competitors: AOP Association of Online Professionals Association of Online Professionals This online system is managed by a member of the Association of Online Professionals and voluntarily subscribes to the AOP Code of Professional Standards. Association of Online Professionals http://www.wdn.com/aop info@aop.org (703) 924-9692 (703) 264-1750 BBS Telnet aop.org 20 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE ACCEPT THE INEVITABLE, SWITCH TO SYNCHRONET. Communications Experts Agree: Supra Corp., Connect Magazine, OfficeMate Software, Trans-Med Corp., United States Air Force ZyXEL Communications Corp., Memorex Telex, Electronic Frontier Foundation, ViewSonic Corp. Experienced and first-time BBS operators around the world are discovering Synchronet multinode BBS software and how it can make their job easier and more enjoyable. We know you don't want to be left out, so we're inviting you to take a personal firsthand look at the best BBS soft- ware in the industry. Message network connectivity, user interactivity, file transfers, CD-ROMs, and doors are all seamlessly integrated into Synchronet without requiring expensive add-ons. custom program- ming, or additional hardware. Multi- port intelligent and non-intelligent boards, as well as FOSSIL and generic int 14h drivers, are supported at no additional cost. Options and features that you would normally expect to pay extra for, like multinode chat, split-screen private node chat, caller ID security, fax-receive support. RIP menus, module/shell compiler, PostLink. FidoNet. and QWK networking - are all included free with Synchronet. Internet, order processing, fax-on-demand, and match making options are also available. You can even retain the user informa- tion, message areas, file areas, menus, and the look-and-feel of your old BBS software ]X Technical innovations such as real-time LZH mes- sage base compression, routed point-to-point QWK NetMail, ARS™ Security, HyperAllocated message bases, hierarchical message, file, and program areas, as well as 32-bit DOS and OS/2 utilities are simply COMPRESSED MESSAGE BASES not available - at any price - with other packages. 4 Digital Dynamics® P.O. Box 501 Yorba Linda, CA 92686 (714) 529-6328 Voice (714) 529-9721 fax Whether you're running a single-line hobby BBS or a colossal multi-line entertainment system, Synchronet will meet or exceed your expecta- tions. But don't take our word for it. Download the free 20-user demo version today! SmwGfflmwIY 333 Multinode Bulletin Board System Software Undeniable Value 1 Node License $ 99 2 Node License 4 Node License $ 149 $ 199 8 Node License $ 299 1 6 Node License $ 399 250 Node License $ 499 Baja™ Compiler Add'l Local Node FREE FREE Technical Support FREE C/C + + XSDK FREE Node license upgrades arc available for (he difference plus 10%. Minor revision upgrades can be downloaded fire of charge. Download the free demo version: 1 4.4k BBS (7 1 4] 529-9525 FidoNet 1 : 1 03/705 28.8k BBS (714) 529-9547 FidoNet 1 :1 03/706 ftp.netcom.com (/pub/sb/sbbs) . j^-^J^-k ' f f$ BY LAZLOW JONES CrAsh buR n .♦♦and other SYNTHETIC ILLUSIONS of the ELECTRIC HEAD. Virtual knowledge is at our finger- tips. The Internet, television and phone are integrating into one glorious playground. There's a bright golden, haze on the meadow. All of the sights and the sounds of the earth traverse satellites to sing through motherboards warming our eyes and ears. So what, by God, would prompt rational beings engulfed in this smiling chaos-trophy to fry, smash, and hurl from rooftops the very tools of our advertised salvation? 22 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE The first 99 percent of the tenure of humans on this blue sphere was spent in an uncivilized state. Welcome to the last one percent. From the first rough piece of jagged flint chipped by early man to the mul- timedia PC in the shadow of a From the "What's that smell?" Department (a.k.a. "Daisy Chain to Satan") "A friend of mine had a piece of equip- ment he salvaged, an industrial-sized line printer. He has a file server and made their way through an open ISA slot cover. "They had located the warmest part, the CPU, and made a large altar of dung the likes of which I have not seen in quite some time. The combination of that, moisture and other conditions "I desperately reached for the stop button, but I couldn't hit it before the monitor and computer were yanked from my arms by the cable and exploded into bits." hunched over propeller-head, these tools are the chief way humans are par- taking in their larger world. Yet these same tools are also expendable, dis- carded when a sharper instrument comes into view. David Hume noted that the trash of every age must be preserved. Well, must it? Following are true tales of how our tools become trash. Whether through frustration or mishap, these are some the twisted swan songs from real com- puter users (some are paraphrased or edited slightly for space). If you think you can compete with a verifiable story, toss it my way. The best will be announced in an upcoming issue and over the airwaves. From the "How to Succeed in Business" Department "Several years ago I worked at a com- pany on Long Island writing database programs, where a problem in question was caused by the idiot manager I worked for. "See, we had just heard about the Michelangelo virus. It was scheduled to take effect the next day. We tested one of the PCs in the office with a new virus checking program and actually found the Michelangelo. At this point the idiot decided to infect a floppy and spread the virus to another PC just to see what it would do. "He adjusted the date on the PC, and infected the PC, Then, upon trying to re-boot, the PC fried. It wouldn't even boot up off of a floppy disk. What a dumb@$!" Kurt Wendt Levittown, NY several other PCs in his basement, but the printer was too big, so he ran a seri- al cable from the file server in the base- ment to the printer in his garage. He went to his garage, plugged in the printer and turned it on. "When he turned on the printer, he had plugged it into a 240 VAC circuit, and sent twice the juice through the serial line into his file server. Needless to say the serial card got mega-fried, along with several other cards, and the motherboards." Andrew M. Galbraith Ryer From the "Please Take Medication" Department "1 was playing with my friend's digitiz- er and my motherboard melted. "Actually, one chip melted and I was so pissed 1 threw the whole thing against a concrete wall... then I walked over to pick up the pieces and I stepped on it with bare feet and it hurt — so I got pissed again and took a sledgeham- mer to the case. Yet this was a good thing, since 1 ended up getting a com- puter that is twice as fast the next day... insurance, you know." Bryan Berg (Anyone know his insurance agent?] From the "My Computer Makes Noises When It's Not On" Department. "I was troubleshooting a PC that was having parity errors and making strange noises. The user told me she thought the hard drive was faulty because of a small clicking coming from the computer. I removed the cover to find that a family of mice had JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE did in fact ruin most of the compo- nents they found to their liking. I guess the most interesting part was learning that I was called because the machine was making a lot of noise when it was Oj(f which the users said they found l a little' odd." Tim Ware From the "Why I Quit Customer Support" Department (Acts One and Two, excerpts from a very long, sad saga — and techno legend?) Act I. "I used to work for IBM tech support before the big layoffs (keep in mind this was about four years ago, when people were not as computer lit- erate). A fellow keeps reporting that every time he puts his disks into the computer they have to be reformatted. 1 figured he was putting it near some- thing it should not be (TV sets, on top of the computer, under the phone... anything with a magnet). It turns out he was not keeping them near any of these. Rather, he was keeping it on his metal filing cabinet. The kicker? He was keeping it attached with a big magnet." Act II. "A fellow buys an IBM comput- er. He then calls us up to report that every time he tries loading "the floppy into to hard disk" — as the install pro- gram instructs him to — it does not work. 1 figure the disk is simply bad and tell him to send it in. When I get it the disk looks all deformed. We replace the disk and again he calls me up and says it is STILL not working. I know we sent the disk out working, but nonethe- less I ask him to send it back again. This time I get il and it's deformed/ C o N T i n u e s 23 bent AGAIN. I call this fellow up and ask him what he does to these disks to get them bent. He informed me that because the "hard disk" drive is smaller then the floppy disk, he has to fold it three times before it will fit in." AndySitzer Point Blank BBS From the "Play Dumb" Department "I'm an electrical engineer (I never claimed to be very good at it, but hey, I've got a job). The story is: I'm at col- lege working on my senior project. I'm supposed to build a hardware interface for a computer, so I knock this circuit together and jack it in to my home computer to test it out. "Of course it didn't work. "Actually, the computer caught fire and proceeded to melt down to the accompaniment of many interesting sound effects. The story doesn't end there, though. "1 bought the thing a year ago when it was still under warranty. So 1 put the cover back on and trucked it on down What's OnLine? • Hot Adult Graphics • Multi-Node Chat • Windows, Netware, OS/2, and Lantastic Network Tools • Ham Radio and Shortwave Listening • MIDI and Soundblaster Files • QWK Packets for off-line reading of over 400 worldwide conferences • Internet and Fidonet E-Mail Access • 4.5 Gigabytes - New Files Daily 609-753-2540, HST & V.22 609-753-2605, HST & V.32 609-753-1549, HST & V.32bis to the store where I got it. 1 tell the man behind the counter that my computer went kaplooie. He asks me if I know what might have caused it and I do my best innocent look. He asks me if I had ever opened the computer case, to which I respond quite innocently, "no." He opens up the computer, looks inside and pulls out my screwdriver. Oops. "There is a happy ending. I eventu- ally got him to fix the computer under warranty by laying the dumb and inno- cent act on real thick. I never did get the interface working, but I got an A on the project (I was as surprised as you) and now I build computer interfaces for a living, so beware." From the "Hold the Door Please" Department "Last year I was hauling a computer and a monitor to a client site. I decid- ed to save time by carrying them together instead of separately. I hopped onto the elevator (by myself) > balancing the equipment on a rail and reaching to press the button for my floor. Just as I hit it, the power cable for the PC flopped down and fell out the door. The elevator doors closed on the cable and I went up. I desper- ately reached for the stop button, but I couldn't hit it before the monitor and computer were yanked from my arms by the cable and exploded into bits." Dale L. Larson Philadelphia These tales, dear reader, are true (so far as I can tell). No names have been changed, as nobody is innocent. All participants are wanted for a crime they did commit. There is no parking in the red zone. Back up your hard drive tomorrow. 30 Minutes Free Access Per Day Lazlow Jones writes and produces the Underground Technofde, a show about BBSs, Internet and technology, for the Underground Network, an alternative radio satellite network in New York. The Technofde is syndicated on over 30 sta- tions nationwide. Email him at lazlowdPtmdcrnet.com or www.under- net.com. 24 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE BY TESS HEDER To NETr, PT NOT to IN t, 1 Q: My BBS callers have been screaming for Internet access for nearly a year now. Most are willing to pay, too. Trouble is, I'm not sure where to begin. How did you do it? Richard, Miami A: Bringing the Net into the BBS has been a major challenge for us during the past few years. The very first and easiest step, which may or may not be old hat for your BBSers at this point, is to bring Internet email into your system. We did this origi- nally via a dedicated UUCP email and newsgroup link to one of the major Internet service providers. A special software gateway converted the Net email and newsgroup messages into the same format as the other message bases on the BBS, so that callers could retrieve and send their messages via QWK message format. Today, this construct still operates on our BBS, although the completely real-time link is to our own T 1 line, and the software gateway easily posts 3,000 or more active newsgroups onto the BBS. Since its beginnings less than three years ago, enabling an Internet email connection has become a relatively economical capa- bility of many BBS software packages. (Also of some PC Echo email nets.) And even an undedicated link that echoes several times per day can offer you and your callers the convenience of per- sonal Net email, and participation in Net newsgroups. The next stage of Net-to-BBS integration tends to be both more expensive and more experimental. This stage is characterized by your BBS having links to real-time (live) Internet func- tions such as IRC (Internet Relay Chat), MUD (real time role-playing games), Telnet, FTP, Gopher, Finger, etc. You will have to pay for a live connection to the Net and for some additional hardware — either hardware of your own concocting, from third parties, or the proprietary adjuncts that some BBS software developers have produced specifically to Net-enable their packages. You will also (inevitably) have to become familiar with sev- eral Internet-specific clients — expect the learning curve go up here. Although costs are coming down somewhat, you will still have to put up S3,000 to $5,000 minimum. And if you're not careful, you can easily spend more. Your live connection will cost anywhere from SI 00 (dedi- cated phone line with 28.8 bandwidth) to several hundred dol- lars a month for broader bandwidth connections (56k, 64k, 156k, 384k). Based on our own experiences with this stage, I would rec- ommend approaching the live link with great caution. One sure advantage you get from a live connection to the Net is that it also provides a gateway into your BBS from the great expanse of the Net. (read: instant global access to your board!) On the other hand, it's a costly and usually complicated undertaking, and obvious high-performance solutions have not emerged yet. BBS magazines and BBS trade shows are good places to find out about and compare "solutions" that BBS software developers are bringing to market. Your biggest risk once you jump in is that available solu- tions — even though expensive and difficult to realize — might still not take your callers where they really want to go on the Net. This brings us to what is currently the last frontier: enabling your callers to browse the World-Wide Web in Technicolor from your BBS. Most folks who want access to the Internet these days really just want access to the Web. The big online services are all offering links to it, and a few applications have emerged that make it possible for BBSs to do this, too. We've been running one this year, in fact — a SLIP Door to our live link — that has been performing extremely well for callers using MS Windows 3. 1 on their home PCs. However, Web browsing is a fast-paced technology that demands constant development, and we have yet to see a BBS Web browsing gateway that can handle all of the conditions that Internet ser- vice providers have to deal with. Clearly, BBSing and Internet access are online technologies that are learning and borrowing from each other as fast as they can. BBSs have pioneered interactivity online and have popularized the use of higher speed modems; the Web has pioneered global access and perhaps the online standard for integrated graphics and text interface. At the moment the Net's the greater magnet, promising changes as massive as any we've already come to expect — for all online users during the next few years, mimi Tess Heder is co-founder of Channel I*. Please address your questions or comments to: Internet email: tess.heder@channell.com Fax: 617.354.3100 Attention: Ask Tess Snail mail: Channel 1 Attn: Ask Tess 1030 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 Bulletin Board: Comment to the sysop, 617.349.1300 v.34 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 25 SharBuuaring BY MARIA LANCER Grab a Bag AND BAG SOME FILES ° January feels like a grab- bag month — it's cold {where I am, at least), a lit- tle dreary and we're proba- bly all in need of a few sur- prises. In that spirit take a blind pick of the variety of com- pletely unrelated shareware below. Should be one or two that'll last you until this time in February (which is about when January starts to look good). DOS Tabic of Consul': 26 Writers Dream 4.34 WDREAM.ZIP by Jeff Napier Vision River P.O. Box 451148 Atlanta, GA 31 145 Ever wish there was an easy way to cre- ate and distribute text documents to other IBM-compat. users? Not just plain ASCII text files that require a word processor or text editor to open, but text, graphic, and executable files that can be accessed with their own custom menus? That's exactly what Writer's Dream is: a program that lets you create specially format- ted electronic book files with up to 100 chapters full of the infor- mation, illustra- tions, and programs you want to dis- tribute. To create your electronic book, begin by using any word processor to create text files for each chapter. Copy these flies onto a blank Soppy disk, along with the DREAM.EXE and 15UILD.EXE files that come with Writer's Dream. Run BUIl.D.EXE to enter the title, author, and chapter names for the book. You can also specify configuration informa- JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE tion for sound effects, the justification of the table of contents, on-screen head- er, bookmark feature, and colors. BUIl.D.EXE creates a special file where all this information is stored on disk. To "run" the completed book, simply type DREAM at the A:\ prompt. A table of contents appears. Use the arrow keys or mouse to choose what you want to read from this menu. Pressing ESC returns you to the table of contents or, if you're already viewing it, to DOS. The disk is now ready to distribute to readers. XO tirriiu km . L. Un IBkspl fi'ui| i-.ira centers text fiutUMt ica I ]i| . Da not leave yaps between entries. Do not use drive nr path ill-, t ign.i i .nr 1 , I'rt--. . LKm I Mlinn dime ri.il.1 I'I'll . 1*1*1 I lin ,ll„r Writer's Dream lets you create your own electronic books with text, graphics, and programs. What makes Writer's Dream power- ful is its ability to include .EXE, .BAT, and .COM files on its menu. This means that you can list a program as a "chap- ter," thus making it executable from within your book. When the program quits, the reader is returned to the book. In addition, the finished book includes an auloscroll feature to quickly move to specific information in the book. Online help explains how to use this and other features while reading. Writer's Dream includes complete documentation of all its features pro- vided in — you guessed it — a Writer's Dream format book. It's distributed as shareware through OEC Systems. Try it to see if it meets your needs. If you create an electronic book with Writer's Dream, pay the shareware fee of $29.95 to register it. Complete Program Deleter 2.0 CPD20.ZIP by Leithauser Research 4649 Van Kleeck Drive New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169-4205 Email: 74046.1556@compuserve.com One of the biggest problems with exploring the world of shareware is the number of programs you have to install — and then uninstall — while search- ing for "keepers." While some pro- grams happily reside in their own sub- directories on your hard disk, leaving the rest of your disk untouched, many programs have complex installers that put files all over the place. Hunting down these files when it's time to remove them can be a real pain in the neck. And if the installer alters your AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WIN. INI, or SYSTEM.INI files, finding the changes and restoring the files to their original state can take more time than the installer spent changing them! That's where Complete Program Deleter (CPD) can help. This DOS- based package makes it easy to delete software so you can restore your system to the way it was before the software was installed. Run CPD immediately before installing a new software package. Use the menu to create a "Before" file. CPD 768 » 51 Z [25G] ' SI jtui: Ready Complete Program Deleter takes the hassle out of deinstalling programs you decide to discard. prompts you for information about the program you're installing, like its name and the disks it will be installed on. It then creates a spe- cial database file with information about your system configuration before the pro- gram was installed. Next, use the program's installer to install it and then run it once to make sure it's set up proper- ly. Finally, run CPD again and use the menu to create an "After" database file. An on-screen report tells you a little about the changes made by the installer. If you decide to delete a program you installed and recorded with CPD, run it and use its menu to choose the Delete Program option. A list of the programs it has information on appears. Choose the one you wast to delete and follow' the prompts that appear on screen to remove all traces of it. CPD will even delete the "Before" and "After" files it created for its own use for the program you've deleted. CPD comes with an equally com- plete manual that describes all the pro- gram's features and operations. It can be run from DOS or Windows — Windows installation instructions are provided. The program is distributed as shareware: try it for 30 days before pay- ing the $15 shareware fee. Registered users get instruc- tions telling them how to remove the shareware reminder and a disk full of other Leithauser Research shareware products. This program — or another like it — is a "must have" for anyone who evaluates software. VidFun 1,41 jSharfcwatfc| Milcir. Win. In,./ 35 li You can use VidFun to open, view, and Edit al! kinds of graphics and multimedia files. Windows VidFun 1.41 VFUN141.ZIP by Lawrence Gozum Applied Insights 100-310 Oriole Parkway Toronto, Ontario Canada M5P 2G8 Email: LGozum@aol.com Looking for a program that will let you open and view a wide range of graphics and multimedia files? VidFun can do it — and so much more. VidFun can open files saved in the following graphic formats: TIFF (TIF), Windows Bitmap (BMP/DIB), ZSoft (PCX/PCC), Macintosh PICT (PCT), JPEG (JPG/JIF), Pegasus JPEG (PIC), Lead JPEG (CMP), Sun (RAS), Taxga (TGA), AVI Video, G4 Fax (CAL), Portable Network Graphics (PNG), Photo CD (PCD), Konica Quality Photo (KQP), QuickTime (MOV), and FLI/FLC Animation. These files can be opened, viewed (or played) and edited in a variety of ways, depending on the file type. For example, if you open a Photo CD file, you can smooth or sharpen the image, apply filters, rotate, or crop the image. A color menu offers all kinds of options for adjusting color. A slide show feature lets you create and add special effects to self-running slide shows. You can even use VidFun's TWAIN Acquire com- C o x t i x v f. s JANUARY 19913 BBS MAGAZINE 27 Ellc Activities Eeoph? Calendars Help WftIA Jltt SPOT mand with your scanner to scan images into your computer. Graphics files aren't the only ■ ■ . kinds of files VidFun can handle though. It can also read and play back Audio CD, MIDI (MID), and WAV audio files. A built- in CD player can even play audio CDs while you work. VidFun requires a computer running Windows 3. 1 or later with VGA or better graphics. A sound card is required for utilizing sound capabilities. VidFun includes complete online help for all features. It is distributed as shareware. Pay the S35 shareware fee to remove the nag reminders. If you often work with graphics files and still haven't found the perfect graphics application to get the job done, give VidFun a try. I think you'll be pleased by what you see. Family Scheduler 1.1 FSCH11.ZIP by Madigral Soft Tools Inc. 1290 Broad Street, #201 Victoria, BC Canada V8W ZA5 How often do you accept, say, a dinner invitation only to discover that your significant other or other family mem- ber has already made plans for the same day that include you? Family Scheduler is a Windows program that helps you avoid those sorts of schedul- ing conflicts (and the other conflicts they cause) by letting you set up and maintain a central calendar for your entire household. Family Scheduler is very easy to set up and use. Enter the names of people in your household. If desired, you can create groups like "The Kids" or "Mom & Dad." Next, add activities using the dialog box to enter the activity name, date, start and end times, people (or Family Scheduler 1.1 Act *,:,.. |ChihtiMS Dinner Selected Now: n-K |u«25. 1935 |C£J S1HBIE Mike and U Wie't IwiWy veil be Speftdng the day. 1 3 people lot tinned Recotd pd be Changed Use Family Scheduler fa keep a family calendar of events and activities. groups), and notes. If the activity is repeated (like a weekly soccer game), you can set up a repeat frequency. When you click OK, the event is added to the family schedule. You can also add "special days" like birthdays and vacations. Once you've entered items into the schedule, you can view it a variety of ways. Browse by person, group, day, or activity. View weekly calendars that show all scheduled events for the peri- od — or only those events for certain people or groups. And, of course, you can print calendars in a variety of ways: for the day, the week, or a flexible peri- od. You can even specify who's activi- ties should appear in printed calendars. Family Scheduler includes complete online help that covers all features. It requires a com- puter running Windows 3,1 or later. After 21 days, if you do not pay the $19 share- ware fee, a launch delay will build, slowing down initial startup of the program. Registered users receive a code that removes the delay and the shareware reminder mes- sages that appear when you start the program. And don't let the name fool you — although Family Scheduler was designed for families, small business might find it just as useful for schedul- ing employee meetings, too. My Personal Diary 4.5 MPDIARY.ZIP Chris Maresco 105 Bayview Avenue E. Patchogue, NY11772 Email: CMaresco@aal.com If you like to keep track of the things you do and think about, you probably keep a diary — or something very simi- lar to one. My Personal Diary is Windows program that helps you easily do just that. But as you'll see, it has far more features and capabilities than any paper diary can have. When you first launch My Personal Diary, it prompts you for a User ID and password. This protects your informa- tion from the prying eyes of others who might use your computer. It also makes it possible for multiple users to use My Personal Diary and maintain their own separate diary files. The main window offers a number of buttons and a large, date-stamped area for your notes and ideas. Type into this scrolling text field — it works iust like a little word processor for entering and editing text. There are even Cut, Copy, Paste, and Undo commands and buttons for making editing easier. You Continues... My Personal Diary Entry For Sunday December 17. 1995 File Browse Edit Search Organizer Options Help ?! i=» is. ml a !a. WEM1 ■:--■:-: Day □ □ Month Year G3 E3 Sunday December 17, 1995 Sunday December 17. 1995 11:0! -AM Here I am, working on another shareware column (or BBS. It's amazing how much great software Is available out there - lor very reasonable prices. I jusl hope people pay their shareware lees so shareware aulhors arc encouraged to produce more great software. MUM 28 My Personal Diary is a password-protected diary program (and then some). JANUARY 996 BBS MAGAZINE ^ULTIMATE BBS E-mail Management Tool! • Stop wasting on-line time and money. Why spend valuable on-line time just reading mail? OIT-Line Express (OLX) from Mustang Software lets you download your mail, log off and read it on your own lime so you can spend your on-line lime transferring files, chatting or gaming. • OLX gives you freedom to properly research and prepare your messages and replies. Use the built-in editor to impon and format data, add your own com- ments, check for mistakes with a built-in spell checker - even save copies of your message for future reference or distribute to other BBSs. • No more looking through slacks of business cards or paper scraps for E-mail addresses. Slore long Iniemet addresses and mail rouiing information in one integrated address book. • OLX's powerful search engine lets you scan the current conference, current mail packet, or all open packets for an)' word or combination of words in seconds. You don't need lo spend hours scouring ihousands of messages lor information on a few topics. • Maintain a record of every message you send or receive. OLX automatically stores your personal E-mail in folders for easy reference, even long after the original mail has been deleted. You can also define custom folders to save any mes- sage or group of messages for later retrieval. All this, and its easy to use! Call 800-663-1886 for more information or to place your order. DOWNLOAD OUR DEMO TODAY! MSI HQ BBS 805-873-2400 The professional QWK mail reader from the experts who brought you Wildcat! and QmodemPro! Works with Wildcat!, PCBoard, Major BBS, TBBS, and any other QWK-compatible BBS. Mustang Software, nr 620Q take Ming Road Bakerstield. CA 93306 Phone: 805-873-2500 FAX: 805-873-2599 e-mail address: sales.@mustangcom Web address: www.mustang.com ■.;;.,....,-....-. can use the Day, Month, and Year but- tons on the left side of the window to scroll through different entries or click the calendar button to choose a specific date. A search feature makes it easy to find specific entries based on text they contain. Once you've entered informa- tion, you can print, export, or archive it. A print preview feature lets you see what an entry will look like when print- ing, before committing it to paper. But that's not all My Personal Diary- offers. It also provides an address book and to-do list features. Use the address book to record the name, address, phone numbers, and notes about peo- ple you know. (You can search through or print entries.) Use the to-do list to enter things you need to do on the days they need to be done. Conveniently, you can roll undone items forward if you like, too. Preference options let you tell My Personal Diary to display to-do list items when it starts up. Another feature, called the "treasure chest" lets you store confidential information like credit card numbers and passwords in a centralized location within the diary file. This information is just as secure as any other entry you make in My Personal Diary. My Persona] Diary includes online help that covers all features. It requires Windows 3.1 or later and is distributed as shareware with a fee of $24.95. Registered users receive a registration code that removes shareware reminders and entitles them to free support and minor upgrades. My Personal Diary is far more than just an electronic diary. It's a personal information program. Macintosh Sleeper 1.1.5 by St, Clair Software 2025 Mohawk Road Upper St. Clair, PA 15241-1526 Email: gotow@stclairsw.com PowerBooks come with the PowerBook control panel, which has features like screen dimming and spinning down the hard disk which are designed to conserve power. These two features are now available for desktop Macs with t^ Sleeper Sleeper 1.1.5 Info Not Registered. This product is shareware. Please register your copy. ;■- ^ Drive Sleep ! Spin down drives at SCSI address: ', i. * -* S 6 H □ □ □ □ □ D ^ Only if screen is dimmed. i Minytes before spinning down disks : 1 15 | 1 Screen Dimmer ■ Dm»« -, Now Or,j m Never Minutes before dimming : 3 ■ Hotkey • Cmd F15 s Use Sleeper to add hard disk spin down and screen dimming energy conservation features to your desktop Mac. the Sleeper control panel. Why spin down the hard disk and dim the screen? Power is one reason — hard disk spinning and monitor display are possibly the two biggest consumers of power. Sleeper can not only reduce power consumption, but reduce the wear and tear on your hard disk and monitor. In addition, spinning down the hard disk can reduce background noise in your work area. That might not seem like much when you've got only one quiet computer in front of you, but imagine being part of a work- place filled with computers. Sleeper's simple control panel inter- face has three main parts. The Drive Sleep section lets you specif}' whether it should spin down (stop spinning) con- nected hard disks. You choose the SCSI address for the drive(s) you want to spin down, specify whether it should only spin down if the screen is dimmed, and set the number of min- utes of inactivity before the disk spins down. The Screen Dimmer section lets you specify "hot corners" to activate immediate dimming or prevent dim- ming, as well as set the number of min- utes of inactivity before the screen dims. The Hotkey section lets you set a keystroke to immediately put the sys- tem to "sleep." Once the hard disk has stopped spinning or the screen has dimmed, any activity — pressing a key- board key, moving the mouse, or click- ing the mouse button — will wake your computer. Sleeper is accompanied by complete, illustrated documentation in DOCMaker document format. It is dis- tributed as shareware. You can try it for 30 days before paying the shareware fee of $20 or removing it from your sys- tem. When you pay, you receive a reg- istration number that removes the shareware reminders. Overall, Sleeper seems like a good way to let your Mac get the rest it deserves — without powering down. AutoCat 1.7.1 by Olivier Lebra 8, rue Paul Bounin F-06100 Nice France Email: olivier@kagi.com If you're like me, the longer you use a computer, the more floppy disks you accumulate. These disks can contain everything from miscellaneous share- ware files you downloaded last month to installation disks for important applications to important memos, let- ters, or spreadsheets you want backed up. Since floppy disks can hold over a megabyte of files these days, each one can hold quite a few files — perhaps more than you can fit on the label. (Label? What's that?) Finding a specific file among these disks can be a night- mare of inserting, opening, and unmounting dozens of disks. And, if you use SyQuest cartridges or similar removable media, the situation is even worse. Enter AutoCat. This control panel keeps an eye on disks you insert and eject. Any time you eject a disk by drag- ging it to the trash or using the Finder's Put Away command, it scans the disk and creates aliases for every file on it. The aliases are stored on your hard disk, in a folder you specify. Then, when you need to find a file, use the Finder's Find command to locate the alias, double-click it, and have the Finder prompt you, by name, for the disk to insert. Nothing could be sim- pler. AutoCat 's preferences let you cus- tomize the way it works. You can speci- fy a key (Command, Option, or Control) to hold down and disable or activate AutoCat while putting a disk 30 JANUARY 1 99G BBS MAGAZINE away. You can specify strings, too, such as "untitled" or "install," that may appear in disks you don't want cataloged. You can even specif)' the maxi- mum hierarchi- cal file level or disk size for cata- loging files. This makes it possi- ble, for example, to catalog only files located on the top level of a floppy disks. An archiving mode, when turned on, quickly catalogs and ejects disks as you insert them, making it easy to create a starting catalog when you first use AutoCat. The AutoCat control panel includes complete online help and supports bal- loon help, which you can turn on or off. It is distributed as shareware, with a modest fee of $10. Registered users receive a registration number that dis- ables the "Unregistered Copy" message in the control panel. If you use (loppy disks or other Icon Maker Copetand creates Copeland-like custom folder icons — just drag and drop. AutoCat automatically creates aliases ol disk contents, giving you an online cat- alog ol offline files. removable media for storing data you need to access, AutoCat is a good way to keep track of the files they contain. Icon Maker Copland 2.1 by Paul Baxter If you want 3-dimensional loldcr icons like those you'll find in the Copeland operating system, there's no need to wait. Icon Maker Copeland is a drag and drop utility that can create custom folder icons on the fly. Simply take an application or docu- ment icon that resides inside a plain folder and drag it on lop of the Icon Maker Copeland application icon. When you release it, Icon Maker launches. It creates a custom icon from the original you dropped on it for cus- tomization. The resulting icons — especially the ones created based on color icons — are quite attractive. Your custom folder icon may not appear immediately. If it doesn't, try closing the folder containing the cus- tom icon and reopening it. If that doesn't work, rebuild your desktop. (To do this, hold down the Command and Option keys as your Macintosh starts. Then click OK when asked whether you want to rebuild the desktop.) Icon Maker Copeland comes with a brief Readme file that explains how it works. It also hints about how you can hack Icon Maker Copeland and your System file to set the default folder icon to a Copeland-like folder icon. Icon Graphics Programs i 1 2 items 401 .8 MB in disk 95.7 MB av Astound 1 .0 Border Font 1 .0 — FreeHand 3.0 Illustrator 5.5 4 KPT Bruce PageMaker 5.0 PageMaker 6.0 "51 Painter 3.0 PhotoFlash Photoshop 3.0 QuarkXPress 3.3 SuperPaint 3.0 lol K- e Maker Copeland is distributed as free- ware. Note: If you like the idea of custom folders but prefer System 7-looking icons, check out Folder Icon Maker by Gregory M. Robbtns, another freeware drag and drop utility that works the same way. Finding these files If you can't find these files on your favorite BBS, try mine. The Electronic- Pen BBS is a two-line FirstCIass-based system in Harrington Park, NJ. The number is 201.767.6337. Look in the Sharewaring conference folder that appears on your desktop for all the files covered in this column. If you're on the World-Wide Web, you can FTP these files from the Giles Road Press Web site. Use your browser to view the URL http://www.intac.com/ -gilesrd/and link to the Sharewaring page from there. HB Marin Longer is a freelance writer and computer consultant running a BBS since 19S9. She is the author of nine computer hooks including Excel for Windows 95: Visual QuickStart Guide, for Peachpit Press. Contact her at gilesrd@iittac.com. Support board for (print and Online Edition) and Livewire Doors. THE Subscribe online or register doors using V/MC Intei net - Publi$her@bbsmag. com Fidonet- 1:266/36 Gel ad rates, insertion forms and deadlines. CALL FOR A FREE LOOK! JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 31 Li_ ^r^A 9f.JP '■-':• War ten V^>^ bbs . notebook BY STEVE JANAS To qualify for possible review in BBS Notebook, call The Livewire BBS at 609.235.5297. From the main menu, type ADDBBS and follow the prompts. Chicago Syslink Sysop: George Matyaszek Location: Chicago, II. Data Access #'s: 2400 bps: 708.795.4442 14.4 bps 708.795.4456 28.8 bps 708.795.4478 Voice #: 708.795.7376 (between 6 and 8 p.m.) BBS Software: TBBS 2.3 Sysop George Matyaszek has been running his board tor almost 15 years now, starting it as a hobby- board and then transcending with it to the realm of BBSing-as-business. He says he charges users S 1 5 for six months of access (or, if they want to get a break for buying in bulk, $70 for three years), and he gives them free reign to download as many of the system's 500,000 files as they can fit onto their hard drives. For their subscription fee, callers also get local, Fidonet, and Internet email (complete with a paging sys- tem that alerts users when they have a message waiting), a nationwide job listing, a dial-out to other BBSs, and the large selection of games, doors and little oddities you can expect to find on systems of this size. In addition to being a compre- hensive source of files, Chicago Syslink is a pretty decent chat board f i;i»v ... 32 ■•■ /. as well. A user can call in on one of 16 nodes, and George even employs a "chat moderator," Anna Sado, to preside over the discourse. Altogether, Chicago Syslink is a pretty exhaustive system, providing callers with hours of diversion and a wealth of downloads, even if its inter- face is a bit stodgy and text-heavy. The items of interest offered from the main menu include an online newsstand ( USA Today, the Genesis daily news service and some com- puter shop-talk magazines), a chat area with a match-making service, and the jobs listing. Altogether, Chicago Syslink is a pretty exhaustive system, providing callers with hours of diversion and a wealth of downloads Always out to improve myself, the first place I looked was the job list- ings. George claims that 95 percent of the listings are uniquely online creations and will not be found in newspapers. You can browse through them alphabetically, or use keyword or job-title searches. 1 didn't find anything, but I have to admit to a certain bewilderment at some other features included in this area: if you really need to know the correct time, for example, George offers a selection called the "atomic clock." The message area provides a wide range of subjects for users to peruse. A random sample of the topics illus- trates its diversity: you've got astrol- ogy, book reviews, conferences devoted to Anne Rice, Clive Barker, Dean Koontz and other popular pot- boiler authors, finance, music, Chinese culture. . . the list goes on. As always, there was one confer- ence that proved irresistible: lucid dreams. I checked it out, and as expected, it was full of talk about how to extend conscious control into the sleeping mind. As one of the conversants put it, "The reason lucid dreamers are able to be, well, lucid is because they can somehow drag part of their con- scious mind and control into their dreams, or at least retain a connec- tion to it, enabling them to 'remem- ber' that they're asleep." Pretty heady stuff, which just goes to show how well-suited the online medium is to the exchange of eso- teric information. In the game area, I found the usual range of fantasy and role-play- ing games, mixed with other games of skill and chance. George says there are more than 100 online. If you're curious what the most popular are, the system ranks them. The day I checked, Legends, a text-based, sword-and-sorcery role-playing Ipi'l JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE •■— ■ VI mmmvillc ... i. „■„_/.<'"' X* Augusta Church ^ ^^ Uiitonvi Orar™)^— GaletorT 1 - ' Wellsboro) [5$ Tro O luwdiii [

\ »♦) s& ach sach ■• JANUARY 199G BBS MAGAZINE Fredericksbur ^^Vuxington Nantlc °* c ' — ^Colonial Beach s»/3 - r ufaeutMi Y'^ v ' r'l«' (fcfrniUMi - \+£- ■iuideA ga mes chat j mm r flUW C "\,'° , \ ' r Guide to the ■ ';■' ' \v Guide to P* VGuhlc to the ^ri*, ,v vJay Parties, aw -on Vji-ctroiile . • v; on the [■million awaj 1«? w Guide Trek Life' Qtespacc rfi Guide to a * . ; MICHAEL WOLFF & COMPAIW PUBLISHING Net Guidt introduces you to the exciting new world of Cyberspace. Net Games directs you to the incredible games people play there. Net Chat reveals the secret places where millions of people talk, debate, hang out, and meet. Net Money leads you to the thousands of sites in Cyberspace that are revolutionizing the way we manage our personal finances. Net Trek helps you plot your journey to the furthest reaches of the sci-fi galaxy. Net Sports brings you to center court in Cyberspace with stats, scores, and sports talk. And Net Tech is your guide to the tech support, product news, and software resources available on the Info Highway. Available in Bookstores Everywhere! Jk Visit our Web guide at http://www.ypn.com gmn We Cant Keep The Future Technology Under Wraps Become one of a few select SYSOPS to experience a preview release of the first true 32-bit client/server BBS The seal on Mustang Software's top secret project Wildcat! BBS re-write, code-named Annihilator, has been broken to allow 5000 "leading-edge" SYSOPS a glimpse of this breakthrough 32-bit client/server BBS technology. Your reward, when you purchase one of the limited Pre-Release Annihilator CDs for only $49 and learn the inside story, is a 75% discount off the purchase price when Annihilator is released later this year. Learn How Interactive Multimedia Can Expand Your On-line Experience Annihilator takes mil advantage of the new multitasking in Windows 95 or the robust server operations in Windows NT to provide a solution that brings full on-line multimedia to ever)- caller. See how you can use Annihilator's built-in remote graphics to provide an exciting multimedia greeting, using familiar JPEG and GIF graphic editors to customize the caller interface. See How You Can Deliver More Information At Greater Speed Annihilator's Preview CD will demonstrate how the true power of client/server functionality can be unleashed to provide a broad, BBS-based solution. Learn how to implement a BBS with a core information server, and route that information using a number of application clients at the Sysop's location. You'll be able to establish a true distributed processing system that delivers more information at greater speed, now even on a single PC. The Client/Server Model Provides A Number of Advantages The Annihilator Preview CD will show you how a SYSOP can offer a BBS on a desktop platform with the expansion capability to run any size on-line service. • 32-bit Windows multitasking means no additional multitasking software is needed and 16-32 tines can be run easily without loading multiple copies of the BBS. • The server controls all access to messages, files and other system information, isolating the core of the host activities to provide secure, private system access even to local users. • Under Annihilator, the entire BBS configuration can be modified even while in full operation, but only by authorized personnel. Of 32-bit BBS Much Longer Single PC Running Windows 95 or Windows NT USER DATABASE! -- SERVER Asngfeena&blc program en a sriQfe cnmiJtertBI handles aUreqjjexb sabo enroled - CLIENTS iii iiiiirii^iin»«ii ■■ MafcmCenbt6*MQdJe _^ U-o* ****** PC Me**, MoCEnis msg. database! — - fnBLSfcdutatHWSorwi) TCP.rP nPMa**|FTPS«W) W«Wi - EON FILEDATABASE - - i »- Q**CSrtl»"-***if*».«F»JttJ IS TJie client/server moilc! of Annihilator can he easily installed with the saver tmd all clients running on a single PC. The computer aw operate under Windows 95 or Windows NT Workstation or Server. This configuration offers die most compact system and allows for total management from the single BBS computet. Build A Powerful New BBS With Annihilator Server And Client Modules Standard Annihilator modules included with every BBS create a foundation for the new client/server BBS: Server Module - functionality for processing all database and configuration requests and operational characteristics of the BBS. Local Client — a fully graphical connection for anyone connecting at the host PC or over a LAN. Modem Client - answers the phone for all dial-in lines and presents the BBS in ANSI, ASCII or in full graphics. QWK Client- handles QWK mail exchange between the host and other BBSs. TAPI Client - provides a link to the Windows Telephony Application Program Interface and a mechanism for ISDN, X.25 and other connectivity. Graphical Remote Client - a set of freely-distributed Windows programs for callers to experience full multimedia when connected. This 16-bit program suite operates on Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT and any OS/2 release with Windows support. Optional Annihilator modules increase the power of a client/sen'er BBS: UUCP Client - handles dial-up Internet e-mail and news- group support. Internet Package - accessories to handle TCP/IP support: Telnet Module, FTP Module, WWW Module, IRC Module, SMTP Module and NNTP Module. MAPI Client - a mechanism to exchange messages between applications such as Microsoft Mail, cc:Mail, Lotus Notes, etc. wcCODE Package - a new high speed, 32-bit development language so powerful that all standard BBS functions are written in it. Source Code - for total customization of online activity, the wcCODE source for the BBS is also available for purchase {requires wcCODE). SQL Database Client - provides full remote connectivity to distributed database processing using the SQL language. Reports Client - reports BBS usage and statistics, and provides a means for manipulation, export and selection of database records using match criteria. Billing Client - bill callers for any action performed on the BBS, includes report and invoice generation, pre-pay and post-pay models. Annihilator fully supports all DOS-based doors and includes a program for DOS program redirection to any line. It can be connected to any multi- port serial card that includes drivers for Windows 95 or Windows NT. Buy The Pre-Release Annihilator CD For $49 And Save Up To 75% Off The Purchase Price Instructions and information on the Pre-Releasc Annihilator CD provides SYSOPS with an inside look into the future of BBS technology. Purchase of the Pre-Releasc Annihilator CD establishes eligibility for a 75% discount off the manufacturers suggested retail price when Annihilator is released later this year. a * Only 5000 Copies Of The Pre-Release Annihilator CD Will Be Mastered. Get The Inside Track And Stay On The Leading Edge Of BBS Technology By Getting Your Copy. Call Today To Reserve A Copy 1-S00-208-0616 'Aid 5 to for shipping and handling Product MSRP* 75% oil* 66.6% oil* Availability Annihilator M2 (two node + local) S149 53/ $49 4th qlr. 95 Annihilator M6 (16 node) $349 S87 S174 $115 4th qtr.'95 Annihilator M32 (32 node) $699 S23Q 4th qtr/95 8 Pack Mode Increase S199 S49 S65 4th qtr.95 UUCP Client (dial-up) S37 Internet Clients I Telnet. FTP. WWW.UUCP.IRC) MAPI Client SQL Database Client $799 S199 $799 $799 J199 51 99 337 $37 Reports Client S149 Billing Client _" S149 CO DE Deve lopment Language & IDE $149 BBS Source Code S799 $199 S265 S265 S26S $ 49 S49 S49 jthqlr .'95 Ear)y_96 Early 95 Early 9G Early '96 4th qtr?95 5265 4th qtr.'95 MSRP ( manufacturers suggcslat retail price I. 75?!i off lo purchasers of the special Pre- lictcasc Arutihilalor Ct>. 66.6"i> oiffo Wildcat! SYSOPs ivtth ralui registration number. ThmSw Connecting The World scm ft!c. Mustang Software, Inc • B2Q0 Lake Ming Road • Baterslield. CA 93306 B05-S73-2500 • FAXE0&-S73 2599 * BBS 805-a?3-?4DO • Internei: Mihwtfi iltc tins w} the en Kill be operational it it n"f offended to tie used as a ammmM BBS browse u wilt not l:,0, i.'rri/'fiVtVr KStit*$ nor will il iwlutfc ftlS printed li«MIJK9ttflftOTl T.lJl CD RWftlittJ nffflftSflto MlGpttBOtt ttwd- uletaMHabU 01 !W5. Some modules, dxtM&g the Graphical Rcn'otr Qmti or. not nrt tonttfttel !>ot mil be made .^.Jil.jjijr dectmtiealfy te 1'rmeir pardutters as tlicy oix i.xnplaal. Itn: Pr.wi < It moires rithct WltidoW 95 at mmlevs ctt r_< si for opcruimi. ■ f»s :.l:„taog Sufhiwr. tut. Altnm idti imimath ■ ■' Mrmpeam The Big Boards BY TERRY ROSSI No KiddirT Content for KIDS and "WOW!" - a helping hand for BEGINNERS America Online In AOL Chief Steve Case's "Community Update," he reminds users that the end of 1995 marks the end of the 10 years of AOL operation. He attributes the success of AOL to several key ele- ments, but most of it to happy customers. ] ®CBS »-irlHH; Hoi Ueb M ttii B8si Hell • Play CyberMenory OCyberfleitory Rules #CBS Saturday Horning Lineup •llil I Disney M or 111 Attractions • CSS Ham Menu -="1S 42 JANUARY 1996 from "The Adventures of Hyperman," a popular IBM CD- ROM game and CBS Saturday morning cartoon series. Created by Alumina Productions, Inc., in association with IBM and Hyperion Animation, The Adventures of Hyperman is an extension of IBM's CD-ROM game designed to entertain children while teaching them basic scientific principles. Hyperman is a zany, "intergalactic superhero" assigned to save planet Earth from F.nlrobe, the most self-absorbed, dan- gerous force in the Universe. With his loyal but lazy sidekick, Studd Puppy, Hyperman is educated by teen genius, Emma C Squared, who teaches the duo about the Earth's physical prop- erties and other basic science principles. Together they use this information to outsmart intergalactic evildoers like Entrobe and his buddy, Kid Chaos. "We've designed Prodigy's Chat with Hyperman to educate and involve children beyond the question and answer format," said Paul Fiore, product manager for hardware and software forums at Prodigy. "Chat with Hyperman encourages children to use their imagination, assume a character role, and actually participate in the action, which really takes the Prodigy chat experience to a whole new level." Kids signing on to Prodigy can enter the Kids and Teens area of Chat to access the "Hyperman Auditorium." They'll be alert- ed to the weekly "Chat with Hyperman" in Prodigy's "Chat Zone" area, launched last November. Chat Zone will highlight all upcoming Prodigy chat events pertaining to computers and computing, including appearances by industry personalities and leaders, software and CD-ROM developers, and online experts. "The Adventures of Hyperman" is part of IBM's growing line of interactive multimedia titles of reference, education and entertainment software on CD-ROM. Prodigy users can purchase "The Adventures of Hyperman" CD-ROM by lumping "IBM". Hyperman is also the subject of a new Web site developed exclusively tor Prodigy members. Windows users can traverse the Hyperman site using their Prodigy Web Browser to access the following address: http://antares.prodigy.com/web/ livedigi/hypercoi.htm. Willi BBS MAGAZINE Cd The Pier Exchange CD-ROM Publishing Inc. is proud to present the HOTTEST and most CURRENT dated shareware CD-ROM's ever released. The Pier Shareware CD-ROM's are a series of sequential updated disks containing the latest Shareware programs. All files on the discs are TRULY the most CURRENT files available on the market at the time of their release. To top it off there are NO duplications of files between discs! We have set the standards for Shareware CD-ROM's in regards to the quality of files one comes to expect on CD-ROM's, but now we are going to raise the standards for CD-ROM access software. Introducing for the first time on The Pier Shareware CD-ROM, ThePier v3.0 High Performance CD-ROM Access Program. This is not just another retrieval program, it's in fact the WORLDS FASTEST CD-ROM retrieval software! 650+ Megs of Shareware files. directory. 100% files dated 1995. Smart Date Checking in place. ThePier v3.0 The Worlds FASTEST Retrieval Software!!! Database is ACCESSIBLE from the CD-ROM. Minimum HD requirement ONLY 600K. All files have been scanned for viruses with the latest McAfee SCAN. Full GAP, PCBoard, Spitfire, Wildcat, TBBS Remote Access FILES.BBS Support. Less then 1% duplication between The Pier Shareware CD-ROMs. Discs Sold Separately: Windows Applications Windows Games Programming Languages Programming Tools JPG/GIF Pictures Educational Programs Games / Entertainment Sound Blaster / MIDI DTP/Clipart Bible Medical / Health Word Processing Laser/Printer Utilities BBS Programs / Doors Communications Legal OS/2 Programs/Utilities And Much. Much, More! GUI Graphical Interface - EGA VGA Full Mouse Support Pull-down Menus File Comment Field Entries Worlds FASTEST Retrieval Software Multiple File Viewer Configuration Will Not Modify AUTOEXEC.BAT Keywords Search File Name Search File Name Within Archive Search Copy / Extract Files "Qn-The-Fly" Built-in Default Text File Viewer Can Run In Text Mode Blows Competitors Out of The Water Judged #/ Shareware CD-ROM Cyber. Xpo. 95 Limited Time Offer Please add $5 for S&H ($8 for overseas orders). Check and Money order must be in US funds and drawn on US bank. Make check payable to: THE PIER EXCHANGE INC., 346 BEDFORD, BUFFALO, NY 14216 International Orders, FAX, or Information 716-875-4931 BBS 716-875-3130 ORDR *2^r :! sb(o)ss:: (i ;un mi'im i S ONLY 1 -800-438-9734 JTIacjnfosh Online BY MICHAEL A. KUYKENDALL Hodg epodge Catching up m ^"^ a BIT on the BYTES. ■ hope everyone's making it safely and happily through the holidays, seeing old friends and family, and getting all the gifts they'd hoped to. Me? I've been busy doing important things, like working on my Doom II and Dark Forces games. 44 Ah yes, things have been very busy here at the Kuykendall Estate. OK, ail right, the picture below is from Tony Quinn's Virtual Universe, one of 10 CDs I got in a Wayzata CD 10-pack. But squint a little then turn the lights down and it might resemble my abode. Looking back over the past few columns I noticed most of them have heen showcase pieces, parading or pan- ning various host and terminal com- munications software packages. It's probably lime for a change, like, getting back to answering your questions, catching up on what's happening in the news, and discussing some of the things I've found in my email box recently. Now serving — Internet: With all the talk this past year about the Internet, I've gotten lots of mail about what types of servers are available on the Macintosh platform. As far as World-Wide Web servers go, I found some great info in the newsgroup comp.infosystems.www, ser- vers, mac FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Reading the notes in there I'd say there are three you might want to check out: WebSTAR, MacHTTP, and the Mac Common LISP Server. • WebSTAR is an industrial strength commercial Web server from StarNine, Inc. (http://www.starnine.CDm/). • MacHTTP( http://www.biap.com) is 1996 BBS MAGAZINE a freely available server for Macintosh only — find a FAQ dedicated to MacHTTP at http://arpp1.carleton.ca/macKttp/doc/. • Mac Common Lisp Server (http://www.ai.mit.edu/projec1s/iiip/doc/cl -http/home-page.html) is a server written in Mac Common Lisp. Its object-ori- ented Lisp code is freely available. As for Mac POP server software, check your favorite FTP site or BBS for a freeware package called MailShare. There's also something worth check- ing out called AIMS from Apple — the story I got was that Apple had hired someone to write a POP server pro- gram, found out the MailShare name wasn't available, so named the program Apple Internet Mail Server (AIMS). The commercial version, I believe, is available as a part of Apple's Internet package. Contact with your local soft- ware dealer for more info. Virtual junk: What's the latest craze in Internet email? One you probably want to avoid: Unsolicited junk mail! I just started receiving these "updates" about free items I can find on the Internet. They're actually info bits about sites to check out, followed by roughly 20 ads. Here's an excerpt from the bottom of one piece I got detailing Prime Data WorldNet E!Mail's service: "Prime Data WorldNet brings you the most effective form of advertising today! Email, unlike postal mail, guarantees your ad is read and not tossed in the trash. Your ad goes to the potential cus- tomer, not them coming to you. The cost is MUCH less and more effective. Each co-op advertise- ment contains 10-20 ads at 80 characters per line including spaces. Your ad will go to 200,000 people one time. We E-Mail to many folks not covered by our competitors. Rates: $89 for 10 line ad, S49 for 5 line ad, S39 for 3 line ad." Just imagine, over 200,000 people having to filter this kind of junk out of their email (OK, maybe some of it's not junk, but things unsolicited often auto- matically fall into that category 'round .^i&i. If you're looking for utilities to help in run- ning your board, or connecting to the Internet, check out some of these pro- grams available now on eWorld. Control PPP 1.2 {Figure A). If you connect to the Internet via PPP, you need Richard Buckle's Control PPP strip. Control PPP allows you to configure MacTCP, configure MacPPP, and even connect through a simple pop-up menu. A great tool for anyone using their PowerBook to connect to the internet. Signature Quote 1.0 (Figure B). Signature Quote is a great utility for anyone using email or posting mail on one of the major online services. With Signature Quote you can have two styles of quoting, two differ- ent signatures, and split paragraphs into individual lines — even combine lines into paragraphs. These functions can also be installed as FKEYs. XTimer 1.6.1 (Figure C). XTimer provides an on-screen, real-time display of how much you're spending online. XTimer can be used to track time and expenses for any by-the-hour task, but it's optimized for use with CompuServe, AOL, and (of course) eWorld. here). Old-timers on the Internet have various methods of dealing with unso- licited mail (you can only imagine). Prime Data WorldNet can be reached at prime@mwci.net. Security breech? Another interesting item I found in my email was an obser- vation from a user that causes me much concern. He found that if you lost the password to your America (Inline account, you can extract the password by connecting to AOL via TCP/IP and capturing the first couple of packets with a packet analyzer. Your password will apparently be in the first couple of packets (if you had config- ured your AOL flash session to auto- matically enter the password). So if your AOL software is set to auto-connect, entering your password for you, you could be putting yourself at risk. I've always warned against automat- ing scripts with passwords included. Even if you only work from an isolated computer (home or work), you may never know if the system went down and had to be serviced — and who might be getting a copy of your soft- ware with the password included. Oh, you might catch it after a month or so, but that's after the big bill has rolled in. So as precaution, I suggest you change your password regularly... the friiuiiM next time you log on . . . as soon as pos- sible... Today. Why not do it now? Memory block: Have trouble remem- bering the RAM configurations for an SE/30, a Mac Ilfx, and one of the new PCI Macs? Can't remember which Macs use 30-pin versus 72-pin SIMMs? And what Mac used 64-pin SIMMs for its RAM? You need a copy of GURU, the GUide to RAM Upgrades from Newer Technology. It's a great free application containing detailed technical info on nearly everything ever made by Apple. GURU shows memory config info, processor type/speed, SCSI capability, video options, sound support, etc., for all of Apple's CPUs and laser printers. It also has a feature that allows you to test your memory for bad SIMMs. The lat- est version, which contains info on the new PCI PowerMacs, is 1.1.1. Find it on the Net and most online services. Double vision: Ever wished you could view those JPEGs as you pull them from the Net? To make it so, check out Jade. Jade 0.91 is a freeware multithread- ed JPEG viewer just for the Mac. (Multithreading allows you to keep in constant contact with all of lade's fea- Continues IANUARY 199'", BBS MAGAZINE 45 Rusty Edie Call a different kind of BBS. "We are the Friendliest BBS in the World.*' Our name says it all. Edie anil I are a eouple of burnouts from the 60s. We didn't like rules then and we don't now. Come on in and relax: you will be among friends. We have a huge adult section. including over three gigs of adult graphics, as welt as a fine selection of public domain and shareware programs, including over a gig of family-type graphics. But that's not what sets us apart. When you call the first time, you'll know what no amount of words can tell you. you are Home. That's right, put up your feet and enjoy yourself. We live by three no's: "No Censorship, No Rules. No Hassle." You'll find us like no oilier BBS: • We answer your messages and comments. • We answer your on-line pages. • We post our address, • We post our voice phone number. Rusty n Edie's BBS 7393 California Ave. Youngstown, OH 445 1 2 Voice 216-726-4217 HSTonly 216-726-1804 Compucom 216-726-3584 Hayes V-Series 216-726-3619 All (V32 esc.) 216-726-2620 Fax 216-726-3595 46 lures, allowing you to double up with a Web browser or just decompress two images at once.) What's neat is that through the use of its own virtual memory scheme, Jade can have as many as 30 files open simultaneously, regardless of their size. This is because decompressed images only occupy around 20K RAM, and the actual image is stored on disk. lade can view GIFs and PICTS, and display [PEG's at their full size or in a small (but quick!) preview size — in addition to the standard screen size. And Jade is FAT, meaning it can run native on PowerPCs as well. It requires a 68020 (or higher) or PowerPC, Thread Manager or System 7.5. Make the switch: If you have multiple SLIP/PPP connections and hate switch- ing out of your MacTCP configurations to reboot every time you want to change your access, take a gander at John Norstad's MacTCP Switcher. (If the name sound familiar, it probably is — Norstad also wrote Disinfectant and NewsWatcher.) MacTCP Switcher 1.1 is a slick little program that makes it easy to save and quickly restore mul- tiple MacTCP configurations. This is especially useful for PowerBook users who earn' their systems around and regularly use them with different net- work connections (e.g., SLIP at home and LocalTalk or Ethernet at work). Version 1.1 can also detect and report damaged settings files and dam- aged MacTCP files. And it flushes vol- umes after writing files to prevent file damage caused by subsequent unrelat- ed system crashes. Norstad is quite a programmer! MacTCP Switcher can found almost anywhere. Sterling utility: SilverLining is an excel- lent hard drive formatting/testing/ mounting utility produced by a compa- ny called LaCie. In fact, for years it was the unofficial software used internally by Apple to work on their drives (and may still be today as well). The only gripe I've had with LaCie is that they've not been too good with keeping users up on SilverLining updates. And when you want an update, even a minor one, it's S10 a whack. Not anymore. Those of you in the same boat as me will sing great praises of joy when you find LaCie's Web site — complete with, yes, free upgrades of SilverLining. Check it out at http://www.teleport.corn/-lacie User-news: Those of you seeking a good Mac site/newsletter should check out the one put up by the Chicago Macintosh Users' Group. There's lots of good info here, with reviews, BBS data, and more. Their newsletter can be found at the Info-Mac FTP site, as well as on several of the online services. Or check out their site at http://www.cmug.org/cmug/. (You can't miss with a newsletter carrying a col- umn called "Andy the Grouch" — yes, it's yours truly.) Next month I begin a look at how to actually build a Mac BBS, and in so doing will examine the development of several Mac BBSs around the country. Where did they come up with their ideas? How did they implement them? Expect a good hit of information for sysop-wannabees, as well as ideas to improve even the most established of Michael A. Kuykendall is a veteran Mac user and can be reached through Macintosh Online BBS at 770.822.5929. Email him at andykirk&aoicom, tmdykirk@eworld.com, or mosa3@mind- spring.com. Subscribe Today Call Toll-Free 1-800-822-0437 charge your subscription to Visa or MasterCard. JANUARY 1 996 BBS MAGAZINE version Online Internet and Dial-up Server! High Impact Sales & Cataloging! Supports dBASE". FoxPro', Clipper' Query first mode. Browse mode. Spread sheet view. Memo support. Order interface. Scripts to process orders. Photo, AVI or RTF document links. Up to fifteen links per record. User owned records. Email post back from records. Read, write and edit access control. ti^'mm? FREE client software. Email with File attachments. RTF Document viewing. File libraries with image previews. AVI Video. MIDI and WAV Sound support. Multi customer chat conferences. 5 styles of menus. Visual design tools for easy setup. 24 bit photos throughout. Prelogon rules for new customers. Complete Access Security. MediaHouse Software Inc. Sales & Information, 1-800-600-6914 www.mediahost.com • ftp.mediahost.com MediaHost Dial-up Server (819) 682-3330 MediaHost Internet Server (TCP/IP Address) 1 99.71 .1 50.40 32 Eardley Road, Aylmer, Quebec, Canada, J9H 7A3 MediaHost is a trademark of MediaHouse Software Inc. All other trademarks mentioned are the property ot their respective owners. * One connection Server. Database Extension not included. BY HANK HURTEAU Following are top downloads as recorded last month on three BBSs across the U.S. Look for them on your favorite local BBS, too. Files such as QWK packets have been omitted, as have any graphic files. Descriptions are generated by author or bulletin board. Programs carried in the "Top Ten" download list don't necessarily denote a good program, of course — just one that's frequently downloaded. You 'II have to be the judge when it comes to Quality. And keep in mind: always look for the latest program, as one of the advantages to using (and registering) shareware is that you'll be privy to the frequent updates. WORLD DATA NETWORK BBS 703.620.8900 A lot of interest in Windows 95 on this BBS! 1 N16E122.EXE 1,638,547 Netscape Navigator 1.22 (Windows) 2 DOSBOOK.ZIP 30,521 There are still plenty of DOS users and DOS lovers out there. Here is a great reference and training manual with some excellent tips and tactics to make you a DOS power user. Learn the why and not just the how of com- puter use, commands and batch file pro- gramming. 3 WH95_V1.ZIP 21,721 WinHacker 95 V1 .0. Gives the user an easy way to configure options in Windows 95 that are not in the GUI (Graphical User interface). Access to many of these options was removed from Windows 95 because they would confuse mast users. WinHacker 95 gives the user a way to easily configure these hidden options, 4 WIN95HLP.ZIP 136,481 Microsoft Resource Kit on Windows 95 — in Help File format. Direct from Microsoft Support. 5 BTMGR13A.ZIP 48,241 Boot Manager 95 v1.3a for Windows 95 (by Kevin Ferguson). Utility to allow you to easi- ly configure your Windows 95 bootup options. Requires Win95 and VBRUN300.DLL Freeware. 6 REVENG12.ZIP 1,197,008 Clyde's Revenge is a smooth-scrolling arcade adventure from the makers of Hocus Pocus, published by Apogee Software. Double parallax scrolling, a dynamite sound- track and full digital sound effects highlight this arcade hit. Supports 12 different sound cards including Sound Blaster and UltraSound for eight channels of sound. Game requires a 486/33 or higher, VGA graphics and four megs of RAM. PT0YS895.ZIP 145,001 PowerToys. These enhancements were developed by members of the Microsoft Win95 team, and are available to Win95 users at no cost. NOTE: these are not part of any shipping retail product at this point, and therefore are not supported through any offi- cial support channels. Use at your own risk, CBW95.ZIP 688,225 Colorado Mem. Tape backup program for Windows 95 supports ail drives except Power tapes. PRT2DISK.ZIP 354,916 Print2Disk — contains a Windows printer driver that lets you redirect your reports from paper to one of five popular image for- mats, including DCX. PCX single/mufti. TIFF Group 3, and GammaFax. Baryon 10 MSN_V202.ZIP 1.146.550 Mission Supernova — a mouse-driven science-fic- tion VGA graphic-adventure. You are Walter Bumble, ship's cook of the starship "Supernova". One day you wake up and find out that all the other crew members have left the ship! SHAREWARE MONSTER BBS 408.577.0509 Games and Internet programs abound at the Monster. 1 TWSK21E.ZIP 178,711 Trumpet Winsock 2. 1e. A popular and stable Windows application for gaining entrance to the Net. 2 3DTV.ZIP 3,635,916 Terminal Velocity from 3D Realms! Shareware by Terminal Reality, Inc. "A 3D shooter that's part Star Wars and part Descenl!" Very realistic, with huge levels, insane weapons, modem/Net support, and 1 0-channel digital music and sound effects. Requires 486DX w/local BUS and four megs of RAM. The 3D worlds are breathtaking, like nothing seen before in online games. Note: You can also find Ibis game separated into three parts. The Greatest Paper Airplanes (Shareware) Main Dying Paper Planes Ordering Help Click on tabs or menu Items to select sections. Click on arrows, buttons, or pictures when they appear. Click on colored words for extras L This notebook is the property of -KittfHawIt Shareware Verslon- Ccpy'QM® 393-4. All Riflht* R«*eru£d m w fi> f r i- r ■ : Y paper Y p i anes Y Cover j Frying A brief history, basic aerodynamics, some airplane terms, and paper airplane flights are presented to get you started. -y L - Paper A little history, the basics of the craft, the common paper folds, and how It all applies to paper air- planes Is shown. Planes | Twenty-five planes divided into five sep- , arate wings are all folded before your eyes in a 3D "tape" that you control. 3 1_VINYL.ZIP 1324492 Vinyl Goddess from Mars. The Vinyl Goddess' space ship has crash-landed on a forbidden planet. Can you guide her through dangerous and exotic locations on a quest to free herself from the planet? Get ready for slick arcade action in this new release from Union Logic that'll blow your mind at 70 frames per second. Requires a 386 or better: supports SB, ADLIB, and JOY. 4 DBPERL10.ZIP 509,856 The Internet Pearls Database — Huge data- base of valuable Internet information includ- ing hundreds of sites and pointers to what's best on the Internet. Full-fledged database. Add. Delete, Sort. Query. Find. Import. Export, and Print Data to customize your Database of Important Internet Connections, Calendar and File Find utilities included, to use from within the Database. FTP, Gopher, WWW. and Finger sites included, too. Great deal of information. 5 LEGAL8.ZIP 687,037 Your Personal Legal Guide. v8.0. The most complete source of legal information and forms around. YPLG has over 130 forms and is consistently one of the top-selling share- ware programs for the past few years. It's easy to understand, useful, and complete shareware by Homecraft. 6 GPA10B.ZIP 721,361 The Greatest Paper Airplanes v1 ,0b. You might recall this Windows program being reviewed here a few months back, It's an interactive 3D animation program to teach you to fold extraordinary paper airplanes. Unique notebook design features simple VCR style fold controls, color printing of decorated airplane designs, and animated tutorials on the history of flight and paper folding. Requires: 386SX-16 or better, Windows 3.1 +, two megs of RAM and cou- ple megs on the hard drive. One of Uncle Hank's favorites! 7 SPHEJ0NG.ZIP 842,865 Moraffware Spherical Mahjongg with 3D graphics! Moraffs Spherejongg is like Mahjongg with spherical pieces. It is much easier to play, but just as challenging to win. The large, globe-shaped 3D tiles are very easy to identify — say good-bye to eye- strain. Great 3D graphics, fast keys, easy menus, user friendly: Save games in progress: Keep statistics and best scores for each player. 8 IPH0NE30.ZIP 28,158 Internet Phone by VocalTec v3.0. Build 13 now supports full duplex conversations. 9 WSFTP321.ZIP 116,937 Winsock FTP, Implementation designed for ordinary users: no expertise required. 10 ICOIY1IYI102.ZIP 337,893 l-Comm 1 .02. A full-featured WWW graphi- cal browser and modem communication program requiring no SLIP/PPP connection. I-Comm provides a friendly graphical user interface which allows user switching between the browser and terminal with one- button click. I-Comm supports HTTP, FTP and Gopher, X,Y, Zmodem protocols, sup- ports batch download, forms, smart disk caching, etc. UNCLE HANK'S BBS 413.527.8977 Sysop: "Uncle" Hank Hurteau Games are popular here too. along with utility programs. 1 PC0NF802.ZIP 179,819 PC-Config V8.02. Detects all the hardware in your PC and shows each on the screen. One of the best sysinfo-programs ever. With CD- ROM benchmark routine. Finds Local-BUS and PCI boards, Cyrix, NexGen, UMC and Pentium CPUs. Detects lots of VGA chips. APM functions, EPP BIOS, Green boards, Pentium Bug. PCMCIA. EIDE feat. NEW: detailed PCI and SCSI info as well as new SAA-look. The Greatest Paper Airplanes (Shareware] C t> N T I N U !■: S a.BMB|62% M>ln Dying Paper Planes Ordering Help Cover Y Planes ^ The Greatest Paper Airplanes In Five Wings of Honor m Darts Variations on the schoolyard specials that are fun to fold and fun to fly These craft are what the kid in you wants. f ih*-!T ncqtBCtive companies 10 ^w*.tjm«KS of the smash Amiga arcade game is now available for the PC in the U.S. as shareware, Guide Cool Coyote in his quest to save the world. From the masters at Graftgold and Renegade, and distributed by Streetwise. Recommended: 386. VGA. Soundblaster, joystick. BLAKSTR.ZIP 631,122 Blackstar — Agent of Justice. Evil lurks in the city as innocent victims are killed for pleasure. Soon things becomes personal and the Agent of Justice seeks revenge. A new. exciting graphic adventure game that's mouse-driven with an intuitive point-n-click interface. Requires 286 or better, two megs of hard drive space free. 256-color VGA, sound card optional. BARYON10.ZIP 242,7231 Baryon may be the greatest shoot 'em ever devised for the PC. You must pilot your ship against a relentless onslaught of alien craft, both in the air and on the ground. Features fast, smooth scrolling graphics with a fluid maneuverability and a rocking soundtrack. Requires 386SX+. VGA, and four megs of RAM. PKHELP.ZIP 35.072 PKUNZIP helper. This is a graphical demon- stration of the fundamental techniques required to use the PKUNZIP program to unpack/pack fiies from/to archives. Designed for the computer novice and/or those who have never used an archiver before. SCAN4DLL.ZIP 36,196 Another Freeware program from Software Innovations. This program will assist in dis- covering what DLLs are used by a particular program. Useful when you v/ant to remove a Windows program from your system. If you're a sysop carrying a Top Ten bulletin on your BBS and would like to see it listed here, please contact me at Uncle Hanks BBS or unkhankigix.netcom.com 50 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Start Don't Your Modem Without The 32-bit Power Of QmodemPro For Windows 95 5 "wis fa 9 .1 I Qmodemi J ro X ■■■■ l»V/-".- 93 You're a speed freak, right? You bought the Pentium and 28.8 modem, and you just upgraded to Windows® 95 to take full advantage of your computer's 32-bit architecture. So why are you using old 16-bit communication software that j- '-StBP^ chokes the performance of Windows 95? •■ Get on-line fast with the 32-bit POWER in QmodemPro for Windows 95 v2. It's the first communication softwarelhat delivers al! the features and performance you need to get the most from the new 32-bit Windows platform. And since you demand performance, you'll like the fact that QmodemPro's communication and Internet capabilities go way beyond the standard terminal software included with Windows 95. So whether you're connected to the office, compa- ny mainframe or BBS for data/file transfer, you'll get the powerful, 32-bit technology in QmodemPro to satisfy your "need for speed." tood. 800-208-0616 Available at Software Etc., Babbages, Computer City, CompUSA, Electronics Boutique, Egghead and other software outlets for $129 or less. Registered Qmodem/QmodemPro customers call for upgrade pricing. jSuST Connecting The World som «c! Mustang Software, Inc. • 6200 Lake Ming Road • Bakersfield, CA 93306 Voice 805-873-2500 • Fax 805-873-2599 • BBS 805-873-2400 Internet http://www.mustang.com ' mP * JPEG JU e dl00 < ! > Kdose Exciting New Features include : • A Phone Book that uses Explorer style menus and buttons, with display options including Large Icon, Small Icon, List and Detail styles. • OLE 2.0 support so you can drag & drop files, phone book entries and text to and from other Windows applications quickly and easily. • 35 Terminal emulations, including ANSI, VT100 and IBM 3270 to get you on-line quickly while the programmable keyboard will satisfy the needs of any system administrator. • A programmable too! bar with up to 50 different program function icons. ■ A graphical file viewer that lets you display files in GIF, BMP and JPEG formats with zoom, even white downloading. • Fully multi-threaded protocols that keep going even when your PC is very busy. • Transfer files with 10 high speed protocols, including Zmodem and CompuServe B+. • TAPI support for sharing communications devices between multiple applications. • MAPI support for transferring text, images and files to major mail applications including Exchange, Microsoft Mail, and cc:Mail. ■ Telnet support with MD5* secure passwords for Internet access to vour favorite sites. ESA Data Security, 1995 Mu-t.it>;' Software, luc Inc. MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm ii. t:i.trk> oftheir respective can W \o} 1 WW V^\ \W \\sfc Commodore Connections B V C A E L Y N E M O R A N E C otying Doards Commodore BBS software COMES of AGE. C ommodore BBSs aren't what they used to be. Just as our hardware has changed dramatically to give us more power, BBS software has evolved offer- ing more features to sysops and callers alike. BBSs that you've explored in the past may be radically different today, as many have taken on new ownership, programmers, or both. But there's more to it than hardware-friendly bulletin boards. Plenty more. Many of the boards can now connect with each other (even when using dif- ferent BBS software) in sophisticated network systems. This gives callers a chance to share messages, files and even graffiti with each other, even though their sysops might not agree on which BBS host program is the "best". Check out the following sys- tems and decide for yourself which deserves the calls. Three Color 64 BBS Packages Color 64 has evolved quite a bit, adding Commodore 128, high-speed modems and support for Creative Micro Design's storage devices. Today there are two new packages available, each from different authors, and an older version has just gone freeware. If you've been looking for BBS software and have considered Color 64, now's your chance to try a limited version first, then if it meets your approval, you can purchase the upgraded version of your choice depending on your equipment and needs. One of the key features of all the Color 64 BBS software is the use of Commodore color and graphics char- acters, which are utilized not only in menu and other online screens, but also in the message bases. IBM callers haven't been left out, either, as many of the boards have C64TRM5D.EXE online for down- loading — a term program that lets those who use IBM PCs have the abili- ty to call these boards and enjoy the CBM color and graphics, too. Color 64 BBS v7.37 WWW: http://www.indirect.com/www/ wanderer/color.htm On September 16, 1995, Color 64 v7.37 by Greg Pfountz became free- ware. The documentation and system files can be downloaded from the World Wide Web at the above address. Color 64 allows the use of fast storage devices such as REUs, hard drives (ICT, LT Kernal and CMD HDjorRAMLinks. One limitation of this version is that it only permits modem speeds from 300 to 2400 baud. The commer- cial versions are able to support speeds up to 38.4Kbps. For file transfers, Color 64 uses Cl Punter and Xmodem protocols. It allows up to 26 download directories on any number of drives (devices fi- 15), with a download credit system to encourage users to give as well as receive. Files can have up to 100 lines s :> W IcA 1V^\X~^\NSS\ 1Y* for file descriptions. Color 64 lets the sysop set six different access levels for users and three levels for co-sysops. Other sysop features include two color/graphics file editors (one online for short files and a stand-alone ver- sion for longer ones). The BBS also has a built-in terminal program (both ASCII and C/G emulations) with something called "Message Maker" allowing the user to create and upload mail while online. Additionally, there are hundreds of add-on modules cre- ated over the years that are readily available to new sysops. Color 64 BBS v8.0 Fred Ogle P.O. Box 35427 Dundalk, MD 21222-7427 Email: f.ogle@genie.geis.com BBS: 410.285.4312 S65 plus $3 shipping Once you've had a taste of the free- ware version of Color 64, you may be ready to upgrade to V8.0 which, among other improvements, allows faster modem speeds when used with a Swiftlink cartridge. Additionally, it works with the Turbo-Master 4.09 MHz accelerator — with or without the Swiftlink. V8 supports almost every Commodore hard drive ever created, including the Xetec Lt Kernal, InConTrol DataChief, MiniChief, Commodore brand, and CMD hard drives. CMD subdirectories are fully supported, as well as the LT Kernal's logical units from zero through nine. Color 64 v8 also supports ANSI graphics in addition to ASCII and Commodore Color Graphics. Sysops can configure up to 18 message bases with a total of 232 messages, stored as single sequential files. Up to 99 different file areas are allowed with up to 999 files per area. Color 64 vS offers four file transfer protocols: Punter, Multi-Punter, Xmodem-CRC and Xmodem- Checksum. Files and messages are time/date stamped and displayed in chronological order. The 150 pages of Color 64 v8's documentation is shipped in an 8.5 x 1 1 binder and includes info on setting the BBS up, as well as lists of vari- ables, commands and subroutines. Color 64 V. 128.32 Adam Fanello (a.k.a. Ant) 4822 Larwin Ave. Cypress, CA 90630 BBS: 714.828.7296 Email: Adam_Fanella@fullcoll.edu or Ant@titan.fullerton.edu WWW: http://www.indirect.com/vwwv/ wanderer/color.htm $25 (must be a registered Color 64 user) V128+Swiftlink upgrade: $10 Commodore 128 owners maybe interested in Color 64 vl28, which is the original Greg Pfountz Color 64 v7.37 software (the freeware version above) updated by Adam Fanello to run on a Commodore 128 computer. It includes a program called MALT, which updates current Color 64 files It includes full ANSI support and stores the membership list in memory (for fast searching) so users can log on with their names instead of the user number that is usually required. to run in 128 mode. An additional upgrade allows those with a high speed modem and Swiftlink cartridge to run the BBS at speeds up to 1 9.2Kbps. The power of the original Color 64 BBS package is increased by the 128 version software, as the C128 has twice as much memory and speed, and allows additional features like burst mode for the 1571/81 (plus the added speed when run in 80-column mode). It includes full ANSI support and stores the membership list in memory (for fast searching) so users can log on with their names instead of the user number that is usually required. Two different types of networking support (Conilink and Network 128 vl.26) are included with the package. Y 1996! BBS MAGAZ Color 64 vl28's chat mode has split screens, word-wrap and a unique feature: the text is automati- cally colorized differently for each person typing. The message system allows up to eight different message bases, allowing more than 400 mes- sages each. Messages posted in 40 columns are stretched so that 80-col- umn users see the text across the full 80-column screen. Similar to the message bases, the files area allows the maximum of 26 directories which can have up to nine categories. A "scan" feature allows the user to scan the directories for any part of a file name. Planned updates to the vl28 package include adding Xmodem- Ik and Y modem transfer protocols. Three for C-Net The evolution of C-Net has been one with branches going off in numerous different directions. C-Net 64 and C- Net 128 were purchased by RMS Software in June of 1993 from Perspective Software, which still owns and supports the Amiga version. The C-Net DS2 64 BBS branch is owned by Beverly James Products. Continuing the BBS evolution, Michael Bendure upgraded the DS2 Networking system for C-Net and has begun a networking product which connects C-Net and other Commodore 64/128 BBS systems. C-Net 128 v6.0r RMS Computer Systems LLC. 16Maybrook Drive Maywood, NJ 07607 Voice: 201.843.3116 Fax: 201.843,2310 BBS: 201.845.8250 Email: rmscomp@ix.netcom.com WWW: http://www.msen.com/~brain/ guest/rms/ $100, S&H included. Includes: BBS software, Pearako Network Software, games and text fiies, documen- tation (in a 8.5 x 1 1 binder), dongle, and registration form. C-Net 128 and 64 (as distributed by RMS Software) were discussed in the November '94 issue of this magazine. Continues S3 s From the standpoint of both BBS callers and sysops, the idea is a good one, as everyone can benefit from increased messages and participation. The 128 version allows modem speeds from 300 to 2400 baud and uses ASCII, Commodore Color Graphics as well as two different ANSI emulations, one with both ANSI color and graph- ics and one with only ANSI color. It offers Punter, X-Modem, X-Modem CRC, X-MODEM- IK, Y-Modem Batch, and ASCII protocols. C-Net 128 can be used in either 40 or 80 column modes. Aside from modem speed, the only major draw- back some will find to this software package is the use of a dongle, which is required to run the BBS. Without the dongle, the files will not load. C-Net 64 v12.0 S50 (S&H included) Includes BBS software and documentation This version of C-Net 64 is a precursor to the DS2 BBS software. It has no net- working ability and has not been developed beyond vl2.0. C-Net DS2 64 BBS v2.5 Michael Bendure 92 Lee Ave Apt N3 Newark, Ohio 43055 Voice: 614.788.8568 BBS: 614.522.6563 Email: mbendufe@infinet.com WWW: http://www.infinet.com/ -mbendure/ Price: $59.95 Upgrade: $29.95 C-Net DS2 64 is owned jointly by Jim Selleck and Perspective Software, with Michael Bendure recently becoming a distributor. The concept behind DS2 is to allow sysops to develop the BBS software as they desire it to be, by changing the BASIC programming. (The "DS2" stands for Developers System-2.) It's matured from the original C- Net 64 with advantages such as having networking capabilities, a modular structure (for customizing) and CMD device compatibility. Games and other modifications from C-Net v9.0 through v!2,0 can be converted for use with the current software. Graphic and text screens from other BBS soft- ware (any C-Net, Image or Color 64 systems) can also be used with the software. Interconnecting BBSs: Networking Systems DS2 Network v3.04 (Addresses same as for above.) Registration: $15; Upgrades: Free The DS2 network allows C-Net DS2 64 BBS systems to share messages and files between them. The unregistered DS2 Network v3.04 is available on many BBS systems as ds2net3a.sfx and ds2net3b.sfx. Although the unregis- tered version only supports C-Net DS2 BBS systems, a text file is included to explain conversions to the networking format. Once a sysop registers, more help and information is available directly from Bendure. In some ways the network is similar to Fidonet — it uses boss or "home" nodes and a nodelist for forwarding files and messages on to other BBSs in the network. Private and public mail, NetWall (a graffiti message base), and Matchmaking messages are shared throughout the network. The system is fully configurable by the sysop so only those areas the sysop wants are net- worked. It includes a method of billing users for some of the services based on the size of the messages sent. CommNet (Addresses same as above.) CommNet could very well be next in the evolution of Bendure's DS2 Network, as it allows several different Commodore 64/128 BBS systems to share a common networking system for messages and files. It's still too early in to tell for sure, though. The idea of having all C=64/128 BBS systems connected together is a bold one, but not all software authors have been enthusiastic about it. Much depends on the assistance of the soft- ware authors to cooperate with Bendure and each other. This isn't easy, consider- ing that the Commodore BBS scene has a rich history of programmers annoyed with one another. A browse through a list of BBSs connected through CommNet shows that four different Commodore BBS systems are currently using the network. These include C-Net (128 and DS2 64), Color 64 vl28 and Image BBS systems. BBS MAGAZI Omni 128 BBS's Echonet Omni 128 4135 N. 36th Tacoma, WA 98407 BBS: 266.536,9353 $80 for BBS software and documentation (Echonet included) As of September 2, Omni 128 BBS (dis- cussed in the January 1994 issue of BBS Magazine) has a new networking feature called Echonet that allows Omni BBSs to transfer netmail (private and public). There are also new message bases called echos that are strictly for sharing mes- sages with other Omni systems. Echonet requires the use of a CMD storage device with a real-time clock. As with other net- working applications, Echonet has a "Bossnode" and "points" or "nodes" — other Omni systems connected to the Bossnode. Currently, Omni's support BBS is the only Bossnode. Omni's older networking method allowed other BBS systems such as VI 28 and Color 64 BBSs to participate in tile network, but Echonet doesn't currently support these other systems. For those BBSs connected to other (non-Omni) systems, the older Omni networking method can be used in con- junction with the newer Echonet. The evolution of Commodore telecommunications continues. As I type, programmers are updating cur- rent BBSs and terminal programs to support more new hardware. New BBSs and terminal programs are on the horizon, as well as new hardware that will likely create a stir in the Commodore community. Watch for those announcements here. mUMM Gaelync Moranec has been reporting on the evolution ofC64/128 telecommunica- tions for BBS Magazine for two and a half years. She can often be found in the Fidonet CBM or PCWRITE (Multi-Plat- form Computing) echos. Comments or suggestions can be sent to 1:366/221. 128 or moranec@hal9000.apana.org.au. Her home page resides at: http://mnv.tnsen.com/ ~brain/guest/Gaelyne_Moranec ) M Now Planet Connect brings realtime data within the reach of every BBS. Our sports data is delivered to your BBS via satellite as the news is created, so its always the latest most current information. Your users can learn about important sports events and news hours before they appear on TV or make the newspapers. No other sports information source can match the completeness of Sports Connect. Players, teams, leagues, and more are completely covered with over 4 megs of data daily. Scores are reported as the games and events are in progress. A variety of doors are available for most brands of BBS software and the system is designed to be fully automated. Our satellite data systems also provide the latest files and nets plus Internet Usenet Newsgroups. Our 19,200 baud system can deliver 1 50 megs of compressed f\ files daily. If you U already own a satellite • dish you can get started for only $299.00.. Weather and sports are now available, Stocks and News are coming soon. Instead of thinking of their BBS as a place to store and distribute informalion that may be hours or days old, the progressive Sysops that have Planet Connect can now deliver data in real time. Highly desirable data such as Sports, Weather, News, Stock Quotes, and more can be obtained from Planet Connect via satellite. These Sysops are finding many new users who want to obtain information as soon as it happens. People that need time sensitive data will come to you, since you'll be hours ahead of newspapers, and other media. Whether at work, school, or at play your users needs only a modem and computer to quickly locate the exact data they want. With satellite delivery, your BBS can be almost completely automated to provide services that only the big on line services have traditionally provided. Planet Connect negotiates with quality data providers to obtain data at excellent prices, and passes these savings on to you. You'll be amazed at how inexpensive a satellite real time feed can be. Contact Planet Connect Today. Winner of the Dvorak "Best Product of the Year Award" Modems Y MODEM MAGE TRAVELING the Ithel-WAYon I -MODEM A couple of months back we briefly looked at what is likely the future of "modeming" — ISDN. Since then I've had a chance to test and torture the Courier I-modem with ISDN/V.34 from U.S. Robotics, with (overall) pretty nice results. Taking a closer look at the I-modem and what this ISDN stuff is really offering, I found that if you're willing to dig deeply into your pockets in the beginning, the Courier I-modem is a solid solution for BBSs or other information provider applications requiring analog or ISDN connectiv- ity. It allows users to connect with ISDN networks and maintain com- patibility with existing analog ser- vices. The Courier I-modem is also designed to connect to analog devices such as modems and fax machines or ISDN devices through the ISDN network at the highest pos- sible speed. In other words, you get the best of both worlds. The Courier 1-modem integrates an ISDN terminal adapter, NT-1 device, an analog device port, and a Courier V.34 modem into a single unit that's physically connected to the Basic Rate Interface (BRI) ISDN wall jack — provided by the tele- phone company. Courier 1-modem is available in two different form factors. The desk- top versions feature a choice of S/T interface, for use with an external NT-1, or integrated NT-1. The inter- nal (ISA) version supports Microsoft Plug 'n Play functionality to auto- configure the card to the PC. Just like its established brother, the"V.Everything," Courier I-modem is software downloadable via Flash ROM. Again, a critical point to note here is that the "Supervisor" and "Datapump" are both modifiable via flash — most manufacturers JANUARY^ claim Flash ROM capabilities, but typically only update the Supervisor code. Datapump (DSP) code is hard- coded in a chip (typically from Rockwell) and must be shipped and swapped in other modems. Where U.S. Robotics misses the boat is its lack of Flash ROM support for UNIX and Macintosh systems. The only version of the Flash ROM code is via a DOS executable pro- gram. (Perhaps every reader of this column should take the time to drop USR a note and insist they support the whole community.) The "V.Everything" side of the I- modem incorporates the true ITU-T V.34 standard (28.8 Kbps), Rockwell's proprietary V.FC (28.8 Kbps), and AT&T's proprietary V.32terbo standard (19.2 Kbps), as well as V.32 bis, V.32, and all other ITU-T standards, down to 300 bps. To the best of my research it is the only feature in the market today that includes all three high-speed data transmission protocols. Calling out as well as accepting calls, the modem will determine whether it is an ISDN or analog call and connect accordingly. No need for multiple devices or knowing ahead of time what type of call is taking place. The integrated NT- 1 provides a "sin- gle box" solution for direct connec- tion to the ISDN service provider's wall jack without the requirement of a standalone network termination device — one device, two possible data streams, one connection. This saves space and the cost of an external W NT-1. (Not available in all models.) Just as with a variety of analog standards there are various ISDN standards. Multi-vendor interoperability is achieved between other vendors' products by supporting a wide vari- ety of ISDN standards. It supports both the V.120 (North American) and V. 110 (European) rate adaption standards for compatibility with other ISDN devices. Rate adaption occurs when a con- nection is made at less than 64 Kbps (typically 56Kbps), either through the ISDN or at the terminal connected to the ISDN device. The Courier I- modem (internal version only) also supports ODI and NDIS drivers which allows it to appear as an Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC). When combined with a third party PPP stack, Sync PPP connections may also be achieved. (Sync PPP will be sup- ported for the desktop versions in a future release, according to USR.) Here's the part I really like! On the back of the I-modem is an analog port to plug in an analog telephone, fax or answering machine. No need for expensive digital phones or other digital devices. Full ringing support is available for automatic answer of incoming calls with the external ver- sion only. Internals do not offer ring support, as the PC bus doesn't sup- ply the necessary voltage to drive the ringer. This offers you many exciting and cost effective solutions. For instance, I am currently doing an ISDN file transfer at around 6,900 cps. On the analog port I have a fax machine sending a 14,400 bps docu- ment to someone in New Orleans. AH this is going over the ISDN line that I pay a base rate of around $30 per month for. That's essentially two lines for the price of one. U.S. Robotics does bring out a very basic, but good point about using the I-modem. To quote them directly, "The I-modem communi- cates over ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) lines. You must order a BRI line from your local telephone com- pany before you can use your I- modem. You may also call the I- Team at 1-800-550-7800. The U.S. Robotics I-Team is a service organi- zation that supports U.S. Robotics ISDN products." In other words, please don't plug in your ISDN modem to your POTS (plain old telephone system) and expect it to work! ISDN services and rates vary widely across the U.S. In fact I have found rates ranging from $30/month to +$100/month. Using this modem over the last few weeks has had its ups and downs. After several calls to USR's support line I was given a new version of "BETA" code to test. It made a sub- stantial difference on marginal ISDN connects. Production versions of the "SDL" are typically available on vari- ous online services. Analog calls now consistently nail true 28,800 over local and long distance calls. Calling other V34+ modems even saw occa- sional 31,200 and 33,600 connects. My biggest shock was a 31,200 con- nect to a colleague in Tokyo, Japan. We maintained a two-hour file trans- fer test averaging just under 3,600 cps on compressed files for the entire connect. Running some basic com- patibility and connectability tests show it to be just as solid as the stan- dard "V. Everything". And as of this writing, U.S. Robotics just dropped a note indicat- ing Sysop Program pricing and avail- ability on the I-modem series. Well, that's a quick look at the I- modem. As vendors continue to hop on the ISDN bandwagon I hope to get a good look at them all. And I'll keep watching the press releases for "chaos" in the industry! (Check last month's column). There's been more action than a good soap opera lately. Hmm, let's see. . . Intel and AT&T bow out. Diamond buys SUPRA. Diamond, USR bid on Hayes. Hayes offers "outside financing to bail themselves out — isn't this a great show! Tune in here next month for the encore, mam ModemMagGPais. net 000698-0 Courier I-modem with ISDN/V.34 and Analog Device Port (External) Sysop S449; List S895 Availability estimated at December 1, 1995 000700-0 Courier I-modem with ISDN/V.34 and Analog Device Port (Internal) Sysop $399; List $795 Available now For those who like plenty of alphabet soup, abbreviations and techno-babble. here's more than you'll probably ever want to see again. The Courier I-modem supports: * D-Channel Signaling * ISDN data link layer ITU-T 0.921 * ISDN call control signaling ITU-T * 0.931/1.451 * AT&T 5ESS Custom, Northern * Telecom supported DMS-100, * National ISDN-1 and 2 * ITU-T V.120/1.463 and ITU-T * v.1 10/1 .462 for transmission over ISDN at 56 or 64Kbps * ITU-T V.34 and V.FC at 28.8 Kbps * terbo at 19.2 bps; ITU-T V.32 bis at 14.4 and 12 Kbps; 9,600, 7,200, and 4,800 bps (symmetrical and asymmetrical full duplex) * ITU-T V.32 at 9,600 and 4,800 bps * ITU-T V.22 bis at 2400 bps * ITU-T V.22 at 1200 bps * ITU-T V.23 at 1200/75 bps * ITU-T V.21 at 300 bps * Bell 208FJ at 4800 bps (synchronous) * Bell 212A at 1200 bps * Bell 103 at 300 bps " Quick Connect technology * Adaptive Speed Leveling (ASL) * V.17 Group III TIA/EIA Class 1 and 592 Class 2.0 14.4 Kbps and 9600 bps * Error correction for ISDN * )SDN(end-1o-end) V.120/1.463 * Analog originated/received calls * ITU-T V.42 (LAPM) or HST connect * MNP 2, MNP 3, or MNP4 connection * ITU-T V.42 bis dala compression * MNP Level 5 data compression ISA interface * Supports standard DTE rales up to 115.2 Kbps — asynchronous operation * Synchronous Operation (DCE supplies Tx clock) — Electrical: EIA RS232 or V.35 * Port rates: 115.2 Kbps to 300bps Ringer Equivalence (desktop version only) *REN; 3 '/,// The fi-LisI To check out the A-list on the Web, go to http://www.channel1.com/usbbs/Kome If you're a sysop and would like to be considered for the list, contact one of the following sites. Posting to the USBBS List at these sites will place you on the A-List. BOBsBBS — 916.929.7511 Livewire/CD SUB — Download CDSUB.ZIP from The Livewire BBS (BBS Magazine's support board) at 609.235.5297 and register the CD SUB Door program for a permanent listing. FTP — Download USPUB103.ZIP from oak.oakland.edu, create USBBS.DAT and send the completed file to BOBsBBS or update@bobsbbs.uucp.netcom.com. Call 609.953.91 10 (voice) for help. Derived from tht USHHSLIST. LEGEND BAUD z o a O»300 o £■ 1 = 1200 £ 3 K 5 2-2400 S o 3 — U CA BS 9 - 9600 or taster BBS BAUI SIZE a o z m MOOULATIOHTYPE B 29 50* 3 i 3 V = V.32orV.32bis U - USRobotics HST H = Hayes VSM BBS TYPE F = V.Fasl.V34 (1/25/95) A - Auntie = Other proprietary method B = PCBoard D = USRobotics Dual Standard C = Phoenix/Collie/Collosus (V32andHST) D = dflBS B = Hayes Ultra {V32 and VSM) F = Spitfire G = GAP SIZE H = PC-HoSI Indicated in 100s of megs. 1 = TriBBS + = CD-ROM, J = SuperBBS NODES L = Telegard Number of lines M - OraComm/Major/Galacticomm N - Genesis Deluxe SUBSCRIPTION = Opus/Maxtmus S - subscription; blank - FREE p = GTPowerComm = QuickBBS/RemoteAcrass INTERNET FEATURES R * R8BS SERVICES CODE S = Ssarcriltghl 1 23456789A8CDEF T = TBBSorTCOMM Mail XXXXXXXX U -- UltraBBS Usenet XX XX XX XX V^WWIV FTP XXXX XXXX W = Wildcat Telnet XXXXXXXX X = BBS-PC. flyBBS, ROS, Fido, Citadel. Osiris, etc. or custom MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS unverified or unknown type Must support 2400 bps or greater Y^TAG. 1 00 MB d disk capacity Z = TPBoard 24hr/7 day service Sysop must give REAL NAME 201 -256-0691 NJW. Paterson Excal's Realm John Norman Medieval, games, files and more. X 29 FV 6t 1 1 201-331-1797 NJParsippany Synergy Online Jim Boxmeyer Shareware, adult. B 09 F 160 50 S F 201-399-4772 NJ Irvinglon Innovative Scott Drake Police, EMS, fire, general public X 29 FV 10+ 1 3 201-437-4355 NJ fiayonne Bytes'n Bits MariusKirschner General interest BBS. B 29 FV 110+6 3 201-670-6718 NJ Ridgewood Animal House Ricky Gropper File / message BBS, gaming. B 29 FV 52+ 2 3 201-729-2602 Chuck's Attempt Chuck Ammann 201-887-2020 NJ Whippany Afterimage A. Stramaglia Full Internet access services. M 19 FV 14+ 24 S F 201-945-1437 NJ Fairview Sewer World Dan Lopez Adult specialties, email. W 29 V 10+2 S3 201-966-2848 NJ Madison The Porch (NT) Bill Worthrup Email & shareware file exchange. Q 29 OD 14+ 2 3 201-998-0653 NJ Kearny Closed Doors Michael Almeida General interest. W 29 FV 50+ 2 1 202-635-1755 DC Washington The Big Dogs Rod Pinnick Entertainment, jobs, business. M 09 FV 18 8 3 203-335-4D73 CT Fairfield Flld Comm Conn R, Scott Perry Community inlo. Internet access M 09 V 11+8 S F 203-647-8967 CT Bolton Constriiclion Fm Craig D. Mayer Construction resource. W 29 HO 01 S 203-693-9930 CT Canton BBS Charley Webb Files, games. Inlemet. X 19 FV 400+ 25 S F 203-956-0655 CT Hartford Monty's Python Tom Cichowicz Adult, comedy, tech support. M 29 FV 999+ 4 3 205-383-4329 AL Muscle Shoal Ninth Circle Daniel Tidwell Creative writing, tree thought. W 29 VF 10+ 3 206-584-4309 The Woll's Den Keith Shinkle 207-947-3105 ME Bangor MSNCNTRL Jim MacArthur Science fi/fact & lech support. W 09 FV 20+ 1 $ 208-327-9916 ID Boise The Bodhi Tree Kim Day Religion, especially Buddhism. X 29 V 8 1 7 208-664-2983 The Third Mill Jim f uirnli] 208-666-4010 ID Coeurd'Alen Anita's Place Anila Mikiforuk Community; women: business. W 19 V 16+ 1 209-357-5880 CA Winton Bytes To Go Bill Morris Shareware, door games, TO CDs. X 19 FV 13+ 2 210-233-4877 TX Los Fresnos Newberry BBS Ken Anderson Message oriented online service. B 19 FV 6+ 2 S 210-520-8015 TX San Antonio SA Dn-Line C, Montgomery Business and community service. T 19 V 4 4 S 210-658-7995 TX Converse LID'S LOUNGE Jeff Liddle Pharmacy, ICommol. MacroNET. X 29 VF 1 1 212-749-3268 Walter's BBS Waller Parrish 212-868-0720 NY Queens iiil -]■: my MikeHolman sr. Nail black data proc. assoc. NY ch. 214-245-9315 USS Inverness Jonathan McGirr 207-368-5402 Grouchy Marx Grouchy Marx 214-351-9859 Collector's Ed Len Hult 214-355-1835 Lonesome Ddvb M. Peacock 214-403-9406 TX Piano Zeitgeist Bob Peterson Graphics; live Internet. W 09 FD 100+ 5 F 214-495-4806 TX Sachse Carrier Pigeon James Marple KB5ZDG's BBSs for GArland ARC. 29 FD 5 1 214-517-4674 TX Piano The Harvest Nick Shaffner Files, programming (c, C++). W 09 DF 12+ 1 1 215-289-6041 PA Philadelphia Kid's World BobGasko BBS devoted to kids, W 19 V 2+1 215-295-6193 PA Morrisville CentraLink Rich Sims A friendly place to meet, B 29 FV 24+ 3 3 215-321-1873 PA Phil y Alter-Hours Tony Reesby Featuring 13 CDS online. W 19 UF 80+ 3 216-324-6410 Comm. Netlink K. Stevenson 216-381-3320 OH Cleveland PC-Ohio Norm Henke "Best BBS in America" B 29 VF 19Q+ 52 S F 216-639-9508 Scientist's BBS SooKurz 216-726-9876 OH Youiigstown Roadhouse Jim Haverstock Online games, unigue files. V 09 FV 46+ 3 1 216-871-8203 The Spectrum General. S 09 FV 14 OH Cleveland Aaron Erlandson 216-951-9150 OH Cleveland Flip Flop Jim Barry Local community interaction. S 09 V 10+ 8 3 217-359-8457 IL Champaign Comlrtbly Numb Rob Remus Games, adult files X 29 V 9+1 216-326-4205 MN Gr Rapids Blue Sky BBS Jack Blue Family & business oriented. W 09 FD 96+3 S3 218-829-6340 MN Merritield Merribbs Gil Pence Shareware, business. G 29 V 5+ 1 S 1 219-325-3655 IN La Porte Rob's Arcade RobSwanson Doors, files. 5 mailnels, 8 CDs. B 19 FV 61+ 2 219-665-8777 IN Angola Files Factory Chad Evans Files, home of EXCELnet. 29 FV 14+ 1 219-744-0558 IN Fort Wayne The Pool Room Gary Hall Files, tun, friends, fantasy. X 29 FO 45 2 B 219-744-4908 The Play Board Jay Tipton 219-763-0826 IN Portage Slalag 13 BBS Keilh Heitmann Flight Sims, combat 4 wargames. 1 29 F 3D 1 301-353-1033 IICS-DC Multimedia. W 19 VF 160 6 MD Germantown Bob Lau 301-527-1632 MD Gaithersburg Americana Resc Rick Moses Antiques & collectibles. W 09 F 12 1 302-655-4988 DE New Castle SWiSS WildCat! Steve Sims Adult, games, DOS, Windows. W 29 VO 78+ 2 1 302-762-2873 DE Wilmington The Vetricans Arthur L Davis2 Veteran, education, recovery. W 29 F 3 1 5B JANUARY 1998 BBS MAGAZINE 303-244-8420 Mirror Image Mar« Fell 303-457-1111 CO Denver GaRBaGe DuMP DeanKerl Chat, games, files, internet. M 09 VF 120+ 99 F 303-657-1467 CO Denver SUPPORT Barry Young Computer support and files. B 29 VF 40+ 3 3 303-680-4563 CO Denver Global-Link Louis Morilzky International email network. B 29 F 200 25 S F 305-383-2341 FL Miami BPO Power BBS Han-ey Peters Lalesl games, multi-line chat. B 19 FV 10+ 4 305-432-2223 Ft Pmbrke Pines SunShine PCB Michele Stewart Cooking. ANSI, games. Fidonet. B 19 DF 24+ 2 3 305-438-8999 FL Hollywood FanlasticPlnet Michael Sweat Files, newsgroups, chat. M 19 VF 13+ 16 S 3 305-472-7715 Brass Pounder Ham radio. W 29 F 20 FL Plantation Bob Patten t 305-473-8759 FL Davie 3rd Dimension Glen Hughes Internet, files, chat, usenet. M 19 V 40+8 $ F 305-563-1115 FL Ft. Laud. Auto-Net Int. E. Fernandez Automobile classifieds, X 99 V 10 5 305-572-4910 FL Sunrise E.D.S BBS Wayne Lampiasi Employment support/listings. I 29 D 13 1 S 1 305-792-9622 FL Ft Lauderdal Info Interchng Miichel Waas Massive info BBS, msgs & fifes. Q 09 DF 200+ 6 F 3D5-828-4508 The File Room Files. B 99 D 25+ FL Miami John Wanamaker $ 3 305-966-2677 FL Miramar Hobby Line Mike Dippel Business ads, hobby, genealogy. W 29 FV 14+ 3 S 7 305-975-5540 FL Pompano Q'evils Bruce A.Kniffen Virus research/database. W 29 F 14+ 9 305-989-3706 FL Hollywood TUT BBS Darian Porter Games and files. M 09 D 12 17 S 3 306-892-4213 Sk N Battleford Dig Diversions Mike Ritchie Fidonet backbones and filebone. S 19 FF 18+ 1 1 309-664-0881 !L Bloomington Advr Crnr OS/2 S. Kuntzelman OS/2 support and shareware. 29 DF 41+ 1 309-836-1432 IL Macomb Rod's Place Rod Rouse Files, messages, online games W 19 V 4 1 The fl-List 309-852-2165 ILKewanee CyberHawg. RBBS Kevin Clarke General interest. FIDONet mail. R 29 VF 6 2 310-212-7605 CA Torrance Beginners Club VmceSheu TeenNet. I 09 V 10 1 310-493-3535 CA Seal Beach Playbord Jim Jensen The best games board around. R 29 FD 52+ 1 310-984-1075 CA Long Beach Leo Grafix BBS Rudy Harlmann Christian, CaivaryNel T 29 DF 21+ 4 312-284-7133 4th Dimension 312-536-0829 Black Female Black females- W 29 H 1 Jell Jones IL Chicago Darnell Glover 1 S 312-777-8817 IL Chicago RoundTable Kevin Keyser Home of The Poets Corner. S 09 D 10+ 2 3 312-777-9480 IL Chicago RoundTable Kevin Keyser Home of The Poets Corner. S 09 D 10+ 2 3 312-847-2115 L Chicago Cove BBS WTownsend Obscure (iles/pagan/occult. W 09 FD 3 1 313-581-0564 Ml Detroit Elroy's WrkShp Jerry Zubrick Software, programming, tips, W 99 FD 62+ 3 3 313-663-4173 Ml Ann Arbor Hal 90D0 Victor Volkman Sci-fi, space, internet. B 29 FV 50+ 10 F 313-665-5927 Ml Ann Arbor Snowshoe Tom Winters Fidonet, technical, science. X 09 V 9+1 313-783-3719 Mi Flat Rock Strange Brew Bill Buchanan Programming. OS/2 S Linux. 19 14+ 1 1 313-885-0979 Ml Detroit Micti Outdoors Jim Wallace All outdoors activities. X 19 V 12 2 314-230-5768 MOEIIisville Inkwell Writer Rose Ferguson Writers, poets, seniors, X 19 D 2 1 315-475-3250 Bytronix MikeBettua 314-281-8598 Megabiler II 314-351-7150 The STL CATII George Belcher David Russo 314-367-1903 MO St. Louis Slacc Stack BBS Noel Moss General interest. M 09 V 19+ 8 F 315-458-3482 Dreamscape Scott Brennan 316-367-8490 KS Goessel CCBBS John Goerzen Networks, programming, OS/2. X 09 VF 4 1 3 316-788-7520 Griswold's Priv Jim Kelland 317-662-8122 IN Marion HoosierBBS J. Whitehead File access, game connection M 29 V 10+4 S 317-889-4274 IN Greenwood Eagle Ralph Moore Files CDs Internet genealogy. B 29 DF 45+2 S3 318-222-7064 LA Shreveport Genesis BBS James Pottorff Rime mail netwoik. canf areas. B 09 D 14+ 2 319-366-1985 IA Cedar Rapids Lighthouse BBS Marge Rabbins SLBBS support/gene/user req. S 09 V 4 1 3 334-666-0993 AL Mobile The Anchor Inn Jim Wilson Registered LORD, Tradewars. B 29 FV 16 1 1 334-702-4713 ALOolhan Shadow Net BBS Phil Willis Now running Wildcat in win 95. w 29 b 10+1 334-774-9946 AL Ozark FaslBytes Mark Feller RaceNet FTS/QWK hub. W 29 F 14 1 continues. . . Surf The T\let On 'il iiiTTTiTJ iTiTiTMi Full Internet access & 1/2 million ad listings in dozens of ad papers. Download the latest software, no dubs or viruses. Play 70 hottest interactive games, chat world- wide on 100 lines. No long distance charges from any of our 600 local phone #'s. Dial the number below with vour comouter for a MO. We're not just part of the communication highway, we're paving it as we go. Power Up The Classified World Network' ;S^C'?n COr^r^CSION NBHH 1-800-753-4223 1-800-HJN-TCON (Info via voice) (Into via modem) 1-317-359-5199 (modem info & local access fl) teinet:trader.com .com http://www. bbsmag.com Click here for the only BBS magazine on the planet. JANUARY I 900 BBS MAGAZINE 59 360-427-6354 WA Stiellon The TimberJack Brad Gallien Jr Fun, games, free speech. Q 29 V 9+1 360-427-9173 WAShelton Horsey Folks John Rogers Horses. S 09 V 5 1 360-956-0408 WA Lacey CC0.NET™ J.Goeller Full access Internet service. M 29 V 250+ 50 S F 401-683-5961 Rl Portsmoul Ups&Downs J. Barrett Crafts, local info, Rime conf. B 09 V 10+ 1 405-670-1367 OK OK City Shadow Magic Duane Robertson Free speech & computing. X 19 F 14+ 1 405-728-7124 Hotel California Lloyd Lav/son 400-256-1301 MT Billings Grt Escape S. Richardson Games, and tons of fun. W 19 D 14+ 2 407-292-6797 FL Orlando Demanding Time Lorie Gibbs Chat, games, inet email, files. W 09 U 300+ 16 S 3 409-755-3715 TX Lumberton Grumpy D's Doyle Welborn Sound wave files. O 09 D 14+ 1 409-769-4249 Wayne's World Wayne Belvin 402-474-3747 Da Place 3BS Mark Frueh ling 403-283-1107 AB Calgary Foothills HAM Chris Kringel Support for amateur radio ops. B 09 DF 15 2 407-328-4294 Home School Educational. W 29 V 5+ FL Orlando Kevin Freer 1 407-740-8353 FL Winter Park Round Table Allan Holtz Armor accounting software. W 19 V 7+1 407-745-0449 FL JupiterFarms TtieConlederacy J. Blanchard Messages. X 19 D 1 1 407-750-7665 Fl Boca Raton New Power Robert Di Salvo Internet entertainment. X 09 VF 100+ 80 S F 404-476-7880 Late Nile BBS 404-478-9700 Th« Night Shift 404-773-7966 Warp Faclor 404-936-0550 Music Conn Bobby Noweil Bill Hardy Mark Stewart David Coleman 405-234-6822 OK Enid No-Name David Gibson 7 CD-ROMs online. R 29 D 14+ 1 S 405-354-6937 OK Yukon Chamber32Doors Dave Mather Music & games. X 29 V 6+ 1 3 407-466-1661 FL Ft. Pierce Higher Power Ralph Allen Business related. W 09 B 10+ 1 407-676-6233 FL Melbourne Fishermans Net Shawn Edwards Christian. CaivaryNet. X 19 D 3 1 407-684-1200 FL W. P. Beach Eagles Nest Mark Netzel Online chatting & door games. S 29 VF 10 4 407-6B7-9355 FL W. Palm Bch BCS-BBS Line 1 John Benjamin Internet S genealogy. W 19 D 14+2 S D 407-735-7702 Fl Boynlon Bch Quicksilver Mike Moore RBBS support, games, liles. R 29 DD 999+ 4 7 407-859-7428 The Dealh Star N Seabnry 407-895-0076 FL Orlando Sneaky Pete's Jim Huddle Communications & networking, W 19 DF 8 1 407-932-0584 NIVETS BBS 28, 000 files. W 19 FO 14+ FL Kissimmee Steven webb 1 403-295-3949 CA San Jose The Albatross Chris Reimer SF Bay area college scene. W 29 V 5 1 408-364-2789 PereLine BBS Tom Serface 408-526-9815 CA San Jose The " X "Files David Morales Arsenal/NightOwl shareware. W 09 D 5+2 S 409-842-3251 TX Beaumont BROAD REACH Tim Beard Sailing and aviation. W 09 D 11+ 2 410-203-1850 MDEIIicotf The PNET BBS Peter Gruessing Shareware, freeware, games, util. W 29 V 10+ 1 410-239-7473 MD Westminster Shrwre Paradse Bryan Rittmeyer Science, TV. messages. X 29 F 6+1 410-391-3633 MO Baltimore East Coast Con Sam Mumaw Online store, files, forums. M 29 D 13+4 S 410-558-3882 MD Baltimore Iguana Online Bob Gerchalk AOL-like interface; social & inlo. M 99 V 21+ 2 412-421-8561 PA Pittsburgh Frank's Place Frank Lisak Family oriented IBM support. W 09 VF 100+ 4 3 412-523-0610 PAJeannette RE1DS BBS Tim Reidmiller Fido/Usenet/l-mail/satellite. T 09 F 20+4 S3 412-567-6782 entertain me bbs Shawn Cupec 412-635-0934 Pa Pittsburgh Microtech Jack Law rence Windows / 0S2 / genealogy 19 V 17+ 1 3 412-734-2129 PA Pittsburgh AWEsome.bbs Tony Waters Easygoing BBS. W 29 FV 12+1 413-443-7623 MA Pittsfield Aspect BBS Paul Doucette Apogee dist site #1833, adult. X 99 FV 14+ 2 S3 413-527-8977 Uncle Hank's Hank Hurteau 414-466-9933 Wl Milwaukee Edit Suite BBS Jack Becker Offline mail reading 29 F 1 1 1 414-543-4472 Wl Milwaukee HomeolZIGGY D DeLonay Files, doors, message bases. 1 29 2 1 414-774-3435 Wl Milwaukee DownLoad City Dan Palmisano EmeraldNET, VirtualNET, games. X 29 FV 9+ 2 3 415-386-2185 CA San Francisc Club 21 BBS D. Johnson Adull oriented. B 09 F 14+ 3 $ 415-453-2854 CA San Rafael Sat database Daniel Oufficy Satellite database updates. X 29 B 10 1 415-648-9489 CA SanFrancisco Realitycheck Kurt Weiske Information wanls to be shared. 19 V 3 1 1 BBS Software & Hardware This Month's Specials Workgroup (8 line) $395 User6-packs $189 Internet Connectivity w/ MGI CALL Major Gateway Internet $179 We carry Galacticomm Add-ons! CALL Call our BBS: 209-498-6533 for product information and to download our complete catalog! Digiboard PC/8 CALL Digiboard PC/16 CALL Digiboard PC/8e CALL GTEK BBS-550 w/cables $395 GTEK Blackboard-4 w/cables $220 Visa, MasterCard & AmericanExpress Accepted P.O.'s Accepted - C.O.D, **°fi5£ Wildcat! Single Line $ 75 Wildcat! MultiLine 10 ...$159 Wildcat! Suite $629 wcCODE, wcGATE, wcPRO CALL Introducing weBilling! $ 99 Qmodem Pro Win95 $ 69 Qmodem Pro Network , ,...$265 DesqView386 Call BBS Technologies 209-498-0200 P.O. Box 4290 ♦ Fresno, CA 93744 ♦ Fax 209-237-0206 BO JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 115-856-2820 CA Palo Alto Legal Recourse DaveAlden Law school; books; entertain. M 09 VO 9+ 3 3 115-871-8563 CA SoSan Franci Inner Sanctum Chuck Mayer Fido online games. P 29 D 61+ 6 115-961-6911 CA Palo Alto INTERACT Eric Knight Live chat & multiplayer games. T 29 V 5 32 S 9 116-255-5346 ON Toronto The ICE Board Dean Renowden Electrical-electronic related B 19 VF 22+ 2 416-770-6917 Platinum Exprs Glenn Jarvis 417-683-4953 MOAva Round Table Mukunda Modell Scpporl. games. B 29 VF 9+ 2 S 2 417-883-4035 MO Springfield Dream Scape Jason Raphael Files, messages, games. & more. 09 DF 10+ 1 1 418-659-2782 BBS Files. B 29 V OC Ste-Foy Mike Wallace : 419-334-2374 OH Fremont Inside Into Randy Snyder Toll-free BBS list, M 99 V 6+2 S 1 419-355-0115 TBFBBS General. W 09 VF 16+ OH Fremont Robert Eishen 419-999-6456 OH Lima GameRoom BBS MikeSarnovsky Doom HO BBS. tons of shareware. W 29 OB 14+ 2 S 423-283-4336 TN Johnson City GWN Chris Bergeron Graphics, family oriented. X 29 FV 7+ 2 3 423-983-8232 TN Maryville The Disk Fix Tom Wallace Files and online games. W 19 UF 14+ 3 1 501-622-5313 Laughing Pncrs Hacking. W 29 V 3 AR Hot Springs Craig Jones 501-751-8482 AR Springdale Comm Unity Ray Petit Games, files, messages, chat X 29 V 14+ 2 3 501-753-8575 AR Little Rock The Rock BBS Tony Winfrey Family oriented bbs, chat. T 29 V 20+ 11 S 3 502-443-6014 The Dala Center Jefl Burton 503-221-1777 OR Portland Combat Arms Richard Bash Firearms, aviation, law, math. W 19 V 2 1 3 503-266-31 77 OR Canby ACECOM Jerry Withers General interest & internet. W 29 V 4 1 3 503-393-5580 Chemekela The fl-List 503-691-7938 OR Tualatin BBBBBS Tom Almy Books, tent files, writing. 19 VF 4 2 503-695-3250 OR Corbett RAIN MARIEL Files, newsgroups, RIME, games. W 19 VF 100+ 8 S 3 504-356-0790 Southern Online Russell Jackson 504-542-9600 Computer Solu Sidney Egnew 505-294-5675 MM Albuquerque GaRBaGeDuMP DeanKerl Chat, games, files, internet. M 09 VF 120+ 99 F 505-898-7120 MM Albuquerque Dead End BBS Joel Yancey Internet. BBSing, programming. X 29 VF 6 2 1 507-437-3969 MN Austin Formula BBS CD Jeremy Hinkle General liles, doors, messages X 29 V 7+1 507-437-7533 The Edge BBS Fun. Q 09 V MN Austin Josh Martin 1 Bob Hunter 508-384-1399 MA Wrentham The Dlher Side Zopito DiGiovan Many files of all sorts. X 09 FV 2 1 508-433-0297 MA Pepperell LeXXor BBS D. Rondeau Games, general interest, share. W 19 VF 14+ 2 7 508-481-5478 MA Marlborough Writer's BBS Brian Rickman Literature, poetry, authors. X 19 V 1 1 3 508-528-2295 Computer Conf. Edward Zdrok 508-588-8548 MAWBridgewtr Smorgasbord ][ Mike Nystrom Something for everyone. X 29 VF 14 2 3 508-746-5010 MA Plymouth Adult Hangout Jay Winger 100.000 adit files, local access. M 09 D 130+ 20 508-799-8886 MA Worcester Bit Bucket/AE Dan Steele Adult, graphics, pictures, games. V 09 W 13+ 2 C 508-853-0340 Schunii-Pub Robert Schult? 508-966-4016 MA Bellingham H.A.fl.C.BBS HDrummond Amaleur radio, general interest. W 09 V 60 1 3 509-244-3666 WA FAFB NWOnline Aran Spence APCiMPGS (DOOM). NW Filebone. Q 29 F 45 5 3 509-891-6148 The Moonflower Peter Link 510-226-7731 CA Fremont The RaLin BBS Rand Nowell RA BBS - Pascal programming. 1 Q 29 V 2 1 510-252-9131 CA Fremont Jelslream Bill Garrison 300.000 liles online, doors. W 19 DF 22+ 2 S 510-443-6146 CA Livermore eyes_on_sfey Mike Rushford Gif of the sun. B 09 VO 20 1 3 510-724-9296 CA Pinole Greater Lighl Michael Bryant Christian. X 29 VF 28+ 2 510-939-1691 CA Walnut Creek la Nel Sieve Cooper Chat, games, entertainment. T 09 VD 3 8 S3 512-328-2885 TX Austin Shareware Conrt Carlos Lopes Off, dist site for 9 companies, Q 09 VF 11 1 3 512-664-7570 Jacob's House Online fun, I 09 FV 50+ TX Alice Tom Oaks 512-836-4262 The Night Owl II Danny Dyess 512-887-0787 TX CorpusChriSt CDS Wade Fjeld Original adult GIFs, chatlink, M 19 V 55+ 25 S B 512-945-9304 Ranch House Larry Easley 513-473-0399 OH Covington Virtual Eye Jeff Phalin Games, liles. messages, fun. W 29 FV 11+1 Multiple Award Winner SPCBoard Professional BBS Software Sales and Installations •A- FREE 2 node demo * List Sale PCBoard for DOS 2 node $149 $135 PCBoard for DOS 25 node $549 $495 PCBoard for OS/2 2 node $229 $205 PCBoard for OS/2 25 node $849 $765 We have all PCBoard Products Available! ■ World Data Network 1,703.648.0808 voice 1.703.620.8900 BBS telnet: wdn.bbs ffl~:i:S email: pcboard.prices@wdn.com A VERY CLASSY BBS solely for the FOOT LOVER WE PUBLISH OUR OWN ORIGINAL IMAGES • CHAT ROOMS • ONLINE SHOPPING AREAS • INTERNET • * HIGHEST QUALITY SCANS • EMAIL • USENET • • MULTIPLE LINES + EXPANDING • 18 & OLDER • ho.> EH :(7I7) 427-FEET (3338) intebhet: in thefeetof the night. com j^f Download the Excalibur terminal lor Windows ^^m from our Web page, ht!p://inthefeetofthenight.com JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 61 513-573-9201 OH Mason CyberSpaceExch Mike Rickman Files/games oriented. W 29 V 11+ 5 7 515-628-3101 The Main Street Steve Jansen 515-752-8014 IA Marshalltown Blue Sky Randy Meyer Games, programming. F 19 V 1 1 516-437-1659 DEFCON BBS 516-736-6662 YourSnltware M Christiansen J Woodstock 516-932-6949 NY Betripage Spectra I. M. TimZorn All aspects of DOS, Win. SOS/2. B 29 VF 115+4 S 517-695-9952 Ml Freeland Wolverine Rick Rosinski CDROMs. OS/2. Amiga. MidMich. B 09 VF 190+ 8 S 3 518-483-6004 NY Malone TNCBBS Wiley Kulia Business, games. Internet support. W 29 V 10+ 1 520-768-7515 AZ Mohave Valy Rippers BBS Larry Drum Local info & entertainment ISP. M 09 FV 999+ 46 S F 540-635-3307 VA Front Royal The Wolf's Den David Morris Multi-player gaming, internet. M 29 VF 14+4 S3 540-898-9114 VAF-Burg Diamond Mine 0, Perrussel General — for entire family. X 29 F 26+ 2 3 601-356-9032 MS Columbus MS ONLINE Ken Foster Fido mail HUB. family files. Q 19 FF 8 2 S 601-371-0423 Aller Hours BBS Sandy Riley 602-258-7113 The Wish Book The fl-list 603-788-2213 NK Lancaster Modem-Gamelnk Chuck Russell 4 player doom, games, files, X 29 OD 61+ 14 S 7 604-624-4534 BC PrinceRupert Pyramid BBS Mike Ringer Emerg. services/search & rescue. W 29 V 6+1 606-275-4321 KY Lexington BEYOND t Big B Ken Newborn Utilities & messages. X 19 FV 1 1 609-482-1336 NJ Maple Shade Next Generation John Carcione Trek Trivia online; Atter Dark 609-485-2380 NJ Atlantic Cty Casino Dave Schubert For entire family. B 19 FO 14+ 5 F 609-586-4847 NJ Mercerville Freedom Inlonet Peter Skorupsky World views, health, ham radio. R 9 D 16 609-587-2672 Tao BBS Bob Watson Lome Sfiantz 518-745-7230 The Thing General. W 09 V 1 NY Glens Falls Dave Jaswaye 1 520-459-6514 AZ Sierra Vista Danish Tower Bill Morris Online games UL/DLinfo. W 29 F 900+ 1 3 520-669-9225 AZ Parker RACEBBS Oerik Wooddell Auto, racing, Inet access. W 19 F 14 1 3 602-264-3144 AZ Phoenix The Dove BBS Alan Pugh Christian files and CalvaryNet. W 19 D 3 1 602-878-0013 AZ Peoria SherwoodForest John Myers Message, games, community, W 19 FO 48+ 1 1 602-935-5692 AZ Phoenix Bill's BBS Bill Barnett Games, files & adult sub board. F 29 VF 11+ 1 602-956-1379 AZ Phoenix Zephyr BBS Steve MacLeod OS/2. Eastern Orthodoxy. X 09 D 3 2 606-441-2130 Ghost House 603-421-0884 Gamers Haven Games. B 99 FV 13 rJH Derry Gregg Bragdon Michael Maley 607-785-5688 NY Endwell The Time Mach Brian Wegener Scouting support, political. X 09 UH 1 1 608-822-2000 Wf Fennimore Games Plus BBS Orville Games and chat. B 29 V 11+ 32 608-849-4259 WlWaunakee The T.R.S. BBS Tim Shriver Family tun, files, echos. USENET. X 29 VF 14+ 4 3 609-235-5297 NJ ML Laurel Livewire BBS Richard Paquette Support board for BBS Magazine. 609-467-5540 NJ Swedesboro Alex's World Alex Mastrando Online games, adult forums/file. G 19 F 90+ 3 7 609-625-4475 NJ Vineland Full Motion Bob Korch Christian, CalvaryNet. B 19 D 4 2 609-764-0812 NJ Delran Radio Wave Tyler Myers Messages, Internet, files. B 19 V 100 4 F 610-284-6265 PA Drexel Hell Front St. Run ArtVerno Games, doors, amateur radio. B 19 D 14 1 1 610-391-1880 PAAiientown Night Vision Adam Tape Many files, messages, doors. W 09 FV 40+ 1 610-566-9435 PA Media CrafTech BBS Antonio Rocha Business, progrmming, chat. game. X 19 VF 14 12 S 3 610-954-7653 PA Bethlehem Town Square Oave ross Multiplayer games; great files. M 29 V 50 8 S3 612-454-0332 MN St. Paul InlelligenceOn MattJurcich Chal. databases, info exchange. M 09 VF 18+ 3 3 612-488-5112 P.C. MegaMall M Wielenberg 609-768-6585 BBS BBS 609-778-4442 Computer Gam Bob Browne Gregory Moore 609-783-5864 NJ LlnrJenwold Class Bulletin Albert Rama User friendly, games, plus. X 19 B 2 1 609-863-1330 NJ Clayton Sunhavnn BBS Bill Sibiskl Files, doors, games. Lord 3.5. X 19 D 5 1 609-931-8355 NJ Bollmawr Pure Energy Mark Dignan A BBS full of games and stuff. B 29 B 1 1 612-633-1366 MN St. Paul City Lights Gary Elfert Internet, genealogy, general. W 19 D 71 16 F 613-835-2760 ON Ottawa Meridian Syst, Bill Jackson DOS /Windows applications. 29 V 12+ 4 3 614-387-2762 The Vault BBS Keith Ketcham 614-522-5573 OH Newark Central City Steve Forgey Family oriented, user defined. R 09 FV 6 2 1 614-633-0868 OH Martins Frry Micro Attic Larry Tabor Games, CD-ROMs, GIFs, NelMail. R 19 V 9+ 1 The Ultimate _ - HssDurct tor ^ BW^& i Supercharging "^ Your BBS EXPANDING YouRnnn •f^, ,!* HHS UUCf tlltrttl t IM ,c , j | . _!. Available at Bookstores Everywhere For more information email compbks@jwiiey.com Also available The BBS Construction Kit j»i twi •>«» ilSBN# 0-471-00797-8) uuui-iirfeMMfliMMn qavio Wolfe MfftfWUIb |IS-0.*c t i IttrlSIMiiV'Ut'f'nrAtn 127.95 w/disk §}) WILEY ISBN* 0-47 1- 1 1566-5 S34.95 w/CD-RON UNCLE HANK'S SHAREWARE REVIEW NEWSLETTER Published bi-monthly, this newsletter takes a good look at some of the best Shareware available today. Each issue contains reviews from a wide variety of areas. Always in plain English. For a sample issue, send $2 to: Uncle Hank's Shareware, 8 Hendrick St., Easthampton, MA 01027 Send $10 with this ad, you can subscribe for 1 yr. (6 issues) & save $2. Make checks payable to Hank Hurteau Major BBS v6.25 - $129.95 Special Price for Limited Time Only! Call for the full line of Galachcomm Products Valuable Applications for The Major BBS! (iiohid Monitor - Spill screen monitor users by key, class cs userfd &. still use bhs. Chat-Now - Split screen one on one chat & still use the bte! Sysop forced chat too! Lost Caverns- Open Ended Mud - your users build the game as they play it! Pick Up Ariisl ■ lets see if you're as hot as you think you arc! CarefU not w gc\ dumped. Bartender - Make drinks for computer controlled customers & manage your m\n nur File Viewer ■ Let users scroll up down and keyword search any length textile cm your bbs Accounting Automation - Accept MM, Credit Cards and other forms of payment, A rum vinous Teleconference ■ Nobody knows who said what in litis leleconferiicc. Colorific - I ei your users color coordinate messages, registries, pages, whispers and more. Credit Exchange ■ Allow users to swap days tor credits or credits Tor days, totally flexible filial Password Security ■ Give users a. second password for certain ureas of your hbs Executive Informer - Send News. HUk Email by key, class, sex, age & more. Global Teleconference - talk in 36 ;tianncls ai the same ttme from anywhere. Graffiti Wall - Our colorful Grafiiti Wall is globally accessible for extra usage. Modem-To- Modem - Play modem to modem games or transfer files directly to users Not Keys - Negate the effects of keys in personal or das* k'\riri;s - U' vc lrt U5tf5 ordasses Major I'ager - Let users make their beeper go off when receiving email, pages and more! I 'lira Global* • The most useful packayeof "gtobals available, many unique features. World Wide War - formerly World Conquest. Mraicey game of world domination. Aulopost - Leave a message for the next user, can hold configurable software, small business. Robin J14-683-3788 NY Valhalla 954-452-5226 FL Davie W 99 VF 14+ 3 Kitty's Cafe! M.Mendez Skywave One Larry Spinner 916-635-4157 CA Sacramento Looking Glass Ken Wiren Online advertising/business. Message oriented, ham radio. VacationTravef Ron Ablang Fifes 909-785-4586 CA Norco W 29 F 14+ 150 S B V 19 D 2 1 Adult games/text/pictures. W 29 F 45+ 1 In His Service Lucky Hughes Q 09 FO 9 1 Christian files, CalvaryNet. 913-784-7171 954-792-3887 FL Ft Lauderdale F 19 D 4 2 The Publishing Mike Robinson 11 4-793-5060 NYBronxville 916-688-8996 CA Sacramento Pholo Image M R Dolliver ipplewize Mike Baumann Falcon & Eagle Chris Darrow Photo, original, amateur/pro, 909-797-3135 914-426-0729 Intertaintnent. Mid Evil. S 19 VF 11 3 CyberCulture Todd Novak Mirage Network Brian Bulfell HI 99 F 35+8 S F 1 09 VF 5 1 ™ Oriental Express BBS ft QIFs of Chinese and Japanese Models ft ft Playful Chat Hostesses ft ft Stunning RIP Qraphics ft ft Interactive Adult Qames ft ft No Membership Fees ft 01 1 852 1 729 8990 Over 1 8s only. International Telephone charges apply. The Finest Images-Domestic & Foreign. 1,000's of GIF's, iPEG's, Multi-Media, Shareware & More! ADULT Classifieds from around the Globe! Live On-Line International Chat. 100% FREE DOWNLOADS! NO Subscription / NO Credit Card. Daily Updates. Easy Immediate Access. Connect by Modem: 011-639-888-77-8334 Adults Only. Inl'l long distance rotes apply. Proof of age required. We do not condone or supply Inl'l lortirore material. JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 67 It's time to start the voting. The keeper dI this list of TELNET- TABLE BOARDS, Richard Mark, has put together a page or so on the Web where you can VOTE tor your favorite Internet-accessible BBS. This is the first go-round for such an event and BBS Magazine, as a sponsor of the fun, will shine the equivalent of 15 minutes of the limelight (read: a lit- tle ink) this spring on a handful of those garnering the most votes. And PRIZES? Ob, do we have prizes! (Well, not really.) Remember, this is a friendly contest so please, please — as that gap-toothed, late-night sardonic says — no wagering. (OK, maybe some prizes lor a few ran- domly picked voters.) Now, head over to the SB! HOME PAGE ASAP and check out the full details. Then, get out the vote! The following collection of Telnet- accessible BBSs is a unique version of the SBI List maintained by Richard Mark, sysop of Dragon Keep BBS {904.375.350uYTelnet: dkeep.com. or 1 98.79.54.10). Versions of the list can be lound at the sites noted in the box below. Bulletin boards new since the last revision are given full descriptions. Color ■ Nm since last revision (l)nduslry BBS industrv-dm.com 204.157.46.2 A Clockwork Online clockwork com 199.234.182 56 A World Locally btelocally.com 205.147.78.131 Absolute Connection a-c.in.net 199.0.62.164 Access Nevada spillway nccessnv.com 199.2 253.3 ACE InfoSyslems aceinto.com 199 190.76.2 Detted Boards WWW: http;//dkeep com/sbi.htm Includes a "Gutded Tour ot Internet." BBSs !rom around Ihe world, FTP: dkunix.dkeep.com (in /pub/sbi) login :anonymous gcommcom (in /internet) login: anonymous ftp.rahul.net (in pub/wco) login, ftp Finger: sbi@dkeep.com (Information about the SBI List) sbiq@dkeep.com ("Quick" Guide to Select BBS's on Internet) sbHnforadkeep.com (Revision Information (or current list) sbi-sysop®dkeepcom (How to Become a Part of the SBI list) BBS: Dragon Keep — dkeep.com / 904.375.3500 (signup, then type /GO SBI) AdeptXBBS adeptsoft gate net . . . ... 199.227.57.1 Advanced Data Services BBS bbsjdsinc.com 199 190.70 3 AECMET™ aecnet.com 204.89 131 .100 Alter Hourz BBS alibqs.com 204 134.204.10 Alterimage Information Matrix aim.nDvasys.com 204. 178.181. 2 Aladdins Palace aladdin.bc.ca 204.174.112.253 Albuquerque ROS 3bq-ros.com 204. 6B. 29.244 Alien's Spaceship BBS aliens.com 199.19082 2 Alien's World Wide Chat chat aliens com 199.190.82.10 Almac BBS almac.co.uk 193.114.248.81 Atlas BBS gilroy.com 204.189.37 1 Austin Clubhouse BBS club.fc.net 198.6.198.98 Badlands Badlands.com 204.137.129 .31 Barney's Rubble rubble.fidouk.org 194 70 3610 Barter America BBS barter-usa.com 192.20747.72 BBS One Online Service bbs.prgone.com 1 99.18.1 19 1 29 The Behavioral Health Network behavnet.com 199.190.85.2 The Big Easy bigeasy.com 204.251,2.10 The Black Dragon BBS Black-Dragon.com 166.82.197 95 Black Gold BBS bgbbs.com 198.65.131.18 Amateur Radio INTERNET BBS wb3ftv1.sed.csc.com. . 206 42 80 130 America's Suggestion Box asb.com .165.254.128 1 Anarchy Online anarchy-online com 199.1 91.250 Anarchy-X BBS bbsax.com 199 184 188 10 The Annex! annex.com 204.74.67.1 Another World™ awol.com 204 160.88.13 AOPBBS 198.232.144 101 APPLEWIZE ONLINE Chat, multi-user interactive games. Applewize.com 198.232 143.2 Appraisal Profession Online apo.com 199.172.5.2 Aquila BBS aquila.com 204.95.88.5 Arizona InterActive Systems azi.com 199.190.114.2 ASERTEL Servicios On-line hcrmes.asertel.es 194.140.141.5 AstroBBS astrobbs.com 204.215 32 26 The Atlanta Windows BBS bbsatlwin.com 155.229 44.2 Atlantis BBS atlantis-bbs.com 199.4.124 69 Blaslertronics BBS Blast Neta Cam . . . . 204.177.236.30 Blitzkrieg Inlormation BBS blilzinfo.com 199 190 90 2 Boardwatch Magazine BBS boardwatch.com 204,144.169.1 Boston Dungeon Society bdsbbs.com 199.242.194.90 Brainstorm BBS bstorm.bgs.com 198.84.216.1 Bryant Software bryant.com 19945 158.193 Canned Ham Bulletin Board anarky.tch.org . . 199.173,177,250 Caribbean Online Network for Info 204.183.157.10 CAROLINA CHAT Eighteen & over chat, multi-player games carolina-chat.com 205.148.236.2 CAROLINA ONLINE Total online service, full Internet access, nconline.com 204.215,211.211 CATANIA ON LINE Internet, interactive games, shareware. clonline.it 151.99.143.3 CCS World ccsnet.com 199.172.47.2 CedarNe! Online bbs.cedarnet.com 205 148.200.3 Cetys 8BS cetysbbs.mxi.cetys.mx ... 158.122 1.9 CHANNEL 1® bbs.cbannel1.com 204.96,33.5 CHATMASTER BBS All-ages system with full Net access. cmaster.com 199.190.80.2 Christie's Internet Matchmaker bcunced.email.net 199.33.241.97 Cinci-Nel cinci.net 199.6.384 Cincinnali Mulli-Player Conneclio cinmpc.com 205.133.194.10 The City Lights tclbbs.com 199.199.122.4 Cleveland's Worldnet worldnetohcom ... 204 248.180.53 Close Encounters Adult Close.packet.net 199.1.77,17 Closer To Home BBS Systems cioser2.brisnet.org.au , . 203.4.149.98 Cloud City cloud.com 199,190,94,2 Club BBS club.gdl.itesa.mx 148.201,1,18 Colossus Box colossus.com 198.3.118,19 Columbus Online cnls.cam 205.133.92 2 Comm 2 199.92,200.58 COMM Port OS/2 juge.com 199.100.191.2 Comp-U-Find Online 199.79,146.33 CumPart BBS compart.fi 193,64.198,201 Compu-Plane 198.68.17.57 The Computer Factory tcf.com 204.212.163.100 The Computerized AIDS Ministries hwbbs.gbgm-umc.org 198.139.157.121 ComputerLink Online, Inc. mbbs.compulink.com . . . 199.166.254.2 CONNECT 2000 BBS connect2000.com .... 204.177.193.251 The Connection BBS connection.com 204.138.111.2 Connections connections. ultranet.c 199 232.102.151 Connections! BBS of Southern Hosp msmatch.com 205.218.114,10 ConXlion ConXtion.Com 199.190.84.2 Country Online oniine.music-city.com .... 199.190.71.2 Courier Online col.evansville.net 204 120 30.100 COWZ - The Cattle Crossing on the Net cow.net 204.96.52,4 CRIS (Concentric Research Corp) cris.com ... .. . 199,3.12.13 The Crystal Ball BBS theball.filfiShop.com. . . 199.79.146.181 The Crystal Barrier bbs.tcbi.com 156.46.162.20 Crystal Quill cq.cqi.com 199.125.162.3 CSI Online csionline.com 205.148.205.2 Cutting Edge Technologies BBS cetbbs.cet.com .... 198.17.249.250 The Cutting Edge! tce.net ...204.193.159.10 Cyber Warrior Network ojtland.cyberwar.ccm 204.97,1.4 Cyber/Chat! cybercom.com 199.171.196.2 The CyberDen cyberden.com 204.182.11.180 Cyberia cyberia.com 205.160.224 1 CyberKorea 165.113.175.2 Cyberlink lin.cbl.com.au 203.7.198.205 Cyberspace BBS cyberspace.grnet.com , . . 204.96.30,25 68 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Cyberspace7 BBS cyberspace7.ptd.net 204.186,5.1 CyberSlalion Flnet.com 204.176.215.10 Cyberverse cyberverse.com 134.24,3.50 Dallas/Fort Worth MatchMaker dallas.email.net 204.181,110.2 Datacotn datacom.net 204.120,33,199 DATA HIGHWAY Sister bd to NETexOL. muliiptaye r games. dth.com 199.227.90.1 DataSate Publications BBS dsafe.com 199.190.74.3 The Davasoft BBS dava.com 204.176.6.5 Delaware Online! dol.net 204.183.91.2 Delaware Valley On Line dvol.com 206.20.144.10 dcltaComm Online rJelta.com 204.32.41.2 Denlal-X-Change cdont.com 199 190.92.2 Denver Exchange dtis.tde.com 199.45.158.210 Desert Jewel dj.kern.com 204.212.36.4 Digital Concepts BBS dconcepts.com 165.247,101 21 Digital Rain dlgltakaJfl.com 205.206,107.1 Digitec Online bbs.digitec.co.za 196.11.62.106 Disk Jockey Online djo.com 204.119.8.55 Doctor's Office BBS / Fa ken Supp docs.dgsys.com 204.97.64.6 THE DOLL HOUSE BBS A premier adult-oriented BBS. bbs.dhsys.net 206,66.104.2 The Downtown BBS dwntwn.com 205148,204. 2 Dragon Keep International dkeep.com 198.79.54.10 Dream Link Online Information Service auburn.maine.com 204.176,0.54 Dreamscape BBS future.dreamscape.com . . 199.64.128.3 Dreamscape Enlertainmenl Service dscape.cyberstore.com . . 204.244.18.12 DSC BBS / Voicenel (Datamax/Sata.) dsc.voicenet.com 192.204.28.9 DSP Information & Entertainment dsp.com 199.4.121.1 Eager Beaver Computers MBBS beaver.com 204,188.52.20 Eden BBS edenbbs.com 199.190.73.2 Edex rainbow.galviz.co.uk .... 193.117.217.1 Edward Lowe Foundation BBS bbs.lowe.org 192.195.202.2 Electronic Lucidity elbbsid.net 152.160.9.50 The Electronic Universe BBS e-un iverse.com 199.67,39.129 EJysian Fields castle.elysian.net 204.181.47.5 EMPIRE BBS Online games, conferences and chat. empire.bbs.net.au 203.20.80.1 Empty Spaces BBS bbs.empty.com 193 30 235.51 The Endless Forest forest novia.net 204.248.24.1 Endless Mountain CyberSPACE emcyber.com 198.70,189.74 The English Palace palace.com 199.171.54.2 Entertainment and Consumers Network ecn.ecn.com 198.211.192.146 Escape Escape.com 198.6.71.10 eSoft Support and Demo BBS esoft.com 199.45.143.2 ESSLink BBS bbs.esslink.com 204.252.96.101 Petted Boards EuroGate eurogate.nt.nl 193.67.253.33 Europe /Eurolinkl 193.92.253.70 EveryBaudy's BBS busstop.com 192.80.84.229 Exchange BBS exchange.org 204.89,1 81 .2 Exec Talk BBS bbs.mpcs.com 198.69.107.208 ExecPC bbs.execpc.com 204.29.202,4 Executive Network Information Sys. gateway.execnet.com.. 198.232 143,136 EXiT 13 vegas.roc.servtech.com . 204.181.3,147 Exoticomm BBS bbs.exoticomm.com 204.181.179.2 Eye Contact BBS bbs.eyecon.com 204.94.37.2 The Eyes ol Time BBS eyesoftime.com 198.6.201.206 EZLink Internet Access ezlink.com 199.45.150.1 EZNel eznetny.com 193.4.60.100 Fairtield Community Connection fcc.com 199.190.101.2 Farm Information Services fis.awp.com 163.123.3,82 Fasti BBS bbs.fast.co.za 196.23.34.2 The Fetish Network BBS fetishAvisenet.com 198.69.101.20 The File Bank BBS bbs.tfb.com 204.212.132.12 File Gallery Online Service fgallery.com 204.183.116.2 Final Frontier BBS ffbbs.seanet.com 199.181.166.212 The Fire House Inn fhouse.org 198.102.68.59 The FIX BBS the-fix.sos.on.ca 199.212.143.2 FLAG NET AMIGA BBS Public BBS; friendly locals, discussions, garlic.esc.k12.in.us 165.138.151.8 Flint Mills Internet BBS bbs.tlinthills.com 199.240.127.10 FIDaTIng PAncReAs sfpg.gcomm.com 199.227.15.30 The Flower Link BBS flowerlink.com 199.234.116.2 FOUR.net FOUR.net 198.70.45.3 France Online france.com 199.4.122.2 Full Access BBS fab.bossnt.com 198.150.37.210 G.L.Q.B.I.E. net1.intserv.com 199.67.39.34 G.0.0. acadh2.isisnet.com 199.45.83.11 Galacticomm DEMO System gcomm.com 206.30.202.14 GALACTICOMM UNIX DEMO SYSTEM Support/demo for UNIX Worldgroup. unix.gcDmm.com 206.30.202.26 The Game Master gm.gamemaster.qc.ca .... 199.84.216.2 Game Power Headquarters Online gamepower.com 204.183.165.2 GaRBaGe DuMPBBS dump.com 199,190.74.2 Gateway Online bbs.gatecom.com 198.87.17.102 GenStar On-Llne 206.26.67.1 The Global Blind Exchange (GBX) gbx.org 165.90.138.192 Global InfDNet california.com 140,174.210.4 GRAFIX gralix.com 166.82 150.31 Grand Rapids Online gronline.alliancenet 198.110.232.3 The Granola Board BBS 204.188.1.17 The Graphics Alternative tgax.com 192.215.97.35 Great Gig in the Sky greatgig.com 199.201.191.102 Green and Yellow greenandyellow.btm.com 199.199.195.1 GREX™ cyberspace.org 152.160. 30.1 GRINNING EVIL DEATH Type "bbs" to enter. Many door games. darkside.async.vt.edu . 128.173.146.222 GRfJ BBS Free BBS in Catalan language. BBS.GRN.ES 194,179.47.2 THE GROTTO Of DREAMS Multiplayer games — Doom. Doomll. thegrotto.com 206.24,42.130 Ground Zero BBS gzero.com 204.251.133.2 HACOM BBS bbs.hacom.nl 193.67.233.1 HAFAADAI EXCHANGE Wildcat 5 Beta site, Mudgames. hafaadai.ts2.ameritel.net . 204.183.100.132 Hal 9000 bal9k.com 152.160.13.1 HeartBeatBBS lieartbeat.org 199.190.113.2 Helix : Houston's Electronically helix.xiii.com 198.65.131.145 Hellas On-Line hellas.hol.1orthnet.gr .... 193,92.136.35 Hi-Teck's Place htp.com 199.171.4.3 High Society hs.wisenet.com 198.69.101.2 Hispanet bbs.hnet.es 194.140.132.20 The Hole in the Wall holmvall.sos.net 199.165.149.4 The Hot Spot BBS bbshspot.com 204.249.107.120 Hotel California kincyb.com 165.90 141.2 IACC ONLINE BBS iacc.housing.umich.edu . 141 ,21 1 .151.30 Idaho Interactive BBS idibbs.com 199.190.75.2 In Jersey Entertainment 204.193.138.250 The INDEX System™ index.com 204.1 17.209.1 INFIMA BBS bbs.infirna.cz 194,108.205,150 lnliNet=01 shakti.txinfinet.com 204.96.111.93 Inlinile Data Source On-Line Service bbs.idsonline.com .... 204.157.204.157 Inlinile Lonp BBS 155.64.60.31 Infinite Space Online ispace.com 204.227.13,1 InloNel (Information Superhighway 199.3.25.4 InloNel Bulletin Board System infousa.com 199.1.77.11 Info Port intoport.com 204.131.1.21 Inlurmation Highway On-Ramp on-ramp.com 199.190.96.2 Instant Access instbbs.camba.com 204.180.234 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Instant Global Access ploski.com 155.212.31.34 INTERACT diversion.com 204.189.48.1 Interact! BBS bbs.ohana.com 204.182.45.3 Intercom Online lnlerCom.com 165.254.1.205 INTERCOM Spain intercom.es 194.179.21.3 Interludes BBS 204.91.106.4 Interludes Online bbs.hwsys.com 204.74.71 .1 International MBBS Sysops Association imbbsa.org 204.74.67.100 In the FEET of lite NIGHT inthefeetofthenight.com- . 204.183.201.4 InlheNel OLS and Virtual Marketplace inthenet.com 205.228,202.10 IONX ionx.com 199.148.174.20 I Play On-Line iplay.interplay.com 199.182.210.2 Iris BBS iris.mother.com 198.93.80.120 Isle-Net islenet.com 206.205.84,2 Jaguar BBS jaguar.pue.udlapmx 140.148.4.100 Janls II -Tokyo asianet.net 202.32.39.111 The Jungle BBS jungle.net 199.171.27.184 Juris.com BBS juris.com 165.90.133.2 KBBS Los Angeles kbbs.kbbsnet.com 204.96.25.7 Kingston Online Services bbs.kosone.com 199.246.2.200 The Knoxville News-Senllnel Newsnet newsnet.knoxnews.cDm . . . 204.71.5 10 The Kobayashi Alternative BBS tka.com 204.117.63.1 Kompleal Internet Services, LLC bbs.kis.net 206.26.158.10 LaserBase Communications laserbase.com 205.251.32.62 LeClubBBS lia.irilolinh.co.za 196.14.80.33 LegacyNel lgn.com 199.190.102.2 LEGENDS ONLINE Gaming-oriented board with MajorMUD. legendsoni.com 204.186.4.1 Liberty BBS liberty.com 199.89.140.111 Liberty Network Hub libhub.liberty.com 199 89 140.1 16 LIFESTYLE ONLINE lifestyie.com 166.82.150,22 Liquid Sky BBS liquidsky.com 165.212.242.2 Livewire 198.53.239.3 Logic Circuit Logicom.com 199.190.88.2 LOIS: the Link Online in Santa Ma iois.org 199.74.141.105 Love Byles byenet.com 204.96,26.2 THE MACHINE BBS Games (DOOM, Heretic); 40,000 files. themachine.com 205.197.63.2 Magic Bus magiebus.com 204.193.157.249 Magnus Online online.magnus1.com 204.97.15.6 The Male Box BBS 166.93.11.77 The Male Forum mforum.com 166.82.150.41 Maloca BBS Toronto bbs.maloca.com 198.53.160.20 Maloka BBS Warsaw bbs.maloka.waw.pl 193.59.67.10 continues... 69 Malum Information Network malum.sas.ab.ca 19873 176242 Masterpiece masterpiece.com 204.30.116.11 MATRIX DE PUERTO RICO The most advanced online service in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. MATRIX-PR.COM 204 183.157.6 Meeting House BBS tmli.bbsnet.com 199.1.41.22 MEMEB3S 75.000+ tiles; Fidonel, Usenet; 60 games. meme.bellingham.wa.ns 198.182.206.66 Metro Online BBS nycmetro.com 204.96.9.2 Melro Slave Online BBS metroslave.com 199.245.230.58 Melropoli/SlarPort BBS unix.mpoli.fi 193.210.15.65 Metropolis ClubMet methub.metrobbs.com , 198.69.223.40 MHVnel mhv.net 199.0.0.10 Micro Village BBS mvbbs.siae.com. sg 202.42.230.10 Mike's BBS bbs.par.no 192.150.211.10 Miller's Party Board mpb.com 199.190.89.2 MindUox pbantom.com 198.67.3.2 mixBBS mixbbs.commdesign.com . 204,164.84.22 Mnematics Videotex vtx.mne.com Modem Madness madbbs.com 199.190.126.22 The Modem Nation bbs.modemnation.com . . . 199,67.37.66 Monolith BBS Cal16A033.student.uwen . 130.89.228.12 Maonflower moon.ifia.com 198.17.249,11 Retted Boards The Motherboard motherbDard.com 204.74.100.3 MPI Online Services bbs.mpi-nel.com 204.71.44.3 Mr. Natural's BBS bbs.mrnatural.com , 205.1 99.208 248 Multi-Comm Las Vegas mcomm.mciv.net 204.95.95,253 Multicom-4 BBS Network multicom.org 199.190.113.3 Multiverse telnet.multiverse.com. . . . 199.218.112.3 Music & More!!! BBS mambbs.dnaco.com 199.3.29.10 NAK nak.com 199.190.119.2 NandoNel camelot.nando.net 152.52.2.82 Nasty Playmates np1.com 204.182.116.1 Needful Things BBS needfulthings.com 199.221.95.12 Net-link Online net-link.com 204.254.156.2 NETIS bbs.netis.com 198.186.186 .16 NETROPOLIS ENTERTAINMENT SERVER All users get a free Web page. bbs.netropolis.be 194.137.61.14 The New Domain BBS bbs newdomain.com . . 205.197.2.30 The NEW Graphics BBS graphics.rent.com 204.91.68.2 New Jersey Computer Connection plJto.njcc.com 165.254,1 17 51 MEET BEAUTIFUL ASIAN LADIES! WorldClub BBS •Asian Penpal Ladies •Hot Adult Asian Graphics • Exotic Travel Information •Adult BBS Features • Hot Adult Forums •Internet E-mail & Newsgroups Romance, Friendship, Love. Correspondence. WorldClub features a rotating filebase of hundreds of GIF color photos and bio-data of attractive Asian Indies overseas whir want American penpals, Now files added regularly. Instant access with Visa/Mastercard. All high speed modems. OVER 18 ONLY 301-203-0281 fliteing BBS (403) 655-1096 v.32bls Telnet: nitelog.com 45 Nodes 70.000+ files Huge ADULT section! Come and see! Local call in 130+ cities 1-800-745-2747 tor details New York MatchMaker Pen-Pal Network newyork.email.net 199.173.74.39 The Newtonian BBS newton.com 152.160.99.254 NFE BBS {Napervllle File Exchange ntebbs.nte.com 199.89.235.68 Nitelog BBS 165.227.94.25 Nocleus information Service nis.nucleus.com 199.45.65.130 Nucleus! nucleus.atom.com 204.49.61 5 Nurse Net Nederland bbs.nursing.nl 193.78.222.138 Odyssey Online odyssey.ody.com 204.94.37.100 Qlympia Online uranus.olympia.com 204.77.68.7 On-Line Entertainment connect.on-line.co.uk . . . 193.130.168.1 The One Stop BBS the.one-stop.com .... 205.133.113.131 Onix BBS anix.com . 198.70.176.1 Online Computer Distribution main.oncomdis.om.ca 204.101.15.3 Online Data Systems Dds.ods.net 204,95.172.4 Online Montgomery 204.96,29.2 Online Orlando 00.com 204 215.243.15 The Online Pilstop (Top. Net) bbS.top.net 204.214.28.129 ONIineWEIcome bbs.onwe.co.za 196 7 192.2 OS/2 Shareware BBS bbs.os2bbs.com 204 194.18010 Pacific Connections paccon.com 199.74.141 67 Pacific Horizons pacific.seanet.com . . . 199.181 .167.246 Pacifier Dniine Data Service pods.pacitier.com 199.2.117.106 Paradigm Online 202.33.54.66 Paradise BBS pplnet.com 205,240.194.3 Party Line Entertainment bbs.party.com 166,82196.2 PC Genius 158.1B2.6.137 PCS Online Services bbs.pcsonline.com 204.251.132.2 PENN-COMM BBS mailer.pennet.com 199.234.141.3 Pennsylvania Online! paonline.com 198.69.90.250 Phantasy BBS bbs.phantasy.com 156.46,216 10 PHOENIX ONLINE Wholesome fun for the whole (amily. phxbbs.com 206.42.218.25 Pics On-Line BBS bbspics.com 192.135.189.200 Pink's Place BBS pnx.com 199.190.97.2 Point Blank pointblank.com 204.117.211.3 The Porch BBS bbs.theporch.com 199.150.244.1 The Power Exchange tpe.com 199.190 6510 Powersystems BBS pwsbbs.com 205.148 196 2 The PressRoom pressroom.com 198.69.131.1 at the BBS voted a TOP 20 BBS in USA!! 21 BIGS » F NEW FILES! Ultimate Adult Clubs! INTERNET ACCESS TOLL FREE ACCESS #S 1-800-993-4227 (BBS CODE: CDS) STOP!! &LOOK FOR FREE!! X HOTTEST ADULT CLUBS ONLINE XWorldwide LIVE chat!!- 24 hrs!! X FREE Internet Mail / FTP / TELNET X Nationwide personals -ONLINE X24Hr. Satellite News & Weather X HOTTEST GIFS! All Lifestyles!! X Online Shopping & Games Network! TELNET: 199.3.100.214 "51 2-887-0787 cds-bbs 7B JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Principle of Obscurity BBS obscurity.pd.mcs.net . .204.137.229.20 Prism BBS prism.com 199.190.77.3 Prolink 201.95.170.95 Prostar Pus Information Network prostar.com 204.57.131.1 Prolan Palace proton.com 198.53,206.68 Public Data Network bbs.chatlink.com 205.139.105,2 Rain Forest Systems, Inc (RFSI) 204.96.24.10 RCI (fiipca Communications Inc) foiey.ripco.com 198.4.164.3 The Red Hall rec.ocata.com 204.117.196,8 Revolution! Online Services revolufion.com 199.3.179.1 Rippers BBS orjs.rippers.com 199.190.105.2 River Slyx BBS Riverstyx.com 204,255.103,32 Rock Garden garden.hvs.com 165.247.49.1 30 Rock Pile BBS 'OCkpile.com 199.173.32.200 Rose City Online rosey.com 204.1 19.59.210 Rusty-N-Edie'S BBS rne.com 204.179.147.2 S& H Computer Systems BBS sandh.com 204.181.142.11 Sacramento Exchange BBS iccse.com 204.87.174.10 Salt Air BBS 199.67.41,252 Santa Fe Online stol.com 204.134.59.1 Silicon Matchmaker BBS silicon.email.net 204.152.80.17 SIO Support BBS 199.248.240.2 (letted Boards Sir John's Pub BBS SJPub.com 204.215.137,174 SLONET REGIONAL INFO. ACCESS Access to local information for free, slonet.org 199.74.141.2 Smurph Land BBS smurph.com 199.250.197.34 Software Connection Online sco.soft:onn.co.za 196.7.110.4 Software Creations swcbbs.com 204.68.200.2 Saltworks sottwork.com 204.17.139.101 The Sorcery Board BBS warp1.wescfike.com 204.91.224.3 Southern Star BBS sstar.com 204,27.72,2 TheSpai the-spa.com 204.97.227.2 Space BBS bbs.spacebbs.com 192,216.53.4 Spider Island BBS spiderisland.com 199,35,3.99 SPIN spin.com.mx 200.12.165.19 The Spring Guide spring.com 204.177.161.115 Starshlp II BBS starship.com 192.204.28.48 Starship Sirius sirius.america.com 199. 170.102.6 Strategic Online hbssts.com 156.46.30,2 Studio PC Information Services studiociticom.com 204.251.133.3 Sun. One newsjouufl.edu 128.227.230.225 ZONE No 900 charges! No Credit Card Needed' 011-852-1729-0911 Must be 1 8+ to access. Modem setting 8 N 1 only long distance charges apply StiPaCom supacom.brisnel.org.au . 2C34.149.193 Superlink bbs.superlink.net 204.97.220.18 SuperStation BBS diasdiro.com 204,94.164,130 Surfboard! surfbbs.com 205,148.218.2 SVIS svis.org 198.77.8.11 Synergy Entertainment Network sen.com 199.190.79.2 Synergy Online Communications bbs.soc.com 204.1 17.97.2 SYSOP HEWS BBS Support system for SYSOP NEWS. sysop.com 199.67.33.53 TDS Online International dstar.com 205.139.177.3 TechlandsBBS bbs.techlands.com 199.67.37.132 TnT Online TnToniine.com 204.145.237.2 Toledo's TBBS toltbbs.com 204.120.66.2 Top Secret BBS topsecrEt.com 204.180.236.101 Topgun BBS topgun.cvinet.com 204.97.71 .2 TPL tpl.com 199.3.240.65 Trader's Connection (TCON) trader.com 204.120,67.2 Tranquility Base 199.3.234.248 TRIBnet 199,2.128.3 Trilogy On-Line Service™ trilogy.net 199.67.35.40 Twinturno Demo System twinturbo.ais.net 199.0.154.200 The UPS Depot depot.nelnet.net 198.70.69.9 Vail OnLine vailonline.vailiet.org 199.45.148.25 VIA'Net 165.247,47.7 Villa BBS rvikJs 193 4.107.2 The Virtual Gateway vgateway.com 199.227.60.2 Voyager Infotainment voyager.com 204.188.129.2 THE WAREHOUSE Planet System downlink site. bbs.twh.com 205.219.13B.111 The WELL vvell.sl.ca.us 198.93.4.10 West Coast Online BBS bbs.wco.com 199.4.94 8 Wireworks Christian & Community Net wireworks.com 199,1.85.65 The Wizard's Realm BBS wizrealm.com 204.134.71.2 Women's Wire vmire.net 204.160.94.132 World Data Nelwork BBS wdn.com 198.232.144.1 WorldCHATBBS bbs.wchat.on.ca 204.138.239 84 WorldWorks Symposium worldworks.com 204.1 19.163.23 WYLD QH-LINE Free toTelnefters (temporarily). wyid.com 204.77.163.15 Zagreb zagreb.gcomm.com . . . 199.227.16,131 Zeitgeist Bulletin Board bbs.zgnews.com 204.181.120,31 WW- Uncensored Adult File Libraries! Hot live Chat! PLOW PEXT uEflERHTian PCBoard. Home of Trek Trivia Online. Lots of Files, Message Networks, FidoNet 1:266/19 After Dark Adult Network. Visa/MasterCard accepted online. 609.482.1336 — - — ■ ■ — _ ma i- ■PB^l »L ■!'•*£ <• #rnV Wklsl-.-l-'Ms— > cjl m m m ^ "The Ultimate File Server"™ ^vi ^ 'L nlinz 24 i^Tii jot. 'Ifvut CnUitatrvntni 100% Private \ ; Instant Access Jt C 35+ CD-ROMS Online ^r ^ Huge Erotic File Libraries V A m 100,000+ Modem Melting GIF's m^^* Fa sv to Use and Lots of Sexy Fun Great for First-Time BUS Users! FH© 1-iTiEB] J^fcL a ■ w w w W «« ww JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 71 The classified ads are for Pre-Owned items & Software, and for BBS ads only. Ads for new equipment must be inserted in the regular dis- play advertising sections. No logos, or photos, or any other illustrations can be used in the classified ad section. INSTRUCTIONS are provided to keep the ad rate low and to ensure accuracy. Use the form on the next page to type or print your ad. Ads received that are difficult to read will be returned. Write the desired category at the top of each ad. If a category is nol specified, the ad will be placed in the Misc. section. If more than one ad is sub- mitted, use a separate piece of paper lor each ad. Ensure that your complete name and address is at the bottom of each ad sheet. CLASSIFIED RATES S25 per issue or S25D per year. Ads can contain up to 300 characters. The name of the BBS is set in boldface capi- tals, All other type is plain only. fill out the form on the next page and FAX your ad to 609-953-7961 or MAIL it to BBS AD, Callers Digest, Inc., 701 Stokes Rd., Medford, MJ 08055 with check, money order, or credit card information. Classified ads are purchased 60-90 days in advance. BBS Magazine is not responsible for incorrect telephone numbers/addresses, nor is it responsible for any claims made by classi- fied advertisers. BBS ADS 20D1 COMMUNICATIONS, 717.293.8224. Running MBBS software with 18 lines. Lancaster. PA's largest online service, featuring, teleconference, chat, games, majomet news- groups. .20 cents and hour. All ages welcome. ACE STATION BBS, 818.891.0397. Using MajorBBS 6.25 w/1 6 lines expanding to over 64 lines on MS DOS. 15000 MB storage. 500 CD- Rom's online. All nodes 28.800 bps. Internet, Usenet, Matchmaker, Interactive Online games. ASP approved BBS. Largest library in the Nation. That's right 350,000mb of files. ADULT PCSS/VIVC0MM BBS, 305.680.9755, Catch the new wave in adult bbsing that offers thousands of amateurs to professionals and everything in between. This new South Florida Excalibur bbs has multi-tasking, online previews, chat, free demos/client software, and the lowest priced adult cd-roms for sale. ADULT EXXXTACY BBS 209.962.4045, Pine Mt. Lake, CA since 1 986. Large Hi-rez adult file collec- tion and 1 CD Rom's online. New Member Bonus - Adult Burlesque Video Tape of our California Coeds with each S25/yr membership. Visa and MC accepted online. Sysop: Victoria Cummings. ADULT HANGOUT BBS, 508.746.6010. an adult only bbs with over 65.000 xxx adult files online. Adult online games, adult classified ads. adult services directory, huge matchmaking database, live teleconference. National mail, adult CD-store and much more. Over 40 high speed lines with local access numbers. ALICE'S RESTAURANT ADULT BBS, 516.868.5863, 12 lines all 28.8 baud, 6 CD's online, large adult and shareware libraries, forums, e-mail, real-time adult chat, GIFs, games, the best people on the best board in town. Please, Adults only! Strictly enforced, rea- sonable rates. AMATEUR EROTICA BBS OF CHICAGO, 312.506.8942 or 312.849.0077, Internet http://www.mcs.net/~caebbs. Thousands of adult erotic amateur images/audio files, preview images before downloading. Download free samples on your first call. Immediate access is available. Accessible via the internet or direct. AMERICAN ATHEISTS ONLINE 512.302.0223. Resources and inlormation for Atheists. Files on Atheist thought and history, religion, state/church separation, the religious right. Home of the echo Theist_Watch. Sponsored by American Atheists. PO Box 2117, Austin TX 78768. BEACON STUDIOS BBS, 201.863.5253, Union City, NJ with 23 lines ©14.4K. 14 CDRom's of files. 2 International Chat hook ups nightly. Games, E-Mail the world through the Internet. Fidonet, Majornet, Worldlink and Chatlink. Tai- lored memberships available. Tech support 201.863.5603 CALIFORNIA INTERNET 510.596.9977 Telnet cal- if ornia.com. We have over 7.000 game files, over 12,000 shareware files. California Wine Online, shopping, public access real estate, cruise only travel agency, custom forums, parapsychology online, live chat, multiplayer games including DOOM. Rip graphics plus more. CALIFORNIA LIP SERVICE, 909.987.8483. Join Sexy Sabrina & Tempting Tonya as they explore California Lifestyle and Surf the Net. GUI, Chat, Inet email/usenet, cd's zines, personals ail with CA flavor. Free one month trial, TCP-IP with FC client to lips.com port 3000 (Visa/MC @ $9/mo). CASINO BBS, 01 1 .972.56.56.32.26, For the first time a virtual reality casino is accessible by PC modem and allow you to play and win just by connecting yourself to an international online service without having to pay a subscription. Real cash winners. CHANNEL 1 ONLINE, 617-354-3230 — Using PCBoard. "The Best Files in the USA", 90 lines, v.32bis support. 96 IBM file libraries; Amiga: Macintosh; Unix; Adult. Massive Windows, .GIF's, sound files collections. Online games and shopping. Echo Nets. InterNet. Over 4.000.000 calls and growing. Come Join us! CLUB 21 BBS, 415.386.2185, San Francisco's #1 adult bbs, featuring over ten thousand of the best XXX gils found anywhere. Thousand of the hottest adult text files online. The latest share- ware always available. Private hot chat online 24 hours. Fantasy makers available for private phone conversation. COMPUT-EROTICA, 31 2.879.9200 — 57600bps with 32 lines. We are Chicago's largest adult BBS. and have served ihe aduft online community with nearly 1 million logins. We are an expanding community of open minded adults. All lifestyles welcomed. S0.20/hr Visa/MC/Disc. DIGITAL WORLD, 302.234.6760, Come out and join Delaware's largest online service. Features include: huge PC and MAC file libraries, our own Windows software, four player Doom/Doomll. Internet, Worldlink, MajorNet, enhanced tele- conference, and a huge selection of online games. Voice: 302.234.6777 DYNEST HOW-TO VIDEOS BBS, 808.236.1815 — Your source to the best educational, instruc- tional and informative videos from around the world. Over 3.500 hard to find titles. You and everyone you know can benefit from special inter- est videos. The possibilities are endless. Check out the selection of topics THE FRIENDSHIP EXPRESS BBS 612.566.5726, since 12/88. 54 lines best kept secret in Ameri- ca. Internet newsgroups, email, telnet address 204.96.28.2. Members in all 50 States and Cana- da. For swingers, gays, lesbians, bi, straight, leather. Xdressing, B&D, S&M, etc.. free swing mag. A top 100 BBS. FUNZONE BBS, 011.852.172.97.998, Come experience Ihe newest and most complete adult bbs, with the hottest, most erotic GIF's, sizzling live chat and games galore, and it all Free. Drop into Funzone for an experience you won't forget, (over 18's, long distance rates apply. No credit cards required) GARLIQUE GRAPHICS, 408.847.0665 — Wild- cat 4.11, instant access. Home of the famous Garlique Ladies. Many thai have been in major adult publications. Adult CDs. weather maps, shareware & internet email are (ree to members. Excellence online. GENESIS BBS, 510.704.1472. The small & home business support system. 5+ gigs share- ware, internet email & newsgroups, many local forums to help you start or run your business, daily news, electronic business yellow pages, special interest videos & cdroms, and much, much more. HORSE RACING BBS, 213.934.6026, LA, CA. offering the contenders racing at the following tracks: SA - HOL - DMR. Thinking a big phone bill? Not to worry.. Race data will download in about 90 seconds or less (14400 bps) HOTEL CALIFORNIA, 310.407.1300. Full Internet! Telnet, IRC. FTP. WWW. Usenet. 50 CD-ROMs— over 40 gigs of files. Adult GIFs, movies, games & utilities. Adult and standard chat w/Worldlink 24 hrs. Multiplayer games online— DOOM, Heretic, MUDs. 64 lines— 14.4 & 28.8! Free guest accounts. Unlimited access. Local to Los Angeles/D.C. Telnet to 165.90.141 .2 JOBBS, 703.503.8440, Job Opportunity Bulletin Board System, computer and construction industry professionals. Display your resume elec- tronically for access by organizations searching for employees and consultants in your specialty. 24 categories. Take the free tour and find out more. KBBS LOS ANGELES 818.886.0872 Telnet 204.96.25.7, 1000s single adults, weekly parlies, shareware. GIFs. Games, and DOOM wads. 24/hr Worldlink chat. Online games, TradeWars 2002, Erotica, Trivia, DOOM game Connection. Internet: Telnet. Rlogin, IRC, FTP, WWW, Gopher, MUDs etc. Free Trial. KITTY'S CAFE! BBS, 912.328.9935 — Warner Robins, GA, 28800bps. Adults only, 24 hours pure adult fun. Monthly door game contest, busi- ness advertising, chat, internet, unlimited time online, instant access using check, credit cards or 900 billing. Women Free, nationwide dating service. KNIGHTS CASTLE SYSTEMS, 905.279.2172. Mississauga. Ont., Canada. Sysop, The Watcher. The finest in online entertainment, huge file and message base areas featuring 1 000's of the best 72 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE freeware, shareware & graphic files available. ChessMagic, L.O.R.D.. Usurper & Tw2002 online for your enjoyment. New users welcome. LINK NETWORK, 310.459.1264 — Samuel Koh (sysop), Free full internet access and SLIP too. Free Windows software. Multi-user LIVE games, State of the art system since 1983, Tel- net: linkcom.com or visit our WWW page: www.linkcom.com, CRIS BBS-Dialout system and MCI PC-Connect system. For info call 800.459.3340 THE LIVEWIRE BBS 609.235.5297 (v.every- thing), support board for BBS Magazine both the print and online version. Home of Livewire Door Collection. Internet. Fidonet. Throbnet, ILink, Usenet. Register Livewire Doors online using your Visa/Mastercard. Support and home for Doorlrame {door writing kit) available for Quick Basic 4,5, BasCom and Visual Basic. MAC LINE, 608-233-1798 FirstClass system at 14,400bps. Mac files, messages, news, chat etc. Playmaker Football league. Mac Guru Conference, MANSION ADULT BBS, 305.594.4526 — Miami. FL., adults only since 1 985. Sixteen chat lines & huge erotic library, plus thousands of high qual- ity shareware and GIF downloads. Online games and very friendly users. We party online and off! Speeds to 28,8 with online help, running TBBS. Voice 305.471.9733 THE NEXT GENERATION BBS 609,482,1336, Home of Trek Trivia, 750+Megs of the latest adult GIFs. Throbnet, Fidonet. Couple CDRoms online, Gigs of files, newsgroups etc. NIGHTVISION 909.369.6556. Monthly amateur GIF contests — free memberships available to entrants! Internet email and news groups, massive library of adult GIFs and text files, live group and private chat, online games, adult net- works, all 1 6 lines at 14.400bps, only S69.00 per year. Visa/MC online. SHQW-IVIE BBS, 314,770,2342, One of the fastest growing BBSs in St. Louis. Special discounts on CDRoms. Free access. Running Wildcat 4.1, Hayes 28,8 modems. 17+ Gigs online. Serving the Adult audience since 1992. Call today. SPECTRA I.IYI. BBS, 516.932.6949. 4 high speed lines with over 40 CDROMs, 3+ gigs of uploads, and online games. Well structured DOS, Windows/95, and OS/2 file areas. Tens of thousands of adult files. Low S5/month fee pro- vides generous daily access and downloads. Immediate online subscription. THE SPIRIT OF PLAY, 201.854.2728. Nothing but play here! Running The Major BBS with 4 lines. Tradewars. Global Destruction and Nova Trek are just a few of the top-notch games played here. How about multi-user Doom, Heretic and Spectre VR! Call now! SUBURBAN SOFTWARE 708,636.6694. Home of "King of the Board", one of the oldest and most supported door programs in United States, Strike 93, Word Nerd, Ansi-View. Deluxe Hi-Lo and many others. Members on RIME, MetroNet, Usenet, Fidonet newsgroups, always new files, support for Doorlrame plus much more. TAVERN BBS 717.671.3760 Central PA's newest and largest BBS, offering Online Magazines, tons of shareware, exciting games, featuring Cybertank, Internet, national chat link, forums and matchmaker. All with custom RIP graphics. Immediate access with free demo. Call now and join the Club! CLASSIFIED ORDER FORM Classified Dept., Callers Digest, Inc., 701 Stokes Rd, Medford, NJ 08055 The rate is $25 per ad up to 300 characters long. Save money and send $250 for a full year of advertising. The BBS name or first two words are set in bold capitals. All other type is plain. If you wish to have a heading category not list- ed, simply write in this new category and we will create it for your ad. PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT. Run this ad under the heading of , (For additional words, use separate sheet of paper) NAME ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP PHONE (home) Run class ad for _ Payment of S (bus.). , issues. enclosed. IF PAYING BY CREDIT CARD, YOU MAY FAX THIS FORM TO (609) 953-7961 . MIC VISA (circle one) # exp. date Signature WORLD DATA NETWORK 703,620.8900 / 301 .654.2554, Online since 1 984, Internet: telnet wdn.com (email, ftp, gopher, newsgroups and telnet), 35 lines. 28.8k modems, 100 doors. PC World Online news. and A0P members, 3000 mail network forums, over 80,000 tiles. Authorized PCBoard BBS reseller v/rth installs. MISC. CLASSIFIEDS Livewire Doors! Send 4-1.4 disks with a stamped return envelope to; Livewire Doors, P0 Box 41 6. ML Laurel NJ 08054. Total of 35 door programs which will operate with any BBS soft- ware which can run doors. JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE How to run a BBS for profit. Electronic multi- media book fells you how to profit with your BBS. System setup, promotion, menus, screen displays, secrets not used by 99% of sysop's. Keep callers calling and subscribing. Only S19.95, forward to: Mark Adams, PO Box 96, Waterford CT 06385 BBS Magazine BACK ISSUES! Save when ordering back issues. Send your marling infor- mation along with $5.00 for each back issue, When ordering 3+ issues send only S3. 50 each to: BBS Magazine, c/o Back Issues, 701 Stokes Road, Medford NJ 08055. Please specify which back issues your would like. All available except April 91 issue is sold out. First issue is Sept 90. 73 NEWS VV I R E PRO M l> A G E I Quicken Financial Network— QFN) and full Internet service for seven hours/month at S9.95. "This new service is the breakthrough that under- scores the potential of Internet-based services to enhance customer intima- cy and increase product value," said Henry R. Nothhaft, Concentric's CEO and president. On the other side, Intuit's executive vice president, Bill Harris, said, "We decided to partner with Concentric Network Corporation because they represent a new breed of network solutions provider with the capability and flexibility to meet our requirements." Concentric's also running a special (till the end of '95) called the "Outrageous Internet Offer" — two months of Net access and the Netscape Personal Edition software tor a buck. With local dial-ups in 207 cities and Canada, that is pretty outrageous. Reach them (vox) at 800.745.2747. The Nerve! The Nerve. Not only is that the name of one Canadian Internet service compa- ny but it's also what competitors might be exclaiming when they take a gander at The Nerve's prices. Thirty-five bucks a year for a Web page, commercial or personal, includ- ing five megs of disk space. Sure, plenty of other providers offer cheap, even free Web space to sub- scribers, but not to businesses. This is where The Nerve strikes a, well, you know. The low price also offers up a busi- ]■' U '1' R E "1" E N S E run M P a g E lie school system made me recall my own carefree days of youth... My ele- mentary school was lucky enough to get its very on Tandy Trash 80 (I swear I don't remember the real name of it) when I was in fourth grade. I remem- ber the day I got to use it well — it was a Monday. I believe I had control of the computer from 10:15 a.m. to 10:22 a.m. A whole seven minutes... but what a seven minutes they were! You get the point. The future of American youth (and that of any other nation where Web TV lands) won't be the only target, however. The second pri- mary market will be "people at work who have expensive equipment to send email and type memos." Laursen esti- mated that corporate America spends up to $5,000 per person, per year in maintenance and upgrades, just to keep up with the current technology. These costs obviously would go down if you are only paying for one copy of every- thing. Plus, the-end user will never 74 notice the difference, Laursen said. Everything looks basically the same. Except, of course, you won't be able to put Tetris on your computer at work, either, unless your employer is unusu- ally cool about these things. I guess you're all ready to cash in your Power Macs and Pentiums by now. Well, before you run to your local used PC dealer, keep this in mind: God only knows when Web TV will become available, and the deity is not saying. Not to me, anyway. IHWU This just in... At press time, Intel announced the fall of civilization. Well, not exactly, but the company did mention the development of a new technology that will allow you to watch television while surfing the 'Net — all on one computer. Look for full details in the next issue. (I got 'em now but, hey, I like suspense.) Jacqueline Kramer can be reached at rccltitne@voicenel.com. JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE ness opportunity: segment resale. Buy a bunch of segments now and resell them later at a monthly fee (accounts activat- ed when you're ready for a full 1 2 months). Hear that sysops? One downside is that the deal is for 1996 only and must be secured by December 31, 1995. Another is that if you want a custom domain name, plan on spending $40 a month. And you better know HTML: The Nerve charges a chunky S580 to design your pages. Sonny Jefinek of The Nerve says it's likely the system will soon be bumped up to a Tl line (perhaps by publica- tion). Let's hope so. For more info, check out www.thenerve.com/nerve/, or call (vox) 905.845.2570. bssb ADVERTISER'S INDEX ADS 50 AMER. 1NTL COMMUNICATIONS. 67 AOP 20 APD1 5 BUS MAGAZINE 59 BBS TECHNOLOGIES 60 BRIN COMMUNICATIONS 70 CDS 70 CHEERSOFT 6 1 CLARK DEV. CO., INC I5,OBC DIGITAL CONSULTING SERVICES 11 DIGITAL DYNAMICS 21 DURAND COMMUNICATIONS IBC EXCALIBUR 1 FINE TIME COMMUNICATIONS.... ....66,71 GALACTICOMM, INC ....IFC, 1 GARLIQUE GRAPHICS 65 GILES ROAD PRESS 64 INFOUNK 64 IN THE FEET OF THE NIGHT 61 IOHN WILEY & SONS 62 LIVEWIRE 31 MACINTOSH ONLINE 64 MEDIA HOUSE 47 MICHAEL WOLFF 37 MUSTANG SOFTWARE INC 2 9, 38, 39 NEXT GENERATION 71 NITE LOG BBS 70 ORIENTAL EXPRESS 67 P!CS ONLINE 24 PIER EXCHANGE 43 PLANET SYSTEMS 55 PRO DESIGN QMODEMPRO 51 RAMA ONE 71 RUSTY-N-EDIE'SBBS ....45,66 TESSIER TECHNOLOGIES 35 TRADERS CONNECTION 59 UNCLE HANK'S NEWSLETTER ...62 USA COMMUNICATIONS 63 WORLD DATA NETWORK 61 /o u OugriTcj 3e nro Pickires Hey, you might not make it in pictures, so how about the next best thing? If you've ever considered running your own online service, there's never been a better time. Worklgroup is the next generation of online server software, i p tegrati ng all the multimedia capa- bilities of Windows and the versatility of an online environment. No more tedious scrolling text, no more graphi- cal display barriers, no more limits to what you can do. With Worldgroup, you can present graphics, text, even sound to your users. Features like telecon- ference, e-mail and audio-visual registries make Worldgroup a friendly and fun environment. And with add-ons from several different independent soft- ware vendors, your online service's capabilities can expand even further, such as offering connections to the Internet, online shopping and a multitude of other features. So pick up you r copy of Worldgroup today, and ; let your imagination go wild. Besides, even if you don't make it in pictures, at least you'll be the star of your own BBS. Design is your best source represents the very best in Indepen- f or die Worldgroup telecomm unica- dent Software Vendor add-ons from tions software package and its ^Jk such companies as Vircom, add-ons. We also offer a host M Logicom, Human ware Sys- of services, from customap- ^V\ [^ terns, Cinecom, Labyrinth plication development and f and HighWaterMark. custom graphics services to 111*' Call ProDesign today full turn-key systems. Vyy I to order your Worldgroup In addition to our own } " is - : system, or to expand on your software and services, ProDesign also already existing system. 14314 Albuquerque, NM 87191-4314 (505) 271-5858 Voice ♦ (505) 271-5845 Fax ♦ (505)244-OOX)BBS Call today to place your order or to receive our free catalog! pQPOtDG 3 © tfeuQS BY JACQUELINE KRAMER WEBTV! (Uh, just kidding) Sometimes it just does not pay to hold a press confer- ence. That is the lesson to be learned from Oracle, which was contending with a few spin control prob- lems not too long ago. It seems Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison made a brief announcement about a new product, Web TV, during the Telecom 95 trade show in Geneva. The press wire ser- vices (read: companies that can afford to send reporters to Switzerland) dutifully noted the arrival of a really cool new product that Oracle was working on for release next year. You know, the one that brings cable television ser- vice home to your PC. The one Walt Disney and Time Warner are all a-twitter about. The one that will revolutionize the industry 7 . The one that doesn't exist. Yep, its amazing what a really bad name — and too little information — can do. Judging by Oracle's post-announce- ment spin cycle, this is a prime example. Just one short week after the fab news hit the 'Net, an Oracle exec was blowing his afternoon doing damage control with some of the finest jour- nalistic pens around. Oh yeah, he talked to me, too. And so, without farther ado, here's the official word on what, exactly, Web TV will be (and will not be, for that matter): FALSE: Despite what the overzealous press said, you will not be watching Nick at Night on your computer anytime soon, and Oracle is not — repeat, not — in bed with Time Warner or Walt Disney... at the moment. Oracle also is not getting into the cable television business in any way, shape or form, despite the ill-chosen name of this particular standard. (Lessee, it isn't exclusive to the Internet, and it has nothing to do with television per se. .. Gee, Web TV would certainly be my first choice for a name.) That said, here is how Andy Laursen, vice president of Oracle's media division, sort of explained it to me: "The gener- al idea is to make available multimedia service over a platform such as the World-Wide Web, although it's not just for the PC — it could be over any network." (I see. . . ) Laursen stressed that Oracle, which makes server software, is not producing the physical product. In fact, the company is essentially developing a standard it hopes other companies will want to license and market. (Another, unnamed company is making the hardware.) Laursen compared the prospective Web TV product to the old IBM mainframes and dumb terminals of yesteryear, but noted that Web TV will have a graphical user interface (an apparent nod to my generation, which thinks DOS is a four-letter word). You'll be able to run software, per- haps the latest versions of WordPerfect or Quicken, remotely. In essence, Web TV will be one really hot looking main- frame. Oh, goody. Given that my generation is extremely wired (to coin a stereo- type), it's difficult to imagine who the audience for this thing will be. Fortunately, Oracle was willing to share its marketing strategy with me. "We have two audiences we are actually targeting," Laursen said. "The first target is schools. Right now, at best, you have one Macintosh per classroom, or even one Macintosh or PC per school. The idea is to work with net- work companies (such as the tele- phone and cable television compa- nies) to put the equipment in the schools and let kids have access to the sendees." He noted that these services could be closely moni- tored and/or equipped with the latest chastity belt software to ensure that the only Madonna that kids are reading about is Our Lady of Fatima. This type of setup would also prevent little Jimmy from playing Doom on the taxpayer's dime. The primary advantage for schools would be a greater num- ber of terminals per student, thus ensuring everyone has a chance to use the computer. For those of you outside the U.S. (and you lucky dogs who went to private school), there is a shameful lack of technology in the U.S. public schools. Discussing the appalling state of technology in the U.S. pub- CONTINUED ON PACE 75 76 JANUARY 1996 BBS MAGAZINE THE ULTIMATE WINDOWS PLATFORM for Online Services MlNDWlRE™ and MlNDWlRENT :v harness the power of the Internet and client/server technology taking the traditional Bulletin Board System to the next level. Now, you can create a dynamic, multimedia online sen-ice that rivals the large commercial systems. MlNDWlRE is the most powerful communications platfonn available today. 100% customizable menus with DC Interlace Builder MindWire Accessories ■ B ■ r"~"jr°*" 1.1 Fa ■ t i; bl L-«™ : * Wto Iss— t . B iff- 1 Interactive Games Chess ¥ " Business Applications Classified Ads ',, s * ""Business Applications Window Shopper Custom Menus DC Interface Builder Remote Sysop Utility FILEX No other platform offers this much power and scalability! • All Windows Client/Server Solution • Scalable Database Solutions • Modem, Network & Internet Connectivity Included • Open Architecture for Third Party Development using Visual Basic and OLE Objects • FREE client software Tel>- (805) 961.8700 MindWire DemoV (805) 961.8702 E-Mail >- sales@durand.com Web> http://www.durand.com © 1995 DCN, MindWire and all application names am trademarks si i].ir:i:i:l Ccmmunlqallans Ni ]■ .ir< Inc. PCBoard* BBS Software Just Hit Another Home Run! Best OS/2 Based BBS Software j just did it again! PCBoard holds the record as the most award-winning BBS Software on the market today. And we are proud to announce that our OS/2 release has scored in its first season with the 1995 Dvorak award for "Best OS/2 Based BBS Software. Plus ... PCMagazine just honored PCBoard with its prestigious Editors' Choice award for the second time, maintaining our position as the only commercial BBS Software package to ever receive such honors. Try it yourself, whether you are a first time user or a Fortune 500 company, PCBoard hits a home run every time! j ijrj'.jjjij i-i T^* TTi ! I IT mm% GHO TORS' if August 1995 PCBoard v1 5.21 PCBoard is the only commercial BBS software § to ever win the prestigious PC Magazine Editors' Choice Award PCBoard for DOS PCBoard for OS/2 CALLOW FOR YOUR FREE DEMO standard features include: Fido Mailer & Tosser Internal QWK Mail Credit Accounting Programming Language dBASE III File Access Automated File Maintenance Multiple Language Support Optimized far DOS, H7.V. OS/2 Intelligent Multipart Support OS/2 Camm Driver Support PAD'(X25> Support Load & L A. \ Logins __ PCBMailfor Windows ■ FREED/L Ipgrndesfora Year FREE Voice Technical Support for a Full Year and BBS Technical Support for life! f Clark Development Company, Inc. *A 3950 Sooth 700 East, Suite 303, Murray, Utah 84107-2173 = Td 801.261.1686 Fai 801JW1-8987 BBS 801.261.8976 email: aalesgsaltalr.com - toch.eupport@sattalr.cofn Copyright 15S5 Clark Development Company Inc. AH Rights Reserved. PCBoard is a registered trademark and PPLC and PCBMail are trademarks of Clark Development Company