Making Friends in s. notebook 7O989"35460" 9 \ \ V Jjjj jjj/jjj] hi ib LiiiiJ^ w Ij'JujjJiJjjj^ujj un ii liiiiim ..' Wow! You can do all of Users vastly manage their mall online or offline with distribution lists, file cabinet, address hook, in box, out box and more. Create stunning menu screens, complete with hot spots, customizable buttons, list boxes, moving ticker displays, animation, sound effects and more. • H a ■ ■■.■ I|MM i!*l — -jia] ■■i — i -i»,i«i ~i !* ta w- av '— a** w*. >» iBBi]MPre=~- >i „m rgia—rf »-.i — i Offer surveys, applications, tests, dam col- lection forms and more, and allow users to immediately view tallied results online. , ™- „ 1 |**n\i 1 l»ninv ir —~J1 "1 L rfi 1 CtUWQ 4 1 1 ! 1 IO«**i 'M Mo'tW •■*»■ .W.. ~ ^- ^ - 1 ~J Configure up to 10,000 discussion areas Or Internet 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 multime- dia presentations. Support up to 256 users on a single computer. With Worldgroup, it's easy. Only Worldgroup. Galacticomm'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-bit graphics, hypertext links, digital audio — any look and feel you envision can easily be created for your Worldgroup interface. A Secure, Full-Featured Platform Offer users a rich suite of interactive appli- cations — 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 Environment 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 browse 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-compliant Web server. ■ this over the Internet?!! Users can chat, whisper, sketch diagrams and exchange files with each other in the multiuser teleconference. Users can browse through full-screen file listings and easily download files of interest. '"I l'"T Account Dlipliy I Edrt 5t'f «/' y«wr oh'h VVWj .v/fc /« promote your products and services over the Internet. Online help is available at every win- dow, with explanations on how to use Worldgroup 's services. You can even create a hypertext link for Web callers 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 the 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 Galacticomm 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 today. 1-800-328-1128 (outside the U.S./Canada. 954-583-5990) Or browse us at http://www.gcomm.com 55WMm£ kmuwith NeWfcrE (^GALACTICOMM Bringing your vision online Bored? Sure, all BBS systems are a blast - for the first five minutes. But if you get rooked into one of those knockoff bulletin boards, make sure it comes with a good, strong espresso maker. You're headed for the land of Z's. Choose Excalibur BBS, the original bulletin board system for Windows, and you can give up caffeine for good. You'll get all the stimulation you can handle from the from our Application Programming Interface IhMt Zitalitmt HA1 accelerated (API). It lets I 3l bi-directional protocol that «J lets you . upload, 1 download, I chat, play I games, pat your head and rub your tummy all at the same time. Need another boost? Get to know Guinevere - our new, on-line database that's based on HTML, the same spec as the World Wide . tJtiS-JL Web. Or hop on your surfboard — Excalibur now has full Internet connectivity. And 3rd party developers can get their jolts _jj^= im± ,i — !—,.:-— a] |9b^M.M(ah Pass Thru Internet -zz-;^:.'^ Access Via excalibur you create everything from Internet gateways and BHBHHI databases to shopping malls, interactive games and more. You can listen to the experts: Windows Magazine named Excalibur BBS to its 1995 Win 100, and BBS Magazine said our graphics "make the likes of America Online pale." Or you can listen to other / / users: more of them operate Excalibur than.any other __.. graphical bulletin board system. All of them will tell you the only way to really stay wired is to modem in to Excalibur at 918.496.8113 or call toll free 800 excal.bbs / Get it today. And get ! your Z's somewhere else. \ ■".' mm \. - ' V-. •"'■'■'■ EBINDOWS \oice 918.488.9801 e-mail sales@excalbbs.com web http://www.excalbbs.com fax 918.491.0033 Excalibur Communications, Inc., 2530 East 71st Street, Suite E, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74136 C O M M U N I C A T [ O N S , 1 N C . llNlE VOLUME 7, NUMBER 3 MARCH 1996 DEPARTMENTS 4 readme.txt 6 Newswire 46 The A-List 54 Netted Boards 58 Classified Ads FEATURE 12 The Internet Grab Who will be your next ISP? by Jacqui Kramer COLUMNS 18 Java, VRML, Shockwave Webwise by Dave Kramer 22 Picks of the Bitter Technoraves by Lazlow Jones 24 bbs.notebook by Steve Janas 28 Games Sharewaring by Maria Langer 36 Blazing Bud Rates i n ternef./hvi th.ease by Rich Santalesa 40 Let There Be Boards Macintosh Online by Michael A. Kuykendall 44 Gaining Speed on "The Wave' Commodore Connections by Gaelyne R. Moranec Page 14 P"gei4 60 AlphaWorid Future Tense by Jacqueline Kramer Page is MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE ^ \ 7 readmeitxt WHpyou w^ Gonna /m Dial? Seems it takes a lot these days to stir sleeping giants. After the World-Wide Web experi- enced the most glamorous honeymoon the media has bestowed since the birth of the U.S. space program, the major American long distance telephone companies have decided to dip more than their toes into the sea of Internet providers. Now begins the hum of moneyed marketing machines and the televised promises that network con- nectivity via the big telcos will make your life, the lives of your kids — even grandpa Joe's existence — a little better. And maybe it will. But what about all the Internet Providers (ISPs) already out there battling for your bucks? Can they compete? The short answer is, "Of course they can." That is, as long they as remember that all anybody real- ly wants is service. Good, quick, pleas- ant sendee. (It is their middle name, after all.) Jacqui Kramer, who wrote about Netscape Communications in February, takes a close look at the whole picture and reveals on page 14 what AT&T, MCI, Sprint and others are planning for your Net journey in 1996 and beyond. Whether it's via AT&T or your local ISP, Web sites and bulletin board ser- vices will continue offering more and more multimedia — images, sound and motion pictures. But before that can happen something's got to be done about the lethargic rate at which this media goes from their servers to your PC. Lots of things are in the works, not the least of which is the advancement in compression technologies. One company has come up with a way to squeeze together images and sound into tiny packages for swift delivery across the networks. And though Johnson-Grace is only one of many working in the field, their ART Press software (page 13) has already grabbed plenty of attention, and it could be a way of further prying open the bottleneck. Another way to speed things up is with a faster modem, of course. But what if you've already shelled out for the top 28.8 and still are suffering from a chronic case of the Lags? Rich Santalesa (inter- nets/with. ease, page 36) has a few tips for Mac and Windows users on boosting the baud. Also in this issue Tess Heder (Ask Tess, page 43) offers an answer to the perennial question: "How do I make my BBS succeed?" And Lazlow Jones (Technoraves, page 22) recounts more tales of woe from computerland. As always there's plenty more on the pages between, but if you think we erred in overlooking something you're sure ought to be covered, send your beef to the Complaints Department (uh, that would be to my address, right there below). Rick Robinson, editor@bbsmag.com MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE THE BULLETIN BOARD 5ES VI c es MAGAZINE PUBLISHER Richard Paquette publisher@bbsmag.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER John P. Carrione John .Ca rcione@bbsmag.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Richard W. Robinson Jr. editor@bbsmag.com WEST COAST ADVERTISING SALES Wayne J. Fields, 7U.770.2955 advertis@bbsmag.com DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION Terry Wilson terryiv@voicenet.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Tess Heder, Hank Hurteau, Steve Janas, Lazlow Jones, Dave Kramer, Jacqui Kramer, Michael A. Kuykendall, Maria Langer, Modem Mage, Gaelyne R. Moranec, Terry Rossi, Rich Santalesa, Shari Steele, and Deanna Warren. PRE-PRESS PRODUCTION Beth Tomasello NEWSSTAND CIRCULATION DIRECTOR William A. Townsend EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING OFFICES BBS Magazine Callers Digest Inc. 701 Stokes Road Medford, NJ 08055 609.953.9110 Main Office 609.953.9 1 1 Advertising 609.953.796 1 Fax 609.235.5297 BBS Advertising: advertis@bbsmag.com Subscriptions: subscribe@bbsmag.com SUBSCRIPTIONS USA CAN/MEX OVERSEAS lYr. (12 issues) S36 S60 SI 20 2 Yrs. (24 issues) S60 S100 S220 All subscriptions prices are 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, andcharge 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 BBS 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 tetters, articles, or other communications sent 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 V.Everything modems). POSTMASTER; Please send all change of address (with old label and new address) to: Callers Digest, Inc., 701 Stokes Rd., Medford, NJ 08055. PRINTED IN UNITED STATES Member of Association of Online Professionals AOP Offer SUP/CSLIP/PPP Connectivity through your BBS! Major TCP/IP by Vircom is the first TCP/IP solution to provide Pass-Through SUP 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, RIogin, 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 Workgroup w/Major TCP/IP - $1295.00 ' Get All Your Workgroup Needs With One Easy Phone Call! DCS is an Authorized Dealer for DataSafe, High Velocity, Sirius, ProDesign, Logicom, Labyrinth, East Side Computing, Jabberwocky, Infi network, HighlrVaterMark, & HumanWare. Contact us for Fractional & Full Tl Internet Connections. Workgroup S-Uscr SCALL! isii2!\lll^milB!yS User 6- Packs SCALL! MBBBBM^^M fflVwlM l Entertainment Collection $175.00 The IntelliServer is an expandable asynchronous communications server that Major Gateway/Internet $175.00 combines the functionality of a high-performance terminal server with the ex- Fax/Online $175.00 tended communications capabilities ofanIntemetaccessdevice.lt can be con- Search & Retrieve $ 145.00 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 MTPS-R3000 compatible CPU, 2-4 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 $1 65.00 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) $2 1 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- 1 6 Port (w/Cables) $349.00 load normally associated with polling modems at high speeds. ISK 115K- 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 fi|[y§j Call to request our Free Catalog! ^KagS i W/e accept MasterCard, VISA, American Express & COD Orders j- u ^H - ■*? Pp* 2T -^ ^j ■Mb *. ^ - • ' >» I 1 J Worldgroup on a Budget Yeah, Worldgroup looks cool. But who wants to shell out that much on looks alone before at least kicking the tires? j Perhaps realizing the poten- tial dilemma, Galacticomm, naker of the hugely popular brldgroup client/server soft- ware, introduced Worldgroup Starter, an abridged version of the original. Galacticomm says the Worldgroup Starter is targeted at those wanting to try out the pro- gram's features before upgrading to a fuli-fledged system. The two-user Worldgroup Starter product includes e-mail, group discussion areas, file libraries, teleconferencing, surveys and more. Worldgroup Starter is offered for $99 through March 31. (Upgrade within six months of your purchase date and Galacticomm will credit S99 toward the Worldgroup eight- user baseline or Worldgroup Internet Server. ) Configuration files from the Worldgroup Starter envi- ronment will remain intact. "After hav- ing tried the Worldgroup Starter, we expect that many cus- tomers will upgrade," says Galacticomm Vice President of Marketing Linda Haury. "Customers can upgrade easily to the Worldgroup eight-user baseline package for more sim ul- ceus users and fuller func- nality. For Internet access and services, customers can upgrade to the Worldgroup Internet Server to provide a gateway to and from the Internet, launch a professional-looking Web page VMS and provide an online service or workgroup environment." Worldgroup Starter supports two doors to other computers and 10 Dynamic Link Libraries for add-on applications. Customers get 30 days of free technical support (from their first phone call). For more information, call 800.328.1 128 or check the Web at www.gcomm.com. Wildcat! for DOS Continues with 4.12 Mustang Software, Inc. in December shipped an update to the Wildcat! BBS software for DOS, and in so doing likely reas- sured sysops that the company was not abandoning the stan- dard version for its new client/server 5.0. nue "I want to assure them [sysops] that we will contin our DOS development through the balance of 1996," said Jim Harrer, president and CEO of Mustang, "As long as there is a demand for the DOS versions of Wildcat!, Mustang Software will continue to update and improve them." A key new feature in version 4.12 is the method of networking multiple Wildcat! DOS systems called wcNET. Now, everything needed to synchronize messages and files between two or more 4.12 BBSs is built into the basic Wildcat! package. Previously, automating the process of shar- ing messages and files between multiple systems required com- plex scripting or third-party net- working software. With wcNET, no external scripting or terminal software is required to transfer files and messages between two 4.12 systems. Other new elements include: * Support for organizing mes- sage conferences allowing sysops to group conference presenta- tions on their BBS, thereby offer- ing a more usable interface. Callers can now easily search the list of conferences to find those of interest to them. ■ Improved handling of CD- ROM juke boxes. Callers can now lock specific paths on a device for copying files. This ' I MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE allows syso Hows sysops with changers that support accessing multiple disks through one drive letter to still lock access on a disk-by-disk basis. • Optimization for OS/2 for sysops wanting the improved performance. According to Mustang, "the fine-tuning efforts for top performance with OS/2 Warp 3.0 surpassed all goals, encouraging team leaders to switch the v4.12 demo board to OS/2 on a full-time basis." Other improvements to the DOS product include support for extended Caller-ID strings and highlighting the search keys when displaying file search results. Current Mustang "Auto- Update Plan" subscribers (S50/yr) will receive the update free. Existing owners of Wildcat! v4.0 or newer may purchase the update direct from Mustang for $30; earlier Wildcat! version owners can have it for S50. For more information con- tact Mustang at 805.873.2500 or 800.999.9619. The BBS is 805.873.2400. Reach them on the Web at www.mustang.com. Time for Health Looks like Time, Inc. and America Online are banding together for your health. The two are planning a joint, be original — online forums and virtual workshops — and will offer access to health care experts and support groups. "Along with our partners from America Online, we fully expect to develop a compelling consumer experience and become the programming guide of choice for individuals and families as they develop their own healthy lifestyles," said Teymour Boutros-Ghali, an executive with Time Inc., which holds such titles as Health, Cooking Light, Southern Living, Sunset and Martha Stewart Living. Look for the service to even- tually expand to market seg- ments like health care organiza- tions and their memberships, and other platforms like CD- ROM and via cable- modem. J- 50-50 venture to develop a new "interac- tive health and fitness comput- er online ser- vice. Scheduled to hit early this year, the service is planned for Pathfinder, Time Inc.'s Web site and the America Online service. According to AOL, the new health and fitness service will be programmed similarly to a dcmographically-targeted televi- sion or cable channel but will also reflect the interactive quali- ties of an online environment. So what's on? Well, says AOL, look for the most complete information on health, fitness, food and nutri- tion. The content is scheduled to ¥■ Microsoft Eyes the Net Microsoft's Bill Gates in December shed light on his company's specific plans for the future, revealing an expected drive toward PC/Internet inte- gration and major changes for the Microsoft Network. "The Internet revolution cre- ates enormous opportunities," Gates said. "We see one of our key roles as providing integra- tion and continuity between the PC and the Internet so cus- m Continues MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE ii tomers can leverage their exist- ing investments in PCs and take advantage of new investments in the Internet. Users want the rich experience of the PC combined with the connectivity of the Internet..." Gates said he also sees "opportunities for making the Internet better and providing rich new content incorporating multimedia, 3-D and intelligent assistance." The chairman said Microsoft is investing company-wide for the long term: "I think most people are going to be surprised at the depth and breadth of our commitment to integrate the Internet into our products." Gates also spoke of one of the latest buzzwords, "Intranet," saying businesses will adopt the Internet for internal business use for communication with employees, suppliers and cus- tomers, and that Intranet appli- cations will likely emerge faster than those for the general con- sumer market. Microsoft said it's making Intranet business solutions a focus of its products and strate- gies — Windows 95 and NT, and Microsoft Office. Demonstrated at a briefing in Seattle were over 20 products and technologies, ranging from an integrated World Wide Web browser for the Windows 95 operating system and Internet- based business applications to Offline by John Baynham / i i m interactive Internet consumer games. Many of the new prod- ucts and features are expected to be available within the first quar- ter; the rest are scheduled to be available within the next nine months, said Microsoft. Some of what Microsoft has been up to lately includes a letter of intent to use the Java pro- gramming language and JavaScript as part of its Web browser; the shipping of a beta version of the Internet Explorer browser; the introduction of ActiveVRML (3-D animation); Web View, which will apparently turn your Windows 95 desktop into what looks like a Web page; and, a joint announcement with Spyglass over cross-platform Internet technolo- gies. Look for the Microsoft Network to undergo some sig- nificant changes as well, following on the heels of leaders in the BBS field, MSN will be wired for TCP/IP and use HTML, which means Web surfers will be able to access the ser- vice with a browser. Line Interruptions No More So you're about fin- ished downloading that incredible game you've been hearing about, the one that just cost you an hour's time online, and "click" — some- one picks up the extension and starts dialing, effectively blowing the down- load. Suddenly that extra $10 for another line doesn't sound so bad, huh? Well, then MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Sysops in Australia are wag- ing a battle against Telstra Corporation, Ltd., the principal telephone company in Australia, after receiving notice that their telephone line rental rates would be increased by 96% as of Feb. 1, 1996. Telstra, which recent- ly launched their own internet Service, "On Australia," changed their Basic Carriage Service Tariff to include all bulletin board systems in the same category as "Information Service Providers." The change in the tariff allowed the company to change the billing status of part-time and hobbyist boards Sysop-Telco Battle Down Under from residential to business rates. The current "residential rate" sysops pay is $1 39.80 a year per phone line, which would be increased to S274.80 per year under the business rates. BBS callers also pay for their BBSing, as local calls are 25 cents each, billed through Telstra. Sysops whose boards were listed in the Australian Bulletin Board Registry received a registered letter from Telstra informing them of the rate change. The "Registry" as it is known, is a voluntary listing created ten years ago and maintained to resolve the problem of obso- lete BBS lists in Australia and currently lists over a thousand active boards. The Registry is published on a monthly basis in Australia's Fidonet's BBS_News conference, and two magazines, Australian PC and Your Computer, also pub- lish monthly updates of the list. Frustrated and angry sysops responded both online and off by using Telstra's only competitor, Optus, for local and STD calls, and organizing a petition to protest the actions taken by Telstra. The major complaint is that the majority of BBSs are hobbyist in nature and shouldn't be considered businesses. Other complaints are over the use of the BBS Registry, and that AUSTEL {the Australian Telecommunications Authority) hadn't been con- sulted before Telstra initiated its decision. AUSTEL is the government telecommunica- tions watchdog, similar to the FCC in the United States. Currently, Telstra is reviewing their decision and may limit the increase in costs to only multiple-line BBS systems. — by Gaelyne Moranec neither should Data Protector from Dalco Products. Place the Data Protector line cords on the trouble-making extensions and they are simply blocked out of access. This will prevent eavesdropping during voice calls, too. The Data Protector goes for $16.95 with discounts on the purchase of more than three. For more information contact Dalco Products in Roberts, WI at 715.749.0160. What's POP-inn at ExecNet Saying it's something "long overdue for ExecNet," ExecNet BBS/ISP President Andy Keeves is establishing two POPs (Points of Presence) serving five New York City boroughs in an effort to reduce regional customers' telephone bills. The POPs will allow ExecNet callers to access the global information of the Net and the local content the online service with a local call. Keeves' move — though not the first by a BBS sysop — indi- cates the continuing shift by sysops toward expanding "local" callership beyond the standard range of a regular local call. ExecNet charges a $14.95 flat monthly rate for access to the BBS and 36 hours of Internet. For more information, con- Andy Keeves tact ExecNet at 914.667.2150 or call the service at 914.667.4567. For details on availability of the POPs, send email to support@execnet.com. Automating the Office Small company or large, keeping track of who's where is always a,; hassle. Unless you know about Who's Where. That's "Who's Where" from Core Technology Corp., devel- opers of this new office automa- tion software that lets everyone in the office know when lim's out to lunch, Cindy's on a coffee break and when Bob's meeting with Mr. Topman again about that raise. Working over DOS, Windows, NT, Workgroups and Windows 95, the system oper- ates through LANs and WANs with NetBIOS or IPX network protocols — the lat- est version includes integra- tion with standard email packages and TCP/IP proto- col support. A component of Core Tech's Core Suite of soft- Contjnues '" - MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Whii's Whi:n: HR □ £,.- E* View £ figure Help J |X]lfe|(£ j Group: j>> ALL << _J V $!**} Actions Info Quick Slatut S_end Nfllet Mow« In Out Lunch Meeting Phone Core Technology Corporation - 17 Amy H Yet In - an Phone 08/21795 Malkoling. Repleienli— 15 Anand No Out 12:13 PM 01:00 PM OB/21 /95 i Dnecloi Plod Dcveloi 3B Ben No @ Punier 11:30 AM 102:00 PM 08721 795 ; S cliwaio E ngineei 37 Bill Yes Meeting 11:00 AM i12:l5PM 09/21/35 Soltwaie Engineer 15 Bob Yet Meeting 11:00 AM, 0230 PM 08/21735 President & CED 29 Chtii No 1 Out- Doctor 11:53 AM 02 30 PM 108721 735: Book Keeper 27 Dave No Vacation unlil 976735 05:10 PM J08/18/95 : Senior V.P. 4G Ervan Vn In iOB/21/95 Account Repretentali in Front Desk Yet In 08721/95 Receplionilt 44 Gabriet Yet Heeling w/ Customer 12:12 PM 03:45 PM 00/21/95 Account Represental 2B Jene No Vacation 12:02 PM 08/18795 Product Fullillmenl IB Jerry Yet In ■ Leave Voice Mail 08/21/951 Software Engineer r Click on the drop dovai arrow lo moke changes. UwrSam 03/21735 12:14 PM ware, Who's Where offers a sort of birds-eye view of your organi- zation, staff and resources. Fellow employees can even fire up live chat among themselves so communication can continue during ongoing voice phone calls — no more waiting for your cohorts to get off those unending calls. The software even works with Microsoft Mail and Microsoft Schedule. Prices range from S395 (10- user) to $20,000 (5,000 users). For further information, con- tact the Michigan-based Core Technology at 517.627.1521, browse the Web site at www.ctc- core.com, or email sale@ctc- core.com. Raise Spinnaker, Sail the Web The BBS software developer Searchlight Software has brought to beta its new Web software called Spinnaker, which marries the standards in Web site func- tionality and the versatility of bulletin board services like con- ferencing and file libraries. Since the conferencing and library modules use the same file formats as the Searchlight BBS software, the two can share data. That is, messages and files posted from either source are instantly visible to both the BBSers and those on the Web. Any Web browser can be used. Searchlight, which actually debuted the product as "Project Odessa" in August of last year, joins a growing collection of entities bringing BBS functional- ity to the Web: the groundbreak- ing Web BBS from Software Creations, WebBoard from Duke Engineering/O'Reilly, and Sun Microsystems' Java and its Applets, among other BBS soft- ware developers. "The opening of this site marks a new era for our cus- tomers," said Frank LaRosa, Searchlight president, of the home site at www.searchlight.com. "Resources that were once acces- sible only on our support BBS are now available through the Internet via any Web browser..." LaRosa said that surfers should look for email and a chat facility to be added soon. Spinnaker is based on the scripting language "Dynamic HTML," allowing designers to use a variety of macros and con- ditional statements in building documents that change based on browser attributes, user profiles and other characteristics. "Anyone who's designed Web pages knows that some Web browsers can display tables and some cannot," said Tim Rossiter, Searchlight vice president. "Usually, designers make two versions of their page and offer the user different links to choose from. That's not only inconve- nient, it's also error prone — not everyone knows which link is best for their browser." On the other hand, with Dynamic HTML, authors can place two or more versions of an HTML statement in a single doc- ument — Spinnaker autodetects the browser type. This gives surfers the right code for their browser each time. Spinnaker can also choose to display certain information to users based on their age, income, and yes, buying habits. The application programs for Spinnaker are based on an open standard (available to third par- ggHHB 10 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE In what has been called the most extensive popularity poll conducted to date, Web users voting in balloting sponsored by the online NewsLink resource (www.newslink.org) picked two broadcast network sites as their favorite news providers on the World Wide Web in 1995. Nearly a month of straw-poll voting by more than 10.000 Web users resulted in Cable News Network's CNN Interactive and USA Networks' ClNet Central being selected as the number one and two news sites on the Internet respectively. Each garnered more than 10 percent of the vote overall, said NewsLink. On their heels, each garnering between five and a half percent and nine percent of the vote, were three newspaper sites: USA CNN, ClNet Voted Bes i'fj!.!t i *tfl/il'¥i I'iTui Today, the Boston Globe's Boston. Com and the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer's pioneering NandDO Times. Finishing sixth in the balloting was Wired magazine's HotWired. No other site received more than four percent of the vote. The complete list of winners and vote totals, with hyperlinks to each of the winning publications, is available online at wvAv.newslink.org/vote.html . "With broadcasters, newspapers and magazines all represented among the top six sites, the Web clearly has established itself as a unique new communications form," said NewsLink publisher Eric Meyer, author of the online research report "Tomorrow's News Today." "What we see in each of the winning sites is a strong sense of identity and mission. Readers visiting each of them knows exactly what to expect, and the sites invariably deliver on their promises." Two services with British ties finished next in the balloting. The Electronic Telegraph, the online edition of a London newspaper, and Reuters NewMedia, the online version of the British- headquartered news agency, were seventh and eighth. The New York Times' TimesFax, a downloadable fax paper composed in Adobe Acrobat, came in ninth, and the groundbreaking Mercury Center Web site of the San Jose Merctiry-News finished 10th. The second 10 were, in order: Money and Investing Update from the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News Online, ESPNet SportsZone, Philadelphia Online by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Time Daify and Path Finder from Time- Warner, ZONet from Ziff- Davis Publishing, the Houston Chronicle Interactive, The Gate from the San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle, the Globe and Mail from Toronto and the site created by the Detroit News in response to a labor dispute last summer. Voters were allowed to choose among 25 sites, which had finished highest in previous scientific surveys, or select other favorites by writing them in. Nearly 100 other sites were nominated by voters. None finished within the top 25, but several were not far behind. Leading this group were sites operated by Real Audio, Suck magazine, CMP Publishing'sTechWeb, React and the mainiy emaiied journal The American Reporter. NewsLink, which conducted the non-scientific straw poil for entertainment purposes only, contains links to more than 2,300 online newspapers, magazines, broadcast stations/affiliates and news services worldwide. NewsLink also offers scientific research and consulting services to online media. A free preview of its report, "Tomorrow's News Today," is available by sending e-mail to report@newslink.org. E3 iit^HBHWllllHllJ^HH |n|x til* Edir ^*w ffio goo^morti Options £ip WWW User Feedback (145 messages) Msg Date Subject From 138 139 140 12-01-95 12-01-95 12-02-95 Spinnaker Info Frank LaRosa Searchlight and Windows Frank LaRosa File Xfcrs don't work! 1 ' Michael Crosson fcrossoniShx netcom com) 141 142 12-03-95 12-03-95 Re Fill Xfcrs Frank LaRosa Re File Xfers -- Followup Frank LaRosa 143 144 145 12-03-95 12-03-95 User Feedback Richard Rawlins (rockv@bhamnet) Re User Feedback SYSOP 12-04-95 User Feedback Fabian Rodriguez tmieraxdJabacom com) 146 12-05-95 User Feedback Douglas W. Jackson (Sia-FuteffiJwisenet net) 147 12-07-95 ARGHIUser Feedback Terry Smith iterrv smithfSicanrem com) 148 12-07-95 User Feedback Jim Johnston f ' _ ; -_-i , 140 n.ns.Q 1 ; Riwmnr. > W.K ,-.t- Cn«b TiB„oa rTrtmVlAfWi-Minfcl »«ml lif • 1 ' . .,i ties), and are built around CGI- DLL — a programming interface that lets developers add, upgrade or modify application programs without replacing the Web serv- er itself. Spinnaker also supports the Win-CGI standard for compati- bility reasons. The beta test team, limited to 100, was already rolling in December and Jan. 15 was planned as an official release date. The $495 base product includes a Web server, a user profile and security database, conference, file and chat applica- tions, a scripting language, and a game. MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE A complete database package will be released during the first quarter of 1996. For more information con- tact Searchlight at 800.988.LITE. BBSing 'Goes Voice' So you're chatting with someone online and decide you want to go voice. • Method 1: Exchange num- bers, disconnect from the BBS and make the call — perhaps long distance. • Method 2: Hit a couple keys, pick up your telephone and con- tinue the chat — this time voice. Afterward, hang up the phone and you're back online. Which would you choose?' Aside from a few quirks in the trial run, that's exactly how- Cheersoft's Autopatch system works. The hardware's on the sysop's Continues... side — a unit that controls up to eight lines. The caller requires nothing but the ability to follow on-screen instructions. The project is in early stages but should be shipping this spring. Check BBS Magazine next month for much more information. Cheersoft can be reached at 908.591.1234, at the BBS: 908,591 . 1 1 7 1 , or www.cheer- soft.com. A Net Weekend Old met new at the St. Louis Union Station in St. Louis, MO, last December as the historic train station/mall became the site of the first ever "Internet Weekend." on-the-spot training, and chil- dren were given the chance to email their Christmas "wish list" direct to Santa. "We view this as a great opportunity to for people who have read and heard about the Internet to actually see it and try it," said Myron Lowry, president of Anet. One of the PCs was hooked to what was dubbed the "world's largest Internet screen," a 12' x 18' structure visible from all over the station. Lowry said the response exceeded expectations and indi- cated another Internet weekend might be on the horizon. Anet can be reached at 314.653.2638 or on the Web at www.anet-stl.com. ^VMB ^HBUMHHB 4M A .*^ 'jtJS Sponsored by the St. Louis- based Internet provider Anet, the two-day event (Dec. 9-10) treat- ed 5,000 from the public (on 11 wired computers) to their first taste of the Internet. Anet said the event was held to show children and adults what's on the World Wide Web, and how it might be used for fun and profit. (We're pretty sure they signed up a few new users, to boot.) One rancher traveled over 100 miles to find out how to sell horses over the Net. Anet employees offered free, RIP Update TeleGrafix RIPaint-2 publishing software, based on the second generation of TeleGrafix's world-standard RIP.scrip (Remote Imaging Protocol script), is being released after two years in development. The RIP-2 technology brings tremendous speed to online graphics (including Web pages) by encoding them as hyper-com- pressed ASCII text files as small as one-tenth the size of other graphics formats. The "WYSIWIG" multimedia editor integrates JPEG photos, SVGA graphics, text and digital WAV sound into a single screen, supports 16.7 million colors, and can use Adobe and TrueType fonts. It utilizes the device-indepen- dent bitmap (BMP/DIB) icon format to make screen images appear virtually identical when viewed on both PC and Macintosh computers. Released as a DOS version, Windows and Macintosh ver- sions of RIP-2 products were scheduled for release early this year, along with "plug-ins" for Netscape and other Internet browsers that will permit the viewing of RIP-2 multimedia on Web pages. TeleGrafix said it will publish the RIP-2 multimedia language specification for use as an inter- national online multimedia stan- dard in the first quarter of 1996. TeleGrafix also has released its new shareware RIPterm v2.2. multimedia communications software, a general-purpose communications program that also operates as an HTML-3 and Netscape-compliant Web brows- er when used with TeleGrafix's upcoming RIPweb technology. {RIPweb is designed to automat- ically translates HTML to RIP-2 "on the fly," and supports HTML-3, including tables, back- ground images, text color and background color. More on this in an upcoming issue.) A demonstration of RIP-2 multimedia can be viewed on TeleGrafix's Vector Sector BBS at 714.379.2133. RIPterm v2.2 and technical information can be downloaded there and at www.telegrafix.com. For more information call TeleGrafix at 714.379.2131. RIPaint-2 goes for (US) $199.95. Owners of RIPaint vl.54 (purchased after March 1, 1994) are eligible for a free upgrade to RIPaint-2 with elec- tronic documentation. 12 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE it Talking Pictures in a Flash Johnson-Grace delivers it with ART Passing images, sound and video over telephone lines, as any onliner knows, is simple. Doing it quickly is another matter entirely. As for the ever-popular still images, many have long relied on the GIF and JPEG formats, simply tolerating the downside of lag and lack of colors. Short of wiring up a Tl line or at least ISDN (super-fast connections that even then don't necessarily speed decom- pression), there's been little anyone could do but wait out the download. Hey, art takes time. Well, not anymore. Online art might be getting a new name. And appropriately, it's "ART." If you've been on America Online or eWorld you've seen ART-compressed files in action. Click an icon to retrieve an image and up pops a grainy repre- sentation of the picture. Then its details are filled in — and usually within a few seconds. This proprietary technology' is thanks to a company called Johnson- Grace, which now counts among its followers the Teachersoft browser in the InterGo product, GNNworks browser, Frontier Technologies brows- er and Netscape Navigator 2.0 (avail- able as a plug-in). The compression algorithms making this possible were created by Johnson- Grace engineers along with Dr. Irving Reed (known for his error-correcting codes in audio CDs), now an advisor at JG. This technology includes several compression algorithms and a fuzzy logic engine which chooses among them depending on the type of image. This method produces tremendous compression ratios, indeed. JG suggests a 100:1 ratio in order to increase the speed of transmission. The tool for doing all this is called ART Press, which allows online pub- lishers to fiddle with and manipulate images and their compressions, and then "play back" the virtual download locally to see exactly what end-users will see in the time they see it. "ART Press is now widely available, enabling publishers to create more engaging online content," said Chris Grace, co-CEO of Johnson-Grace, who started the company with Harvard classmate Steve Johnson in 1992. "The ART technology dramatically improves image speed, the most common bottle- neck for graphically rich con- tent." The latest release of ART Press (scheduled for March) is a simple program for the Windows and Mac platforms that lets the user compress images into its own ART for- mat. Now they can be down- loaded about three times faster than the same image compressed into a GIF or JPEG. Sound nice? it should, because JG has also included sound compression technology right into the software. What this means is publishers can attach a sound to an image, and when the user goes to download, the com- pressed sound (music, narra- tion) is decompressed and activated as the image appears. Say you're putting up an online service for animal lovers. You've got photos of everything you might find in a zoo, including lions and tigers and bears. When a caller goes to look at the image down comes the splash screen and, simulta- neously, a gnarling "roar!" as the image comes into focus. Which brings us to BBSs. All this seems a natural for implementation into bulletin board services, what with callers seeking more and bet- ter graphics (multimedia, for that matter) all the time. Neither is the point lost on JG, as they told BBS Magazine that the company is currently looking into selling various BBS soft- ware developers on supporting it — Mustang Software, for instance, with its Wildcat BBS software, has licensed the technology. Deals have been made in the Net world, too. JG is implementing ART images and sound support into Macromedia's Shockwave ■ — the player Macromedia developed to play Director movies online — and early indications were that use of ART cuts the size of the movie by 50 percent. The new ART Press is scheduled to hit the shelves this month, with a pro- True-color Photographs (24-bit) Photographic images that represent each pixel with one of 16 million colors jected retail tag of around SI 00. For more information contact Johnson-Grace at 714.759.0700, or check the Web at www.jgc.com. MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 13 1995 will be remembered by many as the year the sleeping giants woke up and smelled the Internet... and then decided to inhale deeply. The rumblings could be heard from the Microsoft temple in Redmond, Washington, to the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C., and all points in between. It is hardly surprising, then, that everyone wants to find a way to tame the beast, therefore winning the hearts — and wallets — of Internet fans throughout North America and beyond. There are two schools of thought concerning how to make a profit from the Internet. On one side are the content advo- cates who believe if you write it, they will come. On the other, perhaps more realistic end of the spectrum, are the Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Today, thousands of mom-and-pop operations compete with the big guns for bandwidth and bucks. Only a handful are likely to survive intact to see the turn of the century, however. In fact, many analysts predict that the big boys will systematically gobble up the weak between now and the year 2000, leaving only a handful of ser- vice providers to meet your Internet needs. So who will win? Early word says the national ISPs are expected to dominate the marketplace by default. The online commercial service industry will most likely produce one, maybe two winners — the rest are expected to fold or follow the Microsoft Network and Apple Computer's eWorld to the World Wide Web. This leaves a handful of spots to be filled by a dark horse contender. And the company that wants it? AT&T... and Sprint... and MCI Communications. Yes, the U.S. long distance companies have once again set their collective phasers on kill, but this time the battlefield extends far beyond basic telephone services. All three compa- nies are well-equipped to handle Internet traffic. AT&T, Sprint, and MCI all have offered data transmission services for years, and all three have extensive national (and, to varying extents, international) networks. 1 996 is shaping up to be the year the interexchange carriers (IXCs) attempt to become major ISPs. MCI offers basic access through its internetMCI service, AT&T plans to debut full Internet service in the first quarter of this year, and Sprint most likely will announce Internet services by year's end. (Sprint already offers a major Internet backbone for other providers, but more on that later.) All three companies have, in one form or another, claimed to be the heir apparent to the Internet. Is the Internet big enough for all three? Or will there be only one? A look back The current U.S. long distance market model is a mere decade old. From the beginning, AT&T enjoyed a monopoly over the U.S. telephone market. In the 1980s, an unknown U.S. firm Continues... 14 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE sued for the right to enter the long dis- tance market in competition with AT&T. In 1986, U.S. Circuit Judge Harold Greene ruled in favor of the plaintiff, thus changing the face of telecommunications forever. In his rul- ing, dubbed the Modified Final Judgment of 1986, Judge Greene broke up AT&T into eight entities: seven Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) to serve the local telephone market, and AT&T, the long distance carrier. As for the plaintiff, it success- fully broke into the interexchange mar- ket. AT&T and MCI remain bitter rivals to this day. The battle for dominance in the long distance market has led to a cer- tain "tunnel vision" among the long- distance carriers. AT&T, MCI, and Sprint all recognize each other as potential enemies in various fields, including the Internet. When AT&T announced plans to build an Internet backbone last August, Sprint wasted no time in issuing a retort. "We intend to maintain our number one position in the (Internet band- width) marketplace," said Robba Benjamin, president of Sprint's Multimedia and Strategic Services. "SprintLink gives us the clear advan- tage in developing and offering Internet-based services." An advantage over the other IXCs, perhaps, but what about the other industries? In addition to the myriad companies that only offer Internet access, there arc some darkhorse con- tenders entering the race. The cable industry's best and brightest are test- ing Internet delivery services through existing cable lines (see sidebar), while AT&T's own offspring, the Baby Bells, are considering a play for the Internet themselves. It is loo soon to predict which telephone companies, if any, will sur- vive the ISP battles. One thing is cer- tain, however: No one will emerge unbloodied. Herewith, a look at what the big three have planned for 1996. AT&T AT&T (http://www.att.com/) is the largest and most powerful of the top three service providers — hands down. It is also the best positioned to take on 1 6 the ISP market. Although rival IXCs have eaten away at its long distance base over the years, AT&T has man- aged to retain more than 50 percent of the nation's consumer long distance business. AT&T also boasts phenome- nal name recognition in the U.S. and throughout the world. AT&T officials are hopeful this global recognition fac- tor will boost the company's various Internet pursuits. Name recognition was not enough to save its short-lived online service, AT&T PersonaLink, which barely regis- tered a blip on the online screen. AT&T has indicated it is abandoning the ser- vice in favor of Internet-based business and consumers services, including AT&T World Net and AT&T Easy World Wide Web Services. The company introduced its AT&T Easy World Wide Web Services last November during the Comdex trade show, effectively announcing itself to the computer industry as a contender. "AT&T wants to make the Web as valuable and easy to use for electronic commerce as an 800 number," said John Petrillo, president of AT&T Business Communications Services, during the Comdex announcement. "We're taking the pain out of having a Web site so that businesses can focus on serving their customers." The new service, which is aimed at AT&T's 800-number customers, offers one-stop shopping for businesses, including Web page design service and access. AT&T also offers basic Webmaster training (e.g., design and Your Trite ('.twice »»• I 11 )\ 1 IV ? W Work AROUND the Glob ONTtltN^l -"■•■ " -■■-■■■■» maintenance) for those who prefer to do it themselves. And 24-hour support is available for all AT&T Internet ser- vices. AT&T's consumer-oriented service, AT&T WorldNet, will follow a hybrid model of basic SLIP/PPP service and MARCH 1936 BBS MAGAZINE extra services a la the online services, like America Online and CompuServe. The extras will include the "McKinley Reader," a directory service; a search engine designed by Verity; and, a monthly Internet guide, "Exploration Station," to be designed and main- tained by Harley Hahn, who authored the Internet Yellow Pages. In addition, AT&T will provide users with a special AT&T-licensed edition of the Netscape Web browser. (The service will be com- patible with other browsers, as well.) AT&T's WorldNet Managed Internet Service also will be joined with the new service once it is underway. Outside the U.S., AT&T offers dedi- cated Internet access in Australia, Hong Kong, and Japan. AT&T also offers Internet consulting services in Asia. MCI Communications MCI, (http://www.internetmci.com/) the second-largest U.S. long-distance com- pany, was the first IXC to introduce Internet access through its internetMCl program. Like AT&T, MCI offers basic access service plus various extras that are more suited to an online service than the typical ISP. The company's internetMCl services include basic dial- up (all customers receive a dynamically assigned IP address) dedicated access (for linking LANs and WANs to the Internet), and direct connect (direct link to the MCI Internet Network via dedicated lines at speeds of between 9600 and T3 level). HyperStream Frame Relay (between 56K bps and Tl level access) also is available for busi- ness customers. The extra services available via internetMCl include access to marketplaceMCI, an online shopping mall, and infoMCl, a personalized news service that pulls information from the major newswires. A "What's New" unit offers visitors a cross-section of the lat- est offerings on the World Wide Web. The basic internetMCl service includes Web access, Usenet access, and an Internet email address. MCI also offers an "internetMCl Power" service that adds Gopher, FTP, and Query (e.g., Finger) services to the basic package. As with AT&T, 24- hour support services are standard with all internetMCI packages. Sprint Sprint, the third-largest U.S. long distance firm, does not currently offer commercial Internet access services. The company is actively involved in the Internet, however. "What we're providing is a major backbone called SprintLink," said Robin Carlson, a company spokesperson. "We're looking at other Internet services — both consumer and business services. We will be making announcements (this) year." The announcements will most likely be made in late 1996, Carlson said. For now, Sprint is making do with the aforementioned SprintLink, a router-based network that supports the TCP/IP protocol suite. SprintLink also is used to provide Internet access to more than 1,200 organizations in over 80 nations. SprintLink's main access customers include government, acade- mic, and research organizations, including the National Science Foundation's NSFNet, MORENET (Missouri Academic and Research welcome to Sprints WORLD OF feiw SHUNT Communications 1 SUSMESS 'SfeI%L-i* ' RESOURCES l>7? SBUMT IHTUHAHOtUL *«^_ _^>r wmm Nowen-tmc: Sprmrtbu.eom - __ Sprint Network), OARnet (Ohio Academic Research Network), THEnet (Texas Higher Education Network), and CERFNet (California Education and Research Federal Network). Sprint also maintains Global SprintLink, which extends SprintLink to Australia, Japan, and Europe; and SprintNet, the access network of choice for many online ser- vices in the U.S., including America Online, Let the Games Begin At this point, any — and perhaps all — of the IXC gladiators have a better than average chance of winning Internet cus- tomers, especially business users. Although the companies are arriving fair- ly late in the game, each has phenomenal name recognition and a built-in cus- tomer base that no doubt will be receiv- ing special offers at some point. Also, AT&T and MCI offer slightly more than the typical ISP, but without the limita- tions of a proprietary service. Presumably, Sprint will offer a similar model when it announces its own service. The main pitfall facing the IXCs is price. The business offerings are priced out of the average consumer's range, while internetMCl's consumer offering appears to be based on the proprietary model (e.g., five hours of access for XX dollars, etc.). The prices hardly compete with the various mom and pop operations offer- ing unlimited access for $20 to $30 per month. Which brings us full circle — the very thing that makes these busi- nesses attractive, low price, is also the very reason they are being bought up by the giants. Surviving on $20 to $30 per subscriber rate is difficult without volume, and volume means costly upgrades. Fear not, however. There are plenty of capital-rich companies wait- ing in the wings. In fact, the names AT&T, MCI, and Sprint come immedi- ately to mind. Victor)' may be theirs after all — if only on a small scale. Gentlemen (and ladies), start your Internet engines, mum Internet Via Cable? It's ©Home The IXCs are not the only ones hot on the Internet trail. A handful of cabte companies are developing Internet-via-cable services lhat they hope will one day be as common as, well, cable television itself. Almost all of the top 10 U.S. cable companies, including Time Warner Cable, Comcast Cable. Continental Cablevision, and Cox Cable have experimented with some type of online service access. Within the past year, these and other companies have demonstrated the power of cable via tests with Prodigy, America Online, CompuServe Information Services, and the plain ole' Internet. To date, no cable company has intro- duced actual service on a national level in the U.S. Several small-scale projects are underway, however. The most advanced cable-based pro- ject to date is ©Home, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) bankrolled by the cable powerhouse Telecom- munications Inc. (TCI). ©Home will offer high-speed Internet access via hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) technolo- gy directly to home PCs. The Internet service will be carried through the same network lines that now deliver CNN, HBO, and dozens of other cable networks. "Using our high-speed capabilities. ©Home will go a long way in alleviat- ing the frustration of using the current dial-up methods to access the Internet and online services," said Will Hearst, ©Home's CEO. "New technologies are now being used to provide video, audio, and anima- tion via the Internet, These technologies, coupled with ©Home's high-speed backbone and the HFC infrastructure, are ideally suited to deliver multimedia services to our customers." ©Home plans to debut its first com- mercial service in Sunnyvale, CaliJ- ornia, early this year. The service will provide online access at speeds of up to 1 million bits per second, or more than 500 times faster than the aver- age modem. Sunnyvale was select- ed because of the area's penchant for adopting new technologies early, an ©Home spokesperson said. In addition to providing high-speed access to the existing online ser- vices, ©Home also will provide a multimedia home page and local content from outside sources. The planned additional services include local news, information resources, and community networking opportu- nities. In addition, ©Home users will have access to a Netscape World Wide Web browser designed specif- ically for ©Home. "While the users of ©Home will be able to access information worldwide at unprecedented speeds, a major benelit of ©Home is the local con- tent," Hearst said. "If you want local school or city information, ©Home will be your central resource." Comcast Cable also is investigating cable-based Internet access, al- though its project is not as well- developed, in December, Hewlett- Packard (HP) announced it has agreed to provide the equipment necessary lor cable-based access to Comcast Cable. HP's equipment solution wili include a modem concentrator, a server complex, and the HP QuickBurst cable modem. Comcast Cable plans to link the equipment to tens of thousands of PCs in early 1 996. The company has not announced a start date for the actual service as of yet. — Jacqui Kramer MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 17 BY DAVE KRAMER and the Changing Face of the Web i he Web has emerged as a very different place than it was a year ago. If you haven't noticed, you're either not plugged in or you're too new to compare. As I described last month, Netscape Navigator 2,0 unleashed a variety of new HTML tags on the Web, providing frames and fancier text. But the brows- er update didn't end there. Netscape 2.0 also supports Sun Microsystems' lava language, which allows mini- applications called applets to run inside your browser window. Since they're independent little programs, there's virtually no limit to what they can do. You can play a game of real-time tic tac toe, or, perhaps, view the latest weather maps and zoom in on your hometown for temperature and other local condi- tions. £Je £* View Go Bookmarks Option* fiiectooi tfindow Hefc H-|S|X *0 & 1 ® Horn 1 Rtfcwd Ofrtn Print ft Rnd • .m Location jhttp:/A\v^v cnetcom/ dja A ■» I i " >t news-top stories Companies Join Hec Security Alliance ... Takeover Runors By owing 1 the computer network 1 join now 2S 9,463 registered members and gr J.M)I Document Dun* P 3fiStartj _jC:\ | _JC:\WlN3nDesktop\ShoiL.| _j)CAProgtamFtles\32-BitSh.. oil 11:12AM jjVoicenet ||, .'.Netscape ■ [ctnet onli... About the only thing that you can't do with Java is write a virus. The cre- ators of the Java language considered this factor and eliminated or limited access to any system calls that might do nasty things, like erase your hard drive or siphon your private data and send it out over the Internet. Additionally, Netscape's preferences give you added control over what Java can do on your machine. Brewing Your Own Java If you're thinking about jazzing up your Web site with some fresh Java, however, it might prove harder than you'd like. You may have to take up some serious programming; Java is based on the C++ development lan- guage. But, the good new is that if you're not a programmer at heart, there are plenty of Java applets out there with source code available. You can try downloading and installing some of the freely available chunks of code, and even modify their behavior by adjusting some of the parameters contained in the HTML tags that call the applets. For a very long list of applets that you can sample and, in many cases, snag the source code, visit the Java resource registry at http://www.gamelan.com/. You'll also want to take a look at Sun's Java Central, at http://www.javasoft.com/. Another site you definitely should visit once you're set up with a Java- capable browser, is clnet, at http://www.cnet.com/. This TV show- cum- Web site has one of the niftiest 18 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE examples of a Java applet: a slow crawl of news headlines thai ticks from right to left across the top of your browser window. (You may also find the Web site itself interesting, since it deals with the latest technology.) If you're looking for some Java that's actually kind of useful — (face it, the clnet crawl is a real time waster — but then so are most of the new Java and plug-in toys that are hot on the Web, so get used it!) — try the weather map at http://cirrus.sprl.umich.edu/javaweather. You can look at a variety of U.S. weather maps showing everything from surface temper- atures and heat index to relative humidity and precipitation. And then you can click to zoom in on your choice of major cities for a full reporting. You can also look forward to Java games, utilities, and tuto- rials to pop up across the far reaches of the Web as the year progresses. I'll keep you posted on the ones you can't afford to miss. A Taste of VRML Another gee- whiz technology taking shape on the Web is Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). Essentially, VRML documents are no different than other kinds of binary files that can be viewed with a helper application — except that you can now use a Netscape plug-in to move the action into your browser window. (Microsoft's Internet Explorer is another early adopter of inline VRML, and it also supports display _^«c: that, when clicked, sends your browser to a variety of U.S. gov- ernment Web and Gopher sites. Expect to see some fantastical worlds pop- ping up in the next six months or so. One highly developed site you can visit now is Ziff-Davis' ZD3D at http://www.zdnet.com/-zdi/vrml/. Shockwave Takes the Cake We've covered a lot of cool new technology, but I've saved the best for last. Shockwave, the name for Macromedia's technolo- gy that puts Director animations onto the Internet, is really hot. This one is going to be big for a couple of really good rea- sons. For one, there's a huge installed base for Macromedia Director, which is used for everything from corporate presenta- tions to games, like MacPlay's "Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster," and Internet goodies such as Hollywood Online's cool collection of Interactive Press Kits for major motion pictures. You can find Hollywood Online at http://www.hollywood.com/, incidentally. Second, Director is a fairly easy authoring system to master; unlike Java, there is no programming to earn, and the authoring system is shrink- wrapped and well-supported by Macromedia. The only big downside to Shockwave is that the animation files can be time-consuming to download, especially over slow-modem con- nections, while Java files are quite compact and generally Continues AVIs in the browser window. Most — if not all — of your external helpers will be available as plug- ins, probably by the time you read this article.) Paper Software's Web FX was the first available VRML plug-in, accessible at http://www.paperinc.com/. The too! lets you walk or fly around in a new environ- ment, which is loaded when you click on a link to a AVRL file. Fortunately, you don't have to go online to surf your first VRML worlds; Web FX is bundled with a number of impressive samples. There's the navigable Netscape logo, which lets you walk or fly around a 3D repre- sentation of the giant "N" on a hill. Or you can wander around the House of URLs, which contains furniture MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 19 quick to load and run. Still, you don't have to be a computer pro- gramming wizard (or hire one) to get Shockwave running, and the resulting animations can be quite impressive and even useful. For instance, you can provide an online demonstration of a process that is described in text on the same Web page- A good example of this is the cooking maga- zine Epicurious, at http://www.epicurious.com/epi- curious/ba/shock/shockl.html. Many of the pages describe cooking procedures, which are demon- strated with small Shockwave slide shows. It could just as easily be an auto repair tutorial, or a page showing you how to safely swap RAM chips. The possibilities are end- less, and Shockwave graphics are much cleaner and attrac- tive than the blocky look of VRML. Mark my words, this one's going to be a hit with the techno-elite. For a list of the top Shockwave-enhanced sites, visit Macromedia's "vanguard" gallery at [l; Netscape ■ [epiihockmij) £fc £cfi View go £ookm*kt flplions fireclay Vtfndow ijofc Back http://www.macromedia.com/Toois/Shockwave/Vanguard/. Overheard on the 'Net "The grass might be greener on the other side, but you still have to mow it." am Dave Kramer can be reached at reeltime@voicenet.com. How to differentiate your BBS from 73,000 competitors: /\\Jl 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 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE p^.- . 'aper beats rock. */ Rock beats scissors. Scissors beats paper. i y-'DliL You demand performance! You just bought a Pentium, a 28.8 modem, and upgraded to Windows® 95 to take full advantage of your computer's 32-bit architecture. So why are you still settling for old, 16-bit communication software that chokes the performance of Windows 95? Give your computer the 32-bit POWER in QmodemPro for _ ^ Windows 95. *>jo Di Omodemrro X X ■ for Windows % \r QmodemPro for Windows 95 is the first communication software that delivers ail the features and performance you'll need to get the most from the new 32-bit Windows platform. And since you want dynamic features and ease of use, you'll love the fact that Qmodem Pro's communication and Internet capabilities go way beyond the standard terminal J software included with Windows 95. QmodemPro Crushes Procomm. The Premier Communications Solution for Windows® 95 Whether you're connecting to the office, company mainframe or BBS for file and data transfer, get the 32-bit power in QmodemPro to satisfy your "need for speed." Designed for ">0t Microsoft - Windows" 95 1 m*9L Connecting The World Available at Software Etc., Babbages, Computer City, CompUSA, Electronics Boutique, Egghead, Best Buy, Fry's, Staples and other software outlets for $129 or less. Registered Qmodem/QmodemPro customers call for upgrade pricing. 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 800-208-06 1 6 6 1895 Mustang. Software, inc. All names are Haaemarks ol theif t espectavo companies 1 e c v e s Y LAZLOW JONES PlCKS^BlTTER Winning tales of WOE, MELTDOWN and, well, IGNORANCE T he crate arrived as expected and the work- ers began to anxiously pry open its contents. Mother nature's fickle ways have again driven computer users to the edge of madness, and data recovery specialists to the bank. From lap- tops sitting at the bot- tom of Lake Michigan to lightning-fried hard drives, data recovery companies are answer- ing the shrieking call that includes the same four letter word: HELP! In a recent column I compiled sto- ries of computer woe: explosions, melt- downs, and misuse of all kinds. The misuse faction often originates from co :r users on the silicon band- wa - i who think the word scuzzy describes a dirty bathroom. The poor souls who hear the cries of these lunatic consumers are ihe product support teams. Machine breaking, whether from frustration or ignorance, is no new phenomenon. In 1812, Lord Byron addressed the House of Lords with concern over the recent outbreak of machine breaking, saying "the perse- verance of these miserable men in their proceedings tends to prove that noth- ing but absolute want could have dri- ven a large, and once honest and indus- With a crack the crate gave way as hundreds of gallons of muddy river water poured out. Inside sit once-pristine file servers. Now water and mud seep from the disk drives and card slots. The flood victim has shipped his life blood, packed in water, to the data recovery specialists. trious, body of people into the com- mission of excesses so hazardous to themselves, their families, and the com- munity." The relationship of machine and worker has been radically transformed. Following are stories in the continu- ing saga of computer meltdown. Entries were solicited via my radio pro- gram, Web page, and BBS Magazine. The grand prize for the best entry is a year's subscription to this noble publi- cation. First, the runners-up. From the "Smell? What smell?" Department "A friend of mine had a piece of equip- ment he salvaged, an industrial-size line printer. He has a file server and several other PCs in his basement, but the printer was too big, so he ran a serial cable from the file server in the basement to the printer in his garage. He went to his garage, plugged in the print- er 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 "How to return a computer you've fried" 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 22 MARCH 1996 8BS MAGAZINE story doesn't end there. I bought the tiling a year ago and it was still under warranty. I put the cover back on and trucked it on down to the store where I got it. I 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 eventually got him to fix the computer under war- ranty by laying the dumb and innocent act on real thick. 1 never did get the interface working, but 1 got an A on the project (I was as surprised as you) and now I build computer interfaces for a living, so beware." — name withheld From the "All Wet" Department A recent entry from the data recovery company, Ontrack, reads: A white-col- lar criminal fearing capture with incriminating evidence, tossed his lap- top to the bottom of Lake Michigan. Several weeks later, police learned of the disposal of the computer and sent divers to retrieve it. The laptop was taken to the data recovery company, where they recovered 100 percent of the files, (insert "Doooohhhh" sound effect here from Homer Simpson) And the winner is. . . Christopher Clements has witnessed and compiled stories of absolute horror, some of which are reprinted below. Please do not read on if you have a weak stomach. "Hold it closer!" — I'll never forget the person who complained that when- ever he called the catalog system he got noise and nothing else; it turned out he didn't have a modem. Apparently he was manually dialing the phone and setting the handset near his computer. "I am too organized!" — A user's hard disk had crashed, so a replace- ment was installed — "you've got back- ups of your data Mrs. X, haven't you?" "Oh yes, I've kept backups for two years" {nice surprise). "OK, where are they and I'll restore them for you." "Here they are." User hands several ring-binders to the support person. All backups were on 5.25 floppy disks and each floppy disk had been neatly hole-punched and filed in the binders. Oops... "Silicon is good food" — The cus- tomer said they were having problems with their server and they couldn't seem to figure it out. It sounded electri- cal from what she was describing. My technician asked if there was anything going on within the building or any- thing unusual that day... her reply was "No, other than the party that we have going on here, and oh yeah, we have a crock pot plugged into the same power strip, daisy chained. Could that be causing a problem?" "Are you alone?" — I was on a call with a customer one time and asked her to put in the disk and close the door. Well, I heard the phone clunk as she put down the receiver and 1 heard clip clop of her heals as she actually w r ent to "close the door!" "Why the gene pool is in trouble" — I had taken a call from a user who was trying to minimize the Program Manager. 1 was trying to describe the maximize button as the "up arrow". She said she was clicking on it but nothing was happening. She was trying to click on the mouse cursor itself... Believe it or not, she called back later that day to ask how she could get her mouse cursor into the upper right cor- ner of her screen. She kept moving her mouse to the same corner on her mouse pad, and the cursor would only go to the middle of the screen. I had to coach her into actually picking up the mouse. "On the road again" — One of our sales reps called in from his hotel room furious that he was not able to get his notebook machine to dial in and get his email. We went through every possible configuration and file preference there was. Finally, I asked, "You do have the phone line connected to the modem, right?" This, of course made him even more angry. "Of course it's plugged in. I'm not an idiot," he said. So I asked what the other end was plugged in to. He said the telephone's data jack. Next I asked him to lift the receiver to see if there was a dial tone. He immediately said that there wouldn't be one, because he had to use the cord that ran from the wall to the phone, to connect MARCH 1 996 BBS MAGAZINE the computer to the phone. "What's that smell?" — While working in the support center for a moderately sized organization, one of the technicians working with me came in laughing uncontrollably. After a minute, he calmed down enough to tell me the reason. Moments before, he had received a service call from the secretar- ial pool. Perplexed by the warding of the request, he rushed over to see what was the matter. He arrived to find that the computer the secretary was using was still smoking from an apparent power supply overload. Needless to say, I was not laughing. . . yet. "What's so funny about that," I asked. Then he showed me the service request. The request read "My comput- er smells funny." "Gullible is as Gullible does" — I had a user that wanted to relocate a monitor from 25 feet from the CPU to 50 feet and, therefore, installed a longer cable. The next day the user called and said the system responded slower since the move. I joked that it was slower because the cable was longer and took more time for the information to move. Unfortunately the user believed me, and called back later to say they moved the monitor back. These, dear reader, are only a minuscule smattering of the songs of the doomed; that silicon swan song that echoes across data lines in burnt l's and 0's. All users, from the computer savvy BBS sysops to the novices with shiny new store-bought Pentiums, have or will experience computer chaostro- phy. But if the thousands of dollars you've invested in a machine go up in smoke or sit at the bottom of Lake Michigan, rest assured, your good friends at those data recovery compa- nies will gladly return the l's and 0's, those binary devils, back to their prop- er place — for some 1 's and 0's of another variety. Bl Lazlow Jones writes and produces the Underground Technofile, a show about BBSs, Internet and technology, for the Underground Network, an alternative radio satellite network in New York. The Technofile is syndicated on over 30 sta- tions nationwide. Email him at lazlow@undernet.com or www. under- net. com. 23 y- L3IP ^-^ bbs. notebook 7b qualify for possible review in BBS Notebook, call The Livcwire BBS at 609,235.5297. From the main menu, typcADDBBS and follow the prompts. Infinite Space Sysops: Charlie & Herb Scherker BBS Location: Orlando, FL Data Access*: 407.856.0021 BBS Software: Galacticomm's Workgroup A business board that grew out of two brothers' hobby, Infinite Space has made the wise choice of keeping its appeal broad while offering Web access to those who choose to ven- ture beyond the confines of a single BBS. The board, which co-sysop Charlie "Buzz" Scherker says boasts 10,000 registered users, offers 40 dial-up channels and 32 inbound Telnet channels to get in. Once there, users get a standard selection of board features, including chats (world-wide and local), games, digizines, MUDs, email and a file library that requires no fewer than six CD-ROMs to contain it. Obviously, since the Scherker broth- ers are making a go of it as a busi- ness, access is not free. Users can dial in for a flat rate of S15 per month, Telnet in (to genesis.ispace.com) for $5 per month, or pay an hourly fee of 50 cents. Internet access, including email, Telnet and FTP capabilities is included in the base price; however, if a user is simply interested in open- ing a personal SL1P/PPP account, he can get one for the going rate of BY STEVE JANAS $19.9a per month. Overall, the look of the board is clean and colorful, with tidy, profes- sional-looking buttons to take you where you want to go. Graphics are generally sparse, which can be a wise choice: unless they are professionally done, graphics — especially from those off-the-shelf paint box pro- grams — sometimes scream "ama- teur." The board's look is getting a fur- ther boost with the addition of a GUI that Galacticomm has intro- duced for Windows. According to Charlie, the interface "far surpasses what was ever imagined with the DOS-based RIP protocol." Charlie says the board is run from a P-90 file server over a Novell network. Various components of the system, such as the games and the CD-ROM drives, are housed on separate machines. "There is always one of us online, and no more than a page away for assistance." -Charlie Scherker, sysop of Infinite Space Web access is run from a separate system, which consists of Linux on two Pentium servers, two Livingston Portmasters, and 50 dialup 28.8 lines on a full T-l Connection. ISDN con- nectivity will debut sometime this year, Charlie says. The very first incarnation of Infinite Space was launched in 1987, using Remote Access software and one inbound line, Charlie says. He says he and his brother strive to keep the board as user-friendly as possible, and have hired a staff of about 10 employees. "We decided long ago that a large staff was needed to offer new callers a very personal touch," he says. "There is always one of us online, and no more than a page away for assistance. This has created a very pleasant online atmosphere where harassment and nonsense are mini- mal to nonexistent." As far as con- tent goes, games are the board's stock-in-trade, Charlie says. There is also a large selection of features of particular interest to central Floridians, as befits the board's geo- graphic location. If you're into rock, the FM station WDIZ has an area all of its own. Users can get playlists, DJ biographies, and lists of upcoming events online, and they can even fax in requests to the station. Nifty as the idea sounds, the area seems a bit neglected. When I checked in, the "music news" selection was devoid of news, and the top 10 playlist had not been updated for about four months. There is also a section devoted to movie reviews and soap opera news, although these, too, seem to lag behind the times a bit. The reviews are stylishly written, however, with an appealingly caustic bite where necessary. Overall, the board, while not exactly a threat to the major online services, does a good job in catering to its niches. That's an important lesson for others to learn iff >\r \P0PT PK. ( Clay ... 24 ■ t iimmersville XV / A/ U / MARCH'195R BBS MAGAZINE .* namsuiiuu tVS /*f/f* Wellsboro) Troy} luwd . IUt>) alusing m\l 1 ¥§P Honesdale rw?il Monticello as well: in the dawning age of online conglomerates, smaller players such as BBSs have to stay true to their core of users. The Showbiz lnfo*Net Sysops: Jim Coston & Tom Lacy BBS Location: Pembroke Pines, Fla. BBS Data Access*: 954.438.1504 BBS Software: Searchlight 4,5 As a concept, a board devoted to helping struggling artists break into show business is an intriguing one. God knows it's hard enough to make a living by following one's muse. As a board, however, Showbiz Info*Net needs a little work. There are a number of message areas promising information of particular interest to actors (writers, filmmakers and others who move through show- biz orbits appear to be ignored). Unfortunately, closer inspection of the areas reveals a paucity of content. A casting-call area, for example, was only lightly populated with notices, most of which were posted by sysops Jim Coston and Tom Lacy. Also, the board has a disconcert- ing habit of freezing up and then shutting users out of the system. This happened to me a good half-dozen times. This phenomenon violates a very basic credo of the online world (or any other world, for that matter): if you're going to make a business out of your system, service has to be reliable. Jim admits the system still has some bugs, and chalks it up to the fact that the board is relatively new, having been launched in September of 1995. He says that the growth in the number of subscribers willing to pay the $10 monthly access fee has been slow, but he and Tom are trou- ble-shooting the system while prospective users drop by to take a look. "We have quite a few casual users from as far away as Canada," he says. "We are starting to advertise in entertainment trade publications and hopefully will begin to see the fruits of our labors shortly." The board is simply and attractively laid out, with a combination of buttons and key- board commands rendered in bold, solid colors. It runs from a 486/DX40 machine with eight megabytes of RAM and a 850MB hard drive. Access is through one of three 14.4 BPS modems. In addition to showbiz news, the board also offers the standard BBS features such as chats and message areas, plus Internet email and a selec- tion of entertainment-related Usenet groups. While there are games and files available for download, Jim says that the board's focus lies elsewhere. "We currently do not have CD- ROMS on line," Jim says. "Our emphasis is not on software (we do have a modest selection of DOS, Windows, and Mac shareware, as well as text files relating to the enter- tainment industry) — instead the focus is on news and information." And once the system is function- ing properly, it should be a valuable source of information for aspiring professional performers. In addition to the Usenet groups and the casting calls, there are regular columns by, respectively, an entertainment lawyer and an entertainment accountant, both of whom are available to answer individual questions. There is also an online database containing the names and addresses of more than 10,000 agents, nightclubs, theme parks and theaters. Users can also upload their own resumes, plus headshots, into a separate resunvedatabase. There are also news areas regarding the various sub-cate- gories of the entertainment industry. One area provides news about job opportunities on cruise ships; anoth- er tells of the comings-and-goings in the theme park industry. There is also a listing of movies in produc- tion, updated monthly, which looks as if it was taken from the pages of one of the two showbiz bibles, The Hollywood Reporter or Variety. There is also standard news and weather features, as well as online versions of the trade publications Casting Call, The Dirt Alert and Club Modcle mag- azine. Again, the board shows promise. It will be a valuable resource once the sysops come to terms with the fact that the devil is in the details. Inside Information Sysops: Randy and Lou Snyder BBS Location: Fremont, Ohio Data Access*: 41 9.334.2374 BBS Software: Galaticomm Workgroup On the wires since late May of '92, Inside Information is seeking to carve a niche for itself as a general local-interest board and software library for the town of Fremont, Ohio and its environs. The annual cost for subscribing to the board is S35. Paying the fee places the user in the higher of two access levels, the lower one being the typical look-but- don't-touch category' that casual BBS browsers often encounter when they come upon new boards. For your money, you get a decent collection of shareware files, non- Internet email, bulletins and access to local forums. There appear to be no echoes through Fidonet or other net- works. The board's main menu also promises games, Doors and a general information area; however, these were temporarily (how temporarily is anybody's guess) unavailable when I logged on. There are some neat touches to the board that set it apart from the general crush of BBSs. One nifty fea- ture is an online pizza parlor — apparently you can use it to order pizza, and through ANSI graphics you can even choose from a selection of nine toppings. I didn't put them to the test, of course, mainly because I didn't care to contemplate what the tip might be for delivering a pizza from Ohio to my home in New Jersey. Another feature is listed on the main menu as MOM — the Mother Ordinance Module. Click on it, and a pre-loaded message appears on the screen to nag you. In addition, there are classified ads, listings of Continues... IWD, 3b* 36 >^ ft* V ach tach MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE exinflton Nanlic< * e RnTi7rrt , 50flftpceariCity 7 25 lri:ln:v T%% ^1,^ V » TOungsvillD TTT^i warHT S^qludlow (IV.) local businesses, and a toll-free BBS list which sysop Randy Snyder main- tains. The classifieds apparently haven't caught on much with the local consumers: to test it out, I entered "car" into the category search. The closest the board could manage was an ad for specialty cakes. The business listing is similar- ly sparse: only two businesses, a cof- fee house and a local computer store were represented. Generally, as a board, Inside Information appears to offer decent local service and a respectable number of files, although what is here does not seem to me to be a great incentive for people to pay the S35 subscription fee required for full access, unless the other local boards don't compare. Chargers Castle Sysop: Dean Arthur BBS Location: LaRue, Texas Data Access #: 903.675.534B BBS Software: Remote Access 2.02 Another small, general-interest board, this time located in LaRue, Texas. Sysop Dean Arthur has fash- ioned a board with a rather modest graphic style built on ANSI graphics. There is a decent selection of files to choose from, contained on the sys- tem's one gigabyte hard drive, plus an online CD-ROM drive, access to which is what essentially differenti- ates one access level from another. Users can poke around the board for free, but they are limited to 30 minutes of online time per day, and can only download a maximum of 500K worth of files. That's actually not a bad deal, considering the num- ber of boards out there that don't even offer that much. If you decide to pay for access to the board, the cost ranges from S25 to $65 per year. At the bottom end of the scale, you get 45 minutes of online time, plus a download ratio; for the maximum amount, you get two and a half hours of time, plus clearance to download three megabytes per day. There are 29 file areas on the board to choose from, covering topics that include missing children, BBS files, genealogy, Ham radio, food and nutrition, and, of course, lists of other BBSs. The files on the CD-ROM are basically adult files. The message areas are pretty slim: there are only three to choose from. One posts messages back and forth among Chargers Castle users; anoth- er shuttles messages to another BBS, called CB Shop, and a third, called "Introductions," which had nothing in it at all. There are also a number of Doors that can be launched from the board's main menu. They cover the usual ground: card games, roll- playing games, trivia. But there are also adult and religious doors as well. Every board has its quirky side, which gives it its personality — Chargers Castle is no exception. One of the choices that greets users from the main menu lists the day's head- lines from the grand-daddy of all supermarket tabloids, the National Enquirer. The camp appeal of the publication and its brethren appar- ently knows no boundaries. There are also horoscopes, updated daily, classifieds and a "joke of the day" Door which, unfortunately was out of order when I stopped by. 1 guess humor took a holiday. Dragon Haulers Sysops: Michael & Carol Senneilo BBS Location: Lady Lakes, FL Data Access #: 904.753.3643 BBS Software: Wildcat! 3.9 A curious name for a board. If it conjures images of tractor-trailers plying the nation's highways like so many fire-breathing lizards, that appears to be the intention. Sysops Michael and Carol Senneilo lead a group of altruistic truckers called Truckers Love Children (or TLC) which they pro- mote at every opportunity from the board. The group, according to the online literature, seeks to help chil- dren "who have fallen through the cracks" — my guess is they're talking about runaways, although (hat's never really made clear. Anyway, one of the opening screens invites users to read a bulletin about the group, and the couple have dedicated one of the board's 35 conference areas to postings about it. The inclusion of a group like this is interesting for two reasons: one, because someone is trying to use the grassroots power of BBSs to weave a safety net for a social underclass, and two, because the service is apparently set up under the assumption that truckers are warming up to BBS culture in enough numbers to make such an effort worthwhile. Interesting. Meanwhile, the board offers the standard features of a small, local general-interest board. New users' access is restricted to three file areas, which contain communications shareware and a settings file for the board, until their personal statistics can be checked out. Then, access goes up. In addition to the TLC con- ference, users can choose from a list that includes private email (no Internet), comments to local busi- nesses, lists of BBSs, and a "Gammers (sic) Galorea," which appears to be a boasting zone for proud gamers. There are a few games here for users to check out. The Sennellos appear to be trumpeting a D&D- style game called Usurper, and there are other similar themed games available. Graphically, the Sennellos do as much as they can with the color ANSI that they have to work with. (No offense to them, but ANSI in general is looking more and more backwards in comparison to the stunning effects some sysops are achieving with later software pro- grams and RIP). The menus are mostly bold, solid colors, laid out simply, with the intention of making them easy to use. Overall, a decent small-scale effort. Now let's see if truckers embrace it. hh Steve Janas is editor and co-founder of Nexus Six magazine, the journal of gutter-tech. He welcomes news of new and noteworthy boards. He can be contacted at janas@aol.com. r^h&tSS*!} { Clay 2E R (x.i" ■' ' / v Oi / "v. ,-< i MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 92V wm i 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 BOOK. 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. 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 "On-The-Fly" Built-in Default Text File Viewer Can Run In Text Mode Blows Competitors Out of The Water Mged #/ Shareware CD-KQM Cyber. Xpo. 95 Discs Sold Separately: 76ePierS6meH Welcome to the Haines fk Nelson Books Online Information System. d Why settle for a you can have the Open up to a new chapter in online systems: Wildcats S for Windows 95/ NT Customers can check an event schedule for book signings and other happenings using a custom system designed with wcCODE. I L r i A moderated tele- conference system lets Baines and Nelson hold online question and answer sessions with local and celebrity authors. Wildcat Navigator RHE Baines & Nelson created its own book reviews and links to book publisher Web pages right front Wildcat! I EVENTS Mm NEWSSTAND CUSTOMER SERVICE REVIEWS CR4I ARCHIVES MESSAGING ORDERS ;NUM. M Wildcat! Are you considering the World Wide Web for your online needs? Consider this. A web site is great for viewing documents, but your own online service can give you more. Messaging. File manage- ment. Interactive teleconferencing. Data security. Your own online community where members want to visit and come back again and again. But where do you turn to get your own online service? Turn to the company that's been creating online software not for 10 months or 10 weeks, but 10 years: Mustang Software. Then open up to a new chapter in online systems with the power of Wildcat! 5 for Windows 95/NT. It's a 32-bit online information system that combines the browsing ease of the Web with the powerful features of a bulletin board: the ultimate information server. Wildcat! has the power to provide an online solution for nearly any type of business wanting to get on the information superhighway. See how our fictitious bookstore, Baines & Nelson, uses Wildcat! 5 to create its online presence. Wildcat! gives your members access to information through modem, LAN, WAN, and the Internet. Ji JiH Uniuar Jr. UHMtfl a ttucnrij t...i .''.iii * Vtl horffacMJ) hnAra * tip Ii:i>. Nth u.pLrc I I ih-r*-\|r*,.. /. Vlipihttt Customers can check Baines & Nelson's inventory and order products using the Wildcat! ODBC add-on. few pages when whole book! With Wildcat! Haines & Nelson's customers can send and receive e-mail quickly and easily. Message Conferences Wildcat! 's message conferences are similar to forums found on the larger online services like CompuServe. Each conference can have its own message base, files, bulletins, questionnaires, display screens and menus. File Management You can make documents, spreadsheets, databases and other files available through Wildcat's file management system. Searching , . . . b 77* . ./,. ° Search Baines & Nelson s and retrieving are as easy as pointing and clicking on an icon. archives with the wildcat! Security file management system. Wildcat! gives you the power to define exactly which files, messages, and menu options your members can access. It's ideal for supporting different departments, offices, and even entire companies. Free Wildcat! Navigator The free Wildcat! Navigator gives your members access to services through modem, LAN and the Internet. Its point and click operation lets members browse your online service by selecting hypertext regions and icons. World Wide Web Interface The key to Wildcat's ease of navigation is its use of hypertext markup language (HTML). This is the same language used to create pages on the World Wide Web. Future versions of Wildcat! will include support for Haines & Nelson expanded its customer service lines to include 24-hour contact via e-mail and real-time access through Wildcatt's chat system. Teleconference/Chat Wildcat's real-time teleconferencing provides an exciting way for members to interact one-on-one or in groups. Moderated chats give members an organized forum for group discussions or question and answer sessions. Polls/Questionnaires One of the best ways of gathering information is through Wildcat's questionnaire interface. It's powerful and flexible enough to quickly gather demographic and marketing information and even process online orders. Using the included HTML editor, Baines & Nelson easily creates news pages and bulletins to keep their customers up to date on bookstore news. full-motion video and Virtual Reality. With the Internet Connectivity Package, members will even be able to navigate the World Wide Web through your Wildcat! system. So why settle for a few pages? With a world of connectivity and powerful options at its disposal, Wildcat! is truly the online solution for your business. To experience the Baines and Nelson Book Store for yourself, download the Wildcat! Navigator from Mustang Online. You can reach us at telnet://bbs.mustang.com, http://bbs.mustang.com, ftp://bbs.mustang.com, or through modem at 805-873-2400. If you'd like to discover how Wildcat! is creating online solutions for companies, call our Solutions Office at 1-800-208-0616 for a free consultation. Wildcat! 5 Add-ons: • Internet Connectivity Package • Internet Service Provider Package ■ Microsoft Exchange Gateway ■ wcCODE Development Language • Wildcat! Billing • Bulletin Board Source Code • ODBC Database Support • Wildcat! Reports • Software Developer Kit ■ And Much More! &R3SI Connecting The World™ Mustang Software, Inc. • 6200 Lake Ming Road • Bakersfield, CA 93306 Voice 805-873-2500 • Fax 805-873-2599 • BBS 805-873-240O Internet http://www.mustang.com 800-208-0616 $ 3996 Mustang Software. Inc All names ato trademaiks st iheir respective compBrne message when i first ran it under Windows 95, it seemed to work fine anyway. It is distributed as freeware — there's no shareware fee. But if you like it, why not send its author a quick email message thanking him for his work? LottoMan 1.38 LTTMN1.ZIP, LTTMN2.ZIP, LTTMN3.ZIP, LTTMN4.ZIP. LTTMN5.ZIP by K. Scott Piel Lighthouse Engineering 5055 Pleasant Valley Road Virginia Beach, VA 23464-6005 Email: 74151.l035@campuserve.com Lotto fans! Are you interested in keeping track of winning lot- tery numbers for com- puterized analysis? Do you want to see how your picks stack up against the ones that won the big cash prizes? Do you fully understand the way number theory works and how it relates to lotteries? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, LottoMan's the pro- gram for you! LottoMan uses number theory to ana- lyze and chart winning lottery picks. With it, you can maintain a complete database of winning picks for the vari- ous lotteries in your state. (In fact, it comes with an extensive database that shows winning numbers over time.) By using LottoMan's features properly, you may actually improve your odds of picking winning lottery numbers. LottoMan works by graphing the probabilities for each number pick based on past lottery results. By elimi- nating the numbers that are picked less frequently and choosing from the num- bers that appear more often in winning combinations, you increase your odds of picking the correct numbers. Is this foolproof? Of course not. LottoMan does not guarantee success (and neither do I!). But LottoMan does provide all the tools necessary for keep- ing track of your picks and winning picks for complete, statistical analysis. LottoMan includes extensive Online help and two tutorials to get you start- ed. It is distributed as shareware — try it for 30 days before either removing it from your computer or paying the SI 29.95 shareware fee. Payment of the fee gets you a registered copy of the lat- est version of LottoMan on disk, unlimited technical support, upgrades within the same major version number (l.xx), discounts on major upgrades, lotto result database updates, and a free 13-issue subscription to Lotto World magazine. While the casual lotto player may not think LottoMan worth the price, once a real lotto fanatic tries it, LottoMan includes data for past lottery drawing and can chart results a variety of ways to increase your odds of picking winning numbers. he might wonder how he made his picks without it. 32 Windows/ Macintosh Here's a game that's available in two versions: for Windows and for Macintosh. Rooked 1. IP by Imagix Productions 5830 Oberlin Drive, Suite 304 San Diego, CA 921 21 For puzzle lovers, Rooked is a game worth looking into. Easy to play, this full-color game MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE offers a difficult to master puzzle that anyone will find challenging and per- haps a little addictive. To play, drag colorful puzzle pieces onto the game board with your mouse. The pieces, which are similar lo the falling shapes in a Tetris game, will completely cover the game board grid when placed properly. You race against the clock to complete the puzzle as quickly as possible, while wacky music plays in the background. Lose points for moving puzzle pieces you've already placed. When you've done all you can, end the game to get your score. What I found interesting about Rooked is that it was created with Macromind Director, a high-end pre- sentation software package that can generate stand-alone application files. This proves that creating a game doesn't require the knowledge of com- plex programming languages like C or Pascal. Rooked is distributed as demoware — you can play only three times. Users who pay the $10 shareware fee receive a password they can enter to remove the three-game limit. Macintosh Bolo vO.99,7 by Stuart Cheshire P.O. Box 8323 Sanford, CA 94309 Email: Cheshire@cs.stanford.edu Did you ever want to drive a tank through fields, forests, swamps, and Available in both Windows and Macintosh versions. Rooked is a puz- zle game for fitting pieces onto a playing board. IMS \lwsiKitir is nut iinlv vimi ticket In ^•^^•** in the evolving information higbwa) . it's also \ your road map. **S-*r' With features on the latest in bulletin board software, interviews with lop industry insiders and news and reviews of everything making its \\A\ mil) cyberspace. IMS Mniiuzlne lias become required offline reading for anyone getting online. ^^L,- Each month uelook a! the best and brightest BBSs, as well as those jusi getting stalled, and review the most informative books on BBSing and online services. Every issue features our expert columnists commenting on all aspects of life online. Prom the best deals on modems to our look into the internet — it's all there. BBS Magazine is written for yon. the BBS caller. The stories are exciting, informative and often entertaining. ^W^ifr We won't waste your time, but we will gel \ou eoiineeled. •• ^ BOA' tfotf"' r w jrtuw** 1 \ 0° Magazine «! Subscriptions (U.S. funds only): D 1 year US - $36. Can./Mex. - $60. Elsewhere — $120. □ 2 years US - $60. Can./Mex. - $100. Addre: Cilv State . Zip Code Phone (home) (bus.) Payment Type D Check /Money Order □ Visa □ MasterCard CC# , Exp. Date Signature BBS Name (if any). BBS# vi, 701 Stokes Road • Medford, NJ 08055 • Subscription Hotline: 800.822.0437 -fa Pax: 609.953.7961 Web: www.hbsmag.com rivers? Did you ever want to shoot your way through walls and destroy mine- fields, pillboxes, and enemy tanks? If so, Bob is a game you should track down and try, Bolo is a full-color, arcade-style tank game, complete with sounds. Using a keyboard or joy- stick, you pilot your tank through a playing field. Your tank's top speed varies depending on the terrain you cross — roads are fastest while swamps and rivers are slowest. Driving through a river has another drawback: it depletes your weapon sup- ply. Capturing a refueling base replenishes all your systems, getting your tank in battle-ready condition again. You can also farm trees to build bridges and boats that make trans- portation quicker or easier. The object of the game is to destroy or capture pillboxes and enemy tanks. While in single-player mode, your only real oppo- nents are the fixed pillbox- es which will fire on you whenever you're in range and they "see" you. But Bolo can also be played over an AppleTalk net- work, the Internet, or a modem — that means you can fight tanks controlled by up to 16 other Macintosh users at once! Since the game has a kind of cult following, it should- n't be difficult to find other willing players online. By forming alliances with other players, you can build an indestructible team. Bolo includes complete instructions, as well as a tutorial mode that provides on-screen instructions as you play. It also includes sample code, alternative 34 In Bolo, you maneuver your tank through all kinds of terrains, playing against oppo- nents on a network or modem. adiiinistpat™ BBS COHHAND COHTEFEBCE DISK DOS DOVNLOAD MAIL EHULATtON riDOKET FILE FPEEVAPE OSAPHIC ItTTEPFACE INTEPNFT HACINTOSH HESSAGE MODEIS NE'.'S'jp-jUP OSLIKE PROTOCOL stand. SHAPEVAPS SY50F TTLICOraniHICATIOH TTPHINAL TT>AHSFEP Tff UPLOAD DSL USER •n vindoks XTODEH ZWODEH With Word Find, you can create your own word find puzzles to print or paste i other documents. Realm* is a fantasy/role-playing game with multiple characters and excellent graph- ics and sounds. maps and map editors, and a variety of other useful files and utilities. Bolo is distributed as shareware. If you decide to keep it after a reasonable trial period, pay a $25 shareware fee to help encourage the author to continue improving and updating this excellent game. Word Find 1,4.1 by Brett C. Helbig Email: bhelbig@motown.ge.com Word Find is a word search puzzle generator for Macintosh users. To use Word Find, simply create or import a list of words and use the Generate Puzzle command to create a puz- zle. You can then print the list and puzzle or copy them to another file — like a newsletter or other docu- ment you'd like to distrib- ute to others. You can even generate an illustration of the answer. Puzzle preference options let you set the size of the puzzle (number of columns and rows) and valid word directions. You can set whether the puzzle should contain both upper- case and lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation. You can also set printing- related options like the font, header, and border. Word Find includes complete documentation in a Readme file. It is distrib- uted as freeware, making it quite a bargain. But if you do try it and like it, remem- ber to take a moment to send its author a brief thank-you note. It's the least you can do. For answers to the Word Find screen here, check page 57. MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Realmz 2.3.3 by Tim Phillips Fantasoft, LLC P.O. Box 14261 Madison, Wl 53714-0261 Email: Fantasoft1@aol.com Perhaps you prefer fantasy/roie-play- ing/adveriture games. If so, you'll defi- nitely want to check out Realmz, a Macintosh game that features full-color graphics, extensive music and sound effects, not to mention customizable play features. Start the game by choosing mem- bers for a part)' of adventurers. Although the character skills and traits are preset, you can customize them, if desired, or create new characters from scratch. Then begin your adventures in "The City of Bywater," the scenario that comes with the game. Your party has some money (but not much), a desire for adventure, and the ability to explore freely throughout the city, moving along a map to enter buildings, pick up items, barter, do bat- tle, cast spells, and collect treasure. Bywater is just one of the many sce- narios available from Fantasoft. It's an honest city with a kind king. A cult of spider worshippers has built a tower east of the city where it practices evil ceremonies and plots the overthrow of the king. There are goblins to the south, ores to the east, and giants to the southwest. This is just some of the information provided about Bywater in Realmz's extensive DOCMaker-based manual. Realmz includes many features and commands that help you on your adventure. You can write and leave notes, keep journal entries, view maps, and change a wide range of preferences. These features arc all documented in the Realmz manual, but the average beginner can learn quite a bit about the program just by exploring Bywater. When you're ready for a new challenge, there are always additional scenarios with lands to explore. Realmz is distributed as shareware. Paying the S25 shareware fee gets you a registration code that unlocks all of the Bywater scenario for exploration, gives you demos of other scenarios, removes the shareware reminders, and adds additional features. Additional scenar- ios are $15 or less each. Fantasoft dis- tributes other role-playing adventure games as shareware. If you like Realmz, be sure to look for them, too. Finding these Files If you can't find these files on your favorite BBS, try mine. The Electronic Pen BBS (201 .767.6337) is a two-line FirstClass-based system in Harrington Park, NJ, Connect with the freely dis- tributable FirstClass Client software for a great graphic user interface. Once online, look in the Sharewaring confer- ence folder 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. User your browser to view the URL http://www.intac.com/ -gilesrd/ and link to the Sharewaring page from there. EBB Maria Langcr is a freelance writer and computer consultant who has been run- ning a BBS since 1989. Site is the author of nine computer books, includingExcd for Windows 95: Visual QuickStart Guide for Peachpit Press. Contact her at giiesrd@intac.com. Experience the AHS MEGA Market™ software. Mega Market is a special scries of shopping, subscription, and money-making modules designed for your online system. Collecting money from your callers will never he a hassle. ABS software comes complete with a Checks Direct."™ (OCD) account, which allows you to instantly accept checks online from your callers. Everyone is pre-approved for OCD and sel-up with ABS is ABSolutely *FREE! "If you want to bv the Macys of the online world, thtspaekage is a tiki'Iy candidate J or your storefront. ' Rourdwuxeh Magazine - October 1995 Free Set-Up for online checks wJony purchase CALL ABOUT WEB PAY™! AMERICAN BANKING SYSTEMS S000 South Orange Ave. Sic. 102 Orlando. FL 32809 PH: 407.888.9091 FX: 407.888.9092 BBS: 407.888.9093 Merchant Accounts Good Credit - Bad Credit - No Credit Call for detailed pricing and information! MEGA Muta™ and Online Cbecb Dinw"» .,n- ri»dra«its of ABS Ml mher IradcrmAl Jff IlK ffnpem ut Ihjir rc-peLl;, e mmpmii-. MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 35 B ¥ interneti//ujith.ease CH SANTALESA Speed up your modem in Windows, Win95 and Mac Submitted for your approval, orie Tom E>. (OiilJAe, a practitioner of all thirds digital, Mr. (iqlifie has just purchased a new V.^4 £§.§ modem and i$ looking forward to faster trartfmksioii speedy. Unfortunately, he'll be taking a side voyage into the CommU£ht Far-fetched? If Rod Serling peddled his craft today there'd undoubtedly be an episode centered on modems. Why? Because other than figuring out how that Gremlin actually managed to stay on the wing despite the plane traveling a few hundred miles an hour (remember the movie?), there's noth- ing about computers that's so widely misunderstood than the black art of tuning modems for maximum speed. Over ten years ago when the first 300 baud modems became widely available, modems suffered from massive dif- ferences in command strings and setups, but tuning for speed was basically a non-issue. If you connected you got 300 baud — no compression, no error correction. Today, with 28.8Kbps modems practically the norm, con- necting successfully at the highest possible speeds calls for a three-pronged attacked centered on the right system hardware 3B MARCH 1996 BBS followed by a bit of tuning and winding up with the Comm Fates smiling down on your efforts. If any part of the troika is sub-par, it'll drag you down. While it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a dirty phone line translates into dropped connec- tions and aggravation, there are many pieces to the comm puzzle that are often overlooked. ZOAe. Tne Win 3 - 11 connection If you're still running Windows 3.1x there's little chance of reli- ably breaking the 14.4Kbps mark. Yeah, I know you have a 28.8Kbps modem and "think" you're communicating at 28.8Kbps. You may be "connected" at 28.8, but maintaining a 28.8Kbps data stream is a different story. Sorry to have to be the one to pop your balloon, but a stock Win 3. lx system is simply not suited for serial communication past 14.4Kbps, especially if your system is a few years old. Virtually all older PCs are saddled with what's known as a 16450 serial chip, which contains a tiny one-character buffer. Even older is the 8250 serial chip, but for performance pur- poses the two chips are basically the same. Team either one of these slowpokes with Win 3,x's anemic comm driver, and even a fast system puffs mighty hard to avoid dropping characters. Luckily, a few relatively simple fixes can bring Win 3.1x into the communications 21st century. MAGAZINE First, you need to check what serial chip your system actually has buried inside. If you already have the case open, the easiest method is to simply eyeball your serial card, or mother- board, and look for a chip with a National Semiconductor label and the numbers 16450 or 16550. (PCMCIA modem users have no need to worry. The PCMCIA bus can handle 28.8 and faster speeds.) An easier way is to fire up a utility that sniffs under the hood, such as Norton's System Info or Microsoft's MSD.EXE (found in your Windows directory). After running MSD, select the COM Ports category. At the bottom of the screen MSD lists the type of "UART" found in your system. If the line reads 8250 or 16450, plan on set- ting aside a few bucks for a serial accel- erator card, such as Hayes' ESP board, or a new serial card sporting 16550 ser- ial chips. If you're the hands-on type, have some free time and your 16450 is socketed, you can save money by buy- ing a stand-alone 16550 chip and replacing the older model. The 16550 is vastly superior since it contains a 16- character buffer that eases the strain on your system. Once your hardware is up to speed, you need to ditch the Windows com- munications driver. The actual file is comm.drv. In my experience, the best way to do this is to pick up a copy of Pacific CommWare's TurboCom- manderPro (503.482.2744; fax; 503.482.2627; BBS: 503.482.2633). TurboCommander replaces Windows' own comm driver with an optimized and tunable driver that works wonders to boost your data flow. Several comm programs — such as Delrina's WinComm and Traveling Software's Laplink — include their own replace- ments for the comm.drv that likewise speed throughput. With your hardware tuned and your drivers turbocharged, the next stop is Windows itself. I can't tell you how many systems I've seen packed with a brand new, cutting-edge 28.8 modem, only to find that the comm port is set for 9600. Every byte of data that flies down your modem line actually travels at several comm speeds within your system — the flow between your com- puter and the serial port, the flow from the serial port to the modem, and the final leg from the modem to the out- side world. Your port speed should be set at 57K or higher. From here on, it should be smooth comm sailing. Getting 99% out of Win95 Windows 95 users, assuming you suc- cessfully install what has been tongue- in-cheek dubbed "the world's largest virus," are in a much better position than Win 3.1x users. Not only does Win95 include TCP/IP drivers that make connecting to the Internet much easier compared to Win 3.11, but Win95 also includes support for the 16550, and its comm.drv was finally overhauled to better support high comm speeds. Basically, if you have Windows 95, and a 16550-equipped motherboard or serial card, all you need to do is to select the modem applet in the Control Panel and check the Properties settings. You'll want your modem speed set to at least 57,600, If things work you can Continues... Major BBS v6.25 - $129.95 | Special Price for Limited Time Only! Call for (he full line of Galaclicomm Products Valuable Applications for The Major BBS! Global Monitor ■ Split screen monitor users by key, class or userid & still use bhs. $79 Chat-Now - SpMi screen one on one chat & still use the bhs! Sysop forced chat too! $125 Lost Caverns- Open Knded Mud - your users build ihe game as the; 1 play it! $399 Pick Up Artist - Lets sec if" you're as hoi as you think you are! Careful not io get dumped. $99 Bartender ■ Mate drinks for computer controlled customers it manage your own bar > tM iile Viewer ■ Let users scroll up down and keyword search any length textfite on your bbs. $79 Accounting Automation • Accept 900*, Credit Cards and other forms of payment. $39 Anonymous Teleconference - Nobody knows who said what in this teleconferncc. $49 Colorific - Let your users color coordinate messages, registries, pages, whispers and more. $25 Credit Exchange - Allow users to swap days for credits or credits for days, totally flexible. $39 Dual Password Security - Give users a second password for certain areas of your bbs. $39 Executive Informer - Send News, Bulk Email by key, class, ses, age & more. $49 Global Teleconference - Talk in 36 channels at the same time from anywhere. $49 Graffiti Wall ■ Our colorful Urafini Wall is globally accessible for extra usage. $15 Modem-To-Modem - Play modem to modem games or transfer files directly to users $29 Not Keys - Negate the effects of keys in personal or ctass keyrings - give to users or classes $49 Major Pager- let users make iheii beeper gooff when receiving email, pages and more 1 ! 579 Ultra Global s, - The most useful package of glohats available, many unique features. $79 World Wide War ■ formerly World Conquest, strategy game of wnrld domination. SI 39 Autopost - Leave a message for the next user, can hold configurable U of messages. $15 Cybertech - futuristic role playing text adventure, over 400 rooms, player combat $79 Forbidden Lands I - The City of falchon, over 300 rooms to explore, D&D Style Game $79 Forbidden Lands IE - The Vale of Grimy-re, over 500 rooms and over 120 monster types 579 Forbidden Lands 111 - The Islands of Dawn, over 600 rooms and configurable qu**T* $79 EZ-Matler- Send all new signups a flyer in the mail automatically! £79 Choke ■ Graphical word game; save the sysop from being choked! Expandable dictionary $99 Star Market - Hutllcl trad iny companies in space and then purchase stock to make profit. $ 1 29 Online Menu Tree Editor - Edit menuing system without taking system offline $89 Who Cares'? - Control what gets posted to your audit trail. £29 User Information Editor - Replaces account display/edit. Sysop edit user info $64 Major Query - Keyword search your audit trail online, list users with a certain key &. more £39 Link Your BBS and the Internet with Internet Collection Cheersofl 457 Highway 79 Morganville, NJ 07751 800-466-1318 x7300 E33&$i RK 908^591*52 Now you can offer your callers access to the Internet right from your PCBoard BBS. Your callers can use SLIP or PP'P to browse the World Wide Web with graphical web browsers or use any of the "text-mode applications as though they arc a part of the BBS itself - including Telnet, RLogin, FTP. Gopher, Archie, Finger, Ping, Whois and NTime, PCBoard* for DOS PCBoard* far OS/2 PCBoard is now available on CD-ROM _ 1 .800.356. 1 686 =^»». -= Clark Development Company, Inc. X F3950 South 7(H) East, Suite 303, Murray. Utah 84107-2173 : Tel 80 1. 26 1. 1 686 Rut 801.261-8987 BBS 801.26X8976 email sales@saltair com - tech.supoort@saltair.com Copynghi 19&5 CMrt DtuveJoprmnt Company, Imc All RigPrts RraiEV4d PCBoard pod PCSWail a-a rpglslcrBd Emdmaf .wd PPLCn.alradsrruirV of Clartt Development Company, lie MARCH 1396 BBS MAGAZINE 37 raise the speed to 1 15,200. This setting is the maximum speed the computer will talk to your serial chip. Another item to check is the Port Settings within the Connections area in the modem applet. Make sure the "Use FIFO buffers" checkbox is selected and that the Receive Buffer slider switch is set to high. Lastly, within the Advanced area, select the Hardware flow check- box and the Compress data checkbox. Depending on the service you use for Net/BBS access, these settings should ensure that you're squeezing info down your phone line at top speed. Maximizing your Mac For Mac users, setting up for the online world is paradoxically easier and tricki- er than in the WinTel world. On the one hand the Mac's easier because you shouldn't have to worry about stupid things like serial chips and such. Every Mac can handle comm speeds up to 57K, though only the newer speedy Macs made within the last two years can successfully handle 64K or higher speeds through the serial ports. Any Mac can handle ISDN or faster comm connections via a NuBus or PCI card. A major item for Mac users in search of maximum modem speed is to check whether your modem cable supports hardware handshaking. If it doesn't, your info won't move at high speed no matter how much you play with your modem and software settings. Many older, and some new, Mac modem cables aren't wired to properly support hardware handshaking. An easy way to check if you're wired for speed is to review the serial port modem configuration settings. If you've been connecting successfully and the hardware handshaking check- box is selected, it's a safe bet that your cable is fine. Next, assuming MacTCP and your PPP dial-in are each properly config- ured, the situation can get a bit mud- dled if you're also connecting to AOL or eWorld via a PPP account. Both AOL and eWorld install their own modem configuration dialogs, which added to Apple's own Modem Toolbox returns a strong prescription for user confusion. Take it slow, read the docs and you'll be fine. The key for Internet access, however, is to set up ConfigPPP — or whatever dial-in script you use — to utilize your modem's highest speed. If you don't have a modem setup script, contact your ISP or modem manufacturer for info on how to download or configure one. All in all, tapping the online world at maximum speeds needn't be a trip into madness, frustration or strange events. Rod Serling eat your heart out. For further info, check out: • Connecting your Portable Com- puter's Modem to Digital Phone Systems at http://warrior.com/cpp001.html. • Curt's High Speed Modems FAQ at http://www.teleport.com/~curt/modems. html. • Modem Media — http://www.modem- media.com/. • Modem Tutorial — http://www.raca!. com/dcom/modein. tutorial. html. Old, but Rich Santalesa is the Executive Editor of NetGuide Magazine and a former founding editor of 'Windows User. He's burned through more modems than he can remember at this point. THE BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEMS MACAZIME Don't miss another issue SllbSCPJbe Today □ 1 year USA $36;MEX/CAN S60 US: Elsewhere S120 US (First Class mail) □ 2 years USA S60;MEX/CAN S100US; Elsewhere $220 US (First Class mail) YOl CAN CHARGE VISA OR MASTERCARD BY CALLING 1-800-822-0437 (10 am - 4 pm est) LJ Enclosed is my check for S US funds only □ Credit card (circle one) VISA M/C # Exp. date Signature Name Address City State/Zip Code Phone (home) _ (bus.) MAIL TO: Callers Digest. Inc.. 701 Stokes Rd., Medford, NJ 08055. If paying by credit card, you may FAX this form at (609) 953-7961. f Surf The 'Net On liiHi HaiiiTmli 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 computer 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' 1 -800-753-4223 1 -800-RJN-TCON (Info via voice) (Info via modem) 1-317-358-5199 {modem info & local access #) telnet:trader.com TT 33 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Aju Uugnra 6<> Inro n i.otllffi5 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. Worldgroup is the next generation of online server software, integrating 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 In ternet, online shopping and a mul tit ude of other features. So pick up your 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. ProDesign is your best source for die Worldgroup telecommunica- tions software package andits add-ons. We also offer a host of services, from custom ap- plication development and custom graphics services to full turn-key systems. n addition to our own software and services, ProDesign also rj:l ; .- :■■ represents the very best in Indepen- dent Software Vendor add-ons from such companies as Vircom, Logicom, Humanware Sys- tems, Cinecom, Labyrinth and High WaterMark. Call ProDesign today IJP to order your Worldgroup system, or to expand on your already existing system. PO Box 14314 * Albuquerque, NM 87191-4314 (505) 271-5858 Voice « (505) 271-5845 Fax * (505) 244^000 BE Call today to place your order or to receive our free catalog! Macintosh Online BY MICHAEL A. KUYKENDALL _^ Let There Be A s I sit down to write it seems I've lost my voice (to a cold or some such thing), but I still have a voice in what goes on with my BBS — a helpful bit of symbolism that gets us going on this month's topic: creating your own BBS. Having a voice in how your board is run, and control in its design and cre- ation, is central to being a sysop. We sysops often insert our own flair and creativity into our online services — one of the reasons many of us got into this craziness in the first place. Which brings me to the key ques- tions: How do we go about creating our boards, adding special features, and then marketing the whole deal to the rest of the world? Over the next few months I'll be covering these very top- ics, talking with sysops about their BBSs and the origins of their species. Who am I? The first thing we need to decide is what type of board we're going to run. I'm not talking about the kind of host software here, but the main theme for our board — this will help later with the eventual design of the BBS. Many sysop wannabes mistakenly think the type of host software they use is the first item of importance. But you really need to plan the focus and direc- tion of your board long before you start looking at software, because whether you go with a command line or graphi- cal interface, if you don't have a fixed plan in mind, you're really not going anywhere. First off, when planning a BBS 40 you've got to ask yourself, "What am I looking for in a bulletin board?" This might seem elementary, but it's a nec- essary step. Some BBSs offer lots of message areas, some are big on files for down- loading, some have games you can play online and others aim to act as a gate- way to the Internet. But each board has its own style, its own emphasis. Basically you've got four types of BBSs: (OK there are more, but for the sake of brevity...) Hobbyist BBS — usually run by one sysop (and perhaps some volunteers) as an extension of a sysop's hobby, or supporting a local group or organiza- tion {church, Rotary Club, Macintosh User's Group) out of the home of the sysop. The emphasis here is not on making money, but more on "scratch- ing an itch" — the love for a certain subject, or just a penchant for comput- ing and telecommunications in general. This is probably the most common strain of BBS you'll find, most as one- or two-line systems. These are also the most volatile type of BBSs, with sys- tems often going up then down in only a few months time. Tip: Realize in advance that being a sysop means a lot of devotion and a lot of time, upload- ing files, maintaining accounts and other thankless tasks. When you're not MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Some ins and outs of building A BBS being paid (unless you're successfully charging for accounts), many sysops simply lose interest. Commercial BBS — Run by indi- viduals/companies as a money-making venture, these services usually have lots of phone lines, with the sysop(s) some- times marketing products or offering multi-line live discussions and all kinds of interactivity. Company-Sponsored BBS — These boards are usually for promoting a ser- vice or product. Many companies also run support bulletin boards where users can download upgrades, patches, or upload corrupt files. Some not only run support boards but maintain World Wide Web sites as well. These boards help a business service their users better, and get some promotional info out there as well. Government BBS — There are far too many of these to mention here, but suffice it to say most federal (and many state and local) governmental agencies operate BBSs internally for employees or externally for the general public. Get information here on everything from fishing licenses to a transcript of the U.S. Federal Budget. Narrowing your focus The biggest problem new sysops have is coming up with a focus for their board. The first thing one should do is get on the modem horn and call around. See what other sysops are doing, what boards seem to be the most popular, and what seems to be working for oth- ers. Basically, check out your potential competition and allies. MM Many sysop wannabes mistakenly think the type off host software they use is the first item of importance. But you really need to plan the focus and direction of your board long before you start looking at the software..." Most importantly, if you have a spe- cial interest — something you really enjoy — try working it into your board. Operating a service on some- thing you enjoy (book collecting) is a thousand times more fun than doing it on a subject ot little interest to you (lawn mower repair tips). Pretty logical stuff, but something to consciously consider nevertheless. One good way to gather ideas is to get together with other sysops. There are numerous user-groups for sysops out there. For instance, here in Atlanta we have the OAS — Online Atlanta Society — and MOSA — the Macintosh Online Society of Atlanta. While the OAS tends to lean more toward the "PC heads" — those run- ning DOS or Windows boards — you can still learn a lot from these sysops. Each of us has to deal with problem callers, promoting our boards, and working on interconnectivity issues. By the same token, you've got to be a little careful who you exchange ideas with, for as with any business there will be people just out to make a quick buck (or so they think), who really want only to promote their boards (giving no concern to other sysops). Try to find sysops who have been running a service for at least a few years. Find out what they do to pro- mote their boards, how they deal with the stress, problem users, etc. They can also help in giving you ideas about fea- tures for your board, where to get sup- plies, Internet providers, and more. Again, a great way to mine for ideas is to visit your local user group. 1 know I push the user groups a lot, but these are a great source of info. The user group meetings give you a chance to promote your board, maybe meet some of the callers of your BBS in person, and perhaps even show off your expertise with modems and telecommunications. Playing guru makes you leel good, and helps remind us all why we got into BBSing in the first place. It also gives you a chance to get some honest feed- back and solicit ideas for your board. Additionally, you can also try the trade shows or computer swap meets. First make up some business cards, then as you attend the shows pass them out to potential callers, dealers, etc. — it's all in the name of good promotion. You can talk to the dealers about selling equipment through your board, getting discounts on hardware or soft- ware, or just make them aware of your system's existence so they can recom- mend you to some of their customers. The passing out of business cards and talking to dealers will remind you that even a single line BBS should be treated Coo! New Files... like a business. Even if you just run your board as a hobby or community service, it never hurts to promote the board. I also enjoy going to the bigger shows, like Comdex. I find out about some of the newer advances in Mac technology there, as well as get ideas for ways to improve my board. Fast forward Now that I've offered a few ideas, you're ready to strike out headlong and work on your board, right? OK, but remember my ideas are certainly not the only ones, and I'd love to hear about other approaches to this still- emerging business. Next month I'll be examining the origins of two different type of BBSs. I'll also be looking at different ways to promote your board over the next few months, and maybe bring in a little extra money to boot. As always, if you have any topics you'd like to see discussed in this col- umn, or questions you might like answered, please send them Michael A. Kuykendall is a veteran Mac user and crony from the days of64K ROMs and 400K floppies. Comments and suggestions may be sent to him in care of this publication, through Macintosh Online, at 770.S22.5929, or at andykirk@aol.com. Check for these newcomers on America Online (and your favorite BBS): • Disinfectant 3.6 is a new release of the free anti-viral utility for the Macintosh. Version 3.6 recognizes a new clone of the nVIR B virus which appears to have been created explicitly to bypass the checks in both the Disinfectant 3.5 application and in the Disinfectant 3.5 protection IN IT. The clone is functionally identical to the origi- nal nVIR B virus and the other nVIR B clones. Disinfectant reports it as simply the "nVIR B" virus. Disinfectant appears to be the only anti-viral software affected by the new clone. The current versions of Virex, SAM, Rival, and Virus Detective reportedly already detect the clone. • If you've ever created documents for the World Wide Web, you know what a drag it can be sometimes. Writing complex HTML is a time consuming, error prone process. But now, creating Web pages is as easy as drag and drop with new Adobe PageMill software. Look for this Acrobat file, offering a special deal on Adobe's PagcMill product. Also, check this out on the Net: Zap! is a new 'zine that covers many different topics from Mac "how-to" articles to games, recipes, contests, stories, art, and a lot of feedback from users and readers. Head to http://users.aol.com/zapmag/zapmag.html. MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 41 Distributor of Online Services and Products! J5AD ©CD© FREE 900 SERVICE 900 Service Package Professional Backgammon C/S S Tournamenl Checkers C/S S Tournament Chess C/S S Tournamenl Othello C/S S Board Package (4 Games Above) S BBS Listing S BBSopdyRIP S Card Sharks S Charge Card Manager S Cross-Word2 OS S Global Actions S Hearts S Horse Track RIP S Instant Lotto- - S Jumble Madness S Liar S Log Master. , „....$ MicroMind S Mouse Trap • Maze Game ....S Mima 2000 S S Pig Roulette OS Tic-Tac-Toe Trivia Forum OS Video Blackjack C/S Video Poker OS Worldlnk Cross-Wordz WorldLnk Jumble Madness S Worldlnk Package RIP S Yahtzee S Workgroup™. 8-tlser S Workgroup. 20-User - S User Six-Pack, each S RlPaml Add-on Option S Equinox 115K- 16 Line S Equinox 115K- 32 Line S Equinox 115K- 64 Line S Equinox 1 1 5K- 96 Line ..„,.. i Equinox 1 1 5K- 126 Line S FREE 159.95 ■-9 95 159.95 149.95 499.95 39,95 139.95 69.95 69.95 239,95 39.95 39.95 129.95 29.95 89.95 39.95 39,95 39.95 39.95 ._,. .. 39.95 129.95 19.95 149.95 99.95 99.95 49.95 29.95 99.95 19.95 339.00 589.00 179.00 154.95 1795.00 2495.00 3895.00 5375.00 5775.00 INTERNET 56K - $535* Equinox 230K • 16 Une S 1695.00 Equinox 230K - 32 Line S 2545.00 Doorway by TnMark Engmeenng S 49.95 GaiactBoard {8 Port External) S 449.95 GaiactiBox (16 Port Internal). S 1289.00 PC Xnet Card (X.25) S 999.95 Client Server Develops* Kit S 245.00 Interne! Connectivity Option S 750.00 X.25 Software Option S 699.95 Dai-Oul Add-on Option S 1 32.50 Search and Retrieve Add-on Option ...S 1 32.50 FawOnine Add-on Option S 164.95 Ma or Gateway/Internet S 164.95 Shopping Mall Add-on Option S 164.95 The Major Database Add-on Opiion.,,5 382.95 Enterta nmen! Collection S 164.95 AC C source code Bed below requires the Clienl'Servet Developer's Kit and registered copies ct any add-on option for whet) you pur- chase C source code. Fax/Online Developers Kit S 99.00 Exlended C Source Developer's Kit....S 329.95 Dial-Out C Source Code S 259.00 Search and Retreive C Source Code .S 259,00 Entertanment Collection C Source S 319.00 Shopping Mall C Source Code S 319.00 The Major Database C Source Code .S 649,00 CD Express S 49,95 File Library Extension OS S 149,00 Major CD OS S 129.00 Mapr CD LAN Option S 89.00 Major CD & LAN Combo OS S 199,00 Mountain Mail CIS S 189.00 Workgroup Client Companion OS S 149.00 Major TCP/IP -Combo (64 Sessions) S 700.00 Major TCP- 1 P - Outgoing S FTP S 500.00 Major TCP/IP- Incoming S 500.00 Major TCP/IP Unlimited Sessions S 1200.00 "Upgrade Irom Outgoing to Combo ....$ 300.00 'Upgrade Irom Incoming to Combo ...,S 300,00 8 User Only S339 X.25 NETWORK n I i n-e Interactive Software ■Within 30 days ol original purchasers 200.00 Auto Validator S 80.00 Console Lock (download only] S 30.00 Crossroads S 250.00 Cyberwjmpus 2010 WG S 99.00 Form Editor $ 75.00 Global Destruction S 125.00 HV Utilities WG S 100.00 Major Goose S 100.00 Menu Magician S 100.00 Menu Magician OS ,.„S 150.00 Metakeys S 50.00 Newsroom C/S S 80.00 ScrybeWG S 49.00 Spot OS (download only)... 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S 89.00 Match Maker S 179.00 Mega Madness S 49.00 Mine Field II S 59,00 Online Employment S 119.00 Pulse S 69.00 Remote Console S 99.00 Userfiase S 99.00 User Referral S 49.00 Major Pro for Worldgroup S 249.00 Ad Master (unlimited) S 129.00 Biorhythm (unlimited),... S 49.00 Blade Master (unlimited) S 199.00 Blox (unlimited) $ 165.00 Command Cenler (unlimited). S 99.00': Casino l unlimited) S 185.50 Electronic Fairways (unlimited) S 49.00 Guess Whal C/S (unlimited) S 99.00 InterLink (unlimited) S 149.00 Klondike Solitaire (unlimited) S 99.00 Sea Battle (unlimited) S 89.95 Zorgon (unlimited) S 129.00 ' Does not include local Telco charges. Charges are per month, contract required. X.25 hourly rates not included. Prices subject to change without notice. All products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. To Order or for a Free Color Catalog Call 1 -800-473-3177 TESSIER TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 1876 N. University Drive, Suite 200, Plantation, Florida 33322 Voice: 954-473-5525 Fax:954-473-2122 BBS: 954-473-2000 TELNET/WWW: HS.WISENET.COM S&S B Y TESS HEDER Z£RO ** Q: "I'm planning to launch a BBS from my home, as a second business. It will be a genera! interest family/community bul- letin board. What suggestions do you have for me to make this fly and how can I go about getting callers interested?" John in Texas A: Not knowing details about your community or your own background and interests, we'll try tackling your questions from a generic perspective. Here are some suggestions. Make a checklist of tasks for you to plot and develop (on a calendar). Perhaps group these under several broad categories, each of which being somewhat interdependent not only on each other but on you and your interests and relationship to the community you want to serve. "Budget," " Strategic Alliances," " Installation and Setup," are examples of broad categories. Let's talk a bit about these. Budget — This covers your hardware and BBS software expenses, your promotional expenses, and yes, your time (unless the old "time is money" cliche misses the mark with you.) Though most BBS software is designed so one person can install and run all the tasks (this is one of BBSing's clear advantages as a home hobby or even second busi- ness) you may want to investigate, right from the beginning, setting up your BBS under the sponsorship of an existing organization in the com- munity rather than having to purchase all the component parts yourself. Try the Chamber of Commerce, City Hall, your local school system, YMCA, a shopping mall, newspa- per or even your church. Or, if your reason for going online is specialized, seek out alliances or sponsorship from professional or trade associa- tions related to your specialty. If you still decide go into this venture independently, make sure you've got sufficient financial resources. You can set up a two-line (minimum) BBS with the soft- ware of your choice and hardware for about S3,000, perhaps less if you already own some of the components — hard drive, modems, etc. — and can divert them to your BBS. Strategic alliances — We've considered whether or not to finance your BBS with strategic alliances; still it's not much of a stretch to map out some other areas where strategic alliances could be instrumental in making your BBS fly. So chart out, prioritize, and check your potential allies. These could be your friends who might want to be involved MARCH 1996 + *s 5 M in setting up or maintaining some aspects of the project; your friend who designs great flyers (read: cool ads for the BBS) and might want to try his/her hand at making BBS screens; a friend who's willing to distribute the flyers from their place of work or place of play; your connections as a member of your local computer user group; your online junkie friends who complain bitterly that they can't afford the "big" services; and, so on. Be bold here. At the very least, creating and acting on your strategic alliances list will initiate you to an interactive process that's very much like running a BBS. And you will have gotten the word out that you are starting a BBS. If you enjoy this stage of making inquiries and getting feedback from members of your potential online community, you'll have learned that you will probably enjoy running your BBS. Installation and setup — Know from past experience that you're the kind of person who likes to tinker with hardware and software (and who is pretty good at it) before you commit yourself to this part of the project. Either you're good at this or you've got a partner who is, as there simply is no "BBS-in- a-Box" package as yet. Some come very close, but they all require at least some know-how on your part. Now do yourself another favor and spend time looking at what's current in the way of BBS software packages. Look for BBS software developers who have a track record, who are devel- oping (or have developed) client-server software — or at least graphical interface (point-and-click) software. Log into and explore as many BBSs as you can to help determine the BBS software whose interface and front-end best suits the needs you envision for your system. Talk to sysops and to BBS users each step of the way. Then check your heart and your head, and if you get this far along and are still eager to get started, go for it! K Tess Heder, co-founder Channel i® Send questions and comments to me at one of the following places and I'll try to address them in a future column. Email: sysop@channel 1 .com BBS: Comment to sysop at 617,349.1300 (V.34) Fox; 617.354.3100 Attention: Ask Tess Snail Mail: Channel 1 Attn: Ask Tess 1030 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02 138 BBS MAGAZINE « * xricft iv^w^xn^x )w Commodore Connections BY G A E L Y N E M O R A N E C V Gaining SPEED v 'theWAVE' New term package and accelerators BURST THROUGH THE BARRIERS We'll first take a look at a new term program for the Commodore 128, then check in with Creative Micro Designs, Inc. to learn about their new Super64 CPUs and find out how they'll benefit sysops and BBS users. Then we'll wrap up with a peek at recent announcements concerning QWKie, the offline mail read- er for the Commodore 64. can also use Text Scraps and Text Albums to send data to the modem, which will give users the advantage of a very large "macro" library if they choose, and of course, it should make 44 Surfing 'The Wave' GEOS128 users may soon be riding the new term program called The Wave. Written by Maurice Randall, it's taken the GEOS environment beyond its previous 1200-baud limit. Faster than any term program ever written for the graphical environment, it offers some exciting possibilities for GEOS users. How fast you ask? Would you believe 38.4Kbps? One of the most interesting things about the GEOS environment is the ability for a program to swap out while another swaps in. Randall has used this to allow the buffering of text to be fed directly into geoWrite pages, giving the term program a "virtual," or limitless, buffer. The user can move from the term program to geoWrite and back while online. It Just when you think you've seen it all, along comes even more new software and hardware to smash the old barriers — you know, the barriers that were new just last month... replying to mail on online services much easier, Another feature that should have GEOS users chatting is a scrollable 254-character text buffer for its chat mode. It also supports an 8K scrollback buffer so if you miss text that's whizzed past your screen, you can go back and view it. The Wave will support all popular file transfer protocols including Zmodem; however the publicly avail- able demo program (yet to be released) will not allow file transfers. The commercial version will have the ability to view graphical images such as GIFs, The program requires GEOSl28v2andaUART cartridge such as SwiftLink or CommPort. It will not sup- port the User Port RS-232 interfaces, though. The Wave will be available from Click Here! Software as well as other Commodore suppliers such as CMD (cmd.sales@the-spa.com) and Performance Peripherals, Inc. (800.EASY- WEB). Maurice Randall can be reached at arca93@delphi.com Accelerating Commodore Telecomms? Maybe... With the announcement of Creative Micro Designs' new Super64/10 and Super64/20 accelerators for the Commodore 64, those of us who spend the majority of our computing time online are curious to know whether the 10 and 20 MHz Super64 CPUs will be of use to us. CMD's Doug Cotton offered some ^St W*£c * > w ld^ l^V^NS^ insight to what the accelerators can be expected to work with. "It should be fully compatible with programs that use SwiftLink or use the stock RS-232 routines," Cotton told me, "unless something else in the code creates a compatibility problem, illegal opcodes, for example." The phrase 'illegal opcodes' refers to valid CPU commands (opcodes) that are not a part of CBM's documented instruction set. Such commands may not be avail- able in the new CPU. BBS or terminal software that uses custom User Port RS-232 routines, such as the very popular routines writ- ten by George Hug, won't work with the accelerators, according to Cotton. "This latter category covers the majority of good non-SwiftLink ter- minal/BBS programs, so most of the good stuff that will work will likely require SwiftLink or modification by the author," he said. On the good side, most current modem software has Swiftlink sup- port, but it's too early to tell if the accelerators will be compatible with the software in current use, as these may have other incompatibility prob- lems not related to the SwiftLink or RS-232 routines used. The fact the Commodore 64 can be accelerated to 10 or 20 MHz is an amazing achievement that brings about an irony for telecomm users. According to Cotton, "The odd thing is that programs using stock RS-232 will probably be able to do 9600 bps without Swiftlink when a Super64 is used. [The^ Flip side of that is that any such program in current existence won't give you the option to go that high since it would never have worked prior to this at speeds over 1200." While it's still too early to tell if the accelerator will make a splash with the telecommunications crowd immediately — since the advent of new hardware always seems cause new supporting software to appear in the market — it should be interesting to see what new BBS and terminal software we may be seeing in the future because of the accelerators. The Super64/10 (10 MHz) will sell How fast is The Wave you ask? Would you believe 38.4Kbps? for $149 and the Super64/20 (20 MHz) will go for $199. Each was scheduled to be available February. For further information, contact Creative Micro Designs Inc., at 413.525.0023, or send email to cmd.sales@the-spa.com. QWKie goes freeware After allowing registered users more than a full year of exclusive use, Arthur Moore has given all Commodore users the ability to use his offline mail reader, QWKie, in its registered form. Look for QWKIEFRE.SFX on BBSs, Internet sites and online services. In a recent announcement Moore said, "Since QWKie is in it's last ver- sion, and I have not honored rego's in a long time, and I will no longer sup- port it, I feel it is necessary to release it for all to use and enjoy. Someone, I hope, will take the time to follow the instructions, create an .SDA file and post it." Indeed within 48 hours, the file QWKIEFRE.SFX was available on BBSs and one of Commodore's most popular FTP sites, ccnga.uwaterloo.ca. Just over a week later, another user made available additional modifica- tions that could be made to the regis- tered version of QWKie to correct a minor problem with its translation tables. With these changes, QWKie will display left single quotes in both 40 and 80 columns. For those who receive uuencoded files, this is an essential change, as it means they will now decode correctly. The changes are as follows: Load, but don't run the file named "QWKIE 3.1". Then, ensure that you are changing the correct location by typing "PRINT PEEK (24973)" and "PRINT PEEK (24974)". This should return a and 65, respectively. To make the change, you will need to type the following: POKE 24973,192 POKE 14848,96 POKE 14849,48 POKE 14850,24 POKE 14851,0 POKE 14852,0 To make the changes permanent, scratch the original file and save the new one. As always, never make modifications to your original files. Always use a backup. HBB Gaelyne Morcmcc is a freelance writer residing in Australia. You can find her surfing the nets in search ofC= info, usually in the Fidonet CBM or PCWRITE (Multi-Platform Computing) echoes. Comments or sug- gestions can be sent to 1:366/221.128, 3:800/809.128, or moranec@hal9000.apana.org.au. Her home page is http://www. msen.com/ ~brain/guest/Gae\yne_Moranec Subscribe online or register doors using V/ Internet - Publi$her@bbsmag. com Fidonet -1:266/36 Get ad rales, insertion forms and deadlines. ) ill 1 CALL FOR A FREE LOOK! \ ^^%a\h 1996 BBS MAGAZlV^N^^^---\— "V- I "\ ••/>*&■ 45 -I- To check out the A-list on the Web, go to http://www.channel1.com/usbbs/home If you're a sysop and would like to be considered for the list, contact one of the following sites. Posting to the USBRS 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 the USBBSUST. LEGEND BAUD = 300 X o ■=: S zi 1=1200 " 3 2 = 2400 9 = 9600 or (aster e = 1 LLI 8 3 1 | CD m ■ w a o z K5 s MODULATION TYPE B 29 D 50+ 3 5 3 V = V.32 or V.32bis U = USRobotics HST H = Hayes VSM BBS TYPE F = V.Fast.V.34 (1/25>95| A = Auntie = Other proprietary method B = PCSoard D . USRobotics Dual Standard C = Phoenix/Collie/Collosus (V32 and HST) D = dB8S B = Hayes Ultra (V32 and VSM) F - Spitfire G = GAP StZE H - PC-Host Indicated in 100s of megs. UTriBBS ♦ = CD-ROM. J = SuperBBS MODES L = Ttlegard Number nf mes M - OraComm/Major&alaclitomm N - Genesis Deluxe SUBSCRIPTION = Opus/Maximus S = subscription: blank = FREE P = GT PowerComm Q = QuickBBS/RemoteAccess INTERNET FEATURES R = R8BS SERVICES CODE S = Searchlight 1 23456789ABCDEF T = TBBSorTCOMM Mail X X X X X X X X U = UltraBBS Usenet XX XX XX XX V = WWIV FTP XXXX XXXX W = Wildcat Telnel XXXXXXXX X = BBS-PC. RySBS. ROS. Fido. Citadel. Osiris, etc. or custom. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS unverified or unknown type Srtust support 2400 bps or greater Y = TAG. 100 MB ol disk capacity Z = TPBoard 24htf? day service Sysop must give REAl NAME 201-440-1238 NJ Ridgelield P RP-BBS Eugene Lubben Science fiction. X 19 V 600+ 1 201-729-2602 Chuck's Attempt Ciiuck Ammann 201-831-8152 NJRingwood SailBoard BBS Jeff Sumberg Genera! interest IBM. B 09 D 7t 1 7 201-997-9215 N J Kearny CYBEX Magazine Dante Iraola Advertising, classified sales. X 29 V 2 1 202-635-1755 DC Washington The Big Dogs Rod Pinnick Internet, chat, files, games, M 09 FV 18 20 S F 203-626-8617 CTTornngton Queen's Lair Dan Schibi Gay adult BBS. 09 FF 10+ 2 1 203-759-5853 CT Waterbury Continuum Scott Roncarti Games, education, and utilities. F 29 W 35+ 2 203-852-1986 CT Norwalk 12th Step Steve Ungvary Recovery/selt help (12 Steps). 09 FV 22 4 1 205-553-7666 AL Cottondale OptiNet— >BBS David Brastieid Echomail with filebone access. B 19 V 15+ 17 9 206-361-2235 WA Seattle FFA-BBS Jim New 10th Amendment vsNWO. W 29 VO 14+ 1 206-361-9794 WA Seattle Einstein's H. Hoggatt Science subjects, biology etc. W 29 VO 3 1 206-584-4309 The Wolf's Den Keilh Shrnkle 207-368-5402 Grouchy Marx Crouchy Marx 203-664-2983 The Third Mill JimFromm 208-666-4010 ID Coetir d'Alen Anila's Place Anita Nikiforuk Community; women; business. W 19 V 16+ 1 210-233-4877/3312 Newberry BBS Ken Anderson, Message-orienled/emergency serv B 19 F 6+2 S 212-741-2955 NY New York NYC SCOUTING Robert Petrilto Scouting, council sponsored. B 19 BV 14+ 5 212-749-3268 Walter's BBS Walter Parrish 212-868-0720 NY Queens hdpa ny Mike Holman sr. Na!'l black dala proc. assoc. NY ch. 213-654-7337 CA Los Angeles CharlalanCabin Michael Conley Echomail. files, Wildcat Support. W 09 FD 35 5 1 214-245-9315 USS Inverness Jonathan McGirr 214-351-9859 Collector's Ed Leo Hull 214-355-1835 Lonesome Dove M. Peacock 214-495-4806 TX Sacttse Carrier Pigeon James Marple KB5ZDGS BBSs for GArland ARC. Q 29 FD 5 1 214-644-7965 TX Dallas Micro Center Glenn McAtee Drivers, shareware. B 29 V 20 2 215-295-6193 PAMorrisville CenlraLink Rich Sims A friendly place to meet! B 29 FV 24+ 3 3 215-624-8960 PA Philadelphia RPS.BBS Murray Weismer Bible/religion, netmail. files. W 29 FV 22 1 216-246-0669 OH Lorain Foundation Rich Kohnle UFOs W 19 VQ 10+ 1 216-272-5196 OH Windsor After-Hours Tony Reesby Latest & best shareware. W 19 UF 80+ 3 216-324-6410 Comm. Netlink K Stevenson 216-562-4006 OH Cleveland Homes DnLine Paul Moon Real estate database w/photos, M 09 V 5 4 216-639-9508 Scientist's BBS SodKui7 216-837-9845 Twilight Keep Games. X 29 VF 11+2 OH Massitlon Jeff Seifert l 217-337-0816 IL Ufbana Cloak & Dagger Steve Johnson Adult files, adult games W 99 F 10+ 1 217-423-7430 IL Decatur STARFLEET HQ"s Terry Qrtman OnLine shopping, door games. I 09 FV 14+ 1 218-326-4205 MN Gr Rapids Blue Sky BBS Jack Blue Business & family oriented. W 09 FD 96+3 S3 219-358-6297 IN Huntington Timbers Mark Timbers Downloads, games. B 09 D 10+ 1 219-665-8777 IN Angola Files Factory Chad Evans Files, home of EXCELne!!! 29 FV 14+ 1 219-744-0558 IN Fort Wayne The Pool Room Gary Hall Files, fun, friends, fantasy. X 29 FO 45 2 B 219-744-4908 The Play Board Jay Tipton 219-923-2377 IN Highland Datacom Darryl Kwasny Files, games, net mail. B 19 FD 5+ 1 S3 301-609-9721 MD La Plata Back Room Paul M Duley OS/2. Linux. B 09 F 55+ 1 301-620-0006 Md Frederick OS/2 Mistress Wm Moussiaux OS/2 messages & files only. B 19 FV 40+ 4 B 301-776-8259 MD Laurel Brazen's HELL! Jim Mullen Games. DOOM. 0-day shareware! I 29 FV 90+ 3 3 301-994-9460 MD Great Mills Hafa Adai Todd Cochrane Software support, special int. W 29 F 250+ 3 S F 302-655-4988 DE New Castie SWISS Wildcat! Steve Sims Adult/games/DOS/Windows. W 29 VO 78+ 2 1 302-762-2873 D£ Wilmington The Vetricans Arthur L Davis2 Veleran, education, recovery. W 29 F 3 1 302-836-7076 DE Newark DSOLBBS Jim McElhinney Windows shareware, graphics. X 29 V 12+ 2 3 303-244-8420 Mirror Image Mark Feil 303-457-1111 CO Denver GaRBaGe DuMP Dean Kerl 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 3 303-678-8439 CO Longmont Knowledge ResceLarry Gibes Files, PCUsergrp, liberty polil B 19 V 50+ 1 3 303-680-4563 CO Denver Global-Link Louis Morilzky International email network, B 29 F 200 25 S F 303-841-5515 CO Parker Hole In Wall MikeFergione Games, messages. VGA planets. X 99 D 27+ 1 3 304-727-6733 WV St. Albans Blue Powder Greg Hively Software support. B 29 F 21 1 1 305-383-2341 FL Miami BPC Power BBS Harvey Peters Latest games, multi-line chat. B 19 FV 10+ 4 305-432-2223 FL Pmbrke Pines SunShine PCB Michele Stewart Cooking, ANSI, games, fidonet. B 19 OF 24+ 2 3 305-472-7715 FL Plantation Brass Pounder Bob Patten Ham radio, W 29 F 20+ 1 305-473-8759 FL Davie 3rd Dimension Glen Hughes Internet, files, chat, Usenet M 19 V 40+8 S 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.SBBS Wayne Lampiasi Employment support/listings. I 29 D 13 1 S 1 46 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 305-792-3887 FL Ft Laud Photo Image BB M I: Dolliver Photography related, am/pro S 19 VF 10+ 3 305-822-2737 FL Miami Playing Fields Paul Bettner Games, tiles, internet, chat, fun! M 29 VF 50+ 42 S F 310-212-7605 CA Torrance Beginner; Club Vince Sheu 3 email networks. WME TeenfJet. I 09 V 50+ 1 310-390-6395 CA Los Angeles CtiistNET Larry Pearson FREE internet email & nev/s. W 09 O 10+ A 3 310-493-3535 CA Seal Beach Playbord Jim Jensen Great game board. R 29 FD 52* 1 310-858-1558 CA Bev Hills CyBERCHATBBS Allen Williams Fun, chatting, dating, X 09 V 5 8 3 312-263-0924 IL Chicago AssemNotNeededRick Kelps General utils-beginner to pro. R 09 O 12 4 312-284-7133 4th Dimension Jett Jones 312-665-7319 IL Chicago HOME AGAIN! William Johnson Internet email newbies. B 09 FV 36+ 2 3 312-693-1223 IL Chicago Local 12Z0 BBS BobKastigar Work, labor, social, law. W 09 V 120 1 312-777-8817 IL Chicago RoundTable Kevin Keyset Home o( Trie Poets Corner. S 09 D 10+ 2 3 312-803-3590 IL Chicago Chi. Comp. Soc Irwme Romanek Membership support. W 09 FV 600 6 SB 312-847-2115 IL Chicago Cove BBS WTownsend Obscure files/pagan/occult. W 09 FO 3 1 313-663-4173 Ml Ann Arbor Hal 9000 Victor Volkman Sci-fi. space, internet. B 29 FV 50+ 10 F 313-885-0979 Ml Detroit Mich Outdoors Jim Wallace All outdoors activities. X 19 V 12 2 314-281-8598 Megabilerll 314-351-7150 The STL CATII 314-367-1903 SLACC Slack BBS Noel Moss General interest M 09 V 19 F 314-442-6023 MO Columbia Charlie's BBS Charlie Turner General DOS and OS/2 interests. B 19 FV 54+ 1 314-894-9473 MO St. Louis TCC Scott Millikan Communications, games. A 09 FD 16+ 1 3 31 5-458-3482 Dreamscape 315-475-3250 Bytroalx 316-788-7520 Griswold's Priv 316-792-6613 Graffiti BBS Genealogy. X Q9 V 1 George Belcher David Russo MO St. Louis Scott Brennan Mike Bettua Jim Kelland KS Great Bend Kevin Fredde + 1 2 316-796-1947 KS Hutchinson Llghl House Elton Koehn DOS discussion/utils. X 19 V 9+1 317-838-0445 IN Indianapolis Shuttle BBS Guy Damlovac Always the latest files online. B 99 FO 250+ 1 317-339-9745 IN Plaintield Lost Entity Doug Meyer Games. BBS tiles. B 99 FV 950+ 1 317-887-9568 IN Indianapolis CVRC8BS Allen Taylor Antivirus, encryption security. B 29 F 32 1 319-236-6677 I A Waterloo Graphic I II us Jeff Meier General interest. X 19 V 88+ 1 322-646-0088 BE Brussels Nelropoiis Colin O'Brien Games, chat, music. M 09 FV 80 20 S F 334-277-3889 AL Montgomery MTG PCUG Jerald Conway Fidoltet 1375/7, 09 V 5 1 334-598-9509 AL Daleville Galaxy BBS Mike Howe On-line games & files. B 19 F 150+3 334-745-4515 AL Opelika Lightning Brit Tony Ledbetter Lots of files. B 19 FD 140+ 3 S 334-774-9946 AL Ozark FaslBytes Mark Feller RaceNet. [Link Echo-mail. W 29 F 14 1 352-854-0262 FL Ocala Megachips Ken Gee Diverse. W 29 FF 200+ 4 F 360-826-5413 WA Concrete JABBS Luke Deryckx Games /programing. R 29 DV 5+ 1 401-724-1864 RIPawtuckel Playtime BBS Alan Ouellette X-rated. adult, games, files. W 19 FV 999+ 9 S 3 402-474-3747 Da Place BBS Mark Fruehling 404-336-9701 GA Kingston Warrior Base Johnny Bunch Military, survival, camping. X 29 F 13+ 1 404-476-7880 Late Nile BBS 404-478-9700 The Nigh! Shin 404-773-7966 Warp Factor 404-936-0550 Music Conn Bobby Nowell Bill Hard; Mark Stewart David Coleman 405-234-6822 OK Enid No-Name David Gibson 7 CD-ROM's on-line. R 29 D 14+ 1 S 405-670-1367 OK OklahomaCity Shadow Magic Duane Robertson Free speech, free access. X 29 FV 50+ 2 3 405-728-7124 Holel California Lloyd Lawson 406-259-6771 MT Billings Night Lights John Hank Net-mail, games. CD-ROMs. 29 FV 14+ 1 406-543-8234 MT Missoula Monlana Banana Paul Wheaton BananaCom support, T 09 DF 2 2 4 406-782-7941 MT Butte CullurlWastelrJ Todd Smyth Star Trek, midi. general int. B 19 V 6+1 407-466-1661 FL FL Pierce Higher Power Ralph Allen Business related. W 09 B 10+ 1 407-477-5756 FL Boca Raton Substation Paul Cangialosi Multimedia, images, shareware. B 19 V 100+ 4 S 407-747-5679 FL Jupiter Bloomunit BBS Linda Bloom Homeschool education. X 09 V 18+ 1 407-852-7916 FL Boca Raton Micro_Chap_BBS Gary Chapman Law enforcement news & jobs. M 29 VF 14+ 3 S 407-859-7428 The Death Star N Seabury 407-932-0584 FL kissimmee NIVETS BBS Steven webb 28. 000 Files, totally FREE. W 19 FO 14+ 1 408-364-2789 PereLine BBS Tom Serface 408-384-3141 CA Marina The Open Road Royce Fernandez Motorcycle news runs & events. X 29 D 7 1 continues... the ULTiHAre APULT 333 011-852-172-97-998 + overt XO GB qp erzoTit gifs including AN £XTgN.S/v£ 3CJ_£CT/ON PttOH THE PfiX CAST (ALL M AHAZJNG HIGH aUAUTY! + SI2-Z-LING LIVE CHAT + e-MAJi. ANP PISCU33IOW ^ORl/M-5 + Puas GAnes GALoree ♦ Anp it's all f'RBBl Call f UN2L0N£ now fok an £Xp£K\eHL£ YOU'LL N£V£* fiOUGSTl A BBS Caller's Guide to FirstClass® liv Paolo G. Cordone ISBN 1-8SM37-I1U-H 210 pets • S 14.95 US Learn how to make the most of even' session you spend on a FirstClass system, whether you connect via Macintosh or Windows Client software. This book takes you even- step of the way! Save 20%: pay only S12 per book + S3 S&II for the I st book and SI S&H for each add'l look. Pay by check, money order, or credit card. (In NJ, add sales tax.) Mail or fax orders to Giles Road Press, P.O. Box 212, Harring- ton Park, NJ 07640. Pax: 201/767-7457. For mure information, call 201/767-7001 or e-mail gik$rilpr$@£i?Qrl&.tQm> The Ultimate Adult BBS. Ovor 1 8's only, International calling rates apply. No credit cards required. 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 (debase of hundreds of GIF color photos and bio-data of attractive Asian ladies overseas who want American penpals. New files added regularly. Instant access with Visa/Mastercard. All high speed modems. 301-203-0281 OVER 18 ONLY 8-N-1 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 47 •108-526-9815 CA San Jose The " X "Files David Morales Arsenal/NightOwl shareware. W 09 D 5+2 S 409-755-3715 TX Lumberlon Grumpy D's Doyle Welborn Sound wave files. 09 D 14+ 1 409-769-4249 Wayne's World Wayne Belvin 409-342-3251 TX Beaumont BROAD REACH Tim Beard Marine and aviation. W 09 D 11+ 2 1 410-256-2290 MD Baltimore Baltimore Conn Phillip Allred Games and general interest. X 29 VF 170+8 3 410-483-2180 MD Rosedale KroziersCastle Faith Kidwel 60 games, 85. 000+ files, fidonel. W 29 F 14+ 1 410-519-1465 MD Severn G&P BBS Gil Blankenship Shareware & graphics. W 09 V 65+ 1 410-544-3439 MD Arnold Situation Room Richard Fisher Messages & netted games. X 19 FV 20+ 2 1 410-730-5624 MD Gateway General. B 19 V 12 MD Columbia Paul Bitterli 1 410-893-6905 MD Forest Hill TimeDistartion Scott Waters Chat & internet. W 29 VF 124+ 8 3 412-375-4919 PA Aliquippa The Dairy BBS Brian Geisel 1+gig of games, prog., 7nets. V 09 VF 50+ 1 1 412-523-0610 PAJeannette REIDS BBS Tim Reidmilter Fido/usenet/i-mail/satellite. T 09 F 20+4 S3 412-527-3749 PAJeannette KastlerocK Jamie Kowinsky Medieval/programming/art/game. X 09 V 170+ 3 1 412-567-6782 entertain me bbs Shawn Cupec 412-746-0107 PA Canonsfjurg Washington PCBrJMike Keelon Rime hub/node. B 09 F 50+2 S 412-962-3212 PA Sharps* New Dawn Alan & Kalhy Games, files, i 29 V 14+ 1 413-527-B977 Uncle Hank's HankHurteau 414-375-1877 Wl Cedarburg Binary Bicycle Scott Daniels Bicycling enthusiasts. W 29 F 8+1 414-543-4472 Wl Milwaukee HomeofZIGGY D DeLonay Files, doors, message bases. 29 O 2 1 414-546-3813 Wl Milwaukee Digital Dreams Keith Herms Shareware, games, multimedia. T 29 FV 3+ 2 414-774-3435 Wl Milwaukee DowriLoad City Dan Palmisano EmeraldNET. VirtualNET. games. X 29 FV 9+ 2 3 415-386-2185 CA San Francisc Club 21 BBS D.Johnson Adult oriented. B 09 F 14+3 S 48 415-856-2820 CA Palo Alto Legal Recourse DaveAlden Law school, books, entertain. M D9 V0 9+3 3 415-952-3231 CA San Bruno The Floor Show Donna Hall Sci fi. fantasy. RPGs. X 09 V 14+ 1 415-961-6911 CA Palo Alto INTERACT Eric Knight Chat, games. Internet srvcs. X 29 V 10 32 S 9 416-770-6917 Platinum Exprs Glenn Jarvis 417-683-4953 MO' An Round Table Mukunda Model! Support, games. B 29 VF 9+ 2 S 2 419-999-6456 OH Lima GameRoom BBS Mike Samovsky Doom HO BBS. tons of shareware. W 29 DB 14+ 2 S 423-283-4336 TN Johnson City GWN Chris Bergeron Graphics, famiiy oriented. X 29 FV 7+ 2 3 423-870-0794 TN Chattanooga The Registry Bill Kern Nuclear/computer professionals. W 29 FV 42* 2 S 423-892-8834 TN Chattanooga TLR Systems Bill Crawford RIPscript graphics. S 29 FD 42- 1 501-698-1798 AR Batesville S.G.A. BBS Wayne Ray Message echos. S 29 F 12* 3 1 501-753-8575 AR Little Rock The Rock BBS Tony Winfrey Family oriented bbs, chat. T 29 V 20+ 11 S 3 502-443-6014 The Data Center Jeff Burton 503-221-1777 OR Portland Combat Arms Richard Bash Firearms. Second Amendment. W 29 V 5 1 3 503-355-8738 OR Rockaway Tillamook AT Mike Healy Detailed USGS Oregon maps. W 09 V0 1 1 S 503-393-5580 Chemeketa Bob Hunter 503-636-4947 OR Portland DJO Mike Gottlieb Chat 4 entertainment. M 09 FV 140+ 26 F 503-646-4514 OR Portland Adirondack Oavld Katz Technical support. W 29 FD 3+ 1 503-772-7299 OR Medford Toon Town Jonathan Works Files, V 09 W 16+ 1 3 504-356-0790 Southern Online Russell Jackson 504-542-9600 CnmpulerSolu Sidney Egnew 505-294-5675 NM Albuquerque GaRBaGe DuMP Dean Kerl Chat, games, files, internet, M 09 VF 120+ 99 F 505-672-1665 NM White Rock Political BBS B. Tafoya Politics, files, general. X 29 VV 100+ 2 3 505-985-2643 NM Clovis Genius' Anon. Paul Nelson Genera! — computer. X 29 FV 8+ 1 508-481-5478 MA Marlborough Writer's BBS Brian Rickman literature, poetry, authors. X 19 V 1 1 3 508-528-2295 Computer Conf. Edward Zdrok 508-688-1816 MAMethuen Tazman's BBS KirkScanlon Educational, online entert. W 29 D 200+ 1 1 508-746-6010 MA Plymouth ADULT HANGOUTJay Winger Local access numbers worldwide. M 09 DF 200+ 44 508-759-1 888 MA Buzzards Bay Max. Bandwidth Brian Beaulieu Games, support, messages. X 29 F 100+ 1 508-853-0340 Schunix-Pub Robert Schultz 509-891-6148 The Moonllower Peter Link 510-252-9131 CA Fremont Jetstream Bill Garrison 300, 000 files online, doors, W 19 DF 22+ 2 S 510-443-6146 CALivermore EYE IN SKY BBS Mike Rushford Look at the sky. B 09 VF 30 1 3 510-563-7807 CA Oakland Gold Diggers Harry Goldberg Latest files online games. S 29 V 12+1 S CA Pinole Michael Bryant 510-724-9296 Greater Light Christian. X 29 VF 28+ 2 510-785-1123 CAHayward Clubhouse Tim Wilcox Genealogy, naturist areas. Q 19 V 12 1 510-785-4263 CAHayward GAME ZONE Mr. Game Games. Q 09 F 4 1 510-939-1691 CA Walnut Creek lo Nei Steve Cooper Chat, games, entertainment. T 09 VD 3 8 S3 510-939-8344 CA Walnut Creek Warped Max Baker Friends, messages, files. V 09 FV 30+ 2 512-328-2885 TX Austin Shareware Conct Carlos Lopes OK. dist site lor 9 companies. O 09 VF 11 3 512-392-0988 TX San Marcos Nudie Bar2 Ron M. Kulik Adult orienated files. X 29 VH 4+ 1 512-444-7354 TX Austin Straylirjht BBS Mitch Burton Art, music, demoscene, onliners X 19 V 2 1 512-664-7570 Jacob's House Online fun. I 09 FV TX Alice Tom Oaks 50+ 2 512-836-4262 The Night Owl II Danny Dyess 513-335-8304 OH Troy OutetNetWHD JeffClemmons EchoMail. file echos, gaming. X 29 V 9+ 1 1 513-473-0399 OH Covington Virtual Eye JefiPhalin Games, files, messages. W 29 FV 11+ 1 513-573-9201 OH Mason CyberSpaceExch Mike Rickman Files/Games Oriented. W 29 V 11+ 5 7 513-753-3614 OH Cincinnati Frank's Place Steve Rakel Games, cheats, walkthroughs. F 99 VF 20+ 2 513-753-9353 OH Cincinnati Scottish Moor Terry Chisholm Dcstall) & Win(3-95) programs. R 29 U 8 1 513-961-7214 OH Cincinnati Cyberspc Realm Ariel Benzakein Internet, online magazines. X 99 FV 14+ 2 7 514-694-0703 QCPte-Claire AGENDA WORLD Gilies Beaurega General information on West-Is. 09 V 2 1 S 1 515-628-3101 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 Your Software M Christiansen J Woodstock 516-797-5376 NY Massapequa Nuthin Fancy Robert Kern Shareware, sysoping. X 29 FV 70+ 2 7 516-822-8909 Arlif. Intell. Games. X 19 FV 12 NY Plainview Paul Sheiman 1 512-945-9304 Ranch House Larry Easley 517-546-9929 Ml Howell Aalplia BBS Rick Schryvers Internet email, games, technical. W 19 vf 14+ 1 7 517-695-9952 Wolverine BBS Rick Rosinski 517-781-7653 Ml Saginaw DSM BBS Tim Fries Recreation and games. L 29 F 9+1 518-483-6004 NY Malone THCBBSI Wiley Kulia Business, games, internet support. W 29 V 10+ 1 520-290-2807 AZ Tucson Demodulator Jim Bennett Echo mail & files. X 29 DF 12 1 520-459-6514 AZ Sierra Vista Danish Tower Bill Morris Online games UL/DL info. W 29 F 900+ 1 3 520-669-9225 AZ Parker RACEBBS Derik Wooddell Auto. Racing, Inet access. W 19 F 14 1 3 520-768-7515 AZ Mohave Valy Rippers BBS Larry Drum Loca! 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 540-667-3530 VA Winchester Another Dimen Gary Foreman Files, Intelec mail. B 29 FF 36+ 2 540-898-9114 VAF'Burg Diamond Mine Dave Perrussel Message forums & conferences. 29 F 2+ 1 3 541-383-1574 OR Klamath Fall Stormy Night PattiMcMann Games, files, messages, more. W 19 VB 12+ 1 601-356-9032 MS Columbus MS Online Ken Foster Shareware. Fido HUB. Q 29 FF 800 2 S 601-371-0423 After Hours BBS Randy Riley 602-258-7113 The Wish Book LorneShantz 603-788-2213 NH Lancaster modem gamefink Chuck Russell 4 player doom on-line. M 29 FV 12+ 8 3 606-275-4321 KY Lexington BEYOND I Big B Ken Newberg Utilities & messages. X 19 FV 1 1 606-371-6337 KY Florence MagicSoft BBS! Tern House Files related. W 29 FV 14+ 2 606-441-2130 Ghost House Michael Haley 606-987-8230 KY Paris Bourbon Bytes Peter Clough Newbies. local flavored info. X 29 V 400 4 609-235-5297 NJ ML Laurel Livewire BBS Richard Paquerte Support Board for BBS Magazine. 609-296-4370 NJTuckerton Mystical lllus Michelle Havens Family oriented; all welcome. X 19 FV 12+ 2 S 1 609-467-5540 NJ Swedesboro Alex's World Alex Mastrando Online games, adult forums/files. G 19 F 90+ 3 7 609-482-1336 NJ Maple Shade Nexl Generation John Carcione Trek Trivia Online: After Dark. 609-484-8874 NJ Pleasantvill R.C. BBSoiNJ Kenneth Leary Catholic/christian/religious. W 19 V 2 1 609-485-2380 NJ Atlantic Cty Casino Dave Schubert For entire family. B 19 FO 14+ 5 F 609-582-9546 NJ Pitman C&J "Online" Chuck Walker Shareware. G 19 F 50+ 2 F 609-587-2672 NJ Mercervilte TheTAOBBS Bob Watson Software support, online games. B 09 DF 20+ 3 7 609-587-4651 NJ Mercerville the Dealmakers Ted Kraus Commercial rea! estate, nation. B 19 D 10 3 7 609-714-9700 NJ Medford InTheFeetOlNightTerryW For foot lovers; scans, videos. 609-764-0812 NJ Delran Radio Wave Tyler Myers Messages. Internet, files. B 19 V 100 4 F 609-764-8942 NJ Riverside BBS Express K. Steinwenrier Internet access, games, chat. B 09 D 11 6 F 609-768-6585 BB's BBS Bob Browne 609-778-4442 Computer Gam Gregory Moore MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 609-783-5864 NJ Undersold Class Bulletin Albert Rania LORD, Luntalix. X 19 B 2 1 509-890-6347 NJ Ham. Square CyberCity USA BobMarsley Chat/socia l/entertainment. M 19 DF 45+ 6 F 509-931-2190 NJ Ballmawr CyberGle Alpha Thomas Moore Entertainment M 09 V 4 1 3 61D-259-2034 PA Philadelphia DVOL Steve Weisz Regional information, internet, M 99 F 12+ 32 S F 610-454-9362 PA Collegeville G'wy EndofTime Timothy Radde Shareware, games, internet. S 09 F 16+ 1 F 610-566-9435 PA Media Crarreth BBS Antonio Rocha Business, prog., chat, games. X 19 VF 14 12 S 3 610-954-7653 PA Bethlehem TownSquareBBS Dave Ross Multiplayer games/Internet. M 09 VF 30 14 S 3 612-431-6009 MN Lakeville The Gateway C. Fankhauser 7 CD's, 2500+ wads, files, games. X 99 FV 60+ 2 Ihe fl-List 612-437-7330 Business Guild Group. W 29 F 14+ MN Hastings Dan Myers S D 612-454-0332 MN SI, Paul Invisii Matt Jurcich Interlink teleconterence/CDRQM. M 09 FV 18+ 3 3 612-438-5112 P.O. MegaMall MWielenberg 612-559-6197 MN Minneapolis WizardWorks Jeff Haux Technical support & information. W 09 V 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 1 614-759-7018 OH Columbus □dud's Place Douglas Reese Adult-oriented, 12 CDROM. B 19 F 80+ 3 3 614-766-7931 OH Columbus Power Station Tom Power Ufos. BBS. general. X 29 V 100+ 8 7 614-781-1760 OH Columbus The Mindway Aaron Grooms Music, occult, goth culture. V 09 V 2 1 614-864-6671 OH Columbus PC One Paul Lapczynski Games, files, messages. W 09 D 14+ 1 615-358-9839 TN Clarksville INFOSHOP Frenchy LeFavor File/information transfer. W 19 F 20 1 615-367-6946 TN Nashville Picture Perfee Yogi Christian Sight S. sound files. W 09 D 4 1 615-399-0707 Lebanon Link B Richardson 615-478-2890 PC Junction BBS Doug Carpenter 615-503-9903 TN Clarksville Plxelation BBS JoshZerlan 100s chat users/tons of files, M 09 FD 100+ 10 3 615-966-3574 Data World BBS Sean Dudley 515-977-9385 WNMFSBBS Michael Walker 616-392-8175 Ml Holland Phoenix Online Randy Kuite Chat, files, games, all ages. M 09 FV 14+ 25 S F 617-247-1626 MA Boston Proxima BBS Jorge Rodriguez Medical technology educational. B 19 V 14+ 1 1 617-354-8873 Channel 1 BBS Brian Miller 617-397-8888 MA Maiden Boston Rocks Ron Doty Music based; home ot RockLink. W 29 FV 240+ 6 3 617-581-9980 MA Lexington VIDEODROHE M Lammons Total movie information. T 09 D 9 2 617-964-6028 MA Newton PAL Online PAUL LITVAK Programming, games, Fidonet. B 19 V 17+ 1 continues.. mum MMB TEAMate : lileb E BBS http://uituiu.mmb.com info@mmb.com ' ""• ■ ; ^...- ■ ' . ' -' . ' ' "■ ' (310)318 5302 mmb deuelopment corporation uoice (310) 318 1322 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Rusty Edie Call a different kind of BBS. "We are the Friendliest BBS in the World." Our name says it all. Edie and I are a couple 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 well 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 other 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 12 Voice 216-726-4217 HST only 216-726-1804 Compucom 216-726-3584 Hayes V-Series 216-726-3619 All (V32 etc.) 216-726-2620 Fax 216-726-3595 49 618-932-6927 IL W. Frankfort Channel]! Robert May Business, internet, aames. Q 19 DF 72+ 3 619-423-4970 CA Imperial Sch The Music Shop Judy Letoslak Music related. X 09 V 14+ 1 619-435-0036 CA Coronado Daily Calendar E Copper Home office, files. Internet. B 29 FV 6 1 7 619-463-9378 CA San Diego ZenWest Chris Sickels C/S, MajorNet, chat, games. X 09 VF 10 8 619-523-9025 CA San Diego Techno-Mages Holly Sullivan DLG BB/OS home support site, X 29 FV A 1 619-779-9402 CA Palm Desert Desert Oracle Jim John Adult gay & lesbian. M 29 VF 14+ 10 S 3 701-280-2343 ND Fargo Spectrum BBS Dale Mill General interest. A 29 VF 10+ 1 701-772-5399 City Lites John Lundell 701-839-2664 ND Minor. CyberSlar BBS Glenn French Files. Apogee Dist site. W 29 FV 5 1 701-852-8072 ND Minot Infinity Ronnie R. Herr Online games email files, elc. X 29 V 4 1 SI 702-254-8601 NV Las Vegas ABSOLUT TEMP Charles Shapiro UNI-net Nelmail. OS/2. B 19 VF 40+ 2 3 702-324-0301 NV Reno CENPACWEST Rob Pittser Files, mulli-player games. M 29 V 12 8 702-588-0315 NV Stateline Lightning Syst Bill Martin Fasl. friendly, family system 09 DF 999+ 2 702-747-5432 NV Reno Ultimate BBS Michael Fox General interest, S 19 V 16+ 1 702-796-7771 NV Las Vegas Above & Beyond Robert Henson Files, door games, messages. W 19 FV 88+ 3 703-237-8725 VA Arlington Home Repair Bobby Clarke Home related, do-it-yourself. R 29 V 5 1 703-243-9755 VA Arlington Freepnl Matrix J ivey Conversation, games, files. V 09 VB 4 1 703-427-0226 Mountain Air 703-435-8644 The Lasf Resort 703-478-5502 APO Appraisal data M 19 FV 100+ 86 703-532-7143 Arlington Soltwr Jay Falvey 703-620-8900 World Data Net 703-638-7580 Xsword's Haven 703-731-0601 Dockside BBS 704-757-9949 Enchnt Forest Edward Wood Derek Figg DC Washington Mark Maxey Tony McCienny R Hedgecock Danny Cook Brian Miller The fl-List 704-983-2877 NC Albemarle Small Wonder Mark Brooks Network, games. CD-ROM, l-net. X 19 HB 10 1 S 1 705-727-0824 ON Barrie Ignilon Factor Ben Vinegar Mdsic. games. ft 09 V 1 1 707-792-9920 CA Cotati STONEHENGE JohnChipps Variely ol files. Free board. Y 99 U 2 1 708-247-9068 IL Vernon Hills Power Palace S. Hauswirth Games, email & newsgroups, OS2. 8 09 F 28+ 2 3 708-260-8818 Adline U.S.A.! Charles Parker 708-367-7851 Syslem SoKivare Wayne Lawton 708-462-1508 ILWtieaton Whin File Exch JimAmidei Best ol shareware S Usenet. W 29 VD 50+5 S3 708-489-0031 IL Midlothian B&R Enterprise Ronnie King General, games, rets. B 09 FV 80+ 3 1 708-516-8679 IL Gary TheHDTMIX Curt Zimmerman Shareware, games, music, DJs. W 19 F 165+5 3 708-546-0301 Castle KingSide Don Martin 708-634-9368 Great Northern Michael Wilson 708-635-8050 IL Des Plaines The Daze Inn John Mc Climent Multi interest general/adult. Q 09 D 5 3 3 708-636-6694 Suburban Soltwr Chuck Valecek 708-832-7754 Addisn Dos Haus Leroy Hein Jr 708-835-3205 IGlencoe Grey Matter James Karaganis Virtual reality, science fiction. W 99 FV 50+ 6 S 708-872-4096 ILZion Sojourner BBS Rick Flint Files, games, mags, job lists. S 19 F 30+ 1 708-894-9312 II Medmall The Borg BillValiunas Computer support/ networking. W 99 F 35+ 1 708-991-2452 BBS Data Sys Greg Kaiser 708-993-0461 IL Elmhurst The Wild Onion A. Tantillo Social, chat, interaclive games. M 99 FV 225+ 117 S F 713-873-5702 Bowlrs AcrAmer Dennis Aslour 714-525-0738 CA Fullerton Comp. Republic Brian Williams A fresh alternative to AOL, X 99 FV 70+ 2 714-720-3801 CA Newport Beac DB BBS Grant GUi interface, sounds, rad X 29 F 14+2 S A 714-837-9677 Solar Syslem Peler Guethlein 714-839-0553 CA Garden Grove His Place Glenn Frank Christian church, Mac, IBM. X 19 V 1 1 714-951-7311 CAMissionViejo A Helping Hand Scotl Leighton Internet email, lev; user help W 19 VF 12+ 1 3 714-996-7777 The Liberty BBS Steven Grande 715-652-2758 Wl Auburndale TwilighlZone J. Hrusovszky Conspiracy/Patriot. T 19 DF 36+ 7 F 715-726-0501 Wl Chip. Falls Storm BBS Clay Busker Music mods, demos. X 19 V 10+ 1 716-624-8106 NY Rochester NeoNexus Sys. David Muench Chat, internet, files, msgs, M 19 DF 999+20 S F 716-681-9358 NY Buffalo The Dark Side MikeCherven Games, files, and much more! F 19 D 16+2 S C 717-420-8937 PA Analomink magic dominion lance merlen all general files all ages. W 19 D 14+ 2 717-561-8145 TEC-BOARD Ham radio. X 09 F 6+ 717-691-1041 PA Mchanicsbur Sunburst Mike Smeal Games and shareware files. X 19 F 5+1 717-840-1444 Cyberia PA Harrisburg Bob Lester 1 Sara/Adam Viener The hottest adult BBS brings you XXX quality with no compromises. Featuring all the GIFs you ever wanted (over 10 GB), loads of original content, and more, much more. Plus: hot chat with people from all over the World. And best of all: IT'S FREE! Absolutely no charges, no credit card needed, just dial and download immediately. XXX GIFs! HOT CHAT! ALL FREE! SIMPLY DIAL: 01HI52-172-94-440 Erotica East Over iB'i only, long distance charges apply. http://www.adultsex.com The Internets Ultimate Site For Online Adult Pleasures! BBS Hot List! \¥ll% 24 Hours Live Women Online Uncensored Chat Rte Libraries • Dating 8 N 1 Up to 28.8 Credit Earns Mine 954-725-0705 24 Hour Free International BBS Uncensored Chat ■ Huge File Libraries 8 N 1 Inn. Rates Apply 01 1 -652«1 729-091 2 24 Hour Free Uncensored BBS RHIRti heat ExotJc Women Live • Huge File Libraries 8 N t Wl. Rales Apply 01 1 -852-1 729-091 4 50 MARCH 1995 BBS MAGAZINE 717-876-0152 PaJermyn NE File Bank Stuart Wilson Files, Fidonet. email, newsgrp. 09 D 20+ 2 3 717-876-2007 PA Arch bald Generation X Waller Petrosky Online games, music & demos. X 99 FD 10+ 1 1 718-234-6905 NY Brooklyn Maddog BBS llya Kushnirsky General and games. R 09 VF 5+ 1 718-366-6165 Rama One BBS Tommy Brunning 718-547-4210 NY Bronx Alter Hours Ed Calvin Computer related forums/files. M 09 V 10 4 718-779-5301 NY woodside Blarney BBS Maureen C. Doors. B 29 VF 2+ 1 718-786-5557 NY LIC The Interzone Jim Garvin General files, games & more. B 29 DF 140+4 3 718-837-3236 NY Brooklyn Consultant BBS JayCaplan Resource lor computer professnls. B 09 D 999» 8 S 1 718-882-5683 NY Bronx BBSLineTraveler Ray Checks Many new updated files, games. 1 29 V 5 1 718-892-0187 NY Bronx Devastate BBS LuisCasas Online gaming; best L.O.D. 29 VB 4 1 719-540-9728 CO Colo Springs Co. Connection Scott Carter Online games and adult areas. W 09 FV 39+ 3 7 770-232-9827 GA Atlanta Atl Business J. Domaleski Business-related, files, mail. 19 F 14 1 3 770-336-9701 GA Kingston Warrior Base Johnny Bunch Military, survival, camping. X 29 F 13+ 1 770-736-0841 GA Loganville Blondie's Den Janice Gilmore Cratts. family, cooking. T 09 B 14+ 2 770-760-8494 GA Conyers ACS OnLine Wolfgang Piatt Real estate & PC support. W 99 V 8+1 770-825-0841 GA Norcross BrightStar BobNaumann Business-related. B 19 B 3 1 770-943-0173 GAPwderSprgs Computer Connii F.Osborne General, outdoors, healthcare. P 09 V 4 1 770-972-4999 GA Atlanta GratflliOnline Jim Maddox Gay 8. lesbian news and chat. M 29 V 40 45 S 770-994-0612 GA Atlanta ABBS Ron Miller Many SIGs inludino law enforc. T1 09 VO 10- 6 3 800-646-2368 NJ Carlsatdt NAEMTBBS Kevin Agard Emergency medical services, W 29 FF 11 2 3 803-233-0824 SC Greenville Optical Delusi Bruce Murphree Files, doors, messages. W 09 F 14+ 1 803-552-4389 SC N, Charleston Earth Art Bob Chapman Environment/art/Graen BBS list. B 09 DF 128+ 4 3 803-796-7235 SC W.Columbia En! BBS Chip Meyers Support. Fidonet Filebone. echos. 29 FB 8 1 803-871-3076 Byte Bucket Ham radio. B 19 V 10 SCSummerville Paul Dardis i 803-871-8761 SCLadson Carolina Chat Robert McElwee Full internet, chat. DOOM. M 19 VO 14+ 20 S F 803-873-5797 SC Udson DazedSCDnfused Bunny McElwee Games. B 19 FV 14+ 8 804-293-4710 VACharlottesvi Freeware Hall Rey Barry Supplies sysops with freeware. B 29 F 11 1 804-491-0026 VA Chesapeake Thin Blue Line Scott White Law enforcement Q 29 F 8 2 804-520-0536 VA Chesterfield Joe's Place BB Joe Landers Ham radio, games and adult tun. W 09 FV 14+ 2 604-541-0517 VA Hopewell Cracked WindowsDamel Slagle Game crack, cheat, hint liles, S 99 F 14+ 1 804-590-21 51 VA Matoaca ServanlofLord Dr C.A. Wootten Christian education/research. W 19 FV 102 3 804-596-2131 Time Out! BBS Mark Solomon 804-967-0943 VA Richmond Little Byles Augie Kunnecke Sound, graphics, education. W 09 V 5+1 804-979-1036 VA Charltsville Flat Line Paul Suggs General use. W 99 F 16+ 1 805-374-9997 CAThousOak The Matrix Denny Cherry Adult access, online games. W 09 B 11+ 1 805-376-9191 CA Nev/bry Park Data Field BBS David Levin OS/2, DOS. programming, games X 29 FV 5 1 3 805-499-5717 Formula 350 Eric Lundberg 805-526-0609 CASimi Valley The Data Shop Alan McDonald Information & entertainment. M 09 DF 50+ 6 3 805-579-3877 CAThousOak Joe's Garage MarcNeveux Online games. X 29 V 8 1 805-964-4766 The Seaside Les Jones 809-274-1872 PR Halo Rey CyberNet Onlin Jaime Barcelo Business. Internet. Windows 95, X 29 VU 17+3 S F 809-283-6942 PR San Juan Centus Edfel J, Rivera Business, productivity. W 29 V 20+ 2 2 809-832-4984 PR Mayaguez The Glass BBS HeberSoto Dedicated to Windows shareware. I 19 F 80+ 1 3 810-227-3875 Ml Brighton The Newtonian Mark Newton Internet. Windows. PowerBBS. X 29 F 16+ 2 F 810-477-6695 The Soul Conn Mike Demski 806-355-8564 TxAmarillo The Minuleman Larry Wyble Second amendment issues. X 29 V 12+ 1 810-546-4467 MIFerndale Comm Conned Jefl Squires Information-genealogy-games. Y 09 DF 16+ 1 1 810-631-6885 The Casual BBS PatCargiil 810-751-6704 Ml Warren Short Circuit Eric Dobis Family based. No adult materl. W 29 DF 20+ 2 812-475-0434 IN Evansville Rustic Inn BBS Ronald Benjamin Msgs. hobbies, games, contests. W 09 VO 20+ 2 813-841-7231 FL Port Richey TOoM James Sumner How-to. adult avail, X 29 F 5 1 3 813-856-0577 FL Hudson Traveling Man david zimmer General, files, events, sales. I 29 V 5+ 1 nitelng BBS (403) 655-1096 v,32bls Telnet: nitelog.com 45 Nodes 70,000+ fibs Huge ADULT section! Come and see! local call in 130+ cities 1-800-745-2747 tor details ««j ■»^cb)m j ■ el we! ^ft *--w CbiCCiiiiUC GJl ^m^ "The Ultimate File Server"™ n^/I \ iQntint 2$ ^Tti fv> ''Jew. £ni*iiairutefd IOO c A Private t 7 Instant Access J \. 35+ CD-ROMS Online mW A, Huge Erotic File Libraries ^L\\ 100.000+ Modem Melting GIF's ^LvAW^ Easy to Use and Lots of Sexy Fun iMmW^ Great for First-Time BBS Users! r* - "in1-«^ Ml '.'..((' 1 1 W ■ ( r.-> <=■! Mm (=Ai& i '■.■!'» IS* 1 M mM. ** ^r-^f^PrPf (*{? CZi/vi^Li q>UE software, small business. W 99 VF 14+ 3 909-797-3135 CyberCutlure 909-860-9668 NightPlayer Movies. B 99 F 15 2 S 909-882-7887 CA S Bernardino VirlualVillage Ed Sponsler Online games / latest sharware. W 09 V 14+ 3 3 909-925-9564 The Ouija! Board Keith Burgner 910-292-1979 NC Greensboro The BillBoard Bill Bailey Computer hobbyist/professional . W 19 V 10+ 2 3 910-768-7570 NCWinstonSal Anachro Corner Derek Godfrey Sci-Fi, SCA, Trek, PC utilities, X 19 V 5 1 S 912-538-7950 GAVidalia Cornerstone Michael Brazell All-around general BBS. W 29 F 15+1 S 913-483-4554 KS Russell black door Monty Black DOS, Windows, discussion. X 19 V 4 1 1 The fi-List 913-784-7171 The Publishing Mike Robinson 913-842-2885 KS Lawrence Homer's Hut H.Parker Hardware, software support. X 09 FF 14+ 2 1 914-426-0729 Mirage Network Brian Buffel 914-524-0388 NY N. Tarrytown Cyberspace HWY Douglas Zolkind Games, reference, etc. I 09 FV 5+ 2 F 914-621-2865 Drk Side ol Moon Peter Caccbioli 914-793-5060 NY Bronxville Applewiie Mike Baumann Entertainment. M 99 F 35+8 S F 914-896-0049 NY FiShkill The Game Frame B. Burton Mulliplayer game server. M 99 VF 1 6 915-520-0114 TX Midland Baron's Castle J Hautzenroeder Games & graphics. X 09 F 45+ 3 915-590-4284 TX El Paso Vulcan BBS JoeJaguez. MS Adult tiles Storums. X 29 V 100+ 256 $ 3 915-598-9751 TX El Paso Fantasy BBS JoeJaquez. MS Adult oriented system. X 09 00 100+ 256 S 3 916-247-1232 CA Redding EBSMicro Bruce Knapton File distribution system. B 19 F 999 15 S 916-339-9950 CA N. Highlands Leather World Ralph Chandler Leather. X 09 V 10+ 4 916-366-3216 CA Sacramento Coconut Tele MikeSommer Internet, Intelec Hub, FidoNet. I 29 F 19+ 2 1 916-534-5329 CA Oroville TDEC West BBS John Young Email, games, technical I 29 D 16+2 916-585-2281 Golden State 916-635-4157 V&T BBS Adult access. Q 09 FV 9 916-688-8996 Falcon & Eagle Mid evil. 09 VF 5 Gregory Smith CA Sacramento Ron Ablang CA Sacramento Chris Darrow 1 916-721-7021 CA Antelope Cyber Bytes John Johnson Files and games, I 19 VF 5 1 916-889-8410 CAAuburn T.S. BBS. Around Jon Anderson Dail 389-8410..., 252525. I 19 V 1 1 1 916-929-7511 CA Sacramento BOBsBBS BobBreedlove Home of the USBBS List X 09 F 2 1 918-272-7779 Black Gold BBS Michael Cline W Farrimond NCGoldsboro James Bleacher 918-627-0923 The Hub! BBS 919-735-6889 PowerHouse Chat. T 09 V 14+ 5 941-424-3286 FL Davenport BugLips BBS! Daniel Hurt 24bit color & 16bit sound supp. X 99 VF 14+ 1 954-452-5226 Looking Glass Files. W 29 F 45+ FL Davie Ken Wiren 1 954-792-3887 FL Ft Lauderdale Photo Image M R Dolliver Photo, original, arnateur/pro. S 19 VF 11 3 Don't truss another issue Subscribe Today Call Toll-Free 1-800-822-0437 LOOK at the BBS voted a TOP 20 BBS in USA!! 21 GIGS * NEW FILES! Ultimate Adult Clubs! INTERNET HGCESS 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 FF*EE Internet Mail / FTP / TELNET X Nationwide personals -ONLINE X24 Hr. Satellite News & Weather X HOTTEST GIF'S! All Lifestyles!! X Online Shopping & Games Network! TELNET: 199.3.100.214 " 512-887-0787 cds-bbs 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 30 Minutes Free Access Per Day MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 53 The following collection of Telnet- accessible BBSs is a unique version of the SBI List maintained by Richard Mark, sysop of Dragon Keep BBS (904.375.35OO/Telnet: dkeep.com. or 198,79.54.10). Versions of the list can be found at the sites noted in the box below. Bulletin boards new since the last revision are given full descriptions. Color = New since last revision 1990 MULTILINE BBS 1 18 gigs, multiline games, lively chat. multiline.com.au 203.5.127.230 1990 MULTILINE GAMES MACHINE Games; interactive, modem-to-modem. multiline.com.au 203.5.127.250 1USA.COM Chat, files, games. bbs.1usa.com 205.148.243.1 A Clockwork Online clockwork.com 199.234.182.56 A World Locally bbs.locally.com 205.147.78.131 Absolute Connection a-c.in.net 199.0.62.164 Access Nevada spillway.accessnv.com 199.2.253.3 Access One Online Services access-one.com 204.95 83 100 ACE IntoSystems aceinfo.com 199.190.76.2 AdeptXBBS adeptsott.gate.net 199.227.57.1 Advanced Data Services BBS bbs.aclsinc.com 199.190.70.3 AECNET™ aecnet.com 204.89.131.100 Alter Hourz BBS ahbqs.com 204.134.204.10 Afterimage Information Matrix aim.novasys.com 204.178.181.2 Aladdin's Palace BBS araddin.bc.ca 204,174.112.253 netted Boards WWW: http://rlkeep.com/sbi.htm Includes a "Guided Tour of Internet." BBSs from around the world. FTP: dkunix.dkeep.com (in /pub/sbi] login:anonymous gcomm.com (in /internet) login: anonymous ftp.rahul.ne1 (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) sbi-infa@dkeep.com (Revision Information tor current list) sbi-sysop@dkeep.com (How to Become a Pan of the SBI list) BBS: Dragon Keep — dkeep.com / 904.375,3503 (signup, then type /GO SBI) Liberty Network HUB — libbub.ltberly.com / (800) 474-1818 (signup./GO SBI) Albuquerque RQS abq-ros.com 204.68.29.244 Alien's Spaceship BBS aliens.com 199.190.82.2 Allen's World Wide Chat chat.aliens.com 199.190.82.10 Almac BBS almacco.uk 193.114.248.81 AMATEUR EROTICA BBS DF CHICAGO Adult erotic amateur images/audio files. 205.164.6.169 Amateur Radio INTERNET BBS v/b3ffv1 .sed.csc.com . . . 205.42.80.130 America's Suggestion Box asb.com 165.254.128.1 Anarchy Online anarchy-online.com 1 99.1 .91 .250 Anarchy-X BBS bbs.ax.com 199.184.188.10 ANDREW'S BBS BBS tor prog. Baltija. Riga. Latvian Rep. bbs.dcball.vernet.lv . . . 159.148.150.124 The Annex! annex.com 204.74.67.1 Another World™ awol.com 204.160 88 13 AOP BBS 198.232.144.101 AppleWIze OnLlne applewize.com 206.181 .98.2 Appraisal Profession Online apo.com 199.172.5.2 Aquila BBS aquila.com 204.95.88.5 Argus Online argusbbs.com 204.255.103.222 Arizona InterAclive Systems azi.com 199.190.114.2 ASERTEL Servicios On-line bermes.asertel.es 194.140.141.5 AstruBBS astrobbs.com 204 215.32.26 The Atlanta Windows BBS bbs atiwin.com 155.229.44.2 Atlantis BBS atlantis-bbs.com 199.4.124.69 Atlas BBS gilroy.com 204.189.37.1 AUSSIE IBS Recreational BBS bbs.augsburg.edu 141.224.128.4 Austin Clubhouse BBS club.fc.net 198,6.198.98 Barney's Rubble rubble.ddouk.org 194.70.36.10 Barter America BBS barter-usa.com 192.207.47.72 BBS One Online Service bbs.prgone.com 199.18.119.129 The Behavioral Health Network behavnel.com 199.190.85.2 BELIEVERS BBS Christian, spiritual discovery and growth. believers.org 205,186.137.49 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 Blaslertronics BBS blast.neta.com 204.1 77.236.30 Blitzkrieg Inlormation BBS blitzinfo.com 199.190.90.2 Boardwalcb Magazine BBS boardwatch.com 204.144.169.1 Boston Dungeon Society bdsbbs.com 199.242.194.90 Bound lor Pleasure BBS bfp.com 205.247.33.3 Brainslorm BBS bstorm.bgs.com 198.84.216.1 Bryant Software bryant.com 199.45.158.193 CALIFORNIA BBS MOO (MUD. Object-Oriented). calbbs.com 193.58.158.3 Canned Ham Bulletin Board anarky.tch.org 199.173.177.250 The Canton Connection BBS tccbbs.com 199.18,245,39 CAPITAL CITY CYBERLINK Chatlink. games, DOOM, Descent. DCIink.com 206.136.82.2 Caribbean Online Network tar Into 204.183.157.10 Carolina Chal caroiina-chat.com 205.148.236.2 Carolina Online nconline.com 204.215.211.211 Caslle Holt BBS castleholt.com 199.0.62.176 Catania On Line cton.line.it 151.99.143.3 CCS World ccsnetxom 199.172.47.2 CedarNet Online bbs.cedamet.com 205.148.200.3 Cetys BBS cetysbbs.mxl.cetys.mx 158,122.1.9 CHANNEL 1 s bbs.channel1.com 204.96.33.5 ChatMasterBBS cmaster.com 199.190.80.2 CHEERSOFT MBBS third-party developer. 206.20.13.100 Christie's Internet Matchmaker bounced.email.net 199.33.241.97 Chrysalis Online Services chrysaiis.org 204.96.6.98 Cinci-Net cinci.net 199.6.38.4 Cincinnati Multi-Player Connection cinmpc.com 205.133.194.10 The City Lights tclbbs.com 199.199.122.4 Cleveland's Worldnel worldnetoh.com 204.248.180.53 Close Encounters Adult Close.packet.net 199.1.77,17 Closer To Home BBS Systems ctoser2,brisnet,org,au .... 203.4.149.98 Cloud Cily ctoud.com 199.190.94.2 Club BBS club.gdi.iteso.mx 148.201 '.is Club Met clubmet.com 198.69,223.103 Colossus Box colossus.com 198.3.1 18.19 Columbus Online cols.com 205.133.92.2 Comm2 199.92.200.58 COMM Port OS/2 juge.com 199.100,191.2 Comp-U-Find Online 199.79,146.33 ComPart 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.compuiink.com . . . 199.165.254.2 CONNECT 2000 BBS connec12000.com 204,177.193.251 The Connection BBS connection. com 204.138 1 11.2 Connections connections.ultrahet.com. 199.232.102.151 Connections! 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BBS cyberspace7.ptd.net 204.186.5.1 CYBERSPACE HO Files, messages, chat, interactive games. cyberhq.com 205,147.11.35 CyherStation Flnet.com 204.176.215.10 Cyber verse cyberverse.com 134.24.3.50 Dallas/Fort Worth MalchMaker Pen-Pals dallas.email.net 204 181.1 10.2 THE DARK CHATEAU Adult chat, bondage, discipline, personals Daikchat.com 166.82 150,90 Data Highway dth.com 199.227.90.1 DataSate Publications BBS dsafe.com 199.190.74.3 The Davasofl BBS dava.com 204.176 6.5 Del's Place BBS delsplace.com 204.245.241.76 Delaware Online! dol.net 204.183.91.2 Delaware Valley On Line dvol.com 206.20.144.10 dellaComm Online delta.com 204.32.41.2 Dental-X-Change odont.com 199.1 90.92.2 Denver Exchange bbs.tde.com 199.45.158.210 Desert Jewel dj.kern.com 204.212.36 4 DIALDATA SYSTEMS The biggest BBS in Brazil. bbs dialdata.com.br , . . . 200.246.225.7 Digital Concepts BBS dconcepts.com 165,247.101.21 Digital Rain digital-rain.com 205.206.107.2 Digilec Online bbs.digilec.co.za 196,11.62.106 THE DIRTY HACKER BBS Adult system. 205.161.119.237 Disk Jockey Online djo.com 204.245.198.230 54 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Doctor's Ollice BBS / Falken Support docs.dgsys.com 204.97.64 6 The Doll House BBS bbs.dhsys.net 206.66.104.2 The Downtown BBS iiwnhvn.com 205.148.204.2 Dragon Keep International dkeep.com 198.79.54.10 Dream Link Online Information Service auburn.maine.com 204.176.0.14 Oreamscape BBS future.dreamscape.com . . . 199.64.128.3 Dreamscape Entertainment Service dscape.cyberstore.com ..204.244.18.12 DSCBBS/Voicenel 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 elbbs.id.net 152.160.9,50 The Electronic Universe BBS e-universe.com 199.67.39.129 Elysian Fields castle.elysian.net 204.181.47.5 Emergency BBS On-Line Services emergency.com 205.243.1 33.2 Empire BBS empire.bbs.net.au 203.20.80.1 Empty Spaces BBS bbs.empty.com 198.30.235.51 The Endless Forest forest.novia.net 204.248.24.1 Endless Mountain CyberSPACE emcyber.com 198.70.189.74 The English Palace BBS palace.com 199.171.54.2 netted Boards Entertainment and Consumers Network ecn.ecn.com 198.211.192.146 Escape Escape.com 198.6.71.10 eSott Support and Demo BBS esort.com 199.45.143.2 ESSLink BBS bbs.esslink.com 204.252.96.101 EuroGate 193.67.253.33 Europe /Eurollnk! 193.92.253.70 EveryBaudy's BBS busstop.com 192.80.84.229 Exchange BBS exchange.org 204.89.181.2 Exec Talk BBS bbs.mpcs.com 198,69.107.208 bbs.execpc.com 204.29.202.4 Executive Network Information Sys gateway.execnet.com . 198.232.143.136 EXiT 13 vegas.roc.servtecti.com. . 204.181.3.147 ExDtlcamm BBS bbs.exoticomm.com .... 204.181.179.2 Eye Contact BBS bbs.eyecon.com 204.94.37.2 The Eyes of Time BBS eyesoftime.com 198.6.201.206 EZLinh Internet Access ezlink.com 199,45,150.1 EZNel eznetny.com 198.4.60.100 Fairfield Community Connection fcc.com 199.190.101.2 Multiple Award Winner ^PCBoard Professional BBS Software Sales and Installations •k FREE 2 node demo -k 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 email: pcboard.prices@wdn.com Famllylown Online familytown.com 157.151.201.3 Farm Information Services fis.awp.com 163.123.3,82 Fast! BBS bbs.fast.CD.za 196.23.34.2 THE FASTLANE BBS Family-oriented BBS, forums, games. flbbs.com 198.60.81.193 The Fetish Network BBS tetish.wisenet.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 garlic.esc.k12.in.us 165.138,151.8 Flint Hills Internet BBS bbs.1linthills.com 199.240.127.10 FIOaTIng PAncReAs sfpg.gcomm.com 199.227.15.30 The Flower Link BBS flowerlink.com 199,234.116.2 FOUH.net F0UR.net 198.70.45.3 France Online france.com 199.4.122.2 Full Access BBS fabbossnt.com 198.150.37.210 Future Frontier fft.com 165.247.241.2 G.L.O.B.l.E. net1.intserv.com 199.67.39.34 G.O.D. acadh2.isisnet.com 199.45.83.1 1 GAIANET BBS Free sys, leleconf, multiplayer games. hbs.gaianet.net 199.3.117.69. Galaclicomm DEMO System gcomm.com 206.30.202.14 Galacticomm UNIX Demo System unix.gcomm.com 206.30.202.26 The Game Master gm.gamemaster.qcca .... 199.84.216.2 Game Power Headquarters Online Net gamepower.com 204.183.165.2 GaRBaGeOuMPBBS dump.com .....199.190.74.2 Gateway Online bbs.gatecom.com 198.87.17.102 GENESYSBBS Live confrencing, online games, MUD genesys-bbs.com 205.252.72.249 GenSlar On-Llne 206.26.67.1 The Global Blind Exchange (GBX) gbx.org 165.90.138.192 Global InlaNet california.com 140.174.210.4 GRAFIX grafix.com 166.82.150.31 Grand Rapids Online gronline.alliance.net .... 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 greatgfg.com 199.201.191.102 Green and Yellow greenandyellow.btm.com 199.199.195.1 GREX(tn) cyberspace.org 152.160.30.1 continues. . . .com http://www. bbsmag.com Click here for the only BBS magazine on the planet. '. BBS MAGAZINE 55 Grinning Evil Death darkside.async.vt.edu . 128.173.146.222 GRN BBS BBS.GRN.ES 194.179.47.2 The Grotto ot Dreams thegrotto.com 206.24.42.130 Ground Zero BBS gzero.com 204,251.133.2 HACOM BBS bbs.hacom.nl 193.67.233.1 Hala Ada! Exchange hafaadai.ts2 ameritel, . . 204.183.100.132 HAL900B hal9k.com 152.160.13.1 Hamptons Online hamptons.com 204.141.112.2 HeartBeat BBS heartbeat.org 199.190.113.2 Helix: Houston's Electronically helix.xiii.com 198.65.131.145 Hellas On-line hellas.hol.forihnet.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 Hale in the Wall holn\vali.sos.net 199.165.149.4 The Hot SpDt BBS bbs.hspot.CDm 204.249.107.120 Hotel California kincyb.com 165.90.141 .2 IACC ONLINE BBS iacc.housing.umich.edu 141.211.151.30 Idaho Interactive idibbs.com 199.190.75.2 In Jersey Entertainment 204.193.138.250 The INDEX System (tm) indexxom 204,117.209.1 (l)nduslry BBS industry-dm.com 204.157.46.2 [letted Boards INFIMABBS bbs.infima.cz 194.108.205.150 lnflhlet=81 shakti.txintinet.com 204.96.1 1 1 .93 Infinite Data Source On-Line Serv bbs.idsonline.com 204.157,204.157 Infinite Loop BBS 155.64.60.31 Infinite Space Online ispace.com 204.227.13.1 INFINITY ONLINE Adult. Live chat and trivia Men. nights. ionline.com 199.176.249.62 InfoNel (Information Superhighway) 199.3.25.4 InfoNel Bulletin Board System infousa.com 199.1.77.11 InfoPDil infoport.com 204.131.1.21 Information Highway On-Ramp on-ramp.com 199.190.96.2 Instant Access mstbbs.camba.com 204.180.234.2 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 lnterCom.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 The Finest Images-Domestic & Foreign. 1,000's of GIF's, JPEG'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 rates apply. Proof of age required, We do not condone or supply Inl'l hardcore material. International MBBS Sysops Associa imbbsa.org 204.74.67.100 InlheNet OLS and Virtual Markets! inthenet.com 205.228.202.10 IONX ionx.com 199.148.174.20 IPlay 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.udlap.mx 140. 148.4. 1DQ Janis II -Tokyo asianet.net 202.32.39.1 1 1 The Jungle BBS jungle.net 199.171.27.184 Juris.com BBS iuris.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 Newsn newsnet.knoxnews.com. . . . 204.71.5.10 The Kobayashi Alternative BBS tka.com 204.117.63.1 Kompleat Internet Services, LLC bbs.kis.net 206.26.158.10 LaserBase Communications laserbase.com 205 251.32.62 LeClub BBS lia.inlolink.co.za 196. 14.80.33 LegacyNet lgn.com 199,190.102.2 Legends Online legendsonl.com 204.186.4.1 Liberty BBS liberty.com 199,89.140.111 Liberty Network Hub libhub.liberty.com 199,89,140.116 LIFESTYLE ONLINE lifestyle.com 166,32,150.22 UNO BBS linq.com 204.19.224.1 Liquid Sky BBS iiquidsky.com 165 212.242.2 Livewlre 198.53.239.3 Logic Circuit Logicom.com 199.190.88.2 LOIS: the Link Online In Santa M lois.org ..199.74.141,105 LONG ISLAND GLOBAI.INK Long Island and local interests liglobal.com 205.230.173.173 Love Bytes byenet.com 204.96.26.2 The Machine BBS themachine.com 205.197.63.2 Magic Bus magicbus.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 Malum Information Network malum.sas.ab.ca 198.73.176.242 Masterpiece masterpiece.com 204.30.116.11 MATRiX de Puerto nice MATRlX-PR.COM 204.183.157.6 Meeting House BBS tmh.bbsnet.com 199.1.41.22 MEMEBBS meme.bellingham.wa.us 198.182.208.66 Metro Online BBS nycmetro.com 204.96.9.2 Metro Slave Online BBS metroslave.com 199 245.230.58 Metropoli/StarPortBBS unix.mpoli.1i 193.210.15.65 METROPOLIS. CITIES OF THE BIG 10 Entertainment-based system big10.com 198.69,223.104 METROPOLIS. CITIES OF THE BIG 12 Entertainment-based system big12.com 198.69.223.102 MHVnel mhv.net 199.0.0.10 Micro Village BBS mvbbs.siae.cDm.sg 202.42.230.10 Mike's BBS bbs.gar.no 192.150.211.10 Miller's Party Board mpb.com 199.190.89.2 MindVox phantom.com 198.67.3.2 mixBBS mixbbs.commdesign.com 204.164.84.22 Mnematics Videotex vtx.mne.com 198.178.154.1 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 Moonllower .moon.iea.com 19817,249.11 The Motherboard motherboard.com 204.74.100.3 MPCBBS INF. POR TELEPROCESSAMENTO Brazilian; OS/2, Microsoft, Midi Music mpcbbs.com.br 200.246.0.252 MPI Online Services bbs.mpi-net.com 204.71.44.3 Mr. Natural's BBS bbs.mrnatural.com . . . 205.199.208.248 Multi-Comm Las Vegas mcomm.mclv.net 204.95,95.253 Mullicom-4 BBS Network multicom.org 199.190,113.3 Multlverse telnet.multiverse.com . . , 199,218,112,3 Music & More!!! BBS mambbs.dnaco.com 199.3 29 10 NAK nak.com 199,190.119.2 NandoNet camelot.nando.net 152.52,2,82 Nasty Playmates np1.com 204.182.116.1 Needful Things BBS needlulthings.com 1 99.221 .95.1 2 NeoNexus Systems bbs.neonexus.com .... 205.148.244.20 THE NEST BBS teleconl, games, files, newsgroups, email. netsbbs.pretech.com.au . . . 203.22.22,2 Net-link Online net-link, com 204.254.156,2 NETIS bbs.netis.com 19B.186.186.16 Metropolis Entertainment Server bbs.netropolis.be 194.137.61.14 Networks Online Service nworks.com 205.246.1 14.130 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 pluto.njcc.com 165.254.117.51 New Power BBS, Inc. np.newpower.com 204.96.24.2 New York MatchMaker Pen-Pal Network newyork.email.net 199.173.74.39 The Newtonian BBS newton.com 152.1 60.99.254 NFE BBS (Naperville File Exchange) nfebbs.nfe.com 1 99,89.235,68 56 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE Night Vision nightvision.inetnebr.c (1 99.184.119.223 Hlletag BBS 165.227.94,25 MIS FedWorld fedworld.gav 192.239.92,3 Nucleus Inlorntation Service nis.nucleus.com 199.45.65.130 Mucleusl nucleus.atom.com 204,49,61 ,5 Nurse Net Nederland bbs.nursing.nl 193,78,222.136 Odyssey Online Odyssey. ody.com , 204.94.37.100 Olympia Online uranus.olympia.com 204.77.68.7 On-Llne Entertainment connect.on-liriB.co.uk . . , 193.130.168.1 ON-Line Orgasms BBS 206.65.49.175 ONE LINK Entertainment, fee pers./ class, ads. onelink.com 206.148.229.2 The One Slop BBS the.one-stop.com .... 205.133.113.131 Onix BBS onix.com 198.70.176.1 Online Computer Distribution MAIN.ONCOMDIS.OrJ.CA . 204.101.15.3 Online Data Systems ods.ods.net 204.95.172.4 ONLINE ILLUSIONS All around entertainment hoard. lusions.com 205.218.80.37 Online Montgomery 204.96,29.2 Online Orlando oo.com 204,215.243.15 The Online Pitstop (Top. Net) bbS.top.net 204.214.28.129 ONIineWEIcome bbs.onwe.ra.za 196.7.192.2 OS/2 Shareware BBS bbs.os2bbs.com 204.194.180.10 The Outpost pclQgiconline.com 198.70.191 .73 Pacilic Connections paccon.com 199.74.141.67 Pacilic Horizons pacific.seanet.com . . . 199.181.167.246 Pacifier Online Data Service pods.pacifier.com 199,2.117,106 Paradigm Online 202.33.54.66 Paradise BBS pplnet.com 205.240.194.3 Paragon Online pgos.com 206.26.197.2 Parly Line Entertainment bbs.party.com 166.82.196.2 PC Genius 158.182.6.137 PCS Online Services bhs.pcsonline.com 204.251.132.2 PENN-COMM BBS mailer.pennet.com 199.234.141.3 Pennsylvania Onlinel paonline.com 198.69.90.250 Phantasy BBS phantasy.com 156.46.216.10 Phoenix Online phxbhs.com 206.42.218.25 Pics On-Llne BBS bbs.pics.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 199.190.65.10 Powersystems BBS pwsbbs.com 205,148.196.2 The PressRoom pressroom.com 198.69.131.1 Principle ol Obscurily BBS obscurity.pd.mcs.net . . . 204,137,229.20 lletted Boards PRIMTERNET Online Network for the Graphic Arts Ind, printer-net.com 199.227.41.3 Prism BBS prism.com 199.190.77.3 Prolink 204.95.170.95 Prostar Plus Information Network prOStar.com 204.57.1 31 .1 Proton Palace proton.com 198.53.206.68 Public Data Network bbs.chatlink.cam 205.139.105.2 Pure Energy BBS pure-energy.com 165.254. 1B3.2 Radio Wave radiowawe.com 206.67.132.2 RCI (Ripco Communications Inc) faley.ripco.com 198.4.164.3 Realm of Legends legends.net 205.198.246.3 The Rec Hall rec.ocala.com 204.117.196.8 Revolution! Online Services revolution.com 199.3.179.1 RICONNECT S. Rhode Island and SE Connecticut. riconnect.com 205.228.242,1 Rippers BBS rippers.com 199.190.105.2 River Styx BBS Riverstyx.com 206.66.34.244 Rock Garden garden.hvs.com 165.247.49.130 Rock Pile BBS rockpile.com 199.173.32.200 Rose City Online rosey.com 204.119.59.210 Rusty-N-Edie's BBS rne.com 204.179.147.2 S & H Computer Systems BBS sandh.com 204.181.142.11 S-TEK Gay and Lesbian BBS in Mont stek.com 204.19,225.1 Sacramento Exchange BBS iccse.com ..204.87.174.10 Sail Air BBS 199.67.41.252 Santa Fe Online sfol.com 204.134.59.1 Silicon Matchmaker BBS silicon.email.net 204.152.80.17 SIM-NET ONLINE SERVICES Interactive, real-time games, tournaments 205,158,35,3 SIO Support BBS 199.248.240.2 Sir John's Pub BBS SJPbb.com 204.215.137.174 Smurph Land BBS smurpti.com 199.250.197.34 Software Connection Online sco.softconn.ra.za 196.7.110.4 Software Creations swcbbs.com 204.68 200 2 SOHCRESTBBS Christian Internet-only BBS soncrest giant.net 204.71.106.30 The Sorcery Board BBS warp1.vreschke.com 204.91.224.3 Southern Star BBS SStar.com 204.27.72.2 The Spa! the-spa.ram 204.97.227.2 Space BBS bbs.spacebbs.com 192.216.53.4 SPACECON/BRAVEHEART BBS Medical and handicapped interests, spacecon ids.net 155.212.20.2 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 Starship II BBS bbs.usi-1.com 206.98.178.1 Starship Sirius sirius.america.com 199.170.102.6 Strategic Online bbssts.com 156.46.30.2 Studio PC Information Services studio.citicom.com 204.251.133.3 Sun. One nevvs.jou.ufl.edu 1 28.227.230,225 SuPaCom supacom.brisnet.org.au . 203.4.149,193 Superlink bbs.superlink.net 204.97.220.18 SuperStation BBS dias.diro.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 204.117.97.2 Sysop News BBS sysop.com 199.67.33.53 TDS Online International dstar.com 205.139.177.3 Techlanils BBS bbs.1echlands.com 199.67.37,132 TnT Online TnTonline.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 topgunxvinel.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 Tri-State Digital imaging BBS tsdi.com 205.148.211.2 TRIBnel 199.2.128.3 Trilogy On-Line Service (tm) trilogy.net 199.67.35.40 TVOnlarlo OnLlne fctvo.org 204.41. 126.10 Twinturbo Demo System tainturbo.ais.net 199.0 154.200 Tybee Lyles' BBS TYBEE.COM 204.215.209.3 | THE ULTIMATE CONNECTION Lively chat, fun. games, prizes nightly. freebhs.com 198.70.174.2 The UPS Depot depot.netnet.net 198.70.69.9 Urbanite BBS urbanite.com 204.71 .182.2 Vail OnLlne vailonline.vailnet.org 199.45.148.25 VIA'Net 165.247.47.7 Villa BBS rvik.is 193.4.107.2 The Virtual Gateway vgateway.com 199.227.60.2 Vortex 165.90.185.4 Voyager Infotainment voyager.com 204.188,1 29.2 The Warehouse bbs.twh.com 205.219.136.111 The WELL weli.sf.ca.us 19B.93.-4.10 West Coast Online BBS bbs.wco.com 199.4.94.8 The Wild Onion! BBS onion.syn.net 205.243.101.10 Wireworxs Christian & Community wireworks.com 199.1.85.65 The Wizard's Realm BBS wizrealm.com 204.134.71.2 Women's Wire wwire.net 204.160.94.132 World Data Network BBS wdn.com 198.232.144.1 WorldCHAT BBS bOS.Wctiat.On.Ca 204.138.239.84 WorldWorks Symposium worldworXs.com 204.119.163.23 Wyld On-Line wyld.com 204,77.163.15 Zagreb zagreb.gcomm.com . . . 199.227,16.131 Zeitgeist Bulletin Board bbs.zgnews.com 204.181.120,31 Solution to v/ati search Item page 34 ADVERTISER'S INDEX ABS 35 AMER. IN'TL COMMUNICATIONS. AQP 56 20 BBS MAGAZINE CDS 33.55 53 CHEERSOFT 37 CLARK DEV. CO., INC 37, OBC DIGITAL CONSULTING SERVICES , „5 DURAND COMMUNICATIONS... IBC EXCAL1BUR 2 FINE TIME COMMUNICATIONS GALACTICOMM, INC GARLIQUE GRAPHICS GILES ROAD PRESS 50 IFC, 1 51 47 INFO MEDIA ..47,50 P 52 45 INTERNET ENTERTAINMENT GROL l.IVEWIRE MMB TEAMMATE 49 MUSTANG SOFTWARE INC NITE LOG BBS 30,31 51 PICS ONLINE 53 PIER EXCHANGE 27 PRO DESIGN 39 QMODEMPRO RAMA ONE .21 51 RUSTY-N- EDIE'S BBS TESSIER TECHNOLOGIES TRADERS CONNECTION 49,52 42 38 WORLDCLUB BBS WORLD DATA NETWORK 55 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 57 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 ol each ad. It a category is not specified, the ad will be placed in the Misc. section. If more than one ad is sub- mitted, use a separate piece of paper for each ad. Ensure that your complete name and address is at the bottom of each ad sheet. CLASSIFIED RATES $25 per issue or S250 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, NJ 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 ACE STATION BBS. 818.891.0397, Using MajorBBS 6.25 w/16 lines expanding to over 64 lines on MS DOS. 15000 MB storage. 500 CD- Rom's online. All nodes 28.800 bps. Internet, Usenet. 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AMERICAN ATHEISTS ONLINE 512.302.0223. Resources and information 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 21 17, Austin TX 78768. ASIAN SPICES, 011.852.1729.0900. Exciting adult BBS with the distinctive and spicy taste of Asia. Hundreds of stunning Asian girls; reveal- ing, uncensored poses; smooth skin; beautiful bodies: no long questionnaires, no credit card charges. Free downloads of GIFs, JPEGs and software. Running Excalibur. BEACON STUDIOS BBS, 201.863.5253, Union City. NJ with 23 lines ©14.4K. 14 CDRom's of tiles. 2 International Chat hook ups nightly. Games, E-Mail the world through the Internet. Fidonet. Majornet, Worldlink and Chatlink. Tailored mem- berships available. Tech support 201 .863.5603 CALIFORNIA LIP SERVICE, 909.987.8483. Join Sexy Sabrina & Tempting Tonya as they explore California Lifestyle and Surf the Net. GUI, Chat, Inet emaii/usenet, cd's zines, personals all with CA flavor. Free one month trial. TCP-IP with FC client to lips.com port 3000 (Visa/MC @ S9/mo). CHANNEL 1 ONLINE, 617-354-3230 — Using PCBoard. 'The Best Files In the USA", 90 lines, 919.286.1502 Fax => 91 9.286.461 7. Orders 800-Sellcom (735.5266) Visa/MC Ext 9. Livewire Doors! Send 4-1,4 disks with a stamped return envelope to: Livewire Doors, PO Box 416, Mt. Laurel NJ 08054. Totai of 35 door programs which will operate with any BBS soft- ware which can run doors. How to run a BBS lor profit. Electronic multi- media book teils 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 $19.95, forward to: Mark Adams, PO Box 96, Waterford CT 06385 BBS Magazine BACK ISSUES! Save when ordering back issues. Send your mailing information along with S5.00 for each back issue. When ordering 3+ issues send only S3. 50 each to: BBS Magazine, c/o Back Issues, 701 Stakes 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, Call 1-800-822-0437 and charge your subscription to your Visa or MasterCard, or use the card in this magazine and mail with check or oney order to Caller's Digest, 701 Stokes Rd, Medford, NJ 08055. moi CLASSIFIED ORDER FORM Classified Dept., Callers Digest, Inc., 701 Stokes Rd, Medford, NJ 08055 The rate is S25 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 $ (bus.). . issues. enclosed. IF PAYING BY CREDIT CARD, YOU MAY FAX THIS FORM TO (609) 953-7961. MIC VISA (circle one) # exp. date Signature MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE 59 BY JACQUELINE KRAMER AlphaWorld Immigrating to the Virtual Domain We humans are a strange lot, aren't we? No matter where we are, we seem to have this dire urge to build, build, build — be it on a landslide-prone hill near Malibu or in the dustbelt where tornadoes are a way of life (not to mention death). We've pretty much covered the Earth with buildings, so I guess it only seemed natural that we should begin construction at the next available frontier: Cyberspace. And the contractor doing the building? Worlds Inc. Worlds seems hell-bent on forcing relatively non-social people such as myself to develop a life, albeit online. Worlds' first attempt at revolutionizing online society was "Worlds Chat," discussed in this space last year. To refresh your memo- ry, "Chat" is essentially an Internet IRC chat line with funky avatars ranging from Alice in Wonderland to a guy who looks suspiciously like King William du Gates. Worlds Chat is still alive and kicking, and has even spawned imitators: CompuServe and the Microsoft Network both offer social chat interfaces for those who don't remember what true F2F discussions are like. Worlds, naturally, already has moved on to its next pursuit: building a whole new world in cyberspace. Literally, (Perhaps this is what they mean when they say, "The geek shall inherit the Earth.") Worlds' new planet is the aptly-titled "AlphaWorld," (http://www.worlds.net/) and it is, perhaps, one of the niftiest new things on the Internet since... well, Worlds Chat. The basic premise behind AlphaWorld is not that much dif- ferent from Worlds Chat. Both are essentially off-kilter provinces where you (represented by an avatar) can bounce around and try to convince people you really do have Einstein's brain and Cindy Crawford/Tom Cruise's good looks. But to say AlphaWorld is just another fancy chat room would be to do it a great injustice. This world is built with VRML, the fancy new 3D rendering protocol that you will be seeing more and more of this year. This also may be the cheap- est way to get your hands into a hot new technology — Worlds not only encourages you to build your own little homestead in AlphaWorld, it's offering the land and tools for free. I'm getting ahead of myself, however. Before you get out your virtual toolbox, you must first "immigrate" to AlphaWorld. Those of you who take lousy passport pictures, take heart: The "immigration" process is lit- tle more than selecting a user name and password — no pic- ture necessary. Speaking of pictures, this is probably a good time to mention that your 3D avatar is pre-selected for you, at least as of my last visit. No Alices or punk goddesses in AlphaWorld — just plain Joes and Janes who all have a rather non-descript look. Fancy avatars are far from the point of this particular ven- ture, however. AlphaWorld is all about atmosphere and anima- tion, and there is plenty of both to be found. To arrive in AlphaWorld, you must "parachute" into the main courtyard via the Internet. It takes a few minutes for the buildings and avatars to show up, so take a moment to check out the mountains. There is no gravity in AlphaWorld, so beware of large steps — you can hit the end of the world as you know it pretty quickly Trust me on this. I felt the need for speed, and had to re-parachute back in to return from the edge. My second faux pas was to continue bouncing around in the air, which has littie to offer except a spectacular view of the mountains. If I had looked down, I would have noticed a series of buildings just waiting to be explored. (Okay, who am I fooling — if I had read the DIREC- TIONS first, I would have done much better on my initial trips in.) Anyway, once I finally figured out what to do (RTFM. . . RTFM . . . ), I had a much better time. The early renderings are spectacular, even though the animation reminded me of that "Money for Nothing (I Want My MTV)" video so popular in the '80s. My main complaint was a lack of companionship. I ran into, and through, a few other travelers, but they were either ignoring me or didn't hear my attempts at conversation. Once again, conversations are conducted by typing at whomev- er happens to be near. In AlphaWorld, you have to be facing the person with whom you are trying to communicate. This poses a problem, as everyone is constantly bopping around; it seems rather difficult to get someone's attention. Of course, standing around chatting is not the primary pur- pose of AlphaWorld. Put bluntly, AlphaWorld is about one thing: VRML. Gawking in awe at it, and later using it to build a brand new home. A handful of AlphaWorld pioneers already have completed their homesteads and opened them up to the virtual world. There was a pet store and even a local newspaper up and running when I dropped in. (The headlines included a notice that "Sleepy Hollow" had closed, and a plea to stop lit- tering in AlphaWorld.) I decided against building my own little corner of the world, primarily because of time constraints. And frankly, Bob Villa I ain't. Maybe AlphaWorld just isn't the right place for me. . . I guess I'll just have to start looking for a new cyberhome. Perhaps CyberTown (http://www.cybertown.com/) still has some VRML apartments for rent. Willi Jacqui Kramer currently maintains a residence at reeltime@voicenet.com 60 MARCH 1996 BBS MAGAZINE THE ULTIMATE WINDOWS PLATFORM for Online Services MiNDWiRE'" and MlNDWlRE NT tv 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 service diat rivals the large commercial systems. MlNDWlRE is the most powerful communications platfomi available today. 100% customizable menus with DC Interface Builder MindWire Accessories Supports any ODBC-complian database Interactive Games Chess ■P- sal BHfflil Develop your own applications with our FREE Dewlupeis Guide! I™ 1 -j III ilWII ^-.',-. '^^mss, -» Business Applications Classified Ads ""Business Applications Window Shopper Custom Menus DC Interface Builder *em '&- B : := >I ■" '■'.I* ; r "' ■'■ ■■ ..;.\ :::\ Remote Sysop Utility FILE/. 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