On-Line Unlimited

This is something I wrote in 1994 for a newsletter we produced in Microsoft Word support.  I found the document on a floppy and just had to share it.  Below the bolded title below is all original text, except where phone numbers are redacted for benefit of whoever owns them now.  I’ve colored the text in places for emphasis, like the bit where Fidonet and the Internet are assigned the same degree of importance.  Sadly, I don’t recall ever writing any more of these “columns” in the projected regular series.

This is a look back at 1994.  Thirteen years ago.  Change doesn’t seem so dramatic as it’s happening, does it?

On-Line Unlimited

Welcome to On-Line Unlimited, a new column dedicated to all aspects of computer communications.  Topics may include favorite bulletin boards, Internet and Fidonet topics, on-line services, and discussions or reviews of communications related hardware or software.  The topics will depend in part on who volunteers to write the column in a given month.  If nobody ever volunteers, it’s likely to be me, but that could get boring for all of us.  Calling all net surfers:  Consider coming forth to entertain and educate your colleagues with an article for this column.

So much for the intro; now what about this month?  At the risk of unbridled verbosity, I intend to touch on bulletin boards in general, my favorite one specifically, how you can get a free Internet e-mail address (sorry, text only), and off-line reader software to defray phone costs.  For the novice, a BBS is much like the MSDL, only usually smaller in scale and operated by a hobbyist.  Most are oriented to a particular topic or range of topics, and some are associated with one or more networks such as Fidonet or the Internet.  Typically they offer some amount of files to download, and some amount of communications with other users, though they can be single-purpose.

The BBS I call regularly is Tangent, and has been operated by Jeff “Hunter” Jordan for several years.  It is dedicated primarily to communications, in the general sense, although there are in excess of 20 mb of files available for download.  This is not the place to call for the latest Apogee game.  More specifically it is oriented primarily to fans of science fiction, fantasy, and role playing games.  There are games conducted on-line, and new players are always welcome.

In keeping with its orientation, Tangent has long been home to a message area for ARISIA, New England’s largest SF convention.  This is open to the public, to discuss ARISIA or request information.  There is also a private area for ARISIA member and committee use, and both areas now echo to relevant Internet mailing lists.  More recently, an area has been established for callers to request information on the Boston in 1998 World Science Fiction Convention bid.  There is of course a general area, where often lively discussions take place on a myriad of topics.  Some of the more intense ones were about the seatbelt law and Microsoft’s alleged uncompetetive sales tactics.  On Tangent it is common to see questions and answers exchanged on computer problems and other “tech” issues in the general area. Ham radio enthusiasts have their own special area.  There is a review area for review and discussion of books, films and such.

Tangent is a Fidonet node, and carries a small number of echoes.  Hunter is open to requests for others.  Current echoes include several OS/2 areas, Disney, Monty Python, Liberty, and of course SF Fan discussion.  Tangent and another BBS, Starbase Boston, initiated and carry an echo for New England SF events.  Some message areas and echoes are not available to new callers until access is requested.

Tangent is also on the Internet, and contains an area through which any user may send and receive e-mail.  The UUCP area will not be available when you first call, but will be made available by request.  Your e-mail address is your log-on name or your handle, followed by @Tangent.Arisia.Org.  For example, .  Tangent is free, though donations are gratefully accepted, and Internet e-mail is free.  You are subject to the absolute authority of the sysop, but Tangent is a particularly anarchistic BBS, with limited rules.  There are two lines, both equipped with 28,800 baud modems.  It operates 24 hours a day, except during exchanges of net traffic or maintenance down times.  The numbers are (###) ###-#### and (###) ###-####.  Feel free to check it out, but first… what about a way to cut those toll calls almost to nothing?

I use an off-line reader called Blue Wave, and cannot recommend it enough.  Here’s how it works:  With Blue Wave, I call Tangent and from the main menu I select the Blue Wave area, which is what’s known as an “invokable module,” but you don’t have to know the technicalities.  That runs the Blue Wave utility on the BBS, which ensures it works seamlessly with what’s on my end.  From there, you may choose whether to download messages from a particular area at all, every message, only those addressed to you, or those addressed to you and to “all.” You choose an archive method, such as PK-Zip, and a protocol, such as Zmodem.  Your configuration will be saved until you alter it.  For the actual transfer, you choose download from the menu.  It gathers and compresses your messages, then offers the chance to cancel, download, or instantly log off after downloading.  The latter is handy if it’s a long download; you can go do something more fun than watching a percentage indicator tick away.  To upload files, you choose upload and use whatever commands are relevant for your modem software.  Using Blue Wave with Tangent, the file to upload will always be a compressed file called tangent.new, created by Blue Wave when you write messages and replies off-line.  The downloaded files will also be tangent, but with an incrementing numeric extension.

On your end, you fire up Blue Wave when you’re done with the call, and navigate through a friendly menu to open and read your mail packet, write replies, or initiate messages.  Blue Wave turns your outgoing messages into the previously mentioned tangent.new file, ready to upload on your next call.  You can handily avoid reading and writing messages while the meter’s running.  I could go on at length, telling you about taglines and Blue Wave’s features in detail; perhaps some other time.  The genius behind Blue Wave is George Hatchew, and it is a “nagware” shareware product worth buying.  See me if you would like a copy of the shareware version, or more details on how to use it or Tangent.

1. I used to date ‘the genius George Hatchew’ in highschool, and as my 20th reunion is coming up, I’m totally curious as to whatever happened to him. He showed signs of being brilliant, then, and wow - okay, so, what happened? All signs point to some serious car accident. Does anyone know? Strange how life takes its turns…

   Posted by  on  11/01  at  11:19 PM  from 
Page 1 of 1 pages

<< Back to main