FidoNews is published weekly by the International FidoNet
Association as its official newsletter. You are encouraged to
submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission
standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from
node 1/1.
Copyright (C) 1987, by the International FidoNet Association.
All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted
for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
please contact IFNA.
Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL
IFNA: Past, Present, and Future
2. ARTICLES
Old Sysops Never Die
Mensa Telecomputing SIG Coordinator Seeks Sysops
Tandy User Group Newsletter.... April, 1987
3. COLUMNS
Technical Topics - IBM's New Systems
Column Without a Name
4. WANTED
5. NOTICES
Error on last week's ballot!
The Interrupt Stack
IFNA Board of Directors Ballot
IFNA as a Corporation is now seven months old, multinet
FidoNet will be two years old in June, and FidoNet itself is over
three years old. The fact that we have survived this long and
that the nodelist keeps getting larger is an accomplishment to be
proud of. The growth pains have come and gone and very few have
left. The work and associated expenses to hold it all together
keeps rising.
IFNA to date has managed to establish some pretty firm roots
to keep things running smooth well into the 80's. A portion of
IFNA's track record currently includes:
* The establishment of the Region 1 HELP nodes and appointment of
all the Regional Coordinators in the USA.
* The planning and implementation of the Silicon Valley IFNA
Conference in Colorado Springs in cooperation with COSUG.
* The creation of the IFNA Echomail Conference.
* The appointment of Bob Hartman as Chairman of the IFNA Bylaws
Committee as well as the hiring of Aselage Kiefer & Co. to
audit the Bylaws election.
* Funding the International Technical Coordinator's data line to
help offset the expense of holding the international FidoNet
Network together.
* The appointment of Randy Bush as Chairman of the FidoNet
Technical Standards Committee and recent replacement by Ryugen
Fisher.
* The appointment of Bob Morris as Chairman of the Elections
Committee.
* The IFNA Public Relations work resulting in articles in most of
the major PC trade rags which in turn stimulated 2500 letters
of inquiry sent to the PO Box leading to the continued growth
of the Net.
* The creation of the IFNA foldover Pamphlet which is mailed in
response to most of the correspondence along with a current
copy of Region 1 and all the network and region coordinators.
* The appointment of Ben Baker as International Technical
Coordinator 1/0, Henk Wever as Europe Coordinator 2/0, Brian
Gatenby as Australia's Coordinator 3/0, and Thom Henderson as
FidoNews Editor 1/1.
Fidonews Page 3 27 Apr 1987
* The distribution of the FidoNet Technical Standards Documents
to most of the major BBS vendors to stimulate further
development utilizing the FidoNet Protocol as a "store and
forward" Email Standard.
* Funding the legal and accounting fees required to obtain a
general not-for-profit 501c3 status.
* Making the initial contacts and spearheading the testing
efforts that eventually led to the USR Courier Special pricing
for all SYSOPs.
* Coordinating and handling the Special Offer for SEAdog for IFNA
members.
* Preparing and filing IFNA Corporate income tax. IFNA did not
owe money for 1986, but the paperwork still had to be prepared
for Aselage, Kiefer & Co.
The IFNA financials for 1986 are made up of two parts, the
first three quarters of 1986 prior to incorporation and the 4th
quarter after incorporation. All monies received prior to incor-
poration were treated as personal contributions and then member-
ships were introduced in Q4. Income taxes have been paid on the
personal contributions segment.
Tax Year 1986 Expenses
======================
Telephone $ 980
Computer Paper 75
Ribbons & Diskettes 211
Reproduction 189
Bank Charges 80
Postage and Envelopes 162
Business Cards 107
License Fees 35
Legal Fees 750
PO Box Fee 44
------
$2,633
The current forecast as projected in the 501c3 application
are to double both revenues and expenses. We have intentionally
held expenses down until a permanent Board of Directors is
elected from among the current IFNA membership. The
Administration and Finance Committee should be one of the first
Fidonews Page 4 27 Apr 1987
Committees staffed after the BOD is in place. IFNA currently has
approximately $5000 in the bank and thus we were able to sign a
contract with the Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, Va. to
lock in the dates of August 20th to 23rd for the next IFNA
Conference without the need of third party financing. Last year
we had to have COSUG in order to pull the Conference off.
IFNA has already been made aware of a number of worthwhile
projects that should be considered for funding in 1987. One is
to assist the efforts of Bob Hartman in attempting to determine a
9600 baud modem standard for use on FidoNet. Another is to
assist Tim Pozar in his redesign efforts for a permanent UUCP to
FidoNet Gateway. Another suggestion was to provide some public
relations financial assistance to the hosts of a number of the
better Echomail Conferences. We would like to hear your sugges-
tions and ideas for funding projects which would help to improve
FidoNet.
Your interim Board of Directors thank all of you that have
provided support and money to help get IFNA off the ground. We
also thank all of the "flamers" that have done such a marvelous
job of keeping IFNA on the forefront of FidoNet. Looking forward
to seeing everyone in DC this August.
Ken Kaplan
Node 1/10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
OLD SYSOPS NEVER DIE...
THEIR SOULS JUST ROT IN HELL
I am a new FIDO sysop. My logic tells me that, because I am a
newcomer to the FIDO scene (and fairly naive), I will probably be
told that I don't know what I am talking about and best to keep
my opinions to myself until I am better informed. However, I have
never been one to trust my instincts, so here goes...
I don't think FIDO utilities should be distributed independently
under the "user supported" concept. Let me try to explain. I
became a FIDO sysop and joined the network (and IFNA) in
November, 1986. At that time I was running a 'vanilla' FIDO.
Well, it didn't take me very long to realize that a lot of
independently written FIDO utilities were available that, if
incorporated into my system, would make my life as a FIDO sysop a
whole lot easier. So, I started adding various utilities to my
RUNBBS.BAT file as need dictated. By the first of the year I had
close to 20 utilities augmenting my board as I had originally set
it up. Each of these utilities is distributed under the shareware
concept and I am expected to pay for their continued use. Some of
the authors of these utilities use the 'soft-sell' approach.
Like gentle reminders that my soul will rot in hades if I don't
pay up. Others are downright belligerent, like programming my
bulletin board to send FIDONET messages to the utility author
every night allowing him to keep track of each of those FIDO
sysops he is going to sue for copyright infringement (I have
often wondered who is suffering the most from this approach, the
local sysop, or the utility author who is blessed with all these
messages accumulating in his FIDONET message area).
I don't mind paying for those utilities that are useful to me. I
guess what is bothering me is the inefficiency in the present
method of paying for these utilities. I am expected to make a
separate payment to each utility author for every FIDO utility I
choose to incorporate into my system. It seems to me there ought
to be a better way. Why not commission IFNA to serve as the
distribution center for independently written FIDO utilities?
When a sysop decides to begin utilizing a particular utility, he
could be instructed to send the requested shareware 'fee' to
IFNA, with an indication of the utility he is paying for. IFNA
could send payments to the appropriate authors on a quarterly, or
semi-annual basis, and recoup a small profit for the service.
Thus, if I am adding five new utilities to my system, I am not
inconvenienced by the requirement that I send 5 separate checks
to five different people. Instead, I could send one check to
IFNA, indicating the utilities I was paying for. IFNA would in
Fidonews Page 6 27 Apr 1987
turn reimburse the appropriate software authors for the programs
I had acquired and purchased. In the end, I would feel as though
I had paid a legitimate fee for the programs I was using, and at
the same time I could feel like a philanthropist because I would
know that I was making a small (but meaningful) contribution to
the IFNA coffers in the process. Personally, I'd feel a lot
better about this form of reimbursement than I am feeling about
the present 'shareware circus'.
Listen guys...I am not overly intimidated by threats that my soul
is going to rot in hell if I don't pay for my shareware software.
After all, there are worse places I could end up... (Los Angeles
for example).
I'm looking for sysops with nodes already established who are
willing to join Mensa, the society for those with scores in the
top 2% on standardized tests. A few questions will undoubtedly
come to mind, among them:
1. Why are you looking for sysops?
2. What is Mensa, anyway?
3. What are the requirements for membership?
4. Why should I join Mensa?
1. I'm looking for sysops because I hope (and this is a personal
wish, not official policy of Mensa, which has no official
policy or opinion) that one day American Mensa, Ltd.'s
official computer communication needs can be fulfilled by the
network of FIDO nodes already established around the world.
This would benefit Mensa in that it could accomplish its
electronic communications goals less expensively. It could
benefit sysops should American Mensa, Ltd. and IFNA reach a
common understanding regarding donations to those nodes
handling American Mensa's communications traffic. Thirdly, it
could benefit those shareware authors whose programs are
considered by Mensa to be essential to the handling of that
traffic.
2. What is Mensa, anyway? Mensa is an international society in
which the sole requirement for qualification for membership is
a score at or above the 98th percentile on any of a number of
standard I.Q. tests. Mensa is a non-profit organization whose
main purpose is to serve as a means of communication and
assembly for its members. Special Interest Groups within
Mensa provide a basis for involvement in various activities
and the sharing of opinions and ideas.
3. What are the requirements for membership? Qualification for
membership may be determined by tests administered by Mensa or
by submission of properly certified prior evidence. All
inquiries should be addressed to:
American Mensa, Ltd.
2626 E. 14th St.
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11235-3992
Chances are pretty good that, if you can unravel the
complications of running a bulletin board, you can qualify for
membership. Membership dues are currently $33 a year. There
are currently approximately 52,000 members in American Mensa.
4. Why should I join Mensa? My recommendation is that you should
join because it's a lot of fun. I've had some very positive
experiences with Mensa... among them: finding a job, finding
someone with whom to share a house, finding an excellently
Fidonews Page 8 27 Apr 1987
maintained used BMW motorcycle, and last but certainly not
least, finding the love of my life, my wife (and co-sysop)
Dot. From what I've heard, the three largest SIGs in Mensa
are Sexyg (for the discussion of human sexuality), Singles
Network SIG, and GaySIG. At first glance it would seem that
bright people join Mensa to meet other bright people, but
Mensa offers a great deal more than that opportunity. Our
members are celebrated authors, CEO's of huge corporations,
accountants, mail carriers, clerks, and computer designers.
We skydive, listen to music, go to parties, listen to
interesting speakers, read books, write books, design and sell
computers, write software, and share our lives. Will you find
Mensa to be exactly as much fun or as rewarding? Like all the
other aspects of life, that depends on you more than it
depends on Mensa.
5. Will American Mensa, Ltd. pay me for running a section of my
bulletin board dedicated to Mensans if I join and adjust my
area privilege levels so that only Mensans can access the
Mensa area? NO! I cannot emphasize strongly enough that I do
not speak for American Mensa, Ltd. American Mensa, Ltd.
encourages members to join together in pursuit of special
interests, and, to this end, acts as the facilitator and
clearinghouse for SIG activities. SIGs are voluntary
associations of Mensa members which operate independently of
Mensa. Mensa does not exercise control over the finances or
activities of SIGs and no SIG or SIG coordinator is authorized
to bind Mensa or to act in any way on Mensa's behalf. For
these reasons, Mensa is not responsible for actions taken by
or on behalf of SIGs, nor for their financial liabilities. It
is my personal opinion, and not that of Mensa, that if a
nonprofit organization were to find FidoNet an economical,
practical alternative to a commercial data utility such as
Delphi, that it would benefit FidoNet, Tom Jennings, the
nonprofit organization, shareware utility authors, sysops, and
the computer telecommunications industry in general for the
parties concerned to arrive at a mutually acceptable
agreement.
I encourage your comments and constructive criticism. Please
feel free to send them to me via CompuServe (76266,500),
SourceMail (AAK582), FidoMail or crashmail (109/648), or by
calling our system ("The Falcon's Rock") directly at
(301) 345-7459.
Bill Crawford
OpusNODE 362/1
Chattanooga, Tn.
(615)892-7773
IBM
Even this newsletter must have a deadline, if it's to reach
you on time. It should be in the mail before the highly-touted
April 2 IBM announcement date, so let me comment on what we
believe is going to happen.
The rumor mill seems to be fairly consistent... enough so
that a reporter with one major daily was writing his story on the
announcement when I spoke to him on March 25! So, remembering
that the rumor mill is fallible, here goes.
From what we hear, IBM will announce new products in the PC
and XT arena, using the 8086 processor. They are reported to be
reconfigured into a smaller, lower form factor. So, while they
should use present XT- style boards, it's not clear whether they
will use only short boards, or short and long ones. Disks are
reported to be 3.5-inch, 760Kb units, and the price for a 2-
floppy computer is quoted consistently at $1,695.
How will this compare with the Tandy 1000 SX? Our engineers
tell us that comparing a 6Mhz (apparently a common speed) 8086 to
a 7.16Mhz 8088 (as used by the Tandy 1000), the 8086 executes
some type of instructions faster, and the 8088 wins the race on
other types. Bottom line is there should be little noticeable
difference in throughput.
I'm looking at a report from a major New York analyst which
says that these low-end products won't be proprietary and the
price is high. He concludes that "IBM has ceded the low-end
market to the clone manufacturers." ... and of course those of us
who manufacture "compatibles" rather than "clones."
There will also be one or more 80286 machines ranging from a
Tandy 3000 HL-class box at $3,500 to an AT-class one at over
$6,000. Now comes the "proprietary" aspect of the announcement
we've all heard about. These machines will also use 3.5-inch
floppy drives, but not the familiar 760Kb... these will be 1.4Mb
drives. There's also a rumored new 32-bit bus for '286 and '386
machines. While they will have eight expansion slots, they
apparently will not accept any XT or AT expansion cards as we
know them today. Some communications functions are expected in
ROM. From what we hear, it's going to be things like 3270 and
Token Ring.
If this is true, we believe the communications features will
be of interest only to the very largest corporate customers...
maybe 200 companies. IBM appears to be trying to strengthen its
position with its largest customers rather than to broaden the
market. And it looks like silicon implementation of the
communications capabilities is primarily a convenience item,
Fidonews Page 10 27 Apr 1987
since almost any type of connectivity you can name is already
available through add-in cards and/or software.
We're hearing about one to three versions of an 80386-based
computer, too, probably ranging from $7,000 to $10,000, also
using the 1.4Mb floppy drives and the new format expansion slots.
Hard drives from 40 to 100 Mb are predicted. There is some
disagreement on clock speeds with reports ranging from 16 to 20
Mhz.
Out of a dozen industry watchers, editors and reporters I've
spoken to, eleven have agreed on what this all means. If the
rumors are fairly accurate, it means IBM is concentrating its
effort in the higher-ticket, mainframe-related area, and will not
move aggressively in the low-end. This is probably very good
news for Tandy, since our major strength is in the low-end.
Compatible vendors who have differentiated their products by
including additional features, functions, and benefits (not just
feature-for-feature clones) should be the least affected. In
potentially the worst position are the clone makers who bolt
together parts to sell products -- usually by mail -- on price
alone.
At any rate, that's how it looks to us a week before the
announcement. On April 2 the stage will be set. But don't look
for any real verdict for 30 days or so after that. There will be
those automatic "if it's Big Blue, it must be good" reactions in
the press. After the dust settles and potential users have
digested the products, we will begin to sense any real impact of
IBM's latest move. Until then, I'm happy to say it looks like
Tandy will be little affected, and could gain from any IBM de-
emphasis on the low-end. ------
CLUB 100
Last month I mentioned what might be the largest Model 100
user group. I asked "can anyone top that?" Rick Hansen of Club
100 asked me to make it clear that the group isn't trying to
compete with anyone... in fact their objective is to cooperate
with other clubs and user groups to achieve maximum benefit for
all Model 100 users. Sorry, Rick... hope I didn't mislead anyone.
TANDY 1000 SX WITH HARD DISK
There's a new version of the 1000 SX available for those of
you who intend to add a hard card, and need only one floppy disk.
The catalog number is 25-1052, and suggested retail is $849.00.
It's available at our Computer Centers, Plus Centers, and
participating dealers.
GOOD NEWS FOR COCO 3 OWNERS
At long last, OS-9 Level II (Cat. No. 26-3031, $79.95) is
shipping. The package comes with BASIC-09 (the original OS-9
package contained an Editor/Assembler rather than BASIC.)
Fidonews Page 11 27 Apr 1987
Standard drivers are included, plus we've added drivers for both
40 and 80-track drives.
"High level" (or specialty drivers) i.e. hard disk, will be
included in the OS-9 Development System, scheduled now for June
shipment (Cat. No. 26-3032, $99.95.)
TRACKSTAR QUESTIONS
A number of questions have come up about the Trackstar board
(allows Tandy 1000 and 1000 SX to run Apple II software.)
First, let me say that we feel the unit must be installed by
our service center. The computer's disk drive(s) must be
completely removed, and there is some system "fine tuning"
required. Installation charge is $25.00.
We've been asked a number of times if Trackstar will operate
in the IBM PC and other compatibles. In general, the answer is
yes... it is not specific to our compatibles. However, we
install, warrant and support the product only in our own
computers. Since we don't support (and therefore haven't tried)
it in non-Tandy products, we can't comment on whether or not its
use in such computers will result in the same software
compatibility rate we quote for our computers.
ACOUSTIC CUPS FOR PORTABLES
The original acoustic cups for telephone connection to our
portables, have been discontinued. A new version (Cat. No. 26-
3818) is expected to be available about mid-April. Electrically,
the circuit is identical to the older cups.
Physical improvements have been made. These include changes
to the cable and the way it exits the cups, to improve its
ability to withstand heavy daily use by members of the news
media. The cup design has also been changed to allow it to work
on the "square" handsets found on some phones.
DMP-105 PRINTER IMPROVED
How do you make a good thing better? One way is to add
features without raising the price. The DMP-105, our lowest-cost
dot matrix printer, has been replaced by the new DMP-106 (Cat.
No. 26-2802). Specifications are exactly the same except we've
added IBM PC graphics compatibility. ------
AVAILABILITY OF ADVERTISED PRODUCTS
Back in our early days in the PC industry, everything was in
a constant state of backorder. The few players in our industry
all had the same problems. The waiting list for disk drives was 4
months... "Level II ROMs" were 6 months, and so on. Software was
often in short supply, and availability of new software was
difficult to predict due to the possibility of last-minute bugs
being found.
Fidonews Page 12 27 Apr 1987
Radio Shack's now president, Bernie Appel, isn't one to live
with advertising product before it's available. He established a
hard and fast rule. If on the day we sent an ad to a magazine or
newspaper, the product advertised was not in the warehouse and
available for shipment, the ad was canceled. That rule remains in
effect today.
However... there have been cases recently of advertised
products not being available when the ad ran. Customers have
asked why this happens.
The most visible recent case was the December Radio Shack
flyer which reached customers in the latter part of November. It
advertised a special offer on the Tandy 1000 SX. Yet by the time
you received it, there was no chance of ordering and receiving an
SX before Christmas.
In the case of a flyer, the copy is "locked in stone" a long
time before you see it. The artwork is done and sent to the
printer. Color separations are done, and plates are made. Our
typical flyer print run is 18-24 million copies! So you can
imagine the logistics of preparing, printing and mailing. By the
time we knew SXs would be in short supply, it was far too late to
make a change.
There are other cases where we change the product, as in the
acoustic cups listed above. We tried be sure we had enough of the
older models to cover us until the new ones came. Our
merchandising people are expert at handling these transitions,
but once in a while a surge in demand or delay in new product
shipment will surprise us.
I know it's an inconvenience to good customers when this
happens, and we'll break our backs to try to see that it doesn't.
We don't like having to explain delays on a product to hundreds
of customers any more than you like being kept waiting.
The very strong Christmas season caught us off guard. The
result has been a few more of these instances than have been
usual. We apologize for them.
I want you to know that at Tandy Center, being out of any
product - especially an advertised one - is a very serious issue,
and one we make every effort to avoid.
TANGENT MEETING
"TANGENT", the Tandy Computer Business Users Group, will
hold its fifth annual conference April 26-29 at the Worthington
Hotel in Fort Worth. As in previous years, they will be addressed
by various Tandy/ Radio Shack executives including Tandy Chairman
and CEO, John V. Roach. There will be panel discussions and
information exchanges with various product managers, and service
and support management.
This year, guest speakers include William Gates, Microsoft
Fidonews Page 13 27 Apr 1987
chairman; William Krause, chairman of 3-Com; Seymour Merrin, vice
president of The Gartner Group; Paul Brainerd, president of Aldus
Corporation; and Unix World editor David Flack.
This is an independent users group, supported but not
sponsored by Tandy Corporation/Radio Shack. For more information,
contact your nearest Radio Shack Computer Center.
See you next month...
Material contained herein may be reproduced in whole or in part
in user group newsletters. Please quote source as Tandy
Corporation/Radio Shack.
Send questions/suggestions to:
Ed Juge, director of market planning
Radio Shack
1700 One Tandy Center
-------
For More Information on the "Tandy EchoMail", contact me or Neal
Curtin in Seattle WA (206) 527-5618 to view or be added to this
SPECIAL conference...
Bill Crawford, HOST - The Last Resort Opus
Chattanooga, Tennessee
(615) 892-7773, 1200/2400 Baud
The following is the text of one of my recent Random Access
Computer Columns appearing in the Syracuse (NY) Herald-American
STARS Magazine.
I hope this will shed some light on IBM's new models. Please keep
in mind that no systems were available to me for close
examination when this piece was first written. Systems are
available now on a limited basis. As a result, I'm working on a
more detailed report for both the newspaper and the readers of
the FIDO Newsletter.
Special Random Access for April 19, 1987 -
IBM's announcement of its new System 2 line of personal computers
on April 2nd was decidedly NOT a late April fools joke played on
the computer industry. In this special report I'll look at the
hardware in some depth, at IBM's past track record with new
systems, and just where these new systems leave the clone makers.
First, the hardware details. IBM announced 4 new basic computer
systems available in several different packages.
The common things amoung the new machines are the standardization
by IBM on the 3.5 inch ``floppy'' disk format. All of the new
systems contain at least one internal 3.5 inch drive. Each system
uses a common keyboard design including 12 function keys, a
complete numeric keypad, lights for several of the status keys
such as caps lock and scroll lock and cursor control keys
seperate from the numeric keypad.
The System 2 Model 30 uses the 8086 CPU running at 8 Megahertz.
The 8086 is the big brother of the 8088 chip used in the PC and
XT systems and is capable of much more than the 8088. Space is
provided to add an optional 8087 math processor chip. The RAM is
now at the 640k limit and may be expanded by the use of extra
memory boards as used on the PC/XT systems. Like the PC and XT,
additional memory above 640K is not directly useable. It can be
used for high speed RAM discs or additional data storage with the
proper software.
A built-in parallel printer port, serial modem port, and mouse
interface provide easy connections for those devices without the
need for additional boards. Three internal expansion slots
following the now ``standard'' XT style bus are available for
use.
Fidonews Page 15 27 Apr 1987
The Model 30 has IBM's new ``MultiColor Graphics Array'' video
board. The board supports 4 modes of operation in both
monochrome and color modes. The color resolution is 640 by 480
pixels (dots) in 2 colors or 320 by 200 in up to 256 colors
selected from a possible 256,000 colors. If you use one of the
new monochrome displays you'll get 64 shades of ``grey''.
The Model 30-002 comes with two of the 3.5 inch floppy drives
having a capacity of 720K each. This is the lowest priced of the
new systems. The Model 30-021 comes with one 3.5 inch floppy and
a 20 megabyte internal hard drive.
The Model 30 series will run PC-DOS 3.3 and any (it's claimed) of
the older versions of DOS after and including DOS 2.1. It will
NOT run the new Operating System 2 (OS2) available for the other
new machines. More about this later.
The Model 50 series is based on the same 80286 CPU chip used in
the AT systems. The CPU runs at 10 Megahertz and space is
provided for an optional 80287 math processor chip. Again, the
3.5 inch drive is standard. There's a new wrinkle though. IBM has
found a way to pack 1.44 megabytes onto a 3.5 inch floppy. A 20
megabyte fixed disk is standard. Like the AT, memory can be used
in large ammounts. Here one megabyte is standard. A parallel
port, serial port and mouse port round out the internal
equipment. Three slots are available for expansion. The Video
Graphics Array used in this and the rest of the new line supports
MCGA, CGA, and EGA graphics modes as well as monochrome
operation.
The Model 60 shares the features of the Model 50 with a few
important changes. First, a 44 meg hard drive is standard. The
design of the system cabinet has been changed to permit the use
of a floor stand. In fact, it must be used in this fashion.
The Model 80 is IBM's entry into the 30386 based machine market.
Three models are available. The first two models run at a clock
speed of 16 Megahertz and have 1 meg of RAM standard. Storage
available is a 1.44 meg floppy and a 44 meg (Model 80-041) or 70
meg (Model 80-071) drive. The Model 80-111 sports 2 meg of RAM, a
115 meg hard drive and a CPU speed of 20 megahertz.
Prices for these systems start at around $1700 for the Model
30-002 and go up to over $10,000 for the Model 80-111.
Just what does all this mean? Well, IBM has finally settled on
the 3.5 inch drive as standard. This will mean initial
uncertainty as users may be reluctant to convert over from the
present 5 1/4 inch standard. With each new major computer
release, IBM has come up with another new floppy format. The
PC/XT used 5 1/4 inch drives holding 360k each. The AT followed
with a 5 1/4 inch drive holding 1.2 Megabytes. The Model 30 now
has a 3.5 inch drive of 720K and the 50, 60, and 80 series
machines all use 3.5 inch drives holding 1.44 meg.
This progression has caused confusion and resulted in problems at
Fidonews Page 16 27 Apr 1987
each occurance. The new 3.5 meg drive technology has proven
itself on other computer systems most notably the Apple Macintosh
and the Atari ST series. The problems may lie in IBM's use of
higher densities involved in the new 1.44 meg 3.5 inch floppies.
This is indicated by the fact that the 1.2 meg 5 1/4 inch drives
now used on the AT are simply not as reliable as the older 360K
drives.
The real problem will be in the conversion of software now
running on 5 1/4 inch discs to the 3.5 inch format. Unprotected
software can simply be copied to a new 3.5 inch disc. Protected
software will either have to be run from an optional external 5
1/4 inch drive or a new version on the smaller disc must be
purchased.
IBM introduced two new operating systems for use with the new
computers. PC-DOS 3.3 is an upgrade of the present DOS 3.2
package. Several new commands were added to provide additional
flexibility. DOS 3.3 will serve as an interim operating system
until Operating System 2 (OS2) becomes available for the 50, 60
and 80 computers. OS2 will NOT run on any 8088 or 8086 based
computers such as the PC/XT/AT or even the new Model 30. It's
intended for use only on 80286 and 80386 based systems. It is not
yet clear if it will operate on systems not carrying the IBM
brand.
OS2 is being called a true multi-tasking system. Multi-tasking is
the ability to have the computer run more than one program at a
time. OS2 includes built-in support for a wide range of devices
and services. PC-DOS 3.3 is being called the operating for
single tasking applications. Like previous versions of DOS, it
is possible to do multi-tasking with additional utilities.
IBM has had a few troubles when it's introduced new systems
though. The PCjr, PC Portable (the luggable XT), the laptop and
the RT are good examples. The PCjr never was well accepted in the
large numbers IBM had hoped for due to an original poor keyboard
design and then incompatibilities resulting from the overall
design of the system.
The Portable was simply a re-packaged XT. The machine had room
for only 2 full length expansion boards, a single 2/3 length
board and 5 more boards a bit less than half card size. The
laptop system didn't get out in time to really capture a good
segment of the market in view of the existing competition. The
much touted RT computer hasn't sold well because of price (over
10,000 for the basic system) and lack of available software.
IBM has not been known for announcing ``vaporware''. However, the
Model 80 won't be available until sometime in the last quarter of
1987. They're now taking orders on the models 30, 50 and 60.
Local response has been mixed. The stores are excited about the
new systems but at this writing (April 8) none were available for
immediate sale in the Syracuse, NY market.
As for the rest of the computer industry, everyone is taking a
Fidonews Page 17 27 Apr 1987
``wait and see'' attitude. These machines are entirely new inside
and out. As a result, the issues of hardware and software
compatibility are of prime concern. The overall feeling is that
the new machines won't stop the clone makers in their tracks.
Many users are predicting that it will just take a bit longer to
make a compatible system.
This has been another busy week, sometime "real soon now"
I'll have a week that isn't that busy and I'll be able to look
over some of the more serious packages I have laying around. By
serious package I mean something that can not be mastered in 15
minutes and often, but not always, has a big price tag. In the
meantime I'm learning more about the programs that I have been
using regularly.
I've decided to look into WordPerfect as a new word
processor and have been looking over several books on it. This is
primarily due to the good things I've heard about the product,
both people I've talked to and write-ups in magazines. I doubt it
will replace Word as my standard word processor, but that's only
because I don't think I'll be able to afford it (I got a special
deal on Word, and I'm not holding my breath on a similar deal).
Besides that I've learned quite a bit about Word due to my
experiences with Ventura Publisher.
-- Style sheets and Microsoft Word --
It took Ventura to get me to really understand style sheets
and how to use them. It's nice to bring up a word processor,
press alt-c and have all the basic information for this column
ready to go. Press alt-w and the format for my weekly report
comes up instead. Since I have two different types of paragraphs
(the "headers" between some paragraphs and the body text
paragraphs themselves), I set up two different paragraph styles.
Since Word carries over the attributes of the previous paragraph
when starting a new one, it greatly simplifies my life. Instead
of constantly changing the margins (or forgetting the initial tab
at the start of a paragraph), I merely hit two or three keys when
changing styles or parts of a document and everything changes
(margins, fonts, indents, etc.). It's made my life a lot easier,
although it did take me awhile to understand it. I think it's
working better than it did with the bunch of SuperKey macros I
had originally set up to be used with my columns. Once you get
used to the concepts behind style sheets it works out rather
well, although the manuals don't explain everything as well as
they should. If you are using Word and haven't explored or
learned about style sheets yet, spend an afternoon in the near
future learning how to use them. It will be time well spent.
-- New surge protector --
My weekly visit to my local dealer turned up something new
and worthwhile, a new surge protector for my system. While I've
had some form of surge protection on the power lines into the
computer for as long as I've owned my current system, this one
had a new twist. In addition to giving me the 6 outlets, it has a
LED indicator that it is working (read protecting) the equipment
and an in and out jack for the phone line. This greatly appealed
to me because while I've never lost a system, I have lost a
modem. It's what caused me to move up to 2400 baud, my 1200 died
(during an electrical storm) and I was able to get a great price
on the Tecmar Phonegate. The new surge protector was only $20 and
was from QVS. My equipment hasn't died suddenly, so I'm assuming
Fidonews Page 19 27 Apr 1987
it working reasonably well. While no surge protector out there
will protect a machine from a direct lighting strike, it's well
worth spending a few extra dollars to protect a thousand dollar
plus investment from the more "normal" line surges. Your price on
the same unit may be a little higher, I don't know what the list
price on it is, as I get discounted prices through my dealer.
I've been stopping by his store fairly regularly for the past
three years, and usually buy my software and hardware from him.
Some of the tips and information he's given me are well worth the
higher prices (as compared to mail order). I'd strongly encourage
you to find a similar dealer in your area because while mail
order prices may be cheaper, the mail order companies usually
can't answer too many questions when you run into trouble or need
some help.
-- Winding down... --
I'm still playing JET (due to an overdose of watching the
movie Top Gun), although the effects of the movie are dying off.
I haven't even come close to a 12 to 1 kill ratio, and I'm almost
ready to give up. One last thing I want to try before shelving
the game is take advantage of a bug I've heard about. It seems
that in the ground version of the game, you can supposedly enter
the flight hanger at any speed and still refuel and re-arm. I've
been trying to enter the hanger at speeds greater than mach one.
After re-arming I should be exiting the hanger at the same speed
I entered it! Let me warn you, it is not easy trying to keep a
plane a few feet off the ground at those speeds. I've cracked up
quite a few planes trying to do it, and think I've nearly gotten
the hang of it. If all goes well I'll let you know if the "bug"
exists next week.
Since I decided to learn how to use WordPerfect, I've been
doing a lot of reading about the program. While I haven't
actually used the program, and don't think I'm going to like it
to well judging from what I've read, I have book learned quite a
bit about it. The best book on beginning WordPerfect I've found
is "Using WordPerfect" by Deborah Beacham and Walton Beacham (QUE
Corp. $18.95). It seems to cover the basics of the program
adequately as well as covering some of the more advanced
features. My only complaint is that it centers on version 4.0
with a few additional sections on version 4.1, while the current
version is 4.2. Hopefully most of it will apply when I finally
get a chance to look it over.
Sorry for the short column this week, but I finally took
another look at the Sysop echomail conference and became
disgusted with certain individuals. These few sysops are
unbelievably childish, inconsiderate (read rude), and
irresponsible and it has put a damper on the muse for the time
being. Hopefully next week will work out better, and I won't even
be tempted to look over that echomail conference for a few weeks.
In the meantime, I welcome your comments and suggestions on
anything I've written about or something you think I should write
about. If you're a user of a bulletin board, please mention to
your sysop that mail to me must be routed through 157/0, 157/1 or
Fidonews Page 20 27 Apr 1987
157/502. FidoNet sysops who are trying to send me netmail just
take note of that last sentence. All of those nodes are running
SEAdog so you shouldn't have to worry to much about mail
schedules, and they will forward a file to me. I'm still looking
for a name for this column and if you have ANY ideas, please drop
me a line and let me know! Down below you'll find my FidoNet,
uucp (usenet) and US mail address. If you decide to use the
latter method, please let me know where I can send a reply
(either FidoNet net/node number, usenet site name, or US mail
address).
Dale Lovell
3266 Vezber Drive
Seven Hills, OH 44131
ATTENTION PC PROGRAMMERS: $15,000.00 PROGRAMMING CONTEST!
COMPUTE! Publications, Inc. is launching a new magazine:
COMPUTE!'s PC Magazine for IBM PCs & Compatibles. Each issue will
include a disk filled with programs, source code, and other
useful information. We're looking for the very best original
software for IBM PCs, XTs, and compatibles, and are sponsoring a
programming contest: $7,500.00 First Prize, $2,500.00 Second
Prize, $1,000.00 Honorable Mention (five to be awarded). Even if
your contest entry doesn't win a prize, you can still earn
purchase fees if we accept your program for publication. Entries
must be totally original, previously unpublished programs and can
be written in BASIC or nearly any compiled language. All
categories welcome. Enter as often as you like. For rules and
entry form, write:
PC Programming Contest
COMPUTE! Publications, Inc.
P.O. Box 5406
Greensboro, NC 27403
An error was made on the ballot that was at the end of last
week's issue of FidoNews. It said that you should vote for ten
directors at large. Instead, you should vote for eleven
directors at large. If you have already sent in your ballot,
please send in another.
24 May 1987
Metro-Fire Fido's Second Birthday BlowOut and Floppy Disk
Throwing Tournament! All Fido Sysops and Families Invited!
Contact Christopher Baker at 135/14 for more information.
SEAdogs may GET more information by requesting FPICMAP.ARC
from 135/14.
20 Aug 1987
Start of the Fourth International FidoNet Conference, to be
held at the Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, VA.
Contact Brian Hughs at 109/634 for more information. This is
FidoNet's big annual get-together, and is your chance to meet
all the people you've been talking with all this time. We're
hoping to see you there!
24 Aug 1989
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1/1.
Bob Morris 141/333
Chairman, Elections and Nominations Committee
The next two pages are your Official ballot for the Election of
the IFNA Board of Directors. The following are the few rules
which must prevail in this election:
1. You must send a legible copy of this ballot to the address
listed on the ballot. It must be signed and bear your
net/node number.
2. You may vote for any one person in your region for the
position of Regional Director. This vote is to be cast in the
LEFT column of the ballot.
3. You may vote for any eleven people in any regions for the
position of Director at Large. These votes are to be cast in
the RIGHT column of the ballot.
4. Voting will continue until the end of registration at the
Conference in August. The results will be read during the
opening of the business meeting on the first day of the
conference.
5. Write-in Votes will be accepted and are requested during this
election.
Fidonews Page 24 27 Apr 1987
IFNA Board Of Directors
Ballot
Regional At Large
Region 10:
Steve Jorden _________ ________
Region 11:
Ryugen Fisher _________ ________
Theodore Polczynski _________ ________
Region 12:
Region 13:
Don Daniels _________ ________
John Penberthy _________ ________
Thom Henderson _________ ________
Gee Wong _________ ________
Brian Hughes _________ ________
Region 14:
Ben Baker _________ ________
Ken Kaplan _________ ________
Brad Hicks _________ ________
Region 15:
David Dodell _________ ________
Larry Wall _________ ________
Region 16:
Bob Hartman _________ ________
Hal Duprie _________ ________
Region 17:
Rob Barker _________ ________
Randy Bush _________ ________
Bob Swift _________ ________
Region 18:
Ken Shackelford _________ ________
Wes Crowley _________ ________
Fidonews Page 25 27 Apr 1987
Region 19:
Mark Grennan _________ ________
Wynn Wagner _________ ________
Name ______________________________ Net/Node ___________
Signature______________________________ Date ___________
Please complete this and mail it to:
Robert Morris
IFNA Elections Committee
210 Church Street
West Haven, Ct. 06516
or bring it with you when you come to the conference in August.
These ballots will be counted by myself since with 200 members
the charges for a CPA would be very high. Hard copies will be
made available to anyone wishing to insure that their vote was
included.
