Don't expect to find production data, production formulas, detailed
outlines of a company's pension plan, or the number of personal
computers in a company. Such information rarely finds its way to
public databases.
Intelligence by fax
-------------------
Financial Times' Profile has Fax Alert. Predefine your interests
using search words. Stories will be cut and sent to your personal
fax number whenever they appear. Price depends on the number of
characters transmitted.
Other online services offer similar services.
The Bulletin Board as a sales tool
----------------------------------
Many companies - large and small - use bulletin board systems as a
marketing instrument. Here is an example:
The San Francisco-based Compact Disk Exchange (Tel.: +1-415-824-
7603) offers a database of used CD records. Members can call in to
buy at very low prices. They can sell old CDs through the board or
buy from other members. (1992)
Marketing and sales by modem
----------------------------
The Americans have a gift for this. You meet them in online forums
all over the world, in person or through agents, and especially in
computer oriented conferences and clubs.
Their main strategy is reference selling. Make key customers
happy, and make sure they tell others.
In Chapter 5, I told you what happened when a member wrote
about his upgrade to a 425 megabytes hard disk in CompuServe's
Toshiba forum. It made me place my order with his preferred seller.
One common sales strategy is to be constantly present in
relevant conferences, and spend a generous amount of time helping
others. This takes time. By proving competence and willingness to
help, you build a positive personal profile. This profile is the
key to business, information about competitors and other benefits.
To drop quickly into a conference to post an "advertisement,"
is a waste of time. The message may be read by some, but chances
are that you will be criticized (in public) for having 'polluted
their environment' with a commercial message.
Besides, the volume of information in the best conferences for
your marketing effort is probably too high to make traditional
advertisements worth the while.
Electronic mail
---------------
Here is a list of other useful applications of electronic mail:
* to distribute quickly lists of important prospects to your
sales force,
* to avoid lengthy telephone conversations,
* to receive order information faster and more efficiently than
by traditional mail or fax,
* to distribute quickly reports and memos to key people all
over the world,
* to send new prices and product announcements to customers,
* to exchange spread sheets and analyses between users of
personal computers.
If this isn't enough, ask for information from the International
Business Network at 70724.311@compuserve.com (or, at 70724,311 on
CompuServe).
Chapter 12: Practical tips
==========================
- Quick transfers with a minimum of errors
- Rescuing lost files
- Copyright and other legal matters
- Unwritten laws about personal conduct
- Privacy
- Fax services weigh less than your printer
- File transfers through the Internet
Speed and safety
----------------
Read about MNP, CCITT V.42, and V.42bis in appendix 2. These are
popular methods for automatic error correction and compression of
data. Compression gives faster transfers of data.
To use them, your modem must have these features built-in. They
must also be enabled in the modem of the service that you are
calling.
Compression is particularly helpful when sending or receiving
text, for example news stories and messages in conferences. They
ensure faster transfers.
They are not of much help when transferring precompressed texts
and programs. They may even make file transfers with protocols like
ZMODEM, Kermit, and XMODEM impossible. If this happens, temporarily
turn off the MNP and V.24/V42bis settings in your modem (more about
this in appendix 2).
Some online services let users retrieve conference messages
using a special get or grab function. This function often comes in
two versions:
* Grab to display: New messages and conference items are
received in an uninterrupted stream without stops between items.
Retrieval of text can happen at maximum speed.
* Grab to compressed file: New messages and conference items
are selected, automatically compressed and stored in a file. This
file is then transferred using ZMODEM or similar protocols.
Some services offer unattended online work with a variation of
the "get compressed file" method. Read about 'offline readers' in
chapter 16 for more about this.
The more advanced your software is, the more time it will take
to learn how to use it. The rewards are lower telephone costs,
faster transfers, and less time spent doing technical online work.
Recommended.
Different needs, different solutions
------------------------------------
Frank Burns of the American online service MetaNet is spokesperson
for the strategy SCAN - FOCUS - ACT.
On your first visits to a new online service, you SCAN. The
goal is to get an overview of what is being offered and find out
how to use it most efficiently. Notes are made of interesting
bulletins, databases, conferences, messages, news services, public
domain and shareware programs, games, and more.
Capture all of it to disk. Don't study it until disconnected
from the service. Evaluate the material to prepare for your next
moves: FOCUS and ACT.
As you learn about offerings, users and applications, your use
of the service changes. What was interesting on your first visits,
lose out to new discoveries. Some applications may stay as 'regular
online functions', like when you decide to read a given news report
on Monday mornings.
Here are some other hints:
* Find out what you do NOT have to know and have enough self-
confidence immediately to discard irrelevant material. Walk quickly
through the information. Select what you need now, store other
interesting items on your hard disk, clip references, and drop the
remainder of your capture file.
* Learn when and how to use people, computers, libraries and
other resources. Prepare well before going online. Note that the
online resource may not necessarily be the quickest way to the
goal. If you want the name of Michael Jackson's latest album, you
may get a faster answer by calling a local music shop. . . .
* Make an outline of how to search the service before going
online. If required, start by going online to collect help menus
and lists of search commands (unless you already have the printed
user information manual). Study the instructions carefully, plan
your visit, and then call back.
Often, it may be useful to do trial searches in online data,
which you have previously captured to your hard disk. Do this to
check if your use of search words is sensible.
Who knows, you may even have what you are searching for right
there. Besides, it is imperative that you use the correct search
terms to find what you're looking for.
Write your search strategy on a piece of paper. If you know how
to write macros for your communications program, consider writing
some for your planned search commands. - Few people can type 240
characters per second. Using macros may save you time, frustration
and money.
* It may be wise to do your search in two steps. On your first
visit: Get a LIST of selected headlines or references, and then log
off the service.
Study your finds, and plan the next step. Then call back to get
full-text of the most promising stories.
This strategy is often better than just 'hanging online' while
thinking. When you feel the pressure of the taximeter, it is easy
to make costly mistakes.
* Novices should always go the easiest way. Don't be shy. Ask
SOS Assistance services for help, if available. Invest in special
communication programs with built in automatic online searching
features. They are designed to make your work easier.
* Limit your search and avoid general and broad search terms.
It is often wise to start with a search word that is so 'narrow'
that it is unlikely to find articles outside your area of interest.
Your goal is not to find many stories. You want the right ones.
When everything fails
---------------------
Data communications is simple - when you master it. Occasionally,
however, you WILL lose data. You may even experience the worst of
all: losing unread private email on your hard disk.
A while ago, this happened to a friend. She logged on to her
mailbox service using the communications program Procomm.
After capturing all her mail, she tried to send a message. For
some reason, the computer just froze. It was impossible to close
the capture file. She had to switch the power OFF/ON to continue.
All retrieved mail was obviously lost.
The other day, I had a similar experience. After having written
a long and difficult letter, something went wrong. The outfile was
inexplicably closed. The resulting file size was 0 bytes.
Both problems were solved by the MS-DOS program CHKDSK run with
the /F option. If you ever get this problem, and have an MS-DOS
computer, try it. It may save your day.
Copyright notices and legal stuff
---------------------------------
Most commercial online services protect their offerings with
copyright notices. This is especially so for database information
and news.
Some vendors make you accept in writing not to store captured
data on a local media (like diskettes or hard disks). Others (like
Prodigy in the U.S.) force clients to use communication software
that makes it impossible to store incoming data to disk.
The reason is simple. Information providers want to protect
their income.
In most countries, you can quote from what others have written.
You can cut pieces out of a whole and use in your own writing. What
you cannot do, however, is copy news raw to resell to others. If
an online service discovers you doing that, expect a law suit.
Read copyright notices to learn about the limitations on your
usage of data that you receive.
Unwritten laws about personal conduct
-------------------------------------
Some services let their users be anonymous. This is the case on
many chat services. If you want to pose as Donald Duck or Jack the
Ripper, just do that.
Many free BBS systems let you register for full access to the
service during your first visit. It is possible to use any name.
Don't do that. Use your true name, unless asked to do otherwise.
It's impolite and unrespectful of the other members to participate
in online discussions using a false identity.
Being helpful is an important aspect of the online world. The
people you meet 'there' use of their time to help you and others.
Often free. The atmosphere is one of gratitude, and a positive
attitude toward all members.
If you use rude words in public, expect your mailbox to fill
with angry messages from others. Those who respond carefully to
personal attacks, will never regret it. Don't say things online
that you would not have said in person.
REMEMBER: Words written in a moment of anger or frustration
can be stored on at least one hard disk. Your 'sins' may stay
there for a long time - to resurface when you least want it to.
Here are some guidelines (often called 'online netiquette'):
* If mail to a person doesn't make it through, avoid posting
the message to a conference. Keep private messages private.
* It is considered extremely bad taste to post private mail
from someone else on public conferences, unless they give
you explicit permission to redistribute it.
* Many users end their messages with some lines about how
to get in touch with them (their email address, phone
number, address, etc.). Limit your personal "signature"
to maximum four lines.
* Do not send test messages to a public conference, unless
they are set up to serve this purpose.
* If someone requests that readers reply by private email,
do that. Do not send to the conference, where the request
appeared.
* When replying to a message in a public conference, many
users 'quote' the original message prefixed by '>' or
another special character, as in
You wrote:
>I strongly believe it was wrong to attack
>Fidel Castro in this way!
When you quote another person, edit out whatever isn't
directly applicable to your reply. By including the entire
message, you'll only annoy those reading it.
* Note that if you USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, people will
think you're shouting.
Finally, smile with me about the following story: According to Time
magazine (7/19/93, p. 58), three women who corresponded with Mr. X
over the network discovered his duplicity and went public on the
network. The incident sparked a lively debate over electronic
etiquette (and ruined Mr. Casanova's chances for further romance).
Fax services weigh less than your computer's printer
----------------------------------------------------
Many online services let you send electronic mail as fax messages.
This is an interesting feature when in that far away place without
a printer. Send the draft contract or other texts to your hotel's
fax machine or to your client's office to get a printout on paper.
Privacy
-------
The level of online privacy differs by network, service, and
application. Whatever these services may claim, always expect that
someone, somewhere, is able to watch, even record.
All mailbox services have at least one person authorized to
access your personal mail box in case of an emergency. Most of the
time they not have a right to read it without your permission, but
they can.
In some countries, mailbox services may let outsiders (like the
police) routinely read your private email to check for 'illegal'
contents. In this respect, email is not safer than ordinary mail.
The good news is that most 'inspectors' and 'sysops' are good,
honest people. On the other hand, it is useful to know your
situation.
It is not safe to send sensitive information (like credit card
details) by private electronic mail. True, the probability that an
outsider should get hold of and take advantage of such information
is small, but it definitely is not 100 percent safe.
Encrypt your email to protect sensitive information.
Always assume that someone is recording all that is being said in
online conferences, chats, and other interactive social gatherings.
In chats, anyone using a personal computer as a terminal can log
the conversation, or use screen dump just to capture 'interesting
parts'.
Many PC users can scroll back the screen. They can wait and
decide whether to save the conversation in a file until after the
conversation has taken place. With these capabilities widely
available, users of chats and talk should always assume that their
conversations are being recorded.
Do not say indiscreet things in small, informal discussions. It
may be recorded and reposted under embarrassing circumstances.
The program PGP has become the defacto international Internet
standard for public key encryption.
For more on privacy, check out ETHICS-L@MARIST.BITNET. The
files RFC 1113 through 1115 are about 'Privacy enhancements for
Internet electronic mail' (see appendix 1 for how to get them).
Usenet has alt.privacy (Privacy issues in cyberspace), and
comp.society.privacy (Effects of technology on privacy).
File transfers through the Internet
-----------------------------------
The Internet is a term used of a network interconnecting hundreds
of thousands of computer centers around the world. These centers
use different types of hardware and software, and different methods
of file transfer.
What method to use for file transfers depends on the source
host and the type of mailbox computer that you are using. The
transfer usually takes place in two steps:
1. Transferring files from a remote data center to your local
mailbox host.
2. Transfer from your local mailbox host to your personal
computer.
Transfer to your local mailbox host
-----------------------------------
We will explain the most commonly used method for those who only
have access to file transfer by email. This method can be used by
everybody.
Transferring plain text files is easy. Files with imbedded
word processor control codes will often have to be treated as
binary files. More about this later.
To transfer a text to another user, just send it as an ordinary
electronic message.
Getting text files from a library on a remote computer is a
special case. Often, they can be had by sending a retrieval command
(like GET) by email to the remote center. After a while, the file
will be sent to your mailbox by email. You can read it like you
read other mail.
Example: The file BINSTART can be retrieved from the KIDART
directory on a computer center in North Dakota, U.S.A. It explains
how to retrieve binary art files from the KIDLINK project's file
libraries.
To get the file, send a message to the center's mail forwarding
'agent' at LISTSERV@VM1.NODAK.EDU. Use the following command
syntax in your text:
GET <directory name> <file name>
To get the BINSTART file, write the following command in the TEXT
of your message:
GET KIDART BINSTART
Note that the command has to be put in the body of the mail and not
in the subject field. The file will arrive in your mailbox after a
while.
Also, note that lists of available files are usually available
by using an "INDEX <directory name>" command. To get a list of
files in the KIDART directory, add the command "INDEX KIDART" in
your message above.
Non-LISTSERV libraries may use other retrieval commands. Often,
you can get information of what commands to use by sending the word
HELP to a mailing service (in the Subject area or in the body of
the text).
Transferring binary files
-------------------------
Users with a direct connection to the Internet usually have access
to the FTP command (File Transfer Protocol). If they do, they often
prefer FTP for transfers of binary files like computer programs,
pictures, sound, and compressed text files.
The bad news is that the FTP command is not available to all
users of Internet mail. These will have to use "FTP by mail," or
other tricks to transfer such files. More about this in a moment.
The FTP command gives access to a special file transfer service.
It works in the following way:
1. Logon to your local email host and enter 'FTP remote-
center-code'. Example: 'ftp 134.129.111.1'.
This command will connect you to the center in North Dakota
mentioned above. Here, you will be prompted for user name and
password. Enter 'anonymous' as user name, and use your real name or
email address as password.
This way of logging on to retrieve files is called "transfers
by anonymous ftp." You can use this method on many hosts on the
Internet.
2. When connected to the remote center, you can request transfer
of the desired file to your mailbox. Before doing that, you may
have to navigate to a given file catalog (cd directory), and tell
the host that the transfer is to be binary (bin). Finally, initiate
the transfer by entering a "GET file name" command.
3. The file will be transferred to your local mailbox computer
at high speed. When the transfer is done, you logoff from the
remote center to "get back" to your mailbox computer's prompt line.
Now, you can transfer the file to your personal computer using
communications protocols like Kermit, XMODEM, ZMODEM or whatever
else is available.
Binary files transferred as text codes
--------------------------------------
If you do not have access to FTP, you must use ordinary email for
your binary transfers.
Usually, email through the Internet can only contain legal
character codes (ASCII characters between number 32 - 126). Most
systems cannot transfer graphics or program files directly, since
these files normally contain binary codes (which are outside this
ASCII character range).
The solution is to convert binary files to text codes using a
utility program called UUENCODE. The encoded file can be sent by
ordinary email, as in this example:
From TRICKLE@VM1.NoDak.EDU Fri Aug 16 16:32:37 1991
Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1991 09:31:34 CDT
To: opresno@EXTERN.UIO.NO
Subject: Part 1/1 SIMTEL20.INF PD:<MSDOS.STARTER>
The file PD:<MSDOS.STARTER>SIMTEL20.INF has been uuencoded before
being sent. After combining the 1 parts with the mail headers
removed, you must run the file through a decode program.
------------ Part 1 of 1 ------------
begin 600 SIMTEL20.INF
M6T9I;&4Z(%-)351%3#(P+DE.1B`@("`@("`@("`@("`@("`@("!,87-T(')E
M=FES960Z($IU;F4@,C@L(#$Y.3%=#0H-"B`@(%M.;W1E.B!$=64@=&\@9&ES
M:6P-"AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:
M&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:
6&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&AH:&@(Z
`
end
-------- End of part 1 of 1 ---------
When you receive a message with uuencoded text, download it to your
personal computer's hard disk. Use an editor to cut out the codes
and paste them to an empty work file. Using the example above, the
first line in your work file should contain:
begin 600 SIMTEL20.INF
and the last line should contain
end
Now, use a utility program called UUDECODE to convert the file back
to its binary form (or whatever).
More information about uuencoding and uudecoding is given in
the BINSTART file mentioned above (for MS-DOS computers). It has
a detailed explanation, BASIC source code for making the program
UUDECODE.COM, and a DEBUG script for those preferring that.
Versions of UUDECODE are also available for other types of
computers.
Transfer of pictures
--------------------
Denis Pchelkin in Protvino (Russia) is 11 years old, has two cats
and one dog, and has contributed beautiful computer graphics art to
the KIDLINK project (1992).
The file ART019 in the KIDART catalog of the North Dakota
center contains one of his creations. It is a UUENCODEd picture
in GIF graphics format.
You can retrieve Denis' creation by sending a GET command to
LISTSERV@VM1.NODAK.EDU . Put the following command in the TEXT of
your message:
GET KIDART ART019
The LISTSERVer will return a message filled with strange uu-codes.
We assume that you have already retrieved the BINSTART file, and
that you have a version of the conversion program. Your next step
is uudecoding:
Read the message into an editor or a viewing program. Cut and
paste the codes to a work file. Keep the original as backup. Use
the UUDECODE.COM program to convert ART019 into a GIF formatted
file.
Now, view the picture with your favorite graphics program. (Or
use shareware GIF-viewers like PICEM, VUIMG, and VPIC for MS-DOS
computers. These programs are available from CompuServe's IBM
forums and other services.)
Sending binary files in uuencoded form has weaknesses. One is
the lack of automatic error correction when sending/receiving e-
mail. Noise on the line can easily distort the picture.
File size is another problem. UUENCODEing typically increases
file sizes by almost one third. Some mailbox systems restrict the
length of individual messages that you can receive, and the file
may just be too big.
If the uuencoded file gets too big, some services can (or will
by default) split it up in parts and then sent separately.
Tons of uuencoded public domain and shareware programs are
available for retrieval by ordinary email.
FTP by email
-------------
While some services accept commands like GET KIDART ART019 by
email, this is not so with the many so-called FTP libraries. Many
of them can only be accessed by FTP.
Services exist that will do FTP transfers by email for those
not having access to the FTP command. The most popular is at DEC
Corporate Research in the U.S.
For more information, write a message to one of the following
addresses:
ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com
ftpmail@cs.uow.edu.au
In the TEXT of your message, put the word "HELP".
FTPMAIL lets you uuencode binary files for transfers. It can
split large files up into several messages, thus helping you around
local restrictions on the size of each incoming mail message.
Chapter 13: Cheaper and better communication
============================================
Packet data services and data transportation
services like Tymnet Outdial, Infonet, Internet,
and PC Pursuit may help keep costs down.
About reducing the cost of using mailing lists.
Many users access online services by calling them directly. A lot
pay extra for long distance calls to other cities and countries,
even when this means inferior transmission quality (like when noise
characters degrade the data).
Others investigate other routings for their data. One option is
the packet data networks. Most countries have Public Data Networks
(PDNs) operated by local telecommunications authorities. These
services are often cheaper than direct calls for some applications,
but more expensive for others.
Before using a packet data network, you'll need to establish a
"Network User Identification" (NUI) with the PDN carrier. You must
also know the Network User Address (NUA) of the hosts that you want
to access.
In Scandinavia, the local PDNs are called Datapak. They can be
accessed by direct local calls or through leased lines. To personal
users, direct calls are least expensive. A leased line may be cost
efficient when the daily volume is high, like in a company.
When you communicate with online services through a PDN, the
latter will split your data and bundle it in standard envelopes or
'packets'.
Each packet is marked with a code and sent out into the data
stream. Based on this code, the packet is routed from computer
center to computer center until it reaches its final destination.
There, the information will be reassembled into its original form
before being handed over to a user or online service.
It is almost like traveling by train. The price per packet or
traveler is lower than what it costs to rent the whole train for
your trip.
National telecommunications monopolies were the first to offer
packet data services. Their rates were moderately lower than for
long distance calls, but it was hard to find the relationship
between real costs and prices. This is still the situation in
many countries.
Throughout the world, efforts to privatize nationwide phone
networks continue. In many countries, this has given us some
interesting competitors offering attractive rates for similar
services.
Their rates differ considerably from country to country, as
does the quality of transmissions. The advantage of using packet
data also varies considerably, by application and by country. The
best routing for retrieval of online news may be impossibly
expensive for chats or complex online jobs.
We can offer no hard rules of thumb, except this:
Compare rates regularly!
What is cheapest?
-----------------
Some networks charge by the hour, while others charge by volume
(number of characters transferred per minute).
When volume is low, your best bet is to use network services
with a low price per minute and high prices for volume.
When volume is high, you may be better off using those charging
by the minute.
To estimate costs reliably, you'll need statistics. Since your
usage probably differs from what others do, start accumulating
experience data now. Like this:
On services only charging for connect time
------------------------------------------
Capture trip information to a log file. Register the following
information:
* number of minutes connected
* modem speed
* number of characters transmitted.
Some communication programs can do this automatically for you.
On services charging for time and volume
----------------------------------------
Log the following information:
* number of minutes connected
* modem speed
* number of segments or packets (measurements of volume)
You need this to estimate the average volume of data transferred by
minute. Here are some general experiences and hints:
Long streams of data without stops are cheaper through services
that only charge by the minute. Retrieving software is a typical
high volume application.
Trips that include navigation from conference to conference,
with a little bit of up- and downloading here and there, make the
average transfer speed fall dramatically. It's like driving through
a big city at 150 kilometers per hour. Red lights will reduce the
average speed considerably.
The actual transferred volume of text per minute will differ
from place to place (geographically), and often also from call to
call. It depends on factors like:
* How fast you can enter commands and how much time you spend
staring at the display before pressing keys,
* How long it takes for an online service to react to your
commands. For example, the response time on CompuServe at
04:00 GMT on a Friday morning (it is evening in the U.S.) is
much worse than at 10:30 GMT on a Sunday morning. Then, most
users are asleep.
* The load on your packet data network while you use the
service (or the amount of noise and retransmission, when
calling direct),
* The type of modem you are using (speed, level of MNP),
* The number of commands you (or your scripts) have to enter
during your online visit. An increase in the number of
commands, reduces the average transfer speed.
* The amount of transfer overhead for color and screen handling
(like, VT-100 codes) that is transferred with your text.
* Your use of menus and help texts while online, or whether
you come as "expert" with a minimum of prompts.
It's impossible to calculate the practical effects of these items.
You will just have to bear them in mind when estimating typical
jobs, measuring speeds, calculating costs, and comparing networks.
Finding the optimal network for our needs, will take time, but
is well worth the effort. I think the figures may surprise you.
The network services in this chapter will often give you better
quality transfers than a direct call. On the other hand, calling
direct may give more characters transferred per minute. The average
speed tends to drop dramatically when using a packet data service.
Using national packet data services
-----------------------------------
Most commercial online services can be reached through national
PDNs, but you may have problems finding the correct NUA (Network
User Address) to get there. Few PDNs have a directory of available
"electronic telephone numbers" for you to consult.
The Norwegian PDN, Datapak, used to be my only alternative for
access to foreign online services, and I thought that the cost was
acceptable. Not so anymore.
My applications require that data be pumped back and forth at
maximum speed. On network services charging by a combination of
volume and time, 80 percent of my costs are typically for volume,
while 20 percent is for connect time.
When I log out after a successful visit to CompuServe through
Datapak, the two services give me similar reports:
Thank you for using CompuServe!
Off at 10:11 EST 24-Nov-87
Connect time = 0:15
CLR PAD (00) 00:00:14:55 537 75
The last line comes from Datapak. It tells that I have received 537
segments and sent 75.
The "Segment" is Datapak's volume measure. A segment contains
up to sixty-four characters and/or carriage returns. The price is
calculated accordingly.
At today's prices, Datapak is still my cheapest alternative
calling CompuServe for chats.
I use Datapak when connecting to TWICS in Tokyo, as the only
alternative today is direct calls at a prohibitive cost. Once i-Com
(see below) starts offering outdial to Japan, I expect this service
to be substantially cheaper.
The slower your modem speed, the more attractive is Datapak
compared with direct calls.
To get access to a national PDN, you must have a user
identification and a password. (Getting temporary access to PDN
services while traveling abroad is often hard and expensive.)
| Note: If you have access to a national PDN, but need |
| information about PDNs in other countries, try Hostess, the |
| Global Network Service's information service from British |
| Telecom in England. The NUA is 02342 1920101013 (02342 is |
| the Data Network Identifier Code section of the address.) |
| Username or password is not required to use this service. |
Outdial through PC Pursuit
--------------------------
Sprintnet (formerly GTE Telenet) lets American users call bulletin
boards in North America at lower rates through their PC Pursuit
service.
They pay a modest subscription to call a local number for
access to PC Pursuit. Once connected, they can enter an electronic
phone-number to connect to a so-called 'outdial modem' in another
city.
Once connected to the outdial modem, they can give it dialing
commands and have it call any local number. This way, they can use
PC Pursuit to call an online service in the area, or the private
modem of a friend.
We call PC Pursuit an Outdial service. Such services normally
offer lower rates for access to remote bulletin boards than what
it costs to call by long distance. Besides, they reduce the chances
for noise on the line.
Outdial through i-Com
---------------------
i-Com offers outdial to North American online services by reselling
capacity from Tymnet's network (owned by British Telecommunications
PLC).
In the United States, Galaxy Telecomm Corp. offers a similar
service under the name Starlink. Outdial to numbers in Japan and
Europe is planned.
i-Com markets its services to users in Europe and Japan, and
have local access in Brussels, Paris, Lyon, Milano, the Hague,
Eindhoven, Zurich, Geneva, London, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol,
Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leeds, Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich, Madrid,
Stockholm, Copenhagen, and more.
The basic fee for access to the service is US$25.00 per hour
(1992). You don't pay volume charges. The monthly subscription fee
is US$8.00. You can pay using VISA or MasterCard/Eurocard.
In Norway, I have used i-Com to connect to The Well in San
Francisco, MetaNet in Virginia, EXEC-PC in Wisconsin, and SciLink
in Toronto, Canada. At the time, i-Com was cheaper than direct
calls and Datapak for access to these services.
While an ID on your local PDN is only valid in your area or
country, your i-Com ID can be used all over the world including
several cities in North America. Once your plane has landed in
Milano, you can dial the local i-Com node to connect to your
favorite service.
i-Com also has a bulletin board (US$13.00/hour). These are some
of its services:
* Search a database to find BBS numbers in a given area of
interest, or to locate outdial numbers in a given city or
area code.
* Conferences about how to use North American bulletin boards.
* Retrieval of shareware and public domain software.
* Online shopping of American goods at American prices.
Cheaper access to CompuServe
----------------------------
Wherever CompuServe has local access points, you'll be better off
using these. You do not have to sign any special agreements. Your
CompuServe ID is all you need. Payment for using these services
will appear on your CompuServe bill.
CompuServe has special deals with a list of network services,
like InfoNet Europe (formerly Computer Sciences Corp.), Istel,
FALNET, FENICS, CompuPass, LATA Networks, Tymnet/Sprintnet. Enter
the command GO LOG on CompuServe to get access information, and GO
RATES for rates.
I have been using CompuPass from Japan, CompuServe's own
network in the United States, Istel, InfoNet, and PDN services in
Europe.
When at home, I usually use CompuServe's 9600 bps node in
Stockholm, Sweden. It is even cheaper than calling Oslo for a 2400
bps node for most of my jobs. There is no surcharge when accessing
at non-prime time, and US$7.70 per hour during prime time (weekdays
08:00 to 19:00 local time). In addition, I pay long distance rates
to call the node. CompuServe has no extra charges for volume.
| Whenever CompuServe opens a new node in your vicinity, or |
| upgrades the modem speed on one of their nodes, look at the |
| effects on your total costs. |
| |
| Use software for automatic access and navigation (like TAPCIS,|
| OzCIS, or ATO). They give higher volume per minute and make |
| your accesses even more cost efficient. |
Before leaving for a business trip, visit CompuServe to find local
access numbers in your destination cities. The list of countries
includes Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Holland, South Africa,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and England.
You can also access CompuServe through i-Com and other outdial
services.
CompuServe has exchange of electronic mail with Internet. You
can also access the service by telnet to hermes.merit.edu (binary
transfers are impossible, though).
IXI - a European alternative to PDN
-----------------------------------
IXI is an X.25 data network for European academic, industrial and
governmental research centers. It is sponsored by the EEC under the
ESRIN project, and is operated by the Dutch PTT.
IXI interconnects national research networks, many national
public data networks and several specialized international
networks. It works like a national PDN service, but uses its own
Network User Addresses. Echo, STN, DIMDI, Data-Star and other
database vendors can be accessed through IXI.
The service is not available to most users having email access
through the Internet.
Using DASnet to cross network boundaries
----------------------------------------
DA Systems forwards electronic mail and files (also binary files)
across mailbox system boundaries for customers. They can send your
mail to several large in-house systems, information networks, and
over 60 commercial mailbox systems in 30 countries.
These are some systems on their list: ABA/net, Alternex
(Brazil), ATT Mail, BIX, BITNET, CESAC (Italy), CIGnet, ComNet
(Switzerland), CONNECT, Dialcom, Deutsche Mailbox, Dialcom, Envoy
100, EIES, EasyLink, Euromail (Germany), FredsNaetet (Sweden),
Galaxy, GeoNet (hosts in Germany, England, U.S.A.), GreenNet, INET,
INFOTAP (Luxembourg), Mailbox Benelux, MCI Mail, MercanMail (Asia),
MBK Mediabox (Germany), MetaNet, Nicarao (Nicaragua), NWI, OTC
PeaceNet/EcoNet, Pegasus (Australia), PINET, Portal, PsychNet, San
Francisco/Moscow Teleport, Telexphone (France), TeleRede
(Portugal), Telehaus Nordhorn (Germany), Telemail, TEXTEL (the
Caribbean), TWICS (Japan), UNISON, UUCP, Web (Canada), The WELL,
Internet.
This list may suggest lack of connectivity between networks
that do indeed have connections. For example, Internet email may
easily be sent to ATT Mail, Alternex, BIX, BITNET, FredsNaetet,
GeoNet, GreenNet, and many others on this list. Connectivity changes
constantly. Check to see if you really need it, as this service is
far from free.
DASnet also lets you send email as telex, fax and by ordinary
mail. They charge you by the number of characters transferred, and
the destination address. (Contact Anna B. Lange, DA Systems, Inc.,
U.S.A. Tel.: +1-408-559-7434, or write her at AnnaB@11.DAS.NET).
FidoNet - grassroots playground
-------------------------------
FidoNet is an amateur network consisting of tens of thousands of
bulletin boards all over the world. The network is "loosely
coupled," meaning that most of the participating boards are not
always connected. They call each others at regular intervals to
exchange mail, often in the middle of the night when the rates are
low.
Most FidoNet boards have conferences, and allow you to send
mail to users of other systems. NetMail is a term often used for
private FidoNet email. EchoMail is used about its international
conferences. The selection of echomail conferences on a given
FidoNet board can be as unique as the rest of the system.
RelayNet
--------
is another global network of bulletin boards. It offers exchange
of email between systems. Messages and conference items entered on
one system will automatically be copied to other participating
boards. Your costs for "talking" with others in other parts of the
world are very small.
Other grassroots networks
-------------------------
It doesn't take much to set up a bulletin board service, and it is
as easy to connect BBS systems to each other in a dial-up network
for regular exchanges of email, files and conferences.
All over the world, grassroots networks keep popping up with
names like ILINK, AmNet, Suedd MB-Verbund, Starmail, MagicNet, A-
NET, MausNet, Zerberus-Netz, SMBX-NET, BASA-NETZ, you name it.
Many boards offer access to more than one grassroots network,
as well as to the Internet. Thus, the ability to send global email
is extended to new users every day.
Other services
--------------
The PDN Connect-USA competes with Starlink in North America.
(Connect-USA Communications, Inc., 2625 Pennsylvania NE Suite 225,
Albuquerque, New Mexico. 505-881-6988 (voice), 505-881-2756 (FAX),
505-881-6964 (BBS). )
Global Access is a similar service reselling time on the
Sprintnet network in North America.
Reducing the cost of using mailing lists
----------------------------------------
The problem of subscribing to mailing lists is that all discussion
items come to you in individual messages. Each message comes with
its own mailer header, and this information is generally completely
useless. (Read "Returned mail" in Chapter 7 for details.)
Newer versions of the BITNET LISTSERV software provide commands
that solve this problem:
SET <list name> DIGEST
----------------------
This command is sent to a LISTSERV to make all daily messages
come to you in one, single message. Example: Say you've joined
KIDCAFE@vm1.nodak.edu, which usually has a large number of
messages each day. Send the following command to the LISTSERV:
SET KIDCAFE DIGEST
It will typically reduce the number of lines received from this
mailing list by around 50 percent.
SET <list name> INDEX
---------------------
This command is sent to a LISTSERV to get a daily list of
messages, like in this example from KIDCAFE:
Index Date Size Poster and subject
----- ---- ---- ------------------
22839 06/22 26 From: David Chalmers
<David.Chalmers@p3.f155.n633.z3.fidonet.org>
Subject: Conor Dublin Ireland
Based on this list, you can use the LISTSERV's search commands
to retrieve individual messages of interest. These commands are
similar to those used for searching in chapter 7.
For more about searching mailing lists' message bases, send a
message to LISTSERV@vm1.nodak.edu with the following command in
the text of your mail:
GET KIDLINK TIPS
Some LISTSERVs offers simplified search commands and macros
to make retrieval of individual messages simpler.
Chapter 14: Keep what you find
==============================
Little is gained by being skillful at
locating and accumulating information,
and then becoming drowned
in an avalanche of data
that one cannot manage - or use.
This chapter starts with how to build a personal data base on your
own hard disk. We continue by investigating strategies for finding
interesting information on your disk, before winding down with some
words about what separates good information from bad.
Search and throw away
---------------------
To novices, everything is difficult. During the first online trips,
they may feel as if moving to the other side of the globe to start
over: They need new newspapers, magazines, information sources, and
services.
Trial and error are required to find online gold mines. As you
get more experience, focus tends to shift from getting information
to digesting.
Getting the data gets 'into your fingers', and doesn't bother
much anymore. The number of retrieved lines increases. The only bad
news is that your reading speed remains at the same old level.
In our time, people tend to talk more than they listen, and you
usually find more information than knowledge. Therefore, say NO to
irrelevant information. It is seldom worth keeping.
There is generally no good reason to learn things that you
really don't need to know. Practice "selective ignorance."
Regularly evaluate your online sources critically, and discard
those costing you more than they are worth. Concentrate on those
giving the best returns.
Adjust the frequency with which you visit selected services to
match their usefulness. What used to be daily visits, may have to
be downgraded to once per week or month. Consider replacing daily
news monitoring by clipping services.
Plan 'overview' and 'details' with different frequencies.
'Overview' refers to online trips to get an impression of what
generally goes on. An example:
My script system is set for automatic visits to the CompuServe
Toshiba forum. Whenever I visit, it 'digs out' unread messages
based on key words on the item's subject line.
During 1991, it searched for these strings: '5100', T2000', and
'425'. Once, This gave the following message to read:
#: 29550 S6/Hi-Power Notebooks
05-Oct-91 17:27:30
Sb: #T2000SX Recharger
Fm: Steve Kitahata 75166,1741
To: All
I tried to order the battery recharger for my T2000SX from Jade
Computer last weekend. The sales rep said it would take about
a week, so I called today to check up on it. He told me that I
could only buy the recharger with the car adapter as a bundled
set for $260. They had both advertised in their flyer as
separate items, which they should be. Has anyone heard of
this?
Does anyone know of any sources that have the battery recharger
available? Any help would be appreciated. Thanx.
-- Steve
My script found the search word "T2000" in the subject line's text
(Sb: #T2000SX Recharger), and subsequently selected the message.
Once per month, the same system "scans the horizon" to give me
an idea of what is going on. This is done by requesting a list of
subjects being discussed. Here is part of one such list:
29555: DOS 5 Upgrade
6 replies
29540: TDOS Upgrade questions
3 replies
29585: Toshiba DOS 5.0 ships!
1 reply
29586: DOS 5.0 Upgrade Solution
29580: ToshibaDOS=bad business
8 replies
29581: DOS 5 / Stacker
1 reply
Reading the list, allows me to see if new and interesting topics
are up for discussion. If I use Stacker and want contact with other
users, I can request message number 29581 and the subsequent reply
(1 reply). That should give me some email addresses.
| Several advanced communication programs and offline readers |
| have built-in quick scan features. For example, TAPCIS does |
| this just fine in CompuServe forums. |
| |
| When retrieving conference messages from bulletin boards using |
| 1stReader at high speed, like 9600 bps or above, then the cost |
| of downloading all new items may be insignificant. Therefore, |
| you might just as well do it. |
| |
| Later, when reading the captured mail, 1stReader lets you |
| select messages to read from a list of subjects. You can save |
| what you want to keep, and delete the rest. |
By regular scanning subject headers you reduce the risk of missing
important trends, for example because authors were using other
terms on the subject line than expected.
Scanning also lets us discover if the discussion is heading off
in other, interesting directions.
After a while, you'll have a set of sources, persons, and tools
that will provide you with what you need. This is your personal
infrastructure of electronic information. Now, you must maintain
and cultivate it.
Store incoming information
--------------------------
Chances are that you will retrieve more information than you can
read. Sometimes it takes weeks for me to get up to date with my
own readings.
If you visit several online services, consider storing the data
in files with different names. Use part of the file name to show the
source of this information.
If visiting a service regularly, consider using the date as
part of the file names. This will make it easier to select, read
and search them in a useful sequence.
| Example: Say you're regularly visiting TWICS in Tokyo. What you |
| download on November 10, you may store in a file named |
| |
| TW1110.TMP |
| |
| My scripts do this automatically. On some services, they also |
| split retrieved data into URGENT and MAY BE READ LATER files. |
| Private mail from TWICS is stored in NB1110.TMP. By storing |
| private mail separately, it is easier to see if somebody wants |
| a quick reply. |
All file names in this example have the extension .TMP (temporary).
This signifies that these files are unread.
When I read them, and select parts for permanent storage on my
hard disk, I use different names. Often, I use the year, or a
month/year code in the file name extension. For example, the file
DIALOG.93 contains information from DIALOG collected during 1993.
Postprocessing the data
------------------------
The data capture is completed, and the retrieved data is stored on
the hard disk in more or several files. Your next task is to
* Read the received texts,
* Cut and paste selected parts to archive or work files,
* Prepare responses to your electronic mail. This may include
quoting part of the incoming messages in your replies.
* Finally, delete all temporary files.
Many advanced programs have these features built in. If not, you
may use your favorite word processor, or something else. There are
many alternatives.
LIST is my favorite MS-DOS shareware file viewer program. It
can be downloaded from most bulletin boards. Using LIST, it is
difficult to destroy your precious retrieved data while reading,
cutting and pasting.
| MORE ABOUT LIST: |
| Assume that all input data is stored in the disk catalog C:\IN |
| and that you're using the file name convention suggested above. |
| Type LIST and press Enter. A list of file names will appear on |
| your screen. Press S to sort the list, and then D to have them |
| sorted by creation date. The newest files are at the bottom of |
| the list. |
| Move the cursor (using the Arrow keys) to the input file |
| that you want to read and press Enter. Scroll up and down in the|
| file by pressing the PgUp/PgDn or the arrow keys. |
| Let's assume that you are reading TW1110.TMP right now. |
| On your screen is a piece of information that you want to |
| keep for future reference. Mark the text with ALT-M commands |
| (keep the ALT key pressed down, while pressing M), and then |
| ALT-D. LIST will ask you for a file name. You enter TWICS.93, |
| and the text is appended to what is already there. |
| This method allows you quickly to mark and append parts |
| of your input file to various archive files. Press ESC to |
| return to the file list when through, then press D. LIST asks |
| if you really want to delete the file. Press Y, and TW1110.TMP |
| is gone. |
| LIST lets you find information stored in your archives |
| (string search). What you find can be marked and copied to a |
| work file. It can also be set to invoke an editor or a word |
| processor for the selected file. |
Reuse of data on your hard disk
-------------------------------
Over time your personal archives will grow in size. You begin to
experience the benefits of having all this information on your
hard disk.
Yesterday's news is today's history, and may be used in many
interesting ways.
One business executive regularly monitors key technologies,
customers, competitors, and suppliers. He does it by tapping
sources like KOMPASS, Associated Press, and Reuters. Interesting
bits of information are regularly stored on his disk.
Tomorrow, there is an important meeting with a major customer.
First, a quick search through the personal customer database to be
reminded of important events since the last meeting. An unfamiliar
person is also going to be present. Maybe there is some background
information, for example about a recent promotion.
Then, a quick check on major competitors. Maybe they are up to
something that he needs to know about.
With efficient tools for searching your hard disk, finding
information takes only a few seconds. If you are still left with
open questions, go online to complement.
On MS-DOS computers, you can search the files with WordPerfect,
LIST, the DOS utility FIND, and a long list of other programs. I
prefer programs that let me search for more than one word at the
time, like in HYDRO AND PETROCHEMICAL AND CONTRACT, or EXXON OR
MOBIL.
| MY FAVORITE: My favorite search utility is LOOKFOR. It can |
| be downloaded from many bulletin boards. The MS-DOS program |
| is small, fast, and is superior for searches in DOS text files.|
| Store your finds in work files, or print them out on paper. |
| LOOKFOR is not an indexing program. It is ready to search |
| anywhere, anytime. |
Discipline and organization is required to get the most out of your
file archives. You must decide what to do with each piece of
information: Should it be printed out and be read in front of the
fireplace this evening, or should it be circulated? Should it be
stored on your hard disk, or be refined before storage?
Use standard file names that are easy to remember. If you
don't, risk having to view files to find out what they contain.
It may take longer to find a piece of information in a casual
file on a large disk, than look up a piece of information on paper
in your inbox. Therefore, finish handling your capture file while
you read it on your screen:
Send the pieces to their final destination. Make immediate
transfers to your TO-DO files. Give the original file a name that
makes it easier to move later. Have a procedure that prevents
duplication of effort.
Desinformation, deception and errors
------------------------------------
Always use several sources of information. Some people write to
lead you astray. The online world exposed some interesting
incidents that came out of the former Soviet Union before the
attempted coup in 1991.
Desinformation hurts everybody and comes from all sides. Even
professional news agencies, like Associated Press, Reuters and
Agence France-Presse, regularly stumble.
Most news is written by journalists reporting what they have
seen, read or heard. Their interpretation of the situation may be
wrong. Supplement online news with what knowledgeable people say
(by email or in conferences), when knowing the facts is important.
Another point: Errors will occasionally be discovered and
reported by the news sources, but always after the fact. Always
store these reports in your archives, and make it a rule to search
to the end when looking for something. Otherwise, you may never
discover these corrections.
Chapter 15: You pay little for a lot!
=====================================
Calculating costs
-----------------
Those living in Norway may read up to twenty-six pages of news from
Associated Press in the United States and Financial Times (England)
for US$ 0.64, or less.
The trick is to dial long distance to a 9600 bps node in Sweden
when the telephone company and CompuServe's non-prime time rates
are in effect.
At 9600 bps, you may transfer text at up to 960 characters per
second. One page of text (size A-4) holds around 2200 characters.
A typical news story is one to two pages of text.
| Users watching the 'taximeter' can use online services at a |
| very low cost. For many, global communication is almost free.|
Reading exactly the same news through another network or service,
may cost you 300 percent more. Through yet another online service,
the cost may double again.
A full issue of the NewsBytes newsletter is around 150,000
characters, or 68 pages of text. Retrieving it from a local BBS
typically costs me around 29 cents. Retrieving the full text from
CompuServe would cost me over 500 percent more.
Using NewsNet for the job, at 2400 bps through Datapak, would
increase my current cost by more than US$30.00.
The time of day may be important. Some services have different
rates for access during the day, the evening, and the weekend.
Use your calculator often.
When you pay by the minute
--------------------------
When using bulletin boards, phone charges are often the only cost
items. Some boards require a subscription fee for full access to
the system. Still, it is easy to calculate the costs of your calls.
Divide the subscription fee by an estimated number of calls, and
add to the cost of using the phone.
The same applies to users of CompuServe. Their total cost is
simply the sum of all connect charges, any network charges (to
CompuServe and others), part of the basic subscription fee, and
local phone rates (for direct dialing to the service, or to reach
the network's node).
Where a service uses a monthly subscription rate, add part of
this to the time charges. Distribute the rate using an estimated
number of online hours per month.
Example:
You pay US$30/hour to access a service during prime time. Your
modem speed is 240 cps.
Theoretically, if the data flows without pauses at system
prompts, you can transfer 392 pages of text in one hour.
Even when you deduct some characters due to stops in the
transfer, the resulting transferred volume remains respectable.
To transfer one page of text takes around nine seconds (2200
characters divided by the speed, which is 2400 bps, or about
240 characters per second). The cost is nine cents.
A given binary file (a program) is 23552 bytes large. Using the
XMODEM protocol, you can transfer it in about four minutes and
thirteen seconds. The cost is US$2.10. To find the cost when
paying by the minute is simple. Just calculate the cost per
minute or second, and multiply by the estimated connect time.
On many services, it will take a minute or two before you can
start to receive text or files. Disconnecting also takes a few
seconds. Add this to the connect time when calculating costs.
Pauses and delays in the transfer can be caused by you or others,
and may have a dramatic impact. It is particularly important to
take this into account when comparing alternatives using different
networks.
Example: Transfers to TWICS via Datapak at 9600 bps rarely
gave me higher effective speeds than 100 cps. The reason was
that the connection between the Japanese telcom network and
TWICS went through a 1200 bps gateway.
A high speed connection to your data transporter's network does
not guarantee a high speed connection to the remote computer.
I used to go through Datapak at 9600 bps to a computer center
in Oslo. There, I was connected through a local area network to
the host computer. The effective speed was rarely higher than
4800 bps. Calling direct gave twice the speed.
Try to measure the effective transfer speed before selecting a
routing for your data. Transfer the same amount of text through
various networks.
If future transfers are likely to take place at a given time of
day, test at that time. If your planned application is retrieval of
programs, retrieve programs. If you want to read news, then read
news from the services that you want to compare.
When a network service charging for volume (like Datapak) will
also be part of a comparison, measuring volume is particularly
important. Do not assume that you know the answer in advance.
| NOTE: Always calculate the cost based on a fixed volume, like |
| for the transfer of 1000 characters. This is particularly |
| important when you need to use different transfer speeds to |
| access competing services. |
Network load varies considerably throughout the day depending on
the number of simultaneous users, and their applications. This also
applies to online services. The load is normally lowest, when the
bulk of the users are asleep, and during weekends. When the load is
low, you get more done per minute.
Planning and self-discipline pays off
-------------------------------------
The actual cost of using a given set of services depends a lot on
your self-discipline, the tools you use, and on how well prepared
you are:
* If accessing manually, use "quick" commands rather than menus
to move at maximum speed to desired sources of information.
* Do not set your services to be used with colors, sound, or
special methods for displaying graphics, unless you have no
choice, or are willing to pay the extra cost. They increase
the volume of transferred text, and lower effective speed.
* Get the information and disconnect. It is expensive - and
usually unnecessary - to read captured text while online.
Log off to read. Call back for more to read, disconnect, and
then call back again.
* Learn how to write your mail offline, and send the letters
"in a batch" to your mailbox. Your messages will often have
fewer typing errors, be better thought out, and the cost
will be considerably lower.
* Consider automating your communication (see Chapter 16).
I use Bergen By Byte this way. A while ago, it gave me the
following progress report: "Time on: 17 hrs 43 min, today 0
hrs 0 min, total 827 times." In average, I spend around 1.3
minutes per call. Yesterday, I was connected for 2:48
minutes. The result was 106 kilobytes' worth of conference
mail.
Modem speed and cost
--------------------
2400 bps is a sensible modem speed for some applications, and used
to be a good starting point for new onliners. The benefits of using
a faster modem may be marginal under the following conditions:
* When navigating the online service considerably reduces the
effective speed, and you access the service manually.
* When you pay considerably more for access at higher speed.
(CompuServe charges extra for 9600 bps access, but not much.)
* When your networks do not offer higher speeds.
* When the relative price of a faster modem in your country
is prohibitive.
On the other hand, a modem doing 9600 bps or more, does give you
considerably faster communication. If doing things faster is more
important than keeping costs down, then it is a wise investment.
This is the case for me. Besides, often it is definitely cheaper.
Your applications have a considerable impact on your costs. If
you mainly use your modem for retrieval of programs and large data
files from bulletin boards - and don't have to pay extra for volume
- then higher modem speeds will immediately give reduced costs.
A slower speed modem may also stop you from getting what you
want. For example, there are several shareware programs on my board
that users of 2400 bps modems are unable to download within their
allotted 30 minutes per day.
When you pay for volume
-----------------------
Some network services, like Datapak in Norway, have high rates for
volume, and very low rates for connect time. When using such
services, automatic communication becomes less useful. Rather than
connecting, getting a piece of information, disconnecting, and
then going back for more, you may find it cost efficient to review
menus and results while online.
When paying for volume, the online service's menus become
luxury items. Using quick commands for navigating is cheaper.
Your comparisons will never be accurate when comparing with
services charging for connect time. It is particularly difficult
when the measure of volume is 'packets' rather than 'number of
characters transferred'.
Datapak and many other PDN services reports your sessions like
this:
CLR PAD (00) 00:00:14:55 537 75
These numbers say that you have been connected to a service for 14
minutes and 55 seconds, that 537 data 'packets' have been received,
and that 75 have been sent. Use these figures to calculate the cost
of the call.
| One data 'packet' or segment contains up to 64 characters. |
| Think of it as a measure of the number of lines. Each line can |
| have a maximum of 64 characters. If you send the character A |
| and a carriage return, then this also counts as a segment. |
| |
| Consequently, it is hard to use the Datapak record to estimate |
| the real number of characters transferred. All we know is that |
| 537 + 75 segments were transferred, and that 612 segments may |
| contain up to 39,168 characters. |
When calculating the cost of a direct call, just the number of
minutes counts. Use the time reported by the online service, and
not your stop watch. CompuServe gives this type of report:
Thank you for using CompuServe!
Off at 10:11 EST 24-Nov-92
Connect time = 0:15
If the size of your log file was 15 KB after the first test, and 11
KB after the second, then just adjust the latter to compare (Actual
Cost/11*15). It is easy to compare services that only charge by
the minute.
More practical hints
--------------------
It is more expensive to call a service daily "to check the news,"
than to call it once per week to retrieve the same stories.
Navigating by menus is more expensive than going directly to a
source, or going there by stacking commands (i.e., combining quick
commands into one).
Many services let you read selective items in conferences by
entering a search string. On my BBS, the following command
r extended 100+ c
lets you read all messages containing the search string 'extended'
in the text starting with message number 100.
If you forget the "c" parameter, the flow will stop after each
message. This will reduce the average effective speed. Always use
"nonstop" commands when reading stories, conference items, and
other texts.
Now, read the next chapter.
Chapter 16: Automatic communication
===================================
Automatic data communication as a development strategy.
To get a lead on your competitors.
To avoid duplication of effort.
To reduce costs.
To reduce boring and repetitive work.
To avoid having to remember technical details.
Automatic communication is both for professionals and amateurs.
First, because it keeps the costs down. Second, because it lets
you do the job faster and safer.
We all have different needs
---------------------------
Automation will never be the same for everybody. Our needs are too
different.
Some get excited when a program can dial a bulletin board,
retrieve a program, and then disconnect without them having to
touch the keyboard.
Some want an "answering machine" that can respond to and
forward email when he or she is away from the office.
Others want a communications system that can tap selected news
sources, search databases, and do postprocessing on the retrieved
material.
For most professionals, doing things manually takes too much
time. Time is better spent reading, digesting, and using, rather
than on stupid technical retrieval work. Computers can do that.
To others again, automation is a question of being able to use
the online resource at all. If it takes 60 seconds to get a piece of
information, it may be possible to get before running for the next
meeting.
If it takes 15 minutes, however, there may not be enough time.
If you also need to read a help text to find out how to do it, you
may not even consider it. The mind is full of other things right
now.
| When using a system for automatic communication, you do not |
| have to learn and remember online commands. The system will |
| do it for you. |
The minimum solution
--------------------
Automatic data communication in its simplest form entails the
following:
* One keypress to get the communications program to dial a
number, and send user name/password when the online service
requests this information.
* Macro commands (like in a word processor) for navigating
through an online service, searching, and to send complex
commands by pressing one key.
Most communication programs have a macro language or a script
language. You will probably never regret time spent on learning
how to use these features. At a minimum, you should be able to have
your system log on to a service automatically.
Autologon spares you the task of remembering your user name and
password. Besides, most people are only able to use the keyboard at
a low speed. They easily get frustrated by having to correct typing
errors.
Auto-logon with Procomm
-----------------------
Procomm is one of the most popular communications program in use
today (see appendix 2). A Procomm script file is a text file, which
can contain a list of commands for dialing and navigating on an
online service.
When writing a Procomm script for auto-logon, your first step
is to list the commands that you believe required. Enter them in a
text file (as DOS or ASCII text).
In such scripts, you can test for the occurrence of a small
piece of information that the online service is supposed to send at
a given time (like the question "Password?").
When this information is found, Procomm can be set to send the
proper response or command (here, your secret password).
Scripts can be tied to your favorite online services through
Procomm's dialing directory. Press a key to start the appropriate
script file for access to a service.
The following is a simple PROCOMM script file. It can be used
to access my bulletin board in Norway. It assumes that your name is
Jens Mikkelsen, and that the secret password is FOXCROOK4. You'll
have to change this before testing.
;
;Script file for auto-logon to SHS with PROCOMM and PROCOMM PLUS
;
WAITFOR "our FIRST Name? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "Jens^M"
WAITFOR "our LAST Name? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "Mikkelsen^M"
WAITFOR "ots will echo)? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "foxcrook4^M"
WAITFOR "^JMore (Y),N,NS? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "n^M"
WAITFOR "^JMore (Y),N,NS? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "n^M"
WAITFOR "R] to Continue? "
PAUSE 1
TRANSMIT "^M"
It is not difficult. You probably understand a lot already. Here is
the explanation:
* the ";" character at the beginning of a line identifies it as
a comment line. Procomm is to ignore it. We use such lines
for notes.
* WAITFOR "our FIRST Name? "
has Procomm wait for the text string "our FIRST NAME?" from
my BBS. It is a part of the question "What is your first
name?".
* PAUSE 1
halts the execution of the script file for one second.
* TRANSMIT "Jens^M"
sends the name "Jens" followed by a Return (the code ^M in
Procomm).
* WAITFOR "our LAST Name? "
makes Procomm wait for the question "What is your LAST Name?"
The script continues like this. In WAITFOR commands, we use part of
the text that is displayed on our screen once the scrolling stops.
Make sure that the search term is unique. It must not appear
elsewhere in the text coming from the host computer. If it does,
your name and password may be sent too early.
You can call the script HORROR.CMD, and attach it to the entry
for my board in your Procomm phone directory. When you call it the
next time, Procomm will execute the commands in the file and "turn
the keyboard over to you" when done.
Macros in Procomm
-----------------
Above, we used a script to log on automatically to a service. When
Procomm gives us access to the keyboard again, we must continue
manually.
What we want to do online varies. Sometimes, we want to read
new messages in conferences. In other cases, the purpose is to
check new programs in the file library. If we find programs of
interest, we may want to download them.
Shorthand macros can help you do this faster and safer. For
example, one macro can take you quickly to a conference for new
messages. You can make Procomm start this macro whenever you press
ALT-0 (keep the ALT key down, then press 0).
You can have the macro key ALT-1 send other commands when in
the file archives.
When I started using MS-DOS computers for data communications,
PC-TALK became my favorite program. It has many of the same macro
capabilities that Procomm has.
With PC-TALK, I did autologon to NewsNet. Macro number one sent
commands that gave me the contents of various newsletters. Macro #2
picked up the contents in another group. Macro #3 picked up stories
from my mailbox, and macro #4 logged me off the service. My mission
was completed by pressing four or five keys.
Automating the full task
------------------------
It's a long way from automated logon scripts and the use of macros
to automating the whole task. The major difference is that with
full automation, you do not have to look at the screen while the
script is working. You can do other things. Sometimes, you may not
even be present when the job is being done.
On a typical morning, I go directly from bed to my office to
switch my communications computer on.
While I visit the bathroom, my communications program calls
three online services, retrieve and send information.
When the script has disconnected from the first service, which
is my bulletin board, it analyzes the received data. I want an
alphabetic list of visitors since my last visit, a sorted list of
downloaded programs, and names of those calling in at 9600 bps or
higher.
Sometimes, the unexpected happen. There may be noise on the
line, or a sudden disconnect. Usually, my script can solve this
without manual intervention. It is therefore allowed to work
unattended most of the time.
When I get to my office after breakfast, it is all done. My
communications program is set for reading and responding to today's
email. I can sit down, and immediately get to work.
After having written all my replies, I say "send" to my system.
For me, it's time for another cup of coffee. I am not needed by the
keyboard while my mail is being sent.
This is what an automatic communications system can do. My
scripts also help plan and prepare online visits, and ease my work
by postprocessing results.
| When your communication is fully automated, you need not |
| read incoming data while it scrolls over your screen, and |
| then again after logging off the service. You do it only |
| once. |
How to get it? Here are some alternatives:
Alternative 1: Write your own system
------------------------------------
You can write procedures for powerful script-driven programs like
ProYam (from Omen Technology) and Crosstalk MK IV.
I started writing scripts for ProYam over seven years ago. The
system is constantly expanded to include new services, refined to
include more functions, and enhanced to become more robust.
The scripts make my system work like an autopilot. It calls
online services, navigates, retrieves and sends data.
Postprocessing includes automatic reformatting of retrieved
data, transfers to various internal databases, statistics, usage
logs, and calculation of transfer costs.
Such scripts can do quite complex operations online. For
example, it can
- Buy and sell stock when today's quotes are over/under
given limits,
- Select news stories and other types of information based
on information found in menus or titles.
Script writing is not for everybody. It is complicated, and takes a
lot of time. Therefore, it is only for the specially interested.
On the other hand, those going for it seldom regret. Tailor-
made communication scripts give a wonderful flexibility. The
software does not cost much, but again, it takes a lot of time!
| Do not use large and complex script files before you know the |
| online service well. The scripts let you do things quicker and |
| safer, but there is always a possibility for unexpected |
| problems. |
| |
| Test your scripts for a long time to make them robust by |
| "training" them to handle the unexpected. Leave them to work |
| unattended when you are reasonably certain that they can do |
| the job. - It may take months to get to that point. |
| |
| Build a timeout feature into your scripts, so that they don't |
| just hang there waiting for you after an encounter with fate. |
Alternative 2: Use scripts made by others
-----------------------------------------
Some script authors generously let others use their creations.
Earle Robinson of CompuServe's IBM Europe Forum, share his ProYam
scripts for automatic usage of CompuServe with others. They are
available from the IBM Communication Forum library.
Enter GO XTALK on CompuServe to find advanced script files for
Crosstalk Mk.4.
ZCOMM and ProYam scripts for visiting my board automatically
can be freely downloaded there. They split access up into these
three phases:
Phase 1: Menu driven offline preparation.
Phase 2: Automatic logon, navigation through the system, and
automatic disconnection.
Phase 3: Automatic offline postprocessing.
You will find scripts for other programs on many online services.
Alternative 3: Special software
-------------------------------
Several online services sell communication programs with built-in
functions that provides you with automation. They can have offline
functions for reading and responding to mail. The degree of
automation varies.
There are also many programs written by third parties. Most
programs assume that you use 'expert' as your default operating
mode on the online service.
TapCIS, Autosig (ATO), OzCIS, CISOP, CompuServe Navigator (for
Macintosh), AutoPilot (for Amiga), ARCTIC (for Acorn Archimedes),
and QuickCIS (for Atari) are popular choices on CompuServe. TapCIS
is my personal favorite. (CIM does not offer much automation!)
Aladdin is for GEnie. It automates your use of RoundTables
(conferences), file areas, and mail. Dialog users turn to Dialog-
Link.
Nexis News Plus (for Nexis, US$50) has pull-down menus and
detailed selection of commands. This MS-DOS program helps users set
up detailed search commands before logging on to the Mead Data
Central. Your search results will be downloaded automatically.
Personal Bibliographics Software, Inc. (Ann Arbor, Mich, U.S.A.
Tel.: +1-313-996-1580) sells Pro-Search to Dialog and BRS users
(for Macintosh and MS-DOS).
Pro-Search will lead you through menus to find information on
both services. It translates your plain English search commands
into the cryptic search language used by the services. It logs on
automatically, connects to these services, finds your information,
and shows you the hits.
Alternative 4: Offline readers
------------------------------
The alternatives above have one important weakness. Noise on the
line can prevent the "robot" from doing the job. All it takes is
for noise to give a prompt another content than is expected by your
program or script (as in "En@er a number:" instead of "Enter a
number:").
You can avoid noise problems by using get commands (see Chapter
15), and by making the online service use its minimum prompts
('expert mode') . Still, this does not give full protection.
The best is to let the online service do the navigation. Think
of it as logging on to run a batch file on the remote computer.
Combine this with automatic transfers of your commands, transmitted
in of one stream of data with automatic error correction (in the
software and in the modem), and you have a very robust system.
The program logs on to the service. Then the service takes
over. It registers your user identity, checks your user profile for
personal interests, retrieves and packs all messages, news and
files into one compressed file, and sends it to you at high speed.
Your outgoing messages, search commands, commands to join or
leave conferences, and more, are transferred to the remote computer
in a similar packet (compressed file).
When received by the remote computer, it unpacks the transfer
file and distributes messages and commands to various services
following your instructions.
Your "physical" contact with the service is when your modem is
disconnected. The help menus that you read belong to your program,
and not the online service. You read and respond to mail in a
reading module (ref. the term "offline reader").
Some offline readers give the caller access to more tools than
is available on the online service itself. They may have spelling
checkers, multimedia support, let you use your favorite editor or
word processor, and offer various storage, search, and printing
options.
Using offline readers is probably the easiest, cheapest, and
safest way of using online services. These "readers" are popular
among bulletin board users, and some commercial services are also
starting to accommodate them.
There are many offline reader programs. The most advanced take
over completely upon logon, and manage transfers of commands and
compressed information files to and from the host. (Example:
Binkley Term on FidoNet)
Global Link is an offline reader for EcoNet. Bergen By Byte
offers the BBS/CS Mail Grabber/Reader, a script system used with
the communications program Telix and the service's "auto-get"
function.
The most popular systems on the PCBoard based Thunderball Cave
BBS are Offline Express, Megareader, Session Manager, Rose Reader
and EZReader. These are used with scripts written for various
communication programs. Some of them have built in communications
(and script) modules.
EZReader from Thumper Technologies (P.O. Box 471346, Tulsa, OK
74147-1346, U.S.A.) lets users retrieve mail from several online
systems using transfer formats such as QWK, PCBoard capture files,
ProDoor ZIPM files, XRS, MCI Mail, and others. Cost: US$49 (1992).
1stReader from Sparkware (Post Office Box 386, Hendersonville,
Tennessee 37077, U.S.A.) is my personal favorite for accessing
Qmail based online systems.
| Note: Some offline readers contain all the features required |
| for fully automated communications. Some bulletin boards allow |
| up- and downloading to start right after CONNECT. |
| Off-Line Xpress, an offline mail reader for QWK (Qwikmail) |
| packets, does not contain a communications module. It just does |
| pre- and postprocessing of mail packets. |
| You can use the Off-Line Xpress as one element in a larger |
| automated system. For example, a system for access to PCBoard |
| bulletin boards may consist of Off-Line Xpress software, PKZIP |
| and PKUNZIP (popular shareware programs to compress/decompress |
| mail packets), the QMODEM communications program, and a script |
| to navigate to/from the QWK packet send and receive area on the |
| BBS. |
| 1stReader (version 1.11) contains a powerful script based |
| communications module. It lets you compose replies, set search |
| commands, subscriptions to services, add and drop conferences, |
| and enter download commands offline. |
Automatic automation
--------------------
We have explained how to write scripts with Procomm. However, there
are simpler and quicker ways. Many communication programs can make
scripts automatically using a learning function. It goes like this:
Start the learning function before calling the online service.
Then log on, navigate to the desired services, do what you want to
automate, and disconnect.
The learning feature analyzes the received data and builds a
script file for automatic communication.
If you call again with the new script, it will "drive the same
route one more time."
ZCOMM and ProYam have a learning feature. This is how I made a
script for accessing Semaforum BBS using ZCOMM:
ZCOMM asked for a phone number. I entered +47-370-11710. It
asked for speed, and I entered 2400 bps. Next, I had to choose
one of the following:
(1) System uses IBM PC (ANSI) line drawing
(2) 7 bits even parity
(3) 8 bits no parity
My choice was 1.
ZCOMM dialed the number. When the connection was established,
I entered my name and password, navigated to the message
section, read new messages, browsed new files in the library,
and entered G for Goodbye. This was the "tour" that I wanted to
automate.
When disconnected, I pressed the F1 key. This prompted the
learning process based on a record of the online tour. The log
described everything that had happened in detail, including my
pauses to think. Now I was prompted by the following question:
'newscr.t' exists. Append/replace/quit?
I selected append. Then:
Do you want this script file as a new entry in your
telephone directory (y/n)?
I entered "y," and named it "semaforum." After a few seconds,
my new script was ready:
Your new script is in the file 'newscr.t' !!
You can append the file to your current script file
(for example PHODIR.T) or have the commands executed by
entering:
call semaforum.newscr.t
It was time to test the new wonder. I entered
call semaforum.newscr.t
at the ZCOMM command line, hit the Enter key, and off it went.
ZCOMM called the BBS and repeated everything - at far higher
speed than I had done it manually. It went on-hook as planned
when done.
Limitations
-----------
Auto-learn programs can create a script file that let you "drive
the same route." For some applications this is enough. For others,
it's just part of the way. You have to refine the script manually
to get what you want.
Example:
If you call my bulletin board with an auto-learned script made
yesterday, chances are that everything works well. If you call
twice on the same day, however, you're in for a surprise. The
board greets you differently on your second visit. You will not
get the menu of available bulletins. It will take you directly
to the system's main menu. Your script must take this into
account.
On most online services, many things can happen at each "junction
of your road." At one point in one of my scripts, up to twenty
things may happen. Each event needs its own "routing."
Twenty possible events are an extreme, but three to four
possibilities at each system prompt is not unusual. All of them
need to be handled by your script, if you want it to visit online
services unattended while asleep.
It is quicker and simpler to use other people's scripts and
programs, although this might force you to use a different program
for each service.
Personally, I prefer offline readers on services where such are
able to do the job. On other services, I usually depend on my own
tailor-made scripts.
Chapter 17: Gazing into the future
==================================
Thoughts about things to come.
Newspaper of the future
---------------------------
Some years ago, Nicholas Negroponte of Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, said that today's newspapers are old-fashioned and soon
to be replaced by electronic "ultra personal" newspapers.
"If the purpose is to sell news," he said, then it must be
completely wrong to sell newspapers. Personally, I think that it is
a dreadful way of receiving the news."
MIT's Media Laboratory had developed a new type of electronic
newspaper. Daily, it delivered personalized news to each researcher.
The newspaper was "written" by a computer that searched through the
news services' cables and other news sources according to each
person's interest profile.
The system could present the stories on paper or on screen. It
could convert them to speech, so that the "reader" could listen to
the news in the car or the shower.
In a tailor-made electronic newspaper, personal news makes big
headlines. If you are off for San Francisco tomorrow, the weather
forecasts for this city is front page news. Email from your son
will also get a prominent place.
"What counts in my newspaper is what I consider newsworthy,"
said Negroponte.
He claimed that the personal newspaper is a way of getting a
grip on the information explosion. "We cannot do it the old way
anymore. We need other agents that can do prereading for us. In
this case, the computer happens to be our agent."
The technology is already here. Anyone can design similar papers
using powerful communication programs with extensive script
features. I have tried.
My test edition of The Saltrod Daily News did not convert news
to sound. It did not look like a newspaper page on my screen. Not
because it was impossible. I simply did not feel these 'extras'
worth the effort.
My personal interest profile was taken care of by my scripts.
If I wanted news, the "news processor" went to work and "printed"
a new edition. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I got an
"extended edition."
This is a section from my first edition:
"Front page," Thursday, November 21.
Under the headline News From Tokyo, the following items:
TOSHIBA TO MARKET INEXPENSIVE PORTABLE WORD PROCESSOR
TOHOKU UNIVERSITY CONSTRUCTING SEMICONDUCTOR RESEARCH LAB
MEITEC, U.S. FIRM TO JOINTLY MARKET COMPUTER PRINTER INFO
TOSHIBA TO SUPPLY OFFICE EQUIPMENT TO OLIVETTI
NISSAN DEVELOPS PAINT INSPECTION ROBOT
MADE-TO-ORDER POCKET COMPUTER FROM CASIO
These articles were captured from Kyoto News Service through
Down Jones/News Retrieval.
The column with news from the United States had stories from
NEWSBYTES newsletters:
* DAY ONE COMDEX.
* IBM'S PRE ANNOUNCEMENT OF "CLAMSHELL"
* AT&T TO JUMP IN SOONER WITH LAPTOP COMPUTER
* COMMODORE THIRD CONSECUTIVE QUARTERLY LOSS
* 2 ZENITH UNVEILS TOUCH-SCREEN
* HP's EARNINGS DROP
Hot News From England came from several sources, including
Financial Times, and Reuters (in CompuServe's UK News).
Headlines read:
* THE CHRISTMAS SELLING WAR
* BIG MACS GOING CHEAP TO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
"Page 2" was dedicated to technology intelligence. "Page 3"
had stories about telecommunications, mainly collected from
NewsNet's newsletters. "Page 4" had stories about personal
computer applications.
As the cost of communicating and using online services continues to
decrease, many people will be able to do the same. This is where we
are heading.
Some people say it is too difficult to read news on a computer
screen. Maybe so, but pay attention to what is happening in
notebook computers. This paragraph was written on a small PC by the
fireplace in my living room. The computer is hardly any larger or
heavier than a book.
(Sources for monitoring notebook trends: NEWSBYTES' IBM and
Apple reports, CompuServe's Online Today, and IBM Hardware Forum.)
Electronic news by radio
------------------------
If costs were of no concern, then your applications of the online
world would probably change considerably. Pay attention, as we are
moving fast in that direction.
Radio is one of the supporting technologies. It is used to
deliver Usenet newsgroup to bulletin boards (example: PageSat Inc.
of Palo Alto, U.S.A.) Also, consider this:
Businesses need a constant flow of news to remain competitive.
Desktop Data Inc. (tel. +1-617-890-0042) markets a real-time news
service called NewsEDGE in the United States and Europe. They call
it "live news processing." Annual subscriptions start at US$20,000
for ten users (1993).
NewsEDGE continuously collects news from more than 100 news
wires, including sources like PR Newswire, Knight Ridder/Tribune
Business News, Dow Jones News Service, Dow Jones Professional
Investor Report and Reuters Financial News.
The stories are "packaged" and immediately feed to customers'
personal computers and workstations by FM, satellite, or X.25
broadcast:
* All news stories are integrated in a live news stream all day
long,
* The NewsEdge software manages the simultaneous receipt of
news from multiple services, and alerts users to stories that
match their individual interest profiles. It also maintains a
full-text database of the most recent 250,000 stories on the
user's server for quick searching.
Packet radio
------------
A global amateur radio network allows users to modem around the
world, and even in outer space. Its users never get a telephone
bill.
There are over 700 packet radio based bulletin boards (PBBS).
They are interconnected by short wave radio, VHF, UHF, and
satellite links. Technology aside, they look and feel just like
standard bulletin boards.
Once you have the equipment, can afford the electricity to
power it up, and the time it takes to get a radio amateur license,
communication itself is free.
Packet radio equipment sells in the United States for less
than US$ 750. This will give you a radio (VHR tranceiver), antenna,
cable for connecting the antenna to the radio, and a controller
(TNC - Terminal Node Controller).
Most PBBS systems are connected to a network of packet radio
based boards. Many amateurs use 1200 bps, but speeds of up to
56,000 bps are being used on higher frequencies (the 420-450 MHz
band in the United States).
Hams are working on real-time digitized voice communications,
still-frame (and even moving) graphics, and live multiplayer games.
In some countries, there are also gateways available to terrestrial
public and commercial networks, such as CompuServe, and Usenet.
Packet radio is demonstrated as a feasible technology for
wireless extension of the Internet.
Radio and satellites are being used to help countries in the
Third World. Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA), a private,
nonprofit organization, is one of those concerned with technology
transfers in humanitarian assistance to these countries.
VITA's portable packet radio system was used for global email
after a volcanic eruption in the Philippines in 1991. Today, the
emphasis is on Africa.
VITA's "space mailbox" passes over each single point of the
earth twice every 25 hours at an altitude of 800 kilometers. When
the satellite is over a ground station, the station sends files and
messages for storage in the satellite's computer memory and
receives incoming mail. The cost of ground station operation is
based on solar energy batteries, and therefore relatively cheap.
To learn more about VITA's projects, subscribe to their mailing
list by email to LISTSERV@AUVM.BITNET. Use the command SUB DEVEL-L
<First-name Last-name>.
For more general information about packet radio, check out
HamNet on CompuServe, and especially its library 9. Retrieve the
file 'packet_radio' (Packet radio in earth and space environments
for relief and development) from GNET's archive (see chapter 7).
ILINK has an HAMRADIO conference. There is a packet radio
mailing list at PACKET-RADIO@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL (write PACKET-
RADIO-REQUEST@@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL to subscribe).
Usenet has rec.radio.amateur.packet (Discussion about packet
radio setups), and various other rec.radio conferences. There is
HAM_TECH on FidoNet, and Ham Radio under Science on EXEC-PC.
The American Radio Relay League (AARL) operates an Internet
information service called the ARRL Information Server. To learn
how to use it, send email to info@arrl.org with the word HELP in
the body of the text.
Cable TV
--------
Expect Cable TV networks to grow in importance as electronic high-
ways, to offer gateways into the Internet and others, and to get
interconnected not unlike the Internet itself.
Example: Continental Cablevision Inc. (U.S.A.) lets customers
plug PCs and a special modem directly into its cable lines to link
up with the Internet. The cable link bypasses local phone hookups
and provide the capability to download whole books and other
information at speeds up to 10 million bits per second.
Electronic mail on the move
---------------------------
For some time, we have been witnessing a battle between giants. On
one side, the national telephone companies have been pushing X.400
backed by CCITT, and software companies like Lotus, Novell, and
Microsoft.
On the other side, CompuServe, Dialcom, MCI Mail, GEISCO,
Sprint, and others have been fighting their wars.
Nobody really thought much about the Internet, until suddenly,
it was there for everybody. The incident has changed the global
email scene fundamentally.
One thing seems reasonably certain: that the Internet will
grow. In late 1992, the president of the Internet Society (Reston,
Va., U.S.A.) made the following prediction:
".. by the year 2000 the Internet will consist of some 100
million hosts, 3 million networks, and 1 billion users (close
to the current population of the People's Republic of China).
Much of this growth will certainly come from commercial
traffic."
We, the users, are the winners. Most online services now understand
that global exchange of email is a requirement, and that they must
connect to the Internet.
Meanwhile, wild things are taking place in the grassroots
arena:
* Thousands of new bulletin boards are being connected to
grassroots networks like FidoNet (which in turn is connected
to the Internet for exchange of mail).
* Thousands of bulletin boards are being hooked directly into
the Internet (and Usenet) offering such access to users at
stunning rates.
* The BBSes are bringing email up to a new level by letting
us use offline readers, and other types of powerful mail
handling software.
Email will never be the same.
Cheaper and better communications
---------------------------------
During Christmas 1987, a guru said that once the 9600 bps V.32
modems fell below the US$1,200 level, they would create a new
standard. Today, such modems can be bought at prices lower than
US$200. In many countries, 14,400 bits/s modems are already the
preferred choice.
Wild dreams get real
--------------------
In the future, we will be able to do several things simultaneously
on the same telephone line. This is what the promised land of ISDN
(Integrated Service Digital Networks) is supposed to give us.
Some users already have this capability. They write and talk
on the same line using pictures, music, video, fax, voice and data.
ISDN is supposed to let us use services that are not generally
available today. Here are some key words:
* Chats, with the option of having pictures of the people
we are talking to up on our local screen (for example in
a window, each time he or she is saying something).
Eventually, we may get the pictures in 3-D.