 ±±±±±±Ü ±±Ü ±±±ÜÜ±±±Ü ±±±±±±Ü       ±±±±±±Ü ±±Ü ±±±ÜÜ±±±Ü ±±±±±±Ü ±±±±±±Ü
 ±±Ûß±±Û ±±Û ±±Û±±Û±±Û ±±Ûßßßß        ß±±Ûßß ±±Û ±±Û±±Û±±Û ±±Ûßßßß ±±Ûßßßß
 ±±±±±Ûß ±±Û ±±Û ßß±±Û ±±±±±Ü          ±±Û   ±±Û ±±Û ßß±±Û ±±±±±Ü  ±±±±±±Ü
 ±±Ûß±±Ü ±±Û ±±Û   ±±Û ±±Ûßßß          ±±Û   ±±Û ±±Û   ±±Û ±±Ûßßß   ßßß±±Û
 ±±Û ±±Û ±±Û ±±Û   ±±Û ±±±±±±Ü         ±±Û   ±±Û ±±Û   ±±Û ±±±±±±Ü ±±±±±±Û
  ßß  ßß  ßß  ßß    ßß  ßßßßßß          ßß    ßß  ßß    ßß  ßßßßßß  ßßßßßß
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAY         RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER         1990
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

+---------------------------------+   incorporated new versions of
|          EDITORS FILE           |   PCBoard, GAP and PCRelay software.
|                                 |   We have weathered quite well!
+---------------------------------+   
by John Dodson,     Node ->CANTINA.   +---------------------------------+
                                      |      WHO'S WHO IN RELAYNET      |
Welcome to the May issue of RIME      |                                 |
Times!  I am very pleased to          +---------------------------------+
announce that I now have a co-        by Ed Lazarowitz, Node ID ->CAPCON
editor!  Ed Lazarowitz has            
generously offered to help me scour   Hello!  I'm Ed Lazarowitz, and I'm
conferences, collect articles, edit   the new co-editor of the Rime Times
articles and interview RIME users     newsletter!  I'd like to take a
and sysops.  Ed is a co-sysop on Bob  minute and tell you all a little
Shucks Capitol Connection and can be  about myself.
reached via Node ID->CAPCON.  Ed      
tells us a little about himself in    Where to start?  Well, I'm 'thirty-
the Who's' Who in RelayNet feature.   something' years old, married, with
I am excited about this prospect as   a 3 year old daughter.  By
it insures growth of the newsletter.  profession, I'm a Senior Programmer
Please make Ed welcome and do not     Analyst with Blue Cross Blue Shield
forget to send him your ideas and     of the National Capital Area.  I
articles!                             work with a dedicated group of
                                      professionals in our Data Processing
Have you read the newest version of   division's Development Support
the RelayNet User manual?  Hats off   Center.  What we do, is to provide
to Randy Blackmond (Node ID -         product and methodology support for
>BASEMENT)for writing in terms        the applications programming
everyone can understand!  If you      departments within BCBSNCA.  I
have ever wondered about private      personally work in the Product
mail, routed mail, encrypted mail,    Support section. Since I have some
mailboxes or just how this darn mail  experience with technical writing,
thing works, you need to download     both as a writer and critic, John
RIMEMAN.ZIP from your friendly local  asked if I would be interested in
RelayNet BBS.  You will become an     helping him.  I said sure!  It could
over night netmail expert... highly   be fun for all of us!
recommended!                          
                                      Although my primary programming
It seems to me to have been a rather  background and expertise is in
calm month.  We have weathered the    database administration on IBM
"Fan-driven Sailboats" thread(I       mainframes, I've been involved with
think), the new Women only            personal computers since the early
conference (some eyebrows still are   80's.  I started working for Radio
upraised), more indiscriminate use    Shack shortly after they introduced
of network sysop (NS) messages and    the Model III.  Even though money


                                Page 2
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MAY         RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER         1990
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was tight, I conned my wife into      willing to help answer a question or
letting me buy a 48K, 2 floppy disk   offer an opinion.
Model III.  Back then, that was hog-  
heaven!                               Well, that's enough about me for
                                      now.  I look forward to hearing from
Shortly after that, I bought a 300    many more of you over the next few
baud manual modem and discovered      months, both soliciting articles and
CompuServe and a couple of local      in personal conversation.
BBSes.  At the time, I really didn't  
get too involved in telecomputing.    +---------------------------------+
It just didn't seem all that          |    MEET THE CONFERENCE HOST     |
interesting.  Although there were     |                                 |
lots of little boards, nothing had    +---------------------------------+
yet been conceived to tie them all    by Sheila Fava, Node ID ->CAPCON
together.  Additionally, it would     
often take hours to go through just   Greets fellow RelayNet'ers!  My name
a few dozen messages a week (no off-  is Sheila Fava and I'm the HOST(ess)
line readers existed back then!).     of the disABLED Conference.  I'd
                                      like to take a few minutes and tell
Since then, I've continued as a user  you a little about myself and the
of CIS and tried most of the other    disABLED Conference.
subscription services that have come  
down the pike; not really finding     Although I've only been HOST(ess) of
any of them to my liking.  Until      the disABLED Conference for a bit
recently, I had pretty much ignored   more than a month, I have been
the BBS community.                    involved in tele-computing since
                                      1982, when I purchased my first
Anyway, I recently bought into the    computer, a TI99/4A.  In 1983 I
IBM PC market when I upgraded to a    purchased a TRS-80 Model 100 and I
386SX-based clone.  Even though I'd   now have a TRS 1400LT.
been using an IBM PS/2 at work for    
several years, this was my first      After spending two years on
real exposure to the power of the     CompuServe, I discovered the FreeNet
IBM PC.  At work, I was more of a     BBS in Cleveland, Ohio.  While
'power-user'.  Now, I have the        honing my writing skills there, I
opportunity to really see what these  wrote several very funny stories
babies can do!                        which were submitted to Case Western
                                      Reserve University's Literary SIG.
As far as RelayNet is concerned, I    To make a long story short, I
use The Capitol Connection BBS in     entered the First Annual Short Story
Annandale, Virginia as my window      Contest even though I lived out-of-
into the network.  I actively         State.  The stories entered in the
participate in the UPLINK, STARTREK,  contest were voted on anonymously.
PETS, NEWUSER, and DEBATE             Imagine my surprise when the
conferences. Additionally, I monitor  Literary SIG Staff told me I had won
what's going on in several other      First Prize!
areas such as COMMON, TELIX, DBASE,   
and EZ-READER.  I've only been        One  of  the  best things in my life
active here for a few months, and     is being a puppeteer for the 'Kids
already I've made many new friends;   On  the  Block'  program.   As  far
everyone always seems more than       as  I know, I have the unique
                                      distinction of being the only


                                Page 3
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disABLED puppeteer in the USA. The    should take a hike ... they should
puppets  (life-size  12-year-olds)    have taken a hike l-o-n-g ago.
are very colorful and the puppeteers  
wear black in the Japanese 'Bun-      Within the disABLED Conference, we
Raku' Style of puppetry. Some of the  generally have light discussions as
puppets are non-disABLED though most  well as more technical software and
of the puppets have some kind of      hardware discussions geared to
disABILITY:  Spina Bifida, Cerebral   particular disABILITIES.  Help is
Palsy, Deaf, Blind, Four Older        also offered with particular
Brothers, Obese, With Divorced        problems that an individual may be
Parents, Retarded, Child Abuse,       facing in obtaining services for
Sexually Abused, Drug Abuser ... you  his/her disABILITY.
name it!  I've been a puppeteer for   
6 years and love it!  Why haven't I   Although intended primarily as a
'burned out' by now? I find this      means for the disABLED to
drama troupe is a nift way to dispel  communicate trends and ideas, you
my anger and frustrations and to      don't have to be disABLED to
educate students about the disABLED   participate in our conference.
at the same time.                     Several of our participants aren't
                                      disABLED; they participate to learn
Another thing I'm very active in is   more about the disABLED and to
participating in Aquatic              experience the support that's a
Competitions for the disABLED.  I     cornerstone of our conference. Most
travel all over the United States     newcomers quickly learn that we try
and Canada (via Greyhound) to attend  to provide more than just a message
competitions.  Many of my lasting     base of where to go for what kind of
friendships have been kindled at      service or piece of equipment!  A
these events.  Not only do they       large percentage of our messages
provide necessary physical activity,  offer conversation and support to
but the competitions allow            those needing it.
interaction on a social level to      
those with disABILITIES as well!      A recent (non-disABLED) BBS'er
Although I enjoy the actual physical  commented on the "eye-opening
competition, I also enjoy the mental  experience reading through the
stimulation and emotional support my  accumulated message base" and "the
fellow competitors provide.           love and support is positively
                                      astounding!  Rarely were there any
If I've kept your attention this      messages 'moaning and groaning'
far, please read on just a little     about how bad life is for the
bit farther to learn more about the   disABLED.  Everything was so upbeat
conference I take care of on          and positive!" This is just the
RelayNet.                             attitude we try to foster on the
                                      disABLED Conference.
The disABLED Conference that I        
shepherd USED to be called the -      Thanks for taking the time to read
HANDICAP- Conference.  I have a       through this ... I think I'll roam
distaste for that name because it is  over to the disABLED Conference, but
steeped in antiquity.  The disABLED   if I've piqued your curiosity about
person was thought of as standing on  the disABLED Conference and you'd
a street corner with CAP In HAND ...  like more information about anything
begging!  Noooo ... this is a NEW     I've talked about in this article,
day and abrasive names like that


                                Page 4
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MAY         RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER         1990
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please feel free to send me a         DESCRIPTION:  A place for Women to
message at my home board:             discuss virtually anything, sans
                                      Men. All Sysops that elect to carry
Capitol Connection -> CAPCON.  Check  this conference, please be advised
us out!                               that it is strictly for Women, and
                                      this rule is expected to honored.
+---------------------------------+   HOST:         Kathi Webster  Node ID
|        CONFERENCE NEWS          |   ->GODFTHR
|                                 |   ACTIVITY:     NEW
+---------------------------------+   
Posted by Skip Ross, Conference Co-   NAME:         SCUBA
ordinator, Node  ->ACC                NUMBER:       106   (previously
                                      OmniView)
Well, it is time for a batch of new   DESCRIPTION:  A conference that is
conferences to be announced, but      dedicated to the SCUBA divers in our
this time it is going to be slightly  network, and hosted by a certified
different! We are in the process of   PADI SCUBA Instructor, IDC Staff
replacing some of the slower          Instructor, and who also teaches 7
conferences, and these confs. will    types of specialty diving.
be our first attempt at doing this,   Discussion is open to all folks from
so please check the conference        the absolute novice to the
numbers listed below.                 experienced diver.
                                      HOST:         Tom Kellen  Node ID
NAME:         GRAPHICS                 ->PARADIGM
NUMBER:       26    (previously Word  ACTIVITY:     NEW
Processors)                           
DESCRIPTION:  This conference will    NAME:         BOATING
encompass all forms of computer       NUMBER:       113   (previously
graphics, animations, programming,    ETHICS)
pictures, etc. Would also cover       DESCRIPTION:  A conference dedicated
topics of graphics conversion for     to the Boaters. This conference is
desktop publishing, and some desktop  shared with MetroLink
publishing itself.                    HOST:         To Be Announced
HOST:         Mark Bernat  Node ID -  ACTIVITY:     NEW
>DGRAPHIC                             
ACTIVITY:     NEW                     NAME:         Nintendo
                                      NUMBER:       159   (previously Pre-
NAME:         Laptop Computers        Teens)
NUMBER:       29    (previously       DESCRIPTION:  A conference for the
Educational)                          kids to discuss one of Americas
DESCRIPTION:  This conference is      biggest games. Shared with MetroLink
dedicated to the users of Laptop      HOST:         To Be Announced
computers, a place for answers and    ACTIVITY:     NEW
advice on purchasing and tips on      
using these small wonders.            NAME:         Non-Profit
HOST:         Dave Shubert  Node ID   Organizations
->CASINO                              NUMBER:       142  (previously
ACTIVITY:     NEW                     HORSES)
                                      DESCRIPTION:  The conference's
NAME:         Women Only              purpose is to exchange information
NUMBER:       71    (previously       effecting the Non profit
Leading Edge)                         organizations in your area.  By


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MAY         RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER         1990
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posting events listings as well as    Each conference develops it's own
fund raises techniques and            lingo and abbreviations as well. It
membership participation and          would be rather time consuming to
retention programs. Also to provide   compile and list all of the
a means for networking between        possibilities in all of the
people involved in the these          conferences, so I will select two.
organizations. We are establishing a  
clearinghouse for all non profit      In the Computer/Technical
organizations.                        conference, you will find the
HOST:         Ira Karlick  Node ID -  following:
>BBSCS                                
ACTIVITY:     NEW                     CPU .... Central Processing Unit
                                      DIP .... Dual In-line Package
+---------------------------------+   EPROM .. Erasable Programmable Read
|        NETWORK SHORTHAND        |            Only Memory
|                                 |   I/F .... Interface
+---------------------------------+   PROM ... Programmable Read Only
by Mark Adams, Node ID ->OUTER                 Memory
                                      RAM .... Random Access Memory
How many times have you seen an       ROM .... Read Only Memory
abbreviation in a message and         SIMM ... Single In-line Memory
wondered what it meant? Most users             Module
who have been at this for any length  SIP .... Single In-line Package
of time already know and use many     WORM ... Write Once, Read Many
abbreviations. We take it for         ZIF .... Zero Insertion Force
granted that everybody knows what we  ZIP .... Zig-zag In-line Package
mean. New users, however, may be      
scratching their heads wondering      There are others, but this is a
whats going on. I've picked out       sampling of what to expect.
several of these over the past few    
weeks and compiled them here,         In the 4_Sale conference, you may
primarily for the novice user.        find some of the above and others,
                                      as follows:
BBS .... Bulletin Board System        
BTW .... By The Way                   BO ..... Best Offer
FWIW ... For What It's Worth          C/MO ... Cash/Money Order
FYI .... For Your Information         COD .... Cash On Delivery
IMHO ... In My Humble Opinion         PPD .... Prepaid
L8R .... Later                        OBO .... Or Best Offer
OTOH ... On The Other Hand            SASE ... Self Addressed Stamped
RIME ... RelayNet International                Envelope
          Message Exchange            
ROTM ... Right On The Money           I'm sure by now you get the idea.
RTFM ... Read The Forgotten Manual    Usually if you think about it, and
         (The `F' is variable.)       take it in the context in which it's
SIG .... Special Interest Group       presented, it will become apparent.
TTFN ... Ta Ta For Now                And don't forget the smiley "faces",
TTMS ... Talk (Type) To Me Soon       [look sideways], ;-) :-) :^) 8-)
TTYL(A)  Talk (Type) To You Later     :^{) , etc. (Winking, smiling, with
         (Alligator)                  nose, with glasses, with moustache.)
                                      And then there are the "stage
                                      directions", i.e., <grin>, <groan>.


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                                      3. Don't use the local equivalent of
+---------------------------------+   a PAGE command unless you really
|        BEGINNERS CORNER         |   have some clear cut notion of what
|                                 |   you want to say and why. Almost any
+---------------------------------+   Sysop is more than happy to answer
    by Jim Daly, Node ->TREASURE      questions or offer help concerning
                                      his system.  Unfortunately, because
Bulletin Board Etiquette              about 99% of the people who want to
                                      Chat with the Sysop have absolutely
The following are a few points of     nothing to say besides "How old are
general BBS etiquette. If you wish    you?" or something equally
to maintain your welcome on whatever  irrelevant, few Sysops even bother
system you happen to call, it would   turning on their pagers let alone
be to YOUR advantage to observe       respond when Paged.
these few rules.                      
                                      4. When you are offered a place to
1. Don't habitually hang up on a      leave comments when exiting a
system. Every Sysop is aware that     system, don't try to use this area
accidental disconnections happen      to ask the Sysop questions.  It is
once in a while but we do tend to     very rude to the other callers to
get annoyed with people who hang up   expect the Sysop to carry on a half
every single time they call because   visible conversation with someone.
they are either too lazy to           If you have a question or statement
terminate properly or they labor      to make and expect the Sysop to
under the mistaken assumption that    respond to it, it should always be
the 10 seconds they save on-line is   made in the section where all the
going to significantly alter their    other messages are kept. This allows
phone bill. "Call Waiting" is not an  the Sysop to help many people with
acceptable excuse for long! If you    the same problem with the least
have it and intend to use the line    amount of effort on his part.
to call BBS systems, you should       
either have it disconnected or find   5. Before you log on with your
some other way to circumvent it.      favorite pseudonym, make sure that
(CALLWAIT.ZIP)                        handles are allowed. Most Sysops
                                      don't want people using handles on
2. Don't do dumb things like leave    the system. There is not enough room
yourself a message that says; "Just   for them, they get silly games of
testing to see if this thing works".  one-upmanship started, it's much
Where do you think all those other    nicer to deal with a person on a
messages came from if it didn't       personal basis, and last but not
work?  Also, don't leave whiny        least, everyone should be willing to
messages that say;  "Please leave me  take full responsibility for his
a message". If ever there was a       actions or comments instead of
person to ignore, it's the one who    slinging mud from behind a phony
begs someone to leave him a message.  name.
If you want to get messages, start    
by reading the ones that are already  Also when signing on, why not sign
on-line and getting  involved in the  on just like you would introduce
conversations that are already on-    yourself in your own society? How
going.                                many of you usually introduce
                                      yourselves as Joe W Smutz the 3rd or
                                      4th?


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                                      are going to do next.  Most BBS
6. Take the time to log on properly.  systems will automatically log you
There is no such place as ORL, WS,    off if there is no keyboard activity
WP or any of a thousand other         for an extended period of time
abbreviations people use. You may     (usually 2-5 minutes).
think that everyone knows what WP is  
supposed to mean, but most BBS        On the same subject, if you are
systems have members that call from   going to Send or Receive a file and
all around the country and I assure   think that you may not be able to
you that someone from Atlanta has no  wait for completion of the transfer,
idea what you're talking about.       then wait till you can, or use the
                                      Local equivalent of the (G)oodbye
7. Don't go out of your way to make   after completion.
rude observations like "Gee, this     
system is slow". Every BBS is a       Auto log-offs due to keyboard
tradeoff of features. You can         timeouts show up in the System's
generally assume that if someone is   Activity Log (and your personal
running a particular brand of         statistics) as Security violations!
software, that he is either happy     On some Multi-Tasking systems, this
with it or he'll decide to find       type of disconnect can cause the
another system he likes better. It    program to lose it's place in MEMory
does nobody any good when you make    and freeze all the NODES!!
comments about something that you     
perceive to be a flaw when it is      11. Have the common courtesy to pay
running the way the Sysop wants it    attention to what passes in front of
to. Constructive criticism is         your face. When a BBS displays your
somewhat more welcome. If you have    name and asks "Is this you?", don't
an alternative method that seems to   say YES when you can see perfectly
make good sense then run it up the    well that it is misspelled. Also,
flagpole.                             don't start asking questions about
                                      simple operation of a system until
8. When leaving messages, stop and    you have thoroughly read all of the
ask yourself whether it is necessary  instructions that are available to
to make it PRIVATE. Unless there is   you. I assure you that it isn't any
some particular reason that everyone  fun to answer a question for the
shouldn't know what you're saying,    thousandth time when the answer is
don't make it private. We don't call  prominently displayed in the system
them PUBLIC bulletin boards for       bulletins or instructions. Use some
nothing, folks. It's very irritating  common sense when you ask your
to other callers when there are huge  questions. The person who said
blank spots in the messages that      "There's no such thing as a stupid
they can't read and it stifles        question" obviously never operated a
interaction between callers.          BBS.
                                      
9. If your favorite BBS has a time    12. Don't be personally abusive! It
limit, observe it. If it doesn't,     doesn't matter whether you like a
set a limit for yourself and abide    Sysop or think he's a jerk. The fact
by it instead.                        remains that he has a large
                                      investment in making his computer
10. Do not sit in front of your       available, usually out of the
screen with your hands in your lap    goodness of his heart. If you don't
while trying to figure out what you   like a Sysop or his system, just


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remember that you can change the      doesn't expect nonstop pats on the
channel any time you want. Besides,   back, it seems reasonable that he
whether you are aware of it or not,   should at least be able to expect
if you make yourself enough of an     fair treatment from his callers.
annoyance to any Sysop, he can take   This includes following any of the
the time to trace you down and make   rules for system use he has laid out
your life, or that of your parents,   without griping about it. Every
miserable.                            Sysop has his own idea of how he
                                      wants his system to be run. It is
13. Keep firmly in mind that you are  really none of your business why he
a guest on any BBS you happen to      wants to run it the way he does.
call. Don't think of logging on as    Your business is to either abide by
one of your basic human rights.       what he says, or call some other BBS
Every person that has ever put a      where you feel that you can obey the
computer system on-line for the use   rules.
of other people has spent a lot of    
time and money to do so. While he
                                     
                    +---------------------------------+
                    |          'C' TUTOR              |
                    |                                 |
                    +---------------------------------+
                     by Doug Maclean, node ->RUNNINGB
                                     
Last month we looked at routine to copy a file from one place to
another.  This month we will be improving the through put and error
checking.  The increased speed is the result of replacing open and
read/write statements with fopen and fread/fwrite.  This permits us
the option of using the setvbuf statement.  This routine permits us
to set up very large buffers to minimize disk access.  In the
routine fastcopy, we set up a set of 20K buffers to expedite file
I/O.

We also use the access command to determine if the destination file
exists.  This is much faster than checking with the success of
failure of an open.
#include "fcntl.h"
#include "types.h"
#include "stat.h"
#include "errno.h"
#include "dos.h"
#include "io.h"
#if defined(__TURBOC__)                             /* Turbo C */
#include "alloc.h"
#else
#include "malloc.h"
#endif
#include "stdio.h"
#include "stdlib.h"
#include "fcntl.h"

#define BUFSIZE 20480


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#define IOBUF   BUFSIZE


fastcopy(srcfile,destfile,overwrite,touch)
char    *srcfile,*destfile;
int     overwrite,touch;        /* flags */
{
    char    *buffer;
    int     n;
    union   REGS    r;
    FILE    *srcptr,*destptr;
    char    *srcbuf,*destbuf;
    int     src,dest;

    if(access(srcfile,0) == ENOENT)
        return(1);
    if(!access(destfile,6) && !overwrite)
        return(1);
    buffer  = malloc(BUFSIZE);
    srcbuf  = malloc(IOBUF);
    destbuf = malloc(IOBUF);
    srcptr  = fopen(srcfile,"rb");
    setvbuf(srcptr,srcbuf,_IOFBF,IOBUF);
    destptr = fopen(destfile,"w+b");
    setvbuf(destptr,destbuf,_IOFBF,IOBUF);
    while(!feof(srcptr))
    {
        n = fread(buffer,1,BUFSIZE,srcptr);
        if(fwrite(buffer,1,n,destptr) != n)
        {
            fclose(srcptr);
            fclose(destptr);
            free(srcbuf);
            free(destbuf);
            free(buffer);
            return(1);
        }
    }
    fclose(srcptr);
    fclose(destptr);
    free(srcbuf);
    free(destbuf);
    free(buffer);
    if(touch == 1)
    {
        src     = open(srcfile,O_RDONLY | O_BINARY);
        dest    = open(destfile, O_WRONLY | O_BINARY,S_IREAD
                                          | S_IWRITE);
        r.h.ah  = 0x57;
        r.h.al  = 0;
        r.x.bx  = src;
        intdos(&r,&r);


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        r.h.ah  = 0x57;
        r.h.al  = 1;
        r.x.bx  = dest;
        int86(0x21,&r,&r);
        close(dest);
        close(src);
    }
    return(0);
}

                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
                    +---------------------------------+
                    |         'BRIEF' MACROS          |
                    |          FOR EZ-READER          |
                    +---------------------------------+
                     by Doug Maclean, node ->RUNNINGB

As an active member of the relay I find myself writing a lot of
messages with EZ-Reader.  I use Brief as my editor and wrote the
following macro to help with some of the mundane chores.  This
macro will automatically split the screen into a message and reply
if you are answering a message or keep one screen if you are
preparing a new message.  The macro also sets up hot keys to route
a reply based on the home board of the original message.  F2 will
route the mail and F3 will also request a return receipt.  F1 will
search for the person's name and start the reply off for you.

extern  blktype;
string  ascii_table;

rime()
{
    int buff_id;

    if(exist("i:\\work\\msg"))
    {
        top_of_buffer();
        create_edge(0);
        buff_id = next_buffer();
        set_buffer(buff_id);
        attach_buffer(buff_id);
    }
    assign_to_key("<F2>","_ro 0");
    assign_to_key("<F3>","_ro 1");
    assign_to_key("<F1>","salute");
    assign_to_key("<F4>","sign");
    assign_to_key("<F5>","regards");
    message("RIME Handler loaded");
}


                                Page 11
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MAY         RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER         1990
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_ro(int ret)
{
    end_of_buffer();
    search_back("PCRelay",0,1,0);
    search_fwd(":",0,0,0);
    right();
    mark(1);
    search_fwd(" ",0,0,0);
    left();
    copy();
    change_window(2);
    top_of_buffer();
    paste();
    beginning_of_line();
    insert("->");
    end_of_line();
    if(ret)
        insert("*");
    insert("\n\n");
    change_window(0);
    top_of_buffer();
}

salute()
{
    int temp;

    top_of_buffer();
    search_fwd("From:",0,1,0);
    right();right();right();right();right();right();
    mark(1);
    search_fwd(" ",0,0,0);
    left();
    copy();
    change_window(2);
    paste();
    beginning_of_line();
    right();
    mark(1);
    end_of_line();
    insert(",");
    temp = blktype;
    blktype = 1;
    vi_tilde();
    end_of_line();
    left();
    insert("\n");
    blktype = temp;
    change_window(0);
    top_of_buffer();
    change_window(2);


                                Page 12
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MAY         RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER         1990
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}


sign()
{
    insert("\n\nDoug\n");
}

regards()
{
    insert("\n\nRegards,\nDoug\n");
}

vi_tilde (...)
{
   int  ascval, row;
   int  rep_cnt;

   string chr;

   if (inq_marked (row, NULL))
      {
      if (blktype == 3)
         move_abs (row, 1);
      else
         swap_anchor ();
      rep_cnt = inq_mark_size ();
      raise_anchor ();
      }
   if (strlen (read ()) == 1)
      {
      --rep_cnt;
      next_char ();
      }
   while (--rep_cnt >= 0)
      {
      ascval = ascii (chr = read (1));
      delete_char ();
      if (ascval >= 65 && ascval <= 90)
         sprintf (chr, "%c", ascval + 32);
      if (ascval >= 97 && ascval <= 122)
         sprintf (chr, "%c", ascval - 32);
      insert (chr);
      refresh ();
      }
}

ascii_init (...)
{
   int a_count;

   string a_chr;


                                Page 13
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   ascii_table = "";
   a_count = 0;
   while (++a_count < 128)
      {
      sprintf (a_chr, "%c", a_count);
      ascii_table += a_chr;
      }
   sprintf (ascii_table, "%s", ascii_table);
}

ascii (...)    /*  converts 1st character in string to ascii value */
{
   string parm;

   get_parm (0, parm);
   if (first_time ())
      ascii_init ();
   if (parm == "")
      returns 0;
   else
      returns index (ascii_table, substr (parm, 1, 1));
}

You should, of course, change the name in the signature macros to
your own.  I hope you enjoy this macro and join us in the Brief
Support conference.

+---------------------------------+     The primary purposes of these marks
|           TRADEMARKS            |     are to indicate origin, imply
|        AND SERVICE MARKS        |     quality, and stimulate demand.
+---------------------------------+     While they keep others from using
by James Spinelli, Node ID ->VMC        similar names, they don't prevent
                                        others from making or selling
In our previous columns we talked       similar goods or services.
about patents and copyrights as         
methods used to protect our             Only the owners of the marks are
inventions, creations and               entitled to use them. If your idea
expressions of ideas. In this           is a marketing concept that depends
column we'll address the use of         on a particular name, you had
trademarks and service marks to         better learn at the outset whether
protect our ideas.                      you are free to adopt it. One
                                        marketeer spent considerable time
A trademark is a word, name,            and money developing the "French
symbol, device, or a combination of     Kiss" candy idea before checking
these actually used in trade with       the status of the name. Last-minute
goods to indicate their source and      research revealed it to be a
to distinguish them from products       registered trademark of a
of others. A service mark serves a      California company. The mark was
similar function for services. They     not actually being used at the
are essentially brand names.            time, and the company could have
                                        been contacted about licensing its


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use. However, the marketeer decided     Registering a trademark or service
that the profit potential was not       mark grants the right AND THE
great enough to pay licensing fees,     OBLIGATION to use the circled "R"
and the project was abandoned with      or "S" symbols or certain phrases
some egg on face but with tongue        indicating registered status.
still safely in cheek.                  
                                        A mark owner has an obligation to
To avoid a similar fiasco, you can      protest its misuse or risk losing
do your own preliminary search in       it. If a mark falls into general
the TRADEMARK REGISTER OF THE           public use to denote a TYPE of
UNITED STATES. Verifying whether or     article, as opposed to a particular
not a particular mark is currently      brand, it may be deemed generic and
registered will save you the            the trademark protection lost.
possibility of a lawsuit to             Anyone making that type of article
preclude you're using someone           could then use the former trademark
else's mark. You may find it useful     to describe it. Preventing this can
to spend a few hundred dollars to       require diligence in informing the
have a professional search done for     public that the mark should only be
you by a Patent and Trademark           used to refer to the specific
specialist                              brand. Former trademarks that have
                                        become generic, for example,
The requirements for registration       include aspirin, cellophane, and
are quite technical and                 linoleum.
complicated. You can file your own      
application, but, as with patents,      Registration is effective for
it is wise to consult an agent or       twenty years and is renewable, but
attorney. A trademark cannot be         an affidavit must be filed within
registered if it is:                    six years showing that the mark is
                                        still in use and that there is no
-   Immoral or deceptive                intention of abandoning it. Fees
-   Disparaging of living or dead       for the original registration and
persons, institutions, national         renewals are several hundred
symbols, or beliefs (remember,          dollars.
there's no issue of "freedom of         
speech" involved here)                  Trademarks should not be confused
-   The flag or coat of arms of any     with TRADE NAMES. Trademarks and
state or nation                         service marks refer to goods and
-   The name, portrait, or              services, while trade names relate
signature of a living person            to those who produce and sell them.
without his or her permission           Businesses always have trade names,
-   The name, signature, or             but they might not use any marks.
portrait of a deceased U.S.             Trade names are not protected by
President while his widow is alive,     federal law, but state law may
without her permission                  protect them by statute or by
-   So similar to an existing mark      common law concepts of unfair
as to cause confusion, mistake, or      competition. A trade name can be
deception                               registered and used as a trademark.
-   A common English term, common       It is then protected by the same
name, or a descriptive or generic       procedures and to the same extent
term                                    as any other trademark. Coca Cola
                                        is a trade name. It is also a
                                        trademark.


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                                        +---------------------------------+
As with patents, marks are better       |        PRACTICE SAFE HEX!       |
in theory than in practice, at          |                                 |
least for individuals and small         +---------------------------------+
businesses. They are difficult to       by Ed Lazarowitz, Node ->CAPCON
obtain and can be quite costly to       
maintain and protect. On the other      "Prevent computer viruses -
hand, if you have ample financial       Practice safe hex!"
resources, the system can be most       
effective. Inadvertently running        This admonition recently appeared
afoul of someone with a mark and        as the tagline from a RelayNet BBS.
the means to enforce it can be          Sage words of advice in this time
costly indeed.                          of paranoia over the multitude of
                                        viruses and Trojan horses floating
Another rather unknown small            around.  Most programmers and PC
business marketeer helped found a       users give little thought to the
small company that sold salad           security of their valuable software
dressing, using a red and white         and hardware - until it's too late.
checkered pattern for the border on     I'd like to present to you my
its label. Although this very           'unofficial' checklist of PC
common pattern was used solely to       protection do's and don'ts:
achieve an attractive design the        
firm was promptly "requested" by        o  First and foremost, back up your
attorneys from the Ralston Purina       hard drive frequently.  The
Company to remove it. Even though       frequency of backup is only
the small company strongly believed     something you can determine.
the BORDER design did not in any        However, the more suspect software
way infringe the Ralston                you acquire and use, the shorter
trademarked checkerboard SQUARE,        your backup cycle should be.  At
the producers of the salad dressing     the same time, maintain at least 3
had to comply. Doing battle with        or 4 levels of backups.  Be aware
the enormous multi-billion-dollar       that if a virus is timed to go off
Ralston Purina Company was, without     after a three-month period, for
any doubt, out of the question, and     example, it could also be resident
the cost of revising all of the         on your most recent backup disks.
graphics and printing new labels        If a virus is detected, your hard
were more than enough to put the        disk can be reformatted and files
fledgling salad dressing                restored.
manufacturer out of business.           
                                        o  One of the simplest active-
In the final article of our series      protection actions you can take is
regarding the protection of our         to alter the file attributes of all
ideas, to appear next month, we'll      executable files to 'read-only'.
talk about State and Common Law         This will prevent poorly engineered
protections.                            viruses from being able to alter
                                        these program files.  This category
                                        includes any files loaded in the
                                        CONFIG.SYS file and those with
                                        extensions of .BAT, .COM, or .EXE.
                                        Most of the commercially available
                                        low-level DOS tools have a facility


                                Page 16
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for doing this, such as The Norton      your risk of infection from these
Utilities FA command.                   sources by minimizing contact with
                                        BBSes that have large download
o  Another active protection method     directories of games, hacked or
you can use to protect your             otherwise.
COMMAND.COM file is to rename AND       
relocate it using the SHELL command     o  Be extremely leery of
from within CONFIG.SYS.                 suspicious-looking files.  Avoid
                                        running downloaded files that don't
o  Although many viruses will not       include documentation written by
be caught by a hard drive               the program's author.  Also, if the
protection utility, they still          program documentation doesn't
offer relatively cheap insurance        include name, address, and phone
against corruption by a wide            number of the author.
variety of known viruses.  These        
include such packages as Flushot        o  While they may be the most
Plus, Bombsquad, and Write Protect      attractive tools to the technically
Tab.  (A recent issue of "PC            oriented, use extreme caution with
Magazine" reviewed several packages     low-level tools.  Since these
available.  FOr more information,       programs by nature are designed to
see the ??????, 1990 issue.)            tinker with the kinds of data most
                                        often corrupted by viruses, it may
o  Avoid ANY software downloaded        be very difficult to ascertain that
from those BBSes that don't             a tool has a virus imbedded in it
validate or otherwise verify new        until it's too late.  Beware of
users.  Along the same lines, Don't     public domain disk optimizers,
run files downloaded from BBSes         directory sorters, bulk unerasers,
where the Sysop doesn't test and        FAT/directory editors, and other
approve all files.  There are many      low-level DOS utilities.  The best
BBSes where the Sysop has a             bet for safe low-level hard disk
separate test PC                        management is a known commercial
for verification of uploaded            package like The Norton Utilities
software.  If you find a board that     4.5 Advanced Edition or PC Tools
has this setup, they would be a         Deluxe 5.5.
prime source of download software.      
                                        o  Of course, it goes without
o  If you use shareware software,       saying that programs you copy onto
such as EZ-Reader or Telix, try to      your hard drive should come from a
download that software from the         source that you know and trust.
author's BBS.  Most authors provide     
support BBSes for their products or     Well, that's the 10 most obvious
frequent one particular BBS where       steps you can take to try and
they post new releases and bug          protect yourself against the
fixes.                                  onslaught of viruses and Trojan
                                        horses that may come your way.
o  Avoid at all costs hacked or         However, this information is just
pirated software.  Some of the          the tip of the iceberg.  If you're
deadliest viruses created have been     interested in obtaining more data
hacked versions of mainstream           on viruses and protection schemes,
applications.  Game programs are        the National Computer Security
especially prone to this kind of        Association, Washington, D.C.,
attack philosophy.  You can reduce      sells a Virus Self-Defense Kit for


                                Page 17
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a very reasonable $45.00.  This         Blasters, one IBM Music Feature,
includes the program, and one-year      and one CMS card.
membership in the group.  They also     
run a BBS (unfortunately not part       I also asked for a satisfaction
of RelayNet).  The number is            rating from 1 to 10.  The general
(202)364-1304.                          consensus is that you like your
                                        music cards.  The average vote is
+---------------------------------+     8.1 out of 10.  The overall vote
|         RIME TIMES POLL         |     for the AdLib is about the same at
|                                 |     8, and the Sound Blaster is 8.3.
+---------------------------------+     The users of the IBM Music Feature
by Nathan Anderson, Node ->OUTER        and the CMS card voted at 10 and 5,
                                        respectively.
Since I am an avid user of RIME and     
I found the new newsletter              I'll probably run out of good ideas
informative and entertaining, I         for polling questions soon, so I'd
really wanted to give some              appreciate all the suggestions that
continuing contribution.  I figured     you wonderful people have.  If any
that the best way to do this was to     of you can recommend something that
organize a poll and collate all the     I could ask in a future poll, just
information that I received from        drop me a line in the COMMON
it.  I hope that in the future          conference. I'll be there to
there will be more participation in     receive it.  Make it R/O if you
this poll than there was in the         want, I'm R/O capable.
first one.  Only 27 of you answered     
the first poll.  Although the poll      I'll probably have started my next
applied to only a few people, I         poll by the time you read this.  I
think there are more people who         still hope to see you answer,
have a sound board and DIDN'T           though.  The more that answer, the
answer.                                 merrier. Just take a minute and a
                                        half to vote, and I'll really
My first poll dealt with music          appreciate it.
cards for the PC.  These are cards      
such as the AdLib, Game Blaster,        +---------------------------------+
Sound Blaster, and IBM Music            |           BETA THIS!            |
Feature.                                |                                 |
                                        +---------------------------------+
As I said before, only 27 of you        by Jeff Woods, Node id ->MUSICAL
answered, but I can really only         
count 25.  Kevin Nelander, with         Well, it's official.   The PCBoard
some friends of his, once got his       world is topsy turvy.   I acquired
Apple II+'s drive to play such          the beta code for 14.5 about four
songs as "Colonel Bogie's March."       hours after posting.   One thing
Another RIME user, has some exotic      beta testing does for you is to
pieces of hardware that I couldn't      keep your board off-line while you
really fit into the results of the      get new code.   Judging on the
poll.                                   volume of calls to Salt Air, my
                                        board spends more time making calls
This leaves 25 of you left. There       than receiving them.
are 27 cards among the 25 of you.       
There are 21 AdLibs, four Sound         Beta testing should be called bet-
                                        a-testing.   "Oh, I bet the code


                                Page 18
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will run......"   No slur intended      the same of the BBS.  Just ask my
against CDC, but with 10,000            users.  PCBoard is colorful, and so
customers, you can bet there will       is my users' language these days.
be 10,001 problems.   First was the     
multiple events.   I found that         Ok, now to the actually running.
getting multiple events was an          Yes, I was running - all over town
event in itself.  I had to actually     to find blank disks, and a copy of
program something.   Never mind         Norton's so I could recover my old
that six other people did it at the     14.2 files.   Let me back up.
same time, including Daniel Rall        (Ooops, I can't, I forgot to back
who had to outdo me by including my     up). Anyway yes, it works.   It
future features in his current          works me to the bone.   It runs.
release.   So, what's a few hours       It runs me ragged.   Its improved.
of compiling bug-ridden software?       Its improved my tolerance for
If Dave Terry can fight several         stress (even with the Vivarin).
thousand lines of PCBoard code, I       And, I'm afraid.  I'm a-Fraid Clark
can muddle through 100 lines of         fan, and that's that.   I wouldn't
code to do a simple task, right?        have sacrificed this experience for
Ha!                                     the world. (Well, maybe for the
                                        WHOLE world......)   Now, before
Well, that was solved.   Now on to      you go to Terr-your hair out,
configuration.  Another misnomer.       remember, I am still the
The word is con-figure-it-out           incorrigible punster, and should
(pronounced with an accent - Can't      not be incorriged.  CDC you
figure it out).   By this time I        later.....
had already bought stock in Vivarin     
and Foldgers (too bad it was de-        +---------------------------------+
caf)....   First order of business      |           NOTES FROM            |
- keep the nodes happy.   I never       |             ADMIN               |
should have upgraded.... ;-)            +---------------------------------+
Nothing works as planned.               Starting with the next beta release
Something tells me I use the only       of PCRelay, serial numbers will be
utilities that are NOT                  required.  Bonnie Anthony is
compatible.....                         distributing the version of the
                                        node software 41B15 along with the
Ok, on to setup.   No misnomer          required serial numbers.
there.   I was definitely set up.       
They KNEW it would take a full day      +---------------------------------+
off work to completely reconfigure      |    AS SEEN ON THE BIT STREAM    |
the system.   The features may be       |                                 |
worth it, but sheesh!   This isn't      +---------------------------------+
a 14.2 to 14.5 upgrade.   This          TAGLINE OF THE MONTH:
thing should be called version 42.0     "Outlaw puns and only outlaws will
(42 being the meaning of life and       have puns!" (As seen on a tag of Ed
everything but the kitchen sink.)       Lazarowitz, suggested by Mark
Speaking of sinks, I have this          Burfeind)
sinking feeling about the upgrade       
to 15.0......                           BORING THREAD OF THE MONTH:
                                        (There wasn't one! <grin>)
Testing.   What can I say.   My         
patience and endurance were             EXCITING THREAD OF THE MONTH:
definitely tested.   I can't say        "Laptop/Toshiba Conference..."


                                Page 19
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(which somehow evolved into a
detailed discussion of Howard
Belascos tush!  For those that do
not know, Howard weighs 260lbs.
Last we heard, someone was
demanding a GIF of his tush!)

THE THREAD THAT LOST CONTROL:
"Fan-driven Sailboats" (What else!
Amazing how many mechanical
engineers we have on RIME! )

MALFUNCTION OF THE MONTH:
Bonnie's node ->RUNNINGA (after
installing PCBoard 14.5, the BBS
continually crashed... which had
Bonnie AND David Terry scrambling!)

+---------------------------------+
|            NOTICES              |
|                                 |
+---------------------------------+
The RIME Times is published monthly
by the membership of RelayNet In-
ternational Message Exchange as its
official newsletter.  Users and
Sysops are encouraged to con-
tribute.  Submissions and questions
may be directed to the editor John
Dodson, node ->CANTINA or Ed
Lazarowitz, node ->CAPCON.

(c)Copyright 1990, The RelayNet
International Message Exchange.
Permission is hereby granted for
unlimited distribution and
duplication,  provided such
distribution and duplication are
strictly for non-commercial
purposes only.  All other rights
reserved.  RelayNet and RIME are
registered trademarks.


