         ÞÛÛÝ° ÜÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛ° ÛÛ°  ÛÛ° ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛ° ÛÛ°    ÛÛ° ÜÛÛÛÛÛÜ
          ÛÛ°  ÛÛ°°°°° ÛÛÜÜÜÜ°  ÛÛÛÜ ÛÛ° ÛÛÜÜÜÜ°  ÛÛ°    ÛÛ° ÛÛ°°°°°
          ÛÛ°  ÛÛ°     ÛÛßßßß°  ÛÛßÛÛÛÛ° ÛÛßßßß°  ÛÛ° Ü  ÛÛ° ßÛÛÛÛÛÜ
         ÞÛÛÝ° ßÛÛÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛ° ÛÛ° ßÛÛ° ßÛÛÛÛÛÛ° ÛÛÜÛÛÛÜÛÛ°  °°°°ÛÛ°
          ÛÛ°    ÛÛ°°°  ÛÛ°ÛÛ°  ÛÛ°  ÛÛ°  ÛÛ°ÛÛ°° ßÛÛß ßÛÛß  ßÛÛÛÛÛß
          ÞÝ°    ÞÝ°    ÞÝ°ÞÝ°  ÞÝ°  Þ°   ÞÝ°ÞÝ°   ÞÝ°  Þ°    ÞÝ°Þ°
           Ý°    Þ°      Ý°     Þ°         Ý°      Þ°         Þ°

     The Journal of IceNET                                September 1994
    ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
    ³ Editor's Desk                                                     ³
    ³   The Upper Registers                               Will (1@6754) ³
    ³   Managing Editor's Notes                      Ima Moron (1@9661) ³
    ³   Letters To The Editors                              Louie (6@1) ³
    ³   IceNEWS Op/Ed Forum                                             ³
    ³      Computer Illiteracy                    Deacon Blues (2@7653) ³ 
    ³                                                                   ³
    ³ Feature Stories                                                   ³
    ³   FrontDoor/WWIV Security Warning              Papa Bear (1@5079) ³
    ³   BBSing vs. Employment: Which Means                              ³
    ³     More To YOU?                            Deacon Blues (2@7653) ³
    ³                                                                   ³
    ³ WWIV-Specific                                                     ³
    ³   WWIV Utility & Mod Review                    Papa Bear (1@5079) ³
    ³   Dealing With Co-Sysops                            Will (1@6754) ³
    ³                                                                   ³
    ³ Software/Programming                                              ³
    ³   Artificial Intelligence -  Part Four                Louie (6@1) ³
    ³   Automod: Fast Mod Installation           The Regulator (1@6906) ³
    ³   IBM Press Release on "Warp"                  Courtesy IBM Corp. ³
    ³                                                                   ³
    ³ Lite Bytes                                                        ³
    ³   BBS Acronyms & Emoticons in Cyberspace!      Papa Bear (1@5079) ³
    ³   WWIVKahn '94 - A Satire Of WWIVcon '94              Louie (6@1) ³
    ³   Silly Strings                                Ima Moron (1@9661) ³
    ³                                                                   ³
    ³ The IceNEWS Journal Official Writer's                             ³
    ³   Guidelines                                    The IceNEWS Staff ³
    ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
    ³                  IceNEWS Staff For September 1994                 ³
    ³                                                                   ³
    ³    "...Winners of the 1994 WWIVcon Award for Electronic News"     ³
    ³                                                                   ³
    ³                    IceNEWS Publisher - Jim 1@1                    ³
    ³               IceNEWS Editor-In-Chief - Will 1@6754               ³
    ³            IceNEWS Managing Editor - Ima Moron 1@9661             ³
    ³                                                                   ³
    ³                    IceNEWS Contributing Editors                   ³
    ³  WWIV-Specific - Papa Bear 1@5079   Lite Bytes - Ima Moron 1@9661 ³
    ³                                                                   ³ 
    ³            Editors-At-Large - Louie 6@1 & Chris 1@7668            ³
    ³               IceNEWS Production - Chris 1@7668                   ³
    ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´
    ³     IceNEWS is always seeking submissions from those who have     ³
    ³      ideas for stories. If you have any ideas that you might      ³
    ³        like to see published, contact any IceNEWS editor or       ³
    ³        subscribe to IceNEWS Beat, subtype IceNEWS, host @1.       ³
    ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ


                        ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ E D I T O R ' S   D E S K ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


  ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
  ³ The Upper Registers - "Changing of the Guard" ³  by Will 1@6754
  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

     Since  our  last  issue,  we've  had  a reorganization at IceNEWS. Deacon
Blues, 2@7653, our previous Editor in Chief, was forced to resign his post  in
order  to  follow his career. Deacon Blues was probably the main driving force
behind the reorganization of IceNEWS, and, more than anyone  else,  should  be
credited with it's current success.

     Over  the  last  eight months, with Deacon at the helm, IceNEWS grew into
what it is today - a very successful publication, and the winner of  the  1994
WWIVcon  award  for  Best  Electronic  News.  With Deacon gone, I now have the
difficult task of filling his shoes in the months ahead.

     At the same time, we also lost Spelunker 1@7653, a  valued  staff  member
from  the  beginning. While you never saw him in print, his impact was obvious
on every issue. Spelunker was the person who put heaps of  raw  text  together
each month, and turned it into a cohesive, readable issue.

     IceNEWS  will  carry on as before, but we'll all miss the denizens of The
Cavern.

------

In the future, I'll be moving my regular technology rant into this area.

     Three strange things happened  this  last  month,  all  of  which  I  was
expecting  to  happen  sooner  or later, but with the emphasis on later. First
off, IBM posted a large second quarter profit. Second off, my mother called to
report  that  she  had  killed a certain persistent woodchuck which I had been
hearing stories about for the past three years. Third, I went to MacWorld, the
largest single assemblage of Macintosh users (and fanatics) on the East Coast,
and probably anywhere else, with the possible exception of the Apple corporate
headquarters.

     Since  I'm  not  a  Macintosh enthusiast, I was generally provided a cold
shoulder from the other show goers (of course, this was partly due to the  IBM
shirt  I  was wearing). Still, I was able to see how the other side lives, and
also see where the Macintosh platform is heading.

     IBM and Macintosh are generally regarded as the only two major platforms,
roughly  equal  in  most  ways. Other computing environments, such as the wide
variety of UNIX based systems, and  the  Amiga  platform,  are  almost  always
classified  as  permanent  niche  players, and this is just about correct. The
main, bipolar, view of this situation is, at best, lopsided. The  actual  fact
is that IBM type computers outnumber the Macintosh by a factor of nine to one.
In the most recent available sales figures, both Compaq and IBM sold  hundreds
of thousands more PCs apiece than Apple sold Macintoshes. With the rest of the
PC industry  factored  into  the  equation,  the  disparity  becomes  obvious.
Macintosh  ads  aside,  the installed base and level of available software for
the IBM platform simply dwarfs anything else currently available.

     It was obvious to the people at MacWorld, as well.  In  my  conversations
with  show  regulars, I learned that the general attitude was much darker this
year than  in  any  ones  previous.  The  general  impression  was  also  that
attendance  had  dropped  significantly (elbowing my way through the crowds, I
found this hard to believe). The prognosis for the future of the  company  and
the  platform  was not as cheery as it was this time last year, when Apple was
triumphantly rolling out the Newton PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), destined
to fizzle when it hit the general marketplace.

     Apple itself seems to share the same views. One Apple analyst stated that
Apple had approximately sixty days  to  find  a  strategic  and  manufacturing
partner,  or  be left to languish in niche markets, such as Desktop Publishing
and  Image  Editing,  where  the  Macintosh  already  has  a  strong,  if  not
unassailable,  foothold.  Apple  has  not managed to crack the business market
beyond the art department, which might turn out to be the  company's  undoing.
As  of  this  writing, two weeks after the convention itself, Apple has yet to
find a manufacturing partner, or  a  licensee  for  it's  Macintosh  Operating
System.  After holding the platform proprietary for so long, Apple, in finally
offering to make the OS available, is being rebuffed. Thanks to  the  boom  in
Microsoft  Windows (and, to a lesser extent, OS/2) systems, there simply isn't
any positive benefit to taking the time to license  and  adapt  the  Macintosh
Operating System.

     While  all the goodies were in the Apple Pavilion outside the World Trade
Center, Apple was lacking a knockout product. The  two  centerpieces  of  this
area  of the show were Apple's new e-World online service, and the first major
upgrade of the Macintosh Operating System in three years  -  System  7.5.  The
Newton,  last  year's  centerpiece,  was  relegated to a corner where an Apple
representative was giving a  hands  on  demonstration.  While  both  of  these
products  fill a need, and System 7.5 provides some potentially attractive new
features, this will not be enough to catapult the Macintosh into  the  office,
where Apple needs it to be.

----------

     It's  back  to  school  this  month  for a lot of our readers. BBSing and
telecommunications are playing a rapidly increasing role in the operation  and
expansion  of  the  education  system  in the United States. Schools, and even
subsections of schools, such as a school newspaper or computer club, have been
putting  up BBSes at an astonishing rate. Two issues ago, we ran an article by
Chris, one of our Contributing Editors, on running a  WWIV  BBS  in  a  school
environment.  Now,  we'd  like  to  know  what  else  people  are  doing  with
Telecommunications in the education environment. If you'd like  to  contribute
something  on  the  subject,  send  us  an  email  (the  addresses  are on the
masthead). We'd like to go into detail on the subject in the October issue.

     Well, that wraps up my take for this issue. We've got  some  great  stuff
coming up - and now, I give you the September, 1994 IceNEWS!

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


  ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
  ³ Managing Editor's Comments ³  by Ima Moron 1@9661
  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

     I  would  like  to  take  the byte space to thank our out going Editor In
Chief Deacon Blues. Thank you Deacon, you were brilliant. I am going to welcome
our  new  Editor In Chief of the IceNEWS Journal, Will 1@6754 of IceNET. We've 
also lost Spelunker - our beloved ascii layout  editor. Both  Deacon  and
Spelunker will be missed by myself.

     This  is  my  issue  of the journal. I had put out a call for articles of
user interest. The journal staff responded beautifully with many informative
articles  for  the  sysops  and  users  of  IceNET.  I know that this issue is
technically light, but what can you expect from the Lite Bytes Editor?

     If you have any comments about the content of  this  issue, please send
those in E-mail to 1@9661, Ima Moron. Now on with this issue!

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


  ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
  ³ Letters to the Editor ³  by Louie #6@1, Will 1@6754, and Ima Moron 1@9661
  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

Doc, 1@5413 writes: 

 To whomever reads this:

     I  read  in  a previous letter to the editor that there is talk of a WWIV
channel on the Internet Relay Chat (IRC). Is this in  existence  now?  If  so,
what  day and time? I know there are some forums on AOL and GEnie, but I'm not
on any of these. I would *LOVE* to be able to chat with other sysops  in  real
time, and I think IRC is a good way to do this. If there aren't any opposition
how about an informal meeting on IRC (for those of you who do have the access)
one  day  or  say once a week. (or whenever you log on to IRC for that matter,
heh)

     Well, How 'bout it?  :)

IceNEWS Editor-In-Chief, Will 1@6754, responds:

       There's been a lot of revived interest recently in having a WWIV chat
session on the IRC. Veldar, who organized the initial chat several months ago,
and myself have been discussing timing for a regularly scheduled session.
A proposal has also been made, by The Doctor, for a general-use session, 
#WWIV. For now, just try /JOIN #WWIV whenever you're on the IRC, and see
if anyone's there. And hold on, since we're working on putting together a
regular session.


Abbot Layamon, 1@3602, writes regarding Louie's Online Story article

     Hello Louie! I enjoyed your article on running an online story. The Abbey
has  had  an  online  storyline  since  I put the system back up in march. The
Cloisters is set on a parallel world in a quasi-medieval setting. The central
location  is  the Abbey of St. Gwynefort, in the southwest corner (roughly) of
the kingdom of Albion. I agree with almost all of the suggestions you made.  A
story  sub  can,  however,  be  networked  if certain strict criteria are met.
Cloisters is networked to three other boards. That's only so that  the  sysops
of  those  boards  can  post from their own systems rather than from mine, and
access is restricted. That would be the first criterion. A story  sub  can  be
netted if it is privately distributed for the subscribing sysops' convenience.
The other criterion is the establishment of a companion discussion sub. In  my
case,  Cloisters  Strategic Discussion is a place for participants to hash out
their characters and suggest or comment on storyline  developments.  Come  to
think  of  it, a strategic discussion sub would be a good idea for a companion
to any storyline sub, especially a highly structured one. It  also  gives  the
host  sysop  a  chance to post "administrivia" like the map(s) and the cast of
characters. I have a map of the hostel area of the abbey,  the  abbey  itself,
and  a map of the kingdom in which the abbey is found. the hostel map lets the
"guests" know where their rooms are in relation to each other. The  abbey  map
shows, not surprisingly, the layout of the abbey and some of the grounds. That
way, if, say Baroness Morgana wishes to go to the herb garden, she knows  that
she has to go through the hostel's main dining hall, through the refectory and
kitchens, and thence out the door to the herb garden. the kingdom map is  good
for  giving  an  idea  of  the  terrain  and of the relative distances between
different points. For example, it is roughly the  same  distance  between  the
Abbey and Castle Shiredale as it is between Castle Shiredale and Horstede (the
capitol), and the distance between the Abbey and the capitol  is  roughly  the
same  as  the  distance from the Abbey to the major port city of Carcassone in
the southeast. The cast of characters comes in very handy. after all,  there's
more than just me and the eight regular posters. Abbots need support staffs to
run abbeys, so, there's  a  prior,  a  cellarer,  a  cook,  an  infirmarer,  a
hospitaller  (the  fellow  who  is in charge of an abbey's hostel), a prior, a
provisioner, a herbalist, and so on. the  other  players  have  created  other
characters  as needed. all told, there are about 80 names on the cast, not all
of which are in play at the same time (obviously). I could go on, but I  think
I  have  been  longwinded  enough.  After  all, this letter is almost half the
length of your article.

Pax, Abbot Layamon.

     Abbey of St. Gwynefort  (306)-934-3460
     Gutenberg Project, Internet Wiretap, OTA etexts

 Editor At Large Louie #6 @1 responds to Pax 1@3602

     I would like to thank Abbot Layamon for setting me straight about Network
On-line  Story  subs  really being possible. I guess I did not really give the
idea all that much thought. He does indeed seem to have a good method there at
the Abbey of St. Gwynefort for doing it.


 River Dragon, 1@9504, writes:

Louis,

     I  am  River Dragon, I sysop in Toronto, Canada who wishes to thank Wayne
Bell for implementing the Abnormal Irq Ports/Base addresses for WWIV  and  the
minority  of  people  like  myself who have problems with this nonstandard IRQ
port. While I do not know exactly why It's non-standard, I am grateful that it
was implemented (Now if only some ONLINE-GAME MAKERS would implement it :). In
my time, I have tried 6 different types of BBS Programs, all the while I  kept
my  WWIV  as  a  backup,  knowing  it was reliable. EzyCom, Maximus, Telegard,
Wildcat, Opus... You name it, I've tried it! but I found the only program that
was truly user friendly and configurable was WWIV. I have operated my WWIV BBS
for a little over 3 years now and  know  how  time  consuming  at  frustrating
running  a  BBS can be. After dealing with Problem Users [Yeesh, I think I get
them ALL calling my board!] I need something I can  truly  Rely  on,  which  I
found  in  WWIV.  Over  the  three years I have been registered I have enjoyed
following and implementing many of the WWIV Modifications that  come  in  over
the  Modnet  and  have  become  an experienced TC++ programmer. Along with Irq
Problems with other BBS programs, I have tried to install over 50 doors on  my
board, and would like to share my expertise with those of you who share in the
problem I have. If you are looking for a high-paced door that works well  with
the  nonstandard  IRQ,  you should try Global Wars, my users love it and it is
SIMPLE to configure, and the new Trade Wars 2002  v2.  No  disrespect  to  the
Martins  in  any  way,  but I say its High Time [yeesh, I sound like my father
now!] that they implemented IRQs.. Oh well, As long as  its  in  now.  And  in
conclusion,  I wish  to  repeat  my  thanks  to  Wayne Bell for making such an
excellent and configurable program. Have a Nice Day ya'll!

                                River Dragon
                                1@20564 WWIVnet 1@9504 ICEnet

 Lite Bytes Editor, Ima Moron, 1@9661, responds:

        Dear River Dragon,

     You're right! The Martins have implemented non-standard IRQ settings  for
their  Tradewars  2002  v2.0 and up. Within TEdit, item "O" there is an option
for editing the comport addresses. After choosing "O" you will be taken  to  a
second  menu  where item "G" will allow you to correct the COM address problem
you mentioned here. In earlier versions, if you  were  a  registered  user  of
Tradewars,  you  could have e-mailed the Martins for a "fix" or fossil driver.
As a matter of fact RD, most chains now allow fossil drivers to  be  installed
as  a  TSR  to  drive  your comports when the chain(s) are called. Perhaps the
IceNEWS Journal will run a fossil driver article in a future issue...? If  so,
I'm certain the article will be a big help to you and others.

                                Ima....


Kipper, 1@5917, writes regarding Packet Radio:

     A  few months ago you did an article in IceNEWS about Packet Radio, and I
was wondering if you had any more information on that  subject.  It  would  be
much appreciated. Thanks.


IceNEWS Managing Editor for September, Ima Moron, 1@9661, responds:

       Dear Kipper,

     You  betch-em',  below is a listing of public access BBSs that specialize
in answering FAQ questions. These BBSs have information files for  downloading
that  will  answer  your  questions  about  hardware, software, licenses, area
groups to assist you, etc.. You may also send feedback to the  sysop  so  that
you can interpret the below listed net-mail addresses;

FOR INFO CONTACT:

                ARRL
                225 Main Street
                Newington, Conn. 06111
                Voice (203) 666-1541
                BBS   (203) 666-0578  14400/N-8-1
                =================================

     This is a list of all groups that regularly discuss amateur packet radio.
For newsgroups, join the group through use of your news  reader.  For  mailing
lists,  add a '-request' to the end of the list name to request subscriptions.
For listserv groups, send mail to 'listserv' at the node  which  contains  the
list.  The  first  line  of the mail should be 'SUBSCRIBE groupname yourname'.
Send the command 'help' for more information.

     rec.radio.amateur.packet  (Newsgroup):  General   discussions   involving
Packet Radio.

     rec.radio.amateur.misc  (Newsgroup):  General  amateur  radio discussion.
Usually does not contain  any  particular  information  about  Amateur  Packet
Radio.

     rec.radio.amateur.policy  (Newsgroup):  Discussion of regulation policies
regarding every aspect of amateur radio. Occasionally deals with  policies  of
packet coordination and legal issues of packet radio.

     rec.radio.swap  (Newsgroup):  General  For-Sale  for any radio equipment.
Occasionally will have packet equipment for sale. Recommended location for any
amateur packet radio for-sale items.

     info-hams@ucsd.edu  (Listserv  group):  A  digest  redistribution  of the
rec.radio.amateur.misc Usenet discussion.

     packet-radio@ucsd.edu (Listserv group): A digest  redistribution  of  the
rec.radio.amateur.packet Usenet discussion.

     ham-policy@ucsd.edu  (Listserv  group):  A  digest  redistribution of the
rec.radio.amateur.policy Usenet discussion

     hs-modem@wb3ffv.ampr.org (Mailing list): Discussion of high speed  modems
and  radios available and future plans. Also includes discussion of networking
using high speed modems.

     tcp-group@ucsd.edu  (Mailing  list):  Group   discussion   of   technical
developments of TCP/IP over packet radio and use of the NOS TCP/IP programs.

     gateways@uhm.ampr.org  (Mailing list): Discussion of current gateways and
future plans for gateways. May deal with sensitive internetworking issues.

 listserv@knuth.mtsu.edu has several interesting mailing lists available:

                                      Ima....

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


  ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
  ³ The IceNEWS Op/Ed Forum - "Computer Literacy" ³  by Deacon Blues 2@7653
  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

        "Now repeat after me... Random Access Memory... ROM... BIOS..."
                    -- commercial for Compaq computers --

     How computer literate are we? Well, if you had enough knowledge to set up
a BBS, join a network and maintain a connect, and look in your data files  for
this publication, you're more computer literate than the average person. Trust
me on this. Over the course of this past winter, I found out  first  hand  for
myself just how computer literate (or illiterate, as this case may be) some of
today's high school grads really are.

     I'm a student at a local business institute and part  of  my  curriculum
included  a requisite class on introductory computer concepts. What the school
considered "introductory" was learning  how  to  use  DOS  and  an  integrated
software  package  that  included  spreadsheet, database, word processing, and
graphing programs. Now I'm no  computer  whiz  myself,  but  even  I  was  not
intimidated by the course outline for the class.

     At  the  start  of the semester, there were a total of 28 students in the
class representing curricula    such  as  Secretarial,  Medical  Secretarial,
Business  Management, Computer Systems Management, Travel & Tourism Management
(my field), and Electronic Technology. The machines in our lab were old  8088s
that  were  not  networked  and had no hard drives; they all booted off of the
5.25 low density floppy a: drive. This is where the fun began.

     Out of the 28 class students, 5 (including myself _and_ the teacher)  had
previous  computer experience and 2 (excluding myself and the teacher) owned a
computer at home. When these 2  were  asked  how  much  they  knew  about  the
operations  of  their  machines  both  replied that they knew little. They had
bought "package deals" which had come complete with pre-loaded  software.  All
they knew was that they turned the power switch on and the thing worked.

     Neither  knew  how  to  actually  install  a  program or what a directory
listing looked like (in fact, they didn't even know what a directory was).  In
short, these people did not know a game port from an airport.

     The  teacher  was  ready to slap himself in the head as neither him nor I
had ever seen a room  full  of  so  many  people  who  knew  so  little  about
computers.  Being  a  cosysop  and  having experience with computer illiterate
newbies from my BBS dealings, I immediately identified  with  the  plight  the
teacher  was facing and offered any help I could give him. No matter what this
guy said to the other students and how he simplified things he might  as  well
have been speaking Greek to 90% of the class.

     At  the  end of the very first class nearly everyone's heads were visibly
spinning (I swear, some students actually appeared to stagger out of the class
disoriented  and  glassy-eyed)  and  about  all the teacher did was to go over
simple components (like disk drives,  CPUs,  peripherals,  etc.)  and  try  to
explain  what  an operating system (DOS) was and touch on some simple commands
(like DIR). The next time the class met, 4 people had dropped the  course  and
the  teacher  decided  to put off teaching DOS for the moment and try to teach
the integrated software instead as at  least  some  of  the  people  had  some
experience or base knowledge of one of the integrated programs.

     The next time the class met, the teacher gave everyone a DOS disk and had
everyone load it up. He then had everyone type the directory  listing  command
to  show  them  what  one  looked  like. Then he had us load in the integrated
software. He told everyone that in order to use the programs they  would  need
to load DOS first, then load the integrated software.

     For about 9 of the next 12 weeks, about half of the students continued to
take the teacher literally, thinking that they must not only load DOS but do a
DIR as well before they could insert and load the integrated software. About a
quarter of the remainder failed to grasp the concept  of  loading  DOS  before
attempting to load their other software and cries of "Mr. Sparks, what's wrong
with my machine?" were a regular event. By mid-term, the size of the class had
dwindled to 14 students.

     As  the weeks rolled by and I alternated between burning through my class
exercises and running around helping  the  teacher  deal  with  the  remaining
dunderheads  who couldn't understand why you can't insert letters in a numeric
data field, I came to the dawning realization that the more  the  world  turns
toward  computer technology, the deeper of a hole this country's work force is
going to be in. These students were all high school  graduates  and  all  from
fields  of  study that rely heavily on the daily use of computers in some way,
shape, or form and they were wallowing miserably in about the most  basic  and
simple computer class you could get. It was time for my head to spin now.

     Oh,  by  the way, we never did learn about DOS. It had taken everyone the
entire 12 weeks of the class (which met twice a week for sessions lasting  one
hour  and  fifty  minutes)  to get through their assignments on the four basic
integrated software programs and the teacher ran out of time. Two people  were
even  still  working  on old assignments the class before the final exam while
the teacher was giving a final review. For the last class,  9  people  (myself
included)  showed  up  to  take  the  final  exam.  Nine out of an original 28
students.

     In case you're wondering, everyone who took the final passed (it was joke
simple,  a  rehash  of  4  previous  assignments). Those who dropped the class
avoided nothing as it's a requisite, so they only delayed the  inevitable  and
passed  up  on  having  a  class with an incredibly easy-going and undemanding
teacher. I hope they all get into a class taught by a real stiffy.

     My whole point to this rambling is that it is very clear  (at  least,  to
me)  that  computer training must become a requisite course at the high school
level, if not earlier. Otherwise, I feel that the fiasco that I  witnessed  at
the collegiate level will become a more common and unfortunate occurrence.As I
alluded to before, I'm no computer genius and I got through  the  class  alive
and passed the final. To think that there are people who are fresh out of high
school (I've been out for nearly 15  years  now)  and  couldn't  cope  with  a
simpleton class is scary. Real scary.

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


                      ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ F E A T U R E   S T O R I E S ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


  ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
  ³ Front Door/WWIV Security Warning Article ³  by Papa Bear 1@5079
  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

     Recently I set up my BBS to work with  Front  Door.  I  did  this  as  an
exercise,  to  simply  see  if  I  could  tame  that  program without too many
problems. The experience will most likely serve as a cornerstone  to  a  later
article from me on how to make WWIV FIDOnet capable. So I'm not going to write
any instructions about how to setup Front Door right now. Instead,  I  have  a
*very*  important  article  for those of you who are setting up Front Door, or
already have Front Door running successfully.

     I found a weak point with using Front Door with WWIV. It only comes about
under  specific circumstances, but it can cause MASSIVE confusion on your BBS,
and can also be a possible security breach. What  happens  is  this:  If  your
shrink  your  BBS to run an online game (this problem does not occur if you do
NOT shrink the BBS), two files are  created  that  allow  the  BBS  to  retain
certain information that lets it continue to operate normally when the game is
exited. These files are RETURN.WWV (RETURN.001,  RETURN.002,  etc.  for  multi
node) and STAT.WWV (STAT.001, STAT.002, etc.). Your computer will also have to
boot into Front Door or load Front Door before WWIV for this to happen.  If  a
user is in an online game, and the machine *for whatever reason* gets rebooted
(or, if you're using a multitasker, the window they're  in  gets  shut  down),
like  you  might  do  for a lock-up, it causes this to happen: Front Door gets
loaded (the RESTORE.WWV and STAT.WWV files are still there, because  when  you
rebooted,  they  didn't  get erased). When you receive your next HUMAN caller,
the BBS loads. When the BBS loads, it loads into the account of the person who
was  online  when  the machine was reset, BYPASSING the logon procedures. This
means ANY account, even a *SYSOP*  or  *COSYSOP*  account,  if  that  was  the
account  that  just  happened  to  be  active at the time when the machine was
reset! The solution is simple. In your startup batch file for Front Door (mine
is called FDOOR.BAT) simply place these three lines at the top:

if  exist  c:\WWIV\*.wwv del c:\WWIV\*.wwv
if exist c:\WWIV\return.0* del c:\WWIV\return.0*
if exist c:\WWIV\stat.0* del c:\WWIV\stat.0*

Make sure the drive and path point to your main BBS directory.

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


  ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
  ³ BBSing vs. Employment:   ³
  ³ Which Means More To YOU? ³ by Deacon Blues 2@7653
  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

     More often than not, a sysop is a person who runs their BBS as a hobby on
their own free time and at their own expense. Most sysops find running  a  BBS
to be a rather fun and challenging thing to do as much as they find it to be a
hobby. One generally considers his or her "free time" to be their  own  to  do
what  they  wish  with.  If that means running a BBS, so be it. There are many
worse activities one can be engaging in while working on idle time. While most
consider  their  free  time  to be a right of life, Tandy Corporation seems to
think differently.

     Rochelle Skwarla was one of the thousands of people  who  fall  into  the
category  of  "Modemer."  She was a co-sysop of a BBS that operated out of her
home in San Louis Obispo, California. She was also an employee  of  the  local
Radio  Shack,  a  division of Tandy Corporation. On May 14, she was advised in
the form of a written notification by her employer that  she  should  consider
shutting down her modem or leave the company.

     According  to  Ms.  Skwarla,  she  was  told that the operation of a free
(donation optional) BBS was a "conflict  of  interest"  and  that  she  should
choose  between  her  BBSing or her job. She asked her supervisor, Radio Shack
District Manager Joseph Provenzano, just what options she had if  she  decided
not  to  discontinue  her supposedly conflicting activity. She claims that she
was told by Provenzano that she could be transferred  to  another  store,  one
approximately 35 miles away from her home. She asked if she was transferred if
she would receive a guaranteed number of hours due to the 70 mile round  trip.
Skwarla was reportedly told "no."

     Skwarla  believed  that  the order was a ridiculous one, and one in which
she would be a loser no matter what she decided to do. If  she  bowed  to  the
requests  of  her superiors, she gave away the right to do whatever she wanted
in her free time that Tandy Corporation might feel is also  in  conflict  with
the  interest  of the company. If she did not stop BBSing and was transferred,
it would have been very easy for her, working for minimum wage,  to  not  make
enough  money  to  cover  the  transportation  costs to the store she would be
transferred to if her hours were not guaranteed.

     Skwarla decided to hold her ground and not let  her  employer  tell  her
what  she  could  or  could  not  do  on her own personal time away from work.
According to Skwarla, in a formal press release made  later,  she  voiced  her
disagreement  with  Provenzano's decision and kept up her BBSing activity. The
week following her decision, her hours were reduced to 15. The following week,
her  hours  had been cut to eight and one-half. Then, according to Skwarla, on
May 27, she was informed that her services would no longer be required.

     To date and to my knowledge, there has been no  official  response  about
this  from anyone at Tandy Corporation or by Provenzano. What make all of this
seem strange is that John Roach,  CEO  and  Chairman  of  Tandy,  wrote  in  a
Tandy-published  corporate  publication  title  "Tandy  Trends" regarding "the
Right to Choose, the Right to Own, and the Right  to  Access  the  Information
Superhighway."  In  his  statement  in  the  publication,  he urged readers to
contact congressional offices to voice a negative opinion on a number of bills
being  introduced  into  Congress that he felt were potentially restrictive to
communication. Yet it is exactly that that has been done  by  Tandy  with  the
Skwarla case.

     While the reporting of this incident has been decidedly one-sided (due to
the lack of response by Tandy officials), it does not appear to be  the  first
time  that  a  Radio  Shack  employee  may  have  been  asked  to  discontinue
extracurricular activities while working for Tandy. Let us examine the case of
Tom Moore.

     Mr.  Moore  is a resident of Homosassa Springs, Florida, who, "many years
ago," decided that he wanted to apply for a job  at  the  local  Radio  Shack.
After  being  successfully  interviewed  and  hired  for employment, Moore was
presented with the obligatory pile of various federal,  state,  and  corporate
information forms to complete and sign. Along with the usual legal mumbo-jumbo
was a form that Moore thought was rather unusual.

     The form stated that should Moore produce "any  original  product"  while
employed  by  Radio  Shack  that  he  would be bound to turn over "any and all
rights  to  said  original  product  to  Radio  Shack,  a  division  of  Tandy
Corporation."  Moore asked just what "any original product" may be. After all,
that is a pretty broad sounding statement. Moore  was  told  that  this  could
range  from  the  software  that  he was writing for his Atari ST-based BBS (I
guess that WAS years ago...) to any song that he wrote for his  "garage  band"
that  might  one  day  make  it  big  someday,  both  of which he had casually
mentioned at his interview regarding his hobbies and interests.

     Moore says that he signed the form regardless because he needed  the  job
at  the  time.  He  also  says,  to  be  fair, that Radio Shack never did take
anything that he produced. He believed that this was  partly  because  of  the
fact  that nothing he did in his free time while made any measurable amount of
money for him, if any at all. However, Moore also admits to not  making  it  a
policy  to  discuss  his  leisure time activities whenever at work. Moore also
notes that his parting was amicable and that he has held  several  sales  jobs
since.

     In fairness, Tandy is not the only major corporation that has a policy of
this type. Policies such as claiming rights to any original  product  produced
by  employees  are  seen  mainly  as  a  safeguard  by  the  employer  against
development of a substantially profitable product conceived of  while  in  the
employ  of the company or corporation. While I can see the employer's point if
this concept was conceived of and developed while  "on  the  clock"  with  the
employer  and  therefore at the expense of the company, or with the use of any
equipment owned by the company, I believe that an employer should not have the
right  to  tell someone what he or she can or cannot do or have any right over
any successful product that is conceived or developed by an employee while  he
or she is not "on the clock."

     There  are  many  lines  of  work  where the employer can intrude upon an
employee while one their leisure time. Police  officers,  fire  fighters,  and
doctors  are  three high-profile ones. There are other employers that can tell
an employee what he or she cannot do on their own free  time.  An  example  of
this would  be  secret or government work  which  an  employee  is  instructed
not to discuss with certain people, if at all. In situations such as those,  I
believe  that  the  intrusion  is  acceptable.  However,  I fail to see how an
employer can seriously expect to be able to say that they want an employee  to
turn over rights to any original product that is not conceived, developed, and
marketed using company time, equipment, or resources.

     The fact that companies and corporations are  allowed  to  maintain  such
policies  shows  the  need for further attention to be given to this matter by
the proper authorities as well as by prospective employees of  companies  that
have  such policies. Employers should not be allowed to hold the rights to any
original product that an employee may make while not  on  "company  time"  and
without  using company resources and equipment to conceive, develop, or market
the product. This is called "free enterprise" and it is one of the ideals that
this country was founded on.

     Further,  employers  should not be able to dictate to an employee what he
or she can or cannot do with their leisure time while not at  work  that  does
not  harm or detract from the employer. An employer should not be able to tell
an employee that he or she cannot use a modem, or be a sysop, or  a  musician,
or  a  programmer  while  at  home,  in  their  own spare time. That is called
"freedom," and is another ideal that this country was founded on.

     In her press release, Rochelle Skwarla stated that she was  uncertain  if
she  was  going  to  take  legal action regarding her dismissal from her Radio
Shack job. Unfortunately, the release was dated in early June and I have  seen
nothing  since and do not know what, if anything, ever came out of the matter.
If she did decide to litigate, I wish her the best of luck with her case.

     Let these examples serve notice to all of those who currently hold or are
currently  seeking  jobs  with  major  corporations.  Read  what you sign. Ask
questions. If a policy is not clear, ask for a clarification. And, if it comes
down  to  it,  make  a decision about what is more important to you; your free
time and anything that you do with it, or your job.

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


                        ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ W W I V - S P E C I F I C ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


   ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
   ³ WWIV Utilities and Modification Review ³ by Papa Bear 1@5079
   ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

 NAME OF MOD/UTILITY BEING REVIEWED: StripIt
 AUTHOR'S NAME/HANDLE              : Starship Trooper / Matt Hucke
 VERSION NUMBER                    : 2.11
 VERSION DATE (.EXE date stamp)    : 05/26/94
 OVERALL SCORE                     : 9
   INSTALLATION                    : 9
   DOCUMENTATION                   : 9
   PRESENTATION                    : 10
   EASE OF USE                     : 8

     STATED  PURPOSE  OF  MOD/UTILITY: ------------------------------ Network2
preprocessor to remove ANSI, taglines, etc., from incoming  net  packets,  and
delete messages from specified users, of specified types. v2.11 is much faster
and features a full-screen, colorful appearance. Extremely configurable.

     REVIEWER'S PRO COMMENTS: ----------------------- Have you ever wanted  to
get rid of those annoying ANSI's, except on certain subboards. How about those
dweebs that place CTRL-G bell codes in the  taglines?  Speaking  of  taglines,
what about those "tags from hell"?

     Are  you  getting really obnoxious posts from a certain user out there in
modem-land? Tired of seeing WWIV instead of the proper WWIV?

     Me too. That's why I first got  this  program,  because  it  promised  to
"correct"  these  things  for  me,  and  a  whole  lot  more. And it did. Once
installed, it does it's work seamlessly during  network  packet  tossing.  You
need not do anything else, unless you want to change it later.

     The program excels at removing ANSI, bells, WWIV, taglines, from incoming
posts. It will also remove routing information from messages which  can  be  a
God-send  if  you  extract  a  lot of E-Mail and MODs like me. By doing all of
this, it saves disk space. Here's a short look at my logs for one day:

IceNET: Deleted 0 msgs ( 0b) ans=62 tag=30073 path=65900

WW4net: Deleted 0 msgs ( 0b) ans=1618 tag=23062 path=66614

WWIVlink: Deleted 0 msgs ( 0b) ans=0 tag=848 path=17242

     So just on these net connects, I've saved 205,479 bytes of disk space.  I
estimate  in  a  single  DAY, it approaches 1Mb. (8 nets -- multiple callouts)
30Mb a month of disk space saved from using this program.  Nothing  to  sneeze
at!

     This program will also let you filter out entire messages from any single
user on any net, a single node, or an entire network (even if gating in via  a
different network).

     REVIEWER'S  CON COMMENTS: ------------------------ The bad news? Well, it
configurability is also its downfall, in a way. Its so configurable as  to  be
confusing at times. It seems that unless you're a programmer, you'll not truly
understand some of the ways that it can be set up. The documentation can be  a
bit  cryptic at times. Especially for someone who doesn't RTFM as they should.
Even for a person like me, who reads docs for pleasure, I had  to  keep  going
over certain portions to truly understand what was going on.

     FINAL  THOUGHTS: --------------- If you host subboards, then you may want
to seriously consider this. If your skeptical of the  set  up  problems,  then
wait  a  while,  StarShip  Trooper  assures  me that upcoming versions will be
easier to deal with.

     REVIEW WRITTEN BY :  Papa  Bear  /  Tracy  L.  Baker  NET  ADDRESS(ES)  :
1@11579.ww4net, 1@5079.ice/tardis, 1@2.sexnet 1@11.nocalnet, 1@15061.WWIVlink,
1@5051.void  net();  1@10.qlink  REVIEWER'S  SYSTEM  :  386SX-33,  DRDOS  6.0,
DESQview 2.6, QEMM 7.0, WWIV 4.23 HEAP FREE @ //STAT : 271k

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


  ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
  ³ Dealing With Co-Sysops ³  by Will 1@6754
  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

     There  comes  a time, in the evolution of a BBS system, when the level of
work and maintenance that a sysop is required to do becomes a massive  drain
on the Sysop's time. As any experienced system operator will admit - there are
times when you need someone else to take some of the drudgery out of running a
BBS. That someone else, of course, is your Co-Sysop.

     Almost  every  Bulletin Board system I've ever called has had a Co-Sysop,
usually from the day it opened, or at least shortly thereafter.  However,  not
every  Co-Sysop  really  pulls  their  weight  around the system. While a good
Co-Sysop is a valuable tool to running a  BBS  without  suffering  from  Sysop
Burnout,  what  do you do if your Co is just taking up space, and enjoying the
status?

     When people have a problem with a Co-Sysop,  it  usually  starts  at  the
beginning  of the relationship. While it's of course possible for a previously
enthusiastic Co to simply loose interest in doing the job, at that point  they
generally  don't  have  too  many objections to retiring from the position and
allowing someone else to take their place. In  my  own  experience,  trouble's
most  likely to occur when you ask a personal friend to fill the office. While
there are many exceptions to this approach is not generally a good idea.  When
you're  friends  with your Co, you don't want to risk straining the friendship
by demoting him or her down to  normal  user  status,  or  appointing  another
Co-Sysop  to  "help  out."  I've  seen friendships fall when this does happen.
Usually, the urge to invite your friend of xx years,  who  you  introduced  to
BBSing,  is  quite  strong,  and many new Sysops fall victim to it, not really
analyzing how well their friend will actually be able to do the job, and  what
to do about it if he or she can't.

     Of  course,  knowing  your prospective Co-Sysop personally does have some
advantages. For instance, you know that they won't  try  anything  sneaky,  or
downright  malignant,  if  you  see them, and have the opportunity to throttle
them, every day of the week. You can get together locally, and you can usually
feel  much more secure about giving them higher access. And of course, not all
friends make bad Co-Sysops. Recently, I gave  two  friends  of  mine  Co-Sysop
access  while  I  was going to be out of the country for a few weeks. I closed
the BBS to new users (you don't, generally speaking, have to do  this  if  you
have a good Co who can validate the new accounts for you, but there had been
some stuff going on in the area, and I thought it wise), and the three  people
with  CoSysop  access  did an excellent job of keeping the BBS running at it's
normal level without any major snags of slowdowns at all.

     The best results I've had from a Co-Sysop,  however,  is  from  one  I've
never  met,  and  have  talked to voice perhaps three times. I'd also made the
mistake, when I first opened  a  BBS,  of  asking  a  good  friend  (whom  I'd
introduced  to  BBSing,  etc)  to be my CoSysop. In this case, it was probable
that NOT doing so would strain our friendship. When that came to it's  obvious
conclusion,  I went several months without an active Co-Sysop. However, I kept
my eye on various people on the system, and  found  one  who  knew  WWIV,  was
responsible,  and  could  write well. He'd been a user on the BBS for around a
year, and had been one of the first people  to  logon,  in  the  first  couple
months of the BBS' existence. I hired him.

     The  advantage  of  having  upgraded  a user to the Co-Sysop seat is that
there's no danger of recoil. While I've gotten to know him quite well  in  the
past  year  or  so,  and  certainly  like him, if for some reason I do need to
downgrade him from Co-Sysop status, I can do it without qualms. As  it  stands
right  now,  I  don't think I'm going to need to - he's done an excellent job,
headed off several potential crises while I've been  away  on  trips,  and  in
general taken a large amount of work off my hands.

     As  for  the  duties of a Co-Sysop, there's an amazing amount that can be
done. For instance, File Directories  tend,  with  time,  to  become  unsorted
jumbles.  I have one of my Co-Sysops sort them whenever they see a new upload,
and at the same time have them call  duplicates,  improve  descriptions,  etc.
Message  areas  can  also  use  some  assistance at times. I have my Co-Sysops
delete any offensive messages that they come across.

     Another case: I'd started a sub (Tradewars  Expert  Discussion),  that  I
personally  wasn't very interested in, but a user was. After that user left, I
was stuck with a popular networked message base that I didn't want to  network
validate  (but  the  sub  needed it, and had gained about sixty subscribers at
that point). In this case, I looked at who played Tradewars, and promoted  one
of  the  major players to Sub-Op status. This one spiraled out of control - he
went from Tradewars junkie to the Sysop of a very nice (and quite popular with
game players) board in it's own right.

     Of  course, a Co-Sysop is most useful when you can't be their to mind the
BBS itself. When the Sysop goes on a trip, for instance, the  BBS  will  grind
itself  to  a  halt if there isn't anyone to grease the wheels. You can easily
forward validation email to a Co-Sysop's account, and have him or  her  handle
network  validations,  questions,  user  disputes,  as  well.  I found a great
utility called "Connection Editor", by Wraith  Technologies,  that  allows  my
Co-Sysop  edit  CALLOUT.NET without shelling to DOS (the only downside is that
it requires revealing your Sysop password. Since all  my  sensitive  functions
have secondary passwords attached, and he doesn't have the 255 SL anyway, this
is not a major headache).

     Obviously, a Co-Sysop is a great person to have around, as long as you've
picked  the  right  one.  While there are exceptions to every rule, in life as
well as in BBSing, picking a good CoSysop can probably be regarded as  one  of
the  most  difficult  choices  that  a Sysop has to make. However, the risk is
almost definitely worth it, as a good Co-Sysop is something to hold onto.

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


                 ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ S O F T W A R E / P R O G R A M M I N G ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


  ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
  ³ Artificial Intelligence - Part Four  ³  by Louie 6@1
  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

     I would like to start this months article off with the  information  that
this  will  be the final installment of this series. I have tried to cover all
the major topics of Artificial Intelligence, though I am sure  that  I  missed
something someplace. I have spent a lot of time reading and preparing for each
installment and I have enjoyed writing them.

     Since this is the final piece in this series, I have a lot to cover. Much
of  what I cover this month is related to the Natural Language Processing that
I covered one month ago. Speech Recognition and Speech Understanding draw much
of  what  they  are  from  NLP.  I  will  also be covering Computer Vision and
Symbolic Processing. I touched on Symbolic Processing in passing in both parts
one and two of this series.


   SPEECH RECOGNITION

     A  lot of BBSers are regular viewers of "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
On that television program the ships computer talks to the crew, and the  crew
talks  to  the  computer. Keyboards and mice are not the primary input devices
for the computer.  Well,  that  is  pretty  much  the  great  goal  of  Speech
Recognition.

     The  goal  of  Natural  Language  Processing  was  to  have  the computer
understand the languages humans use, such as english. Well, the goal of Speech
Recognition  is  a  sub-set  of  the  NLP  goal.  SR  wants  to have computers
understand the spoken word of the people that use the computers.

     Ongoing research  is  thus  being  conducted  into  the  area  of  speech
recognition so that a computer can recognize the words that human beings speak
as well as, eventually, understand the words  as  well.  Through  enabling  a
computer to understand what we say, we can communicate with it more naturally,
simplify using it, give it instructions  faster,  free  our  hands  for  other
tasks, and access it remotely.

   Ease of Access - More  people can speak than can type.  So, if people could
                    just talk to the  computer rather  than type  to it,  that
                    will mean more people will be able to use computers.  This
                    would  be a major factor  in relieving some of the effects
                    of "Technophobia."

   Speed - People can speak faster than they can type.  So, having a  computer
           with  speech  recognition  would  increase  productivity   in   the
           workplace.

   Manual Freedom - There are many situations where people would find  it more
        useful to not have to type to  the  computer.  Such as,  for example,
        for me right at this moment.  I have  a few  references and a few note
        pads on my lap as I sit here writing this article.  It  would be  much
        easier for me to just dictate my article to the computer while sitting
        and reading some  references comfortably rather than very cramped like
        I am now.

   Remote Access -  This  already exists in some simple ways.  It is possible
        to  call  the computer voice (when the right equipment and software is
        used) and get e-mail via voice-mail systems now.

   Speech recognition  application  areas  range  from entertainment to office
   automation.

   APPROACHES TO SPEECH RECOGNITION

     Before  speech  can  be  analyzed by a computer it must be converted from
spoken sound into speech patterns. Due  to  differences  in  speakers  and  in
context  recognizing  speech  is  more than comparing words to a dictionary to
obtain their meanings. People  often  speak  poorly,  with  accents  that  are
difficult even for other people to understand, context problems, etc.

     Therefore,  the major efforts have been in Speaker-Dependent Recognition.
SDR has the user who will be using the equipment train the computer,  sort  of
speak.  The  user  sits  down  with  the  computer  program and has his or her
personal way of speaking words and phrases recorded by the computer itself.

     Speaker-Independent Recognition has been attempted, but it is really  not
very good. It only seems to work for limited domains of use.

   CONTEXT

     Three  approaches to handling words in different contexts are recognizing
isolated words, connected words and continuous speech.

     Isolated  Word  Recognition  (IWR)  -  This  is  a   system   that   uses
pattern-matching techniques to recognize words when they are spoken with short
pauses between each of them. This  "isolates"  each  of  the  words  and  thus
eliminates  many  of the problems in speech recognition that results when you
try to interpret sounds that all seem-to  run  together.  Systems  using  this
approach have been in use for about 25 years now.

     Connected Word Recognition (CWR) - This is a system designed to recognize
words spoken in normal  context  without  any  pauses  between  words.  Pauses
between  words are often blurred, so this type of system ignores the existence
of pauses and analyzes the whole of what  is  spoken  to  the  computer.  CWR
requires very sophisticated techniques, so it is not used much in practice.

     Continuous  Speech  Recognition  (CSR)  -  This  system  is  designed  to
understand speech in typical conversations or normal length. It must cope with
all  the  problems that CWR contends with, plus having to keep "real time" and
process speech quick  enough  to  keep  up  with  the  rapid  pace  of  normal
conversations.

     CSR   will  probably  be  the  system  used  in  the  future  for  speech
recognition, but for now most systems are IWR with a few CWR systems  used  as
well.

   ANALYZING SPEECH

     To  help  analyze  speech  signal  patterns,  words  can  be  broken into
sylla-bles, phonemes, or allophones.

     Syllables - Due to the number of  syllables  in  the  language,  syllable
identification is more difficult in English than in, say, Japanese. A syllable
includes a vowel  and  the  surrounding  consonants  that  are all  pronounced
together. An individual syllable often can be isolated by analyzing the stress
patterns in a speech signal.

     Phonemes - Words can be broken down in to all  their  individual  sounds
called  phonemes.  A  phoneme is the sound of a individual consonant or vowel.
These can signal letters, but they can also be letter  combinations  that  are
pronounced differently than the letters that make them up, for example, th.

     Allophones - In normal fluent speech, the pronunciation of each phoneme is
influenced strongly by context. In other words, letters  that  are  pronounced
differently depending on the words they are in.

   SPEECH UNDERSTANDING

     For  computers  to  understand  speech,  it  must  select the most likely
meaning of what had been said from several possible  interpretations.  Several
techniques are used to make the selection. The method most commonly used is to
develop several possible interpretations and then use  various  techniques  to
select  the  most  plausible  one.  Some  of  the  techniques  used for speech
understanding are similar to those used for  natural  language  understanding;
analyses  of  syntax,  semantics, and pragmatics may reveal that some possible
interpretations are more likely  than  others.  Stress  patterns  may  provide
additional clues that are unavailable in written language.

     Island  Driving  -  This is a technique that selects words that were most
likely to have been interpreted correctly and then connect the  "word  islands"
by  selecting  interpretations  for  the  remaining  words in context with the
islands.


   COMPUTER VISION

     How do people understand what they see? Vision is something that is  only
dimly  understand, even in people. We see the light waves in much the same way
that we hear sound waves. It is processing the light waves that is  difficult,
though.  Developing  computers with vision is considered to be one of the most
challenging areas of Artificial Intelligence research.

   ANALYZING VISUAL CLUES

     Visual images have been stored on computers since the 1950's, even before
it  entered  the  AI  field.  Images  can be stored as a matrix of dots called
pixels. FILENAME.GIF files are common in the BBS world. But Gifs are  not  AI.
Having the computer know what is in the GIF is AI.

     AI  techniques  must  be  used  to  analyze  and interpret what is in the
digitized image. Computer vision systems looked  for  "clues"  that  may  help
determine  what  the  various  features of the image are. Clues looked for are
colors, depth, texture and motion.

     Color - Patterns of color can help to identify the features  of  objects.
An  analysis  of  color can provide clues in the areas of hue, saturation, and
intensity. In some systems, an image is  divided  into  three  separate  color
images  - red, green and blue - each of which are analyzed separately and then
compared to one another for additional clues.

     Depth - We perceive depth through  a  process  called  binocular  vision,
which  is possible because we have two eyes. Each eye receives an image that
is a little different from the other and our  brains  then  analyze  the  two
images  to  give  us  information about relative distances we are from various
objects. Computer Systems using a similar approach have been made.

     Texture - The surface of every object has its texture. Changes in texture
may  be  indicated  by variations in color and, if the texture is sufficiently
coarse, depth; changes may help to identify surfaces of objects.

     Motion - Additional clues to the nature of  objects  captured  by  visual
images  can  be  provided by the motion of either the camera or the objects. A
mobile camera capturing a series of images provides information about the same
objects  from  various  points  of view; such information can then be analyzed
using methods similar to those used to interpret binocular information. If one
or  more  objects  in an image are in motion, a series of images captures by a
stationary camera can be  used  to  help  separate  the  foreground  from  the
background and to offer clues about certain features of each.

   INTERPRETING VISUAL IMAGES

     Once  a  digitized  image has been analyzed, the hard part of identifying
the components of the image begins. The two methods that show the most promise
are edge detection and model-based vision.

     Edge  Detection  - In Edge Detection, a computer needs to determine where
an object's edges are order to identify it, however, various factors  make  it
hard to recognize the edges. These factors include the following:

   Some edges are not entirely distinct, and actually may be blurred.
   Some objects contain more than one color and boundaries of the change
   in color may be very distinct to almost make it appear as more than one
   object.

   Shadows can cause changes in shading.
   An object may include different planes at various angles to the
   camera.  Each plane may reflect a different shading depending on the
   direction and strength of the light source.
   All edges of an object might not be visible.

     Although  these  considerations make it difficult for a computer to find
edges, they actually can make it easier for a computer to find lines. And this
allows  for some systems to not worry about the edge problem because lines can
be made to stand out more for some work in industrial settings.

     Model-Based Vision - In model-based vision systems, the computer may  use
templates  or descriptions of features to identify an object. It has proven to
be effective in limited  domains  where  the  vision  system  is  expected  to
recognize a limited number of different objects.

     Vision is something computers have been constructed to do with better and
better results each few years. They are not perfect yet, but they  are  coming
along nicely.

     Well, that is all I am qualified to talk about with regards to Artificial
Intelligence. One topic that I did not talk about was Neural Networks. I don't
know  enough  about that new and growing sub-field of AI to speak on it in any
sort of an intelligent manner.

     There were a lot of other topics  that  are  included  in  the  field  of
Artificial  Intelligence  as  well. I was trying to present an overview of the
field for a layman. This was not, nor should anybody try  to  use  it  as,  an
attempt to cover anything in-depth.

     If  you  wish  to  learn  more  about the field I suggest the books in my
bibliography.  I  would  say  that  the  two  best  there  for  a  layman  are
Understanding   Artificial  Intelligence  and  AI:The  Tumultuous  History  of
Artificial Intelligence. The other sources listed are mainly  of  a  technical
nature.

     After  a suitable length of time I may come back with some more technical
articles about AI. Mainly programming AI-like things in C or C++. But that  is
a big maybe at this point. So, don't count on it.

    Understanding Artificial Intelligence; 1988  by Henry C. Mishkoff;
         Howard W Sams.

    Artificial Intelligence... Using C; 1987 by Herbert Schildt;
         Osborne McGraw-Hill.

    The Computer Glossary: The Complete Desk Reference; 1991 by Alan
         Freedman; AmaCom.

    Using Turbo Prolog; 1988 by Kelly M. Rich & Phillip R. Robinson;
         Borland-Osborne McGraw-Hill.

    I, Robot; 1950 by Isaac Asimov; Del Rey.

    Asimov On Science; 1989 by Isaac Asimov; Pinnacle.
         essays entitled "Thinking About Thinking" and
                         "More Thinking About Thinking".

    AI: The Tumultuous History of the Search for Artificial Intelligence;
         1993 by Daniel Crevier; BasicBooks.

    LISP: An Interactive Approach; 1986 by Stuart C. Shapiro;
         Computer Science Press.

    XLISP: An Experimental Object-Oriented Langauge; 1986 by David M. Betz;
         Documentation with program.

    PC-LISP User Manual; 1987 by Peter Ashwood-Smith; Documentation with
         program.

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


   ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
   ³ Automod : Fast Mod Installation ³ by The Regulator 1@6906
   ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

  [Editor's Note by Papa Bear]

     Automod has the potential of becoming one of the most important tools for
modifying WWIV since the introduction of WWIV itself.
     However, at this time,  Automod  does  have  some  shortcomings  in  this
Editor's   eyes.  While  it  should  work  virtually  flawlessly  with  virgin
(unmodded) or near-virgin source code, it does  have  some  problems  handling
heavily  modified  BBSes.  It has also been reported that trying to modify the
BBS manually from Automod's MFF file can be difficult.
     Here at IceNEWS, we wanted to let you know about this new development  in
WWIV  modding  early on in its development. While the technology here is still
in its infancy, we deem it important enough to give it a close  look  in  this
month's IceNEWS.
     If  we  support the author in his efforts to develop this program, we can
all rest assured that it will only improve in  the  future.  It  may  even  be
possible  for  Automod to evolve into an utility that will successfully handle
*any* source code, no matter what level of modification a particular  BBS  has
reached.

----------------------------------

* Introduction to Automod

     WWIV  is a popular BBS software package among people who are dedicated to
their BBSes. Sysops spend large amounts of time editing their WWIV source code
with their favorite text editor, inserting pieces of code into their BBSes and
testing the results. These results are sometimes good. However, all too  often
source  modifications  can  render  a  BBS  useless  by  virtue of mistakes in
modding.

* Function of Automod

     The goal of a  new  shareware  program  that  I  have  developed,  called
Automod,  is  to make modifying a WWIV BBS as simple as typing a command line.
The program does the following. For input, Automod takes the  name  of  a  Mod
File  Format (MFF) file. For output, Automod backs up affected BBS source code
files to the filename *.OLD, and modifies your existing source code, based  on
the  instructions  in an MFF file. This process replaces the old cut-and-paste
text editor method that has been in use since WWIV first came out.

* Top 5 Automod Features

  1. Effective on already-modified source code.
  2. Fast and easy to use (especially for the sysop).
  3. Automatically backs up your source to *.OLD.
  4. AUTOMOD sub for support and MFF files.
  5. Support programs MFFEdit/MFFView/MFFMake.

* Automod Support

     A sub has been set up for MFF files to be distributed,  questions  to  be
asked  about  Automod,  and  information  to be given out. This sub is subtype
AUTOMOD on WWIVnet, ExpressNet, and IceNET.

     For the latest copy of Automod, phone  (609)  730-1656  V.32bis.  If  you
would like me to upload Automod to your [ASV/GSA] BBS, email WWIVnet 1@10219.

* Shareware Costs

     Registration  is  $20  for Automod, $20 for MFFEdit/Windows. The MFF file
utilities are Freeware.

* MFF File Utilities

     Three support utilities have also been developed, named MFFMake, MFFView,
and  MFFEdit.  MFFMake  is a simple, command-line utility to create MFF files,
MFFView is a command line  utility  to  view  MFF  files,  and  MFFEdit  is  a
fully-fledged  Windows  graphical  MFF file editor for serious mod authors who
want to release their mods in MFF.

* Development Cycle of an MFF mod

The full development cycle of an MFF mod is as follows:

1. The mod author develops an idea, and writes code, marking it with comments
   if he/she so chooses.

2. The mod author uses MFFEdit or MFFMake to create an MFF file which
   contains only the lines of source that need changing, and the
   instructions for Automod on how to change them.

3. The MFF file (usually smaller than an equally-functional text file) is
   UUencoded and distributed on the Automod sub (see below).

4. The MFF file is UUdecoded from the Automod sub by a sysop, and
   processed by Automod.  The mod author's changes are incorporated into
   the sysop's source code exactly as the author of the mod intended, plus
   the sysop can make additional changes, if desired.

* Automod Pitfalls

     The mechanism that  Automod  modifies  your  BBS  is  by  searching  for
keywords  in  the  line  immediately preceding lines to be deleted, added, or
changed in the previously unmodded source. If Automod  cannot  find  the  line
(most likely because of conflicting mods) it will abort with an error message,
and you will have to copy your *.OLD file over the source code  that  changed.
In this case, MFFView can be used to manually mod your BBS.

     Supporting  MFF  files  is  the  same  amount  of work for the mod author
because he/she only has to worry about the mod itself,  not  the  instructions
for  a  human. However, the mod author has to analyze the changes that Automod
will make to the sysop's source, and "debug" the MFF file.

* Automod Internals

     Automod and all of its companion programs were developed used Borland C++
4  and  its  advanced  features.  If  anything  goes  awry in the execution of
Automod, MFFEdit, MFFMake, or MFFView, the application throws a C++ exception,
and  an  error  handler  takes over execution, notifying the user, and in most
instances, exiting Automod. This can happen when you run a "bad" MFF file,  or
if a file is not found on disk.

     Automod  works by searching for keywords in source code that occur before
a line is changed.  This  allows  Automod  to  work  on  very  modified  code,
independent of line numbers in the source.

     MFFEdit is a fully functional Windows MFF file editor that was written in
C++ with the ObjectWindows (OWL)  classes  from  Borland.  OWL  makes  program
development in Windows fast and gives professional results.

* Comparison of Automod Process vs. Conventional Process In a Typical Mod

1. Concept

(both): The mod author comes up with an idea for modifying WWIV.

2. Coding

     (old):  The  mod author writes his code, inserting it into the source. At
the same time, he/she writes a text file, containing a duplicate copy  of  the
code and instructions for the sysop.

     (mff):  The mod author writes his/her code, inserting it into the source,
while documenting his/her changes in MFFEdit, a  Windows-based  GUI  MFF  file
editor.

3. Testing

     (old):  The  mod  author  tests  the  code  in place, making changes, and
updating his/her MOD text file at the same time.

     (mff): The mod author unzips a fresh copy  of  the  source  into  another
directory,  and "runs" his/her MFF file on it. Then he/she compiles it. Errors
are caught cleanly by the compiler, and changes can be made to  the  MFF  file
using  MFFEdit.  Once  the  MFF file is "debugged", the chances of your target
audience having problems with your mod are almost nil.

4. Release

(old): The text file is posted on the ModNet, and distributed.

(mff): The MFF file is UUencoded and posted on the Automod sub.

5. Use

     (old): WWIV sysops extract your modfile out, and with an  editor  capable
of  handling  more  than  one  document,  go through a painful and error-prone
process of cut-and-paste with your mod, often making time-consuming mistakes.

     (mff): WWIV sysops extract your MFF file, UUdecode it, and run Automod on
it. All it takes is one command line.

* MFFEdit in Detail

     The  utility  that  is  most useful for creating and editing MFF files is
Windows-based MFFEdit. MFFEdit is an  easy-to-use  application  that  displays
your  MFF  file in a graphical, "tree" format in the window. At the top of the
window is the menu bar, and button bar for quick access to  commands.  MFFEdit
has  a  friendly  user-interface,  with a hint bar at the bottom of the window
that describes commands when they are selected.

     When MFFEdit is first started, it displays a yellow  folder  in  the  top
left  corner  of  the  window,  with  the words "Untitled" in the folder. This
folder represents your MFF file. Double-click the folder, or press the  modify
button  on  the  button  bar,  and  a  dialog  box  pops  up, letting you edit
attributes of the MFF file such as the mod author, difficulty (wo/Automod), an
abstract,  and  WWIV version number. Once you have input the data, you might
want to save your MFF file using the File menu, just like a  standard  Windows
program.

     Once  you have saved your file, press the "Add" button, or the insert key
on your keyboard, and a file icon attaches itself to  the  folder  icon.  This
file  icon  represents  a WWIV source code module to be modified. Double click
the file icon, and a different dialog box pops up, asking you the name of  the
file  to  be  modified, without path. Input the filename, and close the dialog
box.


     To add commands to the file, press the "Add" button  when  you  have  the
file  selected.  A  yellow  arrow  attaches  itself  to  the  file icon, which
represents a command. Press the "Add" button again, and  a  red  box  attaches
itself  to  the command, representing a param[eter] to that command. Now, edit
the command by double clicking on  it;  and  you  have  the  choice  of  which
function  to use for that command. The functions are add, del, repl, and iend.
The MFFEdit documentation describes these functions and their effects on  your
source  code  in  detail. For now, choose the add command and type in a search
key in the search field of the dialog box. This search  field  should  contain
the  text  in  the source code line before that which should be modified. Each
param off of the add command is pasted into the source code after  that  line.
You can add more than one line of source code by adding more than one param to
each command. There are a few restrictions - MFF files will exit with an error
if  there  are  commands  in a file after an i[nsert]end command, and del[ete]
commands' params are ignored.

     To registered  users,  a  printed  MFF  documentation  is  provided  that
describes  MFF  files in detail. In the Automod distribution package, a readme
file is provided that summarizes the MFF format.

     The beginner may find it very helpful to open up others  MFF  files  with
MFFEdit and look at them, in order to learn more about the format.

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


  ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
  ³ IBM Press Release on "Warp" ³  by Will 1@6754
  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

     AUSTIN,  Texas, Aug. 9, 1994 ... IBM today announced that its second beta
release for the next version of OS/2*, code-named "Warp,"  will  be  available
next week. The second beta release offers more productivity enhancing features
and a BonusPak with applications in a fast, fun, and easy-to-use  environment.
The  first beta cycle tested performance enhancements and IBM's new PlayAtWill
capability.

     Designed for business, mobile and home PC users, Warp Beta 2 combines the
maturity  of  the  OS/2  32-bit  operating  environment  with new features for
mobility and quick productivity,  such  as  simplified  installation,  reduced
memory requirements, a floating tool bar, animated icons and a more responsive
user interface.

     The Warp Beta 2 comes  with  an  applications  "BonusPak."  The  BonusPak
includes    a    suite   of   productivity   applications,   including   IBM's
Person-to-Person real-time conferencing software,  and  integrated  access  to
online  services. IBM is making Warp Beta 2 widely available to users who want
to subscribe by ordering from IBM's 800 number or by downloading the  software
from CompuServe.

     "Warp is loaded with value and is a high performer on notebook PCs, which
will broaden OS/2's market appeal to mobile corporate users, small  businesses
and  home  offices,"  said  Wally  Casey,  director of marketing, IBM Personal
Software Products division. "With Warp, Windows users will be more  productive
and current OS/2 users will love the speed and usability improvements."

Customer-Driven Usability

Warp Beta 2 features numerous usability enhancements, including:

     *  Easy  Installation  -- At set-up, users select "easy install" and OS/2
automatically handles the complete installation, identifying the hardware  and
configuring  it  to  meet  specifications.  Experienced  users  can  select an
advanced install that provides customization ability.

     * New Look & Feel -- In Beta 2, the user  interface,  or  OS/2  Workplace
Shell,  features  new  colorful  animated  3-D icons. For example, an animated
folder icon confirms visually the status of a folder.  When  a  user  opens  a
folder,  the icon opens to show it's active. Updated color and scheme palettes
allow users to customize their desktops.

     * OS/2 LaunchPad -- Incorporating the principles of a floating tool  bar,
"LaunchPad"  provides  users  with  single-click  access  to the applications,
folders, printers or other objects they use most.

     * Improved Usability -- A new, graphical tutorial  designed  for  new  or
advanced  users  makes it easier than ever to learn OS/2's capabilities. A new
comet cursor was created for mobile users. It leaves a "comet"  trail,  making
it  easy  to  track cursor movement, particularly on LCD screens. More pointer
sets allow for cursor enlargement, choice of styles and color selection. Other
significant  improvements  have been made in screen response time, command and
window processing and application load time already featured in Beta 1.

     * PlayAtWill --  A  new  PCMCIA  software  utility,  called  PlayAtWill*,
provides   plug-and-play   capabilities   today.   The  utility  automatically
identifies the type  of  PCMCIA  cards  installed,  including  communications,
modem,  memory,  hard  disk and I/O cards, and provides a convenient graphical
status on the desktop.

BonusPak Applications

     The Person-to-Person capabilities in the BonusPak include whiteboard data
sharing,  with  multi-user  annotation  so  that  up to eight people can share
images, text, graphics and application window contents  in  real  time,  using
different protocols.

     The  new  OS/2  version  will  support  Windows  ** 3.1, Windows 3.11 and
Windows for Workgroups** 3.x base function on Intel 386  and  later  machines.
Users  interested  in participating in the Warp Beta 2 program can either call
800-251-2177 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST) for  a  CD-ROM  or  diskette  version  for
$14.95  plus  tax.  IBM is offering the diskette version for the same price to
encourage beta users to verify the new  compression  scheme.  Users  can  also
download  the beta code from CompuServe's IBM OS/2 FORUM Library (GO OS/2BETA)
and the IBM OS2BBS (OS2PERF2).

     * Indicates trademark or registered trademark of  International  Business
Machines  Corporation  **  Indicates  trademark  or  registered  trademark  of
Microsoft Corporation

----------------------

     Look for a full article on Beta 2 (Warp) in the next edition of IceNEWS.

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


                           ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ L I T E   B Y T E S ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ


   ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
   ³ BBS Acronyms & Emoticons in Cyberspace! ³ By Papa Bear 1@5079
   ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

     As we travel down that rosy bit-stream, we often come across many strange
"words".  These  are  not ordinary words however, since these very rarely have
any form that is easily pronounced by humans.

     These "words" are actually acronyms. Foreshortening of real a  real  word
or combination of words intending to make the typing faster, the load lighter,
and the message length shorter.

     Also  seen  in  BBS  land  are  combinations  of  letter  and  non-letter
characters  that  are used to more accurately express our emotions in a medium
where facial expressions and body gestures are useless.

     So, without further ado here is a listing that I've  compiled  that  will
explain  quite  a  few  of  these things -- and hopefully entertain you in the
process!

     ACRONYMS 

B4N Bye for Now                         BAD Broken As Designed       
BRB Be Right Back                       BBR  Burnt Beyond Repair    
BRS Big Red Switch                      BTA But Then Again 
BTW By The Way                          BWQ Buzz Word Quotient       
CIS Compuserve                          CU  See you                 
CUL8R See you Later                     D/L Download 
DTRT Do The Right Thing                 DWIMC Do What I Mean, Correctly 
ETLA Extended Three  Letter Acronym     FISH First In, Still Here 
FOAF  Friend  Of  A  Friend             FUBAR Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition
FURTB Full Up Ready To Burst            FWIW  For  What  It's Worth  
FYI  For Your Information               GDW Grin, Duck and Weave 
GFR Grim File Reaper                    GIGO Garbage  in,  Garbage  Out  
GIGO  Garbage  In, Gospel  Out          GLGH Good Luck and Good Hunting 
GR&D Grinning, Running, and Ducking     IAE  In  Any  Event  
IMAO  In  My Arrogant  Opinion          IMHO  In  My  Humble Opinion 
IMO In My Opinion                       IOW In Other Words 
IWBNI It Would Be Nice If               IYFEG Insert Your Favourite Ethnic Group  
MLA Multiple  Letter  Acronym           MOTAS Member Of The Appropriate Sex 
MOTOS Member Of The Opposite Sex        OTOH  On The Other Hand 
PITA Pain In The A--                    PLOKTA Press Lots Of Keys To Abort 
POSSLQ Person of Opposite Sex Sharing Living Quarters  
PMFBI  Pardon  Me For  Butting  In      ROFL Rolling On Floor Laughing 
RPG Role Playing Games                  RSN Real Soon  Now  
RTFM  Read The F---ing Manual/Message   SFLA Stupid Four Letter Acronym 
SMOP Small Matter Of Programming        SNAFU Situation Normal, All Fouled Up  SO  Significant  Other
SWMBO She Who Must Be Obeyed            TAFN Thats All For Now 
TANSTAAFL There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch 
TDM Too Damn Many                       TGIF Thank  God  Its  Friday  
TIA Thanks  In Advance                  TLA Three Letter Acronym  
TTL4N Thats The Lot for Now             TTFN Ta Ta For Now 
UL or U/L Upload, send to the BBS       WIMP Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pointing 
WOFTAM Waste Of F---ing Time And Money  WYSBYGI What You See Before You Get It  
WYSIWYG  What You See Is What You Get   YABA Yet Another Bloody Acronym 
SYSOP System Operator 

       EMOTICONS

<G> Big grin              <EG> Evil grin               <sigh> self-explanitory 
:) a smile                ;)  a wink                   :0  surprise  
:( frown                  :-) Big smiley face          (@@) You're kidding! 
:-)  Humor                :-( Unhappy                  :<) Hairy lips 
:<)= For those w/ beards  :/) Not funny                '-) Wink 
P-)  Wink                 :@)  A  pig                  :-" Pursing  lips 
:-O  Still more shouting  : ) A leper                  :-# Censored 
:-x Kiss, kiss            :-( Unhappy                  :-c  Really  Unhappy  
:-<  Forlorn              :-C  Unbelieving (jaw drop)  :-|  Disgusted  
<:>==  A  turkey          :-):-):-)  Loud  guffaw,     :-J  Tongue-in-cheek 
:*) Clowning around       :-0 "Oh noooooooo!"          |-( Late night message 
(:-$ Ill                  (:-& Angry                   (:-( Very sad 
(:<)  Blabber  mouth      @%&$%& Cartoon swearing      ||*(  Handshake offered
||*) Handshake  accepted  <&&>  Rubber chickens        2B|^2B About Shakespeare
(-_-) Secret smile        (:-..Heart-breaking message  (0-< A fishy message 
(:>-< Hands up!           {' Alfred Hitchcock          @>--->--- A rose 
---...S.O.S.              +-:-) User is the Pope or some religious officer 
|-I User is asleep        %-6 User is braindead        (:I User is an egghead
<:-I  User  is  a dunce   :-: Mutant Smilie            X-( User just died 
8 :-) User is a wizard,   :(  Sad                      :[  Real Downer  
:,(  Crying               [] Hugs                      :* Kisses 
[:*:*] Hugs & Kisses      |^o Snoring      

     These emoticons are particularly used by the Japanese  but  there  is  no
reason why these should not be used worldwide.....

^^ happiness ^^; embarrassment ;; sadness -- when it's the occasion to bow

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


   ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
   ³ "WWIVKhan" : A Satire of WWIVCon ³ by Louie 6@1
   ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

     WWIV KHAN!

                       Doom!  Doom!  Doom!  Doom!
                       Duh!   Duh!   Duh!   Duh!

     You  have  just now entered an area soundblasters and monitors. Keyboards
and Putziods. Morons and Modems! You have entered the IceNEWS Zone! Be afraid,
be very afraid!

     This  is  a  story  of  a national wide bbs event. This is the story of a
massive sysop meeting from hell. This is the story of the great WWIV Khan!

      Three large "things" were standing bravely in the airport staring
straight ahead.  They all looked vaguely constipated.

     "What time is it now, Parapuke?" JAFO asked.

     "Dammit, JAFO - thats the 13th time you've asked that in six minutes" Dr.
Diversity complained. Parapuke looked at his watch and said in a dull monotone
voice "The time at the beep will be 6:41 PM. BEEP!"

     These three weirdos were standing alone in the airport. Nobody  had  come
near  them since JAFO killed and ate that Hare Krisnia that tried to give them
a flower at the door. In fact, many had run screaming from the terminal  after
that  little  incident.  Almost  nobody  noticed  that Parapuke wasn't wearing
pants. This made Parapuke feel very unloved.

     Just then, the ones they had been  waiting  for  came  walking  down  the
runway. It was two bearded individuals in tight fitting silk suits and wearing
pocket protectors. The only real difference between the two was one beard  was
slightly more trimmed while the other's was quite long. Well, the one with the
trimmed beard was wearing a beanie cap too. They kind  of  vaguely  resembled
ZZ-Top turned into weird insurance salesman, almost.

     Parapuke  comments  "We  have been sent to greet you, Oh Great Ones". The
one with the longer beard said "Hi, I'm Random and this is Filo."  The  others
beanie  cap  started  to spin angryly and he shouted "No, you're Filo and I'm
Random".

    "Oh yeah! I always get us mixed up.  Sorry, Filo!" said Filo.

    "And you thought I was nutzo, Dr. Diversity" JAFO said.

     Just then, back at Central Command at the Hotel, a Red Pickup  truck  was
just  pulling  into  the  parking lot. All of a sudden the passenger side door
flung open and Special Agent Dude broke from the truck screaming "I don't care
if you think O.J. is secretly covering for Elvis or not!"

     Then  a  large  vaguely  human  figure  emerged from the drivers side and
june belly bounced into the Hotel lobby.

     Linwood Davis looked up from his desk, sick of the prank phone calls from
Deanna  and  Midnight  Tree  Bandit  asking  if he had Prince Albert in a disk
carrying case. Linwood angryly slammed the phone down once again wondering why
he had fallen for the same dumb joke 17 times in four minutes.

     He glanced up at the large figure and said "Who the heck are you?"

     "I'm  Jim    Nunn  of IceNET, the large multi-dimensional food processing
company and part-time BBS network coordinator!" responded Jim  .

     "Oh my, NC!" Mr Davis mumbled to one in particular.

     "You got that right!" Jim   said.

      THE ICEKHAN HAS COMMETH!!

     That night everybody was just kind of settling in.  Well,  settling  in
for  BBSers  is  kind of different. Folks were running naked thru the hallways
shouting that their modem configuration was better than anyone   elses.   Fist
fights  broke  out  over  weather  Pkzip  or  Macaffe SCAN were better utility
programs. IceNEWS reporters hanging around the hallways  to  see  when  people
would leave their rooms so they could rob them blind. You know, weird stuff.

     The  entire  2.5  day  affair  had  many  highlights. Some of the best are
reported here:

     Snake passing by a door and seeing blood seeping out from under the  door
raised  a fuss for a brief time until Wild Munkin pointed out that there was a
WWIVlink Guidelines Meeting going on in there. That explained everything.

     Walking Man and Linwood Davis got lost when they went  out  for  a  walk.
They  have  not  been  seen since. Reports have emerged from the former Soviet
Union about somebody stealing Nuclear weapons in order to  "destroy  the  evil
FidoNet."  The IceNEWS Staff is sure that those reports confirm that WM and LD
are still alive. How well they are is still open to argument though.

     The great "My Handle is better than your  Handle"  debates.  Things  were
finally  settled  when everybody agreed that Will (1@6754) had a better handle
than Chris (1@2914).

     Lorelei and Seafox, and Red Silver and Sky explaining the "Joys  for  BBS
Love"  for  a  half  hour, quickly replaced by the "How to Delete the Ones you
Love" screaming match.

     Random, Jim Wire, and Tolkien giving a demonstration of a 256  line  WWIV
board  running on an 8088 machine that moves along at blindly fast speeds with
no noticeable delays.

     "Yup," said Tolkien, "we didn't let Random write any of the code."

     The IceNEWS Staff accepting their award for "Best Electronic News Journal
in  WWIVland".  Each  of  us  editors gave a stirring speech about the joys of
working for and writing for IceNEWS. Ima Moron and Papa Bear's  speeches  were
the  best  of  the  bunch.  "Thank you for this fine award" was all they said.
Great writing, guys!

     In conparison to Deacon Blues 17 hour speech thanking everybody  he  had
ever  known...  What?  You  believed  that BS story Will gave you about Deacon
resigning? That ain't true. He is still in New Orleans giving  his  acceptance
speech.

     Jim    and  Random  doing  their  Dancing Bears Routine. Jim   and Random
wearing  bear  costumes  and  running   around   on   roller   skates.   Great
entertainment.  Of  course  they  both broke both their legs. Doctors say they
will not be able to do the same act again next year. Well, I guess we do  have
proof of a deities existence right there.

     Well,  that  is  all  of  the highlights of WWIV Khan '94 in New Orleans.
Everything in this story is a lie, the whole lie and nothing but a lie. If you
didn't  like  our  making  fun  of you or somebody else... well, tough. If you
thought we should have made fun of somebody else... tell us  what  to  put  in
next year to really get their goats.

     BTW,  if  we  made  fun of you in this installment... You can't have your
goat back. The IceNEWS Staff already ate it.

     And always remember, :-) hehehehehe It's a joke boys and girls.  Put  the
guns down! **BAMB**.... Hey, that hurt Filo!

      "I'm not Filo, I'm Random!"  . . . . .

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


  ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
  ³ Silly Strings                 ³ by Ima Moron 1@9661
  ³ From IceNET Sysops Everywhere ³ Lite Bytes Editor
  ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

     Tagline  raid!  My cronies and I in Redding have raided the PCBoard BBSs
for new tag material. I've stated this before, there isn't a tagline  I  won't
steal.  The  victim  this  week  is Edison's Star BBS where the sysop is Randy
Noseworthy. Just remember Randy, you gave me the access!


  From: Ed Brewer on Edison's Star BBS (PCBoard)
  I'm not a programmer, but I play one with a TV remote....

  From: Randy Noseworthy on Edison's Star BBS (PCBoard)
  Congress.sys corrupted, REBOOT Washington D.C. (Y/N)?

  From: Barry Martin on Edison's Star BBS (PCBoard)
  Every family tree has it's sap!

  From: Frank Caltabiano on Edison's Star BBS (PCBoard)
  I live so far out in the country that my zip code is EIEI-O!

  From: Daryl Stagner on Edison's Star BBS (PCBoard)
  Friction can be a drag sometimes...

    ÄÄÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÄÄ


           ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿
ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ T H E  I C E N E W S  J O U R N A L  O F F I C I A L ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
           ³         W R I T E R ' S  G U I D E L I N E S         ³
           ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ

                                 ------------
                                 INTRODUCTION
                                 ------------

     This  text  was  written  to  aid  those  who wish to submit writings for
publication in the IceNEWS Journal,  the  monthly  electronic  publication  of
IceNET.  This  text  contains  an  overview  of  IceNEWS itself, its goals and
objectives as a publication, and describes what is acceptable  for  submission
to the Journal for publication in any given issue.

     This  text  also  explains  what to do when you are ready to send in your
writings for consideration, what format should be used in your submission, and
where  it  should  be sent. Information regarding requirements for joining the
IceNEWS staff is also included.

                                   --------
                                   OVERVIEW
                                   --------

     IceNEWS was created by Jim, 1@1, in September of 1992. Then IceNET  News,
it was designed to be a place where sysops of IceNET could have their writings
published for others to read in an electronic network-wide newsletter. As with
all  things,  IceNET News evolved over time, becoming IceNEWS and shedding the
"newsletter" image to become a "journal" covering the world of WWIV  sysoping,
WWIV BBSing, and WWIV networking.

     Above  all  else,  the  main  goal  of  IceNEWS  has  remained unchanged
throughout the metamorphosis. That goal is to provide the readers  of  IceNEWS
with  _the  best_  in  useful  and  pertinent  news,  information,  tips,  and
entertainment that the world of WWIV has to offer. If the editors and  writers
of  IceNEWS  can  leave  readers feeling informed, enlightened, or entertained
after they have read an issue, then the editors and writers  have  done  their
jobs.  It is my personal belief that each story published in IceNEWS must meet
one of the above objectives in order to be considered for publication.

                          -------------------------
                          WHO CAN WRITE FOR ICENEWS
                          -------------------------

     IceNEWS has an open submission policy, meaning any person who desires  to
submit a piece for publication may do so with the following conditions:

        1.)  The author is able to contact any current IceNEWS editor to
             tender their submission and will remain available to make
             revisions to the piece if requested by the editor.

        2.)  The person submitting the piece is the ORIGINAL author of the
             piece being submitted (or has the written permission of the
             original author allowing re-publication).

     IceNEWS  reserves  the  right  to  reject  any  submission that is deemed
unworthy of publication by the IceNEWS Managing Editor for the issue that  the
piece was submitted for, by the Editor-In-Chief, or by the Publisher.

                  ------------------------------------------
                  TYPES OF WRITING ACCEPTABLE FOR SUBMISSION
                  ------------------------------------------

     All  submissions  should  deal  in  one  way  or another with networking,
BBSing,  and/or  general  computing.  The  following  types  of  writing   are
considered acceptable for submission to the Journal for publication:

                                  Editorials
                                   Opinions
                            Letters to the Editors
                        Stories of interest to Sysops
                         Stories of interest to users
                           Network specific stories
                            WWIV specific stories
                           Hardware related stories
                           Operating System related
                           Software related stories
                         Programming related stories
                             Informative stories
                               "How to" stories
                               Product reviews
                                  Tutorials
                               Humorous stories

* Note: Multi-part stories intended to run over the course of two or more
        issues are acceptable, but ALL parts must be submitted FULLY COMPLETED
        before the story can be considered for publication.

     If  there  is  some topic matter that you wish to write about that is not
listed here, please e-mail any of the editors listed later in this  text  with
your idea for a determination.

                                  ----------
                                  STORY SIZE
                                  ----------

     Obviously,  the  size  of  a  story depends upon the subject matter being
written about. Informative stories or tutorials are always going to be  larger
than  something like an editorial or a letter to the editors. There is no real
set size limit for any submission to IceNEWS, though an editor may ask you  to
expand  on  certain  aspects of your work. No matter what you are writing, the
story should be large enough for you to clearly get your desired point  across
to  readers  without confusion, omission, obsfucation, or too much extraneous
information. Be concise without generalizing or being vague.

                             -------------------
                             MAKING A SUBMISSION
                             -------------------

     When you think you are ready to make your submission  to  IceNEWS,  think
again.  This is not meant to be a snotty remark, but is meant to remind you to
review your final text before making  the  official  submission.  Many  times,
simple  errors  in  spelling, grammar, and punctuation can be easily caught by
the author and corrected. Maybe you might even come across a sentence  or  two
that do not really "click" or are incomplete or incoherent.

     Take  the  time  to read over your complete work several times before you
send it out. Trust me, the extra time _will_ make a difference and show in the
end.

                              -----------------
                              SUBMISSION FORMAT
                              -----------------

     All  submissions  _must_ contain your name (or handle), your user number,
the network node number of the system you have your account at (if other  than
IceNET,  PLEASE specify which network), and a title. Be sure to choose a title
that is pertinent  to  the  subject  matter  of  your  submission.  If  deemed
unacceptable,  you  may be asked to change the title of your submission. Also,
please include any user numbers and network addresses  for  any  people  other
than yourself who may be mentioned in your submission.

     Although  IceNEWS  is  distributed  throughout the entire IceNET network,
which includes foreign language countries or regions, all submissions  are  to
be  written  in  the English language. As IceNEWS is freely distributed to any
person who wishes to read it, the use of profanity or adult subject matter  is
strictly prohibited. There will be no exceptions to either of these rules.

     All  submissions  should  (whenever  possible)  be  checked for errors in
spelling, punctuation and grammar by the author prior to submission. There are
literally   hundreds   of   different   shareware   or   freeware  spell-  and
grammar-checkers available on almost any given BBS for downloading. Some  text
editing programs may even include these utilities in their basic software.

     All  submissions should be written using straight ASCII text format only.
No ANSI, high ASCII, WWIV  color  codes,  or  word  processing  formats  (like
WordPerfect)   should  be  used.  Also  (whenever  possible),  wordwraps  that
hyphenate words at the end of a line should _not_ be used. There  is  also  no
need  to  right-justify  the  text or make it column-proportional as this will
later be done by IceNEWS prior to publication.

     Your cooperation in abiding by the  above  is  greatly  appreciated.  The
better  your  adherence to the submission formats, the better your chances are
for tendering an acceptable submission and  getting  published.  Adherence  to
formats  will also help expedite the editing process for everyone on the staff
(which is equivalent to pulling a thorn out of a lion's paw). :)

                          -------------------------
                          WHERE TO SEND SUBMISSIONS
                          -------------------------

     IceNEWS is divided into a number of  departments,  each  specializing  in
certain aspects of topic matter. While any submission may be tendered with any
editor, making your submission to the editor in charge of the department  that
your  story  topic  matter  falls  into  will  help expedite matters and get a
response back to you quicker.

     Submissions may be made to any of the  following  current  IceNEWS  staff
members (NOTE: addresses shown are for IceNET only):


Jim  1@1  IceNEWS  Publisher

Will 1@6754 IceNEWS Editor-In-Chief (Best Location)

Louie 6@1 IceNEWS Letters To The Editors/OpEd Forum Editor

Chris 1@7668 IceNEWS Editor-At-Large & Production

Papa Bear 1@5079 IceNEWS WWIV Specific Editor

Will 1@6754 IceNEWS Hardware/Software/Programming/Operating Systems Editor

Ima  Moron  1@9661  IceNEWS  Light Bytes (humor) Editor


     Submissions may also be tendered by accessing the IceNEWS Beat (Chat With
The Editors) sub (subtype ICENEWS, host @1) and posting your submission there.
As this sub is network-validated, your posted submission will be extracted and
forwarded to the proper editor.

                         ----------------------------
                         AFTER MAKING YOUR SUBMISSION
                         ----------------------------

     Once  your  submission  is tendered, it will be read by one or all of the
IceNEWS staff. You will then receive as reply  regarding  your  submission  as
soon as possible. Initially, this will be merely to state that your submission
has been received by IceNEWS and is currently under consideration. If you  _do
not_  receive  a reply acknowledging receipt of your submission within 10 days
of your mailing it, please e-mail the editor that you made your submission  to
and ask regarding its status.

     When  your  submission  has  been  thoroughly  read  by the editor of the
department pertaining to the topic of your piece,  you  will  receive  further
notification  regarding  the status of your submission. Your submission may be
accepted or rejected at this point,  or  you  may  be  asked  to  revise  your
submission  using  suggestions from the editor to improve or expand your piece
into a printable form.

     If you are asked to make a revision to your  submission,  please  do  not
take this to be a knock against your work and be offended. As any professional
writer or English teacher can easily tell you, revision is a major part of the
writing  process.  Most  often,  when  a writer is asked for a revision, it is
usually because something did not make sense or a point  was  unclear  to  the
editor. This is why reviewing you work prior to submitting it is important.

     In  the  unfortunate case that your submission is deemed unacceptable and
rejected, again, you should not feel belittled or offended. Again,  rejection
(however  unfortunate)  is  also a part of writing. Do not be deterred. Simply
find another subject (or perhaps even a  different  "take"  on  your  rejected
piece)  and  try again. There is no limit to the number of submissions you may
make to IceNEWS, so if at first you don't succeed...

                          -------------------------
                          JOINING THE ICENEWS STAFF
                          -------------------------

     As it stands, IceNEWS enjoys the luxury of  having  the  largest  regular
staff of any WWIV-based network publication. This does not mean, however, that
IceNEWS is not looking to expand. However, there are several  things  to  take
into  consideration  before finally deciding that you want to be a part of the
IceNEWS staff.

     While previous editing experience is  not  a  requisite,  a  proven  track
record  of writing is. To be quite frank, IceNEWS is only willing to entertain
applications from those with some kind of  prior  writing  experience.  "Prior
writing  experience"  does  not  mean  posting  100  one-line messages on your
friend's BBS nor does it mean getting a "Letter to the  Editor"  published  in
your  local  Times, Tribune, Beacon, or Picayune. IceNEWS is looking for those
who may have previously written for us or another  network  publication  or  a
hard copy print publication (other than self-published).

     There  are  several  qualities  that  are needed to be an IceNEWS editor.
Reliability is high among them. IceNEWS is looking for people who are willing
to  be  in this "for the long haul." IceNEWS is not in need of individuals who
are just looking for something to pass the time. With the  title  of  "editor"
comes  certain  responsibilities,  chief  among  these  is  the  ability  and
willingness to both write stories and solicit "freelance"  stories  pertaining
to  their  department  from  others  on  a _regular_ basis. This means that an
applicant _must_ possess both the time and the inclination needed  to  do  the
job  of  editor.  And make no mistake about it, being an IceNEWS editor _is_ a
"job," one in which you are "on call" 365 days a year.

     Dependability is another quality needed to be an  editor.  IceNEWS  needs
people  who  are  going  to  be  there  when needed and who can carry-out work
without the need for constant supervision, not people who are  going  to  quit
after  one  month  because  the  job  has lost its appeal or not carry-out any
assignments or duties given to them.

     IceNEWS editors need also possess a certain amount of tact and be able to
competently  and  courteously  deal with other people. Editors must be able to
carry on good relationships with as many people as possible  and  be  able  to
work  well  with  others.  Dealing  with  freelance  writers  can  be  tricky,
especially if you are telling one of a rejection.  IceNEWS  needs  people  who
have  the  tact  and  class  to tell somebody _exactly_ what may be wrong with
their writing without saying to someone "this sucks." The ability to use  tact
and  courtesy  in  such  a situation can mean the difference between getting a
writer to try writing for IceNEWS again or getting a writer upset  at  IceNEWS
and  forever  losing  that  potential  lead  and  give  the  writer  reason to
"bad-mouth" the publication elsewhere.

     Certainly, a better-that-average understanding of the  English  language,
spelling, and the proper uses of grammar and punctuation are a big plus (those
who constantly use words like "wuz" and "kewl" need not apply). Remember,  one
of  the  duties  of  an  editor is to be able to write as well as critique the
works of others. Editors writing their own stories for their departments is  a
major  part  of  the  IceNEWS  commitment  since freelance submissions cannot
always be counted on to fill the  required  space  in  any  given  issue.  Any
shortages  in  space must be made-up for by the editor(s) in order to fill-out
the final issue.

     As you can see, there is a good amount  of  work  involved  in  being  an
IceNEWS  staffer  and  it is certainly not going to be a job for just anybody.
However, if you _really_ think that you fit the bill  and  would  like  to  be
considered  for  a  staff appointment, please e-mail any of the editors listed
earlier in this text. The mail should contain any past writing and/or  editing
experiences you have had with IceNEWS or elsewhere.

                                  ----------
                                  CONCLUSION
                                  ----------

     It  is  the hope of the IceNEWS staff that this guide has been helpful to
you in some way with your decision to (or, perhaps, not to) make a  submission
to IceNEWS for publication in a future issue. Though every attempt was made to
cover as much as possible regarding IceNEWS and writing for it, it is possible
that  we  may  have  missed something you wanted to know about. In that event,
please feel free to e-mail any of the IceNEWS staff listed previously in  this
text with your queries.

     Thank  you  for your interest in IceNEWS, and here's hoping that everyone
who reads IceNEWS gets to see your name and submission in print!

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  ³ IceNEWS is an independent  journal  published  monthly as a service to ³
  ³ IceNET, its Sysops and users.  The opinions & reviews expressed herein ³
  ³ are the expressed views of the respective writers. All Rights Reserved.³
  ³ Many product names used herein are the property of their respective    ³
  ³ manufacturers/authors.                                                 ³
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