[comp.org.fidonet] FidoNET Newsletter, Volume 4, # 15

pozar@hoptoad.uucp (Tim Pozar) (04/21/87)

     Volume 4, Number 15                                 20 April 1987
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     |                                                  _            |
     |                                                 /  \          |
     |                                                /|oo \         |
     |        - FidoNews -                           (_|  /_)        |
     |                                                _`@/_ \    _   |
     |        International                          |     | \   \\  |
     |     FidoNet Association                       | (*) |  \   )) |
     |         Newsletter               ______       |__U__| /  \//  |
     |                                 / FIDO \       _//|| _\   /   |
     |                                (________)     (_/(_|(____/    |
     |                                                     (jm)      |
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     Editor in Chief:                                   Thom Henderson
     Chief Procrastinator Emeritus:                       Tom Jennings

     FidoNews  is  published  weekly  by  the  International   FidoNet
     Association  as  its  official newsletter.  You are encouraged to
     submit articles for publication in FidoNews.  Article  submission
     standards  are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC,  available from
     node 1/1.

     Copyright (C) 1987,  by the  International  FidoNet  Association.
     All  rights  reserved.  Duplication and/or distribution permitted
     for noncommercial purposes only.  For use in other circumstances,
     please contact IFNA.




                             Table of Contents

     1. EDITORIAL
        International Mail
     2. ARTICLES
        Financing Fido
        Patrick Troughton (the second Dr. Who) Dies
        Fidogram - Free Telegram Service
        Notes From MemphisNet
        Talking Assembler (Part 2)
        Tradewar Anyone?
        CAP and the Dayton HamVention
        Vietnam Veterans "Convoy to the Wall"
     3. COLUMNS
        Column Without a Name
     4. WANTED
        Any Harvard Summer School students?
     5. FOR SALE
        BIG BLUE DISK #7 - Latest issue of magazine on disk!
     6. NOTICES
        The Interrupt Stack
        IFNA Board of Directors Ballot



     Fidonews                     Page 2                   20 Apr 1987


     =================================================================
                                 EDITORIAL
     =================================================================

                             International Mail


     Network mail has been moving internationally for over  two  years
     now,  but  it's  never  really  worked  well.  Anybody  can  send
     international mail, provided:

     1) You have International Direct  Dialing  (IDD),  which  is  not
        available in many areas.

     2) You  can figure out how to cope with the extra delays involved
        in international dialing.

     3) You don't mind paying for busy signals. (In most areas you are
        charged per attempt, NOT per connect!)

     4) You  can  figure out when the person in the other country will
        be able to receive network mail.

     5) You can figure out which overseas nodes use  modems  that  are
        compatible  with  your  own.  A  non-trivial  problem that the
        overseas sysops themselves have trouble with!

     About the best that it's ever worked was when Dave Rene  (101/27)
     had  a clandestine link with a fellow employee in England.  Every
     night he would pump echomail over  to  him  using  his  company's
     network.  This  had  the odd effect of making England part of the
     Massachusettes network.

     That MassNet<=>England  link  was  taken  by  the  FTSC  (Fidonet
     Technical Standards Committee) as the model for how international
     mail ought to work.

     Briefly,  the  entire  Earth was divided into zones.  The present
     zones are:

         Zone 1 - North America
         Zone 2 - Europe
         Zone 3 - Australasia

     It  is  anticipated  that other zones may be established as nodes
     crop up in other parts of the world, or on other worlds.  Whether
     Lunar Nearside and Lunar Farside should be in one zone or two  is
     an interesting topic, but not one that will be addressed here.

     Each  zone  will  have  a "zone gate" to every other zone.  It is
     assumed that a zone gate has some free method of moving  mail  to
     the other zone (on the face of it a  ridiculous  assumption,  but
     thankfully there seem to be such people).  Tentative  zone  gates
     have  already been selected for mail going from zone 1 to both of
     the other zones.

     Fidonews                     Page 3                   20 Apr 1987


     There remains the software needed to implement zones.  This falls
     into three categories:

     1) Nodelist translators;  XlatList 2.70 can already handle a node
        list with zones.  Others may need to be modified.

     2) Message entry programs; SEAdog 4.0 can already create messages
        with interzone addresses.  Others will need to be modified.

     3) Zone   gate   interfaces;   A  program  (appropriately  called
        "ZoneGate") has already been written to handle  this,  but  it
        has not yet been extensively tested.

     So as you can see, international mail is well in hand.  With any
     luck at all we should have functional international mail channels
     working in a matter of months.

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

     Fidonews                     Page 4                   20 Apr 1987


     =================================================================
                                 ARTICLES
     =================================================================

     Eric Ewanco
     SEAdog/Opus private node 130/3

                               Financing Fido


     The article in the April 5th issue of FidoNews really  piqued  my
     curosity  on  both a large net and alternative methods of sending
     mail. Fido has a great advertising capability, and there are many
     many multi-billion dollar companies  out  there  that  should  be
     willing to give us grants,  buy ads from us,  or offer discounted
     services.  For instance,  perhaps we can hook  AT&T  into  giving
     Fidonet  nodes  a large discount on phone rates.  I would love to
     see the net evolve into one  independent  of  the  phone  system,
     depending  on  grants of communications systems that would make a
     message cost nothing no matter where  sent.  Or  maybe  it  would
     depend only on local calls.  Maybe Tymnet or Telenet will give us
     free network time,  or discounted.  If we collected "taxes" of  a
     minimal amount, $10 a year maybe, that could help offset the cost
     of  the  whole  thing.  Interfacing  with  short-wave radio is an
     excellent idea,  too.  We could set up advanced routing  stations
     for this.

         Maybe by the time I get out of college in 5 years, I can work
     for IFNA, professionally managing such a site.  Now that IFNA's a
     non-profit organization, doors are opened for grants and corporal
     organization.  Who knows,  maybe we can wrangle  funds  from  the
     government.  The ~arc (Association for Retarded Citizens,  with a
     dove before it) is already making use of Fido,  and other related
     non-prof  organizations  are  too,  and  the  government may find
     interest  in  it,  plus  the  possiblities  for  war  or  getting
     information fast across the country.  How about this on the 1040:
     "Would you like to contribute $5  to  the  International  FidoNet
     Organization,    a    non-profit   organization   offering   free
     communications across the world?" That's a coupla million dollars
     a year.  Fidonet has great possiblities;  let's explore  them  as
     much  as  possible.  But  before  we  can,  we do need to work on
     forming something more tangible, which we are, through IFNA.  But
     let's not get into politics, or secret organizations, or anything
     else; let's model ourselves on other non-profit organizations.

         Another  thing:  HOSTS,  PLEASE  DISTRIBUTE EVERY FIDONEWS TO
     YOUR NODES, and NODES,  PLEASE READ THE FIDONEWSES AND DISTRIBUTE
     THEM  TO  YOUR USERS.  USERS,  PLEASE SPREAD INTERESTING ARTICLES
     AROUND TO NON-COMPUTER PEOPLE.  In  this  way,  we  can  increase
     FidoNews's circulation,  and possible income from ads.  Hey,  why
     don't we get a newspaper company to publish it for us?  That cost
     is  very  very  minimal,  and  it will put FidoNews in everyone's
     hands.

         All nodes,  please be  mature;  if  you  have  problems  with
     another node, or a subordinate, or a superior, don't SCREW UP THE
     Fidonews                     Page 5                   20 Apr 1987


     NETWORK  by  doing  childish things like kicking them out because
     they like another piece of software and want  to  strengthen  the
     net.  United  we  stand,  divided  we  fall.  Don't  let personal
     problems screw everything up.  THERE  IS  NO  ROOM  FOR  IMMATURE
     ACTIVITY IN FIDONET! Thanx...

         I  make  a  motion  we  nominate  Wynn Wagner for next year's
     Fleugalman (sp?) award,  the creator of  the  "MILITANTLY  PUBLIC
     DOMAIN" no-tm Opus software. He's going to do a lot for Fidonet!

     Eric Ewanco
     SEAdog/Opus 130/3 (private node)

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

     Fidonews                     Page 6                   20 Apr 1987


     Jean Airey, 132/101!jean@hrcca.UUCP

                           Patrick Troughton Dies


     (The  following  was  sent  to DW clubs  belonging  to  the  "APC
     Network".   Any  clubs or club members on this net,  please  feel
     free to copy)

     Date: March 31, 1987

     It  is with very great regret that I must inform you that Patrick
     Troughton died at 7:25 AM Saturday Morning,  March 28 in Columbus
     Georgia.  While the paramedics called to help did everything they
     could,  he  was  officially  pronounced dead on  arrival  at  the
     hospital.  The paramedics believed he had died instantly.  He was
     appearing at Magnum Opus Con - 2.

     Pat was born March 25th,  1920 and was known and loved by DW fans
     as the actor who created the Second Doctor.   He played the  role
     from November 1966 - June 1969 and later returned to the  program
     to  do "The Three Doctors" with Jon Pertwee and Willian Hartnell;
     "The Five Doctors" with Richard Hurndall,  Jon Pertwee and  Peter
     Davison; and "The Two Doctors" with Colin Baker.

     One of the very best of British character actors, he was at first
     reluctant to take on the role of The Doctor,fearing that it might
     cause  him  to lose the anonymity that  he  valued  highly.   The
     Doctor  he created remains in the hearts of many fans as the most
     vulnerable and humorous.  After 1969 he continued his career with
     appearances in over 20 TV series including "The 6 Wives of  Henry
     The  VIII,"  "The Persuaders," "Jenny," "The  Survivors,"  "Space
     1999," "The Feathered Serpent," "The Sweeney," "Treasure Island,"
     and "The Magic Box."  Some of his major film appearances were in:
     "Scars  of Dracula," "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger," and  "The
     Omen."

     Until  1983  he  was noted for not giving interviews  of  "doing"
     conventions.   However,  in the spring of that year he was at the
     BBC  Longleat Festival and gave an interview to the  "Doctor  Who
     Monthly"  (#78).   In November of 1983 he came over to America to
     the  first  of  the Chicago "Monstercons,"  with  some  20  other
     guests.   In spite of that conventions' confusion,  it would seem
     that  he enjoyed the experience as he has returned several  times
     since  to do more Spirit Of Light conventions as well as  several
     for  the  Doctor Who Fan Club Of America.   He greatly seemed  to
     enjoy the spirit of the fan conventions such as OMNICON.   He was
     scheduled to do several "stops"  with the BBC Festival Tour later
     this year.   He always seemed to enjoy meeting fans and the  word
     from some people at the convention is that although he had a very
     light  "official" schedule on Friday,  he spent most of his  time
     walking around, talking to people, signing autographs and "having
     a good time."

     He will be very much missed by all of us.

     Fidonews                     Page 7                   20 Apr 1987


     The family has asked that no flowers be sent.   Cards may be sent
     c/o  the  "Doctor Who" Production Office,  BBC TV,  Union  House,
     65/69 Shepherds Bush Green,  London,  England W12 7RJ.  If anyone
     wishes  to  make a donation in Pat's memory to a cause  he  cared
     about, it should be to Cancer Research.

      --
      Jean Airey: US Mail 1306 W. Illinois, Aurora, IL 60506
      ihnp4!hrcca!jean
      --
      Posted to the FidoNews by Kurt Reisler,
             SYSOP,  The  Bear's Den, Fido 109/74.

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

     Fidonews                     Page 8                   20 Apr 1987


                                 FidoGrams

                           Free Telegram Service

     Cape Cod Fido is still offering it's free telegram service.  Yes,
     you saw it correctly - free.  In addition,  we now  have  a  west
     coast outlet to send messages through in addition at node 114/15.
     Through  the courtesy of the thousands of dedicated Amateur Radio
     Operators who make up the American Radio Relay league's  National
     Traffic  System,  Fidonet  now  allows  you  to send FidoGrams to
     almost anyone, almost anywhere, regardless of whether or not that
     person is  even  remotely  interested  in  computers,  modems  or
     terminal  software.  There  are  literally  thousands of uses for
     this free FidoGram service.  Examples include:

         1. Sending greetings during holidays,  birthdays,  or just to
            renew old acquaintances.

         2. Sending batches of messages to your club members  who  are
            scattered all over the country.

         3. Making  all  your  old  cronies  green around the edges by
            announcing your next month-long  cruise  to  Timbuktu,  or
            bragging about your recent engagement to Mr/Ms wonderful.

         4. College  students:  telling Ma how much you miss her apple
            pie.

         5. Requesting health and welfare information  on  friends  or
            family located (or not yet located!) in a disaster area.

     As  with  anything  neat  like this,  some cautions are in order.
     Since these FidoGrams are not sent over commercial circuits  such
     as Western Union,  or RCA,  but rather via FCC-controlled Amateur
     Radio Circuits, there are some constraints.  First, if you really
     want to make Fido curl up his lip, bare his teeth and growl, just
     try sending a free Fidogram that relates in any way to  business,
     or  the  making  of  a profit by any party.  Fido will make kitty
     litter out of anything that does not look like a  personal,  non-
     business  message.  Don't  even attempt it.  Ditto for profanity.
     Second, when utilizing the services of many volunteers,  you must
     consider  the  length  of  your messages.  The simplest way to do
     this is to pretend that you were paying the standard 67 cents per
     word!  Keep your messages short  and  to  the  point.  The  radio
     operators may even then elect to break up your messages into more
     than  one telegram.  How lengthy is lengthy?  Perhaps 20-30 words
     per message max.  Just use discretion.

     Allow several days for delivery.  In other words,  don't expect a
     Fidogram  that  arrives  at  Cape  Cod  Fido  on Feb.  13th to be
     delivered in time for Valentine's day...

     How will your free telegrams be  delivered?  After  being  routed
     throught  the National Radio Traffic System to the ultimate point
     of destination,  the telegram will be telephoned - just like  the
     commercial boys.
     Fidonews                     Page 9                   20 Apr 1987


     Here's  what  Fido  needs  in  order to keep his telegram tail-a-
     waggin:

         1. Y-o-u-r name,  address,  and telephone number in  case  we
            need  to  get back with you,  or in case there is a return
            message going your way.

         2. The full name,  adddress,  and  telephone  number  of  the
            persons you wish to send telegrams to.

         3. The message.

         4. A signature.

     That's  the  grand total.  Where can you send free FidoGrams?  To
     anyone in the USA or Canada who has  a  telephone,  and  to  many
     countries  overseas.  Read the file called "COUNTRY" for the list
     of countries whose governments allow free telegrams.  Here's some
     examples of free  FidoGram  format  and  content.  Use  your  own
     format at will, but be sure to include all info.

     Is there a limit to the number of free  FidoGrams  that  you  can
     send  at  any  one  time?  No.  As a matter of fact,  the Amateur
     Radio Operators use these telegrams as a way of exercising  their
     emergency  communications apparatus.  They welcome large loads in
     order to practice for the  times  when  emergencies  create  huge
     volumes of message traffic.  Just t-r-y to inundate them...

     If you wish to send FidoGrams,  or if you have further questions,
     or can offer suggestions as to how to improve this  exciting  new
     service,  send  the  messages to Fidograms at either Node 105/101
     for the east coast, or 114/15 for the West Coast .

     Be CERTAIN to leave your  complete  voice  telephone  number  and
     address  so  that  we  can  respond to your question by Fidogram,
     without invoking Fidomail charges...

     We hope you'll  use  this  service  often,  and  will  gain  much
     enjoyment from it.

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

     Fidonews                     Page 10                  20 Apr 1987


     Jerry Hindle, 123/6

                           Notes From MemphisNet


          Well, yet another month or so has gone by and things seem to
     be moving along very nicely here.  After my last article was run,
     telling you about my have installed SEADOG (tm)  V4.0,  I  got  a
     tremendous number of calls to get the file list via file request.
     I  only encountered one problem and I believe this was due to the
     long delay time from Australia to here on  phone  connections.  I
     apologize  to  the PNG Connection in down under land for this and
     am trying to get a list together for you that is small enough for
     me to file attach to  you  since  I  seem  to  have  better  luck
     contacting Australia then Australia does in contacting me.

          First and foremost is of course SEADOG... Thom Henderson and
     crew  have  certainly  outdone themselves this time I assure you.
     Not only have they made an excellent program better but they have
     managed to keep it tidy.  Usually  you  find  most  upgrades  are
     merely  butchered  and  patched copies of older versions,  not so
     here.  I have never used SEAdog before but after reading about  2
     sentences  (the usual amount of time I devote to reading "docs" I
     looked at the disk and found out they made it  dummy-proof.  Heck
     even I could install this thing.  I had a small amount or trouble
     trying  to  stay  calm  while this thing did strange things to my
     hard drive and files and was calm again  only  after  I  got  the
     infamous C> .  I do wish the docs had covered OPUS a bit more but
     after  sending a note to Thom I found he had wished so too,  alas
     the OPUS docs didn't arrive in time to make the  publishers  date
     and the docs were somewhat lacking on this subject,  Thom however
     assures me that  future  editions  will  remedy  this  one  minor
     shortcoming.  I  am still trying to figure out the routing stuff,
     but in the meantime I copied all my route.xx files to  one  large
     "route.dog"  file  and everything is running smoothly.  Hint here
     Thom.  You may want to look over the docs on routing a  bit  more
     and  show  some examples of route.dog files for a host system and
     maybe a hub or two to give the users a feel  for  the  system.  I
     found the operation to be clean and bulletproof again emphasizing
     the  ease  of  use.  Almost everything is function key driven and
     little mini-menus will pop up all over the  place  to  guide  you
     should you ever become "lost".  Anyway as I said if I can install
     it ANYBODY can.  Thom,  it is well worth the $100 I paid for  it,
     but again like anything I buy, you put it "on sale" right after I
     got  mine,  this  however is the story of my life and I am glad I
     paid full price for it since I can now make numerous phone  calls
     to the guru and get straight on routing for a host system.

          Item  #2:  MAIL  and  CALLERS........I have received updates
     from Ben Baker on PRUNE and have received in a  round  about  way
     from New York a program called "MINILIST",  I have gotten updates
     on OPUSCOMM (ie version 2.73) and ONODE (v  1.31).  I  would  ask
     that Wynn (if he has time to read this) or someone connected with
     OPUS  let  me know a day or so ahead of the release date so I can
     get copies of OPUS updates for the distribution section here. YES
     I do carry OPUS and OPUS utilities here too along  with  all  the
     Fidonews                     Page 11                  20 Apr 1987


     stuff I have for FIDO. I am sorting thru the Fido stuff right now
     to see what will and what won't work with OPUS. If it will work I
     will  list it in BOTH directories.  If it will only work with one
     or the other I will place it in the directory where it belongs. I
     have gotten a program called CRASH from 18/14  and  according  to
     the author it allows FIDO to do CRASH MAIL !!!!!  He also alluded
     to the fact that he is working on a way to have Fido handle  file
     requests  and  other assorted goodies like that.  I am no utility
     author but it seems to me that we have a large number  of  people
     out  there  still  working  with  Fido  and writing stuff for it.
     Great,  I still have about 6 meg to go to fill up the  system,  I
     may  just  make  it yet.  CALLERS......I allow first time callers
     access to the following areas:

          1: General Message and File Area

          2: Fido/SEADOG Distribution Area (associated msg area is  a
             local echomail)

          3: FidoNews (I have all of this year on-line and can put ANY
             issue(s)  up  on request.  For those out there supporting
             CBM I have FidoNews in PETASCII  for  the  Commodore  and
             ARCED using ARC230 for the Commodore computer.  Arc230 is
             also available here.

          4: OPUS Software Distribution  Files  Area  (associated  msg
             area is an open debate section.

          Although  you will not be able to enter any messages you are
     free to d/l as much as your phone bill can handle.  I don't  keep
     track  anyway.  All I ask is if you have something I don't in the
     way of Fido/Opus/SeaDog utilities and support  files,  UPLOAD  it
     PLEASE  !!!!!  This  is  the  ONLY way to keep things going here.
     Again if you want to find out what  I  have  here  you  can  file
     request  the  file  DISTRIB.ARC,  this  is  as complete a list as
     possible here since it is updated every  AM  by  the  system.  It
     will show all areas here and tells you if it is available by file
     request or not. I included the other stuff for info purposes ONLY
     in  case  you decide to play real caller and register here.  This
     file is located in the NetMail files area (area  6)  if  you  are
     calling as a "human".

          Now on to other news. We are growing here in Memphis, Adding
     1  system  this  week and another coming on-line in another week.
     Both systems are OPUS/FIDO combos so  you  know  what  to  expect
     there. The additions to MemphisNet are:

     123/10 Timothy McNeill (registration on first call,  access after
            verification).
      123/2 Ken Akins (again  preregistration  is  required)

          Give  them  a  call should you want to,  I am sure they will
     appreciate the "business".

          Ok well, I guess that's all for this installment.  Questions
     may be directed to me if you want to ask them,  I may or may  not
     Fidonews                     Page 12                  20 Apr 1987


     have  an  answer  for  you but I will try to place you in contact
     with someone who does. Also if you have a program you want placed
     here let me know I will file request if possible or arrange  some
     other  method  of getting it.  I ask if possible you send it here
     anytime you want to or if not possible let me know how I can  get
     it from you.  I am doing this for you,  not myself.  I run only 2
     items here.  SEADOG &  OPUS.  Both  excellent  and  both  running
     flawlessly (knock on floppy drive) right now.

          TO:  Tim  Peeters;  I  would love to give you the modem maze
     game,  however since I downloaded it from a system in Dallas I do
     not have any docs, nor do I know who the original author is, thus
     I  can't  in  all  fairness release it for d/l.  I did modify the
     entire thing here to fit my needs and made it a  selectable  item
     on  the  bulletin,  I  added  a few twists and turns to it and am
     always expanding it.  If the  author  is  reading  this  I  would
     appreciate a copy of the original release version,  so I can make
     sure I give out all the  files  you  intended  in  it.  I  got  a
     "doctored copy" and don't want to release it without your say-so.

          To: Ben Baker; Thanks for Prune
          To: Sysop 18/14 Thanks for CRASH
          To: whoever  in  NYC that sent MINILIST to 123/8 a BIG THANK
              YOU (she needed it, I also got copies of the other stuff
              you sent to her)
          To: The rest of the NET ,  Thank you for making my hobby  so
              much FUN !!!!!

     I enjoy helping out where I can and I think I found a nifty
     little niche here.

     Jerry Hindle
     123/6  123/0
      MemphisNet
     2400 baud MAX
     901-353-4563

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

     Fidonews                     Page 13                  20 Apr 1987


     Ned Sturzer
     OpusNODE 362/1
     Chattanooga, TN.

                           TALKING   ASSEMBLER  2
                                     by
                                NED  STURZER

      The computer hardware understands only one  language  -  Machine
     Language.  A  program  in any other language is merely data acted
     upon by  a  translator  program,  itself  ultimately  written  in
     Machine Language,  and converted into a Machine Language Program.
     There are two  types  of  translator  programs  -  compilers  and
     interpreters.  A  compiler  produces  a distinct Machine Language
     program  which  may  then  be  executed  by  the   computer.   An
     interpreter,  on  the  other  hand,  does  not produce a distinct
     Machine Language but carries out the  functions  of  our  program
     immediately.  A  compiled  program  usually executes more rapidly
     than the interpreted version since the translation  into  Machine
     Language  has  already  been  performed.  With an interpreter the
     translation must be carried out each time  the  program  is  run.
     Moreover,  less  computer  memory  is  required  since  only  the
     compiled version need reside in memory to  be  executed.  In  the
     interpreted  version both the program and the interpreter must be
     in memory.  Interpreters are not to be  despised  however,  since
     they are almost always easier to debug.

      Assembler  is  in all cases a compiled language.  Traditionally,
     Assembler has been regarded in a somewhat  different  light  than
     other  languages.  In the early days of computers assemblers were
     simply direct translations of Machine Language and thus they were
     somewhat distinct from other languages.  This is  no  longer  the
     case.  What  is  true  is  that Assembler Language closely mimics
     Machine Language though I showed in the last  article  that  they
     really  are  distinct.  Assembler  Language  has  three great str
     engths.  It is functionally equivalent to  Machine  Language  and
     thus  can use the full power of the computer.  It is fast.  Since
     Assembler  does  closely  follow  Machine  Language  the  fastest
     possible  code may be utilized for a program.  It makes efficient
     use of memory.  This is again the  result  of  Assembler's  close
     relationship  to  Machine  Language.  Assembler's weakness is the
     complexity of writing I/O routines and floating  point  routines.
     In the compilers and interpreters of other languages these routin
     es are built in.

      The  text  of  an  Assembler Language program is often seen as a
     combination of two types of instructions -  machine  instructions
     and instructions to the Assembler. Machine instructions are those
     parts  of  the  text  which are translated directly into Machin e
     Language instructions, while instructions to the Assembler mostly
     initialize areas of memory at the start of the program,  or  tell
     the  assembler  how  to go about its job of translating Assembler
     Language code into Machine Language code.

      An  Assembler  Language  program  consists  of   a   series   of
     statements. Most statements have the following syntax:
     Fidonews                     Page 14                  20 Apr 1987


         {name} mnemonic {operand,operand,...} {;text}

      Here  the  {}  indicates  the entry is optional.  Name acts as a
     label so the statement may be referred to  by  other  statements.
     The  mnemonic  or  op  code  is  the  main part of the statement.
     Different mnemonics require different numbers  of  operands.  The
     ;text  is  used  for  comments  and  is  otherwise ignored by the
     assembler.  The  length  of  the  first  three  sections  of  the
     statement may be a maximum of 128 characters.

      Before describing the 120 different machine op codes, as opposed
     to  the  many  assembler  codes  we  need to understand the flags
     register and the different adressing modes.

     The flags register has the following format:

         bit:      15 14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0
         flag:                  O  D  I  T  S  Z     A     P     C


      As  far as I can tell,  the blank bits are unused and presumably
     could be employed in a program though  I  have  never  seen  this
     done.

      The   C  or  Carry  bit  is  affected  primarily  by  arithmetic
     operations and by certain shift or rotate operations. In addition
     operations the bit is set (to 1) if there is a carry of the  high
     order   bit,   otherwise  it  is  cleared  (to  0).   Subtraction
     operations set or clear the carry bit depending on whether or not
     there is a borrow of the high order bit.

      The  P  or  Parity  flag  is  affected  by  most  data  altering
     operations.  When  the  low  order  byte  resulting  from such an
     operation has an even number of 1's the parity flag  is  set.  An
     odd number of 1's clears the flag. Parity is not one of your more
     useful flags.

      The  Auxiliary  Carry  flag,  A,  is used only by the few binary
     coded decimal (BCD) operations provided by the 8088. The A bit is
     set or cleared depending on whether or not there is a carry  fron
     bit 3 in such an operation.  Certain other operations affect this
     bit in an unpredictable way.

      Like the P flag,  the Zero flag is  affected  by  data  altering
     operations.  If  the  operation  results  in a 0 the flag is set,
     otherwise cleared.  Unlike the P flag,  the Z flag  is  extremely
     useful.

      The  Sign  or  S  flag  is  affected by arithmetical and logical
     operations.  A positive result clears the flag while  a  negative
     result sets the flag.

      While  the  Trap  bit,  T,  is  set  the program will execute an
     interrupt 1 after every instruction.  This enables us to  single-
     step  through  a  program  or  do other interesting things.  I'll
     discuss interrupts in the next article.  As you would expect  few
     Fidonews                     Page 15                  20 Apr 1987


     instructions affect this flag.

      The I or Interrupt bit when set enables hardware interrupts.  If
     cleared  all  hardware  interrupts  except  memory   errors   are
     disabled. Only a few op codes affect this flag.

      Within  its  instruction set the 8088 has a number of operations
     which allow for either forward or  backword  movement  through  a
     block of data.  These string instructions are used in conjunction
     with the SI and DI registers.  When the  Direction  flag,  D,  is
     cleared  these  registers  will  be  incremented  after  a string
     instruction.  Should the D bit be set  these  registers  will  be
     decremented after a string operation.

      The final flag is the Overflow Flag, O.  This bit is affected by
     arithmetic operations and is set when the result of an arithmetic
     operation on signed numbers is of too large  a  magnitude  to  be
     represented.  This will be discussed in full detail when I review
     the arithmetic operations.

      This is as good a spot as any to jump into the  nitty-gritty  of
     Assembler Language.  An assembler program consists of a series of
     assembler statements as described above.  The characters that may
     be used to form these statements are the following:

       abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
       0123456789!@# $%^&*()_-+={}[]:;",./<>\`'?|~

      In  most  cases the assembler does not distinguish between lower
     and upper case letters. Integers are represented as

              digits (uses default radix)
              digitsB (binary)
              digitsD (decimal)
              digitsH (hexadecimal)

      Hexadecimal integers must always begin with a digit (0-9).  Thus
     0a34H rather than a34H.  Octal integers  (base  8)  may  also  be
     represented  but  I  will  ignore  them.  I will also neglect all
     material only relevant to the 8087.  Unless changed  the  default
     radix  is  decimal.  The  default  radix  is  set  by  the .RADIX
     statement
                         .RADIX 2 (binary)
                         .RADIX 10 (decimal)
                         .RADIX 16 (hexadecimal)

      A b,d,  or h assignment to an integer takes precedence over  the
     default radix.

      String  constants consisting of one or more ASCII characters are
     also used in Assembler Language. A string constant is represented
     by 'string' or by "string".  If it is necessary to use a ' but  '
     is the string delimiter then represent ' by ''.  Similarly when "
     is the delimiter "" is used to represent  ".  For  example,  'The
     symbol '' is called a single quotation mark.'

     Fidonews                     Page 16                  20 Apr 1987


      The  name  used in a name field must be constructed according to
     certain rules.  The first character in a name must be a letter of
     the alphabet, _, @, $, or ?.  The remaining characters can be any
     of the symbols in the list above.  A name can be any  length  but
     only  the first 31 characters are considered by the assembler.  A
     mnemonic may not be used in a name field.  The assembler  assigns
     each name a type.  The type can be one of the following depending
     on the intended use of the name:  BYTE, WORD, DWORD,  NEAR,  FAR.
     Type  may  also  be  the  name  of  a  structure.  We will define
     structures later. To assign a specific type to a name you may use
     the LABEL mnemonic in the syntax

                   name LABEL type

      If the name is intended to represent a (symbolic) address for  a
     machine instruction then a NEAR type name may also be achieved in
     two other ways as shown by these examples:

                             routine: pop ds
                                   or by
                             routine: pop ds

     Names must be defined only once in a program.

      A  NEAR  type  merely means that the name is in the same segment
     (defined by the cs register) as any statement that refers to  the
     name. If a name is assigned a FAR type it may be referred to from
     anywhere in the program.

      Should you need to reserve memory  for  data  or  to  have  data
     initialized  to  some value at the start of a program you may use
     the DB, DW,  or DD mnemonics.  The syntax of the DB (define byte)
     mnemonic  is  {name}  DB  value,...  The  values may be integers,
     string constants, constant expressions (to be defined later),  ?,
     or  DUP  operators.  If a name is given it is assigned type BYTE.
     Consider the example  db  "valid",5.  When  assembled  this  will
     assign  six  successive locations in memory with the ASCII values
     of v, a, l, i, d, followed by 5. A value of ?  does not define an
     initial  value  but  merely  reserves  a byte of memory.  The DUP
     (duplicate) operator has a syntax of

     count DUP(value,...)

     where count is an integer indicating  the  number  of  times  the
     values  are  to  be  duplicated.  Values  may  be  any expression
     evaluating to an integer,  the  ?  operator,  a  string  constant
     consisting  of a single character,  or another DUP operator.  The
     DUP operators may be nested 17 deep. As an example consider

     memory_value db 4 dup("*",2 dup(56,11),?)

      The definition of the DW (define word) and the DD (define double
     word) are similar to that of DB.  Remember that  a  word  is  two
     bytes and a double word is four bytes.

      We  are now in a position to begin studying the machine op codes
     Fidonews                     Page 17                  20 Apr 1987


     and this we will do in the next article.

      (Article taken from the Chattanooga Computer Society Newsletter.
     Ned Surzer can be reached via The Last Resort BBS,  message  area
     20, OpusNODE 362/1, 615-892-7773)

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

     Fidonews                     Page 18                  20 Apr 1987


     John Bekas, 115/212

                              Tradewar Anyone?


        Tradewar (Copyright Chris Serrick for Nochange software) is  a
     multi-user  game  that allows users to challenge each other to be
     master of the  universe.  This  is  done  by  trading  Equipment,
     Organics, and Iron Ore to different star-ports.  You get rated on
     how many credits you have,  and how many fighters and cargo holds
     you have.  You can even blow someone up!

        Ok, if you think this sounds exciting,  and would like to have
     it  in your Outside games,  any help would be graciously accepted
     to change this program from BASIC to Turbo  Pascal  or  C.  I  am
     learning  Turbo  Pascal,  and  I  don't  know  much about all the
     commands, so I would appriciate any and all help.

        I have most of the main program coded already,  but  for  test
     mode  only,  I  haven't even come close to being able to make the
     data files,  and sector data files needed to use the game in full
     function.  If  you  know  something  about  writing data files in
     Turbo Pascal or C, please let me know, and you can help me :-).

        This program should be released (Version 1)  sometime  in  the
     summer.  The sooner I get it working with a data file, the sooner
     I  can  tell  you about the release date.  Release notice will be
     announced in FidoNews.

        Thank you for reading this, and if you can help me out, please
     call Beaker's Beacon OPUS at (312) 589-2827. 300/1200/2400 bauds.
     For the purpose for calling,  put "Help with Tradewar" on one  of
     the lines.

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

     Fidonews                     Page 19                  20 Apr 1987


     Stanley Quayle
     Fido 126/1

                              CIVIL AIR PATROL

                                    and

                           THE DAYTON HAMVENTION


     The Ohio Wing of the Civil Air Patrol  invites  everyone  to  the
     Dayton HamVention, April 24-26, 1987.

     The Dayton HamVention is the largest  gathering of  amateur radio
     operators ("hams").  If it's electronic, it will be there!

     The Ohio  Wing Communications  Truck will  be on  display in flea
     market spaces 2232-2234.   Please stop by.  To get information on
     joining CAP, ask one of the members at the display.  Working with
     CAP can be exciting and rewarding.

     If you are a CAP member, please stop by and sign our  guest book.
     Last  year,  75  members  from  around the country signed in.  If
     possible, wear your  uniform.    Please,  no  fatigues  or flight
     suits.  BlackHawk 85 Mobile will be monitoring 148.15.

     Saturday evening, April 25, 6 P.M. to 9 P.M., Ohio Wing will host
     a Communications Conference in building 1222  on Wright-Patterson
     Air Force  Base.   Communicators from  all wings are invited.  Be
     sure  to  bring  your  membership  card  to  get   on  the  base.
     Interested  non-members  may  be  allowed to attend; more details
     will be available at the HamVention.


                HamVention is a registered trademark of the
                  Dayton Amateur Radio Association, Inc.

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

     Fidonews                     Page 20                  20 Apr 1987


     Todd Looney
     Vietnam Veterans Valhalla
     INFA Node 143/27

                             CONVOY TO THE WALL

          Plans are well underway and continue for a nationwide convoy
     to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C.  All  convoys
     are  scheduled to arrive in D.C.  for a July 4th memorial service
     at the Wall.  According to Bob Castagna,  Organizing Chairman  of
     the  Convoy to the Wall,  an estimated two million vets and their
     families are planning to be there.  The  following  timetable  is
     reprinted  without  the  permission  of  Penny Decker,  Editor of
     Pathfinders EVAC  (Effective  Vietnam  Veterans  Action  Center),
     Klamath,  Oregon  (but  nothing  but good can come of its further
     distribution to the  hundreds  of  veterans  are  active  in  the
     International  Vietnam  Veterans Echomail Conference [yes...it is
     now being hosted in Europe!],  not to mention the countless  vets
     who read the Fido Newsletter, so I hope she will forgive me).

     For further information, please contact Bob Castagna, VVA Chapter
     #179,  P.O.  Box  823,  Medford,  Oregon,  97501,  or just send a
     message to me at Fidonet (tm) node 143/27 in San Jose, California
     (I have Seadog running here so you can crash it to me anytime  of
     the  day  or night).  Make your plans now...the departure date is
     less than 4 months away!

                            CONVOY TO  THE WALL
                            ROUTE AND TIMETABLE

                              Northern Route
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     CITY                 ARRIVE        DEPART      HWY/ROUTE

     Medford, Or.                       6am 6/26    I-5, 44, 395
     Reno, Nv.            Noon 6/26     2pm 6/26    I-80
     Salt Lake City, Ut   2am 6/27      6am 6/27    I-80
     Denver, Co.          8pm 6/27      6am 6/28    I-80
     Omaha. Neb.          8pm 6/28      6am 6/29    I-80
     Chicago, Ill.        4pm 6/29      6am 6/30    I-65, I-70
     Pittburgh, Penn.     7pm 6/30      6am 7/1     I-76, I-70, I-81
     Winchester, Va.      1pm 7/1
     (Staging area until July 4th)
     -----------------------------------------------------------------

                               Central Route
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     CITY                 ARRIVE        DEPART      HWY/ROUTE
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     Los Angeles, Ca.                   6am 6/26    I-10, I-15
     Gallup. New Mex.     1pm 6/26      3pm 6/26    I-15
     Cedar City, Ut.      7pm 6/26      6am 6/27    I-15, I-70
     Denver, Colo.        8pm 6/27      6am 6/28    I-70
     Kansas City, Kan.    8pm 6/28      6am 6/29    I-70, I-64
     Louisville, Ky.      7pm 6/29      6am 6/30    I-64
     Charleston, W. Va.   2pm 6/30      6am 7/1     I-79, 40, I-81
     Fidonews                     Page 21                  20 Apr 1987


     Winchester, Va.      3pm 7/1
     (Staging area until July 4th)

                              Southern Route
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     CITY                 ARRIVE        DEPART      HWY/ROUTE
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     Los Angeles, Ca.                   6am 6/26    I-15, I-40
     Gallup, New Mex.     9pm 6/26      6am 6/27    I-40
     Amarillo, Tx.        4pm 6/27      6am 6/28    I-40
     Little Rock, Ark.    7pm 6/28      6am 6/29    I-40
     Nashville, Tenn.     5pm 6/29      6am 6/30    I-40, I-81
     Roanoke, Va.         5pm 6/30      8am 7/1     I-81
     Winchester, Va.      1pm 7/1
     (Staging area until July 4th)


          My wife Nancy and I plan to take the Central Route (we  HATE
     I-80!) and will be forming our own convoy departing San Jose, Ca.
     at 9am 6/25 and to ariive in Los Angeles,  Ca.  at 7pm 6/25,  Hwy
     101,  I-5.  We will be ready to depart 6/26 at 6am.  Hope to  see
     as many of you there as possible!

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

     Fidonews                     Page 22                  20 Apr 1987


     =================================================================
                                  COLUMNS
     =================================================================

          Well, here goes another week and I must say that FidoNews is
     looking healthier  every week. It's nice to know that many of you
     out there will spend an hour or two in order to help keep the net
     together by  writing something  for OUR  newsletter. Last  week I
     went over  some of the new software for Desktop Publishing, and I
     found something  else  out  that  makes  Ventura  Publisher  even
     better. Ventura  Publisher is  capable of  "printing" to  a file.
     This way  you can  print to  a file, copy the file to a diskette,
     and then  bring the  disk over  to a friend who does have a laser
     printer and  copy the file to their laser printer. You could also
     send the  file over  the net  (or any communications program that
     allows straight  files to be sent) to be printed. I've tried this
     using a  friend's Apple  LaserWriter and  it seems  to  work  out
     reasonably well.  I've also  been busy  helping some people in my
     local net  setup SEAdog  (over half  of my  net  is  now  running
     version 4.0).  This time around I'll be looking at the new SEAdog
     (originally  intended  for  last  week  but  delayed  because  of
     PageMaker and Ventura, sorry Thom) and a database program I found
     on a local BBS, Instant Recall.

     -- SEAdog 4.0 (System Enhancement Associates, $100) --

          While  SEAdog  is  NOT  a  bulletin  board  program  (it  is
     primarily an  electronic mail system) it can be used with many of
     the bulletin  board programs  currently available. It can be used
     to either give the BBS software the capability of electronic mail
     (such as  TBBS) or  to expand the capabilities of electronic mail
     (like FIDO).  It does  this by  acting as  a "front  end" to  the
     bulletin board,  SEAdog answers  the phone and if it is a "human"
     caller it  calls up  the bulletin board program. It as found wide
     use in the FidoNet community because it uses the same protocol as
     FIDO. In addition to being compatible with FIDO (in mail mode) it
     expands the  net protocol  to allow things like file requests and
     receipt requests, and since SEAdog answers the call it can accept
     mail (or file requests) at anytime.

          The new  version of SEAdog has quite a few new features that
     weren't in  the previous  version (3.8).  The biggest addition is
     the SEAlink  protocol. When  a SEAdog 4.0 calls a SEAdog 4.0 they
     now transfer  all files  using this  new protocol and let me tell
     you one  thing about  it, it's  FAST. I've already noticed a much
     shorter connect  time when  picking up my echomail and sending in
     my column.  System Enhancement  Associates, the makers of SEAdog,
     have also  been busy  with the  new FidoNet  Standards  Committee
     documents in  that the previous problems with SEAdog talking with
     a FIDO  have been  cleared up.  They've also  added  much  better
     support for  multiple message  areas  in  their  user  interface,
     making it  easier on  a sysop  to use  it for keeping up with his
     message areas.  Better support for both the modem and the printer
     have also  been  added,  along  with  support  for  the  extended
     addressing that  is going  to affect  the net  in the near future
     (things like echomail, gateways, zones, etc.).
     Fidonews                     Page 23                  20 Apr 1987


          While this  may sound great, some of you are probably saying
     "Why should  I use  SEAdog? What  advantages does  it really give
     me?" Well to start off you can request files from another SEAdog.
     If you  know your  friend Joe  (who is  running SEAdog) has a new
     version of  a program that you want, you no longer have to either
     ask him  to send it to you or log onto his board and download it.
     You merely  type "GET  filename FROM  net/node NOW"  and you will
     soon have  the file.  This is  great convenience  on your  fellow
     sysops as  they don't  have to spend as much time on requests for
     files. The  unofficial FIDO  utility board  now has SEAdog so you
     can also  get the  latest version  of your  favorite utilities in
     next to  no time,  and at  hours you  normally wouldn't  be awake
     during. The  new version  will also  allow people  access to  the
     board during  any mail event you wish. This could be used to make
     it easier  on hubs and hosts, no longer does everything depend on
     National Mail  Hour. If for some reason a board doesn't reach you
     during your  mail events, mail could be help continuously for any
     board. All  they have  to do  is tell SEAdog to manually poll the
     system (and  there is a "manual poll" feature in SEAdog). You are
     also capable  of entering  a DOS  command anytime  the system  is
     waiting for  a call,  while this  was put  into SEAdog to make it
     easier to  use the GET and SEND commands, I've used it to process
     some outbound  echomail, update the nodelist, and even call up my
     favorite editor.  Speaking of  echomail, in my local net echomail
     is often  processed right after the National Mail Hour. SEAdog is
     now capable  of  running  an  external  program  after  receiving
     crashmail (mail  that comes  in outside  of a normal mail event),
     and we've  been using  it  to  process  the  echomail  (with  the
     "echomail hubs"  sending it out (via "crashmail") as soon as it's
     processed.

          The user  interface goes beyond explaining, but I'll make an
     attempt of  it anyway.  You can  call it  up by  either  entering
     "MAIL" from  the DOS  prompt or  merely pressing  Alt-M when it's
     waiting for  a call  or event.  It always  starts you  out in the
     netmail message  area, but  it is  very easy  to  change  message
     areas. Up  on the  top of  the screen  is  the  "header"  of  the
     message, who  it's from  and who  it's to, complete with net/node
     numbers and  board names. To the right of the screen is a list of
     options available  from the  function keys. All you have to do to
     change areas  is press  F8, F9, and then select the area you wish
     to change  to from a list (up to 17 areas, you create the list in
     a file called AREAS.DOG). If you haven't created an AREAS.DOG, or
     go over  the 17 areas you can enter the drive and pathname of the
     area. The message editor is a full screen editor, no more messing
     around with  line oriented  text editors!  An added  bonus of the
     user interface  is that  you can press ">" to reply to a message,
     this will  then copy  the text  of the  old message  into the new
     message with  the greater  than symbol  in front of each line. If
     you're reading  a lot  of echomail areas with the user interface,
     you can  hide the  SEEN-BY lines of the message (or see them, you
     can change  between the  two by  a few keystrokes). You also have
     the capability  to search  for text,  either in a name or even in
     the message!  This can be great for looking over an echomail area
     for messages  dealing with  a given  topic. This  is only a short
     list of  the features available in the user interface, and let me
     Fidonews                     Page 24                  20 Apr 1987


     say that it can be very addictive.

          Just because  it is  used primarily  by sysops  doesn't mean
     that you  users couldn't  benefit from  it as well. If a board in
     your area  is using  SEAdog you  could have  yourself set up as a
     private node,  then when you want to read the echomail areas just
     poll the  board and read the messages at your own leisure. If you
     need a  file from  the board, just file request it. Since the new
     SEAdog has  a minimal  script capability,  you could  even use it
     through PC  Pursuit to  get files  (or mail) from bulletin boards
     not in  your local  area. All  this makes SEAdog when of the most
     worthwhile programs  I've  ever  seen,  easily  worth  the  price
     ($100). If  you're a  sysop,  you  should  definitely  look  into
     SEAdog. OPUS sysops can realize an even greater advantage as they
     would no longer have to call up FIDO to do their mail, their mail
     program  would  be  constantly  running!  Anyone  requiring  more
     information on  SEAdog should send a message to Thom Henderson at
     107/7, although I'd be glad to try and answer any questions about
     the  product.   You  can   also  look  for  the  SEAdog  echomail
     conference, Thom  keeps up  on the  conference and  answers  many
     questions there  as well.  It isn't  difficult to  setup, and the
     manual is  well written. SEA (and Thom) get high marks from me on
     SEAdog (both  3.8 and  the 4.0  update, nice  to see  people  who
     listen to their users) and yes, I don't know how I ever got along
     without it  (which is  a response/thanks you may see often in the
     SEAdog echo).

     -- Instant Recall (Precept, registered version $65.00) --

          I've also  been busy  this past  week with  Instant  Recall,
     which is  a free form database program. There are two versions of
     Instant Recall  out there;  one is  a free  version that you will
     find on  many bulletin  boards, while  the other  is a commercial
     product costing  $65. The only difference between the two is that
     the free  version is  only capable  of handling  an 80K database,
     while the  commercial product  can take a database up to 2 meg! A
     free form  database is  not like  the databases  you are familiar
     with if  you've ever  used something  like dBase or Reflex, there
     are no  neatly structured  records composed  of  fields.  Instead
     every "record" is made up of several lines of text (over a screen
     worth if  need be). How do you find anything? Every word in every
     record is indexed. If you're looking for your notes on installing
     hard drives  you merely  ask it  to find "hard drive" and it will
     allow you  to look  through the  records with  those words in it.
     Since it can be made memory resident, you don't even have to exit
     a program  to find your notes. You can also give Instant Recall a
     "reminder date"  when you enter a record. When you start it up on
     the given  day, you  "record" will immediately pop-up, giving you
     the reminder. This could be very useful for due dates on reports,
     reminders of  important meetings (or anniversaries and birthdays,
     anyone else  ever forget  to buy  a present  or send  flowers  on
     important days like this?), or a things to do today list.

          As a  test I  took one  of the  smaller  echomail  areas  (I
     haven't sent  in a  check for  the full  blown version  yet, will
     probably due  it at  the end  of this week when I get my paycheck
     Fidonews                     Page 25                  20 Apr 1987


     from work) and wrote a small program in C to get the text of each
     message with  a unique  identifier between  each message.  I then
     told Instant  Recall to  "import" the message with the identifier
     being used  to separate records, with this accomplished I started
     browsing the  messages while  looking  for  specific  topics.  It
     always found the records that were pertinent (I double checked it
     afterwards), although  it sometimes got records that didn't apply
     due to  misleading text (like "after I put this on the hard drive
     it stopped  dialing," while  looking for  installation tricks  on
     hard  drives).   Since  you  are  supposed  to  be  able  to  cut
     information out of an application, I tried to take a table out of
     a spreadsheet. The procedure was one of the most painless cut and
     paste operations I've ever tried, and worked well to boot! It was
     also easy  to take  part of  a record  and bring  it into my word
     processor. If  nothing else,  it has  found a  niche to  fill  in
     painlessly merging  part of  a spreadsheet into a word processor.
     I've also  been using  it to keep notes to myself on things to do
     like send  out an  overdue notice  if I haven't received a check,
     and comments on programs (kept while running most of them).

          Now for a short list of things you can't do with it. It does
     not keep "nice, neat structured records" so don't try using it to
     keep your  accounting  records.  It  isn't  capable  of  printing
     reports the  way you  can with  dBase or Reflex, when you print a
     record it  comes out a several lines of text. This also means you
     can't use  it to print any type of mailing labels. While this may
     seem like  a serious  deficiency in a database program, I ask you
     if dBASE could help me find information in an echomail conference
     (without entering  every message  with keywords).  It claims, and
     lives up  to, being one of the first database programs that works
     like your  mind, and it accomplishes this very easily in my mind.
     Add to  this the  chance to  look at the software first (with the
     80K  limit)  and  it's  one  of  the  finest  programs  currently
     available and I plan on buying the full blown version in the very
     near future  (as I  mentioned earlier,  it's  just  a  matter  of
     getting my paycheck this week).

     -- Winding Down --

          The best  book I've  come across this past week is "The Soul
     of a  New Machine" by Tracy Kidder (Avon books, $3.95 paperback).
     It's a lot like "Hackers" in that it looks at the people involved
     in computers rather than dealing with the computers/software/etc.
     It was  a 1982  Pulitzer Prize winner, and covers the development
     of Data General's first 32 bit super minicomputer. It came highly
     recommended to  me, and  I'd like this chance to highly recommend
     it you as well.

          As far  as games go, I have a confession to make. I bought a
     copy of  "Top Gun" on videotape and been watching it too much. As
     a result,  I've spent  a lot  of time  this past week playing JET
     from subLogic (list price $49.95). It got so bad, I even went out
     and bought  a joystick  to attach  up (makes it a lot easier) and
     have since  been able to land on the carrier deck much easier. My
     "flying" has  also improved  as I've  been able  to bring down as
     many as  23 enemy  fighters in  one game (my old high was 12). If
     Fidonews                     Page 26                  20 Apr 1987


     you are looking for a flight simulator, but don't feel like going
     from airport  to airport  look into  JET as  it is much more like
     flying a combat aircraft than Microsoft's Flight Simulator.

          That's about  it for  this week.  Thanks go to the anonymous
     person who  sent me  the message  on USENET  about EMACS, but I'm
     sure I've seen it ported to the PC somewhere. If you're a user of
     a BBS  and are  sending me  netmail, please mention to your sysop
     that mail  to me  must be  routed through either 157/0, 157/1, or
     157/502. Sysop's  who wish  to contact  me through  FidoNet, just
     take note  of the  last sentence.  I'll try  to reply  to all the
     messages I  receive. The  nodes that  will forward mail to me are
     all running  SEAdog, so  you shouldn't  have to  worry about mail
     schedules too  much. They  will also forward a file to me, if you
     think I  might be  interested in  something you've  found. If you
     send me something through US Mail, please tell me where to send a
     reply, be it a usenet site name, FidoNet net/node number, or home
     address. If you've got a favorite program (application, language,
     game, anything at all) drop me a line and I'll try to take a look
     at it  (money permitting  for stuff  I can't download off a local
     board) so  everyone out  there can  know about  a good program or
     book. No solid ideas on what I'll be writing about next week, but
     I did  just get  Microsoft's Macro  Assembler. In the meantime, I
     really do want to hear from you.


     Dale Lovell
     3266 Vezber Drive
     Seven Hills, OH  44131

     FidoNet:           157/504
     uucp:     ..!ncoast!lovell

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

     Fidonews                     Page 27                  20 Apr 1987


     =================================================================
                                  WANTED
     =================================================================

     Eric Ewanco
     SEAdog/Opus 130/3
     7633 Beckwood
     Fort Worth Texas 76112-6051

         I'm curious if there are any people out there going to
     attend the Harvard Summer School program this summer, from June
     29 to August 21. If so, I'd love to get in touch with you, I'm
     going this summer. Please send me a Fidonet message; if you're a
     user, make arrangements with your Sysop to send it, or send a
     letter via USPS to the above address. Thanks,

     Eric


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

     Fidonews                     Page 28                  20 Apr 1987


     =================================================================
                                 FOR SALE
     =================================================================

                MAGAZINE ON DISK FOR IBM PC AND COMPATIBLES

     BIG BLUE DISK, the magazine on disk for the IBM PC and
     compatibles, is currently available at Waldenbooks stores and
     many other retail locations, as well as by mail subscription.
     It is contained entirely on a floppy disk.  Each issue contains
     programs, articles, feedback from subscribers, and more.

     For example, issue 7, on sale soon, contains 2 disks full of
     features, including:

     - STREETS AND ALLEYS:  A computerized solitare game with a
     realistic shuffle.

     - TAKING STOCK:  This quiz tests your stock market knowledge.

     - MEMO WRITER:  This simple word processor automatically places
     your input in memo format.

     - PC-FILE III (The Blue Plate Special): Big Blue Disk is proud
     to present ButtonWare's full-featured database -- a completely
     functional program, not a demo.

     - ALFREDO'S LOST CAUSE:  Join our ill-fated animated hero on his
     first Big Blue Disk adventure.

     - THE PAGE COMMAND:  Another Kramden Utility; a tool for adding
     page headers to printed files.

     In addition, there are other programs, articles, and regular
     features, including feedback from our readers.

     You can order this issue by direct mail by sending $9.95 (check,
     money order, or Visa/Mastercard/American Express accepted) to:
     BIG BLUE DISK, DEPT F2, PO BOX 30008, SHREVEPORT, LA 71130-0008.

     Mail subscriptions are also available:  One year (12 monthly
     issues) costs only $69.95.  (A 41% savings over newsstand
     price.)  A six-month subscription is available for $39.95.

     Lots of interesting stuff is coming up; issue 8 contains several
     educational features:  a Biology 101 quiz, a quiz maker for
     teachers, and an adventure game that teaches South American
     geography.  Subscribe now and don't miss anything!

     BIG BLUE DISK requires an IBM PC or compatible, with at least
     256K and MS-DOS 2.0 or later.  Color graphics is recommended.

     Send questions/comments to Daniel Tobias on FIDO 380/2.

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

     Fidonews                     Page 29                  20 Apr 1987


     =================================================================
                                  NOTICES
     =================================================================

                          The Interrupt Stack


     25 Apr 1987
        The Next Occasional MetroNet Sysop Meeting, to be held at the
        SEA office in Clifton NJ.  Spouses and POSSLQs welcome.
        Contact Irene Henderson at 107/9 for details and directions.

     27 Apr 1987
        Start of the Semi-Annual DECUS (Digital Equipment Corp. Users
        Society) symposium, to be held in Nashville, Tennessee.

     24 May 1987
        Metro-Fire Fido's Second Birthday BlowOut and Floppy Disk
        Throwing Tournament!  All Fido Sysops and Families Invited!
        Contact Christopher Baker at 135/14 for more information.
        SEAdogs may GET more information by requesting FPICMAP.ARC
        from 135/14.

     21 Aug 1987
        Start of the Fourth International FidoNet Conference, to be
        held at the Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, VA.
        Contact Brian Hughs at 109/634 for more information.  This is
        FidoNet's big annual get-together, and is your chance to meet
        all the people you've been talking with all this time.  We're
        hoping to see you there!

     24 Aug 1989
        Voyager 2 passes Neptune.


     If you have something which you would like to see on this
     calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1/1.

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


                             W A N T E D
                             -----------

     Additional FidoNet node needed to be West Coast Star for
     the following EchoMail Conferences : SFFAN, GAMING,
     INTERPER, MUSIC and BUSINESS.  Should be willing to make
     one long-distance call per night.

     Contact Mike J at 150/900 or Randy Kobetich at 150/130.


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

     Fidonews                     Page 30                  20 Apr 1987


     Bob Morris 141/333
     Chairman, Elections and Nominations Committee

     The next two pages are your Official ballot for the  Election  of
     the  IFNA  Board  of  Directors.  The following are the few rules
     which must prevail in this election:

     1. You must send a legible copy of this  ballot  to  the  address
        listed  on  the  ballot.  It  must  be  signed  and  bear your
        net/node number.

     2. You  may  vote  for  any  one  person  in  your region for the
        position of Regional Director.  This vote is to be cast in the
        LEFT column of the ballot.

     3. You may vote for  any  ten  people  in  any  regions  for  the
        position  of Director at Large.  These votes are to be cast in
        the RIGHT column of the ballot.

     4. Voting  will  continue  from  the date of your receipt of this
        ballot until the end of  registration  at  the  Conference  in
        August.  The  results  will  be read during the opening of the
        business meeting on the first day of the conference.

     5. Write-in Votes will be accepted and are requested during  this
        election.



     Fidonews                     Page 31                  20 Apr 1987


                          IFNA Board Of Directors
                                   Ballot

                              Regional         At Large
     Region 10:
         Steve Jorden         _________        ________

     Region 11:
         Ryugen Fisher        _________        ________
         Theodore Polczynski  _________        ________

     Region 12:

     Region 13:
         Don Daniels          _________        ________
         John Penberthy       _________        ________
         Thom Henderson       _________        ________
         Gee Wong             _________        ________
         Brian Hughes         _________        ________

     Region 14:
         Ben Baker            _________        ________
         Ken Kaplan           _________        ________
         Brad Hicks           _________        ________

     Region 15:
         David Dodell         _________        ________
         Larry Wall           _________        ________

     Region 16:
         Bob Hartman          _________        ________
         Hal Duprie           _________        ________

     Region 17:
         Rob Barker           _________        ________
         Randy Bush           _________        ________
         Bob Swift            _________        ________

     Region 18:
         Ken Shackelford      _________        ________
         Wes Crowley          _________        ________

     Region 19:
         Mark Grennan         _________        ________
         Wynn Wagner          _________        ________

     Region 2:
         Henk Wevers          _________        ________

     Write-in candidates:
         ___________________  _________        ________
         ___________________  _________        ________




     Fidonews                     Page 32                  20 Apr 1987


        Name ______________________________  Net/Node ___________

        Signature______________________________  Date ___________


     Please complete this and mail it to:

              Robert Morris
              IFNA Elections Committee
              210 Church Street
              West Haven, Ct.   06516

     or bring it with you when you come to the conference in August.


     These  ballots  will  be counted by myself since with 200 members
     the charges for a CPA would be very high.  Hard  copies  will  be
     made  available  to  anyone wishing to insure that their vote was
     included.

                               Thank You

                               Bob Morris
                               Elections and Nominations Committee

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

-- 
        Tim Pozar
UUCP    pozar@hoptoad.UUCP
Fido    125/406
USNail  KLOK-FM
	77 Maiden Lane
	San Francisco CA 94108