The Online World, Odd de Presno [simple ebook reader txt] 📗

you can dial the local i-Com node to connect to your favorite service. i-Com also has a bulletin board (US$13.00/hour). These are some of its services: * Search a database to find BBS numbers in a given area of interest, or to locate outdial numbers in a given city or area code. * Conferences about how to use North American bulletin boards. * Retrieval of shareware and public domain software. * Online shopping of American goods at American prices.

Cheaper access to CompuServe

Wherever CompuServe has local access points, you'll be better off using these. You do not have to sign any special agreements. Your CompuServe ID is all you need. Payment for using these services will appear on your CompuServe bill.

CompuServe has special deals with a list of network services, like InfoNet Europe (formerly Computer Sciences Corp.), Istel, FALNET, FENICS, CompuPass, LATA Networks, Tymnet/Sprintnet. Enter the command GO LOG on CompuServe to get access information, and GO RATES for rates. I have been using CompuPass from Japan, CompuServe's own network in the United States, Istel, InfoNet, and PDN services in Europe. When at home, I usually use CompuServe's 9600 bps node in Stockholm, Sweden. It is even cheaper than calling Oslo for a 2400 bps node for most of my jobs. There is no surcharge when accessing at non-prime time, and US$7.70 per hour during prime time (weekdays 08:00 to 19:00 local time). In addition, I pay long distance rates to call the node. CompuServe has no extra charges for volume.

| Whenever CompuServe opens a new node in your vicinity, or |

| upgrades the modem speed on one of their nodes, look at the |

| effects on your total costs. |

| |

| Use software for automatic access and navigation (like TAPCIS,|

| OzCIS, or ATO). They give higher volume per minute and make |

| your accesses even more cost efficient. |

Before leaving for a business trip, visit CompuServe to find local access numbers in your destination cities. The list of countries includes Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Holland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and England.

You can also access CompuServe through i-Com and other outdial services. CompuServe has exchange of electronic mail with Internet. You can also access the service by telnet to hermes.merit.edu (binary transfers are impossible, though).

IXI - a European alternative to PDN

IXI is an X.25 data network for European academic, industrial and governmental research centers. It is sponsored by the EEC under the ESRIN project, and is operated by the Dutch PTT.

IXI interconnects national research networks, many national public data networks and several specialized international networks. It works like a national PDN service, but uses its own Network User Addresses. Echo, STN, DIMDI, Data-Star and other database vendors can be accessed through IXI. The service is not available to most users having email access through the Internet.

Using DASnet to cross network boundaries

DA Systems forwards electronic mail and files (also binary files) across mailbox system boundaries for customers. They can send your mail to several large in-house systems, information networks, and over 60 commercial mailbox systems in 30 countries.

These are some systems on their list: ABA/net, Alternex (Brazil), ATT Mail, BIX, BITNET, CESAC (Italy), CIGnet, ComNet (Switzerland), CONNECT, Dialcom, Deutsche Mailbox, Dialcom, Envoy 100, EIES, EasyLink, Euromail (Germany), FredsNaetet (Sweden), Galaxy, GeoNet (hosts in Germany, England, U.S.A.), GreenNet, INET, INFOTAP (Luxembourg), Mailbox Benelux, MCI Mail, MercanMail (Asia), MBK Mediabox (Germany), MetaNet, Nicarao (Nicaragua), NWI, OTC PeaceNet/EcoNet, Pegasus (Australia), PINET, Portal, PsychNet, San Francisco/Moscow Teleport, Telexphone (France), TeleRede (Portugal), Telehaus Nordhorn (Germany), Telemail, TEXTEL (the Caribbean), TWICS (Japan), UNISON, UUCP, Web (Canada), The WELL, Internet. This list may suggest lack of connectivity between networks that do indeed have connections. For example, Internet email may easily be sent to ATT Mail, Alternex, BIX, BITNET, FredsNaetet, GeoNet, GreenNet, and many others on this list. Connectivity changes constantly. Check to see if you really need it, as this service is far from free. DASnet also lets you send email as telex, fax and by ordinary mail. They charge you by the number of characters transferred, and the destination address. (Contact Anna B. Lange, DA Systems, Inc., U.S.A. Tel.: +1-408-559-7434, or write her at AnnaB@11.DAS.NET).

FidoNet - grassroots playground

FidoNet is an amateur network consisting of tens of thousands of bulletin boards all over the world. The network is "loosely coupled," meaning that most of the participating boards are not always connected. They call each others at regular intervals to exchange mail, often in the middle of the night when the rates are low.

Most FidoNet boards have conferences, and allow you to send mail to users of other systems. NetMail is a term often used for private FidoNet email. EchoMail is used about its international conferences. The selection of echomail conferences on a given FidoNet board can be as unique as the rest of the system.

RelayNet

is another global network of bulletin boards. It offers exchange of email between systems. Messages and conference items entered on one system will automatically be copied to other participating boards. Your costs for "talking" with others in other parts of the world are very small.

Other grassroots networks

It doesn't take much to set up a bulletin board service, and it is as easy to connect BBS systems to each other in a dial-up network for regular exchanges of email, files and conferences.

All over the world, grassroots networks keep popping up with names like ILINK, AmNet, Suedd MB-Verbund, Starmail, MagicNet, A- NET, MausNet, Zerberus-Netz, SMBX-NET, BASA-NETZ, you name it. Many boards offer access to more than one grassroots network, as well as to the Internet. Thus, the ability to send global email is extended to new users every day.

Other services

The PDN Connect-USA competes with Starlink in North America. (Connect-USA Communications, Inc., 2625 Pennsylvania NE Suite 225, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 505-881-6988 (voice), 505-881-2756 (FAX), 505-881-6964 (BBS). )

Global Access is a similar service reselling time on the Sprintnet network in North America.

Reducing the cost of using mailing lists

The problem of subscribing to mailing lists is that all discussion items come to you in individual messages. Each message comes with its own mailer header, and this information is generally completely useless. (Read "Returned mail" in Chapter 7 for details.)

Newer versions of the BITNET LISTSERV software provide commands that solve this problem: SET <list name> DIGEST ---------------------- This command is sent to a LISTSERV to make all daily messages come to you in one, single message. Example: Say you've joined KIDCAFE@vm1.nodak.edu, which usually has a large number of messages each day. Send the following command to the LISTSERV: SET KIDCAFE DIGEST It will typically reduce the number of lines received from this mailing list by around 50 percent. SET <list name> INDEX --------------------- This command is sent to a LISTSERV to get a daily list of messages, like in this example from KIDCAFE: Index Date Size Poster and subject ----- ---- ---- ------------------ 22839 06/22 26 From: David Chalmers <David.Chalmers@p3.f155.n633.z3.fidonet.org> Subject: Conor Dublin Ireland Based on this list, you can use the LISTSERV's search commands to retrieve individual messages of interest. These commands are similar to those used for searching in chapter 7. For more about searching mailing lists' message bases, send a message to LISTSERV@vm1.nodak.edu with the following command in the text of your mail: GET KIDLINK TIPS Some LISTSERVs offers simplified search commands and macros to make retrieval of individual messages simpler.

Chapter 14: Keep what you find

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Little is gained by being skillful at locating and accumulating information, and then becoming drowned in an avalanche of data that one cannot manage - or use.

This chapter starts with how to build a personal data base on your own hard disk. We continue by investigating strategies for finding interesting information on your disk, before winding down with some words about what separates good information from bad.

Search and throw away

To novices, everything is difficult. During the first online trips, they may feel as if moving to the other side of the globe to start over: They need new newspapers, magazines, information sources, and services.

Trial and error are required to find online gold mines. As you get more experience, focus tends to shift from getting information to digesting. Getting the data gets 'into your fingers', and doesn't bother much anymore. The number of retrieved lines increases. The only bad news is that your reading speed remains at the same old level. In our time, people tend to talk more than they listen, and you usually find more information than knowledge. Therefore, say NO to irrelevant information. It is seldom worth keeping. There is generally no good reason to learn things that you really don't need to know. Practice "selective ignorance." Regularly evaluate your online sources critically, and discard those costing you more than they are worth. Concentrate on those giving the best returns. Adjust the frequency with which you visit selected services to match their usefulness. What used to be daily visits, may have to be downgraded to once per week or month. Consider replacing daily news monitoring by clipping services. Plan 'overview' and 'details' with different frequencies. 'Overview' refers to online trips to get an impression of what generally goes on. An example:

My script system is set for automatic visits to the CompuServe Toshiba forum. Whenever I visit, it 'digs out' unread messages based on key words on the item's subject line.

During 1991, it searched for these strings: '5100', T2000', and '425'. Once, This gave the following message to read: #: 29550 S6/Hi-Power Notebooks 05-Oct-91 17:27:30 Sb: #T2000SX Recharger Fm: Steve Kitahata 75166,1741 To: All I tried to order the battery recharger for my T2000SX from Jade Computer last weekend. The sales rep said it would take about a week, so I called today to check up on it. He told me that I could only buy the recharger with the car adapter as a bundled set for $260. They had both advertised in their flyer as separate items, which they should be. Has anyone heard of this? Does anyone know of any sources that have the battery recharger available? Any help