Chapter 4 for more about how to get these files.)

Fog City Online Information Service ----------------------------------- is the world's largest bulletin board with AIDS information. Based in San Francisco (U.S.A.) it offers free and anonymous access for everybody. Call +1-415-863-9697. Enter "AIDS" by the question "First name?" and "INFO" by the question "Last Name?".

FT Profile ---------- has full-text articles from Financial Times in London, from several European databases (like the Hoppenstedt database with more than 46,000 German companies), and the Japanese database Nikkei. Profile is available through Telecom-Gold, and can also be accessed through other online services. Clipping service. CD-ROM. Contact FT Information Services at tel.: +44-71-873-3000.

GEnie ----- General Electric Network for Information Exchange is GE's Consumer Information Service. GEnie gives access to many databases and other information services. It has around 350,000 users (1992). The basic rate is US$4.95/month plus connect charges. The surcharge is US$18/hour between 08:00 and 18:00, and US$6.00/hour for some services, like email, downloading of software, "chat," conferences, and multi-user games. Access to Internet email is available as a surcharged add-on service. (Addressing format: [email protected]) For information call +1-301-340-4492. GE Information Services, 401 N. Washington St., Rockville, MD 20850, U.S.A.

GE Information Service Co. (GEIS) --------------------------------- Online service operated by General Electric. Available in over 32 countries. GEIS' QUIK-COMM service integrates multinational business communications for public and private mail systems. Its services include Telex Access; and QUIK-COMM to FAX, which allows users to send messages from their workstations to fax machines throughout the world. Contact: tel. +1-301-340-4485

GENIOS ------ German online service (tel.: +49 69 920 19 101). Offers information from Novosti (Moscow), data about companies in the former DDR, the Hoppenstedt business directories, and more.

GlasNet ------- is an international computer network that provides lowcost telecommunications to nonprofit, nongovernment organizations throughout the countries of the former Soviet Union. Email, fax, telex, public conferences. For nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations, basic GlasNet service fees are 350 rubles/month after a one-time registration fee of 1000 rubles. This does not include faxes or telexes. (1992) Write to: GlasNet, Ulitsa Yaroslavskaya 8, Korpus 3 Room 111, 129164 Moscow, Russia. Phone: (095) 217-6182 (voice). Email: [email protected] .

Global Access ------------- is a North American outdial service (see Chapter 13) owned by G-A Technologies, Inc. It has an information BBS at +1-704-334-9030.

IASNET ------ The Institute for Automated Systems Network was the first public switched network in the xUSSR. Its main goal is to provide a wide range of network services to the scientific community in the xUSSR, including access to online databases, a catalog of foreign databases, and conferencing (ADONIS).

IBM Information Network ----------------------- The IBM Information Network, based in Tampa, Florida, is IBM's commercial value-added data network offering the ability to send email and data worldwide. It is one of the largest networks in the world, with operator-owned nodes in over 36 countries. To send mail from the Internet to a user of Advantis IBMmail (also called IMX or Mail Exchange), address to their userid at ibmmail.com. You need to know their userid (IEA in IBMmail terminology) in advance. An IBMmail user can find how to address to Internet by sending mail to INFORM at IBMmail with /GET INET in the body of the text.

i-Com ----- offers outdial services to North America (ref. Chapter 13). Contact: i-Com, 4 Rue de Geneve B33, 1140 Brussels, Belgium. Tel.: +32 2215 7130. Fax: +32 2215 8999. Modem: +32 2215 8785.

ILINK (Interlink) ----------------- is a network for exchange of conferences between bulletin boards in U.S.A., Canada, Scotland, England, Norway, France, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, and other countries.

Infonet ------- is a privately owned vendor of packet data services with local operations in over 50 countries, and access from more than 135 countries. Contact: Infonet Services Corp., 2100 East Grand Ave., El Segundo, CA 90245, U.S.A.

INTERNET -------- started as ARPANET, but is now a large group of more than 6,000 interconnected networks all over the world supporting mail, news, remote login, file transfer, and many other services. All participating hosts are using the protocol TCP/IP. There are around 1.3 million host computers with IP addresses (March 1992. Ref. RFC1296 and RFC 1181). The number of users is estimated to more than ten million people. Some one million people are said to exchange email messages daily. In addition, private enterprise networks have an estimated 1,000,000 hosts using TCP/IP (Source: Matrix News August 1993.) These offer mail exchange with the Internet, but not services such as Telnet or FTP to most parts of the Internet, and are estimated to have some 7.5 million users. Some claim that these figures are low. They believe it is possible to reach around 50 million mailboxes by email through the Internet. Several commercial companies offer full Internet services. Among these are Alternet (operated by UUNET) and PCI (operated by Performance Systems, Inc.). The UK Internet Consortium offers similar services in Great Britain. INTERNET gives users access to the ftp and telnet commands. Ftp gives them interactive access to remote computers for transferring files. Telnet gives access to a remote service for interactive dialog. The Interest Groups List of Lists is a directory of conferences available by ftp from ftp.nisc.sri.com (192.33.33.53). Log in to this host as user "anonymous." Do a 'cd' (change directory) to the "netinfo" directory, then enter the command "GET interest-groups." The list is more than 500 KB characters long. You can also get it by email from [email protected] . Write the following command in the TEXT of the message:

Send netinfo/interest-groups

You can telnet several bulletin boards through Internet. Here is a sample:

Name Login as Description ---- ---------- ----------- CONRAD.APPSTATE.EDU info World news collected by monitoring short wave broadcasts from BBS and other global sources. ISCA.ICAEN.UIOWA.EDU ISCABBS A large amount of public domain programs ATL.CALSTATE.EDU LEWISNTS Electronic newspapers and the Art World. TOLSUN.OULU.FI BOX Finnish service. English available as an option.

"Internet Services Frequently Asked Questions and Answers" can be retrieved by email from [email protected] . Write

send usenet/news.answers/internet-services/faq

in the body of your message.

Internet -------- is a term used on something many call "WorldNet" or "The Matrix." It includes the networks in INTERNET, and a long list of networks that can send electronic mail to each other (though they may not be based on the TCP/IP protocol). The Internet includes INTERNET, BITNET, DECnet, Usenet, UUCP, PeaceNet, IGC, EARN, Uninett, FidoNet, CompuServe, Alternex (Brazil), ATT Mail, FredsNaetet (Sweden), AppleLink, GeoNet (hosts in Germany, England, U.S.A.), GreenNet, MCI Mail, MetaNet, Nicarao (Nicaragua), OTC PeaceNet/EcoNet, Pegasus (Australia), BIX, Portal, PsychNet, Telemail, TWICS (Japan), Web (Canada), The WELL, CARINET, DASnet, Janet (England) "Answers to Commonly Asked New Internet User' Questions" is available by email from [email protected] . Send email with the following command in the message's SUBJECT heading:

RFC 1206

One important feature of the Internet is that no one is in charge. The Internet is essentially a voluntary association. Another thing is that there are rarely any additional charges for sending and receiving electronic mail (even when sending to other networks), retrieving files, or reading Usenet Newsgroups..

Intermail --------- See Commercial Mail Relay Service.

Istel ----- A privately owned vendor of packet data services, who has operator- owned nodes in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Holland, Spain, Sweden, England. Contact: AT&T Istel. Tel.: 0527- 64295 (in England).

Kompass Online and Kompass Europe -------------------------------- These databases are available through many services, including Affaersdata in Sweden and Dialog. Contact: (voice) +47 22 64 05 75.

InfoPro Technologies -------------------- Previously Maxwell Online. InfoPro's services include BRS Online and Orbit Online. BRS owns BRS Online, BRS Colleague, BRS After Dark, and BRS Morning Search, which focus on medical information. Orbit focuses on patent and patent-related searches. Orbit carries an annual membership fee of US$50 (1992), and hourly fees that differ according to database. Contact: InfoPro Technologies, 8000 Westpark Drive, McLean, VA 22102, U.S.A. Tel.: +1-703-442-0900.

Maxwell Online -------------- See InfoPro Technologies.

MCI Mail -------- MCI Mail, Box 1001, 1900 M St. NW, Washington, DC 20036, U.S.A.

Mead Data Central ----------------- operates the Nexis and Lexis services. Contact: Mead Data Central International, International House, 1, St. Katharine's Way, London E1 9UN, England. TELNET lexis.meaddata.com or 192.73.216.20 or 192.73.216.21 . Terminal type = vt100a. Note: If characters do not echo back, set your terminal to "local" echo.

MetaNet ------- Contact: Metasystems Design Group, 2000 North 15th Street, Suite 103, Arlington, VA 22201, U.S.A. Tel.: +1-703-243-6622.

MIX --- A Scandinavian bulletin board network exchanging conferences. For information, call Mike's BBS in Norway at the following numbers: +47-22-416588, +47-22-410403 and +47-22-337320.

Minitel ------- French videotex service, which is being marketed all over the world. It is based on a special graphics display format (Teletel), has over 13,000 services, and appears like a large French online hypermarche with more than seven million users (1992). Access to the French Minitel network is available via the Infonet international packet data network on a host-paid and chargeable account basis.

Mnematics --------- Mnematics, 722 Main Street Sparkill, NY 10976-0019, U.S.A. Tel.: +1- 914-359-4546.

NEC PC-VAN ---------- Japan's largest online service measured both in number of users and geographical presence. Your communications system must be able to display Japanese characters to use the service.

Netnews ------- See Usenet.

NewsNet ------- The world's leading vendor of full-text business and professional newsletters online. Offers access to over 700 newsletters and news services within 30 industry classification groups (1993). Includes the major international news wires. You can read individual newsletter issues, and search back issues or individual newsletters or publications within an industry classification. NewsNet's clipping service is called NewsFlash. Enter PRICES at the main command prompt for an alphabetic listing of all available services. Contact: NewsNet, 945 Haverford Rd., Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, U.S.A.

NIFTY-Serve ----------- is Japan's number 2 online service. It had 250,000 subscribers in January 1992. Access is possible via a gateway from CompuServe. Your communications system must be able to display Japanese characters to use the service. Nifty-Serve is jointly operated by Fujitsu and Nissho Iwai Trading in a licensing agreement with CompuServe.

NWI --- Networking and World Information, Inc. One time subscription fee: US$20 (US$5 is given to charity. US$15 is returned to the user as free time). Non-prime time access costs US$10.70/hour at 300 to 2400 bps. Otherwise, the rate is US$23.50. The service is available through PDN and outdial services. (1992) Contact: NWI, 333 East River Drive, Commerce Center One, East Hartford, CT 06108, U.S.A. Tel.: +1-203-289-6585. CompuServe users can access NWI's PARTICIPATE conferences through a gateway.

OCLC ---- is a nonprofit computer library service and research organization whose computer network and products link more than 15,000 libraries in 47 countries and territories. It serves all types of libraries, including public, academic, special, corporate, law, and medical libraries. Contact: OCLC, 6565 Fratz Rd., Dublin, OH, U.S.A. Tel.: +1-614-764-6000.

Orbit ----- is owned by InfoPro Technologies (formerly Maxwell Online and Pergamon Orbit Infoline Inc.). It offers more than 100 science, technical and patent research, and company information databases. Contact in North America: InfoPro Technologies, 8000 West Park Drive, McClean, VA 22102, U.S.A. Tel.: +1-703-442-0900. In Europe: ORBIT Search Service, Achilles House, Western Avenue, London W3 0UA, England. Tel.: +44 1 992 3456, Fax. +44 1 993 7335. Telnet orbit.com (US$6/hr in 1992).

Pergamon Financial Data Services -------------------------------- See Orbit.

Polarnet -------- is a Scandinavian distributed conferencing system available through many boards, including Mike's BBS (see above).

Prestel ------- is owned by British Telecom. It is a videotex service based on a special graphics display format. The service is also available as "TTY Teletype." NUA address: 02341 10020020.

Prodigy ------- is a North American videotex service owned by IBM and Sears. You must have a special communications program to use the service, which claimed 2.5 million subscribers in early 1992. (Analysts estimated only 850,000 paying users). Rates: US$12.50 per family per month for up to six family members and up to 30 email messages. Annual subscription: US$ 119.95. The packet sent new users contains a communication program and a Hayes-compatible 2400 bps modem. Price: US$ 180. (early 1992) Contact: Prodigy Services Co., 445 Hamilton Ave., White Plains, NY 10601, U.S.A. Tel.: +1-914-962-0310. Email (through Internet): [email protected] .

RelayNet -------- Also called PcRelay-Net. An international network for exchange of email and conferences between more than 8,500 bulletin boards. The Relaynet International Message Exchange (RIME) consists of some 1,000 systems (1992).

Relcom ------ means 'Russian Electronic Communications.' This company provides email, other network services, a gateway to Internet, and access to Usenet. In early 1992, RELCOM had regional nodes in 25 cities of the xUSSR connecting over 1,000 organizations or 30,000 users. RELCOM has a gateway to IASNET.

Saltrod Horror Show ------------------- Odd de Presno's BBS system. Tel.: +47 370 31378.

The Sierra Network ------------------ is one of the best things out there for online games. The service claimed more than 20,000 subscribers in 1993. Contact: The Sierra Network, P.O. Box 485, Coarsegold, CA 93614, U.S.A.

SIGnet ------ Global BBS network with over 2500 nodes around the world (1993).

SIMTEL20 Software Archives -------------------------- is a system maintained by the US Army Information System Command. It contains public domain software, shareware, documentation and mail archives under the following top-level headings: HZ100, INFO- IBMPC, MSDOS, PC-BLUE, ADA, ARCHIVES, CPM, CPMUG, PCNET, SIGM, STARS, UNIX-C, VHDL, ZSYS, MACINTOSH, MISC, and TOPS20. All files are accessible by Anonymous FTP. For information, send a message to the address [email protected] with the command 'HELP' in the first line of your text.

SprintMail ---------- is a large, commercial vendor of email services. It has local nodes serving customers in 108 countries through its SprintNet network (1991). Internet mail to the SprintMail user identity 'T.Germain' can be sent to [email protected] . For information, contact SprintMail, 12490 Sunrise Valley Dr., Reston, VA 22096, U.S.A.

SuperNET -------- is an international network for exchange of conferences and mail between SuperBBS bulletin board systems. Contact: SuperNet World Host through FidoNet at 2:203/310 (+46-300-41377) Lennart Odeberg.

TCN --- is a Dialcom network. Internet email to TCN is only possible if either the sender or recipient has registered with DASnet. The email address would be: [email protected] (where xxx is the TCN number).

Thunderball Cave ---------------- Norwegian bulletin board connected to RelayNet. Call +47-22- 299441 or +47-22-299442. Offers Usenet News and Internet mail.

Tocolo BBS ---------- Bulletin board for people with disabilities in Japan, or with "shintaishougaisha," which is the Japanese term. Call: +81-3-205- 9315. 1200 bps, 8,N,1. Your communications system must be able to display Japanese characters to use the service.

TRI-P ----- International outdial service. Contact: INTEC America, Inc., 1270 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 2315, New York, NY 10020, U.S.A. In Japan, contact Intec at 2-6-10 Sarugaku-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101. Fax: +81-3-3292-2929.

TWICS BeeLINE ------------- English-language Japanese online service with PARTIcipate, Caucus and Usenet netnews. Half the users are Japanese. Others connect from U.S.A., England, Canada, Germany, France, South Africa, and Scandinavia. The NUA address is: 4406 20000524. Direct call to +81 3 3351 7905 (14,4KB/s), or +81-3-3351-8244 (9600 bps). At CONNECT, press ENTER a few times. Wait about a second between keystrokes to get to the registration prompt. New users can sign on as GUEST for information. You can also write [email protected], or send mail to TWICS/IEC, 1-21 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160, JAPAN. Foreign users have free access (1992).

UMI/Data Courier ---------------- 620 South Street, Louisville, KY 40202, U.S.A.

Uninett ------- delivers networking services to Norwegian research and educational services.

Unison ------ North American conferencing service using PARTIcipate software. NUA address: 031105130023000. Password: US$35.00. Monthly subscription: US$6.25. Non-prime time access: US$12.00/hour. Prime time access: US$19.00/hour. Enter SIGNUP when online the first time and follow the prompts. (1991)

UUCP ---- UUCP (UNIX to UNIX Copy) is a protocol, a set of files and a set of commands to copy files from one UNIX computer to another. This copying procedure is the core of the UUCP network, a loose association of systems all communicating with the UUCP protocol. UNIX computers can participate in the UUCP network (using leased line or dial-up) through any other UNIX host. The network now also has many MS-DOS and other hosts, and consisted of 16,300 hosts in January 1993 (source: UUCP map) serving more than 489,000 users. The UUCP network is based on two systems connecting to each other at specific intervals, and executing any work scheduled for either of them. For example, the system Oregano calls the system Basil once every two hours. If there's mail waiting for Oregano, Basil will send it at that time. Likewise, Oregano will at that time send any mail waiting for Basil. There are databases with connectivity information (UUCP maps), and programs (pathalias) that will help you decide the correct routing of messages. However, many UUCP hosts are not registered in the UUCP map. EUNET is a UUCP based network in Europe. JUNET is an equivalent network in Japan. There are many gateway machines that exchange mail between UUCP and the Internet. Among these, UUNET.UU.NET is among the most frequently used.

Usenet ------ Usenet, Netnews, or just "News" are common terms for a large many-to-many conferencing (only) system distributed through UUCP, Internet, FidoNet, and BITNET. This grassroots driven "network" has grown out of the global university and research domains. It is a service rather than a real network. It is not an organization, and has no central authority. Usenet's newsgroups are carried by over 69,000 host computers in five continents, and has over 1,991,000 users (source: Brian Reid, 1993). Many of these hosts have access to the Internet. The European portion of Usenet is called EUNET (European Unix NET). The local administrator of each individual node in the network decides what newsgroups to receive and make available to its users. Few systems offer access to all of them. NetNews is organized in groups of 'conferences'. Each of these classifications is organized into groups and subgroups according to topic. As of June 1, 1993, there were 4500 newsgroups and 2500 regional newsgroups. Several sites are carrying over 2600 topics. The groups distributed worldwide are divided into seven broad classifications:

"comp" Topics of interest to both computer professionals and hobbyists, including topics in computer science, software source, and information on hardware and software systems.

"sci" Discussions marked by special and usually practical knowledge, relating to research in or application of the established sciences.

"misc" Groups addressing themes not easily classified under any of the other headings or which incorporate themes from multiple categories.

"soc" Groups primarily addressing social issues and socializing.

"talk" Groups largely debate-oriented and tending to feature long discussions without resolution and without appreciable amounts of generally useful information.

"news" Groups concerned with the news network and software themselves.

"rec" Groups oriented towards hobbies and recreational activities.

Also available are many "alternative" hierarchies, like:

"alt" True anarchy; anything and everything can and does appear. Subjects include sex, and privacy.

"biz" Business-related groups

"clari" Newsgroups gatewayed from commercial news services and other 'official' sources. (Requires payment of a fee and execution of a licence. More information by email to [email protected]).

Most Netnews hosts offer both global and local conferences. Many newsgroups can be read through bulletin boards, commercial online services, or through gateways from connected hosts (like from some BITNET hosts). A full list of available groups and conferences are normally available from hosts offering Netnews, and on NETNEWS servers. All users should subscribe to news.announce.important .

Vu/Text ------- 325 Chestnut St., Suite 1300, Philadelphia, PA 19106, U.S.A.

The Well -------- The Whole Earth Lectronic Link is a commercial online service based in Sausalito (U.S.A.). It has its own conferencing culture and is an interesting starting point for those wanting to "study" what makes the area around Silicon Valley so dynamic. The Well has several hundred conferences, public and private, about 7,000 members, and is available in a variety of ways. The service has full Internet access, and can be reached by telnet to well.sf.ca.us (or 192.132.30.2). Modem tel.: +1-415-332-6106 at 1200 bps or +1-415-332-7398 at 2400 bps. You can subscribe online. Rates: US$ 20/month plus US$ 2/hour (invoiced by the minute online - 1992).

ZiffNet ------- markets its services through CompuServe (ZiffNet and ZiffNet/Mac), Prodigy, and its own online service in the U.S.A. Their offerings include the Ziff Buyer's Market, the ZiffNet/Mac Buyer's Guide, Computer Database Plus, Magazine Database Plus, NewsBytes, and the Cobb Group Online. Contact: Ziff Communications Company, 25 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, U.S.A. Tel.: +1-617-252-5000.

Appendix 2:

Short takes about how to get started ====================================

* a computer * modem and a communications program

You must have a computer ------------------------ It is not important what kind of computer you have, though you may find out that it is an advantage to have a popular one. The most common type of microcomputer today is called MS-DOS computers (or IBM PC compatibles or IBM clones). Your computer should have enough memory for communication. This is seldom a problem. An MS-DOS computer with 256 KB RAM is enough when using popular programs like PROCOMM. Your computer does not have to be very powerful and super fast, unless you want ultra fast transfers, use a slow communications program, or a complex system of script files. If this is the case, you'll know to appreciate speed and power. You do not need a hard disk. Many do without. Not having one, however, means more work, and less room for storage of all the nice things that you may want to retrieve by modem. Personally, I want as much hard disk space as I can possibly get. When you have read the book, I guess you'll understand why. Others may want to delay the purchase of a hard disk until they can spare the money. If you can afford it, however, do it! It is a decision that you'll never regret.

You must have a modem --------------------- Some computers are always connected to a network. If this is your situation, then you probably have what you need already. The rest of us need a modem. A modem is a small piece of equipment that is translating the internal, electrical signals of the computer to sound codes. These codes can be sent over an ordinary telephone line. You may think of it as a type of Morse alphabet. The recipient of data also needs a modem. In his case, the sound codes will have to be translated back into their original form as digital codes. When this is done, he can view text and pictures on the screen, and use the received data in other applications. You can buy modems on an expansion card for installation in your computer, or in a separate box. Often, a modem has already been built into the computer, when you buy it. Whether to buy an internal or an external modem is a question of needs: A portable computer with an internal modem is easier to bring on travels than an external modem with a modem cable and a power adapter. An external modem can serve several computers. Some of them are so compact that they fit besides your toothbrush in the toilet bag. An internal modem blocks one of your serial ports.

External modems --------------- The options are many. The modems differ on speed, features, prices - and whether they are approved for usage in your country. Some of them are connected to the phone line by cable. Others are connected to the handset (to the talk and listen part) by two rubber cups. We call such modems acoustic modems (or acoustic couplers). Acoustic modems are useful where connecting other modems to the telephone is difficult. The bad news is that you'll get more noise on the line. Acoustic modems can therefore not be recommended for use in other cases.

Asynchronous or synchronous modems? ----------------------------------- Formerly, data communication was done by sending job commands to a mainframe computer, and having the result returned in one batch. The modems were called synchronous. Such modems (and computers) are still in use in some large corporations. Most of today's online services are based on an interactive dialog between the user and the remote computer. The user enters a command, for example a letter or a number in a menu, and the result is returned almost immediately. The modems used for such work are called asynchronous (See "Explanation of some words and terms" in appendix 4). Unless you know that you must have a synchronous modem, buy an asynchronous one.

Choice of speed --------------- Speed is measured in many ways. One method is to use baud. Another is to use characters per second (cps) or bits per second (bps). Bps is a measure of how many data bits that can be transferred over a data channel in one second. (Each byte is split up into bits before transfer during serial communication.) The relationship between baud and bits per second is complex, and often misused. Bits per second is unambiguous. In this book, we will use it as bps. We can estimate the number of characters per second by dividing the number of bps by ten. For example. 1200 bps is roughly 120 cps. In 1987, 300, 1200 and 2400 bps asynchronous modems were the standard in many countries. Around 1990, the growth in 9600 bps modems and modem with faster speeds gained momentum. Modem user manuals often give transfer speed by referring to some international classification codes. Here are some CCITT codes with explanation:

V.21 0-300 bps Still used by a small group. Cannot full duplex communicate with the American Bell 103 standard.

V.22 1200 bps Partly compatible with the American full duplex Bell 212a standard. Sometimes it works, sometimes it fails.

V.22bis 2400 bps Used all over the world. Very full duplex common.

V.23 600 & 1200 Rare protocol. Used mainly in Europe. bps w/75 Half duplex. bps return ch.

V.26ter 2400 bps Used mainly in France full duplex

V.27ter 2400/4800 bps Used in Group III fax half duplex

V.29 4800, 7200 and Used in gr. III fax and in some (Ame- 9600 bps rican) modems. Do not buy V.29 if you half duplex want a 9600 bps modem.

V.32 4800/9600 bps Current standard for 9600 bps modems full duplex

V.32bis 4800/7200/9600, Full duplex with faster interrogation. 12000/14400 bps

V.34 14400 bps A proposed high speed protocol that never made it.

V.42 Error correction protocol (an appendix yields compatibility w/MNP gr. 2,3 and 4 (see MNP below). For V.22, V.22bis, V.26ter and V.32.

V.42bis Data compression for V.42 modems. Meant to replace MNP and LAP. Text can be transferred three times faster than with MNP, i.e., in up to 38400 bps using a 9600 bps modem. Very common.

V.Fast Upcoming standard. If approved by also called CCITT, it will support speeds to V.32terbo 28,800 bps for uncompressed data transmission rates over regular dial- up, voice-grade lines. Using V.42bis data compression, up to 86,400 bps may be achievable.

When you consider buying a modem with higher speed, remember that going from 1200 bps to 2400 is a 50 percent increase, while going from 1200 to 9600 bps gives 800 percent! On the other hand, if you currently have 9600 bits/s, going to 14.400 will only give you 50 percent.

MNP error correction and compression ------------------------------------ The Microcom Networking Protocol (MNP) is a U.S. industry standard for modem-to-modem communication with automatic error correction and compression. Automatic error correction is useful when there is noise on the telephone line. MNP splits the stream of data up into blocks before transmission. They are checked by the other modem upon receipt. If the contents are correct, an acknowledge message is sent back to the sending modem. If there has been an error in the transmission, the sending modem is asked to retransmit. When using compression, files are being preprocessed before transmission to decrease their size. The result is that the modem has to send fewer bytes, and the effect is higher speed. MNP Level 3 and up send data between two modems synchronously rather than asynchronously. Since sending a start and stop bit with each transferred byte is no longer required, the effect is higher speed. MNP-4 or higher have automatic adjustment of block length when there is noise on the line. If the line is good, longer blocks are sent. The block size is decreased if the line is bad causing many retransmissions. MNP-5 has data compression. This gives a further increase in transfer speed by from 10 to 80 percent depending on the type of data sent. MNP-7 is capable of a three-to-one compression ratio. Both users must have their modems set for MNP to use it.

The speed of the computer's COMM port ------------------------------------- Installing a super fast modem does not guarantee an increase in the effective transfer speed. The serial port of your computer may be a limiting factor. Owners of older MS-DOS computers often have UARTs (serial port processors) in the Intel 8250 or National 16450 series. With these in the computer, it is difficult to achieve speeds above 9600 bps without losing data. Take this into account when investing in a modem.

MNP and efficiency ------------------ I call my bulletin board daily. My personal computer is set to communicate with a V.32 modem at 19,000 bps. The modem sends data to the telephone line at 9600 bps, which is this modem's maximum line speed. Data is received by the remote computer's V.32 modem at 9600 bps, and forwarded to bulletin board at 19200 bps. Why these differences in speed? MNP level 5 compresses data in the modem before transfer, and gives error-free transfer to and from the bulletin board at higher speed than by using 9600 bps all the way through. The compression effectiveness differs by the type of data. When sending text, the effective transfer speed may double. Speed will increase further if the text contains long sequences of similar characters. Text is typically compressed by up to 63 percent. This means that a 2400 bps modem using MNP-5 may obtain an effective speed of around the double when transferring such data.

File transfers using MNP ------------------------ Files are often compressed and stored in libraries before transfer. Online services do this because compressed files take less space on their hard disks. Also, it is easier for users to keep track of files sent in a library file. You rarely get speed advantages when transferring precompressed files using MNP or V.42bis. With some modems, you must turn MNP and V.42bis compression off before retrieval of compressed files.

Dumb or intelligent modem? -------------------------- Some modems are operated with switches or buttons on a panel. They do not react to commands from your computer. We call them dumb. You must dial numbers manually, and press a key on the modem, when you hear the tone from a remote modem. Only when the modem is connected to the remote modem, can you ask your communications program to take over. We call those modems 'intelligent' that can react to commands from your computer. Most of them react to commands according to the Hayes standard. Buy intelligent, Hayes-compatible modems - even when other standards may seem better. Most of today's communication programs are designed to be used by such modems.

Note: Buy modems that use the Hayes extended command set.

When a popular communications program, like Procomm and Crosstalk, tells the modem to "dial a number" or "go on hook," then the Hayes- compatible modem will do just that. When you press ALT-H in Procomm, the modem will disconnect from the remote modem. If you press ALT-D followed by the number "2," Procomm will locate the number to an online service in your telephone directory, and dial that number. When the connection with the remote modem has been established, your modem will report back to you with a message like CONNECT 2400. This tells that a connection has been set up at 2400 bps. If I select "k" from a menu provided by my communications program's command scripts, then my system will retrieve today's business news from Tokyo and put them up on my screen. In the process, my system tells the modem to do several things, including "call a number," "speed 2400 bps," "redial if busy," "go on-hook when done." The only thing that I have to do, is press "k". The communications program and the modem will do the rest. Automatic communication is impossible without an intelligent modem.

The Hayes standard ------------------ The U.S. company Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. pioneered command-driven modems. Their Smartmodem became a success, and "Hayes compatibility" a standard for intelligent modems. Today, it is as unimportant to buy a Hayes modem to get access to Hayes commands, as to buy an IBM PC to run PC software. Automatic dialing (autodial) was one of Smartmodem's important features. The modem could call a number and prepare for data communication, once a connection had been set up. If the line was busy, it could wait a while and then redial. The operator could work with other things while waiting for the equipment to be ready for communication. The modem had automatic answer (autoanswer), i.e., when someone called in, the modem could take the phone off hook and set up a connection with a remote modem. The modem enabled a connected PC to act as an electronic answering machine. Hayes-compatible modems can report call progress to the local screen using short numeric codes or words like CONNECT, CONNECT 1200, CONNECT 2400, NO CARRIER, NO DIALTONE, BUSY, NO ANSWER, RING etc. There can be small differences between such modems. The message DIALTONE on one modem may be DIAL TONE on another. Most of the main progress messages, however, are the same across brands. The old Smartmodem had switches used to configure the modem. Most modern Hayes-compatible modems come without switches and have more commands than their ancestor. Today's Hayes-compatible modems have a core of common commands, the "real" Hayes-commands, and several unstandardized additional commands. Here is an example:

A standard on the move ---------------------- On the Quattro SB2422 modem, 2400 bps speed without automatic speed detection is set by the command "AT&I1." The equivalent command on Semafor's UniMod 4161 is "AT+C0". Automatic detection of speed is a feature that lets the modem discover the speed of the remote modem to set its own speed at the same level. (Other modems may use different commands to set this.) When I want Procomm to call a bulletin board, it first sends a sequence of Hayes commands to the Semafor modem. The purpose is to "configure" the modem before calling. It sends the following:

AT S0=0 +C0 S7=40 S9=4 &D2

The cryptic codes have the following meaning:

AT "Attention modem. Commands following.." S0=0 No automatic answer +C0 No automatic speed detection (fixed speed) S7=40 Wait 40 seconds for an answer tone from the remote modem. S9=4 Wait 4/10 seconds for detection of carrier &D2 Go on-hook if the DTR signal is being changed.

If this command is sent to the Quattro modem, it will reply with "ERROR". The code "+C0" must be replaced with an "&I1". The rest of the commands are the same. (Note: when a modem responds with "ERROR," it has usually rejected all commands sent to it!) This setup is held in the modem's memory when Procomm sends its dialing command: ATDT4737031378. AT stands for ATtention, as above. DT stands for Dial Tone. Here, it is used to dial the number 4737031378 using tone signaling (rather than pulse dialing).

The modem cable --------------- If you have an external modem, you must connect your computer to the modem with a cable. Some modems are sold without a cable. This cable may be called a serial cable, a modem cable, a RS232C cable, or something else. Make sure that you buy the correct cable for your system. Make sure that the connectors at each end of the cable are correct. If a male connector (with pins) is required in one end and a female (with holes) in the other, do not buy a cable with two male connectors. Some connectors have 9 pins/holes, while others have 25 or 8- pin round plugs (Apple computers). Use a shielded cable to ensure minimal interference with radio and television reception. At this point, some discover that there is no place on the PC to attach the cable. Look for a serial port at the rear of your machine, labeled MODEM, COMMUNICATIONS, SERIAL, or with a phone symbol. If you find no suitable connector, you may have to install an asynchronous communication port in the box.

Connecting your equipment to earth ---------------------------------- Secure your computer and modem against thunderstorms and other electrical problems. Securing the electric outlet in the wall is not enough. Problems can also enter through the telephone line. Thunderstorms have sent electrical pulses through the telephone line destroying four modems, three PC-fax cards, one mother board, and at least one asynchronous communication port. To prevent this from happening to you, disconnect electrical and telephone cables from your equipment during thunderstorms.

The communications program -------------------------- A powerful communications program is half the job. In my case it's the whole job. Most of my work is done automatically. The communications program will help you with the mechanical transportation of data in both directions. It lets you store incoming information for later use and reduces the risks of errors. Here are some items to consider when shopping communications program: * Seriously consider buying automatic programs ('robots') for access to individual online services, even if that means having to use several programs for different applications. (Read chapter 16 for more details.) * Menus and help texts are important for novices, and in environments with "less motivated personnel." Advanced users may find it boring. * Ability to transfer data without errors. The program should have transfer protocols like XMODEM, Kermit, XMODEM/CRC, YMODEM and ZMODEM. The XMODEM protocol is the most commonly used. You need these protocols if you want to transfer compiled computer programs (e.g., .COM and .EXE files). They are also used when transferring compressed files, graphics and music files. * Does it let you tailor it to your taste/needs? Some programs let you attach batches of commands to function keys and keypress combinations. For example, by having your computer call your favorite online service by pressing the F1 key. * Does it let you "scroll back" information having disappeared out of your screen? This may be useful when you want to respond while online to an electronic mail message. The sender's address and name, which you need to respond, have scrolled off the screen. If you cannot review the "lost" information, you may have to disconnect and call back later to send your mail.

Connecting to the online service -------------------------------- The first couple of times, most people think that it is very difficult. Soon it becomes a simple routine. On some computers, you just press a key, and that's it. On others, you have to call and press, and watch, while things are happening. Cheap is often a synonym for more work. If you have a dumb modem connected to your personal computer, these are the typical steps that you must take:

(1) Start your communications program and set it up, e.g., with 2400 bps, 8 bits word length, 1 stop bit, no parity. (This is the most common setup.) Then set the program to "online." (2) Call the number (e.g., +47 370 31378) (3) When you hear the tone from the remote modem in the phone, press DATA to get the modems to connect to each other (i.e., to start to "handshake"). (4) A front panel indicator may tell you when the connection has been set up. You can start transferring data.

With an MS-DOS computer, an automatic modem and a powerful program preset for the job, the steps may be as follows:

(1) Start the program and display the telephone directory. Select a service from the list by pressing a number. (2) The modem will call automatically to the service. When CONNECT has been established, your user identification and password are sent at the prompts for such information. When this is done, you are free to take control.

With an MS-DOS computer, TAPCIS, and an intelligent modem, you start by selecting forums and services to access on CompuServe. Enter 'o' to upload and download programs, or 'n' to have it fetch new message headers and messages. TAPCIS will dial the number, do the job, and tell you when it's done. Meanwhile, you can go out to look at the moon, or sing a song.

Getting started with Procomm ---------------------------- Procomm is cheap and probably the most commonly used communications program for MS-DOS computers. It's been like this for many years, though there are many better and cheaper alternatives. An older version of the program (version 2.4.2) is still being distributed through bulletin boards all over the world. You may give copies of this version to anyone. The requirement is that you pay a contribution of US$25 to the vendor if you like it and start to use it. Procomm is simple for novices, can automate the work for advanced users and be run on almost any MS-DOS computer. Here is some of the features: Press ALT-F10 for a pull-down window text listing features and commands. Press ALT+D to call a number, update the telephone directory, or select a script file for autologon to a service. Procomm can emulate (pretend to be) different terminal types, like IBM 3101 and DEC VT-100/VT-52. Most services covered in this book may be well served with the setting ANSI.BBS. It let you use both dumb and intelligent Hayes-compatible modems. If you have the latter, select numbers from the telephone directory for autologon. If the number is busy, Procomm can call back until you can get through. You can define macros to automate your work. You can have one keystroke send your user identification, another for your password, and a third key to send a sequence of commands. Macros make your communication faster and safer. You can write script files to automate the online work further. You can transfer text files and binary files using automatic error detection/correction protocols, like XMODEM, YMODEM, Telink and Kermit, at speeds from 300 to 19200 bps. Adding external protocols like ZMODEM is relatively simple.

Appendix 3:

Online with the world =====================

- Practical data communication - Your first trip online - Typical pitfalls and simple solutions - Receiving (downloading) letters, text and programs - Sending (uploading) letters, text and programs

Practical data communication ---------------------------- The first thing novices want to know is how to set up the modem and computer for communication. This may take more time than expected and often seems complex for the uninitiated. You can save yourself much sweat and frustration by asking others for help. To set up your equipment for communication is a one time job. Once done, you can almost forget what you did and why. There are so many different modems, computers and programs out there. We just cannot give practical advice on the use of all of them in one short appendix. Instead, we will use one example. Your job is to "translate" the text into a terminology that fits your tools. Once your system is set up for communication, your first job will be to find what keys to press to get the job done. How you use your communications program may vary considerably from our example. In general, however, it will be the same for most people doing manual communication. Once online, the environment is the same for all users. If you plan to use automatic communications as explained in