ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º º ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ º ɼ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ º º Û ÜÜÜ Û Û ÜÜÜ Û Û ÜÜÜÜÛ Û ÜÜÜÜÛ Û ÜÜÜ Û º ɼ Û ÜÜÜÜÛ Û ÜÜÜ Û ÛÜÜÜÜ Û Û ÛÜÜÜÜ Û ÛÜÛ Û º º ÛÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ º º º º ÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ º Éͼ Û ÜÜ ÛÜ Û ÜÜ ÛÜ Û ÜÜÜÜÛ º º Û ÜÜÜ Û Û ÜÜÜ Û ÛÜÜÜÜ Û º ɼ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ º º º ÉÍͼ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÉÍÍͼ º Û Ü Ü Û Û ÜÜÜ Û Û ÜÜÜÜÛ Û ÜÜÜ Û ÛÜÜÜ ÜÛ ÛÜ ÜÛ Û ßÛÛ Û Û ÜÜÜÜÛ º ɼ Û Û Û Û Û ÜÜÜ Û Û ÛÜÜ Û Û ÜÜÜ Û ÜÛßÜÛÛÜ ÜÛ ÛÜ Û ÛÜß Û Û ÜÜÜÛÜ º ɼ ÛÜÛßÛÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÛ ÛÜÛßÛÜÛ ÛÜÜÜÜÜÛ º ÌÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÊÍÍÍ» º August 1996 Volume 4 Number 8 º ÇÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĶ º Board of Trade BBS New Port Richey, Florida (813) 862-4772 º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ In This Issue ------------- þ The ONE BBSCON Legacy þ ONE ISPCON Preview þ Upcoming Shareware Game Releases þ Federal Government Web Pages þ Computer Basics Written by Ed Garwood þ Violence in Computer Games Written by Paul Pollack þ Reviews, humor and all the latest news + + + + + Editor's Welcome ---------------- Thank you very much for taking a look at this month's Pasco BBS Magazine! As with all the past August issues of this publication, we have a preview of this summer's event put on by ONE, Inc. Unfortunately, we are no longer talking about the ONE BBSCON, as the show's focus has changed and so has its name. In this issue we take a look ahead to the first ONE ISPCON, but not before taking a look at the legacy of the ONE BBSCON. There is also an article on some Shareware games scheduled for release this year. It looks like some of today's most popular game developers will be releasing some exciting titles in 1996. There is also an article listing some eighty different sites maintained by our Federal government on the Internet's World Wide Web. Towards the end of this issue are some interesting press releases. The one about the Educational Software Cooperative was forwarded by longtime friend of the Pasco BBS Magazine, Clint Bradford. There is also one from the Electronic Frontier Foundation about the verdict in the highly publicized case about the Communications Decency Act. There are also several press releases from the Software Publishers Association on a wide range of issues. I think you will find them all interesting reading. Of course, all our regular features are back as well. Hope you enjoy this issue and thanks for reading! + + + + + ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ PASCO BBS MAGAZINE ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ Tampa Bay's Oldest Free On-line Magazine! ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ Member of the Association of Online Professionals ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ Member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ EDITOR: Richard Ziegler ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ HOME BBS: Board of Trade BBS (813) 862-4772 ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ World Wide Web Home Page: http://www.sanctum.com/pasco ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ + + + + + The ONE BBSCON Legacy --------------------- When ONE, Inc. announced that the first ONE ISPCON would be held this summer, it meant that the final ONE BBSCON was held at the Tampa Convention Center last August. Over its four years, the Online Networking Exposition and BBS Convention was a wonderful event for on-line operators. While it was not the first bulletin board related event, it certainly was the most successful. The primary factor in that success was the diverse group that gathered each August. All the different BBS software platforms were represented, and the attendees featured Sysops from the largest systems in the county and single line hobby boards. While it will be some time until we know how the ONE ISPCON will pan out, articles may be written about the legacy of the ONE BBSCON. First, we should look at the history of the BBSCON. Jack Rickard, editor of Boardwatch Magazine, and Phil Becker, President of eSoft, Inc., formed ONE, Inc. (Online Networking Expositions, Incorporated) as a vehicle to host the first ONE BBSCON in 1992. Jack Rickard serves as President of ONE, Inc. and Phil Becker is the Secretary/Treasurer. These two men created the concept of the Online Networking Exposition and BBS Convention. The birth of the ONE BBSCON goes back to August of 1991, when the first major BBS related event known as FIDOCON91 was held. Phil Becker has stated, because of the fact that FIDOCON91 was being held in his and Rickard's home town of Denver, it was "part of what pushed us into doing ONE BBSCON." The first ONE BBSCON was held the year after FIDOCON91, from August 13-16, 1992, at the Stouffer Concourse Hotel in Denver. There were 950 people at the first BBSCON and almost 2,000 attended the show the following year. ONE BBSCON '93 was held from August 25-29, 1993 at The Broadmoor Hotel in suburban Colorado Springs. For the third convention, almost 4,000 people showed up in Atlanta. ONE BBSCON '94 took place August 17-21, 1994 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel and the Inforum in downtown Atlanta. A similar number showed up in Tampa from August 16-20, 1995, when the Tampa Convention Center and the Hyatt Regency Tampa hosted ONE BBSCON '95. The conventions would feature an Opening Session on Thursday morning with some of the biggest names in the computer industry addressing the crowd. Among the speakers, Jim Harrer, President of Mustang Software, Tim Stryker, President of Galacticomm, Inc. and noted on-line legal expect Lance Rose. The keynote address would conclude that first session and was given by some of the biggest names in the computer industry. This honor was bestowed upon popular computer columnist John C. Dvorak, computer pioneer Jim C. Warren, modem technology pioneer Dennis C. Hayes and ethernet creator Robert M. Metcalfe. The BBSCON also featured educational sessions, which grew in number from approximately 75 in 1992 to almost 200 for the 1995 event. There was similar growth in the number of vendors who would display their products on the exhibit floor. BBS software manufacturers, and other vendors, would wait for the BBSCON to announce the latest and greatest about their products. There were some great educational sessions over the four year history, as the biggest names in the on-line industry seemed eager to share their secrets. Ward Christensen would talk about the first BBS, John McAfee would discuss viruses, Dr. Vinton Cerf spoke about the Internet, Dennis Hayes had a session on ISDN, Phil Katz talked about data compression, and the Association of Online Professionals was formed at a ONE BBSCON '94 session. The Jack and Phil Show, as in Rickard and Becker, was a popular session put on by the convention's organizers. Maybe it is too early to really know what the legacy of the BBSCON will be. Perhaps, I really cannot explain it. The BBSCON may be remembered as the last days of on-line innocence. A time when most people did not even know what a BBS was. In time, maybe it will be easier to figure out exactly what legacy this wonderful event has left. Some may say that the legacy is that it proved that money could be made with a bulletin board system, or that it moved the BBS into the mainstream. For now, I would like to close with one of my own personal recollections of the BBSCON experience. This is the show's legacy to me. It is hard not to comment on Tampa Bay area hosting the on-line world last August. That was real special, but it is always tough to top the first time. ONE BBSCON '93, at the base of Pike's Peak, surrounded by the majestic beauty that inspired the song "God Bless America." A pleasant and cool evening in the thin mountain air. A crowd of Sysops, just numbering in the hundreds, had gathered on the outdoor terrace of the exclusive Broadmoor Hotel. With a classical quartet playing in the background and a modest buffet, it was a party in the truest sense of the word. Drinking, laughing and carrying on with people who had a similar devotion to the bulletin board system. Everyone knew what each other was talking about and never once had to explain what a BBS was. It was relaxed, friendly and beyond every expectation. Few things in life are beyond expectations, but that night in Colorado Springs was a celebration. Perhaps, experiences like that are the legacy. + + + + + ONE ISPCON Preview ------------------ The first Online Networking Exposition and Internet Service Providers Convention (ONE ISPCON) will take place in San Francisco this August. The event will be held on August 7-10 at the Moscone Center, with the San Francisco Hilton and Towers acting as the headquarters hotel. This article gives some background on the show and previews some of the highlights of this summer's exhibition. The ONE ISPCON has replaced an event known as the ONE BBSCON, which was an acroymn for Online Networking Exposition and BBS Convention. The ONE BBSCON was held the last four years before ONE, Inc. decided to change the focus of the show. Jack Rickard and Phil Becker are the primary organizers of the show. Jack Rickard is the publisher of Boardwatch Magazine and acts as the President of ONE, Inc. Phil Becker is the President of eSoft, Inc. and serves as the Secretary/Treasurer for ONE, Inc. The ONE ISPCON will begin on Wednesday night with the Welcome Reception at the San Francisco Hilton's Continental Ballroom. The following morning's Opening Session, at which popular columnist John Dvorak will be the keynote speaker, will take place at the Hilton's Grand Ballroom. Educational sessions, of which there are over one hundred planned, will be held at the Hilton and the vendor exhibits will take place at the Moscone Center. The hotel is about four blocks from the Moscone Center and there will be shuttle busses between the two venues. Saturday night, the show's final event will be the fifth annual John C. Dvorak Awards for Excellence in PC Telecommunications. The awards banquet will be held at the Hilton on . This is an optional event with a cost of $39. The vendor exhibits are scheduled for Thursday afternoon and all day Friday and Saturday on the floor at Hall C Mascone South. While a complete list of the vendors planning to exhibit was not available, several dozen have announced their intentions to attend. Some of the more familiar names will include traditional mainstays Boardwatch Magazine, Boca Research, eSoft, Inc., Giffy Enterprises, Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc., PKWARE, Inc., Supra Corporation and The WELL. The registration for the ONE ISPCON is $595 and lunch is no longer included in the price. This preview concludes with a look at some of the educational sessions and speakers currently scheduled for the ONE ISPCON. Session: The Future of Internet Access - The Impact of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 on the Internet Service Provider. Speaker: Mark Corbitt, Director, Technology Policy and Internet Policy Task Force, Federal Communications Commission. Session: The Fifth Wave - New Internet Paradigms. Speaker: Tony Rutkowski, Vice President of International Business Development, General Magic, Inc. Session: Imminent Collapse of the Internet. Speaker: Dr. Robert M. Metcalfe, InfoWorld Magazine. Session: How to Become an ISP. Speaker: Rob Kolstad, President, Berkeley Software Design, Inc. Session: Making Some Sense of the Madness - The Natural Evolution of the Internet Industry. Speaker: Sky Dayton, Founder, Chairman and CEO, EarthLink Network, Inc. Session: Twenty Ways to Raise Capital for an ISP. Speaker: A. David Silver, ADS Financial Services, Inc. Session: The Internet and the ISP. Speaker: Cameron D. Myhrvold, Public Network Sales - Business Development, Microsoft Corp. Session: Website Entrepreneurship. Speaker: Eric Schlachter, Cooley Godward Castro Huddleson & Tatum. Session: Internet Sweepstakes - Legal Issues Involved in Running an Internet Promotion. Speaker: Tracy Kaplan, Cooley Godward Castro Huddleson & Tatum. Session: Using Internet/WWW Technology to Create Information Servers and Workgroup Servers within a Corporation. Speaker: Kenneth Stober, Internet and Online Services Marketing, Internet Technology Lab, Intel Architecture Labs. Session: Direct Marketing Success for ISPs. Speaker: Ken McCarthy, President, E-Media. Session: Building Communities on the Web. Speaker: Andre Durand, President and CEO, Durand Communications Network, Inc. Session: Voice of the Internet. Speakers: Daniel Nissan, Vice President Marketing, VocalTec, Inc. and Jeff Pulver, columnist and publisher of NetWatch. Session: What's Going on Besides the Web? Speaker: Abel Weinrib, Internet Architecture Manager, Internet Technology Lab, Intel Corporation. Session: What is Electronic Publishing? Speaker: Tracy Erway, WWW Content Development Manager for Web and Online Services, Internet Technology Lab, Intel Corporation. Session: Integrating ATM with IP in the Internet Backbone. Speaker: Dana Rasmussen, Product Line Manager, LAN Products, Bay Networks. Session: ISP Will Soon Mean "Information Service Provider" - and SGML Will Make it Happen. Speaker: Dr. Charles Goldfarb, Information Management Consulting. Session: Developing Win32 Data Communication Applications Using the Windows Telephony API. Speaker: Toby Nixon, Program Manager, Windows Telephony, Microsoft Corporation. Session: Electronic Cash: The Possibilities and Their Implications. Speakers: Matthew Harris, Business Development Manager, First Virtual Holdings Incorporated and Dr. David Chaum, Managing Director, DigiCash; Chairman EU Project CAFE. Session: Webservers and Programming. Speaker: Robert B. Denny, O'Reilly & Associates. Session: Cable Operators, Rural TelCos and the Internet - What is the Fit? Speaker: Neal Schnog, President, CYP, Inc. Session: HTML Design and Web Server Comparisons. Speaker: Michael Erwin, Columnist Boardwatch Magazine. Session: Connecting Databases to the Internet. Speaker: Dennison Bollay, President and Chairman, ExperTelligence, Inc. Editor's Note: For additional ONE ISPCON information, contact ONE, Inc. at ONE, Inc., 4255 South Buckley Road #308, Aurora, CO 80013, (303) 693-5253 (voice), (303) 693-5518 (fax), info@one.ispcon.com (email), http://www.one.ispcon.com (World Wide Web). + + + + + ÕÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑѸ ÆØØØØØØØØØØØ Board of Trade BBS ØØØØØØØØØص ÆØØØØØØØØØ New Port Richey, Florida ØØØØØØØص ÆØØØØØØØ (813) 862-4772 ØØØØØص ÆØØØØØ FidoNet: 1:3619/10 ØØØص ÆØØØ Øص ÆØ The Hobby BBS for the Entire Family! ص ³ ³ ³ Pasco County's Information Source ³ ³ Home of the Pasco BBS Magazine, DA BUCS and BBS Basics ³ ³ ³ ³ Call here FIRST for the BEST in Shareware ³ ³ Official Distribution Site for the Most Popular Authors ³ ÆØ Øµ ÆØØØ Supporting the Local Computer Community ØØص ÆØØØØØ Local Author Support File Directory ØØØØص ÆØØØØØØØ Official Support BBS for Pasco ComPats Computer Club ØØØØØØص ÆØØØØØØØØØ ØØØØØØØص ÆØØØØØØØØØØØ Member: AOP and EFF ØØØØØØØØØص ÔÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏÏϾ + + + + + Upcoming Shareware Game Releases -------------------------------- This article takes a look at some upcoming Shareware game releases scheduled for this year. Epic MegaGames and 3D Realms have announced several new titles, and there is the latest from Apogee Software and Accidental Software. There is also a quick word on what the folks at id Software are up to. At this time, it is anticipated that these games will be released into the Shareware market, however, the developers could decide to go with a purely commercial distribution. Epic MegaGames expects Jazz Jackrabbit II, the sequel to 1994's Jazz Jackrabbit, to be released late this year. This new version, introducing Jazz's neurotic little brother Spaz, will be written for Windows 95. Things may have been peaceful after the first game, as The Rabbit King and Queen crowned Jazz a prince and allowed him to marry Princess Eva Earlong. However, when the wedding party is crashed by the evil Devan and his goons, there is a wild romp through time. Devan has been dabbling in magic and intends to go back into time to knock off Jazz's hippie parents. Sounds like the sequel will be as much fun as the original Jazz Jackrabbit. Epic MegaGames is also planning to release another follow-up to an earlier DOS game, Extreme Pinball for Windows 95. The advantage of this variation will be full screen tables allowing players to see all the action on the table at one time. This should be an improvement over the scrolling tables of the DOS based classic. Extreme Pinball for Windows 95 is scheduled for a late summer release. Unreal is another Windows release by Epic MegaGames, which will run on either Windows 95 or Windows NT. While the theme of the game is not clear from Epic's promotional material, they are calling it "more than your average first person action game." The game features dungeons, menacing creatures and a hero who will swim and fly. The game has a 3D environment where monsters and players cast shadows, which can often be seen around corners before the source is fully revealed. Unreal could be a significant game and is scheduled for release later this year. Fire Fight is another Windows 95 game, which is being developed by Chaos Works and will be published by Epic MegaGames. In this mission-based action game, the player assumes the role of the number one Phantom pilot, Jax. Missions take players through various environments including forest, snow and jungle planets, complete with varying weather and lighting effects. Fire Fight, scheduled for a summer 1996 release, will also be distributed in retail stores by Electronic Arts, Inc. A couple of other titles from Epic scheduled for release this year are World of Wonders and 7th Legion. World of Wonders is another Windows 95 program and is a role-playing adventure game. This game is being developed by the Netherlands based Unicorn Development. 7th Legion is a 3D action-strategy game and had the working title of War Machine. Players construct and control powerful armies and weapons, including giant robots, to engage in battle. Apogee Software's 3D Realms Entertainment division has several new games expected to be released during 1996, but with no firm release dates. 3D Realms calls their upcoming release of Blood for Blood "a long, dark journey into madness." The objective is to reach the Dark Domain and stop the evil Tchernobog, but you will have to make your way through fortresses, castles, mines, mansions, and estates before reaching that goal. Along the way you will encounter rats, bats, spiders, eels, zombies, cultists, gargoyles, hellhounds, and other nasty creatures. This 3D game features sloped or slanted floors and ceilings, game characters that cast shadows and multi- player features. 3D Realms will also release a game called Shadow Warrior. The player assumes the role of a highly trained Ninja who must stop a crazed cult of demon worshipers. Some the weapons at your disposal include throwing stars, swords, crossbows, uzi machine guns and a variety of spells. The promotion material explains something that might happen in a multi-player game: "A player that is killed violently might have his head explode off and land on the ground-- and the other players can kick it around--soccer anyone? The whole time the dead player still sees through the eyes and can even vomit back at the live players." Another upcoming title by 3D Realms is called Prey. In this 3D game, the player is abducted by aliens and taken to a dark world where they are hunted without mercy. Prey will be released for Windows 95 and DOS, then other platforms. It will be released first as Shareware and a retail version will follow. Apogee Software has released information on a new game called HiSpeed, which will be published under the Apogee label "When it's done." HiSpeed is an overhead view 3D racing game where you need to finish in the top three places to buy new engines, tires, and better cars to enter the faster races. There is also a combat option, and an underground market to buy armor, spikes and other surprises your opponents will not like. Sounds like HiSpeed will be fun. Accidental Software has announced they will soon release the Ultimate Tarot Counselor. In this program, an animated Tarot Counselor answers your questions with specific interpretations, teaches you the terminology, symbolism, and meanings of the cards, and prints your readings. Accidental Software is best known for a series of casino related Shareware games. id Software has recently released their highly anticipated game Quake. They are currently working on converting previous releases, primarily Doom and Hexen, to various other platforms and plan an "id Anthology." The company also plans a line of clothing called "idwear." id Software is working with Universal Pictures to create a movie based on Doom and PocketBooks to produce a series of books on the popular game. + + + + + Federal Government Web Pages ---------------------------- It has been estimated that the United States Federal Government has well over 1,000 Internet sites and bulletin board systems. Here is a listing of some of the government's home pages on the Internet's World Wide Web. United States Air Force http://www.af.mil United States Department of Agriculture http://www.usda.gov USDA Forestry Service http://www.fs.fed.us United States Army http://www.army.mil United States Army Corps of Engineers http://www.usace.army.mil United States Bureau of Mines http://www.usbm.gov United States Business Advisor http://www.business.gov United States Census Bureau http://www.census.gov United States Central Intelligence Agency http://www.cia.gov National Headquarters for the Civil Air Patrol http://www.cap.gov United States Center for Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov United States Department of Commerce http://www.doc.gov Consumer Product Safety Commission http://www.cpsc.gov U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission http://www.cftc.gov United States Copyright Office http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright United States Department of Education http://www.ed.gov United States Department of Energy http://www.doe.gov Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov Farm Credit Administration http://www.fca.gov U.S. Federal Aviation Administration http://www.faa.gov United States Federal Bureau of Investigation http://www.fbi.gov U.S. Federal Communications Commission http://www.fcc.gov U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation http://www.fdic.gov United States Federal Election Commission http://www.fec.gov U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency http://www.fema.gov United States Federal Judiciary http://www.uscourts.gov United States Federal Judicial Center http://www.fjc.gov United States Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.gov United States Fish and Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov United States General Accounting Office http://www.gao.gov United States General Service Administration http://www.gsa.gov United States Geological Survey http://www.usgs.gov United States Government Printing Office http://www.gpo.gov Department of Health and Human Services http://www.dhhs.gov United States House of Representatives http://www.house.gov Housing and Urban Development Department http://www.hud.gov United States Information Agency http://www.usia.gov United States Department of Interior http://www.doi.gov United States International Trade Commission http://www.usitc.gov United States Department of Justice http://www.usdoj.gov United States Department of Labor http://www.dol.gov U.S. Department of Labor - America's Job Bank http://www.ajb.dni.us United States Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov United States Marine Corps http://www.usmc.mil National Aeronautics and Space Administration http://www.nasa.gov National Archives and Records Administration http://www.nara.gov National Climatic Data Center http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov National Credit Union Administration http://www.ncua.gov National Hurricane Center http://www.nhc.noaa.gov National Institutes of Health http://www.nih.gov National Institute of Standards and Technology http://www.nist.gov National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration http://www.noaa.gov National Park Service http://www.nps.gov National Performance Review http://www.npr.gov National Regulatory Commission http://www.nrc.gov National Science Foundation http://www.nsf.gov National Security Agency http://www.nsa.gov National Technical Information Service http://www.fedworld.gov United States Navy http://www.navy.mil Occupational Safety and Health Administration http://www.osha.gov United States Office of Technology Assessment http://www.ota.gov United States Patent and Trademark Office http://www.uspto.gov U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation http://www.pbgc.gov United States Postal Rate Commission http://www.prc.gov United States Postal Service http://www.usps.gov United States Railroad Retirement Board http://www.rrb.gov Small Business Administration http://www.sba.gov Smithsonian Institute http://www.si.edu Security and Exchange Commission http://www.sec.gov United States Selective Services System http://www.sss.gov United States Department of State http://www.state.gov United States Senate http://www.senate.gov United States Sentencing Commission http://www.ussc.gov Social Security Administration http://www.ssa.gov Tennessee Valley Authority http://www.tva.gov United States Trade Development Agency http://www.tda.gov Untied States Department of Transportation http://www.dot.gov United States Department of Treasury http://www.ustreas.gov United States Department of Veterans Affairs http://www.va.gov National Weather Service http://www.nws.noaa.gov The White House http://www.whitehouse.gov + + + + + ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º º º ßÛß ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ Ûßßß ÛßÛ Ûßßß ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ ßßÛßß Û Û ÛßÛßÛ º º Û Û Û Û Û Ûß ÛßßÛ ßßßÛ ÛßßÛ Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û º º ßßß ß ß ß ß ßßßß ß ß ßßßß ß ß ß ß ßßßß ß ßßßß ß ß º º º º ÛßÛ ÛßÛ Ûßßß º º ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ ßßßÛ º º ßßßß ßßßß ßßßß º º º º Since 1985 - Pasco County's Oldest BBS º º º º Sysops - Rob & Carolyn Marlowe º º º º Popular Chat Board, On-Line Games, CD-ROMS, Internet, FidoNet º º º º Ten Lines - (813) 848-6055 Voice - (813) 845-0893 º º º º telenet: sanctum.com º º º º READ THE PASCO BBS MAGAZINE AT: http://www.sanctum.com/pasco º º º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ + + + + + Computer Basics --------------- Written by Ed Garwood, Hudson, FL Making a Boot Disk At a recent computer club meeting, I spoke about the need to make a "Boot Disk," to be used in case your computer failed to 'Boot-Up.' I had noticed several people making notes, causing me to think that writing the procedure out might be of assistance. A Boot Disk is just an ordinary disk with the files IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, and COMMAND.COM on it. These are the three files your computer needs to start operation properly. To make one, do the following: 1. Put a GOOD blank disk in your A Drive and bring up the A:> prompt. 2. Type FORMAT A: /S. (NOTE: if using a 5¬" 360k disk, type FORMAT A:/4/s ). You will be prompted to put a disk in the A Drive. Since you have already done that, just press ENTER. The A drive light will go on and you will see a the following messages: Formatting Drive A Format Complete System Transferred Volume Label (just type BOOT DISK) Format Another (y/n) (Type N) 3. Your boot disk is now ready. To see what files are there, just type DIR A:/a. You will see the following: IO.SYS MSDOS.SYS COMMAND.COM NOTE: If you typed DIR A: (without the /a, you would not see the first two files listed, because they are "Hidden Files." The addition of /a causes them to be listed. 4. Although your boot disk is complete, you would do well to add two more files to it. Leave the disk in the A: drive, and switch to the C:> prompt. (To do so, just type C:) 5. Now, type COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT A: 6. Then type COPY CONFIG.SYS A: These two commands will copy these two files to your boot disk, so your computer will start as before. Type DIR A:/a, and you'll see these two files have been added to the list. 8. Remove the disk from the drive, and label it as your Boot Disk. Put the date on it and put it in a safe place. If, at some future date, your computer will not boot up, put this disk in the A: drive and try to re-boot your computer. If the problem was a minor one chances are your computer will now start up with out any trouble. Making a Boot Disk (Windows Version, that is) For those who must use Windows, let's make a boot disk using Windows. Put a GOOD blank disk in your A Drive. In Windows, bring up File Manager. Click on A (A drive), and then click on Disk. In the DISK window, click on "Make System Disk". When Windows has finished installing system files (when the A Drive light goes out), click on C Highlight the C:\ in the left directory, and then click on AUTOEXEC.BAT, which will now be highlighted. Click on File, and in the File box, click on Copy. In the COPY window, after TO:, type A:. Now click on OK and the AUTOEXEC.BAT file will be copied to your new boot disk. Repeat by clicking on CONFIG.SYS, and copy it to your new boot disk. Now click on A, and you should see the following files listed: IO.SYS MSDOS.SYS COMMAND.COM AUTOEXEC.BAT CONFIG.SYS If these 5 files are displayed in the directory, you have done the job correctly, and you now have a boot disk. Label it as such, together with the date, and put it away in a safe place for possible future use. Editor's Note: Look for another installment of Computer Basics in next month's issue. Ed Garwood may be contacted by leaving a message on the Board of Trade BBS at (813) 862-4772. He is also active in the Pasco ComPats Computer Club. The club meets the second and fourth Thursday of the month at the New Port Richey City Council Chambers at the intersection of Main and Madison Streets in New Port Richey, Florida. For more information about the Pasco ComPats Computer Club, contact club President Robert Donbar at (813) 863-3963. + + + + + Violence in Computer Games -------------------------- Written by Paul Pollack, New Port Richey, FL Edited by Alex Thomas, New Port Richey, FL The St. Petersburg Times recently took a poll in the X-Press section, a section read almost entirely by kids. They asked the question, "Do you think you or your friends could be harmed by the things you read or hear?" Out of 879 respondents, 362 (approximately 41%) thought that they could be harmed by the things they read or hear, but the other 517 respondents (approximately 59%) said that they could not be influenced by these things. Besides backing up the claim I made in a previous article about kids not feeling it affects their behavior, this raises some important questions of its own. Are these kids right? I personally cannot answer this question because there is no real answer, but I feel it might have at least some impact on behavior. Then again, there's the other extreme that wants to have Sesame Street, Barney, and even Bugs Bunny off the air because of the acts of violence. This is hogwash! Nobody is going to listen to Elmer Fudd trying to shoot off Bugs Bunny's head, and then buy a gun to shoot off their own or somebody else's! Getting back to the subject, I feel that we also need to ask ourselves whether or not the oncoming advance of graphic realism will effect violence in video games. Games and their graphics have continued to evolve, from CGA to EGA to VGA and now to Super VGA. Game manufacturers have also learned how to better harness the capabilities of the cards, e.g. Eye of the Beholder -> Wolfenstein 3D -> Doom -> The 7th Guest -> Under a Killing moon. Already we have games released that are to many, "excessively violent." Look at Wolfenstein, look at Doom, look at The 7th Guest which actually shows a baby being strangled. These games are no doubt, violent, but each case has to be decided on it's own merits. Look at Wolfenstein and Doom, both involve killing people, but in each the killing is "justified." In Wolfenstein you're killing the Nazis, who, in my opinion, deserve to die. Does this justify their killing? Who knows, and by whose standards can this be judged? What about Doom? In Doom you're killing mutant soldiers out to kill you. The graphic realism in this game is also stunning, which makes the gore even worse. Is this killing justified? Again, who can tell? According to the courts, you have a right to kill if you feel your life is in danger, and it's self defense. So, I guess in these situations, if the people in the games were real, the courts would find it justified. Still, do you really want to glorify violence in front of a large audience which may include young children? Now we move on to The 7th Guest, or T7G as I'll call it while discussing it now. As mentioned earlier, T7G has a picture of a baby being strangled? Is really necessary to glorify violence to this extent? As with Night Trap, I've never really played the game, so I can't really judge it. As a whole, violence is a complex issue. But simply blaming it on violence in video games or other forms of entertainment is just an oversimplification. Sure this is a major problem in society today, but they should consider other causes of violence also, such as parent neglect, peer pressure, etc. Alex says: First of all, I didn't add any extra comments to his article, because I wanted to write this. Following up on Paul's paragraphs, I think, if a parent doesn't want their kid to play these games: they shouldn't let 'em! When I play Mortal Kombat, I hardly notice the blood unless I'm looking! One time I played just to watch the blood fly, and the fatalities abound. After playing, did I feel like pulling someone's head off of their neck? I don't think so. Another thing I'd like to address while we're on the subject. My friend has a Sega Genesis. He's not allowed to buy or play Street Fighter II Special Champions Edition, because his parents object to the fact that there IS "funny" blood, and also because you have to beat up a girl (Chun Li). Then there is the other group of people that won't play SFII because they think it's sexist to have ONLY one girl in it. Capcom (the publishers of this game) are in a no-win situation. Editor's Note: Thanks again to Paul Pollack for another great article. Look for more from Paul in future issues of the Pasco BBS Magazine. Paul is an avid gamer and frequent BBSer who, if you would like to contact him, can be reached at Gator's Place BBS (813) 376-0087, or Dr. Duck's BBS (813) 849-3562. You may also wish to visit his home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.intol.com/paul/paul.htm. + + + + + EFF Quote of the Month ---------------------- "The part that frightens the hell out of me is the government deciding where technology goes." - Senator Patrick Leahy, on the FBI's proposed Digital Telephony surveillance legislation, in "Proposed wiretap law set off debate over Justice role", Kevin Power, _Government_Computer_News, Apr. 10, 1994 Editor's Note: The Electronic Frontier Foundation Quote of the Month is a collection of the wittiest and stupidest, most sublime and most inane comments ever said about cryptography, civil liberties, networking, government, privacy, and more. For more information on the Electronic Frontier Foundation, contact the EFF via the Internet, phone, fax, or US Mail. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, 1001 G Street NW, Suite 950 E, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 347-5400 (voice), (202) 393-5509 (fax), (202) 638-6119 (BBS), Internet: ask@eff.org. + + + + + S H A R E W A R E R E V I E W ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Program ³ Logic ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ Author/Vendor ³ HomeBrew Software ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ Special Requirements ³ Mouse ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Logic Review ------------ Andreau Epple has written a strategy game called Logic, which is being distributed as Shareware by HomeBrew Software. Version 1.0 was the basis for this review. The program's documentation calls Logic "an action puzzle game." The game is based on placing stones on a grid, however, the concept is not adequately explained within the program. The documentation states, "There are four Logics made of various types of stones. The Logics grow and the aim is to keep them down long enough to complete each level." There is no on-line help explaining the game, and you have to look at the README file to find out that the Q key is used to exit the program. On the positive side, the program does feature a colorful interface and has sound card support. The Vacaville, California based HomeBrew Software has been around since 1992, so maybe subsequent versions of Logic will be more user friendly. The mouse interface is really quite nice, but that same interface should be used to exit the program. The game should also be explained more fully on-line. A programmer should not expect people to read the documentation, as it just does not happen. In the highly competitive Shareware market, little things can make the difference. + + + + + ROTFL! ------ Computer humor courtesy of Sandy Illes Windows 95 - Is It For You? Is It For Anyone? (c)1995 Louis Illes Having unilaterally declared all other operating systems obsolete, Microsoft has now cornered the market on proprietary software since they forgot how mad everyone got at USR for their proprietary hardware. Do you have a program that won't run in WIN95? Then there's something wrong with that program M$ tech support will tell you. Aside from an inability to run certain DOS programs, WIN95 requires a Pentium unless you have time to run out and learn Latin while Windows loads. Yes, with WIN95, you can experience all the stress of using an XT without actually having one. And if you enjoy solving seemingly insurmountable hardware conflicts, then you'll love WIN95. Especially when you discover that your brand new Pentium needs a brand new BIOS to work properly. (The word "properly" is used loosely to mean "works like it used to.") I've tried WIN95 and discovered that I much prefer a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. I'd suggest that before anyone upgrades to WIN95, they take a couple of hits on the head with a clue stick. And now for the WIN95 quiz: 1. Do you consider M$ tech support people: (a) competent? (b) unavailable? (c) close personal friends at this point in your life? 2. Do you believe Bill Gates is: (a) a genius? (b) a lucky bastard? (c) holding your bank account hostage? 3. If you could go back in time, would you: (a) stick with DOS 6 and WIN3.1? (b) switch to OS/2? (c) never have upgraded from your first pocket calculator? 4. When people mention WIN95, do you: (a) say "It's new so it must be good"? (b) roll your eyes and say "I'm waiting for the bugs to be worked out of it"? (c) roll your eyes and babble incoherently about comport conflicts, hostage IRQs, and where the hell did those cute little icons you spent years arranging on your desktop go to anyway? Editor's Note: Thank you to ROTFL Digest!, and its editor Sandy Illes for allowing this extraction to be reprinted from a prior issue of the on-line humor magazine. ROTFL Digest! is published by Access Media Systems, which may be contacted at (905) 847-7143, or (905) 847-7362. You may also email Sandy Illes at sandyi@pathcom.com, or visit their home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.pathcom.com/~sandyi. + + + + + ²²²²± ²²± ²²± ²²± ²²²²²²²± ²²± ²²± ²²²²± THE NEWS ²²± ²²± ²²± ²²± ²²²± ²²± ²²± ²± ²²± ²²± ²²± ²²± DIRECTORY ²²± ²²± ²²± ²²²²±²²± ²²±²± ²²± ²²± ²²²± ²²± ²²± ²²±²²²²± ²²²²± ²²±²±²²± ²²²± A brief look ²²± ²²± ²²± ²²²± ²²±²± ²²²²²²²± ²²²± at some of ²²± ²²± ²²± ²²± ²²± ²²± ²²± ²± ²²²±²²²± ²²± ²²± the news of ²²²²± ²²± ²± ²²± ²²± ²²²²²²²± ²²± ²²± ²²²²± the month In its June 17, 1996 issue, Time Magazine lists "America's 25 Most Influential People" and "The 10 Most Powerful" Americans. Listed in the most influential were Jim Clark, President of Netscape Communications, and Patty Stonesifer, head of Microsoft's Interactive Media Division. Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was listed as the second most powerful American behind President Bill Clinton. Time listed Intel CEO Andrew Grove as the seventh most powerful American. The Association of Online Professionals (AOP) has joined with the Recreational Software Advisory Council (RASC) to promote the use of a rating system among its members. The AOP's Board of Directors voted to endorse the concept because it was the least intrusive system they could find. It was also felt that self regulation was favorable to the inevitable government regulation. The AOP also announced that they have once again changed the location for their annual conference. The conference will now be held at the Online Summit '96, from October 4-6, 1996, at the Regal Riverfront Hotel in Saint Louis. Information on the show may be obtained by calling (800) 444-6045. The association also announced that they have set up a home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.aop.org. Published reports have some experts predicting that 1 billion people may have access to the Internet by the year 2000. The Software Publishers Association (SPA) has announced some details for their 12th Annual Conference to be held October 5-9, 1996 at the Atlanta Hilton and Towers Hotel in downtown Atlanta. The conference will have four main themes: the Internet, distribution, business management, and new technologies and development. Speakers will include Eric Hippeau, chairman of Ziff Davis Publishing, Guerino deLuca, CEO of Claris and Alan Baratz, president of JavaSoft. Registration fees start at $525 and include a trip to the new Georgia Tech Institute of Technology Center for Advanced Telecommunications Technology. For additional information contact the SPA at (202) 452-1600. The Electronic Freedom March on Washington, originally scheduled for June 30, 1996, has been tentatively re-scheduled for September 29, 1996. The latest information is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.march.com. Forbes Magazine published their annual listing of the World's richest individuals in the July 15, 1996 issue. Microsoft's Bill Gates was again listed as the World's wealthiest with an estimated worth of $18 billion. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen was ranked eighth with assets of $7.5 billion. + + + + + °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° ² ² ² Board of Trade BBS New Port Richey, Florida ² ² ² ² (813) 862-4772 12/24/48/96/144/28800 baud ² ² ² ² The Hobby BBS for the Entire Family! ² ² ² ² Pasco County's Information Source ² ² Home of the Pasco BBS Magazine, DA BUCS and BBS Basics ² ² ² ² Call here FIRST for the BEST in Shareware ² ² Official Distribution Site: ² ² Alive Software, Apogee Software, Epic MegaGames, Gamer's Edge, ² ² Id Software, Impulse Software, MVP Software, Safari Software, ² ² Software Creations, Soleau Software and Union Logic Software ² ² ² ² Supporting the Local Computer Community ² ² Local Author Support File Directory ² ² Official Support BBS for Pasco ComPats Computer Club ² ² ² °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° + + + + + PBM Flashback - August 1993 --------------------------- Pasco County resident, and popular BBS utility author, Brent Yandell was featured in an exclusive interview in the August 1993 issue of the Pasco BBS Magazine. He shared his thoughts on a wide range of issues. Here is some of what he had to say about Shareware in general. "There are certainly some people making a really good living off some Shareware products. Starting back with Marshall McGee and AutoMenu, there are some great business applications out there that these fellows are making some real serious money on. There are some people with games who have done really well. There is a magazine out called Shareware, I think it is a bimonthly, but you can just tell by reading this, some of these people have done really well. Would I recommend it? If you have a really hot product and you don't want to try to sell it to a big company, it's certainly a great way to go." Editor's Note: PBM Flashback will appear on a regular basis in future issues. Each issue will have this brief look back at some of the features which have appeared over the history of the Pasco BBS Magazine. + + + + + S H A R E W A R E R E V I E W ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÂÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Program ³ Letter Attack ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ Author/Vendor ³ Eldon Martin ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÅÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ Special Requirements ³ None ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ Letter Attack Review -------------------- Letter Attack is a Shareware program designed to make learning to type fun and easy. The educational game is not graphically intense and is fairly similar to many typing tutor games found in the on-line world. The program's description files explain the premise of the game. "An arcade- style typing tutor in which the player must defend the planet from the aliens. Words and letters flash across the screen and must be typed correctly to be eliminated. Includes a practice section to show correct finger placement." Letter Attack does offer varying degrees of difficulty, which pertains to the speed that the letters drop. Letter Attack was first released in 1992, when the program's author was fifteen years old. The most recent release is version 2.7, which has a registration fee of $11.50. + + + + + Educational Software Cooperative (ESC) Elects 1996-98 Officers -------------------------------------------------------------- July 10, 1996, Granada Hills, CA - The Educational Software Cooperative (ESC) today announced the results of its biannual election of Officers. Organized in 1992 to share ideas for distributing and promoting educational software programs, the ESC is determined to improve educational standards. Our current catalog contains over 230 educational programs from 72 member authors. Rosemary West was re-elected as President. She has been developing software since 1986, and has released over 30 titles. Rosemary may be reached at her firm, R. K. West Consulting, via EMail to 74774.403@compuserve.com or rkwest@aol.com. John Gallant will serve as Vice President for 1996-98. The current ESC CD-ROM contains three of John's products, distributed through his firm, First Magnitude: * 3-Ball Juggler - animated tutorial and game teaches the fundamentals of juggling * Beat the Bomb - a timed math skills game, where you race against a clock, a bomb, a snail - or build castles - with correct answers * Math Sampler - 6 animated arcade-action math lessons and games First Magnitude's EMail address is 76170.2251@compuserve.com. Richard Hart was elected to the position of ESC Treasurer. His Nine-Patch Software company is a real winner with teachers, offering these four educational titles. * Olympiad Test Scoring - which ranks contestants or teams by knowledge and judgment. Can be used by up to 100 participating schools/groups! * Trainer Test Scoring - score knowledge and judgment rather than rank students. It rewards students for good judgment and the sense of responsibility needed to learn at all levels of thinking. * True Multiple-Choice Test-Generator and Study-Skills - writes, reviews, and tests students at five levels of thinking. * True Multiple-Choice Knowledge and Judgment - will test and also convert student-authored review files into instructional files for remediation and classroom tests. Nine-Patch Software's EMail address is 71222.3565@compuserve.com. Clint Bradford will serve as ESC Secretary. He owns and operates ATTENTION to Details Bulletin Board Service (ATD BBS), which specializes in telecommunications law, online privacy issues, and encryption. The entire ESC catalog of programs may also be down-loaded from ATD! The phone number for ATD BBS is 909-681-6221. EMail: sysop@atdbbs.com. Board Member Tom Guthery IV won the People's Choice Award for his program, Animated Words, at the annual Shareware Industry Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona last month. His firm, Flix Productions, may be reached at 72740.1326@compuserve.com. The ESC's discussion Forum on CompuServe is Section 2 of EDFORUM. Our World Wide Web (WWW) page is http://members.aol.com/edsoftcoop/ Editor's Note: This text was from an Educational Software Cooperative press release. For more information, contact: Clint Bradford, Educational Software Cooperative, (909) 681-6210 (Voice), (909) 681-6221 (BBS), or sysop@atdbbs.com (email). Additional information can also be obtained about the ESC at Educational Software Cooperative, 11846 Balboa Blvd., Suite 226, Granada Hills, California 91344, or by email at edsoftcoop@aol.com. + + + + + ***************************************************************************** ATTENTION to Details BBS Clint Bradford, KE6LCS - Sysop Mira Loma, California BBS (909) 681-6221 BBS Excellence...Across the Board!(sm) Voice Support (909) 681-6210 Supporting BBS Member: AOP - Association of Online Professionals ASP - Association of Shareware Professionals EFF - Electronic Frontier Foundation ESC - Educational Software Cooperative NCSA - National Computer Security Association Message Networks: MustangNet USNet CoveNet Internet MysticNet ILink HamRadioNet Official Bulletin Station of the ARRL - American Radio Relay League ATTENTION to Details BBS is managed in compliance with the AOP and NCSA Codes of Professional Standards ***************************************************************************** + + + + + EFF Press Release ----------------- Federal Court Rules Communications Decency Act Unconstitutional Philadelphia -- "Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our liberty depends upon the chaos and cacophony of the unfettered speech the First Amendment protects. "With these ringing words, a Philadelphia federal court has struck down a law today that would have criminalized constitutionally protected speech on the Internet and other online forums. In what civil libertarians are hailing as a victory for everyone who uses computer communications, a three-judge panel in Philadelphia's federal court ruled in a unanimous decision that the controversial "Communications Decency Act" (CDA) violates the U.S. constitutional guarantees of freedom of speech and of the press. "First of all, we are pleased to see the court vindicate our vision of the Net as a medium protected by the First Amendment," said Lori Fena, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a watchdog group established to protect civil liberties, and promote responsibility, in computer communications. "Secondly, we are delighted that the court has gone beyond striking down the law, and has stated positively what constitutional principles must govern any attempt to regulate the most democratic mass medium the world has ever seen." Said EFF Chairman Esther Dyson: "This is a day for individual citizens, for families, and for public and private organizations online to celebrate." "The judges recognized that CDA was a wholly inappropriate exercise of governmental power under the Constitution," said Mike Godwin, EFF staff counsel. "The law would have abridged one of the freedoms that Americans treasure most, and a freedom that is central to any democratic society," he said. Godwin applauded the members of the coalition that challenged the law in federal court. "We and the other plaintiffs persuaded them that the government cannot constitutionally impose this sort of overreaching, and duplicative regulation of content in the online world," Godwin said. Dyson stated that the decision stands for one of EFF's principal positions regarding free speech online: "We believe in free speech at the source -- and in the empowerment of any audience for that speech to control what they see." "This decision takes the responsibility for controlling and accessing speech on the Net out of the hands of government and puts it back in the hands of parents and other individuals where it belongs," she said. "Individuals already have the technical means to make their own choices about what they and their children read and see," Dyson said. Godwin noted that existing anti- obscenity laws, together with low-cost technological solutions, offer a more efficient, less intrusive answer to questions about protecting children in the online world. "The government kept saying that this was a crisis that required harsher censorship in the online world than in any other communications medium," Godwin said. "In fact, we showed that it's possible to promote both freedom of speech and family values -- that the two goals don't oppose each other. "While the plaintiffs are pleased with the victory, Fena said, "it's no time to be complacent." A collection of poorly drafted state laws has followed in the wake of the passage of the CDA, and the issues these statutes raise must be addressed as well, she said. "What's as compelling as the language of this decision," Godwin said, "is the breadth of the opposition to this legislation," He noted that two large groups of plaintiffs, including EFF, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, People for the American Way, the American Library Association, Microsoft, and Apple Computer, had challenged the recently passed law in Philadelphia's federal court. Even Administration officials have privately and publicly voiced their concerns. The plaintiffs must now prepare for the government's planned appeal to the United States Supreme Court, Godwin said, citing a provision of the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996, which prescribes such a direct appeal when a provision of the telecom act is found unconstitutional in a lower court. Godwin also commented that "this may be the most rapidly distributed federal court opinion in American history." Sites all over the over the Net would be carrying the full text of the opinion almost as soon as the judges hand it down, he said, noting that the court is providing copies of the opinion on computer diskettes as well as through more traditional means. The constitutional challenge to the Communications Decency Act has been grounded in four basic arguments --that the law is unconstitutionally over broad (criminalizing protected speech), that it is unconstitutionally vague (making it difficult for individuals and organizations to comply), that it fails what the judiciary calls the "least restrictive means" test for speech regulation, and that there is no basic constitutional authority under the First Amendment to engage in this type of content regulation in any nonbroadcast medium. "We are confident the Supreme Court will uphold the Philadelphia court's decision," Godwin said. Editor's Note: For additional information contact The Electronic Frontier Foundation, 1550 Bryant St., Suite 725, San Francisco CA 94103, (415) 436-9333 (voice and fax), Internet: ask@eff.org. To contact individuals mentioned in this press release: EFF board chairman Esther Dyson, executive director Lori Fena, or Stanton McCandlish, Online Activist, (415) 436-9333 (main office number), Mike Godwin, Staff Counsel (510) 548-3290, Shari Steele, Staff Counsel, (301) 375-8856. + + + + + SPA Press Releases ------------------ > SPA Sues Six U.S. Software Rental Companies February 28, 1996, Washington, D.C. - The Software Publishers Association (SPA) filed six lawsuits today alleging the unauthorized rental of SPA member software. The suits allege each of the defendants rented copies of computer software without authorization from the copyright owner for a specified term of days, in exchange for the payment of a fraction of each computer program's selling price. Since the passage of the Computer Software Rental Act of 1990, it has been illegal to rent software without the copyright owner's specific permission. Suits were filed in five different cities across the United States. The defendants in these actions are View Plus Software, Brea, Calif.; Software Exchange, Fayetteville, N.C.; Software Pipeline, Portland, Ore; Star Tek Software and Video Games and Access Gaming and Computing, Austin, Texas; and Software Hogs, Virginia Beach, Va. The lawsuits involved SPA members Adobe Systems, Broderbund Software, Claris, Corel Systems, Datastorm Technologies, IBM Corp., Intuit, Novell, Software Publishing Corp. and Symantec Corp. "It doesn't matter whether the transaction is called 'rental,' 'buy-back,' 'try before you buy,' 'preview,' 'evaluation' or any similar term. If the software dealer does not have written permission from the copyright holders to rent software, it is illegal to do so," said Sandra Sellers, SPA vice president of intellectual property education and enforcement. "These suits were brought simultaneously throughout the United States to demonstrate that unauthorized rental is a nationwide problem. "Indeed, this illegal behavior is pervasive throughout North America," Sellers continued. SPA recently settled five lawsuits against Canadian software dealers who rented software without authorization, which is also illegal under the Canadian Copyright Act. Another Canadian suit is pending, and other investigations are ongoing. "The suits in both the United States and Canada send a message to the industry and the public that the rental provisions of copyright laws will be enforced," Sellers said. The cases filed today represent SPA's second round of lawsuits against U.S. companies renting software without authorization. In March 1995, SPA member companies received a permanent injunction and $150,000 judgment against Global Software & Accessories Inc., of Long Island, N.Y. SPA initiated investigations into these and other rental organizations after receiving tips from the rental stores' customers on SPA's anti-piracy hotline, (800) 388-7478, or World Wide Web site, piracy@spa.org and from SPA members. Investigators visited each store at least two times posing as customers and found each store was regularly renting computer software. Based on complaints and the investigators' reports, SPA filed suit. "Software rentals were prohibited to inhibit the distribution of unauthorized copies. Consumers should recognize if the software is not from an authorized source, there is the risk of getting a computer virus or non functioning or incompatible software," explained Peter Beruk, SPA director of domestic anti- piracy. "And since the software is not authorized, there is no technical support or useful documentation to solve problems created by using unauthorized software. It's a case of 'you get what you pay for,' or even worse, 'more than you bargained for.'" SPA's focus is on companies developing and publishing software applications and interactive content. SPA is the leading trade association of the desktop software industry, representing the leading publishers as well as many start- up firms in the business, consumer and education markets. Its 1,200 members account for 90 percent of the sales of the U.S. packaged software industry. SPA is an international organization with offices both in the United States and Europe. SPA press releases are also available through fax-on-demand at (800) 637-6823. > 1996 Codie Award Winners March 5, 1996, San Francisco, CA - The Software Publishers Association's 11th Annual SPA Excellence in Software Awards (the Codie Awards) were presented at a black-tie gala yesterday. The big winner was Netscape Communications Corp., the maker of the most popular "surfing" tool for the World Wide Web, with four awards and a SPA Lifetime Achievement Award for its President and Founder Jim Clark. Theatrix Interactive, a newcomer in home creativity and learning products, also excelled by taking home three of the coveted trophies. "SPA worked very hard to incorporate new categories that reflect the ever- changing software industry," said Ken Wasch, President of SPA. "The winners of the new multimedia, upgrade and online categories illustrate the innovation and creativity in the software products available to consumers today." All product award winners were selected during a three phase nomination process. More than 350 software publishers nominated products released by their companies in 1995. More than 100 software reviewers from media outlets such as the Today Show, Business Week, National Public Radio, CBS Radio, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, PC Magazine, CD ROM Today, ranked the nominees in order of preference to whittle down the impressive list to the five best in each category. Final ballots were submitted by SPA members to determine the Codie award winner in each category. > SPA Increased Action Against Software Pirates in 1995 March 14, 1996, Washington, D.C. - The Software Publishers Association's (SPA) continuing effort to crack down on software piracy worldwide achieved a record level of success in 1995. SPA took action against 586 organizations in the United States, an increase of 23 percent over 1994. The lawsuits and audits brought by SPA in the United States against software pirates in 1995 netted $2.6 million in penalties, bringing SPA's total piracy campaign receipts to more than $16 million since the program started in 1990. Additionally, SPA doubled the number of lawsuits brought outside the United States in the previous year. Domestically, calls to SPA's anti-piracy hotline, (800) 388-7478, increased by 24 percent from 1994 to 1995. Based on these reports, SPA filed lawsuits or conducted audits on 185 organizations, six of which resulted in settlements greater than $100, 000, an increase of 17 percent over the previous year. Monies collected are used to fund an extensive international anti-piracy program, educational materials, investigations and litigation. Anti-piracy information is also available on the World Wide Web (http://www.spa.org). Many people use SPA as a resource to obtain information about the legal use of software, others to report instances of piracy. "During 1995, SPA began to change fundamentally the worldwide perception that stealing intellectual property is acceptable," said Sandra A. Sellers, vice president of intellectual property education and enforcement. "With the recent hiring of two experienced attorneys and others to create teams to fight piracy in Asia/Pacific and Latin America, we will redouble our education and enforcement efforts in 1996 to spread this message throughout the world. SPA has increased its anti-piracy staff by 50 percent to meet the growing challenge to reduce the level of worldwide software piracy, estimated at more than $8 billion dollars in 1994." The new staff will concentrate on broadening SPA's educational efforts and further developing SPA's international anti-piracy enforcement program. SPA's coverage in Asia/Pacific will expand to include Japan, Hong Kong, China, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia and India. In Latin America, SPA will focus primarily on Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela and Chile. On the educational front, in 1995 SPA gave its Certified Software Manager (CSM) course in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico and Colombia. In the first half of 1996, the software asset management seminar will also be offered in Singapore, China, India and 15 additional Latin American countries. Plans are also underway to offer the course in late 1996 in Russia, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. SPA continues to expand its educational tools to teach the public how to use software legally. SPA just released a new video, "It Could Have Been So Easy," designed for the corporate world and will soon release another video, "A Shared Set of Values," for the higher education community. These videos join SPAudit, KeyAudit, the Software Management Guide and other SPA materials, to create a strong public awareness program. > SPA, Singapore Police Force and AACT Raid Vans Carrying Pirated Software March 27, 1996, Singapore - Police seized 5,800 CD-ROMs, valued at over US$700,000, from two vans on Monday. The seizure is believed to be the largest for pirated programs in Singapore and is the result of several months of independent investigation and surveillance by the Software Publishers Association (SPA) and the Alliance Against CD-ROM Theft (AACT). The Singapore Police Force arrested the two van drivers, who will be charged in court on Wednesday. The police also raided three outlets in two Singapore shopping centers reputed to contain heavy concentrations of pirate retailers. Led by SPA and AACT investigators, the police struck just as the van drivers returned to their vehicles after delivering software programs to a computer retail outlet. In the past, retailers of pirated programs stored the infringing copies within their premises. However, due to the number of raids conducted separately by SPA on retail outlets, infringers have become more wary and have taken to using moving stores such as the vans. This action is the beginning of expanded anti-piracy activities by SPA in the Asia/Pacific region. SPA plans to expand its anti-piracy program, including education and enforcement activities, to 12 Pacific rim countries by the end of 1996. To find out more about software piracy, order educational materials or report suspected software piracy, call SPA's U.S. hotline at (800) 388-7478 or the Singapore helpline number at (800) 337-6400. > Settlement Announced In Copyright Infringement Case May 16, 1996 Washington, D.C. - A Florida-based private junior college, International Fine Arts College Inc., paid $135,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement filed against it on March 1 in Miami. The complaint alleged that International Fine Arts College had unlawfully duplicated computer programs published by Adobe Systems Inc., Novell Inc. and Quark Inc. The court issued an ex-parte temp orary restraining order ("TRO") one week later, which allowed the plaintiffs' representatives, accompanied by deputy United States marshals, to audit the computer programs installed on the defendant's computers. The lawsuit was based on an investigation conducted by the Software Publishers Association (SPA) following a call to SPA's anti- piracy hotline, (800) 388-7478. Edward Porter, president of the college, stated he had no knowledge of the practices alleged and has issued a firm policy warning the college's employees about the importance of complying with copyright laws. "The college is today in complete and full compliance with all copyright laws," Porter said. U.S. law prohibits the unauthorized duplication of computer programs. In announcing the settlement, Sandra Sellers, SPA Vice President of Intellectual Property Enforcement and Education, said, "U.S. companies continue to duplicate and use software illegally. Indeed, since January 1996, SPA has settled four matters for over $100,000 each, including SPA's largest single settlement of $500,000. This lawsuit and the resulting settlement should send a message to other organizations that software piracy will not be tolerated by SPA on behalf of its 1,200 members. We hope these actions will convince other organizations to take advantage of the many resources offered by SPA, namely SPAudit, SPA's self-audit kit, the Certified Software Manager (CSM) course and our newest corporate educational video, It Could Have Been So Easy.'" > Hong Kong Software Pirates Arrested June 4, 1996 Washington, D.C. - Hong Kong Customs officers arrested two suspected software pirate vendors in Hong Kong on Wednesday, May 22, 1996, and seized 20 CD-ROMs, each containing software with an estimated total retail value of US$20,000 along with the equipment capable of reproducing the pirate CDs. This was a direct result of several months investigation and surveillance by the Software Publishers Association (SPA), the leading trade association for the personal computer software industry, which has begun an active enforcement program in Hong Kong. One vendor had allegedly been advertising via fax to various companies. Customs officials then arrested the accomplice who worked for an Internet provider company. Customs officers seized the computer, a CPU server and a CD-ROM drive, which they believed to be the instruments for making the infringing CD-ROMs. SPA acted against this open infringement to protect its members, such as Adobe, Claris and Apple, in the Hong Kong case. Greg Wrenn, corporate counsel for Adobe Systems Inc., said, "Piracy is a serious problem for Adobe, our local distributors and resellers and the worldwide software industry. Adobe appreciates the hard work and time spent in this investigation by the SPA and Hong Kong Customs officers and is very pleased with the arrests. SPA's increasing activities in Asia/Pacific should be a significant deterrent to such software piracy." SPA's director for Asia/Pacific anti-piracy, Elisha Lawrence, said the arrest is another step in an expanded anti-piracy program by SPA in the territory, where the largest number of complaints of infringement has been recorded. SPA has significantly expanded its anti-piracy activities in the Asia/Pacific region, including both education and enforcement. In 1994, the software industry suffered an estimated US$8 billion losses to worldwide software piracy. Editor's Note: For additional information contact Elisha Lawrence, Director of Asia/Pacific Anti-Piracy, SPA, (415) 789-0454 (voice), elawrence@spa.org; M. Ravindran, SPA, Singapore Legal Counsel, (+65) 336-1911; Sandra Sellers, V.P. of Intellectual Property Education and Enforcement, SPA, (202) 452-1600 extension 311, ssellers@spa.org; or Peter Beruk, Director of Domestic Anti- Piracy, SPA, (202) 452-1600 extension 314, pberuk@spa.org. For information on the Codie Awards contact Sara White, SPA, (202) 452-1600 extension 343, swhite@spa.org, or Samantha Rubin at Connors Communications, (415) 771-3940, sam@connors.com. + + + + + ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ Û Û Û DON'T COPY THAT FLOPPY! Û Û Û Û REPORT SOFTWARE PIRACY! * * * TOLL-FREE HOT LINE! Û Û Û Û ÜÛ ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ ßßßÛ ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ ßßßÛ Û Û ßßßÛ ÛßßÛ Û Û Û ÜÜ ÛßßÛ Û Û Û Û ÜÜ ßßÛ ÛßßÛ ÛßßÛ ÜÜ Û ßßßÛ Û ÛßßÛ Û Û ßßß ßßßß ßßßß ßßßß ßßßß ßßßß ßßßß ß ß ß ßßßß Û Û Û Û Software Publishers Association, 1730 M St, NW, Washington, DC 20036 Û Û Û ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ + + + + + Corrections and Clarifications ------------------------------ This issue was released on Tuesday July 23, 1996, however, the Pasco BBS Magazine is scheduled to be released on before the 22nd of the month. Since setting this deadline in the January 1994 issue, this was the first time that we failed to make it. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you notice mistakes in the magazine, please let us know so the appropriate correction may be run. + + + + + Next Month ---------- The September issue will be a special "Gamble 'zine" featuring new and updated articles about computers and gambling. There will be a review of various Shareware lottery programs, a look at Blackjack, Baccarat, casino game machines and some other gambling related Shareware programs. If you are fascinated by the odds, or occasionally like to wager a few bucks, do not miss next month's issue. Expect our regular features to return as well. The September issue of the Pasco BBS Magazine will be available on, or before, August 22. Make sure you do not miss a single issue of Tampa Bay's oldest free on-line magazine! + + + + + Important Information --------------------- The Pasco BBS Magazine is distributed free of charge, as long as it is unaltered and complete. When uploading make sure the original archive is intact with all files included. The Pasco BBS Magazine is the sole property of the Board of Trade BBS and Richard Ziegler. It is legally copyrighted material and all rights are reserved. No part of this magazine may be used without permission. No compensation of any kind may be received for the viewing, distribution, or for any other use of the magazine files. By submitting something, you are agreeing to allow publication of the material in the magazine. Articles reprinted with permission remain the property of the cited source. Guest contributions may not necessarily reflect the views of the Pasco BBS Magazine. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions, however, this is normally only done to correct spelling or grammatical errors. The editor makes all determinations on what and when articles will run. Every effort is made to insure that all information contained within the Pasco BBS Magazine is accurate, but inadvertently mistakes can appear. The Pasco BBS Magazine, Board of Trade BBS or Richard Ziegler cannot be held liable for information contained within this document. It is intended that this magazine exists for the personal enjoyment of the readers. Rather than place a trademark symbol at every occurrence of a trademarked name, it is stated that trademarks are only being used in an editorial fashion with no intention of any infringement of the trademark itself. More information can be found in the other files distributed with the magazine's archive. Comments, questions, suggestions and submissions can be left on the Board of Trade BBS (813) 862-4772, or mailed to Board of Trade BBS, P.O. Box 1853, New Port Richey, FL 34656. + + + + + (C)Copyright 1996 Richard Ziegler - All Rights Reserved + + + + +