Since the author also requests remuneration, we would ask these

O >> Odd de Presno. All >> Since the author also requests remuneration, we would ask these

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To: SERVICE@NIC.DDN.MIL
Subject: WHOIS AERO.ORG
Text:

Sometimes, you just don't know the name of a recipient's mailbox
computer. When this is the case, start at the "top of the pyramid."
Say your desired recipient lives in Germany. The ISO country
code for Germany is DE (see appendix 6). Send the message

To: SERVICE@NIC.DDN.MIL
Subject: WHOIS DOMAIN DE
Text:

This will give you the email addresses of the main postmasters for
this country. Most postmasters are willing to help, but please note
that most of them are very busy people. It may take days before
they get around to respond to your inquiry.
There are over 100 other "whois-servers" in more than 15
countries. The systems whois.nic.ad.jp and whois.ripe.net cover
Japan and Europe. The rest of them provide information about local
users. (A list is available via anonymous FTP from sipb.mit.edu in
the file /pub/whois/whois-servers.list . Chapter 12 has information
about how to get this list by email).
If your recipient is on UUCP, try netdir@mcsun.eu.net . To
locate the postmaster of the mailbox system "amanpt1", use the
following format (write nothing in the text):

To: netdir@mcsun.eu.net
Subject: amanpt1
Text:

BITNET provides information about connected systems through many
sources. Scandinavian users use LISTSERV@FINHUTC.BITNET in Finland.
Try a LISTSERV on a host closer to where you live. For example,
North American users may use LISTSERV@NDSUVM1.BITNET, which is a
host in North Dakota. Japanese users should write to the host
LISTSERV@JPNKNU10.BITNET.
When retrieving for BITNET host information mail, your search
will have to be done in two steps. Here, your commands are NOT to
be entered on the Subject line. Enter all commands in the TEXT
field (text on the Subject line will be ignored). Example:

You want information about the BITNET computer FINHUTC (called
a "node in the network"). Your first message should have the
following text:

// job echo=no
database search dd=rules
//rules dd *
search * in bitearn where node = FINHUTC
index

LISTSERV sends you the following report:

> search * in bitearn where node = FINHUTC
--> Database BITEARN, 1 hit.

> index
Ref# Conn Nodeid Site name
---- ---- ------ ---------
0910 85/11 FINHUTC Helsinki University of Technology, Finland

Send a new search message to the LISTSERV containing the same
commands as above. Add one line in which you ask for database
record number 0910 (given in the column Ref#).
Like this:

// job echo=no
database search dd=rules
//rules dd *
search * in bitearn where node = FINHUTC
index
print 0910

LISTSERV will return a report with a lot of information.
Here is part of it:

Node: FINHUTC
Country: FI
Internet: FINHUTC.hut.fi
Net: EARN
Nodedesc: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland
P_hsalmine: Harri Salminen;LK-HS@FINHUTC;+358 0 4514318
P_pautio: Petri Autio;POSTMAST@FINHUTC;+358 0 4514318
P_vvoutila: Vuokko Voutilainen;OPR@FINHUTC;+358 0 4514342
Routtab: RSCS (NETSERV,POSTMAST@FINHUTC)

For more information about searching BITNET databases, send this
message to your favorite LISTSERV, or use the address below:

To: LISTSERV@FINHUTC.BITNET
Subject: nothing
TEXT: GET LISTDB MEMO

X.400 systems are developing an address directory according to
CCITT standard X.500. The plan is to connect several directories.
The developers hope that routing of X.400 messages may eventually
be done automatically without the user needing to know the identity
of the recipient's mailbox computer.
X.500 will certainly help X.400 users. The problem is that
most email is still carried by other types of systems, and that
X.500 has no concern for mail transported through "foreign
systems."

Dialcom
-------
is a commercial, global online service, which have many nodes in
Africa and Latin America. To send mail from Dialcom to the Internet
you must use commercial gateway-services like DASnet (see appendix
1).
To send mail from one Dialcom system to another, use the syntax
6007:EWP002. This address points to mailbox EWP002 on system number
6007.
To send mail from Internet to Dialcom user YNP079 on system
10001, use the following address when sending through DASnet:

10001_ynp079@dcdial.das.net

Note: Only registered users with DASnet can use this method.

FidoNet
-------
Users of this global network can send and receive mail to/from the
Internet. For example, a FidoNet user may use the following method
to send to my Internet address:

Send the message to user UUCP at 1:105/42. The first line of
the TEXT of the message should contain:

To: opresno@extern.uio.no

Add a blank line after the address before entering the text
of your message.

FidoNet addresses are composed by three or four numbers;

zone:net/node
or
zone:net/node.point

The FidoNet address 1:105/42 has three elements. "1:" tells that
the recipient lives in Zone number 1 (North America). "105/42"
refers to Node number 42, which receives mail through Net number
105. This node has an automatic gateway to the Internet.
Another example: Jan Stozek is sysop of "Home of PCQ" in
Warsaw, Poland. The Node number of his BBS is 10. He receives mail
through Net number 480. Poland is a country in Europe, Zone number
2. The address to his system is: 2:480/10. His user name is Jan
Stozek.
You can send an Internet message to anyone in FidoNet by using
the following template:

.@p.f.n.z.fidonet.org

Where is the person's first name
is the person's last name

To send a message from the Internet to Jan, use this address:

Jan.Stozek@f10.n480.z2.fidonet.org

One final example: Ola Garstad in Oslo has the FidoNet address
2:502/15. Use the address Ola.Garstad@f15.n502.z2.fidonet.org ,
when sending mail to him through the Internet.
An updated list of global FidoNet nodes can be retrieved from
most connected BBS systems.

For more information
--------------------
If you have access to BITNET or Internet mail, get "The Inter-
Network Mail Guide." It describes how to send mail between
electronic mail systems like AppleLink, BITNET, BIX, CompuServe,
Connect-USA, EasyNet, Envoy, FidoNet, GeoNet, Internet, MCI,
MFENET, NasaMail, PeaceNet, Sinet, Span, SprintMail, and more.
Send a message to the BITNET address LISTSERV@UNMVM.BITNET. In
the TEXT of the message enter:

GET NETWORK GUIDE

This list is also posted monthly to the Usenet newsgroups
comp.mail.misc and news.newusers.questions.
The document "FAQ: How to find people's E-mail addresses" is
regularly posted to the Usenet group news.answers. It is also
available by email from mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu . To get a copy,
put the command "send usenet/news.answers/finding-addresses" in the
body of your message.

Chapter 8: Free expert assistance
=================================

This may sound too good to be true. Many computer experts are ready
to help YOU without asking a dollar in return. The same is the case
with experts in other areas.
You have an impossible decision to make. A lawyer has a dotted
line that requires your signature, or a surgeon has a dotted line
in mind for your upper abdomen. You're not comfortable with the
fine print or the diagnosis and wonder if a second opinion is in
order. Just ask, and get help.
If you have problems with your communications program, post a
message on a bulletin board. Do the same thing if you want to sell
equipment. Learn from other people's experiences with computers or
software that you plan to buy.
You will get a reply - if the subject or you attract interest.
In the process, you'll get new friends, and be able to follow the
development in a dynamic marketplace.
The following message from CompuServe is typical:

16-Nov-91 15:16:14
Sb: Back & Forth software
Fm: Joan Healy
To: John Nelson

Changed my mind about GrandView:

1. Learning curve like Mt. Everest. Give me intuitive or give me
death.
2. Lack of patience with " ".
3. Lack of time.
4. It may be unsuited for what I wanted (outlining a book). Since
becoming a born-again Galaxian, I've started using that for the
outline, and I'm happy. There's nothing like a decision and a
permanent bonding and lifelong commitment to make a woman
happy. Remember that, you louts. :-)

Many users prefer open conference messages to private email for
their technical discussions. This gives "the group" a chance to
read, comment, provide additional facts, and return with new
questions.
The reactions to one simple question may be overwhelming, but
most of the time the contributions are useful and educational.
Since the discussion is public, regard it as your personal online
university. Offer opinions when you have something to contribute,
or keep silent.
In most conferences, some members are critical to "lurkers." A
"lurker" is someone who read without ever contributing. Don't let
them get to you. Do not feel bad about being silent. Most other
members are there only to watch and learn as well.
If you consider buying a newly released computer program, tune
in to the section of your favorite online service that deals with
products from this manufacturer. Count messages with complaints
of the new program before buying.
When you have received your new program, return to read other
users' experiences and to pick up practical advice. It will never
hurt to offer your own two cents' worth in the process.

| Visit online services that have many users who know more than |
| most. There, you will usually get faster and better replies to |
| your questions. It is far cheaper to ask than to search. |

Start with bulletin boards. If you have never visited a BBS, call
one in your neighborhood to get a feel for what this is. Most of
them can be accessed free. Usually, their only requirement is that
you answer some self-presentation questions before being granted
full access to their system.
Most bulletin boards offer conferencing and archives filled
with shareware and public domain software. Many also have files or
bulletins listing telephone numbers of other boards in your country
or area.
The trick is to find know-how. The larger the online service,
the more skilled people are likely to "meet" there regularly.
Therefore, if local bulletin boards fail to satisfy your needs,
visit the large commercial services. CompuServe and EXEC-PC are two
services in the top league. BIX is another good source of
information for professional computer specialists.
One exception: When you need contact with ONE particular
person, who knows YOUR problem in detail, go where he uses to go.
Examples: If you need top advice about the communications
program GALINK, call Mike's BBS in Oslo (at +472 -416588). If you
buy modems from Semafor A/S, the best place for expert advice is
Semaforum BBS (tel. +4741-370-11710). If you have a Novell local
area network, visit the Novell forums on CompuServe.

For users of MS-DOS computers
-----------------------------
I visit the following CompuServe forums regularly:

IBM Communication - about communication software for MS-DOS
computers.
IBM Hardware - about new IBM compatibles, expansion cards,
displays, hard disks, IBM PS/2, software for performance
evaluation, printers, etc.
IBM Systems/Utilities - about DOS, utilities, shells, file
utilities, and much more. A large software library.
IBM Applications - about all kind of applications. The forum
has a large file library full of shareware and public
domain software.

Many CompuServe forums are operated or sponsored by software and
hardware vendors, like:

Adobe Systems Inc., Aldus Corp., Ashton-Tate Corp., Autodesk
Inc., Borland International, Broderbund Software Inc., Buttonware
Inc., Cadkey Inc., Crosstalk Communications, Customs Technologies,
Enable Software, Datastorm Technologies Inc., Microsoft Systems,
Nantucket Corp., Lotus Development Corp., Novell Inc., Peter Norton
Computing, Quarterdeck Office Systems, Quicksoft, Sun Microsystems
(TOPS Division), Symantec Corp., Toshiba, Turbopower Software, and
WordPerfect Corp.

CompuServe has hundreds of other forums with associated libraries
of files and programs.
FidoNet has the PC_TECH and PCUG conferences, and a long list
of product specific echos like QUICKBBS, PCTOOLS, ZMODEM, DESQVIEW
and WINDOWS.SHAREW .
BITNET has CLIPPER (CLIPPER@BRUFPB), I-IBMPC (I-IBMPC@UIUCVMD),
PC-L (PC-L@UFRJ), and the abstract service INFO-IBMPC (IBMPC-
L@BNANDP11). On EXEC-PC, look under MS-DOS systems. Usenet has
many offerings including the following:

comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc Discussion about IBM personal computers.
comp.sys.ibm.pc.digest The IBM PC, PC-XT, and PC-AT. (Moderated)
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware XT/AT/EISA hardware, any vendor.
comp.sys.ibm.pc.rt Topics related to IBM's RT computer.
comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware Microchannel hardware, any vendor.

For help with Lotus 1-2-3, there are two CompuServe forums. There
is a LOTUS conference on RelayNet. WordPerfect Corp. has a support
forum on CompuServe. WORDPERF is the equivalent offering on
RelayNet. On ILINK, visit WORDPERFECT. For support about Ami Pro,
visit CompuServe's LDC Word Processing Forum.

For owners of Amiga computers
-----------------------------
FidoNet has a long list of conferences for Amiga users:

AMIGA Amiga International Echo
AMIGAGAMES Amiga Gaming
AMIGA_COMMS Amiga Communications Software and Hardware
AMIGA_DESKTOP Amiga Desktop Publishing
AMIGA_INFO AMIGA_INFO
AMIGA_LC Amiga Lattice/SASC C Echo
AMIGA_NET_DEV Amiga Network Developers.
AMIGA_PDREVIEW Amiga PD Reviews & Requests
AMIGA_PERFECT Amiga Word Perfect & Word Processing
AMIGA_PROG Amiga Programmer's International Conference
AMIGA_SYSOP Amiga SysOp's Discussion/ADS Echo
AMIGA_UG Amiga User's Groups
AMIGA_VIDEO Amiga Video and Animation

EXEC-PC has the Amiga Hardware and Amiga Software conferences, and
a large library with shareware and public domain files. ILINK has
the AMIGA conference.
Usenet's com.sys.amiga hierarchy has entries like advocacy,
announce applications, audio, datacomm, emulations, games,
graphics, hardware, introduction, marketplace, multimedia, misc,
programmer, reviews and more.
Abstracts of comp.sys.amiga conferences are available through
several BITNET mailing lists, like AMIGAHAR@DEARN, AMIGA-D@NDSUVM1,
and AMIGA-S@NDSUVM1.
Most online services have "Find this File" commands. The most
powerful ones are often found on free bulletin boards.
On CompuServe, type GO AMIGA to get to CBMNET and get the
following welcome menu:

Amiga Forums
1 Amiga Arts Forum
2 Amiga Tech Forum
3 Amiga User's Forum
4 Amiga Vendor Forum
5 Amiga File Finder

Commodore Forums
6 Commodore Arts and Games
7 Commodore Applications Forum
8 Commodore Service Forum
9 Commodore Newsletter

A while ago, we visited CBMNET to find a communications program.
From the menu above, selection five took us to The Amiga File
Finder service, and this menu:

File Finder AMIGA

1 About File Finder
2 Instructions For Searching
3 How to Locate Keywords

4 Access File Finder

5 Your Comments About File Finder

Choice four lets us search for files using keywords, file creation
dates, forum names, file types, file name extension, file name or
author. Our choice was searching by keywords. The result was a long
list of alternatives:

Enter Search Term: comm

Amiga File Finder

1 AMIGATECH/C Programming COMSRC.ARC
2 AMIGATECH/C Programming PMDSRC.LZH
3 AMIGATECH/C Programming PNTSRC.LZH
4 AMIGAUSER/Communications BBSIND.LZH
5 AMIGAUSER/Communications INTOUC.ARC
etc.

By entering numbers, we asked for short descriptions of file number
4 through 13. Here is one of them:

Filename : INTOUC.ARC Forum: AMIGAUSER
Lib: Communications Lib #: 5
Submitter: [76702,337] 24-Mar-89
Size: 51200 Accesses: 157

This is a modified Comm1.34. It supports both VT100 and ANSI.
The VT100 emulation is based on Dave Wecker's VT100 program.
There is automatic dialer, split screen that is configurable,
phone book, and other nice features.

This is what we were looking for. First, enter GO AMIGAUSER to get
to the forum. Enter "DL 5" to get to Downloading Library number 5.
INTOUCH.ARC was retrieved using the CompuServe Quick B transfer
protocol. This protocol is usually the most efficient choice on
this service.
There are also active Amiga forums on BIX, GEnie, and CIX
(England).

Apple users
-----------
FidoNet has an APPLE conference. BITNET has APPLE2-L (APPLE2-
L@BROWNVM). CompuServe has Apple II Programmers Forum, Apple II
Users Forum, Apple II Vendor Forum, Mac Community Clubhouse Forum,
Mac Developers Forum, Mac Fun/Entertainment Forum, Mac Hypertext
Forum, Mac New Users/Help Forum, Mac System 7.0 Forum, Mac System
Software Forum, MacUser Forum and MacWEEK Forum.
Similar services are found on many other online services. You
will also find conferences devoted to support of popular commercial
software for Apple computers.

Other computers
---------------
There are so many types of computers: Atari computers, the TRS-80
series and others from Tandy, DEC computers, mainframes from IBM,
Hewlett-Packard computers, CP/M machines, users of LDOS/TRSDOS or
OS9, Apricot, Z88, Timex/Sinclair, Archimedes, Psion, and Armstrad.
Even so, there is a high probability that you can find online
support for almost all of them. This is so even if the vendor is
out of business long ago. CompuServe is a good place to start.

Chapter 9: Your electronic daily news
=====================================

Read national and global news before they are announced by
the traditional media. Get those interesting background
facts. Read special interest news stories that seldom
appear in print.

Sure, you read newspapers, watch TV, and listen to radio. But did
you know how limited their stories are?
Traditional news media just give you a small part of the news.
Their editors are not concerned about YOUR particular interests.
They serve a large group of readers, viewers or listeners with
different interests in mind.
Go online to discover the difference. The online news has an
enormous width and depth. Besides "popular" news, you will find
stories that few editors bother to print. This may give you better
insight in current developments, and in as much details as you can
take.
Most commercial online services offer news. Most of their
stories come from large news agencies and newspapers. You can also
read and search articles from magazines, newsletters and other
special publications.
The online users' ability to search today and yesterday's news
makes these offerings particularly useful.
The cost of reading a given news item varies by online service.
What will set you back 20 cents on one service, will cost you two
dollars on another.
It may be many times more expensive (or cheap) to read the same
article from the same news provider on another online service. So,
professional online users compare prices.

National news
-------------
In Norway, we have long been able to read local language news from
print media like Aftenposten, Dagens Naeringsliv, Kapital, and news
wires from NTB and other local sources. Similarly, local language
news is available online in most countries.
The cost of reading local news on national online services
tends to be more expensive than on major global online services. As
competition among global news providers increases, however, this is
bound to change.

International news
------------------
"The Global Village" is an old idea in the online world. News from
most parts of the world has long been globally available.
A while ago, a well-known Norwegian industrialist visited my
office. I showed off online searching in NewsNet newsletters and
stumbled over a story about his company. "Incredible!" he said. "We
haven't even told our Norwegian employees about this yet."
Often, American online services give news from other countries
earlier you can get it on online services from these countries.
Besides, the stories will be in English.

| In 1991, the United States had 56 percent of the world's online |
| databases (Source: the research company IQ, September 1991). |

Sure, most Norwegians prefer to read news in Norwegian. The
Japanese want news in their language, and the French in French. If
they can get the news earlier than their competitors, however, most
are willing to read English.
Few master many languages. Unless you live in a country where
they talk Arabic, Chinese or French, chances are that you cannot
read news in these languages. English, however, is a popular second
choice in many countries, and it has become the unofficial language
of the online world.
Another thing is that reading local language news is risky.
Translators often make mistakes. One reason is time pressure,
another poor knowledge of the source language.
The risk of inaccuracies increases when a story, for example
initially translated from Spanish into English, then are being
translated into a third language.
Avoid news that has been translated more than once. If not,
you may experience something like this:

On September 19, 1991, Norwegian TV brought news from Moscow.
They told that Russian president Boris Yeltsin had a heart
attack.

The online report from Associated Press, which arrived 7.5
hours earlier, talked about "a minor heart attack" with the
following additional explanation: "In Russian, the phrase
'heart attack' has a broader meaning than in English. It is
commonly used to refer to a range of ailments from chest pains
to actual heart failure."

Your "personal online daily newspaper" will often give you the news
faster and more correctly than traditional print media. Some news
is only made available in electronic form.

Seven minutes in 1991
---------------------
On September 19, I called CompuServe to read news and gather
information about online news sources.
According to my log, I connected through Infonet in Oslo (see
Chapter 13). The total cost for seven minutes was US$6.00, which
included the cost of a long distance call to Oslo.
I read some stories, while they scrolled over the screen. All
was captured to a file on my hard disk for later study. The size
of this file grew to 32.000 characters, or almost 15 single-spaced
typewritten pages (A-4 size). If I had spent less time reviewing
the lists of available stories, seven minutes would have given a
larger file.
When I had entered my user ID and password, a menu of stories
came up on my screen. The headline read "News from CompuServe."
The two first items caught my attention, and I requested the
text. One had 20 lines about an easier method of finding files in
the forum libraries. The other had ten lines about how to write
addresses for international fax messages.
The command GO APV brought me directly to Associated Press News
Wires. You'll find such tricks by reading the online services' user
manuals. This command produced the following menu:

AP Online APV-1

1 Latest News-Updated Hourly
2 Weather
3 Sports
4 National
5 Washington
6 World
7 Political
8 Entertainment
9 Business News
10 Wall Street
11 Dow Jones Average
12 Feature News
13 Today in History

I entered "9" for business news, and got a new list of stories:

AP Online

1 Women, Minority Businesses Lag
2 Child World Accuses Toys R Us
3 UPI May Cancel Worker Benefits
4 Drilling Plan Worries Florida
5 UK Stocks Dip, Tokyo's Higher
6 Dollar Higher, Gold Up
7 Farm Exports Seen Declining
8 Supermarket Coupons Big Bucks
9 Cattlemen Tout Supply, Prices
0 Tokyo Stocks, Dollar Higher

MORE !

The screen stopped scrolling by "MORE !". Pressing ENTER gave a new
list. None of them were of any interest.
Pressing M (for previous menu) returned me to the APV-1 menu
(the videotext page number is given in the upper right corner of
each menu display). I selected "World" for global news, which gave
me this list:

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