 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Surf's Up - Q&A for melbpc.org.au Ron Taylor |
The months of March and April will surely go down as two of the busiest ever in the history of our club. With the commissioning of stage two of melbpc.org.au - the new Melb PC User Group Internet service - generating a flurry of activity along with a mixture of surprise, appreciation and downright excitement from it's new band of followers. (It's only the beginning folks!)
With almost 1300 subscribers signing up (and most were new to this type of thing), the committee took appropriate steps to cover all expected hiccups. With nearly 90 per cent of users opting for a full blown graphical SLIP/PPP type of connection a suitable package of self-installing MS-Windows based access software was put together and dial-help services were made at the ready.
The Local Internet Chat message area of the Melb PC BBS was listed to be the main support stream for members to get direct help and exchange information. And what an exchange it is - initially spearheaded by Ash Nallawalla, Stan Johnstone, and Trevor Jacobs - it quickly became driven by a dynamic group of fellow members from all skill levels who showed good spirits and a willingness to freely pass on their newly discovered tips to help all comers.
It's always a pleasure to be part of such a team but, sadly, impossible to give due credit and name all those participating. Suffice to say an example of what a great club can achieve by working together - "In the ultimate co-operative society, the individual disappears." Here is a roughly edited compilation of just some of the helpful guidance exchanged between members via the BBS.
Install and logging on
Q: What software do I need for my Shell account?
A: Use the same software you use for accessing the BBS, set it to VT100 8N1 terminal emulation and off you go.
Q: Everything seemed to finish OK in the installation of the SLIPKIT but when I tried to access the INTERNET.GRP group, there were no items. Is there another step that I am obviously missing here?
A: I had to re-install because I ran the INSTALL.BAT from Windows, not DOS, and thereby got an "empty" Internet Group.
Q: I have installed the SLIPKIT software. Everything went OK, but when I start the various ICONS I get message "Cannot find WINSOCK.DLL." It was installed to C:\INTERNET and Windows is in C:\WINDOWS. Xtree shows WINSOCK.DLL is in the Trumpet sub dir. What do I have to do?
A: Read the instructions, for starters. See the icon numbered 1.0? That is the one you click on first. From its Dialler menu, run SETUP.CMD first, then run LOGIN. Once connected, and having seen the "your IP number is...." message, minimise the window by clicking on the downward pointing triangle at the top right of the Trumpet window. Now start the "various icons" and enjoy. Try the 2.0 icon next, being next in importance, and so on.
Q: How do I know if the SLIP connection is successful?
A: You should get the message: Switching to SLIP... Your address is xxxxxxxxxxxx. The Your address is is important - if you don't remember how the login went, try another LOGIN and write down the address - then if it fails go to Trumpet and in the menu open "File, Setup" and see if the number in the IP Address agrees (this is placed there by Trumpet after a successful connect).
Q: On login I receive the message "CLI permission denied."
A: It means you probably used lowercase letters for your initial password, use uppercase. Or you probably typed the password wrongly.
Q: I get the message, "Connected: Your IP address is xxxxxxxxxxx." Then I close Trumpet and go to use Netscape and...
A: Do not exit Trumpet - minimise it. It must stay running all the time you are connected to the Internet! Run Netscape and you will get the Melb PC home page. Netscape may report, Host not Found, just press the "Home" button and you then will get the Melb PC home page.
Change that password
Q: Do I need to change my initial password?
A: Yes, and for security reasons you should change it regularly.
Q: How do I change my password using a Shell account?
A: Use the unix command "passwd."
Q: I can't change my password using SLIP.
A: Use your normal comms program to log on to the server manually. Wait for the Menu. Select "c" to change password. Prompt is login: Reply with your username, then enter initial password, then enter new password twice. The server then disconnects you after informing you password is changed.
A: Manually dial in with Trumpet, after the connection the server needs to be "woken up" - just press [Enter] and you should get the menu.
Browsing around
Q: I want to access the World Wide Web at http://pcmag.ziff.com/pcmag. How would I do this?
A: Use Netscape or Mosaic and write the URL address in the space provided exactly as you have it there.
Q: Is it possible to save these addresses and have them pasted to screen?
A: Yes. You save them as a series of bookmarks in Netscape.
Q: Is it safe to give credit card details over the internet?
A: If it is a secure server (Netscape can show you by means of an unbroken key icon), it is supposedly quite safe, but nothing is infallible. Of course, when you dial our Internet service and renew electronically, you are quite safe because that information does not transit external circuits.
Q: In my \internet\cache directory I have lots of file ending in .MOZ, what are they and can I delete them?
A: Netscape has a memory and a HD cache in which it stores previously called up Web pages for quick retrieval. The memory cache disappears of it's own accord after shutdown, but the cache on your HD slowly becomes huge if you don't do anything about it. It is quite safe to delete all these files if you want. NB: You can view the .MOZ files from Netscape using File, Open.
Q: What I want to know is how to use WS Gopher to get the weather predictions for Melbourne. There is a bookmark or something in it, but it is for US weather.
A: You can use Netscape for your Gopher client - try this: gopher://babel.ho.bom.gov.au/00/Australian%20Weather%20 Information/ add "Victoria/pmlb" to the end to get straight to the Melbourne Weather.
Let the mail flow
Q: What is the correct mailing address to use?
A: The preferred return mailing address for all users of Melb PC Internet is: username@melbpc.org.au - this is the only address which will be supported in network changes.
Q: Where do I get a manual for Eudora 1.4.4?
A: I have encountered two such manuals: the first, very compendious, was written for the MacIntosh but had some utility for the PC user; the second was a shorter, purely PC, version put together at the University of Staffordshire in UK. It was in HTML, so was exceptionally easy to read (and to print out) using Netscape's file-reading facility.
Q: What other shareware mailing software is there for Windows?
A: 1. WinVn is primarily a newsreader with the facility to send e-mail, but not to receive it. Thus when there arises an overwhelming urge to comment on a particular news item it is possible to prepare the message there and then without recourse to, say, Eudora.
A: 2. Trumpet News Reader (by Peter Tattam from Tassie) has similar provision for preparation and despatch of e-mail.
A: 3. dMail originates from Russia. It is designed for reading, processing and storing the received mail, and also for sending your letters, replies, binary files, etc. by UUCP-g protocol (modem or TCP/IP), SMTP, POP3, NNTP news reading in the Internet electronic mail systems (Relcom).
Q: Using Eudora I decided to try to compose a few messages including a test message to myself off line. Clicking on Eudora, I get ":unable to load TCP" (tcpman.exe is in the c:\internet\eudora directory).
A: You didn't say if you had started (but not dialled) Trumpet Winsock; you don't have to in order to use Eudora offline. If you don't start it, then don't supply your password to Eudora. Choose Cancel else you have to suffer through two error messages, but end up in the same spot. If you started Trumpet but didn't dial, then started Eudora and supplied the password, you'll get a delay while it displays "Resolving address for popa.melbpc.org.au." Eventually it displays another message "Error getting network address for popa.melbpc.org.au" etc.
Q: Should the news/mailer program I happen to use (Free Agent), automatically download my e-mail and/or flag me that I have received some?
A: Free Agent does not currently act as a mail client to receive mail. It only allows you to post private e-mail replies to a newsgroup article.
I don't keep a list of users and their accounts but if you also have a shell account then your POP account should read popb, not popa. Also note that your shell and SLIP account passwords are separate; if you change one, the other is not changed automatically.
Q: The e-mail that you noted as delivered has not shown up in my in-box. All my outgoing e-mails show up as sent.
A: If you have both a SLIP account and a Shell account the POP Account box in Eudora must be: user_name@popb.melbpc.org.au.
For only SLIP account it is user_name@popa.melbpc.org.au.
Getting the news
Q: Does melbpc have a USENET group, I can't find one?
A: If you are using our SLIPKIT then the names of the two melbpc newsgroups have been preloaded into your Trumpet newsreader.
Q: With the Free Agent newsreader, can you unsubscribe or subscribe, and pick your chosen newsgroups before any initial long-winded download of a lot of groups?
A: Yes. Go to Group, ShowAll. FA will show all the available newsgroups in a window on the left. Just select the ones you want to subscribe by clicking the mouse on the newsgroup name, then go to Group, Subscribe. After you have subscribed all the groups, just go to Group, Show only subscribe group. Unsubscribing is similar to the above. However, before you unsubscribe the newsgroup, make sure you delete all the articles in the newsgroup, (Ctrl+A, after you have the focus on the articles header windows).
Q: If you don't delete first, does this mean the articles stay in whatever file Agent uses to keep them, hogging disk space?
A: Yes, if you don't delete the article first, FA will keep it on the hard disk. However, you can go back and delete those articles later on, as long as you remember the name of the newgroup.
Chatting away
Q: Can anyone advise what to use for Internet Relay Chat?
A: I would recommend WSIRC41E.ZIP, which I have just installed and found to be an excellent IRC program. It is available from the BBS in files area 4d. You will need to configure it (your nickname, server details, etc.) and once that it done it will connect to the irc server each time it is started. (The server most people use would be jello.qabc.uq.oz.au)
Q: IPHONE looks good, but I have not figured out how to initiate a call yet. I tried using finger to find out who has logged on, and try to make a call using their e-mail address, but does not seem to work.
A: With Internet phone it uses IRC (InterNet Relay Chat) to make a call, You can't put in somebody's IP number like IVC. You can use the channel that most people use for IPhone (General), or sort out with the other person what channel you will use.
Find a file
Q: I've not yet figured out how to find files.
A: Try WS_Archie, it checks out sites for programs matching your input Search string. The default site is archie.au, but you can select other sites from the menu. At first nothing seems to happen, but the status line at the bottom of the screen tells you what is going on.
Q: I'm trying to locate WPLANY.EXE. Due to me downloading the Internet Kit, rather than acquiring it on disk, I don't have it.
A: Have you done an archie search for this? If you're looking for a particular program, Telnet to archie.au, login as "archie" and then at the prompt type prog [progname]. A listing of ftp sites where that file is located will come up after a search.
Q: When I initiate a search action through Winsock archie.au I always get the message, TIME OUT, NO MATCHES. If I do the same search through archie.uk or archie.usa the relevant hosts eventually come up on the screen. Why?
A: This just means that the host you are trying to connect to is busy or not responding for some reason.
Q: I get on to the Australian weather bureau gopher site OK (gopher://babel.ho.bom.gov.au:70), but when trying to download images I only get "failed to create temp file." I have no trouble with overseas sites.
A: I had the same problem and found that if I deleted the original file it worked OK.
Modems & phones
Q: My modem doesn't want to connect when dialling through Trumpet, but the "init string" works OK on the BBS. I get the message "Modem not responding."
A: Make sure you have your normal proven "init string" burnt into the modem's NVRAM with the AT&W0 command. The Trumpet dialler in SLIPKIT is setup for ATZ as the default.
Q: After finishing my SLIP session I noticed my modem lights still on, i.e. still connected?
A: In the Trumpet Dialler menu, the top line is "Login" and the second line is "Bye," this lets you hang up. Please remember to click "Bye" - there might be someone else waiting to logon and it may be me!
Q: Can I use my Telecom Call Waiting service while modeming?
A: No. Answering the voice call will (usually) drop carrier. There are utilities available on the BBS to disable/ re-enable it.
A: You can get a service from Telecom called "Messagebank." the caller gets a recorded message and can leave a message for you.
Q: What is the maximum allowed time limit on the Melb PC box?
A: Ninety minutes per day, the "day" starts at 4.00 am. Using SLIP you will have to keep track of your online time, Shell users will get a message when they are to be disconnected.
Q: I've downloaded the program SLIPDB to keep track of online SLIP time on the net. In my scripts I've entered the following; exec c:\internet\slipdb\slipdb.exe on .... When I run the scripts I get an error message; exec error :2 Any ideas?
A: You need to include everything after the exec command in quotation marks. eg exec "c:\internet\slipdb\slipdb.exe off."
Reprinted from the June 1995 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
