Welcome to the 619 Underground Erag. Read On...Enjoy!
Issue 05
,s@S
b.
@y. ,s@S
Y7 Y
Y7 d
Y7 .,s
l7 l
?l K
i .s
s. ,d
s. Y
Y
7
i:: Y
l
b d
.s Ys. .s. l
,.s@tSs.
l ,Ys.:
pm ls.! :Y
s.7 .s7 ,s
7
s7s,.,s
619 - Rag
One thing Id like to say: Metal Edge is NOT an art board. It is a music
board. Metal Edge is taken from the Heavy Metal magazine of the same name.
Metal Edge is not specifically a Heavy Metal board, but you can find Metal
related files tab,mp3s,etc., on there.
Editors Intro:
Blkhrt is the latest addition to our writers for the 619. Hes written
two good articles this issue. He made an interesting statement in his intro:
BBSs are pretty much slowly declining: in my opinion, this decline
is from the users and SysOps or lack thereof, not from the Internet. This
decline can be stopped, that is, if we want to stop it.
This is very true. But, is there truly a way to stop the decline of BBSs?
Ive read so much about the ansi/vga war how ansi is archaic and vga is
superior to ansi. Groups like ACID and ICE dont do much or any ansi anymore.
they release purely VGA packs. Even small groups like RioT are going towards
the VGA thats the reason I quit Riot. BBS Software authors are bailing
on their projects to become web builders and even the door authors have
all but totally quit to jump on the internet bandwagon. Nothing wrong with
it, mind you, but theres space for both. Both BBSs and the Internet offer
different things, both worthy of sharing time with cybercallers.
Can we even pinpoint why BBSs are dying? Is the reason really necessary?
Maybe just to find a way to change that would be sufficient for most BBS
Sysops. We are just a few still dedicated to the bbs scene.
The latest Ive heard is many of the internet providers are upping their
rates for access, or are going purely by an hourly rate. Remember AOL?
10 hours a month, 2.99 for every hour after. Could it be that these
providers sparked our interest in fancy, glitzy web pages, chat rooms,
XXX web pages and warez ftp sites and now want to raise their prices because
they know that people are hooked and will pay? I wonder. Will this influence
people to come back to the free BBSs? Maybe not, maybe it will.
-Precious Metal 03/98
An Introduction to the Author Behind this Article.
Who am I?
People always say to start writing about what you know, so I guess I am
a good subject for myself to write about. There really is a point behind
this. Hopefully you will be able to see this as you read.
So, Who am I?
I think this is an important question to be answered if you are
going to read any articles authored by me. Why? Because a lot of
articles are empty and void of feeling and originality. They have
no personality. Even if they do, generally at least in my experience,
I do not remember who wrote the article. There is nothing left to
look forward to in the future by the same writer. I would like you to
know, at least to some extent, who is writing this.
I have always gone by the alias blkhrt, and plan to keep on using it.
It stands for black heart if you could not figure that out, not to
belittle you or anything. I have used that alias since the first
time I called a BBS and also every time since well, since the first time I
called a BBS that allowed handles. When I thought of it, it did not have much
meaning to me except for the fact that I thought it sounded and looked cool
and original. I have added a lot of meaning to it well, at least to myself.
But that it basically how anything I create turns out for me. Whether it is
a poem, a drawing, a dream, or something ready to be flushed... well, maybe
you do not want to know that much about me, at least not yet! Anyway, that is
enough info on the handle for now. I dont want to bore you and if it
doesnt, there is plenty of room for more articles.
I have been BBSing since 1994. I would consider 1994-95 right about the time
when the BBS world was at its peak. Now it is pretty much slowly declining:
in my opinion, this decline is from the users and SysOps or lack thereof,
not from the Internet. This decline can be stopped, that is, if we want to
stop it.
There is still a huge sense of community left, even if there are less people
calling, and those who call are calling less also. I still love BBSs. I love
the look. I like ANSI. I like the messages, the files, the people, etc. I
like learning a new system. I like using someone elses computer. I like
BBSs for many other reasons also, including that huge sense of community.
I am currently 17 years old. Yet I am as old as the universe, so are you--
maybe even older. My hobbies, besides BBSs and other computer related
activities include the following: reading, playing the guitar, and listening
to music. I have not had as much time for these hobbies lately as I would
like to: primarily because of school. I still make time for them and BBSing.
Basically, I love the mind and everything to do with it. That includes
what the mind is part of: the world, the universe, the body... etc. I
like to think, not to follow. That is part of the reason I am so sick of
school they encourage you to follow, not think.
Anyway, that is enough about me. You can read my articles now and know
a little bit more about the gentleman, or lack thereof, behind them.
If you want to know more about me e-mail me on wild world or metal edge.
You can also give in to the herd and e-mail me at my long beautiful
address: stupidinternetuser@mindless.com
By the way, I typed this in MS-DOS Editor. Another thing people think is dead.
Basically, because I think DOS is the best way to read--and therefore write--
ANSI/ASCII based files such as the 619Erag.
-blkhrt
Computers and Hacking.
I would like to take this space to talk about hacking. After I give my
definition of the word, which sort of follows the traditional one, I will
end up talking about my self yet again. Tough luck. It falls within
what I am going to talk about... basically, its what I end up talking about
in this article.
I consider hacking to be the of use a computer in an unconventional and
intelligent way. As you can see by this definition it does not have to follow
under some underground and/or illegal activity. In fact, I consider it not
only safer but better this way. Breeches of security are interesting, but are
not what I am going after here. Keep in mind you can still get involved
in what would normally be considered illegal if you get permission to do so.
Hell, you can even get paid to do that. Pretty cool, huh? A lot better
then ending up in jail. Unless of course you want to catch up on reading...
that is a whole different issue though.
The first computer related experience I had was way back when in 1985 or 1986.
It was a nintendo. One of my older brothers friends down the block had one.
We played Mario Bros. a hell of a lot. Of course I primarily watched. They
also already knew all the secrets. I think this was due to the fact of some
big huge black book of nintendo secrets. Anyway, the secrets were what really
amazed me. I loved the the level warp on level 1-2.
Of course, soon afterwards we got a nintendo. Along came other secrets,
a + start I think continued you on the same world only the beginning of
it in super Mario bros. There was commando, super grenade. Ikarri warriors:
abba start. Contra: up up down down left right left right ab start. Etc.
I loved it all. I loved beating the games. Even if my thumb and neck ached
and all I saw was some weird Japanese guys name who I was helping make rich.
Then there was Zelda -- that just blew my mind away. The best damn game.
Secrets were not used to as cheats. They were used to beat the game: they
were the only way to beat the game. Stuff was hidden everywhere. OK, thats
a big enough nintendo plug.
So, as you see, I liked some of the unconventional ways of playing. That is
how I like using computers. I think it helps me understand them and relate
to them better. Now, this does not necessarily mean taking shortcuts as
I did in my nintendo days, but having the same ecstatic feelings as I did.
My family also got a 286 XT: 8 megahertz, 20 meg hdd. It used dos but had a
norton shell over dos 3.something. I just played games on it. Particularly
one called
bouncing babies which was an ANSI game. All I knew was the games were in
a games folder and the ones that ran were .com, .bat, or .exe. Oh yeah, I also
knew there was A: and B:. 5.25 Floppies of course, though. I enjoyed it.
Not as much as nintendo though. I knew it was a whole other world. Perhaps
the fact that my dad used it for taxes turned me off from it. You know,
taxes do not suggest playing and fun, at least not in my mind.
I like messing around with the visual display mainly. For example, if I am
just messing around in Win95 I may right click the desktop screen and hit make
a new text file. I just save it and type in a name. Then I do the same thing
with whatever I want to put as the name: a secret message, something funny,
something intelligent, something stupid, a space. . . anything. Now I re-click
on the first file and give it a real long name. If the name is long enough,
guess what happens. It completely covers the other file. You cant even see
the other file. I am set up with the default blue background, so all I see
is the long file name under the icon, all with a blue background. It may
not have the same results on a different setting I havent tried any other.
Now, when you are on the big file you can not even see the other one by
clicking on it, because its not even there. You need to push down to get
to it. Neat, huh? There are probably other ways of getting there like typing
the first letter... but I have not tried many. Do what you feel like.
Have fun.
Another fun thing I like doing is basically a similar idea in paintbrush.
Run: pbrush. I will type something in using the typing function abc box,
say die bastard. Then I will just cover it in a completely black box, or
whatever else that hides it. I will then hit the key command for undo and redo
and it flashed by real fast. Hitting this by the keyboard is the best method.
Its nothing much, but I think its cool. Im sure one could even make a crude
animation this way. Im pretty sure the undo is just stored in memory and not
saved when you save the file. If it is though, you have a way to hide a message
of some sort or anything else. Not really secure, but interesting.
So you can see, I like the visual aspect a lot. You can see it happen.
It is safe if used that way. I have also messed with renegade and ANSI
a lot. You can be deceiving. Only, of course if you use ANSI really well, or
if the connection is moderately fast... slowness can give the illusion away.
If you do try anything only test it on yourself, and maybe the SysOp by showing im. Hell, deceive him and tell him you are doing it! Now as a hint you should
be using the line editor. That is as much info as I am giving. Keep in mind
it is not that complex. If I tell you more it will only be keeping you from
exploring. It may ruin your ideas also: who knows, this much info may
be just enough for you to discover more then I have. Keep in mind nothing
I have done has been malicious and you should not do anything malicious either.
Unless of course you are ready to take the responsibility.
I take no responsibility from what any of your actions or lack of actions
do, or fail to do.
Now, I have guessed peoples passwords a few times. The first time it was
on a doorgame where you were supposed to type your characters name in when
you start it and then your password for the character. Well, I tried someones
char. name, and then that same name again as the password. Guess what...
it worked! Now I just looked at what they had and quit. I tried it again,
a little more daring this time I dropped the guys interesting equipment. Now
the intent was to take it for my character, and maybe even be more malicious
and kill them with their own weapon. I didnt do that. I left them alone.
In fact, they probably just picked the stuff right up when they played again
since it was in the same area their character was. Now, I e-mailed the SysOp
and let him know. Just as a hint that his users were not so secure in that
area so they may not have been all around. Of course I did not say that, and
also I did not check this theory out more. I had had enough fun. Why blow it
off? He replied to the message. It was in a kind manner. He said that that
was OK and part of the game. I guess I sounded worried when I wrote the
message. Worried about his reaction. It was great though.
So as you see, to explore computers in an unusual fashion it does not have to
be illegal. It can be just as fun Id assume, I dont commit crimes. -
You just use more dopamine and less adrenaline.
I am not suggesting you do anything except open your mind. I take no
responsibility for anything you do or the results. Have fun though.
Thats what this entertainment -- at least I hope its entertainment
is all about.
blkhrt
Why dont more people run their own boards? 4/22/98
Im really curious, as to why boards are dropping like flies these days.
Why dont more people run boards? You can still dial into the internet, it
doesnt take away from your internet experience at all, at best it enhances
it. This is not an article explaining how to run your own bbs, although I
expect future issues of 619 will contain a guide to help you run your own
bbs. A good idea brought to us by blkhrt!
Is it the expense? Does the expense of the phone line turn most people
off? Considering the long time hobby it is, I dont see a mere 8 dollars a
month as expensive. I bet most people out there, capable of running a bbs
already have phone lines they call their own, perhaps their parents pay for
them no problem with that, or maybe they have them on their own accord.
Whatever it is, get a pager or a job first, and then run a full time board
off your phone line. When you get paged, you can use your line, and call
back whoever it is.
Maybe its learning a whole new software? There are still a lot of
SysOps out there very willing to give you a hand running your own bbs. They
can be trusted, after all their interests are the same as yours. Grab a
software package, be it Renegade or Iniquity, or anything like it. I ment-
ion those two, because they seem to be easy, yet configurable. More on
configurable a little later. Youre probably like most people and dont
want to read pages and pages of documentation, so go ahead and try setting
them up on your own, Im pretty sure you can do it, its not that hard! Then
as you need help you can look up the answers in the documentation or email
a sysop running the same software. Speaking of sysops happy to help, Id be
happy to help you, in the 619 area code set up your own bbs, running renegade,
and Precious Metal 619-423-4970 would be just as happy to help you with
your Iniquity needs. Configurability in bbs software is kind of obvious, it
means that later on down the road or even now you will be able to customize
it, give it that personal touch, which keeps people interested, and generally
keeps them calling back for more. If you dont know what I mean, try setting
up Iniquity, log on locally, and then when youre done there give Metal Edge
a call, 619-423-4970 and see what I mean. Enough with the software...
Okay, along the lines of expense, youre thinking, well I dont have a
big enough hard drive and/or fast enough computer.. Nonsense! Nobody says
you have to carry tons of files.. If you dont have files, you have the
opportunity to make the most interesting message bases! People dont have to
have files, thats what the internets for.. just kidding. The speed of your
computer isnt even a factor, Im not sure if its still true, but it used to
be a true fact, that the fastest modem was still slower than the slowest
computer.. read it a few times, youll get it. It might not be so true any-
more, but with the proper settings in dos or in win95, you can have your bbs
running with just about any computer.
Up above, I had mentioned that you could still use your computer for the
internet how dare you! Running a bbs with your modem doesnt change it, at
best it quiets your modem, but thats about it. You can still dial up the
internet while running a board the board will have to go down while you are
on the internet - unless you utilize two modems in your computer.
Im trying to cover all the possible excuses that one could think of for
not running their own bbs. How about lack of callers? That actually tends to
happen AFTER your bbs is setup, not to scare you or anything, just sort of a
natural occorence, and a little worse than it used to be because of lack of
support of the local bbs scene. Never fear, if you set up through us, or tell
us you have set up because of us, well call it! I will, and a few others,
as definite users. You see, were all concerned about improving the scene,
we may not restore it to what it was, but that doesnt mean were going to
stop trying!
You have any excuses I didnt cover? Call my board, Wild World, 619-
660-9014, or Metal Edge, 619-423-4970 and email Precious Metal, or myself
Kokopelli. Either of us will listen to your excuses, and give you reasons
why theres no excuse to NOT run your own bbs. Inet email to 608@usa.net.
-Kokopelli-
Starting a New Board When Ya dont Have a Clue
Ive been watching my girlfriend run her bbs for a couple of years
now and Ive always thought it was interesting....but alot of work. Time is
not something I have alot of. Things have changed some so I thought I would
take a look at the Iniquity software that she uses just to see it,not that
I would actually start a board or anything. That was my first mistake. Once
I took a look I couldnt put it down. Now I spend every available minute
trying to do something that I know absolutely nothing about. Then again,
this has never stopped me before. So on I trudge....and trudge....and trudge.
Its like trying to run in water up to your waist. Very tough going, very
annoying, very frustrating....and I love it! Of course its a known fact that
my mother dropped me from a great distance on my head when I was a baby so
maybe that accounts for my obviously severe mental disorder. At this point I
am convinced that anyone who actually wants to be a sysop should have a
frontal lobotomy first. Being a leach is normal on boards but when you become
a new sysop you get this almost irresistable urge to break into someones
house and steal their harddrive. You just cant get files fast enough. My
first piece of advice for anyone is think real hard before you jump into
this because it will consume your time. The next thing is..and this is a big
one...find someone who knows what the hell they are doing! It takes alot
of patience for someone to help you...on everyones part...so be considerate
and WRITE EVERYTHING THAT IS SAID TO YOU DOWN ON PAPER...HAVE IT NOTORIZED
AND TAKE IT TO YOUR LAWYER OR THE PERSON WHO IS HELPING YOU WILL RIP YOUR
THROAT OUT AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR NOSE OR ANY OTHER AVAILABLE ORIFICE AND
THEN SAY REALLY MEAN THINGS TO YOU!!!!!! Trust me on this one...its sad,
but true. Be nice to them though, they are doing you a great service by
helping you outbesides which they are veteran sysops and probably have
had brain surgery many times...to no avail. Although a good tip to diffuse
their anger is to promise them you will buy them a new pocket protector
if they continue to help you.
Anyway, this whole experience can be a strain on your nerves.
Just remember to be patient with yourself and, seriously, listen and write
stuff down. Im having a great time even if my girlfriend is bald from
pulling her hair out by the roots. I think she looks like Sinead Oconnor
now....kinda cute :.
-Jondular 04/98
We would appreciate your comments/gripes about any column
,a@s. .s@s,
.spm,. .,s,.
S@s.7
Issue 05
,s@S
b.
@y. ,s@S
Y7 Y
Y7 d
Y7 .,s
l7 l
?l K
i .s
s. ,d
s. Y
Y
7
i:: Y
l
b d
.s Ys. .s. l
,.s@tSs.
l ,Ys.:
pm ls.! :Y
s.7 .s7 ,s
7
s7s,.,s
619 - Rag
One thing Id like to say: Metal Edge is NOT an art board. It is a music
board. Metal Edge is taken from the Heavy Metal magazine of the same name.
Metal Edge is not specifically a Heavy Metal board, but you can find Metal
related files tab,mp3s,etc., on there.
Editors Intro:
Blkhrt is the latest addition to our writers for the 619. Hes written
two good articles this issue. He made an interesting statement in his intro:
BBSs are pretty much slowly declining: in my opinion, this decline
is from the users and SysOps or lack thereof, not from the Internet. This
decline can be stopped, that is, if we want to stop it.
This is very true. But, is there truly a way to stop the decline of BBSs?
Ive read so much about the ansi/vga war how ansi is archaic and vga is
superior to ansi. Groups like ACID and ICE dont do much or any ansi anymore.
they release purely VGA packs. Even small groups like RioT are going towards
the VGA thats the reason I quit Riot. BBS Software authors are bailing
on their projects to become web builders and even the door authors have
all but totally quit to jump on the internet bandwagon. Nothing wrong with
it, mind you, but theres space for both. Both BBSs and the Internet offer
different things, both worthy of sharing time with cybercallers.
Can we even pinpoint why BBSs are dying? Is the reason really necessary?
Maybe just to find a way to change that would be sufficient for most BBS
Sysops. We are just a few still dedicated to the bbs scene.
The latest Ive heard is many of the internet providers are upping their
rates for access, or are going purely by an hourly rate. Remember AOL?
10 hours a month, 2.99 for every hour after. Could it be that these
providers sparked our interest in fancy, glitzy web pages, chat rooms,
XXX web pages and warez ftp sites and now want to raise their prices because
they know that people are hooked and will pay? I wonder. Will this influence
people to come back to the free BBSs? Maybe not, maybe it will.
-Precious Metal 03/98
An Introduction to the Author Behind this Article.
Who am I?
People always say to start writing about what you know, so I guess I am
a good subject for myself to write about. There really is a point behind
this. Hopefully you will be able to see this as you read.
So, Who am I?
I think this is an important question to be answered if you are
going to read any articles authored by me. Why? Because a lot of
articles are empty and void of feeling and originality. They have
no personality. Even if they do, generally at least in my experience,
I do not remember who wrote the article. There is nothing left to
look forward to in the future by the same writer. I would like you to
know, at least to some extent, who is writing this.
I have always gone by the alias blkhrt, and plan to keep on using it.
It stands for black heart if you could not figure that out, not to
belittle you or anything. I have used that alias since the first
time I called a BBS and also every time since well, since the first time I
called a BBS that allowed handles. When I thought of it, it did not have much
meaning to me except for the fact that I thought it sounded and looked cool
and original. I have added a lot of meaning to it well, at least to myself.
But that it basically how anything I create turns out for me. Whether it is
a poem, a drawing, a dream, or something ready to be flushed... well, maybe
you do not want to know that much about me, at least not yet! Anyway, that is
enough info on the handle for now. I dont want to bore you and if it
doesnt, there is plenty of room for more articles.
I have been BBSing since 1994. I would consider 1994-95 right about the time
when the BBS world was at its peak. Now it is pretty much slowly declining:
in my opinion, this decline is from the users and SysOps or lack thereof,
not from the Internet. This decline can be stopped, that is, if we want to
stop it.
There is still a huge sense of community left, even if there are less people
calling, and those who call are calling less also. I still love BBSs. I love
the look. I like ANSI. I like the messages, the files, the people, etc. I
like learning a new system. I like using someone elses computer. I like
BBSs for many other reasons also, including that huge sense of community.
I am currently 17 years old. Yet I am as old as the universe, so are you--
maybe even older. My hobbies, besides BBSs and other computer related
activities include the following: reading, playing the guitar, and listening
to music. I have not had as much time for these hobbies lately as I would
like to: primarily because of school. I still make time for them and BBSing.
Basically, I love the mind and everything to do with it. That includes
what the mind is part of: the world, the universe, the body... etc. I
like to think, not to follow. That is part of the reason I am so sick of
school they encourage you to follow, not think.
Anyway, that is enough about me. You can read my articles now and know
a little bit more about the gentleman, or lack thereof, behind them.
If you want to know more about me e-mail me on wild world or metal edge.
You can also give in to the herd and e-mail me at my long beautiful
address: stupidinternetuser@mindless.com
By the way, I typed this in MS-DOS Editor. Another thing people think is dead.
Basically, because I think DOS is the best way to read--and therefore write--
ANSI/ASCII based files such as the 619Erag.
-blkhrt
Computers and Hacking.
I would like to take this space to talk about hacking. After I give my
definition of the word, which sort of follows the traditional one, I will
end up talking about my self yet again. Tough luck. It falls within
what I am going to talk about... basically, its what I end up talking about
in this article.
I consider hacking to be the of use a computer in an unconventional and
intelligent way. As you can see by this definition it does not have to follow
under some underground and/or illegal activity. In fact, I consider it not
only safer but better this way. Breeches of security are interesting, but are
not what I am going after here. Keep in mind you can still get involved
in what would normally be considered illegal if you get permission to do so.
Hell, you can even get paid to do that. Pretty cool, huh? A lot better
then ending up in jail. Unless of course you want to catch up on reading...
that is a whole different issue though.
The first computer related experience I had was way back when in 1985 or 1986.
It was a nintendo. One of my older brothers friends down the block had one.
We played Mario Bros. a hell of a lot. Of course I primarily watched. They
also already knew all the secrets. I think this was due to the fact of some
big huge black book of nintendo secrets. Anyway, the secrets were what really
amazed me. I loved the the level warp on level 1-2.
Of course, soon afterwards we got a nintendo. Along came other secrets,
a + start I think continued you on the same world only the beginning of
it in super Mario bros. There was commando, super grenade. Ikarri warriors:
abba start. Contra: up up down down left right left right ab start. Etc.
I loved it all. I loved beating the games. Even if my thumb and neck ached
and all I saw was some weird Japanese guys name who I was helping make rich.
Then there was Zelda -- that just blew my mind away. The best damn game.
Secrets were not used to as cheats. They were used to beat the game: they
were the only way to beat the game. Stuff was hidden everywhere. OK, thats
a big enough nintendo plug.
So, as you see, I liked some of the unconventional ways of playing. That is
how I like using computers. I think it helps me understand them and relate
to them better. Now, this does not necessarily mean taking shortcuts as
I did in my nintendo days, but having the same ecstatic feelings as I did.
My family also got a 286 XT: 8 megahertz, 20 meg hdd. It used dos but had a
norton shell over dos 3.something. I just played games on it. Particularly
one called
bouncing babies which was an ANSI game. All I knew was the games were in
a games folder and the ones that ran were .com, .bat, or .exe. Oh yeah, I also
knew there was A: and B:. 5.25 Floppies of course, though. I enjoyed it.
Not as much as nintendo though. I knew it was a whole other world. Perhaps
the fact that my dad used it for taxes turned me off from it. You know,
taxes do not suggest playing and fun, at least not in my mind.
I like messing around with the visual display mainly. For example, if I am
just messing around in Win95 I may right click the desktop screen and hit make
a new text file. I just save it and type in a name. Then I do the same thing
with whatever I want to put as the name: a secret message, something funny,
something intelligent, something stupid, a space. . . anything. Now I re-click
on the first file and give it a real long name. If the name is long enough,
guess what happens. It completely covers the other file. You cant even see
the other file. I am set up with the default blue background, so all I see
is the long file name under the icon, all with a blue background. It may
not have the same results on a different setting I havent tried any other.
Now, when you are on the big file you can not even see the other one by
clicking on it, because its not even there. You need to push down to get
to it. Neat, huh? There are probably other ways of getting there like typing
the first letter... but I have not tried many. Do what you feel like.
Have fun.
Another fun thing I like doing is basically a similar idea in paintbrush.
Run: pbrush. I will type something in using the typing function abc box,
say die bastard. Then I will just cover it in a completely black box, or
whatever else that hides it. I will then hit the key command for undo and redo
and it flashed by real fast. Hitting this by the keyboard is the best method.
Its nothing much, but I think its cool. Im sure one could even make a crude
animation this way. Im pretty sure the undo is just stored in memory and not
saved when you save the file. If it is though, you have a way to hide a message
of some sort or anything else. Not really secure, but interesting.
So you can see, I like the visual aspect a lot. You can see it happen.
It is safe if used that way. I have also messed with renegade and ANSI
a lot. You can be deceiving. Only, of course if you use ANSI really well, or
if the connection is moderately fast... slowness can give the illusion away.
If you do try anything only test it on yourself, and maybe the SysOp by showing im. Hell, deceive him and tell him you are doing it! Now as a hint you should
be using the line editor. That is as much info as I am giving. Keep in mind
it is not that complex. If I tell you more it will only be keeping you from
exploring. It may ruin your ideas also: who knows, this much info may
be just enough for you to discover more then I have. Keep in mind nothing
I have done has been malicious and you should not do anything malicious either.
Unless of course you are ready to take the responsibility.
I take no responsibility from what any of your actions or lack of actions
do, or fail to do.
Now, I have guessed peoples passwords a few times. The first time it was
on a doorgame where you were supposed to type your characters name in when
you start it and then your password for the character. Well, I tried someones
char. name, and then that same name again as the password. Guess what...
it worked! Now I just looked at what they had and quit. I tried it again,
a little more daring this time I dropped the guys interesting equipment. Now
the intent was to take it for my character, and maybe even be more malicious
and kill them with their own weapon. I didnt do that. I left them alone.
In fact, they probably just picked the stuff right up when they played again
since it was in the same area their character was. Now, I e-mailed the SysOp
and let him know. Just as a hint that his users were not so secure in that
area so they may not have been all around. Of course I did not say that, and
also I did not check this theory out more. I had had enough fun. Why blow it
off? He replied to the message. It was in a kind manner. He said that that
was OK and part of the game. I guess I sounded worried when I wrote the
message. Worried about his reaction. It was great though.
So as you see, to explore computers in an unusual fashion it does not have to
be illegal. It can be just as fun Id assume, I dont commit crimes. -
You just use more dopamine and less adrenaline.
I am not suggesting you do anything except open your mind. I take no
responsibility for anything you do or the results. Have fun though.
Thats what this entertainment -- at least I hope its entertainment
is all about.
blkhrt
Why dont more people run their own boards? 4/22/98
Im really curious, as to why boards are dropping like flies these days.
Why dont more people run boards? You can still dial into the internet, it
doesnt take away from your internet experience at all, at best it enhances
it. This is not an article explaining how to run your own bbs, although I
expect future issues of 619 will contain a guide to help you run your own
bbs. A good idea brought to us by blkhrt!
Is it the expense? Does the expense of the phone line turn most people
off? Considering the long time hobby it is, I dont see a mere 8 dollars a
month as expensive. I bet most people out there, capable of running a bbs
already have phone lines they call their own, perhaps their parents pay for
them no problem with that, or maybe they have them on their own accord.
Whatever it is, get a pager or a job first, and then run a full time board
off your phone line. When you get paged, you can use your line, and call
back whoever it is.
Maybe its learning a whole new software? There are still a lot of
SysOps out there very willing to give you a hand running your own bbs. They
can be trusted, after all their interests are the same as yours. Grab a
software package, be it Renegade or Iniquity, or anything like it. I ment-
ion those two, because they seem to be easy, yet configurable. More on
configurable a little later. Youre probably like most people and dont
want to read pages and pages of documentation, so go ahead and try setting
them up on your own, Im pretty sure you can do it, its not that hard! Then
as you need help you can look up the answers in the documentation or email
a sysop running the same software. Speaking of sysops happy to help, Id be
happy to help you, in the 619 area code set up your own bbs, running renegade,
and Precious Metal 619-423-4970 would be just as happy to help you with
your Iniquity needs. Configurability in bbs software is kind of obvious, it
means that later on down the road or even now you will be able to customize
it, give it that personal touch, which keeps people interested, and generally
keeps them calling back for more. If you dont know what I mean, try setting
up Iniquity, log on locally, and then when youre done there give Metal Edge
a call, 619-423-4970 and see what I mean. Enough with the software...
Okay, along the lines of expense, youre thinking, well I dont have a
big enough hard drive and/or fast enough computer.. Nonsense! Nobody says
you have to carry tons of files.. If you dont have files, you have the
opportunity to make the most interesting message bases! People dont have to
have files, thats what the internets for.. just kidding. The speed of your
computer isnt even a factor, Im not sure if its still true, but it used to
be a true fact, that the fastest modem was still slower than the slowest
computer.. read it a few times, youll get it. It might not be so true any-
more, but with the proper settings in dos or in win95, you can have your bbs
running with just about any computer.
Up above, I had mentioned that you could still use your computer for the
internet how dare you! Running a bbs with your modem doesnt change it, at
best it quiets your modem, but thats about it. You can still dial up the
internet while running a board the board will have to go down while you are
on the internet - unless you utilize two modems in your computer.
Im trying to cover all the possible excuses that one could think of for
not running their own bbs. How about lack of callers? That actually tends to
happen AFTER your bbs is setup, not to scare you or anything, just sort of a
natural occorence, and a little worse than it used to be because of lack of
support of the local bbs scene. Never fear, if you set up through us, or tell
us you have set up because of us, well call it! I will, and a few others,
as definite users. You see, were all concerned about improving the scene,
we may not restore it to what it was, but that doesnt mean were going to
stop trying!
You have any excuses I didnt cover? Call my board, Wild World, 619-
660-9014, or Metal Edge, 619-423-4970 and email Precious Metal, or myself
Kokopelli. Either of us will listen to your excuses, and give you reasons
why theres no excuse to NOT run your own bbs. Inet email to 608@usa.net.
-Kokopelli-
Starting a New Board When Ya dont Have a Clue
Ive been watching my girlfriend run her bbs for a couple of years
now and Ive always thought it was interesting....but alot of work. Time is
not something I have alot of. Things have changed some so I thought I would
take a look at the Iniquity software that she uses just to see it,not that
I would actually start a board or anything. That was my first mistake. Once
I took a look I couldnt put it down. Now I spend every available minute
trying to do something that I know absolutely nothing about. Then again,
this has never stopped me before. So on I trudge....and trudge....and trudge.
Its like trying to run in water up to your waist. Very tough going, very
annoying, very frustrating....and I love it! Of course its a known fact that
my mother dropped me from a great distance on my head when I was a baby so
maybe that accounts for my obviously severe mental disorder. At this point I
am convinced that anyone who actually wants to be a sysop should have a
frontal lobotomy first. Being a leach is normal on boards but when you become
a new sysop you get this almost irresistable urge to break into someones
house and steal their harddrive. You just cant get files fast enough. My
first piece of advice for anyone is think real hard before you jump into
this because it will consume your time. The next thing is..and this is a big
one...find someone who knows what the hell they are doing! It takes alot
of patience for someone to help you...on everyones part...so be considerate
and WRITE EVERYTHING THAT IS SAID TO YOU DOWN ON PAPER...HAVE IT NOTORIZED
AND TAKE IT TO YOUR LAWYER OR THE PERSON WHO IS HELPING YOU WILL RIP YOUR
THROAT OUT AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR NOSE OR ANY OTHER AVAILABLE ORIFICE AND
THEN SAY REALLY MEAN THINGS TO YOU!!!!!! Trust me on this one...its sad,
but true. Be nice to them though, they are doing you a great service by
helping you outbesides which they are veteran sysops and probably have
had brain surgery many times...to no avail. Although a good tip to diffuse
their anger is to promise them you will buy them a new pocket protector
if they continue to help you.
Anyway, this whole experience can be a strain on your nerves.
Just remember to be patient with yourself and, seriously, listen and write
stuff down. Im having a great time even if my girlfriend is bald from
pulling her hair out by the roots. I think she looks like Sinead Oconnor
now....kinda cute :.
-Jondular 04/98
We would appreciate your comments/gripes about any column
,a@s. .s@s,
.spm,. .,s,.
S@s.7
log in to add a comment.