Shareware Grab Bag

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Shareware Grab Bag / Shareware Grab Bag.iso / 090 / fidouser.arc / FIDOUSER.V02 < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1985-01-06 | 62.8 KB | 1,469 lines

A N 'U N O F F I C I A L' F I D O U S E R ' S G U I D E Version 2.0 For Fido Version 10.xx by Bob Robesky . Sysop . Fido26 1 January 1985 FIDO (c)1983, 1984 by Tom Jennings An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide (c)1984 by Bob Robesky (c)1985 Owl's I Software This manual may be freely copied for non-commerical use only. Every one knows a dog needs a home, a shelter, from pigs on the wing. Pink Floyd, Animals Unofficial 'User's' Guide Information: - text distilled from Fido 'Technical' Manuals by Tom Jennings - composed on a NCR-PC4, PC compatible computer from National Cash Register - written using the NEWWORD, WordStar compatible word-processor from NewStar Software - indexed using INDEX by Tom Jennings - body of text printed on a TI-855 printer using correspondence quality and a Gothic ASCII print module from Texas Instruments - flow-chart graphics drawn with IBM's Professional Editor (from IBM) and printed on an OKi-Data 92, with Plug 'n Play, from OKi-Data T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S Introduction................................ Page 1 Fido Generalities and User Information ..... Page 2 General System Description ............ Page 2 The User Interface .................... Page 2 Fido Sub-sections .......................... Page 3 User System ........................... Page 3 Message System ........................ Page 3 File System ........................... Page 3 Help System ........................... Page 3 Various Fido System Configuration Options .. Page 4 Open Public System .................... Page 4 Restricted System ..................... Page 4 Private System ........................ Page 4 Running Fido ............................... Page 5 User Logon Process .................... Page 5 Flow-chart ................................. Page 7 Fido's Command Structure .............. Page 8 Goodbye (g) ...................... Page 8 Statistics (s) ................... Page 8 Fido Menus ................................. Page 9 Main Menu ............................. Page 9 Message-Area (a) ................. Page 9 Files-Area (f) ................... Page 9 Goodbye (g) ...................... Page 9 Statistics (s) ................... Page 9 Answer-Questionnaire (a) ......... Page 9 Bulletin (b) ..................... Page 10 Yell (y) ......................... Page 10 Change (c) ....................... Page 10 User-List (u) .................... Page 11 Editorial (e) .................... Page 11 Version (v) ...................... Page 11 Message and Mail Section .............. Page 11 Area-Change (a) .................. Page 11 List (l) ......................... Page 12 Read (r) ......................... Page 13 Enter (e) ........................ Page 13 Kill (k) ......................... Page 14 Index (i) ........................ Page 14 Statistics (s) ................... Page 15 Goodbye (g) ...................... Page 15 Main-Area (m) .................... Page 15 FidoNet Electronic Mail System ........ Page 15 File Section .......................... Page 16 Area-Change (a) .................. Page 16 Locate (l) ....................... Page 17 Files (f) ........................ Page 17 Type (t) ......................... Page 17 Goodbye (g) ...................... Page 18 Download (d) ..................... Page 18 Upload (u) ....................... Page 18 Miscellaneous Fido Stuff ................... Page 19 Control Characters .................... Page 19 Quotations ............................ Page 20 Questionnaires ........................ Page 20 Finish ..................................... Page 20 Bibliography ............................... Page 22 Index ...................................... Page 24 An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 1 Introduction: The Fido* Bulletin Board system is a public domain tele- communications package whose development was begun by Tom Jennings in 1983. Fido is the latest in a growing series of BBS's that began with Ward Christensen and Randy Suess's CBBS in the 1978. BBS's were, and are, designed to allow for the quick dissemination of messages to and from users. Thus a user in one city, or another part of the country, can quickly contact, and discuss problems with, other users with the same interests. As the systems became more sophisticated, and disk storage increased, file transfer options were added. One of the earliest file transfer protocols was Ward Christensen's XMODEM. XMODEM is now used on most BBS's, and has recently entered the commercial market in the communications modules of both Symphony(tm) and FrameWork(tm). BBS's coupled with the XMODEM file transfer protocol have opened up micro-computer communications for a vast number of users. With FidoBBS the micro-computer based BBS has moved into true electronic mail transfer, and a more sophisticated version of the XMODEM protocol, TELINK(tm), has been introduced. FidoNet, which is the core of Fido, and makes Fido totally unique as a BBS, allows unattended mail transfer between other "Nodes." A node, in this case, is another Fido BBS that is interlinked through FidoNet and FidoNet is the electronic mail portion of Fido. While Fido now runs exclusively on MS/PC Dos machines, FidoNet may eventually be available for CP/M based RCP/M's and BBS's, thus giving us a potentially endless circle of nodes. If this explanation sounds circular, it is; FidoNet electronic mail transfer presupposes another FidoNet node at the other end. Not only may "mail" be sent to another node, but since FidoNet uses the TELINK file transfer protocol, text, or binary, files may be attached to a message and transferred with that message. Also, messages (and files) may be sent to one, some, or all nodes without having to reenter the message for individual nodes. ----- * Even though Fido is in the public domain, please note that it is a copywrited work and is not available for commercial use without the express, written consent of the author. CBBS is copywrited by Ward Christensen Fido is copywrited by Tom Jennings Telink is copywrited by Phoenix Software Symphony is a trademark of Lotus Development Corp. FrameWork is a trademark of Ashton-Tate An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 2 Other than this brief introduction to FidoNet, the most the average user needs to know is that it works much like the regular "system" mail sections; though you may be charged for FidoNet mail depending on the local System Operator's, the Sysop's, preference. As you should soon dis cover, the possibilities for electronic communication are open and endless. Please realize that I do not intend this 'guide' as a his- tory of the BBS, a technical treatise on FidoNet, or as a study of the arcane world of file transfer protocols. If you are a beginning BBS user, or an inveterate reader, and are interested in such matters, I suggest you read some of the books and maga- zine articles that are listed in the Bibliography. While the Bibliography is not complete, the books and articles themselves have bibliographies that should take you further. An assumption has also been made that you understand how to use your equipment, and that you are familiar with DOS, or CP/M, and have the proper communications software to be able to upload and download files. Again, refer to the Bibliography for guidance. The Appendix also provides you with the information you need to obtain a list of current Fido "Nodes." Fido generalities and User information: General System Description FidoBBS is a Bulletin Board system that takes full advantage of MSDOS version 2.xx. It is at present installed and running on over 150 PC's, compatibles, DEC Rainbow's and PC-Jrs. Fido is still growing and is constantly being upgraded and changed. Most changes are of a minor nature, such as "bug fixes" and subtle en- hancements. Also, since there is almost an universal BBS command system, many of FIDO's features were modeled after existing CBBS and RBBS software, and should be reasonably familiar to the know- ledgeable user. Even if major enhancements are made to Fido, the basic structure and functions should remain the same. You can call Fido and communicate with it using almost any micro-computer modem combination. That is, a TeleVideo 802 with MEX or MODEM7 will work just as well as a PC with MINITEL or PC-TALK or QMODEM. The User Interface Since Fido's user interface is based on other Bulletin Board systems the experienced user should have no trouble adapting to the system structure. Of course, if you are a new user and you learn Fido's commands, you should have no trouble using most other Bulletin Board systems. Unlike most CP/M based BBS's all Fido commands, for reasons relating to security and simplicity, are intrinsic, i.e. they are built into the Fido system structure. In other words, you are always running inside of Fido; you are never at a system level. Thus, even though a user may An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 3 upload such potentially dangerous files as DEBUG or EDLIN, they may not be run within Fido. Fido Sub-sections Fido is basically divided into four sub-sections, each of which function together to make the whole. We discuss them briefly next. Fido keeps track of you, the user, in a user system file. Each user record contains your first and last name, city and state, password, number of times called, and other information such as the current system settings for such things as nulls, screen width and length, and help level. There is an extensive message system (list, read, delete, post, reply to messages) but unlike other BBS systems which write all messages to one message file, Fido uses the DOS file management system,i.e. each message is a separate DOS file that resides independently on the system disk(s). There can be up to 99 separate message directories, each having its own access restrictions and/or security level. What this security and access stuff really means is that if you are not authorized to use a particular message area, you will not see it, and you may not even realize it exists. Fido maintains a file system which allows you, the user, to Upload and Download public domain programs. As in the message area, there may be any number of file sections, and each section is in a DOS directory separate from every other file section. The same access restrictions apply as in the message section. Fido provides the user with three levels of help: NOVICE is the default help level for new callers. This provides a small menu of commands, and usually gives further description as commands are executed. REGULAR help is full prompts, but does not tell which command has just been executed. Using this level can speed up things and is best used after you understand the structure, but have not memorized all the command mnemonics. EXPERT help is only the simple single letter prompts. Once you are very familiar with Fido, using this level will make using it very fast. Regardless of the help level you have chosen, you may enter a "?" at almost any point for a list of the options available for the area you are in. The following is a sample HELP menu from An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 4 Fido26. This menu is accessed by pressing the "?" mark while in the Main menu: HELP MENU - M A I N S E C T I O N COMMAND FUNCTION M - Enter the MESSAGE Section F - Enter the FILES Section G - GoodBye - LogOff system S - STATISTICS - Time left, etc A - ANSWER Questionnaire B - Read the BULLETIN Y - YELL at the Sysop... C - CHANGE your Help Level, Password... E - Read the current EDITORIAl wherein... V - Fido VERSION number Though this HELP Menu can not be considered extensive, it should answer those simple questions you may have concerning a command. If in doubt experiment; you can't hurt anything. If in real doubt read this manual. Various Fido System Configuration Options: You may find a Fido Node configured in any of the following ways: Open Public System On an "open" system all users have access to most Fido features, except of course those that are for the Sysop only. New users choose a name and password, and then become regular system users. Restricted System When you are granted Regular user status you will have access to all normal commands, but as a new user you will have certain privileges restricted. For example, you will not be able to leave private messages or download files. You must request "normal" status from the system operator (Sysop). Private System New users are not allowed immediate access to the system, but there will usually be some way for you to tell the Sysop about yourself and request access to his/her system. Also there may be a message file explaining user requirements, or there may be a questionnaire that you can fill out. Whatever system you find yourself on was selected by the Sysop when the Fido was installed. If you are interested in the technical details, you may consult the Fido Technical Manual mentioned in the Bibliography. An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 5 One thing you should remember... You are a guest on Fido and any other BBS. Just having access to a computer and a modem does not give you any special privileges. All of the Fido Sysop's have donated considerable time and thousands of dollars to bring you these systems. Usually nothing more is asked of you than that you be courteous and show a reasonable amount of restraint. Running Fido: User Logon Process When Fido is started, all its "system" files are opened, and users are dealt with individually, until Fido is removed from service by the Sysop, it is time to run FidoNet mail, or there is a fatal error. When you first connect with Fido, you should strike the your <CR> once or twice so that Fido may determine the correct baud rate, parity, etc. The first thing you will see upon connecting successfully is Fido's signature: Fido BBS (c) tj v10x FidoNet Node #xx This display identifies that you are actually connected to a Fido and not some imitation; if the system is also a FidoNode, the node number will be displayed. At this time, you will probably be presented with a "welcome" message of some sort. Next you will be asked for your name. This starts the actual logon process. You may enter your name as one or two words; that is, you may enter both your first and last name at the FIRST name prompt. Names can be entered in upper or lower case, which Fido then formats and capitalizes properly. (Unfortunately, Fido is not too good with names like McNamara, which come out as Mcnamara). If your name is already in the user list the password prompt is presented. You get three attempts at entering the password, then Fido gives up, passing you into the questionnaire, or a Comment to the Sysop. (The use of a one-word, or two-word, name will most likely depend on the preference of the Sysop. Many of us do not allow, or severely restrict, the use of one word "handles", nicknames, etc. In this age of computer jerk-offs, the BBS, and the Sysop, is vulnerable to arrest and prosecution should a user leave illegal credit card numbers, computer numbers, etc. on the system. If we have your real name, address, etc., you are the one who can be burned. Also, please realize, most BBS's, and, I believe, all Fido's, will remove you permanently from the user files if you leave messages that may be viewed as containing illegal information. You should also not upload licensed, An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 6 commercial software to any public BBS. Most Sysop's are ethical and don't want it, and again, you will probably be (and should be) removed from the user file.) If the your name is not in the user list, and you are on a public system, Fido displays the new user message, asks for your city and state, and a password for future use. The password can be any combination of up to 16 printable characters. Then a second new user message may be displayed. After that, the normal signon begins, and Fido asks for the password again. This time the password will not be echoed to the screen. You will see a series of dots "..." instead of your actual password. Once you are signed on, Fido will most likely display a bulletin from the Bulletin file, a quotation from the Quotes file, and then place you in the Main Menu Section. From the Main Section, all of Fido's available commands can be accessed. The actual commands are described in detail on the next few pages. Fido is arranged into three main sections and several sub-sections which are illustrated by the flow-chart on the next page. This chart should help you greatly if you are having trouble deciphering Fido. An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 7 INSERT THE FLOWCHART HERE ------> An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 8 Fido's Command Structure All commands in all Areas consist of one letter, though some require further arguments or options. Most commands allow you to enter these additional arguments right after the command key. If they are not entered, Fido will prompt you for any additional information and will usually provide you with help if it is needed. For example, you would normally log-on as follows: First name: Melvin Last name: Snitfarp You may simply this process by entering your name all at one time: First name: Melvin Snitfarp Wait... Password: You enter the entire command sequence at one time, on one line, skipping the prompts. This works for most Fido commands. And, almost all commands (except the logon commands) can be aborted with a Q or a blank line. The following commands are general in nature and are avail- able in the Main, Message, and File Sections. G = GoodBye This command lets you Logoff the system, and, optionally, leave a private message to the Sysop. If a message is left, it goes into a special message area that may be accessible only by the Sysop. The message editor used when leaving a comment is the same as the normal message editor so you don't have to learn any new commands. S = Statistics This command lists various user and system statistics: Main Area - lists your time on the system, your time remaining, etc. Files Area - also lists the free space left on the default drive. Message Area - optionally lists messages to or from you. FidoNet Area - same as the Message Area, and also lists FidoNet statistics. An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 9 Fido Menus: Main Menu This section is where you endup after signon, and the Bulle- tin(s). You will also return here when you exit the Message or File Sections. Also, you cannot move directly from the File to the Message Section or visa-versa. You must first pass through the Main Menu Section. The available 'Main Menu' commands are: M Message Section F File Section G Goodbye, logoff S Statistics A Answer a Questionnaire B Get the Bulletin again Y Yell at the Sysop C Change User settings U Display the User List E Read the Editorial V Fido Version number These commands are described below, and may be followed on the flowchart for a clearer understanding of their function within Fido. M = Message-Area Enter the message section. From there, the message areas can be accessed. F = Files-Area Similar to Message-Area, but where the upload and download commands are. G = Goodbye S = Statistics See section "Fido's Command Structure" for explanations of these two commands. A = Answer-Questionnaire If there is a questionnaire in the system, the caller gets to fill it out with this command. A questionnaire is a pseudo- language text file, and is described more fully in the Question- naire section. An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 10 B = Bulletin This command displays the signon bulletin again. Y = Yell at the Sysop Unless this command has been disabled (in which case the message "Yelling not permitted at this time" will be displayed), you may attempt to contact the Sysop. The Sysop's console, as well as yours, will beep for 30 seconds, and if the Sysop does not respond by then, you will see the message "Sysop not available". Please note that the Sysop can chat with you at any time by issuing a command from the local console. C = Change User This is a small sub-menu of commands that allow you to change various user settings, such as signon name, password, screen dimensions, to fit your individual needs and knowledge. U Users name C City and State P Password W Width of screen L Length of screen H Help level M "More?" On and Off T Tab expansion On and Off N Nulls, 0 - 20 U, C, & P commands A user may change his/her name, city and state, and password at any time. If you change your name, the entire users list is searched to make sure the name is unique. This is to prevent you from changing your name to say, Sysop, which would allow you to read private messages to Sysop. Any name changes, etc., do not change your privilege level. Also note that some Sysop's may discourage you from name changing your name without permission. W, & L commands The screen dimensions are used by the page pauser ("More?") and the message system. Messages are listed to fit within the set screen boundaries, and message entry is done via a word wrap editor. If "More?" is ON, then Fido will pause after each screenful. All of the command prompts are made to fit within this. H command The Help level (as explained earlier) is either NOVICE, REGULAR or EXPERT. NOVICE is the default and it causes all prompts to be displayed fully, and each command to be described An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 11 with a one liner. REGULAR is similar, but does not list the entire wordy prompt. EXPERT is almost no prompt at all. M command "More?" is an on/off toggle. If ON Fido will ask "More?" after each screenful of text; if OFF, Fido will scroll the screen through to the end or you use a "^S" to stop/start the display. T command Tab expansion converts all tabs sent into spaces, for those systems that cannot handle tabs. N command Fido can be set to send nulls after each linefeed. It defaults to 0 nulls. U = Users List Lists the names of all current callers to the system. This list may be restricted on some systems. E = Editorial This command is similar to the Bulletin command except it is not displayed at sign-on, and will probably contain information that the Sysop feels is of importance. V = Version Displays the current version of Fido. Message and Mail Section: The Message Section is accessed by the M command from the Main Menu. All message commands are available here. Also, you will Return to the Main Menu via another M command. A Area-Change L List Message R Read Messages E Enter a Message K Kill (delete) a Message I Index Message S Statistics G Goodbye M Return to Main Section A = Area-Change Change the current message area. If an area number is entered after the A, that area is selected if available. If no An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 12 number is selected, a list of areas is displayed and you may choose one. The following 'Message Menu', slightly abbreviated, is from Fido26 and illustrates the types of message areas that may be available to the user: ----- Message Areas ----- 1 ... MESSAGE\ General Message Area 2 ... TECHTALK\ Questions and Answers of a Tech... 3 ... CATALOG\ Questions, Answers, Orders, etc... 4 ... TELVIDO\ TeleVideo NEWS, Bug Reports... 5 ... FOR_SALE\ FIDO User Items For Sale or Trade... 6 ... ANSWERS\ Answers to Sysop Comments 7 ... * FIDOMAIL\ Mail to/from other FIDO nodes... Message Area, or Quit: When you select a new area, the messages in that area are counted (you will see a "Wait ..." message) and, if it's the first time you've selected that area, you are asked if you want to list mail addressed to you. Nothing will happen if you select the same area again, or if you enter a blank line or a Q. This mail "search" searches all the messages, from newest to oldest, and lists them in the following order: 1) New messages to you (ones you haven't read yet); 2) Old messages to you (ones you have read); and, 3) messages you have entered. Typing a Control-C or Control-K aborts the search. If there are a number of messages in any of the above categories, it reminds you to Kill some. The message area numbers displayed may not be sequential. Each area has, as has been explained earlier, an associated privilege level, and if your user privilege is not high enough, that area will not be displayed nor available. L = List Messages Only the message headers are listed. A starting number is requested; this can be: An ordinary number A number followed by + or - - itself. If just a number is entered, messages are listed starting at that one, towards the highest message. A number followed by + or - controls the direction in which messages are listed. + means list forward. - means list back- wards, eg. 100- means start listing at 100, and list all message in reverse order from 100 to 1. - entered by itself means list from the highest message toward the lowest. This is the most useful message command, and also the least used. If you have called before, this is the easiest way to see any new messages. An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 13 R = Read This command places you in a sub-menu of the message menu. For clarification see the flowchart. From this menu messages can be read, entered, killed, replied to, etc. (See the descriptions of the Kill and Enter commands for details on using those commands.) Entering a message number means "read this message". N (Next) reads the next highest message, and P (Previous) reads the next lowest message. Hitting CR repeats the previous N or P; if neither was used, then it defaults to P. * is a special message number. It means the highest message number. + and - are little used keys, but are two of the most powerful message features. Messages can have, and be, replies. (See R command below.) Messages created with R are linked to other messages. For example, a message about an item for sale may have a reply. If you come across the original "for sale" message, it will say (assuming you are at the NOVICE help level), "See also #nnn, use + key" if there is a reply. Entering a + at this point will take you directly to that message. This new message will say "Reply to #xxx, use - key". Entering - will take you back to the original message. There is no limit to the number of messages that can be linked this way. Further replies are added to the end of the message queue, and if a message in the middle (or either end) is Killed, the string of messages is "patched" to maintain continuity. R Replies to the current message. It acts basically like the "E" command (explained below), but automatically fills in the "To:" field, and links the new message to the original message. If you are replying to a message in the FidoNet Mail area, the destination system is also automatically entered.. The mes- sage will be mailed out that night. (Remember, you must have a "Credit" in order to send a Reply to another Fido. See the E command below.) E This command means "enter a message" and is explained below. E = Enter Enter a message. You will fill in the "To:", "From:", and "Subject:" fields, followed by the main body of the message. (If you are sending a message in the FidoNet Mail area, you must first select the destination system before entering the message. Also, if you do not have any, or enough credit, Fido will not let An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 14 you send a message to that system. If you do have a credit, Fido will deduct the cost of the message). Message "text entry" is done with a word wrap editor and, like WordStar, text may be entered continuously without carriage returns. Words that would go past the right edge of your screen are wrapped to the next line. Carriage returns can be used to form paragraphs as in WordStar. If you enter messages in this way, other callers will be able to read the message formatted properly for their screen width. After you have completed your message, by leaving a blank line after a <cr>, the following options are available: C for continue. Add more to the end of the message. L lists the message so far. T lets you change the To: field. J lets you change the subject. E edit a line. After you enter the number of the line you wish to edit, you will be prompted for the Old string (what to change), then the New string (what to change it to). Both old string and new string may contain any normal ASCII character except a carriage return. If the new string is longer than the old string, it might appear that your line has gone beyond the edge of the screen. Don't worry, your line will list correctly after the message is saved. A aborts the message. You will be asked for a yes or no. S saves the message. The message is written out to disk, given the highest message number, and everything pertaining to the message section is updated. K = Kill This command allows you to delete a message. You will not be allowed to delete messages that are not "To:" you or "From:" you. If the message you delete is one you have entered in the FidoNet mail section, and has not been sent yet, you will be credited for the cost of the message and your account will be automatically adjusted. I = Index Index is a misnomer and actually means "Search for a string". You will be prompted for a search string. Fido will then search all messages, newest to oldest for the "string" you have entered. It looks in the "To:", "From:", or "Subject:" fields. If the string you enter is in any one of those parts of the message, the header of the message will be listed. An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 15 If you type a Control-C or a Control-K the search is aborted. An insensitive sliding match is done, ie. exact searches are not possible; ON matches TONY or PITON, etc. Each matching message header is listed, followed by a list of all matching message numbers. ? will match any character. For example, if there are the following messages in the system: #100 From: Joe Bungpop To: All Subject: Musical Instruments #102 From: No Body To: W.S. Burroughs Subject: Guns #200 From: All To: Board Subject: Music If you enter MUS, it will list messages 100 and 200, as MUS is contained in the Subject: fields of both. If you had entered BU, then it would list messages 100 and 102, as it would match "Bungpop" and Burroughs." Entering B??R would cause #102 and #200 to be listed, as B??R matches BURRoughs and BOARd. S = Statistics G = Goodbye See section "Fido's Command Structure" for explanations of these two commands. M = Main-Area Return to the Main Menu Area. FidoNet Electronic Mail System: Fido's electronic mail system, "FidoNet," uses the same command structure as the normal mail system. The major differ- ence that you will notice, is that before the "To:" you will be shown a list of available "Fido Nodes" and asked to pick the one(s) you want to send your message to. If you wish to send your message to more than one 'Node' at a time you must enter each 'Node' number on the command line. For example, if you want to send a message to 'Nodes' 1,3,7, and 301, you would enter: 1 3 7 301 and your message will be replicated 4 times. FidoNet packages messages so they may be sent quickly and efficiently. Packaging consists of combining all messages for a given 'Node' and sending them as one "Packet" which is UnPackaged An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 16 at the destination after Fido "Mail Time" is ended. Also, since FidoNet operates at the time of the lowest phone rates (after 11pm local time), your actual cost should be minimal. For example, a one minute call, on ATT, from California to New York is .29. As a number of messages may be sent in one minute, a message packet containing more than one message will lower the cost of each individual message. There is one slight catch to Fidonet; should you attempt to enter a message in FidoNet, and not have any credit in your account, you will not be allowed to send your message. Unless you are dealing with a rich, and generous, Sysop, you must pay to send this "electronic" mail. Even so, Fido Mail should be the least expensive mail system available. You will have to give the local Sysop whatever amount he, or she, specifies. This amount will then be credited to your account which is a part of the user file, and the cost of FidoNet mail will be deducted as it is used. The exact cost of a message must be determined by the individual Sysop using a combination of phone rates and educated guesses. Obviously, a message to a local system in the same area will cost nothing, while a message to the opposite end of the country will have some cost. When your account is empty, you will be notified and will be allowed to refill it. FidoNet is NOT meant to be a money making service; it is provided so users with similar interests may contact each other without the potentially enormous expense of direct phone calls. And, since FidoNet allows you to send mail to any of the existing Fido 'Nodes', and you are now able to send mail all across the country, and, potentially, around the world. File Section: The File section contains all the file oriented commands for DownLoading and Uploading Public Domain software. The M command returns to the Main Menu. A Area Change L Locate Specific Files F List Files T Type a File G Goodbye D Download U Upload S Statistics M Main Section A = Area-Change This command is similar in operation to the Message Area- Change. If a valid area number is entered, that number is An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 17 selected directly, otherwise a listing is displayed that resembles the File Area of Fido26: ----- File Areas ----- 1 ... D:GENERAL\ General MS/PC-DOS File area 2 ... D:COMM\ Communications software 3 ... D:CATALOG\ Software and Perpherials Catalog 4 ... D:DATABASE\ DataBase File area 5 ... D:CPM80\ CP/M-80 File area 6 ... D:BBSINFO\ PC-BBS and RCP/M system list area 7 ... D:FREEWARE\ User Supported Software 8 ... D:BLATHER\ Text Files of Minor or Major Import 9 ... D:NEW_FILE\ Recent and New Files area File Area, or Quit: As in the Message Areas, there may be numbers missing from the sequence. These are either blank paths or high privilege areas. At any rate, if you aren't at a privilege level which allows you to see the missing areas, you cannot access them. L = Locate Given a file specifier such as "*.*", "*.COM", or "*.EXE", Locate searches through all non-restricted file directories for the asked for filename(s), and displays any it finds. F = Files Lists the Files in the current directory. If no specific file is asked for, it lists all the available files. The size of the file(s) and its description is displayed. The following example (much shortened) is from the 'General' File of Fido26: - Miscellaneous MS/PC-Dos Utilities - - You will need the first four programs in order to function - on this, or any other BBS LU.DOC 7680 Documentation for LU.EXE LU.EXE 22528 Library utility SQ.EXE 19968 File Compression program USQ.EXE 14336 File UnCompression program - ZDIR.LBR 4096 Directory utility to display hidden... SDIR41.COM MISSING Sorted Directory utility If "MISSING" is displayed instead of the file size the file is not in the directory. T = Type This command allows you to display an ASCII file on the screen. It statistically checks the file to make sure it is a text file, and will not allow you to type a non-ASCII file. An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 18 G = Goodbye See section "Fido's Command Structure" for an explanation of this command. D = Download Downloading means to "take a file from the remote system, and transfer it your system." In order to DownLoad files you must have a Communications package with Fido compatible protocol such as XMODEM. If you do not have such a package, you should get one. If you are using a CP/M-80 based machine, good choices (from the public domain) are either some current version of MODEM7, or MEX. If you are using a PC, or compatible, then two of the best choices are MINITEL and QMODEM. All are excellent programs, and as MINITEL was written by Tom Jennings it is completely compa- tible with Fido. If you are interested in an excellent, commercial program, buy MITE/MS or MITE for CP/M based computers. One of the many protocols used by MITE is XMODEM and it works well within the Fido environment. Sometime, hopefully in the near future, an expanded, commercial version of MINITEL, TELINK(tm) will be available for PC, and compatibles, users. TELINK should be an excellent choice for a tele-communications program. With the proper 'Comm' program, you can begin the Downloading process. Before a download begins, Fido checks your time and byte limits, and prevents you from downloading past them. As an added bonus, meant to encourage you, Uploading will raise your Download limit. Assuming you are in one of Fido's File areas and you want to download a file named "DOALL.EXE," you must first enter the 'D' command, next the download method (one of eight) then the file- name. If you enter D alone, Fido will ask for the download method. After that, it will ask for the filename. Once you become familiar with this command sequence, you may enter the whole thing as: D TC DOALL.EXE and the file should be headed in your direction. U = Upload Upload means to "send a file from your system, to a remote system" such as a Fido. Uploading is extremely important to the growth and life of a BBS that offers file transfer options. If you don't contribute your share, even if your share is only a file found on another BBS, the system will eventually die. The Sysop provides the system; you have to provide the support. An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 19 To Upload a file you would substitute a 'U' for the 'D' used in the Downloading command sequence; the remainder of the command should be self-explanatory. Please consult the Help Menus, by using the '?', for a brief explanation of each protocol. Since the central purpose of this guide is to describe Fido, no further attempt will be made to cover Uploading and Download- ing methods. If you don't yet understand the procedures involved in Downloading, or Uploading, consult the attached bibliography, your local user's group, your friends, or the Sysop of whatever system you are on. With a little help, and some work on your part, you will find that it's not a difficult subject to master. The total number (in bytes) of uploads you have made is kept in your user record. These uploads count toward further down- loads, by effectively raising the download limit on a 1 for 1 basis. Fido, being kindly, imposes no limit on uploads. After you have completed a file upload, Fido will ask you for a description of that file. This file description, which shouldn't exceed 40 characters, is added to the 'File list' in the proper area. If you don't fill out the description, no one will know what you have uploaded. Please note: You can NOT Upload or Download binary files using the ASCII protocol. That is, you can only download files with COM, EXE, OBJ, DQC, etc. file extensions, if you are using the MODEM7, XMODEM, KERMIT, or TELINK protocol. If you can't understand the difference between a binary file and a text file you should take the time to find out. Very simply stated, you can "read" an ASCII, or text, file; a binary file will output garbage to the console. Miscellaneous Fido Stuff: Control Characters Control characters are used by Fido for editing command lines, pausing and aborting commands. Control-C and Control- K always are identical and have the same effect: ^C - Control-C Aborts anything ^K - Control-K Aborts anything ^S - Control-S pauses the display. Any key except a second Control-S will let it continue. Even when you are not using the "Message editor", Fido allows simple editing of command lines and assumes the user's terminal can support at least backspace. The following commands are supported: ^C, ^X, ^U, ^Y Delete the entire line. An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 20 ^R Restore the previous line, from last use or deletion. This command can be useful if you want to repeat what you have just done. ^S, ^G, ^H, DEL Delete one character to the left. ^D Restore one character. ESC, <CR>, LF, <ENTER> Enter the line. Quotations Quotations is an optional feature in all Fidos. If this feature is active, you will see a notice that states "Quote for the day" as is followed by a quote: There's a cloud in every silver lining. CHARLES DREAD These quotes are selected by Fido on a random basis. If the Quotations file does not exist, obviously nothing will be displayed. Questionnaires A questionnaire is a pseudo-language file that is interpre- ted by Fido. The individual Sysop will usually implement this section if he, or she, has a need for it. For example, at least one Fido Node uses the questionnaire to run a trivia contest. The questionaire may also be used to obtain information from you in order to decide your system access level. If you invoke the A (Answer Questionnaire) command in the Main Section, and there is no questionnaire, it says: "No questionnaire today" Any answers to the questionnaire are placed in a separate file that is available only to the Sysop. Thus, any information in the questionnaire remains secure and private. Finish I hope you have found using this manual a pleasant educa- tional experience, and have gained a reasonable, working know- ledge of Fido. While I have tried to cover Fido thoroughly there are many minor features that were not mentioned; have fun dis- covering them. Being familiar with the system should increase your enjoyment and use of it. At least, you shouldn't have to stumble around in the dark anymore. Fido may sometimes resemble a maze, but it is really very logical and straight forward. Fido An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 21 is also very flexible, and, while it may assume many shapes, you should be able to recognize the basic form. If there are any problems with this presentation, or any o- missions, or downright mistakes, leave a message, or correction, on Fido 26 at (209) 227-2083. Bob Robesky . 1 January 1985 An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 22 Bibliography Fido and FidoNet Manuals: In addition to this Manual there are three 'official' manuals available. (Recently, these manuals have been combined into one gigantic manual. Hopefully, by the time you read this they will be back in their original, logical format.) This 'Unofficial' User's Manual' is a distillation of, and owes much to, those manuals. 1) Fido's Operation Manual covers commands, organization, and operating Fido. It makes references to obscure things defined in Fido's Installation Manual. 2) Fido's Installation Manual tells how to actually install Fido, create message and file areas, customize menus and displays, and modify the commands, if necessary. 3) Fido's FidoNet Manual explains what FidoNet is, what it does, and how to install and operate it. Books: 1. Glossbrenner, Alfred, The Complete Handbook of Personal Computer Communications, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1983 This book is sub-titled "Everything you need to go online with the world." Not quite, but still a reasonably good introduction to micro based tele-communications. 2. Beeston, Tom & Tucker, Tom, Hooking In: The Underground Computer Bulletin Board Workbook and Guide, Computer Food Press, Westlake Village, 1983 Good, general introduction to BBS's and RCP/M networks. Some information on file transfer protocols. List of BBS's included but probably out of date. Highly recommended. Magazines: 3. Caruso, Denise "Networking Bulletin Boards" InfoWorld, August 27, 1984, pp.29-31. A brief discussion of Fido and FidoNet, and an informal interview with Fido's author, Tom Jennings. Worth reading if you are interested in Fido's past and glimpses of its future. 4. Brooks, Leslie "Communications Protocols" Dr. Dobb's Journal" February 1984, pp. 25-29. Good, relatively clear discussion of file transfer "protocols." TELINK is not included. An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 23 Bibliography 5. Bronson, Ben; Smith, Kelly; Peterson, Keith "Using RCPM Systems Effectively" Microsystems July 1983, pp. 42-43. A brief outline of RCPM structure (which also applies to to Fido). Also, discusses system etiquette. Everyone should read this article. 6. Electric, Dr. "RCPM and RPC Systems: An Overview" Microsystems June 1984, pp. 56-62. Another discussion of RCPM's along with a list of recom- mended public domain software. 7. Newell, Jud "A Directory of Remote CP/M and PC Software Exchange Systems" Microsystems June 1984, pp. 64-88. A reasonably current (April 1984) list of available RCP/M Bulletin Boards, and some (very few) PC Bulletin Boards. Excellent list that is updated monthly and should contain more PC BBS listings in the newest updates. This list should be on your local BBS. 8. FidoNode List. The most current version is usually available on your local Fido. Updates are on a weekly basis from Fido51. 9. Fido NewsLetter. The 'NewsLetter' is published weekly and should be found on most Fidos. It contains Fido update in- formation and User tips, etc. An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 24 I N D E X ?....................................... 3 Access.................................. 3 Area-Change............................. 11,16 ASCII................................... 19 Bibliography............................ 2,19 Binary.................................. 19 Bulletin................................ 6,10 CBBS.................................... 1 Change User............................. 10 Command lines........................... 19 Commands................................ 8 Configured.............................. 4 Control-C............................... 15,19 Control-K............................... 15,19 Control-S............................... 19 Cost of a message....................... 16 CP/M.................................... 2 Credit.................................. 13,16 Delete a message........................ 14 DOS..................................... 2 DOS file management..................... 3 Download................................ 18 Downloading............................. 18 Editorial............................... 11 Electronic mail......................... 15 Enter................................... 13 EXPERT.................................. 3 Fido Nodes.............................. 15 FidoBBS................................. 2 File description........................ 19 File Section............................ 16 File system............................. 3 File transfer........................... 1 Files................................... 17 Files-Area.............................. 9 Finish.................................. 20 Flow-chart.............................. 6 GoodBye................................. 8,18 Guest................................... 5 Help level.............................. 10 Illegal information..................... 5 Index................................... 14 Intrinsic............................... 2 Kill.................................... 14 List Messages........................... 12 Locate.................................. 17 Message Section......................... 11 Message system.......................... 3 Message-Area............................ 9 MEX..................................... 2,18 MINITEL................................. 2,18 An 'Unofficial' Fido User's Guide . Ver.2.0 Page 25 MITE.................................... 18 MITE/MS................................. 18 MODEM7.................................. 2,18 Nodes................................... 1,16 NOVICE.................................. 3 Open Public System...................... 4 Packet.................................. 15 Password................................ 5 PC-TALK................................. 2 Private System.......................... 4 QMODEM.................................. 2,18 Questionnaire........................... 9 Questionnaires.......................... 20 Quotation............................... 6 Quotations.............................. 20 Read.................................... 13 REGULAR................................. 3 Replies................................. 13 Restricted System....................... 4 Search.................................. 12 Search string........................... 14 Statistics.............................. 8 Sub-sections............................ 3 System Operator......................... 2 TELINK.................................. 1,18 Type.................................... 17 Upload.................................. 18 Uploading............................... 18 User Logon.............................. 5 User privilege.......................... 12 User system............................. 3 Users................................... 10 Users List.............................. 11 Version................................. 11 Welcome................................. 5 Word wrap editor........................ 14 XMODEM.................................. 1,18 Yell.................................... 10 .................... 2