VERY FAST TRANSFER PROTOCOL

           Program Name: HS/LINK ver 1.21b
          BBS File Name: HS121b0.ZIP
           Program Type: Transfer Protocol
                 Author: Sam Smith
                 SW Reg: $20
                Comment: Fast and efficient
       
       
            In my years of  BBS'n,  both  as  a user and Sysop, I've
       seen quite a few file transfer protocols come and  go.   Each
       new  one boasted that it was THE BEST ever written.  They all
       promised  to  be  the  "Protocol  of  the  Future", replacing
       everything you had used up to that time.  Well, some did have
       potential, but because of the difficulty in  setting  up  and
       lack  of  real  support, we were left with the old stand-bys.
       Besides, these "tried  and  true"  protocols  were stable and
       worked as advertised.  So, like most, I just ignored any  new
       one  that  came  along.   If  they  got uploaded to my BBS, I
       usually deleted them after a week or so.
       
            Anyways, along  comes  HS/LINK  promising  not  only bi-
       directional  transfers,  but  higher  transfer   rates   than
       anything  yet  available.   This  one  might  also  have been
       overlooked as the others  except  this one was different.  It
       was written by Sam Smith!  Anyone who has had anything to  do
       with  PCBoard  should  know  how Sam Smith is.  Sam is one of
       those few authors  that  enjoy  a  reputation  of quality BBS
       related products.  Well, if Sam wrote it, it's at least worth
       a look.
       
            Higher  transfer  rates  are   no   idle   promise.    I
       continually  see  faster  rates  on my BBS.  Where users with
       2400 baud modems were  once  getting  around 220-230 cps on a
       good day, those same people are getting in excess of 270  cps
       with error correcting modems.  If you have a 2400 baud modem,
       those  extra  30-40  cps  can  be quite exciting!  High speed
       modems can also expect higher cps.
       
            At the start, I  mentioned  two  problems with the other
       new protocols - Difficulty in setting up and lack of support.
       As far as setting up is concerned, it's  really  quite  easy.
       There  is  a  file  called  HS-INST.ZIP  that should be found
       wherever you find HS/LINK.   Included  in  this .ZIP file are
       text files giving step by step instructions for adding it  to
       just  about  any  BBS or terminal program.  Adding HS/LINK to
       PCBoard took me just a few minutes.
       
            Support for HS/LINK  is  also  quite  good.  Many of the
       national echo  networks  now  carry  conferences  devoted  to
       HS/LINK and related utilities with an active message base.  I
       don't  see  Sam  himself too often, but most questions can be
       answered by the experts that frequent the conferences.
       
            If that wasn't enough, HS/LINK  allows you to upload AND
       download at the same time!  This might be a bit trickier, but
       as before, the installation instructions are pretty  complete
       and  easy  to  understand.   But wait, there's more.  You can
       even  CHAT  with  the  Sysop  while  you're  uploading and/or
       downloading.
       
            I don't want to go into the  finer  points  or  all  the
       available  options included, but what I do want is for you to
       at least take a look at HS/LINK.   If you are a Sysop, I urge
       you to offer it  to  your  callers.   If  you're  a  user,  I
       recommend  you  ask  your  favorite  BBS  operator to give it
       serious look.
       
            When you register  HS/LINK,  you  will  receive a serial
       number in the mail (Coast to coast only took a few  days  for
       it  to arrive).  With this serial number, you can "BRAND" the
       current and any future versions of HS/LINK.