M E S S A G E B A S E S BBSs and online services have message systems that are called message bases. They are often organized by topic. These topics go by different--and sometimes special--names. SIGs are Special Interest Groups. Delphi and CompuServe have forums. BIX has conferences. There are also Usenet newsgroups. These are often found on the Internet. Many of these message bases have similar commands. They often have a SCAN or DIRECTORY command to list topic headers. Topics can be about anything imaginable--from automobiles to scuba diving. Message bases use commands like READ or ENTER to read messages. Often you are given qualifiers like: From Reads the messages from you To Reads all the messages addressed to you or you can designate ALL Since Which means to read the messages since a specified date Last Reads messages backwards, starting at the most recent date Message bases also have a REPLY or ANSWER command to reply to messages. Some have sophisticated search and scanning commands to find key topics or search for a keyword. They also have a command to enter a message or add to a message. With a message base, you usually have the option to Kill a message which you have sent. This Kill command is used to delete the message. This is good to do after a while because disk storage space is valuable. Just remember this basic truth. No matter how much storage you have, you can always use more. Many of the online services give you free use of a certain work area size. If you exceed their set limits, they then charge you more! Many message bases have a special command to read only the messages about a particular subject. Related messages have what is called a message THREAD. To read only the messages about a particular "thread," look for a command like: THREAD, FOLLOW, or REFERENCE. FIDONET FidoNet is a BBS networking message base which was started in 1984. It now connects about twenty-five thousand BBSs all over the world. The FidoNet system identifies BBSs by zone, region, network, individual system, and points. A BBS sysop may assign a user a point number if that BBS is on the FidoNet network. The region number is not used in a FidoNet address. You can use Netmail to send e-mail to another person at another BBS (who has a FidoNet address). FidoNet also has Echomail to send a message that will eventually show up on all the other BBSs connected with FidoNet. A typical FidoNet address is written as: ZONE:NETWORK/NODE. For example, Studio PC BBS (a superb BBS in Port Richey, Florida) has a FidoNet address of 1:3619/1. In the preceding example, the first 1 is the zone, 3619 the network, and the last 1 the node. The zone (first number) signifies the broad geographic zone where the BBS is located. Zone number 1 indicates the U.S or Canada. A zone number of 2 represents Europe and Israel. If a BBS has a zone number of 3, it signifies that the BBS is located in Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, or the Pacific Islands). A zone of 4 indicates a South American BBS. The second number of a FidoNet BBS address represents the network number. A network number usually represents a metropolitan area. The last number in a Fidonet address is the node number. Each BBS in the FidoNet system is given a distinctive node number. If the BBS assigned a user a point number, that number would be added to the end of the FidoNet address. For example, a BBS sysop (system operator) might give an individual a point number of 5. Then that individual's FidoNet address might look like 1:3619/1.5. Note the extra .5 at the end of this example FidoNet address. A FidoNet conference is called an Echo and can be about almost any topic. The BBS sysop uses Echomail to send these messages to other BBSs in the conference. An individual can combine Netmail and Echomail to send a question about a problem on a particular conference (topic). For example, I know an individual who had a rattle in his Mazda Miata's glove box. The dealer couldn't solve his problem, so he joined an automotive Echo on FidoNet and asked for help. His message for help went out to thousands of BBSs on the FidoNet system, and he got his answer quickly. It turned out to be a hose clamp. Another person experienced the same problem and sent my friend an answer using the FidoNet system. BITNET USENET NEWSGROUPS BITNET USENET Newsgroups are like forums. These are often found on the Internet and some BBSs. They are quite varied, perhaps because there are over seven-thousand different newsgroups involving millions of people. Usenet newsgroups are free, however; often you need to use a program called a newsreader to access these newsgroups. One of the most popular UNIX newsreaders is called TIN. Others go by the name of NN and RN. These newsreaders can be quite involved, so it is important to read the documentation. More and more BBSs carry Internet USENET newsgroups. When you "post" (send) a message to a newsgroup, it goes all over the world. Let me give you an example of the incredible power of these USENET newsgroups. A relative came to visit us. Her horse, Hans, has a problem with thin hooves and tends to throw his shoes. She told me that someone makes titanium horse shoes, which should be lighter, and perhaps better suited for her horse. However, she couldn't locate a source. She asked if I thought the Internet could help. I told her that I had the greatest confidence in the Internet. So, I joined one of the seven-thousand newsgroups and posted a request for help. This special horse related newsgroup is called rec.equestrian. When you post to a USENET newsgroup, it goes all over the world. Two days later, I received an answer. Someone reading the newsgroup from the Delphi online service suggested that it would behoove us to contact Montague Blacksmith Supply, in Montague, New Jersey. We called them and they do indeed have titanium horse shoes! USENET newsgroups. What a resource! To learn more about Internet USENET newsgroups and how to use different newsreaders, I would recommend that you obtain a copy of Harley Hahn and Rick Stout's excellent book, The Internet Complete Reference, published by Osborne McGraw-Hill. The book will also show you how to use BITNET listserv mailing lists which are quite wonderful. Listservs allow you to subscribe to thousands of topics and discussion groups, also free newsletters and journals. The listservs automatically e-mail the material to your e-mail address. ==========================================================