9315. 1200 bps, 8,N,1. Your communications system must be able to

display Japanese characters to use the service. TRI-P ----- International outdial service. Contact: INTEC America, Inc., 1270 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 2315, New York, NY 10020, U.S.A. In Japan, contact Intec at 2-6-10 Sarugaku-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101. Fax: +81-3-3292-2929. TWICS BeeLINE ------------- English-language Japanese online service with PARTIcipate, Caucus and Usenet netnews. Half the users are Japanese. Others connect from U.S.A., England, Canada, Germany, France, South Africa, and Scandinavia. The NUA address is: 4406 20000524. Direct call to +81 3 3351 7905 (14,4KB/s), or +81-3-3351-8244 (9600 bps). At CONNECT, press ENTER a few times. Wait about a second between keystrokes to get to the registration prompt. New users can sign on as GUEST for information. You can also write [email protected], or send mail to TWICS/IEC, 1-21 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160, JAPAN. Foreign users have free access (1992). UMI/Data Courier ---------------- 620 South Street, Louisville, KY 40202, U.S.A. Uninett ------- delivers networking services to Norwegian research and educational services. Unison ------ North American conferencing service using PARTIcipate software. NUA address: 031105130023000. Password: US$35.00. Monthly subscription: US$6.25. Non-prime time access: US$12.00/hour. Prime time access: US$19.00/hour. Enter SIGNUP when online the first time and follow the prompts. (1991) UUCP ---- UUCP (UNIX to UNIX Copy) is a protocol, a set of files and a set of commands to copy files from one UNIX computer to another. This copying procedure is the core of the UUCP network, a loose association of systems all communicating with the UUCP protocol. UNIX computers can participate in the UUCP network (using leased line or dial-up) through any other UNIX host. The network now also has many MS-DOS and other hosts, and consisted of 16,300 hosts in January 1993 (source: UUCP map) serving more than 489,000 users. The UUCP network is based on two systems connecting to each other at specific intervals, and executing any work scheduled for either of them. For example, the system Oregano calls the system Basil once every two hours. If there's mail waiting for Oregano, Basil will send it at that time. Likewise, Oregano will at that time send any mail waiting for Basil. There are databases with connectivity information (UUCP maps), and programs (pathalias) that will help you decide the correct routing of messages. However, many UUCP hosts are not registered in the UUCP map. EUNET is a UUCP based network in Europe. JUNET is an equivalent network in Japan. There are many gateway machines that exchange mail between UUCP and the Internet. Among these, UUNET.UU.NET is among the most frequently used. Usenet ------ Usenet, Netnews, or just "News" are common terms for a large many-to-many conferencing (only) system distributed through UUCP, Internet, FidoNet, and BITNET. This grassroots driven "network" has grown out of the global university and research domains. It is a service rather than a real network. It is not an organization, and has no central authority. Usenet's newsgroups are carried by over 69,000 host computers in five continents, and has over 1,991,000 users (source: Brian Reid, 1993). Many of these hosts have access to the Internet. The European portion of Usenet is called EUNET (European Unix NET). The local administrator of each individual node in the network decides what newsgroups to receive and make available to its users. Few systems offer access to all of them. NetNews is organized in groups of 'conferences'. Each of these classifications is organized into groups and subgroups according to topic. As of June 1, 1993, there were 4500 newsgroups and 2500 regional newsgroups. Several sites are carrying over 2600 topics. The groups distributed worldwide are divided into seven broad classifications: "comp" Topics of interest to both computer professionals and hobbyists, including topics in computer science, software source, and information on hardware and software systems. "sci" Discussions marked by special and usually practical knowledge, relating to research in or application of the established sciences. "misc" Groups addressing themes not easily classified under any of the other headings or which incorporate themes from multiple categories. "soc" Groups primarily addressing social issues and socializing. "talk" Groups largely debate-oriented and tending to feature long discussions without resolution and without appreciable amounts of generally useful information. "news" Groups concerned with the news network and software themselves. "rec" Groups oriented towards hobbies and recreational activities. Also available are many "alternative" hierarchies, like: "alt" True anarchy; anything and everything can and does appear. Subjects include sex, and privacy. "biz" Business-related groups "clari" Newsgroups gatewayed from commercial news services and other 'official' sources. (Requires payment of a fee and execution of a licence. More information by email to [email protected]). Most Netnews hosts offer both global and local conferences. Many newsgroups can be read through bulletin boards, commercial online services, or through gateways from connected hosts (like from some BITNET hosts). A full list of available groups and conferences are normally available from hosts offering Netnews, and on NETNEWS servers. All users should subscribe to news.announce.important . Vu/Text ------- 325 Chestnut St., Suite 1300, Philadelphia, PA 19106, U.S.A. The Well -------- The Whole Earth Lectronic Link is a commercial online service based in Sausalito (U.S.A.). It has its own conferencing culture and is an interesting starting point for those wanting to "study" what makes the area around Silicon Valley so dynamic. The Well has several hundred conferences, public and private, about 7,000 members, and is available in a variety of ways. The service has full Internet access, and can be reached by telnet to well.sf.ca.us (or 192.132.30.2). Modem tel.: +1-415-332-6106 at 1200 bps or +1-415-332-7398 at 2400 bps. You can subscribe online. Rates: US$ 20/month plus US$ 2/hour (invoiced by the minute online - 1992). ZiffNet ------- markets its services through CompuServe (ZiffNet and ZiffNet/Mac), Prodigy, and its own online service in the U.S.A. Their offerings include the Ziff Buyer's Market, the ZiffNet/Mac Buyer's Guide, Computer Database Plus, Magazine Database Plus, NewsBytes, and the Cobb Group Online. Contact: Ziff Communications Company, 25 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02141, U.S.A. Tel.: +1-617-252-5000. Appendix 2: Short takes about how to get started ==================================== * a computer * modem and a communications program You must have a computer ------------------------ It is not important what kind of computer you have, though you may find out that it is an advantage to have a popular one. The most common type of microcomputer today is called MS-DOS computers (or IBM PC compatibles or IBM clones). Your computer should have enough memory for communication. This is seldom a problem. An MS-DOS computer with 256 KB RAM is enough when using popular programs like PROCOMM. Your computer does not have to be very powerful and super fast, unless you want ultra fast transfers, use a slow communications program, or a complex system of script files. If this is the case, you'll know to appreciate speed and power. You do not need a hard disk. Many do without. Not having one, however, means more work, and less room for storage of all the nice things that you may want to retrieve by modem. Personally, I want as much hard disk space as I can possibly get. When you have read the book, I guess you'll understand why. Others may want to delay the purchase of a hard disk until they can spare the money. If you can afford it, however, do it! It is a decision that you'll never regret. You must have a modem --------------------- Some computers are always connected to a network. If this is your situation, then you probably have what you need already. The rest of us need a modem. A modem is a small piece of equipment that is translating the internal, electrical signals of the computer to sound codes. These codes can be sent over an ordinary telephone line. You may think of it as a type of Morse alphabet. The recipient of data also needs a modem. In his case, the sound codes will have to be translated back into their original form as digital codes. When this is done, he can view text and pictures on the screen, and use the received data in other applications. You can buy modems on an expansion card for installation in your computer, or in a separate box. Often, a modem has already been built into the computer, when you buy it. Whether to buy an internal or an external modem is a question of needs: A portable computer with an internal modem is easier to bring on travels than an external modem with a modem cable and a power adapter. An external modem can serve several computers. Some of them are so compact that they fit besides your toothbrush in the toilet bag. An internal modem blocks one of your serial ports. External modems --------------- The options are many. The modems differ on speed, features, prices - and whether they are approved for usage in your country. Some of them are connected to the phone line by cable. Others are connected to the handset (to the talk and listen part) by two rubber cups. We call such modems acoustic modems (or acoustic couplers). Acoustic modems are useful where connecting other modems to the telephone is difficult. The bad news is that you'll get more noise on the line. Acoustic modems can therefore not be recommended for use in other cases. Asynchronous or synchronous modems? ----------------------------------- Formerly, data communication was done by sending job commands to a mainframe computer, and having the result returned in one batch. The modems were called synchronous. Such modems (and computers) are still in use in some large corporations. Most of today's online services are based on an interactive dialog between the user and the remote computer. The user enters a command, for example a letter or a number in a menu, and the result is returned almost immediately. The modems used for such work are called asynchronous (See "Explanation of some words and terms" in appendix 4). Unless you know that you must have a synchronous modem, buy an asynchronous one. Choice of speed --------------- Speed is measured in many ways. One method is to use baud. Another is to use characters per second (cps) or bits per second (bps). Bps is a measure of how many data bits that can be transferred over a data channel in one second. (Each byte is split up into bits before transfer during serial communication.) The relationship between baud and bits per second is complex, and often misused. Bits per second is unambiguous. In this book, we will use it as bps. We can estimate the number of characters per second by dividing the number of bps by ten. For example. 1200 bps is roughly 120 cps. In 1987, 300, 1200 and 2400 bps asynchronous modems were the standard in many countries. Around 1990, the growth in 9600 bps modems and modem with faster speeds gained momentum. Modem user manuals often give transfer speed by referring to some international classification codes. Here are some CCITT codes with explanation: V.21 0-300 bps Still used by a small group. Cannot full duplex communicate with the American Bell 103 standard. V.22 1200 bps Partly compatible with the American full duplex Bell 212a standard. Sometimes it works, sometimes it fails. V.22bis 2400 bps Used all over the world. Very full duplex common. V.23 600 & 1200 Rare protocol. Used mainly in Europe. bps w/75 Half duplex. bps return ch. V.26ter 2400 bps Used mainly in France full duplex V.27ter 2400/4800 bps Used in Group III fax half duplex V.29 4800, 7200 and Used in gr. III fax and in some (Ame- 9600 bps rican) modems. Do not buy V.29 if you half duplex want a 9600 bps modem. V.32 4800/9600 bps Current standard for 9600 bps modems full duplex V.32bis 4800/7200/9600, Full duplex with faster interrogation. 12000/14400 bps V.34 14400 bps A proposed high speed protocol that never made it. V.42 Error correction protocol (an appendix yields compatibility w/MNP gr. 2,3 and 4 (see MNP below). For V.22, V.22bis, V.26ter and V.32. V.42bis Data compression for V.42 modems. Meant to replace MNP and LAP. Text can be transferred three times faster than with MNP, i.e., in up to 38400 bps using a 9600 bps modem. Very common. V.Fast Upcoming standard. If approved by also called CCITT, it will support speeds to V.32terbo 28,800 bps for uncompressed data transmission rates over regular dial- up, voice-grade lines. Using V.42bis data compression, up to 86,400 bps may be achievable. When you consider buying a modem with higher speed, remember that going from 1200 bps to 2400 is a 50 percent increase, while going from 1200 to 9600 bps gives 800 percent! On the other hand, if you currently have 9600 bits/s, going to 14.400 will only give you 50 percent. MNP error correction and compression ------------------------------------ The Microcom Networking Protocol (MNP) is a U.S. industry standard for modem-to-modem communication with automatic error correction and compression. Automatic error correction is useful when there is noise on the telephone line. MNP splits the stream of data up into blocks before transmission. They are checked by the other modem upon receipt. If the contents are correct, an acknowledge message is sent back to the sending modem. If there has been an error in the transmission, the sending modem is asked to retransmit. When using compression, files are being preprocessed before transmission to decrease their size. The result is that the modem has to send fewer bytes, and the effect is higher speed. MNP Level 3 and up send data between two modems synchronously rather than asynchronously. Since sending a start and stop bit with each transferred byte is no longer required, the effect is higher speed. MNP-4 or higher have automatic adjustment of block length when there is noise on the line. If the line is good, longer blocks are sent. The block size is decreased if the line is bad causing many retransmissions. MNP-5 has data compression. This gives a further increase in transfer speed by from 10 to 80 percent depending on the type of data sent. MNP-7 is capable of a three-to-one compression ratio. Both users must have their modems set for MNP to use it. The speed of the computer's COMM port ------------------------------------- Installing a super fast modem does not guarantee an increase in the effective transfer speed. The serial port of your computer may be a limiting factor. Owners of older MS-DOS computers often have UARTs (serial port processors) in the Intel 8250 or National 16450 series. With these in the computer, it is difficult to achieve speeds above 9600 bps without losing data. Take this into account when investing in a modem. MNP and efficiency ------------------ I call my bulletin board daily. My personal computer is set to communicate with a V.32 modem at 19,000 bps. The modem sends data to the telephone line at 9600 bps, which is this modem's maximum line speed. Data is received by the remote computer's V.32 modem at 9600 bps, and forwarded to bulletin board at 19200 bps. Why these differences in speed? MNP level 5 compresses data in the modem before transfer, and gives error-free transfer to and from the bulletin board at higher speed than by using 9600 bps all the way through. The compression effectiveness differs by the type of data. When sending text, the effective transfer speed may double. Speed will increase further if the text contains long sequences of similar characters. Text is typically compressed by up to 63 percent. This means that a 2400 bps modem using MNP-5 may obtain an effective speed of around the double when transferring such data. File transfers using MNP ------------------------ Files are often compressed and stored in libraries before transfer. Online services do this because compressed files take less space on their hard disks. Also, it is easier for users to keep track of files sent in a library file. You rarely get speed advantages when transferring precompressed files using MNP or V.42bis. With some modems, you must turn MNP and V.42bis compression off before retrieval of compressed files. Dumb or intelligent modem? -------------------------- Some modems are operated with switches or buttons on a panel. They do not react to commands from your computer. We call them dumb. You must dial numbers manually, and press a key on the modem, when you hear the tone from a remote modem. Only when the modem is connected to the remote modem, can you ask your communications program to take over. We call those modems 'intelligent' that can react to commands from your computer. Most of them react to commands according to the Hayes standard. Buy intelligent, Hayes-compatible modems - even when other standards may seem better. Most of today's communication programs are designed to be used by such modems. Note: Buy modems that use the Hayes extended command set. When a popular communications program, like Procomm and Crosstalk, tells the modem to "dial a number" or "go on hook," then the Hayes- compatible modem will do just that. When you press ALT-H in Procomm, the modem will disconnect from the remote modem. If you press ALT-D followed by the number "2," Procomm will locate the number to an online service in your telephone directory, and dial that number. When the connection with the remote modem has been established, your modem will report back to you with a message like CONNECT