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davidh
May 4th, 2006, 11:42 AM
Back in 1983 I used to access Compuserve forums on a 110 baud teletype and also a Heathkit H89 (Z80 chip CPU) on a 300 baud acoustic modem. It was hell, but now the old days don't seem so bad.

Perhaps ASCII mail might still work on a teletype with a Compuserve Classic account?

But if you're looking for more "advanced" fun, here's a link:

How_to_Get_a_Good_Shell_Account

http://www.windowsecurity.com/whitepaper/How_to_Get_a_Good_Shell_Account_.html

Judy G. Russell
May 4th, 2006, 12:51 PM
I remember 300 baud modems. You could read everything as it came across the screen. Same with 1200. 2400 was a little tough and once 9600 came around, well, not me!

Jeff
May 4th, 2006, 01:15 PM
I remember 300 baud modems. You could read everything as it came across the screen. Same with 1200. 2400 was a little tough and once 9600 came around, well, not me!

I actually resisted going to 9600, because at 2400 I could mostly read the incoming and being in Europe at the time I couldn't trust the connection.

- Jeff

ktinkel
May 4th, 2006, 01:45 PM
I remember 300 baud modems. You could read everything as it came across the screen. Same with 1200. 2400 was a little tough and once 9600 came around, well, not me!Oh, yes — and when I got mine, I thought I was some sort of high-tech speed demon.

And then I got a 1200 internal, and really felt like a go-getter. That was in the early/mid- 1980s. Only problem was, CIS had a higher price per hour for 1200 baud. But right around then, Mac Navigator came out, so it didn’t matter so much — I could read three forums in less time than I used to take for one!

Those were the days.

Judy G. Russell
May 4th, 2006, 09:14 PM
As I recall, 9600 initially was humongously expensive (does memory serve me wrong or was it really $22.80 an hour?) so I wouldn't even have considered it but for Tapcis.

Judy G. Russell
May 4th, 2006, 09:15 PM
About the third or fourth night I was online with the old DOSCIM (in the old Gulf War Forum -- I had three brothers in uniform at the time), Shel Hall sent me a private message saying something to the effect of, "Let me tell you about a program called Tapcis." The rest is history.

ktinkel
May 5th, 2006, 10:37 AM
About the third or fourth night I was online with the old DOSCIM (in the old Gulf War Forum -- I had three brothers in uniform at the time), Shel Hall sent me a private message saying something to the effect of, "Let me tell you about a program called Tapcis." The rest is history.I guess so!

I have never used Tapcis since it doesn’t run on a Mac. But we couldn’t have sysopped in the CIS DTP Forum without it in HMI. So our Windows staffers with Tapcis did most of the file moving after that. So even I have fondness for the thing.

Judy G. Russell
May 5th, 2006, 12:01 PM
I know a few Mac sysops who managed to get Tapcis running on their systems as well. Never did quite understand how, but...

ktinkel
May 7th, 2006, 08:22 AM
I know a few Mac sysops who managed to get Tapcis running on their systems as well. Never did quite understand how, but...By running Virtual PC or some other PC emulator; programs ran, though slowly.

I never had the urge, myself — things were complicated enough.

Judy G. Russell
May 7th, 2006, 06:18 PM
By running Virtual PC or some other PC emulatorYep, I know it was some sort of emulator. Funny how the world changes... Macs now running on Intel platforms and the word is (from my geeky nephew) that it won't be long before Windows programs run without emulation on a Mac OS!

Mike
May 8th, 2006, 01:20 AM
...it won't be long before Windows programs run without emulation on a Mac OS!

The future is now. People have already accomplished this. Check this site (http://www.macwindows.com/) or this article (http://news.com.com/Apple+Windows+on+a+Mac+is+here/2100-1012_3-6057856.html). Can you say "Boot Camp"?

heinz57g
May 8th, 2006, 04:06 AM
talking of way back: found this christmas two old acoustic couplers, and some WORLPORT modems i had used in 1980-86. showed it to the kids of a friend, they were more than impressed. comments: cool, is it 100 years old?

(( for those youngsters like judy in here: an acoustic coupler is a rubber conception that sits on or slips over the actual handpiece of a phone, connects to a modem, and as such transmits the modems signal acustically over the phone line ))

couldnt resist it: got out one of my old DOS laptops, connected the whole system, and within 10 minutes i was IN: tapcis connected nicely to CIS classic!

the only thing i couldnt understand: my wifes reaction. she also said WOW, but then '' ... now that you know it still works, you can finally throw it away ... ''.

my argument that i also didnt throw away my wife of 20+ years didnt really seem to count. but both the laptop and the modem/coupler system are now well hidden away.

greetings - heinz -

sidney
May 8th, 2006, 08:36 AM
Can you say "Boot Camp"?

Boot Camp is now, but the excited speculation is about Apple taking the next step of making it possible to run Windows applications in a window in MacOS X without having to reboot into a separate Windows environment.

Bob Cringely has a wild theory (http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20060420.html) which I'll summarize because his article is very long: He predicts that Apple will implement the Windows XP API in the next version of MacOS, allowing it to run Windows apps natively.

-- sidney

Judy G. Russell
May 8th, 2006, 01:57 PM
The future is now. People have already accomplished this. Check this site (http://www.macwindows.com/) or this article (http://news.com.com/Apple+Windows+on+a+Mac+is+here/2100-1012_3-6057856.html). Can you say "Boot Camp"?Right, but as Sidney points out, it appears that RSN Mac users won't have to boot into the Windows OS to run Windows apps. That would probably get me to shift over to an Apple, at least for my notebook. (My nephew has an Apple notebook that I lust for.)

Judy G. Russell
May 8th, 2006, 01:58 PM
(( for those youngsters like judy in here: an acoustic coupler is a rubber conception that sits on or slips over the actual handpiece of a phone, connects to a modem, and as such transmits the modems signal acustically over the phone line ))You're a sweetie, Heinz. (But I am old enough to not only know what an acoustic coupler is, but to have used one...)

Judy G. Russell
May 8th, 2006, 02:00 PM
He predicts that Apple will implement the Windows XP API in the next version of MacOS, allowing it to run Windows apps natively.That's what I've been hearing/reading as well.

Lindsey
May 8th, 2006, 09:50 PM
As I recall, 9600 initially was humongously expensive (does memory serve me wrong or was it really $22.80 an hour?)
That sounds about right to me.

--Lindsey

Lindsey
May 8th, 2006, 09:52 PM
About the third or fourth night I was online with the old DOSCIM
And I think in those days, it was called just "CIM". There wasn't a Windows version of the program then -- I'm not even sure there was a Windows then.

--Lindsey

Lindsey
May 8th, 2006, 09:54 PM
(But I am old enough to not only know what an acoustic coupler is, but to have used one...)
Ditto.... <sigh>

--Lindsey

Judy G. Russell
May 8th, 2006, 10:42 PM
Painful. Almost as bad as $3/gal gasoline...

Judy G. Russell
May 8th, 2006, 10:43 PM
And I think in those days, it was called just "CIM". There wasn't a Windows version of the program then -- I'm not even sure there was a Windows then.You're right. The first CIM I used was right about the time that Windows 2.0 came out, and I don't think there was a WinCim until Windows 3.0 came out in 1990.

Lindsey
May 9th, 2006, 12:05 AM
Painful. Almost as bad as $3/gal gasoline...
I guess you saw on the news last week about the gas station operator in DUMBO who is selling gasoline for over $4/gal. And complaining that he's not making any money. Suuuuuure he's not.

--Lindsey

davidh
May 9th, 2006, 01:16 AM
I guess you saw on the news last week about the gas station operator in DUMBO who is selling gasoline for over $4/gal. And complaining that he's not making any money. Suuuuuure he's not.

--Lindsey
I don't know about your particular example.

But I can tell you for sure that very many independent gasoline retailers sell gas at a loss, unless they are in a location that has less competition. So the chains (oil companies) can easily outcompete independent retailers.

The reason is that a very high percentage of gas stations are either franchises or actually owned by oil companies. So the oil company always makes a good profit at the wholesale level. If they sold at the price they are actually selling at but bought gas from an independent (non big oil) distributor, they'd sell at a loss at retail.

For example, CITGO gas stations are all independent (except for such as 7-11 which can negotiate big contracts). So they have to sometimes make up for lack of profit on gas by "inside sales" (e.g. beverages, etc.). 10 or 20 years ago the gas station business used to be a good business for independent retailers. Now it can be pretty iffy. And not only the big gas company stations kill the independent retailers, but also Walmart and Sam's Club.

Middle Eastern and South Asian immigrants are very big in the independent gas station and convenience store businesses. They don't mind winking at corner cutting and "legal workarounds" and working exhausting long hours in a sometimes dangerous business which is why they can still make money.

Furthermore just about every ingestible product for sale in those stores is poisonous (alcohol or tobacco) or bad for your health (except bottled water).

In the old days , if you went short on gas late at night you were out of luck, but would probably survive if the weather was not too cold. Today you have a good chance to find a gas station, but if not maybe you should carry some firepower.

David H.

davidh
May 9th, 2006, 01:21 AM
The technological advantage of women over old modems is that they can talk back even when they are not plugged into the telco or the power co.

David H.

Judy G. Russell
May 9th, 2006, 04:07 PM
I guess you saw on the news last week about the gas station operator in DUMBO who is selling gasoline for over $4/gal. And complaining that he's not making any money. Suuuuuure he's not.I don't care where he's buying his gasoline, if he's not making a profit at $4/gallon he's in the wroooooong business.

Judy G. Russell
May 9th, 2006, 04:09 PM
I can tell you for sure that very many independent gasoline retailers sell gas at a loss, unless they are in a location that has less competition.Nobody -- but nobody -- selling gas at $4/gallon is losing money per gallon (they may not have many customers at that price, since the average price of regular is a lot less than that, but per gallon, even the spot market for supply is well below that).

Lindsey
May 9th, 2006, 10:54 PM
I don't know about your particular example.

But I can tell you for sure that very many independent gasoline retailers sell gas at a loss, unless they are in a location that has less competition.
My understanding is that there is only one other gas station in Brooklyn, so he hasn't got much in the way of competition, except mass transit.

--Lindsey

Lindsey
May 9th, 2006, 10:56 PM
I don't care where he's buying his gasoline, if he's not making a profit at $4/gallon he's in the wroooooong business.
Yeah, that was pretty much my take on it, too!

--Lindsey

Mike
May 10th, 2006, 01:00 AM
If you're interested in buying new hardware... I'd just as soon keep the computer that I've been using for several years. <g>

Judy G. Russell
May 10th, 2006, 09:53 AM
Oh every so often you have to buy new hardware just to have that new hardware smell... or feel... or whatever.

ktinkel
May 10th, 2006, 04:05 PM
The future is now. People have already accomplished this. Check this site (http://www.macwindows.com/) or this article (http://news.com.com/Apple+Windows+on+a+Mac+is+here/2100-1012_3-6057856.html). Can you say "Boot Camp"?Yeah, but you have to run one or the other.

Soon, I hear, one would be able to have the two OSes running side by side. Now that could be useful, at least for those who like Windows or need to run it. :D

sidney
May 10th, 2006, 07:20 PM
(My nephew has an Apple notebook that I lust for.)

This is the one (http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/) I'm lusting for... the 17" screen version upgraded to 2Gb RAM. Unfortunately I've had the prospect of spending approximately US$3500 (including extra RAM and three year warranty) for it vetoed, even with the argument that I would be saving around NZ$1500 buying it during my upcoming trip to the US over buying it here in New Zealand. And no, I can't get away with buying four, selling three, because then I get into issues of import licenses and customs duty which make it not worth it.

I can console myself with the fact that there are some version 1.0 issues ( whine (http://www.petitiononline.com/whinefix/petition.html) , moo (http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=429592) , heat (http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/laptops/how-to-cool-your-macbook-pro-down-and-void-your-warranty-170687.php) ) going on with the MacBook Pro right now that Apple is still officially in denial about.

-- sidney

Judy G. Russell
May 10th, 2006, 09:38 PM
That's the one Ian got. And it is definitely something to be lusted for. Definitely way cool.

Mike
May 11th, 2006, 12:27 AM
I'm actually quite satisfied with the Dell D610 that my employer just handed to me, to upgrade my Dell D600. Higher screen resolution (Gail would be so proud) and a hard drive that's twice as big.

I love being able to see an entire page of a PDF or Word document without having to set the document to 50% zoom. And I can almost put two documents side-by-side!

Mike
May 11th, 2006, 12:28 AM
Kinda like a Virtual Machine? :-)

We do have people at work using Virtual Machine to have Win XP and Win2K running at the same time. Why, I do not know.

heinz57g
May 11th, 2006, 03:06 AM
hey, how did the moaning about gas prices get into ''ASCII nostalgia''?

here in europe, some countries are getting close to US$ 8/gallon, AND we pay road toll on most major highways on top. made a 900 miles trip last week, and road toll alone for a 7-seater minivan was in the range of US$ 120.

have you ever heard 7 people moan all at the same time?

and guess who we think is at fault and who we moan about? but that is even further away from ASCII nostalgia ...

greetings - heinz -

Judy G. Russell
May 11th, 2006, 10:07 AM
I still don't like Dell keyboards and after a ThinkPad or two could never go back to a Dell notebook.

Judy G. Russell
May 11th, 2006, 10:08 AM
hey, how did the moaning about gas prices get into ''ASCII nostalgia''?Thread drift is a way of life around here.

Mike
May 12th, 2006, 12:40 AM
I've never had a problem with the keyboard on the Dell (although I do like your T-pad's keyboard). Both are much better than the Toshiba's keyboard. <g>

Judy G. Russell
May 12th, 2006, 10:10 AM
I think my fingers are fatter than yours. (Not surprisingly, since everything about me is fatter than you!)

Mike
May 13th, 2006, 12:53 AM
Oh, I'm sure there's something that's fatter on me.

But, for some reason, I'm not particularly interested in making comparisons while trying to find it.

Judy G. Russell
May 13th, 2006, 12:25 PM
Oh, I'm sure there's something that's fatter on me. But, for some reason, I'm not particularly interested in making comparisons while trying to find it.ROFL! Now stop doing things like that while I'm drinking coffee, will you? I mean, geez... look at that monitor screen!!!

Mike
May 14th, 2006, 12:08 AM
<snicker>