[Note: Info outdated, since the text was written a few
years back. But the text still shows the ability
to write and explain.]

Chapter 2
GETTING ONLINE

Before you can get anywhwere in cyberspace, you need
the equipment that makes it possible. This chapter is
an overview and a crash course in communication hardware
for microcomputers, with tips on where to turn for
more detailed information. If you are hard-pressed
to tell a serial port from a cereal box, read on.
If you are already conversant with modems, modem software,
and the computers that talk through them, you might
wish to skip over this chapter.

Now that you've decided that, rather than hiding your
light under a bushel, you're going to let it shine
online, you need the right gear to send and receive
data via computer. This means you'll have to have
a computer (of course), a modem that will work
with the computer, "driver" software that enables you
to use the modem, and some sort of data connection
to the rest of the world (usually a telephone line).

Here is where it can get tricky. You see, all of the
elements have to be compatible with each other,
and there is a bewildering array of digital messaging
hardware and software on the market now, so much
that the unguided rookie would quickly get lost
in the morass of facts, figures, terms, and prices.
Before plunging into the nearest Computer Shopper
to pick out your hardware, a new user needs
to be conversant with some of the terms involved,
like:

* Modem - Modems get their name from the words
modulator and demodulator. What they do is translate
the digital information that your computer generates
into a signal that can be sent over ordinary phone lines
(modulating), and translate the phone-line signal
into digital information the computer can understand
(demodulating). This device is your computer's "voice"
and "ears" in the online world.

* Data compression - Because connection time is literally
money, some modems have a data compression feature
as part of their design. Data compression is a way
of encoding information so that it is less bulky,
and therefore less time-consuming to send and receive.

* Baud rate - The baud rate is a measure of how fast
a modem sends and receives data, and is usually expressed
either in baud (bd), or bits per second (bps).
While "baud" and "bits per second" are technically
not quite interchangeable terms, they are close enough
so as to not matter to the casual user.

* Fax capability - A modem with fax capability can not
only exchange information with other computers, it can
also send and receive faxes. When a fax is received
by a fax modem, it is stored as a disk file until
the user elects to print it out.

* Error correction - Error correction is a way by
which two modems, while communicating, verify that
the messages on each end match exactly. If they don't
match, the part with the problem is resent and
rechecked, and the process is repeated until everything
tallies up. Error correction algorithms are often
incorporated into data compression schemes; if you get
one, you may also have the other.

* Internal/External Modem - Internal modems are cards
that plug into a socket inside your computer cabinet.
External modems are boxes that connect to your computer
with a data cable. As you might expect, each has its
advantages and disadvantages.

* E-mail - E-mail, short for electronic mail, is the sending
and receiving of text messages person-to-person via
computer. E-mail is one of the chief functions performed
by online services today, and is of particular interest
to Christians with an evangelical bent.

In one respect, at least, the Christian who is just
being introduced to the world of computers has
an important resource: the Church. Computers are common
enough now that most congregations (in the U.S., at least)
will contain at least a few members who have computers,
who may be online already, and who would be happy
to give some free advice. One of the many good things
about our faith is that we have brothers and sisters
to help us in practical ways, and none of us should
feel bad about taking advantage of their knowledge.
In fact, member-to-member interaction and support
is something that many churches could use more of.

[A-HEAD] The Computer

Electronic messaging has been done with almost every
conceivable computer, from early VAXs and IBM mainframes
through the unlamented Apple IIIs, up to and including
the newest superfast RISC-based PCs. However, just because
you may have an Osborne portable gathering dust in your
attic is not sufficient reason to try hooking it up to
Ma Bell.

While there is an enormous variety of computer types
available for online communications, two platforms
are the proverbial 800-lb gorillas of the home computer
world: the Macintosh, and the IBM-compatible PC. The new user
is best advised to stick with one of these machines.

The Macintosh and the PC each have their advantages. The "Mac,"
as it's called, is known for its innovative operating system.
Operating systems are the programs that integrate a computer's
hardware into a working whole, set the paramaters
under which programs run, and mediate input and output.
The Macintosh has an operating system that relies on the
simple, elegant, and intuitive procedure of moving an arrow
across the screen via mouse, and clicking on menu items
to select them. Apple invented this kind of GUI (Graphical
User Interface), and many argue that the latest incarnation
of the Macintosh system is still the best around. Some of
the more advanced Macintoshes, such as the Quadra 950,
are quite powerful; these are generally geared to the
visual artist, and have built-in capabilities that make
them good at image manipulation. If a user is interested
in desktop publishing (DTP) or photo-image editing as well
as online services, the Mac may be the way to go.

Further, as of this writing, the next-generation Macintoshes
(PowerMacs) have hit the retail shelves while their
PC-based counterparts, PowerPCs, are still getting their
finishing touches. PowerMacs are not only very fast and
very capable machines, they have the so-far unique ability
to run both Macintosh and IBM software. Be aware, however,
that Apple never licensed any other companies to build
machines compatible with the Macintosh until just last year,
and the PowerMac is the only machine of its kind around.
In either case, the lack of market competition means
higher-priced hardware for users.

IBM, however, licensed its PC architecture shortly after
the introduction of the PC, and all sorts of companies
have been building PC-compatible machines ever since.
The biggest ones today are Dell, Compaq, and of course IBM
itself, while other companies like Compu-Add, Zenith,
Tandy, and Packard-Bell do nearly as much business.
There are literally hundreds of companies that build
computers based on IBM's architecture.

That, of course, means that a PC will be less expensive
than a comparable Macintosh; but it also means that the
PC buyer needs to take a heavy dose of caveat emptor.
Quality can vary widely, and sticking with the better-known
brand names is advisable, unless you don't mind tinkering.
Non-tinkerers should inquire about warranties and service
agreements. Consumer Report has published a review of PCs
from major manufacturers, which will be of interest to you
if you're buying a new system.

Of course, the near-universal availability of PC components
provides users who do like to tinker with another option:
building a computer from parts. This mix-and-match approach
can be fun and rewarding, not to mention much less expensive
than buying a new PC. In fact, we've done it ourselves; but
that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish, completely apart from
going online. If you want more information on building
your own PC, McGraw-Hill publishes a fine series of books
on how to do exactly that.

The widespread availability of PC hardware is mirrored in
the software. Optional operating systems for PCs include MS-DOS,
Windows, and OS/2, among others. Technically Windows is not
an operating system in the true sense, but rather a GUI
running in DOS; but because many programs are written
specifically for Windows and will not function without it,
Windows needs to be considered as an operating system.

One thing that Windows does do is to provide the same kind
of intuitive, easy-to-grasp, graphics-oriented interface
that made Apple's Macintosh operating system so successful.
In fact, the Windows environment's resemblance to the Mac
system is so marked that it became the subject of a lawsuit
over copyright violation, a lawsuit that Apple won.

OS/2 is another operating system, one that was written
by IBM to compete with Windows. Like Windows, it is
icon-based, and requires the user to select symbols
with a mouse-driven cursor. OS/2 is a true operating
system, not just a GUI; it operates the hardware itself,
rather than directing DOS to do it. Furthermore, a
version of OS/2 is available that permits true multitasking.
In other words, it allows a computer to do several jobs
at once, something that no other PC-based product has
been able to do.

No matter where you get your PC, it will have some flavor of
DOS on it. It might be DR-DOS or PC-DOS, but it is most
likely to be Microsoft's MS-DOS. If you purchase your PC
new from a major manufacturer, not only will it come with
MS-DOS installed, but it will also come with Windows.
At least one major on-line service (America Online,
to be precise) can only be accessed by PCs with Windows.
Users should be aware that their choice of operating
systems, like their choice of hardware, can affect
what they can and can't ultimately do online.

Note: There is still a fairly active group of Amiga users alive
and kicking today, and Amigas are a going concern in Europe,
so somebody who wanted to spend the extra time and effort
could put one of them to work online without much
of a problem. And, oddly enough, there has been a
good selection of communication software written
for the lowly and obsolete Commodore 64. However,
putting together hardware, software, and tech support
will be problematic.

No matter which of the above operating systems you choose
as the environment in which you want to send and receive
online data, there is modem software somewhere that will
run in it. Further, Windows and OS/2 allow you to run a
"DOS session," which enables you to use DOS-based software
while those systems are running. That is handy, because
if you have a DOS computer and choose to upgrade to OS/2,
for example, you will still be able to use all your old programs.

Of course, the easiest solution to getting an integrated
computer system, i.e. one in which the hardware and software
does its work with no bugs, is to buy the thing as a package.
All of the brand-name retailers offer complete computer
systems, including modems and messaging software to drive
them. Better yet, many computer and electronics retailers
will allow customers to specify what they want in their
computer system, and will custom-build it.

This approach has several advantages to the customer. For one,
the customer can get the precise system that he or she wants,
without having to pay for unnecessary extras. Many complete,
prepackaged systems come "bundled" with several programs,
for example, already installed. You might find one of these
machines with MS-DOS, Windows, a database program, a spreadsheet,
a word processor with an on-line thesaurus and dictionary,
a drawing program, a painting program, and even extra fonts
and clip art just for good measure. If you buy the package,
you get that extra software, like it or not.

Similarly, you may find a system that has everything you want
for a good price, except that, say for example, the hard drive
(a high-capacity internal disk drive, for storing programs and
data) is too small for your needs. Custom-specifying your
system allows you to put your hard-earned money into the
features and programs that you specifically want, without
paying for needless extras.

Even better, ordering a customized system puts the burden of
making it work on the retailer, rather than you. If there is
a problem in getting the graphics controller card (a device
that sends output to the screen) to work properly when Windows
is running, for example, it's up to the vendor to iron it all
out before you get the system. Further, any vendor worth
their salt will include a warranty with the new machine,
often with on-site maintenance. It's nice when, if your computer
breaks down, the people who sold it to you will come to your
house and fix it for free.

What's the bottom line on computers for online use? Well,
it's like this: if all you want is the basic ability to send
and receive data, all you really need is a bottom-end PC
or Mac, with a monochrome monitor and no software other
than your modem driver and a text editor for composing
and reading your e-mail. In the PC world, this can be a
machine as old as an original PC, a computer that was
based on Intel's 8088 processor chip and one that dates
back to 1980. However, in computer circles this is a dinosaur,
and you may find it difficult to find parts, service, and
software, not to mention that it will be slow. Such a computer
may also lack a hard drive, which is an important feature
for online users.

Happily, when you locate an original 8088-based computer
in the classifieds (they're not available new any more),
the price will be low; with a little luck (or blessing,
if you will), it might be under a hundred dollars. By no means
should you pay more than two hundred. For all the lack of respect
accorded these computers, if you have one you can plug it
into an external modem, load up a rudimentary modem driver,
and chug your way online. For the sending and receiving of
e-mail and other data, it is perfectly adequate.

For someone getting a computer specifically for online use,
it's preferable to buy a PC that's at least one generation
more recent than the original PCs. That would be a 286 computer,
so called for Intel's 80286 processor chip. There are also
386 and 486 computers, with corresponding increases
in speed and sophistication. As with the original PCs,
you can find 286s for sale in the local paper, and the price
is usually right. Expect to pay between two and four hundred
dollars for a complete system used, or up to six hundred
dollars new. Don't pay more than that; if somebody wants
to sell you a used 286 computer for five hundred dollars,
look around. You can probably find a used 386 for the same
price, or just a little more. A 286 is probably the computer
with the earliest design that can still be purchased new;
but they're fast disappearing in favor of the 386- and
486-based machines.

386s come in varieties, such as "386SX25" and "386DX33."
In such designations, the SX and DX refer to a difference
in the arrangement of the internal architecture of the
machine; all you really need to know is that DXs are faster.
The "25" and "33" on the tail ends of the above designations
refer to the clock speed of the processor (a measure of
microprocessor performance), expressed in MHz (megaHertz).
But remember that just because a 386SX25 and a 486SX25 have
25MHz clock speeds doesn't mean that the computers will run
programs at the same rate. Because of improved efficiency
of design, the 486 will be faster every time, all other
things being equal. A 386 might cost anywhere from three
hundred to six hundred dollars used, and up to nine
hundred dollars new, depending on the features and the
variety of processor.

Although some say that it takes at least a 386DX33 with
8 megabytes of RAM (random access memory) to run Windows
satisfactorily, David has "scraped by" with only 4 megabytes
and has had no difficulties accessing America Online
and various bulletin boards. (Of course, he also doesn't make
it a habit of running Word, Quicken, and three other programs
of your choice simultaneously either.) We would suggest 4
megabytes, then, as the bare minimum you need to run Windows
sufficiently, and 8 megabytes if you truly want to take
advantage of the enormous quantity of software that has
been written for Windows.

The 486 is the current standard business computer, and can
be found in offices worldwide. As with the 386, the 486
comes in many flavors; and as with the 386, the DX models
are superior to the SX. 486s are fast, and they probably
support the greatest variety of programs available
for any computer around today. In addition, the 486 may
be the best value in computing power for the dollar,
at least in new systems. The 486 is the most popular
processor for complete systems that are being retailed,
as of this writing; it is new enough and fast enough
to have considerable computing power, but it has been
on the market long enough for competition to bring prices down.

Still, you would expect a new 486 to be higher in price
than the systems previously mentioned, and it is.
Used machines will probably start at around five or six
hundred dollars, and may go for over twelve hundred dollars
for a fully optioned machine with lots of software. New 486s
can cost anywhere from nine hundred to fifteen hundred,
again depending on features and software. 486s with
sufficient RAM run Windows beautifully; a high-end 486 is
capable of meeting any online challenge, at least for
the present. But remember: the phrase "at least for the
present" is a loaded one. Time moves very quickly in
the computer world.

After the 486 comes the controversial Pentium. Pentium-chip
computers are the next generation, and naturally have a
corresponding increase in power and speed over their
predecessors. It is still rare to find Pentium computers
used, and new ones start at around fourteen hundred dollars.
They can range up to over three thousand dollars. Buying
a three thousand-dollar Pentium package to access online
services is like swatting flies with a sledgehammer.
At least for the present.

The reason that the Pentium is controversial is that some
versions of the Pentium have a design flaw that can cause
math errors at long intervals. How long those intervals
are is the subject of some debate, as is the significance
of the errors. In any case, it took a university scientist
running extensive number-crunching programs to determine
that there was a problem at all, so it's not likely that
a processor error is going to cause some catastrophic problem
in your Pentium PC. Lots of people have been using them
for a while now, with no problems.

The future of PCs is a cloudy one. The PowerPC, a machine
based on a totally new chip produced by a Apple, IBM, and
Motorola working in concert, has been due out "any day now"
for months. When it does hit the shelves, it promises
(like the PowerMac, built around the same chip)
to run both Macintosh and PC software. But without computers
to work with, who can say? It may be that the PowerPC
is the wave of the future; but other manufacturers
are doing their best to claim the future for themselves.
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC for short) has computers
on the market now that run DEC processors at 150 MHz,
which is half again as fast as the fastest Pentium.
Sun Microsystems has some promising new chips to bring
into the PC fray, as does Cyrix Corporation. Whatever
happens, it will probably be good news for the consumer,
as each company will do its best to capture the market.

As has already been explained, the Macintosh world hasn't
been standing still, either. The PowerMac is already wowing
users with its speed and capability. But if you want to do
your cybersurfing on a Macintosh, it's a very different
ballgame from PCs. Apple Computer has always chosen its
distributors quite conservatively, and only once has licensed
its architecture (for the Macintosh; it happened in late 1994,
after the PowerMac was already in production). Apple hardware
is not available just anywhere, and isn't made by just anybody.

The mixed blessing in this is that while you are less likely
to have maintenance hassles and compatibility headaches
with your Macintosh, you will likely have to pay a higher price
than for a comparable PC. Macintoshes come in many shapes
and sizes, like PCs, and they can have any of a number
of processor chips, all but the PowerMac chip being based
on the Motorola 68000 series of microprocessors.

Macintoshes are available used, of course, with a basic
monochrome system available for about five hundred dollars
in most markets. Such a machine will serve basic online needs.
Prices for more sophisticated systems can range all the way up
to over five thousand dollars for a new PowerMac. If using a
Pentium for electronic messaging is like swatting flies
with a sledgehammer, using a PowerMac is like swatting them
with a pile driver...at least for the present.

[A-HEAD] The Modem

Of course, you could have a dozen PowerMacs and still not be
able to send or receive a single bit of data. Unless you have
a modem, your computer is deaf and dumb to the online world.
Modems, you will remember, can be either internal or external,
but there's a whole lot more to them than just that.

A modem is one of a class of devices called peripherals.
A peripheral is any accessory device that exchanges
information with a computer's CPU (central processing unit,
or motherboard--the part that does the computing).
Other peripherals include keyboards, monitors, disk drives,
tape backup systems, and so on. The modem's particular job
is to translate the computer's data pulses into a transmissible
signal, and to interpret incoming signals into computer data.

Like computers, modems have advanced greatly since their
beginnings. Oddly enough, it can be argued that the roots
of modem technology existed in a rudimentary form long
before computers did; early radio experimenters had analog
fax working as early as 1920. At any rate, the first digital
modems that were available to the public were bulky, expensive,
and slow, transmitting their 300 bps over copper wires.

One of the reasons why early modems were so slow is because
the telephone lines were so noisy. The standard telephone
infrastructure in 1965 was analog signal over copper wire,
coast to coast. No other technology existed. As a result,
telephone connections (especially long-distance ones)
were prone to signal loss, crosstalk, and static. In order
to make themselves heard over such connections, people had
to speak clearly, loudly... and slowly. The same was true
of modems.

In the late 1970s and into the following decade, however,
the U.S. federal government's breakup of Bell Telephone
into regional companies introduced market pressure
to the telephone industry. This, in turn, led to a general
raising of service standards across the country. Part of the
result of this, in turn, was that digital signals on
fiber-optic cable began to replace analog on copper.
Digital fiber-optic technology eliminated the problems
of weak signals and noise. The same events that let you
hear Aunt Thelma in Omaha clear as, well, a bell, allowed
modems to pick up the pace.

And modems had been making advances anyway. At about the same
time that the IBM PC was taking over the business world,
the standard modem transmission speed (also sometimes called
the baud rate) was 1200 bps. Five years later, the standard
was 2400 bps, and five years after that (around 1992)
the standard was 9600 bps. Note: You may sometimes see
these figures written as 1.2, 2.4, or 9.6 kbps, or
kilobits per second. Today, most new modems are capable
of at least 14,400 bps, and if you have the checkbook
to match, some others can reach speeds of 19,200, 28,800,
and even 56,000 bps!

But just because most of the new modems are capable of 14,400
bps doesn't mean that all of the BBSs you'll visit can match
them. Surprisingly enough, some smaller BBSs still putter
along at 1200 bps, and the typical onliner can be proud
to hook in at 9600 bps. Part of the reason behind this is,
again, based on cost: sysops have to spend money to set up
the line, and most simply can't or won't splurge on
the more expensive bps unless they know they'll have the
traffic to support the purchase. But as you move up to
the large commercial services and government resources,
you will find the higher speed lines, up to the whopping
56,000 bps. And because connection time is what most
online-service charges are based on nowadays, the faster
you can transfer data, the better. Not to mention that
it's no fun to sit and watch your disk drive whirl
for ten minutes, just to download a simple text file.

The reason you need to know all of this is because different
modems have different maximum speeds, and you need
to know their capabilities  in order to comparison shop.
One thing you generally don't need to worry about, however,
is whether or not your modem can talk with other modems.
The driver software included with the vast majority
of modems on the market today enables modems to "shift gears,"
if you will. After making initial contact, the faster modem
in a pair will drop down to the speed of the slower one,
and the message transfer proceeds (hopefully) as planned.
All of this happens without any interaction from the user.
You simply want to have a fast enough modem to be able
to maximize your speed with any given connection.

As for choosing between an internal and external modem,
there are advantages to each. An internal modem takes up
no extra space on your desktop, requires no power outlet
of its own, and is cheaper than an external modem
with similar features. An external modem has the advantages
of quick connection and disconnection, not to mention
portability, security, and ease of service (you can pop off
the cable and take the modem with you, lock it in a cabinet,
or ship it to the shop). The best reason among true
gadget-heads for owning an external modem is
so we can look at the cool LEDs flashing while a message
goes through. Aside from that little foible, the
functionality of internal vs. external modems is identical.

Fax capability is a relatively new wrinkle in the online
connectivity game. Some modems are fax capable, and can
send electronic messages to fax machines, which then spit
out a piece of paper with the desired text on it. Likewise,
such a modem can receive a faxed message as though the
modem were a fax machine; but rather than spitting out a
piece of paper, the modem writes the data to a hard disk,
storing the fax as a bitmapped image. When and if the user
wants to, he or she can view the fax electronically,
then either print it out or discard the file. OCR
(optical character recognition) is yet another variation;
incoming faxes are actually read, rather than stored
as pictures, and the message then stored as text.
This saves disk space, because the text file may be
as little as one-tenth the size of the bitmap file
that it came from.

Many different manufacturers make modems, but perhaps the
biggest name in the industry is Hayes Microcomputer. In fact,
Hayes managed to set a de facto standard with their
modem-control instruction set; it was so ubiquitous that
if other modems weren't "Hayes compatible," it was a
handicap. The Hayes instruction set is still the prevalent
system in use today, which is why many modem manufacturers
advertise their products as being Hayes-compatible. You
should get a Hayes-compatible modem; apart from those
built by Hayes Microcomputer, there are very solid
products from Intel, AT&T Paradyne, and Digital
Equipment Corporation.

So what's the bottom line on modems? You can function minimally
with a 2400 bps modem, and 9600 bps will get you to most
anywhere in cyberspace without a hitch; but if it's at all
possible, get a 14,400 bps modem, and if you can afford
to go faster, do. The reasoning behind this is that
every second of time spent logged-in to an online service will
cost you money. Some users manage to rack up over a hundred
dollars a month in connection fees and phone charges. If you
lay out an extra hundred bucks for a modem that is twice
as fast, by the time you have used it for a year you
will have come out ahead financially. The money you spent
on the modem, you will earn back in connection-charge savings.
As far as fax capability is concerned, it's a nice added
feature for business use, but is an unnecessary luxury
for cruising online.

As of this writing, a strictly functional 14,400 bps external
modem with basic driver software is selling in the discount
market for a little over a hundred dollars, perhaps up to
two hundred at retail. A 2400 bps internal modem with driver
can be had for thirty bucks; then again, if you really
want the finest in high-performance hardware with all
the right software frills, prices don't stop until
they're over a thousand dollars.

[A-HEAD] The Software

Okay. So you know what you want in a computer, and you have figured
out what you can afford in a modem. What next? Driver software
is next. Fortunately, modems usually come with driver software
included in the deal, so compatibility between the hardware
and the software is ensured. If your modem is secondhand,
or somehow a modem fell into your lap without the driver
software, then it becomes clear why it was important to get
a Hayes-compatible modem: Hayes-compatible modems can be used
with most Hayes-compatible driver programs without a major
hassle. That's the reason for the standard.

[Fig. 2-1 The opening screen of GOLDP40, a shareware modem driver.]

If you're in this situation, you can probably find a
generic Hayes-compatible modem driver as shareware (low-cost
software, distributed freely person-to-person, that you can
try before you pay for it). If your modem isn't Hayes-compatible,
you may be up the proverbial creek. Your best chance
in that case is to try to track down the manufacturer
by the name on the modem, and see if you can get driver
software from them. If that doesn't pan out, you have
only a slim chance of ever being able to make it work.
You might want to plug the thing up to the computer,
load your Hayes-compatible modem driver anyway,
and see what happens. It might work; and if it doesn't,
well, all you had was an expensive paperweight to begin with.

So when you've got the modem and the software to match,
read the documentation before you do anything. Note: That's
probably the best advice we've never taken. Often, what
seems to be complicated on the surface is simplified
by a little light reading. For instance, if your software
for a hypothetical DOS-based PC comes on a diskette with
fifty different files on it, you may not know what in
the world to do with it; however, a quick glance
through the manual could reveal that if you clear a
hard drive directory, then go to that directory
and type A:INSTALL from the command line, everything
will take care of itself.

In short, if you follow the manual and follow the prompts
from the software's setup routine, the whole deal will
be remarkably painless, and in no time at all you'll be
ready to go. While the specifics of each modem and
its particular variety of driver software are too
varied to be covered here, there are a few things
that you should be aware of.

The first is the concept of communication parameters.
There are several "languages," or data formats, that modems
use in talking to one another. The characteristics of
these languages are set by the communications parameters,
and there are three: the data bits, the parity bit,
and the stop bit. "Data bits" has nothing to do with
Star Trek, but rather refers to the number of bits in a word.

A modem's word is exactly what it sounds like: a discrete
bundle of information, just like a spoken word. Most BBS
and online service connections use an 8-bit word.
The parity bit, which aids in error correction, can be
odd, even, or none, and most of the time it will be none
(because later error-correction measures have made it
redundant). The stop bit, when turned on, tells the
receiving modem that the message is over; it is either
0 or 1, and usually is 1. Generally you will see these
parameters referred to all at once, as in 8-N-1
(8-bit word, no parity bit, stop=1). 8-N-1 is the
most common data word format, although some services
use 7-E-1. These parameters are generally given along
with BBS telephone numbers and the like, so that users
know how to set their modem drivers for communication.

The second important concept is that of protocols.
If the communication parameters are the language
that modems speak, protocols are scripts that specify
the intricate ceremonies in which the words are spoken.
Because things shouldn't be too easy or simple,
there are several protocols of which you should be aware.
The simplest one is ASCII. ASCII is nearly universally
known among computers, and so it represents a stable,
workable solution to linking computers that
are otherwise incompatible. ASCII is suitable only
for text messages, as it only permits the twenty-six
letters of the alphabet, ten numerals, and a handful
of punctuation marks. Attempts to send graphics
files in ASCII, for example, literally don't compute.

Another group of protocols are a set, representing
three generations of protocol development. These are
Xmodem, Ymodem, and Zmodem, and they contain
incremented degrees of error-correction, data compression,
and other handy refinements. As you might expect,
Zmodem is the fastest. It is also commonly used
in online services for file transfer. You will
probably find yourself using Zmodem quite a lot.

One last protocol you might encounter is called
Kermit. Kermit is extremely versatile in that it can
enable widely disparate hardware to work together;
but this versatility comes at the price of speed.
If you're transferring text, do it in ASCII before
you do it in Kermit. But if you are having difficulty
getting a file through unscrambled, Kermit may save
the day.

[Fig. 2-2 Setting modem transmission parameters in GOLDP40]

Most any modem/driver package that you run across will be
able to work with a variety of communication parameters,
in a variety of protocols. The driver software is where
those options are set by you, the user. If you have older
hardware that predates some of the later developments
(namely Zmodem), you should contact your supplier;
there may be a retrofit driver that includes the capability.
At any rate, if you don't know what settings to use for
your modem software (for whatever reason), set it for
the Hayes instruction set, 8-N-1, and Zmodem, and you'll
most likely make your connection.

So now that you've decided to become one of His cyberchildren,
got your computer, connected the modem, read the manual,
and installed the driver software, where do you go from here?

Online!

[A-HEAD] Making the connection

Everything is now set up and ready to go, but you've still
got one problem you've got to solve. To quote a B-movie,
who ya gonna call? Luckily, you've got the solution in your
hands right now. Just turn to one of the later chapters
and pull out the telephone number of one of the likely-looking
Bulletin Board Services (BBSs) we've listed there.

Start your modem's driver software, and make sure your phone
line is plugged into the modem. Most driver software will
include a phone directory function, which is essentially
a dinky database program that stores the names, addresses,
phone numbers, and comments for all your online call
destinations. Some directories will even custom-configure
your modem's parameters to values that you can preset
for each online location. In any case, fill out the
information screen for the BBS that you've chosen,
then choose "Dial" from the appropriate menu.

If you've got an external modem, it might have a small speaker
that allows you to hear what's going on during the initial
part of the call. Some internal modems can access your
computer's speaker. If this is the case with your modem,
you will hear the beeping noises that indicate touch-tone
dialing, followed by ringing noises, which are then the
squeally sound of a modem saying "Hello, there." At this
point, turn the speaker off; it's of no real use, other
than to let you know if you've reached a residential
phone by accident, or that your number is no longer
in service, or that the line is busy.

[Fig. 2-3 [insert name of BBS] login screen indicates
a successful modem link.]

If the contact is successful, your computer will display the
BBSs introductory screen. At this point you can usually follow
the prompts to login with the limited rights of a nonsubscriber.
Once you've done that you will see another screen, usually
with menu options that you can follow from there. You're in!

[Fig. 2-4 (insert name of BBS) main menu screen, from which
you navigate in the BBS.]

(c) 1994 by David M. McCandless & Aaron Bittner