 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Eddies in the Ether Dave Mitchell |
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Let me wax philosophically at you for a while. My original intention for this column was to bring to the non-modemming members out there a slice of life as it occurs on the BBS. While I still intend to continue bringing you this, it would seem I am also providing an insight into one lunatic's descent into the the world of computers. Still enough of that, payday had rolled around once again and the esky is full once again - stocked with inspiration so..... Phsssst! Glug, glug,glug. (Ahhhh! That's better!)
A word of caution
I've been a bit frustrated recently over various things and I'm going to voice a couple of sore points here so take them as I mean them would you? (as orders!) B-)
Bulletins
As you log on to the BBS the first thing you see after the opening screen is a list of bulletins, each of which has a number to select if you want to read the bulletin, a short subject header and a date indicating when the bulletin was put up. Would you guys please, please, please read these things?! If you have read them at least check the dates to see if any new ones have been posted. The number of questions that I answer in the sysop area that relate directly to these bulletins is quite depressing and the temptation to give the third or fourth person asking the same question both barrels is overwhelming.
Volunteers
I dunno how you all feel about the services provided by Melb PC User Group but I, for one, think it's the best value for $40 that I've ever seen. However to get the most benefit from your money I've always felt that you need to get involved. Whether it be going to the monthly meeting, one of the SIGs or whatever. This being the case I also feel that putting something back is important as well. How about two hours on a Sunday once a month at the Melb PC stand at one of the swap meets? Going into the office once a month and licking stamps? Don't forget we are a club, not a business, and just to keep operating we rely on members to fill in all those jobs that would normally be done by paid people.
Enough angst. I've unloaded my soul a bit and the booze is helping too. On with the show!
Swap Meet Delirium
Dateline: Sunday 1 May 0800.
I arrived at the Malvern Town Hall to assist in setting up the Melb PC stand for the monthly swap meet, having got to bed at approx 0330 that morning and, having increased Carlton and United's profit margin by a considerable amount, I wasn't feeling that well. (Truth be told, I felt awful.)
I spotted Phil Lew and Mark Trickett moving the gear in and went over to help. Phil gave me a look like I was the walking dead (which was a fair comment) and Mark tried to make me feel better by talking loudly in my ear. Thanks Mark.
Anyway to cut a long (and somewhat sordid) story short the reason we go to swap meets is to sell membership and services so, a little while later, I was talking to some poor unfortunate (by the way I was feeling steadily worse by the minute) as to why he should shell out his hard-earned shekels to join Melb PC. I said "Look mate, how do I look?" to which he replied "Not real well". I asked him why he thought I would get up after about three-and-a-half hours sleep and about fifteen too many stubbies, drag myself to Malvern, carry round a couple of PCs and stand there talking to him for no money? He thought about it and signed up.
And they said excessive alcohol doesn't get you anywhere! HA!
Sysoping for Fun and Profit
As you know, I'm an assistant sysop on the BBS, specifically in charge of messages (particularly questions to the sysop), but I'm a "remote" sysop in that I don't get to play with the BBS itself (something about me having too many functioning brain cells). The guys who actually fiddle with the bits are Barry, Peter, Allan, Phil and Terry. Just to show you how much fun this can be let's have a look at a Saturday a few weeks ago.
For one reason or another Ren Benko (he of the opening ANSI screen) and I were in town and met up with Barry, so we went back to the club rooms to toss some files, tweak this and fiddle with that. When we got to the club Phil was already there doing this and that. The time was 1600 or thereabouts.
Anyway, some new message areas were added, files tossed, stubbies killed (inevitable seeing as I was there) all the while with Ren and I offering conflicting advice and generally getting in the way. Anyway, the job was done and we all went home satisfied that the BBS was a better place for us having been there. The time was 0300.
This is not atypical of the efforts put in by the BBS crew. What reason you ask? We want this BBS to be not just the best. We want it to be the best!!!
Access All Areas
Here's another five of our local message areas on the BBS. All these appear on our BBS and regional boards only so it's just fellow members who see your efforts in here.
Area 24: Women in Computing
A strange area this one, we see a flurry of messages in here every now and again. Usually one or two ladies put up a message then there is a flurry by the blokes saying how good it is to see more women using the board. It's under-utilised girls! Get into it!
Area 25: Local OS/2 Chat
For those of us using a real operating system (You prefer Windows? Surely you jest!) B-) Here is the area for you, discussions on applications, programs, etc. Time to tidy up that Desktop!
Area 26: Local Internet Chat
Boy! Has this area hotted up since the Internet service started up. All us non-Unix people screaming "Help me, help me!" while being surrounded by greps. A very good area to lurk even if you don't have an Internet account yet.
Area 27: Games Talk
This is where you can find all those secret passwords for all those games you can't finish, get suggestions from other player or philosophise on the socially relevant messages found in the under the basic game play of Doom.
Area 30: Melb PC Bulletins
If you haven't read these already (Why Not?!!) then they exist in this area, too. It's this way so that people reading mail offline and using scripts don't have any excuse about not seeing the bulletins.
Let's see that's eight, nine, ten empties .... Must be time to get the rest of the slab out! B-)
Here's the tag: ...Who took the Optus satellite? We did, chucky, we did! Hahaha!
Reprinted from the July 1994 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
