HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: tony@disk.uucp (tony)
Subject: Re: New York Times article on BBS's
Organization: Digital Information Systems of KY
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 01:39:16 GMT

davidf@mks.com (David J. Fiander) writes:

>According to 70465.203@compuserve.com:
>>Neither of your counter examples applies. They are both *acronyms*
>>constructed from the initial letters of a phrase. In such cases, prounciation
>>is pretty much determined by what it looks like.
>>
>>On the other hand, "sysop" is formed by combining *syllables*. It's in
>>effect a contraction of the words "system operator". And the path may 
>>have been that system got frequently shortened to "sys" and operator
>>got shortened to "op". *Then* they got combined.

No point in arguing about this anymore.  What is "proper" is majority rule.
I've been BBSing since June 1985 and everyone I know who runs a BBS refers
to themselves or other "system operators" as SIS-OPS.  Just because someone
writes an article in the New York Times doesn't give them anymore credibility
than Joe Blow in the apartment adjoining mine.  Most of what is printed in
newspapers and magazines about BBSing (and sharware too, for that matter) is
deficient in one way or another.  Much of what we read (if we don't read it
online) is also quite dated.
	One of my favorite peeves is that PC Magazine didn't do a review of
Phil Katz' PKZIP program until relatively recently and they gave me the im-
pression that they thought it was a new program -- they don't review other
programs that are over five years old; my point is that programs BBSers have
taken for granted for YEARS are treated as "new hat" when they "suddenly"
get "DISCOVERED" by old-time pc users who are brand new to BBSing.  It totally
irks me that they want to give other old-time pc users who do not BBS the 
impression that such-and-such program would never have been "DISCOVERED" if
if weren't for them.

	-=- Tony Safina -=- disk!tony@uunet.UU.NET -=-

Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc,alt.folklore.computers,alt.folklore.urban
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Subject: Re: New York Times article on BBS's
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 17:17:46 GMT

In article <1992Jul24.160603.17656@adobe.com> swirsky@adobe.com (Robert Swirsky) writes:
>In article <1992Jul23.140436.13451@panix.com> eck@panix.com (Mark Eckenwiler) writes:
>>
>>As much as I hate to agree with Ron Dippold on anything, his
>>speculation is dead-bang right on this one.  I went to college with
>>Judith Berck, the author of the piece in the Times, and can vouch for
>>her unfamiliarity with anything vaguely resembling hard science.  (For
>>the record, she has a new book out on the daily lives of homeless
>>children; title is something like _In Their Own Voices_.)
>>
>>In case anyone cares, David Sanger -- the idiot who keeps writing
>>pieces in the Times about computers that have "512,000" bytes of RAM
>>-- is also a classmate.  I have no idea what he majored in.
>>
>
>I remember firing off a letter to the _Times_ a few years back after they wrote
>an article on dot-matrix printers. They said that a 5x7 dot matrix printer
>has 35 wires in its printhead. In fact, they even had a diagram of such
>a beast.
>
>I told them that, on all the dot printers someone is likely to encounter,
>there is just a single vertical row of pins. And I pointed out that the
>printhead would move in spurts instead of smoothy across the page if it
>had to print the entire character block at once.
>
>The _Times_ replied that sometimes they simplify thing a bit so they
>can explain them easier.

This is just another case of "all the news that fits" as was written back
a few years by an ex-Timeser.

When I was in public school, we were all given the New York Times page one
for famous dates in history.  Not just the headlines, but a reprint of
*all* of page one.  One day, I decided to read one of them for contemporary
content to help interpret the headline.

Near the bottom of an 1865 (?) edition (Lincoln assassination?) edition is
a small article claiming that a 70-odd year old man is being taken to court
because his 90-odd year old mother insists he is too young to be married.
No useful details are presented as to what legal aspect is being questioned,
or whether there are sanity issues on either (both?) sides of the case,
or perhaps an issue of (dis)inheritance, etc., just the teaser about the
ages of the parties.  

I guess this was just simplified so it could be explained easier as well!

cjl



Xref: sparky comp.bbs.misc:289 alt.folklore.computers:11023
From: leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc,alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: New York Times article on BBS's
Date: 23 Jul 92 18:10:25 GMT
Reply-To: 70465.203@compuserve.com
Organization: SCN Research/Qic Laboratories of Tigard, Oregon.

davidf@mks.com (David J. Fiander) writes:

>According to 70465.203@compuserve.com:
>>Neither of your counter examples applies. They are both *acronyms*
>>constructed from the initial letters of a phrase. In such cases, prounciation
>>is pretty much determined by what it looks like.
>>
>>On the other hand, "sysop" is formed by combining *syllables*. It's in
>>effect a contraction of the words "system operator". And the path may 
>>have been that system got frequently shortened to "sys" and operator
>>got shortened to "op". *Then* they got combined.

>So I own a 2400bps Mah-Deem, then?

No. Look at it this way. "sysop" is composes of two syslabbles:
"sys" and "op". There is *no* way to keep that sylabification *and*
to pronounce it "sigh-sop" (that would require it to break into 
"sy" and "sop")

"Modem" is a bit more difficult, because they didn't break the
words at syllable lines. Insted we got "mo" and "dem" (or perhaps
"mod" and "dem" with a "d" dropped). But it's still clear that
the word was assembled mo-dem, not mod-em. 

So it's really an issue of where the syllable breaks go! 

-- 
Leonard Erickson		      leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com
CIS: [70465,203]			 70465.203@compuserve.com
FIDO:   1:105/56	 Leonard.Erickson@f56.n105.z1.fidonet.org
(The CIS address is checked daily. The others infrequently)
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc,alt.folklore.computers
From: hucke@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Matt Hucke)
Subject: Re: Pronouncing GNU (was Re: New York Times article on BBS's)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 22:15:23 GMT

In article <1hFXx0#7vwXbd0QlKOv2lrf5S6bkC9X=esr@snark.thyrsus.com> esr@snark.thyrsus.com (Eric S. Raymond) writes:
>
>The correct pronunciation (as heard from RMS's own lips) is monosyllabic,
>but with a pronounced hard G; much as if one said "eggnog" withot the
>initial /e/.

And without the "og"!
-- 
   And thither came Conan, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, to tread the jeweled 
   thrones of the Earth beneath his sandaled feet.  --THE NEMEDIAN CHRONICLES 
hucke@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu             _V_a_l_h_a_l_l_a BBS, 217-352-3682, WWIV4.21, 14.4k
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
From: ap429@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jerome Grimmer)
Subject: Re: New York Times article on BBS's
Reply-To: ap429@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jerome Grimmer)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 92 18:18:40 GMT


In a previous article, davidf@mks.com (David J. Fiander) says:

[much ado about nothing deleted]

>
>So I own a 2400bps Mah-Deem, then?
>

Rule number one of the English language:  Among pronunciation and spelling
rules in the English language, there is *always* an exception to the rule.


-- 
"I'm the Sage!  I know *everything*!//Like, okay.  How, like, does BitNet oper-
ate?\\Operate, schmoperate.  The programmers were drunk out of their minds when
they designed it.  If it wasn't for m00sey intervention it wouldn't work at all
From "Rad" ep. 58 by Swede@Drycas.Bitnet. Email ap429@po.cwru.edu 4 more info.
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc,alt.folklore.computers
From: dagbrown@lambert.waterloo.edu (Dave Brown)
Subject: Re: New York Times article on BBS's
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 14:13:39 GMT

In article <medic.711862598@milton> medic@milton.u.washington.edu (Travis Lauricella) writes:
>unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (tuu) writes:
>
>
>>In article <mtpins.711668470@icaen.uiowa.edu> mtpins@icaen.uiowa.edu (Michael T Pins) writes:
>>}Keep in mind that most computer "terms" are concatenated abbrev's.
>>}In this case, SYStem OPerator.  Pronounce them accordingly.
>
>>	I really dislike this argument, but I used to use it myself....
>
>>	I dislike it because it's NOT true.  There are many many terms that
>>are abbreviations/acronyms that are *not* pronounced the way in which the
>>original words are. 
>
>One I've been wondering about recently is GIF.  The "G" stands for graphic,
>but I've heard it pronounced "JIF" more times than not.  Is there a 
>pronunciation which is considered correct, or are both acceptable?

OH NO, NOT AGAIN (_already_)!!!

Back to writing my 1024x1024 30 gps Life program in Basic on my VIC-20...

Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
From: jvmg9796@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Doc)
Subject: DONT BUY SEARCHLIGHT (was: Searchlight comments)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 13:51:30 GMT

Give me a break! Your post is about at the same marketing level as the
"Pepsi challenge."  Only letters from satisfied users are ever printed.
The ones from people who were pissed, thought that searchlight was a piece
of crap, and wanted their money back never get printed.  No amount of
glowing praise from "satisfied users" proves diddly squat.  

"They were probably paid testimonials anyway" -- hahahahaha.

******** DONT BUY SEARCHLIGHT!!!!  IT BITES!!! ********



Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
From: grant@bluemoon.rn.com (Grant DeLorean)
Subject: Re: Munroe Falls BBS Bust
Organization: Blue Moon
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 92 16:27:27 GMT

red@uhura.neoucom.edu (Richard E. Depew) writes:

>        [From talking to the reporter and Lehrer's lawyer, I found out 
>that Lehrer was indicted today "of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles 
>and possession of criminal tools,"  with the criminal tools being the 
>computer.]

 I wonder if they would call a bank robber's car a "criminal tool"...

>        The article then quotes the Munroe Falls Police Chief as saying
>of these "not entirely wholesome files":  "One was Bugs Bunny eating a
>carrot, one was Bart Simpson riding a skateboard and one was called (a
>slang term for oral sex), and that was in the clean file."  There were

 Wow, can't have kids seeing Bugs eat that carrot, that is obscene! And
skateboards are dangerous, that might encourage kids to ride them! And
kids shouldn't see the letters 'b' and 'j' within the same file name...
(no mention of what was in that file with the bj name, could have been
from Billy Jack (old kick boxer movie) or BJ and the Bear or of the BJ
who was Hawkeye's roommate on MASH...).

>	For the past two months, police conducted an investigation and
>sting using a local 15 year old boy.  After the youth was able to hook into
>the bulletin board, police arrested Mark Lehrer, 22, owner and operator of
>Akron Anomaly, a 1000-member bulletin board.  Police also seized all of
>Lehrer's computer equipment.

 It doesn't say that the kid got into the adult section, just that he
connected at all...  That is scary...

>	Stahl said many files not listed in the adult category contained
>pictures of naked women and of naked women engaged in sexual acts.  One
>file allegedly shows a nude image of Christina Applegate, who plays Peg on
>the television show "Married With Children."

 Geez, that idiot can't even tell the difference between Kelly and Peg?

>	In addition to the graphic interface images, juveniles were able to
>access adult movies, which are transmitted on color monitors.

 Wow, transmitted on color monitors...  Guess the FCC isn't going to
renew that kid's broadcasting license...

-- 
\   Grant DeLorean  - IHMSA & NRA Life Member -  (grant@bluemoon.rn.com)   /

        Tested on dolphins and assorted helpless furry creatures
From: ncherry@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (neil j.cherry)
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
Subject: Unix BBS's, comment on....
Date: 21 Jul 92 13:58:25 GMT
Article-I.D.: cbfsb.1992Jul21.135825.5619
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T

I would like some opinions on a simple BBS program for unix. I have SYS V 3.2
unix and I only need a program which keeps fixed size file data bases and
a seperate download area. Mail might be nice but not a necessary item. Also
locations on where I can snarf them from would be helpful as would it being
in C source form.

Thanks NJC
From: mchui@spinner.cs.indiana.edu (Michael Chui)
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
Subject: Adventures in X00 FOSSIL-land
Date: 27 Jul 92 04:12:32 GMT
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington

Problem 1:
	I'm attempting to run the X00 1.24 FOSSIL driver with the Boyan 5.0
comm program on an internal Infotel 9600 configured as COM4, IRQ 2.
Everything looks fine, until I try to communicate with the modem.  All
chars in Boyan aren't echoed back, e.g. I type "AT".  The screen shows nuttin,
honey.
	The CONFIG.SYS command line I'm using is:

DEVICE=C:\X00\X00.SYS E 2=COM4,IRQ2

BTW, Boyan works fine w/o X00, but I'd like to use the FOSSIL for a BBS.


Problem 2:
	I try to put multiple parameters on the CONFIG.SYS command line
without considerable success.  For example,

DEVICE=C:\X00\X00.SYS 3 E 2=COM4,IRQ2

shows 3 ports using XU, but the setting of port 2 to COM4,IRQ2 isn't done.
But,

DEVICE=C:\X00\X00.SYS E 2=COM4,IRQ2 3

sets port 2 correctly, but only allows 1 (the default number) of ports.
The docs claim, "The parameters are given...in any order."  (p. 6)

Any ideas?  Thanks.

Michael Chui
mchui@cs.indiana.edu
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
From: kramer@ms.uky.edu (Mike Andrews)
Subject: Re: Windows and FOSSIL Drivers. Need HELP!!
    <5477@umriscc.isc.umr.edu>
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 21:38:16 GMT
Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences

mchalmer@mcs213a.cs.umr.edu (Matthew Chalmers) writes:

>You might try running the BNU FOSSIL instead of X00. The .EXE file has more
>control over the port, and therefor YOU have more control over the port. BNU
>is also a bit more see-thru, whereas X00 often jumps right up and proclaims
>[...]
>Another suggestion is to throw Windows in the trash and buy a copy of
>DESQview. I have successfully been running QuickBBS under FrontDoor under
>DESQview for several years. I have played around with Windows, but have

....or OS/2 2.0, if you have 8+ meg of RAM and 32+ meg of free disk.
It's a good deal better than DESQview (which in turn is a good deal better
than Windoze) at multitasking DOS apps.  I've been running my BBS under it
for quite a while now, and it's a lot more stable and smooth than DESQview was.
(I'm using a USR Dual Std on a 386/40 with some custom-hacked BBS software)

BTW, if you do go with OS/2, you'll need to use the newest X00 (v1.49a); 
BNU (1.70) dosen't like OS/2 very much (well, there's a com driver patch for 
OS/2, maybe that fixed the BNU problem, but X00 works fine -- I should try 
BNU with the new com drivers and see if it works now...)  

                Mike

p.s...  this is NOT meant to start another OS/2 vs Windows vs DV war, just
trying to make helpful suggestions.  Flames to Email...
-- 
Mike Andrews          ...at play:           ...at school:       ...or at home:
              kramer@fragile.uucp   kramer@wittenberg.edu    kramer@ms.uky.edu
        fragile!kramer@ms.uky.edu  kramer@wittenbg.bitnet   kramer@mik.uky.edu
"This guy's pretty bizarre, gus." - Primus               mdandr00@ukpr.uky.edu
From: patrick@actrix.gen.nz (Pat Cain)
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
Subject: Re: Searchlight (Bidirectional Flame)
Date: 30 Jul 92 09:11:11 GMT
Organization: Actrix Information Exchange

In article <1992Jul29.163407.26806@ncsu.edu> jrjohns@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN RICHARD JOHNS) writes:
> Just to add this to the discussion, there are nearly 100 BBSes in Raleigh.
> *ONE* runs Searchlight.

Here in Wellington there are bulletin boards running on Unix boxes, PCs,
Vaxes, Amigas and Archimedes.  Searchlight runs 31.5% overall.

I think a sysop's software choice largely depends on what they have used.
With 31% of the systems running Searchlight here, a sysop is more likely
to pick that.  

Here the more popular packages are:

 Wildcat (PC)      3.7%  Kiwiboard (PC)    3.7%  PC-Board (PC)     3.7%
 ProBoard (PC)     3.7%  Spitfire (PC)     5.5%  RemoteAcc. (PC)   7.4%
 Waffle (PC/Unix) 11.1%  Maximus (PC)     12.9%  Searchlight (PC) 31.5%

Nobody runs WWIV (well, not now anyway).
-- 
Pat Cain, PO Box 2060, Wellington, NZ  ()  em: cain_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
From: tcws@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu (Bill Sirinek)
Subject: Re: Irritating BNU FOSSIL / Telegard display conflict
Nntp-Posting-Host-[nntpd-1819]: convex1.tcs.tulane.edu
Organization: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 20:20:47 GMT

In article <1992Jul22.180349.18848@terminator.cc.umich.edu> pauls@bigheavywood.css.itd.umich.edu (Paul Southworth) writes:
>When using BNU release 5 with Telegard 2.7 on my true blue AT (with  
>monochrome graphics) I get blinky crap on the screen, and the fossil  
>driver message *always* pops up and tries to draw itself over the Telegard  
>WFC menu.
>
>I'm running it as BNU.SYS, with the /F+ and /M- flags to do fast ANSI and  
>(supposedly) suppress the stupid message, but the message just doesn't get  
>suppressed.  Everything seems to function, but it's hideous and you can't  
>read the bottom of the WFC menu.
>
>Solutions?

Yes, as a ex Telegard Sysop who used BNU, I can say just run the EXE file
and turn off the "fast ansi".... 

--
| Bill Sirinek                     Snail: Box 3799, Tulane University     |
| Computer Science Major                  New Orleans, LA 70118           |
| Tulane University               BITNET: tcws000@tcsmusa                 |
| New Orleans, Louisiana        Internet: tcws@convex1.tcs.tulane.edu     |
From: jvmg9796@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Doc)
Subject: Re: Searchlight sucks - NOT!
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 22:00:59 GMT

fnord@panix.com (Cliff Heller) writes:

>First you indicate your experience in the computer world by revealing your
>ignorance of the term RTFM  (which is in every FAQ from alt. to talk.).

Oh puhhlleeeeeze give it a rest!  Thats nonsense.

>In the 3.5" world there is no (none, zilch, zip, nada, nichts, rien, ..)
>difference between a 720K disk and a 1.44M.  It is not like the 5.25" world
>where there is actually a difference in the media.

BZZZZT!! Wrong!  There most certainly is a difference.  The coercitivity (sp?)
of the DD disks is lower than the HD disks.  Think about it, if they
were the same, why would any diskette manufacturer bother selling their
product for one price when they could sell it for twice as much?  
Furthermore, hole-punched disks, even if they dont suffer data loss by
direct media error, they are highly prone to errors because of tiny
plastic slivers introduced by the punching process.  Come on, this is
well-documented. 

Well mr fnord, I have sent you email on this topic and I think we should
continue our conversation there.
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
From: yarri@ee.eng.ohio-state.edu (Douglas Yarrington)
Subject: Internet access in SF Bay Area
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept of Electrical Engineering
Distribution: comp
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 03:38:07 GMT


I'm looking for public sites where I can get a temporary account with
internet access. I'm in SF for a few months, in the 415 area code, and
I'd like to find a local site to which I can dial up and telnet from.

If you know of such a place, please send me e-mail.

Thanks.

--douglas

Douglas Yarrington
Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.
yarri@ee.eng.ohio-state.edu (until 9/15/92)
yarri@mew.mei.co.jp (after 9/15/92)

--
_______________________________________________________________________________
 Douglas Yarrington                                 yarri@ee.eng.ohio-state.edu
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
From: Myles Wakeham <mylesw@amgen.com>
Subject: Re: Heyo (mubbs ?)
Organization: Amgen Inc.
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.0
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 21:46:22 GMT

>Has anyone designed any new modules for mubbs besides the ones provided
in
>the basic package? I fiddled around with it once, but it was kinda
>incomplete and I'm not much of a C programmer (yet...).

I designed a couple of modules about 6 months ago, but I dropped MUBBS
due to the errors in data communications that I was having.  Also I 
found other BBS packages that ran on PC's to be far more advanced.

Myles
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc
From: jrjohns@eos.ncsu.edu (JOHN RICHARD JOHNS)
Subject: Re: New York Times article on BBS's
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 06:20:32 GMT

gberigan@cse.unl.edu (Life...) writes:

>I pronounce it "sis-ops", but I don't pronounce modem "mah-deem"
>(modulator-demodulator). :-)

Very good.  That's because you can pronounce demodulator "dee-mod-you-late-or" or you
can say "deh-mod-you-late-or."  Other examples?  When you say demonstration, do you say 
"deem-on-stray-shun"?  How about calling a delegation a "Dee-leh-gay-shun"?  The
pronounciation of de- can vary between dee and deh.  System, on the other hand, I have
never heard pronounced "Sigh-stem."

- John

-- 
____________________________________________________________________
|  No New Tiny Toons Episodes in 1993?!  | The Original UnOriginal |
| "You know whut?  That makes me...mad!" |     John R. Johns II    |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newsgroups: comp.bbs.misc,alt.folklore.computers
From: consp03@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu (Kriston J. Rehberg)
Subject: Re: New York Times article on BBS's
Organization: Binghamton University Computing Services - The POD Staff
	<14kv1kINNg06@darkstar.UCSC.EDU>
	<1992Jul23.184014.14135@gmuvax2.gmu.edu>
	<1992Jul24.165041.6652@ac.dal.ca> <1992Jul25.095039.15225@ukw.uucp>
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 21:06:06 GMT

In article <1992Jul25.095039.15225@ukw.uucp> lupe@ukw.uucp (Lupe Christoph) writes:

>hobbit@ac.dal.ca writes:
>
>>What I'm curious about, is how do you folks pronounce 'GNU'?  
>>'Nu' is proper (for the animal, anyway) but i've never heard anything 
>>but 'ge-nu' used for the software.
>
>From the introduction to the GNU Emacs Manual, Sixth Edition, Version
>18, March 1987, by RMS himself:
>
>	You are about to read about GNU Emacs, the GNU incarnation
>	of the advanced, self-documentin, customizable, extensible
>	real-time display editor Emacs. (The `G' in `GNU' is not silent.)
>					 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

But "GNUS", the Emacs NNTP newsreader, must be pronounced "news" - ie,
the G is silent in this case.

Weird!

>| ...!unido!ukw!lupe  (German EUNet, "bang")     |  Disclaimer:            |

Kris

--
Kriston J. Rehberg, POD Consultant          consp03@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu
Binghamton University Computing Services    CONSP03@BINGVAXA.BITNet
#include <stddisclaimer.h>                  "Labra lege:  Hackito ergo sum"
"Your lack of common decency reminds me of a computer" - emacs M-x flame