HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: michaelb@wshb.csms.com ( WSHB Operations Eng)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Public voting mechanism (Was :edu, .ca, .au = ?, )
Date: 6 Apr 92 14:31:54 GMT
Organization: WSHB, The Christian Sci. Monitor Syndicate, Pineland, S.C.

OK, let's change this back to a computer topic for a minute.

>Better
>still, let's have a true "Res Publica" ("People's Thing") in which all
>major decisions must be put to public debate and agreed upon before
>implementation.  If this prevents decisions being made, then that's
>the best possible outcome.  ;-)  Seriously, Government decision making
>rarely does Australia any good, so let's abolish it.  half ;-)

I don't know about Australia, but millions of citizens in the USA buy their
groceries at a supermarket with a laser scanner at the checkout stand. How
about if we propose that every registered voter be issued a card with an
ID and a yes bar code on one side and a no bar code on the other. Provide 
a little menu on the stand that most store have for writing checks and let 
the people select the issue they want to vote on, then expose either the 
yes or no side of the card to the scanner.

Ignoring all of the political issue, this is comp.misc, not soc.misc, what
technology would be required to track and talley everything for a vote?

You would need a citizens database of some sort. (The CIA probably already 
has one.)

You would need networking hardware for all of the stores. (Many chains
already have this. You'd need a bridge to tap i to the particular chain's
equipment.)

You would need some giant server somewhere for all of the votes to get counted
and generate the reports, etc. 

You would need some type of security to protect the validity of the
results, probably similar to a bank ATM.

What else? Anybody got any ideas? 

(I fully realize that I've ignored enough social implications to swamp an
entire army of lawyers. Things like, "some issues can't be put in yes/no
terms," or, "you threw away secret ballots because you required an ID on
the card," or, "the checkout person can see how you vote," etc. We can't
tackle everything in the first few minutes.)

Michael
-- 
Michael Batchelor--Systems/Operations Engineer #compliments and complaints
WSHB - An International Broadcast Station of   #   letterbox@csms.com
       Herald Broadcasting Syndicate, Inc.     #technical questions and reports
michaelb@wshb.csms.com         +1 803 625 5552 #   letterbox-tech@csms.com
From: sasbmt@jjoyce.unx.sas.com (Bruce Tindall)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Smiley faces
Keywords: Smiley face hatred
Date: 9 Apr 92 20:00:56 GMT
    <RATINOX.92Apr6131223@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu> 
    <1992Apr6.224856.8425@spool.cs.wisc.edu> 
    <1992Apr8.015300.10522@mcs.kent.edu>
Distribution: usa
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.
Originator: sasbmt@jjoyce.unx.sas.com
X-Bytes: 1310

In article <1992Apr8.015300.10522@mcs.kent.edu>, dmcclory@Chaos.mcs.kent.edu (Daniel McClory) writes:
>Smiley faces must be killed.

I agree, but it's probably too late.  :-(

Earlier writers of satire, sarcasm, and irony managed quite well
without smileys.  No one at the time took Jonathan Swift's "A Modest
Proposal" or Mark Twain's "The War Prayer" literally, even though
neither author put a smiley after the text.

Unfortunately, use of smileys after text that's supposed to be "funny"
in some way has become so standard on the network that many network
users assume that the *absence* of a smiley is a deliberate sign that
the text is to be taken literally.  This assumption generates zillions
of inappropriate "flames" every day.

Even worse, people who are used to this mode of reading, and who then
encounter Swift or Twain, are likely to take those writings literally
too.  Soon we'll have a whole generation or two of people who, if they've
read those authors at all, will seriously believe that Swift really
wanted to kill and eat babies, and that Twain really thought that we
should call on God to help us kill innocent civilians in a war.

Sheesh!
-- 
Bruce Tindall, Core Testing Manager, SAS Institute Inc., Cary NC 27513.
Telephone (919) 677-8000, extension 7665.   E-mail: sasbmt@unx.sas.com
Newsgroups: comp.misc
From: hrs1@cbnewsi.cb.att.com (herman.r.silbiger)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.dcom.fax,misc.misc
Subject: Re: Network or dialup postal mail?
Date: 7 Apr 92 01:29:06 GMT
Followup-To: comp.dcom.fax
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T

In article <HeuaiB3w164w@Nitro.CtEdge.COM>, djk@Nitro.CtEdge.COM writes:
> Hi:
> 
> I am looking for an internet or dialup accessable service that will
> allow me (for a fee of course) to send postal mail or FAX's from
> data uploaded or otherwise entered into their system.
> 
> I know that CI$ offers this - but for $12.50 per hour.. No thanks!
> 
> Really appreciate any help.
> 
> -djk
> 
Both AT&TMail and MCI Mail offer such services, on a piece rather than hourly
basis.  You have to subscribe to the service of course.

Herman Silbiger
Newsgroups: comp.misc
From: Rohed_Jon@macmail1.rtsg.mot.com
Subject: Dialup access to News & Email
Organization: Motorola, Inc
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 22:05:32 GMT

I would like to get access to News and E-mail through a dial-up service (other
than through GEnie, Prodigy, etc). I have heard of commercial dialup servers on
which one can get an account (paid for, of course) and get access to Usenet and
Internet, as well as an E-mail address. At work, I do not have any direct
connection to the outside world for FTPs or an E-mail server. 
Does anybody know any more about services which provide these type of
connections? 
Any information about this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Jon Rohed
From: rachna@cbnewsm.cb.att.com (anil.pal)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: 486 cross-development
Keywords: 486 cross-compilers embedded
Date: 6 Apr 92 19:38:01 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T

In the hope that there is at lease *one* person out there who has some
information, I am reposting a request I made a while ago.

I am looking for information on cross devlopment environments where the
host is a Sun sparc running SunOS 4.1.1 and the target is a 486 based board.
I am especially interested in integrated environments that include cross
compilers and symbolic debugging capabilties, both with In Circuit Emulators
and software based hardware simulators that would run on the sparc.  If you
have any information on such products, I would appreciate email at the
address below.

thanks

****************************************************************************
anil pal
anil@fuwutai.att.com
(201) 386 5414
****************************************************************************
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.sources.wanted,alt.sources.wanted,news.answers
From: aankrom@isis.cs.du.edu (Anthony Ankrom)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.periphs
Subject: ZOOM 2400 baud modem power?
Date: 15 Apr 92 01:09:23 GMT
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix (sponsored by U. of Denver Math/CS dept.)
Disclaimer1: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University of
Disclaimer2: Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
Disclaimer3: control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.


   I have a ZOOM Telephonics 2400 baud modem. The problem is, the modem
does not say what kind of power it requires on the back (or ANYwhere for
that matter.I THINK it takes a 13V AC wall transformer. It has a whole
bunch (13) of rectifier diodes right where the power comes in. I think
that indicates that it takes an AC power source, but I'm not absolutely
sure. Anybody have a ZOOM modem that could give me a clue? I hope it DOES
take a 13 VAC transformer because that's the cheapest one at Radio Shack...

ST. Anthony
From: speno@clam.rutgers.edu (John P. Speno)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Covert Mac Sound to SPARCs
Date: 8 Apr 92 18:38:48 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.


	I need to convert Mac sounds (system beems and SoundMaster files) to a Sun SPARC *.au format.  Does anyone know how to go about this?

Please respond via email to:
-- 
========================+======================================================
John P. Speno		| "If you lose a wager to the King of the Sea,	
Souless Student		|	you'll spend the rest of forever in the cage
speno@clam.rutgers.edu	|		with me." - Sting. The Soul Cages.
========================+======================================================
VOTE FOR REN & STIMPY -- THE HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY TICKET -- REN & STIMY IN '92!
Newsgroups: comp.misc
From: mrapple@quack.sac.ca.us (Nick Sayer)
Subject: History of assembly language?
Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: +1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest'.
Date: 17 Apr 1992 05:40:07 UTC

I have been watching "The Machine That Changed the World,"
In the second episode, they touched a little on high level
languages, but it got me to wondering about low level
language.

ENIAC didn't have a language, just a wiring plan. UNIVAC, though,
was, presumably, a stored program computer, which implies
a machine language. If that's true, then at least its first
program had at least to be hand assembled -- perhaps even
written in machine language. Later in the episode, a
piece of film was shown with a pair of programmers doing
what appeared to be either writing a complex piece of assembly
language, or hand assembling same.

So this gets me wondering:

1. What was the first modern assembly language?

1a. Did Countess Lovelace's notes include an assembly language, or
were her "programs" of a more mechanical ENIAC-like sort?

2. When was computerized assembly first done?

If I've missed something or made a grand leap of falacy,
please let me know.

PS - I loved the description of the IBM 650. Paraphrased:
"The only advantage it had over UNIVAC was the IBM sales
force." Some things never change.

-- 
Nick Sayer <mrapple@quack.sac.ca.us> | "Stimpy! Move your butt! It's a
N6QQQ @ N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NA       | higher mammal!"
37 19 49 N / 121 57 36 W             | 
+1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest'   | 	      -- Ren
From: kwh@cs.arizona.edu (Kirby Hughes)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: what is the file ~/.pnewsexpert ?
Date: 9 Apr 92 01:25:53 GMT
Followup-To: comp.unix.questions
Distribution: na
Organization: U of Arizona CS Dept, Tucson

That file is there to tell your newsreader that you have posted something
previously, so you don't get some long message telling you to read the
netetiquette FAQ in news.something.or.other every time you post.
The file just has to exist for this to work (it appears to be empty)...

Kirby Hughes
From: ekman@netcom.com (Crossly the Glad-Eyed Bear)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: what is the file ~/.pnewsexpert ?
Date: 9 Apr 92 02:10:44 GMT
Article-I.D.: netcom.wlrj8!_.ekman
Distribution: na
Organization: Home for the Terminally Infirm

In article <1992Apr8.202649.2025@sol.UVic.CA> jtice@fester.UVic.CA (Jason W. Tice) writes:
>I've been using RN with NNTP for just over a year now...
>I have a file, in my home directory called ~/.pnewsexpert
>but there is nothing in it.
>
>I've looked through the manuals, I've asked the administrators,
>I've run it through archie, and wais, trying to find out what I
>should put in this file....  I suspect its some sort of configuration
>file to automate things... or make it easier... but how?
>
>Does anyone know?
I'm sure that a lot of people know.  But for those who don't:

As best as I can determine, the file never has anything in it.  Its
existence is simply a flag.

The first time you run Pnews, the file doesn't exist.  You get extensive
instructions to guide you through Pnews the first time, and the file is
created.  Thereafter, as long as you don't delete the file, the
instructions are more terse.
-- 
Crossly the Glad-Eyed Bear              ekman@netcom.com
Home for the Terminally Infirm, Redwood City, California
Newsgroups: comp.misc
From: rfpfeifl@watcgl.waterloo.edu (Ron Pfeifle)
Subject: optical mice
Organization: Computer Graphics Laboratory, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 15:24:42 GMT

Does anyone know of an optical mouse manufacturer in North America
(telephone number)?  I already know that Mouse Systems makes them.  Know of
anyone else?  (please e-mail to rfpfeifle@watcgl.uwaterloo.ca).

Thanks
Ron

Newsgroups: comp.misc
From: crpresto@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu (Charlie Preston)
Subject: PC-Hooker
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 1992 18:51:50 GMT
Organization: Illinois State University

I have a copy of PC-Hooker which allows files to be copied from one machine to
another via a null modem cable.  It also allows one machine to control another.
This is supposed to be public domain software.  I don't find any reference in
the files concerning the author, support, etc.  I'm looking for an upgrade (if
it exists) or a program with similar functionality to work over modems.
Thanks in advance.

Chas
Newsgroups: comp.misc,alt.foklore.computers
From: bwatson@isis.cs.du.edu (bruce watson)
Subject: Changes in computer performance - Ken Knight
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 92 20:00:43 GMT

I have the Sept 1966 article listing the performance of 225 computers
known at the time by Dr. Knight and the follow up article of Jan 1968
extending the list to 310. Has he continued this effort with additional
follow ups? And is there an FAQ with a list of every electronic digital
computer ever built?
From: mbb@cbnewsb.cb.att.com (martin.brilliant)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Smiley faces
Date: 8 Apr 92 15:32:38 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T

From article <18677@ravel.udel.edu>, by gdtltr@ravel.udel.edu (Gary D. Duzan):
> In article <1992Apr8.015300.10522@mcs.kent.edu> dmcclory@Chaos.mcs.kent.edu (Daniel McClory) writes:
> .....
>    There was a blurb on smilies in Newsweek a month or two ago, and there
> exists a complete (?) list of smilies on the net, so I don't think they
> can be considered too obscure.

Sorry.  If the use or interpretation of smiley faces requires a list
that's so long, hard-to-get, hard-to-maintain, or hard-to-verify that
you're not sure it's complete, it must be obscure.

				:-)

							Marty
marty@hoqaa.att.com		hoqaa!marty
Martin B. Brilliant		(Winnertech Corporation)	
Xref: sparky comp.misc:1823 comp.org.sug:290 comp.org.usrgroup:10
From: vaccaro@novavax.UUCP (N. Trafford Vaccaro)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,comp.org.sug,comp.org.usrgroup
Subject: NACCB, DPMA
Keywords: associations, memberships
Date: 6 Apr 92 15:48:43 GMT
Article-I.D.: novavax.3597
Distribution: usa
Organization: Nova University, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Hello,


Has anyone ever heard of the National Association of Computer Consultant
Businesses? They sent me some membership info, and for a$35 fee, I, too,
can be a member of NACCB, (That is, an "associate" member).

Why in the world would they want my SS number?

Also, does anyone belong to the DPMA, and if so, are there many (or any)
advantages to joining such an organization?

Thanks in advance.




Nick
Newsgroups: comp.misc
From: eigenstr@nyssa.cs.rose-hulman.edu (Todd R. Eigenschink)
Subject: Re: what is the file ~/.pnewsexpert ?
Followup-To: comp.misc
Organization: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 21:47:30 GMT

In article <1992Apr8.202649.2025@sol.UVic.CA> jtice@fester.UVic.CA (Jason W. Tice) writes:

   I've been using RN with NNTP for just over a year now...
   I have a file, in my home directory called ~/.pnewsexpert
   but there is nothing in it.

   I've looked through the manuals, I've asked the administrators,
   I've run it through archie, and wais, trying to find out what I
   should put in this file....  I suspect its some sort of configuration
   file to automate things... or make it easier... but how?

   Does anyone know?

   jtice@nero.uvic.ca
   -- 
   I am not who you seem to think I'm claiming you think I am.

   "It was a strange Position to see yellow"  --David Hume
							   jtice@nero.uvic.ca



It's just a file that Pnews creates to let itself know that you've run
it more than once, and you don't need all the introductory messages.
If you remove the file, the next time you run Pnews (or followup from
rn, which runs Pnews), you'll get something like:

	I see you've never used this version of Pnews before.  I will
	give you extra help this first time through, but then you must
	remember what you learned.  If you don't understand any
	question, type h and a CR (carriage return) for help.

	etc.

And then the next time you run it, you'll notice that the
~/.pnewsexpert file will be back, and you won't get those messages.

The contents of the file (nothing, obviously) aren't important--it's
just the existence of the file that Pnews looks for.

--
Todd Eigenschink (eigenstr@CS.Rose-Hulman.Edu)
Assistant System Manager, News Administrator
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN
"G++ is to C++ as Turbo Pascal is to Pascal--it's a great compiler,
 but for a language other than C++."  -- Fred Sullivan
From: mmcguire@Bonnie.ICS.UCI.EDU
Subject: FTP Mac to UNIX and back
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Date: 10 Apr 92 01:13:33 GMT


  Instead of having to bring everything by disk from one mac net to another
unreachable net, I thought I would try to transfer to my Sun account from
one mac and get it back from my sun account in another mac lab.  This would be
very helpful for me, since I can therefore use my sun account as a backup for
my mac files (ethernet is quite quick).  The only problem is that I do not know
how to send a file and still get it back intact.  Text files remain readable,
but nothing else works.  Can someone tell me the solution to my problem, if
there is one.

thanx

mike
From: nickh@CS.CMU.EDU (Nick Haines)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: functions & return values (was Re: Reinventing the wheel)
Date: 14 Apr 92 20:47:19 GMT
Followup-To: comp.misc
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Originator: nickh@VOILA.VENARI.CS.CMU.EDU

In article <MJD.92Apr14135347@saul.cis.upenn.edu> mjd@saul.cis.upenn.edu (Not James E. Pommersheim in disguise) writes:
   In article <1992Apr14.154725.9397@cs.unca.edu> mcmahan@cs.unca.edu (Scott McMahan -- Genesis mailing list owner) writes:
   >   Functions that return more than one value!?
   >   That's terrible -- why would anyone *want* to do this? If it needs to
   >   return more than one value, it would be a lot easier to implement 
   >   and understand it if you just passed them in as parameters.

       I don't agree; I think that's just because you're used to C, which
   does things a certain way.  The only difference between a function which
   returns multiple values and function which returns a structure or an
   array is a matter of language semantics, and surely returning a
   structure (which C can do) is reasonable?

   [UNIX system call example]

       To take a simpler example, imagine a function whose parameters are
   the coeffeicients of a quadratic equation, and which returns the two
   roots.  Sure, if you were using C, you could define a special struct
   root_pair that has members for two roots, and return that, but that
   obscures what you're really doing.  

In SML, you would do:

	val (x1, x2) = solve_quadratic (a,b,c)

(probably). There's no way that this is better written:

	solve_quadratic(a,b,c,x1,x2)

---as far as the reader of this code is concerned, you could be
passing things in or out in any of those arguments. You've lost vital
code information. Also, the compiler can't analyse this in such a
sophisticated way (inlining etc) without knowing the definition of
solve_quadratic. In SML, variables (ref cells) are _expensive_. You
_want_ to do everything through non-mutable values if you can (if only
because next year's compilers, and next decade's garbage collection
techniques, will be much more efficient with this sort of data).

Of course, once you get through the syntactic sugar, the semantics of
all SML functions are `take one argument, return one result'. But the
optimizer can break that rule, only `building' argument/result tuples
in registers etc.

Nick Haines nickh@cs.cmu.edu
From: ecsgrt@latrobe.edu.au (Geoffrey Tobin)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Who drives where (who cares ?): was Re: .edu, .ca, .au = ?
Date: 7 Apr 92 07:40:06 GMT
Organization: La Trobe University

In article <1992Apr6.083514.8315@dde.dk> ct@dde.dk (Claus Tondering) writes:

>They obviously have given little thought to why it is called
>the "right" side. :-)

>Claus Tondering
>Dansk Data Elektronik A/S, Herlev, Denmark
>E-mail: ct@dde.dk

Claus has provoked me too far in his frivolous abuse of language.
If we're to discuss technical matters, let's use Latin or Greek,
shall we, not my own beautiful, native language of English?

In Latin, "dexter" != (".ne." or "<>" to taste) "rect-".
And don't mention =;-) the French abuse of "gauche", as that language
community is well-known for its biased use of logically symmetric
terms.  ("Table" has a gender?  How silly!  A hundred women in the company
of one man are "ils", not "elles"?  Preposterous!)

Except in low comedy, the question is not whether a pun can be made,
but whether we tell the truth.

I trust my meaning is clear.
<|:-|

gt
--
Sorry about that.  =:-(  =:-)
From: gdtltr@ravel.udel.edu (Gary D. Duzan)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Smiley faces
Keywords: Smiley face hatred
Date: 8 Apr 92 11:16:40 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Your Organization Could Be Here!

In article <1992Apr8.015300.10522@mcs.kent.edu> dmcclory@Chaos.mcs.kent.edu (Daniel McClory) writes:
=>Smiley faces must be killed.
=>
=>Semi-seriously, I find the use of smiley faces annoying, particularly 
=>obscure ones.  It seems to be sort of like the use of secret handshakes
=>among members of a society.
=>
   There was a blurb on smilies in Newsweek a month or two ago, and there
exists a complete (?) list of smilies on the net, so I don't think they
can be considered too obscure.

                                        Gary Duzan
                                        Time  Lord
                                    Third Regeneration



-- 
                              duzan@cis.udel.edu
   _o_                        ------------------                          _o_
 [|o o|]        Virtual Reality? No thanks, I've already got one.       [|o o|]
  |_o_|        Disclaimer: I have no idea what I am talking about.       |_o_|
Newsgroups: comp.misc
From: dmcclory@Chaos.mcs.kent.edu (Daniel McClory)
Subject: Re: Smiley faces
Summary: Nukify smiley faces!
Keywords: Smiley face hatred
Organization: Kent State University
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 01:53:00 GMT

Smiley faces must be killed.

Semi-seriously, I find the use of smiley faces annoying, particularly 
obscure ones.  It seems to be sort of like the use of secret handshakes
among members of a society.

If you want to be clear, state your views in words - if you want to confuse
and annoy, use some form of strange symbology that many readers are not
familiar with.


-- 
          Daniel McClory               
	  Kent State University
From: 31chalasani@gw.wmich.edu
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Request for 1-800- numbers
Date: 15 Apr 92 14:08:48 EST
Organization: Western Michigan University

Hi Everybody,

	I have been collecting the telephone numbers of software/hardware
companies, especially for techinical assistance. In the next article on 
the net, I have collected a list of some of the sw/hw companies. Many of
these numbers have been provided by users of the net

	I shall be maintaining a list for each kind of computer ie: PC, Mac,
Unix,..etc. So irrespective  of the machine, if you know the number for tech.
support for a particular software or hardware product, send me their number 
(even if it is not a 1-800- number), if possible in the following format. I 
will keep posting the updated versions at regular intervals.

____________	________	______ 	________	_______
Company name	Software	Number	Hardware	Remarks
____________	________	______	________	_______


	Thanks is advance to all the people who will take the time and pain
to make a good enough list.

Srikanth Chalasani
Western Michigan University.
Kalamazoo, MI 49007.


e-mail : VAX/VMS	: 31chalasani@gw.wmich.edu
			  90chalasani@gw.wmich.edu
	 Unix		: chalasan@cs.wmich.edu
Newsgroups: comp.misc