Putting together a handbook which provides information on a variety of subjects requires the input and skills of many people. The membership of the Huntsville Macintosh Users Group is a talented group of people. Everyone did their part by creating products, researching, typing, lending support when required, and even editing.

I will not try to mention all the names here; however, I salute all the dedicated members who have provided input to this manual. I especially would like to thank the Washington Apple Pi, Ltd., for their electronic files which provided the basis for some of this handbook.

Welcome Letter from the President of HMUG

Dear New Member:

Welcome! Over the years, HMUG has helped many computer users to get more from their equipment. Yet an important objective has always been the individual. You matter. I think you will find when you reach out to try some of HMUG’s services that help is there for you. Our members are quite varied. They range from the very young to retired. They include ‘hackers’ and business people, men and women. Our members are blue collar, white collar and T-shirted. We like to think of ourselves as a family organization, offering many things to our diverse membership.

HMUG can help you in numerous ways, many of which are discussed in this Handbook. Among the most important are our: reference library, monthly formal and informal meetings (with question and answer sessions and interesting, informative speakers), monthly Newsletter filled with how-to articles and product reviews, volunteer experts in a host of areas, and an extensive Public Domain Software Library. Plus, we have an affiliated electronic Bulletin Board. Any or all of these may help you get more from your computer.

HMUG is dedicated to the distribution of information about the Macintosh. Our meetings are organized to provide members a forum to exchange information and ideas and to promote better use, understanding and interest in Macintosh computer arts and science. The exchange of information among HMUG members is normally conducted in an informal forum. Presentations or demonstrations on subjects of interest or new products are included in every meeting agenda. To this end, our club has established several programs to enhance the exchange of information.

As you may know, we are basically a volunteer organization dedicated to helping one another and our community to learn about personal computers. While there are some activities that require technical skills, other simply require a little time and patience. If you want to help, call another member. If you give a little of your time, you will probably get more out of being a member. Regardless of whether you become a very active member or simply enjoy reading the Newsletter every month, welcome. We are glad to have you!

The main activity of HMUG is biweekly meetings on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Our formal business meeting is held at the Huntsville Public Library on the second Saturday. The informal meeting is held at BDM International Inc., 950 Explorer Boulevard, Cummings Research Park (West), Huntsville. Meetings are scheduled from 10 to 12 noon.

To gain the most from the club, members and guests are encouraged to express freely their concerns and ideas on observations, experiences, or problems which may impact on their use of the Macintosh. Comments are also solicited on club program and events. Like anything, to get the most out of it you must get personally involved and make your requirements and desires known. The club is always looking for ways to improve our programs. If you have an area of special interest you would like to share with the Group, please feel free to bring it to our attention and get on the agenda to present it to the club. HMUG is dedicated to serve you the member, and this can only be accomplished if you actively participate in your club.

Most Sincerely,

George Leach, President

I. • About HMUG

This Handbook has been produced to familiarize new members of the Huntsville Macintosh Users Group (HMUG) with the many activities that go on within the organization. Services, meeting dates and locations, procedures, etc., may have changed since the printing of this guide. Please watch your monthly Newsletter for updated information. If you ever have questions about how a service works, who is doing what, or when it’s being done, please call one of the officers for more details.

Interested Macintosh users are encouraged to come to our HMUG meetings to see how our club operates and participate in our program before joining. We know once you have seen what we can offer, you will be hooked like the rest of us.

How to join HMUG: People can join or renew their membership in the Huntsville Macintosh User’s Group by coming to one of our meetings and paying directly, or by sending a check to the treasurer. See the other bulletins for information on meeting times and places.

To Join the Huntsville MUG by mail - send $20 ($22 for family membership) to:

Amy Shelton

103 Scarlet Oak Circle

Harvest, AL 35749

Include your name, address, and anything else that you think will help us serve you, such as machine type, level of expertise, and whether you’d be interested in helping out. This last item is important as the User’s Group consists solely of volunteers helping others, and we can always use another volunteer.

You can also leave a message on the ‘General’ message base of the <TBD> BBS (select ‘M’ from the Main Menu, ‘G’ from the Public Message Area Menu, and ‘E’ from the Message Menu respectively). If you’d like more information on the <TBD> BBS operation or log-on procedures, see Section I.g, Telecommunications.

I.a. • Organization

HMUG is a non-profit, educational, and social organization for computer enthusiasts. This guide describes HMUG services, activities and organization. Success of the club depends on the volunteer efforts of its members in serving on committees, chairing Special Interest Groups, and helping out with club events.

HMUG offers many different ways for you to improve your understanding of how microcomputers work and how you can get the most out of your particular model. This section will briefly cover each of the services and activities HMUG presently offers. These services are now available to you, our fellow member. If you are in need of a service that is not listed here, or you believe that our membership services should be expanded, check with an officer of the club, the service may have started since this was written, or you may be able to assist in getting it going. We are always interested in the expanding needs of our members, and all of our activities depend on volunteers. If you would like to get a project started, or would like to lend a hand with an existing service, call us and get involved.

HMUG business is conducted according to the approved By-Laws which are periodically reviewed and updated. The HMUG Bylaws are included at the end of this guide.

Staff and Volunteers: All of the services offered to the members of HMUG are made possible by the committed efforts of many volunteers. For example:

• The Disk Librarian, along with many volunteer helpers, is responsible for collecting, categorizing, cataloging and duplication of Public Domain and Shareware software programs.

• The Editor with the assistance of several others is responsible for monitoring all aspects of the Newsletter.

• The � Ambassador is our interface with Apple ® and the Macintosh User Group community and their many services and publications.

I.b. • Officers and Volunteers

The HMUG Executive Committee consists of five elected officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Programs, supported by appointed volunteers. The current officers and principal volunteers are:

Elected Officers

President:................ George Leach

Vice President:......... Bob Doehrman

Secretary:................ Lee Jones

Treasurer:................ Amy Shelton

Programs:................ John Celestian

............................... Jackie Dannenberg

Appointed Officers

Membership:............ Amy Shelton

Librarians:............... Lipmon Moy

............................... Bob Doehrman

............................... George Leach

Newsletter:............... Ann Houser

Publisher:................ ( Vacant )

Publicity:................. Gloria Guay

Apple Ambassador:.. Frank Baird

Election of officers is by secret ballot from a slate presented by a Nominating Committee and/or nominations from the floor by the general membership. Per the Huntsville Macintosh User’s Group Bylaws, elections are held in February. Nominees must be willing to serve in the capacity or the name is withdrawn.

Duties of the Officers

The president appoints all committees and is an ex-officio member of all committees.

The vice-president performs in the absence or disability of the president, and when so acting shall have all the powers of, and be subject to the restrictions on, the president.

The secretary keeps minutes of all membership and executive officer meetings. He maintains a file of all official correspondence of the HMUG, conducts official correspondence of the Group and performs such other duties as may be designated by the Executive Committee.

The treasurer is responsible for financial records and accounts of HMUG. The treasurer keeps and maintains adequate and correct books of account showing the receipts and disbursements of HMUG with such depositories as are designated by the Executive Committee.

The programs officer is responsible for arranging for programs for the monthly formal meeting and announcing the planned program in the monthly newsletter.

Appointed Officers or Volunteers

The President appoints such volunteers as deemed necessary to support the normal functions and special activities of the Group. These appointed officers serve at the discretion of the Executive Committee for the term of their office or until completion of the activity. These appointed positions are:

• Membership Chairman

• Librarian (Software and Book Libraries)

• Newsletter

• Publisher

• Publicity

• Apple Ambassador

I.c. • HMUG Publications

The HMUG Newsletter

Who gets the Newsletter? All HMUG members receive the Newsletter. Copies of the Newsletter are available for interested non-members, if requested.

What is in the Newsletter?

• roster of elected and volunteer officers

• minutes from the last formal meeting

• advertisement rates

• vendor advertisements

• for sale items

• Apple Ambassador’s Report

• <TBD>BBS Report

• President’s Report

• articles from other Macintosh newsletter

• time, date, location of future meetings

When is the Newsletter published? Monthly.

Where is it distributed? The Newsletter is available for pick up at the formal or informal meeting closest to its print date. If members cannot attend the meeting, it is mailed to them.

Why is there a newsletter? The Newsletter is our primary means of distributing information to all HMUG members. It also serves as a hard copy record of the formal minutes of our meetings.

How is it produced? Input: Articles, ads, etc., must be submitted to the editor according to the schedule shown. Information can be delivered electronically (<TBD>BBS), by diskette, or by hard copy. The Newsletter is produced using PageMaker on a Macintosh SE. Output: The diskette containing the completed newsletter is given to the publisher who produces a laser hard copy. The “master” is used for reproduction.

How can I become involved in the newsletter? Contributions to the Newsletter are encouraged. All members are invited to submit articles. In other words, ANYONE can contribute!

The most popular service HMUG members enjoy is the monthly Newsletter. Each issue, which is provided to all members as a benefit of membership, contains pages devoted to a wide range of computer subjects.

Submitting Items for Publication: The editor solicits articles on any subject relating to computers: problems solved and those in need of solutions, reviews of hardware and software you have purchased and think others should buy or avoid and why, humorous articles, and articles on interesting applications you have discovered. You do not need to be an expert to write an article. Many of the best articles are written by novices who are sharing their frustrations and triumphs in getting the darned things to work in the first place.

Submitting an article for publication is very simple. The first step is to write one. Then submit the article on paper or on disk. Alternatively, you may be able to send your article to the Editor via the <TBD> bulletin board, or directly via modem. The Editor appreciates all articles in any format and encourages everyone to write something, no matter how short.

Classified Advertising: The Newsletter also contains a section where members can place classified advertisements.

Display Advertising: The Newsletter also publishes commercial advertising. Many advertisers offer special discounts or deals for HMUG members — read their ads carefully. When you patronize those businesses, be sure you let them know you saw their ad in the HMUG Newsletter. If you would like to run a display advertisement in the Newsletter, contact the Editor for more information.

Newsletter Distribution: The editors attempt to make distribution during a club meeting to help defray some postage costs.

Back Issues of the Newsletter: Limited numbers of back issues of the Newsletter are available from the Editor.

Other Publications

Member Handbook- HMUG offers a few other publications to serve its members. One of these is the Handbook, which you are now reading.

Membership Directory - HMUG also publishes a Membership Directory to help you stay in touch with each other. It lists the names, telephone numbers and cities (but not street addresses) of our members who have given permission to have this information published in the directory. The Directory is listed two ways, one is arranged alphabetically and the other is by zip code. We ask our members not to distribute this list to non-members or use it for commercial solicitations.

Macintosh Catalog Disk - At least once a year we publish a Macintosh Catalog Disk listing all the software available in our Macintosh disk library. The disk usually sells for around $1.00 (or you can copy it to your own disk) and includes an alphabetical list of all files, as well as descriptions of most of the files.

Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are set up, as needed, to cover specific topics, some are machine specific, some are program specific, and still others are industry specific. There is no additional charge to participate in a SIG, and you are welcome to attend as many SIG meetings as you would like. See the SIG Chairman for details on meeting times and more details.

I.d. • Meetings

The Huntsville Macintosh Users Group (HMUG) was formed to assist its members in getting the most out of their Mac. We do that by exchanging information and arranging demonstrations of new hardware and software at regularly scheduled meetings, and managing a large library of public domain software. These meetings also provide a channel for novice users to get their questions answered by more experienced MacUsers.

When HMUG Meets: The HMUG holds two scheduled meetings each month. The meeting on the 2nd Saturday (10 AM) is a formal business meeting, including a program, etc., while the 4th Saturday meeting is informal, consisting of swapping MacTips, exchanging public domain software (really! No commercial stuff!), and of course a program or demonstration. Often tutorials are presented at the meetings. Send a message to Frank Baird, George Leach, or Lee Jones if you’d like more information.

Where HMUG Meets: The HMUG meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 10 AM to 12 AM at the Huntsville public library. The informal meeting, held at BDM in West Research Park, also runs from 10 AM to 12 AM.

Second Saturday of the Month

Huntsville Public Library

915 Monroe St.

Fourth Saturday of the Month

BDM

Cummings Research Park West

To get to the informal meeting held at BDM, head west on Bradford Drive until it ends, then turn left (South) onto Explorer Blvd. Then take the first left into the BDM driveway. Bradford Drive is the new interchange on Rideout (South of University & North of Madison Pike). Many of you will want to get on Rideout to get to Bradford.

General Meeting: The largest of HMUG’s monthly meetings is the General Meeting, usually held on the second Saturday of each month. The focus of most General Meetings is a program that consists of a speaker or a panel discussion, then a free-form Questions and Answer session. For many members, the highlight of these meetings is the Q&A session. This session provides an opportunity to ask questions and exchange comments and ideas with a large cross section of users as well as professionals in the industry.

Most General Meetings follow this agenda:

Disk Sales

9:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Business Meeting

10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Flashes

10:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Macintosh Q&A Session

11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Scheduled Demonstration Program(s)

11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Occasionally, we alter the agenda of these meetings to accommodate a special presentation, such as when significant new products are introduced, when topics (such as music or games) are not computer-specific, or when nationally recognized figures come to speak.

The HMUG sponsors many different programs designed to serve the general and specific interests of the micro-computing community. Our program schedule is planned to coincide with the Club Officer’s term of office. Here was our proposed schedule for 1990, the actual schedule was adjusted to meet the needs of the guest speakers or special club activities. Both the formal and informal programs are shown.

July 14,1990 — Program Developers’ Workshop

July 28, 1990 — Games Demonstrations

July 28, 1990 — Flight Simulator Demonstration

August 11, 90 — Print Spoolers

August 25, 1990 — PostScript - What is it and why?

August 25, 1990 — QuickDraw - What is it and why?

August 25, 1990 — Type Align

September 8, 1990 — Import Data from IBM Clone

September 22, 1990 — Swap Shop

September 22, 1990 — Oracle Video

October 13, 1990 — Explanation of a Simple HyperCard Program

October 27, 1990 — Training Session

November 10, 1990 — Watch the Newsletter Go Together in PageMaker

November 24, 1990 — FileMaker File from MacDraw and Exel Data

December 8, 1990 — Graphics Tutorial and Demonstration

December 22, 1990 — No Meeting

January 12, 1991 — Preparations for IEEE Fair

January 26, 1991 — System 7.0 Features

February 23, 1991 — MIDI Demonstration

March 9, 1991 — My Favorite Desk Accessories

March 9, 1991 — HMUG Elections

March 23, 1991 — Voyager Demo

TBD — WINGZ Demonstration

If you’re like most new HMUG members, we can predict two things:

You’re going to be amazed at the amount of expertise that people in the club have about personal computers, and . . .

. . . yet it seems at times that those people speak an incomprehensible language not meant to be understood by ordinary humans.

The Question and Answer sessions at monthly HMUG meetings represent one of the most useful services members provide to each other. Some of the most knowledgeable computer users in the area — indeed, in the country—field questions from the audience on any computer-related subject. Occasionally even these experts are stumped, but there will often be someone in the audience who knows the answer to the questions or can direct you to someone who can answer it.

Coping with Techno-Speak

Welcome to Techno-speak. Every field has its own jargon; computers are one of the worst. We have included a glossary of computer terms in this Handbook, which we hope will help.

But just as a French phrase book is of little use in the middle of a Parisian traffic jam, a glossary of computer terms can be of only limited assistance when someone is trying to explain at a Mac Q&A session how the stack sniffer ROM keeps the application heap from colliding with the stack during a segment load.

There is an overwhelming tendency when faced with a difficult question to which one knows the answer—just to answer the question. This leads sometimes to forgetting to explain the answer in more comprehensible language.

This creates some difficulties for those not fluent in Techno-speak. There is another tendency many of us have, particularly when we are new to something—to be shy about asking a question. This is particularly so when we think that everyone around us knows the answer to the question. From periodic surveys of people who attend HMUG meetings, we know that roughly one-fourth of the people at the meeting have never attended more than two meetings before. Most of them are novices like yourself.

Accordingly, I ask this of you: If someone asks a question to which you would like to know the answer, and the answer sounds as if it was given Linear B, do not hesitate to ask the person answering to explain things in simpler terms. The odds are great that many others in the room would also like to have the answer explained.

I will hazard another prediction. The odds are that you will discover, more quickly than you may today imagine, that you are gradually picking up Techno-speak. Soon, you will be bandying about terms like CPU, Head Crash, Pseudo-Random Numbers and XMODEM. It will not be long after that before you move into advanced Techno-speak, using terms not even in our Glossary. At that point, you can come to the front of the auditorium and give us a hand!

I.e. • Library

The Huntsville Macintosh Users Group (HMUG) maintains a disk and book library for the use and benefit of the membership. The primary purposes of the library are to promote interest in Macintosh computer use, provide members means of trying new free-ware and shareware, and expanding knowledge and use of the Macintosh computer. Members are encouraged to check-out material or copy any disk at the meetings subject to the policies and procedures below.

Library Policy

Check-out of Disk Library, Books, Publications and Videos:

Eligibility

Current Membership

Location

Pickup and Return at HMUG Meetings

Period

Two Week Interval Between Meetings

Extensions

Approved If No One Is Waiting

Items Available in the Book Library

Books and Publications: These may not always be the latest edition and may not apply to the newer series Macintosh systems.

• Macintosh Complete (1984) by Merl Miller & Mary Myers — Introduction to the Macintosh and its capabilities - 119 pages

• Supermac (1985) by Danny Goodman — How to manage and use your MAC - 282 pages

• Macintosh Revealed (1985) by Stephen Chernikoff — Volume 1 - Unlocking the Toolbox - 516 pages — Volume 2 - Programming with the Toolbox - 625 pages

• Online (1984) by Steve Lambert — Discussion and examples of modem communications - 319 pages

• The Power User’s Manual (1986) by Randel Kottwitz — Hints, tips and shortcuts with extensive index - 162 pages

• 68000 Assembly Language Programming (1981) by Gary Kane — Programming and architecture of the MC68000 - 563 pages

• The Little Mac Book (1990) by Robin Williams — Informal guide for new Mac users - 104 pages

Information Catalogs and Product Directories: These are maintained for one year or until the new edition is published.

• ADAPlog — Information catalog for programmers and developers.

• DEVELOP with CD ROM Disk — Technical journal for programmers and developers.

• Macintosh Development Tools and Languages Guidebook — Summary of available development programs and applications.

• Apple Guide to Desktop Publishing — A summary of Apple products and third party hardware and software.

• Apple Guide to Networking and Communications Products — Discussion on protocols, environments, products and tools.

• Apple Vertical Market Product Directory — A catalog of third party programs and applications.

• Quick Connect — Apple newsletter for User Groups.

• Disk Library Catalog with STUFFIT Users Guide v1.5 — Includes an explanation of STUFFIT options.

Technical Support Publications

• Macintosh Technical Notes

• Sound Manager Notes

• Human Interface Notes

• Script Manager Notes

• Macintosh Sample Code Notes

• Tech Tidbits

Video Material

User Group Connection video tapes are available to any club member for review or copy. Tapes will be maintained for one year unless it covers special material of interest to the membership.

Personal Books and Publications

Club members have extensive libraries of personal books and publications which they may be willing to comment on or loan out for review. Members who have an area of special interest and would like to review selected publications to determine if they meet their needs can often find a member who has purchased the publication. These interests should be discussed at the club meetings for comments or availability to review before purchase.

Software Libraries

HMUG maintains an extensive collection of software available for members to copy or purchase at minimum expense. This provides members with a source to obtain inexpensive shareware and public domain applications and other files useful with your computer. This software includes a wide variety of utility programs, games and entertainment software, system software, demo programs and applications for review, educational programs and - most important of all - programs that members have written to serve their own needs but which often support the needs of others as well.

The Macintosh disks are organized by functional categories of programs including Utilities, Desk Accessories, Games, Clip Art, INITs & Cdevs, Miscellaneous, Sounds, and HyperCard Stackware. The majority of Macintosh programs are on 3.5" double sided 800K disks.

You can obtain copies of these disks by purchasing prerecorded disks or by copying to them to your own disk at the meetings. You can buy disks from the Treasurer.

A catalog is available which describes the programs available on disk and provides an alphabetized list of all files. The lists also include information such as file size and date. The catalogs are updated as time permits and new disks are added to the library.

Our software collection has grown to its present size by the continuing contributions of our members, and we welcome your donations. Prepare a disk with any programs that you wish to share with other members. Have you written a program to keep track of your kitchen recipes? We want it! Have you computerized your jogging logbook? We need it! We will also welcome programs typed from magazines, provided that the programs can be distributed without restriction. If you did not write the entire program yourself, please let us know its source. It is also helpful if you include a text file with documentation on the program’s use. You can submit your disks at the General Meeting to the Treasurer or Disk Librarian. You need not “fill up” a disk before you contribute it.

If you receive a defective disk, you may exchange it at no cost at the General Meetings. Defective disks are those which cannot be read by your computer or that do not contain the material described in the disk catalog. However, if you damage a disk due to carelessness (my dog ate it), we are not in a position to exchange it.

You may occasionally find some programs on our disks that do not work on your computer. This may be due to the configuration of your particular machine, the system software on your machine or due to an error that the software author has made. Apple published guidelines for software authors but they are not always followed and sometimes the guidelines are changed or added to in ways neither the author or Apple could have foreseen. In any event, the result may be a program that works on one configuration of machine or operating system and not others. We ask your forbearance as we can neither guarantee that programs will work or keep up with all the variations of configurations that exist. If you get a program that doesn’t seem to work, try running it with versions of the system software that are have a date similar to the date on the program.

Although every programmer attempts to write perfect programs, bugs tend to turn up when the public uses a program in ways that its author did not test. HMUG cannot guarantee the quality of its programs. We would appreciate reports of errors and any known fixes. Debugging someone else’s program is a great way to learn new programming techniques! We will try to contact the program’s author.

All User Groups are plagued by the problem of frequent updates to popular software. Sometimes you will see the same file name on several disks, but this is because we would rather err on the side of making sure you get the latest version. If you find that one version of an application does not work your Mac, try an earlier or later incarnation. (Having said that, we also caution you not to throw out old versions until you’re sure that the new version works to your satisfaction.)

Safe Computing: Don’t initially run untested programs from your hard disk; first boot from a floppy disk, unmount the hard disk and then run the new program. Check any and all new acquisitions with a current Anti-Virus utility prior to using them. Only when you are satisfied that the program does what it is supposed to and is well behaved, should you run it from your hard disk.

A final note: Always keep a backup copy of your application and data files since your files may be inadvertently damaged at any time; usually when you least expect it and usually involving your most important files. This is true using programs on public domain, shareware, or commercial disks Remember there are only two types of computer users; “those who have already lost data and those who will lose data.”

Shareware and Public Domain Programs: Programs on our disks are usually one of three types: public domain, copyrighted with restriction or “shareware.” Public domain software has been placed in the public domain — that is for use without any restriction —by the author. Users may freely copy the whole or any part without reservation. Software that is copyrighted with restriction may be free, but the author owns the program and reserves specific legal rights to the code and to the distribution. Shareware is a relatively new marketing device that permits you to try out software at your convenience for a reasonable period of time. At the end of the tryout period you are honor bound to pay the author the fee he or she requests—usually a nominal amount—if you are going to keep the product.

Shareware is not free! At the end of the trial period if you decide not to use the product (and not to pay anything), you are asked to destroy your copy of it or give it to someone else, making sure that the other person knows the shareware nature of the product. Shareware is a great alternative to high-priced commercial programs that you usually have to read about or test in a retail store for only a few minutes before you decide whether or not to purchase the product. HMUG supports the concept of shareware, and reminds you our obligation to “pay up if you keep it” after the stated trial period. All computer users have a vested interest in supporting developers who produce good shareware. This can only be done by sending your money to the person(s) who took the time and effort to produce a product that you find useful. Shareware deserves your support!

Copy Protected Software: Copy protected software is designed and distributed in a manner that prevents the software from being copied using standard means, such as Filer in ProDOS or Finder on the Macintosh. Software publishers use copy-protection to prevent unscrupulous users from giving copies to their friends. Unfortunately, copy protection also prevents legitimate users from storing the program on a hard disk, on RAM disks or makes it impossible to make legitimate copies for back-up purposes.

Probably the most effective deterrent to copying is the printed material and documentation that comes with each program. At times, some people will copy a program and then impose upon Hotline Volunteers to answer questions, the answers to which would be apparent from reading the documentation. Such deceptions are easily spotted. Hotline Volunteers will respond only to questions from legitimate owners. Please call our Hotline Volunteers only after consulting your documentation and if you are truly stumped.

In general, experienced users avoid using the original copy of any software. The original is too easily damaged, erased or accidentally destroyed. Under federal copyright law, a user may make a back-up or “archival” copy of software he or she owns. Virtually all publishers attempt to defeat this legal right to some extent by “licensing” the software to the purchaser instead of selling it. They package a license agreement in the shrink-wrapping of the package, and argue that tearing off the shrink-wrap (or using the program) constitutes acceptance of the terms of the license, whatever they might be. Some jurisdictions passed laws to make such shrink-wrap licenses binding on buyers, but at least one court has held that such laws are invalid.

Software Piracy: HMUG opposes software piracy. Software piracy is not only illegal, it is also self-defeating in the long run. Piracy encourages publishers to use cumbersome copy protection schemes that hurt legitimate users. Piracy also discourages future software development, to everyone’s loss.

One reason some people are tempted to copy software is to “try it out before buying it.” To address this need, HMUG has asked publishers to donate software to its Commercial Software Library. This software is then made available to our members for a test-drive.

As noted above, the lawful copying of software is, by definition, lawful, even if the software is copy-protected. A number of highly effective programs are available for copying copy-protected software on the Mac. For example, Copy II Mac will copy most Mac software. These products come with extensive instructions and product support. Supercopy is a shareware program that will also copy Mac software. Again, we note that the purpose of these programs is to make lawful copies of software that you own and not to permit you or anyone else to distribute copies to non-owners.

I.f. • The Hotline

One of the most important services HMUG offers is the Hotline. This is a list of volunteers who are available to help you with your problems and questions. If you need help with a specific program, a piece of hardware, a programming language or many other computer related problems, these kind souls have volunteered to try to help you out. The list of Hotline volunteers appears in your Newsletter each month. Phone numbers are generally home phones. Please observe any conditions listed by the name of each volunteer.

Because of the number of inquiries they receive, Hotline volunteers may decline to answer questions from non-members. Please identify yourself as an HMUG member when you call. Also, please do not call with questions about problems with a commercial product unless you have purchased that product. However, Hotline volunteers will gladly entertain reasonable questions about whether a product will do something to meet your needs even if you don’t own it. Many of the volunteers are constant and very enthusiastic users of the products about which they answer questions!

Using the Hotline:

It’s easy! Find the current list of Hotline Volunteers in the Sign-in Book at the club meetings. To use, simply locate the topic of the program or problem you are having. Then call the person listed under that heading.

If you would like to help your fellow members by answering questions on the Hotline, please volunteer by calling a club officer or entering your name in the Sign-in Book.

I.g. • Telecommunications

The <TBD> BBS is independent from the Huntsville Macintosh User’s Group (HMUG), and provides HMUG members a valuable service as outlined below at a reduced price. However, BBS users are not required to join the HMUG.

The BBS is now running Second Sight 2.1b10, which now has Zmodem support for downloads. Second Sight is the new name for Red Ryder Host (because of licensing problems) so users will not notice any significant changes other than the logoff message and the Zmodem option.

1 - File Transfers

One of the major reasons for a BBS, and by far the most used aspect of the system, is the capability to exchange software (S/W) over the phone. What do you, the BBS user, need to accomplish this feat? This bulletin will answer that question!

First, some background on file types and transfer methods: The BBS S/W supports four types of files: Macintosh applications, Mac documents, other applications and documents, and plain text files. So far this particular BBS has not included the third category, which it would if we supported an Apple II section. The first two categories can, for the purposes of file transfer, can be lumped together as ‘Mac files’ and will be discussed later.

This leaves text files. These files can be downloaded (DL’ed) in three ways: Xmodem CRC, Xmodem Checksum, and ASCII. Text files are the ONLY kind of file that can be DL’ed with a straight ASCII transfer. This means that the text characters are simply shipped across the telephone line as they occur within the file. If a noise burst changes one of the characters (like th{s) there is no way that your computer can detect it and either correct it or request a retransmission. However, you can both detect it (because ‘th{s’ is not an English word), and correct it (because ‘this’ is what you would expect in an English sentence with that context).

Before we get too far afield, any computer using a terminal emulator can save text to a file, which almost all decent emulators can do. (An emulator is a program that ‘transforms’ your computer into a terminal, by routing keystrokes from your keyboard to the modem, and by displaying characters from the modem on your display.) Applications and non-text documents (e.g., pictures) are much harder to transfer, because they are binary files. This means that each byte (the unit of information that is transferred over the phone line) can be any value from 0 to 255. Most of these bytes aren’t displayable and some mean special things to the communication protocol. All the bytes in a text file will be printable characters or <carriage return> or <line feed>, (i.e., values ranging from 32 to 127, and 13 and 10). Also, errors are more critical. If you DL a program and a noise burst changes a ‘65’ to an ‘85’, the program probably won’t work and you will be hard pressed to dig through a dump and figure out which value has changed.

For these reasons, the Xmodem protocol was developed (by Ward Christiansen). Each file is divided into 128-byte blocks which are sent one at a time, each with a checksum which is used to determine if errors occur during transmission. If errors occur, the receiver can request retransmission until the block is received correctly. There are also standards within the protocol that specify what to do if there is no transmission within a time limit, etc. Red Ryder Host (this BBS!) supports both Checksum and CRC.

Xmodems: Checksum is the ‘original’ and is more widely supported, whereas CRC has significantly better error detection capabilities. Use Xmodem/CRC if you can.

Most terminal emulators support one or both versions of Xmodem. Why then are people having trouble downloading files? Well, files on most computers are just streams of data associated with a name (a slight simplification). Mac files often include two data streams, the data ‘fork’ and the resource ‘fork’, as well as the file information such a Creator and File Type. The problem of transmitting Mac files and preserving this information was solved with the MacBinary protocol, which defines the data WITHIN the 128-byte blocks of Xmodem.

All Mac file transfers on this system are based in the MacBinary protocol, thus making file transfers over phone lines almost as simple as disk-to-disk transfers (though slower). To use download Mac files from this system, your terminal emulator must support MacBinary! Although older versions of some software do not, virtually all of the current versions do support it! This includes Red Ryder 8.0-10.3, MacTerminal 2.0, SmartCom II 2.2, and Microphone 1.0, (i.e., all of the ‘common’ terminal emulators.) FreeTerm is a *free* terminal emulator that supports MacBinary, though it won’t provide all the goodies that these others will. Do NOT buy a package that doesn’t support MacBinary, unless it has some special capabilities that you can’t live without (such as Tektronix graphics emulation).

To summarize: virtually any computer with a decent emulator can do text (ASCII) file captures, while only emulators supporting MacBinary and Xmodem can download Mac files correctly. There are several good reasons that this board will not use alternative protocols, so it is up to the user to get software that supports the standard.

2 - File Uploads

In order to keep duplicates off the BBS and to aid in the maintenance of the system, uploaders should try to follow the following guidelines:

Never upload commercial software.

Try to use StuffIt or an equivalent program to compress the files. This saves both disk space and DL time for everyone who DLs the file. One exception to this rule is GIF files, which are already compressed and don’t get significantly smaller after stuffing.

The actual file name (as seen at the Finder level) of the to-be-uploaded file should include the version. This greatly assists the SysOp in keeping track of what’s recent and what’s obsolete.

The BBS allows only 12 characters for the BBS file name. Use it wisely. An ‘.S’ can be used as shorthand for ‘.SIT’. I sometimes put the .Sit in the Version field.

Before uploading, use the G and S commands (in the Uploads menu) to search the All_Files and Uploads sections for duplicates. The name used for the upload may not be exactly the same, so use an uncommon fragment of the name. Using ‘BBS’ as a search key would list all files with ‘BBS’ in the name, including ‘HyperBBS’, ‘BBS Report’, ‘Huntsville BBSs’, and so on. For example, if you were about to UL Sound Master 1.5, you could search for Master, Sound, Snd, Mstr, etc. If you do find a possible match, check the version of the existing file. Don’t upload your file if the same version is already online. (If there are special circumstances, contact the SysOp and explain them after uploading.)

If your upload supersedes an older version that is online, send Email to the SysOp or leave a message in the ‘Files’ message base to indicate the old version should be deleted. (I try to catch these cases, but it helps to have reminders.)

Do not upload pornographic material. The standards here are roughly the same as commercial services such as GEnie, which means that R-Rated material is allowed and X-rated isn’t. Nudity is allowed, but sexual acts or anything extremely suggestive are not.

Unless you are well-known to the SysOp, any ULed files will not be available for DL immediately until I take a look at them, which may be a day or two. Feel free to send me a reminder but don’t get upset if you don’t see it immediately.

All files are uploaded to a special section. I will move the file to the proper section after it is checked. Users may DL from this section, but be aware that the files may be viral, obscene, or just a waste of time. Therefore, do so at your own risk!

3 - File Downloads

The TBD BBS has numerous file sections, which is a collection of files. The ‘primary’ file sections are organized by type of file, such as applications, utilities, Mac II files, communications files, DAs, and so on. The exact categories may change over time as the BBS evolves, but the basic concept stays the same. There are intrinsic problems in deciding where a given file should go. For example, should a HyperCard-based adventure game go into the HyperCard section or the Games section? Does a terminal emulator DA belong in the DAs or the Communications section? In short, you may have to try a couple of different locations. Only BBS members (i.e., those that support the BBS financially) have DL access to these files.

All of the files within the ‘primary’ sections are collected into a single ‘All Files’ section. When using the Search command to look for a file, this is the place to go, since files in any of the primary sections can be located. Again, only BBS members have DL access, but all BBS users can browse.

The ‘Going’ section contains files that are being purged, usually because they’ve been on-line a long time and the space is needed for newer files. All BBS users have DL access to these files.

Apple System and Developers files are on-line as well, but are NOT included in the All Files section, for legal/licensing reasons. All users have access after agreeing to Apple’s license.

Some of the Apple files may be a tad large to DL in the allowable time. BBS members have from 75-95 minutes, but other validated users only have 45. You can use the ‘More Time’ option between midnight and 3 AM to get up to 180 minutes of connect time.

All BBS user may upload a file to the HMUG newsletter by using the ‘N’ command at the top file menu. Only BBS members may DL from this section.

The ‘L - New-files since Library Update’ command is not really meaningful due to poor coordination between the HMUG library and the BBS. The intent was to list all files that are not yet in the HMUG library.

The ‘Uploads’ section is a holding area for new uploads.Use at your own risk.

The Private file section is an area for users to send files to each other. Details are included in a help file under that menu, but the process will entail an UL followed by a message to the recipient giving the name of the file. Only users who are told the name will be able to DL. All files will be deleted in 10 days.

Finally, there is a special section for RRHost Utils support. Eventually current versions of my utilities will be there, and users may UL problem files if they think they’ve found a bug.

4 - StuffIt (.sit) and Packit (.pit)

Many files here have suffixes of either ‘.pit’ (Packit) or ‘.sit’ (StuffIt). To transform these files into something usable, you will need to unpack or unstuff the file. Both Unstuffit (free) or StuffIt (shareware, and worth every dime) will do the job on everything but encrypted Packed files.

Both programs are used to pack several files into a single file, and to compress the files into a denser package. This saves storage space for infrequently used files, and, more important, reduces the time required to transfer the file across phone lines. By combining several files into a single entity, uploaders can ensure that anyone who downloads a file will get all the necessary parts. For example, an application might be packed with documentation and one or more examples.

Packit was first on the scene and quickly became essential to anyone who downloaded Mac files, as most were ‘Packit’ed. StuffIt is a more recent arrival, but has superseded Packit because it is faster, provided random access to the files contained within a Stuffed archive, and provides better compression resulting in smaller output files. I have actually compressed a 340K+ file down to 47K. StuffIt also provides the capability to unpack ‘PackIt’ files.

StuffIt is shareware and may be used to Stuff files. UnstuffIt is free but can only unstuff files that you have downloaded from another system. Both files are available on the <TBD> BBS or the HMUG Disk Library.