10/27/91 7:58:40 PM Opening "AED.10.27.91" for recording. AFL Gayle : OK. Well, we've got a nice, intimate crowd here, so we will get started. As AFL Gayle : always, we have one free hour to give away to the person who says the secret Panda4 : To tell you the truth, Gayle, I'm not real crazy about sports! Pest II : Hi Ronald AFL Gayle : word. The word has to be said in context AND you have to stay until the end Ronald 338: HI PEST II AFC Tooter: Yeah, Andy!!! A sane person in the crowd. AFL Gayle : of the chat to be eligible. Pest II : Neither am I Panda AFL Gayle : Welcome, Ronald! :) AFL Gayle : I am not either, Andy! I'm very much NOT a fan. AFL Gayle : We're not formal around here, Ronald. Just Gayle. :){S Welcome} AFC Tooter: Hi Ronald. Welcome MaryEz : ScrapBookUSA has given me an interest in this particular world series AFL Gayle : Yes, Mary. The Trickum "choppers" have been very vivid. ;) AFC Tooter: Be sure to write to Sunshine, Mary. AFL Gayle : Ronald, in ScrapBook, USA, we have several strong "contingents" from both Pest II : ARe you using a II+ Ronald? Just wondering about the all CAPS messages AFL Gayle : MN and from the Atlanta area; both groups rabid for their teams. AFL Gayle : OK. Tonight our topic is FrEdMail. I'll be both hostessing and the guest. AFL Gayle : FrEdMail is a networked bulletin board system for educators. There are a Pest II : I went to an ACE (Association of Computer Educators) conference yesterday AFL Gayle : variety of 23 states and countries represented on FrEdMail. FrEdMail also has RichLandry: Which are the best magazines to read about educational sw? AFL Gayle : support here right in our own Direct Connect. FrEdMail was begun by Al Rogers, AFL Gayle : who lives in San Diego, CA. It has grown to an international network that even AFC Tooter: Welcome, Rich. AFL Gayle is just giving intro remarks for a chat on FrEdMail. AFL Gayle : interfaces with Internet and CompuServe. AFL Gayle : To find out more about FrEdMail after the chat, check out the library in our AFL Gayle : Direct Connect. You will find a list of the boards available across the country AFL Gayle : and the world. Now with that introduction, I'll open the floor for questions.:) AFL Gayle : Remember, you have to talk to be eligible to win a free hour. :) Negotiator: Toot, You see me every school day Panda4 : Gayle does it cost anything for FrEdMail? AFL Gayle : Andy, all it costs is a phone call to the nearest local node. For some, that AFL Gayle : would involve paying one of the Baby Bells for a long distance call. MaryEz : Can you access KIDS92 through FrEdMail without joining SciLink and Scinet? AFL Gayle : Unfortunately, Georgia is not one of the states that has a FrEdMail yet, AFL Gayle : Andy. Panda4 : I am still in Alabama:) AFL Gayle : Yes, Mary, if the node that you call carries the Internet board that carries AFL Gayle : Kidsnet. Some do; some don't. AFL Gayle : Oh. Well, it's not there, either, Andy. Sorry. MaryEz : How do I find that out? AFL Gayle : Welcome, Ragen! Glad you decided to join us. ;) AWoods : what does FrEdMail run on? is it software, or a subscription service? AFL Gayle : ::Checking map, Mary:: RichLandry: Can you search the system for members who use IBMs vs. Apple? RagenT : whew....that is some magnet you have Gayle;) Panda4 : It would be if I had anything to do with it! AFL Gayle : Mary, New Haven has a node, but it is not listed as carrying Kidsnet. AFL Gayle : Rich, which system does your question refer to, America Online or FrEdMail? RichLandry: FrEdMail! AFL Gayle : FrEdMail runs on an Apple // of some variety, AWoods, but any computer that AFL Gayle : has terminal software can access it. AFC Tooter: Gayle, I have a question. How difficult is it to make the links with distant places? What do you have Panda4 : Hi Ragen! AFL Gayle : Rich, no, type of computer is not yet in the member directory of FrEdMail, but AFC Tooter: to do to get your mail delievered to a distant spot. Procedure? AFL Gayle : you can post a message in the News section asking for other computer users AFL Gayle : like yours. And some FrEdMails have sections devoted to particular computers, AFL Gayle : i.e. Apple // or Mac. AFC Tooter: If you're asking me, either. AFL Gayle : TooT, the procedure for linking to distant places is first to get the map that AFL Gayle : is in the library. You have to have a person on the other end to write to, AFL Gayle : although you can just address it to the SYSOP. Then it's just a matter of AFL Gayle : following the paths from your FrEdMail node to the person you are writing to. AFL Gayle : FrEdMails are programmed to call up other FrEdMails in the early morning hours. RichLandry: Thanks, Gayle. I'm wondering how to reach educators interested in multimedia. Can I do that on FrEdMai AFC Tooter: Can you explain what you mean by "following the paths"? AFL Gayle : Your letter would go to the first node in the link; then that link would pass AFL Gayle : it to the next, etc. AFL Gayle : OK. Hang on, Rich, while I get TooT's question. AFL Gayle : OK, TooT. Here is an example. Say I am a user on the Oakland system in CA. AFL Gayle : I wanted to write to somebody at the Charlotte node in NC. I would address AFL Gayle : my mail this way: AFL Gayle : SNLNDRO!SDCOE!BLADEN!ANSON!CHARLOT!TROTH` AFL Gayle : (Ignore that \ that slipped in at the end.) AFL Gayle : What that does is Oakland is directly connected to SNLNDRO. SNLNDRO passes MaryEz : I have never understood what all that means, that's why I like AOL!! Panda4 : So your telling each node where to send the mail? AFL Gayle : the mail on to SDCOE (Al Rogers' flagship FrEdMail.) Then SDCOE sends it to AFL Gayle : Bladen (my node) when we call them. Then we call Anson (in NC) and pass the AFC Tooter: Does all that really work? Does it work efficiently? How long does it take to get your mail there? AFL Gayle : letter on. Anson calls Charlot and drops the mail in Ted's box to read the AFL Gayle : next morning. AFL Gayle : TooT, normally, it can get there overnight. Sometimes, one of the nodes will AFL Gayle : be down and delay it. AFL Gayle : Yes, it's efficient, and I can do all of that for the cost of a local AFL Gayle : telephone call. The nodes pick up the small long distance call. (It would Panda4 : I used something like that to send some letters to some guys in the Persian gulf. AFL Gayle : take less than a minute to send your letter.) MaryEz : So if I am within the New Haven area I can use it for no charges? AFL Gayle : Right. You have the key, TooT. AFL Gayle : Right, Mary. AFL Gayle : If you can call 203-777-5008 for a nontoll call, you can sign up. RagenT : How do I find out if I am in a local area? AFC Tooter: How about trans-oceanic connections. Who makes the big call? AFL Gayle : You download the map that's in the Direct Connect/FrEdMail Software Library AFL Gayle : here in AED, Ragen. RagenT : OK, I know where it is. AFL Gayle : (Or you ask me who tells you there is no local node in MA. :( AFC Tooter: How about trans-oceanic connections. Who makes the big call? AFL Gayle : OK, Ted. To your transatlantic call in a minute. First, we have the AFL Gayle : multi-media question from Rich. RagenT : I think I have heard that before. AFC Tooter: OK AFL Gayle : Rich, normally you would just post a general message in the &News section, AFL Gayle : saying you were looking for people interested in MultiMedia. The News, Ideas AFL Gayle : (for teacher projects), Kidwire (for students' writings), and Hilites (records AFL Gayle : of past projects) are echoed to every FrEdMail system. AFL Gayle : Also, if you had a specific project in mind, Rich, you could do something like AFL Gayle : the SYSOP from Winston-Salem did last year during the Gulf War crisis. He put AFL Gayle : a note on Ideas asking anyone who was interested in helping create a Hyper- AFL Gayle : Studio stack to tell him which subject area they would cover and he would AFL Gayle : combine it all. AFL Gayle : Does that answer your question, Rich? RichLandry: Thanks. Is there a mailing list of FrEdMail users? AFL Gayle : Not a mailing list, per se. Each BBS has its list of users. Generally, you AFL Gayle : just post a general call, and individual users across the network who are AFL Gayle : interested write back to you. Sort of like you can do here on the AO Let's AFL Gayle : Discuss message boards. AFL Gayle : Now, to the Transatlantic call, Ted. AFC Tooter: Listening. AFL Gayle : There is a 9600 baud Unix computer in Canada that is part of the network. MaryEz : Me, too! AFL Gayle : That node takes care of the feeds to the university Bitnet mailing lists. AFL Gayle : That node pays the overseas bill. AFL Gayle : The SYSOP modified his software to interface with FrEdMail. AFC Tooter: Nice of them. I take it that the nodes are really a bunch of local BBS's? AFL Gayle : There are also a couple of modified GBBS boards in the system. AFL Gayle : Sort of, yes, Ted. Usually grouped within a state. AFC Tooter: GBBS???? AFL Gayle : GBBS is another BBS software that runs on Apple //s AFL Gayle : Bladen is the hub for NC, for example. Within that hub, we have nodes in AFL Gayle : 26 other locations. MaryEz : So in theory I should be able to TC with any member country for free since I have a local node? AFL Gayle : Some of them are sub-hubs to us and feed the other nodes, such as the example AFC Tooter: hubba hubba. AFL Gayle : I gave you where Bladen passed the email to Anson, who passed it to Charlot. AFL Gayle : Right, Mary, but you'd have to be able to find a person in that country who AFL Gayle : wanted to connect with you. I've seen connections with Japan and USSR go AFL Gayle : through the network. Panda4 : Can you get to FrEdMail through Bitnet? AFL Gayle : Yes. AFC Tooter: Gayle, do you have any info on when AO is likely to acquire a gateway to Europe? AFL Gayle : Andy, with the map are examples of how to interface with other FrEdMail nodes, AFL Gayle : as well as other networks. RagenT : Toot, I can see your gears grinding...international scrapping:) AFL Gayle : TooT, I haven't heard anything about a gateway to Europe. Right now, sad to Panda4 : Thansk Gayle! AFL Gayle : say, AO is more bound to the earth than CIS and GEnie. The other 2 (and AFL Gayle : FrEdMail) all connect to Bitnet already. AFC Tooter: The rumor mill has it set for this year, Gayle. Just wanted to know what you heard. AFL Gayle : You've heard more rumors than I have, Ted. I'd better get in your rumor circles. ;) AFL Gayle : Hmm... correction on GEnie. I thought it connected, but my FrEdMail map says MaryEz : AOL is holding us back : ( AFC Tooter: This year = within 12 months. MaryEz : Tooter and I are raring to go!! AFL Gayle : it doesn't. Neither does Prodigy or Learning Link or Vernon's NYCENet. MaryEz : I would really rather use just on TC package> MaryEz : on = one AFL Gayle : All I can say, Mary and TooT, is AO is WELL aware of the need. Believe me, the AFC Tooter: And it better be this one ;) AFL Gayle : AFLs keep badgering them for it. AFL Gayle : We don't like it when CIS can do something we can't. Panda4 : Hi Nimnal! Nimnal : Hi everyone MaryEz : We are waiting impatiently to get around the world in 8 minutes;) Panda4 : Nimnal, Gayle is telling us about FrEdMail. AFL Gayle : Hi, Nimnal! Nimnal : Does anyone here know QB? I have a question about chaining exe files AFL Gayle : Well, the question hopper is empty. Keep those questions coming. :) AFL Gayle : What is QB, Nimnal? Sounds like an MS-DOS program? Nimnal : Quick Basic V4.5 MaryEz : Are there any projects equivalent to ScrapBookUSA on the FrEdMail boards? AFL Gayle : Nimnal, I don't see anyone in any of the MS-DOS rooms right now. Sorry. :( Nimnal : When I chain one program to the other, I can't get the cursur to AFL Gayle : This is an Apple // Room. You're sort of out of our league. Panda4 : :) RichLandry: Gayle, at the start of the chat you mentioned where we can read more about FrEdMail. Can you repeat? Nimnal : I quess I am lost Sorry AFL Gayle : Rich, If you exit this chat room (NOT now :) you will be at the main AED menu. AFL Gayle : In that menu, you will see Direct Connect. Choose Direct Connect. Then chooseYour mail has been sent AFL Gayle : the FrEdMail Foundation. Then choose the library. (It sounds more complicated AFL Gayle : than it really is.) RichLandry: Thanks. I'm still here :) AFL Gayle : The top file in the library is the latest map of the FrEdMail system. AFL Gayle : There are also other files in there that tell you more about projects on AFL Gayle : FrEd and the software that it runs on, etc. MaryEz : Is FrEdMail in the public domain? AFL Gayle : No, Mary. AFL Gayle : The software costs (I think) $75.00 now. There is also a yearly registration AFL Gayle : fee that each node pays to belong (somewhere around $150 per year.) AFC Tooter: You need special ware for FrEdmail? AFL Gayle : For you to access FrEdMail, no, any telecomm program will access it. AFL Gayle : To run FrEdMail as a BBS, you would need some variety of an Apple // and a AFL Gayle : hard drive, and obviously, a modem and phone line. :) AFL Gayle : Let's see. I didn't answer Mary's question about projects. AFL Gayle : Hmm... she's left, but I'll answer it for the rest of you. :) AFC Tooter: Mary has disappeared suddenly. AFL Gayle : At any rate, there are no "formal" projects, such as ScrapBook. However, Your mail has been sent AFL Gayle : several projects are run each year by various nodes. Basically, a person will MaryEz : Sorry, got bumped:( AFL Gayle : put out a call for participants. Those who are interested will correspond with AFL Gayle : the person offering the project. Usually, they will create a special section AFL Gayle : of email, so that all participants of the project get any email related to the AFL Gayle : project. There have been newsletters done collectively; in NC, we do an annual AFL Gayle : weather project in the spring. MaryEz : Is it as easily done as ScrapBookUSA? AFL Gayle : There were letters to the soldiers in the war last year. MaryEz : For everybody but Tooter, that is! AFL Gayle : Mary, it's a matter of learning how to make your software send a file. AFL Gayle : FrEdMail has a lot of help online and isn't difficult to use, but no where AFL Gayle : near the ease of AO. AFL Gayle : It has a line editor, similar to CIS and GEnie. AFL Gayle : Attaching a file can be done via xmodem or a straight text file transfer. AFL Gayle : One nice thing for people sending Apple // files. Like AO, FrEdMail will AFL Gayle : retain the filetype (i.e. an AppleWorks spreadsheet file) if you send it by AFL Gayle : ProDOS xmodem rather than just xmodem. MaryEz : You may have answered my earlier question when I got bumped. Is FrEdMail in the public domain?Your mail has been sent AFL Gayle : Yes, I answered it. No, it is not. It costs (I think) $75.00 for the software AFL Gayle : to run the BBS. There is also an annual subscription fee for the node, of, AFC Tooter: But you said any software would access it. AFL Gayle : I think, $150.) (These have all changed recently.) AFL Gayle : TooT, YOU can access any FrEdMail node with your software, but what files AFL Gayle : you are able to access may depend upon your computer. For example, sometimes a MaryEz : Then it would be costly to use after all. AFL Gayle : GS file is posted. You could access it with your Mac, but it would be useless. AFL Gayle : FrEdMail supports any packed file, so Mackers can send files to each other. Panda4 : Only if run a BBS, Ragen. Panda4 : Mary I'm sorry. AFL Gayle : Mary, it would be somewhat costly if you ran the BBS, yes, but not terribly AFL Gayle : costly, considering the international links you can get. AFL Gayle : In our state, the state dept. funds some of our phone bill, since we're a AFL Gayle : rural area.Your mail has been sent MaryEz : I have to keep my expenses under $15 per month:( MaryEz : at school, that is. AFL Gayle : Well, you could call another node, but you would have to call a local one for AFL Gayle : it not to be costly. RagenT : Why doesn't MA have a local connection...could it be because they need someone AFL Gayle : That's why we began FrEdMail in our county. We can all call the county office RagenT : to run a board? AFL Gayle : for a local call, although we can't call all of the other schools for a local AFL Gayle : call. For any of us to use any other telecomm service would involve a long AFL Gayle : distance call to Telenet/Tymnet, plus connect charges. However, the BOE can AFL Gayle : offer us FrEdMail for "free" for the schools. AFL Gayle : Ragen, because no one has decided to buy the software and set up a board in MA. AFL Gayle : Simple as that. AFL Gayle : NC didn't have any about 3 years ago. Now we're the second largest (in number AFL Gayle : of nodes) in the country. Upload aborted at user's request AFL Gayle : Welcome, Kenneth. We're discussing FrEdMail BBS. RagenT : Hum. Who usually sets up boards? School systems? Teachers? State ed depts? AFL Gayle : One thing different about FrEdMail from other BBSes, is it is specifically setYour mail has been sent AFL Gayle : up for projects among teachers and correspondence for students. Others are AFL Gayle : welcome, but the focus is education. MaryEz : Watch it, Ragen! I feel a volunteering coming on!! RagenT : Slapping myself out of it! AFL Gayle : Usually a BOE, Ragen. Sometimes a high school will run a node. AFL Gayle : Our state dept. has a node. AFL Gayle : Also, in one case, one of the regional computer clubs for teachers runs a node. AFL Gayle : There are a few at universities in CA and IL. AFL Gayle : Oh, and I forgot. NC just had 2 universities come online, too. :) Panda4 : Sounds like NC is really into FrEMail! MaryEz : Oops, we've lost Gayle now. What's happening tonight? AFC Tooter: Oh, no. She's got the secret word with her!!!!! Panda4 : OH NO! AFC Tooter: Don't anyone leave this room! Panda4 : Shell'l be back:) MaryEz : Lock the doors!! Panda4 : LOL! AFC Tooter: Well, that's probably a bit too extreme. RagenT : When the cat leaves the mice will play. AFC Tooter: But there should be a winner among you. Panda4 : reGayle:) RagenT : Welcome home! MaryEz : Aha! Here she is! AFC Tooter: mooo Couldn't find a cat noise. AFL Gayle : Grr... Kicked offline. :( AFC Tooter: We locked the doors while you were gone, Gayle. AFL Gayle : Well, it's time to announce our winner. MaryEz : I have to find my sounds,Tooter. Should I just put them in the sound folder? AFL Gayle : Andy is our winner tonight for saying the secret word, Bitnet! :) Panda4 : Toot wouldn't let anyone leave:) AFL Gayle : Applause AFC Tooter: Check the instructions I sent. MaryEz : {}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{} Panda4 : Thanks, I sure can use it!!!!! RagenT : Yeh, Andy! AFL Gayle : Next week, join AFC Tooter (and his food fight) and AFA Bard to discuss AFL Gayle : School to School Projects. (Guess you might be able to discuss ScrapBook, USA will be a topic of discussion. :) AFC Tooter: Gee , it's no fun all by myself! Panda4 : Absolutly! AFL Gayle : Thanks to all for winning! And thankfully, the Series will be over tonight one RagenT : That brought him back down to earth! School to School. AFL Gayle : way or another, so the wars in AED can end. ;) AFC Tooter: Thanks for a great chat, Gayle. Panda4 : Right now score is 0-0 just said it on the news. AFL Gayle : Thanks, Ted. :) AFL Gayle : Uh oh. May be a LONG night for partying Bard. ;) AFC Tooter: Got to run to do work. I'll send the log to you and to Bard before I leave. Panda4 : :) RagenT : Gayle, very informative...nighty night. 10/27/91 9:04:41 PM Closing file.