Electronic Information Exchange

                      By Larry Jordan


If you are interested in turning your PC into an information
exchange machine when you are not using it for other
applications, you have five choices.  You can buy one of three
commercially available packages; you can obtain a public domain
Remote Bulletin Board System (RBBS) by downloading it from this
system or you can write your own software.  The three
commercially available packages are HOSTCOMM, SPS-BBS and Remote
Access; Wes Merchant can set up a group purchase on any of these
packages if enough people are interested.  Summary descriptions
of the packages are provided below.


Package name: HOSTCOMM          List price: $179 (utilities are extra)

Software Type: Personal Host    Vendor: N.F. Systems
                                        P.O. Box 76363
                                        Atlanta, GA 30358
Summary Description:

This package supports messages sent from a caller to the SYSOP
and from the SYSOP to General Mail or a specific caller.
HOSTCOMM is password controlled for access to directories of
software that can be downloaded or uploaded, but it only allows
ASCII files to be uploaded to or downloaded from the system.  The
software allows the SYSOP to set up three special purpose
programs that can be run from a remote terminal; access to these
programs is also password controlled.  Programs that can be run
remotely are limited to TTY line-at-a-time types that do not use
full memory mapped screens.  Electronic mail and order taking
special purpose remote operation programs are available from the
same vendor.


Package name: SPS-BBS             List Price: $99.95

Software type: Bulletin Board     Vendor: Small People Software
                                          P.O. Box 732
                                          College Park, MD 20740
Summary Description:

This is a message based bulletin board system that allows callers
to send messages to other callers or retrieve messages from other
callers.  The software also allows callers to download software
from the system or upload software to the system, but it only
supports the sending or receiving of ASCII files. SPS-BBS is a
program originally written on a Radio Shack TRS 80 and was not
adequately revised for operation on an IBM PC.  For example, it
sends many ASCII control characters out the communications port
that confuse users by cluttering up messages.


Package name: Remote Access      List price: $50 ($79 Full Screen)

Software type: Remote access     Vendor: Custom Software
                                         P.O. Box 1005
                                         Bedford, TX 76021
Summary Description:

This package was written specifically for the IBM PC, and allows
a caller, through password control, to run the PC from a remote
terminal. It comes in two versions: one for operation from a
remote dumb terminal and one for operation from another IBM PC.
The dumb terminal version only allows the remote operation of TTY
line-at-a-time software such as dBase II or the BASIC Compiler.
The PC full screen version allows remote operation of both
TTY software and memory mapped software such as Wordstar or
VisiCalc.  Remote Access also supports limited electronic mail --
the user can leave a message for the SYSOP or the SYSOP can leave
messages for specific callers (essentially the same as HOSTCOMM).
Remote Access also allows both ASCII and binary file transfer;
the binary file transfer is done using the XMODEM protocol.


The public domain RBBS comes in many varieties depending on who
took a cut at improving it last.  One version that Jim Fry, Scott
Loftesness, Gary Horwith, Rich Schinnell, Dorn Sticle and I have
"improved" is available for download on my system, but you should
be warned that this system may contain bugs.  It does support
XON/XOFF communication speed-matching, XMODEM file transfer, 1200
baud, auto-paramter detection/switch, and electronic mail, but it
is written in interpreter BASIC.  As new improved versions of
RBBS come available, they will be placed on my system for you to
download and use.

The final option of writing your own electronic information
exchange software is not recommended unless you have a lot of
free time and many friends who will call it to help work out the
bugs.  Actually, I am surprised that software houses have not
jumped on the electronic information bandwagon with host and
bulletin board systems, but most of them have chosen to develop
smart terminal software instead because of the greater sales
potential.  I think they are short sighted.  As PC's proliferate
there will be a big market for good host software.




potential.  I think they are short sighted.  As P