Notes from the Server

Notes from the Server



Author: Stephen Kayner, SMUGgler's Administrator

Date: May, 1994

Keywords: SMUGgler's BBS modem bureaucracy SMUG

Text:
"A Mac without a modem is like a bird without wings."
     The last month brought considerable growth to the online community
that is SMUGgler's. We went from having a trio of 235MB hard drives, to
having one mondo giga-byte drive. It's fast, quiet, and so far it's
been crash-free! On Thursday, April 14, two more lines were added. The
tangle of wires behind the server continues to build.
     Now that we have six high-speed lanes into SMUGgler's, I think
much of the busy signal problem has been taken care of. I'd like to
thank the nearly 30 members who made generous contributions to make the
expansion possible. Monday nights have become our busiest time, and the
turnover with six lines means that there is almost always a line
available. We recorded more than 200 logins on several dates after the
addition of the new lines.
     On Sunday, April 17, we upgraded the FirstClass server software to
version 2.5. This caused some minor problems, but most of that seems to
have been worked out. Some users still report difficulty with getting
aliases of their settings files to work, and having the control palette
to stay open from session to session. The new client software is
available on SMUGgler's, and as always, is free.
     Casey will have the various software (FirstClass Client, Acrobat,
Disinfectant) at the meetings and the Pizza Jubilee's. Bring formatted
diskettes to get your copies, or pay $1 each to Casey. Oliver Johnson
has volunteered to mail diskettes (for a nominal fee) to members who
don't want to spend online time downloading large files like the
Acrobat and FirstClass software. Contact Oliver for pricing and
availability.
     Two new conferences have been added to SMUGgler's: Code Talkers,
and Legal Means. Code Talkers was established for the exchange of ideas
among programmer types, and Legal Means is for the discussion of the
burning (or smoldering) legal issues of our time.
     Two other conferences went the way of the woolly mammoth: Fair
Wages, and BMUG Int'l. Fair Wages was a local conference that had
ceased to be an item of interest. BMUG Int'l., a OneNet conference, was
pulled because Steve Costa, President of BMUG, decided to cut and run
rather than fight the continuing accusations of censorship and other
criticisms.
     Just this morning I got word of another new member, who brings us
to 187. We had one membership lapse last month, and there were only
nine new members added to the ranks during April. From September
through March, we had an average of over 20 new members per month.
     We have not actively promoted SMUG for at least four months, and
it seems to me that it is time to start again. I started posting SMUG
flyers around Arcata and Eureka on April 30th. If you know of a
location that uses Macintosh computers, let us know so we can get the
good word of SMUG to them.
     A great idea for promoting SMUG was announced by Casey Meaden, and
we are now in the planning stages of hosting a computer swap meet. This
will be open to the public, and we intend to invite other user groups
to participate. No date or place has been set yet, but keep your eyes
open on SMUGgler's for the news. Volunteers for this effort should
announce their availability online or at the next meeting. Ideas are
still being accepted.
     On April 28th, a TCETP meeting was held at the Humboldt County
Office of Education. 23 people attended, representing 14 schools and 9
interested organizations. Bylaws for TCETP were approved, and ideas for
the UGCAP and future grant proposals were discussed. Joyce Farruggia
brought a host of good ideas to the table, and offers the support of
the AAUW (American Association of University Women) to the TCETP
effort.
     I'd like to thank Paul Reinauer for his continuing support in the
way of a great selection of new files for Mac users. He has offered a
good variety, and large quantity. I never have time enough to look at
all the material he has provided. As of this writing, there are 138
items in the New Mac Files conference that are less than 10 days old.
Thanks Paul!
     We are still offering the modem loaner program to our members who
have not tried SMUGgler's BBS. If you don't feel comfortable with the
idea of installing the hardware or software, we will make house calls
to see that you get set up with a minimum of distress. It is our goal
to get all SMUG members online. SMUGgler's has a great deal to offer.
You should be online. Won't you let us help you? For details call Steve
at 445-3454, or Casey at 442-3520.
     See you online!
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