Archie is a program which lets you search for specific software programs and other files that are available via Anonymous FTP on The Internet. Archie is usually available on most Unix systems and on various and sundry other systems. In general, to use archie, you type ARCHIE filename where "filename" is the name of the thing you're looking for. For example, to find a source for the PKZip program, you can type ARCHIE PKZIP.
To find out if your system has archie, you should speak with the person who runs your system. Also, try looking at the archie help files. If your system does not have an archie client (program) available on it, you can telnet to archie.ans.net. Login as archie and follow the instructions.
Telnet is a program which allows you to log onto a remote computer from your local computer. The catch is that both of your computers must by on an ethernet style network such as The Internet and both must be running telnet software. If this is true, you can log onto one computer from another (assuming you have authorization to use both computers) even if the two computers are thousands of miles apart. To find out if your system has telnet access, ask your local system administrator. The general form of the telnet command is: TELNET hostname where "hostname" is the name of the remote computer you wish to use.
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is used to transfer files from one computer to another connected over a network. For exmple, if you have an account on a machine and would like to get or put your file there, then you would type FTP hostname where "hostname" is the name of the host with which you wish to transfer files and at the password prompt, type in your password and then type "get file" to obtain a file and "put file" to transfer a file there. Typing ftp without the address of the machine would go into its command mode and have a "ftp>" prompt. To get help at that prompt type "?".
Note that the ftp service is often used in conjunction with archie to locate and copy public domain software programs via The Internet. You will also see the term "anymous ftp" often. An anonymous ftp server is a system which lets anyone with Internet access to get files off it without having an account on that system. You just log in as userid anonymous and use your E-mail address as your password. Thousands of public domain software packages are available via anonymous ftp for just about any hardware platform in existence.
Note that another collection of electronic discussion groups is called Listserv. Usenet and Listserv work very differently. For more information on Listserv refer to question 7 in this faq file.
Mail routing is normally done for 1 hour each day. Thus, it sometimes takes quite a while for messages to travel long distances. But, the system is pretty cheap, so many BBSes are starting to offer it. You may become a "point" off of your local fidonet BBS by just asking the sysop. When you're a point, you can receive mail directed to you personally (like having your own internet/bitnet address). Until then, you can just read the echoes, which are basically just discussion groups under Fidonet.
To send mail from the Internet you need the Fidonet zone, area and node Check my signature file below notice that format for fidonet mail. If you want to mail to someone you need that number on the lesft which you then translate to the format on the right.........Good luck!
* Fidonet: 1:273/203 Joe.Johnston@f203.n273.z1.fidonet.org *
For anyone interested in FidoNet, there is a whole subdirectory called FIDO in the MSDOS directory on SIMTEL20, containing extensive information, including explanation of FidoNet, guide for its nodes, latest Fido BBS, and gateways between FidoNet and Internet (Text files), in addition to programs and utilities (Binary files).
To get these files, either FTP to WSMR-SIMTEL20.Army.Mil (192.88.110.20) or send e-mail (with no subject) directly to:
BITNET: LISTSERV@NDSUVM1 or LISTSERV@RPIECS Internet: LISTSERV@VM1.NODAK.EDU or LISTSERV@VM.ECS.RPI.EDU
In the body of the mail message write the command:
/PDGET format PD:
prompt% tar -xvf name.tar
to extract the files from the tar file. The option x is for
extraction, v is for verbose and f is for file name (rather than
a tape device). If you need more detailed information do a man
tar.
Note that other types of files are briefly explained in question
15.
Compuserve:
To send an E-mail message to someone who has a Compuserve
account from the internet, you should just type mail
account_number@compuserve.com at the prompt. For example, if you
know that the account # is 12345,6789 then
there address would be 12345.6789@compuserve.com.
would do. Note that on The Internet, the comma in Compuserve
addresses must be replaced with a period. To access Compuserve
through the internet, telnet to hermes.merit.edu and type
Compuserve at the prompt. There is a fee for this internet
access which gets added to your Compuserve bill.
MCIMAIL:
MCIMail is a private service which allows you to receive and send
mail via The Internet. For info about MCIMail, call
1-800-444-6245. To send an E-mail message to someone on
MCIMail use userid@mcimail.com where "userid" is the name of
the recipient's MCIMail account. Send E-mail to
postmaster@mcimail.com if you need to find out the name of someone
there.
Prodigy:
Prodigy is the name of another private service, which amongst
other things, lets you exchange mail with Internet users. To send
E-mail to a Prodigy user, use the address form of userid@prodigy.com.
America On-Line
Is yet another popular private service. Like the ones mentioned
above, it has lots of stuff of interest to many people, including
the ability to send and receive mail via The Internet. To send
someone on America On-Line an E-mail message, use the form of the
address as userid@aol.com
Note to people who are thinking of participating in one of
these services. Many computer stores sell kits for starting
accounts on these services. The kits often cost around $30 US or
so. Quite often, if you're resourceful, you can avoid these
startup kit prices and still get on the service of your
choice. The trick is to realize that many modems come with free
startup kits for most of these services. They're the same ones
you pay for separately in the stores. If you know someone who
has just bought a modem, ask that person for his or her start up
kit if the person's not going to use it. Also, most of these
services will send you a free kit of you respond to one of
their advertisements which appear in most of the popular
computer magazines available at many bookstores.
Almost anyone can access Listserv lists. Some lists, due to
nature of the topics that they cover, are restricted access, and
a prospective subscriber must apply for access. Listservs are
handled via the BITnet links. Internet users can access Listservs
via various gateways.
There are a number of commands you can send to Listserv which
will give you information about Listservs. To review Listserv
commands send E-mail to listserv@vm.temple.edu or to
listserv@templevm. In the body of your mail type:
GET LISTSERV REFCARD
Listserv will send you a reference card of its commands. Pay
particular attention to the LIST command which is how you get
information about lists.
Note that listserv@vm.temple.edu and listserv@templevm are the
same computer. The computer at Temple which runs Listserv happens
to be on both the BITnet and Internet networks. As a result,
each account on this system has two addresses.
Listserv@vm.temple.edu is Temple's Internet address for
Listserv.
Listserv@templevm is Temple's BITnet address for the same Listserv.
Note that most Listservs are alike so you can send the same
commands to any Listserver, not just Temple's.
You can obtain a list of the Help-Net available archive files by
sending an "INDEX HELP-NET" command to LISTSERV@TEMPLEVM.
These files can then be retrieved by means of a "GET HELP-NET
filetype" command, or using the database search facilities of
Listserv. Send an "INFO DATABASE" command for more information
on the latter.
More information on LIstserv's commands is available in
the "General Introduction Guide", which you can retrieve by
sending an "INFO GENINTRO" command to LISTSERV@TEMPLEVM or
LISTSERV@VM.TEMPLE.EDU.
send usenet-addresses/
where name is the name of the person you
are looking for. The name can be a full name, first and last name, or
last name only.
You can also search the Newsgroups on-line for a name via DejaNews
You can also try the Internet Address finder:
Try OKRA the net.citizen Directory Help Service
Look into InfoSeek's E-Mail Address's option
Try the WhoWhere? PeopleSearch
Try Four11 at http://www.Four11.com
Try Masha Boitchouk's finding an e-mail address page
You can try a whois server.
This will return a listing of all people with that name and their
e-mail address.
To find out how the whois server works you can send mail to the same
address but with the following lines in the body of the note.
/help
/end
Another Whois server:
send e-mail To: whois@infomania.com.
Subject <your friends name>
leave the message area blank
and another Whois server:
send e-mail to mailserv@ds.internic.net, leave subj. blank and
in the message body type: whois "your friend's name".
You can also telnet to the main Whois server:
Also try Yahoo's reference to white pages
http://www.yahoo.com/Reference/White_Pages/
You also can send an E-mail to listserv@vm.temple.edu, and the following
one line in the BODY of the note. GET FINDING PEOPLE F=MAIL
If all these methods fail, you can also try the White pages of telephone
books to search for their home or business address.
Try the Switchboard at http://www.switchboard.com/
the nationwide residential and business directory
Use Netscape... under its Directory menu is the Internet White
Pages, and within that is 4 different search engines.
Last but not least, if you wish to pay (ugh??):
Thanx to Gerald E. Boyd gboyd@netcom.com
To add a signature automatically to outgoing mail in CMS,
use the mail feature. When you type mail, you will get into a
screen which has the options menu on the title bar. In the
"Options" menu, choose "send" and then "settings" and change
the "Signature?" option to "automatic", and the "Signature
File" option to the name of your signature file.
Gopher is a distributed document delivery service. It works via
The Internet. If you have only BITnet, you can't use Gopher. It
allows a neophyte user to access various types of data residing on
multiple hosts in a seamless fashion. This is accomplished by
presenting the user a hierarchical arrangement of documents and
by using a client-server communications model. The Internet
Gopher Server accepts simple queries, and responds by sending
the client a document. Gophers frequently include such services
as archive ftp searches, on-line books through project gutenberg,
News and Phone directories of many universities as well as
pictures, public domain software, current weather conditions and
hordes of other stuff.
"Zen and the Art of
the Internet, A beginners guide", 2nd
edition, ISBN 0-13-010778-6, by Brendan Kehoe, is available
from Computer Literacy in California for $22 US (softbound)
"Nysernet: New Users Guide to Useful and Unique Resources on the
Internet." This book is also in the $25,00 range.
The
Internet Companion by Tracy LaQuey Copyright 1994 OBS (Online
BookStore) by FreeRange Media Inc. $19.95US
The Big Dummies Guide to
the Internet Adam Gaffin and Jörg Heitkötter
Copyright
1994 (I don't know if you can still pay for this, but I'm sure they'll
accept money)
WebWeek
Boardwatch
Magazine
Computer Underground Digest
Matrix News
"Netmonth."
These are typical file extensions for files often retrieved via
ftp.
For jobs in Higher Education, probably the best source is the
Chronical of Higher Education. These folks have a Gopher server
too. Its in the USA list and its well worth looking at.
UUNET:
UUNET is basically the collection of hosts which connect the
internet via modem connections and UUCP software. Its a poor mans
internet. Often Usenet news is transferred to some sites via UUCP.
5) What are *.tar files and what can we do with
them ?
*.tar files are tape archive files that are in an archived format
to be stored on tape or some other medium. They allow one to
store may files, directories and subdirectories in just one file.
Usually they are compressed *.tar.Z and one has to first
uncompress (using %uncompress
6) What about private computer services?
7) What is Listserv?
Basically speaking, Listserv is a network of electronic
discussion groups. These groups are called "lists" because whenever
someone who participates in a particular discussion sends an E-
mail message to the group, that message is then distributed via
E-mail to the "list" of subscribers.
8) How can I find someone's e-mail
address?
If the person has ever sent mail to a Usenet group, you can try
the following: Send mail To: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu and the
following one line in the BODY of the note.
http://www.dejanews.com/
http://www.iaf.net/
(option to include yourself)
http://okra.ucr.edu/okra/
(option to include yourself)
http://www2.infoseek.com/
http://www.whowhere.com/
Four11 White Page Directory
(includes the old LookuUP! Directory)
(option to include yourself)
http://sunsite.oit.unc.edu/~masha/
(Great!!! links to other search methods - especially colleges)
Send mail To: mailserv@internic.net
Subject: whois <name> where "name" is the person you are looking for.
The name can be a full name, first and last name, or last name only.
Telnet to ds.internic.net,
At the promt, Type whois "your friend's name"
You can try Find A Friend
http://www.ais.net/findafriend/
9) What are gif files and how can I view
them?
GIF stands for Graphic Interchange Format. Compuserve developed
this format for graphics files so that its many clients with
all sorts of different computers can look at various pictures.
Gif is a way to store files in a binary format that can be read
on most of today's computers. In order to view these pictures, you
can either get a gif viewing utility for pc's or view them using
xv,xgif,xloadimage on X-stations. Some word processing programs
and desk top publishing programs can also open GIF files. Many
Gopher servers store gif files. Pictures of NASA space shots,
weather maps, people, places, etc. are available via Gopher as
well as anonymous ftp from many sources. When you transfer gif
files via ftp or Kermit or whatever, you must treat them as binary
files. In addition, there are some other propular graphics file
formats such as JPEG and PICT. Each requires a specific program to
read them, but these are usually in the public domain.
10) How can you add "signatures" to your mail?
If you are using elm mailer on unix systems, then all you have to
is put your signature in a .signature file using a text editor
and your .elmrc file so that the parameters "localsignature" and
remote "signature" are set to the right files.
11) What are gopher, irc ?
IRC is an full-screen interface to the internet relay chat
system. It lets people talk to others around the world who
are on the internet through specialized interest groups.
12) Useful Books:
The
Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog, by Ed Krol, O'Reilly and
Associates. Order direct by calling 800-998-9938. (About $25.00)
You
can contact them by:
Fax: 408-435-1823
Email: info@clbooks.com
US Mail:
2590 North 1st Street
San Jose, CA
95131
111 College Place
Syracuse, NY
13244-4100
Attn: Joyce Vandenberg
1001 G Street NW
Suite 950
Washington DC, 200001
USA
Useful Periodicals:
Internet World
Both online and in paper, this is an excellent magazine. Information about paper subscriptions can be found on the web site. http://www.internetworld.com/
Also from MecklerMedia, WebWeek is more in the form of a news paper than Iworld is. Free paper subscriptions if you fill out a HUGE form. http://www.webweek.com/
(5970 S. Vivian St., Littleton, CO 80127 -
editorial; 7586 West Jewell Ave, Suite 200, Lakewood, CO
80232 - subscription) Subscriptions: 1-800-933-6038; subscribe
online at 303-973-4222, monthly, $36/year. Good coverage of
bulletin board systems; some coverage of Internet. Internet (ed.):
jack.richard@boardwatch.com
"An open forum
dedicated to
sharing information among computerists and to the presentation and debate
of diverse views." Very good articles on a variety of
subjects. Issues posted in Usenet's alt.society.cu- digest
newsgroup.
(Suite 500, 701 Brazos, Austin, TX
78701-3243),
monthly, $30/year ($20 for students; $40 overseas). Voice:
512-329-1087, FAX: 512-327-1274, Email: mids@tic.com
Emphasizes Internet information, policy-oriented.
This is "the independent guide to
Bitnet." It
is an electronic monthly magazine. To subscribe, send email to
LISTSERV@MARIST.BITNET and in the body, type SUBSCRIBE NETMONTH
Your_real-name, replacing Your_real_name by your name--not your
userid or account name.
13) What do various file extensions mean? (Written by
Scott Ehrlich)
Extention -
Utility for uncompression -
.zip Requires PKUnzip
.arj Requires ARJ
.lha Requires LHArc
.Z Requires UNIX
uncompress
.tar Requires TAR
.hqx Binary -> Hexadecimal text converted file.
Requires BINHEX or
Stuffit to convert back to binary
.sit Requires Stuffit
.cpt Requires Stuffit
or Compact Pro
.sea Self-extracting
(Self Extracting Archive)
.bqs Compressed BASIC language program.
Requires Unsqueeze.
.gz Requires GNU gunzip
.taz Requires UNIX
uncompress then gunzip
.zoo Requires Zoo
.arc Requires PKxarc or
PKunpak
14) Finding job sources via The Internet.
There are several Usenet newsgroups where jobs are both
advertised and where job seekers can post resumes. These
groups are mostly found in the miscellaneous hierarchy. A few
other hierarchies might have jobs groups too. As far as I know,
there are no Listserv groups of this nature. If I am wrong, please
let me know.
15) How can I read Usenet via E-mail?
Usenet can be read at http://WWW.Reference.COM/ or using their e-mail service.
To use the service by e-mail, you'll need to send request messages to
email-queries@Reference.com. Commands (search, output formatting, etc.) are
placed in the body of the mail message, followed by an optional END used to prevent
the processing of signatures. The subject field of the message is ignored. Each message is a
request to the service. Each request consists of a number of commands. Each command must
start with a new line with no leading spaces. Continuation lines begin with a space or a tab. All
commands are case-insensitive. Unless otherwise specified, requests are associated with the
return address of the user message. Service replies and deliveries will be sent to that address. More info can be obtained by sending the message "help" to the queries address listed above.
How can I post to Usenet via e-mail?
To post to, say, alt.tv.animaniacs, replace the periods with hyphens and
send to that @cs.utexas.edu So it would look like
alt-tv-animaniacs@cs.utexas.edu
The UTexas service is just that, a
service, and it's not as reliable as if you had your own poster. It may
take a little longer to get to the list and occasionally they do go down,
but as a whole it's a pretty good service. Please only use it if you
have no other recourse.