Commodore Free 17/Commodore_Free_Issue_17_2008_Commodore_Computer_Club.d64/t.iv gaylene 2

Text File | 2008-01-01 | 8.2 KB | 283 lines

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Interview with Gaylene Glasson
 vsvweb.com

Part 2 of 2

CF. Have you thought about other
versions of the book more Commodore
friendly like a disk version or a
plain text file?

GG. There have been times we've consid-
ered concentrating on converting the
book to suit Linux users, because most
of the book relates to using Unix dial-
up systems and the commands in the book
are the same as Linux folks would use
when typing on the command line.  When
we switched our servers from using
Windows in 1997 to Linux, the TIFCU
book was on our desks and used very
frequently to look up how to do things.
It was a very useful tool to have. The
real stopping point to doing this is
that I simply no longer have the
stamina to create another manual & make
it as complete of a reference as TIFCU
has been.

The benefit of having it in PDF format
is that it can not be altered, which is
why we haven't offered it in any other
type format.

CF. How can our reader obtain the book
& what is the cost, is the book just
purely available as a PDF & a download?

The book is $10 Australian, which is
just under $10 US.  It's only available
for download from our Commodore Central
Market at:
http://cbm.videocam.net.au/
 centralmarket/

Once payment has been received, a Web
link is given so you can download the
file to your computer.

CF. Does the book still prove to be
relevant to C64/128 users today; is the
book useful for other computer users?

GG. There's a lot that is still
relevant today, especially for those
who have added Linux to their list of
computer operating systems they use.
For the C= user, all the information is
still correct, but it doesn't have
information about using the Wave or
some of the other PPP related ways of
getting online.

CF. Were you a Q-link user, maybe some
readers haven't heard about this can
you explain what Q-link was?

GG. I was on Q-link as GaelyneM. Q-Link
was a major Online Service for the C=
that was around before the Internet &
Bulletin Board Systems (BBS's) took
off.  Looking back, for what it did at
the time, it was very slick.

Unfortunately the system was later
divided between Q-Link for C= users, &
what was to become America Online (AOL)
Unfortunately the Q-Link side was more
or less abandoned by the people that
were running both systems & it closed
down on Halloween night, 1994.

If readers want a small glimpse of what
being on Q-Link was like, Jim Brain has
set up an amazing community Website
that certainly has many qualities that
the online service offered. The link to
Jim's Q-Link site is:
http://www.quantumlink.tk/

CF. As you had a column in BBS
Magazine, some readers may never have
heard of the acronym 'BBS'. Can you
briefly explain the setup & system what
software/hardware were used?

BBS stands for Bulletin Board System, &
were a neat way to communicate with
other computer users over long or short
distances, by means of the phone line.
The person calling the BBS would use a
modem connected to their computer &
software to dial out using the modem
and connect to the Bulletin Board.
From there, it was like using someone
else's computer while still typing on
your own. One could play games, chat
with others online, or participate in
message areas.  The main difference
between a BBS & the Internet is that
the BBS was just one other computer
(generally) while the Internet allows
you to do various things on any number
of other connected computers. In those
days, there was a network known as
Fidonet, which had many different
topics of conversation grouped into
what we'd know as 'forums' (or mailing
lists) today. These were named 'Echoes'
because of the way the messages were
transported around the globe. Back
then, one computer would ring a 'hub'
computer and upload all new messages it
received during the last day or so.
The hub would then make these messages
available to other computers that would
ring other systems and on it would go.

In1994, it would take up to 2 weeks for
a private message to reach Australia
from my home in the USA at the time.
Not exactly quick, but it was a fun
network to participate in.

To run a BBS, one needed BBS Software
that would accept incoming calls via
the modem (also required) & generally
make the whole system easy to use and
admin by offering menus & various
features.

CF. Did you host a BBS at one time, can
you tell our reader about this

GG. No, I never actually had a
publicly available BBS, but I did run
Omni128 for awhile so I could exchange
messages with other systems that were
using that BBS software.  You may be
thinking of my husband Rod, who ran a
BBS named "Thisledome". This was long
before we met. Interestingly enough, we
still run into people that were members
of his bulletin board & remember it
fondly. "This led me" by the way is an
example of my other half's sense of
humour.  He pronounced it as 'This'll
do me'. The software that Rod used was
EBBS 64 by Ed Parry, & it was run using
one of his CMD hard drives.

CF. Q. Do you still use BBS systems, &
why?

GG. I haven't in a long time, basically
due to lack of free time, but there are
a few systems I really wouldn't mind
connecting to & checking out. These
days you can use the Internet & telnet
to BBS's rather than dialing out with a
modem.

CF. Do you think the younger
generation has missed out out not being
able to use BBS systems?

GG. Maybe, maybe not.  My kids for
instance all use various chat programs
like ICQ or AOL's AIM to communicate
with each other and friends.  They
actively participate on Websites that
suit their particular interests, much
like I would have on a BBS. The only
difference is that no one is waiting
for the other person to get off the
phone line so another household member
could use it to log in to their
favourite bulletin board.

CF. Do you still own C= machines & do
you still user them, can you explain
what for?

GG. Yes, we still have several C=
machines, but none are in use at the
moment.  Our last system was used as a
means of monitoring our Web servers.

CF. I find it strange some C= user will
go out of there way to help on any
small problem others just don't want to
know you unless you can program in
assembler & don't need to write
anything down, have you had 1st hand
experience of this?

GG. No, probably because the people who
would avoid me have never made their
presence (or lack of) known to me. Most
people I meet have been pretty
interesting & not rude at all.

CF. What makes C= machines unique & why
are people still using them today?

GG. There are so many reasons the C=
machines are unique. Ease of use, great
software, tons of things to do with
them, and then there's the coolness
factor these days in pushing the
envelope that much further to say 'I
did this with my Commodore'.

CF. I believe you had a cancer scare do
you now have the all clear?

GG. It's been 7 years and I'm still
here, so that's the best 'all clear'
of all.  No one knows what the future
may bring, but meanwhile I'm trying to
have more living in my life than
feeling down or worrying.

My biggest problem is that I've had
way more than my fair share of problems
that have come about because of the
treatments I received for breast
cancer, & to this day I still have
several health issues that are a direct
result of either having had chemo,
radiotherapy or reconstruction. For
over a year now, I've had a nurse that
comes to my home twice a week for one
of the various 'issues', and have
recently gone on disability. It's been
a very long tough road that I'm still
on, but I do see a day when the road
will get easier. I've been trying to
get fit & healthy and have just had
some tests that let me compare my
fitness from 5yrs ago with how I am
now, and there have been very positive
improvements, so at least I know I'm
on the right path.

CF. Can people send donations to
Videocam Services/VCSWEB to support its
running?

GG. They sure can.  Visit the C=
Homestead Website at:

http://cbm.videocam.net.auand

there's a link at the top left side of
the page for donations via PayPal. Any
help would be greatly appreciated & put
towards supporting the C= community.

CF. Is there any question you would
like to have asked & do you have any
final questions?

GG. No, I think that about covers it. I
hope this gets to you in time so you
can ask me any further questions if you
need to.

All the Best,
Gaelyne