The Online World Part 31

Your applications have a considerable impact on your costs. If you mainly use your modem for retrieval of programs and large data files from bulletin boards - and don't have to pay extra for volume - then higher modem speeds will immediately give reduced costs.

A slower speed modem may also stop you from getting what you want. For example, there are several shareware programs on my board that users of 2400 bps modems are unable to download within their allotted 30 minutes per day.

When you pay for volume ----------------------- Some network services, like Datapak in Norway, have high rates for volume, and very low rates for connect time. When using such services, automatic communication becomes less useful. Rather than connecting, getting a piece of information, disconnecting, and then going back for more, you may find it cost efficient to review menus and results while online.

When paying for volume, the online service's menus become luxury items. Using quick commands for navigating is cheaper.

Your comparisons will never be accurate when comparing with services charging for connect time. It is particularly difficult when the measure of volume is 'packets' rather than 'number of characters transferred'.

Datapak and many other PDN services reports your sessions like this:

CLR PAD (00) 00:00:14:55 537 75

These numbers say that you have been connected to a service for 14 minutes and 55 seconds, that 537 data 'packets' have been received, and that 75 have been sent. Use these figures to calculate the cost of the call.

| One data 'packet' or segment contains up to 64 characters. | | Think of it as a measure of the number of lines. Each line can | | have a maximum of 64 characters. If you send the character A | | and a carriage return, then this also counts as a segment. | | | | Consequently, it is hard to use the Datapak record to estimate | | the real number of characters transferred. All we know is that | | 537 + 75 segments were transferred, and that 612 segments may | | contain up to 39,168 characters. |

When calculating the cost of a direct call, just the number of minutes counts. Use the time reported by the online service, and not your stop watch. CompuServe gives this type of report:

Thank you for using CompuServe!

Off at 10:11 EST 24-Nov-92 Connect time = 0:15

If the size of your log file was 15 KB after the first test, and 11 KB after the second, then just adjust the latter to compare (Actual Cost/11*15). It is easy to compare services that only charge by the minute.

More practical hints -------------------- It is more expensive to call a service daily "to check the news,"

than to call it once per week to retrieve the same stories.

Navigating by menus is more expensive than going directly to a source, or going there by stacking commands (i.e., combining quick commands into one).

Many services let you read selective items in conferences by entering a search string. On my BBS, the following command

r extended 100+ c

lets you read all messages containing the search string 'extended'

in the text starting with message number 100.

If you forget the "c" parameter, the flow will stop after each message. This will reduce the average effective speed. Always use "nonstop" commands when reading stories, conference items, and other texts.

Now, read the next chapter.

Chapter 16: Automatic communication ===================================

Automatic data communication as a development strategy.

To get a lead on your compet.i.tors.

To avoid duplication of effort.

To reduce costs.

To reduce boring and repet.i.tive work.

To avoid having to remember technical details.

Automatic communication is both for professionals and amateurs.

First, because it keeps the costs down. Second, because it lets you do the job faster and safer.

We all have different needs --------------------------- Automation will never be the same for everybody. Our needs are too different.

Some get excited when a program can dial a bulletin board, retrieve a program, and then disconnect without them having to touch the keyboard.

Some want an "answering machine" that can respond to and forward email when he or she is away from the office.

Others want a communications system that can tap selected news sources, search databases, and do postprocessing on the retrieved material.

For most professionals, doing things manually takes too much time. Time is better spent reading, digesting, and using, rather than on stupid technical retrieval work. Computers can do that.

To others again, automation is a question of being able to use the online resource at all. If it takes 60 seconds to get a piece of information, it may be possible to get before running for the next meeting.

If it takes 15 minutes, however, there may not be enough time.

If you also need to read a help text to find out how to do it, you may not even consider it. The mind is full of other things right now.

| When using a system for automatic communication, you do not | | have to learn and remember online commands. The system will | | do it for you. |

The minimum solution -------------------- Automatic data communication in its simplest form entails the following:

* One keypress to get the communications program to dial a number, and send user name/pa.s.sword when the online service requests this information.

* Macro commands (like in a word processor) for navigating through an online service, searching, and to send complex commands by pressing one key.

Most communication programs have a macro language or a script language. You will probably never regret time spent on learning how to use these features. At a minimum, you should be able to have your system log on to a service automatically.

Autologon spares you the task of remembering your user name and pa.s.sword. Besides, most people are only able to use the keyboard at a low speed. They easily get frustrated by having to correct typing errors.

Auto-logon with Procomm ----------------------- Procomm is one of the most popular communications program in use today (see appendix 2). A Procomm script file is a text file, which can contain a list of commands for dialing and navigating on an online service.

When writing a Procomm script for auto-logon, your first step is to list the commands that you believe required. Enter them in a text file (as DOS or ASCII text).

In such scripts, you can test for the occurrence of a small piece of information that the online service is supposed to send at a given time (like the question "Pa.s.sword?").

When this information is found, Procomm can be set to send the proper response or command (here, your secret pa.s.sword).

Scripts can be tied to your favorite online services through Procomm's dialing directory. Press a key to start the appropriate script file for access to a service.

The following is a simple PROCOMM script file. It can be used to access my bulletin board in Norway. It a.s.sumes that your name is Jens Mikkelsen, and that the secret pa.s.sword is FOXCROOK4. You'll have to change this before testing.

; ;Script file for auto-logon to SHS with PROCOMM and PROCOMM PLUS ; WAITFOR "our FIRST Name? "

PAUSE 1 TRANSMIT "Jens^M"

WAITFOR "our LAST Name? "

PAUSE 1 TRANSMIT "Mikkelsen^M"

WAITFOR "ots will echo)? "

PAUSE 1 TRANSMIT "foxcrook4^M"

WAITFOR "^JMore (Y),N,NS? "

PAUSE 1 TRANSMIT "n^M"

WAITFOR "^JMore (Y),N,NS? "

PAUSE 1 TRANSMIT "n^M"

WAITFOR "R] to Continue? "

PAUSE 1 TRANSMIT "^M"

It is not difficult. You probably understand a lot already. Here is the explanation:

* the ";" character at the beginning of a line identifies it as a comment line. Procomm is to ignore it. We use such lines for notes.

* WAITFOR "our FIRST Name? "

has Procomm wait for the text string "our FIRST NAME?" from my BBS. It is a part of the question "What is your first name?".

* PAUSE 1 halts the execution of the script file for one second.

* TRANSMIT "Jens^M"

sends the name "Jens" followed by a Return (the code ^M in Procomm).

* WAITFOR "our LAST Name? "

makes Procomm wait for the question "What is your LAST Name?"