52 new of 115 responses total.
sindi, do you ever use vim/?
resp:63 I seriously think that you're the only one who wants to.
Sounds like nobody is willing to try to make Pine print directly in linux. I use pico or nano. I have tried vi and some day will really learn it. I also can't use fronttalk from Windows or even Puppy Linux (ssh or telnet) unless I ssh from grex to sdf and back.
get a real system with a good connection and your problems are over.
I do recall printing directly from pine many computers, systems, and connections ago. I can't recall how it is done. But since you can do anything with Linux, you should be able to write a script to print from pine (I couldn't, though).
Can anyone print with %? I am not a linux programmer.
I don't have any messages in my inbox to print so I can't test it
You could email yourself a message. Is there some way to print directly from home directory?
You could try setting your terminal to vt100 as well and seeing if that worked.
My terminal is set to vt100. I also tried linux.
You said earlier your terminal type was set to linux, now you said it's vt100. Which is it?
I have used both. I messed up a file (.login?, .cshrc?) and copied over Jim's fresh one which was set to vt100 recently. Neither lets me print in linux. Or use fronttalk from Windows or Puppy Linux telnet or ssh.
Long-time user and BBS lurker here...I started with Grex years ago when it ran on Sun hardware -- my first experience with UNIX. I still use the dialins now and then...I believe last time was from a 1200 baud modem connected to an Apple IIe a few months ago (it's usually more often when I'm not off at college). I'll be sad to see the dialins go, but if usage is that low, I agree that they should be terminated. If nothing else, I can connect to my Linux box via null modem cable and telnet/ssh to Grex.
Thanks for the feedback (and understanding), glitch.
<burp>
The dialup lines and Lynx are the reasons I joined GREX. It's the only way I can connect to the internet on my 286. I used this as my only computer for years untill my living situation changed. I curently connect via a laptop with WIFI. In a few months I will be moving once again and will return to using my 286. In my current living situation I cannot connect via dialup because I am without a landline phone. I would be VERY dissapointed to see dialup access droped. If the lines recive low useage I would recomend droping one of the lines instead of both. Although I can recall times when I had to dial the seconed number because the first was busy. Dialup access is important, it's what sets GREX apart from the other remaning BBS's.
Perhaps those wanting the dialup should get together and agree to pay for it? What's wrong with using your laptop and scapping the 286?
Probably saeger is moving some placed without free wifi access. If it is some place in Michigan, get a free dialup account with dialinfree, and outside of Michigan someone mentioned another free dialup service. There are also cheap services. vt.isp was $4/month last I knew. Rane and I are among the last people to use grex dialup and I have not done so for a few months now.
The problems we have with the dialup lines are: 1. not enough usage and 2. not enough money coming in to pay for them. If we still had dozens of users with memberships to pay for them, it wouldn't be an issue to keep them. But right now, we're slowly but surely going broke, so dropping this on-going cost is one thing we can do to slow down that slide. As others have mentioned, there are alternatives for dial-in (and free ones to boot). If, by some odd chance, dial-up modems come back into vogue and there is a great demand for the lines, we can discuss putting them back in. But I rather doubt we will see that demand. If someone (or a group of someones) wants to pay the monthly cost of a line, we could discuss that as an alternative to removal.
I haven't used dialup - anywhere - for years. I don't even have a modem that will work with any of my computers.
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/voice/thread?tid=0c71b883aeab0711&hl= en
Re 83: same for me. Well, I do have an external modem I could use, but I've a got decent download speed from the cable company, so no need to use it.
What would maintaining a single dialin cost per month? If it's low enough, perhaps the few of us who do still use the dialins could pay to keep one of them up.
I don't think it is a lot. Maybe $20/mo per line. So all it would take to keep one up is $240/year and if there is enough interest, I am sure the board will consider keeping one around. If that $20/mo is in the ball park, it would be in grex's best interest to keep a dial up line if it brings in only four annual memberships.
Shouldn't the "fee" for dialups be in addition to the general dues?
It depends. If grex can get 4 or more additional memberships (i.e memberships that grex would not otherwise get) because of a dial up line then it would make sense to keep it. why? 12 mos x $20 = $240 and 4 x $60 = $240
A single line residential line is $39 and change, after taxes and fees. If I see Mark Conger tomorrow I'll ask about Grex's phone bill.
My residential phone line is $29 including fees and taxes. Ask Mark to contact us about a reel-to-reel tape deck Jim fixed for him to use.
Thanks, Mary. If we could get usage statistics from the last 6 months that'd give us a better idea of actual usage. What we've heard up to now is that usage is so abysmally low (24 minutes in one month) that it doesn't justify paying for the lines or having the staff potentially spend time to keep them working for dialup. Even if the lines were paid for, we'd still require staff to maintain them (such as previous discussion of better modems). Can staff give us such a report? Or are we limited to just the last month?
resp:90 Is that because Grex is not eligible for the $19.75 residential plan advertised on ATT's web site?
I bet that's for 6 months... Re #89: that just pays for the dialin - it doesn't support the rest of Grex, which the dialins would still be using.
I'd like to hear from someone who comes in on dialup (or has a modem) if dialinfree works. If it does, cool, it's time to make the move. If it doesn't, we'll have to decide whether we can afford to maintain even one line for so few users. I really don't want to move into anyone paying for a specific service. That just seems wrong and then puts us into contract mode where we're obligated to support this access, possible ahead of everything else our volunteer staff has to cover.
resp:94 I guess but I pay around $30 for my land line and I have a lot of features grex doesn't need. I suspect there is probably a different pricing structure for business vs residential customers. Regardless, if it is more like $40/mo than the marginal increase in memberships per year would have to be 8. I thought 4 would be a stretch. I don't think 8 is very likely. I agree with Mary that outright charging people for dial up service is probably a bad idea.
I pay $29 without any features. I have been using dialinfree with grex for years now.
As a non-profit, we can take donations with a purpose and put them toward a service. It does not need to be seen as charging people for a service. If we do try to get a new machine and use it as fund-raiser, that would be no different.
I doubt the costs associated with "maintaining" dialup access are all that great in terms of time and money. If a subgroup of users are willing to cover the costs, then I can't see any good reason for grex to ignore such efforts by that group.
I'd certainly be willing to become a full, paying member if it'd help keep the dialins up -- my girlfriend and I use them when we're traveling and can't get to a free Internet connection, since many of our relatives live out in the country. While I'm geographically distant from the actual servers, I'd also be willing to donate time in keeping the dialin managed.
Do your relatives live in Michigan? One month's membership is only $5 or $6, not enough for one phone line.
If you get enough users donating to cover the cost of one dialin connection, won't they have frequent conflicts of use, and perhaps find the service unsatisfactory for that reason?
@101: no, but i've generated a script for minicom that allows the use of a calling card with dialins. Usually you're stuck with lower speeds, but for signing in to check e-mail and such it's fine. With as little dialin access as has been reported, I wouldn't think that there would be enough use to make a single line inconvenient. Even if two people called at the same time, with 24 min/month, you'd just have to wait a few minutes and call again.
Mark said Grex's phone bill comes to between $50 and $60 a month, for the two lines.
Can you instead of calling grex using TCP/IP and call dialinfree?
Sure, I can call through a free dialup service, but it's often faster to connect directly to grex due to poor connection quality out in the country. I've put the word out to see if there's any interests in subscribed memberships on a few of the Internet forums I frequent. Both of them have a strong vintage computer following, so they're the sort of people who are likely to be interested in dialin public UNIX (many of them use SDF).
Another issue with maintaining dialin lines is that it makes moving to a virtualized hardware solution somewhat more difficult.
there's cross...fuck you richard
Remember dial-up BBS? Notice the "Remember" at the beginning of this post? Seems like a no-brainer to me. (but I get that alot) Are the dial in lines supposed to be to allow free internet access? or free access to grex? If I needed to connect to grex via dial-up it would not be free for me. I think if grex is going to keep dial in lines it should also offer a toll free number or frankly, I don't get it. If it is just a service for Local residents of Ann Arbor then it can all go back to someones basement (and their dreams.) What _was_ the dream anyway?
att ahs yet to resppod .. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
att has responded ... in theory (he siad) the 2nd line is no w toast.
howeer, as jsut noted in another item, the line stil answers with modem noixes ... but, accordint to the rep, the billing has stopped. we shall see
we saw .. no longer in service
You can dial in free using VOIP.
And on the one remaining Grex modem line...
You have several choices: