ENTER THE NET

By DAVID T. HUGHES
dhughes@cais.com
Journal Staff Writer

Well here it is ... The Day After. The joy and excitement of Christmas morning is still a warm glow. You have finally picked up the last bit of wrapping paper from under the couch and are now holding that whiz-bang new modem your wife, hubby, S.O. or Santa stuck under the tree.

You have anticipated this moment for so long and now you wonder "what's next?"

Indeed. What IS next?

Now comes the other problem ... You are - in a sense - all dressed up and no place to go, right? Who ya gonna call with that new modem?

Many of the major on-line services try to answer that question for you by including free introductory software and/or instructions about how to log on. By all means use that free time, but keep a careful watch on the clock and calendar. Those folks may initially seem like the Christmas Spirit, but go over that free time period or time in which to use it and Scrooge shows up - bill in hand.

Also, remember those hours rocket by and being on-line IS addicting. You don't want a nasty surprise in 30 days.

Keep in mind most of the major services require some guarantee of payment, be it plastic, bank debit or prepayment. So don't be surprised or annoyed when you sign up on-line and they ask for your magic numbers.

Which one do I recommend? I'd say Vienna, Va.-based America Online offers the best package for the beginner. Compuserve has a lot of "stuff," as George Carlin would say; but with the exception of their bare-bones $8.95 monthly package - it's a charge-for-everything-else service like forums, etc.

But, if you had KNOWN a modem is going to be under the tree, why not check out the business sections of area papers or computer magazines. There are many internet providers listed.

Take your pick and plunk down that plastic yet again.

Who do I recommend as a provider? Well . . . I am going to pass on this one. But I am very impressed with the new company that carries The Journal's "web" page - infi.net. They offer several package deals that will suit most casual users, plus they advertise in OUR paper (grin).

They also send along a very comprehensive sign-up kit FREE, which includes decent software, manuals, etc.

Infi.net also has its dial-in modems in D.C. - so a metro line is a must unless you want to pay those tacky message charges, which can mount up in a hurry.

Speaking of software . . . I can not emphasize its importance enough - especially with SLIP or PPP. I urge you if your internet service does not offer software to go out and buy those kits - such as Internet In A Box. This kit - and others like it - comes with most of what you need to get started.

Most of the same software can be obtained FREE on the net, but it's like getting a job - you have to know where to look.

Plus, you have to have software to get on-line in the first place to GET the free software.

Some modems come with software to get you started. Some of it is awful. But it is at least a start and can get you on-line.

Where do you get other software? Remember it is still just after Christmas and the thought of going out and spending more bucks on communications software is a real bummer for many people. Plus, most of the time the new modem user doesn't really understand what they need.

They rely on newspaper hacks like yours truly, or friends who have no idea how they will be using modems. My advice: Go slowly at first - use what you have and do a little exploring on-line. All the major services have software sections that contain scores of modem programs, which may be downloaded and tried. Well . . . in the case of Macs, maybe a dozen or so. Download the ones that look good.

Better yet, do a little browsing on the very rich bulletin board circuit. There are several hundred BBS systems within reach of that metro phone line for which you dearly pay. Many of these systems are operated by enthusiasts who do it as a hobby, and charge nothing or ask for donations to help them along. With a few exceptions, all allow you free time to look around and see if you like their system.

If you do find a board or two, or three, or four that you like, by all means, join. Pay the few bucks that usually buy you a finite time period and/or number of bytes to download per day.

Other systems are run as a business - like mini-Compuserve or AOL. They allow you a little time to look around, but there will come a time to quit kicking tires and decide to buy or move on.

Some of the commercial boards are great - some are, at best, lackluster. The same hold true for hobby boards.

When I first came to the D.C. area I had a devil of a time finding a BBS to call. I found most of the folks at computer stores had no idea what a BBS was, and really didn't want to learn. I finally found the number of one board - at that time called the Virginia Connection - now World Data Network - in Reston, VA.

It was and is run by Tony McClenny, and was a lucky first find. I still belong because it offers most of what I need and want in a BBS service. But what impressed me about McClenny was how he invited me to his home and showed me the amazing array - literally shelves full of computers - that made up his system.

I do belong to other BBS systems in the D.C. area and in other cities (via internet) but why not give McClenny's BBS a call at (703)620-8900 with your modem?

While there, look for a file called DCBBS1194.zip or DCBBS1094.zip or even do a search for DCBBS*.zip because that is the latest listing of area BBS systems. It took me a long time to find it and I hope to save you the aggravation.

Also download the pkzip packages if you have a DOS machine and the Stuffit packages if you have a Mac. These are necessary files to use anything you download. Most boards allow these downloads at first sign-on.

One of the hottest Mac boards around is digitalNATION. It has a superior graphics interface, offers special software for both Mac and Windows, and best of all is FREE for most services. Make a voice call to (703)642-2800.

I realize that I have strayed far afield from internet this week, but I feel that a solid foundation of BBS use before stepping cold turkey into the internet is essential. As I have said before, the net is not friendly to newbies. Flames come your way for errors and looking stupid on-line. BBS users are like a family and gently help the new ones stand on their electronic feet with words of encouragement or private e-mail messages "suggesting" you not do this or that again.

Happy modeming. For those of you joining our vast global electronic community - welcome. I again offer my help or suggestion via e-mail or by phone. My addresses are dhughes@cais.com and dhughes@infi.net. Home number is (703)904-9699. I prefer e-mail, but phone is OK as long as it isn't at 3 a.m. (grin).