On-Line #68 12 января 1997

ZXNet     История

ZXNet - On the history of the discovery SPbZXNet.

                  ZXNet


(C) ALEX Research


   Hello, dear readers!


   Finally we came to the first letter from the coordinator 
SPbZXNet Alexei Mikhailov. Since our sysops and users with a 
large interest ZXNews read and follow the development of a 
network in St. Petersburg, with permission, below its published 
material. 


(C) ALEX MIKHAILOV


   Part I. How it all began.


   A certain Mr. Usov in his time gave Petrograders interesting 
device - vikommku. In fact, it is the same transik phone, only 
with more amps. Connects it to the tape in / out, as well as 
requires +5 V. 


   Whisker filled the whole Peter modems, but because it$%''
nature of the whole thing turned down after only six months: 
Usov spit it on the Speccy (imagine, he did not even know what 
ZX-Format, while living in St. Petersburg), and even now do not 
care. His main purpose was to enrich the already poor 
sinkleristah. 


   By the way, he achieved his goal, and now gone to the bottom:
a couple of days will close its last bbs'ka, which, however,
was though izvraschenchesky, but access to the Fido still had.


   How Usov ruined himself initiated it? It is very simple: in 
order to obtain profits, he monopolized the sale of modems, 
does not give anyone ibm-vicomm, which allows you to connect 
pisyuk and spec direct and, lyrics, but makes it possible to 
work with Spectrum Fido ... Some people, the authorities in the 
Spectrum coterie city This state of affairs does not suit, 
especially since some of these authorities are able to juzat 
bad soldering. As a result, M. Kondratiev worked out the wiring 
diagram hayes-modem to the Speccy, and wrote Let dull, but 
working in a research-terminalku Doce. Since this all started. 


   Skillfully fired rumors quickly ditched and without a failed 
venture Usova: a few months throughout the city the word 
"vikomm" omitting suxx and must die is not used. This forced 
the collapse Usov "industrial" production and mass sale 
vikommok, close several bbsok (left only one of his), in short, 
to go to a secluded underground. Modem communication, not 
having time to develop, stalled. 


   And in the city continued mindless propaganda Hayes. Even 
goes to such absurd situations: standing at the counter in 
Logrose child age 14, apparently drunk beer, and foaming at the 
mouth proved to all interested and unwilling to listen to him 
that hayes - rulez, let's all his own place, etc., and the 
question: "Do you know to what, in fact, the port, COM1 or COM2 
connects This is the Hayes? "he could not answer because entot 
Hayes in eyes have never seen ...



   In general, the Hayes have sinkleristov in the city of about 
ten, plus some, for example, a Mednonogova and LAV'a pisyuki 
stand with modems. That's it.



   Hayes 2400, working on the Speccy, now where the hell you 
buy - should seek more than one month, and 14,400 bucks worth 
80. 


   And how simple sinkleristu take that kind of money? So it 
turned out that the "confrontation" between the two camps: on 
one hand Usov (alone), with another - a dozen hayesnikov, 
ditched all rudiments of dial-up in St. Petersburg.



   Hard to say who is most to blame - not in this case.
The main thing is that Peter then missed the first chance to 
"sit" on all modems.



   Part II. At the crossroads ...


   The summer of 1996. It so happened that around the same 
time, current members of the Omega group (even if Omega is not 
formed) got vikommkami and, of course, tried to figure out 
what's what. Where is bbs'ki, where the network is, where is 
Fido, where are the rest-sinkleristy? 10-Th hayesnikov yuzayut 
their pair Stations sinklerovskoy theme of vikommnyh bbs'ok on 
pisyukah only one left - Eldorado. Well, we climb on it to her, 
and knew better, Duc on the "Elda" except for us and yet two or 
three more people and there was none: Usov took no only 
hayesnikov, but 99,9% vikommschikov ... And people gradually 
got rid of vikommok who for a bottle of beer who merely 
throwing ... People have come and gone. 


   First and foremost, I wanted us to be more comfortable 
working with a modem, was written by a new terminalka, which 
still exists and is constantly being improved. Appeared ZxNews, 
whose main goal was to return all gone vikommschikov (according 
to some sources, Usov sold no less than 500 from modems, plus 
about the same all DIY / fraud ") back, or though, would be 
"put" the people at Hayes (at that time, we naively believed 
that Hayes to buy - no problem) ... However, due to the absence 
in the city budget Hayes has failed idea ... I had to stay on 
vikommkah. 


   From the first moment we started to get Usov: at Eldorado
People with homemade modems were not allowed - he likes to run 
the BBC, Duc, Go and buy a modem Usova for $ 15 ... A telephone 
trans is 2.000 USD + shallow logic to 1.000 rubles. + 
Mikroshemka one - 3.000 rubles. Any person can own up to 6 m. 
modem do and now require a $ 15 ... In general, almost no one 
to do back in El Dorado did not want to. 


   We realized that more people call in Fido's pointless and 
came to the conclusion that we should just do us, Petersburg 
network: if and people to the modems will be pulled ...



   Usov times does ibm-vicomm, will be in Specchia do - we 
decided, especially because there is already an example - your 
ZXNet. Current C-DOS'y to deliver Peter was not to anyone, no 
one wanted to invest this money. Decided to build on what is a 
HUGE crowds of people, from vikommok ...



   Written prog, modified vikommku to the server (taught to 
lift up / down, to respond to the call and short beeps, etc.). 
Now it's small - you need to make the people believe again in 
the modem, make sure he knows what is best tit (vikomm) in the 
hand than a crane in the sky (hayes). 


   Attitude of authorities of Peter to the network, according 
to my sources, ranging from expectant-slabozainteresovannogo up 
straight negative ... This is due mainly to the fact that most 
of them - Hayes, and they sit, looking at all the other high, 
while those which do not, "burned" on his mustache and no 
account is no longer believed. 


   Many of them have pisyuk and they do not care about some
vikommnoy network, the only thing they zacheshutsya when normal
gate will be: that is, they work from their Hayes continues, and
how-to write in an echo SpbZxNet ...


   And in order to convince ordinary users that vikommka - is
not necessarily Usov, this is not such a shit, they think, 
IMHO, no authority is necessary. 


   You must have this problem and did not even have - none of
Hayes on the Spectrum and never heard, and here C-DOS'y 
appeared ... And we, in spite of the output Newskah still 
vikommka - must die ... And I just do not know already, what 
else to do to convince users that this is not the case.




   Part III. Day today ...


   But not so bad, as it might seem: SpbZxNet opened, and this 
means that the efforts of the Omega group were not in vain. On 
Central Station (Tornado station) is already 35 people 
registered in the other a little less ... Total runs until five 
stations bbs, and this, like, enough. 


   Several well-known fidoshnikov very well react to network
some are already climbing and vikommnym bbs'kam, but until the 
cause is not will take users to the well-known people 
(authorities), the network will be very slow to grow with new 
PostScript points ... 


   Again, one of the last nyusok I wrote that appeared
disputes with traders: sellers are just afraid that remain
no profit - no they will not buy toys ... Guys,
can share experiences, you have reached a consensus with the 
software vendors? 


   Everything else, yet not all dispel the illusions of
Hayes: many users still believe that $ 20 will be able to
fuck ... Naive. But no one reassures, because
difficult to convince these - not one month it will take.


   Part IV. Last ...


   That such problems we have encountered from the very first
days of the web ...


   Maybe recommend something? ;)
                          Alex Mikhailov
                       2:5030 / 529.13 @ fidonet


   As they say, no comment ... Fans of ZX-Spectrum
anyway find a way to connect with each other. And the network 
is much easier to solve all problems with hardware (such as we 
have - without difference between what someone can or computer 
locks and transfer all all). Once again, good luck SPbZXNet!!!



   In ZXNet there is another gateway with FIDO, his address:

           2:5020 / 677.18
                            Sincerely,
                           Alexey Ivanov
                           zxnet@deol.ru
                             095/100