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The Music Network | |
NewsArticle from Sound On Sound, February 1990 |
News of the latest activities on the musicians’ electronic mail network.
- New Email link to Telecom
- C-Lab join TMN
- New computer operational
- 2400 Baud access
During the last few months there have been a number of significant changes to British Telecom's Dialcom system. Near the end of last year ESI Street, who had previously been operating as a separately administered group on the Dialcom computer, were absorbed into Telecom Gold. Likewise MicroLink, who also operated as an independent group, left the system altogether and set up on a new machine run by Istel.
These two changes have meant that TMN has had to rearrange its Email connection with Telecom Gold users. So, let's look at the changes and run through the new procedure.
To send a message from TMN to a user on Telecom Gold, you must first know their ID and the Dialcom computer number. For example, ESI Street are on computer number 78. After entering mail mode, follow this procedure:
At the To: prompt type dialcom:10078:abc123, where 78 is the computer number and abc123 the user ID on the system that you want to Email. This address allows the message to find its way out of the TMN computer onto the data network, where the number 100 routes it to the British Telecom system and then directs it to computer number 78. Once the message arrives at computer 78, it is sent to mail box abc123, where it waits to be read by your friend next time he logs onto Telecom Gold. This procedure is the same for all Telecom users.
Since MicroLink departed from the Telecom computer, they now have a different way of sending messages to Dialcom users. What's more, TMN users can still Email MicroLink users as well even though they are not with Dialcom anymore. This is how it's done.
As before, you need to know the ID of the person on MicroLink that you wish to send a message. In this example we'll use Sound On Sound's ID, which is mag11265. At the To: prompt, in mail mode, you type dialcom:10078:ITE001. Then after the Subject: prompt, type mag11265. This time, what actually happens is that the message is sent out of the TMN computer, is routed to the Telecom system 78 computer and delivered to mail box ITE001, which is used by MicroLink. Once arrived, it waits there until the MicroLink computer dials up this mail box and downloads all the waiting mail into its memory. At this stage the MicroLink computer has a bunch of mixed mail and has to sort it out ready to post into individual users' mail boxes. This is done by reading the user ID which you typed after the Subject: prompt - then it simply delivers the message to that ID.
The above procedure is carried out entirely automatically by the computer, and no human ever sees the mail messages, so you are assured of complete privacy.
If you want to send a message from MicroLink to a TMN user such as SOS magazine, you should do this via MicroLink's 'Compose Gold' procedure, selectable from their mail menu. When asked for the ID you should type SKK690, and at the Subject: prompt type the username(s) as follows: gn:sos. Here gn stands for Green Net, which is the host computer that TMN runs on in London.
Telecom Gold users follow a similar routine, but at the To: prompt type 10078:SKK690; this tells them which of their computers the user is on and their ID. Again, at the Subject: prompt you should type gn:sos.
Although many people were concerned at the time of introduction, these new Email routes mean that nobody has lost out after the recent Telecom changes and we can all still communicate with Gold and MicroLink users, or vice-versa, without any worries.
This month we welcome C-Lab onto TMN. Sound Technology plc, the UK distributors of C-Lab software, will be operating the C-Lab conference from their ID on the system. C-Lab support man, Will Mowat, tells us that they will be using their conference to answer technical queries, keep users abreast of the latest software updates, as well as running a hints and tips section. So, if you have any questions about Notator, Creator or any of C-Lab's other programs, send your email to soundtech on the system, or log onto the clab.support conference.
From February, TMN will be operating on a new computer system. Don't panic, though, because there won't be any procedural changes from the user's point of view. The good news is that the move to the new system offers several important improvements, notably a 500% increase in operational speed and the addition of new direct-dial access lines. More improvements will follow over the coming months as the programmers get to grips with the power of the new computer.
The new direct-dial lines will allow you to access TMN at speeds of 2400 baud, with MNP level 5 error correction. This technical improvement means that users who want to up/download large amounts of data can do so at twice the previous rate, and with the added benefit of built-in error correction of data. Further information about this and the direct-dial phone numbers will appear in the tmn.news conference soon. Access to TMN through your local PSS number remains unchanged.
Finally, with the new computer comes greater access to systems outside of TMN, and soon users will be able to Email people on the GeoNet system.
FURTHER INFORMATION
The Music Network, (Contact Details).
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