ALL ABOUT THE ALACRITY BBS

In the past several months a new information source has been developing.  Night 
or day, it is becoming easier to get good quality feedback on particular 
questions regarding AutoCAD and AutoLisp.  And for AutoCAD users in 
the Seattle and Bellevue areas it is free! I'd like to introduce and 
invite you to the official electronic bulletin board of the Seattle 
Area AutoCAD Users' Group (SAUG), namely the Alacrity BBS.  Jason 
Osgood is the administrator, known in tele-nerd cirles as the "sysop", 
and has been doing a great job of making information easily available 
to folks who call.  If you have a modem, then you have a place to 
ask those nagging CAD questions, start a discussion of a programming 
idea, obtain public domain third-party software specific to CAD, or 
advertise your services.  Here's how: First, you need to install your 
modem, connecting it to your telephone line and to your computer.  Read 
the manual; it will probably make it sound very complicated but it 
is not. Second, you need to install some kind of communications software 
which will form the "front-end", or interface, between you 
and the modem.  Jason, who is also the club Librarian, will make the 
very fine program Procomm+, in its "test-drive" version, available 
at the general meeting.  Set the modem for 2400 baud or less (whatever 
your modem can do) and 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, N parity. Third, use 
the comm. program to place a call to 643-5477 and simply follow the 
prompts.  You will be asked for your name, a password of your choosing, 
your phone number (for caller verification only), and some other information 
for a small survey of users. 

At the last General Meeting, there were some questions voiced about 
this resource.  "What is the format of information exchange?" 
or, "What is it like to exchange messages on the BBS?" are 
the common questions to be answered at this point.  Well, you can 
simply R]ead the messages since you last called.  You can R]eply to 
any of them, then continue R]eading them in sequence.  You can use 
the simple line editor to E]nter a message, addressed to someone in 
particular, or to A]ll, or to the sysop.  It is really very simple.

A bit more involved is the copying of files from the BBS to your computer.  But 
once or twice through it that, too, becomes routine.  Simply enter 
the F]iles section of the board, L]ist the file names in the section 
you've chosen, and D]ownload the file by following the prompts.

An example of a message copied from the Alacrity BBS is printed on 
page five.  It is a review of the Lisp routine LEADER.LSP which originated 
on the large national network CompuServe.  Jason has been very active 
in using that resource to bring home top-quality Lisp routines, well 
informed discussion of ACAD topics, and the "scoop" from as 
close to ADESK as you can get and still be free- lancing.  As for 
the Lisp program itself, you'll have to call Alacrity BBS and get 
it for yourself!

Bill Enger 

