© 1996 by Pearletta A. Harris, Port Orchard, Kitsap County, Washington, Christmas, 1995
Washington Apple Pi Journal, Vol. 18, no. 2, March-April 1996, pp. 18-21.
Many of us reflect this time of year at how we arrived at a particular point in our life. If your son is a computer user group officer named Lawrence Charters, and he has two brothers of equal mettle, you can understand how I first became interested in the world of computers.
I was somewhat interested in a home computer before my retirement in 1991. In my work I had used minicomputers and mainframes and we had finally gotten our facility networked but it was only after my retirement that I became really involved in the new world of home computers. Besides I was getting too old for sky diving.
As I was a former accountant my skills soon became known and I was elected as Treasurer of the Bremerton Republican Women, and introduced the radical idea of keeping accounts with a spreadsheet. I soon found I was spending my leisure time using my computer to fill out Public Disclosure Forms and other loathsome documents relating to the position.
Was Lawrence satisfied? Oh no, he had by this time moved to Columbia, MD — close to that other Washington — with wife Kathleen and daughter Lykara and he felt that I should get a modem and learn to surf the Internet. And I just learned how to swim in a pool — also at his insistence.
“I was somewhat interested in a home computer before my retirement in 1991. In my work I had used minicomputers and mainframes and we had finally gotten our facility networked but it was only after my retirement that I became really involved in the new world of home computers. Besides I was getting too old for sky diving.”
Small Steps Towards Large Goals
My youngest son Ian, who lives in Arlington, VA, donated his old 2400 baud modem, Lawrence donated his expertise, and I was soon able to make local calls. But Kitsap County (a rugged, heavily wooded rural county 30 miles west across Puget Sound from Seattle) still had no local access to the Internet, and I couldn’t afford long distant calls to Tacoma, WA every time I wanted to send a message. Kitsap County Library kept mentioning networking to the outside so that those of us living on the Peninsula would have access to the Internet, but it took a long time for the system to be established.
ATDT698-0462 CONNECT 14400/ARQ Trying 198.187.135.22... Connected to 198.187.135.22. Escape character is '^]'. LinkNet - Kitsap Regional Library Community Information System Login as ' g uest ' in lower case ! if this is your first time on. If you have password problems call 405-9131 login: peaharri Password: Last login: Tue Dec 26 13:52:41 from 198.187.135.10 SunOS Release 4.1.3_Ul (GENERIC) #2: Thu Jan 20 15:58:03 PST 1994 You have mail.
Fig. 1: Logging in to the Kitsap Regional Library is very similar to logging in to the Pi’s bulletin board.
In 1995 the Library finally had a working system, called Linknet, and I was one of the first women in the area to sign up. The only requirement for signing on to Linknet was a library card, and as the library is tax supported there are no fees in connection with this service. You may access the system through your personal computer or through computers at the library. I was ready to tackle the Internet.
Also in 1995 I upgraded to a Power Macintosh 6100/66 and a Supra Fax/Modem 288. I had problems trying to correctly configure my new modem to talk with Linknet. For a while I could read incoming mail but not transmit anything. I had to walk to the local library here in Port Orchard to send messages, then walk home to read the answers. It is amazing how much exercise you can get this way and it became part of my physical fitness program.
* Message of the Day: REGISTERED USERS: PLEASE LIMIT YOURSELF TO ONE HOUR PER DAY ON THE SYSTEM. THANK YOU. <~~~~~~~> LinkNet Classes: See the message on the Gopher under LINKNET SUPPORT for class schedules and times. Call 405-9154 to register. <~~~~~~~> *** TOP OF FILE FOR ONE MONTH *** IMPORTANT *** Any account holder who uses and/or stores large amounts of mail on this system had best be aware of our procedures for removing mail from LinkNet. See "Mail Policy" and "Mail Problems and Solutions" located on the Gopher under LINKNET SUPPORT. This message will remain at the top of this file for one month to ensure it is available for all to read. * Dated 12/22/95 What?! You don't like reading this ENTIRE file every time you login? Upset? Perturbed? What's that bar just below say? "Press space to continue, 'q' to quit." So press Q and be taken to the Main Menu. * Dated 12/20/95 Memory problems are affecting the LinkNet machine we have ordered. We need more memory. If you get an "out of memory error" it's because the system is being overwhelmed with mail. We have another 64 MEGAbytes of memory on order, which will bring the LinkNet machine to 192MB of memory total. We'll install probably the first week of January. * Dated 12/14/95 We have a need to know more about experiences of Mac users on LinkNet . Would you folks please pen a quick note to support and tell us what kind of telcom program you're using, what kind of modem, and any particulars of interest? We're interested in problems of VT- 100 emulation especially. * Dated 12/13/95 Boy, that was fun. * Dated 12/12/95 The wind is expected at 50 mph gusting to 80 mph this afternoon. We will probably go down with a power outage. If this happens we will be unplugging equipment and will likely be down through the night. This is expensive stuff here, and we don't trust surge protectors. It is best to be down for a few hours than be faced with burned equipment to replace that might take several days. * Dated 12/11/95 You asked for it. The Web is here. LYNX, a text-based World Wide Web browser, is now a menu option. We expect to go through a bit of a shake down period here as we refine the browser. And we expect our own home page will change to better reflect Lynx rather than a graphics-based system. If we encounter major problems, we'll remove it and tinker some more, but for now: Welcome to the Web.
Fig. 2: Log-in messages contain helpful hints, mild scoldings, and details of changes. Note the reference to the violent windstorm inflicted on the Pacific Northwest in December.
After an exchange of messages between myself and the highly supportive technicians at the Supra Corporation, I was able to make the correct settings to the new modem. I felt a real sense of accomplishment when I was able to establish connections between myself and correspondents. Reading my E-mail every morning has become an important part of my day.
I have one son living locally (in Kitsap County), one in Arlington, VA, and one in Columbia, MD, and I write to all of them. It is much easier to send a message, even to the son living locally, as I know that when he gets home he will read and answer his mail.
Two years ago my granddaughter, Lykara Charters, visited me for several weeks. As it was the first time she had been away from home for an extended period, she missed her parents a great deal and would long for the weekly telephone call.
Enter a number (?# for HELP):
*** Kitsap Regional Library ***
LinkNet!
Registered User Menu:
= = = = = = = = = = =
1 - Visit the Electronic Post Office (E- mail)
2 - IF YOU DIALED IN WITH A MODEM, use this choice
to get to the Kitsap Regional Library On-Line Catalog
--> NOTE : if you signed onto LinkNet from a
^^^^ library terminal, use option #7
to return to the Library Catalog.
^^^^^^
3 - InfoTrac - periodical indexes - includes full text
4 - The LinkNet Gopher : Local and Internet Information
5 - The World Wide Web: Uses Lynx as a character based browser
6 - Change your Password (and remember it) here
7 - Log off & disconnect <-RETURN to the CATALOG THIS WAY
Enter a number (?# for HELP):
Fig. 3: Many libraries installed Internet and bulletin board links in order to give patrons access to the library catalogs and bibliographic databases. They soon found (as in this example) that electronic mail was the real attraction.
Thanks to E-mail, when she visited me again this year, she was able to see a note from at least one of her parents almost every day and sending daily messages became part of our schedule. Although there are frustrations in every young girl’s life, it cut down on the long
This fall my son in Arlington was seriously injured and once again Lawrence and Kathleen came through with daily E-mail reports on his condition and prognosis. As soon as Ian was home from the hospital, he was able to send me off a message. He has continued to advise me of his recovery. The emotional support that I received from the E-Mail messages has been invaluable.
Participatory Democracy
As a member of the Bremerton Republican Women, a PAC (Political Action Committee), I soon learned that a modem can h elp me participate in the political process. I can receive the full text of the President’s speeches, bills before Congress and other items of interest through Gopher servers. With help from the Pi (see the listing of Congressional E-mail addresses in the Nov/Dec 1995 Journal on pp. 38-43), I can send messages to members of Congress. Now that I am serving as Editor for a political club newsletter, I receive reports from our local and federal lawmakers. The two Washingtons have gotten much closer.
A Slice of Apple Pi – or Northwest Pi, the best in the country
Kitsap County, surrounded by saltwater, has the United States Navy as its primary industry. With its natural beauty, varied recreational opportunities, numerous retirement communities and close proximity to Seattle, the area has attracted many retirees. Kitsap is now home to Kitsap County Computing Seniors. Computing Seniors is one of the largest identified senior computing groups in the United States. I have not availed myself of any of their services, because I have a Mac however many people find it rewarding. They have arranged lab time at the local community college, Olympic College, and are hoping to have a Mac SIG. Kitsap County Library has also given us