Welcome to Hated Reality BBS & Radio
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Welcome to Hated Reality BBS & Radio If you've used a BBS before, you should quickly be able to find your way around Worldgroup in what we call "terminal" mode. The other way to access Worldgroup, client/server mode, uses a shareware Windows program which you can probably download from this Worldgroup. It's most likely in a library, and most Sysops name the .ZIP or .EXE file with something beginning in WG or WGM. The program is named Worldgroup Manager and, if you have Windows 3.1, you should check WGM out. If you have never used a BBS before, and you don't have a Windows PC, this document is intended to help you learn your way around. A few basics to keep in mind: if you want to exit from wherever you are in the system, type X ENTER. Most selections and commands must be followed by ENTER. On menus (and most prompts) you may also type ? ENTER for help. Otherwise, type a letter or number from the list of options provided by menus and prompts. Sometimes you'll type more than one character, such as when entering a filename.ext or writing a message. This document will help you get started using Worldgroup, and will be a reference for later, even after you've found your way around. A Quick Overview ---------------- When you first call into Worldgroup, you're asked to sign up, creating an account for yourself. If you're online reading this document, you must have already signed up, and should now have a User-ID and password that you can use from now on. When you call in, all you have to do is enter in your User-ID and then your password. The server remembers who you are, and starts by telling you if you have any mail waiting (it may also ask you if you want to read it right away). You might also get some other important notices, but you'll eventually be taken to the TOP menu. The TOP menu is the first menu on the server. The various selections on this menu go to different areas of the server. Each Sysop (System Operator) of a Worldgroup service can edit the layout of menus, so the TOP menu on one system may bear no resemblance to the TOP menu of another. Here's what the TOP menu looks like before Sysop editing: Please select one of the following: T ... Teleconference (type live with other users online) I ... Information Center (read information on this system) F ... Forums (read/write public messages) E ... Electronic Mail (read/write private messages) L ... File Libraries (upload/download files) A ... Account Display/Edit (examine your account information) P ... Polls and Questionnaires (answer polls and questionnaires) D ... Doors (run DOS programs while online) R ... Registry of Users (info other users make public) Q ... QWK-mail (offline E-mail and Forums handling) X ... Exit System (Logoff) (Disconnect from the service) Main System Menu (TOP) Make your selection (T,I,F,E,L,A,P,D,R,Q,? for help, or X to exit): By typing in one of the select characters, followed by an ENTER, you can enter any of these different areas. As an example, this is how you write and send a private E-mail message to yourself. First, select E to go into Electronic Mail. This menu appears: The following E-mail services are available: R ... Read messages to you W ... Write a message M ... Modify a message E ... Erase a message F ... Read messages from you S ... Special functions X ... Exit from E-mail Select an option (R,W,M,E,F,S,X to exit, or ? for more info): Type W ENTER to write mail. This prompt appears: To whom do you wish to send this message? Enter User-ID, ? for help, or ENTER for "Sysop": Type in your User-ID and press ENTER. Next, you'll be asked for the topic of your message. Type in a short description of what you'll be writing about (like the RE: line in a memo). When you're done, press ENTER. If the terminal you're using supports ANSI graphics, the Full Screen Editor will appear. This ANSI editor will act very much like a small word processor, allowing you to use your cursor keys to move around the message. Type whatever message you wish to send to yourself as a sample. The editor automatically word-wraps at the end of each line. When you are finished writing, press CTRL-G. This saves what you've typed. If you would rather abandon the message and lose what you've typed so far, press CTRL-O instead (oh, not zero). All sorts of advanced commands are also available. CTRL-R is help: ÉÍ HELP (CTRL-W for more) ÍÍÑÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º CTRL-Z Select Terminal ³ CTRL-L Redisplay Screen º º CTRL-K CTRL-Q Quit ³ CTRL-K CTRL-X Save and Quit º º CTRL-T Change Topic ³ CTRL-W Extended Help º º CTRL-X Exit to Line Edit ³ CTRL-N Import Message º º Line Commands: ³ CTRL-K CTRL-U Upload File º º CTRL-B Insert Line ³ º º CTRL-C Chop Line ³ CTRL-Y Delete Line º º CTRL-A Center Line ³ CTRL-J Join Line º º CTRL-F Insert character ³ CTRL-E Erase to End of Line º º Block Commands: ³ CTRL-V Delete character º º CTRL-K CTRL-B Mark Start ³ CTRL-K CTRL-K Mark End º º CTRL-K CTRL-H Hide Block ³ CTRL-K CTRL-F Frame Block º º CTRL-K CTRL-Y Delete Block³ CTRL-P Format Paragraph º ÇÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄĶ º --- HIT ANY KEY TO RETURN TO EDITOR --- º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ If you don't have ANSI support, you'll get the line editor. The line editor doesn't allow you to move around with your cursor keys like the Full Screen Editor, so you have to enter your message one line at a time. The automatic word-wrap feature will wrap the end of lines for you, just like the ANSI editor. When you're finished entering your message with the line editor, and you want to go ahead and save it, type /S ENTER on a blank line by itself. If you want to change something about what you've written so far, you can edit the message by typing OK ENTER on a blank line by itself. That gives you this menu: EDITOR OPTIONS: S)ave message R)e-type a line A)ppend message D)elete line L)ist message I)nsert line(s) C)hange text N)ew message H)elp T)opic change U)pload file Select an editor option (S,A,L,C,H,R,D,I,N,U, or ? for menu): When you're finished editing your message, select S from this menu to save your message. No matter which editor you use, you'll next come to this prompt: Before sending this message, you may: A ... Attach a file to this message R ... Request return receipt P ... Mark message as priority C ... Send a copy of this message to other user(s) M ... Modify the message text or topic Select a write option or press ENTER to send message: For now, just press ENTER and the message is sent. You should receive it as new mail for you to read within a few seconds. The other options listed in these menus are explained in detail later on in this document under Electronic Mail. This is only the tip of the iceberg as far as features are concerned. The rest of this document contains more in-depth information about the vast number of other features that this server has to offer. If you have any problems finding your way around, just leave some E-mail to the Sysop asking for help. When the Sysop replies to your message, you'll be notified as soon as you log on that you have new mail waiting. Languages --------- Worldgroup has the ability to communicate with users using different languages, and different protocols, simultaneously. For example, you might be logged on to this system using a terminal package which supports ANSI, while another user might be logged on using a terminal package which supports RIP, such as RIPterm (see RIPscrip graphics, below). Alternatively, one ANSI user can receive English prompts from the server while another ANSI user receives, say, Spanish prompts. When you first connect with Worldgroup, the system will usually try to sense what kind of protocol you're using. You might also, depending on how the Sysop has configured the system, be presented with a list of languages to choose from. For example: Please choose one of these languages/protocols: 1. English/ANSI The standard English language version 2. English/RIP The English version of RIPscrip graphics 3. Spanish/ANSI Espa¤ol/ANSI Choose a number from 1 to 3: The part of the language name before the "/" is the spoken language name, while the part after the "/" is the protocol. If you see this prompt, choose the number of the language you wish to use. The server then prompts you for your User-ID and password, using the language you chose. Modules and Menuing ------------------- Worldgroup's terminal mode consists of two sections: the main menuing system and the modules. Just after logging on, you enter the main menuing system, where you can choose to enter different areas of the server, exit from them, and choose others. It's the main menuing system's job to guide you to and from the many features available to you.