Thomas Mueller wrote:
>>CompuServe, I don't know about AOL, Prodigy and MSN, requires 7E1 instead of
the usual 8N1 for logging on, for some (screwy?) reason. CompuServe, AOL,
Prodigy and MSN (I assume, since they require Windows 95/98/ME and not NT or
2000) have the drawback of requiring their software for access, as opposed to
ISPs that are accessible through standard Internet protocols.<<
As a Compuserve user, I would like to verify and correct some of the above.
Yes, Compuserve *does* require 7E1 to access Compuserve and I, too, don't
know why.
No, Compuserve does not require Windoze or their software to access
Compuserve. I access Compuserve from DOS using ProComm Plus, or DOSCIM
(Compuserve's DOS information manager). The only problem with using ProComm
Plus is that most of Compuserve's fora (that still exist as fora) require HMI
(graphics) that ProComm Plus doesn't support. I can, and do, access
Compuserve Mail, Member, Phones, and some other fora using ProComm Plus,
which is my preferred method of accessing these fora. Using DOSCIM, which
does support HMI, I can access the fora that still exist (but can't do what I
used to do using the old BBS style of Compuserve). I use TAPCIS for mail
thru Compuserve, although I could use any text editor to create mail and
upload it using ProComm Plus.
I access the internet thru Compuserve as a gateway using Arachne, without
stopping at Compuserve. For all intents and purposes, Compuserve is
invisible while using the internet. I cannot see what the differences would
be using any other ISP as a gateway to the internet.
My big gripe with Compuserve is that the mailbox will hold only 100 messages,
which means that if I don't download my mail at least daily (I subscribe to
two very active listservices), some mail addressed to me might be returned.
Roger Turk
Tucson, Arizona USA
