Greetings Ed!   
      
    RW>> Silly Little Mail Reader was the best of the offline readers   
    RW>> when I was a BBS user, way back in 1994...wow, 20 years ago.   
    RW>> Why havn't you advanced beyond your baby years?   
      
    EV> I like read BBS Messages Offline instead of timing out the BBS and   
    EV> having to wait a half hour before I could read more Messages on it.   
      
   I do that here, but not with software like SLMR...I run a Windoz program   
   called D'Bridge that is online 24/7/365.25days/year. D'B moves mail in and   
   out of what is known as a 'mail hub' and distributes it to some downlinks   
   whose software connects here to pickup and dropoff mail.   
      
   Not only that, but it will allow the sysop to access and read the echoes   
   with it's own internal mail reader (edit.com) or the sysop can configure   
   D'B to use something else. My choice was to implement the oldest reader   
   available with modern day updates to it; GoldEd. I've used the 1990s DOS   
   version and have kept up with the times by switching to a Windoz version   
   when it became available, c1997...   
      
    EV> Before I read the TV Typewriters Cookbook and got interested in   
    EV> wanting to use one of them for RTTY I would listen to the W1AW 18WPM   
    EV> CW Bulletin Broadcast and type what I heard on my Royal Typewriter.   
      
   I learned to type on a Royal, 9th grade in junior high school. I never   
   thought I'd have a use for such a skill, relegating it to secretarial work   
   instead of my carreer choice. But at least the class gave me 1 more point   
   toward graduation...   
      
    EV> If my wife called me during those broadcasts I'd ask her to wait   
    EV> until the broadcast finished because I didn't want to miss any part   
    EV> of it.   
      
   8^) Sounds familiar...   
      
    EV> I built the Netronics ASCII Keyboard, and their Video Terminal board   
    EV> to use RTTY.   
      
    EV> Another Ham made a RF Modulator for me so I could use a TV Set as a   
    EV> RTTY Monitor.   
      
   RF modulator. I haven't heard nor seen one of those since my TI99-4a days.   
      
    EV> I used a portion of a RTTY Decoder circuit project in a issue of   
    EV> Popular Electronics magazine (IIRC it used two 1458 IC's).   
      
    EV> The Audio FSK Keyer used a 555 IC.   
      
    EV> I would record the RX audio and the Keyer audio on a cassette   
    EV> recorder so if my wife called me to do something I could leave the   
    EV> Shack and replay the tape to see what the RTTY Broadcast or QSO was   
    EV> about when I came back.   
      
   Cool.   
      
    EV> I made my first HF RTTY QSO by typing CQ just after the W1AW RTTY   
    EV> Broadcast on 20M ended.   
      
    EV> On 2M there were some Amateur Radio RTTY BBS's I could use.   
      
   I never got into RTTY, but I did get into the next best thing, packet   
   radio...   
      
    EV> In 1984 when I got a Commodore 64 Personal Computer (pc) I began   
    EV> calling a BBS for Commodore Computers with a 300 baud telephone   
    EV> modem.   
      
   Heh. I still have the original 300 baud modem that I used with my TI99.   
   It's in like new condition.   
      
    EV> I learned there were other BBS's for Apple's, Atair's and IBM PC   
    EV> Compatiable Computers and called them to learn what I could from   
    EV> them.   
      
   I called some BBSes, but I also called San Diego State University systems   
   to access their learning media. Also got an insight into Unix computer   
   language.   
      
    EV> I learned about MS-DOS and Windows 3.x by reading messages on   
    EV> The Volunteer BBS and learned enough to be able to help a friend at   
    EV> church who had a 386 Gateway 2000 PC with a problem he had with his   
    EV> pc.   
      
    EV> Also about that time, where I worked we got my boss's XT to use when   
    EV> He got a 286, so then I was able to read the manuals and practice the   
    EV> exercises in the books to learn about PC DOS v2.11.   
      
   I skipped owning an XT and went straight to the 286. When I opened my   
   purchased 286, I saw that it wasn't as complicated as it seemed and have   
   built my computers from the most up to date components available. I was   
   able to do this because living in San Diego gave me access to more than a   
   dozen computer stores and best of all, surplus computer parts stores.   
      
    EV> Later on, I heard about using Digicom Packet with the Commodore 64   
    EV> computer and started using Packet Radio on 2M.   
    EV> I didn't have any HF gear in the computer room to use to get on HF   
    EV> Packet but I enjoyed 2M Packet Radio.   
      
   That was fun.   
      
    EV> With SLMR I find it easier to select what File I wanted to Save   
    EV> messages to, and I could search real easily for a particular Tagline   
    EV> I wanted to use for a message, and I could C&P text from one file   
    EV> into a Reply Message.   
      
   Today's packet readers have a feature that picks at random, taglines from   
   a comma-delimited text file. I have quite a collection, but don't use them   
   anymore.   
      
    EV> I used MultiMail to read messages that were longer than SLMR could   
    EV> display, and decided to use it all the time now even though it is   
    EV> harder for me to select a certain Tagline from the list and the DOS   
    EV> version doesn't allow C&P when I'm using EDIT.COM for the Editor.   
      
   I'm not sure if you can use Fmail or GoldEd to read SLMR type of packets,   
   but both of them will pick taglines from a text file for you. Most of the   
   time it is uncanny how well that software picks out something appropo to   
   the subject...   
      
    EV> I'm a Old Technology Baby too, I guess.   
      
   You're only as old as you want to feel. I'm the same age as you are, but I   
   think like I'm 20-25 years younger.   
      
    EV> As Tom says, "If it works don't mess with it.".   
      
   That's an old cliche' for people who're afraid to experiment to use. I'm   
   always messin' with things that could use improvement.   
      
    EV> ... A yer ago I kudnt spel jeanyus now I are won.   
      
   I heard that one, in different way.   
      
   "Six months ago, I couldn't even spell enjineer, now I are one."   
      
      
       Have a day!   
      
            R\%/itt - K5RXT   
      
   --- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-31012   
   --- D'Bridge 3.99   
    * Origin: HAM Radio, aka Amateur Radio. 804? Over! (1:387/22)