CompuServe Thread

Barry, I discovered TAPCIS a long time ago. I don't remember exactly when, but it was sometime back in the 80's. Up until then, I would log onto CIS with a program like ProCom Plus. Give commands to "go to" the different forums and read messages. Before I had ProCom, I remember using a program that let me capture ASCII files as they flew by my screen, so I would read messages without the stops at the bottom of the page, capture this and read it off line. Then someone on one of the forums told about TAPCIS and I have been hooked ever since. Here is how it works. The program is a DOS program but will run in Windows. I start the program. When you run the program for the first time, you enter things like your name, password, phone numbers to access CIS and a list of the forums you want to visit. You then press ALT-J and the program goes online, and joins all of the forums that you have selected. That is a one time only thing until you join new forums. Normally, I open the program, press the letter "N" and the program goes online, sends my password, goes to each forum I have pre-selected. Downloads my E-Mail and messages and a list of Threads in each of the forums that I have selected and then logs off. This takes just under a minute. I normally check out 4 different forums. So, in less than a minute, much faster than I could ever type, I've gone to four places. Then offline, I read my messages, by just pressing a single number that represents a forum. While reading a message, if I want to respond, I press the letter "R" and a page opens already addressed to the person I want ot respond to. I can then tag the threads that I want to read, write any additional new messages and then press either the letter "N" or the letter "O". "N" will log on and pick up any new messages for me and new threads, plus send my messages and download the thread messages. The letter "O" will do all of the above except pick up any new messages or new Threads. Each session usually last only a minutes on line. I live in Frederick, Maryland. 50 miles west of Baltimore and 50 miles north of Washington, DC. If I lived just 20 miles futher south, I could dial into CIS with a local number. But, for some reason CIS does not have a number that is local to the Frederick area. Actually, I live in Walkersville, which is like a suburb of Frederick, but our phone number has a different exchance than a Frederick number. America On Line, does have a number that is local to Frederick, but long distance to Walkersville. So, if I want to use AOL, I do it from our office which is in Frederick. I have asked CIS a number of times, why they don't use a simular exchance that I could at least access from the office. I get a standard answer of "the decession is made by others based upon usage". At least CIS only charges 10 cents per minute when using their 800 number. My long distance service is 13 cents, but chargable by the actual seconds used. The only reason I use the 800 number is sometimes I call CIS, get a connection and then the log on fails. If I were calling LD, it would cost me for the call, if I use the 800 number there is no charge, since I never connected with CIS. Fred