https://wiki.preterhuman.net/index.php?title=COMPUSERVE_INFO&feed=atom&action=historyCOMPUSERVE INFO - Revision history2024-03-28T11:34:57ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.35.0https://wiki.preterhuman.net/index.php?title=COMPUSERVE_INFO&diff=13889&oldid=prevNetfreak: Created page with "<pre> COMPUSERVE INFO --------------- Compiled and..."2020-07-11T07:27:40Z<p>Created page with "<pre> COMPUSERVE INFO --------------- Compiled and..."</p>
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COMPUSERVE INFO<br />
---------------<br />
Compiled and<br />
Related by:<br />
Morgoth and Lotus<br />
-----------------<br />
<br />
Since its rather humble beginnings in Dublin, Ohio some years ago,<br />
Compuserve, or CIS, as it will be referred to in this article, has grown to<br />
become the largest entertainment/public user oriented system in the country.<br />
This file is divided into two parts. The first is how to get your own CIS ID<br />
number, and make it last a relatively long time. This part may seem like old<br />
hat to some of you out there. The second part is information on what to do<br />
once you are on the system...tricks and tips to keep you out of trouble, or<br />
cause trouble.<br />
A Compuserve identification number is divided into two parts; a project<br />
number and a programmer number. An example would be 70007,1460. This ID is<br />
what you will be known by at all times on the system. When you log on, you<br />
will also be prompted for a password, in addition to your user ID. The<br />
password is divided into two words, kept apart by a separator (-,:,.,etc). The<br />
password may be any two words the user desires, including garbage, which makes<br />
gaining an ID by hacking the password almost, if not totally, impossible.<br />
The most popular, and about the only way left, of gaining an ID is by buying<br />
what the system calls a snapak. These are the little goodies you see in the<br />
store in the introductory packets. With this, you can gain access to most, but<br />
not all of the system.<br />
The first ID, or the "intro" ID will last about a week, at which time,<br />
Compuserve automatically changes the password, and sends the new one to you via<br />
the US Postal service. This is a key point to the ID scam. You MUST have<br />
valid Credit Card information to be able to continue using the ID. I have<br />
heard of intro IDs going bad in a matter of 2 or 3 days due to having non-valid<br />
credit card info. So you need to set up a location to which your second<br />
password can be mailed. This second password should last about a month,<br />
depending on how much credit the CC holder has on his card.<br />
When applying credit to a Visa or Mastercard, Compuserve will submit the<br />
charges about once a week. If you run up about $500 in connect charges, and<br />
the credit card cannot hold it, the ID will go bad. This is the most common<br />
way for an account to run out.<br />
Your first password has some limits. Due to hackers using snapaks,<br />
Compuserve has installed a system which prohibits IDs without the second<br />
password from entering any type of game online. This ranges from the<br />
ever-popular MegaWars, to YGI, all the way down to Casino. This is one reason<br />
why the second password is so important.<br />
If more than one person will be using the account, which is usually the case,<br />
there are also some limits to be observed. The same ID can no longer enter the<br />
CB simulator more than once. If it is tried, the message "exceeding job limit"<br />
will occur, and you will be taken back to the prior menu. The same ID can go<br />
into a SIG at the same time, but both people cannot enter COnference mode while<br />
on the SIG. The best way to talk to another user who is on the same ID is to<br />
go into any forum, say CBMART, and have one of them enter COnference mode.<br />
There, the two users can use the /SEN command to relay messages between the SIG<br />
and COnference. This is kind of complicated, but it is the only way. Also,<br />
anytime the message "exceeding job limit" goes to your screen, the people at<br />
CIS put a small "red mark" by your name. If it occurs too frequently, they<br />
look into the situation to find out if more than one person may be using the<br />
same ID.<br />
Special IDs -- Ok, now that you are on Compuserve, what should you look out<br />
for? As mentioned before, the user ID is divided into [project<br />
number,programmer number] format. The Programmer number is of no importance,<br />
but the Project number is. Some of the ones you should be aware of while<br />
online are:<br />
<br />
70000,xxxx Compuserve Security<br />
70003,xxxx Compuserve Employee<br />
70004,xxxx Same as above<br />
70005,xxxx Radio Shack demo account<br />
70006,xxxx Customer service, or "Wizard" number (see below)<br />
70007,xxxx Complimentary account<br />
76703,xxxx SIG SysOp, or Forum Info Provider<br />
<br />
While on CB, look out for the 70000 IDs, and especially the 70006, or<br />
"wizard" numbers. The Wizard ids have some very special functions. The main<br />
one is called autogag, or /GAG. This allows the bearer of this ID to banish<br />
any user from the system, in a way. What it actually does is to keep the<br />
/GAGged person out of everyone's view. They will not show up on the /ust list,<br />
and anything they type will not show up on anybody else's screen. Kind of like<br />
a mute button on a television. The Chief of CIS security is Dan Pisker, and on<br />
CB he uses the handles "Dan'l", or "Ghost", with a 70000 id.<br />
Monitoring -- This is a very popular subject with the users of Compuserve,<br />
but when broken down, it is quite simple. CIS is capable of monitoring<br />
ANYTHING that is said on the system. This doesn't mean that they do, however.<br />
For /TALK to be monitored in a Forum or on CB, CIS must first have a court<br />
order...it is supposedly as illegal as tapping a phone line. This has been<br />
done before to catch some major hackers on the system. /SEN in a SIG is not<br />
supposedly monitorable....the status on it is the same as on /TALK. /SCR mode<br />
on CB or on a SIG is definitely monitorable, especially if the the /SCR key is<br />
typed on open channel. Keep /SCR conversations to a minimum. As far as<br />
anything else goes, anything said on open channel is quite definitely seen by<br />
SOMEBODY in the big chair up in Ohio. It would not surprise me at all if they<br />
hire people to go through CB Transcripts every day to look for that kind of<br />
thing. Also, when you are in COnference mode in a SIG, always check the<br />
/STAtus of the channel. If /STA EVER returns that there are more people on the<br />
channel you are on than the /USERS function does, then you can rest assured<br />
that the channel is being monitored.<br />
Nodes -- When you log on through CIS, you are going through a node. The node<br />
takes the form of 3 letters, designating the site of the computer through which<br />
you are connecting through Compuserve. An example would be "NYJ" (New York<br />
City). There are some special nodes you should know about, though.<br />
Tymnet - Anybody logging on through Tymnet will be assigned one of these<br />
nodes - QAI, QAJ, QAK, QAC, QAM, QAN, QAO, QCA, QCB, QCC, QCE, QCF, QCH. This<br />
cannot identify where you are calling from, just that you are logging in<br />
through the Tymnet network.<br />
Telenet - QBA, QBC, QBD, QBG, QBF, QEN, QEI, QEP.<br />
Also, another special node would be DB- (DBA, DBB, DBC, etc), which means<br />
that the user is logging on from Compuserve's Headquarters in Dublin.<br />
The way to tell what node somebody is in is by typing /UST on either CO mode<br />
on a SIG, or CB...the result is like this....<br />
Job User Id Ch. Node Handle<br />
--- ---------- --- ---- ------<br />
1) 12 70003,1295 17 CSG Red Leather<br />
2) 133 70006,1293 1s BAF Surf's Up!<br />
3) 69 76703,1211 Tlk BOO JOE CUFFS<br />
4) 22 70000,1959 30* DBA Pig<br />
Now, you can tell something specific about each of these four people based on<br />
the info given above. Red is in Columbus, Ohio, and is on Channel 17. She is<br />
also a Compuserve Employee. Surf is in Bakersfield, California, and is a<br />
Customer service personnel. He is also using /SCRamble. Joe is in Talk, is a<br />
sysop on a SIG, and is in Boston, Massachusetts. This is the format for Talk<br />
on CB. Pig is on talk in a SIG, and is a security personnel from Dublin, Ohio.<br />
The format for showing if somebody is in /Talk is different on a SIG than in<br />
regular CB. Also, the /SEN command is not implemented on CB.<br />
Have fun with this...hope it helps. Distribute the file however you want,<br />
but make sure the credits stay at the bottom.<br />
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[[Category:Internet]]</div>Netfreak