ÕÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ͸ ³ THE PROGRAMMER'S MARK BBS STATEMENT OF PURPOSE ³ ÔÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ; This BBS was "born" on July 11, 1993; it was originally intended as a support vehicle for a Shareware mail reader I had intended (and still do!) to write. I felt that a serious Shareware author should have a support BBS. However, I've been an enthusiastic BBSer for years, and I also wanted to have what I considered to be a good *local* BBS, with a high quality, highly focussed filebase, and a good local messagebase. Regarding the Filebase ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ I'm a BASIC programmer, so I wanted to have a highly screened selection of BASIC related files. I've collected and described what I consider to be a quality collection of BASIC related files. I'm also very interested in archivers/compressors, so I wanted a good selection of those as well. You will find the archivers and compressors themselves, along with source code (where available) for them, archiver related utilities, etc. Also, although there are other boards with a large *volume* of files, I've often found the quality lacking (poor file descriptions, duplicate files, trivial files, etc.). I've given considerable effort to making The Programmer's Mark BBS's filebase "high quality". Regarding the Messagebase ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ My attitudes regarding the Messagebase are very similar to my attitudes regarding the Filebase. Although the majority of Message Areas are those relating to programming/technical topics, I've tried to attract, and be responsive to, callers of different interests. I hope I've been successful! As far as "quality" messages are concerned, I do not believe in overquoting, nor in a large number of "one-liner" type messages. I expect those who participate in the messagebase to put a reasonable amount of effort into their posts (e.g.: appropriate quoting, spelling, grammar, etc.). In other words, I don't want to tell you what to say, but rather that you try to say it with some skill! I also expect participants to respect the views of others. Anyone should be confident that they may say what they think, and so long as they do not "flame" someone else, nor lace their posts with vulgarity, that they will not be flamed in return. In other words, we all may disagree, but nobody will be criticized or insulted for expressing what they think. Summary ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ Because I didn't want my BBS to be devoted entirely to programming and technical topics, there are also two File Areas (E-Text and Politics/History/Government Text) as well as various non-technical Message Areas. After all, the world isn't just about computers! So, what is the Statement of Purpose for this BBS? Well, to distill what has been stated above, "quality" is the one word which best describes what I hope for this BBS to be. I want it to be a place where individuals can find files that are of use to them, without having to waste a lot of time in doing so; I want it to be a place where we can have serious discussions on issues, computer related or not, without having to be concerned that we will be criticized for voicing our opinions. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Newt Meltzer who suggested the BBS slogan ("Widen your horizons..."), and John Bragazzi, who not only suggested an entertainment related message area, but named it (Sound & Vision) as well, and has also been a good source of insight into BBS issues.