Connectivity Providers Database

From: info@sahara.com (Info) To: sghuter@nsrc.org Date: Thu, 25 Apr 96 01:47:00 +0300 Sahara Internet Service The Information Package ver 1.7 (Feb. 24th, 96) TEL (03) 8340788 FAX (03) 8345652 BBS (03) 8332082 E-Mail sysop@sahara.com I. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: We, at Sahara BBS, have been promising our users to get them into a world-wide connection that has -NEVER- been available to anyone in Saudi Arabia. This connection was intended to full-fill the needs of each and every user, no matter how scattered the ideas and needs are. Between 1992 and 1994 we have been searching for a network that can do this. We have looked into diverse options and have almost gone into tens of networks, from the small to the huge, from the "just born" to the "old". We have found that the Internet is with no doubt the best network that anyone can connect with, that can supply us with such diverse needs. As an example, on the Internet, you can send E-Mail to more than 45 million users around the globe (as of Dec. 1994). As you probably know, the Internet offers diverse services. > From just personal E-Mail, to file transfers (FTP), to logging into remote organizations computers (telnet or rlogin) and other such high-end services (WWW, Gopher, ARCHI..etc) which made the Internet so popular. We are not able to provide our users with the full services of the Internet. Simply because we would need a permanent 24 hours connection to the Internet. Its obvious that this has its huge costs that will not be covered no matter what we choose to charge our users! Although this is a costly option, we have been trying to do it during the first half of 1994. We just couldn't do it. It has its huge obstacles that we will need to work on for at least a couple of years! This attempt has helped us greatly in learning about the Internet and about the possibilities of connecting to it. Sahara Internet Service -SIS- : (The Boom!) Sahara Internet Service (SIS) is one great service you canlive without! It opens your mind to the world around you. The Internet is known as the largest and most growing network of the computer communications world. It interconnects lots and lots of other networks to make a huge grid of networks and connections. Its links are so powerful and fast that e-mails move around the globe in seconds!! You will be amazed how you have been living without being connected to the Internet. More into the fun of the Internet is its discussion groups (conferences), or what they call in Internet terms the "USENET" news groups. There are over 14000 news groups! They discuss various aspects and subjects. Your favorite topics are sure to be discussed somewhere ! Get connected to the largest network in the world and be able to contact over 50 million people and hosts world wide! Tell me more about SIS ? - Only paid members can enjoy this service. - An annual subscription fee of 490 SR is required to be able to read and write to others and have your own account on the Internet. Example : "kais_al-essa@sahara.com" or "mike_topping@sahara.com" or you can have an alias such as miket@sahara.com...etc. (alias is an option with one time charge of SR 50) - A six months subscription is available for 290 SR only! - A three months subscription is also available for 190 SR only! - You can start your own mailing list (Newsgroup) on the Internet. If you would like to do so, then please contact the SysOp for more details on the costs involved and to get a feeling of what you should be doing to be able to start such a thing! - Please note that this service will DEPEND VERY GREATLY ON THE NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBED USERS. As much as we have of users as perfect the service will become. - If you want complete information, then please download the file SIS.ZIP or SIS.EXE which are available on Sahara BBS. And if you want the users's guide then download the file BBSGUIDE.TXT or BBSGUIDE.ZIP. - This service has already completed one year of successful operations and it is ready for you to utilize! (Some of our subscribed members are already amazed by using it and still lots to come!!). - We have added a special conference for our subscribed members to discuss all matters about the Internet and its usage. (InterneTalk Conference # 21). - Special prices are available for companies/groups (more than 10 persons). Contact Sahara BBS now. Make your company known worldwide! Join others and enjoy the Internet. II. WHAT ARE OUR CAPABILITIES ? Our connection will enable us, and all subscribed users for this service, to send and receive private Internet E-Mail, as if we are a complete, full fledged, organization on the Internet. Each of the users that will be using this service will have his/her own Internet address (look in section 3 for more on this subject). It will also enable the BBS to participate in USENET news groups. There are thousands of these groups available on the Internet. We just have to pick what suits us and then just subscribe to them. We can add new ones or take-out any of the ones we are subscribed to at any time. Currently we have seven of them. Look at CURRENT.LST file. These news groups are similar to the idea of a conference. A group of people who are connected via an organization can access these groups and so they can participate in the discussions. We have to notice three things though: 1. That the postings to these groups should really be related to the topic, or we will simply be reading about lots of diverse things here and there. 2. There are thousands of people, or may be more, that are reading these groups. 3. These people are simply from diverse backgrounds, and they are really from around the world. Examples of these USENET news groups are: alt.cd-rom, bit.treavellers-l and alt.alien.visitors This connection will also enable us to provide our users with LISTSERVs. These are also similar to news groups. They are a group of people who talk and discuss a topic. But these listservs are mainly available through a network that's called BITNET. Internet csonnected systems can also access these BITNET listservs because there are a number of connections between the Internet and the BITNET which allow the passage of E-Mail. This also means that you can send private EMail to anyone on the BITNET. III. HOW ARE WE GOING TO WORK THESE OUT ? NEWSGROUPS: The way we will adopt these USENET groups and BITNET lists is that we will assign a CONFERENCE for each list or news group. Of course any mail you write in the conferences assigned for these news groups will be automatically sent to everyone participating in these news groups around the world. But you have to notice that you should address the mail to "ALL" from within this specific conference. PRIVATE E-MAIL(Mailing Box): We also have a conference in which you can write any private EMail you would like to send to someone on the Internet or BITNET (that also covers big services like CompuServe, AmericaOnline, Genie, and lots of others). If you are expecting any E-Mail replies to you from the Internet or BITNET, then you should enter this conference and you should find it here if it has arrived already. (This conference is now established as conference # 20, "Private E-Mail") Each of the subscribed users for SIS will have an address of the following format : YourFirstName_YourLastName@Sahara.Com Example1: user name is "KAIS AL-ESSA" Internet address is "kais_al-essa@sahara.com" Simply speaking, each SPACE will be filled with the "_" character. Example2: user name is "MAJED MATOUQ AHMED" Internet address is "majed_matouq_ahmed@sahara.com" ** If you forget your address, you can simply type the command [ADDRESS] while logged into Sahara BBS to get your correct Internet address or alias (if you have one). ** Do not send mail to your friends in this BBS within conference # 20, it will not reach them. (It is only for Internet E-Mail). InternetTalk: There is also a conference that can be accessed only by the users registered for SIS. In this conference, we will discuss all and every problem you might face. This conference is also meant for the exchange of information. Say that one of the users found very well-known person on the net that others might be interested in talking to, then he would tell about him/her Internet address in this special conference. We would like to make sure that you all gain benefit and have fun from this Internet connection. If you have any questions or comments then also this conference is made for that. (This conference is established now as conference # 21, "InterneTalk") IV. THE GOAL BEHIND ALL OF THIS ! Our main goal in this connection is to provide REAL world-wide connectivity to the computer users in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region. This is the FIRST and only Public Internet connection of its type! Sure there are BITNET connections, but these are only for students of universities or faculty. These are also limited for educational usage, and not open. You'll not be able to get USENET news on these sites, and will not be sure that your access is going to maintain for as long as you need it. Also, there are some Internet connections for some firms like, IBM and NCR. But these are even more limited. They don't allow any mails but the ones meant for business. You also will not get any type of discussion group neither newsgroups nor lists, and only executives are given these facilities. Also, there are a couple of other BBSes in Jeddah and Riyadh that promised Internet e-mail for their users. But these are all primitive and less secure connections and have a long way to come at the level we are offering you NOW. We are in no way going to have benefit or profit from this service. It has its huge costs that you'll not believe! Of course, you'd expect us to say that, but this is the plain truth! If you happen to have any questions after reading all of the other documents included in this package, then please feel free to drop a mail to us on Sahara BBS. We will be more than happy to hear from you ! What do I need to get connected? All you need is as follows: - Personal Computer (PC or MAC). - High speed modem (Call us on 03-8340788 for recommendation) - Communication Software (Qmodem, ProcommPlus, CrossTalk..etc) - Telephone Line (Any normal telephone line will do the job) Do you know that Sahara BBS has ZyXEL Modems Installed on all of the nodes? Call Nowres Trading for more information on ZyXEL Modems at (03) 833-2133 V. SAHARA BBS TERMS & CONDITIONS : The following terms and conditions apply. These are subject to change without further notice. To obtain the latest terms & conditions, please contact the SysOp of Sahara BBS. (SysOp is short for System Operator) 1. No user may use the SIS for any political, sexual or religious goals. 2. No user should send nor receive any files through the Internet. Either binary or non-binary files, uuencoded or otherwise , through any source neither human nor electronical. 3. This service is meant to help and enhance our knowledge, and it depends on the cooperation manners. We are not looking for profit, we are simply looking for the day where everyone is able to use the computer and communicate with others easily. So please try to limit your E-Mail within what you need and do not overload the link bandwidth with huge E-Mails and things with no usage. 4. We are also not responsible to teach you the way to do it. It is all mentioned in our User's Guide . Please download it or ask for it. 5. Please DO NOT SUBSCRIBE or send e-mail to any of these addresses : LISTSERV, LISTPROC, MAIL-SERV, MAJORDOMO FTP, LIST, REQUEST,..etc. (You are not allowed to do so). (Anything that is in a listserv, or newsletter format). Violators will be notified once, and on the second incident they will be taken out of the SIS with no refund what-so-ever. $$$ HOW TO SEND YOUR MONEY IN ? The subscription fees are all indicated in the ORDER.FRM file. You can pay the amount of subscription by any of the following three ways : 1. If you have a VISA or Mastercard credit card that are valid, then you have to just fill the APPLICATION FORM (ORDER.FRM) and the AUTHORIZATION FORM (SIGN.FRM), sign them both and send them to us by either mail or FAX (preferable): Our FAX is: +(966)-3-834-5652. Our mailing address is mentioned below. 2. If you are in Dammam, Khobar or Dhahran areas, then pass by us at the Akariyah Commercial Building in Dammam. We are in the 6th floor in suite # 601, together with Nowres Trading. Give your money to Kais, Haitham, or to any of the employees in there - PLEASE INDICATE THAT THIS MONEY IS FOR SAHARA BBS ! and DON'T forget to fill the two FORMs! (The working hours are : 8:00 - 12:30 and 14:00 - 18:30) 3. Send us a money order (Bank Draft) in the name of: [ NOWRES TRADING EST.] Please fill the enclosed FORMs along with the money order of the amount due. And Mail it to our address. Our Address: Sahara BBS, P.O.Box 5480, Dammam 31422, Saudi Arabia. TEL: (03) 8340788 FAX: (03) 8345652 BBS: (03) 8332082 Node#1 (Public) BBS: (03) 8350421 Node#2 (Subscribed Members) BBS: (03) 8333095 Node#3 (Subscribed Memebrs) BBS: (03) 8333154 Node#4 (Subscribed Memebrs) BBS: (03) 8343603 Node#5 (subscribed Members) NOTE: sorry, we only have local access numbers. We do not have access number in other regions (Callers from other than 03- area code has to deal 03 first). ============================================================== Sahara BBS Membership Program Application Form (ORDER.FRM) Name:[__________________________] [__________________________] Firs (spelled correctly ) Last If you are NEW to the BBS, then put a word of maximum 8 characters to be your password (not needed if you have logged into Sahara before) :[______________] Complete Mailing Address : [____________________________________________________________] [____________________________________________________________] Work Phone # : [_________________________] Home Phone # : [_________________________] YES, I understand that this application will entitle me to no more than 365 days from the day I am granted full access to the BBS as a paid member. What I need of daily access time is: Table#0_______________________________________________________ [ ] New Subscription [ ] Renewal of [ Description ] [ FEE ] Table#1_______________________________________________________ Tick One Only: (Basic Subscription) [ ] Basic access of 60 minutes daily SR 100/year [ ] Extra 10 minutes, totaling 70 minutes SR 110/year [ ] Extra 20 minutes, totaling 80 minutes SR 120/year [ ] Extra 30 minutes, totaling 90 minutes SR 130/year Table#2_______________________________________________________ (Internet subscribers must tick one choice of table#1 and one of table#2) Tick One Only: (Sahara Internet Service Subscription) [ ] Internet E-Mail annual access SR 490/year [ ] Internet E-Mail 6 months access SR 290/6months [ ] Internet E-Mail 3 months access SR 190/3months Table#3_______________________________________________________ [ ] I would like to have an alias on my SR 50/one time (Optional) Internet address Example terminator@sahara.com (This could be any fancy name) My Alias would be [_______________________] ______________________________________________________________ Total is SR [ ] * Payment method: VISA or MasterCard o CASH o CHECK o (Please tick one of the above) YES, I understand that in SIS I can neither send nor receive any files of either binary or non-binary origin and that I'll strictly be using this service for plain text e-mail messages. If I violated the rules I will be notified once and on the second incident, I will be taken off the SIS with no right to ask for a refund. And I'll go by the terms and conditions of Sahara BBS. Signature of Applicant Date Sent : _________________________ ____/____/____ NOTE : If you are paying by your credit card, please download the file "SIGN.FRM" and fill it and Fax it back to us along with this form to FAX # 03-834-5652. or just mail it to our address. P.O.Box 5480, Dammam 31422, KSA. The file "SIGN.FRM" might be attached to this document. ============================================================== SAHARA BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM Nowres Trading Est. (SIGN.FRM) P.O.Box 5480 TEL 03-834-0788 Dammam 31422 FAX 03-834-5652 Saudi Arabia Sahara BBS requires all members to have a signed Credit Card Authorization Form on file (see below). Plesign and return the appropriate forms as soon as possible so your subscription does not get interrupted. CREDIT CARD AUTHORIZATION FORM Sahara BBS Member Login Name [_______________________________] Name on Credit Card [________________________________________] Type of Credit Card [_____________] (Visa or MasterCard) Credit Card Number [________________________________________] Expiration Date [_______/________] Month Year In accordance with SAHARA BBS TERMS AND CONDITIONS, I hereby authorize Nowres Trading Est. to bill any charges incurred for the above named account to the credit card specified. Card Holder Signature: ______________________________ Date: ___________ Name : _______________________________ PLEASE FAX IT BACK TO US ON 03-834-5652 Or Mail it to the above address. ==============================================================