CFOG's PIP, June 1986, Volume 4 No. 8, Whole No. 44, page 10

The CP/M Round Table on the General Electric Network for Information Exchange

by Benjamin H. Cohen

In a recent issue of the monthly RCPM list I noted an entry "GEnie CP/M Roundtable" with the information that a CP/M Round Table has been established on GEnie. According to the listing, you could call 800-638-8369, typc HHH when you get the carrier, then when you see "U#=" <for User Number Equals?"> type ^R5JM11995,GENIE<cr> where ^R is a control-R <which tells the local node to echo> and <cr> is a carriage return. You could then run a demo, the notice said, and sign up if you wanted to. Sysops for the CP/M Round Table are Keith Peterson and Ken Stritzel. Stritzel is the Sysop of the Sun Valley RCPM in Lisle, 105 MB of free software, now running here after seven years in New Jersey. Unfortunately, by the time I called in July that offer had expired, and the sign-up fee is $18.00, but I was able to do was get the following information, which I have edited to conserve space:

The General Electric
Network for Information Exchange

The sign-up fee for GEnie is $18.00 and includes:

• Processing of your new account.
  
  
• The GEnie User's Guide, a 125 page illustrated, easy-to-read manual.
  
  
• "Inside the Lamp", a monthly newsletter.
  
  
• The LiveWire (tm) CB Simulator
  
  
• GE Mail (tm) - electronic mail
  
  
• RoundTables (tm) - SIGs
  
  
• Real-Time Conferencing
  
  
• RoundTable PC Software Libraries
  
  
• PC Newsletters and information
  
  
• Games, including multi-player games

Genie service availability:
GEnie is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, with occasional scheduled outages for routine maintenance. You may use any modem speed up to 1200 baud for the same basic rate. 2400 baud service, available in some cities, is $10.00 an hour extra.

Basic connect rate:
Non-prime time: $ 5.00 per hour
Prime time: $35.00 per hour

Non-prime time is between 6 PM and 8 AM local time weekdays, all day weekends, and on all U.S. national holidays. Prime time is between 8 AM and 6 PM local time weekdays. Local time zones are assigned by state, with Alaska and Hawaii being assigned to Pacific time.

Communications surcharges:
Low density access areas pay a telecommunications surcharge of $2.00 per hour (prime or non-prime time). 2400 baud access, where available, is surcharged $10.00 per hour (prime or non-prime time).

Free uploading:
Uploading to the RoundTable (tm) libraries is free at 300 and 1200 baud during non-prime time.

Processing fees:
Certain special services requiring manual processing are available at the fees listed below:

Change GE Mail Address $10.00
Change GE Mail Name no charge

Paymentmethods:
All Billing for GEnie services is done through Visa, Mastercard, or direct debiting from your checking account via Checkfree. Your payments will be made for the exact amount billed for the GEnie service, according to the following schedule:

Sign-up fee: the day you sign up
GEnie Service: billed monthly or whenever your GEnie usage exceeds $50.00, whichever occurs first. If your monthly bill is less than $5.00 for a given month, you will not be billed until the following month.

GEnieAgreement:
[Major portions omitted]

2. Access to the GEnie Service

You are responsible for the confidentiality and the use of your User ID and Password, for all charges to your account, and for any violation of this Agreement by anyone using your account.

The Company provides other computer services to subscribers to its MARK III Service using the same resources and equipment as it utilizes in providing access to the GEnie Service. Access may be terminated by Company in preference to the availability of uninterrupted, efficient and high quality computer serviecs to MARK III Service clients.

3. Proprietary Rights

All of the information, material and software available for access through the GEnie Service is the property of the Company or of its information providers. You agree not to copy, publish, commercially exploit, sell, transmit or otherwise reproduce that information, material or software, except as may be expressly permitted by the Company or the information provider at the time access is made available to you, and then only on condition that you reproduce and include therein any copyright notice or other proprietary legend contained in the information, material or software at the time of access. You acknowledge that any violation of this restriction is an infringement of copyright or other proprietary rights.

4. Conditions of Use and Access;
Disclaimer of Warranties;
Limitation of Liability

[Very broad disclaimers.]

7. General

b) The Company reserves the right to monitor access to the GEnie Service by its subscribers and to remove, at its sole discretion, without notice, any information, material or software which it believes to be unlawful or objectionable.

Phone numbers for 312 are:

Phone no.     Speed    Status   City
---------   --------   ------   ----
259-5890    300/1200      S     Rolling Meadows
346-2868      2400        T     Chicago
529-6284    300/1200      S     Schaumburg
662-4171    300/1200      S     Waukegan
726-0350    300/1200            Chicago
750-0501       300              Chicago
931-4550    300/1200            Elgin
945-5730    300/1200      S     Deerfield
983-9444      2400        T     Naperville

"S" means a $2 per hour surcharge for non-dense areas, and "T" indicates 2400 baud surcharge of $10 per hour. [Phone numbers
for other area codes are also available.]

If you have any questions about GEnie, you can contact GEnie Customer Assistance at 800-638-9636, extension 21. To sign up on line and try it out, call the number in the first paragraph.