Digital Archaeology: Codex (Floppy Disk) #8 (part 1)
If I'm counting right, this is the eighth 5.25" disk I have documented the contents of so far (see the last one here). All of them so far are from a batch I picked up at a thrift store a number of years ago. As I have been digging through these disks, it has become obvious that at least some of them were once owned by someone named Connie A. Buys who used to run the "Close Encounters" Special Interest Group (SIG) on Delphi in the mid 1980s.
Many of these disks have forum messages, e-mails and chat session logs. All of this is pre-internet stuff and I don't know if there are any archives in existence today of what was on Delphi in the 1980s. In any case, much of this stuff would have been private at the time and some of it is quite personal.
This contents of this disk (descriptively labeled "File Disk") will be split up into multiple posts since it contains a number of documents, some of which are pretty long. This first document (ARNE.DOC) is a series of e-mails questioning whether or not one of the participants in the SIG is of the appropriate age (i.e. 18+).
ARNIE.DOC
#11 14-OCT-1985 19:47:26 MAIL
From: BOS1A::CABUYS "CONNIE"
To: ARNE,@MGRS.DIS,CABUYS
Subj: Close Encounters SIG & Age Restriction
Hello Arne,
It has come to my attention that there is some question about how old you are.
One of the membership requirements we have in Close Encounters sig is that
one must be 18 years old or older.
This information has been included in many areas of the sig, including the
non-member message and new-member messages available to you when you first
accessed this sig. It is a formal part of my contract with Delphi that I
must enforce to the best of my ability.
This information is also available to you in the Announcements> Membership
section of the sig for review at any time and other such notices calling
all sig members attention to this have been posted to be read automatically
upon entry to the sig.
Just in case you missed it, tho, I would like to quote as follows:
"Membership in 'Close Encounters' is restricted to persons who are at least
18 years of age or older...Although it's difficult to verify age via this
medium, anyone found to have violated the age requirement will be denied
access to the sig at the discretion of the sig managers."
Other sig members have indicated that you are 17. If this is the case, then
I will have to remove you from the membership. If this is not the case, and
you can verify it by honestly telling me your age, then you can remain. If
you feel insulted that we are going to such great pains about this, then
perhaps Close Encounters is not really the sig for you.
Please reply to this message by Wednesday, October 16, before 11 PM EST or I
will have no choice but to take the necessary action.
Thank you.
-Connie A. Buys, Sig Manager
-John Yerger, Asst. Manager
-Joey, SysOp
MAIL>
#12 14-OCT-1985 20:38:01 MAIL
From: BOS1A::ARNE
To: CABUYS
Subj: arne
Dear Ms. Ca Bus ys,
It has come to my attention that there is some question about my age.
For the record, I am 28. S Naturally, th since this information is not being
imparted to you by one of your cronies from years gone by, I don't expect
you to belive it.
eve it.
Arne
MAIL> read 18
#18 15-OCT-1985 08:22:50 MAIL
From: BOS1A::ARNE
To: CABUYS
Subj: beinf g ornery
Well, connie, looks like i'm in the process of being canned for rom the sig...
guess you're just doin' your job....would "We'll always have Parie s s" be
laying in t on a bit too thick?
arne
MAIL> read 19
#19 15-OCT-1985 10:17:45 MAIL
From: BOS1A::JOHNWG
To: JOEY,JOHNMYSELF,CABUYS
Subj: Could you please give me an explanation of this? Thanks, John
From: BOS1A::SERVICE 14-OCT-1985 13:28
To: JOHNWG
Subj: I think ARNE didn't like being excluded from Close Encounters..
From: BOS1A::ARNE 13-OCT-1985 00:04
To: SERVICE
Subj: Close Enc SIG
Dear Service,
When I started using Delphi heavily about a month ago, several people
warned me in no uncertain terms about how cliquish the place was. I thought
they had an axe to grind for some other telecom service, so I just let it
pass.
Tonight the SIG managers of Close Encounters proved to me the hard way
that I was mistaken.
After joining the scheduled conf, the sysops started asking about my age
which never seemed to be a prob with any lem any other time in that SIG. When I
started joking about remembering World War I, they mde ade some rather Gestapo-
like comments about owing them straight answers, then promptly barred me
from the conference.
I had offered to call the SIG mgr and convince him voice-to-voice of
my age but the option of siml ply excluding someone who wasn't a SIG mgr
himself (or one of ther= ir older cronies) was apparently so much easier.
Later I learned that the mgr's traded quips about how strange I was
and not fit material for their SIG anyway.
When the heavi y usage I (and heavy bills) of September and October fall
back to the little-or-no-usage of the pro evious months, this first-hand
demonstration of cliquishness and cronie y-in sm in the Close Encounters group
is the reason why.
Very truly yours,
Arne
P.S. I/ 'm not yet quick enough to know how to send copies of this to
other users, so i but if you wig sh to send copies to JOEY, JOHNMYSELF, and
CABUT YS, I would appreciate it.
MAIL> read 1
#1 15-OCT-1985 18:28:37 NEWMAIL
From: BOS1A::CABUYS "CONNIE"
To: ARNE,JOHNMYSELF,JOEY,CABUYS
Subj: age question
Arne,
I honestly have no reason to not believe you about your age. I was simply
trying to clear up a misunderstanding before it got out of hand, but it appears
I was too late to do that.
I see no reason, now that you have answered my question, to bar you from the
sig and conferences. I do regret and apologize for any inconvenience this may
have caused you, and very much regret that such circumstances have caused you
to have a bad opinion of us. Please do understand that I was doing what I
felt was necessary as Sig Manager in accordance with the terms of my contract
with Delphi.
If you wish to discuss this any further, please do call me collect at
(904)-388-2531. I do wish I had been on line at the origination of all this
problem because I would have accepted your offer at the time about making the
call.
-Connie A. Buys, Sig Manager
MAIL>
#1 15-OCT-1985 18:33:06 NEWMAIL
From: BOS1A::CABUYS "CONNIE"
To: @MGRS,CABUYS
Subj: The Question of Age
It's true that we are having kids show up in the sig. And it's true that we
are having adults show up who are offended when asked their age.
From this date on, I will personally handle any question about age. Until I
can handle it, if I'm unavailable at the time of its occurrence, then the
member is to be treated as any other member of the sig.
Remember the users are paying our way here. We must not be harsh, or appear
offensive or unkind to them and they require handling with kid gloves. This
sig is young yet but has a good potential if we cultivate it carefully
Thank you both co-operation and understanding it this.
-Connie
MAIL> list arne.doc
#11 14-OCT-1985 19:47:26 MAIL
From: BOS1A::CABUYS "CONNIE"
To: ARNE,@MGRS.DIS,CABUYS
Subj: Close Encounters SIG & Age Restriction
Hello Arne,
It has come to my attention that there is some question about how old you are.
One of the membership requirements we have in Close Encounters sig is that
one must be 18 years old or older.
This information has been included in many areas of the sig, including the
non-member message and new-member messages available to you when you first
accessed this sig. It is a formal part of my contract with Delphi that I
must enforce to the best of my ability.
This information is also available to you in the Announcements> Membership
section of the sig for review at any time and other such notices calling
all sig members attention to this have been posted to be read automatically
upon entry to the sig.
Just in case you missed it, tho, I would like to quote as follows:
"Membership in 'Close Encounters' is restricted to persons who are at least
18 years of age or older...Although it's difficult to verify age via this
medium, anyone found to have violated the age requirement will be denied
access to the sig at the discretion of the sig managers."
Other sig members have indicated that you are 17. If this is the case, then
I will have to remove you from the membership. If this is not the case, and
you can verify it by honestly telling me your age, then you can remain. If
you feel insulted that we are going to such great pains about this, then
perhaps Close Encounters is not really the sig for you.
Please reply to this message by Wednesday, October 16, before 11 PM EST or I
will have no choice but to take the necessary action.
Thank you.
-Connie A. Buys, Sig Manager
-John Yerger, Asst. Manager
-Joey, SysOp
MAIL>
#12 14-OCT-1985 20:38:01 MAIL
From: BOS1A::ARNE
To: CABUYS
Subj: arne
Dear Ms. Ca Bus ys,
It has come to my attention that there is some question about my age.
For the record, I am 28. S Naturally, th since this information is not being
imparted to you by one of your cronies from years gone by, I don't expect
you to belive it.
eve it.
Arne
MAIL> read 18
#18 15-OCT-1985 08:22:50 MAIL
From: BOS1A::ARNE
To: CABUYS
Subj: beinf g ornery
Well, connie, looks like i'm in the process of being canned for rom the sig...
guess you're just doin' your job....would "We'll always have Parie s s" be
laying in t on a bit too thick?
arne
MAIL> read 19
#19 15-OCT-1985 10:17:45 MAIL
From: BOS1A::JOHNWG
To: JOEY,JOHNMYSELF,CABUYS
Subj: Could you please give me an explanation of this? Thanks, John
From: BOS1A::SERVICE 14-OCT-1985 13:28
To: JOHNWG
Subj: I think ARNE didn't like being excluded from Close Encounters..
From: BOS1A::ARNE 13-OCT-1985 00:04
To: SERVICE
Subj: Close Enc SIG
Dear Service,
When I started using Delphi heavily about a month ago, several people
warned me in no uncertain terms about how cliquish the place was. I thought
they had an axe to grind for some other telecom service, so I just let it
pass.
Tonight the SIG managers of Close Encounters proved to me the hard way
that I was mistaken.
After joining the scheduled conf, the sysops started asking about my age
which never seemed to be a prob with any lem any other time in that SIG. When I
started joking about remembering World War I, they mde ade some rather Gestapo-
like comments about owing them straight answers, then promptly barred me
from the conference.
I had offered to call the SIG mgr and convince him voice-to-voice of
my age but the option of siml ply excluding someone who wasn't a SIG mgr
himself (or one of ther= ir older cronies) was apparently so much easier.
Later I learned that the mgr's traded quips about how strange I was
and not fit material for their SIG anyway.
When the heavi y usage I (and heavy bills) of September and October fall
back to the little-or-no-usage of the pro evious months, this first-hand
demonstration of cliquishness and cronie y-in sm in the Close Encounters group
is the reason why.
Very truly yours,
Arne
P.S. I/ 'm not yet quick enough to know how to send copies of this to
other users, so i but if you wig sh to send copies to JOEY, JOHNMYSELF, and
CABUT YS, I would appreciate it.
MAIL> read 1
#1 15-OCT-1985 18:28:37 NEWMAIL
From: BOS1A::CABUYS "CONNIE"
To: ARNE,JOHNMYSELF,JOEY,CABUYS
Subj: age question
Arne,
I honestly have no reason to not believe you about your age. I was simply
trying to clear up a misunderstanding before it got out of hand, but it appears
I was too late to do that.
I see no reason, now that you have answered my question, to bar you from the
sig and conferences. I do regret and apologize for any inconvenience this may
have caused you, and very much regret that such circumstances have caused you
to have a bad opinion of us. Please do understand that I was doing what I
felt was necessary as Sig Manager in accordance with the terms of my contract
with Delphi.
If you wish to discuss this any further, please do call me collect at
(904)-388-2531. I do wish I had been on line at the origination of all this
problem because I would have accepted your offer at the time about making the
call.
-Connie A. Buys, Sig Manager
MAIL>
#1 15-OCT-1985 18:33:06 NEWMAIL
From: BOS1A::CABUYS "CONNIE"
To: @MGRS,CABUYS
Subj: The Question of Age
It's true that we are having kids show up in the sig. And it's true that we
are having adults show up who are offended when asked their age.
From this date on, I will personally handle any question about age. Until I
can handle it, if I'm unavailable at the time of its occurrence, then the
member is to be treated as any other member of the sig.
Remember the users are paying our way here. We must not be harsh, or appear
offensive or unkind to them and they require handling with kid gloves. This
sig is young yet but has a good potential if we cultivate it carefully
Thank you both co-operation and understanding it this.
-Connie
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