Talking
to
CompuServe
Let's assume
you
have hooked up
your
modem
and are ready
to
call CompuSeNe's system
of
large mainframe computers in Columbus, Ohio.
Your
first step
is
to
phone
an
access
point
to
the
system.
Most
large cities in the
U.S
.
or
Canada
have a number
that
links directly
to
CompuSeNe
as
a local call, often through an intermediary
company such
as
Telenet or Tymnet. Outside
large cities,
your
cheapest
option
will
likely be
to
call a number in the nearest large city in the next
state. (Interstate phone rates are often
lower
than intrastate rates, especially
at
night.)
It
may
even be cheapest
to
phone directly
to
Com-
puSeNe in
Ohio.
When using CompuSeNe,
try
to
call
at
night
or
on weekends
to
minimize both
phone
company
and CompuSeNe rates.
In fact,
you
may
want
to
limit
your
use
of
the system
for
the
first
few
months, until
you
can estimate
your
costs for
each
use
of
the system.
It
isn't unusual
for
new
customers
to
get
carried
away
to
the
tune
of
several hundred dollars the first
month
.
Once
you
reach CompuSeNe,
you
will
need a
secret password
to
get
into
the system. This
password keeps others from charging
their
use
of
the system
to
you.
(You
can change
your
pass-
word
if anyone should obtain and use it.)
You
may also have
to
type other messages
to
reach
235
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