[Coco] BIO:

[Hank]

Hey Art!

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I ran a Coco BBS called the "Coco
Connection" (1984-1986?) on a 64K Coco2 in RS-DOS using Bill Vergona's BBS
Software.   The name of his software package currently eludes me.  CoBBS
maybe?  It had a backdoor routine in the driver, that a rival Coco area BBS
Sysop used to crash and erase my system!  Lucky I had backup floppies! LOL.
Art Helped me find the backdoor and disable it!  It's like patches to
Windows XP security issues on the internet today!  LOL

I also forgot to mention that I live in the Providence, RI area, and that
I'm a HAM Radio operator "KA1MBX".

Hank

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Arthur Flexser" <flexser at fiu.edu>
To: "Hank" <hank at roomful.com>
Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 1:47 PM
Subject: Re: [Coco] BIO:


> I remember when you traded me a null modem cable in exchange for finding
> the "back door" to Bill Vergona's BBS driver.  <grin>
>
> Art
>
> On Fri, 17 Oct 2003, Hank wrote:
>
> > BIO:
> >
> > Hank Walther
> > Age: $29  (41 looks great in hex! LOL)
> > Divorced, 2 teenage sons, (both into computers of course!)
> > Musician (piano, keyboards)
> > Electronics Technician
> >
> > I played with the TRS-80 Model One, at the Radio Shack store across the
> > street from my High School back in 1978 when it came out.  Of course I
could
> > not afford the $5000.00 price tag!  I got a job with American Tourister
as a
> > computer operator on a IBM model 360 the following year while a senior,
as a
> > co-op job.
> > My first computer was a Coco2 that I got in 1983 by trading a CB linear
> > amplifier for it!  I got a job at Radio Shack the following year, joined
the
> > Foxboro, Ma Coconuts, and somewhere in there upgraded to disk drives, a
> > modem etc.  In 1985 and 1986 I went to the New Jersey Rainbowfests.  I
got
> > the first Coco3 to come to my store in 1986, and added a Burke & Burke
Hard
> > Drive System and OS-9 Level 2.  I finally was assimilated by MS-DOS and
the
> > X86 CPUs around 1991 when I got a Tandy 1000.  At the time I had two
Coco2s
> > and 1 Coco3.   I packed them up, and hung on to most of the stuff.
> >
> > Current active Computers:
> >
> > AMD XP 2000+ 512Meg RAM 300GIG Hard Drive Space (On Wifi Network)
> > AMD Anthon 1400 128Meg RAM 20GIG Hard Drive (On Wifi Network) (Son's)
> > Gateway 9100 PII 266MHZ Laptop 128MEG RAM 30GIG HD (On Wifi Network)
> > 386 clone in workshop w/ Catweasel Floppy disk controller to hopefully
> > archive all my Coco and TRS-80 disks to .DSK format!
> > Coco3 with 6309 512K Ram, Disto Controller with Real Time Clock (Y2K
> > compliant!!), ADOS, and 2 DSDD Floppies.
> > I would really like to get my hands on a GCCC IDE interface, or would
buy a
> > Cloud-9 one when and if they come out!
> >
> > Current inactive Computers:
> >
> > TRS-80 Model One!  (I finally could afford one when I bought my friends
> > system for $50 when he was going to throw it out!)
> > Complete with 4 floppy drives 48K expansion interface, 300 baud modem,
and
> > about 200 or so disks.
> > Coco2
> > TI-99
> >
> >
> > Claim to Fame:
> >
> > I prototyped a MIDI interface for the coco that fit into a RS Game Pak
sized
> > case.  The only other one out at the time required a full sized disk
> > controller sized case.  I showed it off at the 1986 Rainbowfest in New
> > Jersey.  Marty Goodman was really impressed!  Not enough interest to go
into
> > production though.
> >
> > Claim to Shame: (LOL)
> >
> > I'm "Horrible Hank" one of the  members on the former Inner Circle, a
Coco
> > software cracking piracy group, led by "The Turtle".  We even had a
dinner
> > meeting during the 1986 Ranbowfest!   To this day you may see my name
pop up
> > on the "greets" screen of some "cracked" Coco game software!
> >
> > PS: Start the flaming if you must!
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Coco mailing list
> > Coco at maltedmedia.com
> > http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> >
>
>