Aztec Chapter 10

I Still Need Help, What Can I Do?

Help With Commands

In most cases, when you use a feature of AzTeC there will be a short list of commands displayed on the screen. For example, when the main menu is displayed, it looks like this:

<<< MAIN MENU >>>
 
  1 AzTeC Administration
  2 Volunteering to help AzTeC
  3 Government
  4 Post Office
  5 AzTeC SIGs (Special Interest Groups)
  6 Communication Center/Usenet News
  7 Library
  8 NEW: SSL Lynx 2.8 | POP3 Email | IRC Usenet
  9 Medical Building
 10 Other Free-Nets
 11 Youth Net
 12 House of Worship
 13 Surf the Web with Lynx
 14 Help Desk
 15 General Discussion SIG
 16 Current Events SIG
 17 Operational Issues SIG
________________________________________________________
h=Help  m=Main  p=Previous  x=Exit  'go help'  'go mail'
 
Your Choice ==> h

The second line from the bottom of the screen shows the most often used commands. The "h" command will bring a screen with brief descriptions of these, and some additional commands. Typing "go help" will call for a file with more detailed information on commands to be displayed. In general, the "h" or "go help" commands can be used to obtain help any time the ==> prompt is displayed throughout AzTeC. Some of the features that you can use on AzTeC, use communication through the Internet to allow you to send commands to another computer system and view the output from that system. The World Wide Web viewer, Lynx, is an example. These other computer systems may use commands that are different from those used with AzTeC's Free-Net software. In most cases, there will be a line of text on the display that tells you some common commands. In addition, there will almost always be a help command (frequently "h" or "?"), or a menu item that displays a help or "how to use" file.

The Help Desk

The "Help Desk", which can be selected from the AzTeC main menu, is an area devoted to providing help to users. It contains a large number of files that describe, in detail, how to use the features of AzTeC. There are files on how to use the editor; how to send, receive, and forward E-mail; how to be the moderator of a SIG; how to upload and download files; etc. These help files can be very useful, even to experienced AzTeC users. There are many functions described that you may have never even considered. Another very convenient feature in the Help Desk area is "Bug Reports". This is a SIG where users can report difficulties they have encountered in using AzTeC. If the difficulty is caused by a problem with the software, or a failure of the computers or modems, the AzTeC technical staff will be notified, and they will attempt to correct the problem. If the difficulty is caused by the user not using the right commands, more experienced AzTeC users can post explanations of how they were able to get the desired results. The Bug Reports SIG can be a very good way to obtain help when AzTeC features do not respond the way you think they should.

The Help Line

"What if I can't even get on-line? How can I use any of the help features, when I can't even get a display on my computer?" AzTeC has established a telephone help line using voice mail. Call (602)468-9765 to leave an explanation of your problem, and a telephone number where you can be reached. One of AzTeC's volunteers will call back to help you. Remember that AzTeC is operated by volunteers, so the call back may not be immediate; help line volunteers check the voice mail lists when they have time available to make calls. If the volunteer who calls you does not have enough technical knowledge, he or she may refer your question to a member of the technical staff or a more experienced volunteer. We at AzTeC are committed to helping potential users become AzTeC regulars.