As long as people are exchanging SLIP recipes, I would like to point out that SLIP software is bundled with OS/2 Warp (more conventionally known as OS/2 3.0.) The package (in the "Bonus Pack" on a separate CD in the same box) contains a "virtual TCP/IP" driver, "dialer" software to access your SLIP provider, and a nice collection of Internet client software. The WWW client, "Web Explorer", is not included but can be fetched by FTP or as an automated update via the SLIP connection. IBM has a default provider named Advantis, which can provide local access from many US and foreign cities. If you prefer another provider you can configure the software to contact them instead of Advantis. Granted that you would not want to change operating systems just to get SLIP software, but if you are considering moving to OS/2 anyway this is a quick and easy way to get started. From what I have seen of the product I would recommend it, especially after they get the residual bugs squashed. (At the moment, the IBM and Advantis techs are dashing around maddly with virtual flyswatters, but they have been most helpful in chasing down my particular collection of electronic entomology. Cross fingers, knock wood... if the software patch (to deal with an obsolete UART) works, I may be able to resubscribe to MUSEUM-L from [log in to unmask] this weekend.) Since I feel guilty about sending this off without *any* museum- related content, I'll just remark on the "interactive vs. directed" thread that has started recently. I'm not sure I really like the new sort of museum exhibits that "tell a story" -- you start at one end, visit all the exhibits in order, and emerge from the exit with a clearer and deeper understanding of whatever-it-was the exhibit was about. I guess my unease boils down to: if the subject was best presented in a linear fashion, why is it in a museum exhibit instead of in a linear medium such as a book, or better, a movie? My favorite museum exhibits (with a few notable exceptions, such as the magnificent "Field to Factory" in the NMAH) have been the random-access type where you wander from place to place, making your own sense of it all. The obvious objection to this sort of exhibit is that many people make *no* sense of it, or only carry their own prejudices in and out. It takes a certain amount of literacy (in both the subject matter and in museums in general) to "read" an exhibit. If we have important points to make, it is tempting to design the thing in such a way that nobody can miss them. (The previous sentence is to be read with a certain amount of irony, and a consideration of the institution from which I am writing.) To summarize with an anecdote: some years ago I had pinned a big drawing of mine, showing seals morphing into Native American women, over my workspace in the Invertebrate Zoology department. Our snail specialist, who is also a talented poet, examined the piece for some time in silence. "That would make a good poem," he said. Then he paused, thought a minute and added, "But if it was something you could say as a poem, you would have written one." Are museum exhibits simultaneous and randomly-accessible, like drawings, or linear, like poetry? I'm sure there are as many opinions on this list as there are subscribers. Barbara Weitbrecht National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] and possibly [log in to unmask] if the UART holds up