Fix the software

One simple short term solution to increasing modem accessibility and reducing system load is to fix known bugs in software. I would prioritize things as follows:

1. make uploads/downloads work, and make sure people have programs that can handle this. The answer to "I can't upload" should perhaps be "do you have the NCF disk?" --- if the answer is no, then the user should be referred to somewhere they can get the disk.
2. We have to provide these disks, preconfigured. The user groups can help us a lot here, and this project has been on the books for some time. It should not take more than a couple of hours for an experienced person to do, and the first versions of the disks need not be complicated: just the software, no install program, etc... We can do that in another version.

3. This should go to the extent of really encouraging people to work offline -- A hunt group with a ten minute maximum online time would go hand in hand with this. People do not need to edit online. Besides, working offline frees up the user's phone lines too.

4. we could fix the QWK offline reader stuff, but it has quite a number of bugs.