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Volume 5, Number 13 28 March 1988
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| _ |
| / \ |
| /|oo \ |
| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
| _`@/_ \ _ |
| International | | \ \\ |
| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
| (jm) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Editor in Chief Dale Lovell
Editor Emeritus: Thom Henderson
Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
Contributing Editors: Al Arango
FidoNews is published weekly by the International FidoNet
Association as its official newsletter. You are encouraged to
submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission
standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from
node 1:1/1.
Copyright 1988 by the International FidoNet Association. All
rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for
noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067. IFNA may also be contacted
at PO Box 41143, St. Louis, MO 63141.
The contents of the articles contained here are not our
responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them.
Everything here is subject to debate. We publish EVERYTHING
received.
Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1
FidoNet: Stand Up Now or Watch it Die .................... 1
2. ARTICLES ................................................. 3
Public Key Encryption .................................... 3
FireNet Revisited ........................................ 7
New Area Code in Florida ................................. 9
Introducing "The Good Egg Network" ....................... 10
MegaList - Seven months later (an update) ................ 14
Nominations for IFNA BoD Positions ....................... 18
Net 322 forming in Massachusetts ......................... 19
Setting Up NetMail With QuickBBS ......................... 21
3. COLUMNS .................................................. 26
Let's YACK about Electronic Voting ....................... 26
4. NOTICES .................................................. 28
The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 28
Contact Hours Changing for RC 18 ......................... 28
Latest Software Versions ................................. 28
FidoNews 5-13 Page 1 28 Mar 1988
=================================================================
EDITORIAL
=================================================================
Don Daniels, President
International FidoNet Association
FidoNet 1:107/210
FidoNet: Stand Up Now or Watch it Die
I just heard something about Randy Edwards that appalls me. Oh,
not what HE's said or done, but what is being done to him. It
seems that someone out there has decided that Randy's
controversial and rather vociferous opinions have justified, in
return, certain threats against himself and his family, telephone
harrassment of them, and attempts to crash his system.
This type of response is absolutely wrong.
Some might argue that to quite some extent, Randy deserves what
he gets, in that his behavior has also resulted in a crashed
system or two and he has certainly abused the hospitality of
others who freely provide certain resources for specific purposes
other than those pursued by Randy. But for the most part Randy,
through overzealousness, is only guilty of certain
insensitivities of the rights of others and the other results
have been inadvertant by-products.
But, regardless of his own level of any culpability, two wrongs
never make a right -- and the escalation in this situation has
moved beyond the realm of insensitivity of the rights of others
to out-and-out anti-social behavior and illegality. Make no
mistake about it: telephone harrassment is illegal, regardless of
whatever form it takes and it should be something that FidoNet
totally stands against, instead of, unfortunately, being an
uninvolved party to its promotion.
To quite some extent, what we see now is the unsurprising result
of not taking stands in the past to protect the rights of others.
On far too many occasions, individuals have been unjustly
attacked or harrassed and the Net has sat by with a collective,
"So what?" attitude instead of speaking out against such
practices or seeking to effect a just disposition of such cases
as have been brought forward.
The result of such inaction is that now we have an atmosphere
where freedom of dissent - no, freedom of any opinion - is
likely to bring about personal attacks and where escalation into
illegality is becoming a norm. The eventual result of this can
only be the destruction of that ideal of FidoNet and the
wonderful benefits it could provide to so much of society.
Randy has questioned why IFNA should exist. Well, he's certainly
discovered one of the primary reasons: as a non-profit,
FidoNews 5-13 Page 2 28 Mar 1988
educational body, IFNA sees as one of its main priorities the
formation and distribution of certain basic policies and
procedures that are designed to safe-guard the rights of
individuals thereby giving them the protections to freely
continue in their personal "pursuit of happiness." Everyone,
within FidoNet or not, should have the right to say, do, or
experience anything they wish that, in turn, does not interfere
with those same rights for others.
But the net as a whole cannot just stand by and "let IFNA do it"
or hope that perhaps someone else will speak out against
injustices. If you believe in the perpetuation of FidoNet you
must now take a stand against any and all such practices as have
been directed against Randy and others. Each and every one of
you should call for a stop of these blatant violations of rights
and should demand that those in positions of authority take all
necessary steps to see that the indiviuals responsibile for such
acts be removed from FidoNet and that clear guidelines exist to
prevent reoccurrences.
This stand must be taken NOW, before it's too late -- if, indeed,
it's not too late already.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 3 28 Mar 1988
=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================
Public Key Encryption
I have seen a few referances to Public Key Encryption
recently and since I claim to actually know something about the
subject, I thought I would try to clear up a few misconceptions.
Let me start with a bit of history. Some time ago people
were thinking about electronic communication (lets call it email
even if most of what I plan to say could also be applied to other
forms of communications like voice phone calls). This was quite a
while before Fidonet. They thought that for email to be really
usefull people need to have confidence in the confidentiality of
their messages. To be honest it is just too easy to eavesdrop on
email.
These people thought that encryption was the best way to
ensure confidential email. Other ways are possible but they all
tend to rely on some form of trust in one way or another. Now
there is nothing wrong with trusting someone but in practice it is
depressingly rare.
In fact various form of encryption were and are in common
use for email already. They generally use a, so called, key which
is used to translate, so called, plain text into a secure form
before transmision and then used again to reverse the process
after transmision. So to send a confidential email message you
first must agree on a key since, of course, if you try to use
different keys, you won't be able to reverse the original
conversion appropriatly.
This is where the problem comes up. How do you find out
what key was used to encrypt the original message. The
conventional answer is that you use a separate channel of
comunications for agreeing on keys. If you use a telephone for the
encrypted messages, then you send the key via the post office or a
courier or an armed gaurd depending on how serious you are.
This is where the Public Key Encryption idea started.
Theses people wanted to use the same channels of communication for
their keys as they used for the confidential email. They wanted to
do away with the couriers and the post office and all the
rigamarole but they did not want to give up the security that had
been already accomplished. It is pretty obvious that you couldn't
just put the key to decodeing your message right in front of the
message since then ANYONE listening in could decode and then read
your message.
What was eventually figured out was that it IS possible to
first send a message telling someone how to ENCODE a message which
is then sent BACK to the original person and still have a secure
message. For instance I can tell you how to scramble a message in
a certain way so that only I can read it. Anyone listening in will
FidoNews 5-13 Page 4 28 Mar 1988
only find out how to scramble messages and they will also have a
copy of the scrambled message that you eventually send me but they
can't unscramble the message to find out what you are saying to
me.
The only practical and secure way of actually implementing
such a system discovered so far is generally refered to as the RSA
Public Key Encryption system. It is based on an article called "A
Method for Obtaining Digital Signatures and Public-Key
Cryptosystems" writen by R.L.Rivest, A.Shamir and L.Adleman
published in the February 1978 issue of Comunications of the ACM.
The system they discovered is based on very large prime
numbers. The larger the numbers, the more secure the system
becomes. Keys based on numbers of the size we contend with every
day up to millions or billions are pretty easy to decode even if
you don't know the key. However it is possible to set up keys with
hundreds of digits and almost guarantee that no one will ever be
able to decode the messages without the key.
The process actually produces two different, but related
keys. One part is used to encrypt or scramble the original message
and the other part is then kept to yourself and used to unscramble
the message. One you have produced a pair of keys, you can give
out the first part to anyone that wants to send confidential
messages to you. The half of the key that you give out is refered
to as a Public Key because you send it out over the public
comunications channel and it doesn't matter who knows it.
If you want to send a private message to someone you must
first get their public key. For two-way communication there is two
sets of keys involved. Two public keys and two private secret
keys. The public keys are exchanged before any confidential
exchanges can take place.
In fact you can publish your public key so that it is
public knowledge. For instance I have generated a key for myself
to use. It is:
n = 2736819260645630669527694759316520435577
74311021562498273154432038898470487
e = 1318658420201053439930112933655370300596
0307881881836602807819529828909731
I had to break the numbers up to fit on these lines. They
are about 75 digits each. This key is considered to be of
"moderate" security. A high security key would consist of numbers
of 150 to 200 digits each. Note that the two numbers above are
just the one public key. There is a third number to go with the
two above that is the private part of my key. Now you can use this
key to send me absolutly (practicly speaking) confidential
messages.
About this time you might be saying "Now wait just a
minute, what do I do with these big numbers? I don't think my
computer will even understand numbers that big!" and you are
FidoNews 5-13 Page 5 28 Mar 1988
perfectly justified in asking. As it happens, your computer WILL
handle numbers like those well enough. You just need the right
programs. To make it easier for you I have created a program to do
all the RSA ecryption and decryption work for you. It will even
generate the big number keys for you to have your own personal
public keys. The encryption and decryption processes work with
disk files on your MS-DOS computer. I called the program PKSCrypt
and it is currently released at version 0.2a. You can call my Fido
and download the file (called pkscrypt.arc) on your first call.
(1-403-282-1703 no file requests though, sorry)
If you actually go to the trouble of getting a copy of the
program and play around with it, you will quickly find out why
this system is not going to replace the conventional encryption
systems. It is very slow. For example it will take about 15
minutes to encrypt a 1000 byte file using my key on a PC (give or
take a few minutes). In fact it is so slow that you might think it
is completely useless. Before we forget about the whole idea,
remember what the original problem was. All we need to encrypt is
the key for one of the standard encryption methods so that we can
send it over our standard communications channel.
Lets get more specific for a minute. Most of the readers of
Fidonews are sysops on fidonet and I suspect that most of you are
familiar with Bob Hartman's ConfMail system. Confmail has a built
in encryption system of the conventional type. Some of you out
there are probably already using this feature to make some of your
links secure. You must have agreed with your corespondents on a
key. Perhaps you just sent the other sysop a private message. You
probably didn't and wouldn't have any trouble with such an
arrangement BUT it is remotly possible that for the same reason
that you descided to use the encryption in the first place, that
key could have gone astray. You would be no better off than if you
didn't bother at all.
Maybe you thought of that and just phoned up the other
sysop voice and told him the key. The only problem here is that
the voice call is more expensive, in general, than a fidonet
message since it is during daytime, higher rates and it usually
will be longer in duration than a network call.
However, if you knew the public encryption key of the sysop
who you wanted to send the ConfMail key to, you could encrypt the
ConfMail key with his public key. That way, only the person who
knows the secret part of the key could decrypt your message and
discover the ConfMail key. You can pretty safely assume that only
one person will know that secret key. You can then send the
resulting message over the regular insecure links.
You can easily use the public key encryption to scramble
the relativly small ConfMail key. You can still use the relatively
fast and convientient encryption that is built into ConfMail for
the bulk of the traffic. And you can do it all over Fidonet with
the cheap communications possible with this medium.
The topic of "digital signatures" was breifly touched upon.
FidoNews 5-13 Page 6 28 Mar 1988
As it turns out the RSA public key encryption can also be used for
identification purposes. It is possible to use the private key to
create a, so called, signature which can be verified with that
person's public key. While this would seem to be usefull to us on
Fidonet also, it turns out that it is not as practical due to the
slow speed of the algorithms. If you get my package, I talk about
digital signatures some more in the dox that come with it.
There are other, more controversial, applications of
encryption techniques. If you are using regular netmail, but your
mail is being routed through another node and perhaps you think
the sysop of the intermediate system is reading your private
messages, you could either "no-route" your mail or you could
continue to use the same route but encrypt your messages. Most of
us agree that a host or hub should pass along ANY traffic that he
has promised to deliver but what would you say if the messages
were encrypted? You might ask first of all, why is this person
bothering to encrypt his messages? Is it because he is doing
something illegal?
Some places might even have laws about such practices (the
cops think they should have the right to read your mail and listen
to your phone calls even if they need to ask a judge about it
first and some other government agentcies seem to have similar
ideas). Of course none of us do anything along those lines do we?
O:-)
What about our pet crime - software piracy? If the pirates
want to operate on the net they might be able to do it right under
our noses. If you allow encrypted messages for any reason, you
will not be able to prevent any other uses of the same techniques.
One encrypted message looks just like any other encrypted message.
You may have noticed, I have not come out and promised this
system will BE secure for all time. That is only because it has
not been PROVEN to be secure in a mathematical sense. I am very
confident of the security of the system but it may be possible
that tommorow someone will find a simple and cheap way to beat it.
This situation is not unique to the RSA system. It is actually
true of most of the modern encryption systems still in use today.
The primary exceptions are the ones which have been broken. It
seems that it is much harder to prove that a system is secure than
it is to come up with the idea in the first place, all of which
isn't really that surprizing.
Lloyd Miller
1988 March 15
Calgary, Alberta
Node 1:134/1, The First Calgary Fido
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 7 28 Mar 1988
Christopher Baker
MetroFire - 135/14
FireNet Echo Recap for the Neophyte
Those of you new to FidoNet may have heard of FireNet but may
not be sure what FireNet is or what it does. Herein lies a
brief synopsis.
Shortly after getting into FidoNet back in early 1985, it
occurred to me that the FidoNet structure was such that it
could lend itself very well all sorts of spin-off sub-nets.
Having set up this system for the fire department I work for
(Metro-Dade Fire & Rescue in greater Miami)as an experiment,
I began to toy with the idea that a private Net could be
created that would allow direct and convenient message
communication between participating departments. The software
was readily available, operated on most standard machines and
modems, and could be configured specifically for fire depart-
ment use.
I began to write articles for FidoNews on the subject and
began contacting other departments and fire service types who
might be cajoled into participating in such a venture.
At that time, special interest Nets existed in FidoNet (since
abandonded as redundant) so I applied for and received the
number Net 911 (now operating as a private Net) and started
gathering interested systems.
It wasn't until the advent of Jeff Rush's famous Echomail
programs that the real potential of the original idea began
to emerge. Woody Wood and Chuck Sanders of the Colorado
Springs Fire Department and I began to exchange ideas and
plans and Woody and Chuck got Echomail installed on their
system and began to link-in other FidoNet systems. Echomail
was much easier to hook into for established systems and
gave a new dimension to the original concept of a sub-Net
or private Nodelist. For one thing, Echomail allowed users
to participate without having to set up a system, first.
All anyone had to do was find a system carrying FireNet and
enter messages. This is how many departments first became
aware of the Echo. Many of those departments went on to set
up full-fledged FidoNet systems.
FireNet is now carried on the Echomail Backbone and has many
participating systems and even more users. A detailed account
of the structure of FireNet is in the works and will be related
in this forum by Chuck and Woody in a future article.
Basically, FireNet is an Echo conference devoted to the Fire,
EMS (Emergency Medical Services) and Public Safety sector. We
discuss equipment, procedures, service related software,
hazardous materials, service related legislation and other
topics directly related to the Fire Services. It has been a
FidoNews 5-13 Page 8 28 Mar 1988
valuable tool in communication and dissemination of bulletins
and warnings.
FireNet is available to anyone who has an interest in the Fire/
Rescue Services. It is available from the Host and western Hub
(FireNet Leader, 128/16), from the eastern Hub (MetroFire,
135/14), or from the Echo Backbone. It is a moderated conference
that anyone may read or post Fire/Rescue Service messages of
international interest. A list of the systems carrying FireNet
will appear in the Sanders/Wood article soon to be published.
If you get a link into FireNet from the Backbone or your
Regional Echo Coordinator, please let Woody or Chuck know about
it by sending a Netmail message to 128/16. We are trying to
compile a current list of participating systems.
Try it. You'll like it. If you'd like to take a look at the
Echo, you can call MetroFire at 305-596-8611 or FireNet Leader
at 719-591-7415 or St. Joe's Hospital at 602-235-9653 or
SoundingBoard at 412-681-9464 for starters.
If you have any questions or comments, you may send them to me
via Netmail to 135/14. I'll be happy to assist you in
convincing YOUR department to set up a system and get into the
FireNet Echo. For a complete ARC of all my previous FireNet
articles and other FireNet material, you may GET via SEAdog or
other Bark request type program the file FIRENET.ARC or just
FIRENET. If you are unable to GET it, I will send it upon
receipt of a Netmail request.
FireNet. It's here. It works and it's growing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 9 28 Mar 1988
Christopher Baker
Region 18 Coordinator
18/0 - 135/14
Southern Bell Declares a New Area Code
Central/Eastern Florida
Effective at midnight, 16 Apr 88, Florida will have a new area
code. The new prefix will be 407 and will be replacing a large
portion of what is now area code 305.
The area of change will encompass the east coast from Palm
Beach county north to Brevard and west to Orlando and south to
Disney World/Kissimmee.
Some of the cities affected will be:
Apopka, Belle Glade, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Cocoa, Cocoa
Beach, Debary, Delray, Delray Beach, East Orange, Eau Gallie,
Fort Pierce, Geneva, Hobe Sound, Hutchinson Island, Indian-
town, Jensen Beach, Jupiter, Kenansville, Kissimmee, Lake
Buena Vista, Lake Mary, Melbourne, Monteverde, Orlando,
Oviedo, Pahokee, Port St. Lucie, Reedy Creek, Sanford,
Satellite Beach, Sebastian, St. Cloud, Stuart, Titusville,
Vero Beach, West Palm Beach, Windermere, Winter Garden and
Winter Park.
There will be a transition period from 16 Apr 88 through 18 Jun
88 to allow everyone to get used to the change and implement it.
Net Coordinators in the affected areas of Florida should make
sure that these changes are reflected in the Nodelist submissions
as soon a practicable so the rest of FidoNet doesn't end up with
voice connections from the Southern Bell recording that goes into
place at midnight on 19 Jun 88. Both 305 and 407 will operate
normally during the transition period. Don't forget to change all
references to your area codes in your Origin lines, bulletins and
questionnaires when the time comes.
Those of you outside of Florida with manual overrides in your
Nodelist compiler control files will want to make adjustments as
necessary for any Florida Nodes you may be carrying that are
affected by this change.
Thanks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 10 28 Mar 1988
Ken Shackelford
133/1
Introducing the Good Egg Network
By now, I suspect that there are very few in FidoNet that have
NOT heard about "The Good Egg Net". Many think it's a joke,
since it is scheduled to go into operation on April 1st. Some
think it's an idea from Hell, designed to destroy the FidoNet
and all who use it. Some folks think that it is a simply grand
idea, and have given it alot of support.
What is the truth here? Just what IS the "Good Egg Net", and
who is behind it? And why?
To answer these questions, you must have a pretty basic under-
standing of the FidoNet, EchoMail, IFNA, and what has been going
on in the various conferences lately. I will attempt in this
article to give a little background, and provide the information
that so many have been asking for.
First of all, Good Egg Net (EGGNET) is NOT a joke, despite the
fact that it begins it's operation on April Fool's Day. This is
just pure coincidence. John Zimmatore (133/107) and I were just
brainstorming at the end of February, and decided to start up an
alternative network based on how FidoNet USED to be (pre-IFNA).
We realized that we had two choices: simply announce AND begin
operations (and be swamped and over our heads), or announce for
a future date (one month later), and use that month to prepare.
We chose the latter.
Why are John and I doing this? Well, this has been the subject
of ALOT of "flaming". Very basically, we no longer believe in
IFNA. We think IFNA has had time enough to get it's act
together, and it has not done so. IFNA has made promises and
has not kept them. IFNA, by controlling the NODELIST, controls
the Sysops in the FidoNet. A good percentage of the members of
the IFNA BoD are not elected, but appointed (this because the
elected people got fed up and quit). A full disclosure of the
IFNA finances was promised; we got a small listing of very
gross numbers that are meaningless. But I think perhaps the ONE
thing that it did it for ME, anyway, was the attitude of the
IFNA Board of Directors that you have only three choices in the
FidoNet: Lead, Follow, or get the Hell out of the way. This
very statement is on the origin line of all EchoMail that the
IFNA *president* puts out in EchoMail. This attitude, quite
frankly, stinks. Since the early days when IFNA was formed,
folks disagreed with the premise of IFNA. These folks, myself
included, were told that if we didn't like what was going on,
then we should go out and form a NEW network. We are doing so
here. Now we are being flamed for doing so. Well, you can't
please everyone it seems.
Clearly, IFNA has stumbled and there are quite a few Sysops out
there like me, like John Zimmatore, and like over two dozen
others that believe that we need an alternative.
FidoNews 5-13 Page 11 28 Mar 1988
EGGNET is that alternative. What we propose to do with EGGNEt
is to recreate the way that FidoNet USED to be. We intend to
have a nodelist that is published bimonthly. This nodelist will
be PUBLIC DOMAIN. We further propose to have a newsletter that
will be made available to everyone that wants it, but we will
NOT make it a requirement that each coordinator down the chain
carry it. It will be available from one central node, and will
be available for file request. If a net host in EGGNET wants to
make it available down the chain, then so much the better. But
if a certain person in EGGNET decides that he or she does not
want to carry the newsletter, there will be NO threats, NO ill
will, and NO warnings from "Powers That Be".
How will EGGNET be organized? Simply. We will have a system
based on democracy, at least as close as we can come to it. We
will have three "Egg Commissioners" at the top who have as their
responsibility the creation of the NODELIST and the NEWSLETTER,
and that is ALL. Nothing else. After the first 6 months, Egg
Commissioners will be elected by the REGIONAL COORDINATORS.
Also after the first 6 months, the Regional Coordinators will be
elected by the Network Coordinators. And of course, the Network
Coordinators will be elected by the sysops that make up their
networks. If you have ever read Randy Edward's "Sysop Bill of
Rights", you get the general idea of what it is that we are
trying to do here with the "Power". We are trying to put it at
the BASE of the network where it belongs, rather than at the TOP.
How do conflicts get resolved in the EGGNET? Again, simple. We
will have a Supreme Court. No one that is a Network Coordinator
or Regional Coordinator will be permitted to serve in this court
while they also serve as coordinators. And of course, none of
the Egg Commissioners may serve. Members of the court serve for
a period of one year. All issues brought before the court must
be submitted formally and have a preponderance of evidence to
support the case brought forward. Anyone may bring forward a
complaint, but if it is judged that the complaint is trivial and
is made simply for the sake of attention, then the court will
recommend that the offender be suspended from EGGNET for a
period of time that can range from 2 weeks to one year. Each
Region has a representative sitting on the bench, and each rep
is elected by the Network Coordinators from a list drawn up by
the Egg Commissioners. The Egg Commissioners make this list up
based on nominations submitted by anyone in the EGGNET. The Egg
Commissioners themselves have no vote in the selection of the
members of the bench. The decision of the Court CAN be appealed
if an ONLY if at least 1/3 of the EGGNET petitions the court for
a retrial.
What is EGGNET all about? Well, that is real simple. We're
in this for FUN! Remember that? Remember a time when running a
node was fun, and you didn't have to worry about IFNA or the
various cheerleading going on? Remember when FLAMES were some-
thing that happened in your fireplace? Remember a time before
Nomex suits were standard equipment in EchoMail? By trying to
move the POWER out of the way, we hope to make everyone in the
EGGNET peers such that there are no real Power Brokers. It only
FidoNews 5-13 Page 12 28 Mar 1988
follows that if we can isolate and control the situations where
power can be taken and abused, then what we are left with is a
nice, friendly place to communicate and to enjoy our hobby. And
we end up with a SIMPLISTIC network where intrigue and innuendo
just don't happen.
What about the EGGNET nodelist? How will it be structured?
Well, it will be structured EXACTLY the same as the IFNA node-
list is today, so all the various nodelist processors and
software utilities will still work. The nodelist will be pub-
lished twice a month: once on the 15th, and again on the 30th.
We will use Zone 99. Our Regions will lay out EXACTLY the same
as the FidoNet Regions, and will be numbered 910 through 920.
All Networks in EGGNET will be numbered 9000 through 9999. As
far as we are aware, this should not interfere with anything
that currently exists in FidoNet.
One other thing: EGGNET is NOT an "international" system. We
are doing this for North America only. This is not because we
don't care about the rest of the world. We do! But trying to
MANAGE something THAT big would become a nightmare, and we do
not want to get bogged down in administrivia. That is alot of
what is wrong in FidoNet these days (our opinion). We would,
of course, suggest that each area of the world consider well
their own special circumstances, and if IFNA does it for you,
then by all means stay there and enjoy. If you have problems
with IFNA, then you can always do what we in the States are in
the process of doing, and create your very OWN verison of the
EGGNET. Different strokes for different folks, and diversity
there is beauty.
Listen folks, EGGNET is not here to try and "destroy Fidonet".
We do hope to coexist PEACEFULLY with it. Lots of folks that
will be coming to EGGNET will maintain dual identities so that
they will ALSO be a part of FidoNet. While we do not encourage
nodes in EGGNET to have dual or even triple identities, we will
certainly no prohibit it either. We have decided to use ZONE 99
so that few if any in FidoNet will become upset over it. Our
nodelist will be Public Domain, and if folks in FidoNet want to
compile it in along with their regular nodelist, then super! We
won't complain at all. No one will have to pay a cent to be in
the EGGNET. No yearly dues. We will interface with the IFNA
controlled Fidonet only through EchoMail (it is our view that
Echomail belongs to EVERYONE, and not just FidoNet). Other than
that, we just don't see a whole lot of reason for folks that
stay in IFNA/FidoNet to complain.
Currently, we are scheduled to begin normal operations in EGGNET
on April 1st. John Zimmatore will be taking care of the EGGNET
nodelist and nodediff, so if you are interested in becoming a
node in the EGGNET, send a message to John at 133/107 (via 133/0
after 4/1/88, as Steve Antonoff will be gating netmail into
EGGNET after that time). I will be continuing to develop the
basic policies and procedures for EGGNET. We are still looking
for a third Egg Commissioner to handle miscellaneous chores for
EGGNET, so if you are interested or know anyone else that would
FidoNews 5-13 Page 13 28 Mar 1988
like to volunteer, please let us know!
Finally, the one point to remember about EGGNET is that we are
made up of volunteers. No one gets paid, no one gets their
phone bills paid for them, and there is no glory or power OTHER
THAN the feeling of friendship and accomplishment. This is how
it originally was with Fidonet, and that is what we are going
back to. If this flies, then great. Perhaps other networks
will learn from us. If EGGNET flops, then so be it. At least,
we will have tried.
Ken Shackelford
John Zimmatore
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 14 28 Mar 1988
MegaList - Seven Months Later
(an update)
Chris Irwin
D'Bridge Support, 1:135/68
(1200-9600/HST)
BACKGROUND
Well, it's been seven months since I first wrote an article
announcing the MegaList and I figured that it was about time to
write a follow-up. For those of you that don't know about the
MegaList, it's a national cross-system file listing and (if I may
say so myself) it's doing rather well! As of this moment, there
are over 28,000 files listed on 58 systems. (1.2 gigobytes!)
When I first started, I envisioned the MegaList as a text
file sorted by filename listing all the files on participating
systems. This file still exists today, but it is over 400 pages
long and unARCs to over a megabyte; it's grown to a point where
it's a bit unreasonable to file-request or download unless you
have a high-speed modem. So in early August, I wrote a database
inquiry program called ML-FIND; this allowed users to inquire
directly using wildcard searches identical to a DOS directory
listing. This was setup as the "O" command in the file section
of my board; instantly, you can locate any file on any system.
CURRENT STATUS
Part of the reason for writing this article was to announce a
revolutionary new service offered by 1:135/68; this is the Mega-
List inquiry service. Because of the awesome new capabilities of
D'Bridge, it is now possible for all WaZOO-based mailers to issue
"Function Requests" to D'Bridge. I won't go into exactly how it
works here, but I'd like to explain how you can use it. If you
wish to inquire into the MegaList via netmail, here's what to do:
1) Make sure that you are using a WaZOO/ZMODEM-based mailer
such as D'Bridge, FrontDoor, Opus or BinkleyTerm.
2) Create a text file called MEGALIST.INQ; this file should
contain the filenames (including wildcards) that you wish
to search for. (one per line)
3) Send the file to 1:135/68 and make sure that you have the
"pickup" option enabled.
4) When my system receives MEGALIST.INQ, it spawns the Mega-
List Search program. This program prepares MEGALIST.OUT
which contains the results of your search. This program
has an internal timer so that no search may take over 30
seconds.
5) By ZMODEM "pickup" mail, D'Bridge will send you the output
file, MEGALIST.OUT. This file is a subset of the current
FidoNews 5-13 Page 15 28 Mar 1988
MEGALIST.TXT file containing just the files that you were
looking for or an error message if the file doesn't exist
or your MEGALIST.INQ format was invalid.
Simple, right? I am aware that some other NETs (both here
and abroad) are creating their own MegaLists for their area. If
any of you are running D'Bridge or FrontDoor and would like to
provide this service also, please contact me for the software; it
is not available as a general release as of this time.
To summarize, the MegaList is available from 1:135/68 in the
following forms:
- By download, WaZOO or Bark request with the filenames:
MEGALIST.ARC - A rather "huge" file containing the text
file MEGALIST.TXT; ALL files on ALL systems.
MEGA-ARC.ARC - Another "huge" file with MEGA-ARC.TXT;
.ARC files on ALL systems.
MEGA-TXT.ARC - A small subset of .TXT, .DOC and files with
no extension.
ML-INDEX.ARC - The current database files for ML-FIND.
This file is somewhere around 400K and can
only be used with ML-FIND or ML-SEARCH.
- By online inquiry through my Opus system using ML-FIND,
the "Outside" command in the file-section.
- Or by the WaZOO-based inquiry described above
JOIN THE MEGALIST
All BBS systems in North America are invited to join the
National MegaList; All that is required is that your system be
100% IBM compatable and your BBS has Fido/Opus-compatable SYSTEM
and FILES.BBS files. Get the ML-UPD program from 1:135/68 and
run it about once per month; systems must supply updates at least
once every 90 days to remain in the list.
ML-UPD takes just a few minutes to run and is completely
automatic. It creates an update file, ARCs it, then mails it
to the National MegaList center in Miami, Florida. The following
software relating to the MegaList is available for download or
WaZOO/Bark file-request from 1:135/68:
ML-UPD.ARC - MegaList update software; used to add your
system to the national (or a local) list.
ML-COL.ARC - Create MegaLists for your NET or REGION with
this program; this also can create database
FidoNews 5-13 Page 16 28 Mar 1988
files for ML-FIND.
ML-FIND.ARC - An "Outside" command designed to be used with
Opus that allows fast database inquiry into
the megalist. Requires ML-COL or ML-INDEX
to operate.
THE FUTURE
Well, I meant to release a "version 2" late last year, but
my six-month project of writing D'Bridge kinda kept me more than
busy. Now that D'Bridge is ready for preliminary release in the
middle of March, I am ready to dedicate some time to making some
revsions to the way MegaList works. It has been suggested that
the best way to organize the list would be to break down the
collection process using Regional MegaList Coordinators. These
coordinators would maintain a list for their region plus submit
the data to the national collection center on a monthly basis.
I agree with this approach, but I think that we should go
a step further and organize the lists by catagory/machine type.
As of this time, I haven't written one line of code towards the
"version 2" because I'm at a loss for exactly what to do. I'm
at a point where I really need some feedback from the users and
potential users of the MegaList. If you feel (as I do) that this
project warrants continuing effort and organization, then your
input and/or help would be greatly appreciated. Help along the
following lines is requested:
- Regional MegaList Coordinators needed; the IFNA nodelist
is broken down into logical regions. If we could get one
person from each region willing to act as a collection
center, we could make the concept work much better. As
I said earlier, the national list (in text format) is a
little bit unreasonable in size; database inquiry is the
only logical way for inquiry into this ever-growning list.
- Software authors for non-IBM machines; from the beginning,
people have complained about ML-UPD not working on non-
compatables. I must admit, that I did this on purpose to
keep non-IBM software out of the list. If we can come up
with a way to put a "tag" on each file-area defining the
machine and software catagory, we could segment the list
in a very logical way...
- General constructive criticism; sometimes being the author
of a widely-used package causes one to be a bit "myopic"
in one's views. I admit that this is the case here. It
would really help if I got some feedback about this and
some suggestions about how I can make the MegaList work
more effectively. Over the last few months, interest has
slacked off a bit in the national list. There are many
local/regional lists, but people seem less interested in
the national list. Right now, the MegaList is actually
shrinking rather than growing; at one point, 70 systems
FidoNews 5-13 Page 17 28 Mar 1988
were listed!
Anyway, I can't believe that I could type so much; I didn't
think that I had so much to say. Thanks for listening/reading
and please JOIN THE MEGALIST if you're not already participating.
Stay tuned for my article announcing the amazing, WaZOO-based,
98% SEAdog-compatable Electonic Mail System, D'Bridge!
Chris Irwin, D'Bridge Support, 1:135/68
(305) 232-9365 (1200-9600/HST)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 18 28 Mar 1988
David Garrett, 1:103/501
Nominations and Elections Chairman
The time has come for all those who desire to run for the postion
of Director for their Division (Region) to place their names on
the ballot.
The following Divisions have their BoD Representatives Positions
up for re-election:
Division 10
Division 12
Division 14
Division 16
Division 18
Zone 2
At-Large 5 Members
In order to qualify to run for the position, it is necessary for
to be a dues paying member of IFNA, if running for a Divisional
position, to be a member of that Division (Region), and have the
support of 10 members of IFNA from your Region. The procedure is
as follows:
1. Send a Net Mail Message direct from your node to
103/501 stating that you intend to run for the position
on the BoD (please state as to whether it is Regional
or At-Large).
2. Have ten IFNA members submit their statement of support
for your running to 103/501 by Direct NetMail. The
subject line of the message should contain your name.
If you are running for a Divisional position then you
must have 10 Members from your Region support you,
otherwise you can obtain any 10 Members names,
duplicates are allowed.
That's all that there is to it. Your Net Mail Message should
reach me no later than May 21, 1988, names will be listed on the
Ballot in alpha sequence by Region. At-Large directors will be
listed in name sequence only.
Ballots will be send to FidoNews for Publication by May 28th in
order to meet the needs of the By-Laws.
Remember that this is your organization and we need your support
to make it match the needs of our membership.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 19 28 Mar 1988
A New Net in Massachusetts
by David Kaufman (1:321/147)
Starting with NODELIST.078 (barring some unforeseen occurence) a
new net, Net 322, will form in Massachusetts. The new net will
be comprised of nodes from both of the existing nets (Net 321 and
Net 101). If you do echomail or have regular correspondence with
any Massachusetts node, make sure you know which net that node
will be in. Here's a list of those which will be moving:
Net 322 (the new MassNet East)
Old # New # | Old # New # | Old # New #
------- ------- | ------- ------- | ------- -------
101/140 322/710 | 101/129 322/890 | 101/117 322/117
101/168 322/110 | 101/172 322/130 | 101/139 322/180
101/113 322/188 | 101/433 322/210 | 101/448 322/220
101/162 322/230 | 101/188 322/240 | 101/166 322/310
101/14 322/14 | 101/182 322/335 | 101/184 322/339
101/132 322/340 | 101/146 322/360 | 101/186 322/380
321/147 322/422 | 321/148 322/410 | 321/401 322/470
101/27 322/27 | 101/885 322/530 | 101/124 322/559
101/156 322/555 | 101/174 322/557 | 101/125 322/560
101/126 322/561 | 101/164 322/566 | 101/366 322/590
101/152 322/940 | 101/105 322/960 |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 20 28 Mar 1988
MY COMPUTER
You sit there on the table,
With just a little RAM.
I wish that you were able,
To really give a Damn.
Your screen is brightly colored,
An your drive goes round and round.
The inner workings dullered,
The data you have found.
Sometimes, you work just fine,
An others you do not.
I think you spend more time,
Looking for what you've got.
I wonder what would happen,
If you could only talk.
But if that should ever happen,
Think I'd go out for a walk.
So here's to my computer,
You work so hard for me.
You use to be my tutor.
Now you've set me free.
Jake Hargrove (CTBBS)
(C)1987
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 21 28 Mar 1988
Setting up NetMail with QuickBBS
By Gene Coppola 1/114 (107/246)
By now you have downloaded a copy of Quick BBS and have
decided that it is the BEST Shareware Bulletin Board system
and have decided you would like to join the network.
Okay, great. The first thing you should do is get a copy of
POLICY3.DOC and read it thoroughly from start to finish.
This file explains all you need to know to get a Net/Node
number and join the network. (Okay I was obligated to tell
you that first, now let's continue.)
The world is divided into seperate Zones in the network.
Each Zone is then divided into multiple Regions. Each Region
is further divided into Nets. Each Net has a Coordinator and
in most cases several Hubs that service the individual
Sysops in each Net.
Each Sysop who joins the Net receives a unique Net/Node
identification number to identify his system. The
Coordinator's Net/Node number is easy to find in the
Nodelist as it ends in a zero. For example a Sysop in the
Net 107 area who would like to request a Net/Node number
would send a message to 107/0 who would start the processing
on it's way.
Current policy REQUIRES that all requests for Net/Node
number assignments be sent via NETMAIL to the appropriate
person. This might sound strange, but in fact is based on
sound reasoning. If you have set up your system properly,
then the message will get through, and in most cases this
also means that you will be able to receive NETMAIL as well
as send it. If your system is not set up properly then the
message will not be sent, and you will have to do further
work to get your system set up properly.
No matter what system you are running ie; Quick BBS, TBBS,
RBBS, Fido or Opus, you NEED to get a copy of the Nodelist
if you wish to join the public network. The Nodelist is
updated once a week as is available on most systems. The
first time, you will need to get the complete Nodelist. Each
weeks list is numbered with a Julian day as the last 3
digits of the file name. For example the Nodelist for March
18, 1988 should be named NODELIST.078 or in the archived
form it would be called NODELIST.A78. The last 3 digits
increase as the year goes on. Once you get the first copy
you can update it each week by obtaining that weeks NODEDIFF
which contains the weekly updates.
The NODEDIFF files are also numbered the same way so the
NODEDIFF for the above date would be NODEDIFF.A78. Way back
when I first started, we updated the Nodelist by hand,
adding and deleting nodes manually. However this soon got to
be too much work, and utilities were written to automate
this task for you.
FidoNews 5-13 Page 22 28 Mar 1988
The BEST utility to use for this is known as XLATLIST and is
usually available on systems under the following names of
XLATRGEN.ARC or XLATLIST.ARC. The current version of this
utility is 2.86 as of the date of this article. XLATLIST was
written and designed to make the weekly updates as painless
as possible. Once set up, XLATLIST will take last weeks
Nodelist, process the current Nodediff and produce a new,
updated Nodelist for you. This utility was written by Thom
Henderson of System Enhancement Associates, and we all owe
Thom thanks for this fine utility.
Other people have written utilities but none perform up to
the high standards of XLATLIST. XLATLIST was freely given to
Sysops to use, while other utilities require payment for
continued use, and in certain instances have even been know
to send Netmail messages to their authors, notifying them
that you are using their software. XLATLIST is great, and
the author is a concerned Sysop, who deals with problems as
they occur and provide updates as needed.
An important note is needed here. In order for XLATLIST to
properly work, you MUST run it EACH and EVERY week without
fail. This will assure you that your list is up to date and
you will not be accidently calling a "little old lady" in
the middle of the night, trying to send Netmail.
Okay, once you XLATLIST, you set up the control file for it,
with the appropriate information. In the case of a new Sysop
requesting a node number, use a -1 as your node number. For
example, after reading the nodelist and determining you are
in the Net 107 area, you would put 107/-1 as your node
number UNTIL you receive your permanent number. This special
number (-1) notifies the Coordinator this a request for a
node number.
PLEASE, do not make up a node number. This is the "accepted"
way of requesting a node number. Making up a node number
will just confuse the entire process and result in a delay
for you to receive your number.
Now copy the file that XLATLIST produces (nodelist.bbs) to
your Quick BBS directory. Run Qconfig and set up the basic
parameters, including a message board for Netmail (there can
be only ONE such board in Quick BBS) and the basic
information requested.
Now run Qnode which will process the information contained
in nodelist.bbs and produce a file that Quick BBS uses to
know where to send Netmail.
Now send a message to the Coordinator in the area that you
are in requesting a Net/Node number. Please be sure to
include the following information as a minimum.
FidoNews 5-13 Page 23 28 Mar 1988
1) Sysops Name
2) Bulletin Board Name
3) Phone Number
4) Full Address Of The System.
5) Maximum Baud Rate
6) Hours System Operates.
7) Name Of Front End Software
8) Protocols In Use.
This is the MINIMUM information required. If the Coordinator
requires more information, you will be notified of this.
Quick BBS requires some type of external software to handle
the Netmail functions. The following software (in no special
order) works quite well with Quick BBS. Binkley, SEAdog,
Dbridge, Front Door, and Dutchie. I prefer Binkley which is
widely available and works quite well.
Once Quick BBS and your Front End are set up, it is time to
send the message to your Coordinator. Remember that the
Coordinator's number will end in a zero (107/0). Hopefully
the Coordinator will send back information pertaining to any
special routing your Net uses to process Netmail.
At this point in time you must make your system available to
process mail during National Mail Hour (NMH). NMH has been
carefully established to allow mail to flow between systems
when the costs are the lowest. On the East Coast (EST) NMH
is currently between 4 and 5 a.m. Your Coordinator can help
you translate this into the proper time frame for your
location.
So to recap, the following files are the minimum required to
set up for Network mail.
1) Current Nodelist File.
2) XLATLIST or XLATRGEN File.
3) One Of The Various Front End Mail Programs.
If you cannot find these anywhere else, they are available
from 1/114 at (516)-328-7064. We are open from 6:15 a.m.
until 2:45 a.m. for bulletin board access. All files above
and all the Quick BBS software and utilities are available
to FIRST time callers.
Here is a current list of the Quick BBS software and
utilities currently on-line.
QUICKBBS.ARC QuickBBS Standard Package (Main Program)
QUICKDOC.ARC QuickBBS Sysop Documentation
QUICKNET.ARC QuickBBS Net Mail Option
QUICKECO.ARC QuickBBS EchoGen Mail Option
QUICKPAK.ARC All Of The Above Files
HELPFILE.ARC New Quick BBS Help Files
SAMPMENU.ARC Menus Used On This System <-Updated
SAMPQEST.ARC Sample New User Questionnaire
FidoNews 5-13 Page 24 28 Mar 1988
STRUCT.ARC File Structures For Quick BBS
X00109.ARC Fossil Driver
BULLMAKE.ARC News/Bulletin Generator (FREEWARE)
CVTMSG.ARC Imports Messages From Opus To Quick BBS
CVTUSER.ARC Converts Opus User File To Quick BBS
DSZ0208.ARC External Zmodem Protocol (Latest Version)
ECHOAREA.ARC Echo Mail Utility For Version 2.0 and up
FILESCAN.ARC Creates List Of Available Files V 2.12 <-New
MGMLINK.ARC Very Handy Echo Mail Utility
PCB-QBBS.ARC Run Quick BBS As A Door On PcBoard
QBBSEXAM.ARC Changes Caller Count In SYSINFO
TODAY.ARC Highlights Each Day In History (Door)
USERLOG.ARC Userlog/Message Base/Answerfile Utility <-New
UPURGE.ARC Purge By Date, Security Level
WXMODEM.ARC External Wxmodem Driver
BINKBATS.ARC My Cfg And Bats To Run Binkley
BEXE_140.ARC Latest Version Of Binkley
BT_286.ARC Binkley 1.40 Compiled For 286 Machines
BINKOMMM.ARC Using OMMM With Binkley
FILESCAN.ARC Now Supports Binkley V 2.12 <--NEW
OMMM_107.ARC Message Handler With COMPLETE Docs
OMMMHELP.ARC More Help Using OMMM With Binkley
ONODE146.ARC Nodelist Utility For Binkley
REMAPPER.ARC Service Points With Binkley
Here is a list of the Door software now available, please
note that these are for Quick BBS 2.0 and up!
ADVE0288.ARC Adventure Yes it is the old Adventure game
ALPH0288.ARC Alpha Word game in space
ARAB0288.ARC Arab Word game on the Hot Sands
AROU0288.ARC Around Word game make it around the world
ATLA0288.ARC Atlantis Word game getting out of Atlantis
BBSL0288.ARC BBS listing program
CAST0288.ARC Castle Adventure Game
CAVE0288.ARC Cave Multi-User takes place in a Cave
CHAT0388.ARC Eliza Like 'Sysop' Chat Routine
CHES0288.ARC Chess Users play chess Excellent!!
CIA0288.ARC C.I.A. Word game Beat the bad people
CRAZ0288.ARC Crazy Word game in a mental hospital
KILL0288.ARC Killer Word game GET out of harlem
KING0288.ARC King A Multi-User trivia game
MARS0288.ARC Mars Word game on Mars
MEGA0388.ARC Search/View The National Megalist
MONI0288.ARC Monitor Good program to tie Doors together
NETM0288.ARC NetMail puts you on the Fido Net (For RBBS)
PIRA0388.ARC Pirate Multi-User Takes place on the ocean
REVE0288.ARC Reverse Try to reverse numbers for points
RIPP0288.ARC Ripper word game Jack the Ripper
ROVE0288.ARC Rover Try to get Rover Robot across grid
SWOR0288.ARC Sword Word game kill medusa if you can
SYSU0388.ARC Remote Sysop Utility
TIME0388.ARC Time word game about time travel
FidoNews 5-13 Page 25 28 Mar 1988
TW5A0388.ARC TradeWars 500 part 1 of 2
TW5B0288.ARC TradeWars 500 part 2 of 2
As you can see, in the short time that Quick BBS has been in
operation, it has developed into a full featured Bulletin
Board program, which takes a back-seat to no other software.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 26 28 Mar 1988
=================================================================
COLUMNS
=================================================================
YACK
Yet Another Complicated Komment
by Steven K. Hoskin
( STEVE HOSKIN at 1:128/31 )
Episode 4: Electronic Voting
I don't know about y'all out there, but I want to see a
democratic FidoNet. You know, where each FidoNode gets one vote
on matters that concern the InterNational FidoNet.
I thought originally that was why the InterNational FidoNet
Association went corporate; so there'd be rules to follow about
collective voting.
As it turned out, for whatever reasons, IFNA did not turn
out to be that voting tool, that graceful central coordinator of
the collective will of all FidoNet SysOps. One of its problems
is that members of FidoNet are NOT necessarily members of IFNA.
Therefore, IFNA cannot do things to control FidoNet, as FidoNet
SysOps don't get to vote on IFNA matters if they're not IFNA.
To join IFNA costs $25. You should NEVER have to pay to
vote on something that affects the way you run your life.
Period.
I joined IFNA because I thought it would help to insure the
survival of FidoNet during hard times. That may still hold true,
and I will probably be an IFNA member for life, but one thing has
become clear to me: IFNA IS NOT ESTABLISHING NET-WIDE DEMOCRACY.
Don Daniels, president of IFNA, has requested ideas for ways
to establish a fully democratic FidoNet, BE IT VIA IFNA OR SOME
OTHER MECHANISM. Now there's a man who's interested in FidoNet.
Well, here we go again, folks, YET ANOTHER idea: Electronic
Voting.
Reserve a FidoNode, just like 1:1/0 does the NodeList, and
1:1/1 does the FidoNews, to handle strictly Electronic Voting.
For sake of example, I'll use 1:1/9. I don't know if this Node
number is being used for anything, but that's my example.
For starters, if IFNA is to be retained (as many of us would
STILL like to see), we must adopt a by-law (if nothing stronger
can be used) that states in whatever legal wording is needed that
IFNA as an organization MUST ABIDE BY FIDONET SYSOP VOTE RESULTS.
And that IFNA MUST ISSUE BALLOTS FOR VOTE ON ANY RESOLUTION
REQUESTED BY ANY FIDONET SYSOP.
FidoNews 5-13 Page 27 28 Mar 1988
Then get 1/9 going. An automated system, disallowing human
tampering, whereby ballots and resolutions are sent to the node,
1/9 sends the ballot via Network mail AUTOMATICALLY to ALL Nodes
in the NodeList DIRECTLY, and waits for some predetermined amount
of time for a vote result.
If one month is the predetermined time, have 1/9 re-send
ballots to any Node from which no vote has been received on a
weekly basis until either a vote is received or the time limit
has been reached.
As vote "ballot" messages come back to 1/9 via Network Mail,
in some predetermined format such that a relatively
unsophisticated program can determine the vote, 1/9 tallies the
vote, stores the message, and sends a verification message via
Network Mail DIRECTLY to the node that allegedly sent the ballot.
Duplicate Node votes would be cancelled and the ballot
reissued to the Node in question with a note commenting on the
duplication.
A password could be set up for each Node and placed
somewhere in the Ballot return vote message. Improperly
passworded ballots would cause 1/9 to send a message DIRECTLY to
that Node informing him or her that a password failing had
occurred. A place for changing of passwords could also be added
to the ballot return message.
This should eliminate "bogus" node voting, as the SysOp of
the REAL Node could then be aware that somebody is trying to
break into his or her vote.
When all Nodes have responded OR the time limit is reached,
1/9 forwards the vote results to anybody that wants it, either
via Network Mail or as an Echo Area.
Have a preformed message format for requesting a ballot,
which could be sent to 1/9 such that no human could interfere
with the request for the vote. This eliminates interference with
the vote request system if someone feels that their
ballot/resolution has not been properly sent to 1/9 by IFNA.
Improper resolutions thusly sent could be construed as being
"excessively annoying" and multiple occurrences of such could
then be voted on by the Network for possible EXCOMMUNICATION of
the offending Node.
Choosing who runs Node 1/9 is a sensitive subject, since
that person could theoretically tamper with things. There's
simply going to have to be SOME kind of trust out there.
This is not a full overview, as I am trying to limit the
size of this column. Replies, questions, comments, etc. contact
me as STEVE HOSKIN at Node 1:128/31. I'd love to see this thing
implemented. I'd even write the software. :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 28 28 Mar 1988
=================================================================
NOTICES
=================================================================
The Interrupt Stack
16 May 1988
Digital Equipment Corporations Users Society Spring Symposium.
Will be held May 16-May 20 in Cincinnati, OH.
25 Jun 1988
EuroCon II starts in Tiel, Holland. Sponsored by the Dutch
Hobby Computer Club. Will run for 2 days. Contact Hans
Lichthelm at 2:2/999 for information.
16 Jul 1988
A new areacode, 508, will form in eastern Massachusetts and
will be effective on this date. The new area code will be
formed from the current areacode 617. Greater Boston will
remain areacode 617 while the rest of eastern Massachusetts
will form the new areacode 508.
25 Aug 1988
Start of the Fifth International FidoNet Conference, to be
held at the Drawbridge Inn in Cincinnati, OH. Contact Tim
Sullivan at 108/62 for more information. This is FidoNet's big
annual get-together, and is your chance to meet all the people
you've been talking with all this time. We're hoping to see
you there!
24 Aug 1989
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Christopher Baker
MetroFire - 135/14 (18/0)
Effective 22 Mar 88, my working hours will be changed
from day shift to afternoon shift. Those of you used to
reaching me in the A.M. should make a note of my new
schedule.
You may contact me from 1430-2230, Tuesday-Saturday, at
305-596-8576.
Thanks.
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Latest Software Versions
FidoNews 5-13 Page 29 28 Mar 1988
BBS Systems Node List Other
& Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
Dutchie 2.80 EditNL 3.3 ARC 5.21
Fido 12g* MakeNL 2.03 ARCmail 1.1
Opus 1.03b Prune 1.40 ConfMail 3.31
SEAdog 4.10 XlatList 2.86* EchoMail 1.31
TBBS 2.0M MGM 1.1
BinkleyTerm 1.40*
QuickBBS 1.02
* Recently changed
Utility authors: Please help keep this list up to date by
reporting new versions to 1:1/1. It is not our intent to list
all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 30 28 Mar 1988
__
The World's First / \
BBS Network /|oo \
* FidoNet * (_| /_)
_`@/_ \ _
| | \ \\
| (*) | \ ))
______ |__U__| / \//
/ Fido \ _//|| _\ /
(________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm)
Membership for the International FidoNet Association
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
pays a specified annual membership fee. IFNA serves the
international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to
increase worldwide communications.
Member Name _______________________________ Date _______________
Address _________________________________________________________
City ____________________________________________________________
State ________________________________ Zip _____________________
Country _________________________________________________________
Home Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
Work Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
Zone:Net/Node Number ____________________________________________
BBS Name ________________________________________________________
BBS Phone Number ________________________________________________
Baud Rates Supported ____________________________________________
Board Restrictions ______________________________________________
Your Special Interests __________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
In what areas would you be willing to help in FidoNet? __________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Send this membership form and a check or money order for $25 in
US Funds to:
International FidoNet Association
c/o Leonard Mednick, MBA, CPA
700 Bishop Street, #1014
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813-4112
USA
Thank you for your membership! Your participation will help to
insure the future of FidoNet.
Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization
and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted by the
membership in January 1987. The first elected Board of Directors
was filled in August 1987. The IFNA Echomail Conference has been
established on FidoNet to assist the Board. We welcome your
input to this Conference.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-13 Page 31 28 Mar 1988
INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
ORDER FORM
Publications
The IFNA publications can be obtained by downloading from Fido
1:1/10 or other FidoNet compatible systems, or by purchasing
them directly from IFNA. We ask that all our IFNA Committee
Chairmen provide us with the latest versions of each
publication, but we can make no written guarantees.
Hardcopy prices as of October 1, 1986
IFNA Fido BBS listing $15.00 _____
IFNA Administrative Policy DOCs $10.00 _____
IFNA FidoNet Standards Committee DOCs $10.00 _____
SUBTOTAL _____
IFNA Member ONLY Special Offers
System Enhancement Associates SEAdog $60.00 _____
SEAdog price as of March 1, 1987
ONLY 1 copy SEAdog per IFNA Member
Fido Software's Fido/FidoNet $100.00 _____
Fido/FidoNet price as of November 1, 1987
ONLY 1 copy Fido/FidoNet per IFNA Member
International orders include $10.00 for
surface shipping or $20.00 for air shipping _____
SUBTOTAL _____
HI. Residents add 4.0 % Sales tax _____
TOTAL _____
SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER IN US FUNDS:
International FidoNet Association
c/o Leonard Mednick, MBA, CPA
700 Bishop Street, #1014
Honolulu, HI. 96813-4112
USA
Name________________________________
Zone:Net/Node____:____/____
Company_____________________________
Address_____________________________
City____________________ State____________ Zip_____
Voice Phone_________________________
Signature___________________________
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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