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Volume 6, Number 45 6 November 1989
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| _ |
| / \ |
| /|oo \ |
| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
| _`@/_ \ _ |
| International | | \ \\ |
| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
| (jm) |
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Editor in Chief: Vince Perriello
Editors Emeritii: Dale Lovell
Thom Henderson
Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
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. 1:1/1 is a Continuous Mail system, available for
network mail 24 hours a day.
Copyright 1989 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.
Fido and FidoNet are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings of
Fido Software, 164 Shipley Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94107 and
are used with permission.
We don't necessarily agree with the contents of every article
published here. Most of these materials are unsolicited. No
article submitted by a FidoNet SysOp will be rejected if it is
properly attributed and legally acceptable. We will publish
every responsible submission received.
Table of Contents
1. ARTICLES ................................................. 1
IFNA Bylaws and Rules Committee Report ................... 1
IFNA/FidoNet Bylaws Proposal Draft ....................... 3
IFNA/FidoNet Policy Proposal Draft ....................... 12
IFNA Referendum: Democracy or Discrimination? ............ 23
KinkNet Correction ....................................... 26
GET OUT THE VOTE! ........................................ 27
Zeamon Improves Wildcard Support for DOS and OS|2 ........ 29
2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................... 31
More on suggestions to IFNA Publications Policy .......... 31
3. LATEST VERSIONS .......................................... 35
And more!
FidoNews 6-45 Page 1 6 Nov 1989
=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================
John Roberts
FidoNet 1:385/49
With many thanks to the Editor, Vince Perriello, the proposed
IFNA Bylaws and Policy should appear in this issue of FidoNews.
If you haven't already, here's where you get to see what all of
the hubbub has been about.
First of all, a note on availability if you'd like to request
copies of these documents. The current version of both of these
documents is available as I_POLICY.ARC and I_BYLAWS.ARC from
1:385/49 (XP/9600/HST/V32) and should also be available for
request from 1:104/424 (XA/2400) and 1:107/583 (XP/9600/HST/V32)
as well.
You may well notice that I said "the current version" above.
That's because these are both Draft documents at this time, and
while I feel they're pretty solid overall, it's quite likely that
there will be further changes before the due date for the final
proposals to be submitted for vote.
The point is that they're not carved in stone, and it's
absolutely not too late for you to be heard if there's something
you feel strongly about. As a matter of fact, I'd sincerely like
to hear your opinions. If you're not interested in establishing
a link to the IFNA_POL conference, by all means send me netmail.
While I can't promise a personal reply to each and every message
that comes in, I will promise to make sure that your opinions go
before the committee for consideration.
The IFNA_POL conference itself is still active and available for
your comments and discussion, and will remain so as long as
necessary. The primary EchoMail link for the conference is Fabian
Gordon at 1:107/323, and it's available in GroupMail format from
both myself at 1:385/49 and Phil Buonomo at 1:107/583.
Getting back to the documents themselves, in particular the
Policy document, you'll notice that a lot of things simply aren't
covered. This is the way it was designed. We've put into the
basic policy only the things that we feel are absolutely
necessary to the operation of the network. The idea is that you,
the "grunt sysop" (hasn't anyone got a better term for that?),
are the one who should make the decisions on the details of how
you want your network to operate, and that you should have a vote
on each and every item that affects your operation within the
network.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 2 6 Nov 1989
Thus the modular approach. Details such as geographic
boundaries, selection of coordinators, complaint and grievance
procedures and other such things that have historically been such
large points of contention will be added to the basic document as
Appendices. Each of these will be voted on separately to and
independent of the basic policy and each other, and there may
well be more than one choice for each major issue on the ballot
along with "none of the above", which will also be a valid choice
in this sort of election based on preference.
I'm going to be presumptuous for a moment and ask you for two
favors, even though I've never met or even corresponded with most
of you before. The first is related directly to the two
documents I've been speechifying about, while the second is much
more general.
First, when reading these proposals, try not to read anything
into them that isn't there. Take them at face value - that's the
way we've written them. There's no "hidden agenda" or hidden
anything else there, just an honest effort by a few people to put
the control of FidoNet back into the hands of the sysops of
FidoNet itself.
Second, when you're given the opportunity to make your voice
heard, whether by making comments and suggestions or by casting a
vote in an election, take the few minutes needed to do so. If
you don't, then no one can know what your feelings and opinions
are on whatever issues may be at hand. I'm not talking just
about FidoNet here, but about many of the other aspects of life
as well. Communication is a two-way process. It's been said so
often that it's rather cliche, but that hasn't made it any less
true.
Thanks!
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FidoNews 6-45 Page 3 6 Nov 1989
IFNA Bylaws and Rules Committee
Jason Steck, 1:104/424, Member
Phil Buonomo, 1:107/583, Member
John Roberts, 1:385/49, Chairman
BYLAWS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
(Proposed)(Draft v0.02)
prepared by the
Bylaws and Rules Committee
of the
International FidoNet Association
November 1, 1989
ARTICLE I - OFFICES
Section 1. PRINCIPLE OFFICE.
The principal office of the corporation shall be in the
city of Saint Louis, State of Missouri.
Section 2. OTHER OFFICES.
The corporation may also have offices at such other
places within or without the State of Missouri as the
Board of Directors may from time to time determine or the
activities of the corporation may require.
Section 3. REGISTERED OFFICE.
The registered office of the corporation shall be
established and maintained at 120 S. Central, Suite 1400,
St. Louis, Missouri, 63105.
ARTICLE II - MEETING OF MEMBERS
Section 1. ANNUAL MEETINGS.
Annual meetings of members for the election of directors
and for such other business as may be stated in the
notice of the meeting, or as many properly come before
the meeting, shall be held at such places, either within
or without the State of Missouri, and at such times and
dates as the Board of Directors, by resolution, shall
determine and as set forth in the notice of the meeting.
in the event the Board of Directors fails to so determine
the time, date and place of the meeting, the annual
meeting of members shall be held at the principal office
of the corporation on the 1st day of August at 1 o'clock
P.M. in each year.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 4 6 Nov 1989
Section 2. OTHER MEETINGS.
Meetings of members for any purpose other than the
election of directors may be held at such a time and
place, within or without the State of Missouri, as shall
be stated in the notice of the meeting.
Section 3. VOTING.
Each member entitled to vote in accordance with the terms
and provisions of the Articles of Association and these
Bylaws shall be entitled to one vote, in person or by
proxy, but no proxy shall be voted after three years from
its date unless such proxy provides for a longer period.
Upon the demand of any member, the vote for directors and
upon any question before the meeting shall be by ballot.
All elections for directors shall be decided by plurality
vote; all other questions shall be decided by majority
vote, except as otherwise provided by the Articles of
Association or the laws of the State of Missouri.
Section 4. MEMBERSHIP.
The officer who has charge of the membership ledger of
the corporation shall at least ten days before each
meeting of members prepare a complete alphabetically
addressed list of the members entitled to vote at the
ensuing election. Said list shall be open to the
examination of any member, for a period of at least 10
days prior to the meeting, either at a place within the
city where the meeting is to be held, which place shall
be specified in the notice of the meeting, or, if not so
specified, at the place where the meeting is to be held.
The list shall be available for inspection at the
meeting.
Section 5. QUORUM.
Except as otherwise required by law, by the Articles of
Association, or by these Bylaws, the presence, in person
or by proxy, of a majority of the members of the
corporation entitled to vote thereat shall constitute a
quorum at a meeting for the transaction of any business.
Section 6. SPECIAL MEETINGS.
Special meetings of the members for any purpose, unless
otherwise prescribed by statute or by the Articles of
Association, may be called by the Chairman of the Board
and shall be called by the Chairman of the Board or by
the secretary at the request of a majority of the
FidoNews 6-45 Page 5 6 Nov 1989
directors or 10 percent of the number of members entitled
to vote. Such request shall state the purpose of the
proposed meeting.
Section 7. NOTICE OF MEETINGS.
Notice, stating the place, date, and time of the meeting,
and the general nature of the business to be considered,
shall be given to each member entitled to vote thereat at
his address (electronic or otherwise), or shall be
published in the corporate newsletter, not less than ten
nor more than fifty days before the date of the meeting.
Section 8. BUSINESS TRANSACTED.
No business other than that stated in the notice shall be
transacted at any meeting without the unanimous consent
of all the members entitled to vote thereat.
Section 9. ACTION WITHOUT MEETING.
Except as otherwise provided by the Articles of
Association, whenever the vote of members at a meeting
thereof is required or permitted to be taken in
connection with any corporate action by any provisions of
the statutes of the Articles of Association or of these
Bylaws, the meeting and vote of members may be dispensed
with, if all the members who would have been entitled to
vote upon the action if such meeting were held, shall
consent (electronically or otherwise) to such corporate
action being taken.
ARTICLE III - DIRECTORS
Section 1. NUMBER AND TERM.
The number of directors shall be equal to the number of
geographical areas known as zones in the list of systems
published by the corporation, known as the IFNA or
FidoNet nodelist, plus an additional 3 directors who
shall be known as At-Large directors. No Zone may have
more than 3 directors representing it on the Board. The
Directors shall be elected at the annual meeting of
members by the members of their respective Zones, with
the exception of the At-Large Directors, who shall be
elected by the membership as a whole. Each director
shall be elected to serve until his successor shall be
elected and shall qualify.
Section 2. RESIGNATIONS.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 6 6 Nov 1989
Any director, members of a committee, or other officer
may resign at any time. Such resignation shall take
effect at the time specified, and if no time be
specified, at the time of its receipt by the president or
secretary. The acceptance of a resignation shall not be
necessary to make it effective.
Section 3. VACANCIES.
If the office of any director, member of a committee or
other officer becomes vacant, the remaining directors in
office, though less than a quorum by a majority vote, may
appoint any qualified person to fill such vacancy, and to
hold office for the unexpired term and until his
successor shall be duly chosen.
Section 4. REMOVAL.
Any director or directors may be removed either for or
without cause at any time by the affirmative vote of the
members or holders of a majority of all the membership
votes of those entitled to vote, at a special meeting of
the members called for the purpose, and the vacancies
thus created may be filled, at the meeting held for the
purpose of removal, by the affirmative vote of the
members or holders of a majority of all the membership
votes of those entitled to vote.
Section 5. INCREASE IN NUMBER.
The number of directors may be increased by amendment of
these Bylaws by the affirmative vote of a majority of the
directors, though less than a quorum, by the affirmative
vote of the majority of the members, at the annual
meeting or by a special meeting called for that purpose,
and by like vote the additional directors may be chosen
at such meeting to hold office until the next annual
election and until their successors are elected and
qualify.
Section 6. COMPENSATION.
Directors shall not receive any stated salary for their
services as directors or as members of committees, but by
resolution of the Board a fixed fee and expenses of
attendance may be allowed for attendance at each meeting.
Nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude
any director from serving the corporation in any other
capacity as an officer, agent or otherwise, and receiving
compensation therefore.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 7 6 Nov 1989
Section 7. ACTION WITHOUT MEETING.
Any action required or permitted to be taken at any
meeting of the Board of Directors, or of any committee
thereof, may be taken without a meeting, if prior to such
action a written consent thereto is signed by all members
of the Board, or of such committee as the case may be,
and such written consent is filed with the minutes of
proceedings of the board or committee.
ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS
Section 1. OFFICERS.
The officers of the corporation shall consist of a
Chairman of the Board of Directors, a president, a
treasurer, a secretary, and an International Coordinator,
and shall be elected by the Board of Directors and shall
hold office until their successors are elected and
qualified. In addition, the Board of Directors may elect
one or more vice-presidents and such assistant
secretaries and assistant treasurers as it may deem
proper. None of the officers of the corporation need be
directors. The officers shall be elected at the first
meeting of the Board of Directors after each annual
meeting. More than two offices may be held by the same
person, except the offices of president and secretary,
unless there is only one member.
Section 2. OTHER OFFICERS AND AGENTS.
The Board of Directors may appoint such officers and
agents as it may deem advisable, who shall hold their
offices for such terms and shall exercise such power and
perform such duties as shall be determined from time to
time by the Board of Directors.
Section 3. CHAIRMAN.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors, shall preside at
all meetings of the Board of Directors, shall appoint the
chairs of all standing committees, and he shall have and
perform such other duties as from time to time may be
assigned to him by the Board of Directors.
Section 4. PRESIDENT.
The President shall be the chief executive officer of the
corporation and shall have the general powers and duties
of supervision and management usually vested in the
office of the president of a corporation. He shall
FidoNews 6-45 Page 8 6 Nov 1989
preside at all meetings of the members if present
thereat, and in the absence of the Chairman, at all
meetings of the Board of Directors, and shall have
general supervision, direction and control of the affairs
of the corporation. Except as the Board of Directors
shall authorize the execution thereof in some manner, he
shall execute bonds, mortgages, and other contracts in
behalf of the corporation, and shall cause the seal to be
affixed to any instrument requiring it and when so
affixed the seal shall be attested by the signature of
the secretary or treasurer or an assistant secretary or
assistant treasurer.
Section 5. VICE-PRESIDENT.
Each vice-president shall have such powers and shall
perform such duties as shall be assigned to him by the
directors.
Section 6. TREASURER.
The treasurer shall have the custody of the corporate
funds and securities and shall keep full and accurate
account of receipts and disbursements in books belonging
to the corporation. He shall deposit all moneys and
other valuables in the name and to the credit of the
corporation in such depositories as may be designated by
the Board of Directors.
The treasurer shall disburse the funds of the corporation
as may be ordered by the Board of Directors, or the
president, taking proper vouchers for such disbursements.
He shall render to the president and Board of Directors
at the regular meetings of the Board of Directors, or
whenever they may request it, an account of all his
transactions as treasurer and of the financial condition
of the corporation. If required by the Board of
Directors, he shall give the corporation a bond for the
faithful discharge of his duties in such amount and with
such surety as the Board shall prescribe.
Section 7. SECRETARY.
The secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of
all meetings of members and directors, and all other
notices required by law or by these Bylaws, and in case
of his absence, or refusal or neglect to do so, any such
notice may be given by any other person so directed by
the president, or by the directors, or members, upon
whose requisition the meeting is called as provided by
these Bylaws. He shall record all the proceedings of the
FidoNews 6-45 Page 9 6 Nov 1989
meetings of the corporation and of directors in a book to
be kept for that purpose, and shall affix the seal to all
instruments requiring it, when authorized by the
directors or the president, and attest the same.
Section 8. INTERNATIONAL COORDINATOR.
The Board of Directors shall elect an International
Coordinator to serve as the head of the nodelist
administrative structure. The International Coordinator
shall be responsible for maintaining the technical
integrity of the network and for publishing the list of
nodes which bears the trademark of this corporation, and
for establishing new zones in that nodelist at the
direction of a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
Section 9. ASSISTANT TREASURERS AND ASSISTANT SECRETARIES.
Assistant treasurers and assistant secretaries, if any,
shall have such powers and shall perform such duties as
shall be assigned to them, respectively, by the
directors.
ARTICLE V - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. MEMBERSHIP
Any person who is the system operator in good
standing of a PUBLIC ACCESS NODE as listed in the
FidoNet nodelist shall be a member without making any
application or paying any dues, and shall have the
right to one vote.
ARTICLE VI - PROHIBITION OF DIVIDENDS.
Section 1. PROHIBITION OF DIVIDENDS.
No part of the net earnings of the corporation shall
inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, as
dividends or in any other manner, its members, directors,
officers or other private persons, except that the
corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay
reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make
payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes
set forth in the Articles of Association.
Further, upon the dissolution of the corporation, the
Board of Directors shall, after paying or making
provision for the payment of all of the liabilities of
the corporation, dispose of all of the assets of the
corporation exclusively for charitable, education,
FidoNews 6-45 Page 10 6 Nov 1989
religious, or scientific purposes as shall at the time
qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954
(or the corresponding provisions of any future United
States Law) as the Board of Directors shall determine.
Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of
by the Court of Common Pleas of the County in which the
principal office of the corporation is then located,
exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or
organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are
organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
ARTICLE VII - CORPORATE SEAL.
Section 1. SEAL.
The corporate seal shall be circular in form and shall
contain the name of the corporation, the year of its
creation and the words "CORPORATE SEAL OF THE
INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION. " Said seal may be
used by causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed
or affixed or otherwise reproduced.
ARTICLE VIII - FISCAL YEAR
Section 1. FISCAL YEAR.
The fiscal year of the corporation shall be determined by
resolution of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IX - EXECUTION OF CORPORATION INSTRUMENTS.
Section 1. INSTRUMENTS.
All checks, drafts, or other orders for the payment of
money, notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued in
the name of the corporation shall be signed by officer or
officers, agent or agents of the corporation, and in such
manner as shall be determined from time to time by
resolution of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE X - NOTICE AND WAIVER OF NOTICE.
Section 1. NOTICE.
Whenever any notice is required by these Bylaws to be
given, personal notice is not meant unless expressly
stated, and any notice so required shall be deemed to be
sufficient if given by depositing the same in the mail,
postage prepaid, addressed to the person entitled thereto
at his address as it appears on the records of the
FidoNews 6-45 Page 11 6 Nov 1989
corporation, or by the sending of electronic mail in the
same fashion, or by the posting of such notice in the
newsletter of the corporation. Such notice shall be
deemed to have been given on the day of such mailing or
publishing of said notice. Members not entitled to vote
shall not be entitled to receive notice of any meetings,
except as otherwise provided by statute.
Section 2. WAIVER OF NOTICE.
Whenever any notice whatever is required to be given
under the provisions of any law, or under the provisions
of the Certificate of Incorporation of the corporation or
these Bylaws, a waiver thereof in writing signed by the
person or persons entitled to said notice, whether before
or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed proper
notice.
ARTICLE XI - AMENDMENTS.
Section 1. AMENDMENTS.
These Bylaws may be altered and repealed and Bylaws may
be made at any annual meeting of the members or any
special meeting thereof if notice thereof is contained in
the notice of such special meeting, by the affirmative
vote of a majority of the members entitled to vote
thereat, or by the Board of Directors, at any regular
meeting of the Board of Directors, or at any special
meeting of the Board of Directors, if notice thereof is
contained in the notice of such special meeting.
ARTICLE XII - LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS.
Section 1. LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS.
The International Fidonet Association recognizes the need
for and encourages the formation of locally based
independent organizations for the furtherance of
electronic communications at the Zone, Region, and Net
levels.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-45 Page 12 6 Nov 1989
IFNA Bylaws and Rules Committee
Jason Steck, 1:104/424, Member
Phil Buonomo, 1:107/583, Member
John Roberts, 1:385/49, Chairman
IFNA/FidoNet Policy v5 (Proposed)(Draft v0.20)
prepared by the
Bylaws and Rules Committee
of the
International FidoNet Association
October 31, 1989
I. PURPOSE
This document prescribes the responsibilities of any given
system to be listed in the IFNA nodelist, the
responsibilities of coordinators at various levels within the
network, and the requirements for ratification and future
modification of this document and/or its appendices.
There shall be no other mandatory requirements for FidoNet
membership above and beyond those directly stipulated or for
which specific allowance is made within this document and/or
its appendices.
II. GENERAL
FidoNet is dedicated to the exchange of information among the
general public, and as such no one may be denied a node
address based on race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation,
philosophy, software used, or affiliation with any other
network.
The usage of the personal pronouns "he" and "his" within this
document shall be considered to be gender neutral and equally
applicable to members of either sex.
This document and its Appendices are prepared in English, and
translation to other languages is expressly encouraged. This
is not to be construed as a direct endorsement of any given
language as the official language of FidoNet.
III. DEFINITIONS
NODE: The smallest subdivision of the network, defined as a
single system operating within the network. The
responsibilities of a node are defined in the section NODE
RESPONSIBILITIES within this document.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 13 6 Nov 1989
NET: A group of nodes, usually established within a specific
geographic area, associated with each other by choice for
administrative purposes and to facilitate mail transfer.
REGION: A group of nets and nodes that are not part of any
net, usually in a specific geographic area, associated with
each other for administrative purposes.
ZONE: A group of regions, usually in a specific geographic
area, associated with each other for administrative purposes
and to facilitate mail transfer.
SYSOP: For the purpose of this document, the single
individual with primary responsibility for the operation of
any given node or nodes.
COORDINATOR: A sysop at any given level who is designated
certain technical responsibilities commensurate to the
administration of the level of which he is a part. Specific
responsibilities of coordinators at any given level are
defined in the section COORDINATOR RESPONSIBILITIES within
this document.
NODELIST: The listing of node information that reflects
current addressing, routing, capability, compatibility, and
other technical information pertaining to nodes within the
network. The nodelist is essentially the "phone book" that
nodes use to communicate with each other.
ZONE MAIL HOUR: A one hour period of time set aside for and
dedicated to the processing of mail within a given zone, as
designated by the coordinator of that zone. Specifically, a
node must operate in a "mail only" mode, performing no other
task other than the sending and receipt of mail during such a
designated hour.
LOCAL MAIL SCHEDULE(S): Additional mail period(s) as may be
necessary within any given local net for the processing and
distribution of mail within that net, as designated by the
coordinator of that net.
IV. NODE RESPONSIBILITIES
To obtain and retain a listing in the nodelist, the sysop of
any NODE shall be responsible for:
A. Compliance with the minimum FidoNet mail session
standards (at this time, somewhat loosely based on the
FidoNet Technical Standards Committee recommendation FTS-
0001) so as to be able to send and receive mail within
the network.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 14 6 Nov 1989
B. Adherence to mail hours and schedules, specifically that
his node must properly observe zone mail hour as defined
by the coordinator of the zone of which the node is a
part, and any applicable mandatory local mail schedules
as defined by any local policy or other supplement to
this document.
C. Utilizing the most current nodelist available for the
operation of his node.
V. COORDINATOR RESPONSIBILITIES
A. The coordinator of a NET shall be responsible for:
1. Gathering, maintaining, and compiling the most
current information as reasonably possible concerning
the status of nodes within the net of which he is a
part, and forwarding such information to the
coordinator of the region of which such net is a part
in a timely manner to ensure its inclusion in the
nodelist.
2. The assignment of node addresses to individual nodes
within the net of which he is a part.
3. Ensuring the distribution of weekly nodelist updates
to the members of the net of which he is a part.
4. Ensuring the distribution of weekly issues of the
network newsletter to the members of the net of which
he is a part.
5. Forwarding of messages which are addressed to nodes
within the net of which he is a part in a timely
manner.
6. The establishment of Local Mail Schedules for all
nodes within the net of which he is a part, should
such be required for the efficient operation of the
net of which he is a part or the network as a whole.
7. Ensuring compliance with the technical provisions of
this document on the part of the nodes of the net of
which he is a part, including taking such
administrative action as may be necessary to correct
non-compliance.
B. The coordinator of a REGION shall be responsible for:
1. Gathering, maintaining, and compiling the most
current information as reasonably possible concerning
FidoNews 6-45 Page 15 6 Nov 1989
the status of nets and nodes that are not part of a
net within the region of which he is a part, and
forwarding such information to the coordinator of the
zone of which such region is a part in a timely
manner to ensure its inclusion in the nodelist.
2. The assignment of node addresses to nodes that are
not part of a net and the assignment of net numbers
from a pool provided by the zone coordinator of the
zone of which his region is a part to groups of nodes
that desire to form a net within the region of which
he is a part.
3. Ensuring the distribution of weekly nodelist updates
to coordinators of nets and nodes that are not part
of a net within the region of which he is a part.
4. Ensuring the distribution of weekly issues of the
network newsletter to the coordinators of nets and
nodes that are not part of a net within the region of
which he is a part.
5. Ensuring compliance with the technical provisions of
this document on the part of the net coordinators and
nodes that are not part of a net within the region of
which he is a part, including taking such
administrative action as may be necessary to correct
non-compliance.
C. The coordinator of a ZONE shall be responsible for:
1. Gathering, maintaining, and compiling the most
current information as reasonably possible concerning
the status of regions and listings for administrative
nodes within the zone of which he is a part, and
forwarding such information to the international
coordinator in a timely manner to ensure its
inclusion in the nodelist.
2. The assignment of region numbers to regions within
the zone of which he is a part.
3. Ensuring the distribution of weekly nodelist updates
to coordinators of regions within the zone of which
he is a part.
4. Ensuring the distribution of weekly issues of the
network newsletter to the coordinators of regions
within the zone of which he is a part.
5. Ensuring the establishment and operation of zonegate
FidoNews 6-45 Page 16 6 Nov 1989
systems within the zone of which he is a part as
necessary to facilitate the transfer of mail to and
from other zones.
6. Designating a Zone Mail Hour hour for all nodes
within the zone of which he is a part.
7. Assignment of a pool of net numbers for the use of
each regional coordinator within the zone of which he
is a part.
8. Ensuring compliance with the technical provisions of
this document on the part of the regional
coordinators within the zone of which he is a part,
including taking such administrative action as may be
necessary to correct non-compliance.
D. The INTERNATIONAL coordinator shall be responsible for:
1. Gathering, maintaining, and compiling the most
current information as reasonably possible concerning
the status of all zones of the network for inclusion
in the nodelist.
2. The assignment of zone numbers upon direction of the
IFNA Board of Directors.
3. Ensuring the distribution of weekly nodelist updates
to coordinators of all zones.
4. Ensuring the distribution of weekly issues of the
network newsletter to the coordinators of all zones.
5. Ensuring compliance with the technical provisions of
this document on the part of the zone coordinators,
including taking such administrative action as may be
necessary to correct non-compliance.
[Note: In the above sections, a coordinator at any level is
required to make sure that nodes and/or other
coordinators receive the named documents. This
specifically includes the provision that he deliver
them directly, should that be necessary for such
assurance.]
VI. RATIFICATION
This document will be considered to be ratified and in effect
upon passage in a general or special election by a simple
majority of votes received from those eligible IFNA members
voting in such election conducted by the IFNA Nominations and
FidoNews 6-45 Page 17 6 Nov 1989
Elections Committee, in accordance with current standard
procedures for the conduct of such elections.
Should this document fail to be ratified, the most recent
Policy document as validated by vote of the IFNA Board of
Directors at the annual meeting shall be considered to be in
effect.
VII. MODIFICATION
Any proposed modification to this document will be subject to
the procedures designated in the RATIFICATION section of this
document before becoming effective. Any proposed
modification must be submitted in final form, either written
or electronically transmitted, to the IFNA Bylaws and Rules
committee. Proposals will be considered valid as a result of
any of the following:
A. At the request of at least 25% of the coordinators of the
network.
B. Upon petition from a minimum of 10% of those IFNA members
who would be eligible to vote in an election to ratify
such modifications, as designated in the RATIFICATION
section of this document.
C. Upon the recommendation of and sponsorship by a member of
the IFNA Bylaws and Rules committee.
D. Upon the recommendation of and sponsorship by a member of
the IFNA Board of Directors.
VIII. EMERGENCY CLAUSE
Should any portion of this document come into conflict with
federal, state, or local law or the equivalent thereof, that
portion shall immediately be considered to have been revoked
within the geographic area wherein it is in conflict, and the
coordinator with primary responsibility for that area shall
immediately bring the situation to the attention of the IFNA
Bylaws and Rules committee and Board of Directors with
sufficient detail and documentation to allow work to begin on
a proposal for permanent modification.
IX. SUPPLEMENTS
This document may be supplemented by local policy at the
Zone, Region, or Net level, such supplement being considered
to be a legitimate extension of this document at the level
and for the area to which such supplement pertains, in
accordance with the following procedures:
FidoNews 6-45 Page 18 6 Nov 1989
A. Any such supplement or any part thereof may not rescind
or relax any responsibility for compliance with any
provision of this document without prior approval of both
the IFNA Bylaws and Rules committee and the IFNA Board of
Directors.
B. Any such supplement or any part thereof may only be
considered to be ratified and in effect upon passage in a
general or special election by a simple majority of votes
received from those eligible IFNA members who are part of
the area subject to coverage under such supplement voting
in an election conducted in accordance with current
standard procedures developed by the IFNA Nominations and
Elections Committee. Should ratification fail, the most
recent supplement previously in effect shall be
considered to remain in effect.
C. Any proposed modification to such supplement or any part
thereof will be subject to the same ratification
requirements as the supplement itself before becoming
effective.
D. Proposals for the creation, modification, or removal of
any such supplement or any part thereof will be
considered valid as a result of any of the following:
1. As a proposal by the coordinator of the level for
which such supplement would be applicable.
2. Upon petition from a minimum of 25% of those sysops
of nodes which are part of the level for which such
supplement would be applicable.
X. APPENDICES
All current appendices to this document shall be published
separately, and are included by reference as a legitimate
part of this document by inclusion in the INDEX OF APPENDICES
at the end of this section of this document with the
ratification date shown. All proposals for appendices shall
be subject to the same ratification and modification
procedures as required for this document.
INDEX OF APPENDICES
===================
APPENDIX SUBJECT DATED
-------- ------------------------------------- ---------
-------- ------------------------------------- ---------
IFNA/FidoNet Policy version 5.0 (Proposed)(Draft)
FidoNews 6-45 Page 19 6 Nov 1989
Ratified (date)
*end*
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-45 Page 20 6 Nov 1989
FIDOCON 90 -- WHERE'S IT GONNA BE?
The Membership Services Committee, under the chairmanship of
Jim Vaughan, has been charged with recommending a site to hold
FidoCon in 1990.
Would you like to host the next FidoCon in your city? Here is
your chance. Send a proposal to the committee to be considered
for the honor of hosting FidoCon 90.
What do you need to do to host FidoCon in your city? Planning
an international conference requires a great deal of work on the
part of the hosts. A site must be selected with adequate
meeting space, accessibility, reasonable price and 1001 other
details. To give you an idea of what needs to be done and to
give the committee some information about your city, we need to
have the following questionnaire filled out:
LOCATION:
1. What is the mileage from the airport to the host hotel?
2. Is shuttle service furnished by the hotel available to
and from the hotel and airport? If not, what is the
cost?
3. Are there direct (no connections) flights from the top
ten largest metropolitan areas to your airport? Is
the airport served by International carriers?
HOTEL FACILITIES:
1. Is there a large (150 person) conference room which
will be available throughout the conference?
2. Are there at least three smaller conference rooms which
will be available for meetings during the conference?
(75, 50 plus board type rooms.)
3. Will there be display space for vendors?
4. Will there be a small private conference room available
for the host and other committees?
5. Will the hotel guarantee room rate, not to exceed $80
for double occupancy?
6. Will the host committee prepare a list including price
ranges and bill of fare for all hotel restaurants in
advance of the conference?
FidoNews 6-45 Page 21 6 Nov 1989
7. Will the hotel provide early committment on prices of
banquets, receptions, coffee break service, and any
other food and beverage service to the conference
sessions?
8. Will the host committee be able to obtain corporate
sponsors to help defray conference expenses? Who are
they?
9. Does the hotel have handicap facilities?
10. Is the hotel or convention center willing to provide
help in the planning of the conference?
11. Will the hotel allow for special telephone
connections? (For modems)
LOCAL SUPPORT:
1. There must be an active committee consisting of at
least five members in the host city at least nine
months before the conference. Members of this
committee should be prepared to spend at least two
hours per week in the early planning stages and at
least 8-10 hours per week just before the conference.
The local chair should work closely with the FidoCon
committee chair by Net Mail, Snail, and voice. Please
furnish the name of the host committee and the name and
address of the host chairperson.
2. Sponsorship of the conference by a local user group
would be a plus. Please furnish the name of the
sponsoring group, if any.
3. Will a list of nearby restaurants (all price ranges --
including fast food) and local entertainment be
prepared by the local committee?
4. Will maps of the area would be provided to attendees?
5. What activities for family members should will be
planned by the local committee?
6. Will there be a software swap area set up with
computers for people to trade disks? Will any of them
be equipped with a printer and/or modem? Will disk
sales (at cost) be included?
7. Will there be conference souvenirs, including but not
limited to T-shirts and hats, available throughout the
conference?
FidoNews 6-45 Page 22 6 Nov 1989
8. Will a special rate on car rentals be available to
FidoCon attendees?
OTHER:
1. What other events would you suggest for attendees?
2. What are the features of your city that make it
particularly desirable for hosting FidoCon?
GENERAL COMMENTS: (To be filled in by the prospective hosts)
Please give a lot of thought to the amount of time and money that
will be involved in hosting FidoCon. Then, write up your
proposal and send it to us. We will evaluate all proposals and
make recommendations to the IFNA Board of Directors.
Proposals can be sent by NetMail to 226/300, or by Snail to:
Jim Vaughan
3883 Sugarbush Blvd.
Gahanna, OH 43230
Cities outside the US are eligible, and are encouraged to apply.
If you want to include any printed promotional materials from the
hotel or other facility, forward five copies to the above
address.
PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY NOVEMBER 30.
=========================================
Announcment of the committee's selection will be made in FidoNews
649. Hope to hear from you soon!
Jim Vaughan
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-45 Page 23 6 Nov 1989
Phil Linttell
Fido 1:163/125
The IFNA Referendum:
Democracy or Discrimination?
The IFNA Referendum has begun. For the first time in the
history of FidoNet, every Sysop is being permitted a vote on an
important issue.
Or are they?
From the text of the International FidoNet Association Board of
Directors resolution:
[From FidoNews 6-35, "Editorial"]
We, the representatives of the International FidoNet
Association, have heard a cry for democracy in the
administration of the network. As IFNA is supposed to
represent the interests of the sysops, and as such
representation is deemed to have failed, be it hereby
resolved that:
Without a mandate from the sysops of FidoNet, IFNA has no
purpose or reason for existence.
THEREFORE, the board proposes the following action, of
which failure to pass will mean the dissolution of IFNA:
It is hereby resolved that a special election be held for
consideration by the Sysops of FidoNet of the following:
[End of excerpt]
"...a special election be held for consideration by the
Sysops of FidoNet..."
It is truly commendable that IFNA is seeking it's mandate from
the Sysops of FidoNet. Especially when you consider that the
resolution goes on to state:
"In addition, it shall be made clear that approval must
be gained from a majority of the eligible nodes in the
nodelist in effect at the time of the election."
In other words, IFNA is seeking it's mandate not from a majority
of the votes cast, but from a majority of eligible voters; a
pretty courageous (and somewhat questionable) referendum practice
designed to ensure that the members of FidoNet really want IFNA.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 24 6 Nov 1989
While the election might appear open to all FidoNet Sysops, in
reality it is not. The Nominations & Elections committee,
chaired by Steve Bonine, has interpreted "eligible voters" not as
all members of FidoNet (as defined by Policy), but as Sysops of
"public-access" nodes:
[From FidoNews 6-44, "Election Rules IFNA/FidoNet Referendum"]
2.0 Eligibility.
The sysop of each public-access node in the FidoNet
nodelist issued on October 27 (NODELIST.300) is eligible
to vote.
[End of excerpt]
According to the definition of "public-access" which appears in
the same article, this specifically excludes operators of systems
which appear in the FidoNet nodelist with a status of "Pvt"
(private), "Hold", or "Down".
A quick grep of NODELIST.307 (NODELIST.300 was updated before I
had the change to write this article) indicates that there are
308 private nodes, 55 nodes marked "Hold", and 116 nodes marked
down. Approximately 479 Sysops are not allowed to vote in this
referendum.
How can this denial of the rights of almost 500 FidoNet members
to vote possibly be reconciled with IFNA's clear desire to make
sure that the FidoNet really wants IFNA? The answer is: it
can't.
I have been a member of FidoNet since February of this year. I
have tried to become informed on the issues affecting our network
and to form my own opinions. As the result of an unfortunate
incident (the circumstances of which are not relevant to this
article) I had my node's status changed from public to private.
While I understand that Policy does not require a private node to
operate a FidoNet-compatible mailer during ZMH and restrict voice
callers, Policy 3 encouraged private nodes to do so, and I do. I
respect the our net's local mail hour as well.
My system has a number of users, although I restrict access to
members of a local users' group on whose behalf I operate my
system.
I have read faithfully Policy documents, and every issue of
FidoNews I have received. I have voted in an my local net's
election of an NC, and in my region's election of an RC; I fully
expected to vote in the IFNA referendum.
How then, am I (the operator of a private node) any less eligible
to vote than the operator of a Mail Only or Public system?
FidoNews 6-45 Page 25 6 Nov 1989
And why, if a Sysop of a node marked "Hold" or "Down" CAN vote,
should they be prohibited from doing so?
Further, no reference to "public-access" was made in the original
draft of the rules for the referendum which was placed in
FidoNews 6-41 for comment:
[FidoNews 6-41, "Election Rules, FidoNet Plebescite, DRAFT"]
2.0 Eligibility.
The sysop of each node in the FidoNet nodelist issued on
October 27 (NODELIST.300) is eligible to vote.
[End of excerpt]
No later draft was published in FidoNews. In fact, the final
rules were not published until the October 30 issue of FidoNews
(FidoNews 6-44), three days AFTER NODEDIFF.300 had been
distributed. By the time the final rules were published, the
vote was already in progress; providing no opportunity for an
appeals process.
While the denial of my right to vote is distressing, it is the
irony of IFNA, which I have heard called "The voice of democracy
in FidoNet", so blatantly discriminating against members of
FidoNet that I find unacceptable.
I recognize that it is too late to change the rules of this
referendum. However, it is my intention to submit a vote in this
referendum despite the fact that it will not be counted. Other
members of FidoNet will have to decide for themselves whether
they will accept this brand of "democracy" in future elections
and referendums.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-45 Page 26 6 Nov 1989
Jim Deputy
1:204/40
KinkNet Correction
In FidoNews 643, there is an article on the various Zones that
are being claimed by several networks. Among those is Zone 69 for
KinkNet.
KinkNet does not, and has never claimed a Zone Number. KinkNet is
a group of Adult Only Conferences that are distributed to several
systems. The distribution is not limited to any network. In fact
for the most part, KinkNet is pretty much designed to be Network
and Zone unaware, except as the mailer needs the information to
get it to the proper destination.
In conferences where the Zone subjects were discussed, I have
personally sent Mr. Whidden public denials of KinkNet's claim to
Zone 69. And this has been in more than one message.
As the Moderator, Co-ordinator, and Originating system for the
KinkNet Echos, I think it can be considered that I speak on the
Authority of "Head SOB What's In Charge of KinkNet."
I may be reached via the following address's:
FidoNet 1:204/40
AlterNet 7:406/40 or 406/0
EggNet 99:9403/1, 9403/0, 99/104 or 910/105
Please note, there is no Zone 69 there.
Jim Deputy
aka Sir Dep
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-45 Page 27 6 Nov 1989
GET OUT THE VOTE!
Now is the time for all good men (and women) to come to the aid
of our country, and our country is IFNA.
Sounds kinda wishy-washy... but it does being me to a point.
In FIDONET we are citizens of a 'democracy' that somehow works
by and for itself. This great network is held together by
perpetuity and nothing else. It's existance is an entity.
IFNA was created by more than just a few people wanting to 'get
organized'. I was created because it was and is NEEDED.
Fidonet will most likely succeed and grow without IFNA. Then
again, will IFNA grow without the aid of a democratic heirarchy
to absorb the blows delivered by the many unseen forces? I think
not.
IFNA, in it's best form, serves many purposes. Thom Henderson
said it best when he described to an inquirer, just what IFNA
is and does.
Quotations taken from FIDO643.NWS
Thom Henderson
"Open Response to Charlie Smith"
"IFNA is often perceived by many people as being a thing
outside of FidoNet, when in fact it has always been very
much a part of FidoNet. It is and has always been the
legal representation of FidoNet."
...Is and has always been the 'legal representation' of FidoNet.
Hard to say it with enough emphasis.
"FidoNet has no existance under the laws of the land.
Does FidoNet exist? Yes, of course it does, but how?...
...But the laws recognize none of them. The laws (and
the government, and the IRS, and other organizations)
recognize only people. Either flesh-and-blood people
(born of men and women, heir to death and taxes), or
"incorporated people" (born of lawyers and accountants,
potentially immortal, but still heir to taxes)."
Those unseen forces that deliver the blows...
"If FidoNet is to relate to society around it in any
meaningful way, it must have some corporate existance."
Exactly. It must have more than a bunch of sysops, each with
their own STRONG opinion - each constantly battling over the same
issues time and time again... There must be a governing force -
a referee recognized by a majority of the society as one who can
weigh factors while wearing a blindfold. (sound familiar?)
FidoNews 6-45 Page 28 6 Nov 1989
"The whole point of IFNA is not to 'govern' FidoNet, but
to act as the sysops' vehicle for furthering FidoNet."
Of all, this has to be the most profound truth. It is the ideal,
the idea behind democracy!
We need to INSURE that this democracy continues... but even
more, since there are some new people in the positions - new
officers - in the last year, people (SYSOPS) like you and I
that have seen the black eyes of fighting for what's right
and against that which is wrong, we must VOTE to re-organize
this already recognized entity of ours - called IFNA.
We could rebuild from scratch, but that would take more time
than most of us care to argue over. If the referendum fails -
I WILL be there to help rebuild, but I for one don't believe
it is necessary.
I see a new light coming from where there was once darkness.
The leadership of IFNA has opened it's blackened eyes to look
at itself and the tattered shape it has kept. It now sees
where a change needs to me made. The FIDOCON 1989 was a CRUX
in the history of this great entity. It was at that meeting
that the referendum was created - it was there that many eyes
were opened. Now that the final battle is being called - we
MUST gather ourselves up and fight to rebuild the dream that
almost fell to the ground.
Lets not waste these hard learned lessons by starting over from
scratch, instead lets VOW to rebuild a model representative
structure - one our governments would envy.
Take your ballots from FIDO644.NWS or NODEDIFF.300 and send them
with your 'YES' Vote to your Net Coordinator TODAY.
Stand up and be counted!
Kevin L. 'DOC=' McNeil
1:128/45
** MEMBER of IFNA - and DAMNED PROUD OF IT!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-45 Page 29 6 Nov 1989
ZEAMON IMPROVES WILDCARD SUPPORT FOR DOS AND OS|2
Command Line Program Applies Enhanced Pattern Matching
to Common DOS and OS|2 Commands
SoftCare Systems announces Zeamon, a software utility which
provides programmers and power users with an extremely powerful
wild card syntax for common DOS and OS|2 commands such as Copy,
Dir, and Delete. All Zeamon commands can combine enhanced
wildcards with Boolean operators (and, or, not) allowing users to
specify exactly which files to process.
For example, a command such as "Copy everything except files with
the extension .OBJ to A: ..." is easily accomplished by typing
"Z copy *.* -*.OBJ A:". The ability to include and exclude
multiple files by using + and - Filters is the heart of Zeamon's
power. Also, the '*' wildcard character has been enhanced to
mean "match zero or more characters" so that the expression *INV*
matches any filename containing the string "INV", such as
"INVJAN89", "JAN89INV", "89INVJAN", and "INV".
Zeamon provides the complete command line control of your files
that most users have only dreamed about. It is more powerful,
simpler to learn, and much faster to use than any DOS shell
program on the market today.
With Zeamon, all commands are enhanced to support:
- Greatly improved wildcard matching facilities
- Searching/processing multiple directories in one command
- Searching multiple drives and directories in one command
- Processing based on specific dates or date ranges
- Processing based on the ARChive or Modified flag
- Prompting for and optionally formatting new diskettes,
when needed
The Directory command can sort the listing in any order. It
always displays file attributes, the total number of bytes used
by the selected files and the actual disk space occupied by the
files, accounting for sector sizes.
Zeamon adds four new commands to the operating system - Move,
Update, List, and Execute. The Move command will transfer files
between disks or directories, deleting the original files.
Update compares two disks or directories, replacing old files on
the target with newer one from the source. The List command
generates formatted output of selected files which can be used
for creating batch files. Zeamon's Execute command will pass
each files selected by the wildcards to the program of your
choice.
The product also comes with utilities to change file dates and
times, file attributes, and a way to quickly find the amount of
free space on all disks attached to a system.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 30 6 Nov 1989
A full implementation of Zeamon's directory command is available
fro free from many bulletin board systems, including SEAboard
(201-473-1991 8-N-1). Download ZDIR.ARC, which includes the
executable program and full documentation. The program is also
requestable from the StarShip ][ bbs (201-935-1485 or node
1:107/583@FidoNet, 520/583@AlterNet, 9:807/2@Pnet).
Zeamon can be purchased from SoftCare Systems for $69 plus $5
shipping and handling. The product comes with free telephone
support for registered users.
SoftCare Systems, Inc.
Ken Condal, President
(201)473-2002
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-45 Page 31 6 Nov 1989
=================================================================
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
=================================================================
Doug Hall
1:132/111
Dear FidoNews Editor,
You published my letter-to-the-editor in FidoNews 640 (page 15)
suggesting revisions to this publication which would make it of
greater use to run-of-the-mill sysops like myself. After it was
published I received some unsolicited supportive netmail from
around the net. I haven't yet received any telling me that I
have my head screwed on backward. (Copies of selected messages
follow.)
On the other hand I haven't received any response from you
regarding the suggestions one way or the other.
Here, in summary were my suggestions:
1. Writers should never use abbreviations or jargon without
explaining them the first time they are used.
2. Stop repeating the same information every issue (IFNA Board
of Directors, membership stuff, masthead details, calendar
of events,etc.)
3. Articles published should relate to the common network
interests of sysops.
4. Article writers should not be allowed to allude to
communications outside of FidoNews itself without adequate
explanation.
5. Don't publish software upgrade information without
explanation.
Do these suggestions not seem sensible? Do you have any plans for
revising FidoNews at all? Your perspective would be of interest.
Thanks for the consideration.
Here are some of the messages I have received.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Doug,
Just wanted to drop a note of support on your FidoNews article.
Your view of FidoNews is so accurate I couldn't help but find
myself chuckling while reading it. I certainly hope that
someone is taking your suggestions to heart as they are very
valid.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 32 6 Nov 1989
Thanks for your perspective,
--David Bennett
Sysop
BenNETt (Kansas City Net) 280/307
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Doug,
I enjoyed reading your letter in FidoNews, at last something
worth reading in that, um, magazine. What has been your responce
on what you said? I too was going to write a letter similiar to
that, but as of yet have not. Well, again thanks, and let's hope
that someone really listens to your letter - I know I did.
Mike Krejci
(1:152/205)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Howdy Doug!
Well I must say that I thought your message in regards to What
Fido News is all about was very worthwhile reading in this latest
issue of Fido News! I certainly hope that the editorial staff
will take action on all of your suggestions!
I have been with FidoNet for two years and, like you, fail to see
anything worthwhile for the average FidoNet SysOp to be reading
within these FidoNews releases.
I was really impressed with the way you maintained your tact and
diplomacy throughout the entire content of your message. If I
would have sent in something like that, I don't think it would
have been quite as cohesive.... and would have ended up going
into the Nul bucket.
Well, I just wanted to personally send you a Thank You for the
fine article that you submitted telling it like it really is with
the Fido News.
Robert Lindenberger
"Eagle Patrol II BBS!" (147/28)
Edmond, Oklahoma
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Doug Hall,
I just dutifully unpacked the fido news. I read your article.
Good lord you had a title, a subject, and there was even your
name and address. I didn't even have to guess at what you were
talking about. Some of those thingie-ma-bobs in the news letter I
have never been able to figure out what the author was talking
about.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 33 6 Nov 1989
What are you trying to do, mess up the system?
Bless your heart.
I hope they pay attention to your words, but I doubt it.
I would settle, as starters, for just removing all the pagination
and pretty paper formatting. That would save a good 40% on the
darn volume of that thing. You orta try reading that bugger with
a 40 column machine. Luckily I don't have to try that any more.
Anyway I agree with you whole heartily..
Lewis Cosper
The Mansion (17/47)
Charleston OR
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(Doug,)
I applaud your suggestions. I think Fidonews is crowded with
non-essential and "useless" information, to the point that many
people have not been reading it. I for one, was unaware of the
singular events that occurred at FidoCon this year because, among
other things, I had dispensed with reading the FidoNews. I think
your suggestions, all of them, were very good, and hope that at
least some form of all of them get incorporated into the
editorial policy of FidoNews.
One of the things that I would like to see is information about
where the software that is listed as updated in each issue is
obtained from in the event we can't find it within our network.
I'd also like to see more articles on operating the software, and
more complete descriptions of what is going on in FidoNet. It
would be interesting to have some sort of survey of how many
people are actually involved in Networking as a Hobby, and some
information of the other networks, both competing and cooperating
sorts.
I was also one of the far ends of a network for awhile before
moving to the "big" city of Albuquerque. I spent a lot of money
on long-distance bills to collect what was often useless garbage
about Non-Network stuff that got put in FidoNews. My response
was to finally tell my Network Coordinator (NC) that I wished to
be left off the distribution list for the News altogether. Of
course, then I ended up being left off the distribution list for
everything, and I had to make a special arrangement to get
nodediff's from a friendly sysop who would put stuff on hold for
me to poll for it. Still it was a hassle, and all because I was
tired of getting the FidoNews with a bunch of useless stuff in
it.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 34 6 Nov 1989
Oh, well. . . .
-- Greg Sittler
-- Sysop 301/10
-- My Word! of Albuquerque NM
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-45 Page 35 6 Nov 1989
=================================================================
LATEST VERSIONS
=================================================================
Latest Software Versions
MS-DOS Systems
--------------
Bulletin Board Software
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Fido 12q+* Phoenix 1.3 TBBS 2.1
Lynx 1.30 QuickBBS 2.04 TComm/TCommNet 3.4
Kitten 2.16* RBBS 17.2B* TPBoard 5.2
Opus 1.03b+ RBBSmail 17.2* Wildcat! 2.00P
Network Node List Other
Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
BinkleyTerm 2.30 EditNL 4.00 ARC 6.02
D'Bridge 1.21 MakeNL 2.20 ARCA05 2.01*
Dutchie 2.90C ParseList 1.30 ARCmail 2.0
FrontDoor 2.0 Prune 1.40 ConfMail 4.00
PRENM 1.47 SysNL 2.65* EMM 2.02
SEAdog 4.51b XlatList 2.90 GROUP 2.16
XlaxDiff 2.32 GUS 1.20M*
XlaxNode 2.32 LHARC 1.13
MSG 4.0*
MSGED 1.99
PK[UN]ZIP 1.01
QM 1.0
QSORT 4.03
StarLink 1.01*
TCOMMail 2.2
TMail 1.12*
TPBNetEd 3.2
UFGATE 1.03
XRS 3.0
ZmailQ 1.09
Macintosh
---------
Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Red Ryder Host v2.1b3 Macpoint 0.91* MacArc 0.04
Mansion 7.12 Tabby 2.1 ArcMac 1.3
WWIV (Mac) 3.0 StuffIt 1.51
FidoNews 6-45 Page 36 6 Nov 1989
TImport 1.331
TExport 1.32
Timestamp 1.6
Tset 1.3
Timestart 1.1
Tally 1.1
Mehitabel 1.2
Archie 1.60
Jennifer 0.25b2g
Numberizer 1.5c
MessageEdit 1.0
Mantissa 1.0
PreStamp 2.01
R.PreStamp 2.01
Saphire 2.1t
Epistle II 1.01
Import 2.52
Export 2.54
Sundial 2.1
AreaFix 1.1
Probe 0.052
Terminator 1.1
TMM 4.0b
UNZIP 1.01*
Amiga
-----
Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Paragon 1.00+* BinkleyTerm 1.00 AmigArc 0.23
TrapDoor 1.11* booz 1.01
WelMat 0.21* ConfMail 1.10*
ChameleonEdit 0.10
Lharc 0.50
ParseLst 1.30
PkAX 1.00
Pktfix 1.01*
RMB 1.30
UNzip 0.86
Zoo 2.00
Atari ST
--------
Bulletin Board Software Network Mailer Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
FidoNews 6-45 Page 37 6 Nov 1989
FIDO/FoReM Door 1.1* BinkleyTerm 1.03g ConfMail 1.00
Pandora BBS 2.41c* The BOX 1.10* ParseList 1.30
QuickBBS/ST 0.40* ARC 5.21
GS Point 0.61 TurboArc 1.1
LHARC 0.40
PKUNZIP 1.00
MSGED 1.96S
SRENUM 6.2
OMMM 1.40*
Timestop 1.00
+ Netmail capable (does not require additional mailer software)
* 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.
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FidoNews 6-45 Page 38 6 Nov 1989
=================================================================
NOTICES
=================================================================
The Interrupt Stack
11 Nov 1989
A new area code forms in northern Illinois at 12:01 am.
Chicago proper will remain area code 312; suburban areas
formerly served with that code will become area code 708.
17 Nov 1989
George Stanislav becomes a United States citizen
23 Nov 1989
26th Anniversary of "Dr. Who" - and still going strong
30 Dec 1989
Telephone area codes (5, 3 and 0) are abolished in Hong Kong
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
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FidoNews 6-45 Page 39 6 Nov 1989
OFFICERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
Thom Henderson 1:107/528 Chairman of the Board
Les Kooyman 1:204/501 President
Fabian Gordon 1:107/323 Vice President
Bill Bolton 3:3/0 Vice President-Technical Coordinator
Kris Veitch 1:147/30 Secretary
Kris Veitch 1:147/30 Treasurer
IFNA COMMITTEE AND BOARD CHAIRS
Administration and Finance *
By-laws and Rules John Roberts 1:385/49
Executive Committee (Pres) Les Kooyman 1:204/501
International Affairs *
Membership Services Jim Vaughan 1:226/300
Nominations and Elections Steve Bonine 1:1/0
Public Affairs David Drexler 1:147/30.20
Publications Irene Henderson 1:107/9
Technical Standards Rick Moore 1:115/333
Ethics *
Security and Privacy *
Grievances *
* Position in abeyance pending reorganization
IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DIVISION AT-LARGE
10 Courtney Harris 1:102/732 Don Daniels 1:107/210
11 John Rafuse 1:12/700 Phil Buonomo 1:107/583
12 Bill Bolton 3:711/403 Mark Hawthorne 1:107/238
13 Fabian Gordon 1:107/323 Tom Jennings 1:125/111
14 Ken Kaplan 1:100/22 Irene Henderson 1:107/509
15 Kevin McNeil 1:128/45 Steve Jordan 1:206/2871
16 Ivan Schaffel 1:141/390 Robert Rudolph 1:261/628
17 Kathi Crockett 1:134/30 Dave Melnik 1:107/233
18 Andrew Adler 1:135/47 Jim Hruby 1:107/536
19 Kris Veitch 1:147/30 Burt Juda 1:107/528
2 Henk Wevers 2:500/1 Karl Schinke 1:107/516
3 Matt Whelan 3:54/99 John Roberts 1:147/14
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FidoNews 6-45 Page 40 6 Nov 1989
__
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
PO Box 41143
St Louis, Missouri 63141
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 second elected Board of Directors
was filled in August 1988. The IFNA Echomail Conference has been
established on FidoNet to assist the Board. We welcome your
input to this Conference.
FidoNews 6-45 Page 41 6 Nov 1989
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