1140 lines
58 KiB
Plaintext
1140 lines
58 KiB
Plaintext
Volume 4, Number 18 11 May 1987
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+---------------------------------------------------------------+
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| / \ |
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| /|oo \ |
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| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
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| _`@/_ \ _ |
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| International | | \ \\ |
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| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
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| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
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| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
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| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
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| (jm) |
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+---------------------------------------------------------------+
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Editor in Chief: Thom Henderson
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Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
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FidoNews is published weekly by the International FidoNet
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Association as its official newsletter. You are encouraged to
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submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission
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standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from
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node 1/1.
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Copyright (C) 1987, by the International FidoNet Association.
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All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted
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for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
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please contact IFNA.
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Fourteen Weeks to FidoCon!
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Table of Contents
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1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1
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Politics ................................................. 1
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2. ARTICLES ................................................. 2
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A Brief Put-Down ......................................... 2
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MACE Utilities - A Sysop's View .......................... 4
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2400 Baud Modems ......................................... 5
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A Review of Opus ......................................... 7
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NY MetroNet Resolution ................................... 8
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Vietnam Veterans EchoConference .......................... 9
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3. COLUMNS .................................................. 11
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The Regular Irregular Column ............................. 11
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4. NOTICES .................................................. 18
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The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 18
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IFNA Board of Directors Ballot ........................... 19
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FidoNews 4-18 Page 1 11 May 1987
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=================================================================
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EDITORIAL
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=================================================================
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Politics
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I heard an interesting thought the other day. Some local nets
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are more "powerful" than others. I'm still trying to figure out
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what this means.
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Oh, I know, we're talking politics again. The techie in me
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rebels at this. "Political reasons" rank right up there with
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"historical reasons" among the very worst reasons for doing
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something in a particular way.
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But I've been in applications work long enough to realize that
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political reasons, as much as I may dislike them, are still
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reasons, and are valid in their own context.
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But I don't think that FidoNet can afford to get bogged down in a
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morass of politics.
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You see, there's a funny thing about political reasons. They can
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work against you as easily as for you. Almost by definition they
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have no rational basis in facts. Technical reasons, on the other
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hand, almost always work FOR you.
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FidoNet is dedicated to the free flow of information. CPCUG
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originated that phrase, I think, and most boards I've called
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quote it in one place or another. We just mean it more than
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most. We're dealing here with the free flow of information
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between 1500 or more systems around the world, serving countless
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users covering the whole spectrum of philosophies. Not only do
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we have the world's largest (mainly) free mail system, we also
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have that tremendous amplifier of personal expression, echomail.
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But keeping that information flowing is a technical operation.
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We serve the most people the best by ensuring that the technical
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aspects of our network run as smoothly as possible. Only this
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way can we serve everyone. This means that politics have no
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place in the operation of the network. The network fails to
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serve us if it does not serve us impartially.
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No matter what your philosophy or affiliation, The Word will not
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go out unless the network runs smoothly. Yes, stand by your
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beliefs and express your opinions, but please lay aside your
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special interests when it comes to matters of network operation.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 4-18 Page 2 11 May 1987
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=================================================================
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ARTICLES
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=================================================================
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Kilgore Trout, 107/7
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A Brief Put-Down
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It seems like every time I talk to anyone these days they are
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raving about what a great editor they have, and in every case
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it's always BRIEF. The BRIEF editor seems to be taking the
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country by storm. It's advocates often sound like the computer
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equivalent of newly converted members of a religious cult. I
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finally got my hands on a copy of BRIEF so I could try out this
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wonder editor for myself.
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BRIEF stands for Basic Reconfigurable Interactive Editing
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Facility, and they mean it with a vengence. Calling it
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"reconfigurable" is about like calling the Grand Canyon a valley.
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As near as I can tell, the actual editor itself is fairly simple,
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with the usual "type a character and it gets shoved in" stuff.
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It gets its power from a bunch of built-in macro atoms and a
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complex macro language. It comes with a large library of macros
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that do all sorts of neat things for a programmer, plus you can
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define your own macros to be about as sophisticated as you like.
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For example, here's a nifty feature that is the main reason why
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I'm sweating over this thing so much: If you are working on a C
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program and you want to see if it has any syntax errors, press
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Alt F10 and BRIEF will run your compiler for you. If you get any
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error messages, BRIEF will trap the error and show it to you,
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while zapping your cursor over to the offending line.
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Sounds neat, eh? It IS neat. Though of course it suffers from
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some predictable shortcomings. It can only zap you to the line
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reported by your compiler, so it can never be better than the
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compiler at pinpointing the actual faulty line. My compiler has
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a few errors that get reported on the line holding the brace that
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closes a function, so that's where BRIEF goes. Well, at least it
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finds the right function for you.
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I could make a case here for it being TOO all-fired powerful and
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flexible. In fact, I will. A number one, don't ever even THINK
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about running it on a 4.77 mHz XT. A plain ol' PC or XT just
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ain't got the horsepower for this kind of editor. I guess that
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means don't try running it under DoubleDOS, Desqview, or any
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other multitasker unless you are really into frustration.
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One of the features that sends C programmers into raptures is its
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automatic indenting and template ability. You can set it up so
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when you type "f " (the space is important) as the first thing on
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a line, it changes it into "for ()" and puts your cursor in the
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parens. Nifty, but I don't WANT a space between the "for" and
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the parens. So okay, I can change that. So after an hour of
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FidoNews 4-18 Page 3 11 May 1987
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thumbing through the book and searching the macros I find it and
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fix it. Another twenty minutes of thumbing the book and trying
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things even makes it so BRIEF does what I said. No hassle yet; I
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was new to it, so I expected a fair amount of manual thumbing.
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Here's how I spent the rest of my day:
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BRIEF can also do fancy things for you with braces. When you hit
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an open brace, it automatically fixes up the indents and sets the
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closing brace for you. It understands two different ways of
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doing braces with indents.
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Method 1: while(x) {
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a = b;
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b = c;
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}
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Method 2: while(x)
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{
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a = b;
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b = c;
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}
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But I don't like either of those methods. I like:
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while(x)
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{ a = b;
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b = c;
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}
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I've found the macro that handles this (I think). One day I may
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even understand it. If I'm lucky, I may even someday be able to
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fix it. First I'll have to learn the macro language, which is no
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easy task. It's some sort of cross between C, LISP, and
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something else. Expressions look like:
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(if (inq_mode) (= replaced (substr (get_parm) (++ loc) 1)))
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Much of this and I go cockeyed counting parens.
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I suppose I'll keep slugging away at it. BRIEF is loaded with
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features, and I love features. One of these days I'll probably
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figure out how it works, and then I'll probably be as much in
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love with it as everyone else seems to be. But meanwhile it
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strikes me as an incredibly bloated example of rampant
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featuritis, almost (but not quite) as bad as the supermenued
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BackComm program.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 4-18 Page 4 11 May 1987
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Jean Coppola 107/201
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MACE UTILITIES
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Ever since I got hit by a 'trojan' type program 2 years ago I
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have been searching for the 'ultimate' recovery program. Now I
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can say I have found it!
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Mace Utilities will recover a hard disk that has been formatted
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either accidently or otherwise! It is a rather smart utility and
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can find files that you thought were lost forever on your disks.
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Recently I got hit with another 'trojan' type program. With MACE
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I was able to recover the disk entirely (after 1 call to the
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author of MACE) in just under 1 hour. The author of the 'trojan'
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knew of MACE and made a very good attempt at erasing (read
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destroying) the file MACE writes to the disk containing the disk
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(FAT) data. However MACE also writes files to areas of the disk
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most people don't even know about (I had to call to find this
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out) and as such is relatively safe from 'trojans' assuming the
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programs are still on the disk. For the recovery function alone
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MACE is worth the money!
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As a Sysop I also use MACE to diagnose and condense my drives.
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With files constantly being created, erased, and moved between
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sub-directories my disk slows down very quickly. For those new to
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hard drives, when the computer goes to create a file it searches
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the File Allocation Table for the next available spot and writes
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the file to that area. This IS NOT always the first available
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spot. More often than not you have at least 25% of the directory
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entries in the FAT unavailable. These ARE NOT made available
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again until a Chkdsk is run, or better yet when you condense and
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un-fragment your disk.
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Due to the constant erasing, copying, moving of files, some files
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are not located in contiguous sectors. What this means simply is
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that the drive heads have to move to many different areas to read
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one file.
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MACE allows you to condense which simply moves all entries in
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each directory to the top of the file, speeding searches
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especially if you use the PATH command.
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Then you can un-fragment the drive which simply makes sure that
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every file is written in contiguous blocks thus making head moves
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less frequent resulting in faster access.
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All in all a very good utility that should be in every Sysop's
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library of utilities.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 4-18 Page 5 11 May 1987
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Steve Ahola, 101/433
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2400 Baud Modems
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I have seen all kinds of stuff on why one brand of modem won't
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connect to another. Heres something I picked up on the boards a
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while back.
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* * *
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When you call a 1200/2400 bps modem, it answers in either of two
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ways. If it is a CCITT-V.22bis compliant modem, it answers with
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3.3 seconds of 2100Hz tone, then 75 mS of silence, and then a
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burst of training signals to get the other modem to adjust to the
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line.
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If the answering modem receives training signals in response, it
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assumes that it will be talking 2400 bps using 16-QAM and you
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have a 2400 bps connection. If instead of the training signals,
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it receives 4- PSK from the originating modem in response to its
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answering tones, it assumes that it will be a 1200 bps connection
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and switches off the training and (in the USA) uses 4-PSK (Bell
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212 standard). [European modems use CCITT-V.22 (not V.22bis) for
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1200 bps. Some modems claim to handle this as well as 212 for
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1200 bps.
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Here's the rub: some of the 1200/2400 modems don't answer using
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the CCITT V.22bis handshake. They instead answer with a different
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handshake (the engineer referred to it as the Bell 2400 bps
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handshake). After going off-hook, the "Bell handshake" answering
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modem sends 2125Hz (which is pretty close to the CCITT 2100Hz
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tone) and waits for the originating modem to respond either with
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1200bps 4-PSK or with QAM training signals. It then switches to
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the appropriate mode, and either sends some training signals for
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2400, or 4-PSK for 1200.
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Some modems can handle both kinds of handshakes. I have, for
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example, no problem calling a Courier with a Courier, anything
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with a Racal-Vadic or a MultiTech, etc. But my Courier can't call
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my Case-Rixon; an Anchor didn't connect to the Courier, etc. No,
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I don't have a chart of what talks to what, for reasons that I'll
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explain:
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The point here is that I'm not interested really in what talks to
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what on a brandname basis. I want instead to find some brands
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that "do the right thing" for both handshakes, and recommend
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those. So far I've found a couple (Racal-Vadic and Multitech come
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to mind) and I'll choose among those and others based on other
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factors, such as interface, reliability, mounting, etc. for the
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list of ones I recommend.
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But the other manufacturers need to get on the stick and get it
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right. It seems to me that stating that a modem is CCITT-V.22bis
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compliant also means that it does the CCITT handshake, and yet I
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can call several of the modems out there and just by listening
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FidoNews 4-18 Page 6 11 May 1987
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(no 75mS interruption, guys!) tell that they're using the "bell
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handshake".
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And the ones that I've tested that answer with the "bell
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handshake" don't seem to accept the CCITT handshake when you dial
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out. Moral: It may be 2400 bps but they're not all compatible.
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C'mon, guys!
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Modem manufacturers! Heed my words! Since there is a published
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international standard and one other noncompliant "standard", you
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need to accept both! And you should probably default to the
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international standard when you answer.
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Listening test: I call the modem and listen. After it goes off
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hook, I hear in my telephone either
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1) a steady high-pitched tone, then a very brief interruption,
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then another slightly-different-pitch tone, then it
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disconnects. -or-
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2) a steady high-pitched tone that lasts until it disconnects.
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I surmise that #1 is the CCITT handshake. I just tried this with
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a Case-Rixon 1224 and a USR Courier. The Case-Rixon did #1, the
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Courier did #2. If I call both on a conference call, I hear what
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could be a 25Hz beat note between them during the first tone on
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answer.
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So, I'm not disparaging anybody's modems. But I wish there was
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more standardization so that I don't have to buy one of each to
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test them before we make some big mistake.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 4-18 Page 7 11 May 1987
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"Sak", 107/329
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OPUS - I LOVE IT!
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I've used both Fido and Opus to run this BBS and I find no
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comparison between the two in as far as flexibility or
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capability. Opus is a hands down winner. Here are just a few
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examples of the improvement:
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o my Fido subdirectory contained some 145 files the system used
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just to operate, my Opus subdirectory contains about 85 files.
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o Fido has no way to effectively run "outside" programs other
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than using something like Outer and then re-logging into Fido
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like a new caller when finished, Opus exits to "outside"
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programs like they were part of Opus and returns a caller to
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the main menu.
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o Fido's command letter could not be changed, Opus can change the
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command letter.
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o Fido was rigidly Fido, Opus allows for the embedding of calls
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to other programs or files expanding the utility of the whole
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program.
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Actually the list goes on. The command structure is different,
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but its not so different that someone familiar with Fido would be
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completely lost. The main areas of confusion are the Message
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Menu selections. I think Opus should include in that menu a note
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telling callers that by entering the number of a message, you
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display that message. Nonetheless, I think combining both of
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Fido's message menus into one menu is a good idea. When I
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converted, I took the time to switch the help levels of my
|
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callers to novice. That seemed to make a big difference in their
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acceptance of the new system.
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In short, dispite some of the failings of Opus, it's a strong
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contender for Fido's place in the sun. I've never used BBS
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software that contained so many ways to personalize a board's
|
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presentation so much, nor offer me so much flexibility in getting
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around problems.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 4-18 Page 8 11 May 1987
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April 25, 1987
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We, the assembled sysops of Net 107*, have unanimously voted in
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favor of supporting the following statement:
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As members of FidoNet, we feel that it is in the best interests
|
||
of FidoNet and the sysops who comprise it to affirm support of
|
||
the current interim leadership of IFNA and of their decisions to
|
||
date relative to continued operation of the Network and also
|
||
toward the establishment of a more formally structured and
|
||
controlled organization. This includes support of not only the
|
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interim Board of Directors and their coordinators, but their
|
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creation and exercise of the precepts contained in POLICY3.DOC.
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We encourage their continued efforts on our behalf until such
|
||
time as the new Board of Directors is elected and installed as
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the governing control of IFNA.
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Gerrie Blum 107/169 Rich Mazzara 107/104
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John Cottrell 107/132 Tom Marshall 107/524
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Al Arango 107/523 Bill Bertholf 107/102
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Larry Manka 107/333 Gee Wong 107/312
|
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Dave OShea 107/35 Burt Juda 107/528
|
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Bill Wilkes 107/211 Karl Schinke 107/16
|
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Rick Siegel 107/27 Jim Nicholson 107/530
|
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Pete Keller 107/522 Don Daniels 107/200
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Thom Henderson 107/8 Marv Shelton 107/519
|
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Mike Fuchus 107/326 Irene Henderson 107/6
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Larry Porter 107/112 Mitch Kessler 107/269
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*Sam Saulys 141/488
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 4-18 Page 9 11 May 1987
|
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Todd C. Looney, 143/27
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NATIONAL VIETNAM VETERAN'S ECHO-MAIL CONFERENCE
|
||
|
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There is one other wall, of course.
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One we never speak of.
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One we never see,
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One which separates memory from madness.
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In a place no one offers flowers.
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THE WALL WITHIN.
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We permit no visitors.
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I started out with Steve Mason's poem because it tells a story in
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||
itself. I believe it accurately describes in very few words one
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||
of the very many complex, and probably one of the most protected,
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||
commonalities shared not only among a vast majority of military
|
||
combat veterans of ANY war, but among nearly every person who has
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||
witnessed and survived any kind of life-threatening traumatic
|
||
experience as well. This "wall" shields us from our darkest,
|
||
most horrifying memories. It is, without question, one of the
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||
most significant components manifested in Post-Traumatic Stress
|
||
Syndrome (PTS).
|
||
|
||
One of the toughest things for any combat veteran can be to open
|
||
his or herself up (yes, there are women who have seen combat,
|
||
too) to another human being and share the traumatic events from
|
||
their past. It is rare in this instance when the occasion can be
|
||
found when both the will and and a sympathetic, non-critical ear
|
||
are both available at the same time. Most us of find it very
|
||
hard, even when conditions are perfect, to "tell it like it
|
||
really was". One has to have an awful lot of trust in a person
|
||
to risk the consequences of lowering "the wall" , much less to
|
||
permit others to visit among our long-since buried memories and
|
||
feelings. When it gets right down to the line, most of us lose
|
||
the courage to face the emotional ramifications which
|
||
unmercifully enshroud us when we dare to share our deepest, most
|
||
personal secrets with someone else. It is especially difficult
|
||
when that other person has never experienced the same kind of
|
||
traumatic events, making it difficult if not impossible for them
|
||
to truly understand our pain.
|
||
|
||
How do you tell someone who has never experienced combat what it
|
||
REALLY feels like to witness a comrades violent death? What will
|
||
that person think of you when you tell them what it REALLY feels
|
||
like to have to take the life of another human being? Is the
|
||
emotional relief from getting it off your chest REALLY worth the
|
||
gamble of possible rejection, ridicule, or criticism? Well, I
|
||
can tell you from my own experiences that is is far less painful
|
||
to keep the "walls" in place than it is to face up to the
|
||
terrifying realities they imprison.
|
||
|
||
There are a few places where I can feel safe bringing up those
|
||
old, painful memories; places where I can slowly pull each one
|
||
out and deal with it in a comfortable atmosphere free of mis-
|
||
understanding and criticism. The local Vietnam Veterans Outreach
|
||
Center is one, but I sometimes have problems in one-on-ones. The
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 10 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
others are computer bulletin boards where I can find others like
|
||
myself who have been there and understand where I am coming from.
|
||
I have also discovered in the past several months that there are
|
||
an awful lot of non-vets, many who were either not born or were
|
||
just too young to serve at the time, who can teach me a lot about
|
||
myself and the residue of feelings still lingering beneath the
|
||
surface of my consiousness. I have "met" countless ex-protesters
|
||
who have buried feelings of their OWN which need to be expressed.
|
||
And, I am sure now, that we all have shared a learning experience
|
||
together as we communicate our thoughts and feelings to one
|
||
another.
|
||
|
||
I started a bulletin board just like that in my home in San Jose,
|
||
California, now the Vietnam Veteran's Valhalla. I also conceived
|
||
a national echo-mail conference devoted to the Vietnam Veteran
|
||
and put out the call for supporters across the country. That
|
||
call was answered by so many Fido, Opus, and TBBS sysops that I
|
||
wouldn't attempt to name them all for fear of leaving one out.
|
||
Together, we have linked our systems between the east and west
|
||
coasts and I am proud to boast of our success, and proud of the
|
||
long hours and hard work they have ALL put toward making the
|
||
conference a grand success!
|
||
|
||
There are people from all walks of life contributing to the
|
||
National Vietnam Veterans Echo-Mail Conference; combat and non-
|
||
combat veterans from all wars, non-veterans of all ages, and
|
||
Vietnamese military veterans and refugees. Just because you are
|
||
not a Vietnam Veteran, or even a military veteran at all for that
|
||
matter, is no reason not to call one of the boards closest to
|
||
you. All you need is an interest in learning about the realities
|
||
of the Vietnam war, and hearing about it from those of us who
|
||
were actually there; who know the true cost of war and have paid
|
||
that price. No historian, unless he or she has been there
|
||
personally, can tell you what WE can! And conversely, no one can
|
||
tell US what YOU can!
|
||
|
||
We want to put out the call again and ask for the support of
|
||
other sysops around the country to become a part of this valuable
|
||
public service by hosting the Vietnam Veterans Echo-Mail
|
||
Conference in your area, or just to call and browse through the
|
||
messages accumilated since June of last year. Please contact me,
|
||
Todd Looney, at the Vietnam Veteran's Valhalla in San Jose,
|
||
California by FidoNet mail at node 143/27, or direct at
|
||
(408) 293-7894, or one of the coordinating SysOps listed below:
|
||
|
||
Mike Sellaroli The Board #1 200/100 213-498-6425
|
||
Jerry Hindle SpaceStation Opus 123/6 901-353-4563
|
||
Bob Richards New York Transfer 107/105 718-442-1056
|
||
Jerry Nuckols Lighting Rod 18/11 601-545-1225
|
||
Tracy Graves The FORUM 138/39 206-565-1476
|
||
|
||
Echo-Mail is one of the most effective means of mass-
|
||
communications brought to light this century, let's USE it!
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 11 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
COLUMNS
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
The Regular Irregular Column
|
||
Dale Lovell
|
||
157/504
|
||
|
||
This has been an enjoyable week for me. I've been busy
|
||
catching up on some of the Usenet conferences and have come
|
||
across some interesting things. One of them is the source code
|
||
for valspeak, more on that later. This column's going to be a
|
||
little different. I'm going to stick my neck out and get up on a
|
||
soapbox for a few paragraphs. Those of you who don't care to read
|
||
these sections can merely skip the section starting with
|
||
"[Soapbox ON]" until you see the "[Soapbox OFF]." I've decided
|
||
that not enough people are talking, and I'm getting kind of tired
|
||
with the knee-jerk reactions taking place in the network.
|
||
|
||
-- Usenet and FidoNet --
|
||
|
||
While I was going over some of the conferences on Usenet, I
|
||
discovered a new one in progress. It dealt with how to connect
|
||
FidoNet and Usenet together. This wasn't too surprising as I knew
|
||
it was beginning to be done by people like Bob Hartman who were
|
||
familiar with both of these public networks (okay, so Usenet
|
||
isn't quite as public as FidoNet). What was surprising to me is
|
||
how active the conference seemed to be. There are quite a few
|
||
people on Usenet who are seriously thinking about or working on
|
||
gateway software to link these two fine networks. The problem
|
||
that I saw was that a good number of them were totally unfamiliar
|
||
with the Fido or SEAdog conventions of mail. If we don't start
|
||
working on much the same thing here, we may find ourselves shut
|
||
out of easy Usenet gateways because Usenet has decided how they
|
||
will accept a Fido, and Fido isn't going to like the methods
|
||
involved. I'd like to think that anyone out there involved with
|
||
FidoNet and Usenet is going to try and make sure that the gateway
|
||
will be something relatively easy to implement, and is a little
|
||
more relaxed than what Usenet seems to prefer. I say this because
|
||
I've glanced at some Usenet technical type stuff and became
|
||
hopelessly lost after the first few pages.
|
||
|
||
It also wouldn't be to convenient if our PCs had to handle a
|
||
full Usenet feed, because it isn't unusual for Usenet to transfer
|
||
2 megabytes of data a day. My local Usenet site has a dedicated
|
||
line to one of their sources for news, and I don't know of many
|
||
PCs that could do that very easily. I'd like to hear from anyone
|
||
out there in FidoNet who is working with the Usenet people on
|
||
developing a practical gateway between the networks. This is not
|
||
downplaying Bob Hartman's current gateway by any means. I just
|
||
happen to be a little lazy and would like to see some gateway
|
||
software that nearly anyone could implement with a willing Usenet
|
||
site coordinator.
|
||
|
||
-- Valspeak and LEX --
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 12 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
While on Usenet I came across the source code for Valspeak.
|
||
If you've never heard of it, it converts an ASCII text file in
|
||
"English" into something a little different. How different?
|
||
Suffice to say that your old high school English teacher would
|
||
have a heart attack if he saw the final result ("the" becomes
|
||
"thuh," "yes" becomes "fer shure," etc.). I'd heard of the
|
||
program several months back (on Usenet) but had missed the
|
||
posting of the source code.
|
||
|
||
In looking over the source code I found out that I'd need a
|
||
program called LEX as well a C compiler. After a few days
|
||
searching I found a version of LEX on Gee Wong's board (thanks
|
||
for allowing file requests Gee). My only problem seems to be that
|
||
the LEX I have, isn't quite compatible with the LEX that was used
|
||
on the posted Valspeak. This meant I actually had to go look at
|
||
the documentation on LEX and learn what it did. LEX is a "Lexical
|
||
Analyzer Generator" which means that it writes a program that
|
||
analyzes (and can convert or translate) an ASCII file. It seems
|
||
to be very powerful in that it could be used to help you convert
|
||
source code from one language to another, maybe even do a very
|
||
basic translation between two spoken languages although I don't
|
||
think it would be that good of a translation. I've almost got the
|
||
LEX I'm using to accept the source code for valspeak, after which
|
||
I should merely have to compile a C program.
|
||
|
||
If this sounds a little complicated or time consuming,
|
||
that's because it is! Even after I get my LEX to generate
|
||
(hopefully) a C program, there's no assurance that my C compiler
|
||
will be able to accept the generated code. While I've only come
|
||
across one program off Usenet that Microsoft C 4.0 didn't like
|
||
(JOVE), the docs on the LEX I'm using seem to indicate that it
|
||
generates code for one of the PC versions of C. If the PC version
|
||
doesn't correspond to the latest MSC conventions it will be
|
||
necessary to modify the generated C code to get a working
|
||
valspeak. There was a similar program called jivespeak that I've
|
||
seen on a few local bulletin boards, I'd like to hear from anyone
|
||
who has done such a conversion. I'd especially like to hear any
|
||
hints on how to do this, or where I could get a more UNIX like
|
||
LEX. As I write this an idea just popped into my head, I could
|
||
run LEX on the UNIX machine I have access to and bring the C code
|
||
down to the PC and compile it there. I'll let you know how that
|
||
approach works out next week, as there's bound to be more
|
||
programs like this floating around and this may be an easier way
|
||
to port them to our PCs.
|
||
|
||
-- [Soapbox ON] --
|
||
|
||
Last chance to avoid my preaching, those who continue are
|
||
going to be stuck listening to my opinionated views on several
|
||
topics.
|
||
|
||
For over a year we've all been hearing about IFNA
|
||
(International FidoNet Association). Last August there was a
|
||
meeting in Colorado Springs which started the ball rolling
|
||
towards incorporating IFNA as a non-profit corporation. Many of
|
||
us had noticed little things about IFNA for some time (the
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 13 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
copyright on the nodelist for example). Well, Colorado Springs
|
||
didn't turn out quite as well as anticipated. I am not going to
|
||
start pointing fingers here as to whose fault that was, I wasn't
|
||
there and have only heard about what happened second hand from
|
||
Phil Ardussi, my net host, and what people have written in the
|
||
echomail conferences and FidoNews. Suffice to say that it came
|
||
close to being a disaster from what I've heard. This isn't all
|
||
the fault of the organizers either. Some of the problems stemmed
|
||
from a few hot-headed people who attended the conference. Well,
|
||
many of us have seen a whole slew of messages in the echo
|
||
conferences on IFNA. I've gotten a little tired of some of the
|
||
stuff I've been seeing and decided it was time to get some of it
|
||
off my chest.
|
||
|
||
First off there was a vote taken on the bylaws. Granted the
|
||
current bylaws are not perfect, but is anything? The bylaws give
|
||
us a starting point from which we can work. Without some
|
||
beginning "rules" absolutely nothing can be done. How could you
|
||
start writing a program if you didn't even know what language it
|
||
was going to be used? (I refer to actual coding, not breaking
|
||
down the task into reasonable parts.) There were over one
|
||
thousand people entitled to vote on the bylaws, yet less than one
|
||
fifth actually took the time to vote. The bylaws were published
|
||
weeks ahead of time in FidoNews. The week after OUR newsletter
|
||
was filled with discussion on the proposed bylaws. Thom Henderson
|
||
even went to a lot of extra effort to make it very easy for
|
||
people to comment on the bylaws. There was no need to have read
|
||
the article specifications document, and it isn't that difficult
|
||
to adhere to those specs. All you had to do was send a normal
|
||
netmail message to 1/1, and Thom put a notice to this is the
|
||
FidoNews that was almost dedicated to the proposed bylaws. In net
|
||
157, we spent a better part of our monthly meeting discussing the
|
||
bylaws. After much discussion (in the next edition of FidoNews
|
||
and a lot in the echo conferences) a modified set of bylaws was
|
||
printed in FidoNews. When it seemed that these proposed bylaws
|
||
would be reasonably acceptable a vote was called. In every
|
||
FidoNews after that, there was a notice and a ballot for the
|
||
expressed purpose of voting the acceptance of the bylaws for
|
||
IFNA. If the bylaws had been voted down, the bylaws committee
|
||
would have gone back to the drawing board and made any changes
|
||
they felt would be necessary to gain the majority acceptance of
|
||
the bylaws.
|
||
|
||
Out of over one thousand people eligible to vote on the
|
||
bylaws, less than one fifth of them actually voted. It seems that
|
||
taking a few minutes to read the bylaws, consider them, fill out
|
||
the ballot and send it in was too much for many. I wouldn't think
|
||
it was the cost of mailing it, one stamp is fairly cheap. Even
|
||
overseas rates on a one page letter isn't that much. Yet hundreds
|
||
of people decided not to vote. When you don't vote, you toss
|
||
yourself on the mercy of those who do vote (and their decision).
|
||
Voting is one of the highest levels of authority you have in an
|
||
organization, it is your duty to wield that authority
|
||
responsibly. If you don't, you have to be willing to accept the
|
||
decision made by your peers. If the results aren't what you'd
|
||
prefer, even if you did vote, you have to be willing to TRUST the
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 14 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
decision of the majority of your peers and abide by the GROUPS
|
||
decision. I realize that there is a strong possibility of one net
|
||
not knowing about the vote being taken due to a changeover in
|
||
hosts or something, but even if that entire network had voted
|
||
against the bylaws the end result would have been the same. The
|
||
vote for the bylaws was passed by an overwhelming margin. As it
|
||
was the responsibility for everyone eligible to consider the
|
||
bylaws and vote on them, it is now everyone's duty to accept that
|
||
decision and work TOGETHER for a better set of bylaws.
|
||
|
||
I have "heard" several people talk about IFNANET. There is
|
||
no such beast. It has been stated repeatedly that you DO NOT have
|
||
to belong (and never will have to belong) to IFNA to be listed in
|
||
the nodelist. All it takes to be listed in the nodelist is some
|
||
small proof that you are indeed running the software necessary to
|
||
communicate with everyone else in the network, and be running
|
||
that software at the required times. The only absolute throughout
|
||
the network is the national mail hour, which is only necessary
|
||
for a public node (special arrangements can always be arranged
|
||
for a private node). In each net (or region) it is up to the host
|
||
to decide if any extra mail events are needed and everyone in
|
||
that net would comply with the host. In Net 157, we've been
|
||
talking over the idea of several mail events to speed up mail and
|
||
everyone is involved in the discussion. I don't know how it works
|
||
in other nets, but here we discuss things rationally and come to
|
||
a mutual decision. Some people may not care for the decision, but
|
||
everyone abides by it. IFNA does not "govern" our net, it merely
|
||
assures our continuity.
|
||
|
||
The guidelines for governing the network are found in
|
||
POLICY3.DOC, which is merely a revisal of POLICY2.DOC, etc. This
|
||
document has remained almost unchanged since it's creation. The
|
||
changes that have been made are to help make all of us in FidoNet
|
||
(sysops and users) more a single group instead of a mob. The two
|
||
basic rules are simple: 1) Do not excessively annoy and 2) Do not
|
||
be easily annoyed. I read it as don't be a real pain to anyone
|
||
else in the network and be tolerant of other people's ideas,
|
||
opinions, and beliefs (these rules are very easy to live with).
|
||
|
||
If you want to be a region host or net host, it gets a
|
||
little harder. You become responsible for distributing the
|
||
nodelist to everyone in your net. Net hosts have the additional
|
||
duty of distributing FidoNews to the net. This isn't to punish
|
||
anyone, it's because FidoNews helps bind us into that group (not
|
||
a bunch of sysops and BBS users, but people with FidoNet). It
|
||
even provides a way for you to air a grievance, and that method
|
||
hasn't changed one iota in a long time.
|
||
|
||
Next up is the copyright issue. Everything I've been able to
|
||
find out on the nodelist copyright makes me wonder why anyone is
|
||
complaining about it. At one time there was an individual who
|
||
started selling the nodelist as an "official list" of bulletin
|
||
boards in the US. The people who were creating the master
|
||
nodelist found out about it and didn't feel it was right for an
|
||
individual to sell the work of others for a profit. The copyright
|
||
may not have stopped whoever was selling it, but it certainly
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 15 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
made him think twice about it! Copyright violations are a very
|
||
serious issue in the courts. Look through some recent PC
|
||
magazines (PC Magazine and BYTE come to mind) and you'll find
|
||
some companies who offer a "service" to any institution. They
|
||
come in to your offices and educate your people on why you DO NOT
|
||
copy software, that those copyright notices ARE VERY IMPORTANT!
|
||
Fines on these type of things can run very high, plus there's the
|
||
possible civil lawsuits that can result as well. It's like how
|
||
college professors impress upon you how important it is not to
|
||
commit plagiarism. It also serves the purpose of making the
|
||
nodelist belong to every person in it.
|
||
|
||
Because IFNA really is the network of members and non-
|
||
members. Even if you don't pay any dues and aren't able to vote,
|
||
IFNA does affect you. Just like the POLICY?.DOC affect you, so
|
||
does IFNA. It formalizes what we've been doing all along, adding
|
||
what the government requires for recognizing a formal
|
||
organization. Since it's a non-profit corporation, many companies
|
||
will be willing to make special offers to IFNA members. Without
|
||
an official organization, companies won't look twice at you. You
|
||
aren't a group, you're a disorganized mob! IFNA tells people that
|
||
we are not a mob, we're an organized group of people with some
|
||
common goals.
|
||
|
||
Now comes the copyright that has appeared in FidoNews. The
|
||
bylaws stated that there would be a method of distributing news
|
||
to all paid members and associates, and it would be in a weekly
|
||
newsletter called FidoNews. It would distribute information that
|
||
would be useful to its' members. It also means that it would make
|
||
non-members who qualify for membership aware of what was going on
|
||
in the network. While this isn't officially stated, I think it
|
||
follows fairly well that it would serve this purpose as well.
|
||
|
||
As an example suppose you were staring up a new echomail
|
||
conference that you thought would be of interest to many people.
|
||
You could enter a message about it in a current echomail
|
||
conference, but not everyone receives echomail or has the time to
|
||
read all of it. You could send a netmail message to everyone in
|
||
the network, but that would be extremely costly to say the least.
|
||
You could also send a message to every host and ask them to
|
||
forward the message on to their nodes. This would be less
|
||
expensive, but you could never be sure that the message reached
|
||
everyone (you can't demand that someone forward a message).
|
||
FidoNews however would make your task very easy, all you have to
|
||
do is send ONE message to 1/1 (in accordance with the ARTSPEC.DOC
|
||
file) and within a week or two everyone would know about the new
|
||
echomail conference. Because everyone is supposed to read
|
||
FidoNews, it contains information for everyone (once again sysops
|
||
AND users).
|
||
|
||
IFNA is promising that FidoNews will continue to be
|
||
published, and is promising that someone in IFNA will always take
|
||
on the responsibilities of the editor for FidoNews (keeping a
|
||
board up to receive submissions, and making sure it's put
|
||
together every week). Considering the amount of work that they're
|
||
guaranteeing, I see no reason why they shouldn't be able to put a
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 16 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
copyright notice on it. If FidoNews was only distributed to paid
|
||
IFNA members, I would be one of the first to object. But it
|
||
isn't! Anyone may distribute it provided they do not charge for
|
||
it (or at least, not make any money by selling it). I would like
|
||
see an amendment to the bylaws that would assure it's being
|
||
continued in it's current state, which means anything is
|
||
published that reaches Thom.
|
||
|
||
The copyright also protects anyone who submits an article to
|
||
FidoNews from a lawsuit. If I were to make a serious mistake in
|
||
reviewing a product and my error were to cause a major decline in
|
||
it's sales, I wouldn't necessarily be put in the poorhouse
|
||
because of it. That copyright notice would help protect me (and
|
||
anyone else who had something published in FidoNews). While I
|
||
would be hard put to find an example as serious as I stated, it
|
||
does reassure me that I'm not out there all alone!
|
||
|
||
I do think, however, that some things should be censored out
|
||
of FidoNews. If someone were to write an article which was
|
||
deliberately slanderous, I would like to think that the editor
|
||
would refuse to print it. The same would go for anything that is
|
||
simple name calling or childish. As for who decides what goes
|
||
beyond the bounds, it's simple. You make someone who the majority
|
||
trusts the editor, and then let the person do it. If you don't
|
||
trust the current editor, find someone you do trust or volunteer
|
||
to do it yourself. If the majority picks someone you don't care
|
||
for, learn to live with it because an organization is designed to
|
||
make as many people happy as possible, not everyone. I fully
|
||
trust the current editor, and would like to seem him stay on as
|
||
long as possible. If in the future, FidoNews gets a new editor I
|
||
will be continue writing. If a majority of the people (in IFNA,
|
||
that organization that works to keep the network together) decide
|
||
on a new editor, I will happily live with their decision.
|
||
|
||
IFNA is not FidoNet, and FidoNet is not IFNA. FidoNet is the
|
||
network as a being, the multitude of bulletin boards, sysops, and
|
||
users who find something worthwhile in telecommunications in
|
||
general, and in the advantages of Fido/OPUS/SEAdog/etc. in
|
||
specific. IFNA is the nonprofit organization that is composed of
|
||
those people who are willing to go the extra ten yards for the
|
||
network. They believe that there is something good (and not for
|
||
making money) in the network and want to see its' continued
|
||
existence. If this means giving up a few hours a week (in
|
||
addition to the work involved in running a board) to create a
|
||
nodelist or newsletter, or attend a meeting (perhaps far away)
|
||
they do it. They don't sit back in their homes or offices and
|
||
write rude or insulting messages, they work with everyone to make
|
||
sure that people who DO write rude or insulting messages don't
|
||
destroy the network, which is something they believe in!
|
||
|
||
Anyway...'Nuff said on this for now.
|
||
|
||
-- Winding Down --
|
||
|
||
Game of the week this time is The Ancient Art of War
|
||
(Broderbund, list price $44.95). It's quite a bit like the
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 17 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
strategy board games I played many years ago, only with the new
|
||
twists of the using the computer. It's also nice because I don't
|
||
have to spend several hours trying to find someone who feels like
|
||
playing! It is not copy protected and includes several scenarios
|
||
as well as a generator for your own scenarios. You're offered the
|
||
chance to fight against several different opponents, from the
|
||
easy to beat "Crazy Ivan" to a man who almost wrote the book on
|
||
strategy, Sun Tzu. I've become fairly proficient in Sherwood
|
||
forest by practicing some "guerilla warfare" and have also
|
||
"mastered" the war of attrition (when you start off with 2 big
|
||
armies and end up with half a dozen men total). The are a wide
|
||
variety of options you can change with each game (where does food
|
||
come from, new trainees, supply lines, etc.) to make each game
|
||
either easier or harder than Broderbund's defaults.
|
||
|
||
I was going to recommend Silent Service (Microprose) for the
|
||
PC (I used to play it a lot on a friend's Commodore 64) but have
|
||
been unable to get this copy protected game to load on my
|
||
machine. I suspect it's the NEC V20 I have installed. I'd
|
||
appreciate it if anyone could confirm this problem with
|
||
Microprose's copy protection (I've yet to run into a problem with
|
||
well written copy protect schemes or non-copy protected
|
||
programs).
|
||
|
||
I have been to busy to go look over any new books this week,
|
||
although I did buy several. Hopefully I'll have looked them over
|
||
by next week. In the meantime I'd like to hear from some of you,
|
||
either by sending me mail or from an article written for
|
||
FidoNews. Below you'll find my uucp "address," FidoNet net/node
|
||
number, and US Mail address. Netmail to me should be routed
|
||
through 157/1, 157/502, or 157/0 (preferably 157/1 as I hit it
|
||
more often each day). All these nodes are running SEAdog 4.0, so
|
||
you shouldn't have to worry about mail schedules. They are also
|
||
willing to forward a file to me. If you have your own favorite
|
||
programs, I'd like to know about them (and tell everyone else
|
||
about them if I think it's good as well). In the meantime, see
|
||
you on the network.
|
||
|
||
|
||
Dale Lovell
|
||
3266 Vezber Drive
|
||
Seven Hills, OH 44131
|
||
|
||
uucp: ..!ncoast!lovell
|
||
FidoNet: 157/504
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 18 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
NOTICES
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
The Interrupt Stack
|
||
|
||
|
||
24 May 1987
|
||
Metro-Fire Fido's Second Birthday BlowOut and Floppy Disk
|
||
Throwing Tournament! All Fido Sysops and Families Invited!
|
||
Contact Christopher Baker at 135/14 for more information.
|
||
SEAdogs may GET more information by requesting FPICMAP.ARC
|
||
from 135/14.
|
||
|
||
20 Aug 1987
|
||
Start of the Fourth International FidoNet Conference, to be
|
||
held at the Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, VA.
|
||
Contact Brian Hughes at 109/634 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.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 19 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
Bob Morris 141/333
|
||
Chairman, Elections and Nominations Committee
|
||
|
||
The next two pages are your Official ballot for the Election of
|
||
the IFNA Board of Directors. The following are the few rules
|
||
which must prevail in this election:
|
||
|
||
1. You must send a legible copy of this ballot to the address
|
||
listed on the ballot. It must be signed and bear your
|
||
net/node number.
|
||
|
||
2. You may vote for any one person in your region for the
|
||
position of Regional Director. This vote is to be cast in the
|
||
LEFT column of the ballot.
|
||
|
||
3. You may vote for any eleven people in any regions for the
|
||
position of Director at Large. These votes are to be cast in
|
||
the RIGHT column of the ballot.
|
||
|
||
4. Voting will continue until the end of registration at the
|
||
Conference in August. The results will be read during the
|
||
opening of the business meeting on the first day of the
|
||
conference.
|
||
|
||
5. Write-in Votes will be accepted and are requested during this
|
||
election.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 20 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
IFNA Board Of Directors
|
||
Ballot
|
||
|
||
Regional At Large
|
||
Region 10:
|
||
Steve Jordan _________ ________
|
||
|
||
|
||
Region 11:
|
||
Ryugen Fisher _________ ________
|
||
Theodore Polczynski _________ ________
|
||
|
||
|
||
Region 12:
|
||
|
||
|
||
Region 13:
|
||
Don Daniels _________ ________
|
||
John Penberthy _________ ________
|
||
Thom Henderson _________ ________
|
||
Gee Wong _________ ________
|
||
Brian Hughes _________ ________
|
||
|
||
|
||
Region 14:
|
||
Ben Baker _________ ________
|
||
Ken Kaplan _________ ________
|
||
Brad Hicks _________ ________
|
||
|
||
|
||
Region 15:
|
||
David Dodell _________ ________
|
||
Larry Wall _________ ________
|
||
|
||
|
||
Region 16:
|
||
Bob Hartman _________ ________
|
||
Hal Duprie _________ ________
|
||
|
||
|
||
Region 17:
|
||
Rob Barker _________ ________
|
||
Randy Bush _________ ________
|
||
Bob Swift _________ ________
|
||
|
||
|
||
Region 18:
|
||
Ken Shackelford _________ ________
|
||
Wes Cowley _________ ________
|
||
FidoNews 4-18 Page 21 11 May 1987
|
||
|
||
|
||
Region 19:
|
||
Mark Grennan _________ ________
|
||
Wynn Wagner _________ ________
|
||
|
||
|
||
Region 2:
|
||
Henk Wevers _________ ________
|
||
|
||
|
||
Write-in candidates:
|
||
___________________ _________ ________
|
||
___________________ _________ ________
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Name ______________________________ Net/Node ___________
|
||
|
||
Signature______________________________ Date ___________
|
||
|
||
|
||
Please complete this and mail it to:
|
||
|
||
Robert Morris
|
||
IFNA Elections Committee
|
||
210 Church Street
|
||
West Haven, Ct. 06516
|
||
|
||
or bring it with you when you come to the conference in August.
|
||
|
||
|
||
These ballots will be counted by myself since with 200 members
|
||
the charges for a CPA would be very high. Hard copies will be
|
||
made available to anyone wishing to insure that their vote was
|
||
included.
|
||
|
||
Thank You
|
||
|
||
Bob Morris
|
||
Elections and Nominations Committee
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|