1159 lines
54 KiB
Plaintext
1159 lines
54 KiB
Plaintext
Volume 5, Number 1 4 January 1988
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+---------------------------------------------------------------+
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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 Dale Lovell
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Editor Emeritus: Thom Henderson
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Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
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Contributing Editors: Al Arango
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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 1:1/1.
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Copyright 1987 by the International FidoNet Association. All
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rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for
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noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
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please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067.
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The contents of the articles contained here are not our
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responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them.
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Everything here is subject to debate. We publish EVERYTHING
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received.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR
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Table of Contents
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1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1
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Surprise! Words from a new editor ........................ 1
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2. ARTICLES ................................................. 3
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Alternet: The End ........................................ 3
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Response to AlterNet Editorial ........................... 5
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AUTOECHO A ECHOMAIL Utility .............................. 7
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Computer Performance Echo ................................ 8
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The 1987 Andrew Fluegelman Award ......................... 9
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Telecommunications Today ................................. 11
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3. NOTICES .................................................. 16
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The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 16
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Latest Software Versions ................................. 16
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4. COMMITTEE REPORTS ........................................ 17
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State of IFNA and FidoNet - January 1, 1988 .............. 17
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FidoNews 5-01 Page 1 4 Jan 1988
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=================================================================
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EDITORIAL
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=================================================================
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Much to my surprise I received a message from Thom Henderson
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a few weeks ago. It wasn't that he had sent the message that took
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me so much by surprise as the message's contents. He was looking
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for a new editor for FidoNews and was "offering" me the position.
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Let me say up front that it took me several days to finally
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come to a decision. It wasn't an easy decision to make! As a
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semi-regular columnist I had it easy. If I didn't feel like
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writing or didn't have the time it was no big deal, although I
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did have to live with the guilt it caused (and yes, I did feel
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guilty when I didn't get a column out). As editor it would be my
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responsibility to the net to make sure that an issue of FidoNews
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did go out every week, regardless of what my work schedule was
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like or my personal feelings. Only after I was sure I could take
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on the responsibility did I check to make sure I could do the
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work required. This may sound backward but I was reasonably sure
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that if I decided to shoulder the responsibility, I could manage
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the work. In the end, I decided that it was "the right thing."
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For the time being there shouldn't be any real change
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apparent to most of you. I am continuing Thom's policy of
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printing anything I receive (outside of obvious plagiarism,
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libel, or criminal intent). I am going to try and take a more
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active role in getting material. Many of you will be hearing from
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me in the near future in this regard! What kind of articles am I
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interested in? Well first off, I'd like to see someone take up my
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old "Regular Irregular Column." Actually, I'd like to see a large
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group of "contributing editors" spring up in the near future. All
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the title means as far as I'm concerned is that the person makes
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regular contributions to FidoNews. Not weekly. Not monthly. Just
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regularly.
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Also, right now there are many new bulletin board systems
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being introduced to the net. I'd like to see some articles from
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these "converted" sysops and their users on what they expect and
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see in FidoNet. What made them decide to add FidoNet
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compatibility to their systems, and how easy (or hard) was it for
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them to learn some of our unique terminology and practices.
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Some other topics I'd like to see articles on in the future
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are Gateways. What are they? How do they work? At FidoCon I heard
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some of the possible uses of EchoMail, is anyone doing anything
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new and exciting? Tell us about it if you are. There are several
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public service EchoMail conferences, are they actually
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accomplishing anything? Also, what is the EchoMail backbone? How
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do you "link up" with it. Some of these are questions that every
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sysop asks at one time or another, and it would be a big asset if
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everyone could point to and read a good article on topics like
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these.
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If you think you'd like to write something but are unsure
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FidoNews 5-01 Page 2 4 Jan 1988
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how it would be received, drop me a line and we'll discuss it. In
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addition to my electronic address (which is now a public board,
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no more routing worries) I'm listing my home and work addresses
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and phone numbers. I'm also interested in hearing from you on
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topics for articles you'd like to see. Who knows, maybe I can
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find someone to write them!
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In summary, I'd like to say that I am very excited about
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this new position and hope that I can live up to your
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expectations. I plan on taking a more active role than Thom did
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in that I'm going to be a little aggressive in getting some of
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you to write an article instead of just posting a message in
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EchoMail. EchoMail is fickle, many people may not see a message
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that directly pertains to them. Why not enter a message AND send
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in an article, after all this is YOUR newsletter!
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Your Editor,
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Dale Lovell
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1:1/1 (1:157/504)
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216/642-1034 (data)
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Home Work
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3266 Vezber Drive Parma Computer Center
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Seven Hills, OH 44131 5402 State Road
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216/524-1875 (voice) Parma, OH 44134
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216/661-1808 (voice)
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 5-01 Page 3 4 Jan 1988
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=================================================================
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ARTICLES
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=================================================================
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Alternet: The End
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By Aaron Priven
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Before I start, I'd like to say what I liked about the
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AlterNet Policy. Mainly I liked the terminology. As someone who
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named his BBS ("Angevin Empire") after a 12th-century dynasty of
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English kings, I am amused by the idea of being a knight rather
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than a sysop. But I don't think that the major point of
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AlterNet's existence was to be amusing.
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I've only been in FidoNet a short time as a sysop. I didn't
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know the 'good old days' before the IFNA wars. But one of the
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things about the FidoNet I know is the fact that there's only
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one of it. Despite zones and arguments and flames there's still
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only one network, with one simple way of getting information
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from one node to another. That's changed now.
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Now we're going to have two networks. Then the next thing that
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happens is we'll have lots of little networks. Probably we'll
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just give separate zones to the different little networks. All
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those who think that IFNA is the greatest thing we've ever had
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and we need more of it, go to zone 1. All those who hate IFNA
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and everybody in it and would be willing to go in front of the
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House Un-American Activities Committee to denounce them, go to
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zone 9. Everybody who doesn't care about Fidonet as long as
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their BBS is listed so they get national exposure, go to zone
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12. Everybody who is happy as long as they get TECH, COMM, and
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ECPROG, go to zone 120. Everybody who would just as soon collect
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stamps, go to zone 1,238,272!.
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Sound like the Bell System break-up to you? Even worse than
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that, because the Bell System break-up was at least
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geographical. These little nets will more than likely be spread
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over all parts of the net, in little bunches. (Making it un-
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Policy3 to give them zone numbers, as POLICY3 has a restriction
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on units not made exclusively for the improvement of
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communications).
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I'm not going to argue here for one sort of action or another,
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whether IFNA should be left alone or reorganized or
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disincorporated. But the net must be kept unified. There are so
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many other forces that may come to bear on us: governmental
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regulation, software incompatibility, telephone abilities, the
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simple problems of growth. We must work together to solve our
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problems -- not fall apart.
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I know we all have our own ideas about what should be done.
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But whatever is done we must do it together.
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FidoNews 5-01 Page 4 4 Jan 1988
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---------------------
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The message above was directed not so much at the sysops and
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users at large, but rather at the particular sysops who are
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leading factions like 'AlterNet' and 'SoutherNet'. Here is one
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that is addressed at everyone.
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The biggest danger in all this factionalism is not that the
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net will choose the wrong direction, but that the net will break
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up. One way to limit the use of factional nets is not to beat
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them, but to join them. I am considering joining *all* factional
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nets that may arise: AlterNet, SoutherNet, and any other netlets
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that may arise. This is not an ideal solution, by any means, but
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en masse it might limit the use of factionalism.
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I await your thoughts.
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Aaron Priven
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Fido (1:125/1154.0)
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 5-01 Page 5 4 Jan 1988
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Don Daniels, President
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International FidoNet Association
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1:107/210
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This letter is basically in response to the editorial and article
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that appeared this past week in FidoNews dealing with AlterNet.
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According to these documents a currently unstated number of
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individuals appear to be interested in forming their own network
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beginning early in 1988 as an alternative to...well, that's hard
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to say exactly.
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"FidoNet" is a likely answer, but they seem to be taking most of
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that with them in the sense that FidoNet is in essence a group of
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computer systems that exchange files using the FidoNet protocol.
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It could be that "IFNA" is what they are taking exception to,
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except if we accept the premise, as many of us believe, that IFNA
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is merely the current mechanism for implementing the collective
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will of all concerned sysops regarding the Net, it would seem
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that they are merely attempting to avoid subjection to such
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collective will, which strikes me as being not on the mark.
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Furthermore, several of their number have indicated that they
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maintain respect and support for IFNA and wish to continue their
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current relationships.
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Whether that will be allowed or not by AlterNet itself is also
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hard to say as, at least one of their patrician voices has
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declared that, even if not disallowed, continued dual association
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would be philosophically incompatible. On the other hand, others
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of their aristocracy have declared that such bi-lateral
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association would not only be allowed but would be desirable.
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To me, the message then is that there is not yet a clear view of
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exactly what AlterNet is and may become. As such, it would
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appear that the best thing to do for the rest of us is simply
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nothing but wait and see.
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However, a few moves have been made by the two sides. Ryugen
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Fisher was kind enough to call me and provide an explanation of
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his thoughts and concerns relative to the changeover. We agreed
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on many points including the point that it would be mutually
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advisable for Ryugen to maintain his seat on the Technical
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Standards Committee, thereby functioning as a liaison with
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AlterNet. He will also step down from the chairmanship which
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will preclude potential conflicts of interest.
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One of the majors factors which has motivated Ryugen to make his
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choice has been the considerable flaming which has appeared in
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the various EchoCons. This certainly is one area within which I
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can completely sympathize as I have been appalled at the lack of
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consideration shown by so many of our sysops. It always struck
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me that such behavior would sooner or later exact a heavy price
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and here we can see one such instance in the alienation and loss
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of a considerable number of concerned sysops who have made and
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probably would have continued to make many valuable contributions
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FidoNews 5-01 Page 6 4 Jan 1988
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to FidoNet. I'm certain I personally will feel this loss, which
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seems worse when considered in terms of the petty behavior of
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others which has motivated it.
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I happened to be talking to Tom Jennings this past FidoCon on
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related ideas. Actually I'm slightly surprised that I've heard
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that he disapproves of this current scheme as he was making the
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point that we shouldn't limit our horizons. "How do we know," he
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said, "that this is the best way of doing things? If we're not
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open to trying other approaches we may well miss the solution
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that would prove best in the long run."
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So with that thought in mind we bid farewell to our AlterNetives.
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As they embark and sail across uncharted waters for unknown lands
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in their quest for their particular Holy Grails we wish them
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Godspeed. Perchance our paths will cross again in another time.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 5-01 Page 7 4 Jan 1988
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Ben Mann / Paul Pappas
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OPUS 151/1000
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AUTOECHO is a program that stems from the
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needs of all ECHOMAIL HOST and HUB sysops. It allows
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a NODE to send a message to the HOST system and
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turn on and off ECHO's that he/she would like to
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recieve or not recieve without the intervention of the
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HOST system sysop.
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A message is sent to AUTOECHO with a password
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in the subject field. This password MUST agree with a
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password the HOST system defines in a file called
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AUTOECHO.PWD. The body of the message contains the
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ECHO's the requester wants turned on or off. If the
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ECHO is preceeded by a minus sign the ECHO is turned
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off. If no sign is there the ECHO is turned on.
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AUTOECHO then modifies the HOST systems
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AREAS.BBS or ECHO.CTL file and adds/deletes the ECHO
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being sent to that requestor. It also send a message
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to the requestor informing him/her what action was
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taken.
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All actions taken by AUTOECHO can be redirected
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to a log, AUTOECHO >> AUTOECHO.LOG, so the HOST sysop
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can tell what ECHO has been picked up or deleted.
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AUTOECHO.A93 may be requested from 151/1000 or
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151/100. A .DOC file and examples are included.
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Can you say "AUTOECHO?", I thought you could.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 5-01 Page 8 4 Jan 1988
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Larry Kayser
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104/739
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I have established new echomail conference called CPE. It's
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purpose is to provide a forum for practitioners of computer
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performance measurement and capacity planning. It's main thrust
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is in mid to mainframe size environments, but all are welcome.
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The forum hopefully will provide a place to exchange ideas and
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techniques.
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This echo came about as a result of an informal meeting held
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several weeks ago at the Computer Measurement Group (CMG) annual
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meeting held in Orlando. Better than 25 individuals attended a
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informal meeting to discuss the value of such a conference and a
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number of nodes have already expressed in interest in joining the
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effort.
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If you are interested in joining such a conference, drop me Net-
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Mail to 104/739 and we will get you included.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 5-01 Page 9 4 Jan 1988
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The UTOPIAN Network
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107/269 107/169
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ECHOMAIL -- ANOTHER FLUEGELMAN FOR FIDONET ?
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Last year Tom Jennings won the First Annual Andrew
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Fluegelman Award with the "software that started it all" --
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FIDO\_IBM.EXE.
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For THIS year's Award ... how about thanking JEFF RUSH for
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creating ECHOMAIL ? ( We can get him the award first, and
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tar-and-feather him afterward, right? )
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Besides, maybe we OWE Jeff Rush a little more than we do to
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other Network Software Developers. While ECHOMAIL was
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technically SHAREWARE ($25.00) Jeff Rush acted as if the
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program had been released to the public domain. Though the
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program itself marked each message with the node number of
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its users, and Jeff read in many of the national ECHOS, he
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never made an issue of the people who used the program and
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"forgot" to pay SHARE.
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This year the competition is going to be stiffer. More
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people know about the Award -- the prize is $5,000 -- and
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commercial programs ARE eligible.
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The Award will be made on the merits of the software
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according to these judging criteria:
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** It advances the state of the art in personal computing
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** It manifiests innovation in concept and design.
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** It demonstrates orientation to personal computer
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users.
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If we can generate enough nominations to engage the judges'
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interest, ECHOMAIL is good enough to win ! It has brought
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BBSing as far from the NetMail-only Fido Boards as FidoMail
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brought BBSs from the stand-alone technology.
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What's more, ECHOMAIL has produced the same kind of
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outpouring of creative energy that FIDO did ... it has been
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cloned, improved, and has inspired dozens of add-on utilities.
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It has that "spark" that the judges will be looking for.
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SO, let's pass the word through our networks, our echo
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conferences, and among our friends. Let's bring home the
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Fluegelman with ECHOMAIL!
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========================================================
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To nominate a program for the Andrew Fluegelman Award
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========================================================
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Fill out the following form and make SIX copies.
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Handwritten copies will NOT be accepted.
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||
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Name of Program : ECHOMAIL 1.30 Package consisting of
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 10 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
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|
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SCANMAIL.EXE, TOSSMAIL.EXE, and
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SETMARK.EXE
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Creator: Jeff Rush Release date: 05/13/86
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Software Marketer: Tau Productions,
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1124 Wildwood Drive,
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Richardson, TX 75080
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|
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Brief Description: ECHOMAIL, a SHAREWARE program, enables
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||
(sample) a network of personal computer Bulletin
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Boards to support "newsgroup" or
|
||
"conference" messaging. Messages entered by users are
|
||
automatically sent (via ordinary telephone lines) to all
|
||
BBSs participating in the same ECHOconferences, and may be
|
||
read and replied to by any user in any other BBS.
|
||
Information "known" in one BBS is "known" by all other
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||
boards ina very short period of time -- often overnight!
|
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Reason for Nomination: ECHOMAIL has made much of the
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||
(sample) long distance information-sharing
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power of mainframe networks
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available, via PC's, to amateur operators, non-commerical
|
||
users, small businesses and grass-roots organizatons. As a
|
||
result, private news services, specialized data bases and
|
||
no-paper, no-postage newsletters are now an economic and
|
||
practical reality.
|
||
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Nomination submitted by:
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your name
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||
-------------------------------------------
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||
Company: Phone Number:
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||
your company phone
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||
------------------------------ ---------------
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||
Address:
|
||
your address
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||
------------------------------------------------------------
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||
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||
Mail to:
|
||
|
||
Andrew Fluegelman Award, Attn: Shirley Gines
|
||
PCW Communications, Inc.
|
||
501 Second Street
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||
San Francisco, CA 94107.
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||
.
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||
But, remember, time is short; the DEADLINE for nominations
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||
is FEBRUARY 1,1988. Send your SIX copies of the Nomination
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||
form ... TODAY!
|
||
|
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||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 5-01 Page 11 4 Jan 1988
|
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|
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|
||
Telecommunications Today
|
||
|
||
|
||
Some time ago, a group of particularly bright folks came up with
|
||
the idea of a standard code of letters, numbers and punctuation
|
||
symbols so that different kinds of computers could exchange
|
||
information. The code assigned numeric values ranging from 0 to
|
||
127 to each character. The choice of a name for the code was
|
||
made by less-bright folks, and that's how ASCII was born
|
||
(American Standard Code for Information Interchange, pronounced
|
||
AS-kee).
|
||
|
||
ASCII wasn't the first code devised. One of the earliest codes
|
||
was called BAUDOT. It was devised by George Baudot, whose name
|
||
lives on with those who refer to data transfer speeds as baud
|
||
rates instead of bit per second. After the introduction of
|
||
ASCII, IBM even made up its own code called EBCDIC (pronounced
|
||
EB-sid-ik). It stands for Extended Binary Coded Decimal
|
||
Interchange Code, and it never really caught on outside of the
|
||
large-scale IBM mainframe world (probably because the acronym
|
||
they chose wasn't very snappy). Even the IBM PC and compatibles
|
||
use what is called a superset or expanded version of the ASCII
|
||
standard. The PC's character set contains 256 characters rather
|
||
than ASCII's 128. Codes 0 to 127 are identical to the ASCII
|
||
standard, but 128 to 255 are used for special characters unique
|
||
to the IBM and compatible personal computers. When
|
||
telecommunicating with non-IBM machines, IBM computers generally
|
||
use codes 0 to 127 only, which is the normal ASCII set.
|
||
|
||
A BIT OF BINARY
|
||
|
||
Let's look at how we use these numeric codes to actually transmit
|
||
information, namely three characters we'll choose at random:
|
||
|
||
I B M
|
||
|
||
Not too random, huh? The ASCII codes for these letters are:
|
||
|
||
73 66 77
|
||
|
||
These numbers are in decimal, or base ten format, the number
|
||
system we humans use in everyday life. Computers use the binary
|
||
number system. Binary numbers are in base two format. The only
|
||
characters used in base two are ones and zeros. Each one or zero
|
||
is called a bit (Binary digIT). Bits are easy for computers to
|
||
work with. Since computers are electrical devices, they know
|
||
only whether an individual bit is on (1) or off (0). The binary
|
||
equivalent of:
|
||
|
||
73 66 77
|
||
|
||
is a series of ones and zeros:
|
||
|
||
I = 73 = 1001001
|
||
B = 66 = 1000010
|
||
M = 77 = 1001101
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 12 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
Not only is this format easy for a computer to handle, it is very
|
||
easy to convert into sound and send over telephone lines. We'll
|
||
see why a little later on.
|
||
|
||
|
||
PARITY
|
||
|
||
We've seen how ASCII character codes can be represented as
|
||
strings of seven bits. In the early days of communications, it
|
||
was soon discovered that noise on the telephone lines could
|
||
interfere with data transmission. People needed some way to
|
||
verify that what was being received matched what had been
|
||
transmitted. By adding an eighth bit to the beginning of each
|
||
string, a crude form of error detection called CHARACTER PARITY
|
||
was created. This error-checking is handled by the software
|
||
running on both ends of the telecommunications link. This extra
|
||
bit was named a PARITY BIT, and it made it possible to use EVEN
|
||
or ODD parity schemes. It works like this: with even parity, the
|
||
total number or ones in any character is always even. If the
|
||
seven-bit code for an ASCII character has an even number of ones,
|
||
the parity bit is set to zero. If the seven-bit code for the
|
||
ASCII character has an odd number of ones, the parity bit is set
|
||
to one.
|
||
|
||
Using even parity,
|
||
|
||
1001001 1000010 1001101
|
||
|
||
becomes:
|
||
|
||
11001001 01000010 01001101
|
||
|
||
The receiving software then removes or "strips off" the parity
|
||
bit and works with the remaining seven bits. If a bit string is
|
||
found to contain an odd number of bits before stripping, it is
|
||
assumed to be an error and the string was retransmitted. Odd
|
||
parity works in a similar way, always requiring an odd count of
|
||
ones. But parity is of little value for most personal computers
|
||
users today. This type of error-checking dates back to the days
|
||
when eletromechanical devices such as teletypes were in heavy
|
||
use. The gears and cams of these machines were much more prone
|
||
to introducing errors than modern equipment. In fact, so few
|
||
systems employ parity- checking schemes these days that many
|
||
computers (including the IBM-PC) use the parity bit for data
|
||
instead of for error-checking. This allows IBM-PCs to send and
|
||
receive all 256 PC characters, rather than just the 128
|
||
characters in the ASCII set. In this case, there is no parity:
|
||
|
||
1001001 1000010 1001101
|
||
|
||
becomes:
|
||
|
||
01001001 01000010 01001101
|
||
|
||
We still use eight-bit strings, but the HIGH BIT (leftmost bit)
|
||
simply represents special characters which are mostly special
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 13 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
graphics characters.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Just A Bit More
|
||
|
||
We're almost ready to ship out our data to the modem. The last
|
||
thing that needs to be added are FRAMING BITS which indicate the
|
||
beginning and end of each bit string. They are usually called
|
||
the START and STOP bits. A start bit of zero is inserted at the
|
||
beginning of each character, and a zero stop bit is appended to
|
||
the end. Now our message looks like this:
|
||
|
||
01001001 01000010 01001101
|
||
|
||
becomes:
|
||
|
||
0010010010 0010000100 0010011010
|
||
|
||
|
||
Now we are ready to transmit our data to the modem, but first a
|
||
simple definition of what the modem function is. The name MODEM
|
||
comes from two words which describe it's function. MOdulator -
|
||
DEModulator. Modems use two sets of frequencies to send and
|
||
receive data. Just for simplicity's sake, let's call them high
|
||
and low frequencies. One modem will send data using the high
|
||
voice, and listen for data from the modem on the other end in the
|
||
low voice. The other modem will do just the opposite. One modem
|
||
is using the assigned frequencies in what we call ANSWER MODE,
|
||
and the other is using ORIGINATE MODE. If both were in the same
|
||
mode, each modem would hear both itself and the other modem at
|
||
the same time, so they wouldn't be able to differentiate between
|
||
what they are sending and receiving.
|
||
|
||
Each voice has two octaves, referred to as SPACE and MARK.
|
||
|
||
| MODE | |(0) SPACE |(1) MARK |
|
||
|-------------+----------------+----------+----------|
|
||
| | | | |
|
||
| ORIGINATE | TRANSMITTER | 1070 | 1270 |
|
||
| " | RECEIVER | 2025 | 2225 |
|
||
|-------------+----------------+----------+----------|
|
||
| ANSWER | TRANSMITTER | 2025 | 2225 |
|
||
| " | RECEIVER | 1070 | 1270 |
|
||
|_____________|________________|__________|__________|
|
||
|
||
By convention, the tone associated with the zero-bit is space,
|
||
and the tone for the one-bit is mark. Also by convention, the
|
||
normal state of the phone line when no data is being transferred
|
||
is a continuous mark tone, which can be considered a constant
|
||
stream of ones.
|
||
|
||
SENDING AND RECEIVING
|
||
|
||
Finally we're ready to transmit the data. Remember, our modems
|
||
are pretty dumb animals when it comes to data. All they do is
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 14 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
take the series of ones and zeros passed to them by the computer,
|
||
convert them to mark and space tones (MOdulate), and then turn
|
||
the tones back into ones and zeros at the other end (DEModulate).
|
||
Here we have a "quiet" transmission of all marks (ones) waiting
|
||
for some data:
|
||
|
||
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
|
||
|
||
We are hunched over our keyboards happily telecomputing and
|
||
oblivious to everything happening inside our machine. If we
|
||
type:
|
||
|
||
I B M
|
||
|
||
the ASCII codes for which are:
|
||
|
||
073 066 077
|
||
|
||
our computer recognizes what we typed as:
|
||
|
||
|
||
01001001 01000010 01001101
|
||
|
||
so out telecommunications software adds the start and stop bits:
|
||
|
||
0010010010 0010000100 0010011010
|
||
|
||
and the data is sent to the modem, which changes the zeros and
|
||
ones into mark and space tones:
|
||
|
||
SSMSSMSSMS SSMSSSSMSS SSMSSMMSMS
|
||
|
||
which is superimposed over the "quiet" of a solid mark tone:
|
||
|
||
MMMSSMSSMSSMSMMMMSSMSSSSMSSMMMMSSMSSMMSMSMMM
|
||
|
||
so the receiving modem can change them back into a stream of
|
||
zeros and ones again:
|
||
|
||
|
||
11100100100101111001000010011110010011010111
|
||
|
||
The telecommunications software on the other end watches the
|
||
incoming stream of ones and zeros from the modem. By convention,
|
||
the first zero says, "Hey! The next eight bits are a character
|
||
and the ninth bit after me will be another zero. After you see
|
||
that last zero, watch for the start of another character!" So the
|
||
telecommunications program removes the extraneous ones introduced
|
||
by the constant mark tone, as well as the start and stop zeros:
|
||
|
||
01001001 01000010 01001101
|
||
|
||
which the person on the other end finally sees as:
|
||
|
||
I B M
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 15 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
Seems like a lot of trouble for three letters, doesn't it?
|
||
Fortunately it's all handled for us by software and hardware
|
||
working together.
|
||
|
||
(Some of the examples are greatly oversimplified, and I've been
|
||
pretty loose with terminology for clarity's sake.)
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 16 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
NOTICES
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
The Interrupt Stack
|
||
|
||
|
||
9 Jan 1988
|
||
The next net 104 FidoNet Sysop Meeting. Contact Oscar Barlow
|
||
at 104/0 for information.
|
||
|
||
25 Aug 1988
|
||
Start of the Fifth International FidoNet Conference, to be
|
||
held at the Drawbridge Inn in Cincinnatti, OH. Contact Tim
|
||
Sullivan at 108/62 for more information. This is FidoNet's big
|
||
annual get-together, and is your chance to meet all the people
|
||
you've been talking with all this time. We're hoping to see
|
||
you there!
|
||
|
||
24 Aug 1989
|
||
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
|
||
|
||
|
||
If you have something which you would like to see on this
|
||
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Latest Software Versions
|
||
|
||
BBS Systems Node List Other
|
||
& Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
|
||
|
||
Dutchie 2.80* EditNL 3.3 ARC 5.21
|
||
Fido 12e* MakeNL 1.10 ARCmail 1.1
|
||
Opus 1.03a Prune 1.40 ConfMail 3.3*
|
||
SEAdog 4.10 XlatList 2.85* EchoMail 1.31
|
||
TBBS 2.0M MGM 1.1
|
||
|
||
* Recently changed
|
||
|
||
Utility authors: Please help keep this list up to date by
|
||
reporting new versions to 1:1/1. It is not our intent to list
|
||
all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 17 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
COMMITTEE REPORTS
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
Don Daniels, President
|
||
International FidoNet Association
|
||
FidoNet 1:107/210
|
||
|
||
|
||
State of IFNA and FidoNet - January 1, 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
Rather than ask for status reports from the various committees
|
||
this month, I felt it might be best to talk about some general
|
||
concerns relative to IFNA and FidoNet.
|
||
|
||
First of all, I'm pleased to report that, with the assistance of
|
||
Bob Hartman, some real progress has finally been made in both the
|
||
Executive Committee and Board of Directors which not only
|
||
inaugurated their new electronic sessions, but have completed
|
||
their first electronic balloting. It is particulary pleasing for
|
||
me to report that the first item of official business passed in
|
||
this manner by the Board of Directors was the confirmation of the
|
||
choice of Cincinnati as the site of the 1988 FidoNet Conference,
|
||
August 25-28. FidoCon chairman Tim Sullivan promises me that
|
||
detailed information will be posted here for you shortly.
|
||
|
||
We apologize again for the delay in establishing these sessions,
|
||
but we were faced with quite a number of legal and operational
|
||
difficulties relative to conducting official business via
|
||
Electronic Mail. First results with the methods implemented seem
|
||
to indicate that we have established not only a working approach,
|
||
but one which may set precedents for other conferences and
|
||
organizations.
|
||
|
||
|
||
FIDONET - GROWING FAST
|
||
|
||
FidoNet itself seems to still be thriving, albeit with certain
|
||
growing pains. At last count, our NODELIST had approximately
|
||
2400 individual nodes in thirty countries and territories with
|
||
the promise of more on the way. I've been told that over the
|
||
last six months we have been growing at the rate of 125 new nodes
|
||
per month. Should that rate continue we could expect to be 3400
|
||
strong by the time we meet in Cincinnati. (Better book early!)
|
||
|
||
|
||
IFNA - IT'S TIME
|
||
|
||
It's time to take a hard look at just what IFNA is, because it's
|
||
not exactly what many of you have come to believe. I have been
|
||
"preaching" the following concepts to my fellow board members,
|
||
but have realized that the best way to convince them is to have
|
||
the rest of you out there come to the same basic understanding
|
||
I have - and then let you convince your representatives.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 18 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
OK, so let's look at one of the things that IFNA is not. It
|
||
certainly is not an elitist group of a few people bent on taking
|
||
control of FidoNet. I'll never understand how such an idea ever
|
||
got started way back when, particulary at the very time when the
|
||
then autocratic leaders of FidoNet tried to actually relinquish
|
||
their hold on Net operations in favor of a more democratic
|
||
process. But to this day there are people who still talk as
|
||
though this is the greatest thing we have to fear.
|
||
|
||
To me, as the current head of IFNA, IFNA is not so much an
|
||
organization (although, of course, it has to be incorporated and
|
||
have officers, procedures, and various operating mechanisms) as
|
||
it is the spirit of FidoNet. That spirit started five years ago
|
||
with Tom Jennings and John Madill and, along the way, infected
|
||
all of the rest of us. Eventually, the burden of maintaining the
|
||
expanding Net proved too much for TJ to handle and the job of
|
||
overseeing the Net was passed to the guys in St. Louis (and
|
||
others). Guided by that same spirit of FidoNet, this period saw
|
||
the creation of the Net's operational heirarchy and the
|
||
establishment of the various Coordinator positions to manage it.
|
||
|
||
Once again the growth of FidoNet was so great that it became time
|
||
to pass the responsibility, and the spirit, onto another source
|
||
of greater resources and, to this end, IFNA, the organization,
|
||
was conceived and implemented. I know now, as I talk to the
|
||
various individuals trying to somehow squeeze additional time and
|
||
energy into their efforts for FidoNet, that it is that same
|
||
FidoNet spirit that drives us all in what we try to do in IFNA.
|
||
|
||
So how does this work? You, as individual SysOps, have consented
|
||
to be governed by a chain of Hub/Area/Regional/Zone/International
|
||
Coordinators. Essentially, each coordinator operates as a sort
|
||
of "dictator" with full responsibility for his domain. You have
|
||
no direct control over how he operates - the only mechanism you
|
||
have (short of dropping out of his domain) to attempt any control
|
||
over him is to convince his "boss" coordinator (who in many cases
|
||
made the appointment in the first place) that your coordinator is
|
||
not doing the job. No easy task. This was the sum total of the
|
||
procedure until IFNA was formed. When the guys in St. Louis
|
||
decided to form IFNA, one of the primary benefits they saw was
|
||
the establishment of an overseeing body that would be responsible
|
||
to all the Sysops of FidoNet and would manage for them, via the
|
||
International Coordinator, the chains of coordinators. This
|
||
management involvement was not intended to be on a direct basis
|
||
up and down the chain, hasn't been, and won't be.
|
||
|
||
What this primary function of IFNA does do, however, is close the
|
||
loop. It allows you, the governed SysOp, to have an official say
|
||
in the manner in which your network is administered by the
|
||
various coordinators in the chain. This say is expressed through
|
||
your direct vote and through the votes of your elected
|
||
representatives. You charge these representatives to present
|
||
your individual will for the future of FidoNet. What IFNA is
|
||
then, in essence, is simply the collective will of concerned
|
||
SysOps for the future of FidoNet.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 19 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
It's now time that we all really try to put this concept into
|
||
action. We must give up any "us vs. them" mentality that we
|
||
still maintain and understand that each and every one of us is
|
||
operating with that same driving spirit of FidoNet. Oh, it may
|
||
drive us in different directions on various topics, but the
|
||
associated controvery should provide us with a synergetic energy,
|
||
if we can all keep our emotions in check and operate on logic.
|
||
|
||
Speaking of keeping our emotions in check, one of the changes
|
||
which I have personally effected is to once again subscribe to
|
||
the IFNA EchoCon in order to insure more feedback between you and
|
||
your leadership. You are invited to use that forum (or send to
|
||
me direct) to ask questions, express your views and enter into
|
||
SERIOUS discussion of the issues facing FidoNet. But please,
|
||
leave your egos, insults, flame-throwers, and all other
|
||
disruptive forces behind. FidoNet deserves better than that.
|
||
|
||
Each of you has a Divisional Representative to IFNA.
|
||
Additionally, there are eleven other "at-large" directors. Adopt
|
||
one or two. Make it clear to each of them that you believe in
|
||
this concept and that this is how you wish to see things operate.
|
||
Establish channels of communication whereby they can learn just
|
||
what your will is on the various concerns confronting us, and you
|
||
can see just what they are trying to accomplish towards your
|
||
interests. There are many very difficult questions that they
|
||
have to decide in this coming year, but it will be so much easier
|
||
if you provide them with clear-cut declarations of your wishes.
|
||
Try to understand the difficulties that they have in finding the
|
||
various resources to meet their additional responsibilities on
|
||
your behalf and offer to provide whatever you can to assist them.
|
||
|
||
(All directors are supposed to meet in St. Louis February 19-21.
|
||
Do you know that for more than one this represents a financial
|
||
hardship? What can you do about that or other problems they may
|
||
face in trying to meet their responsibility of representing you?)
|
||
|
||
FidoNet is growing so fast that we can't hope to even maintain
|
||
the status quo using our present approaches. Speaking just for
|
||
myself, I know that unrealistic levels of time and energy are
|
||
being expended (if you don't believe me, just ask my wife or
|
||
child - or those of most of the other board members) and yet so
|
||
little of what's required is getting done. We're going to have
|
||
figure out new ways to provide the resources we need to catch up
|
||
and stay caught up. In order to even begin to do this it's time
|
||
to stop allowing our knee-jerk responses and really consider the
|
||
implications of some truly tough questions:
|
||
|
||
o What level of involvement in the handling of EchoMail do
|
||
you wish IFNA to take to protect all your interests relative
|
||
to this important but geometrically expanding capability?
|
||
(Don't reply "Hands off" unless you really want IFNA to do
|
||
nothing should the present backbone structure some day
|
||
collapse or some other major problem occur.)
|
||
|
||
o How can we expect to manage this already huge and
|
||
fast-growing operation with part-time volunteers who, as
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 20 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
dedicated SysOps, are already overtaxed in terms of finances
|
||
and time?
|
||
|
||
o Our International brethern, perhaps better accustomed than
|
||
us to dealing with differences, still are coming to us to
|
||
help them with the various problems they face. How can we
|
||
respond to their needs when we have so much difficulty
|
||
getting our own house in order?
|
||
|
||
o What should we be doing in terms of providing the
|
||
education, liability protection and so many other similar
|
||
services to our membership as required by a non-profit
|
||
charter? How can we expect to undertake anything like this
|
||
on our miniscule budget?
|
||
|
||
o How should we resolve the various questions concerning the
|
||
place of so many facets of commercialism in a supposedly
|
||
'amateur' Net? We provide valuable services that, even if
|
||
we could figure out how to charge for them, should still be
|
||
an attractive bargain. Shouldn't all pay their fair share?
|
||
|
||
o It's time for us, both individually and collectively, to
|
||
answer the question of whether FidoNet really is just a
|
||
hobby or something more. It's easy to say that this is all
|
||
a hobby when your scope of involvement is passing messages
|
||
between a few systems. But when you are trying to provide
|
||
the organization and administration for thousands of systems
|
||
in dozens of countries, you quickly realize that to
|
||
accomplish these goals requires more than a hobbyist
|
||
mentality. Each of us needs to decide what level of
|
||
involvement we are willing to support and then move in that
|
||
direction. There is no reason that those of us with broader
|
||
aspirations for the future of FidoNet cannot co-exist with
|
||
those content to maintain the status quo. But it may well
|
||
be necessary for us to restructure our separate approaches
|
||
and operations to make this a reality.
|
||
|
||
o It's also time that we looked at just what "Free" means in
|
||
the term "Free Communication" we use so much. It means
|
||
"open", "publicly accessible". It certainly does not mean
|
||
"without cost" because someone, somewhere is picking up far
|
||
more than their fair share. Just because you may have
|
||
enjoyed certain no-fee services to date does not mean that
|
||
this is some unalienable right. It means that you should be
|
||
grateful for the gift you've received and should be asking
|
||
yourself how to "repay" it in other ways or areas. You
|
||
should also be trying to figure out now what you and we are
|
||
going to do when your gracious benefactor(s) no longer can
|
||
afford to meet the ever-increasing demand.
|
||
|
||
Two big meetings face the IFNA Board of Directors in 1988: the
|
||
St. Louis meeting in February and the convention in August.
|
||
Many decisions are going to made that affect you and your
|
||
FidoNet. Please try to meet locally and electronically, calmly
|
||
discuss the various issues to understand the impact of viewpoints
|
||
and needs other than your own, and then express opinions and
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 21 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
suggestions to your representatives to help them enact your will.
|
||
|
||
Remember: IFNA is but the collective will of all SysOps concerned
|
||
about the future of FidoNet.
|
||
|
||
If that includes you, then support IFNA and your representatives.
|
||
It's your best chance of making sure that FidoNet's growth not
|
||
only won't cause it to collapse under its own weight but will be
|
||
allowed to continue in directions you want.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 22 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
__
|
||
The World's First / \
|
||
BBS Network /|oo \
|
||
* FidoNet * (_| /_)
|
||
_`@/_ \ _
|
||
| | \ \\
|
||
| (*) | \ ))
|
||
______ |__U__| / \//
|
||
/ Fido \ _//|| _\ /
|
||
(________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm)
|
||
|
||
Membership for the International FidoNet Association
|
||
|
||
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
|
||
pays a specified annual membership fee. IFNA serves the
|
||
international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to
|
||
increase worldwide communications.
|
||
|
||
Member Name _______________________________ Date _______________
|
||
Address _________________________________________________________
|
||
City ____________________________________________________________
|
||
State ________________________________ Zip _____________________
|
||
Country _________________________________________________________
|
||
Home Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
|
||
Work Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
|
||
Zone:Net/Node Number ____________________________________________
|
||
BBS Name ________________________________________________________
|
||
BBS Phone Number ________________________________________________
|
||
Baud Rates Supported ____________________________________________
|
||
Board Restrictions ______________________________________________
|
||
Your Special Interests __________________________________________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
In what areas would you be willing to help in FidoNet? __________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
Send this membership form and a check or money order for $25 in
|
||
US Funds to:
|
||
International FidoNet Association
|
||
c/o Leonard Mednick, MBA, CPA
|
||
700 Bishop Street, #1014
|
||
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813-4112
|
||
USA
|
||
|
||
Thank you for your membership! Your participation will help to
|
||
insure the future of FidoNet.
|
||
|
||
Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization
|
||
and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted by the
|
||
membership in January 1987. The first elected Board of Directors
|
||
was filled in August 1987. The IFNA Echomail Conference has been
|
||
established on FidoNet to assist the Board. We welcome your
|
||
input to this Conference.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-01 Page 23 4 Jan 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
|
||
ORDER FORM
|
||
|
||
Publications
|
||
|
||
The IFNA publications can be obtained by downloading from Fido
|
||
1:1/10 or other FidoNet compatible systems, or by purchasing
|
||
them directly from IFNA. We ask that all our IFNA Committee
|
||
Chairmen provide us with the latest versions of each
|
||
publication, but we can make no written guarantees.
|
||
|
||
Hardcopy prices as of October 1, 1986
|
||
|
||
IFNA Fido BBS listing $15.00 _____
|
||
IFNA Administrative Policy DOCs $10.00 _____
|
||
IFNA FidoNet Standards Committee DOCs $10.00 _____
|
||
|
||
SUBTOTAL _____
|
||
|
||
IFNA Member ONLY Special Offers
|
||
|
||
System Enhancement Associates SEAdog $60.00 _____
|
||
SEAdog price as of March 1, 1987
|
||
ONLY 1 copy SEAdog per IFNA Member
|
||
|
||
Fido Software's Fido/FidoNet $100.00 _____
|
||
Fido/FidoNet price as of November 1, 1987
|
||
ONLY 1 copy Fido/FidoNet per IFNA Member
|
||
|
||
International orders include $10.00 for
|
||
surface shipping or $20.00 for air shipping _____
|
||
|
||
SUBTOTAL _____
|
||
|
||
HI. Residents add 4.0 % Sales tax _____
|
||
|
||
TOTAL _____
|
||
|
||
SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER IN US FUNDS:
|
||
International FidoNet Association
|
||
c/o Leonard Mednick, MBA, CPA
|
||
700 Bishop Street, #1014
|
||
Honolulu, HI. 96813-4112
|
||
USA
|
||
|
||
Name________________________________
|
||
Zone:Net/Node____:____/____
|
||
Company_____________________________
|
||
Address_____________________________
|
||
City____________________ State____________ Zip_____
|
||
Voice Phone_________________________
|
||
|
||
Signature___________________________
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|