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Volume 6, Number 5 30 January 1989
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| _ |
| / \ |
| /|oo \ |
| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
| _`@/_ \ _ |
| International | | \ \\ |
| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
| (jm) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Editor in Chief Dale Lovell
Editor Emeritus: Thom Henderson
Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
Contributing Editors: Al Arango
FidoNews is published weekly by the International FidoNet
Association as its official newsletter. You are encouraged to
submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission
standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from
node 1:1/1. 1:1/1 is available for network mail between NMH-1
hour to NMH+1 hour. At all other times, netmail is not accepted
although submissions can be uploaded.
Copyright 1989 by the International FidoNet Association. All
rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for
noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067. IFNA may also be contacted
at PO Box 41143, St. Louis, MO 63141.
Fido and FidoNet are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings of
Fido Software, 164 Shipley Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94107 and
are used with permission.
The contents of the articles contained here are not our
responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them.
Everything here is subject to debate. We publish EVERYTHING
received.
Table of Contents
1. IMPORTANT NEWS FLASHES ................................... 1
New version of MakeNews .................................. 1
2. ARTICLES ................................................. 4
A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet (or FidoNet) Co .. 4
Judy Getts, Phil Katz, and PC World ...................... 10
2 cents on Fidonews ...................................... 12
VETNet is ALIVE!!!!! ..................................... 15
3. COLUMNS .................................................. 22
The Old Frog's Almanac - Topical Extraction System (I) ... 22
4. LATEST VERSIONS .......................................... 26
Product Announcement -- SEAdog 4.50 ...................... 26
And more!
FidoNews 6-05 Page 1 30 Jan 1989
=================================================================
IMPORTANT NEWS FLASHES
=================================================================
New version of MakeNews
Starting with this issue, FidoNews is being generated by a new
version of MakeNews from System Enhancement Associates. Version
3.00 lets me set up (and remove) sections from FidoNews by
editing a control file as opposed to editing a C program and
recompiling it (never did have the right compiler).Because of
this, several new sections are being added to FidoNews.
First off is the Important News Flashes. Something important
happen? Something important about to happen? Any major bugs been
found and/or fixed (the problem with QuickBBS echomail being
dated 1988 comes to mind, although it has been fixed). Also any
major changes in net policy will all be appearing up top.
Following the INFs will come the existing sections for words from
your Editor (Editorial), Articles, Columns, For Sale, and Wanted.
A Latest Versions section comes next. If you develop software
that's meant to be used within FidoNet, this section is for you.
In addition to the Latest Versions being listed here, it's also
the place for you to put a 1 or 2 page notice on a new version
you've just released (please, no Vaporware). This submission
would contain information on enhancements and bug fixes. It
should also tell people where and how they can get an upgrade.
Another new section is the Letter's to the Editor. I won't tell
you where it's appearing inside of FidoNews, you'll have to wait
and find out for yourself. This is meant for some ongoing
discussions on what you think FidoNews should be, what we're
doing right, and how you think it could be improved.
I'd like to take a moment and thank Thom Henderson and SEA for
releasing this improvement to MakeNews. I know I appreciate it
greatly, and so will anyone out there who is currently or
planning to generate a newsletter using MakeNews.
Current List of Sections
and
Their matching File Extensions
File Section Name or
Extension Type of Submission
--------- -------------------------------
ART Article
COL Column or other Regularly Appearing Feature
LET Letters to the Editor
NEW Important News Flashes
NOT Notices
SAL For Sale - got something to sell
VER Latest Versions
WAN Wanted - looking for something/someone/etc.
FidoNews 6-05 Page 2 30 Jan 1989
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-05 Page 3 30 Jan 1989
New Product Announcement
SEAdog 4.50
System Enhancement Associates, Inc. is pleased to announce the
release of version 4.50 of the SEAdog electronic mail system.
Version 4.50 adds many new features to the SEAdog mail system.
The complete SEAdog package is available for $99.95 from System
Enhancement Assciates, Inc. We can be reached by phone between 9
AM and 5 PM Eastern time at (201) 473-5153, or by mail at:
System Enhancement Associates, Inc.
21 New Street, Wayne NJ 07470
Anyone with an earlier version of SEAdog who wishes to upgrade to
version 4.50 can do so by mailing us $50 plus your original disk
(the green one with our label on it).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-05 Page 4 30 Jan 1989
=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================
Newsgroups: news.announce.newusers
Subject:
A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet (or FidoNet) Community
Original-from: chuq@sun.COM (Chuq Von Rospach) [Most recent
change: 10 October 1988 by msb@sq.com (Mark Brader)]
A Primer on How to Work With the USENET Community
(98% of this applies to FidoNet as well)
Chuq Von Rospach
*** You now have access to Usenet, a big network of thousands of
computers. Other documents or your system administrator will
provide detailed technical documentation. This message describes
the Usenet culture and customs that have developed over time. All
new users should read this message to find out how Usenet works.
*** *** (Old users could read it, too, to refresh their
memories.) ***
USENET is a large collection of computers that share data with
each other. It is the people on these computers that make USENET
worth the effort, and for USENET to function properly those
people must be able to interact in productive ways. This document
is intended as a guide to using the net in ways that will be
pleasant and productive for everyone.
This document is not intended to teach you how to use USENET.
Instead, it is a guide to using it politely, effectively and
efficiently. Communication by computer is new to almost
everybody, and there are certain aspects that can make it a
frustrating experience until you get used to them. This document
should help you avoid the worst traps.
The easiest way to learn how to use USENET is to watch how others
use it. Start reading the news and try to figure out what people
are doing and why. After a couple of weeks you will start
understanding why certain things are done and what things
shouldn't be done. There are documents available describing the
technical details of how to use the software. These are different
depending on which programs you use to access the news. You can
get copies of these from your system administrator. If you do not
know who that person is, they can be contacted on most systems by
mailing to account "usenet".
- Never Forget that the Person on the Other Side is Human
Because your interaction with the network is through a computer
it is easy to forget that there are people "out there."
Situations arise where emotions erupt into a verbal free-for-all
FidoNews 6-05 Page 5 30 Jan 1989
that can lead to hurt feelings.
Please remember that people all over the world are reading your
words. Do not attack people if you cannot persuade them with your
presentation of the facts. Screaming, cursing, and abusing others
only serves to make people think less of you and less willing to
help you when you need it.
If you are upset at something or someone, wait until you have had
a chance to calm down and think about it. A cup of coffee or a
good night's sleep works wonders on your perspective. Hasty words
create more problems than they solve. Try not to say anything to
others you would not say to them in person in a room full of
people.
- Be Brief
Never say in ten words what you can say in fewer. Say it
succinctly and it will have a greater impact. Remember that the
longer you make your article, the fewer people will bother to
read it.
- Your Postings Reflect Upon You -- Be Proud of Them
Most people on USENET will know you only by what you say and how
well you say it. They may someday be your co-workers or friends.
Take some time to make sure each posting is something that will
not embarrass you later. Minimize your spelling errors and make
sure that the article is easy to read and understand. Writing is
an art and to do it well requires practice. Since much of how
people judge you on the net is based on your writing, such time
is well spent.
- Use Descriptive Titles
The subject line of an article is there to enable a person with a
limited amount of time to decide whether or not to read your
article. Tell people what the article is about before they read
it. A title like "Car for Sale" to rec.autos does not help as
much as "66 MG Midget for sale: Beaverton OR." Don't expect
people to read your article to find out what it is about because
many of them won't bother. Some sites truncate the length of the
subject line to 40 characters so keep your subjects short and to
the point.
- Think About Your Audience
When you post an article, think about the people you are trying
to reach. Asking UNIX(*) questions on rec.autos will not reach as
many of the people you want to reach as if you asked them on
comp.unix.questions or comp.unix.wizards. Try to get the most
appropriate audience for your message, not the widest.
It is considered bad form to post both to misc.misc,
soc.net-people, or misc.wanted and to some other newsgroup. If it
belongs in that other newsgroup, it does not belong in misc.misc,
FidoNews 6-05 Page 6 30 Jan 1989
soc.net-people, or misc.wanted.
If your message is of interest to a limited geographic area
(apartments, car sales, meetings, concerts, etc...), restrict the
distribution of the message to your local area. Some areas have
special newsgroups with geographical limitations, and the recent
versions of the news software allow you to limit the distribution
of material sent to world-wide newsgroups. Check with your system
administrator to see what newsgroups are available and how to use
them.
If you want to try a test of something, do not use a world-wide
newsgroup! Messages in misc.misc that say "This is a test" are
likely to cause large numbers of caustic messages to flow into
your mailbox. There are newsgroups that are local to your
computer or area that should be used. Your system administrator
can tell you what they are.
Be familiar with the group you are posting to before you post!
You shouldn't post to groups you do not read, or post to groups
you've only read a few articles from -- you may not be familar
with the on-going conventions and themes of the group. One
normally does not join a conversation by just walking up and
talking. Instead, you listen first and then join in if you have
something pertinent to contribute.
- Be Careful with Humor and Sarcasm
Without the voice inflections and body language of personal
communications, it is easy for a remark meant to be funny to be
misinterpreted. Subtle humor tends to get lost, so take steps to
make sure that people realize you are trying to be funny. The net
has developed a symbol called the smiley face. It looks like
":-)" and points out sections of articles with humorous intent.
No matter how broad the humor or satire, it is safer to remind
people that you are being funny.
But also be aware that quite frequently satire is posted without
any explicit indications. If an article outrages you strongly,
you should ask yourself if it just may have been unmarked satire.
Several self-proclaimed connoisseurs refuse to use smiley faces,
so take heed or you may make a temporary fool of yourself.
- Only Post a Message Once
Avoid posting messages to more than one newsgroup unless you are
sure it is appropriate. If you do post to multiple newsgroups, do
not post to each group separately. Instead, specify all the
groups on a single copy of the message. This reduces network
overhead and lets people who subscribe to more than one of those
groups see the message once instead of having to wade through
each copy.
- Please Rotate Messages With Questionable Content
Certain newsgroups (such as rec.humor) have messages in them that
FidoNews 6-05 Page 7 30 Jan 1989
may be offensive to some people. To make sure that these messages
are not read unless they are explicitly requested, these messages
should be encrypted. The standard encryption method is to rotate
each letter by thirteen characters so that an "a" becomes an "n".
This is known on the network as "rot13" and when you rotate a
message the word "rot13" should be in the "Subject:" line. Most
of the software used to read usenet articles have some way of
encrypting and decrypting messages. Your system administrator can
tell you how the software on your system works, or you can use
the Unix command "tr [a-z][A-Z] [n-z][a-m][N-Z][A-M]". (Note that
some versions of Unix don't require the [] in the "tr" command.
In fact, some systems will get upset if you use them in an
unquoted manner. The following should work for everyone, but may
be shortened on some systems:
tr '[a-m][n-z][A-M][N-Z]' '[n-z][a-m][N-Z][A-M]'
Don't forget the single quotes!)
- Summarize What You are Following Up
When you are following up someone's article, please summarize the
parts of the article to which you are responding. This allows
readers to appreciate your comments rather than trying to
remember what the original article said. It is also possible for
your response to get to some sites before the original article.
Summarization is best done by including appropriate quotes from
the original article. Do not include the entire article since it
will irritate the people who have already seen it. Even if you
are responding to the entire article, summarize only the major
points you are discussing.
- When Summarizing, Summarize!
When you request information from the network, it is common
courtesy to report your findings so that others can benefit as
well. The best way of doing this is to take all the responses
that you received and edit them into a single article that is
posted to the places where you originally posted your question.
Take the time to strip headers, combine duplicate information,
and write a short summary. Try to credit the information to the
people that sent it to you, where possible.
- Use Mail, Don't Post a Follow-up
One of the biggest problems we have on the network is that when
someone asks a question, many people send out identical answers.
When this happens, dozens of identical answers pour through the
net. Mail your answer to the person and suggest that they
summarize to the network. This way the net will only see a single
copy of the answers, no matter how many people answer the
question.
If you post a question, please remind people to send you the
answers by mail and offer to summarize them to the network.
FidoNews 6-05 Page 8 30 Jan 1989
- Read All Follow-ups and Don't Repeat What Has Already
Been Said
Before you submit a follow-up to a message, read the rest of the
messages in the newsgroup to see whether someone has already said
what you want to say. If someone has, don't repeat it.
- Be Careful About Copyrights and Licenses
Once something is posted onto the network, it is effectively in
the public domain. When posting material to the network, keep in
mind that material that is UNIX-related may be restricted by the
license you or your company signed with AT&T and be careful not
to violate it. You should also be aware that posting movie
reviews, song lyrics, or anything else published under a
copyright could cause you, your company, or the net itself to be
held liable for damages, so we highly recommend caution in using
this material.
- Cite Appropriate References
If you are using facts to support a cause, state where they came
from. Don't take someone else's ideas and use them as your own.
You don't want someone pretending that your ideas are theirs;
show them the same respect.
- Mark or Rotate Answers and Spoilers
When you post something (like a movie review that discusses a
detail of the plot) which might spoil a surprise for other
people, please mark your message with a warning so that they can
skip the message. Another alternative would be to use the "rot13"
protocol to encrypt the message so it cannot be read
accidentally. When you post a message with a spoiler in it make
sure the word "spoiler" is part of the "Subject:" line.
- Spelling Flames Considered Harmful
Every few months a plague descends on USENET called the spelling
flame. It starts out when someone posts an article correcting the
spelling or grammar in some article. The immediate result seems
to be for everyone on the net to turn into a 6th grade English
teacher and pick apart each other's postings for a few weeks.
This is not productive and tends to cause people who used to be
friends to get angry with each other.
It is important to remember that we all make mistakes, and that
there are many users on the net who use English as a second
language. If you feel that you must make a comment on the quality
of a posting, please do so by mail, not on the network.
- Don't Overdo Signatures
Signatures are nice, and many people can have a signature added
to their postings automatically by placing it in a file called
"$HOME/.signature". Don't overdo it. Signatures can tell the
FidoNews 6-05 Page 9 30 Jan 1989
world something about you, but keep them short. A signature that
is longer than the message itself is considered to be in bad
taste. The main purpose of a signature is to help people locate
you, not to tell your life story. Every signature should include
at least your return address relative to a well known site on the
network and/or a proper domain-format address. Your system
administrator can give this to you. Some news posters attempt to
enforce a 4 line limit on signature files -- an amount that
should be more than sufficient to provide a return address and
attribution.
Summary of Things to Remember
- Never forget that the person on the other side is human
- Be brief
- Your postings reflect upon you; be proud of them
- Use descriptive titles
- Think about your audience
- Be careful with humor and sarcasm
- Only post a message once
- Please rotate material with questionable content
- Summarize what you are following up
- Use mail, don't post a follow-up
- Read all follow-ups and don't repeat what has already
been said
- Be careful about copyrights and licenses
- Cite appropriate references
- When summarizing, summarize
- Mark or rotate answers or spoilers
- Spelling flames considered harmful
- Don't overdo signatures
(*)UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T.
-----------
This document is in the public domain and may be reproduced
or excerpted by anyone wishing to do so.
--
Gene Spafford
NSF/Purdue/U of Florida Software Engineering Research Center,
Dept. of Computer Sciences, Purdue University,W. Lafayette IN
Internet: spaf@cs.purdue.edu
uucp:...!{decwrl,gatech,ucbvax}!purdue!spaf
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-05 Page 10 30 Jan 1989
Judy Getts, Phil Katz, and PC World
This message was received by every node in FIDOnet 107 recently:
A recent article by Judy Getts, contributing editor,
telecommunications, PC WORLD magazine, unfairly reporting on the
events leading up to, and the terms of settlement regarding
System Enhancements Associates' (SEA) lawsuit against Phil Katz
(PKWARE), alledging copyright infringement of SEA's ARC archive
utility software, and subsequent contempt of court and breach of
settlement by Katz, has been regarded as biased, unethical,
opinionated, and uncharacteristic of a professional journalist.
Even those critical of SEA's actions in the lawsuit have
fairly dubbed the article as "anti-SEA."
It is now alledged that Getts is also a part-time employee of
Phil Katz's PKWARE, and obtained an un-authorized copy of the
sealed court document containing the settlement terms, typed it
into a file and uploaded it into several Bulletin Board Systems
along with a copy of her own biased, editorial opinion on the
case and its settlement terms. That biased editorial opinion
irresponsibly and unprofessionally advocated the boycott of SEA's
software products.
The underlying goal and objective of such editorial bias is now
more readily apparent: advocate the boycott of SEA's software in
promotion of a part-time employer's PKWARE to the benefit of
one's own personal gain.
A truly professional journalist would have reported the facts,
based on documented proceedings and interviews, and then let the
reader formulate his/her own opinions and course of actions
regarding the matter, as was excellently reported in Hal
Nieburg's, December 1988, COMPUTER SHOPPER article on the
lawsuit. (Page 536).
Regardless of individual opinion's formulated regarding the SEA
lawsuit, we the members of the BBS community, both Sysop's and
Patrons alike, must stand up for our rights to demand
professional, unbiased, unopinionated, ethical, factual
journalism regarding articles concerning BBS systems and BBS
shareware, appearing in the paid periodicals to which we
subscribe or purchase as single-issue, and will not tolerate the
likes of such bias as published by Getts in PC WORLD magazine.
The abuse of one's position as a so-called 'journalist' on the
staff of an international PC magazine, as well as utilization of
public BBS systems, to blatently advocate the boycott of a
vendor's product for the personal gain of oneself, while
simultaneously holding a position on a competitor's payroll might
well be ethically considered "conflict-of-interest".
Conversely, we the Patrons and Sysops of the BBS community must
unite and utilize the BBS facilities afforded us to exercise our
right in protesting the public injustices inflicted by Getts and
FidoNews 6-05 Page 11 30 Jan 1989
PC WORLD magazine on both the BBS and Shareware communities by
similarly advocating a boycott of PC WORLD magazine:
(1) Cancel all currently paid subscriptions to PC WORLD magazine.
(2) Refuse single-issue purchases of future editions of PC WORLD
magazine.
(3) As a BBS Sysop, remove all copies of Phil Katz's PKARC,
PKXARC, PKPAK, PKUNPAK, etc., from the public download areas of
your BBS system.
(4) Post a notice in the logon bulletin of your BBS system:
(a) Advising of the removal of Phil Katz's software
from your system.
(b) Expressing dis-satisfaction with the likes of
Getts' article.
(c) Advocating the cancellation of paid subscriptions to, and
avoidance of future single-issue purchases of PC WORLD magazine.
(3) Post a letter to David Bunnell, Editor-in-Chief, PC WORLD
magazine, expressing your dis-satisfaction with the likes of
Getts' unethical actions and article, and recommend her removal
from PC WORLD magazine's editorial staff:
Mr. David Bunnell, Editor-in-Chief
PC WORLD Magazine
PCW Communications. Inc.
501 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
CompuServe: 74055,412
The Source: STE908
MCI Mail: PCWORLD
(A forwarded or transmitted copy of this notice should
suffice to convey your message.)
(4) Upload, or E-Mail a copy of this notice for posting on as
many other public BBS systems as possible.
(5) As a BBS Sysop, make a copy of this notice and accompanying
rebuttal available to your Patrons for downloading.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-05 Page 12 30 Jan 1989
James Zachary, 445/2
2 cents on Fidonews
To those that would like to change Fidonews submission
requirements;
(with the author's permission)
An excerpt from
CHOLO!
Copyright (c) 1988
"Remember, for every soul you wish to silence,
for whatever reason, there will be greater
numbers of those who will wish a silence upon
you. However enlightened, sacred, benign or
benevolent your views, they will affront those
who will demand your censor. Beware, for you
must someday abide the terms of your own laws.
Remember them then as you know them now."
Kick back with a mug of cold, foamy, amber liquid and just
think about that for a while.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-05 Page 13 30 Jan 1989
Tim Pozar
Fido 1:125/555
Late Night Software is proud to announce UFGATE.
UFGATE is a package that will move files, mail, and news-
groups back and forth between UUCP/USENET and MS-DOS machines.
The package will gate between UUCP/USENET and FidoNet or you can
just run the package stand-alone, effectively being a leaf site
in UUCP/USENET.
UFGATE runs on IBM-PC/XT/AT or PS/2 machines or compatibles.
UFGATE will also work with MS-DOS or PC-DOS machines that are not
100 percent IBM-PC hardware compatible with an appropriate FOSSIL
(a communications device driver). This is needed for the UUCICO
clone, GNUUCP (aka. UUSLAVE).
The GNUUCP program has been brought up to a full implementa-
tion of UUCICO with routines so it can run with the MS-DOS file
structure. You can initiate or receive UUCP connections and
there is full support for l.sys files. You can even use it with
PC Pursuit.
The package will handle the importing, exporting of UUCP
messages, and also the automatic deletion of old USENET newsgroup
messages. UFGATE will also handle mail/newsgroups that have been
either 12 or 16 bit compressed.
UFGATE can handle either UUCP bang-style, ARPA/INTERNET
domain style, or a hybrid of both. It can also handle aliases
for individuals or machine names. Message forwarding is also
built in. UFGATE can handle multiple hosts.
Message formatting, like the automatic appending of
individual signature files, is supported.
Detailed debugging is available, so setup is easier.
UFGATE is free to non-commercial, non-supported users. If
you are interested in support, which includes updates for a year,
the Late Night Software telephone support service, and a hard
copy of the manual, a $35 fee is asked. If you are a commercial
site, you will automatically get the support described above, and
the manual for $195. Support is available to all users via the
UFGATE echo on FidoNet.
You can download the UFGATE package from the Late Night
Software BBS at:
+1 415 695 0759.
Currently we have a 9600b/s V-Series Hayes modem. The time
to transfer the file (UFGATE.ARC) at 9600b/s is 10 minutes, or at
2400b/s, it would be about 40 minutes.
We also accept floppies. You can send either 360Kbyte or
1.2Mbyte, five and a quarter inch floppies. If you send 360Kbyte
FidoNews 6-05 Page 14 30 Jan 1989
floppies, send four. The package will fit completely on one
1.2Mbyte floppy. The floppies should be pre-formatted on your
machine.
Send the floppies in a standard floppy mailer with a return
label, and return postage to:
Late Night Software
Tim Pozar
671 28th Street
San Francisco, CA 94131
If you have further questions, you can write us at the above
address, or call us at +1 415 695 7727, or write to the Email
address below.
FidoNet: 1:125/555
Internet: lns@f555.n125.z1.fidonet.org
UUCP: ...!sun!hoptoad!fidogate!lns
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-05 Page 15 30 Jan 1989
VETNet is ALIVE!!!!!
By: Todd C. Looney
Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla
1:143/27 300/1200/2400 Bauds
(408) 293-7894
The sysops of the Vietnam Veterans Valhalla bulletin board
are both Vietnam combat veterans; I served during the war as a
Medical Field Surgeon in the U.S. Navy attached to an Emergency
Field Evac Hospital and later a long-range recon team near Dac
To, and spent more than my fair share of time in a VC/NVA prison
camp across the border in Laos, and Nancy my wife, who is a
veteran of a different sort having fought HER war *years* after I
returned to the United States, battling the problems I
brought back from that little country tucked thousands of
miles away in Southeast Asia. Nancy and I have, for the most
part, conquered all of the problems of that traumatic past
through years of hard work!
Many of the men and women who returned from that war
continue to carry it's memories and nightmares with them today.
Although most Vietnam veterans live a successful, happy life,
there are those whose every day is a bitter struggle to survive,
trying to find some way to either escape the horrible memories,
or to come to terms with themselves so they and their families
can begin to live a normal life!!
We feel it is our responsibility as caring and empathetic
individuals to share ourselves with those Vietnam combat
veterans of both kinds; the ex-military soldier-at-arms, and
their wives, friends, and lovers, with the hope that somehow the
knowledge and understanding we gained from the years
encompassing our own struggle might be of some help to those who
are still fighting their war!!!
THE VIETNAM VETERANS' VALHALLA BULLETIN BOARD
IS DEDICATED TO VIETNAM VETERANS,
THEIR WIVES, FRIENDS, & LOVERS!
And to the memory of the 58,000 men and women who never came home
Our system has been successfully operating for nearly 3
years now, and received well over 37,000 calls! We also founded
and coordinated the International Vietnam Veterans'
EchoConference (IVVEC) which can be seen on more than 200
bulletin boards across the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Please contact our system, or one of the nodes listed below who
carry our conference and join in. You don't need to be a veteran
of any kind to participate. We welcome you with open arms to
learn who we are and what we are all about!
Nancy and I are looking forward to meeting you all, as are
the Sysops of the nearly 200 VETNet BBs systems below:
=================================================================
VETNet NODELIST
FidoNews 6-05 Page 16 30 Jan 1989
Compiled by the Vietnam Veterans In Canada
=================================================================
As of 25 November 88 these are the net/nodes that are currently
listed as receiving the International Vietnam Veterans Echo. If
your local BBS is not listed, please send a message to Woody
Carmack 153/130 (1-604-462-8753) or leave a message in the
IVVEC.
NET/ MAX
NODE BBS NAME City/State/Country Phone BAUD
================================================================
632/350 Yarra Valley BBS Melbourne Austr AU 61-3-848-331 1200
114/113 Corwin's Keep Tempe AZ 1-602-894-1470 2400
114/13 Corwin's Keep Tempe AZ 1-602-894-1470 2400
153/123 DAETECH Burnaby BC 1-604-420-2641 9600
153/130 Vietnam Veterans In Canada Vancouver_BC 1-604-462-8753
153/501 Valley Hub Clearbrook BC 1-604-850-0021 2400
153/133 Hot Line Data Network Langley BC 1-604-533-0421 2400
220/20 Old Frog's Almanac Nanaimo BC 1-604-758-3072 2400
103/507 Philosopher's Log Anaheim CA 1-714-535-1258 9600
402/100 The Board Room Belmont Shores CA 1-213-498-6425 2400
161/502 Wildcat Benicia CA 1-707-746-5820 2400
161/66 Generic BBS Citrus Heights CA 1-916-722-3659 2400
203/66 Generic BBS Citrus Heights CA 1-916-722-3659 2400
161/1 Nerd's Nook Concord CA 1-415-672-2504 9600
202/401 jabberWOCky Escondido CA 1-619-743-9935 2400
161/34 Now and Zen OPUS Fair Oaks CA 1-916-962-1952 9600
161/56 Nat'l Family Forum Freemont, CA 1-415-651-4147 2400
161/7 Mover Mouse BBS Fremont, CA 1-415-883-1644 2400
161/39 Nightline Mather AFB, CA 1-916-362-1755 2400
161/509 Enterprize Pinole, CA 1-415-758-1650 2400
161/11 The Byte Boutique Sacramento CA 1-916-483-8032 2400
FidoNews 6-05 Page 17 30 Jan 1989
161/5 River City II OPUS Sacramento, CA 1-916-646-9678 9600
161/943 Eagle's Nest Sacramento, CA 1-916-334-2822 9600
10/215 Silver BBS San Diego, CA 1-619-226-4502 2400
125/31 Echo Coord San Francisco CA 1-415-621-5206 9600
143/27 Vietnam Veterans Valhalla San Jose CA 1-408-293-7894 2400
143/86 Cat's Tail BBS S T O P San Mateo CA 1-415-349-8245 2400
125/78 Living Sober BBS San Mateo, CA 1-415-342-2859 2400
125/12 The Grape Vine Santa Rosa, CA 1-707-546-4938 2400
125/7 Survival Forum Santa Rosa, CA 1-707-545-0746 2400
103/501 Mount Silverthorn Tustin, CA 1-714-544-3369 2400
104/28 Pinecliff BBS Boulder, CO 1-303-444-7073 2400
128/13 COSUG-Colorado's User Clrdo Spg CO 1-404-548-0726 2400
128/16 Firenet Leader Colorado Spring CO 1-303-591-9600 2400
104/739 The Phoenix Parker, CO 1-303-841-9570 2400
104/51 P2 B2 South Denver, CO 1-303-329-3337 2400
141/488 Alice's Restaurant Branford CT 1-203-488-1115 2400
141/250 Wilton Woods Wilton, CT 1-203=762-8481 9600
135/27 Bitsy's Place Miami Beach FL 1-305-865-0495 1200
135/35 The Way Out BBS Miami, FL 1-305-665-3283 1200
363/9 Wit's End Orlanda, FL 1-305-894-0807 1200
363/10 Midas Touch Orlando, FL 1-305-648-1133 1200
366/38 Jolly Green Giant Shalimar, FL 1-904-651-3875 9600
18/43 Athens Echo Athens, GA 1-404-546-7857 9600
370/10 OnLine OPUS Athens, GA 1-404-548-0726 2400
370/5 Athens Forum Athens, GA 1-404-546-7857 9600
12/7 HPCUA Honolulu HI 1-808-422-8406 9600
12/1 Aura Net Honolulu, HI 1-808-533-0190 2400
115/761 ICS/TRIX 1 OPUS Chicago, IL 1-312-761-7887 2400
FidoNews 6-05 Page 18 30 Jan 1989
115/529 Elk Grove Repeater Elk Grove Vlg IL 1-312-529-1586 2400
115/20 North Shore BBS Evanston, IL 1-312-491-2611 2400
115/429 Chicago Business Evanston, IL 1-312-491-2611 2400
11/109 Peoria OPUS Net Peoria, IL 1-309-691-5416 2400
11/202 The SouthSide BBS Indianapolis, IN 1-317-882-9330 1200
227/1 Michiana TechLine Mishawaka, IN 1-219-258-0286 9600
227/150 The SX Project Whiting IN 1-219-659-2711 2400
108/90 DATANET Information Syste Erlanger KY 1-606-727-3638 2400
108/50 The ZOO BBS Independence, KY 1-606-283-2040 2400
321/109 Pioneer Valley PCUG-1 Amherst, MA 1-413-256-1037 9600
321/201 Mountain Top Dalton, MA 1-413-684-2886 2400
321/202 Jones' Nose Great Barringto MA 1-413-243-0034 9600
321/203 VETLink #1 Pittsfield, MA 1-413-443-6313 2400
109/722 Ronnie's Roadies BBS Camp Springs MD 1-301-736-0135 1200
109/648 Falcon's Rock College Park, MD 1-301-345-7459 2400
13/29 Berkshire Board Essex, MD 1-301-574-1984 9600
13/33 Avi-Technic Lutherville, MD 1-301-252-0717 9600
13/30 The Futurists BBS Perry Hall, MD 1-301-529-0716 9600
261/628 Liberty Hall Reisterstown, MD 1-301-833-8933 2400
261/628.1 Systemhouse Link Reisterstown, MD 1-301-833-8933 2400
109/717 The Tin Badge BBS Silver Spring, MD 1-301-589-2016 1200
1/214 Region 14 Echo Coor Minneapolis, MN 1-612-377-3398 2400
1/314 Software Dist Minneapolis, MN 1-612-377-3469 2400
282/1 Midwest Echo Star Minneapolis, MN 1-612-377-3469 9600
151/20 Metro Link Charlotte, NC 1-704-541-8626 2400
151/60 VMC-BBS Lewisville, NC 1-919-945-4850 2400
151/100 NC Central Raleigh, NC 1-919-851-8460 9600
151/1000 REDCON Raleigh, NC 1-919-859-3353 2400
FidoNews 6-05 Page 19 30 Jan 1989
143/99 Friend's BBS Omaha, NE 1-402-896-2669 2400
132/101 BBS Source Archive Nashua, NH 1-603-888-8179 2400
150/803 Jersey Vertex Moorestown, NJ 1-609-869-0139 2400
15/4 NASW New Mexico Las Cruces, NM 1-505-646-2868 2400
381/401 Border Connection Santa Fe NM 1-505-678-1318 2400
107/105 NY Transfer Staten Island, NY 1-718-442-1056 2400
108/105 Global Time Systems Cincinnati, OH 1-606-341-7910 2400
157/1 Auer Register Cleveland, OH 1-216-883-0578 2400
157/504 The Revelstone TBBS Cleveland, OH 1-216-642-1034 9600
110/20 EDS Data Dayton, OH 1-513-455-2431 2400
157/501 The PC-Key BBS Girard OH 1-216-545-9205 2400
385/4 Info-Net Lawton, OK 1-405-357-6181 2400
385/6 Bink's Barn Lawton, OK 1-405-357-2473 2400
147/14 Dark Star TBBS Oklahoma City, OK 1-405-691-0863 9600
148/120 Genetic Research Vat Toronto ON 1-416-480-0551 2400
11/700 FCAU IBM Net Toronto, ON 1-416-427-0682 9600
221/156 Waterloo CBCS PUBLIC Waterloo, ON 1-519-746-5020 9600
221/157 Waterloo CBCS Echomail Waterloo, ON Unpublished 9600
105/16 Net 105 EchoMail Hub Portland, OR 1-503-761-3003 2400
105/61 Shotgun OPUS Portland, OR 1-503-760-4521 2400
157/506 Beacon Hill OPUS Transfer, PA 1-412-962-9514 2400
362/1 The Mines of Moria Chattanooga, TN 1-615-344-9601 2400
362/501 Coconut Telegraph Chattanooga, TN 1-615-698-4858 2400
18/7 Flash Port Memphis TN 1-901-525-2710 2400
18/6 The Burnout Board Memphis, TN 1-901-353-4563 2400
130/5 CUSSNET UTA Arlington, TX 1-817-273-3966 2400
136/200 The Chai Way II Austin, TX 1-214-358-3738 2400
124/210 Hardwired Dallas TX 1-214-437-4075 9600
FidoNews 6-05 Page 20 30 Jan 1989
124/214 *CHRYSALIS* Dallas TX 1-214-895-9054 2400
124/106 CHAI Way II Dallas, TX 1-214-250-3323 9600
124/110 Flying Dutchman Dallas, TX 1-214-642-3436 9600
124/117 NCC-1701 Node 1 Dallas, TX 1-214-240-8821 2400
124/117 NCC-1701 Dallas, TX 1-214-240-8821 2400
124/14 Chrysalis Dallas, TX 1-214-985-9054 2400
124/200 Dallas Outbound Dallas, TX 1-214-437-4075 2400
124/201 Hardweird Dallas, TX 1-204-931-2987 2400
19/5 Micro Application El Paso TX 1-915-594-9738 2400
106/386 Information Center Exchan Houston TX 1-713-872-4429 2400
106/108 Stormy Weather I Houston, TX 1-713-644-4345 9600
106/111 Shutterbug's OPUS Houston, TX 1-713-880-4329 2400
106/113 The Opus Network Houston, TX 1-713-780-4153 2400
106/114 The Fireside Houston, TX 1-713-496-6319 2400
106/357 TMBBS Houston, TX 1-713-497-5433 2400
106/666 Anything Goes OPUS Houston, TX 1-713-997-2624 2400
106/132 Fast BBS OPUS Katy, TX 1-713-392-0093 2400
382/1 Crystal Palace Lake Travis, TX 1-512-339-8037 2400
382/14 Corona Del Mar Rockport, TX 1-512-729-7026 9600
381/201 Pro Link San Angelo, TX 1-915-944-2952 2400
387/401 Comp-U-Gen II San Antonio TX 1-512-496-9373 2400
387/601 NCOA International BBS San Antonio TX 1-512-653-0409 2400
387/800 NCOA International BBS San Antonio TX 1-800-365-6262 2400
109/604 ShanErin Alexandria, VA 1-703-941-8291 2400
109/639 The RENEX BBS Woodbridge, VA 1-703-494-8331 2400
343/111 Lessor Puget TB Edmonds, WA 1-206-742-8067 2400
343/9 Everett OPUS Everett, WA 1-206-355-1295 1200
138/4 PTC Net Mount Vernon, WA 1-206-757-5248 2400
FidoNews 6-05 Page 21 30 Jan 1989
1/217 Region 17 Echo Coord Puyallup, WA 1-206-848-5317 2400
138/101 Story Board Puyallup, WA 1-206-848-5317 9600
138/3 Puget Sound Gateway Puyallup, WA 1-206-848-9232 2400
138/49 The Cohort Puyallup, WA 1-206-848-2646 9600
138/35 US HDS Human Service Seattle, WA 1-206-442-8127 2400
138/52 Burrell's Ballpark Tacoma, WA 1-206-752-4672 2400
139/640 Fox Valley Tech Appleton, WI 1-414-735-2513 2400
154/200 PC-Express Greenfield, WI 1-414-327-5300 2400
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-05 Page 22 30 Jan 1989
=================================================================
COLUMNS
=================================================================
The Old Frog's Almanac
(or "What the hell do we do with all that ECHOMAIL?")
by Ken McVay, 153/20
I remember when echomail hit the nets...Ken Yerex, my N/C at the
time, called me voice to warn me that 300 BLOCKS of mail would
arrive that night...I remember shuddering a bit at the thought of
the 1200-baud nightmare that would create if it continued (how
little we knew, eh?), and the painful addition to the phone
bill (Would it hit $30 this month?).
(Lots of water under the proverbial bridge since then...and the
phone bill is well over $200 now, even with an HST....)
After reading TECH for a few days, and taking lessons in system
management from Rob Barker (then the R/C of RGN17) via his well-
known "RAMBLES," it occurred to me that all this mail was
probably worth saving (yes, Rob, I still have your RAMBLES :-))
and I began the laborious task of doing just that.
There were several utilities appearing at that time (late 1986)
which made it easy to save the mail - they converted the message
format to ASCII, message by message, and then I concatenated all
of them, edited them with WordStar, and then ran CLEAN_WS to
strip the 8th. bit and convert (again) back to ASCII. It wasn't
long before I had lots of these files cluttering up my poor 20-
meg, covering a wide range of topics, and "The Old Frog's
Almanac" was born.
Why "Old Frog?" Because the guy that really got me into this mess
was the Venerable Amphibian Hisse'f, Ryugen Fisher. His postings
in TECH were not only precise and informative, but full of humour
that only Ryugen seemed to be able to generate. (I still have
them, and still enjoy reading them...)
In time, the collection grew, and the methods employed to extract
and process the files changed as software improved. I discovered
Bob Klahn's fantastic Sirius package about a year ago, and began
using it to automate what had become a painfully time-consuming
and difficult process. Sirius just looked in the area it was
directed to, grabbed the first 25 messages, and dumped them into
a flat file. All I had to do then was edit the flat file and
remove SEEN-BY lines, message numbers, blank lines, etc....I
didn't really enjoy it, but the savings in storage space were
substantial, and I didn't have much choice. Hour after hour was
devoted to this boring and tedious task, and I went to the Sirius
echo in the hope I could find some help, and eliminate all the
edits.
Tim Evans (138/102.1) proved more than up to the task, and
provided me with EGREP100.ARC and sample batch file routines.
FidoNews 6-05 Page 23 30 Jan 1989
After playing around with them for a few hours, I added EGREP to
my SEAdog batch file and ended the tedious edits permanently.
Things sort of took care of themselves for a week or two after
that, until I took a look at the text files and discovered that
some of them exceeded 1.2 MEGS in a single MONTH! Not only were
the resulting archives too big for anyone without an HST to
download, but the whole damned file was just too big for anyone
to bother with trying to gain anything from reading it!
Obviously, it was time to get back to SIRECHO and see if someone
could tell me how to do selective topical searches by SUBJECT -
if I could do that, I could not only break the huge files down to
manageable size, but provide much more useful information.
Enter Dave Hart (150/311), who sent me some sample Sirius scripts
which extracted by subject, looped back to the beginning, and did
it all over again. Dave's samples wouldn't work for me, but they
did provide all the syntax samples that my feeble brain needed to
write something that would work, and I have spent endless hours
since creating Sirius scripts and EGREP routines which break each
message base down into as many topics as possible, edit them,
archive them, and carry on to the next area. The Old Frog's
Almanac has come of age, and the impossible task of "keeping up
with the mail" has become a readily manageable and pleasant one,
since virtually any message of interest, in any message area, can
now be compiled into a single text file, to be read at leisure.
Here's a representative look at what's available from Volume III
(1989):
The Old Frog's Almanac
Volume III
------------------------>> 1989 <<------------------------
- Applications and Programming Extracts
ASM0189.PAK Assembly Language extracts, Jan '89
CLIP0189.PAK CLIPPER Extracts, Jan. '89
DB0189.PAK dBASE extracts, Jan '89
MTSK0189.PAK MultiTasking extracts, Jan '89
SIR0189.PAK Sirius extracts, Jan. '89
WPER0189.PAK Word Perfect extracts, Jan. 89
- BBS-Related Extracts (MEADOW/PNW_MEADOW/SEADOG)
EGRD0189.PAK ECHOGUARD - 01/89
EMBD0189.PAK OECC/Embedded Commands, 01/89
JMDM0189.PAK JMODEM. 01/89
LUSR0189.PAK LASTUSER.BBS, 01/89
MCHK0189.PAK Mail Checking Util's, 01/89
MODM0189.PAK Modem SETUP, 01/89
ODV0189.PAK Opus & DesqView, 01/89
OKFL0189.PAK FileList compilation, 01/89
OPXP0189.PAK Opus Express Extracts, 01/89
OZMD0189.PAK Opus & ZModem, 01/89
PRIV0189.PAK *PRIV.BBS Files, 01/89
STCK0189.PAK STACK, 01/89
XLAX0189.PAK NODELIST processing, 01/89
FidoNews 6-05 Page 24 30 Jan 1989
- DeskTop Publishing Extracts
APM0189.PAK PAGEMAKER, 01/89
DPUB0189.PAK DeskTop Publishing extracts, Jan '89
FONT0189.PAK FONTS, 01/89
GEM0189.PAK GEM Extracts, 01/89
LPTR0189.PAK LASER PRINTERS, 01/89
PFSF0189.PAK PFS FIRST PUBLISHER, 01/89
VENT0189.PAK VENTURA, 01/89
- Hard Drive-related HDCONF Extracts
ADAP0189.PAK ADAPTEC Controllers, Jan. '89
CDCW0189.PAK CDC WREN Drives, 01/89
CPMQ0189.PAK COMPAQ Drive Extracts, 01/89
FLPY0189.PAK Floppy Drive extracts, Jan. '89
HD0189.PAK Hard Drive extracts, Jan '89
MAXT0189.PAK Maxtor Hard Drives, January, 1989
MCRP0189.PAK Micropolis Hard Drives, January, 1989
OPTI0189.PAK Optimizing! 01/89
PARK0189.PAK HD PARK, 01/89
PERS0189.PAK Perstor Controllers, January, '89
SPIN0189.PAK SpinRite Disk Management, January, 1989
TAPE0189.PAK TAPE BACKUP, 01/89
THD0189.PAK TANDY Hard Drive Extracts, January, 1989
TOSH0189.PAK TOSHIBA Drives, 01/89
VRTX0189.PAK VERTEX Drives, 01/89
WDHC0189.PAK WD Controllers, 01/89
- Hardware-Related Extracts
HST0189.PAK USR Courier HST extracts, Jan '89
PS2_0189.PAK IBM PS2 Series Extracts, Jan. '89
UART0189.PAK 16550/UART/HST Extracts, Jan. '89
- Local Area Network Extracts
ARCN0189.PAK ARCNET, 01/89
DECN0189.PAK DEC-NET, 01/89
LAN0189.PAK LAN extracts, January, 1989
LANT0189.PAK LANTASTIC, 01/89
MLAN0189.PAK MAINLAN, 01/89
NOVL0189.PAK NOVELL, 01/89
- Lotus 1-2-3 Extracts
3PRN0189.PAK Printer Configuration, 01/89
3MAC0189.PAK MACROS, 01/89
3GEN0189.PAK AGENDA, 01/89
3AVG0189.PAK The @AVG Function, 01/89
3HAL0189.PAK Lotus HAL, 01/89
3DAT0189.PAK The @DATE Function, 01/89
3BAS0189.PAK The @BASE Function, 01/89
LOT0189.PAK Lotus extracts, January, 1989
LU3D0189.PAK LUCID-3D Spreadsheet, 01/89
QUAT0189.PAK QUATTRO Extracts (Lotus Conference) Jan. '89
- MicroSoft OS/2 Operating System
2LAN0189.PAK OS/2 LAN MANAGER, Jan. '89
2MOU0189.PAK OS/2 MouOpen, Jan. '89
2SES0189.PAK OS/2 SESSION Extracts, Jan. '89
FidoNews 6-05 Page 25 30 Jan 1989
OS2_0189.PAK OS/2 Conference extracts, January, 1989
- MiniScribe Fixed Disks
36500189.PAK MiniScribe 3650, 01/89
61280189.PAK MiniScribe 6128, 01/89
MSHD0189.PAK MiniScribe Extracts, Jan. '89
- QNX-Related Extracts
QNX0189.PAK QNX extracts, Jan '89
QTT20189.PAK QTach2 (QNX) BBS Extracts, 01/89
- Seagate Fixed Disks
S1380189.PAK Seagate ST-138, January, 1989
S2250189.PAK Seagate ST-225 Drive, 01/89
S2380189.PAK Seagate ST-238, January, 1989
S2510189.PAK Seagate ST-251 Drive, 01/89
S2960189.PAK Seagate ST-296 Drive, 01/89
S4960189.PAK Seagate ST-4096 Drive, 01/89
SEAG0189.PAK Seagate Hard Drives, Jan. '89
- Social Issues
AIDS0189.PAK AIDS/ARC extracts, Jan '89
VETS0189.PAK VietNam Vets extracts, Jan '89
- TELIX-Related Extracts
SALT0189.PAK Telix SALT Extracts, Jan. '89
TELX0189.PAK Telix extracts, Jan '89
TJM0189.PAK Telix-JModem, 01/89
TZM0189.PAK Telix-ZModem, 01/89
- United Nations (UNITEX) Topical Extracts
AFRO0189.PAK AFRICAN Extracts, January, 1989
INDO0189.PAK INDIA Extracts, January, 1989
MALD0189.PAK MALDIVES Extracts, January, 1989
NAMI0189.PAK Namibia (UN) Extracts, January, '89
UGAN0189.PAK UGANDAN Extracts, January, 1989
UN0189.PAK United Nations extracts, Jan '89
USSR0189.PAK Soviet Extracts, Jan. '89
A complete list of all Almanac files is updated daily, by simply
concatenating the FILES.BBS from three file areas. It is
available for SEAdog file-request as ALMANAC.LST. The filename
convention is pretty straightforward, with the first four char's
used to denote file topic, the next two the month, then the year.
Files are available in both *.MSG and *.PAK format, to facilitate
either downloading or online perusal.
A representative sampling of the Sirius V0.50 scripts and batch
file routines is also updated daily, and is available as
ALMANAC.PAK. It also contains the file ALMANAC.LST.
Next week, we'll provide samples of the Sirius files and batch
file commands....see you then!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-05 Page 26 30 Jan 1989
=================================================================
LATEST VERSIONS
=================================================================
System Enhancement Associates, Inc.
1:107/9@FidoNet, 520/1015@AlterNet
New Product Announcement
SEAdog 4.50
System Enhancement Associates, Inc. is pleased to announce the
release of version 4.50 of the SEAdog electronic mail system.
Version 4.50 adds many new features to the SEAdog mail system.
We'll try to cover the highlights.
* You may have noticed some difficulty in using SEAdog 4.10 on
a slow machine with a fast modem. This has been resolved.
The SEAdog mailer itself is now much more efficient in its
handling of serial hardware, and our new internal serial
driver is the tightest, most efficient driver we've seen
anywhere in any comparable program. Using our native driver
a 4.77 mHz XT can drive a USR Courier HST at a full 9600 bps
(the maximum which its UART can handle). On intercontinental
calls between our office in New Jersey and test sites in
Alaska and Australia, SEAdog 4.50 has been clocked at over
15,000 bps! We now typically "max out" the modems in almost
all situations.
* Our internal driver now also supports the 16550 UART
directly, allowing for better throughput under multitaskers
or with "problem hardware" (like disk controllers that steal
interrupts).
* We now support Henk Wever's "restartable SEAlink", which
allows you to resume an interrupted file transfer. This has
been tested with and is compatible with Henk's Dutchie.
* We've improved support for multiple configuration files by
adding an "SDCONFIG" environment variable and by allowing one
configuration file to include another.
* SEAdog will now resume an event that was interrupted, be it
by a power outage, system reboot, operator intervention, or
exiting to a BBS with "*x". The mailer now resumes where it
left off and does NOT rebuild its mail packets.
* Earlier versions introduced the concept of an external event
being triggered by crashmail. We now allow external events
FidoNews 6-05 Page 27 30 Jan 1989
to be triggered by any or all of crash mail, normal mail,
attached files, or file requests. Thresholds may be set on
any of these, such as triggering an external event when three
or more files are received.
* We now support domain addressing, as designed by "jim nutt"
(sic). This allows messages to be freely addressed to nodes
in other networks via locally controlled domain gates. A new
configuration command, "DOMAIN", was added to support this.
* We have introduced the concept of "temporary mail", which is
deleted at the end of an event whether it was sent or not.
This is used in conjunction with the "NOW" option of SEND,
GET, and TELL. Further, the "NOW" option causes ONLY the
specified action to take place -- the mailer will no longer
try to deliver all crashmail to anyone anywhere just because
you said "get it now".
* The SEAdog mailer now recognizes six different command line
options:
-a Alert; ding the bell when mail is received
-r Receive; wait for mail to be received, and then exit
-c Crash; deliver all crash mail, and then exit
-m Mail; deliver all mail, and then exit
-t Temporary; deliver all temporary mail, and then exit
-eX Event; same as -m, but use the designated event tag
* A new modem type, "MODEM NULL", has been added to support
null modem connections.
* A new modem command, "MODEM ANSWER", has been added to allow
for telephone answering under program control. When this is
used, the modem setup should contain "S0=0" instead of
"S0=1". Thus, the modem does not answer the phone unless
your system is alive and well and ready to handle the call.
* A new configuration command, "PROCESS", was added. This
allows a SEAdog system to run a specified program in response
to a file request. This is how the ADDGROUP request works on
520/546@AlterNet and 1:107/1015@FidoNet.
* A new configuration command, "SHELL", was added. This allows
a SEAdog system to invoke an alternate session manager in
response to a remote system request. This is already being
used to allow a SEAdog site to receive UseNet mail, and to
allow one SEAdog site to provide the date and time to other
sites.
FidoNews 6-05 Page 28 30 Jan 1989
* Event definition has been expanded. Two new "days of the
week" have been added; "WEND" for Saturday and Sunday, and
"WDAY" for Monday through Friday. In addition, days of the
week may now be stacked, separated by commas. As in:
Event B Mon,Wed 3:00
which would define an event that happened at 3 AM on Mondays
and Wednesdays.
* Two new routing keywords have been added. "CRASH" which means
any node you have crashmail for, and "CLASS-<x>" which means
any node of the given routing class and category.
A routing class is sensibly similar to the cost per message
of sending mail to that node. A routing category is a
single-character code classifying a node. A new version of
XlatList is being published to support routing categories
based on baud rate and node list flags.
For example, assume that in a given event you want to send
mail to anyone you have crashmail for, plus anyone who is a
local call. You would like to build packets for everyone
else, but they should be on hold for pickup. Further, you
don't want to try to dial anyone who is not listed for
continuous mail. Sound complicated? Here's how to do it:
Send-to all
Hold all except crash class-0
Hold all except class-C
Our intent was to allow for sophisticated and intelligent
routing without the need for route file generators like
RouteGen. We've succeeded.
* The SEAdog mailer no longer uses an external script driver.
It now uses an internal script language that is flexible and
powerful. We'll be publishing the script we've been using
for PC Pursuit. Our sample script:
1) Determines from the time and day of the week whether or
not we are within the PC Pursuit coverage period.
2) Determines by table lookup of the area code and exchange
whether or not the destination node is reachable via PC
Pursuit, and if so which outdial modem to use.
3) Determines from its own log whether or not that outdial
modem is currently operational.
4) Dials four different local access numbers in rotation
until it gains access to Telenet.
5) Logs into Telenet, checking for problems and retrying as
FidoNews 6-05 Page 29 30 Jan 1989
necessary.
6) Attempts to connect to the outdial modem, noting
problems for future reference and retrying as necessary.
7) Initializes the outdial modem, noting if it was left in
Racal-Vadic mode and resetting it if so.
8) Dials the destination system, giving the area code in
those cases where it's needed.
9) Logs to the system log whether or not the connection
succeeded, and logging a successful connect (with the
date, time, destination node, and outdial used) to its
own log file.
And this is only the beginning of what our script language
can do. One of our beta test sites has been using it to
allow his SEAdog to send Usenet mail to a UNIX system.
* The SEAdog mailer now incorporates its own terminal interface
for calling other systems. Full script support is available
when dialing out with the terminal interface.
* The SEAdog mailer now incorporates a "chat session"
capability for establishing a real-time conversational link
with another system. Full script support is available for
establishing a chat link. Chat link features include an
error-free session protocol, the ability to ship files to the
remote system, and the ability to allow remote MS-DOS access.
During remote MS-DOS access both sides see everything that
goes on, and either side may type commands.
* The redirector used for remote MS-DOS access during a chat
link is also available to other programs running under the
SEAdog mailer. We will soon be announcing a new bulletin
board program that uses this feature. Full documentation on
using the redirector is supplied in the SEAdog manual.
* Received mail packets are now unpacked as soon as possible on
a "time available" basis, meaning that the mailer will
interrupt packet processing in order to service a phone call.
This allows an external event to be triggered immediately on
receipt of crashmail (or whatever).
* The SEAdog mailer is now aware of, and can intelligently
manage, ARCmail-style mail archives. "File attach messages"
are no longer required, and the outgoing archives can be
deleted as soon as they have been delivered. Mail archives
can be always available for pickup with no explicit routing
instructions required, and may even be picked up if the
FidoNews 6-05 Page 30 30 Jan 1989
mailer is not in a mail event.
* The RENUMBER program has been significantly enhanced. It can
now renumber alternate message areas, and can purge messages
by attribute (sent, received, etc.), by count, by age, or any
combination.
* The SEAdog MAIL program has several significant enhancements,
including the ability to lock and unlock messages, rotate
message text, search all message areas for mail addressed to
you, use multiple lists of alternate areas, use 43-line mode
on an EGA or VGA display, and select between "narrow" (63
column) or "wide" (80 column) text display mode.
The complete SEAdog package is available for $99.95 from System
Enhancement Assciates, Inc. We can be reached by phone between 9
AM and 5 PM Eastern time at (201) 473-5153, or by mail at:
System Enhancement Associates, Inc.
21 New Street, Wayne NJ 07470
Anyone with an earlier version of SEAdog who wishes to upgrade to
version 4.50 can do so by mailing us $50 plus your original disk
(the green one with our label on it).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-05 Page 31 30 Jan 1989
Latest Software Versions
Bulletin Board Software
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Fido 12i Opus 1.03b TBBS 2.1*
QuickBBS 2.03 TPBoard 5.0* TComm/TCommNet 3.2
Lynx 1.10 Phoenix 1.3 RBBS 1.71C
Network Node List Other
Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
Dutchie 2.90b EditNL 4.00 ARC 5.32
SEAdog 4.10 MakeNL 2.12 ARCmail 1.1
BinkleyTerm 2.00 Prune 1.40 ConfMail 4.00
D'Bridge 1.10 XlatList 2.86 TPB Editor 1.21
FrontDoor 2.0 XlaxNode 2.31* TCOMMail 2.0*
PRENM 1.40 XlaxDiff 2.31* TMail 8812*
ParseList 1.30* UFGATE 1.02*
GROUP 2.04*
EMM 1.40
MSGED 1.96
* 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 6-05 Page 32 30 Jan 1989
=================================================================
NOTICES
=================================================================
The Interrupt Stack
24 Aug 1989
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
24 Aug 1989
FidoCon '89 starts at the Holiday Inn in San Jose,
California. Trade show, seminars, etc. Contact 1/89
for info.
5 Oct 1989
20th Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus"
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-05 Page 33 30 Jan 1989
OFFICERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
Hal DuPrie 1:101/106 Chairman of the Board
Bob Rudolph 1:261/628 President
Matt Whelan 3:3/1 Vice President
Ray Gwinn 1:109/639 Vice President - Technical Coordinator
David Garrett 1:103/501 Secretary
Steve Bonine 1:115/777 Treasurer
IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DIVISION AT-LARGE
10 Courtney Harris 1:102/732? Don Daniels 1:107/210
11 Bill Allbritten 1:11/301 Hal DuPrie 1:101/106
12 Bill Bolton 3:711/403 Mark Grennan 1:147/1
13 Rick Siegel 1:107/27 Steve Bonine 1:115/777
14 Ken Kaplan 1:100/22 Ted Polczyinski 1:154/5
15 Larry Kayser 1:104/739? Matt Whelan 3:3/1
16 Ivan Schaffel 1:141/390 Robert Rudolph 1:261/628
17 Rob Barker 1:138/34 Steve Jordan 1:102/2871
18 Christopher Baker 1:135/14 Bob Swift 1:140/24
19 David Drexler 1:19/1 Larry Wall 1:15/18
2 Henk Wevers 2:500/1 David Melnik 1:107/233
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-05 Page 34 30 Jan 1989
__
The World's First / \
BBS Network /|oo \
* FidoNet * (_| /_)
_`@/_ \ _
| | \ \\
| (*) | \ ))
______ |__U__| / \//
/ Fido \ _//|| _\ /
(________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm)
Membership for the International FidoNet Association
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
pays a specified annual membership fee. IFNA serves the
international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to
increase worldwide communications.
Member Name _______________________________ Date _______________
Address _________________________________________________________
City ____________________________________________________________
State ________________________________ Zip _____________________
Country _________________________________________________________
Home Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
Work Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
Zone:Net/Node Number ____________________________________________
BBS Name ________________________________________________________
BBS Phone Number ________________________________________________
Baud Rates Supported ____________________________________________
Board Restrictions ______________________________________________
Your Special Interests __________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
In what areas would you be willing to help in FidoNet? __________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Send this membership form and a check or money order for $25 in
US Funds to:
International FidoNet Association
PO Box 41143
St Louis, Missouri 63141
USA
Thank you for your membership! Your participation will help to
insure the future of FidoNet.
Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization
and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted by the
membership in January 1987. The second elected Board of Directors
was filled in August 1988. The IFNA Echomail Conference has been
established on FidoNet to assist the Board. We welcome your
input to this Conference.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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