892 lines
40 KiB
Plaintext
892 lines
40 KiB
Plaintext
F I D O N E W S -- | Vol. 10 No. 3 (18 January 1993)
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A newsletter of the |
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FidoNet BBS community | Published by:
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_ |
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/ \ | "FidoNews" BBS
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/|oo \ | +1-415-863-2739
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(_| /_) | NEW!--> 1:1/23@FidoNet
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_`@/_ \ _ | editor@fidonews.fidonet.org
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| | \ \\ |
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| (*) | \ )) | Editors:
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|__U__| / \// | Tom Jennings
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_//|| _\ / | Tim Pozar
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(_/(_|(____/ |
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(jm) | Newspapers should have no friends.
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| -- JOSEPH PULITZER
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----------------------------+---------------------------------------
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/*********************************************************************
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* IMPORTANT NOTE: The FidoNet address for FidoNews has been changed. *
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* The new address is: *
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* *
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* FidoNews = 1:1/23 *
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* *
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* Starting January 1993 email sent to the old address will not be *
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* forwarded! You were warned! *
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*********************************************************************/
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For information, copyrights, article submissions, obtaining copies and
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other boring but important details, please refer to the end of this
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file.
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Table of Contents
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1. EDITORIAL ..................................................... 1
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Retry, Ignore, Abort, Fail, Quit, Give-up? .................... 1
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2. ARTICLES ...................................................... 6
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This week's nodelist .......................................... 6
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Policy 4.1 now available for file request ..................... 6
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Replacement needed for George Peace, Z1C ...................... 11
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Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Be Phoolish .............. 11
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The HYDRA Bidirectional File Transfer Protocol ................ 13
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Lionnet ....................................................... 14
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3. FIDONEWS INFORMATION .......................................... 16
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FidoNews 10-03 Page 1 18 Jan 1993
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======================================================================
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EDITORIAL
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======================================================================
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Retry, Ignore, Abort?
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by Tom Jennings (1:1/23)
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I don't know about you, but I tend to live around the margins of
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culture. Most of the world is too stupid to live in. Safety and
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security, those false gods of the TV generation. Tradition == habit.
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Respectability over integrity. Chance and change exchanged for
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comforting sameness. Mall fashions and MTV and coporate aesthetics
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called "culture". Bigotry and fear-of-the-unknown passed off as
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"traditional morality".
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Here in the world-net there's at least a tiny bit of relief, though I
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pine away for actual contact and something more than just (groan)
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email; so much of the e-world is just technophilia by people with too
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much money. Contact with other interesting people is needed, and
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greater bandwidth than this ANTIQUATED TELEGRAPHICAL ASCII TEXT
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CRAPOLA. It's worse than a miserable ordinary phone call; in ASCII no
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means no or it means NO or possibly *NO*; how many ways can you say no
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with your voice?...
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Maybe you stumbled upon MONDO 2000 magazine. Wow! A quick browse of
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the T of C brings rushes of delight! People who've noticed the changes
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the technology has made on us, and the observation that (generally)
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weirdos bring about social change, from below up!
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Then upon reading you notice it's rather self-congratulatory and
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self-referential. The burning of large piles of money generates a
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bright light, but it doesn't warm you up much. And outside that light,
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you kinda notice there's not much else around them. "Content-free" as
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a certain Randy might possibly say. Hell, they call themselves "trend
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surfers", I didn't say it. OK, so I'm a cynical post-apocalypse (yes
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post- some of you people out there screwed things up royally already)
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paranoid post-punk asshole, but at least I get off my butt and do
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things occasionally.
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In other words, it is a *vast* disappointment.
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Well. I just got a copy of WIRED magazine. OK, yawn, another
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neo-technophillic trendoid zine, favoring toy-value over
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responsibility, ethics, cultural impact, usefulness.... WRONG!
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It's really good. It's 112 brightly colored pages. It has an odd
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layout that's dense, and only slightly hard to follow. It reads like a
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cross between a digest and a magazine (I hope the content level stays
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this high in subsequent issues).
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FidoNews 10-03 Page 2 18 Jan 1993
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A scan of the T of C: Bruce Sterling visits a Dep't of War (I mean
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Defense) VR lab; Camille Paglia (yay!) talks at Stewart Brand; John
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Markoff on hacked cellphones; John Browning (gunmaker kin? nahh...) on
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the role of public libraries in the e-age; Japanese computer nerds
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(just like you maybe...); public education obstructing "progress";
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some insights into the INSLAW case (Meese and friends, Reagan's
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hostage-for-guns deal...) that I hadn't known about; and the expected
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hi-techy newsy items that make for good bathroom reading.
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Not that I don't have my criticisms, which I'm in the process of
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post-it-ing to send 'em, but hey they're in-context, minor -- it's
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good stuff! It's a curious cross between high-techery news, cultural
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criticism, and gosh-golly neophillia (watch that now). They know what
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BBSs are. They're on the Internet. They know who Marshall McLuhan is
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(gasp!) (One of them damn Canadians.)
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Word is they're not owned by one of the 25 or so publishing behemoths
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that quite literally own all the national rags, so they might actually
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be able to remain independent. Time will tell how they handle the
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tension between criticism of the spectacle vs. pissing off
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advertisers. I'm skeptical enough in general to say "we'll see..." but
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it sure looks well thought-out, well written, well targeted and well
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assembled.
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I send them a check on Monday. My periodical reading list is now: EE
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TIMES, MAXIMUMROCKNROLL, RADIO WORLD, HOME POWER, BOARDWATCH, AMERICAN
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RIFLEMAN, and WIRED! (Actually I'm dumping A.R. soon. Too dull,
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embarrasing politics.)
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Wired issue 1.1 hits the stores 26 Jan?. The sub card inside says
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"19.95US/6 issues/1 year, 45US overseas", from WIRED, Box 191826, San
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Francisco CA 941119-1826. Voice 1-800-SO-WIRED. Internet wired.com.
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Tell 'em you read about it in FidoNews!
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* * * * *
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A few weeks ago I was called hypocritical for "promoting democracy"
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(sic) in FidoNet (when I was simply calling for throwing the bums
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out), while running FidoNews as a hereditary monarchy (which it is
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currently). That I should put it up for a vote or something, like it
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was some sort of administrative post, where you have some drone
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perform rote tasks and the best thing they can do for you is leave you
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the hell alone and not screw up too badly. If only it were that
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simple.
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Like it or not, editing is a "creative" job. When I started FidoNews
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in 1984 (I was it's first editor) I didn't have a clue. Zip, none.
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Luckily, it really didn't matter, because there weren't any readers!
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FidoNews 10-03 Page 3 18 Jan 1993
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Six or seven years later, I find myself editor once again. In the mean
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time, I had actually gained some experience. I've contributed various
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articles for other pubs (mostly non-technical), helped edit a few
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others, written and self-published some small books (besides the
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numerous Fido/FidoNet program manuals), and in one case conceived,
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edited, published a magazine, HOMOCORE, with a small (2500)
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circulation in U.S., Canada and Europe. It was utterly non-technical,
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but in many ways similar to FidoNews, in that it was in some ways
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leading-edge social change. I had to deal with deadlines, writers,
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letters columns, illiteracy, off-the-pointism, bad artwork, printers,
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money, postage, repro services...
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About half of my editorial-like experience is in non-technical things,
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which I have found to be far more applicable to FidoNews than tech
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stuff. While most of FidoNet is quite a "techie" thing, it's content
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(sysops, users, conferences, etc) are not. Most tech rags are not much
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more than glorified advertisement. (And most "PC" type magazines are
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not even as good as the more traditional trade rags, which at least
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attempt a higher-level approach, and the business emphasis is at least
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more honest).
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FidoNews is NOT a technical publication, though it does of course
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contain many technical items. It is a SOCIAL publication, loosely.
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(very loosely!) This as it should be, I believe, as we've got tons of
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techy conferences in which to nerd out to our hearts desire. FidoNews
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should be ABOUT FidoNet, not OF FidoNet. It's a meta-FidoNet, in
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which to discuss our network.
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Anyways. To the point. Well, it's been fun, but it's time that
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FidoNews had another editor. Time for some changes in my life.
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It is time to start a new tradition, some coherent and auditable way
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to pick a new editor. I've got in mind a very simple process: starting
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now, I'm accepting resume's from would-be editors. A HELP WANTED ad
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appears below.
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Here's what I'd like to do:
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* Collect resume's starting NOW
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* Keep all (all!) resumes, correspondence, complaints, comments, etc
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in a public file on the FidoNews BBS
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* In a few weeks I'll pick some likely candidates from what I
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receive. Comments, praise and character assasination should commence
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at this point
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* Pick a new heir to the FidoNews fortune within a week or two after that
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FidoNews 10-03 Page 4 18 Jan 1993
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* Turn whatever process comes out of this into a guideline for choosing
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a new editor in the future.
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The time line is highly variable. I want to do this "fast", but I also
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want to do it right.
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HELP WANTED
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Editor wanted for the illustrious FidoNews, published electronically,
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weekly. Circulation 5,000 -- 20,000 (anyone's guess). Experience
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required, preferably outside computer/technical circles. TECHNICAL
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AND/OR COMPUTER EXPERIENCE NOT REQUIRED beyond what's necessary to
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produce FidoNews (editing files, etc). (FidoNews readership is about
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50% non-technical.) Subject matter covers any and all interests of the
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FidoNet at large; from cooking to politics to email protocol specs.
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You must consider yourself accountable to all FidoNet members; this is
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not an autonomous business-like newsletter. We're not trying to
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"pass", but to serve our membership, even or especially at the expense
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of "professional" imagery.
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TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
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* Have adequate computing resources -- modem, disk storage, etc.
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* Be available via FidoNet.
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* Accept submissions and correspondence via netmail and fileattach.
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* Provide dial-in and filerequest access for the most-recent-issue
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and related files, open to the public upon first connect at no charge,
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at 300 baud and up (grr, I hate sysops who want to lock out
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low-speed users). (Your own BBS or someone else's.)
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* Produce FidoNews every Sunday night and deliver it to the main
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distribution site.
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MY PERSONAL BIASES
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Here's pretty much what I'd personally like to see in a FidoNews
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editor. This is just bias, ie. tie-breaker, other things being equal.
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It's not a shopping list.
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I'd prefer a woman editor. I'd prefer someone with broad experience in
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strange places. Someone who can communicate, regardless of writing
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style. Someone who will take chances, won't let making mistakes get in
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the way of expirimentation. Thick-skinned, to take all the shit you
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get when you say something un-popular. Left, right, center, out in
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space, unimportant; the willingness to welcome subjects that will piss
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you off (and maybe readers). I've accomodated, encouraged, instructed,
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suggested hand-held and even helped write text for fanatical
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fundamentalist christians, anarcho-atheists, FidoNet-technology
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reporters, people helping the handicapped, "gun nuts" (I'm one, so
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shuddup), FidoNet politicians, democrats, autocrats, feudal-system
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proponents, law'n'order nuts, technological neophiles, staunch
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traditionalists, Canadians (some of my best friends are Canadians),
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FidoNews 10-03 Page 5 18 Jan 1993
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nationalists, militarists, programmers, whiners, do-nothings and other
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assorted nuts with keyboards. As much as people have whined, I've
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worked hard at keeping the policy WIDE OPEN (and every one of the
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whiners SHUT UP when I told them, if you don't like something you see,
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WRITE WHAT YOU WANT TO READ!)
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I'd like to see this policy stay intact. WAIT! NO! Advance, mutate or
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whatever you see fit, but hopefully, not go the Usual Route.
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Respectability will buy you nothing but the fearful safety of the
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bureaucrat; dare to think for yourself!
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POTENTIAL PROBLEMS:
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Geography: FidoNews has been pretty much Norte Americano from the
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start. It is fact; is it desirable? This "one size fits all" solution
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doesn't wash anyways. I am thinking, maybe it should stay N.A. ie. Z1?
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I'm surprised other zones don't have zonal meta-nets.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 10-03 Page 6 18 Jan 1993
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======================================================================
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ARTICLES
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======================================================================
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Statistics for: NODELIST.015
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Sun Jan 17 16:49:58 1993
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Total nodes listed: 21524
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- Nodelist Comments -
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NOTICE -- NOTICE -- NOTICE -- NOTICE -- NOTICE -- NOTICE -- NOTICE
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--------------------------------------------
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| Replacement needed for George Peace, Z1C
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| Don Dawson 1:141/730 (aka 1:16/0)
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| . If you want to be a candidate for Zone 1 coordinator (Z1C), send
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| netmail to:
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| Don Dawson 1:141/730
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| by 23:59 PST, Sunday, 1/31/93. See POLICY4 for the duties and
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| responsibilities of ZC.
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| . Discussion will take place in the Z1_ELECTION echo.
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|
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| . Regional Coordinators will submit a ballot for each region. If
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| you have a point of view of any candidate, please send netmail
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| to your RC.
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|
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| . Netmail received from candidates will be posted in Z1_ELECTION.
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| The list of candidates will appear in FidoNews.
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--------------------------------------------
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You can request the most recent nodelist/nodediff from your Network
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or Region Coordinator. They are usually available with the "magic name"
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of NODELIST or NODEDIFF.
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Please check the END of the nodelist for additional technical information.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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POLICY 4.1 SUBMITTED
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by Glen Johnson 1:2605/269
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Hello, FidoFolks!
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FidoNews 10-03 Page 7 18 Jan 1993
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Last night, January 16, Policy 4.1c was formally submitted to
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the RCs for consideration. The guy that led the revision effort,
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Rich Wood (you remember him, he's the Z1C candidate), formally
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submitted the thing to all of the Zone 1 RCs, and sent it to
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all of the Zone Coordinators worldwide, and asked them to forward
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it to their RCs. I understand that there's only one ZC he hasn't
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been able to get in touch with so far, as the guy's system
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appears to be down or busy or something. I believe that's Zone 5.
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In any case, I'm not sure if Tom Jennings is going to print the
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text of the entire document in Fidonews; it is rather large,
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although quite a bit smaller than the current Policy 4 we know
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and love, but the document IS available for file request from
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several Zone 1 systems:
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1:2605/269
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1:278/3
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1:2606/583
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I've also asked Mr. Jennings to make it available for file request at
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1/23 as well. /* ED NOTE: It's not available from 1:1/23; it's not
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FidoNews related. You should obtain it from the other sites listed. */
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If it isn't feasible for you to call any of these systems, get in
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touch with your Zone Coordinator; they all have it (with the
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exception of one at the moment) . If you're in Zone 1, get in
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touch with your RC, and ask for a copy. The filename is:
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POL41C.ARC
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Now that its been submitted, let me take a few minutes to describe
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the substantive changes in it....
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You'll be surprised to find that Policy 4.1 is almost exactly the
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same as Policy 4.07, the current policy in force. Our intention
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was not to gut the whole thing and propose a completely new way
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of life for everyone. The way to modify policy is a piece at a
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time. YES, there are still things in there that need to be
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changed in the future. So, please don't write us netmails and say
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things like "I can't BELIEVE you didn't do this to it or that to
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it". Sure, there were LOTS of things we'd have liked to do to it,
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and because we didn't, doesn't mean that we didn't think other
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things needed to be changed.
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But Rome wasn't built in a day, ya know. If ratified, Policy 4.1
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will be the first major step toward substantive change in Fidonet.
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After 4.1, the possibilities are endless. Now, on to what we did..
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The first thing we did was make the document reflect what's
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actually happening in Fidonet, rather than what USED to be
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happening. We took all of the references to the Fidonews address
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and changed them from 1/1 to 1/23.
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FidoNews 10-03 Page 8 18 Jan 1993
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Current policy says that the nodelist is produced by the
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International Coordinator. It isn't; its produced by the Zone
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Coordinators. So 4.1 says that the nodelist is produced by
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the Zone Coordinators under the direction and supervision of
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the International Coordinator.
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Policy 4 says that points will make calls with a pointnet address.
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That isn't necessarily true. 4D addressing was invented after
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current policy was written, and 4.1 says that points MAY make
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calls with pointnet addresses. In reality, points tend to use
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4D addresses like 1:205/123.3 (Zone,net,node,point) .
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The case studies at the end of Policy 4 have been removed. Rules,
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regulations, laws, whatever you want to call it, don't usually
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have examples attached to them. The case studies, although
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beneficial at times, really have nothing to do with Fidonet
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Policy, so we yanked them. Saved a lot of space too :)
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Elections:
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This is the major change. Policy 4.1 requires that net
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coordinators be elected by a majority of votes cast by sysops in
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the net. NCs serve a term of two years. Regional Coordinators
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are elected by a majority of votes cast by sysops in the Region.
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RCs serve a term of two years. Zone Coordinators are elected by
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a majority of votes cast by the sysops in the Zone. ZCs serve a
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term of two years. The International Coordinator is selected or
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removed by a 2/3 majority of the Zone Coordinators, and serves
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a term of two years. Sysops are allowed to run for any coordinator
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position.
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There's your democracy folks! Coordinators are directly accountable
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to the rank and file. Policy 4.1 gives you the right to seek a
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coordinator position, and it gives you the right to vote for your
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coordinators.
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Now before you start dancing on the tables, keep in mind that along
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with the right to vote, comes RESPONSIBILITY and ACCOUNTABILITY.
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If you elect a nutcase to be RC, you have noone to blame but
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YOURSELF. *CHOOSE YOUR CANDIDATES WISELY*
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The impeachment sections of Policy 4 have been removed because they
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no longer apply. Sysops themselves can call for the removal of a
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coordinator if they're not happy with the job he or she is doing.
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The replacement election procedure takes care of that.
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By petition of 20% of the people one level down, a replacement
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election can be called to replace a coordinator. For example,
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I believe Region 13 has 35 nets (if it doesn't, I'm sorry, this
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is just a forinstance) . If 20% of the net coordinators are not
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happy with the RCs performance, they can cause a replacement
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election to take place. In our example here, it would take 7 net
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coordinators to make the election happen.
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FidoNews 10-03 Page 9 18 Jan 1993
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SYSOPS, not NCs, vote in replacement elections. In our example,
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all that those 20% of NCs can do, is make a replacement election
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HAPPEN. The sysops do the voting in the replacement election.
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If the replacement election results in a new coordinator taking
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over, the replacement coordinator serves out the remainder of
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the term. He is NOT in for two years. If there was a year left
|
||
on the term of the coordinator he replaced, then he serves for
|
||
one year.
|
||
|
||
It is IMPORTANT to note that replacement coordinators are NOT
|
||
subject to replacement elections! If you dump your NC mid-term,
|
||
and replace him with a new one, you will have to live with the
|
||
new guy until the end of the term.
|
||
|
||
Why did we do this? Ok, I'll explain the intent behind it...
|
||
|
||
We CANNOT bog down Fidonet with elections every five minutes.
|
||
If you want constant elections and referendums and votes, go
|
||
join Eggnet :) Coordinators have JOBS to do. We will NOT have
|
||
effective coordinators if they have to defend themselves in
|
||
replacement elections all the time. They should not have to
|
||
be looking over their shoulders constantly.
|
||
|
||
Remember what I said about accountability and responsibility?
|
||
You have to take responsibility for your vote. Make SURE you
|
||
are confident that the person you're voting for is the
|
||
person you want for the job. The replacement election is NOT
|
||
something that should be done regularly or frivolously. By
|
||
requiring a 20% consensus one level down introduces some
|
||
REPRESENTATIVE structure, and it also makes the process
|
||
sufficiently difficult to invoke but not impossible. We have
|
||
to give people a way of getting rid of coordinators that
|
||
aren't doing their jobs, but by the same token, coordinators
|
||
are people too, and they shouldn't be subject to getting
|
||
tossed because 3 guys with big mouths don't like the color
|
||
of his or her underwear. The replacement election process is
|
||
not something to be taken lightly. Next topic ...
|
||
|
||
Current policy indicates that the International Coordinator
|
||
must be a sitting zone coordinator. It defines the position
|
||
as a "first among equals ZC" . Policy 4.1 removes that
|
||
restriction. The IC can be anyone. He or she need not be
|
||
a current coordinator. This gives the Zone Coordinators the
|
||
freedom to choose the person they best feel will do the
|
||
job. No reason ZCs shouldn't have the same rights we're
|
||
giving to the rest of the sysops. As a matter of fact, our
|
||
current IC, Matt Whelan, ISN'T a sitting ZC. I don't know
|
||
how that happened, but if 4.1 is ratified, it won't matter.
|
||
|
||
Speaking of the IC, policy 4.1 gives him an additional
|
||
responsibility. The IC will issue the rules for elections.
|
||
He will be the person who formulates the mechanics of
|
||
vote collection, tabulation, and announcement of the results.
|
||
That doesn't mean that he is the guy that will DO it, it
|
||
means that the IC puts those procedures in place. He cannot
|
||
FidoNews 10-03 Page 10 18 Jan 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
decide who is eligible for what; that's spelled out in the
|
||
policy itself, nor can he change the "value" of votes, that
|
||
too is spelled out in the policy (remember? Coordinators are
|
||
elected by a majority of votes cast by ... etc. etc.) . The
|
||
responsibility given to the IC as described in section 1.2.9,
|
||
gives him the authority to develop the METHODS for carrying
|
||
out the elections defined in the document. Part of that includes
|
||
determining when elections will be held. We OBVIOUSLY can't
|
||
have all coordinator terms in Fidonet expire at the same time!
|
||
We'd be in total chaos during the transition.
|
||
|
||
Don Dawson, RC18, suggested a BRILLIANT method for staggering
|
||
elections, based on the last digit of your net number or region
|
||
number or Zone number, etc. For example, the Net 107 NCs term
|
||
would expire in July, the Region 13 RCs term would expire in
|
||
March, etc. I would STRONGLY urge the IC to adopt Don's plan for
|
||
that; its quite good.
|
||
|
||
A few people complained that we didn't put the exact election
|
||
procedures in policy. Well, that was intentional. If we did that,
|
||
and for some reason, it had to be tweeked later on, we'd have to
|
||
come up with a whole new policy document and go through this
|
||
ratification process again. Again, the intent of this policy
|
||
proposal was to give sysops the right to vote and the right to
|
||
run for coordinator positions. It is NOT intended to bog down
|
||
Fidonet or handcuff coordinators to rigid, inflexible regulations.
|
||
We have to let coordinators COORDINATE, we MUST let them make
|
||
decisions, so that's why we put the election procedures in the
|
||
hands of the IC.
|
||
|
||
Redundancies:
|
||
|
||
We further shortened the document by removing redundant statements.
|
||
You only need to say that the IC is selected by the ZCs once, for
|
||
example.
|
||
|
||
And finally, future revisions to policy ...
|
||
|
||
Right now, only Regional Coordinators can cause a referendum on
|
||
policy revisions (like the one we submitted) to happen. Policy 4.1
|
||
moves that down a notch to the NCs. A policy referendum can be
|
||
tripped if 5% of the net coordinators want to consider one.
|
||
|
||
The revision history:
|
||
|
||
At the top of POL41C.ASC, the revision history says that a policy
|
||
referendum can be tripped by 5% of the sysops. That's a typo; its
|
||
5% of the net coordinators. The revision history isn't part of
|
||
the policy, it was just a brief summation intended for the RCs
|
||
to give them an overview of it . The actual text of the policy
|
||
document follows the revision history, and the policy document
|
||
*IS* 100% correct. We didn't correct it and issue another
|
||
version because the typo isn't in the policy document itself.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-03 Page 11 18 Jan 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
Sorry if that confused anyone; we didn't spot it until after it
|
||
went out.
|
||
|
||
So there you have it folks, Policy 4.1 . I encourage everyone
|
||
to file request it, read it, and ask your RC to support it.
|
||
|
||
Now, if you have any questions about it, netmail me at
|
||
1:2605/269 . I will answer your questions and post significant
|
||
questions and answers in Fidonews. Or you can write to Rich
|
||
Wood, he'll do the same.
|
||
|
||
Remember, file request POL41C.ARC from 1:2605/269, 1:278/3,
|
||
1:2606/583, or ask your RC or ZC for a copy of it.
|
||
|
||
"Rich Wood for Z1C"
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Replacement needed for George Peace, Z1C
|
||
Don Dawson 1:141/730 (aka 1:16/0)
|
||
|
||
. If you want to be a candidate for Zone 1 coordinator (Z1C), send
|
||
netmail to:
|
||
Don Dawson 1:141/730
|
||
|
||
by 23:59 PST, Sunday, 1/31/93. See POLICY4 for the duties and
|
||
responsibilities of ZC.
|
||
|
||
. Discussion will take place in the Z1_ELECTION echo.
|
||
|
||
. Regional Coordinators will submit a ballot for each region. If
|
||
you have a point of view of any candidate, please send netmail
|
||
to your RC.
|
||
|
||
. Netmail received from candidates will be posted in Z1_ELECTION.
|
||
The list of candidates will appear in FidoNews.
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
by Rick Moen, Phido Phool (1:125/27)
|
||
The Phool File II
|
||
|
||
_That_ time has come around again. Hide the silverware. . . .
|
||
That's right, FidoNews's court jester is back in town.
|
||
|
||
I see Tom persists in his sinister habit of writing editorials, thus
|
||
trampling on the natural right of establishment figures to go
|
||
uncriticised. The nerve of this guy! At least it's gratifying to
|
||
see that defenders of the status quo have nonetheless recovered
|
||
enough, from this affront to their very souls, to write more
|
||
articles. I was worried, there.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-03 Page 12 18 Jan 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
We've had more impassioned pleas for enfranchisement of point-system
|
||
operators and BBS callers (including one from a writer possibly too
|
||
embarrassed to include his name) in FidoNet elections. Why stop at
|
||
such half measures, though? If 93% of the people on BBSs aren't
|
||
sysops, then it's equally true that 93% of those _affected_ by BBSs
|
||
aren't callers OR sysops. How, then, can we justify denying the
|
||
vote to BBS users' families and friends?
|
||
|
||
Surely, when Mom sees young Mordred staying up till 3AM each night
|
||
engaging in echomail combat, this gives her a personal stake in
|
||
FidoNet Policy. And what about Mordred's history teacher, Mr.
|
||
Snitters, who has to endure the young punk telling him that the
|
||
Magna Carta was ratified through a region-wide referendum? How can
|
||
we possibly shut these interested parties out of network decisions?
|
||
It Just Isn't Fair!
|
||
|
||
More people (for example, Steve Mulligan) are telling us that "Rich
|
||
Wood would be a great Z1C". On closer examination, it seems the
|
||
evidence adduced for this assertion is that _others_ have also said
|
||
it. Remember Graham Greene's spoof spy-story, "The Man Who Was
|
||
Thursday"? A suspects B of being a spy, because of B's suspicious
|
||
deeds in relation to C. C has similar doubts about D, and so on,
|
||
until we reach G, . . . who is busy keeping a wary eye on A.
|
||
|
||
So, here we have people alleging in Snooze that "R.W.w.b.a g.Z1C",
|
||
pointing at _one another's_ opinions as evidence -- possibly the
|
||
first truly self-booting process.
|
||
|
||
The other leading reason cited why "R.W.w.b.a g.Z1C" is that the
|
||
writer is Mad As Heck And Isn't Going to Take It Any More. Gosh,
|
||
he's just finally read Policy4 and desperately needs to let us all
|
||
know the depth of emotion thus triggered. This _also_ leads
|
||
inescapably to the "R.W...." conclusion. Quod Erat Demonstrandum.
|
||
No one else could possibly do!
|
||
|
||
(This working-out in public shouldn't surprise me, though: Jay
|
||
Stidolph says "we're like the world's biggest dysfunctional family."
|
||
I should have known: FidoNet is a "personal growth experience".
|
||
The Eighties never truly died, alas: We neglected to put a stake
|
||
through their heart.)
|
||
|
||
Steve closes by telling us that the "Z1C election sucks CA-CA!"
|
||
Steve, we here in CA are quite particular on the matter of being
|
||
sucked. . . and someone living in ON should be more careful about
|
||
the glass dwelling he casts acronymic stones from. ;->
|
||
|
||
Mike Mast tells us that "all sysops joining FidoNet must agree with
|
||
Policy4". Funny, I don't recall any loyalty oath, myself, and
|
||
Phoolishly assumed Policy was just a statement of how things would
|
||
work, short of amendments or replacements. If we are required to
|
||
_agree_ with it, what are all the "referenda" sections for?
|
||
Conceptual art, I assume?
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-03 Page 13 18 Jan 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
Mike goes on to make some boringly responsible and mature appeals to
|
||
fair play, courtesy, and constructive behaviour. Hmmph! No material
|
||
there. You're no fun, Mike!
|
||
|
||
Glen Johnson goes out of his way to thank Shawn Quinn for the favour
|
||
of verbally abusing him. I'd be glad to help make Glen's day, too --
|
||
except that I'm a sadist, so I'm going to be nice to him. ;->
|
||
|
||
Gotta go. I'm putting the final touches on my new twelve-step
|
||
organisation: Adult Children of Normal Parents.
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
The HYDRA Bidirectional File Transfer Protocol Released 11 Jan 1993
|
||
|
||
Designed by Arjen G. Lentz and Joaquim H. Homrighausen
|
||
HydraCom by Arjen G. Lentz (LENTZ SOFTWARE-DEVELPMENT)
|
||
|
||
- Bidirectional file transfer protocol with chat facility
|
||
- Full specifications (+ state tables!) and sources freely available
|
||
- BBS and terminal program authors: integrate Hydra in your application!
|
||
- Can be implemented by FidoNet Mailers for YooHoo and EMSI sessions
|
||
- HydraCom can be called from almost any BBS and terminal software
|
||
- Cost? Saying thanks is allowed!
|
||
|
||
HYDRA001.* ( 50k) HYDRA protocol specs, rev 001 (01 Dec 1992)
|
||
HCOM_100.* (109k) HydraCom 1.00 MS-DOS EXE, setup util, docs
|
||
HSRC_100.* ( 83k) HydraCom 1.00 C sources, docs
|
||
|
||
HYDRAKIT.* (240k) The above three archives together
|
||
|
||
The wildcard extension can be LZH, ZIP, ARJ, etc. Systems may provide
|
||
differently compressed files, depending on their platform and public.
|
||
Magic request 'HYDRA' will get you all three archives or HYDRAKIT.*
|
||
|
||
A copy has been sent directly to the FTSC and some others.
|
||
Unfortunately, we can't afford sending it to every mailer developer
|
||
and author BBS or terminal software....
|
||
All files have already been widely distributed across the world in
|
||
cyberspace, so it is not unlikely that you will be able to get them
|
||
from somewhere near you. In any case the files may be requested from
|
||
the authors' own systems, listed below.
|
||
|
||
An echomail conference HYDRADEV has been set up to talk about the
|
||
protocol itself and to help people implementing Hydra into their
|
||
software, but of course also for users of the HydraCom driver.
|
||
Ask your local *EC to get your net linked in!
|
||
|
||
|
||
Arjen Lentz Joaquim Homrighausen
|
||
LENTZ SOFTWARE-DEVELOPMENT 389, route d'Arlon
|
||
Langegracht 7B L-8011 Strassen
|
||
3811 BT Amersfoort Luxembourg
|
||
The Netherlands
|
||
FidoNet 2:283/512, AINEX-BBS +31-33-633916 FidoNet 2:270/17
|
||
FidoNews 10-03 Page 14 18 Jan 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
arjen_lentz@f512.n283.z2.fidonet.org joho@ae.lu
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
LionNet
|
||
by
|
||
Glenda Beaty
|
||
|
||
|
||
Due to the large size of FidoNet these days it has become next to
|
||
immpossible to obtain address's for new Nets. This being the case, I
|
||
have taken it upon myself to start using the Zone 200 for the LionNet.
|
||
I am writing this article to go out in FidoNew to try and find out by
|
||
the only means left to me if there is anyone else using that Zone
|
||
address. I do not wish to step on someone else's toes, but at this
|
||
point I am left with no other choice. If at the end of two weeks I
|
||
have not recieve any mail to the effect that you are using this Zone
|
||
address it shall become LionNet forevermore. LionNet is devoted to
|
||
the adults who use their computer's as a source of relaxation.. There
|
||
are a lot of people in this country who just sign on to have fun.
|
||
Many people just like to role play and live in small areas where this
|
||
is not possible. This Net will give them a place to do it, in a safe
|
||
and fun manner. We will be carrying several on-line RPG games,
|
||
wargames (both board type and RPG). The only limitation we will put
|
||
on the RPG section is the limit of one's imagination. This Net is
|
||
not just a Net for RPGer's. We also welcome people who just want to
|
||
talk to other people about whatever. If you are having a bad day..
|
||
check out the HUMOR echo and laugh a little.. Are you having problems
|
||
with your relationships? Check out the ADVICE or the SEX echo where
|
||
advice is always freely given. There will also be echo's for those
|
||
who are looking for a little something to add to their relationship's
|
||
such as the MEETING PLACE which is designed for people who are looking
|
||
to find another person\couple to spice life up with. LionNet is an
|
||
adult Net. We are not looking to pick up bbs's that are not
|
||
responsible about who reads what, but if you have a system where
|
||
adults have a private area I am sure that this could only add to their
|
||
enjoyment. We will also welcome the use of "handles" as a regular
|
||
part of the echos. The people at LionNet feel that some people
|
||
posting in certain places would not like their real names to be know.
|
||
To pick up LionNet contact the following person:
|
||
|
||
Glenda Beaty
|
||
|
||
Fido Address 1:3600/12
|
||
LionNet Address 200:1/0
|
||
|
||
|
||
The above address is subject to change, but will be used until future
|
||
notice is recieve that it is already be used.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-03 Page 15 18 Jan 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
The Lionness..........
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-03 Page 16 18 Jan 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
======================================================================
|
||
FIDONEWS INFORMATION
|
||
======================================================================
|
||
|
||
------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
|
||
|
||
Editors: Tom Jennings, Tim Pozar
|
||
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello
|
||
|
||
IMPORTANT NOTE: The FidoNet address of the FidoNews BBS has been
|
||
changed!!! Please make a note of this.
|
||
|
||
"FidoNews" BBS
|
||
FidoNet 1:1/23 <---- NEW ADDRESS!!!!
|
||
Internet fidonews@fidosw.fidonet.org
|
||
BBS +1-415-863-2739, 300/1200/2400/16800/V.32bis/Zyxel
|
||
|
||
(Postal Service mailing address) (have extreme patience)
|
||
FidoNews
|
||
c/o World Power Systems <---- don't forget this
|
||
Box 77731
|
||
San Francisco
|
||
CA 94107 USA
|
||
|
||
Published weekly by and for the members of the FidoNet international
|
||
amateur electronic mail system. It is a compilation of individual
|
||
articles contributed by their authors or their authorized agents. The
|
||
contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the
|
||
rights of the authors. Opinions expressed in these articles are those
|
||
of the authors and not necessarily those of FidoNews.
|
||
|
||
Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
|
||
copyright 1992 Tom Jennings. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or
|
||
distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in
|
||
other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or FidoNews
|
||
(we're easy).
|
||
|
||
|
||
OBTAINING COPIES: The-most-recent-issue-ONLY of FidoNews in electronic
|
||
form may be obtained from the FidoNews BBS via manual download or
|
||
Wazoo FileRequest, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
|
||
PRINTED COPIES may be obtained from Fido Software for $10.00US each
|
||
PostPaid First Class within North America, or $13.00US elsewhere,
|
||
mailed Air Mail. (US funds drawn upon a US bank only.)
|
||
|
||
BACK ISSUES: Available from FidoNet nodes 1:102/138, 1:216/21,
|
||
1:125/1212, 1:107/519.1 (and probably others), via filerequest or
|
||
download (consult a recent nodelist for phone numbers).
|
||
|
||
A very nice index to the Tables of Contents to all FidoNews volumes
|
||
can be filerequested from 1:396/1 or 1:216/21. The name(s) to request
|
||
are FNEWSxTC.ZIP, where 'x' is the volume number; 1=1984, 2=1985...
|
||
through 8=1991.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-03 Page 17 18 Jan 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.ieee.org, in
|
||
directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews. If you have questions regarding
|
||
FidoNet, please direct them to deitch@gisatl.fidonet.org, not the
|
||
FidoNews BBS. (Be kind and patient; David Deitch is generously
|
||
volunteering to handle FidoNet/Internet questions.)
|
||
|
||
SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
|
||
FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
|
||
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable
|
||
from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". Please read it.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
|
||
trademarks of Tom Jennings, Box 77731, San Francisco CA 94107, USA and
|
||
are used with permission.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Asked what he thought of Western civilization,
|
||
M.K. Gandhi said, "I think it would be an excellent idea".
|
||
|
||
-- END
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|