1701 lines
83 KiB
Plaintext
1701 lines
83 KiB
Plaintext
F I D O N E W S -- Volume 13, Number 31 29 July 1996
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+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
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| The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: |
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| FidoNet BBS community | "FidoNews" |
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| _ | 1-407-383-1372 [1:1/23] |
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| / \ | |
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| /|oo \ | |
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| (_| /_) | |
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| _`@/_ \ _ | |
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| | | \ \\ | Editor: |
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| | (*) | \ )) | Christopher Baker 1:374/14 |
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| |__U__| / \// | |
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| _//|| _\ / | |
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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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| Submission address: FidoNews Editor 1:1/23 |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| MORE addresses: |
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| |
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| submissions=> cbaker84@digital.net |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| For information, copyrights, article submissions, |
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| obtaining copies of FidoNews or the internet gateway FAQ |
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| please refer to the end of this file. |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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FREQ ARTSPEC NOW -- SEND IN AN ARTICLE
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Table of Contents
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1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1
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How does FidoNews get around? ............................ 1
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2. ARTICLES ................................................. 2
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DESCENT on the Z1 Backbone - your help is needed ......... 2
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Making Fidonet Perform ................................... 2
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The Start of Something Good? ............................. 8
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Alt.Religions.Scientology - cult spams the network ....... 9
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ECROC: Good, Bad, or Ugly ............................... 13
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Zone 7 Flame will get international now ? ................ 15
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3. FIDONET HISTORY .......................................... 17
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FidoNet History 20 Aug 85 [Part 2 of 3] ................. 17
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4. COORDINATORS CORNER ...................................... 22
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Nodelist-statistics as seen from Zone-2 for day 208 ...... 22
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5. NET HUMOR ................................................ 23
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FidoNews of the Past with Olympic fever? ................. 23
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A different kind of "Dear John [Mary]" letter? ........... 25
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6. QUESTION OF THE WEEK ..................................... 27
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Who's got the News? ...................................... 27
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7. NOTICES .................................................. 28
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Future History ........................................... 28
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Notice to UK Contributors ................................ 28
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8. FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY ...................................... 30
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9. FIDONEWS INFORMATION ..................................... 31
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FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 1 29 Jul 1996
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=================================================================
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EDITORIAL
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=================================================================
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According to FidoNet Policy, FidoNews is supposed to be part of the
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'glue' that holds us together as a Network. It is also supposed to
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be 'made available' to all Nodes by their respective FidoNet
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Coordinators [ZC to RC to NC to Node].
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Back in the 'dim time', we used to DELIVER the weekly files to our
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Nodes if they were local calls and hold them if they were long
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distance calls. In the dim time most Nodes were local to their NC
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and we didn't have these megaNets with many LD Nodes in their
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structure. Even those, however, usually are broken down into Hubs
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that are local to NC and hubbed Nodes.
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So WHY isn't FidoNews being delivered to the local Nodes? Every Node
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in FidoNet should be receiving this weekly update of life and doings
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in our Network. It's tough to be the 'glue' if the cap never gets
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off of the bottle.
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I'm calling upon all FidoNet Coordinators to get FidoNews back into
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FULL FidoNet distribution to ALL Nodes. FidoNews relies on the
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contributions from the Sysops of FidoNet. We are unlikely to get such
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submissions if many Nodes either don't know about FidoNews [how did
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that happen?] or don't receive it every week from their Coordinator or
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Hub. It is the FidoNet Policy-dictated responsibility of EVERY FidoNet
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Coordinator to get the NODEDIFF and the FidoNews to the Nodes under
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their coordination. You Coordinators volunteered for this job when
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you signed on so how about getting with it?
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If you Coordinators have any excuses for why FidoNews isn't getting
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out to your Nodes, please send it in to FidoNews as an .ART file for
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the next issue. I'd be interested in the alibis. [grin]
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I'm also interested in how FidoNews gets outside of Zone 1.
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Thanks.
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C.B.
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NOTE: Another reminder that FIDONEWS Echo is now on the Zone 1
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Backbone. Areafix it from your local Echomail source and
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join us there for discussion and announcements as well as
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being able to send in articles for FidoNews via the Echo.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 2 29 Jul 1996
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=================================================================
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ARTICLES
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=================================================================
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Descent - A New Echo for those who are hopelessly addicted
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Moderated by Jim Sorofty 1:243/75
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We are attempting to have a new echo added to the backbone and your
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help is urgently needed. The Descent Players Echo (DESCENT) is a
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place to discuss all aspects of Descent I & Descent II. It is a
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place to meet players close to you and from around the world.
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All of the criteria for having this echo added to backbone
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distribution have been satisfied. Within the next three weeks the
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backbone coordinators will be voting on whether or not this echo
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area will be carried. Your help is needed to ensure that your
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Regional Echomail Coordinator knows that +you+ are interested in
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receiving this area. Please take a few moments to netmail your REC
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(with a copy to me at 1:243/75) informing them of your desire to
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carry the DESCENT echo and asking that they support its addition in
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the upcoming vote.
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I am confident that we have the support of REC12 and according to
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the guidelines, one more REC's vote (two would be nice) is needed
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to accomplish our goal. Please don't delay. If enough support for
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this echo is not received to list the echo this time around, the
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idea will be dropped.
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Thank you for your time, consideration and help. I hope to see you
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in the DESCENT Echo soon.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Making Fidonet Perform
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Damian Walker, 2:2502/666
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It may appear to some people that Fidonet has an identity crisis.
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Many people regard Fidonet as a collection of BBS's. Some people see
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Fidonet as a number of echoes. Others insist that Fidonet has nothing
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to do with echoes or BBS's. So what is Fidonet?
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In this article I will take a look at existing opinions about what
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Fidonet is, look at what it can really do, and muse upon where it
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might be going.
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Is Fidonet a collection of BBS's? Some people seem to think so.
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There is certainly a strong connection between Fidonet and BBS's, if
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only because Fidonet actually did start out as a collection of linked
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BBS's.
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A printed magazine here in the UK has a limited coverage of
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Fidonet, and their early articles showed this link between Fidonet and
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BBS's quite plainly, with Fidonet and BBS's being regarded as one and
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the same thing. They even used the nodelist as a basis for their BBS
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directory!
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The view of Fidonet as an association of BBS's seems to be found
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FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 3 29 Jul 1996
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with people who run BBS's, and also people who have little to do with
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Fidonet or data communications at all.
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Is Fidonet all about echoes? A lot of people think so. When
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people are talking about Fidonet as a 'friendly' place, especially
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when comparing it with the Internet, it is more often than not a
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comparison between Usenet newsgroups and Fidonet echoes.
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It is true that the main concern of many sysops as Fidonet nodes
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is centred upon the availability of echomail. Isn't that why most of
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them obtained their node number? Whether it is a personal interest in
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reading echomail, or an indirect way of attracting users to a BBS,
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echomail seems to hold the central key.
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So why do people say that Fidonet has little to do with either?
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This seems a political or technical concern rather than a statement of
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the principal use or capability of Fidonet. Fidonet is defined by the
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nodelist, nothing more.
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A node may exist which takes no echomail; perhaps they just wish
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to make some files available for request. A node may definitely exist
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and function without a BBS-- my own system testifies to this.
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However, this minor digression masks the main purpose of this article,
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which is to take Fidonet as a whole rather than looking for exceptions
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to the norm.
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So, what can Fidonet do? We've already seen two uses: Linking
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BBS's and providing echomail. However, there are some other things
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which are currently going on, which are connected with neither: files
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and games, for instance. Let's take a quick look at some of the
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capabilities of this network.
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BBS's are an obvious place to start, and need no explanation here.
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They provide an easy interface for beginners to many of the other
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things available in Fidonet. Even long-standing comms enthusiasts
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find the BBS interface a comfortable way of accessing Fidonet.
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Echomail should need no introduction either. Most networks and
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on-line services provide some form of conference mail, be it Fidonet,
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the Internet, Compuserve or some other proprietary bulletin board
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system. Conference mail is the principal means of communicating with
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others in most networks, and in Fidonet it remains the most often used
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medium for advertising activities and services (such as BBS's, echoes
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and things non-comms related).
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Games are another popular use of Fidonet. I'm not just thinking
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of door games here, most of which could be regarded as an integral
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part of a BBS. There are, however, some games which offer inter-BBS
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connectivity between BBS's, and these are of more interest to us in
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our guise as Fidonet enthusiasts (rather than BBS sysops).
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Other games of interest are the PBM (play-by-mail) games which are
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played on the Internet, and to a lesser extent, on Fidonet. Many
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games players will have heard of VGA Planets, specifically designed
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for PBM. Stars! is another example of this type of game.
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Fidonet provides not only an excellent way of exchanging the game
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data for these games, but also (through echomail) a means of finding
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opponents. The same holds true of most games providing a play-by-mail
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option. The only thing we are currently lacking is a game which
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supports Fidonet directly, although many utilities are available for
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one of the games already mentioned, to allow automatic interface with
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a BBS.
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Bulletins are something which are increasingly making use of
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Fidonet technology. 'Bulletins' is probably the least used section of
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FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 4 29 Jul 1996
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most BBS's, and yet this is sometimes the most direct and appropriate
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way to offer information to users. Bulletins are invaluable for
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specialist systems who could offer information on their chosen
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interest.
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As well as being an option or section on most BBS's, bulletins are
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now being increasingly offered across the network, via netmail. Take
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a look at my article in last week's Fidonews for one example of this.
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This allows hobbyists to share information on a one-to-one basis with
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each other no matter which BBS they regularly call, wherever they live
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in the world. Bulletins can also be distributed using regular file
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request availability (as with ARTSPEC).
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File echoes are a way of distributing files in Fidonet, and
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provide a facility much like the 'ftp' mirrors on the Internet,
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ensuring that the latest versions of files related to a certain
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subject or product are available at a number of sites.
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That sums up all the broad categories of use in Fidonet which I
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can think of at the time of writing (if I've left anything out, be
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sure to write to FidoNews and tell us about it!)
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But what of the future? With the shrinking of the nodelist, the
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future is something which we need to look at with more cognitive
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effort than before. We really need to think of something if our part
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of the data communications hobby isn't to be taken from us by the
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increasing popularity of other communications systems. The reasons
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why people are leaving Fidonet is beyond the scope of this article,
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but further development of various aspects of the network can help to
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keep it alive, and perhaps to even grow once again, if chosen
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carefully.
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BBS's are Fidonet's first contact with most people. With their
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simple software and hardware requirements, and often an easy-to-use
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menu interface, they are already an ideal way to introduce new users
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to the wonders of Fidonet.
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How can they be improved? Aesthetics is one way people have tried
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to improve BBS usage. Some people take advantage of increasing
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communications speeds by making their ANSI menus pretty with colour
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and animation. Others take advantage of the increasing use of GUI's
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to provide a graphical interface, sometimes using HTML in the
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interests of standardisation. Some might say that this is just
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pandering to those who need pretty colours to keep their attention.
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But perhaps this forms the majority of new users, who are not easily
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attracted by technical details and a 'quaint' hobbyist atmosphere.
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Who knows? Improving the visual effect of our interface is certainly
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one way to go.
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General ease of use is another step towards improving BBS's. Some
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people have suggested a way of standardising the BBS interface,
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although few if any BBS's have followed these concepts through (if you
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know of an instance where standardisation across BBS's has worked, it
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may make an interesting article for FidoNews, hint hint). Although it
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has been said that this approach will lose the individuality of BBS's,
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standardisation of keypresses along with individuality of screen
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design might provide a suitable compromise.
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Next we move on to echomail. How can this be improved? Although
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many people see echomail's friendliness as an advantage in its own
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right, there have still been many suggestions for improvement (as an
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aside, I wonder how many people promoting Fidonet's friendliness read
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sysop echoes).
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FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 5 29 Jul 1996
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Some people would like to see the universal acceptance of high
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ASCII. This is a controversial point, as although this would allow
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accented characters and pretty 'graphical' signatures, there are a
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number of disadvantages. Even leaving the point that some machines
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cannot cope reliably with 8-bit ASCII characters, there is not yet a
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network-wide standard for these characters, meaning users of different
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platforms still see different characters. Possible future
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developments in this direction are many and varied, and too numerous
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to go into detail about here.
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Moderation is definitely an advantage to build on. Views on
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methods of appointing conference moderators, and actually performing
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moderation duties, vary considerably, and so it would be nice to see
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coherent approaches and methods of moderation which would satisfy the
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reason of having moderators (to keep echoes on topic and legal) whilst
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keeping the disadvantages (of despotic moderators from hell) to a
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minimum. Perhaps technical improvements giving moderators and
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echomail co-ordinators more control over echomail and echolists is
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something which could be considered.
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Areas of Fidonet other than BBS's and echomail, which are already
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fairly well developed, provide the most scope for improvement.
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Games form a large part of BBS and Fidonet use, probably taking
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third place to files and echomail. There are a great many 'door'
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games for BBS's available, which although less visually attractive
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than stand-alone games, offer a level of interaction between players
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which is difficult to surpass-- especially given the hardware platform
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requirements of such games.
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Many door games could be much improved if a link to other BBS's
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was added; some door games already work this way. Thus, if a BBS only
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has a handful of players interested in a game, these players could
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join with those on another BBS to give a much more exciting
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competition. Games which already work in this way have a large number
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of enthusiastic players who already possess the hardware to play Doom,
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Quake and other visually exciting games-- thus is their appeal.
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There are many other games which are played using Fidonet
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technology which are not door games, as has been mentioned. Few of
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these interface directly to Fidonet, so their use and sysop appeal
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could be much more widespread if interfaces to standard netmail (for
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file attach of their game files) were developed. Interfacing with
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Fidonet netmail is no great task for a competent programmer-- if I
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managed it then anybody can!
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Something I would personally like to see in Fidonet is the
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existence of games in the traditional PBM style. Such games usually
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communicate from host to players in straight text; the traditional PBM
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game is played on paper, with orders sent to the host via snailmail,
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typed into the automated host, and results are printed on paper. The
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electronic equivalent uses email for the purpose, with players sending
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their orders to the host using text-adventure style commands.
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I have not seen any games of this type available in Fidonet, which
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is a pity. They are very popular on the Internet, and some games have
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attracted so much interest that there are waiting lists for
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prospective players! A major hurdle to the production of this type of
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game is the size of routed netmail (the Galaxy PBM generates upto 40k
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per message). However, the use of direct (crash or hold) netmail for
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larger messages would help in this respect, as would drastic economies
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in the size of the game's output. The C source code for some Internet
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PBM games are available; if anyone is interested in obtaining them for
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FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 6 29 Jul 1996
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porting to Fidonet then let me know via netmail.
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Bulletins are another area in Fidonet which leaves a great deal of
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room for improvement. Being the developer of a document server
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myself, I am loathe to suggest too many ideas on the technical side
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lest someone asks me to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak.
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However, using existing technology there is much that could be
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done to improve the use and availability of bulletins on a
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network-wide basis. The advertising of bulletins in echomail is one
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way to alert people to information available, although this begs the
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question, why not just post the bulletin into the echo. Where a
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bulletin is too large or too regularly updated for a regular echo
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posting, however, this approach is quite acceptable-- providing you
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advertise in a suitable echo! Advertising a bulletin in FidoNews
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could be a good idea too (see my article in FidoNews 1330). Time will
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tell whether this way actually works.
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Another route to the increased promotion and use of bulletins is
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co-operation between the bulletins' authors (remember, they don't all
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have to be sysops). For instance if two BBS's in different parts of a
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country, or the world, have the same speciality, the bulletin of one
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system could refer users to the other, and vice versa. As such
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documents become more widespread it may be a good idea to make sure
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you refer to at least one other document of interest in each of your
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own documents; if this becomes more widespread then in turn you will
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find other people's documents referring to your own.
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It is a popular opinion that some sort of improvement is necessary
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to guarantee the survival of Fidonet, and thus the survival of
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free-of-charge communications on a world-wide scale. I hope that this
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article has provided food for thought, especially to those of you who,
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before now, regarded Fidonet as merely a collection of BBS's or a
|
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method of transferring conference mail. Because the basic Fidonet
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standard concerns itself only with the nodelist, and the transfer of
|
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netmail and of any type of file, it is clear that Fidonet can be much,
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much more.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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* 10 cents a Dance
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10 cents a Dance
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by Michele Stewart, 1:369/21
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Okay, okay... so this article is not really about dancing. But it is
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about some of the best echos in Fidonet. <grin> I moderate three
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really exciting echos I'd like to tell you about. Let me start with
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the first, and one of the oldest. Started in 1989, this echo is for
|
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the computer nerd in all of us...
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PC_ADDICT Echo
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--------------
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GEEK ALERT! GEEK ALERT! GEEK ALERT!
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If you are on your computer for more than 4 hours a day, outside of
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your work hours, then you've got a minor problem and probable PC
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||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 7 29 Jul 1996
|
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Addiction. But if you think your computer is your best friend, you've
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got a serious problem and probable Geek infestation!
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To get rid of those cumbersome, tiresome, boring, repetetive, anal
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retentive geeks, you need to write intelligent, thought provoking,
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humorous messages to other PC Addicts.
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Remember:
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Your computer is NOT your best friend. She only provides you the
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means to making alot of them.
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Your computer is NOT better than a date. She only provides you with
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the means for actually meeting someone strange enough to want to go
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out with you.
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Your computer is NOT your whole life. She only provides you with the
|
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means to expand your interests and share your hopes, dreams, likes and
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dislikes with real people.
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Now, get rid of those annoying, pesky geeks and come join us in
|
||
lively discussion, fun banter and social intercoursing (no that's not
|
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a dirty word) in the PC-ADDICT echo! The only place where you can
|
||
complain about your addiction and perpetuate it at the same time!
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<hysterical laughter echoing down corridor>
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Areaname: PC_ADDICT
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Distribution: BACKBONE
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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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Okay, now on to the next echo which is another of my favorites...
|
||
|
||
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|
||
BBSCON Echo
|
||
-----------
|
||
|
||
If you're attending, thinking of attending or just interested in any
|
||
BBS Convention or trade show, then there's a backbone echo you can
|
||
join to find or share the latest info. It's a place for keeping each
|
||
other informed of who's going where, what's going on, where to write
|
||
for more info, who's joining in a convoy, who's flying, etc., ad
|
||
nauseum.
|
||
|
||
With the demise of Cyber.Xpo.96 and the change in focus of One BBSCon
|
||
to One ISPCon, many of us dialup BBS system operators are feeling left
|
||
out of the loop with no where to go. Small Regional conventions and
|
||
gatherings, as well as other trade shows are still being discussed
|
||
though.
|
||
|
||
Information about the conventions, hotels, day trips, BOF get
|
||
togethers, special events and everything else can be posted here.
|
||
We're not worried about redundant postings either so you are
|
||
encouraged to share something that you might have read elsewhere.
|
||
|
||
Discussion of all BBS related conventions, whether professional or
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 8 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
amateur, is welcome in the echo. If you are planning a mini-con for
|
||
your area, you're welcome to discuss it here.
|
||
|
||
If interested please consider linking up and sharing this echo with
|
||
your users as well as fellow sysops.
|
||
|
||
AREANAME: BBSCON
|
||
DISTRIBUTION: BACKBONE
|
||
|
||
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|
||
|
||
And lastly, a new echo, still awaiting backbone status but of
|
||
importance to all of us as sysops and people concerned with making the
|
||
online experience even better!
|
||
|
||
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|
||
|
||
AOP Echo
|
||
--------
|
||
|
||
The Association of Online Professionals is YOUR Association and now
|
||
they've got an echo.
|
||
|
||
The conference is dedicated to issues that affect the management and
|
||
maintenance of online services. Hosted by members of the Association
|
||
of Online Professionals, it will present information and discussion
|
||
about legislation and regulation; marketing of BBSs and other online
|
||
services; customer service; system design and development; and news
|
||
and information about the AOP and benefits of membership.
|
||
|
||
Link to the AOP echo today for up-to-date information concerning your
|
||
hobby, avocation, vocation and/or chosen profession.
|
||
|
||
AREANAME: AOP
|
||
DISTRIBUTION: BACKBONE PENDING (Ask your NEC!)
|
||
|
||
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|
||
|
||
I hope to see you online!
|
||
|
||
Michele Stewart
|
||
(Moderator/Originator)
|
||
1:369/21
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
A Call For Programmers Of A New Common BBS Interface
|
||
by David Rye, 1:3649/10
|
||
|
||
Despite seeing all the ads listing Web pages for various companies,
|
||
despite being told that the internet is going to make all our lives
|
||
perfect, despite seeing how the days of the BBS are numbered... do all
|
||
of you really believe this?
|
||
|
||
I often wonder how thrilled with the new technology people will be
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 9 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
when they receive their first bill from a service provider; that is,
|
||
after Junior has discovered some Butt Bunnies From Beverly Hills web
|
||
page, and then used Dad's 14,400 baud to view all six-hundred photos
|
||
they have digitized on-line.
|
||
|
||
Back in the prehistoric times when I programmed for recreation, I
|
||
spent quite a bit of time writing tools for my BBS. Things to make
|
||
life easier for myself, or my users. Half of the time I would end up
|
||
writing something because I couldn't afford someone's $79 fee for
|
||
registering a program that sorted the file listings, or that allowed
|
||
the user to download a catalog of the echoes my BBS offered. Looking
|
||
back on the many things that I spent writing, I could have converted
|
||
that into something a little more useful had I just possessed an easy
|
||
means of writing something that would work with other systems. The
|
||
multiple formats for everything from file listings to message bases
|
||
prevented me from doing that without going to extraordinary means.
|
||
|
||
If the backyard BBS is really to provide something that will attract
|
||
the more novice users who expect to be able to do anything one hour
|
||
after setting the system up, then they must unite to provide a common,
|
||
easy, standardized format for the transmission of information. This
|
||
all sounds familiar, right? Well, instead of just sighing and shaking
|
||
our heads over each user that will never have the fun of signing onto
|
||
a local BBS, why can't some of us get together and start working on
|
||
some practical code that will allow a user to log onto a graphics
|
||
oriented system, even if said user couldn't find their mouse with two
|
||
hands and a flashlight?
|
||
|
||
With some of the more common tools available today, it shouldn't be so
|
||
hard to get something up and running; both in terms of a BBS, and a
|
||
user interface that could be given away to anyone that was willing to
|
||
take a disk. The use of something along the lines of Borland's Delphi
|
||
would allow much faster, much neater, and much more standardized code
|
||
amongst a group of persons interested in doing the aforementioned
|
||
task.
|
||
|
||
Why sit on our thumbs and bemoan the loss of users when one possible
|
||
solution is within our grasp if we are willing to put forth the
|
||
effort? Surely some of you remember the task of putting together a
|
||
BBS, trying to get compatible software to help you run it, and so
|
||
forth? If this process could be made invisible to the end user it
|
||
would make it much easier to go through those struggles again as a
|
||
whole new line of programs was started.
|
||
|
||
Instead of giving up, why not give it a try? We all did it before if
|
||
I remember correctly. Anyone that has an interest in trying to
|
||
develop new software with a published data format that will allow the
|
||
point and click, graphic based BBS is more than welcome to contact me
|
||
at my FidoNet address of 1:3649/10.
|
||
David Rye
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
Fredric Rice
|
||
The Skeptic Tank
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 10 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
(818) 335-9601
|
||
|
||
Clocking in on the "Just-when-you-thought-they-couldn't-
|
||
get-any-lower" port:
|
||
|
||
As most members of FidoNet and Internet know, the "church" of
|
||
Scientology has been engaged in a war against Internet and BBS
|
||
SysOps around the world in an attempt to silence both their
|
||
critics as well as those (usually ex-Scientologists) who
|
||
continually expose both the contents of and criminal activities
|
||
of the "church." The focus of their war against the networks
|
||
has always been alt.religion.scientology and, to a far smaller
|
||
extent, a few FidoNet forums, yet they have also tried to silence
|
||
critics out in the real world.
|
||
|
||
Time Magazine, the Washington Post, television news, and even
|
||
makers of Public Broadcasting documentaries which have exposed
|
||
the activities of the cult have been attacked, both in the
|
||
courts as well as physically in person. (Members of the cult
|
||
even vandalized the automobiles of PBS employees in an attempt
|
||
to silence them.)
|
||
|
||
In the past (as reported by newspapers and magazines around the
|
||
world) the cult has repeatedly tried to illegally remove the
|
||
alt.religion.scientology forum from Internet, forging messages
|
||
to do so. Additionally, unknown members of the cult have been
|
||
assigned ("Hatted" in the jargon of the cult) to systematically
|
||
forge cancellation messages of other participants' messages.
|
||
|
||
The latest low to which the cult had stooped to has been to try
|
||
to spam the forum with _thousands_ of pointless, meandering,
|
||
we've-seen-it-all-before propaganda messages daily.
|
||
|
||
Those who may be new to FidoNet or Internet might not know how
|
||
the two technologies are different. In FidoNet messages are
|
||
created on thousands of systems, collected and grouped by echo
|
||
tag, and sent to a series of centralized locations and messages
|
||
which are dropped into the datastream are not recallable by
|
||
the author.
|
||
|
||
On Internet, however, an individual may cancel a posting at a
|
||
later date which has the effect of requesting that all systems
|
||
which have the designated message identification number be
|
||
deleted. A system then has the option of removing the canceled
|
||
message or not.
|
||
|
||
Additionally, in FidoNet we employ AreaFix to turn on or turn
|
||
off subscribed echo forums whereas in Internet, a rmgroup is
|
||
sent to a centralized location to have the entire group removed
|
||
from all the mail servers which honor the rmgroup.
|
||
|
||
The last way in which the two are different is the control of
|
||
message spamming. In FidoNet a disruptive influence is quite
|
||
easily removed simply by asking the SysOp or the SysOp's
|
||
network coordinator to remove someone. (Unless said someone is
|
||
Steve Winter. <wink> <wink> )
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 11 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
Internet doesn't have that ability. Internet Service Providers
|
||
must be asked to remove a disruptive individual from a newsgroup
|
||
yet, if it's a commercial account, most ISP's don't _like_
|
||
removing someone from having access to newsgroups based simply
|
||
upon a rash of complaints filed against them. The primary
|
||
reason for not wishing to remove disruptive individuals seems
|
||
to be the cries of censorship which plagues ISPs these days.
|
||
(While America Online has no ethical or moral qualms against
|
||
imposing censorship, nearly every other ISP does to different
|
||
degrees.)
|
||
|
||
FidoNet and Internet do share a common problem with removing a
|
||
disruptive individual, however, and members of the Scientology
|
||
cult have been putting this failing into good use: Someone who
|
||
is ejected from a FidoNet newsgroup may simply locate another
|
||
system which carries the echo and thus continue to post until he
|
||
is once again ejected from that system. It then becomes an easy
|
||
exercise to go through a list of systems known to carry the
|
||
echo and an individual can live a long, long time -- provided
|
||
they are willing to expend the time, money, and effort.
|
||
|
||
The Scientology cult has been picking up free hours from a broad
|
||
spectrum of Internet Service Providers and posting thousands
|
||
upon thousands of messages -- until the ISP puts a stop to it
|
||
at which point another account is used on the same ISP for the
|
||
same network abuse or another ISP is used altogether.
|
||
|
||
The Scientology cult has drawn attention to itself around the
|
||
world, even prompting a report from Taz. Cornelius Krasel, U
|
||
Wuerzburg, (Dept. of Pharmacology, Versbacher Str. 9 D-97078
|
||
Wuerzburg, Germany, email:
|
||
<a href="mailto:phak004@rzbox.uni-wuerzburg.de">
|
||
phak004@rzbox.uni-wuerzburg.de </a>)
|
||
offered a translation of the article:
|
||
|
||
[the office]
|
||
Robots suffocate the discussion
|
||
|
||
Since several weeks, the usenet newsgroup
|
||
"alt.religion.scientology" is being flooded by anonymous
|
||
nonsense contributions.
|
||
|
||
Shouting down used to be not quite so easy: one needed a
|
||
majority on their side. It has become more convenient in
|
||
the Internet. The automatical electronic down-shouter
|
||
squashes any discussion - without any majority.
|
||
|
||
In the usenet group alt.religion.scientology followers and
|
||
adversaries of the science-fiction author, L. Ron Hubbard,
|
||
discuss enthusiastically about his odd teachings. Recently,
|
||
somebody has been trying to squash this discussion. His
|
||
method, "vertical spamming", is easy: in a short period of
|
||
time, a huge amount (in this case almost 10.000) of
|
||
meaningless, computer-generated messages are posted in the
|
||
group.
|
||
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 12 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
This is supposed to overload the computers, but especially
|
||
the participants of the discussion which have to work
|
||
themselves first through hundreds of robot-letters before
|
||
being able to read a sensible contribution. Unnerved, many
|
||
finish the discussion.
|
||
|
||
It is almost impossible for the net community to defend
|
||
itself against this kind of attack. The nonsense would have
|
||
to be sorted out by hand, short-lived throw-away accounts
|
||
hide the true originator. Nevertheless, the American Jon
|
||
Noring (noring@netcom.com) believes to have found the true
|
||
cause: the Church of Scientology itself. He has placed a
|
||
petition in the internet which is supposed to lead
|
||
Scientology to cease the spamming (to sign the petition,
|
||
send an empty email to petition-1@netcom.com until June
|
||
30th). Noring's clues for the sect's authorship: all the
|
||
jamming contributions are pro-scientology, nothing but short
|
||
excerpts from a Scientology publication, and all start with
|
||
the same introductory sentence which states that "a lot of
|
||
wrong information about Scientology is being distributed
|
||
in alt.religion.scientology".
|
||
|
||
When, some time ago, "secret" teaching documents of the sect
|
||
had been published on the net, Scientology had used similar
|
||
"throw-away-accounts" and normed texts to take the
|
||
publications back - why, Noring asks, remains the sect
|
||
silent this time, although large parts of the injected
|
||
postings contain a copyright mark? The silent approval would
|
||
speak for a participation of the money-greedy organization.
|
||
In addition, Noring thinks that Scientologists planned such
|
||
spamming for a long time - the secret plan can be found
|
||
in his directory at
|
||
|
||
<a href="ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/no/noring/spamplan.txt">
|
||
ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/no/noring/spamplan.txt
|
||
</a>
|
||
|
||
<a href="mailto:kuzmany@ifkw.uni-muenchen.de">
|
||
Stefan Kuzmany: kuzmany@ifkw.uni-muenchen.de
|
||
</a>
|
||
|
||
TAZ Nr. 4953 of 06/20/1996 page 12
|
||
Internet 77 lines
|
||
TAZ report Stefan Kuzmany
|
||
|
||
|
||
More information on the attack can be found at:
|
||
|
||
<a href="http://daemon.apana.org.au/~fjc/scn/spam.html">
|
||
Spam Information at
|
||
http://daemon.apana.org.au/~fjc/scn/spam.html
|
||
</a>
|
||
|
||
<a href="http://www.bway.net/~keith/spam/spam.htm">
|
||
More Spam Information at
|
||
http://www.bway.net/~keith/spam/spam.htm
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 13 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
</a>
|
||
|
||
|
||
It's important, I feel, to get a broad-spectrum exposure of what
|
||
is being done to Internet out into both FidoNet and the real
|
||
world as I can expect the success or failure of the attacks to
|
||
be an object lesson for others who might feel the need to
|
||
emulate the Scientology cult's activities. In FidoNet we have
|
||
yet to experience this level of attack -- we have safeguards.
|
||
|
||
Knowing what type of activities "hatted" members of the cult
|
||
are expected to engage in before hand will doubtless keep most
|
||
people from joining the cult. Knowing that technological fixes
|
||
for such abuse exists and that spamming to silence critics is
|
||
a futile and embarrassing prospect should also help to keep
|
||
this type of abuse down.
|
||
|
||
Spread the word.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
ECROC: Good, Bad, or Ugly
|
||
By Troy H. Cheek, 1:362/708.4
|
||
|
||
"The real world is what I see. The real world is what you see.
|
||
Strangely, they are never the same real worlds." -JMS of B5
|
||
|
||
Our good friend Bob Moravsik of 2606/583, in the guise of injecting
|
||
some reality into the ECROC discussion, basically tells us that
|
||
anybody who doesn't think ECROC is a good idea is some kind of
|
||
"immature" "control freak." As someome who thinks ECROC is a good
|
||
idea with a bad implementation, I guess that makes me a *mature*
|
||
control freak. :-)
|
||
|
||
Bob also tells us that moderators exist only to serve the posters.
|
||
This is certainly true, from a certain point of view. Civil servants
|
||
such as the police exist only to serve the populace. However, this
|
||
doesn't mean that if you don't like a particular law and want it
|
||
changed, you can ignore the police in the meantime.
|
||
|
||
Bob says that ECROC "doesn't put a router in the position of judging."
|
||
Sorry, but that's _exactly_ what it does. 'Here, Mr. Router, take
|
||
these rules and these messages from an echo you probably have no
|
||
experience with and tell me this person doesn't deserve to have his
|
||
access cut.' That isn't judging?
|
||
|
||
Bob says that ECROC "stops the Robbins/Winter/Johnstone/Milner/Degan
|
||
mentaility of making up rules as you go and enforcing them unequally.
|
||
He left out Gerber/Benge/Frezberg. And me, I guess, since I've been
|
||
compared to some of these for engaging in such sandbox antics like
|
||
reminding users that profanity is not allowed, such marble-grabbing
|
||
tactics as asking that off-topic conversations be moved to other
|
||
echoes, or the big-frog-in-a-small-pond horror of disallowing personal
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 14 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
attacks. I'm also supposedly on the receiving end of a civil rights
|
||
suit for interfering with a poster's right to Free Speech, and there's
|
||
reportedly a 20-sysop team in Canada working furiously to get my right
|
||
to be a moderator revoked.
|
||
|
||
"All" ECROC requires, Bob says is that the moderator produce:
|
||
|
||
1. The text of the rule that was broken
|
||
|
||
if your echo even has written rules, or rules more specific than "play
|
||
nice and stay on topic." A crooked moderator could easily write a
|
||
rule later and claim it was in effect when a certain message was
|
||
posted. A crooked poster could claim the moderator did just that. A
|
||
moderator could still selectively enforce rules by only attempting to
|
||
cut feeds to certain posters, or even writing rules that only affect
|
||
certain posters.
|
||
|
||
2. The message(s) that broke the rules
|
||
|
||
if you keep copies of every message posted in the echo, never have a
|
||
floppy eaten, and never have a hard drive crash. A crooked moderator
|
||
could fake messages. A crooked poster could claim the messages were
|
||
faked by the moderator or someone else.
|
||
|
||
3. Two netmail warnings
|
||
|
||
that you can't prove the poster ever received. A crooked moderator
|
||
could write warnings after the fact, or write them and never send
|
||
them. A crooked poster could claim he never received them. With
|
||
routed netmail being as unreliable as it is and some systems not
|
||
accepting "crashed" messages, who's to say?
|
||
|
||
4. The text of messages that show that a person has ignored the
|
||
warnings
|
||
|
||
that he claims he never received or were even sent. See above.
|
||
|
||
I don't know where Bob got statistics that say that "[q]uite often a
|
||
request to cut a link is done in the heat of a strong debate." Do
|
||
you?
|
||
|
||
I won't argue that ECROC wouldn't at least slow down most of the
|
||
excessive moderators, possibly stopping many. I will argue, however,
|
||
that it will hamstring the efforts of many honest moderators who want
|
||
nothing more than to keep things running reasonably smoothly.
|
||
|
||
I mean, take the not unreasonable hypothetical situation of a sysop
|
||
connecting to an echo and immediately begin uplinking a dozen
|
||
objectionable messages a day. Maybe it's commercial advertisements,
|
||
totally off-topic rants, personal attacks, or accounts of sexual
|
||
escapades so raunchy that even your oversexed brother is blushing.
|
||
|
||
What then? If I'm reading ECROC right, and I invite anyone to point
|
||
out where I might be getting it wrong, I'd first have to make sure the
|
||
rules of the echo didn't allow these posts. Then I'd have to netmail
|
||
a warning. After a suitable amount of time to see if the warning was
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 15 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
heeded, I'd have to send a second. Again after waiting a suitable
|
||
amount of time, I'd netmail his router with a link cut request, a copy
|
||
of the rules, and a sample of the offending material. Then I have to
|
||
wait a few days while the router judges the validity of my request.
|
||
If he rules against me, I have to start the same process all over
|
||
again with him...
|
||
|
||
We're talking a *minimum* here of a couple of weeks, and possibly a
|
||
couple of months, of the echo being disrupted. Without ECROC, it's a
|
||
matter of a few days.
|
||
|
||
But enough of that. As I said above, I think ECROC is a good idea,
|
||
but don't care for the current proposed implementation. In order that
|
||
ECROC properly serve all the affected parties, I'd like to suggest the
|
||
following changes:
|
||
|
||
1) Until ECROC is approved and becomes mandatory, consider it null
|
||
and void. Some systems living by ECROC while others ignore it
|
||
will only add to the confusion.
|
||
|
||
2) ECROC must recognize that the job of moderating an echo falls on
|
||
the moderator, and not on routers or sysops or end users.
|
||
|
||
3) Initial link cut requests, once confirmed as genuine, must be
|
||
honored immediately.
|
||
|
||
4) Cut links will have, say, two weeks to appeal the link cut order
|
||
to the router, who will of course contact the moderator. *Then*
|
||
they can debate rules and violations and warnings. Within a
|
||
reasonable amount of time (say, a month or so) the links will be
|
||
restored, or not, as the case may be.
|
||
|
||
The upshot of my suggestions is that, unlike the current proposed
|
||
ECROC, disruptive posters don't get to continue posting disruptive
|
||
messages while the moderator tries to prove that they are indeed being
|
||
disruptive. However, those who were cut unfairly still get a chance
|
||
to tell their side and get reinstated.
|
||
|
||
Finally, Bob quotes that "You are well within your right to refuse to
|
||
cut a link..." Again, only if the router is asked to serve as the
|
||
judge of the rightness of the moderator's request is this true.
|
||
|
||
Later,
|
||
Troy
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
Zone 7 Flame will get international?
|
||
|
||
Mikhail Ramendik
|
||
2:5020/230.4, ramen@pccross.msk.su
|
||
|
||
When I got my first Fidonet Point Address back in Fall '93, the
|
||
sysop echos were full of flame about Zone 7. It ended quietly
|
||
when the Moderators became tired of the wars and declared them off
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 16 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
topic.
|
||
|
||
I was a newbie then. And it was much of a surprise to me when I saw
|
||
the leaders of the factions peacefully drinking beer together...
|
||
|
||
Now the flame is gone, and the Zone 7 proponents have established an
|
||
othernet which they believe to be the start of a new zone. The
|
||
opponents just don't take it seriously. The matter is gone. Or WAS -
|
||
until the #29 of Fidonews, which proposed Zone 7 over again!
|
||
|
||
Will the flame come back in the snoozie? We shall see... I'm only a
|
||
Point anyway, and I can probably get an FTPoint even in z1 if really
|
||
needed (perhaps I'll try it in the fall). I can just stay away and
|
||
not care. Let the big guys fight. Just you wait until they return
|
||
from vacations...
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 17 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
FIDONET HISTORY
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
|
||
FidoNet History 20 Aug 85
|
||
by Tom Jennings and others
|
||
|
||
This is Part Two in the history of FidoNet. It turned out that
|
||
the original FIDOHIST.DOC (now called FIDOHIST.DC1, or just "Part
|
||
One") was useful, and many people read it. Unfortunately, by the time
|
||
everyone read it, it became totally obsolete. Oh well. Here is Part
|
||
Two.
|
||
|
||
FIDOHIST.DOC covered the early history of FidoNet, why it was
|
||
done, how it was done, and the reasons for the organization and
|
||
obscure rituals surrounding node numbers. If you haven't read it yet,
|
||
I suggest you do now, because I'll probably refer to things that won't
|
||
make any sense otherwise.
|
||
|
||
The original FidoNet was organized very simply; each FidoNet
|
||
system (each node) had a number that served like a phone number,
|
||
uniquely identifying it. The NODELIST, generated by the folks in St.
|
||
Louis that had all FidoNet nodes in it, contains information on all
|
||
known FidoNet systems. Every system in FidoNet had a current copy of
|
||
the NODELIST, which served as the directory of systems.
|
||
|
||
(In the interests of brevity I'm leaving out huge amounts of
|
||
information; I hope you have read FIODHIST.DOC by now ...)
|
||
|
||
FidoNet has been growing steadily since it started by accident
|
||
in May 84 or so. The node list continued to get out of hand; the
|
||
original FIDOHIST.DOC was written to try and help smooth things out.
|
||
It is impossible to overemphasize the amount of work involved in
|
||
keeping the node list accurate. Basically, the guys in St. Louis were
|
||
keeping track of hundreds of FidoNet systems in Boston, Los Angeles,
|
||
London, Stockholm and Sweden, and publishing the results weekly. There
|
||
has never been such a comprehensive and accurate list of bulletin
|
||
board systems generated.
|
||
|
||
|
||
We talked for many months as to how we could possibly find a
|
||
solution to the many problems; it was at the point where if a solution
|
||
was not found in a few months (by Aug. 85 or so) that FidoNet would
|
||
collapse due to the sheer weight of it's node list.
|
||
|
||
The newsletter, FidoNews, was, and still is, an integral part
|
||
of the process of FidoNet. FidoNews is the only thing that unites all
|
||
FidoNet sysops consistently; please keep up to date on it, and stock
|
||
it for your users if you have the disk space. And contribute if you
|
||
can!
|
||
|
||
There were many constraints on the kind of things we could do;
|
||
we had no money, so it had to be done for zero cost. Centralization
|
||
was out, so obviously localization was in; just how to do it was a
|
||
total unknown. We thought of going back to having people in different
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 18 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
areas handle new node requests in their area, but that always
|
||
generated confusion as to who a person should go to, how to avoided
|
||
having someone requesting a node number from different people
|
||
simultaneously, etc., etc.
|
||
|
||
The old method of routing was very different than the current
|
||
method, and much more complex; instead of Fido automatically routing
|
||
to hosts, each sysop had to specify (via the ROUTE.BBS file) how all
|
||
routing was done in the system. The was done originally by hand, later
|
||
by John Warren's (102/31) NODELIST program.
|
||
|
||
Then of course there was the problem that no matter what we
|
||
did, it would not be done overnight. (ha ha.) It would take many weeks
|
||
at the least, possibly months, so that whatever we did had to be
|
||
compatible with the old method as well.
|
||
|
||
We went through probably hundreds of ideas in the next few
|
||
months, some possibly useful, some insane. Eventually the insanity
|
||
boiled down to a pretty workable system. We chatted by FidoNet and by
|
||
voice telephone. Eventually, we settled on the two part number scheme,
|
||
like the phone company does with area codes and exchanges. It
|
||
accommodated backwards compatibility (you can keep your present node
|
||
number) and the new "area code" (net number) could be added into an
|
||
existing field that had been set to zero. (This is why everyone was
|
||
originally part of net #1).
|
||
|
||
|
||
When a fortunate set of circumstances was to bring Ezra
|
||
Shapiro and me to St. Louis to speak to the McDonnell Douglas
|
||
Recreational Computer Club on XXXX 11th, we planned ahead for a
|
||
national FidoNet sysops meeting that weekend. Ken and Sally Kaplan
|
||
were kind enough to tolerate having all of us in their living room.
|
||
|
||
The people who showed up were (need that list) The meeting
|
||
lasted ten continuous hours; it was the most productive meeting I (and
|
||
most others) had attended. When we were done, we had basically the
|
||
whole thing laid out in every detail.
|
||
|
||
We stuck with the area code business (now known as net and
|
||
region numbers) and worked out how to break things up into regions and
|
||
nets. It was just one of those rare but fortunate events; during the
|
||
morning things went "normally", but in the afternoon solutions fell
|
||
into place one by one, so that by late afternoon we had the entire
|
||
picture laid out in black and white. Two or three months of
|
||
brainstorming just flowed smoothly into place in one afternoon ...
|
||
|
||
What we had done was exactly what we have now, though we
|
||
changed the name of "Admin" to "Region", and added the "alternate"
|
||
node and net numbers. (We still seem to be stuck with that terrible
|
||
and inaccurate word, "manager". Any ideas?) I previously had a buggy
|
||
test hack running using area codes, and the week after the meeting it
|
||
was made to conform to what we had talked about that Saturday.
|
||
|
||
When version 10C was done, it accomplished more or less
|
||
everything we wanted, but it sure did take a long time. 10C was
|
||
probably the single largest change ever made to Fido/FidoNet, and the
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 19 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
most thoroughly tested version. At 10M, there are STILL bugs left from
|
||
that early version, in spite of the testing.
|
||
|
||
Once the testing got serious, and it looked like we had a
|
||
shippable version, St. Louis froze the node list, and started slicing
|
||
it into pieces, to give to the soon-to-be net and region managers.
|
||
(That word again.) This caused a tremendous amount of trouble for
|
||
would-be sysops; not only was it difficult enough to figure out how on
|
||
earth to get a node number, once they did they were told node numbers
|
||
weren't being given out just yet. Explaining why was even harder,
|
||
since FIDOHIST.DC2 (ahem) wasn't written yet. (I have to agree, this
|
||
thing is a little bit late) It was a typical case of those who already
|
||
knew were informed constantly of updates, but those in the dark had a
|
||
hard time. Things were published fairly regularly (am I remembering
|
||
"conveniently" or "accurately" on this part?)
|
||
|
||
Eventually, 10C was released, and seemed to work fairly well,
|
||
ignoring all the small scale disasters due to bugs, etc. We couldn't
|
||
just swap over to the new area code business until very close to 100%
|
||
of all Fidos were using the new version. This was (for me) an
|
||
excruciating period, basically a "hurry up and wait" situation. There
|
||
had not been a node list release for a month or two, and for all
|
||
practical purposes it looked like FidoNet had halted ...
|
||
|
||
Finally, on June 12th, we all swapped over to the new system;
|
||
that afternoon, sysops were to set their net number (it had been "1"
|
||
for backwards compatibility), copy in the new node list issued just
|
||
for this occasion, and go. I assumed the result was going to be
|
||
perpetual chaos, bringing about the collapse of FidoNet. Almost the
|
||
exact opposite was true; things went very smoothly (yes, there were
|
||
problems, but when you consider that FidoNet consists of
|
||
microcomputers owned by almost 300 people who had never even talked to
|
||
each other ...)
|
||
|
||
Within a month or so, just about every Fido had swapped over
|
||
to the area code, or net/node architecture. With a few exceptions,
|
||
things went very smoothly. No one was more surprised than pessimistic
|
||
I. At this time, August, I don't think there is a single system still
|
||
using the old node number method.
|
||
|
||
This is all well and fine as far as the software goes, but it
|
||
made a mess for new sysops. For us sysops who have been around for a
|
||
while, there was no great problem, as we saw the changes happen one by
|
||
one. However, new sysops frequently came out of the blue; armed with a
|
||
diskette full of code, they attempted to set up a FidoNet node.
|
||
|
||
Actually, I don't understand how anyone does it. The
|
||
information needed is not recorded in any place that a non sysop could
|
||
find. On top of that, most of it is now totally wrong! If you follow
|
||
the original instructions, it said "call Fido #1 ..." if you found a
|
||
real antique, or "call Fido #51 ..." if it is more current. Of course
|
||
now it tells you to find your region manager. "Region manager???"
|
||
Well, a list of region managers was published in FidoNews, but unless
|
||
you read FidoNews, how does anyone ever find out? I'll probably never
|
||
know.
|
||
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 20 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
ANYWAYS ... the original reason for all the changes was to
|
||
DECENTRALIZE FidoNet. It just wasn't possible for Ken Kaplan to keep
|
||
accurate, up to date information on every Fido in the US and Europe.
|
||
The decentralization has been more or less a total success. The number
|
||
of problems introduced were negligible compared to the problems
|
||
solved, and even most new problems are by this time solved.
|
||
|
||
It is interesting to note that with the hundreds of systems
|
||
there are today, the national FidoNet hour is less crowded than it was
|
||
when there were only 50 nodes.
|
||
|
||
Please, keep in mind that no one has done anything like this
|
||
before, we are all winging it, and learning (hopefully) as we go.
|
||
Please be patient with problems, none of us is paid to do this, and it
|
||
is more and more work as time goes on. Somehow it seems to all get
|
||
done ...
|
||
|
||
HOW TO GET A NODE NUMBER AND ALL THAT
|
||
|
||
This is by necessity a very general idea of how it's done, and
|
||
you were warned earlier that this may be obsolete this very minute;
|
||
with that, here's the "current" process for starting up a new FidoNet
|
||
node.
|
||
|
||
You can of course skip all or part of this if you've done this
|
||
before; if you haven't, well, be prepared for a lot of searching and
|
||
asking questions.
|
||
|
||
Of course, you need to have your Fido BBS system running
|
||
first. It's probably best that you play with it for a while, and get
|
||
some experience with how it all works, and whether you have the
|
||
patience to run a BBS. It can get exasperating, and you will never
|
||
find time to use the computer ever again.
|
||
|
||
Obtain the most recent copy of the nodelist possible; this may
|
||
take some searching. If you get totally lost, you can always contact
|
||
Fido 125/1 or Fido 100/51; though these are very busy systems, they
|
||
both usually have the very latest of anything, and can direct you to
|
||
the right place.
|
||
|
||
The big problem here is to find out if you are in a net or
|
||
not, and if not, then who your region manager is. If you are in a
|
||
large city (Los Angeles, Cincinnati, etc) then there is probably a net
|
||
in your area. Look through the node list (use the N)odebook command in
|
||
Fido, or a text editor) for the right area code or city.
|
||
|
||
If there is no net in your area, then you are part of a
|
||
region. This is a little harder, because regions are large, and
|
||
sometimes cover many states. Look at all the regions in the node list,
|
||
you should find a region that fits you.
|
||
|
||
Once you find this, you have to contact the net or region
|
||
manager to get your node number. Exactly how this is done depends on
|
||
who the manager is, and how sticky they are for details. A near
|
||
universal requirement is that you send your request via FidoNet, not
|
||
by manually; this isn't done to make your life difficult, but to
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 21 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
ensure that your system is really working right. IF you manage to get
|
||
a FidoNet message to the manager, its usually safe to assume that
|
||
you're system is working OK. If you get a reply in return, then you
|
||
know both directions work.
|
||
|
||
It is usually each sysops' responsibility to go get the latest
|
||
nodelist and newsletters; they are not distributed to all systems
|
||
because of the expense. (Though, I'm trying to get them distributed to
|
||
more places than they are now, it's sometimes very difficult to get a
|
||
copy of the nodelist!)
|
||
|
||
Again, read the FidoNews newsletter regularly; it is about the
|
||
only way to stay in contact with the rest of the net. Programs,
|
||
problems, services, bugs and interesting announcements can always be
|
||
found there. FidoNews articles don't come out of thin air; send in
|
||
anything you think might be of interest. They don't have to be
|
||
lifetime masterpieces, or even well written.
|
||
|
||
Please remember the entire network is made of the sysops;
|
||
there is no central location from which good things come, the net
|
||
consists entirely of the sysops and their contributions. If you don't
|
||
do it, chances are no one else will!
|
||
|
||
Tom Jennings
|
||
20 Aug 85
|
||
|
||
Ken Kaplan Fido 100/51 314/432-4129
|
||
Tom Jennings Fido 125/1 415/864-1418
|
||
Ben Baker Fido 100/10 314/234-1462
|
||
|
||
[end of Part 2 of 3]
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 22 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
COORDINATORS CORNER
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
|
||
Nodelist-statistics as seen from Zone-2 for day 208
|
||
By Ward Dossche, 2:292/854
|
||
ZC/2
|
||
|
||
The table below depicts the growth of the world nodelist as
|
||
seen through the eyes of someone in Zone-2. Delays in pro-
|
||
cessing inbound zone-segments are possible.
|
||
|
||
Administrative entries as well as Pvt, Hold and Down are ommitted.
|
||
Percentages have been rounded.
|
||
|
||
This article is produced by auto cut-and-paste of outputs from
|
||
T-NSTAT by Bo Bendtsen, ROBO 0.37 by Tom Kashuba and GW-BASIC 3.20
|
||
(C) Microsoft 1986 and MS-DOS 6.22 (C) MicroSoft 1994. It will
|
||
automatically be produced on a weekly basis.
|
||
|
||
+----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+
|
||
|Zone|Nl.180|Nodelist.187|Nodelist.194|Nodelist.201|Nodelist.208|%%|
|
||
+----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+
|
||
| 1 | 13286| 13177 -109| 13105 -72| 12910 -195| 12799 -111|40|
|
||
| 2 | 16539| 16497 -42| 16551 54| 16536 -15| 16520 -16|51|
|
||
| 3 | 1066| 1066 0| 1046 -20| 1029 -17| 1029 0| 3|
|
||
| 4 | 648| 648 0| 656 8| 643 -13| 644 1| 2|
|
||
| 5 | 112| 112 0| 112 0| 112 0| 112 0| 0|
|
||
| 6 | 1228| 1228 0| 1228 0| 1228 0| 1018 -210| 3|
|
||
+----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+
|
||
| 32879| 32728 -151| 32698 -30| 32458 -240| 32122 -336|
|
||
+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 23 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
NET HUMOR
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
|
||
--- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:374/14 ---
|
||
By Christopher Baker on Wed Jul 24 15:57:25 1996
|
||
|
||
From: Michael McCabe @ 1:297/11
|
||
To: Christopher Baker @ 1:374/14
|
||
Date: 20 Jul 96 15:26:50
|
||
Subj: Olympics
|
||
============================================
|
||
* Original to : All
|
||
* Forwarded on : Jul 24 96 at 06:21
|
||
* Forwarded from: 14_REC
|
||
* Forwarded by : Mike Riddle
|
||
============================================
|
||
|
||
Greetings All!
|
||
|
||
F I D O N E W S -- | Vol. 9 No. 32 (10 August 1992)
|
||
|
||
Welcome to the FidoNet Olympics
|
||
by Dave Bealer (1:261/1129)
|
||
|
||
The echoes are kind of quiet these days. Maybe everyone is glued
|
||
to the Olympics Triplecast. For those of us that aren't, why not have
|
||
our own Olympics on FidoNet? Here is a summary of suggested events:
|
||
|
||
|
||
}} Local BBS Events {{
|
||
|
||
>> 14.4K Protocol Negotiation <<
|
||
The winner is the first user who can stay awake during the entire
|
||
protocol negotiation sequence between a V.32bis modem and a tin can.
|
||
|
||
>> 110-step Registration Hurdles <<
|
||
The gold medal goes to the user who completes the "simple"
|
||
registration procedure in the shortest time. Contestants are advised
|
||
not to wear glasses or contacts while competing in this event, as they
|
||
might interfere with the online laser retina scan.
|
||
|
||
>> Modern Hexadecimalon <<
|
||
Competitors attempt to break 16 different FidoNet policies and/or
|
||
draconian local sysop rules in a single logon session.
|
||
|
||
>> Download Ratio Balance Beam <<
|
||
Users attempt daring massive downloads without (hopefully) losing
|
||
their download privileges.
|
||
|
||
>> Door Exercises <<
|
||
The gold goes to the user who can enter and play the most door games
|
||
in a 45 minute logon session.
|
||
|
||
>> Echolocation <<
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 24 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
The winner is the user who can find the echo he is looking for in the
|
||
fewest BBS accesses.
|
||
|
||
|
||
}} Echomail Events {{
|
||
|
||
>> Verbal Gymnastics <<
|
||
You won't believe how these competitors can twist and turn the English
|
||
language into almost unrecognizable shapes.
|
||
|
||
>> Greco-Roman Thread Wrestling <<
|
||
Wrestling for control over the direction an echo conference thread
|
||
will take. Moderators are ineligible for this event.
|
||
|
||
>> Marathon Messaging <<
|
||
Contestants enter 75 messages in a single echo in one session. Each
|
||
message must have at least three lines and at least one line must be
|
||
original (not quoted). The one who enters the 75 messages in the
|
||
shortest time wins. Penalties will be assessed for each message which
|
||
actually pertains to the topic of the echo. The use of offline
|
||
readers is prohibited.
|
||
|
||
>> Power Quoting <<
|
||
The winner will have made the longest continual quotation with the
|
||
shortest vaguely pertinent reply. The current world record is 382
|
||
lines of quotes with a five word reply.
|
||
|
||
>> Tagline Topping <<
|
||
Medals are awarded in the following categories: Annoying, Childish,
|
||
Funny, Gross and Stupid. There is also a special all-around medal for
|
||
the tagline which best combines all five attributes.
|
||
|
||
>> Volley Message <<
|
||
The gold medal goes to the first pair of correspondents who nest their
|
||
quotes so deeply that the leading initials force the message text off
|
||
the screen entirely.
|
||
|
||
>> Platform Diving <<
|
||
Each contestant ascends to the soapbox and attempts to make insulting
|
||
comments about everyone and everything in FidoNet. Timing is
|
||
critical, as the competitor must dive off the platform before his/her
|
||
access to the net is revoked.
|
||
|
||
>> Heavyweight Ego Lifting <<
|
||
In this event the posturing which procedes the lift can be more
|
||
important than the lift itself.
|
||
|
||
>> Full Contact Flaming <<
|
||
What would a FidoNet Olympics be without its symbol, the flame?
|
||
|
||
|
||
}} Sysop Events {{
|
||
|
||
>> 5 MB Packet Toss <<
|
||
The gold medal goes to the Sysop whose system can dearchive, toss,
|
||
sort, link and julienne a 5 MB mail packet in the shortest time.
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 25 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
>> Echo Looping <<
|
||
The winner is the Sysop who can cause the most dup-loops in the most
|
||
different echoes in one day of operation.
|
||
|
||
>> Synchronized Polling <<
|
||
The winning Sysop pair will be the one whose systems synchronize
|
||
their polls to each other the longest (without getting through).
|
||
|
||
***
|
||
|
||
After the events are over everyone will be hanging out at the Olympic
|
||
Village BBS, chatting online about the competitors who failed their
|
||
drug tests. And we won't have parted with $125 for the privilege.
|
||
--------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Later...MM...
|
||
(nazz@tri-lakes.net)
|
||
|
||
Origin: Golden Country* on Bull Shoals Lake, Missouri (1:297/11)
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
Could this happen to YOU?
|
||
By Unknown
|
||
|
||
Dear John [Mary].....
|
||
|
||
To my darling Husband [Wife].
|
||
|
||
I am sending you this letter in a bogus software company envelope
|
||
so that you will be sure to read it. Please forgive the deception,
|
||
but I thought you should know what has been going on at home since
|
||
your Node Coordinator position entered our lives two years ago.
|
||
|
||
The children are doing well. Tommy is seven now and is a bright,
|
||
handsome boy. He has developed quite an interest in the arts. He
|
||
drew a family portrait for a school project. All the likenesses were
|
||
good but yours was excellent! The chair and the back of your head are
|
||
very realistic. You would be very proud of him.
|
||
|
||
Little Jennifer turned three in September. She looks a lot like
|
||
you did at that age. She is an attractive child and quite smart. She
|
||
still remembers that you spent the whole afternoon with her on her
|
||
birthday. What a grand day for Jen, despite the fact that it was
|
||
stormy and the electricity was out.
|
||
|
||
I am also doing well. I went blond [met a blond] about a year ago
|
||
and was delighted to discover that it really is more fun!
|
||
|
||
Lars [Laura] , I mean Mr. [Ms.] Swenson, my department head, has
|
||
taken an interest in my career and has become a good friend to us all.
|
||
I have discovered that the household chores are much easier since I
|
||
realized that you don't mind being vacuumed but that feather dusting
|
||
made you sneeze.
|
||
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 26 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
The house is in good shape. I had the living room painted last
|
||
Spring. I'm not sure if you noticed it. I made sure the painters cut
|
||
air holes in the drop cloth so you wouldn't be disturbed.
|
||
|
||
Well, my dear, I must be going. Uncle [Aunt] Lars [Laura], Mr.
|
||
[Ms.] Swenson, I mean, is taking us all on a ski trip and there will
|
||
be packing to do. I have hired a housekeeper to take care of things
|
||
while we are away. She'll keep things in order, fill your coffee cup,
|
||
and bring meals to your desk, - just the way you like it. I hope you
|
||
and the computer have a lovely time while we are gone. Tommy, Jen and
|
||
I will think of you often. Try to remember us while your Nodelists
|
||
are compiling.
|
||
|
||
Love, Mary [John]
|
||
(Your Wife) (Your Husband)
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 27 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
|
||
FidoNews has been publishing for over ten years. Except for a few
|
||
missed Issues, that's close to 600 Issues.
|
||
|
||
The Question of the Week is:
|
||
|
||
Does anyone have ALL the FidoNews Issues in one place and if so,
|
||
WHERE is that place and are they all available for file-request
|
||
or download or ftp via the InterNet?
|
||
|
||
Respond to FidoNews or via Netmail or in the FIDONEWS Echo now
|
||
available on the Zone 1 Backbone and in Zones 2 and 3 last I heard.
|
||
|
||
Thanks.
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 28 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
NOTICES
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
Future History
|
||
|
||
|
||
1 Aug 1996
|
||
Confederation Day, Switzerland
|
||
|
||
15 Aug 1996
|
||
Liberation Day, South Korea
|
||
|
||
28 Sep 1996
|
||
Confucius' Birthday.
|
||
|
||
29 Oct 1996
|
||
Republic Day, Turkey.
|
||
|
||
5 Nov 1996
|
||
Election day, U.S.A.
|
||
|
||
5 Nov 1996
|
||
Guy Fawkes Day, England.
|
||
|
||
1 Dec 1996
|
||
Thirteen Anniversary of release of Fido version 1 by Tom Jennings.
|
||
|
||
19 Dec 1996
|
||
Gallileo takes close-ups of Europa to resolution
|
||
of 20 meters at the equator.
|
||
|
||
26 Jan 1997
|
||
Australia Day, Australia.
|
||
|
||
16 Feb 1997
|
||
Eleventh Anniversary of invention of Echomail by Jeff Rush.
|
||
|
||
26 Jul 1997
|
||
FidoNews Editor turns 48.
|
||
|
||
6 Dec 1997
|
||
Gallileo takes close-ups of Europa to resolution
|
||
of 11 meters at the north pole.
|
||
|
||
|
||
If you have something which you would like to see in this
|
||
Future History, please send a note to the FidoNews Editor.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
Notice to UK Contributors
|
||
Damian Walker, 2:2502/666
|
||
|
||
If you are in the UK and you wish to contribute to FidoNews, you are
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 29 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
welcome to drop your FidoNews articles at Centurion (2:2502/666).
|
||
These articles will be forwarded to the FidoNews editor early each
|
||
Saturday morning (around 0530 GMT).
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 30 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
|
||
[this must be copied out to a file starting at column 1 or
|
||
it won't process under PGP as a valid public-key]
|
||
|
||
|
||
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||
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||
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|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 31 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
FIDONEWS INFORMATION
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
|
||
|
||
Editor: Christopher Baker
|
||
|
||
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell,
|
||
Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar,
|
||
Tom Jennings, Sylvia Maxwell,
|
||
Donald Tees
|
||
|
||
"FidoNews Editor"
|
||
FidoNet 1:1/23
|
||
BBS 1-407-383-1372, 300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(ds)
|
||
|
||
more addresses:
|
||
Christopher Baker -- 1:374/14, cbaker84@digital.net
|
||
cbak.rights@opus.global.org
|
||
|
||
(Postal Service mailing address)
|
||
FidoNews Editor
|
||
P.O. Box 5921
|
||
Titusville, FL 32783-5921
|
||
U.S.A.
|
||
|
||
|
||
voice: 1-407-264-2994 [1400-2100 ET only, please]
|
||
[1800-0100 UTC/GMT]
|
||
|
||
------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews is 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 1996 Christopher Baker. All rights reserved. Duplication
|
||
and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For
|
||
use in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or
|
||
the editor.
|
||
|
||
OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue of FidoNews in electronic
|
||
form may be obtained from the FidoNews Editor via manual download or
|
||
file-request, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
|
||
PRINTED COPIES may be obtained by sending SASE to the above postal
|
||
address. File-request FIDONEWS for the current Issue. File-request
|
||
FNEWS for the current month in one archive. Or file-request specific
|
||
back Issue filenames in distribution format [FNEWSDnn.LZH] for a
|
||
particular Issue. Monthly Volumes are available as FNWSmmmy.ZIP
|
||
where mmm = three letter month [JAN - DEC] and y = last digit of the
|
||
FIDONEWS 13-31 Page 32 29 Jul 1996
|
||
|
||
|
||
current year [6], i.e., FNWSMAY6.ZIP for all the Issues from May 96.
|
||
|
||
INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via:
|
||
|
||
http://www.fidonet.org/fidonews.htm
|
||
ftp://ftp.fidonet.org/pub/fidonet/fidonews/
|
||
|
||
Anyone interested in getting a copy of the INTERNET GATEWAY FAQ may
|
||
file-request GISFAQ.ZIP from 1:133/411.0, or send an internet message
|
||
to fidofaq@gisatl.fidonet.org. No message or text or subject is
|
||
necessary. The address is a keyword that will trigger the automated
|
||
response. People wishing to send inquiries directly to David Deitch
|
||
should now mail to fidonet@gisatl.fidonet.org rather than the
|
||
previously listed address.
|
||
|
||
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 Editor, or file-requestable
|
||
from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". ALL Zone Coordinators also have
|
||
copies of ARTSPEC.DOC. Please read it.
|
||
|
||
"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
|
||
trademarks of Tom Jennings, and are used with permission.
|
||
|
||
"Disagreement is actually necessary,
|
||
or we'd all have to get in fights
|
||
or something to amuse ourselves
|
||
and create the requisite chaos."
|
||
-Tom Jennings
|
||
|
||
-30-
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|