51 lines
2.8 KiB
Plaintext
51 lines
2.8 KiB
Plaintext
FidoNet
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The First BBS Electronic Mail System
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by Tony Clark
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FidoNet is one of the most interesting features of the Fido
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Bulletin Board System. Tom Jennings, the author of the Fido BBS
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and FidoNet network has created a sophisticated yet easy to use
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electronic mail system. Simply stated the FidoNet network allows
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users on one BBS to send and receive messages from users of other
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BBSes located anywhere in the world!
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It works like this. You call your local Fido bulletin board, log-
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on and go to the FidoNet message area. You enter a message, as
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you normally would in any other message area except that you are
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asked for the Fido system or systems that you want to send the
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message to. Next you enter your message and terminate it as
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usual. Later that night, the Fido BBS shuts down according to a
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prearranged schedule and begins processing mail. Processing mail
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consists of assembling packets, dialing the phone number and
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transmitting the data to another Fido BBS. At the same time the
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local Fido `listens' for incomming mail messages. At the end of
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the mail period FidoNet returns controll to the Fido BBS and
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allows users to log-on again.
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All well and good, you say but what can I do with this? Well for
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starters Fido can send messages to over 100 other FidoNet systems
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nationwide. All you do is enter a single message and a list of
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the nodes that you want it sent to and presto! You have
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communicated with large number of BBS users with relativley
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little effort. Secondly, FidoNet can do this in a very cost
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effective manner. The cost for a user to call each BBS, log on
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and enter the message prohibits many users from doing this. The
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cost of sending a FidoNet message is controlled by the sysop and
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usually ranges from 0 to 25 cents per message. Far cheaper than a
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single phone call to an out of state BBS. Also FidoNet can
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operate at 1200 baud, so if you are using a 300 baud modem you
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have decreased your connect time by a factor of four. Lastly
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FidoNet has the capability of transmitting files as well as
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messages. Now you can distribute the latest copy of your favorite
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program to other users all across the United States.
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To sum it up, FidoNet allows you to reach out and communicate
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with a large number of computer users at a reasonable cost. In
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many cases the cost of sending a message is free! So the next
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time you have a peculiar problem that you can't seem to get an
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answer to, or you are looking for a particular file to help you
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perform some difficult task, send a message to several other
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Fido BBSes via FidoNet mail. I am sure that you will be suprised
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and pleased with the results.
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