965 lines
45 KiB
Plaintext
965 lines
45 KiB
Plaintext
Volume 5, Number 18 2 May 1988
|
||
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
| _ |
|
||
| / \ |
|
||
| /|oo \ |
|
||
| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
|
||
| _`@/_ \ _ |
|
||
| International | | \ \\ |
|
||
| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
|
||
| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
|
||
| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
|
||
| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
|
||
| (jm) |
|
||
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
Editor in Chief Dale Lovell
|
||
Editor Emeritus: Thom Henderson
|
||
Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
|
||
Contributing Editors: Al Arango
|
||
|
||
FidoNews is published weekly by the International FidoNet
|
||
Association as its official newsletter. You are encouraged to
|
||
submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission
|
||
standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from
|
||
node 1:1/1.
|
||
|
||
Copyright 1988 by the International FidoNet Association. All
|
||
rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for
|
||
noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
|
||
please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067. IFNA may also be contacted
|
||
at PO Box 41143, St. Louis, MO 63141.
|
||
|
||
Fido and FidoNet are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings of
|
||
Fido Software, 164 Shipley Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94107 and
|
||
are used with permission.
|
||
|
||
The contents of the articles contained here are not our
|
||
responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them.
|
||
Everything here is subject to debate. We publish EVERYTHING
|
||
received.
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Table of Contents
|
||
|
||
1. ARTICLES ................................................. 1
|
||
## Important Announcement Concerning the Nodelist ## ..... 1
|
||
Echomail -- Some users speak ............................. 2
|
||
Help The Samantha Smith Center! .......................... 8
|
||
2. COLUMNS .................................................. 10
|
||
Top Downloads ............................................ 10
|
||
3. NOTICES .................................................. 12
|
||
The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 12
|
||
MetroFire Third Annual Birthday BASH! .................... 12
|
||
FidoCon '88 -> Call For Papers ........................... 14
|
||
Latest Software Versions ................................. 14
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 1 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
ARTICLES
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
Nodelist Status
|
||
David Dodell
|
||
International Coordinator
|
||
FidoNet 1:1/0 or 1:114/15
|
||
|
||
|
||
The program that generates the nodelist, MAKENL has reached its
|
||
limits in the generation of the nodelist. To procure a little
|
||
time till the program can be updated the following TEMPORARY
|
||
changes are being made to the nodelist by the Region
|
||
Coordinators.
|
||
|
||
|
||
(1) All Echomail/Software Distribution Coordination nodes have
|
||
been removed from the nodelist. If more room is needed, the rest
|
||
of the help/administrative nodes will be removed from the Zone 1
|
||
Administrative area.
|
||
|
||
(2) All private nodes will be removed from the nodelist. These
|
||
nodes are encouraged to hook into the net as point systems to
|
||
their network hosts. Private nodes can be added to your own
|
||
nodelist by setting up a private network listing in XLATLIST.
|
||
|
||
(3) If necessary, the Zone Coordinators might have to temporarily
|
||
remove the other Zones from their nodelist generation. For
|
||
example Zone 1 would only receive a nodelist with Zone 1
|
||
included. Zone 2 and 3 would have to be added manually. If this
|
||
happens, I will be making the Zone nodelists available on my
|
||
system for file request, for those that need direct connections,
|
||
vs via the zonegates.
|
||
|
||
(4) A TEMPORARY hold in the issuance of any new node numbers. I
|
||
hope this will only be in effect for one week till I can evaluate
|
||
how much growth room we have.
|
||
|
||
|
||
We hope to have the problem solved within the next few weeks with
|
||
appropriate software. Please bear with us. We will have the
|
||
situation corrected in the sortest possible time.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 2 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
RAM-SOFT BBS Echomail Survey Results
|
||
|
||
|
||
In an effort to determine how Echomail was used by and
|
||
deemed a worthy part of our FidoNet BBS by our users and to
|
||
justify the system downtime to process the mail, we recently
|
||
ran a survey on our BBS. (All callers had to answer Yes or No
|
||
to answering the survey before they could utilize the bulletin
|
||
board). This article is an overview and some editorial comments
|
||
on the results and some thoughts for those of you who are sysops
|
||
that carry echomail.
|
||
|
||
If the editor of FidoNews does not consider it to be too much
|
||
material, a complete copy of the results are elsewhere in this
|
||
this newsletter. Details on obtaining the results from 135/1
|
||
are listed below.
|
||
|
||
As a point of information to help you better understand the
|
||
results, our board has been carrying echomail since it was first
|
||
available so neither our system is new to echomail nor our
|
||
users are new to echomail although some of the areas we carry
|
||
are new. We carry eight public echomail areas: COMM,CECHO,DBASE,
|
||
TECH,WINDMILL,ECPROG,PASCAL and WORDPERFECT and one private
|
||
echomail area. At the time the survey started we had around
|
||
600 users, about 45 were new to the board within the last month.
|
||
We have been operating a FidoNet bulletin board since March of
|
||
1986.
|
||
|
||
It should be noted that only about 10% (55) of our users even
|
||
bothered to answer the survey indicating to me that echomail is
|
||
not too important to them. It should be mentioned also that we
|
||
average, according to LogRpt statistics, 250 files a week
|
||
downloaded and as such we are much more of a file oriented board
|
||
than a message oriented board. We are however a board with many
|
||
long distance or PC-Pursuit users and had at least 5 long
|
||
distance users answer the survey and that should give a broader
|
||
perspective than had only South Florida users answered. Only
|
||
two sysops responded. (Neither of the RAM-SOFT sysops answered).
|
||
|
||
The results were somewhat surprising in some areas and others
|
||
quite predictable. Of the answers, 76% read echomail while
|
||
24% percent do not read echomail. 24% of the respondents
|
||
read an average of 2 message areas, while 22% read 3 areas.
|
||
Only 3% read all eight conferences we carry.
|
||
|
||
The most surprising results came in the hypothetical question:
|
||
'What if we charged access to be able to read echomail?' A
|
||
surprising number, 55% said that they would be more than happy
|
||
to pay for the privilige. An even more surprising answer came
|
||
when we asked the hypothetical question: 'What if we only made
|
||
echomail available to donating members?' 65% said that they
|
||
would donate.
|
||
|
||
The number of people who considered echomail to be important on
|
||
a bulletin board was 95% yet 36% of those could not give a
|
||
coherent reason why it is important. (Reasons like 'Because
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 3 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
good bbs important' count as non-coherent as did 'because it's
|
||
important'). The majority of those giving an answer (20%) said
|
||
that echomail expands communications while the second largest
|
||
group (18%) said it was a good source of information. Three
|
||
people said the reason was because local message sections are
|
||
dull and one person said that echomail was the reason BBS's
|
||
existed. Approximately 67% would carry echomail if they ran a
|
||
bulletin board.
|
||
|
||
It was interesting that 38% of the respondents had never entered
|
||
or replied to echomail. In the rating of conferences on a 1-5
|
||
scale, the majority (ranging from 53% to 82%) of the respondents
|
||
rated the conferences with a 0. When the 1-5 scale answers are
|
||
added together they did not come very close to the number of
|
||
people who rated the conference areas with a 0. TECH-Net was
|
||
rated the best with 20% giving it a 5 and 16% giving it a 4.
|
||
ECPROG was second highest with 11% giving it a 5 and 18% a 4.
|
||
The WordPerfect conference would be dropped by 31% if they had
|
||
to. Eighteen percent would drop dBase if they had to with one
|
||
user commenting that he would not support an archaic database
|
||
system if he were a sysop.
|
||
|
||
What exactly are the users saying? Only they know for sure but
|
||
some ideas can be gained from this survey. It seems as though
|
||
users have come to expect that bulletin boards must have at
|
||
least two or three echomail areas to be considered a 'good'
|
||
bulletin board but cannot give a good solid reason as to why a
|
||
board should have echomail. Are they saying that the same
|
||
sysops or authors who told us the 'it's a new protocol, it must
|
||
be good' for downloads story have made echomail a necessity
|
||
without any solid reason? The fact that the majority could not
|
||
give a good reason for why they thought echomail important makes
|
||
me as a sysop think that they are just going along with the
|
||
crowd - they see everyone with echomail, therefore it must be
|
||
important. I would argue that if the sysops put forth as much
|
||
effort in establishing their local message areas as they did in
|
||
arguing over the IFNA, collecting files, debating fastest
|
||
protocols and other 'trivial' matters, there would be little real
|
||
demand BY THE USERS for national echomail as it currently
|
||
exists.
|
||
|
||
The results could also indicate that we at RAM-SOFT have a very
|
||
poor selection of conferences. Granted, Windmill, WordPerfect
|
||
and dBase are not the most popular of conferences but we have
|
||
our reasons for carrying them. Specifically, we use Dutchie, a
|
||
very good mailer program and support multiple Dutchie points and
|
||
like the support that Windmill offers us and them. Overall
|
||
though, I feel we carry a good, but small selection of
|
||
conferences that are relative to the computer programmer and
|
||
serious computer hobbyists and that our board has.
|
||
|
||
Given that most users only read two or three conferences
|
||
indicates to me that the users do not really care for a large
|
||
number of conferences. Perhaps the users would rather call
|
||
two or three boards to get 5 or 6 conferences instead of calling
|
||
one system that carries a large amount of conferences.
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 4 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
The fact that so many people would not rate the conferences with
|
||
anything higher than a 0 indicates that the level of quality on
|
||
these conferences is in serious, if not fatal shape. One could
|
||
argue that the users are saying that echomail should be routed
|
||
through a small group of boards that monitor messages to see that
|
||
they remain on the related topics but that would be countered
|
||
with the paranoid who would say 'Don't censor echomail -- it's
|
||
a violation of my 1st amendment rights.' (It wouldn't be). As
|
||
long as the idea that good boards must carry echomail conferences
|
||
and boards must make it available to all, there will always be
|
||
a fairly large amount of garbage. Perhaps the users are telling
|
||
us sysops to keep echomail alive but get some conferences that
|
||
stick to the subject and actually are worth reading and
|
||
participating in. I hate to see what the comments would be if
|
||
we carried 15 or 20 sections.
|
||
|
||
How can we as sysops have conferences that stick more to the
|
||
topic and are relative to the users? The users may have
|
||
answered that by saying that they are willing to pay (either
|
||
flat-out or by donating) for the privilege of reading and
|
||
entering echomail. Those that argue that echomail has no
|
||
security because anyone can logon to a system and enter messages
|
||
should be pleased at this idea. Of course those users (and
|
||
sysops) who are leeches would argue foul but probably couldn't
|
||
justify why they shouldn't have to support echomail in some
|
||
way. If only donating users have the ability to enter or read
|
||
messages, then the sysop will know who has abused the privilige
|
||
and take appropriate actions. The users are telling sysops that
|
||
they are willing to help foot the phone bill. Unfortunately
|
||
though, as long as some sysops, especially those with WATS lines
|
||
or business/government backing (or even 9600's) continue to
|
||
offer echomail to non-donating/non-privilege users and/or
|
||
sysops spread the idea that non-echomail systems are poorer
|
||
systems, there will probably never be echomail that the majority
|
||
of users consider superior or excellent.
|
||
|
||
In summary, the users seem to be saying that they want
|
||
echomail, even if they don't know why. They are more
|
||
comfortable with a smaller number of conferences and don't
|
||
consider many of the conferences to be of much quality. The
|
||
willingness to pay either a flat charge or by donating to be able
|
||
to read messages is the hardest to interpret. Perhaps they are
|
||
tired of waiting for someone to take the active, visible hand
|
||
that is necessary to keep echomail conferences on the subject.
|
||
Perhaps they are saying they don't mind spending money on their
|
||
hobby.
|
||
|
||
Overall, I'm not convinced that the large numbers of echomail
|
||
subjects that exist, at least at a national level, is worth
|
||
the tremendous expense and time involved to process it. A
|
||
'globaly' available message area (echomail) is a great idea and
|
||
worth exploring but I believe only under tight (self-designed)
|
||
regulatory efforts. Why should users even bother to weed
|
||
through all the junk that is present in these conferences?
|
||
Most systems, including ours are too busy for and do not allow
|
||
enough online time for users to be able to read every message
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 5 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
that comes into the system. You almost have to be either a
|
||
sysop or a point to reap the full benefit of echomail. That
|
||
might be the reasons sysops don't like to hear that echomail
|
||
might not be all that great. Perhaps local echomail if there
|
||
is a strong active network host or perhaps selective or regional
|
||
echomail that has a limited number of boards per conferences is
|
||
something to consider.
|
||
|
||
Comments on this survey and results of your own *surveys* (not
|
||
opinions) are welcome via net-mail at 1:135/1.
|
||
|
||
I might also add that at this time we have no concrete plans
|
||
to change the echomail conferences we carry or the way in
|
||
which we allow users to participate.
|
||
|
||
The complete results of the survey, if not present in this
|
||
newsletter, are available from the RAM-SOFT Archive Library
|
||
BBS, 1:135/1 by file requesting ESURVEY.TXT (No file requests
|
||
08:30 - 10:30 UTC). It may also be obtained by first time
|
||
callers in file area 12(INFO). If you can do standard
|
||
IFNA/FidoNet file requests, we would prefer that you obtain the
|
||
file that way as we do require users to answer several questions
|
||
before being allowed on to the system and would prefer not have
|
||
a bunch of new callers unless you plan to be a part of the
|
||
RAM-SOFT BBS.
|
||
|
||
James Gilbert
|
||
Archive Librarian, co-sysop
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 6 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
Results from the survey on Echomail taken during three
|
||
weeks in April, 1988 on RAM-SOFT Archive Library BBS, Miami, FL.
|
||
|
||
Questions are exact questions. When text answers were required
|
||
from those questioned, only a paraphrase of those answers is
|
||
given here and only answers of a similar nature or interesting
|
||
comments are included.
|
||
|
||
A total of 55 individuals answered the survey, aproximately 10%
|
||
of the total number of users on the day the survey began.
|
||
Neither of the sysops of RAM-SOFT participated in the survey.
|
||
|
||
Question#:
|
||
1: Do you read ANY Conference mail areas(Y/N)?
|
||
Yes: 42 (76%)
|
||
No: 13 (24%)
|
||
|
||
(if yes) How many individual areas do you read:
|
||
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 (0)
|
||
-----------------------------------
|
||
Actual # 5 13 12 4 3 3 0 2 (13)
|
||
(%) 9% 24% 22% 7% 5% 5% 0 4% 24%
|
||
|
||
2: Is echomail important on a bulletin board(Y/N):
|
||
Yes: 52 (95%)
|
||
No: 3 (5%)
|
||
|
||
(if yes)Explain why it is important:
|
||
No real solid reason (20) (36%)
|
||
Good sourc of info (10) (18%)
|
||
Expands Communications (11) (20%)
|
||
Local messages are dull (3) (5%)
|
||
Good way to send messages to friends (1) (2%)
|
||
Cheap way to communicate (4) (7%)
|
||
Creates a subculture (1)
|
||
That's what BBS are for (1)
|
||
|
||
3: If you ran a bulletin board and had to pay the phone bill,
|
||
would your bulletin board carry any conferences(Y/N)
|
||
Yes: 37 (67%)
|
||
No: 18 (33%)
|
||
|
||
4: Have you ever entered a message or replied to a message
|
||
in an echomail conference(Y/N):
|
||
Yes: 34 (62%)
|
||
No: 21 (38%)
|
||
|
||
5: IF we charged access to echomail areas (one fee for all
|
||
areas), would you pay for this privilige(Y/N)?
|
||
Yes: 30 (55%)
|
||
No: 25 (45%)
|
||
|
||
6: As opposed to charging for access, IF we made echomail
|
||
areas only available to donating users, would you donate(Y/N)
|
||
Yes: 36 (65%)
|
||
No: 19 (35%)
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 7 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
7-14: On a scale of 0 to 5 with 1 indicating a poor conference
|
||
and 5 indicating an excellent conference, please rate
|
||
your opinion of the following echomail areas.
|
||
15: If you had to drop 2 conference, tell us which of the
|
||
conferences you would drop:
|
||
|
||
(Actual number)
|
||
0 1 2 3 4 5 Drop:
|
||
---------------------------------
|
||
COMM: 38 1 2 6 3 5 : 6
|
||
CECHO: 37 0 5 5 4 4 : 6
|
||
DBASE: 42 1 5 2 0 5 : 10
|
||
TECH: 29 0 0 6 9 11 : 2
|
||
DUTCH: 45 3 4 1 1 1 : 9
|
||
ECPROG: 36 1 2 3 10 6 : 4
|
||
PASCAL: 38 2 1 5 4 6 : 7
|
||
PERFECT: 42 2 1 5 0 5 : 17
|
||
|
||
(Percentages)
|
||
0 1 2 3 4 5 Drop:
|
||
---------------------------------
|
||
COMM: 69% 2% 4% 11% 5% 9% : 11%
|
||
CECHO: 67% 0% 9% 9% 7% 7% : 11%
|
||
DBASE: 76% 2% 9% 4% 0% 9% : 18%
|
||
TECH: 53% 0% 0% 11% 16% 20% : 4%
|
||
DUTCH: 82% 5% 7% 2% 2% 2% : 16%
|
||
ECPROG: 65% 2% 4% 5% 18% 11% : 7%
|
||
PASCAL: 69% 4% 2% 9% 7% 11% : 13%
|
||
PERFECT: 76% 4% 2% 9% 0% 9% : 31%
|
||
|
||
16: Enter any additional comments you may have:
|
||
I haven't used it enough (2)
|
||
Public BBS should not charge for echomail (1)
|
||
Wouldn't make much difference if they were gone (1)
|
||
You only need one conference to hold all languages (1)
|
||
Would rather get files from bbs's than read msgs (1)
|
||
If a BBS charged/donations then users would go elsewhere(1)
|
||
Never thought it was worth the effort for sysops. (1)
|
||
Sick of Opus boards (1).
|
||
I prefer Tandy conferences (1)
|
||
I wouldn't support a clumsy database program like DBase (1)
|
||
|
||
|
||
James Gilbert, survey coordinator, co-sysop, RAM-SOFT BBS.
|
||
(305) 226-3310. 300/1200/2400/? FidoNet 1:135/1
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 8 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
Bill Paul
|
||
The Think Tank
|
||
OPUS 1:123/7
|
||
|
||
Life After Samantha
|
||
|
||
|
||
That's the title of an article I just read in the May issue
|
||
of YANKEE Magazine. The article tells the story of Jane Smith,
|
||
mother of Samantha. I'm sure you all remember Samantha - she's
|
||
the 11-year old Maine girl who wrote a letter to Yuri Andropov
|
||
expressing concern about Russia and the United States getting
|
||
into a nuclear war. She subsequently visited Russia, in July of
|
||
1983. Unfortunately, she and her father were killed in a plane
|
||
crash in 1985. After her death, she became somewhat of a folk
|
||
hero in Russia. The Soviet Union named an asteroid, a flower, a
|
||
mountain, and a cruise ship after Samantha. Her portrait greets
|
||
visitors at the gate to Samantha Smith Alley.
|
||
|
||
Apparently, things are not going so well in the United
|
||
States. Jane Smith began The Samantha Smith Center "to foster
|
||
international understanding in the spirit of Samantha". The
|
||
Center's projects include an international newsletter for
|
||
children, bringing American situation comedies to the Soviet
|
||
Union, and hosting Soviet children in American summer camps.
|
||
However, for various reasons, the foundation is in need of funds.
|
||
For one thing, the initial founders, who raised $100,000 to get
|
||
the Center started, wanted Mrs. Smith to move the Center to New
|
||
York. When they refused, and remained in Hallowell Maine, they
|
||
lost some of that support. In addition, Mrs. Smith's television
|
||
appearances have generated more questions and requests for
|
||
information than financial support. According to Mrs. Smith, at
|
||
least half the calls they receive are from people wanting the
|
||
Center to help THEM start a similar exchange. While Mrs. Smith
|
||
agrees that this is wonderful, it also means that there are that
|
||
many more centers competing for the same funding.
|
||
|
||
There are other reasons why the center is in financial
|
||
distress, too many to list here. A magazine for young people
|
||
failed; a movie which Columbia pictures planned to co-produce
|
||
with the Soviets appears to have been abandoned; an exchange
|
||
which gave ten Soviet teenagers almost a week in a Maine summer
|
||
camp (the first time the Soviets had sent their kids to an
|
||
American camp) depleted the center's funds. The list goes on...
|
||
|
||
But I suppose by now you've discovered what this is all
|
||
leading up to. Send money! Can we allow the Samantha Smith
|
||
Center to fail and still sleep at night? I can't, not if my few
|
||
dollars, combined with a few dollars from others, can keep it
|
||
going. How many FidoNet systems do we have right now, 3,000+?
|
||
And how many users are on those 3,000 systems? If we each sent
|
||
one dollar, I suspect it would make a difference. It would also
|
||
bring us all together in a small way, and help us feel better the
|
||
next time we see a "computer phreaker" article in our local
|
||
newspaper (why don't they ever print the good stuff?). Even if
|
||
the center fails, at least we'll know we tried. Please, send a
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 9 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
dollar or two to this worthy cause! I have no idea if it is tax
|
||
deductible, nor do I care; my check will be in tomorrow's mail.
|
||
If you'd like to know whether your contribution is tax deductible
|
||
(or if you want more information, or if you think this is some
|
||
sort of prank), I'll provide the center's phone number at the end
|
||
of this article. Let's send a buck or two and do something good
|
||
for the world! SysOps, if you have a minute, please post this
|
||
article on your bulletin board, or at least refer your callers to
|
||
this issue of FidoNews. We all know that (alas) it is mostly
|
||
SysOps who read FidoNews, let's spread the word even further!
|
||
|
||
I have no idea if I have violated any copyright laws in this
|
||
article. Brief passages from YANKEE Magazine have been quoted
|
||
verbatim, as have quotes by Mrs. Smith. Perhaps foolishly, I did
|
||
not want to take the time to wait for permission from YANKEE
|
||
before writing this article. In any event, if an apology to
|
||
YANKEE Magazine and/or Mrs. Jane Smith will keep me out of jail,
|
||
please consider it done!
|
||
|
||
Now, let's get out our checkbooks or wallets and send a
|
||
dollar or two. I'm not a writer (did you guess?), so maybe I
|
||
haven't stated a very strong case, but let's keep a young girl's
|
||
dream alive, shall we? For a much better article by Mel Allen,
|
||
pick up a copy of YANKEE Magazine, May 1988. Maybe THAT one will
|
||
help loosen those purse strings!
|
||
|
||
|
||
The Samantha Smith Center
|
||
9 Union Street
|
||
Hallowell, Maine (USA) 04347
|
||
(207) 626-3415
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 10 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
COLUMNS
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
|
||
Top Downloads
|
||
A weekly report of the most popular downloads
|
||
from contributing systems.
|
||
|
||
This column will list the more popular downloaded files for the
|
||
previous week. I would like this to be a cooperative effort
|
||
among several boards that are heavy in file downloads and not
|
||
just a listing of this Software Distribution Board's activity.
|
||
(See details at the end of this report).
|
||
|
||
This column will list the top 15 most downloads as reported by
|
||
contributing systems. It will also list selected files of
|
||
general intereste as well as the the most popular download
|
||
methods for files.
|
||
|
||
|
||
(Intro out of the way, here goes.)
|
||
Top downloads from for 4/3/88 - 4/10/88
|
||
Contributing systems: 135/1
|
||
|
||
File transactions Average per day
|
||
----------------------------------------
|
||
Downloads: 309 44.14
|
||
|
||
File Download Report -- Top 15
|
||
|
||
Rank Area\File Name # DL's
|
||
-------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
1. COMM\pcplustd.arc 9 ProComm+ Test Drive (V1.0)
|
||
2. GAME\moria.arc 5 Adventure game a la Hack
|
||
3. UNPT\123star.unp 5 Unprotect
|
||
4. GAME\sorry.arc 4 EGA version of Sorry
|
||
5. MISC\gc.arc 3 World Time map display
|
||
6. UTIL\dog101a.arc 3 Disk Optimizer
|
||
7. GAME\scrabble.arc 3 Scrabble Game
|
||
8. UNPT\ati.unp 3 unprotect
|
||
9. UNPT\lotus1a.unp 3 unprotect
|
||
10. INFO\egademo.arc 2 Demo of EGA graphics
|
||
11. LANG\conv.bas 2
|
||
12. MISC\bathelp.arc 2 Help for DOS batch files
|
||
13. MISC\daylog.arc 2 Keeps a personal log
|
||
14. MISC\prompt.arc 2 Various DOS prompts
|
||
15. MISC\shofkeys.arc 2 Displays Function keys
|
||
|
||
|
||
File Download Report -- Selected area files
|
||
Area\Name #DL's
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------
|
||
BBSP\chg2node.arc 1 Change file name to node #
|
||
LANG\arc50sc.arc 1 C Source to Arc 5.0
|
||
EDIT\e88-42.arc 2 Text editor
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 11 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
SHEL\amenu40.arc 2 AutoMenu, DOS menu/shell
|
||
APPL\aseasy30.arc 1 Spreadsheet similar to 123
|
||
EDUC\matrix.arc 1 To teach Matrix math
|
||
ARCS\arc521.com 1 The ARChiver from SEA.
|
||
|
||
|
||
Transfer methods total
|
||
-----------------------------
|
||
SEAlink download/upload 89
|
||
Telink download/upload 39
|
||
Xmodem download/upload 147
|
||
Ymodem download/upload 35
|
||
Zmodem download/upload 12
|
||
External download/upload 0
|
||
(External is defined as any add-in protocol available to Opus
|
||
ie. Kermit as well as Modem7 on our system).
|
||
|
||
(end of report)
|
||
|
||
I would encourage any other systems that run LogRpt on a weekly
|
||
basis *OR* can send me data in a similar format (minus the area
|
||
names) and would like their stats included in this list, please
|
||
drop a net-mail note along with your system's download data
|
||
to 1:135/1. If using LogRpt, don't use paths in the output all
|
||
I want is filenames and total downloads. If any thing is of
|
||
particular interest or you have changed a filename, mention
|
||
that. I MUST have the report by Monday's net-mail time in order
|
||
to get the stats edited. This should give you Saturday and
|
||
Sunday to get the previous 7/8 days together. If the report is
|
||
longer than 10 days, I don't think it will be possible to
|
||
include it. (We can accept net-mail anytime of the day and
|
||
are PC-Pursuitable).
|
||
|
||
James Gilbert
|
||
135/1
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 12 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
NOTICES
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
The Interrupt Stack
|
||
|
||
|
||
16 May 1988
|
||
Digital Equipment Corporations Users Society Spring Symposium.
|
||
Will be held May 16-May 20 in Cincinnati, OH.
|
||
|
||
29 May 1988
|
||
MetroFire Third Annual Birthday Bash and Floppy Disk Throwing
|
||
Contest. ALL FidoNet Sysops and their families are invited.
|
||
Contact Christopher Baker at 135/14 for more details. Details
|
||
available by SEAdog file request as FPICMAP.ARC or BASH.
|
||
|
||
18 Jun 1988
|
||
Area Code 407 takes effect in East/Central Florida. All Sysops
|
||
should adjust their Nodelist entries immediately.
|
||
|
||
25 Jun 1988
|
||
EuroCon II starts in Tiel, Holland. Sponsored by the Dutch
|
||
Hobby Computer Club. Will run for 2 days. Contact Hans
|
||
Lichthelm at 2:2/999 for information.
|
||
|
||
16 Jul 1988
|
||
A new areacode, 508, will form in eastern Massachusetts and
|
||
will be effective on this date. The new area code will be
|
||
formed from the current areacode 617. Greater Boston will
|
||
remain areacode 617 while the rest of eastern Massachusetts
|
||
will form the new areacode 508.
|
||
|
||
25 Aug 1988
|
||
Start of the Fifth International FidoNet Conference, to be
|
||
held at the Drawbridge Inn in Cincinnati, OH. Contact Tim
|
||
Sullivan at 108/62 for more information. This is FidoNet's big
|
||
annual get-together, and is your chance to meet all the people
|
||
you've been talking with all this time. We're hoping to see
|
||
you there!
|
||
|
||
24 Aug 1989
|
||
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
|
||
|
||
|
||
If you have something which you would like to see on this
|
||
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
ATTENTION ALL FidoNet Sysops:
|
||
|
||
This is the Official MetroFire Third Birthday BlowOut Bulletin!!
|
||
|
||
This event will take place deep in the heart of Florida's
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 13 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
wonderland, The Everglades.
|
||
|
||
NO ONE will be admitted WITHOUT an 8-10 pound bag of ICE!
|
||
|
||
(This should not pose a hardship for anyone since a bag of ice is
|
||
only 69 cents at Publix. Hardship cases should apply to the Sysop
|
||
for relief via Netmail [grin].)
|
||
|
||
***********
|
||
This is the story, so far...
|
||
|
||
WHEN: Sunday, 29 May 88
|
||
TIME: 1400 - 2000
|
||
|
||
WHERE: LimeLite Farms on the Edge of the Everglades
|
||
|
||
WHY: To Celebrate the Survival and Growth of
|
||
MetroFire, 135/14, and needing an
|
||
excuse to have a party.
|
||
|
||
WHAT: A B.Y.O.E. (Bring Your Own Everything)
|
||
Picnic with Games and Shop Talk and Lie
|
||
Swapping. Musical Instruments and Non-
|
||
destructive Outdoor Games are Solicited.
|
||
|
||
NEED: Folding Tables, Chairs and Ventilation
|
||
Equipment and a Portable PC w/2 drives.
|
||
|
||
HAVE: Charcoal and the First Five Pounds
|
||
of Genuine (accept no substitutes)
|
||
Sabrett Hot Dogs will be provided.
|
||
|
||
COST: Your Time, Effort and Gas to Krome Ave.
|
||
ENTRANCE
|
||
FEE: One 8 to 10 pound bag or block of ICE!
|
||
PER Person (bring more if you like).
|
||
|
||
REWARDS: Sharpen your Survival Skills and Become
|
||
One with Your Natural Surroundings.
|
||
Plenty of Precious Calories and Many
|
||
Anecdotes to Pass on to Posterity.
|
||
|
||
BRING: Deep Woods OFF! (if the Rain picks up,
|
||
so will the Mosquitoes.) Don't wear
|
||
Perfume if the Mosquito report is
|
||
Hostile (THEY love it!).
|
||
Something to Sit on.
|
||
|
||
DON'T
|
||
BRING: Firearms, Fireworks, Animals or Drugs.
|
||
|
||
SMOKERS: Smoking outside, only.
|
||
|
||
WHO: ALL MetroFire Users, Families and Guests
|
||
and ALL FidoNet Sysops and Families, and
|
||
Local non-FidoNet Sysops and Families.
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 14 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
Everyone is invited to bring a gustatory specialty for sharing.
|
||
Make it something simple, Coquilles St. Jacques, Baked Alaska,
|
||
Salmon Mousse, etc. We will keep track of the comestibles
|
||
volunteered on 135/14. I will begin the tote with BBS Bakered
|
||
Beans.
|
||
|
||
|
||
For more details, file request FPICMAP.ARC or BASH from 135/14.
|
||
|
||
Out-of-town Sysops, RSVP to 135/14 or call Christopher Baker at
|
||
(305) 596-8576, Tue-Sat, 1430-2230.
|
||
We will attempt to line up some accomodations with our users to
|
||
save you the cost of a hotel. Transportation to the site will be
|
||
arranged upon request.
|
||
|
||
See you there!
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Tim Sullivan 108/62
|
||
FidoCon'88 Chairman
|
||
|
||
|
||
---->---->----> CALL FOR PAPERS <----<----<----
|
||
|
||
|
||
We are still searching for speakers and topics for this year's
|
||
conference. If you would like to speak, or have an idea for a
|
||
topic, please contact Mark Walker at 108/50.
|
||
|
||
FidoCon can only be a success with your involvement. We're doing
|
||
a great job preparing for the conference here in Cincinnati, but
|
||
we still need your input!
|
||
|
||
|
||
(btw: How many of you use FidoNet technology in your workplace?
|
||
We're interested in finding out. If you currently use: Seadog,
|
||
Fido, Opus, Binkley, Dutchie, dBridge, or anything else I've
|
||
forgotten in you job/profession, drop Mark a note at 108/50.
|
||
Thanks!)
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Latest Software Versions
|
||
|
||
BBS Systems Node List Other
|
||
& Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
|
||
|
||
Dutchie 2.81* EditNL 3.3 ARC 5.21
|
||
Fido 12g* MakeNL 2.03 ARCmail 1.1
|
||
Opus 1.03b Prune 1.40 ConfMail 3.31
|
||
SEAdog 4.10 XlatList 2.86* EchoMail 1.31
|
||
TBBS 2.0M MGM 1.1
|
||
BinkleyTerm 1.40*
|
||
QuickBBS 2.00*
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 15 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
* Recently changed
|
||
|
||
Utility authors: Please help keep this list up to date by
|
||
reporting new versions to 1:1/1. It is not our intent to list
|
||
all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 16 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
OFFICERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
|
||
|
||
Ken Kaplan 100/22 Chairman of the Board
|
||
Don Daniels 107/210 President
|
||
Mark Grennan 147/1 Vice President
|
||
Dave Dodell 114/15 Vice President - Technical Coordinator
|
||
Tom Marshall 107/524 Secretary
|
||
Leonard Mednick 12/1 Treasurer
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
|
||
|
||
DIVISION AT-LARGE
|
||
|
||
10 Steve Jordan 102/2871 Don Daniels 107/210
|
||
11 Bill Allbritten 11/301 Hal DuPrie 101/106
|
||
12 Leonard Mednick 12/1 Mark Grennan 147/1
|
||
13 Rick Siegel 107/27 Brad Hicks 100/523
|
||
14 Ken Kaplan 100/22 Ted Polczyinski 154/5
|
||
15 Jim Cannell 128/13 Kurt Reisler 109/74
|
||
16 Vince Perriello 141/491 Robert Rudolph 261/628
|
||
17 Rob Barker 138/34 Greg Small 148/122
|
||
18 Chris Baker 135/14 Bob Swift 140/24
|
||
19 Vernon Six 19/0 Larry Wall 15/18
|
||
2 Henk Wevers 2:500/1 Gee Wong 107/312
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 17 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
__
|
||
The World's First / \
|
||
BBS Network /|oo \
|
||
* FidoNet * (_| /_)
|
||
_`@/_ \ _
|
||
| | \ \\
|
||
| (*) | \ ))
|
||
______ |__U__| / \//
|
||
/ Fido \ _//|| _\ /
|
||
(________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm)
|
||
|
||
Membership for the International FidoNet Association
|
||
|
||
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
|
||
pays a specified annual membership fee. IFNA serves the
|
||
international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to
|
||
increase worldwide communications.
|
||
|
||
Member Name _______________________________ Date _______________
|
||
Address _________________________________________________________
|
||
City ____________________________________________________________
|
||
State ________________________________ Zip _____________________
|
||
Country _________________________________________________________
|
||
Home Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
|
||
Work Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
|
||
Zone:Net/Node Number ____________________________________________
|
||
BBS Name ________________________________________________________
|
||
BBS Phone Number ________________________________________________
|
||
Baud Rates Supported ____________________________________________
|
||
Board Restrictions ______________________________________________
|
||
Your Special Interests __________________________________________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
In what areas would you be willing to help in FidoNet? __________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
_________________________________________________________________
|
||
Send this membership form and a check or money order for $25 in
|
||
US Funds to:
|
||
International FidoNet Association
|
||
c/o Leonard Mednick, MBA, CPA
|
||
700 Bishop Street, #1014
|
||
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813-4112
|
||
USA
|
||
|
||
Thank you for your membership! Your participation will help to
|
||
insure the future of FidoNet.
|
||
|
||
Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization
|
||
and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted by the
|
||
membership in January 1987. The first elected Board of Directors
|
||
was filled in August 1987. The IFNA Echomail Conference has been
|
||
established on FidoNet to assist the Board. We welcome your
|
||
input to this Conference.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-18 Page 18 2 May 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
|
||
ORDER FORM
|
||
|
||
Publications
|
||
|
||
The IFNA publications can be obtained by downloading from Fido
|
||
1:1/10 or other FidoNet compatible systems, or by purchasing
|
||
them directly from IFNA. We ask that all our IFNA Committee
|
||
Chairmen provide us with the latest versions of each
|
||
publication, but we can make no written guarantees.
|
||
|
||
Hardcopy prices as of October 1, 1986
|
||
|
||
IFNA Fido BBS listing $15.00 _____
|
||
IFNA Administrative Policy DOCs $10.00 _____
|
||
IFNA FidoNet Standards Committee DOCs $10.00 _____
|
||
|
||
SUBTOTAL _____
|
||
|
||
IFNA Member ONLY Special Offers
|
||
|
||
System Enhancement Associates SEAdog $60.00 _____
|
||
SEAdog price as of March 1, 1987
|
||
ONLY 1 copy SEAdog per IFNA Member
|
||
|
||
Fido Software's Fido/FidoNet $100.00 _____
|
||
Fido/FidoNet price as of November 1, 1987
|
||
ONLY 1 copy Fido/FidoNet per IFNA Member
|
||
|
||
International orders include $10.00 for
|
||
surface shipping or $20.00 for air shipping _____
|
||
|
||
SUBTOTAL _____
|
||
|
||
HI. Residents add 4.0 % Sales tax _____
|
||
|
||
TOTAL _____
|
||
|
||
SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER IN US FUNDS:
|
||
International FidoNet Association
|
||
c/o Leonard Mednick, MBA, CPA
|
||
700 Bishop Street, #1014
|
||
Honolulu, HI. 96813-4112
|
||
USA
|
||
|
||
Name________________________________
|
||
Zone:Net/Node____:____/____
|
||
Company_____________________________
|
||
Address_____________________________
|
||
City____________________ State____________ Zip_____
|
||
Voice Phone_________________________
|
||
|
||
Signature___________________________
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|