766 lines
35 KiB
Plaintext
766 lines
35 KiB
Plaintext
F I D O N E W S -- Vol.10 No.32 (09-Aug-1993)
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+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
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| A newsletter of the | |
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| FidoNet BBS community | Published by: |
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| _ | |
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| / \ | "FidoNews" BBS |
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| /|oo \ | +1-519-570-4176 1:1/23 |
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| (_| /_) | |
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| _`@/_ \ _ | Editors: |
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| | | \ \\ | Sylvia Maxwell 1:221/194 |
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| | (*) | \ )) | Donald Tees 1:221/192 |
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| |__U__| / \// | Tim Pozar 1:125/555 |
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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: editors 1:1/23 |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Internet addresses: |
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| |
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| Sylvia -- max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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| Donald -- donald@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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| Tim -- pozar@kumr.lns.com |
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| Both Don & Sylvia (submission address) |
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| editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| For information, copyrights, article submissions, |
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| obtaining copies and other boring but important details, |
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| please refer to the end of this file. |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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========================================================================
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Table of Contents
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========================================================================
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1. Editorial..................................................... 2
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2. Articles...................................................... 2
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How to use the Internet Through FidoNet..................... 2
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Professional Volunteers..................................... 3
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PRIME and HOLY_BIBLE, The Wholly Bible Echo................. 4
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Announcing the Horror Fiction Echo.......................... 6
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A Better Moderator Bureau?.................................. 6
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Just a user................................................. 7
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Holy Policy................................................. 9
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Announcing IndraNet......................................... 10
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Original Subj : XAB Complaint threatened.................... 11
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ARJ vs ZIP, the Real Story?................................. 11
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FIDONET CARES............................................... 12
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AND ON A SLIGHTLY MYSTICAL NOTE............................. 13
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3. Fidonews Information.......................................... 13
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FidoNews 10-32 Page: 2 09 Aug 1993
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========================================================================
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Editorial
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========================================================================
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Editing is a weird job. Especially for the Snooze. One
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really neat thing about it is we get lots of mail from
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everywhere and it's all different. Someone suggested we
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re-start running a list of software available for different
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machines to connect to the net. Sounds like a good plan. Any
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volunteers for compiling software lists?
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We were sittng on the floor in an art gallery yesterday
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having a party, and someone told me she felt very odd looking at
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paintings she didn't necessarily like while feeling she had to
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say something about them. I asked, "why bother talking if you
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don't say what you mean?".
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Of course, back patting is kind and occasionally generative,
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reinforcement is humanely pleasant; enforcement looks very
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similar and can be rather sinister.
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Civility is a fine dance on an uneven floor with everyone in
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costumes.
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========================================================================
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Articles
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========================================================================
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How to use the Internet Through FidoNet
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by Matt Riedel, 1:2606/408@FidoNet.org
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Many people either don't know there is a way to do this,
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and others know there is a way, and just don't know how.
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To send e-mail through FidoNet to the InterNet, is quite
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simple. The major FidoNet Gateway to the Internet is at
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1:1/31@FidoNet.org. Address a netmail message to the recipient
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in the InterNet style addressing scheme. When it asks the FidoNet
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address, put 1:1/31. Then just put your subject and message as usual.
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Here is a sample message:
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Fr.: Matt Riedel, 1:2606/408@FidoNet.Org
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To: Joe.Schmoe@Internet.com, 1:1/31@FidoNet.Org
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Subj.: Hi!
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===============================================================
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Hi! This is my message.
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or, this is an alternative way:
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Fr.: Matt Riedel, 1:2606/408@FidoNet.Org
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To: Hostmaster, 1:1/31@FidoNet.Org
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Subj.: Hi!
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===============================================================
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To: Joe.Schmoe@Internet.com
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<skip this line!!>
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Hi! This is my message.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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As a member of FidoNet, you automatically get an InterNet address.
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It is a universal form that is quite simple to remember. its:
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FidoNews 10-32 Page: 3 09 Aug 1993
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<FirstName>.<LastName>@f(node#).n(Net#).z(zone#).fidonet.org
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or, if you are a point:
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<FirstName>.<LastName>@p(point#).f(node#).n(net#).z(zone#).fidonet.org
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Note: 1:1/31 is the official FidoNet<->InterNet gateway. There are
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others around, if you look. 1:1/31 is in Piscataway, NJ, and if
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your hub/host allows you to route netmail, you may do it that way.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Professional Volunteers
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Professional Volunteers
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by: Dave Maddux @ 1:3625/443
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In more than a few articles and throughout the mails we are
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reminded that Fidonet is "only a hobby" and that the mail moves
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through the efforts of many "unpaid volunteers." This seems to
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mean different things to different people. This is what it means
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to me.
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In a recent article I heard Fidonet described as a "social net"
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and that a "profession is exactly what Fidonet is not." In the
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same issue another author described it as a "cooperative network"
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and had some other things to say about responsibilities. These
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views do not necessarily conflict. Nor do I disagree.
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Although I'm a newcomer to this hobby I do know something about
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being an unpaid volunteer. I have been involved with volunteer
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organizations for more than a few years at all levels from grunt
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to administration. From that viewpoint I will make the following
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observations.
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1) Fidonet performs a service. No matter whether Fidonet is
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a social net, cooperative net, only a hobby, or is run by
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amateur volunteers; nor does it matter that no sysop is obligated
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to provide it. It is still a service.
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2) Sysops provide that service. We make it work and
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BBS users view us as service providers. I do realize that all nodes
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are not BBSs but most are and for the purposes of this discussion
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that point is irrelevant.
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3) The one thing (perhaps the only thing) that distinguishes any
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service is the professionalism practiced by its providers.
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Working without pay or simply being an amateur has never been an
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acceptable reason for unprofessionalism when one is providing
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a service to others.
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4) It makes no difference whether we wish our service to be
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"distinguished" or even feel obligated to act professionally.
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If we don't we are still seen by those users in the light
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of what we do.
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I would hope that most sysops are concerned that they provide
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FidoNews 10-32 Page: 4 09 Aug 1993
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their users and the net with the best service possible. If that is
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not our primary concern then what is, having fun? Great! Any
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hobby should be fun. The fact remains that if we are having fun
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at the expense of someone else or we can't get the job done for
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having fun then we cut ourselves and the net down to a crappy size.
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No less so if we spend much of our energy quarreling with each other.
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Recently, I did a dumb thing. I won't go into the details except
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to say that it was the result of my not having considered the rules
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more earnestly. Quite a few Fido folks corrected me in this matter
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and they were right to do so. It is my responsibility to know the
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rules and abide by them. I thanked them for my chastisement,
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apologized for my lack of professionalism, and promised not to make
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the same mistake again. I was a little embarrassed. I'm learning.
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It's still fun.
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I don't think I'm a "control junkie." I tend to agree with those
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who feel Policy 4 could easily be 4 pages long. Professionalism
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does not imply control; it simply means getting the job done
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and doing it the absolute best that I can without letting emotions
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or petty things get in the way. Isn't that something like not being
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too easily annoyed?"
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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PRIME and HOLY_BIBLE, The Wholly Bible Echo
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Steve Winter
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FidoNet 1:18/98
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Those who want false christianity or a visit with infidels certainly
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have several networks and echos available, but if any are interested
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in "non-compromised" Apostolic Christianity, I encourage you to check
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out PRIME. As far as the reprobate oneness nets go, I believe the
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Lord allready rated them just a tad below a dunghill.
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Luke 14:34 Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his savour,
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wherewith shall it be seasoned?
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Luke 14:35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill;
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[but] men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
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If you are interested in a network where truth is not compromised
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for the sake of false christian fellowship and "friendship with
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the world", check out PRIME:
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Please spread this info around. Thanks!!
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***************************************************************
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* __________ __________ ___ ________ *
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* | | | | | |\ /| | *
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* | | | | | | \ / | | *
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* |________| |________| | | \ / | |______ *
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* | | \ | | \/ | | *
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* | | \ | | | | *
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* | | \ | | | | *
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* | | \ _|_ | | |_______ *
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FidoNews 10-32 Page: 5 09 Aug 1993
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* *
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* 'The sun never sets on the PRIME network' *
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***************************************************************
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* PreRapture(tm) International Message Exchange *
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***************************************************************
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With nodes in NORTH AMERICA, AFRICA, EUROPE, ASIA, and growing.
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PRIME is the Only True Christian worldwide network on earth.
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* Both Religious (Christian) and non-religious conferences. *
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A wholesome, family oriented network with a strict policy
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against profanity, lewdness, obscenity etc..
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Features echos on educational and technical topics.
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* Elaborate Bible Discussion and Debate * False Preachers Exposed *
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919-286-3962 * 919-286-3606 * 919-286-3266 * 919-286-2100
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Using USRobotics Dual Standard Modems V.32bis-14,400 / HST-16800bps
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* FREQ PRIME.ZIP from 1:18/98, or 6:700/447 for network kit *
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-={ HOLY_BIBLE Echo Conference }=-
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Available through the PRIME Network and
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on the FidoNet Zone 1 and Zone 2 Backbone
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* The only true Christian Conference in FidoNet *
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********
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Acts 2:38 *++++++* John 3:5
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*+ ** +*
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**************+ ** +*************
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*+++++++++++ ++++++++++*
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*+ ******* HOLY_BIBLE ****** +*
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*+++++++++++ ++++++++++*
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**************+ ** +*************
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*+ ** +*
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Gal 1:8 *+ ** +* Mark 12:29
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*+ ** +*
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I Tim 3:16 *+ ** +* Acts 2:4
|
||
*+ ** +*
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Isa 45:21 *+ ** +* Mark 16:16
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*+ ** +*
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Acts 10:46 *++++++* Acts 19:5
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********
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Hebrews 5:9 Acts 22:16 James 1:22
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HOLY_BIBLE and WHOLLY_BIBLE (C)Copyright 1988-93 Steve Winter,
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All rights reserved worldwide (with contributers
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retaining all rights to their contributions)
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A very strict conference designed to expose fakes
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by requiring that doctrines be proven with scripture.
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FidoNews 10-32 Page: 6 09 Aug 1993
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Announcing the Horror Fiction Echo
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by Steve Derby, 1:161/414
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Horror Fiction echo now available
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Do you like to be scared? Want to talk about that novel you read which
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kept you up all night wondering if something under the bed was going to
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come out and spirit you away into the night? Would you like to read
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reviews and comments about horror movies before spending your money to
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see them?
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There's a new echo now available to all fans of horror fiction. The
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HORROR echo is dedicated to discussion of horror fiction of all types.
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The echolist description pretty much says it all:
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The Horror echo is designed for discussion of contemporary and classic
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horror in all media: novels, short stories, films, magazines, TV,
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radio, comics, etc. Discussion topics include announcements, reviews,
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critiques and general chatter and discussion. Something for all horror
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fans! While posting of original creative works is not the *primary*
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purpose of this echo, that's certainly allowed, too.
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Anyone interested in receiving HORROR, please netmail Steve Derby @
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1:161/414.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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A Better Moderator Bureau?
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by Steve Derby, 1:161/414
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Comments on "Moderator Guides Recommended" in Snooze 10(31)
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In the recent Fidonews, Kent Anderson proposed a practice which he
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hoped would better echomail. In essence, his idea was to formulate a
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set of voluntary guidelines which would advise moderators in how to
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conduct echomail business. Under Kent's plan, those moderators who
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chose to follow these guidelines and wished to advertise it, could
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have a notation added to the echolist. The idea is inspired, but has
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some problems which need to be addressed.
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Kent's plan can be divided into two basic parts, which should be
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looked at separately: (1) The development of guidelines for echo
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moderators and (2) flagging moderators which agree to follow the
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guidelines.
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First, developing guidelines. Some moderators resist the suggestion
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that others should be able to tell them how to run their echos, and
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with good reason--some of the decisions moderators have to make just
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don't fit easily into any one "policy" box. However, the way things
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stand now (with the essentially useless BOP), users don't have any
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recourse if they feel they've been treated unfairly by a moderator.
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Like anyone else, moderators make mistakes and occassionally exercise
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poor judgement.
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FidoNews 10-32 Page: 7 09 Aug 1993
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For this reason, I feel that it would be very appropriate to develop
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some basic guidelines (voluntary or otherwise) for echos. Rather than
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telling a moderator what to do, though, it seems more logical to develop
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guidelines from the standpoint of an echo user. At the very least,
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2 things should happen. First, moderators should always be able to
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document any disciplinary action they take. It seems that every few
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weeks there's an article in the snooze from someone claiming that
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such-and-such moderator kicked him or her out of whatever echo for no
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reason. Second, folks should have somewhere to appeal to if they feel
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they've been treated unfairly by a moderator. Whoever the apealee is,
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though, should only be able to reinstate a cut node or person. Giving
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them the power to remove or discipline a moderator is just inviting
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trouble.
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Switching to flagging adhering (enough "ing" words for you?)
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moderators in the echolist. I think this is a bad idea. No matter what
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set of guidelines is developed, there are going to be those who
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disagree with the document, many with perfectly legitimate reasons.
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Singling out those persons who do and do not agree with that specific
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set implies a value judgement on those echos and those moderators. Why
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brand folks without giving them a chance to explain *why* they don't
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want to ally themselves? The best way to decide how good an echo is
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isn't to look for a notation the echolist, it's to join it for a while
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and make a decision based on first-hand experience.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Just a user
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From: Rodger Donaldson (3:771/410)
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Now, I'm "just" a FidoNet user. Not a sysop, not even a point.
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I haven't even been on Fido for that long-maybe 6 months or so.
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I count myself as an enthusiast though, so I'm sorta concerned
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about the problems in Europe. I mean, when a couple of hundred
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nodes dissapear-hundreds of systems, maybe thousands of users
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like me, no longer able to enjoy this hobby of ours-I'd tend to
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assume there had to be a pretty good reason, especially when the
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same thing happening in Germany is gonna happen in the UK soon.
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I've always been told I'm rather intelligent. But, try as I
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might, I can't work out why this is happening. I've taken a
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squizz at policy 4, followed the debates in FidoNews, and
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chatted with my Sysop about it. Still doesn't make sense.
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Why, I ask myself, is this GeoNet thing floating around? The
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only reason I've been able to discern so far is that it makes
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things work better in Zone 1. Even on that score, there seem to
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be more than a few people over there who are unenthusiastic
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about it; but even assuming it _does_ work better in Z1, why
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does that mean it should be rammed down the rest of the planet's
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throat, like it or not? Here in Z3, we just voted to change to
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LHA as our standard NodeDiff compressor. Works for us, right?
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(Well, there's one bloke with an Archimedes for whom it doesn't,
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FidoNews 10-32 Page: 8 09 Aug 1993
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but I'm sure a work-around will be arranged). Maybe, though, it
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wouldn't for everyone else-maybe everyone else wants Arc. Fine,
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who are we to impose our solutions on everyone else? Heck, if
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our ZC was like Z2's, the guy with the Arch would be kicked off
|
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for not having a port or LHA available! But that would be
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silly, right? If he can find someone willing to convert the
|
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NodeDiff to Arc, why should he be excluded, right?
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Anyone starting to notice something here? That maybe the
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solution to this particular problem, archive format, is going to
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come about with a little good will and application of a modicum
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of good sense? Both to the Arch owner, and to Z3's desire to go
|
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LHA vs. the rest of the world's desire to keep using ARC? Seems
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to work, right? Better than a holy Jihad based around a narrow
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interpratation of the rules. Heck, the decision was made by
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vote!
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So, I'm at a loss to understand the GeoNet thing. Was there a
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zone-wide vote for change in Z2, or a vote in any of the
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regions? Nope, don't look like it from here. Is it causing
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problems? Well, I guess I'd call over 800 nodes, at last count,
|
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leaving Fido a "problem". Is it making it work any better?
|
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Well, forcing people who perhaps don't like each other to work
|
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together, adding $$$ (DM, actually) to the cost of persuing a
|
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hobby, and cutting off a significant number of people altogether
|
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doesn't sound better to me!
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So why is it being done? I don't see any application of that
|
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common sense I mentioned before happening here! So, could
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someone, anyone, preferably a driving force behind this change,
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kindly explain why this is being done? Not by beating me over
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the head with a rulebook-because, in the real world, stupid laws
|
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usually get changed-but by explaining its practical benefits?
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Maybe if it's impossible to do that, the GeoNet idea really _is_
|
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stupid, at least in some parts of the world. And maybe if it is
|
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stupid, so are the rules that mandate it. And maybe, just
|
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maybe, they should be abandoned, or, at least, fine tuned to
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make them work a little better for *all* FidoNetters...sysops,
|
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users, and *Cs alike. Because this is-as I understand it,
|
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anyway-a world wide hobby, kept going by a bunch of dedicated
|
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people-the sysops-and supported by avid fans-the users. And
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maybe it should look-and act-a little more like that.
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Just a thought, anyway.
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Rodger Donaldson, 3:771/410.
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FidoNews 10-32 Page: 9 09 Aug 1993
|
||
|
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|
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Holy Policy
|
||
From: Stanton McCandlish (1:301/2)
|
||
To: editors (1:1/23)
|
||
|
||
1) The reliance on Holy Policy in this net is appalling. When a
|
||
network considers following a largely arbitary pile of rules to the
|
||
letter, regardless of their [lack of] logic, and applicability to the
|
||
situation at hand, to the detriment of an entire region of the world,
|
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SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG. I urge that people no only support German
|
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sysops resisting the coming of PolicyNazis(TM) to their area, but I
|
||
also urge everyone in Fido to DEMAND a new policy. Is there anyone
|
||
near me getting the alternative nodediffs with the original R24
|
||
structure intact? I want it and will be happy to make it available
|
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to all comers.
|
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2) It's time we moved on to a domainist addressing scheme. This
|
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nodediff business is an anachronism, and is threatening not only the
|
||
fabric of the net, as it tears itself apart, due to the ludicrosity
|
||
of a setup that allows a handful of people to ruin whole regions, but
|
||
also threatens the viability of the net itself, given the size of the
|
||
nodediffs, and the fact that one has to keep a 2+ megabyte nodelist
|
||
lying around. On my system, the NL, and it's FD index files take up
|
||
about 60k short of FIVE MEGABYTES. Just ridiculous.
|
||
|
||
3) ARC must go. If you added up the money WASTED in this network,
|
||
total, carting around archives that are 30% or so larger than they
|
||
need be, it comes out to a VERY large amount. Just doing some
|
||
guesstimated math:
|
||
|
||
VERY conservative estimate of mail costs per month due to feeding
|
||
CRPs and paying phone bills: US$5
|
||
|
||
Thus at about 30% wasted, that's about US$1.70 per month, per person.
|
||
At roughly 22,000 sysops, that's US$37,000 per MONTH, or US$444,000
|
||
per year. When one considers that many systems have mail bills that
|
||
are several HUNDRED dollars per month, you can see how conservative
|
||
this estimate is, even if you lop off some of that 30% to account for
|
||
time spent in modem connection negotiation, and the passing of
|
||
handshake packets.
|
||
|
||
Stop all this "compatibility whining". Use PK[Un]Zip. If you don't
|
||
have an IBM clone, get InfoZip, which is FULLY PKZip 2.04g
|
||
compatible, and is availalble compiled for DOS, Windows, Mac, Amiga,
|
||
VMS, OS/2 (16- and 32-bit), and more besides, and is also availble in
|
||
source code format so you can port it to your Acorn Archimedes RISC,
|
||
NeXT, DEC, Sun, or whatever. No more excuses, sorry. You can FREQ
|
||
the source from me, nodelisted or not, Fido or not, as ZIP19P1.ZIP.
|
||
|
||
4) Ignore silly tests like that Arj vs Zip one. Arj and Zip are both
|
||
fine formats that do a good job. Arj beats Zip in some cases, and
|
||
fails to do so in others. Zipping up one 2 meg file is NOT an
|
||
adequate test.
|
||
|
||
5) Since Tom Jennings does happen to hold copyright on the nodelist,
|
||
FidoNews 10-32 Page: 10 09 Aug 1993
|
||
|
||
perhaps, if he sees the R24 situation as the screwy mess we all do,
|
||
he should attempt to use this ownership of said document to force
|
||
some changes that are in concurrence with what appears to be a
|
||
majority of the people in R24? Just a thought.
|
||
|
||
8) nuff said. Please direct all flames to 2:24/0, and cc them to
|
||
2:2/0.
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Announcing IndraNet
|
||
From: Stanton McCandlish (1:301/2)
|
||
To: Editor (1:1/23)
|
||
|
||
-=>Announcing IndraNet!<=-
|
||
|
||
What have we got? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ About 30 echos, ranging from
|
||
computer tech, cyberspace/networking, UFOs and scientific debate,
|
||
through genealogy, D&D, and Celtic myth, to modems, TriBBS support,
|
||
marketplaces, and creative writing.
|
||
|
||
The freedom to say what you like, where you like, in the manner you
|
||
like.
|
||
|
||
The right to control your own system, to join any net you wish, to be
|
||
a hub regardless of any other hubs near you, and to start a new net
|
||
or echo at any time.
|
||
|
||
Great discussion, great attitudes, great people, great systems.
|
||
|
||
Nodes in 4 states and 4 countries, growing all the time.
|
||
|
||
Support for Fido formats as zone 369, plus support for QWK format
|
||
mail.
|
||
|
||
What DON'T we have? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ NO *C's. The only "position"
|
||
in the net is that of nodelist maker, which does nothing but make a
|
||
nodelist.
|
||
|
||
NO MODERATORS. Participants police themselves, just like in UseNet
|
||
(the world's largest online conference network, with several MILLION
|
||
users worldwide. It works. The shoe fits, so we wear it.)
|
||
|
||
NO FASCISTS. NO ONE can tell you what to do, where to feed, what to
|
||
call your board, when your system is operating, who you may give net
|
||
access to, or anything else.
|
||
|
||
NO CENSORSHIP. Period. Ever.
|
||
|
||
NO POLICY DOCS. Our rules are simple: take responsibility for
|
||
yourself, don't flame when a reasonable debate is more useful to all
|
||
involved, do not attempt to abridge the rights of others, do not
|
||
restrict others' access to the net. That's it.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-32 Page: 11 09 Aug 1993
|
||
|
||
Does it work? Sure does! And you can be a part of it.
|
||
|
||
For an info packet, containing nodelist, echolist, application, &
|
||
newsletter, FREQ magicname INDRANET from NitV, 1:301/2. To get this
|
||
list by BBS download (e.g. if you are QWK system), call NitV at
|
||
+1-505-246-8515, N81, 1200-14400 v32b v42b, 24 hr., and look for
|
||
IN!?????.ZIP in the BBS-NET file area.
|
||
|
||
See ya online!
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
XAB Complaint threatened
|
||
From: Paul Dickie (2:256/62)
|
||
To: The Editors (1:221/192)
|
||
Subject: XAB Complaint threatened
|
||
|
||
Greetings!
|
||
|
||
This was sent to me, by a sysop in 250. I shall make no further
|
||
comment about it, for no further comment is needed...
|
||
|
||
======================================================================
|
||
Original Area : NET_250_SYSOP (NET_250_SYSOP)
|
||
Original From : Paul Carroll, 2:250/412 (30 Jul 93 15:00)
|
||
Original To : All
|
||
Original Subj : XAB Complaint threatened
|
||
=====================================================================
|
||
Hi All,
|
||
|
||
This is to advise you all that ZC Dwight has threatened an XAB
|
||
complaint against me because of some inaccuracies in my recent
|
||
article in FidoNews. I have sent another article to FidoNews
|
||
correcting these incaccuracies: whether this placates Dwight remains
|
||
to be seen.
|
||
|
||
So if 250/412 disappears from the nodelist, you'll know why.
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
ARJ vs ZIP, the Real Story?
|
||
By Clay Tinsley, 1:124/5125
|
||
Real Life Comparisons of ARJ and PkZip
|
||
|
||
>While this is great and all, it hasn't even been mentioned what file
|
||
>type is compressed and decompressed more than any other in Fidonet, day
|
||
>in and day out - the .PKT mail bundle. It would be unfair to leave
|
||
>this most popular file type out of the test.
|
||
|
||
>Let's take another sample - I rescanned 500 msgs in POLITICS to a fake
|
||
>node, and compressed the resulting 955k packet using maximum
|
||
>compression:
|
||
|
||
> ZIPMAIL ZIP 314833
|
||
> ARJMAIL ARJ 320505
|
||
FidoNews 10-32 Page: 12 09 Aug 1993
|
||
|
||
|
||
>As you can see, PkZip can save Fidonet many collective dollars each day
|
||
>though reduced long distance phone bills.
|
||
|
||
One thing here that most people seem to forget about ARJ. It has a
|
||
"Huffman Buffer" that's accessed with the "-jh" switch. It's been
|
||
hashed out in the ARJ echo for years now, and the best that people
|
||
have found is the "-jh11010".
|
||
|
||
I would ask Mr. Tinsley if he included this switch in his experiment.
|
||
Also there's the fact that ARJ keeps the paths that the file is in,
|
||
by default. To stop that, you include the "-e" switch. To illustrate
|
||
this idea, let's say you're ARJing up a sub-directory of 100 files.
|
||
They are 2 dirs deep, like this:
|
||
|
||
C:\SUB-DIR1\SUB-DIR2
|
||
|
||
ARJ will store this as SUB-DIR1\SUB-DIR2\FILENAME.EXT for EACH file.
|
||
So, taking this example, we have an extra 18 bytes per file. With 100
|
||
files, you add 1,800 bytes to the file. This is UNCOMPRESSED bytes,
|
||
as the filenames are uncompressed.
|
||
|
||
This might sound like a small nit to pick, but there are some upload
|
||
checkers that re-archive the uploads, and it keeps the FULL paths
|
||
from its temporary sub-directory. They then rename the archive, and
|
||
then, with DOS's REN command, change it to whatever it was before. (I
|
||
won't mention any program names, but I've seen this all too many
|
||
times.)
|
||
|
||
I'm not faulting Mr.s Tinsley. I'm just showing that there are a few
|
||
other things to think about when doing these comparisions.
|
||
|
||
And BTW. For straight ASCII text files, the best Huffman Buffer
|
||
setting for ARJ is "-jh65535". If needed, I can do this experiment
|
||
with the most recent nodelist, and with the proper commandlines. (And
|
||
fully document those command lines.)
|
||
|
||
I AM all for using something better than ARC, but I'd even settle for
|
||
LHA as the standard, as it saves much more space than ARC.
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FIDONET CARES
|
||
|
||
by Jerry Seward
|
||
New Echomail Conference: FIDONET_CARES
|
||
|
||
The Great Midwest Floods of 1993 have caused untold damage and
|
||
heartache to many of the members of our Fidonet family in
|
||
Regions 11 and 14. This conference is used to elicit
|
||
information about the needs of Fidonet members and their
|
||
families that have suffered as a result of this disaster, and to
|
||
help meet whatever emergency needs they may have by tapping the
|
||
resources of other Fidonet members outside of the disaster area.
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-32 Page: 13 09 Aug 1993
|
||
|
||
At this time, this echomail conference is being privately
|
||
distributed, however it is being carried on all the Zone 1
|
||
Echomail ZoneHubs, so any Fidonet node should be able to receive
|
||
this conference from their regular echomail resource. Feeds are
|
||
available at 2613/333, 260/1, 170/400, 13/13, 396/1, and
|
||
209/209. We hope to meet the requirements for listing in
|
||
FIDONET.NA in the near future.
|
||
|
||
JERRY SEWARD | FidoNet 1:2613/333.0
|
||
In*Touch Consulting Services | InterNet jerry@rochgte.fidonet.org
|
||
5 Spicewood Lane | UUCP rutgers!ur-valhalla!rochgte!jerry
|
||
Rochester, New York 14624-3717 | FAX: +1-716-461-3169
|
||
USA | Voicemail: +1-716-234-9069
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
AND ON A SLIGHTLY MYSTICAL NOTE...
|
||
|
||
There's information available for people with an active interest
|
||
in old Celtic(Irish) and shamanic religious and spiritual traditions.
|
||
Write to: Circle, Box 219, Mt. Horeb, WI 53572. (Postcards are OK.)
|
||
Ask for their info packet, and mention you heard it on FidoNet.
|
||
|
||
Reviews of esoteric neo-p newsletters, publications and meeting
|
||
announcements are being accepted for inclusion in the Herne bulletin.
|
||
Send zines or reviews to: NHSK, POB 178, Stratham, NH 03885-0178.
|
||
For a copy of Herne, send a business-size SASE.
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
========================================================================
|
||
Fidonews Information
|
||
========================================================================
|
||
|
||
------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
|
||
|
||
Editors: Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees, Tim Pozar
|
||
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello,
|
||
Tom Jennings
|
||
|
||
IMPORTANT NOTE: The FidoNet address of the FidoNews BBS has been
|
||
changed!!! Please make a note of this.
|
||
|
||
"FidoNews" BBS
|
||
FidoNet 1:1/23
|
||
BBS +1-519-570-4176, 300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(DS)
|
||
Internet addresses:
|
||
Don & Sylvia (submission address)
|
||
editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
|
||
|
||
Sylvia -- max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
|
||
Donald -- donald@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
|
||
Tim -- pozar@kumr.lns.com
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 10-32 Page: 14 09 Aug 1993
|
||
|
||
(Postal Service mailing address) (have extreme patience)
|
||
FidoNews
|
||
172 Duke St. E.
|
||
Kitchener, Ontario
|
||
Canada
|
||
N2H 1A7
|
||
|
||
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 1993 Sylvia Maxwell. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or
|
||
distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in
|
||
other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or FidoNews
|
||
(we're easy).
|
||
|
||
|
||
OBTAINING COPIES: The-most-recent-issue-ONLY of FidoNews in electronic
|
||
form may be obtained from the FidoNews BBS via manual download or
|
||
Wazoo FileRequest, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
|
||
PRINTED COPIES may be obtained from Fido Software for $10.00US each
|
||
PostPaid First Class within North America, or $13.00US elsewhere,
|
||
mailed Air Mail. (US funds drawn upon a US bank only.)
|
||
|
||
INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.ieee.org, in
|
||
directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews. If you have questions regarding
|
||
FidoNet, please direct them to deitch@gisatl.fidonet.org, not the
|
||
FidoNews BBS. (Be kind and patient; David Deitch is generously
|
||
volunteering to handle FidoNet/Internet questions.)
|
||
|
||
SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
|
||
FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
|
||
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable
|
||
from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". Please read it.
|
||
|
||
"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
|
||
trademarks of Tom Jennings, and are used with permission.
|
||
|
||
Asked what he thought of Western civilization,
|
||
M.K. Gandhi said, "I think it would be an excellent idea".
|
||
-- END
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|