F I D O N E W S -- | Vol. 9 No. 44 (2 November 1992) A newsletter of the | FidoNet BBS community | Published by: _ | / \ | "FidoNews" BBS /|oo \ | +1-415-863-2739 (_| /_) | 1:1/1@FidoNet _`@/_ \ _ | editor@fidonews.fidonet.org | | \ \\ | | (*) | \ )) | Editors: |__U__| / \// | Tom Jennings _//|| _\ / | Tim Pozar (_/(_|(____/ | (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. | -- JOSEPH PULITZER ----------------------------+--------------------------------------- For information, copyrights, article submissions, obtaining copies and so on, please refer to the end of this file. Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ..................................................... 1 editoriaL; WEe Gots Articulls tewday .......................... 1 2. ARTICLES ...................................................... 2 How FidoNet Tunnels the Internet .......................... 2 Zone 4 - The Sound of the Whistle ............................. 7 Freedom and privacy ........................................... 14 Your Biological Resource Discussion Area: The Evolution Echo .. 17 The Brigadoon Village Network ................................. 19 Invitation into DebNet Network ................................ 19 3. FIDONEWS INFORMATION .......................................... 21 FidoNews 9-44 Page 1 2 Nov 1992 ====================================================================== EDITORIAL ====================================================================== editoriaL; WEe Gots Articulls tewday by Tom Jennings (1:1/1) Some interesting articles this week... I'll let them speak for themselves. FidoNet is rapidly becoming part of the world-wide networking world, in some cases dragged kicking and screaming, but mostly quite enthusiastically. Personally, I think it's great, the more connectivity the better. It does bring with it all sorts of problems, technical and otherwise, but hey, this *is* an experimental amateur (in the nicest sense of that word) network. Change is our middle name (if we could only figger out what our first and last names are...). * * * * * WHINE MODE: OK, I give up. I admit defeat. I cannot win. Stupidity rules the planet. I have applied for another node number for FidoNews, to replace 1:1/1. I have also suggested that 1:1/1 be set aside for time immemorial. It is the algorithmic "zone gate for zone 1 messages to zone 1", which when you think about it is crazy, which is exactly the point -- BRANE DED programs and their mental-equiv. sysops send echo tosses to 1:1/1 when the program and/or the sysop screws up. Which is a lot. Over 300 messages this week alone. It is most annoying. Thank you, thank you, author of MBOUNCE. My solution: I MBOUNCE the offenders bad mail, and mark it all for HOLD, so the next time I get a bucket of crud, they get to pick it all back up, on their dime (dollar (mark (yen (guilder (whatever))))). Annoying! Once they get a bundle back, the problem magically disappears. (I tried sending messages to the sysop, to no avail.) WHINE OFF: I wonder if this happens to 2:2/2, 3:3/3... as well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 9-44 Page 2 2 Nov 1992 ====================================================================== ARTICLES ====================================================================== How FidoNet Tunnels the Internet Randy Bush 92.9.26 randy@psg.com 1:105/42 Copyright 1992, Pacific Systems Group. All rights reserved. Introduction ------------ A number of the FidoNet zonegates tunnel FidoNet-FidoNet traffic over the Internet's intercontinental TCP/IP links. This note is a short technical explanation of how it is done. For the purposes of this note, it will be assumed that you are familiar with FidoNet, TCP/IP, the Internet, and odd bits of MS-DOS and uucp cruft. Legalities ---------- FidoNet owes very deep appreciation to the IP networks which have consented to the tunneling of FidoNet traffic through them. FidoNet has a long-standing written agreement with the Internet not to use the Internet for FidoNet-FidoNet traffic without explicit consent. It is exceedingly important to note that the tunneling discussed in this note is done with the explicit consent and encouragement of the owners of the IP links concerned, e.g. EUnet and UNINET-ZA. It is also of note that it has been agreed that the traffic on the link between Europe and North America will not 'compete' with EUnet, i.e. carry traffic which should, more appropriately, be gotten from EUnet directly, such as Internet mailing lists, MBAS file requests, ... Overview -------- A goal of the hack is to make it appear as if the two FidoNet systems had actually communicated the 'normal' way by telephone. Hence gating, in the UFGATE sense, is not done. Instead, packed and compressed FidoNet files (xxxxyyyy.MOn) are magically moved from the sending node's outbound directory to the receiving node's inbound. They are then unpacked as if they had been transported by phone. Files are transported by moving the data from the sending FidoNet node to a nearby UNIX host which is on the Internet. The UNIX host then sends the file to a distant UNIX host which, in turn, transfers it to the distant FidoNet node. FidoNews 9-44 Page 3 2 Nov 1992 Different transports may be used between the FidoNet node and its local UNIX host. Sending and receiving scripts are run on the UNIX hosts in order to acommodate these differences. In the examples below, it will be assumed that the FidoNet node is on a local ether with its local UNIX host, but there are cases where the connection is via uucp etc. In order that the file can be routed by the distant UNIX system to the target FidoNet node, special processing and routing needs to be done by the receiving UNIX system. Hence, inter-UNIX transport by ftp or rcp is inappropriate, and uucp over TCP/IP, aka UUCP-t, is used, so that a command script may be uuxqted against the data file on the target host. The Fidonet Node --- ------- ---- On the local FidoNet node, mail and echomail are processed in the normal manner using normal FidoNet tools. I happen to use Binkley and QM because of their excellent standards conformity and their attempt to work well despite some of the non-conforming brain-damaged implementations out there. 1:105/42 uses FTP Software's excellent PC/TCP package for IP communication with the local SUN UNIX host rain.psg.com. Thus 1:105/42 can rcp, rsh, etc. to its ether neighbor. On 1:105/42, the FidoNet node actually used as the zonegate, QM packs the mail and echomail for the target FidoNet node in an outbound directory as a uniquely named file, xxxxyyyy.MO?. As there are only ten possible unique files of this form in any one day, *.MO[0-9], the outbound processing of the file is done ten or less times in any one day, and is therefore run from Binkley's event management system. So, ten times a day, 1:105/42 runs the following .BATch file for each of the tunneled connections: : %1 - outbound directory : %2 - .MOn filename in outbound : %3 - target UNIX Internet host : %4 - script name on target UNIX Internet host : %5 - .flo filename in outbound : %6 - target FidoNet node on the other side of %3 : : load ether driver and move to outbound directory 3c500 h: cd %1 if not exist %2.* goto noout : : send the outbound files for %%i in (%2.*) do call bink2eux 2fidoeu %%i %3 %4 %6 del %5.?lo : :noout : go to inbound directory FidoNews 9-44 Page 4 2 Nov 1992 cd h:\105-42 l: cd l:\105-42\files\net\europe :receive inbound files rcp -b fido@rain.psg.com:%3/* . for %%i in (*.*) do rsh rain.psg.com -l fido rm %3/%%i : move received file to real inbound directory mv *.* .. : : reset directories and get rid of driver cd l:\105-42 c: cd c:\105-42 inet unload The subsidiary .BATch file BINK2UUX.BAT is as follows: rcp -b %2 fido@rain.psg.com:%1 if errorlevel 1 goto end rsh rain.psg.com -l fido fido2uucp %1 %2 %3 %4 %5 if errorlevel 1 goto end : set the file length to zero but don't delete it nullit %2 :end The Local UNIX Host --- ----- ---- ---- The local UNIX host, rain.psg.com, is a SUN which is on the international Internet via UUNET's commercial IP service, AlterNet, at 56kb. It has a user account set up named fido, with the directory structure as follows: % ls -alg ~fido total 9 drwxrwx--- 7 fido uucp 512 May 30 19:34 ./ drwxr-xr-x 20 root daemon 512 May 28 07:46 ../ -rw-r----- 1 fido uucp 83 May 23 18:25 .profile -rw-r----- 1 fido uucp 74 Dec 21 1991 .rhosts drwxrwx--- 2 fido uucp 512 Sep 20 08:17 2fidoeu/ drwxrwx--- 2 fido uucp 512 Sep 20 07:02 kudu/ drwxrwx--- 2 fido uucp 512 Sep 19 21:34 mcsun/ drwxrwx--- 2 fido uucp 512 Sep 18 07:25 pacifier/ drwxrwx--- 2 fido uucp 512 Sep 20 04:22 tmp/ The .rhosts file has an entry for puddle.fidonet.org, the FQDN for its local friend 1:105/42, and the .profile has a restricted path as one would have for a root account. There is a directory for each of the remote UNIX hosts. There is also, in a directory on the .profile path, the script invoked by 1:105/42 and that invoked by the remote UNIX system. FidoNews 9-44 Page 5 2 Nov 1992 The script invoked by the rsh in 1:105/42's .BATch file is fido2uucp, and is coded as follows: #!/bin/sh FILE=`echo $2 | tr "[A-Z]" "[a-z]"` cd /home/fido/$1 if test -s $FILE; then uux - -r $3!$4 $5 $2 < $FILE fi rm $FILE The fidouucp script invoked by the foreign UNIX system via uuxqt is as follows: #!/bin/sh SPOOL=/home/fido SPOOLDIR=$SPOOL/$UU_MACHINE SPOOLTMP=$SPOOL/tmp file=`echo $2 | tr "[a-z]" "[A-Z]"` cat - > $SPOOLTMP/$FILE ln $SPOOLTMP/$FILE $SPOOLDIR/$FILE rm $SPOOLTMP/$FILE find $SPOOLDIR -size 0 -exec rm {} \; Tying it all Together ----- -- --- -------- Of course, the two UNIX hosts must have uucp accounts for each other which allow uuxqting of the appropriate scripts, and providing the appropriate directories, Systems (or L.sys) entries, etc. as usual. The observant reader will note that the system described above does not handle transfer of arbitrary files, but only packed and compressed mail. To make the Internet hack more general, i.e. move more than outbound mail, we sorely need a DOS command to drive the scripts through the .?LO file in the outbound directory. It would be invoked as, for example, OFILES Z:N/N OFILES invokes the DOS .BATch file once for each file listed in the .?LO file of the FidoNet node Z:N/N as follows where is the batch file named in the OFILES command is the Z:N/N from the OFILES command is the name of one file in the .?LO filelist is TRUNC, DEL, or LEAVE depending on the .?LO options FidoNews 9-44 Page 6 2 Nov 1992 are the rest of the params from the OFILES command What is missing is how OFILES knows if it can delete the entry in the .?LO file, i.e. if the invoked .BATch file considers itself successful. I wish to use it, for example, as OFILES BINK2EUR 2:500/1 2fidoeu with the .BATch file BINK2EUR as IF NOT EXIST %2 GOTO end ; del entry if can't find RCP -b %2 fido@rain.psg.com:%4 ; copy the file to UNIX IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO error RSH rain.psg.com -l fido fido2uucp %2 %4 ; run the UNIX send script IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO error IF %3 == DEL RM %2 ; delete ^ files IF %3 == TRUNC TYPE NUL: > %2 ; truncate # files GOTO end :error :end Which would allow one to use, for example, file attaches, PLEASE, TICK, ... via the Internet hack. Note that this hack would also allow a .BATch hacker to drive anything against the list in a .?LO file. Acknowledgements ---------------- Daniel Karrenberg, Daniel.Karrenberg@ripe.net, worked out the first UNIX script file hacks with me and, more importantly, helped negotiate the very generous permission of EUnet to carry the US/Europe traffic. Henk Wevers, 2:500/1, helped to sort out the first such connection. We all just wish he would share his FidoNet-side code. Henk's partner in crime, Louis van Geel, 2:295/3, continues to very helpful with the socio-political aspects, which seem to have become more important than the technical in FidoNet over the years. Dave Wilson, ccdw@hippo.ru.ac.za, and Doug Palin, doug@pacifier.rain.com, helped generalize the hack when we added their links. They have also contributed code. Vince Perriello, 1:343/491, helped with some hacks and was supportive in his wonderful garrulous way. --- FidoNews 9-44 Page 7 2 Nov 1992 FidoNet is a trademark of Tom Jennings and Fido Software. UNIX is a trademark of the soul-less [sic] behemouth AT&T. -30- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Zone 4 - The Sound of the Whistle By Clovis Lacerda - Brazil's Region Coordinator 4:80/0 Dear ZCs, IC, Fidonews editor, sysops: Our History is full of examples of weak countries against powerful ones, the force of intelligence against muscles. It seems to be a tendency that the Nobel Academy will keep on giving awards to oppressed people, like this year's. It is also, at first sight, beautiful to see a Fidonet sysop trying to bring democracy to his environment, where people could be heard and respected. What I will report to the Fidonet community is an example of History upside down, an example of someone that says beautiful things to the big audience but uses the most abominable tools he is trying to abolish from Fidonet. We will see an example of "Do what I say, not what I do", a sample of intolerance and megalomania. Zone 4, Latin America, has been used as a laboratory for Political Science, where experiences are translated into complex sentences in uncountable Worldpol drafts. Zones 1 and 3 have been shown to us as made of dictators, that took advantage of their majority and implemented Policy4. I am not here to say whether Policy4 is right or wrong, whether Worldpol is or is not. I only want to report what a big Fidonet Region (Brazil) has suffered this year. In 1989 and 1990, our ZC, Pablo Kleinman, started to put in practice his intolerance against Z1 and Z3. First, he implemented the "democratic system", where coordinators in all levels were elected on a "one sysop-one vote" basis, facing with disrespect Policy4 rules. Nobody can say that, even though the majority of RC's accepted the system, it was legal. It is the same as saying that, in a group of 6 people, 5 decided to kill the other, and, being the majority, they are not against the law. In Fidonews 747, 1990, Pablo Kleinman proclaims: --start of quote General Elections in Zone 4 FidoNet's Zone 4 "Latin America" has just finished it's first "general elections for all coordinators" process, where all the coordination positions were democratically elected simultaneusly. --end of quote This continues in the next years, until 1992. Meanwhile, 1989-1990, the sysops of Zone 4 found themselves in the middle of a heavy discussion between Pablo and Bill Bolton. Even though the discussion was held in the private zone council conference, it was being brought to us as forwarded messages. The discussion ended in the area of racial discrimination, according to Pablo's oppinion. But racial discrimination isn't anything Pablo should claim in his favor, FidoNews 9-44 Page 8 2 Nov 1992 since (last May) he pictured me and my fellows as "Inhabitants of the Belt of Complex of Inferiority, where poverty makes people ignorant". In the Northeast region where I live, thousands of poor children starve and most of them die. My reaction was insane, and I offended his Brazilian one supporter in his japanese origin. In the next day, I publicly apologized. In his attempt to make things different in Fidonet in such a hurry, he is trying to change the Fidonet netmail routing, today, with his IDS project. Let's read what he has to say about this problem: * Message originally: From: Pablo Kleinman To : Bill Oxner Date:27-09-92 Area: "INTERUSER" IDS stands for Independent Distribution System. In today's FidoNet, the zonegates don't work, netmail routing host-to-host is deceased, and all the major echomail distribution systems are conditioned by a ton of different rules and politics. Cheers, -Pablo * Origin: [-Fiesta-Americana-] IDS - HollywoodCalifornia (1:102/631) Yes, zonegates, like those in Zone 4, don't work because Pablo took all the job for him! Again, I am not here to say whether he is right or wrong, but how he does his "marketing", using people and putting one against the other. But, let's come back to the laboratory, Zone 4. A brief review of what's happened here in the last years will clear your ideas. - 1989 - Pablo Kleinman is the ZC4 since its foundation. 1990 - Democratic elections - Pablo Kleinman is the ZC4 (again) 1991 - Democratic elections - since Pablo was moving to the USA, finally another candidate could dare to participate. Let's analyze the facts, according to Pablo's words in Fidonews 822: --start of quote The election was done on a one-sysop-one-vote basis, having ALL of the sysops in the Zone the right to vote. The most encouraging ingredient of the election that has very much impressed me was the formidable level of participation: slightly over 80 percent of the Zone's sysops exercised with commendable responsibility their RIGHT to vote. The complete vote-by-vote results were published on the LATIN.SYSOP echomail conference. Here are the totals: Alejandro Hopkins received 1.59 percent of the votes Clovis Lacerda received 39.68 percent of the votes Gustavo Zacarias received 58.73 percent of the votes FidoNews 9-44 Page 9 2 Nov 1992 --end of quote Few days *BEFORE* this election, we were completely aware that I was not going to win, since our region was smaller than Argentina. This was also a conclusion from his brazilian supporter, who gave me moral support: "The most important thing is to participate". A quick Math calculation showed me that the ratio of the vote the most voted candidates received was exactly the same compared to the ratio of the number of sysops in each region. In other words, SYSOPS IN ONE COUNTRY WILL VOTE FOR A SYSOP FROM HIS COUNTRY, thus, making ridiculous this "democratic" system, completely anti-democratic, considering that countries will be fighting for power in one single zone. This anti-democratic system has made similar disasters in Fidonet recently. If you look at what happened in the timetable I showed above, you will see that *every* year, since 1990, we had elections. Nothing more natural than expecting another election for Gustavo's substitute. Considering this, we, brazilians, decided to start a campaign to increase our region, thus, making us the largest in Zone 4, capable of electing the new ZC4. May comes and no election is announced. Brazilian sysops ask me what was going on, and I asked them to be patient and wait. All of a sudden, all Zone 4 RC's receive a netmail from Billi Cohen, Argentina's RC, asking for the removal of Gustavo (Pablo's article in Fidonews 934, that goes in the following pages, gives the reasons, but doesn't say about the deal made, wisely omitted), and, in the same netmail, he suggests Gamey Garcia, Mexico's RC, to be temporal in the coordination. I said that I would not agree, since the elections should have been called already. He then says, in his reply, that Gamey would be a temporal, with the obligation of calling the new elections. Elections that were NEVER held in Zone 4, since Pablo gave himself the right to interfere in the process, even being a zone 1 sysop. Does he have the right to interfere, is it a honest attitude? His intereference is well documented with the IC Matt Whelan, in the form of many netmails requesting Gustavo's removal. Let's see what Pablo has to say about this, reading Fidonews 814: --start of quote Folks Who Oppose Democracy In FidoNet Are Nervous But... WORLDPOL IS NO NONSENSE Yes, that's what Policy4 proposes: John ZC elects Jim RC, Peter RC and Paul RC. And then Jim RC, Peter RC and Paul RC elect John ZC! Added to this is the fact that then Jim RC, Peter RC and Paul RC go and choose their respective regions' NCs. In between, where are the FidoNet sysops? They are right there: forgotten and ignored. But according to those that defend Policy4, the poor sysops like to be forgotten and ignored! Excusez-moi, but I simply don't buy that. But I know very well that across the Ocean, in Europe, things are different. The two biggest regions there: Holland and Germany, have non-geographic nets. Should I, from Buenos Aires, tell the guys in Antwerpen and Hamburg that what they do is wrong? I rather chose to sit and watch. It is their experience and if they do it that way, it's maybe because that is the best for them. It does not and will not in any way, harm the rest of FidoNet... So why should I complain? FidoNews 9-44 Page 10 2 Nov 1992 Why should anyone complain? --end of quote But Pablo's knowledge of democratic principles is too confusing. He defended himself saying that the coordinator would be elected, but with no limitation in his term! I am still looking for this concept in my History books. Questioning him why Zone 4 didn't have a Zone Policy yet, he said we didn't need any bureaucracy, like those in Policy4 and Zone 1. Let's see what he said two years ago, in Fidonews 814: --start of quote I will probably support establishing geographic restrictions in Zone-4, when we write our Zone policy. I believe it will be better that way for us but why in the world should I pretend to indicate somebody thousands of miles away what to do? --end of quote The word "when" is being waited since then. This way, I can only say that he was neglectful, or probably too busy with politics in Fidonet that didn't find time to implement a zone Policy, establishing every detail about this extraordinary democratic system, where the results are known before the first ballot. About ZC4 Gustavo Zacarias' removal, he said, in FIDONEWS 934: --start of quote The RCs then, after procuring majoritarian support from their region's sysops, staged what could be considered a coup. Gamey Garcia from Mexico, was voted in. A P4 impeachment process was then started, but Gustavo voluntarily resigned before it went through. No, I hate it. I find it stupid, repulsive, immature, disgusting. But I'm glad that the attempt to Policy4-ize Zone 4 didn't work out. It also convinces me once more that until we get rid of it, we'll keep on having this kind of problems, like Zone 2 is now proving. --end of quote This kind of problem is simply made by people that love to play politics and use others as instruments to reach their goals. Now that he finds himself "against the wall", with the eminent election of a non-blind follower, he changes the game with his beautiful speech and says that the brazilian majority of sysops would create (his words) "The Dictatorship of the Majority" !! What does he really think about this? Let's read his own words in Fidonews 814: --start of quote FidoNews 9-44 Page 11 2 Nov 1992 Policy4 was written in North America by North Americans, and while Europeans did not participate or support it, we Latin Americans were denied a say. And Zone-4 did exist even before Policy4 was approved. Now: is sustaining democratic values a symptom of adolescence? I don't know what will come up from the vote, but in one way or another, they know there is a group on FidoNet that advocates to democracy and the rights of every sysop in the network. These rights include the possibility of the groups of sysops in different parts of the world to organize and operate according to their customs and not to which some intend to dictate from some faraway place. This ideal, today expressed by the current policy proposal WorldPol, is likely to win. Sooner or later. The sooner, the better for FidoNet. Pablo Kleinman Democratically Elected Zone-4 Coordinator April 5, 1991 --end of quote For years, we have been obliged to participate in his xenophobia against North Americans. While the majority was in his favor, we were playing democracy and it was a great example for the planet. To make his arguments stronger, he accuses me of putting "ghost" systems in the nodelist. But, is there anything more "ghostly" than a sysop of three different systems, in three different countries, AT THE SAME TIME? One in Los Angeles, a PVT in Mexico (is there any computer hooked on the line?), and another one in Germany. "Party" in Spanish means "Fiesta". What a great party, folks! As one sysop in Argentina wisely said, "Clovis was trying to do exactly what we did last year". Former ZC4, Gustavo Zacarias, told me, after resigning, that his "capital sentence" was determined in advance by Pablo, since Pablo's orders and interference were not being accepted anymore. One of the orders was the removal of "Clovis' bureaucracy", like a newspaper editor and an Echomail Coordinator. Yes, he hates people interfering in someone else's business. "In the name of democracy", we, RC's, were asked to remove Gustavo and put Gamey as temporal. How cute! Everything was meticulously prepared, how stupid I was. I asked myself for some months: Why Mexico? It is so obvious! From Los Angeles to Mexico, a short trip by bus could put the two close friends together, and keep Z4 administration close to home, far away from those "under the Equator". But Pablo's last card was put on the table, something I have been waiting for months! Now, 20,000 systems can read and learn about intolerance and disrespect for others' oppinion: Sat 24 Oct 92 15:29 By: Pablo Kleinman To: Clovis Lacerda Re: Insults and Apology FidoNews 9-44 Page 12 2 Nov 1992 cc: Alexandre Beltrao, Gamey Garcia Clovis and Alexandre: I've seen the nasty comments both of you have made about my person and I expect a public apology. The insults, more specifically refer to the VARIOUS comments by Clovis (one of them was "PC Farias a moda de California") and Alexandre's epithet in a message titled "Japona Traidor". I will wait until October 1st for a reply to this message, or else, I will proceed to file a policy complaint against both of you for defamation. I want a full apology on the echo where the insults were written, with a netmail copy to myself and your zone coordinator. Thank you. -Pablo pablito@fido.lu --end of message I kindly ask you Pablo: Take me out of Fidonet, the same way you did with a whole country, Uruguay, where the RC would be the only one against Gustavo's removal. Uruguay, folks, has been wandering around Internet, calling up my system, trying to come back to Fidonet, and, during this time, receiving help from one of the dictators of Zone 1, that put him in his fdnet.pvt! Yes, zone 1 coordinators are all dictators. Everybody in Fidonet is invited to try to connect the following phones, to check things out. Region,85,Red_Banda_Oriental,Uruguay,Juan_Carlos_Alonso,598-2-486 616 Host,850,Fidonet_Uruguay,Montevideo_U,Juan_Carlos_Alonso,598-2-48 ,1,Soporte_FD/IMAIL,Montevideo,Juan_Carlos_Alonso,598-2-486616,24 00 ,2,Superandres,Montevideo,Andres_Borthagaray,598-2-786266,2400,V32 ,3,Iosys_BBS,Montevideo,Juan_Carlos_Alonso,598-2-486616,2400,XX Pvt,4,Chas.Fido,Montevideo,Miguel_Peirano,-Unpublished-,9600,XX,C M There are two options: 1 - I am removed from the coordination of my country. Like the episode in Los Angeles this year (he learns too fast), when only whites judged a black with bad consequences, I know I will be removed, even before the trial takes place. We do magic in Zone 4, before things happen, we know the results. Who will be in charge of the trial? PLEASE, do it! 2 - People may back off, "forget", giving us a good reason to laugh. But, in spite of everything I exposed here, what if I say that he called me "full of shit... having psychotic problems blurring my mind"? How can he dare to do that? How come a person, who removes a message from me, in our private sysop's conference (Brazil), TRANSLATES it into Spanish (what a wonderful way to bring latin people closer), putting it in an international conference, wants to file a complaint against me? Is what he did annoying behavior? FidoNews 9-44 Page 13 2 Nov 1992 * Message originally: From: Pablo Kleinman To : Clovis Lacerda Date: 10-10-92 Area: "LATIN.SYSOP" la gente de FidoNet Brasil recibi", a trav^Bs de su echo de operadores, m s bien la siguiente explicaci"n, que traduzco al castellano por partes (el texto "quoteado" es el original de Clovis, y el siguiente entre corchetes es la traducci"n al espa$ol de lo all! escrito): [ED NOTE: I had to strip this to 7 bit ASCII. It's now gibberish. Sorry!] ---- end of message "The people in Fidonet Brazil received, in your sysops' conference, the following explanation that I will translate to Spanish by peaces (the quoted text is Clovis' original, and the following text inside brackets is the translation in Spanish of what he wrote):" Is Zone 4 Laboratory a big annoying behavior against Fidonet? Is it really me who has psychotic problems blurring my mind? Pablo gives us some hints about who may have these kind of problems. Let's read, again, Fidonews 934: --Start of quote I'm no politician. But I grew up under the boots of a bunch of fascist generals, and terrorized by the vice principal's whistle blow when we were too noisy in the cafeteria or when I ate an orange without using fork and knife. I was brainwashed with fascist propaganda by my teacher in 3rd grade, while the commits were blowing up the front of my family's house with a bomb one night. I was victimized by anti-semites when I was just too young to understand what being a Jew was. I guess that at some point it just became sickening. People I know "disappeared" for simply speaking their minds. The worst that could happen to me is being "disappeared" from the nodelist. I hate this authoritarian bigots and I'm not willing to deal with the feeling of being "submitted." I guess it'll be just way too hard for me to shut up. --end of quote Please Pablo, I want to be removed. Give us the flag that you always said to be with you, so much stated in your quotations I put here (1% of the library of messages I have from and about you), the flag of Democracy, Respect, People's Determination, Honesty. Sorry, I cannot hold this last flag, I am a bad guy, I am cannibal and eat up little children. Better adjectives about me you will all have the pleasure to read in the "verbal flood" he will flush in Fidonews, as usual. Believe in all of them. I must, in advance, say that everything Pablo FidoNews 9-44 Page 14 2 Nov 1992 will say about me is true. He is an incompetent politician, even though I must recognize in him a great intelligence. Your vice principal's whistle is echoing everywhere. You claim for your rights when the whistle is against you, but you have a whistle of your own, blowing it in Zone 4 for years. Freud may explain it. As my defense against every terrible detail he is going to say about my person and the admistration of my country, let me repeat his own words. Let them echo in every little corner of Fidonet! --start of quote Should I, from Buenos Aires, tell the guys in Antwerpen and Hamburg that what they do is wrong? I rather chose to sit and watch. It is their experience and if they do it that way, it's maybe because that is the best for them. It does not and will not in any way, harm the rest of FidoNet... So why should I complain? Why should anyone complain? --end of quote Sorry folks, my article was too long. I have plenny of material to make Fidonews a great success for the next two years. But this is enough for me. I just want to be a loser. History will bring things side up again, no matter how long Winter will be. I am proud this little problem is putting us, brazilians, closer and closer, and showing Fidonet what it is made of. "We may hide the truth one day, one week, but not forever". Clovis Lacerda, Brazil - Regional coordinator, about to "disappear from the nodelist". ---------------------------------------------------------------------- by Christopher Baker@1:374/14 * Forwarded from 1:374/14, Rights On! in Titusville FL * Originally to All in the PUBLIC_KEYS echo. Techonology Review [Edited at M.I.T.]; Nov/Dec 92; Vol. 95, No. 8, pg 22: OF BYTES AND RIGHTS, by Herb Brody Abstract: DO CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND PRIVACY EXTEND INTO THE TERRITORY OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS? WE'D BETTER DECIDE SOON--BEFORE THE SETTLERS ARRIVE IN HORDES. FidoNews 9-44 Page 15 2 Nov 1992 Computer communications make figurative return to close community of yesteryear by embracing the world through the computer keyboard. Dark side of metaphor: gain friendliness, lose privacy. Page 24: "Computers and electronic communications, with their seductive power to store and manipulate enormous quantities of information, are raising threats to privacy that go far beyond the benign meddling of small towns. Computers linked to telecommunications networks spread information--and misinformation--faster than it can be managed. As access increases, so does the potential for loss of privacy. While an outcast of a small town can always leave, few can escape the evermore-ubiquitous computer network. The emerging network is also raising questions about freedom of expression. Who can be held responsible for statements posted on a computer bulletin board? What right do government and private organizations have to censor 'speech' disseminated over the network, and to prevent citizens from encoding their electronic communications? These questions defy easy answers because computers differ fundamentally from any other communications medium. Telephones permit one-to-one contact. With broadcast media such as radio, television, and print publishing, information flows in one direction, from one source to many receivers. With computer networks, millions of individuals can communicate with one another more or less simultaneously. Everyone becomes, in effect, a potential publisher or television station. Nothing in the present legal or regulatory framework anticipates such a dispersion of information sources. Today comparatively few people take advantage of the opportunity to tap into networks, but use is growing much faster than any consensus on rules for governing privacy and free expression. As of 1991, there were almost 60 million personal computers in the United States, and a PC could be found in 26 percent of households. Many of these computer users exchange ideas and trade software on local computer bulletin-boards, thousands of which are linked in a national system called FidoNet." [article reports the Electronic Frontier Foundation [EFF] and the American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU] and Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility [CPSR] are working to ensure privacy and freedom of expression do not get lost in the shuffle.] [Prodigy censorship of messages noted. Alan Westin, professor of public law and government at Columbia University, suggests a 'rating system' similar to the one used for motion pictures.] Page 25: FidoNews 9-44 Page 16 2 Nov 1992 "However, a recent federal court ruling in New York suggests that this strategy may be counterproductive. CompuServe Information Service was sued for libel because of information disseminated in an on-line newsletter. The judge ruled that CompuServe could not be held responsible because it was not like a newspaper, resembling instead a bookstore or library. A newspaper publisher is responsible for libelous statements, but a bookstore owner is not, because it is unreasonable to expect the owner to review the contents of all books sold. This decision means that operators of bulletin board systems ('sysops,' as they're known) can shield themselves from liability by practicing laissez-faire--letting anything and everything go on-line. Any service that adopts a more restrictive approach by, say, prohibiting obscenity or racial insults, begins to resemble a newspaper and can thus be held accountable. Prodigy vice president and general counsel George Perry suggests that bulletin boards issue a disclaimer each time a user logs on--a statement saying, in effect, that they can read posted messages at their own risk." [article continues to address the issues of 'reasonable privacy', the FBI proposal to build in monitoring capability to digital networks, Harvard law scholar Laurence Tribe suggests a Twenty-Seventh Amendment to the Constitution to ensure that protections of free speech and against unreasonable searches apply regardless of the technological medium used to transmit, store, or alter information.] Page 27: "Right now, anyone in the United States can legally encrypt an electronic message. This is a relatively tolerant policy; France by contrast, permits encryption only for government-related communications. Several U.S. software companies license the the most advanced and commonly used encryption algorithm, patented by RSA Data Security of Redwood City, Calif. Still few commercial products have built-in encryption capability. The reason is that the United States forbids export of any product containing the RSA algorithm, and software companies are reluctant to develop programs they cannot sell abroad. (Ironically, the U.S. government does not restrict cryptography imports. Thus a U.S. company wishing to sell cryptography products in the United States would do best to move operations overseas.)" Page 29: "Meanwhile, there is reason for optimism in the United States; civil libertarians are joining with technologists as the network grows from infancy. And computers users are, in fact, a particularly powerful elite, assuming that the country's economic future belongs to information-saavy people. FidoNews 9-44 Page 17 2 Nov 1992 Still, policymakers should not be distracted by a misguided focus on the elites: a universally accessible computer network that citizens may contribute to freely, without fear of surveillance or censorship, will be good for everyone. Utimately, computer users are hoping to create far-flung communities that combine the friendliness of a pastoral village with the sophistication, tolerance, and opportunity for growth and new experience offered by life in a modern city." -30- food for thought. if, as the article states, it is legal in the United States for 'anyone' to 'legally encrypt an electronic message', how does FidoNet forbid such a thing if they are so worried about legal operation? [grin] hmmm? TTFN. Chris p.s. this message is available as a file called TECHREVW.ART. * Origin: Rights On! - Privacy #1 Right! - Titusville_FL_USA (1:374/14) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- by Wesley R. Elsberry 1:347/303, Central Neural System BBS, 509-627-6267 "Industrial melanism" can be just a bit of jargon until you ask a knowledgeable zoologist to fill in the details. Then, you can find out why _Biston betularia_ provides an excellent example of what biologists today call "evolution". Along the way, the ecology of visually oriented predators and color-camouflaged prey items gets explained. Changes in environment become linked to changes in allele frequencies, and the whole process starts making sense. For those with a mathematical bent, the Hardy-Castle-Weinberg equations for population genetics may provide some fascinating calculator math in pursuit of biological relevance. Or if you are interested by fossils, discussions of taxonomy concerning our favorite critters from the Burgess Shale will definitely prove thought provoking. Is _Hallucigenia_ really an onychophoran? No, says Marty Leipzig, despite Stephen Gould's apparent capitulation on the matter. And just how large was _Anomalocaris_, the extra-large model predator of Burgess Shale fauna? Is _Wiwaxia_ really just another trilobite? (Trilobites, BTW, have nothing to do with computer memory.) FidoNews 9-44 Page 18 2 Nov 1992 Does the speed of light decay, as SciCre-ists Norman and Setterfield have averred? Various folk knowledgeable about the fields of physics and statistics not only say no, but explain why not. Or did Forrest M. Mims III get a fair deal or a raw deal when turned down for a columnist slot at Scientific American? How can you help preserve science instruction in secondary schools when biology classes are threatened by SciCre-ist dogmatists or animal rights activists? Do simulations of natural selection "jam" computers, as asserted by three-time doctorate SciCre-ist A.E. Wilder Smith? Learn why "genetic algorithms" are a hot topic in optimization problem solving, and why Wilder Smith was wrong. On all these topics and more, the Evolution Echo helps put you in touch with folks who either have a handle on answers or who are willing to help you locate the answers. Already, the phylogeny of therapsid reptiles, bases of molecular biology, definitions of abiogenesis, the extent of dendrochronological timelines, and various other nifty topics have been discussed in the Evolution Echo. If you enjoy science and either have a clue or wish to obtain a clue concerning biology, the Evolution Echo is a place that you should frequent. The Evolution Echo is a science echo, which means that flame-fests and invalid argumentation are discouraged, while the posting of references and proper arguments are encouraged. Science also says nothing (and can say nothing) concerning the validity of theological issues, so either supporting or denigrating religions is off-topic in the Evolution Echo. Those who must make comments concerning religion when discussions of biology come up are encouraged to continue frequenting the OPEN_BIBLE or A_THEIST echoes according to their viewpoint. Those of you who believe that the tag for this echo should be SATAN_INSPIRED_CONSPIRACY (Ken Ham, are you listening?) are welcome to join in, but do remember that the level of respect you give is likely to be the level of respect you get. The echo rules are available for F'Req from 1:347/303 as EVORULES.LZH. The goal is to make the Evolution Echo accurate, useful, and fun. The topics can be both technical and important, but a little levity goes a long way toward keeping things pleasant. The Evolution Echo is now available on the Zone 1 backbone. Areafix your link today! FidoNews 9-44 Page 19 2 Nov 1992 Wesley R. Elsberry, Evolution Echo Moderator ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Brigadoon Village Network Life in the Tavern ---------------------------------- People get up and walk away, But more take their places. The drinks keep flowing from the taps, At least, until the Tavern closes. Men and women from all the land, Take up drinks here together. Tis a place of socialization, At least until the Tavern closes. Lord Frendal Fundari The Psycotic Poet. O / ----X-------------------------------------------------------------- O \ for information or to join Brigadoon contact: James Pallack (aka J'mes) 1:325/101.0 FidoNet 10:802/101.0 Brigadoon pallack@wsyd.com InterNet For information package, FREQ the magic name: BRIGADOON ---------------------------------------------------------------------- James J. Ortega FidoNet : 1:278/605 The purpose of this network is to assist in finding missing people via file circulation (Hatching). Furthermore, we also offer general EchoMail and file distribution bases. At this stage of our evolution we are searching for dedicated SysOps to enroll and facilitate in developing this network. If any SysOps are interested, the following files are FREQ at Addresses 1:278/605, 23:1/0, 85:860/403, 120:120/3, 170:170/0. Most recently updated files since 10/20/92 FidoNews 9-44 Page 20 2 Nov 1992 Name Magic ============================ DebNetxx.doc DebNet Missing.lst Missing list The first file is the Main Network documentation and the application is included. XX is the version #. The second file is a listing of all the missing persons files that are accessible. If you're a user you can also use our network via file distribution. If you have a missing person (Family, friend, etc) just send a color photo, a precise description of the person, and possible reasons why they could be missing. Once I acquire this information, I'll scan and compress the file for you, and later distribute it to every member on the net. In turn, almost every member is running a bulletin board, and the files are available for users to download freely. At this time there is no fee for our network. No cost recovery system exists at this time, but in the future it may because necessary, if the network gets to be as large as FidoNet. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 9-44 Page 21 2 Nov 1992 ====================================================================== FIDONEWS INFORMATION ====================================================================== ------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ---------------- Editors: Tom Jennings, Tim Pozar Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello "FidoNews" BBS FidoNet 1:1/1 Internet fidonews@fidosw.fidonet.org BBS +1-415-863-2739, 300/1200/2400/V.32/HST (Postal Service mailing address) (have patience) FidoNews c/o World Power Systems <---- don't forget this Box 77731 San Francisco CA 94107 USA Published weekly by and for the members of the FidoNet international amateur electronic mail system. It is a compilation of individual articles contributed by their authors or their authorized agents. The contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the rights of the authors. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of FidoNews. Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is copyright 1992 Tom Jennings. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or FidoNews (we're easy). OBTAINING COPIES: The-most-recent-issue-ONLY of FidoNews in electronic form may be obtained from the FidoNews BBS via manual download or Wazoo FileRequest, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet. PRINTED COPIES may be obtained from Fido Software for $10.00US each PostPaid First Class within North America, or $13.00US elsewhere, mailed Air Mail. (US funds drawn upon a US bank only.) BACK ISSUES: Available from FidoNet nodes 1:102/138, 1:216/21, 1:125/1212, 1:107/519.1 (and probably others), via filerequest or download (consult a recent nodelist for phone numbers). 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.) FidoNews 9-44 Page 22 2 Nov 1992 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 1:1/1 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". Please read it. "Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered trademarks of Tom Jennings, Box 77731, San Francisco CA 94107, USA and are used with permission. Asked what he thought of Western civilization, M.K. Gandhi said, "I think it would be an excellent idea". -- END ----------------------------------------------------------------------