F I D O N E W S -- Vol.11 No.18 (02-May-1994) +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | A newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 | | FidoNet BBS community | Published by: | | _ | | | / \ | "FidoNews" BBS | | /|oo \ | +1-519-570-4176 1:1/23 | | (_| /_) | | | _`@/_ \ _ | Editors: | | | | \ \\ | Sylvia Maxwell 1:221/194 | | | (*) | \ )) | Donald Tees 1:221/192 | | |__U__| / \// | Tim Pozar 1:125/555 | | _//|| _\ / | | | (_/(_|(____/ | | | (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. | | | -- JOSEPH PULITZER | +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Submission address: editors 1:1/23 | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Internet addresses: | | | | Sylvia -- max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca | | Donald -- donald@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca | | Tim -- pozar@kumr.lns.com | | Both Don & Sylvia (submission address) | | editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | For information, copyrights, article submissions, | | obtaining copies and other boring but important details, | | please refer to the end of this file. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ ======================================================================== Table of Contents ======================================================================== 1. Editorial..................................................... 2 2. Articles...................................................... 2 NII & Service to the Poor................................... 3 Stop The Insanity!.......................................... 5 The history of Fidonet A Progress Report.................... 6 Dear Emilia Erhardt......................................... 8 BGFAX echo now available.................................... 9 So Long, Thanks For All The Mail............................ 11 Cost Recovery Administration vs Echomail Coordination....... 12 Announcing the Higher Power Echo............................ 16 3. Fidonews Information.......................................... 17 FidoNews 11-18 Page: 2 02 May 1994 ======================================================================== Editorial ======================================================================== It is the end of a long week. We spent the last three days at a trade show, and the three days before that getting ready for it. It was the international mining show ... hardware with a vengence. Trucks that a seven footer could walk under without stooping, and shovels that a pickup truck could park in with little trouble. Every bit of equipment (even the dynamite) seemed to have a micro-computer attached. Things sure are changing fast. The show was, of course, held outside. Our booth was in a tent of about two acres, and it was COLD. Oh well, the joys of programming. There are several good articles in this week's snooze, but I would like to comment on one in particular. It is by Andrew Guy, and titled "So Long, Thanks For All The Mail". Mr. Guy explains that he is leaving Fidonet, and gives the technological stagnation of the net as his reason. Now I would say, first off, that I do not agree with his actions. After all, things do not change unless somebody changes them, and leaving does not remedy anything. He has a good point, however, in regards to our complacency. While the rest of the micro world is racing ahead, the amateur net that started it all is still trundling along with the same software technology that we have had for the last ten years. The software and hardware has improved, but the methodology is the same. Where are the proposals for real-time messaging and chatting accross systems? How are we going to hook into this data highway? What are we going to do about the nodelist methodoloy when we get to half a million nodes? That is about five years away, based on our current growth rate of 50% per year. We need to start planning the next step. This is our tenth year. If we do not start evolving, we will not make twenty. P.S. For those who notice such things, the snooze is now the proud owner of an ISSN number. ======================================================================== Articles ======================================================================== FidoNews 11-18 Page: 3 02 May 1994 The following article is reprinted from : Computer Uderground Digest Sun Apr 17, 1994 Volume 6 : Issue 34 NII & Service to the Poor by Karen G. Schneider The Poor Will Always Be With Us... I am a librarian in a "poor but proud" city--Newark, New Jersey. Every day we see poor people in this library. Some people are *obviously* poor--their personal appearance speaks for their situations. But many, many more people are impoverished in ways at once only subtly apparent yet highly pernicious: they are poorly educated, poorly skilled and poorly prepared for the massive changes in informtion-sharing behavior our world is now experiencing. These poor are the children growing up without exposure to computers--not at school, not at home, not even, for the most part, in our libraries. These poor are the adults with such weak educations and limited information-seeking skills that they passively accept the quality, quality and media of information we provide them, regardless of how limited or antiquated our services. These poor are the people who have never heard of the "information superhighway," who will not purchase computers with modems, who have never touched keyboards, who do not know what the Internet is. Those of you who believe that "everyone" is aware of the upcoming information revolution do not work with the reality of poor inner-city lives. One of the quandaries of the information revolution is that those who are information-poor are unaware of it, so they are unable to participate in it. So far, the information revolution has been largely waged by highly educated and informed advocates, people who often have tremendous resources at their disposal. These advocates have spoken quite well on behalf of their own needs; some have attempted to speak to the needs of the information-poor (as, in essence, I am doing here). But the information-rich, however well-meaning, have largely determined and prioritized the issues of the information revolution according to their own visions and realities. So across our nation and the world, we hear of multimedia cable extended to private homes, but not to housing projects; we read about public kiosks in wealthy communities, but city schools lack computers; in academic communities, nearly everyone seems to have an Internet account, but in the middle of a poor city, there is not so much as a public-use computer available in the main library. Information access as a basic public service is broached only tentatively at the national level. There is much discussion of commercializing resources but little discussion about ensuring access for everyone, even with respect to basic community information. Communities with freenets can be lauded for their efforts in public computing, but the implementation of these projects invariably assumes a information-rich public proactively seeking and demanding such services. FidoNews 11-18 Page: 4 02 May 1994 Who, then, will speak for the poor? The problem is (at minimum) two-fold. The information have-nots need advocates, guides, leaders and visionaries to help them understand what it is they are missing out on, and why it is important. We who wish to provide such advocacy, on the other hand, need information from our disenfranchised communities so we can better understand what *we* are missing out on, and why it is important--in other words, to understand what goods and services we need to provide; to tailor and temper our advocacy with a real-world understanding of what people need for survival and growth in tomorrow's culture. Here in Newark, we have several groups attempting to do just that: to reach out to the disenfranchised, draw them in, and empower them to shape tomorrow's information revolution. There are grass-roots community organizers speaking to small groups around the city, and Newark Public Library is beginning to reach out to both city leaders and community organizers to develop a coalition of information advocates for Newark. We dream of a network that will ensure that every Newark resident will have access to information--and by access we mean not only physical availability but *awareness of resources* and *resource relevance*--two stipulations which make our paradigm of access unusual and, in some ways, extremely progressive. We can only hope that other communities join us in repaving the information highway to meet the needs of not just its present but also its potential travellers. Our efforts demonstrate that unless things change, the information revolution will only aggravate the inequities underlying current policies for providing basic services in our country. Out of necessity, many of us now assume that the funds essential to maintaining this network will come from local (city and county) resources. (We are hopeful that we are eligible for a special infusion of funds to help us initiate this project, but experience teaches city workers that we cannot rely on federal resources for program maintenance.) This is not new for libraries; in our country, the vast majority of funds for public libraries are provided at the city or county level. If it is the de facto funding standard for the new information resources, however, it bodes poorly for our country's future with respect to equity in information access. Jonathon Kozol, in _Savage Inequalities_, spoke to the inherent unfairness of using local funds to pay for education; just as we will perpetuate information poverty if we do not provide people relevant information in ways they can access it, so too will we perpetuate poverty in all its forms if we persist in funding national policies with local taxes. We must not codify inequality for the next generation. The poor will always be with us--and, as working with the poor has taught me, they *are* us. The most elaborate networking scheme, the fastest computers, the most dazzling graphics are all for naught if they are really a private service for a specially-privileged population. It is incumbent on those in public service, particularly the public information services, and especially librarians, that we become aggressive participants in the information revolution--lobbying, writing, organizing, or whatever else it takes FidoNews 11-18 Page: 5 02 May 1994 to become equal participants in the desing of the information superhighway and all it represents--or we, and those we represent, will be left behind as forgotten casualties of a silent battle. Karen G. Schneider kgs@panix.com * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Stop The Insanity! by Gary Gilmore, 1:2410/400 Is Fido overweight? Well, I bitched about this before, and so have many others, but since it seems to have fallen on deaf ears, I'll have another stab at it. About a month ago, another sysop complained about the size of, and waste in, the Fidonet nodelist. He got blasted back. Hey, he was right, there IS massive waste in the nodelist, and it should be stopped now. The *C structure can stop this, no matter what the NC's submit. Do they? Hell no. For instance: ,1,Xxxxx_Xxxxxxx,Xxxxxx_XX,Nnn_Nnnnn,1-XXX-XXX-XXXX,9600,CM,XA, [...] H16,V32b,V42b,UVFC,V32t Huh?!? Isn't this a little much? Is there -really- a modem that's v.32bis and -isn't- v.42bis? I don't think so, so "V32B,V42B" pairs should be verboten. It's a -waste-! (Names blotted out to protect the guilty) How about this: ,13,Xxxx_Xxx'x_BBS,Xx_Xxxxxx_CA,Nnnnn_Nnnnn,1-XXX-XXX-XXXX,9600,CM,VFC, V22,V32,V32b,V34 Pardon? Gee, maybe we should list his home address in there too, and the voltage his modem operates on, like "V110". C'mon guys! Pay attention to what you put into the nodelist! I don't blame the sysops of the nodes in question. I DO blame the *C's that allow this crap to go up and out. There's not even a VFC flag in the nodelist, so what the hell is it doing in this listing? UVFC, maybe. VFC? Umm, no. Who was the guy on quaaludes that let THIS go upstream? And while I'm bitching and whining... HOW ABOUT A VFC FLAG??? This is really stupid... someone decided that "V34" is a legitimate flag in the nodelist. Look at the bottom of your list. See it? Ever SEEN a V34 modem? Anywhere? No... know why? It's NOT APPROVED YET! (Beta testing doesn't count.) Meanwhile, there's 1000's of V.FC modems whirring away, moving mail daily. WAKE UP! Time to PAY ATTENTION! And another thing folks... FidoNews 11-18 Page: 6 02 May 1994 it's no longer the "CCITT". Let's get that right too. Oh, and if & when we get a VFC flag? Let's make it redundant and off-limits to have "VFC,V32B,V42B" etc. Just like I said about V32B... I know of NO VFC that doesn't feature all schemes below it as well. Ok, more... how about all this crap: Hold,3,Xxxxxxxxx,Xxxxxx_IL,Nnnn_Nnnnn,1-XXX-XXX-XXXX,9600,CM,XA,H14,V32 Hold? Pardon me, but if you want to store old node numbers, for whatever reason you may have, you can store them on YOUR system, NOT mine. Look up "HOLD" in the nodelist. There's tons of them. Why? Would be be so hard for the NC's of these nets to REM out the nodes in THEIR segments? Why have these eating up space in the nodelists of tens of thousands of Fidonet systems across the world? Look folks, you may think "Ah, more whining", but start thinking about it. YOUR storing all these stupid mistakes and oversights. The nodelist is now OVER 2.5 megs. What about Joe Blow with a 8088 or slower 286? You think S/HE likes spending 30 minutes compiling all that crap? S/He -shouldn't- have to be! (Neither should I, and I have a 486-40) I beg those in the *C positions to stop and think about this. Stop giving holds, V32B,V42B combos, PVT nodes to anyone who asks, multiple listings for the same phone numbers (it's in there!), etc. Help put Fido on a diet. We'll all benefit from it. If you feel the need to flame me on this... well, you need help. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The history of Fidonet A Progress Report The history of Fidonet A Progress Report By Marge Robbins 1:283/120 or mrobbins@wps.com Things are going well if somewhat slowly with the Fidohistory project. It seems like everytime I get up a good head of steam the Red Cross thinks it would be a good idea to send me somewhere for a few weeks. But progress IS being made. We have a File Distribution Network set up for the Fidohistory files that I am slowly accumulating. The primary site is on the Internet, compliments of Burt Juda ftp.fidonet.org /pub/fidonet/history Fidonet hubs are: John Johnson 1:283/657 John Souvestre 1:396/1 Dallas Hinton 1:153/175 Mathew Landry 1:267/109 FidoNews 11-18 Page: 7 02 May 1994 Jason Klink 1:3639/7 Ralf Schnele 2:246/2007 and unofficially Marge Robbins 1:283/120 For now I have all the files, but a shortage of disk space may force me to drop out at some future date. On other fronts, my list of people to interview keeps growing. I'm busy now transcribing the tapes I've already made. A couple of pioneers are in the process of editing theirs so I can release them to the general public. Mark Astarita is doing some scanning of IFNA documents. Several times a week I get a message from someone offering to help. I am gratified and grateful that the net has chosen to support this project. Thank you one and all. But folks, some things I just DON'T need. I don't need help with the tapes. I don't need any more archive sites . What I do need are: 1. someone to poke through the old snoozes and come up with a "software timeline" What versions of what programs were in use when; 2.Leads on where I can find old software and oldtimers to talk to 3. people willing to compile at least time lines on their nets/regions and 4. Anecdotes, old sysops' tales and the like. I can only write what I know about, and I can only include in our Fidonet Electronic Library memorabilia I can locate and bring home. So if you have something or know of a resource please share. And finally, Fidonet is 10 years old. four years ago, on the fifth aniversary of Fidonet's present multiple net organization Ken Kaplin wrote a guest editorial for the snooze looking backwards. Its a very illuminating look at our humble roots so, I've included it here for your edification. Fidonews 11 June 1990 Editorial By Ken Kaplin This week multinet FidoNet is celebrating it's fifth birthday. It seems quite appropriate that current world events are "proclaiming an end of the Cold War and calling for a joint venture in a new world order". FidoNet is also heading into a new age of cooperation, cooling tempers, and new democratic selection procedures for its leaders. FidoNet is one of the oldest public networks and yet it has only reached a maturity level now prepared to enter kindegarden. My son Eric and FidoNet are the same age and it has been interesting over the past five years to watch them both grow and mature. The FidoNet *C's have their own bit of history. In the beginning there was a single tier network and no *C's as I was doing all the data collection, hand editing, and publishing of the nodelist. The nodelist was split into Networks and Regions right after the St Louis FidoCon on June 12th 1985. Zone's came many months later. The original RC's were located in places outside FidoNews 11-18 Page: 8 02 May 1994 of major metropolitan areas and were there primarily to handle SYSOP's who could not locate in a network. They had little to do and complained quite a bit. In the meantime I still had too much of the workload. A few months after the original Jeff Rush echomail processor was released (Summer '86) I started a conference called REGCON between all the RC's and that's when the first RC's started getting organized and writing Policy. The RC's were not really a major factor in the control of the formation of the Nodelist until late '87 when Ben Baker released MAKENL which allowed the RC's to create their own nodelist segment. MAKENL was further enhanced in '88 to allow the NC's and even HUB's to prepare their own segment and that's when the power of the NC's came into play. The control of the FidoNet Nodelist eventually fanned out like a funnel stating with myself doing everything to the process of today where all of *C's throughout the world are now involved. I keep getting asked where is all this heading? What does future hold for FidoNet over the next decade? Computers keep getting faster and more efficient and FidoNet's developers must keep ahead of the pace if the network is to survive. FidoNet has truly brought the world a little closer together and that effort will continue into the ninties. The next five years should be very entertaining as well as exciting. I would send you all a piece of FidoNet Birthday cake, but the one in our house only has Ninja Turtles. FidoNews 7-24 Page 2 11 Jun 1990 Ken Kaplan FidoNet 1:1/10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Emilia Erhardt [this time the authoress is MISSING IN FLIGHT!] Q: i have a friend, sort of, to whom i'm inclined to write in net mail, but he hasn't answered my letters FOR THREE DAYS and i'm going nuts. I've never met him real-time, so i keep imagining everyone i see could be him. If the phone rings i hope it is that person. What should i do? I can't stand worrying that he doesn't like me anymore or that he never did like me and had a robot re-sending arbitrary mail to me for a joke. What should i do? A: Well dear, first of all, cyberspace is a big world with lots of fishies in it not to mention doggies with diskettes. Do not put all of your eggs in one kennel. Dear, do not be so lazy that you depend upon mail from one system to feed your obsessions. Secondly, you should enjoy your obsessions, even if they are occasionally painful. Obsessions will help you become less lazy. Pain is relative to your interpretation of perceptions, and can be willfully convoluted by you into unusual and perhaps enjouable FidoNews 11-18 Page: 9 02 May 1994 sensations. Anyone who would go to the trouble of inventing a robot to confuse and confound correspondants is interesting and probably understands this paragraph. Thirdly, remember that as long as you friend has lots of disk space you can continue to write letters. You can NOT expect replies, bucause expecting anything is rude. Everyone has a key, and is free to use it. - - - - Q: I think i have a split personality. One of me is an extremely kind and generous but moronic nerd who writes a lot of mail. The other me is not very nice, but knows a LOT. Most of the time they are not aware of each other, but when they are they do not like each other. This is not a problem, unless they both write mail to the same people and someone notices. What should i do? A: Dear, there are drugs which can help you. I would suggest taking large doses then getting the one of you who knows most to set up a password on your mail editor and not tell it to the other one of you. - - - - Q: I am extremely interested in computer-related social issues but i do not know enough yet about computers to do anything real. Is there anything i can do? A: Yes, dear. You can sit on your tushie forever and waste your life, or you can work your tushie off completely until you do know how to do something. If you chose the latter course, you must vow never to work for the arms industry, never to work for ecologically destructive organizations, and you must assist others in learning in your spare time if you ever have any [you only have to do this if the "others" exibit some initiative of their own]. - - - - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BGFAX echo now available Rick Lithgow (1:2601/574) Hello All Some of you may or may not have heard of BGFAX..,BGFAX is a piece of Shareware that will allow FAX's to come in on a regular DATA line. So you can recieve FAX and BBS calls via your front end mailer. Or it can be run a s a stand alone front end with no mailer required. Frontdoor 2.1x and 2.2x allow this provided you have a ZYXEL modem(and provided that frodo is registered). Well the BGFAX echo has now been started and is so far being picked up by about 26 boards in region 19, 17, now 13(us) as well as australia. Please request the BGFAX echo from B.J. Guilliot under the tag name BGFAX. B.J.'s FIDO node number is 1:106/400. 1+713-893-9124. You can allow your users to access this echo as it is not restricted to just sysops. It is for technical support of BGFAX. All people are welcome. We are trying to get this echo on the backbone, the more FidoNews 11-18 Page: 10 02 May 1994 systems we get on it, the better. As this will get all the talk and support of BGfax out of the BBS software and Mailer software echoes... Thanx for you for your time, bandwith and participation. Until the echo is on the back bone, mail runs will be made once a week..So let's get it on the backbone! The rules for the echo are as follows.... Purpose of the FidoNet BGfax Conference (Echo) The BGfax Echo Conference is a techinical support conference for BGfax. A fax software that can be run with a frontend mailer or as a front end, or just plane fax. It is strictly for BGfax technical support and usage. All people are welcome not just sysop's. Rules for the BGfax Conference 1. No BBS advertisements are welcome in the Conference. A simple "Hello, I'm new here" will do. BBS phone numbers in messages or signatures (other than origin lines) constitutes advertising. 2. Product or commercial advertisements are not welcome. Selling your personal modem is allowed though as long as the following conditions are met. a. Keep ad to 23 lines (ONE PAGE) or LESS INCLUDING tearlines and useless data such as offline reader signature lines, etc. b. Modem advertised must be DIRECTLY usable by, with, or for BGfax c. Price of product may be included in advertisement. d. Either a FidoNet node number, phone number, or U.S. Mail address should be provided for contact. 3. NO FLAMING WILL BE TOLERATED by the Moderator on any person, participating in this Echo. If you have a problem with any of to he above, you're welcome to state it here ONLY AFTER you've, 1. Contacted that person by phone, US Mail, Netmail, or E-Mail, and 2. have not received either an answer in a reasonable period of time or an unsatisfactory answer regarding your problem. IF you decide to voice your complaint in this Echo, it must be posted in a QUIET, CIVILIZED, and MATURE MANNER. Threads to such complaints MUST follow the previous statement. 4. Please keep your messages ON-TOPIC. If you don't know what's allowed, ASK first or re-read this Rules file. The Moderator has the final decision as to what is on or off topic. 5. Excessive quoting is not permitted. When responding to a message, please QUOTE ONLY THE TEXT YOU WISH TO RESPOND TO, NOTHING MORE. Please do not include personal hello/goodbye/"In a message to" lines, offline mail reader signature/tag lines, mail FidoNews 11-18 Page: 11 02 May 1994 processor signature/origin lines, etc. in your quoted response. Please keep your messages reasonably short and to the point. 6. Handles are not allowed in the Conference. Real names only, please. 7. ANSI and WC specific graphics and graphics codes are not permitted in messages. Not everyone reading the Echo can translate them. 8. The BGfax Echo may not be gated outside of FidoNet by anyone to or from any QWK or Fido Technology network without the express permission of the Moderator. 9. Repeated offenses of the rules by any participant may result in that node's link to this Conference being cut. Rick Lithgow Moderator 1:2601/574 enril@AOL.COM ---------------------------------------------------------------------- So Long, Thanks For All The Mail Andrew Guy, aguy@sheartl.hna.com.au Fidonet hasn't changed much since I joined two years ago. There's still those prophesying the doom of Fidonet, the same endless arguments, and a slightly larger nodelist. The same policy, the same technology, the same standards. From what I've read, when Fidonet was just a pup, things changes rather quickly. New drafts of policy, new protocols, new software. Have we missed a turn in the road somewhere? Have we decided that we're on a good thing, so we should stick to it? There's a word for that: stagnation. Oh, I know, Fidonet continues to grow, and in doing so, defies its critics. But folks, we're stuck in the 80's, using the same technology that propelled mail packets at the dizzying speed of 2400bps on IBM XTs and clones. Mail processors that can't handle a fourth dimension, nodelist processors that break when a system lists a speed above 9600, mailers that can't handle EMSI sessions or security, and archiving utilities that have been superseded for many years. The argument against changing any of these things is that it may break some ancient software on a CoCo or Apple II, thus making it difficult for a few people to continue to communicate in Fidonet. I'm sorry, but in an organisation topping 28,000 members, the good of the whole must outweigh the good of the individual. Until people accept that, Fidonet will continue to stagnate. As for myself, I've had enough of stagnating. I'm pulling the plug on Fidonet, switching to a SL/IP (Serial Line/Internet Protocol) connection to the Internet. Under SL/IP, I can have a virtually FidoNews 11-18 Page: 12 02 May 1994 unlimited number of data channels flowing in parallel, downloading files, chatting to others, and receiving mail, all at the same time, all out of the one connection. It's time to wake up Fidonet, make the hard decisions, for the good of the whole, not the good of the individual. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cost Recovery Administration vs Echomail Coordination COST RECOVERY ADMINISTRATION vs ECHOMAIL COORDINATION by Adrian Walker 1:153/752 REC, Region 17 One of the issues which frequently faces a Net is the inter- relationship which often exists between a Cost Recovery Plan (CRP) and Echomail Coordination within the Net. This article is an attempt to shed some light on the differences between these two types of activities. I will frequently quote comments which the Z1C has made in recent months in answering related concerns. ----------ooo---------- FREEDOM OF CHOICE The first principle which is involved concerns the basic freedom which a node has to obtain an echomail feed: "Anyone can get any feed off anyone who is willing to feed them." This means that no *C or *EC may direct that a node obtain its feed from a specific source. They are there to coordinate, not to control: "[An] NEC can't stop nodes from getting their echomail from the satellite feed, and there should be no policy 4 action taken against any node for doing so." "No one will lose a node number for failure to participate in a CRP." If a node refuses to participate in a CRP: "Then ... they don't get echomail via the nodes that run that CRP." ----------ooo---------- POLICY DOCUMENTS The second principle concerns local Net echomail, or CRP policies. FidoNews 11-18 Page: 13 02 May 1994 These policies are quite common, and generally specify in detail the terms under which a node may receive an echomail feed from that CRP. It is important to realize that such policies only affect the nodes which choose to participate in that CRP and to receive mail from it, and that these policies may not be enforced by coordinators. Regarding whether an NC may enforce a local policy: "Not with regards to echomail, and not if it is more restrictive than policy 4." Regarding NCs dealing with Policy Complaints arising from local policy matters: "Tell your NEC that you won't hear the complaint because it has nothing to do with policy 4." In dealing with local policies which are actually the policies of a specific CRP, the only sanction which a CRP Administrator may take against a node which has contravened such a policy is to remove its feed via that CRP. At that point the node may establish its own feed from any other willing source. A CRP may, of course, direct that any node which obtains its echomail from the CRP may not subdistribute that mail to others, since the CRP is free to control the distribution of mail which originates from its sources. By the same token, a CRP may not do anything which would specifically contravene Policy 4. (In the following quotes, the [] items referred originally to the Backbone, which is one of several similar distribution systems): "The operation of [Fidonet distribution systems] is still affected by policy 4 in the same way it always has. They can't do anything that is forbidden by policy 4 and anything that is actionable under policy 4 will still be actionable under policy 4." "In the meantime, [a Fidonet distribution system] can define a set of guidelines under which they choose to operate. That does NOT make those guidelines part of policy 4.07 nor does it take the teeth out of Policy 4.07." ----------ooo---------- MULTIPLE HATS Because many Nets, through mutual cooperation, have established CRPs which consist, or originally consisted, of most Net members, the Net CRP and the Net's Echomail Coordination ended up being carried out by the same individual, the NEC. It is important, however, to keep the two hats entirely separate in making and applying decisions. The NEC is a coordinator. His job is to keep track of whatever echomail distribution, from whatever sources, he has been made aware FidoNews 11-18 Page: 14 02 May 1994 of, and has been asked to coordinate. He assists nodes in finding feed sources. He assists distribution systems in avoiding dupe loops and similar technical problems. He is generally directly involved in ensuring that Backbone echomail, Regional echomail, and routed netmail flow smoothly to nodes in the Net. His only sanction option is to direct that a node cease a feed if the node has caused a technical problem which is affecting the smooth distribution of echomail in the Net, and which can only be rectified by a feed cut. The NEC then usually works with the node to assist him in resolving the problem so that the feed may be resumed without delay. "The NEC is there to assist with echomail, not to order nodes around ...." The CRP administrator provides a feed source, a distribution topology, a method of cost sharing, and an accounting mechanism. He provides feeds of agreed-upon services to nodes which contribute to that CRP. He has the right to remove such feeds from any participating node for reasons which will usually be detailed in the CRP's policies. He has no control over echomail feeds which do not originate through his CRP. An example of the proper handling of the responsibilities of an NEC (or NC) who is also a CRP administrator may help to clarify this issue: A node which is getting a feed from the CRP refuses to pay his CRP contribution. The NEC puts on his CRP administrator's hat, and after suitable discussion advises the node that his echomail feed from that CRP is being cut. The node then writes to the NEC asking for help in getting another feed. The NEC takes off the CRP administrator's hat, puts his NEC hat on, and from his knowledge of available feeds within the Net assists the node in finding an alternate feed, keeping track of this feed so as to avoid any future dupe loops. Clearly, if a coordinator is also a CRP administrator, he runs into the same problem which Policy 4 refers to when speaking of various *C positions - the wearing of multiple hats. If there are other options, it may be wise for a *C or *EC to keep CRP administration in the hands of separate individuals simply to avoid this type of conflict of interest. ----------ooo---------- COMPETITION The setting up of alternate distribution systems within a net inevitably provides competition, and a choice for nodes wishing echomail services. Some Nets may not be able to sustain more than one distribution system due to size or other factors, but in general competition can be a healthy force. Alternate systems can keep echomail costs down FidoNews 11-18 Page: 15 02 May 1994 depending on a CRP's chosen feed source, modem speed, and method of accounting. It may well result in physical echomail distribution changing hands from one person to another as particular individuals are able to offer less expensive options for Net members. Echomail Coordination, however, is independent of the source of echomail for any particular distribution system, so the person who provides the feeds is not necessarily automatically the NEC. This appointment is usually made by the NC, to whom the NEC is responsible for the smooth running of echomail distribution within the Net. ----------ooo---------- NODE RESPONSIBILITY The final principle is that of node responsibility. A node may obtain its own independent feed from a source which is willing to feed it, and may even set up its own distribution system for other interested nodes. There are a couple of considerations for the node in doing this. The first is the technical consideration. The node must be extremely careful when setting up an alternate distribution system, whether it is subdistributing mail to downlinks or only obtaining it for itself. It must be completely conversant with its areas.bbs (or equivalent) file, and with its mailer's routing file, to ensure that the echomail is not routed through another node, or distributed to a node which is also receiving the same mail from a different source. When changing feeds, the node must know and understand the proper method of ensuring that existing message bases are not rescanned into the new distribution system. Outbound mail must be sent back to the source from which it came, and not routed into a different distribution system. While there is no policy requirement to do so, the node is strongly advised to inform its NEC of the topology being used, so that the NEC may do his job of keeping track of who feeds what to whom in the Net. The second consideration is the social concern. This is purely an ethical matter, but nodes considering an alternate feed should pause to consider the effect which their withdrawal from an existing CRP will have on the other members of that CRP. In small Nets this can be a major factor in whether other Net members can continue to get echomail at an affordable cost. The node should also consider the effect on Net member relationships which open advertising of a competing system may have. ----------ooo---------- It is hoped that this analysis of echomail administration within a Net will assist NCs, NECs, CRP administrators, and nodes alike, in operating fair and enjoyable echomail distribution systems. Any suggestions for improvement of this article are welcomed. FidoNews 11-18 Page: 16 02 May 1994 ---ooo000ooo--- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Announcing the Higher Power Echo by Joe Shupienis, Echo Moderator, (1:129/123@fidonet.org) The Higher Power Echo The HIGHER_POWER FidoNet echo was created to provide a forum for people involved in 12-Step programs of recovery to discuss their understanding of a "power greater than themselves" which is the central focus of 12-Step programs. Anyone else interested in spirituality is encouraged to participate as well. Participants can discuss with others what their current understanding of their higher power is, how it relates to their recovery and day-by-day living experience, how they call upon that power, and how it manifests itself in their lives. This dialog can help others to "utilize, not analyze" that power, to help open doors of understanding and tolerance, and to enable ideas to spread and grow. It is NOT a place for trying to convert others to any particular religious denomination, cult or belief. Rather it is a place to express individual views as they exist at this point in one's spiritual journey. Participants are asked to demonstrate their spiritual growth and maturity by practicing tolerance and understanding, knowing that others must travel their own individual paths to their spiritual awakenings. We try to remember that people quite often have difficulty expressing exactly what they are thinking and what appears to be a glaring theological heresy is perhaps merely a misstatement of the opposite, or a sarcastic exaggeration! We find it preferable to "correct" others by discussing our own personal experiences, rather than tearing down with criticism what they have spent their entire lives building up to. We hope that all participants will find here a safe place to discuss their spiritual growth and development; a place to share where they are at on their spiritual journey, and a place to see where others have gone and are going. The HIGHER_POWER echo is available from the following FidoNet Nodes, and may be freely requested from them. We are in the process of requesting Backbone status for the echo. 1:102/402 1:102/525 1:102/541 1:102/749 1:129/123 1:129/229 1:129/248 1:130/307 FidoNews 11-18 Page: 17 02 May 1994 1:147/27 1:157/2 1:278/3000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================== Fidonews Information ======================================================================== ------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ---------------- Editors: Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar Tom Jennings "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 (Postal Service mailing address) FidoNews 128 Church St. Kitchener, Ontario Canada N2H 2S4 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 1994 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.fidonet.org, in directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews. If you would like a FAQ, or have questions regarding FidoNet, or UUCP<==>FidoNet gateways, please FidoNews 11-18 Page: 18 02 May 1994 direct them to David Deitch (1:133/411@fidonet) at deitch@gisatl.fidonet.org. 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------