F I D O N E W S -- Vol.12 No.11 (13-Mar-1995) +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | A newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: | | FidoNet BBS community | "FidoNews" BBS | | _ | +1-519-570-4176 | | / \ | | | /|oo \ | Sheep affairs desk: | | (_| /_) | Doc Logger 1:163/110 | | _`@/_ \ _ | Rev. Richard Visage 1:163/409 | | | | \ \\ | | | | (*) | \ )) | Editors: | | |__U__| / \// | Donald Tees 1:221/192 | | _//|| _\ / | Sylvia Maxwell 1:221/194 | | (_/(_|(____/ | | | (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. | | | -- JOSEPH PULITZER | +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Submission address: editors 1:1/23 | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | MORE addresses: | | | | submissions=> editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca | | Don -- don@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca | | Max -- max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca | | Tim Pozar -- pozar@kumr.lns.com | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | For information, copyrights, article submissions, | | obtaining copies of fidonews or the internet gateway faq | | please refer to the end of this file. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ ======================================================================== Table of Contents ======================================================================== 1. Editorial..................................................... 1 2. Articles...................................................... 3 Dear Reverend Visage,....................................... 3 Backbone Echo Changes [Jan-Feb]............................. 4 Subject: File 4--Italian BBS Charged with "Subversion"...... 6 WINDOWS 95 WILL HAVE THE COOLEST USERS EVER................. 8 FIDO/K12Net:................................................ 9 The Parable of the Bulletin Board........................... 12 3. Fidonews Information.......................................... 14 ======================================================================== Editorial ======================================================================== FidoNews 12-11 Page: 2 13 Mar 1995 I have been discussing the proposed ECROC standard with a sysop on the NEWSCHAT echo. He is all for it, as he wants to prevent moderators from ejecting anyone from an echo without "due process". That, of course, is defined in a huge document with who judges, who judges the judges, who appeals, who *they* appeal to, and who and where to counter appeal. Nowhere in the document does it require all of those judging to be regular readers of the echo. I, on the otherhand, would like to remove the stigma of asking someone to leave an echo all to-gether. It should be done on moderator whim, not with star-court proceedings. A moderator should be able to remove a user for as simple a reason as rudeness. Why? I liken an echo to opening my kitchen table to guests. It is pleasant to sit around with like minded people, and chew the fat. People that do not fit in, or who decide they want to take over my house, I would like to vanish. I do not wish them ill, nor do I wish to control them. I simply want them to find another kitchen table with people that they *can* get along with. Or even start their own echo, and fight constantly with like minded people ... I really do not care. I only want the right to enjoy the company that I/my friends choose for ourselves without having to call the police to get rid of people that I do not like. I feel I should be able to simply not invite them back. The best way to do that, as I see it, is with the current rules. A moderator should be able to ask for anybody to leave the echo and have them go without arguement. If neccesary, that should be backed up all the way up the chain. When they enter someone else's echo, they should also realize that they are in a different place, and different rules apply. If they do not like those rules, they should leave. I run an echo here locally. The rules are simple: courtesy to every other guest in the echo. Same as the rules in my house. If a person is rude, I attempt to engage them in polite conversation. I do not mention rules at all. If they start being rude back, I call the sysop of the board they are on, and ask that their access be removed. I do not threaten, nor do I attempt to teach them manners. That is not my job. That is absolutely no different than what I do for real parties at my house. Any guest can invite friends. If the friend swaggers in, elbows five people out of the way, and proceeds to pick fights with other guests, I do not see the need to patiently explain a rule book for the house. I simply assume they are a boor, and ask them to leave. Or ask the person that brought them to not bring them again. If I had to call the police to get the person to leave, I would not expect to have to take them to court to get them out of my house. FidoNews 12-11 Page: 3 13 Mar 1995 ECROC seeks to end that. It insists that every echo be run by a lawyer, and be totally permissive to anybody that knows how to file moderator complaints. Instead of having to deal with the odd bad moderator (turning off an echo is very simple) we will have to deal with every idiot on every echo, as each one works their way accross the backbone disrupting, looking for holes in rule books, and appealing for the sake of making their pet point. Far better to just start another 30,000 echos, one for each sysop. ======================================================================== Articles ======================================================================== Dear Editorbeings, Please indicate that the following was submitted by Charles Herriot (1:163/110) who wishes it known that Fidonet also embraces his version of religion: agnostic dyslexia. Mr. Herriot stays up all night wondering if there is a dog. Roll 'da flic, Sylvia.... Swamp Swine Magazine, Shuckmagosh, Ohio Dear Reverend Visage, It is with a large measure of trepidation that I mention the ongoing Region 12 election to select a new target...er, I mean RC. There are sixteen candidates lusting after the position. If voter turnout remains true to tradition, they should each garner half a vote. The candidates appeared likely to escape dealing with the most serious issue of the campaign: hamsters. Mercifully, they have bowed to intense public pressure and come clean. Sales of duct tape have skyrocketed. C'mon, admit it. You took George Peace with you when you snuck off to some disreputable locale where you are probably both scarfing down scotch and doing unspeakable things with tubas of easy virtue. How else to explain that George Peace *still* hasn't rendered a decision with respect to Stein vs. Kolin? You will be pleased to know that I took the cheque issued to repay your Snooz petty cash vouchers and invested them with a fellow named Nick Leeson. You and about a billion other creditors should be able to recapture about three cents on the dollar. The Queen was also stiffed in Leeson's gambling adventures but I understand that they are going to give her the Province of Quebec as compensation. Avast ye swabs. I am pleased to report that I now belong to a nation of pirates. It seems that the mighty Canadian Coast Guard armed with awesome water canons subdued a Spanish fishing boat on the high seas. The Spanish were depriving FidoNews 12-11 Page: 4 13 Mar 1995 our fur seal population of sustenance and they had to be stopped before Brigitte Bardot broke out into another public crying jag. A nice warm trout for the Coast Guard I say, and may the farce be with them. On the downslope of brilliance, I see that our lil' buddy, John Denver has successfully beaten the charges which resulted from his highly intoxicated defoliation of Aspen, Colorado with his Porsche. Breaking new and stunning ground in jurisprudence, the judge held that since the motor vehicle bureau had already held a hearing to revoke John's license, that a court case could not proceed because it would represent double jeopardy. I'll bet that O.J. is real upset that he didn't get a motor vehicle hearing for illegally parking the Bronco so that he could escape the murder trial. I must go Visage, your secretary has started to wallpaper the walls with GIANT pictures of Newt Gingrich. This is surely a sign of dementia. As the good and decent people that we are, we ought to send her to Spain disguised as a halibut. Regards, Doc Logger FlinFlon School of Ballet & Trout Ranching, FlinFlon, Manitoba ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Backbone Echo Changes [Jan-Feb] by Lisa Gronke, 1:105/6 lisa@m2xenix.psg.com Summary of backbone & quasi-backbone echo changes during Jan & Feb Brought to you courtesy of (unix) diff. diff (fidonet.na + fidonet.no) 01-Jan-95 (ditto) 05-Mar-95 [edited]. Added to the backbone --------------------- > 4DOS_TC 4DOS and Take Command Support Conference/Echo > ACCT_TAX Accounting and Tax Information > ALASKA_CHAT Alaska Off Topic Chatter > AMIGA_PD Amiga Public Domain > AMTGARD AMTGARD > ANIMAL_DOC Animal health and your veterinarian > ATHEISM Intra-atheist education and discussion echo. > BAHAI The Baha'i International Echo > BGFAX BGFAX Support Echo > BIKE-N-RIDER Motorcycle Riders, Bike Safety and Riding > BIRDING Birdwatching > CAN_FREECHAT CANADA FREE CHAT FidoNews 12-11 Page: 5 13 Mar 1995 > CARDIAC International Cardiac Conference > CAROLINA_GEN Carolina Genealogy > CLASSICAL Classical Music Discussion > CORELDRAW the CorelDraw graphics package discussion echo > DAIRY_FARM Dairy Farming Discussions > DENTISTRY Dentistry Discussion Area > EARTH2 Earth 2 General Discussion > ECSTASY Music of McLachlan, Amos, Bush and others > FALKEN Falken BBS Discussion Echo > FLYING International Flying Conference > FMS False Memory Syndrome > GAY_FAITH Gay Faith > GAY_PRIDE Gay Pride > HELP_MANKIND Help For Mankind > HOLY_BIBLE Bible, Wholly Bible Related Discussions > HOLY_BIBLE_II Bible, and Biblical Related Discussions > ICOM Intellicomm (ICOM) Support Echo > IMUS IMUS in the Morning Radio Show Discussion > INTERFAITH Interfaith Distribution Network Core Conference > ISDN ISDN > ITALIANO.GEN Italian Genealogy Conference > LORE LORE Online Game Support/Discussion Forum > MAGICK Witchcraft, Occult and Numerology > MALUM_PROHIBITUM Discussion of Laws against Consentual Activities > MFILEPMSUP MaxFile/PM-MaxFile/2 Support Conference > MUPPETS Muppet Discussion Conference > NATURIST Naturist/nudist discussion > NETXPRES NetXpress Software Support > NIGHT_SHIFT_ART-BELL Art Bell All Night Radio Talk Show Discussion > NIGHT_SHIFT_BASH_POLI Bash (Or Defend) Politicians, etc. > NU_SUPPORT I'natl NodeList UpDater Support > PIERS Piers Anthony Fans echo > PINK Pink Floyd Discussions > QFRONT QFront Support Conference > QUR'AN Islam and the Holy Qur'an > RAR I'natl RAR Support > RCP Respiratory Care Professionals > RIGHTS_RONGS Political discussion and positive action echo > ROBO_LINK RoboBOARD BBS discussions. > SEEDSWAP Seed Exchange > SHAREWARE_SUPPORT ShareWare Software Support Conference > SINGLE_PARENT Single Parent Information Exchange > SMOKERS_RIGHTS Issues Dealing with Smokers' Rights to Smoke > SOAPS SOAP OPERA FANS ECHO > SPORT-FISHING.WEST Fishing the North > SQDSV seaQuest DSV General Discussion > STEP_PARENTS STEP_PARENTS > SYNCDATA Synchronet Distributed Databases > TAG_OS2 OS/2 support for TAG Sysops > THE-BIBLE Mainstream Bible Discussions > THEIST_WATCH American Atheist Watch on Religious Shenanigans > THERAPY_SERVICE_DOG Therapy & Service Dog Conference > TREK_FAN_ORG Star Trek fan organization discussions > TURNCOAT_USA Black_Conservatism > ULTRABETA UltraBBS Beta-Testers Support Conference FidoNews 12-11 Page: 6 13 Mar 1995 > ULTRASUP UltraBBS Support Conference > WIN95 Windows95 > Z1_WINTERS Discusss Steve Winters Here NOTE: CAROLINA_GEN is a returning echo (only off the backbone for a few weeks). HOLY_BIBLE [moderator Steve Winter] is a returning echo. Echotag change ---------------- < INTERMAIL InterMail/InterEcho Software [old name] > IM_USER InterMail/InterEcho Software [new name] Extreme topic drift back on course ---------------------------------- < DEUTSCH STOCKS & BONDS > DEUTSCH German Language Chat Echo [the echo participants just shrugged, in German] Removed from the backbone or quasi-backbone ------------------------------------------- < BBS_STANDARDS Standards for Authors and Users of BBS < BIMODEM Bimodem Technical Support < GMD Grunged Message Detector User Forum < HISTORIA (not in EchoList since 12/1/94) < ITRACK Itrack Support Echo < MAINFRAME Mainframe Computing Discussions < PS_2 PS/2 Hardware Discussions < SKYDIVE Skydiving, Prachuting and Paragliding < THEDRAW The Draw - ANSI Editor - Echo Conference o There are 741 echos in fidonet.na [05-Mar-95] (up 58) o There are 6 echos in fidonet.no [05-Mar-95] (up 3) o for a total of 747 backbone & quasi-backbone echos (up 61) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Luc Pac Subject: File 4--Italian BBS Charged with "Subversion" STATE CHARGES ITALIAN COMPUTER BULLETIN BOARD WITH 'SUBVERSION' On Tuesday, 28 February, at seven in the morning, members of the Carabinieri Anti-Crime Special Operations Group raided the homes of a number of people in Rovereto and Trento associated with the local Self-managed Social Centre 'Clinamen'. Some of those raided are also active in the Italian anarchist movement. The warrant from the Rovereto court spoke of 'assocation with intent to subvert the democratic order' (art.270 bis CP), a charge which carries a very heavy penalty for those convicted of 7 to 15 years imprisonment. The absurdity of the charge speaks for itself. Confiscated in the raids were journals and magazines, leaflets, diaries, notebooks and video tapes, all of which were either publicly FidoNews 12-11 Page: 7 13 Mar 1995 available or else for strictly personal use. Also seized was the personal computer which hosted 'BITS Against the Empire', a node in the Cybernet and Fidonet networks. Stored on the computer was a vast number of documents concerning the social use of new technologies, Italy's Self-managed Social Centres and independent music production, along with hundreds of elctronic reviews publicly available throughout the world computer network. Having decided quite explicitly from the onset not to hold any software whatsoever, the founders of the bulletin board (BBS) had dedicated themselves exclusively to communication through public electronic conferences and the consultation of texts held in the BBS archives. There can, therefore, be no substance to any charge of computer piracy or abusive software duplication, an accusation often advanced in earlier cases against Italian BBSs. The seizure of BITS Against the Empire strikes at one of the most prominent nodes within the Cybernet network, the first place in Italy to open itself up to the voices of the non-aligned, to those who refuse to be represented by the political parties, choosing instead - both in the virtual and real worlds - the path of self-management. Nor has Cybernet ever accepted the use of authoritarian instruments tp police the BBS, whether these be 'the laws of cyberspace' or conference moderators (cybercops), preferring instead to leave all responsibilities - and thus freedom of action and thought - to each individual. It is precisely these freedoms which are daily negated in the physical world by the State and its demokracy. Cyberspace has now been discovered as a new consumer market, and above all as a new cultural terrain for the legitimation of the first, second and all subsequent Italian Republics. Alongside the sensationalism surrounding their direct actions against small, insignificant episodes of domestic computer piracy, the Italian magistrates and police forces have for some years now shown a certain fascination for places such as Cybernet and the European Counter Network, places which have experimented with new forms of social relations, new forms of contaminating culture and knowledge in the light of digital media. It is not surprising that the repressive organs of the State have reacted to their own technical and social ignorance by seizing an instrument of communication like a BBS: if they don't understand something it means they can't control it, and what can't be controlled is dangerous for a social order based upon fear and institutionalised violence. All those charged have formally applied for the return of the impounded goods, as they await more information concerning the progress of the investigation. Messages of support and requests for further information can be sent to: FidoNews 12-11 Page: 8 13 Mar 1995 Internet:lpaccagn@riscl.gelso.unitn.it Bitnet: lpaccag@itncisti European Counter Network: Luc Pac 45:1917/2.1 Cybernet: Luc Pac 65:1400/6 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WINDOWS 95 WILL HAVE THE COOLEST USERS EVER From: mason@acheron.middleboro.ma.us (Mason Bliss) WINDOWS 95 WILL HAVE THE COOLEST USERS EVER REDMOND, WASHINGTON -- In order to calm growing impatience among PC users concerning the repeated delays of its new Windows 95 operating system, Microsoft Corporation announced what it calls the "Cool User Program for Windows 95." To participate in this offer, a user pays US$10,000 at which time he or she will be placed in a cryogenic suspension. The user will then remain in a state of hibernation until about a week before the Windows 95 ship date. "We expect that the users will need a few days to recuperate and acquaint themselves with the changes that will occur in society between the onset of cold sleep and the release of Windows 95," explained a Microsoft spokesman. These may include "the OJ Simpson trial ending, another momentous Congressional election, faster-than-light travel and possible leaps in human evolution." Because Microsoft expects a large response to this offer, a vast area will be needed for the storage facility. "We have chosen the state of Utah," stated Microsoft,"because nobody lives there, anyway." Spokespeople for Novell and Wordperfect were reached for comment on this remark, but their words were not suitable for publication. IBM corporation, which has previously responded to Microsoft promotions with competing offers for their OS/2 Warp said they would not be matching Microsoft's "Cool User" program. "Freeze people? What for? Warp has already been shipping for months," said a source who asked not to be identified. Some industry analysts have wasted no time hailing Microsoft's plan as a "bold, innovative" move. In columnist Michael S. Brown's opinion column "M.S. Brown Knows" which appears in PC Weak, Brown claims,"IBM has missed the boat again with their failing OS/2 strategy. Users clearly want to be frozen in liquid Nitrogen and sealed in coffin-like units for an indeterminate period of time." Michael S. Brown made national headlines three years ago when he claimed that if "Windows NT didn't completely replace DOS in six months" he would chain himself to grating comedian Gilbert Godfried. Today he clarifies that "I didn't say *which* six months." The cryogenic facility in Utah is expected to be on line April 1, 1995, but users wishing to beta test the system may do so for a reduced fee of US$3,000. -- FidoNews 12-11 Page: 9 13 Mar 1995 if you want to destroy my sweater | Mason Loring Bliss pull this thread as i walk away | Mac System Extension Hacker watch me unravel, i'll soon be naked | mason@acheron.middleboro.ma.us lying on the floor, i've come undone | 1:109/370.6 @ FidoNet ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FIDO/K12Net: FIDO/K12Net: DIRT CHEAP GATEWAY TO THE GLOBAL VILLAGE FOR THE RURAL MASSES (c) February 24, 1995 by Jack Crawford Wayne-Finger Lakes Area Teacher Resource Center FIDOnet 1:260/620 jack@rochgte.fidonet.org jcc@aruba.nysaes.cornell.edu There's a grassroots movement throughout the world that is quietly empowering "have not" rural communities by introducing them to the "global village" of international telecommunications on a local phone call with no fees . Conspicuously absent from this is the inherent exploitativeness of commercial environments or the taxpayer burden of the "too-much-government" cost-ineffectiveness of centralized technocracies. Rural citizens, as a group, tend to remain unaware of the richness of telecommunications-based activites and resources the big cities enjoy because they are "long distance to the rest of the civilized world". While fee-based online resources have been available to rural folks for years, few seem to make much use of them. Whenever a rural person is online, the "meter is running". The result is that use of commercial and real-time Internet services is kept to an absolute minimum. In most cases, that means no use at all. Rural people are just not in the "habit" of using online resources as a result. The "toll booths" on the Information Highway turn rural people off to telecommunications! As a result of these factors, rural educators, students and community members tend to have little or no initial experience with, or even a working concept of, the online world. Most often they just plain don't understand the critcal importance of becoming involved with telecommunications in the first place and, therefore, are unable to self-justify the significant costs of using of online resources in their everyday lives. They are "out of the loop". They need a place to start--something to "whet their appe tites" that will allow them to spend hours and hours exploring the Net--and do it very cheaply, if not for free! Rural people are beginning to discover the unique advantages and affordability of FIDOnet BBS's, not as as alternative to pay-for services, but as a starting point toward them. FidoNews 12-11 Page: 10 13 Mar 1995 As of February, 1995, FIDOnet is a worldwide community of nearly 35,000 inter-networked, yet independantly owned, operated and funded electronic Bulletin Board Systems or "BBS's". (Five years ago there were only 6,000!) Roughly half of these are in the United States--that's slightly more than one for every one of the 14,000 or so school districts in the country. Any medium-sized rural town in the U.S. probably has at least one FIDOnet BBS that is open to the general public with no fees. This is a non-comm ercial environment that has been aptly described as "militantly free", both in terms of cost and spirit. There are few "toll booths"! FIDOnet is a community that is soley regulated by market forces. It is not an "organization" nor is it subject to the fickleness, ineffficencies or political agendas of any government, bureacracy or centralized funding source. FIDOnet is not encumbered by technocracy. Maybe this is why it works so well.... FIDOnet's store-and-forward technology has evolved through many generations of incessant, international tinkering in the last ten years to become surprizingly sophisticated yet still amazingly affordable. The equipment, budget and technical expertise required to set up and maintain a FIDOnet BBS capable of serving the students, teachers and taxpayers of a rural community is usually well within the range of any school district with a bit of resolve. Startup costs, including software, modem and a brand new co mputer, can easily be below $1,300 in the U.S and much cheaper if used equipment is available! Technical and training expertise is developed locally to meet the needs of local people and can provide rural students with career-track experience pointing directly to the telecommunications industry. The school and it's community learn "how to fish" rather than being "fed a fish for the day"... Note, too, that the bulk of the intial expense goes to tang ible assets such as computers and software rather than consu mable services. Telephone lines needed are inexpensive voice grade and costs for substantial network content to serve the entire community, even if obtained overlong distance, is similar to that of a few postage stamps per day. It just doesn't get any cheaper than this... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ In addition to providing the ability to send private "email" letters between anyone on a FIDOnet BBS or the Internet, there are also literally thousands of one-to-many public conferences available. These allow people to publicly discuss, debate or ask questions about the things that matter to them with other people all over the world. The nature of these conferences may be very broad in scope such as "politics" or "cooking" or can be narrowly defined to such topics as "beekeeping", "quilting", issues involv ing church & state, etc. An "article" posted in a conference will be "echoed", without editing or censorship, to every other BBS on earth that is carrying it where anyone may read and respond to it. This is like a neural net which spans the planet, providing a place for a "meeting of the minds" that is not limited by distance or time... and is freely accessible to the general public on a local phone call! This is the last real bastion of free press! Graphical and multi-media interfaces, multi-gigabyte harddrives and multi-disc CD-ROM drives on many FIDO BBS's make massive file FidoNews 12-11 Page: 11 13 Mar 1995 resources available in an environment that is attractive, easy to use and available on a local phone call. FIDOnet technology is also quite at home with satellite distribution as well as the gating of USEnet newsgroups and Internet email. FIDO BBS system software is usually dirt cheap if not free and can be surprizingly adept at dealing with multiple phoneline and local area netw ork environments. Approximately 600 FIDO BBS's worldwide also carry the K12Net feed which provides content directly oriented to elementary and secondary school curriculum and student use. (There are over 100 K12Net BBS's in New Zealand, alone!) Most of the three dozen K12Net conference areas, which cover the the traditional curriculum areas and provide vehicles for teacher-designed international classroom projects, are also gated to the Internet as the k12.* hierarchy. Some schools use a "sneaker net" approach to allow the ir students to interact in email and conferences in classrooms without phonelines or modems using offline mail readers. (Lack of phone lines in the classrooms and the prospect of sizeable phone bills are the single biggest barrier to any kind of telecom in schools!!!) As rural schools are usually at the geographic center of activities for their local communities, they are probably the most logical organization to house, operate and provide institutional credibility to a FIDO/K12Net BBS to serve that community. BBS's operated by a rural school can provide a valuable public service that helps to promote further understanding, collaboration and support between schools and their communities. Schools which set up and operate their own FIDO/K12Net BBS's develop their own in-ho use base of technical and training expertise. They learn how to "fish to feed themselves" rather than being "fed a fish for the day". I have set up and provide technical support to over a dozen FIDO/K12Net BBS's in schools within an hour's drive from where I live out here in a rural area of western New York State characterized by cow pastures, cornfields and long distance phone bills. The demand for them is growing steadily, probably because schools are finding that setup and operational costs are so low that funding is simply not an issue in many cases. My observation is that their use is helping to build a base of community advocacy for greater telecom capabilities. For the first time, rural students, teachers and taxpayers can now spend *hours* exploring the online worlds of email, newsgroups and file libraries without running up a phone bill or blowing their VISA cards or classroom budgets into oblivion or placing a burden on their taxpayers. They finally have a reason to buy one of those "modem-thingies" and to support funding for even greater telecom capabilites in their schools. (This lack of advocacy is a very important, though ofte n overlooked or underestimated aspect of getting people involved with telecom, particularly in schools.) People first need to learn how to ride a bicycle before you can expect them to want...or be willing to pay for a Harley! Those that have been logging onto our FIDO/K12Net BBS's are beginning learn how to "ride"... FIDO/K12Net may not be have the Web-wonder or gopher-glitter of the FidoNews 12-11 Page: 12 13 Mar 1995 real-time Internet or commercial services but it is far more affordable and accessible to the average rural neophyte modem user at home or in school. It is also vastly less intiimidating. It is introductory telecom for the rural masses that can provide more "bang for the buck" than any other technology. Period! And, overall, it really does a pretty good job with email, conferencing and file libraries which are the real "meat and potatoes" of online use in the first place. It is the "bicycle path" next to the information highway... It is a sensible way for the "have-nots" of the world to start learning how to "ride a bicycle" so that, some day soon, they'll want a "Harley"... Jack Crawford, Wayne-Finger Lakes Area Teacher Resource Center, 703 E. Maple, 10 Eisenhower Hall, Newark, NY, 14513-1863. Voice: 315/331-1584, fax: 315/331-1587, Email: FIDOnet 1:260/620, jack@rochgte.fidonet.org or jcc@aruba.nysaes.cornell.edu Widespread dissemination of this document in its entirety with copyright statement intact for strictly non-commercial purposes is both authorized and encouraged. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally from Brian Sorensen (1:109/195) to All. ---- Begin Forwarded Message From: Wulf Losee The Parable of the Bulletin Board Once there was a wealthy city-state whose populace was extremely literate. In every square and market place of the city there were bulletin boards. Some of the boards were provided by Council of Elders (who managed the city); some were provided by private citizens; some by merchants; some by the temples; and some by academic institutions of the city-state. Anyone, citizen or non-citizen, could post to these boards, and much of the intellectual, political, and commercial discourse of the city-state played itself out on the thousands of scraps of paper stuck to the boards each day. It came to pass that an anonymous accusation was pinned to one of the boards, accusing a wealthy and influential merchant of financial misdeeds. The merchant, with all his heart, believed that these accusations were lies. So he went before the Council of Elders and said to them, "See, I have been libeled, and my good name defamed. My business will surely suffer, and, if it does, I will no longer be able to make the generous financial contributions to your Council that I have in the past." The Council, not wanting to show overt favoritism to the merchant, decided that from hence forth anonymous postings would be outlawed. Any posting to any bulletin board in the city would need to bear the signature and the address of the person who posted it (hmmm, sounds like Los Angeles, doesn't it? -- ed.). The board owners would be obliged to remove any anonymous postings from their board or face severe fines. Some of the board owners did not have the time to check all the hundreds of postings that appeared every hour on their boards, so they opted to tear down their boards. And the discourse of the city was muted somewhat by the law against anonymous postings. The wealthy merchant was satisfied with this arrangement, though "Now no FidoNews 12-11 Page: 13 13 Mar 1995 one can anonymously libel me," he thought. But the next day thousands of leaflets, bearing the wealthy merchant's signature and address, were posted on the remaining boards of the city. On them were printed a public apology from the merchant confessing his financial misdeeds. "These signatures are forgeries!" cried the merchant. "I have been libeled by someone using my good name falsely!" The merchant went back to the Council of Elders, and proposed that each posting to the city's boards would need to bear the unique seal of the person posting. The Elders agreed to the suggestion and proclaimed that only postings with complex and intricate seals (which would be 'impossible' to forge) would allowed on the bulletin boards of the city-state. Now it was no coincidence that only the expensive government-sponsored seals manufactured by the Seal-makers Guild (who were patrons of the Elders) could be used. Only the wealthiest fifty percent of the citizens of this city-state could afford these expensive seals, and so the discourse of the city was again diminished. Unfortunately, the Seal-makers, thinking no one else had the technology of metal-working, carelessly threw their molds in the trash. Soon a thriving black market in forged seals (made from the discarded molds) sprang up. For seals were now the key to trust, and unscrupulous individuals could use them for their own profit. Within a week the postings defaming the wealthy merchant reappeared on the bulletin boards of the city -- each bearing the merchant's 'unforgeable' seal. Enraged, the wealthy merchant went back to the Council of Elders, and demanded that the board owners be made legally responsible for the content of the postings on their boards. The Council agreed. The small board owners cried, "Alas, we cannot afford to violate the law, for we do not have the time nor the resources to read every message that crosses our boards. Nor do we precisely know what is a libelous posting and what is merely an outspoken posting." Of course, the Lawyers Guild offered to advise them and protect them from courts for 'very reasonable' fees, but the small board owners did not have the money. So it came to pass that only the three wealthiest board owners could stay in business, for only they could afford the lawyers to dispute the merchant's claim of libel. And still the scurrilous messages appeared on the remaining three bulletin boards of the city. After long and intricate legal maneuvers, the merchant was unable to extract damages from the wealthy board owners. But each party had spent so much on their lawyers that they now were willing to compromise. The board owners agreed to restrict access to their boards. Only authorized users could enter through the locked and guarded gate to the boards, and those users needed to show extensive proof of their identity and sign all sorts of logs accepting their liability for libelous postings. The merchant was now content. "No one, but no one, will be able to libel me now without leaving a trail to his doorstep!" Only those people wealthy enough to be able to afford the fees of the Town-Criers Guild and fees of the Messenger's Guild (who by the way were immensely happy with the disappearance of the bulletin boards) could continue to do business. So the discourse of the city was muted to a small fraction of what it once was. Still the scurrilous postings appeared on the three big boards. The merchant persuaded to Council of Elders to use its watchmen to observe the boards. FidoNews 12-11 Page: 14 13 Mar 1995 And the watchmen returned with an explanation. "Oh, noble sir," they said, "these libelous postings are pegged to the board by an ingenious method. They are shot on darts over the city's wall and thus they are posted on our boards." The merchant replied, "Well go outside the city's walls and capture the man who is shooting these darts." The watchmen replied, "Alas, noble sir, that is outside our jurisdiction." The merchant went to the Council of Elders and demanded that city-state declare war on their neighbors, but the Council replied that there had been a precipitous drop in the tax revenues, and all the mercenaries had been discharged. The merchant in a helpless rage started foaming at the mouth, and he died there on the Council Room floor from apoplexy. No one mourned his passing, though, since most of the inhabitants had left the city-state to find a living elsewhere. One of the Elders got the bright idea to repeal all the ordinances regulating the bulletin boards, but his fellows replied, "Are you crazy? The bulletin boards were what got us into this mess in the first place!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================== Fidonews Information ======================================================================== ------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ---------------- Editors: Donald Tees, Sylvia Maxwell 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) more addresses: Rev. Richard Visage -- 1:163/409 Don -- 1:221/192, don@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca Sylvia -- 1:221/194, max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca Tim -- pozar@kumr.lns.com (Postal Service mailing address) FidoNews 128 Church St. Kitchener, Ontario Canada N2H 2S4 voice: (519) 570-3137 Fidonews is 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. FidoNews 12-11 Page: 15 13 Mar 1995 Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is Copyright 1995 Donald Tees. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or the eds. Articles by Madam emilia may be retransmitted freely through cyber-space. OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue 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 by sending SASE to the above paper-mail address, or trade for copy of your 'zine. INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.fidonet.org, in directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews. Anyone interested in getting a copy of the INTERNET GATEWAY FAQ may freq GISFAQ.ZIP from 1:133/411.0, or send an internet message to fidofaq@gisatl.fidonet.org. No message or text or subject is necessary. The address is a keyword that will trigger the automated response. People wishing to send inquiries directly to David Deitch should now mail to fidonet@gisatl.fidonet.org rather than the previously listed address. 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. "the pulse of the cursor is the heartbeat of fidonet"... -- END ----------------------------------------------------------------------