F I D O N E W S -- Volume 13, Number 32 5 August 1996 +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: | | FidoNet BBS community | "FidoNews" | | _ | 1-407-383-1372 [1:1/23] | | / \ | | | /|oo \ | | | (_| /_) | | | _`@/_ \ _ | | | | | \ \\ | Editor: | | | (*) | \ )) | Christopher Baker 1:374/14 | | |__U__| / \// | | | _//|| _\ / | | | (_/(_|(____/ | | | (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. | | | -- JOSEPH PULITZER | +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Submission address: FidoNews Editor 1:1/23 | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | MORE addresses: | | | | submissions=> cbaker84@digital.net | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | For information, copyrights, article submissions, | | obtaining copies of FidoNews or the internet gateway FAQ | | please refer to the end of this file. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ IS FIDONEWS WORKING FOR YOU YET? Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1 So far, so good? ......................................... 1 2. ARTICLES ................................................. 2 Creating Network Wide Bulletins [I] ...................... 2 A GNU Fido? .............................................. 6 Is He In A Godda Da Vida? ................................ 8 ANIMANIACS Echo! ......................................... 13 There might be some point in this ........................ 14 3. FIDONET HISTORY .......................................... 17 FidoNet History 30 Jul 93 [Part 3 of 3] ................. 17 The VERY FIRST FidoNews ever published! .................. 19 4. WE GET EMAIL ............................................. 24 5. NET HUMOR ................................................ 26 Fido is a dog, yes? ...................................... 26 6. COMIX IN ASCII ........................................... 29 Mapping your FidoNet Node? ............................... 29 7. ADVERTISE YOUR FREE SERVICE/EVENT ........................ 30 Sorcery v0.72 Wide Beta RELEASED! ........................ 30 8. QUESTION OF THE WEEK ..................................... 31 How many of you have regular FidoNet gatherings? ......... 31 9. NOTICES .................................................. 32 Future History ........................................... 32 10. FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ................................ 33 Latest Greatest Software Versions ........................ 33 And more! FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 1 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= FidoNews is moving right along. Submissions are becoming stable and steady. The format has settled in and folks are even sending in new dates for the calendar. [grin] Regarding submissions - if you want to have an article title appear in the Table of Contents of the Issue, you MUST put the title line on the FIRST LINE at the FIRST COLUMN of your text. I will adjust ARTSPEC.DOC to make this more clear. If the asterisk line appears ANYWHERE else in your text, it will be treated as part of the text and will neither be added to the Table of Contents nor stripped out. The FidoNews public-key has been removed from direct publishing in the Issues due to concerns expressed by ZC1. The public-key continues to be available by file-request for FNEWSKEY or download from this system. I have requested a ZCC ruling about its future inclusion in the FidoNews. Nothing beats the weekly distribution of FidoNews as a transport mechanism to most of FidoNet. Please note that the FidoNet Software Listing section begins its second incarnation in today's Issue. These listings will now be coordinated by Peter Popovich at 1:363/264. Send your corrections, additions, and updates directly to him via Netmail. He is beginning his task by repeating the last version listing that appeared in FidoNews back in 1992. Obviously, this means MOST if not all of the listings are hideously out-of-date. If you have personal knowledge of current versions of any of these listed programs OR of NEW programs not listed, please let Peter know ASAP and he will verify and adjust the listing. This will be a cooperative project that will take time to get up and running 100%. Your assistance is actively solicited. The Reviews column of Damian Walker is not ready yet while he's tracking down a couple more updates to test. It should be appearing next week or the week thereafter. Once again, EVERYBODY who reads FidoNews is ENCOURAGED to throw their two cents [or ten bucks] into this forum. The FIDONEWS Echo is flowing over the Stars and we're still waiting for Planet Connect to update their configuration to get it out to everyone else. If you don't have Netmail or email access, you can still contribute via FIDONEWS Echo once we get that going everywhere. I hope you're enjoying the renovated FidoNews as much I am. [grin] C.B. NOTE: I got several responses to last week's Question of the Week about archives of ALL the FidoNews issues ever published. My thanks to all who pointed me to obtaining a complete set. They are now available here for file-request or download as listed in the Masthead at the end of every Issue. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 2 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= Creating Network Wide Bulletins [I] Damian Walker, 2:2502/666 My article in FidoNews last week made mention of network-wide bulletins made possible by document server software. Starting this week I will elaborate on the idea, with a two-part tutorial on how to offer your own bulletin to other Fidonet systems and users. I shall concentrate on three pieces of software for the purposes of this article. These are NetMgr 1.00.g4, FDInt 1.00 and InfoMail 1.11. NetMgr is a popular general-purpose netmail tool written by Gerard van Essen of 2:281/527. It is configured using a text file, and is capable of acting as much more than a document server. Needless to say, I will be concentrating on its abilities as a document server for this article. FDInt is a utility for FrontDoor sysops, written by Colin Turner of 2:443/13. Again, it is a general purpose tool, of which the document server is only a small part. InfoMail needs no introduction for regular readers of FidoNews, as it has been advertised in issue 1329. It is my own creation, and it is a dedicated document server for sysops using a *.MSG netmail area. Please accept my apologies for the lack of coverage of other platforms, as it is impossible for me to test the methods described in this article with any program that doesn't run on a DOS PC. I am also limited to software which I have found locally, or on the Internet. If you know of any other software with document server capabilities, be sure to let FidoNews readers know about it. Full information is available in the documentation which comes with the software, and I will not attempt to duplicate that information here. The purpose of this article is as much to show you what is involved in producing network-wide bulletins as to show you how to use the software for this purpose. Now we move on to the business of the day, that of setting up a bulletin. Before you start, you really need to know what information you want to offer, and indeed, if a bulletin is the best way to do it. A few ideas spring to mind as ideal uses for a document server, some of which I may have mentioned in my article in FidoNews 1329. Echo information and rules, BBS adverts, electronic magazines and details of local events are good examples. Once you have in mind exactly what information it is that you want to share with other Fidonet users, you can make a start on setting up the bulletin. The first thing you need to do is to install the software you intend to use, and to supply general configuration details to the program. The procedure is quite different for each of the pieces of software this article covers, and so I will touch on the subject only briefly here. Refer to the documentation for more details. To set up NetMgr, you need to create its configuration file. This is a standard text file which you will create using your favourite FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 3 5 Aug 1996 text editor. The file should be called NETMGR.CFG, and you need to place the following line somewhere in the file: Home
HudsonPath ScanDir If you are using a *.MSG area for your netmail, should simply be the directory containing the *.MSG's. If you are using Squish, directory should be preceded by $; if you are using JAM, precede the area path with !, and if you are using a Hudson message board, should be a # followed by the Hudson message board.
is simply your netmail address. You can give as many Home commands as you have AKA addresses. This is all you need for the initial installation of NetMgr, although you will have to add your bulletins (see later) before the setup is of any use as a document server. is the path to your Hudson message base. This is only necessary if you use a Hudson area for your netmail. FDInt uses a proprietary setup program which is run automatically when you first install the software (it comes as an EXE file). Afterwards you run: FDISETUP at the command line. FDINT takes much of its general configuration from FrontDoor's setup file, so installation takes minimal effort. First, you need to set up the name(s) which FDInt will respond to in its capacity as a document server. You can access this option from the Names and Commands menu, Server Names option. For example, you could have users address their document requests to 'DocServ'. If you wish, bulletins may be split into groups. In this case, group names may be specified using the Groups option on the Names and Commands menu. InfoMail does not automatically interface with FrontDoor or any other mailer, so you will have to spoon feed it with a little more information. Like FDInt, it uses a proprietary setup program to access its configuration. To set up InfoMail, use the following command: INFOMAIL -S The screen which appears contains five fields. You need to specify your netmail directory (the Netmail field): this is the full path to your *.MSG netmail directory. InfoMail can only respond to one name, and this is defined in the 'Name' field. You can leave this as 'InfoMail' or change it to something else such as 'DocServ'. The last mandatory piece of information is the netmail address for InfoMail; this defaults to 2:2502/666 which will hardly be useful for your own system. You would usually put your own primary netmail address in here. The current release of InfoMail does not support multiple AKA's directly; see the documentation for ways to get around this. If you want, you can also specify in the remaining fields global header and footer files for the bulletins InfoMail posts; these will be short sections of text placed at the top and bottom of the body of FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 4 5 Aug 1996 every outgoing bulletin. Once the general configuration has been done, you will want to set up the entry for the bulletin itself. Again, this procedure is different for each piece of software, but before examining the methods in detail, let us sketch out some details of the document record, for example purposes. There should be some way of identifying the bulletin from the user's point of view, as all the software under consideration allows multiple bulletins to be hosted. This would be the document Tag. NetMgr, as you will see, allows documents to be requested in whatever way you please, but both FDInt and InfoMail use a specific name and address in the 'To:' field and a document tag on the subject line, so for the purposes of this article I will standardise on this method, and use the tag 'MyDoc'. Next, we need to know where the text file is, which will contain the actual text of the bulletin. In these examples I will use the filename 'C:\BULLETIN\MYDOC.TXT'. Now for the technical details. Using NetMgr you specify a mask for each bulletin, and the mask contains details of how NetMgr will identify a message as a document request, as well as how it identifies the bulletin. Assuming we want the bulletin to be posted when a user posts a message to 'DocServ' at your address with the subject 'MyDoc', you would add the following to your NETMGR.CFG file: Mask *,*,DocServ,@myaka,MyDoc,* The first, second and sixth fields are the originating name and address, and the attributes of the inbound message, and don't concern us here. The third field is the name we want NetMgr to answer to; it is the equivalent of the global features of FDInt and InfoMail, but has the advantage that you can specify a different user name for each bulletin, as well as a different subject tag. The fourth field is the address which bulletin requests must be sent to; as with the previous field, it is a global setting in FDInt and InfoMail which can vary from bulletin to bulletin in NetMgr. The final field is the document tag; NetMgr will examine the subject line of the message and identify a subject of 'MyDoc' as a request for our document. To get this far with FDInt and InfoMail is much more simple if a little less versatile. The 'to' user name and address have already been specified in the global setup, so we just have to add the document tag. Using FDInt, make sure you are in FDISETUP, and access the Document Manager from the main menu. Here you can hit INS and enter the document name 'MyDoc' in the 'Tag' field. Using InfoMail, you must be in the document list editor, accessible from the command line using: INFOMAIL -L When the document list appears, currently empty, you can add a new document by selecting the empty entry. The document list window will disappear, being replaced by the document record window. Here you can enter 'MyDoc' against the 'Document' field. FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 5 5 Aug 1996 Next, to the text filename itself. In NetMgr, you post the bulletin file using the EMPTYBOUNCE action, a command which is placed on the line beneath the mask. For our document, it would look like this: Action EmptyBounce @myaka C:\BULLETIN\MYDOC.TXT Action Delete The second line is needed in order to remove the bulletin request message from the netmail area; otherwise NetMgr will continue to post the bulletin again and again, each time it is run. In FDInt, the bulletin filename is specified as part of the document record in the document manager, specifically the 'Path' field. In InfoMail, the 'File' field in the document record window exists for a similar purpose. You should enter C:\BULLETIN\MYDOC.TXT in the appropriate field. This is all that is actually necessary for the document record, but there are some extra features in each of the programs which you might like to take advantage of. NetMgr and InfoMail contain features which allow documents to be updated by remote users. This allows you to set up a document for a point or user who cannot run a document server themselves, or who would like users to have a faster turnaround time by hosting the document at their uplink's system. Assume that we want the document MyDoc to be updateable by the following method: The user posts a message to 'DocServ Update' at your system, with the document tag 'MyDoc' and a password (eg. 'Secret') on the subject line. In NetMgr you would achieve this by adding the following mask and actions to your NETMGR.CFG file: Mask *, *, DocServ Update, @myaka, MyDoc Secret, * Action File C:\BULLETIN\MYDOC.TXT Action Delete In InfoMail you would get the same result by specifying Secret as the update password in the 'Password' field of the document record window; InfoMail takes any message to its normal request name, plus ' Update', as a document update, and takes the password as the second word on the subject line. Needless to say, NetMgr is much more versatile in this respect, as you can specify any way you like of identifying document updates. It has the disadvantage, though, that the message header is included in the updated document-- therefore the update password is quite useless. In this case, you could utilise the first two fields of the document mask to limit updates to a single user, and do away with the password. As another feature, both FDInt and InfoMail create document lists. FDInt sends out a document list when the word 'List' is encountered on the subject line. InfoMail sends out a document list whenever a user requests a document which doesn't exist (including List, if you do not host a document of that name). There are a few details in the document record which concern the creation of document lists. In FDInt the 'Invisible' field will prevent a document from being listed if set to 'Yes'. The 'Listed' field in InfoMail has the opposite effect; setting it to 'No' prevents the document from being listed. FDInt has another field, 'Description', the value of which will be displayed alongside the FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 6 5 Aug 1996 document tag in a document list. Now the bulletins are fully set up as far as the document server software is concerned, but the most important part of the setup, the document file itself, is not yet present. To avoid taking over issue 1332 of FidoNews entirely, I will round off this week's article here. Next week's article will deal with the writing of the bulletin itself, and will cover both the technical aspects of netmail bulletins and some non-technical hints on the art of bulletin writing. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A GNU Fido? by Gregg Jennings, 1:331/109 Our new Snooze Editor had asked (in FidoNews Vol. 13 Num. 29): Are there any reports from the FTSC [FidoNet Technical Standards Committee] on the state of our Standards? Updates to our practices? Presumably, software authors are still at it and things have changed in the last couple years, yes? David Rye, 1:3649/10, wrote an article in FidoNews Vol. 13 Num. 31, "A Call For Programmers Of A New Common BBS Interface", in which he summed up with the following: Anyone that has an interest in trying to develop new software with a published data format that will allow the point and click, graphic based BBS is more than welcome to contact me at my FidoNet address of 1:3649/10. His article was another ponderance about what can be done to improve FidoNet. We have all heard many death knells before, and, as David, many people have (and will have) ideas about actually doing something. So perhaps now more ideas about things to do will be coming in. As these ideas are brought forth I would like people to ponder David's statement: "new software with a published data format". I do not think that a published data format alone will do what he and others may suggest to improve FidoNet. To me any new developments in software must make the source code freely available to do some real good. We already HAVE published data formats. We already HAVE software. What we NEED is source code. Freely available source code. Implementing new programs and formats is a fairly long process. This implementation process is directly related to the number of programmers involved. With one it is the slowest, with several it is faster, with everyone it may not necessarily be fastest though without some sort of coordination. FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 7 5 Aug 1996 Here is an example: One programmer writes a new program and distributes it to testers as an executable and documentation. People use it and return ideas and bug reports. The programmer makes changes and the loop continues. After a while the program is good enough for worldwide distribution. Then the programmer has a lifestyle change and leaves FidoNet and improvements can no longer be made. Some other programmer then takes over with a newer idea and the process repeats. Sometimes this process takes years. And we are stuck with a slowly improving, if improving at all, network. Even if the original programmer passes on the source code to someone else, or there are a few programmers involved, the process is still slow and can still stagnant. Here is another example: One programmer writes a new program and distributes it to testers as source. People use it and return improvements and bug fixes. The programmer keeps track of this and keeps all coordinated during this process. After a while the program is good enough for worldwide distribution. No matter what the original programmer(s) do, as long as there is a way to coordinate improvements and bug fixes (like via an ECHO), there is continual and constant on going improvements and enhancements in the network for as long as there are people using it. This is an AMATEUR (hobbyist) NON-COMMERCIAL network. I think we all agree on this. Yes, even the original Fido/FidoNet software was shareware. But this shareware process is what is holding back progress and growth. To me, the idea of, "here's a better way slash improvement slash enhancement slash cool thing -- but everyone has to gimmee 25 bucks to use it -- and if I die (or get pissed) too bad" is the biggest log in the current log-jam of progress within FidoNet. I propose that people developing software seriously think about distributing their code under the GNU GPL or Artistic License or some variation. I am a software developer and I know that there are GigaBytes of source code throughout the world that is distributed freely. Why should a hobbyist network not do this? Now I'm not saying that everyone should give up their current source code to everything that is now running FidoNet. Many people worked long and hard and the want of a little bit of compensation is fine. But before anyone thinks FidoNet can grow and improve, remember that without the availability of the source code, any growth and improvement may just be a spurt and nothing more. FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 8 5 Aug 1996 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Iron Butterfly Member Disappears After Allegedly Working on Faster-Than-Light Communication - Is He In A Godda Da Vida? By Fredric Rice (frice@stbbs.com) The Skeptic Tank (818) 335-9601 Originally appeared in: Skeptic Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1996. Here's a story that is so fragmented, so contradictory, so strange and bizarre I eventually had to tape all the bits and pieces of the story to my office walls to try to create some kind of a big picture. The story is growing and I can't help but think of the possibility that all of this information on the wall will eventually form the basis of a legend among must-believers; a legend not quite as powerful as the Kennedy assanation conspiracy, true, yet a legend which should last for decades -- if not forever among believers. I'm going to offer you what I've been able to learn about this story as well as my own conjectures. Philip Taylor Kramer, one-time bassist for the rock group Iron Butterfly, disappeared on February 12'th, 1996, and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Among the computer networks, news of his disappearance created only a minor flurry of comments by rock music fans yet for the most part his disappearance remained of little interest. Until, that is, the rumors came down from both reliable and dubious sources that Kramer was working on a faster-than-light communications system just before his disappearance. In various paranormal and so-called "advanced science" discussion groups, the possibility that he had been abducted by a super secret agency of the United States, the Russians, or aliens from another planet began. A dozen "real reasons" for his alleged abduction have risen to the top of the conjecture heap and all of them are, well, imaginative. I observed the growing rumors and the widening conspiracy yet I didn't think much of it -- until KTLA News here in Los Angeles ran a short five minute report on his disappearance and confirmed that Kramer had indeed been working on a faster-than-light communications system. KTLA reported that Representative James A. Traficant Jr. of Ohio was concerned about Kramer's disappearance due to the fact that Kramer held nuclear-oriented security clearances tied to the MX Missile project and due to the type of mathematical research Kramer was working on. Though several tabloid papers covered this strange story, eventually reliable sources started to investigate and report. On May 5'th, the San Diego Union Tribune ran a lengthy story covering the disappearance. As I had expected, the story also covered the growing claims of conspiracy and possible abduction by mysterious agencies. FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 9 5 Aug 1996 Ron Bushy, Iron Butterfly's co-founder, was supposed to have been working with Kramer to schedule an Iron Butterfly reunion tour at the time of his disappearance. When the Union Tribune talked with Bushy about Kramer's disappearance, Bushy said "I honestly believe that he has been abducted by our government or an agency that is part of it or maybe a foreign government or a company." [Reference 1] The reason for this suggestion was the fact that just days before his disappeared, Kramer and his father believed they had worked out a mathematical breakthrough which would allow the nearly instantaneous transmission of matter which would also revolutionize the communications industry. "We're talking 'Beam me up Scotty' time," Bushy said. The research deals with a mathematical representation describing faster-than-light communication employing gravitational waves and magnetic particles. Current research on the detection of gravity waves consists of hugely massive aluminum or niobium cylinders, sitting inside of superconducting tubs of liquid nitrogen deep underground, and the only events capable of producing gravity waves of a high enough intensity to be detected by such devices is a supernova, the collapse of a black hole, or the creation of the universe. Contemporary research also suggests that using the Earth itself in conjunction with a distant spacecraft might also be used to detect these extremely weak waves. [reference 2] How such a technology can be used to transmit matter or communicate over any distance instantaneously hasn't been covered in any of the articles I've found and nothing in any faster-than-light conjecture books I have on hand talk about it. The headlines of some of the articles I've found are kind of interesting and guarantee to provoke the purchase of the publication. "Alien Abductions? Two Rockers Lost in Space" is a story in a publication by an organization called "Addicted To Noise" -- ATN -- which covered the disappearance of Richey Edwards and Philip Kramer -- two rock stars who share a great many similarities in their disappearances. Many web pages on Internet which offer comment on Kramer's disappearance also carry attention-grabbing titles and offer mysterious conjectures. Several comment upon how the story of Kramer's disappearance is worthy of something one expects to see on "The X-Files," the FOX Network's very popular science fiction series. Some speculate upon the meaning of the title and words of Iron Butterfly's highly successful song "In a godda da vida," the meaning of which is widely known among music fans as being a drunkenly slurred reference to the Christian "Garden of Eden" myth. Even KTLA's News anchor mistakenly stated that the song's contents and title remains a mystery. If mankind can learn the "true meaning" of Iron Butterfly's most famous song, several New Agers have suggested, we'll find out what "really happened" to Philip Kramer. Some of the newspaper accounts conflict slightly with others. Various report that Kramer either did or did not make an appointment to pick up an associate at the Los Angeles Airport FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 10 5 Aug 1996 yet a $3.00 bill for 45 minutes of LAX parking was received by the Kramer residence 10 days after his disappearance containing a receipt with Kramer's IOU written on it. Kramer, it seems, didn't have the cash on hand for parking or -- it is considered by some -- he didn't wish to waste three dollars on parking knowing in advance that he was going to disappear and wanted to save his money. Being a computer executive, Kramer would have known how easily credit cards and checking account transactions can be tracked and, if one wishes to go underground, hanging onto three dollars when one can write an IOU instead makes good sense. What's interesting is that Kramer _didn't_ pick up his associate. Something must have happened to him at the airport while he was waiting. It seems that he went to the airport parking lot, receiving a parking stub, and started waiting in the arrival terminal for his associate to arrive. Sometime during his wait, something prompted him to simply walk back to his green van, leave an IOU for his 45 minutes of parking, then drive off into oblivion. As he was driving away, he made a series of strange telephone calls to friends and family expressing his love. It seems that the last call he made was to 911, "This is a Philip Taylor Kramer and I'm going to kill myself." I have asked myself, if a man is going to kill himself, why would he leave an IOU for three dollars unless he seriously just didn't have it on him? A successful computer executive, I would think, would always have at least a small amount of cash. If Kramer was intent upon making himself disappear, planting the suggestion that he was going to kill himself might have been an attempt to make the police who would later investigate his disappearance suppose that he was successful. Kramer's wife also might not stand to get legal issues resolved until years after Kramer's disappearance made him legally dead so the claim of suicide might also have been out of a desire to help his wife. His van hasn't been found. If he did kill himself, his van might have been stolen and stripped down just hours or days after his suicide. At this point, all anyone seems to be doing is employing conjecture, myself included. What is in agreement is that Kramer's mental stability was slipping. Just days before he disappeared, he stated that the Earth was going to end due to a supernova; that his father, a Professor of engineering at Youngstown University in Ohio, was really a god; that Jennifer, his wife, was really Mother Earth. As they were looking for a new home several days before his disappearance, he told his wife that he was frightened that people were going to come for him. "Honey, we're going to have to live behind walls. Honey, people are going to want to get at me." Perhaps Kramer actually believed that he had stumbled upon an astounding breakthrough. The paranoia expressed tends to make me think that perhaps Philip Kramer disappeared to try to protect his wife and family from what he believed were dangerous government agencies who would eventually come after him after news of his breakthrough became known to them. That leads me to think that, if he is still alive and simply in hiding, he will eventually resurface and perhaps try to either start a laboratory of his own to develope FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 11 5 Aug 1996 his breakthrough else find a laboratory he feels he can trust and sign on with them. For us skeptics, though, what might be more interesting was Kramer's growing involvement and belief in New Age mysticism. The Union Tribune reported that Kramer had read "The Celestine Prophecy" -- a best-selling book about a middle aged man who sets out to find the "nine insights" of life. Kramer asked his wife to only eat "colors of the spectrum," asking that she not wear black clothes or eat meat. This book also factors greatly in must-believers' conjectures among the computer networks. Perhaps, some suggest, the mathematical breakthrough that Kramer and his father developed caused Kramer (and the van he was driving) to "vibrate" out of visibility, just as happens in the "Celestine Prophecy." This inability to discern reality from fiction has manifested itself repeatedly since I started paying attention to this case. Stories from popular fiction -- like "The X-Files," are being used to "explain" Kramer's disappearance. Kathy Kramer, Philip Kramer's sister, has been getting unsolicited letters from self-professed "psychics" pin-pointing her brother's location using map-dowsing -- the "psychic" lays out a map and suspends an object from a chain or string and, depending upon the movement of the object, one pretends to discern where the missing person or object is. One such "lead" which came through the mail was from Austria and it stated that her brother was the victim of an accident yet was alive and being worshipped as a deity among the Pechanga Indians on a reservation outside of Los Angeles. Kathy Kramer went to talk with the tribe's council yet they knew nothing about her missing brother. This brings us back to Representative James A. Traficant Jr. He has twice asked for a federal investigation, citing Kramer's reported mathematical breakthrough and his work with the MX missile as cause for national security concerns. Traficant states in his request to the FBI that it's not unlikely that the research Kramer was working on was such that a foreign power might have "abducted, apprehended, compromised, or somehow brainwashed" Kramer. He even suggests that it's possible domestic agencies could use Kramer's "extraordinary knowledge for nefarious purposes." The FBI, for its part, at first rejected the suggestion for an inquiry yet has reversed itself, stating "It's a known fact there are rouge nations like Iran working on nuclear weapons who could use someone with Taylor Kramer's knowledge to make long-range missiles. Just because it's a remote possibility doesn't mean you shouldn't investigate it." Because of Traficant's request, some believers in either the alien abduction theory or the foreign/domestic government kidnapping theory have suggested that Traficant will be the next to disappear if he doesn't stop asking questions. The "fact" that Kramer has finally created a "Star Trek transporter" doesn't seem to be worthy of debate by some of the believers I've talked with, interestingly enough. To "prove" the "undeniable fact" that Kramer successfully created a matter transmitter, I've been told that the electrostatic photocopier is a "case in point." When I express my ignorance at how this proves Kramer developed a matter FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 12 5 Aug 1996 transporting technology, I'm usually ignored or told to "stop acting stupid." Doubtless there are connections between these two amazingly useful technologies, yet I can't help but question how the obvious existence of photocopiers proves the existence of matter transmitters. Perhaps the existence of one amazing machine is "proof" that any amazing machine one might dream up is possible. So what about faster-than-light communications? Dr. Milton A. Rothman, former professor of physics at Trenton State College and former research physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, covers the reasons why physicists don't expect to find undiscovered forces allowing anti-gravity devices, faster-than-light transportation and communication devices, and ESP, in his book "The Science Gap: Dispelling the Myths and Understanding the Reality of Science." Dr. Rothman states that for such things to be possible, a new particle responsible for carrying a new force would have to be discovered yet were such a particle to actually exist, it would have been inferred by experimentation long before now. Dr. Rothman states, "The conclusion to which we are forced -- unsatisfactory as it might be to many -- is that we cannot depend upon the discovery of new and radically different kinds of forces in the future to help us go faster than light, to hold vehicles suspended in midair, to make objects move by directing thoughts at them, or to transmit messages telepathically. We must make do with the forces that exist." [Reference 3] Dr. Rothman also covers must-believer's arguments to the contrary when it is suggested that science has been wrong before and thus the possibility of faster-than-light star travel or communication is still possible. (What New Agers disdainfully call "the conventional wisdom.") "What makes this argument invalid is the fact that it is based upon a myth. The idea that all theories are temporary is simply not true, even though it is believed by a great many people. The reason is, as we have shown, that we do know some things for a certainty." Several things are certain in Philip Kramer's case. Kramer obviously believed that his mathematical breakthrough was going to put his life and the lives of his family in danger. It's also certain that if Kramer ever surfaces, either dead or alive, the conspiracy theories and conjecture as to the "true story" will continue for a long, long time. [Reference 1] San Diego Union Tribune, May 5, 1996, page A-23 [Reference 2] Jeffries, A. D., et al., "Gravitational Wave Observatories," Scientific American, June 1987 Trimble, Virginia, "Gravity Waves: A Progress Report," Sky & Telescope, October 1987. [Reference 3] "The Science Gap: Dispelling the Myths and Understanding the Reality of Science," Dr. Milton FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 13 5 Aug 1996 A. Rothman, page 117. Fredric L. Rice, Sr. Software Engineer frice@stbbs.com Skeptics Socity Post Office Box 338 Altadena, California. 91001 Voice: (818)794-3119 Fax: (818)794-1301 email: skepticmag@aol.com web: http://www.skeptic.com/ ftp: ftp://ftp.skeptic.com/pub/skeptic ----------------------------------------------------------------- By Louie Gonsalves 1:2808/16 louie.gonsalves@phosphor.datasync.com Introducing the ANIMANIACS echo! ANIMANIACS is an echo dedicated to the discussion of the Warner Brothers and their sister, Dot... and any other characters in the show, such as Pinky and The Brain, Buttons and Mindy, Chicken Boo, and any others. Since this is a brand-new echo, distribution is from my system at this time. Bundles will be placed on hold for you, pending your poll. To get the ANIMANIACS echo, please Crash-Netmail or Internet Email the following info to me at: (Or, get yor REC or whoever you feed from to grab it). Louie Gonsalves 1:2808/16 louie.gonsalves@phosphor.datasync.com +-----------------------------------------------------+ | Sysop Name: | | Fido Node#: | | Email address (if applicable): | | Session level password: | | Areafix password: | +-----------------------------------------------------+ PLEASE, don't send the above info by any other means than crash netmail or email. It is my intention to backbone the echo, so I'll need all the help I can get for it. =_) Message will be sent to the ECHOLIST robot soon. The following are the rules of the echo: FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 14 5 Aug 1996 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Rules for the ANIMANIACS Echo: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 1. No flames. Flames will NOT be tolerated. This is an echo for fostering growth, not festering growths. All disputes are to be settled outside the echo, via netmail, email or pistols at dawn. Personal attacks, i.e.: namecalling, etc, are considered flames, and will be dealt as such. Flames WILL result in feedcuts. 2. Language. The official language of ANIMANIACS is English. Please do not post in other languages. Since this is an echo that will no doubt be read by children, please refrain from using "colorful metaphors." I.E.: NO CUSSING! 3. Real names ONLY. No handles, please. The only handle allowed is Moderator, and the only person permitted to use it is the moderator listed in the ELIST. 4. Hi ASCII. Hi-ascii characters are permitted. ANSI codes, are NOT. Signature lines may not exceed 2 lines. Taglines are OK, provided they don't exceed 1 line. 5. Gating. This echo may be gated to other networks, ONLY if expressly authorized by the moderator, via netmail or email. 8. Any infraction of the items above may result in expulsion from the echo. I warn via netmail. If you wish to contest a moderator's desicion, please do so via netmail or email... not in the echo. That's the rules, folks. Now let's get this sucker 'boned and on the bird. Faboo! Louie Gonsalves (aka Wakko Warner) Moderator, ANIMANIACS Fido 1:2808/16 STN 111:5701/0 louie.gonsalves@phosphor.datasync.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- Points thinking about FidoNet by Frederik Retsema, [2:280/901.35] Assume, you are new to FidoNet. You don't know anything particular about it, only that a friend of yours is (he calls it) point, and that he likes that. He shows you the way he gets his mail and what he and other people write. FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 15 5 Aug 1996 You like it, you become a point yourself and get interested in the way BBS-es (woeps... corrected... nodes) exchange mail. You listen to what the nodes tell, trying to understand why the situation in your part of FidoNet, Holland (woeps... corrected... region 28) is the way it is. And then... Something happens. You think you have a solution to the problems. A way to solve some unwanted situation. You put this very logical and simple plan into an echomailarea and... stand corrected because the situation was a little more difficult than you thought. This happened about four or five times to me. I still like it to think with people about the best way to solve problems in region 28. I still like to think about advantages and disadvantages of some solutions to this situation. There is a problem, though. It appears to me that many discussions about FidoNet are in the sysop-only-areas. Areas that are not readable (not to be spoken about writable) for points. And that's a pitty, because most writers in the general available areas about FidoNet _can_ read these areas. And know more about the situation than I do. Which is a drawback when wanting to make usable suggestions for the given situation. Examples of wanted information that was/is not available for points are for example: the names of the candidates of NEC-elections in my net and the way these persons act upon eachother, information from the RC/REC about the situation in my region, pro's and con's of the ENC-flag in zone 2, decisions and other information of the echomaildistributors, etc. A solution to this problem would be to make sysop-areas read-only for points. In this way points would at least be able to read what the real problems of the current situation are. In this way the points can think about _real_ solutions to these problems which makes them more valuable to FidoNet. Why should a point not be able to find good solutions to the given FidoNet-problems ? Let's be honoust: if the information in these net- and region- sysop-areas were _that_ secret that points shouldn't know about them, you wouldn't tell the other x-hundred nodes who can read in it too. There's no reason to beleave that nodes are better persons than points or users are. And so there's no reason to beleave that points will mess up the situation more than some nodes do now already ;-). The last time I tried to gain access to a more or less node-only area was this winter. This discussion lasted 6 months, but some nodes just wanted to keep their privileges. Some of them just didn't see that points (and users) _are_ part of FidoNet and that the policy is just a little outdated on this point. Because, let's face it, FidoNet is _not_ defined by the nodelist, but FidoNet consists of private- and public mailservices to nodes, points FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 16 5 Aug 1996 and users. And why would people that are part of these mail-services not be a part of FidoNet ?! Some people just don't seem to see that the role of a node to a point is not really different to the role of a hub to a node or a host to a hub. For netmail only ZMH and the missing possibility of unrouted netmailrouting to the point or user are different, but that is something the point him/herself is choosing for. That's none of the business of the sender of whatever kind of message. For the way echomail of points and users are treated there are no differences at all. Well, I'll be corrected here. Because of some out-dated policy, because nodes want to keep their privileges, because some nodes do not trust points and/or users and think the only thing points and users want is free and fast net- and echomail on their costs, because they think it _does_ make a difference whether or not one can send mail without any system between sender and receiver or because they see some points with real big mouthes comming up and they try to do anything to annoy them, hoping them to leave FidoNet. After 6 months of discussing this subject I'll stop here and now. That is, as a point. I'm a node since last Friday. That seems for now the only possible way to gain access to the same information about FidoNet that FidoNet nodes have. Sad, but true... Frederik Retsema 2:280/905 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 17 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= FIDONET HISTORY ================================================================= FidoNet History 30 Jul 93 [Part 3 of 3] Date: 09 Aug 93 20:29:00 From: Bart Mullins To: All Subj: FidoNet History ______________________________________________________________________ Hello All! A few days ago, some folks asked questions about the history of fidonet. Well John Madill is working with Infinite Technologies and I got the story straight from him. I re-post it here with his permission. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date and Time: 07-30-1993 at 15:43:02 Originated By: Scott Paterson (rsvp @ novell) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey, John Madill was famous in San Jose about two weeks ago. He made the front page of our Computing section in the San Jose Mercury News (it's nice to have a newspaper that has a whole section each week dedicated to Computing). Anyway, it spoke of the inception of FidoNet but didn't give any specific information on where you could find out more. How about it. -Scott ==================== R. Scott V. Paterson Novell Messaging ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 7/30/93 Time: 11:21 PM ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Mullins,Bart (Bart Mullins @ MWRS.12MWRSS) From: John Madill (John @ Infinite) Subject: FidoNet History ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: Originated By: John Madill (JOHN @ INFINITE) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, Scott, thanks for that nice intro! If it's the same article that appeared here (by Steve Snow, Knight Ridder), I could comment that I only had 1 small mention, and it basically stated that I was a "co-worker", but thanks for using up my 15 minutes of fame! Back in the early 80's, I was working at a ComputerLand in Baltimore (not Boston ... Tom Jennings was living in San Francisco, but he was working for Phoenix Technologies in Boston.) For those of you that care to remember, way back then there was a product that was introduced called the IBM PC ... which everyone wanted, but was in FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 18 5 Aug 1996 short supply. As an alternative, we were trying very hard to sell DEC Rainbows, which weren't exactly IBM compatible. Since I had purchased a Rainbow myself (really *smart* move ... NOT), and had an interest in BBSes and telecommunications, I started searching for a BBS and Telecomm software for the DEC. After visiting *many* BBSes and asking for help, I was beginning to fear that I'd have to write the stuff myself. Fortunately, someone recommended that I call a board in SF called "Fido's BBS". Trivia: The name Fido came from the mishmash of 68000 hardware that Tom was using to run the BBS on ... a real mongrel. How many 68000 systems did you ever hear of that had DOS as the operating system? Since Tom did implementations of DOS for Phoenix, he wrote a version for that system. Anyways ... I called Tom, we talked, and I found out that he actually did the original BIOS and DOS for the DEC Rainbow, and converted his comm programs (TelLink & MiniTel) to run on the DEC so he could port stuff over to the Rainbow. Now, I had a comm program. One of the things that we decided to do was to convert Fido's BBS to run on the DEC. Only one small problem: I had the DEC, and Tom didn't. We were stuck ... had to work together. As a result of this, we ended up working together to enhance Fido, and spent a lot of time "Yelling at the Sysop" ... chatting thru the keyboards back and forth. (This is NOT a recommended means of communicating via long distance, especially when we could have hung up, and called via voice.) After many gigantic telephone bills, we pretty much agreed that there *might* be a better way. The problem was that I'd call his BBS to leave a message, and he'd see me there, so we'd chat ... or vice- versa. Since the key was to deposit e-mail at another BBS, the solution seemed obvious. Make Fido call the other Fido ... deliver mail, and hang up. There were only 2 Fidos at that time, Tom's and Mine, so although we figured we add in a couple of more, we didn't think we'd need much sophistication for addressing ... just add in a "FidoNet" message area, secure it, and assign node numbers. Ask the user for the Node number, let the FidoNet module look up the phone number, and call off peak to save $. Well, word got around pretty fast, and nodes started springing up all over. That's when we got interested in the routing ... allowing the creation of centralized hubs, and piggy backing mail to nodes within a local call to a single node thru that node. We actually started dreaming one day of linking coast to coast only thru local phone calls! (I wonder if you can do that today?) Tom took on the responsibility of dishing out the node numbers - this was the only way we could eliminate duplicates - an since we only allocated 3 positions for node numbers (nnn), soon we had a *big* FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 19 5 Aug 1996 problem. We had close to 1000 nodes and growing. Now what? We took the opportunity to alter the Nodelist format so that we had regions and nodes within regions ... (region-node), divided the USA into regions, and appointed Sysops as "region leaders" who could give out node numbers and maintain the nodelist for that region. These lists were then distributed, and merged together at each site by add-in nodelist generators. Another stage in development was when we went international. We decided to add in Zones (Zone-Region-Node) *before* we ran out of Regions. This was pretty cool ... for a while ... and then IFNA got formed. The International FidoNet Association ... oh boy! Enter politics. For those of you that have never been there, you really don't know what missed. Mandates that the entire structure, protocol, and operation be documented ... and distributed ... all from people that had nothing to do with the design, creation or maintenance of the FidoNet software. Another demand by IFNA was that no changes could be made to the FidoNet system without approval by the Technical committee. A lot of really neat things came out of the members (not committees) ... like Echos, which are similar to Discussion lists (library@infinite and library@novell) and listservers on the internet. We also saw the creation of the internet gateway to FidoNet. People got upset ... alternate nets got created (AlterNet, etc.), and people left. What started as a grass-roots communications network grew rapidly out of control due to internal political struggles. I got disillusioned, and resigned from zone 1, region 2, node number 2. (I still love e-mail, though! ) P.S. Anyone out there know where Tom Jennings is? Perhaps we need to get his expertise involved with MHS! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Well that's it folks. Hope it answers some questions. Cheers, Bart * Origin: The Unofficial BBS (1:387/615) -30- [end of Part 3 of 3] ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 20 5 Aug 1996 [This was the VERY FIRST FidoNews issue. It is published here as part of our continuing History of FidoNet information. The spelling errors of the original have been corrected. The content is unchanged. Ed.] Volume 1, Number 1 1 Dec 84 +----------------------------------------------------------+ | _ | | / \ | | - FidoNews - /|oo \ | | (_| /_) | | Fido and FidoNet _`@/_ \ _ | | Users Group | | \ \\ | | Newsletter | (*) | \ )) | | ______ |__U__| / \// | | / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / | | (________) (_/(_|(____/ | | (jm) | +----------------------------------------------------------+ Editor: Tom Jennings Publisher: Fido #1 HOT NEWS THE FIRST FIDONET NEWSLETTER Well, it finally got done ... FidoNews, the FidoNet Users Group newsletter is real. It will be published once a week, possibly once every two weeks if it gets busy. There will be at least three regular "features": the node list, Fido list, and the route list. Hopefully there will be more interesting things later. Now you have a reason to get FidoNews. I, Tom Jennings, am apparently the editor. I do NOT wish to be editor; the last thing I need is something else to do. See the HELP WANTED section. (Not kidding) We (ahem) are also looking for a publisher; I will do that for a while at least. A freebie outgoing host would be nice. Not a short term problem, though, like finding an Editor in Chief is. *All* articles, etc are user submitted; anything and everything, as per usual Fidonet protocols (Which isn't saying much ..) Ideas, problems, questions, tips, programs, hardware, etc etc are all welcome. See the ARTICLE article. (sic) Distribution is still up in the air; it will be mailed to at least six hosts across the country. For now, it is available on #1 and #51. Possibly elsewhere in this thing you'll find an article on distribution. THE FIDONET USERS GROUP FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 21 5 Aug 1996 Oh yeah, I did mention that ... I hereby declare all Fido users and sysops members of the FidoNet Users Group. Sounds pretty stupid, huh? Well ... If there are 100 Fido systems around the country, and each has at least 100 users, that's 10,000 people. Any group that large has advantages, if nothing other than letters to the editor of your favorite magazine. This is just a brainstorm at this point, but is something to keep in mind. To make this fake club at least appear real, I am trying to decide whether or not to have bumper stickers made. This will be 3 3/4" X 8 1/2" white vinyl, with black artwork, will have the requisite doggie, the words "FidoNet Bulletin Board Network" and "Fido Node #" on it, and a place for a phone number, and blank space. These will cost $165.00 for 500 stickers, or about $230.00 for 1000. I'll pay part of it ($40.00?) but no more; if I get promises to buy say $125.00's worth, I'll have them made, and sell them at cost. (They cost about 34 cents each; plus 20 cents postage, plus envelopes, etc, call it a buck a piece.) The real reason for this is so I can have one, but I don't want to spend $165 for it! EDITOR'S SOAP BOX ARTICLE SUBMISSION The format of this thing is totally ad hoc; please make recommendations as to formats, sections needed, liked, or hated, columns you'd like to see, or see removed, anything at all. If you want to submit something regularly, we can start a column for you. You are ENCOURAGED to send things in for the newsletter. ANYTHING is fit for the newsletter, such as a description of your board, problems found, questions, jokes, fixes, horror stories about wrong FidoNet numbers, things for sale, etc etc etc. SUBMITTING AN ARTICLE An article should have your name, node number (if applicable), followed by the text. Text can be any ASCII derivative; WordStar, soft paragraphs, 8th bit set, etc are all OK. Articles can be uploaded at either Fido #1 or #51, into the NEWS File Area, or by sending it by FidoNet. There is a convention for naming the files, so that the newsletter can be published automatically. ARTICLE FILENAMES file.ART For article type things file.SAL Things for sale file.NOT Notices file.MSC Miscellaneous things file.EDT an Editorial file.NEW News items file.WNT Wanted items FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 22 5 Aug 1996 Make sure the name is unique, especially if you send it by FidoNet, so you don't overwrite another article. NEWS HOW THIS IS PUBLISHED This is a totally electronic newsletter; articles are written of course by users and sysops, but all other parts and procedures are machine generated. For each newsletter, the Editor (that's me folks) does the date and volume of the title page (tough job), and whatever editorial there may be. Articles are checked out for being readable (ie. more or less English language), and bum copies (bad uploads, etc) are deleted. The lists generated by FidoNet Admin (St. Louis) such as the node list, Fido list, and the route list, come in via FidoNet during the week. On the day the newsletter is to be published, Fido #1 runs the text formatter (as a schedule) to produce the newsletter, using all the articles, the node and Fido lists. The completed newsletter is then copied into the NEWS file area. All of the article submissions are saved as last week's news, and deleted to make room for next weeks. Some canned messages are copied into Fido 1's mail area, which file attaches the newsletter to the distribution points. This completes the FidoNews Newsletter publication. FIDO SECURITY -Tom Jennings Fido is pretty secure, but there have been a few instances where callers gave themselves SYSOP privileges, and ran amok ... the cure is quite simple. NEVER NEVER NEVER have your "main" Fido directory available as a download or upload area. Always make sure there is no path that can reach your .BBS files. It is OK to have it as a SYSOP only area, never let it be accessed by NORMAL users. If it is available, all someone has to do is get a copy of SYSOP.EXE, run it, and make a USER.BBS with them as SYSOP privilege. After uploading this file, they call back in, with the new name, and bingo! they are in control. A nastier version of this is to download your current user list, use SYSOP.EXE to upgrade them (or two, or three ... in case you find one of them) the upload it. If this happens to you, delete USER.BBS *immediately*. Fix it so that the Fido area is not available to users, and then you FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 23 5 Aug 1996 will be safe. Better do it quick, now that it's all documented here. NOTICES FOR SALE WANTED THE ROUTE LIST This is the latest route list (ROUTE.BBS). Please put this into ROUTE.BBS if you are not part of a local Fidonet Host system. If you are (or think you are) contact the host nearest you. One way to tell is to poke through FIDOLIST, and see if a local system found there is also in the list below. Route-To 1 1,99 Route-To 27 14,21,27,44,45,73,202,310,315,318 Route-To 51 4,10,16,17,22,51,65 Route-To 56 56,77 Route-To 59 59,309 Route-To 61 61,302 Route-To 69 63,69 Route-To 85 85,306,308,312,326 Route-To 79 79,204,205,317 Route-To 207 42,203,207,320 Route-To 327 327,328 -30- [How many of you still around remember what this Route-to file was for? [grin] Ed.] ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 24 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= WE GET EMAIL ================================================================= --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:374/14 --- By Christopher Baker on Sat Aug 03 12:03:44 1996 From: Kerry Grissett @ 1:3607/4 To: Christopher Baker @ 1:374/14 Date: 03 Aug 96 01:47:15 Subj: FIDONEWS echo Hey Chris, First let me thank you for taking over the editing of FIDONEWS! Your efforts and changes to our "rag" have made it, once again, something worth reading and with the "History" section, something worth saving! Now, to the point(s) of my message... Is the FIDONEWS echo going to be carried on Planet Connect? If so, when? Also, this may be more than you want to do, but I thought it might be of use... The version of FIDONEWS is published with the "next page" printer control codes in place. I would love to automate a process where the FIDONEWS is incorporated as a bulletin on my system, processing updates as they come in. The control code causes a problem, though. I see 2 solutions, having a program to strip the code before posting it as a bulletin or dual versions of FIDONEWS. If you know how I could *easily* strip the page codes in a batch file automatically, then I'll try that. Thanks again and keep up the excellent work! Kerry Grissett NC3607 ksgrisse@hiwaay.net P.S. You may post this in FIDONEWS if you see fit. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Area: Sent_Netmail Date : Jul 13 '96, 08:52 From : Cindy Ingersoll 1:2623/71.0 To : Christopher Baker Subj : Fidonews: R13 Sinking... _____________________________________________________________________ Where are all the *Cs? Philip Dampiere (R13C) seems to have FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 25 5 Aug 1996 disappeared. It's time for replacements. Bob Satti doesn't seem inclined to do anything about the situation either, so how do we go about replacing him? In the meantime, I'm a node without a net. The fellow who 'took over' as our N2623C insists on removing my node, just 'cos he don't like me'. That's pretty much the expected in this region. I've been trying to resolve the situation, but the NC refuses to discuss the issue, no replies from the RC. I've been given a temporary node # in another net, until such time as R13 and South Jersey's net 2623 have *Cs that follow fidonet policy & do not delete nodes on their whim. -1:2623/71 CiAo --- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 26 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= NET HUMOR ================================================================= From: top5@walrus.com Comments: Authenticated sender is To: topfive@news.zdnet.com Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 01:10:18 +45 Subject: TopFive -- 7/24/96 -- Reasons Dogs Don't Use Computers Reply-To: Top5@walrus.com Sender: owner-topfive@news.zdnet.com _____________________________________ _________| |________ \ | The Top Five List | / \ | www.topfive.com | / \ | | / \ | Sponsored by Windows Sources | / > | www.wsources.com | < / | | \ / | July 24, 1996 | \ / |_____________________________________| \ /___________) (__________\ [ This list copyright 1996 by Chris White and Ziff-Davis ] [ *To forward or repost, you must include this section.* ] [ The Top Five List top5@walrus.com www.topfive.com ] The Top 5 Reasons Dogs Don't Use Computers 20> Can't stick their heads out of Windows '95. 19> Fetch command not available on all platforms. 18> Hard to read the monitor with your head cocked to one side. 17> Too difficult to "mark" every website they visit. 16> Can't help attacking the screen when they hear "You've Got Mail." 15> Fire hydrant icon simply frustrating. 14> Involuntary tail wagging is dead giveaway they're browsing www.pethouse.com instead of working. 13> Keep bruising noses trying to catch that MPEG frisbee. 12> Not at all fooled by Chuckwagon Screen Saver. 11> Still trying to come up with an "emoticon" that signifies tail-wagging. FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 27 5 Aug 1996 10> Oh, but they WILL... with the introduction of the Microsoft Opposable Thumb. 9> Three words: Carpal Paw Syndrome 8> 'Cause dogs ain't GEEKS! Now, cats, on the other hand... 7> Barking in next cube keeps activating YOUR voice recognition software. 6> SmellU-SmellMe still in beta test. 5> SIT and STAY were hard enough, GREP and AWK are out of the question! 4> Saliva-coated mouse gets mighty difficult to manuever. 3> Annoyed by lack of newsgroup, alt.pictures.master's.leg. 2> Butt-sniffing more direct and less deceiving than online chat rooms. and the Number 1 Reason Dogs Don't Use Computers... 1> TrO{gO DsA[M,bN HyAqR4tDc TgrOo TgYPmE WeIjTyH P;AzWqS,. * Today's Top Five List contributors are: ---------------------------------------------------------------- John Hering, Alexandria, VA -- 1 (5th #1) (Hall of Famer) Sterling Smith, Houston, TX -- 1 (3rd #1) Bruce Ansley, Baltimore, MD -- 2, 14 (Hall of Famer) Lloyd Jacobson, Washington, DC -- 3, 11 Rob Winchell, Arlington, MA -- 4, 12 Lisa Stepaniak, Dearborn, MI -- 5, 20 (Rookies!) Lee Oeth, San Diego, CA -- 6, 20 Matt Diamond, Holland, PA -- 6, 17 Doug Johnson, Santa Cruz, CA -- 7, 9 Marc Cukier, Toronto, Canada -- 8 Vickie Neilson, Carlsbad, CA -- 9 Boyd Johnson, San Diego, CA -- 9 Kermit Woodall, Richmond, VA -- 9 David Hyatt, New York, NY -- 10 Jim Louderback, New York, NY -- 11 (Hall of Famer) Paul Lara, Temple, TX -- 13 Tony Hill, Minneapolis, MN -- 15 (Hall of Famer) Jennifer Hart, Arlington, VA -- 16 Steve Hurd, San Ramon, CA -- 17 Ed Brooksbank, Sacramento, CA -- 17 Randy Wohl, Ma'ale Adumim, Israel -- 17, 18 Chris McKenna, Malibu, CA -- 17 Greg Pettit, Houston, TX -- 17, 20 Dennis Koho, Keizer, OR -- 19 Chris White, New York, NY -- List owner/editor ---------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 28 5 Aug 1996 Selected from 140 submissions by 47 contributors. ================================================================ *** Windows Sources Spotlight *** > Hot Spots for NT 4.0 at < www.zdnet.com/wsources/content/current/exchange.html ================================================================ Top Five List Helpful Hints To subscribe: Send a message to "Majordomo@news.zdnet.com" with "subscribe topfive" in the body of the message. To unsubscribe: Send a message to "Majordomo@news.zdnet.com" with "unsubscribe topfive" in the body of the message. For further info (including how to become a contributor): Send an e-mail message to "top5@walrus.com" with the word "INFO" in the *subject* line of the message. ================================================================ Maybe It Just Might Be True! Elvis is still alive, and is living in Vegas disguised as an Elvis impersonator. (Thanks to Agnes Tomorrow) (Send items to top5@walrus.com with "MAYBE" in the subject.) ================================================================ ** The Top Five List http://www.topfive.com ** ** Sponsored by Windows Sources http://www.wsources.com ** * 1> Too Damn Hard To Type With Paws. -30- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 29 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= COMIX IN ASCII ================================================================= --- Following message extracted from Z1_BACKBONE @ 1:374/14 --- By Christopher Baker on Mon Jul 31 22:38:59 1995 From: George Vandervort To: Scott R. Godin Date: 30 Jul 95 10:17:02 Subj: Map This! Here's a start, your welcome to use this Map as a sample to complete your on Fido USA Map? === Cut === Here's a Birds EYE view.. Central Texas Sysop Association (Fido 1:382/89) .. ........................................ : : : SEA :: : BIS : | ' ., ,. : PWM : .......: : MSO BIL:........: |.''.. '..'. .--. .'' : PDX .' :........: : MSP ':.' :. .. SYR: BOS : : BOI : : PIR :...... MKE : :......:...: :.......:......: :'''''''': DSM :---::...-'''': PIT JFK : : : :.... CYS. :.....' : : DAY:......:.: : : RNO : SLC: :'''''''' MCI : : :....' .' : : SFO' : : DEN ICT : STL :.' :..' RIC: : '. :.....:......:.........:......:'- BNA-'-.'''''''': :. ': : :''': OKC: :........:-----. CHS ' LAX: PHX: ABQ: '--....:. LIT : : ATL. .' '':. : : DFW :---: JAN: MGM ' SAV '''--.::':''' '. '.. : ..:.....: : .. AUS ..:... MSY'''''''-. : '' : SAT .' ''' : : '. / '. MIA . BRO '.' === Cut === Regards, George Vandervort InterNet: gvandervort@infomail.com (No FTP) Origin: Lounge Lizard's Retreat (1:382/8) -30- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 30 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= ADVERTISE YOUR FREE SERVICE/EVENT ================================================================= Sorcery v0.72 Wide Beta RELEASED! by Chris Reiter, [1:280/205/Hark@Clubmet.Metrobbs.Com] SORCERY v.72a - Imagine yourself a wise sorcerer, with many spells at your fingertips. What would you do? Be nice? Nah. You'd kill off everyone in your path. Now more bug fixes and additions than ever! Sorcery is now in Wide Beta, and can be FREQ'd from 1:280/205, with the most current version under the magic name: SORCERY. It can also be downloaded from The Dead Zone BBS (913)362-9922. Logon as GUEST with the password GUEST. Select "D" from the Main Menu. That will download the most current version of Sorcery also. Any questions can be directed to Chris Reiter, 1:280/205, or Hark@Clubmet.Metrobbs.Com. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 31 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= QUESTION OF THE WEEK ================================================================= Back in the dim time when I was NC135 in Miami_FL, we used to have an annual picnic for all the Sysops and Users. We had a barbecue and games related to computing like floppy disk throwing. One year, we even had a hard disk toss. [grin] So, the Question of the Week is: Do you have local FidoNet parties and what do you do there? Send your answers in as .ART submissions or Netmail or email to the addresses listed in the FidoNews Information section. Thanks. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 32 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= Future History 15 Aug 1996 Liberation Day, South Korea 12 Oct 1996 General Elections, New Zealand. 29 Oct 1996 Republic Day, Turkey. 5 Nov 1996 Election day, U.S.A. 5 Nov 1996 Guy Fawkes Day, England. 1 Dec 1996 Twelfth Anniversary of FidoNews Volume 1, Issue 1. 12 Dec 1996 Constitution Day, Russia 26 Jan 1997 Australia Day, Australia. 6 Feb 1997 Waitangi Day, New Zealand. 16 Feb 1997 Eleventh Anniversary of invention of Echomail by Jeff Rush. 11 Jun 1997 Independence Day, Russia 26 Jul 1997 FidoNews Editor turns 48. 6 Dec 1997 Gallileo takes close-ups of Europa to resolution of 11 meters at the north pole. 1 Dec 1998 Fifteenth Anniversary of release of Fido version 1 by Tom Jennings. -- If YOU have something which you would like to see in this Future History, please send a note to the FidoNews Editor. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 33 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ================================================================= Latest Greatest Software Versions by Peter E. Popovich, 1:363/264 This column will once again become a regular feature of Fidonews. Upon suggestion from ARTSPEC.DOC, I'll write a smidge about myself: Hi. I'm Peter Popovich. I first read Fidonews around 1986. I actually used to print the darn thing out and read it thoroughly even though I wasn't running a Fido-compatible BBS at the time. I've only been a node for two years, but I do remember the "good old days". About two weeks ago, I opened my big mouth and agreed that reviving this column would be a good idea. The result: I got "volunteered" to write it. Critics beware: Our esteemed editor has a talent for turning suggestions for improvement into offers to write columns. ;-) When I accepted the inevitable, Chris forwarded me a copy of the most recent versions list -- 4 1/2 years old! Rather than tracking down authors for each of the hundreds of programs below, I figured I'd run the last list verbatim and use it as a starting point. Hopefully the rather limited readership will start making noises to authors and the authors will write in with updates. The added benefit is that it will help encourage active reading of the good ol' Snooze. ;-) I expect the format to change slightly in the coming weeks. For those packages I hear from authors for, I'm considering adding one Fidonet address for contact and one magic name for FREQ at that site -- hopefully I can keep it down to one line per program: Program Name Version S? Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------- NNNNNNNNNNNNNN VVVVVVV X FFFFFFFFLLLLLLLL X:XXXX/XXXX MMMMMMMM (S: Shareware, freeware, crippleware, etc. -- I'm still thinking about how best to classify this. I may modify the flags used in the old format as well.) One additional note: Articles submitted directly to the Fidonews Editor don't get forwarded to me; I don't see them until they're published. If you want your entry changed in a timely fashion, you are encouraged to send me notice of an update directly. I'll be happy to put blurbs about new versions in a leading section (no vaporware, please). As always, authors are encouraged to submit articles as well. Constructive criticism on format and procedure is welcome. Updates and suggestions should be sent to: Peter Popovich, 1:363/264 -=- Snip -=- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 34 5 Aug 1996 Latest Update: 01/27/92 --------------------------------------------------------------------- MS-DOS Systems -------------- BBS Software NodeList Utilities Compression Name Version Name Version Utilities -------------------- -------------------- Name Version ADTBBS 1.50@ EditNL 4.00 -------------------- Aurora 1.32b FDND 1.10 ARC 7.12 DMG 2.93 MakeNL 2.31 ARJ 2.20 DreamBBS 1.05 Parselst 1.33 LHA 2.13 Fido/FidoNet 12.21 Prune 1.40 PAK 2.51 Genesis Deluxe 3.2 SysNL 3.14 PKPak 3.61 GSBBS 3.02 XlatList 2.90 PKZip 1.10 Kitten 1.01 XlaxNode/Diff 2.53 Lynx 1.30 Maximus-CBCS 2.00 Merlin 1.39n Other Utilities(A-M) Other Utilities(N-Z) Opus 1.73a* Name Version Name Version Oracomm 5.M.6P@ -------------------- -------------------- Oracomm Plus 6.E@ 2DAPoint 1.50* Netsex 2.00b PCBoard 14.5a 4Dog/4DMatrix 1.18 OFFLINE 1.35 Phoenix 1.07* ARCAsim 2.31 Oliver 1.0a ProBoard 1.20* ARCmail 3.00* OSIRIS CBIS 3.02 QuickBBS 2.75 Areafix 1.20 PKInsert 7.10 RBBS 17.3b ConfMail 4.00 PolyXarc 2.1a RemoteAccess 1.11* Crossnet 1.5 QM 1.00a SimplexBBS 1.05 DOMAIN 1.42 QSort 4.04 SLBBS 2.15C* DEMM 1.06 RAD Plus 2.11 Socrates 1.11 DGMM 1.06 Raid 1.00 SuperBBS 1.12* DOMAIN 1.42 RBBSMail 18.0 SuperComm 0.99 EEngine 0.32 ScanToss 1.28 TAG 2.5g EMM 2.11* ScMail 1.00 TBBS 2.1 EZPoint 2.1 ScEdit 1.12 TComm/TCommNet 3.4 FGroup 1.00 Sirius 1.0x Telegard 2.7* FidoPCB 1.0s@ SLMail 2.15C TPBoard 6.1 FNPGate 2.70 SquishMail 1.00 TriTel 2.0* GateWorks 3.06e StarLink 1.01 WildCat! 3.02* GMail 2.05 TagMail 2.41 WWIV 4.20 GMD 3.10 TCOMMail 2.2 XBBS 1.77 GMM 1.21 Telemail 1.5* GoldEd 2.31p TGroup 1.13 GROUP 2.23 TIRES 3.11 Network Mailers GUS 1.40 TMail 1.21 Name Version Harvey's Robot 4.10 TosScan 1.00 -------------------- HeadEdit 1.18 UFGATE 1.03 BinkleyTerm 2.50 HLIST 1.09 VPurge 4.09e D'Bridge 1.30 IMAIL 1.20 WEdit 2.0@ Dreamer 1.06 InterPCB 1.31 WildMail 2.00 Dutchie 2.90c ISIS 5.12@ WMail 2.2 FrontDoor 2.02 Lola 1.01d WNode 2.1 InterMail 2.01 Mosaic 1.00b XRS 4.99 Milqtoast 1.00 MailBase 4.11a@ XST 2.3e PreNM 1.48 MSG 4.5* YUPPIE! 2.00 FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 35 5 Aug 1996 SEAdog 4.60 MSGED 2.06 ZmailH 1.25 SEAmail 1.01 MsgLnk 1.0c ZSX 2.40 TIMS 1.0(mod8) MsgMstr 2.03a MsgNum 4.16d MSGTOSS 1.3 OS/2 Systems ------------ BBS Software Other Utilities(A-M Other Utilities(N-Z) Name Version Name Version Name Version -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- Kitten 1.01 ARC 7.12 oMMM 1.52 Maximus-CBCS 2.00 ARC2 6.01 Omail 3.1 SimplexBBS 1.04.02+ ConfMail 4.00 Parselst 1.33 EchoStat 6.0 PKZip 1.02 EZPoint 2.1 PMSnoop 1.30 Network Mailers FGroup 1.00 PolyXOS2 2.1a Name Version GROUP 2.23 QSort 2.1 -------------------- LH2 2.11 Raid 1.0 BinkleyTerm 2.50 MSG 4.2 Remapper 1.2 BinkleyTerm(S) 2.50 MsgEd 2.06c SquishMail 1.00 BinkleyTerm/2-MT MsgLink 1.0c Tick 2.0 1.40.02 MsgNum 4.16d VPurge 4.09e SEAmail 1.01 Xenix/Unix 386 -------------- BBS Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- ARC 5.21 C-LHARC 1.00 MsgEd 2.06 |Contact: Willy Paine 1:343/15,| MSGLINK 1.01 |or Eddy van Loo 2:285/406 | oMMM 1.42 Omail 1.00 ParseLst 1.32 Unzip 3.10 VPurge 4.08 Zoo 2.01 QNX --- BBS Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- QTach2 1.09 QMM 0.50s Kermit 2.03 QCP 1.02 NodeList Utilities Archive Utilities QSave 3.6 Name Version Name Version QTTSysop 1.07.1 FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 36 5 Aug 1996 -------------------- -------------------- SeaLink 1.05 QNode 2.09 Arc 6.02 XModem 1.00 LH 1.00.2 YModem 1.01 Unzip 2.01 ZModem 0.02f Zoo 2.01 Apple II -------- BBS Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- DDBBS + 8.0* Fruity Dog 2.0 deARC2e 2.1 GBBS Pro 2.1 ProSel 8.70* ShrinkIt 3.30* |Contact: Dennis McClain-Furmanski 1:275/42| ShrinkIt GS 1.04 Apple CP/M ---------- BBS Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- Daisy 2j Daisy Mailer 0.38 Filer 2-D MsgUtil 2.5 Nodecomp 0.37 PackUser 4 UNARC.Com 1.20 Macintosh --------- BBS Software Network Mailers Other Software Name Version Name Version Name Version -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- FBBS 0.91 Copernicus 1.0 ArcMac 1.3 Hermes 1.6.1 Tabby 2.2 AreaFix 1.6 Mansion 7.15 Compact Pro 1.30 Precision Sys. 0.95b EventMeister 1.0 Red Ryder Host 2.1 Export 3.21 Telefinder Host Import 3.2 2.12T10 LHARC 0.41 MacArd 0.04 Mantissa 3.21 Point System Mehitable 2.0 Software OriginatorII 2.0 Name Version PreStamp 3.2 -------------------- StuffIt Classic 1.6 Copernicus 1.00 SunDial 3.2 CounterPoint 1.09 TExport 1.92 MacWoof 1.1 TimeStamp 1.6 TImport 1.92 Tset 1.3 FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 37 5 Aug 1996 TSort 1.0 UNZIP 1.02c Zenith 1.5 Zip Extract 0.10 Amiga ----- BBS Software Network Mailers Other Software Name Version Name Version Name Version -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- 4D-BBS 1.65 BinkleyTerm 1.00 Areafix 1.48 DLG Pro. 0.96b TrapDoor 1.80 AReceipt 1.5 Falcon CBCS 1.00 WelMat 0.44 ChameleonEdit 0.11 Starnet 1.0q@ ConfMail 1.12 TransAmiga 1.07 ElectricHerald 1.66 XenoLink 1.0 Compression FFRS 1.0@ Utilities FileMgr 2.08 Name Version Fozzle 1.0@ NodeList Utilities -------------------- Login 0.18 Name Version AmigArc 0.23 MessageFilter 1.52 -------------------- booz 1.01 Message View 1.12 ParseLst 1.66 LHARC 1.30 oMMM 1.50 Skyparse 2.30 LhA 1.10 PolyXAmy 2.02 TrapList 1.40 LZ 1.92 RMB 1.30 PkAX 1.00 Roof 46.15 UnZip 4.1 RoboWriter 1.02 Zippy (Unzip) 1.25 Rsh 4.07a Zoo 2.01 Tick 0.75 TrapToss 1.20 |Contact: Maximilian Hantsch 2:310/6| Yuck! 2.02 Atari ST/TT ----------- BBS Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- FIDOdoor/ST 2.5.1 BinkleyTerm 2.40n9 ApplyList 1.00@ FiFo 2.1v The Box 1.95* Burep 1.1 LED ST 1.00 ComScan 1.04 MSGED 1.99 ConfMail 4.10 QuickBBS/ST 1.06* NodeList Utilities Echoscan 1.10 Name Version FDrenum 2.5.2 -------------------- FastPack 1.20 Compression ParseList 1.30 Import 1.14 Utilities EchoFix 1.20 oMMM 1.40 Name Version sTICK/Hatch 5.50 Pack 1.00 -------------------- Trenum 0.10 ARC 6.02 LHARC 2.01i PackConvert STZip 1.1* UnJARST 2.00 WhatArc 2.02 FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 38 5 Aug 1996 Archimedes ---------- BBS Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- ARCbbs 1.61 BinkleyTerm ARC 1.20 Odyssey 0.37 2.06f-wimp !AskFor 1.01 RiscBBS 0.9.85m BatchPacker 1.00 DeLZ 0.01 MailED 0.95 NetFile 1.00 ParseLst 1.30 Raul 1.01 !Spark 2.16 !SparkMail 2.08 !SparkPlug 2.14 UnArj 2.21 UnZip 3.00 Zip 1.00 Tandy Color Computer 3 (OS-9 Level II) -------------------------------------- BBS Software Compression Utility Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version -------------------- -------------------- -------------------- RiBBS 2.02+ Ar 1.3 Ascan 1.2 DeArc 5.12 AutoFRL 2.0 OS9Arc 1.0 Bundle 2.2 UnZip 3.10 CKARC 1.1 UnLZH 3.0 EchoCheck 1.01 FReq 2.5a LookNode 2.00 ParseLST PReq 2.2 RList 1.03 RTick 2.00 UnBundle 1.4 UnSeen 1.1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Key: + - Netmail Capable (Doesn't Require Additional Mailer Software) * - Recently Updated Version @ - New Addition -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- NOTE: 8 Mar 92 FidoNews versions list update process is about to change, once again. It will be taken over by someone else. In the mean time hold onto your hats (and programs). Watch for an announcement within a week or two. FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 39 5 Aug 1996 -=- Snip -=- Updates and suggestions should be sent to: Peter Popovich, 1:363/264 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 40 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY ================================================================= [this must be copied out to a file starting at column 1 or it won't process under PGP as a valid public-key] -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.6.2 Comment: Clear-signing is Electronic Digital Authenticity! -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Pending a formal decision about including 'encrypted' material inside FidoNews from the Zone Coordinator Council, the guts of the FidoNews public-key have been removed from this listing. File-request FNEWSKEY from 1:1/23 [1:374/14] or download it from the Rights On! BBS at 1-407-383-1372 anytime except 0100-0130 ET and Zone 1 ZMH at 1200-9600+ HST/V32B. This section will contain only this disclaimer and instructions until a ZCC decision is forwarded to the Editor. Sorry for any inconvenience. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 41 5 Aug 1996 ================================================================= FIDONEWS INFORMATION ================================================================= ------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ---------------- Editor: Christopher Baker Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar, Tom Jennings, Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees "FidoNews Editor" FidoNet 1:1/23 BBS 1-407-383-1372, 300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(ds) more addresses: Christopher Baker -- 1:374/14, cbaker84@digital.net cbak.rights@opus.global.org (Postal Service mailing address) FidoNews Editor P.O. Box 5921 Titusville, FL 32783-5921 U.S.A. voice: 1-407-264-2994 [1400-2100 ET only, please] [1800-0100 UTC/GMT] ------------------------------------------------------ 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. Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is Copyright 1996 Christopher Baker. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or the Editor. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue of FidoNews in electronic form may be obtained from the FidoNews Editor via manual download or file-request, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet. PRINTED COPIES may be obtained by sending SASE to the above postal address. File-request FIDONEWS for the current Issue. File-request FNEWS for the current month in one archive. Or file-request specific back Issue filenames in distribution format [FNEWSDnn.LZH] for a FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 42 5 Aug 1996 particular Issue. Monthly Volumes are available as FNWSmmmy.ZIP where mmm = three letter month [JAN - DEC] and y = last digit of the current year [6], i.e., FNWSMAY6.ZIP for all the Issues from May 96. Annual volumes are available as FNEWSn.ZIP where n = the Volume number 1 - 12 for 1984 - 1995, respectively. Annual Volume archives range in size from 48K to 1.2M. INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via: http://www.fidonet.org/fidonews.htm ftp://ftp.fidonet.org/pub/fidonet/fidonews/ STAR SOURCE for ALL Past Issues via FTP and file-request: Available for FReq from 1:396/1 or by anonymous FTP from ftp.sstar.com in the FIDONET\FNEWS directory: FNEWSTOC.ZIP FidoNews, Table of Contents, all issues (1984 - 1995) FNEWS1.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 1, all issues (1984) FNEWS2.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 2, all issues (1985) FNEWS3.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 3, all issues (1986) FNEWS4.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 4, all issues (1987) FNEWS5.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 5, all issues (1988) FNEWS6.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 6, all issues (1989) FNEWS7.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 7, all issues (1990) FNEWS8.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 8, all issues (1991) FNEWS9.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 9, all issues (1992) FNEWSA.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 10, all issues (1993) FNEWSB.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 11, all issues (1994) FNEWSC.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 12, all issues (1995) FNEWSD01.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 13, Nr. 01 (January 1, 1996) FNEWSD02.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 13, Nr. 02 (January 8, 1996) (etc) FNEWSD31.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 13, Nr. 31 (July 29, 1996) FNEWSD32.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 13, Nr. 32 (August 5, 1996) (etc) Each yearly archive also contains a listing of the Table-of-Contents for that year's issues. The total set is currently about 11 Megs. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= A PGP generated public-key is available for the FidoNews Editor from 1:1/23 [1:374/14] by file-request for FNEWSKEY or by download from Rights On! BBS at 1-407-383-1372 as FIDONEWS.ASC in File Area 18. It is also posted twice a month into the PKEY_DROP Echo available on the Zone 1 Echomail Backbone. *=*=*=*=* Anyone interested in getting a copy of the INTERNET GATEWAY FAQ may file-request 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 FIDONEWS 13-32 Page 43 5 Aug 1996 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 Editor, or file-requestable from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". ALL Zone Coordinators also have copies of 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. "Disagreement is actually necessary, or we'd all have to get in fights or something to amuse ourselves and create the requisite chaos." -Tom Jennings -30- -----------------------------------------------------------------