F I D O N E W S -- Volume 13, Number 36 2 September 1996 +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: | | FidoNet 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. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ THIS IS THE 600TH PUBLISHED ISSUE OF FIDONEWS!! Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1 Our 600th Issue! Going to ZIP and other things ........... 1 2. ARTICLES ................................................. 3 It's a sad world we live in .............................. 3 Borlan Turbo C Large/Huge model difftime() bug ........... 4 What is a PUBLIC KEY? .................................... 4 A Public-key primer in answer to the previous ............ 5 3. FIDONET HISTORY .......................................... 7 Editorials Past - a reflection ........................... 7 4. REVIEWS .................................................. 22 Six Mail Processors Reviewed [III] ....................... 22 5. COORDINATORS CORNER ...................................... 25 Nodelist-statistics as seen from Zone-2 for day 243 ...... 25 6. ECHOING .................................................. 26 Zone 2 Echomail proposal from ZEC2 ....................... 26 7. WE GET EMAIL ............................................. 38 Old Nodelists at 2:240/5815 .............................. 38 Old Nodelists at 2:2448/610 .............................. 38 8. PROOFREADERS REPORT ...................................... 40 Somebody finally caught one! ............................. 40 9. NET HUMOR ................................................ 41 They don't mean Fido, do they? ........................... 41 10. COMIX IN ASCII .......................................... 42 Flushed with success? .................................... 42 And more! FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 1 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= FidoNews passes another milestone as this, the six hundreth Issue, is published. There were years where 52 were not published and there was the composite Issue of 5 Jul 96 wherein I caught up the missing numbers of the past Editor in one lump. I don't count any Issues that didn't achieve actual, physical status as an existing file. I counted every FidoNews file in the archives and this is number 600, right here. It has been nearly twelve years since FidoNews started under the fingers of FidoNet's progenitor, Tom Jennings. For the 600th Issue, the History section will contain Editorials past from the previous Editors as a reflection of where we've been, where we are, and where we should be headed. Congratulations, FidoNews! **=*=** Complete topic change - FidoNews is going to ZIP format for weekly distribution beginning in FOUR weeks with the 30 Sep 96 Issue 1340! PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT if you never read another word here. You have FOUR weeks to adjust your batch files and Tick throughputs before they begin choking on the new extension of .ZIP instead of .LZH!! When 1340 comes out it will come out as: FNEWSD40.ZIP. Don't get caught unaware and complain about not knowing why your batch files don't work on FidoNews anymore. After the survey, it was obvious that ZIP was the preferred format and the format with the most platforms. It is also the defacto archiver on the Internet as well as producing smaller and faster archives. ALL Coordinators are requested to repeat this bulletin to those Nodes under their auspices so everyone is on the same page come Issue 1340 on 30 Sep 96. Thanks, in advance, for your assistance and cooperation. **=*=** Your FidoNews Editor will be moving at the end of this month. This be a physical move on all levels changing Node numbers [1:1/23 will still be valid but have a new phone number] and counties and cities. We will be going upstate a few miles to Edgewater_FL and be leaving Net 374 for independent Node status as 1:18/14 [my first Node number from the dim time]. The P.O. Box will also be changing in the contact info in the Masthead. The specifics will be forthcoming in a future Issue. Please get ready for that, too. **=*=** FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 2 2 Sep 1996 ZEC2 has a lengthy article in this Issue about a new Zone 2 Echopol. All those affected please take note. Other Zones might want to pay attention as well for future reference. That's enough news for one Issue. [grin] C.B. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 3 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= A European point of view by Fredrik Bennison -- 2:205/300, lomaxx@dalnet.se Last night I had a great article in my head but decided to sleep on it to get it all sorted out. Today the idea has evaporated into the great unknown we call sleep. But as I think I know what I wanted to say, I thought I'd try writing an article anyway. It's sad to see the discussion regarding echomail in FIDONEWS the past week. More and more absurd objections are brought up, like whether being tried for murder in a criminal court can justify excommunication or not. What has happened to common sense in Fidonet, Fidonet is not governed by law like other parts of our society, it depends on the good will, common sense and cooperation of individual sysops across the globe. Disrupting the net in an 'excessively annoying' way constitutes reason enough for excommunication. What is excessively annoying is left to the discretion of the *C structure. That is one of the reasons that they are there. The next subject I'd like to mention is echomail and the *C jurisdiction over it. P4 clearly states that in policy disputes, echomail is considered another flavour of netmail, and therefore covered by Policy. Which to me clearly states that actions that would be deemed annoying in netmail does not automatically become null and void just because they appear in echomail. In my opinion, there are several scenarios in echomail that would constitute excessively annoying behaviour and warrant action from the *C structure. But as with so many other things in our beloved Policy, that can be disputed and ignored. Which brings me to the third (and final) topic for the day. Policy 4. It is now more than 7 years old and outdated and obsolete in several ways, of which echomail is one. At the time (1989) echomail was considered secondary to netmail and echomail was not to impair the performance of the network as a whole. Today, the bulk of mail passing through Fidonet is in the form of echomail and I feel that that needs to be addressed in a new version of Policy. Another thing that really should be made more clear is netmail routing policies. Routing netmail is (and has been for as long as I can remember) a given right for members of Fidonet Region20, and I guess for most of Zone2. Netmail routing in Zone1 however seems to be haphazard at best. One can never know if a netmail will reach it destination, or which networks disallow routing altogether. A new Policy should impose that requirement on the *C structure, that they must allow both inbound and outbound routing to their network. Preferably by some acknowledged paths like NC -> RC -> ZC and back down again. Oh well, this article ended up a bit longer than I expected, but I hope that I have managed to stir up some emotions and responses to my FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 4 2 Sep 1996 opinions, I welcome ideas and constructive criticism. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Borlan Turbo C Large/Huge model difftime() bug Fredric L. Rice (frice@stbbs.com) The Skeptic Tank (1:102/890.0) (818) 335-9601 I ran into a problem a couple of years ago when I was working on a software project in Holland and rediscovered it again tonight. Since I didn't make a note of it, I didn't avoid another length session of table pounding. The problem was that after executing my program in a DOS window, Windows 3.1 would exit to DOS every time I hit Control-ESC or Alt-ENTER to return to the Desktop. Naturally I suspected something funny with my code so I dropped exit() calls in the main() to isolate the problem yet the problem couldn't be isolated that way. Eventually I commented-out sections of the code until the problem went away which allowed me to isolate the faulty code. What was damn strange was the fact that the faulty code wasn't even being executed -- it would cause this strange behavior in Windows 3.1 simply by existing in the executable file. A call to Borlan's difftime() function compiled for either the Huge or Large memory model caused the problem. The difftime() library code for Huge and Large, I would guess, generates code that links strangely -- perhaps code gets byte aligned or some other silly nonsense. Has anyone else run into this and know what's wrong with the library function? As it is I remembered replacing the call with a call to labs(). ----------------------------------------------------------------- What is a PUBLIC KEY? An Inquiry Concerning Fidonet Nomenclature Author: Allen McBroom, 1:361/206 Having recently had the good fortune (or misfortune) of being appointed the position of NC for 1:361, I was suddenly introduced to the marvels of FidoNews. While I've enjoyed every edition that's found it's way over the phone line to our system, I've been curious about some of the terms used by LTFS (Long Term Fido Savvy) authors. FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 5 2 Sep 1996 Every edition has contained a reference to a "Public Key", which seems to be a matter of some import to many readers of FidoNews. I've no clue as to what a Public Key is, and even less of a notion as to whether I should be worried about my inadequate FNRE (FidoNet Relevent Education). Would someone be so kind as to enlighten me? ----------------------------------------------------------------- This Is What a Public-key Is Christopher Baker, ISMH [temp] Rights On! 1:374/14 Allen McBroom asks: "What is a public key?" Well, Allen, without a complete introduction to the mechanics and types of encryption systems, a brief answer to your question is as follows: Public-key cryptography differs from standard password encryption by being a two-part system. When most folks think of encryption, they think of spies coding documents with cipher keys like passwords or passages from books or machines that take in streams of apparent nonsense and put out cogent text at the other end. Standard encryption is a one-part system where both ends must have the matching decoders. Public-key cryptography is a two-part system where the originator has two keys. One is a secret-key that is never revealed and is used locally to decrypt incoming traffic created using his/her public-key. The public-key is the visible and released part of the key pair that anyone can use to send encrypted traffic to the key holder. The sender has no need to have the secret-key because the necessary parts for the sender are contained in the released public-key. The public-key system allows the holder to post his/her public-key anywhere so it may be used to either encrypt traffic to the holder or to verify the signature of the holder on a publicly signed [called clear-signed in the vernacular] document including messages and files. In the case of the FidoNews public-key, it was produced by the program known as Pretty Good Privacy by Phil Zimmerman. PGP is available for most platforms and is the most powerful authenticity tool available to ordinary folks today. You do not need PGP to read a clear-signed document since the text is in 'the clear', i.e. openly readable. You only need PGP to verify the authenticity of the signature. The signature encloses the document to which it is affixed and will indicate immediately any tampering with any part of the document or signature. If, for some reason, you wish to send something to the FidoNews Editor that can only be read by the FidoNews Editor, you can use the FidoNews public-key and PGP to encrypt your traffic to that public-key. The operation of PGP is well outside this brief answer. If you want more information on public-keys or PGP or related privacy issues, please join us in the PUBLIC_KEYS Echo available on the Zone 1 FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 6 2 Sep 1996 Backbone and elsewhere. I hope this hasn't confused the issue. [grin] ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 7 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= FIDONET HISTORY ================================================================= Editorials coming and going - part of the FidoNet History series Tom Jennings: fidonews.man -- 04 Dec 84 00:56:08 Page 1 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 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 FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 8 2 Sep 1996 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 fidonews -- 18 Mar 85 18:52:30 Page 1 HOT NEWS This is my last editorial, yeah! Thom Henderson at FidoNode #375 is taking over as Head Procrastinator. Thom has an article here. Please note that this means you submit articles to him, not me. You can FidoNet them, or upload them manually. The latter will probably be a lot easier than spending hours and hours trying to autodial into Fido #1. Good luck to Thom, and thanks. Thanks also to the others who volunteered for Procrastinator duty, it is appreciated greatly. No editorializing here today; I wrote a whole article instead. There are a lot of changes coming soon. This also means that I'll be able to WRITE ARTICLES instead of having to MUNGE ARTICLES. Currently, I cringe when I think about the newsletter; usually it's 10 PM on Monday night when I think about it, and have to work on it then. Ecch! I'll probably write more now that I don't have to. (?) ----------------------------********--------------------------------- Thom Henderson: FIDONEWS -- 01 Apr 85 01:35:51 Page 3 The New Kid on the Block That's me. This is my first issue as editor of Fidonews. Since you are reading this, then obviously I've at least figured out how to put the paper together. So far, so good. FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 9 2 Sep 1996 I've already made a few changes, but almost all of them are internal things, dealing with how Fidonews is assembled, and shouldn't really affect anyone but me. No big deal, really. Everyone develops their own methods for doing things. Tom Jennings and I have developed different methods, is all. My short range goal is to totally automate the production of Fidonews, so that it will get out on time even if I'm out of touch for awhile. This should be no big problem, as long as contributors abide by the submission standards (above). This is really more your newsletter than mine, anyway. I just put together the pieces and send it out, maybe with a little note from me to you tucked away somewhere. So don't think of this as "my" paper, or even as Fido's paper (pun NOT intentional). Think of it as YOUR paper. * * * Real date: 31 Dec 87 FidoNews 5-01 Page 1 24 May 2010 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= Time Flies When You're Having Fun I've been editing this newsletter for over two years now. Why do I keep doing it? At least partly because it isn't that much bother. As long as everyone goes along with the simple guidelines given in ARTSPEC.DOC, which almost everyone does, it pretty much takes care of itself. Meanwhile, every now and then I get to sound off in one of these editorials. By and large it's been fun, and when it hasn't been fun at least it hasn't been a bother. I have a long history of running newsletters. I was the editor of my high school newspaper (a real fishwrapper if there ever was one), and I was a shoo-in for the job. Way back in sixth grade I started the first newsletter in the whole school. [The school was in its first year when I was in sixth grade. It covered first through twelfth, and had about 300 people when I graduated. I graduated in a class of eighteen. Growing up in a small town does have its advantages.] Writing these editorials seems to give me a different slant on things that I normally have. I feel as if I'm taking something of a longer view. I have this conception of FidoNet as some great and glorious mechanism to allow ordinary people (well, as ordinary as BBS users ever get) to reach out to each other. When I sit down to write an editorial I remember that view, and I try to talk about it. And who knows? Maybe I even make a difference in some small way. If so, then it's certainly worth it. FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 10 2 Sep 1996 Do you share my vision? I hope so. Yes, we have our little squabbles. But take any three people and sit them down, and they will have their differences of opinion. We have much the same situation, only on a larger scale and vastly amplified. Sometimes it can seem almost too much to bear. But remember this: Nobody ever guaranteed you that everyone would always agree with you. There will always be those (not always the same ones) who disagree with your viewpoint. That is the price we pay for such unparalleled freedom of expression. In return for having so many people hear your viewpoint, you must pay the price of hearing viewpoints from those who disagree with you. You can refuse to pay that price, but then your own voice will be silenced. We really do want to hear from you. So some people may disagree with you. Maybe some of them will even descend to personal invective. Just remember, the same is true of any personal contact. That is a price you must pay to make your voice heard. ----------------------------**********--------------------------- Dale Lovell: FidoNews 5-01 Page 1 4 Jan 1988 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= Much to my surprise I received a message from Thom Henderson a few weeks ago. It wasn't that he had sent the message that took me so much by surprise as the message's contents. He was looking for a new editor for FidoNews and was "offering" me the position. Let me say up front that it took me several days to finally come to a decision. It wasn't an easy decision to make! As a semi-regular columnist I had it easy. If I didn't feel like writing or didn't have the time it was no big deal, although I did have to live with the guilt it caused (and yes, I did feel guilty when I didn't get a column out). As editor it would be my responsibility to the net to make sure that an issue of FidoNews did go out every week, regardless of what my work schedule was like or my personal feelings. Only after I was sure I could take on the responsibility did I check to make sure I could do the work required. This may sound backward but I was reasonably sure that if I decided to shoulder the responsibility, I could manage the work. In the end, I decided that it was "the right thing." For the time being there shouldn't be any real change apparent to most of you. I am continuing Thom's policy of printing anything I receive (outside of obvious plagiarism, libel, or criminal intent). I am going to try and take a more active role in getting material. Many of you will be hearing from me in the near future in this regard! What kind of articles am I interested in? Well first off, I'd like to see someone take up my FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 11 2 Sep 1996 old "Regular Irregular Column." Actually, I'd like to see a large group of "contributing editors" spring up in the near future. All the title means as far as I'm concerned is that the person makes regular contributions to FidoNews. Not weekly. Not monthly. Just regularly. Also, right now there are many new bulletin board systems being introduced to the net. I'd like to see some articles from these "converted" sysops and their users on what they expect and see in FidoNet. What made them decide to add FidoNet compatibility to their systems, and how easy (or hard) was it for them to learn some of our unique terminology and practices. Some other topics I'd like to see articles on in the future are Gateways. What are they? How do they work? At FidoCon I heard some of the possible uses of EchoMail, is anyone doing anything new and exciting? Tell us about it if you are. There are several public service EchoMail conferences, are they actually accomplishing anything? Also, what is the EchoMail backbone? How do you "link up" with it. Some of these are questions that every sysop asks at one time or another, and it would be a big asset if everyone could point to and read a good article on topics like these. If you think you'd like to write something but are unsure how it would be received, drop me a line and we'll discuss it. In addition to my electronic address (which is now a public board, no more routing worries) I'm listing my home and work addresses and phone numbers. I'm also interested in hearing from you on topics for articles you'd like to see. Who knows, maybe I can find someone to write them! In summary, I'd like to say that I am very excited about this new position and hope that I can live up to your expectations. I plan on taking a more active role than Thom did in that I'm going to be a little aggressive in getting some of you to write an article instead of just posting a message in EchoMail. EchoMail is fickle, many people may not see a message that directly pertains to them. Why not enter a message AND send in an article, after all this is YOUR newsletter! Your Editor, Dale Lovell 1:1/1 (1:157/504) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Vince Perriello: FidoNews 6-16 Page 1 17 Apr 1989 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= Hello there. I've been meaning to write a little something here for several weeks now and just haven't gotten around to it. FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 12 2 Sep 1996 Maybe next week I'll find the time. The major reason that I decided to key in anything at all this week was to let you know that next week we will publish responses to the Policy4 issue of FidoNews. As it appears that these responses are on the LONG side, the odds are that we won't publish any other articles next week, though whether we publish columns or not will be a function of how much space the articles take up. Thanks for reading this rag. I think it's a pretty good one. By the way, feel free to help keep it that way by sending along some material for publication. Cheers, Vince ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 1 8 May 1989 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= It's time to speak out on Freedom of the Press As many of you have no doubt noticed, FidoNews isn't a rigidly controlled publication. Its content often has little or nothing to do with the day-in, day-out nonsense involved in being a member of FidoNet. There are articles and discussions of some amazingly varied topics, reflecting the similarly varied tastes of the five thousand member nodes of FidoNet. I personally believe that it is a major strength of this publication that any member of FidoNet is allowed to contribute to a publication that is made available to every other member of FidoNet. It is, quite literally, a free and open public forum in which any of us can share anything we consider important with anyone else. Of course, there is a "down" side to this openness. The down side is this: not every issue of FidoNews will be of interest to everyone in FidoNet. In some cases, there might be one or two issues in succession that in some individuals' opinions, would have been better off unpublished. I'm sorry to disagree with those people, but this is the price that you pay for having your own turn with FidoNews when YOU want it. There are sometimes excesses, but we'll gradually learn how to minimize them without hurting the open policy. There now appear to be some rumblings in the coordinators' structure to the effect that FidoNews has too low of a "signal to noise ratio" and that perhaps the *C's might want to do something about it. This is apparently largely due to the fact that readership isn't what it used to be, and many NC's have been resisting the idea of carrying FidoNews, which is currently FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 13 2 Sep 1996 mandated by Fidonet Policy. I can't resist the temptation to suggest that indeed we have had the same problem with the *C structure. How about some more signal and less noise from them? Whatever happened, for example, to the promised WEEKLY update from the coordinators via the "RegComm - Communications from RegCon" column? Well, to be fair, it only claimed to be a "weekly" update in the January 2 and January 9 columns. The January 16 column billed itself as a "regular" column. Of course, it was the last one submitted. When humans get that "regular" they usually need an enema. Look, maybe as an individual you don't always like what appears in FidoNews. But this is YOUR publication. YOU decide what appears in it through YOUR submissions. If you don't like the signal to noise ratio, submit something with a high signal level and its presence in the newsletter will help keep that ratio closer to where you'd like it. At this point, then, FidoNews seems to have reached a very important cusp. We need this open and widely distributed forum. The *C's want something that stays a bit closer to the center of things. As yet there has been no real consensus among the *C's on any course of action, and this means that the time is right for you to be heard on this issue. If you agree that FidoNews should belong to ALL of us, then you had damned well better get off your gluteus maximus and write a note to your coordinator saying just that. Then, while you're in a writing mood, how about submitting an article? ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= This is my last Editorial. I have resigned as FidoNews Editor. We are currently working our way through a "short list" of replacement candidates, and the new Editor will be on the job next week. Be kind to the poor soul. I've just been looking though the indexes for the past two years. It's really amazing what we have been through. It's even more amazing that we are still here to talk about it. For example, when I took over Dale's job as Editor, the current version of FidoNet Policy was Version 3. David Dodell was the current International Coordinator. IFNA was still trying to figure out what, if anything, could be made of its existence. I was running my system on a DEC Rainbow. It worked great, too. A few other hardy souls were doing similar things on Sanyo and Tandy PC's (the ones from before Tandy became the PC-Clone hawker FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 14 2 Sep 1996 that they are today). Hardly anyone is doing THAT any more! POLICY4 was declared to be in force in FidoNews Volume 6, Number 24, on June 12, 1989. This created a stir because in the absence of a formal procedure in POLICY3 for replacement, David used the method described in the POLICY4 draft to determine whether he should declare it to be in force. Boy, what a stir! There was that article in Volume 6, Number 26, entitled "Policy 4: FidoNet now a Nazi Dictatorship?". To the best of my knowledge nobody has been gassed or blitzed (except metaphorically) in the almost two years since. David quit at the end of July. I quit two weeks later, then changed my mind (with some coercion from friends). It was an exciting time to be the Editor. Because the Great IFNA Mandate Plebiscite was taking place. This was IFNA's final answer to the people who had claimed that the simple majority who chose IFNA were not representative. The voting rules were simple: if you were in the nodelist running a public access system, you were eligible. And a majority of all eligible nodes was required to endorse IFNA. If IFNA won the election, the critics would be silenced forever. And in a high stakes gamble, IFNA agreed to disband if not ratified. Did IFNA ever have a chance? Was it the right idea? Who really can say anymore? In any event, apathy won the election and IFNA was out, as reported in FidoNews Volume 7, Number 1. As I look back to 1989, what's really fascinating is that Pablo Kleinman was already at work on Worldpol in the immediate aftermath of the Policy4 adoption. And he's still at it. He is showing signs of getting it right, too. It's just going to take some more time. Remember Hurricane Hugo? Remember what it did to Mike Ratledge and many others in his area? FidoNet reached out and touched him in a very special way, and FidoNews was there, starting with an article in Volume 6, Number 39 entitled "Let's give Mike Ratledge a hand". One of our finest hours. I am proud to have been here to see it. FidoNews has had its critics too. There was an article in Volume 6, Number 40 entitled "FidoNews: What IS Its Purpose ?". I have my own ideas about that. Fortunately for my peace of mind, it will soon be someone else's problem to define that role. When the Internetwork Gating Policy was published, there was a lot of comment. Mostly negative. I think (speaking as one of the people who had some input in the process) that if the criticism was directed at alternative solutions to the problems addressed in the Policy rather than direct attacks on the entire idea of HAVING such a document, we might have accomplished something. As things stand, the original document is still in force but not strongly enforced. In other words "If you want to connect to FidoNet, you could refer to this document and get it FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 15 2 Sep 1996 right -- or just do it any old way". Sigh. What happened to the idea of you don't go wee-wee in my garden and I won't go poo-poo in yours? We at FidoNews had a great moment in everyone's spotlight too. The way things were progressing, it was getting really hard to attract your attention anymore. But we found a way. On July 30, 1990 lots of you woke up to find FidoNews sitting on your system in a file compressed with LHARC. Yup, you sure DID notice. I think it was probably the most popular topic in FidoNews that year. Even with the late start. It really pissed off Saddam Hussein too. In less than a week he had taken over Kuwait in an attempt to capture the responsible parties. After being told that the dirty deed had been done by an American, he is reported to have said "An American? OK. I'll wait here for him." I never made it over there. A lot of very brave folks did. And they did a great job. FidoNet was involved too, in its own unique way. An article in FidoNews Volume 7, Number 45 announced "The Saudi Connection". Numerous articles about the war were published. A healthy exchange of opinions ensued. People were engaged. It was great. We had ZC, RC and EC elections in Zone 1 and elsewhere, as the idea of democracy flowered in the Net. Then of course we had the great turnout in the Worldpol ratification vote. Electing NC's is an idea whose time has come. It should be easier to throw out the old slugs than it presently is. I sure wish I knew where FidoNet is going these days. The only consolation I have is that nobody knows. If anybody tells you that he or she DOES know, you can safely call that person a liar. Boy, there are some great memories here. And some not so great memories. It's been a lot of fun. But I won't miss it. I'll be too busy with other things. Well, maybe I will miss it. But I promise not to make a scene. Best regards, Vince ----------------------------********----------------------------- Tom Jennings [again] and Tim Pozar: FidoNews 8-22 Page 1 3 Jun 1991 ====================================================================== EDITORIAL ====================================================================== Times they are achangin' by Tom Jennings, Editor (1:1/1) FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 16 2 Sep 1996 As you may have noticed, Vince Perriello has stepped down from editorship of FidoNews. Tim Pozar & I have taken over as editors on pretty short notice. We are about to make some substantial changes we feel have been necessary for a long time. Some have already been implemented. The editorial policy was and still is "we publish anything". But what that meant was, on any subject. This is an unusual editorial policy, but one that I felt was important to the net back in 84 when this all started, and I think it is still important. In the intervening years, there were two major directions it could have gone; the "well we can't have *THAT* in there ..." "and *THAT* wasn't what was meant by..." which is the usual route. Then there's the way it *did* go -- the harder route of an open policy. It is to the great credit of all of the editors that they decided what they did. The phrase for the problem (which I just discovered a while back) is the "slippery slope". Once you start down it, there is no way to turn back and no way to tell when to stop. To make it crystal clear -- the "rule" that would keep out "controversial" christian articles would be the same "rule" that would prevent homo-anarchist articles (for instance :-) -- and eventually anything else not lowest-common-denominator. FidoNews is *not* an L.C.D. trade rag. It has no pretense towards an Industry newsletter. It is by and for FidoNet sysops, users and other people we consider "members", and I can tell you plain that FidoNet is not a monolith, the diversity is incredible and only our institu- tional policies prevents this from being clearer. FidoNews, like FidoNet, was an experiment, and I believe we can all be proud of it's success -- for all the flaming, ill will and trouble we go through, we have one of the most reliable, resilient and *fiercely independent* organizations on the planet. I wouldn't have it any other way! It is not supposed to be easy -- convenience is not a good goal. So the policy remains in effect with one change -- there is a minimal writing standard, for clarity, not content -- that articles must meet, to ensure that they are intelligible to someone other than its author. The article-submission guidelines file, ARTSPEC.DOC, has been revamped, and is included in this issue of FidoNews as an article. The various "departments" of FidoNews will also be changed. "Column" type articles are no more; you must submit each one separately. Notices, sale items and want-ads will be converted into a more general "classifieds" section in the near future. The format for FidoNews will change further. The current format is one of those things I did in 1984 that is today very puzzling -- an electronic newsletter designed to be copied to a printing device! It is nearly impossible to read online. It is wasteful of space, on both disk and printer. The left margin alone (now gone) accounted for 10% of its size. The tentative goal is to keep FidoNews under 100K bytes FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 17 2 Sep 1996 in size. We will be actively soliciting articles from people with interesting perspectives in FidoNet and the world beyond on issues and problems that face us as a network in the real world. Though we are accommodating access to/from other networks such as the Internet and uucp, FidoNews will remain 100% a FidoNet newsletter. Some time later this year, the format of FidoNews will be plain text without pagebreaks, long dash lines and formfeed characters. End-of- section markers will be ASCII characters. It will then be readable online. All computer systems today have a way to "pretty print" ASCII text files, so that is no longer a valid reason. Sorry for the terse editorial, we're under a severe time limit to learn the software, file conventions and to get an issue out on time. By next week things will be under more control, and we can get down to the business at hand -- communicating, instead of talking about the communications device! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I guess you noticed that there are new names for the "Editors" on the Masthead. One you may recognize as the "papa" of this mess, Tom Jennings. Well, I'm the other name. My name may be associated with another mess, the linking of FidoNet to a network called UUCP and a conferencing system called USENET. (*) Which brings up the point of this essay. FidoNet users and sysops, for the most part, are not aware that there are other networks out there. We tend to be a bit ethnocentric in our views of the networking world. With the advent of gateways into other networks from RBBS-NET to non- fidonet based technologies like UUCP, USENET, and the Internet, we need to be more aware of other customs and technologies. (For example, not everyone can display the IBM-PC character set, or perhaps we should look at the method of our network addressing so it is easier to send and receive mail from these other networks. We'll look at these things in later issues.) To this end, we hope to include more articles that are not only related to FidoNet, but to networking and communications as a whole. This is not to say that FidoNews will loose it's FidoNet flavor, we just want to give the readership an idea on what else is out there, and include what Sysops and Users may have some interest in. For instance, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Inc. (EFF) is working to educate folks (lawyers, law enforcement, policy makers, sysops, hackers, and crackers) about the hysteria and misinformation that our government and law enforcement agencies seem to be going through and trying to spread about electronic communications. Our basic civil rights are being affected due to the ignorance of these agencies. The EFF is also supporting many of those affected by paying or helping with legal costs. On other subjects, how many know of the resources that are available via the Internet? There are a number of "News" services that can add FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 18 2 Sep 1996 value to your BBS. There are archives that will easily shadow the biggest FidoNet archive sites. We just can't hide our head in the sand with all of the potential that FidoNet can be, and the threats to FidoNet from the ill informed. Tim Pozar Fido: 1:125/555 Internet: pozar@lns.com --- * I'm not the only one to blame here. John Galvin, Garry Paxinos and I co-wrote the code, and a host of others like David Dodell and Randy Bush tested it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 10-09 Page 1 1 Mar 1993 ====================================================================== EDITORIAL ====================================================================== Editorial: Bye bye!! (boo hoo!) Well this is it, my final editorial. Next week's will be edited by Silvia Maxwell and Don Tees. Say hi to them. (Hi!) Today is a momentous day for me. I'm moving into a new apartment this very day, tomorrow my phone lines get swapped over. As soon as I finish this, I have to pack more boxes and drag 'em over. We're moving from out in the boonies to the heart of the Mission; 16th St between Mission and Valencia. The three little holes in my windows turned out to be bullet holes! (22 or 25 cal.) The glass is double-paned, and I was able to locate the trajectory. Later, I pull down the shade, and there's matching holes! Yipes! Oh well, instead of a 45 minute walk to the cafe, it's about 120 seconds, a vast improvement. No more do I have to pay $1 for a bus, down on the corner I can buy a "late nite" (daily bus transfer) for 25 cents! ("I love, livin' in the city!" -- FEAR) I digress. Oh, probably there'll be small mistakes made, but be helpful and nice. Our new editors have to decipher my 4DOS batch files, and generate a newsletter that's at least recognizable and somehow get it to 1:13/13. In a week. I look forward to seeing what changes they make. I failed to keep one promise, that of revamping the newsletter format from "line printer" format to online readable. I really blew the "Ask EFF!" project, though Shari Steele is hanging in there raring to go. Think back on all the little wars we've had... Zone 2 hassles... Z1C "process" or lack of... POLICYx... encryption... I'm begging off just in time to miss the "Caller ID" wars -- YAY!!! (You know it's time to FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 19 2 Sep 1996 leave when...) It's been fun, really!! Even the hard parts I learned a lot, about taking my lumps when necessary, and staying the hell out of local squabbles. So ta-ta, I'll see you out in the cloud... My BBS is going to go offline for a while, probably a month or two, starting this week. I will have an email address however, but it's on the Internet. It's tomj@fido.wps.com My old DOS machine is now running 386BSD and directly connected to the internet. In itself an interesting story, and one you'll probably see in these pages and BOARDWATCH magazine. Anyways -- you can email me from FidoNet, via certain FidoNet nodes flagged "GUUCP". Those are UFGATE sites, that have one foot each in FidoNet and Internet. There's a bunch of then. The way it works is you send a message to one of those FidoNet addresses, with certain magicwords placed within the message itself, that the UFGATE software detects. These are: the "to:" field being the single word UUCP. The VERY FIRST line of the message formatted exactly as: to: tomj@fido.wps.com With at least one completely blank line following it. After that, put your real message. Make sure you have the address (ie. the to: line embedded in the message body) correct, otherwise your message won't make it. -------------------------------*********------------------------------ Sylvia Maxwell and Don Tees: FidoNews 10-10 Page: 2 07 Mar 1992 ====================================================================== Editorial ====================================================================== Hello World. Brand new green editors here. No editorial policy at all... just anarchy. I used to have a dream about how network communications would free people from visually, geographically and aurally enforced stereotypes like age, gender, nationality, class... but upon reflection of mail this dream seems tame and lame. The image of "everyone in the room, more or less armed to the teeth, and no casualties" (thank you Tom Jennings) seems more generative and fun. Electronic word travel enables a grand experiment in reductio ad absurdum of normal human contact that might fly anywhere willed by any one of us. It has been a hectic week. Getting software to generate the news set up, arranging passwords and paths for distribution, and setting up an internet gateway so that we can get flames from FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 20 2 Sep 1996 all directions. I think that everything is ready to go, but will apologize in advance for the inevitable teething pains. Please note the new addresses. Last but not least, we would like to thank Tom Jennings for his immense contribution to this medium, and say "well done". We hope, Tom, that we will be seeing contributions in the future (after a well deserved rest, of course ). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 13-18 Page: 2 29 Apr 1996 ====================================================================== Editorial ====================================================================== Once again, there are no articles in the inbound. I think, perhaps, that the writer of a few weeks back was correct. I think that perhaps I should resign this post. I would welcome letters suggesting a new editor. ----------------------------************------------------------------ Christopher Baker: FidoNews 13-23/24/25/26/27 Page: 2 3 Jun - 1 Jul 1996 ====================================================================== Editorial ====================================================================== The last issue of FidoNews published by Donald Tees appeared on 27 May 96 [Issue 1322]. Since then nothing has been heard from the former Editor. This issue is a manual composite comprising Issues 23 through 27 for the sake of numbering continuity and historical reference. [see Header] FidoNews is now edited by yours truly from 1:374/14, Rights On!, in Titusville, FLorida, USA. The Nodelist adjustment to the FidoNews listing will appear in NODELIST.194 next Friday [12 Jul 96]. In the meantime, you may wish to set a temporary override for 1:1/23 to reflect the following telephone number: 407-383-1372. Flag override should be: CM,H14,V32B,XA as well. FidoNews submissions may be made to 1:1/23 as before or to my Internet address: cbaker84@digital.net. Submission standards are available in the file ARTSPEC.DOC from this system anytime except Zone 1 ZMH [0900-1000 UTC/GMT]. ARTSPEC.DOC has also been sent to every Zone Coordinator for distribution down the chain. Submissions made as Netmail or email require manual processing so allow more lead time for the issue in which you wish to have it appear. FidoNews Issue 28 will put the standard numbering and submission processing back on track for 1996 [Vol. 13]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-29 Page 1 15 Jul 1996 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 21 2 Sep 1996 FidoNet has come a long way since it began over twelve years ago. But how far has it come lately? There hasn't been any discernable movement toward selecting an International Coordinator [IC] from the current field of 6 Zone Coordinators [ZC]. Are we ever going to get one and move along in the areas of Policy and Standards? As our guest editorial indicates, we don't even have regular updates from the other Zones for the master Nodelist. Where are the diffs [Nodelist difference files] from Zones 2-6? Are they getting ours from Zone 1? This still is an INTERNATIONAL hobby, isn't it? 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? Hello, out there! Here's your vehicle for spreading your news. How about some chiming in from the ZCs and FTSC Chair? What gives? Talk to us! CB NOTE: This Issue contains ALL the new sections available. Some of them may just be dummy files to show their locations and use. ARTSPEC.DOC has been updated to include them. Also see the FIDONEWS Echo for details. All sections will not appear in all Issues depending on what is submitted. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 22 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= REVIEWS ================================================================= Six Mail Processors Reviewed [III] Damian Walker, 2:2502/666 This is the third article in my six-part series looking at the capabilities of various mail processors. The first and second articles were about FastEcho and GEcho, and in this article I progress to FMail. A full feature table for all six mail processors will be included in the sixth and final article of the series. FMAIL Fmail is a mail processor written by Folkert J Wijnstra of 2:283/619. The version reviewed in this article is FMail/X 1.02. Unlike the versions of FastEcho and GEcho under review, this version of FMail is optimised for 386 processors and above, and so will be faster (the 386 test machine) than an 8086 version. Please take this into account when looking at the speed ratings. Versions for OS/2 and 8086 DOS machines are also available. First Impressions Upon first unpacking FMail, its compactness is noticeable. One could be forgiven for thinking that FMail might be underfeatured when looking at the size of its archive (if one judges a package by such things, that is). While FMail doesn't have the exhaustive range of features possessed by FastEcho and IMail, it certainly couldn't be described as under-featured. The manual seems rather small at 54 pages. Although you would expect the manual to be smaller than that for larger packages such as FastEcho, comparing it to GEcho's manual of around 100 pages shows that this might be a cause for adverse comment. But this is without taking the content of the manual into consideration-- size isn't everything. Looking at the directory of newly unpacked files we see that FMail contains a full-screen setup utility (FSETUP.EXE or FSETUPX.EXE), so configuration by those who do not like editing text files will not be a problem. On Further Examination... The first interesting thing to point out about FMail is that it doesn't support *.MSG areas for echomail. This will probably not be counted against FMail by most sysops, as echomail is rarely held as *.MSG areas on a DOS machine. Squish is not supported either, but the common Hudson and JAM areas are both supported, so while FMail's coverage of area types isn't fully comprehensive, it is enough for most needs. FMail's setup program offers a nice interface in the usual Fidonet program style. The only thing lacking is an on-line help system, so if you're not using a multitasking machine and you want to look something up, you will have to exit FSETUP, and re-load it again FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 23 2 Sep 1996 afterwards (hoping you can remember whatever it was you looked up). Needless to say, some form of on-line help would be an improvement, even if it was only a manual viewer like that used by GEcho. Like most of the other programs reviewed here, FMail includes its own areafix manager, allowing downlinks to fix into echoes and automatically forwarding requests to an uplink if necessary. Unfortunately it lacks the 'import description' facilities of GEcho and FastEcho, so if you wish to set up a large number of areas manually, you will need to find and type their descriptions individually. FMail has a feature which automatically adds areas to the configuration files for itself and other software. Rather than being added on the fly as FastEcho does it (ie. adding areas as mail is being processed), FMail waits until the next time you enter its setup program, and then asks you if you want to add the areas. This has the disadvantage that the process is not fully automatic, but it has the advantage that the process is not fully automatic :-) In more serious terms, the FastEcho method is better for sysops who would like to set up defaults and allow their system to automatically add new echoes to the area database without the need for human intervention, whereas FMail's method encourages more control over the adding of new areas so you can be sure that areas are not being added unless you want them to be. The carbon copy feature, while not as flexible as that used by FastEcho, is a cut above normal personal mail options in that you can also direct mail to your 'personal' directory which contains up to two keywords in the subject line. It also has an option to include the netmail area in the scan. Sysops can thus take a special interest in messages about their BBS or node, moderators can do the same for their echo and software authors can monitor opinion of their programs, all aided by FMail's automatic scanning of subject lines. The only downside of this feature is that it appears only to allow *.MSG areas for personal mail (the option specifies a _directory_ but there is no mention of a Hudson Message Board or JAM path). One surprising and possibly limiting aspect of FMail is in the fact that the 8086 version can hold only 512 echoes. If you want to have all available echoes in your area database (as I do) then 512 might not be enough; I believe the zone 1 backbone has more echoes than this, as does the Region 25 backbone which is more local to me. If you are also active in other networks, this limit can make you feel a bit claustrophobic. The 386 version has more comfortable space for 4096 echoes, which should be enough unless you take newsgroups and want to list all 18,000 or so. FastEcho shares with GEcho the option of moving the netmail marked as Rcvd and Sent to special message areas (albeit only to *.MSG areas in FMail's case). Unlike GEcho's similar option, sent/received file attaches will not be moved. However, FMail has the extra option of copying sent echomail messages as well as netmails; this is a handy way of keeping track of what you've said to whom (useful in flame wars, perhaps?) One useful feature that FMail has is the option to reroute netmail to points. Traditionally a task performed by netmail trackers, its inclusion in FMail allows sysops to forego the pleasure of setting up a separate netmail tracker if this is the only netmail tracker style feature they need. Of the packages reviewed here, only Squish shares FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 24 2 Sep 1996 this feature. Speed is one feature which FMail has above all the other packages tested, although one has to bear in mind that of all the packages tested, only with FMail, Squish and IMail have the 386 versions been used, so it is only to be expected that these will perform better than the 8086 versions of other packages. Still, comparing the performance of FMailX to that of IMail 386, we can see that it is a very impressive package. In the Hudson message toss test, where 91 messages were imported into a newly-created Hudson message base, FMailX completed the task in a sprightly 7 seconds. The same feat performed upon an empty set of JAM areas yielded a performance of 12 seconds. The documentation is not inadequate, but it does not seem as good or comprehensive as that for the two packages already reviewed. This is not too much of a problem as the software is easy to set up (even without a help system), but I have experienced difficulty in looking up certain features in the manual. For instance, I could not find anything about FMail's behaviour in creating new areas when mail in unknown areas arrives. Doubtless it is in there somewhere, but neither the contents nor the index (yes, there is an index) were any use in finding out what I wanted to know. I had to resort to an actual testbed setup in order to find out exactly how FMail treats these messages. However, the documentation wasn't written with nosy reviewers like myself in mind, so perhaps I am judging it from the wrong perspective. Summary FMail is a compact yet powerful mail processor which should satisfy the needs of most sysops with mainstream mail processing needs. Larger echomail hubs may find its limit on the number of message areas a little too limiting, yet they, along with other users, will find its impressive speed useful for processing large amounts of echomail. With its auto-add capability for new message areas, points will find it an acceptable yet still compact alternative to GEcho (the popular choice for power points), allowing them to add areas to their whole setup with a single areafix message. While a few features, such as a help system for FSETUP and an easy way to import descriptions, would not go amiss, it couldn't be said that FMail is in desperate need of any major improvements. As a compact, fast, mail processor it is hard to beat. Next week comes the fourth article in this series, where I will turn my attention to IMail, which is the creation of Andreas Klein. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 25 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= COORDINATORS CORNER ================================================================= Nodelist-statistics as seen from Zone-2 for day 243 By Ward Dossche, 2:292/854 ZC/2 +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+ |Zone|Nl-215|Nodelist-222|Nodelist-229|Nodelist-236|Nodelist-243|%%| +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+ | 1 | 12691|12622 -69 |12530 -92 |12435 -95 |12313 -122 |39| | 2 | 16462|16426 -36 |16408 -18 |16391 -17 |16366 -25 |52| | 3 | 1023| 1023 0 | 1023 0 | 969 -54 | 966 -3 | 3| | 4 | 637| 637 0 | 637 0 | 638 1 | 634 -4 | 2| | 5 | 99| 99 0 | 99 0 | 99 0 | 99 0 | 0| | 6 | 1018| 1020 2 | 1020 0 | 1020 0 | 1020 0 | 3| +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+ | 31930|31827 -103 |31717 -110 |31552 -165 |31398 -154 | +------+------------+------------+------------+------------+ ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 26 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= ECHOING ================================================================= GENERAL ECHOMAIL POLICY 2 Applicable to Zone 2 only August 21, 1996 Steve Woodmore ZEC/2 PROLOGUE This document sets forth policy governing Echomail conferences and their distribution. For the purposes of this document a simple majority exists when one candidate has more votes than any other at the closing date, or when a proposal has more votes in favour of it than against it. Only the votes of those who actually vote will be counted for establishing the total number of votes cast, or for establishing whether a simple majority exists. This Policy applies to Zone Two Backbone Echomail conferences and to any other conferences for which the Moderator desires it to be applicable. Future changes to Echo Policy may be proposed only by a simple majority vote of the Regional Echomail Coordinators. Those eligible to vote on any proposals made by the REC structure will be the ZEC, RECs, NECs, NCs, RCs and IC. Only one vote per person is allowed. Adoption of changes will require a simple majority of those voting to pass. A good faith attempt must be made to make all potential voters aware that a vote is occurring and make available all necessary information. I. HISTORY Echomail consists of the sharing of message bases or conferences between various independent network addresses. The Echomail concept started with a series of programs by Jeff Rush. Since the original implementation, many authors have written programs improving on the original idea. In spite of worries that the flow of Echomail would increase Netmail traffic to the point that the Network would collapse under its own weight, Echomail has been a success. To simplify the distribution of Echomail, a Regional Echomail Backbone formed whose primary purpose is the distribution of Echomail at a Regional level. Of recent introduction to the Backbone system has been the generous contribution of the Echomail Stars. As a result of the growth of Fidonet and the increase in the volume of Echomail, it has become necessary to set forth a formal policy governing Echomail. FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 27 2 Sep 1996 II. DEFINITIONS 1. ECHOMAIL: The process of sharing message bases between independent systems with unique net/node addresses. 2. ECHOMAIL CONFERENCES: An Echomail conference is a message base of forum design distributed under a specified conference name dealing with a defined area of interest. Notable examples include TECH, the National Technical Conference and COMM, the National Telecommunications Conference. 3. MODERATED CONFERENCE: A moderated conference is an Echomail conference for which a moderator has been appointed to supervise the flow and content of the conference. All conferences carried on the Backbone must be moderated. 4. SYSOP-ONLY CONFERENCE: A Sysop-Only Conference is one in which the Moderator has decided that the conference will be made available only to Sysops and not to users. 5. RESTRICTED DISTRIBUTION CONFERENCES: A restricted distribution conference is one which is restricted only to eligible recipients. Notable examples include REGCON, the Regional Coordinators Conference, COORD, the National Echomail Coordinators Conference, and MAGICK, a pre-register Echomail Conference. 6. ZONE ECHOMAIL COORDINATOR (ZEC): This individual is responsible for coordination of Echomail on a FidoNet Zone level. 7. REGIONAL ECHOMAIL COORDINATOR (REC): This individual is responsible for coordination of Echomail within his region. 8. NET ECHOMAIL COORDINATOR (NEC): This individual is responsible for coordination of Echomail at the Local Net level. 9. ECHOMAIL Backbone: The Echomail Backbone consists of voluntary members who provide services to enhance the Regional distribution of Echomail. The Backbone consists of nodes which handle a high volume of Echomail traffic and are responsible for distribution of Echomail down to the regional level. 10. REGIONAL ECHOMAIL LIST: The Regional Echomail List identifies the available Regional conferences, the conference moderator and requirements of the specified conference. The REC will appoint the keeper of the Regional Echomail List. 11. AUTOMATED CENSORSHIP: The term Automated Censorship refers to programs which cause messages to be removed from the intended conference or have their content altered. 12. FIDONET POLICY: The document which governs Fidonet as adopted by Fidonet. The document as of this writing is Policy4 and is subject to change. This policy is intended to become a part of general Fidonet policy. Until it is incorporated into General Fidonet policy, this document shall serve to define FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 28 2 Sep 1996 policy violations occurring in Echomail. 13. OPEN ACCESS CONFERENCE: This is a non-restricted conference open to all users who are willing to follow the posted conference rules. 14. TERMINAL NODE: A system which does not process echomail for pickup by another system. III. DUTIES OF ECHOMAIL COORDINATORS 1. GENERAL: It is the duty of the *ECs to make available to any Fidonet Sysop, any conference which the Sysop is not prohibited from receiving by not meeting requirements as mandated by the conference moderator. If for any reason the *EC does not have access via recognized distribution channels to a specific conference, they can not be expected to pass it on. If a *EC fails to make information available as to where to obtain feeds for any conference to qualified lower distribution levels, this shall be deemed to have violated the outlined duties of the position held. Such violation is cause for a policy complaint of Extremely annoying behaviour as defined by Policy4. An exception is when a *EC cuts a link to end unauthorized distribution of a conference. In this case, some otherwise authorized nodes may temporarily lose their link. A *EC shall do everything in their power to ensure that: 1. All downstream links are educated as to this policy. 2. Downstream links know how to properly link into conferences. 3. Acceptable and unacceptable behavior in echomail conferences is explained. 4. Downstream links are not engaging in topologies that increase the risk of duplicate messages. 2. DUTIES OF ZONE ECHOMAIL COORDINATOR: It is the duty of the ZEC to coordinate the connections between the Echomail Backbone on both an inter-Zone and intra-Zone level as well as coordination of inter-regional connections. The ZEC will coordinate transmission of Echomail and to provide for routing in a manner that will avoid the transmission of duplicate messages within the same conference. It is also the duty of the ZEC to monitor compliance with this policy on both a Regional and international basis. 3. DUTIES OF REGIONAL ECHOMAIL COORDINATOR: It is the duty of the REC to provide for regional Echomail distribution. In addition, the REC will coordinate any inter-regional cross- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 29 2 Sep 1996 linking of conference feeds with the REC of the participating region with the direct knowledge of the ZEC. The REC will provide for transmission and routing of Echomail within his/her region in a manner to avoid creation of duplicate messages within the same conference. It is the duty of the REC to monitor compliance with this policy at a regional level. 4. DUTIES OF NET ECHOMAIL COORDINATOR: It is the duty of the NEC to coordinate the intra-net Echomail and to cooperate with the REC and NECs of other nets to arrange for the inter-net transmittal of echomail. The REC may require the NEC to provide links for independent (regional) nodes. The NEC shall maintain a list of available Echomail Conferences within the net as well as the requirements of each Conference area as supplied by the conference moderator (Echolist). The NEC shall also monitor compliance with this policy at a net level. 5. DUTIES OF ECHOLIST COORDINATOR: It is the duty of the Echolist Coordinator to compile and make available a listing of regional conferences and optionally, conferences at various local levels. The content and format of the Echomail listing shall be at the sole discretion of the Echolist Coordinator, but shall include the conference name and moderator for each conference. The Echolist Coordinator shall also maintain a list of requirements applicable to each listed conference. 6. DUTIES OF ECHOMAIL CONFERENCE MODERATOR: It shall be the duty of the Echomail Conference Moderator to make in good faith every reasonable effort to ensure that the moderated conference does not distribute or promote illegal activities or information as defined below in Section V Paragraph 2. The Moderator shall be responsible for ensuring that messages contained in the conference corresponds to the conference theme. The Moderator shall report any violations of this policy to the proper Echomail coordinators and lodge any appropriate policy complaints as provided for in policy documents adopted by Fidonet. The Moderator shall post the conference rules in the conference at least once a month. The Moderator is to authorize the disconnection of the conference feed. Any Sysop the moderator believes is violating policy shall be reported to the offending node's nearest local echomail coordinator (may be a NEC, REC or in extreme situations a ZEC); and the moderator shall formally authorize the feed to the offending node to be severed. The conference moderator is the sole judge - subject to review only by the next system within the *EC chain, {see note1} if a complaint is filed by the banished party. The Moderator may request in direct written form (netmail) that the *ECs disconnect a node from the conference when that node refuses to follow the published conference rules after at least 3 warnings. Knowingly feeding a conference to a node that has been severed by the Moderator is considered a violation of this echomail policy and is subject to suspension. The length of this suspension will be determined by a joint decision of the conference moderator and the FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 30 2 Sep 1996 NEC of the node illegally feeding the conference to the original offending node or point. Echo conference complaints from a Sysop should be filed at the Moderator level first If the sysop is unhappy with the moderators decision, then they have the right to continue "up" the *EC chain as defined in note1. The "Moderator" is in essence the person "owning" the conference, and generally the *EC chain will side with that moderator in the event of a complaint. The appeal structure is in place to prevent so-called "Vindictive" moderators from denying access for trivial reasons. Fidonet is deemed to be a Free and open network, and designed to encourage people to take part in echomail, and at that same time discourage people from acting in a socially unacceptable manner. For severe or chronic infractions the NEC, REC or ZEC may file a complaint under general Fidonet policy for excessively annoying behaviour. IV. APPOINTMENT AND ELECTION OF ECHOMAIL COORDINATORS AND MODERATORS. 1. GRANDFATHER CLAUSE: Those Zone, Regional, and Net Echomail Coordinators and Echomail Coordinators currently holding these positions as of the date of acceptance of this Echomail Policy shall continue to service in said capacity until resignation or two years has elapsed. 2. ELECTION OF ZONE ECHOMAIL COORDINATOR: The ZEC shall be elected as follows: a) upon resignation or replacement of the existing ZEC, the FidoNet Zone Coordinator (ZC) shall nominate at least five individuals to be voted upon. b) 10 days after the nominees are selected, an election shall be held. The ZEC will be elected by a simple majority of IC, ZC, RCs, NCs, RECs, and NECs in their Fidonet zone. An individual holding more than one position can only cast one vote. That is, if an individual is both a NC and a NEC, they may cast only one vote. 3. ELECTION OF REGIONAL ECHOMAIL COORDINATOR: The REC shall be elected as follows: a) upon resignation or replacement of an existing REC, the ZEC shall call an election within that region. b) 10 days after the candidates have come forward an election shall be held. The REC will be elected by a simple majority of the RC, NCs and NECs in their FidoNet Region. An individual holding more than one position may only cast one vote. 4. NET ECHOMAIL COORDINATOR: The NEC shall be appointed by the FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 31 2 Sep 1996 FidoNet Net Coordinator (NC) or in such alternative manner as determined by the NC. If a NEC is not appointed within 30 days, the REC will appoint the NEC. 5. REMOVAL OF A *EC: A *EC may be removed from their position by a simple majority of those allowed to vote for their successor. For a NEC, the members of the Net may vote by simple majority to remove the NEC. The position directly above (in the *EC structure) will oversee the recall election in the same manner as prescribed for electing successors. A *EC may only be subject to recall for failure to properly carry out their duties described above, or if they are no longer a member of Fidonet. A promise of 'free' echomail delivery from another source is *not* considered an acceptable reason for recall. 6. RECOGNITION OF CONFERENCES: The *EC corresponding to the appropriate level recognizes a conference at his level. Examples: The NEC recognizes a conference as local. The REC recognizes a conference to be regional. A ZEC recognizes a conference to be zonal. The IC recognizes a conference to be inter-zonal. 7. REMOVAL OF AN ECHOMAIL CONFERENCE MODERATOR: An Echomail Conference Moderator may be removed from their position by a three fourths (3/4) vote of the *EC structure voting. This vote must be carried out in a fair and decent manner while giving at least ten (10) days notice to the entire *EC structure of the forthcoming vote. Notice mediums acceptable are: Netmail from the ZEC, usage of international postings in such conferences as COORD. Or in extreme instances, by REC to NEC written notification. An Echomail Conference Moderator may only be subject to recall for failure to properly carry out their duties described above or continued pre-meditated violation of this documents section V. Statement of Policies as seen below. Failing to perform the above duties of a conference moderator for a period of 3 or more months and/or failing to designate a proxy in his absence shall be in violation of this policy and be subject to recall. A vote may only be callable by the REC (or his delegate). This delegate should not be from the net of the affected conference moderator. Membership in Fidonet need not be a paramount issue, but is highly recommended. V. STATEMENT OF POLICIES 1. BASIC ECHOMAIL POLICY: The basic policy of Echomail is to promote communication in Echomail Conferences in a lawful, friendly manner consistent with the general principles of FidoNet. 2. PROHIBITION ON ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES: Any Node which knowingly FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 32 2 Sep 1996 distributes or allows to be entered into echomail conferences any messages containing or promoting illegal activities or information shall be deemed to have violated general FidoNet policy as being excessively annoying. As used in this paragraph, "illegal activities" includes activities which are a violation of civil law as well as activities which would result in criminal prosecution. 3. AUTOMATED CENSORSHIP: The use of Automated Censorship in the passing or distribution of echomail will be considered a violation of this policy and will not be tolerated. Disciplinary action will be as referred to in General Fidonet policy as being excessively annoying. An exception to this provision shall be the deletion and not censorship of messages by any Sysop which may lead to legal action against that Sysop. No echomail shall be modified in any manner which could potentially cause duplicates. 4. INTER-NETWORK CONFERENCES: Inter-Net conferences shall conform to general Fidonet policy as well as the provisions of this policy document in addition to any foreign network's provisions. 5. CHARGING FOR DISTRIBUTION: Any entity which makes a profit from the distribution (passing from system to system) of echomail shall be deemed to be excessively annoying and in violation of Fidonet policy subject to enforcement under existing Fidonet policy. Profit as defined in this paragraph is the charging for echomail distribution that exceeds actual cost to obtain and distribute the Echomail over a sustained period. The cost of the equipment used to obtain and distribute echomail may not be recovered. A Sysop that charges users for access to their BBS shall NOT be in violation of this paragraph. 6. RESTRICTED DISTRIBUTION CONFERENCES: Participating Nodes shall honor and support the restrictions placed upon restricted distribution conferences. Violation of this restriction by individual nodes and points shall be a violation of this echomail policy and result in suspension of the violated echo in accordance with the above paragraph in Section III Duties of the Echomail Conference Moderators. A SYSOP only conference shall be made available only to the Sysops or Co-Sysops of Fidonet or other nets with which inter-net conferences exist. A violation of the restrictions placed on a RESTRICTED DISTRIBUTION CONFERENCE will be a violation of this policy if and only if the moderator has posted and specified the restrictions governing the conference. 7. PATH REQUIRED: The PATHline, originally implemented by SEA in the MGM package, is required except for terminal nodes. If FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 33 2 Sep 1996 your current Echomail scanner supports the pathline you must enable it NOW. If your current Echomail scanner does not support the pathline, and if there is no alternative scanner, then enforcement of this paragraph will be deferred for 60 days. After that date, the *ECs may refuse to accept/supply echomail to any node that is not supporting the pathline. 8. SEEN-BY LINE: Under the current technology and topology (the routing structure of echomail), SEEN-BY lines play an important part in reducing duplicate messages. Tiny SEEN-BYs will not be allowed until the respective ZECs feel topology will allow their use. Nor will the stripping of SEEN-BYs (except Zone-Gates and Inter-Network EchoGates) be allowed unless approved by the ZEC. Violation of the above shall be excessively annoying behavior enforceable under general Fidonet policy. Zone-Gates and Inter- Network EchoGates SHOULD strip the SEEN-BYs of the exporting Zone or Network to reduce addressing conflicts. 9. COUNTERFEIT MESSAGES: Entering or knowingly distributing counterfeit messages shall be considered excessively annoying and a violation of Fidonet policy enforceable under the terms of Fidonet policy. As used in this paragraph, a counterfeit message is defined as any message entered using another person's name, handle or node address with the intent of deceiving others about the true author of the message. No handles shall be used to enter messages to knowingly provoke, inflame, or upset participants in a conference with the purpose of deceiving others about the true identity of the author. 10. SYSOP'S RESPONSIBILITY: It is the responsibility of each Sysop to make every reasonable effort to assure that the users on his board conform to the provisions of this policy document. A Sysop may be held responsible for the acts of his users unless the Sysop can show that a reasonable attempt was made to conform to this policy document. 11. ECHOMAIL SOFTWARE: EchoMail exchanges may consist of any type of archival storage format agreed upon by both parties. SEA's ARC 5.1 (non-Squashing) archival storage format will be the "fallback" if either party is unable or unwilling to support an alternate method. The continued use of Echomail software without prior agreement of both the sending and receiving nodes which interferes with the distribution of echomail shall lead to disciplinary action as described previously in this document. See Section III. Examples of prohibited software would include the use of non-standard echomail packets which can not be processed by the receiving system. Another example would be the use of poorly implemented scanners or tossers that cause duplicates or fail to forward messages to downstream links. A further example is the use of Tiny seenby options and the use of ^A hidden SEEN-BY lines. Use of Echomail software which does not conform to the minimum acceptable standards as defined by the Fidonet Technical Standards Committee (FTSC) shall lead to disciplinary action as described previously in this document. The Software Certification Committee is authorized to determine FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 34 2 Sep 1996 whether software meets minimum standards for use on the net. 12. HOST ROUTING OF ECHOMAIL: Host routing of Echomail without the prior consent of both the Sending and Receiving Hosts shall lead to disciplinary action as described previously in this document. See Section III. 13. SENDING OF ECHOMAIL DURING ZONE MAIL HOUR: Transmission of echomail during Zone Mail Hour as defined in Fidonet policy without the consent of the receiving system shall lead to disciplinary action as described previously in this document. See Section III. 14. INTER-NETWORK CONFERENCES: It is the general policy of Fidonet to encourage the development of INTER-NETWORK CONFERENCES. It shall be the duty of those providing the INTER- NETWORK CONFERENCE links to remove foreign net distribution identifiers which will adversely effect the distribution of the Echomail Conference while in Fidonet. The INTER-NETWORK CONFERENCE links maintained in Fidonet shall be operated in a manner not to interfere with the foreign network's distribution of Echomail. 15. DEFAMATORY POSTING: The posting of any DEFAMATORY MESSAGE other than in conferences dedicated to this purpose (i.e. FLAME) shall lead to disciplinary action as described previously in this document. See Section III. The posting of substantiated facts shall not be considered a violation under this section. 16. ADDING OR REMOVING CONFERENCES FROM THE Backbone: A conference may be added to the Backbone only by request of the RECOGNIZED Conference Moderator. A conference may be removed from the Backbone by lack of traffic. the REC shall review the status of backbone echoes every 3 months. At which time those echoes which have not maintained a minimum 10 messages a week over the preceding 3 months will be noted and their Conference moderators will be contacted. These conferences will be given 3 months to improve their traffic or withdraw from Fidonet backbone distribution. The recognized conference moderator may request removal of their conference from the Fidonet backbone distribution at their discretion. 17. TOPOLOGY and DUPLICATE MESSAGES: Cross Regional links should be avoided as they increase the risk of improper linking and generation of duplicate messages. Cross Regional links may be established only with the permission of the REC in each region. Each REC will do their best to make available high speed hubs, out of country hubs, PC Pursuit hubs, etc, to facilitate the low cost, efficient movement of mail within their respective Region. If either REC has reason to believe duplicates are being introduced into the system, an existing Cross Regional link must be immediately cut pending resolution. Any Sysop who willfully and knowingly establishes links that either create duplicate loops (topology that creates circular feeds), increase the risk of such loops or who refuses to break FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 35 2 Sep 1996 those links upon request by their NEC, REC or ZEC shall be subject to disciplinary action as described previously in this document. See Section III. 18. MESSAGE STANDARDS: Until the adoption of a superseding standard by the Fidonet Technical Standards Committee, the following Echomail message standards will apply: a) Eight-bit characters (ASCII 128-255) and non-printing low-order codes (ASCII 2-31) are discouraged, and are at the sole discretion of the relevant conference moderator. except the use of 8Dh(soft character) per FTS-0004. This is not intended to discourage participation of foreign zones or networks, which may permit said characters. Any echomail processor should pass information exactly as it was received, without stripping any non-standard characters. b) Origin lines are limited to 79 characters including the required ending of a proper network address (i.e. Zone:Net/Node.Point with zone and point being optional). c) Tear lines are limited to 35 characters including the required "--- " lead-in. These may ONLY contain packer or editor program identification. Tear lines for message editors are discouraged. If an editor adds a tear line, it should also add an origin line to avoid multiple tear lines. d) "Extra" origin lines (ZoneGating) are limited to essential information only. This consists of the required lead-in plus the network name "Gateway" and optionally the software ID followed by a Zone:Net/Node address. Example: " * Origin: FidoNet Gateway (TComm 88:372/666)" e) SEEN-BY addresses must be in sorted order. Multiple AKAs are not allowed in SEEN-BY lines unless you have more than one address which processes mail. Or for one month during change of an existing address (to avoid duplicates to the previous address). Node 0 addresses should not be used for echomail distribution. f) All current FTSC specifications should be followed. VI. ENFORCEMENT Enforcement of this policy document shall be under the provisions of General FidoNet policy. Complaints concerning Echomail violations defined under this policy may be filed by the aggrieved individual, the conference moderator or by any level of Echomail Coordinator. All complaints made pursuant to this policy must be made within 60 days of the date of occurrence or discovery. Complaints shall be filed under the provisions of Fidonet Policy, with a copy to the respective *EC. Enforcement is immediate, with any currently existing software allowed 60 days to conform (from the date EchoPol2 goes into FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 36 2 Sep 1996 effect). A 30-day extension may be granted solely at the discretion of the ZEC if efforts to bring about compliance are clear. Continued use of aberrant software after this period shall be deemed excessively annoying. VII. ADOPTION OF POLICY 1. ADOPTION: This policy shall become effective upon ratification by a simple majority of those voting. Those eligible to vote shall be the RECs. The RECs must solicit the opinions of their regions before voting. 2. GRANDFATHER CLAUSE: Within 60 days of adoption of this policy, moderators shall be appointed for all existing Echomail Conferences which do not now have a moderator. Moderators shall be appointed by the REC of the relevant region from those volunteering as moderator or if no volunteer is available then the REC shall request and appoint a moderator for the conference. In the case where more than one individual claims to be the conference moderator and no agreement can be reached, the REC may order the conference retired and ban the further use of the specific conference name. Failure of the individuals to retire the conference name shall be deemed excessively annoying behavior. VI. BACKBONE STRUCTURE This section is for information purposes only. It gives a plain English description of the current structure and operation of the Backbone. The REC may change this structure without amending this document. At the top of the Echomail distribution network, there are systems commonly called Stars. These systems are usually dedicated to passing Echomail. The stars operate at the discretion and direction of the REC. In general, the Stars link to one another and feed the RECs. The RECs are then responsible for distribution of the echomail within their Region. Normally, the REC will feed the NECs in that region. The NEC is responsible for information about distribution of Echomail to the individual Sysops within a net. Note that the RECs and NECs can appoint Hubs to help in the distribution of Echomail. That is, they do not have to directly feed the lower level. This Document is designed as a stop-gap between the old EP1, and a new Echopol document for this Zone, changes have been made at this time only to reflect the differences between what was intended solely for use within Zone One, and what is needed for Zone Two This document is a temporary one, and may be modified either wholly or FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 37 2 Sep 1996 in full by a vote among this regions RECs, after they have consulted with their Regions. The voting on replacement either in part or in full will be called by the ZEC/2. if more than 75% of the Zones RECs decide that it needs replacing in full or in part, then the ZEC/2 must attend to this matter as a priority. Note1: The appeal chain is always from the "bottom" upwards, IE if a Node feels that his access to a conference has been unfairly denied, he may appeal to his NEC, if this appeal is unsuccessful, and the node still thinks the decision is unfair, then they may step up to the REC for an appeal. If the node is still unhappy with this decision, then they may appeal to the ZEC/2 whose decision will be FINAL. During this appeal period, the Nodes conference access will remain cut. The same applies if a sysop has any other complaints regarding the Moderation of an echo Steve Woodmore 2:440/410 ZEC/2 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 38 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= WE GET EMAIL ================================================================= --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:374/14 --- By Christopher Baker on Wed Aug 28 02:57:48 1996 From: Frank Ellermann @ 2:240/5815 To: Christopher Baker @ 1:374/14 Date: 28 Aug 96 05:57:00 Subj: question of the week 35 Hi Chris... you find some old nodelists here (2:240/5815): 841123.NOD 8452 11.11.94 FIDO Nodelist 23.11.1984 841207.NOD 10930 02.10.94 FIDO Nodelist 7.12.1984 841228.NOD 10469 02.10.94 FIDO Nodelist 28.12.1984 850104.NOD 12289 02.10.94 FIDO Nodelist 4. 1.1985 FIDO1986.276 93041 21.11.95 FIDO nodelist 1986, day 276 FIDO1988.008 223103 08.01.88 FIDO nodelist 1988, day 008 FIDO1989.216 464875 18.08.95 FIDO nodelist 1989, day 216 FIDO1990.180 654078 17.02.95 FIDO nodelist 1990, day 180 FIDO1991.144 929797 17.08.96 FIDO nodelist 1991, day 144 FIDO1992.003 1169590 03.01.92 FIDO nodelist 1991, day 003 FIDO1993.169 2045640 18.06.93 FIDO nodelist 1993, day 169 FIDO1993.183 2014703 10.11.94 FIDO nodelist 1993, day 183 (after R24 Putsch) More complete collectins based on a few list and following NodeDiffs are available at Jan Vermeulen (RC2:28), Gisbert Rudolph (2:2443/2161) and Ralph Mahler (2:2433/433). You may notice that these nodes are a subset of those mentioned in my answer to your snooze back issues question of the week. Greets, Frank ----------------------------------------------------------------- --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:374/14 --- By Christopher Baker on Tue Aug 27 15:37:06 1996 From: jan n. klug @ 2:2448/610 To: Christopher Baker @ 1:374/14 Date: 27 Aug 96 19:45:20 Subj: old nodelists! hi chris! nodediffs: FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 39 2 Sep 1996 DIFF1991.ZIP FidoNet NodeDiff-Files, 1991 (since 130) DIFF1992.ZIP FidoNet NodeDiff-Files, 1992 DIFF1993.ZIP FidoNet NodeDiff-Files, 1993 DIFF1994.ZIP FidoNet NodeDiff-Files, 1994 DIFF1995.ZIP FidoNet NodeDiff-Files, 1995 DIFF1996.ZIP FidoNet NodeDiff-Files, 1996 nodelists: NL84_327.ZIP Nodelist, Day 327, 1984 NL84_341.ZIP Nodelist, Day 341, 1984 NL84_362.ZIP Nodelist, Day 362, 1984 NL84_JUN.ZIP Nodelist, June 1984 (PCX-Format) NL85_004.ZIP Nodelist, Day 004, 1985 NL86_276.ZIP Nodelist, Day 276, 1986 NL89_167.ZIP Nodelist, Day 167, 1989 NL89_216.ZIP Nodelist, Day 216, 1989 NL90_026.ZIP Nodelist, Day 026, 1990 NL90_145.ZIP Nodelist, Day 145, 1990 NL90_180.ZIP Nodelist, Day 180, 1990 NL90_229.ZIP Nodelist, Day 229, 1990 NL91_144.ZIP Nodelist, Day 144, 1991 NL93_169.ZIP Nodelist, Day 169, 1994 (last before Putsch-Diff) these nodelists are also available. if there are only some nodelists oder nodediffs missing, tell me and i will send you some, but i'm sorry, i cannot afford sending so much files to you. (about $150 :-() jan ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 40 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= PROOFREADERS REPORT ================================================================= A Netmail cookie to Damian Walker at 2:2502/666: --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:374/14 --- By Christopher Baker on Fri Aug 30 14:40:38 1996 From: Damian Walker @ 2:2502/666.3 To: Christopher Baker @ 1:374/14 Date: 26 Aug 96 13:21:36 Subj: Something about FidoNews (probably) Hi Chris, I just spotted a little error in the Fidonews masthead: > FNEWSD34.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 13, Nr. 31 (August 19, 1996) > FNEWSD35.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 13, Nr. 32 (August 26, 1996) > (etc) ^^ FNEWSD35.ZIP is issue 35, isn't it? >> Damian << [it sure is! i forgot to update that part when i changed the front part [grin]. it's fixed now. thanks!] Ed. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 41 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= NET HUMOR ================================================================= They don't mean Fido, do they? From: "Mike Riddle" To: "Baker, Christopher" Date: Wed, 24 Jul 96 09:21:15 -0500 Reply-To: "Mike Riddle" Subject: Fwd: 2 DRUNKS & A DOG ==================BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE================== Received: from shenessex.heartland.net (root@SHENANDOAH.HEARTLAND.NET [206.72.57.253]) by monarch.papillion.ne.us (8.7.4/8.6.9) with SMTP id BAA14607 for ; Wed, 24 Jul 1996 01:09:49 -0500 (CDT) Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 01:00:26 -0500 From: jenniferrose Reply-To: jjrose@shenessex.heartland.net Subject: 2 DRUNKS & A DOG Two drunks are staggering down the sidewalk when they both espy a dog cleaning himself. One drunk says, "Gee I wish I could do that!" To which the other drunk replies, "Don't you think you should pet him first?" ===================END FORWARDED MESSAGE=================== ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 42 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= COMIX IN ASCII ================================================================= Date: 28 Aug 96 19:41:15 From: Deb Milner To: Dave Raymond Subj: Chain Of Command _____________________________________________________________________ Sunday August 25 1996 14:17, Dave Raymond wrote to Dale Ross: DR> --------------------------|\ DR> |---------------------------| DR> || Your message has been | DR> || carefully placed in | |------| DR> || its very own, specially | -- |-+--+-| DR> || prepared, luxuriantly | || 0| | DR> || hand crafted porcelain | || | | DR> || filing Cabinet where | || | | DR> || it will receive the | _____________|| | | DR> || dignity and attention | (_______________) |------| DR> || it deserves. ------> | ( )----| | DR> || Thank you. | ( )-------| DR> || Dave Raymond | (_________) DR> || FidoNet 1:3603/200 | DR> \|--------------------------| DR> Just Hit Enter/Next to flush.! Stolen... De Colores, Deb dmilner@southeast.net Origin:Wolverine's Asylum, past the boonies in Macclenny,FL(1:112/285) ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 43 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= QUESTION OF THE WEEK ================================================================= The Zone 1 Backbone produces a complete list of the Echos it carries every week. Zone 2 appears to do likewise although receipt of them is sporadic at best in Zone 1. The Question of the Week is: Do the other Zones produce Echolists in their Zones? What are they called? Where are they available? How often are they produced? Who distributes them and to whom? Send answers as .ART, Netmail, email, or in the FIDONEWS Echo. Thanks. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 44 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= Future History 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. 29 Feb 1997 Nothing will happen on this day. 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. 31 Dec 1999 Hogmanay, Scotland. The New Year that can't be missed. 15 Sep 2000 Sydney (Australia) Summer Olympiad opens. FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 45 2 Sep 1996 -- If YOU have something which you would like to see in this Future History, please send a note to the FidoNews Editor. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 46 2 Sep 1996 ================================================================= FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ================================================================= Latest Greatest Software Versions by Peter E. Popovich, 1:363/264 This week was unique: an inbound chock full of completed forms but not enough time to process them all. Several required clarification, I hope to have them all included for next week. At this point, I'm tempted to do my Jewish impression: "Oy vay, if you had the week that I had, you'd be impressed there was a column at all!" One note: Several authors have sent in internet style addresses for inclusion in the list. I'm not about to flame anyone; but I should probably explain my mindset: It is my hope to find a Fidonet contact address and a FREQ name for each package. While I'll always try to respect the author's wishes, I'd far rather run info on a secondary Fidonet site than run a URL for a primary web site. This isn't so much a political view as it is an attempt to ensure that nodes who read Fidonews need look no further than this list for addresses they're sure to have access to. Also, I encourage listing every current version of a package for every platform that it has a native binary for. I'm happy to run FD 2.12 and 2.20c. I'm happy to run Maximus for DOS, OS/2, and Win32. But I don't think I can, in good conscience, run an extra entry just to list a support contact. On the other hand, there are no hard and fast rules. I originally planned to reject any entry I couldn't stuff into one line; "Silver XPress Reader" and "Joaquim Homrighausen" disabused me of that notion quickly... ;-) Phased out this week: ADTBBS 1.50. Phase-out highlights: This week: DMG 2.93 Deadline for info: 12 Sep 1996. Last week: Aurora 1.32b. Deadline for info: 6 Sep 1996. -=- Snip -=- Submission form for the Latest Greatest Software Versions column OS Platform : Software package name : Version : Function(s) - BBS, Mailer, Tosser, etc. : Freeware / Shareware / Commercial? : Author / Support staff contact name : Author / Support staff contact node : Magic name (at the above-listed node) : Please include a sentence describing what the package does. FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 47 2 Sep 1996 Please send updates and suggestions to: Peter Popovich, 1:363/264 -=- Snip -=- MS-DOS: Program Name Version F S Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FidoBBS (tm) 12u B S Ray Brown 1:1/117 FILES FrontDoor 2.12 M S Joaquim Homrighausen 2:201/330 FD FrontDoor 2.20c M C Joaquim Homrighausen 2:201/330 FDINFO GIGO 07-14-96 G S Jason Fesler 1:1/141 INFO Imail 1.75 T S Michael McCabe 1:297/11 IMAIL InfoMail 1.11 O F Damian Walker 2:2502/666 INFOMAIL InterEcho 1.19 T C Peter Stewart 1:369/35 IEDEMO InterMail 2.29k M C Peter Stewart 1:369/35 IMDEMO InterPCB 1.52 O S Peter Stewart 1:369/35 INTERPCB IPNet 1.11 O S Michele Stewart 1:369/21 IPNET Maximus 3.01 B P Gary Gilmore 1:1/119 MAX McMail g5 M S Michael McCabe 1:1/148 MCMAIL Opus CBCS 1.73a B P Christopher Baker 1:374/14 OPUS PlatinumXpress 1.1 M C Gary Petersen 1:290/111 PX11TD.ZIP Silver Xpress Door 5.4 O S Gary Petersen 1:290/111 FILES Reader 4.3 O S Gary Petersen 1:290/111 SXR43.ZIP SquishMail 1.11 T P Gary Gilmore 1:1/119 SQUISH OS/2: Program Name Version F S Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- GIGO 07-14-96 G S Jason Fesler 1:1/141 INFO Maximus 3.01 B P Gary Gilmore 1:1/119 MAXP SquishMail 1.11 T P Gary Gilmore 1:1/119 SQUISHP Windows (32-bit apps): Program Name Version F S Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Maximus 3.01 B P Gary Gilmore 1:1/119 MAXN PlatinumXpress 2.00 M C Gary Petersen 1:290/111 PXW-INFO Unix: Program Name Version F S Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ifmail 2.8e M G Pablo Saratxaga 2:293/2219 IFMAIL ifmail-tx 2.8e-tx7.6 M G Pablo Saratxaga 2:293/2219 IFMAILTX F: B-BBS, M-Mailer, N-Nodelist, G-Gateway, T-Tosser, C-Compression, O-Other. Note: Multifunction will be listed by the first match. S: P-Free for personal use, F-Freeware, S-Shareware, C-Commercial, X-Crippleware, G-Source Other info (pending verification or other work on my end): MS-DOS: FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 48 2 Sep 1996 Remove Tritel 2.0; Add TriBBS 10.0, TriToss 10.0, and TriDog 10.0 by Mark Goodwin 1:328/104, shareware Update: D-Bridge 1.58, BinkleyTerm 2.60, ARJ 2.50, ARC 6.02 (7.12 commercial), PKZIP 2.04g Investigate: Xlax 2.54 (need clarification, XlaxDiff is up to 2.57) Add: Announcer by Peter Karlsson, 2:204/145.42 MORON and QRATIO by Melle Koning, 2:281/731.29 Old info from: 01/27/92 --------------------------------------------------------------------- MS-DOS Systems -------------- BBS Software NodeList Utilities Compression Name Version Name Version Utilities -------------------- -------------------- Name Version Aurora 1.32b EditNL 4.00 -------------------- DMG 2.93 FDND 1.10 ARC 7.12 DreamBBS 1.05 MakeNL 2.31 ARJ 2.20 Genesis Deluxe 3.2 Parselst 1.33 LHA 2.13 GSBBS 3.02 Prune 1.40 PAK 2.51 Kitten 1.01 SysNL 3.14 PKPak 3.61 Lynx 1.30 XlatList 2.90 PKZip 1.10 Merlin 1.39n XlaxNode/Diff 2.53 Oracomm 5.M.6P@ Oracomm Plus 6.E@ PCBoard 14.5a Other Utilities(A-M) Other Utilities(N-Z) Phoenix 1.07* Name Version Name Version ProBoard 1.20* -------------------- -------------------- QuickBBS 2.75 2DAPoint 1.50* Netsex 2.00b RBBS 17.3b 4Dog/4DMatrix 1.18 OFFLINE 1.35 RemoteAccess 1.11* ARCAsim 2.31 Oliver 1.0a SimplexBBS 1.05 ARCmail 3.00* OSIRIS CBIS 3.02 SLBBS 2.15C* Areafix 1.20 PKInsert 7.10 Socrates 1.11 ConfMail 4.00 PolyXarc 2.1a SuperBBS 1.12* Crossnet 1.5 QM 1.00a SuperComm 0.99 DOMAIN 1.42 QSort 4.04 TAG 2.5g DEMM 1.06 RAD Plus 2.11 TBBS 2.1 DGMM 1.06 Raid 1.00 TComm/TCommNet 3.4 DOMAIN 1.42 RBBSMail 18.0 Telegard 2.7* EEngine 0.32 ScanToss 1.28 TPBoard 6.1 EMM 2.11* ScMail 1.00 TriTel 2.0* EZPoint 2.1 ScEdit 1.12 WildCat! 3.02* FGroup 1.00 Sirius 1.0x WWIV 4.20 FidoPCB 1.0s@ SLMail 2.15C XBBS 1.77 FNPGate 2.70 StarLink 1.01 GateWorks 3.06e TagMail 2.41 GMail 2.05 TCOMMail 2.2 Network Mailers GMD 3.10 Telemail 1.5* Name Version GMM 1.21 TGroup 1.13 -------------------- GoldEd 2.31p TIRES 3.11 BinkleyTerm 2.50 GROUP 2.23 TMail 1.21 D'Bridge 1.30 GUS 1.40 TosScan 1.00 Dreamer 1.06 Harvey's Robot 4.10 UFGATE 1.03 FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 49 2 Sep 1996 Dutchie 2.90c HeadEdit 1.18 VPurge 4.09e Milqtoast 1.00 HLIST 1.09 WEdit 2.0@ PreNM 1.48 ISIS 5.12@ WildMail 2.00 SEAdog 4.60 Lola 1.01d WMail 2.2 SEAmail 1.01 Mosaic 1.00b WNode 2.1 TIMS 1.0(mod8) MailBase 4.11a@ XRS 4.99 MSG 4.5* XST 2.3e MSGED 2.06 YUPPIE! 2.00 MsgLnk 1.0c ZmailH 1.25 MsgMstr 2.03a ZSX 2.40 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 FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 50 2 Sep 1996 --- 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 -------------------- -------------------- 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 FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 51 2 Sep 1996 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 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 FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 52 2 Sep 1996 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 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 to old info: + - Netmail Capable (Doesn't Require Additional Mailer Software) FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 53 2 Sep 1996 * - Recently Updated Version @ - New Addition -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Please send updates and suggestions to: Peter Popovich, 1:363/264 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 54 2 Sep 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 13-36 Page 55 2 Sep 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 13-36 Page 56 2 Sep 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/ You can read the current FidoNews Issue in HTML format at: http://www.geocities.com/athens/6894 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) FNEWSD34.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 13, Nr. 34 (August 19, 1996) FNEWSD35.ZIP FidoNews, Vol. 13, Nr. 35 (August 26, 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. =*=*=*= The current week's FidoNews and the FidoNews public-key are now also available almost immediately after publication on the Editor's new homepage on the World Wide Web at: http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fidonews.html FIDONEWS 13-36 Page 57 2 Sep 1996 There are also links there to jim barchuk's HTML FidoNews source and to John Souvestre's FTP site for the archives. There is also an email link for sending in an article as message text. Drop on over. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= 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 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- -----------------------------------------------------------------