F I D O N E W S Volume 16, Number 39 27 Sept 1999 +----------------------------+---------------------------------------+ | The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: | | FidoNet community | "FidoNews" | | _ | 1-717-732-6820 1:270/720 | | / \ | | | /|oo \ | | | (_| /_) | | | _`@/_ \ _ | | | | | \ \\ | Editor: Douglas Myers, 1:270/720 | | | (*) | \ )) | DougM@paonline.com | | |__U__| / \// | | | _//|| _\ / | | | (_/(_|(____/ | | | (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. | | | -- JOSEPH PULITZER | +----------------------------+---------------------------------------+ Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1 Letters to Editor Policy ................................. 1 2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................... 2 Delay in Z1C transition acknowledged ..................... 2 Zone 4 site listing corrected ............................ 2 3. ARTICLES ................................................. 3 Echolist Controversy ..................................... 3 4. NET HUMOR ................................................ 4 Letter Perfect ........................................... 4 5. COMIX IN ASCII ........................................... 5 Famous Cows .............................................. 5 6. NOTICES .................................................. 6 Future History ........................................... 6 7. FIDONET BY INTERNET ...................................... 7 Fidonet Via Internet Hubs ................................ 7 Fidonet-related sites .................................... 8 8. FIDONEWS INFORMATION ..................................... 10 Masthead and Contact information ......................... 10 FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 1 27 Sep 1999 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= Letters to Editor Policy One of the "perks" of editing Fidonews is reading the mail which comes in. Without this mail, putting together each issue would be a lonely chore, dry and uninteresting. Each letter which comes in, however, breathes life into the ol' Snooze. Suddenly, we have a READER! Someone cares about what was presented - Fidonews hasn't whithered and died on hundreds of hard drives around the world! Naturally, I like to share the good news with the other readers of the Snooze through the "Letters to the Editor" column. I was cautioned recently, though, by one reader who intended his correspondence to be private, that I should be careful in what I print. This is my dilemma: I literally can't tell from most letters whether that letter is intended to be private or public. I don't really want to betray anyone's trust by revealing something they don't want public, but I don't want to become so intimidated by the prospect that I consistently take the "safe" course and don't share anything. After consideration, I figured I'd handle "Letters to the Editor" in the following manner. Your comments would be appreciated. WHAT i WON'T PUBLISH 1. Letters where you specifically ask me not to reveal the contents. 2. Letters which are obviously of a personal nature. WHAT I WILL PUBLISH 1. Letters where you specifically ask me to publish. 2. Letters which relate to Fidonews or articles published therein, where publication shouldn't embarrass the author. 3. Letters from public echoes which are deemed of interest to Fidonews readers. Hopefully, the above policy will balance confidentiality and the objective of making Fidonews interesting reading. -Doug Myers ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 2 27 Sep 1999 ================================================================= LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ================================================================= Email from David Moufarrege ---------- You wrote under "What's not happening": " You don't deserve to be the top story in the What's Not Happening column... but it's been two and a half months." You are quite correct: The past three and a half weeks have been spend waiting for Bob Satti to return from vacation. The transition is now in process. ---------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Netmail from Renato Zambo, 4:801/161 ---------- In FIDO1637.NWS: Zone 4: Region 80: http://fidobrasil.8m.com (Portuguese) Region 90: Net 904: http://members.tripod.com/~net904 (Spanish) 1637 had correct/updated sites for our zone. ---------- Thanks for the correction, Renato. I tried each of these sites and was able to get in. Note that they are corrected in this edition :) - Doug Myers ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 3 27 Sep 1999 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= Echolist Controversy The Echolist mechanism is currently under attack in the Z1_BACKBONE echo. It's an old argument, actually, fueled by the fact that a moderator can find that his echo belongs to another individual under some circumstances. The argument has been around for at least the last three elist keepers with no particular resolution, so I doubt that this round of arguments will result in any changes. The echolist, or elist, is a list of echo areas and their moderators along with other pertinent information. It's important to zone 1 echomail in that all major distributors use it to determine the legal moderator for such issues as adding the echo to the distribution list and making feed cuts. It's relatively easy for a moderator to establish a new echo in zone 1. All he need do is find an unused echo tag (the name of his echo as programmed into various tossers), and then list that plus a password plus other optional information in a letter to the elist robot. The elist robot adds the information to its data base and, from that point on, the moderator with the password is the owner of that echo for the next six months. So long as he remembers the password, he may extend the six months by continuing to send messages to the robot. Where the controversy occurs is that, if a moderator forgets to update, his listing expires after six months, and anyone may relist it with any password they choose. Some individuals have made a practice of watching the expirations and then "grabbing" the echo with a simple letter to the robot. If the original moderator is still around, he may consider the echo hijacked... though defenders of the system point out that the original moderator had plenty of time and opportunity to update, including a letter that the echo would expire in most cases, and that he simply failed to do his job... losing the echo in the process. Those criticizing the elist procedure have suggested a "grace period" during which the echo would fall from the elist, but it couldn't be relisted without the password. A grace period of from one month to six months has been suggested. I personally agree with critics that such a grace period would dampen the enthusiasm of those who "collect" these echoes... but have they considered the cost of this result? It would also make the relisting of an echo whose moderator has lost interest or even left Fidonet more difficult. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 4 27 Sep 1999 ================================================================= NET HUMOR ================================================================= Letter Perfect Eye halve a spelling chequer It came with my pea sea It plainly marques four my revue Miss steaks eye kin knot sea. Eye strike a key and type a word And weight four it two say Weather eye am wrong oar write It shows me strait a weigh. As soon as a mist ache is maid It nose bee fore two long And eye can put the error rite Its rarely ever wrong. Eye have run this poem threw it I am shore your pleased two no Its letter perfect in it's weigh My chequer tolled me sew. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 5 27 Sep 1999 ================================================================= COMIX IN ASCII ================================================================= (__) (oo) / \/ ____________ Famous Cows / \===^__| | _|___ /\ |______________| |=====| | | | *I I| | | | I I^ ^ | | wolfgang amadeus moo-zart ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 6 27 Sep 1999 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= Future History 26 Oct 1999 Thirty years from release Abbey Road album by the Beatles. 31 Dec 1999 Hogmanay, Scotland. The New Year that can't be missed. 1 Jan 2000 The 20th Century, C.E., is still taking place thru 31 Dec. 1 Jun 2000 EXPO 2000 World Exposition in Hannover (Germany) opens. 15 Sep 2000 Sydney (Australia) Summer Olympiad opens. 21 Sep 2000 10 years of FidoNet in +7 (xUSSR) 1 Jan 2001 This is the actual start of the new millennium, C.E. -- If YOU have something which you would like to see in this Future History, please send a note to the FidoNews Editor. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 7 27 Sep 1999 ================================================================= FIDONET BY INTERNET ================================================================= Last Updated: 9/25/1999 Fidonet Via Internet Hubs Node# | Operator | Facilities (*) | Speed | Basic Rate -----------+-------------------+----------------+-------+------------ Zone 1 | 10/3 | Brenda Donovan | FTP,UUE,BinkP | T1? | $??/$10 12/12 | Ken Wilson | FTP | T1 | $24mo. 13/25 | Jim Balcom | FTP | 56k | $20mo. 103/301 | Joe Jared | BinkP | aDSL | n/c 105/8 | Russ Johnson | FTP,BinkP,VMoT | 384k | n/c 106/1 | Matt Bedynek | BinkP, FTP | 128k | n/c 106/6018 | Lawrence Garvin | FTP, VMoT | 64k | $5/mo 107/451 | Andy Knifel | FTP, VMoT, UUE | 33.6 | n/c 140/12 | Bob Seaborn | FTP | T1 | $5/$20 167/133 | Stephen Monteith | BinkP | 128k+ | n/c 211/417 | Korombos | BinkD,UUE,FTP | T1 | n/c 270/101 | George Peace | FTP | 6mbps | $20mo. 271/140 | Tom Barstow | UUE | T1 | n/c 280/169 | Brian Greenstreet | FTP | 33.6 | $2mo. 342/3 | Richard Dodsworth | BinkP,FTP | 128K+ | n/c 345/0 | Todd Cochrane | FTP | T1 | n/c 396/1 | John Souvestre | FTP,VMoT | T1 | $10/mo 396/45 | Marc Lewis | UUE | 33.6 | $26/yr 2401/305 | Peter Rocca | FTP,UUE | T1 | unkn 2424/10 | Alec Grynspan | FTP,UUE | T1 | n/c 2424/101 | Kari Suomela | FTP,VMoT,BinkP,UUE| T1 | n/c 2604/104 | Jim Mclaughlin | FTP,VMoT,UUE | 33.6 | $1mo 2613/404 | David Moufarrege | BinkP,FTP,VMoT | 128k+ | n/c 2624/306 | D. Calafrancesco | VMoT | 33.6 | n/c 3632/84 | Robert Todd |FTP,VMoT,UUE,BinkP | 57.6k | n/c 3639/93 | Ross Cassell | FTP, BinkP | 128K+ | n/c 3651/9 | Jerry Gause | FTP,VMoT | 33.6 | $3/$6 -------------------------------------------------------------- Zone 2 | 20/11 | Henrik Lindhe | BinkP | ??? | n/c 23/999 | Michael Kaaber | BinkP | ??? | n/c 31/1 | Gabriel Plutzar | BinkP | ??? | n/c 203/600 | Mikael Karlsson | UUE | 64k | n/c 221/360 | Tommi Koivula | BinkP | ??? | n/c 246/2098 | Volker Imre | BinkP | ??? | n/c 284/800 | Jeroen VanDeLeur | FTP,UUE | 64k | n/c 292/626 | Filip Ruymen | Binkp, UUE | 128K+ | n/c 292/2003 | Eric Vaneberck | BinkP | 768k | n/c 301/1 | Peter Witschi | BinkP | ??? | n/c 332/807 | Roberto Mascolo | BinkP | ??? | n/c 335/535 | Mario Mure | BinkP,VMot,UUE | 64k | n/c 335/610 | Gino Lucrezi | UUE | 33.6 | n/c 344/201 | Julio Garcia | BinkP | ??? | n/c 382/100 | Sinisa Burina | BinkP | ??? | n/c FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 8 27 Sep 1999 406/555 | Marius Kaizerman | BinkP | ??? | n/c 406/555 | Ofir Michaeli & | BinkP | ??? | n/c 423/81 | Milos Bajer | BinkP | ??? | n/c 464/4077 | Serguei Trouchelle| UUE | 19.2 | n/c 465/204 | Va Milushnikov | BinkP | 33.6k | n/c 469/84 | Max Masyutin | VMoT | 256k | n/c 480/112 | Adam Sarapata| FTP, VMoT, UUE,BinkP| 128k | n/c 2411/413 | Dennis Dittrich | UUE,BinkP | 64k | n/c 2446/301 | Lothar Behet | BinkP,VMoT,UUE,FTP | 64K | n/c 2474/275 | Christian Emig | UUE | 64k | unkn 5030/115 | Andrey Podkolzin | BinkP | ??? | n/c 5100/8 | Egons Bush | BinkP | ??? | n/c 5020/1159 | Gennady Kudryashoff | UUE | 33.6 | n/c -------------------------------------------------------------- Zone 3 633/260 | Malcolm Miles | FTP,BinkP | 64K | n/c 640/954 | Rick Van Ruth | FTP,VMot,UUE,BinkP| 56K| n/c 774/605 | Barry Blackford|BinkP,VMoT:10023,ifcico,FTP |33.6| n/c -------------------------------------------------------------- Zone 4 905/100 | Fabian Gervan | VMoT,UUE,BinkP | 128k | n/c 902/18 | Javier Tejedor | UUE | 33,6 | n/c -- * FTP = Internet File Transfer Protocol * VMoT = Virtual Mailer over Telnet (various) * UUE = uuencode<->email type transfers * BinkP = front end mailer for TCPIP networks Please send updates, corrections and suggestions to Joe Jared, 1:103/301, joejared@osirusoft.com, and complaints to jarhead@osirusoft.com . ----------------------------------------------------------------- . -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- -- . | FIDONET-RELATED SITES | ` -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- -- ' [This list includes all sites reported to the Editor as of September 26, 1999. Sites reported marked for deletion in the last issue are gone now.] FidoNet Homepage: http://www.fidonet.org FidoNews: http://www.fidonews.org [HTML] ftp://sstar.com/fidonet/fnews/ WWW sources: http://travel.to/fidonet/ FTSC page: http://www.ftsc.org/ General: http://owls.com/~jerrys/fidonet.html List server: http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/fidonet-discussion Zone 1: http://www.z1.fidonet.org FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 9 27 Sep 1999 Region 10: http://www.psnw.com/~net205/region10.html http://www.tnl-online.com/andy/rgn10.htm Net 103: http://www.webworldinc.com/club103/ Region 11: http://oeonline.com/~garyg/region11/ Region 13: http://www.net264.org/r13.htm Net 264: http://www.net264.org/ Region 14: Net 282: http://www.rxn.com/~net282/ Region 17: http://www.nwstar.com/~region17/ Region 18: http://techshop.pdn.net/fido/ Region 19: http://members.home.net/hbh3/r19 Zone 1 Elist http://members.xoom.com/echolist/ Zone 2: http://www.z2.fidonet.org Region 20: http://www.fidonet.pp.se (in Swedish) Region 23: http://www.fido.dk (in Danish) Region 24: http://www.swb.de/personal/flop/gatebau.html (German) Fido-IP: http://home.nrh.de/fido/ (English/German) Region 25: http://www.bsnet.co.uk/net2502/net/ Region 26: http://www.nemesis.ie REC 26: http://www.nrgsys.com/orb Region 27: http://telematique.org/ft/r27.htm Region 29: http://www.rtfm.be/fidonet/ (French) Region 30: http://www.fidonet.ch (German) Region 34: http://www.pobox.com/cnb/r34.htm (Spanish) REC34: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/4552/ Region 36: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/7207/ Region 38: http://public.st.carnet.hr/~blagi/bbs/adriam.html Region 41: http://www.fidonet.gr (Greek/English) Region 42: http://www.fido.cz Region 50: http://www.fido7.com/ (Russian) Net 5010: http://fido.tu-chel.ac.ru/ (Russian) Net 5015: http://www.fido.nnov.ru/ (Russian) Net 5030: http://kenga.ru/fido/ (Russian & English) Net 5085: http://www.fidonet.uz/ (Russian) (No netscape) Zone 3: http://www.z3.fidonet.org Zone 4: Region 80: http://fidobrasil.8m.com (Portuguese) Region 90: Net 904: http://members.tripod.com/~net904 (Spanish) Zone 5: http://www.eastcape.co.za/fidonet/ Zone 6: http://www.z6.fidonet.org Region 65: http://www.cfido.com/fidonet/cfidochina.html (Chinese) ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 10 27 Sep 1999 ================================================================= FIDONEWS INFORMATION ================================================================= ------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ------- Editor: Douglas Myers, 1:270/720, DougM@paonline.com Editors Emeriti: Tom Jennings, Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar, Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees, Christopher Baker, Zorch Frezberg, Henk Wolsink ------------------------------------------------------ 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 and/or the Editor. Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is Copyright (C) 1999 Douglas Myers. 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 by file-request, or from various sites in FidoNet and the Internet. STAR SOURCE for all past issues: Available for FReq from 1:396/1 or by anonymous FTP from: ftp://ftp.sstar.com/fidonet/fnews/ Each yearly archive also contains a listing of the Table-of-Contents for that year's issues. The total set is currently about 13 Megs. INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via: http://www.fidonews.org ftp://ftp.irvbbs.com/fidonews/ ftp://ftp.nwstar.com/Fidonet/Fidonews And in non-English formats via: http://www.fidonet.pp.se/sfnews (Swedish) *=*=* FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 11 27 Sep 1999 You may obtain an email subscription to FidoNews by sending email to: jbarchuk@worldnet.att.net with a Subject line of: subscribe fnews-edist and no message in the message body. To remove your name from the email distribution use a Subject line of: unsubscribe fnews-edist with no message to the same address above. * You may retrieve current and previous Issues of FidoNews via FTPMail by sending email to: ftpmail@fidonews.org with a Subject line of: help and FTPMail will immediately send a reply containing details and instructions. When you actually make a file request, FTPMail will respond in three stages. You find a link for this process on www.fidonews.org. *=*=* You can read the current FidoNews Issue in HTML format at: http://www.fidonews.org and http://www.fidonet.dynip.com/public/fidonews/default.htm and in the FIDONEWS echo. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in FidoNews. In general, send your articles in ASCII (text) format via netmail or email to the addresses listed above for the editor. The exact article submission requirements for the Fidonews software are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from most Fidonet hubs. However, you should concentrate on what you wish to say, as the editor will normally take care of the technical requirements. "Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered trademarks of Tom Jennings, P.O. Box 410923, San Francisco, CA 94141, 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 -----------------------------------------------------------------