F I D O N E W S -- Volume 14, Number 18 5 May 1997 +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: | | FidoNet community | "FidoNews" | | _ | 1-904-409-7040 [1:1/23] | | / \ | | | /|oo \ | | | (_| /_) | | | _`@/_ \ _ | | | | | \ \\ | Editor: | | | (*) | \ )) | Christopher Baker 1:18/14 | | |__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. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER NO IC? Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1 How about that ZEC Election process? ..................... 1 2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................... 2 NEW Opus Version 1.79 Available! ......................... 2 Response to BBS Week notice .............................. 2 3. ARTICLES ................................................. 4 New Beanie Babies Echo! .................................. 4 NOT the death of a friend! ............................... 4 4. COLUMNS .................................................. 6 Lock and Load: Guerilla Marketing for BBSes ............. 6 5. GETTING TECHNICAL ........................................ 8 FSC-0064 - InterDomain Message Identification ............ 8 FSC-0065 - Type 3 ASCII .................................. 12 FSC-0066 - Type 3 Binary ................................. 22 FSC-0067 - Proposal for Sensible New Kludge Lines ........ 24 6. WE GET EMAIL ............................................. 28 More security holes in Internet Explorer? ................ 28 7. NET HUMOR ................................................ 32 The Microsoft Restaurant ................................. 32 8. COMIX IN ASCII ........................................... 34 Animated ASCII? .......................................... 34 9. NOTICES .................................................. 45 Future History ........................................... 45 Action Alert for Privacy on the Internet ................. 46 And more! FIDONEWS 14-18 Page 1 5 May 1997 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= Lots of fun and interesting stuff in today's Issue although I did not receive the usual Z2 stats file this week from ZC2. For those of you who still run BBSes, Opus has FINALLY released a new version this week. Opus 1.79 is making the rounds and has also been hatched into SDSOPUS file echo. For those of you who've never heard of it, Opus was the first multi-function BBS/Mailer developed after Fido. There is an announcement further down the page with sources. Still no IC. [sigh] C.B. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-18 Page 2 5 May 1997 ================================================================= LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ================================================================= Sender: trev@guard.bbs.org Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 01:10:38 +1000 From: Trev Roydhouse Organization: Worldwide Opus Consortium To: Bill Swisher , Christopher Baker , Eelco de Graaff , Jim Barchuk , Joe Rowehl , Mike Burgett , Peter Bruneau , Rob Lerman , Roger Dunk , Ron Stalzer , Ronald Bruintjes , Sue Blake Subject: Opus v1.79 Last night, May 1st, a brick was hurled through the window with the following scrawled note attached: "On behalf of the Opus Covert Action Committee and the Not Ready for Mainframe Players, Sydney and Elsewhere ... OEXE179.ZIP Opus v1.79 Main executables OUTIL179.ZIP Opus v1.79 Utility files OMAKE179.ZIP Opus v1.79 Installation kit OSOM179.ZIP Opus v1.79 Sysop Operations Manual OTEC179.ZIP Opus v1.79 Technical Reference Manual File requestable from 3:3/113 aka 3:711/401 and 1:1/113. Available on the WWW at http://www.suburbia.com.au/~trev Anonymous FTP at ftp://ftp.fido.net/pub/bbs/ibmpc/opus FTP by mail by sending email to opsu179@deimos.nl Guido & Nunzio." Cheers, TREV. -30- ----------------------------------------------------------------- From: newsbob@kwhn.com To: -david.chord@cobra.galaxy.gen.nz, cbaker84@digital.net Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 16:05:06 -0700 Subject: International BBS Week FIDONEWS 14-18 Page 3 5 May 1997 Hi, David! Saw your note in Fidonews about International BBS Week. Thought I'd let you know I'll do what I can to help. I'm a Broadcast Journalist by trade, author of the BBS Guide to Public Relations, a BBS user (not a sysop), and few weeks ago I started writing a column on BBS Marketing for Fidonews. I can lend my expertise to anyone who wishes it, but I have no money to spend (a wife and three kids pretty well take care of that). I'm drawing up a draft news release that Sysops can adapt for their own use. I should have it done by Wednesday (April 30). Warmest regards, Robert Parson Fidonet 1:3822/1 Internet newsbob@ipa.net ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-18 Page 4 5 May 1997 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= New Beanie Babies Echo by Ronnie Toth, 1:135/71 BEANIE BABIES * BEANIE BABIES * BEANIE BABIES * BEANIE BABIES * They're here! They're there! They're everywhere! (If you can find them.) And now the FidoNet Beanie Baby echo, BEANIES, is here too! If you're into BEANIE BABIES, join the fun in the new BEANIES echo. It's all about having fun with these adorable critters, and a forum for Private Collectors to chat, exchange ideas and stories about them, and trade, buy and sell them. Commercial pricing and availability is NOT permitted. Links are available at 1:135/71 until the echo is backboned, which we hope will be very soon. A netmail to the above FidoNet node will link you up immediately! Ronnie Toth FidoNet 1:135/71 Tagname: BEANIES ----------------------------------------------------------------- NOT the death of a friend! by Louie Gonsalves, 1:2808/100, sysop@phosphor.datasync.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- NOT the death of a friend! I was saddened by the news of Clay Tannacore's (1:372/4) dog's death. However, it is my opinion that Clay let his companion of years, Fido, to die. You see, Fido *is* a sick little pup... but he can't get better if we don't help him. Fido is getting old, true, and there are other animals in town that are better looking, and bigger... but Fido is not ready for the gas just yet. Fido is NOT dying. He's going through a rebellious period. You remember those, right? When you decided that enough was enough, and rebelled against your parents, your school. Long hair, loud, strange music. Fido is rebelling. It is rebelling against those that for so long FIDONEWS 14-18 Page 5 5 May 1997 have ignored him. Fido is trying to get attention, and frankly, he needs all of it. Fido can be nursed back to health. The first thing that must be done is make his masters realize that his last proper training was done in 1989... his masters must realize that no longer dogs run at 300 bits per second. His masters MUST realize that things have changed. Only us, the folks that have taken Fido as a friend can help our sick dog's masters realize all that. Netmail the masters, email them, send them letters, what have you. The masters: Bob Satti (Z1C) David Nugent (FTSC Chair) And all the RC's and NC's. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: ALL THE NODES. It is time for action. Or Fido will die. Or will it? ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-18 Page 6 5 May 1997 ================================================================= COLUMNS ================================================================= Lock and Load: Guerilla Marketing for BBSes Robert Parson 1:3822/1 I've spent the last twenty years writing for a living. You'd think I'd know by now that I shouldn't entirely trust my spell checker when proofreading articles. But that's what I did last time. And of course, I found three errors when it was published in Fidonews. (I checked, and they were indeed my mistakes, not the fault of Editor Chris Baker's). I've learned my lesson. I know I promised we would discuss how to deal with journalists today. But the sun is out, the temperature is fairly warm and I need to whack the grass. Instead, we'll take our modems for a walk. Anything to get out of mowing. Good word of mouth is the key to growth. But in order to get good word of mouth, you have to get the word out in the first place. Last time, we talked about writing news releases. While that's a good start, you can't rely on getting published or aired. You have to find other ways to get the word out. A prime example of this is Apple Computer. In the early to mid '80s, they came out with the revolutionary Macintosh. But they didn't rely on getting good press. Apple was out beating the bushes, scraping for every possible user. Contrast this with the Amiga. Another incredible system. They also got good reviews in the media. But it failed, in large part, because Commodore didn't proselytize (Apple is down, but I wouldn't count them out quite yet). So where does this fit in with your BBS? If you answered "Get out of the house" you win the grand prize. Sure, you will likely get some new callers, or attract a few old ones who haven't called in a while, by advertising your BBS on other BBS in the area. But you are preaching to the converted. What we're looking for is fresh blood. We're going hunting. (How many different metaphors can I sneak into this article?) Today, I want you to procrastinate. You can put off for another day adding yet another door game to the BBS, or tweaking the color in the bulletins. Grab your business cards, put on some shades and hit the road. Amazingly enough, there are people EVERYWHERE! Everytime you turn around, THERE'S ANOTHER ONE! Okay, I'm being facetious here, but the point is you are going to have to get out and find new potential callers. And springtime is the perfect time to find them. Your Chamber of Commerce probably publishes a monthly calendar of FIDONEWS 14-18 Page 7 5 May 1997 events or knows where to find one. Try to get on their mailing list. It may not be possible to be placed on the mailing list unless you are a member, which is quite expensive. Worst case: you'll have to go down to the Chamber offices and get one. Right about now there are little arts and crafts shows popping up all over the place. There are civic groups such as the Rotary and Exchange Clubs. Kids groups such as the Boy Scouts or school carnivals. We're getting set for the summer parade season. Later this year, county fairs. If there is some kind of public event going on, you have an opportunity to invite new folks to call your BBS. Make yourself available. Steve Prado, the Sysop of my friendly neighborhood BBS (Jackalope Junction 1:3822/1), has visited with the local Genealogical Society to talk about the genealogical echos he carries and how useful they would be for people researching their ancestors. In many cases, you can get involved in something at no cost. Civic groups are always looking for speakers and could be an easy mark. You may have to pop a few bucks for some events, such as a table at a county fair or an entry in a parade (now that's something I'd like to see: a float for a BBS. Maybe something like those flying creatures in the Macy's parade). If you have an annual picnic for users, invite the local media to come around. Now suppose you run into someone that doesn't know how to do anything other than call their local Internet Service Provider or one of the commercial services. Make sure you are well versed enough in Windows Terminal to at least tell them how to log on. It probably couldn't hurt to create a little fact sheet, or maybe even give them a disk that has the appropriate configuration (if you're like me, you've got disks to burn). Once they get on, then you can get them set up with other comm programs and/or offline readers. No. This is not easy work. But you can't expect users to come running when they don't know you even exist. So stop reading right now and head out the do--* Hey! Where'd everybody go!?