F I D O N E W S -- Volume 14, Number 30 28 July 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. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ FIDONET SELECTED FOR SOFTWARE AWARD? Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1 News, news, everywhere news? ............................. 1 2. GUEST EDITORIAL .......................................... 2 Gregg Jennings, 1:331/109 ................................ 2 3. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................... 3 A passing of note in Zone 2 .............................. 3 Some good news ........................................... 4 4. ARTICLES ................................................. 5 Zone 3 Coordinator Election info ......................... 5 5. COLUMNS .................................................. 18 Fidonet in Europe ........................................ 18 6. GETTING TECHNICAL ........................................ 19 A response to Steve Woodmore's InetTM flags .............. 19 7. COORDINATORS CORNER ...................................... 22 Nodelist-statistics as seen from Zone-2 for day 206 ...... 22 8. NET HUMOR ................................................ 23 Come and listen to my tale? .............................. 23 9. COMIX IN ASCII ........................................... 25 Is there FidoNet on Mars? ................................ 25 10. ADVERTISE YOUR FREE SERVICE/EVENT ....................... 26 Announcing the WRESTLING_CHAT Echo ....................... 26 11. NOTICES ................................................. 27 Future History ........................................... 27 12. FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ................................ 28 And more! FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 1 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= FidoNet is up for a software association award according to email I received and passed along to Tom Jennings. I'll pass along any other info that comes my way. By the time this comes out, the Zone 3 Coordinator election should be over. There is an article here that gives details of the process but since it's already yesterday down under, the info is just for info and not for action. Too many time zones. [grin] Several Zone 2 folks have signed up to be added to the FidoNet webring in the past month or so but they are not putting the required code blurb for the webring mechanics on their listed pages. The webring only works when there is something on each page that will transport the surfer to the next site in the webring. I send email to each page meister but there may be language problems that are preventing my message from being understood. No page can be added UNTIL that piece of code is incorporated into their page so the webring is actually a ring of links. Webring site info is in the Masthead. Anyone who has a FidoNet related page can go there and sign up for inclusion. The required code blurb and GIFs are there with instructions. Your page doesn't have to be an official Net or Region site if you have FidoNet- related links on your page. There is a new ZEC1 listed in my Nodelist but I've received nothing of notice for publication. Hey, it's only Echomail. [snicker] Our first Asian page [other than the Z6 page] is listed this week in China. The details are in Chinese but some of it is in English. Are we having fun yet? C.B. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 2 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= GUEST EDITORIAL ================================================================= Chopping Broccoli by Gregg Jennings, 1:331/109, grejen@cape.com Jewish international bankers financed the Napoleonic wars and World War I, but these were nothing compared to World War II. Hitler knew what the Jews were planning and he tried to prevent it--that's why he invaded those other countries, to get rid of the Jews, just as he did in Germany. They were plotting a war to destroy the world, so they could take over. But no one understood and in the end the Jew-financed armies won the war. The Jews killed Hitler just like they killed Our Saviour. History repeats itself, and that's a fact too. Taking off the inflatable armband we find that many reader's blood pressure has just gone up. The words in the first paragraph are from a short story, "The Rubber Room", by Robert Bloch (a great story by a great writer). They are not mine. Your blood pressure now goes back to normal, because it's just a quote, just an example, just fiction (and the main character of the story, the one who spoke those words, in the end gets his do). Now, what if I did mean it? You can't despise the words, those particular words in that particular order, as used in this commentary, now that you know what is behind them. Is it only when the person behind the words means what he says that we should get mad? Is it the belief in the words that is despicable and not the words themselves? What if I stated that I believed in the words but really did not? Are the words then despicable and the writer not? It is the reader's fault when he or she gets angered, incensed, or upset by someone's words, not the writer's. Whether the words are in EchoMail, FidoNews, or any publication. There goes your blood pressure again! Free your mind instead. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 3 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ================================================================= We lost a friend By Ward Dossche In the middle of holidays, which are supposed to be happy times, I was struck by the horrible news that Louis Van Geel died. Why should that concern anyone else but me? Why is this an event worthy for mentioning in Fidonews? Maybe things aren't all that clear for younger people in zone-2 (and elsewhere) but Louis is a giant among sysops who dreamed further than most of us did, forced breakthroughs where others saw no solutions, created opportunities and shared with others. He invented the word 'netiquette' to define a few simple basic rules of Fidonet-behaviour "ask and you shall get". He co-pioneered tunnelling via the internet while this was a technology largely unknown to us. He had the vision to launch himself (and some of us too) into ventures such as educational stuff via K12 (then unknown in zone-2), backboned operations for the whole zone. When a modem was broken Louis always had a spare-one somewhere, there was always a listening ear for problems and when he could help out he would. Louis was not an angel, he had his human weak sides such as everyone of us. That only serves however to demonstrate that he was one of us and among us, not above us! Louis had left Fidonet already some years ago; nevertheless he has made a lasting impression that will live on in the minds of those that knew him. When I learned about the dreaded disease that got to him, it was like a blow to myself and all those to whom I conveyed the news. Louis put up a fight but finally modern science had no further solutions to offer. Cancer got him down as a person, but through his achievements he lives on in our daily activities in Fidonet. He leaves behind a lovely wife and a son who don't deserve this sad twist of fate. Louis, where-ever you are, if we can find the right software to interface with the dimension where you are now, be assured that we will set-up a gateway ... so much still needs being explored and your place is among us! ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 4 28 Jul 1997 Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 22:37:51 -0400 (EDT) From: Joe Klemmer Reply-To: klemmerj@webtrek.com To: "Joe's Humor List": ; Subject: Baby pictures are up [the once and future Node at 1:109/370 when the motherboard is replaced.] I know this is a major spam-like message but just about everyone in it knows me and you will NOT get any more. I just wanted to tell the world that I _finally_ have some of the baby pictures up on the web. Yeah, Joseph Michael is 7 months old now, but better late than never. Check out the JMEK page at - http://www.webtrek.com/~klemmerj/jmek [the baby will be 1:109/370.109 when it's back up.] --- "It's a damn poor mind that can only think of one way to spell a word." -- Andrew Jackson -30- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 5 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= From: lisa@psg.com (Lisa Gronke) Subject: Seven candidates for Z3C To: cbaker84@digital.net Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 16:19:40 -0700 (PDT) News of the week. You could mention the election, dates and candidates in your editorial . [1224 / 1226] Msg.area Net ... NetMail From: Greg Hills Pvt Rec'd Orig: Unlisted system (3:634/392) To: Lisa Gronke Msg #1225, Jul-26-97 22:56:48 Subject: Broken link? MSGID: 3:634/392@fidonet 6796b9eb REPLY: 1:105/61.0 33d5215c PID: FM 2.12.SW UNREG FLAGS IMM DIR >> From: Gregh >> To: All Msg #19756, Jul-17-97 20:22:08 >> Subject: Broken link? > So..... now that we've got your attention , what's going on in > Zone 3 vis-a-vis selecting a new Z3C (since David Nugent is pulling > the plug at the end of July, 1997)??? > David Nugent is still listed as Z3C in nodelist.199 here (Zone 1 > version). Election is currently under way with a large slate of candidates. [Grin] I'll go dig out some stuff from the sysop echoes to feed your curiosity. At this stage it's anyone's guess who will get up: Teddy (Denise Webber) is popular but there are doubts about her technical capabilities. Alwyn Smith has a good chance methinks. -- Gregh (Greg Hills) From: Gregh Pvt Orig: Unlisted system (3:634/392.1) To: Lisa Gronke Msg #1222, Jul-26-97 23:03:20 Dest: Eastside Data Svcs Ii (1:105/16) Portland Or Subject: Zone 3 Election - IMPORTANT !! MSGID: 3:634/392.1@Fidonet 33daba86 FLAGS IMM DIR * Forwarded by Gregh (3:634/392.1) * Area : ZONE3_SYSOP (Fido Zone 3 Sysop) * From : Andrew Blume, 3:632/536 (20 Jul 97 09:15) FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 6 28 Jul 1997 * To : All * Subj : Zone 3 Election - IMPORTANT !! @NOTE: IceEdit 2.35 G97704 Is it just me, or do I think Chris has taken the issue a little bit too far here? I see it little more than a `How To Vote Card' ---[Begin]------------------------------------------------------------ From: Chris Maddock To : Andrew Blume Date: 19-Jul-97 Area: "Fidonet Netmail" Most of you will be aware of the up-coming Zone 3 Coordinator (Z3C) election. We now have to elect a new Z3C and there are several good candidates standing for election. I have nominated Alwyn Smith as a candidate for the post of Z3C. The Nomination was seconded and after some persuasion, Alwyn accepted the nomination. Alwyn is steeped in the formation of Fidonet and is uniquely suitable for taking Z3 Fidonet through its "maturing pains". He is reliable and experienced at all levels of Fidonet Coordination having held NC, RC, and ZC posts in the past. He knows and expects the responsibilities and burdens of the position of the Z3C position. There are other candidates with excellent credentials but Alwyn Smith is the *only* candidate who has the necessary knowledge, experience and qualifications to get the job done. His track-record speaks for itself. Alwyn isn't afraid to face problems and deal with them correctly and properly. Decisions that *need* to be made *will* be made and not avoided, shelved or made hastily in error. Alwyn currently runs =all= the Z3 Zonegates. This is a measure of his acceptance of net responsibility and of his service to Fidonet. He is also involved with other networks and has a wealth of knowledge, experience and time to co-ordinate Zone 3 fairly and equally. It is my thought that we need a few `new ideas'. Yet these FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 7 28 Jul 1997 ideas should be well considered and applied so they are fairer and more consistent than what we have had in the past. Fidonet's great strength is in its `warmth' and `closeness' which is sadly lacking in other mediums - notably the Internet. Fidonet has moved away from that warmth and closeness over the years, not deliberately, but it has changed in this direction, and its doing so has lessened Fidonet's attraction. We need to attract more people and more importantly, keep the people we have. We need the unique attraction of a `social net' again so that, in Dave Hatch's words ... "Trust is the coin of the realm" and "Please is the order of the day". Without these two very important principles, Fidonet will continue to wither. We have little else to attract people and little to keep what people we have, if we keep heading in this direction. Running around in ever decreasing circles shouting "what to do?" over and over demonstrably will not work. Neither will `knee-jerk reactionism' or `more of the same - make more rules'. It just plain and simple does not work. The evidence is too overwhelming to overlook yet again. Therefore : I ask that you carefully consider who you vote for in the Z3C election which commences on the 21st July and ends on the 27th July. We need someone we can rely on now more than ever before. David Nugent has done a great job however he has decided to stand down as Z3C after closing his BBS a few weeks ago. I thank David for his voluntary services to both Z3, and to Fidonet. Well done. Send your vote by NETMAIL to Jackson Harding at 3:800/857 between the 21st and the 27th July with your preferred candidates name and a password in the form of....... _ _ _ O / _ _ C_U_T_ H_E_R_E_ _ _ _ O \ To : Returning Officer, 3:800/857 From: Your name here Subj: Z3C Ballot --------------------------------------------- Alwyn Smith your `keyword' here FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 8 28 Jul 1997 _ _ _ O / _ _ C_U_T_ H_E_R_E_ _ _ _ O \ I urge you to consider Alwyn Smith as the only candidate we can rely on to get us successfully through the next two years. Sincerely yours, Chris Maddock 3:640/302 chrism@bbs.st.net.au -- Andrew R Blume, 3:632/536 Email: andrew@sensation.net.au ... MUM'S HINT #043: Smile when you change that diaper. -+- Fmail 1.22a+/RA 2.50+ + Origin: Madness takes its toll. Please have correct change. (3:632/536) <==========END OF FORWARDED MATERIAL -- Gregh (Greg Hills) --- GoldED 2.41+ Via FrontDoor 143:10000/0@Godnet, Jul 27 1997 at 0:54 [1222 / 1226] Msg.area Net ... NetMail From: Gregh Pvt Orig: Unlisted system (3:634/392.1) To: Lisa Gronke Msg #1223, Jul-26-97 23:04:48 Dest: Eastside Data Svcs Ii (1:105/16) Portland Or Subject: Z3C Ballot MSGID: 3:634/392.1@Fidonet 33dabaee FLAGS IMM DIR * Forwarded by Gregh (3:634/392.1) * Area : ZONE3_SYSOP (Fido Zone 3 Sysop) * From : Alwyn Smith, 3:640/201 (23 Jul 97 18:53) * To : Martin Taylor * Subj : Z3C Ballot Martin Taylor wrote in a message to Jackson Harding: MT> After reading this interchange between you and Peter, I am MT> starting to wonder WHY we're having a zone-wide poll, when in the MT> end the RCs will have the final say anyway. The RC's have indicated they will accept the result of the election by a majority vote. MT> Why didn't you and David just open nominations from the MT> nodes/nets, and then allow the RCs to vote on it - as per MT> Policy4? :) Weren't you watching when the furor erupted over lack of elections for the R54C? FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 9 28 Jul 1997 Alwyn -+- + Origin: Soft-Tech, Qld, Australia +61-7-3869-2666 (3:640/201) <==========END OF FORWARDED MATERIAL -- Gregh (Greg Hills) --- GoldED 2.41+ Via FrontDoor 143:10000/0@Godnet, Jul 27 1997 at 0:54 From: Gregh Pvt Orig: Unlisted system (3:634/392.1) To: Lisa Gronke Msg #1224, Jul-26-97 23:13:18 Dest: Eastside Data Svcs Ii (1:105/16) Portland Or Subject: Z3C Ballot (Ballot Paper) MSGID: 3:634/392.1@Fidonet 33dabcda FLAGS IMM DIR * Forwarded by Gregh (3:634/392.1) * Area : ZONE3_SYSOP (Fido Zone 3 Sysop) * From : Jackson Harding, 3:800/857 (22 Jul 97 00:45) * To : All * Subj : Z3C Ballot (Ballot Paper) ================================================================= ZONE 3 CO-ORDINATOR ELECTION ================================================================= Below are a list of candidates who were nominated and seconded by the close of nominations and accepted the nomination. Candidate + Address _________________________________________________________________ Alwyn Smith + 3:640/201 Denise Weber + 3:670/213 Kym Gotch + 3:800/832 Glen Harvy + 3:714/930 Rob Hillis + 3:632/107 Carla Perry + 3:632/360 David Hales + 3:800/409 ================================================================ Polling will be as follows: Polls open July 21 0001 hrs ACST Polls close July 27 2359 hrs ACST *IMPORTANT*IMPORTANT*IMPORTANT* Votes received before the opening time or after the closing time CANNOT be accepted. Votes should be in the following format: FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 10 28 Jul 1997 To: Returning Officer, 3:800/857 From: Your Name Here Subj: Z3C Ballot ----------------------------------------------------- Fred Bloggs supercallafragillisticexpialladocious You will receive confirmation that your vote has been received by netmail during ZMH as soon as practical. Jackson Harding@3:800/857 Returning Officer =============================================================== Candidates Policy Statements (Mr Alwyn Smith has declined to provide a policy statement) ______________________________________________________________________ From : Kym Gotch 3:800/832 Tue 08 Jul 97 09:26 To : Returning Officer 3:800/857 Subj : Z3C Policy Statement ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For 8 years now I have run a bbs and have be active in Fido in Sth. Aust., I also have taken on the Co-Ordinators job for the Australian BBS Registry for South Australia, only 12 months ago. I feel that with this knowledge I would be able to do the job of Zone 3 Co-Ordinator to the best of my ability, to which I would try to improve the harmony with in Fido. Kym Gotch... Archival Retirevalist BBS -- Sth. Australia ______________________________________________________________________ From : Rob Hillis 3:632/107 Thu 10 Jul 97 05:48 To : Jackson Harding 3:800/857 Subj : Election matters ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I'll keep it short and simple. FidoNet Z3 needs healing, after the last war. (and war is the only way to describe what happened) I know I appear to have strong biases, and though this may be the case, I will do my best to distance myself from any decisions I have to make as part of my ZC duties. First and foremost will be a resolution to the dramas in RG54 - I will review the situation as soon as possible, and deal with it according to policy. I *will* accept some argument over my interpretation of policy, and take different action if I feel the arguments are justified. I do *not* intend to be a dictator - if things are working, I will leave everyone to their business. If I receive a request to look into a situation, I will do my best to resolve it. One of the best strengths I can bring to the position is the fact that I can admit when I feel I am WRONG, and change my actions accordingly. If anyone has any questions, just netmail me back. FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 11 28 Jul 1997 ______________________________________________________________________ From : Denise Webber 3:670/213 Fri 11 Jul 97 15:53 To : Jackson Harding 3:800/857 Subj : Election matters ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Policy Statement: I have been a Fido SysGoddess for over Seven years, I have been running a BBS in one form or another for 11 years, I have been a NC in fairly large OtherNet, I have been a ZC in another network, though I admit my technical knowledge is not as vast as most of the other candidates, I feel that the job of Z3C is something a LOT more than just looking after the Nodelist. Fido is in a state of flux, and to turn this around there needs to be a new direction, and part of this new direction needs to be a Zone3 specific Policy Document, which while not usurping P4 in anyway, will help contribute to a new positive attitude in Z3. Even though I cannot change human nature, and there will always be those people who want to do nothing but carp and criticise, and or pull Fido down, I hope there will always be people in the other direction, like myself. Teddy ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From : Carla Perry 3:632/360 Mon 14 Jul 97 19:17 To : Jackson Harding 3:800/857 Subj : Policy Statement ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Policy Statement: I have been in FidoNet for almost eleven years - since it first came to Australia, in fact. The REAL CONNECTION, as we were known then, was the first node under John Blackett-Smith. I have also participated in quite a few OtherNets in an administrative capacity, the main one being PODNet, of which I have been the Australian Co- ordinator for several years, bringing the mail to the southern states via Queensland, using TransX and an InterNet tunnel. While I may not be a technical guru, I know enough to do my job not only efficiently, but well. I have been in FidoNet long enough to see that what's coming is irreversible - we have to change, and move with the times. I predict that quite soon there will be a major split within FidoNet with each Zone going its own way, and private arrangements being made between either ZCs or major mail movers for mail exchange, each Zone having a Policy best suited to its own needs. Policy at the moment is a farce - it can't be changed or amended because there is no IC. There has not been an IC for many years, and it's very unlikely that we'll get one within the foreseeable future. Ladies and gentlemen, we are on our own. We need to break away and formulate our own Policy, keeping the parts of current Policy that are relevant, and discarding those that are no longer viable in Australian FidoNet today. As Zone Co-ordinator, I would liase with both Australian Regional Co-ordinators and the other Zone Co-ordinators, by voice if necessary, to bring about the much needed changes and FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 12 28 Jul 1997 revitalisation that we need to remain a viable Network. "IF there is to be a brave new world, us old ones will have the hardest time living in it" - Chancellor Gorkon to Captain Kirk, Star Trek VI "The Undiscovered Country" Any queries can be sent to me at 3:632/360 or to winter@labyrinth.net.au ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From : David Hales 3:800/409 Tue 15 Jul 97 16:23 To : Jackson Harding 3:800/857 Subj : Statement for Z3C Election ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I have seen the other policy statements by the other candidates some short, some lengthy and detailed but policy is already set in P4 I see it as the duty of the Z3C to handle anything that comes the ZCs way in the interests of fairness to all concerned. An open minded approach is required and is what I would be aiming for if selected. On occasion I have voiced my opinions on issues from a Sysop view and been very much on both sides of the incoming fire. In the position of Z3C I believe it is a must to be able to disseminate from ones own personal view and concentrate on the good of the whole when handling issues wearing a ZC hat. I do not believe I should go on here like a political speech and promise that I'll kiss babies and give out lolly pops. All I can say is I would have an open mind to changes, problems and solutions. We are here to go forward, not back and so concentrating on the past seems useless although it can give guidance on circumstances to avoid. Let's just keep the whole thing going or risk being swallowed by Internet. We can sort out anything else on the fly. To all the candidates, good luck and thanks for being interested enough to put yourselves on the line to support Fido. Regards, David Hales ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From : Glen Harvy 3:714/930 Sun 13 Jul 97 18:31 To : All Subj : Policy Speech ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONET IS A RIGHT - ECHOMAIL IS A PRIVILEGE This document is intended to give the voter an idea as to where I stand on a number of issues affecting us all in fidonet in Zone 3. These views are my personal views HOWEVER I strongly believe in the democratic process (with all it's faults) and therefor, if elected, I FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 13 28 Jul 1997 will uphold the current Policy 4 together with our Zone 3 Conventions until those policies and conventions are properly changed by way of either referendum or a real expression of support from the majority of active nodes. I am willing to debate these issues with anyone in this echo however to re-iterate, they are my views and cannot be implemented without your full support in due course. FIDONET AND ECHOMAIL For many years I have seen echomail to be an effective way of canvassing ideas, seeking help, learning about various subjects and at times, having a good chat in the less formal echoes. This has been one of my greatest uses of fidonet and one my BBS users have enjoyed as well. Ever since day one however, I have had to ask around to get access to some echoes, been ignored by some echomail providers, been abused from some echomail providers, simply had my echomail feed cut for no apparent reason and been moved from one echomail provider to the next. I have seen some echomail providers use the service they provide to bully people into accepting situations they would not otherwise accept because those people thought they had to get their feed from so-and- so. I have NEVER seen a message in any echo where anyone has asked or been asked to help out with the supply of echomail. It has always appeared to have been a "closed shop", particularly at Region level. Only the old timers and therefor technically superior nodes were entrusted with echomail feeds. No new blood has been openly encouraged. I have seen nodes threaten to "pull the plug" if they didn't get their own way and many nodes keep quiet because they were afraid of losing their echomail feed. When some of these echomail providers have also been given the trust of fidonet nodes to manage the nodelist, they have abused this trust by threatening nodes with excommunication if they didn't stick by the rules of some echomail providers and moderators. I believe it's time for a change. Simply put, I want the *C structure to divorce themselves from echomail control and return to what I believe is fidonet's *C structure's basic purpose. That is, to manage the nodelist and make sure the use of that nodelist is not being abused. I also believe echomail has a strong future. Apart from speed of delivery issues (and this is rapidly changing), echomail has several advantages over newsgroups. ZONE 3 POLICY In line with the above comments, it is time for us to formalise a Zone 3 Policy document to support current Policy 4. FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 14 28 Jul 1997 The policy should concentrate on management of the nodelist and specifically exclude echomail from netmail as far as definitions in P4 is concerned. I believe this will put the onus on echomail standards back on to whom it belongs ie the moderators of the echoes or those that chose to read it and/or make it available to others. BBS sysops can chose what they want to do with their systems. If they carry echoes that deal with things others don't like then that's none of fidonet's business. Certainly, they should not be threatened with loss of their node number for expressing their own beliefs. Similarly however, they cannot expect to demand the provision of an echo from someone that refuses to carry it. Unfortunately, there will be times when a node should be excommunicated from the nodelist. I can think of a few rare occasions eg:- 1. Sending mail bombs that cost other people money to send. 2. Repeated use of routed netmail solely for monetary reward. 3. If found guilty by an appropriate Legal Court of an offence affecting the use of the nodelist. We need a draft to work from - and plenty of open discussion on the issue. I will make it my primary aim to draft a Zone 3 Policy document and encourage the widest input and support possible. *C STRUCTURE AND ELECTIONS I believe the current method of chosing *C's is outdated. I believe the nodes should elect the NC, the NC's the RC and all nodes the ZC. A *C should reflect the beliefs of the majority of their nodes, not their own personal views. A *C MUST be active and quickly respond to requests for help and assistance. The *C will be the active moderator of the Net, Region or Zone administrative echo as appropriate. A *C can be removed by the RC or ZC but must call for a fresh election immediately. The majority of the nodes in a net can call for a new NC election whenever they like. 2 years is the maximum term between elections of any *C. ZONE 3 ECHOMAIL POLICY I believe the above document should be established however it should leave the onus of management of an echo to it's moderator or users. It will have no direct impact on the management of fidonet and certainly no impact on whether a node is listed or not. I believe a "map" of the echomail structure (detailing the route of echomail in the Zone) would be of immense help to all nodes wishing to obtain details of available echoes and where they can get them at the FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 15 28 Jul 1997 most economical cost. We need to break down our reliance on the excellent work of just a few nodes if for no other reason than redundancy purposes. There seems to be a lot of duplication of effort going to waste. Frankly, I believe this task to be almost as important as a Zone 3 Policy document however time to manage both as well as the implementation of those policies would be too demanding of one person. For that reason, I would ask our current excellent (if only defacto) ZEC if she would be willing to take on the task. QUALIFICATIONS I have been in fidonet since around 1986. I started of with Opus and Binkley and moved to FD and RA a year or two later for their ease of use. In about 1990, I was asked to become the shareware registration site for FrontDoor in Australia. To help offset my costs in running my BBS, I also sold Commercial Editions of FrontDoor and RemoteAccess. I never made a living from either, my main source of income was as a Senior Manager with ANZ Bank in their Credit Department. I've held NC, RC, ZC and IC positions in SIGnet, a small International network with a similar administration structure to Fidonet. I believe my experience with nodelist admin, resolution of disputes, revision of policy and assisting new *Cs in that network stands me in good stead for the Fidonet Z3C position. I have been a hub in net 713 and made many mistakes. I believe I have learned from those mistakes and more importantly, enjoyed the camaraderie that belonging to an active net can bring. In 1995 I obtained a 24 hour connection to the internet and have tried many differing programs to provide internet access to my BBS users. Some of these have been disasters and some of them I have taken on the commercial sale of here in Australia. At present I am a modest ISP providing full services including uucp feeds. There are five BBS's using my services for uucp feeds (both dial-in and remote) as well as about six nodes that hub of me for their echomail feed. I import many echoes direct from the USA and Europe (nothing to do with their star setup nor Pearces ftp system) and provide them free to dial-in nodes and free to my ISP customers. I have recently been retrenched from the ANZ and now devote much of my time to the BBS and internet interests. In summary, I have the technical experience, time and wherewithal to undertake the duties of the Z3C. FTSC I have little knowledge of the workings of the FTSC but I believe it to be the essential and authoritative source of what constitutes FTSC compatible networks. The internet has RFC's - we have the FTSC. The FTSC has no political standing (or at least should not have). FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 16 28 Jul 1997 I believe it needs to be reconstituted and be seen to be effectively working. It is not simply a Zone 3 issue however and will require someone to become actively involved in its use. I bow to greater and more experienced minds in this respect. MY COMMERCIAL INTERESTS Over the years, many of you have come to realise that I am keenly involved in FTSC compatible networks, both fidonet, SIGnet and commercial applications. I openly admit to being an ISP, sell FrontDoor, TransX and any other good BBS related software I can get my hands on. I would like to make a living from my hobby - who wouldn't :-) . I also strongly believe in supporting the shareware concept and will try to foster other people to do the same. Notwithstanding my own commercial and personal beliefs, I certainly refuse to allow myself to use my hobby to impinge on others beliefs or standards. If elected Z3C I will encourage everyone to respect the shareware concept and register what they use. I will not however abuse the *C structure to force adherence to my or anybody else's personal beliefs. In fact, I will actively pursue anybody that attempts to do so as there is no place in the *C structure for such persons. SUMMARY I think you will now understand my motto - FIDONET IS A RIGHT, ECHOMAIL IS A PRIVILEGE With very few restrictions, everyone has a right to be listed in the nodelist. To get an echomail feed you have to respect other peoples rights and freely given time and services as well as agree to abide by the moderators requests and judgements. You, as the BBS sysop, also have a right to do with your own system as you like - but you need to respect the views and rights of others. We need to look and move forward. Please consider the above statement carefully. Please also actively seek out other candidates views. I have great faith in the future of fidonet. With your active support I hope we can put into place a new policy structure that reflects what we have learnt from our past collective experiences. Sincerely, Glen (glen@aquarius.com.au) FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 17 28 Jul 1997 -+- FileMgr 2008B+ + Origin: Automatically created at The Cockpit (3:800/857) <==========END OF FORWARDED MATERIAL -- Gregh (Greg Hills) --- GoldED 2.41+ Via FrontDoor 143:10000/0@Godnet, Jul 27 1997 at 0:54 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 18 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= COLUMNS ================================================================= FIDONET IN EUROPE ----------------- by David Meikle (2:259/27.4 , rebeljambo@geocities.com) Hi, I have one bit of news this week that the Fidonet in Europe homepage is now up and running at http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/way/8351/ . You can eMAIL me at rebeljambo@geocities.com . If you are going to connect to the page please wait until Saturday at 7pm (GMT). I offered to fix a laptop for a friend a T3100e and all I need is a systems disk for that type of machine. If anyone has one could they please contact me. Thank you in advance. ---+ +---> Greetings from David Meikle --- TerminateMail ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 19 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= GETTING TECHNICAL ================================================================= A response to Steve Woodmore's InetTM flags by Lee kindness, 2:259/7, wangi@earthling.net A response to the proposal posted by Steve Woodmore titled: "Internet as a transport mechanism for fidonet A proposal for Nodelist flags" SW> by Steve Woodmore, 2:440/410 (2:2/200 ZEC/2) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Pointless flag waving by the power-hungry Z2EC, Steve what relevance has that to a technical specification? You are 2:440/410, nothing more, nothing less. Anyway, let's move away from this pointless hohee and onto something more constructive... SW> 1: FTP (File Transfer protocols) SW> 2: Email attaches MIMES/UUencodes (this also assumes tunneling SW> programs) SW> 3: Virtual Modems 4: BinkP, direct mailer usage over IP - differs from VModem. SW> M - This Node is able to transfer mail either by UUencoded [ snip ] SW> A node must dial-up their ISP to collect/send fidonet SW> mail at least Once daily to qualify for this flag As with everything else in fidonet we should not force any node to do anything. SW> The Internet is here to stay, we in fidonet can no SW> longer hide our heads in the sand and hope it goes SW> away. The flags indicate that we are using the SW> nodelist as an alternative transport mechanism, and SW> we are in no way becoming a part of the Internet. The flags would show a node has the ability to use the internet (via a number of methods) to transfer mail. However they do not give any information with regards of how to deliver that mail, say an email address for email transfer, an IP address for the other methods. Without this information these flags really just boil down being status symbols, with no real use. An additional nodelist kept somewhere on the 'net with this information rather than phonenumbers might be desirable - one exists already for BinkP users The real solution is to update the nodelist format itself to allow for multiple (pnone)lines and transport mechanisms behind one node entry. For example consider: ; [ snip ] ,7,Kooosliam,Lee_Kindness,Edinburgh,PSTN,44-1314-425563,MO,V34b,Tuh FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 20 28 Jul 1997 Extra,EMAIL,wangi@earthling.net,MIME Extra,PSTN,44-1314-425564,CM Extra,ISDN,44-1314-425565,CM,MO Extra,BINKP,kooosliam.co.uk,CM Extra,VMODEM,kooosliam.co.uk,CM Extra,FTP,ftp.kooosliam.co.uk,Tuh ; [ snip ] as a nodelist entry for 2:259/7 in a new format nodelist (most entries are mythical). It basically describes a 'super-system' with 2 normal phone lines, an ISDN line, and VModem, ftp, BinkP connectivity. In general the nodelist entry format would be (where "" denotes a literal, <> a term that will be substituted, ()* a sequence that can be repeated multiple times and \n a return/linefeed): ,,,,,
(,)*\n ("Extra",,
(,)*\n)* type: A la the current nodelist format, Zone, Region, Host, Hub, blank for node and Point (extension). node: The fidonet address part. sysop: Name of the system operator. loc: Physical location of system. protocol: Protocol or type of connection, ie PSTN, ISDN, FTP, EMAIL, VMODEM, BINKP and whatever else. address: The connection address, datatype is protocol specific, for example with PSTN it's be the phone number, email the email address, VModem the IP or host address... flag: Flags for supplying additional information, with a common subset and protocol specific flags. Such a nodelist could be brought into use with relative ease as the new format can easily be converted from the 'Edinburgh' format to the 'St Louis' format: (a sample awk script that does the dirty) ######### nlconv.awk ############################################ BEGIN { NF = "," } # a base node line (NF >= 6) && ($1 != "Extra") { # is the first entry PSTN? if( $5 == "PSTN" ) { # print out old format nodelist line printf("%s,%s,%s,%s,%s,9600", $1, $2, $3, $4, $6) # and the flags for( n = $7, n <= NF, n++ ) printf(",%s", $n) printf("\n") } # goto next line in file next } # Extra nodelist info, ignore /^Extra/ { FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 21 28 Jul 1997 next } # anything else, dump out as is { print } ################################################################# C and BASIC versions for any platform would be as simple. This is an idea that has been playing around in my head for a while, nothing above is concrete and more than likely it needs a lot of playing around with before it's anything approaching an FSC document that could be adopted by Fidonet. I'll post this article into NET_DEV for further comments. -- Lee Kindness shazze@on.bright.yelly.bowls.com Fidonet 2:259/7 wangi@earthling.net hufunglun http://www.scms.rgu.ac.uk/students/cs_yr94/lk ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 22 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= COORDINATORS CORNER ================================================================= Nodelist-statistics as seen from Zone-2 for day 206 By Ward Dossche, 2:292/854 ZC/2 +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+ |Zone|Nl-178|Nodelist-185|Nodelist-192|Nodelist-199|Nodelist-206|%%| +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+ | 1 | 8182| 7828 -354 | 7828 0 | 7655 -173 | 7482 -173 |30| | 2 | 15640|15577 -63 |15485 -92 |15477 -8 |15488 11 |61| | 3 | 743| 728 -15 | 718 -10 | 704 -14 | 704 0 | 3| | 4 | 519| 517 -2 | 517 0 | 518 1 | 515 -3 | 2| | 5 | 87| 87 0 | 87 0 | 87 0 | 87 0 | 0| | 6 | 1079| 1079 0 | 1079 0 | 1079 0 | 1079 0 | 4| +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+ | 26250|25816 -434 |25714 -102 |25520 -194 |25355 -165 | +------+------------+------------+------------+------------+ ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 23 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= NET HUMOR ================================================================= Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1997 13:08:45 -0700 From: "Shari - Oregon, USA" To: webheads@softdisk.com Subject: a man named Jed Sender: owner-webheads@softdisk.com Reply-To: webheads@softdisk.com Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Jed, A poor college kid, barely kept his family fed, But then one day he was talking to a recruiter, Who said, "they pay big bucks if ya work on a computer..." Windows, that is... PCs... Workstations... Well, the first thing ya know ol' Jed's an Engineer. The kinfolk said "Jed, move away from here". They said "California is the place ya oughta be", So he bought some donuts and he moved to Silicon Valley... Intel, that is... Pentium ... big amusement park... On his first day at work, they stuck him in a cube. Fed him more donuts and sat him at a tube. They said "your project's late, but we know just what to do. Instead of 40 hours, we'll work you 52!" OT, that is... unpaid... mandatory... The weeks rolled by and things were looking bad. Schedules started slipping and some managers were mad. They called another meeting and decided on a fix. The answer was simple... "We'll work him sixty-six!" Tired, that is... stressed out... no social life... Months turned to years and his hair was turning gray. Jed worked very hard while his life slipped away. Waiting to retire when he turned 64, Instead he got a call and escorted out the door. Laid off, that is... de-briefed... unemployed... Now the moral of the story is listen to what you're told, Companies will use you and discard you when you're old. So gather up your friends and start your own firm, Beat the competition, watch the bosses squirm. Millionaires, that is... Bill Gates... Steve Jobs... Y'all come back now... ya hear' FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 24 28 Jul 1997 -30- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 25 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= COMIX IN ASCII ================================================================= Date: 21 Jul 97 08:45:38 From: SB Perelman To: All Subj: Life on Mars? _____________________________________________________________________ Slow ride! \ Yes, but free. __ '\__/' '\__/' / _____/__O (oo) (oo) // //~~\\ //~~\\ // //\ /\\ //\ /\\ // _.======""/^/\^\""=""/^/\^\""=======._// | NASA \ \/ / \ \/ / | | USA (_)(_) (_)(_) sojourner | |__.-"""-._______.-"""-.______.-"""-.__| / o o \ / o o \ / o o \ ___ ( o o ) ( o o ) ( o o ) _/ \__ ( o o ) ( o o ) ( o o ) / \_ \ o o / \ o o / \ o o / / \ ______`-...-'_______`-...-'______`-...-'____/__jro________\ ~ . """"" . ' """"""" . """"""" . '~ ~ -- ., ' ~~ ---- .. ' . , ~ ~ . ' ~ ~ ` . .. ' .. ... - ` . . ' ~~ ~ . . " ' . , ' . ~~~ . , ' NASA admits it is not likely that sojourner will locate any life on Mars, but is still hopeful. --- o SB Perelman, 1:103/505 )/\,[_) SB.Perelman@505.sasbbs.com `T7 ]=[ Moderator & Curator: ASCII_ART ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Origin: Shofar _714-838-3837_ ASCII & Ye Shall Receive (1:103/505) ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 26 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= ADVERTISE YOUR FREE SERVICE/EVENT ================================================================= Emanuel Edwards 1:348/963 emanuel@pangea.ca IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL SYSOPS!!!!!! Hello all Sysops and Co_Sysops: If you want to get lots of User on your BBS I suggest you request the WRESTLING_CHAT on your BBS: On the wrestling_chat you can get all the Latest News, great wrestling scoops and great wrestling advertisement. Plus there are professional wrestlers reading the messages and posting messages on the echo. The echo tag is called WRESTLING_CHAT. Sysops around the world is requesting that echo daily. Please request the Wrestling_chat today and don't get left behind from some great excitement and entertainment on the WRESTLING_CHAT. Mark my words "YOU WON'T REGRET IT" Regards Emanuel Moderator Barry Laws Jr Co_Moderator ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 27 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= Future History 1 Aug 1997 International FidoNet PENPAL [Echo] meeting in Dijon, France 13 Oct 1997 Thanksgiving Day, Canada. 1 Dec 1997 World AIDS Day. 10 Dec 1997 Nobel Day, Sweden. 12 Jan 1998 HAL 9000 is one year old today. 30 Apr 1998 Queens Day, Holland. 22 May 1998 Expo '98 World Exposition in Lisbon (Portugal) opens. 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. 1 Jan 2000 The 20th Century, C.E., is still taking place thru 31 Dec. 15 Sep 2000 Sydney (Australia) Summer Olympiad opens. 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 14-30 Page 28 28 Jul 1997 ================================================================= FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ================================================================= [from a previous Issue] Ed. Latest Greatest Software Versions by Peter E. Popovich, 1:363/264 Whew. Been a big month for me, but a relatively slow one for the list. -=- 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. Please send updates and suggestions to: Peter Popovich, 1:363/264 -=- Snip -=- MS-DOS: Program Name Version F C Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Act-Up 4.6 G D Chris Gunn 1:15/55 ACT-UP ALLFIX 4.40 T S Harald Harms 2:281/415 ALLFIX Announcer 1.11 O S Peter Karlsson 2:206/221 ANNOUNCE BGFAX 1.60 O S B.J. Guillot 1:106/400 BGFAX Binkley Docs 2.60 M F Bob Juge 1:1/102 BDOC_260.ZIP BinkleyTerm 2.60 M F Bob Juge 1:1/102 BDOS_260.ZIP BinkleyTerm-XE XR4 M F Thomas Waldmann 2:2474/400 BTXE_DOS CFRoute 0.92 O G C. Fernandez Sanz 2:341/70 CFR CheckPnt 1.0a O G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 CHECKPNT FastEcho 1.45a T S Tobias Burchhardt 2:2448/400 FASTECHO FastEcho/16 1.45a T S Tobias Burchhardt 2:2448/400 FE16 FastLst 1.36 N S Alberto Pasquale 2:332/504 FASTLSTD FidoBBS (tm) 12u B S Ray Brown 1:1/117 FILES FrontDoor 2.12 M S JoHo 2:201/330 FD FrontDoor 2.20c M C JoHo 2:201/330 FDINFO GEcho 1.00 T S Bob Seaborn 1:140/12 GECHO GEcho/Plus 1.11 T C Bob Seaborn 1:140/12 GECHO GEcho/Pro 1.20 T C Bob Seaborn 1:140/12 GECHO GIGO 07-14-96 G S Jason Fesler 1:1/141 INFO GoldED 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GED GoldED/386 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GEX GoldED Docs 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GEM GoldNODE 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GEN FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 29 28 Jul 1997 Imail 1.75 T S Michael McCabe 1:1/121 IMAIL ImCrypt 1.04 O G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 IMCRYPT InfoMail/86 1.21 O F Damian Walker 2:2502/666 INFOMAIL InfoMail/386 1.21 O F Damian Walker 2:2502/666 INFO386 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 JD's CBV 1.4 O S John Dailey 1:363/277 CBV Jelly-Bean 1.01 T S Rowan Crowe 3:635/727 JELLY Jelly-Bean/386 1.01 T S Rowan Crowe 3:635/727 JELLY386 JMail-Hudson 2.81 T S Jason Steck 1:285/424 JMAIL-H JMail-Goldbase 2.81 T S Jason Steck 1:285/424 JMAIL-G MakePl 1.9 N G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 MAKEPL Marena 1.1 beta O G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 MARENA Maximus 3.01 B P Tech 1:249/106 MAX Max User Ed. 0.18 O F Larry Cooke 1:300/53 MUE McMail 1.0 M S Michael McCabe 1:1/148 MCMAIL MDNDP 1.18 N S Bill Doyle 1:388/7 MDNDP Msged 4.10 O G Andrew Clarke 3:635/728 MSGED41D.ZIP Msged/386 4.10 O G Andrew Clarke 3:635/728 MSGED41X.ZIP NEF 2.38 O S Alberto Pasquale 2:332/504 NEFD Opus CBCS 1.79 B P Christopher Baker 1:374/14 OPUS O/T-Track 2.66 O S Peter Hampf 2:241/1090 OT PcMerge 2.8 N G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 PCMERGE PlatinumXpress 1.3 M C Gary Petersen 1:290/111 PX13TD.ZIP QuickBBS 2.81 B S Ben Schollnick 1:2613/477 QUICKBBS RAR 2.01 C S Ron Dwight 2:220/22 RAR RemoteAccess 2.50 B S Mark Lewis 1:3634/12 RA Silver Xpress Door 5.4 O S Gary Petersen 1:290/111 FILES Reader 4.4 O S Gary Petersen 1:290/111 SXR44.ZIP Spitfire 3.51 B S Mike Weaver 1:3670/3 SPITFIRE Squish 1.11 T P Tech 1:249/106 SQUISH StealTag UK 1.c... O F Fred Schenk 2:284/412 STEAL_UK StealTag NL 1.c... O F Fred Schenk 2:284/412 STEAL_NL T-Mail 2.600 M S Ron Dwight 2:220/22 TMAIL Telegard 3.02 B F Tim Strike 1:259/423 TELEGARD Terminate 4.00 O S Bo Bendtsen 2:254/261 TERMINATE Tobruk 0.33 T G Paul Edwards 3:711/934 TOBRUK TosScan 1.01 T C JoHo 2:201/330 TSINFO TransNet 1.00 G S Marc S. Ressl 4:904/72 TN100ALL.ZIP TriBBS 11.0 B S Gary Price 1:3607/26 TRIBBS TriDog 11.0 T F Gary Price 1:3607/26 TRIDOG TriToss 11.0 T S Gary Price 1:3607/26 TRITOSS WaterGate 0.92 G S Robert Szarka 1:320/42 WTRGATE WWIV 4.24a B S Craig Dooley 1:376/126 WWIV WWIVTOSS 1.36 T S Craig Dooley 1:376/126 WWIVTOSS xMail 2.00 T S Thorsten Franke 2:2448/53 XMAIL XRobot 3.01 O S JoHo 2:201/330 XRDOS OS/2: Program Name Version F C Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ALLFIX/2 1.10 T S Harald Harms 2:281/415 AFIXOS2 BGFAX 1.60 O S B.J. Guillot 1:106/400 BGFAX FIDONEWS 14-30 Page 30 28 Jul 1997 Binkley Docs 2.60 M F Bob Juge 1:1/102 BDOC_260.ZIP BinkleyTerm 2.60 M F Bob Juge 1:1/102 BOS2_260.ZIP BinkleyTerm-X