F I D O N E W S -- Volume 15, Number 25 22 June 1998 +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: | | FidoNet community | "FidoNews" | | _ | 1-209-251-7529 [1:1/23] | | / \ | | | /|oo \ | | | (_| /_) | | | _`@/_ \ _ | | | | | \ \\ | Editor: | | | (*) | \ )) | Zorch Frezberg 1:205/1701 | | |__U__| / \// | | | _//|| _\ / | | | (_/(_|(____/ | | | (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. | | | -- JOSEPH PULITZER | +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Submission address: FidoNews Editor 1:1/23 | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | MORE addresses: | | | | submissions=> editor@fidonews.org | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | For information, copyrights, article submissions, | | obtaining copies of FidoNews or the internet gateway FAQ | | please refer to the end of this file. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ Don't Wait For The Translation... Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1 2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................... 4 RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL IN FIDONEWS DATED 15 JUNE 1998 ..... 4 3. ARTICLES ................................................. 6 MooseChat Canadian humor/satire echo "backboned" ......... 6 Solution-oriented or Problem-oriented? ................... 7 4. COLUMNS .................................................. 8 Vanquished by squid deficiencies ......................... 8 5. WE GET EMAIL ............................................. 10 Dear fellow fidonuts ..................................... 10 6. NOTICES .................................................. 12 Future History ........................................... 12 7. FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY ...................................... 13 FidoNews PGP Public-Key Listing .......................... 13 8. FIDONET BY INTERNET ...................................... 14 9. FIDONEWS INFORMATION ..................................... 17 FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 1 22 Jun 1998 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= It's interesting to see how questions asked are not answered. In my own case, there are many questions asked of me for which I sometimes have no answer for...and the refusal to respond is taken as 'hiding something'. What's forgotten is that _asking_ questions is the means by which one can _gain_ knowledge. By the same token, what is often forgotten is that getting an answer is sometimes a courtesy, as much as it is sometimes a requirement. Too often, especially in FidoNet, the mere act of asking questions is tantamount to making an accusation...perhaps, it seems, because the person being asked does often not _want_ those same questions asked of them. Too true, I too have been accused of these same things...but also true is that I have had 'real world' experience as both a print and broadcast journalist. Sometimes, failing to answer a question is simply a matter of not wishing to interfere in the process of gathering information, much as the local police do not always answer questions about ongoing investigations as to motive or even the names of the victims. Sometimes, however, failing to answer a question is a means of hiding from the truth of the matter...especially in political situations. One only has to look at the media in Zone 1 for the ongoing Clinton debacle as one example; no doubt, you've seen your own local version at some point in time. Too often, the same questions are used to enable an effort to create and manipulate a 'lynch mob' mentality...and allow the 'court of public opinion' to rule by emotion and innuendo, rather than logic and reason. To date, I have now had three RECs advise me that Ben Hamilton was 'duly appointed' to post the results of the RECC vote... But no one has yet answered the question of whether or not the ZEC was advised of the charges, let alone given the chance to respond to them. How interesting that this particular question has not only been not answered, but that any explanation of the charges or the particulars, as well as the causes, examples and reasons, have been declared as being "secret", and not for you or I to know. How interesting that the RECC would use the FidoNews to make an 'official announcement'...then refuse to give the basis for that vote FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 2 22 Jun 1998 being taken, let alone be announced. How pathetic that the FidoNews is sought for use to encourage a 'star chamber' courtroom, where secret trials are conducted without the knowledge of the accused, as a means to give a sort of "validation" of the effort. How much worse it is that the first person elected by a SysOp-level election in Zone 1 is to be removed by a 'secret vote' with 'secret charges' of 'secret crimes' that those who elected the ZEC cannot be told what these 'secrets' entail...let alone tell the ZEC who is the 'secret criminal' in their 'secret trial'. To that end, I suppose we must thank Ben Hamilton...without his post, at the direction of the RECC, would we have even _known_ that such a trial was underway? Or should we be thankful for the small favors that our "elected" officials deign to grant us mere peasants in their "fight" for an 'open and informed' FidoNet? Does anyone else notice the oddity of logic in the actions of the RECC? Especially since several of the RECC themselves have made it a point to identify themselves as 'elected' officials within FidoNet? But then, these are _questions_...and we've seen what these 'mean' in terms of FidoNet... And, in my own situation? The answers are forthcoming. In other news... Bob Kohl was retained as Region 10 Coordinator, by an almost 2:1 margin vote. Not that this is expected to stop what sniping and accusations that have already occurred, nor the comments about 'wearing multiple hats in violation of Policy'. [An interesting note: If 'wearing multiple hats' is a violation of Policy, then why is the ZC also an IC, as a matter of course? Hmm? Doesn't the ZC have as much to do administratively as the IC?] And, Thom LaCosta is currently testing a new EchoList software that he is modifying to use in FidoNet Zone 1. Moderators are suggested to link in and establish a new set of passwords, separate from any already in place. However, there are some concerns over the issue of the Zone 2 ELIST containing different moderators than the same echoes listed in the Zone 1 ELIST...and that the apparent NAB spokesman is pushing to have the Z2ELIST be adopted instead as 'official' in Zone 1. I can't think of a neater way to eliminate opposition than to take their echoes from them, can you? Consider this yet another reason why the ELIST should be independent of the various distribution services is to eliminate the 'political FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 3 22 Jun 1998 usefulness' of the echoes as leverage. -zf- ### 30 ### ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 4 22 Jun 1998 ================================================================= LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ================================================================= RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL IN FIDONEWS DATED 15 JUNE 1998 By Ben Hamilton, FidoNet 1:124/7008 This letter is in response to the editorial that was included in the FidoNews issue on June 15, 1998. I have been accused of selective quoting. The editor encourages you to re-read the editorials, making sure you compare the meanings of what the editor wrote to the selective quoting done in the reply. Perhaps the editor should also re-read my reply from last week, in which I plainly state why selective quoting was necessary: BH> The editorial contained several inaccuracies that I would like BH> to talk about. Hopefully, the personal knowledge I have of some BH> of the issues will be of more value than the best guesses of the BH> editor. To elaborate, since I have personal knowledge of only some of the comments made by the editor, it is only proper that I respond to only those comments. The items that I selected were the ones to which I have personal knowledge. The editor is free to state whatever views he likes on the other issues, regardless of accuracy, as far as I am concerned, as I have no way to counter information that I myself have not witnessed and verified. There was, unfortunately, an inaccuracy in my reply from last week. Rather than make you guess, as the editor seems to have chosen to do, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight it. Here is an excerpt from last week's reply which contains my error: ed> the RECC holding secret meetings and refusing to discuss matters ed> with the ZEC, and other similarly puerile activities, make it ed> odd that Ben and the RECC would not include their 'list of ed> grievances' that they claim would prove their position...in a ed> public setting. [...] BH> Also, we never refused to discuss this with the ZC. I think we BH> each welcome discussing this with Bob Satti at any time. My error was simply that I misread "ZEC" for "ZC" in the editor's editorial. My mistake. What I said about discussing it with the ZC is true. Kohl, on the other hand, completely disappeared from our view as of late. Perhaps he's been too busy removing NCs and NECs, changing nodelist flags, etc. I do specifically remember a discussion between the RECs... Several RECs wanted to vote almost immediately after Kohl asked us how we would go about removing an NEC. Some of the other perhaps FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 5 22 Jun 1998 more patient, level-headed RECs suggested that we show an extra effort to try to work our differences out rather than giving up so quickly. After that, Kohl removed the NEC on his own, then he removed an NC, his REC quit because of his actions, and the disclosure of in-transit netmail issue happened (which he has recently apologized for, I hear). Then, we learn of a new R10C election (no doubt a chief reason he apologized, I believe) that due to its timing and the fact that only NCs (the NCs that Kohl hasn't removed from office, of course!) can vote in, has (pardon me, ed) "suspicious" written all over it. If this were happening in R19, I bet the editor would be having a field day! But it's in R10, so it's "politics as usual." Region 10 matters shouldn't concern those outside of Region 10. They do, however, allow us to see what can happen when FidoNet as a whole lets someone get away with ignoring the "multiple hats" guideline. Again, I speak only for myself. The views expressed in this letter to the editors do not necessarily reflect the views of any other RECC members. I will be back if I notice any other interesting things to comment about. As I write this, it's Saturday morning, so I hope you all have a great Father's Day! -Ben Hamilton FidoNet 1:124/7008 Internet: ben.hamilton@compconn.net ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 6 22 Jun 1998 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= MooseChat Canadian humor/satire echo "backboned" by Stephen Hart, 1:249/127 hart@io.com Greetings! I am writing this "short" article to let y'all know that the MOOSECHAT Moose and Hoser "Canadian Humor" Chat echo has recently moved from being a Canadian regional echo to being available on the various FidoNet echomail backbones and 'spines. Having accomplished the main purpose of this article, I could then have taken a couple different routes. Rather than attempt some of the humour and satire to be found in the message area, I'm just going to give a "quick" description of what MooseChat is like... MooseChat is an echo for anyone who wants to attempt witty, humorous, or just plain silly messages. Many distinguished moose, Hosers from the Great White North, and even famous Performance Artists like Saddam Hussein and George Bush have all frequented MooseChat at one time or another. A moose-like angle, alias, or shtick is appreciated but not necessary. Moose sometimes stray into serious topics and satire is often seen, but those attempting serious discussion may need to survive receiving silly replies. The MooseChat "echo theme" is to disseminate knowledge about the noble moose, to discuss attributes of moose we have known and admired, and to generally enter messages which are a bit more silly or offbeat than one finds in most other echoes. Lest you think that unique Canadian content is not a significant part of MooseChat, I'll mention that participants will happily discuss topics like "Cheese as a significant part of Canadian Culture," "the letter U's importance to both our French and English heritage," plus "Doughnuts and the Canadian Identity." I also assure you that though Canadian politics may not always provide as "target rich" an environment as some other countries, we do have our moments. As a Canadian patriot, I just had to mention that last bit, eh? In closing, I'll mention that MooseChat may not be for everyone because appreciation of both humour and satire is very subjective. Still, while there are other "silly chat" echoes, MooseChat does seem to have a unique flavour. I hope some of you will find it an amusing or witty place to hang out. As for this FidoNews article; Perhaps it's ironic, but all I can say is... "Dammit Shatner! I'm an echo moderator, not a comedian." ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 7 22 Jun 1998 The following philosophy is based on several years of experience by both authors. The article speaks for itself, but we think those who will protest most loudly against it are probably those about whom it was written. Solution-oriented or Problem-oriented? ====================================== by Bill Drake (1:153/151) and Dallas Hinton (1:153/715) In FidoNet, as in real life, there are two ways to deal with problems. We can focus on the problems, or we can focus on the solutions. In the past, most FidoNet members have focused on solutions. Lately, many FidoNet members have been focusing on problems, thus wasting time and effort. We believe it's time for FidoNet to return to a solution-oriented focus. Recently, a vocal group of grumblers has endlessly objected to any attempts at modernizing or improving the effectiveness of FidoNet's administration, and has endlessly objected to any changes in FidoNet's technical standards. Some people in this world are "conflict junkies". These people don't want solutions, because solutions destroy their opportunities for fighting and stirring up trouble. Real solutions involve compromise, understanding, and fair play -- not rhetoric, intolerance, or ignoring the rules when they happen to be personally inconvenient. It's time for clearer heads in FidoNet to prevail, before there's nothing left of FidoNet but useless scrap. The conflict junkies must not be allowed to win by default. We will continue ignoring the attempts of conflict junkies to destroy our hobby, and continue working happily with those who truly want solutions. We think it's better to bring FidoNet into the 21st Century than fight endlessly and end up mourning over FidoNet's grave. Won't you join us, please? -30- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 8 22 Jun 1998 ================================================================= COLUMNS ================================================================= Dear Editorbeing, This article is submitted by Doc Logger (163/110) who battled vicious tides and enveloping fog to get to a phone connection. Unfortunately, the phone was inconveniently located in an abandoned fish processing plant so if this missive smells a bit fishy, my apologies. Roll da flic, Zorch.... Dear Reverend Visage, Thank god the GPS navstar unit works and I was able to find my way back to shore after spending the day fishing for alleged squid. The boat operator took us out of sight of land and then suggested that we drop our lines and hope for the best. I haven't been so entertained since the last time I watched the golf channel on TV. I think fishing must require a great deal more rum than we had aboard because even though I tried to attract whole hordes of squid with my lunch and breakfast, nary a one took the bait. Naturally, the fog rolled in before we'd been out for an hour and it took the rest of the day to find the port. Speaking of large quantities of fog, Visage, you'll be pleased to know that there is an election in Region 10. Bob "Dimbulb" Satti claimed that he had no control over the shotgun timing of the election, even though Bob Kohl was given a one week running start on any other candidate. One of Kohl's trained seals, Mike Moon, has announced that he's gonna vote for Kohl because he's pissed at the outside interest in the region. This genius in one of Kohl's appointees so it is hardly fair to expect independent thought or reasonable judgment out of the guy. I suspect that if Kohl wins the election, it will mean the exit of a number of sysops who have reached their level of tolerance with the idiocy of Satti and the malign administration of Kohl. I sent a number of queries to the co-returning officer of the election, Brenda Donovan, but she didn't deign to respond. I particularly wanted her to indicate whether she endorsed the ludicrous timing of the election since it occurred to me that Satti's lunacy would be somewhat curtailed if it wasn't so easy for him to find naive quislings. On a brighter note, Kohl dodged the silver bullet on the policy complaints that were contemplated and pending. It seems that Satti rejected the PC of Hans Mangold who had complained when Kohl revealed the content of in-transit FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 9 22 Jun 1998 netmail. Kohl ducked a PC by Lesley-Dee Dylan by offering up a last minute apology for his despicable behaviour. I have a feeling that Alec Grynspan will be green with envy when he discovers that I was given a quantum leap into new technology. The good sysops of Net163, and particularly Malcolm Campbell, gave me a Sinclair ZX 1500. That puppy zips along at 8 mhz and can do 16k worth of file transfers in just six minutes. Any second now, I should be able to handle all of the literate Internet mail in the universe. For those who don't know, my constant struggle to stay on the trailing edge of technology has met with astounding success. This will have to be a short article Visage, the bartender has announced Last Call and I'll need extra refreshments in order to recover from my fishing ordeal. With any kind of luck I should be ensconced on a sandy beach in P.E.I. where the bathing beauties wear parkas to ward off the cold Atlantic chill. Regards, Doc Logger Somewhere in Cape Breton ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 10 22 Jun 1998 ================================================================= WE GET EMAIL ================================================================= ! Original In : netmail ! Original To : FidoNews Editor, 1:205/1701 ! Original From: Per Edman, 2:206/145.42@fidonet.org ! Original Date: Jun 16 02:34 zone 2, net 206, June 16 Dear fellow fidonuts, Some people say, I note when I read my FidoNews, that politics this or politics that is what is scaring people away from our net, or what will keep them. I hold another opinion, as I think many others do too. Politics or playing them is not what makes the net fun (well, not for more than a minority, anyway), but it may well be what keeps it working. Even though politics and even net politics can seem to be on the brink of collapsing the entire system, it often seems almost designed to survive a whole lot of banging. People may argue with each other, and do things they should not, but it will not break down the net. Instead, what we find netters afraid of, is that the net itself will die out, and I hear that this evolution is much worse over in zone 1. People seldom leave because of politics (it does happen, though, and it makes me sad every time), they leave because they no longer find the net as much fun as it used to be. This can be because something else is more fun, or because the net itself is becoming less fun. Now, read me right, I do not mean that everyone should tell a joke every now and then, because the opinion of what fun _is_ can vary greatly. What I do mean is that some people go around sulking so much that they forget to get themselves into discussions they find interesting. Over here there are a few projects on the move to get more points into the net, but none to keep the nodes we have. What we need is an overall better attitude towards .. well .. the fall. We may lose a few, and it gets us down, but if we keep a smile on our faces, and keep on writing those flames and flowers and questions into the echo areas, the net will go on. And if someone ever asks you "Where could I go to find interesting discussions", never hesitate to give them the appropriate software; instead do what many Swedish fidousers would have done -- give them a disk and the information they need to get an uplink. I hear there are even easier ways to get on to fido nowadays. Strange inventions over there in the first zone -- spam-safe gateways into news and into mailinglists and other such things. I am impressed. FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 11 22 Jun 1998 As long as the spirit lives on, fidonet will not die, and even in the worst case scenario, we will be here for many years yet. You knew that, but perhaps it is good to hear, sometimes? So our nodelists are dwindling, but what about our pointlists? Are not yours just a little on the rise, like ours? With fewer nodes and more points, distribution gets tricky. _That_ is where we'll need those politics. Not in what politicians usually do: hassling each other over nothings. This is not big, but it is something we all should be personally interested in, being hobby networkers, doing what we consider to be a hobby. (..and scr*w commercial interests..) Sincerely, Per Edman <2:206/145.42> ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 12 22 Jun 1998 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= Future History 3 Jul 1998 FidoNet European Convention (see issue #20 for details). 14 Sep 1998 Start of International BBS Week [thru 20 Sep 98]. 22 Sep 1998 First anniversary of the FidoNews domain of www.fidonews.org. 1 Dec 1998 Fifteenth Anniversary of release of Fido version 1 by Tom Jennings. 24 Jul 1999 XIII Pan American Games [through 8 Aug 99]. 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. 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 15-25 Page 13 22 Jun 1998 ================================================================= FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY ================================================================= FidoNews PGP Public-Key Listing [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: Democracy Requires A Free And Uncensored Press. mQENAzUDQfgAAAEH/2cZjrzKxinfyk1NRYy2D78JEU8jFx6fvGyisnN2SX+QwRrA AxBbsMuseM3x60SFhHV7r93CxKWJylPCBJKvDazmWwy+vgBr+ZJvl7Ypj/IB4pWS Apngg8cmDH1h5d0VeYNORsuJ2udHZYRezkZ0eeJlaOsJCj5Xu0QImSp++VU/0oB1 6XRoNPy548xq8Qles1pLC8Kw7HU7Vff1WeaU3mPPQeaGZqn2qSAu5t6Z0Bhm27Pq zNaJ+JWNHaLCHlwrRHV+p9bCdfl3u303OxKPne0cSpxfe+gQBTlVta7B14ssgnzQ mnBFhvKWgM7LT105YD3EcWW9IJE1ByNHwo25a3EABRG0D0ZpZG9OZXdzIEVkaXRv cokAlQMFEDUKMDDrSgiY3KJNQQEB16YD/2tYVRC+dxghA/OwIWNH20GvQXw1zgfv cB6r8gYHcczTCqGu5qbjDOTftoBXY9vI3/CZNsSbvp0ibQinpN6zSgyy2+4wwPbu db/VnjXwBByq7ygTpNwQBMsYjs+iyndwTnR90dH3FewsveBCzeqjmP0Y/PJliElw zEmGKxoFr1SM =G82W -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- File-request FNEWSKEY from 1:1/23 [1:205/1701] or download it from IKVHFoT! BBS at 1-209-251-7529 anytime Zone 1 ZMH at 300-9600+ V34. The FidoNews key is also available on the FidoNews homepage listed in the Masthead information. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 14 22 Jun 1998 ================================================================= FIDONET BY INTERNET ================================================================= This is a list of all FidoNet-related sites reported to the FidoNews Editor as of this issue; see the notice at the end. ============ FidoNet: Homepage http://www.fidonet.org FidoNews http://www.fidonews.org [HTML] http://209.77.228.66/fidonews.html [ASCII] WWW sources http://www.scms.rgu.ac.uk/students/cs_yr94/lk/fido.html FTSC page http://www.goldware.dk/ftsc Echomail [pending] WebRing http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fnetring.html [TFN] General http://owls.com/~jerrys/fidonet.html ============ Zone 1: http://www.z1.fidonet.org Region 10: http://www.psnw.com/~net205/region10.html Region 11: http://oeonline.com/~garyg/region11/ Region 13: http://www.smalltalkband.com/st01000.htm Region 14: Region 15: Region 16: Region 17: Region 18: http://techstop.pdn.net/fido/ Region 19: http://www.compconn.net ============ Zone 2: http://www.z2.fidonet.org ZEC2: Zone 2 Elist: http://www.fbone.ch/z2_elist/ 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) FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 15 22 Jun 1998 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 (Swiss?) Region 33: http://www.fidoitalia.net (Italian) Region 34: http://www.pobox.com/cnb/r34.htm (Spanish) REC34: http://pobox.com/~chr 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 48: http://www.fidonet.org.pl ============ Zone 3: http://www.z3.fidonet.org ============ Zone 4: http://www.altern.org/zone4 Region 90: http://visitweb.com/fidonet Net 903: http://www.playagrande.com/refugio Net 904: http://members.tripod.com/~net904 (Spanish) ============ Zone 5: http://w3.eastcape.co.za/fidonet/index.htm ============ Zone 6: http://www.z6.fidonet.org Region 65: http://www.cfido.com/fidonet/cfidochina.html (Chinese) ============ Pages listed above are as submitted to the FidoNews Editor, and generally reflect Zone and Regional Web Page sites. If no Regional site is submitted, the first Network page from that Region is used in its place. Generally, Regional pages should list access points to all Networks within the Region. FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 16 22 Jun 1998 TCP/IP accessible nodes should submit their URL or Telnet locations to the FidoNews Editor for a later publication. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 17 22 Jun 1998 ================================================================= FIDONEWS INFORMATION ================================================================= ------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ------- Editor: Zorch Frezberg Editors Emeritii: Tom Jennings, Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar, Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees, Christopher Baker "FidoNews Editor" FidoNet 1:1/23 BBS 1-209-251-7529, 300/1200/2400/9600/V.34/V.90 more addresses: Zorch Frezberg -- 1:205/1701, zorch@repairnet.com zorch@qnis.net zorch@kumr.lns.com (Postal Service mailing address) FidoNews Editor P.O. Box 642 Fresno, CA 93709-0642 U.S.A. voice: 1-209-446-9038 [voice mail = 'blind' numbers not returned] ------------------------------------------------------ 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 1998 Zorch Frezberg. 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 [FNEWSFnn.ZIP] for a particular Issue. Monthly Volumes are available as FNWSmmmy.ZIP FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 18 22 Jun 1998 where mmm = three letter month [JAN - DEC] and y = last digit of the current year [8], i.e., FNWSJAN8.ZIP for all the Issues from Jan 98. Annual volumes are available as FNEWSn.ZIP where n = the Volume number 1 - 15 for 1984 - 1998, respectively. Annual Volume archives range in size from 48K to 1.4M. INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via: http://www.fidonews.org http://www.fidonet.org/fidonews.htm ftp://ftp.fidonet.org/pub/fidonet/fidonews/ ftp://ftp.aminet.org/pub/aminet/comm/fido/ ftp://ftp.irvbbs.com/fidonews/ *=*=* 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 STAR SOURCE for ALL Past Issues via FTP and file-request - 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. FIDONEWS 15-25 Page 19 22 Jun 1998 =*=*=*= The current week's FidoNews and the FidoNews public-key are now also available almost immediately after publication on the FidoNews Editor homepage on the World Wide Web at: http://209.77.228.66/fidonews.html 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 [1:205/1701] by file-request for FNEWSKEY or by download from IKVHFoT! BBS at 1-209-251-7529 as FIDONEWS.ASC in File Area X. It is also posted twice a month into the PKEY_DROP Echo available on the Zone 1 Echomail Backbone. *=*=*=*=* 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 [1:205/1701] 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, 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 ### -30- ### --------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------