Fido/FidoNet Specifications & Prices, June 89 Fido Software 164 Shipley San Francisco CA 94107 voice: (415)-764-1688 data: (415)-764-1629 Fido/FidoNet is a software package for DOS based Personal¨ Computers that contains a complete Bulletin Board System plus a¨ fully automatic Electronic Mail system. Fido is the most popular Bulletin Board system in the world¨ because of its flexibility, reliability, and features; FidoNet is¨ the software that defined the FidoNet protocol now in use around¨ the world. The worlds largest privately-owned computer network is¨ based upon the FidoNet communications protocol. Fido(r) Bulletin Board System: Absolute security Complete caller access controls 200 independent message & file areas Complete Email and message commands Fully error correcting file transfer protocols Supports all major DOS/MSDOS Personal Computers Callers, commands, message and file areas can all have separate¨ privilege levels and Locks & Keys applied to them; these let you¨ limit callers' access to any part of the Fido system to fit your¨ needs. FidoNet(r) Electronic Mail Network: Completely automatic Electronic Mail Full error correction protocol Extensive time-of-day event scheduling Powerful message routing language Automatic message routing FidoNet is an automatic "store-and-forward" mail system that uses¨ modems to transfer messages and files between FidoNet-equipped computers. Using Fido, you enter messages,¨ choosing the destination computer(s) from a list; later, FidoNet¨ automatically transfers those messages to the destination¨ computers. Fido/FidoNet will inform you when the message has been¨ successfully sent. There can be any number of messages pending to¨ any number of destination computers. FidoNet's routing language¨ and other resources let you control exactly how and when FidoNet¨ messages are sent. All transfers use error correction for¨ absolute reliability (Fido supports both the original and¨ universal FidoNet protocol, as well as the WaZoo protocol,¨ developed by Wynn Wagner). FidoNet networks can be organized into "Nets" and "Regions"¨ (FidoNet also has "Zones", groups of Nets and Regions, that¨ handle the problems of intercontinental traffic; differences in¨ time zones, incompatible modems, outgoing "gateways" for lowest¨ cost, and so on), each of which can contain any number of¨ computers running the Fido/FidoNet software, or compatibles,¨ (nodes) one of which is designated Host for the Net. A Host¨ receives mail for the entire Net, and distributes the mail to its¨ local nodes. FidoNet is intelligent enough to send all messages¨ for a given net in one phone call; you can get further efficiency¨ with the routing language. FidoNet networks can be as small as two or three computers, or as¨ large as 5,000 spread over five continents, the size of the¨ amateur hobbyist IFNA Network as of January, 1989. System Description Ease of use: Fido/FidoNet is extremely easy to use, and is¨ compatible with just about any users terminal program or¨ computer. The user interface does not get in the way of¨ communicating; there are only two levels of menus. Users see only¨ what they need; novices find an easy to understand selection of¨ simple commands, and experts can choose a brief prompt. Context¨ sensitive help is available at all decision points. Reliability: Fido/FidoNet is designed first and foremost for¨ reliability, meaning it will run 24 hours a day for months at a¨ time with no human intervention. (Obviously this doesn't include¨ responding to callers questions or other such things.) Tools are¨ provided that handle all routine maintenance tasks automatically. Performance: Fido/FidoNet makes excellent use of ordinary¨ computers; "PC class" computers are all that's needed. ("AT¨ class" or better are recommended at 9600 baud and above.) More than one modem: While Fido/FidoNet supports only one modem,¨ you can run more than one copy of Fido/FidoNet per computer using¨ multitasker programs. Fido/FidoNet prevents file and message¨ "collisions" when there are other users reading and writing the¨ same messages and downloading or uploading files, and for some¨ multitaskers will give unused CPU time to the other Fido/FidoNet.¨ See "Supported Operating Systems" for the current list of¨ supported multitaskers. Low disk space overhead: A 20 Megabyte hard disk means¨ essentially unlimited space; room for thousands of messages,¨ files, a 4,000+ node FidoNet network, and plenty of disk space¨ left over. For a sample "small scale" system, with only two 360K floppies¨ and 256K of memory, there is room for all of the basic¨ Fido/FidoNet system utilities plus your text editor and other¨ tools, over 200 messages, and close to 100K bytes free. The same¨ system with a 1,600 node FidoNet Network can have approximately¨ 80 messages. Modem Handling: Fido/FidoNet achieves extremely high reliability¨ with ordinary modems. During idle periods, Fido/FidoNet "talks¨ to" the modem to make sure it is ready and working. (While of¨ course modems are not supposed to misbehave, in real life they¨ can get confused by callers' strange and incompatible modems,¨ improper operation, bad phone lines, and the very cheap modems¨ frequently have firmware bugs. Fido/FidoNet generally takes care¨ of all of these things. Almost all problems reported to Fido¨ Software are modem-related problems!) Incoming callers' baud rate¨ is determined automatically; callers do not have to hit the¨ "ENTER" key to get the systems attention. Outgoing calls made by¨ FidoNet (if so enabled) watch for busy, no-dial-tone, and other¨ features as supported by each modem. Caller DataBase: Each caller to the system has a record in a¨ database that maintains each callers name, password, terminal­ specific settings, privilege levels and controls, and various¨ statistics. Tools provided manipulate these records both manually¨ and automatically. The number of callers is limited only by disk¨ space. System Messages and Bulletins: Fido/FidoNet uses ordinary text¨ files for most system messages and bulletins, that are meant to¨ be customized for your installation. When displaying and entering¨ text, the Fido takes into account each callers terminal settings,¨ such as screen width and length, and performs on-screen¨ formatting for a clean display. Access Controls: There are six privilege levels that callers can¨ be assigned. You can specify minimum privilege levels needed to¨ access commands and message and file areas. In addition to privilege levels, there are 32 "locks" with¨ matching "keys". Locks are be applied to things such as commands¨ and message and file areas; callers may be given any number of¨ keys. Callers can access only those things for which they have¨ all of the matching keys, plus meet the privilege level¨ requirements. For example, if the E)nter-Message command has lock¨ #20 applied, only callers that have Key #20, plus any necessary¨ minimum privilege levels, can use, see or get help with that¨ command. Limits can be placed on each callers' connect-time on the system¨ per-call and per-24-hour period, and on file downloads. Time¨ limits are enforced at all times, including file download and¨ upload, so that scheduled Events are not preempted by caller file¨ downloads or uploads. ("Optional" events, described elsewhere,¨ may be preempted by human callers.) Context-Sensitive Help System: Help is context-sensitive, taking into account what commands the caller¨ has access to because of privilege levels or locks and keys. Help¨ is available on every command in the system. The Help files are¨ text files that can be customized to fit your specific needs. Message Areas: There can be up to 200 separate message areas,¨ each with access controls as described above. The number of¨ messages in each area is limited only by disk space. Callers can¨ enter new messages, modify existing saved messages, search for¨ messages by keyword or as addressed to or from them, and perform¨ many other operations upon messages. Help is available at all¨ decision points. File Areas: There can be up to 200 independent file areas, with¨ access controls as described earlier. There are a number of ways¨ in which to make files available (or not) to callers. Commands¨ and functions have been added to make remote maintenance of file¨ areas and other parts of the disk easier for the system operator.¨ Files can be uploaded and downloaded in ASCII, ZMODEM, XMODEM,¨ Telink, "MODEM BATCH" or Kermit protocols. XMODEM is nearly¨ universal, and can handle binary files; ZMODEM has performance to¨ match high-performance modems; Kermit and ASCII are used between¨ otherwise-incompatible computers. Fido Software's "FidoTerm" program works well with Fido/FidoNet¨ (or any other modem based system). Programmed events: There can be up to 100 "Events", scheduled to¨ run at any time of the day and any day of the week. Events allow¨ Fido/FidoNet to run FidoNet network mail, execute external¨ programs via DOS Batch Files, and other events for various¨ special purposes. The events system can handle simultaneous¨ and/or overlapping events, special "optional" events, and¨ combinations of events and special characteristics. ("Optional"¨ events can be used, for example, to simulate "background" FidoNet¨ network activity while no caller is otherwise occupying the¨ system.) FidoNet mail at any time: Fido/FidoNet can send or receive mail¨ to and from other Fido/FidoNet systems at any time a caller is¨ not occupying the system, as well as during scheduled FidoNet¨ Network Events. Optionally, Fido/FidoNet can execute external¨ programs via a DOS Batch File to do special processing of¨ unscheduled Incoming Mail. Other Features & Enhancements: You can sign in to the system from¨ the local keyboard, as if you had called in remotely with a¨ modem, without "taking down" the system. Upcoming events can be¨ listed, and previously-run events can be reenabled from the local¨ keyboard. Fido works with external "shell" programs to allow programmers¨ and "aftermarket" add-on programs to work with Fido/FidoNet.¨ Technical information is available in the manual. (External¨ "shell" support programs are not supplied by Fido Software.) Customization Fido/FidoNet parameters, lists of events, command names, and¨ message and file area definitions are contained in ordinary text¨ files you can display and change with your own text editor¨ program. Message and file areas are defined in one text file;¨ the Fido/FidoNet system takes care of all the work of creating¨ and verifying the actual DOS subdirectories used. Commands are in¨ their own text file, along with any privilege levels and locks.¨ You can change command names to any single word you choose. Programs Supplied with Fido/FidoNet The following are some of the programs supplied as part of the¨ standard Fido/FidoNet system package. In addition, there are many¨ "aftermarket" programs from other authors that make using and¨ maintaining Fido/FidoNet easier and more powerful. You can schedule Events in Fido/FidoNet to execute these or other¨ programs at any time, using an MSDOS Batch File you create to¨ make your system completely or partially automatic. MSGMGR.EXE: (the Message Manager) performs routine maintenance on¨ messages within Fido/FidoNet Message Areas, such as purging¨ messages by age, and renumbering messages so they are sequential.¨ MSGMGR has it's own text file of commands that tells it what to¨ do. SYSOP.EXE: is a database-like tool for managing the caller¨ database that contains the names, passwords and statistics and¨ other information on each caller. You can enter new callers,¨ delete existing callers one by one or by time since last logged¨ in; set caller privilege level and assign Keys; force callers¨ into specific message and file areas; and many more functions.¨ There is also an "undo" feature and context sensitive help. FIDOMAIL.EXE: lets you create FidoNet network messages with your¨ own text editor or word processor. For example, during the day¨ you can create text files destined for other FidoNet network¨ nodes, and via an Event, have AutoMail put them into the FidoNet¨ message system. TWIX.EXE: prints FidoNet network mail newly received on your¨ printer or in a disk file you specify. Requirements and Specifications Computers: Fido/FidoNet works on all IBM(r) Personal Computers;¨ PC, XT, AT, all PS/2 models, and all compatible "clones", whether¨ 8088, 8086, 80286, 80386. (A "FOSSIL" version is available for¨ other non-compatible MSDOS computers.) Your computer must have at least the following: 192K available memory At least 700K of disk storage One Serial Port (or internal modem) Modem as described below The following are strongly recommended: Hard disk Internal Clock Modems: The following are explicitly supported by Fido/FidoNet;¨ other "Hayes compatible" (The phrase "Hayes compatible" is just¨ about meaningless, "AT" command compatibility is not enough;¨ there are other more important and subtle variables.) modems¨ usually work, but models not listed below are not guaranteed by¨ Fido Software to work. (Fido/FidoNet does allow you to customize¨ modem installations.) Hayes SmartModem 1200 Everex Internal & External models U.S. Robotics Courier 2400 U.S. Robotics Courier HST Hayes SmartModem V-series Telebit TrailBlazer and Plus Multi-Tech 2400 Prentice POPCOM 1200 or 2400 Most other "Hayes compatible" modems "Dumb" modems (FidoNet cannot be used) Direct connect to PBX or special serial device Operating Systems Supported: MSDOS/PCDOS versions 2.00 and up,¨ with most Local Area Networks (ViaNet, Novell Netware, etc) most¨ multitasker programs (DoubleDOS, DESQView, Multilink, etc) and¨ multiprocessor hardware products (Alloy Computer Products' Slave¨ Cards); please contact the manufacturers of those products for¨ details. Fido/FidoNet is specifically DoubleDOS and DESQView aware. Software Policy This is the new (June 1989) software policy for the Fido/FidoNet¨ package. Please read it carefully. First, some definitions: Hobbyists run BBSs for their own personal reasons. Their BBS is¨ not associated with their employer or any business. How they run¨ their BBS is none of my business, ie. private, public,¨ subscription or chattel slavery. Commercial users are companies, corporations, proprietorships or¨ any other business entities that run a BBS, either publicly or¨ privately, associated with their business. "Non-profit" and "not¨ for profit" organizations are included in this category. And here's the deal: Hobbiests and Individuals: Fido/FidoNet is shareware; you can¨ download the software itself, minus documentation, from the Fido¨ Software BBS. There is no downloadable documentation. (If you¨ thought the version 11 docs were unwieldy...) I will provide no¨ direct support. Hobbyists can receive the complete package¨ (diskettes and documentation) for a reduced price, as listed on¨ the price sheet. Commercial Users: Fido/FidoNet is an ordinary licensable product,¨ the license fee is as it has been for two years. You will receive¨ the complete package of diskettes, complete documentation, and¨ support via the Fido Software BBS and voice telephone. (This has¨ proved to be more than adequate for over two years.) It is common practice that commercial users "try out"¨ Fido/FidoNet as "shareware" first. There is nothing wrong with¨ this as long as if the software has been or will be useful to¨ you, the product is licensed immediately. Special arrangements can be made on a case by case basis. In all¨ cases, bugs are fixed promptly, as they have been for five years.¨ This is basically the policy that was in force 1985 through 1987,¨ and worked very well; people appreciate being trusted, and¨ Fido/FidoNet is an extremely high quality system. "Shareware" Distributors: I do not wish Fido/FidoNet to be¨ distributed by "shareware distributors", "libraries" or other¨ similar organizations. The problems are too numerous to count:¨ shipping ancient, incomplete versions; missing critical files;¨ giving out incorrect information regarding support; giving bad¨ operating advice, etc. Never mind the fact that they are using¨ the software for profit, regardless of claims to the otherwise¨ and suggesting that their customers pay instead. Ordering Fido/FidoNet Version 12 Commercial price: $175 Hobbiest price: $50.00 Complete Fido/FidoNet system license, including support programs,¨ diskette, manuals, telephone support and extended access to the¨ Fido Software customer support bulletin board. Fido/FidoNet Version 12 program update $25 When enhancements to Fido/FidoNet version 12 are made (bugs¨ fixed, features added) customers may upgrade their current¨ licensed Version 12 software to the latest revision; the original¨ diskette must be returned to in order to qualify. Errata sheets¨ are provided as necessary. Fido/FidoNet upgrade from previous versions $50 Fido Software customers who licensed any previous version number¨ of Fido/FidoNet directly from Fido Software can upgrade to¨ version 12 for this price; the original diskette must be¨ returned. NOTE: This is not a normal "program update", as¨ described above, because of the new materials that must be¨ provided. FidoTerm Terminal Program $12 The FidoTerm program is a simple, powerful and easy to use¨ terminal program. You can view the last few hundred lines that¨ scrolled off the top of your screen; supports powerful file¨ transfer protocols (ASCII, Xmodem, Zmodem), and has a true script¨ language with true programming language constructs: a switch()¨ statement, local variables, subroutining and recursion. Comes¨ complete with printed manual. FidoTerm is well integrated into Fido/FidoNet; it may be invoked¨ from Fido's local console, and will "know" about the installed¨ modem type and port, and recently-added commands let you dial¨ from a FidoNet nodelist. All orders: The software is available directly from Fido Software¨ or authorized distributors only. Terms: Prepaid with order, or¨ invoices accepted from rated companies, payment Net 30 days. No¨ credit cards accepted. US/Canada: All orders are shipped U.S. Postal Service First Class¨ (Priority Mail). Prices listed include shipping and taxes, where¨ applicable. For Federal Express next- day service add $25. Outside US/Canada: For checks written outside U.S., add $20.00¨ per order; please, only checks "drawn upon a US bank". All orders¨ shipped Air Mail. Fido, FidoNet, and the dog-with-diskette are registered¨ trademarks of Tom Jennings. Fido/FidoNet and all support programs¨ are copyright by Tom Jennings 1989