Volume 6, Number 19 8 May 1989 +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | _ | | / \ | | /|oo \ | | - FidoNews - (_| /_) | | _`@/_ \ _ | | International | | \ \\ | | FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) | | Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// | | / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / | | (________) (_/(_|(____/ | | (jm) | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ Editor in Chief: Vince Perriello Editors Emeritii: Dale Lovell Thom Henderson Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings Contributing Editors: Al Arango FidoNews is published weekly by the International FidoNet Association as its official newsletter. You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from node 1:1/1. 1:1/1 is a Continuous Mail system, available for network mail 24 hours a day. Copyright 1989 by the International FidoNet Association. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances, please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067. IFNA may also be contacted at PO Box 41143, St. Louis, MO 63141. Fido and FidoNet are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings of Fido Software, 164 Shipley Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94107 and are used with permission. We don't necessarily agree with the contents of every article published here. Most of these materials are unsolicited. No article will be rejected which is properly attributed and legally acceptable. We will publish every responsible submission received. Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1 It's time to speak out on Freedom of the Press ........... 1 2. ARTICLES ................................................. 3 Echo CHIPS IN ............................................ 3 Behind the Scenes on Policy4 ............................. 5 The Hermit's New Software Releases ....................... 9 MORE_ICONS Some more ICONS for artistic types ............ 10 ParaNet Leads The Information Society! ................... 11 3. COLUMNS .................................................. 15 The Veterinarian's Corner: Lymphosarcoma ................. 15 And more! FidoNews 6-19 Page 1 8 May 1989 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= It's time to speak out on Freedom of the Press As many of you have no doubt noticed, FidoNews isn't a rigidly controlled publication. Its content often has little or nothing to do with the day-in, day-out nonsense involved in being a member of FidoNet. There are articles and discussions of some amazingly varied topics, reflecting the similarly varied tastes of the five thousand member nodes of FidoNet. I personally believe that it is a major strength of this publication that any member of FidoNet is allowed to contribute to a publication that is made available to every other member of FidoNet. It is, quite literally, a free and open public forum in which any of us can share anything we consider important with anyone else. Of course, there is a "down" side to this openness. The down side is this: not every issue of FidoNews will be of interest to everyone in FidoNet. In some cases, there might be one or two issues in succession that in some individuals' opinions, would have been better off unpublished. I'm sorry to disagree with those people, but this is the price that you pay for having your own turn with FidoNews when YOU want it. There are sometimes excesses, but we'll gradually learn how to minimize them without hurting the open policy. There now appear to be some rumblings in the coordinators' structure to the effect that FidoNews has too low of a "signal to noise ratio" and that perhaps the *C's might want to do something about it. This is apparently largely due to the fact that readership isn't what it used to be, and many NC's have been resisting the idea of carrying FidoNews, which is currently mandated by Fidonet Policy. I can't resist the temptation to suggest that indeed we have had the same problem with the *C structure. How about some more signal and less noise from them? Whatever happened, for example, to the promised WEEKLY update from the coordinators via the "RegComm - Communications from RegCon" column? Well, to be fair, it only claimed to be a "weekly" update in the January 2 and January 9 columns. The January 16 column billed itself as a "regular" column. Of course, it was the last one submitted. When humans get that "regular" they usually need an enema. Look, maybe as an individual you don't always like what appears in FidoNews. But this is YOUR publication. YOU decide what appears in it through YOUR submissions. If you don't like the signal to noise ratio, submit something with a high signal level and its presence in the newsletter will help keep that ratio closer to where you'd like it. FidoNews 6-19 Page 2 8 May 1989 At this point, then, FidoNews seems to have reached a very important cusp. We need this open and widely distributed forum. The *C's want something that stays a bit closer to the center of things. As yet there has been no real concensus among the *C's on any course of action, and this means that the time is right for you to be heard on this issue. If you agree that FidoNews should belong to ALL of us, then you had damned well better get off your gluteus maximus and write a note to your coordinator saying just that. Then, while you're in a writing mood, how about submitting an article? ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 3 8 May 1989 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= Echo "CHIPS" In for disABLED User It was a cold day last February 16th in upstate New York, otherwise known as the Adirondacks of New York state, USA. It was also a time when the RONDACK Echo was becoming more active. You know, those wintery months when the hacks come in to play, where it's warm. For those in the more temperate regions of the world, I'm talking about a "heat wave" where the temperature got up to zero farenheit. An article in the newspaper about a 14 year old boy who is suffering from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome appears, with a big picture of him sitting at his computer, with a smile as wide as his 13 inch screen. The article quotes his mother as saying that her son, Louis, gets his kicks by using the computer to play games and discover ways to make the computer work for him. The article touched alot of people that day, including the users of the RONDACK Echo. Knowing the potential value echomail could be to Louis, one of the Rondack'ers, aka Brothers / Sisters found out that he didn't have a modem. Well... that day, a message was posted in the RONDACK Echo asking for volunteers to pitch in to purchase a modem to give to the potential Rondack'r. The response from the users was great and by the time midnight came around, on the same day, the modem was nearly half paid for. Arrangements had been made with the local Independent Living Center to act as recipient of donations for the modem. This whole experience was new to the local Independent Living Center and they welcomed the opportunity to help us out in helping others in need. Consequently, they have established an open account for the sole use of accumulating funds to be used in the purchase of telecommunications equipment and other computer hardware that can be disbursed to persons within their service area who can benefit from its use. In addition, some of the echo participants have offered their time and expertise in helping a new user get setup, including training. The whole experience also converted some "lurkers" to the official "Un-lurker" status of the echo. It was good to see evidence of an echo working together to help someone. A pleasant change from what you read in some echos. We are not a charitable echo, just an echo with charitable users. Not unlike you, I suspect. Mmmm, is this a challenge? Yes, why not? I would love to challenge any other "echo" to DO something to help those around you. Let the public know about the good things that FidoNet is capable of, and what its users are doing. If you are already involved in a project like this, then please share it with us. I'm sure we would benefit from your experience. FidoNews 6-19 Page 4 8 May 1989 Submitted by Ross Calloway, moderator RONDACK ECHO, 1:267/41 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 5 8 May 1989 Steve Bonine 11/0 Policy4: A Perspective The new version of FidoNet policy has been released for a vote by the coordinator structure, the results of which will be announced in the June 9 nodediff. The new policy document has been discussed at length in the REGCON echomail conference, and represents my best attempt to capture the consensus of the Regional Coordinators who participate in that forum. In this FidoNews article, I am expressing my impressions of the document, with some indication of how the consensus was reached. I am but one of the contributors, but with perhaps a unique perspective. Rather than publishing the full text of the final draft of Policy4 in FidoNews, I will discuss the changes between what was published previously and the final version. The full policy file will be distributed through the coordinator structure, and is available for file request from the RC's using the "magic name" of POLICY4. I want to emphasize that the opinions expressed in this article are my own. If you have questions about Policy4, get a copy and read it. It speaks rather well for itself. I have not been given any authority to speak for the FidoNet coordinator structure, and I don't pretend to do so. Section 1.2 -- Organization, and Organization ------- --- ------------- --- ------------ The original Policy4 had two sections on each level of FidoNet. For example, there was a section describing a network, and another describing a network coordinator. These have been consolidated; for example, there is now a single section which describes networks and network coordinators. Virtually all the same words are still there, just organized differently. Top-Down Organization -------- ------------ The summary of FidoNet organization, now section 1.2.8, was clarified. Two exceptions to the strict top-down organization of FidoNet have been introduced by Policy4: (1) Decisions of the IC can be reversed by the Zone Coordinator Council, and (2) Decisions of a ZC can be reversed by a majority of the Regional Coordinators in that zone. This was done to provide a check-and-balance at the highest level of FidoNet. In a sense, this mechanism has always existed; under Policy3 if a majority of the RC's decided not to support the ZC then the effect would be the same. This procedure is formal in Policy4, with the RC's as a check on the actions of ZC's, and the ZC's as a check on the actions of the IC. Hopefully, none of this will ever be invoked. FidoNews 6-19 Page 6 8 May 1989 The appeal process for standard policy complaints is not changed with Policy4. If you complain to your NC, and don't like the decision, you still appeal to the RC. There have been vocal calls for democracy in FidoNet. The changes which have been implemented are a step in that direction, although a smaller step than some would prefer. The vast majority of FidoNet sysops are satisfied with the way that the network is organized, and if they are not then the procedure exists with Policy4 to get it changed. Geography --------- Policy4 is quite specific that network membership is based upon technical factors, not social factors. This is entirely appropriate for a mail network, and this issue is one in which agreement was close to unanimous in the RC group. Networks exist primarily for the good of FidoNet, not for the members of that particular network. When the basic organization of FidoNet is compromised, then the integrity of the network is compromised. You don't get more basic than this. Excessively Annoying Behavior ----------- -------- -------- The attempt to define annoying behavior which appeared in the initial draft was expanded in the final draft to include the distinction between annoying and EXCESSIVELY annoying. The guidelines are still vague, as well they should be, but the intent was to reduce the quivering from new sysops who are afraid that they will be lynched if they make the smallest error. Commercial Use of FidoNet ---------- --- -- ------- In order to protect the coordinator structure from potential lawsuits, and to clarify the fact that NC's are not generally thrilled with subsidizing commercial operations by forwarding commercial mail, specific prohibitions on the use of FidoNet for strictly commercial purposes have been added. This is a difficult issue, as information interchange between vendors and users is an activity which benefits both, whereas strictly commercial use of a volunteer, amateur network is not appropriate. Protocol -------- It was made clear that the minimum requirement for compatibility with FidoNet protocol as defined in the FTSC standard FTS-0001 is not optional. More capability is fine, but basic FidoNet standard is required. EchoMail During ZMH -------- ------ --- FidoNews 6-19 Page 7 8 May 1989 In the sense that there was quite a bit of spirited discussion, this issue was the opposite of the geographic-network issue. It was decided to go with the wording "Echomail should not be trans- ferred during ZMH." Some RC's wanted the wording stronger; some wanted no prohibition at all. The bottom line is simple -- if your coordinator can't get through to you during ZMH, chances are good that your nodelist entry will disappear. Somehow, the risk doesn't seem worth the reward. Voice Telephone ----- --------- It was decided to require a voice telephone as a part of the information sent when requesting a node number. In spite of a desire not to obligate the coordinator to use the voice number to contact the individual in the case of problems, the consensus was that requiring a voice telephone number was actually in the best interests of the person requesting a node number, and certainly was not unreasonable. After all, why should we issue a node number with less information than we require to validate a user on our systems? Dual Majority ---- -------- The dual majority idea (in which a majority of NC's and a separate majority of RC's is required to pass a policy change) is scrapped. The requirement is now simply a majority of the votes cast. Language -------- There are zero occurences of the words "he", "her", "his", and "hers" except in the case histories. General Comments ------- -------- With obvious bias, I can say that I feel that Policy4 is a distinct improvement over Policy3, and should be adopted. The changes from Policy3 are not dramatic, but we are overdue in bringing our policy document up to date with the way that FidoNet operates today. It is perhaps unfortunate that we need such a large amount of verbiage to define things which should be obvious, but experience shows that this is indeed the case. I doubt that any one individual will agree 100% with everything in Policy4. We had some spirited discussions in REGCON, and not everyone got everything they wanted. I hope that the document does not look like it was written by committee, and that it will serve us as well as previous versions of FidoNet policy have served. Acknowledgements ---------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 8 8 May 1989 I am not trying to take credit for Policy4. In fact, this is the first time I have admitted in an open forum that I had anything at all to do with it. It is sad that any time you do anything in FidoNet, you open yourself up to personal attack by persons who disagree with some aspect of what you've done. I would like to thank several other folks who made significant contributions to Policy4, but (a) I don't know all of them, and (b) I'm not sure that they would appreciate my mention of their name, because of the problem of hate mail. I will, therefore, content myself with two specific names. Policy4 obviously owes a great deal to Policy3, and Thom Henderson's work in that area is well known. The first six drafts of Policy4 were coordinated by Harry Lee, so things were well under way when I took over the task. The real credit goes to the Regional Coordinators who participate in REGCON. The development of Policy4 is a powerful illustration that it is possible to do useful work using echomail. We had a couple of discussions on a voice conference facility, but the major part of the work was done in REGCON. Zone 3 was repre- sented, but not zone 2, much to my disappointment. I want to thank all the RC's who provided their insight; it really is a joint creation, and all I did was act as listener. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 9 8 May 1989 The 10 Point Gothic Column -------------------------- The Hermit's New Software Releases Greg Glynn - The Airlock Hermit From 3:712/506.4 - Home of the Brave SPACE HEROS (SPACEH.ARC - 820Mb) Great new galactic domination game. Multi player, Multi user. Supports VGA/EGA/CGA. Aptly Named because you need to be a SPACE HERO to store a 820Mb game in the first place! AUTO FLAME (OUCH.ARC - 57Kb) Echomail utility that generates automatic flame messages. Many great features like RANDOM-FLAME mode, FLAME-THROWER mode and VULCAN THE FLAME EATING MIDGET mode. BURNOUT (BURNOUT.ARC - 12Kb) Are you a Fidonet "BURNOUT". Find out with this quiz. Heres an example: 14. When some jerk jumps into a conference half way through and calls you a "Lilly-Livered Two-Faced Low-Down Four-Flushing Side-Windin' Crocker-Crocker" do you.. a. Ignore him b. Laugh and him and then Ignore him c. Send a reply through the conference calling him a "Stupid Git-Faced Half-Baked Broken-Down Lump of Slimey Gnu Vomit" WINEO (WINEO.ARC 1K) Clever little program. Place it anywhere on a hard disk and all the other files near it will try to move as far away from it as they can. Thus clearing vast amounts of disk space around the WINEO.YUK file. Exactly WHY you'd want to do this is beyond me! More Great New Hermitware on the way. Look for these exiting titles on a Bulletin Board near you.... MIXIT.ARC 190K Realistic Cake Mixing Simulation. NUKE_EM.ARC 489K "Fun" Nuclear War Game. ROULETTE.ARC 120K Just like Russian Roulette. Will rub out a random file once every six times you run it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 10 8 May 1989 L. Edel 151/2 MO_ICONS_PLEASE For some reason, the ICONS in a past Fido Newsletter, were not the icons I have seen in use the past several years!!! Where did the nose come from? Originally,, the set goes as follows, excluding some that can only be used on IBM, ATARI, COMMODORE, etc. :) - smile/happy :( - frown/sad :D - big smile or laugh :c - pout :> - mischievious smile :'( - cry ;) - wink ;> - sly wink :* - kiss [] - hug :O - shout/yawn O:) - angel/innocent ]:> - devil/guilty :I - content :# - grimace/frustrated :/ - disfavor/baffled :P - sticking out tongue :X - not talking :d - tastes good :9 8) - wide-eyed surprise B) - glasses [% - mug c% - coffee cup U - glass u - shot glass Y - wine/cocktail glass ---<--<-@ long-stemmed rose ----===== drink sliding down bar Also worth considering are the following: OLM - On Line Message OTW - On The Way OIC - Oh I See H - HUH??? BTW - By The Way LOL - Laughing Out Loud ROTF - Rolling On The Floor RAO - Rolling All Over LMTO - Laughing My Tush Off BRB - Be Right Back AFK - Away From Keys BBL - Be Back Later BAK - Back At Keys WLCM - Welcome BCNU - Be Seeing You L8R - Later ODM - On De Move OTB - Off To Bed LTNT - Long Time No Type TTFN - Ta Ta For Now RE - Again (Greetings, as in "re-hi") LTNS - Long Time No See M/F - Male or Female (also known as 'MORFING', as in "Oh no! I've been morfed!!") I hope this make for more "colorful communicating". Just remember the quote from Alex Bell (no relationship to the famous Bell) "Anything that can be said in a few words, isn't worth saying and should be forgotten". Don't blame me I didn't say it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 11 8 May 1989 ParaNet Leads The Information Society! On October 14, 1988, 'UFO Cover-Up? Live' made it's television debut. During the program callers were asked to vote by phone. Surprisingly, over 60% of the people that called in reported that they believe in the existence of UFOs. Of that percentage, several people had reported that they had spotted a UFO. Although the UFOlogical community found that program to be, generally, in bad taste, with it's poor treatment of the subject, many people who have had an experience find it extremely frustrating when attempting to get information about the subject. ParaNet was founded three years ago by Jim Speiser to provide an electronic outlet for the latest up to the minute UFO information, sightings, investigative findings and any other information which is related to the phenomenon. The first ParaNet system was located in Phoenix, Arizona. Jim worked hard to get factual information out to the public and the users of ParaNet have grown to over 2000 worldwide. Since it's beginning, ParaNet has grown to over 18 online systems located throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. All ParaNet systems are on Fido and are accessible by computer and modem. The systems carry a wide variety of files, over 5 megs, that detail reports, sightings, news clippings and articles contributed to ParaNet by users and well known authors and investigators. ParaNet has earned a high degree of respectability among top research people and published authors such as Dr. Bruce Maccabee, a Navy Physicist, and Phil Imbrogno, author of Night Siege. These and many other people use ParaNet and provide the users with an interface to what is currently going on in the community. In addition, we are now interfaced with UFO Magazine in Los Angeles, California. The publisher and editor, Vicki Cooper maintains an echomail conference called Ask UFO which allows users to ask Vicki questions concerning the phenomenon. Recently, ParaNet has started a SIG on Compuserve in the ISSUES Forum area 7 which is designed to give them more accessibility to people who want to know what is going on. ParaNet has a goal of getting a BBS in every major city around the country. We are looking for sysops who have an interest in the subject and the paranormal in general. We provide an exciting forum and welcome serious inquiries. There is no obligation to joining ParaNet, nor do you have to devote your system to it. Michael Corbin, the new Administrator and Director invite you to explore the world of ParaNet. For an application, send net mail to Michael Corbin at 1:104/422 and request that an application and information packet be sent to you. This is your chance to become part of one of the most exciting and informative news organizations to ever come to the world of the electronic bulletin board system. Below is a list of the ParaNet nodes around the world: FidoNews 6-19 Page 12 8 May 1989 ParaNet Alpha -- Headquarters Node Denver, Colorado Michael Corbin Sysop - Administrator and Director Don Ecker - Cosysop and Director of Public Relations Fido Address: 1:104/422 Telephone: (303)431-1343 9600 Baud HST ParaNet Gamma Lexington, Kentucky Doug Rogers - Sysop Fido Address: 1:108/110 Telephone: (606)271-0558 2400 Baud ParaNet Delta Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada John Bowden - Sysop Fido Address: 1:140/32 Telephone: (306)934-2919 9600 Baud HST ParaNet Epsilon Warren, Michigan Jacques Leclerc - Sysop Fido Address: 1:120/80 Telephone: (313)751-4057 2400 Baud ParaNet Zeta Bethany Park, Indiana Terry Fields - Sysop Fido Address: 1:231/40 Telephone: (317)831-1827 2400 Baud ParaNet Theta Fareham, United Kingdom Archie Clark - Sysop - Bureau Chief United Kingdom Fido Address: 2:251/15 Telephone: 011-44-329-45824 9600 Baud ParaNet Iota Gosport, United Kingdom Simon Rowe - Sysop Fido Address: 2:251/23 Telephone: 011-44-705-511501 2400 Baud ParaNet Kappa Manassas, Virginia Jim MacDiarmid - Sysop Fido Address: 1:265/12 Telephone: (703)368-4642 2400 Baud ParaNet Lambda Fairport, New York Brad Langton - Sysop Not echomail capable Telephone: (716)377-3985 2400 Baud ParaNet Mu FidoNews 6-19 Page 13 8 May 1989 Sandy Hook, Conneticut Brett Siedman - Sysop Fido Address: 1:141/790 Telephone: (203)270-1913 2400 Baud ParaNet Xi Sapulpa, Oklahoma Lanny Conn - Sysop Fido Address: 1:170/701 Telephone: (918)224-1766 9600 Baud ParaNet Omicron Bushkill, Pennsylvania Paul Faeder - Sysop Fido Address: 1:13/60 Telephone: (717)588-7549 9600 Baud ParaNet Pi Austin, Texas John Cauley - Sysop Fido Address: 1:382/53 Telephone: (512)331-7447 2400 Baud ParaNet Tau Fort Smith, Arkansas Bryon Smith - Sysop - Public Relations CoDirector Fido Address: 1:19/19 Telephone: (501)646-5812 2400 Baud ParaNet Phi Birmingham, Alabama Bill Freeman - Sysop Not echomail capable Telephone: (205)854-2308 2400 Baud ParaNet Chi Nashua, New Hampshire Ralph Schwarz - Sysop Fido Address: 1:132/113 Telephone: (603)888-3840 9600 Baud ParaNet Psi Flagstaff, Arizona Linda Murphy - Sysop - Network Coordinator Fido Address: 1:304/1 Telephone: (602)527-0043 9600 Baud ParaNet Omega Kingsbury, Victoria Australia Bob Fletcher - Sysop - Bureau Chief Australia Fido Address: 3:633/360 Telephone: 011-61-3-467-7984 You are welcome to call Michael by voice at: (303)420-6758 FidoNews 6-19 Page 14 8 May 1989 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 15 8 May 1989 ================================================================= COLUMNS ================================================================= The Veterinarian's Corner Excerpts from the ANIMED GroupMail Conference by Don Thomson, 1:102/1005 (From an ongoing conversation in ANIMED): Well... I don't have really good news. "xxxx" has cancer of the lymph nodes, called lymphosarcoma. He has a type called multicentric lymphosarcoma, which just basically means that all of his lymph nodes appear to be involved. This is probably the most common type, and stage that this disease is diagnosed. Sadly, there is no ultimate cure for this disease. Ultimately this will kill him. I'm sorry. On the positive side.... The disease while incurable, can be brought into remission, that is completely free from apparent disease in about 85-90% of the cases in which chemotherapy is used. In most cases the pets are happy and healthy in all respects during treatment - no vommiting, no hair loss, no diarrhea etc that the words chemotherapy always tends to bring to mind. Remissions generally can be maintained for a period of between 3 months and 30 months. In terms of biological equivalents, 3 months of cancer remission in the dog is comparable to 15 months in man. An average lifespan of a dog with multicentric lymphosarcoma UNTREATED is 1-3 months. Treated an average survival is 9-12 months. I have had one patient of mine do well for 1 1/2 years. On the other hand, I have had a few cases that did not respond to treatment at all, but like I said, we are able to induce remission in at least 85% of the patients treated. There are other less aggressive treatments, mainly classified as 'paliative', which slow the progress of the disease, but rarely, if ever, induce remission. These have few side effects, but generally are effective for less than 4-5 months. There are reported cases of prolonged remission greater than 3 years, which we consider a 'cure', but these cases are rare. The most successful case I know of was in remission for 3 years. DB Thomson, DVM 1:102/1005 9:871/16 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 16 8 May 1989 The following is the third in a series of four columns Fred Grosby (a federal government employee, and a user on "The Falcon's Rock") has written. He deserves all the credit for writing them. I suggested that he upload them to my system, because I enjoyed reading them in our local Mensa newsletter, Capital M. I hope you enjoy reading them, too. The archive of all four is available for file request from 1:109/501 as BSOUTH.ZIP. Notes From Bureaucracy South (Part 3) By Fred Grosby, a user on 1:109/501 Five years ago, we got our first desktop computers. They were weird-looking things, with murky screens and clunky disk drives. They came with graphics printers that could not be driven by any software known to humankind and the most incompatible modems available. Definitely not State Of The Art. Still, they were what we had, so we found lots of useful things to do with them. Over the years, we have upgraded those old clunkers to make them work better. We have added hard disk drives and more memory. We've upgraded the software, too, replacing the semi-obsolete stuff that came with the hardware with the latest upgrades. We even found a way to get those incompatible graphics printers to print graphics. Still, even with all of our upgrades, our systems were still not State Of The Art. So the Computer HArdware and software Modernization Project (CHAMP) task force was formed, and studies were conducted, and bids were let, and $8 million of your tax money was obligated, and today we are proud users of our new, State Of The Art CHAMP micros. I know that this stuff is State Of The Art because starting six months before the first installment showed up the CHAMP people put out a barrage of propaganda that told me so. Of course, I also have the evidence of my own eyes. There it is, printed right on the back of our new high-end monitors: UL Pending. I've never seen that before. Every piece of electronic equipment that I have ever seen has been UL Listed. These are UL Pending. Folks, these monitors are so State Of The Art that Underwriters Laboratories hasn't even had time to approve them yet. Still, I kind of worry. What if that monitor would have failed some critical Underwriters Laboratories test? What if the thing blows up in my face? I guess that there are some risks involved in being on the cutting edge of technology. The video circuit board is also State Of The Art. That's what the guy who replaced the one in my computer told me. Damn thing turned my monitor into a psychedelic display. So I asked him, if these things are State Of The Art, how come mine only lasted two weeks? Well, he said, this was a big job, and the contractor had delivered a lot of equipment, and with that much equipment you have to expect a failure or two. Maybe he meant that when you use State Of The Art, UL Pending equipment, you have to expect a failure or two. Well, with all due respect to this guy, no, I do not expect a failure or two. The failures are never expected. The computer that I use has failed three times, and twice it has FidoNews 6-19 Page 17 8 May 1989 been the fault of the bocaboards. Bocaboards are State Of The Art circuit boards that control the input and output ports for things like printers and modems. What makes them State Of The Art is that you set the configuration of the board with a software program instead of with little dip switches, so that the configuration of the board can be changed from within a program. Well, that's OK, I guess, although why you would want to change ports in the middle of the stream is beyond me. The problem is, the settings must be maintained in the bocaboard's internal memory even when the computer is switched off. That is done with batteries. Batteries that drain. Batteries that die, with regularity and without warning. Arrrrrrgh! The repair woman claims that the contacts lie at such an angle that they actually short out the batteries. The last time she replaced the batteries on my bocaboards, she bent the contacts so that would not happen again. Sure. The bocaboards in my computer have developed a new trick. They just sort of go on strike. I start the computer. No bocaboards. No ports. No printer. No modem. No nothing. I run the software program. The software says that everything is working fine. I run my application again. No problem. A couple of days later, I go through it all again. This happened the day after one of the CHAMP people came through and did a quality check on the computers in our office. Quality check, indeed! Not only are our CHAMP micros State Of The Art, they are User Friendly. This means that the systems came to us all set up and ready to go, with a swell menu system that fires up your software at the push of a key. Well, they did forget a couple of little things. Like setting the communications software to use the correct serial port. Or setting the new word processor to work with the new printers. Or giving us the manuals so we could figure out how to do it ourselves. I guess that when a system is User Friendly you don't need manuals. We also got some new word processing software that is both State Of The Art and User Friendly. It will do all sorts of neat stuff, most of which we have no use for whatsoever. Unfortunately, it will not do something that we really need it to do. I guess that makes it, well, Nearly Perfect. What Nearly Perfect will not do is Print Pause. To accommodate our archaic filing system, we need to print file information on the copies of a document, but not on the original. With our old word processing software, you could put in a print pause and terminate printing before the original got adulterated. Nearly Perfect would not do this when we got it. Panic ensued. After much consultation, the Nearly Perfect people came up with a solution that involves hitting a function key combination, going into a menu, saying you want to print, saying what you want to print, saying how much of it you want to print, and then telling the thing to start printing, damnit! For every document, whether you actually use Print Pause or not. User Friendly. As if all of this wasn't enough, in a few weeks, or months, or...well, one of these days they are going to hook all of our computers together into Local Area Networks, which is supposed to FidoNews 6-19 Page 18 8 May 1989 be the ultimate in State Of The Art. What they are going to do is wire our computers up to central file servers. Then they're going to take all of the software off of our computers and put it on the file servers, turning our nice, State Of The Art microcomputers into dumb remote terminals. This doesn't sound like State Of The Art to me, but the CHAMP people know what they are doing, I guess. They sent me to a training course on the Local Area Network. They had sixteen computers hooked up to file server, and we got to try it out. I learned two things. I learned that when sixteen terminals all try to access the same software all at once, the whole system slows right down, to about the speed of one of our old clunkers. And I learned that when the file server crashes, nobody can get anything done. And it is "when", not "if." You see, our building has power problems, and occasionally we get a surge. Now, all of our micros have surge protectors, so they just shrug it off. The file servers, however, have State Of The Art uninterruptable power supplies. That's fine, except that when that power supply gets hit with a surge, it's response is to drop all of the terminals off the network and shut the file server down. No server, no software, no work. The specter of having all of our software trapped in some dead file server has led to the formation of a small band known as The Software Squirrels. We are squirreling away copies of our software in out-of-the-way places, against the day when the file servers crap out. Somebody suggested that this might violate some rule or other, but that is not the issue. Survival is the issue, and we will do what we must. I do not intend to be held hostage by a file server, State Of The Art or not. Back in a little cubbyhole between two cubicles is one of our original computers. It is one of the rarest of the breed, with it's color monitor and built-in hard disk. All day, every day, for five years, that old clunker turned out useful work of every sort. We don't use it for much any more, but when we need it, it still gets the job done. It has the best monitor in the place, a simple print pause, and no batteries anywhere. And it has never broken down. Not once. Soon enough, that old clunker will be gone. A CHAMP micro will take it's place, and some contractor will show up and take it away, to be sold for scrap. I'll be sorry to see it go. It has been a good and loyal friend, and although the new computer that replaces it will be faster, it will not necessarily be better. God knows it will not be as reliable. But it will be State Of The Art, and that's what counts here at Bureaucracy South. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 19 8 May 1989 A Public Service Announcement Recognizing Our Roots FidoNet has come an awfully long way in a very short period of time. Anymore, file requests, ARCmail, Zmodem mail transfers, crash mail capability, EchoMail, update requests, zones, points, multiple networks and so on are considered 'de rigueur.' It's important to recognize and realize our roots as a network. When was the last time you ever unpacked a copy of Fido 11w and took a look? Have you EVER examined a copy of Fido 11w? Fido 11w, for those that don't know, was the last version of the Fido BBS (written by the venerable Tom Jennings) to be released for free non-commercial use. If you take a look at Fido 11w, then compare its features to that of your sleek, modern mailer, you'll be truly amazed at what's happened to the network in just a couple of years. Fact is, compliance with the Fido Technical Standards Committee document FSC-0001 is still considered the "bare minimum" to be admitted to the network. Fido 11w is a perfect example of a to-the-letter implementation of FSC-0001 - no more, no less. My printed copy of FSC-0001 is dated April 25, 1987, and though there are later revisions, the document hasn't changed a great deal. The spec does not provide technical information on file requests, multiple zones, multiple networks, Zmodem mail transfers, SEAlink mail transfers, ARCmail, crash mail, update requests, EchoMail or any of the other niceties to which we've grown accustomed. (Some of them are casually mentioned in the text, but not expanded upon on a technical level.) Although it's healthy and necessary for technology to grow, and it's nice for us to be here to see it all happen, it's necessary to recognize what it was that got us here. It's fun to talk about 3.8 liter V-6 supercharged engines under the hoods of our new sports cars with their digital dashes, trip computers, power windows and high-wattage car stereos. But a complete appreciation for that technology cannot be had without knowledge of such history makers as the Ford Model T. And so it is with FidoNet. We owe a lot to people like Thom Henderson, Jeff Rush, Wynn Wagner, Vince Perriello, Joaquim Homrighausen, Bob Hartman, and many, many others too numerous to mention. But the fact of the matter is, if it weren't for Tom Jennings toying around with a new idea to economically keep in touch with friends by computer, we wouldn't all be here playing around with a nifty piece of technology that's within reach of so many. Appreciate your roots. A message brought to you by your local FidoNews 6-19 Page 20 8 May 1989 FidoNet historian. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 21 8 May 1989 ================================================================= LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ================================================================= From: Daniel Tobias of 380/7.0 To: Fidonews Editor of 1/1.0 Subj: My Submission in This Issue [Fidonews V. 6, Nr. 18] Thank you for publishing my submission regarding drug legalization. Since it has been nearly two months since I sent it, I had feared it had run afoul of the new, tighter FidoNews policy, or had been lost in the shuffle at the change of editors. However, in the interim since submission, I have changed my FidoNet address, so those who try to contact me at the address given in the article won't get through. My new address is 1:380/7. My new system, Dan's Den, is reachable at (318) 424-9260. One of the primary subjects of interest supported by this system is libertarianism, the philosophy of individual liberty. Please inform your readers of my new address so that any responses to my article can be properly directed. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 22 8 May 1989 From: ROP GONGGRIJP of 280/1.0 To: SYSOP of 1/1.0 Subj: Galactic Hacker Party Announcement for FIDONEWS GALACTIC HACKER PARTY 2nd, 3rd, 4th of August 1989 PARADISO, AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND During the summer of 1989 the world as we know it will go into overload. An interstellar particle stream of hackers, phone phreaks, radioactivists and assorted technological subversives will be fusing their energies into a media melt-down as the global village plugs into Amsterdam for three electrifying days of information interchange and electronic capers. Aided by the advanced communications technology to which they are accustomed, the hacker forces will discuss strategies, play games, and generally have a good time. Free access to permanently open on-line facilities will enable them to keep in touch with home base -- wherever that is. Those who rightly fear the threat of information tyranny and want to learn what they can do about it are urgently invited to interface in Amsterdam in August. There will be much to learn from people who know. Celebrity guests with something to say will be present in body or electronic spirit. The Force must be nurtured. If you are refused transport because your laptop looks like a bomb, cut off behind enemy lines, or unable to attend for any other reason, then join us on the networks. Other hacker groups are requested to organize similar gatherings to coincide with ours. We can provide low-cost international communications links during the conference. For further information, take up contact as soon as possible with: HACK-TIC PARADISO P.O. box 22953 Weteringschans 6-8 1100 DL Amsterdam 1017 SG Amsterdam The Netherlands The Netherlands tel: +31 20 6001480 tel: +31 20 264521 / +31 20 237348 fax: +31 20 763706 fax: +31 20 222721 uucp : ..!mcvax!neabbs!rop fido : 2:280/1 Hack Tic telex: 12969 neabs nl Please relay this announcement through all channels of communication that you can access. SPREAD THE BYTE,SPREAD THE BYTE, SPREAD THE BYTE,SPREAD THE BYTE FidoNews 6-19 Page 23 8 May 1989 ----------------- Amsterdam, spring 1989 ----------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 24 8 May 1989 ================================================================= FOR SALE ================================================================= ATTENTION SYSOPS - EARN $$$$ for your system. - FAITES $$$$ pour votre systeme *N=O=U=V=E=A=U* *N=E=W* *N=O=U=V=E=A=U* *N=E=W* Premier Automation Inc., master distributors for OSBORNE Computers in Canada is pleased to announce that it has been appointed the Master Distributor of EZ-DOS 4.0+ (tm) EZ-DOS 4.0+ (tm) is a powerful single-user, single tasking DOS 4.xx compatible operating system for use on computers utilizing the full family of Intel micro- processors. Key Features include: * Single-user, single tasking DOS 4.xx compatible operating system * Runs DOS 1.x, 2.x,3.x, 4.x applications * Supports DOS 3.x file-level and byte-level record locking Media Support: * Full DOS 4.x media and file system support * Multiple DOS partitions greater than 32 megabytes, up to 512 Megabytes * Password protection of files and subdirectories * ESDI and SCSI ROM definitions supported Utility Support: * Complete utility set compatible with DOS 3.x utilities * Built-in help screens describing options available to the user. Implementation: * DOS-compatible BIOS * Supports DOS-compatible loadable character and block device drivers Internationalization: * International keyboard support * 8 bit and 16 bit filename support * Separate message files for ease of translation * Support for double-byte character sets (Kanji,etc.) Target System: * Systems based on the Intel(r) 8086, 8088, 80286, or 80386 processors * Recommend 256 Kbytes of RAM * Supports VGA(tm), EGA, MCGA, CGA, MDA, or Hercules(tm) graphics S=P=E=C=I=A=L P=O=U=R L=E Q=U=E=B=E=C Disponible en Francais avec manuel et aide commandes a l'ecran en francais. FidoNews 6-19 Page 25 8 May 1989 EZ-DOS 4.0+ (tm) comes bundled with the following software: * TopDOS, a powerful file manager with built text editor * Gem/3 Desktop, Windows type icon-based interface * True Basic 2.0, High level transportable basic Suggested list price for the English package is $149.00 and for the French package is $169.00 Sysops: For more details on your cost prices Contact Rene Champagne at 684-6610 Voice or send a message to OZZIE's FIDO 167/101 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 26 8 May 1989 New Echo Mail Processor For QuickBBS The Mojave Group is pleased to announce the release of the Zzyzx Integrated Mail Processor for QuickBBS (ZMailQ). ZMail is a replacement for echogen/qecho, mailscan, and mailtoss. It is fully zone capable and is point aware. ZMail uses an intelligent disk an memory management algorithm that allows it to unpack large quantities in minimal disk space and memory overhead. In testing ZMail has been able to completely process a 3Mg mail packet in 1.7Mg of disk space, while forwarding to 3 other systems. If ZMail can not process an entire packet in one pass it can save it's location and pick up after the system has had a chance to send some of the outbound messages. ZMail generates a log of all activity. ZMail will create a traffic report detailing what echo areas have received traffic and what the average daily message traffic is. ZMail will not count "Passthrough" areas against the 200 board limit of QuickBBS. ZMail will allow the sysop to determine how many duplicate signatures to keep. Thus reducing the amount of disk space required for the program. ZMail imports SEEN-BY and PATH lines. ZMail uses a Closest-Address Algorithim to determine the systems address for outbound mail. ZMail comes on a disk with a printed manual and tech support available. Currently ZMailQ is selling for $10/per copy. We will begin shipping on May 5th. The price for the program will be increased to $20 on May 19th. To get your copy at the introductory price please send a check or money order to: The Mojave Group 7735 Osceola St. Westminster, CO 80030 Colorado Residents please add $.30 for sales tax. Denver Metro Area Residents please add $.36 for sales and RTD tax. Westminster Colorado Residents please add $.68 for sales and RTD tax. be sure to include your primary address including zone, net, node, and point number if any. To qualify for the introductory price you letter must be FidoNews 6-19 Page 27 8 May 1989 postmarked no later than May 19, 1989. Sincerely, Claude Warren 1:104/62.0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 28 8 May 1989 ================================================================= LATEST VERSIONS ================================================================= Latest Software Versions Bulletin Board Software Name Version Name Version Name Version Fido 12k Opus 1.03b TBBS 2.1 QuickBBS 2.03 TPBoard 5.0 TComm/TCommNet 3.4 Lynx 1.30* Phoenix 1.3 RBBS 17.1D Network Node List Other Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version Dutchie 2.90C* EditNL 4.00 ARC 6.01 SEAdog 4.50 MakeNL 2.12 ARCmail 2.0 BinkleyTerm 2.20* Prune 1.40 ConfMail 4.00 D'Bridge 1.18* XlatList 2.90 TPB Editor 1.21 FrontDoor 2.0 XlaxNode 2.32 TCOMMail 2.2* PRENM 1.40 XlaxDiff 2.32 TMail 8901 ParseList 1.30 UFGATE 1.03 GROUP 2.07* EMM 1.40 MSGED 1.99 XRS 2.0* * Recently changed Utility authors: Please help keep this list up to date by reporting new versions to 1:1/1. It is not our intent to list all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 29 8 May 1989 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= The Interrupt Stack 15 May 1989 Denmark changes telephone numbers from 7 to 8 digits. 19 May 1989 Start of EuroCon III at Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Contact Hans Ligthelm of 2:500/3 for details. 5 Jun 1989 David Dodell's 32nd Birthday 2 Aug 1989 Start of Galactic Hacker Party in Amsterdam, Holland. Contact Rop Gonggrijp at 2:280/1 for details. 24 Aug 1989 Voyager 2 passes Neptune. 24 Aug 1989 FidoCon '89 starts at the Holiday Inn in San Jose, California. Trade show, seminars, etc. Contact 1/89 for info. 5 Oct 1989 20th Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" 11 Nov 1989 A new area code forms in northern Illinois at 12:01 am. Chicago proper will remain area code 312; suburban areas formerly served with that code will become area code 708. If you have something which you would like to see on this calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 30 8 May 1989 ================================================================= REPORTS ================================================================= IFNA Nominations and Elections Committee c/o 1:107/210 Director Nominations Reminder Remember that written nominations (as required by the Bylaws) for the position of Director of IFNA are due in to the IFNA Secretary by May 24. Complete details on the process are available in FIDONEWS #615. If you are interested in running for a Director position, please notify the Nominations and Elections Committee immediately at 1:107/210! ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 31 8 May 1989 OFFICERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION Mort Sternheim 1:321/109 Chairman of the Board Bob Rudolph 1:261/628 President Matt Whelan 3:3/1 Vice President Bill Bolton 3:711/403 Vice President-Technical Coordinator Linda Grennan 1:147/1 Secretary Kris Veitch 1:147/30 Treasurer IFNA COMMITTEE AND BOARD CHAIRS Administration and Finance Mark Grennan 1:147/1 Board of Directors Mort Sternheim 1:321/109 Bylaws Don Daniels 1:107/210 Ethics Vic Hill 1:147/4 Executive Committee Bob Rudolph 1:261/628 International Affairs Rob Gonsalves 2:500/1 Membership Services David Drexler 1:147/1 Nominations & Elections David Melnick 1:107/233 Public Affairs David Drexler 1:147/1 Publications Rick Siegel 1:107/27 Security & Individual Rights Jim Cannell 1:143/21 Technical Standards Rick Moore 1:115/333 IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS DIVISION AT-LARGE 10 Courtney Harris 1:102/732 Don Daniels 1:107/210 11 Bill Allbritten 1:11/301 Mort Sternheim 1:321/109 12 Bill Bolton 3:711/403 Mark Grennan 1:147/1 13 Irene Henderson 1:107/9 (vacant) 14 Ken Kaplan 1:100/22 Ted Polczyinski 1:154/5 15 Scott Miller 1:128/12 Matt Whelan 3:3/1 16 Ivan Schaffel 1:141/390 Robert Rudolph 1:261/628 17 Neal Curtin 1:343/1 Steve Jordan 1:206/2871 18 Andrew Adler 1:135/47 Kris Veitch 1:147/30 19 David Drexler 1:147/1 (vacant) 2 Henk Wevers 2:500/1 David Melnik 1:107/233 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 6-19 Page 32 8 May 1989 __ The World's First / \ BBS Network /|oo \ * FidoNet * (_| /_) _`@/_ \ _ | | \ \\ | (*) | \ )) ______ |__U__| / \// / Fido \ _//|| _\ / (________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm) Membership for the International FidoNet Association Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that pays a specified annual membership fee. IFNA serves the international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to increase worldwide communications. Member Name _______________________________ Date _______________ Address _________________________________________________________ City ____________________________________________________________ State ________________________________ Zip _____________________ Country _________________________________________________________ Home Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________ Work Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________ Zone:Net/Node Number ____________________________________________ BBS Name ________________________________________________________ BBS Phone Number ________________________________________________ Baud Rates Supported ____________________________________________ Board Restrictions ______________________________________________ Your Special Interests __________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ In what areas would you be willing to help in FidoNet? __________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Send this membership form and a check or money order for $25 in US Funds to: International FidoNet Association PO Box 41143 St Louis, Missouri 63141 USA Thank you for your membership! Your participation will help to insure the future of FidoNet. Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted by the membership in January 1987. The second elected Board of Directors was filled in August 1988. The IFNA Echomail Conference has been established on FidoNet to assist the Board. We welcome your input to this Conference. -----------------------------------------------------------------