Volume 7, Number 31 30 July 1990 +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | _ | | / \ | | /|oo \ | | - FidoNews - (_| /_) | | _`@/_ \ _ | | FidoNet (r) | | \ \\ | | International BBS Network | (*) | \ )) | | Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// | | / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / | | (________) (_/(_|(____/ | | (jm) | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ Editor in Chief: Vince Perriello Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings Copyright 1990, Fido Software. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances, please contact Fido Software. FidoNews is published weekly by the System Operators of the FidoNet (r) International BBS Network. It is a compilation of individual articles contributed by their authors or authorized agents of the authors. The contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the rights of the authors. 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. Fido and FidoNet are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings of Fido Software, Box 77731, San Francisco CA 94107, USA and are used with permission. Opinions expressed in FidoNews articles are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editor or of Fido Software. Most articles are unsolicited. Our policy is to publish every responsible submission received. Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1 2. ARTICLES ................................................. 4 Final FidoCon Update ..................................... 4 FidoCon 1991 - The New Beginning ......................... 6 New Medical Echo Starting ................................ 22 Region 1:17 FidoNet Convention Report .................... 24 Conclave '90 Registration form ........................... 27 3. LATEST VERSIONS .......................................... 30 Latest Software Versions ................................. 30 4. NOTICES .................................................. 33 The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 33 And more! FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 1 30 Jul 1990 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= Vince foolishly keeps handing me the keys to FidoNews. Two weeks ago, I managed to lose the whole thing while upgrading my HD. (Sorry, Vince!) This week's adventure is more deliberate. You probably noticed a change in this week's issue of FidoNews, or rather, its packaging. It was archived using LHArc rather than some Arc (r) 5.x compatible program. (If you didn't get it this way, someone between you and 1/1 is screwing around, and could well be in violation of Policy.) Last Sunday, I was reading the August Dr. Dobb's Journal, and was surprised to see an ad from System Enhancement Associates on page 170. It announced the new release of Arc(R), 7.0. The subhead of the ad says "Now with all the features that have made ARC(R) the industry standard compression utility". In much smaller print, further in the ad was the following: "NOTE: ARC 7.0 is NOT available on BBS". I found the first statement to be somewhat oxymoronic, and the two taken together even moreso. (I also wonder if it is available on commercial systems, and for this wondering, one sysop I know accused me of thinking like a scumbag - er - lawyer! Isn't that slander?) Far be it from me to diminish the contribution that Thom Henderson and SEA have made to FidoNet. Despite many personal misgivings with his actions in some areas, I have often come to his defense. There are few in the net who appreciate his work in the form of Policy 3 as much as I. However, it is time for FidoNet as a whole to consider what it's all about. It is not clear to me that Arc(R) is "the industry standard". It is clear to me that FidoNet is an amateur electronic mail network. It is about the free flow of information. Therefore, I have to ask myself if it is right for FidoNet, on a weekly basis, to distribute files that force every sysop in the net to use products from a company that has turned its back on the very community that helped, in no small degree, to make those products as successful as they are. With the possible exception of its name, LHArc is legally unencumbered. It exists in Freely Available source code format, in relatively portable C. It does a better job at data compression than Arc(R) 5.x, and therefore will save FidoNet as a whole on phone costs. While I haven't seen a spec for the algorithms used, nor have I seen one for Arc(R). FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 2 30 Jul 1990 So, I'm taking a lesson from Thom himself. I'm going to instigate a discussion by just doing something, unilaterally. So far as I can tell, there are but two sacrosanct elements in FidoNet: FTS-0001 and its amateur status. Other than that, no one is more special than anyone else, and no technology cast in concrete. This is as it should be; otherwise, we'd be hog-tied more than we already are by virtue of size. I hope that, upon his return, Vince will continue to release FidoNews in LHArc format. I hope the *C structure will switch NodeDiff and NodeList distribution files to LHArc format. And I hope the FTSC will formally recognize LHArc (or any Freely Available compressor) as the standard for compressed mail within FidoNet. No matter what, from here on in, NO files on my system will be distributed in Arc(R) format, nor will Arc(R) itself be available. Systems requesting FidoNews, FNews*.Arc, or anything similar WILL have their requests honored, but with LHArc flavored files. If this means my system will no longer be listed as 1/1, so be it. There's nothing special about having a 1/ listing; it's actually a pain in the butt, done only because someone I respect greatly asked. There probably will be other ramifications to my actions. I suspect that one or two of you will file complaints, although I can't imagine on what grounds. There will undoubtedly be a number of articles in forthcoming issues, and increased volume in one or more echoes, some of which will probably resort to the tried and true ad-hominem attack on the messenger. I'll gladly stipulate for the record that I'm a card carrying net @hole; statements from others on this point are therefore a waste of bandwidth. Any other speculation would just get me accused of thinking like a scumbag - er - lawyer; I'll pass on that, thanks! I hope that a thorough, careful discussion of these issues will take place at the upcoming FidoCon. I hope it won't degenerate into some sort of an alley gang fight. It was Thom himself who said FidoNet was a technical statement; rather than wasting more time and effort on killing or reviving IFNA, perhaps the gathering could get back to what it's all about: an amateur electronic mail network, and not an organizational debating society. Have a good FidoCon. FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 3 30 Jul 1990 Oh, and Pablo - I had a little something, direct and indirect, to do with that document. If you're going to give everyone and their brother credit, then at least get it right. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 4 30 Jul 1990 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= Well, the date for FidoCon is finally upon us. Suffice to say it WASN'T easy putting together an international sysop convention that was also hosting conventions for four amateur electronic networks! Some final words on the convention: If anyone is interested, there's a company in NY, PC Computing Rentals, 1-800-765-4727 that can arrange for PC rentals during the convention to be delivered to the hotel. One attendee is getting a PS/2, 40Meg, 1.44 Floppy, with serial/parallel ports for $149 for the full 5 days. Not bad at all. Butch Walker will be making a brief appearance to talk about Electronic Support Groups on Thursday. Here is the conference schedule of events as they stand today: WEDNESDAY, 8/1 Registration Begins at 3PM 8PM: Poolside Welcome Pary (Open bar: Beer & Wine for registrants) THURSDAY, 8/2 TIME TECHIE TRACK VENDOR TRACK RECREATION TRACK 9 Breakfast / Day at the Beach (pre-registration required) +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ |10 | D'Bridge, C. Irwin | | Sysops and the Law | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ |11 | Phoenix, C. Gorish | |Moderator Roundtable| +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ |12 | Lunch / Registration Ends / Costume Shuttle | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 2 | "The Next Bus" | | Phoenix/Net Meeting| +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 3 |Tabby: 3 Years Later| | Stress Mgt Techniqs| +---+--------------------+--------------------+ | | 4 |Elect Support Groups| |2 Hours (Admiss. $7)| +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 6 | Dinner / Medieval Times Banquet | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ FRIDAY, 8/3 9 Breakfast / Day Shopping Tour (pre-registration required) +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ |10 | |Silver Xpress Soft. | RP Games Seminar | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ |11 | Bit Bucket Software| | USACATCOM Network | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ |12 | Lunch | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 1 | | US Robotics | | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 2 | SEA, Thom Henderson| | Eggnet Meeting | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 3 | | eSoft (TBBS) | FidoNet Meeting | FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 5 30 Jul 1990 +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 4 | | | Tomorrow's Children| +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 6 | Dinner / Secret Banquet | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ SATURDAY, 8/4 9 Breakfast +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ |10 | | InterZone Software |Intergalactic Sysops| +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ |11 | UFGATE & InterNet |Ass./Shareware Prof.|Council of Duke Mtg.| +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ |12 | Lunch | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 2 | | Blue Frog Micros |IFNA Membership Mtg.| +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 3 | | XRS, Mike Ratledge | IFNA BoD Meeting | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 4 |Developer Roundtable| | UNITEX, Dr. Waldon | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ | 6 | Twilight NYC Tour (pre-registration required)/"Free evening" | +---+--------------------+--------------------+--------------------+ SUNDAY, 8/5 10 Farewell / Conference Concludes For those who've helped out, I want to extend my personal thanks. It's been a lot of work, but I think it'll all be worth it once the conference is underway. Bill VanGlahn, Conclave Committee Chairman ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 6 30 Jul 1990 FidoCon 1991 - The New Beginning Zone 1 Region Coordinators Zone 1 Zone Coordinator Let's not forget or minimize the great deal of effort and dedication by the members of the FidoCon 1990 Committee. We thank the 1990 Committee for sponsoring FidoCon 1990 and look forward to a successful FidoCon this week. Some of us will be there enjoying the Conference while the rest offer our regrets and best wishes to the Committee and all of Zone 1. Several weeks ago we issued a call for proposals for the Zone 1 FidoCon in 1991. While our in baskets did not overflow with bids, we did receive two before the announced July 18 deadline. They were submitted by Thom Henderson (the Henderson proposal) and by a trio of Net 104 SysOps (the Boulder proposal). Interestingly, the two proposals (reprinted in full following this introduction) provided us with an opportunity to vote for two contrasting styles. One was a traditional FidoCon proposal; the other a refreshing alternative approach. We have completed the selection process and are pleased to announce that Zone 1 FidoCon 1991 will be hosted in Boulder, Colorado. The backup will be the Henderson Proposal. Congratulations folks. You and all of FidoNet are Winners! The outcome was 9 in favor of the Boulder Proposal and 1 in favor of the Henderson Proposal. The vote by each Region Coordinator was: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Boulder Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Henderson Y Here is the full text of each proposal (edited to satisfy Artspec): "The Henderson Proposal" ------------------------ I have a serious proposal for FidoCon '91. I'm sure I can get some net or group to be the "official hosts", or maybe I could do it myself (it would be simplicity in itself). There has almost always been some flak about the conference, and it's rising to new heights (dropping to new depths?) of idiocy this year, so I have an idea on how to keep it from happening again, just maybe. Simply put, we just pick a hotel and pick a weekend. That's it. Everybody makes their own arrangements for rooms, travel, meals, entertainment, et cetera. There would be no conference fees since there would be no conference costs. There would be no registration requirements since there would be no fees. And, of course, no seed money or contract guarantees would be required. FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 7 30 Jul 1990 All that is required is: a) Some sort of "official blessing" on the whole deal making it the official FidoCon, 2) Somebody to write an occasional article about it for FidoNews, and iii) Somebody to put an entry for it in the FidoNews calendar of events. "The Boulder Proposal" ---------------------- A "Boulder" New Beginning P.O. Box 486 Louisville, CO 80027-0486 FidoNet 1:104/969, 169, 69 Dear RC, Stop! Wait! Hold the Presses! Look to your "Snail Mail" address for information that is already on its way. Much as we despise waiting for the last several nanoseconds to get things done, when one is dealing with government agencies one gets to wait for them. We told them over a month ago that the convention bid HAD to be in YOUR hands by the 18th of July... you can, of course, guess when everything arrived. Oh, yes, please allow us to introduce ourselves... We are (in node number order) Terry Travis (104/69), Marshall Barry (104/169), and Michelle Weisblat (104/969), and we are the core committee for the FidoCon '91 in Boulder, Colorado, bid. As a group, we have more than fifteen (15) years experience in organizing, planning, running and working conventions. Having been deeply involved with conventions and conferences in the past, we are fully aware of the time and energy required to "make it happen". Our experience includes CopperCons, WesterCons and WorldCons (Science Fiction Conventions), ranging in size from 50 to over 6,000 attending. Each of us has, in addition, successfully run our own business - allowing us a complete and detailed understanding of the legal and financial requirements implicit in any undertaking of the size and complexity of a professional convention. As a committee, we have the full support and cooperation of the Colorado and Boulder Tourism Boards as well as the invaluable assistance of the Colorado TravelBank. We have negotiated special rates, both on rooms and facilities, with our planned convention hotel, the Clarion Harvest House in Boulder, Colorado. In addition, we have arranged with a professional FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 8 30 Jul 1990 travel agent to provide all travel-related services for convention members and their families. Of course, we feel we can offer the best overall attendance rates ever for FidoCon members, significant others and families wishing to take a vacation in the magnificent Colorado mountain summer. With our background and knowledge we can assure you that A "Boulder" New Beginning will be not just a success, but the best FidoCon ever! So, please read on for details and plans... DETAILS, DETAILS Fido's first convention was held in Colorado Springs just five short years ago. It was a beginning ... Many are now asking for a New Beginning, a re-birth. Boulder, Colorado, is the place. We Propose FidoCon '91 - A "Boulder" New Beginning - Aug 8-11, 1991 HOTEL AND FACILITIES Rooms We have negotiated an extremely attractive rate with the Clarion Harvest House Hotel near downtown Boulder. As a member of the convention, ALL rooms (with the obvious exceptions of suites) will be available for $82.50 per night (Tax Included!), Single AND Double Occupancy. Children 12 and under, in the same room, are free. Rooms can be requested with one King, or two Double beds. ALL rooms, of course, have remote control color TV and direct dial telephones (with modular plugs). Both NON-SMOKING and HANDICAPPED Rooms are available upon request. Hospitality suites will, similarly, be discounted, and range from "Junior" suites ($175.00 plus tax/per night) to the "Presidential" suite ($300.00 plus tax/per night). Function Suites, for dealers, distributors, manufacturers and displays, are available for $150.00 (plus tax) per day. These are specially located rooms with convenient elevator access. FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 9 30 Jul 1990 For those with a taste for pure luxury, the Harvest House has agreed to discount their VIP TOWER rooms to the convention. All VIP rooms include (in addition to the "basic" amenities) a better view, a complimentary continental breakfast and cocktail hour (with hors d'oevres), access to the Executive Travelers Club, "turndown" service and additional "inroom" amenities, bathrobes, and newspapers. As we all know "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch", the VIP rooms are available at $95.00/$115.00 (per night, plus tax) single/double. The BoulderCon '91 Committee will be working directly with the hotel to assure that all reservations are properly made and notated, and will be responsible for assignment of all Suites. Oh, by the way, for those wishing to vacation, the SPECIAL RATES are AVAILABLE for those ARRIVING EARLY and STAYING LATE! Meeting Space The Clarion has ample meeting space (over 9000 square feet), as well as seating for over 450 in the Grand Ballroom. At this time, ALL available function space is dedicated to the convention. In this way, FidoCon is assured of sufficient space for all activities and events. Hotel Facilities The Clarion is situated in a 16 acre, park-like setting. Facilities include (this is the "Condensed" version) Indoor/Outdoor Tennis, Playground (for children), Biking (and Bike Rental), the ONLY free-flowing, cold water, urban trout stream observatory in the United States, Botanical Gardens, Basketball, Volleyball, Boulder Creek, Outdoor Pool and Hot Tub, Exercise Room, and an Indoor Pool (and hot tub, of course!). All this WITHOUT having to even leave the hotel! Dining (In and Around the Hotel) Unlike the 1990 convention, we propose NO MEAL TICKETS. Being somewhat snobbish, we prefer to be able to choose our REAL food from the over 91 choices within a short walk of the Clarion. FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 10 30 Jul 1990 For those who prefer to dine out, we are in the process of negotiating meal discounts with a number of the restaurants in the area. For those who prefer not to have to leave the premises, the Clarion offers excellent food at reasonable to moderate prices. In addition, Champs Lounge is one of Boulder's more interesting and friendly night spots. Banquet The Banquet will be held on Saturday night and will cost $25.00 per person. In staying with Colorado's "western" theme, we will be providing a "Hoe-Down Bar-B-Que" Banquet, a meal which is sure to please most everyone's taste buds. Included in the meal will be Bar-B-Que Chicken, Ribs and Beef, baked beans, salad, muffins, beverage and more! TRANSPORTATION Airlines United and Continental Airlines are both bidding to be the "Official FidoCon Airline". As each uses Denver as a "hub" city, they have regular, excellent, service. Both have offered five (5) percent off their lowest fares, and forty (40) percent off coach fares as an incentive. A First Class discount will be negotiated upon acceptance of the bid. Since Denver is an International Airport, direct flights are available from many of the world's major cities. As to actual fares, much as Boulder is considered to be a "New Age Mecca", not one prognosticator was willing to commit to giving anything more than "SWAG"s (Scientific, Wild-A**, Guesses). Some Samples are (all "round trip", FULL COACH): Los Angeles/Denver $320 Newark/Denver $380 Chicago/Denver $300 Atlanta/Denver $300 Australia/Denver $1250 Tel Aviv/Denver $1450 FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 11 30 Jul 1990 Our travel agent ASSURES us that provisions can be made for group flights - especially if 10 or more are willing to travel together; 20 or more from "out of the US". From/To The Airport Transportation from/to the Denver Airport is available from 6:30 AM through 10:00PM every day via "The Airporter" service. Cost is about $8.50 per person each way. Special arrangements can be made for those who know, IN ADVANCE, that they will be arriving outside the above hours. Rental cars are available both at the airport and at the Clarion (Budget Rent-a-Car). Should you care to drive from the airport, Boulder is an easy 40 minute, 4-lane highway trip. Driving Driving to Boulder in August can be a scenic trip from most anywhere in the United States. Two major Interstate Highways (I-25 and I-70) provide easy access to the high country. Boulder, and the hotel, are at the Northwest end of US-36, which connects directly to I-25. BOULDER Why Boulder? Boulder is a university community of approximately 90,000 situated at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. More than that, Boulder is growing, with many high-technology and communications corporations already here and others moving into the area. While many think only of the excellent powder skiing during the Colorado winter, the summertime is spectacularly beautiful as well. With LOW humidity and an average August daytime temperature of 75-80 degrees, one feels like getting up and DOING things. Night temperatures average between 60 and 65 degrees, making that relaxing evening "hot tub" a special event. Within a short distance of the Clarion, one can find most anything from bookshops to boutiques, movies to nightclubs, Siamese to Sushi, and Jazz to Heavy Metal. Slightly further away, one can walk the Boulder Mall, an open-air mall which stretches almost a mile and features some of the town's more (in)famous bars, shops and people. FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 12 30 Jul 1990 Seeing Colorado To help you enjoy the splendor of Boulder, and Colorado, we are planning on offering AT LEAST the following activities... If you can say "Boulder Big Three Brewery Bash" three times fast, then you're up to the Big Three Brewery Tour. We'll visit the Busch, Coors and Boulder Breweries (that's not easy to say, either!) in a grand, eight-hour trip. Of course, there's tasting at the end of each stop - so we're willing to wager that no one walks afterwards. The tour will be limited to about thirty people. Cost is estimated at $30.00 (adults only, please!), which includes the trip, the bus, and LUNCH! Want to Flash Back FROM the Future (about a hundred years) to a time when things were simpler, and there was not only little pollution but NO computers? Come take the Horseback Tour of Boulder County... Or just go out for a little of that "western" clean air... In any event, this is open to adults and children alike -- most especially the computer widows and widowers! Cost to be determined by the number interested. Psychic Tours of Colorado and all points north, south, east and west will be available at NO extra charge for those capable and so inclined. Visit the Great Pyramid of Egypt, Lenin's Tomb, or even the Dark Side of the Moon (sorry, no sound track available) right from the comfort of your own room! One of Boulder's finest "New Age" Astral Projectionists will be available to assist and conduct the tour. Like to hike? Like tall trees and even taller tales? Day trips into the Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, and the nearby Boulder Hills are all easily arranged. If you would like to be involved in any of these special activities, or have requests for activities/events before, during or after FidoCon, we're willing to help out. CONVENTION INFORMATION FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 13 30 Jul 1990 Planned Programming Having polled several people who have attended all previous FidoCons, and received both a great deal of information AND support, we have decided to run two "tracks" of programming. One track will be technical and products oriented; the other will be more general and politics oriented. We plan to have the following individuals or companies doing presentations: AST, ALR, DELL, USR, HAYES, SEA, eSOFT, Western Digital, MiniScribe/MaxStor, Seagate, AT&T, MCI, and Sprint. Alan Applegate, Bob Hartman, Vince Pierello, Phil Becker, Ben Baker, and Tom Henderson. Panel topics proposed include: "Dealing with SysOp Burnout", "For this I gave up my Love Life?", "EchoMail vs. Astral Projection: Is there a Conflict?", "Policy Violations: How to Tell, How to React", "Users? Do I really need them?", and "Policy? We don't need no steenkin' Policy..." Banquet We feel that the annual banquet should be an "awards" banquet, with plaques being presented to the *C's, Backbone systems, Gateways and other people that make FidoNet work. This year, we would also like to "roast" Tom Jennings for creating the monster, although there are other [potential] roastees. We plan on sending out "NetMail" Ballots to all registered members, as well as the *C's, to help us make the awards meaningful and fun. Fun Speaking of fun, as you may have noticed by now we don't plan on taking everything as deadly serious. Certainly there have been too many things taken too solemnly. It is our intention that EVERY member of FidoCon '91 leave with a smile on his/her(/its?) face. Other Activities FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 14 30 Jul 1990 We have arranged for a "Vendor's" room to be available on Saturday and Sunday. This room will allow many of the Hardware and Software Suppliers to demonstrate their wares and, optionally, either make or arrange for sales. In addition, this allows the vendors to be available to answer questions, discuss problems, and even make special prices available to FidoCon members. In-house Mail will be available to FidoCon members. We plan on having an on-site network linking the convention operations and hospitality suites, as well as making NetMail available via the "traditional" FidoCon yearly address. Messages to/from convention members will be available through a local network accessible from many locations. In this way, the messy (and often unusable) physical bulletin boards will be a "thing" of the past. Baby/Child Sitting services will be available during convention hours; evenings by advance request. In order to make FidoCon a more pleasant activity for those with children, this service will be provided FREE of charge on a SPACE AVAILABLE, basis. Those who wish to use this invaluable service are requested to make their needs known as far in advance as possible. Please note: while the service is FREE, diapers, food, medicines, and other child "accessories" are NOT supplied. Please make sure all children come with all required amenities. Also, a signed waiver (available at FidoCon) will be mandatory, if just to protect everyone involved. Raffles/Door Prizes Yes, Virginia, we will be giving away all sorts of things. We CURRENTLY have a commitment from eSOFT to donate a COMPLETE 16-line TBBS/TIMS/TDBS Software Package. Other vendors are willing to commit to donating hardware, software, modems, and supplies. In fact, it's entirely possible we'll be able to put together another "dream" system, and THEN some! For the SysOp with "everything", we are also putting together a "nightmare" system - the worst of everything... not acceptable for use as a boat anchor as it will be sure to sink intermittently! FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 15 30 Jul 1990 Users We are evaluating opening the sessions and banquet to, ugh, users. Much of what happens in and around FidoNet directly affects how users react and interact. Perhaps if they knew what factors were really in play, there wouldn't be as large a gap. Of course, Fido SysOps would ALWAYS get preferential treatment - we wouldn't think of doing anything less! Video As part of the overall theme of communications, we are planning to video-tape all major sessions, and as many of the other activities as possible. Edited (not censored) copies will be made available at our costs plus the ubiquitous "shipping and handling". Everyone should have a copy! Other Information eSOFT and Bit Bucket Software have ALREADY committed to our bid and to purchasing Hospitality suites. BoulderCon '91 will be incorporated as a "for profit corporation" in the State of Colorado shortly after the bid is accepted. Progress Reports will be mailed (US Snail) to all registered convention members and all Regional and Zone Coordinators. A program book, commemorating a New Beginning, will be provided to all registered members, and will be mailed to those who are unable to physically attend. It is intended that a significant contribution towards the Net104 Echomail fund will be made from the net proceeds of BoulderCon '91. CONVENTION MEMBERSHIP AND RATES No, we didn't forget... we just wanted to leave the best for last. Basic Membership: Announcement to March 31, 1991: $ 69.00 April 1 to July 15, 1991: $104.00 After July 15 and At the Door: $169.00 FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 16 30 Jul 1990 Spouse/Significant Other (at all times): $ 9.69 Minors - With PAYING Parent(s) or Guardian(s): $ FREE! FidoCon '91 A "Boulder" New Beginning T-Shirts (All Sizes): $ 10.00 You ask, where did we get these rates? We're Net104, nodes 69, 169, and 969. (Ask a silly question, get a silly answer.) We HAVE done the calculations necessary to assure ourselves that the rates are sufficient to "break even" under all but the worst conditions (e.g. a major recession, fewer than 120 members, etc.). We STRONGLY encourage SysOps to buy their memberships BEFORE July 15, 1991. Any memberships RECEIVED after July 15th, 1991, will NOT be pre-processed and will be considered to be "at the door" memberships. Besides, it saves you $65.00. The Spouse/Significant Other rate is designed to encourage FidoCon members to make Boulder a "family" event... the minimal fee helps defray our cost of badges, supplies, etc. CONVENTION HOSPITALITY In the spirit of other, non-Fido, conventions, we intend to keep the convention hospitality suite open on a nearly 24 hour basis. We feel that those of us who are "night" people need a place to meet and talk just as much as the "day" folk. Finally, the convention Hospitality Suite will provide "munchies" and "soft" beverages to all convention members. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 17 30 Jul 1990 FidoNet Mailer Compatibility - Test Results by Philip L. Becker President - eSoft, Inc. 1:104/23 eSoft, Inc. has recently completed and released The Integrated Mail System (TIMS) which is a multiline mailer expansion module for TBBS allowing up to 32 simultaneous FidoNet mail sessions on a single CPU using only DOS. The first step taken at the outset of this project was to determine what was required to be truly FidoNet compatible. I originally thought that this would primarily consist of obtaining the FidoNet Standards documents and doing some minor testing to resolve any ambiguities of my interpretation of them. I quickly realized, however, that the mailers in use in FidoNet took great liberties with the FTS-0001 specification, and that if I was to produce a truly compatible mailer, significant testing would be required to determine what really was being done in practice in FidoNet. As a result, eSoft commissioned the largest technical study ever undertaken to determine compatibility and operation of FidoNet mailer programs. A goal of this study was to develop improved standards documents which were both more accurate and more easily used to generate code than previous standards documents. This effort was mandatory for eSoft to produce a mailer product to its high standards of reliability and compatibility, since there was no "off the shelf" way to determine true FidoNet compatibility. I had no idea when I began of the politics that would be involved, and the cost in both time and money which eSoft, Inc. would incur just to define "FidoNet Compatibility". However, eSoft has allowed me to donate the resulting documents (FTS-0007 and FTS-0008) to the FidoNet for use by any mailer authors free of charge so that others may be spared this cost. I would like to again thank all of those who worked behind the scenes to help me obtain the required information to develop this document. I also would like to thank the FidoNet Technical Standards Committee for their work in helping me organize and present these documents in a form which could be adopted as standards. FTS-0007 and FTS-0008 are documents which describe enhancements to the basic FidoNet FTS-0001 protocol. If they are implemented, the resulting mailer will be compatible with any FTS-0001 mailer, and also with all correctly implemented extensions to that protocol which are in use in the network today. Over the past year or so, the natural outcome of having loosely defined standards, no test suites, and no enforcement mechanism has begun to occur. Users of various mailer programs have complained that they have compatibility problems with other mailer programs, and no one knows for sure what is real and what is just operator error. Even when definite compatibility problems are documented, no one knows which software is "at fault" and often the authors of these programs find they are in a FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 18 30 Jul 1990 bind, with no clear guidelines to follow for what is right. The result is that as more and more mailer programs come on the scene, compatibility suffers and user frustration grows. In the process of developing these documents as well as coding TIMS itself, eSoft also commissioned the largest engineering test of FidoNet mailer software ever done. It is some of the results of this testing which I want to present in this article. As the following test results will show, most of the mailer software in use today doesn't properly support FTS-0001 mail sessions. In addition the various "extended" FTS-0001 sessions (all generally good ideas) often have implementation errors which render them incompatible. These test results are not an attempt to indicate which mailer programs are "better" or "worse" than others. Instead, these results are presented to let users of these programs know where the problem may lie if they are experiencing compatibility problems, and also to let the various authors of these programs know of any problems they need to fix in order to be in compliance with FidoNet Standards. It is a FidoNet policy that any mailer used in FidoNet must implement FTS-0001 mail sessions. These test results show that some do not meet that minimum standard. In fact (not counting TIMS here of course), only SEAdog 4.1 and 4.51 have no errors in implementation of the FTS-0001 standard. Test results on the session protocol (mail pickup, file requests etc.) are also given. Many of the incompatibilities arise at this level and show themselves as failures during file requests and mail pickup. Since TIMS is the first major mailer to implement only the "DietIFNA" mode of the FTS-0006 standard, results on compatibility at that level (the minimum required level of FTS-0006) are also presented. The mailer programs are listed alphabetically with a brief summary: BinkleyTerm 2.30 ---------------- BinkleyTerm 2.30 will not resend the EOT on a file when doing SEAlink Overdrive if the EOT is NAK'd leading to a "deadly embrace" condition. BinkleyTerm 2.30 has a very odd SEAlink startup sequence as both the receiving system, and the sending system. This makes startup very erratic under some conditions. BinkleyTerm 2.30 will start sending data and streaming it right from the first NAK during a SEAlink session (FTS-0007 says to wait for the first ACK, or to parse the entire SEAlink NAK before doing that). FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 19 30 Jul 1990 BinkleyTerm 2.30 does not send packet files with .PKT extensions in FTS-0006/DietIFNA mode. D'Bridge -------- D'Bridge will start sending data and streaming it right from the first NAK during a SEAlink session (FTS-0007 says to wait for the first ACK, or to parse the entire SEAlink NAK before doing that). D'bridge cannot have the final EOT (that ends the batch sending of files) ACK'd (optional in FTS-0001), or it will not pick up mail. It also incorrectly sends SUB characters following the final EOT which must be ignored. Only if TSYNC is sent instead of the EOT at this time will the line "turn around" allowing pickup and requests to occur. D'Bridge does not send .REQ files during FTS-0006/DietIFNA sessions making file requests impossible in this mode unless the user explicitly sends a message with a properly formed .REQ file attached to it. D'Bridge starts sending data without waiting for the beginning NAK during an FTS-0006/DietIFNA session. Fido 12s -------- Fido 12s does not send the filename in the TeLink header block during FTS-0006/DietIFNA sessions. Frontdoor 1.99 -------------- Frontdoor 1.99 and 1.99a cannot have the final EOT (that ends the batch sending of files) ACK'd (optional in FTS-0001), or it will not pick up mail. It also incorrectly sends SUB characters following the final EOT which must be ignored. Only if TSYNC is sent instead of the EOT at this time will the line "turn around" allowing pickup and requests to occur. Frontdoor 1.99 and 1.99a send the first block of a file with the TeLink (SYN character) header, and sends it checksum regardless of the Xmodem poll character used. This makes these versions of Frontdoor non-FTS-0001 compatible (and not XMODEM either). Frontdoor 1.99c attempts to do SEAlink on the receiving side, but apparently can never recover from an error (this is not confirmed, we just never saw it recover during testing). Frontdoor pads the last block of Xmodem transfers with NUL (0x00) characters instead of ^Z's. FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 20 30 Jul 1990 Frontdoor will start sending data and streaming it right from the first NAK during a SEAlink session (FTS-0007 specifically says to wait for the first ACK, or to parse the entire SEAlink NAK before doing that). Seadog 4.51b ------------ SEAdog 4.51b will not accept a TeLink header block. This is allowed under FTS-0001, but causes files to lose the exact file length and timestamp when sent from an FTS-0001 compliant mailer. Summary ------- No one should take this presentation of the technical facts found by testing to be an attack on any of the above programs. They are all the result of best efforts by their respective authors in an environment which begged for such an outcome. Few have the money or time to put into the type of study which produced these results. This was a very expensive development effort. Frankly, many who may have that money or time would decide that it is best spent elsewhere! I have made these test results available to all of the various software authors and I hope that they can use them to remedy the current compatibility problems (several have privately assured me that this is in progress for their programs, and some updated versions with these problems corrected have already been seen in beta testing or released). More important than the immediate problems, however, is the need to either have better testing of FidoNet compatibility, or for the user community to realize that this situation will arise again if conditions remain the same. True commercial use of this technology will be impossible if it remains ill-defined. Commercial use will trend towards "dialects" of FidoNet which are controlled by a single company. In such a setting compatibility is not an issue. This is not the most desirable outcome for either the Commercial world or the Amateur FidoNet. Postscript ---------- Detailed testing methods for showing the errors listed here along with several others (as well as detailed error analysis) will be made available for file request sometime after FidoCon. I would also like to publicly thank Ray Gwynn for his help in providing some of the testing tools and methods without which this project could not have been completed. FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 21 30 Jul 1990 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 22 30 Jul 1990 Daniel Hagan Fidonet 1:381/61 New Medical Echo A new medical echo has been started and currently is being passed between eight medical related BBS's. The TAG for this echo is MED_RAYS, and has been developed to enable persons working in the Radiology Areas (i.e. X-Ray, Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy) to pass information related to new procedures/techniques, medicolegal ethics, etc. Radiology students, professionals, physicians, residents and medical students are encouraged to participate. Besides offering a means for professionals to exchange ideas and new techniques, persons with questions specific to this area are also encouraged to participate. Misinformation regarding diagnostic radiation exposure to both X-Radiation and Sound Radiation (yes they are both waves, although they differ in characteristics) has occurred and will re-occur within the electronic media. The MED_RAYS echo will be an alternative source for persons concerned with exposures to various diagnostic modalities to gain additional information. This message area is available via the following nodes: ========================== | 1:381/61 HST | | 1:114/15 HST | | 1:104/52 | ========================== ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 23 30 Jul 1990 * Progressive News newsletter Progressive News newsletter hits the stands This is just a short note to announce that a new newsletter has been started called "Progressive News." The newsletter contains various articles about current events and news tidbits, along with editorials and letters. The articles are quite informative and about topics which no other online newsletter seems to cover. The first issue of Progressive News has now been released as PROG0101.ARC and it should be available shortly through the SDS newsletter file-echo or you can WaZoo file-request it directly as PROG0101.ARC (49k) from 1:141/552 during all hours except zone 1 mail hour. Since the newsletter is new and just created we would appreciate anyone distributing it to your friends or letting others know about it. If you'd like to write an article for Progressive News, article specification documentation is available inside of PROG0101.ARC or file-requestable as PROGSPEC.TXT also from 1:141/552. I'm sure you'll find Progressive News informative and I hope you'll become a regular reader. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 24 30 Jul 1990 Report from Region 1:17 FidoNet Convention Held at Menucha Retreat and Conference Center July 27-29, 1990 [ Editor's note: This is a cumulative account from a number of attendees who worked together to type this sucker up in time for our publication deadline. The computer they typed it on was in a damned hot room. Enjoy the fruits of their labors. ] Contrary to rumors previously published in these pages, the Columbia River Gorge near Portland, Oregon was neither cloudy nor windy for the FidoNet Region-1:17 Conference held this past weekend. Menucha was, in short, a beautiful location for our gathering of 26 regional delegates (11 visiting region 17 sysops and 15 from Net 105). In addition, we were joined by seven significant others and were glad to welcome five special guests from outside the region -- Doug Boone, Bob Hartman, Tom Jennings, Vince Perriello and Tim Pozar. Greg Lang from Intel PCEO was also able to join us for the product discussions on Saturday. We were welcomed by the gracious Net-1:105 conference organizers who went out of their way to make our arrival pleasant and easy. Hats off to Ken Zwaschka and Janet Murray who did a wonderful job of organizing this event. After our first meal, the participants gathered outside for an informal discussion about the weekend's lodging. The Menucha director, Merritt McCall, gave a history of the Menucha property - which dates back to the 1800's - which is now owned and operated by the 1st Presbyterian Church. Before being sold to the church, Menucha was owned by the family of Julius Meier (a prominent businessman and governor). Lastly Mr. McCall reminded us of the rules at Menucha including a warning against the use or possession of Stealth Cookies. How foolish, we left them in California. After Mr. McCall expressed an interest in FidoNet, it was decided that a general overview of FidoNet was in order. After some prodding, we persuaded Tom Jennings to tell the "FidoNet story." Not long after TJ began, a plague of mosquitoes (perhaps illustrating some of the points being made) prompted us to move to the indoor meeting area, a cathedral ceilinged/open beamed room with a stone fireplace. There Tom and others finished what they could remember of the tale. The usual discussion and debate on the history and merits of various aspects of FidoNet continued in large and small groups until the wee hours. Discussion on Saturday centered on various products, in more or less alphabetical order. Vince & Bob talked informally about Binkley 2.40 and the two binary bug fix patches; they indicated that corrected source code would be available immediately after their return from New Jersey (if they survive). Tony Wagner talked about D'Bridge and the new EMSI handshake, which started a lively debate about AKAs and passwords. Tom Jennings said a few words about Fido, including Version 12s+ which has been distributed on SDS. FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 25 30 Jul 1990 That was followed by the two semi-formal presentations. The first was Greg Lang from Intel PCEO, who talked about the high speed modem marketplace and standards, the expected future of high speed modem use and sales, and a little bit about Intel's modem product line. "Baud to the Bone" T-shirts were presented to everyone. The door prize drawing awarded 2400 MNP modems to Ken Zwaschka and Janet Murray and a "mystery future product" prize to Lloyd Miller. The booby prize (SEAdog 3.8 and a 4.1 upgrade) was awarded to Tim Pozar ... this turned out to be fortuitous, as it had to be pressed into service later when we realized that there were no floppy disks available for the diskie toss. Janet Murray showed "High-Tech Tools", a videotape of various resources available for elementary and high school students engaged in library research projects. The videotape was produced by Portland Public Schools and included segments on the videodisc version of Reader's Guide, online information utilities, and a student using a local FidoNet BBS to get an answer to a Pascal programming question. Doug Boone summarized the current status of Opus 1.1 and some of the Opus utilities. Bob Hartman said a few words about TIMS (the Integrated Mail System for TBBS), which allows up to 32 lines of inbound mail on a single PC (but can not make outbound calls), and Tim Pozar talked about UFGATE. The release of the new uucico module (gnuuio) has been delayed because it is designed to work with new versions of mailin/mailout and newsin/newsout that are not ready yet. Tim is going to add a -o (old) switch to gnuuio so that it can be used with the current versions. After the product discussions (and author abuse) we retired to the pool for the Curmudgeon Toss event. Curmudgeon clones were in good supply, although a certain software author ran away and hid in the forest and the former REC-1:17 stayed safely out of reach. Competition was fierce, with distance advantages gained by astute Curmudgeon selections; however it was determined after the event that the team of Tim Pozar, Tom Jennings, Mike Botkin and Bob Hartman had won by virtue of bonus points awarded for Birkenstocks and Levis. After dinner, everyone gathered on the lawn for the traditional Diskie Toss event. Competition was lively, with just about everyone participating. No one actually managed to successfully install the SEAdog disks IN the garbage can, but Dawn Ganshirt came the closest. Kit Thomas was second. So the top diskie throwers (SEAdog installers?) in Region 1:17 are an eleven year old and a blind man. While the silly folk made an attempt at serious discussion, the true believers had discovered two Aerobies. With their combined talents, it didn't take them very long to get one stuck in a tree. In typical FidoNet fashion, we sent someone out on a limb, and then proceeded to tell him what to do. Somehow this resulted in retrieval of the little bugger. A few minutes later they stuck the other Aerobie in a much taller tree. Thus the Aerobie FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 26 30 Jul 1990 toss quickly transformed to a tree climbing, stick throwing, and rope with hammer toss, as they valiantly tried to rescue the Aerobie in distress. The winner of the event was a large, quite beautiful vine maple. As usual the evening moved to small and large discussions ranging from how to run a Framistat-48 with your Flogistron-90 to what might happen next weekend at NJ's Necrophilia-90, where IFNA rises from the dead to get you. Sunday morning, after porridge and strawberry crepes, there was general discussion of FidoNet political dynamics, flaming, democracy, and hypocrisy. The best suggestion was that FidoNet be shut down completely for one week every year so folk have a moment's pause to realize that there's a real world out there. There was a short review of what those organizing R-1:17 FidoCon '91 might want to do (of course we neglected to write it down), confirmation that the Victoria or Vancouver folk should host it, and an agreement that any leftover funds from R-1:17 FidoCon '90 be passed on as a starting kitty to the '91 folk. Then came the farewells. And the end to this year's Region 1:17 Convention. Sure wish you could have been here. It was great. See you in BC next year. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 27 30 Jul 1990 The Secret Sysop Society presents __ *** Conclave '90 *** / \ The SYSOPS Convention /|oo \ Home of FidoCon 1990 (_| /_) Lyndhurst, New Jersey _`@/_ \ _ August 1-5, 1990 | | \ \\ | (*) | \ )) ______ |__U__| / \// / Fido \ _//|| _\ / (________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm) Rate Plan Schedule: (Hotel rooms cannot be guaranteed if you register after July 1st!) A. Single Occupancy...................$545.00 B. Double Occupancy...................$400.00 C. Conference w/ meals................$250.00 D. Conference w/ Banquet..............$105.00 E. Conference only.....................$75.00 F. Banquet only........................$30.00 G. Registrant & Spouse................$670.00 Plans A B & G include all conference and hotel fees and meals. You must pay by Check, Money Order, or Credit Card. Please send no cash. All monies must be in U.S. Funds. Checks should be made out to: "Conclave '90" The following registration form must be completed and mailed to: PO Box 12 Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 You may register by Netmailing this completed form to 1:1/90 for processing. Rename it to ZNNNXXXX.REG where Z is your Zone number, N is your Net number, and X is your Node number. US Mail confirmation is required within 72 hours of electronic filing. If you are paying by credit card, please include the required information. For your own security, do not route any message with your credit card number on it. Crash it directly to 1:1/90. The official Conclave '90 airline is American Airlines. American offers a 5% discount the lowest applicable round-trip fare, including 1st class travel, subject to availability of inventory. All fare rules and restrictions apply. In addition, American offers 40% off their round trip unrestricted day coach fare. International travelers qualify for special benefits, including complimentary admittance to the Admiral's Club Lounge at any American Airlines terminal. Newark is an American Air- lines city with direct flights to most major cities. When making reservations, you must call American's Toll-free reservation number at 800-433-1790, and reference Star number 13704F. FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 28 30 Jul 1990 F I D O - C O N '90 R E G I S T R A T I O N F O R M Name: __________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________ Apt. or Suite: _________ City: _________________________ State or Province: ____________ Postal Code: __________________ Country: ______________________ Voice Phone: ______________________ Data: _____________________ Zone:Net/Node.Point@Domain: ____________________________________ Special requirements: __________________________________________ +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | Option | Full | | | Line | |(Choose 1: A-G)| Name | Qty | Pricing | Total | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN A** | | | $545.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN B** | | | $400.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN C | | | $250.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN D | | | $105.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN E | | | $ 75.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN F | | | $ 30.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN G** | | | $620.00 | | +===============+=====================+=====+==========+=======+ |*NJ Beach Trip | | | $ 24.50 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ |*Eve. NYC Tour | | | $ 37.50 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ |*NYC Shop Tour | | | $ 36.50 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ |*Medieval Times| | | $ 50.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ ** includes registration, Hotel, and meals | Total $ | | * Requires Pre-registration (before 7/1) +==========+=======+ MC _____ Visa _____ Card Number: _____________________________ Expiration: ___________ Signature _____________________________ ( Credit card registrations require valid signature ) ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 29 30 Jul 1990 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 30 30 Jul 1990 ================================================================= LATEST VERSIONS ================================================================= Latest Software Versions MS-DOS Systems -------------- Bulletin Board Software Name Version Name Version Name Version DMG 2.93* Phoenix 1.3 TAG 2.5e* Fido 12s+ QuickBBS 2.64* TBBS 2.1 Lynx 1.30 RBBS 17.3A* TComm/TCommNet 3.4 Kitten 2.16 RBBSmail 17.3A* Telegard 2.5* Maximus 1.00 RemoteAccess .03* TPBoard 6.1* Opus 1.12+* SLBBS 1.76* Wildcat! 2.15* PCBoard 14.2* Socrates 1.00 XBBS 1.13 Network Node List Other Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version BinkleyTerm 2.40* EditNL 4.00 ARC 6.02 D'Bridge 1.30 MakeNL 2.20 ARCAsim 2.30* Dutchie 2.90C ParseList 1.30 ARCmail 2.07 FrontDoor 1.99c* Prune 1.40 ConfMail 4.00 PRENM 1.47 SysNL 3.11 Crossnet v1.5* SEAdog 4.51b XlatList 2.90 EMM 2.02 TIMS 1.0(Mod8)* XlaxDiff 2.35* Gmail 2.05 XlaxNode 2.35* GROUP 2.16 GUS 1.30 INTERPCB 1.20* LHARC 1.13 MSG 4.1* MSGED 1.99 PK[UN]ZIP 1.10* QM 1.0 QSORT 4.03 Sirius 1.0w* SLMAIL 1.35* StarLink 1.01 TagMail 2.20 TCOMMail 2.2 Telemail 1.20* TMail 1.15 TPBNetEd 3.2 TosScan 1.00* UFGATE 1.03 XRS 3.40* ZmailQ 1.10 FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 31 30 Jul 1990 Macintosh --------- Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version Red Ryder Host v2.1b10 Tabby 2.2 MacArc 0.04 Mansion 7.15 Copernicus 1.0d* ArcMac 1.3 WWIV (Mac) 3.0 StuffIt 1.51 FBBS 0.91* TImport 1.331 Hermes 0.88* TExport 1.32 Timestamp 1.6 Tset 1.3 Import 3.2 Export 3.21 Sundial 3.2 PreStamp 3.2 OriginatorII 2.0 AreaFix 1.6 Mantissa 3.21 Zenith 1.5 UNZIP 1.02b Amiga ----- Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version Paragon 2.06+ BinkleyTerm 1.00 AmigArc 0.23 TrapDoor 1.50* AReceipt 1.5* WelMat 0.35 booz 1.01 ConfMail 1.10 ChameleonEdit 0.10 ElectricHerald1.66* Lharc 1.10 MessageFilter 1.52* oMMM 1.49b ParseLst 1.30 PkAX 1.00 PK[UN]ZIP 1.01 PolyxAmy 2.02* RMB 1.30 TrapList 1.12* UNzip 0.86 Yuck! 1.61* Zoo 2.00 Atari ST FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 32 30 Jul 1990 -------- Bulletin Board Software Network Mailer Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version FIDOdoor/ST 1.5c* BinkleyTerm 1.03g3 ConfMail 1.00 Pandora BBS 2.41c The BOX 1.20 ParseList 1.30 QuickBBS/ST 0.40 ARC 6.02* GS Point 0.61 LHARC 0.51 LED ST 0.10* BYE 0.25* PKUNZIP 1.10 MSGED 1.96S SRENUM 6.2 Trenum 0.10 OMMM 1.40 Archimedes ---------- BBS Software Mailers Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version ARCbbs 1.44* BinkleyTerm 2.03* Unzip 2.1TH ARC 1.03 !Spark 2.00d* ParseLst 1.30 BatchPacker 1.00* + Netmail capable (does not require additional mailer software) * 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 7-31 Page 33 30 Jul 1990 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= The Interrupt Stack 1 Aug 1990 Start of FidoCon '90. Contact Bill Vanglahn at 1:1/90 for details. 2 Aug 1990 Felix Kasza's girlfriend Telia returns from a lengthy trip to Brazil. Don't count on hearing much from him for about a week. 17 Aug 1990 Start of first ever Searchlight SysOps convention in Chicago, IL. Contact Marge Robbins at 1:283/120 for details. 5 Oct 1990 21st Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" 6 Nov 1990 First anniversary of Van Diepen Automatiseert, 2:500/28 14 Nov 1990 Marco Maccaferri's 21rd Birthday. Send greetings to him at 2:332/16.0 1 Jan 1991 Implementation of 7% Goods and Services Tax in Canada. Contact Joe Lindstrom at 1:134/55 for a more colorful description. 16 Feb 1991 Fifth anniversary of the introduction of Echomail, by Jeff Rush. 7 Oct 1991 Area code 415 fragments. Alameda and Contra Costa Counties will begin using area code 510. This includes Oakland, Concord, Berkeley and Hayward. San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, parts of Santa Clara County, and the San Francisco Bay Islands will retain area code 415. 1 Feb 1992 Area code 213 fragments. Western, coastal, southern and eastern portions of Los Angeles County will begin using area code 310. This includes Los Angeles International Airport, West Los Angeles, San Pedro and Whittier. Downtown Los Angeles and surrounding communities (such as Hollywood and Montebello) will retain area code 213. FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 34 30 Jul 1990 5 Jun 1997 David Dodell's 40th Birthday If you have something which you would like to see on this calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1. ----------------------------------------------------------------- To Zone 2 ENET.SYSOP readers Vince Perriello, 1:141/491 I've had the distinct privilege of reading some excerpts from the ENET.SYSOP conference this weekend. Nice stuff. I'm recommending it to the local Poison Control Center in place of Ipecac. The messages place me in the position of having to respond to some of this stuff. You may not like it, but it serves you right for dragging my name into your crappy little war. I'll make you a deal: Don't use my name as a weapon again and I won't tell you how foolish you all look. Some personal notes now: To Peter Janssens: Bob and I did not pay our entire airfare, paid little for our meals, nothing for our lodging, and nothing for our registration. I'm telling you this to answer your little accusations against the Eurocon IV committee, because otherwise I would just say that it was none of your damned business. To Ron Dwight: Nice job on the revisionist history. If you're in need of some pocket money, there might still be some ex-Germans in South America who could use you. To the EuroCon V team: I hope you get it all together (with or without help from someone in Scandinavia). Bob and I are looking forward to an Italian Adventure next year. To the Eurocon IV team: Shit. I bet you thought the worst was over when everyone left. Listen, after all the shouting and BS is over, the fact remains that you did a great job and most people were extremely appreciative of your efforts, Bob and I among them. FIDONEWS 7-31 Page 35 30 Jul 1990 I can safely say that Eurocon IV is the best FidoCon I have yet attended on any Continent. To all of you: Good grief, Europe! Are you trying to win some kind of award in American-style hooliganism? There was a procedure, it was followed, and a site was chosen. Grow up. I appreciate this opportunity to clear up some misstated facts (and to air my personal opinions). Send your flames to yourselves. -----------------------------------------------------------------