Volume 5, Number 12 21 March 1988 +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | _ | | / \ | | /|oo \ | | - FidoNews - (_| /_) | | _`@/_ \ _ | | International | | \ \\ | | FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) | | Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// | | / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / | | (________) (_/(_|(____/ | | (jm) | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ Editor in Chief Dale Lovell Editor Emeritus: 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. Copyright 1988 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. The contents of the articles contained here are not our responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them. Everything here is subject to debate. We publish EVERYTHING received. Table of Contents 1. ARTICLES ................................................. 1 New Compact Disk Echo Created! ........................... 2 FidoCon '88 Registration ................................. 7 Net 322 forming in Massachusetts ......................... 14 Standards don't always help .............................. 15 USR announces FidoCon '88 special ........................ 17 2. COLUMNS .................................................. 18 The 10 Point Gothic Column ............................... 18 Let's YACK about Inter-net Links ......................... 20 3. FOR SALE ................................................. 22 286 Package And Software For Sale ........................ 22 4. NOTICES .................................................. 23 The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 23 John Blackett-Smith please reply ......................... 24 Latest Software Versions ................................. 24 5. COMMITTEE REPORTS ........................................ 25 AGREEMENT WITH DAK ON NODELIST SITUATION ................. 25 And more! FidoNews 5-12 Page 1 21 Mar 1988 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= David Hart CareerPath BBS (107/117) 212-696-9777 REVISED JOB POSTING CRITERIA CareerPath BBS is now accepting Job postings (WITHOUT FEE WHATSOEVER) on the following conditions: 1. It is a bona fide job opening. 2. That the employer complies with EEO fully! 3. That the posting is NOT blind and contains an address or telephone for response and that the employer is clearly identified. 4. That no intervention is required on the part of the Sysop or Cary Hart Associates (the sponsor of CPBBS). 5. That the posting does not require a response on the BBS. 6. That the employer promptly remove the posting when the pos- ition is filled or otherwise unavailable. 7. This policy applies only to openings in the DP, MIS, technical areas. Any other postings will be promptly deleted. This policy is a result of our decision NOT to handle most DP searches. We are now informing our client base that they may freeely post positions with these guidelines until further notice. Just for the record, we will NEVER contact any employer to solicit an assignment from one of these postings. Again, this change in policy is designed to provide an alternative to our involvement in recruiting for these positions. This MAY result in a substantial increase in job postings. If this occurs, I will place another article in FidoNews in order to solicit interest in a help wanted echo. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 2 21 Mar 1988 Mark Bowman Another BBS System? 1:148/208 New Compact Disk Echo Created I'm very happy to announce that I have created a new echo conference for users who have an interest in Compact Disks, Players and Accesssories. Since the CD industry has been very strong since it began, I suspect this echo will probably become a very active one. Everyday brings us new products and developments, so this should give us a lot of possible topics to discuss! On aspect I'm really going to try and promote are reviews written by the users of this echo. Reviews of new (and old) Compact Disks may come in very handy when it comes time to slap down a few more bucks next time you are visiting your favorite music store. I realize that a number of magazines already have this type of feature, but it is not interactive and is generally outdated by the time a reader gets his copy. At the time this article was written, the Compact Disk Echo was only a local echo. I've already completed the preliminary steps involved in placing this echo in the National and International areas, but whether this is sucessful or not will depend on how well it picks up in the beginning. If you are interested in having this echo on your system please contact me directly though NetMail, at the node listed at the top of this article. You'll need to add CD_ECHO to your areas.bbs files(s). The echo will be available for polling anytime except the NMH. I hope you'll help move this echo to the big times... Mark Bowman Compact Disk Echo Moderator ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 3 21 Mar 1988 NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE __ The World's First / \ BBS Network /|oo \ * FidoNet * (_| /_) _`@/_ \ _ | | \ \\ | (*) | \ )) ______ |__U__| / \// / Fido \ _//|| _\ / (________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm) EuroConII JUNE 25 & 26 TIEL HOLLAND Sponsored by the Dutch Hobby Computer Club Europes second FidoNet Conference Registration and Information Conference Adress: Motel Tiel Laan van Westroyen 10 4003 AZ TIEL Holland Fellow-Fidonians, Well it very well appears that FidoConII is going to be a major success. Reactions from all over Europe and the Usa show that Sysops and Users from a lot of countries are going to attend. We are currently in the process of organizing our agenda, so if you have any suggestions about what should be discussed during this conference, please contact us. We are all ears !! A tentative agenda has been published in the major echo areas and can be found at the beginning of the European Nodelist which has been sent to all the European Coordinators through out Europe. Don't miss this, it is your chance to meet those people you have been talking to electronically. Wynn Wagner WW3 has again confirmed that he will attend the meeting and chances are that IFNA's president Don Daniels will be there too. Registration & information. --------------------------- We have made available special voice and dataline for registration and information : DATA : Node 2:2/999 (+31-1820-22314) Special EuroConII node VOICE: Hans Lichthelm (+31-1820-16697) FidoNews 5-12 Page 4 21 Mar 1988 MAIL : EuroConII 1988 Koekoekplein 13 2802 AD GOUDA The Netherlands How to register --------------- It is preferrable that you fill out the registration form below and send it to the address show above under 'MAIL'. You will get an acknowledgement by normal mail with directions on how to reach the EurConII conference and how to pay the 25% confirmation fee required to confirm your registration. Note that the registration committee will take care of the Hotel reservations too. No need to call the hotel. Details ------- Although EurConII starts Saturday JUNE, 25th at 9:00 we expect most attendees to be there Friday evening the 24th. So we will be having a welcome party sponsored by the HCC. If you come in on Friday we will all be able to meet each other. The Hotel has a gym and a swimming pool, so don't forget your sportswear, having fun is part of this conference !!. Feel free to choose whatever options you like from the list presented on the registration form. If you indicate that you want to share a room and are traveling alone, we will try to double you up with someone. You will also be able to save Hfl 32.50 a night by sharing a room. If you travel together with others please submit your registration forms together so we can organize the rooms in a convienient way. Late registration ----------------- Late registration is possible but will bring us some headaches. As we are taking a financial risk here so we have to charge extra for late registrations. Please do us both a favor and send your registration forms to us in time. LATE REGISTRATION FEE IS DUE WHEN YOU REGISTER AFTER APRIL 1TH (NO JOKE...). If you want the best accomadations register before March 23. Hotel Prices ------------ The Conference center we have choosen is brand new with comfortable rooms and at very moderate prices. Here are some indications : FidoNews 5-12 Page 5 21 Mar 1988 Coffee, tea .... Hfl 2,00 sherry etc .... Hfl 2,50 Beer, cola etc.. Hfl 2,00 Dutch genever .. Hfl 2,00 The Registration Form --------------------- Please print it out, select your options and sign it. Then send it to the address specified above. We will get in touch with you to confirm your reservation. If you travel with others, please send a registration form for each member of the group and send them in together. If at all possible, join us at the Saturday evening Official Dinner. The Conference ends Sunday 18:00 hours so we can arrange your lodgings until Monday if you wish. Please contact us for special arrangements, like placing beds in the room for kids, a longer stay etc. There is no dinner planned on Sunday, if you stay you can eat a la carte. Prices start at Hfl 19,--. ----------------------------------------------------------------- EuroConII 1988 Registration Form ----------------------------------------------------------------- Name : Adress : City : Country : Phone : Fido node: Friday JUNE 24th Room @ Hfl 65,-- yes/no Hfl ..,.. Saturday JUNE 25th Breakfast @ Hfl 8,-- yes/no Hfl .,.. Lunch @ Hfl 17,50 yes/no Hfl ..,.. Dinner @ Hfl 25,-- yes/no Hfl ..,.. Room @ Hfl 65,-- yes/no Hfl ..,.. Sunday JUNE 26th Breakfast @ Hfl 8,-- yes/no Hfl ..,.. Lunch @ Hfl 17,50 yes/no Hfl ..,.. Room @ Hfl 65,-- yes/no Hfl ..,.. Monday JUNE 27th Breakfast @ Hfl 8,-- yes/no Hfl ..,.. CONFERENCE FEE Hfl 25,-- LATE REGISTRATION (after April, 1th) @ Hfl 100,-- Hfl ...,-- ----------+ TOTAL ................................................. Hfl ...,.. I have agreed to share my room with ................... (subtract Hfl 32,50 for every night) Hfl ...,..- ---------- AMOUNT DUE Hfl ...,.. ========== I am alone but I want you to try to arrange for a room mate yes/no I am male/female FidoNews 5-12 Page 6 21 Mar 1988 My room mate must be smoker/no smoker/don't care about smoking Place : Date : Please Sign : Hope to meet you there !! EuroconII Registration Committee. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 7 21 Mar 1988 FidoCon '88 in Cincinnati, Ohio at The Drawbridge Inn August 25-28, 1988 It's still pretty early and we're not quite finished planning all the details of this year's event, but I can tell you that FidoCon'88 will be the biggest and best FidoCon ever! This year we've added an extra day to the conference, and plenty of activities to make your visit both fun and educational. There'll be lectures, Q&As, meetings, forums, and of course plenty of all-night 'bull sessions' in the several hospitality suites. You'll have a chance to finally get to meet, in person, all the people you've chatted (or exchanged FLAMES) with. All during the conference will be a TeleComputing Expo, where major vendors of computers, modems, software, and other products and services of interest to the FidoNet Community will tout their wares. We are also planning a full schedule of activities for spouses and family members. On the slate are: trips to King Island Theme Park, The Cincinnati Zoo, Riverboat rides, sight-seeing tours, shopping trips, and many more fun things to do. This year you can make FidoCon a family vacation. As always, it is up to you to make your own hotel and travel arrangements. This year we're making it a bit easier; we have made special arrangements with Delta Airlines, Alamo Car Rental, and of course the Drawbridge Inn for special FidoCon'88 discounts. Delta Airlines, as an official sponsor of FidoCon'88, is offering discounts of 40% to 70% off their normal coach fares to and from the conference. Alamo Car Rental is also offering special FidoCon'88 rates. Details will be sent to you in your registration packet and have been posted in FidoNews. Our host this year, the Drawbridge Inn, is offering special room rates, in addition to free transportation to and from the Greater Cincinnati International Airport. The following guest room rates have been guaranteed for our conference: Building Single Double ---------------- ------ ------ Main building $49.00 $59.00 Garrison Bldg. $37.00 $47.00 Citadel Tower $56.00 $66.00 Citadel V.I.P. $80.00 $80.00 Suites $95-195 Additional person $10.00 ea. Children under 18 free when staying in room with parents. FidoNews 5-12 Page 8 21 Mar 1988 A mail-in room registration card will be in your registration packet, or you may call the Drawbridge direct at (606) 341-2800. Just mention that you are with FidoCon'88. If you wish to share a room with someone, just indicate so below, and tell us if you prefer non-smoking, and we'll do our best to pair you up with someone. As I said earlier, FidoCon'88 is still a ways off, and our group, The Greater Cincinnati Sysop Association is working hard to finalize all the details. Although the final schedules are still being put together, we decided to begin accepting early registration. Below are the prices that stand today: o The conference registration fee will once again be $60 per attendee. After July 31st the price goes up to $75 and you must register at the door. o There will be lunches Thu - Sat, Thu dinner, Fri banquet, and a Sun brunch for IFNA members attending the BoD meeting. No planned meal exceeds $25 per plate. o Family activities are still being co-ordinated. You will receive further information in your registration packet. o There will be all sorts of goodies: T-shirts, buttons, hats, and the like. Stay tuned for details. o Several vendors and groups are sponsoring hospitality suites. These are open to all registered attendees As a bonus to you, the early registrant, your name is automatically being entered into a special drawing. The drawing will be made from all registrations, confirmed by July 1, 1988, and will be for a round trip ticket on Delta to anywhere in the continental US. Ticket courtesy Delta Airlines. A second drawing will be for a new US Robotics Courier HST with MNP level 5, courtesy USR. This drawing will be held during the Friday banquet. All active IFNA members are eligible for this drawing. If you are not currently an IFNA member or have not renewed your membership, now is the time to do it. Cutoff date is noon Friday August 26th. so be sure your membership is confirmed by that date. As an additional bonus, the first 50 confirmed registrants for FidoCon '88 will receive a coupon good for $50 off a USR HST modem (and that can be used along with the USR sysop offer for even more savings). More exciting prizes to be given away will be announced in the coming weeks. Payment must be in by the above dates to be eligible for the drawings. Don't worry if you don't have all your info at this time; you will be mailed a registration packet that will contain FidoNews 5-12 Page 9 21 Mar 1988 additional information and the special discount offers. It will also tell you how to update your registration should you decide to. FidoCon '88 - Cincinnati, Ohio At The Drawbridge Inn and Convention Center August 25-28, 1988 Attendee Registration Form Name: ____________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________ City: _______________________ State: ____ Zip: ___________ Country: ____________________________________________________ Phone Numbers: Day: ____________________________________________________ Evening: ____________________________________________________ Data: ____________________________________________________ Zone:Net/ Node.Point: _______________________________________________ Your BBS Name: _______________________________________________ BBS Software: _____________________ Mailer: _________________ Modem Brand: _____________________ Speed: _________________ What Hotel will you be Staying at: ____________________________ Do you want to share a room? ______ Are you a non-smoker? ______ Do you want an in room point? ______ (Tower rooms at Drawbridge only) Do you need special accommodations? ______ FidoNews 5-12 Page 10 21 Mar 1988 (If so, please explain) ____________________________ ____________________________ Are you a non-Sysop? ______ Are you an IFNA Member? ______ If so, will you be attending the Sunday IFNA brunch/BoD meeting? ______ Additional Guests: ______ (not attending conferences) Comments: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Costs How Many? Cost --------------------------- -------- ------- Conference fee $60..................... ________ _______ ($75.00 after 7/31) Thursday Lunch $10.95 .............. ________ _______ Thursday Dinner $18.95 .............. ________ _______ Friday Lunch $10.95 .............. ________ _______ Friday Banquet $24.95 .............. ________ _______ Saturday Lunch $10.95 .............. ________ _______ ======== ======= Totals ................................ ________ _______ You may pay by Check, Money Order or Visa/MC Please send no cash. All monies must be in U.S. Funds. Checks should be made out to: "FidoCon '88" This form should be completed and mailed to: FidoCon '88 Registration P.O. Box 9294 Cincinnati, OH 45209 FidoNews 5-12 Page 11 21 Mar 1988 If you pay by Credit Card you may also register by Netmailing this completed form to 108/62 or 1/88 for processing. Please complete the information below and be sure to include a voice phone number above so that we can contact you for Credit Card verification. Rename this file ZNNNXXXX.REG where Z is your Zone number, N is your Net number, and X is your Node number. [ ] Visa [ ] MasterCard Name as it appears on credit card: ___________________________________________ Credit Card Number: ___________________________________________ Expiration Date: ___________________________________________ Signature: ___________________________________________ (If you mail in registration) ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 12 21 Mar 1988 * Disincorporate IFNA! We're not going to take it anymore! IFNA claims a mandate. It had an election once. IFNA now rules based on its membership. IFNA has been working for years and its Board of Directors has been in place for some time now and IFNA is fully operational and functional. I now propose to all FidoNet Sysops that IFNA's claim on the FidoNet is null and void. It does not represent or deserve to have any effect on the FidoNet. If IFNA can claim its existence on the basis of its membership I can challenge this membership and IFNA's claim "to" the FidoNet. I say that if more people call for IFNA's disincorporation then there are IFNA members then IFNA must, as any honorable human being would, vote to disband itself and let the various Coordinators that make up the FidoNet rule as they did before IFNA made its claim. I am hereby starting an echo called DISINC. This echo is dedicated to the disincorporation of IFNA. I am also circulating this following message which I urge all FidoNet Sysops to spread Far and Wide. This message or words calling for the DisIncorporation of the International FidoNet Association should be sent to node 1:132/555 into AREA:DISINC. A petition will then be drawn up from all FidoNet System Operators calling for IFNA's disincorporation. If the numbers calling for IFNA to disincorporate exceed IFNA's membership IFNA will have no choice but to disincorporate. I hereby challenge the IFNA BoD to do what the FidoNet wants done - To do the WILL of the FidoNet - no matter what the outcome! --- A Resolution --- Cut here --- AREA:DISINC The corporation of the International FidoNet Association has claimed to represent the FidoNet and it has been trying to function in this capacity for some time now. We've gone through IFNA's birth, its growing pains and have struggled to make it grow. Now after it has been in power and has shown us what type of organization IFNA is, we, the Sysops of the FidoNet call on the IFNA Board of Directors to disband and disincorporate the International FidoNet Association. Signed, , --- Cut here --- Let the sysops of the FidoNet decide IFNA's fate. . Randy Edwards, Sysop FidoNet node 1:132/555 FidoNews 5-12 Page 13 21 Mar 1988 ------------------------------------------------- Resolution 242 of the FidoNet I hereby resolve that the International FidoNet Association (IFNA) has no right to exist. IFNA has no right to claim to represent the FidoNet. IFNA's claim of owning the FidoNet Nodelist and FidoNews newsletter is null and void. IFNA has no right to exist. ----- Cut Here ----- If you're willing to join in this resolution please do so. Mail a copy of it to your local BoD rep and every IFNA Board of Director member that you can find. It is time for the FidoNet to throw off the yoke of IFNA! THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND - either support IFNA by sending in your $25 to IFNA or resolve to rid the FidoNet of this dangerous menace! ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 14 21 Mar 1988 A New Net in Massachusetts by David Kaufman (1:321/147) Starting with NODELIST.077 (barring some unforeseen occurence) a new net, Net 322, will form in Massachusetts. The new net will be comprised of nodes from both of the existing nets (Net 321 and Net 101). If you do echomail or have regular correspondence with any Massachusetts node, make sure you know which net that node will be in. Here's a list of those which will be moving: Net 322 (the new MassNet East) Old # New # | Old # New # | Old # New # ------- ------- | ------- ------- | ------- ------- 101/140 322/710 | 101/129 322/890 | 101/117 322/117 101/168 322/110 | 101/172 322/130 | 101/139 322/180 101/113 322/188 | 101/433 322/210 | 101/448 322/220 101/162 322/230 | 101/188 322/240 | 101/166 322/310 101/14 322/14 | 101/182 322/335 | 101/184 322/339 101/132 322/340 | 101/146 322/360 | 101/186 322/380 321/147 322/422 | 321/148 322/410 | 321/401 322/470 101/27 322/27 | 101/885 322/530 | 101/124 322/559 101/156 322/555 | 101/174 322/557 | 101/125 322/560 101/126 322/561 | 101/164 322/566 | 101/366 322/590 101/152 322/940 | 101/105 322/960 | ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 15 21 Mar 1988 Vince Perriello, FIDONET 1:141/491 Bit-Brain Software, Standards don't always help FidoNet, and for that matter, all of the other nets that are using FidoNet technology for communications, is a superb technical statement. Here is an entire grassroots network pieced together using standard hardware and communications gear, with no extreme technical requirements placed on any one user of the network. How did it get that way? We didn't get here through imposing a rigorous standard on network development. We got here through a "living laboratory" methodology, and by accepting that as a hobbyist network we won't necessarily get the mail through on the first try, though always striving for that level of excellence. One of the people who has benefitted most through this approach now believes that the time has come to get rigorous. To only implement to published standards. To not "make a big deal of any random group that meets at a wide spot in the road". Pardon me while I cough my lungs up into my handkerchief. Okay, I'm back. Now, why do I disagree with this point of view? As a netmail author and a member of the FidoNet Technical Standards Committee I should be cheering this, right? Wrong. We still have work to do. To limit what we can do in the network to published specifications would be very wrong at this point. We still need to properly implement direct interzone mail. To add other protocols to our abilities, particularly such things as the Janus protocol and the X.25 code that is apparently working out so well in Europe, neither of which would have happened if we only allowed our mail transfers to take place using protocols documented by the FTSC. Why did I cough (an impolite thing to do while someone else is talking)? Well, to my knowledge there is no FTSC document describing SEAlink protocol, SEAlink Overdrive, passwords in packet headers, procedural guidelines for password mismatching, the so-called "BARK" method of requesting files from a remote system, or even the addressing method used by the author of the previous article (the address was in the form "net1/node1-net2/node2" where apparently you need to send mail for net2/node2 to net1/node1 but who can tell without a document?). I trust that by now you get a glimmer of what I am talking about. It's really quite simple. We're all technical people here. But not the type who likes to write tons of specifications before coding. We're the type that likes to write tons of code before touching a specification. That includes Thom Henderson. It includes Tom Jennings. It includes me. Bob Hartman. Wynn Wagner. Many others. Wynn has written a lot of specs but I suspect he only does it because we don't (that's a joke, Wynn, really!). That poses a problem. How do you wind up with code that actually can COMMUNICATE? FidoNews 5-12 Page 16 21 Mar 1988 That is the role that I see for the FTSC. Its job is to document and maintain BASELINE specifications, and to monitor enhancements, bringing specs for those enhancements into its "library" as they mature sufficiently to merit inclusion. To devise reasonable tools to allow enhancements to be tested on the network without causing the kind of disruptions that occurred at least once in recent history (about a year ago) when 1/0 was running a mail product using an "experimental" protocol that wasn't quite right yet. We expect to devise these tools using a session level negotiation based on Wynn Wagner's "YooHoo" design, which is in many respects similar to the session negotiation used by the X.25 and SNA protocols. There were two points raised in Thom's article that I need to address directly: that of Echomail processing and of FOSSIL specs. Thom suggests that we are at the mercy of anyone who decides to write an echomail munger that doesn't conform with current conventions. Well, WITH trust, conventions should be sufficient until a spec can be written. WITHOUT trust, it doesn't matter whether there is a formal spec or not. The problem of what happens when a new, incompatible echomail processor is introduced to the network will no doubt be the subject of a future social experiment by someone who enjoys doing that sort of thing. As for FOSSIL, there is a specification. It is published by a committee that has had essentially the same membership for longer than IFNA has had its corporation papers. Omissions and changes are discussed in a PUBLIC Echomail conference. All authors of FOSSIL software have always been welcome in this conference, even before it was open to the public. Those who choose out should keep in mind that it is only through their own stubbornness or arrogance that they are not involved. FidoNet technology is not mature. The basic mail protocol used by Fido 11w is mature. SEAlink is into puberty. Use of JANUS and X.25 is still in diapers here. FTSC's job is to create an environment where such experimentation can still happen while not threatening the operation of the network. Echomail will be documented by the FTSC when we get to it. There are only so many of us. If only those who call for specs were better at writing them. We can always use cooperative volunteers. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 17 21 Mar 1988 --+-- FIDOCON '88 NEWS FLASH --+-- Skokie - US Robotics today announced a special FidoCon '88 incentive price on their 9600 baud HST modem. "We are very excited about this year's FidoNet conference", US Robotics spokesperson Chandra Portman said, "That is why we are making available special discount pricing to the first 50 people to register for this year's conference in Cincinnati." The first 50 people to register for FidoCon '88 will receive a coupon from US Robotics worth $50 off the already low $495 SYSOP special price. As an additional incentive, USR is donating an HST to be given away at the conference. To enter the drawing, all you have to do is register for FidoCon '88 before the early registration deadline of July 1st. Registration for this year's conference will open up March 15th. For more information about this year's conference, contact Tim Sullivan at 1:108/62 or call the FidoCon '88 registration node 1:1/88. Watch for more FidoCon '88 news in upcoming issues of Fidonews. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 18 21 Mar 1988 ================================================================= COLUMNS ================================================================= The 10 Point Gothic Column -------------------------- The Hermit's Point of View Greg Glynn - The Airlock Hermit From 3:712/502 - Home of the Brave How easy it is to view the "goings on" of the net from the comfort of my little hovel, safe from the singeing flames of the Sysops Conferences, and the gathering hordes of IFNA opponents, IFNA supporters, Alternet Hodads, and everyone who simply doesn't give a damn. How easy too the life of the FidoNet peasant, such as I. Away from the far flung battle fields of the Fidonet Flames. So what can one learn from the backblocks? Australia is about as far away from St Louis as you're about to get! I've been involved with this whole Fido thing for a year now, and I'm no less fascinated by it now than when I first discovered that 8 data bits and one stop bit was the combination that changed horrible garbage on my screen to a veritable Picasso of online information, but enough of my exordium. `ever being one to expatiate, I present for your edification and mental stimulation extracts from: The FidoNet Buzzword Dictionary ------------------------------- (as edited by the Airlock Hermit) AlterNet - An enigma. A breath of fresh air to "burn-outs", but to others: a four letter word. Baud - I was told that this has something to do with file transfers. So I tried a 356,792 byte file transfer at 300 BPS and they were right! I got baud. Very Baud. EchoMail - A bit like PolyFilla. Where Polyfilla will fill all the cracks and empty spots in your walls, EchoMail will fill all the empty spots on your disk. A 40 Meg drive becomes a 0 meg drive. A Wonderful creation is EchoMail. Flame - The stuff that comes out of your 40 Meg disk with too much EchoMail on it. Opus - Opus is FidoNet software which really carries the "Brotherhood" ideal to its limit. The fact that all OPUS systems running 1.03a crashed simultaneously is witness to this. Net - A nodular collection of Bulletin Boards. Node - An individual point in a nodular collection of Bulletin Boards. FidoNews 5-12 Page 19 21 Mar 1988 Point - A private node on an individual point on a nodular collection of Bulletin boards. Sysop - Someone who understands the above. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 20 21 Mar 1988 YACK Yet Another Complicated Komment by Steven K. Hoskin ( STEVE HOSKIN at 1:128/11 ) Episode 4: Inter-Net Links Yes, I know, you are probably getting tired of hearing all these different ideas about how to link with other Networks, especially when I constantly bring up that old FidoNet sore spot, AlterNet. But I will continue to harp on my feelings that communication is the name of the game, and I will probably never stop harping on that until everybody can communicate with everybody else in just about any way they please. Yes, I'm a dreamer, but a guy can dream can't he? Okay, Aaron Priven commented in FidoNews 5-07 (latest FidoNews at the time of this writing) about different techniques to use the gateways to get to other Networks. I appreciate the obvious technical knowledge that went into that article, almost as much as I appreciated his previous article on NaughtNet for its humorous content. Unfortunately, without a lot of concentration, I was not able to keep his train of thought in line. The techniques he suggested seemed to be awfully complicated, and this might have been due to my own lack of knowledge of how the current FidoNet operates. In any case, his article spawned an idea (I'm prone to these things, you see). Here's yet another idea for the gateway technique, assuming that the non-gateway technique is administratively infeasible. Why not have ONE zone specifically set up for ALL gateways to ALL other Networks? Let's say, for sake of argument, that this idea was implemented, and Zone 9 was selected for the gateways. Now we have each external (to FidoNet) Network apply for a Net/Node number inside Zone 9. UseNet becomes 9:1; 9:1/0 becomes the hub or host for the UseNet gateway. AlterNet becomes 9:2; the hub for the AlterNet gateway becomes node 9:2/0. ARPANet becomes net 3 in Zone 9, and the list just grows from there. Contacting a user at a known gateway is simple: send network mail to that Node directly with 9:x/xxx. Contacting a user whose location is only known as "Somewhere in such-and-such net" could be reached via 9:x/0. Now there's a fairly unlimited number of other Networks we could communicate with, as there is a fairly unlimited number of Nets allowed in any given Zone. FidoNews 5-12 Page 21 21 Mar 1988 There's also a fairly unlimited number of gateways available within that Network, as there are a fairly unlimited number of possible Nodes within one FidoNet Net. And somebody who isn't sure just how to contact somebody via FidoNet who is actually in another Network could send a mail message to the Host for that FidoNet collection of gateways, with the proper OtherNet address as the first line in the message to that host node. It seems to me that there wouldn't be any problems in implementing this plan, either administratively or technically, I welcome your responses via Network Mail; you can reach me as STEVE HOSKIN at 1:128/11. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 22 21 Mar 1988 ================================================================= FOR SALE ================================================================= From Gene Coppola 107/246 I have the following package for immediate sale: 1) 8 Mhz 286 Computer With Following Options Installed: a) 1 40 Mb Seagate St-251 Disk Drive installed. b) 2 360k Floppy Drives Installed. c) 1 Megabyte Of Ram Installed On Motherboard. d) 1 Ega Display Card. Automatic Mode Switching. e) 1 Intel Above Board With 1024k Installed. f) 1 Floppy Disk Controller. g) 1 Western Digital Hard Drive Controller. h) 1 Multi-Function (Printer, Serial, Clock) Card. i) 1 Serial Card. j) Copy 2 PC Copy Board. 2) 1 Quadchrome Enhanced Display Monitor. 3) 1 Leading Edge Monochrome Monitor. 4) 1 10 Mb T-33E External Tape Drive With Cable. 5) 1 2400 Baud 100% Hayes Compatible Modem. 6) 1 Panasonic KX-P1092i Printer With Cable. This package comes complete with the software I have listed below plus more not listed: Lotus, Dbase, Smalltalk V, Turbo C, Quick Basic 4.0, Turbo Prolog, Turbo Basic, CrossTalk, Mace Utilities, Clipper, Desqview, Software Carousel, Certificate Maker, SEAdog (2 Registered Copies), Double Dos, Fastback, Nota Bene, PFS Professional Write, Disk Optimizer, Norton Utilities Advanced, Wordstar, Prodesign, Pc Technician, Print Shop, Microsoft Windows, Paradox, Superkey, Pc Tools, Norton Commander, Cubit, Turbo Pascal, SnapShot, Ms-Dos 3.2, Pc-Dos 3.3 and more. Everything is in working order, and the motherboard is covered by a 24 month warranty with 19 months remaining. If you would like to make an offer on the package then please send a Net-Mail message to Gene Coppola on 107/246. Only serious people need to respond to this offer. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 23 21 Mar 1988 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= The Interrupt Stack 16 May 1988 Digital Equipment Corporations Users Society Spring Symposium. Will be held May 16-May 20 in Cincinnati, OH. 16 Jul 1988 A new areacode, 508, will form in eastern Massachusetts and will be effective on this date. The new area code will be formed from the current areacode 617. Greater Boston will remain areacode 617 while the rest of eastern Massachusetts will form the new areacode 508. 25 Aug 1988 Start of the Fifth International FidoNet Conference, to be held at the Drawbridge Inn in Cincinnati, OH. Contact Tim Sullivan at 108/62 for more information. This is FidoNet's big annual get-together, and is your chance to meet all the people you've been talking with all this time. We're hoping to see you there! 24 Aug 1989 Voyager 2 passes Neptune. If you have something which you would like to see on this calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1. ----------------------------------------------------------------- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The New Mexico Connection * * Node 15/12 * * Computer Technique's * * 1-505-877-0230 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * HOURS OF OPERATION: 2200-0600 daily * * Baud: 300/1200 * * Capacity: 30 Meg * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * SYSTEM MANAGER: Jake Hargrove * * * * This system is a Private Owned Node of the Fido Net. It * * presently operates OPUS. It accepts file request, and * * continuous mail when in operation. It honors the National * * mail hour, and is presently available for echoing messages * * between Net 380. * FidoNews 5-12 Page 24 21 Mar 1988 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * SYSTEM: COMPUTERLAND XT COMPATABLE * * 640K * * SINGLE FLOPPY * * 30 MEG HARD DISK * * 1200 BAUD HAYES EXTERNAL MODEM * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * PROGRAMMING INTEREST: * * * * DBASE II TURBO PASCAL QUICK C * * DBASE III RBASE 5000 BASIC * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ----------------------------------------------------------------- John Blackett-Smith of Melbourne, Australia, I misplaced your mailing address so please send it to me at: Allen Miller 3153 Hanna Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45211 USA ----------------------------------------------------------------- Latest Software Versions BBS Systems Node List Other & Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version Dutchie 2.80 EditNL 3.3 ARC 5.21 Fido 12g* MakeNL 2.03 ARCmail 1.1 Opus 1.03b Prune 1.40 ConfMail 3.31 SEAdog 4.10 XlatList 2.86* EchoMail 1.31 TBBS 2.0M MGM 1.1 BinkleyTerm 1.40* QuickBBS 1.02 * 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 5-12 Page 25 21 Mar 1988 ================================================================= COMMITTEE REPORTS ================================================================= Don Daniels, President International FidoNet Association 1:107/210 AGREEMENT WITH DAK ON NODELIST SITUATION IFNA is pleased to report that it is now in receipt of Drew Kaplan's signature on a Letter of Understanding between DAK and IFNA. We are returning his copy with our approval in today's mail and expect that this will be the official beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship. The following is a brief explanation of the history of the situation and of the agreements reached, along with a letter of apology that was received from Mr. Kaplan himself. As most of you are aware, DAK hit upon the idea that it would be a nice service to provide its customer base with an explanation of just about everything you need to know to get into BBSing. A document was published a couple of months ago to accomplish this that also included printed portions of one of our Nodelists from late last year. DAK interpreted our copyright notice in the Nodelist as saying that they could distribute the Nodelist providing they made no profit on it, although they could recover "reasonable costs of reproduction and distribution." Accordingly, they set up a separate operation to handle this item and guaranteed that any revenues received above their costs would be donated to the American Cancer Society. When word first got out there was a bit of a furor raised within the Net because no one here knew who had agreed to what with whom. DAK learned of the expressions of these concerns and contacted IFNA in an effort to forestall any possible problems. When IFNA first heard of the matter, it was quite upset because, although there were obvious benefits for many to be seen from DAK's actions, we felt that our rights had not been properly respected. We first responded to Mr. Kaplan in this light but two significant factors caused us to seek an amicable resolution: o The first was the obvious interest and respect which Mr. Kaplan had of FidoNet, its Sysops, and what they were doing for the public, along with his expression of complete willingness to do what would be considered right in the future. (Those of us who spoke directly with him on the phone were very impressed with his involvement and sincere desire to be of service -- he personally responded to all our communications). o The second was our own thoughts as to what we really wished to achieve from this matter. To that end we asked ourselves the question, "What would we have wanted or done had DAK approached us directly in the first place?" FidoNews 5-12 Page 26 21 Mar 1988 This positive, non-adversarial approach by both parties, although it has taken some time to complete due to busy schedules on both sides, has proven to be the right one as we feel that there is now a personal relationship that extends beyond the written agreement that will be beneficial, not only for both sides, but for the general public as well. The agreement reached includes, among some other considerations, the following points: o IFNA will provide a license to DAK to distribute printed copies of a subset of the IFNA Nodelist. For each issue, IFNA will remove from its current version, all systems marked as mail-only or private. In addition, IFNA will also remove any node which makes a formal request to IFNA in writing (at P.O. Box 41143, St. Louis, MO 63141) that it does not desire to be included in such publication. o DAK will change the format of its MODEM USER'S GUIDE to more readily accept revisions of the IFNA Nodelist to ensure that they are not providing obsolete material. These new editions will provide appropriate credits to IFNA and to Tom Jennings, developer of FidoNet. o DAK will provide credits to FidoNet and IFNA in any future catalogs that reference the MODEM USER'S GUIDE. This will provide extensive free publicity to FidoNet as these catalogs reach over 10 million readers. o DAK not only welcomes, but encourages IFNA's participation in the technical editing of its MODEM USER'S GUIDE as they are truly interested in promoting this type of activity and wish their material to be as accurate as possible. o DAK will provide printed copies of their MODEM USER'S GUIDE to IFNA free of charge and allow us to distribute them to our users. This will help IFNA in response to the many inquiries we receive through the mail and IFNA phone line. o DAK has indicated a willingness to provide its MODEM USER'S GUIDE to us in soft-copy form, so that it may also be made available to first-time callers of our systems. o DAK will continue its practice of providing revenues beyond its publication costs to the American Cancer Society. A word about this last point: the Cancer Society is very appreciative, not only of the $20,000 that has been raised for its research so far, but for the innovative approach that has been utilized here. We're proud to be a part of it. As indicated above, there are several other considerations that we expect to share with DAK in the future. Among offers of certain types of resources, DAK has also expressed interest in being a supporting vendor at FidoCon '88. We look forward, not only to their support, but to their continued involvement in FidoNews 5-12 Page 27 21 Mar 1988 FidoNet's outreach to the general public. Mr. Kaplan's letter follows. Mr. Don Daniels President International FidoNet Association 3 Apex Road Melville, NY 11747 Dear Mr. Daniels: As many of your members may know, DAK Industries, Inc. publishes the "DAK" catalog and is a mail-order retailer of consumer electronics, including computer, software, and peripheral hardware such as modems, printers and digitizers. As the President of DAK, I have both a professional and personal interest in selecting the best products for my customers and in providing them the highest possible level of support and training in the use of the products they purchase. DAK has sold over 50,000 modems over the last 3 years, but I always wondered why the sales weren't higher -- particulary since over 60% of our customers are computer users. Our market research showed that many computer users -- even so-called "power users" -- are intimidated by telecommunications. To overcome what I've started to think of as "modem shyness" I wanted to provide our customers with an introduction to using modems; I also wanted to give them an example of the exciting things you can do with a modem to give them an incentive to "take the plunge" and sign on for the first time. DAK obtained the FIDO nodelist from a Sysop of a Fido board. We obtained his permission to publish the list, and we published it in exactly the form it was given to us. The license on the nodelist permits recovery of reproduction costs, which, as you know are substantial; so we charged a nominal fee to provide the nodelist to customers who requested it. Moreover, since DAK had no interest in making a profit on the publication of the list or in the distribution of the manual on modem use in the event that our actual costs turned out to be less than we estimated, we decided to donate any proceeds above the actual cost of publishing and distributing the nodelist and the manual to the American Cancer Society. Thousands of customers to date have requested and received the nodelist, so we thought our modem campaign was a huge success -- until we heard from IFNA that it had received complaints from some member board's about DAK's publications of the nodelist. After extensive conversations with Don Daniels and Bob Hartman, I think we've come to a very happy understanding that lets DAK support IFNA and its members by giving IFNA and FidoNet free publicity to the over 10,000,000 customers who receive DAK's catalog and by providing free reproduction and mailing of the nodelist in a form approved by IFNA to the DAK customers who FidoNews 5-12 Page 28 21 Mar 1988 request it. As to the past publication, I apologize for any inadvertant errors -- we dealt with a Sysop, thought we had permission and published the list from a screen dump obtained from a registered FIDO board. Don't misunderstand me...our intention from the beginning has always been to inform our customers in the most positive way about the fabulous resources of the FidoNet. Had I known about IFNA and most especially about the wealth of expertise available there, I would most certainly have "started at the top" and obtained permission to publish the nodelist directly from IFNA. I am delighted to have the input on the nodelist, IFNA, FidoNet and DAK's modem manual that I have received from IFNA. You can be assured that in the future, any publication of the nodelist or mention of Fido, FidoNet and IFNA will be in a form that has been reviewed and approved by your fine organization. And, I am more than happy to continue to support all member boards who so desire by reproducing and mailing at no cost to IFNA or its members, and at no profit to DAK. I look forward in the future to happy and cooperative dealings with IFNA and its member boards so that DAK customers can be introduced to the tremendous resources FidoNet offers and IFNA and its members can have access to the millions of potential new members that DAK's customers list represents. Best regards, (signed by) Drew Kaplan President DAK IDUSTRIES, INC. DAK/dk ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 29 21 Mar 1988 Don Daniels, President International FidoNet Association FidoNet 1:107/210 IFNA President's Report - March 12, 1988 To start off with, I must apologize to you all for some of the lack of information recently. There are several reasons for this. First of all, so much has been happening that there has not been enough time left over to get mobilized on providing you with results of some of the things we have accomplished or updates on work in progress. Please remember that this is in no way attributable to any attempts at "secrecy" on our part. To the contrary, it has been my policy and that of other board members to respond to all communications addressed to us, to ensure that we are responsive to your viewpoints. To quite some extent, however, this policy has added to our inefficiencies as certain individuals have been pulling our chains just to see us jump, I guess. This has really distracted all concerned from the business at hand with the end product that FidoNet is not being as well served as it should be. As a result, I must sadly say that it has become necessary to change that policy to a small degree -- in the future we will continue to respond to all communications that obviously have been sent with a conscientious desire to accrue to the benefit of FidoNet. Criticism, as long as it is basically of a constructive nature, is, of course, still encouraged. However, material that has obviously been entered in a destructive vein will have to be ignored or returned to the sender with a request for revision. My node number is published at the top of this article and appears in the Nodelist (except this past week due to a technical problem here in Region 13). We are participating in the IFNA EchoCon and, if you were to look, you would also discover that I maintain a listed voice line. I've taken this position this year because I wish to serve FidoNet -- and as FidoNet is made up of sysops like you, it follows that we are here to serve you. If you have a problem with what we are doing or not doing and sincerely wish to make it right, please feel free to contact us. My admonition from FidoCon still holds true: Don't tell us what we're doing wrong, tell us how to do it right! For one, I promise that I will listen and do whatever I can to accommodate your wishes for FidoNet's future. Now, on to business! There are quite a few things that we are really excited about. First of all is FidoCon '88. The BoD received quite a report from the organizing committee of the Greater Cincinnati Sysop's Association. We were all very impressed with the scope of what they have planned, their enthusiasm and preparation, and the prospects for a great conference. More word on the many specifics they have planned will come directly from them in the weeks ahead. I can tell you, though, they have some nice surprises in store for you. FidoNews 5-12 Page 30 21 Mar 1988 We have already received some very positive feedback from IFNA's Statement of Position that was created and passed by the Board of Directors and published in last week's FidoNews (#510). If you missed it, I suggest that you go back and read it because it makes it quite clear that what IFNA considers to be its position relative to FidoNet does not coincide with what has been attributed to IFNA by its detractors. There is a spirit of cooperation and accomodation that runs through that statement and it has already been manifested in several ways. Not only was the board meeting itself a fine example but a couple of initiatives promise to extend this in the weeks ahead. An EchoMail Policy Committee is being formed - not unilaterally by IFNA - but JOINTLY with the EchoMail Backbone and the Regional Coordinators. It is expected that they will provide equal representation to a combined committee that will hammer out policies that all sides can whole-heartedly accept. You should be able to hear progress reports on this activity in the weeks ahead. A similar joint project has also been initiated with the Regional Coordinators to work on possible revisions to POLICY3. We expect that whatever comes out of these committees will demonstrate that all parties are actively joining toward the common good of FidoNet and that FidoNet is indeed "one" -- a composite entity with proper delineation between its parts. There has been one item about which we on the Board have remained PUBLICALLY silent and that is the concern with DAK and the Nodelist. We have, however, indicated in various forums that negotiations were proceeding, but as certain legal issues were at stake, we were advised to wait until a full agreement had been worked out. I'm pleased to say that we feel this approach has been very fruitful and that we now expect finalization of our agreements early this week. Barring any unforseen difficulties, we should be providing a full report here next Monday. As can be seen from the above (and a bunch of somewhat lesser concerns I haven't mentioned now but which you should soon hear about), quite a few things are going on and progress is indeed being made. Yes, it is a slow process because whatever we undertake, as volunteers, has to compete for our time with family, friends, jobs, and the other important factors in life. Please try to bear that in mind if we seem a little unresponsive at times. And remember, if you have a real problem that you wish to work out, do contact us. We are here because we wish to be of service to FidoNet. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 31 21 Mar 1988 __ 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 c/o Leonard Mednick, MBA, CPA 700 Bishop Street, #1014 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813-4112 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 first elected Board of Directors was filled in August 1987. The IFNA Echomail Conference has been established on FidoNet to assist the Board. We welcome your input to this Conference. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 5-12 Page 32 21 Mar 1988 INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION ORDER FORM Publications The IFNA publications can be obtained by downloading from Fido 1:1/10 or other FidoNet compatible systems, or by purchasing them directly from IFNA. We ask that all our IFNA Committee Chairmen provide us with the latest versions of each publication, but we can make no written guarantees. Hardcopy prices as of October 1, 1986 IFNA Fido BBS listing $15.00 _____ IFNA Administrative Policy DOCs $10.00 _____ IFNA FidoNet Standards Committee DOCs $10.00 _____ SUBTOTAL _____ IFNA Member ONLY Special Offers System Enhancement Associates SEAdog $60.00 _____ SEAdog price as of March 1, 1987 ONLY 1 copy SEAdog per IFNA Member Fido Software's Fido/FidoNet $100.00 _____ Fido/FidoNet price as of November 1, 1987 ONLY 1 copy Fido/FidoNet per IFNA Member International orders include $10.00 for surface shipping or $20.00 for air shipping _____ SUBTOTAL _____ HI. Residents add 4.0 % Sales tax _____ TOTAL _____ SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER IN US FUNDS: International FidoNet Association c/o Leonard Mednick, MBA, CPA 700 Bishop Street, #1014 Honolulu, HI. 96813-4112 USA Name________________________________ Zone:Net/Node____:____/____ Company_____________________________ Address_____________________________ City____________________ State____________ Zip_____ Voice Phone_________________________ Signature___________________________ -----------------------------------------------------------------