Volume 7, Number 50 10 December 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 and for the Members of the FidoNet (r) International Amateur Electronic Mail System. 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. ARTICLES ................................................. 1 Zones, Zones, Zones ...................................... 1 2. COLUMNS .................................................. 2 Talk Me Through It, Honey ................................ 2 3. LATEST VERSIONS .......................................... 4 Latest Software Versions ................................. 4 4. NOTICES .................................................. 9 The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 9 FidoNews 7-50 Page 1 10 Dec 1990 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= Nathan Moschkin 1:109/427 Zones, Zones, Zones... I was reading the article about Zone 3 defecting, and you know, he's right! This fidonet shouldn't all be run by Zone 1, I don't think it's fair. I think all Zone coordinators and echomail coordinators should have a say in the echopol and Policy5 (when it's finished) Because you keep approving things with little consideration for other zones. They're going to break away soon if we don't let them share. Americans think "Oh, our country's the best there is, that means all of fidonet's rules have to be made here, we should never consider what other countries think!". Heck, it's not even ZONE 1, it's only the U.S., because Canada has no say either, or little say at all. I think we should have a hiearchy with some sense! I think there should be something to the sort of International Coordinator --> Zone Coordinator --> COUNTRY coordinator --> regional coordinator --> Net coord. I also think that the International Coordinator should act as president and the zone and country coordinators act like congress ( from a USA viewpoint, prime minister, parlement, what have you). So Echopol and PolicyX can get voted on, but the catch is, the IC can rarely veto anything decided on by the two houses of congress. That's the way my letter stands, and that's the way it will remain... ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 7-50 Page 2 10 Dec 1990 ================================================================= COLUMNS ================================================================= Henry Clark 1:124/6120 From the Horse's Mouth Dept., Addendum -- As mentioned last time, there are a bunch of niceties I would like to see in the 2.50 release of Binkleyterm. I just heard another couple : 5. use MaxTime parm for incoming file requests, 6. TAB key on ALT-S file name completes file name ( or not if the file doesn't exist ) Binkley's configuration parameters include three sets of incomming file request 'limiters', for example : ProtReqList c:\opus\okfile.lst ProtReqLim 10 ProtMaxBytes 1000000 These specify the available files, count of files and total size of files that will be sent to a node who connects with a password protected session. The problem with the setup I've shown is that an incomming 14.4k bps connection may use 15 minutes to get the byte limit, where as a 2400 bps connection might use AN HOUR. As a local mail hub, ( and owner of a high speed modem ), I don't want the board tied up for an hour. A parameter for the maximum minutes, such as ProtMaxTime 20 would enable me to set the MaxBytes parms high and not worry about tying up the board. The transmit time value would be checked before each file is sent ( file size * 8 / bps rate ) and compared to the MaxTime value remaining ( MaxTime - session time ). You know it's a fabulous thing to have the source code for a program you use everyday. Timing is Everything -- FidoNews 7-50 Page 3 10 Dec 1990 Have you ever looked at your BBS configuration and compared the download limit to the time allowed ? Do you enforce a download limit per day ? Do you enforce an upload/download ratio ? One sure way to receive junk uploads ( thereby creating extra sysop work ) is to enforce a up/down transfer ratio. I suggest that using a time limit, and letting the user use the time anyway he/she wants is the cleanest way to insure that uploads you do receive are worthwhile. I think Socrates said "One DOS utility is worth a thousand echomail messages." He also might have said "Be excellent to one another." I think. Christmas in Daneland -- Last Sunday, I got Honey and Kevin routed off to Daneland for the holidays. I thought it was a bit early myself, but the official explanation was that Kevin was going to learn a lot of Danish. They plan to stay for 6 weeks ! So then, they hang out in Frankfurt for a few days waiting on some hot RENTAL CAR to zoom up to DK in. Holy sphincter tightener! I'll be heading over in a couple of weeks. We use "Daddy's" flight coupons to get from Dallas to Frankfurt. I think one of her girlfriends in Frankfurt is going up about the time I need a ride... Otherwise, it's the train for me. So We Want a Baby -- And it ain't happening, you know. So I get this doctor's appointment and you know I hate clinics. And they have to get this SPERM sample, so I'm given this jar and the nurse shows me to a small room and hands me a magazine. Yeah, right, and I'm in there for HOURS... So, you know, I wear out my right arm, and I wear out my left arm, and I'm running warm water on it, and beating it against the sink... and I just can't the lid off that jar ! ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 7-50 Page 4 10 Dec 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 2.5g Fido 12s+ QuickBBS 2.66 TBBS 2.1 GSBBS 3.01 RBBS 17.3A TComm/TCommNet 3.4 Lynx 1.30 RBBSmail 17.3B Telegard 2.5 Kitten 2.16 RemoteAccess 0.04a TPBoard 6.1 Maximus 1.02 SLBBS 1.77A Wildcat! 2.50 Opus 1.13+ Socrates 1.10 WWIV 4.12 PCBoard 14.5 XBBS 1.15 Network Node List Other Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version BinkleyTerm 2.40 EditNL 4.00 ARC 7.0 D'Bridge 1.30 MakeNL 2.31 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 3.14 Crossnet v1.5 SEAdog 4.51b XlatList 2.90 DOMAIN 1.42 TIMS 1.0(Mod8) XlaxDiff 2.35 EMM 2.02 XlaxNode 2.35 Gmail 2.05 GROUP 2.16 GUS 1.30 HeadEdit 1.15 InterPCB 1.31 LHARC 1.13 MSG 4.1 MSGED 2.00 MSGTOSS 1.3 PK[UN]ZIP 1.10 QM 1.0 QSORT 4.03 Sirius 1.0x SLMAIL 1.36 StarLink 1.01 TagMail 2.41 TCOMMail 2.2 Telemail 1.27 TMail 1.15 TPBNetEd 3.2 FidoNews 7-50 Page 5 10 Dec 1990 TosScan 1.00 UFGATE 1.03 XRS 3.40 XST 2.2 ZmailQ 1.12 OS/2 Systems ------------ Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version Maximus-CBCS 1.02 BinkleyTerm 2.40 Parselst 1.32 ConfMail 4.00 EchoStat 6.0 oMMM 1.52 Omail 3.1 MsgEd 2.00 MsgLink 1.0C MsgNum 4.14 LH2 0.50 PK[UN]ZIP 1.02 ARC2 6.00 PolyXARC 2.00 Qsort 2.1 Raid 1.0 Remapper 1.2 Tick 2.0 VPurge 2.07 Xenix/Unix ---------- BBS Software Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version MaximusCBCS 1.02.Unix.B0 BinkleyTerm 2.30b Unzip 3.10 ARC 5.21 ParseLst 1.30b ConfMail 3.31b Ommm 1.40b Msged 1.99b Zoo 2.01 C-Lharc 1.00 Omail 1.00b FidoNews 7-50 Page 6 10 Dec 1990 Apple CP/M ---------- Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version Daisy v2j Daisy Mailer 0.38 Nodecomp 0.37 MsgUtil 2.5 PackUser v4 Filer v2-D UNARC.COM 1.20 Macintosh --------- Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version Red Ryder Host 2.1 Tabby 2.2 MacArc 0.04 Mansion 7.15 Copernicus 1.0 ArcMac 1.3 WWIV (Mac) 3.0 LHArc 0.33 Hermes 1.01 StuffIt Classic 1.6 FBBS 0.91 Compactor 1.21 TImport 1.92 TExport 1.92 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 Eventmeister 1.0 TSort 1.0 Mehitable 2.0 UNZIP 1.02c Amiga ----- Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version Paragon 2.07+ BinkleyTerm 1.00 AmigArc 0.23 FidoNews 7-50 Page 7 10 Dec 1990 TrapDoor 1.50 AReceipt 1.5 WelMat 0.42 booz 1.01 ConfMail 1.10 ChameleonEdit 0.10 ElectricHerald1.66 Lharc 1.21 MessageFilter 1.52 oMMM 1.49b ParseLst 1.30 PkAX 1.00 PK[UN]ZIP 1.01 PolyxAmy 2.02 RMB 1.30 Skyparse 2.30 TrapList 1.12 UNzip 0.86 Yuck! 1.61 Zoo 2.01 Atari ST -------- Bulletin Board Software Network Mailer Other Utilities Name Version Name Version Name Version FIDOdoor/ST 2.00* BinkleyTerm 2.40j* ConfMail 4.02 Pandora BBS 2.41c The BOX 1.30 ParseList 1.30 QuickBBS/ST 1.02 ARC 6.02 GS Point 0.61 FiFo 2.1c LHARC 0.60 LED ST 0.10 BYE 0.25 PKUNZIP 1.10 MSGED 2.01 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 FidoNews 7-50 Page 8 10 Dec 1990 !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 7-50 Page 9 10 Dec 1990 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= The Interrupt Stack 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. 31 Mar 1991 Jim Grubs (W8GRT) was issued his first ham radio license forty years ago today. His first station was made from an ARC-5 "Command Set" removed from a B-17 bomber. 12 May 1991 Fourth anniversary of FidoNet operations in Latin America and second anniversary of the creation of Zone-4. 8 Sep 1991 25th anniversary of first airing of Star Trek on NBC! 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. 1 Dec 1993 Tenth anniversary of Fido Version 1 release. 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. FidoNews 7-50 Page 10 10 Dec 1990 -----------------------------------------------------------------