F I D O N E W S -- Volume 14, Number 17 28 April 1997 +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: | | FidoNet community | "FidoNews" | | _ | 1-904-409-7040 [1:1/23] | | / \ | | | /|oo \ | | | (_| /_) | | | _`@/_ \ _ | | | | | \ \\ | Editor: | | | (*) | \ )) | Christopher Baker 1:18/14 | | |__U__| / \// | | | _//|| _\ / | | | (_/(_|(____/ | | | (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. | | | -- JOSEPH PULITZER | +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Submission address: FidoNews Editor 1:1/23 | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | MORE addresses: | | | | submissions=> cbaker84@digital.net | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | For information, copyrights, article submissions, | | obtaining copies of FidoNews or the internet gateway FAQ | | please refer to the end of this file. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ IS FIDONET DOOMED? Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1 Everyone woke up again? .................................. 1 2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................... 2 International BBS Week ................................... 2 Copyrights, Trademarks & Zone 2 .......................... 2 3. ARTICLES ................................................. 7 The Death of a Friend! ................................... 7 RC 2:24 election result .................................. 8 Zone 2 coordinator election result ....................... 9 The Great ZEC Election Hoax...Part 2 ..................... 10 4. GETTING TECHNICAL ........................................ 13 FSC-0061 - Proposed Guidelines for the FileBone .......... 13 FSC-0062 - Proposed Nodelist flag denoting time online ... 17 FSC-0063 - Proposal for FidoNet style messages ........... 24 5. COORDINATORS CORNER ...................................... 29 Nodelist-statistics as seen from Zone-2 for day 115 ...... 29 6. WE GET EMAIL ............................................. 30 1:13/10 Gateway update ................................... 30 7. NET HUMOR ................................................ 31 Least Known Chapters in "Dianetics" ...................... 31 8. NOTICES .................................................. 34 Future History ........................................... 34 Another virus alert ...................................... 35 9. FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ................................. 37 And more! FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 1 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= We're chock full of strife and adventure in this week's Issue after a week of rest. I got a feeling that no one ever reads the Headlines since nobody complained or sent me a dollar. [snicker] Region 19 has a new RC but nobody from there sent in a notice about that either. Bruce Bodger should be appearing as RC19 in your Nodelist shortly if not already in there as same. Congrats, Bruce. There is a ZEC election in progress in case you were unaware of it. The details can be witnessed by linking to the ZEC Echo. It's mostly harangues and counter-charges, as usual in Echomail, but if you want to be informed, you need to go there and watch. Rumor has it that the IC election is in deadlock again at 3 to 3. Here is another GOOD reason to break Zone 2 up into an eastern bloc Zone 7 and adding another vote to the ZCC to avoid ties. That's the view from the bridge this week. Enjoy! C.B. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 2 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ================================================================= --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:18/14 --- By Christopher Baker on Wed Apr 23 05:24:43 1997 From: David Chord @ 3:771/1560 To: Christopher Baker @ 1:18/14 Date: 19 Apr 97 17:53:38 Subj: FidoNews Note INTERNATIONAL BBS WEEK Just a note to say that if you want to do something to help reverse the trend of BBS's vanishing to the internet, then International BBS week might be the way to go. Inspired by a message in FN_SYSOP by Ivey Iverson(sp), and proposed by Anne Pickets in NZ_SYSOP, International BBS week is a week where SysOp's do what they can to advertise BBS's in their respective areas, whether it's doing a spot on a TV show, or taking out full-page adverts in the local newspapers, each person doing what they can to help out, whether it's appearing on TV or donating towards a week long run of full-page (or even TV) adverts. If the moderators don't mind, discussion should be carried out where the most people can be reached. My personal preference is FN_SYSOP, since it already reaches most areas, and of course local SysOp conference's. The date for International BBS Week is the first week of June, 1997 (s suggested by Anne). However, this is only a preliminary date and is open to discussion. If we can make this thing big it enough, we should be able to spark sufficient interest in the international media that they will do some of the work for us, granting interviews and spreading the word to more people than we could imagine reaching. If any one has any questions they wish to ask me personally, or they can't/ won't read FN_SYSOP, they can reach me at 3:771/1560 or on the internet -david.chord@cobra.galaxy.gen.nz. Naturally, FidoNet Netmail is preferable :-) So, get out there, start planning, and let's do what we can to make BBS's the popular places they once were! ----------------------------------------------------------------- --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:18/14 --- By Christopher Baker on Tue Apr 22 04:05:20 1997 From: Cindy Ingersoll @ 1:107/71 FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 3 28 Apr 1997 To: Editor @ 1:1/23 Date: 21 Apr 97 10:54:35 Subj: Copyrights, Trademarks & Zone 2 Greetings Editor! Here is a cross post from our new regional coordinator (Congrats David! :) as seen in R13SYSOP. I thought this might be of historical and academic interest, and so have submitted it to Fido News. -CiAo Date: 4:02 am Wed Apr 16, 1997 Number : 1787 of 1860 From: David Moufarrege Base : R13 SysOps To : All Refer #: None Subj: Z2 Nodelist Replies: None Stat: Sent Origin : 15 Apr 97 17:43:19 As promissed I am forwarding Ward Dossche's answer on the nodelist issue: === Begin ward.txt === (810) Mon 31 Mar 97 9:27 By: Ward Dossche To: David Moufarrege Re: Re: Copyright Notice St: Pvt Rcvd ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello David, > What is the background of your dropping the Copyright Notice of the > Z2-Nodelist? Some time ago a person wanted to write non-commercially something somewhere about Fido and kinda liked the art-work on the dog with the diskette. (name of the person escapes me, but I seem to recall a similar incident connected to the last Eurocon) So, truthfully believing Tom Jennings holds a trademark on this (as was mentioned in the nodelist and still is in Fidonews) he asks permission to use it, which Tom flatly refused. As I found this rather a strange reaction, out of curiosity I asked some of our corporate lawyers to look into the copyright- and trademark-issue of "Fido", "Fidonet" and the artwork of the dog-with- diskette. (FYI, I'm Deputy-Director at the Belgian telco, employing some 27,000 staff and we have acorporate-law-division who does nothing else than copyright and trademark stuff) As I so suspected for a long time, I received confirmation after researching relevant trademark-bureaus that no references to the above nor any trademark held by a Jennings Tom or Tom Jennings relating to Fidonet or something similarly sounding exists. Mark my words ... this covers the whole of Europe (east and west) including Israel and Turkey. It says nothing about the USA. FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 4 28 Apr 1997 We discovered however expired Fidonet-trademarks in the name of other individuals residing in Europe. A quick search was done for Japan (where ZC/6 resides) without any TJ- trademark. Same thing in Argentina (homebase of ZC/4) where TJ holds no rights but where, very puculiarly, another trademark called "Latin Fido" is held by a local sysop (this is also reflected in the Z4- nodelist). So let me summarise : There is _NO_ existing trademark in Europe in the name of Tom Jennings nor Jennings Tom for "Fido", "Fidonet" nor the "dog-with-diskette"- artwork. Then why write it in the nodelist? I don't see one single reason. Now let's not confuse "trademark" with "copyright". If TJ wants to have a trademark on all those items then as far as I'm concerned he can have it ... which means he must have his brand-names registered in each and every country - for zone-2 this means 35- countries to be precise - and agree to pay the periodical hefty sum on that. (worldwide 190+ ?) This he has never done, nor will he do it, nor will anyone else because it is just too expensive. "Control" over the nodelist can never warrant such a high price nor can anyone ever expect a return on that investment. If anyone ever has any bright idea here to register the trademarks to either "control" or "financially exploit" then I hereby post a claim to be first in line to laugh that person straight in his/her face. Less than a year ago there was the case of a company registering a trademark on the wording "world wide web" and "www", which mind you are nowhere legally protected. After initial astonishment by the internet-community the "owners" were quickly reduced to the laughing stock even while they followed correct legal procedures. They tried to exercise a claim and finally gave up because it was reasonably un- enforceable. With Fidonet it is exactly the same thing. Now one final word about "copyright". TJ does not participate in any way in the production of any of the nodelists nor any of the segments that comprise the nodelist. Hence there is not one square inch of legal ground for him to claim copyright over it. The NC's could have a copyright over net-segments, the RC's over region-segments and the ZC's over zone-segments. Since the ZC's also produce nodelists they could imo also post a copyright-notice for their version of the nodelist although I think all these notices carry little weight and are of little to no importance. Anyone in zone-2 having problems with the nodelist without a TJ- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 5 28 Apr 1997 copyright/ trademark notification can always freq at this node the elements it takes to produce their own nodelist. Every current zone-2 region-segment can be freqqed here with the magic-name REGIONxx where xx = regionnumber. On top of that every zone-segment can be freqqed here following the same logic : ZONEy where y = zonenumber. It enables everyone who wants that to build his/her own customized nodelist. If a person e.g. only wants R24, R50 and Z3, then he/she freqs REGION24, REGION50, ZONE3 and gives that to his/her nodelist-compiler. How's that for openness, availability, service, whatever you wanna call it? If they want to include the original notice they can equally freq "TJ" here so that bit of information is accessible as well although it makes no difference. As a sidenote, I already received threats for a court-case by one Randy Bush, the same person when slamming the Fido-door shut behind him stated it was nothing else but a litter-box reeking of cat-piss. I understand some valid concerns about intentions and motives, but I do have a more than full-time and well payed job so I don't need to try to squeeze some extra pennies (at what cost?) out of some peoples pockets. I believe it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for any individual to grab control of the nodelist and make a buck out of it. If that happens then it is because the sysops allow it to happen, personally I would just totally ignore such a person. There's a lesson to be learned from our German friends who would never take any shit like that. This they proved after some "grab control"- exercises there. I'm more worried about the censoring of Fidonews-worldwide by a ZC which recently occured and nobody reacted upon it. Weren't you aware? Thanks for writing. If there's more you want to ask, please do. Take care, \x/ard Dossche ZC/2 === End ward.txt === ... "Cry on someone else's shoulder, I'm off-duty." Troi -!- * Origin: Kraut Haus * The German Culture BBS (1:2613/404) FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 6 28 Apr 1997 CiAo --- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 7 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= The Death of a Friend! By: Clay Tannacore 1:372/4 My friends, I write to you this day with a saddened heart. My friend of thirteen years has passed away. Sure, I know he was only a dog, but he was full of spunk, full of pride, and filled with everything anyone could have asked for. I picked him up in 1985, and knew right away he was my kind of dog. He was young and inexperienced with a future that should have been endless. He was bright and trusting, with just enough reserve to be cautious of new people, but was always ready to allow them into his world. I would look into his eyes, and he mine, and we understood each other, instantaneously. I named him the only name I could think of, the only name that suited him, and he in turn named me. His name was a struggle for me at first, but I think I had heard the name before, and it just seemed to fit him flawlessly. Over the years we had grown up together, we learned from each other. He with his youthful inexperience, and me new to having such a gifted friend. There were many a cold night that he and I would reveal in each others company. He would keep me in touch with the realities of the world, and I would entertain myself by utilizing his abilities. He never seemed to amaze me in his capacity to teach and entertain. Even as a young and unknowledgeable puppy he still possessed the capability to render me speechless with his stubborn wisdom of worldly things. He ability to adept to new and better things was uncanny, and soon I was a slave to his commands. No, he didn't require me to be house-broken, but he did insist that I continually learn new and more progressive things. My dog made my life a better substance. He loved me, and I him. He was faithful to me for all those years, by my side almost constantly, and when not there, he was forever on my mind. I made it a point not to leave him for to long, and I made a point of laying my hands on his strong supportive shoulders as often as feasible. Then came that ugly time in 1991, when sickness took over my body, and I was forced to be away from my friend for too long. The sickness was worsening, and I was made to go to the hospital for a very long time. I had to leave my dog in those trying times, but I remained faithful to him, and he didn't forget me. As the time passed, and my health became a non-point, I was reunited with my dog once again. I was happy, even jubilant at seeing him still able to function. But, my dog had changed, and he didn't seem to have the same old spunk or vigor about him. He had a different personality, a different look, and a totally different feel about him. I found it increasingly hard to relate to this wonderful puppy I had once learned to love. The attitude of my dog was not the same, almost nothing seemed the same anymore. He was more vicious, not only towards me, but towards others, too. FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 8 28 Apr 1997 I viewed my dog for months before trying to play in his new world, but couldn't seem to revive my old feelings about him. He had become sassy, inconsiderate and hateful. This was not the dog I remembered, this was a total stranger, with nothing more than malignity on his mind. No longer was my dog the happy, rousting puppy I had come across in 1985, this was a vindictive, hateful mongrel who was an unfriendly entity, possessed by some demonic apparition, but who was passing himself off as my dog. So it is that today, I have nothing but memories left of my little, immature puppy, and all the fine things he once represented. No more will I have the pleasure of knowing him, as I once knew him. He's gone now, dead, passed away! But still I can fondly look back at that special time he and I once had, and remember that fateful day that I gave him his borrowed name. I called him FIDO, to start with, but that didn't seem suitable for him, so I tried FIDOMUT, FIDONUT and even FIDODOG. None of those names seem to suit him, but somehow he was finally named FIDONET. It was a GREAT day for me when finally his name was chosen, and it was an even greater time when he chose his name for me, that being "1:372/4." Well, what did you expect, he was only a puppy then, and I was a virgin when it came to puppy-sitting. He has gone now, buried in the shadow of the Internet, www.bullshit.com, MSN, AOL, etc., etc. He will probably never undergo a resurrection, Never again will he be the force he once was. Never again will he be the friendly puppy that had a full life ahead of him. Never again will he be my friend! So, I say to all of you out there who never had the opportunity to meet 'my' FIDO. You missed the best years of FIDO's life, and there will never be another like it. . . "BUT YOU CAN HOPE!" ----------------------------------------------------------------- RC 2:24 election result by Frank Ellermann, 2:240/5815.1 The second RC 2:24 election following the local RegPol 24 (*1) just ended. The following is its preliminary run-off result as reported by the RO Jan N. Klug: valid votes : 594 (100,00%) abstentions : 48 ( 8,08%) Volker Imre : 199 ( 33,50%) Klaus Schaefer : 347 ( 58,42%) No candidate got an absolute majority in the first run, therefore a run-off was necessary. The preliminary result of the first run was: valid votes : 375 (100,00%) Frank Neubauer : 9 ( 2,40%) abstentions : 24 ( 6,40%) Ralf Schnele : 27 ( 7,20%) Wulf Krueger : 76 ( 20,27%) FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 9 28 Apr 1997 Volker Imre : 115 ( 30,67%) Klaus Schaefer : 124 ( 33,07%) Condolence, oops, congratulations to Klaus, and thanks to Ralf, Wulf, and Volker for standing. And after being VO in the 1st RC election '96 following RegPol 24 my special thanks to Jan (RO), Burkhard (VO), and the election supervisor Ward Dossche. These are "interesting" jobs, if I recall it correctly :-) Let's hope that the two weeks for nitpicking objections and challenges are less "interesting" than 1996. Footnote (*1): To be precise, RegPol 24 is not yet a real "approved by IC" local policy, but only considered as in force by all affected *Cs, just because there was no IC to ask for his approval. To be more precise, we had no FidoNet IC since almost 2 years, because the beloved leader of 131 nodes (including 43 redundant administrative AKAs) Z5C wants to be IC and blocks democratic candidates like Pablo or Ward. To call this XAB is pure understatement, just because without an IC P4-Fido is officially non-functional and formally non-existent. To be very precise, those who enforced policy 4 without a proper sysop referendum should burn in hell together with Z5C for this sort of sh*t (deliberately neither vague nor sorry). ----------------------------------------------------------------- Zone 2 coordinator election result by Frank Ellermann, 2:240/5815.1 Here's the final result of the Z2C election confirmed by Detlef Nick as spokesman of the election committee: Ward Dossche 2:292/854 18 RCs out of 22 = 81,8 % Carlos Fernandez Sanz 2:341/70 1 RC (R34) = 4,5 % Stig Hansen 2:236/58 1 RC (R52) = 4,5 % Robert Spangler 2:2494/360 0 RC No vote 2 RCs (R22,R31) = 9,1 % 10 Regions (37, 38, 39, 42, 44, 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, and 54) are not represented by a valid vote, including 3 formally invalid or too late votes for Ward. Congratulations to Ward, thanks to the other three candidates, and last but not least thanks to the election committee: Detlef Nick, Tony Kuznetsov, Frank Peterson, Tirs Abril, and Pertti Heikkinen. The most interesting aspect (for me :-) in this ZC election were the procedural considerations and discussions before. In Z2 most regions correspond to states, ranging from only a handful nodes as in Malta, Iceland, Luxembourg, or Saudi-Arabia, to several thousands of nodes as in Germany or Russia. Of course it is not fair, if all these completely different regions are equally represented by the one and only vote of their RCs, but a simple "one sysop - one vote" approach would also not reflect the Z2 FidoNet reality. FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 10 28 Apr 1997 Even worse, policy 4 disregards sysops in all kinds of coordination, an RC could "legally" vote against the wishes of his own region. The election committee used the same trick as in the ZEC election 1996 to discourage such misbehavior: Regional polls before the RC votes were strongly recommended, the votes of the RCs were published, and now we have about two years to create a local policy with improved election procedures for zone 2. The result of the regional poll in R2:24 as stated by Eckhard Mueller: Ward Dossche 79, Robert J. Spangler 29, Carlos Fernandez Sanz 9, Stig Hansen 6, abstentions 6, valid votes totally 129. Not very impressive for a region with over 3000 sysops, but the list of voters looks like a who-is-who in R24 FidoNet, so it's not too bad after all. Maybe it's interesting, that a clear majority supported Ward instead of the R24 candidate. Although the Z2 regions correspond to states, this does not reflect nationalism, but banally the not yet united national telecom providers and their tariffs in Z2. Of course the former RC24 cast his vote for Ward following this regional poll. Again the most interesting detail (for me :-) in this poll was a new procedure invented by Eckhard Mueller. Normally (NC and RC elections) we have 4 phases in an election, each two weeks, call for candidates, discussion, first run, and run-off, if no candidate got an absolute majority in the first run. The time table for the regional ZC election poll was too limited for a separate run-off, therefore Eckhard combined both in only one ballot. Each vote contained up to 4 candidates in the order of preference, e.g. Stig-Carlos-Robert would be a vote for Stig as 1st choice. For the 1st run only the 1st choices were evaluated. If hypothetically no candidate won an absolute majority in this first run, but Ward and Robert are the run-off candidates, then in the same example Stig-Carlos-Robert 1st and 2nd choice are eliminated. The vote then goes to Robert in the run-off. That was a cute idea, wasn't it ? ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Great ZEC Election hoax...Part 2 by Zorch Frezberg, 1:205/1701 There comes a time and a point where you really have to sit down and decide what is more important...personal feelings or principles. While I am not the greatest nor fervent supporter of Bob Moravsik, I do feel that he has a right to participate in an election for which he is a nominee...if for no other reason than to find out what his platform is, and whether his ability outweighs his rhetoric. Unfortunately, it seems that the ZEC-appointed Election Coordinator, who was also the ZEC-appointed EchoMail Ombudsman, who is also the chief defender of the ZEC and moderator of the ZEC echo, with the FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 11 28 Apr 1997 assistance and advice of the ZEC, Bruce Bodger (who was also elected as R19C but still remains in place with the ZEC hat on, as well as the OBO hat on top of his personal FTSC Moderator hat...making at least five hats in all), has seen fit to not only deny free and open access to nominees for the ZEC post, but also to threaten those who dare to 'ask questions'. * Original In : netmail * Original To : Zorch Frezberg, 1:205/1701 * Original From: Jason Steck, 1:285/424@FIDONET * Original Date: Apr 27 14:08 ================================================== !DOMAIN FIDONET 1:205/1701 FIDONET 1:285/424 !MSGID: 1:285/424@FIDONET 229B714C !REPLY: 1:205/1701 791ead69 *** Answering a msg posted in area ZEC (ZEC). Saturday April 26 1997 22:18, Zorch Frezberg wrote to Election Coordinator: ZF> Is it true that Mr. Moravsik is being denied access to this ZF> echo? 1) Terms of someone else's banning are not any of your business. You have no standing to interpose yourself in those decisions. If Moravsik wants to request removal of his banning, then HE needs to ask and HE needs to deal properly with the issues which caused the banning in the first place. Your comments are neither solicited nor welcome. While my decisions are open to input from many people, you are no longer one of those people. 2) Your continuing attempts to undermine the election and post off- topic messages will result in a link cut if there are any future incidents. Jason Steck Interim Moderator, ZEC Internet: tutakai@oasis.novia.net -!- GoldED/386 2.50+ ================================================= I openly challenge Jason Steck to present any evidence that I have done any open action to 'undermine the election' process. At the same time, I also challenge Jason Steck to present the alleged "ZC Approval" he stated that he has to conduct the present ZEC election as it is. * Original In : FN_SYSOP * Original To : Zorch Frezberg, 1:205/1701 FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 12 28 Apr 1997 * Original From: Jason Steck, 1:285/424@fidonet * Original Date: Apr 11 14:01 ===========%< snip! FYI, the election rules and procedures were approved by the ZC before the election began, so continued whining, complaining, campaigning, lobbying, conspiracy-mongering, threats, flames, etc, etc, etc is without purpose. ===========%< snip! Jason Internet: tutakai@oasis.novia.net -!- JMail-G 2.81 ! Origin: PROZ Software -- JMail/JMQWK (FIDONET 1:285/424) ================================================= The present ZEC election process is becoming more of a fraud each passing day. Candidates banned from campaigning, persons questioning the process are threatened with feed cuts, and no open nomination process, with everything being clandestinely covered up in netmail. What is the true fear here? That an open election may result in a candidate voted in that the Election Coordinator does not want...or has been told not to allow to participate? When open election discussion is so severely limited, there is little doubt that an agenda of control and manipulation is involved...and very little about 'fairness' and 'openness'...especially when no one is allowed to know who has or has not been nominated in an open manner. Please contact your *C and *EC to help halt this farce of an election. Several well-known names have been presented or volunteered to act as Election Coordinator or ZEC moderator, and all have been rejected so that Jason Steck and Bruce Bodger can remain in control of the election process. Why do we tolerate this level of control and manipulation? # 30 # ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 13 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= GETTING TECHNICAL ================================================================= [These are part of the continuing series of FidoNet History presentations of the FidoNet Technical Standards and Proposals documents that shape this hobby. They have been reformatted where required to 70 columns and any tables may be askew as a result. Node numbers and phone numbers may be out of date.] Ed. Document: FSC-0061 Version: 001 Date: 08-Mar-1992 Proposed Guidelines for the FileBone Erik VanRiper 1:107/230 Status of this document: This FSC suggests a proposed protocol for the FidoNet(r) community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Distribution of this document is unlimited. Fido and FidoNet are registered marks of Tom Jennings and Fido Software. 1. Purpose. The purpose of this document is to set down basic guidelines for the handling of File Distribution Networks on a "File Distribution Backbone". 2. Definition of Terms. a. FDN. FDN is a File Distribution Network, made up of at least one file area dedicated to moving files through Fidonet compatible mailers for other nodes to utilize. An example of this is the Software Distribution Network or SDS as it is more commonly known. b. FTN. FTN is a term coined to signify that another Network besides FidoNet has the same technology as FidoNet, and can transfer files and mail via FTSC-001 compatible mailers. An example of this is SigNet. c. TICK. TICK (and HATCH) is (C) Copyright Barry Geller - 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992. TICK is the current popular way to move files in FTN's participating in File Distribution. d. FILEBONE. FILEBONE is the "File Distribution Backbone". The term FILEBONE is used in place of BACKBONE because the BackBone is used for transfering mail, not files. There is a seperate document for procedures of FidoNet BackBone systems. FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 14 28 Apr 1997 3. Reasons for this Document. a. Spending the last five months compiling information on all the FDN's and how the files are moving in each, I noticed that a lot of time, money, and hassle can be avoided by creating a well defined mechinism by which all FDN's can participate. In the past, (and currently), there has been more concern by the heads of individual FDN's as to WHO is picking up their FDN, and not enough concern in how FAST those nodes are getting newly hatched files. This document will attempt to address both issues. b. Personally, I feel that there is not enough credit given to those major file hubs all over the world who pay an arm and a leg to pick up different FDN's from several different locations to support 50 or more FTN systems they have polling for support. These HUMANS have always worked hard, and received almost no credit. I would just like to take time out in this document to thank each and every one of them for the wonderful support they have contributed to several different FTN's. 4. The Outline. a. The FILEBONE will be created in several stages, taking up to a year to become fully operational. This will require several support programs to be written, tested, and documented, as well as re-arranging current FDN links to test speed and reliability of actually moving the files. b. The FILEBONE will consist of no less than 15 systems in Zone 1 (I cannot speak for other zones). Each system will be required to make at least one call a night to drop off and pick up ALL the available FDN's that are participating in the FILEBONE. These FILEBONE sites will also be primary hubs (acting as "stars") for other FTN compatible systems interested in obtaining parts (or all) of the files transferred. c. Each FILEBONE site will use several different programs written to aid in locating delays, problems, and undesireable conditions while processing the files. They will also be required to submit "File Distribution Reports" each week to the FILEBONE database, which will maintain and analyze the information, detecting possible problem areas. d. Each FILEBONE site will be required to submit to the wishes of each FDN concerning hatching policies, linking policies, cutting of links to problem nodes, and general reporting of usage. FILEBONE sites are not "pawns" of individual FDN's, but "tools" for each FDN to use to get their files (and support conferences) from one end of the FILEBONE to the other. e. Each FDN will be required to submit a statment of agreement to this document to the FILEBONE systems, as the FILEBONE systems FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 15 28 Apr 1997 are the ones paying to move their files. f. The FILEBONE will consist of a two-tierd system. The largest being the actualy FILEBONE, where all the "released" files will be transported. The second smaller level will be a "back area" for each FDN that requires one. The concept is this: If a system hatches a file in area GENERAL, and Joe Smith, the moderator of the GENERAL area has not authorized that system to hatch into that area, the first FILEBONE site to get this file will move that file to the GENERAL "back area" for review by Joe Smith. Once Joe Smith decides on suitability, he will then send a message back to that FILEBONE site (and all other in-between) saying it is OK to let the file pass, delete the file, or alter the description of that file before letting it pass. The FILEBONE will move the file to that FDN's moderator on the "back area", so all FILEBONE sites that have already seen the file can simply "move" that file back into distribution, so that those FILEBONE sites already having the file will not need to re-transfer it. This system ensures that there is only a small delay in time for checking the validity of that file. A basic diagram follows: Key: "=" = FILEBONE "-" = "Back area" 1:0/x = FILEBONE sites 0:5/x = FDN nodes A = Node hatching 0:5/5 | | A ----> 1:0/0 ---- 1:0/1 ---- 1:0/2 ---- 1:0/3 ---- 1:0/4 |==========+==========+==========+==========+ System A hatches file "FILENAME.ZIP" into the GENERAL file area. 1:0/0 detects that system is not on the list authorized to hatch files into the GENERAL file area, so sends the file to 1:0/1 in the GENERAL backarea, enroute to 0:5/5. When 0:5/5 gets FILENAME.ZIP, 1:0/0, 1:0/1, 1:0/2, and 1:0/3 will have already seen the file, and 1:0/4 has not. Joe Smith (The moderator of the GENERAL file area), at 0:5/5 will test FILENAME.ZIP to see if it is acceptable for distribution. If it is, Joe Smith will send a netmail message back to a program running on 1:0/3, letting the FILEBONE know it is OK to distribute the file. 1:0/3 will then move the file to the GENERAL area, and continue to send it on. 1:0/3 will also generate a message back to 1:0/2 letting them know the status of the file, and so on, until 1:0/0 has finally moved the file back into the GENERAL area. Another options to Joe Smith are to have the file deleted (Usually because it has been duplicated), or to have the file fowarded to another FDN moderator, where the file would be more suitable. With this method of checking files, FDN's can allow the FILEBONE to let anyone hatch files into their FDN without having to worry about duplicates or programs that are not suitable for that FDN. FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 16 28 Apr 1997 g. FILEBONE sites will also be required to keep an online database available to any nodes requiring information about individual FDN areas. This information will include: 1. Average traffic per week and month. 2. Average time to obtain file submitted. 3. A listing of nodes carrying that FDN area. 4. Guidelines, applications, and policies associated with that FDN. This will be an automated process, carried out much like a node sending an AREAFIX or RAID request. The FILEBONE site being queried for the information is only resposible for 2 things: 1. Ensuring the database is operational. 2. Placing the requested information on hold for pickup. Anything else that FILEBONE site does with the request for information is at their disgression, such as sending back the information on their dime. h. All FILEBONE sites will be required to drop the individual "User Flags" in the nodelist that corespond to individual FDN's (in regions that allow Uxxx flags in the nodelist). They will instead use the "UFDN" flag. This will help (albeit a small amount) cut down on the flag usage in the nodelist, since all the FILEBONE sites will be moving most of the available file areas. 5. The FILEBONE has started, with 21 systems in Zone 1, one system in Zone 2, and several "OtherNets" getting involved by the day. Several of the programs outlined in this document have already been written, and are in use, being tested. There are still a few more programs to be written, but things are running smoothly as of the date on this document. 99% of the known FDN's in FidoNet are linked into the FILEBONE in one form or another, and the future looks very promising. This document is by no means complete. There are several other aspects to FDN's and FILEBONE that are not discussed here. This document is put forth for comments, additions, deletions, and all general changes. This is only how I (the author of this document) envision the FILEBONE operating, and this document may be flawed in one or several areas. -30- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 17 28 Apr 1997 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Document: FSC-0062 Version: 002 Date: 25-Jun-1994 A Proposed Nodelist flag indicating Online Times of a Node | David J. Thomas | 2:442/600@fidonet.org Status of this document: This FSC suggests a proposed protocol for the FidoNet(r) community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Distribution of this document is unlimited. Fido and FidoNet are registered marks of Tom Jennings and Fido Software. | Note | ---- | Changes in content between the previous edition of this document, | and this edition, are signified by bars (|) in the left margin, | except where otherwise specified. I have changed the format of the | document slightly to allow this. Where the format of the document | has changed, but the actual text has not, bars are not present. Purpose ------- There are currently several systems within FidoNet that offer file request or mail holding capabilities but are not continuously online. The only time during which these nodes can be contacted with reference to the nodelist is currently the Zone Mail Hour of the zone to which the systems belong. In | theory, mailers can only use the zone mail hour(s) specified by the system in question to contact these nodes, which does not provide for any method of file requesting or calling for echomail that does not conflict with the Policy requirement that no echomail or files be transferred during the zone | mail hour. This means that, in practice, if it is known that a particular | node is online for more time than ZMH alone, but less than 24 hours a day, | it is necessary to "kludge," or set this up as a special situation, in most | mailers whenever a node has to be contacted a number of times, whether | regularly or irregularly. The proposed flag would benefit the mailers in such a way as to provide for them the online times that the node is usually online for, thus cutting on the costs of calling a non-continuous mail node, only to find that it is not available; and also, hopefully preventing annoyance for a sysop whose mailer is being called whilst it is not online, for example in the case of a voice/data shared line. FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 18 28 Apr 1997 Compatibility ------------- Since the current nodelist format is always being extended and nodelist | processors look only for the flags that they know about, there are no expected compatibility problems with the suggestion outlined below. Format of additional nodelist flag ---------------------------------- The proposed nodelist flag has the following form: Txy | where x represents the startup time, and y the end time, in the following format: +------+----+ +------+----+ +------+----+ +------+----+ +------ +----+ |Letter|Time| |Letter|Time| |Letter|Time| |Letter|Time| |Letter|Time| +------+----+ +------+----+ +------+----+ +------ +----+ +------+----+ | A |0000| | F |0500| | K |1000| | P |1500| | U |2000| | a |0030| | f |0530| | k |1030| | p |1530| | u |2030| | B |0100| | G |0600| | L |1100| | Q |1600| | V |2100| | b |0130| | g |0630| | l |1130| | q |1630| | v |2130| | C |0200| | H |0700| | M |1200| | R |1700| | W |2200| | c |0230| | h |0730| | m |1230| | r |1730| | w |2230| | D |0300| | I |0800| | N |1300| | S |1800| | X |2300| | d |0330| | i |0830| | n |1330| | s |1830| | x |2330| | E |0400| | J |0900| | O |1400| | T |1900| | | | | e |0430| | j |0930| | o |1430| | t |1930| | | | +------+----+ +------+----+ +------+----+ +------+----+ +------+----+ | The case of the letter could be relevant. Whereas the case is currently not | used by any flags in the document describing the current format of the | nodelist, there exists the potential for the case of a letter to have | relevant meaning. The case has to be correct for the CRC check calculation | to prove correct, and this would be a good use for the case of the letter. If it is necessary to ignore the case, then the upper on- the-hour time should be used, i.e. the time that is listed after the FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 19 28 Apr 1997 upper-case letter. These times are expressed in GMT (UTC) so that the flag is useful for systems all around the world, without the need for specific time zone information to be included in the nodelist. They do not adjust with | daylight saving time for a similar reason. Note the section on daylight | saving time for information about handling adjustments without changing the | flag; this is important. Where necessary, the times can wrap around midnight, so for example, for a node that is online between the hours of 1800 and 0600 GMT, the flag TSG would be a valid indication of this time. This nodelist entry is not required by any node. It is supplementary to the | #01, #02, #08, #09, #18, #20 flags and their !xx counterparts, though its | meaning is different. It has been suggested to me about the possibility of an additional flag with the same meaning, but having a W as the first letter, indicating that the node is also available for all hours during weekends; however, I believe that the simple inclusion of the single flag indicated above will solve most problems, as it does indicate a period for | non-CM nodes during which the node is available, which is all that is | really required. | Daylight saving time | -------------------- | If a node changes online times with respect to UTC when daylight saving | time becomes effective (which would be the case with most part time nodes), | then this is to be taken into account when assigning this flag. An online | times flag assigned to a node should not be altered for the specific | purpose of adjusting due to daylight saving time, since large difference | files (NODEDIFF's) would result if every node was allowed to do this, e.g. | my node used to be online from 2300 to 0800 in local time, which in winter | is GMT (which is equivalent to UTC for the purposes of this document), but in the summer it becomes BST (British Summer Time). This is one hour ahead of GMT, and the corresponding availability times of my node during the summer period were 2200 to 0700 GMT. Therefore my online times flag would | have indicated availability between the hours of 2300 and 0700 GMT, the | daily time period encompassing both times, so the flag would be TXH. | Policy considerations | --------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 20 28 Apr 1997 | This is a technical document. However, since the flag could make for an | increase in the size of difference files, the author feels that the | following guidelines should be adopted concerning the use of the flag. | The online times flag does not replace the requirement for exclusivity of | zone mail hour to be maintained. It is still annoying behaviour to have | this flag and be unavailable during ZMH, just as it is annoying behaviour | to have the CM (continuous mail) flag in one's entry, and disregard ZMH. | Except for during ZMH, the sysop of a node using this flag finding that | they need to take their mailer offline during the specified times to | perform system maintenance, or for any other reason, would not be acting in | an annoying manner to do so, unless the practice is found to be continuous, | in which case the flag's times could be reduced, or the flag itself could | be removed from their node entry. | It should be noted that this flag is present for the benefit of mailers, | not human beings. This means that the flag should be used only to indicate | when a mailer is ready to receive calls. A system that uses a FidoNet- | technology mailer in ZMH, and a human-access only system during other | period(s) of the day that cannot receive mail, should not use this flag. | This flag does not explicitly specify online times of a public access BBS, | although for presumably most nodes with FidoNet-capable software, a public | access BBS will be available during the times indicated. | Where the flag is used, it should not often be changed. If a situation | exists, for example, where a node uses a certain set of times during the | first two weeks of a month, and a different set of times during the | remainder period, the flag should be set to a time during each day of the | month when the node is online. For example, if a node is online during | 1800-0800 for the first two weeks, and then during 2200-1000 for the | remainder, the time flag should specify 2200-0800 only. If there is no such | time (other than ZMH) then no flag should be used. Of course, any permanent | changes, and any necessary reductions in the times, should be FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 21 28 Apr 1997 permitted at | any time, but changes owing only to daylight saving time should certainly | be expressly forbidden. | File requests and user access are of course permitted during the online | times indicated (except ZMH). | The above list may seem rather frightening! Please note that they are | guidelines rather than rules, unless FidoNet policy has included them as | rules. In the vast majority of situations where a node is online for a | fixed set of hours per day, the only thing to watch out for is that you get | the daylight saving time period right. Then you don't have to worry about | changing it at any time, except when your own online times change. | Example | ------- With regard to time zones now; this is a complicated topic, so I wish to express an example. Imagine a node in Indiana, USA. It is online for the | time period beginning 6 o'clock pm (1800) and ending 8 o'clock am (0800). This changes with daylight saving time, so the times expressed effectively become an hour earlier with respect to GMT during daylight saving time. Indiana is in the Central time zone, which is 6 hours ahead of GMT. | Therefore, the online times in UTC can be expressed as 1200-0200 UTC during | winter. During daylight saving time, however, the local time for Indiana is | 5 hours ahead of UTC. The online times during this period are 1300- 0300 | UTC. The subset should be used, so that the online times flag for the node | should indicate availability between 1300 and 0200 GMT, which is indicated by the flag TNC. | ANSI C routines to Calculate the Online Times Flag | -------------------------------------------------- These were not provided in the first edition. Change bars will not be used here, since they would interfere with the syntax of the presented routines. The first program calculates the online times flag from the user's entry of the online times of a system, expressed in the local time zone, and the offset to UTC used by the user's country. It takes into account that the clock is put forward and back once a year by reducing the end time by one hour. The program should work on any FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 22 28 Apr 1997 platform, and has been tested. === start of code === /* TIMEFLAG.C Calculates FSC-0062 time flag requirement from user input */ #include char *onlineflag(char *on, char *off, int utc_diff); void main() { char on[6], off[6]; int utc_diff; printf("\nPlease specify the time you come online [HH:MM]: "); scanf("%s", on); printf("\nPlease specify the time you come offline [HH:MM]: "); scanf("%s", off); printf("\nSpecify the difference between your local time zone in winter\n" "time and UTC (e.g. if your time zone is 6 hours ahead of GMT,\n" "enter -6): "); scanf("%d", &utc_diff); printf("\nYour online time flag is %s\n\n", onlineflag(on, off, utc_diff)); } char *onlineflag(char *ontime, char *offtime, int utcdiff) { int onhour, onmin, offhour, offmin; static char flag[4]="T "; sscanf(ontime, "%d:%d", &onhour, &onmin); sscanf(offtime, "%d:%d", &offhour, &offmin); if(onmin>30) ++onhour; --offhour; /* to correct for daylight saving time */ onhour = (onhour+24+utcdiff) % 24; offhour = (offhour+24+utcdiff) % 24; flag[1]='A'+onhour; flag[2]='A'+offhour; if(onmin>0 && onmin<31) flag[1] += 'a'-'A'; if(offmin>29) flag[2] += 'a'-'A'; return flag; } === end of code === The second program calculates the online times from the time flag, input as a pointer to char to the routine (this being of the format "Txy"). It returns a pointer to a structure which contains the on- and off-times in UTC. This is not a complete program; it is designed to be used by mailers to determine the valid online times. It has also been tested. FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 23 28 Apr 1997 === start of code === /* INTFLAG.C Interprets online time flags and converts them to a set of UTC times */ struct TIMES { int on_hour; int on_min; int off_hour; int off_min; }; struct TIMES *interpret_flag(char *time_flag); struct TIMES *interpret_flag(char *timeflag) { static struct TIMES times; times.on_min=0; times.off_min=0; times.on_hour=timeflag[1]-'A'; if(times.on_hour>23) { times.on_hour -= 'a'-'A'; times.on_min=30; } times.off_hour=timeflag[2]-'A'; if(times.off_hour>23) { times.off_hour -= 'a'-'A'; times.off_min=30; } return × } === end of code === The above routines can be copied and re-used as desired. I am not an amazing C programmer, and make no guarantees about them! | Summary | ------- I believe this to be a neat and compact solution to, what is in my opinion, one of the gravest problems currently facing FidoNet. In FidoNet, most nodes are continuous mail, but it is important for the growth and popularity of FidoNet that non-CM nodes do not receive many mailer calls at times when they are off line. Users are bad enough in this respect. It is also useful for people wishing to contact hubs that are non-CM with mail for a downlink, and for people wishing to file request from a node that is not CM. There is no need for systems that are only online in zone mail hour | to adopt this flag; also, there is no need for CM systems to adopt this flag. | Contacting the Author | --------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 24 28 Apr 1997 | My board is now online continuously, except for periods of down time during | which the board is maintained. Netmail contact is therefore possible at any | time. I went CM because of a certain number of nodes calling at the wrong | times, and also users. Users weren't too bad, but I dislike 0600 am wake-up | calls, repeated at regular three-minute intervals for an hour, by mailers, | rather intensely :-) End of document. -30- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Document: FSC-0063 Version: 001 Date: 10-May-1992 A Proposal for FidoNet style messages Jem Miller 1:147/33.0 @FidoNet Status of this document: This FSC suggests a proposed protocol for the FidoNet(r) community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Distribution of this document is unlimited. Fido and FidoNet are registered marks of Tom Jennings and Fido Software. I. Introduction The current message strucures that are transmitted between systems is fast becoming outdated. Dupe checking, path checking, and zone aware routing are all areas of weekness in the current format. This proposal both simplifies the current processing needed of mail tossers, and eliminates the worst problem areas and limitations of the current methods. Currently, Seen-By lines and Path lines are appended and maintained in all EchoMail type message sent into FidoNet technol-ogy networks. The original intention of Seen-By's was to help eliminate duplicate messages, and give a sort of "tracking his-tory" of each piece of EchoMail. Path lines tell us what systems have actually processed the mail and sent it on to another sys-tem, and offer some audit checking in case of problems. FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 25 28 Apr 1997 Unfortunately, these systems can not reliably detect and/or correct duplicate messges, or point to the offending system with any surity. In recent times, a MSGID kludge has been used, requir-ing the maintaining of databases (one per echo usually) to test each message for duplication. While this procedure cures much of the duplication problems, it does nothing for the audit trail of each message. Further, it needlessly slows the tossing/packing process, and promotes disk fragmentation problems further. Yet another consideration as we enter wider acceptance and useage of our electronic media is overhead. Overhead can be viewed in many ways, two of the most important are Cost per mes-sage to transmit, and disk space used for needless information. The proposed changes outlined below address all of these items and more, giving a means of expanding into the future. II. Proposed Changes Seen-By lines will be greatly changed as compared to the cur-rent structure, Path lines will be eliminated, and the MSGID kludge will also be eliminated. Tear lines and origin lines will remain unchanged. INTL kludges, FMPT kludges, and others will be eliminated. This audit system is not new in concept. In fact it is cur-rently used in a similar manner in the popular TICK and FLEA file echo processors. Each system that processes a piece of mail adds its node number into an audit list. The audit list is similar to current Seen-By's only in that node numbers are listed at the end of each message. Node numbers added to the audit list are FULL node numbers, ie. Zone:Net/Node.Point A system ALWAYS adds itself to the Audit list, but NEVER adds any other system address to the list. The mail processor must be capable of automatically zone matching its own node ad-dress to that of the system it is currently sending a message to. For example: If I am sending an echo to zone 1 AND zone 42, my mail processor would add the following Audit entries: For each zone 1 message: 1:147/33.0 For each zone 42 message: 42:1036/33.0 My system then sends the message to the correct receivers. If the receiver is at the end of a line (not sending the area to any other systems), it simply checks the audit list to ensure that the senders address is listed only once, and tosses that mes-sage to the correct area. FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 26 28 Apr 1997 ONLY SYSTEMS THAT RE-SEND A MESSAGE add themselves to the Audit list. A system NEVER adds itself to the Audit list if its sending system is listed more than once. In this case, the mes-sage is a duplicate, and is killed. The Audit list is NEVER sorted, or disturbed in any way ex-cept to add a new node to the end of the list. There are no databases to maintain, no path lines to check, and best of all, only SENDING systems are listed. In national echos, it is not uncommon to see 5 to 8 lines of Seen-By's and 2 or 3 path lines in EACH message. Even though including the full zone address (including points) adds to the length of node num-bers, far fewer node numbers are listed. In the case of a problem, the offending system can be quickly and easily idetified, and the problem corrected. Security is also enhanced by allowing the mail processor to check the sending system against its send-to list in the areas file to determine that it was received from the correct node ad-dress (the senders address can be cross checked by the Audit list as well as the packet header). III. Implementation A. Packet Header The current packet header needs no changes (except the packet type identifier). This allows full backward compatibility. B. Packed Messages No change to packed message structures or procedures. C. MSGID Line Eliminated. D. Message Body Unchanged. E. Tear Lines Unchanged. F. Origin Lines Unchanged. G. Seen-By's Replaced by Audit list. The Audit line begins with a unique tag: FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 27 28 Apr 1997 AUDIT: followed by a space (ASCII #32). Each node number is seperated by a space. Each Audit line is terminated by a carriage return and optionally a linefeed (ASCII #13 and #10). The length of each Audit line follows current Seen-By line specifications (79 characters). Node numbers in the Audit list are full Zone:Net/Node.Point numbering. The maximum feild length per entry is 23 characters of text up to and including: 65535:65535/65535.65535 H. Path Lines Eliminated. IV. Operations A. Sender The originating system begins the Audit sequence by creating the initial Audit line and adding his node number after the AUDIT: tag. AUDIT: 1:147/33.0 Then packs the message to the receiving system as it normally would. A system that is re-sending the message to other systems first completes the Receiver requirements in step B below. Then the system adds its own node number (zone matched) to the LAST Audit line of the message (or creates a new line if needed). The sender then packs the message as it normally would. This process is repeated for each message, and each system that recieves a copy of the message. Zone gates may or may not be listed in the Audit list to correctly identify any problems (open to ruling). B. Receiver Upon processing a packet, the receiver scans for the Audit lines as it currently does for a Seen-By line for each message it processes. Each entry in the Audit list is checked against the LAST entry, as well as its own address, for duplication. Addition-ally, the LAST address is checked against the receivers list of valid systems for that message area to insure that security is not breeched. Optionally, the receiver may check the address of the packet header against that of the senders Audit entry to en-sure correct addressing. After all tests are made, the message is tossed to the cor-rect message area. If the receiver is to send the message FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 28 28 Apr 1997 to any other systems, it then becomes the sender and procedes as in step A above. V. Qualifications I am a programmer by trade, and hold a degree in Electronic Engineering. I attended Oklahoma State University, and MIT. I am the author of the SuperComm bulletin board system which includes: SCBBS The BBS program SCMAIL The Mail processor SCED The offline Message editor SCSET Set-up utility SCNET Network interface (Front-end mailer). The SuperComm system holds a current FidoNet product code, and is fully compliant in its mail handling. A working model of ScMail including these changes is available for review. Source code ideas are also available for the proposed changes, either in C or Turbo Pascal. -30- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 29 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= COORDINATORS CORNER ================================================================= Nodelist-statistics as seen from Zone-2 for day 115 By Ward Dossche, 2:292/854 ZC/2 +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+ |Zone|Nl-087|Nodelist-094|Nodelist-101|Nodelist-108|Nodelist-115|%%| +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+ | 1 | 9088| 8900 -188 | 8837 -63 | 8675 -162 | 8675 0 |32| | 2 | 15923|15922 -1 |15902 -20 |15993 91 |15992 -1 |59| | 3 | 800| 800 0 | 800 0 | 800 0 | 800 0 | 3| | 4 | 548| 549 1 | 548 -1 | 547 -1 | 547 0 | 2| | 5 | 87| 87 0 | 87 0 | 87 0 | 87 0 | 0| | 6 | 1090| 1090 0 | 1083 -7 | 1083 0 | 1083 0 | 4| +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+ | 27536|27348 -188 |27257 -91 |27185 -72 |27184 -1 | +------+------------+------------+------------+------------+ ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 30 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= WE GET EMAIL ================================================================= --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:18/14 --- By Christopher Baker on Tue Apr 22 04:04:39 1997 From: Stephen Reinen @ 1:107/700 To: Editor @ 1:1/23 Date: 21 Apr 97 19:24:18 Subj: 1:13/10 Chris, I am sending you this note to you as a progress update for the re- building of 13/10. You have my permission to re-print this in Fidonews, and in the Echos. I will try to send you updates weekly as things progress. I spoke with Burt Juda last week, he is working on the configuration files. The configurations for IEEE were very complex and specific to that installation. Burt plans to send me the configurations and utilities on diskette, this should make things easier for the installation on to my server. In the mean time, I am working on the interface configuration to the EMSI mailer. I hope to provide FTP access to allow outgoing mail to enter the gate. Initially, the I/O gate will only support the gating on netmail. We hope to be able to resume UseNet capabilities eventually. Currently 13/10 will be operating on limited bandwidth (56k). I have obtained permission to install a server on the LAN at the ISP. When this machine is built, we should ba able to bring 13/10 back to where it was. - Stephen -30- ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 31 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= NET HUMOR ================================================================= To: cbaker84@digital.net From: top5@lists.zdnet.com Priority: normal Subject: Top5 - 2/28/97 - Least Known Chapters in "Dianetics" Errors-To: top5-errors@lists.zdnet.com Date: Fri, 28 Feb 1997 10:42:19 MST _____________________________________ _________| |________ \ | The Top Five List | / \ | www.topfive.com | / \ | | / \ | Sponsored by Windows Sources | / > | www.winsources.com | < / | | \ / | February 28, 1997 | \ / |_____________________________________| \ /___________) (__________\ IMPORTANT LAWSUIT-AVOIDING DISCLAIMER-TYPE NOTICE: The following list is a comedic look at the book, "Dianetics", and its author, the world-renowned, highly-esteemed, late science fiction writer/adventurer/yachtsman/horticulturist L. Ron Hubbard. In it we stretch the truth, bend the facts, and probably even make up some stuff. Nothing you read here should be taken seriously. I'm sure the Scientologists are fine people. Okay, I'm not *really* sure, but there's always the remote chance that they're fine people, isn't there? Regardless, we don't want them suing us (not that they're famous for doing that or anything), so don't believe anything you read here. Just laugh at it, then go back to your jobs. The Top 15 Least Known Chapters in "Dianetics" 15> "Getting Chicks To Say Yes: L. Ron Answers the Booty Call" 14> "Hey, If It's In a Bestseller, It MUST Be True!" 13> "Travolta 3:16" 12> "Making Your Own E-meter With Dixie Cups And Duct Tape" 11> "Chapter 26: In Which Luke Discovers that L. Ron Vader is His Real Father" 10> "Chapter 5: Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot" FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 32 28 Apr 1997 9> "'Old Mother' Hubbard -- L. Ron, the Transvestite Years" 8> "Chapter 12: Geez, You're Still Buying This, Aren't You?" 7> "The Human Mind: That Vast Realm Half an Inch Behind the Forehead (Two Inches Back for Scott Hamilton)" 6> "When a Lawsuit Hits Your Eye, Like a Big Pizza Pie, That's Scientology" 5> "He's NOT the Telescope Guy!" 4> "Chapter 11: How To File For It" 3> "Movie Stars -- Are They Gullible, or What?" 2> "Chapter 3: Post This on the Internet and We'll Sue Your Ass!" and the Number 1 Least Known Chapter in "Dianetics"... 1> "Commandment Number One: 'Show Me the Money!'" [ This list copyright 1997 by John Smith and Ziff-Davis ] [ *To forward or repost, please include this section.* ] [ The Top Five List top5@walrus.com www.topfive.com ] Selected from 105 submissions from 38 contributors. Today's Top Five List non-anonymous authors are: ---------------------------------------------------------------- O.J. Simpson, Brentwood, CA -- 1 (Guilty of his 1st #1!) John Paul, Vatican City -- 2 Reader's Digest -- 3 Joan D'Arc, France -- 4 Tammy Fae Messner, Bible Belt -- 5, 12 Albert Belle, Clevel-- er, Chicago -- 6 H. Ross Perot, Dallas, TX -- 7 Mrs. Olson, Folgers, CO -- 8 Mary Richards, New York, NY -- 9 Riddick Bowe, Parris Island -- 10 Willie Nelson, Austin, TX -- 11 anonymous, anytown, USA -- 13 Alan Smithee, Sugar Land, TX -- 14 Tori Spelling, Lso Angeels, CL -- 15 John Smith, Tulsa, OK -- List owner/editor ---------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Runners Up list, "Herbalife Dealers", can be found at our website: http://www.topfive.com ================================================================ *** Windows Sources Spotlight *** Netscape's share of the browser market has been steadily FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 33 28 Apr 1997 declining in the face of the Microsoft juggernaut. Can Communicator pull the company out of its slump? Visit Windows Sources Website for a sneak preview of our review! http://www.winsources.com ================================================================ T H E T O P F I V E L I S T To subscribe: Send mail to top5-on@lists.zdnet.com To unsubscribe: Send mail to top5-off@lists.zdnet.com For more information: Send mail to top5@walrus.com with "INFO" in the *subject* line of the message. To report a sighting of a Top Five List in other media: Send mail to top5@walrus.com with "BINGO!" in the *subject*. ================================================================ Ruminations & Ponderances Sometimes I think to myself: "I sure am glad I wasn't born in China, 'cause I'd hate to have to eat Chinese all the time." (Thanks to Mac Helton) ================================================================ The Top Five List http://www.topfive.com Sponsored by Windows Sources http://www.winsources.com This delivery powered by Mercury Mail, Inc. http://www.merc.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 34 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= Future History 17 May 1997 Independence Day, Norway. 3 Jun 1997 2 years since FidoNet had an International Coordinator. 6 Jun 1997 National Commemoration Day, Sweden. 12 Jun 1997 Independence Day, Russia. 1 Jul 1997 Canada Day - Happy Birthday Canada. 9 Jul 1997 Independence Day, Argentina. 13 Oct 1997 Thanksgiving Day, Canada. 1 Dec 1997 World AIDS Day. 10 Dec 1997 Nobel Day, Sweden. 12 Jan 1998 HAL 9000 is one year old today. 22 May 1998 Expo '98 World Exposition in Lisbon (Portugal) opens. 1 Dec 1998 Fifteenth Anniversary of release of Fido version 1 by Tom Jennings. 31 Dec 1999 Hogmanay, Scotland. The New Year that can't be missed. 1 Jan 2000 The 20th Century, C.E., is still taking place thru 31 Dec. 15 Sep 2000 Sydney (Australia) Summer Olympiad opens. 1 Jan 2001 This is the actual start of the new millennium, C.E. -- If YOU have something which you would like to see in this FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 35 28 Apr 1997 Future History, please send a note to the FidoNews Editor. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 19:41:43 -0700 FROM: update@versions.com TO: cbaker84@digital.net SUBJECT: Versions! Update Christopher, This message is being sent to you because your VERSIONS! Preferences are set to receive e-mail regarding Important Internet News & Windows OS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- New PC Virus Discovered By ZDNet Symantec and Dr Solomon Patches Available Exclusively on the Web at ZDNet Software Library Site CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Software experts at ZDNet, the Web's undisputed source for computing and Internet information, today announced the discovery of, and cure for, a previously unknown and undetectable computer virus that can destroy many of the most common types of PC files. ZDNet's technical experts worked with leading anti-virus utility providers Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) and Dr Solomon's Software (Nasdaq: SOLLY) to successfully develop software patches for the new virus. Both patches are available via free download exclusively at the ZDNet Software Library (http://www.hotfiles.com). The new virus, which is referred to as the 'HLL.5850A' virus by Dr Solomon's and 'Weed.5850' virus by Symantec, encrypts and corrupts '.com' and '.exe' files on personal computers. ZDNet discovered the virus during a routine virus check performed on all files before the files are uploaded to the Software Library, a ZDNet channel. ZDNet contacted Dr Solomon's Software and Symantec, two of the leading anti- virus and utilities providers, for assistance in detecting and repairing the virus. "Our colleagues at Symantec and Dr Solomon's were exemplary for the speed in which they were able to identify and rectify this previously undiscovered virus," said Preston Gralla, executive editor in charge of the ZDNet Software Library. "We're proud to offer a quick remedy for the virus, saving PC users the possible agony of having to replace large amounts of corrupted data. This is yet another exclusive offer available at the Software Library site." PC users can download free virus protection patch files for Symantec's Norton Anti-Virus and Dr Solomon's FindVirus, the scanner found in Dr Solomon's entire line of anti-virus products. Evaluation copies of the latest versions of Norton Anti-Virus and FindVirus are also available for download at the Software Library Web site. "After ZDNet alerted us to this new virus threat, the Symantec Anti-Virus Research Center team sprung into action. The minute we FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 36 28 Apr 1997 received the virus sample from ZDNet, our researchers jumped on the problem and provided a detection and repair solution to ZDNet on the same day," said Alex Haddox, product manager for Symantec Anti-Virus Research Center (SARC). "This fast response proves Symantec's commitment to protecting computer users and, exemplifies how SARC protection extends beyond the Symantec AntiVirus product line, by also protecting our partner, ZDNet, and its users." "When ZDNet reported files were increasing in size, we immediately suspected a computer virus. Within two hours, we provided ZDNet the means to ensure the integrity of their data," said Shane Coursen, senior technology consultant at Dr Solomon's Software. "With more than 200 new viruses appearing every month, Dr Solomon's Software's technology experts are always on alert to deliver this type of resolution. Our combined effort demonstrates the value of cooperation among the leading anti-virus experts to provide the highest level of protection to all computer users." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Versions! will soon be offering some great new Premium Services including e-mail notifications on SHAREWARE updates, integration with the ZDNet shareware library, and more. Get details at http://www.versions.com. || http://www.versions.com || VERSIONS! ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 37 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ================================================================= Latest Greatest Software Versions by Peter E. Popovich, 1:363/264 Note: Mid-May, I will phase out the entire "Old Info" section. As always, I'll be happy to process any information I get, either before or after it is phased out. -=- Snip -=- Submission form for the Latest Greatest Software Versions column OS Platform : Software package name : Version : Function(s) - BBS, Mailer, Tosser, etc. : Freeware / Shareware / Commercial? : Author / Support staff contact name : Author / Support staff contact node : Magic name (at the above-listed node) : Please include a sentence describing what the package does. Please send updates and suggestions to: Peter Popovich, 1:363/264 -=- Snip -=- MS-DOS: Program Name Version F C Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Act-Up 4.6 G D Chris Gunn 1:15/55 ACT-UP ALLFIX 4.40 T S Harald Harms 2:281/415 ALLFIX Announcer 1.11 O S Peter Karlsson 2:206/221 ANNOUNCE BGFAX 1.60 O S B.J. Guillot 1:106/400 BGFAX Binkley Docs 2.60 M F Bob Juge 1:1/102 BDOC_260.ZIP BinkleyTerm 2.60 M F Bob Juge 1:1/102 BDOS_260.ZIP BinkleyTerm-XE XR4 M F Thomas Waldmann 2:2474/400 BTXE_DOS CFRoute 0.92 O G C. Fernandez Sanz 2:341/70 CFR CheckPnt 1.0a O G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 CHECKPNT FastEcho 1.45a T S Tobias Burchhardt 2:2448/400 FASTECHO FastEcho/16 1.45a T S Tobias Burchhardt 2:2448/400 FE16 FidoBBS (tm) 12u B S Ray Brown 1:1/117 FILES FrontDoor 2.12 M S JoHo 2:201/330 FD FrontDoor 2.20c M C JoHo 2:201/330 FDINFO GEcho 1.00 T S Bob Seaborn 1:140/12 GECHO GEcho/Plus 1.11 T C Bob Seaborn 1:140/12 GECHO GEcho/Pro 1.20 T C Bob Seaborn 1:140/12 GECHO GIGO 07-14-96 G S Jason Fesler 1:1/141 INFO GoldED 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GED GoldED/386 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GEX GoldED Docs 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GEM GoldNODE 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GEN FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 38 28 Apr 1997 Imail 1.75 T S Michael McCabe 1:1/121 IMAIL ImCrypt 1.04 O G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 IMCRYPT InfoMail 1.11 O F Damian Walker 2:2502/666 INFOMAIL InfoMail/386 1.21 O F Damian Walker 2:2502/666 INFO386 InterEcho 1.19 T C Peter Stewart 1:369/35 IEDEMO InterMail 2.29k M C Peter Stewart 1:369/35 IMDEMO InterPCB 1.52 O S Peter Stewart 1:369/35 INTERPCB IPNet 1.11 O S Michele Stewart 1:369/21 IPNET JD's CBV 1.4 O S John Dailey 1:363/277 CBV Jelly-Bean 1.01 T S Rowan Crowe 3:635/727 JELLY Jelly-Bean/386 1.01 T S Rowan Crowe 3:635/727 JELLY386 JMail-Hudson 2.81 T S Jason Steck 1:285/424 JMAIL-H JMail-Goldbase 2.81 T S Jason Steck 1:285/424 JMAIL-G MakePl 1.9 N G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 MAKEPL Marena 1.1 beta O G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 MARENA Maximus 3.01 B P Tech 1:249/106 MAX McMail 1.0 M S Michael McCabe 1:1/148 MCMAIL MDNDP 1.18 N S Bill Doyle 1:388/7 MDNDP Msged 4.10 O G Andrew Clarke 3:635/728 MSGED41D.ZIP Msged/386 4.10 O G Andrew Clarke 3:635/728 MSGED41X.ZIP Opus CBCS 1.73a B P Christopher Baker 1:374/14 OPUS O/T-Track 2.66 O S Peter Hampf 2:241/1090 OT PcMerge 2.8 N G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 PCMERGE PlatinumXpress 1.3 M C Gary Petersen 1:290/111 PX13TD.ZIP QuickBBS 2.81 B S Ben Schollnick 1:2613/477 QUICKBBS RAR 2.00 C S Ron Dwight 2:220/22 RAR RemoteAccess 2.50 B S Mark Lewis 1:3634/12 RA Silver Xpress Door 5.4 O S Gary Petersen 1:290/111 FILES Reader 4.4 O S Gary Petersen 1:290/111 SXR44.ZIP Spitfire 3.51 B S Mike Weaver 1:3670/3 SPITFIRE Squish 1.11 T P Tech 1:249/106 SQUISH StealTag UK 1.c... O F Fred Schenk 2:284/412 STEAL_UK StealTag NL 1.c... O F Fred Schenk 2:284/412 STEAL_NL T-Mail 2.599I M S Ron Dwight 2:220/22 TMAIL Telegard 3.02 B F Tim Strike 1:259/423 TELEGARD Terminate 4.00 O S Bo Bendtsen 2:254/261 TERMINATE Tobruk 0.33 T G Paul Edwards 3:711/934 TOBRUK TosScan 1.01 T C JoHo 2:201/330 TSINFO TransNet 1.00 G S Marc S. Ressl 4:904/72 TN100ALL.ZIP TriBBS 11.0 B S Gary Price 1:3607/26 TRIBBS TriDog 11.0 T F Gary Price 1:3607/26 TRIDOG TriToss 11.0 T S Gary Price 1:3607/26 TRITOSS WaterGate 0.92 G S Robert Szarka 1:320/42 WTRGATE WWIV 4.24a B S Craig Dooley 1:376/126 WWIV WWIVTOSS 1.36 T S Craig Dooley 1:376/126 WWIVTOSS xMail 2.00 T S Thorsten Franke 2:2448/53 XMAIL XRobot 3.01 O S JoHo 2:201/330 XRDOS OS/2: Program Name Version F C Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ALLFIX/2 1.10 T S Harald Harms 2:281/415 AFIXOS2 BGFAX 1.60 O S B.J. Guillot 1:106/400 BGFAX Binkley Docs 2.60 M F Bob Juge 1:1/102 BDOC_260.ZIP BinkleyTerm 2.60 M F Bob Juge 1:1/102 BOS2_260.ZIP FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 39 28 Apr 1997 BinkleyTerm-XE XR4 M F Thomas Waldmann 2:2474/400 BTXE_OS2 CFRoute 0.92 O G C. Fernandez Sanz 2:341/70 CFR FastEcho 1.45a T S Tobias Burchhardt 2:2448/400 FE2 FleetStreet 1.19 O S Michael Hohner 2:2490/2520 FLEET GEcho/Pro 1.20 T C Bob Seaborn 1:140/12 GECHO GIGO 07-14-96 G S Jason Fesler 1:1/141 INFO GoldED 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GEO GoldED Docs 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GEM GoldNODE 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GEN ImCrypt 1.04 O G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 IMCRYPT Maximus 3.01 B P Tech 1:249/106 MAXP Msged/2 4.10 O G Andrew Clarke 3:635/728 MSGED41O.ZIP PcMerge 2.3 N G Michiel vd Vlist 2:500/9 PCMERGE RAR 2.00 C S Ron Dwight 2:220/22 RAR2 Squish 1.11 T P Tech 1:249/106 SQUISHP T-Mail 2.599I M S Ron Dwight 2:220/22 TMAIL2 Tobruk 0.33 T G Paul Edwards 3:711/934 TOBRUK XRobot 3.01 O S JoHo 2:201/330 XROS2 Windows (16-bit apps): Program Name Version F C Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BeeMail 1.0 M C Andrius Cepaitis 2:470/1 BEEMAIL FrontDoor APX 1.12 P S Mats Wallin 2:201/329 FDAPXW Windows (32-bit apps): Program Name Version F C Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BeeMail 1.0 M C Andrius Cepaitis 2:470/1 BEEMAIL Binkley Docs 2.60 M F Bob Juge 1:1/102 BDOC_260.ZIP BinkleyTerm 2.60 M F Bob Juge 1:1/102 BW32_260.ZIP CFRoute 0.92 O G C. Fernandez Sanz 2:341/70 CFR GoldED 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GEO GoldED Docs 2.50 O S Len Morgan 1:203/730 GEM Maximus 3.01 B P Tech 1:249/106 MAXN Msged/NT 4.10 O G Andrew Clarke 3:635/728 MSGED41W.ZIP PlatinumXpress 2.00 M C Gary Petersen 1:290/111 PXW-INFO T-Mail 2.599I M S Ron Dwight 2:220/22 TMAILNT WinFOSSIL/95 1.12 r4 F S Bryan Woodruff 1:343/294 WNFOSSIL.ZIP WinFOSSIL/NT 1.0 beta F S Bryan Woodruff 1:343/294 NTFOSSIL.ZIP Unix: Program Name Version F C Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ifmail 2.9 M G Eugene Crosser 2:293/2219 IFMAIL ifmail-tx ...tx8.1 M G Pablo Saratxaga 2:293/2219 IFMAILTX ifmail-tx.rpm ...tx8.1 M G Pablo Saratxaga 2:293/2219 IFMAILTX.RPM Msged 4.00 O G Paul Edwards 3:711/934 MSGED Tobruk 0.33 T G Paul Edwards 3:711/934 TOBRUK Amiga: Program Name Version F C Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CrashMail 1.23 T X Fredrik Bennison 2:205/324 CRASHMAIL CrashTick 1.1 O F Fredrik Bennison 2:205/324 CRASHTICK DLG Pro BBOS 1.15 B C Holly Sullivan 1:202/720 DLGDEMO FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 40 28 Apr 1997 GMS 1.1.85 M S Mirko Viviani 2:331/213 GMS Msged 4.00 O G Paul Edwards 3:711/934 MSGED Tobruk 0.33 T G Paul Edwards 3:711/934 TOBRUK TrapDoor 1.86.b2 M S Maximilian Hantsch 2:310/6 TRAPDOOR TrapDoor 1.86.b2 M S Maximilian Hantsch 2:310/6 TRAPBETA TrapToss 1.50 T S Rene Hexel 2:310/6 TRAPTOSS Atari: Program Name Version F C Contact Name Node Magic Name ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BinkleyTerm/ST 3.18pl2 M F Bill Scull 1:363/112 BINKLEY Semper 0.80beta M S Jan Kriesten 2:2490/1624 SMP-BETA Function: B-BBS, P-Point, M-Mailer, N-Nodelist, G-Gateway, T-Tosser, C-Compression, F-Fossil, O-Other. Note: Multifunction will be listed by the first match. Cost: P-Free for personal use, F-Freeware, S-Shareware, C-Commercial, X-Crippleware, D-Demoware, G-Free w/ Source Old info from: 01/27/92 --------------------------------------------------------------------- MS-DOS Systems Other Utilities Other Utilities -------------- Name Version Name Version -------------------- -------------------- Network Mailers 2DAPoint 1.50* Netsex 2.00b Name Version 4Dog/4DMatrix 1.18 OFFLINE 1.35 -------------------- ARCAsim 2.31 Oliver 1.0a D'Bridge 1.30 ARCmail 3.00* OSIRIS CBIS 3.02 Dreamer 1.06 Areafix 1.20 PKInsert 7.10 Dutchie 2.90c ConfMail 4.00 PolyXarc 2.1a Milqtoast 1.00 Crossnet 1.5 QM 1.00a PreNM 1.48 DOMAIN 1.42 QSort 4.04 SEAdog 4.60 DEMM 1.06 RAD Plus 2.11 SEAmail 1.01 DGMM 1.06 Raid 1.00 TIMS 1.0(mod8) DOMAIN 1.42 RBBSMail 18.0 EEngine 0.32 ScanToss 1.28 Compression EMM 2.11* ScMail 1.00 Utilities EZPoint 2.1 ScEdit 1.12 Name Version FGroup 1.00 Sirius 1.0x -------------------- FidoPCB 1.0s@ SLMail 2.15C ARC 7.12 FNPGate 2.70 StarLink 1.01 ARJ 2.20 GateWorks 3.06e TagMail 2.41 LHA 2.13 GMail 2.05 TCOMMail 2.2 PAK 2.51 GMD 3.10 Telemail 1.5* PKPak 3.61 GMM 1.21 TGroup 1.13 PKZip 1.10 GROUP 2.23 TIRES 3.11 GUS 1.40 TMail 1.21 NodeList Utilities Harvey's Robot 4.10 TosScan 1.00 Name Version HeadEdit 1.18 UFGATE 1.03 -------------------- HLIST 1.09 VPurge 4.09e FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 41 28 Apr 1997 EditNL 4.00 ISIS 5.12@ WEdit 2.0@ FDND 1.10 Lola 1.01d WildMail 2.00 MakeNL 2.31 Mosaic 1.00b WMail 2.2 Parselst 1.33 MailBase 4.11a@ WNode 2.1 Prune 1.40 MSG 4.5* XRS 4.99 SysNL 3.14 MsgLnk 1.0c XST 2.3e XlatList 2.90 MsgMstr 2.03a YUPPIE! 2.00 XlaxNode/Diff 2.53 MsgNum 4.16d ZmailH 1.25 MSGTOSS 1.3 ZSX 2.40 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Key to old info: + - Netmail Capable (Doesn't Require Additional Mailer Software) * - Recently Updated Version @ - New Addition -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Please send updates and suggestions to: Peter Popovich, 1:363/264 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 42 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY ================================================================= [this must be copied out to a file starting at column 1 or it won't process under PGP as a valid public-key] -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.6.2 Comment: Clear-signing is Electronic Digital Authenticity! mQCNAzINVLcAAAEEAM5dZN6t6j5Yc0kl7qegVFfiBeVoteuhDg4ay8h43u38Q4kO eJ9Mm7J89wXFb9vgouBVb4biIN6bTWCwcXTbGhBe5OIceLvluuxuEKsaIs/UwXNe Ogx5azIPhRfC7MJDe41Z8tMEBuHY/NE88cuxQ8yXWO126IRttavu6L/U5BwRAAUR tCRGaWRvTmV3cyBFZGl0b3IgPDE6MS8yM0BmaWRvbmV0Lm9yZz6JAJUDBRAyGwFS JZMgw7eCKz0BAZl0A/9xrfhpsEOqGiPfjy2qd9dv6tvSVPPVFu+Wy1lGTHYtuTtg FIN3fQ47AM3XzqHxWRWvp/xZYgR6sRICL7UFx94ShYBQc7CyqBBZKA0IvIWqXP/g c4Br+gQJR6CLiQK7TUyjUbqNbs6QAxuNUi4xFQM+O2Gene5/iTjHFmmSDj2C9YkB FQMFEDIOmHDTQ6/52IG1SQEBQ78H/Rz/mleIrtZwFIOhzy3JH4Z6FUTfZuM9nPcs 1ZLjZCPptHvY7wEYJWGr03lPPJ6tj1VBXwTrWJTf/hOLsoi00GKV8t1thjqGDo23 O91/bSQ+Vn0vBQ2vOEJys8ftxdoLJAyI5YLzHVT+RsMTQLIXVuPyrNcKs1vC2ql+ UDHpU1R+9cG9JUEHpGI6z0DPnQ74SKbQH3fiVBpHhYx4BmvcBC4gWQzKMkDWFiq3 8AssIZ7b9lWl3OBgQ4UM1OIDKoJyjRewIdKyl7zboKSt6Qu8LrcsXO3kb81YshOW ZpSS3QDIqfZC4+EElnB15l4RcVwnPHBaQY0FxUr4Vl4UWM36jbuJAJUDBRAyDpgY q+7ov9TkHBEBAQGoA/sFfN07IFQcir456tJfBfB9R5Z6e6UKmexaFhWOsLHqbCq6 3FGXDLeivNn6NTz81QeqLIHglTuM3NP1mu8sw215klAG8G3M1NA2xLw7Eqhspze2 raGvNeEwxl8e+PY9aZwBj4UWU+CmIm6QNiP0MtvR7QYDIKn5mZCDc3CLmr942IkB FQMFEDIOh0O8AhTPqRipPQEB4EYH/1gkDmdHL6lbEkFuQLrylF+weBl0XQ+kv7ER vWXYrvIrkppxtc4VAge6CXXEbOGJnvkFHgyNZzO9Q9O64QsmZvjip+4lhDLeNrdH X9DizS4YKXxkSKr9Yltmn2/AlBCx6jwcDIfkqy/P1tNWcikxZZMd6KryK0Wsres9 Ik12OmVmJjQSxb5bS6Q8aYUbV3qwosGXTqy+BzYh/UYAX/XJIWa5kxFVSPKFSZ+5 toiSzANd9SpHPEogGvQDHJlJ23lmsMx/6uHsR1LTsQ8su8zIk92XyqePJTjlMx2j D7KJWNR7Zzu4QHCXBkga5W8l2FfPk7D3+o7bXTLRuR1yTYGdNoiJAJUCBRAyDhwt SlKLwP4OFW0BAdaMA/9rcWQlSq44K9JuJ7fZUgt9fwxGreTud9fC8DvlbUW79+CA AHLTLLagcEF1OKsWzVBWcA2JEAp+TUTqktRN0oD8vnaw3uNJd1G5KK59hw0WR8x1 v4ivypbSjiq95Y3gBunb7WjpyiFRWDlm0PrKrWHtbWzjnpPIpetln1UuqsSfbokB FQIFEDIOG9C3N61ZQ4Dr/QEBIzMH/1VxxztmBPBszbjZLDO8Svcax9Ng8IcWpcDy WqHCAA2Hoe5VtMD0v6w31ZgVqTPIvCark2Y/aTR1GofiuN9NUqbVV534AgAYLzYk DMT1swsPvqDTpOYgQl6PCGh6A5JGAbWJfKkX9XCUHJAAmiTsEVRNnjOgL+p6qjoh EfIG8CGehghWSRKl5eGeDAtbXupZKNjFI1t2XV+ks0RFQ/RPuTH7pF7pk7WO6Cyg +Dk2ZMgua0HRL1fXvHKb5Xzr3MVgsbAl5gP8ooIiD9MI/x5Irh3oo58VyoEZNBs/ Kz+drGFDPljcS6fdiVCFtYIzMrshY6YsfLi0aB8fwOvFtxgBqli0J0NocmlzdG9w aGVyIEJha2VyIDwxOjE4LzE0QGZpZG9uZXQub3JnPrQoQ2hyaXN0b3BoZXIgQmFr ZXIgPGNiYWtlcjg0QGRpZ2l0YWwubmV0Pg== =61OQ -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- File-request FNEWSKEY from 1:1/23 [1:18/14] or download it from the Rights On! BBS at 1-904-409-7040 anytime except 0100-0130 ET and Zone 1 ZMH at 1200-9600+ HST/V32B. The FidoNews key is also available on the FidoNews homepage listed in the Masthead information. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 43 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= FIDONET BY INTERNET ================================================================= This is a list of all FidoNet-related sites reported to the Editor as of this appearance. ============ FidoNet: Homepage http://www.fidonet.org FidoNews http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fidonews.html HTML FNews http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6894/ WWW sources http://www.scms.rgu.ac.uk/students/cs_yr94/lk/fido.html FTSC page http://www2.blaze.net.au/ftsc.html Echomail http://www.portal.ca/~awalker/index.html WebRing http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fnetring.html ============ Zone 1: http://www.z1.fidonet.org Region 10: http://www.psnw.com/~net205/region10.html Region 11: http://oeonline.com/~garyg/region11/ Region 13: http://www.smalltalkband.com/st01000.htm Region 14: http://www.netins.net/showcase/fidonet/ Region 15: http://www.smrtsys.com/region15/ [disappeared?] Region 16: http://www.tiac.net/users/satins/region16.htm Region 17: http://www.portal.ca/~awalker/region17.htm Region 18: http://www.citicom.com/fido.html Region 19: http://home1.gte.net/bhamilt/index.htm ============ Zone 2: http://www.z2.fidonet.org ZEC2: http://fidoftp.paralex.co.uk/zec.htm [shut down?] Zone 2 Elist: http://www.fidonet.ch/z2_elist/z2_elist.htm Region 20: http://www.fidonet.pp.se (in Swedish) Region 24: http://www.swb.de/personal/flop/gatebau.html (in German) Region 25: http://members.aol.com/Net254/ Region 27: http://telematique.org/ft/r27.htm FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 44 28 Apr 1997 Region 29: http://www.rtfm.be/fidonet/ (in French) Region 30: http://www.fidonet.ch (in Swiss) Region 34: http://www.pobox.com/cnb/r34.htm (in Spanish) REC34: http://pobox.com/~chr Region 36: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/7207/ Region 41: http://www.fidonet.gr (in Greek and English) Region 48: http://www.fidonet.org.pl ============ Zone 3: http://www.z3.fidonet.org ============ Zone 4: (not yet listed) Region 90: Net 904: http://members.tripod.com/~net904 (in Spanish) ============ Zone 5: (not yet listed) ============ Zone 6: http://www.z6.fidonet.org ============ ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 45 28 Apr 1997 ================================================================= FIDONEWS INFORMATION ================================================================= ------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ------- Editor: Christopher Baker Editors Emeritii: Tom Jennings, Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar, Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees "FidoNews Editor" FidoNet 1:1/23 BBS 1-904-409-7040, 300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(ds) more addresses: Christopher Baker -- 1:18/14, cbaker84@digital.net cbaker84@aol.com cbaker84@msn.com (Postal Service mailing address) FidoNews Editor P.O. Box 471 Edgewater, FL 32132-0471 U.S.A. voice: 1-904-409-3040 [1400-2100 ET only, please] [1800-0100 UTC/GMT] ------------------------------------------------------ FidoNews is published weekly by and for the members of the FIDONET INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR ELECTRONIC MAIL system. It is a compilation of individual articles contributed by their authors or their authorized agents. The contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the rights of the authors. OPINIONS EXPRESSED in these articles ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS and not necessarily those of FidoNews. Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is Copyright 1997 Christopher Baker. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or the Editor. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue of FidoNews in electronic form may be obtained from the FidoNews Editor via manual download or file-request, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet. PRINTED COPIES may be obtained by sending SASE to the above postal address. File-request FIDONEWS for the current Issue. File-request FNEWS for the current month in one archive. Or file-request specific back Issue filenames in distribution format [FNEWSEnn.ZIP] for a FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 46 28 Apr 1997 particular Issue. Monthly Volumes are available as FNWSmmmy.ZIP where mmm = three letter month [JAN - DEC] and y = last digit of the current year [7], i.e., FNWSFEB7.ZIP for all the Issues from Feb 97. Annual volumes are available as FNEWSn.ZIP where n = the Volume number 1 - 14 for 1984 - 1997, respectively. Annual Volume archives range in size from 48K to 1.4M. INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via: http://www.fidonet.org/fidonews.htm ftp://ftp.fidonet.org/pub/fidonet/fidonews/ ftp://ftp.aminet.org/pub/aminet/comm/fido/ *=*=* You may obtain an email subscription to FidoNews by sending email to: jbarchuk@worldnet.att.net with a Subject line of: subscribe fnews-edist and no message in the message body. To remove your name from the email distribution use a Subject line of: unsubscribe fnews-edist with no message to the same address above. *=*=* You can read the current FidoNews Issue in HTML format at: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6894/ STAR SOURCE for ALL Past Issues via FTP and file-request - Available for FReq from 1:396/1 or by anonymous FTP from: ftp://ftp.sstar.com/fidonet/fnews/ Each yearly archive also contains a listing of the Table-of-Contents for that year's issues. The total set is currently about 11 Megs. =*=*=*= The current week's FidoNews and the FidoNews public-key are now also available almost immediately after publication on the Editor's new homepage on the World Wide Web at: http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fidonews.html There are also links there to jim barchuk's HTML FidoNews source and to John Souvestre's FTP site for the archives. There is also an email link for sending in an article as message text. Drop on over. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= A PGP generated public-key is available for the FidoNews Editor from FIDONEWS 14-17 Page 47 28 Apr 1997 1:1/23 [1:18/14] by file-request for FNEWSKEY or by download from Rights On! BBS at 1-904-409-7040 as FIDONEWS.ASC in File Area 18. It is also posted twice a month into the PKEY_DROP Echo available on the Zone 1 Echomail Backbone. *=*=*=*=* SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews Editor, or file-requestable from 1:1/23 [1:18/14] as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". ALL Zone Coordinators also have copies of ARTSPEC.DOC. Please read it. "Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered trademarks of Tom Jennings, P.O. Box 410923, San Francisco, CA 94141, and are used with permission. "Disagreement is actually necessary, or we'd all have to get in fights or something to amuse ourselves and create the requisite chaos." -Tom Jennings -30- -----------------------------------------------------------------