[mod.mag.fidonet] FidoNET Newsletter, Volume 4, # 7

pozar@hoptoad.UUCP (02/18/87)

     Volume 4, Number  7                              16 February 1987
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     |                                                  _            |
     |                                                 /  \          |
     |                                                /|oo \         |
     |        - FidoNews -                           (_|  /_)        |
     |                                                _`@/_ \    _   |
     |        International                          |     | \   \\  |
     |     FidoNet Association                       | (*) |  \   )) |
     |         Newsletter               ______       |__U__| /  \//  |
     |                                 / FIDO \       _//|| _\   /   |
     |                                (________)     (_/(_|(____/    |
     |                                                     (jm)      |
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     Editor in Chief:                                   Thom Henderson
     Chief Procrastinator Emeritus:                       Tom Jennings

     FidoNews is the official newsletter of the International  FidoNet
     Association,  and is published weekly by SEAdog Leader, node 1/1.
     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.

     Copyright (C) 1987,  by the  International  FidoNet  Association.
     All  rights  reserved.  Duplication and/or distribution permitted
     for noncommercial purposes only.  For use in other circumstances,
     please contact IFNA.




                             Table of Contents

     1. EDITORIAL
        FidoNews versus EchoMail
     2. ARTICLES
        EchoMail Censorship
        IFNA Board of Director Elections
        Fido on the air
        My Reply to Mark Welch, Re: Shareware Expenses
     3. FOR SALE
        Magazine on Disk for IBM PC and Compatibles
     4. NOTICES
        The Interrupt Stack




     Fidonews                     Page 2                   16 Feb 1987


     =================================================================
                                 EDITORIAL
     =================================================================

                          FidoNews versus EchoMail


     An excerpt from a recently overheard conversation:

         "I have an idea for a FidoNews article."

         "Don't send it to FidoNews,  put  it  in  EchoMail!  Everyone
         will get it faster that way."

     This  brings  up  an  interesting question.  Is this true?  Well,
     partly.

     It's true that EchoMail is usually  faster.  Not  always  by  any
     means,  but  usually.  But does everyone read EchoMail?  Is there
     any one given EchoMail conference that is more widely  read  than
     FidoNews?  I think not.

     One of the EchoMail backbone hubs recently told me the results of
     some  studies  he's done.  He analyzed the "seen-by" lists of all
     of the message traffic on  the  "big  four"  conferences  (SYSOP,
     IFNA,  TECH,  and ECPROG), plus several other popular conferences
     he  carries,  and he's found that only about a hundred nodes show
     up in all conferences combined.  Even if twice as many nodes  see
     those  conferences  than  ever show up at his node,  that's still
     much less than a quarter of all sysops.

     I might be  biased,  but  I  think  that  FidoNews  is  still  an
     important  channel  of communication between sysops,  and I think
     those numbers back me up.  On a more  subjective  level,  I  feel
     that  FidoNews articles tend to be more considered,  more thought
     out,   while  EchoMail  tends  more  to  reflexive,  off-the-cuff
     reactions.   This  in  turn  makes  FidoNews  more  valuable  for
     reference  and  for historical reasons.  Not too many people keep
     histories of EchoMail conferences,  but quite a few  people  keep
     full back-issue sets of FidoNews.

     So  why  am  I  banging  your ear(eye) about this?  It's become a
     matter of some concern to me lately.  As you  may  have  noticed,
     the  last  couple  of  issues of FidoNews have been a bit shorter
     than usual.  This is because submissions have been dropping  off.
     It's been going on longer than you may have realized.  I've had a
     supply  of  "filler"  on hand to take care of the occasional slow
     issue,  but  recently I've had to dip into it more and more,  and
     recently I ran out.  I can probably dig up some  more,  but  what
     I'd really rather have is something from YOU!

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

     Fidonews                     Page 3                   16 Feb 1987


     =================================================================
                                 ARTICLES
     =================================================================

     Karl Andrews, 138/241

          An Essay Supporting Censorship of EchoMail Conferences.


     NetMail has some similarities with the service  provided  by  the
     Post  Office,  and  like  that  Mail,  should  NOT  be subject to
     censorship,  short of the standard requirement  that  it  not  be
     illegal.  EchoMail,  on  the  other hand,  can be thought of as a
     group  of  magazines  that  we  subscribe  to,   because  we  are
     interested  in  the known subject matter and/or editorial policy.
     Just as you, as a subscriber to Byte,  would be upset to find the
     current  issue  full  of  articles about the mating habits of the
     Bolivian Field Cricket,  so  too  are  the  readers  of  a  given
     conference perturbed to find it full of irrelevant material.

     Magazines  can  avoid the inclusion of inappropriate articles and
     the printing of  offensive  correspondence  by  the  exercise  of
     editorial  control  at  the  point  of  origin.  Because  of  the
     distributed origin of EchoMail,  no single person can control the
     content of any given conference; therefore the only way to insure
     that  a  given  conference sticks to its stated subject matter is
     for each of us to control its input.

     If  an  author  who  submitted  an  article   on   microprocessor
     architecture  to  Better Homes and Gardens were to complain about
     its rejection,  who of us would be upset?  Wouldn't we  say  that
     the author should have known better and should have addressed the
     article  to  the  appropriate  audience?  Would  we  condemn  the
     magazine for refusing to accept the article,  or in the  unlikely
     event  of  the  article  being  published,  be surprised when the
     subscribers complained?  A large proportion of us are subscribers
     to various EchoMail conferences,  in that it costs us real  money
     for  the  service.  Should  we  have  any  less  rights  than the
     subscribers to a printed magazine?

     Unfortunately,  we have no single editor or publisher to complain
     to.  We as sysops are simultaneously subscribers,  publishers and
     editors, and in effect we comprise a distributed editorial board.
     We subscribe to a given conference because we are  interested  in
     the  subject  matter,  and  have  a  right  to  expect  that  the
     preponderance of material  in  that  conference  pertain  to  the
     stated  subject.  The  only  way  this  state  of  affairs may be
     attained is for each of us to control the input  to  the  various
     areas,  and  not  allow  the introduction of extraneous material.
     The position of Moderator is titular;  there is no effective  way
     for  that person to exercise any sort of control over the rest of
     the participants in a conference.  Some people (I can predict who
     many of them will be) will  flame  about  this  being  unethical,
     immoral,  and  illegal,  but  we  are not talking about censoring
     NetMail, only EchoMail.

     Fidonews                     Page 4                   16 Feb 1987


     We have the right and obligation to restrict the introduction  of
     non-pertinent  material  (even  a  rose  in the midst of a bed of
     marigolds is a weed) into our Echo conferences to  prevent  their
     degeneration  into  general  chatter areas.  If we don't exercise
     this right,  eventually the sysops who pay for  the  distribution
     will  drop  out  of the conference,  and then nobody will get it,
     including those who would complain about the censorship,  as well
     as  those  who  corrupt  the  conferences  with irrelevancies and
     inanities.

     I can justify the expense of using my work  machine,  my  company
     phone, and my time to keep this board running only if the results
     remain beneficial.  As long as I can reasonably say this exercise
     in  frustration contributes to my professional expertise,  I have
     the support of my manager, but when the conferences become little
     more than chit-chat,  I  won't  be  here  anymore,  and  my  nine
     downstream nodes will be the losers.

     May  I  remind  those  of you on List 23 (knee-jerk flamers) that
     IFNA does NOT have anything to do with EchoMail,  so  don't  even
     bother  beating  that  horse.  We  are not talking about NetMail,
     only EchoMail.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

     Fidonews                     Page 5                   16 Feb 1987


     Bob Morris
     Opus 141/300

                     IFNA Board of Directors Elections


     Having been appointed, based on my response to the question about
     working for IFNA, by Ken Kaplan to headup the Nominations and
     Elections Committee.  I have been joined by Phil Ardussi and we
     are in the process of composing the letters which will be going
     out to all IFNA Members requesting self-nomination to the
     position of Director within IFNA.

     As established within the By-Laws which outlines the procedure
     Directors will be asked to send in their Declaration of Intention
     to run, along with the support of ten (10) IFNA Sysops to the
     address which will be attached to the Ballot.  Furthur details
     will be forthcomming.

     This procedure will be a lengthy process and with that in mind, I
     have recommended to the existing Board of Directors (Ken Kaplan,
     Ben Baker and Thom Henderson) that they appoint a person from
     each voting Division, to act as a Director until the ballots are
     printed in FidoNews during the week of April 13th.  This
     recommendation was made based upon the fact that we would need to
     hold two elections this year, the first for a period of six (6)
     months and the second for the normal full-term assignments.
     Rather than attempting to do this thing twice and tick everyone
     off, I have gained the approval of the BoD for the recommendation
     to take effect immediately.

     Now before everyone starts sending FLAME Mail to 141/300, let me
     tell you that this procedure effects approximately 200 people
     throught the known FIDO/OPUS/SEADog Community and does not effect
     any other Sysop in any manner.

     I will be asking the backbone Echomail Hubs to initiate an area
     called "NOM", which will be utilized by those affected to send in
     their nominations to Phil Ardussi and myself.  This will be a
     sysop only area, therefore, the existing BoD will see these
     ballots and the supporting documentation, and those who would
     also like to see these things will be able to do so as well.

     If anyone has comments concerning this matter, they may contact
     me via FidoMail at 141/300 or 141/333.



     Bob Morris, Chairman
     Nominations and Elections Committee

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

     Fidonews                     Page 6                   16 Feb 1987


     Andy Bakkers, 500/100

                              FIDO ON THE AIR


     During the Hobby Computer  Fair  last  november  in  Utrecht  The
     Netherlands,    Fido   was   connected   to   a   radio   amateur
     receiver/transmitter via a packet radio modem  called  TNC-1.  In
     the  Fido code all AT type instructions were deleted and replaced
     with TNC-1 equivalents.  A swith in Fido to allow the  use  of  a
     packet radio modem TNC-1 would be better.  The following PR TNC-1
     settings were required:

         ABAUD 300      This is because the Fido handshake with the PR
                        modem did not work. Packet Radio transmissions
                        were  at 1200 Baud so the 300 Baud between the
                        Fido computer and the TNC-1 did eleminate  the
                        need for handshaking.

                        Recommendations:  Implement  the handshake in
                        Fido!

         CANLINE        $00
         CANPAC         $00
         CPACKTIME      ON
         CR             OFF
         DELETE         OFF
         ECHO           OFF
         FLOW           OFF
         MALL           OFF
         MONITOR        OFF
         MTO            NONE
         MYVADR         $00
         PACTIME AFTER 3
         PASS           $00
         REDISPLAY      $00
         RETRY          3       :TO PRVENT NEEDLESS RETRIES
         SENPAC         $0A
         XFLOW          OFF

     All other parameters default value.

     The  only  other problem encountered was the inability of Fido to
     turn the Fido echo OFF.  This would avoid redundant  echoing  via
     the  air,  because  the  echoing  was already done between the PR
     modems en the computers.

     In order to have more efficient  transmission  of  the  menus,  I
     suggest the possibility to limit the Menus to 128 characters (one
     maximum packet length) end use a special end of menu character so
     that this character may be used as a SENPAC character in the TNC-
     1 allowing efficient menu transmission within one packet.

     The  result  was a very workable setup.  With the above mentioned
     changes the Fido will be a perfect match to amateur radio.

     Fidonews                     Page 7                   16 Feb 1987


     (The flow control  mentioned  by  Andy  is  essentially  the  CTS
     handshake.  As  I understand it OPUS and Fido generic use special
     serial drivers.  The OPUS!Comm driver from Bob Hartman is capable
     of CTR handshake if initialized this  way.  A  switch  in  OPUS's
     control file ? HEY WYNN are you listening ? -henk wevers)

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

     Fidonews                     Page 8                   16 Feb 1987


     Jeff Sheese
     Sysop, THUD BBS (Opus), 110/10
     Data: 513-890-0422

     Usenet: ihnp4!itivax!m-net!jeffery
     M-Net: 313-994-6333

              My Reply to Mark Welch, Re: Shareware Expenses

     This editorial is in response to the article written by Mark
     Welch published in the Fido Newsletter Volume 4, Number 2, dated
     12 January 1987.

     Now personally I agree with the sharware concept, provided that
     it does in fact work.  But let me start out explaining my
     position in this matter before making any comments directly
     concerning the reference made on the previous articles published
     concerning shareware.

     I've been involved in telecommunications both as a hobby and as a
     vocation since 1981.  In my experience I've seen a lot of both
     good and bad bulletin boards.  I've also seen my share of both
     good and bad public domain software distributed on these boards.
     Telecommunications originally peaked my interest due to the user
     interaction achieved as well as the distribution and sharing of
     public domain software.  But as a whole I probably saw 10 bad
     programs for every one good program.  This in no way reflected
     the expertise of the author, because good programs result in hard
     work and dedication to the final purpose, not to mention a lot of
     time.

     But as the industry progressed so did the users.  As more
     advances were made in the computer industry the caliber and
     expertise of the average user increased as well.  Better programs
     were resulting from not only upgrades of older versions of
     software, but also the combination of new ideas from other
     available software that were shared.  Users of bulletin boards
     were able to share ideas and techniques, as well as offer a
     helping hand to the newer members of this fascinating hobby.
     Never to my knowledge did anyone ask for anything in return for a
     few good words or helpful tips to put someone else on the right
     track to using their computer more productively.

     Then came the concept of shareware and freeware.  The authors
     asked that if their software were used on a consistant basis that
     it be registered by sending the author a certain amount of money
     to help cover development costs.  This is a fine method for
     distributing good software, since many programs using this
     concept are much better and more professional than most
     proprietary software sold over the counter.  Also donations such
     as this help to 'push' the authors into upgrading and expanding
     current software.  So it seems only fair that the author of a
     well written program should expect remuneration for his/her time
     and expense.

     But due to human nature, there will always be a few people that
     Fidonews                     Page 9                   16 Feb 1987


     download shareware and use it consistantly without registration.
     I can't name names since my mother always told me that whenever
     you point your finger at someone else you always have the other
     three pointing right back at you.  This leads me to believe that
     shareware authors are not rightfully compensated for their
     trouble.  I know if I released software using the shareware
     concept that I would probably not receive enough contributions to
     reimburse me for my expenses.  I'd be lucky to come close to
     breaking even.  Therefore, once the authors of shareware products
     allow the users to help them debug their products, they should
     consider taking them out of shareware distribution and placing
     the polished versions on the open market.  But all of this is one
     sided and purely my own speculation.

     But now, to make my point.  As I read Mr. Welch's financial
     report concerning his gains and losses on the development and
     distribution of GAGS (Generic Adventure Game System) I was first
     led to believe that he had incurred great loss.  But thanks to
     the figures that he provided in his article it comes to my
     attention that he really made MORE money from his software than
     he actually reported.  Again these are strictly my own opinions,
     and I'd like to share them with everyone that read his article in
     Fido Newsletter #402.  Following are the figures that he provided
     breaking down all expenses, gains, and losses in the development
     and distribution of GAGS:

     Table 1:   GAGS Expenses to Date:   December 31, 1986
     --------
     Books                   $69.12 (reference works, etc.)
     Cost of goods sold      470.30 (disks, etc.)
     Computer equip.       2,397.40 (computer, printers, etc.)
     Development sw          284.29 (compilers, toolkits, etc.)
     Misc.                   204.51 (magazines, memberships)
     Phone                   834.03 (includes BBS)
     Postage                 296.98 (includes ALL postage!)
     Software                440.20 (VP-Planner, PC-Write, etc.)
     Supplies                396.70 (paper, ribbons, envelopes)
                          ---------
     Total:               $5,393.53
     1985 total:          $3,364.11
     1986 total:           2,029.42

     Table 2: Sales    Total     1986
     --------------   ------    ------
     Disks          $ 857.60  $ 721.05    (at about $10 each)
     Registrations    949.44    827.12    (at about $15 each)
     Source code      868.90    745.54    (at about $25 each)
     Other            266.13    266.13    (upgrades, resold goods)
                   --------- ---------
     Total         $2,942.07 $2,559.84

     Table 3: Profit/Loss      Total         1986 only
     ----------------------- ----------     ----------
     GAGS Sales              $2,942.07      $2,559.84
     GAGS Expenses           (5,393.53)     (2,029.42)
                             ----------     ----------
     Fidonews                     Page 10                  16 Feb 1987


     Net GAGS Profit (Loss): (2,833.69)       $530.42

     Let me stress again that these are only my opinions.  First of
     all I'd like to examine table 1 a bit closer.  Here are my
     opinions line by line.

      * Books                   $69.12 (reference works, etc.) *
     Provided that Mr. Welch purchased these references ONLY for the
     expressed purpose of developing the one software package, then
     these expenses are viable.  However, I'd like to see a more
     complete list of these references.  My question is, were these
     references placed back on the shelf until the next release of
     GAGS, or were they ALSO used for other purposes not related to
     GAGS.  In my opinion this is not a viable expense for GAGS based
     on the fact that these references were purchased for the purpose
     of self education.  Therefore the author received benifit from
     these references not only in the development of GAGS, but also in
     the development and use of other software and hardware not
     associated with GAGS.  Now providing that these references were
     originally purchased for the development of GAGS, I'll give him
     half of this figure on my own expense sheet to reflect:
      ** Books                   $34.56 (reference works, etc.)

      * Cost of goods sold      470.30 (disks, etc.)
     Please explain 'etc.'?  A wild guess will tell me that
     documentation, source code, work disks for compilers and toolkits
     number really no more than 30.  That would be enough diskettes to
     back up a 20 meg hard disk about 3/4 full.  Considering that 90
     disks were sold (as in Table 2) this would number to 120.  Twelve
     boxes of the best floppies at about $18 apiece would be about
     $216.  Providing for extra mailers, lables, and 'etc.' and I
     would guess:
      ** Cost of goods sold      300.00 (disks, etc.)

      * Computer equip.       2,397.40 (computer, printers, etc.)
     How did this one slip by?  Does he use this for personal work
     such as word processing, database, spreadsheets?  Is this machine
     set aside for the expressed purpose of GAGS development or is it
     used only for occasional debugging and updates of GAGS?  I would
     guess that this system is used for GAGS on an occasional basis,
     and does not qualify as an expense for GAGS.  Now considering the
     wear and tear in the development process, as well as the amount
     of utilities expended (not to mention coffee) I would agree to:
      ** Computer equip.       400.00 (computer, printers, etc.)

      * Development sw          284.29 (compilers, toolkits, etc.)
     Again, this rates with the reference works.  Based on the above
     paragraph regarding my opinion on reference works, I'll give him
     half.
      ** Development sw         142.15 (compilers, toolkits, etc.)

      * Misc.                   204.51 (magazines, memberships)
     Rates with reference works as above.  So to be fair, I'll give
     him half.  This also assumes that he uses this as an income tax
     deduction.
      ** Misc.                  102.26 (magazines, memberships)
     Fidonews                     Page 11                  16 Feb 1987


      * Phone                   834.03 (includes BBS)
     Does his BBS only stock GAGS and no other files available for
     download?  Does his message base talk about nothing but GAGS?
     Assuming he had lot of Fidomail both sent and received concerning
     GAGS, I can only agree to:
      ** Phone                  200.00 (includes BBS)

      * Postage                 296.98 (includes ALL postage!)
     I agree, because this would not only show the expense incurred in
     sending the actual disks, but also the time and trouble of making
     sure that timely updates and announcements would arrive at the
     distribution sources.  Also including technical support and bug
     reports, I think he might have short changed himself in this one.
     In all fairness I give him:
      ** Postage                 400.00 (includes ALL postage AND time!)

      * Software                440.20 (VP-Planner, PC-Write, etc.)
     Reference works again, unless these packages are used exclusively
     for the updating and reporting of GAGS and associated expenses.
     I'll give him half.
      ** Software               220.10 (VP-Planner, PC-Write, etc.)

      * Supplies                396.70 (paper, ribbons, envelopes)
     This I will agree with since he has kept accurate records
     reflecting other expenses.  Is this the 'etc.'?
      ** Supplies                396.70 (paper, ribbons, envelopes)

     Therefore I figure total expenses to be:

      ** Books                $34.56 (reference works, etc.)
      ** Cost of goods sold   300.00 (disks, etc.)
      ** Computer equip.      400.00 (computer, printers, etc.)
      ** Development sw       142.15 (compilers, toolkits, etc.)
      ** Misc.                102.26 (magazines, memberships)
      ** Phone                200.00 (includes BBS)
      ** Postage              400.00 (includes ALL postage AND time!)
      ** Software             220.10 (VP-Planner, PC-Write, etc.)
      ** Supplies             396.70 (paper, ribbons, envelopes)
                          ---------
     Total:                $2195.77

     So, for Table 3, I compute:

      ** GAGS Sales (Table 2 above)      $2942.07
      ** GAGS Expenses (My figures)      $2195.77
     -------------------------------------------
     Total Profit (Loss)                 $746.30

     I'm not questioning Mr. Welch's figures, but how he arrives at
     these figures.  I'm not a tax lawyer and do not profess to be.
     But it seems to me that after all these expenses he should
     consider himself lucky to break even.  My question is, did he
     learn how to use a computer for personal benefit of the hobby, or
     to make money?

     I can only answer that question for myself.  I never really
     Fidonews                     Page 12                  16 Feb 1987


     planned on making money on distributing shareware software when I
     purchased my computer.  I've taught electronics as well as
     computer programming, interfacing, and design for 6 years.  I
     consider myself very lucky to enjoy computers, electronics, and
     communications as both a hobby and a vocation.  What has happened
     to the hobbiests of today?  Do they expect to distribute a few
     programs and get rich?

     In 1981, I wrote a program called EM.COM for CP/M version 1.4 in
     8080 assembly language.  It is an 8080 mnemonic emulator.  The
     purpose of this program was to allow a person to enter a machine
     language instruction directly into the computer and watch how it
     affects both the registers and the flags.  Sort of an extension
     of DDT.  With it, you had a machine language 'immediate' mode
     similar to BASIC.  After you enter the command as a mnemonic, you
     see immediately how the registers and flags are affected.  I
     wrote the program originally to learn both the CP/M operating
     system and 8080 assembly language.  It took me about 4 months to
     complete, and was still ridden with bugs.  After it was working
     to the point that it was useable, I uploaded it to to remote CP/M
     board here in Dayton.  That was in 1981.  I forgot about it after
     that.  When I moved to Detroit in the summer of 1984, I was
     suprised beyond belief to see the SAME program on Royal Oak
     RCP/M.  I downloaded it, worked out a few bugs, and uploaded it
     again under the name of EM200.LBR.  After making even more
     extensive bug fixes and upgrades, I uploaded EM220.LBR to the
     same board in 1985.  Just this past summer (1986) I saw it on an
     RCP/M board in California.  The latest version, EM300.ARC, is
     available on my board.  I upgraded and fixed it on an IBM XT
     clone using a V20 processor and V20-80.ARC, and now has even more
     extensive documentation, source code, and RESOURCE data files.

     I'm not comparing EM300 with GAGS.  My point is this:  I have
     gotten more enjoyment and experience in writing and repairing the
     program and documentation than any amount of money could have
     given me.  I feel very honored to recieve both complaints and
     laudations concerning this program.  It gives me a warm feeling
     inside whenever I can do anything to help another learn about
     computers.  As a part of my own copyright notice, I even allow
     both public and private institutions to use EM300 provided they
     make a copy of the original documentation available to their
     students.

     Am I a dying breed?  Am I a dinosaur that is quickly becoming
     extinct?  Time will tell...

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

     Fidonews                     Page 13                  16 Feb 1987


     =================================================================
                                 FOR SALE
     =================================================================

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     compatibles, is currently available at Waldenbooks stores and
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     and demos, and more.

     For example, issue 5, which should be on the stands by the time
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     - Disk Indexer:  Index your hard disk or floppy disk collection.
     This handy program can alphabetize thousands of files.

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     BIG BLUE DISK, DEPT F2, PO BOX 30008, SHREVEPORT, LA 71130-0008.

     Mail subscriptions are also available:  One year (12 monthly
     issues) costs only $69.95.  (A 41% savings over newsstand
     price.)  A six-month subscription is available for $39.95.

     Lots of interesting stuff is coming up; issue 6 contains our
     April Spool Foof... er, I mean April Fool Spoof, taking a peek
     (and a poke) at PC-STRIFE, the ONLY magazine on disk.  Subscribe
     now and don't miss anything!

     BIG BLUE DISK requires an IBM PC or compatible, with at least
     256K and MS-DOS 2.0 or later.  Color graphics is recommended.

     Send questions/comments to Daniel Tobias on FIDO 380/2.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

     Fidonews                     Page 14                  16 Feb 1987


     =================================================================
                                  NOTICES
     =================================================================

                          The Interrupt Stack


     21 Feb 1987
        The Next Occasional MetroNet Sysop Meeting, to be held at the
        SEA office in Clifton NJ.  Spouses and POSSLQs welcome.
        Contact Irene Henderson at 107/9 for details and directions.

     17 May 1987
        Metro-Fire Fido's Second Birthday BlowOut and Floppy Disk
        Throwing Tournament!  All Fido Sysops and Families Invited!
        Contact Christopher Baker at 135/14 for more information.

     24 Aug 1989
        Voyager 2 passes Neptune.


     If you have something which you would like to see on this
     calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1/1.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

     Metatek Fido (107/316) is the home of the Echomail Scribe.
     I created the original Echomail Conference List, and I
     published it around Jan 15th (1987). I planned on doing
     monthly updates but the second issue will be delayed.
     The list is available on my system 1-201-286-2567. I'm
     running SEAdog so you can file request it, otherwise
     first time callers can download it. If you have any
     updates or corrections please let me know. Thank you
     very much, your Humble Echomail Scribe, Thomas Kenny.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------

     Fidonews                     Page 15                  16 Feb 1987


                                      __
                 The World's First   /  \
                    BBS Network     /|oo \
                    * FidoNet *    (_|  /_)
                                    _`@/_ \    _
                                   |     | \   \\
                                   | (*) |  \   ))
                      ______       |__U__| /  \//
                     / Fido \       _//|| _\   /
                    (________)     (_/(_|(____/ (jm)

            Membership for the International FidoNet Association

     Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
     pays  an  annual  specified  membership  fee.   IFNA  serves  the
     international  FidoNet-compatible  electronic  mail  community to
     increase worldwide communications. **

          Name _________________________________    Date ________
          Address ______________________________
          City & State _________________________
          Country_______________________________
          Phone (Voice) ________________________

          Net/Node Number ______________________
          Board Name____________________________
          Phone (Data) _________________________
          Baud Rate Supported___________________
          Board Restrictions____________________
          Special Interests_____________________
          ______________________________________
          ______________________________________
          Is there some area where you would be
          willing to help out in FidoNet?_______
          ______________________________________
          ______________________________________

     Send your membership form and a check or money order for $25 to:

               International FidoNet Association
               P. O. Box 41143
               St Louis, Missouri 63141
               USA

     Thank you for your membership!  Your participation will  help  to
     insure the future of FidoNet.

     ** Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization
     in formation and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted
     by  the  membership  in January 1987.  An Elections Committee has
     been established to fill positions outlined in  the  By-Laws  for
     the  Board  of  Directors.  An  IFNA Echomail Conference has been
     established on FidoNet to  assist  the  Elections  Committee.  We
     welcome your input on this Conference.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
-- 
        Tim Pozar
UUCP    pozar@hoptoad.UUCP
Fido    125/406
USNail  KLOK-FM
	77 Maiden Lane
	San Francisco CA 94108
terrorist cryptography DES drugs cipher secret decode NSA CIA NRO IRS
coke crack pot LSD russian missile atom nuclear assassinate libyan RSA