pozar@kumr.lns.com (Tim Pozar) (05/10/91)
Volume 8, Number 18 6 May 1991
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| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
| _`@/_ \ _ |
| FidoNet (r) | | \ \\ |
| International BBS Network | (*) | \ )) |
| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
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Editor in Chief: Vince Perriello
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell
Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
Copyright 1991, Fido Software. All rights reserved. Duplication
and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only.
For use in other circumstances, please contact Fido Software.
FidoNews is published weekly by and for the Members of the
FidoNet (r) International Amateur Electronic Mail System. It is
a compilation of individual articles contributed by their authors
or authorized agents of the authors. The contribution of articles
to this compilation does not diminish the rights of the authors.
You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
FidoNews. Article submission standards are contained in the file
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from node 1:1/1. 1:1/1 is a Continuous
Mail system, available for network mail 24 hours a day.
Fido and FidoNet are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings of
Fido Software, Box 77731, San Francisco CA 94107, USA and are
used with permission.
Opinions expressed in FidoNews articles are those of the authors
and are not necessarily those of the Editor or of Fido Software.
Most articles are unsolicited. Our policy is to publish every
responsible submission received.
Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1
Home Again ............................................... 1
2. ARTICLES ................................................. 2
Wide beta KITTEN ......................................... 2
FidoCon '91 Countdown .................................... 4
Through The Wire ......................................... 10
Prodigy Accused of Electronic Spying ..................... 20
New Wholly Bible Conference HOLY_BIBLE ................... 25
FidoCon Membership List .................................. 26
3. COLUMNS .................................................. 28
A Word from the Bible - The Gospel ....................... 28
And more!
FidoNews 8-18 Page 1 6 May 1991
=================================================================
EDITORIAL
=================================================================
Hello. It's nice to be back.
From the look of things, most everything we got went out last
week. I've reformatted the offending article (keep in mind that
I reserve the right to not publish any article that MAKENEWS
kicks out, and some night I'll get pissed and delete everything
that doesn't make the cut!) and you'll see it this week.
Click your heels together three times and say "There's no prez
like Quayle... There's no prez like Quayle..." ARRRRRRGGGHHHH!
I'm sorry you didn't like my sense of humor, Jack. Frankly, I
found the metaphor extremely apropos. One of your most annoying
traits, in my opinion, is your propensity for looking at things
from the most negative possible viewpoint and throwing the baby
out with the bathwater. You don't actually see yourself in the
role of an optimist, do you?
Sorry about the version updates. I'll get them in next week.
I hope you all had a good Cinco de Mayo. I sure did.
Enjoy your week!
Vince
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 8-18 Page 2 6 May 1991
=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================
Thom Henderson
BBS: (201) 473-1991
Wide Beta KITTEN
I can't stand it. I just finished catching up on a few week's
worth of FidoNews, and it seems to be nothing but political
wrangling. Doesn't anyone ever talk about FUN stuff anymore?
So okay, I can bitch and moan and be part of the problem, or I
can write about something else. So I will. (Write about
something else, that is!)
Do sysops still get a charge out of tearing their whole system
apart and putting it together differently? Now that you've got
your system fully debugged and huming along nicely, aren't you
about ready to break it again? Is the humdrum existence of
running debugged software starting to get to you?
If so, then why not try a beta test BBS system?
That's right, the latest KITTEN is now available for wide beta
test. It can be downloaded or freqed (BETACAT1.ARC) from our BBS
at (201) 473-1991 (Hey! This is *THE YEAR* for SEAboard!)
So what is KITTEN, you ask? (Even if you didn't, I'm going to
tell you anyway, so there!) KITTEN is a programmable bulletin
board program. How it acts and what it does are controlled by
menu scripts that you can create and modify however you like (two
sample setups are provided).
Waitasec! Programming? Ugh! Isn't that what those weirdo nerds
do in dimly lit back rooms? Well, yes, but it isn't hard. If
you can write a batch file, you can program KITTEN.
There is almost no end to KITTEN's flexibility, and the new
KITTEN has been substantially beefed up. New features include:
* Twenty six string variables and twenty six numeric variables.
* If we have variables, we have to be able to use them, and you
can. Variables can be read from and written to files, input
from the user, calculated on the fly, and used in conditional
expressions. They can also be displayed in menus, used in
commands, and they can even be used in text files and file
FidoNews 8-18 Page 3 6 May 1991
lists.
* If that's not enough, there are forty two system macros for
everything from the caller's name to how many minutes he's
been connected. Wait, let's expand that a bit -- that's how
many minutes he's been connected in the current session, or
all in all today, or in total since he first joined.
* Just in case that isn't enough either, you can also define
your OWN macros for whatever you like. You can make up
things like "@ansi(green)" and then use them in menus, text,
file lists, et cetera.
* KITTEN now supports external protocols (such as DSZ) for file
uploading and downloading.
* KITTEN now (ta daaa!) directly supports Caller*ID. KITTEN
can know who is calling your board before she even gets
carrier! She can handle either restricted logins (user can
only call from one number) and/or fast logins (user isn't
asked for a name), and their is a system macro for the
caller's phone number, so you can make use of it directly in
menus and commands however you like.
That "fast login" can be a bit spooky the first time you see
it. Riiiing! Connect -- "Hello, Joe!" But I'll warn you
now, once you get used to it you'll start getting annoyed at
boards that have to ask you who you are!
* Direct door support for PC Board, RBBS, QuickBBS, and RA door
programs.
* And lots more neat stuff.
So, are you ready to stir up your disk a bit? If so, consider
giving KITTEN a whirl.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 8-18 Page 4 6 May 1991
For Immediate Release
Denver will be the host of an International BBSing Conference
to be held August 16-18, 1991 at the Lakewood Sheraton Hotel
and Conference Center. Called FidoCon '91, all BBS System
Operators, Users, and those interested in electronic
communications and networking are invited to attend.
This three day conference will include manufacturers, software
suppliers, writers, and dealers, and will be both educational
and fun.
Special events include a "mud-pie" throw for charity (Friday
night, for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation) - with some
SPECIAL guests, A Banquet, and a drawing for a full, multi-line
BBS System, complete with modems, hardware and software.
Special guests include: Tom Jennings (arriving via natural-gas
powered auto) - the "inventor" of Fido; Steve Jackson (CEO of
Steve Jackson Games, and GURPS CYBERPUNK) - speaking on BBSing
and what to do when your system is seized; Phil Becker (CEO of
eSoft) and many others.
FOR MORE DETAILS - PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ATTACHMENT
For Immediate Release
&Date&
FidoCon '91
P.O. Box 486
Louisville, CO 80027-0486
* Zone 1 FidoCon '91 Update
FidoCon '91 Committee
1:1/91
FidoCon '91
August 16th through 18th, 1991
fidocon_'91@z1.n1.f91.fidonet.org
FidoCon '91 VIP Membership $104 US* Rate Changes July 15th
Banquet 25 US
===
$129 US
FidoCon '91 VIP Membership $104.00 US*
FidoNews 8-18 Page 5 6 May 1991
Significant Other** 9.69
2 Banquet tickets 50.00
=======
$163.69
* After July 15, $169
*NEW*
A "No Frills", good from 9am to 6pm, for Seminar and Dealers
Rooms ONLY membership (no Convention Hospitality Suite
access or ticket for the SuperSystem Drawing) is available
for $45 US for the three days or $20 US per day. Full
credit can be applied to a VIP membership if you elect to
upgrade.
*NEW*
A "Supporting Membership" for those unable to attend, is
available for $25 US. Supporting members Will receive the
progress reports and program book.
Hotel: Sheraton Lakewood
360 Union Blvd
Lakewood, CO
(303) 987-2000
Rooms:
Single/Double $59 US per night
Adjoining Rooms (Pseudo-Suite) 118 US
Triple/Quad 78 US
Adjoining Rooms (Pseudo-Suite) 156 US
FidoCon '91 is a limited attendance event.
Guests of Honor:
Tom Jennings -- FidoCon '91 Guest of Honor. Tom is
credited with starting FidoNet
Tim Pozar -- Gateway Guru
Ray Gwinn -- The Fossil master his self
Vince Perriello -- President of Bit Bucket Software &
publisher of FidoNews, Co-Author of
Binkley and TIMS. Kibitzer at large.
Alan Applegate -- VICE-President of Bit Bucket, Writer of
the infamous Binkley Docs & Technical
Support for eSoft.
Bob Hartman -- Author of ConfMail, ReMapper.
Co-Author of Binkley and TIMS. Major
asset of eSoft's program development
team.
Phil Becker -- CEO of eSoft .. publisher of TBBS,
FidoNews 8-18 Page 6 6 May 1991
TDBS, TIMS
Steve Jackson -- CEO of Steve Jackson Games ..
Publisher of GURPS CYBERPUNK and center
of Secret Service attention for over 8
months.
John Perry Barlow -- Internet Guru and one of the founders
of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Those indicating they will be attending:
Tom Tcimpidis The first to have his BBS seized by the
law enforcement community.
Several notable writers of computer columns
Several popular Science fiction authors
Several distinguished members of the broadcast community.
Mitch Kapor Founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Invited and not yet committed:
Steve Wozniack The WOZ, one of the founders of Apple Computer
Convention Hospitality Suite by:
Kevin "DOC" McNeil and the FidoNet COOKING echo {newsgroup}
Featuring: Seadog Casserole, Zip-Tarts, Pak-Man Cookies,
Roast Opus
Seminars: Tentative Schedule
Friday 16 August
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ethical Software Hacker Copyrights demystified
For this I gave up my Love Dealing with SYSOP burnout
Life?
How to moderate an Echo BBSing in the 90's and beyond
BBS Role Playing Gaming Forum
Saturday 17 August
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBBS\TDBS\TIMS Software Development
Roundtable
Getting the most from DOS 4/5, Windows
BinkleyTerm
Designing TDBS Applications File your own copyrights for
FidoNews 8-18 Page 7 6 May 1991
Remote Access system design $20
and implementation.
AMAX made easy XRS/RAX/QMX/SeX/XOR/OREO/MORE-
/XRS (the Universal Off-Line
Reader Editor
Gateways - the internetwork Association of Shareware
connection Professionals
Surviving Government Scrutiny Promoting your BBS Drawing the
users you WANT to your system,
Basics in advertising
The Ultimate BBS/BBSing in the BBS Business Sense Setting
future. Network evolution your BBS up to support itself
and you.
Network Ethics
Sunday 18 August
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to setup multi-node CD-ROMS - Beyond Mass Storage
QuickBBS QuickBBS, Menu - Databases at your users
control language fingertips
BBS Users Groups Activities:
TBBS Users Group will be convening as FidoTUG '91 during the
convention.
AlterCon will be sharing the facilities.
AlterNet Costume Banquet Royal Court
Meeting of the Dukes
Fun Activities:
WEDDING:
We are pleased to announce the wedding of Peter Stewart &
Michele Hamilton, Sunday 18 August, 1991 at FidoCon '91.
Michele and Peter met with the aid of the InterMail/InterUser
Echo, and Cupid found their hearts. Come share in the union.
Traditional Hard Diskus Throw Floppy Fling
The Big Three Brewery Bash National SYSOP Mud Pie
Fight -- Proceeds to
go to the MS Society
Air Force Academy Tour Garden of the Gods
Psychic and Physical Tours Golfing Tours of
FidoNews 8-18 Page 8 6 May 1991
of Colorful Colorado Colorado
We are scheduling additional seminars and social activities.
Fire off a message letting us know what you'd like to see and
do. If you would like to see someone special, let us know as
well.
*** FidoCon '91 Dealers Room will be open from 9:00 am to
*** 6:00 pm Friday and Saturday, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Sunday
Confirmed dealers
Bit Bucket Software CDB Systems eSoft
Mustang Software, Inc. CompuCom U.S.
Robotics
Online Communications, Inc. Boardwatch Magazine
Drawings & Prizes
Including:
16 Line TBBS/TDBS/TIMS Sysop Dream SYSTEM CPU with a 486
with sufficient horsepower to run a multiline system 700+Meg
of fixed or hard disk, 4 port Digiboard and up to 4 9600 bps
modems, who knows, maybe a CD ROM Drive .. depending on
number of attendees. A portion of the memberships and
vendor fees go to purchasing this system.
Autographed copies of the books that made Steve Jackson a
household name, GURPS CYBERPUNK.
For the SYSOP that has everything 300 baud acoustic Sysop
Nightmare System
All kinds of donated equipment and software, some even
working.
Hospitality Suites
eSoft Bit Bucket Software
Boardwatch Magazine
More as it comes to being. Subscribe to the FIDOCON_91 Echo.
This will be THE BBSing Event of '91, BE THERE.
================= FidoCon '91 Registration Form ===============
Name: _________________________________________________________
Street Address: _______________________________________________
FidoNews 8-18 Page 9 6 May 1991
City: _______________________ State/Province: _________________
Postal Code: _______________________ Country: _________________
Voice #: ___________ Data #: _____________ Net Address: _______
Name: ___________________ Membership Type: ____ Amount: _______
Name: ___________________ Membership Type: ____ Amount: _______
No. of T-Shirts: __ Sizes(S/M/L/XL): _____ @ $15/ea = _______
Complaints: _ Banquet Tickets: ___ @ $25/ea = _______
TOTAL $_______
Visa/Mastercard Number ___________________ Expire Date: _______
Signature: _______________________ Date: ________
Please make checks payable (in U.S.A. Dollars) to FIDOCON '91
and Mail To:
FidoCon '91
P.O. Box 486
Louisville, CO 80027-0486
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 8-18 Page 10 6 May 1991
THROUGH THE WIRE
Commentary and News Concerning the Other World
by Michael A. Banks
Copyright (c), 1990, 1991, Michael A. Banks
Well, I was going to talk about the United States Government
and telecomputing this time out, but I've decided to cut that in
favor of expanding info and commentary on international
telecomputing. (There's not much happening in that area at the
moment; you've read everything there is to know in the news
magazines, or caught it on TV or radio news.) I'll still cover
online elitism, and give you the reading list--all as promised.
And I'll give you something to think about regarding online
security.
First, let's take a look at what's happening with
international telecomputing, on two levels.
International Telecomputing, Level One: "The Walls Come Tumbling
Down"
If you're over 35 or so, you probably felt the same awe and
sense of history as I did when you saw the Berlin Wall and all it
symbolized come crashing down earlier this year. After all, we
grew up with that symbol of what was known as the Communist
menace and--far, far worse--of the sad legacy handed Eastern
Europe in the wake of World War II. (My God--remember when those
emergency broadcasting system tests used to be followed by "Had
this been an attack ... "?)
(In footnote to "the Communist menace," you may assume that
I concur with Dr. Jerry Pournelle's statement on returning from
Russia in April: "I have seen the fourth world, and it doesn't
work.")
Now, in less than a year, we've seen four decades of
oppression slough away like the rotting husk of a fallen fruit,
revealing the seeds of a new world. Even Mother Russia is
loosening her hold (though not too much) on satellite nations,
and there are echoes of freedom in South and Central America.
What does this have to do with being online? Well, I've
stated often enough that the online world tends to mirror the
"real" world. This is no less than true where the growing
freedom of long-oppressed (politically or otherwise) nations are
concerned. Now that the political walls blocking free trade and
communication in many parts of the world are coming down, so are
the barriers to telecomputing.
For example, U.S. Sprint has commenced setting up a quality
data communications service for the U.S.S.R. The Moscow-based
service, which should be up and running by the end of the year,
will see the installation of state-of-the-art data communications
switching equipment, making it easier for Soviet citizens to
telecommunicate with the rest of the world. The service will be
a joint venture with Russia, called "Telenet USSR" (although the
name could change, since Telenet has been renamed "SprintNet"
here in the U.S., in the wake of its acquisition by U.S. Sprint).
FidoNews 8-18 Page 11 6 May 1991
But in this instance, the online world has been and is
anticipating as well as mirroring real-world events. Telenet
USSR is not the first Soviet data link with the Western world.
The famed Washington/Moscow "Hot Line" has been a data link for
quite a few years. Nor is it the first commercial link: an
existing data communications center in Moscow routes commercial
telecomputing traffic via SprintNet/Telenet through Vienna,
Austria (a similar link can be made via Helsinki, Finland, though
that route cannot handle heavy traffic). Other links with Russia
are made circuitously via Tymnet and, it has been rumored, over
Internet. Still another link, the cleverly titled San
Francisco/Moscow Teleport (SFMT), leases time on a comsat to link
Moscow to packet-switching networks in the U.S. via San
Francisco. (And now, users on the majority of American online
services can, for a fee of perhaps five bucks for 150 words, send
E-mail to Russia via SFMT, courtesy of DASnet, an inter-service
E-mail carrier. DASnet ties in to almost all major online
services. For more info phone 415-559-7434 voice and speak with
Anna Lange.)
Those links will be much in the public eye over the next 12
to 18 months, but they are only half the story where the
"opening" of Communist and Third-World nations are concerned. A
public, international BBS opened in Estonia (one of the Soviet
Baltic states) in mid-1989, and DELPHI and CompuServe have forged
data links with South and Central American countries. (Text from
sessions on some of DELPHI's links--actually, local versions of
the DELPHI online service--are shown on these pages. If you read
Spanish, enjoy!)
In these developments, the online world anticipated
developments in the real world, as stated a few paragraphs back.
And, there are some developments online that are unique to the
online world. For example, on ConnectEd (an online university
operated in conjunction with New York's New School for Social
Research), you'll find a service that provides essays from Soviet
writers and commentators on all manner of topics. (Freely
written, I might add, and with a surprising undercurrent of
Russian patriotism.) (For information about ConnectEd, telephone
212-548-0435 voice and ask for Paul Levinson.)
International Telecomputing, Level Two: Commercial Expansion
On a less sensationalistic plane, the three largest
commercial online services in the U.S. are expanding into Europe
and Japan in a big way--shrinking the global tent city (a term I
prefer to "global village," because we all go home after those
international interactions ... ) still more. Here's a summary:
CompuServe in Europe. CompuServe is offering limited (and
expensive) service in Europe via the CompuServe Forum. (The
service is lower in cost than previous means of accessing
CompuServe via Europe, however.) A special TOP menu has been
created for European subscribers, and there are plans for various
CompuServe computer forums to add sections for European users.
Additional plans call for "CompuServe software" (whether this is
front-end software or the service itself is not known) to be
offered in several European languages.
FidoNews 8-18 Page 12 6 May 1991
CompuServe already has access from Japan via a joint venture
that offers CompuServe access or a mirror of same, called "Nifty-
SERVE."
DELPHI Introduced in Japan. General Videotex Corporation
(GVC), parent company of DELPHI, has created a partnership with
Japan's ASCII Corporation to distribute DELPHI services in Japan.
ASCII Corp., which operates one of the three largest online
services in Japan and publishes books and magazines on computing,
among other topics, is creating a "regional" version of DELPHI
called ASCII NET in Japan. According to GVC, the ASCII NET Japan
will "supplement DELPHI's current regional partners in Buenos
Aires, Argentina; Miami, Florida; Kansas City, Missouri; and
Boston, Massachusetts."
GVC and ASCII Corp. expect to sign up more than 5,000
members during the first year of distribution. Presumably, there
will be an extra-charge gateway service between ASCII NET and
DELPHI, as is the case with DELPHI in the U.S. and
DELPHI/Argentina. There is talk of sub-licenses to Singapore
and/or Taiwan.
GEnie in Europe. GEnie is now officially online in Europe.
The service can be dialed up directly in Austria, Germany, and
Switzerland via networks operated by distributors of General
Electric Information Services (GEIS), GEnie's parent company.
Unlike CompuServe's European service, GEnie is making almost all
the features that are available to North American subscribers
available to European callers. This augments international
access from Japan, and will presumably be expanded to include
other European countries (including the U.K.) in the near future.
BIX Clones. In footnote, it's worth mentioning that clones
of BIX exist in Japan and the U.K. These are totally without
connection (data links or business connection) with BIX (which is
an online service sponsored by Byte Magazine). In Japan, the
service is called "Nikki-MIX" and runs the same basic UNIX
software as BIX, but with Kanji (written graphic character)
capability. In the U.K., the clone is called CIX; I don't know
whether it uses the same operating system, but the structure is
close enough.
(You'll find screens from some Japanese services on
accompanying pages.)
Online Elite?
Back on the topic of new-found telecom riches, it is worth
noting that not everyone in Russia or in Central or South America
has access to international telecom services--just as not
everyone in newly "free" nations has access to the tools of
capitalism (money and contacts.) For example, any Soviet citizen
can walk into the Moscow data communications center and dial up
Europe or America--in theory. In practice, however, access is
limited to those who have a need to telecompute (certain
scientists would constitute one such group), and perhaps to the
more privileged or those with the proper contacts. And in
countries with little "hard currency," there is a definite upper
limit to how much international telecomputing activity can go on
in any event. It's all on a "need to telecompute" basis.
FidoNews 8-18 Page 13 6 May 1991
But, before you jump to conclusions about totalitarian
telecomputing and elitism in Communist-controlled or third-world
nations, consider the fact that telecomputing is new in Russia,
and computer literacy is not widespread. The same is true in
Central and South American nations. And in most of the countries
to which I've alluded here, the economic situation is such that
only a minority of those who are computer literate have the
wherewithal to obtain the prerequisite hardware and software.
Then consider the fact that telecomputing in the U.S. (and
in Japan and the U.K.) is not something to which everyone has
access; though the cost of telecomputing in both money and
knowledge has dropped, the online world is still populated
largely by elitists--either the techno-elite or a subset of the
financially elite. Those who are online otherwise remain a
minority.
That's going to change, however, as telecomputing becomes
more and more a "legitimate" product/service. And telecomputing
will indeed become legitimate. The majority will adopt it over
the next decade, in the same manner as we adopted cable TV, VCRs,
FAX machines, and telephones. Why? Because, like those other
technologies, telecomputing is information exchange ... and with
information exchange comes freedom--not to mention the desire to
have access to everything. (For more on the online elite, see
the accompanying sidebar.)
All in all, it looks as if telecomputing outside the Western
world is merely a decade or so behind us--and catching up fast.
Things to Come
All this talk about what's happening with international
telecomputing has me thinking about what the future holds. So
I've put together some of my thoughts on what's likely to be
happening in the global online world (mainly involving its
interfaces with the real world) over the next few years.
Note that these are not straight predictions (that's a con
game), but extrapolations to which we can assign fairly high
probabilities. Too, I've deleted a couple of them since I began
writing this last month--because they came true, two or three
years before the time I'd assigned to them.
1990 - 1991
Soviet special-interest groups spring up on various online
services.
A few American BBS freaks dial into Eesti BBS #1 in Tallin,
Estonia and copy off message bases and files, which are then
uploaded to various online services and BBSs in the U.S. Similar
material snakes its way westward via Internet.
Eesti BBS #1 is joined by other non-commercial Baltic and
Eastern European BBSs.
1992 - 1993
CompuServe is the first computer network to offer TASS, the
official Soviet news service, online; the surcharged service is
provided to CompuServe on a one-year exclusive basis for an
undisclosed sum.
FidoNews 8-18 Page 14 6 May 1991
As topics covered by Russia's American-distributed Soviet
Life magazine continue to mirror those in various American
cultural and news magazines, the magazine runs a special feature
on Soviet hackers, focusing on underground BBSs in Baltic nations
and in Leningrad and Moscow. The tone is one of mild rebuke.
More and more Russian citizens sign on to American online
services under the auspices of various institutions like the
Soviet Academy of Sciences.
A few Eastern Europeans and residents of former Soviet
states begin showing up on American online services, some as
individual citizens but more under the auspices of governmental
agencies.
Russian and Eastern European hackers begin working the new
packet network and other links to the West, and show up on
Internet as well as various commercial online services and
private BBSs. They are particularly ingenious in their
techniques, which require that they use relatively ancient and
unprotected telephone technology to gateway into more
sophisticated systems in the Western world. They quickly
discover that they are easily tracked and nailed, and their
successors devise still more ingenious techniques to cover their
trails.
1993 - 1995
A cosortium consisting of General Electric, the now British-
owned BT Tymnet, and unnamed investors vies with the combined
forces of IBM and AT&T to win the right to provide commercial
data communications links with Leningrad and Moscow via X.400
communications links through Austria and Germany. (This will
offer links mainly with western Europe, with limited availability
to North America and Asia.)
GEnie, via its GEIS international X.25 service, offers
limited service to residents of Moscow and Leningrad, as well as
to various former Soviet states. The links are into Western
Europe, with packet-switching networks like U.S. Sprint and GE/BT
Tymnet as record carriers.
With the increasing availability of hard currency in Russia,
a relatively large number (scores) of individual Russian citizens
open accounts on American and British commercial online services.
These will be professionals, intent on establishing information
businesses and/or enhancing their own professional activities
with information from the West. (Behind the scenes, an arm of
the Russian internal security service--your guess--notices the
information interchange and begins monitoring it, with no
expressed or real intent.)
Online Security
Speaking of hackers (and I was, a few dozen lines back) I've
another bomb (well, a grenade in this case) to drop, along the
lines of the unknown threat Wall Street and the money-heads
mentioned in my first column. This time it has to with computer
data security.
FidoNews 8-18 Page 15 6 May 1991
You all know what hackers are, how they break into systems
and steal data for fun and/or profit, etc. This, thanks to the
mainstream news media, which portrays them in a somewhat
glamorous vein, like modern-day counterparts of corsairs in
historical novels. The threat to data posed by real hackers has
been missed, in large part, because the media prefers to focus on
hackers who get caught, and on soi-disant computer security
experts who emphasize the sensationalistic and speak knowingly of
viruses.
(Compare John xxxxx getting literally hours of air time and
gallons of ink in the national media with FLU_SHOT+ author Ross
Greenberg getting maybe ninety seconds on CNN. The disparity
comes from Ross' providing a level-headed, step-by-step approach
to virus protection. No blood-and-guts there ... but I digress--
as I shall whenever I can take a shot at media airheadedness.
After all, is not the implied purpose of the news media to inform
rather than entertain? Or am I inferring too much and is the
avowed purpose of the media to not only sway but dictate public
opinions, topple governments, and the like?)
That's not the only threat to data and privacy that's been
missed. An equally dangerous threat, that of accidental data
sharing or disclosure, has been mentioned not once in any book or
article on computer security.
And what constitutes accidental data sharing? Easy: Someone
mistakenly includes your E-mail address in a distribution list,
or sends E-mail intended for someone else to you because your
online ID is similar to that of the intended addressee. I've had
it happen several times on one system in particular. I've
received corporate-confidential information that conceivably
could have been sold to a certain mega-corporation's competitors
(something, I hasten to add, I didn't do; my ethics run counter
to accepted Yuppie and pirate practices. If they didn't, I
wouldn't be scrambling to make car payments.) I've received even
more sensitive information. All because someone didn't pay
attention to what he or she was typing. (Where this happened is
your guess; I'm now on 31 networks with 36 IDs.)
The hell of it is, it's something that's easily fixed. And,
no, I won't warn the service of it. Not at the moment, anyway.
Why? I mentioned ethics a few lines back; in addition to what I
said there, I have ethics that say "No" to professional rape. To
keep it short, I won't give away my knowledge and expertise to a
large corporation when said corporation is paying kilobucks to
employees and "consultants" who are supposed to catch this stuff.
But, be warned; a typo, a tired person sending E-mail, or
someone who's inattentive or untrained--any of these can result
in sensitive data being given to those who shouldn't have it.
(Hm ... there's a story in this, perhaps. Let's see ... Big
Bucks Corp. is losing big bucks because of a data leak. The data
leak is an accident, but it means Someone's job, so Someone
covers his ass by inventing a hacker. Hm ... could be
particularly interesting if it were a national security leak ...)
FidoNews 8-18 Page 16 6 May 1991
The Reading List (at last!)
Okay, here's the skinny: Whether you're new to this stuff or
not, buy and read any of the books on this list that you haven't
read (yes--even mine), with the exception of those branded as
technical if you're not of a technical bent. I've intentionally
left out some books that you've probably already read.
The bottom line: Each of these is worth ordering if you
can't find it in your favorite bookstore.
Communications and Networking for the IBM PC and
Compatibles, by Larry Jordan and Bruce Churchill (good if you
want to learn the tech-hardware end of things; Brady Books/Simon
& Schuster)
The Cuckoo's Egg, by Clifford Stoll (you know--the
bestseller; Bantam Books)
The Hacker, by Chet Day (interesting horror novel involving
hackers--ignore the reviews and judge for yourself; Pocket Books)
The Matrix, by John S. Quarterman (non-fiction, explains
computer networks around the world; Digital Press)
The Modem Reference, 2nd edition by Michael A. Banks (Brady
Books/Simon & Schuster; has everything you need to know about
buying and using a modem, getting online, what's online, etc.)
Synners, by Pat Cadigan (a novel, from Bantam/Spectra)
True Names, by Vernor Vinge (a collection of short stories
that also contains the novelette, "True Names," which is required
reading; currently in print in a Baen Books edition)
Understanding Data Communications (good reference for tech-
heads; pick it up at your local Radio Shack store)
That's a start. I'll add books to this list under an In
Print header next edition and each time thereafter.
#
That's it for now. Next edition: the much-overrated compu-
sex phenomenon, copyright theft (a bit of a scandal revealed),
more international stuff, and whatever looks interesting. In the
meantime, have fun!
#
SIDEBAR
The Online Elite Revisited
Some leftover comments on online elitism ... .
I spoke earlier in this issue (and in the previous issue)
about an "online elite." We networkers in the Western world are
an elite (which I'll attempt to prove by example in a couple
paragraphs). But we'll become less so over the next three years
as the cost of going online--in cash and knowledge--continue to
drop and modem communication becomes as "legitimate" in the
marketplace as VCRs and pizzas.
In the meantime, a lot of people are smearing us with the
same brush as the ubiquitous "rich man" and "Illuminati." The
"lot of people" are those who hear about what goes online but
aren't online. I've seen this happen time and again. Basically,
those who aren't online are afraid they're missing something
(they are), and that they're being barred from information and
contacts (they aren't).
FidoNews 8-18 Page 17 6 May 1991
I first grappled with this issue a couple of years ago, when
I was asked by some people in a national writers' organization of
which I'm a member (okay, it was the Science Fiction Writers of
America, aka SFWA) to try to quell a flap over someone not online
misunderstanding what "goes on" online. The best I could do (and
it was and is legitimate) was to explain that the public,
private, and semi-private exchange of information about which the
offline person was paranoid was in its net effect nothing more
than what went on via "street mail" letters, voice telephone
conversations, and in-person chats.
It wasn't accepted then, and it's not being accepted now.
In my capacity as Online Committee chairperson for SFWA, I set up
a panel at a recent SFWA event, at which one or two offline
people in the audience made accusations of conspiracies and
power-plays and information control on the part of those online.
If such exist (attempts at these things exist, anyway), it is no
more than goes on in the physical world, albeit faster at times.
But we'll never convince those offline of that. So the
offline "lots of people" brand those online as an elite group,
simply because they have access to communications channels
knowledge (and gossip) faster.
Interestingly enough, it has been my experience that those
offliners who cry "Elitists!" are those who are most able but
least likely gain access to online services. Which is to say,
they're the kind of people who either misunderstand things,
and/or like to have problems. (I'm not certain this is true in
the latter instance, but in general it is.)
On the other side of the coin, I should re-emphasize that
the people you and I meet online who are not in the U.S., where
telecom costs are low, are an elite group, indeed. For it costs
much in money and knowledge to get online if you're living in
Tokyo or Buenos Aires. It's not unlike (to haul out the realtime
metaphor again) foreigners visiting or moving to the U.S.--you
will rarely, if ever, meet someone from another country who was
without money or power or special knowledge or training, or some
special ability that enabled him or her to get here. Thus, we
don't really meet the "common man" via a virtual visit to other
countries--not yet, anyway.
But, what the heck--being part of an elite group isn't all
bad. (<SMIRK>, as we say online.)
#
Michael A. Banks is the author of 21 published non-fiction
books and science fiction novels (including the definitive work
on personal computer communications, The Modem Reference,
published by Brady Books/Simon & Schuster). He's also published
more than 1,000 magazine articles and short stories, lively
technical documents, and "... a few catchy slogans."
He can be found online "almost anywhere," but if you want to
reach him fast, try E-mail to KZIN on DELPHI, to MIKE.BANKS on
GEnie, to BANKS2 on AOL, or to mike_banks on BIX.
#
FidoNews 8-18 Page 18 6 May 1991
BOOKS BY MICHAEL A. BANKS
"If a technical thing is troubling you, just wait a bit.
Michael Banks is probably writing a book that will make it
clear." --The Associated Press
Do you use DeskMate 3? Are you getting the most out of the
program? To find out, get a copy of GETTING THE MOST OUT OF
DESKMATE 3, by Michael A. Banks, published by
Brady Books/Simon & Schuster, and available in your local
Tandy/Radio Shack or Waldenbooks store now. Or, phone 800-624-
0023 to order direct. (The all-new 2nd edition is now
available!)
"GETTING THE MOST OUT OF DESKMATE 3 is more than a guide to
DeskMate; it's an enhancement..."--Waldenbooks Computer
NewsLink
Interested in modem communications? Check out THE MODEM
REFERENCE, also by Michael A. Banks and published by Brady
Books/Simon & Schuster. Recommended by Jerry Pournelle in Byte,
The New York times, The Smithsonian Magazine, various computer
magazines, etc. (Excerpts from this book accompany this file.)
THE MODEM REFERENCE is available at your local B. Dalton's,
Waldenbooks, or other bookstore, either in stock or by order.
Or, phone 800-624-0023 to order direct. (1st edition currently
available; all-new 2nd edition available in January, 1991!)
"I definitely recommend it." --Jerry Pournelle, BYTE Magazine
Want the lowdown on getting more out of your word processor?
Read the only book on word processing written by writers, for
writers: WORD PROCESSING SECRETS FOR WRITERS, by Michael A. Banks
& Ansen Dibel (Writer's Digest Books). WORD PROCESSING SECRETS
FOR WRITERS is available at your local B. Dalton's, Waldenbooks,
or other bookstore, either in stock or by order. Or, phone 800-
543-4644 (800-551-0884 in Ohio) to order direct.
Other books by Michael A. Banks
UNDERSTANDING FAX & E-MAIL (Howard W. Sams & Co.)
THE ODYSSEUS SOLUTION (w/Dean Lambe; SF novel; Baen Books)
JOE MAUSER: MERCENARY FROM TOMORROW (w/Mack Reynolds; SF novel;
Baen Books)
SWEET DREAMS, SWEET PRICES (w/Mack Reynolds; SF novel;
Baen Books)
COUNTDOWN: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO MODEL ROCKETRY (TAB Books)
THE ROCKET BOOK (w/Robert Cannon; Prentice Hall Press)
SECOND STAGE: ADVANCED MODEL ROCKETRY (Kalmbach Books)
For more information, contact:
Michael A. Banks
P.O. Box 312
Milford, OH 45150
Submitted in entirety with permission from the author, by
Dennis McClain-Furmanski, 1:275/42, UMOD, Apple, Writing
FidoNews 8-18 Page 19 6 May 1991
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 8-18 Page 20 6 May 1991
Dennis McClain-Furmanski, 1:275/42
UMOD, Apple Writing
Prodigy Accused of Electronic Breach of Privacy
This compilation of postings has been popping up in a few echos.
If you haven't seen it, read on. Whenever someone as big as
Prodigy gets fingered for something like this, the gummint can't
be far behind. It could mean more meddling for all of us to have
to deal with. And if you use Prodigy, I'd read REAL hard.
D McC-F
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The following message was contained in another echo that sees
limited distribution. This is of concern to a great many of
you.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
* Message originally:
From: Steve Winter
To : All
Date: 05-01-91
Area: "PrNet : Net wide Chat Line"
* Forwarded by Tomas Hood using RemoteAccess 1.01
* Message originally:
From: Steve Shapiro
To : All
Date: 04-30-91
Area: "SHAREWRE FIDO Shareware"
* Forwarded by Steve Winter using RemoteAccess 1.01+
While this is not exactly on-topic, I felt that it would be very
important to many of you because I know that you are members of
Prodigy. I know that there are also some of you thinking of
becoming members.
To reduce the traffic on this off-topic message, please do not
respond to it at all here in the echo. Netmail only please. This
is FYI so let's not let it take up any more space in this echo.
Thanks.
Regards, Steve.
RE: PRODIGY MAY BE STEALING PERSONAL INFO FROM YOUR COMPUTER!
Gentlemen,
FidoNews 8-18 Page 21 6 May 1991
The following file was sent to me today, April 29th. I've read
it twice and then had to try it out myself just to see if it was
true.
Whether it is a bug in the software, or a covert effort by Sears,
IBM, and Prodigy to *STEAL* private and personal information
from your computer, the fact remains that the STAGE.DAT file in
the Prodigy Subdirectory digs up all sorts of information that
would be absolutely meaningless to the operation of the
software.
------------------CUT HERE - ORIGINAL MESSAGE FOLLOWS------------
Subject: Prodigy security warning
While some of the enclosed article from comp.dcom.telecom is the
usual bbs liver-chewing, the concerns about the STAGE.DAT file's
grabbing of disk data is pretty serious. If you have the
Prodigy demo kit or, heaven forbid, the real thing, what do you
find when you look in your STAGE.DAT file? -- Bob
### BEGIN BBS FILE ###
218/250: Fraudigy
Name: George J Marengo #199 @6974
From: The Gangs of Vista (Southern California) 619-758-5920
The L. A. County District Attorney is formally investigating
PRODIGY for deceptive trade practices. I have spoken with the
investigator assigned (who called me just this morning, February
22, 1991).
We are free to announce the fact of the investigation. Anyone
can file a complaint. From anywhere.
The address is:
District Attorney's Office
Department of Consumer Protection
Attn: RICH GOLDSTEIN, Investigator
Hall of Records Room 540
320 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Rich doesn't want phone calls, he wants simple written statements
and copies (no originals) of any relevant documents attached. He
will call the individuals as needed, he doesn't want his phone
ringing off the hook, but you may call him if it is urgent at
1-213-974-3981.
PLEASE READ THIS SECTION EXTRA CAREFULLY. YOU NEED NOT BE IN
CALIFORNIA TO FILE!!
FidoNews 8-18 Page 22 6 May 1991
If any of us "locals" want to discuss this, call me at the Office
Numbers: (818) 989-2434; (213) 874-4044. Remember, the next time
you pay your property taxes, this is what you are supposed to be
getting ... service. Flat rate? [laugh] BTW, THE COUNTY IS
REPRESENTING THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. This ISN'T limited to
L.A. County and complaints are welcome from ANYWHERE in the
Country or the world. The idea is investigation of specific Code
Sections and if a Nationwide Pattern is shown, all the better.
LARRY ROSENBERG, ATTY
Prodigy: More of a Prodigy Than We Think?
By: Linda Houser Rohbough
The stigma that haunts child prodigies is that they are difficult
to get along with, mischievous and occasionally, just flat
dangerous, using innocence to trick us. I wonder if that label
fits Prodigy, Sears and IBM's telecommunications network?
Those of you who read my December article know that I was tipped
off at COMDEX to look at a Prodigy file, created when Prodigy is
loaded STAGE.DAT. I was told I would find in that file personal
information form my hard disk unrelated to Prodigy. As you
know, I did find copies of the source code to our product
FastTrack, in STAGE.DAT. The fact that they were there at all
gave me the same feeling of violation as the last time my home
was broken into by burglars.
I invited you to look at your own STAGE.DAT file, if you're a
Prodigy user, and see if you found anything suspect. Since then I
have had numerous calls with reports of similar finds,
everything from private patient medical information to
classified government information.
The danger is Prodigy is uploading STAGE.DAT and taking a look at
your private business. Why? My guess is marketing research, which
is expensive through legitimate channels, and unwelcomed by you
and I. The question now is: Is it on purpose, or a mistake? One
caller theorizes that it is a bug. He looked at STAGE.DAT with a
piece of software he wrote to look at the physical location of
data on the hard disk, and found that his STAGE.DAT file
allocated 950,272 bytes of disk space for storage.
Prodigy stored information about the sections viewed frequently
and the data needed to draw those screens in STAGE.DAT. Service
would be faster with information stored on the PC rather then
the same information being downloaded from Prodigy each time.
That's a viable theory because ASCII evidence of those screens
shots can be found in STAGE.DAT, along with AUTOEXEC.BAT and
path information. I am led to belive that the path and system
configuration (in RAM) are diddled with and then restored to
previous settings upon exit. So the theory goes, in allocating
that disk space, Prodigy accidently includes data left after an
erasure (As you know, DOS does not wipe clean the space that
deleted files took on the hard disk, but merely marked the space
FidoNews 8-18 Page 23 6 May 1991
as vacant in the File Allocation Table.)
There are a couple of problems with this theory. One is that it
assumes that the space was all allocated at once, meaning all
950,272 bytes were absorbed at one time. That simply isn't
true. My STAGE.DAT was 250,000+ bytes after the first time I
used Prodigy. The second assumption is that Prodigy didn't want
the personal information; it was getting it accidently in
uploading and downloading to and from STAGE.DAT. The E-mail
controversy with Prodigy throws doubt upon that. The E-mail
controversy started because people were finding mail they sent
with comments about Prodigy or the E-mail, especially negative
ones, didn't ever arrive. Now Prodigy is saying they don't
actually read the mail, they just have the computer scan it for
key terms, and delete those messages because they are
responsible for what happens on Prodigy.
I received a call from someone from another user group who read
our newsletter and is very involved in telecommunications. He
installed and ran Prodigy on a freshly formatted 3.5 inch 1.44
meg disk. Sure enough, upon checking STAGE.DAT he discovered
personal data from his hard disk that could not have been left
there after an erasure. He had a very difficult time trying to
get someone at Prodigy to talk to about this.
--------------
Excerpt of email on the above subject:
THERE'S A FILE ON THIS BOARD CALLED 'FRAUDIGY.ZIP' THAT I SUGGEST
ALL WHO USE THE PRODIGY SERVICE TAKE ***VERY*** SERIOUSLY. THE
FILE DESCRIBES HOW THE PRODIGY SERVICE SEEMS TO SCAN YOUR HARD
DRIVE FOR PERSONAL INFORMATION, DUMPS IT INTO A FILE IN THE
PRODIGY SUB-DIRECTORY CALLED 'STAGE.DAT' AND WHILE YOU'RE
WAITING AND WAITING FOR THAT NEXT MENU COME UP, THEY'RE
UPLOADING YOUR STUFF AND LOOKING AT IT.
TODAY I WAS IN BABBAGES'S, ECHELON TALKING TO TIM WHEN A
GENTLEMAN WALKED IN, HEARD OUR DISCUSSION, AND PIPED IN THAT HE
WAS A COLUMNIST ON PRODIGY. HE SAID THAT THE INFO FOUND IN
'FRAUDIGY.ZIP' WAS INDEED TRUE AND THAT IF YOU READ YOUR ON-LINE
AGREEMENT CLOSELY, IT SAYS THAT YOU SIGN ALL RIGHTS TO YOUR
COMPUTER AND ITS CONTENTS TO PRODIGY, IBM & SEARS WHEN YOU AGREE
TO THE SERVICE.
I TRIED THE TESTS SUGGESTED IN 'FRAUDIGY.ZIP' WITH A VIRGIN
'PRODIGY' KIT. I DID TWO INSTALLATIONS, ONE TO MY OFT USED HARD
DRIVE PARTITION, AND ONE ONTO A 1.2MB FLOPPY. ON THE FLOPPY
VERSION, UPON INSTALLATION (WITHOUT LOGGING ON), I FOUND THAT
THE FILE 'STAGE.DAT' CONTAINED A LISTING OF EVERY .BAT AND SETUP
FILE CONTAINED IN MY 'C:' DRIVE BOOT DIRECTORY. USING THE HARD
DRIVE DIRECTORY OF PRODIGY THAT WAS SET UP, I PROCEDED TO LOG
ON. I LOGGED ON, CONSENTED TO THE AGREEMENT, AND LOGGED OFF.
REMEMBER, THIS WAS A VIRGIN SETUP KIT.
FidoNews 8-18 Page 24 6 May 1991
AFTER LOGGING OFF I LOOKED AT 'STAGE.DAT' AND 'CACHE.DAT' FOUND
IN THE PRODIGY SUBDIRECTORY. IN THOSE FILES, I FOUND POINTERS
TO PERSONAL NOTES THAT WERE BURIED THREE SUB-DIRECTORIES DOWN ON
MY DRIVE, AND AT THE END OF 'STAGE.DAT' WAS AN EXACT IMAGE COPY
OF MY PC-DESKTOP APPOINTMENTS CALENDER.
CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF.
### END OF BBS FILE ###
I had my lawyer check his STAGE.DAT file and he found none other
than CONFIDENTIAL CLIENT INFO in it.
Needless to say he is no longer a Prodigy user.
[Moderator's Note: Thanks very much for sending along this
fascinating report for the readers of TELECOM Digest. I've
always said, and still believe that the proprietors of any
online computer service have the right to run it any way they
want -- even into the ground! --and that users are free to stay
or leave as they see fit. But it is really disturbing to think
that Prodigy has the nerve to ripoff private stuff belonging to
users, at least without telling them. But as I think about it,
*who* would sign up with that service if they had bothered to
read the service contract carefully and had the points in this
article explained in detail? PAT]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
end of forwarded msg...
Tomas Hood, The Mountain, 206-666-9113
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 8-18 Page 25 6 May 1991
Steve Winter
FidoNet 1:151/208 209
HOLY_BIBLE
I would like to announce that I have started a new conference
called HOLY_BIBLE. The TOPIC is Wholly Bible.
There will not be a lot of rules other than basic rules,
common decency (ie. no profanity, lewdness, etc), and rules
to prevent censorship.
Unlike the existing FIDO Bible conferences, we will not be
practicing the censorship of doctrines or ideas.
This will be a Christian Conference in the Biblical sense,
but everyone is welcome regardless of religious orientation
or lack thereof.
This conference is "in progress" and is gated to the PRIME
Network.
If anyone is interested yet is unable to afford the phone
costs, I am willing to work with people on a case by case
basis as far as delivering the mail until we can get it on
the backbone.
Send netmail to 1:151/208 209 for more info.
Please help spread the word about this new conference.
Steve Winter
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 8-18 Page 26 6 May 1991
Attending Convention:
Marshall Barry & Daniel L. Bonner &
Michelle Weisblat Linda L. Bonner
Jim Burt & Brenda Donovan &
Karen Burt Ed Moore
James H. Dunmyer & Michael Kanavy &
Janice L. Dunmyer Elizabeth Kanavy
Scott Munhollon & Thomas Pat Nefos &
Tammy Munhollon Judy Nefos
George Peace & Mike Ratledge &
Christine Keefer Donna Ratledge
Jack Rickard & Terry N. Rune' &
Nancy Rickard Wayne A. Rune'
Jeff Rush & Steven G. See &
Mary Rush Pam See
Eric L. Smith & Peter Stewart &
Diane B. Smith Michele Hamilton
William M. Van Glahn & Bob Whiston &
Janet Van Glahn Cheryl Whiston
Peter N. White & Rodney A. Aloia
Cheryl Gordon Chris Anderson
Russell Anderson Bill Bacon
Alan Applegate Charlie Bass
Brian P. Bartee Bruce Bodger
Phil Becker George R. Cornell
Jeff P. Brothers Don Daniels
Ben Cunningham Emmitt W. A. Dove
Joe Dehn Brian Godette
Mike Eckles Fabian R. Gordon
Tony Goggin Bob Hartman
Ray Gwinn Stanley A. Hirschman
Norman B. Henke Mark Howard
Joaquim Homrighausen Tom Jennings
Steve Jackson Bruce H. Kirschner
John Johnson Thomas Lange
Mark K. Kreutzian Andrew Milner
Don Marquart Mark Peterson
Vincent E. Perriello Michael Pratt
Tim Pozar Steve Raymond
Chris Rand Steven L. Rusboldt
John P. Roberts Jr. Daniel D. Segard
Sam Saulys James F. Smith
Steven Sherwick Zhahai Stewart
John R. Souvestre Roy Timberman
Jeff Tensly Girard Westerberg
Terry L Travis Ken Zen
Jack Winslade
259 Memberships available
FidoNews 8-18 Page 27 6 May 1991
Attending Banquet:
Marshall Barry & Daniel L. Bonner &
Michelle Weisblat Linda L. Bonner
Jim Burt & Brenda Donovan &
Karen Burt Ed Moore
James H. Dunmyer & Michael Kanavy &
Janice L. Dunmyer Elizabeth Kanavy
George Peace & Mike Ratledge &
Christine Keefer Donna Ratledge
Jack Rickard & Jeff Rush &
Nancy Rickard Mary Rush
Steven G. See & Eric L. Smith &
Pam See Diane B. Smith
William M. Van Glahn & Peter N. White &
Janet Van Glahn Cheryl Gordon
Rodney A. Aloia Russell Anderson
Chris Anderson Brian P. Bartee
Charlie Bass Phil Becker
Bruce Bodger Jeff P. Brothers
Ben Cunningham Don Daniels
Brian Godette Fabian R. Gordon
Ray Gwinn Bob Hartman
Norman B. Henke Joaquim Homrighausen
Mark Howard Tom Jennings
John Johnson Mark K. Kreutzian
Don Marquart Andrew Milner
Vincent E. Perriello Mark Peterson
Tim Pozar John P. Roberts Jr.
Daniel D. Segard Steven Sherwick
James F. Smith John R. Souvestre
Roy Timberman Terry L Travis
Girard Westerberg
59 Banquet Tickets available
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 8-18 Page 28 6 May 1991
=================================================================
COLUMNS
=================================================================
Steve Winter
FidoNet 1:151/208 209
The Gospel
The gospel is the death, burial, and ressurection of the
Lord Jesus Christ. This gospel (good news) is to be preached
in all nations (beginning at Jerusalem).
The gospel was first preached at Jerusalem on the the day
of Pentecost (Acts 2:38)
We are commanded to OBEY the gospel.(2 Th 1:8) (1Pe 4:17)
Now..how does one OBEY the death, burial, and ressurection?
Of course if someone did not believe, they would have no
desire to obey. Jesus told Nicodemus a couple of very
important things in John 3:16 and John 3:5, he said that
those who believeth SHOULD not perish. He had just told
Nicodemus that he HAD to be born AGAIN two ways. One water,
one of Spirit.
What does water and Spirit have to do with the gospel?
Well, the first gospel sermon preached to sinners was
Acts 2:38."....Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the
NAME of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Here we are: water (baptism) and Spirit (the gift of the Holy
Ghost). IN repentance a person dies to sin; the 'old' man
dies. The Bible says that we are "buried with Christ in
baptism" (Romans 6:4) or baptised into his death.
The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Christ living in the
Christian, the hope of glory, the hope of ressurection.
So there you have death, burial, and ressurection..the gospel.
And the way that the apostles taught to obey it.
Have you obeyed the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Gal 1:8, Acts 2:39, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 11:5, Acts 19:1-6.
Steve Winter, (moderator HOLY_BIBLE)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 8-18 Page 29 6 May 1991
=================================================================
LATEST VERSIONS
=================================================================
Latest Software Versions
MS-DOS Systems
--------------
Bulletin Board Software
Name Version Name Version Name Version
DMG 2.93 Phoenix 1.3 TAG 2.5g
Fido 12s+ QuickBBS 2.66 TBBS 2.1
GSBBS 3.02 RBBS 17.3B TComm/TCommNet 3.4
Lynx 1.30 RBBSmail 17.3B Telegard 2.5
Kitten 2.16 RemoteAccess 1.00* TPBoard 6.1
Maximus 1.02 SLBBS 1.77A Wildcat! 2.55
Opus 1.14+ Socrates 1.10 WWIV 4.12
PCBoard 14.5 SuperBBS 1.10 XBBS 1.17
Network Node List Other
Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
BinkleyTerm 2.40 EditNL 4.00 ARC 7.0
D'Bridge 1.30 MakeNL 2.31 ARCAsim 2.30
Dutchie 2.90C ParseList 1.30 ARCmail 2.07
FrontDoor 1.99c Prune 1.40 ConfMail 4.00
PRENM 1.47 SysNL 3.14 Crossnet v1.5
SEAdog 4.60* XlatList 2.90 DOMAIN 1.42
TIMS 1.0(Mod8) XlaxDiff 2.35 EMM 2.02
XlaxNode 2.35 4Dog/4DMatrix 1.18
Gmail 2.05
GROUP 2.16
GUS 1.30
HeadEdit 1.18
IMAIL 1.10
InterPCB 1.31
LHARC 2.10
MSG 4.1
MSGED 2.06
MSGTOSS 1.3
Oliver 1.0a
PK[UN]ZIP 1.20
QM 1.0
QSORT 4.03
ScanToss 1.28
Sirius 1.0x
SLMAIL 1.36
StarLink 1.01
TagMail 2.41
FidoNews 8-18 Page 30 6 May 1991
TCOMMail 2.2
Telemail 1.27
TMail 1.15
TPBNetEd 3.2
TosScan 1.00
UFGATE 1.03
XRS 4.10*
XST 2.3e
ZmailH 1.14
OS/2 Systems
------------
Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Maximus-CBCS 1.02 BinkleyTerm 2.40 Parselst 1.32
ConfMail 4.00
EchoStat 6.0
oMMM 1.52
Omail 3.1
MsgEd 2.06
MsgLink 1.0C
MsgNum 4.14
LH2 0.50
PK[UN]ZIP 1.02
ARC2 6.00
PolyXARC 2.00
Qsort 2.1
Raid 1.0
Remapper 1.2
Tick 2.0
VPurge 2.07
Xenix/Unix
----------
BBS Software Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
BinkleyTerm 2.30b Unzip 3.10
ARC 5.21
ParseLst 1.30b
ConfMail 3.31b
Ommm 1.40b
Msged 1.99b
Zoo 2.01
C-Lharc 1.00
FidoNews 8-18 Page 31 6 May 1991
Omail 1.00b
Apple II
----------
Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
GBBS Pro 2.1 Fruity Dog 1.0 ShrinkIt 3.23*
DDBBS + 5.0 ShrinkIt GS 1.04
deARC2e 2.1
ProSel 8.66*
Apple CP/M
----------
Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Daisy v2j Daisy Mailer 0.38 Nodecomp 0.37
MsgUtil 2.5
PackUser v4
Filer v2-D
UNARC.COM 1.20
Macintosh
---------
Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Red Ryder Host 2.1 Tabby 2.2 MacArc 0.04
Mansion 7.15 Copernicus 1.0 ArcMac 1.3
WWIV (Mac) 3.0 LHArc 0.41
Hermes 1.5 StuffIt Classic 1.6
FBBS 0.91 Compact Pro 1.30
Precision Systems 0.95b* TImport 1.92
TeleFinder Host 2.12T10 TExport 1.92
Timestamp 1.6
Tset 1.3
Import 3.2
Export 3.21
Point System Software Sundial 3.2
PreStamp 3.2
Name Version OriginatorII 2.0
FidoNews 8-18 Page 32 6 May 1991
AreaFix 1.6
Copernicus 1.0 Mantissa 3.21
CounterPoint 1.09 Zenith 1.5
Eventmeister 1.0
TSort 1.0
Mehitable 2.0
UNZIP 1.02c
Zip Extract 0.10
Amiga
-----
Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Falcon CBBS 0.45 BinkleyTerm 1.00 AmigArc 0.23
Paragon 2.082+ TrapDoor 1.50 AReceipt 1.5
TransAmiga 1.07 WelMat 0.44 booz 1.01
ConfMail 1.12
ChameleonEdit 0.10
ElectricHerald1.66
Lharc 1.30
Login 0.18
MessageFilter 1.52
oMMM 1.49b
ParseLst 1.64
PkAX 1.00
PolyxAmy 2.02
RMB 1.30
Roof 44.03
RoboWriter 1.02
Rsh 4.06
Skyparse 2.30
Tick 0.75
TrapList 1.12
UNZIP 1.31
Yuck! 1.61
Zippy (Unzip) 1.25
Zoo 2.01
Atari ST/TT
-----------
Bulletin Board Network Node List
Software Version Mailer Version Utilities Version
FIDOdoor/ST 2.2.3* BinkleyTerm 2.40l ParseList 1.30
QuickBBS/ST 1.02 The BOX 1.20 Xlist 1.12
Pandora BBS 2.41c EchoFix 1.20
GS Point 0.61 sTICK/Hatch 5.50*
LED ST 1.00
MSGED 1.96S
FidoNews 8-18 Page 33 6 May 1991
Archiver Msg Format Other
Utilities Version Converters Version Utilities Version
LHARC 0.60 TB2BINK 1.00 ConfMail 4.03
LHARC2 3.18* BINK2TB 1.00 ComScan 1.02
ARC 6.02 FiFo 2.1m* Import 1.14
PKUNZIP 1.10 OMMM 1.40
Pack 1.00
FastPack 1.20
FDrenum 2.2.7*
Trenum 0.10
Archimedes
----------
BBS Software Mailers Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
ARCbbs 1.44 BinkleyTerm 2.03 Unzip 2.1TH
ARC 1.03
!Spark 2.00d
ParseLst 1.30
BatchPacker 1.00
+ Netmail capable (does not require additional mailer software)
* Recently changed
Utility authors: Please help keep this list up to date by
reporting new versions to 1:1/1. It is not our intent to list
all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 8-18 Page 34 6 May 1991
=================================================================
NOTICES
=================================================================
The Interrupt Stack
12 May 1991
Fourth anniversary of FidoNet operations in Latin America and
second anniversary of the creation of Zone-4.
15 Aug 1991
5th annual Z1 Fido Convention - FidoCon '91 "A New Beginning"
Sheraton Denver West August 15 through August 18 1991.
8 Sep 1991
25th anniversary of first airing of Star Trek on NBC!
7 Oct 1991
Area code 415 fragments. Alameda and Contra Costa Counties
will begin using area code 510. This includes Oakland,
Concord, Berkeley and Hayward. San Francisco, San Mateo,
Marin, parts of Santa Clara County, and the San Francisco Bay
Islands will retain area code 415.
1 Nov 1991
Area code 301 will split. Area code 410 will consist of the
northeastern part of Maryland, as well as the eastern shore.
This will include Baltimore and the surrounding area. Area 301
will include southern and western parts of the state,
including the areas around Washington DC. Area 410 phones will
answer to calls to area 301 until November, 1992.
1 Feb 1992
Area code 213 fragments. Western, coastal, southern and
eastern portions of Los Angeles County will begin using area
code 310. This includes Los Angeles International Airport,
West Los Angeles, San Pedro and Whittier. Downtown Los
Angeles and surrounding communities (such as Hollywood and
Montebello) will retain area code 213.
1 Dec 1993
Tenth anniversary of Fido Version 1 release.
5 Jun 1997
David Dodell's 40th Birthday
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
FidoNews 8-18 Page 35 6 May 1991
-----------------------------------------------------------------
---
Remember Campers!!!
To send mail from an Internet site or smart UUCP Site TO a user
that calls a Fido-Net system.
You need to know the name of the person and node number of the
Fido-Net system that the person uses.
The address of a FidoNode looks like this: 1:105/302.0. Usually
the 1: and .0 are left off, but they are there by default. (In
Europe it is 2: and in the Pacific Basin it is 3:.) That
address can be translated as "Zone 1, Net 105, FidoNode 302,
Point 0." or p0.f302.n105.z1. Add the FidoNet domain of
.fidonet.org to the end of that, chop off the p0 (it is again,
a default) and you have f302.n105.z1.fidonet.org - the "Fully
Qualified Domain Name" of a FidoNode. Another example is
1:105/4.3 which would be written as p3.f4.n105.z1.fidonet.org
(since there is a point number other than 0, we have to specify
it). Note also that we are only using zone 1. This will also
work for zones 2 and 3, just use z2 or z3 as appropriate.
FidoNet uses full names of the callers. Multi-part name folks
(eg. First Last, ie. "Dale Weber") will have a period '.'
seperating their names. So, lets say you wanted to send mail
to Dale Weber at 1:105/55.0, you would address your letter to:
Dale.Weber@f55.n105.z1.fidonet.org.
**********************************************************************
Submissions to comp.org.fidonet should be addressed to
pozar@toad.com
**********************************************************************
--
pozar@lns.com Fido: 1:125/555 PaBell: 415-788-3904
USNail: KKSF-FM / 77 Maiden Lane / San Francisco CA 94108