pozar@hoptoad.uucp (Tim Pozar) (08/01/89)
Volume 6, Number 30 24 July 1989
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| / \ |
| /|oo \ |
| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
| _`@/_ \ _ |
| International | | \ \\ |
| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
| (jm) |
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Editor in Chief: Vince Perriello
Editors Emeritii: Dale Lovell
Thom Henderson
Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
FidoNews is published weekly by the International FidoNet
Association as its official newsletter. You are encouraged to
submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission
standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from
node 1:1/1. 1:1/1 is a Continuous Mail system, available for
network mail 24 hours a day.
Copyright 1989 by the International FidoNet Association. All
rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for
noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067. IFNA may also be contacted
at PO Box 41143, St. Louis, MO 63141.
Fido and FidoNet are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings of
Fido Software, 164 Shipley Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94107 and
are used with permission.
We don't necessarily agree with the contents of every article
published here. Most of these materials are unsolicited. No
article will be rejected which is properly attributed and legally
acceptable. We will publish every responsible submission
received.
Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1
The Resignation of David Dodell .......................... 1
2. ARTICLES ................................................. 3
Thoughts ................................................. 3
A Response to Doug Thompson & jim nutt ................... 7
Democracy...Is it for you? ............................... 11
Democracy in Fidonet? Ramblings of a madman .............. 14
An open letter from Dan Steurer .......................... 16
3. WANTED ................................................... 17
Investment Echo .......................................... 17
4. LATEST VERSIONS .......................................... 18
And more!
FidoNews 6-30 Page 1 24 Jul 1989
=================================================================
EDITORIAL
=================================================================
Here's something you might not have seen yet, if you don't read
the comments published in the weekly nodediff:
[start of quote]
This is perhaps one of the saddest notices I have written in the
nodediff. I have tended my resignation as the International
Coordinator of Fidonet to the FidoNet Zone Council. I will be
staying on in the position to facilitate the smooth transistion
to the next IC, however I will not be hearing any policy
complaints at this time. In other words, I will stay as long as
it takes to get a successor in place, and will do what is
necessary to keep the network technically operational, anything
else will need to wait until the next IC is installed.
For the reasons why, this will be expounded in an article in
FidoNews sometime in the next month. Ignore the rumors that I'm
sure that will start up as soon as word starts spreading. Nobody
is authorized to claim that a certain event, individual or
anything else caused my resignation. I was not forced or asked
by anyone to resign. I did this because I needed a break from
the administrative workings of the network, and wanted to start
devoting my time and energy into some of my favorite projects.
[end of quote]
That's right, folks. David Dodell has stepped down from his
position as International Coordinator.
Friends of David, don't weep for him. He's done his best. Now
it's time for someone else to do the job. And it's time for
David to devote some time to his personal interests, which have
been neglected far too long. That includes his lovely wife, Amy.
Enemies of David, don't rejoice over some apparent victory.
You've won NOTHING. Until we all recognize that we're in the
middle of wars that will result in total unity or total
destruction, and we're all pointed towards unity, nothing can be
gained through anyone's arrival or departure from the stage.
I personally wanted David to resign some time ago. But it had
nothing to do with power trips or anything. I thought that he
had had enough. That he should take up his life again. Let
someone else deal with this stuff. At one point, he was very
close to doing just that. I still think it unfortunate that he
decided to continue then. Just as I am happy for him now.
FidoNews 6-30 Page 2 24 Jul 1989
This job I have as FidoNews editor can often be very painful.
The worst part, however, has been printing articles accusing
David of being on some kind of "power trip". Nothing could be
further from the truth. David is just not that kind of person.
What has been true, throughout, is that David has a vision of
what he has wanted FidoNet to be. It's a nice vision. One that
we could all share. What also has been true is that David has a
vision of how that needs to be accomplished. I don't completely
share that vision. Many don't share it at all. It has to do
with centralized authority and unquestioned leadership. But what
that meant was that as long as David held power, he had to
exercise it. Hence the apparent "power trip". Sorry if this
disillusions some of you folks, but David only used the power
because he thought he had to, not because he was drunk with it.
I can't say that FidoNet will be a better place because of David.
Right now it looks like the jury is out on what it will be. But
whether you want to believe it or not, it would almost certainly
would have been a worse place without David. The next person to
hold this job has my sympathy in advance.
Best of luck, David. And THANKS!!
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FidoNews 6-30 Page 3 24 Jul 1989
=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================
Thoughts
By Butch Walker, 161/2
As August draws near, I wanted to give you some thoughts, and
some history. What follows will not become an epic, nor will it
be repeated around campfires, but maybe will give you some
perspective.
My first experience with Computer Tele-communications was in
1978. I had formed a Pension Administration company with an
Attorney and a CPA. We needed to communicate with a mainframe,
so we purchased a Dec LA36. Basically a dumb terminal (keyboard,
line printer, and 300 baud modem with an acoustic coupler). That
was okay for a while but it was slow and expensive. Everything
was entered on line, real time. In 1979 I personally spent
$20,000 for a CPT 8000, which consisted of a 48k 8080, 2 8"
floppies, keyboard, monitor, internal 300 baud modem, special
Diablo letter quality printer, dual sheet feeders, etc. Man all
that power in one location. [grin]
In 1980, I sold my agency, my share in the PA firm, and my share
in a partnership and took a position that brought me to
California. With me came my CPT. Late 1980 or early 1981, CPT
released a CP/M disk for the machine and it became a data
processor. I and a couple of others started writing programs in
CBasic for our company. The CPT was in Oakland and I lived in
Clayton, so I decided to get a micro for the house. After months
of shopping I purchased mail order an S100 machine with 64k, two
1.2mb 8" floppies, CRT, and a 300 baud modem card. All for the
amazingly low price of $3,800.
At night I'd put BYE.COM up on the CPT and if I needed something
I'd pull it off. I also called a few CP/M boards both locally
and back in Michigan. Boy, what a deal!
By 1984 it was obvious that IBM and the clones were here to stay.
Also, the S100 machine was on it's last legs. Parts were
impossible to find, nothing was standardized, and I was tired of
trying to do the repair work myself, so I bought a Leading Edge
Model M, plus an expansion chassis, a 10mb hrad drive and a 5mb
Syquest removable cartridge drive. Boy I was in heaven, 640k of
ram, two 360k floppies, and 15mb of hard disk storage all for
only $6,500. I also bought a Hayes 1200 internal modem. It was
now the big time folks. [grin]
In the fall of 1985 I needed to set up a bulletin board for a
users group. I looked at RBBS, PC-Board, and several others.
Mike Kelleher was running Fido. After talking to Mike, reading
the docs, it seemed that Fido provided the answer to the problem.
In October of 1985 I brought up a one line Fido at 1200 baud. At
that time only Nets 125 & 143 existed in the Bay Area. I applied
for a node number, but was told I'd have to apply as a regional
FidoNews 6-30 Page 4 24 Jul 1989
independant as I was too far away from from either net. So
10/625 TBLUG came up in November of 1985.
By January of '86 I went to two lines. My company bought an IBM
AT, which I took up to 8mhz, I added a JRam AT card and brought
up Multilink, put on two Courier 2400's and away we went. Well,
some of the time anyway. Multilink loved to hang. Sometimes I
thought the system was down more than it was up. My wife used to
hate it when I tried to loggon from home only to discover the
system was hung. Away I'd go to the office, regardless of the
time of day or night.
In February, Mike Kelleher told me to log on to Harv's board and
check out something called echomail. At that time echomail
involved a few boards in Dallas and Harv in San Francisco. Mike
and I both jumped on the bandwagon. Ah the early days. Mucho
bugs in scanmail and tossmail. Thousands of dupes, processing
mail by hand using Fido's external mail event. Arcing it
ourselves, manually uploading it, unarcing it and processing
manually.
Detroit (my brother Don) coming on line, then Tampa (Wes Cowley),
Atlanta (Ken Shackleford), New York/New Jersey (Gee Wong), New
Hampshire (Bob Hartman), Cleveland (Phil Ardussi). Aha, the
first echomail backbone.
In the spring of '86 it was apparent that there were quite a few
regional independants in the East Bay, and the valley that might
want to form a net. I decided to see what could be done, and Net
161 came into being. Due to geography it made a great deal of
sense to set up hubs from the beginning, so Mike Kelleher wrote
another WalkBro & Kelleher almost useful utility to create hub
routing files. Mike and I set up the routing and a few of the
pioneers met in Fairfield to organize the net.
In September of '86 the echomail backbone was formalized. We had
a meeting in Chicago specifically for that purpose. My brother
Don and Mike Bader came over from Detroit, Phil Ardussi from
Cleveland, Jon Sabol from Dallas, Bob Hartman from New Hampshire,
Gee Wong and Thom Henderson from New Jersey. Topology was
mapped, the idea of an echomail policy was discussed, 84
commercials for SeaDog were listened too [grin], Arcmail was fine
tuned, and Opus was discussed (we were already beta testing it at
the time). Heck I even paid Hartman for Renum.
It was about the same time that we took the Net161 echo regional
for all NorCal nets. Probably the first ever. It was a fun and
exciting time. The net was growing by leaps and bounds, Fidonet
was growing, echomail was booming, other than mikey, IFNA, and a
few other things fun times were had by all. The Dobyns Award was
created and handed out with vigor.
FidoNews 6-30 Page 5 24 Jul 1989
In the summer of '87 my office burnt to the ground, taking the
echomail distribution machine with it. Four hours later, my home
system was moving the echomail once again. Only a handful of
messages were never disributed. A few months later, due to an
error in judgement, I got appointed Zone 1 Echomail Coordinator.
Boy, I really had no idea what I was getting into, but someone
needed to do it.
In the early summer of '88 I decided it was time to let someone
else have the fun of being net host, and conned Diane Smith into
taking over. Again Net 161 made Fidonet history as Diane was the
first female host ever. August of '88 brought Fidocon, and I had
been conned by my other brother Mark into speaking. For a while
it looked as if I wasn't going to make it. But finally I took a
redeye into Cinci and arrived there early in the morning. Heck I
can't even remember if it was Thursday or Friday. That night we
went until 5:00am working on compromises on an echomail policy,
maybe I only made it until 3am, shoot I don't remember. All I
know is that I was one tired camper. I gave two talks, one on
Multitasking and BBS's, and one on Echomail.
Last winter enough was enough, and I resigned as ZEC. I decided
it was time for someone else to wear the target on their back,
and I would retire to being a normal (if there is such a thing)
sysop. Late December through late January brought more changes
in my personal life, and now I prepare to move to Cleveland Ohio
and return to school after a 20 year absence. While I still plan
on being in Fidonet (I'm already in the nodelist in Net 157), my
role will be a very minor one.
I'd like to think I accomplished some good. Net 161 has spun off
three nets (203, 205 & 208) and helped start a fourth (204). I
think Net 161 has helped set an example of how a net can function
without problems, personality conflicts, or turmoil. We helped
bring echomail & Opus to Fidonet. We've beta tested Opus, Lynx,
SeaDog, Binkley, Confmail, the original echomail utilities, and
multitudes of Fidonet related utilities. We've written utilities
for Fidonet. We started a Net Newsletter that almost had more
readership internationally than Fidonews at one time. 161/2 has
feed Region 10, 17, 19, 14, Malaysia, England, and others
echomail over the years. In fact 161/2 has probably pumped out
millions of echomail messages since February of '86. Heck I have
the failed hard drives to prove it. [grin]
I've had fun, I've experienced frustration, I've been praised and
been called many unprintable names. I've made some good friends
around the world, and probably some enemies as well. I just hope
that over time I'll be remembered as someone who cared and
contributed what he could.
Thanks for the memories.
FidoNews 6-30 Page 6 24 Jul 1989
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FidoNews 6-30 Page 7 24 Jul 1989
A Response to Doug Thompson
by Phil Buonomo (1:107/583, 7:520/583, 9:807/1)
I would like to thank Doug Thompson for his insightful article of
last week's FidoNews. It is obvious that Doug was taken by David
Dodell and believed everything DD said. This is not meant to
imply anything about the veracity of DD, or Doug's perception of
what was said. What I intend to do is to merely point out that
the claims of Mr. Dodell do not seem to fit the facts. In his
article, Doug said:
1) David assured me that no one would be removed from the
nodelist for any opinion or statement about policy 4,
including an expressed refusal to comply with it. The only
grounds for excommunication remain technical and *repeated*
violations of policy must occur before an excommunication
would occur. That is to say a violation will get you a
warning, repeat violations can get you excommunicated.
Refusing the acknowledge the legitimacy of policy 4 can't
get you either.
In fidonet it continues to be "legal" to speak your mind and
say darned near anything you want without fear of direct
punishment. Our coordinators will not be taking a cue from
the Ayatollah and issuing death-warrants for calling
Mohammed a devil, cursing Tom Jennings' mother or even,
presumably, cursing their coordinator.
Unfortunately, Doug apparently either did not see, or forgot the
following message that was printed, right here in FidoNews,
between Jim Grubs and Steve Bonine, Jim's RC, and the recent
secretly elected new Zone 1 ZC:
>JG> The question which remains unanswered is the legitimacy of
>JG> Policy 4. You can neither excommunicate nor canonize
>JG> under a policy document that was not legally adopted.
>JG> The rules under which it was adopted were made up
>JG> unilaterally as the process went along. Furthermore, I was
>JG> not a part of the process. The *C's can enter into all
>JG> the agreements among themselves they want to. They can't
>JG> force people who were not a party to that agreement to
>JG> comply with it. I could organize a bunch of sysops and
>JG> 'pass' Policy 7-requiring the *C's to wear mirrored
>JG> eyeshades and carry nerf bats, too. So, what? Do as you
>JG> wish. You will anyway.
>JG> 73 de Jim Grubs, W8GRT
SB> I am accepting the above message as an affirmation of your
SB> desire to terminate your relationship with FidoNet since
SB> you do not wish to observe FidoNet policy. I will remove
SB> your nodelist entry, effective immediately. Thank you for
FidoNews 6-30 Page 8 24 Jul 1989
SB> your past contributions to FidoNet, many of which have been
SB> positive. Should you have a change of heart and decide that
SB> you are willing to be bound by FidoNet policy, please
SB> re-apply for a node number.
Those are Steve Bonine's exact words, friends. This is the man
whom David Dodell wishes to be the new ZC1 of FidoNet, YOUR ZC!
Of course, when Jim Grubs appealed this action to David Dodell
himself, his appeal was rejected and he was removed from the
nodelist, supposedly for ONE bombing run! That doesn't sound
like REPEATED technical violations to me. How about YOU?
Next, Doug raises the following point:
2) David expressed surprise at the result of the p4 vote.
He had expected it to be defeated. So had I.
Understandably this intensifies my concern that the room
allowed for electoral abuses actually might well have been
used more than once or twice.
It is interesting that he should say this. David Dodell
'repealed' the ECHOPOL1 doc that was put in place via a voting
mechanism similar to that which passed POLICY4, due to claimed
'irregularities' in the voting. If that is so, and he's
'surprised' at the vote for Policy 4, and considering the
'irregularities' that have come to light in the meantime, why has
Mr. Dodell not 'repealed' Policy 4?
Another point:
Excommunicating a node if it is at all possible not to is
directly equivalent to a bank burning hundred dollar bills
because they cause some annoyance. It is an attack on the
very fundamental basics of the whole operation.
Then why has Steve Bonine so cavalierly thrown sysops and whole
NETS out of the nodelist, only to have said actions confirmed by
David Dodell? Hell, he's been REWARDED for those actions by
being made the next ZC!
5) So we agree we have lots of problems with policy 4, and
we agree that the best bet is to forge ahead with a policy 5
process that will aim at learning from our mistakes.
I would suggest that the IFNA BoD be allowed to vote on accepting
Policy 4 (as the precedent was set with adoption of the last
policy) before we 'forge ahead' with a Policy 5. In 3 weeks we
may be back operating under Policy 3! ;-)
Policy 4 bans the use of encryption which I find slightly
bewildering since it is being so rapidly embraced by the
FidoNews 6-30 Page 9 24 Jul 1989
rest of the world, and enhances the value of e-mail so much.
That is the sort of decision which is wholly political since
the "technology" would be mostly unaffected.
Since Policy 4 does this, it is in direct violation of the
Electronic Communications and Privacy Act of 1986, which makes it
illegal to tamper with electronic communications. No matter how
many times Mr. Dodell claims that FidoNet is an 'amateur'
operation in his Policy document, it STILL falls under this law.
It is for that reason, and those like it that I wrote this
article. Plainly, SOMEONE's getting a snow job here, be it Doug,
myself, or ALL of us!
Phil
P.S. Some quick answers to jim nutt's questions:
Have any of these people who are complaining actually taken
a look at the work it takes to be an *C?
Lots of work, but then again, so does being a fireman. Does that
give him the right to say whether you can have a telephone number
listed in the phone book?
What power does a *C REALLY have? I mean, there isn't
really anything there to get on a power trip over, now, is
there?
Depends. He has the power to say whether your friends can send
you mail or not. If there's no 'power' to protect, why did the
RC's write a policy document electing the *C structure for life?
Do the vast majority of sysops even care about the petty
bickering that is going on over Policy4?
Funny. I don't see any petty bickering. But if you're asking if
they're concerned over the discussion going on, I don't know.
But they SHOULD be. It affects them directly.
Are alternative networks the solution? (I say no, if
anything, they are in worse shape than Fidonet)
From my own experience, I can name two that are in much BETTER
shape than FidoNet. I don't think they're the solution to
FidoNet's problems though. If I did, I'd quit FidoNet.
Is the main reason for all the complaining about policy
simply a case of too much free time and too little real
work?
FidoNews 6-30 Page 10 24 Jul 1989
Not in my case. I have a two month old son I've been sitting up
with every night. I've 2 other small children that have to be
cared for. I've been trying to hold down the fort in a 3 person
programming department with one employee (me) for a major food
distribution firm. I've been trying to set up a national
GroupMail Distribution system for EVERYONE to enjoy, and I've
been writing like crazy for FidoNews about the injustices of the
system. Why? Because I CARE.
Why in the world would anybody WANT to be a *C?!?!?
Some people do it for all the right reasons. Many (several RC's
and a ZC/IC come to mind) do it for the feeling of 'authority'
they get out of the job. Why else are people liquidated for
refusing to 'cowtow' to the powers that be? Why are networks
eliminated for 'the good of FidoNet'? What good did it do me to
have Net 154 removed? Now I can't talk to 'em! (I guess some
people just think that its for my own good... ;-)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-30 Page 11 24 Jul 1989
Steve Boyd
104/421
Democracy...is it for YOU?
I may or may not represent the average sysop. I received my
first computer in 1983, a Texas Instruments TI99/4A. I was
immediately taken by what this simple machine could do for me.
Soon I realized that the TI99/4A was destined for demise, and
purchased a Commodore 64 (with my pay as an E-2 in the Air Force,
and a wife and two kids, it was almost more than I could bear
financially), which was surprisingly similar in operation. Soon,
I took the plunge, and bought my first modem, a 300 bauder that I
had to manually dial out with my phone, and flip a switch to pass
control of the call to the modem. What I found on the telephone
lines astounded me! to be able to connect my computer with
another and exchange information, be it programs or messages, was
the end to my means. I could consult my gurus (sysops) with a
simple phone call, and ask for, and receive, any information and
assistance I was in need of. Soon the addiction took over, and I
was hooked into my computer for good.
I moved to Denver in 1987, and had already decided that I would
be setting up a BBS. Once I had acquired the proper equipment
for my C-64 (no small task...try setting up a Commodore with 11
megs on-line!), I started my first, and VERY successful, attempt
at a BBS, The Dark Crystal. The users were enthusiastic, as was
I, and we quickly grew to 250+ users. I decided then that in
order to speed up my message base, I would have to upgrade the
computer to an IBM compatible, and chose QuickBBS for my BBS.
The Dark Crystal has taken many turns, and has changed and
adapted to those changes, but nothing so rudely changed my
attitude towards being a SysOp as did my induction to FiDoNet.
I make no bones about it...I joined FidoNet to get the CBM and
Amiga echos...I, to this day, have both users online here
regularly, as well as the Tandy CoCo crowd. Policy 3 was in
effect, and until I specifically asked for a copy of this policy,
I had little idea of what it said, let alone how it was adopted.
Sheer ignorance, and perhaps the burning desire to furnish my
users with the best BBS I could offer, allowed me to join FidoNet
under the existing circumstances. I knew nothing about the net
as a whole, and found, much to my elation, that the sysops here
were the same as the sysops i had grown to appreciate...helpful,
courteous, and friendly. With the help of a few Denverites, I
was up and running and learning about the technical side of
operating as a node in FidoNet. Soon, I was acting as a hub for
echomail, and generally accepted in the local net as, at least, a
person that could be counted on.
But a funny thing happened on the way to that point...I found
that certain sysops (and that is all we are, no?) took pleasure
in IMPOSING their will upon the whole of FidoNet. At first, I
realized that with a structure as big as this, controls were
neccesary, and certain things could not be tolerated. Exposing
SysOps to unnecceasry costs, causing technical snafus, etc., were
FidoNews 6-30 Page 12 24 Jul 1989
all reasonable requests...but I sensed that perhaps those in
power (imposing term, no?) were quietly slipping beyond the line
of helping us to stay in step, and were starting to mold the
individuals into what *THEY* thought we should be. I started to
go through policy a bit more thouroughly, as before it was but a
mere inconvienience to follow, and found that I, the individual
node in FidoNet, could do little to prevent this from
proprogating into a full-fledged dictatorship, in which the *C
structure mandated everything, and I would be compelled to comply
if I desired a node number in this "hobbyist" network. Policy 4
was brought into being, and that which I had feared the most was
brought into being, though in a way that even I had not imagined.
The NCs were cut out of the process altogether! The RC and ZC
structure took it upon themselves to install themselves as judge,
jury, and executioner as far as policy was concerned. The RCs
are appointed by the ZCs, who in turn are appointed by the RCs.
Once you are able to clarify this, and the dizzying effect it has
could cause you to stop and ponder for a while, you realize that
the upper-echelon of FidoNet is untouchable by you and I, the
individual sysop that FidoNet is based on.
Is this a problem? Are you directly affected by this? Has
FidoNet grown beyond the point that it is ineffective in
administering to the needs of the individual sysop? All
questions are personal in nature, and until YOU decide to look
into the way things are currently being handled will YOU come to
a decision. I have made that assesment, and have come to the
following conclusions:
1. I, as a lowly sysop in this network, have no say in the
administration of it.
2. I, as a lowly sysop in this network, MUST conform or risk the
ultimate penalty...excommunication!
3. I, as a lowly sysop in this network, do not matter in the
large scheme of things, but rather, am a pawn to be toyed
with.
4. I, am a lowly sysop in this network, am VERY dissatisfied with
the power brokers, AS A WHOLE, of FidoNet.
It matters not who is in charge...it matters not how fair and
impartial they are...it matters not what their intentions. The
fact of the matter is the RC/ZC totally control FidoNet, and are
under no obligation to consult anyone out of their circle to make
changes. This is conceptually unacceptable, and steps are being
taken to erradicate the situation.
Policy 5.XX is being developed by sysops at large, and being
coordinated by Jason Steck at 104/424. A large part of the
developement process is taking place in both the DEMOCRACY echo
and the SYSOP echo, and POL5_DEM is *CLOSE* to being on the
backbone. This is a policy that falls back a few steps, and
places he importance of the individual node back into the
limelight, where it always should have been. Though Policy 4 is
FidoNews 6-30 Page 13 24 Jul 1989
in effect, and we, by default, are bound by it, we are by no
means left without recourse. The *C structure is not the demon
some will believe; in fact, the *C structure has offered more
encouragement and support than the general populace. I urge YOU,
the lowly sysop in the huge net, to at least familiarize yourself
with this proposed policy, and take whatever action YOU deem
neccesary. After all, to demand that you see my point in this
would be hypocritical, no? All I ask is that YOU look into the
matter, whether it is FIDONEWS, the DEMOCRACY, SYSOP, or POL5_DEM
echoes, or simply ask your NC what he/she feels about the
situation. Form your own opinion, see what Policy 4 actually
says, see what we are trying to implement, and, if you feel
motovated by your findings, act accordingly. Too many of us are
sitting on our hands, willing to accept what is thrown at us. At
least form an opinion of what is going on, as WE may be wrong
about the feelings of the net as a whole...the silent majority
(VERY silent, and VERY large) is being claimed by both sides in
this arguement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-30 Page 14 24 Jul 1989
Ravings, Cravings, and Mush Thoughts.
I feel like I'm getting sucked into the swirl of the discussion
for which probably much to much has already been said. But like
most humans I have an opion and the genetic flaws in my brain
make me feel like I owe it to the world to espouse them. The
editors comments, to this reader, in Fidonews 628 show a lack of
understanding of the perspective for the guys who are on the
"outside" of any dictatorship looking in. It does not matter
whether the dictators are good guys or bad guys...they have set
themselves up as targets. The fundamental problem is one of the
"outsiders" versus the "insiders".....or I'm in the "club" or
not. Thats just basic human psychology. Let me relate a story
from my past that may be similar to whats happening in the net
right now.
I was put in charge as the systems programmer of our labs VAX
11/780. And did my best to do all the right things to insure
security and uptime to the max extent possible. In my quest to
make sure I didn't allow anything to go haywire I did not allow
anyone to have system privileges except by direct appeal to me.
In other words I had the keys to the kingdom and I was the gate
master. Well this to me seemed to be a good arrangement since I
would know when anyone was doing anything "funny" on the system.
Well this one guy was given DIRIO...which means he could do
unrestricted calls to the device drivers of the operating system.
His reason for having it...over my objections...had been for
speeding up his I/O for a government contact the lab was working
on.
Well about 9 o'clock on a Friday I get this call that the system
is down and would I come in to see what the problem was. I did
and found 3 packs wiped and the system pack trashed. Needless to
say I found the problem after taking all weekend to reset the
system up and promptly locked Mr. DIRIOs account out until I
could get a chance to talk(and beat up) to him. On Monday....all
hell broke lose...I was called in before the lab director and
told that I was being a tyrant and that I was to let his people
have whatever they needed to do their work or I would be
relieved! So I wrote a memo that afternoon that stated as the
syspgmer I would no longer restrict privileges and would only
require a letter stating what and why the access would be
required and it would be granted. This lasted about 2 weeks
before users got tired of the unacceptable system performance and
numerous crashes or hangs. I was called in again....but this
time I had the upperhand and made the lab director setup a board
of user representatives to consider how and who would be given
access and at what level. AMAZING all of a sudden I became
everyones friend and no longer the tyrant systems programmer that
everyone had to beg to get access. Also the system ran just as
well and I didn't have the hassle of playing "he's a good
guy/he's not a good guy".
FidoNews 6-30 Page 15 24 Jul 1989
Please take note of this experience. I learned the hard way what
being the gatemaster can be like. Also if we setup a democratic
system then when they start to complain then there will be a body
that they can address their complaints to. This will relieve the
*Cs from playing judge and jury and let them do what they do best
and not having people throw mud in their faces. I for one
wouldn't want to be in their position as long as the current
situation remains...I out grew that with that VAX back in 1982.
FIDONET NEEDS TO GET ON WITH THE BUSINESS OF BETTER NETWORKING
NOT BICKERING!!!!!!!!
David I Winters
"The Rambling Sysop"
MCI: 328-8890
FAX: 9503288890
CIS: 73327,1075
ARPA: sac.23bms-do@e.isi.edu
Fido: 281/10(route to 777/1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-30 Page 16 24 Jul 1989
An OPEN letter from Dan Steurer, sysop, 1:170/405:
To all RC, NC, Hubs, Nodes and Points of FidoNet, Zone 1:
Last month, our node, VSSI Tech Support BBS, 1:170/405, issued a
mass mailing. It was our intent to make a direct call to each
node. We, due to a misunderstanding of what the "Crash Mail"
flag meant to our mailer, did this "Bombing Run" via host
routing. This aspect of the operation was an error and a
violation of Policy 4. I can assure that a similar event will
not occur again.
Several NCs responded to this mailing, informing us of our error.
We responded via net mail to all that we knew of. At this time
we would like to repeat our offer of payment for any long
distance bills caused by our actions. This offer is open to NC
and Hubs alike. Please send via US Mail a copy of your phone
bill (with charges highlighted) to:
V.S.S.I
One Technology Center
Mannford OK 74044
Attn: FidoNet
Again I wish to offer my apologies for this error and my
assurance that it will not happen again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-30 Page 17 24 Jul 1989
=================================================================
WANTED
=================================================================
Revis Smith
1:120/110
Investment Echo
===============
I want to start a new investment echo. This echo would cover the
following topics: NYSE, AMEX, and OTC markets. As well as Stock
Options, futures, bonds, CD's, T-bills, mutual funds, and the
like. We will also have a weekly stock market game to see who
can pick the best stock for the week. That is if there is enough
interest, and this all gets going.
I would also like to talk about how our economy effects the stock
market, and how the various markets aroud the world affect the
global economy.
So if all this sounds interesting to you drop me a line at
1:120/110.
Revis Smith
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-30 Page 18 24 Jul 1989
=================================================================
LATEST VERSIONS
=================================================================
Latest Software Versions
MS-DOS Systems
--------------
Bulletin Board Software
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Fido 12n+* Phoenix 1.3 TBBS 2.1
Lynx 1.30 QuickBBS 2.03 TComm/TCommNet 3.4
Opus 1.03b+ RBBS 17.2A TPBoard 5.2
Network Node List Other
Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
BinkleyTerm 2.20 EditNL 4.00 ARC 6.02
D'Bridge 1.21* MakeNL 2.12 ARCmail 2.0
Dutchie 2.90C ParseList 1.30 ConfMail 4.00
FrontDoor 2.0 Prune 1.40 EMM 2.02
PRENM 1.47 XlatList 2.90 GROUP 2.10
SEAdog 4.51A* XlaxDiff 2.32 LHARC 1.13*
XlaxNode 2.32 MSG 3.3
MSGED 1.99
PK[UN]ZIP 0.92*
QM 1.0*
TCOMMail 2.2
TMail 1.11
TPBNetEd 3.2
UFGATE 1.03
XRS 2.3*
ZmailQ 1.09*
Apple Macintosh
---------------
Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Red Ryder Host v2.1b3 Tabby 2.0* MacArc 0.03
Mansion 7.0 ArcMac 1.3
StuffIt 1.51
TImport 1.0
TExport 1.0
Timestamp 1.6
Tset 1.0.2
FidoNews 6-30 Page 19 24 Jul 1989
Timestart 1.1
Tally 1.1
Mehitabel 1.2
Archie 1.60
Numberizer 1.5c
MessageEdit 1.0
Commodore Amiga
---------------
Bulletin Board Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Paragon 1.00+* BinkleyTerm 1.50 ConfMail 1.00
ChameleonEdit 0.10
+ 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 6-30 Page 20 24 Jul 1989
=================================================================
NOTICES
=================================================================
The Interrupt Stack
2 Aug 1989
Start of Galactic Hacker Party in Amsterdam, Holland. Contact
Rop Gonggrijp at 2:280/1 for details.
24 Aug 1989
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
24 Aug 1989
FidoCon '89 starts at the Holiday Inn in San Jose,
California. Trade show, seminars, etc. Contact 1:1/89
for info.
5 Oct 1989
20th Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus"
11 Oct 1989
First International Modula-2 Conference at Bled, Yugoslavia
hosting Niklaus Wirth and the British Standards Institution.
Contact 1:106/8422 for more information.
11 Nov 1989
A new area code forms in northern Illinois at 12:01 am.
Chicago proper will remain area code 312; suburban areas
formerly served with that code will become area code 708.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-30 Page 21 24 Jul 1989
=================================================================
REPORTS
=================================================================
Nominations and Elections Committee
1:107/233
Report from Nominations and Elections Committee
As indicated in a previous report, the committee is presenting
statements from those individuals who have expressed interest in
serving FidoNet as Directors of IFNA. The committee has not
validated any of the material in these reports. If your are
interested in serving on the BoD but your statement does not
appear herein, please forward it to 1:107/210 immediately.
================================================================
STEVEN BARNES - has withdrawn for personal reasons.
================================================================
ROB LERMAN
I have been a Fidonet SysOp now for about 2 years and have
enjoyed every bit of it. I joined IFNA last May for the first
time when a friend of mine sent me the application for
membership.
I have been in a national level position in a International Star
Trek Fan club now for about 3 years and now the number 5 person
who runs the 4100 plus International Club. I have really enjoyed
working at a International Level and would like the opportunity
to be able to help out in Fidonet/IFNA in anyway I can
possibility can.
I would if elected listen to the members of Fidonet/IFNA and
recommend things that are important to them to the board, would
help in any way I can possibility help in (Committees, I am
currently on the IFNA Ethics Committee) Fidocon or whatever.
As I did state, I am a new comer to this, but at times a new
comer might be able to bring in fresh new ideas and/or revise old
ideas to help mak the system work even better than before.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask me via netmail or
any other communications link. I will get back to you within 24
hours of when I get your message.
Rob Lerman, 1:203/57
FidoNews 6-30 Page 22 24 Jul 1989
================================================================
JOHN ROBERTS
I'd say that my most important qualifications for the position of
Director would be belief in the potential of FidoNet compatible
mail systems and a sincere desire to help realize that potential.
I believe that IFNA has an important role to play in this future
due to its unique position to act for the furtherance of the
technology without being hindered by the task of the day to day
management of network operations and politics. One role that I
see for IFNA is as a public representative of FidoNet technology
and its potential to the media and regulatory agencies. Another
is the creation of agreements for communication between various
networks using FidoNet and other technologies. I also believe
that it's important for IFNA to enhance its image among its
constituency by being responsive to the will of its members and
insofar as possible to that of the operators of all FidoNet
compatible mail systems.
If you share any of these beliefs, I'd appreciate you giving me
the opportunity to help by your support with your vote in the
coming election.
John Roberts, FidoNet (1:147/14)
================================================================
KRIS A. VEITCH
I am presently a member of the BoD having replaced a Director as
his Alternate. I serve in many capacities within IFNA. I am the
Treasurer/Secretary, Membership Database and Correspondence
Manager. Many of you know me through NetMail conversations
concerning your membership and others through SnailMail with
renewal letters , Certificates of Membership and the IFNANet.PVT
list. I thoroughly enjoy the work I perform.
However, I am not just a good "paperwork" person. I believe that
IFNA has a goal, a goal to bring the knowledge of FIdoNet
Technology to the common masses. Yes, this may sound idealistic,
it may sound completely irrelevant (or irreverent) to most
Sysops, but the day is at hand that our "world for Sysops" is
waning. Telecommunications and FidoNet are become more
accessible by the "non-techie" persons. I see IFNA separating
itself completely from the Net Political Scene and becoming a
Public Relations/United Nets Organization geared to promoting
(Fido)Net Technology (ie:FidoNet, AlterNet, EggNet, FleetNet,
RRNet, This Net and that) to the public. Additionally, I feel
that IFNA would best serve all Nets by being the liaison between
Nets. Assist each entity in obtaining Gateway Agreements and the
like. Help all Network entities in finding a point of common
agreement to continue the spread of knowledge through our
technology. Again, these are my ideas for IFNA, to assist and
help, not control or politicize our world. All of this can be
FidoNews 6-30 Page 23 24 Jul 1989
accomplished, and is being accomplished slowly, but surely. One
last note, my personal qualifications in the world follow:
Member FidoNet 1:147/10 and 1:147/30 South Community Hospital
HAL-9000
Member AlterNet 7:770/2023 and 7:770/0 House Dawyck
Member FleetNet 23:2412/9000 StarFleet Ranger HQ
Member RRNet 23:2450/1979 USS Devonshire
Member Usenet kveitch@metnet.FIDONET.ORG
Member IFNAnet 25:25/0 IFNA Membership Database
Member of Data Processing Management Association
Member Board of Directors Data Processing Management Assoc. OKC
Publisher of Global Village News - Local Net 147 Information Rag
================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-30 Page 24 24 Jul 1989
OFFICERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
Mort Sternheim 1:321/109 Chairman of the Board
Bob Rudolph 1:261/628 President
Matt Whelan 3:3/1 Vice President
Bill Bolton 3:711/403 Vice President-Technical Coordinator
Linda Grennan 1:147/1 Secretary
Kris Veitch 1:147/30 Treasurer
IFNA COMMITTEE AND BOARD CHAIRS
Administration and Finance Mark Grennan 1:147/1
Board of Directors Mort Sternheim 1:321/109
Bylaws Don Daniels 1:107/210
Ethics Vic Hill 1:147/4
Executive Committee Bob Rudolph 1:261/628
International Affairs Rob Gonsalves 2:500/1
Membership Services David Drexler 1:147/47
Nominations & Elections David Melnick 1:107/233
Public Affairs David Drexler 1:147/47
Publications Rick Siegel 1:107/27
Security & Individual Rights Jim Cannell 1:143/21
Technical Standards Rick Moore 1:115/333
IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DIVISION AT-LARGE
10 Courtney Harris 1:102/732 Don Daniels 1:107/210
11 Bill Allbritten 1:11/301 Mort Sternheim 1:321/109
12 Bill Bolton 3:711/403 Mark Grennan 1:147/1
13 Irene Henderson 1:107/9 (vacant)
14 Ken Kaplan 1:100/22 Ted Polczyinski 1:154/5
15 Scott Miller 1:128/12 Matt Whelan 3:3/1
16 Ivan Schaffel 1:141/390 Robert Rudolph 1:261/628
17 Neal Curtin 1:343/1 Steve Jordan 1:206/2871
18 Andrew Adler 1:135/47 Kris Veitch 1:147/30
19 David Drexler 1:147/47 (vacant)
2 Henk Wevers 2:500/1 David Melnik 1:107/233
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-30 Page 25 24 Jul 1989
__
The World's First / \
BBS Network /|oo \
* FidoNet * (_| /_)
FidoCon '89 in San Jose, California _`@/_ \ _
at The Holiday Inn Park Plaza | | \ \\
August 24-27, 1989 | (*) | \ ))
______ |__U__| / \//
/ Fido \ _//|| _\ /
(________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm)
R E G I S T R A T I O N F O R M
Name: _______________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________
City: _______________________ State: ____ Zip: ______________
Country: ____________________________________________________
Phone Numbers:
Day: ________________________________________________________
Evening: ____________________________________________________
Data: _______________________________________________________
Zone:Net/
Node.Point: ___________________________________________________
Your BBS Name: ________________________________________________
BBS Software: _____________________ Mailer: ___________________
Modem Brand: _____________________ Speed: ____________________
At what hotel will you be staying: ____________________________
Do you want an in room point? (Holiday Inn only) ______________
Are you a Sysop? _____________
Are you an IFNA Member? ______
FidoNews 6-30 Page 26 24 Jul 1989
Additional Guests: __________
(not attending conferences)
Do you have any special requirements? (Sign Language translation,
handicapped, etc.)
______________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Costs How Many? Cost
--------------------------- -------- -------
Conference fee $60 .................... ________ _______
($75.00 after July 15)
Friday Banquet $30.00 ................ ________ _______
======== =======
Totals ................................ ________ _______
You may pay by Check, Money Order, or Credit Card. Please send
no cash. All monies must be in U.S. Funds. Checks should be
made out to: "FidoCon '89"
This form should be completed and mailed to:
Silicon Valley FidoCon '89
PO Box 390770
Mountain View, CA 94039
You may register by Netmailing this completed form to 1:1/89 for
processing. Rename it to ZNNNXXXX.REG where Z is your Zone
number, N is your Net number, and X is your Node number. US Mail
confirmation is required within 72 hours to confirm your
registration.
If you are paying by credit card, please include the following
information. For your own security, do not route any message
with your credit card number on it. Crash it directly to 1:1/89.
FidoNews 6-30 Page 27 24 Jul 1989
Master Card _______ Visa ________
Credit Card Number _____________________________________________
Expiration Date ________________________________________________
Signature ______________________________________________________
No credit card registrations will be accepted without a valid
signature.
Rooms at the Holiday Inn may be reserved by calling the Hotel at
408-998-0400, and mentioning that you are with FidoCon. Rooms
are $60.00 per night double occupancy. Additional rollaways are
available for $10.00 per night. To obtain these rates you must
register before July 15.
The official FidoCon '89 airline is American Airlines. You can
receive either a 5% reduction in supersaver fares or a 40%
reduction in the regular day coach fare. San Jose is an American
Airlines hub with direct flights to most major cities. When
making reservations, you must call American's reservation number,
800-433-1790, and reference Star number S0289VM.
The official FidoCon '89 automobile rental agency is Alamo Rent a
Car. Rates are as described below. All rates include automatic
transmission, air conditioning, radio, and unlimited mileage.
Economy car (example: Geo Metro) $32 day/$109 week.
Compact car (example: Chevy Cavalier) $34 day/$120 week.
Midsize car (example: Pontiac Grand Am) $36 day/$135 week.
Standard car (example: Buick Regal) $38 day/$165 week.
Luxury car (example: Buick LeSabre) $40 day/$239 week.
To take advantage of this rate, call Alamo at 1-800-327-9633 and
request the convention rate. Mention FidoCon '89, the location
and dates.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-30 Page 28 24 Jul 1989
__
The World's First / \
BBS Network /|oo \
* FidoNet * (_| /_)
_`@/_ \ _
| | \ \\
| (*) | \ ))
______ |__U__| / \//
/ Fido \ _//|| _\ /
(________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm)
Membership for the International FidoNet Association
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
pays a specified annual membership fee. IFNA serves the
international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to
increase worldwide communications.
Member Name _______________________________ Date _______________
Address _________________________________________________________
City ____________________________________________________________
State ________________________________ Zip _____________________
Country _________________________________________________________
Home Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
Work Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
Zone:Net/Node Number ____________________________________________
BBS Name ________________________________________________________
BBS Phone Number ________________________________________________
Baud Rates Supported ____________________________________________
Board Restrictions ______________________________________________
Your Special Interests __________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
In what areas would you be willing to help in FidoNet? __________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Send this membership form and a check or money order for $25 in
US Funds to:
International FidoNet Association
PO 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
and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted by the
membership in January 1987. The second elected Board of Directors
was filled in August 1988. The IFNA Echomail Conference has been
established on FidoNet to assist the Board. We welcome your
input to this Conference.
FidoNews 6-30 Page 29 24 Jul 1989
-----------------------------------------------------------------
--
...sun!hoptoad!\ Tim Pozar
>fidogate!pozar Fido: 1:125/406
...lll-winken!/ PaBell: (415) 788-3904
USNail: KKSF / 77 Maiden Lane / San Francisco CA 94108