pozar@hoptoad.uucp (Tim Pozar) (06/01/89)
Volume 6, Number 22 29 May 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
2. ARTICLES ................................................. 2
"The Falcon's Rock" Starts DCJOBS Echo Conference ........ 2
EuroconIII - A Preliminary Report ........................ 4
The Lost FidoNet Archives - Volume 1 ..................... 6
International FidoNet Convention 1989 is ALIVE!! ......... 12
FidoCon '89 Registration form ............................ 15
A Damyankees Ramblings ................................... 18
Formal Objection to Policy4 Ratification Method .......... 21
JOBS_BBS: An employment issues BBS ....................... 22
3. COLUMNS .................................................. 24
And more!
FidoNews 6-22 Page 1 29 May 1989
=================================================================
EDITORIAL
=================================================================
Hello again. Glad to see you're still here. I appreciate your
loyalty.
This week, I'm starting a series of articles entitled "The Lost
FidoNet Archives". Using materials sent me by Ken Kaplan, Harry
Lee, and a few other FidoNet "old-timers", we have been able to
put together some stuff that everyone should read at least once.
Of course, many of you might have seen it before, but, you know,
just reading some of these things again reminds me of something
I've been missing lately.
That something is: what is GOOD about FidoNet. We've all been
hearing from various people about what's BAD about FidoNet.
Well, if it's so damned bad, why are we all still here, many of
us at great personal expense? Think about it. Maybe a few of
you could write something, expressing YOUR opinion on the issue.
I'll sure as hell print it!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the materials I have found. If anyone
out there has anything else they think is worth printing in this
series, feel free to send it along.
Cheers,
Vince
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FidoNews 6-22 Page 2 29 May 1989
=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================
"THE FALCON'S ROCK STARTS 'DCJOBS' ECHO CONFERENCE"
George Falcon, SysOp of "The Falcon's Rock" (Opus 1:109/501)
is starting an echo conference called "DCJOBS".
The mission of the echo conference will be to expedite the
job search process for individuals, and to serve as a resource
for personnel managers and human resource departments. It is
the intent of the echo conference that the emphasis in the echo
conference will be on the participation of principals in the
hiring process. While those who rework resumes and guide job-
seekers in improving their image serve a valuable function, I'd
like to see this conference benefit from the active
participation of jobseekers and those in a position to hire them
directly.
Access to the echo conference is not restricted to any fixed
geographical area, or to any specific class of users or SysOps.
There is no restriction on the type of jobs being sought or
offered... pyramid schemes and "unlimited income potential"
jobs are a waste of everyone's time.
Those SysOps interested in participating in the new echo will
have to poll 109/501 for it.
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FidoNews 6-22 Page 3 29 May 1989
Michael Hughes
BIZNET BBS System, 1:307/1
(719) 544-2432
Pueblo, CO
The Entreprenuer Echo
The Entreprenuer echo, ENTREPRENUER, is a backbone echo that
has been created in response to a need of new business people
to be informed on start-up business assistance provided by a
myriad of sources. With the business failure rate somewhere
between 80 to 90 percent of new business ventures ENTREPRENUER
will address the need to put people together with common
questions and experience to help guide a new business individual
to a well informed decision.
Any topics dealing with new & newer business efforts can be dealt
with. Business plans, presentations, research resources and
support in promotional ideas and advertising.
If you are starting or thinking of starting a business... you
will find ENTREPRENUER the place to get information from people
that have "been there".
If you would like to carry this echo please contact your NEC, REC
or BIZNET BBS System, 1:307/1.
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FidoNews 6-22 Page 4 29 May 1989
EuroconIII - A Preliminary Report
Personal impressions by Henk Wevers, former ZC2
(official reports will follow)
This past weekend, Zone Two had its third FidoNet Conference,
called EuroconIII in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. During the
conference, a lot of subjects were discussed, problems were
solved and directions for the next year were set. Below are a
few of the more important subjects, seen from my personal point
of view. There will be official reports of the meeting in a
week. I'm sure they will be published in FidoNews.
1. Resignation of the ZC2, Henk Wevers
One year ago at EuroconII, I announced that I would resign at
the next conference. Candidates were sought and were found, but
at EuroconIII we had only one serious candidate left, Ron Dwight
from Finland. Ron was strongly supported by a popular ballot
taken of the attendees of the 1989 EuroconIII.
2. Directions for European FidoNet Organisation set
It has been decided that there will be a European FidoNet
organisation. The goals of this organisation are limited and
will be (among a few others I don't remember now)
- Funding of the ZC2 so far as is possible
- Acting as an external affairs comittee for FidoNet Europe,
by helping with public relations and contacts with other
organisations and goverments, eg. PTTs, EC, etc.
- Holding the copyright for the Z2 portion of the FidoNet
nodelist
- It has been stated clearly that the organisation is for
supporting what is now called FidoNet in Zone 2.
It is very clear that the above organisation will not interfere
with the daily operation of FidoNet. How and when a system is
allowed into the net, working routine, complaints etc. will
still be set by a policy. Currently Europe is running under
Policy-4E (and has been for over a year).
3. Policy changes agreed
It has been agreed that the way the *C's are choosen will be by
democratic means (bottom up up to the ZC level).
The current Policy-4 proposal has been voted down unanimously.
Attendees will organize the nay voting of their region. A new
proposal with above changes will see light and done by the new
ZC, who estimates a month, maybe two.
4. Mandatory fee for a net being in the nodelist
In order to fund the European FidoNet organisation to make sure
that the operation of the ZC and the costs of public relations
FidoNews 6-22 Page 5 29 May 1989
and contacts with organisations and goverments can be financed
it was agreed that there will be a mandatory fee for a net to be
in the nodelist. The fee was set at 4 ECU multiplied by the
number of individual nodes in the net. How a net raises their
contribution is their affair. Regions collect the money from
independend nodes. There will be a yearly check on this and a
net not fulfilling this requirement will be put on hold in the
nodelist by the ZC2.
5. Steering comittee formed
A steering committee has been formed to found the European
FidoNet organisation. The BOD of such an organisation will be
between 3 and 5 members. The BOD is appointed by a voting
comittee that has a member of each region (country). How a
region (country) chooses their member of the voting committee is
their business, but it should be done in a democratic way (what
normally is regarded as democratic in their region, in any case,
bottom up).
6. International scope expressed clearly
From above it is clear that the European sysops are seeking a
different way to handle FidoNet than the sysops in zone 1 (we
are not sure about zone 3 and 4). The attendees expressed their
intent to be part of the international FidoNet community, and
hope that these differences will not lead to splits or other
problems. They think that all parties can live with the
decisions made so far and that the attempt to organise the net
in the described way should get a fair chance.
7. Pleasant Conference
The conference has been a pleasant way to meet other sysops of
Europe and the USA. You can imagine that it is difficult to
come to an agreement as described in the above paragraphs. But
all attendees have been very helpfull and were always seeking
ways to overcome differences in opinion. From above you can see
that they succeeded. And yes, besides heavy stuff like the
above, long discussions and very warm meetings, we also had
technical discussions, a lot of beer, loooong dinners (phew!),
floppy disk throwing contests, hard disk throwing contests,
visits to the Evoluon and a lot more fun. Be sure to be there
next year!
Henk Wevers, Former ZC2 (Hey, I'm off the hook!)
[ with very mild editing by 1:105/6 ]
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FidoNews 6-22 Page 6 29 May 1989
THE LOST FIDONET ARCHIVES
VOLUME ONE
Compiled by various members of FidoNet
Edited by Vince Perriello
This is the first article in a series which reprints documents of
historical significance to FidoNet. This week we feature Tom
Jennings' original description of FidoNet, which was first made
available to Fido Sysops in the form of a file called
FIDONET.DOC, in April 1984 (the date on the file I have is May
26, 1984).
Please note that most if not all of the FidoNet addresses, data
line phone numbers, and company names and/or addresses mentioned
in this or any of the other articles in this series are not to
be considered reliable for current use in locating something or
someone mentioned here. Refer to the current nodelist if you
want to try to find any of the above.
The original text of the file (with minor reformatting) follows:
Tom Jennings
30 Apr 84
Fido #1: (415)-864-1418
Some preliminary ideas for the FidoNet. (If you haven't heard,
FidoNet is an intersystem message forwarding system mostly for
Fidos, but could be used for others as well.)
Please, don't worry about all the seeming complexity here. Most
will go away. I have just typed everything I could think of all
at once, and not all is applicable. (Besides, you're (probably)
not gonna code it.)
There are some points that need ideas: mainly, how to pay for
it, how it will appear to callers trying to send mail, and any
mysterious operational type problems you see. Like most of Fido,
I imagine this too will be built with 90% suggestions.
If you have any ideas on this proposed system, please leave me a
note on Fido #1 at the above number. Thanks.
O P E R A T I O N
From a callers point of view, the system will have one additional
feature when entering a message. One way or another the caller
tells Fido which system the message is to be sent to. This could
consist of a prompt (System A, B, ...) or some such thing. (Any
ideas?)
In any case, mail will only work from a MAIL subdirectory.
Messages left here will be like all other messages; readable or
not, depending on the privacy, etc. Replies can be left, etc,
FidoNews 6-22 Page 7 29 May 1989
which get mailed in the same way.
It may be desirable to search this area for each user after
signon, the same way message searching works now. If old
messages don't pile up like in other areas, this should be nice
and fast.
There will not be any automatic confirmation of received
messages. It will be up to the user to do so, by mailing a
message stating that is was received. Maybe it will be possible
to confirm, by reading the RECV'D flag from the message, but that
won't go into the first one.
In the MAIL area, the usual message search ("Messages to you"
etc) should be adequate, if mail traffic is less than or the same
as the current message traffic.
I M P L E M E N T A T I O N
The only change to Fido will be a new command line parameter:
<number>/Y
<number>/W
/Y Is the hour of the day to start doing mail as opposed to
normal BBS stuff. /W is the window width, in minutes, to do mail
in. For example, 0200/Y 90/W says do mail from 2:00AM, for up to
90 minutes, i.e. until 3:30AM. During this time, Fido will not
accept any normal callers. Also, outside these times, Fido will
not accept mail. If no switch is present, or the window is set
too small (TBD) then it will not send or receive mail, like it
does now.
Neither will it bump someone off if they happen to call just
before the appointed time. However, as soon as they logoff, it
will start handling mail if it's supposed to.
The mailer (the program that actually sends and receives mail) is
a seperate program. It is run from the batch file (RUNBBS.BAT)
right after Fido.EXE. This works like Control-C and errors do;
via ERRORLEVEL. For instance, the batch file might look like:
FIDO ... 0200/Y 90/W
IF ERRORLEVEL 4 GOTO MAIL
IF ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO END
RUNBBS
MAIL:
MAILER 0200/Y 90/W
RUNBBS
END:
Like current Fidos, ERRORLEVEL is 0 if normal termination (caller
hung up, etc) 1 if Control-C or stack overflow, 2 if disk file
error (disk full, missing files, etc) or 4, the new level for:
"Time to do Mail".
FidoNews 6-22 Page 8 29 May 1989
If it's time to do mail, Fido exits with ERRORLEVEL 4. If 4 or
higher, it runs MAILER, which then runs RUNBBS.BAT which starts
it all over again. Otherwise, if 1 (or higher) it is an error,
it goes to the end and stops.
When run, the mailer sits and waits for phone calls, or if
instructed to do so, (command line switches or a command file,
whatever) makes calls. If a human type caller calls, they will
get a message to the effect "Waiting for mail, please call back
after <xxx>", where <xxx> is the end of the window to wait for
mail, and hang up on them. (The /W and /Y switches will be
duplicated in the mailer, for reasons I'll not bother with now.)
C O S T
First, it is very important that we figure out what it would
cost. This is the second most important part. The cheaper it
is, the more likely FidoNet can be made operable. However, no
matter how cheap it is, if an ingenous way of paying for it
doesn't exist, then it all falls flat.
Right now, late night long distance (coast to coast) toll charges
are about $13.00 per hour. ATT is proposing, as part of some
other boring issue, lowering this to $10.00 per hour. This is
quite cheap; a lot of messages can be sent in an hour.
I hereby declare the mail size unit to be the Cubit:
1 Cubit == 80 characters * (1200 / baud rate)
A cubit of mail sent at 300 baud will cost 4 times as much as one
sent at 1200. When 4800 baud modems become available, the price
per cubit will drop.
Unlike commercial mail systems that are out for profit, FidoNet's
mail unit, the Cubit, is small enough to account for very small
messages, but large enough not to be too small to account for.
There are 12.8 cubits in a K byte.
An error checking transfer protocol is needed; XMODEM will not
be used, as transfer times routinely double with long phone
lines. (Dont want to pay for that.) More on that later.
As an example, say we want to send a small (five lines, 64
characters per line) message from Los Angeles to New York. Each
message has a header (to, from, date, etc) that consumes about 80
characters. Assume also that the transfer rate is 1200 baud, and
also that the transmission method has a 10% overhead.
Msg size: 4. Cubits
Message Overhead: 1. Cubit
Message Size: 5. Cubits
Message Size: 400. Characters
Cost Per Hour: 13.00 Dollars
Chars/Second: 120.0 (10 bits/char)
FidoNews 6-22 Page 9 29 May 1989
Cubits/Second: 1.3636.. (120sec / (cubit * 1.10))
Cubits/Hour: 4,909. (3600 sec * cubits/sec)
Cost/Cubit: 0.2648 Cents ($13.00/cubits/hr)
Sample Msg Cost: 1.324 Cents
Yes ... its cheap. Remember, this is pure cost, no hardware
maintenaince overhead, no payroll, no profit, etc. Delivery
time, nor even delivery, is garenteed. The above does NOT
include any connect/disconnect or disk access overhead. However,
it also does not count any savings from text compression, which
could save 10% to 40% maximum. Probably more like 20% maximum in
the real world.
P A Y I N G F O R A L L T H I S
This is the most serious problem. The technical part is easy!
Also, BBS's in general are run more like little fiefdoms than
businesses, in the sense the are usually operated privately, and
almost never pay for themselves, never mind make money! If
FidoNet takes inordinate amounts of effort on the part of the
sysop, it'll probably fold up due to that also.
There are a couple of ways this can be paid for, but none are
really any good for typical free systems. (Note that receiving
(accepting) mail costs nothing. FidoNet might be able to operate
well with only a few well placed "benefactors", and work
acceptably well with only local "paying" nodes, if mail is
limited to say, an area code.)
IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS AT ALL ON THIS SUBJECT PLEASE LET ME
KNOW!!!!!! THIS WILL MAKE OR BREAK THE FIDONET IDEA!!!!
In any case, some sort of accounting will have to be done.
Except for very rare cases, mail will have to be paid for. The
mailer will be able to account for each messages cost, length of
transmission, etc. There must be a method for limiting mail sent
by a specific user, and a "sysop" type feature for relatively
unlimited, or at least differently limited, mail. The
information associated with a peice of mail will have to be
worked out in detail later, and while not too complex (any
complexity can be put upon the mailer) it must be adequate for
future expansion.
Presumably, not everyone will be allowed to forward mail
indescriminately. That would be awful nice, but unfortunately
not practical. There may be exceptions: for instance, for a
club-run system, you might want to let any user send a fixed
amount of mail over a fixed period of time, say, a month. If it
was a dues paying club, a number could be worked out that would
accomodate this. Anything beyond that amount would have to be
accounted for by some other method.
IDEA #1
FidoNews 6-22 Page 10 29 May 1989
Club-run systems. Basically, covered above.
IDEA #2
Private, pay-ahead system. While this is very workable, it means
even more work for the sysop, and probably some legal liability,
like running a business, unless the proper rigamarole wording is
used, i.e. "donations" not "charges".
No one will be able to send mail unless they mail some amount of
money to the sysop. The amount donated is kept in a list
maintained by the mailer, who subtracts the cost of the message
from the balance. Usual warnings if not enough, etc, and
probably a warning when it reaches some threshold.
T H E N E T W O R K
Might as well be trendy and use some network terminology here.
Some of it's even handy.
The topography of FidoNet is in keeping with bulletin board
philosophy; totally random and as little organization as
possible. Also, there is no control over the location of the
various message nodes (mail send/receive systems).
My first thought was to pass mail over as short a distance as
possible; however, this is a waste of time, as late night long
distance calls are charged on a per hour basis, and in any case
the more transfers the higher likelyhood of messages getting
lost.
Message delivery time, if all is well, should be overnight. If a
system goes down, delays will be in increments of 24 hours.
There should also probably be a "broadcast" type message, that
stops at each node. Also, there really isn't anything stopping
binary files from being mailed; they are not included here
mainly because costs will skyrocket, but it would be a nice way
to do Fido updates, etc.
So, my current idea (any other ideas at all welcome!) is:
Each sender has a list of systems it can forward to. This can be
used to limit forwarding to non-toll call areas if desired.
Also, this same list can be used to send mail destined for one
system, to be sent to a different system, for further forwarding.
This allows cheapskates to let someone else make the toll calls.
(If they in turn let it go) Also, it lets a well funded system
forward mail for other systems.
If there are messages destined for five different systems, there
will be five calls made (unless the abovementioned forwarding is
done). This "nodeless" system is then relatively insensitive to
down machines, etc, such that only mail for the down system will
FidoNews 6-22 Page 11 29 May 1989
not be sent.
If the net gets tied up (everyone calling everone else, for
instance, though I think thats unlikely!) then some message
forwarding can be done to lessen the traffic load between busy
systems.
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FidoNews 6-22 Page 12 29 May 1989
International FidoNet Convention 1989 is ALIVE!!
By: Les Kooyman
Planning Committee Co-Chairperson
1:204/501
This article was prepared from an earlier article written by Todd
Looney, which was not published. Thanks from all of us, Todd.
The Annual FidoNet Convention will be held in beautiful San
Jose, California this year, from August 24 though the 27th,
1989. You will be delighted with the location as San Jose is
located at the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay in
Northern California. San Jose has spent nearly a decade of
reconstruction and new building. San Jose is new, sparkling
and alive! The area that was once the sleepy village of Pueblo
de San Jose in the days of the Spanish Missions along the El
Camino Real, has become a prominent financial and cultural center
renowned throughout the world.
Downtown has become cosmopolitan, but on an intimate scale. The
Holiday Inn Park Plaza Hotel, which is situated in the center of
the financial and cultural area of downtown, will be this
years convention site. It is directly adjacent to the San Jose
Museum of Art, the new San Jose Convention Center, and the San
Jose Center for Performing Arts. San Jose's shops, ethnic
restaurants and remnants of it's colorful past are woven in
amongst the gleaming new high-rises. Parks and quiet cafes give
tranquil counterpart to the urban bustle. The broad sidewalks
are lined with trees and flowers. Parking is easy to find and
public transportation virtually eliminates the need to rent a
car; available to all corners of the Silicon Valley from right
outside the Holiday Inn where you will be staying.
There is so much diversity within a few blocks walking
distance: new centers of industry and finance, museums,
restaurants offering fare from over a dozen countries, boutiques
that sell world-class goods, and Chinese, Hispanic, Japanese, and
Vietnamese neighborhoods.
Downtown is busy virtually around the clock. After the
shoppers and office workers leave for the day, the theaters,
cinema's, nightclubs, and supper clubs come alive. Broadway
shows, opera, symphony, jazz, ballroom, and disco dancing, stand-
up comedian nightclubs and Spanish language cinema's offer
entertainment for every taste. Streets and parks are brightly
lit, and lots of shops, restaurants, and coffee houses are open
late into the night.
Most of all, San Jose is a place for people. San Jose is located
one hours drive away from San Francisco on the Bay with it's
Golden Gate and rolling hills. Carmel and Monterey are just an
hour and a half away along the rolling Pacific coastline
across the redwood and pine forests of the Santa Cruz
mountains. Santa Cruz itself is a scenic thirty minute drive
from your hotel room.
FidoNews 6-22 Page 13 29 May 1989
When you register in advance you will receive a packet
containing all kinds of information about the California
San Francisco Bay area you will find useful in planning
your vacation around FidoCon. You will receive details ranging
from nearby restaurants and shops, to discounts on
surrounding amusements including the world famous Great America
Theme Park located 15 minutes from Downtown San Jose in Santa
Clara, California.
This years convention will feature many events designed to be
entertaining as well as informative. Registration night is
Thursday, August 24, 1989, and there will be a reception that
evening where you can meet with all those people you have come
to know through the EchoMail conferences, as well as
re-establish old ties with friends you met at previous FidoCon
conventions.
Friday and Saturday offer two full days of seminars and
workshops. There will be four main sessions per day; two in
the morning, followed by a break, and then two in the afternoon.
There's also room to hold informal sessions for special interest
groups, for example, Macintosh BBS sysops. Contact Les Kooyman at
1:204/501 to add or suggest additions to the program. Watch for
updates about program scheduling and content here in FidoNews.
Representatives from companies such as US Robotics (just to name
one) will be available to answer your questions and demonstrate
their latest line of well known products.
Friday night's Banquet promises to be a feast, and you will hear
from a well known keynote speaker whose identity we will not
reveal until later, just to keep you guessing.
IFNA will hold a General Assembly meeting as well as its
usual meeting of the Board of Directors.
We plan to have an intra-hotel Point Net set up for those of you
who want to bring your laptops and modems. If you want to
be included in the hotel nodelist, make sure to indicate this on
the registration form before you send it in. We'll give
you more information on this as we draw closer to the convention
date.
We have a block of 150 rooms set aside just for those of you who
will be attending this years convention. The room rates at the
Holiday Inn Park Plaza, located at 282 Almaden Boulevard, San
Jose, California 95113, just 10 minutes from the San Jose
International Airport, are specially discounted to $60.00 for
conventioneers, just use any one of the following magic words
when you call the Holiday Inn at 1-408-998-0400 to make your
reservations: FIDOCON, IFNA, FIDONET. Be sure to tell them you
want the special rate or they'll charge you anywhere from $80.00
to $120.00 for your room. The $60.00 discount rate is firm, and
you can make arrangements for a rollaway bed if you want to bunk
up three to a room and split the costs.
FidoNews 6-22 Page 14 29 May 1989
Public transportation is adequate to get you where you want
to go without having to worry about getting killed by us crazy
California drivers (the minimum speed limit for native
Californians is Warp 7).
We have an agreement with American Airlines as well, see
the information in the registration form at the end of this
article. In addition, registrations made before July 15 will be
eligible for a drawing American is holding to give away a trip to
Hawaii. Be sure to call the listed 800 number ONLY to make
reservations (or have your travel agent call it).
To register for FidoCon '89, see the "FidoCon 89 Registration
Form" at the end of this article, which includes registration
details.
You can obtain up to the minute news by contacting the official
FidoCon 89 node number 1:1/89 as well as on-line registration
(see details in registration form below). You can also get the
FIDOCON echo conference. This conference is available through the
backbone, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding it. In it you
can not only get information, but you can also get your questions
answered, as well as communicate with the FidoCon committee
(program suggestions, leads for speakers, etc.).
The members of the FidoCon committee are:
Jim Cannell, 1:143/21 (Facilities, IFNA Liaison)
Diane Farrell Smith, 1:161/7 (Finance, Accounting)
Les Kooyman, 1:204/501 (Facilities, Program)
Sean Ackley, 1:161/450 (Publicity)
Feel free to netmail any of us or contact us through the FIDOCON
echo.
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FidoNews 6-22 Page 15 29 May 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: ____________________
What Hotel will you be Staying at: ____________________________
Do you want an in room point? (Holiday Inn only) ______________
Are you a Sysop? _____________
Are you an IFNA Member? ______
Additional Guests: __________
(not attending conferences)
FidoNews 6-22 Page 16 29 May 1989
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.
Master Card _______ Visa ________ American Express ______
Credit Card Number _____________________________________________
Expiration Date ________________________________________________
Signature ______________________________________________________
FidoNews 6-22 Page 17 29 May 1989
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-22 Page 18 29 May 1989
Pete White <SysOp>
1:322/360 1:16/0
And ramblings it will be. There's several subjects that need to
be touched on and all are somewhat related. And all pertain to
FidoNet directly. Looking at all that has been taking place is
like trying to install a new BBS package and a new mailer all at
the same time. There's lots of information on each individual
part but darned little to tell you how it's all meant to go
together.
As a quick introduction, "Pete White <SysOp>" has been active in
FidoNet for maybe three years. In that three years I've been in
and out of IFNA, I've been the Net Coordinator of Net322, I've
been (and still am) the Regional Coordinator of Region 16 and
I've had enough time to learn quite a bit about FidoNet and the
forces that drive it and make it work. I'm also the moderator of
the Gaming echo conference and active in TBBS-Net, the Software
Distribution Network (SDN), the Software Distribution System
(SDS) and the TBBS Distribution Network (TDN). In other words,
I'm obviously certifiable! But no where near as badly as some
others out there.
I see some interesting things in the echo conferences and when
reading FidoNews. I see attacks on those who are spending their
time and money trying to feed the `echo-holics'. I see attacks
on the *C structure for much of what they do, or don't do. I see
a lot of commentary by folks who are obviously so biased and
upset they ought to be collecting stamps or seeking an inner
light. But I also see a system that works. Needs a bit of
improvement, no doubt, but it works.
What I don't see are answers to some of the basic questions I've
asked since day one, that first day I unknowingly got a mailer to
work! When I see all the messages about "power plays" and "the
coordinators have all the power" I really get confused. Will
someone out there tell me POWER over what? Is there a monetary
benefit here that I'm missing that makes POWER profitable? If I
have the POWER can I make my echo feeds send me the echos instead
of me paying to go after them? I somewhat doubt that! Actually,
it looks very much like those who are blamed for wanting POWER
are those who are doing all the work.
How about those who are screaming for democracy? Have any of
them every watched "democracy at work" within FidoNet? You
really ought to try it. Watching democracy at work when there
was an ECHOPOL conference was enough to sell me on anything but.
All I saw there was a few who were interested in only themselves
and spent most of their time practicing in the age old FidoNet
tradition of "the beating of dead horses" while a few others
tried to get some intelligence from the proceedings. Those who
scream loudly for "democracy" have absolutely NO idea what they
are asking for.
And those who feel the *C team could do better? Sure, there's no
FidoNews 6-22 Page 19 29 May 1989
doubt it can do better, and if it weren't for people it would be
perfect. You do know the members of the *C team are people,
don't you? And many of them are doing a darned good job. I
don't know every member of the *C team but if those running the
nets all over the world are anywhere near as good as those here
in New England we have little to worry about! The ones who make
me worry are those who want "democracy". Some of those very same
people want to be able to run their own nets with their own
policy! Imagine it, hundreds of nets all over the place - each
with it's very own policy. Why, with any work at all we could
probably confuse everyone as well as the federal, state and
municipal laws have! The strange thing is we have many nets out
there doing just that, and everyone is happy! They never
demanded the "right" to do it, they all agreed within themselves
it was the right way to go and they went with it. Makes me
wonder about those who are screaming for the same "rights" that
others have had for years. Sure must be something wrong
somewhere. Whatever it is, there's a LOT of people out there who
are doing a LOT of work - and the pay is pretty slim. Sure,
there's a few who are difficult to get along with and a few who
shouldn't be involved as they do more damage than good. Guess
that's because they are people. But if you have a problem with a
"people", try to use the system to rectify the problem before you
decide that the system is wrong.
We have a new POLICY out for vote right now. Every NC is
supposed to be discussing it with the all the nodes in the net
before voting and the vote is supposed to reflect the wishes of
the majority. There's a couple of points in this document that
set my hair on end, every time I think of them, but once we have
a document in place that CAN be changed we can start working at
making changes. That's a LOT more leeway than Congress gives all
you `voters'! And if your NC is NOT discussing it with you then
send a message to your RC and/or the IC and make it KNOWN. Don't
sit in an echo and cry, hoping someone will see and understand.
It doesn't work that way.
And, of course, we have all the commentary on FidoNews. Again,
those who make the most noise don't seem to know they are dealing
with people. They yell "RIGHTS", when they have NO consideration
for any ones "rights" but their own. Have you read anywhere
about how the *C team has been handling FidoNews at their own
expense for years? Are you aware that the role of the *C team is
to make FidoNews available, and NOT to deliver it? I'm one of
those who has decided NOT to deliver FidoNews any longer. As
every NC in New England is a long distance call for me it was my
decision, based on the fact the readership is so low it was no
longer worth the expense of sending it out on my nickel every
week. Want to guess how many complaints were received? I think
maybe one, but the way it was worded it's possible it wasn't
really a complaint. Regardless, I received exactly ONE message
about it. What don't I like about FidoNews? The list is
lengthy. Probably the biggest concern I have is when "freedoms"
are being considered there is little thought to the fact the IFNA
is an international organization and FidoNews is supposed to
represent the IFNA. Some of the things we discuss in our "free"
FidoNews 6-22 Page 20 29 May 1989
society could get a SysOp in another country dragged from the
keyboard and locked up, and that's in a country where they are
tolerant! But my biggest disappointment is that a vehicle that
could be used to communicate with ALL of FidoNet reaches a
smaller percentage than you might know. Even when it's delivered
it isn't read. Ask around, see how many YOU can find who read
it. Most have given it up. If they want to read about cars,
they buy Road & Track. Someone recently mentioned the articles
here about pets, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with those
articles. Lot's of good info there. But there's hundreds out
there that don't want to read about pets. And where do they ask
for input on the publication? In the very same publication that
many have stopped reading! It appears the question worth asking
is whether FidoNews is truly serving the needs of the 5000+
members of FidoNet or should it be for IFNA members only?
Enough, already! All I can recommend is that when reading ANY
commentary, including this, it's best to remember that the ones
doing all the complaining are representative of less than 5% of
the members of FidoNet. The *C structure is responsible to 100%
of the net. Look at what FidoNet is. Simply amazing that it
works at all! And what makes it work? The very same people who
are doing everything wrong. And you wonder why I'm confused?
These ramblings are my own and I am in no way speaking for the
rest of the *C team. They're quite capable of speaking for
themselves. If anyone would care to discuss anything said,
please send net mail to me at 16/0, be happy to learn all I can.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-22 Page 21 29 May 1989
Date: 15 May 89 10:04:16
From: Randy Bush of 105/6
To: David Dodell 1/0
Subj: Formal Objection to Proposed Method of Policy-4
Ratification
David,
I hereby file a formal objection to and complaint about the
method by which you, the IC/ZC and the RCs, are attempting to
put a new FidoNet policy, Policy-4, in place.
You have unilaterally declared that it will be ratified by a
procedure described for the first time within the document
itself, and not by the procedure(s) in place now, before the
document is accepted.
Policies 1 through 3 were adopted by a consensus of the net as a
whole, and P3 was subsequently (though irrevelantly, IMHO)
ratified by IFNA. At the time Policy-3 was adopted, it was
assumed that time would require new policy, and the the new
policy would be adopted by means similar to that of Policies
1-3.
If and only if Policy-4 is accepted, then the procedure outlined
in Policy-4 is appropriate for adopting a Policy-5 or whatever.
But, there is absolutely no grounds under current FidoNet policy
and procedures for Policy-4 to be adopted by just the *Cs.
I formally object, and deny your right to use such procedures,
and deny the validity of any policy purportedly adopted by such
a means.
randy (with apologies for being a stickler as usual)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-22 Page 22 29 May 1989
Ken Zwaschka
1:105/54
JOBS_BBS
The JOBS_BBS is a "speciality" BBS. It focuses on topics
that merge with my personal and professional interests.
Specifically, it is limited to the Employment Profession,
individuals who are looking for an Employer, Employers look-
ing for Employees, Employee/Employer Relations and the pro-
motion and growth of the phenomenon of Electronic Mail. If
you are not a recruiter, an employer, or looking for a new
job, there still may be message areas that are of interest
to you.
If you are looking for a job or have a job to fill, have em-
ployee/employer relations concerns or interests, you are
very welcome and invited to participate.
Ken Zwaschka and Associates is an Executive Recruiting firm
based in Portland, Oregon. We do searches for client compa-
nies throughout the United States. All of our expenses are
paid by those companies. Most (over 95%) of the searches we
perform are for food processing companies. Even within that
industry, our searches tend to be very unique and special-
ized. Unless you are a professional in the food processing
industry, it is unlikely we will be able to place you in a
new position or directly find you employment, but we or
other individuals who visit the JOBS_BBS might be able to
refer you to someone who can help.
I started the JOBS_BBS as an extension of my fast growing
addiction for E-Mail and all of the possibilities it pro-
vides for communication.
The sysop and the other participants in this JOBS_BBS are
interested in helping individuals maximize their employment
potential and are happy to provide any advice or comments to
help. This can include, but is not limited to resume and
interview suggestions, how to find the "right" job for you,
and how to optimize conditions in the job you have now.
Employment oriented files for downloading are limited at
this time but do include the following:
Resume.doc - A sample resume that works
(developed over ten years of recruiting
plus ten years as a hiring manager)
feepaid.txt - A list, with address and owners of
all the employer fee paid search firms
in Oregon. (updated quarterly)
The following Message areas are "local" to the JOBS_BBS:
JOBS-NOW: A "read only" area that lists all job
openings posted in all the other echos the
JOBS_BBS carries. Updated daily, all
FidoNews 6-22 Page 23 29 May 1989
messages deleted after 30 days so most jobs
will still be open. Currently there are
over 150 job openings from all over the
country
RESUMES: A listing of resumes only from all other
echos carried on the JOBS_BBS. Uploads are
allowed. Currently over 100 resumes listed
In addition, we carry PDX.JOBS, Net 105's discussion area
for Employment issues; the National FidoNet JOBS, CONSULT-
ING, and BUSINESS echos, and four excellent job oriented
message areas from USENet.
There is NO CHARGE OF ANY KIND for EMPLOYERS AND CANDIDATES
to use the services of the JOBS_BBS. Because the JOBS_BBS
is operated as a service of a professional search firm, we
do charge a contingent "brokerage" fee to recruiters and em-
ployment agencies that use the JOBS_BBS. Complete details
are posted in the Bulletins when you log on.
Although not really relevant to this article, the sysop of
the JOBS_BBS is a Paradox Database user. The JOBS_BBS also
carries a discussion area called Paradox as part of the ser-
vices of the Portland, Oregon Paradox User's Group. I would
be happy to arrange a echo-link for PARADOX echo, along with
the JOBS_NOW, and RESUME echos to any sysop who is inter-
ested in carrying them. Just send a FidoNet Mail message to
me at 1:105/54.
Ken Zwaschka
Certified Personnel Consultant
Ken Zwaschka & Associates
Executive Recruiters and Business Advisors
618 NW Glisan Street, Suite 407, PO Box 2226
Portland, Oregon 97208-2226
Phone: 503-248-0734 FAX: 503-248-6320
The JOBS_BBS (FidoNode 1:105/54)
503-281-6808, CM, 2400baud
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-22 Page 24 29 May 1989
=================================================================
COLUMNS
=================================================================
The Veterinarian's Corner
Excerpts from the ANIMED GroupMail Conference
by Don Thomson, 1:102/1005
If there was ONE area of preventative care, outside of
vaccination, that I would reccommend to improve the quality of a
pet's life, it would be recommending rountine dental care. By the
age of four years, approximately 60% of all cats, and 40% of
dogs, have significant dental tarter and gingivitis that will
soon cause periodontal disease and gum recession.
Preventative dental care for pets, just like humans, begins at
home. "What? Brush my dog's teeth?!!" The answer is a resounding
"YES!" I don't recommend using toothpaste (except possibly those
that are specifically formulated for pets) but rather use
WHATEVER your pet LIKES! For pets, it is far more important to
mechanically remove the soft plaque and trapped food particles
regularly than it is to use 'the cavity fighter' toothpaste.
Believe it or not, dental caries ("cavities") are much less of a
problem in pets than is the aforementioned periodontal disease.
I recommend twice a week brushings, about 1-2 minutes to briefly
remove what you can. If your dog likes milk, dip the toothbrush
in milk, if it likes chicken broth, use chicken broth. Reward it
after brushing with a small crunchy snack..... You will find that
dogs will soon look forward the attention and the reward! Just
keep the experience as positive as possible and use lots of
praise. Obviously this is most easily done early in training,
than trying to fight with a 12 year old 'set in it's ways', but I
have had clients with enough patience to slowly train their 14
year-old poodle to sit quietly while they raised the cheeks and
lightly brushed the teeth and gums.
Cats are a bit tougher, but they too can be coaxed with kindness
and rewards. I will have to be honest, one of my cats absolutely
refuses even my most patient attempts. I find that she needs
routine dental scaling under a sedative or light anesthesia to
remove the calcified tarter, as I cannot brush the plaque away.
Other simple priciples:
1. Keep meals as dry and crunchy as possible to minimize plaque.
2. Be aware that smaller dogs are much more prone to dental
disease than are large dogs. Make sure that a dental examination
is part of your dogs regular health checkup.
3. Over the years I have changed my beliefs about bones. I have
seen too many cracked teeth and removed too many bones lodged in
the stomach or intestines to reccomend bone and other
FidoNews 6-22 Page 25 29 May 1989
'swallowable' chews. I feel pretty good about recommending a
large Nylon chew bone, or hard crunchy treats. Maybe some day I
too will find problems relating to a swallowed nylon bone.
Regular brushing is FAR more beneficial than these chews, and
much less hazardous.
4. If your pet developes tarter and/or gingivitis, schedule a
routine dental scaling and polishing with your veterinarian.
Veterinarians are making tremendous strides in dental techniques
and oral surgery. There are now even 'specialty practices' only
for dentistry! In our practice we even have the capabilities to
perform root canals.
MOST of the expensive procedures can be circumvented by routine
brushing and diet management at home in combination with
examination and routine tarter removal by a qualified
veterinarian.
DB Thomson, DVM
1:102/1005
9:871/16
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-22 Page 26 29 May 1989
=================================================================
LATEST VERSIONS
=================================================================
Latest Software Versions
Bulletin Board Software
Name Version Name Version Name Version
Fido 12m+* Phoenix 1.3 TBBS 2.1
Lynx 1.30 QuickBBS 2.03 TComm/TCommNet 3.4
Opus 1.03b+ RBBS 17.1D TPBoard 5.2*
+ Netmail capable (does not require additional mailer software)
Network Node List Other
Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
BinkleyTerm 2.20 EditNL 4.00 ARC 6.01
D'Bridge 1.18 MakeNL 2.12 ARCmail 2.0
Dutchie 2.90C ParseList 1.30 ConfMail 4.00
FrontDoor 2.0 Prune 1.40 EMM 1.40
PRENM 1.40 XlatList 2.90 GROUP 2.07
SEAdog 4.50 XlaxDiff 2.32 MSG 3.3*
XlaxNode 2.32 MSGED 1.99
TCOMMail 2.2*
TMail 1.11*
TPBNetEd 3.2*
UFGATE 1.03
XRS 2.2
* 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 6-22 Page 27 29 May 1989
=================================================================
NOTICES
=================================================================
The Interrupt Stack
5 Jun 1989
David Dodell's 32nd Birthday
15 Jul 1989
Start of the SAPMFC&LP (Second Annual Poor Man's FidoCon and
Lake Party) to be held at Silver Lake Park on Grapevine Lake
in Arlington, Texas. This started as an R19-only thing last
year, but we had so much fun, we decided to invite everybody!
We'll have beer, food, beer, waterskiing, beer, horseshoes,
beer, volleyball, and of course beer. It's an overnighter,
so bring your sleeping bag and plan to camp out. Contact one
of the Furriers (Ron Bemis at 1:124/1113 or Dewey Thiessen at
1:130/24) for details and a fantastic ASCII map.
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 6-22 Page 28 29 May 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 1:147/1
Nominations & Elections David Melnick 1:107/233
Public Affairs David Drexler 1:147/1
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 1:147/1 (vacant)
2 Henk Wevers 2:500/1 David Melnik 1:107/233
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 6-22 Page 29 29 May 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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
--
...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