Subj : Question for the nominees
To : Dennis Slagers
From : deon
Date : Fri Feb 28 2025 09:01 am
Re: Question for the nominees
By: Dennis Slagers to ALL on Thu Feb 27 2025 09:33 am
Hey Dennis
The responsibility of the FTSC, which has also been shared here, is to "who document technical practice in FidoNet" (as per the ftsc.org website).
Further according to FTA-1000:
1. Documenting current practice in technical standards.
2. Encouraging new technologies in Fidonet software development.
3. Reassessing and revising FTS documents regularly.
4. Being publicly accessible to Fidonet sysops.
5. Distributing Technical Standards and Proposals.
6. Providing FTS document interpretations on software compatibility.
> Can the nominees give me information about what they are going to do the next
years with their FTSC seat?
So we can look at these in summary below:
* There is little, to no, new public technical approaches to the FTN. Documentation already exists for existing practices. (1)
* In my time as a modern (post 2015 ish) fidonet sysop, I've seen many folks come forward with ideas around new capabilities (which may related to new technologies), only to be disheartened by the naysayers. This has resulted in those people to find enjoyment elsewhere, or implement their own approaches anyway without the desire to document it for others. (2)
* Agreement is difficult to reach on what the "true intent" of some of the existing documentation - look at the discussion in this echo over the years, so little to no new submissions for review have been received (to my knowledge anyway). (3) (6)
* ftsc.org covers (4) (5)
Like Rob said earlier, this is a hobby, and for me I accepted my enrolment all those years ago motivated by point (2). While discussion on documenting new technologies has not made it to the FTSC for review, those who have approach me - I've worked with those individuals to evaluate, test and prove those ideas in the spirit of this hobby.
The fruits of that effort, have resulted in my own mailer/tosser being created and used as a hub, node, nc, rc, zc for a many FTN nets. I have evaluated different packet structures and transfer methods, but given the lack of other new innovation, exacerbated by the lack of developers it's unlikely those ideas will become general use.
(To my knowledge, nobody has incurred any long term loss using or interacting with my mailer, implemented by my interpretation of the intent of some of the existing standards - and that's good enough for me. If I have broken something, I'm always keen to fix it, to keep those systems online.)
Sorry, I digressed, "what am I going to do?", continue to encourage new technologies.
Can existing FTSC members, who are again having a nomination give me
information what they have done?
Not much - I think I've covered that above.
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