F I D O N E W S -- Vol.12 No.11 (13-Mar-1995)

F I D O N E W S -- Vol.12 No.11 (13-Mar-1995)
+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| A newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: |
| FidoNet BBS community | "FidoNews" BBS |
| _ | +1-519-570-4176 |
| / \ | |
| /|oo \ | Sheep affairs desk: |
| (_| /_) | Doc Logger 1:163/110 |
| _`@/_ \ _ | Rev. Richard Visage 1:163/409 |
| | | \ \\ | |
| | (*) | \ )) | Editors: |
| |__U__| / \// | Donald Tees 1:221/192 |
| _//|| _\ / | Sylvia Maxwell 1:221/194 |
| (_/(_|(____/ | |
| (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. |
| | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| Submission address: editors 1:1/23 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| MORE addresses: |
| |
| submissions=> [email protected] |
| Don -- [email protected] |
| Max -- [email protected] |
| Tim Pozar -- [email protected] |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| For information, copyrights, article submissions, |
| obtaining copies of fidonews or the internet gateway faq |
| please refer to the end of this file. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
========================================================================
Table of Contents
========================================================================

1. Editorial..................................................... 1
2. Articles...................................................... 3
Dear Reverend Visage,....................................... 3
Backbone Echo Changes [Jan-Feb]............................. 4
Subject: File 4--Italian BBS Charged with "Subversion"...... 6
WINDOWS 95 WILL HAVE THE COOLEST USERS EVER................. 8
FIDO/K12Net:................................................ 9
The Parable of the Bulletin Board........................... 12
3. Fidonews Information.......................................... 14
========================================================================
Editorial
========================================================================
FidoNews 12-11 Page: 2 13 Mar 1995

I have been discussing the proposed ECROC standard with a
sysop on the NEWSCHAT echo. He is all for it, as he wants to
prevent moderators from ejecting anyone from an echo without
"due process". That, of course, is defined in a huge document
with who judges, who judges the judges, who appeals, who *they*
appeal to, and who and where to counter appeal. Nowhere in the
document does it require all of those judging to be regular
readers of the echo.

I, on the otherhand, would like to remove the stigma of
asking someone to leave an echo all to-gether. It should be
done on moderator whim, not with star-court proceedings. A
moderator should be able to remove a user for as simple a
reason as rudeness.

Why? I liken an echo to opening my kitchen table to guests.
It is pleasant to sit around with like minded people, and chew
the fat. People that do not fit in, or who decide they want to
take over my house, I would like to vanish. I do not wish them
ill, nor do I wish to control them. I simply want them to find
another kitchen table with people that they *can* get along
with. Or even start their own echo, and fight constantly with
like minded people ... I really do not care. I only want the
right to enjoy the company that I/my friends choose for ourselves
without having to call the police to get rid of people that I do
not like. I feel I should be able to simply not invite them back.

The best way to do that, as I see it, is with the current
rules. A moderator should be able to ask for anybody to leave
the echo and have them go without arguement. If neccesary, that
should be backed up all the way up the chain. When they enter
someone else's echo, they should also realize that they are in a
different place, and different rules apply. If they do not like
those rules, they should leave.

I run an echo here locally. The rules are simple: courtesy
to every other guest in the echo. Same as the rules in my house.

If a person is rude, I attempt to engage them in polite
conversation. I do not mention rules at all. If they start
being rude back, I call the sysop of the board they are on, and
ask that their access be removed. I do not threaten, nor do I
attempt to teach them manners. That is not my job.

That is absolutely no different than what I do for real
parties at my house. Any guest can invite friends. If the
friend swaggers in, elbows five people out of the way, and
proceeds to pick fights with other guests, I do not see the need
to patiently explain a rule book for the house. I simply assume
they are a boor, and ask them to leave. Or ask the person that
brought them to not bring them again. If I had to call the police
to get the person to leave, I would not expect to have to take
them to court to get them out of my house.

FidoNews 12-11 Page: 3 13 Mar 1995

ECROC seeks to end that. It insists that every echo be run by
a lawyer, and be totally permissive to anybody that knows how to
file moderator complaints. Instead of having to deal with the
odd bad moderator (turning off an echo is very simple) we will
have to deal with every idiot on every echo, as each one works
their way accross the backbone disrupting, looking for holes in
rule books, and appealing for the sake of making their pet point.

Far better to just start another 30,000 echos, one for each
sysop.
========================================================================
Articles
========================================================================
Dear Editorbeings,

Please indicate that the following was submitted by Charles
Herriot (1:163/110) who wishes it known that Fidonet also
embraces his version of religion: agnostic dyslexia. Mr.
Herriot stays up all night wondering if there is a dog. Roll
'da flic, Sylvia....

Swamp Swine Magazine,
Shuckmagosh, Ohio

Dear Reverend Visage,

It is with a large measure of trepidation that I mention the
ongoing Region 12 election to select a new target...er, I
mean RC. There are sixteen candidates lusting after the
position. If voter turnout remains true to tradition, they
should each garner half a vote. The candidates appeared
likely to escape dealing with the most serious issue of the
campaign: hamsters. Mercifully, they have bowed to intense
public pressure and come clean. Sales of duct tape have
skyrocketed.

C'mon, admit it. You took George Peace with you when you
snuck off to some disreputable locale where you are probably
both scarfing down scotch and doing unspeakable things with
tubas of easy virtue. How else to explain that George Peace
*still* hasn't rendered a decision with respect to Stein vs.
Kolin?

You will be pleased to know that I took the cheque issued to
repay your Snooz petty cash vouchers and invested them with
a fellow named Nick Leeson. You and about a billion other
creditors should be able to recapture about three cents on
the dollar. The Queen was also stiffed in Leeson's gambling
adventures but I understand that they are going to give her
the Province of Quebec as compensation.

Avast ye swabs. I am pleased to report that I now belong to
a nation of pirates. It seems that the mighty Canadian Coast
Guard armed with awesome water canons subdued a Spanish
fishing boat on the high seas. The Spanish were depriving
FidoNews 12-11 Page: 4 13 Mar 1995

our fur seal population of sustenance and they had to be
stopped before Brigitte Bardot broke out into another public
crying jag. A nice warm trout for the Coast Guard I say, and
may the farce be with them.

On the downslope of brilliance, I see that our lil' buddy,
John Denver has successfully beaten the charges which
resulted from his highly intoxicated defoliation of Aspen,
Colorado with his Porsche. Breaking new and stunning ground
in jurisprudence, the judge held that since the motor
vehicle bureau had already held a hearing to revoke John's
license, that a court case could not proceed because it
would represent double jeopardy. I'll bet that O.J. is real
upset that he didn't get a motor vehicle hearing for
illegally parking the Bronco so that he could escape the
murder trial.

I must go Visage, your secretary has started to wallpaper
the walls with GIANT pictures of Newt Gingrich. This is
surely a sign of dementia. As the good and decent people
that we are, we ought to send her to Spain disguised as a
halibut.

Regards,
Doc Logger
FlinFlon School of Ballet & Trout Ranching,
FlinFlon, Manitoba

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

Backbone Echo Changes [Jan-Feb]
by Lisa Gronke, 1:105/6
[email protected]

Summary of backbone & quasi-backbone echo changes during Jan & Feb

Brought to you courtesy of (unix) diff.

diff (fidonet.na + fidonet.no) 01-Jan-95 (ditto) 05-Mar-95 [edited].

Added to the backbone
---------------------
> 4DOS_TC 4DOS and Take Command Support Conference/Echo
> ACCT_TAX Accounting and Tax Information
> ALASKA_CHAT Alaska Off Topic Chatter
> AMIGA_PD Amiga Public Domain
> AMTGARD AMTGARD
> ANIMAL_DOC Animal health and your veterinarian
> ATHEISM Intra-atheist education and discussion echo.
> BAHAI The Baha'i International Echo
> BGFAX BGFAX Support Echo
> BIKE-N-RIDER Motorcycle Riders, Bike Safety and Riding
> BIRDING Birdwatching
> CAN_FREECHAT CANADA FREE CHAT
FidoNews 12-11 Page: 5 13 Mar 1995

> CARDIAC International Cardiac Conference
> CAROLINA_GEN Carolina Genealogy
> CLASSICAL Classical Music Discussion
> CORELDRAW the CorelDraw graphics package discussion echo
> DAIRY_FARM Dairy Farming Discussions
> DENTISTRY Dentistry Discussion Area
> EARTH2 Earth 2 General Discussion
> ECSTASY Music of McLachlan, Amos, Bush and others
> FALKEN Falken BBS Discussion Echo
> FLYING International Flying Conference
> FMS False Memory Syndrome
> GAY_FAITH Gay Faith
> GAY_PRIDE Gay Pride
> HELP_MANKIND Help For Mankind
> HOLY_BIBLE Bible, Wholly Bible Related Discussions
> HOLY_BIBLE_II Bible, and Biblical Related Discussions
> ICOM Intellicomm (ICOM) Support Echo
> IMUS IMUS in the Morning Radio Show Discussion
> INTERFAITH Interfaith Distribution Network Core Conference
> ISDN ISDN
> ITALIANO.GEN Italian Genealogy Conference
> LORE LORE Online Game Support/Discussion Forum
> MAGICK Witchcraft, Occult and Numerology
> MALUM_PROHIBITUM Discussion of Laws against Consentual Activities
> MFILEPMSUP MaxFile/PM-MaxFile/2 Support Conference
> MUPPETS Muppet Discussion Conference
> NATURIST Naturist/nudist discussion
> NETXPRES NetXpress Software Support
> NIGHT_SHIFT_ART-BELL Art Bell All Night Radio Talk Show Discussion
> NIGHT_SHIFT_BASH_POLI Bash (Or Defend) Politicians, etc.
> NU_SUPPORT I'natl NodeList UpDater Support
> PIERS Piers Anthony Fans echo
> PINK Pink Floyd Discussions
> QFRONT QFront Support Conference
> QUR'AN Islam and the Holy Qur'an
> RAR I'natl RAR Support
> RCP Respiratory Care Professionals
> RIGHTS_RONGS Political discussion and positive action echo
> ROBO_LINK RoboBOARD BBS discussions.
> SEEDSWAP Seed Exchange
> SHAREWARE_SUPPORT ShareWare Software Support Conference
> SINGLE_PARENT Single Parent Information Exchange
> SMOKERS_RIGHTS Issues Dealing with Smokers' Rights to Smoke
> SOAPS SOAP OPERA FANS ECHO
> SPORT-FISHING.WEST Fishing the North
> SQDSV seaQuest DSV General Discussion
> STEP_PARENTS STEP_PARENTS
> SYNCDATA Synchronet Distributed Databases
> TAG_OS2 OS/2 support for TAG Sysops
> THE-BIBLE Mainstream Bible Discussions
> THEIST_WATCH American Atheist Watch on Religious Shenanigans
> THERAPY_SERVICE_DOG Therapy & Service Dog Conference
> TREK_FAN_ORG Star Trek fan organization discussions
> TURNCOAT_USA Black_Conservatism
> ULTRABETA UltraBBS Beta-Testers Support Conference
FidoNews 12-11 Page: 6 13 Mar 1995

> ULTRASUP UltraBBS Support Conference
> WIN95 Windows95
> Z1_WINTERS Discusss Steve Winters Here

NOTE: CAROLINA_GEN is a returning echo (only off the backbone for a
few weeks). HOLY_BIBLE [moderator Steve Winter] is a returning
echo.

Echotag change
----------------
< INTERMAIL InterMail/InterEcho Software [old name]
> IM_USER InterMail/InterEcho Software [new name]

Extreme topic drift back on course
----------------------------------
< DEUTSCH STOCKS & BONDS
> DEUTSCH German Language Chat Echo
[the echo participants just shrugged, in German]

Removed from the backbone or quasi-backbone
-------------------------------------------
< BBS_STANDARDS Standards for Authors and Users of BBS
< BIMODEM Bimodem Technical Support
< GMD Grunged Message Detector User Forum
< HISTORIA (not in EchoList since 12/1/94)
< ITRACK Itrack Support Echo
< MAINFRAME Mainframe Computing Discussions
< PS_2 PS/2 Hardware Discussions
< SKYDIVE Skydiving, Prachuting and Paragliding
< THEDRAW The Draw - ANSI Editor - Echo Conference

o There are 741 echos in fidonet.na [05-Mar-95] (up 58)
o There are 6 echos in fidonet.no [05-Mar-95] (up 3)
o for a total of 747 backbone & quasi-backbone echos (up 61)

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

From: Luc Pac <[email protected]>
Subject: File 4--Italian BBS Charged with "Subversion"

STATE CHARGES ITALIAN COMPUTER BULLETIN BOARD WITH 'SUBVERSION'

On Tuesday, 28 February, at seven in the morning, members of the
Carabinieri Anti-Crime Special Operations Group raided the homes of a
number of people in Rovereto and Trento associated with the local
Self-managed Social Centre 'Clinamen'. Some of those raided are also
active in the Italian anarchist movement.

The warrant from the Rovereto court spoke of 'assocation with
intent to subvert the democratic order' (art.270 bis CP), a charge
which carries a very heavy penalty for those convicted of 7 to 15
years imprisonment. The absurdity of the charge speaks for itself.

Confiscated in the raids were journals and magazines, leaflets,
diaries, notebooks and video tapes, all of which were either publicly
FidoNews 12-11 Page: 7 13 Mar 1995

available or else for strictly personal use.

Also seized was the personal computer which hosted 'BITS
Against the Empire', a node in the Cybernet and Fidonet networks.
Stored on the computer was a vast number of documents concerning
the social use of new technologies, Italy's Self-managed Social
Centres and independent music production, along with hundreds of
elctronic reviews publicly available throughout the world computer
network. Having decided quite explicitly from the onset not to hold
any software whatsoever, the founders of the bulletin board (BBS) had
dedicated themselves exclusively to communication through public
electronic conferences and the consultation of texts held in the BBS
archives. There can, therefore, be no substance to any charge of
computer piracy or abusive software duplication, an accusation often
advanced in earlier cases against Italian BBSs.

The seizure of BITS Against the Empire strikes at one of the
most prominent nodes within the Cybernet network, the first place in
Italy to open itself up to the voices of the non-aligned, to those who
refuse to be represented by the political parties, choosing instead
- both in the virtual and real worlds - the path of self-management.
Nor has Cybernet ever accepted the use of authoritarian instruments
tp police the BBS, whether these be 'the laws of cyberspace' or
conference moderators (cybercops), preferring instead to leave
all responsibilities - and thus freedom of action and thought - to
each individual.

It is precisely these freedoms which are daily negated in the
physical world by the State and its demokracy. Cyberspace has now
been discovered as a new consumer market, and above all as a new
cultural terrain for the legitimation of the first, second and
all subsequent Italian Republics.

Alongside the sensationalism surrounding their direct actions
against small, insignificant episodes of domestic computer piracy,
the Italian magistrates and police forces have for some years now
shown a certain fascination for places such as Cybernet and the
European Counter Network, places which have experimented with new
forms of social relations, new forms of contaminating culture and
knowledge in the light of digital media.

It is not surprising that the repressive organs of the State
have reacted to their own technical and social ignorance by seizing
an instrument of communication like a BBS: if they don't understand
something it means they can't control it, and what can't be
controlled is dangerous for a social order based upon fear and
institutionalised violence.

All those charged have formally applied for the return of the impounded
goods, as they await more information concerning the progress of the
investigation.

Messages of support and requests for further information can be
sent to:

FidoNews 12-11 Page: 8 13 Mar 1995

Internet:[email protected]
Bitnet: lpaccag@itncisti
European Counter Network: Luc Pac 45:1917/2.1
Cybernet: Luc Pac 65:1400/6

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

WINDOWS 95 WILL HAVE THE COOLEST USERS EVER
From: [email protected] (Mason Bliss)

WINDOWS 95 WILL HAVE THE COOLEST USERS EVER

REDMOND, WASHINGTON -- In order to calm growing impatience among PC users
concerning the repeated delays of its new Windows 95 operating system,
Microsoft Corporation announced what it calls the "Cool User Program for
Windows 95." To participate in this offer, a user pays US$10,000 at which
time he or she will be placed in a cryogenic suspension. The user will
then remain in a state of hibernation until about a week before the Windows
95 ship date.

"We expect that the users will need a few days to recuperate and acquaint
themselves with the changes that will occur in society between the onset of
cold sleep and the release of Windows 95," explained a Microsoft spokesman.
These may include "the OJ Simpson trial ending, another momentous
Congressional election, faster-than-light travel and possible leaps in
human evolution."

Because Microsoft expects a large response to this offer, a vast area will
be needed for the storage facility. "We have chosen the state of Utah,"
stated Microsoft,"because nobody lives there, anyway." Spokespeople for
Novell and Wordperfect were reached for comment on this remark, but their
words were not suitable for publication.

IBM corporation, which has previously responded to Microsoft promotions
with competing offers for their OS/2 Warp said they would not be matching
Microsoft's "Cool User" program. "Freeze people? What for? Warp has
already been shipping for months," said a source who asked not to be
identified.

Some industry analysts have wasted no time hailing Microsoft's plan as a
"bold, innovative" move. In columnist Michael S. Brown's opinion column
"M.S. Brown Knows" which appears in PC Weak, Brown claims,"IBM has missed
the boat again with their failing OS/2 strategy. Users clearly want to be
frozen in liquid Nitrogen and sealed in coffin-like units for an
indeterminate period of time." Michael S. Brown made national headlines
three years ago when he claimed that if "Windows NT didn't completely
replace DOS in six months" he would chain himself to grating comedian
Gilbert Godfried. Today he clarifies that "I didn't say *which* six
months."

The cryogenic facility in Utah is expected to be on line April 1, 1995, but
users wishing to beta test the system may do so for a reduced fee of
US$3,000.

--
FidoNews 12-11 Page: 9 13 Mar 1995

if you want to destroy my sweater | Mason Loring Bliss
pull this thread as i walk away | Mac System Extension Hacker
watch me unravel, i'll soon be naked | [email protected]
lying on the floor, i've come undone | 1:109/370.6 @ FidoNet

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

FIDO/K12Net:
FIDO/K12Net:
DIRT CHEAP GATEWAY TO THE
GLOBAL VILLAGE
FOR THE RURAL MASSES

(c) February 24, 1995 by Jack Crawford
Wayne-Finger Lakes Area Teacher Resource Center
FIDOnet 1:260/620
[email protected]
[email protected]

There's a grassroots movement throughout the world that is quietly
empowering "have not" rural communities by introducing them to the
"global village" of international telecommunications on a local
phone call with no fees . Conspicuously absent from this is the
inherent exploitativeness of commercial environments or the taxpayer
burden of the "too-much-government" cost-ineffectiveness of
centralized technocracies.

Rural citizens, as a group, tend to remain unaware of the richness
of telecommunications-based activites and resources the big cities
enjoy because they are "long distance to the rest of the civilized
world". While fee-based online resources have been available to
rural folks for years, few seem to make much use of them. Whenever a
rural person is online, the "meter is running". The result is that
use of commercial and real-time Internet services is kept to an
absolute minimum. In most cases, that means no use at all. Rural
people are just not in the "habit" of using online resources as a
result.

The "toll booths" on the Information Highway turn rural people off
to telecommunications!

As a result of these factors, rural educators, students and
community members tend to have little or no initial experience with,
or even a working concept of, the online world. Most often they just
plain don't understand the critcal importance of becoming involved
with telecommunications in the first place and, therefore, are
unable to self-justify the significant costs of using of online
resources in their everyday lives. They are "out of the loop". They
need a place to start--something to "whet their appe tites" that
will allow them to spend hours and hours exploring the Net--and do
it very cheaply, if not for free! Rural people are beginning to
discover the unique advantages and affordability of FIDOnet BBS's,
not as as alternative to pay-for services, but as a starting point
toward them.

FidoNews 12-11 Page: 10 13 Mar 1995

As of February, 1995, FIDOnet is a worldwide community of nearly
35,000 inter-networked, yet independantly owned, operated and funded
electronic Bulletin Board Systems or "BBS's". (Five years ago there
were only 6,000!) Roughly half of these are in the United
States--that's slightly more than one for every one of the 14,000 or
so school districts in the country. Any medium-sized rural town in
the U.S. probably has at least one FIDOnet BBS that is open to the
general public with no fees. This is a non-comm ercial environment
that has been aptly described as "militantly free", both in terms of
cost and spirit. There are few "toll booths"! FIDOnet is a
community that is soley regulated by market forces. It is not an
"organization" nor is it subject to the fickleness, ineffficencies
or political agendas of any government, bureacracy or centralized
funding source. FIDOnet is not encumbered by technocracy. Maybe this
is why it works so well....

FIDOnet's store-and-forward technology has evolved through many
generations of incessant, international tinkering in the last ten
years to become surprizingly sophisticated yet still amazingly
affordable. The equipment, budget and technical expertise required
to set up and maintain a FIDOnet BBS capable of serving the
students, teachers and taxpayers of a rural community is usually
well within the range of any school district with a bit of resolve.
Startup costs, including software, modem and a brand new co mputer,
can easily be below $1,300 in the U.S and much cheaper if used
equipment is available! Technical and training expertise is
developed locally to meet the needs of local people and can provide
rural students with career-track experience pointing directly to the
telecommunications industry. The school and it's community learn
"how to fish" rather than being "fed a fish for the day"... Note,
too, that the bulk of the intial expense goes to tang ible assets
such as computers and software rather than consu mable services.
Telephone lines needed are inexpensive voice grade and costs for
substantial network content to serve the entire community, even if
obtained overlong distance, is similar to that of a few postage
stamps per day. It just doesn't get any cheaper than this...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In addition to providing the ability to send private "email" letters
between anyone on a FIDOnet BBS or the Internet, there are also
literally thousands of one-to-many public conferences available.
These allow people to publicly discuss, debate or ask questions
about the things that matter to them with other people all over the
world. The nature of these conferences may be very broad in scope
such as "politics" or "cooking" or can be narrowly defined to such
topics as "beekeeping", "quilting", issues involv ing church &
state, etc. An "article" posted in a conference will be "echoed",
without editing or censorship, to every other BBS on earth that is
carrying it where anyone may read and respond to it. This is like a
neural net which spans the planet, providing a place for a "meeting
of the minds" that is not limited by distance or time... and is
freely accessible to the general public on a local phone call! This
is the last real bastion of free press!

Graphical and multi-media interfaces, multi-gigabyte harddrives and
multi-disc CD-ROM drives on many FIDO BBS's make massive file
FidoNews 12-11 Page: 11 13 Mar 1995

resources available in an environment that is attractive, easy to
use and available on a local phone call. FIDOnet technology is also
quite at home with satellite distribution as well as the gating of
USEnet newsgroups and Internet email. FIDO BBS system software is
usually dirt cheap if not free and can be surprizingly adept at
dealing with multiple phoneline and local area netw ork
environments.

Approximately 600 FIDO BBS's worldwide also carry the K12Net feed
which provides content directly oriented to elementary and secondary
school curriculum and student use. (There are over 100 K12Net BBS's
in New Zealand, alone!) Most of the three dozen K12Net conference
areas, which cover the the traditional curriculum areas and provide
vehicles for teacher-designed international classroom projects, are
also gated to the Internet as the k12.* hierarchy. Some schools use
a "sneaker net" approach to allow the ir students to interact in
email and conferences in classrooms without phonelines or modems
using offline mail readers. (Lack of phone lines in the classrooms
and the prospect of sizeable phone bills are the single biggest
barrier to any kind of telecom in schools!!!)

As rural schools are usually at the geographic center of activities
for their local communities, they are probably the most logical
organization to house, operate and provide institutional credibility
to a FIDO/K12Net BBS to serve that community. BBS's operated by a
rural school can provide a valuable public service that helps to
promote further understanding, collaboration and support between
schools and their communities. Schools which set up and operate
their own FIDO/K12Net BBS's develop their own in-ho use base of
technical and training expertise. They learn how to "fish to feed
themselves" rather than being "fed a fish for the day".

I have set up and provide technical support to over a dozen
FIDO/K12Net BBS's in schools within an hour's drive from where I
live out here in a rural area of western New York State
characterized by cow pastures, cornfields and long distance phone
bills. The demand for them is growing steadily, probably because
schools are finding that setup and operational costs are so low
that funding is simply not an issue in many cases. My observation
is that their use is helping to build a base of community advocacy
for greater telecom capabilities. For the first time, rural
students, teachers and taxpayers can now spend *hours* exploring
the online worlds of email, newsgroups and file libraries without
running up a phone bill or blowing their VISA cards or classroom
budgets into oblivion or placing a burden on their taxpayers. They
finally have a reason to buy one of those "modem-thingies" and to
support funding for even greater telecom capabilites in their
schools. (This lack of advocacy is a very important, though ofte n
overlooked or underestimated aspect of getting people involved with
telecom, particularly in schools.) People first need to learn how
to ride a bicycle before you can expect them to want...or be
willing to pay for a Harley! Those that have been logging onto our
FIDO/K12Net BBS's are beginning learn how to "ride"...

FIDO/K12Net may not be have the Web-wonder or gopher-glitter of the
FidoNews 12-11 Page: 12 13 Mar 1995

real-time Internet or commercial services but it is far more
affordable and accessible to the average rural neophyte modem user
at home or in school. It is also vastly less intiimidating. It is
introductory telecom for the rural masses that can provide more
"bang for the buck" than any other technology. Period! And, overall,
it really does a pretty good job with email, conferencing and file
libraries which are the real "meat and potatoes" of online use in
the first place. It is the "bicycle path" next to the information
highway... It is a sensible way for the "have-nots" of the world to
start learning how to "ride a bicycle" so that, some day soon,
they'll want a "Harley"...

Jack Crawford, Wayne-Finger Lakes Area Teacher Resource Center, 703
E. Maple, 10 Eisenhower Hall, Newark, NY, 14513-1863. Voice:
315/331-1584, fax: 315/331-1587, Email: FIDOnet 1:260/620,
[email protected] or [email protected]

Widespread dissemination of this document in its entirety with copyright
statement intact for strictly non-commercial purposes is both authorized
and encouraged.

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

Originally from Brian Sorensen (1:109/195) to All.
---- Begin Forwarded Message
From: Wulf Losee <[email protected]>
The Parable of the Bulletin Board

Once there was a wealthy city-state whose populace was extremely literate.
In every square and market place of the city there were bulletin boards.
Some of the boards were provided by Council of Elders (who managed the
city); some were provided by private citizens; some by merchants; some by
the temples; and some by academic institutions of the city-state. Anyone,
citizen or non-citizen, could post to these boards, and much of the
intellectual, political, and commercial discourse of the city-state played
itself out on the thousands of scraps of paper stuck to the boards each day.

It came to pass that an anonymous accusation was pinned to one of the
boards, accusing a wealthy and influential merchant of financial misdeeds.
The merchant, with all his heart, believed that these accusations were lies.
So he went before the Council of Elders and said to them, "See, I have been
libeled, and my good name defamed. My business will surely suffer, and, if it
does, I will no longer be able to make the generous financial contributions to
your Council that I have in the past." The Council, not wanting to show
overt favoritism to the merchant, decided that from hence forth
anonymous postings would be outlawed. Any posting to any bulletin board
in the city would need to bear the signature and the address of the person
who posted it (hmmm, sounds like Los Angeles, doesn't it? -- ed.). The
board owners would be obliged to remove any anonymous postings from
their board or face severe fines. Some of the board owners did not have the
time to check all the hundreds of postings that appeared every hour on their
boards, so they opted to tear down their boards. And the discourse of the
city was muted somewhat by the law against anonymous postings.

The wealthy merchant was satisfied with this arrangement, though "Now no
FidoNews 12-11 Page: 13 13 Mar 1995

one can anonymously libel me," he thought. But the next day thousands of
leaflets, bearing the wealthy merchant's signature and address, were posted
on the remaining boards of the city. On them were printed a public apology
from the merchant confessing his financial misdeeds. "These signatures are
forgeries!" cried the merchant. "I have been libeled by someone using my
good name falsely!"

The merchant went back to the Council of Elders, and proposed that each
posting to the city's boards would need to bear the unique seal of the person
posting. The Elders agreed to the suggestion and proclaimed that only
postings with complex and intricate seals (which would be 'impossible' to
forge) would allowed on the bulletin boards of the city-state. Now it was no
coincidence that only the expensive government-sponsored seals
manufactured by the Seal-makers Guild (who were patrons of the Elders)
could be used. Only the wealthiest fifty percent of the citizens of this
city-state could afford these expensive seals, and so the discourse of the
city was again diminished.

Unfortunately, the Seal-makers, thinking no one else had the technology of
metal-working, carelessly threw their molds in the trash. Soon a thriving
black market in forged seals (made from the discarded molds) sprang up. For
seals were now the key to trust, and unscrupulous individuals could use them
for their own profit. Within a week the postings defaming the wealthy
merchant reappeared on the bulletin boards of the city -- each bearing the
merchant's 'unforgeable' seal.

Enraged, the wealthy merchant went back to the Council of Elders, and
demanded that the board owners be made legally responsible for the content
of the postings on their boards. The Council agreed. The small board
owners cried, "Alas, we cannot afford to violate the law, for we do not have
the time nor the resources to read every message that crosses our boards.
Nor do we precisely know what is a libelous posting and what is merely an
outspoken posting." Of course, the Lawyers Guild offered to advise them
and protect them from courts for 'very reasonable' fees, but the small board
owners did not have the money. So it came to pass that only the three
wealthiest board owners could stay in business, for only they could afford
the lawyers to dispute the merchant's claim of libel.

And still the scurrilous messages appeared on the remaining three bulletin
boards of the city. After long and intricate legal maneuvers, the merchant
was unable to extract damages from the wealthy board owners. But each
party had spent so much on their lawyers that they now were willing to
compromise. The board owners agreed to restrict access to their boards.
Only authorized users could enter through the locked and guarded gate to the
boards, and those users needed to show extensive proof of their identity and
sign all sorts of logs accepting their liability for libelous postings. The
merchant was now content. "No one, but no one, will be able to libel me
now without leaving a trail to his doorstep!" Only those people wealthy
enough to be able to afford the fees of the Town-Criers Guild and fees of the
Messenger's Guild (who by the way were immensely happy with the
disappearance of the bulletin boards) could continue to do business. So the
discourse of the city was muted to a small fraction of what it once was.

Still the scurrilous postings appeared on the three big boards. The merchant
persuaded to Council of Elders to use its watchmen to observe the boards.
FidoNews 12-11 Page: 14 13 Mar 1995

And the watchmen returned with an explanation. "Oh, noble sir," they said,
"these libelous postings are pegged to the board by an ingenious method.
They are shot on darts over the city's wall and thus they are posted on our
boards." The merchant replied, "Well go outside the city's walls and capture
the man who is shooting these darts." The watchmen replied, "Alas, noble
sir, that is outside our jurisdiction." The merchant went to the Council of
Elders and demanded that city-state declare war on their neighbors, but the
Council replied that there had been a precipitous drop in the tax revenues,
and all the mercenaries had been discharged. The merchant in a helpless
rage started foaming at the mouth, and he died there on the Council Room
floor from apoplexy. No one mourned his passing, though, since most of
the inhabitants had left the city-state to find a living elsewhere.

One of the Elders got the bright idea to repeal all the ordinances regulating
the bulletin boards, but his fellows replied, "Are you crazy? The bulletin
boards were what got us into this mess in the first place!"

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Editors: Donald Tees, Sylvia Maxwell
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FidoNews 12-11 Page: 15 13 Mar 1995

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