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.
Copyright 1988 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.
The contents of the articles contained here are not our
responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them.
Everything here is subject to debate. We publish EVERYTHING
received.
Table of Contents
1. ARTICLES ................................................. 1
New Bird Watchers ECHO - "For Birders Only" .............. 2
As FidoCon'88 Approaches ................................. 3
2. COLUMNS .................................................. 4
FidoCon'88 Agenda ........................................ 4
3. FOR SALE ................................................. 6
Programs too big? Give 'em the AXE! ..................... 6
4. NOTICES .................................................. 7
The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 7
FidoCon Supersavers ...................................... 7
Latest Software Versions ................................. 8
New Zone 3 Coordinator ................................... 8
5. COMMITTEE REPORTS ........................................ 9
And more!
FidoNews 5-25 Page 1 20 Jun 1988
I have written two Outside programs for the OPUS <tm>
and Fido 11w <tm> Bulletin Board Systems. They may be piped
(redirected) using the excellent program GATEWAY, or using
DOS redirection through CTTY Com1 or CTTY Com2.
These two programs are called TRANSITS and NATAL. They
are for the astrology student. (And, it seems, Ronald
Reagan.)
When invoked, TRANSITS will calculate the longitude and
latitude for the Sun, Moon, planets, five asteroids, and
eight uranian placements, with heliocentric and geocentric
values, for the exact moment TRANSITS is run. It gets the
required information from the computer's date and time
stamp, and a sysop-edited file called TRANSITS.CTL. These
values will be given in decimal and sign notation.
TRANSITS.CTL just holds the geographic longitude,
latitude, and time zone for the computer running TRANSITS.
A sample batch file is included with TRANSITS. The
device driver that does the redirection (piping) is NOT
included, as it is not my program, but is available at
Astro-Net (Called GATEWAY). The carrier detect program
WATCHCD is also a good idea, and is available at Astro-Net
as well. Please, if you use the programs GATEWAY and/or
WATCHCD, pay the shareware price for them.
TRANSITS may be downloaded from Astro-Net free of
charge. It may not be sold for any price or remittance.
This means "distributing companies" may not copy and sell
any of my programs. TRANSITS may only be installed on a BBS
that does not charge users for any remittance for using said
BBS.
File request: TRANSITS.ARC.
The program NATAL will do the same as TRANSITS, but
requires the user to supply all information. The user must
enter day of event, month, year, time, longitude, latitude,
and zone. NATAL will also calculate the Placidian house
cusps, unlike TRANSITS. NATAL does not require any other
file to run, and therefore requires no maintenance.
Fire Request: NATAL.ARC
David Rice Astro-Net (1:103/503.0) (714) 662-2294
2400,n,8,1.
I am pleased to announce the availability of a new echo-mail
conference group for bird watchers named "For Birders Only"!
This echo will be supported by the Charleston Natural History
Society (local Audubon chapter) and also expects to get regular
input from the Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology and
"Wild Bird" magazine, as well as rare bird sighting information
from various sources available through the nationwide rare bird
hotline, Carolina Bird Club and the South Carolina Wildlife and
Marine Resources department in Columbia to get us started. I
hope that interest will be sufficient in the near future for us
to bring the headquarters of the National Audubon Society online
as they have expressed interest to me in hopes of creating a new
bulletin board to carry similar information!
This conference group has been active for quite a while, and all
previous information posted will be available if you want to get
"up-to-date". Note that I expect at least two other sources to
be available shortly - one through Tom Hendricks (13/33) on his
"Avi-Tech" board which specialized in pet birds (and has another
echo named 'AVICULTURE' available to pet bird lovers).
Interested SysOps should contact me via netmail at 372/888 and I
will arrange for a feed either from my board, or from someone in
a closer location if possible.
The "For Birders Only" conference group is mentioned in the next
(not out as of this writing - August) issue of "Wild Bird"
magazine on pages 6 and 7 in the 'Bulletin Bird' section. I will
post a listing of other boards participating in an upcoming issue
of "Wild Bird" as well.
I know there is a lot of interest out there, so let's get started
and provide a useful vehicle for information to the bird-lovers
around the country!
Conference host and SIG-Op will be the real expert in the family:
Donna Ratledge.
FidoCon'88 is quickly approaching and it's still not too late to
register! Less than a month from now is the closing date for the
Delta Airlines free ticket giveaway and the USR discounts are
going FAST!
You must register before July 15 to be eligible to win a free
round-trip ticket from Delta Airlines to anywhere they fly in the
continental US!
There are still some coupons left for the US Robotics special
discount offer. If you are one of the first 50 to register for
this year's conference, you will receive a discount from US
Robotics of $50 off the price of an HST 9600 baud modem. You may
use this discount along with the SYSOP deal ($495) to bring the
cost of an HST down to $445.00! - - > BUT you must be one of the
first 50 to register!
Remember after July 31 the cost for the conference jumps to $75!
and you must register at the door. So register now and get in on
the discounts and they airline ticket drawing!
For more information contact Rick Ashworth at 1/88 or Tim
Sullivan at 108/62.
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FidoCon is Coming! | | |
| FidoCon is Coming! |
| | | FidoCon is Coming!
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FidoCon'88 is taking shape. Come August, Cincinnati will be full
of BBSers and their families ready to soak up fun, friendship and
knowledge.
We have an exciting agenda taking shape and I just couldn't wait
any longer to give you a peek! Here is the first look at some of
our speakers and what they will be talking about.
George Stanislov Opus
George Stanislov Avatar
Tim Pozar UUCP->Fido Gateway
Henk Wevers Dutchie & Region 2 report
Tom Jennings & Ken Kaplan History of Fidonet
Michael Connick Tabby and Tabby point
Phil Becker TBBS
Decker Doggett Lessons in echo mail
Mike Bader Fido technology in the Work place
Julia Stockreef New online information system
Chris Irwin D'Bridge
Bob Hartman/Vince Periello Binkleyterm
Bob Hartman FTSC
Marshall Presnell ANS
Jonathon Wallace Legal ramifications of BBS'es
Randy Van de Loo Hard Drives and ARLL technology
David Dodell Policy 4
Harry Lee GS point, Glu fwd and others
Mike Bryeans Dutchie and Brinkers
Joaquim Homrighausen Front Door
Butch Walker Echo Policy
Linda Thompson BBS & Privacy - A question of
Liability
We are also expecting presentations from some of our favorite
vendors such as: US Robotics, Borland, Apple and Compuserve.
Also on the slate are panel discussions dealing with IFNA,
Echomail, FidoNet of the future and much more!
And a very special guest will be here to address us at the Friday
night banquet!
Make plans now to be here this August. For more information
contact Rick Ashworth at 1/88 or Tim Sullivan at 108/62. Just a
few more days left before the Delta Airlines ticket is given
away! Don't miss out! Register before July 15th.
FidoNews 5-25 Page 5 20 Jun 1988
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FidoCon is Coming! | | |
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=================================================================
FOR SALE
=================================================================
Programs too big? Give 'em the AXE!
What could SEA do to top it's phenominally successful ARC
program?
Well, have you noticed that new programs from SEA don't seem to
ARC very well lately?
* * *
System Enhancement Associates, Inc. is proud to announce the
latest and greatest addition to our line of quality software.
Our new product is called AXE, and it can chop your programs down
to size!
If you thought ARC was good, wait until you see AXE! It can
compress almost any .EXE or .COM file by twenty to thirty
percent, saving you megabytes of disk space. And, here's the
best part, the programs don't have to be uncompressed to run!
That's right, you can AXE all your programs and make them twenty
to thirty percent smaller (or MORE), and they still run just like
they always did. You'll never even notice you AXEd them, but
you'll sure notice the extra disk space!
AXE is available for $50 from:
System Enhancement Associates, Inc.
21 New Street, Wayne NJ 07470
or you can call us (voice) at 201-473-5153. We accept VISA and
MasterCard. Get AXE today, and chop your programs down to size!
25 Jun 1988
EuroCon II starts in Tiel, Holland. Sponsored by the Dutch
Hobby Computer Club. Will run for 2 days. Contact Hans
Lichthelm at 2:2/999 for information.
16 Jul 1988
A new areacode, 508, will form in eastern Massachusetts and
will be effective on this date. The new area code will be
formed from the current areacode 617. Greater Boston will
remain areacode 617 while the rest of eastern Massachusetts
will form the new areacode 508.
25 Aug 1988
Start of the Fifth International FidoNet Conference, to be
held at the Drawbridge Inn in Cincinnati, OH. Contact Tim
Sullivan at 108/62 for more information. This is FidoNet's big
annual get-together, and is your chance to meet all the people
you've been talking with all this time. We're hoping to see
you there!
24 Aug 1989
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
It has come to my attention that there are great deals to be had
by booking your FidoCon'88 airfare early. By making reservations
now you can save $$$$ and with many of today's SuperSaver fares
you can still cancel as late as 3 days ahead of time if there is
a problem.
Couple these already low fares with the special discounts Delta
has made available to us and you can potentially save BIG $$$$!
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.
David Dodell, 1:1/0
FidoNet International Coordinator
Larry Lewis has just been appointed the new Zone 3 Coordinator.
Larry's node number is 3:713/606 ... He will assume
responsibilities of the job at the end of June.
The By-laws and Rules Committee has prepared the rules which
appear below for this year's By-laws amendment process. They
have been approved by the IFNA Board of Directors.
1988 Rules for Amendment of By-laws
1. By-Law Amendments will only be accepted from IFNA members.
2. The By-Laws Committee is responsible for any suggested
changes to the By-Laws. To this end, all suggestions must be
submitted to the By-Laws Committee for inclusion on the
Ballot. The Committee reserves the right to edit, combine, or
expand the submissions provided that any changes made do not
substantially change the original intent of the suggestion.
In the event of conflicting suggestions, the changes may be
presented on the Ballot in the form of a "multiple choice"
where only one of the suggestions may be selected.
3. All proposed amendments will be of the form "old wording"/
"new wording" including By-Law reference numbers where
applicable. This is intended to clarify the changes proposed.
4. All changes must be received by the Secretary at least 60
days prior to the scheduled vote date in order to be included
on the Ballot. They will then be forwarded to the By-Laws
committee for preparation for inclusion on the Ballot.
5. Ballots will be accepted from members in good standing
through regular postal service addressed to the Secretary and
must be received no later than the Annual Meeting.
Alternately, Ballots will be accepted from members in good
standing provided they are hand delivered to the Secretary or
his designate at the Annual Meeting, no later than the
announced time for the closing of the polls.
6. A certified public accountant will receive and collate all
mail Ballots received prior to the Annual Meeting, and will be
responsible for the receipt, tabulation and verification of
all Ballots cast before the close of voting. The certified
public accountant will present and certify the results of the
balloting.
7. In the event of a tie, the current (outgoing) President shall
cast the deciding vote.
Ken Kaplan 100/22 Chairman of the Board
Don Daniels 107/210 President
Mark Grennan 147/1 Vice President
Dave Dodell 114/15 Vice President - Technical Coordinator
Tom Marshall 107/524 Secretary
Leonard Mednick 12/1 Treasurer
IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DIVISION AT-LARGE
10 Steve Jordan 102/2871 Don Daniels 107/210
11 Bill Allbritten 11/301 Hal DuPrie 101/106
12 Leonard Mednick 12/1 Mark Grennan 147/1
13 Rick Siegel 107/27 Brad Hicks 100/523
14 Ken Kaplan 100/22 Ted Polczyinski 154/5
15 Jim Cannell 128/13 Kurt Reisler 109/74
16 Vince Perriello 141/491 Robert Rudolph 261/628
17 Rob Barker 138/34 Greg Small 148/122
18 Christopher Baker 135/14 Bob Swift 140/24
19 Vernon Six 19/0 Larry Wall 15/18
2 Henk Wevers 2:500/1 Gee Wong 107/312
Membership for the International FidoNet Association
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
pays the annual membership fee. IFNA serves the international
FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to increase
worldwide communications.
Name __________________________________ Date ___________________
Address _________________________________________________________
City ____________________________________________________________
State ________________________________ Zip _____________________
Country _________________________________________________________
Home Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
Work Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
Is this a new application? _________ a renewal? ________________
Are you a Sysop? _________ If so, for how long? ________________
Your BBS Info: (Non-Sysops enter info for your most-called BBS)
Zone:Net/Node Number ____________________________________________
BBS Name ________________________________________________________
BBS Phone Number ________________________________________________
Your Special Interests __________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
In what areas would you be willing to help in FidoNet? __________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Are there any special resources that you could provide? _________
_________________________________________________________________
Regular Membership $25
Lifetime Membership $250
Send this form and a check or money order in US Funds to:
International FidoNet Association
c/o Leonard Mednick, CPA
700 Bishop Street, #1014
Honolulu, HI 96813 USA
IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization. Articles of
Association and By-Laws were adopted by the membership in January
1987. The IFNA Echomail Conference has been established on
FidoNet to assist the Board of Directors. We welcome your input
on this Conference.
The IFNA publications can be obtained by downloading from Fido
1:1/10 or other FidoNet compatible systems, or by purchasing
them directly from IFNA. We ask that all our IFNA Committee
Chairmen provide us with the latest versions of each
publication, but we can make no written guarantees.
System Enhancement Associates SEAdog $60.00 _____
SEAdog price as of March 1, 1987
ONLY 1 copy SEAdog per IFNA Member
Fido Software's Fido/FidoNet $100.00 _____
Fido/FidoNet price as of November 1, 1987
ONLY 1 copy Fido/FidoNet per IFNA Member
International orders include $10.00 for
surface shipping or $20.00 for air shipping _____
SUBTOTAL _____
HI. Residents add 4.0 % Sales tax _____
TOTAL _____
SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER IN US FUNDS:
International FidoNet Association
c/o Leonard Mednick, MBA, CPA
700 Bishop Street, #1014
Honolulu, HI. 96813-4112
USA
