FidoNews is the official newsletter of the International FidoNet
Association, and is published weekly by SEAdog Leader, node 1/1.
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.
Copyright (C) 1986, 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.
Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL
What Mean These By-Laws?
2. ARTICLES
BackComm, A productivity tool
Doug's Column
FireNet IS a Reality!
MSG - a SysOp's message utility
Selective DOS directory search and more for Fido Sysops
THE CHEAPEST PHONE BILL EVER!
Let's Lease a Satellite!
3. COLUMNS
Responses about FidoUtil from FidoNet
Coordinator Ramblings
4. FOR SALE
UNDER-C(tm) Library
5. NOTICES
The Interrupt Stack
NY MetroNet System Crash
Author Needs Help
You all, I hope, saw the special By-Laws edition two weeks ago.
What do they mean to YOU?
Well, right off the bat, they mean that you can continue to
operate as before with little or no change. I can't really say
no change at all, simply because FidoNet is growing large enough
that, for purely technical reasons, a few changes are going to
have to happen.
One of these technical changes will involve splitting FidoNet
into separate "zones", but if you don't do any international mail
(as few of us do), then that shouldn't really make much
difference to you.
So how else will it affect you? Well, if you do nothing at all,
then it won't affect you at all.
Let me explain that. The whole idea is to set up a membership
organization called "the International FidoNet Association", or
"IFNA" for short. To be a fully qualified, voting member of
IFNA, one must first be the sysop of a public access bulletin
board that is in the FidoNet node list, and then one must pay
dues. Notice that these are separate. You can be in the node
list without paying dues, in which case you are not a member of
IFNA and can't vote on how to spend the money that you didn't
contribute. But if you DO pay dues, then you get a say in how
your money is spent. What could be more fair?
In fact, the only problem that I see with the whole thing is that
there really isn't much of any incentive to pay dues and be a
member. And if there aren't many members, then IFNA will remain
a cash-poor, starving association with almost no resources to do
anything really constructive. I personally am hoping that IFNA
can come up with enough additional benefits to provide to members
that there will be some real incentive to join, so that maybe we
can start making some progress on the many, many fronts that
await us and challenge us.
La Salle Micro's BackComm is no ordinary communications utility.
It is a comgolmerate of programs integrated into a mammoth
productivity tool. Unfortunately, a great deal of lead and lag
time is required between using the utility and reading well over
350 pages of well written documentation before one can become
proficient enough to use BackComm readily. Hence, if you are
looking for a program that you can use right away, then stay away
from BackComm; this is definitely not the utility for you.
However, if you are looking for a program that will do almost
anything with a modem and a file, then BackComm may just be a
utility which you may want to add to your software library.
BackComm is enormous, its programs and data are distributed in
two 360K non-copyprotected 5.25" diskettes. With a utility of
this size, it is senseless to use the utility directly from the
diskettes. I strongly recommend that anyone using BackComm
installs it onto a hard drive; it is just too clumsy to execute
from a diskette.
BackComm also requires a minimum of 256K of memory, and it
supports a variety of modems such as Hayes and U.S. Robotics.
BackComm may also be installed as a resident program which can be
entered and exited to perform background file transfers. The
resident portion of BackComm requires a minimum of 180K of
memory, and three protocols are supported for file transfers:
ASCII, XMODEM, and X.PC.
Despite its enormity, BackComm's many features may be accessed
through a menu driven system with context-sensitive help screens.
And although I found the default colors of the BackComm screens
disagreeable, an interface is provided for altering the screen
colors. Furthermore, interfaces have also been provided for
configuring a hierarchical telephone directory which size is
limited by the amount disk space available, and for configuring
communications parameters so that BackComm may be used with a
variety of modems and databases.
BackComm also has an extremely powerful script language and a
script generator, BackTalk. The script language may be used to
completely automate one or more on-line sessions, and the script
generator may be used executed in learn mode to convert the
user's keystrokes into a script. Furthermore, BackTalk may also
be used as a script editor for updating, creating, and merging
scripts.
Fidonews Page 4 1 Dec 1986
Lastly, BackComm provides an interface for manipulating files.
The file services offered by BackComm are similar to those found
in 1-Dir and X-Tree. This interface may be used to: display a
directory sorted by name, extension, size, or date; copy files;
move files; view files; encrypt or decrypt files; compress or
expand files.
BackComm is an extermely large utility that attempts to do almost
everything. Unfortunately, because of its immensity, too much
lead and lag time is needed to develop any level of proficiency
for my liking, but if you do not find this unsettling then you
might find BackComm a utility worth the time and effort to become
adept in using it.
Product Information
-------------------
BackComm
by LaSalle Micro, Inc.
1350 Remington Road, Suite W
Schaumburg, IL 60185
(312) 882-5171
Computer Bulletin Board
(312) 882 4993
POSTSCRIPT IS IT: Lots of word-processing packages,
including Word Perfect, are providing support for the
PostScript language and Sun MicroSystems is endorsing
PostScript as a standard to exchange graphics on its
workstations. Since Sun is a trend-setter in the
workstation market, expect to see lots of printer makers
and software manufacturers rush to support PostScript.
I know of one Atari ST software developer who will
end up supporting PostScript in his desktop publishing/CAD
program. Wish he'd paid up for Computerfest earlier tho'.
DON'T DO THIS, BUT: A programmer-hacker wrote and
maintained a payroll system for a rather important firm.
Said firm lost some money and got RIF-fever, and among those
to go was our programmer-hacker. When the next pay period
rolled around, the payroll program, previously flawless,
crashed and died bigtime.
The company hired a <cheap> consultant to look at the
payroll system; he couldn't find anything wrong with the
system. Meanwhile, the rank and file were getting Very
Pissed over not being paid for nearly a month.
Finally, the company re-hired the programmer-hacker and
he had the payroll system up and running without a hitch
in 10 minutes.
Seems he heard about the RIF in advance and had plugged
in a simple routine which looked for his name on the payroll.
IF NOT(hisname) THEN Crash.
Moral of this story: Yes, this was a nifty trick. It was
also criminal for the hacker to pull a stunt like that. I guess
you could say the people who hired him were criminally stupid
to be dependent on a single programmer for a vital task.
WISHLIST FOR FIDO: I would really love to see someone
publish a "Phone Directory" for FIDOnet, which would list all
the nodes by geographic area/city, net and node number, phone
number, and specialities which each board may have. There are
FIDOs in Europe, Austrailia, and New Jersey. Lotta places.
I hope Tom Jennings ports FIDO over to 68000-based machines
like the ST and Amiga. My understanding is that FIDO is written
in 'C', which is psuedo-portable. It should be relatively easy
to port FIDO over to ST, because its' OS deals with files a
lot like MS-DOS (e.g.: Directory-based).
It'd be nice to also see multi-user support on FIDO, a la
RBBS-PC, with an additional capability for chatting. Obviously,
Fidonews Page 6 1 Dec 1986
it would take more code to provide for file-locking, etc,
Needless to say, this "UltraFIDO"
would be restricted to IBM-PC/AT/? and 68000-based machines.
JUNKO-HARDWARE DEPARTMENT: Penril "Cadet" modem. A division
at Uni. of MD bought 6 of them in the summer, and 4 of the 6
powerpacks have fried out. Further, it does a wonderful job of
picking up AM radio stations.
Another nomination is the VAXMate (I can hear the DEC
purists scream). It took Digital 2 years to develop
a pretty AT-Clone with lots of proprietary expansion capability
and Ethernet built in. At $4,000 a pop for a diskless
workstation, BFD. You can buy a PC-clone, plug in Ethernet,
and DEC's MS-NET, and have lots of change left.
GRAPHICS STANDARDS WANTED: EGA is old hat now and eyes
are on the TI & Intel graphics co-processing chips. Who will set
the next generation standards for graphics boards? Or will we
have to wait for IBM to put out another medocre "standard"?
The current patch is to write drives for Microsoft Windows;
if your application will run under Window, it will take
advantage of the higher resolution. Euh. I guess it is better
than nothing, but it'd be very nice for company "X" to stand
up and say "We're doing 1280 by 840, and making our specs
public domain so anyone can make clone boards to follow in our
footsteps." I also believe in the tooth fairy.
BORLAND'S BLUNDER: Borland's latest promo
gimmick, the scratch & look contest to win a trip for the
final races for America's Cup (just like
Roy Rogers, etc.), sounds nifty. But, YO! What happens
if you win? You fly down to Australia, get stuck in a town
where prices are event inflated (a la L.A. Olympics), and
get to watch the yacht race from the shore.
Bunkie, as any affectionaido of yachting will tell you,
there ain't nothing to watch on the shore, cuz all the yachts
are 3 miles and 4 miles out running around. Maybe you get on
a boat and cruise out there, but you won't see much, because
Aussie ocean conditions are EXTREMELY choppy. Welcome to
seasickness. I sure hope I don't win. And second prize, a
Suziki pickup, doesn't quite float my boat as well; the
Suziki is one UGLY vehicle.
I think Mr. Kahn could have better spent his money on
reaching out to user groups better, than pouring it into Yuppie
sports like 12-meter sailing. It would help if the boat he's
sponsoring won a race or two. Oh well, it is his money. We
haven't seen Turbo "C" yet, either.
I myself am going to get into the "dBASE goes gold"
contest. First prize, a gold Porsche 944. Second prize, a trip
for two to Las Vegas. Or a gold watch. For some odd reason,
I find a trip to Vegas more appealing than to Australia. And
Fidonews Page 7 1 Dec 1986
I'd take a Porche over a Suziki pickup any day of the week...
YOUR OPINIONS, GOSSIP, FEEDBACK, AND MONEY WANTED: Send
me your opinions and good gossip and I'll try to print the
good stuff. I won't be at Comdex, but I suspect 97% of us
"true users" won't be there either. I'm here at FIDO 109/74,
or (301) 350-1437. No obscene phone calls, please.
Christopher Baker
Metro-Fire Fido, 135/14(0)
East Coast Hub for FireNet
FireNet Meets Echomail
and
The Dream is Realized!
I have been writing articles for FidoNews since early 1985. One
of my goals, through these articles, has been to unite Fire and
Rescue Departments through FidoNet and generate some kind of
meaningful exchange of information. It has not been easy to get
departments to join in for one reason of another.
Many departments, only now, are becoming capable of supporting
Fido systems. Those that can are beginning to understand the
potential. Many others are unaware that Fido exists. It is my
intention to keep at it until EVERYONE knows about Fido, et al,
and the possibilities for mass communication of vital data (e.g.
Hazardous Material warnings, equipment updates, program
availability, conference notices, new services, etc.) within the
Fire/EMS community.
Toward that end, a NEW Echomail conference has been established.
The FireNet Echo, hosted by Colorado's FireNet Leader (128/16),
is a reality and available to any Node who wants to hook in.
This Echo is available from 128/16 in the West and from 135/14
in the East. It encompasses the following Nodes: 128/16, 135/14,
104/610, 138/411, and 17/38. (Colorado's FireNet Leader, Metro-
Fire Fido, DIVE_LINK, The Dalmatian and 65' North, respectively.)
Anyone with an interest in the technical aspects of the Fire/EMS
services is welcome to participate in this Echo. At the moment,
we are discussing HazMat databases, hydraulic friction loss,
wilderness Search & Rescue, and a new CHEMTREC service via
modem to registered subscribers.
If you or someone you know is involved in Fire or EMS, paid or
volunteer, and has a PC and a modem and a desire to become part
of a new idea in inter-departmental communications, please give
them a copy of this article and have them call me or send Net
mail to 135/14. If anyone would like an ARC containing all of my
previous Fire-related articles to spread around to their local
departments, let me know via Net mail and I will file-attach it
to you as soon as I receive your request.
If you prefer the U.S. Mail (and who would?), send requests to:
Christopher Baker
Metro-Fire Communications
5680 S.W. 87 Avenue
Miami, FL 33173
Telephone: 305-596-8576 (voice)
Fidonews Page 9 1 Dec 1986
1430-2230, Mon-Fri
305-596-8611 (data).
I would be happy to assist any department or organization in
setting up a Fido system. Join us!
The Urgency of Moral Outrage
By Bernard Lown, MD
Co-President, International Physicians for the Prevention of
Nuclear War (IPPNW)
Fido 101/301, 101/302
We live in an age when intelligent people defer judgment to self-
described experts, even on issues that concern their very
survival. We have been conditioned to deny the evidence of our
senses and to ignore the incontrovertible.
We have been assured by experts that nuclear war will not happen.
But the elementary laws of probability tell us that an annual
risk of nuclear war, even as low as one percent, cumulates to a
likelihood of 40% when projected over the expected lifespan of
today's young people. It is a statistical certainty that hair-
trigger readiness cannot endure as a permanent condition.
Ignoring the possibility of accident ascribes to man and his
products a godliness that can never be achieved.
The world has been spared catastrophe, but our good fortune is
fragile. Nuclear war is an accident waiting to happen.
There is no dearth of warnings. Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Three
Mile Island, Bhopal, Challenger, and Chernobyl are sharply etched
vignettes of experience -- lessons, so to speak -- to educate us
about the world's end. We shall be given no more precise
warnings. We can only hope that the lessons will never be more
concrete and tangible.
The Trap of Deterrence
For two years IPPNW has been calling for a cessation of all
nuclear explosions. The Soviet Union has responded with a year-
long moratorium. The United States has not reciprocated, a
disappointment especially great for us American physicians. Most
informed commentators ascribe the US government's position to its
desire to develop space weapons, which a test ban would retard.
Few supporters of the plan speak of a total defense of the
civilian population; the more pragmatic justify space weapons as
necessary to strengthen deterrence.
If we are to comprehend the threatened escalation in the nuclear
arms race, we must examine its justification: the policy of
deterrence. In essence, this policy is based on the supposition
that nuclear weapons, by threatening unacceptable damage,
restrain undesirable actions by an adversary. A number of
illusions underlie this policy.
First is the illusion of numbers. If deterrence is the objective
of military policy, what is the purpose in accumulating 50,000
strategic and tactical warheads, equivalent in the aggregate to
more than four tons of dynamite for every man, woman, and child?
Why such a blatant exercise in redundancy?
Fidonews Page 11 1 Dec 1986
A second illusion is the claim that nuclear weapons have
conventional or political value. But all such claims rest on a
hidden premise of limited nuclear war -- an event as likely as an
explosion restricted to the top third of a keg of dynamite.
A third illusion is that deterrence has been a successful policy.
It is commonly stated that the avoidance of war between the US
and the USSR during the past 40 years is due to deterrence. This
unpersuasive assertion is not amenable to proof. The two
countries were not at war before the advent of nuclear weapons.
They were, in fact, military allies. They do not dispute each
other's borders; they do not engage in significant commercial
rivalries. Fundamentally, of course, the argument that
deterrence has prevented catastrophe fails irredeemably when it
fails just once. Any guarantee of peace with such a small margin
of error is no guarantee at all.
The Immorality of Deterrence
On the basis of this policy of deterrence, responsible
governments are targeting entire nations. Everyone's home has
become the front line. Infants and the aged, the sick and the
crippled are all targeted. The irreplaceable artifacts of human
history, the creative and artistic achievements of the ages will
not be spared incineration.
In the sorry recorded history of 5,000 years of endless wars,
some limits had been set on human savagery. Moral safeguards
were raised to preclude the killing of unarmed civilians and
health workers, the poisoning of drinking water, the incineration
of open cities, and the spreading of infection. But nuclear
barbarism threatens in one stroke all these painfully won but
limited constraints. Total war -- unprincipled in method,
unlimited in violence, indiscriminate in its victims, and
uncontrolled in its devastation -- is now sanctioned military
policy. Deterrence is a suspended sentence of mass murder to be
executed at any moment. The idea of pointing nuclear missiles at
entire nations is without precedent in moral depravity. We
fought Hitler to rid the world of genocide. Have we defeated the
enemy of mankind only to become infected with his immorality?
The Need for Moral Outrage
Information is not equivalent to knowledge, and possessing
knowledge does not necessarily impart understanding. Nor does
understanding consistently stimulate the appropriate activity to
achieve change. The gap between cognition and involvement is
frequently bridged by moral arousal.
We physicians, guardians of health and life, have an ethical
categorical imperative to expose the bleak immorality of the
policy of deterrence. We must not acquiesce to stockpiling
weapons of mass extermination as the guarantors of national
security. We must not permit the search for peace to proceed
through overt flirtation with death. There are no conceivable
circumstances which can justify the use of genocidal weapons.
Fidonews Page 12 1 Dec 1986
We need the moral courage to go further. We need to equate the
possession of nuclear weapons with crimes against humanity.
Would the building of thousands of gas chambers not be deemed
repugnant to the laws of civilized society? It is appropriate,
from this podium in Germany, to call for activation of a new war-
crimes process, a new Nuremberg, to begin to examine the
violation of international law implicit in the stockpiling of
instruments of genocide.
Brooding over the nuclear threat for a quarter of a century now,
I am led inexorably to the conviction that without exciting moral
outrage among their intended victims, the dismantling of nuclear
weapons will not succeed: only unprecedented arousal of moral
revulsion will provide the necessary spiritual energy.
On VE day 1945, Norman Corwin delivered on radio his poetic
drama, On a Note of Triumph. I quote the last stanza:
Lord God of test-tube and blueprint
who joined molecules of dust and shook them 'til
their name was Adam,
Who taught worms and stars how they could live together,
appear now among the parliaments of conquerors and give
instruction to their schemes,
Measure out new liberties so none shall suffer for his father's
color or the credo of his choice,
Post proofs that brotherhood is not so wild a dream as those who
profit by postponing it pretend,
Sit at the treaty table and convey the hopes of little peoples
through expected straits,
And press into the final seal a sign that peace will come for
longer than posterities can see ahead,
That man unto his fellow man shall be a friend forever.
This article was from an excerpt of Dr. Lown's speech to the 6th
IPPNW World Congress in Cologne, FRG. 6/86.
MSG is a program that allows the SysOp to read and modify
messages from DOS. Any part of the message may be changed.
MSG works very similarly to FIDO. You can invoke it with
a chain of commands separated by spaces, and you can type
a chain of commands at any of the program's prompts. The
program assumes an area change command to get it started,
so to avoid the initial list of areas, you should type an
area number as your first parameter.
Example: MSG 3 R 59 A P Q Q G
Will select area 3, message 59, switch the state of PRIVATE,
and exit the program. Without the trailing "G", you would
be presented with the MSG prompt, and allowed to continue
by typing other commands to the program interactively.
When you select "B" from the Message Reading menu, the body
of the message is copied to MESSAGE.TXT in your main Fido
directory, and the command "WS MESSAGE.TXT" is executed.
The program is easily patched to change the WordStar command
to that of a different editor. After editing, MSG asks you
whether or not you'd like to save the changes back into the
message.
The program doesn't need much documentation. Typing "MSG ?"
will give a quick syntax reminder. Following are the help
menus from the program:
Message Command Help
A = AREA change
G = GOODBYE (quit MSG)
K = KILL a message
L = LIST of messages
R = READ messages
? = HELP (what you're reading)
----------------------
Message Reading Help
Enter = read next/previous message
# = read message number "#"
- = read message that this is a reply to
+ = read reply to this message
A = change ATTRIBUTES of this message
B = change BODY of this message
K = KILL this message
M = MODIFY this message
N = read NEXT message
P = read PREVIOUS message
Q = QUIT reading messages
? = HELP (what you're reading)
Fidonews Page 14 1 Dec 1986
----------------------
Message Attribute Help
F = toggle FILE ATTCHD
K = toggle KILL/SENT
O = toggle ORPHAN
P = toggle PRIVATE
R = toggle RECV'D
S = toggle SENT
T = toggle IN TRANSIT
Q = QUIT (save changes)
? = HELP (what you're reading)
----------------------
Message Modification Help
T = change TO
F = change FROM
S = change SUBJECT
D = change DESTINATION net/node
O = change ORIGIN net/node
Q = QUIT (save changes)
? = HELP (what you're reading)
What follows is a sample session of using MSG:
---------------------------------------------------
(C:\FIDO) msg ?
Msg V1.0 (c) 1986 by Ron Bemis
From Nibbles & Bytes Fido 151/104: 919-942-9267
This program was registered to Fido 151/104
Syntax: MSG [?] [command...]
? displays this help message.
"command..." is a chain of commands to execute.
At start-up, the program assumes an area change command.
i.e. MSG 3 R 7 Q G (to read message 7 in area 3)
(C:\FIDO) msg
Msg V1.0 (c) 1986 by Ron Bemis
From Nibbles & Bytes Fido 151/104: 919-942-9267
This program was registered to Fido 151/104
Type "MSG ?" for help
----- Message Areas -----
0 ... Messages To/From The Sysop
1 ... Messages To/From The Sysop
2 ... General Message Area
3 ... Clean & Dirty Jokes
4 ... FidoNews And Other Newsletters
5 ... * FidoNet Mail Messages
Fidonews Page 15 1 Dec 1986
SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL THE GREAT FOLKS WHO HAVE REGISTERED
COPIES OF MY PROGRAMS: This program was sent to you
file attached through the net. Don't bother to download
it - you neat folks get all my new stuff first. If you
haven't gotten it by the time you read this please let me
know. Thanks for your support!
To everybody who's using OUTER - did you know that
version 2.0 is now available?
For those sysops that list the nodediff/nodelist files, as well as
the Fido Newsletter in a file area that is available for download
by users, as well as other sysops in the area, there is a program
that will allow you to automate this process from a batch file.
For some time I have been looking for a program that would do a
selective dos directory search in order to automate the updating
of my file area that contains the latest Nodediff/nodelist files,
as well as the weekly Fido newsletter.
I have found a program that almost does that. It is called
files.com and it allows for a selective directory search and also
allows for the insertion of a comment and then outputs the
results to a file that can be copied, using DOS + command, into a
revised files.bbs. This is all done from a batch file on specified
days.
The search command line that I use is as follows:
files nodelist.a?? /x $f Friday - $d > save.txt
This does a directory search for all nodediff.a?? files in the
current directory and outputs to a file with the following
result:
This can be done with the fidonews files with the same results
and the output of each can be transferred into a revised
files.bbs using the copy command. Or, if you wish, the output can
be directed into files.bbs if that is all you have in a
particular file area.
The program allows for sub-directory searches, so you can execute
from anywhere you wish.
For those who would like to have the program w/docs, it can be
picked up at 108/64 using SEAdog, or you can call, however
registration is required so it will involve two phone calls.
For SEAdog pickups, request files2.arc. For callers, look in
Fidonews Page 18 1 Dec 1986
file area #7 and it is also files2.arc. File size if 16401.
This is a contrary viewpoint to the views expressed by Joe
Lindstrom in a recent FidoNews on the subject of "open" systems.
My system, Soft Fido, has been in operation for about five months
now, and is entirely open. No special registration is required,
and there is no mandatory questionnaire. I have not adopted a
specific policy regarding the use of "handles", either pro or
con.
The results seem to be entirely opposite to the experience of Mr.
Lindstrom. The vast majority of my users log in with their
correct names, and there have been no cases thus far of people
posting abusive or "obscene" [however you might define such a
vague term] messages. One or two people have posted messages
offering or soliciting pirated software, but when I inform them
that it is not Soft Fido's policy to promote such illegal
activity, these people have cooperated by ceasing to use my
system to post such messages.
A minor handful of people have logged in under phony names, but
they seldom call back again; I guess there isn't much on my
system to interest such people. I do have a large number of
regular callers, many of whom have answered the voluntary online
questionnaire and provided their address and telephone number.
These users have participated in stimulating discussions in the
message sections, and contributed numerous uploads to the file
sections. They also enjoy the online games I provide in the
OUTSIDE section; since I have an online scoreboard giving running
scores, it is in their best interest to log in under their
correct names so their name will show up as system champion.
There have been a few extremely minor abuses of the open
policies; a couple of people have logged in under multiple names
to evade the daily time limits when doing extensive downloads.
However, nobody (to my knowledge) has attempted to crash the
system, or post abusive messages in other people's names, or such
things which are the reason why so many other boards have had to
adopt restrictive access policies.
I hope this continues, and I don't intend to restrict access
unless and until it is forced on me by flagrantly-abusive users.
Cumbersome registration requirements are a hassle to user and
sysop alike, and make it particularly hard on long-distance
callers (such as those who call to download the Fido utilities I
have written, and announced the availability of in another
FidoNews article), since they must then call at least twice (once
to register, another time to actually use the system, and
possibly several other times in between to check and see if
they've been upgraded yet.)
I like to take a general view that people are reasonable and
moral; it's only a few "bad apples" that make trouble. It is a
shame when everybody's freedom must be curtailed due to the
Fidonews Page 20 1 Dec 1986
actions of a few. I think there are better ways to keep a BBS
from degenerating into childishness than to adopt rigid access
policies; if you set an intelligent tone to the system from the
start through such matters as your choice of message and file
areas, the tone of your editorials and bulletins, et cetera, you
will attract the kind of users who appreciate your interests, and
the morons who prefer childish bickering and harassment of each
other will stay away from your system and use other systems more
receptive to their sort of thing, regardless of what access
policies are followed.
THE CHEAPEST PHONE BILL EVER!
-----------------------
Tom Rapone & Associates, Inc.
c/o Richard H. Epson
9920-A Plum Creek Lane
Charlotte, NC 28210
>> Fido 151/20 <<
(704) - 542 - 3895
Hello there fellow SysOps and Users! I'll bet most of you
spend well over $100.00 per month in long distance calls. If you
are a SysOp like me, you send twice or even three times that much
on long distance. Well, get this flash.....
$100.00 per month gets you...
U N L I M I T E D C A L L S
U N L I M I T E D T I M E
U N L I M I T E D A N Y W H E R E*
(* in the United States)
Watts lines have been used primarily by large corporations for
cheaper rates on volume long distance calls.
This is a program that takes average telephone users and combines
their usage to obtain volume rates.
WHY -
The divestiture of ATT has given other companies the
opportunity to compete with ATT for long distance phone service.
Many companies have done so. The company that I am dealing with
offers unrestricted, (in the United States, except Alaska), long
distance phone service for $100.00 per month. Most of the other
long distance companies are asking you to choose them or ATT.
Our service is saying keep your present long distance carrier and
also have this, now you have two long distance choices. For
heavy long distance users (like we SysOps) this is inexpensive
because we use state of the art equipment, access low cost lines,
and maximize usage. This is a supplement, not an alternative.
I am sure you are asking about long distance rates within your
state. Well, presently our service offers INTRA-STATE long
distance for the following states;
Arizona Colorado Delaware
Fidonews Page 22 1 Dec 1986
Dist. of Columbia Hawaii Idaho
Michigan Montana New Hampshire
North Dakota Oklahoma Pennsylvania
Rhode Island South Dakota Tennessee
Texas Utah Virginia
....With many more on the way! While you wait for your state, you
can still call anywhere outside your state (unlimited).
ACCESS -
Upon receipt of your application your personal access code
will be issued. To access our service you only need dial an 800
number then your personal access code. It is very important that
you keep your access code personal!
BILLING
Our service does not send bills. When you become a customer,
you may (if you wish) sign up for the Check-O-matic plan. Your
$100.00 monthly long distance phone bill will automatically be
deducted from your account and you will not have to worry about
forgetting the payment and losing the service. Check-O-matic
deductions are made the 15th of each month. Otherwise payment may
be made by the 24th of the preceeding month by mail.
What a deal, huh? There is more.....
Our service is a new company that will not spend money on
advertising. They use the most effective and least expensive
form of advertising. "WORD OF MOUTH" (OR COMPUTER TERMINAL!).
For people who know friends or relatives who would be interested
in their long distance phone rates, our service offers and
incentive program that enables participants to profit from
commissions. THERE IS NO COST FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE MARKETING
PLAN.
HOW -
For each new customer who purchases our service, you will
receive a $25.00 commission each month that customer
participates. For example, if you sign up four people for our
phone service, you would receive 4 x $25.00 ($100.00), per month,
during their participation. You would still have to pay your own
$100.00 bill for your long distance service but you would receive
a seperate commission from us for $100.00. IN EFFECT, your long
distance calls would be at NO COST.
We have designed a marketing plan so that you can earn even
MORE commissions. If the first four people you sell the service
also sell the service to others, you receive a $5.00 commission
for each additional participant each month they continue the
Fidonews Page 23 1 Dec 1986
service. This $5.00 bonus plan pays down through 5 levels*
*Where payment through more than a specified number of levels is
prohibited by state law, payment will be made only to the levels
permitted by such law.
EXAMPLE -
You sell Mike $25.00 Level 1
Mike sells Tom $ 5.00 2
Tom sells Ken $ 5.00 3
Ken sells Vick $ 5.00 4
Vick sells Bill $ 5.00 5
Bill sells Richard $ 5.00 6
You may offer this program to as many people as you choose.
You are saying "What's the catch?" There isn't one!! And even
if you don't sell it to anyone, $100.00 per month long distance
is still the best deal around!
If you are interested, send a check or money order for $4.95 made
out to;
*Tom Rapone & Associates, Inc
c/o Richard H. Epson
9920-A Plum Creek Lane
Charlotte, NC 28210
*Member of The Greater Charlotte, NC Chamber of Commerce
The $4.95 is used for processing and there are no other costs
except the $100.00 per month!
ONE MORE THING!!!
NO INSTALLATION FEE IF YOU APPLY WITH THIS OFFER!!
As a new Fido SysOp, I tend to read my MAILER.LOG a lot. I am
part of CanWest Net, and am located 36 cents-a-minute North of
my Host, DataWest (340/10) in Victoria, British Columbia. My
routing calls for SCANMAIL just prior to the NMW; I collect my
mail, send it to Victoria, and pick up inbound. Well after NMW,
I poll 340/10 for mail received from the other nodes, and for
inbound from outside the Net. The log tells me that polling my
host is a relatively expensive proposition. Typical connects
run from 1.5 to 4.0 minutes, even if no packet is received. I
assume this has something to do with the polling process, as
NMW connects are rarely in excess of 20 seconds, unless files
are attached. In the real world, it means an extra expense of
about $30.00 a month, just to get the echo's on time.
As I have come to devote more and more time to Fido, I have
begun to realize that there are thousands of hard-working,
dedicated people slaving away to improve and expand the net.
It would appear, from my point of view, that all of this effort
has yielded spectacular results. A system has been created that
may very well grown into the most significant communications
network on the planet; as the low-cost benefits from mass-
production bring more powerful and more advanced tools within
range of those hard-working people, the costs of the services
they provide will go down, and the service will expand.
Satellite communications channels have been a fact of life for
our culture for a long time. The profusion of satellite
receiving stations in the back yards of homes and offices is
just a beginning - wait until they're only $1.99 at K-Mart, and
then watch the frantic conversion from cable TV! Commercial
use of these satellites is commonplace - the evening TV News
is evidence of the quality possible, if you've got the money.
What's this all have to do with my MAILER.LOG? I propose that
we begin to gather data relating to both the cost of leasing
commercial satellite channels, and of building our own XMT/RCV
earth stations. One friend suggests that a station capable of
utilizing commercial satellite channels could be built for very
little more than the cost of my pc - about $3000.00. As they
sell in the $20,000.00 range, I have my doubts.
I would like to alleviate these doubts, and GET THE FACTS. I
would rather, if the price was right, forget the phone and zap
the satellite with my own transmitter. If Fido's Regional
Co-ordinators utilized such technology first, with the Hosts
following next, I wonder how long it would take before we could
forget our late-night routings and communicate whenever we
damned-well pleased via satellite. I would be happy to serve as
a clearing house for data. (If there is an EchoMail conference
already, my apologies - just tell me how to link - if there
Fidonews Page 25 1 Dec 1986
isn't, let's start with me.)
Ken McVay
1B Systems Management (Fido 340/20), Nanaimo, British Columbia
Jerry Hindle
123/6 123/0
MemphisNet
2400 baud MAX
901-353-4563
Well, it seems that certain segments of FidoNet do not like my
assessment of them as Shareware users, while other segments seem to
agree 100%.
First for the disapprovers...... You are definitely a MINORITY
of ONE. I mean out of all the responses I got you are the ONLY one
that seemed to think I was personally attacking you! Why? I would
name you here but I feel that you should remain anonymous since you
feel that my referring to persons who use something they did not
purchase was a personal attack on you. I will only say that of the
marketing studies that were returned to Mr. Presnell by persons who
tried FidoUtil that your area/net was the 3rd largest response. I
seem to think that there is more to your flame then you are
admitting, but then again maybe not. In either case the old saying
he who denies it the most is usually the guiltiest of the bunch (or
something like that). The breakdown of responses for FidoUtil is as
follows:
1) California had the most responses with NO registrations.
2) New York had the second highest total with 1 registration
3) Colorado had the third highest response (none registered)
4) 3 states tied with 2 registrations among the three
Florida, Georgia, Tennessee
Now for the remark you made in your message to me about my not
paying for the program myself....I TRIED TO but the author declined
my money and registered my copy as a way of saying thanks. I had
written the review and sent the $$$ before it ever hit FidoNews and I
got my check back from him by return mail 3 days after the review
came out. I did go you one better... I at least TRIED ! You stated
that to your knowledge there was no one using FidoUtil in your net.
Well I will take this on faith as true since I have no need to doubt
you at this time. I was assuming that out of the 497 responses to the
marketing study that Mr. Presnell got back that about 50% of those
were one time only runs. This would leave about 250 or so that used
the program more then once and about 20% of this figure could still
be using the program. This would mean that somewhere out there are
50 persons using FidoUtil on their system (this is 10% of the total
response) of those only 5 are now registered. This means that only
1% of the total response decided the program was worth anything. I
find this HARD TO BELIEVE, NAY IMPOSSIBLE !!!!!
I have received one response from a sysop that specifically
stated that he did not use FidoUtil after trying it out. He decided
Fidonews Page 27 1 Dec 1986
that waiting for updates to the individual modules was too much for
him, which is by the way a very good reason.
I received 10 responses from others praising me for my stand
(although one said that he agreed with my idea but said I picked the
wrong program to flame about).
So it seems that the ONLY negative response was from someone who
decided that I was attacking HIS integrity personally. All I can say
to you is this:
If the shoe fits wear it !!!!!
I am a staunch supporter of the ShareWare concept and will
continue to support it any way I can. I might not be able to send as
much as I would like to for the programs I use but I will at least
send something which is more then most shareware authors expect.
From what I can see most shareware authors decide on the front end
that there will be absolutely no return on their investment and thus
are totally shocked when they do receive any funds back.
Again responses welcome.....
P.S. this is to the one disagreeing comment I got in FidoMail....I
have done a little checking and find that this is not my first
contact with you. I also had contact with you on another program and
got no reply at all.
Don't let them tell you any different; the inside of one hotel is
no different than any other hotel. I spent the weekend in
Nashua, New Hampshire, smoking too many cigarettes, drinking too
much coffee, and raising my voice in discussion too many times,
and still have no mortal idea what New Hampshire and Boston look
like. We left the hotel for a grand total of two hours in three
days, other than the drive to and from the airport. And I think
I was suppose to say "Am I having fun yet?"
Anyhow, I am ahead of schedule (for the first time in six days).
As I mentioned in my last Ramble, I was going to the BY-LAWS
Committee meeting in Nashua, New Hampshire over the weekend of
Nov 7 through 9. I spent close to twelve hours getting from here
to there, and thought I was probably the last to arrive on
Thursday night. As Ken Kaplan and I wandered around the hotel
together, we discovered we were probably the first to arrive.
(Hint - don't try to find anything to eat in Nashua after
midnight unless you have a car. No pizza deliveries. Hotel bar
closed down, and forget the restaurant.) When the first wave of
late arrivals was over, we commenced to gather in fellowship (a
nice way of saying I stayed up until after 4 am drinking beer and
talking. I don't know when the rest of them gave up, but think it
wasn't much later).
Friday started out with a dull thud. By the time people rolled
out of bed and finished breakfast (lunch for the early risers),
we were almost ready to begin. We set up a suite and began our
attempt at figuring out exactly what we were there to do. I know
it sounds easy to say we were going to formulate Articles of
Association and a set of By-Laws, but that is really an over
simplification. Believe it or not, we spent a whole day
'defining' what we were to do, set up our draft agenda and a
proposed By-Law outline. We used a dual monitor PC and MAX Think
(tm) to brainstorm our goals, desires and objectives.
Friday night was a nice dinner (the one trip out of the hotel)
and a little more socialising in the evening as the rest of the
crew arrived. We felt we had laid out a good set of plans for
the next day. It was really kind of funny because we really
hadn't accomplished that much, but then again, we had progressed
with leaps and bounds, and everyone was riding high over what we
had done.
Saturday began much quicker and went a lot longer. Now was the
day to fill in the MAX Think Outline and argue all the points
raised while building the outline. Tempers were short, but good
natured. We were constantly reminded there was a rule stating
that if a person lost their sense of humor, they would be taken
to the fourth story roof and thrown off. Dinner came, but almost
slipped us by as we refused to take a break and loose the head of
steam we had built up. We were simply cooking down the road, and
Fidonews Page 29 1 Dec 1986
continued to do so on into the night.
In the mean time, the Fido Standards Committee was meeting in the
suite next door. They would occasionally wander over to our room
for a refill on a soda or a cold beer, but would leave very
shortly thereafter with some comment about being techie's and not
being able to handle the politicians. Personally, I took those
comments as insults, but after sitting in on their meeting for a
couple of minutes, I was happy to be labelled a politician
because I certainly had no idea what they were talking about.
Another long night Saturday, and an early start on Sunday because
we had more to finish before meeting flights at the airport. I
couldn't believe it when we started taking the equipment down 10
minutes before we were required to checkout. We could actually
take it down and not move it over the Bob Hartman's apartment and
set it up for more last minute things. We were finished with our
task.
And what did we do? Gosh, I don't know how to put it in a
nutshell other than to reference you to a file; IFNA1109.ARC (I
am ROBOTing it to all Region 17 HOSTs this evening and have it
posted on my System in File Area #1 - will move to Area #5 later
in the week). The files are the major products of our weekend in
New Hampshire. This is a proposal package that has been
presented to the Board of Directors. We were not in total
agreement on everything, and minority opinions are being written
at this time. In fact, we had hoped they would be available for
inclusion. YOU are encouraged to comment on what you read.
(Constructive comments, not just a rash of FLAMES). These
comments should be forwarded to Randy Bush (122/6). Or if you
choose, and desire an open forum, you may enter your thoughts in
the IFNA ECHO. This is the ECHO that was started for the members
to discuss the By-Laws and policy matters. Who and why it turned
into a basket weaving circle, is beyond me and I shall stay off
that subject this go around.
I will be happy to try and attempt to answer any questions that
people have, but before you ask, PLEASE READ the documents we
have presented. I believe I remember everything that was
presented, but then again I have read, and reread the darn thing
so many times over the weekend, and was involved in so many
changes, I seriously doubt I really know what it says any more.
I think I need a day or two to sort it out, then I will read it
again.
However, I am comfortable with what was presented to the Board.
I don't believe any one person dominated the group or forced us
to go in one direction or the other. It was simply a joint
effort of a group of individuals who were looking out for the
interests of others. It was neat to watch people push different
items as far as possible to see what the long range ramifications
were for each statement. We believe we have have presented a
document that will service our needs now, as well as for the next
few years.
Fidonews Page 30 1 Dec 1986
Now it is up to YOU TO VOTE. EDUCATE yourself on the issues.
DISCUSS them rationally with others in the IFNA ECHO without
destructive flames.
During the weekend of Nov. 16, the inbound Host system for the
New York Metropolitan area (Net 107) had a head crash. The
system has finally been restored as of the backup of October 27.
However, all files for the host since that date and all messages
in-transit at the time of the crash have been lost.
It is suggested that you re-send any transmissions which you feel
may have been affected.
Are you interested in investments, stock market, general finance,
and government fiscal policy? With today's highly complex
financial markets it is exteremely difficult to find adequate
information on investing. National Business and Economics
Echomail is an open forum of discussion for those interested in
investments, the stock market, and government fiscal policy along
with all related areas of finance. Both novices and professionals
are invited to to share their knowledge with others. Whether its
high or low finance all are encouraged to participate in this new
and exciting forum. Like to Dabble in the market?? Or do you
have questions about investing?? Just Ask!!!
So you want Big Buck$ ? Get the inside word and tie into
Charter Membership for the International FidoNet Association
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
pays an annual specified membership fee. IFNA serves the
international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to
increase worldwide communications.**
Name _________________________________ Date ________
Address ______________________________
City & State _________________________
Country_______________________________
Phone (Voice) ________________________
Net/Node Number ______________________
Board Name____________________________
Phone (Data) _________________________
Baud Rate Supported___________________
Board Restrictions____________________
Special Interests_____________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
Is there some area where you would be
willing to help out in FidoNet?_______
______________________________________
______________________________________
Send your membership form and a check or money order for $25 to:
International FidoNet Association
P. O. 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
in formation and BYLAWS are presently being prepared by an
International Rules Committee. Membership requirements and fees
are subject to approval of this Committee. An IFNA Echomail
Conference has been established on FidoNet to assist the BYLAWS
Committee. We welcome your input on this Conference.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fidonews Page 35 1 Dec 1986
Larry Kahaner
Fido 109/612
Established author writing book about SATANIC CULTS in
America. Looking for personal and professional experiences
and anecdotes about this practice. Serious parties only.
Anonymity guaranteed (if you wish). Contact Larry Kahaner,
P.O. Box 39103 Washington DC 20016. Tell me how to contact
you. You may also contact me via Fido 109/612
Charter Membership for the International FidoNet Association
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
pays an annual specified membership fee. IFNA serves the
international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to
increase worldwide communications.**
Name _________________________________ Date ________
Address ______________________________
City & State _________________________
Country_______________________________
Phone (Voice) ________________________
Net/Node Number ______________________
Board Name____________________________
Phone (Data) _________________________
Baud Rate Supported___________________
Board Restrictions____________________
Special Interests_____________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
Is there some area where you would be
willing to help out in FidoNet?_______
______________________________________
______________________________________
Send your membership form and a check or money order for $25 to:
International FidoNet Association
P. O. 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
in formation and BYLAWS are presently being prepared by an
International Rules Committee. Membership requirements and fees
are subject to approval of this Committee. An IFNA Echomail
Conference has been established on FidoNet to assist the BYLAWS
Committee. We welcome your input on this Conference.
