Copyright 1990, Fido Software. All rights reserved. Duplication
and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only.
For use in other circumstances, please contact Fido Software.
FidoNews is published weekly by the System Operators of the
FidoNet (r) International BBS Network. It is a compilation of
individual articles contributed by their authors or authorized
agents of the authors. The contribution of articles to this
compilation does not diminish the rights of the authors.
You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
FidoNews. Article submission standards are contained in the file
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from node 1:1/1. 1:1/1 is a Continuous
Mail system, available for network mail 24 hours a day.
Fido and FidoNet are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings of
Fido Software, Box 77731, San Francisco CA 94107, USA and are
used with permission.
Opinions expressed in FidoNews articles are those of the authors
and are not necessarily those of the Editor or of Fido Software.
Most articles are unsolicited. Our policy is to publish every
responsible submission received.
Table of Contents
1. ARTICLES ................................................. 1
My Wife's New Couch ...................................... 1
EuroCon IV at Antwerp Belgium on july 14-15th 1990 ....... 3
Announcing: The Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) echo ......... 17
RUMOURS ABOUND . . . in Region 17 ........................ 19
FIDOCON 1990 REGISTRATION FORM ........................... 20
2. COLUMNS .................................................. 23
Talk Me Through It, Honey ................................ 23
3. LATEST VERSIONS .......................................... 26
Latest Software Versions ................................. 26
4. NOTICES .................................................. 29
And more!
FidoNews 7-20 Page 1 14 May 1990
Certainly this is true of the wives of FidoNet Sysops. While
some spouses endure the much fabled Wednesday night Poker game,
the sports addicted couch potato, or antique automobile
restoral, the wife of a FidoNet Sysop finds that she is sharing
her husband with that most demanding of mistresses, The Bulletin
Board System!
Yes, the BBS sings her siren song to the Sysop. Enticing,
seducing, entreating him to spend more time at the task of
attaining that ever elusive goal (that is more a state of mind
than an actual state of being) which can be summed up in the
words, "There! I've finally gotten it the way I want it, now I
don't have to do any more, it can run itself!"
The wife of a FidoNet Sysop (ok, ok, EVERY Sysop, but I like to
indulge myself in the small conceit that FidoNet Sysops are far
more dedicated in their task, the creme de la creme if you
will) finds that she must come to terms with one of life's
simple truths: No matter how much time, no matter how much
money her husband spends on his Bulletin Board, it will NEVER be
enough. There will always be one more screen to create, a
little more tweaking to do, another hard drive to buy, another
(insert favorite BBS activity here).
Picture the following, fellow Sysop, and tell me honestly this
hasn't happened in your home:
It's late at night and you are working on the board. It may be
a new utility you're trying to install, or perhaps catching up
on your mail. It doesn't really matter what you're doing, the
point is you are INVOLVED! The last thing you want at this
point is to be interrupted or have to stop what you're doing.
Your wife is on her way to bed (after spending the entire
evening alone in front of the tube, after all, you've been
busy) and she asks when you're coming to bed. Granting that
your brain registers the fact that someone has said something,
you reply absently that you'll be to bed in a few minutes. When
you actually do get to bed you silently hope that your wife
doesn't wake up to see you hitting the sack at 2:30 am - 3 hours
after you last spoke to her.
FidoNews 7-20 Page 2 14 May 1990
Sound familiar?
How about this?
Your powers of persuasion and creativity are pushed to the
limit as you explain to your wife just exactly why you need to
spend several hundred dollars for an HST modem, a VGA card &
monitor, or any of the score of goodies that immediately come to
mind.
No, the conscientious Sysop does not have an easy life, but the
wife of a Sysop has an even more difficult task. She gives up
time with her husband, abandoning him to an avocation which, in
most cases, she understands very little and cares about even
less. Not easy to do, but done out of love.
This is not to say that there are not women who share their
husbands interest. Au contraire! As a matter of fact in Net
205 there is one wife who has developed such an interest in the
BBS hobby that she now runs the slickest and most popular board
in the area and is the NEC to boot! She has a real passion to
make her BBS the very best it can be and you can see that care
from the moment you log on (and our hats are off to ya, Sam!).
My heartfelt thanks to the wives of the FidoNet Sysops, and to
my own wife in particular, for putting up with this strange
preoccupation which borders on obsession. You smile bravely and
encourage us in this expensive and time consuming hobby. My own
wife has never asked once why in the world I want to spend
thousands of dollars and devote an endless amount of time to
entertain total strangers. No doubt she's wondered, but has
never asked. Without the support of our spouses in this odd
and delightful hobby, the boards would be a far less interesting
place to be.
About the title: My friend sits, admiring my new system. I
won't bore you with the details, but it is a superfine machine
which anyone would be proud to own. My friend turns to me and
says, "This is a really nice setup!"
My wife, in the dining room, is watching us. Upon hearing my
friend's comment she pulls on her mask of patient long-suffering
and informs our guest, "That's my new couch."
Lastword: OK, before I'm flamed to death by the female Sysops
out there let me say that I wrote this from a man's perspective
and that's the way it is. There are a lot of BBS's run by the
fair sex and without exception I have found them to be first
rate. But tell me, if your husband, boyfriend or whatever does
not share your interest, don't they sometimes resent the time
you spend with your system? I'm outta here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 7-20 Page 3 14 May 1990
B-)-NET, the Belgian Sysop Association presents ...
Payment
Rate Plan Schedule: Full Rate Before June 15th
--------- ----------------
A. Single Occupancy per day ..... Bfr 3.250 Bfr 3.000
B. Double Occupancy/person per day. Bfr 2.150 Bfr 1.800
C. Youth Hostel.................... pm
D. Camping-site tent............... pm
E. Camping-site trailer............ pm
F. Camping-site mobil-home......... pm
G. Conference/incl. lunch (2 days). Bfr 2.000 Bfr 1.800
H. Dinner/Cruise 1st evening....... Bfr 2.500
I. Computer Widow-programme........ pm
J. Children programme.............. pm
K. Infant-care..................... pm
The following registration and payment forms must be completed
and mailed to:
You may register by Netmailing this completed form to 2:2/999
as well, which is the official Eurocon-IV-node, for processing.
Rename it to ZNNNXXXX.PPP where Z is your Zone number, N is
your Net number, X is your Node number and P your point-number.
If you are a sysop, then PPP should be '000'. If you are a
user, then PPP should be 'USR'.
E-mailed and faxed registrations must be confirmed by regular
mail within 14 days, after this period the registration becomes
void unless full payment is received in the meantime.
FidoNews 7-20 Page 4 14 May 1990
Hotel reservations and participation in the programme must be
paid in advance to the EUROCON-IV-team.
Cancellations prior to June 15th will receive a full refund
minus 20% service charge.
Cancellations on June 15th or between June 15th and July 1st
will receive a 50% refund, cancellations on or after July 1st
will not be refunded.
All valid registrations will be confirmed by e-mail.
E U R O C O N - IV R E G I S T R A T I O N F O R M
*********************************************************
Name: _________________________________________________________
Address: _____________________________ Apt. or Suite: ________
City: _________________________ State or Province: ___________
Postal Code: __________________ Country: _____________________
+--------+---------------+---+------+-------+-------+-------+
| Option | Full Name |Qty|Day in|Day out|Pricing| Total |
+--------+---------------+---+------+-------+-------+-------+
| PLAN A | | | | | 3.200 | |
+--------+---------------+---+------+-------+-------+-------+
| PLAN B | | | | | 2.000 | |
+--------+---------------+---+------+-------+-------+-------+
| PLAN C | | | | |xxxxxxx| 0 |(1)
+--------+---------------+---+------+-------+-------+-------+
| PLAN D | | | | |xxxxxxx| 0 |(1)
+--------+---------------+---+------+-------+-------+-------+
| PLAN E | | | | |xxxxxxx| 0 |(1)
+--------+---------------+---+------+-------+-------+-------+
| PLAN F | | | | |xxxxxxx| 0 |(1)
+--------+---------------+---+------+-------+-------+-------+
| PLAN G | | | V O I D | 2.000 | |
+--------+---------------+---+--------------+-------+-------+
| PLAN H | | | V O I D | 2.500 | |(2)
+--------+---------------+---+--------------+-------+-------+
| PLAN I | | | V O I D | pm | |(3)
+--------+---------------+---+--------------+-------+-------+
| PLAN J | | | V O I D | pm | |(4)
+--------+---------------+---+--------------+-------+-------+
| PLAN K | | | V O I D | pm | |(4)
+--------+---------------+---+--------------+=======*********
FidoNews 7-20 Page 5 14 May 1990
| Total = *
+=======*********
o Special requirements: ________________________________________
o Arrange a room under plan-B for me, I am : male / female (5)
My roommate should be : smoker / no-smoker / no preference (5)
I prefer to share my room with : __________________________
o For my meals, I prefer : vegetarian / non-vegetarian (5)
o My main interest is for : EUROCON-IV / TECHCON-I (5)
(1) = Reservations accepted, but payment must be performed
by customer on-site.
(2) = Event subject to enough participants
(3) = To be paid at the conference at a cost-covering fee
(4) = Subject to enough participants at a cost-covering fee
(5) = Strike-out whichever is inappropriate
E U R O C O N - IV P A Y M E N T F O R M
************************************************
In order to process your registration properly and book your
conference fees accordingly, we request you to indicate below
your mode of payment.
Please check one and follow the instructions listed :
O Cheque (Euro-cheque only! Non-European participants can send
a certified bankers cheque)
For your own security, do not route any message with your
credit card number on it. Crash it directly to 2:2/999.
You must pay by Cheque, Money Order, or Credit Card. Please
send no cash!
ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE IN BELGIAN CURRENCY OTHERWISE EXTRAS WILL
BE CHARGED.
(We are not making one penny of profit, so ... we prefer to
avoid losses as well).
E U R O C O N - IV : R E G I S T R A T I O N I N F O
********************************************************
Registrations for which no payment was received one month
before the conference will forfeit their reduction.
Registrations for which no payment was received 7 days prior to
commencement of the conference will become void.
It is possible to register at the conference-desk in the
VIP-room subject to availability of accommodation in the
conference-room and -hotel. (Please be aware that by that time
the youth hostel and the camping ground will be full)
Planning your own way?
Participants can decide however to organise their whole stay
themselves. For this reason, we are giving the address of the
municipal tourist-office in the main Flanders cities as well as
the conference addresses :
Hotel & Conference venue : Pullman Hotel
Desguinlei 94
2018 Antwerp
FidoNews 7-20 Page 7 14 May 1990
Camping ground : Municipal Camping Ground
Jan Van Rijswijcklaan
2020 Antwerpen
Ph.: +32-3-238.57.17
Municipal tourist offices :
---------------------------
Antwerp : Dienst voor Toerisme Bruges : Promotie Toerisme vzw
Gildekamerstraat 7 Stationsplein 3
2000 Antwerpen 8000 Brugge
+32-3-232.01.03 +32-50-38.80.83
Brussels : Dienst voor Toerisme Ghent : Dienst voor Toerisme
Grote Markt Meersstraat 138
1000 Brussel 9000 Gent
+32-2-513.89.40 +32-91-25.36.41
Mechelen : Dienst voor Toerisme Ostend : Toerismebureel
Grote Markt Wapenplein
2800 Mechelen 8400 Oostende
+32-15-21.18.73 +32-59-70.11.99
Ypres : Dienst voor Toerisme
Grote Markt
8900 Ieper
+32-57-20.26.26
E U R O C O N - IV : T R A V E L - I N F O
********************************************
1) VISA :
---------
There are no visa requirements for people coming from
EEC-countries.
Residents from non-EEC west European countries such as Norway,
Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, etc ... do not require any
special documents if they have a valid travel passport or
appropriate ID.
People coming from the former eastern bloc must apply for a
visa at the Belgian embassy in the capital of the respective
countries.
FidoNews 7-20 Page 8 14 May 1990
To do so, we'll send an official invitation on letter-headed
paper to all eastern European registrations which can then be
used for your visa- application.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has assured that the long
waiting-lines are over and that the document can be obtained in
a very short period, however we suggest you play it from the
safe side.
All other nationalities, please check with the Belgian embassy
in your capital as soon as possible.
2) CURRENCY :
-------------
The going currency is the BELGIAN FRANC.
At this time the exchange rate is about as follows :
People from former eastern bloc countries, please be advised
that under normal conditions you still are not allowed to
export local currencies from your countries. Should you bring
local currencies anyway, please be advised that banks take from
7 to 14 days to exchange them, if they do so at all (Hungarian
Forints can be exchanged, others are unsure). The rate is also
very unfavorable (and there is no black market). It is strongly
advised you obtain a non-eastern European currency.
3. Electricity :
----------------
Should you bring electronic appliances, please check the
required voltage.
In Belgium 220V alternating current at 50 Hz is universal.
Plugs are standard as in The Netherlands, Germany and some
other European countries (not U.K., Ireland, Switzerland, ...).
FidoNews 7-20 Page 9 14 May 1990
4. Traffic-jams :
-----------------
The week-end of 14/15 July has major movements of masses of
people all over Europe leaving on or just returning from their
holiday. Please take this into account when planning your
travel by car.
Also, if you're intending to cross France on your inbound
and/or outbound journey, the 14th is their national holiday. So
the day prior to that week-end (Friday 13th) or just after it
(Monday 16th) you could experience difficulties due to the
unavailability of certain services.
5. For your reference, here are the prices of some commodities
in Belgium :
--------------------------------------------------------------
* A package of cigarettes : 84 Bfr (*L*'s brand)
* 1/2 pint of Lager : 30 Bfr (but there's better stuff)
* Portion of fries with mayonnaise : 55 Bfr
* McDonnalds' "Big Mac" : 97 Bfr
* 1 litre of unleaded gas : 27 Bfr
* 1 litre of leaded gas : 29 BFr
* 1 litre of diesel-oil : 17 Bfr
* 1 litre of milk : 22 Bfr
* A loaf of white bread (+/-1kg) : 50 Bfr
* 1/2 pound of butter : 50 Bfr
E U R O C O N - IV : C O N F E R E N C E A G E N D A
********************************************************
Day-1 : Friday July 13th
14:00 Registration opens in VIP-room Pullman Hotel
17:30 Reception Town Hall by the mayor of Antwerp
19:00 Social get-together in the Pullman-hotel
Day-2 : Saturday July 14th
09:15 Opening-address by the mayor of Antwerp
09:30 Start session-1 : "Political Politics"
09:30-09:40 = Introduction
09:40-10:15 = Changing-policy in the great internal market
10:15-10:30 = FidoNet into the former Eastern Bloc
10:30-10:45 = Coffee-break
10:45-11:15 = Auto-censoring, privacy and ownership of
public electronic mail information
11:15-11:45 = The private computer-communication market
after 1992
FidoNews 7-20 Page 10 14 May 1990
11:45-12:00 = Questions and answers
12:00-13:30 Lunch
13:30 Start session-2 : "FidoNet Politics"
13:30-14:00 = Telephone companies and future European
approval standards for telecommunications
hardware
14:00-14:45 = Democracy within FidoNet
14:45-15:00 = Coffee break
15:00-15:30 = FidoNet in the world - or how to survive
without IFNA
15:30-16:30 = Complaint procedure
16:30-17:00 = Questions and answers
17:00-18:00 = Blowing-off steam
18:00-22:00 = Dinner/Cruise
22:01-..... = Let's hit town (But please be back before
9 am on Sunday)
13:30-14:30 = Creation European FidoNet Association
14:30-14:45 = Coffee-break
14:45-15:30 = Elections Board EFNA
15:30-16:00 = Appointing Eurocon-V site
16:00-17:00 = Unfinished business
17:00-17:15 = Closing statement(s)
17:15-18:00 = Closing reception at Pullman Hotel
FidoNews 7-20 Page 11 14 May 1990
19:00 : "Olympic hard-disc throwing trials"
Day-4 : Monday July 15th
08:00-12:00 = Office in VIP-room is available for people
needing assistance.
12:00:01 you're on your own ... see you next year in ???
E U R O C O N - IV : WELCOME Z O N E-1 PARTICIPANTS
*******************************************************
Dear friends from the USA,
Why not spend your summer vacation in Europe and attend
EUROCON-IV?
After extensive contacts with American Airlines and with the
cooperation of the Fidocon-US organising committee, very
advantageous fares can be offered if you plan to come to
Europe.
Some examples for round-trip fares between Brussels and ...
Atlanta, GE 762 US$ (ex ATL)
Chicago, IL 698 US$ (ex ORD)
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX 794 US$ (ex DFW)
Denver, CO 758 US$ (ex DEN)
Los Angeles, CA 778 US$ (ex LAX)
Miami, FL 738 US$ (ex MIA)
Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN 658 US$ (ex MSP)
New York, NY 656 US$ (ex JFK)
Portland, OR 778 US$ (ex PDX)
Salt Lake City, UT 758 US$ (ex SLC)
San Francisco, CA 778 US$ (ex SFO)
Seattle, WA 778 US$ (ex SEA)
Only Chicago and New York are direct flight, all other points
of departure will necessitate a change of plane in New York or
Chicago, whichever is the more appropriate.
Booking and payment must be accomplished 30 days prior to
departure. Travel may not be on a Saturday nor Sunday (unless
small surcharge). Minimum stay 7 days, maximum 21 days (except
small surcharge).
Reservations can be handled by the EUROCON-IV organization
team, but in such case must be prepaid.
If such an arrangement interests you, please send a netmail to
2:2/999.
FidoNews 7-20 Page 12 14 May 1990
E U R O C O N - IV : T E C H C O N - I
**********************************************
And now for something completely different ...
To make this European-meeting of FidoNet participants more
attractive, we've taken the initiative to organize parallel to
EUROCON-IV another international event.
Whereas EUROCON looks more at the political and organizational
point of view of communicating in our net, TECHCON-I will be
THE thing not to miss if you're interested in the technical
aspects of our pass-time.
We believe a very good programme is being put together, the
main items are being listed below, though proper scheduling
over the two days still has to take place :
* V42/V42bis
* FTSC
* European Standards
* Virus
* Data-compression
* New products
* FidoNet Compatible Architecture
* Mailers
* Fido-software for non-IBM PC's
* Message-fossils
Apart from this we are trying to organize, as part of
TECHCON-I, a mystery-event which at this time we are still
calling
"The clash of the titans"
Further announcements on this will follow later ...
E U R O C O N - IV : O T H E R E V E N T S
**********************************************
You ain't seen nothing yet ...
1) Wheelin' 'n dealin' :
------------------------
At the same time of anything else, a mini-market for
conference-attenders alone will be available to strike deals on
computer- and communication equipment.
Modems and other stuff will be available at special
sysop-prices.
FidoNews 7-20 Page 13 14 May 1990
... if a good deal is the name, then Eurocon-IV is your game...
2) Other amateur PC-uses :
--------------------------
There will be constant demo's of other amateur and
non-commercial PC-use.
Some of the demo's will be :
- Packet-radio transmissions
- Satellite-photo composition
- Waste-water-currents modelling in the Northsea
- Transforming WordPerfect text to braille-text for
the visually impaired on a special braille-printer
- ...
3) USERCON-I :
--------------
During Euro/Tech-con there will be a 3rd conference dedicated
especially to Belgian users and points.
It will deal with the beginners-aspects of communicating via
FidoNet.
This conference is exclusively in Dutch and will only take
place on the 14th.
Further announcements about it will follow.
4) Computer-Widows :
--------------------
A special programme is being put together for the
computer-widows accompanying their male life-partner.
Computer-widowers are very welcome as well of course.
The programme will consist of touristical and leisure points of
interest as well as shopping bargains.
The programme will run at a modest fee covering costs only.
Further announcements about it, as well as the cost, will be
published shortly.
5) Children programme :
-----------------------
If parents bring their children along and would like us to
organize a special programme for kids while they (=the parents)
attend EUROCON-IV, then please indicate so on the registration
form, as well as their languages spoken, their age and their
sex.
Depending upon the number of children subscribed, activities
will be organized for them by qualified people.
FidoNews 7-20 Page 14 14 May 1990
The programme will run at a modest fee covering costs only.
Further announcements about it, as well as the cost, will be
published when it becomes clear enough children will be
attending.
6) Infant care :
----------------
Young parents wanting to bring their infant children along and
not having to bother about them during conference-hours may
indicate this wish, as well as the age of the child on the
registration form.
If enough infant children and/or babies are subscribed, then a
nursery will be set up in the conference-hotel by qualified
staff.
The programme will run at a modest fee covering costs only.
Further announcements about it, as well as the cost, will be
published when it becomes clear enough infant children and or
babies will be attending.
7) General remark :
-------------------
It must be well understood that the children- and/or
infant-care-programme will be cancelled if the
organization-committee considers that too few subscriptions
were entered to offer it.
E U R O C O N - IV : A C C O M O D A T I O N
**********************************************
1) Hotel :
----------
Accommodation is in the "Pullman Hotel" in Antwerp, it is the
same hotel where EUROCON-IV takes place.
It is a *****-hotel, but we managed to negotiate with them
***-prices for hotel-rooms as well as renting the
conference-rooms. These rates are only possible because the
organization-committee is handling reservations and payments
themselves.
So when registering, please do not wait too long with your
payment.
2) Youth-Hostel :
-----------------
We have reserved a number of sleeping-places at the
International Youth Hostel of Antwerp. It is 5-10 minutes
walking from the conference-hotel.
You have to be a member of the International Youth Hostel
Federation. If you are not a member, 80 Bfr extra will be
charged per night.
If you are interested in staying overnight at the Youth Hostel,
we will make the reservations for you but in no case will we
handle the payments as bank-charges on international transfers
would nearly double that amount.
Please be advised that these reservations are on a "first
come/first served" basis and the number of beds is limited.
3) Municipal camping-ground :
-----------------------------
If you bring your camping-equipment we can arrange a place for
you at the municipal camping ground. If you wish, we will make
these reservations for you, but in no case will we handle the
payments, that is completely up to you.
The municipal camping ground is 5-10 minutes walking from the
conference- hotel.
4) General remark :
-------------------
Please keep in mind that for each valid registration, 4
coffee-breaks and 2 lunches are included in the conference-fee.
E U R O C O N - IV : F U R T H E R A N N O U N C E M E N T S
**************************************************************
Participants to EUROCON-IV will have free access to TECHCON-I
and vice- versa.
However, in order to prepare for the number of people who will
attend, we would like to ask you to state a preference as
mentioned on the registration-form.
A special insurance will be taken out to cover attenders and
their families present for accidents that could happen to them
while at the premisses of EUROCON-IV.
At regular intervals further announcements about EUROCON-IV
will be made via the special echo "EURO4" which is now being
distributed via usual echomail-channels.
FidoNews 7-20 Page 16 14 May 1990
Please tune-in if you want to be kept informed.
All announcements will also be published in EMBBS and FidoNews,
as well as in ENET.SYSOP.
Should there be any further questions you have about this years
EUROCON, please do not hesitate to contact me at 2:2/999. It's
a CM-system with HST-modem. (I'm also in the nodelist on
2:295/49, but only at 1200 baud and not-CM, so not to be
advised because during the day there will be a voice
answering!).
We have started a new echo called MLM, the echo for those
involved or interested in Multi-Level Marketing (sometimes also
known as "network marketing"). For those of you who are not
familiar with the phrase "Multi-Level Marketing", this is the
method by which a large number of products and services are
sold nowadays. Some of the better-known firms in this field
are Amway (home care and other products), and A.J. Williams
(insurance), but there are literally hundreds of firms that
utilize this method of marketing their products.
The need for this echo arose from the fact that messages
relating to Multi-Level Marketing were appearing with
increasing frequency in echoes such as FOR-SALE and JOBS. The
moderators of such echoes consider MLM discussions as
"off-topic" and therefore, it is difficult to have a discussion
about the real benefits or the pitfalls of any such plans. The
MLM echo is being introduced to provide a place where such
discussions will be "on-topic."
We expect that those who particiapte in the MLM echo will agree
that Multi-Level Marketing is a valid and responsible method of
marketing products. HOWEVER, we also recognize that there are
irresponsible people who try to use MLM as a "cover" for
illegal pyramid schemes, but that does not detract from the
fact that MLM itself is a very valid method of selling products
or services direct to the customer, that has been utilized for
years. Those who disagree, or who feel that _all_ MLM activity
is a scam of some type, should not be participating in this
echo.
The main purpose of this conference is for those engaged in
Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), or those interested in MLM, to
discuss various tips, techniques, methods, warnings, legal
matters, and other information of general interest to those
engaged in MLM. Obviously, this will also be a place where
some of the scams and less-than-honorable operations will also
be exposed, though the primary purpose of this echo is not to
"bash" competitive products or services.
All participants in this conference will be expected to conduct
themselves in a professional manner. If you read (or
participate in) other Fidonet echomail conferences, you may
have the idea that it's okay to flame people or otherwise act
like a jerk. That is definitely NOT the case in this echo.
Participants are encouraged to read the rules of the echo
(which will be made available for file request on 1:154/9 under
the filename "MLM.RUL") before linking in. We really want to
try and keep this a high-quality echo that is worth reading
(particularly since "time is money" to those involved in MLM).
FidoNews 7-20 Page 18 14 May 1990
If you (or the users of your BBS) would be interested in
picking up the MLM echo, please consult first with your Net or
Regional Echomail Coordinator since the echo is carried on the
Fidonet backbone. If he absolutely cannot link you in, then
please send me netmail at 1:154/8 and I will see if there is
some way that we can arrange a feed for you (please let me know
your maximum modem speed in this case).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 7-20 Page 19 14 May 1990
Janet Murray
Fido 1:105/23
RUMOURS ABOUND! about the
REGION 17 FIDONET(r) CONVENTION
Because this will be the only FidoNet convention on the West
Coast this summer, a number of Famous Fido Folks from outside
Region 17 are considering attending. DOUG BOONE has promised to
take a "short" vacation from Opus 1.20 development, VINCE
PERRIELLO will robot the FidoNews that weekend, and ROD BOWMAN
will meander north from Region 10. Sorry we can't reveal any
other names until they've confirmed their plans.
A major international electronics firm located in Portland,
Oregon, has asked permission to make a "significant" announcement
at the Regional FidoNet convention to be held July 27-29, 1990.
They will also be providing some of their products for prizes!
(The unidentified firm is neither Nike nor a bungee-cord
producer!)
However, the traditional Curmudgeon toss _has_ been replaced this
year with "Curmudgeon bungee diving" - an event more suited to
the unique natural setting of the Menucha Retreat and Conference
Center, high on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.
* * * * * * THIS IS IMPORTANT!! * * * * * *
The reason Net105 chose Menucha as the site (aside from its
obvious attractions of seclusion and natural beauty) was because
of its exceptionally reasonable prices! In return, Menucha
requires con- firmation re: the number of attendees and a
substantial deposit sixty days prior to the convention. That's
why we designed the registration form with "late fees" - to
encourage early registration.
IF you are considering attending the Region17 Convention, please
send NetMail to Ken Zwaschka at 1:105/54 - THIS WEEK! Otherwise,
we cannot guarantee that there will be enough places available
for late (and especially) last-minute registrants.
I know who the unnamed FidoFamous Folks are - and I'll be there!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 7-20 Page 20 14 May 1990
The Secret Sysop Society presents __
*** Conclave '90 *** / \
The SYSOPS Convention /|oo \
Home of FidoCon 1990 (_| /_)
Lyndhurst, New Jersey _`@/_ \ _
August 1-5, 1990 | | \ \\
| (*) | \ ))
______ |__U__| / \//
/ Fido \ _//|| _\ /
(________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm)
Rate Plan Schedule: Before 6/1/90: Before 5/1/90:
-------------- --------------
A. Single Occupancy.......$595.00 $545.00 $495.00
B. Double Occupancy.......$450.00 $400.00 $350.00
C. Conference w/ meals....$300.00 $250.00 $200.00
D. Conference w/ Banquet..$205.00 $155.00 $105.00
E. Conference only........$175.00 $125.00 $ 75.00
F. Banquet only...........$130.00 $80.00 $ 30.00
G. Registrant & Spouse....$720.00 $670.00 $620.00
(All rate plans except plan F include all conference and hotel
fees. Those registering before 5/1/90 get a $100.00 discount,
those registering before 6/1/90 get a $50.00 discount.)
You must pay by Check, Money Order, or Credit Card. Please send
no cash. All monies must be in U.S. Funds. Checks should be
made out to: "Conclave '90"
The following registration form must be completed and mailed to:
PO Box 12
Lyndhurst, NJ 07071
You may register by Netmailing this completed form to 1:1/90 for
processing. Rename it to ZNNNXXXX.REG where Z is your Zone
number, N is your Net number, and X is your Node number. US Mail
confirmation is required within 72 hours of electronic filing.
If you are paying by credit card, please include the required
information. For your own security, do not route any message
with your credit card number on it. Crash it directly to 1:1/90.
The official Conclave '90 airline is American Airlines.
American offers a 5% discount the lowest applicable round-trip
fare, including 1st class travel, subject to availability of
inventory. All fare rules and restrictions apply. In addition,
American offers 40% off their round trip unrestricted day coach
fare. International travelers qualify for special benefits,
including complimentary admittance to the Admiral's Club Lounge
at any American Airlines terminal. Newark is an American Air-
lines city with direct flights to most major cities. When making
reservations, you must call American's Toll-free reservation
number at 800-433-1790, and reference Star number 13704F.
FidoNews 7-20 Page 21 14 May 1990
C O N C L A V E '90 R E G I S T R A T I O N F O R M
I have DELETED several of these from my upload area recently.
I am even seeing the text files included in otherwise innocuous
uploads such as BBS lists. These are nothing more than PYRAMID
MARKETING schemes outlawed years ago.
To be fair, these modern electronic chain letters avoid the
rules related to the postal chain letters because they offer a
product for sale. However, there is no direct mechanism in
place to avoid the 4th level of a 'network marketing'
structure, which is illegal. NETWORKING is the modern name for
a controlled pyramid organization. Pyramid organizations are
quite legal out to the 3rd level, but not the fourth.
Short of calling the police, I can't imagine a way to stop this
kind of abuse. I'd love to here your ideas on the subject. (
But only if they agree with mine ! )
486 On the March --
There seems to be quite a rush of 486 PCs coming out this year.
It's always fun to see your old computers become more worthless
all the while doing more than they ever did. The trend towards
faster PCs has followed pretty closely an old rule about
microprocessor development, ie. that micros double in speed and
density every two years. My particular case is a perfect
example.
In July 1985 I purchase my first AT, a Compaq 286 8Mh portable,
for $5000. It's still in service, running 24 hours a day as
124/6119. Of course, it's got 8 times the original disk space.
In July 1987 I purchased my first 386, a Compaq 386 16Mh for,
yes $5000. Now I did add lots of memory to it, but it's still
running, in fact, I'm writing this on it while it runs
124/6120.
This trend ( '85 286-8, '87 386-16 ) would lead me to believe
that in 1989 I could purchase a 386 33Mh for $5000. This was,
in fact, true. However, due to the imminent release of the
486, I determined that a wait was in order. I now see that a
1990 486-25 for $5000 is possible.
FidoNews 7-20 Page 24 14 May 1990
Following the trend further, 1991 should bring a 486-33 at our
benchmark price, and 1993 must be the year of the 586 or better
at some 60 Mh. Since I've skipped a year, I'm due a hot new
machine !
MS C 6.0 --
Representative of the goodies which arrived recently, MS C 6 is
in use here. I've been reading about _fastcall, the advisor,
new Codeview options and better optimization options. True to
Earth day, Microsoft sent quite a bit less paper, although it
seems complete and concise. "Just use the old binders" ! I
have been looking at the /W4 maximus warnings switch, whew,
what a mess I have.
Oracle 5.1C arrived with VPIC support. This should mean I can
run Oracle's protected interface along with expanded memory
drivers, even Desqview. It works. I have to get Oracle's
library and MS' new C libraries integrated at work. Finger's
crossed.
QEMM 5.0 is a welcome addition. Comes with a really
interesting SYSTEM STATUS program, Manifest. I have a Compaq
386, but I have to run the NOCOMPAQFEATURES switch ?!? Don't
even know why, but I do and it works. I do run Desqview
constantly.
Math Rabbit ( what, a game ) got installed immediately. My son
really liked Reader Rabbit, and he loves this. When you win a
round with the rabbit on the tightrope, he does one of three
dances. In the third dance, he does this Michael Jackson
'Reverse Moon Walk Glide' that can't be adequately described.
Terrible graphics ( CGA ) but Kevin loves it.
Clean That Office, or Else --
Honey threw a fit. It really was a mess. I started Saturday
afternoon by purchasing a couple of nice chairs and another
table top. The rolling chair made it possible to put computers
behind and in front of me, and the additional work space will
be taken up by a new machine coming in for a client.
I started Sunday morning, carrying everything out to the living
room floor. Honey grabbed the kid disappeared for a few hours.
By 11 ( right on schedule ) the computers went off line, and
the room was nearly empty. A quick clean and it was time to
bring it all back in. Done by 1.
Do you have many stacks of old papers on your floor ? Each
one, no matter the topic, containing some obscure BBS utility
document printout, usually 50 pages long ? Do you have
thousands of diskettes that you have no idea of the contents ?
Here is another summer job for computer literate kids. Pay em a
few bucks an hour to catalog all those disks.
FidoNews 7-20 Page 25 14 May 1990
Honey returned home and was quite pleased. She let me put up
the swimsuit calendar that her grandmother gave me for
Christmas. I can't wait for July !
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 7-20 Page 26 14 May 1990
Utility authors: Please help keep this list up to date by
reporting new versions to 1:1/1. It is not our intent to list
all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 7-20 Page 29 14 May 1990
26 May 1990
First anniversary of Net 269, Northern New Jersey
3 Jun 1990
Comdex/Spring, which will run from June 3-6 in Atlanta, will be
held at the World Congress Center and other locations.
5 Jun 1990
David Dodell's 33rd Birthday
12 Jun 1990
Fifth anniversary of FidoNet's switch to multiple nets.
14 Jul 1990
Start of Eurocon / Techcon conference in Antwerp, Belgium.
Please note that the date has changed: The conferences are
one day later than originally planned !
27 Jul 1990
The beginning of the REGION 17 Convention at Menucha Resort in
the Columbia Gorge, Oregon. For details contact Ken Zwaschka,
1:105/54.
1 Aug 1990
Start of FidoCon '90. Contact Bill Vanglahn at 1:1/90 for
details.
5 Oct 1990
21st Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus"
6 Nov 1990
First anniversary of Van Diepen Automatiseert, 2:500/28
14 Nov 1990
Marco Maccaferri's 21rd Birthday. Send greetings to him at
2:332/16.0
1 Jan 1991
Implementation of 7% Goods and Services Tax in Canada. Contact
Joe Lindstrom at 1:134/55 for a more colorful description.
16 Feb 1991
Fifth anniversary of the introduction of Echomail, by Jeff Rush.
FidoNews 7-20 Page 30 14 May 1990
7 Oct 1991
Area code 415 fragments. Alameda and Contra Costa Counties
will begin using area code 510. This includes Oakland,
Concord, Berkeley and Hayward. San Francisco, San Mateo,
Marin, parts of Santa Clara County, and the San Francisco Bay
Islands will retain area code 415.
1 Feb 1992
Area code 213 fragments. Western, coastal, southern and
eastern portions of Los Angeles County will begin using area
code 310. This includes Los Angeles International Airport,
West Los Angeles, San Pedro and Whittier. Downtown Los
Angeles and surrounding communities (such as Hollywood and
Montebello) will retain area code 213.
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
