F I D O N E W S -- Vol.13 No.16 (15-Apr-1996)
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| A newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: |
| FidoNet BBS community | "FidoNews" BBS |
| _ | +1-519-570-4176 |
| / \ | |
| /|oo \ | |
| (_| /_) | |
| _`@/_ \ _ | |
| | | \ \\ | Editors: |
| | (*) | \ )) | Donald Tees 1:221/192 |
| |__U__| / \// | |
| _//|| _\ / | |
| (_/(_|(____/ | |
| (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. |
| | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
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| Submission address: editors 1:1/23 |
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| MORE addresses: |
| |
| submissions=>
[email protected] |
| Don --
[email protected] |
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| For information, copyrights, article submissions, |
| obtaining copies of fidonews or the internet gateway faq |
| please refer to the end of this file. |
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Table of Contents
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1. Articles...................................................... 2
THE INTERNET IS SEXY By Pete Snidal,........................ 2
The Game Development Echo (GAMEDEV) is now backboned!....... 4
New Cellular Phone Echo..................................... 5
The Shareware Ethic......................................... 5
2. Fidonews Information.......................................... 7
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FidoNews 13-16 Page: 2 15 Apr 1996
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Articles
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THE INTERNET IS SEXY By Pete Snidal,
1:353/405 - Grand Forks, BC
I am much dismayed to be reading all the dire predictions in
FNEWS lately, about the demise of Fidonet, the ascendence of the
Internet, and like that.
I run a point system of my bbs at the local public library -
sort of a small town freenet (I must confess that's where I got
the idea), and it would seem that some of the locals are now
whining to the librarian about how they would rather see the
library get them access to (fanfare) the Internet. We were
discussing theis the other day, and I observed that it would
seem that this is the case even though almost nobody reads the
news currently available on the point as Fidoechoes, even though
most of it comes from the internet, the biggies on this point
(and my bbs) being ANEWS and P_NEWS.
She replied, in a mock whisper, "Yeh, but the internet is SEXY."
And I guess that's the point. It's being sold all over the
continent like soap, cosmetics, or feminine hygiene products.
And the consumers, are responding in the same ways. Although
they in most cases don't have the slightest idea what the
much-vaunted *Internet* can do for them, they do know that they
_need_ it. They gotta have it. And they're apparently signing
up with ISP's in droves. Or so we're told.
This is okay for the telecom illiterate. Somehow, it seems
all right that people who never took the time or felt the need
to find out what was possible for them in terms of news access,
discussion forums, or netmail with Fidonet, which had been right
under their noses for many years, can suddenly feel this burning
desire to get connected, to get surfin' that web, sendin' that
e-mail, and just generally gettin' with the programme. After
all, as we should all know, it took big bucks in the right
places to get the I-word mentioned on just about every TV
programme we see, as well as in the papers every day, and the
people who spent the big bucks are no slouches; they've done
this before, and they expect to get their money back a few times
over, somehow, as the resultant wave of consumers hits The Net.
They probably will.
I can expect this from the Other People. The Sheep. The
Consumers. But it saddens me to see the hype resulting in people
who should know better abandoning poor little Fido for it's Sexy
Sister. Some of us are developing into a subgroup which I am
coming to call Internet Snobs, denigrating Fidonet for various
shaky reasons, mistakenly citing its lack of sophistication,
slowness in mail delivery, etc. ad naus. People who should know
FidoNews 13-16 Page: 3 15 Apr 1996
better.
Our librarian intends to offer internet access somehow. But
she realizes that Fidonet also has a place in the scheme of
telecom, and has no intention whatever of tossing out poor
little Fido. Because she recognizes that there are things that
Fidonet still does better. Let's have a look at the advantages
of Fidonet to the average user:
News Reading: Fidoechoes such as ANEWS, P_NEWS, and others
offer the average user a good selection of alternate
(that is not corporate-controlled media) news, as does
the internet with Usenet Newsgroups. But Fido echoes
are generally free to access, and usable with off-line
readers which will run just fine on basic dosboxes.
They are not as confusing to sort your way
through, don't contain a jillion empty areas, and are
often configured to cover areas of local interest much
better. When a user tags BC_ENVIRON, for instance, s/he
knows not to expect discussion on destruction of the
Brazilian rainforests. I think they're better for most
people, although I use both. Furthermore, it's much
simpler to set up your system for offline reading with
Fido.
Discussion Groups: For those who chose to participate, there
are Usenet Newsgroups and Mailing Lists on the Internet.
Fidoechoes are much easier to use, and just folksier,
if y'axe me. And the fact that comments take an extra
day or two to get around means little; we're mostly just
taking turns preaching to the converted anyway.
The Web: Okay, so we can't cruise the virtual mall on Fidonet.
If we gotta shop by computer, then it's gonna take an
ISP. Pay the 10 or 20 bucks a month, and have fun,
shoppers. As for the "Wealth of Information" I'm
getting so tired of hearing about, how many people
actually tap into it? And what about the similar
wealth available in the File areas of so many Fido
bbs's?
e-mail: Well, it's nice to know that you can send reliable
and basically instant e-mail anywhere in the world. It
can be of a commercial nature, and you can be sure it
got there if it doesn't bounce. Netmail, if routed,
is admittedly a little less reliable, and the further
you go the worse it gets. But then, 10 or 15 bucks
a month will crash a lot of mail. And overnight service
is usually sufficient, particularly considering how
seldom many users of either system check for incoming.
Furthermore, Fidonet can be accessed with low-end computers.
And although the advertisers would like us to think otherwise,
there are a lot of low-end computers out there. Computers which
change hands for considerably less than the price of the RAM
FidoNews 13-16 Page: 4 15 Apr 1996
needed to run Windoze or OS/2 satisfactorily. And you don't get
much access to the internet through an ISP without one or the
other of these. I've been looking for a DOS-based e-mail reader
since NUPOP turned out to be a dog. (Oh dear; I'm mixing my
metaphors.) The Fidonet user has a Real Wealth of software
available for offline reading, editing, and all that which can
be done with Fidonet and a low-end computer. But the
development of the Internet has always been a balls-to-the-wall
price-is-no-object proposition, both that of the network itself,
and also that of connections for the user. Pretty rich for my
taste, and for that of many other people as well. The Power
User can point and use such badass software as Binkley, Squish,
and Timed, and do things with an XT that are just plain
unduplicable in Internet terms. And there are a lot of low-end
users out here. Democratization of a network - giving access to
the Little People - may not mean much to the Internet Snobs, but
I hope it means a lot to many of us. I know it does to me.
In conclusion, let me say this: don't let's be selling Fido
short. It's a marvelous system, all the more so because it was
developed by people with a passion for connectivity among el
gente - the people of the planet, and not by a megacorporation
by contract with a mess of bunker-dwellers with a heavy agenda.
Fido has good kharma, and I'm sticking with it until I'm the
only node left.
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The Game Development Echo (GAMEDEV) is now backboned!
by Sunir Shah, moderator of GAMEDEV (1:241/11)
The Game Development Echo (GAMEDEV) is now backboned!
The Game Development Echo (echotag GAMEDEV)
-- an echo all about producing games,
has just been BACKBONED!
Topics are varied. From programming, to art, to music, to
artificial intelligence, to marketing, it's all here!
If you're into making games or want to learn, check this echo
out!
Sunir Shah (1:241/11),
Moderator of GAMEDEV
FidoNews 13-16 Page: 5 15 Apr 1996
New Cellular Phone Echo
There is a new echo on the backbone which deals with Cellular phones,
called CELLULAR_II. In the original Cellular phone echo, the moderator
is taking the position that some information is illegal (it isn't) and
off topic (up to him). CELLULAR_II was created to promote the free
passage of information, and is based out of Canada, where listening to
the 800 MHz cellular band is completely legal, provided one does not
profit from what one hears. Come on over an check CELLULAR_II out, you
won't be disappointed.
CELLULAR_II
Cellular Telephones & Related Issues
An echo for discussion and information about Cellular phones
and related topics. This echo originates in Canada and uses
Canadian laws to determine what is "illegal" in regards to
discussion topics. As such, restoration of cell frequencies
in scanners, listening to cellular with old tv, ect. are
permitted topics.
Distribution: Z1-backbone
Flags: <Real Names>
Moderators: Chris Farrar, 1:246/20
Last changed: 08 Apr 96 by Chris Farrar, 1:246/20
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The Shareware Ethic
The Shareware Ethic and ASP or what's the point of registration and,
even more, what's the point of ASP.
Back in January (Fidonews, Vol.13, no.1) Timothy Trace
(1:100/440.0) summarised the shareware ethic as being: timely,
inexpensive registration; quick technical support and direct
contact with the author; and frequent version updates. He went
on to make a strong complaint about the way a certain shareware
author was abusing this ethic by failing to respond to any and
all attempts at communication. He said he was making a Policy
Complaint and two of the (three) grounds were lack of common
courtesy (holding credit card registrations in limbo for months)
and prejudicing the financial security of Fidonet by the way the
author was treating credit card transactions.
This, in my opinion, is not an isolated instance. The
behaviour of which he complains is, unfortunately, not at all
uncommon. In two cases, I have been totally ignored by
shareware authors (and, in one case, by his registration site).
In addition, the same discourteous treatment has been extended
to me by the ASP Ombudsman.
My complaint is based on the following facts.
This message will be spell checked by JSpell Version 2.0.
On 15th June 1995 I mailed to the registration site of JSpell at
FidoNews 13-16 Page: 6 15 Apr 1996
Public Software Library PO Box 35705 Houston, TX, a covering
letter and an application form which contained credit card
details.
On 18th August 1995, having heard nothing from the
registration site, I wrote to the author, Joohee Jeeong, at
Nemosoft Technologies, PO Box 1619, El Cerrito, CA sending a
copy of my 15th June letter and application form and requesting
his help.
Again having heard nothing, this time from the author, on
21st September I Emailed the ASP Ombudsman at
[email protected] explaining the above facts and asking
for his assistance.
Since I received no reply, on 30th October 1995, I faxed
the ASP Ombudsman at 1-616-788-2765 with a copy of the Email and
a further request for assistance.
Again receiving no reply, I discussed this with my Sysop.
He told me that he has written about it in the ASP echo; that he
has sent a direct Email about it, and wrote about it snail mail
when sending in his current year subscription. He tells me that
he has had no response.
I might add that the program appears to have some kind of
problem. I suffer from random truncation of text. I don't know
whether this is a bug or a shareware author's way of nagging me
into registration. In either case it will never be cleared up
because all efforts at communication are ignored.
The other case which I mentioned is that of LIST Plus
Version 9. I registered this program in January 1995 and was
sent a disk with the registered version of the program. On this
disk is a program SHOW2.EXE. When this program is run it
indicates that it is possible to manipulate a file or groups of
files by tagging them with the space bar or the T key. On the
program I got, I was unable to do this. So on 24th November
last year I wrote to Vernon Buerg explaining this and asking if
SHOW2.EXE was in error or if there was something wrong with the
disk?
Not having received a reply, I wrote again on 20th
February, this time by recorded delivery, so I know that the
letter was received but, up to the time of writing, I have not
heard a word. What am I to think? Am I just unlucky, or am I
being ripped off? And how can I possibly find out when the
author obstinately refuses to communicate?
I shall be taking this up with the ASP Ombudsman but I
expect no greater success with this complaint than I had with
the other.
To get back to the point of Timothy Trace (and mine), what
is the point of shareware registration if the shareware authors
FidoNews 13-16 Page: 7 15 Apr 1996
do not comply with their side of the bargain, whatever that may
be. And how can the registering public find out what are the
duties of a shareware author and the rights they have acquired
under the registration contract if the ASP Ombudsman just as
obdurately ignores any attempts at communication.
What's the point of registration and, even more, what is
the point of the Association of Shareware Profesionals?
Regards:
Terry G Wright
[email protected]
Spain (2:345/210.25)
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Fidonews Information
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------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
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FidoNews 13-16 Page: 8 15 Apr 1996
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