F I D O N E W S --       Volume 14, Number 44          3 November 1997
    +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
    |  The newsletter of the     |   ISSN 1198-4589 Published by:          |
    |    FidoNet community       |   "FidoNews"                            |
    |          _                 |        1-904-409-7040    [1:1/23]       |
    |         /  \               |                                         |
    |        /|oo \              |                                         |
    |       (_|  /_)             |                                         |
    |        _`@/_ \    _        |                                         |
    |       |     | \   \\       |   Editor:                               |
    |       | (*) |  \   ))      |        Christopher Baker  1:18/14       |
    |       |__U__| /  \//       |                                         |
    |        _//|| _\   /        |                                         |
    |       (_/(_|(____/         |                                         |
    |             (jm)           |     Newspapers should have no friends.  |
    |                            |                    -- JOSEPH PULITZER   |
    +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
    |               Submission address: FidoNews Editor 1:1/23             |
    +----------------------------------------------------------------------+
    |  MORE addresses:                                                     |
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    |    submissions=> [email protected]                                |
    +----------------------------------------------------------------------+
    |    For  information,   copyrights,   article   submissions,          |
    |    obtaining copies of FidoNews or the internet gateway FAQ          |
    |    please refer to the end of this file.                             |
    +----------------------------------------------------------------------+


            Have you ever seen a dream squawking?


                       Table of Contents
    1. EDITORIAL  ................................................  1
       Those pesky formatting instructions  ......................  1
    2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR  ....................................  2
       Needs FidoNews in Net 332 in Zone 2  ......................  2
       I messed up!  .............................................  2
    3. ARTICLES  .................................................  4
       FTSC Administrator - NOTICE OF VOTE  ......................  4
       CYBERNAUTS SING THE PRAISES OF BULLETIN BOARDS  ...........  6
    4. COLUMNS  ..................................................  9
       Fidonet in Europe  ........................................  9
    5. COORDINATORS CORNER  ...................................... 15
       North American Backbone Echo Changes [Sep-Oct]  ........... 15
    6. NET HUMOR  ................................................ 16
       Diary of an AOL user  ..................................... 16
    7. ADVERTISE YOUR FREE SERVICE/EVENT  ........................ 19
       Wrestling Echos  .......................................... 19
    8. NOTICES  .................................................. 20
       Future History  ........................................... 20
       FidoNet via Internet Hubs  ................................ 20
    9. FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING  ................................. 22
       Latest Greatest Software Versions  ........................ 22
    10. FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY  ..................................... 26
       FidoNews PGP public-key listing  .......................... 26
    11. FIDONET BY INTERNET  ..................................... 27
    And more!
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 1                    3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                                EDITORIAL
    =================================================================

    I seem to have screwed up Gregg's story last week when taking his 66
    columns to 70. Sorry about that, Gregg. I made sure continuity
    remained when converting this week's from 66 to 70. You might just
    set your w/p to 70 and avoid future reformatting. [grin]

    I apologize for the late compilation of this week's Issue. It was my
    mother's birthday and all my LD lines were out for some odd reason. We
    had a tornado up the road yesterday and it may have taken out part of
    the trunks or the local switching. I always run polls to several
    Nodes before doing the FidoNews in case there are any last minute
    submissions or messages so it took awhile to get through.

    Who won the World Series? Oh, yeah, those redoubtable FLorida Marlins!
    Remember you heard it here first!

    Is it too soon to call the teams for the SuperBowl? Jacksonville
    Jaguars versus Dallas Cowboys? Maybe even those Detroit Lions will
    sneak in. [snicker]

    Nothing new otherwise.

    C.B.

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

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 2                    3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                          LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
    =================================================================

    --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:18/14 ---
        By Christopher Baker on Fri Oct 31 13:45:02 1997

    From: Michail Verner @ 2:332/201
    To: Christopher Baker @ 1:18/14
    Date: 27 Oct 97  00:04:02
    Subj: Fidonews

    Hi, Christopher

    I am searching in various BBSes near my home, but I cannot find
    FidoNews.  I was a user of Ge-Link (2:332/243) BBS, now gone :-(, can
    you help me to find the recent issues of your newsletter on another
    BBS?

    I'm not point, and I'm not able to do any FReq at all.
    Many Hopeful Thanks :-))))

    |\./|  Priviet ! _
    |   | |/| |_|_| |-|.

     -30-


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

    I messed up!
    by Gregg Jennings, 1:331/109

    Dear FidoEditor;

    My piece, A BBS Story, was published in the last issue. Beyond the
    "role reversal" of the two characters midway in the story (blame is on
    Samuel Adams* Gregg, that's what I'd do), the story got wordwrapped by
    your software.

    Usually I read the instructions. I kept the right margin at less than
    70 (I used 66 for some bizarre reason...), but your software
    reformatted the lines, even merging a couple of lines.

    Just wanted to point that out (trying to save some face you see).

    (That was a lame attempt to draw attention away from me. Blame it on
    the Editor! Just kidding of course.)

    MY APOLOGIES to the good FidoPeople for making such a dumb mistake in
    my story, re: the two guys suddenly taking up opposite roles.
    Hopefully, if there was any point to the story it was not lost.

    (I don't feel too dumb... At least not enough to not ever submit an
    article again. You all have been warned!)

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 3                    3 Nov 1997


    * (footnote) "Samuel Adams" is a brand of beer, very good by the way.
    I don't know how widely marketed it is, hence this footnote.





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

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 4                    3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                                ARTICLES
    =================================================================

                              ==================
                               VOTING PROCEDURE
                              FTSC ADMINISTRATOR
                              ==================

    by Adrian Walker, 1:153/752
    28 October 1997

    Interim FTSC Web Site:
    http://www.portal.ca/~awalker/ftsc.htm

    VOTE REQUIREMENTS
    =================

    Fidonews 1441 detailed the nomination process for the position of
    FTSC Administrator.  Nominations have now closed, and 2 eligible
    candidates are standing for election.  FTA-1001 provides for the
    following voting process for the FTSC Administrator:

    === Cut ===
      The FTSC Administrator is appointed on the basis of a vote by all
      Standing Members who are defined by the then-current edition of
      FTA-0003 (FTSC Membership List).  A successful candidate must
      receive approval by at least a plurality of votes.

      Publication of the nominations and the voting procedure shall
      take place openly in the FTSC_PUBLIC echo, and voting shall close
      three weeks after publication of the vote.  Votes shall be by
      netmail ballot to an independent enumerator.

      Plurality:   more votes than any other candidate, but less than
                   a majority.
    === Cut ===

    VOTING PROCEDURE
    ================

    FTSC Standing Members, and therefore eligible to vote, are as shown
    in FTA-1003, dated 05 October 1997, namely:

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
           NAME                  NODE NUMBER   APPOINTMENT EXPIRY
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

       1   Bash, Richard          1:231/45      01 Oct 1999
       2   Bemis, Ron             1:124/1113    01 Oct 1999
       3   Bilow, Mike            1:323/107     01 Oct 2000
       4   Box, Craig             3:774/950     01 Oct 2000
       5   Burchhardt, Tobias     2:2448/400    01 Oct 2000
       6   Eriksson, Goran        2:201/505     01 Oct 1999
       7   Felten, Bjorn          2:203/208     01 Oct 1999
       8   Frezberg, Zorch        1:205/0       01 Oct 1999
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 5                    3 Nov 1997


       9   Homrighausen, Joaquim  2:201/330     01 Oct 2000
      10   Johansen, Rune         2:210/20      01 Oct 2000
      11   Karlsson, Peter        2:206/221     01 Oct 1999
      12   Klein, Andreas         2:2480/47     01 Oct 2000
      13   McCabe, Michael        1:297/11      01 Oct 1999
      14   Price, Gary            1:3607/26     01 Oct 1999
      15   Sanz, Carlos Fernandez 2:341/70      01 Oct 2000
      16   Schlangen, Tom         2:2450/10     01 Oct 2000
      17   Schollnick, Benjamin   1:2613/477    01 Oct 2000
      18   Sorensen, Odinn        2:236/77      01 Oct 2000
      19   Steck, Jason           1:285/424     01 Oct 1999
      20   Szarka, Robert         1:320/42      01 Oct 2000
      21   Thunus, Francois       2:270/25      01 Oct 1999
      22   Turner, Colin          2:443/13      01 Oct 1999
      23   Waldmann, Thomas       2:2474/400    01 Oct 2000
      24   Wallin, Mats           2:201/329     01 Oct 2000

    Voting commences at 0000 UTC on Saturday 01 November 1997 and closes
    at 2359 UTC on Friday 22 November 1997, or upon the receipt of all 24
    votes, whichever is the earlier.

    Each FTSC Standing Member ballot is to be sent to the independent
    enumerator, Ken Tuley, either via:

         *  netmail to Ken Tuley at at 1:374/98 or 1:18/0 or
         *  Internet email to [email protected]

    Receipt of votes will be acknowledged by return routed netmail or
    email as applicable.

    Ballots should include a password.  The ballot format is given below.

    Votes shall be cast as an "X" or other clear alphabetic character for
    one of the 2 candidates.  A ballot with a mark beside both names, or
    with no mark beside any name, will be discounted.

    APPOINTMENT
    ===========

    More votes than the other candidate is required for that person to be
    appointed as the FTSC Administrator.

    No votes or summaries of votes shall be posted prior to the conclusion
    of voting.  Within 3 days after the conclusion of voting, the FTSC
    Standing Member votes shall be posted in the FTSC_PUBLIC echo.  For
    each vote cast, only the password and the result for each vote will be
    posted.  The identity of the voter shall not be shown.

    +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
    |          BALLOT - FTSC ADMINISTRATOR ELECTION, 1997               |
    |                                                                   |
    |          VOTER'S NAME _______________________________             |
    |                                                                   |
    |          FIDONET NODE NUMBER  _______________________             |
    |                                                                   |
    |          PASSWORD     _______________________________             |
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 6                    3 Nov 1997


    |                                                                   |
    | Please indicate your vote for one of the following candidates     |
    | with an "X" in the square provided beside the candidate of your   |
    | choice.                                                           |
    |                                                                   |
    | There are 2 names, so only 1 "X" may be entered.  Names are given |
    | in alphabetical order sorted by surname.                          |
    |                                                                   |
    |        "I wish this person to be the FTSC Administrator"          |
    +------+------------------------------------------------------------+
    | VOTE |  NAME                   NODE #                             |
    +------+------------------------------------------------------------+
    |      |  Craig Box              3:774/950                          |
    +------+------------------------------------------------------------+
    |      |  Odinn Sorensen         2:236/77                           |
    +------+------------------------------------------------------------+

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

    Bulletin Boards are online world's good old days
    >by< Mark Stachiew,
    Fidonet = 1:167/312,
    MTLnet = 17:514/846,
    Sysop of, The BBS at the End of the Universe

    [ The following is a fine article that appeared in the October 29,
    1997, issue of the Montreal Gazette.  Forwarded to Fidonews by
    permission of the author. ]

    "Thanks to everyone who helped with my BBS article. Let's hope it
    helps the hobby. Every little bit helps.  "  --  Mark Stachiew, The
    Gazette

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

    Back in the Stone Age of computers, before Bill Gates had made his
    first million and the Internet had yet to see its first "spam"
    message, computer users talked with each other via Bulletin Board
    Systems (BBSes).

    While the World Wide Web has taken a bite out of the number of BBSes,
    they never really went away and now the old-timers who still use them
    are banding together to tell cyberspace newcomers what they're
    missing.

    A BBS is basically a computer sitting in someone's home running
    software which allows it to answer incoming calls. Other computer
    users call the BBS to exchange messages, play games and download
    computer programs. It really is an electronic bulletin board.

    They are usually free to call since the system is being run as a hobby
    by someone who is donating time and computer. No fancy browsers or
    hardware are required. The lowliest computer with a modem and terminal
    program will be enough to connect to a BBS.

    Longtime users of BBSes remain nostalgic about the early days of the
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 7                    3 Nov 1997


    1980s when the first home computers gave birth to the first fledgling
    bulletin boards. In those days BBS callers used glacially-slow 300
    baud modems with acoustic couplers that had to be fit over telephone
    handsets and looked like rubber earmuffs. They endured these hardships
    because of the magic that BBSes created. It was a new form of
    communication which allowed people to make contact with total
    strangers which sometimes developed into lifelong friendships.

    Lynda McCormick knows all about how BBSes bring people together. She
    runs one of the oldest ones in Montreal. McBBS has been in continuous
    operation since 1984 and people who called on the first day are still
    calling 13 years later. "Some of the old-time users will still call in
    long distance when they've moved away," she says. "Not on a regular
    basis, but it's fantastic to hear from them and hear how life is
    treating them now in Toronto, London, Ontario, Seattle, or L.A."

    McCormick is still enthusiastic about BBSing and is creating an online
    BBSing Museum with electronic ephemera from BBSes which have long
    since vanished into the ether. "The BBS scene in Montreal has been a
    very rich one with many characters, personalities and a few very
    hilarious stories," she says. "I for one would like to see it
    preserved and cherished as it should be, and not simply swept away and
    forgotten."

    One local BBS operator, Steve Monteith, has maintained a list of
    Montreal bulletin boards (www.vir.com/~capt_xerox/bbslist.html) for
    nearly 12 years. Looking over archives of the list demonstrate how
    much damage the Web has done to BBSing in this city. In 1989, Montreal
    boasted 175 computer bulletin boards. That number grew steadily,
    peaking at 482 in 1995 which is about the time that the Web began to
    blossom. Since then the number of BBSes has plummeted to 221. At that
    rate of decline they could be extinct in two years.

    So do BBSes have a future? The people who still use them think so.
    They persist because they create a sense of community among their
    users and because callers usually live in the same town, so they are
    able to get together offline where friendships are formed. That can be
    difficult on the Internet where you could be exchanging E-mail with
    someone in Zimbabwe or Kuala Lumpur.

    Monteith notes a few other advantages of the local BBS over the
    Internet. You won't get unwanted E-mail (spam) and BBSes are rarely
    commercial. "You can read through whole message bases, and not see an
    advertisement and you can be quite sure that your name on a BBS isn't
    going to be sold to some mailing list."

    An international grass-roots organization has sprung up to spread the
    word about BBSes. The Council for Online Community Alternatives(http:/
    /coca.home.ml.org) aims to promote BBSes as an alternative to the
    Internet and to build awareness among computer users that BBSes are
    available in their communities. They maintain that in recent years
    millions of people have rushed out to buy computers thinking their
    only online alternative was the Internet, oblivious to the existence
    of local BBSes.

    COCA likes to point out some of the advantages of BBSes. For example,
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 8                    3 Nov 1997


    at peak times the busy Internet can slow to a crawl. That isn't a
    problem on a BBS since there is usually only one user connected at a
    time so your new fast modem will actually work at full speed. Unlike
    most discussion groups on the Internet, the ones on BBSes are usually
    moderated and ill-tempered "flame" wars are less common. And
    pornography is much rarer on BBSes.

    BBSes are becoming more sophisticated. Many local BBSes now offer
    Internet E-mail and access to select Usenet newsgroups. Some have lots
    of downloadable files while others use flashy terminal programs which
    give them a graphical interface which is almost as easy to use as a
    Web browser. Some bulletin boards are even directly accessible over
    the Web, usually via telnet. You can find a list of other Internet
    BBSes at http://dkeep.com/sbi.html .

    Other BBS resources on the Web:

    BBS FAQ
    www.sysopworld.com/bbsfaq/text/faqmain.htm

    Directory of North American BBSes
    www.thedirectory.org/areacode.htm

    BBSes on the Internet
    www.digitalis.net/~messer/bbs/

    The World of BBSing
    www-scf.usc.edu/~thuyenqu/bbsing.htm

    Here are some Montreal BBSes to call:

    Juxtaposition BBS
    (Home of the Montreal BBS list)
    (514) 364-2937

    The BBS at the End of the Universe
    (For science-fiction fans)
    (514) 421-0673

    Coder's Pixel
    (For programmers)
    (514) 624-5900

    McBBS
    (For general conversation)
    (514) 697-7184

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

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 9                    3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                                 COLUMNS
    =================================================================

    Fidonet in Europe
    -----------------
    by Dave Meikle (2:258/69.2 , [email protected])

    I'd like to Start With a question from a Vladimir Gaitanoff from
    Russia.  The question is What software does he need to FREQ via the
    Internet?  I don't know so if anyone can help netmail or eMail the
    answer to me or Vladimir on [email protected] .

    Secondly Astrowars has got a new address which is:

    Astrowar@2:258/69.69 .

    Here is the astrowar rules and info:

     What is AstroWar?

            AstroWar is a play-by-email game of space conquest.  What's so
            special about this particular game? From the player's view,
            it's simple and fun.  From the game moderator or sysop's view,
            it's fully automatic, adaptable, expandable, portable and
            free!  Bear with me while I justify some of these claims...

            It's simple:  The rules and construction of this game are as
            simple as I could make them.  There is just one type of
            planet, and one type of ship.  Each planet just has a single
            statistic: production, which decides how many ships it
            produces each turn.  Ships are just single faceless, nameless
            units which are used in greater or lesser numbers in order to
            overwhelm, hold back or discourage an enemy.

            It's fun:  How can I justify this?  Well, I can't really since
            it's just my opinion, but most of the players in the beta test
            games find it quite entertaining.  Its simplicity means that
            you won't spend much time learning the rules, and you'll be
            playing properly and developing your strategies almost
            immediately. It's hardly worth setting up a practice game.

            Playing the Game

            Getting Started

            AstroWar is a simple game of space conquest, usually played by
            email.  The simplicity of the rules mean that the time taken
            to learn the game is extremely short.  However, it may take
            just as long to develop a winning strategy as it does for more
            complex games.

            Let's take a look at the game rules before we go into details
            of how to play.  The map consists of a number of planets
            spread across a galactic map.  The number of planets and the
            size of the map are defined by the person running the game.
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 10                   3 Nov 1997


            There is only one type of planet, although each planet has a
            production rating.  This production rating reflects the number
            of ships that planet produces each turn, when it is owned by a
            player.  Neutral planets do not produce any ships.

            Ships are not treated individually in AstroWar.  There is only
            one type of ship, the variation being in the number of ships
            you send to the planets you are attacking.  Ships are sent in
            fleets of one or more ships, and each fleet's mission is
            decided by the number of ships sent, and the ownership of the
            planet the ships are being sent to.

            Part of the game's attraction lies in the high level of
            secrecy.  In some games, you can see the entire map when you
            start the game, and sometimes you can see where other empires
            are.  Some games are very open, and allow you to see as much
            detail about other players' empires as those players can see.

            This is not the case with AstroWar.  When you start playing
            AstroWar, you only see full details of your homeworld, and the
            positions of nearby planets.  To get more information, you
            must scout the planets you can see, and you must start to
            expand before you see planets further away.

            But I'm getting ahead of myself here, for before any of this
            becomes apparent you must first join a game.  In order to join
            a game, you must submit a 'join' request.  With this join
            request you give a name which will be used to identify your
            empire.  Your empire name can be up to 15 characters long.

            Upon successfully joining a game, you will receive
            confirmation that your request to join has been accepted.
            With this you will be given the name of your homeworld, that
            homeworld's details, and a map of nearby planets to get you
            started.  Note that homeworld planets always have a production
            of 15 ships per turn.

            There are a few cases in which a join request might fail.
            Firstly, you might choose an empire name which is already in
            use.  This is unlikely, but possible.  Another case in which a
            request to join might be rejected is when the game is full,
            i.e.  there are no planets which have not already been scouted
            or taken.  In the former case, just try to join again, with a
            different name.  In the latter case there's nothing you can
            do, except wait for the game to finish and re-start, or find
            another game.

            Scouting, Conquering and Redeployment

            The first thing you will want to do when you start a new game
            is scout one or more of the planets which were shown on your
            first map.  To scout a planet, simply send a single ship to
            it.  When the ship arrives, you will receive details about the
            production and ownership of that planet, along with the number
            of ships currently in orbit.  The scout ship will then turn
            around and begin the return journey.
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 11                   3 Nov 1997


            Once you have received details about some of the nearby
            planets, you should start making your attacks.  A fleet of 2
            or more ships sent to a neutral or enemy planet constitutes
            and attack force.  Generally, you should send more ships than
            are already in orbit around a planet if you wish to take it.
            However, you can send your attacks in two or more 'waves' if
            you don't have enough ships to take the planet straight away.
            The first arrivals will reduce the enemy's numbers, so that
            the later fleets have an easier job of taking the planet.  If
            a fleet takes a planet, it is disbanded, and the ships take up
            orbit around the planet.

            You can start making attacks before you scout, but this is not
            always a good idea, particularly if you are joining a game
            which has already been running for a number of turns.  For all
            you know, an attack fleet sent out 'blind' might be travelling
            towards a planet belonging to a relatively powerful empire,
            and this is not a good way to gain allies.

            Once you have more than one planet, you may want to start
            redistributing your forces, for more effective attacks or
            defense.  Sending any number of ships from one of your planets
            to another is a normal fleet movement.  When the fleet
            arrives, it will be disbanded and the ships will join those in
            orbit around the planet.

            -A Note About Fleet Movements---------------------------------
            A fleet does not start to move towards its destination until
            the turn after it is launched.  So, for instance, if you
            launch a fleet from one planet to a planet four squares away,
            it will still be four squares away on its first turn; only in
            the next turn will it start to move.
            --------------------------------------------------------------

            Requesting Details About Your Empire

            Although the reports you receive from scouting, attacking and
            fleet movements tell you everything you need to know about
            your planets, there are times when you will want reminding
            about various aspects of your empire.  There are a couple of
            reports which you can request from AstroWar, whenever you need
            them.

            The planet list contains a list of all your planets, together
            with a reminder of the planets' positions, their production
            ratings and the number of ships in orbit around them.  Only
            your own planets are included in this list; if you want up-to-
            date information about enemy or neutral planets you must scout
            them.

            -Turn Phases--------------------------------------------------
                --There are four phases to each AstroWar turn: Fleet
                movement, Order processing, Ship production and Victory
                checking, executed in that order.  Bear this order in mind
                when submitting orders; for example, a planet report (a
                response to a 'planet list' order) will not take into
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 12                   3 Nov 1997


                account the ship production which comes later in that
                turn.
            --------------------------------------------------------------

            The fleet list contains a list of all your fleets, with a
            reminder of their planets of origin and their destinations.
            The list also contains the number of ships in the fleets, and
            their distances from their objectives.  You can use the
            distance figure to work out how long it will be before a fleet
            arrives.

            As your empire expands, you will want to be able to see more
            of the map.  This information isn't given to you
            automatically, you must request it using the map order.  When
            you submit a map order, you must give the name of a planet
            around which the map will be centred.  You can only centre a
            map around a planet you own, so in order to begin mapping the
            entire galaxy you must start expanding your empire.

            The Message System

            In order that you can communicate with other empires, to form
            alliances, make threats or gloat over victories, there is a
            message system which passes free-form messages between
            players.

            To write to another empire, simply submit a 'write' order,
            along with the name of the empire you wish to send to, and the
            text of the message.  Next turn, that empire will receive that
            message with the your empire name identified as the writer (in
            order that he or she can reply).

            It is also possible to write a general announcement to all
            empires.  This is not always a good idea.  Usually your empire
            will be unknown to others until they see your planets, or
            receive a message from you.  Secrecy itself may often be a
            useful weapon, but writing a message to all will immediately
            reveal your existence to everyone else in the game.  Later on
            in the game, if your empire becomes powerful, you could
            perhaps use this facility as a propaganda tool.

            Finally, it is also possible to write messages to the system,
            and receive messages from the system.  Although this has no
            use in the standard game, it is there as a way of
            communicating with add-ons.  Add-ons can scan for messages to
            the system and interpret their contents as extended orders to
            access features in that add-on.  Similarly, replies or
            information generated by add-ons will be addressed as coming
            from 'the system'.

            Winning the Game

            The standard victory conditions dictate that the empire who
            owns everybody else's homeworlds wins the game.  This is a
            change from the usual condition of conquering all of everyone
            else's planets, since that condition usually results in a
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 13                   3 Nov 1997


            tedious end game where the eventual victor has to mop up the
            remains of defeated empires.

            One problem is that enemy homeworlds are not identified.  You
            can assume that, in a normal game, all the homeworlds will
            have a production of 15 ships per turn.  However, not all
            planets with this production are homeworlds.  You just have to
            hunt out all the non-neutral planets with 15 production until
            you are awarded victory.

            When victory is awarded to a player, a report is sent out to
            everyone saying who the winner is.  However, the game must be
            manually stopped and restarted by the person running the game,
            so it is possible that a few turns may go by with the
            'victory' message being sent out.

            It is quite possible that victory conditions in a game have
            been disabled, making it 'open-ended'.  This means that the
            game will continue indefinitely. Our Games is Open-Ended.

            Resigning Your Position

            Once your position has become unworkable, or you want to quit
            the game for some other reason like lack of time, there is a
            'resign' command you can use.  Resigning from a game will
            cause all your planets to revert to neutral status, and will
            make all in-transit fleets wink out of existence.

            If you are going to have to stop playing a game, it's polite
            to resign properly.  If you just let your fleets build up
            uselessly, it will get in the way of legitimate players and
            ruin their enjoyment of the game.

            Orders

            This section gives a list of orders understood by the order
            processing phase of turn processing. To send an order send a
            netmail TO: Astrowar@2:258/69.69 with the SUBJECT:GAME1 and in
            the main body type one off the commands:

                join <empire>       A join order, or join request, asking
                                    that a player be added to the game
                                    with the empire name <empire>.

                send <n> <o> <d>    A send order.  Orders a launch of <n>
                                    ships from planet <o> to planet <d>,
                                    where <o> is owned by this empire and
                                    there are at least <n> ships in orbit.

                planets             Requests a list of the planets owned
                                    by this empire.

                fleets              Requests a list of fleets belonging to
                                    this empire.

                map <planet>        Requests a map of the area around
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 14                   3 Nov 1997


                                    <planet>, showing the names and
                                    positions of all planets within 7
                                    squares of this centre planet.

                write <emp> <txt>   Write a message to empire <emp>,
                                    containing the text <txt>.  <Emp> may
                                    be an empire name, All ("*") or The
                                    System (""), and <txt> may be up to
                                    64k of text spread across multiple
                                    lines.

                resign              Requests that this empire is removed
                                    from the game.  All planets revert to
                                    neutral ownership (with ships in orbit
                                    remaining), and all fleets will
                                    magically disappear.


    Dave

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

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 15                   3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                           COORDINATORS CORNER
    =================================================================

    North American Backbone Echo Changes [Sep-Oct]
    by Lisa Gronke, 1:105/16
    [email protected]

    Summary of backbone & quasi-backbone echo changes during Sep & Oct.

    Brought to you courtesy of (unix) diff.

    diff (backbone.na + backbone.no) 07-Sep-97 02-Nov-97 [edited].

    Added to the backbone
    ---------------------
    > BEACH_BOYS          Fans of the Beach Boys & their music
    > CABLE_MODEMS        Cable_Modems
    > CARPENTERS          Fans of Karen & Richard Carpenter & their music
    > FTN_INTERNET        FTN Internet Discussion
    > HAM-ECHO            Open discussion of Ham/Amateur Radio general
    >                     interest.
    > IPMAILER            IPMAILER
    > JUNO                The JUNO e-mail service
    > LORD2_CHAT          LORD 2 Discussion Conference
    > LORD2_IGM           LORD 2 IGM Discussion Conference
    > LORD2_SYSOP         LORD 2 Discussion Conference
    > MOSCOW_OKLAHOMA     LINK BETWEEN The States and Moscow!
    > PRO_WRESTLING       PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING ECHO.
    > TRIUS               TRIUS, Inc. Product Support and Information Echo
    > Z1C                 Zone 1 Coordinator Contact Conference

    Removed from the backbone or quasi-backbone
    -------------------------------------------
    < AIDS.DATA           (not in EchoList since  9/1/97)
    < ECOLOGY             Ecology - Discussion of problems and solutions.
    < EMERG_NOTIFY        (not in EchoList since  9/1/97)
    < LORE                (low traffic since  7/1/97)
    < MEMPHIS             (low traffic since  8/1/97)
    < MS_WORD             Microsoft Word
    < MUSICIAN            (low traffic since  7/1/97)
    < OFFICE97            (low traffic since  8/1/97)
    < QUICKPRO            QuickBBS Professional Sysop's Forum
    < SIM                 Simulation & Wargaming
    < SINGLE_MOMS         Forum for Single Mothers
    < WARNING             (low traffic since  7/1/97)
    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    o There are 679 echos in backbone.na [02-Nov-97] (down 16)
    o There are 98 echos in backbone.no [02-Nov-97] (up 18)
    o for a total of 777 backbone & quasi-backbone echos (up 2)

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

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 16                   3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                                NET HUMOR
    =================================================================

    From: "Mike Riddle" <[email protected]>
    To: "Baker, Christopher" <[email protected] (Christopher Baker)>
    Date: Tue, 21 Oct 97 13:32:35 -0600
    Reply-To: "Mike Riddle" <[email protected]>
    Subject: Fwd: Diary of an AOL user

    ==================BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE==================
    From: [email protected] (Bob Resch)
    Subject: Diary of an AOL user
    Sender: [email protected]
    Reply-To: [email protected]

    Diary of an AOL user

    July 18 - I just tried to connect to America Online. I've heard it is
    the best online service I can get. They even included a free disk! I'd
    better hold onto it in case they don't ever send me another one! I
    can't connect. I don't know what is wrong.

    July 19 - Some guy at the tech support center says my computer needs a
    modem. I don't see why. He's just trying to cheat me. How dumb does he
    think I am?

    July 22 - I bought the modem. I couldn't figure out where it goes. It
    wouldn't fit in the monitor or the printer. I'm confused.

    July 23 - I finally got the modem in and hooked it up. That nine year
    old next door did it for me. But it still won't work. I can't get
    online.

    July 25 - That nine year old kid next door hooked me up to America
    Online.  He's so smart. I told the kid he was a prodigy. But he says
    that's just another service. What a modest kid. He's so smart and he
    does these services for people. Anyway he's smarter than the jerks who
    sold me the modem. They didn't even tell me about communications
    software. Bet they didn't know. And why do they put two telephone jack
    holes in the back of a modem when you only need one? And why do they
    have one labeled phone when you are not suppose to hook it to the
    phone jack on the wall? I thought the dial tone sounded funny!  Boy,
    are modem makers dumb! But the kid figured it out by the sound.

    July 26 - What's the internet? I thought I was on America Online. Not
    this internet thing. I'm confused.

    July 27 - The nine year old kid next door showed me how to use this
    America Online stuff. I told him he must be a genius. He says that he
    is compared to me. Maybe he's not so modest after all.

    July 28 - I tried to use chat today. I tried to talk into my computer
    but nothing happened.  Maybe I need to buy a microphone.

    July 29 - I found this thing called usenet. I got out of it because
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 17                   3 Nov 1997


    I'm connected to America Online not usenet.

    July 30 - These people in this usenet thing keep using capital
    letters.  How do they do that? I never figured out how to type capital
    letters. Maybe they have a different type of keyboard.

    JULY 31 - I CALLED THE COMPUTER MAKER I BOUGHT IT FROM TO COMPLAIN
    ABOUT NOT HAVING A CAPITOL LETTER KEY. THE TECH SUPPORT GUY SAID IT
    WAS THIS CAPS LOCK KEY.  WHY DIDN'T THEY SPELL IT OUT? I TOLD HIM I
    GOT A CHEAP KEYBOARD AND WANTED A BETTER ONE. AND ONE OF MY SHIFT KEYS
    ISN'T THE SAME SIZE AS THE OTHER. HE SAID THAT'S A STANDARD. I TOLD
    HIM I DIDN'T WANT A STANDARD KEYBOARD BUT ANOTHER BRAND.  I MUST HAVE
    HAD AN IMPORTANT COMPLAINT BECAUSE I HEARD HIM TELL THE OTHER SUPPORT
    GUYS TO LISTEN IN ON OUR CONVERSATION.

    AUGUST 1 - I FOUND THIS THING CALLED THE USENET ORACLE. IT SAYS THAT
    IT CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS I ASK IT. I SENT IT 44 SEPARATE QUESTIONS
    ABOUT THE INTERNET. I HOPE IT RESPONDS SOON.

    AUGUST 2 - I FOUND A GROUP CALLED REC.HUMOR. I DECIDED TO POST THIS
    JOKE ABOUT THE CHICKEN THAT CROSSED THE ROAD. TO GET TO THE OTHER
    SIDE! HA! HA! I WASN'T SURE I POSTED IT RIGHT SO I POSTED IT 56 MORE
    TIMES.

    AUGUST 3 - I KEEP HEARING ABOUT THE WORLD WIDE WEB. I DIDN'T KNOW
    SPIDERS GREW THAT LARGE.

    AUGUST 4 - THE ORACLE RESPONDED TO MY QUESTIONS TODAY. GEEZ IT WAS
    RUDE. I WAS SO ANGRY THAT I POSTED AN ANGRY MESSAGE ABOUT IT TO
    REC.HUMOR.ORACLE. I WASN'T SURE IF I POSTED RIGHT SO I POSTED IT 22
    MORE TIMES.

    AUGUST 5 - SOMEONE TOLD ME TO READ THE FAQ. GEEZ THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO
    USE PROFANITY.

    AUGUST 6 - SOMEONE ELSE TOLD ME TO STOP SHOUTING IN ALL MY MESSAGES.
    WHAT A STUPID JERK.  I'M NOT SHOUTING!  I'M NOT EVEN TALKING!  JUST
    TYPING!  HOW CAN THEY LET THESE RUDE JERKS GO ON THE INTERNET?

    August 7 - Why have a Caps Lock key if you're not suppose to use it?
    Its probably an extra feature that costs more money.

    August 8 - I just read this post called make money fast. I'm so
    excited.  I'm going to make lots of money. I followed his instructions
    and posted it to every newsgroup I could find.

    August 9 - I just made my signature file. Its only 6 pages long. I
    will have to work on it some more.

    August 10 - I just looked at a group called alt.AOL.sucks. I read a
    few posts and I really believe that AOL should be wiped off the face
    of the earth. I wonder what an AOL is.

    August 11 - I was asking where to find some information about
    something.  Some guy told me to check out ftp.netcom.com. I've looked
    and looked but I can't find that group.
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 18                   3 Nov 1997


    August 12 - I sent a post to every usenet group on the Internet asking
    where the ftp.netcom.com is.  Hopefully someone will help. I can't ask
    the kid next door. His parents said that when he comes back from my
    house he's laughing so hard he can't eat or sleep or do his homework.
    So they won't let him come over anymore. I do have a great sense of
    humor. I don't know why the rec.humor group didn't like my chicken
    joke. Maybe they only like dirty stuff. Some people sent me posts
    about my 56 posts of the joke and they used bad words.

    August 13 - I sent another post to every usenet group on the Internet
    asking where the ftp.netcom.com is. I had forgot yesterday to include
    my new signature file which is only 8 pages long. I know everyone will
    want to read my favorite poem so I included it. I'm also going to add
    that short story I like.

    August 14 - America Online is a local call! So, since I do not have to
    call long distance, I decided to just leave it on so I won't get
    anymore busy signals!

    August 24 - My computer froze up a few days ago. Since I could not
    choose "Shut down", I left it alone, waiting for it to unfreeze. Today
    my wife unplugged it so she could vacuum, and now it works!

    August 25 - America Online canceled my account, saying my Visa card
    would not accept the bill. They say the bill was for three hundred
    dollars.  I can't figure it out?

    August 26 - America Online must want me to join up again, because they
    sent me another disk in the mail today! I will call later!

     [ ]
      |  Robert R. "Bob" Resch - Network Administrator
      |  <[email protected]>
      |
      |  Macon State College
      |  100 College Station Drive
      |  Macon, Georgia  31206-5144
      |
      |  Office: (912) 471-5376     FAX: (912) 471-2869
     [ ]
    ===================END FORWARDED MESSAGE===================

     -30-

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

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 19                   3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                    ADVERTISE YOUR FREE SERVICE/EVENT
    =================================================================

    Emanuel Edwards
    1:348/963
    [email protected]

                       IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL SYSOPS!!!!!!

    Hello all Sysops and Co_Sysops:

    If you are looking for all the latest wrestling news both in the
    WCW and the WWF I suggest you request these two echoes on your
    BBS.

         PRO_WRESTLING         News from the WCW & WWF
         WRESTLING_CHAT        Wrestling News straight from the Internet.

    There are great wrestling fans on both echoes and those echoes should
    be a great addition to your message bases.

         Thank you

         Emanuel  Moderator for the wrestling_chat
                  Co_moderator for the Pro_wrestling

         Internet [email protected]
         Fidonet  1:348/963

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

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 20                   3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                                 NOTICES
    =================================================================

                               Future History

     1 Dec 1997
       World AIDS Day.

    10 Dec 1997
       Nobel Day, Sweden.

    12 Jan 1998
       HAL 9000 is one year old today.

    30 Apr 1998
       Queens Day, Holland.

    22 May 1998
       Expo '98 World Exposition in Lisbon (Portugal) opens.

    14 Sep 1998
       Start of International BBS Week [thru 20 Sep 98].

    22 Sep 1998
       First anniversary of the FidoNews domain of www.fidonews.org.

     1 Dec 1998
       Fifteenth Anniversary of release of Fido version 1 by
       Tom Jennings.

    24 Jul 1999
       XIII Pan American Games [through 8 Aug 99].

    31 Dec 1999
       Hogmanay, Scotland. The New Year that can't be missed.

     1 Jan 2000
       The 20th Century, C.E., is still taking place thru 31 Dec.

     1 Jun 2000
       EXPO 2000 World Exposition in Hannover (Germany) opens.

    15 Sep 2000
       Sydney (Australia) Summer Olympiad opens.

     1 Jan 2001
       This is the actual start of the new millennium, C.E.

    -- If YOU have something which you would like to see in this
       Future History, please send a note to the FidoNews Editor.

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

    --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:18/14 ---
        By Christopher Baker on Sat Nov 01 12:35:09 1997
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 21                   3 Nov 1997


    From: C. Ingersoll @ 1:2623/71
    To: Editor @ 1:1/23
    Date: 01 Nov 97  02:13:28
    Subj: Fidonet via Internet Hubs
    -
    Fidonet Via Internet Hubs

    Node#      | Operator          | Facilities (*) | Speed | Basic Rate
    -----------+-------------------+----------------+-------+------------
    1:12/12    | Ken Wilson        | FTP            | T1    | $24mo.
    1:13/25    | Jim Balcom        | FTP            | 56k   | $20mo.
    1:124/7008 | Ben Hamilton      | FTP,VMoT,TX,F2I| 64k   | $20mo.
    1:140/12   | Bob Seaborn       | FTP,TX         | T1    | $5/$20
    1:270/101  | George Peace      | FTP            | T1    | $30mo.
    1:271/140  | Tom Barstow       | F2I            | ???   | $2mo.
    1:280/169  | Brian Greenstreet | FTP            | 33.6  | $2mo.
    1:2222/1   | Ed Georgen        | FTP,TX,VMoT,UUE| T1    | $3/$10
    1:2401/305 | Peter Rocca       | FTP,TX         | T1    | unkn
    1:2424/10  | Alec Grynspan     | FTP            | ???   | $1mo.
    1:2424/3121| Earl Clark        | TX             | 33.6  | n/c
    1:2604/104 | Jim Mclaughlin    | FTP,VMoT,UUE   | 33.6  | $1mo.
    1:2624/306 | D. Calafrancesco  | VFOS           | 33.6  | $15yr.
    1:2651/9   | Jerry Gause       | FTP,TX         | ???   | unkn
    1:330/204  | Patrick Rosenheim | TX             | 33.6  | $25yr.
    1:346/250  | Aran Spence       | FTP,TX         | T1    | $10mo.
    1:342/1022 | Steve Steffler    | TX,UUE,F2I     | 33.6  | n/c
    1:396/1    | John Souvestre    | FTP            | T1    | $25mo.
    2:252/358  | Sean Rima         | VMoT           | T1    | n/c
    2:335/610  | Gino Lucrezi      | TX, UUE        | 33.6  | n/c
    2:469/84   | Max Masyutin      | VMoT           | 256k  | n/c
    2:2474/275 | Christian Emig    | TX             | 64k   | unkn
    2:2490/5170| Lenny Murphy      | F2I            | ???   | n/c
    3:774/950  | Craig Box         | UUE, F2I       | 28.8  | n/c
    --
    * VMoT = Virtual Mailer over Telnet (various)
    * F2I  = Fido2Int (W95)
    * UUE  = uuencode<->email packet transfers
    * TX   = TransX (Proprietary uuencode<->email packet transfer
                     software)

    compiled by Cindy Ingersoll, 1:2623/71, (609)814-1978,
    [email protected] Posted on the 1st of every month in FN_SYSOP,
    R13SYSOP and Fidonews.
    -
    ---
    * Origin: * Fly By Night * (609)814-1978 *(1:2623/71)



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

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 22                   3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                        FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING
    =================================================================

    [from 1441 - Ed.]

    Latest Greatest Software Versions
    by Peter E. Popovich, 1:363/264

    Hmm. Not much to say.

    -=- Snip -=-

    Submission form for the Latest Greatest Software Versions column

    OS Platform                             :
    Software package name                   :
    Version                                 :
    Function(s) - BBS, Mailer, Tosser, etc. :
    Freeware / Shareware / Commercial?      :
    Author / Support staff contact name     :
    Author / Support staff contact node     :
    Magic name (at the above-listed node)   :

    Please include a sentence describing what the package does.

    Please send updates and suggestions to: Peter Popovich, 1:363/264

    -=- Snip -=-

    MS-DOS:
    Program Name   Version  F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Act-Up         4.6      G D Chris Gunn        1:15/55     ACT-UP
    ALLFIX         4.40     T S Harald Harms      2:281/415   ALLFIX
    Announcer      1.11     O S Peter Karlsson    2:206/221   ANNOUNCE
    BGFAX          1.60     O S B.J. Guillot      1:106/400   BGFAX
    Binkley Docs   2.60     M F Bob Juge          1:1/102     BDOC_260.ZIP
    BinkleyTerm    2.60     M F Bob Juge          1:1/102     BDOS_260.ZIP
    BinkleyTerm-XE XR5      M F Thomas Waldmann   2:2474/400  BTXE_DOS
    CFRoute        0.92     O G C. Fernandez Sanz 2:341/70    CFR
    CheckPnt       1.0a     O G Michiel vd Vlist  2:500/9     CHECKPNT
    FastEcho       1.45a    T S Tobias Burchhardt 2:2448/400  FASTECHO
    FastEcho/16    1.45a    T S Tobias Burchhardt 2:2448/400  FE16
    FastLst        1.36     N S Alberto Pasquale  2:332/504   FASTLSTD
    FidoBBS (tm)   12u      B S Ray Brown         1:1/117     FILES
    FrontDoor      2.12     M S JoHo              2:201/330   FD
    FrontDoor      2.20c    M C JoHo              2:201/330   FDINFO
    GEcho          1.00     T S Bob Seaborn       1:140/12    GECHO
    GEcho/Plus     1.11     T C Bob Seaborn       1:140/12    GECHO
    GEcho/Pro      1.20     T C Bob Seaborn       1:140/12    GECHO
    GIGO           07-14-96 G S Jason Fesler      1:1/141     INFO
    GoldED         2.50     O S Len Morgan        1:203/730   GED
    GoldED/386     2.50     O S Len Morgan        1:203/730   GEX
    GoldED Docs    2.50     O S Len Morgan        1:203/730   GEM
    GoldNODE       2.50     O S Len Morgan        1:203/730   GEN
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 23                   3 Nov 1997


    Imail          1.75     T S Michael McCabe    1:1/121     IMAIL
    ImCrypt        1.04     O G Michiel vd Vlist  2:500/9     IMCRYPT
    InfoMail/86    1.21     O F Damian Walker     2:2502/666  INFOMAIL
    InfoMail/386   1.21     O F Damian Walker     2:2502/666  INFO386
    InterEcho      1.19     T C Peter Stewart     1:369/35    IEDEMO
    InterMail      2.29k    M C Peter Stewart     1:369/35    IMDEMO
    InterPCB       1.52     O S Peter Stewart     1:369/35    INTERPCB
    IPNet          1.11     O S Michele Stewart   1:369/21    IPNET
    JD's CBV       1.4      O S John Dailey       1:363/277   CBV
    Jelly-Bean     1.01     T S Rowan Crowe       3:635/727   JELLY
    Jelly-Bean/386 1.01     T S Rowan Crowe       3:635/727   JELLY386
    JMail-Hudson   2.81     T S Jason Steck       1:285/424   JMAIL-H
    JMail-Goldbase 2.81     T S Jason Steck       1:285/424   JMAIL-G
    MakePl         1.9      N G Michiel vd Vlist  2:500/9     MAKEPL
    Marena         1.1 beta O G Michiel vd Vlist  2:500/9     MARENA
    Maximus        3.01     B P Tech              1:249/106   MAX
    Max User Ed.   0.18     O F Larry Cooke       1:300/53    MUE
    McMail         1.0      M S Michael McCabe    1:1/148     MCMAIL
    MDNDP          1.18     N S Bill Doyle        1:388/7     MDNDP
    Msged          4.10     O G Andrew Clarke     3:635/728   MSGED41D.ZIP
    Msged/386      4.10     O G Andrew Clarke     3:635/728   MSGED41X.ZIP
    NEF            2.38     O S Alberto Pasquale  2:332/504   NEFD
    NorthStar      3.31.29  B S A&B Darin         1:285/82    NSTAR
    Opus CBCS      1.79     B P Christopher Baker 1:374/14    OPUS
    O/T-Track      2.66     O S Peter Hampf       2:241/1090  OT
    PcMerge        2.8      N G Michiel vd Vlist  2:500/9     PCMERGE
    PlatinumXpress 1.3      M C Gary Petersen     1:290/111   PX13TD.ZIP
    QuickBBS       2.81     B S Ben Schollnick    1:2613/477  QUICKBBS
    RAR            2.01     C S Ron Dwight        2:220/22    RAR
    RemoteAccess   2.50     B S Mark Lewis        1:3634/12   RA
    Searchlight    4.5      B S Paul Casey        1:343/117   DEMO450.ZIP
    Searchlight    5.02     B C Paul Casey        1:343/117   SLBBS50.TXT
    Silver Xpress
      Door         5.4      O S Gary Petersen     1:290/111   FILES
      Reader       4.4      O S Gary Petersen     1:290/111   SXR44.ZIP
    Spitfire       3.51     B S Mike Weaver       1:3670/3    SPITFIRE
    Squish         1.11     T P Tech              1:249/106   SQUISH
    StealTag UK    1.c...   O F Fred Schenk       2:284/412   STEAL_UK
    StealTag NL    1.c...   O F Fred Schenk       2:284/412   STEAL_NL
    T-Mail         2.600    M S Ron Dwight        2:220/22    TMAIL
    Telegard       3.02     B F Tim Strike        1:259/423   TELEGARD
    Terminate      5.00     O S Bo Bendtsen       2:254/261   TERMINATE
    Tobruk         0.33     T G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   TOBRUK
    TosScan        1.01     T C JoHo              2:201/330   TSINFO
    TransNet       1.00     G S Marc S. Ressl     4:904/72    TN100ALL.ZIP
    TriBBS         11.0     B S Gary Price        1:3607/26   TRIBBS
    TriDog         11.0     T F Gary Price        1:3607/26   TRIDOG
    TriToss        11.0     T S Gary Price        1:3607/26   TRITOSS
    WaterGate      0.93     G S Robert Szarka     1:320/42    WTRGATE
    WWIV           4.24a    B S Craig Dooley      1:376/126   WWIV
    WWIVTOSS       1.36     T S Craig Dooley      1:376/126   WWIVTOSS
    xMail          2.00     T S Thorsten Franke   2:2448/53   XMAIL
    XRobot         3.01     O S JoHo              2:201/330   XRDOS

    OS/2:
    Program Name   Version  F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 24                   3 Nov 1997


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    ALLFIX/2       1.10     T S Harald Harms      2:281/415   AFIXOS2
    BGFAX          1.60     O S B.J. Guillot      1:106/400   BGFAX
    Binkley Docs   2.60     M F Bob Juge          1:1/102     BDOC_260.ZIP
    BinkleyTerm    2.60     M F Bob Juge          1:1/102     BOS2_260.ZIP
    BinkleyTerm-XE XR5      M F Thomas Waldmann   2:2474/400  BTXE_OS2
    CFRoute        0.92     O G C. Fernandez Sanz 2:341/70    CFR
    FastEcho       1.45a    T S Tobias Burchhardt 2:2448/400  FE2
    FastLst        1.36     N S Alberto Pasquale  2:332/504   FASTLST
    FleetStreet    1.20     O S Michael Hohner    2:2490/2520 FLEET
    FP-OS/2        97-03-21 O F Mike Bilow        323/107     FPOS2
    GEcho/Pro      1.20     T C Bob Seaborn       1:140/12    GECHO
    GIGO           07-14-96 G S Jason Fesler      1:1/141     INFO
    GoldED         2.50     O S Len Morgan        1:203/730   GEO
    GoldED Docs    2.50     O S Len Morgan        1:203/730   GEM
    GoldNODE       2.50     O S Len Morgan        1:203/730   GEN
    ImCrypt        1.04     O G Michiel vd Vlist  2:500/9     IMCRYPT
    Maximus        3.01     B P Tech              1:249/106   MAXP
    Max User Ed.   0.18     O F Larry Cooke       1:300/53    MUEP
    Msged/2        4.10     O G Andrew Clarke     3:635/728   MSGED41O.ZIP
    NEF            2.38     O S Alberto Pasquale  2:332/504   NEF
    PcMerge        2.3      N G Michiel vd Vlist  2:500/9     PCMERGE
    RAR            2.01     C S Ron Dwight        2:220/22    RAR2
    Squish         1.11     T P Tech              1:249/106   SQUISHP
    T-Mail         2.600    M S Ron Dwight        2:220/22    TMAIL2
    Tobruk         0.33     T G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   TOBRUK
    WaterGate      0.93     G S Robert Szarka     1:320/42    WTRGATE
    XRobot         3.01     O S JoHo              2:201/330   XROS2

    Windows (16-bit apps):
    Program Name   Version  F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    BeeMail        1.0      M C Andrius Cepaitis  2:470/1     BEEMAIL
    FrontDoor APX  1.12     P S Mats Wallin       2:201/329   FDAPXW

    Windows (32-bit apps):
    Program Name   Version  F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    Argus 95/IP    2.704    M S Max Masyutin      2:469/77    A9I
    Argus NT/IP    2.704    M S Max Masyutin      2:469/77    ANI
    BeeMail        1.0      M C Andrius Cepaitis  2:470/1     BEEMAIL
    Binkley Docs   2.60     M F Bob Juge          1:1/102     BDOC_260.ZIP
    BinkleyTerm    2.60     M F Bob Juge          1:1/102     BW32_260.ZIP
    BinkleyTerm-XE XR5      M F Thomas Waldmann   2:2474/400  BTXE_W32
    CFRoute        0.92     O G C. Fernandez Sanz 2:341/70    CFR
    FastLst        1.36     N S Alberto Pasquale  2:332/504   FASTLSTW
    GoldED         2.50     O S Len Morgan        1:203/730   GEO
    GoldED Docs    2.50     O S Len Morgan        1:203/730   GEM
    Maximus        3.01     B P Tech              1:249/106   MAXN
    Msged/NT       4.10     O G Andrew Clarke     3:635/728   MSGED41W.ZIP
    NEF            2.38     O S Alberto Pasquale  2:332/504   NEFW
    PlatinumXpress 2.00     M C Gary Petersen     1:290/111   PXW-INFO
    Searchlight    5.02     B C Paul Casey        1:343/117   SLBBS50.TXT
    T-Mail         2.600    M S Ron Dwight        2:220/22    TMAILNT
    WinFOSSIL/95   1.12 r4  F S Bryan Woodruff    1:343/294   WNFOSSIL.ZIP
    WinFOSSIL/NT   1.0 beta F S Bryan Woodruff    1:343/294   NTFOSSIL.ZIP
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 25                   3 Nov 1997


    Unix:
    Program Name   Version  F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    ifmail         2.12     M G Eugene Crosser    2:293/2219  IFMAIL
    ifmail-tx      ...tx8.6 M G Pablo Saratxaga   2:293/2219  IFMAILTX
    ifmail-tx.rpm  ...tx8.6 M G Pablo Saratxaga   2:293/2219  IFMAILTX.RPM
    Msged          4.00     O G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   MSGED
    Tobruk         0.33     T G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   TOBRUK

    Amiga:
    Program Name   Version  F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    CrashMail      1.23     T X Fredrik Bennison  2:205/324   CRASHMAIL
    CrashTick      1.1      O F Fredrik Bennison  2:205/324   CRASHTICK
    DLG Pro BBOS   1.15     B C Holly Sullivan    1:202/720   DLGDEMO
    GMS            1.1.85   M S Mirko Viviani     2:331/213   GMS
    Msged          4.00     O G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   MSGED
    Tobruk         0.33     T G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   TOBRUK
    TrapDoor       1.86.b2  M S Maximilian Hantsch
                                                  2:310/6     TRAPDOOR
    TrapToss       1.50     T S Rene Hexel        2:310/6     TRAPTOSS

    Atari:
    Program Name   Version  F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    ApplyList      1.00     N F Daniel Roesen     2:2432/1101 APLST100.LZH
    BinkleyTerm/ST 3.18pl2  M F Bill Scull        1:363/112   BINKLEY
    BTNC           2.00     N G Daniel Roesen     2:2432/1101 BTNC
    JetMail        0.99beta T S Joerg Spilker     2:2432/1101 JETMAIL
    Semper         0.80beta M S Jan Kriesten      2:2490/1624 SMP-BETA

    Function: B-BBS, P-Point, M-Mailer, N-Nodelist, G-Gateway, T-Tosser,
              C-Compression, F-Fossil, O-Other. Note: Multifunction will
              be listed by the first match.

    Cost: P-Free for personal use, F-Freeware, S-Shareware, C-Commercial,
          X-Crippleware, D-Demoware, G-Free w/ Source

    Please send updates and suggestions to: Peter Popovich, 1:363/264

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

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 26                   3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                           FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY
    =================================================================


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    ZXIgPGNiYWtlcjg0QGRpZ2l0YWwubmV0Pg==
    =61OQ
    -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----


    File-request FNEWSKEY from 1:1/23 [1:18/14] or download it from the
    Rights On! BBS at 1-904-409-7040 anytime except 0100-0130 ET and Zone
    1 ZMH at 1200-9600+ HST/V32B. The FidoNews key is also available on
    the FidoNews homepage listed in the Masthead information.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 27                   3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                           FIDONET BY INTERNET
    =================================================================

    This is a list of all FidoNet-related sites reported to the Editor as
    of this appearance.

    ============

    FidoNet:

      Homepage     http://www.fidonet.org
      FidoNews     http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fidonews.html
      HTML FNews   http://www.fidonews.org
      WWW sources  http://www.scms.rgu.ac.uk/students/cs_yr94/lk/fido.html
      FTSC page    http://www.portal.ca/~awalker/ftsc/ftscmirr.htm
      Echomail     http://www.portal.ca/~awalker/index.html
      WebRing      http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fnetring.html

    ============

    Zone 1:       http://www.z1.fidonet.org

      Region 10:  http://www.psnw.com/~net205/region10.html

      Region 11:  http://oeonline.com/~garyg/region11/

      Region 13:  http://www.smalltalkband.com/st01000.htm

      Region 14:  [disappeared?]

      Region 15:  [disappeared?]

      Region 16:  http://www.tiac.net/users/satins/region16.htm

      Region 17:  http://www.portal.ca/~awalker/region17.htm
          REC17:  http://www.westsound.com/ptmudge/

      Region 18:  http://www.citicom.com/fido.html

      Region 19:  http://www.compconn.net

    ============

    Zone 2:       http://www.z2.fidonet.org

    ZEC2:         http://www.proteus.demon.co.uk/zec.htm
    Zone 2 Elist: http://www.fbone.ch/z2_elist/

      Region 20:  http://www.fidonet.pp.se (in Swedish)

      Region 24:  http://www.swb.de/personal/flop/gatebau.html (in German)

      Region 25:
                  http://www.trak-one.co.uk/net254

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 28                   3 Nov 1997


      Region 27:  http://telematique.org/ft/r27.htm

      Region 29:  http://www.rtfm.be/fidonet/  (in French)

      Region 30:  http://www.fidonet.ch  (in Swiss)

      Region 33:  http://www.fidoitalia.net (in Italian)

      Region 34:  http://www.pobox.com/cnb/r34.htm  (in Spanish)
          REC34:  http://pobox.com/~chr

      Region 36:  http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/7207/

      Region 38:  http://public.st.carnet.hr/~blagi/bbs/adriam.html

      Region 41:  http://www.fidonet.gr (in Greek and English)

      Region 48:  http://www.fidonet.org.pl

    ============

    Zone 3:       http://www.z3.fidonet.org

    ============

    Zone 4:       (not yet listed)

      Region 90:
        Net 904:  http://members.tripod.com/~net904 (in Spanish)

    ============

    Zone 5:       http://w3.eastcape.co.za/fidonet/index.htm

    ============

    Zone 6:       http://www.z6.fidonet.org

      Region 65:  http://www.cfido.com/fidonet/cfidochina.html (China)

    ============

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

    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 29                   3 Nov 1997


    =================================================================
                          FIDONEWS INFORMATION
    =================================================================

    ------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION -------

    Editor: Christopher Baker

    Editors Emeritii: Tom Jennings, Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell,
                      Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar, Sylvia Maxwell,
                      Donald Tees

    "FidoNews Editor"
        FidoNet  1:1/23
        BBS  1-904-409-7040,  300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(ds)

     more addresses:
        Christopher Baker -- 1:18/14, [email protected]
                                      [email protected]
                                      [email protected]
                                      [email protected]

    (Postal Service mailing address)
        FidoNews Editor
        P.O. Box 471
        Edgewater, FL 32132-0471
        U.S.A.


    voice:  1-904-409-3040 [1400-2100 ET only, please]
                           [1800-0100 UTC/GMT]

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

    FidoNews is published weekly by and for the members of the FIDONET
    INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR ELECTRONIC MAIL system.  It is a compilation
    of individual articles contributed by their authors or their
    authorized agents.  The contribution of articles to this compilation
    does not diminish the rights of the authors.  OPINIONS EXPRESSED in
    these articles ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS and not necessarily those of
    FidoNews.

    Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
    Copyright 1997 Christopher Baker.  All rights reserved.  Duplication
    and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only.  For
    use in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or
    the Editor.

                           =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=

    OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue of FidoNews in electronic
    form may be obtained from the FidoNews Editor via manual download or
    file-request, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
    PRINTED COPIES may be obtained by sending SASE to the above postal
    address.  File-request FIDONEWS for the current Issue.  File-request
    FNEWS for the current month in one archive.  Or file-request specific
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 30                   3 Nov 1997


    back Issue filenames in distribution format [FNEWSEnn.ZIP] for a
    particular Issue.  Monthly Volumes are available as FNWSmmmy.ZIP
    where mmm = three letter month [JAN - DEC] and y = last digit of the
    current year [7], i.e., FNWSAUG7.ZIP for all the Issues from Aug 97.

    Annual volumes are available as FNEWSn.ZIP where n = the Volume number
    1 - 14 for 1984 - 1997, respectively. Annual Volume archives range in
    size from 48K to 1.4M.


    INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via:

                         http://www.fidonews.org
                         http://www.fidonet.org/fidonews.htm
                         ftp://ftp.fidonet.org/pub/fidonet/fidonews/
                         ftp://ftp.aminet.org/pub/aminet/comm/fido/

                                     *=*=*

    You may obtain an email subscription to FidoNews by sending email to:

                         [email protected]

    with a Subject line of: subscribe fnews-edist

    and no message in the message body. To remove your name from the email
    distribution use a Subject line of: unsubscribe fnews-edist with no
    message to the same address above.

                                       *

    You may retrieve current and previous Issues of FidoNews via FTPMail
    by sending email to:

                         [email protected]

    with a Subject line of: help

    and FTPMail will immediately send a reply containing details and
    instructions. When you actually make a file request, FTPMail will
    respond in three stages. You find a link for this process on
    www.fidonews.org.

                                     *=*=*

    You can read the current FidoNews Issue in HTML format at:

                         http://www.fidonews.org

    STAR SOURCE for ALL Past Issues via FTP and file-request -
    Available for FReq from 1:396/1 or by anonymous FTP from:

                         ftp://ftp.sstar.com/fidonet/fnews/

    Each yearly archive also contains a listing of the Table-of-Contents
    for that year's issues.  The total set is currently about 11 Megs.
    FIDONEWS 14-44               Page 31                   3 Nov 1997


                                =*=*=*=

    The current week's FidoNews and the FidoNews public-key are now also
    available almost immediately after publication on the Editor's new
    homepage on the World Wide Web at:

                 http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fidonews.html

    There are also links there to jim barchuk's HTML FidoNews source and
    to John Souvestre's FTP site for the archives. There is also an email
    link for sending in an article as message text. Drop on over.

                           =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=

    A PGP generated public-key is available for the FidoNews Editor from
    1:1/23 [1:18/14] by file-request for FNEWSKEY or by download from
    Rights On! BBS at 1-904-409-7040 as FIDONEWS.ASC in File Area 18.  It
    is also posted twice a month into the PKEY_DROP Echo available on the
    Zone 1 Echomail Backbone.

                               *=*=*=*=*

    SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
    FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
    ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews Editor, or file-requestable
    from 1:1/23 [1:18/14] as file "ARTSPEC.DOC".  ALL Zone Coordinators
    also have copies of ARTSPEC.DOC. Please read it.

    "Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
    trademarks of Tom Jennings, P.O. Box 410923, San Francisco, CA 94141,
    and are used with permission.

            "Disagreement is actually necessary,
             or we'd all have to get in fights
             or something to amuse ourselves
             and create the requisite chaos."
                               -Tom Jennings

     -30-

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