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    F I D O N E W S --       Volume 15, Number 12          23 March 1998
    +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
    |  The newsletter of the     |   ISSN 1198-4589 Published by:          |
    |    FidoNet community       |   "FidoNews"                            |
    |          _                 |        1-209-251-7529    [1:1/23]       |
    |         /  \               |                                         |
    |        /|oo \              |                                         |
    |       (_|  /_)             |                                         |
    |        _`@/_ \    _        |                                         |
    |       |     | \   \\       |   Editor:                               |
    |       | (*) |  \   ))      |        Zorch Frezberg  1:205/1701       |
    |       |__U__| /  \//       |                                         |
    |        _//|| _\   /        |                                         |
    |       (_/(_|(____/         |                                         |
    |             (jm)           |     Newspapers should have no friends.  |
    |                            |                    -- JOSEPH PULITZER   |
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             Business, as Usual...with Alterations


                       Table of Contents
    1. EDITORIAL  ................................................  1
    2. ARTICLES  .................................................  3
       Passing thoughts  .........................................  3
       New URL For WWW-FidoResource  .............................  4
    3. COLUMNS  ..................................................  5
       Cry Havoc, and Let Loose The Puppies of War  ..............  5
    4. FIDONET HISTORY  ..........................................  7
    5. WE GET EMAIL  ............................................. 12
    6. NOTICES  .................................................. 13
       Future History  ........................................... 13
    7. FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY  ...................................... 14
       FidoNews PGP Public-Key Listing  .......................... 14
    8. FIDONET BY INTERNET  ...................................... 15
    9. FIDONEWS INFORMATION  ..................................... 17

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 1                   23 Mar 1998

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

    Due to a program error that didn't appear in the test runs, but then
    decided to appear on publication, there was no Editorial last week.
    Given some of the things that happened within 24 hours of the issue
    being published, it gave some time to reflect a bit more on these.

    Scary news out there...and no one seems to want to talk about it.

    There comes a point in any organization where the future is
    determined by either the goals of the group as a whole, or by a small
    cadre of people who have a 'vision' of the way things should be.

    Too often, however, the two factions clash, and it is the helpless
    villagers, or sysops in this case, who will end up bearing the brunt
    of the struggle.

    The Z2C has openly challenged the process of "One Zone, One Vote" in
    the coming IC Election, more than casually mentioning that the fact
    of Zone 2 being in control of 65% of FidoNet, and insinuating, from
    what is said, that Zone 2 should have a 'larger' role in choosing the
    IC if not actually controlling that choice.

    I would also point out why the lessons of history in this regard
    should be more apparent to Zone 2 than most...but I think I will
    refrain.

    Already, there is a 'complaint' that Zone 1 members are "ruining" the
    access to the ZCC-PUBLIC echo...but it would seem that this is more
    geared at the "lack of respect" tone of the messages.  That, and the
    point that no rules have been posted for that echo, either.

    If you can't get access to ZCC-PUBLIC, ask "Why not?"

    Notably absent is the Z2C's weekly "doomsday countdown" for the
    nodelist for which I have received a complaint from him.  While he
    admits to having posted it publicly in many echoes worldwide,
    it appears that the FidoNews was not to post it unless he himself
    sent it in, with his specific permissions and consent.

    As of publication time the past two weeks, he has not sent it, either
    by NetMail or by E-Mail; thus, it will not be included per his
    objections.

    So much for 'open communications'.  Strange, also, that the issue of
    copyrights comes in so conveniently for him now, no?

    In any event, and in response to a number of complaints I have
    received both long before I became Editor and since that time, I have
    chosen to now use a PGP-signature to insure the integrity of each
    issue of FidoNews.

    The complaints were that several Region and Net level coordinators
    seem to be removing articles that did not "fit in" with a particular

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 2                   23 Mar 1998


    view that they held.  Copies were sent to me that indicated anything
    from removal of the printer breaks to whole articles being removed.

    Think of it as a 'certified uncensored issue' seal of approval.
    To properly check the signature, remove five (5) spaces from the
    beginnings of the PGP-signature lines.  This is due to a formatting
    matter in the publishing program that can't be presently modified.

    Last issue's article by Jim Cannell, the administrator of the
    SecureMail services in FidoNet, was intended to 'de-mystify' the use
    of PGP encryption and make it more accessible to the general public.

    As always, there is the issue posting at http://www.fidonews.org, or
    at my personal site at http://209.77.228.66/fidonet.html .

    Would that we could all live in a world where this was unnecessary,
    but there are those who live to turn our hobby into their existance.

    Other than the usual, this issue of the FidoNews is remarkably light.
    Some updates to the InterNet sites, and a few more articles.

    ...and an interesting E-Mail from Romania.

    Remember, the FidoNews is what _you_ make of it.

    -zf-


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

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 3                   23 Mar 1998


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


    Passing thoughts
    by David Hallford

    As I take a well deserved vacation my mind started to dwell on how I
    would do things in Fidonet. These aren't the best ways or the
    smartest ways, or even the correct ways. Just the way I would do it.

       ELECTIONS: Hmmm, a good thought on the surface but what is the
       real consensus within Fidonet. No one knows. Each side of the
       dispute is so busy arguing for their view point that no one has
       taken the time to check with the SysOps. Why not have the ZC's
       task the RC's to task the NC's to poll their networks and report
       back by node number who wants or doesn't want elections to be the
       standard.  If elections win the vote of the Sysops then use the
       same procedure to determine if it should be by popular vote or
       representation (ie the Sysop's elect the NC/NEC, the NC/NEC elect
       the RC/REC, the RC/REC elect the ZC/ZEC) and what the length of
       each term should be. If the Sysops want the appointment route to
       be the standard, then let it. This will end a lot of the bickering
       current within Fidonet.

       ECHOPOL: Why? It seems to be working to me. It's now a cooperative
       effort between moderators, routers, and SysOps. A bad moderator
       gets ignored, a bad router gets routed around, and a bad SysOp
       gets a feed cut. No rules or regulations to fight over. Let's face
       it, we have been arguing over Policy 4.07 for 10 years or so.
       There are still folks who interpret it their way even in the face
       of rulings by the ZC.  Why add more regulations to argue over? At
       the most I would have a policy that defined the positions and
       terms used but granted no additional power to anyone.


       ECHOMAIL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS: The more the merrier, I say. Those
       that serve the folks will survive. Those that don't - won't.
       I can't think of a better way to regulate them!

       EXCESSIVELY ANNOYING BEHAVIOR (in echomail): Why not?  A lie is a
       lie if it's in echomail or netmail. Character assassination can be
       worse in an echo than it can be in netmail. I would like it to be
       possible to file a Policy 4 complaint against folks who accuse
       others of being someone elses puppet (or clone) without proof.
       Most of us think for ourselves, so why do we think others don't?
       Just because they agree with someone on an issue doesn't make them
       puppets.  I agreed with some things that Ho Chi Minh said.  That
       sure doesn't make me his puppet since I would have gladly put a
       bullet in his brain had the opportunity ever presented itself.

       NICE FOLKS (and those not so nice):  Some people cause me to stop
       and think over a position or stance I have taken. Some nicely and
       some not so nicely. It doesn't matter because I owe them thanks
       for causing me to think. Bob Satti was the nicest and Tom Cole was

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 4                   23 Mar 1998


       the least nicest, but I owe them both my thanks.  I will not say
       who I feel are nice or not nice, but I would like to thank the
       following for a fun 11 years:

            Bob Satti, Bob Kohl, Bob Moravsik, Bob Seaborn (geez how many
            Bobs are there?) Martin Belcke, Brenda Donovan, Russ Edwards,
            David Bowerman, Bruce Bodger, John Souvestre, Mike Murray,
            Ruth Argust, Zorch Frezberg (as if I would forget him <g>),
            Andy Brown (in fact all of the NECs past and present in R10),
            Tom Cole, Joe Jared, George Peace, Ken Wilson, Adrian Walker,
            John Pfieffer, Dennis Travis, Gerry Calhoun, the dwarves in
            Mindless Chatter and Drivel, and all the folks who take the
            time to read the Fidonews and participate in Fidonet on a
            vocal level (whether I agreed with you or not).

    As the man said "Goodbye and thanks for the fish". I liked that one
    and think Fidonet should adopt it as the 'official' goodbye.

       Goodbye, and thanks for the fish!

    ###30###
    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    New URL for the World-Wide-Web Fidonet Resource
    by Lee Kindness, [email protected]

    Just a short announcement - The World-Wide-Web Fidonet Resource
    is now at the URL below:

       http://travel.to/fidonet

    This location will redirect you to the current 'real' home
    of the WWWFR, which is currently is still
    http://www.scms.rgu.ac.uk/students/cs_yr94/lk/fido.html
    but is likely to change in the future. If you use the new
    URL the change will not be noticed...

    I'm also planning a number of changes to the site, I
    fancy getting my hands dirty with a bit of Perl. If I want
    to add cgi-bin enhancements then i'll be looking for a
    new home for the page - anyone care to offer a UNIX
    account with telnet/ftp access? ;)

    Cheers,

    --
     - Lee Kindness ------------------ [email protected] -
     - http://come.to/kindness -- http://travel.to/fidonet -


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

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 5                   23 Mar 1998


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


    Dear Editorbeing,

    This article is submitted by Charles Herriot (163/110) who
    managed to rescue Doc Logger from a pack of ravening Echopol
    police. Apparently, Logger's penchant for BBSing to the
    accompaniment of bagpipe music was not only in bad taste,
    but was also a serious Fidocrime.

    Roll da' flic Zorch....

    Dear Reverend Visage,

    The fact that you have been ignoring your flock in their
    hour of need has been made more obvious in recent days.
    Despite the hopes that Echopol evangelists could be
    eradicated shortly after Smallpox, the usual suspects are at
    it again. It seems that a new version of Echopol is being
    bruited by Bob Kohl. He doesn't seem to understand that
    arming small intellects with more policy is certain to
    engender many unhappy years of "Policy complaints" with the
    document being used to torture unsuspecting Fidoserfs. A
    tadge more alarming is the fact that Bob has expressed
    concerns about the content of echos which he feels need to
    be controlled by policy.

    As the good and decent people that we are, all appropriate
    energy should be devoted to teaching Mr. Kohl where to find
    the <RETURN> button on his keyboard so that he can skip past
    the messages that would otherwise make him cry. It boggles
    the mind to imagine what the socially maladroit will do with
    a new blunt instrument in the form of Echopol. If a fellow
    like Gary Gilmore can screech from his perch in New Zealand
    about a nodelisting in North America, think of what fun his
    ilk will have if given a chance to whine about what is
    written in the echos. I wish Bob no joy at all in his
    Echopol endeavours and may the farce be with him.

    All six loyal readers of the Snooz might have noticed the
    ominous heading last week: 'The Coming Civil War" and been
    mightily puzzled that it was followed by a puff piece
    lauding the sainthood of our ZC, Bob Satti. Only the unkind
    will snicker at the irony that the same gushy accolades were
    contained in a letter wherein the author says good-bye to
    Fidoland.

    I think perhaps what was being hinted at in the Civil War
    reference was the ongoing debate among the ZC elflords about
    who should be kicked upstairs to the IC position. Ward
    Dossche, the ZC2, has apparently asserted that the ZC's
    should be granted weighted voting according to how many
    Fidoserfs they "rule" in their fiefdoms. I haven't noticed

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 6                   23 Mar 1998


    that Ward is insisting that he go whole hog with his
    democratic sedition and have *all* Fidoserfs actually vote,
    but he gets at least half marks for effort.

    Mr. Dossche's excitable detractors are predicting ruin and
    damnation should his concepts prevail. Naturally, the Z1C,
    Bob Satti has expressed grave concerns about conducting the
    debate in public. Evidently, Satti is not the least bit fond
    of having his machinations scrutinized by those he presumes
    to rule.

    On that cheery note, I'll segue into my Chautauqua which is
    as much addressed to Satti as it is to all five of the other
    regular Snooz readers. I'd like to lead off with a quote
    from Walter Lippmann in an essay entitled "The Indispensable
    Opposition."

    "The opposition is indispensable. A good statesman, like any
    other sensible human being, always learns more from his
    opponents than from his fervent supporters. For his
    supporters push him to disaster unless his opponents show
    him where the dangers are. So if he is wise he will often
    pray to be delivered from his friends, because they will
    ruin him.  But, though it hurts, he ought also to pray never
    to be without opponents; for they keep him on the path of
    reason and good sense."

    So, as one of Mr. Satti's most fervent opponents, might I
    tender some advice with respect to the creation of Echopol?
    If the policy document is created, and if the framers are
    permitted to presume authority for it or vested by it, there
    will be less than a year elapsed before another *C vs. *EC
    battle erupts. There will also be legions of trolls who
    attempt to use the document for reasons which have nothing
    to do with the smooth flow of mail. The ZC's netmail will
    runneth over with new policy complaints, and if Satti
    remains true to his past decisions, he'll amaze the
    Fidoserfs with more amazingly dumb decisions.

    I must go Visage. Your secretary is in grim shape. She
    claims that Bill Clinton didn't try to hug her. "Am I the
    only one?" she bleats, over and over. As a gesture of our
    concern for her, I suggest we send her on  a skiing holiday
    with either the Kennedy or the Bono families.

    Regards,
    Furlang Island Academy of Squid Ballet,
    Furlang Island, South Pacific


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

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 7                   23 Mar 1998


    =================================================================
                             FIDONET HISTORY
    =================================================================


    Originally published       Vol.11  No.26    (27-Jun-1994)
    (with some '98 revisions by the author)

    POLICY 33.5 - THE FINAL INSULT
    Charles Herriot  (1:163/110)
    (this had to be done, Doc, now where's my Ibogaine?)

    1. TITLE: (amateur policymongers probably don't realize the
    importance of leading off with at least one "tit"... capture
    their imaginations and their hearts and minds will follow)

    The title of this document shall be:

     "Policy 33.5 - The Final Insult,

     otherwise known as:

     "Mom! Mom! He/she dissed me and I'm gonna whump his/her
    sorry ass with this policy document until he/she either
    apologizes or else gets locked in a room and is forced to
    listen to John Denver singin' 'Rocky Mountain High' until
    her/his ears bleed."

    2. PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to create more
    policy. The Region has recognized quite clearly that if more
    policy were created then, incredibly, we'd have more policy.
    If we had more policy, then we would definitely need even
    more of it to expand upon the previously created policy.
    Hell, in no time at all, this policy stuff would be breeding
    on its own and provide sustenance to unemployed cod
    fisherman.

    3. DEFINITIONS:

    AcetyleneMail: The polite staple of inter-sysop
    communication which must include, at a minimum, at least one
    demand that the recipient engage in an act of
    self-replicating his/herself. It is entirely appropriate to
    substitute the preceding with a suggestion to the recipient
    that they engage in an act of procreation with anyone having
    the surname: "Off."

    Cod: Humiliated trout. Not to be confused with the
    traditionally refrain of grunt sysops to *C-beings  which
    loosely paraphrases into: "Who named you Cod?"

    Beer: The official sysop monetary unit. Debts can be
    satisfied upon payment of these units, and *C-beings are
    obligated to buy grunt sysops copious quantities of this
    particular resource.

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 8                   23 Mar 1998


    CRPs: Mistakenly identified as "Cost Recovery Plans", these
    are really guileless attempts to extort money from Grunt
    Sysops. The money is expended on fast women and loose cars.

    Echomail: A system of distributing the latest gnarly-rad
    path lines, and logoff macros, by "K00L D00DZ" which are
    rivaled by Sea Slugs for their intrinsic wit. Also, any
    quote of the preceding is considered "echomail" and the high
    fibre content helps to improve echomail regularity.
    Humungous amounts of megabytes of this stuff are
    sporadically sent throughout the Region. All of this
    echomail was spawned by one message which was entered in
    1985 and everyone has been quoting the hell out of it ever
    since.

    EchoPol: Any policy document which is written by confused
    and bored trolls who don't realize that putting policy into
    the hands of children will almost always lead to
    self-inflicted injuries.

    Grunt Sysops: A strange infestation which has plagued
    Fidonet for years. No one has figured out what sort of toxic
    spray would be effective in eliminating them. The freshly
    hatched sysop-beings, shortly before mastering the basic
    skills of mailers and echomail distribution, plaster
    messages all over the known universe announcing yet another
    new net.. one that promises some feature so outstanding that
    it probably isn't replicated in more than 500 of the
    existing 600 Fidonet echomail areas.

    Hubs: Dwarf-like creatures who live in tinfoil lined,
    darkened caves, where their multi-node, Lan-based, 69
    gazillion baud modems, poot forth echomail. Hubs are
    recognizable from the fact that their plastic pocket pen
    protector mounted pagers beep whenever they receive an
    inbound mail packet. Hubs secretly dream about bringing the
    entire Sports Illustrated Swimsuit modeling group to gaze at
    the diode arrays winking from every corner of their
    kleenex-piled rooms.

    NECs: Pituitary challenged Hubs who can often run a mailer
    for almost a whole day without having the system crash. NECs
    spend hours explaining batch files to bored and miserable
    people everywhere. NECs have LAN work-stations in  their
    bathrooms where they do their best work.

    Nets: Nets are largish containment devices used to bag
    various *Cs who have run amok. These are not to be confused
    with "Network" which is also herein defined.

    Netwar: An exchange of pleasantries between sysops
    culminating in at least a dozen threats of policy
    complaints, filled diapers, and about 20 megs of brainlessly
    quoted text.

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 9                   23 Mar 1998


    Networks: Are collections of nodes who have mastered the
    incredible mentation powers to remember the same sequence of
    digits. Networks are loosely centred on geographic areas
    within easy mortar range of each  other.

    Network Coordinators: (see also "Mazola & Bondage") Network
    Coordinators are selfless individuals who are reluctantly
    railroaded into wearing a large bullseye on their foreheads
    for the amusement of grunt sysops who are bored and have
    already painted the cat.

    Region: Regions are hard-fought geographic fiefdoms ruled
    by RCs who are renowned for exchanging grapeshot whenever
    they fell that their turf is being poached by an adjacent
    region. Regions are defined in a manner akin to the
    following (which happens to be Region 12):

    The region shall encompass that area in Canada lying
    to the east of the Manitoba border (unless they lower their
    taxes and sell cheaper beer) and continuing past the welfare
    states in the Atlantic provinces to whichever dead cod
    happen to wash up on the beaches of Sable Island. The Region
    shall also include the Free Republic of Quebec, but only
    insofar as it does not impinge upon their God-given right to
    rant endlessly about their contused and paranoid cultural
    identity. The region shall extend as far northward as the
    North Pole and proceed to a depth (drilling straight
    downwards) that includes selected parts of Malaysia.

    Regional Coordinators: The larval stage of Small Animal
    Psychologists. These beings are to be humoured and indulged
    since their are obligated to buy rounds of beer for all
    sysops at social gatherings. Regional Coordinators can be
    identified by the horrible sucking noises they make while
    applying Vulcan lip-locks to the ZC's nether bits. After
    weeks of sheep and sleep deprivation, these poor souls can
    be spotted, buck naked in the moonlight, howling for more
    policy.

    Technical Standards: A basepoint for launching into some
    sort of penis-envy type message comparing baud rates, how
    many terrabytes of online GIFS can be shot through the phone
    lines, or how some moron has pissed away a small fortune on
    a Pentium chip so that they can display messages at 14
    million times their visual comprehension rate. I mean, let's
    face it, if you happen to have cute blossooms, nobody is
    going to give a damn whether your mailer works... in an
    ideal world, your mail would get hand-delivered.

    Users: Like, get serious wouldja? Screw 'em if they can't
    take a joke.

    ZCs: Self-idolatrous Fido elflords who wake up each morning
    imbued with the erroneous belief that they know what's good
    for the network. Other than tossing them a few slabs of raw
    meat, these individuals should be given adult supervision
    if they attempt anything more complicated than waking up in
    the morning.

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 10                  23 Mar 1998

    4. Official Titles:

    In this Region, a group of sick minds will choose some
    relatively innocent soul and propel the poor sucker into the
    job of Regional Co-ordinator. The Regional Coordinator shall
    have all the powers biologically granted to bread mold, but
    otherwise can be safely ignored.

    The Region shall be hacked up into small fiefdoms, called
    "Networks" which shall elect mascots, order pizza in bulk
    quantities, and participate in the annual Node Draft to
    choose the players for the upcoming Netwar season. Nets will
    dragoon someone into being the Network Coordinator who will
    be obliged to either undergo spontaneous human combustion
    before a full term is served, or else stand for re-election
    to the particular purgatory for which they are ideally
    maladapted.

    Network Coordinators will not be surprised to discover that
    they commune directly with either God or if they want to
    sink right to the bottom; to Bob Satti.

    Network Coordinators are entitled to screech that "they need
    a really big net." Judging from their post electoral
    behaviour, most grunt sysops would agree with their
    appraisal, and might further suggest a cell of the padded
    variety as well.

    Any grunt sysop who has stood in the blinding white light of
    their own ego too long is entitled to pile nine or ten
    listings of their own number into the nodelist and appoint
    themselves as Net Coordinator. They will be entitled to
    exhibit multiple-personality disorderly conduct and
    pontificate about "what their net wants." Spray misting
    these lost souls with regular doses of crystal-meth is
    advised.

    5. Elections: Anyone who actually wants a title in Fidonet
    should be put in a bottle and sent out into the Japanese
    current. If their lives are so incomplete without the fame
    of a Fidonet title, then they should be encouraged to get
    their pictures on milk cartons, but don't elect the poor
    bastards because they'll inflict bad grammar on you until
    you lie in a pool of drool, clutching your "I Adore My 64"
    button, babbling about the good old days when men were men
    and sheep were not particular.

    6. The Netwar Season: The netwar season shall commence
    nanoseconds after the election of each new Regional
    Coordinator. A season can be kick-started to a promising
    beginning by any Regional Coordinator who campaigns on some
    sort of "peace" platform. Like, nudge nudge, wink wink, we
    all *deplore* the fights in hockey games, so we'll be sure
    to take these kind of lame promises just as seriously.

    (snicker)

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 11                  23 Mar 1998


    (Incidentally, don't trust any candidate who quotes Arlo
    Guthrie in "Alices Restaraunt" and says "I wanna kill. I
    wanna kill. I mean, I wanna see blood and guts and veins in
    my teeth. I wanna kill. KILL! KILL!" because  these are the
    kind of milquetoasts that probably brake for whales and will
    screw up a perfectly good netwar season with their puerile
    sniveling for calm. C'mon, fess up... you tryna tell me that
    you forked out five grand for a BBS system that was just
    gonna bring in the DOGTALK echo?

    At the beginning of each season, grunt sysops will make
    irrational decisions about who they hate at the moment, and
    will bounce up and down in their cribs, asking to be picked
    by their most favoured Network Coordinator. Top draft
    choices will always be those sysops who are prepared to
    nitpick the hell out of issue that occurred way back in the
    late fifties.

    Network Coordinators should not ignore the "specialty teams"
    that make netwars so fascinating. Getting one of those
    tight-assed weenies who quotes every obscenity that comes
    down the turnpike and then appends some cloacally-challenged
    moralizing, should be counted as almost as important as the
    wankers who brag that they are the very first to be running
    the "new" Fido Version 1.01 software. The latter can be be
    guaranteed to smoke out some peckerwood who counter-brags
    that he/she has been running that version for three
    nanoseconds longer.... under Windows, no less.

    A truly successful Netwar season can be measured by the
    logarithmic expansion of new nets, and the number of
    excitable, intrigue-filled, messages that Zorch and
    John write.

    7. The Stirring Conclusion: Just as this policy document was
    about to end. Just as Luke in his X-wing fighter was about
    to drop the Neutron bomb down the exhaust shaft and put this
    puppy out of it's misery. Just as the Bikersluts were about
    to perform peculiar ablutions in the lap of the good Rev.
    Visage. Just as your RETURN button was begging for mercy
    like some spaghetti flogged, Jesse Hollington -type
    combination fax machine and gratification device... just at
    that moment... a rock fungus will burst it's spore pod and
    some flatlined-on-the-EEG sysop will suggest that "we really
    oughta have lots more policy."


    ###30###
    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 12                  23 Mar 1998


    =================================================================
                              WE GET EMAIL
    =================================================================


    Subject: hello
       Date: Sun, 15 Mar 1998 19:40:06 +0200
       From: "Radu Malica" <[email protected]>
         To: <[email protected]>

    hello

    i want to get in contact with somebody that can provide me the
    FidoNet backbone for free, because here in the Region 53 (2:53*/*) we
    are isolated from the outer Fido. I wish that you post my request in
    a FidoNews article, or Letter to the Editor, and please, i want to
    inform you that i can provide the 2:53*/* backbone to romanian people
    in USA, through Fido2Int and/or e-mail.

    Thank You.

    PS: if somebody offers the fidonet backbone for free, please tell
    him/her to contact me at

         [email protected]
         [email protected]
         [email protected]
         [email protected]

    or at 2:530/139 on the Fidonet.

    Thank you again

    Radu Malica, SysOp @ PRODiGY BBS
    +40-1-627-5454
    2:530/[email protected]

    ###30###
    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 13                  23 Mar 1998


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

                               Future History

    30 Apr 1998
       Queens Day, Holland.

    17 May 1998
       Independence Day, Norway.

    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.

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

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 14                  23 Mar 1998


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


    FidoNews PGP Public-Key Listing

    This must be copied out to a file starting at column 1 or
     it won't process under PGP as a valid public-key.  The
     same holds true for checking the validity of this issue.

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    To verify the content of this issue has not been tampered with,
    remove the five (5) spaces located at the beginning of each
    PGP-generated lines on the top and bottom of each issue.  Do not
    remove the spaces from any other lines.

    File-request FNEWSKEY from 1:1/23 [1:205/1701] or download it from
    IKVHFoT! BBS at 1-209-251-7529 anytime Zone 1 ZMH at 300-9600+ V34.
    The FidoNews key is also available on the FidoNews homepage listed
    in the Masthead information.



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

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 15                  23 Mar 1998


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

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

    NOTE:  I am looking for a comprehensive list of Telnet, VMODEM, BinkP,
           Argus and other TCP/IP based nodes operating FidoNet on the
           InterNet, either by Zone or worldwide, to post here as well.
                                        - Ye Editor

    ============

    FidoNet:

     Homepage     http://www.fidonet.org
     FidoNews     http://www.fidonews.org             [HTML]
                  http://209.77.228.66/fidonews.html  [ASCII]
     WWW sources  http://www.scms.rgu.ac.uk/students/cs_yr94/lk/fido.html
     FTSC page    http://www.portal.ca/~awalker/ftsc.htm
     Echomail     http://www.portal.ca/~awalker/index.html
     WebRing      http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fnetring.html  [TFN]
     General Info http://owls.com/~jerrys/fidonet.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:

      Region 15:

      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://techstop.pdn.net/fido/

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

    ============

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 16                  23 Mar 1998


    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 23:  http://www.fido.dk (in Danish)

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

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

      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 15-12               Page 17                  23 Mar 1998


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

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

    Editor: Zorch Frezberg

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

    "FidoNews Editor"
        FidoNet  1:1/23
        BBS  1-209-251-7529,  300/1200/2400/9600/V.34/V.34+

     more addresses:
        Zorch Frezberg -- 1:205/1701, [email protected]
                                      [email protected]
                                      [email protected]
                                      [email protected]
                                      [email protected]

    (Postal Service mailing address)
        FidoNews Editor
        P.O. Box 642
        Fresno, CA 93709-0642
        U.S.A.


    voice:  1-209-446-9038 [voice mail = 'blind' numbers not returned]

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

    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 1998 Zorch Frezberg.  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.

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

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 18                  23 Mar 1998


    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
    back Issue filenames in distribution format [FNEWSFnn.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 [8], i.e., FNWSJAN8.ZIP for all the Issues from Jan 98.

    Annual volumes are available as FNEWSn.ZIP where n = the Volume number
    1 - 15 for 1984 - 1998, 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/
                         ftp://ftp.irvbbs.com/fidonews/

                                     *=*=*

    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 13 Megs.

                                =*=*=*=

    FIDONEWS 15-12               Page 19                  23 Mar 1998


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

                 http://209.77.228.66/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 [1:205/1701] by file-request for FNEWSKEY or by download from
    IKVHFoT! BBS at 1-209-251-7529 as FIDONEWS.ASC in File Area X.  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 [1:205/1701] 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- ###
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    -----------------------------------------------------------------



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