F I D O N E W S Volume 16, Number 39 27 Sept 1999

F I D O N E W S Volume 16, Number 39 27 Sept 1999
+----------------------------+---------------------------------------+
| The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: |
| FidoNet community | "FidoNews" |
| _ | 1-717-732-6820 1:270/720 |
| / \ | |
| /|oo \ | |
| (_| /_) | |
| _`@/_ \ _ | |
| | | \ \\ | Editor: Douglas Myers, 1:270/720 |
| | (*) | \ )) | [email protected] |
| |__U__| / \// | |
| _//|| _\ / | |
| (_/(_|(____/ | |
| (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. |
| | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
+----------------------------+---------------------------------------+

Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1
Letters to Editor Policy ................................. 1
2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................... 2
Delay in Z1C transition acknowledged ..................... 2
Zone 4 site listing corrected ............................ 2
3. ARTICLES ................................................. 3
Echolist Controversy ..................................... 3
4. NET HUMOR ................................................ 4
Letter Perfect ........................................... 4
5. COMIX IN ASCII ........................................... 5
Famous Cows .............................................. 5
6. NOTICES .................................................. 6
Future History ........................................... 6
7. FIDONET BY INTERNET ...................................... 7
Fidonet Via Internet Hubs ................................ 7
Fidonet-related sites .................................... 8
8. FIDONEWS INFORMATION ..................................... 10
Masthead and Contact information ......................... 10
FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 1 27 Sep 1999

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

Letters to Editor Policy

One of the "perks" of editing Fidonews is reading the mail which
comes in. Without this mail, putting together each issue would be a
lonely chore, dry and uninteresting. Each letter which comes in,
however, breathes life into the ol' Snooze. Suddenly, we have a
READER! Someone cares about what was presented - Fidonews hasn't
whithered and died on hundreds of hard drives around the world!

Naturally, I like to share the good news with the other readers of
the Snooze through the "Letters to the Editor" column. I was
cautioned recently, though, by one reader who intended his
correspondence to be private, that I should be careful in what I
print.

This is my dilemma: I literally can't tell from most letters
whether that letter is intended to be private or public. I don't
really want to betray anyone's trust by revealing something they
don't want public, but I don't want to become so intimidated by the
prospect that I consistently take the "safe" course and don't
share anything. After consideration, I figured I'd handle "Letters
to the Editor" in the following manner. Your comments would be
appreciated.

WHAT i WON'T PUBLISH

1. Letters where you specifically ask me not to reveal the
contents.
2. Letters which are obviously of a personal nature.

WHAT I WILL PUBLISH

1. Letters where you specifically ask me to publish.
2. Letters which relate to Fidonews or articles published therein,
where publication shouldn't embarrass the author.
3. Letters from public echoes which are deemed of interest to
Fidonews readers.

Hopefully, the above policy will balance confidentiality and the
objective of making Fidonews interesting reading.

-Doug Myers

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FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 2 27 Sep 1999

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

Email from David Moufarrege <[email protected]>
----------
You wrote under "What's not happening":

" You don't deserve to be the top story in the What's Not Happening
column... but it's been two and a half months."

You are quite correct: The past three and a half weeks have been
spend waiting for Bob Satti to return from vacation. The transition
is now in process.
----------

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Netmail from Renato Zambo, 4:801/161
----------
In FIDO1637.NWS:
Zone 4:
Region 80: http://fidobrasil.8m.com (Portuguese)
Region 90:
Net 904: http://members.tripod.com/~net904 (Spanish)

1637 had correct/updated sites for our zone.
----------

Thanks for the correction, Renato. I tried each of these sites and
was able to get in. Note that they are corrected in this edition :)
- Doug Myers

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FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 3 27 Sep 1999

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

Echolist Controversy

The Echolist mechanism is currently under attack in the Z1_BACKBONE
echo. It's an old argument, actually, fueled by the fact that a
moderator can find that his echo belongs to another individual under
some circumstances. The argument has been around for at least the
last three elist keepers with no particular resolution, so I doubt
that this round of arguments will result in any changes.

The echolist, or elist, is a list of echo areas and their moderators
along with other pertinent information. It's important to zone 1
echomail in that all major distributors use it to determine the
legal moderator for such issues as adding the echo to the
distribution list and making feed cuts.

It's relatively easy for a moderator to establish a new echo in zone
1. All he need do is find an unused echo tag (the name of his echo
as programmed into various tossers), and then list that plus a
password plus other optional information in a letter to the elist
robot. The elist robot adds the information to its data base and,
from that point on, the moderator with the password is the owner of
that echo for the next six months. So long as he remembers the
password, he may extend the six months by continuing to send
messages to the robot.

Where the controversy occurs is that, if a moderator forgets to
update, his listing expires after six months, and anyone may relist
it with any password they choose. Some individuals have made a
practice of watching the expirations and then "grabbing" the echo
with a simple letter to the robot. If the original moderator is
still around, he may consider the echo hijacked... though defenders
of the system point out that the original moderator had plenty of
time and opportunity to update, including a letter that the echo
would expire in most cases, and that he simply failed to do his
job... losing the echo in the process.

Those criticizing the elist procedure have suggested a "grace
period" during which the echo would fall from the elist, but it
couldn't be relisted without the password. A grace period of from
one month to six months has been suggested.

I personally agree with critics that such a grace period would
dampen the enthusiasm of those who "collect" these echoes... but
have they considered the cost of this result? It would also make
the relisting of an echo whose moderator has lost interest or even
left Fidonet more difficult.

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FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 4 27 Sep 1999

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

Letter Perfect

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rarely ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect in it's weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

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FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 5 27 Sep 1999

=================================================================
COMIX IN ASCII
=================================================================

(__)
(oo)
/ \/ ____________
Famous Cows / \===^__| |
_|___ /\ |______________|
|=====| | | |
*I I| | | |
I I^ ^ | |

wolfgang amadeus moo-zart

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FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 6 27 Sep 1999

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

Future History

26 Oct 1999
Thirty years from release Abbey Road album by the Beatles.

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.

21 Sep 2000
10 years of FidoNet in +7 (xUSSR)

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.

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FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 7 27 Sep 1999

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

Last Updated: 9/25/1999

Fidonet Via Internet Hubs

Node# | Operator | Facilities (*) | Speed | Basic Rate
-----------+-------------------+----------------+-------+------------
Zone 1 |
10/3 | Brenda Donovan | FTP,UUE,BinkP | T1? | $??/$10
12/12 | Ken Wilson | FTP | T1 | $24mo.
13/25 | Jim Balcom | FTP | 56k | $20mo.
103/301 | Joe Jared | BinkP | aDSL | n/c
105/8 | Russ Johnson | FTP,BinkP,VMoT | 384k | n/c
106/1 | Matt Bedynek | BinkP, FTP | 128k | n/c
106/6018 | Lawrence Garvin | FTP, VMoT | 64k | $5/mo
107/451 | Andy Knifel | FTP, VMoT, UUE | 33.6 | n/c
140/12 | Bob Seaborn | FTP | T1 | $5/$20
167/133 | Stephen Monteith | BinkP | 128k+ | n/c
211/417 | Korombos | BinkD,UUE,FTP | T1 | n/c
270/101 | George Peace | FTP | 6mbps | $20mo.
271/140 | Tom Barstow | UUE | T1 | n/c
280/169 | Brian Greenstreet | FTP | 33.6 | $2mo.
342/3 | Richard Dodsworth | BinkP,FTP | 128K+ | n/c
345/0 | Todd Cochrane | FTP | T1 | n/c
396/1 | John Souvestre | FTP,VMoT | T1 | $10/mo
396/45 | Marc Lewis | UUE | 33.6 | $26/yr
2401/305 | Peter Rocca | FTP,UUE | T1 | unkn
2424/10 | Alec Grynspan | FTP,UUE | T1 | n/c
2424/101 | Kari Suomela | FTP,VMoT,BinkP,UUE| T1 | n/c
2604/104 | Jim Mclaughlin | FTP,VMoT,UUE | 33.6 | $1mo
2613/404 | David Moufarrege | BinkP,FTP,VMoT | 128k+ | n/c
2624/306 | D. Calafrancesco | VMoT | 33.6 | n/c
3632/84 | Robert Todd |FTP,VMoT,UUE,BinkP | 57.6k | n/c
3639/93 | Ross Cassell | FTP, BinkP | 128K+ | n/c
3651/9 | Jerry Gause | FTP,VMoT | 33.6 | $3/$6
--------------------------------------------------------------
Zone 2 |
20/11 | Henrik Lindhe | BinkP | ??? | n/c
23/999 | Michael Kaaber | BinkP | ??? | n/c
31/1 | Gabriel Plutzar | BinkP | ??? | n/c
203/600 | Mikael Karlsson | UUE | 64k | n/c
221/360 | Tommi Koivula | BinkP | ??? | n/c
246/2098 | Volker Imre | BinkP | ??? | n/c
284/800 | Jeroen VanDeLeur | FTP,UUE | 64k | n/c
292/626 | Filip Ruymen | Binkp, UUE | 128K+ | n/c
292/2003 | Eric Vaneberck | BinkP | 768k | n/c

301/1 | Peter Witschi | BinkP | ??? | n/c
332/807 | Roberto Mascolo | BinkP | ??? | n/c
335/535 | Mario Mure | BinkP,VMot,UUE | 64k | n/c
335/610 | Gino Lucrezi | UUE | 33.6 | n/c
344/201 | Julio Garcia | BinkP | ??? | n/c
382/100 | Sinisa Burina | BinkP | ??? | n/c
FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 8 27 Sep 1999

406/555 | Marius Kaizerman | BinkP | ??? | n/c
406/555 | Ofir Michaeli & | BinkP | ??? | n/c
423/81 | Milos Bajer | BinkP | ??? | n/c
464/4077 | Serguei Trouchelle| UUE | 19.2 | n/c
465/204 | Va Milushnikov | BinkP | 33.6k | n/c
469/84 | Max Masyutin | VMoT | 256k | n/c
480/112 | Adam Sarapata| FTP, VMoT, UUE,BinkP| 128k | n/c
2411/413 | Dennis Dittrich | UUE,BinkP | 64k | n/c
2446/301 | Lothar Behet | BinkP,VMoT,UUE,FTP | 64K | n/c
2474/275 | Christian Emig | UUE | 64k | unkn
5030/115 | Andrey Podkolzin | BinkP | ??? | n/c
5100/8 | Egons Bush | BinkP | ??? | n/c
5020/1159 | Gennady Kudryashoff | UUE | 33.6 | n/c
--------------------------------------------------------------
Zone 3
633/260 | Malcolm Miles | FTP,BinkP | 64K | n/c
640/954 | Rick Van Ruth | FTP,VMot,UUE,BinkP| 56K| n/c
774/605 | Barry Blackford|BinkP,VMoT:10023,ifcico,FTP |33.6| n/c

--------------------------------------------------------------
Zone 4
905/100 | Fabian Gervan | VMoT,UUE,BinkP | 128k | n/c
902/18 | Javier Tejedor | UUE | 33,6 | n/c

--
* FTP = Internet File Transfer Protocol
* VMoT = Virtual Mailer over Telnet (various)
* UUE = uuencode<->email type transfers
* BinkP = front end mailer for TCPIP networks

Please send updates, corrections and suggestions to
Joe Jared, 1:103/301, [email protected], and
complaints to [email protected] .

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. -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- -- .
| FIDONET-RELATED SITES |
` -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- -- '

[This list includes all sites reported to the Editor as of September
26, 1999. Sites reported marked for deletion in the last issue are
gone now.]

FidoNet
Homepage: http://www.fidonet.org
FidoNews: http://www.fidonews.org [HTML]
ftp://sstar.com/fidonet/fnews/
WWW sources: http://travel.to/fidonet/
FTSC page: http://www.ftsc.org/
General: http://owls.com/~jerrys/fidonet.html
List server: http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/fidonet-discussion

Zone 1: http://www.z1.fidonet.org
FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 9 27 Sep 1999

Region 10: http://www.psnw.com/~net205/region10.html
http://www.tnl-online.com/andy/rgn10.htm
Net 103: http://www.webworldinc.com/club103/
Region 11: http://oeonline.com/~garyg/region11/
Region 13: http://www.net264.org/r13.htm
Net 264: http://www.net264.org/
Region 14:
Net 282: http://www.rxn.com/~net282/
Region 17: http://www.nwstar.com/~region17/
Region 18: http://techshop.pdn.net/fido/
Region 19: http://members.home.net/hbh3/r19
Zone 1 Elist http://members.xoom.com/echolist/

Zone 2: http://www.z2.fidonet.org
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 (German)
Fido-IP: http://home.nrh.de/fido/ (English/German)
Region 25: http://www.bsnet.co.uk/net2502/net/
Region 26: http://www.nemesis.ie
REC 26: http://www.nrgsys.com/orb
Region 27: http://telematique.org/ft/r27.htm
Region 29: http://www.rtfm.be/fidonet/ (French)
Region 30: http://www.fidonet.ch (German)
Region 34: http://www.pobox.com/cnb/r34.htm (Spanish)
REC34: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/4552/
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 (Greek/English)
Region 42: http://www.fido.cz
Region 50: http://www.fido7.com/ (Russian)
Net 5010: http://fido.tu-chel.ac.ru/ (Russian)
Net 5015: http://www.fido.nnov.ru/ (Russian)
Net 5030: http://kenga.ru/fido/ (Russian & English)
Net 5085: http://www.fidonet.uz/ (Russian) (No netscape)

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

Zone 4:
Region 80: http://fidobrasil.8m.com (Portuguese)
Region 90:
Net 904: http://members.tripod.com/~net904 (Spanish)

Zone 5: http://www.eastcape.co.za/fidonet/

Zone 6: http://www.z6.fidonet.org
Region 65: http://www.cfido.com/fidonet/cfidochina.html
(Chinese)

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FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 10 27 Sep 1999

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

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

Editor: Douglas Myers, 1:270/720, [email protected]

Editors Emeriti: Tom Jennings, Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell,
Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar, Sylvia Maxwell,
Donald Tees, Christopher Baker, Zorch Frezberg,
Henk Wolsink

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

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 and/or the Editor.

Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
Copyright (C) 1999 Douglas Myers. 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 by file-request, or
from various sites in FidoNet and the Internet.

STAR SOURCE for all past issues:
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.

INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via:

http://www.fidonews.org
ftp://ftp.irvbbs.com/fidonews/
ftp://ftp.nwstar.com/Fidonet/Fidonews

And in non-English formats via:

http://www.fidonet.pp.se/sfnews (Swedish)

*=*=*

FIDONEWS 16-39 Page 11 27 Sep 1999

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

and http://www.fidonet.dynip.com/public/fidonews/default.htm

and in the FIDONEWS echo.

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

SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication
in FidoNews. In general, send your articles in ASCII (text) format
via netmail or email to the addresses listed above for the editor.
The exact article submission requirements for the Fidonews software
are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from most Fidonet
hubs. However, you should concentrate on what you wish to say, as
the editor will normally take care of the technical requirements.

"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

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