The F I D O N E W S Volume 19, Number 12 25 Mar 2002

The F I D O N E W S Volume 19, Number 12 25 Mar 2002
+--------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| |The newsletter of the | | Fido, Fidonet and dog-with-diskette are |
| | FidoNet community. | | US Registered Trademarks of Tom Jennings|
| | | | San Francisco, California, USA |
| | ____________| | |
| | / __ | Crash netmail articles to: |
| | / / \ | Editor @ 2:2/2 (+46-31-944907) |
| | WOOF! ( /|oo \ | Routed netmail articles to: |
| \_______\(_| /_) | Bjorn Felten @ 2:203/0 |
| _ @/_ \ _ | Email attach to: |
| | | \ \\ | [email protected] |
| | (*) | \ ))| |
| |__U__| / \// | Editor: Bj�rn Felten |
| ______ _//|| _\ / | |
| / Fido \ (_/(_|(____/ | Newspapers should have no friends. |
| (________) (jm) | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
+--------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
Copyright 2002 by Fidonews Editor for Fidonews Globally.

Table of Contents
1. INSIDE ................................................... 1
The Fidonews at a Glance ................................. 1
2. FIDONET REGIONAL NEWS .................................... 2
Flashcon 2002 in Datteln/Germany ......................... 2
3. GENERAL ARTICLES ......................................... 5
BBS? I Was Calling Granny! ............................... 5
Catcalls from the Cheap Seats ............................ 8
4. REBUTTALS TO PREVIOUS ARTICLES ........................... 10
Response to "Catcalls from the Cheap Shots" .............. 10
5. FIDONET'S INTERNATIONAL KITCHEN .......................... 12
Japanese Stuffed Squid #2 ................................ 12
6. CLEAN HUMOR & JOKES ...................................... 13
BASTARD OPERATOR FROM HELL #10 ........................... 13
The Math Professor Problem ............................... 15
7. TODD COCHRANE'S FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ................. 16
Fidonet Software List .................................... 16
8. FIDONET BY INTERNET ...................................... 20
Fidonet-related sites .................................... 20
9. SPECIAL INTEREST ......................................... 25
Nodelist Stats ........................................... 25
10. FIDONEWS INFORMATION .................................... 27
How to Submit an Article ................................. 27
Credits, Legal Infomation, Availability .................. 28
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 1 25 Mar 2002

=================================================================
INSIDE
=================================================================

The Fidonews at a Glance

This week Bob Short writes about "The Hidden Treasures of BBS's" in
our General Articles section.

The Catcaller is back with more "Catcalls from the Cheap Seats" and
then Andrea Santos has a rebuttal on a previous Catcall about the US
health care system in "Response to...", which should make Luke happy I
guess.

In the Regional News section, Michael Haase reports from "Flashcon
2002" in region 24 and Robert Bashe gives us some background
information on the gathering.

Carol makes a second version of her "Japanese Stuffed Squid" in
this week's "Fidonet's International Kitchen".

The tenth episode of "BASTARD OPERATOR FROM HELL" (published with
the expressed permission from the author) in the Clean Jokes... plus
another joke from Ol'wdb, "The Math Professor Problem".

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FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 2 25 Mar 2002

=================================================================
FIDONET REGIONAL NEWS
=================================================================

Flashcon 2002 in Datteln/Germany

By Michael Haase, 2:2457/280

This event was Ward's idea and it was a great idea! Because of the
short planning time not everybody who would have liked to come was
able to participate. But nevertheless it was fun to see each other
again in real life. Meeting others is in my opinion the main advantage
of FidoNet over the newsgroups in Internet. And sometimes true
friendships can be made.

Ok, back to Datteln 2002. Besides Ward Dossche (IC and ZC2) there were
Werner Blatt (RC24), Sven Dueker (REC24), Alex Woick (Ex-RC24), Robert
Bashe (he organized the restaurant), Gisbert Rudolph, Andreas Capito,
Walter Konezna and Michael Haase.

The ones who had been early met at Robert's house, the others came
directly to the Chinese restaurant. It was a lovely evening. We talked
about several things, only few related to Fido. For the doubters, we
did not make intrigues, a black list or something else. :-) Hopefully
there will be more Flashcons like this one!

- - = = * * * = = - -

By Robert Bashe, 2:2448/44

Michael Haase, 2:2457/280, has already mentioned that some of us met
recently in Datteln to renew old acquaintances and get to know some
others whose names were and are familiar, but whose faces were
mutually unknown up to then.

It might surprise some that our "Flashcon 2002" originally developed
from a remark David Moufarrege, former Z1C, made to me in an email
some years ago.

David, who lived in Rochester, New York at that time, noted that his
mother lives near Datteln (my place of residence, a town of some
30,000 near Dortmund, in the eastern Ruhr area of Germany), and that
he would be visiting her there.

I thought this would be a nice opportunity to get to know David, who
had been writing some messages in our regional node echo (nodes.024),
and maybe acquaint him with Ward and some others here in R24, so I
asked David if he would be able to stop by Datteln sometime during his
visit.

He was pleased to do so, and asked that I invite Ward and a couple of
others as well. This first "Datteln Con" shortly after Christmas of
1998 was attended by David, Ward Dossche, Gisbert Rudolph and myself,
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 3 25 Mar 2002

and was held at my house. We talked about various Fido affairs, but
mainly we just got to know one another.

As at the other meetings, we spoke a mixture of German and English,
concentrating on one language and then on the other, throughout the
evening. David is bilingual in German and English, as am I, Ward
speaks at least four languages, and the others speak German and at
least passable English. Thus, there were no language problems and in
fact it was quite amusing to listen to the blend of languages
throughout the evening.

The next time, around a year later, Alex Woick, at that time RC24, was
also here, and we renewed acquaintances and discussed the situation in
R24 until fairly late in the evening.

I should mention that these "Datteln Cons" were always very informal
affairs, with people arriving around 6-7 PM and leaving late the same
evening at or slightly after 12 PM. Since Datteln is geographically
located near the middle of Germany, it's fairly easy to reach even
from Belgium, where Ward lives. Even so, I was always impressed that
so many people were willing to do the necessary driving to attend a
social meeting lasting only a few hours. This was and still is one of
the real strengths of Fido.

Sadly, this was the last meeting David Moufarrege attended. I wrote
him again, but he had some personal trouble and was very stressed with
business affairs and never was able to make it to Datteln again.

The "Datteln Cons" paused for a while, as we were all busy and had
enough to do in other respects. But when Ward sent me a message in
February 2002, suggesting a "FlashCon" and asking me to do the
(minimal) organization, I was happy to comply.

We invited all the "regulars" and a couple of people with interesting
views as well, and posted an open invitation in nodes.024 to anyone
else interested. Unfortunately, several people who would have liked to
attend were busy on the selected date (a Saturday, to try to make it
easy for people to attend), and at least one (located south of
Stuttgart, around 4-5 hours drive from Datteln) simply found the long
drive excessive for even such an enjoyable evening. Even so, the
attendance was far from disappointing, and in fact we spent the
evening discussing nearly everything _except_ Fido, some of us eating
- in the Chinese restaurant - something Ward termed "cremated"
(naturally: "baked") bananas ;-)

We broke up around 1:30 AM and everyone managed to get home by around
3:30 AM (whew!), but since it was Sunday, there was plenty of time to
get back into shape for the new week.

From my own personal point of view, such an evening is the real reason
for Fido. Not the technology, although that's important too. And not
the politics, since that's only a necessary adjunct of any kind of
organization. Just the people that make up Fido, like in real life
some good, some bad, but most of us in the middle - decent people you
like to associate with.

FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 4 25 Mar 2002

And that's a bit of background on the "FlashCon 2002".

Cheers, Bob

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FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 5 25 Mar 2002

=================================================================
GENERAL ARTICLES
=================================================================

BBS? I Was Calling Granny!

The hidden treasures of Bulletin Board Systems
by: Bob Short
1:105/38
[email protected]

OK, your wait times are unbearable at Almost OnLine, and now you have
nothing to do except play Duke 3D and Doom. You're just dying for more
online time -- but what are you going to do, subscribe to a second
ISP? Or, you've just spent 6 hours on the World Wide Wait, finding and
downloading the latest version of Quake, but it's too late at night to
try it. How about logging on to a home page and sweating it out while
downloading a dozen images -- so you can jump to yet another page or
two? Ah, the Internet! Well, maybe the Internet's not quite that bad.
With the proper filtering software or parental direction, it can be a
safe, educational, and entertaining experience for children. For
adults, the World Wide Web can be an invaluable tool to access
programs and support for both personal and business needs, creating a
new marketing revolution.

Another Dimension

There's another dimension to cyberspace that they don't mention at the
computer store, one that can provide many of the same features as the
Internet and some that it doesn't. It not the intention of this
article to make comparisons or to infer that one is better than the
other, as both are unique in their own ways. Rather I write hoping to
educate the reader to an aspect in telecommunications that has served
the community since before the World Wide Web was conceived, and has
been somewhat overshadowed by the highly publicized and popular Web.
This alternative is the "Bulletin Board System" (BBS), an online
service offering a wide variety of online games, files, one-on-one
chat, message areas, private mail, and participatory forums. All this
can be found at many of the local BBSs via the communications software
that came bundled with your operating system (HyperTerminal for Window
95, Terminal for Win 3.x). You can find a list of BBS numbers for your
community at your local computer club, or by doing a web search for
"BBS lists"

There are many different styles of Bulletin Board Systems; each BBS is
customized in form and appearance by its system operator, the person
known as the SysOp. Boards range in size from those operating over a
single telephone line from a home PC to full-featured, multi-line
systems run on a LAN server. Their look and feel can range from
straight black-and-white text to 256-color SVGA graphics. Many BBSs
charge you nothing to call and offer 30-60 minutes access per day,
while others might charge a nominal subscription fee to access the
more popular features like multi-user chat or CD-ROM files areas, or
to allow you more daily online time. Still others might offer
full-fledged (and feebased) Internet access in addition to their
standard BBS services. The majority of these boards are operated by
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 6 25 Mar 2002

computer hobbyists who put their time, money and equipment at the
disposal of the community simply for the joy of doing so. Quite often,
the SysOp will run his BBS to promote a special area of interest,
while others have a more general appeal.

One of the most enticing aspects of BBSs is the personal attention
many SysOps give to their callers. Some even go out of the way to help
their users with software and hardware problems, making them a
valuable resource for technical assistance and advice. Opening an
account is as easy as calling and answering a few simple questions.
Most fee-based BBSs offer a free trial period to give you a feel for
the system before subscribing. Free boards often have a Call Back
Verifier which calls your computer to check your phone number and then
automatically validates your account. Once a member, you will become
part of a family of users who consider their favorite BBS a place to
meet, play, share programs and ideas, and an indispensable resource
for sending messages across town or around the world. At your BBS,
you can truly enjoy a sense of closeness and community. SysOps often
host gatherings where members can meet one another.

As mentioned above, there can be many activities available on BBSs
that inform and inspire, entertain and enhance. Offering a relatively
safe alternative to some areas of the Internet, BBS SysOps usually
require phone number verification, real names for the user records
(though aliases might also be allowed) and, where access to adult
material is available, proof of age and sex. These requirements seek
to guarantee a comfortable environment for both men and women,
children and adults. It is not uncommon to see users ages 8 to 80.
Here are the features found at many BBSs. You're bound to find
something enlightening on your very first call.

Messages

This was the main feature when BBSs appeared some 20 years ago, hence
the name Bulletin Board System. In message areas you can easily place
or read an advertisement or announcement, post a question or answer,
or browse through any of hundreds of specialized subject areas for
interesting information. If your BBS is connected to a network of
systems such as FidoNet, most messages will be "echoed" around the
globe to some 10,000 other BBSs which pass messages and files via
telephone line, satellite and the Internet. If you have problems with
hardware or software, you'll find that many computer companies and
programmers visit these message areas to answer questions and offer
support. There are currently over 700 FidoNet echoes (topic areas)
that cover more than 500 subjects.

Files

The local BBS is a great place to download the latest shareware,
freeware, and public domain software. You will often have download
privileges on your first call, and the compressed files you download
are easily uncompressed with a variety of freeware or shareware
archiving programs. If your primary connection to the Internet is via
modem, you're in for a pleasant surprises. First, file transfers from
a BBS typically proceed more quickly than modem-based FTP (file
transfer protocol) downloads on the Internet because you're not
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 7 25 Mar 2002

sharing the data line between you and the file source with anyone
else. Or, maybe you have had a multi-megabyte transfer interrupted
toward the end of the download. BBSs usually support download
protocols that allow you to pick up where left off -- without having
to re-download what's already on your system.

Chat

Multi-line BBSs may offer user chat, or even "forums" where any number
of people can gather to discuss common issues. Once online, you can
usually see a list of users who are also online and page someone for
one-on-one chat, or invite them into a private chat room. This feature
can really help to instill a sense of "family" and belonging.

E-mail

Where some smaller systems may have private e-mail strictly between
users on that BBS, others might have mail across their network
(NetMail), or even give you an Internet e-mail address. The SysOp may
allow file attachments, enabling you to mail a favorite shareware game
to a friend just like over the Internet.

Telnet & FTP

If you join a board with multiple lines and an Internet connection,
you'll have the ability to call out to other BBSs. This allows you to
log on to another telnet-able BBS, anywhere in the world, with no
long-distance phone charges. A multi-line BBS can also utilize open
lines to access FTP sites, where you can obtain files that might not
otherwise be available locally. Coupled with the home system's file
bases, this creates an enormous resource for finding an unlimited
variety of programs.

Faxing

Some systems have online fax capabilities that allow you to send a fax
via the Internet, eliminating long-distance charges. This is usually
as secure as sending e-mail.

Games

Last, but not least, are the ever-popular door games. Everything from
Acey Deucy to Yahtzee can be played on a BBS. Card, dice, board, word
search, adventure, and role-playing games abound. Even the new 3-D
rendered games are possible at connections of 14,400 bits per second
or higher. You play these games while online against a computer
opponent or another caller. If your BBS has more that one line, you
can play many of these head-to-head against another person online.
There are also many information doors such as skiing and road
conditions, electronic magazines, stock quotes, weather, horoscope and
matchmakers.

Whether you are a kid stuck indoors on a rainy day, a mom with time
between laundry loads, on lunch break at the office, disabled or
retired, you are sure to get your fill of whatever sparks your
interest at many of the local BBSs in your area. Why not strike up
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 8 25 Mar 2002

your modem and discover a whole new cyber-world right in your own back
yard?

(Originally published in the ComputerBits magazine June, 1997)

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Catcalls from the Cheap Seats
By Luke Kolin

Our Editor being paid me the ultimate compliment of positive mention
in his editorial last week, and this catcaller reacted by basking in
Bjorn's reflect glow for the better part of a week. Today I'm faced
with my unofficial Friday deadline, and as I actually have work to do
at the office I'm tempted to drag out my viritol-filled rant against
Andrea Santos from several months back to fill space. Maybe not.

I'm not sure if that battle, against the slack-jawed defenders of
'order', is really worth fighting over and over again. In some senses,
this freedom-loving observer isn't much different than the forlorn
Marxist revolutionaries of yesteryear (and today's university
professors) who sit dispiritedly while the working class outdoes
itself in getting exploited by the capitalistic system. Ownership of
the means of production, you say? I'd prefer ownership of the means of
watching the WWF on a 52" screen instead!

Not participating in any FidoNet echo conferences these days leaves me
with somewhat of a shortage of material, as well as determining if my
lonely print crusade is having an effect. I think for a moment or two
on Tuesday I was sufficiently self-gratified to believe that a
groundswell of opposition was forming to the Policy non-change, that
the sysops would see the idle futility of the change, and.... the
Socialist Workers' Party nominee for president will sweep Dubya out of
the Oval Office in two and a half years time. To quote Daddy, "Not
Gonna Happen."

In some senses, the sysops of FidoNet aren't much different than the
average US sitcom viewer; they from time to time don't like to think,
and much prefer someone else to do the thinking for them. (As an
aside, isn't it interesting how commentators only claim that this is
hapenning when those same folks don't agree with them?) After a long
day at work, the average American doesn't mind plunking down in front
of the TV and NOT trying to think for an hour or so at a time. It is
often argued that freedom to do must encompass freedom from doing -
the right to think freely should involve giving that right to someone
else, who has the right to think freely on my behalf. It is much the
same concept as arguing that a nation where voting is compulsory does
not have a truly free ballot.

Dissertations and moaning aside, I went looking for a current nodelist
earlier this week, to see just how far Zone 1 had fallen. Based on the
numbers I saw, I'd be highly interested in seeing the average distinct
sysops names per network broken down by Zone - there's a lot of Zone 1
networks with 1 or 2 sysops only, compared to a lot of very large
networks in Zone 2. I'm surprised that no one has argued that the
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 9 25 Mar 2002

latest non-amendment is merely a way of entrenching the often-claimed
Zone 1 dominance of FidoNet from its earlier days; it looks to me like
a Zone 1 sysop's vote is worth far more than a Zone 2 sysop's.
However, since FidoNet still hasn't grasped the concept of the
universal franchise, the idea of "one man, one vote" is far too much
for this individual to ask for.

Speaking of a lack of democracy, I should point out to our Russian
friend, Maxim Zhukov, that the disqualification of Russian athletes is
not related to any acts by the US government at all, and he's just
engaging in some time-honoured Russian paranoia. He should be aware
that the International Olympic Committee, run by that old paragon of
Falangist democracy Juan Antonio Samaranch, was corrupt enough to make
Lenoid Brezhnev's Soviet Union look like a Boy Scout convention. You
weren't screwed by the United States - the IOC is scrupulously above
petty squabbles like nationality when it decides to cheat.

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FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 10 25 Mar 2002

=================================================================
REBUTTALS TO PREVIOUS ARTICLES
=================================================================

Response to "Catcalls from the Cheap Shots"
By Andrea Santos

It's obvious Mr. Kolin's view on the wonderous state of health care in
the United States is painted by an ever shrinking segment of Corporate
America. Should he ever decide to leave those hallowed halls, the
awakening will be a cruel one.

Mr. Kolin's sister was wise to point out that over 40 million people
in the United States have no health insurance at all ... a looming
National disgrace. The only reason why it's not higher still is
because more people now qualify for Medicaid and the CHIPS program for
kids. Combine this group with Medicare recipients, and we're left with
some astronomical figure like 1 in 3-4 Americans with NO health
insurance coverage. Those numbers should appall any reasonable
person.

To add insult to injury, Doctors all over the country are now turning
away seniors, whether recipients of Medicare or Medicaid, because of
Federal reimbursement cuts. In short, as baby boomers begin retiring
this decade, we could be faced with a crisis of mass proportions,
where Seniors will find it difficult or impossible to see a private
Doctor.

The 40+ million uninsured are the self-employed, full time workers at
countless small businesses and persons holding down multiple part time
jobs at many of America's richest corporate retail and food service
institutions, ie., Walmart, Target, McDonald's, Burger King, tc. A
$100.00/month contribution to ABC HMO from any of these behemouths
will hardly make the $300.00-$400.00 monthly premiums affordable to
someone earning $5.15-$10.00/hour.

For the self-employed and others not covered by a company plan,
monthly family premiums range from $500 for HMO coverage, to well over
$1000 for "Fee for Service" with Major Medical. IOW, these millions
of "not smart" individuals are faced with monthly payments which often
exceed the average monthly mortgage or rental payment and these rates
have gone up over $50/month for 4 consecutive years with no end to the
lunacy in sight.

In reality, it's the corporate covered employees who are being duped.
The rest of us have no choice but to see the inequities. The "white
shirt, red tie, Oxford" crowd are getting nailed too but they don't
acknowledge the severity of the problem because their "hits" are
disguised in the form of lower wages. Instead of a 3% annual wage
increase, they'll receive 2%. The "missing" 1%, which went to defray
the annual insurance increase, never appears on the pay stub, so they
don't miss what was never in full view. What does appear is $10-$20
month increase which doesn't burn as big a whole in the pocket. This
explains why real wages have barely budged in years.

As for $75/month "cut price" family health insurance, Mr. Kolin knows
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 11 25 Mar 2002

not of what he speaks or is purely dreaming because this doesn't
exist. Having done extensive investigation on a myriad of insurance
plans available in my state, I will go as far as saying that yes it's
possible to get a plan or two for about $350/month with the following
conditions:

- Major Medical either excluded entirely or not before a deductible
of $2500.00 to $5000.00 is met first. Even one hospitalization would
likely wipe out anyone whose only affordable option is such a plan

- No prescription drug coverage

- No maternity coverage

- No preexisting conditions need apply

- A host of ailments/procedures not covered

With coverage like this, a person in my state is better off to forgo
insurance entirely and rely on the Public Hospital for emergencies and
life threatening diseases and their Satellite facilities which will
offer reduced rates based on income, while you wait up to an entire
day to be seen by a Doctor.

Whether the Canadian system is better or worse than ours is debatable
to some extent, but it's not really the issue. Healthcare in the
United States is sufficiently broke and there isn't a politico in the
country with the guts to stand up and demand it be fixed because it's
going to take additional revenues that covered employees don't want to
pay and a whole lot of reform not suitable to Insurers, Lawyers,
Pharmaceuticals and Corporate America.

As for Fidonet, there are no sufficient parallels. While the Canadian
system may not be better in terms of service, the current state of US
healthcare has shifted over the last 20 years to a class system. Truly
"gold plated" insurance plans where you can see any Doctor you want,
anytime you want, and receive care at any hospital you desire are
available to a fraction of our overall population with everyone else
covered by Preferred Provider Organizations, Managed Care Systems,
both of which limit choice and access, or nothing at all. We've got
the best hospitals and Doctors in the world, yet fewer and fewer of
our people can avail themselves of the facilities and services without
going broke or even dying in the process.

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FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 12 25 Mar 2002

=================================================================
FIDONET'S INTERNATIONAL KITCHEN
=================================================================

Japanese Stuffed Squid #2

1 lg Squid, about 7 inch body
1 lb Shrimp
1/4 lb Hot sausage
1 ea Head Nappa cabbage
3 ea Bok choy stalks
3 ea Large carrots, grated
1/4 c Grated radish (daikon)
1 c Cooked short/medium rice

More squid landed at my feet and we tried yet another way to make it
here in Japan. This is very close to how many here make it. When
Charlotte saw it, she asked if it 'died because someone stuffed it'.
(No dear, not quite <grin>).

Clean the squid as normal (many show directions, ask me if you dont
have a set). Chop the veggies and shrimp up then make a filling with
them. Heat a large oil deepfryer or bake with frequent brushings of
sesame oil. To deepfry, takes about 15 mins. Baking at 350 takes
about 25 minutes.

These should best be served cold and in slices, 1 or 2 to a person
unless you are Charlotte in which case you might need more!

For a full meal, add: Udon Nabe, Green Beans blanched with black
olives, and sweet adzuki beans over rice.

From the kitchen of: xxcarol

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FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 13 25 Mar 2002

=================================================================
CLEAN HUMOR & JOKES
=================================================================

BASTARD OPERATOR FROM HELL #10

I get invited to a lecture as a guest speaker in "Computing Operations
Fund- amentals", so I leave the control room in the capable hands
of Sam, the janitor and cruise on down.

The lecture starts and goes ok, then there's a 10 minute period where
students get to ask a "real operator" questions that they have about
operations.

I get out my pad and pen. "Before we get started" I say, "could you
just call out your username before you ask me a question, I find it
easier to apply your problem to terms you would understand better" The
lecturer eats all this up - the personal touch really gets to them.
"First Question, You over there.."

"What do you think of the privacy of individuals on a shared system?"

"What was your username please?"

"CMS1103"

Scratchy scritch< "Computer Privacy... Hmmm. This is a toughy
really. You mean stuff like reading the email between you and your
counsellor about you not wanting to come out of the closet?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGH!"

"AH. Well, he seems to have left - must have picked a bad COMPLETELY
RANDOM example. Next question. You, over there..."

"CMS1136. I was.."

"Ah yes, 1136 the only person on campus who subscribes to
alt.sex.buggery.by. sailors.dressed.in.mums.clothing"

"It's purely for research purposes!"

"I'm sure it is. You do a lot of story posting for a researcher don't
you?"

"NNGggggAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHGH!"

"Next please..."

...

..

Two minutes later, the lecture theatre's empty. That's the problem
with students today, they just don't want to learn.

FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 14 25 Mar 2002

I go back to control and Sam's asleep at the console again. I think
he's after my job. I make a mental note to tap into the salary
database and cancel his health and accident insurance payments. You
can't be too careful..

I put the phone on the hook for the first time this afternoon and it
starts ringing almost immediately. THAT'S IT! I redirect it to 911
catch a bit of shuteye. That'll teach them. OOPS! Almost forgot to
turn over the excuse calendar. "STATIC FROM NYLON UNDERWEAR" Nope,
too plausable - although in some cases I could do an on-site check.
Nah, can't be stuffed. I'll pick another one. "STATIC FROM PLASTIC
SLIDE RULES" Now THAT'S one with a challenge!

I un-redirect the phone and drag the rubbish bin so it rests on the
printer's stacker - another job well done. The phone rings - this
could be the big one!

"Hello?"

"Hi, Um, how do I spell-check my file?"

"Simple, just type `spell' and the filename"

"Thanks"

I'm so bloody nice this morning. Especially as I know that my version
of spell introduces errors instead of detecting them. Things like
changing friend to freind and vice-versa. What the hell.

The phone rings - it's them again.

"There's something wrong with spell"

"What makes you think that?"

"Because my file is all corrupt now!"

"That doesn't sound like spell to me. Are you logged into thru PC?"

"Yes, but I can.."

"Please, leave the technical diagnosis to me... Now, is there a
plastic ruler somewhere on or in the desk?"

"Um clunka<, yes..."

"Right. You've got a static buildup on your hard-drive caused by the
changing electrostatic field generated by the ruler - the same one
that makes bits of paper stick to it when you rub it up and down your
arm..."

DUMMY MODE ON

"Oh. What do I do?"

"You know how you get paper off a ruler by hitting it on a table lots
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 15 25 Mar 2002

of times? Well do that with your PC. Say 20 times - lift it about a
foot off the desk & drop it."

"Oh. OK"

crash<

crash<

crash<

"Um, the screen went dark"

"That's ok, it's supposed to do that - keep going. And when you're
finished, do the screen as well, that static may have gone up the
wires to it."

crash<

crash<

crash<...

I hang up. I get up and go out to the public area to put honey in
the floppy drives when a guy who looked like Lee Harvey Oswald runs up
to me and shoots me, only the sound comes from the machine room, and I
can hear the ex System-Managers chuckle....

Later, in the ambulance, I realise. I forgot to get the guys
username...

Then everything goes dark

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

The Math Professor Problem
By Warren Bonner

"A wealthy man dies and leaves ten million dollars.

One-fifth is to go to his wife,
one-third is to go to his son from his first marriage,
one-sixth to his butler, and the rest to charity.
Now, what does each get?"

A student in the back of the room answered, "A lawyer?"

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

FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 16 25 Mar 2002

=================================================================
TODD COCHRANE'S FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING
=================================================================

Fidonet Software List
By Todd Cochrane
Type:

B=BBS D=Door M=Mailer T=Tosser C=Communication (terminal)
U=Utility P=Point Software I=Internet (telnet, BinkP...)

<+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+=-=+=-=-+-=-=+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+>
( Software Name ) |Type| ( Author/Contact )
<+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+=-=|=-=-|-=-=+=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=+>
|BBBS Home Page |B | [email protected] |
| | | www.bbbs.net/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|ELEBBS The Elevator |B | [email protected] |
|Software Production | | www.elebbs.com |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Hermes II Project |B | [email protected] |
| | | http://www.hermesii.org/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Maximus BBS Support |B | [email protected] |
|Page (Non Official) | | http://www.vector11.com/maximus/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|MBSE BBS |B | Michiel Broek |
| | | [email protected] |
| | | http://mbse.sourceforge.net |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Mystic BBS |B | http://www.mysticbbs.com/mystic/ |
| | | |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Nexus Bulletin |B | [email protected] |
|Board System | | http://www.nexusbbs.net/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Proboard, Searchlight, |BC | [email protected] |
|Telegrafix | | http://www.telegrafix.com |
|Communications | | 540-678-4050 |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|RemoteAccess |B | Bruce Morse |
|Central | | [email protected] |
| | | http://www.rapro.com/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Spitfire BBS |B | [email protected] |
|Buffalo Creek Software | |http://www.angelfire.com/ia/buffalo/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Synchronet BBS |BT | [email protected] |
| | | http://www.synchro.net |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Telegard BBS |B | [email protected] |
| | | http://www.telegard.net/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Wildcat Interactive |BTMI| [email protected] |
|Net Server | | http://www.santronics.com |
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 17 25 Mar 2002

|Plantinum Express | |(305)248-3204 |
| | | Santronics Inc. |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Bentstone Capabilities |D | [email protected] |
|Group | | http://www.srupc.com/mall |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Jibben Software |D | [email protected] |
| | | http://www.jibbensoftware.com/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|JNS Software Door Games|D | Rusty Johnson |
| | | [email protected] |
| | | 304-733-0113 |
| | | http://www.geocities.com/jnssoftware/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Legend Of The Red |D | |
|Dragon Reborn | | |
|(L.O.R.D.) | | http://www.lordlegacy.org/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|PC Pursuits |D |[email protected] |
| | |(301)240-6653 |
| | |http://www.pcpursuits.com/products.htm |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|S and T Software |D |Mark Bappe |
| | |[email protected] |
| | |(770)788-6843 |
| | |http://bozax.iainc.net/public/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Shinning Star BBS Doors|D |[email protected] |
| | |http://www.shiningstar.net/bbsdoors/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Sunrise Door Software |D |Al Lawerence |
| | |[email protected] |
| | |(404)256-9518 |
| | |http://www.sunrisedoors.com/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|The Brainex System |D |[email protected] |
| | |http://www.brainex.com/brainex_system/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Trade Wars Door Game |D |[email protected] |
| | |http://www.eisonline.com/tradewars/ |
| | |1:299/110 |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Vagabond Software |D |Bryan Turner |
| | |[email protected] |
| | |http://vagabond.virtualave.net/ |
| | |1:124/7013 |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|FMail Support |T |[email protected] |
| | |http://fmail.nl.eu.org/ |
| | |2:280/1076 |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Squish Tosser |T |http://www.lanius.com/squish.htm |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Argus RITLABS |M |[email protected] |
| | |373-2-246889 |
| | |http://www.ritlabs.com/argus/ |
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 18 25 Mar 2002

| | |2:469/84 |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|FrontDoor |MTPC|Definite Solutions |
|FrontDoor APX | |[email protected] |
|Mailer/Point Software | |http://www.defsol.se/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|BeeMail Home Page |M |http://beemail.gexonline.net |
| | |Stephen Proffit |
| | |1:211/405 |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|BinkleyTerm XE |M |http://btxe.sourceforge.net/ |
|Frontend Mailer | | |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|BinkD |MI |[email protected] |
| | |http://2f.ru/binkd/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Fidogate |UIT |[email protected] |
| | |http://www.fidogate.org/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Fidonet to Internet |IM |Bo Bendtsen |
|Mailer | |[email protected] |
| | |http://www.terminate.com/fido2int.htm |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|GiGo Software |UI |http://www.gigo.com/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Internet Rex |IM |[email protected] |
| | |http://plaza.v-wave.com/InternetRex/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Tmail |IM |http://www.tmail.spb.ru/index-19.htm |
|(Russian /w English DL)| | |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|TransX Multiboard |M |[email protected] |
|Communications Inc. | |http://www.multiboard.com/software/ |
| | |transx.html |
| | |1:2401/305 |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|TransNet |I |[email protected] |
| | |http://www.ressl.com.ar/transnet/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Watergate |I |[email protected] |
| | |http://www2.sbbs.se/hp/ramon/ |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|JetSys-Home of JetMail |TU |http://www.jetsys.de/ |
|JetStat and other Atari| | |
|Fidonet utilities | | |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|APoint (Author) |P |http://www.apoint.websale.net/index.htm|
| | |http://www.apoint-mail.de (Co-Autho) |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|CrossPoint |P |("Original" version) |
| | |http://www.crosspoint.de |
| | |http://www.apoint-mail.de |
| | |(OpenXP Projekt) |
| | |http://www.openxp.com (English) |
| | |http://www.openxp.de (German) |
| | |CrossPoint (XP2 Team) |
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 19 25 Mar 2002

| | |http://www.xp2.de |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|WinPoint95 |P |http://www.schenksmir.de/wp/english |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|The OpenXP CrossPoint |P |http://www.happyarts.de/xp |
|Projekt | | |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|Terminate Terminal |P |http://www.terminate.com |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
|PPoint-FTS compatible |P |http://www.alcuf.ca/ppoint.htm |
|E-Mail System | | |
|-----------------------|----|---------------------------------------|
\====================================================================/

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

FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 20 25 Mar 2002

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

. -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- -- .
| FIDONET-RELATED SITES |
` -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- -- '
2002-03-23

Please send updates, corrections and suggestions to Shannon
Talley, 1:275/311 or [email protected]. Please ensure your website
is operational before submitting. All websites will be checked
several times per month. If your website is down, or if it is a
commerical website advertising products or services, it will be
removed from the queue.

FidoNet Email subscriptions:
http://www.fidonews.org
http://www.fidotel.com

FidoNet
Homepage: http://www.fidonet.org
FidoNews: http://www.fidonews.org [HTML]
ftp://ftp.nwstar.com/fidonet/fidonews/
http://www.fidotel.com/public/fidonews
Echolist: http://www.tlchost.net/echolist/
SDS Files: http://fidobbs.dk/download (Web Access to SDS)
FTSC page: http://www.ftsc.org/
General: http://www.writebynight.com/fidonet.html
http://www.fidotel.com
Parody: http://www.fidonet.ro/

Zone 1: http://www.z1.fidonet.org
Region 10: http://www.r10.org
Net 102 http://home.earthlink.net/~kayshapero/net102.htm
Net 103: http://www.webworldinc.com/club103/
Region 11: http://www.vector11.com/region11/
Net 2410: http://www.vector11.com/net2410/
Region 12
Net 229: http://net229.darktech.org/
Region 13: http://www.ispaceonline.org/region13/
Net 261: http://www.baltimorepress.com/~net261/
Net 275: http://www.ispaceonline.org/net275/
Net 267: http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/net267/
Net 275: http://www.ispaceonline.org/net275/

Region 14:
Net 282: http://www.rxn.com/~net282/
Region 15: http://www.bobsplc.com/public/reg15
Region 17: http://www.region17.net
Net 140: http://www.nwstar.com/~net140
Region 18: http://techshop.pdn.net/fido/
Region 19: http://bise.tzo.com/r19
Net 124: http://www.DallasInet.com/net124/
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/flv/
Net 393: http://www.chatter.com/~wb/
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 21 25 Mar 2002

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.was-ist-fido.de/ (German)
Fido-IP: http://home.nrh.de/fido/ (English/German)
Region 26: http://www.nemesis.ie
Region 27: http://telematique.org/ft/r27.htm
Region 29: http://www.rtfm.be/fidonet/ (French)
http://Welcome.to/skynetbbs/
Region 34: http://www.pobox.com/cnb/r34.htm (Spanish)
REC34: http://www.fidospain.org
Region 38: http://public.st.carnet.hr/~blagi/bbs/adriam.html
Region 41: http://www.fidonet.gr (Greek/English)
Net422: http://www.fido.sk (Slovak/English)
Region 50: http://www.fido7.com/ (Russian)
Region 53: http://fido.bitsoft.ro/
Net 5010: http://fido.tu-chel.ac.ru/ (Russian)
Net 5015: http://www.fido.nnov.ru/ (Russian)
Net 5085: http://www.fidonet.uz/ (Russian)

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

Zone 4:
Region 80: http://fidobrasil.8m.com (Portuguese)
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 (Chinese)

Fidonet Via Internet Hubs

Node# | Operator | Facilities (*) | Speed,| Basic Rate
| | |latency|
-----------+-------------------+----------------+-------+------------
Zone 1 | | | |
10/3 | Brenda Donovan | FTP,UUE,BinkP | 384K,30| n/c
10/345 | Todd Cochrane | FTP,BinkP,VMOT | T1,! | n/c
18/500 | Ross Cassell | FTP, BinkP |128K+,!| n/c
103/5 | Mark Luetger | BinkP | CABLE | n/c
103/301 | Joe Jared | BinkP,FTP,NFS | 384k,!| n/c
103/401 | Warren Bonner | BinkP | aDSL,!| n/c
105/8 | Russ Johnson | FTP,BinkP,VMoT | 384k | n/c
105/72 | Larry James | FTP, BinkP | aDSL | $50/yr
106/1 | Steve Loupe | BinkP, FTP | 768k | FREE
106/2000 | Bob Juge | BinkP VMoT FTP TX| ??? | n/c
106/6018 | Lawrence Garvin | FTP, VMoT | aDSL,60| n/c
107/453 | Jeffrey Estevez| FTP,BinkP,VMoT,UUE| 56k,60| $10 mo.
134/11 | Michael Grant | FTP, BinkP, VMoT UUE, IFCICO,TransX
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 22 25 Mar 2002

aDSL, 60 | n/c
138/146 | Marc Blakely | BinkP,FTP | ??? | n/c
140/1 | Bob Seaborn | FTP,BinkP | T3,30 | $5/$16
142/906 | Chris Griffin | BinkP | ??? | n/c
150/220 | Dave Nemeth | UUE | ??? | n/c
153/7715 | Dallas Hinton | BinkD, FTP | CABLE | ???
167/133 | Stephen Monteith | BinkP | 128k+ | n/c
167/166 | Jesse Dooling | POP? UUE TX FTP| ??? | n/c
218/109 | Matt Munson | BinkP,UUE,TX | 33.6k | n/c
220/10 | groberts|nexusbbs.net |BinkP,FTP,UUE|1.5M+ | n/c
229/1 | Phil Simpson | BinkP UUE FTP | ??? | n/c
229/2000 | Robert Couture |BinkP FTP UUE TX| ??? |
229/622 | Dave Hamilton | BinkP | ??? | n/c
249/116 | Carl Austin Bennett | FTP, UUE |ADSL,60 | n/c
250/98 | Darin McBride | BinkP FTP TX | ??? | n/c
250/99 | Brent McLaren | FTP BinkP | ??? | n/c
250/102 | Darin McBride | BinkP FTP | ??? | n/c
267/169 | Philip Lozier | FTP TX | ??? | n/c
261/1380 | Joe Davis | UUE TX | ??? | n/c
275/311 | Shannon Talley|FTP,BinkP,FTP,VMoT,QWK| T1 |n/c
280/169 | Brian Greenstreet | FTP | 33.6 | $2mo.
297/11 | Michael McCabe | TX | ??? | n/c
323/120 | Craig Healy | VMoT FTP | ??? | n/c
342/3 | Richard Dodsworth | BinkP,FTP | 128K+ | n/c
360/5 | Bennie Hutto | FTP VMoT | aDSL | n/c
379/1 | Dale Ross | FTP, BinkP,UUE | 256K+,! n/c
379/1200 | Chris Cranford | BinkP FTP TX | ??? | n/c
395/670 | Arthur Stark | BinkP VMoT FTP | ??? | n/c
396/45 | Marc Lewis |BinkP FTP UUE TX| ADSL | n/c
396/48 | Ben Ritchey | UUE:BFDS? | 33.6k | n/c
2215/300 | Dennis Haddox | UUE,TX | CABLE | n/c
2320/38 | Janis Kracht | BinkP FTP | ??? | n/c
2410/400 | Gary Gilmore | FTP BinkP | 384K,60| n/c
2410/213 | Kevin Bentz | FTP, BinkP, UUE| Cable | n/c
2604/104 | Jim Mclaughlin | FTP,VMoT,UUE | 33.6 | $1mo
2624/306 | David Calafrancesco | VMoT | 33.6 | n/c
3613/1275 | @ [email protected] | UUE,FTP | 28.8 | n/c
3407/4 | Robert Todd |FTP,VMoT,UUE,BinkP | 57.6k | n/c
3632/84 | Robert Todd |FTP,VMoT,UUE,BinkP | 57.6k | n/c
3830/5 | Jeff Schrunk |BinkP FTP TX UUE| ??? | n/c
--------------------------------------------------------------
Zone 2 |
20/11 | Henrik Lindhe | BinkP | ??? | n/c
22/222 | Kim Heino | BinkP | ??? | n/c
28/1 | Lody Caenen | BinkP FTP | ??? | n/c
31/1 | Gabriel Plutzar | BinkP | T1+ | n/c
37/37 | Gabor Z. Papp | BinkP | ??? | n/c
47/999 | Andrej Kirejev | BinkP,ifcico | ??? | n/c
53/558 |Vladimir Hrusca|POP,VMoT,UUE,BinkP,ifcico|2mbs|??
201/329 | Mats Wallin | VMoT TX | ??? | n/c
201/505 | Goran Eriksson | BinkP | ??? | n/c
201/600 | H�kan Andersson |BinkP,FTP |512kbps| n/c
203/600 | Mikael Karlsson |BinkP,FTP,TX,UUE| 512k | n/c
211/37 | Torbjorn Mohn | BinkP | 8/2mb | n/c
221/360 | Tommi Koivula | BinkP,UUE | ??? | n/c
236/205 | Michael Kaaber | BinkP | ??? | n/c
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 23 25 Mar 2002

240/6298 | Steve Tell | BinkP UUE | ??? | n/c
246/2098 | Volker Imre | BinkP | ??? | n/c
252/110 | David Rance | UUE | ??? | n/c
255/90 | Simon Avery | UUE | ??? | n/c
263/950 | Sean Rima | TX UUE | ??? | n/c
280/1027 | Lukas de Groen | BinkP FTP | ??? | n/c
280/1601 | Jeroen VanDeLeur | FTP,UUE | 64k | n/c
280/4312 | Jos Huijnen | BinkP ifcico UUE TX| ??? | n/c
280/5003 | Kees van Eeten | BinkP ifcico | ??? | n/c
292/620 | Eddy Missoul | VMoT, UUE,BinkP| 64k | n/c
292/624 | Steven Leeman | UUE | 64k | n/c
292/854 | Ward Dossche | BinkP UUE TX | ??? | n/c
292/907 | Bart Verhaeghe | BinkP,VMoT,UUE | 64K | n/c
292/2003 | Eric Vaneberck | BinkP | 768k | n/c
301/1 | Peter Witschi | BinkP | 768k | n/c
332/807 | Roberto Mascolo | BinkP | ??? | n/c
333/0 | M Gianformaggio | BinkP | ??? | n/c
335/534 | Mario Mure | BinkP,VMot,UUE | 64k | n/c
335/610 | Gino Lucrezi | UUE | 33.6 | n/c
341/14 | Rafael Suarez | BinkP VMoT | ??? | n/c
341/51 | Jose.Maria Tejada | VMoT | |
341/66 | Angel Ripoll | VMoT | |
343/168 | Jose Casanova | VMoT | |
344/201 | Julio Garcia | BinkP | ??? | n/c
346/3 | Carlos Navarro | UUE | ??? | n/c
347/1 | Javi Polo | UUE | |
348/105 | Alejandro Estraviz| BinkP UUE | |
382/100 | Sinisa Burina | BinkP,ifcico | ??? | n/c
400/555 | Ofir Michaeli | BinkP,ifcico | ??? | n/c
400/557 | Marius Kaizerman | BinkP,ifcico | ??? | n/c
423/81 | Milos Bajer | BinkP | ??? | n/c
461/256 | Andrew Rutkas | BinkP | ??? | n/c
461/640 | Alex Semenyaka |BinkP ifcico UUE| ??? | n/c
465/204 | Va Milushnikov | BinkP | 33.6k | n/c
469/84 | Max Masyutin | VMoT | 256k | n/c
469/128 | Oleg Vasenyoff | BinkP,ifcico | ??? | n/c
480/112 | Adam Sarapata| FTP, VMoT, UUE,BinkP| 128k | n/c
550/4077 | Serguei Trouchelle| UUE | ----- | n/c
2410/201 | Karsten Ebeling | BinkP UUE | ??? | n/c
2411/413 | Dennis Dittrich | UUE,BinkP | 64k | n/c
2432/200 | Sven Dueker | BinkP TX UUE | ??? | n/c
2446/301 | Lothar Behet | BinkP,VMoT,UUE,FTP | 64K | n/c
2474/275 | Christian Emig | UUE | 64k | unkn
2487/3000 | Steffen Gross | BinkP | ??? | n/c
5002/5002 | Victor Belyakov | BinkP | ??? | n/c
5014/4 | Alex Bagmanov | BinkP,ifcico | ??? | n/c
5020/52 | Peter Didenko | BinkP | ??? | n/c
5020/54 | Serge Wizgounoff | BinkP,ifcico | ??? | n/c
5020/69 | B Chernivetsky | BinkP | ??? | n/c
5020/238 | Sergey Gubanov | BinkP | ??? | n/c
5030/115 | Andrey Podkolzin | BinkP | ??? | n/c
5030/1251 | K Stepanekov | UUE | ??? | n/c
5100/8 | Egons Bush | BinkP | ??? | n/c
5020/1159 | Gennady Kudryashoff | UUE | 33.6 | n/c
5049/12 | Amir Shabashvili | BinkP | ??? | n/c
5054/3 | Andrew Popov | BinkP | ??? | n/c
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 24 25 Mar 2002

5080/80 | Eugene Zorin | BinkP,ifcico | ??? | n/c
5083/21 | Alexander Uskov | BinkP,ifcico | ??? | n/c
5090/2 | Andrew Titov | BinkP | ??? | n/c
5100/8 | Egons Bush | BinkP | ??? | 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
712/311 | Bob James | TX | ??? | n/c
774/605 | Barry Blackford|BinkP,VMoT:10023,ifcico,FTP |33.6| n/c
--------------------------------------------------------------
Zone 4
801/161 | Renato Zambon | UUE | 33.6 |n/c
902/18 | Javier Tejedor | UUE | 33,6 | n/c
--------------------------------------------------------------
Zone 6
65/3000 | Lawrence Fan | UUE | 33600 | free
653/1009 | Maorong Chen | UUE | ??? | free
654/0 | Bin Li | UUE,BinkP | 33600 | free
654/1501 | Lawrence Fan | UUE,BinkP | 28800 | free

--
* FTP = Internet File Transfer Protocol
* VMoT = Virtual Mailer over Telnet (various)
* UUE = uuencode<->email type transfers
* BinkP = front end mailer for TCPIP networks
* TX = TransX
* NFS = Linux Networking
* ifcico = ifcico-compatible virtual mailer
* QWK = Quick Packets/Offline mailer "networking" capable
----------------------------------------------
Fidonet oriented news servers

news.fidotel.com (currently offline)
news.osirusoft.com
news.tardis.net
nntp://fido.bitsoft.ro
nntp://bbs.bitsoft.ro

Fidonet oriented chat rooms.

room #fidonet 5PM (PDT 11AM GMT) Sundays
irc.osirusoft.com (Peers wanted)
irc.sinoptix.ro : malay, chinesse, english, #fido, #fidonet, #wwb
irc.bitsoft.ro : 6667 russian, english, hebrew, #fido, #wwb
irc.tsua.net : 6668 russian, english #fido

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

FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 25 25 Mar 2002

=================================================================
SPECIAL INTEREST
=================================================================

Nodelist Stats

Input nodelist nodelist.081
size 1120.8kb
date 2002-03-24

The nodelist has 10084 nodes in it
and a total of 12991 non-comment entries

including 6 zones
65 regions
472 hosts
697 hubs
admin overhead 1240 ( 12.30 %)

and 909 private nodes
335 nodes down
423 nodes on hold
off line overhead 1667 ( 16.53 %)

Speed summary:

>9600 = 925 ( 9.17 %)
9600 = 8634 ( 85.62 %)
(HST = 184 or 2.13 %)
(CSP = 1 or 0.01 %)
(PEP = 12 or 0.14 %)
(MAX = 0 or 0.00 %)
(HAY = 1 or 0.01 %)
(V32 = 4843 or 56.09 %)
(V32B = 515 or 5.96 %)
(V34 = 5749 or 66.59 %)
(V42 = 4717 or 54.63 %)
(V42B = 538 or 6.23 %)
2400 = 108 ( 1.07 %)
1200 = 6 ( 0.06 %)
300 = 411 ( 4.08 %)

ISDN = 1063 ( 10.54 %)

----------------------------------------------------------
File Req Flag Applicable software Number of systems
----------------------------------------------------------
XA Frontdoor <1.99b 3684
Frontdoor 2.02+
Dutchie 2.90c
Binkleyterm >2.1
D'Bridge <1.3
TIMS
Xenia
--------------------------------------
FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 26 25 Mar 2002

XB Binkleyterm 2.0 8
Dutchie 2.90b
--------------------------------------
XC Opus 1.1 10
--------------------------------------
XP Seadog 6
--------------------------------------
XR Opus 1.03 62
--------------------------------------
XW Fido >12M 401
Tabby
KittenMail
--------------------------------------
XX D'Bridge 1.30 4466
Frontdoor 1.99b
Intermail 2.01
T-Mail
--------------------------------------
None QMM 1447
--------------------------------------

CrashMail capable = 3308 ( 32.80 %)
MailOnly nodes = 5450 ( 54.05 %)
Listed-only nodes = 790 ( 7.83 %)
Other = 536 ( 5.32 %)

[Report produced by NETSTATS - A PD pgm available from 1:106/100]
[ Revised by B Felten, 2:203/208]

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FIDONEWS 19-12 Page 27 25 Mar 2002

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