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FidoNews · Vol 7, No 17 · 23 April 1990

     Volume 7, Number 17                                 23 April 1990
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     |                                                  _            |
     |                                                 /  \          |
     |                                                /|oo \         |
     |        - FidoNews -                           (_|  /_)        |
     |                                                _`@/_ \    _   |
     |         FidoNet (r)                           |     | \   \\  |
     |  International BBS Network                    | (*) |  \   )) |
     |         Newsletter               ______       |__U__| /  \//  |
     |                                 / FIDO \       _//|| _\   /   |
     |                                (________)     (_/(_|(____/    |
     |                                                     (jm)      |
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     Editor in Chief:                                  Vince Perriello
     Editors Emeritii:                    Thom Henderson,  Dale Lovell
     Chief Procrastinator Emeritus:                       Tom Jennings

     Copyright 1990, Fido Software.  All rights reserved.  Duplication
     and/or distribution permitted  for  noncommercial  purposes only.
     For use in other circumstances, please  contact  Fido Software.

     FidoNews  is  published  weekly  by  the  System Operators of the
     FidoNet  (r)  International  BBS Network.  It is a compilation of
     individual articles  contributed  by  their authors or authorized
     agents of the  authors.    The  contribution  of articles to this
     compilation does not diminish the rights of the authors. 

     You  are  encouraged   to  submit  articles  for  publication  in
     FidoNews.  Article submission standards are contained in the file
     ARTSPEC.DOC, available from node 1:1/1.    1:1/1  is a Continuous
     Mail system, available for network mail 24 hours a day.

     Fido and  FidoNet  are  registered  trademarks of Tom Jennings of
     Fido Software, Box  77731,  San  Francisco  CA 94107, USA and are
     used with permission.

     Opinions expressed in  FidoNews articles are those of the authors
     and are not necessarily  those of the Editor or of Fido Software.
     Most articles are unsolicited.   Our  policy  is to publish every
     responsible submission received.


                        Table of Contents
     1. ARTICLES  .................................................  1
        Splitting Large messages on FidoNet  ......................  1
        Where will EuroCon-V be held in 1991  .....................  7
        IFNA Membership Meeting  ..................................  9
        Region17 Fido Convention  ................................. 10
        Region17 FidoCon Registration  ............................ 11
     2. COLUMNS  .................................................. 14
        A View from the Bridge  ................................... 14
        Talk Me Through It, Honey  ................................ 15
     3. LATEST VERSIONS  .......................................... 18
        Latest Software Versions  ................................. 18
     And more!
     FidoNews 7-17                Page 1                   23 Apr 1990


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


     Large messages on FidoNet - announcing a beta test package
     ==========================================================

     Author:  Pat Terry of 5:494/4.101
              Pat.Terry@p101.f4.n494.fidonet.org
              pterry@m2xenix.psg.org

     Objectives
     ===========

     Several FidoNet (TM Tom Jennings) compatible packers place a
     limit on the size of message that can be transmitted.  This is
     often of the order of 14K which, while sufficient for most
     purposes, is inadequate for several applications, and in
     particular for long messages gated to and from UUCP using
     software such as UFGATE (TM Tim Pozar et al).

     The SPLIT/UNSPLIT suite is intended to handle this problem.
     SPLIT will split long .MSG format messages into smaller packets,
     thus allowing them to be manipulated by software like QM (TM Greg
     Dawson) or oMMM/Confmail (TM Bob Hartman).  After transmission to
     a remote site, the packets may be merged by UNSPLIT to recreate
     the original message, as closely as possible.  The only
     differences are the addition of a kludge line and, possibly, a
     few line breaks.

     The system has been tested between three sites which run QM,
     Msged (TM jim nutt) and BinkleyTerm (TM Bit Bucket Software).
     There seems no reason to doubt that it will work with
     oMMM/Confmail in place of QM.

     The package is now available from 1:105/42 to anyone who wishes
     to join the beta testing team.  As usual, you will be using the
     system at your own risk, but as it has been used quite heavily
     for some weeks without mishap, it is thought to be quite
     reliable.

     FREQ the file SPLIT110.LZH to receive documentation and object
     code for release 1.10.


     Fundamental usage
     =================

     After creating messages, but before transmission, one runs

     FidoNews 7-17                Page 2                   23 Apr 1990


           SPLIT MessageArea {options}

     for each area where large messages are known to be common.
     Messages small enough, "received", already marked "sent", "split"
     or "rejoined" will not be split further; large ones will be split
     up.

     After this one can run the scanner, packer etc as usual.  A
     sequence might be

            SPLIT C:\FIDO\NETDEV
            SPLIT C:\FIDO\NETMAIL
            QM SCAN PACK

     After reception, but before reading the messages, one runs the
     tosser, and then

           UNSPLIT MessageArea {options}

     for each area where one wants to recombine messages.  Messages in
     "transit" or "sent" will not be recombined.

     A sequence might be

           QM TOSS SCAN
           UNSPLIT C:\FIDO\NETDEV
           UNSPLIT C:\FIDO\NETMAIL


     The ^A SPLIT kludge line
     ========================

     Messages split and joined by this system make use of an ^A kludge
     line, which has the form:

     ^ASPLIT: date      time     @net/node    nnnnn pp/xx +++++++++++
     ^ASPLIT: 30 Mar 90 11:12:34 @494/4       123   02/03 +++++++++++
                 (when split)    (of origin)  (msg)

     where
           nnnnn gives the original message number from which the
                 components have been derived (cols 41 - 45)
           pp    gives the part number (cols 47 and 48)
           xx    gives the total number of parts (cols 50 and 51)

     Thus a large file originally at 123.MSG originating from 494/4
     might be split into 3 parts with the split lines

     ^ASPLIT: 30 Mar 90 11:12:34 @494/4       123   01/03 ++++++++++++
     ^ASPLIT: 30 Mar 90 11:12:34 @494/4       123   02/03 ++++++++++++
     ^ASPLIT: 30 Mar 90 11:12:34 @494/4       123   03/03 ++++++++++++

     FidoNews 7-17                Page 3                   23 Apr 1990


     This is, admittedly, verbose, but if recombination fails for any
     reason (like all the packets not arriving at once) one can still
     retrieve the useful pieces manually.  Note also that the lines
     are added to messages that are themselves "long", and the
     relative increase in length is thus very small.

     Columns 9 through 45 are really a "uniquefier".  The nnnnn
     message number is just the one the message had when it was split,
     and is of no other significance.  Similarly, the system does not
     use 4-d addressing in the node/net, because this is of no real
     interest to this application.  Most systems do not display kludge
     lines, and the ^ASPLIT line should be of no real interest.
     However, in one particular application currently using this
     system, the SPLIT lines are made visible for messages that cannot
     be recombined (because they are too large for gating from FidoNet
     to another RFC-822 compliant network), and here it was essential
     that the line derived from ^ASPLIT became human readable and
     comprehensible.


     Detailed workings of SPLIT
     ==========================

     When SPLIT is run, the following happens:

     The message base is scanned for large messages, and a list made
     of these.

     For each of the (few) large messages found that qualify, provided
     there is enough disk space available, the large message is split
     into parts.  The original FTSC header is placed in each component
     part, save that the FileAttach bit (if any) is removed from the
     2nd, 3rd ... parts.  No attempt is made to modify the To:, or
     From: fields.  The Subject: field for the 2nd, 3rd ... parts is
     modified to include a leading part number.

     Early testing showed that users became confused if they received
     split messages with no "subject" field, just a succession of
     numbers - especially if they received several of these at one
     session.  Thus, rather unsatisfactorily perhaps, a message to be
     split that is found to have no subject field has one generated
     from the date and time of splitting.

     The original kludge lines are retained in the first part.  ^AEID
     and ^AMSGID lines, if any, are removed from the 2nd, 3rd ...
     parts.  Others, like ^AFMPT, ^ATOPT, ^AINTL are retained in these
     parts.  This should cause no real problems.  Large echomail
     messages originating on a system will presumably have their ^AEID
     lines added to the constituent parts at scanning/packing time on
     that system (ie after splitting), and other large messages should
     probably not reach this stage - they should have been split or
     discarded earlier.

     FidoNews 7-17                Page 4                   23 Apr 1990


     A ^ASPLIT line is added to each part to allow for possible later
     recombination by UNSPLIT.  This will be ordered to be the last
     kludge line before the message body proper.

     If the message is addressed "TO UUCP: in the FTSC header, the To:
     lines at the start of the message text are copied to all parts.

     The "body" of the message is then split between the various
     parts.  An attempt is made to split at the end of a line in each
     case.

     The trailing tear line, ^AVia ^APath etc lines are added to all
     parts.

     Normally the original large files are then automatically deleted.

     The system thus ensures that each large message generates a
     collection of small messages, each of which is still valid in its
     own right.  If recombination is not effected, the messages will
     still be usefully received, and split messages to UUCP should
     still all get to their destinations, albeit in parts.


     Detailed workings of UNSPLIT
     ============================

     When UNSPLIT is run, the following happens:

     The message base is scanned for messages with ^ASPLIT lines.
     This is slower than the first scan for SPLIT, as it has to
     examine the kludge lines.  A list is made of messages to be
     unsplit, with each message having a list of its component parts.
     If a duplicate component part is found, it is discarded (thus
     partially getting around the problem of any discarded ^AEID lines
     in the components).  Messages marked "in transit" or "sent" are
     not eligible for recombination.  Nor are messages with a split
     component number of 00, as these will only exist as the result of
     an earlier UNSPLIT recombination.

     For each set of components of messages to be recombined the
     following happens:

     If disk space is too tight, or if components appear to be
     missing, recombination is not attempted.  Otherwise the first
     component is examined so as to extract the Kludge lines, and any
     UUCP "To: " lines. These, and the FTSC header, are written out to
     a new file, with the ^ASPLIT line modified to have a component
     number of 00, so as to prevent further splitting should SPLIT be
     reapplied to the recombined message.

     The text portions of the first and subsequent parts are then
     merged (discarding extra copies of kludges, UUCP "To:" lines and
     the like).

     FidoNews 7-17                Page 5                   23 Apr 1990


     Any tearline, Origin, ^APATH, ^AVia lines etc are appended.

     Normally the component files are then automatically deleted.



     Refinements and options
     =======================

     Both SPLIT and UNSPLIT may be used in conjunction with optional
     command line parameters.  These allow the possibility of keeping
     a simple log file, of stripping LF and soft CR characters, of
     limiting action to above the current High Water Mark for
     increased speed, and of controlling the lengths at which
     splitting and joining occurs.


     Source code and notes
     ======================

     This system has been developed in JPI TopSpeed Modula-2.  After
     the beta testing is completed, source code will be made
     available, on the understanding that it will not be exploited for
     commercial gain, and that modifications and improvements will be
     sent to the original author.

     Speed will clearly concern some folk.  The prototype takes about
     5 seconds to split (or merge) a 20K message, taking a single pass
     over each file, on a 10MHz AT.

     Given that it is suspected that the number of large messages is
     actually very small, and that these will be confined to a few
     sites/areas, it is hoped that the overheads will be acceptable.


     Acknowledgements
     ================

     The following names are either trademarks, registered trademarks,
     and/or the efforts of the person and/or company named:

       Fido, FidoNet - Tom Jennings, Fido Software
       MS-DOS - Microsoft Corporation
       IBM, PC-DOS - International Business Machines Corporation
       ConfMail, oMMM - Bob Hartman, Spark Software, Inc.
       oMMM - BS Software, Marshall Presnell, Jim Nutt
       msged - Jim Nutt
       EchoMail - Jeff Rush
       UFGATE - Tim Pozar, John Galvin, Gerry Paxinos
       BinkleyTerm - Alan Applegate, Vince Perellio, Bob Hartman
       TopSpeed Modula-2 - Jensen and Partners International

     FidoNews 7-17                Page 6                   23 Apr 1990


     Every effort has been made to identify and give credit for
     trademarks mentioned in this article.  Any failure to mention a
     particular trademark in the above list that may be found in the
     text, or failure to give proper credit for a particular
     trademark, constitutes merely an oversight and should not be
     construed as intentional, or in any way a claim of rights to the
     trademark.

     Particular thanks must be expressed to Randy Bush for offering to
     test this system in its earliest releases on the very busy 1/5
     zonegate, and for suggesting various improvements.  Thanks for
     testing are also due to Dave Wilson who operates the 5/1 zonegate
     at the other end of the link from Randy, and to Mike Lawrie of
     Rhodes Computer Centre for useful suggestions regarding the form
     of the SPLIT line acceptable to non-Fido users.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-17                Page 7                   23 Apr 1990


     Louis Van Geel for the EuroCon-IV committee
     Fido 2:295/3

                              Mortsel-Belgium, April 21st 1990

      ______ Preparing EuroCon

     As you know, Belgium (Region 29) has been appointed as the host
     country for EuroCon-IV, to be held in Antwerp from July 14th
     through July 15th 1990. The organising committee is working
     hard on preparing this popular yearly event, and expects some
     300+ participants from more than 10 countries and at least 3
     continents.

     You may expect more detailed info in the next issues of this
     newsletter.

     Hosting such an event, and working things out to a
     semi-professional level is, as you might expect not an easy
     task. The actual organizers are indeed doing everything in
     their spare time, and are unpaid volunteers.

     One of the first nerve wrecking stages candidates for such an
     organization have to face is the decision on the location of
     the convention. Have we been selected or not? Can we start, and
     when?

      ________ Why the hurry?

     As might be expected, candidates for the organization of a
     EuroCon, want to set up something bigger and better than the
     last one. Doing better than the last time implies that more
     resources, and more funds have to be raised, more participants
     have to be housed and catered for. If you also want to provide
     free or reduced travel, or even hope to be able to invite
     interesting people, you have no easy task at hand. .... and you
     need time!  Lots of time ...

     So here it comes :

      ________ Call for candidates!

     As in the past, the site of the next EuroCon will be appointed
     by the last organising committee. Knowing how precious time can
     be from our own experience (ever tried to get funding from a
     national or local government or the European Community?) the
     EuroCon-IV committee has decided to call for candidates for the
     1991-EuroCon as of TODAY.

     Provided there are candidates (!) we thus will be able to
     appoint the EuroCon-V site on July 15th, the last day of this
     years convention.

     FidoNews 7-17                Page 8                   23 Apr 1990


     The selection will be done by a popular vote between the
     participants of EuroCon-IV, out of a pre-selected batch of
     serious candidates meeting minimum standards as will be judged
     necessary at that time.

      ________ How to post your candidacy?

     Simple : Send us by NetMail to 2:2/999 following information :

       o The proposed site for EuroCon-V
       o The name of a coordinator and his FidoNet address
       o The list of nets/nodes involved in, and supporting the
         candidacy
       o The proposed date for EuroCon-V
       o A concise forecast of expenses and revenues, with their
         origin
       o A preliminary concept of the programme
       o A short story, selling us the idea that your candidacy is
         the best, and explaining the merits of your proposal.


      _________ And the deadline?

     Well, let's say July 1st, which gives us a fortnight to examine
     your plans, and will keep your nerves not too long on the edge.


     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-17                Page 9                   23 Apr 1990


      IFNA Membership Meeting

                              A Public Notice
                                   IFNA

          On August 4th, 1990 at 2 pm during FidoCon in the State of New
          Jersey a meeting of the membership of IFNA will be held for
          the Purpose of Dissolution, as Resolved by the Board of
          Directors in January of this year.

                          Respectfully Submitted,

                              Kris A. Veitch
                        Secretary/Treasurer of IFNA

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-17                Page 10                  23 Apr 1990


     Janet Murray
     Fido 1:105/23

                  WHY ATTEND THE REGION 17 FIDO CONVENTION?

     Because . . .

     * the  traditional  "Curmudgeon  tossing" event has been replaced
     this year with  "Curmudgeon bungee diving" - an event more suited
     to the unique natural  setting  of  Menucha  Camp  and Conference
     Grounds, high on a bluff  overlooking  the  Columbia River Gorge.
     Your early regis- tration (before May  15th) entitles you to vote
     on which brand of shoes he will wear.

     * it will be the only FidoNet  convention  on the West Coast this
     summer.    Although  it's  officially  a "Region 17"  convention,
     sysops and their guests from other regions are welcome to join in
     the  usual  exchange of banter, tall tales, and technical support
     typical of any FidoNet gathering.

     *  it's  incredibly  cheap!  For a mere $70.50, adult Sysops  can
     spend  two  days and nights (food and lodging included) on the 98
     acres of lawns, woodlands and gardens which comprise Menucha Camp
     and Conference Grounds.   The  main  buildings  were  constructed
     around 1914 by Oregon's former  governor,  Julius  Meier, and are
     historical sites.  Menucha is located  in  Corbett,  Oregon  - 30
     minutes  from  the  Portland International airport and  about  45
     minutes  from downtown Portland.  Freeways I-84, I-5,  and  I-205
     are close by.  Reduced prices apply to children and students.

     * Oregon also offers an exceptionally unspoiled seacoast and  the
     Cascade  mountain   range  (including  Mount  St.    Helens,  the
     recovering  active volcano  in  nearby  Washington)  within  easy
     driving range of Portland.    Portland's Saturday Market features
     arts and crafts by local  artisans;  the Oregon Museum of Science
     and Industry specializes in "hands-on" exhibits which are popular
     with both children and their parents.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-17                Page 11                  23 Apr 1990


     Janet Murray
     1:105/23

       * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
       *              FIDONET REGION 17 CONVENTION                 *
       *               OFFICIAL REGISTRATION FORM                  *
       *                     July 27-29, 1990                      *
       *          Menucha Camp and Conference Grounds              *
       *                     Corbett, Oregon                       *
       * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

     Name _____________________________   FidoNet Address _________

     SnailMail Address ___________________________________________

     ___________________________________________  Date Sent ______

     Voice phone (in case of questions): ________________________

     Please indicate for each person attending, the option selected,
     and fill in the appropriate charges:

     _Number_            _Name(s)_                   _Subtotals_

               Registration fee @ $5
     _____     (FidoNet Sysops ONLY)               $        _____

     OPTION A: Friday 5 p.m. to Sunday 11 a.m.
               DORM
     _____     Adult(s) __________________________ $  65.50 _____

     _____     Student(s) ________________________    56.50 _____
               (Age 12 to 18 OR Full-time student)
     _____     Child(ren) ________________________    36.25 _____
               (Age 11 and under)
     _____     Supply bedding @ $6 per person               _____

               SEMI-PRIVATE
     _____     Adult(s) __________________________    83.50 _____

     _____     Student(s) ________________________    56.50 _____
               (in parents' room)
     _____     Child(ren) ________________________    36.25 _____
               (in parents' room)

               PRIVATE
     _____     Adult(s) __________________________   102.50 _____

     OPTION B: Saturday 8 a.m. to Sunday 11 a.m.
               DORM
     _____     Adult(s) __________________________    48.00 _____

     FidoNews 7-17                Page 12                  23 Apr 1990


     _____     Student(s) ________________________    42.50 _____
               (Age 12 to 18 OR Full-time Student)
     _____     Child(ren) ________________________    29.50 _____
               (Age 11 and under)
     _____     Supply bedding @ $6 per person               _____

               SEMI-PRIVATE
     _____     Adult(s) ___________________________   59.00 _____

     _____     Student(s) _________________________   42.50 _____
               (in parents' room)
     _____     Child(ren) _________________________   29.50 _____
               (in parents' room)

               PRIVATE
     _____     Adult(s) ___________________________   72.50 _____

     OPTION C: Saturday 8 a.m. to Saturday 10 p.m.
     (Meals only, no accommodations)

     _____     Adult(s) ___________________________   37.00 _____

     _____     Student(s) _________________________   32.00 _____

     _____     Child(ren) _________________________   21.00 _____

               SUBTOTAL                             $         _____


     LATE REGISTRATION FEES (_after_ May 15th):

     ================================================================
     |     IMPORTANT NOTE: Since we must estimate  _and pay for_    |
     |     the number who will be attending by mid-May, there       |
     |   will be a limited number of places for late registrants!   |
     ================================================================

           Paid by June 15th:
     _____ Number of reservations @ $10     _____

           Paid by July 15th
     _____ Number of reservations @ $20     _____

           Paid after July 15th
     _____ Number of reservations @ $30     _____

                              TOTAL ADDITIONS       $         _____

                                TOTAL PAYMENT ENCLOSED:       $ _____
     Make checks payable (in U.S. Funds) to:
     Net 105 Treasury / REG17CON

     FidoNews 7-17                Page 13                  23 Apr 1990


     Send registration to:

     Region 17 Convention
     c/o Ken Zwaschka
     Ken Zwaschka & Associates
     P.O. Box 2226
     Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. 97208-2226

     Reservations and room assignments will be confirmed via NetMail
     within 48 hours of receipt.

     Registration packets with a map to Menucha and information about
     Portland metropolitan area shopping and recreational faciltities
     will be mailed to all registrants on July 1st.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-17                Page 14                  23 Apr 1990


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

     A View from the Bridge         "Captain's Log, Stardate 9003.30"

     What with all the ARC war flames going around, and arguments
     about which program is best, I decided to do something about it
     and write my OWN.

     You've heard of crunching, Crunching, squeezing, squashing,
     packing, crushing, imploding, etc...

     Now there's TRASHING.

     TRASH compresses a file to the smallest size possible: 0 bytes!
     NOTHING compresses a file better than TRASH!  Date/time stamp
     are not affected, and since the file is zero bytes long, it
     doesn't even take up any space on your hard disk!

     And TRASH is FAST!  Files can be TRASHED in micro-seconds!  In
     fact, it takes longer to go through the various parameter
     screens than it does to trash the file!

     This pre-release version of TRASH is yours to keep and evaluate.
     I would recommend backing up any files you intend to TRASH
     first, though...

     The next version of TRASH will have graphics and take wildcards:

     TRASH C:\PAYROLL\*.*

     ...and will even work on entire drives:

     TRASH D:

     ...or be first on your block to trash your system ON PURPOSE!

     TRASH ALL

     We're even hoping to come up with a way to RECOVER TRASHed files!

     This new  utility is available for BARK file request using the
     magic filename "TRASH" from 107/583@FidoNet.  SEAdog users can:

     GET TRASH FROM 107/583 NOW

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-17                Page 15                  23 Apr 1990


     Henry Clark
     124/6120


     Traveling Circus --

     Why do we waste money on those plastic bags the airlines have
     attached to the oxygen masks ?  You know the ones that 'even
     though oxygen is flowing, the bag will not inflate'.  What's it
     for ?

     Smoking on airplanes?  Another item for the nostalgia bin.  I
     love it.  I'm a smoker, and I love it.  It's really a lot
     better. And it's cheaper to make a stop somewhere along the way
     ( a smoke break, so to speak ) than to fly nonstop.  Great.

     Travel with small children.  You get on first and fill up the
     overheads.  Watch the stragglers get frustrated with their 60
     pound garment bags !

     If you haven't been to Disneyland/world lately, ( and I haven't
     been for 5 years ), you need to check out Captain EO.  This is
     highly recommended audio-visual stimulation.


     Make Work --

     An interesting thing about PCs is their ability to generate work
     all by themselves.  I mean, look at the utilities for hard
     disks, file utilities, file shells and the like.  If you ever
     used 'File Find' or 'Where Is' or even 'Arc Find' ( for God's
     sake ), you know what I mean.

     My PC 'partners' and I have generally kept a very similar
     directory naming structure.  An old friend from Boston recently
     got his first computer, and was helped in setting it up by a
     business partner of mine.  During a visit here, he was amazed
     to find that I knew so much about his directories.

     Let me show you a few of my long time, basic directories :

      \BAT    \CAL    \COM    \DOC    \DOS    \UT

     My PATH happens to be :

     PATH=\ut;\ut\fil;\ut\nort4;\dos;\msc\bin;c:\bat

     I use CED extensively.

     I'd be interested in whether you have the same names, different
     names, or a different structure altogether.  Don't tell me you
     have no directories on your disk !  Also, it's not fair to list
     directories which the install procedure of a program has
     created, such as the \MSC\BIN stuff.  I just counted, I have
     255 directories on my C: drive, of which 107 are Qmail echo
     areas.  I copy 17 of them to my D: ram disk.
     FidoNews 7-17                Page 16                  23 Apr 1990


     I knew a guy once who had two root directories : namely
     \PROGRAMS and \DATA.  Under PROGRAMS, he had a directory for
     every different program or program set.  I don't think he had
     any directories under DATA.


     TAPMFC&LP --

     Region 19 presents :

     The Third Annual Poor Man's FidoCon and Lake Party

     SPONSOR:  Net 106 of Houston, Texas
               and other friends of our Net.

     DATES:    April 20, 21, 22.

     PLACE:    Big Creek Park Pavillion (and campsites)
               on Lake Sommerville, Burleson County, Texas.

     I attended the First and Second Annual Party and this is a great
     event.  The First was held at Lake Grapevine, north of DFW
     airport.  I think I remember dying of heat.  The Second was held
     at Lake Tawakoni, southeast of Dallas.  This was the first of
     the 3 day affairs, a bit wet but a good wind kept the heat off.
     This year will be the best yet.

     "Steaks on the griddle, and suds in the kettle.  Nary a keyboard
     or file spec to mettle. Good folks and fun, no numbers to
     ring... These are a few of my favorite things."

     "When Seadog bites, when zee bee stings..."  uh, sorry, I
     got carried away...


     Slanger, Slanger ! --

     That's Danish, of course, for   SNAKES, SNAKES.

     Honey-dearest won't go near a Texas lake.

     This just leaves young Kevin ( my 4 year old assistant sysop
     and part time modem power button checker ) and myself to PARTY
     HARDY, DUDE on our EXCELLENT ADVENTURE camping.

     This snake thing is ridiculous but she's adamant.  What it
     really means is "I'll just go shopping."

     You know Copenhagen ( no Bubba, not the snuff ) is the English
     name for Kobenhavn ( pronounced 'coo-ben-houn', that 'o' should
     really have a slash through it ).  Kobenhavn is literally Buying
     Port, but it looks like Shopping Haven to me.

     FidoNews 7-17                Page 17                  23 Apr 1990


     Funny though, she's from Jutland ?


     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-17                Page 18                  23 Apr 1990


     =================================================================
                              LATEST VERSIONS
     =================================================================

                          Latest Software Versions

                               MS-DOS Systems
                               --------------

                           Bulletin Board Software
     Name        Version    Name        Version    Name       Version

     Fido            12q+   Phoenix         1.3    TAG          2.5d1
     Lynx           1.30    QuickBBS       2.62    TBBS           2.1
     Kitten         2.16    RBBS          17.2B    TComm/TCommNet 3.4
     Opus           1.12+*  RBBSmail       17.2    TPBoard        6.0
     PCBoard        14.2*   RemoteAccess   0.01    Wildcat!      2.10


     Network                Node List              Other
     Mailers     Version    Utilities   Version    Utilities  Version

     BinkleyTerm    2.30    EditNL         4.00    ARC           6.02
     D'Bridge       1.30    MakeNL         2.20    ARCAsim       2.30*
     Dutchie       2.90C    ParseList      1.30    ARCmail        2.0
     FrontDoor     1.99c*   Prune          1.40    ConfMail      4.00
     PRENM          1.47    SysNL          3.01    Crossnet      v1.5*
     SEAdog        4.51b    XlatList       2.90    EMM           2.02
                            XlaxDiff       2.32    Gmail         2.05
                            XlaxNode       2.32    GROUP         2.16
                                                   GUS           1.30
                                                   LHARC         1.13
                                                   MSG            4.0
                                                   MSGED         1.99
                                                   PK[UN]ZIP     1.10*
                                                   QM             1.0
                                                   QSORT         4.03
                                                   StarLink      1.01
                                                   TagMail       2.20
                                                   TCOMMail       2.2
                                                   TMail         1.14*
                                                   TPBNetEd       3.2
                                                   TosScan       1.00*
                                                   UFGATE        1.03
                                                   XRS           3.20*
                                                   ZmailQ        1.10
                                 Macintosh
                                 ---------

     Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

     FidoNews 7-17                Page 19                  23 Apr 1990


     Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

     Red Ryder Host  v2.1b10   Tabby         2.2   MacArc        0.04
     Mansion            7.15   Copernicus   1.0d*  ArcMac         1.3
     WWIV (Mac)          3.0                       StuffIt       1.51
                                                   TImport      1.331
                                                   TExport       1.32
                                                   Timestamp      1.6
                                                   Tset           1.3
                                                   Import         3.2
                                                   Export        3.21
                                                   Sundial        3.2
                                                   PreStamp       3.2
                                                   OriginatorII   2.0
                                                   AreaFix        1.6
                                                   Mantissa       3.21
                                                   Zenith         1.5
                                                   UNZIP        1.02b

                                   Amiga
                                   -----

     Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

     Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

     Paragon            2.06+  BinkleyTerm  1.00   AmigArc       0.23
                               TrapDoor     1.50*  AReceipt       1.5*
                               WelMat       0.35   booz          1.01
                                                   ConfMail      1.10
                                                   ChameleonEdit 0.10
                                                   ElectricHerald1.66*
                                                   Lharc         1.10
                                                   MessageFilter 1.52*
                                                   oMMM         1.49b
                                                   ParseLst      1.30
                                                   PkAX          1.00
                                                   PK[UN]ZIP     1.01
                                                   PolyxAmy      2.02*
                                                   RMB           1.30
                                                   TrapList      1.12*
                                                   UNzip         0.86
                                                   Yuck!         1.61*
                                                   Zoo           2.00

                                    Atari ST
                                    --------

     Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailer      Other Utilities

     Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

     FidoNews 7-17                Page 20                  23 Apr 1990


     FIDOdoor/ST        1.5c*  BinkleyTerm 1.03g3  ConfMail      1.00
     Pandora BBS       2.41c   The BOX     1.20    ParseList     1.30
     QuickBBS/ST        0.40                       ARC           6.02*
     GS Point           0.61                       LHARC         0.51
                                                   PKUNZIP       1.10
                                                   MSGED        1.96S
                                                   SRENUM         6.2
                                                   Trenum        0.10
                                                   OMMM          1.40


     + Netmail capable (does not require additional mailer software)
     * Recently changed

     Utility authors:  Please help  keep  this  list  up  to  date  by
     reporting  new  versions  to 1:1/1.  It is not our intent to list
     all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-17                Page 21                  23 Apr 1990


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

                          The Interrupt Stack


      3 Jun 1990
        Comdex/Spring, which will run from June 3-6 in Atlanta, will be
        held at the World Congress Center and other locations.

      5 Jun 1990
        David Dodell's 33rd Birthday

     12 Jun 1990
        Fifth anniversary of FidoNet's switch to multiple nets.

     13 Jul 1990
        Start of Eurocon / Techcon conference in Antwerp, Belgium.
        Further information will follow.

     27 Jul 1990
        The beginning of the REGION 17 Convention at Menucha Resort in
        the Columbia Gorge, Oregon.  For details contact Ken Zwaschka,
        1:105/54.

      1 Aug 1990
        Start of FidoCon '90. Contact Bill Vanglahn at 1:1/90 for
        details.

      5 Oct 1990
        21st Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus"

      6 Nov 1990
        First anniversary of Van Diepen Automatiseert, 2:500/28

     14 Nov 1990
        Marco Maccaferri's 21rd Birthday. Send greetings to him at
        2:332/16.0

      1 Jan 1991
        Implementation of 7% Goods and Services Tax in Canada. Contact
        Joe Lindstrom at 1:134/55 for a more colorful description.

     16 Feb 1991
        Fifth anniversary of the introduction of Echomail, by Jeff Rush.

      7 Oct 1991
        Area code  415  fragments.   Alameda and Contra Costa Counties
        will  begin  using  area  code  510.   This includes  Oakland,
        Concord, Berkeley  and  Hayward.    San  Francisco, San Mateo,
     FidoNews 7-17                Page 22                  23 Apr 1990


        Marin, parts of  Santa Clara County, and the San Francisco Bay
        Islands will retain area code 415.

      1 Feb 1992
        Area  code 213 fragments.    Western,  coastal,  southern  and
        eastern portions of Los Angeles  County  will begin using area
        code 310.  This includes Los  Angeles  International  Airport,
        West  Los  Angeles,  San  Pedro and Whittier.    Downtown  Los
        Angeles  and  surrounding  communities  (such as Hollywood and
        Montebello) will retain area code 213.


     If you have something which you would like to see on this
     calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.

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



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