Skip to content

FidoNews · Vol 7, No 26 · 25 June 1990

     Volume 7, Number 26                                  25 June 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
        FidoCon '90 Update:  ......................................  1
        ASIAN BBS SYSOPS' CONFERENCE 1990  ........................  3
        ARCmail - International Standard?  ........................ 12
        GrenadeMail<tm> And Other Lost Art Forms  ................. 15
        REGION 17 FIDOCON Plans Confirmed!  ....................... 17
        Region17 Registration Form  ............................... 18
        NEW! FidoCon '90 Registration Form  ....................... 21
     2. COLUMNS  .................................................. 23
        Talk Me Through It, Honey  ................................ 23
     3. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR  .................................... 25
     And more!
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 1                   25 Jun 1990


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

     FidoCon '90 Update (6/25):

     With the increased participation, Conclave '90, home of this
     year's Fidocon, looks to be the best sysops convention yet!

     If you plan on attending and staying for meals or at the hotel,
     we MUST know whether you're coming by July 1st (that's THIS
     WEEK), as that is our cut-off date for notifying the hotel of
     our 'final' numbers.  If you register after that, we cannot
     guarantee you a room or a meal ticket.

     The cut-off for discount airfare from American Airlines is July
     1st THIS WEEK, so be sure to get your reservations in right away!

     The Grand Wizard himself, Ben Baker has agreed to attend and be
     our keynote speaker!  Those who've heard Ben's talks in the past
     such as "Beyond 10,000 Nodes" or last year's "History of Amateur
     Electronic Networks" or his famous talk on the "Development of
     the Calendar" know that hearing his talks are worth the price of
     registration alone!

     Mike Ratledge is coming!  Yes, the author of XRS, one of the
     most popular pieces of software used by members of our hobby
     will be attending and talking about EXpress ReSponse, and giving
     a seminar on the Association of Software Professionals as well.

     We will be mailing out the Conference packets to all registered
     attendees this week.  It will contain instructions on getting to
     the hotel, a map of the area, and a tenative seminar schedule.

     For our adventurous attendees, we have added an optional trip to
     Six Flag's Great Adventure theme park in Jackson, NJ for $30/person.

     And now for the BIG announcement!  As well as the usual HST
     (courtesy of US Robotics), we will be giving away a "Super
     System" computer package complete with a Multi-line Continuous
     mail TBBS/TIMS bbs package (courtesy of eSoft).

     Registrations after 7/1 will not be eligible (we have to have
     SOME inducements for early registration, you know! :-)

     [Those who registered before 5/1 will be given 3 changes in the
     drawings, while those registering before 6/1 will be given 2. If
     you register before July 1st, you can also participate in our
     prize drawings.]

     Please use the updated registration form you'll find in this
     issue of Fidonews.  It's headed FIDOCON '90 REGISTRATION FORM.
     Also, please note that the prices listed only apply to those who
     pre-register using the appropriate form.

     FidoNews 7-26                Page 2                   25 Jun 1990


     We hope to see you there!

     Bill VanGlahn, FidoCon '90 committee chairman, 1:1/90 1:107/557

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 3                   25 Jun 1990


     Yoshi Mikami
     Fido 3:720/13.12

        RESULTS OF FIRST ASIAN BBS SYSOPS' CONFERENCE IN TAIPEI
        - JUNE 9, 1990
        -------------------------------------------------------
        Note: The non-English special characters that you may see
              below in this memo are Japanese characters in the
              original text.



     Date: June 16, 1990
     To:   Kyoo-myun Hahn, Honlin Lue, Toshiyuki Omi, and Other BBS
           Sysops in Asia
     From: Yoshi Mikami, now in Taipei, Taiwan

     Subject: The Results of the First Asian BBS Sysops' Conference in
              Taipei - June 9, 1990 (First Draft Report)

     Dear Friends,

     Six people from Japan (including one who lives in Keelung,
     Taiwan), two from Korea and 45 from ROC/Taiwan attended the First
     Asian BBS Sysops' Conference that was held at Taiwan University
     Alumni Association Bldg.  in Taipei on June 9, 1990.  On the
     agenda were:

       1. Welcome & Intro    H. Lue        ÿCÆ┬æôù╤              20
       2. BBS in Asia
           Japan             T. Omi        æσöⁿÅrìK              20
           Korea             K.M. Hahn     è╪î\Öj                20
           Taiwan            B.L. Lin      ù╤öîù┤                20
       - - - - - Intermission - - - - - - - - - - - -            15
       3. Multi-Byte Presentations of Asian Languagesü@
           Taiwan            C.C. Lee      ù¢Äuɼ                20
           Korea             K.M. Hahn     è╪î\Öj                20
           Japan             Y. Mikami     ÄOÅπïgòF              20
       4. Special Topics: Relationship with Commercial Networks
           TTN-Serve         A. Liu        ù½Φ╔Æα                20
       5. Conclusion         B.L. Lin      ù╤öîù┤                 5

     We had good time, superb discussions that continued all through
     the dinner time from 7:00pm till 9:00pm, and excellent experience
     to share information on what we do in the three Asian countries
     from which the attendees came from.

     Honlin Lue and Jimmy Tsai presided over the conference.  Honlin
     kicked off the meeting at 3:30pm (it was a partially rainy day
     towards the end of the late April-early June rainy season and
     Taipei's taxicabs all disappeared), welcoming everybody and
     introducing the participants from overseas and then from Taiwan.
     We had about seven female participants.  Among the participants
     were a computer magazine journalist from Korea and a few
     journalists from Taiwan.  (Toshiyuki Omi was asked by the
     Japanese computer magazines to write about this conference.) Tad
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 4                   25 Jun 1990


     Sekineh, who lives in Keelung, Taiwan, provided simultaneous
     translation over the mini-FM transmitter (that Yoshi Mikami had
     brought from Japan), to which everybody listened with portable FM
     radio.

     Honlin had prepared a big signboad in the conference room and, to
     everybody, a copy of the abstracts of the speakers.  He had also
     prepared for the foreign guests nice banners of his own design,
     which showed Taipei's very artistic West Gate (É╝ûσ) that was
     destroyed during Japan's occupation of Taiwan.  If this kind of
     brutality over the human culture ever happened at our time, we
     would stop it in a swift island-wide protest against such a
     stupidity, whether the government of that time felt the gate was
     hazardous to traffic or not, using our telecommunications
     network!

     Toshiyuki Omi, Sysop of Foreign PC User Club (FPUC) BBS, in
     Nagoya, spoke on the general BBS scene in Japan, which he
     summarized in two words:  competition and cooperation.  He feels
     that the Japanese telecommunications users, inspite of the recent
     competition in domestic and international telecommunication
     systems, cannot enjoy low cost telecommunications which the U.S.
     users are used to.  Toshiyuki mentioned that there is a great
     deal of competition and cooperation among the 1,000 or so private
     BBSes, the many non-profit regional systems and a douzen or so
     big commercial networks, such as NIFTY-Serve, the Japanese
     version of CompuServe.  He brought with him a BBS Telephone
     Directly (éaéaérôdÿbÆá), a quarterly publication of all known
     private/public/commercial BBSes in Japan.  His BBS is networked
     with unique 8-bit NetMail to about 10 other BBSes in Japan, one
     of which can be dialed up through a digital packet network
     (TYMPAS), domestically and internationally.

     Toshiyuki was unique in his own way, not using the NEC computer
     (which is the personal computer that most Japanese users have for
     their home use) so much and rather liking to use foreign-made PCs
     (such as IBM, Mac and Amiga) for their better user interface.  A
     question was asked which BBS host programs are typically used on
     the NEC; his answer was many, not any one or two particularly
     used.

     Kyoo-myun Hahn (he always wrote his name as Hahn Kyoo-myun) of
     Seoul, Korea, next discussed (in English) his EMPAL ("electronic
     mail pal=friend") BBS which runs under Xenix, a UNIX vaiant.  He
     talked about how data communications over dial-up telephone and
     modem (very expensive only a few years ago) had started in Korea.
     Since he was so busy just before the conference, he was the only
     one who had not submit the abstract of his intended speech.
     However, his presentation was very clear and understandable.

     As a third speaker of the BBS Scene in Asia, Bor-lon Lin near
     Taichung, Taiwan, had prepared a lengthy paper on the Taiwan BBS
     scene, mainly taked about the FidoNet of which Honlin and he play
     key roles, calling overseas and coordinating the 75 or so FidoNet
     BBSes in Taiwan.  The FidoNet sysops in Taiwan had made
     modifications to QuickBBS and other U.S.-made BBS host programs,
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 5                   25 Jun 1990


     and FrontDoor and other mailer programs, so that the 8-bit
     Chinese language (Big-5 Code) can be used in the message areas
     and the mailer.

     In the Q&A session, Bor-lon himself asked if he has to send a
     large amount of data for the 8 or so small number of FidoNet
     systems in Japan.  (The FidoNet systems in Japan are under the
     Taiwan-Korea-Japan area with Taipei as the area hub, which is
     under the Australia-Far East Region with its regional hub in
     Sydney.) I answered that Japan FidoNet's international connection
     just started in January, 1990, and that some more patience is
     required to see an increase in the number of systems.  I pointed
     out that his talk was rather biased to the FidoNet in Taiwan, as
     if no non-FidoNet BBS existed in Taiwan and that his presentation
     was better understood only in a FidoNet conference.  (See *Note
     below.) There was an abstract of Taiwan's BBS history written by
     Honlin in Chinese, which I found was very instructive---I hope
     someone will translate it into English soon.

     We then proceeded to discuss the technical gutts of the BBSing in
     Asia:  the Multi-Byte Presentations of the Asian languages.  As
     we know well, the Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages use the
     "Han" characters ("Chinese characters" if you like), which are
     presented in a sequence of two or three bytes, in MS-DOS and UNIX
     (AIX if you like).  First, C.C.  Lee made a well prepared
     presentation of his view of the mult-byte presentation of Chinese
     language, highlighting several key points.  C.C.  spoke in
     Chinese and his abstract was written in Chinese---I wish his
     abstract was translated into English soon.

     C.C.  spoke of a program written recently by Deng Lin, a 16-year
     old high school student, which adds the "Eten" Chinese graphic
     characters to the original Chinese character codes, that the
     receiver can display the sender's original Chinese message in any
     EGA-equipped IBMPC compatible (without any special "Chinese
     character card.") I talked to Deng, the youngest BBS sysop,
     during the dinner time.  This kind of approach can be
     experimented in the Japanese and Korean personal computers.  The
     source code is included in his package.

     The second speaker of the Multi-Byte presentation was K.M. Hahn.
     He talked about the two Korean character set standards and the
     fact that his BBS supports both.  K.M.  also discussed the
     somewhat emotional debate of whether the number of the
     Korea-unique characters (Hangeul) should be increased from the
     current 2,000, at the sacrifice of the Han characters.

     Yoshi Mikami, then, spoke about how this Asian BBS Sysops'
     Conference was organized (remembering his experience in the
     oracle bones room at the National Palace Museum in Taipei two
     years ago) and the Japanese view of the multi-byte presentation
     of the Han characters.  Although Japan uses one 7,500 JISCII
     character set standard (sometimes called "Shift-JIS")
     universally, it has its own unique problems such as the new,
     additional 6,000 characters being defined in 1990.  A set of 5
     specific proposals, such as making one or two key BBSes in Taipei
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 6                   25 Jun 1990


     bilingual, and defining the Chinese common names (such as Hau) in
     the Japanese and Korean character sets, were made.  Let's make
     Honlin's Modem Way BBS 02-322-5113 and C.C.'s and Jimmy's BBSes
     truly bilingual, Chinese and Englsh, so that the international
     travellers in Taipei can talk to the Chinese people here!

     Each speaker well exceeded the given time, eagar to communicate
     what they want to say.  The unique nature of the multi-byte
     situation in each country seemed somewhat boring to some
     participants.  Next on the agenda was our relationshi with the
     commercial networks.  Taiwan Telecommunications Network (TTN)
     sent five representatives, but three of them had left because it
     was close to 6:30pm when Adam Liu started a well prepared
     presentation of TTN's TTN-Serve, the Chinese language version of
     CompuServe, using transparencies.  He described where the
     gateways are located in Taiwan, what PC character codes (Big-5,
     TCA, etc.) can be used, which modem speeds (1200/2400 bps) and
     file transfer methods (XModem and CompuServe B) are supported,
     etc..  TTN-Serve's features, compared to the private BBSes, are
     reliability and availability, and connectivity to CompuServe and
     Japan's NIFTY-Serve, as I understood.  To me, it was worthwhile
     to discuss this first commercial network in this area, which will
     start its service in July, 1990.  I wish them a lot of success!

     At 6:30pm, Bor-lon Lin concluded the conference, thanking
     everybody for participation.  (Or at least I guess that's what he
     said, because Tad had to leave for Keelung a little before
     5:00pm, and Adam who picked up the simultaneous translation made
     his presentation in Chinese---I encouraged him to do so because
     the majority of the audience was from Taiwan---and nobody
     volunteered translation.) We proceeded immediately to the
     buffet-style dinner in the same room, for NT$350.00.  I would
     like to thank Honlin, Jimmy and CC to prepare everything on the
     Taipei side.  I hope you understand by now that my pushing you to
     get the abstract done, the attendees list propared, etc., etc.
     from Japan was after all needed, in this kind of international
     conference!

     As follow-up, I will be getting from K.M.  Hahn the
     English-language summaries of the Korean BBS Scene and Multi-Byte
     Presentations, and the Korean Telecommunications Environment,
     which he said he would be sending to me.  I would also would like
     to collect copies of the articles of this BBS Sysops' conference
     when they appear in the computer/telecommunication magazines in
     each country.

     I spent this Saturday morning at the hotel to summarize the
     meeting results, as above, but if you feel that I am somewhat
     biased, please feel free to contact me through Honlin's Modem Way
     BBS, 02-2-322-5113, or James' INTERNET BBS 02-931-3045.  I hope
     to get your reactions by June 20, because I plan to make my trip
     to Japan June 24-30 and to report the meeting results to my BBS
     Sysop friends in Japan.  I believe that Toshiyuki's article in
     the quarterly NETWORKER magazine will appear in the September 18
     issue---I may have to help him on that.
     I will see you again in a similar meeting in Japan, Korea or
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 7                   25 Jun 1990


     Taiwan (maybe, at the same time of the year and at the same
     place?)!  Happy BBSing!

                                     Yoshi Mikami
                                     Taipei, Taiwan

     (*Note) In the following week, on June 14, I attended the June
     monthly meeting of Taiwan Users' Group (TUG) that was held at
     American Legion Bldg.  in Hshilin 7:30-9:00pm, and reported the
     results of this Asian BBS Sysops' Conference.  TUG is a group of
     people who share information in English about the members' useof
     mainly IBMPC compatibles.  It was an Amiga night, by the way,
     that night.  I met there with James Thomas who told me about his
     GT-NET network in Taiwan, with about 25 or so BBSes, such as
     INTERNET BBS 02-931-3045 (English only; TUG uses it as a club
     BBS) and NIGHT CATS BBS 02-821-9910 (bilingual Chinese/ English).
     Two of the GT-NET BBSes have gateway connection to FidoNet.
     James takes care of calling the GT-Power network hub in
     Washington, D.C., regularly, and distributes NetMail and EchoMail
     to other GT-NET BBSes, now mostly in Taipei.  So, I know now that
     Taiwan's BBS scene is not synonymous with FidoNet.

     We need eveybody's participation in what we do and therefore
     value even a tiny, independent BBS.  We live in a free world,
     so multiplicity should be our mode of BBSing mentality.

     End of File

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 8                   25 Jun 1990


     * Top 10 Most 'Censored' News Stories

                  Project Censored 89 - Top 10 Stories
                  ------------------------------------

        The growing threat of a handful of monopolistic global media
     lords to the international marketplace of ideas was named the
     top under-reported issue of 1989 according to a national panel
     of media experts.

        Ben Bagdikian, professor at the graduate school of
     journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, warned
     that mammoth private organizations, driven by the profit
     motive, already dominate the world's mass media and
     threaten the freedom of information which is the basis
     for all liberty.

        The second most under-covered story of the year, cited by
     Project Censored, described how international sludge dealers
     are turning Africa into the world's toxic waste dump; the third
     ranked story revealed how U.S. officials are supporting "one of
     the most brutal holocausts since World War II" in Mozambique.

        Now in its 14th year, Project Censored, a national media
     research effort conducted annually at Sonoma State
     University, California, locates stories about significant
     issues which are not widely publicized by the national news
     media.

        Following are the top ten under-reported news stories of
     1989 as announced by project director Carl Jensen, professor
     of Communication Studies at Sonoma State University:

      1. GLOBAL MEDIA LORDS THREATEN FREEDOM OF INFORMATION.
     Five major media corporations already dominate the fight for
     hundreds of millions of minds throughout the world and they
     concede that before the turn of the century they may control
     most of the world's important newspapers, magazines, books,
     broadcast stations, movies, recordings and video cassettes.

      2. TURNING AFRICA INTO THE WORLD'S GARBAGE CAN.
     Africa, already suffering from poverty, drought, famine,
     locusts, "contra" wars, and the AIDS epidemic, appears
     destined to become the world's toxic waste dump as
     international sludge dealers try to dump U.S. and European
     waste onto at least 15 African countries.

      3. THE HOLOCAUST IN MOZAMBIQUE.
     A U.S. State Department official has called the attacks by the
     Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO) "one of the most brutal
     holocausts against ordinary human beings since World War II."
     More than one million, mostly innocent men, women, and children
     have already died.  RENAMO is reported to be funded by South
     African sources and conservative, right-wing groups in the
     United States and Europe.

     FidoNews 7-26                Page 9                   25 Jun 1990


      4. AMERICA'S DECEITFUL WAR ON DRUGS.
     The government's war on drugs is more hype than reality. One of
     the nation's top narcotics prosecutors quit in frustration last
     year after State Department officials interfered in his
     investigations of top people in the cocaine business.  A Senate
     subcommittee revealed that foreign policy interests
     sidetracked, disrupted, and undercut the "war on drugs."

      5. GUATEMALAN BLOOD ON U.S. HANDS.
     The Bush administration strengthened ties with the oppressive
     Guatemalan military last year at the same time that human
     rights violations by the military rose sharply.  One
     unpublicized violation occurred last year when a U.S. citizen,
     Sister Diana Ortiz, working as a teacher in Guatemala, was
     kidnapped, beaten, tortured, and sexually molested by three
     men, one of whom was a uniformed Guatemalan police officer.
     The U.S. Department of State didn't register a protest.

      6. RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD LANDFILL.
     Radioactive waste may be joining old tires, banana peels, and
     other regular garbage at the local landfill if the Nuclear
     Regulatory Commission, the Environmental Protection
     Agency and the nuclear industry implement their little-known
     plan to deregulate radioactive waste to "Below Regulatory
     Concern."

      7. OLIVER NORTH & CO. BANNED FROM COSTA RICA.
     In 1989, Oliver North, former National Security Advisor John
     Poindexter, former U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica Lewis Tambs,
     Major General Richard Secord, and former CIA station chief in
     Costa Rica Joseph Fernandez were barred by President Oscar
     Arias from ever setting foot in Costa Rica again.  A Costa
     Rican congressional commission concluded that the contra
     re-supply network in Costa Rica, which North coordinated
     from the White House, doubled as a drug smuggling operation.

      8. WALL STREET JOURNAL CENSORS STORY OF CBS BIAS.
     The Wall Street Journal censored a major story by one of its
     top reporters, Mary Williams Walsh, which exposed how one of
     the nation's most respected TV news departments, CBS News,
     broadcast biased news coverage of the Afghanistan war to the
     American people.

      9. PCBs AND TOXIC WASTE IN YOUR GASOLINE.
     The U.S. General Accounting Office, the EPA, and the FBI are
     investigating sophisticated "waste laundering" schemes in
     which hazardous toxic wastes and solvents, including PCBs,
     are mixed with gasoline and diesel and industrial fuel and
     sold to consumers.

      10. THE CHICKEN INDUSTRY AND THE NATIONAL SALMONELLA EPIDEMIC.
     The chicken industry's drive for profits, aided by relaxed
     inspection practices by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has
     led to a national epidemic of 2.5 million cases of salmonella
     poisoning a year, 500,000 hospitalizations, and 9,000 deaths.

     FidoNews 7-26                Page 10                  25 Jun 1990


        The other 15 under-reported stories of 1989 were: How the
     Federal Emergency Management Agency Failed the Nation; The
     Secret Pan Am 103 Report the Media Ignored; The U.S. is
     Poisoning the Rest of the World with Banned Pesticides; The
     U.S. Presence is Destroying the Environment in Central America;
     Media Reliance on Conservative Sources Debunk Myth of Liberal
     Bias; Faulty Computers Can Trigger World War III; RICO and
     SLAPP Lawsuits Endanger Free Speech Rights; NASA Lied to Get
     Plutonium Payload Into Space; U.S. Congress Ignored Soviet Plea
     for Nuclear Test Ban; The Oppression of Exploitation of Native
     Americans; How the U.S. and the Media Propagandized the War on
     Drugs; The Profitable Revovlving Employment Door Between the
     Environmental Protection Agency and the Polluters; Sellafield:
     The Largest Source of Radioactive Contamination in the World;
     The National Parks are in Serious Trouble; The Plaintive Case
     for Animal Rights.

        The panel of judges who selected the top ten stories were:
     Dr. Donna Allen, founding editor of Media Report to Women;
     Jonathan Alter, Senior Writer, Newsweek; Ben Bagdikian,
     professor, Graduate School of Journalism, University of
     California, Berkeley; Jim Cameron, founder and systems
     operator, CompuServe Journalism Forum; Noam Chomsky, professor,
     Linguistics and Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of
     Technology; George Gerbner, professor, Annenberg School of
     Communications, University of Pennsylvania; Nicholas Johnson,
     professor, College of Law, University of Iowa; Rhoda H.
     Karpatkin, executive director, Consumer's Union; Charles L.
     Klotzer, editor and publicsher, St. Louis Journalism Revew;
     Judith Krug, director, Office for Intellectual Freedom,
     American Library Association; Frances Moore Lappe, executive
     director, Food First; Bill Moyers, executive editor, Public
     Affairs Television; Jack L. Nelson, professor, Graduate School
     of Education, Rutgers University; Herbert I. Schiller,
     professor, Department of Communication, University of
     California, San Diego; Sheila Rabb Weidenfeld, president, D.C.
     Productions.

        Jensen, who created Project Censored in 1976, said "The
     impact of global media lords on the free flow of information is
     seen in the number of critical issues which are undercovered or
     "censored" by the mass media each year.  The media's penchant
     for self-censorship and desire to avoid sensitive issues,
     coupled with the Bush administration which is even more
     secretive than the Reagan era, deprives the public of
     information about issues it should know about."


      Source: PeaceNet - gen.newsletters
      Posted on the New York Transfer BBS at (718) 448-2358 in the
      RADICAL_POLITICS echomail conference and ported from the ANEWS
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 11                  25 Jun 1990


      alternative news echomail conference.


     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 12                  25 Jun 1990


           ARCMail -- Is it REALLY the International "Standard?"

                             Daniel J. Matlock
              President, CLUB 9600 Software Development (tm)
                             Node 1:106/9600.0

     A few  weeks  ago, almost every network coordinator in Zone 1 was
     sent a netmail  message  from  my  system asking them about their
     local network's favorite and  most  used compression method.  The
     results to this survey are as follows:

     +--------+  Votes for each compression method:   +
     | Region |  ARC  |  LZH  |  PAK  |  ZIP  |  ZOO  |
     +========+=======+=======+=======+=======+=======+
     |   10   |   2   |   0   |   0   |   2   |   0   |
     +--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
     |   11   |   1   |   0   |   0   |   3   |   0   |
     +--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
     |   12   |   0   |   0   |   0   |   0   |   0   |
     +--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
     |   13   |   3   |   0   |   0   |   2   |   0   |
     +--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
     |   14   |   1   |   0   |   0   |   1   |   0   |
     +--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
     |   15   |   0   |   0   |   0   |   0   |   0   |
     +--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
     |   16   |   2   |   0   |   1   |   1   |   0   |
     +--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
     |   17   |   0   |   1   |   0   |   3   |   0   |
     +--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
     |   18   |   1   |   0   |   0   |   5   |   0   |
     |--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
     |   19   |   0   |   0   |   0   |   4   |   0   |
     +========+=======+=======+=======+=======+=======+
     | Totals |   10  |   1   |   1   |   21  |   0   |
     +--------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+

     As you can probably tell,  ZIPmail  is more popular than ARCmail,
     the so-called "standard" in FidoNet.   I  collected a total of 34
     votes and out of those votes:

     (These  are  rough  numbers,  none  of  them    were    "perfect"
     percentages:)

                       63%    for  ZIPmail
                       31%    for  ARCmail
                        3%    for  PAKmail
                        3%    for  LZHmail
                        0%    for  ZOOmail
                      ====
                      100%

     FidoNews 7-26                Page 13                  25 Jun 1990


     Now, on to the subject of this article.    Take  a  look  at  the
     following segment from a recent nodelist:

     |\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/|
     |                                                              |
     | ;S The following flags define the type(s) of compression of  |
     | ;S mail packets supported.                                   |
     | ;S                                                           |
     | ;S      Flag      Meaning                                    |
     | ;S                                                           |
     | ;S      MN        No compression supported                   |
     | ;S                                                           |
     | ;S       NOTE:  The only compression method standard in      |
     | ;S       FidoNet is archiving,  using the standard SEA ARC   |
     | ;S       format,  with archive names defined by the          |
     | ;S       specification for ARCMail 0.6.  The absence of the  |
     | ;S       MN flag indicates that ARCMail 0.6 compression is   |
     | ;S       supported by this node.                             |
     |                                                              |
     |/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\|

     What  strikes  me as strange is this:  if  ZIPmail  is  used  and
     preferred more than ARCmail, why is ARCmail still the "standard?"

     From the surveys that I got back, the people that  use  ZIP  feel
     rather strongly for it.  In fact, 50% of the ZIP people said that
     thier ENTIRE network used ZIP.

     My proposal:    three  new compression flags are added:  "MA" and
     "MZ" and "MB".    "MA"  would  signify  the  fact that the system
     supports ARCmail, and "MZ" would signify the fact that the system
     supports ZIPmail.  Finally, "MB"  would  signify  that  the  node
     supports both ARCmail and ZIPMail.

     It seems that ZIP is going  to  be  a  fairly  stable compression
     method, as I have heard that Phil  Katz,  the inventor and patent
     holder of ZIP, does not plan to release  any more versions (don't
     hold  me  to this -- that's what I heard  on  the  local  SysOp's
     echo).

     I have also seen that ZIP is available for computers  other  than
     the  IBM  compatible computers, also, so ZIP should be compatible
     with most computers that access the FidoNet network.

     In addition  to the standard ARCmail being replaced with ZIPmail,
     I believe that  the  NODEDIFFs  and  FIDONEWS should originate as
     ZIPped files.  I  have  found  that  ZIPped NODEDIFFs take up one
     half of the diskspace required  from ARChived NODEDIFFs, and less
     diskspace means less time spent transmitting  the  files -- which
     means lower long distance costs.

     FidoNews 7-26                Page 14                  25 Jun 1990


     I  do  understand  some  disadvantages to changing  the  standard
     compression method.  New coding will have to  be  added  to  most
     programs to recognize the MZ, MA, and MB flags  in  the nodelist.
     Also,  our  current  nodelist  processors  must  be able to unZIP
     instead of unARCing nodelists.

     This  "conversion"  can  not  take place all at once, either.   I
     propose  that  all  software  that  is  now released (or is to be
     released in the future)  support  ZIPmail  and  ZIPped nodelists.
     Nodelists can be named NODELIST.Z??    (for  Zipped).   Nodediffs
     would follow the same naming structure  (NODEDIFF.Z??).  FIDONEWS
     would simply be compressed with ZIP instead  of  ARC, to leave us
     with FNEWSxxxx.ZIP.

     It seems that this article has grown larger  than  I wanted it to
     get,  so  I  will  end it now.  If  you  have  any  comments  (or
     hate-mail?)  about this article, please contact me via netmail at
     1:106/9600.  I am waiting to hear YOUR opinions.

     SPECIAL  THANKS:    To  ALL of Zone 1's Network Coordinators that
     responded.   Without  your  help,  I  couldn't have made my point
     about ZIP!  Thanks again!

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 15                  25 Jun 1990


     By Eric Vice at 163/305 (The Main Menu QBBS)

               GrenadeMail<tm> And Other Lost Art Forms
               ========================================

     I'll admit, I'm relatively new to FidoNet, and for the most
     part, I'm enjoying it immensely.  It's like I've gained a
     couple thousand new users, and the best part of it is, most
     of them don't have to be 'trained'.  (i.e. don't type in
     caps, play with the other children, page me more than three
     times within 60 seconds, and you're done like dinner, etc..)

     Once in a while, however, (less often in Net 163 than any
     other net, of course), I do wake up and power up the monitor
     of 'Godzilla the 386' to find a piece of GrenadeMail<tm> in
     my morning assortment of netmail.

     I get 'em from all sorts.  I get 'em from my hub, I get 'em
     from my net, I *never* get 'em from my NC (right Charles?),
     and even once in a while, I get 'em from someone I've never
     met before in my life, who lives a couple of nets away (like
     the morning I woke up to find a loaded shell in the morning
     mail, addressed from a node in New Jersey.. luckily it was
     easily disarmed).

     My point is this:  We're all (I hope) hobbiests, even the
     ones who charge for access.  I'm *quite* sure that Tom
     Jennings never knew what he was getting into when he started
     this... he never *knew* that some day there was going to be
     more than 8000 nodes bouncing mail and other assorted data
     across five zones which span a good percentage of the
     civilized world.  One thing I *do* know though (without even
     asking him) is that he did *not* intend FidoNet to be a
     grenade lobbing mechanism for people to take pot shots at
     people that they otherwise would be too scared, or too
     stupid (heaven forbid) to do so in person.

     Right now you're saying to yourself, "What is this silly
     fool from Canada talking about anyways?  When is he going to
     get to his point?"  I'm nearly there.

     I'm declaring August 1st, 1990 (or September 1st, 1990 if
     this article doesn't make it to press in time) to be
     International Fidonet GrenadeMail<tm> Disarmament Day.
     (Please mark this on the calendar in the back of the issue).
     We've all sent a few grenades through the mail channels
     before.  On August 1st (again, presuming this article makes
     it to press), take the initiative!  Send a message to
     somebody who you've stabbed in the back in days, weeks,
     months, or even years past!  Call a truce!  Tom Mack, in the
     documentation for his RBBS-PC bulletin board system, said
     (this is from memory, so excuse if the wording is a little
     off)... "The purpose of this Bulletin Board System is for
     the FREE exchange of information..." -- Information travels
     a lot "free'er" when you don't have to intentionally
     "route-around" someone who you don't want to associate with.
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 16                  25 Jun 1990


     This thing started out as a simple method of communication
     among friends, and if we all keep a level mind, and make a
     renewed effort at a pleasant, cheerful (ok, let's not go
     overboard) attitude, we can keep it that way, and establish
     a precedent by which we can ensure that Fido will live for
     many more years, and not meet the doom that other
     grenade-throwing sessions in history have met... doom,
     destruction, and ultimately, death.

     So disarm a grenade on August 1st....  The life you save,
     may be your own.

     Credits
     -------

     Charles Herriot, my beloved, although strange-at-times NC,
     for coming up with the strangest terminologies sometimes,
     who got me hooked on the term "GrenadeMail<tm>".

     'Phanteem Logger' for tackling all the jobs that are too
     messy for the NC to handle.  Thanks again Charles... :-)


     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 17                  25 Jun 1990


     Janet Murray
     Fido 1:105/23

                           Welcome GUESTS at the
                      REGION 17 FIDONET(r) CONVENTION

     A number of Famous Fido Folks from outside Region 17 are planning
     to attend the  only  FidoNet  convention  on  the West Coast this
     summer:  the REGION  17  FIDONET(r)  Convention  to  be held July
     27-29 at the Menucha Retreat  and  Conference  Center in Corbett,
     Oregon.

     DOUG BOONE has promised to take a "short" vacation from Opus 1.20
     development;

     VINCE PERRIELLO will robot the FidoNews that weekend;

     BOB HARTMAN will "renum" from a distance;

     and ROD BOWMAN will meander north from Region 10.

     There are also a few Famous Fido  Folks  in Region 17 who plan to
     attend:    THE  CURMUDGEON  (ZoneGate  to  the  Universe);    KEN
     GANSHIRT;  and STEVEN BARNES.

     The  "Curmudgeon  Toss" - traditional in Region 17 Conventions  -
     has been replaced this year with "Curmudgeon Bungee Diving" -  an
     event  more suited to the unique natural setting of Menucha, high
     on a  bluff  overlooking  the  Columbia  River Gorge.  The Oregon
     Chamber of Commerce  and  major  shoe  sponsors were reluctant to
     endorse this event, so Ken Zwaschka had a better idea:  see prior
     issues of FidoNews for details.

     [Curmudgeon Clones are an endangered species!]

     A  major  international  electronics firm  located  in  Portland,
     Oregon, has asked permission to make a "significant" announcement
     at the Regional FidoNet convention.  They  will also be providing
     some  of their products for prizes!  (The  unidentified  firm  is
     neither Nike nor a bungee-cord producer!)

     Send your registration form or questions to Ken Zwaschka @105/54

     SOON!

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 18                  25 Jun 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 7-26                Page 19                  25 Jun 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 7-26                Page 20                  25 Jun 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 7-26                Page 21                  25 Jun 1990


          The Secret Sysop Society presents            __
                *** Conclave '90 ***                  /  \
                The SYSOPS Convention                /|oo \
                Home of FidoCon 1990                (_|  /_)
                Lyndhurst, New Jersey                _`@/_ \    _
                  August 1-5, 1990                  |     | \   \\
                                                    | (*) |  \   ))
                                       ______       |__U__| /  \//
                                      / Fido \       _//|| _\   /
                                     (________)     (_/(_|(____/ (tm)

     Rate Plan Schedule: (Hotel rooms cannot be guaranteed if you
                                register after July 1st!)
     A. Single Occupancy...................$545.00
     B. Double Occupancy...................$400.00
     C. Conference w/ meals................$250.00
     D. Conference w/ Banquet..............$105.00
     E. Conference only.....................$75.00
     F. Banquet only........................$30.00
     G. Registrant & Spouse................$670.00

     Plans A B & G include all conference and hotel fees and meals.
     Prices are for pre-registrants using this form only.

     You must pay by Check, Money Order, or Credit Card.  Please send
     no cash.  All monies must be in U.S. Funds.  Checks should be
     made out to: "Conclave '90"

     The following registration form must be completed and mailed to:
                         PO Box 12
                         Lyndhurst, NJ 07071

     You may register by Netmailing this completed form to 1:1/90 for
     processing.  Rename it to ZNNNXXXX.REG where Z is your Zone
     number, N is your Net number, and X is your Node number.  US Mail
     confirmation is required within 72 hours of electronic filing.

     If you are paying by credit card, please include the required
     information.  For your own security, do not route any message
     with your credit card number on it.  Crash it directly to 1:1/90.

     The official Conclave '90 airline is American Airlines.
     American offers a 5% discount the lowest applicable round-trip
     fare, including 1st class travel, subject to availability of
     inventory.  All fare rules and restrictions apply.  In addition,
     American offers 40% off their round trip unrestricted day coach
     fare.  International travelers qualify for special benefits,
     including complimentary admittance to the Admiral's Club Lounge
     at any American Airlines terminal.  Newark is an American Air-
     lines city with direct flights to most major cities.  When making
     reservations, you must call American's Toll-free reservation
     number at 800-433-1790, and reference Star number 13704F.
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 22                  25 Jun 1990


         F I D O - C O N  '90   R E G I S T R A T I O N   F O R M

     Name: __________________________________________________________

     Address: _____________________________  Apt. or Suite: _________

     City: _________________________  State or Province: ____________

     Postal Code: __________________  Country: ______________________

     Voice Phone: ______________________  Data: _____________________

     Zone:Net/Node.Point@Domain: ____________________________________

     Special requirements: __________________________________________

     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
     | Option        | Full                |     | Pre-Reg. | Line  |
     |(Choose 1: A-G)| Name                | Qty | Pricing  | Total |
     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
     | PLAN A**      |                     |     | $545.00  |       |
     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
     | PLAN B**      |                     |     | $400.00  |       |
     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
     | PLAN C        |                     |     | $250.00  |       |
     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
     | PLAN D        |                     |     | $105.00  |       |
     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
     | PLAN E        |                     |     | $ 75.00  |       |
     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
     | PLAN F        |                     |     | $ 30.00  |       |
     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
     | PLAN G**      |                     |     | $670.00  |       |
     +===============+=====================+=====+==========+=======+
     |*NJ Beach Trip |                     |     | $  24.50 |       |
     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
     |*Eve. NYC Tour |                     |     | $  37.50 |       |
     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
     |*NYC Shop Tour |                     |     | $  36.50 |       |
     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
     |*Medieval Times|                     |     | $  50.00 |       |
     +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+
      ** includes registration, Hotel, and meals | Total  $ |       |
      *  Requires Pre-registration (before 7/1)  +==========+=======+

     MC _____  Visa _____  Card Number: _____________________________

     Expiration: ___________  Signature _____________________________
            ( Credit card registrations require valid signature )
     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 23                  25 Jun 1990


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

     Henry Clark
     124/6120


     Postcards --

     I'm sorry I can't reprint all the mail I've received, but this
     one deserves special attention...

     Raymond Lowe :
     Hi
         I was just reading your column in FIDO723.NWS when I had
     this horrible thought - "What", I thought, "would happen if
     Henry stopped writing his column?"
         Well for starters I'd save two pages of paper a week, and
     about 10 minutes of reading time.
         Then there'd be a saving of 4K or so on each of 7000 nodes
     (call it 27Meg), then there's transmission time (I creep along
     at 1200 bps {we're not allowed to say "baud" anymore}), then
     savings on international phone charges, etc.
         I was starting to like the hang of this when I realized
     that without your column I'd not be able to keep up with what
     Honey was doing.  "No," I said "it's just too much to give up;
     Henry will have to keep writing."
         Seriously though, your thoughtful and humorous insights
     are greatly appreciated.  I just thought I'd better drop you a
     line as knowing the great vibrant standards of APATHYnet it is
     quite possible that you've not been getting any feedback from
     your fans.
         So greetings and encouragement from the other side of the
     world; please keep it up.

             Hey, Rainman, I've got nice house in Mohe for you
             ! But no, then there wouldn't be a BBS in Cheung
             Chan.  Dallas is a little north of you, but
             almost exactly on the opposite side of the earth.
             "(Good {to hear} [from [you]])".

     I would be remiss if I didn't mention my first letter from
     John DeCarlo.  I framed it and put it on the wall above the
     monitor !  ( Almost )    All ya'll : thanks.


     Wet and Wild 1 --

     OH FOR GAWD'S SAKE !  Our local traffic areas are receiving
     quite a bit of attention lately concerning two topics : 1) the
     election versus the appointment of FIDONET officials, and 2)
     the voluntary versus mandatory method of supporting echomail
     costs.

     FidoNews 7-26                Page 24                  25 Jun 1990


     Now, I wouldn't dream of boring you kind readers with any
     'to do' on these topics, but it seems to me that everyNET
     would have these kinds of controversy and would naturally
     choose the 'e-mail' forum for hashing out the details.

     What strikes me is the huge scale of attitudes, from
     vehemently opinionated to outright anger.  No way would
     someone say these things face to face, and that's what bothers
     me.  When you blast someone in particular ( and we all do
     occasionally ) you need to stop and realize that hundreds of
     others are going to read it as well.

     I mean, what if one of your workmates is unzipped.  Do you
     tell him/her during the monthly status meeting ?  No, you pick
     a private moment and you are discreet.

     I'm thinking :  what about printing out some of these wild
     flaming fire-snorting acid attack messages, and hiring some kid
     to roll it up and put it the sender's front door. ( Like those
     stupid ads for lawn care/carpet cleaning/air conditioner
     maintenance/aluminum siding/etc... )  Personalize it bit, eh ?


     Wet and Wild 2 --

     I'm pretty sure the reason Honey wouldn't go to Wet and Wild
     with me was because of the name.  You know, how they get into
     these exclusive engagement things.  But the other neighborhood
     girls talked her into it.  This is the park with the big water
     slides, and dozen or so swimming pools.

     Lots of young, well, you know, uh, yeah, that's right... My
     daddy always said there were three kinds of girls in the world
     : Young, Younger, and You're under arrest.

     I can't decide whether to wear one of those thong deals, or my
     giant hot pink baggy shorts.  Honey has one of these high cut,
     lycra tight fit deals.  It's great.  I like to do it head first,
     upside down, backwards.  Especially when it's real slippery.
     And the water slides are fun, too.

     Our Creator has been fair: he trades us lawn mowing for string
     bikinis.  I love the summer.

     Oh, and Rainman :  Honey sends you an electronic kiss.  I
     started to say 'blowing' but well, you know...

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 25                  25 Jun 1990


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

     Dave Thompson
     1:18/60

     I would like to clarify the term Public Domain.   Although I  am
     no  lawyer,   my understanding of the term public domain  is  it
     denotes  the fact that the author has relinquished control  over
     whatever  it  is that is contributed to the public domain.    As
     such,   the  author has given up all rights associated with  the
     product.  With regard to software, that usually means the author
     produced  a product but does not want to support or enhance  it,
     hence  he or she contributes it to the public domain for use and
     modification  by  anybody and everybody.   This means  that  the
     author cannot place conditions on redistribution.   Anybody  can
     sell  copies of the program if they can find someone to pay them
     for it.  The comments of a copyright lawyer would be appropriate
     here.

     I  occasionally  write  programs to support  both  QuickBBS  and
     Remote Access BBS systems.   Of the two programs I have released
     to  the public,  both are distributed as freeware.   This  means
     that sysops are free to use them without financial  remuneration
     to  me,  the programmer.   However,  I  control the code (it  is
     copyrighted)   and  retain rights over how the  executables  are
     redistributed.    My programs are most definitely *not*   public
     domain.   I  also do not want distributors of public domain  and
     shareware  software  to  charge five bucks (or  more)   for  the
     diskette containing my software.

     Why?    It  is a matter of principle.   I  do not charge for  my
     software.  If anyone has a right to profit from it, it should be
     me.   Because I forfeit financial compensation for the software,
     I see no reason why someone else should profit from it.

     There may be a further point here.   While I do not subscribe to
     this particular point of view, there are some people who believe
     very  strongly  that  software should be free for the  use.    I
     respect that opinion and the fact that they are willing to allow
     me to use their intellectual property.  I can not understand how
     they  can afford to do this,  but they have certainly earned  my
     respect.    I   can  understand that they would not  want  their
     software to be redistributed for profit.


     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 26                  25 Jun 1990


          TO:       Vince Perriello of 1/1.0
          FROM:     Michael Baumann of 3610/60
          SUBJECT:  Fnews Vol 7, Num 24 - June 11, 1990 [Editor's
                    response: . . .]

          Although I do agree that the articles in question were
          of a 'commercial' nature; I feel that you were well within
          the rights and responsibilities of the position you hold as
          editor to post them.

          I would also have to agree that according to the 'black and
          white' of the policy as adopted by FIDO, you may well be in
          violation of the regulations.  However, as not even the laws
          of this nation are maintained solely by their 'black and
          white' representations but also by their intent, I feel it
          is necessary to examine the intent of this regulation as
          well.

          It seems quite clear to me; if you were to post on a
          continuing basis, 'sales adds' for items that are generally
          well known to all computer enthusiasts (i.e., diskettes,
          computers, commercial software, monitors, etc.) you would be
          in direct conflict with both the written word / and its'
          intent.  As these articles in particular were of a 'this is
          a new idea to the industry and oh, by the way it is
          available from me' format, I feel they do not violate the
          intent of the policy statement.

          I, for one, am very glad that those articles were included
          in "OUR" newsletter and look forward to seeing more of that
          in the future.  I feel you were well within your 'rights' to
          publish this informative type of article on the up and
          coming changes in our favored hobby and I would welcome the
          addition of a new section in the newsletter where that type
          of information could be passed on to us on a continuing
          basis.  This is not to say, I would welcome additional
          suppliers to say 'yeah and you can also get that from me'
          but is intended as a place where the introduction of new
          events and what's on the horizon in the field can be
          announced.

          I am well aware that there may be many in the network that
          might not share my interpretation of the intent, but that
          opinion is mine and having and expressing it is one of the
          privileges of belonging to a 'VOLUNTEER' organization.  You
          asked for comments on the matter and I felt compelled to
          express my opinion on the subject and show my support for
          your actions.  I wish to thank you for your apparent concern
          to help keep us informed as to new events and changes in the
          industry and am very pleased that you decided to run the
          articles.  I do regret, however, that your attempts to keep
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 27                  25 Jun 1990


          us up-to-date has caused the grief that you are now facing.

          In conclusion, I would think as long as you are not using
          'editorial discretion' to ban certain articles submitted by
          those un-known or not personal friends of yours and instead
          use the "editor's knife" to carve out those that are of a
          non-informative and/or purely sales oriented nature; then
          you are definitely operating within the intent of the
          Policy.  I wish to commend you for a job well done and will
          continue to look forward to getting the new copy of "OUR"
          newsletter.
          -----------------------------------------------------------


     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 28                  25 Jun 1990


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

                         Latest Software Versions

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

                           Bulletin Board Software
     Name        Version    Name        Version    Name       Version

     Fido            12s+   Phoenix         1.3    TAG           2.5e*
     Lynx           1.30    QuickBBS       2.64*   TBBS           2.1
     Kitten         2.16    RBBS          17.2B    TComm/TCommNet 3.4
     Maximus        1.00    RBBSmail       17.2    Telegard       2.5*
     Opus           1.12+*  RemoteAccess    .03*   TPBoard        6.1*
     PCBoard        14.2*   SLBBS          1.76*   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       2.07
     FrontDoor     1.99c*   Prune          1.40    ConfMail      4.00
     PRENM          1.47    SysNL          3.11    Crossnet      v1.5*
     SEAdog        4.51b    XlatList       2.90    EMM           2.02
     TIMS      1.0(Mod4)*   XlaxDiff       2.35*   Gmail         2.05
                            XlaxNode       2.35*   GROUP         2.16
                                                   GUS           1.30
                                                   LHARC         1.13
                                                   MSG            4.1*
                                                   MSGED         1.99
                                                   PK[UN]ZIP     1.10*
                                                   QM             1.0
                                                   QSORT         4.03
                                                   Sirius        1.0w*
                                                   SLMAIL        1.35*
                                                   StarLink      1.01
                                                   TagMail       2.20
                                                   TCOMMail       2.2
                                                   Telemail      1.20*
                                                   TMail         1.15
                                                   TPBNetEd       3.2
                                                   TosScan       1.00*
                                                   UFGATE        1.03
                                                   XRS           3.20*
                                                   ZmailQ        1.10
                                 Macintosh
                                 ---------

     FidoNews 7-26                Page 29                  25 Jun 1990


     Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

     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
     FBBS               0.91*                      TImport      1.331
     Hermes             0.88*                      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

     FidoNews 7-26                Page 30                  25 Jun 1990


     Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

     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


                                Archimedes
                                ----------

     BBS Software           Mailers                Utilities
     Name        Version    Name        Version    Name       Version

     ARCbbs         1.44*   BinkleyTerm    2.03*   Unzip        2.1TH
                                                   ARC           1.03
                                                   !Spark       2.00d*

                                                   ParseLst      1.30
                                                   BatchPacker   1.00*


     + 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 7-26                Page 31                  25 Jun 1990


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

                          The Interrupt Stack


     14 Jul 1990
        Start of Eurocon / Techcon conference in Antwerp, Belgium.
        Please note that the date has changed: The conferences are
        one day later than originally planned !

     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,
        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
     FidoNews 7-26                Page 32                  25 Jun 1990


        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.

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



Download original FidoNews · Volume 7 (1990) · ← Previous · Next →