FidoNews · Vol 26, No 16 · 20 Apr 2009
The F I D O N E W S Volume 26, Number 16 20 Apr 2009
+--------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| |The newsletter of the | | |
| | FidoNet community. | | Netmail attach to (POTS): |
| | | | Editor @ 2:2/2 (+46-31-960447) |
| | ____________| | |
| | / __ | Netmail attach to (BinkP): |
| | / / \ | Editor @ 2:203/0 |
| | WOOF! ( /|oo \ | |
| \_______\(_| /_) | Email attach to: |
| _ @/_ \ _ | bfelten @ telia dot com |
| | | \ \\ | |
| | (*) | \ ))| |
| |__U__| / \// | Editor: Björn Felten |
| ______ _//|| _\ / | |
| / Fido \ (_/(_|(____/ | Newspapers should have no friends. |
| (________) (jm) | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
+--------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
Table of Contents
1. FOOD FOR THOUGHT ......................................... 1
2. GENERAL ARTICLES ......................................... 2
Trimming the FidoNet hierarchy ........................... 2
3. FIDONEWS'S FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ...................... 5
FidoNet Software References .............................. 5
4. SPECIAL INTEREST ......................................... 10
Nodelist Stats ........................................... 10
5. FIDONEWS INFORMATION ..................................... 12
How to Submit an Article ................................. 12
Credits, Legal Infomation, Availability .................. 14
FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 1 20 Apr 2009
=================================================================
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
=================================================================
There is much more inner beauty in those that are believers, just as
there is beauty in a sunset. You could never share the same beauty
believers do because you will not attempt to take it in.
-- Joe Bruchis
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FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 2 20 Apr 2009
=================================================================
GENERAL ARTICLES
=================================================================
Trimming the FidoNet hierarchy
By NC280, Michiel van der Vlist
2:280/5555
Summary
-------
This is another plea to reduce the FidoNet hierarchy by at least one
level. Fidonet has shrunk from some 36000 listed nodes in the second
half of the previous decade to some 4500 listed node per nodelist.107
of last Friday. It is anyone's guess how much of these are dead wood,
but suspicion is that it is considerable. This is a plea to improve
the situation by reducing the number of hierarchical levels.
Why reduce the number of levels?
--------------------------------
Last Friday a nodelist clean-up was performed. Dead wood was removed
from Region 31, Austria. Only one node out of the six listed last week
remained. Soon it will disappear as a region and the remaining node
will be transferred to a neighbour region. Possibly even by next
Friday. R31 has shrunk way below critical mass and so the decision to
not continue as a region of its own is a wise decision. Keeping up
appearances is not compatible with "ensuring the smooth operation of
the network", which is the job of the coordinators.
This incident once again raises the question of whether FidoNet really
needs four levels of hierarchy. Now that FidoNet has shrunk to a
fraction of what it ever was, do we need all that administrative
overhead? Has it not become a liability rather than an asset? Soon
after the creation of FidoNet, nets were created for two reasons; One:
The network had become too big for one person to maintain the
nodelist. Two: to create a default routing. I think there is no
question that nets are still useful. But do we really need two levels
of hierarchy above that? I doubt it. There is no denying that the
nodelist contains a lot of dead wood and that is a sign that the
coordination hierarchy is not functioning properly, it seems to be
unable to keep the nodelist clean from dead wood. It might function
better if the hierarchy were trimmed down. Too many cooks spoil the
broth.
What level to do away with?
---------------------------
Last week the FTSC chairman wrote an article with a plea to remove the
zones. The article received no comments, so maybe the idea of dropping
the zones did not appeal to the FidoNet community. So let us look at
it from a less technical and more pragmatic point of view.
Regions were useful when FidoNet was big, POTS was its main transport
vehicle and international and long distance calls were very expensive.
Region boundaries served as a warning that a call was going to be
FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 3 20 Apr 2009
expensive. There was also the burden of maintaining the nodelist. When
Fidonet was big and countries had thousands of nodes divided into tens
of nets, it made sense to have region coordinators to collect the net
segments and send them on to the ZC.
Why do away with Regions?
-------------------------
The reasons to create them no longer apply. POTS/ISDN is no longer
FidoNet's main vehicle of transport. Widespread availability of the
InterNet has changed that. Cost of long distance and international
calls is no longer an issue and that situation appears to be
permanent. The nodelist has shrunk to such a small size that the extra
level of administration is no longer needed. On the contrary, all it
does is provide a delay in the processing of nodelist changes in
addition to being a potential source of errors.
Moreover failing region coordinators now appear to be a main cause of
the dead wood in the nodelist. It is a reasonable assumption that the
clean-up of R31 was long overdue. It took so long to clean it up
because there was no functioning RC left to ring the bell. It is also
a reasonable assumption that R31 is not the only one that is badly in
need of a clean-up. RC's fall asleep or go missing in action and the
segment degrades into dead wood.
How to go about it?
------------------
There is no technical problem with doing away with regions. To the
best of my knowledge, there is no software in use in FidoNet that
needs regions. We can just remove them form the nodelist and nothing
changes except that NC' must send their nodelist segments directly to
the ZC. A small change that brings the added value of ruthlessly
exposing all the dead nets.
It does not have to be done all at once. Regions can co-exist with
regionless nets. All that needs to be done is to move nets that are no
longer in a region to the section of the nodelist between the ZIN
section and the first Region entry in the nodelist.
Conclusion
----------
I realise that doing away with the regions will be asking a lot. It
will demand diplomacy from the ZCs to make some RC's get used to the
idea that they are superfluous. Also, some may not like the idea that
one level of appeal will be removed when dealing with complaints.
Well, let those think about the last time a complaint really solved
anything.
Removing the regions will require getting used to new ideas and some
may be somewhat less than enthousiastic. Some may prefer to not rock
the boat. Nevertheless I feel that reducing the coordinator overhead
will benefit the network in the long run and doing away with the
regions will be a good start.
FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 4 20 Apr 2009
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FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 5 20 Apr 2009
=================================================================
FIDONEWS'S FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING
=================================================================
-=:{ FidoNet Software Reference }:=-
Type: M=Mailer T=Tosser B=BBS D=Door C=Comm/Terminal
P=Points E=Editor I=Internet U=Utility ?=Info
.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -.
|Software: Author |Type |URL, Contact, Ver, Notes Help Node|
`- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -'
Argus |MI |http://www.ritlabs.com/argus/ 2:469/84
| | argus@ritlabs.com Tel: 373-2-246889
| | v3.210 on Mar 20th 2001
BinkleyTerm XE |M |http://btxe.sourceforge.net 1:1/102
| | v2.60XE/Gamma-6 on Nov 11th 1998
BinkD |MI |http://2f.ru/binkd/
| | maloff@corbina.net
| | v0.94 on Jul 24th 2000 (Outdated)
FIDO-Deluxe IP |MPUI |http://www.fido-deluxe.de.vu 2:2432/280
Michael Haase | | m.haase@gmx.net
| | v2.4 on Sep 26th 2003
FrontDoor, FD/APX: |MTPC |http://www.defsol.se 2:201/330
Definite Solutions | | sales@defsol.se 1:1/101
| | v2.26SW & v2.33ml FD, v1.15 APX
Husky Project |MTPUI|http://sf.net/projects/husky/
| | v1.4 RC2 on Sep 22nd 2003
Radius |MI |http://radius.pp.ru 2:5012/38
(based on Argus) | | fido5012@zaural.net Tel: 7-3522-469463
| | Last Release: v4.010 on Jan 3nd 2005
Taurus |MI |http://taurus.rinet.ru (Russian) 2:461/70
| |http://www.fidotel.com/taurus (English)
(based on Radius) | | E-mail: taurus@rinet.ru
| | v5.000 alpha on Oct 11th 2004
Tmail |MI |http://www.tmail.spb.ru v2608
| | Website is in Russian only
WildCat! Interactive |MTBEI|http://www.santronics.com
Net Server, Platinum| | sales@santronics.com
Xpress: Santronics | | Tel: (305) 248-3204
Software, Inc. | | AUP 451.1 on April 26th 2004
+- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+
Fidogate |TUI |http://www.fidogate.org
| | Martin_Junius@m-j-s.net v4.4.10
FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 6 20 Apr 2009
FMail |T |http://fmail.nl.eu.org
| | support@fmail.nl.eu.org v1.60
JetMail: JetSys |TU |http://www.jetsys.de js@jetsys.de
(ATARI ST only) | | v1.01 on Jan 1st 2000
Squish |T |http://maximus.sourceforge.net/
| | Lanuis site redirects to above
| | Squish is part of Maximus.
+- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+
BBBS |BI |http://www.bbbs.net b@bbbs.net
| | v4.00MP on Oct 25th 1999 2:22/222
ELEBBS: The Elevator |B |http://www.elebbs.com
Software Production | | elebbs@elebbs.com
| | v0.10.RC1 on Jun 9th 2002
EZYCom BBS |BT |http://ezycom.sytes.net
| |http://members.westnet.com.au/centuryp/
| | ezycom@westnet.com.au 3:690/682
| | v2.0 on 3 May 2003
Hermes II Project |B |http://www.hermesii.org
| | info@HermesII.org v3.5.9 Beta Final
Maximus BBS |B |http://maximus.sourceforge.net/
| | v3.03
| |Archives back online at:
| |http://maximus.outpostbbs.net/
MBSE BBS: |BI |http://mbse.sourceforge.net 2:280/2802
Michiel Broek | | mbroek@users.sourceforge.net
| | v0.60.0 on June 5th 2004
Mystic BBS |B |http://www.mysticbbs.com
| | v1.07.3 on May 13th 2001
Nexus BBS |B |http://www.nexusbbs.net
| | groberts@nexusbbs.net
| | v0.99.41-Beta on Oct 16th 2002
| | [Note: No Longer under active
| | development.]
Proboard BBS |B |http://www.proboard.be
| | v2.17 on Jun 9th 2002
RemoteAccess BBS: |B |http://www.rapro.com 1:1/120
Bruce Morse | | bfmorse@rapro.com
| | v2.62.2SW
Spitfire BBS: Buffalo|B |http://www.angelfire.com/ia/buffalo/
Creek Software | | MDWoltz@aol.com 1:1/150
| | v3.6 on Aug 20th 1999
FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 7 20 Apr 2009
Synchronet BBS |BT |http://www.synchro.net
| | sysop(at)vert(dot)synchro(dot)net
| | v3.10L Beta
Telegard BBS |B |http://www.telegard.net
| | support@telegard.net
| | v3.09g2 SP4
+- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+
Atlantis Software |D |http://www.jimmyrose.com/atlantis/
| | Last Update: August 2004
Cheepware |DU |http://outpostbbs.net
Sean Dennis | | sean@outpostbbs.net 1:18/200
DDS (Doorware |D |http://www.doorgames.org 1:2404/201
Distribution System)| | ruth@doorgames.org
Ruth Argust | |
DoorMUD |D |http://doormud.com
| | v0.98 Jun 1st 2002
| | Website is down after
| | past the splash page.
Jibben Software |D |http://www.jibbensoftware.com
| | scott@jibben.com
| | 1995-99 Release dates
John Dailey Software |D |http://www.johndaileysoftware.com
| | support@johndaileysoftware.com
Shining Star |D |http://www.shiningstar.net/bbsdoors/
| | nannette@shiningstar.net
Sunrise Doors: |D |http://www.sunrisedoors.com
Al Lawrence | | al@sunrisedoors.com
| | Tel: (404) 256-9518
The Brainex System |D |http://www.brainex.com/brainex_system/
| | stanley@brainex.com 1994-99 Releases
Trade Wars |D |http://www.eisonline.com/tradewars/
| | jpritch@eisonline.com
| | v3.09 (DOS-32) in 2002
Vagabond Software: |D |http://www.vbsoft.org 1:124/7013
Bryan Turner | | vagabond@vbsoft.org
| | last update: Jul 17th 2002
+- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+
APoint |PI |http://www.apoint-mail.de
| |http://www.apoint-mail.de/indexe.htm
| | (English Version)
| | dirk.pokorny@apoint-mail.de
| | v1.25 2:2426/1210.13
FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 8 20 Apr 2009
CrossPoint (XP) |P |http://www.crosspoint.de (German Only)
| | pm@crosspoint.de v3.12d Dec 22nd 1999
FreeXP |P |http://www.freexp.de 2:2433/460
| | support@freexp.de
| | v3.40 RC3 Aug 31st 2003 (Snapshot)
OpenXP/32 |PI |http://www.openxp.com 2:248/2004
| | (Site is in German Only)
| | mk@openxp.de v3.8.15 Beta Feb 10th 2004
| | Download Page comes back 404 not found.
+- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+
GoldEd+ |E |http://mik.nu/golded-plus/ 2:203/6600
| | v1.1.5 Snapshot on Feb 28th 2003
SqEd32 |E |http://www.sqed.de
| | v1.15 on Dec 15th 1999
TimEd |E |http://blizzard.dnsalias.org/fidonet
| | mail@ozzmosis.com /timed
| | v1.11.a5 in March 2003 3:633/267
+- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+
GiGo |UI |http://www.gigo.com
| | v0109 on Jan 9th 1997
Internet Rex: |UI |http://members.shaw.ca/InternetRex/
Charles Cruden | | telnet://xanadubbs.ca 1:342/806
(Khan Software) | | v2.29 on Oct 21st 2001
TransNet |UI |http://www.ressl.com.ar/transnet/
| | transnet@ressl.com.ar
| | v2.11 on Jul 18th 1998
TransX: Multiboard |UI |http://www.start.ca/software/multiboard
Communications, Inc.| | Unsure about support now but Free Keys
| | are now available. Donations accepted.
| | v3.5 (Note: KeyGen is a Windows Program)
Ifmail |UI |http://ifmail.sourceforge.net
| | crosser@average.org 2:5020/230
| | Ifmail is a FTN <-> E-Mail/News Gateway
| | Program.
Meltdown-BBS |UI |http://meltdown-bbs.sourceforge.net/
| | meltdown-bbs.project.petkan
| | @spamgourmet.com
| | Fido: 2:350/5
| | Meltdown-BBS is an FTN <->
| | Web/PHP/MySQL BBS forum system.
MakeNL |U | http://hub2000.darktech.org/makenl
| | fidonet.hub2000 [at] gmail [dot] com
FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 9 20 Apr 2009
| | Fido: 1:229/2000
| | FidoNet Nodelist Processor
Turquoise SuperStat |U |http://www.softwolves.pp.se/sw/
| | software/turquoise
| | peter@softwolves.pp.se
| | Version: 3.0 on 2008-01-21
+- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+
National BBS List |? | http://www.usbbs.org
Hispanic FIDO/BBS's |? | http://www.conecta2.org/pucela_bbs/
(in Spanish only) | | (Extensive software & BBS Listings)
+- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+
File Archives:
http://archives.thebbs.org http://www.filegate.net
http://sysopscorner.thebbs.org http://www.juge.com
http://www.dmine.com/bbscorner/ http://garbo.uwasa.fi
http://www.simtel.net http://wuarchive.wustl.edu
http://www.bbsfiles.com http://hobbes.nmsu.edu
Note: most also provide FTP access
(use ftp:// instead of http:// above)
*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*
Please send corrections & additions to: Fidonews Editor
Emeritus: Robert Couture, Ben Ritchey, Todd Cochrane,
Frank Vest, Peter Popovich
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 10 20 Apr 2009
=================================================================
SPECIAL INTEREST
=================================================================
Nodelist Stats
Input nodelist nodelist.107
size 515.2kb
date 2009-04-17
The nodelist has 4094 nodes in it
and a total of 5640 non-comment entries
including 5 zones
41 regions
283 hosts
292 hubs
admin overhead 621 ( 15.17 %)
and 486 private nodes
200 nodes down
239 nodes on hold
off line overhead 925 ( 22.59 %)
Speed summary:
>9600 = 297 ( 7.25 %)
9600 = 3072 ( 75.04 %)
(HST = 63 or 2.05 %)
(CSP = 0 or 0.00 %)
(PEP = 1 or 0.03 %)
(MAX = 0 or 0.00 %)
(HAY = 1 or 0.03 %)
(V32 = 1497 or 48.73 %)
(V32B = 92 or 2.99 %)
(V34 = 2030 or 66.08 %)
(V42 = 1733 or 56.41 %)
(V42B = 101 or 3.29 %)
2400 = 26 ( 0.64 %)
1200 = 5 ( 0.12 %)
300 = 694 ( 16.95 %)
ISDN = 270 ( 6.60 %)
----------------------------------------------------------
File Req Flag Applicable software Number of systems
----------------------------------------------------------
XA Frontdoor <1.99b 1259
Frontdoor 2.02+
Dutchie 2.90c
Binkleyterm >2.1
D'Bridge <1.3
TIMS
Xenia
--------------------------------------
FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 11 20 Apr 2009
XB Binkleyterm 2.0 6
Dutchie 2.90b
--------------------------------------
XC Opus 1.1 2
--------------------------------------
XP Seadog 1
--------------------------------------
XR Opus 1.03 19
--------------------------------------
XW Fido >12M 155
Tabby
KittenMail
--------------------------------------
XX D'Bridge 1.30 1482
Frontdoor 1.99b
Intermail 2.01
T-Mail
--------------------------------------
None QMM 1170
--------------------------------------
CrashMail capable = 1609 ( 39.30 %)
MailOnly nodes = 2225 ( 54.35 %)
Listed-only nodes = 314 ( 7.67 %)
Other = -54 ( -1.32 %)
[Report produced by NETSTATS - A PD pgm]
[ Revised by B Felten, 2:203/208]
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FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 12 20 Apr 2009
=================================================================
FIDONEWS INFORMATION
=================================================================
How to Submit an Article
If you wish to submit an article for inclusion in the Fidonews, here
are some guidelines, if you send it as an attached file; the preferred
method if you want reasonable control over how the published article
will appear in the Fidonews:
a) Plain ASCII text. If you could type it on your keyboard, it's
probably quite OK. No line may be longer than 70 characters.
b) Put a title to the article. Put the title in two times. The first
time, on the first line, with an * before it. The second time, on
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the second line will become the headline. On the third line, put
your name and FidoNet address, present or former. If former, you
may want to add some other address where you can be reached for
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c) Deadline for article submission is Sunday, 22:00 UTC.
Help the Editor by following the above guides. Below are some subjects
and the file extension for the article as set in the configuration
file for the making of the Fidonews. Please help by putting the file
extension of the correct subject on the file name if known.
Ideas for Subject areas:
Subject File | Subject File
----------------------------------|----------------------------------
From the *C's *.css | Rebuttals to articles *.reb
Fidonet Regional News *.reg | Fidonet Net News *.net
Retractions *.rtx | General Fidonet Articles *.art
Guest Editorial *.gue | Fidonet Current Events *.cur
Fidonet Interviews *.inv | Fidonet Software Reviews *.rev
Fidonet Web Page Reviews *.web | Fidonet Notices *.not
Getting Fidonet Technical *.ftc | Question Of The Week *.que
Humor in a Fido Vein *.hfv | Comix in ASCII *.cmx
Fidonet's Int. Kitchen *.rec | Poet's Corner *.poe
Clean Humor & Jokes *.jok | Other Stuff *.oth
Fidonet Classified Ads *.ads | Corrections *.cor
Best of Fidonet *.bof | Letters to the Editor *.let
If you don't know or are not sure, send the article anyway. Put a .TXT
on it and I'll try to figure out where it should be in the Fidonews.
If you follow these simple guidelines, there should be little problem
in getting your article published. If your submission is too far out
of specs for the Fidonews, it will be returned to you and/or a message
sent informing you of the problem. This DOES NOT mean that your
article is not accepted. It means that there is something in it that I
can not fix and I need your help on it.
FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 13 20 Apr 2009
Send articles via e-mail or netmail, file attach or message to:
Björn Felten
Fidonet 2:2/2 or 2:203/0
E-Mail bfelten @ telia dot com
Skype file bfelten
IMPORTANT! If you send the article via e-mail, make sure you put the
word "fidonews" somewhere in the subject line! That way it
will always pass the spam filter, ending up in the proper
folder.
Please include a message, telling me that you have sent an article.
That way I will know to look for it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIDONEWS 26-16 Page 14 20 Apr 2009
Credits, Legal Infomation, Availability
+ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- FIDONEWS STAFF - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +
| |
| Editor: Björn Felten, 2:2/2 |
| Columnists: Frank Vest - Frank's Column |
| |
+ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +
+ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - EDITORS EMERITI - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +
| |
| Tom Jennings, Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince |
| Perriello, Tim Pozar, Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees, |
| Christopher Baker, Zorch Frezberg, Henk Wolsink, |
| Doug Meyers, Warren D. Bonner, Frank L. Vest |
| |
+ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +
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+ -- -- -- -- -- -- - FIDONEWS AVAILABILITY - -- -- -- -- -- -- +
| |
| File request from 2:2/2 or 2:203/0: |
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