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     F I D O N E W S --       Volume 13, Number 46          11 November 1996
     +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
     |  The newsletter of the     |   ISSN 1198-4589 Published by:          |
     |    FidoNet community       |   "FidoNews"                            |
     |          _                 |        1-904-409-7040    [1:1/23]       |
     |         /  \               |                                         |
     |        /|oo \              |                                         |
     |       (_|  /_)             |                                         |
     |        _`@/_ \    _        |                                         |
     |       |     | \   \\       |   Editor:                               |
     |       | (*) |  \   ))      |        Christopher Baker  1:18/14       |
     |       |__U__| /  \//       |                                         |
     |        _//|| _\   /        |                                         |
     |       (_/(_|(____/         |                                         |
     |             (jm)           |     Newspapers should have no friends.  |
     |                            |                    -- JOSEPH PULITZER   |
     +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
     |               Submission address: FidoNews Editor 1:1/23             |
     +----------------------------------------------------------------------+
     |  MORE addresses:                                                     |
     |                                                                      |
     |    submissions=> cbaker84@digital.net                                |
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     |    obtaining copies of FidoNews or the internet gateway FAQ          |
     |    please refer to the end of this file.                             |
     +----------------------------------------------------------------------+


 ONLY ONE GUEST HEADLINE RECEIVED SO FAR! IT APPEARS NEXT WEEK!


                        Table of Contents
     1. EDITORIAL  ................................................  1
        Moving right along  .......................................  1
     2. ARTICLES  .................................................  2
        Boom, boom Bob!  ..........................................  2
        Everything in Moderation  .................................  2
        What FTS-0004 should be like  .............................  6
        The Future of FidoNet...and a correction  ................. 14
        Speaking of Atari-related echoes  ......................... 15
     3. GETTING TECHNICAL  ........................................ 18
        FTS-0004, The Echomail Specs  ............................. 18
     4. COORDINATORS CORNER  ...................................... 26
        Nodelist-statistics as seen from Zone-2 for day 313  ...... 26
     5. ECHOING  .................................................. 27
        Backbone Echo Changes [Sep-Oct]  .......................... 27
     6. WE GET EMAIL  ............................................. 29
        _Policy Complaint_  ....................................... 29
     7. NET HUMOR  ................................................ 35
        Hacker Purity Test  ....................................... 35
        Opus v51.1  ............................................... 50
     8. NOTICES  .................................................. 52
        Future History  ........................................... 52
        PKZIP has a new version that is REAL!  .................... 52
     9. FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING  ................................. 56
        Latest Greatest Software Versions  ........................ 56
     And more!
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 1                   11 Nov 1996


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


     The second FidoNet Technical Standard appears today. FTS-0004 was
     lifted from the docs of ConfMail by Bob Hartman in the dim time of
     Echomail operations.

     FTS-0004 has a counter-point in FSC-0074 [which is way down the list
     for numerical publication in these spaces], the proposal for a new
     Echomail spec.

     Anticipating the FTS-0004 publication today, I have also received an
     adjusted version of FSC-0074 which also appears in this Issue. It
     should make an interesting comparison for those of you technically
     inclined.

     Next week's Headline was the first and only entry to-date in the
     Headline submission contest posed as a Question of the Week a couple
     Issues back. You'll have to ask the submitter [Damian Walker of
     2:2502/666] what it means or pertains to, however. I haven't got a
     clue. [grin]

     C.B.

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

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 2                   11 Nov 1996


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


     PC nonsense!
     by Lee Kindness, 2:259/7

     Bob Morasvik writes in fnewsd45:
      > make it my business.  By not filing a PC against me
      > it is your admission that I'm right and you are wrong.
      > My  NC is Sean Aldrich 1:2606/0...the lines are open.

     Oh, please! Can we not have a *discussion* without reverting to this
     sort of rubbish! I will not waste any NC's time over a thread in
     *Fidonews*, nor will I continue a discussion when this is the view
     of one of the participants!

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


     Everything in Moderation
     Damian Walker, 2:2502/666

     With all this talk of echo policy which is flying around echoes and
     Fidonews itself, one of the subjects at the centre of conversation is,
     once again, echo moderators.  These people are often the object of
     controversy in Fidonet.  Who are they?  What do they do?  What should
     they do?  Who gives them the right to tell me what to do?!
         When conversation does come around to moderators, it usually
     orbits even more closely closely around the matter of feed cuts.  But
     why should it?  Feed cuts are not the only thing a moderator can do
     with their echo.
         In this article, I will take a look at some of the duties of
     moderators, some of the issues generating criticism levelled at them,
     and suggest for those who are interested what more a moderator can do
     for his or her echo.

     So, first of all, what is a moderator?  Most people who know enough
     about Fidonet to find this copy of Fidonews probably already know what
     a moderator is.  The moderator, in general terms, is someone who takes
     the responsibility of making sure a particular echo maintains the
     purpose for which the echo was originally set up.
         This 'purpose' could cover a lot of things.  Usually the most
     important is the topic, or subject, of the echo.  Then comes its
     intended readership, as an echo should allow (or restrict) access to a
     certain group of people, whether this is 'sysops', 'everyone' or some
     other criterion.  The other one which springs to mind from my own
     echoes is 'atmosphere'.  Is it supposed to be a friendly, chatty echo?
     Or perhaps something more efficient and businesslike, particularly
     where the echo set up to get a job done, rather than existing solely
     for the amusement of its readers.  There could be other aspects to the
     echo's purpose.
         As an aside, some people question the need for echo moderators.
     After all, many Internet newsgroups manage without them.  Or do they?
     Another school of thought suggests that a lot of the meaningless noise
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 3                   11 Nov 1996


     in newsgroups (which I have witnessed in some newsgroups myself) comes
     about because there is no-one to oversee the newsgroup in the way that
     a moderator does in Fidonet.  It seems there may be a place for both
     moderated and unmoderated echoes, after all.  But back to the topic in
     hand...
         So how should the echo purpose be maintained?  This varies from
     one echo to another, and there may be more than just one simple way to
     do the job, a fact that creates much of the controversy centred around
     moderators.
         The policies or requirements for some backbone structures state
     explicitly what a moderator's duties should be, and make suggestions
     or restrictions on how they should be carried out.  Such policies
     often try to achieve a balance between absolute control for the
     moderator, and some form of comeback to protect genuine users from the
     effects of the overly dictatorial moderators who sometimes appear.
         Even then, the subject of such policies often settles immovably
     upon the question of unruly users and feed cuts.  Where are the more
     positive aspects of moderation?  Even if these should not be
     regulated, the lack of suggestions might put the new or less
     experienced moderator at a loss for ideas.

     In practice, moderators often exercise some of both the positive and
     negative aspects of moderation, although the balance is not consistent
     from one moderator to the next.  Even among echoes moderated by a
     single person, the balance may not be the same.
         Firstly, what about the negative aspects of moderation?  The
     rules, the warnings, the feed cuts?  The first is hardly something
     which can be regulated, and it is difficult even to advise upon, given
     the wide range of purposes an echo may have.  Usually, a moderator
     will use the rules of another echo they enjoy reading as a guideline
     for their own echo.  Sometimes this is a good move, and sometimes it
     isn't.  Many moderators adjust the rules as they find things which are
     undesirable or unenforceable.
         The issue of warnings is clear cut in many policies.  A recurring
     theme is the requirement for three formal warnings before a feed cut
     can be made.  Personally, I prefer not to give formal warnings, since
     these may alienate genuine users who have simply made a mistake in a
     friendly conference, but this is just a personal issue.  Some
     moderators stick rigidly to the formal warning principle, where others
     might try other methods such as making polite requests to stay on
     topic or civil.  One such moderator in an echo I used to read would
     also suggest echoes in which off-topic messages might be appropriate;
     such a helpful approach maintained a friendly atmosphere, even when
     he was giving as many 'warnings' as in some less friendly echoes.
         The final negative issue, that of feed cuts, is regularly the
     object of moderator-related controversy.  Although a good moderator
     (or a moderator with an easy job) might have to make few of these,
     discussion about them takes up far more bandwidth than their frequency
     would suggest.  There are a number of ways feed cuts may be
     implemented.  A request to the user to stop writing is rarely going to
     work.  A request to the sysop of the offending user is one approach,
     although many sysops will want more than a simple request before
     cutting a feed.  Some will insist on the mandatory three warnings,
     others will be less rigid, but still want to see evidence of
     misbehaviour. Another approach sometimes used is to make a demand to
     the sysop for a feed cut, backed up by a backbone policy, but such an
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 4                   11 Nov 1996


     unfriendly way of doing things may work against the moderator,
     particularly when the fact that they are backed up by policy is open
     to interpretation.
         But now I've given these negative aspects of moderator duties more
     time than I wanted to, so lets move on to the more positive aspects of
     moderating echoes.  What do moderators currently do?
         Firstly, the moderator is frequently the person who sets up an
     echo. This may be more work than it at first appears, depending upon
     the requirements of a local backbone or other distribution system.
     Some need a minimum traffic level, others have requirements upon
     existing distribution (e.g. the echo must be distributed to at least 3
     nets). Some are more lucky, in my native region 25 all we have to do
     is send a copy of the echo rules (and the echo tag, description and
     moderator name/address) to our REC to get an echo on the regional
     backbone.  But once an echo is on the backbone, or even beforehand,
     there are other things to be done.
         Most of this is down to promotion.  The simplest way to promote an
     echo is to advertise it, particularly in other echoes which are set up
     for such advertising.  This is the approach most often used in my own
     locality, with the ECHO-NEWS conference specifically set up for
     moderators (or other parties) to gain support for echoes.  There are
     similar echoes available in some, but not all, parts of the network.
         An alternative way to advertise an echo is by including a bulletin
     on your own (or your sysop's) BBS, directing users to the echo.  This
     is of more use on specialist BBS's, where an echo pertaining to that
     system's subject is more likely to attract users.
         Another common way of promoting echoes is to stimulate discussion
     within the echo itself.  Once advertising has attracted a user to an
     echo, there should be something to read once they get there, or the
     user will just assume the echo is dead, and not give it a second look.
         There are a number of approaches to this.  One is to forward
     information from other sources, such as books and magazines, other
     echoes, or conferences on different networks such as Compuserve or the
     Internet.  Where direct crossposting is legal, it may be used in order
     to make the echo a good source of real information (as opposed to
     discussion on information available elsewhere).
         Another approach applicable to some echoes is merely to post large
     numbers of messages as and when inspiration occurs.  My own approach
     is to try and post at least one message a day, a thread starter, in
     order to get people talking.  This is especially useful when echo
     traffic drops off, and could even be a necessary procedure on
     backbones which require echoes to maintain a minimum amount of
     traffic.  Sometimes I have no personal interest in the questions I
     ask in my own echoes, but hope that somebody else does.

     There are some less common activities a moderator can do in order to
     maintain the echo purpose (the purpose being something which should
     always be borne in mind by moderators going about their moderatorial
     duties-- forget politics or ego here).  I will draw these from my own
     echoes and some of the other echoes I have participated in or read
     about.
         As for promotion, dare I raise the subject of document servers yet
     again?  Yes, of course I dare, since these are a good way of
     distributing information about an echo, particularly more detailed
     information which is not appropriate for a general echo advertising
     conference or a log-on BBS bulletin.  These can be particularly useful
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 5                   11 Nov 1996


     for directing users to related echoes as well.
         Within the echo, there are some things which can maintain users'
     interest.  One which I have seen in an echo is a directory of echo
     users, users being added either with their permission or by using
     information sent by themselves.  Either way prevents users appearing
     in a directory when they don't want their name listed.  It may be
     interesting to offer this list externally (by FReq or netmail) as well
     as by regular post in the echo.
         A few echoes offer an echo-related file list.  One echo I know of
     does this by gathering the files on one system, and maintaining mirror
     sites. One of my own echoes has a FReq list, which contains files
     available on all participating systems from which the sysop is
     prepared to send me their file list.  These files are obviously
     restricted to those relevant to the echo, and the list contains by
     each file the address of the system which offers holds it.  This
     prevents the expense of sending a large volume of files to mirror
     sites, but requires that the user call direct to the system offering
     the file they want.  Broadly similar to this is the common procedure
     of allowing systems to post a new files list into the echo, for areas
     pertaining to the echo subject.
         Another idea is to offer some sort of brief journal or electronic
     magazine for echo users.  A vast array of ideas for the content of
     this journal can be created by the imaginative mind, or it could
     merely be a collection of material related to other ideas already
     given, such as file lists, information and news from external sources,
     echo user directories, or just about anything related to the echo
     topic.
         Where echoes of limited distribution exist, or similar echoes in
     different languages, links could be established for the sharing of
     information and news.  This is especially useful where international
     links for an echo itself cannot be found.  Given suitable software at
     two designated systems, selected messages and announcments could be
     sent between the echoes via netmail, to be automatically posted as an
     echomail message.  Obviously this should only be used for a limited
     amount of traffic in order that uplinks are not annoyed with excessive
     traffic in netmail.
         Some of these less widespread activities could be conducted by
     echo participants other than the moderator, but in most cases it is up
     to the moderator to instigate them, or to specifically designate
     someone else to do the job, or just to make it known that they would
     be welcome in the echo.

     Most of the material here I have written in order to highlight the
     lighter side of what moderating an echo is all about, or what it could
     be about if moderators are willing, and hopefully I have managed to
     convince someone of the fact that there is more to moderating echomail
     than warnings and feed cuts.
         Such considerations should not be forgotten when formulating a
     policy for an echomail distribution system such as an official or
     unofficial backbone, a large-scale cost share scheme or an entirely
     separate network.  It is important not only that rules and regulations
     do not restrain moderators and users from making the most of their
     echoes, but also that the incentive is there for people to put the
     effort in to implement some of the more interesting ideas for
     attracting and retaining users in our echoes.

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 6                   11 Nov 1996


     (Note for those who are interested: the author is the moderator and
     creator of three echoes: STRATEGY, CLASSICAL_UK and INFOMAIL, and is
     the creator of a fourth echo BBS-GAMES).

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


     FTS-0004 documents a fish more than it does Echomail...
     by Lee Kindness, 2:259/7, lkindnes@csl.co.uk

     In this issue of Fidonews Chris will be posting FTS-0004, the
     document that specifies Echomail. It is the FTSC's statement that
     they only document current practise - read thru FTS-0004 and my
     comments on it last week and you'll see this simply isn't true.  The
     worse thing is that the FTSC were submitted a proposed replacement
     for fts-0004 (fsc-0074) by John Souvestre and in their great wisdom
     not only altered the document before accepting it as an FSC but also
     didn't replace fts-0004 with it. I mean, look at fts-0004 it isn't
     even a technical document!

     I have included a recent draft i have made of fsc-0074 below.
     Additions and changes from the current fsc-0074 are marked by a '|'
     in the first column. Deletions from the current version are discussed
     after the document.

     === Proposed FTS-0004 replacement, FSC-0074.002 (draft) ==============
     Document: FSC-0074
     Version:  002 (draft)
     Author:   John Souvestre, David Troendle, Bob Davis,
               George Peace, Lee Kindness
     FTS:      FTS-0004.002 -- proposed replacement


                           EchoMail Specification

                                 June, 1992

                           This document began as
                   the Conference Mail System User Manual
                     By Bob Hartman t/a Spark Software
               FidoNet(tm) node 132/101 (currently 1:104/501)
                            Used with permission

            06 Jun 1991
            John Souvestre, David Troendle, Bob Davis

            29 Oct 1991
            John Souvestre, David Troendle

            28 Jan 1992
            George Peace

            02 Jun 1992
            George Peace

               Nov 1996
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 7                   11 Nov 1996


            Lee Kindness (| marks changes)


                              ECHOMAIL DEFINED

       EchoMail is a technique that permits several nodes on a network to
       share a message base. It is similar in concept to the conferences
       available on commercial information services but is most closely
       related to the Usenet system consisting of thousands of systems
       world wide.  All systems sharing a given conference see any messages
       entered into the conference by any of the participating systems.
       This can be implemented in such a way as to be totally transparent
       to the users of a particular system.  In fact, they may not even be
       aware of the network being used to move their messages about from
       node to node!

       Unfortunately, EchoMail has disadvantages as well.  Many users who
       are not educated about EchoMail systems do not realize the messages
       transmitted cost MANY sysops (system operators) money, not just the
       local sysop.  This is an important consideration in EchoMail and
       should not be taken lightly.  In a conference with 100 systems
       participating the cost per message can be quite high.


                         BRIEF HISTORY OF ECHOMAIL

       In late 1985, Jeff Rush, a Fido sysop in Dallas, wanted a convenient
       means of sharing ideas with the other Dallas sysops.  He created a
       system of programs he called Echomail, and the Dallas sysops'
       Conference was born.

       Within a short time sysops in other areas began hearing of this
       marvelous new gadget and EchoMail took on a life of its own.  Today
       the FidoNet public network boasts a myriad of conferences varying in
       size from a handful of participants to Sysop conferences with
       hundreds of participants.  It is not uncommon for a system to carry
       hundreds or more conferences and share those conferences with 10 or
       more nodes.


                             HOW ECHOMAIL WORKS

       Today's EchoMail processing is functionally compatible with the
       original EchoMail utilities.  In general, the process is:

         -  A message is entered into a designated area on a FidoNet
            compatible system.

         -  This message is "Exported" along with some 'control
            information' to each system "linked" to the conference
            through the originating system.

         -  Each receiving system "Imports" the message into the
            proper Conference Mail area.

         -  The receiving systems then "Export" these messages, along
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 8                   11 Nov 1996


            with additional control information, to each of their own
            EchoMail links.

         -  Return to the import step.

       The method is quite simple in general.  Of course, following the
       steps literally means messages would never stop being Exported and
       transmitted to other systems.  This obviously would not be desired.
       The information contained in the 'control information' section is
       used to prevent exporting the same message more than once to a
       single system.


                        MESSAGE CONTROL INFORMATION

       Control information is associated with each EchoMail message.  This
       information consists of certain special lines placed inside the
       message.  These lines are typically inserted automatically by the
       program which prepares or processes the message, not by the person
       writing it.

       In FTS-0001 terminology, these control information lines shall
       be inside the "text" field of a "packed message".

       Control information lines shall contain only ASCII characters, from
       32 to 126, except the first character of the path line and as noted
       elsewhere in this document.  This limitation applies only to control
       information lines.

       Alphabetic characters in required literal strings (AREA, Origin,
       SEEN-BY, and PATH) are case-sensitive.

       All control information lines shall be terminated with ASCII
       character 13 (carriage return).

       These required control information lines determine how EchoMail is
       handled:

     | The origin line, seenby and path are generated in that order, with
     | no other control information intermingled.


       1. Area line

       There shall be exactly one area line in an exported message.
       The AREA line:

         -  Shall be the first line of the text and thus shall
            immediately follow the packed message header.  This
            position is "offset 0" of the "text" portion of the
            packed message.

         -  Shall be formatted as:

                 AREA:CONFERENCE

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 9                   11 Nov 1996


                 AREA: is a required five character upper case
                 literal.

     |           There is NO space between AREA: and CONFERENCE

                 CONFERENCE is the name of the conference. The
                 conference name is composed of ASCII characters in
                 the range 33 to 96 and 123 to 126.  The conference
                 name shall be no more than 60 characters in length.

       The AREA line is added when a conference is "Exported" to
     | other systems.  It is usually based upon information found
       in a configuration file for the designated message area. This
       field is used by receiving systems to "Import" messages into
       the correct EchoMail area.

       Some implementations insert a Ctrl-A (0x01) immediately
     | preceding the AREA: literal (^AAREA:CONFERENCE). This is broken
     | behavior but should be handled, but never created. A warning
     | message to the node who created the message can, optionally,
     | be sent.


       2. Origin Line

       There shall be exactly one origin line in a message.  It shall
     | be placed in the message directly after the user text and
     | immediately before the remaining control information lines.

       The origin line:

         -  Shall begin with the eleven character literal:

                 <space>*<space>Origin:<space>

         -  Is optionally followed by user/system defined data in the
            ASCII range 32 to 126.

         -  Shall end with a FidoNet network address enclosed in
            parenthesis:

                 ([<zone>:]<net>/<node>[.<point>][@<domain>])

         -  Shall be no more than 79 characters long including the
            required lead-in and address information.

         -  Shall be inserted into the message at the originating
            system.

       The complete line might look like:

                 * Origin: Conference Mail BBS (1:132/101)


       3. Seen-by Lines

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 10                  11 Nov 1996


       Seen-by lines are the focus of EchoMail distribution control
       information.  They are used to determine which addresses (systems)
       have received messages.  There can be as many seen-by lines as
       required to store the necessary information.

       Seen-by lines consist of "SEEN-BY:<space>", followed by a list of
       net/node numbers corresponding to the systems which have received
       that message.  The net/node number of each system to which a message
       is exported is added to the seen-by lines at the time of export.

       There shall be exactly one set of seen-by lines in a message.
       Seen-by lines:

         -  Shall follow the origin line.

         -  Shall begin with the nine character literal:

                 SEEN-BY:<space>

         -  Shall contain a list of net/node numbers.

         -  Shall be no more than 80 characters long including the
            required literal.

       The complete lines might look like:

                 SEEN-BY: 104/1 501 132/101 113 136/601 1014/1
                 SEEN-BY: 1014/2 3

       The list of net/node numbers:

         -  Shall identify at least one address. "Blank" seen-by
            lines shall not be transmitted.

         -  Shall be sorted in ascending net/node order.

         -  Shall not contain repeated node numbers.

         -  Shall use only "2D" net/node notation.

     |   -  Shall be stripped at zone gates (since the data is 2D).
     |      In essence when a system imports an echo from a system
     |      in another zone it will dispose of all SEEN-BY lines
     |      in the message and replace it with a single SEEN-BY
     |      that contains their net/node.

         -  May use short form address notation where a net number is
            listed once on any one line.  These 2 lines are
            equivalent:

                 SEEN-BY: 104/1 104/501 132/101 132/113 136/601
                 SEEN-BY: 104/1 501 132/101 113 136/601

     |      The first entry in a line must be full net/node.

       Some implementations insert a Ctrl-A (0x01) immediately
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 11                  11 Nov 1996


     | preceding the SEEN-BY: literal (^ASEEN-BY:). This is broken
     | behavior but should be handled, but never created. A warning
     | message to the node who created the message can, optionally,
     | be sent.


       4. Path Lines

       Path lines identify a list of net/node numbers that processed a
       message before it reached the current system.  There can be as many
       path lines as required to store the necessary information.

       This is different from seen-by lines, in that seen-by lines list
       list all systems to which the message has been sent while path lines
       list the systems which have processed the message.

       There shall be exactly one set of path lines in a message.
       Path lines:

         -  Shall follow seen-by lines.

         -  Shall be the last line(s) in the text field of a packed
            message.

         -  Shall begin with the seven character literal:

                 ^APATH:<space>

            The ^A is a special character which stands for Control-A
            (ASCII character 1), and is required at the beginning of
            each path line.

         -  Shall contain a list of net/node numbers.

         -  Shall be no more than 80 characters long including the
            required literal.

       The complete path line might look like:

                 ^APATH: 132/101 1014/1

       The list of net/node numbers:

         -  Shall identify at least one net/node number.  "Blank"
            path lines shall not be transmitted.

         -  Shall not be sorted.  They shall remain in the order
            representing the actual "path" along which the message
            traveled.

         -  Shall use only "2D" net/node notation.

         -  Shall begin with the net/node of the originating system.

         -  Shall not be deleted during processing.  The original
            path information shall be maintained from origin to final
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 12                  11 Nov 1996


            destination.


                             ECHOMAIL TOPOLOGY

       The way in which systems link together for a particular conference
       is called the "EchoMail Topology."  It is important to know this
       structure for two reasons:

         -  It is important to have a topology which is efficient in
            the transfer of the EchoMail messages.

         -  It is important to have a topology which will not cause
            systems to see the same messages more than once.

       Efficiency can be measured in a number of ways:

         -  Least time involved for all systems to receive a message

         -  Least cost for all systems to receive a message

         -  Fewest phone calls required for all systems to receive a
            message.

       Users of EchoMail systems have determined (through trial and error)
       the best measure of efficiency to be a combination of all three
       measurements.  Balancing the equation is not trivial, but some
       guidelines can be offered:

         -  Have nodes form "stars" for distribution of EchoMail.
            This arrangement has several nodes all receiving their
            EchoMail from the same system.  In general the systems on
            the "outside" of the star poll the system on the
            "inside".  The system on the "inside" in turn polls other
            systems in a similar star configuration to receive the
            EchoMail that is being passed on to the "outside"
            systems.

         -  Utilize fully connected polygons with few vertices.
            Nodes can be connected in a triangle (A sends to B and C,
            B sends to A and C, C sends to A and B) or a fully
            connected square (all corners of the square send to all
            of the other corners).  This method is useful for getting
            EchoMail messages to each node as quickly as possible.

       All of these efficiency guidelines have to be tempered with the
       guidelines dealing with keeping duplicate messages from being
       exported.  Duplicates will occur in any topology that forms a closed
       polygon that is not fully connected.  Take for example the following
       configuration:

                 A ----- B
                 |       |
                 |       |
                 C ----- D

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 13                  11 Nov 1996


       This square is a closed polygon that is not fully connected.
       It is capable of generating duplicates:

         1. A message is entered on node A.

         2. Node A exports the message to node B and node C placing
            the seen-by for A, B, and C in the message as it does so.

         3. Node B sees that node D is not listed in the seen-by and
            exports the message to node D.

         4. Node C sees that node D is not listed in the seen-by and
            exports the message to node D.

       At this point node D has received the same message twice - a
       duplicate was generated.

       Normally a "dup-ring" will not be as simple as a square.  Generally
       it will be caused by a system on one end of a long chain
       accidentally connecting to a system on the other end of the chain.
       This causes the two ends of the chain to become connected, forming a
       polygon.

       In FidoNet this problem is reduced somewhat by having a regional
       EchoMail star distribution architecture that maintains EchoMail
       connections within regions of the world.  Within that architecture
       only a small number of prearranged systems (regional collection
       systems) make inter-regional connections.  This architecture, along
       with multiple daily connections, results in an efficient topology
       which typically allows global distribution within 24 hours.


                         THE PATH LINE AND TOPOLOGY

       The PATH line stores the net/node numbers of each system having
       actually processed a message.  This information is useful in
       correcting the biggest problem encountered by nodes running an
       Echomail compatible system - the problem of finding the cause of
       duplicate messages.  How does the PATH line help solve this problem?
       Take the following path line as an example:

                 ^APATH: 107/6 107/312 132/101

       This shows that the message was processed by system 107/6 and
       transferred to system 107/312.  It further shows system 107/312
       transferred the message to 132/101, and 132/101 processed it again.
       Here's another example:

                 ^APATH: 107/6 107/312 107/528 107/312 132/101

       This shows the message having been processed by node 107/312 on more
       than one occasion.  Based upon the earlier description of the
       'information control' fields in Echomail messages, this identifies
       an error in processing.  This further shows node 107/528 as the node
       which apparently processed the message incorrectly.  In this case
       the path line can be used to help locate the source of duplicate
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 14                  11 Nov 1996


       messages or topology problems.

       In a conference with many participants it becomes almost impossible
       to determine the exact topology used.  In these cases the use of the
       path line can help a moderator or distributor of a conference track
       any possible breakdowns in the overall topology, while not
       substantially increasing the amount of information transmitted.
       Having this small amount of information added to each message pays
       for itself very quickly when it can be used to help detect a
       topology problem causing duplicate messages to be transmitted to
       each system.
     === End ==============================================================

     Sections deleted from the current version of fsc-0074:

     <   Six months after adoption of this document the ^AAREA: format
     <   shall be processed equally with the AREA: format when either
     <   occurs in received packets.

     Replaced with:

     > | preceding the AREA: literal (^AAREA:CONFERENCE). This is broken
     > | behavior but should be handled, but never created. A warning
     > | message to the node who created the message can, optionally,
     > | be sent.

     and...

     <   Six months after adoption of this document the ^ASEEN-BY:
     <   format shall be processed equally with the SEEN-BY: format
     <   when either occurs in received packets.

     Replaced with:

     > | preceding the SEEN-BY: literal (^ASEEN-BY:). This is broken
     > | behavior but should be handled, but never created. A warning
     > | message to the node who created the message can, optionally,
     > | be sent.

     The nonsense replaced was added to the original submitted version
     of fsc-0074 BY THE FTSC! This is the same FTSC that 'only documents
     current practise, not improvements'


     Some more information for the FTSC to mull over...

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


     For immediate release to FidoNews:

     First of all, I apologize if I have mislead anyone about U'NI-Net.  I
     have not actually *tried* U'NI-Net since there is no system on that
     network local to me.  I merely chose UN'I-Net as an example of another
     network like Intelec that has much stricter rules than FidoNet.  The
     one thing I do have to add is that Cam DeBuck is a moderator on
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 15                  11 Nov 1996


     Intelec, so it's obvious where her ideas about a BBS network come
     from.  Enough said on that subject.

     Now for the topic at hand.  FidoNet *is* suffering crushing blows from
     the Internet.  If we intend to survive as a network, we have to appeal
     to netizens.  This might start with a World Wide Web site.  I have not
     seen www.fidonet.org, because for some reason I kept getting an error
     message that the server was not responding...(this could be the fault
     of the ISP, though)  This article is an open letter, and a call for
     action.

     We need software that's easier to use.  Your typical FidoNet
     connection software requires understanding obscure concepts like
     FOSSIL drivers and nodelists and so forth.  As much as possible needs
     to be shielded from the end user and there needs to be ONE software
     package to do it all.  A FidoNet BBS or point node needs separate
     components from various vendors: a FOSSIL driver, a front-end mailer,
     mail reading software (or the BBS software itself), a mail tosser (one
     for Fido .PKTs and one for .QWKs for some setups), a nodelist, a
     nodelist compiler, a nodediff compiler, an offline mail reader door
     for some BBSes, etc.  The closest approximation to a "complete"
     FidoNet point setup, for instance, is Terminate 4.0. It includes a
     FidoNet-compatible mailer, mail reader, mail tosser (both QWK and
     PKT), terminal program, internal communications drivers (obviating the
     need for FOSSILs except for a few with ISDN, or other non-standard
     setups), etc.  We're in the age of GUI, folks!  We need to settle on a
     standard for GUIs on a BBS, and make all-inclusive packages like
     Terminate for end-users, and better setups for people to start BBSes
     (WildCat! 5 is a start...)

     We need to emphasize FidoNet's quality of messaging content.  The fact
     that we have Moderators and newsgroups are not usually moderated
     matters.  We need more echos that cross FidoNet <-> Usenet boundaries
     but have their roots in FidoNet (there's at least one I'm aware of).
     We need to emphasize that FidoNet can offer all of the functionality
     of Usenet without the anarchy and chaos that exist on Usenet.  Besides
     porting FidoNet to Usenet, another idea might involve porting FidoNet
     conferences into Internet mailing lists, or making them available on
     the WWW.

     Advertising ourselves on the Web is just as important...  Like I said,
     I haven't seen www.fidonet.org (if it even exists), but advertising is
     key.  Getting the message out that FidoNet is out there, and is a
     completely viable alternative to the Usenet is the key to FidoNet's
     survival.

     So, software authors, users, SysOps, coordinators, UNITE!  There is
     much work to be done, and we should stop squandering time with all the
     political in-fighting.  If we don't, FidoNet's days are numbered.

     Rob A. Shinn @ 1:2410/116, <surak@juno.com>

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


     Atari-related Echos in Fidonet
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 16                  11 Nov 1996


     by Troy H. Cheek, 1:362/708.4

     According to Peter E. Popovich (1:363/264) and his Latest Greatest
     Software Versions list, Atari ST/TT software is slated to be phased
     out this week.  I hope that the information I mailed him yesterday
     will change that to "_was_ slated..."  Given the number of people
     still using such software (judging by origin and tear lines seen in
     various echoes), I simply assumed someone more qualified than I am
     would have already given Peter all the information he needed to know.
     Shows us what we get when we assume, doesn't it?  :-)

     If you or someone you know is using an Atari computer to access
     Fidonet, or simply has an interest in Atari in general, please note
     the following Fidonet echomail conferences:

     Tag:    ATARI_ST
     Mod:    Troy Cheek, 1:362/708.4
     Dist:   Z1-Backbone

     ATARI_ST covers the Atari ST and every Atari computer since (Mega ST,
     STe, Mega STe, TT, Falcon, Medusa, etc).  It also covers the Lynx and
     Jaguar game machines.

     Tag:    ST_PROG
     Mod:    Rodney Rudd, 1:138/34
     Dist:   Z1-Backbone

     ST_PROG originally covered only the programming of the Atari ST and
     later computers, but later expanded to include the game machines as
     well.  More recently, it has expanded to include programming of all
     things Atari.

     Tag:    ATARI
     Mod:    Larry Black, 1:3608/121
     Dist:   Z1-Backbone

     ATARI covers all Atari products based on the 6502 microprocessor such
     as the Atari 400/800, 600XL/800XL/1200XL, 65XE/XEGS/130XE, etc.  The
     moderator enforces this restriction rather strictly.

     Tag:    VID_GAME
     Mod:    Troy Cheek, 1:362/708.4
     Dist:   Z1-Backbone

     VID_GAME is dedicated to home videogames in general, including the
     Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, Panther, Lynx, and Jaguar.

     Please note that ALL of these echoes are active, listed in the
     Echolist, and are distributed on the backbone.  For some reason,
     people seeking these echoes have been told this is not the case.
     --
     |Fidonet:  Troy H. Cheek 1:362/708.4
     |Internet: 362-708-4!Troy.H..Cheek@river.chattanooga.net
     |
     | Standard disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own.
     | River Canyon Rd. BBS <=> Chattanooga OnLine!  Gateway to the World.
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 17                  11 Nov 1996


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

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 18                  11 Nov 1996


     =================================================================
                             GETTING TECHNICAL
     =================================================================


     [This is the second in the FidoNet Technical Standards list. FTS-0002
     and FTS-0003 were obsoleted by other Standards. This standard has been
     reformatted to meet the 70 column requirement of MAKENEWS and is part
     of a continuing series of FidoNet History.] Ed.


     FTS-0004        EchoMail Specification

     This document is directly derived from the documentation of

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

                                The Conference Mail System

                                            By
                                       Bob Hartman
                            Sysop of FidoNet(tm) node 132/101

                       (C) Copyright 1986,87, Spark Software, Inc.

                                   427-3 Amherst Street
                                   CS  2032, Suite  232
                                   Nashua,  N.H.  03061

                                   ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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

     version 3.31 of 12 December, 1987.

     With Bob Hartman's kind consent, copying for the purpose of
     technological research and advancement is allowed.


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


          WHAT IS THE CONFERENCE MAIL SYSTEM?

               Conference Mail  is a  technique to  permit several  nodes
               on  a network to  share a  message base,  similar  in
               concept  to  the conferences available on many of the
               computer services, but it is most closely related to the
               Usenet system consisting of more than 8,000 systems  world
               wide. All systems sharing a given conference see any
               messages entered  into the  conference  by  any  of the
               participating systems.  This can  be implemented in such a
               way as to be  totally transparent  to the users of a
               particular node. In fact, they  may not  even be  aware of
               the network being used to move their  messages about from
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 19                  11 Nov 1996


               node to node!  Unfortunately, this has its  disadvantages
               also  - most  users who  are not educated about Conference
               Mail do  not realize  the messages  transmitted cost MANY
               sysops (system  operators) money,  not just  the local
               sysop. This  is an important consideration in Conference
               Mail and should not be taken lightly.  In a conference with
               100 systems as participants the cost per message can get
               quite high.

               The Conference  Mail System is designed to operate in
               conjunction with a  FidoNet compatible  mail server.  The
               currently supported mail servers  are Fido(tm),  SEAdog(tm),
               Opus, and Dutchie. Since the mail  server is  a prerequisite
               to using the Conference Mail System, it  will be  assumed
               you  already have  your mail  server operating correctly  on
               your   system, and you are connected into FidoNet or a
               compatible network.


          HISTORY OF THE CONFERENCE MAIL SYSTEM

               In late  1985, Jeff  Rush, a  Fido  sysop  in  Dallas,
               wanted  a convenient means  of sharing  ideas with the other
               Dallas sysops.  He created  a system  of programs  he called
               Echomail,  and the Dallas sysops' Conference was born.

               Within a  short time  sysops in other areas began hearing of
               this marvelous new  gadget and  Echomail took  on a  life of
               its own.  Today, a  scant year and a half later, the FidoNet
               public network boasts a myriad of conferences varying in
               size from the dozen-or-so participants  in the  FidoNet
               Technical  Standards Committee Conference  to   the  Sysops'
               Conference  with  several hundred participants. It  is not
               uncommon for a node to carry 30 or more conferences and
               share those conferences with 10 or more nodes.


          HOW IT WORKS

               The Conference  Mail System  is functionally  compatible
               with the original Echomail utilities.  In general, the
               process is:

               1. A  message is  entered into  a designated  area on  a
                  FidoNet compatible system.

               2. This message is "Exported" along with some control
                  information to each system "linked" to the conference
                  through the originating system.

               3. Each  of the  receiving systems  "Import" the message
                  into the proper Conference Mail area.

               4. The receiving systems then "Export" these messages, along
                  with additional control  information,  to  each  of
                  their conference links.
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 20                  11 Nov 1996


               5. Return to step 3.

               As you  can see,  the method  is quite  simple -  in
               general.  Of course, following  the steps  literally would
               mean messages would never stop being Exported and
               transmitted to other systems.  This obviously would  not be
               desired or  the  network  would  quickly become
               overburdened.  The information  contained in  the 'control
               information' section  is used  to prevent  transmitting the
               same message more than once to a single system.


          CONFERENCE MAIL MESSAGE CONTROL INFORMATION

               There are  five pieces  of control  information associated
               with a Conference  Mail  message.  Some  are  optional, some
               are  not.  Normally this information is never entered by the
               person creating the  message.   The  following control
               fields   determine how Conference Mail is handled:

               1. Area line

                    This is  the first  line of  a conference  mail
                    message. Its actual appearance is:

                                          AREA:CONFERENCE

                    Where CONFERENCE is the name of the conference. This
                    line is added when  a conference  is  being  "Exported"
                    to  another system. It  is based upon information found
                    in the AREAS.BBS (configuration) File  for the
                    designated message area. This field is  REQUIRED by the
                    receiving  system to  "Import"  a message into the
                    correct Conference Mail area.

               2. Tear Line

                    This line is near the end of a message and consists of
                    three dashes (---)  followed by  an  optional  program
                    specifier.  This is  used to show the first program
                    used to add Echomail compatible control information to
                    the message. The tear line generated by Conference Mail
                    looks like:

                           --- <a small product-specific banner>

                    This  field   is  optional   for  most  Echomail
                    compatible processors, and  is added  by the Conference
                    Mail System to ensure complete compatibility. Some
                    systems will place this line in the message  when it is
                    first  created, but  it is normally added when the
                    message is first "exported."

               3. Origin line

                    This line  appears near  the bottom of a message and
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 21                  11 Nov 1996


                    gives a small amount  of  information  about  the
                    system  where  it originated. It looks like:

                           * Origin: The Conference Mail BBS (1:132/101)

                    The "  * Origin:  " part  of the  line is  a constant
                    field.  This is followed by the name of the system as
                    taken from the AREAS.BBS file  or a  file named  ORIGIN
                    located  in the DOS directory of  the  designated
                    message  area.  The  complete network address
                    (1:132/101 in  this case)  is added  by the program
                    inserting  the line.  This field is generated at the
                    same time  as the  tear line,  and therefore  may
                    either  be generated at  the time  of  creation  or
                    during  the  first "export"  processing.   Although
                    the  Origin  line  is not required by  all Echomail
                    processors, it  is added by  the Conference Mail System
                    to ensure complete compatibility.


               4. Seen-by Lines

                    There can  be many  seen-by lines  at the  end of
                    Conference Mail messages,  and they  are the real
                    "meat" of the control information. They  are used  to
                    determine  the  systems  to receive the exported
                    messages. The format of the line is:

                           SEEN-BY: 132/101 113 136/601 1014/1

                    The net/node  numbers correspond  to the net/node
                    numbers of the systems having already received the
                    message. In this way a message  is never  sent to a
                    system twice. In a conference with many  participants
                    the  number of seen-by lines can be very large.   This
                    line is added if it is not already a part of the
                    message, or added to if it already exists, each time
                    a message  is exported  to other systems. This is a
                    REQUIRED field, and  Conference Mail  will not function
                    correctly if this field  is not put in place by other
                    Echomail compatible programs.

               5. PATH Lines

                    These are  the last  lines in  a Conference Mail
                    message and are a  new addition,  and therefore  is not
                    supported by all Echomail processors. It appears as
                    follows:

                           ^aPATH: 132/101 1014/1

                    Where the  ^a stands  for Control-A  (ASCII character
                    1) and the net/nodes  listed correspond  to  those
                    systems having processed the  message before it reached
                    the current system.  This is  not the  same as  the
                    seen-by lines, because those lines list  all systems
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 22                  11 Nov 1996


                    the message has been sent to, while the path line
                    contains all systems having actually processed the
                    message.  This is not a required field, and few
                    echomail processors currently  support it,  however it
                    can  be  used safely with  any other  system, since the
                    line(s)  will  be ignored. For  a discussion  on how
                    the  path  line  can  be helpful, see the "Advanced
                    Features" section of this manual.


          METHODS OF SENDING CONFERENCE MAIL

               To this  point the  issue of how Conference Mail is actually
               sent has been glossed over entirely. The phrase has been,
               "the message is exported  to another  system."   What
               exactly  does this mean?  Well, for starters lets show what
               is called the "basic" setup:

               In this setup exported mail is placed into the FidoNet mail
               area.  Each message   exported  from a  Conference  Mail
               area  has one message generated  for each  receiving system.
               This mail is then sent the  same as any other network mail.
               When Echomail was first created this was the only way mail
               could be sent.

               The "basic"  method has some disadvantages. First, since
               Echomail has grown so large it is not uncommon to get 200
               new messages per day imported  into various message bases.
               It is also not uncommon for a  system to  be exporting
               messages to 4 or 5 other systems.  Simple arithmetic  shows
               800-1000  messages per day would be sent in normal  netmail!
               This  puts a tremendous strain on any netmail system, not to
               mention transmission time and the resultant phone charges.
               When this limitation of Echomail was first noticed a lot of
               people started scratching their heads wondering what to do.
               If a  solution  could  not  be  found  it appeared  Echomail
               would certainly overrun the capabilities of FidoNet.

               Thom Henderson  (from System Enhancement Associates) came up
               with the original  ARCmail program.  Having previously
               written the ARC file archiving  and compression  program, he
               knew the  savings achievable by  having all  of the netmail
               messages placed in .ARC format for  transmission. As a
               byproduct, the messages no longer appeared in  the netmail
               area,  but  were  included  in  a  file attached to  a
               message  (see your  FidoNet mailer manual for file
               attaches).  In   this  way  the  tremendous  number  of
               messages generated, and the phone bill problems were both
               solved.

               Unfortunately, ARCmail  required the  messages to first be
               placed into the  netmail area  before it  could be  run. In
               effect,  it caused the  messages to  be scanned once when
               they were exported, once during  the ARCmail  phase, once
               when ARCmail was run at the other end  to get  the messages
               out of .ARC format, and once when those messages  were later
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 23                  11 Nov 1996


               imported into  a message  base on the receiving system.  The
               Conference Mail System solves this problem by eliminating
               the ARCmail  program. Conference  Mail builds the ARCmail
               files during Export, and unpacks them during Import. This
               way  messages   are  exported  directly  to  ARCmail  style
               file attaches, and imported directly from ARCmail style file
               attaches.  The scanning  phases between importing and
               exporting messages are totally removed and processing time
               is proportionally reduced.

               This is  now the  most common  method for sending Conference
               Mail between systems.  The overhead  involved in  doing it
               during the importing and exporting phases is much less than
               what is involved if ARCmailing  is not  utilized. This was a
               primary consideration in the  design and  implementation of
               the Conference Mail System, and as  a result  the entire
               system is optimized for this type of use.  Please  refer  to
               the  Import  and  Export functions  for specifics on how to
               use the ARCmailing feature.


          CONFERENCE TOPOLOGY

               The  way   in  which  systems  link  together  for  a
               particular conference is  called the "conference topology."
               It is important to know  this structure  for two  reasons:
               1)  It is important to have a  topology which  is  efficient
               in  the transfer  of  the Conference Mail  messages, and  2)
               It  is important  to  have  a topology which  will not cause
               systems  to see the same messages more than once.

               Efficiency can  be measured  in a  number  of  ways;  least
               time involved for all systems to receive a message, least
               cost for all systems to receive a message, and fewest phone
               calls required for all systems  to receive  a message  are
               all  valid indicators  of efficiency. Users  of Echomail
               compatible systems have determined (through trial  and
               error)  the best measure of  efficiency is a combination  of
               all  three  of the  measurements  given  above.  Balancing
               the equation is not trivial, but some guidelines can be
               given:

                    1. Never have two systems attempting to send Conference
                    mail to each other at the same time. This results in
                    "collisions" that will  cause both  systems to fail.
                    To  avoid this, one system should  be responsible for
                    polling  while the  other system is holding mail.  This
                    arrangement can alternate based upon various criteria,
                    but  both systems  should  never be attempting to call
                    each other at the same time.

                    2. Have  nodes form  "stars" for  distribution of
                    Conference Mail. This arrangement has several nodes all
                    receiving their Conference Mail from the same system.
                    In general the systems on the  "outside"  of  the  star
                    poll  the  system  on the "inside". The  system on  the
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 24                  11 Nov 1996


                    "inside"  in turn polls other systems to  receive the
                    Conference Mail that is being passed on to the
                    "outside" systems.

                    3. Utilize  fully connected  polygons with  a few
                    vertices.  Nodes can  be connected in a triangle (A
                    sends to B and C, B sends to  A and  C, C sends to A
                    and B) or a fully connected square (all  corners of the
                    square send to all of the other corners). This method
                    is useful for getting Conference Mail messages to each
                    node as quickly as possible.


               All of  these efficiency  guidelines have to be tempered
               with the guidelines dealing  with keeping  duplicate
               messages  from  being exported. Duplicates  will occur  in
               any  topology that  forms  a closed polygon  that is not
               fully connected. Take for example the following
               configuration:

                                           A ----- B
                                           |       |
                                           |       |
                                           C ----- D

               This square  is a  closed polygon that is not fully
               connected. It is capable of generating duplicates as
               follows:

                    1. A message is entered on node A.

                    2. Node  A exports  the message to node B and node C
                       placing the seen-by for A, B, and C in the message
                       as it does so.

                    3. Node  B sees that node D is not listed in the seen-
                       by and exports the message to node D.

                    4. Node  C sees that node D is not listed in the seen-
                       by and exports the message to node D.

               At this  point node  D has  received the  same message
               twice - a duplicate was  generated. Normally  a "dup-ring"
               will not  be as simple as  a square.  Generally it  will be
               caused by a system on one end  of a  long chain accidentally
               connecting to a system on the other end of the chain. This
               causes the two ends of the chain to become connected,
               forming a polygon.

               In FidoNet  this problem  is reduced somewhat by having
               "Regional Echomail Coordinators"  (RECS) that try to keep
               track of Echomail connections within  their regions  of the
               world. A  further rule which is  followed is  that only  the
               RECS  are allowed  to  make inter-regional connections for
               the larger conferences. In return, the RECS  have
               established  a very  efficient topology which gets messages
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 25                  11 Nov 1996


               from  coast to  coast, and onto over 200 systems in less
               than 24  hours. If  no one were willing to follow the rules,
               then this system  would collapse,  but due to the excellent
               efficiency it has remained intact for over a year.


          Why a PATH line?

               As was  previously mentioned,  the PATH  line is a new
               concept in Echomail. It  stores the  net/node numbers  of
               each system having actually processed  a message.  This
               information  is  useful  in correcting the  biggest problem
               encountered by  nodes running an Echomail compatible  system
               - the problem of finding the cause of duplicate messages.
               How does  the  PATH  line  help  solve  this problem? Take
               the following path line as an example:

                    ^aPATH: 107/6 107/312 132/101

               This  shows  the  message  was  processed  by  system  107/6
               and transferred to  system 107/312.  It further  shows
               system 107/312 transferred the  message to  132/101, and
               132/101  processed  it again. Now take the following path
               line as the example:

                    ^aPATH: 107/6 107/312 107/528 107/312 132/101

               This shows  the message  having been processed by node
               107/312 on more than one occasion. Based upon the earlier
               description of the 'information control'  fields in Echomail
               messages, this clearly is an  error in  processing (see  the
               section  entitled "How  it Works"). This  further shows node
               107/528 as  the  node which apparently processed  the
               message  incorrectly. In this case the path line  can be
               used to quickly locate the source of duplicate messages.

               In  a   conference  with  many  participants  it  becomes
               almost impossible to  determine the  exact topology used. In
               these cases the use of the path line can help a coordinator
               of the conference track any  possible breakdowns in the
               overall topology, while not substantially increasing  the
               amount  of information transmitted.  Having this  small
               amount of information added to the end of each message pays
               for itself very quickly when it can be used to help detect a
               topology  problem  causing  duplicate  messages  to  be
               transmitted to each system.

     -30-

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

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 26                  11 Nov 1996


     =================================================================
                            COORDINATORS CORNER
     =================================================================


     Nodelist-statistics as seen from Zone-2 for day 313
     By Ward Dossche, 2:292/854
        ZC/2

      +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+
      |Zone|Nl-285|Nodelist-292|Nodelist-299|Nodelist-306|Nodelist-313|%%|
      +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+
      |  1 | 11666|11666     0 |11555  -111 |11332  -223 |11332     0 |38|
      |  2 | 16341|16356    15 |16324   -32 |16307   -17 |16157  -150 |53|
      |  3 |   950|  956     6 |  954    -2 |  954     0 |  942   -12 | 3|
      |  4 |   610|  620    10 |  620     0 |  624     4 |  620    -4 | 2|
      |  5 |    97|   97     0 |   97     0 |   95    -2 |   95     0 | 0|
      |  6 |  1022| 1020    -2 | 1020     0 | 1007   -13 | 1007     0 | 3|
      +----+------+------------+------------+------------+------------+--+
           | 30686|30715    29 |30570  -145 |30319  -251 |30153  -166 |
           +------+------------+------------+------------+------------+

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

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 27                  11 Nov 1996


     =================================================================
                                  ECHOING
     =================================================================


     Backbone Echo Changes [Sep-Oct]
     by Lisa Gronke, 1:105/16
     lisa@psg.com

     Summary of backbone & quasi-backbone echo changes during Sep & Oct.

     Brought to you courtesy of (unix) diff.

     diff (backbone.na + backbone.no) 08-Sep-96 03-Nov-96 [edited].

     Added to the backbone
     -----------------------
     > 2000                Software good after year 2000
     > ANIMANIACS          Discussions about the TV show Animaniacs
     > BE                  BeOS, BeBox, and general Be, Inc. Discussion
     > EMERG_MANAGE        EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
     > EMERG_NOTIFY        EMERGENCY NOTIFY
     > FAROUT              For discussing "Far Out" things.
     > GUNS                Guns and Defense Weaponry
     > HEINLEIN            The Heinlein Discusssion Echo
     > ICEUTILS            Ice Technologies support echo.
     > LIB_NW              Liberty Northwest BBS Network
     > MS_SUPPORT          MatrixSoft Support Echo
     > NASCAR              NASCAR Discussion Conference
     > NEWAGE_THOUGHT      New Age Thought and Discussion
     > RELOAD              Reloading rifle, pistol and shotgun cartridges
     > SLIDERS             Sliders TV discussion
     > THE_CURE_NETWORK    Oregon State Political Discussions and News.
     > TOTT_SOS            Survivors of Suicide Loss
     > WIN_SURFING         The Windows Web Surfing Forum

     NOTE: TOTT_SOS is a returning echo.

     Removed from the backbone or quasi-backbone
     -------------------------------------------
     < ACCT_TAX            (low traffic since  7/1/96)
     < CASINO.GAMBLING     (low traffic since  8/1/96)
     < CB_RADIO_4SALE      (low traffic since  8/1/96)
     < CONTROV             controv
     < DAPIE               (low traffic since  7/1/96)
     < DOMINO              (low traffic since  8/1/96)
     < DRAMA               (low traffic since  8/1/96)
     < HYPER               (not in EchoList since  7/1/96)
     < INTELLIGENT_GROWING (low traffic since  8/1/96)
     < MICROCOM            (low traffic since  8/1/96)
     < MOD_ROCKETRY        (not in EchoList since  7/1/96)
     < ONEFOS              (low traffic since  7/1/96)
     < PLEASE              (low traffic since  8/1/96)
     < POGS                (low traffic since  8/1/96)
     < SHOTGUN_BBS         (not in EchoList since  8/1/96)
     < SINGLE_PARENTING    Topics and issues relating to SINGLE PARENTING
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 28                  11 Nov 1996


     < SOFTWARE_MARKETING  (low traffic since  7/1/96)
     < SPORT-FISHING.WEST  (low traffic since  8/1/96)
     < TCM                 (low traffic since  7/1/96)
     < TEEN&AIDS           (low traffic since  8/1/96)
     < WP-TOOLS            (not in EchoList since  8/1/96)

     --------------------------------------------------------------
     o There are 793 echos in backbone.na [03-Nov-96] (up 1)
     o There are 65 echos in backbone.no [03-Nov-96] (down 6)
     o for a total of 858 backbone & quasi-backbone echos (down 3)
     -----------------------------------------------------------------

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

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 29                  11 Nov 1996


     =================================================================
                               WE GET EMAIL
     =================================================================


     --- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:18/14 ---
         By Christopher Baker on Wed Nov 06 08:17:03 1996

     From: Cindy Ingersoll @ 1:107/71
     To: Editor @ 1:1/23
     Date: 26 Oct 96  11:33:46
     Subj: _POLICY COMPLAINT_

     [This is a submission to Fidonews]


       Doesn't look like anyone in North America is in charge.  Can someone
       with some ambition take over the net? Heretic, you out there? ;)



     -=> Note:
     Copied (from: Sent_Net) by C I A using timEd.
     Originally to David Bowerman (1:1/50)

       It was suggested to me to contact you in regard to a policy
       complaint I have been trying to get R13C Philip Dampiere to resolve
       for many months. I was wrongfully removed from the nodelist by
       N2623C Bob Taylor.  I've written to Philip Dampiere quite a few
       times, with no replies.  I've also written to Bob Satti, in regard
       to Philip's failure to perform the duties of RC in regard to Policy
       Complaints, with no replies..

       Is there anything you can do to help?

       Below is included the msgs I've sent to Philip Dampiere. Please let
       me know.

     -=> Note:
     Forwarded (from: Sent_Net) by C I A using timEd.
     Originally from Cindy Ingersoll (1:107/71.0) to Phillip Dampier.
     Original dated: Aug 25 '96, 10:02

     Greetings Phillip!

     Here's the msgs I have been sending. As you can see from the dates,
     this is an OLD complaint which you never followed up on..


     Area: Sent_Netmail
     Date : Apr 26 '96, 09:49
     Pvt Snt
     From : Cindy Ingersoll
      1:2623/71.0 To   : Phillip Dampier
     Subj : ...no news.... Still...
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 30                  11 Nov 1996


     Greetings Phillip!


      I sent a message (Policy Complaint, (TM)) about this a while ago.
      Things haven't improved much since then.  It's still difficult to get
      the NC to perform his job as NC, particularly in making fidonews
      available. I've tried being patient and helpful, but it doesn't seem
      to get me anywhere.  I think perhaps its time to appoint a new NC for
      this net..  Isn't there enough stagnation and inertia in fido
      already??

       Anyway,  I asked for this week's fidonews, and haven't been able to
       get it. I thought the NC was -required- to make fidonews available?
       He doesn't even poll to get it directly, and makes no effort
       whatsoever to get it when whoever is feeding him, fails to deliver
       it to him.  This has been going on since September of last year (I
       said that in the last message I sent you asking for help in this)!
       Why can't we get the fidonews from our NC?

        If I have to call LD and make the stuff available myself, then I
        want the NC title along with it. I promote the net, the current NC
        just drifts along, making it difficult to even get new nodes into
        the net.. When I had FTPFIDO I fed the NC without any hitches, the
        fidonews was always delivered weekly as it is supposed to be.

        What are we supposed to do to break this inertia??  The fidonews is
        the last vestage of stability in fidonet, and now we can't even get
        that!

        Please help!


      CiAo
     -!-

     Area: Sent_Netmail
     Date : May 27 '96, 10:15
     Pvt Snt
     From : Cindy Ingersoll
      1:2623/71.0 To   : Phillip Dampier
     Subj : follow-up...
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------

     Greetings Phillip!

       It's been over 30 days and I have not received a reply to my
       previous message. Please let me know what is going to be done about
       assigning a NC
       for this net.

      CiAo
     ---

     Area: Sent_Netmail
     Date : Jun 08 '96, 21:20
     Pvt Snt
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 31                  11 Nov 1996


     From : Cindy Ingersoll
      1:2623/71.0 To   : Phillip Dampier
     Subj : No NC, No diffs, No replies
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------

     Greetings Phillip!

       Can you please tell me why you have not replied to any msgs?  We
       have no NC here, and cannot get diffs/fnews..  Are you going to
       appoint another NC for this net?

      CiAo
     -!-


     Area: Sent_Netmail
     Date : Jun 18 '96, 15:48
     Pvt Snt
     From : Cindy Ingersoll
      1:2623/71.0 To   : Bob Satti
     Subj : R13?
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------

     Greetings Bob!

       I've been trying to get Philip Dampiere to help us down here in
       net2623.  I have had no replies in 3 months.  Is he still R13C?  Can
       you look into whats going on?  We have no NC, the former appointed
       NEC seems to think he's taking over, and is already axing people
       from the nodelist, simply because he doesn't like them.  We get no
       nodediffs or fidonews.  Please help

     Thanks


      CiAo
     -!-


     Area: Sent_Netmail
     Date : Jun 19 '96, 07:49
     Pvt Snt
     From : Cindy Ingersoll
      1:2623/71.0 To   : Bob Taylor
     Subj : swinging dicks
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------

     Bob Taylor caught All Net 2623 Nodes in the Camera Eye
     Focal Parallax [Nodelist Update]
      BT> These nodes are listed as down:
      BT> 1:2623/36 51 56 67 68 71 75 78 102 105 110 119
      BT> and will be removed from the nodelist unless satisfactory
      BT> arrangements are made prior to June 26, 1996.

     You wouldn't have it in for me here Bob would you?  Something wrong
     with my echo feed?  I sent a reply to a msg a few days ago..
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 32                  11 Nov 1996


       I think you better wait for the RC, I have had no replies from him,
       and have asked Bob Satti to look into the situation..


     ... Don't want to silence a desperate voice, for the sake of
     security...
     ... By-Tor, knight of Darkness, Centurion of evil, devil's prince! ___
     Feverish Flux v2.12


     Area: Sent_Netmail
     Date : Jun 28 '96, 20:59
     Pvt Snt
     From : Cindy Ingersoll
      1:2623/71.0 To   : Bob Taylor
     Subj : Down Node
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------

     Bob Taylor caught All Net 2623 Sysops in the Camera Eye
     Focal Parallax [Down Node]


      Why do you keep neglecting me Bob?

      BT> -------------------------

      BT> Net 2623 Nodelist Update

      BT> -------------------------

      BT> As of today, there is only one system that I cannot obtain a
      BT> reliable connection with, and that is 1:2623/85.

      BT> I believe that William still has a password set-up for 1:2623/0.
      BT> He has been sent 3 or 4 messages, which he has received, asking
      BT> that he remove the password. Whatever the problem, it's been 3
      BT> weeks and it's not fixed.  If someone can contact him, please do
      BT> so. Unless satisfactory arrangements are made by 7/3/96, this
      BT> system will be removed from the nodelist.
      BT> The following systems are active:

      BT> 1:2623/0    Bob Taylor NC
      BT> 1:2623/1    Bob Taylor NEC
      BT> 1:2623/20   George Siegrist
      BT> 1:2623/32   Harry Foster
      BT> 1:2623/45   Jay Miller   -> Temporarily on HOLD pending point
      BT>             assignment
      BT> 1:2623/47   Ken Leary
      BT> 1:2623/58   Bob Taylor
      BT> 1:2623/59   Jim Rachiele
      BT> 1:2623/62   William Swain  -> Mail Tosser Problem
      BT> 1:2623/63   Bob Brown
      BT> 1:2623/66   Pete Bingert  -> possible part-time front-end here???
      BT> 1:2623/69   Chris Connelly
      BT> 1:2623/80   Bret Feldbauer
      BT> 1:2623/81   Jeff Towey
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 33                  11 Nov 1996


      BT> 1:2623/82   Jeff Towey
      BT> 1:2623/88   Stpehen Lloyd
      BT> 1:2623/91   Dick Soucy
      BT> 1:2623/101  Doug Holzbaur -> Temporarily on HOLD pending point
      BT>             assignment
      BT> 1:2623/175  Michelle Havens

      BT> Thank you all for your support and endurance.

      BT> Keep up the good work. The best is yet to come!

      BT> Bob Taylor

      BT> -!- Maximus 3.01
      BT>  ! Origin: NEC South Jersey Net 2623 (1:2623/1)

     ... Sparks ignite & spread new information  -Rush, _Chain Lightning_
     _!_ Feverish Flux v2.12


     Area: Sent_Netmail
     Date : Jun 29 '96, 12:03
     Pvt Snt
     From : Cindy Ingersoll
      1:2623/71.0 To   : Phillip Dampier
     Subj : N2623C
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------

     cc: 1:1/0

     Greetings Phillip!

       This is a follow-up on a previous policy complaint submitted to
       1:13/0

       We are in need of a new NC here. You have not responded to my
       netmails, so I'm assuming there's also no RC to handle policy
       complaints. Please let me know what is going on ASAP.

       There is a growing problem, Bob Taylor (1:2623/58) seems to believe
       he is taking over as NC, and insists on writing me off the nodelist
       with no reason. Given that he does not officially have the /0
       designation, he cannot send in a diff that would delete my node, and
       this is all that stands between me and deletion.  I tried to discuss
       the problem with Bob via netmail (ignored) and today via telephone,
       but apparently Bob does not want to be reasonable, he stated he just
       does not like me and he can do whatever he wants.  This is
       ridiculous.  Is fidonet dead, and no one cares how bad it gets, or
       can any of you *Cs still going to help with this situation? I have
       sent numerous netmails to Philip and find the system down alot, and
       get no replies.

       Whatever Bob's problem with me is, is a personal matter, not a
       fidonet matter, and his attempt to remove me is uncalled for.  I use
       fidonet mainly for netmail and files, what reason is there to take
       my node number? I have received no complaints or warnings, and Bob
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 34                  11 Nov 1996


       refuses to discuss the matter.


     Cindy Ingersoll 1:2623/71
     wraith@styx.ios.com


      CiAo
     -!-

      CiAo
     ---

      -30-

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

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 35                  11 Nov 1996


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


     From: 362-708-4!Troy.H..Cheek@river.chattanooga.net (Troy H. Cheek)
     Date: 28 Oct 96 10:13:20 -0500
     Subject: Hacker 'Purity' Test (long)
     Organization: river.chattanooga.net
     To: cbaker84@digital.net

     From: hayes@psunuce.bitnet
     Newsgroups: rec.humor.funny
     Subject: "Purity" test for programmers -- long
     Date: 1 Dec 89 11:30:09 GMT
     Sender: funny@looking.on.ca
     Posted: Fri Dec  1 03:30:09 1989
     Reply-Path: watmath.uucp!forty2!claudio

     (From NutWorks, the former Bitnet humour group)
     Submitted-by: claudio@amsoft.imp.com (Claudio Nieder, Uster,
     Switzerland)

      THE HACKER TEST - Version 1.0

      Preface:  06.16.89

      This test was conceived and written by Felix Lee, John Hayes and
      Angela Thomas at the end of the spring semester, 1989.  It has gone
      through many revisions prior to this initial release, and will
      undoubtedly go through many more.

      (Herewith a compendium of fact and folklore about computer hackerdom,
       cunningly disguised as a test.)

      Scoring - Count 1 for each item that you have done, or each
                question that you can answer correctly.

      If you score is between:                    You are

                 0x000 and 0x010       ->         Computer Illiterate
                 0x011 and 0x040       ->         a User
                 0x041 and 0x080       ->         an Operator
                 0x081 and 0x0C0       ->         a Nerd
                 0x0C1 and 0x100       ->         a Hacker
                 0x101 and 0x180       ->         a Guru
                 0x181 and 0x200       ->         a Wizard

      Note: If you don't understand the scoring, stop here.

      And now for the questions...

      0001 Have you ever used a computer?
      0002 ... for more than 4 hours continuously?
      0003 ... more than 8 hours?
      0004 ... more than 16 hours?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 36                  11 Nov 1996


      0005 ... more than 32 hours?

      0006 Have you ever patched paper tape?

      0007 Have you ever missed a class while programming?
      0008 ... Missed an examination?
      0009 ... Missed a wedding?
      0010 ... Missed your own wedding?

      0011 Have you ever programmed while intoxicated?
      0012 ... Did it make sense the next day?

      0013 Have you ever written a flight simulator?

      0014 Have you ever voided the warranty on your equipment?

      0015 Ever change the value of 4?
      0016 ... Unintentionally?
      0017 ... In a language other than Fortran?

      0018 Do you use DWIM to make life interesting?

      0019 Have you named a computer?

      0020 Do you complain when a "feature" you use gets fixed?

      0021 Do you eat slime-molds?

      0022 Do you know how many days old you are?

      0023 Have you ever wanted to download pizza?

      0024 Have you ever invented a computer joke?
      0025 ... Did someone not 'get' it?

      0026 Can you recite Jabberwocky?
      0027 ... Backwards?

      0028 Have you seen "Donald Duck in Mathemagic Land"?

      0029 Have you seen "Tron"?

      0030 Have you seen "Wargames"?

      0031 Do you know what ASCII stands for?
      0032 ... EBCDIC?

      0033 Can you read and write ASCII in hex or octal?
      0034 Do you know the names of all the ASCII control codes?

      0035 Can you read and write EBCDIC in hex?

      0036 Can you convert from EBCDIC to ASCII and vice versa?

      0037 Do you know what characters are the same in both ASCII and
           EBCDIC?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 37                  11 Nov 1996


      0038 Do you know maxint on your system?

      0039 Ever define your own numerical type to get better precision?

      0040 Can you name powers of two up to 2**16 in arbitrary order?
      0041 ... up to 2**32?
      0042 ... up to 2**64?

      0043 Can you read a punched card, looking at the holes?
      0044 ... feeling the holes?

      0045 Have you ever patched binary code?
      0046 ... While the program was running?

      0047 Have you ever used program overlays?

      0048 Have you met any IBM vice-president?
      0049 Do you know Dennis, Bill, or Ken?

      0050 Have you ever taken a picture of a CRT?
      0051 Have you ever played a videotape on your CRT?

      0052 Have you ever digitized a picture?

      0053 Did you ever forget to mount a scratch monkey?

      0054 Have you ever optimized an idle loop?

      0055 Did you ever optimize a bubble sort?

      0056 Does your terminal/computer talk to you?

      0057 Have you ever talked into an acoustic modem?
      0058 ... Did it answer?

      0059 Can you whistle 300 baud?
      0060 ... 1200 baud?

      0061 Can you whistle a telephone number?

      0062 Have you witnessed a disk crash?
      0063 Have you made a disk drive "walk"?

      0064 Can you build a puffer train?
      0065 ... Do you know what it is?

      0066 Can you play music on your line printer?
      0067 ... Your disk drive?
      0068 ... Your tape drive?

      0069 Do you have a Snoopy calendar?
      0070 ... Is it out-of-date?

      0071 Do you have a line printer picture of...
      0072 ... the Mona Lisa?
      0073 ... the Enterprise?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 38                  11 Nov 1996


      0074 ... Einstein?
      0075 ... Oliver?
      0076 Have you ever made a line printer picture?

      0077 Do you know what the following stand for?
      0078 ... DASD
      0079 ... Emacs
      0080 ... ITS
      0081 ... RSTS/E
      0082 ... SNA
      0083 ... Spool
      0084 ... TCP/IP

           Have you ever used
      0085 ... TPU?
      0086 ... TECO?
      0087 ... Emacs?
      0088 ... ed?
      0089 ... vi?
      0090 ... Xedit (in VM/CMS)?
      0091 ... SOS?
      0092 ... EDT?
      0093 ... Wordstar?

      0094 Have you ever written a CLIST?

           Have you ever programmed in
      0095 ... the X windowing system?
      0096 ... CICS?

      0097 Have you ever received a Fax or a photocopy of a floppy?

      0098 Have you ever shown a novice the "any" key?
      0099 ... Was it the power switch?

           Have you ever attended
      0100 ... Usenix?
      0101 ... DECUS?
      0102 ... SHARE?
      0103 ... SIGGRAPH?
      0104 ... NetCon?

      0105 Have you ever participated in a standards group?

      0106 Have you ever debugged machine code over the telephone?

      0107 Have you ever seen voice mail?
      0108 ... Can you read it?

      0109 Do you solve word puzzles with an on-line dictionary?

      0110 Have you ever taken a Turing test?
      0111 ... Did you fail?

      0112 Ever drop a card deck?
      0113 ... Did you successfully put it back together?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 39                  11 Nov 1996


      0114 ... Without looking?

      0115 Have you ever used IPCS?

      0116 Have you ever received a case of beer with your computer?

      0117 Does your computer come in 'designer' colors?

      0118 Ever interrupted a UPS?

      0119 Ever mask an NMI?

      0120 Have you ever set off a Halon system?
      0121 ... Intentionally?
      0122 ... Do you still work there?

      0123 Have you ever hit the emergency power switch?
      0124 ... Intentionally?

      0125 Do you have any defunct documentation?
      0126 ... Do you still read it?

      0127 Ever reverse-engineer or decompile a program?
      0128 ... Did you find bugs in it?

      0129 Ever help the person behind the counter with their
           terminal/computer?

      0130 Ever tried rack mounting your telephone?

      0131 Ever thrown a computer from more than two stories high?

      0132 Ever patched a bug the vendor does not acknowledge?

      0133 Ever fix a hardware problem in software?
      0134 ... Vice versa?

      0135 Ever belong to a user/support group?

      0136 Ever been mentioned in Computer Recreations?

      0137 Ever had your activities mentioned in the newspaper?
      0138 ... Did you get away with it?

      0139 Ever engage a drum brake while the drum was spinning?

      0140 Ever write comments in a non-native language?

      0141 Ever physically destroy equipment from software?

      0142 Ever tried to improve your score on the Hacker Test?

      0143 Do you take listings with you to lunch?
      0144 ... To bed?

      0145 Ever patch a microcode bug?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 40                  11 Nov 1996


      0146 ... around a microcode bug?

      0147 Can you program a Turing machine?

      0148 Can you convert postfix to prefix in your head?

      0149 Can you convert hex to octal in your head?

      0150 Do you know how to use a Kleene star?

      0151 Have you ever starved while dining with philosophers?

      0152 Have you solved the halting problem?
      0153 ... Correctly?

      0154 Ever deadlock trying eating spaghetti?

      0155 Ever written a self-reproducing program?

      0156 Ever swapped out the swapper?

      0157 Can you read a state diagram?
      0158 ... Do you need one?

      0159 Ever create an unkillable program?
      0160 ... Intentionally?

      0161 Ever been asked for a cookie?

      0162 Ever speed up a system by removing a jumper?

           * Do you know...

      0163 Do you know who wrote Rogue?
      0164 ... Rogomatic?

      0165 Do you know Gray code?

      0166 Do you know what HCF means?
      0167 ... Ever use it?
      0168 ... Intentionally?

      0169 Do you know what a lace card is?
      0170 ... Ever make one?

      0171 Do you know the end of the epoch?
      0172 ... Have you celebrated the end of an epoch?
      0173 ... Did you have to rewrite code?

      0174 Do you know the difference between DTE and DCE?

      0175 Do you know the RS-232C pinout?
      0176 ... Can you wire a connector without looking?

           * Do you have...

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 41                  11 Nov 1996


      0177 Do you have a copy of Dec Wars?
      0178 Do you have the Canonical Collection of Lightbulb Jokes?
      0179 Do you have a copy of the Hacker's dictionary?
      0180 ... Did you contribute to it?

      0181 Do you have a flowchart template?
      0182 ... Is it unused?

      0183 Do you have your own fortune-cookie file?

      0184 Do you have the Anarchist's Cookbook?
      0185 ... Ever make anything from it?

      0186 Do you own a modem?
      0187 ... a terminal?
      0188 ... a toy computer?
      0189 ... a personal computer?
      0190 ... a minicomputer?
      0191 ... a mainframe?
      0192 ... a supercomputer?
      0193 ... a hypercube?
      0194 ... a printer?
      0195 ... a laser printer?
      0196 ... a tape drive?
      0197 ... an outmoded peripheral device?

      0198 Do you have a programmable calculator?
      0199 ... Is it RPN?

      0200 Have you ever owned more than 1 computer?
      0201 ... 4 computers?
      0202 ... 16 computers?

      0203 Do you have a SLIP line?
      0204 ... a T1 line?

      0205 Do you have a separate phone line for your terminal/computer?
      0206 ... Is it legal?

      0207 Do you have core memory?
      0208 ... drum storage?
      0209 ... bubble memory?

      0210 Do you use more than 16 megabytes of disk space?
      0211 ... 256 megabytes?
      0212 ... 1 gigabyte?
      0213 ... 16 gigabytes?
      0214 ... 256 gigabytes?
      0215 ... 1 terabyte?

      0216 Do you have an optical disk/disk drive?

      0217 Do you have a personal magnetic tape library?
      0218 ... Is it unlabelled?

      0219 Do you own more than 16 floppy disks?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 42                  11 Nov 1996


      0220 ... 64 floppy disks?
      0221 ... 256 floppy disks?
      0222 ... 1024 floppy disks?

      0223 Do you have any 8-inch disks?

      0224 Do you have an internal stack?

      0225 Do you have a clock interrupt?

      0226 Do you own volumes 1 to 3 of _The Art of Computer Programming_?
      0227 ... Have you done all the exercises?
      0228 ... Do you have a MIX simulator?
      0229 ... Can you name the unwritten volumes?

      0230 Can you quote from _The Mythical Man-month_?
      0231 ... Did you participate in the OS/360 project?

      0232 Do you have a TTL handbook?

      0233 Do you have printouts more than three years old?

           * Career

      0234 Do you have a job?
      0235 ... Have you ever had a job?
      0236 ... Was it computer-related?

      0237 Do you work irregular hours?

      0238 Have you ever been a system administrator?

      0239 Do you have more megabytes than megabucks?

      0240 Have you ever downgraded your job to upgrade your processing
           power?

      0241 Is your job secure?
      0242 ... Do you have code to prove it?

      0243 Have you ever had a security clearance?

           * Games

      0244 Have you ever played Pong?

           Have you ever played
      0246 ... Spacewar?
      0247 ... Star Trek?
      0248 ... Wumpus?
      0249 ... Lunar Lander?
      0250 ... Empire?

           Have you ever beaten
      0251 ... Moria 4.8?
      0252 ... Rogue 3.6?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 43                  11 Nov 1996


      0253 ... Rogue 5.3?
      0254 ... Larn?
      0255 ... Hack 1.0.3?
      0256 ... Nethack 2.4?

      0257 Can you get a better score on Rogue than Rogomatic?

      0258 Have you ever solved Adventure?
      0259 ... Zork?

      0260 Have you ever written any redcode?

      0261 Have you ever written an adventure program?
      0262 ... a real-time game?
      0263 ... a multi-player game?
      0264 ... a networked game?

      0265 Can you out-doctor Eliza?

           * Hardware

      0266 Have you ever used a light pen?
      0267 ... did you build it?

           Have you ever used
      0268 ... a teletype?
      0269 ... a paper tape?
      0270 ... a decwriter?
      0271 ... a card reader/punch?
      0272 ... a SOL?

           Have you ever built
      0273 ... an Altair?
      0274 ... a Heath/Zenith computer?

           Do you know how to use
      0275 ... an oscilliscope?
      0276 ... a voltmeter?
      0277 ... a frequency counter?
      0278 ... a logic probe?
      0279 ... a wirewrap tool?
      0280 ... a soldering iron?
      0281 ... a logic analyzer?

      0282 Have you ever designed an LSI chip?
      0283 ... has it been fabricated?

      0284 Have you ever etched a printed circuit board?

           * Historical

      0285 Have you ever toggled in boot code on the front panel?
      0286 ... from memory?

      0287 Can you program an Eniac?

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 44                  11 Nov 1996


      0288 Ever seen a 90 column card?

           * IBM

      0289 Do you recite IBM part numbers in your sleep?
      0290 Do you know what IBM part number 7320154 is?

      0291 Do you understand 3270 data streams?

      0292 Do you know what the VM privilege classes are?

      0293 Have you IPLed an IBM off the tape drive?
      0294 ... off a card reader?

      0295 Can you sing something from the IBM Songbook?

           * Languages

      0296 Do you know more than 4 programming languages?
      0297 ... 8 languages?
      0298 ... 16 languages?
      0299 ... 32 languages?

      0300 Have you ever designed a programming language?

      0301 Do you know what Basic stands for?
      0302 ... Pascal?

      0303 Can you program in Basic?
      0304 ... Do you admit it?

      0305 Can you program in Cobol?
      0306 ... Do you deny it?

      0307 Do you know Pascal?
      0308 ... Modula-2?
      0309 ... Oberon?
      0310 ... More that two Wirth languages?
      0311 ... Can you recite a Nicklaus Wirth joke?

      0312 Do you know Algol-60?
      0313 ... Algol-W?
      0314 ... Algol-68?
      0315 ... Do you understand the Algol-68 report?
      0316 ... Do you like two-level grammars?

      0317 Can you program in assembler on 2 different machines?
      0318 ... on 4 different machines?
      0319 ... on 8 different machines?

           Do you know
      0320 ... APL?
      0321 ... Ada?
      0322 ... BCPL?
      0323 ... C++?
      0324 ... C?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 45                  11 Nov 1996


      0325 ... Comal?
      0326 ... Eiffel?
      0327 ... Forth?
      0328 ... Fortran?
      0329 ... Hypertalk?
      0330 ... Icon?
      0331 ... Lisp?
      0332 ... Logo?
      0333 ... MIIS?
      0334 ... MUMPS?
      0335 ... PL/I?
      0336 ... Pilot?
      0337 ... Plato?
      0338 ... Prolog?
      0339 ... RPG?
      0340 ... Rexx (or ARexx)?
      0341 ... SETL?
      0342 ... Smalltalk?
      0343 ... Snobol?
      0344 ... VHDL?
      0345 ... any assembly language?

      0346 Can you talk VT-100?
      0347 ... Postscript?
      0348 ... SMTP?
      0349 ... UUCP?
      0350 ... English?

           * Micros

      0351 Ever copy a copy-protected disk?
      0352 Ever create a copy-protection scheme?

      0353 Have you ever made a "flippy" disk?

      0354 Have you ever recovered data from a damaged disk?

      0355 Ever boot a naked floppy?

           * Networking

      0356 Have you ever been logged in to two different timezones at once?

      0357 Have you memorized the UUCP map for your country?
      0358 ... For any country?

      0359 Have you ever found a sendmail bug?
      0360 ... Was it a security hole?

      0361 Have you memorized the HOSTS.TXT table?
      0362 ... Are you up to date?

      0363 Can you name all the top-level nameservers and their addresses?

      0364 Do you know RFC-822 by heart?
      0365 ... Can you recite all the errors in it?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 46                  11 Nov 1996


      0366 Have you written a Sendmail configuration file?
      0367 ... Does it work?
      0368 ... Do you mumble "defocus" in your sleep?

      0369 Do you know the max packet lifetime?

           * Operating systems

           Can you use
      0370 ... BSD Unix?
      0371 ... non-BSD Unix?
      0372 ... AIX
      0373 ... VM/CMS?
      0374 ... VMS?
      0375 ... MVS?
      0376 ... VSE?
      0377 ... RSTS/E?
      0378 ... CP/M?
      0379 ... COS?
      0380 ... NOS?
      0381 ... CP-67?
      0382 ... RT-11?
      0383 ... MS-DOS?
      0384 ... Finder?
      0385 ... PRODOS?
      0386 ... more than one OS for the TRS-80?
      0387 ... Tops-10?
      0388 ... Tops-20?
      0389 ... OS-9?
      0390 ... OS/2?
      0391 ... AOS/VS?
      0392 ... Multics?
      0393 ... ITS?
      0394 ... Vulcan?

      0395 Have you ever paged or swapped off a tape drive?
      0396 ... Off a card reader/punch?
      0397 ... Off a teletype?
      0398 ... Off a networked (non-local) disk?

      0399 Have you ever found an operating system bug?
      0400 ... Did you exploit it?
      0401 ... Did you report it?
      0402 ... Was your report ignored?

      0403 Have you ever crashed a machine?
      0404 ... Intentionally?

           * People

      0405 Do you know any people?
      0406 ... more than one?
      0407 ... more than two?

           * Personal

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 47                  11 Nov 1996


      0408 Are your shoelaces untied?

      0409 Do you interface well with strangers?

      0410 Are you able to recite phone numbers for half-a-dozen computer
           systems but unable to recite your own?

      0411 Do you log in before breakfast?

      0412 Do you consume more than LD-50 caffeine a day?

      0413 Do you answer either-or questions with "yes"?

      0414 Do you own an up-to-date copy of any operating system manual?
      0415 ... *every* operating system manual?

      0416 Do other people have difficulty using your customized
           environment?

      0417 Do you dream in any programming languages?

      0418 Do you have difficulty focusing on three-dimensional objects?

      0419 Do you ignore mice?

      0420 Do you despise the CAPS LOCK key?

      0421 Do you believe menus belong in restaurants?

      0422 Do you have a Mandelbrot hanging on your wall?

      0423 Have you ever decorated with magnetic tape or punched cards?
      0424 Do you have a disk platter or a naked floppy hanging in your
           home?

      0425 Have you ever seen the dawn?
      0426 ... Twice in a row?

      0427 Do you use "foobar" in daily conversation?
      0428 ... "bletch"?

      0429 Do you use the "P convention"?

      0430 Do you automatically respond to any user question with RTFM?
      0431 ... Do you know what it means?

      0432 Do you think garbage collection means memory management?

      0433 Do you have problems allocating horizontal space in your
           room/office?

      0434 Do you read Scientific American in bars to pick up women?

      0435 Is your license plate computer-related?

      0436 Have you ever taken the Purity test?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 48                  11 Nov 1996


      0437 Ever have an out-of-CPU experience?

      0438 Have you ever set up a blind date over the computer?

      0439 Do you talk to the person next to you via computer?

           * Programming

      0440 Can you write a Fortran compiler?
      0441 ... In TECO?

      0442 Can you read a machine dump?
      0443 Can you disassemble code in your head?

           Have you ever written
      0444 ... a compiler?
      0445 ... an operating system?
      0446 ... a device driver?
      0447 ... a text processor?
      0448 ... a display hack?
      0449 ... a database system?
      0450 ... an expert system?
      0451 ... an edge detector?
      0452 ... a real-time control system?
      0453 ... an accounting package?
      0454 ... a virus?
      0455 ... a prophylactic?

      0456 Have you ever written a biorhythm program?
      0457 ... Did you sell the output?
      0458 ... Was the output arbitrarily invented?

      0459 Have you ever computed pi to more than a thousand decimal
           places?
      0460 ... the number e?

      0461 Ever find a prime number of more than a hundred digits?

      0462 Have you ever written self-modifying code?
      0463 ... Are you proud of it?

      0464 Did you ever write a program that ran correctly the first time?
      0465 ... Was it longer than 20 lines?
      0466 ... 100 lines?
      0467 ... Was it in assembly language?
      0468 ... Did it work the second time?

      0469 Can you solve the Towers of Hanoi recursively?
      0470 ... Non-recursively?
      0471 ... Using the Troff text formatter?

      0472 Ever submit an entry to the Obfuscated C code contest?
      0473 ... Did it win?
      0474 ... Did your entry inspire a new rule?

      0475 Do you know Duff's device?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 49                  11 Nov 1996


      0476 Do you know Jensen's device?

      0477 Ever spend ten minutes trying to find a single-character error?
      0478 ... More than an hour?
      0479 ... More than a day?
      0480 ... More than a week?
      0481 ... Did the first person you show it to find it immediately?

           * Unix

      0482 Can you use Berkeley Unix?
      0483 .. Non-Berkeley Unix?

      0484 Can you distinguish between sections 4 and 5 of the Unix manual?

      0485 Can you find TERMIO in the System V release 2 documentation?

      0486 Have you ever mounted a tape as a Unix file system?

      0487 Have you ever built Minix?

      0488 Can you answer "quiz function ed-command" correctly?
      0489 ... How about "quiz ed-command function"?

           * Usenet

      0490 Do you read news?
      0491 ... More than 32 newsgroups?
      0492 ... More than 256 newsgroups?
      0493 ... All the newsgroups?

      0494 Have you ever posted an article?
      0495 ... Do you post regularly?

      0496 Have you ever posted a flame?
      0497 ... Ever flame a cross-posting?
      0498 ... Ever flame a flame?
      0499 ... Do you flame regularly?

      0500 Ever have your program posted to a source newsgroup?

      0501 Ever forge a posting?
      0502 Ever form a new newsgroup?
      0503 ... Does it still exist?

      0504 Do you remember
      0505 ... mod.ber?
      0506 ... the Stupid People's Court?
      0507 ... Bandy-grams?

           * Phreaking

      0508 Have you ever built a black box?

      0509 Can you name all of the 'colors' of boxes?
      0510 ... and their associated functions?
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 50                  11 Nov 1996


      0511 Does your touch tone phone have 16 DTMF buttons on it?

      0512 Did the breakup of MaBell create more opportunities for you?


      If you have any comments of suggestions regarding the HACKER TEST,
      Please send then to: hayes@psunuce.bitnet
                        or jwh100@psuvm.bitnet / jwh100@psuvmxa.bitnet
                        or jwh100@psuvm.psu.edu / jwh100@psuvmxa.psu.edu
                        or ...!psuvax1!psuvm.bitnet!jwh100

     --
     Edited by Brad Templeton.  MAIL, yes MAIL your jokes to
     funny@looking.ON.CA Attribute the joke's source if at all possible.  I
     will reply, mailers willing.

     Remember: PLEASE spell check and proofread your jokes.

     --
     |Fidonet:  Troy H. Cheek 1:362/708.4
     |Internet: 362-708-4!Troy.H..Cheek@river.chattanooga.net
     |
     | Standard disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own.
     | River Canyon Rd. BBS <=> Chattanooga OnLine!  Gateway to the World.






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


     [Forwarded by Ronnie L. Grant, 1:102/836, rg@comp1.com.]

     From: "Internet Oracle" <oracle-request@cs.indiana.edu>
     To: oracle-list@cs.indiana.edu
     Date: Mon, 4 Nov 1996 18:21:11 -0500 (EST)
     Subject: Internet Oracularities #868

     [snip]

     --- 868-09 -----------------------------------------------------------
     Selected-By: Mark Lawrence <lawrence.4@osu.edu>

     The Internet Oracle has pondered your question deeply.
     Your question was:

     > Mr Oracle:
     >
     >       Who wrote Opus 51 No. 1?
     >
     >       What musical instruments is it best played on?

     And in response, thus spake the Oracle:

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 51                  11 Nov 1996


     } Opus v51.1 was never released.  Once Wynn Wagner turned over Opus
     } development to George Stanislav, development virtually ceased except
     } for small incremental updates.  The latest version is currently
     } 1.70.
     }
     } As to the instruments, it was originally orchestrated for a DEC
     } Rainbow, but lately the instrument of choice has been an IBM PC.
     }
     } You owe the Oracle a decent FTSC-compatible mailer.

     ---
      * SLMR 2.1a *

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

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 52                  11 Nov 1996


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

                                Future History

      1 Dec 1996
        Twelfth Anniversary of FidoNews Volume 1, Issue 1.

     12 Dec 1996
        Constitution Day, Russia

     26 Jan 1997
        Australia Day, Australia.

      6 Feb 1997
        Waitangi Day, New Zealand.

     16 Feb 1997
        Eleventh Anniversary of invention of Echomail by Jeff Rush.

     29 Feb 1997
        Nothing will happen on this day.

     25 May 1997
        Independence Day, Argentina

     11 Jun 1997
        Independence Day, Russia

      1 Dec 1998
        Fifteenth Anniversary of release of Fido version 1 by
        Tom Jennings.

     31 Dec 1999
        Hogmanay, Scotland. The New Year that can't be missed.

     15 Sep 2000
        Sydney (Australia) Summer Olympiad opens.

     -- If YOU have something which you would like to see in this
        Future History, please send a note to the FidoNews Editor.

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


     To: cbaker84@digital.net (Christopher Baker)
     From: info@pkware.com (PKWARE Inc.)
     Subject: PKZIP for Windows 2.50 RELEASED!
     Date: Wed, 6 Nov 1996 17:24:21 -0600

     Hello Christopher Baker,

     Thanks for your interest in PKWARE. We have some exciting news to
     share with members of our mailing list. Be sure to come to our web
     site for more information.
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 53                  11 Nov 1996


     Best Regards,
     PKWARE

     Contact Information:
     PKWARE(R), Inc.                "The Data Compression Experts"(R)
     9025 N. Deerwood Drive
     Brown Deer, WI  53223 USA


     Phone:     (414) 354-8699       Fax:       (414) 354-8559
     BBS:       (414) 354-8670
     Email:     sales@pkware.com     Web Site:  http://www.pkware.com




                PKWARE(R) ships PKZIP(R) for Windows Version 2.50

             Includes 32-bit support for Windows(R) 95 and Windows NT
     =====================================================================

     Brown Deer, WI - PKWARE, Inc., Friday, November 1, 1996, released a
     new version of the worlds best-known compression utility, PKZIP for
     Windows. This new release takes full advantage of the 32-bit operating
     system environments found in Windows 95 and Windows NT. An enhanced
     16-bit version is also included for Windows 3.1x users.

     Important features of PKZIP for Windows includes the ability to:

     * Create self-extracting Windows archives. This allows creation of
       archives that do not require PKZIP for Windows to extract files from
       the archive; self-extractor can create a program group and register
       extensions in Windows 95.

     * Create spanned .ZIP archives. A spanned .ZIP archive exists over
       more than one diskette or other removable media.

     * Span self-extracting Windows archives.

     * Drag and drop files from the File Manager or Windows Explorer into
       an open archive within PKZIP.

     * Recognize .ZIP archives imbedded with authenticity verification by
       PKZIP for DOS v2.04g.

     * Retain and restore Windows 95 and Windows NT long filenames.

     * Create new, open and test existing, and extract files from .ZIP
       files within the Windows 95 and Windows NT v.4.0 Explorer.

     * Click the right mouse button to activate a menu of the most often
       used features in PKZIP for Windows.

     * Have multiple .ZIP archives open simultaneously.

     * Quickly and easily copy or move files between different .ZIP
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 54                  11 Nov 1996


       archives without having to extract those files.

     * Convert archives to, or from, a normal .ZIP, a Windows
       self-extracting or a DOS self-extracting file.

     * View files from within an archive without extracting individual
       files.

     * Add, edit and view .ZIP archive comments.

     * Easily uninstall PKZIP for Windows, restoring your system to the
       setup previous to installation.

     PKZIP for Windows also has a distribution licensed version which has
     more advanced features for creating self-extracting archives.
     Individuals and companies can create small, easy-to-use archives to
     distribute their files and applications. With one click of a button,
     the self-extracting archive will install its file contents quickly and
     easily at a predefined location. After file extraction, the
     self-extractor can then automatically run a program, if so desired.

     "Many feature enhancements suggested by our valued customers are now
     in PKZIP for Windows," said Phil Katz, president of PKWARE. "The
     distribution licensed version is an especially exciting product
     enhancement, since it can take the place of using a special install
     program."

     PKZIP for Windows is compatible with other versions available for the
     DOS, OS/2 and OpenVMS Alpha/VAX platforms.

     Pricing and Availability
     ________________________

     The PKZIP for Windows version 2.50 is available immediately for $49.
     Registered users of PKZIP for DOS and OS/2 can purchase the Windows
     version of PKZIP for $29.

     You may order direct from PKWARE by calling (414) 354-8699. Additional
     information is available on the Internet at http://www.pkware.com, by
     sending email to info@pkware.com or by dialing our BBS at (414) 354-
     8670.

     PKWARE Background
     ________________________

     Founded in 1986, PKWARE develops and markets award-winning compression
     tools and utilities for both the developer and consumer markets. Its
     products include PKZIP(R), PKLITE(R), PKLITE Professional(R),
     PKZFIND(tm)/PKZOOM(tm) and the PKWARE Data Compression Library(R)
     products for multiple hardware and software platforms. PKWARE products
     are also available through a growing network of distributors and
     retailers in the US and internationally.

     ________________________

     PKWARE, the PKWARE logo, PKZIP, PKLITE, PKLITE Professional and PKWARE
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 55                  11 Nov 1996


     Data Compression Library are registered trademarks of PKWARE, Inc.
     PKZFIND and PKZOOM are trademarks of PKWARE, Inc.  Trademarks of other
     companies mentioned in this documentation appear for identification
     purposes only and are property of their respective companies.

     Contact Information:
     PKWARE(R), Inc.                "The Data Compression Experts"(R)
     9025 N. Deerwood Drive
     Brown Deer, WI  53223 USA


     Phone:     (414) 354-8699
     Fax:       (414) 354-8559
     BBS:       (414) 354-8670
     Email:     sales@pkware.com
     Web Site:  http://www.pkware.com

     [The 32 bit version is available here for file-request as: PKZWIN or
      PK250W32.EXE] Ed.

      -30-

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

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 56                  11 Nov 1996


     =================================================================
                         FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING
     =================================================================


     Latest Greatest Software Versions
     by Peter E. Popovich, 1:363/264

     Wonder of wonders! Someone actually wrote in about a phase-out. I'll
     be holding onto the Atari ST/TT Software section for the time being.

     I'm still behind, and trying desperately to catch up. If you have
     sent in a submission and haven't heard back, please feel free to bug
     me about it... ;-)

     Phase-out highlights:
       This week: Lynx 1.30 Deadline for info: 22 Nov 1996.
       Last week: Kitten 1.01 Deadline for info: 15 Nov 1996.

     -=- Snip -=-

     Submission form for the Latest Greatest Software Versions column

     OS Platform                             :
     Software package name                   :
     Version                                 :
     Function(s) - BBS, Mailer, Tosser, etc. :
     Freeware / Shareware / Commercial?      :
     Author / Support staff contact name     :
     Author / Support staff contact node     :
     Magic name (at the above-listed node)   :

     Please include a sentence describing what the package does.

     Please send updates and suggestions to: Peter Popovich, 1:363/264

     -=- Snip -=-

     MS-DOS:
     Program Name   Version    F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     Act-Up         4.6        G D Chris Gunn        1:15/55     ACT-UP
     ALLFIX         4.33       T S Harald Harms      2:281/415   ALLFIX
     Announcer      1.1        O S Peter Karlsson    2:206/221   ANNOUNCE
     BGFAX          1.60       O S B.J. Guillot      1:106/400   BGFAX
     CheckPnt       0.5 beta   O F Michiel van der Vlist
                                                     2:500/9     CHECKPNT
     FidoBBS (tm)   12u        B S Ray Brown         1:1/117     FILES
     FrontDoor      2.12       M S JoHo              2:201/330   FD
     FrontDoor      2.20c      M C JoHo              2:201/330   FDINFO
     GIGO           07-14-96   G S Jason Fesler      1:1/141     INFO
     Imail          1.75       T S Michael McCabe    1:297/11    IMAIL
     ImCrypt        1.04       O F Michiel van der Vlist
                                                     2:500/9     IMCRYPT
     InfoMail       1.11       O F Damian Walker     2:2502/666  INFOMAIL
     InterEcho      1.19       T C Peter Stewart     1:369/35    IEDEMO
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 57                  11 Nov 1996


     InterMail      2.29k      M C Peter Stewart     1:369/35    IMDEMO
     InterPCB       1.52       O S Peter Stewart     1:369/35    INTERPCB
     IPNet          1.11       O S Michele Stewart   1:369/21    IPNET
     Jelly-Bean     1.01       T S Rowan Crowe       3:635/727   JELLY
     Jelly-Bean/386 1.01       T S Rowan Crowe       3:635/727   JELLY386
     MakePl         1.8        N F Michiel van der Vlist
                                                     2:500/9     MAKEPL
     Marena         1.1 beta   O F Michiel van der Vlist
                                                     2:500/9     MARENA
     Maximus        3.01       B P Tech              1:249/106   MAX
     McMail         1.0g5      M S Michael McCabe    1:1/148     MCMAIL
     MDNDP          1.18       N S Bill Doyle        1:388/7     MDNDP
     MsgEd          4.00       O G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   MSGED
     Opus CBCS      1.73a      B P Christopher Baker 1:374/14    OPUS
     O/T-Track      2.63a      O S Peter Hampf       2:241/1090  OT
     PcMerge        2.7        N F Michiel van der Vlist
                                                     2:500/9     PCMERGE
     PlatinumXpress 1.1        M C Gary Petersen     1:290/111   PX11TD.ZIP
     RAR            2.00       C S Ron Dwight        2:220/22    RAR
     RemoteAccess   2.50       B S Mark Lewis        1:3634/12   RA
     Silver Xpress
       Door         5.4        O S Gary Petersen     1:290/111   FILES
       Reader       4.3        O S Gary Petersen     1:290/111   SXR43.ZIP
     Squish         1.11       T P Tech              1:249/106   SQUISH
     StealTag UK    1.c...     O F Fred Schenk       2:284/412   STEAL_UK
     StealTag NL    1.c...     O F Fred Schenk       2:284/412   STEAL_NL
     T-Mail         2.599I     M S Ron Dwight        2:220/22    TMAIL
     Terminate      4.00       O S Bo Bendtsen       2:254/261   TERMINATE
     Tobruk         0.33       T G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   TOBRUK
     TriBBS         10.0       B S Patrick Driscoll  1:372/19    TRIBBS
     TriDog         10.0       M S Patrick Driscoll  1:372/19    TRIDOG
     TriToss        10.0       T S Patrick Driscoll  1:372/19    TRITOSS
     WWIV           4.24a      B S Craig Dooley      1:376/126   WWIV
     WWIVTOSS       1.30       T S Craig Dooley      1:376/126   WWIVTOSS
     XRobot         3.01       O S JoHo              2:201/330   XRDOS

     OS/2:
     Program Name   Version    F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     BGFAX          1.60       O S B.J. Guillot      1:106/400   BGFAX
     FleetStreet    1.18       O S Michael Hohner    2:2490/2520 FLEET
     GIGO           07-14-96   G S Jason Fesler      1:1/141     INFO
     ImCrypt        1.04       O F Michiel van der Vlist
                                                     2:500/9     IMCRYPT
     Maximus        3.01       B P Tech              1:249/106   MAXP
     MsgEd          4.00       O G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   MSGED
     PcMerge        2.3        N F Michiel van der Vlist
                                                     2:500/9     PCMERGE
     RAR            2.00       C S Ron Dwight        2:220/22    RAR2
     Squish         1.11       T P Tech              1:249/106   SQUISHP
     T-Mail         2.599I     M S Ron Dwight        2:220/22    TMAIL2
     Tobruk         0.33       T G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   TOBRUK
     XRobot         3.01       O S JoHo              2:201/330   XROS2

     Windows (16-bit apps):
     Program Name   Version    F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 58                  11 Nov 1996


     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     BeeMail        1.0        M C Andrius Cepaitis  2:470/1     BEEMAIL

     Windows (32-bit apps):
     Program Name   Version    F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     BeeMail        1.0        M C Andrius Cepaitis  2:470/1     BEEMAIL
     Maximus        3.01       B P Tech              1:249/106   MAXN
     PlatinumXpress 2.00       M C Gary Petersen     1:290/111   PXW-INFO
     T-Mail         2.599I     M S Ron Dwight        2:220/22    TMAILNT

     Unix:
     Program Name   Version    F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     ifmail         2.8f       M G Eugene Crosser    2:293/2219  IFMAIL
     ifmail-tx      2.8f-tx7.7 M G Pablo Saratxaga   2:293/2219  IFMAILTX
     MsgEd          4.00       O G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   MSGED
     Tobruk         0.33       T G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   TOBRUK

     Amiga:
     Program Name   Version    F C Contact Name      Node        Magic Name
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     CrashMail      1.23       T X Fredrik Bennison  2:205/324   CRASHMAIL
     CrashTick      1.1        O F Fredrik Bennison  2:205/324   CRASHTICK
     MsgEd          4.00       O G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   MSGED
     Tobruk         0.33       T G Paul Edwards      3:711/934   TOBRUK

     Function: B-BBS, M-Mailer, N-Nodelist, G-Gateway, T-Tosser,
               C-Compression, O-Other. Note: Multifunction will be listed
               by the first match.

     Cost: P-Free for personal use, F-Freeware, S-Shareware, C-Commercial,
           X-Crippleware, D-Demoware, G-Free w/ Source


     Old info from: 01/27/92
     ---------------------------------------------------------------------

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

     BBS Software            NodeList Utilities      Other Utilities
     Name         Version    Name         Version    Name         Version
     --------------------    --------------------    --------------------
     Kitten          1.01    EditNL          4.00    MailBase       4.11a@
     Lynx            1.30    FDND            1.10    MSG              4.5*
     Merlin         1.39n    MakeNL          2.31    MsgLnk          1.0c
     Oracomm       5.M.6P@   Parselst        1.33    MsgMstr        2.03a
     Oracomm Plus     6.E@   Prune           1.40    MsgNum         4.16d
     PCBoard        14.5a    SysNL           3.14    MSGTOSS          1.3
     Phoenix         1.07*   XlatList        2.90    Netsex         2.00b
     ProBoard        1.20*   XlaxNode/Diff   2.53    OFFLINE         1.35
     QuickBBS        2.75                            Oliver          1.0a
     RBBS           17.3b    Other Utilities         OSIRIS CBIS     3.02
     RemoteAccess    1.11*   Name         Version    PKInsert        7.10
     SimplexBBS      1.05    --------------------    PolyXarc        2.1a
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 59                  11 Nov 1996


     SLBBS          2.15C*   2DAPoint        1.50*   QM             1.00a
     Socrates        1.11    4Dog/4DMatrix   1.18    QSort           4.04
     SuperBBS        1.12*   ARCAsim         2.31    RAD Plus        2.11
     SuperComm       0.99    ARCmail         3.00*   Raid            1.00
     TAG             2.5g    Areafix         1.20    RBBSMail        18.0
     TBBS             2.1    ConfMail        4.00    ScanToss        1.28
     TComm/TCommNet   3.4    Crossnet         1.5    ScMail          1.00
     Telegard         2.7*   DOMAIN          1.42    ScEdit          1.12
     TPBoard          6.1    DEMM            1.06    Sirius          1.0x
     WildCat!        3.02*   DGMM            1.06    SLMail         2.15C
     XBBS            1.77    DOMAIN          1.42    StarLink        1.01
                             EEngine         0.32    TagMail         2.41
     Network Mailers         EMM             2.11*   TCOMMail         2.2
     Name         Version    EZPoint          2.1    Telemail         1.5*
     --------------------    FGroup          1.00    TGroup          1.13
     BinkleyTerm     2.50    FidoPCB         1.0s@   TIRES           3.11
     D'Bridge        1.30    FNPGate         2.70    TMail           1.21
     Dreamer         1.06    GateWorks      3.06e    TosScan         1.00
     Dutchie        2.90c    GMail           2.05    UFGATE          1.03
     Milqtoast       1.00    GMD             3.10    VPurge         4.09e
     PreNM           1.48    GMM             1.21    WEdit            2.0@
     SEAdog          4.60    GoldEd         2.31p    WildMail        2.00
     SEAmail         1.01    GROUP           2.23    WMail            2.2
     TIMS       1.0(mod8)    GUS             1.40    WNode            2.1
                             Harvey's Robot  4.10    XRS             4.99
     Compression             HeadEdit        1.18    XST             2.3e
     Utilities               HLIST           1.09    YUPPIE!         2.00
     Name         Version    ISIS            5.12@   ZmailH          1.25
     --------------------    Lola           1.01d    ZSX             2.40
     ARC             7.12    Mosaic         1.00b
     ARJ             2.20
     LHA             2.13
     PAK             2.51
     PKPak           3.61
     PKZip           1.10


                             OS/2 Systems
                             ------------

     BBS Software            Other Utilities(A-M     Other Utilities(N-Z)
     Name         Version    Name         Version    Name         Version
     --------------------    --------------------    --------------------
     Kitten          1.01    ARC             7.12    oMMM            1.52
     SimplexBBS   1.04.02+   ARC2            6.01    Omail            3.1
                             ConfMail        4.00    Parselst        1.33
                             EchoStat         6.0    PKZip           1.02
     Network Mailers         EZPoint          2.1    PMSnoop         1.30
     Name         Version    FGroup          1.00    PolyXOS2        2.1a
     --------------------    GROUP           2.23    QSort            2.1
     BinkleyTerm     2.50    LH2             2.11    Raid             1.0
     BinkleyTerm(S)  2.50    MSG              4.2    Remapper         1.2
     BinkleyTerm/2-MT        MsgLink         1.0c    Tick             2.0
                  1.40.02    MsgNum         4.16d    VPurge         4.09e
     SEAmail         1.01

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 60                  11 Nov 1996


                             Xenix/Unix 386
                             --------------

     BBS Software            Network Mailers         Other Utilities
     Name         Version    Name         Version    Name         Version
     --------------------    --------------------    --------------------
                                                     ARC             5.21
                                                     C-LHARC         1.00
      |Contact:  Willy Paine 1:343/15,|              MSGLINK         1.01
      |or Eddy van Loo 2:285/406      |              oMMM            1.42
                                                     Omail           1.00
                                                     ParseLst        1.32
                                                     Unzip           3.10
                                                     VPurge          4.08
                                                     Zoo             2.01


                             Macintosh
                             ---------

     BBS Software            Network Mailers         Other Software
     Name         Version    Name         Version    Name         Version
     --------------------    --------------------    --------------------
     FBBS            0.91    Copernicus       1.0    ArcMac           1.3
     Hermes         1.6.1    Tabby            2.2    AreaFix          1.6
     Mansion         7.15                            Compact Pro     1.30
     Precision Sys. 0.95b                            EventMeister     1.0
     Red Ryder Host   2.1                            Export          3.21
     Telefinder Host                                 Import           3.2
                  2.12T10                            LHARC           0.41
                                                     MacArd          0.04
                                                     Mantissa        3.21
     Point System                                    Mehitable        2.0
     Software                                        OriginatorII     2.0
     Name         Version                            PreStamp         3.2
     --------------------                            StuffIt Classic  1.6
     Copernicus      1.00                            SunDial          3.2
     CounterPoint    1.09                            TExport         1.92
     MacWoof          1.1                            TimeStamp        1.6
                                                     TImport         1.92
                                                     Tset             1.3
                                                     TSort            1.0
                                                     UNZIP          1.02c
                                                     Zenith           1.5
                                                     Zip Extract     0.10


                             Amiga
                             -----

     BBS Software            Network Mailers         Other Software
     Name         Version    Name         Version    Name         Version
     --------------------    --------------------    --------------------
     4D-BBS          1.65    BinkleyTerm     1.00    Areafix         1.48
     DLG Pro.       0.96b    TrapDoor        1.80    AReceipt         1.5
     Falcon CBCS     1.00    WelMat          0.44    ChameleonEdit   0.11
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 61                  11 Nov 1996


     Starnet         1.0q@                           ConfMail        1.12
     TransAmiga      1.07                            ElectricHerald  1.66
     XenoLink         1.0    Compression             FFRS             1.0@
                             Utilities               FileMgr         2.08
                             Name         Version    Fozzle           1.0@
     NodeList Utilities      --------------------    Login           0.18
     Name         Version    AmigArc         0.23    MessageFilter   1.52
     --------------------    booz            1.01    Message View    1.12
     ParseLst        1.66    LHARC           1.30    oMMM            1.50
     Skyparse        2.30    LhA             1.10    PolyXAmy        2.02
     TrapList        1.40    LZ              1.92    RMB             1.30
                             PkAX            1.00    Roof           46.15
                             UnZip            4.1    RoboWriter      1.02
                             Zippy (Unzip)   1.25    Rsh            4.07a
                             Zoo             2.01    Tick            0.75
                                                     TrapToss        1.20
     |Contact: Maximilian Hantsch 2:310/6|           Yuck!           2.02


                             Atari ST/TT
                             -----------

     BBS Software            Network Mailers         Other Utilities
     Name         Version    Name         Version    Name         Version
     --------------------    --------------------    --------------------
     FIDOdoor/ST    2.5.1    BinkleyTerm   2.40n9    ApplyList       1.00@
     FiFo            2.1v    The Box         1.95*   Burep            1.1
     LED ST          1.00                            ComScan         1.04
     QuickBBS/ST     1.06*                           ConfMail        4.10
                             NodeList  Utilities     Echoscan        1.10
                             Name         Version    FDrenum        2.5.2
     Compression             --------------------    FastPack        1.20
     Utilities               ParseList       1.30    Import          1.14
     Name         Version    EchoFix         1.20    oMMM            1.40
     --------------------    sTICK/Hatch     5.50    Pack            1.00
     ARC             6.02                            Trenum          0.10
     LHARC          2.01i
     PackConvert
     STZip            1.1*
     UnJARST         2.00
     WhatArc         2.02


                             Tandy Color Computer 3 (OS-9 Level II)
                             --------------------------------------

     BBS Software            Compression Utility     Other Utilities
     Name         Version    Name         Version    Name         Version
     --------------------    --------------------    --------------------
     RiBBS           2.02+   Ar               1.3    Ascan            1.2
                             DeArc           5.12    AutoFRL          2.0
                             OS9Arc           1.0    Bundle           2.2
                             UnZip           3.10    CKARC            1.1
                             UnLZH            3.0    EchoCheck       1.01
                                                     FReq            2.5a
                                                     LookNode        2.00
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 62                  11 Nov 1996


                                                     ParseLST
                                                     PReq             2.2
                                                     RList           1.03
                                                     RTick           2.00
                                                     UnBundle         1.4
                                                     UnSeen           1.1

     --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --
     Key to old info:
           + - Netmail Capable (Doesn't Require Additional Mailer Software)
           * - Recently Updated Version
           @ - New Addition
     --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --  --

     Please send updates and suggestions to: Peter Popovich, 1:363/264

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

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 63                  11 Nov 1996


     =================================================================
                            FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY
     =================================================================


     [this must be copied out to a file starting at column 1 or
      it won't process under PGP as a valid public-key]


     -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
     Version: 2.6.2
     Comment: Clear-signing is Electronic Digital Authenticity!

     -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----


     Pending a formal decision about including 'encrypted' material inside
     FidoNews from the Zone Coordinator Council, the guts of the FidoNews
     public-key have been removed from this listing.

     File-request FNEWSKEY from 1:1/23 [1:18/14] or download it from the
     Rights On! BBS at 1-904-409-7040 anytime except 0100-0130 ET and Zone
     1 ZMH at 1200-9600+ HST/V32B.

     This section will contain only this disclaimer and instructions until
     a ZCC decision is forwarded to the Editor.

     Sorry for any inconvenience.

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

     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 64                  11 Nov 1996


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

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

     Editor: Christopher Baker

     Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell,
                       Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar,
                       Tom Jennings, Sylvia Maxwell,
                       Donald Tees

     "FidoNews Editor"
         FidoNet  1:1/23
         BBS  1-904-409-7040,  300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(ds)

      more addresses:
         Christopher Baker -- 1:18/14, cbaker84@digital.net
                                       cbak.rights@opus.global.org

     (Postal Service mailing address)
         FidoNews Editor
         P.O. Box 471
         Edgewater, FL 32132-0471
         U.S.A.


     voice:  1-904-409-3040 [1400-2100 ET only, please]
                            [1800-0100 UTC/GMT]

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

     FidoNews is published weekly by and for the members of the FIDONET
     INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR ELECTRONIC MAIL system.  It is a compilation
     of individual articles contributed by their authors or their
     authorized agents.  The contribution of articles to this compilation
     does not diminish the rights of the authors.  OPINIONS EXPRESSED in
     these articles ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS and not necessarily those of
     FidoNews.

     Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
     Copyright 1996 Christopher Baker.  All rights reserved.  Duplication
     and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only.  For
     use in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or
     the Editor.

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

     OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue of FidoNews in electronic
     form may be obtained from the FidoNews Editor via manual download or
     file-request, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
     PRINTED COPIES may be obtained by sending SASE to the above postal
     address.  File-request FIDONEWS for the current Issue.  File-request
     FNEWS for the current month in one archive.  Or file-request specific
     back Issue filenames in distribution format [FNEWSDnn.LZH] for a
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 65                  11 Nov 1996


     particular Issue.  Monthly Volumes are available as FNWSmmmy.ZIP
     where mmm = three letter month [JAN - DEC] and y = last digit of the
     current year [6], i.e., FNWSMAY6.ZIP for all the Issues from May 96.

     Annual volumes are available as FNEWSn.ZIP where n = the Volume number
     1 - 12 for 1984 - 1995, respectively. Annual Volume archives range in
     size from 48K to 1.2M.


     INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via:

                          http://www.fidonet.org/fidonews.htm
                          ftp://ftp.fidonet.org/pub/fidonet/fidonews/
                          ftp://ftp.aminet.org/pub/aminet/comm/fido/

     You can read the current FidoNews Issue in HTML format at:

                          http://www.geocities.com/athens/6894/

     STAR SOURCE for ALL Past Issues via FTP and file-request -
     Available for FReq from 1:396/1 or by anonymous FTP from:

                          ftp://ftp.sstar.com/fidonet/fnews/

     Each yearly archive also contains a listing of the Table-of-Contents
     for that year's issues.  The total set is currently about 11 Megs.

                                 =*=*=*=

     The current week's FidoNews and the FidoNews public-key are now also
     available almost immediately after publication on the Editor's new
     homepage on the World Wide Web at:

                  http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fidonews.html

     There are also links there to jim barchuk's HTML FidoNews source and
     to John Souvestre's FTP site for the archives. There is also an email
     link for sending in an article as message text. Drop on over.

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

     A PGP generated public-key is available for the FidoNews Editor from
     1:1/23 [1:18/14] by file-request for FNEWSKEY or by download from
     Rights On! BBS at 1-904-409-7040 as FIDONEWS.ASC in File Area 18.  It
     is also posted twice a month into the PKEY_DROP Echo available on the
     Zone 1 Echomail Backbone.

                                *=*=*=*=*

     Anyone interested in getting a copy of the INTERNET GATEWAY FAQ may
     file-request GISFAQ.ZIP from 1:133/411.0, or send an internet message
     to fidofaq@gisatl.fidonet.org.  No message or text or subject is
     necessary.  The address is a keyword that will trigger the automated
     response.  People wishing to send inquiries directly to David Deitch
     should now mail to fidonet@gisatl.fidonet.org rather than the
     previously listed address.
     FIDONEWS 13-46               Page 66                  11 Nov 1996


                                *=*=*=*=*

     SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
     FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
     ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews Editor, or file-requestable
     from 1:1/23 [1:18/14] as file "ARTSPEC.DOC".  ALL Zone Coordinators
     also have copies of ARTSPEC.DOC. Please read it.

     "Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
     trademarks of Tom Jennings, P.O. Box 410923, San Francisco, CA 94141,
     and are used with permission.

             "Disagreement is actually necessary,
              or we'd all have to get in fights
              or something to amuse ourselves
              and create the requisite chaos."
                                -Tom Jennings

      -30-


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



NEW PAGES:

[ODDNUGGET]

[GOPHER]