NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31

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Path: sparky!uunet!gatech!darwin.sura.net!spool.mu.edu!uwm.edu!biosci!kumr!pozar From: pozar@kumr.lns.com (Tim Pozar) Newsgroups: comp.org.fidonet Subject: FidoNet Newsletter, Volume 9, # 52 Message-ID: <1992Dec28.183441.24290@kumr.lns.com> Date: 28 Dec 92 18:34:41 GMT Organization: Late Night Software (San Francisco) Lines: 1111 Approved: pozar@hoptoad.UUCP F I D O N E W S -- | Vol. 9 No. 52 (28 December 1992) A newsletter of the | FidoNet BBS community | Published by: _ | / \ | "FidoNews" BBS /|oo \ | +1-415-863-2739 (_| /_) | NEW!--> 1:1/23@FidoNet _`@/_ \ _ | editor@fidonews.fidonet.org | | \ \\ | | (*) | \ )) | Editors: |__U__| / \// | Tom Jennings _//|| _\ / | Tim Pozar (_/(_|(____/ | (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. | -- JOSEPH PULITZER ----------------------------+--------------------------------------- /********************************************************************* * IMPORTANT NOTE: The FidoNet address for FidoNews has been changed. * * The new address is: * * * * FidoNews = 1:1/23 * * * * Starting January 1993 email sent to the old address will not be * * forwarded! You were warned! * *********************************************************************/ For information, copyrights, article submissions, obtaining copies and other boring but important details, please refer to the end of this file. Table of Contents 1. EDITORIAL ..................................................... 1 Editorial: GIGO ............................................... 1 2. ARTICLES ...................................................... 3 Nodelist comments revealed .................................... 3 The combination of the accepted nodelist flags ................ 4 Rich Wood for ZC campaign hits PC Magazine! ................... 7 A FEW OBSERVATIONS ON HOBBY GROUP DYNAMICS .................... 11 What is really new(s) to you, isn't new(s) to me! ............. 15 Announcing NoSnail - Netmail for RBBS v1.00 ................... 15 Remote Access Users may use Internet without fuss ............. 16 3. FIDONEWS INFORMATION .......................................... 19 FidoNews 9-52 Page 1 28 Dec 1992 ====================================================================== EDITORIAL ====================================================================== Editorial: GIGO by Tom Jennings (1:1/23) 'Tis the season to ... "Hang the last ZC with the guts of the last RC!", well, maybe we could keep that figurative and hold an election that should be simple oh wait... heh heh. But I digress. Nice weather we're having here, isn't it? Did you hear something? Not me! I am soooo glad I don't have a /0 in my FidoNet address! Ahem. This week we have oh never mind, you'll see. Many thanks to Gary Vedvik (1:102/1006) for giving me his NLSTATS program, which generates statistics from the nodelist, as well as pulling out those sneaky announcements of your fate hidden deep in the bowels of the nodelist. (Well, I guess it's not that bad, it's delivered to my virtual door weekly, all I have to do is read it...) Now, when I get my nodelist, I'll produce an "article" file I can check for is/is-not-worth-bothering-with for possible inclusion in FidoNews. In case you're as lazy as I am and don't read the nodelist comments. I'm not getting many questions for the new "Ask EFF!" column which will run here monthly. In case you missed it, here's some info: +------------------------------------------------------+ | Ask EFF! | | | | Ask EFF! is a monthly column devoted to answering | | sysops questions about their online rights. Answers | | to "Ask EFF!" are provided by Shari Steele, a Staff | | Attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. EFF | | is a nonprofit, membership organization dedicated to | | advancing freedom and openness in computer-based | | communications. | | Send your questions to "Ask EFF!" c/o FidoNews, | | 1:1/23 in FidoNet, or to ask.eff@fidonews.fidonet.org| +------------------------------------------------------+ FidoNews 9-52 Page 2 28 Dec 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 9-52 Page 3 28 Dec 1992 ====================================================================== ARTICLES ====================================================================== Statistics for: NODELIST.360 Mon Dec 28 02:34:56 1992 Total nodes listed: 21127 Total size in bytes: 1719279 - Node Summary - - Administrative Summary - CM Nodes: 17743 (83.98 %) Admin. Nodes: 1662 ( 7.87 %) MO Nodes: 2075 ( 9.82 %) -------------- LO Nodes: 288 ( 1.36 %) Zones: 6 ( 0.36 %) Downed Nodes: 353 ( 1.67 %) Regions: 67 ( 4.03 %) Private Nodes: 470 ( 2.22 %) Hosts: 550 (33.09 %) Hold Nodes: 103 ( 0.49 %) Hubs: 1039 (62.52 %) - Zone Node Usage Summary - 1: 12606 (59.67 %) 2: 6253 (29.60 %) 3: 944 ( 4.47 %) 4: 243 ( 1.15 %) 5: 127 ( 0.60 %) 6: 954 ( 4.52 %) - Nodelist Comments - NOTICE -- NOTICE -- NOTICE -- NOTICE -- NOTICE -- NOTICE -- NOTICE -------------------------------------------- | | The Zone 1 Coordinator interim replacement election has ended. | The result is a 5-5 tie between Tim Pearson and Bob Satti after | 2 runoffs. Rather than proceed any farther with the runoff | process the election has been called off. The 10 region | coordinators are going to restart the election. The conditions | and procedure are still being hammered out but after listening | to early discussions I'm confident that "my" rules have been | appropriately discarded. We should expect something from the | RCs during January. | | Happy Holidays to you all! Please be careful out there. | -------------------------------------------- You can request the most recent nodelist/nodediff from your Network or Region Coordinator. They are usually available with the "magic name" of NODELIST or NODEDIFF. Please check the END of the nodelist for additional technical information. FidoNews 9-52 Page 4 28 Dec 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The combination of the accepted nodelist flags. =============================================== By: Nils Hammar 2:205/601@fidonet.org 4341@msg.abc.se This is a follow-up to my article about failed nodelist flags last week. I have currently received two notes about that article, where one was from Leonard Erickson, who wrote an article indepentent from me, and another note that told me that what I had interpreted as serial numbers really was fakenet numbers. (But the Boss node should filter those numbers from the rest of fidonet, not insert them into the nodelist!) The handling of fakenets in the nodelist seems to be a result of a lazy programmer! In this article I am discussing the combination of different nodelist flags. Some combinations aren't useful, and others are more or less confusing. Those flag combinations are probably occuring due to people that aren't aware about which flags that needs to be in the nodelist, and which flags that are wasting space. I think that some RC:s and NC:s needs to check their part of the nodelist in some way to make it cleaner. I have added another waste of space in the end of this article with all the more or less peculiar combinations of flags that exists in the nodelist. Observe that I have sorted the fields in the nodelist to be able to count all combinations correctly. Some combinations are much more common than others. 9600 as an alone flag is used by many nodes. Don't they know what their modem is up to, or is V32 said to be default for those nodes? I haven't written a word about the error lines in the nodelist until now, but if a node is listed with an error in the nodelist, it should be obvious for the node itself that it is something wrong! The bad thing with those articles is that there will probably be some large nodediffs in the coming weeks, but that's a problem that we would have had anyway. This is probably the last article about this subject for a while. Below is some notes that you should have in mind when reading the list of odd flags: FidoNews 9-52 Page 5 28 Dec 1992 - It is possible to combine the PEP and HST protocol on the same line if you hook them up with the HST modem breaking the line for the PEP modem, since the PEP modem has often a very long answer sequence for the PEP protocol, which will stay up even when the HST modem has put on the hook. I haven't tested this in real life yet, but I don't think that this should be hard to get working if it is possible to use two communication ports on the computer. - Some entries doesn't have many flags, often fewer than expected, very often only the baudrate. - A modem with V32B can always handle V32, so stating both flags is a true waste of space. This is also mentioned in the nodelist! (Included part of Z2 nodelist here.) .............................. NOTE: Many V22 modems also support Bell 212A. If no modem flag is given, CCITT V.22 is assumed within zone 2 for 1200bps, while Bell 212A is assumed for 1200 bps systems in other zones, CCITT V22bis is assumed for 2400 bps systems. A separate modem capability flag should not be used when it can be determined by the modem flag. For instance, a modem flag of HST implies MNP. V32B implies V32 and V42B implies V42. MNP,HST and V32,V32B and V42,V42B flag pairs are unnecessary. H14 implies HST as well as V42.Bis and H16 implies H14. .............................. Rather unusual! =============== 4800 1 Hmmm.... I think that the maximum baud rate is a little too low. ================================================================ 2400,CSP 2 2400,HST 10 2400,MAX 2 2400,PEP 1 2400,V22,V21,CSP 1 2400,V32 9 2400,V32,HST 2 2400,V32,V22,V21 1 2400,V32B 11 2400,V32B,HST 3 2400,V32B,PEP 1 2400,V32B,V32 1 2400,V32B,V32,V22 1 2400,V32B,ZYX 1 FidoNews 9-52 Page 6 28 Dec 1992 Split speed? ============ 9600,2400,V32B 1 Too few flags. ============== 9600 316 Are those V32 modems? 9600,V22 2 9600,V22,V21 1 9600,V29 1 With FAX? Flags that usually couldn't be combined. ======================================== 9600,V32,HST,H14 1 Two HST flags (old 9600,V32,V22,V21,HST,H16 1 and new, only one 9600,V32B,HST,H14 3 should be enough.) 9600,V32B,HST,H16 2 9600,V32,HST,PEP 2 Three standards modems? 9600,V32B,HST,PEP 1 (See beginning of article.) 9600,V32B,HST,CSP 1 9600,V32B,V32,HST,CSP 1 9600,V32B,HST,ZYX 1 9600,V32B,H14,ZYX 1 Two flags says the same thing. ============================== 2400,V22B 17 2400 is V22B! 2400,V22B,V21 1 2400,V22B,V22 3 2400,V22B,V22,V21 5 9600,V32,V22B,V22,V21 1 9600 covers V22B 9600,V32B,V22B 3 9600,V22B,HST 1 9600,V32B,V32 138 V32B does also 9600,V32B,V32,CSP 15 support V32! 9600,V32B,V32,H14 1 9600,V32B,V32,HST 62 9600,V32B,V32,V22 14 9600,V32B,V32,V22,CSP 4 9600,V32B,V32,V22,HST 1 9600,V32B,V32,V22,V21 3 9600,V32B,V32,V22,V21,CSP 1 9600,V32B,V32,V22,V29 1 9600,V32B,V32,V22,V29,V33 1 9600,V32B,V32,V29 1 9600,V32B,V32,V29,V33 1 9600,V32B,V32,V33 4 FidoNews 9-52 Page 7 28 Dec 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- by Glen Johnson 1:2605/269 Media Executive Rejected in bid for Zone Coordinator - Part II Hello folks! When we last left our saga, George Peace announced his resignation as Zone 1 Coordinator effective Novmber 26, 1992, and also announced that he wasn't gonna let ANYBODY that's not a Region Coordinator (or WAS one) succeed him . Well, here we are a month later, and we still have the status quo. Peace is still in the nodelist as ZC, and the RCs still can't agree on a replacement. Maybe if the field of candidates weren't so LIMITED, they'd have an easier time of it :) You'll recall my previous Snooze article when I said that the head honcho of the WOR Radio Network expressed an interest in serving as Zone Coordinator, and was turned down simply because he's not an RC. Hey, you may be a big a shot in the national media, but in FIDONET, where things REALLY COUNT, you are but a mere sysop; so you CAN'T be Zone Coordinator. The NERVE of you to ask! Well, this started a grass roots movement to get Rich Wood ("RadioMan") elected Z1C. He's garnered support from lots of OTHER people that don't count (the sysops), and has decided not to give in until SYSOPS in Fidonet have the RIGHT to seek ANY coordinator position, VOTE for who their coordinators are, and NOT be discriminated against in ANY fashion. Way to go RadioMan!! But hey, watch out!! RadioMan is a DEMOCRACY FREAK! Geez, he wants to make coordinators ACCOUNTABLE to the people they serve. We can't have THIS, can we?? Heaven help us, what next ... But I *DO* want to warn you lowly sysops about WHERE you voice your opinion on this issue! *I* just received the dubious honor of being cut from the ZEC conference for discussion ZC elections! They said it was off-topic. Funny, the last TWO Zone Echo Coordinators were APPOINTED (oops, there we go with that appointment stuff again!) by the ZC, so I'd think there'd be a pretty CLOSE RELATIONSHIP there, don't you?? Don't matter though ... FidoNews 9-52 Page 8 28 Dec 1992 Me, and another famous Big Mouth, Bob Moravsik, were yanked from the conference by JOHN SOUVESTRE. Souvestre claims he's the moderator of the ZEC conference, and has the authority to throw us out. Ok. We checked the OFFICIAL ECHOLIST at 1/201. Guess what? John Souvestre isn't listed as the moderator! So we challenged him, and he said he's the moderator because Marge Robbins wasn't feeling well, and she asked him to fill in for her while she was incapacitated. Ok. We checked the OFFICIAL ECHOLIST at 1/201. Guess what? MARGE ROBBINS isn't listed as the moderator EITHER! So we asked Marge. Marge says "Oh that's a mistake. I really AM the moderator". WILL THE *REAL* MODERATOR PLEASE STAND UP??! Hehehe. Comical ain't it, folks? It gets better. This guy Souvestre wrote to an echomail coordinator in net 2605, and told him to cut Moravsik's link. That coordinator, Tom Lawrence, asked why he should do that. John Souvestre told Tom that he had NO AUTHORITY to ask that question, and that he must cut Bob's link because he SAID SO. Tom told him to GO POUND SALT. Souvestre went after Tom's link, and the coordinator at the next level told him to GO POUND SALT. So Johnny went BOPping up the line until he found SOMEBODY that would do what he tells him, and a link was FINALLY cut! So me, Bob, and EIGHTY EIGHT SYSOPS got their link cut, because this guy Souvestre says that HE'S THE BOSS AND YOU WILL DO AS I SAY. Hey, why not make this Souvestre guy Z1C?? That's the kind of guy we want, right?? A total dictator that admits it! Yeah!!! Hey look, this is just an example of what SOME people will do to squash the average Joe who wants to have SOME say in how his network is run. The ZEC conference is supposed to be moderated by the ZEC, and THAT guy is appointed by the ZC! BUT ITS OFF-TOPIC!! Don't you DARE bring it up in there. Hehehehehe!! Oh, by the way, we don't HAVE a ZEC at the moment. The last one resigned. So does that mean that there's ANY moderator for the ZEC conference? FidoNews 9-52 Page 9 28 Dec 1992 Anyway, the REASON Rich Wood enjoys popular support, is because HE supports checks and balances so that people like Souvestre can't go on a rampage like this unchecked. People like that MUST be held accountable to the rank and file. Hey we even got the "Rich Wood for ZC" word out all over the WORLD! Yep, its even in the January 12, 1993 edition of PC Magazine. Don't believe me? Look closely at the screen shot on Page 55 :) Anyway, a bunch of us sysops-rights nuts will be submitting a policy document in mid to late January to the RCs for approval by the members of Fidonet. I'll bet it even actually gets presented for ratification! If it does, it'll be a GOOD THING for Fidonet. People like Rich Wood, and people like YOU will be allowed to seek any coordinator position regardless of your current status, and it'll give you the *RIGHT* to VOTE. Rich Wood for ZC = Democracy in Fidonet. Hey what do you think? Drop me a note! Drop Rich a note! Drop your RC a note! Until next time .... *@$$&#.. NO CARRIER ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Policy4, *C Elections, & You POLICY4, *C ELECTIONS & YOU by Mark Jordan, 1:205/1701 And so it comes to this...secrecy, clandestine affairs, hidden information in the NODEDIFF... If I wasn't looking for certain things (more later) in the NODEDIFF, I never would have known that there was a problem in the ZC election... of course, now that Region 10 is apparently going to control the new selection process, I should also be happy for those up the line to be looking out for my best interests, no? Never mind that Policy4 complaints took forever to be processed...never mind the admission in a police report by the sysop who was subject of the PC...never mind that even though Policy4 *specifically* states that precedent is useful but not binding, but the *C structure is 'afraid of setting a precedent', even when POLICY supersedes precedent...never mind that we are told that Policy4 is binding on Zone 1... this all part of the 'more later' from above... FidoNews 9-52 Page 10 28 Dec 1992 Now, those who have decided on how to control the process of choosing candidates admit that they have had a problem! Perhaps this problem is founded in the 'creativity' of their *new* interpretation on how Policy4 is to be made, no? I, for one, would be very interested in hearing about how this new 'selection of candidates' process came about...what authority decided that this was going to be the way to do it---and what authority has now decided to abandon that process for another, one which is coming from a structure that is, in my own experience, both painfully slow and inexorably petrified so badly, it can't realize it's own problems fast enough. As much as I am for the ideals of Policy4, I am afraid that the time has come to state what no one else has been willing to do... POLICY4 is toothless. It is ineffective. It is these things because it is *NOT* a valid policy controlling Fidonet. It is observed by the *C structure only when it is convenient---it is ignored when those it is designed to protect ask for its solace. It is being used as a shield to protect those in power, and allow them justification to both abuse and exceed the very limited authority that it grants them. Even when a precedent exists, it is ignored; when one doesn't exist to guide in a decision, no one in the *C structure is willing to make one. It is time for some sort of action to take place, whether it is to give up and leave Fidonet, or to wrest control back from the current by means of a coup...up to and including issuing a nodelist independent of the current *C structure. Face it, folks...we are a grass-roots organization, right? We do this for love and communications, not power or money, right? We do this all because we wish to communicate freely and openly, and make our world available to everyone else to share in, right? So, tell me, then---why is it that the ZC selection process was closed to anyone except former or current RCs? Why is it that RCs now have the power to *appoint* a NC? If Policy outweighs precedents in Fidonet, what are these 'processes' from, and on what authority? So, I ask openly and honestly, to all the *C and *EC structure--- Please explain yourselves. Please cite the authority you suddenly have granted yourselves. Please show us why you are doing this, and on what grounds you have exempted yourself from, at the least, openly advising the sysops-at-large of your actions, whether (as Tom Jennings himself has asked) in the official news-organ of Fidonet or at least bulletins for the NC/NEC structure to send out, rather than leaving it in the NODEDIFF, where automatic list processors never even realize it is on the file! FidoNews 9-52 Page 11 28 Dec 1992 There are enough people I've contacted or been contacted by in Fidonet who are not at all pleased with this heavy-handed display of authority...and I truly have no interest in Fido Politics beyond running my system and keeping my users happy. But when your actions coddle those who would violate my system and my privacy; when you begin changing the organization to suit what seem to be naught but personal goals; when the subjective outweighs the objective; when you begin the process to interfere with my enjoyment of being part of Fidonet, I *demand* answers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A FEW OBSERVATIONS ON HOBBY GROUP DYNAMICS by Kay Shapero @ 1:102/524 Recent events in Fidonet in general and FidoNews in particular suggest the following, while originally meant for a different audience might be of some use. Accordingly, here follows a short dissertation on relatively small group dynamics from a somewhat anthropological view, based on personal observations of such phenomena including various literary fandoms, college organizations, gaming clubs, and computer nets. Specifically, I want to talk about what may be described as subcultures, or hobby groups - groups of individuals bound together by a common interest or theme, in which membership is voluntary. Such things as chess and bridge leagues, folk dancing clubs, the Society for Creative Anachronism, ham radio clubs or the various nets and zones of FIDOnet. This as opposed to cultural enclaves, where members from a completely different culture can be found living inside of the territory of another culture but paying as little heed as possible to the imperatives of the other culture, or ghettoization where members of a particular culture are forced into a subculture by some characteristic or characteristics which are seen by the larger culture as forming an obvious bond, and as being strange at best, unsavory at worst. Now there are all sorts of motives for joining a hobby group, but they can be divided rather loosely into four categories (1) intrinsic interest in the theme, (2) social (a friend or mate is part of the group), (3) political (membership in the group may be of help to achieve ends in the larger culture), and sometimes (4) out and out power seeking; the search for a small enough pond in which one can be a large frog. Now these motives are not exclusive and frequently members can be found who embody several of them. But one thing seems clear - members whose motives fall entirely, or nearly entirely into one category frequently cannot understand, or even recognize the motives of those of another which they do not share. We shall now explore a few of the problems this can lead to... FidoNews 9-52 Page 12 28 Dec 1992 With any hobby group in existence for less than a decade or so, people primarily interested in the theme of the group predominate and include many of the people who created the hobby group in the first place. In the case of FIDOnet, that would be the sysops of the original net structure, and most of the ones who have joined over the succeeding years. If there are any recognized leaders at all, they are of the first group, but unless there's some overwhelming reason for a rigid formal structure, they tend to be somewhat anarchistic in nature, especially when viewed from the outside, or by people primarily motivated by power seeking (about which more later). Every one of the other categories at this point has potential dangers, some more than others. Folks with category two motives don't tend to linger unless they also develop motives of one or more of the other types (case in point, the girl/boyfriend of the wargaming enthusiast who comes to a few sessions, is bored silly, and either breaks up with the player or pries him/her away from the game) and unless they're particularly vindictive, pose more of a nuisance than a threat. If they are, and can't pry the friend/mate away from the hobby, they go forth and give interviews of the "Golf ruined my life!" variety or go on talk shows explaining why Dungeons and Dragons is a tool of Satan. Which can do bad things to your group's public image, which is why the smart group does not simply ignore folks who drifted in for category two reasons; it tries to find something to interest them instead while the primary member is doing whatever it is the club does. If possible - in the case of something like FIDOnet benign neglect probably IS the way to go, for anybody further away from the social member than their local sysop. Category three motives are relatively rare in a new group (one less than 10 or so years old, such as FIDOnet) unless the other members are politically important already. For example, a golf club started by professional movie makers might well attract wannabe actors; a fishing league begun by Congressmen might attract anyone who wants to influence one. Sometimes what the lions are famous for may be the same thing as what the hobby group deals with, such as famous authors starting a writing club. In any case, if the group and the fame are for two different things, category three motives cause folks to act much like those of category two, while if they're the same thing they may well resemble those of category one. Herein lies the danger; in their efforts to be noticed by the "big guns", lion hunters can do some pretty strange things and not all realize just how far it is safe to go. So you get the "fan from hell" syndrome, and before long all the "big guns" may be forgiven for an assumption that the average individual who is in the hobby purely for the fun of it must also be a "fan from hell". This upsets no end of people, and again can really wreck the image of your hobby group. (Comics fandom is a prime example.) OK, here we go with category four... This motive can be of immense value, or prove a serious nuisance. First off, people who are attempting to find power in a small group because they cannot achieve the power over others they desire in the outside world for reasons OTHER than lack of competence, _and_ are interested in the intrinsic nature of the group (category one), or are at least not bored with the FidoNews 9-52 Page 13 28 Dec 1992 topic frequently prove serious assets to the group. Witness the caliber of staff many a volunteer charity club has gained in the past from people who for reasons of sex, age, or race were actively prevented from wielding any authority. A true benevolent dictatorship can be wonderful for keeping the rest of the world out of the hair of the vast majority of the club (category one) while they enjoy their hobby. After all, one gets enough aggravation in the "real world", and despite rumor, most folks who partake in any hobby, be it bridge, little theater, the Society for Creative Anachronism, or FIDONet DO "have a life" besides their favorite pastime. The real trouble comes when you get someone who is either not QUITE competent to run even a small group, or otherwise potentially competent, but just plain too self centered to take into consideration the feelings of the other members of the group. It is from THIS category that most direct challenges to the original leadership of the hobby group tend to come. And this confuses the heck out of the category one motivated folks, who can't understand why this newbie seems to think that they are running some sort of Horrible Dictatorship. It's actually fairly easy to take the leadership away from someone who doesn't really want it in the first place. Which means you can wind up with someone nominally in charge who doesn't quite know what he is doing, and worse, is unaware of this fact. This doesn't necessarily mean disaster, if the newbie is willing to learn. If, however, he isn't, doesn't realize he simply doesn't know everything he thinks he does, and is also of the mindset that assumes that all people everywhere are primarily actuated by power seeking, and that all actions must be explained in that light, Katy bar the door! As soon as it becomes obvious that the group is not running in the style in which either it did, or in which the category four motivated leader WANTS it to, the search is on for the political enemy who must be trying to take the group away from it's rightful king..er leader. If the new leader is the only power seeker, this can damp down pretty quickly once everyone else appoints him designated twit and ignores him. But if there are any others about THEY will all promptly start attempting to seize power and SAVE THE CLUB/ECHO/NET. At this point your best bet is to sneak out the back, lock the door, tiptoe off down the street and start a new group... Continuing on, let us consider power struggles and power seeking in a bit more depth. One classic way to gain power in a small group setting, is to find one or more other people who agree with your opinions, and start up a clique. For examples of this, consider the stereotypical handful of highschool kids (as seen in everything from the movie "Heathers", to a recent Dinosaurs episode) who set up the "in group", in which members must wear the "right" clothes, go the "right" places, shop the "right" stores, and think the "right" thoughts. Now most folks have a small group of friends with whom they are comfortable and have fairly similar outlooks, but in a classic clique, conversation among the "in group" tends to focus on the (vital to it's existence) "out group" and why they are "out". With one of these cliques found within a hobby group, discussion between the core members and their hangers-on may consist heavily of what's wrong with the hobby group, which, however it's stated REALLY boils down to the fact that includes the "out group". All members of the "in group" are of course constantly reinforced in their opinions of the "out group" FidoNews 9-52 Page 14 28 Dec 1992 by sheer repetition. (You now know why I avoid "war boards". But I digress.) Mind you, the opinions are not stated directly as "they're not like US", but usually follow characteristics that exist OR ARE ASSUMED TO EXIST in the "out group". The net result, should the clique be left alone for awhile, can be a lot like a cyclotron - let's take an example from a writer's club, and a clique within the club. Round one - Individual one: "That guy puts too much sex in his stories." Individual two: Y'know, you're right - that guy is practically writing pornography.", "Individual three: "Yeah, I never did like that guy's writing." Wait two days while individual one talks to individual four, individual two talks to individual five, individual three talks to individual six. Round two - Individual two: "That guy's latest story is a bit steamy don't you think?" Individual four :"Yeah, I heard somewhere that he writes pornography on the side." Individual three: "Hey, that's just what I heard too!" Keep this up for a few more rounds and you'll have all parties firmly convinced that the guy in question is a professional pornographer, and that EVERYBODY knows it. Mind you, this can happen by accident - if someone's TRYING to do that it can get even worse. Especially if he decides that the only way to get control is to convince everyone else in the whole hobby that they're all in Terrible Danger from the Outside and only following His Plans will Save The Hobby From Destruction. And figures out the easiest way to do this is to create rumors about the hobby group in the next cultural group up the stack (aka "the outside world" usually, though this phenomenon is even more concentrated in hobby subgroups - say a local net vs FIDOnet, or a local bbs vs the local net) and about how horrible it is because of certain factors and people, then tell everyone to clean up their act so the outsiders will not think bad things about them any more. Mind you, this almost never works - what this approach usually does is, if sufficiently successful, kill off the group. I've seen it happen. The fact is, like it or not, there are really not that many, if any positions of real power in FIDOnet. Essentially everything we do depends on the willing cooperation of others. This will not change regardless of who is theoretically "in charge". So, like the proverbial dog who chased cars, I would suggest that the Man (or Woman) Who Would Be King, first SERIOUSLY consider what you mean to do with your objective if you achieve it. And remember - the more people you annoy on the way up, the higher the probability that if you reach the top at all, you will find that the entire pyramid has shifted out from underneath you... FidoNews 9-52 Page 15 28 Dec 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Rick Richard 1:106/461 I'm a do nothing, nobody sysop in a small town outside Houston, Tx. I never say much about anything that FidoNet does or doesn't do. I'm writing this article in hopes that other dead sysops will rise up from the terminals and type the ZC's and RC's out of FidoNEWS. The news for the past several months has been about this zone or that zone that has a problem with their own people. Who CARES! Let's get back to what's new(s) in FidoNet. I personally don't care if the Zar of Russia or the Pope is the ZC of any area and whether or not the ZC is practicing Spanish Inquisition techniques on the sysops of his zone. I have my own problems with our little world in 1:106. Which by the there aren't many unless you count changing your feed node which is not a problem just an inconveniance. Thanks Bob! You kept our area clean of the stains and dirt that refuse to cleaned by sysops unwilling to do their own laundry. I miss the days when I could sit back and read the newsletter (FidoNews) and hear about new programs and hardware available to help me in my quest for the perfect system to operate my BBS and Echomail. What happened to the articles on the latest versions available software for echomail processing? Where's the articles about happy times in Sysop Land? Why are the typed lines of great minds missing from my news? The insightful docu-dramas of a life in the day of a sysop from Tim-Buck-Two were always delightful and interesting. The humorous looks at life from the little guy is always more pleasing than the gripes and groans from the dis-satisfied. So to that end I have written this piece in hopes that sysops every- where will submit an article about what's new or interesting in their life and not what's bad about FidoNet and it's RULERS! If this ever gets to press then I'm sure that I'll write an article about how my 6 year old gets mail through FidoNet, and how I have to read it to her and type her replies for her or maybe I'll write how I got my e-mail on horse back while riding on the Salt Grass Trail Ride in the Houston Livestock and Rodeo. Heck, I might even tell you how to get your spouse to allow you an extra hour of computer time to devote to FidoNews articles. Happy Holidays! May all your news be good news! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 9-52 Page 16 28 Dec 1992 by Eddie Rowe of 1:380/14@fidonet Announcing the release of NoSnail - Netmail for RBBS-PC v1.00 NoSnail - Netmail for RBBS v1.00 allows RBBS sysops to give outbound routed netmail access to their users. NoSnail does this by making use of an emerging standardized kludge in the Fidonet community by looking to line one of the message text for addressing. As usual NoSnail is shared with the RBBS community FREE of charge. New goodies in the 1.00 release of NoSnail: (NOSN100.ZIP) []Support for the *.MSG format for D'Bridge/Frontdoor/Intermail users (NoSnail always has supported BinkleyTerm) []Support for BinkleyTerm's .BSY flags []Support for BinkleyTerm's 4D sub-directories []Support for the emerging netmail standard for QWK packets by moving addressing from the SUBJECT file to LINE ONE (1) of the text of the message. This standard is currently supported by MAXIMUS BBS and the OFFLINE QWK reader. []Fixed ElvisMode problem []Fixed MsgID problem []Fixed limitation of paths in NOSNAIL.CFG NoSnail has been delivered to a SDSRBBS node for distribution so be on the lookout at your favorite FileBone location. Additionally, NoSnail has been uploaded to Simtel20.Army.Mil for those enjoying Internet FTP access. Look for NoSnail in the RBBS-PC directory. (cd pd1:<msdos.rbbs-pc> from the prompt) Finally, NOSN100.ZIP may be file requested by from my origin at v.32bis speeds the usual 23 hours a day. Magic name of NOSNAIL also yields the most recent release of NoSnail. One could also logon as NOSNAIL LATEST with a password of VERSION and gain access to my personal files directory. (318-255-4710) Note: Given the holiday season it may be a few days before those who do the honors of moving files into SDSRBBS and into Internet are able to accommodate us. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Skeptic Tank, 1:102/890.0. FidoNews 9-52 Page 17 28 Dec 1992 (818) 914-9551 Fredric L. Rice Strange but I can't remember if I mentioned this program here or not sometime in the past. The doctor cured the voices yet, sadly, had to remove quite a bit of brain to do so. Ah well... Nothing is perfect. Remote Access Users and SysOps can send and recieve Internet Mail easy enough. Indeed, if you didn't know it, anyone can send and recieve Internet mail simply by finding a UUCP Gateway system as defined by the UUCP nodelist flag. Messages addressed to 'uucp' sent to these Gates will be set to the Internet User defined after a 'to:' kludge in the message text. UUCP-RA.LZH doesn't talk to UUCP systems directly. It works _with_ the UUCP nodes defined in the nodelist. That's important to remember because I _will_ have a program which will gate Remote Access directly to UUCP using the FredMail specifications. (When that's ready, I'll let everyone know. It would be great to hear from people who are interested in that project now, though.) o The inbound network mail directory is scanned for mail which has 'UUCP' as the 'From' person. Inbound mail from Internet should always be marked as 'From: UUCP.' o Messages found from UUCP are moved to a special Remote Access Folder and either killed or marked as having been moved. The mark is done by having a . put in front of the 'subject' line. o The specified destination Remote Access Users name is pulled from the inbound Internet Mail and UUCP-RA.LZH addresses the mail to that individual, allowing the Remote Access User to be shown a list of mail waiting for him or her when they sign in. When all that's done, the reverse process is entertained. o The Remote Access Message Base is scanned for Unmoved Echo Messages in the Internet Mail Folder you specify. It looks for messages which are address to: UUCP. o *.MSG type files are created in the outbound network mail directory. They are marked as 'Local,' 'Kill after sending,' and as 'Crash.' An option in the configuration allows them to be marked as 'Hold for pick-up' as well. o The FidoNet kludges are applied and an Internet-Type Origin line block is appended to each outbound Internet message. Logging is done if desired and a bunch of other stuff. There are things done if there are exceptions. If there is no to: kludge in the outbound Internet mail, for instance, the software will mark it as having been moved from Remote Access and it will put a "TO: ADDRESS MISSING" comment in the subject of the message, then readdress the message back to the User so that the Remote Access User will know that s/he forgot to include the Internet address. FidoNews 9-52 Page 18 28 Dec 1992 BTW: It also will scan the nodelist for you (if asked) for UUCP nodes. The /list command will search for those in the network that your system is in (configured) and /listall will list all UUCP nodes that are in the nodelist. The source code is included as usual. This is at version 1.2, as I recall, and after it's been downloaded at least once, I'll start to incriment the version number as updates are made to the package. If you spot anything unusual or need changes made to this project, please let me know and I'll make whatever changes are needed. BTWAGAIN: If you need information on Internet <==> FidoNet gateways, you can FileRequest UFGHOW.ZIP from my system or 1:102/851.0 and several others. Or you can ask me. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The Skeptic Tank, Geldora, CA : SysOp: Fredric L. Rice : It's the end of the FidoNet 1:102/890.0 (818) 914-9551 : world as we know it Packet: kc6efh@wb6ymh.#soca.ca.usa.na : and I feel fine... Internet: fredric.rice@f890.n102.z1.fidonet.org : ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 9-52 Page 19 28 Dec 1992 ====================================================================== FIDONEWS INFORMATION ====================================================================== ------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ---------------- Editors: Tom Jennings, Tim Pozar Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello IMPORTANT NOTE: The FidoNet address of the FidoNews BBS has been changed!!! Please make a note of this. "FidoNews" BBS FidoNet 1:1/23 <---- NEW ADDRESS!!!! Internet fidonews@fidosw.fidonet.org BBS +1-415-863-2739, 300/1200/2400/16800/V.32bis/Zyxel (Postal Service mailing address) (have extreme patience) FidoNews c/o World Power Systems <---- don't forget this Box 77731 San Francisco CA 94107 USA 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 1992 Tom Jennings. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or FidoNews (we're easy). The following is the PGP 2.x public key block for the FidoNews public key, key ID "FidoNews <fidonews@fidonews.fidonet.org, 1:1/23>", also requestable from the FidoNews BBS as FREQ magicname PGPKEY. You may use this key to send secure, private mail to FidoNews. -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.0 mQBNAisr3pQAAAECALs5/VWQ3LqdIWUO+iBUJGA1gg/jNAcRAJs/C08DufkCOVx2 Ba3PJGjdV+iWOzYshauX6/MAMrciFQZGl+9lnK8ABRG0MEZpZG9OZXdzIDxmaWRv bmV3c0BmaWRvbmV3cy5maWRvbmV0Lm9yZywgMToxLzIzPokAVQIFECsr3unNP+0u 9SVxFwEBjOYCAJdmn8sCuwAFJfiyV7l1BwN/NwAM4UvpWecw7oLjD3FcVNyAzMX6 bEKV+cxGy8/mI/5uoSIzvWJlBNXDyXIr43Q= =xRpS -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- FidoNews 9-52 Page 20 28 Dec 1992 OBTAINING COPIES: The-most-recent-issue-ONLY of FidoNews in electronic form may be obtained from the FidoNews BBS via manual download or Wazoo FileRequest, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet. PRINTED COPIES may be obtained from Fido Software for $10.00US each PostPaid First Class within North America, or $13.00US elsewhere, mailed Air Mail. (US funds drawn upon a US bank only.) BACK ISSUES: Available from FidoNet nodes 1:102/138, 1:216/21, 1:125/1212, 1:107/519.1 (and probably others), via filerequest or download (consult a recent nodelist for phone numbers). A very nice index to the Tables of Contents to all FidoNews volumes can be filerequested from 1:396/1 or 1:216/21. The name(s) to request are FNEWSxTC.ZIP, where 'x' is the volume number; 1=1984, 2=1985... through 8=1991. INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.ieee.org, in directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews. If you have questions regarding FidoNet, please direct them to deitch@gisatl.fidonet.org, not the FidoNews BBS. (Be kind and patient; David Deitch is generously volunteering to handle FidoNet/Internet questions.) 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 BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". Please read it. "Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered trademarks of Tom Jennings, Box 77731, San Francisco CA 94107, USA and are used with permission. Asked what he thought of Western civilization, M.K. Gandhi said, "I think it would be an excellent idea". -- END ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Remember Campers!!! To send mail from an Internet site or smart UUCP Site TO a user that calls a Fido-Net system. You need to know the name of the person and node number of the Fido-Net system that the person uses. The address of a FidoNode looks like this: 1:105/302.0. Usually the 1: and .0 are left off, but they are there by default. (In Europe it is 2: and in the Pacific Basin it is 3:.) That address can be translated as "Zone 1, Net 105, FidoNode 302, Point 0." or p0.f302.n105.z1. Add the FidoNet domain of .fidonet.org to the end of that, chop off the p0 (it is again, a default) and you have f302.n105.z1.fidonet.org - the "Fully Qualified Domain Name" of a FidoNode. Another example is 1:105/4.3 which would be written as p3.f4.n105.z1.fidonet.org (since there is a point number other than 0, we have to specify it). Note also that we are only using zone 1. This will also work for zones 2 and 3, just use z2 or z3 as appropriate. FidoNet uses full names of the callers. Multi-part name folks (eg. First Last, ie. "Dale Weber") will have a period '.' seperating their names. So, lets say you wanted to send mail to Dale Weber at 1:105/55.0, you would address your letter to: Dale.Weber@f55.n105.z1.fidonet.org. ************************************************************************ Submissions to comp.org.fidonet should be addressed to pozar@kumr.lns.com ************************************************************************ -- Internet: pozar@kumr.lns.com FidoNet: Tim Pozar @ 1:125/555 Snail: Tim Pozar / KKSF / 77 Maiden Lane / San Francisco CA 94108 / USA Voice: +1 415 788 2022