The F I D O N E W S Volume 23, Number 49 04 Dec 2006 +--------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | |The newsletter of the | | | | | FidoNet community. | | Netmail attach to (POTS): | | | | | Editor @ 2:2/2 (+46-31-960447) | | | ____________| | | | | / __ | Netmail attach to (BinkP): | | | / / \ | Editor @ 2:203/0 | | | WOOF! ( /|oo \ | | | \_______\(_| /_) | Email attach to: | | _ @/_ \ _ | bfelten @ telia dot com | | | | \ \\ | | | | (*) | \ ))| | | |__U__| / \// | Editor: Bj”rn Felten | | ______ _//|| _\ / | | | / Fido \ (_/(_|(____/ | Newspapers should have no friends. | | (________) (jm) | -- JOSEPH PULITZER | +--------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ Table of Contents 1. FOOD FOR THOUGHT ......................................... 1 2. GENERAL ARTICLES ......................................... 2 Concerns about the decomposition of the nodelist ......... 2 3. ROBERT COUTURE'S FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ................ 4 FidoNet Software References .............................. 4 4. FIDONEWS INFORMATION ..................................... 9 How to Submit an Article ................................. 9 Credits, Legal Infomation, Availability .................. 11 FIDONEWS 23-49 Page 1 4 Dec 2006 ================================================================= FOOD FOR THOUGHT ================================================================= Do what you feel in your heart to be right. You'll be criticized anyway. -- Eleanor Roosevelt ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 23-49 Page 2 4 Dec 2006 ================================================================= GENERAL ARTICLES ================================================================= Concerns about the decomposition of the nodelist By Michiel van der Vlist, 2:280/5555 Every once in a while I peruse the nodelist and I find an anomaly. Something like this: Region,64,Pacific_Islands_Regional_Coordinator,PHILIPPINES, Terry_Roati,000-0-0-0-0,300,XR Or this one: Host,654,Shanghai_Net,Shanghai,Bin_Li,000-0-0-0-0,300,XA Notice anything odd about these entries? In case you don't see it, try to have your mailer make contact with them. It will fail for obvious reasons; there is no contact information. No valid telephone number, no IP address, no domain name. Nothing. These nodes are unreachable. Now if they were leaf nodes this may just be acceptable if they were listed with the Pvt keyword, but this is a Host and an RC. How can a host fulfil his obligation of receiving incoming mail for the nodes in his net if he himself has less reachability than a point? A point at least can be reached through his boss node, but a host listed without contact information is flat out unreachable. What I find most odd is that when I vent my concerns about this development, the only reactions I get are of the type: "why does it concern you so much?" Or: "it is none of your bussiness, it is not in your net, not even in your zone!" Why does it concern me so much? I think that is the wrong question. A more to the point question is "why do I seem to be the only one who is concerned about this?" FidoNet does not stop at the end of my net. It does not stop at the end of my region and it does not stop at the end of my zone. FidoNet is a global newtwork defined by the nodelist. The nodelist is build from the bottom up: hub segments, net segments, region segments, zone segments and finally the international nodelist. We do not limit the distribution of the segments to our own net, region, or zone, no we distribute a global nodelist to every node in the network. The argument "it is none of your business, it is not in your net/region/zone" is a bogus argument. If there is garbage in the nodelist it affects everyone who uses the nodelist. I.e every sysop and pointop in FidoNet. FidoNet is on the decline, that is a fact. People leave because they lose interest, they find shinier toys to play with and sadly enough some leave feet first. There is little or nothing we can do about that. But what we still CAN do something about, is keeping the nodelist in sync with reality. What we CAN do something about is keeping the garbage out of the nodelist. FIDONEWS 23-49 Page 3 4 Dec 2006 If the system of a host or NC is no longer running a FidoNet compatible mailer for receiving mail, that system can no longer function as a host for the net and should be replaced. If a suitable replacement can not be found within the net, the net can no longer function as a net and it should be resolved. Any remaining functional nodes should be listed as independents in the region, relocated in a neighbouring net - if need be by expanding the geographical bounderies of that neighbouring net or continue to participate by operating as a point under whatever uplink they get their mail from. If the system of a region coordinator no longer runs a FidoNet compatible mailer for receiving mail, that RC can no longer perform his duties and should be replaced. If a suitable replacement can not be found within the region, that region should be dissolved and the remaining nets/nodes should be relocated to a neighbouring region or neighbouring regions, if need be by expanding the geographic bounderies of those neighbouring regions. And of course the same goes on the zone level. If a zone becomes too small, has to few participants to fill the *C positions and keep up the net/region/zone hierarchy in any meaningful way so it no longer functions as a zone, it should be dissolved and the remaining nodes be relocated to a neighbouring zone or zones. In some cases this may go smooth and almost spontaneously - as in the case of R2:28 - and in some cases it will take more drastic measures than self regulation to achieve the goal. But if we fail to take these measures, we will continue to see the nodelist decompose into a list of unreachable nodes with no structure and full of dead wood. A clean and up to date nodelist is in the interest of everyone who makes use of it. Why am I the only one who seems concerned about its decomposition? (c) 2006, Michiel van der Vlist. All rights reserved. Permission to distribute via the FdioNews file echo and the FidoNews echomail conference. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 23-49 Page 4 4 Dec 2006 ================================================================= ROBERT COUTURE'S FIDONET SOFTWARE LISTING ================================================================= -=:{ FidoNet Software Reference }:=- Type: M=Mailer T=Tosser B=BBS D=Door C=Comm/Terminal P=Points E=Editor I=Internet U=Utility ?=Info .- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -. |Software: Author |Type |URL, Contact, Ver, Notes Help Node| `- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -' Argus |MI |http://www.ritlabs.com/argus/ 2:469/84 | | argus@ritlabs.com Tel: 373-2-246889 | | v3.210 on Mar 20th 2001 BinkleyTerm XE |M |http://btxe.sourceforge.net 1:1/102 | | v2.60XE/Gamma-6 on Nov 11th 1998 BinkD |MI |http://2f.ru/binkd/ | | maloff@corbina.net | | v0.94 on Jul 24th 2000 (Outdated) FIDO-Deluxe IP |MPUI |http://www.fido-deluxe.de.vu 2:2432/280 Michael Haase | | m.haase@gmx.net | | v2.4 on Sep 26th 2003 FrontDoor, FD/APX: |MTPC |http://www.defsol.se 2:201/330 Definite Solutions | | sales@defsol.se 1:1/101 | | v2.26SW & v2.33ml FD, v1.15 APX Husky Project |MTPUI|http://sf.net/projects/husky/ | | v1.4 RC2 on Sep 22nd 2003 Radius |MI |http://radius.pp.ru 2:5012/38 (based on Argus) | | fido5012@zaural.net Tel: 7-3522-469463 | | Last Release: v4.010 on Jan 3nd 2005 Taurus |MI |http://taurus.rinet.ru (Russian) 2:461/70 | |http://www.fidotel.com/taurus (English) (based on Radius) | | E-mail: taurus@rinet.ru | | v5.000 alpha on Oct 11th 2004 Tmail |MI |http://www.tmail.spb.ru v2608 | | Website is in Russian only WildCat! Interactive |MTBEI|http://www.santronics.com Net Server, Platinum| | sales@santronics.com Xpress: Santronics | | Tel: (305) 248-3204 Software, Inc. | | AUP 451.1 on April 26th 2004 +- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+ Fidogate |TUI |http://www.fidogate.org | | Martin_Junius@m-j-s.net v4.4.10 FIDONEWS 23-49 Page 5 4 Dec 2006 FMail |T |http://fmail.nl.eu.org | | support@fmail.nl.eu.org v1.60 JetMail: JetSys |TU |http://www.jetsys.de js@jetsys.de (ATARI ST only) | | v1.01 on Jan 1st 2000 Squish |T |http://maximus.sourceforge.net/ | | Lanuis site redirects to above | | Squish is part of Maximus. +- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+ BBBS |BI |http://www.bbbs.net b@bbbs.net | | v4.00MP on Oct 25th 1999 2:22/222 ELEBBS: The Elevator |B |http://www.elebbs.com Software Production | | elebbs@elebbs.com | | v0.10.RC1 on Jun 9th 2002 EZYCom BBS |BT |http://ezycom.sytes.net | |http://members.westnet.com.au/centuryp/ | | ezycom@westnet.com.au 3:690/682 | | v2.0 on 3 May 2003 Hermes II Project |B |http://www.hermesii.org | | info@HermesII.org v3.5.9 Beta Final Maximus BBS |B |http://maximus.sourceforge.net/ | | v3.03 | |Archives back online at: | |http://maximus.outpostbbs.net/ MBSE BBS: |BI |http://mbse.sourceforge.net 2:280/2802 Michiel Broek | | mbroek@users.sourceforge.net | | v0.60.0 on June 5th 2004 Mystic BBS |B |http://www.mysticbbs.com | | v1.07.3 on May 13th 2001 Nexus BBS |B |http://www.nexusbbs.net | | groberts@nexusbbs.net | | v0.99.41-Beta on Oct 16th 2002 | | [Note: No Longer under active | | development.] Proboard BBS |B |http://www.proboard.be | | v2.17 on Jun 9th 2002 RemoteAccess BBS: |B |http://www.rapro.com 1:1/120 Bruce Morse | | bfmorse@rapro.com | | v2.62.2SW Spitfire BBS: Buffalo|B |http://www.angelfire.com/ia/buffalo/ Creek Software | | MDWoltz@aol.com 1:1/150 | | v3.6 on Aug 20th 1999 FIDONEWS 23-49 Page 6 4 Dec 2006 Synchronet BBS |BT |http://www.synchro.net | | sysop(at)vert(dot)synchro(dot)net | | v3.10L Beta Telegard BBS |B |http://www.telegard.net | | support@telegard.net | | v3.09g2 SP4 +- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+ Atlantis Software |D |http://www.jimmyrose.com/atlantis/ | | Last Update: August 2004 Cheepware |DU |http://outpostbbs.net Sean Dennis | | sean@outpostbbs.net 1:18/200 DDS (Doorware |D |http://www.doorgames.org 1:2404/201 Distribution System)| | ruth@doorgames.org Ruth Argust | | DoorMUD |D |http://doormud.com | | v0.98 Jun 1st 2002 | | Website is down after | | past the splash page. Jibben Software |D |http://www.jibbensoftware.com | | scott@jibben.com | | 1995-99 Release dates John Dailey Software |D |http://www.johndaileysoftware.com | | support@johndaileysoftware.com Shining Star |D |http://www.shiningstar.net/bbsdoors/ | | nannette@shiningstar.net Sunrise Doors: |D |http://www.sunrisedoors.com Al Lawrence | | al@sunrisedoors.com | | Tel: (404) 256-9518 The Brainex System |D |http://www.brainex.com/brainex_system/ | | stanley@brainex.com 1994-99 Releases Trade Wars |D |http://www.eisonline.com/tradewars/ | | jpritch@eisonline.com | | v3.09 (DOS-32) in 2002 Vagabond Software: |D |http://www.vbsoft.org 1:124/7013 Bryan Turner | | vagabond@vbsoft.org | | last update: Jul 17th 2002 +- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+ APoint |PI |http://www.apoint-mail.de | |http://www.apoint-mail.de/indexe.htm | | (English Version) | | dirk.pokorny@apoint-mail.de | | v1.25 2:2426/1210.13 FIDONEWS 23-49 Page 7 4 Dec 2006 CrossPoint (XP) |P |http://www.crosspoint.de (German Only) | | pm@crosspoint.de v3.12d Dec 22nd 1999 FreeXP |P |http://www.freexp.de 2:2433/460 | | support@freexp.de | | v3.40 RC3 Aug 31st 2003 (Snapshot) OpenXP/32 |PI |http://www.openxp.com 2:248/2004 | | (Site is in German Only) | | mk@openxp.de v3.8.15 Beta Feb 10th 2004 | | Download Page comes back 404 not found. +- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+ GoldEd+ |E |http://mik.nu/golded-plus/ 2:203/6600 | | v1.1.5 Snapshot on Feb 28th 2003 SqEd32 |E |http://www.sqed.de | | v1.15 on Dec 15th 1999 TimEd |E |http://blizzard.dnsalias.org/fidonet | | mail@ozzmosis.com /timed | | v1.11.a5 in March 2003 3:633/267 +- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+ GiGo |UI |http://www.gigo.com | | v0109 on Jan 9th 1997 Internet Rex: |UI |http://members.shaw.ca/InternetRex/ Charles Cruden | | telnet://xanadubbs.ca 1:342/806 (Khan Software) | | v2.29 on Oct 21st 2001 TransNet |UI |http://www.ressl.com.ar/transnet/ | | transnet@ressl.com.ar | | v2.11 on Jul 18th 1998 TransX: Multiboard |UI |http://www.start.ca/software/multiboard Communications, Inc.| | Unsure about support now but Free Keys | | are now available. Donations accepted. | | v3.5 (Note: KeyGen is a Windows Program) Ifmail |UI |http://ifmail.sourceforge.net | | crosser@average.org 2:5020/230 | | Ifmail is a FTN <-> E-Mail/News Gateway | | Program. Meltdown-BBS |UI |http://meltdown-bbs.sourceforge.net/ | | meltdown-bbs.project.petkan | | @spamgourmet.com | | Fido: 2:350/5 | | Meltdown-BBS is an FTN <-> | | Web/PHP/MySQL BBS forum system. MakeNL |U | http://hub2000.darktech.org/makenl | | fidonet.hub2000 [at] gmail [dot] com FIDONEWS 23-49 Page 8 4 Dec 2006 | | Fido: 1:229/2000 | | FidoNet Nodelist Processor +- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+ National BBS List |? | http://www.usbbs.org Hispanic FIDO/BBS's |? | http://www.conecta2.org/pucela_bbs/ (in Spanish only) | | (Extensive software & BBS Listings) +- - - - - - - - - - -+- - -+- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -+ File Archives: http://archives.thebbs.org http://www.filegate.net http://sysopscorner.thebbs.org http://www.juge.com http://www.dmine.com/bbscorner/ http://garbo.uwasa.fi http://www.simtel.net http://wuarchive.wustl.edu http://www.bbsfiles.com http://hobbes.nmsu.edu Note: most also provide FTP access (use ftp:// instead of http:// above) *=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=*=.=*=-=* Please send corrections & additions to: Robert Couture, 1:229/2000 E-Mail: rpa4email (at) rogers (dot) com Telnet: runekeep.darktech.org (Leave Feedback as Guest or create an account) Emeritus: Ben Ritchey, Todd Cochrane, Frank Vest, Peter Popovich ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 23-49 Page 9 4 Dec 2006 ================================================================= FIDONEWS INFORMATION ================================================================= How to Submit an Article If you wish to submit an article for inclusion in the Fidonews, here are some guidelines, if you send it as an attached file; the preferred method if you want reasonable control over how the published article will appear in the Fidonews: a) Plain ASCII text. If you could type it on your keyboard, it's probably quite OK. No line may be longer than 70 characters. b) Put a title to the article. Put the title in two times. The first time, on the first line, with an * before it. The second time, on the second line, without the * and centered. This will help in the format since the title with the * is removed and used in the index, the second line will become the headline. On the third line, put your name and FidoNet address, present or former. If former, you may want to add some other address where you can be reached for personal comments. c) Deadline for article submission is Sunday, 22:00 UTC. Help the Editor by following the above guides. Below are some subjects and the file extension for the article as set in the configuration file for the making of the Fidonews. Please help by putting the file extension of the correct subject on the file name if known. Ideas for Subject areas: Subject File | Subject File ----------------------------------|---------------------------------- From the *C's *.css | Rebuttals to articles *.reb Fidonet Regional News *.reg | Fidonet Net News *.net Retractions *.rtx | General Fidonet Articles *.art Guest Editorial *.gue | Fidonet Current Events *.cur Fidonet Interviews *.inv | Fidonet Software Reviews *.rev Fidonet Web Page Reviews *.web | Fidonet Notices *.not Getting Fidonet Technical *.ftc | Question Of The Week *.que Humor in a Fido Vein *.hfv | Comix in ASCII *.cmx Fidonet's Int. Kitchen *.rec | Poet's Corner *.poe Clean Humor & Jokes *.jok | Other Stuff *.oth Fidonet Classified Ads *.ads | Corrections *.cor Best of Fidonet *.bof | Letters to the Editor *.let If you don't know or are not sure, send the article anyway. Put a .TXT on it and I'll try to figure out where it should be in the Fidonews. If you follow these simple guidelines, there should be little problem in getting your article published. If your submission is too far out of specs for the Fidonews, it will be returned to you and/or a message sent informing you of the problem. This DOES NOT mean that your article is not accepted. It means that there is something in it that I can not fix and I need your help on it. FIDONEWS 23-49 Page 10 4 Dec 2006 Send articles via e-mail or netmail, file attach or message to: Bj”rn Felten Fidonet 2:2/2 E-Mail bfelten @ telia dot com Skype file bfelten IMPORTANT! If you send the article via e-mail, make sure you put the word "fidonews" somewhere in the subject line! That way it will always pass the spam filter, ending up in the proper folder. Please include a message, telling me that you have sent an article. That way I will know to look for it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FIDONEWS 23-49 Page 11 4 Dec 2006 Credits, Legal Infomation, Availability + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- FIDONEWS STAFF - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + | | | Editor: Bj”rn Felten, 2:2/2 | | Columnists: Frank Vest - Frank's Column | | Thom LaCosta - Fidonet Related Websites | | Robert Couture - Fidonet Software Listing | | Daryl Stout - Telnet BBS Guide | | | + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - EDITORS EMERITI - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + | | | Tom Jennings, Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince | | Perriello, Tim Pozar, Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees, | | Christopher Baker, Zorch Frezberg, Henk Wolsink, | | Doug Meyers, Warren D. Bonner, Frank L. Vest | | | + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + Fidonews is published weekly by and for the members of Fidonet. There is no copyright attached to Fidonews, though authors retain rights to their contributed articles. Opinions expressed by the authors is strictly their own. Noncommercial duplication and distribution within Fidonet is encouraged. Authors are encouraged to send their articles in ASCII text to the Editor at one of the addresses above. The weekly edition of Fidonews is distributed through the file area FIDONEWS, and is published as echomail in the echo FIDONEWS. These sources are normally available through your Network Coordinator. The current and past issues are also available from the following sources: + -- -- -- -- -- -- - FIDONEWS AVAILABILITY - -- -- -- -- -- -- + | | | File request from 2:2/2: | | current issue FIDONEWS | | back issue, volume v, issue ii FNEWSvii.ZIP | | | | On the web: | | http://felten.yi.org/fidonews | | http://www.fidonet.ca/fidonews | | | | The Snooze *and* the FIDONEWS echo in your newsreader: | | news://felten.yi.org/FIDONEWS | | | + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- + -----------------------------------------------------------------