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F I D O N E W S -- | Vol. 9 No. 8 (24 February 1992)
The newsletter of the |
FidoNet BBS community | Published by:
_ |
/ \ | "FidoNews" BBS
/|oo \ | (415)-863-2739
(_| /_) | FidoNet 1:1/1
_`@/_ \ _ | Internet:
| | \ \\ | fidonews@fidonews.fidonet.org
| (*) | \ )) |
|__U__| / \// | Editors:
_//|| _\ / | Tom Jennings
(_/(_|(____/ | Tim Pozar
(jm) |
----------------------------+---------------------------------------
Published weekly by and for the Members of the FidoNet international
amateur network. Copyright 1992, Fido Software. All rights reserved.
Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes
only. For use in other circumstances, please contact FidoNews.
Paper price: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00US
Electronic Price: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . free!
For more information about FidoNews refer to the end of this file.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL ..................................................... 1
Editorial: Damage: minimal .................................... 1
2. ARTICLES ...................................................... 2
Archivers -- Do you get back what you started with ? .......... 2
UseNet vs. Fidonet - a quick comparison ....................... 7
"Beware the PowerBroker/Editors" or "Censorship is at the do .. 13
A Day in the Life of a Teenage SysOp .......................... 14
How To Pay BBS Costs .......................................... 16
Violet's Ansi Screens ......................................... 18
Home Wine Making Echo -- VIN_MAISON ........................... 21
from Richard Paddle - Rich in Paradise BBS (2:252/307) ........ 21
3. LATEST VERSIONS ............................................... 23
Software List ................................................. 23
4. FIDONEWS INFORMATION .......................................... 29
FidoNews 9-08 Page 1 24 Feb 1992
======================================================================
EDITORIAL
======================================================================
Editorial: Damage: minimal
by Tom Jennings (1:1/1)
I didn't delete any files, unleash rabid batch files, hatch bogus
files, deliver empty envelopes, this week.
It's quite boring here. Some thnigs are better off boring. Bye!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 9-08 Page 2 24 Feb 1992
======================================================================
ARTICLES
======================================================================
By Charles O. Buchanan 1:3812/215.6
A Test of Archivers
This is not an article about which one is the best archiver or which
one has the most features or which one is the fastest. My purpose in
this article is simply to find out whether I can make an archive made
up of several directories and different types of files and extract
them to find out if I get back what I started with.
What is an archiver ? It is really like an envelope that you use to
mail letters. It is a way of keeping alot of different files together
in one file. It also compresses the files and makes an archive that is
usually smaller than all of the original files.
In July 1990 I bought my first IBM compatible computer and a friend
gave me a shareware program called ARC. He told me if I intended to
use a modem very much I would need it. I really wasn't sure what it
was, what it did, what I would use for, and if I really needed it.
After calling long distance a few times to a BBS (and seeing my phone
bill) I quickly learned what I could use it for. However, most of the
files I ran across were in the form of *.zip which I couldn't
'unzip'. Then I found PKZ110.EXE so I could 'unzip' the files I
had gotten. So I realized that there was more than one archiver
around.
I was really fascinated that someone could take any number of files,
shrink them into one file, and then expand them back to their
original size. I then noticed that there were several archivers
around and wondered which one is the best ?
Before you stop reading, this is not an article about which archiver
is the best or 'my archiver is better than yours'. I saw an article
in PC Magazine a few months back that did a comparison of archivers
based mainly on two things -- size and speed. But I thought it was
missing the biggest point. Will it give me back what I started with ?
What I wanted to know about archivers was this. If put my files and
directories (and subdirectories) in an archive and then expand it,
will I get back what I originally started with ? That was my main
concern and second was size. Speed was not of a great concern to me
as most of the archivers work at relatively the same speed. I
decided to limit my tests to shareware programs readily available and
no commercial programs like FASTBACK or ARC above 6.02. I also
decided to test only the more recent archivers and not the ones that
were stopped like Pkarc. So my test is on 6 archivers which are :
FidoNews 9-08 Page 3 24 Feb 1992
ARC 6.02
ARJ 2.30
LHA 2.13
PAK 2.51
ZIP 1.10
ZOO 2.01
which happen to be the latest shareware versions at this time. One
note though -- ZOO 2.1 is available but not in a compiled version.
The way I designed my test was this. I wanted files that were of 5
different types -- No attributes, Read-only, Archived, System, and
Hidden files. Actually all of them are the same file with just the
attributes changed. So the files and attributes were as follows :
R A S H
NONE.FIL - - - -
READONLY.FIL X - - -
ARCHIVED.FIL - X - -
SYSTEM.FIL - - X -
HIDDEN.FIL - - - X
I then made a tree structure like this on a floppy :
a:\test (all files)
|-- Sub1 (all files)
| |-- Sub1a (all files)
|
|-- Sub2 (all files)
| |-- Sub2a (empty)
|
|-- Sub3 (empty)
| |-- Sub3a (all files)
|
|-- Sub4 (empty)
|-- Sub4a (empty)
I think this is fair test to find out about attributes and
directories. I wanted to find out if empty directories would be
archived and if they would be expanded. I also wanted to know if the
attributes on the files would be archived and expanded back to their
original form. And since size is also a concern when using a modem, I
wanted to know about this as well. There were a total of 25 files
consuming 934,850 bytes and 9 directories.
Here is the syntax I used for the archiving process :
arc az c:\mytest\myarch.arc a:\test\*.*
arj a /a1 /r /jm c:\mytest\myarch.arj a:\test\*.*
lha a /r2x1a1 c:\mytest\myarch.lzh a: \test\*.*
pak a /I /PATH /NS c:\mytest\myarch.pak a:\test\*.*
pkzip -a -P -r -wHS -JRSH c:\mytest\myarch.zip a:\test\*.*
stuff a:\test\*.* | zoo aI c:\mytest\myarch.zoo
FidoNews 9-08 Page 4 24 Feb 1992
And here are the sizes of the archives :
ARC -- 507,160
ARJ -- 662,833
LZH -- 669,321
PAK -- 413,290
ZIP -- 695,962
ZOO -- 505,199
At first glance it seems that PAK creates the smallest archive thus
reducing time on-line to transmit files. But wait.
Here is the syntax I used for extraction :
arc xz c:\mytest\myarch.arc a:\*.*
arj x /jyc /i1 c:\mytest\myarch.arj a:\
lha x /r2x1a1 c:\mytest\myarch.lzh a:\
pak e /I /PATH c:\mytest\myarch.pak a:\
pkunzip -d -JHSR c:\mytest\myarch.zip a:\
a:
zoo x.// c:\mytest\myarch.zoo
c:
So, did I get back what I started with ? Did all of the archivers do
the job ? Read on.
Here's a table of what was extracted :
/ C / J / A / K / P / O /
/ R / R / H / A / I / O /
/ A / A / L / P / Z / Z /
--------------------------------------------
TEST (all files) | | + | + | + | + | + |
SUB1 (all files) | + | + | + | + | + | + |
SUB1A (all files) | + | + | + | + | + | + |
SUB2 (all files) | + | + | + | + | + | + |
SUB2A (empty) | + | + | | | | |
SUB3 (empty) | + | + | + | + | + | + |
SUB3A (all files) | + | + | + | + | + | + |
SUB4 (empty) | + | + | | | | |
SUB4A (empty) | + | + | | | | |
ARCHIVED.FIL | + | + | + | + | + | + |
HIDDEN.FIL | | + | + | | + | |
NONE.FIL | + | + | + | + | + | + |
READONLY.FIL | + | + | + | + | + | + |
SYSTEM.FIL | | + | + | | + | |
And here's how the archivers handled the attribute bits :
FidoNews 9-08 Page 5 24 Feb 1992
-------
ARC
-------
R A S H
----------------------------------
ARCHIVED.FIL | | + | | |
HIDDEN.FIL | | | | |
NONE.FIL | | + | | |
READONLY.FIL | | + | | |
SYSTEM.FIL | | | | |
-------
ARJ
-------
R A S H
----------------------------------
ARCHIVED.FIL | | + | | |
HIDDEN.FIL | | | | + |
NONE.FIL | | | | |
READONLY.FIL | + | | | |
SYSTEM.FIL | | | + | |
-------
LHA
-------
R A S H
----------------------------------
ARCHIVED.FIL | | + | | |
HIDDEN.FIL | | | | + |
NONE.FIL | | | | |
READONLY.FIL | + | | | |
SYSTEM.FIL | | | + | |
-------
PAK
-------
R A S H
----------------------------------
ARCHIVED.FIL | | + | | |
HIDDEN.FIL | | | | |
NONE.FIL | | + | | |
READONLY.FIL | | + | | |
SYSTEM.FIL | | | | |
-------
ZIP
-------
R A S H
----------------------------------
ARCHIVED.FIL | | + | | |
HIDDEN.FIL | | + | | + |
NONE.FIL | | + | | |
READONLY.FIL | + | + | | |
SYSTEM.FIL | | + | + | |
FidoNews 9-08 Page 6 24 Feb 1992
-------
ZOO
-------
R A S H
----------------------------------
ARCHIVED.FIL | | + | | |
HIDDEN.FIL | | | | |
NONE.FIL | | + | | |
READONLY.FIL | | + | | |
SYSTEM.FIL | | | | |
SUMMARY
--------
ARC -- Did not extract the parent directory (test) but did keep all
of subdirectories intact. Of the files it archived, it set only the
archive bit on all files. It did not archive hidden or system files.
It extracted the files in TEST into the current directory with all of
the subdirectories coming off of that.
ARJ -- Archived every file and directory. Extracted everything back to
it's original form. I ended up with what I started with.
LHA -- Archived all files and kept the attribute bits correct. It
would not archive empty directories unless it was in the path to a
directory that had files (SUB3).
PAK -- Would not archive empty directories (except SUB3). Would not
archive hidden or system files. Set the archive bit on all files. Did
not keep the read-only bit.
ZIP -- Would not archive empty directories (except SUB3). Archived
all files, kept all attributes, but set the archive bit on every
file.
ZOO -- Would not archive empty directories (except SUB3). Would not
archive hidden or system files. Set the archive bit on all files. Did
not keep the read-only bit.
--------
OVERVIEW
--------
I read the manuals and tried to use the correct syntax to archive
everything and to extract everything. If anyone sees something I did
wrong, I would like to hear from you.
All of the above archivers are very good and do a fine job. If empty
directories are not important, then any of them will do the job. If
the attributes of files are not important, then any of them will work
as well. But be aware that not all of the archivers will archive
hidden or system files as well as empty directories.
FidoNews 9-08 Page 7 24 Feb 1992
If you have a special need to keep the exact tree structure, or the
exact file attributes, or you need system and hidden files, then be
careful about which archiver you choose.
Since sending archived files over the modem is a great way to do
things, it is also important that the receiving end get what you
sent.
It is not my purpose to reccomend one archiver over another. My sole
purpose in doing this test was to see if I got back EXACTLY what I
started with. Sometimes I did but at other times I did not.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Decker
Fidonet 1:154/8
USENET VS. FIDONET - A QUICK COMPARISON
In a couple of my previous FidoNews articles I have mentioned UseNet
and the Internet. Every time I do this, I get netmail from someone
who has never heard of either of these, and is often taken aback to
discover that there's actually a net out there that's larger than
Fidonet. So, I thought it might be instructive to do a quick
comparison of the two. Believe it or not, Fidonet actually comes out
ahead in a couple of places.
First of all, the question arises, just what is UseNet and the
Internet? Well, Edward Branley answered this question in a recent
message in the UFGATE echo:
"What is Usenet? Internet? Bitnet?
"These are cooperative networks which all operate on the
store-and-forward principle. The Internet has evolved out of several
government-sponsored research networks, Bitnet is primarily academic
sites, and the Usenet is a mixed bag of varying sites. For more info
on these and other networks, freq the file U_INTRO.ZIP [from node
1:396/10]. Better still, read the book _The Matrix_ by John S.
Quarterman (Digital Press). It's an excellent overview of these
networks and the technology used to keep them operating."
To this I would only add that "the Internet" is sometimes seen as the
primary network to which all the "branches" connect. In a way,
Fidonet can also be seen as a branch of the Internet, because the
domain "fidonet.org" is part of the Internet. In theory, you can
send netmail to users on the Internet or any of its branches
(including commercial services such as Compuserve and MCI Mail), and
they can send mail to you. In practice, it usually works IF you know
how to do it, and if the netmail routing between your node and the
"gateway" system serving your net isn't "broken". You can find the
Fidonet to UseNet gateways by scanning the nodelist for the "uucp"
(or "Guucp") flag. I won't give the exact procedure for sending mail
to the Internet here, because some gateway systems may require a
slightly different procedure depending on the gateway software in
FidoNews 9-08 Page 8 24 Feb 1992
use.
Now, UseNet is similar to Fidonet in many ways, and different in many
ways. The biggest difference is in protocols... everything from the
way messages are formatted to the way they are bundled and
transmitted is different in UseNet. On the other hand, there are
some similarities. For example, in Fidonet we have netmail and
echomail, and in UseNet they have mail and newsgroups. Their mail is
functionally equivalent to our netmail, and their newsgroups are the
equivalent of our echomail. Quoting Edward Branley again:
"A newsgroup is a conference area dedicated to a particular topic or
subject area. There are basic groupings for topics, such as comp
(computer), misc (miscellaneous), rec (recreation), sci (science),
soc (society), and talk. There are sub-sections under those basic
sections. So, if you wanted to get involved in discussing Novell
Netware, you'd look for the newsgroup comp.sys.novell. If you're
looking for C++ programming, you'd join comp.lang.c++. If you want
to get into some real rough-and-tumble political discussions
(arguments, fights), try talk.politics. In addition to these
classifications, there is the alt class (alternative). Alternative
groups are not always carried by every site, but the most popular
ones normally are....."
There are a couple of things that you can do in newsgroups that
cannot be done in echomail. One is to post a single message to
multiple conferences. The message is only transmitted once, instead
of multiple times. This is possible because the "Newsgroups" line in
the message (similar to the echo tag line in an echomail message) can
contain multiple newsgroups. Also, you can post a message of any
length. While Fidonet technical specifications do not place a limit
on message length, the fact of the matter is that a message of over
16K in length will probably never get off of the sending system, and
anything over about 10K is quite likely to get dropped or truncated
at some point down the line.
This occurs because control information in a Fidonet message (header
information, kludge lines, SEENBY and PATH lines, etc) is scattered
throughout the message (at both the top and bottom of a message).
Therefore, in order to process a message efficiently (that is,
without taking an unacceptably long amount of time), the entire
message must be read into the computer's memory at once, and for
various reasons (such as compiler limitations) it's often difficult
to deal with a message longer than 12K - 16K, so software authors
don't attempt it. In contrast, all control information in a UseNet
message is at the TOP of the message, so you can read in the header,
process it as necessary, and then just do a file to file copy as
necessary for the remainder of the message. Without getting any
deeper into the intricacies of programming, the thing to understand
is that is is much easier to process an unlimited length message in
UseNet format than it would be in Fidonet format.
FidoNews 9-08 Page 9 24 Feb 1992
The ability to send unlimited length messages comes in particularly
handy in programming conferences, where source code segments and the
like can be sent without breaking them up into multiple messages.
One other nice thing about the format of UseNet messages is that
there is control information included that makes them far more
impervious to "dupe loops" than echomail messages. One slight
downside is that UseNet message headers tend to be more verbose (that
is, they consume more bytes) than is required for control information
in a basic Fidonet message, but once an echomail message has
accumulated a few lines of SEENBY's and a couple of PATH lines, it
can exceed the typical UseNet message in total bytes consumed by
control information. And UseNet message headers contain some USEFUL
control information... for example, the data required to positively
prevent duplicate messages, and to link messages and replies in a
thread.
Newsgroups can be unmoderated or moderated. But in UseNet, if a
conference is moderated, all messages and replies go to the moderator
(via mail), and the moderator then decides what will be released to
the conference. Any message that is not approved by the moderator is
not seen by readers of the conference. Thus, the ability of users to
disrupt a moderated conference with off-topic conversations, flames,
profanity, etc. is severely limited. Some folks hate the idea of a
moderated conference, but consider what we have instead in Fidonet:
Closed echo conferences!
Let's consider the situation where all the regional echomail
coordinators want to have a conference where they can discuss how
echomail will be routed, and other issues related to echomail, but
they don't want a bunch of off-topic messages and flames from
non-coordinators. So what do they do? They form a closed echomail
conference that's only open to coordinators. So, those who are not
part of their group cannot post there, but those who are not in that
group cannot read what's going on in there, either. If the same
discussion were taking place in a moderated newsgroup, the newsgroup
could be made available to anyone who wants to read it, but only
those authorized to post replies by the moderator could post there.
In my opinion, it would be better to be able to read what's going on,
even if one isn't allowed to post messages in such a conference, than
to be kept totally in the dark, but I guess some folks see truly
moderated conferences as some sort of major threat to "free speech"
(obviously, I don't agree).
UseNet mail also has capabilities beyond that of Fidonet netmail.
First of all, from the very start it was set up in such a way that
mail could be routed through other systems... indeed, since there's
no "nodelist" per se in UseNet, it would be quite difficult to send
direct mail from one system to another. In Fidonet, routed netmail
sometimes tends to be an iffy thing, particularly if some coordinator
sets his software up improperly, and I gather that in some zones
routed netmail is still frowned upon. Also, UseNet mail can be sent
to multiple recipients. I don't yet fully understand how that is
actually accomplished, but I do know that it makes possible another
feature of UseNet, the "mailing list". One last quote from Edward
Branley:
FidoNews 9-08 Page 10 24 Feb 1992
"Some networks, like Bitnet, do not use open conference areas such as
newsgroups. Everything transmitted is in the form of electronic mail
to specific individuals or groups. Users who are interested in
discussing a particular subject will do so via a mailing list. A
user will mail a message to the list manager, who will in turn
forward that message out to the membership of the list. Most large
Bitnet sites use automated list server software to handle mailing
lists, while some lists are maintained manually by the owner.
"Since starting a new newsgroup require the interest and consent of a
large number of people, many users use mailing lists as forums for
smaller discussions. For example, many people discuss science
fiction novels in the group rec.arts.sf.written, but you can discuss
just J.R.R. Tolkien on the Tolkien mailing list, or just Katherine
Kurtz on the Deryni mailing list.
"For a listing of Internet mailing lists, freq the files
U_MLIST1.ZIP, U_MLIST2.ZIP, and U_MLIST3.ZIP. For a listing of
Bitnet mailing lists, freq BITLIST.ZIP [from 1:396/10]"
Unfortunately, Fidonet users generally can't receive mailing lists
from the Internet, for two reasons. First, the gateway sysops hate
them because they are so large, so they generally refuse to pass them
along (especially if it's on their nickel). Second, a group of
mailing list messages are often distributed as one long mail message,
and that message often turns out to be too long for Fidonet software
to process. However, you may be able to find a cooperative (and
technically able) gateway sysop that can and will pass mailing list
messages on to you (the thing is to be sure you ASK FIRST).
Otherwise, you may need to get a direct link into UseNet, or perhaps
subscribe to a commercial service (such as MCI Mail) that will permit
you to receive mailing list messages.
As we've seen, Fidonet echomail and netmail are a bit more limited
than UseNet newsgroups and mail, and there is currently no Fidonet
equivalent of the mailing list. What else? Well, what about file
requests? UseNet and the Internet have something called Anonymous
FTP (FTP="File Transfer Protocol") which allows users to log onto a
distant system and request files automatically. Again, I'm not
conversant with all the details, but I believe the key word here is
"anonymous". Sites that allow anonymous FTP do not discriminate,
they allow all comers to request files because they don't really know
who's making the request. I think this is preferable to the snotty
attitude of some Fidonet sysops that refuse to allow file requests
from points, those in "other" Fidonet-technology networks, or anyone
not listed in the Fidonet nodelist (under the theory that all their
users are going to go through the trouble of setting up Fidonet
software just so they can rip off the sysop's download section, and
that none of those technically-knowledgeable users would even think
of impersonating a nodelisted node if access to non-nodelisted nodes
is denied).
FidoNews 9-08 Page 11 24 Feb 1992
Well, you might be asking, does Fidonet come out ahead anywhere in
this comparison? Definitely! Our mailers, and our methods of
transmitting message packets and files, are far superior to those in
UseNet. If you've ever watched a UseNet compatible mailer at work,
you'll notice that file transmission can be excruciatingly slow at
times. Also, mail messages are commonly sent one at a time,
UNarchived, and although newsgroup messages are batched together, the
batched newsgroup files are commonly compressed with a program that
yields about the same compression ratios as the original version of
ARC! Furthermore, if you're using a high speed modem, you'll find
that it yields relatively poor performance unless it's a Telebit (or
equivalent), and then only because the Telebit modems have UUCP
protocol "spoofing" built in. A Fidonet mailer such as BinkleyTerm
is FAR superior, in terms of raw performance, to the uucico mailer
commonly used in UseNet.
The bottom line is that all else being equal, a Fidonet sysop would
spend a significant amount less money to transfer messages between
sites. But things may not always be equal. For example, if most of
the echomail messages received at a particular node have ten or
twelve lines of SEENBY's, or if an inefficient file compression
method is used, or if a lot of duplicate messages are being
recirculated throughout the echoes, the advantages of faster message
transfer may be lost to these other inefficiencies.
Another thing to keep in mind is that under UseNet you are always
allowed to get your mail and news feeds from any host that will give
you a feed. There is none of this business of being forced to make a
more expensive call to pick up mail from a node just because it's in
"your net" or "your region", due to the idiotic geographic
restrictions imposed by those in Fidonet who are so mentally
deficient that they can't understand network topology unless they can
overlay it onto a map.
If you would like to learn more about UseNet, or about
interconnecting UseNet and Fidonet, you may wish to get a feed of the
UFGATE echomail conference. If you'd like to access one of the
public access UseNet systems (that permit calls from casual users
that are NOT part of a particular company or organization) in order
to look around, you can get a listing of public-access systems
nationwide by requesting PUBNIX.ZIP from 1:396/10.
I hope this answers some of the basic questions that folks have asked
about the difference between Fidonet and UseNet, and I wish to again
give credit to Edward Branley, because this article would have been a
lot more difficult were it not for his informative message in the
UFGATE echo (please note, any opinions expressed in this article are
mine, not Edward's, so please don't blame him if you disagree with
any of my comments!).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 9-08 Page 12 24 Feb 1992
* NetInfo A new way to handle the private voice list.
NetInfo The Net Information System
by: G. K. Pace @ 1:374/26
The voice list. . .that text file full of private information
about the Sysops of a Net. You know the one. . .the list that is so
difficult to keep current? The one that some people balk at giving
you information for, because it might be allowed to get out. The one
that Joe issues about every three months. . .after calling everyone
in the Net to confirm their information. . .the one you accidently
deleted when you were cleaning up your hard drive last week. . .
The NetInfo Utility was designed to make this task easy,
secure, and to make the information available upon demand!
NetInfo is a utility that will scan a NetMail message base
for messages addressed to it. If it finds one that passes the
security tests, it will scan the body of the message for directives
and act upon them to input data and/or return a list. The database
includes fields for such information as the Sysops name, node address,
Co-Sysop name, postal address, voice phone number, node phone number,
baud rate, system name, system type, and a miscellaneous info area.
NetInfo is operated by a Host who enables the use of NetInfo
by other Sysops thru the inclusion of their node address and password
in a control file. Once enabled the Sysops can send messages
addressed to NetInfo at the Host Node address to be acted upon.
The message must be addressed From the enabled node and must contain
the appropriate password in the Subject field of the message.
NetInfo will create a reply message in response to any valid
message. The response will include a report of the information in
the database for the Sender of the message. NetInfo will return
a "help" list of directives it can respond to if the directive "-?"
is found in the body of the message and It will file-attach a list
containing the information for all Sysops using NetInfo from this
Host, if the directives "-L" or "-X" are found in the body of the
message. Other directives are used to input data into the database.
NetInfo has been designed to allow input into the database
by ONLY the Sysop of the node for that record. Each message is tested
for the proper password, and the message "From" field must contain the
Sysops name as contained in the database. If a message is received
that is addressed from a node that is enabled in the control file,
but fails either the password or the Sysop name test, NetInfo will
send a message to the Sysop of the Node informing them of the
failed attempt. This message will be addressed to the Sysop as
listed in the database and will indicate what type of failure occurred
but it will not indicate what password or name was used in error.
(The Hosts log entry will have this information!) This serves to
alert the Sysop of a mistake, and/or that an attempt has been made to
access NetInfo with a message addressed from their node.
FidoNews 9-08 Page 13 24 Feb 1992
To further enhance the security of NetInfo system, another
utility named Encrypt can be used to encrypt the files NetInfo
produces before they are sent.
Encrypt is a file encryptor that provides the ability to
modify the encryption key. A Code Key is agreed upon by those who
will be using it, and the file is encrypted with Encrypt configured
for that Code Key. The resultant file can only be decoded by another
person using Encrypt AND having the proper Code Key. Encrypt works
well with NetInfo, but can be used to encrypt any file, making it
useful for securing files for many other purposes.
In summary, by using NetInfo a Net can easily create,
maintain, and distribute a private information list of the Sysops
in the net in a secure fashion. The Information can be updated
at anytime and a current listing can be retrieved by anyone using
(only the users!) the system. For added security, Encrypt is
available and provides the means to encrypt the information so that
it would be unusable if it were to be inadvertently retrieved by
someone who should not have it.
Both NetInfo, and Encrypt are available by file-request from
my node @ 1:374/26 (2400 baud), or from Chris Baker @ 1:374/14 (9600
HST V32). Using the *magic* names NetInfo and Encrypt or NetInfo.zip
and Encrypt.zip. NetInfo has also been released thru the SDS. Current
releases of NetInfo have Encrypt included in the package.
NetInfo had its birth as an idea which came up during a Net
Sysops meeting in 1988 when I was a member of Net 151. It was first
started as a program called NetList. I became side tracked and NetList
was never finished. This year I realized that such a utility was
still needed and wasn't going to appear magically, so I began the
project again and came up with NetInfo. There have been many people
who have contributed ideas and assisted in testing... each of them
have helped to make NetInfo what it is. There are two people who
have contributed an exceptional amount time testing and providing
ideas on changes for improvement: Chris Baker @ 1:374/14 and
Dennis Wren @ 1:374/73. Their assistance has been invaluable!
-gk pace @ PaceSoft Utilities FidoNet 1:374/26
/* have a good day! */
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Winter
FidoNet 1:3641/238 239 240
There is quite simply a group laboring to make themselves the "owners"
of FidoNet echos rather than have the moderators be the "owners" of
the echos that they founded. It's just a power play and a push
for censorship and control.
FidoNews 9-08 Page 14 24 Feb 1992
They prefer the concept of "Editor" over "Postmaster". They have all the
right "correct sounding" words and excuses where one would imagine their
motivation to be as pure and noble as can be, but the bottom line is that
"they" and those "like minded" should be the ones who decide which
moderators are "in line" and which moderators are "out of line". Then they
can simply take steps to "correct" those moderators that clearly get "out
of line".
There are other networks where the moderators exist at the whim of
a few "elect". A few "elect" want FidoNet to be "theirs" and be able to
run it "their way".
I believe that if someone doesn't like an echo that they should
simply not read it (as opposed to attempting to steal it or move
to get censorship on the moderator).
There are people steadily working to attempt to gain control over
the moderators of FidoNet echos.
I moderate an echo where I expose "Jim & Tammy" type con men. I tell
them to their face what they are in clear unmistakable terms. It
would appear that they have friends of "like precious faith" in
various positions who are now looking for ways to deal with an "out
of line" moderator.
It's the same old power and censorship game and it is a cancer
in our beloved doggie.
Steve Winter - moderator HOLY_BIBLE
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A TEENAGE SYSOP
by Mitchell Harding
1:106/47
Due to the increasing number of personal articles being submitted by
FidoNet SysOps, I have decided to publish one of my own. I live in
Tomball, Texas (just outside of Houston) and am 15 years old. I've been
running my bbs since July of 1991. Now when adults tell me about the
responsibilities of their jobs I can relate.. (The joys of SysOping..)
At 6:00 AM the alarm goes off. I drag myself out of my bed and stumble
out of my room, and into the "family" room where the computer is
located. Nobody is on the bbs, so I have time to logon quickly. After
replying to the messages I received last night, I logoff of the bbs and
take a shower.
After I've gotten dressed and otherwise prepared myself for school, I
make a brief return to the computer to print out the latest issue of
FidoNews, which arrived last night. I mentally thank my mother for
insisting we get a LaserJet printer, and grab the stack of papers my
printer has just given me.
FidoNews 9-08 Page 15 24 Feb 1992
Ten minutes later I am in the car, with my mother and my thirteen year
old brother. Since my brother and I go to a private school, there is no
bus to take and my mother has to drive us. (My mother also works at the
school, which is kind of awkward, but I digress.) My brother and my
mother are arguing about something, and I try to ignore them by focusing
on FidoNews -- no such luck. Before long my brother comments about my
less than satisfactory grade in French, and I am being lectured (again).
I mumble something about improving my grade and my mother starts arguing
with my brother again.
Before long we drop my brother off at the Middle School campus (the
school has two campuses - the High School and the Middle School.) and I
am on my way to the High School campus. Within fifteen minutes I have
arrived at the High School campus and I rush to my first period class.
(It's 8:15 and I'm LATE!)
I get to my first period English class slightly late, and I give some
excuse about traffic. The teacher lets me off with a warning. I take a
seat in the back corner and finish reading my copy of FidoNews. When I
am done, the teacher is talking about epic poems or something like that.
I let my mind wander, and before long the class is over.
Next is History, which is uneventful, and then French. I am loathe
to go to French so I get my books from my locker slowly, and try to
delay going to the class as much as possible. Inevitably I get to the
class and the teacher scolds me for being late (Again.). I apologize
and sit down. I spend the next 55 minutes writing "Je deteste francais"
(which, for those of you who don't speak french, means 'I hate french').
After French I go to Biology, and there I get my French homework done.
Finally I go to Geometry and waste another 55 minutes. I can afford to
practically sleep in this class, with my A average...
I buy a lunch and eat it quickly. Five minutes after I am done eating I
board a bus going to the Middle School campus. (The Middle School
campus is the main campus, and has more facilities than the High School
campus.) When I arrive I spend 45 minutes in the library helping a
friend with our Debate class, and then I go to PASCAL class. I am about
2 chapters ahead of the other students in the class (most of them are
computer illiterate) so I work on a program I am designing for myself
rather than do the exercises in the book.
Once I am finished with PASCAL I change into my P.E. uniform and get
on the bus again. This time our destination is the YMCA. The school
has access to their weights room, and their basketball courts. I have
time to play one basketball game with a few of my friends and then I
must return to the Middle School campus. Once I arrive I spend an hour
in the library waiting for my mother to get done working. At about
4:30PM I go home and check on the bbs. A user is downloading something
so I turn on the radio and wait. Before too long the user logs off and
I logon. I sort through the mail I received today, and validate an
upload. Having finished that I get off the computer and check the mail
-- nothing for me. It is about 6PM and I read until about 7PM.
FidoNews 9-08 Page 16 24 Feb 1992
At 7PM I see that my brother has gotten on the computer. I go to my room
and listen to the radio until about 8:45PM. At that point I do my
homework, and get done at about 10PM. I check on the bbs (my brother has
been off the computer since about 9PM, when he usually goes to sleep.)
and see that BinkleyTerm is waiting for a call.
Upon seeing that the bbs is running smoothly I return to my room and
read until about midnight, at which point I go to sleep.
Well, that's basically a day in my life.. I hope I haven't bored you all
too much with my ramblings. I also hope that some other SysOps out their
will take the recent personal articles as an example and publish one of
their own. I can't speak for the rest of FidoNet, but I find them
interesting. I'd better be finishing this article, so I guess this'll be
the end... I hope you enjoyed my article and I look forward to seeing
some of yours!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Paul Fraser 3:633/212
A Suggestion for Raising Funds to Cover BBS Expenses.
Before I get to the point of this article, some background details.
Together with my son Tim, we started importing IBM compatible
components into Melbourne Australia from Taiwan and Hong Kong in
1986. Working from home, we assembled and sold compatibles to business
and home users.
Nasty motherboards, temperamental keyboards, indifferent suppliers
etc. were all part of this game which kept us far from happy.
As a result, we decided to open our own premises in Hong Kong to
address these problems. Our HK office has been in operation now for
over 2 years. It is managed by Tim, who is now resident in HK
(and loves it).
Now to the point...
I have been a member of FIDO for over 6 months. From reading Fidonews
and various echos it has become very clear that a lot of problems are
being experienced by sysops trying to cover costs.
Fidonews has reported recently on moves in the USA to aggravate these
cost pressures and no doubt other countries have similar problems.
Comment has been passed that some BBS users (and some sysops)
never have funds to support echomail but always have the latest
hardware!
FidoNews 9-08 Page 17 24 Feb 1992
If BBS users were able to obtain hardware (as well as software) via
their favourite BBS perhaps we could help overcome some of these
problems.
Computer users in general are very interested in the best and latest
at the lowest price. Purchasing good quality at low prices requires a
strong bargaining position and good product knowledge. When we buy
products as an individual we are often dumped by suppliers if
problems occur.
Because FIDO is an amateur network I intend to set up a new network
to handle the "commercial" aspects of my proposal. Let us call it
NBGNET, for "Network Buying Group Net" ( NOT "No Bloody Good Net").
The proposal is for members of NBGNET to be rebated a percentage
of products ordered through their board. Also zone and network
coordinators will be also included in the rebates. For example,
Nodes may get 3.5% with 1.5% split along the path. Actual breakdown
of rebates for the zones and networks would be discussed within the
net as a matter of policy.
Pricing policy would also be discussed on the net. The first proposal
would be to quote the actual price paid in HK and add a fixed
margin to cover both the HK headquarters margin and also the sysops
margin. This would have the advantage of delivering to customers an
honest pricing policy but may get up the noses of some suppliers and
other businesses.
An alternative would be to quote a price ex HK and either add or
include hidden (but low) margins. I would anticipate total margin buy
price to sell price to be between 5% and 10%. Experience gained with
different products would be used to set these margins. These margins
would be covered by lower buy prices as the network grows.
The same price would be quoted to all customers worldwide
in US dollars. Freight or mail costs would be additional to quoted
price.
How do we ensure the safety of payments for goods?
Payments would be made direct to NBGNET either direct to HK or to
nominated accounts in the users country. This method avoids dishonest
agents (sysops!) converting funds to their own purposes.
How do we prevent NBGNET HK from swallowing up our money?
The FIDO community can pass information around the world very fast to
all participants. A message on NBGNET or in Fidonews for example can
report problems independently from the NBGNET headquarters and any
dishonesty would be reported in hours.
FidoNews 9-08 Page 18 24 Feb 1992
Rebates to sysops could be either remitted to the sysop or held
against future supply of goods. Also if required, funds could be held
in HK for personal pick up or investment on behalf of the sysop. A
security PIN number or other secure system would be implemented to
protect the funds.
An independent audit could also be arranged by the members of the
network to keep the headquarters honest.
Other proposals are to set up a global funds collection network to
handle payment for goods quickly. This funds handling could also be
used for collecting payments for shareware with a rebate back into
the system.
Conferences would be set up to discuss the actual hardware being
purchased through the network and attempts made to supply technical
documentation not usually available to individuals. For example,
I feel that detailed technical discussion of different motherboard
chipsets is an area very much needed, especially in the early stages
of their release. It may also be possible to use net members to
"Beta" test hardware.
There are many points and ideas to discuss. Suggestions and
discussions are welcome in the initial stages direct to me by
netmail (3:633/212). We do not want to load FIDO with mail which may
be considered by some to be commercial.
Our first move is to appoint zone coordinators to handle the initial
set up of NBGNET. Any applications?
PS. I am open to suggestions for a name other than NBGNET!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From
Violet Stymacks
at the
Rhinoceros Kitchen
1:152/8
Eugene, Oregon
When Ray (co-sysop of Rhinoceros Kitchen and myself first set-up
housekeeping together he told me," How much he was INTO
computers " :-}
I had NO IDEA just how much time he talking about.
Well it didn't take long for me to start calling the computer
THE OTHER WOMAN.God, how I hated the THING.
Being Dyslexic I would not go near the computer. Then one day he
downloaded a game called Hack and soon I would sit by his side
and watch him play(giving my input as to what he should do.):-)
Then he showed me how to play it myself. This was BEFORE we had
a Hard Disk. After a while my Characters got soooo big that I
needed to shuffle 4 floppies to hold them, so I got kind of
FidoNews 9-08 Page 19 24 Feb 1992
comfortable with the machine. (I won the game 14 times) and Ray
was very good about letting me share computer time with him.
Then Ray helped a friend set up a BBS (a game board) next thing
I knew he was thinking of starting a BBS of his own. I smiled
and said I thought he should give it a try. But I was thinking "
now I will never see or be able to talk to him because he will
be with " HER " (the computer) all the time.
Well I sure didn't fool Ray one bit with that smile , he sat me
down with THEDRAW and had me do asci screens for the message
bases.
Then a local sysop asked if I would do an ansi welcome screen
for his board. Next I was making screens for boards all over
Eugene.
Then we became a node on FidoNet.I started cruising the node
list looking for names I liked the sound of and I would make an
ansi drawing and send it to them.
I also put a copy in the <<RK>> art gallery. Most people liked
what I sent to them and used it. An ansi/asci screen from me is
a GIFT, not the beginning of some advertising "pitch" or
anything else.
I send a follow up message asking if they are using the screen,
if I don't hear from them after a while. If they are not using
it I " give it a face lift " and send it to some one else. I
call the screen a " LOGO " but sysops put them anywhere on the
board they want.I put the "OLD" logo screen some sysops send
with their thank you message,in a guest art gallery that i have
on our bbs.About 5 boards have my whole (a zip file of about
400k) art gallery on their board.
At this time about 290 BBS are using one or more ansi/asci
screens I have made. Most are in the USA, thirty are in Canada,
seven in zone2 and three in zone3 (that I know of). :-)
The truly sad part of all this is Ray almost never gets time to
use the computer anymore.
:-)
* - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *
Reprinted above is the article I sent in to the FidoNews about 2
years ago.
I thought I would update the info and tell a bit about the many
sysops I have met.
At this time 723 Boards are using a ansi/asci screen I have made
65 in Canada, 4 in Holland, 9 in England (UK), 6 in Australia,
2 in Israel, 3 in Austria, 1 Finland, 5 in Germany, 1 in Malaysia
2 in Italy, 1 in Denmark and the remainder are in the USA. (Yes at
least 1 in each of the states and yes I'm sill working on one in
each of the zones (but don't tell Ray) ;-).
One Friday evening I set up a message and file to go out to someone
in the UK and went to bed. The phone got answered on the other end,
all night and part of the next day ,but by who or what I don't
know. That was a $140 mistake i don't intend to make again.
Take it from me watch it on those international calls.|-}
FidoNews 9-08 Page 20 24 Feb 1992
One afternoon shortly after I sent an ansi screen to zone 2, the
phone rings, its the Sysop of the STRAY CAT ! BBS in Holland the
very board I sent the ansi screen to. Ruben was calling to personly
say THANK YOU. I was so excited all I could say was "This is so
NEAT".
I have had sysops call my voice number to tell me thank you for the
screen and they wanted to call me and let me know that if i
happened to call their BBS and didn't see the screen up and in use
at this time ,that they DID intend to use it some time in the
future.
It seems that sometimes I send a welcome screen just when the board
is undergoing a facelift, change of software,or maybe the sysop
just getting bored with the welcome screen they are using now.
Other times i send one out to a sysop that is feeling the load of
running a BBS a little more than usual, and needs a reason to
continue the seemingly thankless job .
I do save ALL of the thank you messages that people send in an
archive file because they are precious to me. I also keep a file
called my YES LIST of what is being used where since not all of the
screens that i do are welcome screens.
I must say thank you for all your messages they are lovingly
saved and most surely appreciated.
To Texans, your messages are the most gracious and charming.
It is a delight to get a message from the Lone Star State.
I have been sent (big wet) kisses from Canada, N.J., N.Y.,
and Paris, France and gotten more then a few Good Eye's from
Down Under.
If you would like to see what i have been doing, and have a high
speed modem , you can get fairly updated copies of my work from
Kevin at the Dawg Byte 1:116/29 (also the home of The Ansi Club).
Until next time "Happy Trails to You & Yours"
From Violet one of the Head Kooks at the Rinoceros Kitchen
"Were something BIG is always cooking".
----------------------------------------------------------------------
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Recent versions - Doors Games
By Paul Vandine
1:309/39@Fidonet.org
Purpose:
To get a resent listing of door games and support boards of same.
FidoNews 9-08 Page 21 24 Feb 1992
Submissions:
General release or wide Beta test doors. (Authors only)
Basic format:
Doorname: Version: Author name: Support BBS name: Phone # or Net #:
Send Info to Paul Vandine 1:309/39@fidonet.org name file Door.doc.
Deadline for submission:
April 15, 1992
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VIN_MAISON
An Echo devoted to the home wine maker
by Chris Grainger
Exception #13 BBS - 1:163/518
Wine... nectar of the Gods. My grandfather was fond of the saying, "A
Meal without Wine, is like Life without a Friend". I didn't really
understand what he meant back then, but I sure do now. I always forget
to pick up a bottle though. Something about, '..if yer head wasn't
attached to yer body....'. [grin] So, I started making wine at home.
Since then, my cellar always has at least a bottle for dinner....
usually much more.
How, you may ask, can I make wine suitable for my dinner table? That is
what VIN_MAISON is all about. Topics in the echo can range from
start-up costs and equipment required to make 'Kit' wines, to specific
information on ingredients to make different styles of wine from
scratch. The amazing thing about all this is that it's easy!
Current distribution of VIN_MAISON is via direct link with any of the
participating systems. As of this writing, systems in Nets 163 and 243
(Ottawa, Ontario Canada) and Net 153 (Vancouver, BC Canada) are carrying
the echo. Plans are afoot to place VIN_MAISON on the Zone 1 Backbone.
So, if you are interested in learning or if you are an old hand looking
for different ideas in home wine making, shoot me some Netmail.
VIN_MAISON may be just the thing you were looking for.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
from Richard Paddle - Rich in Paradise BBS (2:252/307)
Hi there!
FidoNews 9-08 Page 22 24 Feb 1992
Just a little story about how I started out in the Fido
world!
Having had an Acorn Archimedes for several months a friend
loaned me a modem so I could venture out into the world of
comms.... Wondering around a few BBS's in the UK and one or
two abroad (on the parents bill ;-) convinced me to take the
plunge and start a BBS of my own!
Simple I thought just ask BT to fit the line, design a few
screens, and upload a few files...
All went well in the beginning BT arrived on time a installed
the line and within a day the BBS was up and running with my
1st caller that evening! Messages started appearing in the
areas and my user base slowly began to rise.
Since starting in October 91 I now have over 100 users, 40M
of files, joined Fidonet AND survived my 1st phone bill! and
even more remarkable I've had hardly any problems! I've
upgraded my machine, software and modem and all has gone
relatively smoothly... I thought this was a rarity!
I hope all sysops have such an easy going time with their BBS
and thanks to all those who have helped me out.
It's great to be here!
Richard...
Here's an idea floating around the Archie echo:
Postcard ware: If you like it send a postcard!
Wentworth Hotel, 18 Youngs' Park Road, Paignton, Devon, UK.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 9-08 Page 23 24 Feb 1992
======================================================================
LATEST VERSIONS
======================================================================
Latest Greatest SoftWare Versions
Latest Update: 01/27/92
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MS-DOS Systems
--------------
BBS Software NodeList Utilities Compression
Name Version Name Version Utilities
-------------------- -------------------- Name Version
ADTBBS 1.50@ EditNL 4.00 --------------------
Aurora 1.32b FDND 1.10 ARC 7.12
DMG 2.93 MakeNL 2.31 ARJ 2.20
DreamBBS 1.05 Parselst 1.33 LHA 2.13
Fido/FidoNet 12.21 Prune 1.40 PAK 2.51
Genesis Deluxe 3.2 SysNL 3.14 PKPak 3.61
GSBBS 3.02 XlatList 2.90 PKZip 1.10
Kitten 1.01 XlaxNode/Diff 2.53
Lynx 1.30
Maximus-CBCS 2.00
Merlin 1.39n Other Utilities(A-M) Other Utilities(N-Z)
Opus 1.73a* Name Version Name Version
Oracomm 5.M.6P@ -------------------- --------------------
Oracomm Plus 6.E@ 2DAPoint 1.50* Netsex 2.00b
PCBoard 14.5a 4Dog/4DMatrix 1.18 OFFLINE 1.35
Phoenix 1.07* ARCAsim 2.31 Oliver 1.0a
ProBoard 1.20* ARCmail 3.00* OSIRIS CBIS 3.02
QuickBBS 2.75 Areafix 1.20 PKInsert 7.10
RBBS 17.3b ConfMail 4.00 PolyXarc 2.1a
RemoteAccess 1.11* Crossnet 1.5 QM 1.00a
SimplexBBS 1.05 DOMAIN 1.42 QSort 4.04
SLBBS 2.15C* DEMM 1.06 RAD Plus 2.11
Socrates 1.11 DGMM 1.06 Raid 1.00
SuperBBS 1.12* DOMAIN 1.42 RBBSMail 18.0
SuperComm 0.99 EEngine 0.32 ScanToss 1.28
TAG 2.5g EMM 2.11* ScMail 1.00
TBBS 2.1 EZPoint 2.1 ScEdit 1.12
TComm/TCommNet 3.4 FGroup 1.00 Sirius 1.0x
Telegard 2.7* FidoPCB 1.0s@ SLMail 2.15C
TPBoard 6.1 FNPGate 2.70 SquishMail 1.00
TriTel 2.0* GateWorks 3.06e StarLink 1.01
WildCat! 3.02* GMail 2.05 TagMail 2.41
WWIV 4.20 GMD 3.10 TCOMMail 2.2
XBBS 1.77 GMM 1.21 Telemail 1.5*
GoldEd 2.31p TGroup 1.13
GROUP 2.23 TIRES 3.11
Network Mailers GUS 1.40 TMail 1.21
Name Version Harvey's Robot 4.10 TosScan 1.00
-------------------- HeadEdit 1.18 UFGATE 1.03
BinkleyTerm 2.50 HLIST 1.09 VPurge 4.09e
D'Bridge 1.30 IMAIL 1.20 WEdit 2.0@
Dreamer 1.06 InterPCB 1.31 WildMail 2.00
FidoNews 9-08 Page 24 24 Feb 1992
Dutchie 2.90c ISIS 5.12@ WMail 2.2
FrontDoor 2.02 Lola 1.01d WNode 2.1
InterMail 2.01 Mosaic 1.00b XRS 4.99
Milqtoast 1.00 MailBase 4.11a@ XST 2.3e
PreNM 1.48 MSG 4.5* YUPPIE! 2.00
SEAdog 4.60 MSGED 2.06 ZmailH 1.25
SEAmail 1.01 MsgLnk 1.0c ZSX 2.40
TIMS 1.0(mod8) MsgMstr 2.03a
MsgNum 4.16d
MSGTOSS 1.3
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
Maximus-CBCS 2.00 ARC2 6.01 Omail 3.1
SimplexBBS 1.04.02+ ConfMail 4.00 Parselst 1.33
EchoStat 6.0 PKZip 1.02
EZPoint 2.1 PMSnoop 1.30
Network Mailers FGroup 1.00 PolyXOS2 2.1a
Name Version GROUP 2.23 QSort 2.1
-------------------- LH2 2.11 Raid 1.0
BinkleyTerm 2.50 MSG 4.2 Remapper 1.2
BinkleyTerm(S) 2.50 MsgEd 2.06c SquishMail 1.00
BinkleyTerm/2-MT MsgLink 1.0c Tick 2.0
1.40.02 MsgNum 4.16d VPurge 4.09e
SEAmail 1.01
Xenix/Unix 386
--------------
BBS Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
-------------------- -------------------- --------------------
ARC 5.21
C-LHARC 1.00
MsgEd 2.06
|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
FidoNews 9-08 Page 25 24 Feb 1992
QNX
---
BBS Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
-------------------- -------------------- --------------------
QTach2 1.09 QMM 0.50s Kermit 2.03
QCP 1.02
NodeList Utilities Archive Utilities QSave 3.6
Name Version Name Version QTTSysop 1.07.1
-------------------- -------------------- SeaLink 1.05
QNode 2.09 Arc 6.02 XModem 1.00
LH 1.00.2 YModem 1.01
Unzip 2.01 ZModem 0.02f
Zoo 2.01
Apple II
--------
BBS Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
-------------------- -------------------- --------------------
DDBBS + 8.0* Fruity Dog 2.0 deARC2e 2.1
GBBS Pro 2.1 ProSel 8.70*
ShrinkIt 3.30*
|Contact: Dennis McClain-Furmanski 1:275/42| ShrinkIt GS 1.04
Apple CP/M
----------
BBS Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
-------------------- -------------------- --------------------
Daisy 2j Daisy Mailer 0.38 Filer 2-D
MsgUtil 2.5
Nodecomp 0.37
PackUser 4
UNARC.Com 1.20
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
FidoNews 9-08 Page 26 24 Feb 1992
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
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
MSGED 1.99 ConfMail 4.10
QuickBBS/ST 1.06* NodeList Utilities Echoscan 1.10
FidoNews 9-08 Page 27 24 Feb 1992
Name Version FDrenum 2.5.2
-------------------- FastPack 1.20
Compression ParseList 1.30 Import 1.14
Utilities EchoFix 1.20 oMMM 1.40
Name Version sTICK/Hatch 5.50 Pack 1.00
-------------------- Trenum 0.10
ARC 6.02
LHARC 2.01i
PackConvert
STZip 1.1*
UnJARST 2.00
WhatArc 2.02
Archimedes
----------
BBS Software Network Mailers Other Utilities
Name Version Name Version Name Version
-------------------- -------------------- --------------------
ARCbbs 1.61 BinkleyTerm ARC 1.20
Odyssey 0.37 2.06f-wimp !AskFor 1.01
RiscBBS 0.9.85m BatchPacker 1.00
DeLZ 0.01
MailED 0.95
NetFile 1.00
ParseLst 1.30
Raul 1.01
!Spark 2.16
!SparkMail 2.08
!SparkPlug 2.14
UnArj 2.21
UnZip 3.00
Zip 1.00
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
ParseLST
PReq 2.2
FidoNews 9-08 Page 28 24 Feb 1992
RList 1.03
RTick 2.00
UnBundle 1.4
UnSeen 1.1
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Key: + - Netmail Capable (Doesn't Require Additional Mailer Software)
* - Recently Updated Version
@ - New Addition
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The Complete List is Available For FReq as VERSIONS from 1:103/250
Utility Authors: Please help keep this list up to date by reporting
all new versions to 1:103/250 in this format:
1) Software Name & Version 2) FileName.Ext
3) Support Node Address 4) Support BBS Phone Number
Note: It is not our intent to list all utilities here, only those
which verge on necessity. If you want it updated in the next
FidoNews, get it to me by Thursday evening.
--David French, 1:103/250
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 9-08 Page 29 24 Feb 1992
======================================================================
FIDONEWS INFORMATION
======================================================================
------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
Editors: Tom Jennings, Tim Pozar
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Periello
"FidoNews" BBS
FidoNet 1:1/1
Internet fidonews@fidonews.fidonet.org
BBS (415)-863-2739 (9600 HST/V32)
(Postal Service mailing address)
FidoNews
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.
FidoNews is copyright 1992 Fido Software. All rights reserved.
Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes
only. For use in other circumstances, please contact FidoNews (we're
easy).
OBTAINING COPIES: 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 via uucp. PRINTED COPIES mailed
may be obtained from Fido Software for $5.00US each PostPaid First
Class within North America, or $7.00US elsewhere, mailed Air Mail.
(US funds drawn upon a US bank only.)
Periodic subscriptions are not available at this time; if enough
people request it I will implement it.
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 1:1/1 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC".
FidoNews 9-08 Page 30 24 Feb 1992
"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
trademarks of Tom Jennings of Fido Software, Box 77731, San Francisco
CA 94107, USA and are used with permission.
-- END
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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