@NET UPDATE
-----------

31st July, 1995.


Hi!

It's been a good few months since i've done an @net Update. I did a couple
towards the end of last year, but there hasn't been anything since then. 
I think it's about time to circulate a bit of information around about what's
going on at the moment as there doesn't seem to be any effective way for it
to happen of its own accord.

I'm circulating this initially to individuals and groups around the world
who i've had personal contact with, who are working together or independently
on building a network of public access anarchist BBSs and who have internet
email addresses. I see a distinction between working on the "virtual"
network, which exists within the internet and includes things like Spunk
press, the Anarchy-list etc and working on a publicly accessible network,
which may or may not use Internet for its internal communication. By
"publicly accessible", i mean accessible to people who don't already have
internet access and maybe don't even have computers of their own.  

I thought about emailing everyone involved and asking for reports, but that
would take a while and while i'm at it i might as well spread a bit of
information. If anyone wants to mail me a report of what's happening in 
their part of the world for consumption by other people working on the same
thing, please do and i'll circulate it. At the moment, i'm working on
organizing an internet mailing list which will make this exchange of
information easier and get me out of the situation of being in the middle.
Then everyone involved and interested can keep each other up to date with
what they're doing and we can work together towards a larger anarchist
computer network. However, as that's not happening right now, here's what i
know of what's going on so far. 

* * *

The @net started in Melbourne, Australia, with an anarchist BBS called
"The Xchange". This began as a dial-in bbs with no network links, in early
1993. It eventually developed rather dodgy networking with a fido protocol
feed from a neighbouring BBS. Late last year, it became an internet email
and usenet node, xchange.apana.org.au, with a UUCP feed from APANA, the
Australian Public Access Network Association, using Waffle bbs software. At
the moment, it has no Fido networking happening and may never have again. 

Contact: compcoll@xchange.apana.org.au

A couple of months before the Xchange got internet linked, in about September
1994, Byteback BBS began in Brisbane, Australia, operating from Holus Bolus
Anarchist Bookshop. It had a dial-in line and could be also be used by people
coming into the shop. It also used Waffle and had a UUCP feed from APANA. Its
address is byteback.apana.org.au . Sadly, Holus Bolus closed down at the end
of July, leaving Byteback homeless and without its dial-in line. However,
it's still running and is available to the anarchist movement in Brisbane.
It's also being upgraded to run Linux software, which should make it much
better.  

contact: sysop@byteback.apana.org.au

Sometime in 1995, The Media Room started up in Sydney, Australia. This is
an anarchist collective, working on various aspects of media and originally
based at the back of Jura Anarchist Bookshop. They eventually developed 
internet links and are now running their own node, lyst.apana.org.au , using
Waffle for their UUCP feed from Apana. They have moved from Jura and are now
based at Black Rose anarchist bookshop. 

contact: cat@lyst.apana.org.au

Jura books have started up their own project called Jura Media and have their
own node: chaos.apana.org.au .  

* * *

In Italy, ECN (European Counter Network) are developing internet links with
their fido-protocol bbs network. Here's the text of their World-Wide Web
homepage.



 http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/ecn


   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
                           EUROPEAN COUNTER NETWORK
                                       
   
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   [IMAGE]
     _________________________________________________________________
   
   The European Counter Network has nine nodes in Italy, based in the
   following cities: Asti, Bologna, Brescia, Florence, Milan, Monselice,
   Padova, and Rome.
   
   A non-profit network dedicated first and foremost to broadening
   political debate and providing counter-information, the E.C.N. has
   file and conference areas devoted to a number of important social
   themes, including gender politics, AIDS, drugs, current struggles, the
   centri sociali and workplace politics. The network's most important
   facet is its NEWS file area, which in recent years has become a
   central source for information about the activities and debates
   amongst the various strands of Italy's 'self-organized' left.
   
   The E.C.N. was born in 1989 as a Europe-wide project involving
   Italian, British, German and Dutch comrades. Since that time,
   financial difficulties have had the unfortunate effect of loosening
   these international links, leaving the network to develop primarily
   within each of the countries concerned.
   Today, with the Internet becoming easily accessible to more and more
   people, less haphazard links between the various European components
   of the ECN (e.g. the ECN-UK) are once again on the agenda.
   
   In the meantime, the Italian ECN has established close links with the
   xchange BBS in Melbourne, Australia. Part of that country's small
   but growing anarchist computer network (@net), xchange mirrors most
   of the public messages broadcast on the Padova node. The two BBS also
   jointly produce a regular English-language electronic newsletter which
   summarises these postings, along with a full translation of one or two
   longer documents from Italy's 'self-organised' left. The latest
   edition of Italian COUNTERINFO can be found at the Mid-Atlantic
   Infoshop Home Page (for a free subscription to this e-zine, contact:
   pmargin@xchange.apana.org.au).
   
   The E.C.N.'s Internet connection is currently in an experimental
   phase, testing out basic services such as the distribution of
   documents through a listserver, and a number of simple WWW info-pages
   like this one. Any comments or suggestions can be forwarded to
   hobo@freenet.hut.fi.

* * *

and here's a bit of information.

>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>ECN Bologna (European Counter Network) 
>modem 051-520986  - Controinformazione 
>da centri sociali - bbs e reti telematiche antagoniste 
>- radio libere - riviste - giornali - centri di documentazione 
>- cani sciolti - in linea 24/h/giorno
>e-mail fam0393@iperbole.bologna.it
>http://www.xs4all.nl/~tank/ecn/ecnbo.htm
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------

* * *

In Catalunya, El Lokal in Barcelona have started up a bbs called LLIURE,
i'm afraid i've mislaid (in other words, accidentally deleted!) the 
information i had about this. Lliure is a fido-protocol bbs, with a lot
of text files and some communications software available. They don't as
yet have internet links, but can be contacted at ellokal@pangea.upc.es .


* * *

ECN London, who produce the paper Contraflow, are currently working on
setting up an internet link of some sort. Hopefully this will be working
within a few weeks. 

contact: for the time being, i can pass on msgs.

Fast Breeder anarchist bbs, which used to operate in London has unfortunately
folded due mainly to only having one person running it.

* * *

In Sweden there's an anarchist bbs with a UUCP connection to internet 
called IBKOM (Information Bureau BBS). As far as i know, so far there hasn't
been any formal connections with the other bbss i'm in touch with.

* * *

Well, that's about it for now. I hope i haven't left anything important
out. Sorry this is in english only. 

seeyas
will

