     Volume 6, Number 10                                  6 March 1989
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
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     |                                                     (jm)      |
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     Editor in Chief                                       Dale Lovell
     Editor Emeritus:                                   Thom Henderson
     Chief Procrastinator Emeritus:                       Tom Jennings
     Contributing Editors:                                   Al Arango
     
     FidoNews  is  published  weekly  by  the  International   FidoNet
     Association  as  its  official newsletter.  You are encouraged to
     submit articles for publication in FidoNews.  Article  submission
     standards  are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC,  available from
     node 1:1/1.  1:1/1 is available  for network  mail between  NMH-1
     hour to NMH+1 hour.  At all other times,  netmail is not accepted
     although submissions can be uploaded.
     
     Copyright 1989 by  the  International  FidoNet  Association.  All
     rights  reserved.  Duplication  and/or distribution permitted for
     noncommercial purposes only.  For  use  in  other  circumstances,
     please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067. IFNA may also be contacted
     at PO Box 41143, St. Louis, MO 63141.
     
     Fido  and FidoNet  are registered  trademarks of  Tom Jennings of
     Fido Software,  164 Shipley Avenue,  San Francisco, CA  94107 and
     are used with permission.
     
     The  contents  of  the  articles  contained  here  are  not   our
     responsibility,   nor   do   we   necessarily  agree  with  them.
     Everything here is  subject  to  debate.  We  publish  EVERYTHING
     received.


                        Table of Contents
     1. ARTICLES  .................................................  1
        SEA Letter: Kitten 2.00  ..................................  1
     2. LATEST VERSIONS  ..........................................  6
        Latest Software Versions  .................................  6
     3. NOTICES  ..................................................  7
        The Interrupt Stack  ......................................  7
     FidoNews 6-10                Page 1                    6 Mar 1989


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

                          What's Happening at SEA?


     Just what the world needs -- another  BBS  program!  Well,  since
     everyone else has written one, why not us?

     Some of you may already be  familiar  with  Kitten  1.00  --  the
     world's  tiniest BBS program.  Kitten didn't do much;  no message
     bases, no uploads,  no games,  nothing but a bulletin and a short
     list of files for download.  But if that was all you needed, then
     Kitten was the best choice because she was so easy to set up.

     In  version 2.00 Kitten has grown up a bit.  She can still be the
     simple,  unassuming system she was before,  and when she is she's
     just as easy to set up as ever.

     But if you tell her to, Kitten can grow into a real LION!

      o  Unlimited message bases.

      o  Five access levels and up to sixteen access control flags.

      o  An unlimited number of menus -- all fully definable by you.

      o  "Hacker control" from the simple to the sublime -- limited
         only by your own imagination.

      o  Conditional menus, allowing menu flexibility unheard of in a
         BBS program.

      o  The ability to run "outside" programs with full redirection
         (see what the user sees, and you can type too) and a built-in
         watchdog for carrier AND for session time limit.

      o  File upload/download ability to an unlimited number of file
         areas, with file access under your control at all times.


     To  see  a  sample  of just how WILD a Kitten can get,  check out
     Irene & Leo's Funhouse at (201)  473-5371  (outside  of  business
     hours only, please).

     Kitten  2.00  comes  complete  with copious documentation and two
     sample configurations to get you started.  Whether your needs are
     simple or incredible,  you owe it to yourself to take a  look  at
     Kitten!



     Files mentioned this week:

                   KITTEN.ARC          The Kitten BBS package.
     FidoNews 6-10                Page 2                    6 Mar 1989


     KITTEN.ARC  may be downloaded from our technical support bulletin
     board at (201) 473-1991,  or may be  file-requested  from  either
     520/1015@AlterNet or 1:107/1015@FidoNet.


     Next week:  USNO

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     FidoNews 6-10                Page 3                    6 Mar 1989


     Nodelist Flags and Brownshirts

     Evolution, Growth, and Political Structures

     In any society, there is a continual problem of the rules and
     rulemakers not always being able to keep up with the technologies
     that drive the society.  FidoNet is no exception, and the
     nodelist flags is a golden example of this.

     The defacto standard for nodelist flags has been considerably
     different than the written standards for quite some time.
     Recently, the FTSC has attempted to bring them closer to parity
     in the form of a new FTS-0005.


     Threatened Actions By A Now-ExRC

     When I was an RC, one of the things that irked me in a big way
     was a threat by another RC to drop any nodes whose flags did not
     correspond to the written spec.  That RC commissioned a program
     that would seek and comment out any nodes not in compliance.

     I did not, and do not, see why a node that has flags that don't
     match a written spec should be dropped from the nodelist, except
     in those cases where it clearly indicates bad faith on the part
     of the sysop.  For instance, saying CM when you are not.  But to
     be dropped because you have AKA:xxxx setting seems more than a
     little bogus to me.  That's a problem between an RC and an NC,
     since it's the NC who prepares the entries, not the sysop.  If
     totally illegal values are coming in a given NC's segment, you
     fire the creator of the segment, not the nodes being
     ill-represented.

     This is the kind of thing that scares me most about FidoNet - we
     seem to have two extremes for rules - either they don't apply at
     all, or we are going to use them as excuses for ax grinding.


     User Flags

     Primary Intent On My Part: To Give Lee Kemp A Place For Keys

     In direct recognition of the fact that our political structures
     in FidoNet don't work well or efficiently, I pressed to have the
     user flags added to the FTSC spec.  The intent of these flags was
     to provide a place for people to try new things out in the
     nodelist without rigamarole from the coordinator structure.  To
     legally provide for a mechanism for the organic growth that is
     clearly needed - a place where ideas can be tried, and either
     flourish, die, or be incorporated into some idea, without some
     hardass coordinator imposing his world view on what is supposed
     to be an egalitarian network.

     My specific, short term intent was to provide Lee Kemp with a
     place to store PKSCrypt keys in his nodelist entry.  Later in
     this article, you'll see how.
     FidoNews 6-10                Page 4                    6 Mar 1989


     Growing Out of The User Realm

     Implicit in this is the assumption that some user flags will
     migrate to the more standard flags.  For instance, once everyone
     agreed on some mechanism for encoding a signature key (from
     attempts in the user flags), the mechanism might be standardized
     by the FTSC, and moved into the "standard" flags area.


     Coordinator Actions

     In Hindsight, The Coordinator Flags Were Suggested

     As an afterthought, I suggested that a second, parallel set of
     flags be created, called Coordinator flags.  This was suggested
     because the FTSC nodelist specification serves a number of
     networks.  The coordinator flags would allow a particular local
     political structure to have it's own set of flags implemented in
     such a way that any robust, general purpose nodelist processor
     would not barf, while still keeping the "garden" of the user
     flags free from intervention.

     The uses that came to mind for this related to things like
     identifying EchoMail hubs, SDS nodes, etc.

     These flags could be added ONLY with the approval of the given
     coordinator structure, where in the case of the user flags, the
     coordinator structure would have little, if any, say over.


     As Usual, Coordinators Usurping The Users of the Network

     But as it stands, the coordinators of FidoNet have decided to
     take it upon themselves to use and control the User flags, while
     the FTSC has ignored the coordinator flags.  As usual, you and I
     are left at the mercy of a bunch of people who didn't understand
     the intent to begin with.

     Par for the course.  I guess I should have expected this.  For
     once, let's get them to do it right.  Tell your NC you want to
     use your User Flags for just that - user flags, and if the
     coordinators want some flags to control, let them get their own.
     For now, just ask your NC for the USER_NOT_*C_FLAG! flag.  If you
     have an AKA or PN flag, have them make it an UAKA or UPN flag.
     That's what they were created for.  You.  Not them.  If he tells
     you he can't, ask him when the coordinators are going to live by
     the rules they've written rather than the ones they make up along
     the way?


     JonesNose Flags

     I have submitted a request to my NC for the following flags:

     UPN5555,PK2E5F9D0D0999

     FidoNews 6-10                Page 5                    6 Mar 1989


     PN5555 means I use private net 5555.

     The latter is a 7 digit PKSCrypt key set, packed as two, six
     digit hexadecimal values.  (If someone would be kind enough to
     netmail me a copy of what they think the key would look like, I'd
     be much obliged.)

     Harry Lee
     1:321/202@FidoNet

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-10                Page 6                    6 Mar 1989


     =================================================================
                              LATEST VERSIONS
     =================================================================

                          Latest Software Versions

                           Bulletin Board Software
     Name        Version    Name        Version    Name       Version

     Fido            12K*   Opus          1.03b    TBBS           2.1
     QuickBBS       2.03    TPBoard         5.0    TComm/TCommNet 3.2
     Lynx           1.22    Phoenix         1.3    RBBS         1.71D


     Network                Node List              Other
     Mailers     Version    Utilities   Version    Utilities  Version

     Dutchie       2.90C*   EditNL         4.00    ARC           5.32
     SEAdog         4.50*   MakeNL         2.12    ARCmail        2.0*
     BinkleyTerm    2.00    Prune          1.40    ConfMail      4.00
     D'Bridge       1.10    XlatList       2.90*   TPB Editor    1.21
     FrontDoor       2.0    XlaxNode       2.32*   TCOMMail       2.0
     PRENM          1.40    XlaxDiff       2.32*   TMail         8901*
                            ParseList      1.30    UFGATE        1.02*
                                                   GROUP         2.04*
                                                   EMM           1.40
                                                   MSGED         1.96

     * Recently changed

     Utility authors:  Please help  keep  this  list  up  to  date  by
     reporting  new  versions  to 1:1/1.  It is not our intent to list
     all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-10                Page 7                    6 Mar 1989


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

                          The Interrupt Stack


      8 May 1989
        Digital Equipment Corporations User Society (DECUS) will be
        holding its semi-annual symposium in Atlanta, GA. Runs
        through May 12. As usual sysop's will get together and chat.

     19 May 1989
        Start of EuroCon III at Eindhoven, The Netherlands

     24 Aug 1989
        Voyager 2 passes Neptune.

     24 Aug 1989
          FidoCon '89 starts at the Holiday Inn in San Jose,
          California.  Trade show, seminars, etc. Contact 1/89
          for info.

      5 Oct 1989
        20th Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus"

     If you have something which you would like to see on this
     calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.

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

     FidoNews 6-10                Page 8                    6 Mar 1989


            OFFICERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION

     Hal DuPrie     1:101/106  Chairman of the Board
     Bob Rudolph    1:261/628  President
     Matt Whelan    3:3/1      Vice President
     Ray Gwinn      1:109/639  Vice President - Technical Coordinator
     David Garrett  1:103/501  Secretary
     Steve Bonine   1:115/777  Treasurer



                         IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

         DIVISION                               AT-LARGE

     10  Courtney Harris   1:102/732?    Don Daniels     1:107/210
     11  Bill Allbritten   1:11/301      Hal DuPrie      1:101/106
     12  Bill Bolton       3:711/403     Mark Grennan    1:147/1
     13  Rick Siegel       1:107/27      Steve Bonine    1:115/777
     14  Ken Kaplan        1:100/22      Ted Polczyinski 1:154/5
     15  Larry Kayser      1:104/739?    Matt Whelan     3:3/1
     16  Ivan Schaffel     1:141/390     Robert Rudolph  1:261/628
     17  Rob Barker        1:138/34      Steve Jordan    1:102/2871
     18  Andrew Adler      1:135/47      Bob Swift       1:140/24
     19  David Drexler     1:19/1        Larry Wall      1:15/18
      2  Henk Wevers       2:500/1       David Melnik    1:107/233

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     FidoNews 6-10                Page 9                    6 Mar 1989


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