     Volume 6, Number  9                              27 February 1989
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     |                                                  _            |
     |                                                 /  \          |
     |                                                /|oo \         |
     |        - FidoNews -                           (_|  /_)        |
     |                                                _`@/_ \    _   |
     |        International                          |     | \   \\  |
     |     FidoNet Association                       | (*) |  \   )) |
     |         Newsletter               ______       |__U__| /  \//  |
     |                                 / FIDO \       _//|| _\   /   |
     |                                (________)     (_/(_|(____/    |
     |                                                     (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
        Graphic GroupMail (OR... How GroupMail REALLY works!)  ....  1
        MSGHOLD - Holds your user's Group/EchoMail for them!  .....  4
        SEA Letter: A Sample Script  ..............................  5
        It won't happen in America!  ..............................  6
        UNITEX: More Than Just Echo Mail  .........................  9
     2. COLUMNS  .................................................. 15
        Let's YACK about Why Anyone Would Run a BBS  .............. 15
     3. LATEST VERSIONS  .......................................... 16
        Latest Software Versions  ................................. 16
     4. NOTICES  .................................................. 17
     And more!
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 1                   27 Feb 1989


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

     Graphic GroupMail  -OR-

     How GroupMail REALLY Works

     In the interests of clearing up some of the misinformation
     regarding GroupMail technology that has been spread around the
     networks, I have worked up this short graphic representation of
     how a pure GroupMail conference works.  It is hoped that with
     this documentation, the reasons for the impossibility of
     duplicate messages and faulty topologies will become clear as
     crystal.

     Let's take the WARNINGS conference, for example, and set it up as
     a GroupMail conference.  We have a Top Star, 440/1, several
     middle stars at the net level, and the leaf nodes (YOU).  Here's
     how it might look:


                            +----------------+
                            |   Top Star:    |      +------------+
                            |   Conference   |----> |WARNINGS.XXX|
                            |   Moderator    |      +------------+
                            | WARNINGS 440/1 |        GroupMail
                            +----------------+       ARChive File
                              ^      ^     ^     (Distributed to ALL)
                              |      |     |
             ------------------      |     -----------------
             |                       |                     |
     +----------------+     +----------------+     +----------------+
     |    NET 100     |     |     NET 200    |     |    NET 300     |
     | MID LEVEL STAR |     | MID LEVEL STAR |     | MID LEVEL STAR |
     |    7:100/1     |     |     7:200/1    |     |    7:300/1     |
     +----------------+     +----------------+     +----------------+
       |    |   |   |         ^      ^               |  |  ^  |  |
     Other Net 100 Nodes      |      |            Other Net|300 Nodes
                              |      |                     |
             ------------------      |                     |
             |                       |                     |
     +----------------+     +----------------+     +----------------+
     |    Node 201    |     |    Node 202    |     |    Node 301    |
     |    7:200/201   |     |    7:200/202   |     |    7:300/301   |
     +----------------+     +----------------+     +----------------+
                    ^                ^               ^
                     Any of these can be your system.

     Please notice that all arrows go in ONE direction ONLY (UP).

     Now lets trace the way a message entered on, say 200/201 would go
     about being distributed to the network in general.

     User Alan enters a message on 201.  Later that day it is removed
     from the message base and packed up and sent to his uplink, mid
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 2                   27 Feb 1989


     level star Net 200 (when using non-Group-aware echo processors,
     the message might have to stay in the message base - small price
     to pay).

     When the ARCmail file (identical in every way to a normal
     echomail bundle) hits the midlevel star, he unpacks it, usually
     into his netmail area.  Then, his group processor realizes that
     since the message is for the WARNINGS conference, it has to be
     bounced on up to the next uplink, so rather than moving into his
     message base, he redirects it to 440/1, packs it up for shipment
     (the same way that 200/201 did it!), and removes the message from
     his netmail area (a native GroupMail processor will do this for
     you).

     Finally, the message, in a normal ARCmail 'echomail' packet
     arrives on 440/1, the 'top star' for the conference.  Since he's
     the top star, 440/1's group processor unpacks the message into
     his message base, where the moderator can peruse it for possible
     off-topic content, flame content, etc.  The moderator then packs
     up Alan's message, along with ALL the other messages that have
     been passed along from nets 100 & 300, into one GroupMail style
     ARCmail file named WARNINGS.xxx (where 'xxx' is a base 36 minute
     of the month ARCmail naming convention), and is made available
     for pickup.

     You will notice that at no time did my hands leave my arms, er,
     at no time did the message touch any other systems message base.
     Alan's message was not ECHO'd ANYwhere.  It was simply passed
     along, sight-unseen by all the star systems between 200/201 and
     440/1.  At this point, it exists only on the top star's system,
     and in that GroupMail packet, sitting on 440/1.

     Meanwhile, the midlevel stars have finished their daily
     processing, and are ready to call to pick up the new day's mail.
     Since their high water mark files (WARNINGS.!) have a date/time
     stamp of the last WARNINGS.xxx file they processed, when they do
     a File UPDate REQuest, their systems will see that the new
     WARNINGS file is 'later' than their high water mark file, and
     pick it up.  They import the file into their message base, then
     turn around and make the WARNINGS.xxx file available to the next
     level of systems WITHOUT MODIFYING IT AT ALL.  Alan's message now
     resides in the message bases of 440/1, 100/1, 200/1, and 300/1.
     They change the date time stamps of their WARNINGS.! file to
     match the date/time stamp of the WARNINGS.xxx file (for
     tomorrow's update request).

     However, what happens if one of the mailers that's being run on
     the mid-level star isn't running a program capable of generating
     a File UPDate REQuest?  There exists in some GroupMail processors
     the ability to DELIVER the GroupMail ARChives by generating a
     File ATTach message to a specific list of nodes anytime it does a
     Group PACK (for Top Stars) or a Group IN (for mid-level stars).
     In this way, people without mailers sophisticated enough to
     perform the necessary requests can participate.  This is a
     definite short-term kludge, however, since delivering a confer-
     ence is NOT the way GroupMail should work (think about what could
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 3                   27 Feb 1989


     happen if a node had a conference delivered to it by more than
     one node, or if it also requested the conference!)  Hence, this
     short-term fix may disappear in the near future, as most mailers
     are brought up to date.

     Finally, the leaf nodes get their turn.  They use their own high
     water marks (WARNINGS.!) to generate File UPDate REQuests to
     their uplinks, the mid level stars, and pickup WARNINGS.xxx.
     This is the SAME file that was distributed to 100/1, 200/1, &
     300/1, and now resides on 200/201, 200/202, and 300/301.  Since
     everybody has the same file, there is no need for SEEN-BY lines
     (non-group-aware echomail processors may need a SEEN-BY with just
     the uplink, or mid-level star in it, else they might resend the
     whole file back up the chain again.  Still, its better than 3 or
     4 lines of them!)  Alan's message now resides on every system in
     the net.  If 200/201 is running a non-groupmail-aware echomail
     processor to 'kludge' this process, it may have 2 copies of his
     message in its base, unless it has a sophisticated dupe killer,
     which would catch it on the way back.  Either way, that'd be the
     ONLY message that appeared twice.  As more and more GroupMail
     processors are developed for the different boards, this problem
     will become extinct.

     As you can see, only two boards handled Alan's message twice.
     200/201, and its uplink, 200/1.  No boards handled ALL the
     messages twice.  And of course, with no SEEN-BYS or DUPES (or
     even FLAMES or off-topic messages if the moderator fully edits
     his conference), the GroupMail ARC files are much smaller and
     more quickly processed.  No dupes can be generated because the
     conference isn't ECHO'd anywhwere.  Alan gets positive confirma-
     tion that his message was seen by EVERYONE in the net (sort of
     like having electronic receipt mail!), and that the whole net
     probably saw it faster than echomail could ever possibly
     distribute it.

     Well, 'nuff said.  I wanted this to be brief, but I also wanted
     it to be understandable.  If you have any questions, or if you
     want to file-request GROUP (for FidoNet sysops), GMAIL (for QBBS
     sysops), or GMM (for Phoenix sysops), feel free to contact me at
     7:520/583, 1:107/583, 9:807/1, or just plain ol' 1-201-935-1485.

     Phil Buonomo

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 4                   27 Feb 1989


         MSGHOLD - Holds your user's Group/EchoMail for them!

         Phoenix RCS BBS SysOps can now keep Group- and EchoMail
     messages addressed to their users. MsgHold V1.02
     prevents message-base maintenance utilities, such as
     LRH's DOM (Delete Old Messages), from deleting messages
     addressed to users of that BBS. MsgHold keeps the message on
     the system for 4 weeks, or until the addressee has seen the
     message. It then releases it to be processed by the system.
     Registration of the shareware package allows SysOps to set
     the number of days to hold the message.

         This is believed to be the first utility of its kind! On
     systems that import large volumes of Echo/Group Mail, the
     problem arose that the message bases were becoming intolerably
     large. While message-base packing utilities took care of the
     size of the message areas, users of the BBS had to be sure to
     log in each and every day to check for replies to their
     messages, new information, etc. This is just an unreasonable
     task. Hence, the birth of MSGHOLD.

         This package is FREQ'able from 7:520/557 1:107/557
     9:807/2 (The County Jail II BBS - 300-9600 HST/PCP) by the
     magic filename MSGHOLD, to be sure you always get the latest
     version.

         Other versions of MsgHold will soon be available for
     QBBS and TBBS systems. Look for their announcement here.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 5                   27 Feb 1989


                          What's Happening at SEA?


     SEAdog 4.00 was the first network  mailer  to  provide  a  script
     capability  for  establishing  a  mail  session over an alternate
     carrier.  That  original  script  driver  was  rather  primitive,
     because  at that time we did not yet know how many people (if any
     at all!) would be interested in such a thing.

     Well, now we know -- a LOT of people are interested!


     When we were designing version 4.50 one of our priorities was  to
     develop  a  script  language that could negotiate complex foreign
     networks, as well as provide a platform for netmail sessions with
     "foreign" systems.  Since most of the present  users  of  scripts
     use  them to navigate Telenet's PC Pursuit service,  we used that
     as our primary test case.

     The result in SEAdog 4.50  is  a  flexible  and  powerful  script
     language  that can handle the worst that an alternate carrier can
     dish out.  A SEAdog script can handle not only the  ordinary  and
     expected  cases,  but  can  also  respond  intelligently to error
     conditions as they arise.

     We've developed a script for our own use that can take  advantage
     of  PC  Pursuit,  and can handle all of the occasional vagarities
     that arise -- everything from an offline dialout to a modem  left
     in Racal-Vadic mode.

     The full script is too large to post here with an explanation, so
     we've  gone  through  it  and added copious comments.  We added a
     route  file  to  show  how  the  script  ties  into  the  routing
     schedules.  We've  compiled  an exchange list database for use by
     the script.  And lastly,  we've packaged it all in an archive and
     made it available for download or file request.

     If you're using SEAdog with PC Pursuit,  get a copy of our sample
     script and make YOUR system PC Pursuit smart!


     Files mentioned this week:

                   SCRIPTS.ARC         A SEAdog script for PC Pursuit

     SCRIPTS.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:  Kitten 2.00

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 6                   27 Feb 1989


     Claude F. Witherspoon
     Fido 1:288/525

                     ONCE UPON A TIME MAYBE IN AMERICA

     Once upon a time there was a nation founded upon the priciples of
     reason  and  moral  responsibility.  Blessed  with an industrious
     people and abounding in natural resources, it became one  of  the
     most prosperous and self-sufficient nations on this great earth.

     Then  one  day  it grew accustomed to ease and plenty, to many of
     its people grew self-indulgent  (anyone  you  know?).  Foreigners
     were  quick  to exploit this weakness. The way they did this, was
     to provide something that the great nation had little of, illicit
     DRUGS!...

     Drug smugglers established their headquarters in a southern city.
     In a matter of years, their  poison  had  seeped  into  virtually
     every  town  and  village  via a weblike distribution system that
     flourished under the noses  of  judges,  politicians  and  police
     (sometimes  even  with  their  assistance), for drugs can corrupt
     anyone.

     Now, to show "all was not  lost",  some  INTELLECTUALS  initially
     extolled   the  psychic  and  medicinal  benefits  of  drugs  and
     minimized their harm. Ironically, these intellectuals, along with
     the RICH and PRIVILAGED, were the first to succumb. The Army  was
     next. The last, most tragic victims were the poor.

     In  the  final  stages  of the plague, addicts whom drugs did not
     kill outright became susceptable to  infectious  diseases,  which
     they unwittingly spread to loved ones.

     And  in  time,  this  once great and noble nation was so withered
     that it fell victim to countries a fraction of its size.

     Now,  if you think this story is about 20th-century America, your
     wrong. This is a capsule acoount of  what  actually  happened  to
     China in the 19th century.

     In  the  early  1800s, China was amoung the wealthiest, most self
     sufficient  nations  on  earth.  Its  rulers  had  governed   for
     centuries  under  ancient system ethics set down by the followers
     of Confucius. China's very name for itself, Zhongguo, the "Middle
     Kingdom," understood its glorious  position  between  heaven  and
     earth. Nothing could bring it down. Except itself.

     Western  nations ran up huge trade deficits with China to pay for
     porcelain, silk and tea. But China remained wary of outsiders and
     had little interest in  purchasing  foreign  goods.  Thus  little
     could  be done to redress the imballance of trade...until Britian
     discovered China's secret taste for opium and began  shipping  it
     into the country from British fields in India.

     The  pernicious drug had been severely restricted by law in 1729,
     but as imports rose, some  scholar-officials  argued  that  opium
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 7                   27 Feb 1989


     should  be  "decriminalized"  and  its  distribution regulated by
     the government. Others declaired that  is  was  beneficial  to  a
     weary psyche and cured stomach ailments.

     Opium  was  disparingly called heitu, "black dirt," for the tarry
     substance placed in long bamboo pipes. Addicts  smoked  it  while
     stretched  on  benches  in  "dens"  not too unlike today's "crack
     houses."  In  the  early  stages,  opium  induced  euphoria.  But
     habitual use left victims burnt-out husks of their former selves.
     In the final stages of addiction, it caused dementia and death.

     And  victims  more and more included nonaddicts. As opium smokers
     gathered, coughing and spitting, they unknowingly became infected
     with, and then spread to others, diseases as deadly in those days
     as AIDS is now, tuberculosis and influenza.

     At a  time  when  such  pressures  as  overpopulation,  political
     infighting  and  declining  revenues were also taking their toll,
     addiction raged  through  China's  army  and  invaded  the  civil
     service.   The   effect   was   a  rapid  decline  in  provincial
     administration.  Canals  collapsed  out  of  neglect,  disrupting
     China's vital system of transportation. Pushing beyond endurance,
     the  Chinese government closed its doors to all foreign goods and
     destroyed crates of opium stored in British warehouses in Canton.

     England declared war and its navy brutally defeated an inadequate
     Chinese fleet. As part of the treaty settling the "Opium War"  of
     1839-42,  a  shocked  and  demoralized  China  ceded the southern
     island of Hong Kong to  Britain.  This  city,  much  like  Miami,
     became  the hub of the drug trade, from which criminal societies,
     like  Mafia  today,  joined  forces  with  foreign  smugglers  to
     disperse the drug everywhere.

     Peasant  discontent  erupted into a massive civil war, called the
     Taiping Rebellion, which cost as many as 30 million lives. Taking
     advantage of chaos, England, France, Germany and Russia carved up
     China like a ripe melon. By the end of  the  19th  century,  five
     percent  of  China's  population  was  addicted,  over 22 million
     people. So much bullion  flowed  out  of  the  country  that  the
     economy  teetered  on  the  verge  of collapse. In 1912, the last
     emperor, Puyi, was forced from the throne.

     China floundered in the bloody strife of civil  war  and  foreign
     invasion  for  almost  four decades. Then Mao Zedong's Communists
     crushed all opposition,  taking  another  30  million  lives  and
     forcing millions out of their villages and into communes. Mao did
     away with opium, by eliminating the smokers.

     Only  recently  has  China  begun  to stem its nearly two-century
     decline, which begun with the first  self-indulgent  puff  on  an
     opium pipe.

     HISTORY  RECORDS  a  sad  cycle:  the  great civilizations; Greek,
     Roman, Spanish and Chinese; fell  by  their  own  inner  weakness
     before their military forces were vanquished.

     FidoNews 6-09                Page 8                   27 Feb 1989


     And if the United States ever does succumb, here too it will have
     been by our own hand.

     NOTE:  Reprinted from readers Digest. Also, our address has
     changed  here  at  KidsNews  headquarters.  Please  note  the
     1:288/525 address for correspondence with the folks at KidsNews.


     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 9                   27 Feb 1989


     THE UNITEX ECHO IS NOW AVAIlABLE ON THE FIDONET BACKBONE

     The UNITEX CONFERENCE is now nationally distributed via the
     'backbone' links in Fidonet. It is also available on uucp
     networks in the form of a Usenet mailing list.  The
     conference  originates from the UNITEX Network (1:107/701).
     UNITEX  operates at 9600(PEP), 2400 and 1200 baud.  Our data
     phone  is (201) 795-0733.

     A large portion of the information provided by UNITEX is
     generated from information obtained from the interrogation
     of both mainframe United Nations databases and Dialcom
     database  services. We have recently acquired access
     privileges to the  UNICEF mainframe database in New York and
     to the UN databse in Geneva, Switzerland.  We designed an
     automated procedure that  scans several database index files
     and then selectively downloads  key information areas into
     ascii text files.  These files are  then  'cleaned-up',
     edited and parsed for subject headers and  TO: fields and
     are processed into FTSC compatible echo mail  messages.
     These in turn are bundled into network packets and  then
     routed via the network.

     In addition to the Echo Mail, we create a weekly file that
     consists of all the 'raw' source material that goes into the
     UNITEX Echo as 'official' news source material. Since we
     create these files every Friday, the naming convention is
     analogous to that used in Fidonet for weekly nodediffs and
     has the same file extension used for NODEDIFF.A??, etc.
     This  facilitates file maintenance for those that maintain a
     weekly  files area.  The arced weekly files are called
     UNITEX.A?? and are, at present, file requestable from
     107/701 between the hours of 11:00 PM and 3:00 AM. The file
     size ranges from 50K to 150K. If there are many requests for
     these files on a weekly basis, other distribution methods
     will be arranged.


     NOTE:
           An important issue that has come up from time-to-time
           is whether UNITEX is a read-only conference.  The
           answer is NO.  UNITEX encourages user response and
           inquires to the issuses raised. Please see below,
           Section C: Conferenece Rules & Guidelines for more
           details.

     A description and overview of UNITEX will follow.

     James Waldron, Ph.D is the Conference Moderator and Senior
     Director of UNITEX Network.

     Dorothy Nicklus is the Associate Conference Moderator and
     Co-director of the UNITEX Network.

     UNITEX: Data phone  (201) 795-0733
             Voice phone (201) 653-2806
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 10                  27 Feb 1989


     A. CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

     UNITEX supplies and disseminates information that we obtain
     from United Nations mainframe databases and related sources.
     We have been a major advocate for the distribution of 'raw',
     uncensored and un-edited material obtained from official UN
     sources and are palying a key role in the acquistion and
     distribution of this information. It consists of UN press
     Releases, UN Radio News, International Press News, UNICEF
     Press Releases, Electronic Publishing (DIPA) and related
     UNICEF documents and Wordwide Disaster News and Relief Plans
     from UNDRONET.  The conference was establised 18 months ago
     and had a limited distribution in the United States, Canada
     and Australia. I maintained approximately 12 to 16 direct
     links at any given time. Due to the interest generated in
     general and to the timely internatioanl news coverage in
     specific, vis a vis Soviet-US current affairs,
     Nobel Peace Prize Award to UN, renewed interest in US space
     efforts, etc., there has been a mushrooming effect resulting
     in many requests to receive the UNITEX Echo via the national
     'backbone' distribution.


     B. CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION

     The issues that UNITEX presents are many and are dependent
     on  current political topics of interest and timely
     international news.  The key areas that we focus on are the
     following:

     Human Rights, Disarmament, Amnesty International (Action
     Alerts), African News, news from and about 3rd World and
     Developing Countries, World Peace Issues, Space News/NASA
     and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, Worlwide Disaster News &
     Relief Programs, Technology Transfer and  Information
     Exchange, International Ecological and Environmental Issues,
     World Health Organization Reports (International health
     issues, vaccines, etc), Reports from the General Assembly
     and World Bank (International finance, multi-national and
     inter-governmental  joint ventures, etc)


     C. CONFERENCE GUIDELINES and RULES

     Currently, the readers of UNITEX are concerned scientists,
     educators, teachers and students, as well as governemnt
     officials, UN delegates and  news journalists. Through the
     vehicle of this conference, UNITEX provides information and
     promotes information and data exchange on a two-way basis.
     One should exercise a certain level of 'diplomacy' when
     addressing issues or people in this conference.  There is
     much to be gained by good-will, patience and understanding
     and nothing by rash, insensitive and  mindless chatter.
     Think before you write and try to make intelligent thought
     provoking commentary and stay focused on the issues
     presented.
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 11                  27 Feb 1989


     UNITEX welcomes reader replies and user feedback. It is not
     a Read-Only conference *but* due to the sensitive nature of
     many of the international issues that are addressed and the
     scope and  breadth of the distribution, it is strongly
     *advised* that the UNITEX  Area allow only *private* replies
     to UNITEX (107/701) via netmail to allow for appropriate
     conference moderation. Individual inquires of a specific
     nature can be sent via netmail to UNITEX.  Systems running
     Confmail or  MGM as an echomail processor can allow echomail
     with private netmail  replies. Simply define the UNITEX echo
     area as a local private area  then Export using Confmail
     with UNITEX defined as an echo area in  areas.bbs  If the
     inquires are useful and of a general interest, then  we will
     publish it in the UNITEX echo. This facilitates conference
     moderation since absolute moderation on the backbone is not
     possible.


     D. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND and PERSPECTIVE

     The United Nations plays a key role in several areas, such
     as, population and agricultural studies, world health and
     medical issues (imunization, new vaccines, treatment
     programs, etc), international peace agreements, treaties and
     security, international laws, peaceful uses of outer space,
     equal rights, human rights and the  disemmination of
     information and international news.  UNITEX is an  advocate
     for these issuses and is also strongly commited to modern
     computer applications in the areas of software design and
     network  development.  Apart from our main goals as
     technology and information providers, UNITEX helps to make
     the goals and efforts of the  United Nations more widely
     know, add to international understanding  and reduce or
     eliminate misunderstanding.

     International news and new technological developments
     occuring in both the industrialized nations and in the
     developing nations is transmitted by UNITEX to all direct
     private links as well as to the Fidonet backbone
     distribution system.

     E. PURPOSE

     INFORMATION and THE CHALLENGE OF THE 90's

     The following is a summary of several points that were
     introduced by UNITEX to be discussed at the United Nations
     Special Session on Information occurring on
     June 13 - June 27, 1988:


     Advances in communications technology has exacerbated the
     gap between the developed and developing countries.
     Information and communications  in an interdependent world
     effect the economy, trade, culture and the development of a
     nation.  Aside from this, confusion about the United Nations
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 12                  27 Feb 1989


     is enormous.

     The ever widening gulf that exists between the developed
     industrialized nations and the undeveloped countries has
     been referred to as the "North-South information
     inequality".  A pre-occupied concern of the developing
     countries is freedom of information (article 19 of the
     Universal Declaration of Human Rights) and the information
     inequality that currently exists. To address these specific
     areas of concern, the UN has referred to the general topic
     of international co-operation and communication as the "New
     World Information and Communication Order" Co-operation
     between the North-South will provide the developing
     countries with up-to-date know-how and assist in the
     dissemination of fair coverage of the news about developing
     nations.

     Hopefuflly, UNITEX and the asscoiated nodes that link into
     this  conference can help narrow this gap using effective,
     low-cost  communication technology and decentralized wide-
     area networks that  are a trademark of both the
     microcomputer networks (FidoNet) and  the uucp networks
     (UseNet, etc).



     F. ASSOCIATED FILES

     Much of the original material that goes into the UNITEX Echo
     is abstracted from our weekly source text files (created
     from UN database sources) and are named UNITEX.A??.  Since
     we create these files every  Friday, the naming convention
     is analogous to that used in Fidonet for  weekly nodelists
     and has the same file extension used for NODEDIFF.A??, etc.
     This will facilitate your file maintenance should you desire
     to acquire these files.  At the present time, they can be
     file requested from 107/701 between the hours of midnight
     and 3:00 AM. The file size ranges from 50K to 150K.  If
     there are many requests for these files  on a weekly basis,
     other distribution methods will be arranged.


     If there are any questions on any of this material, please
     direct them, via private netmail to:

        James Waldron
        Director, UNITEX

        Fidonet            1:107/701
        Alternet           7:520/701
        uucp --> Fidonet   rutgers!rubbs!107!701!James_Waldron
        uucp --> UNITEX    rutgers!rubbs!unitex
                           waldron@newport.rutgers.edu or
                           cucard!dasys1!jwaldron
         TCN               4005

     FidoNews 6-09                Page 13                  27 Feb 1989


        Thank you for your co-operation and support...........

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

     UNITEX is including the following article by Kevin Axleson
     to best describe the role of UNITEX as a host system
     for Action Alerts produced by AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL:


     SUBJECT: ai announcement for fidonews

     ---------------------------------------------
     An Invitation to Sponsor Amnesty International Activities on
     your Fido BBS

     AI is a worldwide nongovernmental organization working for
     human rights.  When AI learns of a person anywhere in the
     world who is being tortured, executed, held incommunicado
     ("disappeared") by unidentified abductors, or detained for
     non-violent political reasons, AI's millions of members
     worldwide work together to pressure the responsible
     government officials to cease the abuse.

     The reality of human rights abuse around the world is that
     many people suffer terrible fates in anonymity.  AI counters
     this by making real peoples' situations known and by coming
     rapidly to their protection. AI members have this great
     influence in the fate of others by virtue of specific and
     timely alerts members receive from AI's headquarters in
     London.  These alerts tell who is suffering, what background
     there is on the situation, what international principles and
     protections can be requested on the victim's behalf, and
     exactly which government officials to write to.

     There are 400,000 members of AIUSA, 2,000 regularly meeting
     groups, and a number of specialized activities for medical,
     legal and other tasks related to defending prisoners.  One
     of these activities is the "Urgent Action Network", which we
     invite you to consider hosting on your Fido BBS.

     We at the Urgent Action Network office postal-mail alerts
     about the most serious human rights concerns to a network of
     12,000 persons in the USA.  These alerts are telexed direct
     to us from AI's HQ, and often tell of persons who may be
     under torture or in other dire situations at the very moment
     we mail the alert.

     In addition to the US Postal network, we offer about 3
     "Urgent Action Alerts" a week to computer users over a
     growing network of hosting electronic communications
     systems.  We have delivered these alerts consistently now
     for a year and a half since we started on PeaceNet. In
     approaching the extensive world of PC BBSes, we have decided
     not to place this information over traditional echoes, but
     to offer it by file polling for systems who would be willing
     to work with us to present our information effectively and
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 14                  27 Feb 1989


     work with AI letterwriters on their systems.
     If you run a BBS which has a community interested in social
     issues, you may find our information to be a meaningful
     service to your readers.  We invite you to contact us if you
     would like more information.  We would like to have Fido BBS
     hosts throughout the USA. You would only need to make one
     file poll a week, receiving from 25 to 50kchar at up to 9600
     baud, to participate effectively in the Online Urgent Action
     Network.

     You may examine our basic materials in file area 6 of the
     UNITEX BBS 1:107/701 and 7:520/701, located in New Jersey,
     phone 201-795-0733.   We will be adding information to
     deepen the experience for letter writers;  what you will see
     here is our simplest offering.  Our information is also
     posted on many large commercial systems, most accessible of
     which might be CompuServe's "issuesforum", data library 15.
     Please do not repost these materials, rather, contact us to
     be tied in directly.

     The coordinator of the "Online Urgent Action Network" for
     AIUSA is Kevin Axelson, who may be reached at UNITEX:
     107/701 kevin axelson, CompuServe: 76414,447, and uucp:
     !rutgers!hombre!kaxelson.  If you have difficulty with any
     of these connections, you may also telephone to the UA
     office at 303-440-0913, between 9AM and 5PM weekdays,
     Mountain Standard Time.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 15                  27 Feb 1989


     =================================================================
                                  COLUMNS
     =================================================================

                                    YACK
                      Yet Another Complicated Komment

                            by Steven K. Hoskin
                        ( STEVE HOSKIN at 1:128/31 )

                  Episode 22:  Why Anyone Would Run a BBS


     Yes,  this is a strange hobby we partake in.  We spend a  lot  of
     money to buy a computer.  Then we spend more money getting a hard
     disk  for  it.   We  spend  more  money getting a modem.  Then we
     discover bulletin boards and decide to run one.  In  some  cases,
     this  warrants  more  hard  drive and maybe a faster modem.  More
     money invested  in  this  computer.   We  fight  with  unfriendly
     software  and  poor documentation.  We struggle with utilities to
     make our boards run more the way we'd like them to, and we change
     software when something new comes out that  does  something  we'd
     like.   We spend hours setting up programs and control files.  We
     wait anxiously  for  certain  events  to  happen  which,  due  to
     cost-effectiveness,  must  occur  at  wee  hours  of  the  o-dark
     hundred.   We  babysit  and  lament  our  machines,   and  tinker
     incessantly  with  the configurations.  And we argue and complain
     about the way things are or are not done.  All this just to  make
     our computers able to be used by OTHER people.

     Now wait a minute.  Where's the logic?

     Well,  as most of the diehards will tell you,  it's the sheer joy
     of running a BBS.  For some,  helping  other  people  (i.e.,  the
     users) is where the joy is at.  For some, it's the mastery of the
     system  and  software.   For  others,  it's the pure challenge of
     technowizardry.  And for some it's just a neat idea.

     It's a hobby.  No matter how you look at it, it is a hobby.  Some
     take it more seriously than others, but in all respects it can be
     lived without.  It's a way to fill up some spare time.  Okay, ALL
     of your spare  time.   But  it's  a  time  filler.   That's  all.
     Everything  else  -  the  helping  part,  the  mastery part,  the
     challenge part,  the nostalgia -  these things are extra benefits
     obtained by running a BBS.

     Unfortunately,  as  with  most  things in life,  the benefits are
     accompanied by some drawbacks:  The late hours,  the  frustrating
     configuration  processes,  the flames,  the hardware investments,
     the hackers trying to break in and the viruses that succeed.  YOU
     have to decide whether or not it's worth  it  for  you.   Do  the
     benefits outweigh the drawbacks in YOUR mind?  If not,  don't run
     a BBS.  Run a Point node or just be a user.  But  don't  complain
     to me because you made a bad choice.  You made it.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 16                  27 Feb 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 6-09                Page 17                  27 Feb 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 6-09                Page 18                  27 Feb 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

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-09                Page 19                  27 Feb 1989


                                      __
                 The World's First   /  \
                    BBS Network     /|oo \
                    * FidoNet *    (_|  /_)
                                    _`@/_ \    _
                                   |     | \   \\
                                   | (*) |  \   ))
                      ______       |__U__| /  \//
                     / Fido \       _//|| _\   /
                    (________)     (_/(_|(____/ (tm)

            Membership for the International FidoNet Association

     Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
     pays  a  specified  annual   membership  fee.   IFNA  serves  the
     international  FidoNet-compatible  electronic  mail  community to
     increase worldwide communications.

     Member Name _______________________________  Date _______________
     Address _________________________________________________________
     City ____________________________________________________________
     State ________________________________  Zip _____________________
     Country _________________________________________________________
     Home Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________
     Work Phone (Voice) ______________________________________________

     Zone:Net/Node Number ____________________________________________
     BBS Name ________________________________________________________
     BBS Phone Number ________________________________________________
     Baud Rates Supported ____________________________________________
     Board Restrictions ______________________________________________

     Your Special Interests __________________________________________
     _________________________________________________________________
     _________________________________________________________________
     In what areas would you be willing to help in FidoNet? __________
     _________________________________________________________________
     _________________________________________________________________
     Send this membership form and a check or money order for $25 in
     US Funds to:
                   International FidoNet Association
                   PO Box 41143
                   St Louis, Missouri 63141
                   USA

     Thank you for your membership!  Your participation will help to
     insure the future of FidoNet.

     Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization
     and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted by the
     membership in January 1987.  The second elected Board of Directors
     was filled in August 1988.  The IFNA Echomail Conference has been
     established on FidoNet to assist the Board.  We welcome your
     input to this Conference.

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