     Volume 6, Number 38                             18 September 1989
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     |                                                  _            |
     |                                                 /  \          |
     |                                                /|oo \         |
     |        - FidoNews -                           (_|  /_)        |
     |                                                _`@/_ \    _   |
     |        International                          |     | \   \\  |
     |     FidoNet Association                       | (*) |  \   )) |
     |         Newsletter               ______       |__U__| /  \//  |
     |                                 / FIDO \       _//|| _\   /   |
     |                                (________)     (_/(_|(____/    |
     |                                                     (jm)      |
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     Editor in Chief:                                  Vince Perriello
     Editors Emeritii:                                     Dale Lovell
                                                        Thom Henderson
     Chief Procrastinator Emeritus:                       Tom Jennings
     
     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  a Continuous Mail system, available for
     network mail 24 hours a day.
     
     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.
     
     We  don't necessarily agree with the contents  of  every  article
     published  here.  Most of these materials are  unsolicited.    No
     article submitted  by  a  FidoNet SysOp will be rejected if it is
     properly attributed and  legally  acceptable.    We  will publish
     every responsible submission received.


                        Table of Contents
     1. ARTICLES  .................................................  1
        August 1989 IFNA Board Meetings  ..........................  1
        SPA Installs 800 Number to Track Software Piracy  .........  8
        NCLM Sweepstakes  .........................................  9
        The Life and Times of HEX  ................................ 11
        OASIS: The Echo for Recovering Overeaters  ................ 13
        The President's Report  ................................... 15
     2. LATEST VERSIONS  .......................................... 20
        Latest Software Versions  ................................. 20
     3. NOTICES  .................................................. 23
        The Interrupt Stack  ...................................... 23
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 1                   18 Sep 1989


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

     Thom Henderson, c/o 1:107/509@FidoNet


                      August 1989 IFNA Board Meetings

     Seems I've been down this road before.  The official  minutes  of
     the IFNA board meeting are late, but I do have my own notes taken
     at  the time.  As before,  they were taken using PC Outline on my
     laptop (a very nice program,  if you haven't tried it),  and  I'm
     interspersing comments now to "fill in the gaps."

        I. 25 Aug 89  17:00  Outgoing IFNA board meeting
           A. Roll call
              1) Bill Bird vice Courtney Harris
              2) Matt Whelan
              3) Matt Whelan vice Bill Bolton
              4) Thom Henderson vice Irene Henderson
              5) Jim Channel vice Scott Miller
              6) Stephen Barnes
              7) John Knox
              8) Don Daniels
              9) Mort Sternheim (chairman)
             10) Tony Davis vice Ted Polczynski
             11) Steve Jordan
             12) Phil Buonomo vice David Melnik
             13) Four vacancies from 24 seats leaves 20, we have a
                 quorum

     "Vice"  in  this context means "in place of",  so that "Bill Bird
     vice Courtney Harris" means "Bill Bird sitting as  alternate  for
     Courtney  Harris."  Note that Matt Whelan holds two votes -- this
     crops up again later.

           B. Old business
              1) Accepting minutes of last meeting, but we don't like
                 them.

     I don't think the official minutes for the February meeting  ever
     did  get  published.  Time  will  tell if the official minutes of
     THIS meeting ever get published.

           C. New business
              1) Agenda for meeting
                 a) Election of officers
                 b) Appoint group to look into the BIX deal
                 c) Appoint group to look into OPCN nodelist
                 d) Funding expenses of the IC
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 2                   18 Sep 1989


                 e) FidoNews editor
                 f) Bolton's five motions
                 g) Feedback from the floor

     This is the old board setting the  agenda  for  the  new  board's
     meeting  the  next  day.  Standard  stuff,  and the new board can
     change it (and does).

           D. Motions of thanks
              1) Thank San Jose sysops for a nice con
                 a) passed
              2) Thank Vince Perriello for doing FidoNews
                 a) passed

     Standard stuff.  Vince in particular was thanked because  he  had
     already tendered his resignation.

           E. Report of the elections
              1) 180 ballots mailed
              2) 62 valid ballots received
              3) Tie in R19, Vietch and Roberts
                 a) Amended report to give divisional to guy with more
                    overall votes and other guy as a one-year at large
                 b) Accepted report as amended

     The  Elections  Committee wound up with a tie for the Division 19
     seat,  so they referred that back to the Board.  Since there were
     vacancies in the At-Large seats, the Board decided to give one of
     them the Divisional seat and the other an At-Large seat.

           F. Informal discussion of officers for next year
           G. Adjorn until circa 21:00

     Durned  if  I remember what the informal discussion was about.  I
     think we just tossed around some names of likely people  for  the
     officer  positions.  Then the outgoing Board adjorned for dinner,
     with the meeting to resume as the new Board after dinner.

       II. 25 Aug 89  22:00  First meeting of the new IFNA board

     Unfortunately,  I didn't take down the roll of who all was at any
     of  the other meetings.  John Knox was supposed to be doing that.
     Foolish me,  I didn't think anyone but me would  ever  see  these
     notes, so I skimped on some of the grunt work.

           A. Motion to allow proxies
              1) passed

     What  this is referring to is the business of allowing one person
     to represent more than one Board  member.  For  example,  in  the
     earlier  meeting  Matt  Whelan  sat both on his own behalf and as
     alternate for Bill Bolton, and hence had two votes.  This cropped
     up again because several members of the newly elected  Board  had
     been  unable  to  attend  and had made overlapping assignments in
     their alternates.  I don't remember for sure how Mort handled the
     vote,  but I think he  did  it  by  a  show  of  hands  of  those
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 3                   18 Sep 1989


     physically present.

           B. Motion to thank Mort for being chairman
              1) passed
           C. Election of officers.
              1) Chairman of the board
                 a) Thom Henderson (elected)
                 b) John Knox

     First  let  me  repeat  the  thanks  to Mort Sternheim.  The only
     reason he isn't still the Chairman of the Board is that he turned
     it down in  no  uncertain  terms.  I'm  beginning  to  understand
     why...

              2) President
                 a) Motion to table, passed
              3) Vice President, tabled
              4) VP-TC, tabled

     You'll notice a few things got tabled here.  Mostly nobody wanted
     to  nominate  anybody  without having some time to think about it
     and talk to the nominees.  We figured we'd hold off  on  electing
     officers  until  we  could  find  people  who  were  willing  and
     qualified.

              5) Secretary
                 a) Chris Vietch, by acclaimation
              6) Treasurer
                 a) Chris Vietch, by acclaimation
              7) Acting secretary
                 a) John Knox by acclaimation

     In retrospect I'm kind of wondering about these.  We didn't  have
     official minutes from Chris for the February meeting,  after all.
     John got elected because he was there and doing it at  the  time,
     but I still haven't gotten the minutes.

           D. Motion to recess, passed.

     It  was  starting  to  get late at this point,  so we called it a
     night.  Besides, most of the new Board wanted a chance to go talk
     to the people at FidoCon and get their  input  on  some  upcoming
     agenda items.

      III. 26 Aug 89  20:30  Second meeting of the new board
           A. Call to Order
           B. Roll call
           C. Election of IFNA President and Vice-President and
              filling of vacant positions on Board of Directors
              1) Div 3 vacancy
                 a) Matt Whelan - by acclaimation
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 4                   18 Sep 1989


                 b) Appoints Randy Bush as Bill Bolton's alternate
              2) Interruption while Kaplan phones to make Mort
                 Sternheim his alternate
              3) At large vacancy
                 a) Tony Davis
                 b) Tom Jennings - winner
              4) President
                 a) Les Koyman - winner
                 b) Fabain Gordon
              5) Vice President
                 a) Fabian Gordon - by acclaimation
              6) VP-TC
                 a) Bill Bolton - winner
                 b) Ben Baker

     Some  other last-minute appointments happened that didn't make it
     into my notes (remember,  I  was  supposed  to  be  chairing  the
     meeting while all this was going on),  but the end result is that
     we had 23 out of 24 seats represented, which is the best the IFNA
     board has ever done.

     Now we get to the dull stuff.

           D. Reports from Officers
              1) President, no report
              2) Vice President, no report
              3) Vice President - TC, tabled
              4) Secretary, tabled
              5) Treasurer, tabled
           E. Standing Committee Reports
              1) Executive Committee, no report
              2) Administrative & Finance, tabled
              3) Nomination & Elections
                 a) already been done
              4) Technical Standards, no report
              5) Publications, no report
              6) International Affairs, tabled
              7) Membership Services, no report
              8) Membership Data Base, no report
              9) By Laws & Rules Committee
                 a) Report filed.  No activity to speak of.
           F. Divisional Director Reports
              1) 10  Courtney Harris, no report
              2) 11  Bill Allbritten, no report
              3) 12  Bill Bolton, tabled
              4) 13  Irene Henderson, no report
              5) 14  Ken Kaplan, no report
              6) 15  Scott Miller, no report
              7) 16  Ivan Schaffel, no report
              8) 17  Neal Curtin, no report
              9) 18  Andrew Adler, no report
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 5                   18 Sep 1989


             10) 19  John Knox, no report
             11)  2  Henk Wevers, no report
           G. Other committee reports
              1) Ethics Committee
                 a) Ethics document submitted, but no report.
              2) Public Affairs, no report

     Do you begin to sense a pattern here?

           H. Old Business
              1) Bill from Tom Marshall
                 a) Referred to Executive Committee for action

     The bill,  as I recall,  was for work Tom Marshall did related to
     the  IFNA logo.  The Executive Committee was told to look into it
     and do whatever was appropriate.

              2) Tabled items
                 a) VPTC report tabled again
                 b) Secretary, no report
                 c) Treasurers report, tabled
                    -  Insufficient, no balance sheet
                    -  Referred to exec comm for high priority action
                 d) Admin & Finance, tabled

     The pattern continues.

           I. Exception -- Vince Periello appointed as proxy by Ivan
              Schaffel by phone.

     An exception to the order of the day as Ivan Schaffel phones in.

           J. New Business
              1) Call for additions to New Business
              2) Executive committee appointments
                 a) Don Daniels
                 b) Karl Schinke
                 c) Matt Whelan
                 d) Chris Vietch
              3) Ethics document
                 a) Referred exec and ethics comm

     More routine stuff.

              4) Paying for IFNA meeting space
                 a) Delegated to treasurer

     This is referring to the rent on the rooms where the IFNA general
     membership meeting is to be held.

              5) Nodelist copyright notice
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 6                   18 Sep 1989


                 a) moved with amendments

     I didn't get the wording of the motion,  and now I don't remember
     what  it  was.  The original motion was to radically simplify the
     nodelist copyright statement,  but I  think  it  was  amended  to
     having the executive committee look into it.

              6) Motion to entertain proposals for FidoCon 90.
                 a) Rejected
              8) Motion to defend copyright against OPCN Nodelist
                 a) Exec committee to look into it and do something
              9) OPCN Nodelist - Theo Polczynski
                 a) Fails for lack of second
             10) Motion to fund the International Coordinator
                 a) Tabled
             11) Motions to entertain ammendments to bylaws
                 a) 02:00 Recess to resume at 08:00 Sunday, passed

     It  was  that  last  item that took most of the time.  We finally
     broke up at 2 AM with the issue still unresolved.

       IV. 27 Aug 89  08:30  Final meeting / general membership meeting
           A. New bylaws, passed
              1) Recess to the meeting room, passed

     At this point my notes started to suffer  a  bit  from  competing
     demands.  The  New Bylaws motion (which passed) was the amendment
     to clear up the definition of an "At-Large Member" to  nail  down
     in  no uncertain terms that all FidoNet sysops are voting members
     of IFNA.  Somewhere in  here  was  the  so-called  "YPOP  motion"
     (yellow piece of paper) calling for the referendum.

           B. Resignation of FidoNews Editor
              1) Vince turns hat around

     "Turning   your  hat  around"  is  merchie  slang  for  relieving
     yourself.  That is, turning a watch over to yourself, or standing
     two watches in a row (I sense somehow that I'm not clearing  this
     up  very  much).  It  means that when Vince resigned,  Vince took
     over as editor of FidoNews.

           C. Motion to accept Policy4 - Phil Buonomo
              1) no second
           D. Motion on BIX and FidoNet echomail - Don Daniels
              1) rejected
           E. Motion to rename IFNA - Bill Bolton
              1) tabled
           F. Motion for affirmation of IFNA's interests - Bill Bolton
              1) referred to exec committee
           G. IFNA FidoNet policy document - Don Daniels
           H. Adjournment

     FidoNews 6-38                Page 7                   18 Sep 1989


     Towards the end my note-taking REALLY suffered,  for two reasons.
     We  were  in  the meeting room for the general membership meeting
     and I couldn't put my laptop in a  convenient  location,  and  we
     adjourned  with only about five minutes left before checkout time
     so I had to dash back  up  to  my  room.  I  remember  that  Bill
     Bolton's  motions  got  light  treatment because they were mostly
     rendered moot by the YPOP motion.  I don't really  remember  what
     Don's motions were about.


     Anyway, there you have it.  Those are the notes I have on what
     happened at the Board meeting.  I haven't given up hope yet on
     getting official minutes, but I'm hopping mad about the delay.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 8                   18 Sep 1989


     SPA Installs 800 Number to Track Software Piracy

     September 11, 1989(Washington,D.C.)-The Software Publishers
     Association announced today that it has installed a toll
     free 800 number to track reports of software piracy. The
     number is 1-800-388-PIR8.

     The toll free line will enable users to report cases quickly
     and easily of unauthorized duplication of software through
     unauthorized sales, hard disk loading, internal corporate
     copying and electronic bulletin boards.

     "Until now, users and aggrieved individuals have had no
     clear vehicle through which they could report serious
     copyright violations" said SPA Executive Director Ken Wasch.
     "Now the 800 number will make it easy for individuals to
     report cases of software piracy. All reports to the SPA
     will be followed up. Hopefully through 'cease and desist'
     letters, litigation against copyright violators may be
     avoided."

     Through the SPA Copyright Protection Fund, the SPA has filed
     over 20 lawsuits against dealers, mail order operations,
     technical colleges and corporations who have sold or used
     unlawful copies of software. The SPA's litigation efforts
     are complemented by an ongoing public awareness campaign
     that educates users about the lawful use of software through
     the SPA publication, "Software Use and the Law", as well as
     through anti-piracy advertisements that run in trade
     journals and the general press.

     Individuals wishing to report cases of software piracy
     should contact the Piracy Hotline at 1-800-388-PIR8. Anyone
     desiring copies of "Software Use and the Law" may contact
     the SPA by sending a self addressed stamped envelope.

     The Software Publishers Assocition is the principal trade
     group of the PC software industry. It's over 525 members
     include the leading publishers in the business, consumer,
     education and vertical software markets.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 9                   18 Sep 1989


     Butch Witherspoon
     Fido 1:288/525

                     National Computer Learning Month
               COMPUTER LEARNING FOUNDATION 1989 SWEEPSTAKES
           Computer Learning Month Certified School Sweepstakes

     4  Grand  prizes:  Two  schools in each category, drawn at random
     from the entries recieved that  meet  the  criteria  as  computer
     learning  month  certified  schools, will each recieve a computer
     system.

     10 Second prizes: Five computer learning month certified  schools
     in  each  category  will  be  drawn at random to recieve software
     programs.

     All  computer  learning  month  certified  schools:  A   computer
     learning  month  certified school award  certificate  -  level  I
     and/or  level II, depending on the level(s) achieved, and a press
     release for publicising  your  school's  acomplishment  in  local
     papers.

     Description:  The computer learning foundation wants to encourage
     more teachers  to  get  involved  in  using  computers  in  thier
     classroom,  to try software programs they haven't used before and
     to develop lesson plans that  integrate  computers  and  software
     into  the  curriculum.  We  also  want encourage state and county
     departments of education and local schools  to  provide  teachers
     with  in-service  time  for trying different software, developing
     lesson plans and sharing thier knowledge with one  another.  Upon
     reciepts of the entry form, the computer learning foundation will
     verify eligability, automatically enter qualifying schools in the
     Sweepstakes  and  send  the  school principal a computer learning
     foudation  certified  school  certificate  for  the   appropriate
     level(s)  and  a  press release tosend to local papers to recieve
     public recognition for the schools effort.

     Rules: To be eligable to enter the sweepstakes, a school must  be
     a  computer learning month certified school - Lvel I and/or Level
     II. If your school qualifies for both levels, you will be entered
     in both categories of the  sweepstakes,  so  you  will  have  two
     chances of winning.

     Computer learning month certified school - Lvel I:
     Between  July  1,  and  November  30,  1989, every teacher in the
     school must try  three  sofware  programs  they  have  not  tried
     before.  While  many  teachers  can  try  the  same  programs, we
     encourage teachers to each review different  programs  and  share
     thier  knowledge  with each other. To enter: (1) set up a teacher
     participation form with the following headings:  Teacher  name(s)
     that  developed  the  plan,  grade,  title  of  leson  plan,  the
     signature of the teacher(s) that developed the plan;  (2)  attach
     one  copy  of each lesson plan to the teacher participation form;
     and (3) complete the contest entry form, and have  the  principal
     sign  it. Remember, the individual teachers may also submit thier
     lesson plans  to  the  lesson  plan  contest  if  they  meet  the
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 10                  18 Sep 1989


     criteria;  however,  each  submission  to the lesson plan contest
     must include a seperate entry form.

     For more information contact Butch Witherspoon, Fido 1:288/525 or
     write to NCLM Echo, P.O. Box 8045, Granite City, IL 62040-8045.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 11                  18 Sep 1989


                            A Windy City Yarn
                        THE LIFE AND TIMES OF HEX
                           Copyright (c) 1989
                              James Zachary

     I'd like to introduce y'all to Mr. Steve Bonine, ZONE 1
     COORDINATOR of FIDONET.  I'm proud to call Steve a personal
     friend of mine.  Judging by the blatant accusations and not so
     subtle innuendo from a few folks,  there is a need for me to
     shed some true light as to what Steve is really like.

     Steve and I first met in prison ... uh, noooooo, lessee here
     ...

     Actually, Steve and I first met at the KScope Bar and Grill
     during a get-together for members of the now defunct Computer
     Guild Street Gang of Chicagoland.  Steve came roaring up on his
     Harley Davidson ... hmmmm, maybe that was Lady Mingette ...
     anyway, in walks this 6'8'' hulk of a man with shoulder length
     hair and railroad-spike earrings ...uh, noooo, that was Ingvar
     Mike ...

     I guess The Bruiser served up a few too many of Dr. Dick's
     Oxide Bombers for me to really remember very much of that
     night.  However, the brawl did lead to sobriety, tolerance and
     a sustained period of peace.  (We all got 30 days).

     I think Steve made bail first since the police couldn't match
     the bloodstains with any on his knife.  Zappie was indicted for
     drunken walking so, since they already had his driver's license
     for speeding (in a stolen patrol car), his shoes were removed
     for 36 months.  Ingvar Mike and his cousin, Grudd, kicked
     through the walls of Cook County Jail, grabbed the fair
     Mingette and they haven't been heard from since.

     I get the impression that many of y'all think Steve is not
     sensitive to the feelings of others.  I'm here to tell ya that
     the man is so responsible that during the latest anti-gun and
     animal-rights crusades, even though he is an avid hunter, he
     gave up shooting deer.  He now chases them down on foot and
     eats them alive.

     The rumor of Steve working in 'mainframe-security' is partially
     correct.  He isn't a programmer, he carries them from building
     to building, chained to his wrist.  His nickname, HEX, is not
     derived from Hexadecimal --- he simply has this thing about
     sticking Bowie knives into voodoo dolls while mumbling
     incantations.

     The man is an accomplished author with books like "Think and Go
     Bitch","I'm OK, You're KO'd", "The Sixty Minute Mugger" and
     "The Power of Positive Punching" to his credit.

     FidoNews 6-38                Page 12                  18 Sep 1989


     He is really not as power hungry as y'all think.  The title
     'ZONE 1 COORDINATOR OF FIDONET' somehow gave him the idea that
     he was to get that big-money job as the top dogcatcher for
     Chicago's Humbolt Park area.

     Since much of the old gang is out on parole, on Saturday,
     September 23rd, we will be getting together over at Steve's for
     a good-old-fashioned family barbecue (Steve is letting his wife
     and kids burn his tattoos off).  I'm sure he wouldn't mind me
     inviting all 6000 Fidonet SysOps over to his place.  It's BYOB
     (Bring Your Own Bail).  Find out for yourselves that he is more
     evil than what you have ever imagined.  If you are going to
     sling mud, please learn to do it up right!

     Formal 'leather and chains' attire is required.  Steve's house
     is easy to find.  It's next to the El Rukn Temple; just look
     for his black Hearse, license plate IKEELU, in the driveway.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 13                  18 Sep 1989


     OASIS: The Echo for Recovering Overeaters.
     by Jim A. 1:125/32


             My name is Jim and I have an eating disorder.  I started
     out as a fat kid, and went through all of the traumas that fat
     kids go through in our society. I went on my first diet when I
     was ten years old, and promptly lost about 30 pounds, which was
     half of what I needed to lose at the time. However, in a short
     time I gained it all back, plus a few additional pounds with
     interest.  That was the basic story of my life: I would go on
     diets, lose some weight, and then gain back even more.

             I tried lots of different diet and exercise schemes, but
     none of them gave me any relief from my food addiction.  Why
     should they?  The diets treated only the weight, which is only a
     symptom of my eating disorder. I am just like an alcoholic with
     food. I was never satisfied with one piece of candy because I
     always wanted more.  Although I always pretended to be on a diet,
     secretly I would binge on Pounder Bags of M&M's. At my peak I
     could finish a Pounder Bag in about ten minutes and then go for a
     large Nestle's Crunch Bar for dessert.

             Unfortunately, the laws of thermodynamics have not been
     repealed in my case. My massive overeating led to morbid obesity.
     At my peak I was 110 pounds heavier than I am now.

             I found help in Overeaters Anonymous. OA makes use of the
     successful principles of recovering from addictions that were
     pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous. Overeaters Anonymous is not a
     diet club, but a non profit fellowship of men and women with
     eating disorders who help themselves by helping others like
     themselves.  There are no dues, fees, required diets, or weigh
     ins. The ONLY requirement for membership is the desire to stop
     overeating compulsively. OA has helped me to take those 110
     pounds off and keep them off for over seven years.

             Since I am also a bbs user, I started a bbs that has a
     strong orientation to the OA program. It is called the OAsis and
     it is very similar to the other Anonymous/Recovery bbs systems
     such as those that were mentioned in the August 28, 1989 issue of
     Newsweek.  On the OAsis board, other people interested in
     recovering from eating disorders share their experience in how to
     live life without overeating.

             There is now a backbone echo that allows users from all
     over to share in this form of mutual support. It is called the
     OASIS.  If you think that some of your callers might be
     interested in recovering from obesity, compulsive overeating, and
     related eating disorders, then you might be interested in
     carrying the OASIS echo.  If you have any questions, please feel
     free to check out the OASIS bbs at 415-658-5397, or net mail me
     at 1:125/32.

     FidoNews 6-38                Page 14                  18 Sep 1989


                                                   One node at a time,

                                                   Jim A.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 15                  18 Sep 1989


     The President's Report
     Les Kooyman
     Fido 1:204/501

     It's my pleasure to address you here in what I intend to be a
     continuing series of reports on what's going on in IFNA from my
     perspective. In this first report, there are a number of pressing
     items that need to be discussed.  In issues to come some of these
     topics, particularly those relating to the upcoming IFNA plebi-
     scite, will receive further attention. Feedback (comments, cor-
     rections, curmudgeonly-advice, etc.) on what appears here is
     always welcome. I've made mistakes before and I expect I will
     make more; none of us is perfect. I'd appreciate a copy of your
     comments at 1:204/501, but there's always the traditional method
     of reply via FidoNews article. With the author's permission I'll
     print excerpts of correspondence received if it is of general
     interest. Please forgive the length of this first report, there
     are some basic points this week that I only need to cover once.

                              Items this week

     That said, I'd like to touch on the following items this week:

       * What does the President of IFNA do?
       * What's going on with the plebiscite?

                        What Does the President do?

     Here are the sections of the Bylaws of IFNA and the Articles of
     Association of IFNA which deal with the office of the President.
     This list is, to my knowledge, complete and all-inclusive.

     From the Articles of Association:


           VI.  During the intervals between meetings of the Board of
           Directors, the affairs of the Corporation shall be
           administered by an Executive Committee consisting of the
           President, four Directors selected by the Board of
           Directors, and, without vote, the Vice President and Vice
           President - Technical Coordinator.  The term of office for
           the Executive Committee members shall be for one year or
           until their successors are elected.  The Executive
           Committee shall meet at the call of the President, but no
           less often than quarterly.  The Executive Committee may in
           its discretion submit for determination or decision by
           members of the Board of Directors any proposal pending
           before the Executive Committee.  When such submission is
           made, it shall be in precise terms embodying the text of
           the proposed resolution.  Such action shall be binding upon
           the Executive Committee.

     FidoNews 6-38                Page 16                  18 Sep 1989


           VIII.  The officers of the Corporation shall be a
           President, a Vice President, Vice President - Technical
           Coordinator, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, who shall be
           elected by a majority of the Directors at the Annual
           Meeting.

     From the Bylaws:


           25.  The President shall, subject to instruction from the
           Board of Directors and with the assistance of the Vice
           President, represent IFNA in its relationships with the
           public and the various governments, governmental agencies
           and officials with which IFNA may be concerned and shall be
           the official spokesperson of IFNA in regard to all matters
           of IFNA policy.

           26.  In the absence or disability of the President, the
           Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President.

           28.  The Treasurer shall:  b) sign checks drawn by the
           President in payment of obligations known by him to be
           proper and authorized;

           30.  Standing committees:  a) The following standing
           committees are established:  Administration and Finance;
           Executive Committee; Nominations and Elections; By-Laws and
           Rules; Technical Standards; Publications; International
           Affairs; Membership Services.

           b) Each standing committee shall include among its members
           at least one (1) Director.  Additionally, the Treasurer
           shall serve as a member of the Administration and Finance
           Committee.  Initial appointments of all standing committee
           members shall be made by the President at the ANNUAL
           MEMBERSHIP MEETING.  Additional appointments may be made
           periodically by the President or the President's designate.
           The Chairman of the Board shall designate the chairman of
           each committee.  The terms of office for all Committee
           Members shall extend only until the next ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
           MEETING.  Standing committees shall make written reports
           within thirty (30) days prior to each regular meeting of
           the Board of Directors.  Standing committees shall
           originate studies in their fields and shall generate
           recommendations to the Board on their own initiative.

           31.  The Administration and Finance Committee:  f) Makes
           recommendations to the Board and the President in areas of
           staff management, procedures and renumeration.

           32.  The Membership Services Committee performs studies and
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 17                  18 Sep 1989


           makes recommendations to the Board, and acts as advisor to
           the President, with regard to services provided to
           individual members, other than publications and including,
           but not limited to the ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING.

           33.  The Publications Committee performs studies and makes
           recommendations to the Board, and acts as advisor to the
           President, with regard to IFNA's publications, including
           FidoNews.


           39.  There shall be an official publication maintained by
           IFNA, in the form of a weekly journal, the name of which
           shall be FidoNews.  A copy of this journal shall be
           available each week to all listed nodes.  The general
           management of this journal shall be in the hands of the
           President.  The policy of the journal shall be to publish
           all submitted articles of interest to the FidoNet
           community, within the bounds of legality and good taste.

     (End of Articles and Bylaws excerpts)

     From the above you can see that the office of the President is
     not a policy-making position; it is an executive position. The
     greatest "power" is the ability and responsibility to appoint
     members of IFNA's committees. This means that as President, I do
     not set the policy, I implement it. This has consequences for the
     following items I'd like to discuss.

                   What's going on with the Plebiscite?

     Here's the resolution passed by the IFNA BoD at FidoCon '89 in
     San Jose:

     We,    the    representatives    of  the  International  FidoNet
     Association, have heard a cry for democracy in the administration
     of the network.    As IFNA is supposed to represent the interests
     of the sysops, and  as  such  representation  is  deemed  to have
     failed, be it hereby resolved that:

     Without a mandate from the sysops of FidoNet, IFNA has no purpose
     or reason for existence.

     THEREFORE,  the  board  proposes  the following action, of  which
     failure to pass will mean the dissolution of IFNA:

     It  is  hereby  resolved  that  a  special election be  held  for
     consideration by the Sysops of FidoNet of the following:

       IFNA shall be empowered to re-draft the bylaws of  IFNA  and to
       draft  a  Policy  document for FidoNet.  Such documents are  to
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 18                  18 Sep 1989


       include:

         1.  An independent judicial system.

         2.  A reduced  size  Board  of  Directors,  to  be completely
             reseated in an election on or before FidoCon 1990.

         3.  Better representation from outside the United States.

         4.  Make each sysop  in  FidoNet  a  member  in IFNA with all
             rights and privileges of membership.

     Voting for referendum of  this  document shall be completed on or
     before December 1, 1989.  The rules of the election shall make it
     clear  that  failure of the election  to  approve  the  questions
     presented shall result in the current Board  of  Directors acting
     under Article XII to dissolve the corporation.

     In addition, it shall be made clear that  approval must be gained
     from a majority of the eligible nodes in the  nodelist  in effect
     at the time of the election.

     (End of BoD resolution)

     The Chairman of the BoD, Thom Henderson, has noted that the
     following must be done by IFNA prior to December 1, 1989:


           1) Run a net-wide vote of all sysops asking if IFNA should
              manage FidoNet.

           2) Win the vote by a clear majority of all sysops.

           3) Draft new bylaws and a new policy document.

     And by February 1, 1990:

           4) Run another vote for approval/disapproval of the proposed
              bylaws and policy.

           5) Have the proposed bylaws and policy approved by the
              membership (i.e. the sysops).

     Even though this is the stated order, it has been commented by
     several folks in the DEMOCRACY and SYSOP echo conferences that
     there needs to be some indication of the direction of the new
     bylaws and policy prior to the December 1, 1989 vote, or the vote
     is likely to be "no" due to a lack of information. I agree. I am
     making it a high priority to see that this effort goes on concur-
     rently with the effort to organize the election itself. I believe
     that the Sysops of FidoNet have the right to know what the direc-
     tion of IFNA is going to be if they are going to cast an informed
     vote.

     FidoNews 6-38                Page 19                  18 Sep 1989


     The election procedure will be determined by the nominations and
     elections committee of IFNA. As soon as that work is done, I will
     publish it here. The bylaws and policy drafts will be done by the
     bylaws and rules committee of IFNA. At this time, however, I
     believe it would be a very good idea if the policy effort were
     open for input from all in FidoNet who care to participate. To
     this end, I am conducting discussions with Jason Steck and others
     involved in the POLICY5.DEM effort, to see if that effort can be
     folded in to the job of preparing a draft policy under IFNA's
     name. The discussions to this point have not been conclusive, so
     I cannot at this time make an announcement that there is an
     agreement in principle to co-operate on this. However, I hope to
     be able to bring this news to you soon.

     In addition to all this, I understand that there is some question
     as to whether or not proper policy has been followed in amending
     the bylaws to make all FidoNet sysops members of IFNA. There is
     reason to believe that a special election of the 200 or so paying
     members of IFNA must be held prior to this bylaw change being
     ratified. I am working on this as my highest priority, because
     there is the possibility that without it no vote can be held in
     December.

                                  Summary

     In sum, there are some procedural issues that must be dealt with
     prior to the upcoming vote being held; there are organizational
     matters to be dealt with in a very short time; and there is an
     immense communication effort needed to get the word out to all
     the nodes in the FidoNet nodelist. Sadly, a simple article in
     FidoNews will not do this for us. Your help will be very valuable
     in the near future in helping to get the word out. Please consid-
     er seriously the difference you can make as an individual.

     Next week we'll begin to deal with the substantive issues in more
     detail, as well as look at some news and views regarding FidoCon
     and future FidoCons.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 20                  18 Sep 1989


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

                          Latest Software Versions

                               MS-DOS Systems
                               --------------

                           Bulletin Board Software
     Name        Version    Name        Version    Name       Version

     Fido            12n+   Phoenix         1.3    TBBS           2.1
     Lynx           1.30    QuickBBS       2.04    TComm/TCommNet 3.4
     Kitten         2.15*   RBBS          17.2A    TPBoard        5.2
     Opus          1.03b+                          Wildcat!     2.00P


     Network                Node List              Other
     Mailers     Version    Utilities   Version    Utilities  Version

     BinkleyTerm    2.30*   EditNL         4.00    ARC           6.02
     D'Bridge       1.21    MakeNL         2.12    ARCmail        2.0
     Dutchie       2.90C    ParseList      1.30    ConfMail      4.00
     FrontDoor       2.0    Prune          1.40    EMM           2.02
     PRENM          1.47    XlatList       2.90    GROUP         2.15*
     SEAdog        4.51A    XlaxDiff       2.32    LHARC         1.13
                            XlaxNode       2.32    MSG            3.3
                                                   MSGED         1.99
                                                   PK[UN]ZIP     1.01*
                                                   QM             1.0
                                                   TCOMMail       2.2
                                                   TMail         1.11
                                                   TPBNetEd       3.2
                                                   UFGATE        1.03
                                                   XRS            2.3
                                                   ZmailQ        1.09

                                 Macintosh
                                 ---------

     Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

     Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

     Red Ryder Host   v2.1b3   Tabby         2.0*  MacArc        0.03
     Mansion             7.0                       ArcMac         1.3
     WWIV (Mac)          3.0                       StuffIt       1.51
                                                   TImport      1.331
                                                   TExport       1.32
                                                   Timestamp      1.6
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 21                  18 Sep 1989


                                                   Tset           1.3
                                                   Timestart      1.1
                                                   Tally          1.1
                                                   Mehitabel      1.2
                                                   Archie        1.60
                                                   Jennifer   0.25b2g
                                                   Numberizer    1.5c
                                                   MessageEdit    1.0
                                                   Mantissa       1.0
                                                   PreStamp       2.0
                                                   R.PreStamp     2.0
                                                   Saphire       2.1t
                                                   Epistle II     1.0
                                                   Import        1.2b
                                                   Export        1.2b
                                                   Sundial       1.2b
                                                   AreaFix        1.1

                                   Amiga
                                   -----

     Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

     Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

     Paragon            1.00+* BinkleyTerm  1.50   ConfMail      1.10*
                                                   ChameleonEdit 0.10
                                                   RMB           1.30


                                    Atari ST
                                    --------

     Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailer      Other Utilities

     Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

     Star-Net           2.00   BinkleyTerm 1.03a   ConfMail      1.00
     EchoDoor           0.11                       ParseList     1.30
     GS Point           0.61                       ARC           5.21
                                                   TurboArc       1.1
                                                   LHARC         0.40
                                                   PKUNZIP       1.00
                                                   MSGED        1.96S
                                                   SRENUM         6.2
                                                   OMMM          1.30
                                                   Timestop      1.00


     + Netmail capable (does not require additional mailer software)
     * Recently changed

     FidoNews 6-38                Page 22                  18 Sep 1989


     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 6-38                Page 23                  18 Sep 1989


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

                          The Interrupt Stack


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

     11 Oct 1989
        First International Modula-2 Conference at Bled, Yugoslavia
        hosting Niklaus Wirth and the British Standards Institution.
        Contact 1:106/8422 for more information.

     11 Nov 1989
        A new area code forms in northern Illinois at 12:01 am.
        Chicago proper will remain area code 312; suburban areas
        formerly served with that code will become area code 708.

     23 Nov 1989
        26th Anniversary of "Dr. Who" - and still going strong

     30 Dec 1989
        Telephone area codes (5, 3 and 0) are abolished in Hong Kong

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

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

     FidoNews 6-38                Page 24                  18 Sep 1989


            OFFICERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION

     Thom Henderson 1:107/1015 Chairman of the Board
     Les Kooyman    1:204/501  President
     Fabian Gordon  1:107/323  Vice President
     Bill Bolton    3:3/0      Vice President-Technical Coordinator
     Kris Veitch    1:147/30   Secretary
     Kris Veitch    1:147/30   Treasurer


            IFNA COMMITTEE AND BOARD CHAIRS

      Administration and Finance   *
      Board of Directors  (CoB)    Thom Henderson   1:107/1015
      By-laws and Rules            *
      Executive Committee (Pres)   Les Kooyman      1:204/501
      International Affairs        *
      Membership Services          *
      Nominations and Elections    *
      Public Affairs               *
      Publications                 Irene Henderson  1:107/9
      Technical Standards          Rick Moore       1:115/333
      Ethics                       *
      Security & Individual Rights *
      Grievance Committee          *


      * Position waiting to be appointed/confirmed by IFNA Chairman
        of the Board of Directors, Thom Henderson.


                      IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

         DIVISION                               AT-LARGE
      10 Courtney Harris  1:107/732   Don Daniels      1:107/210
      11 John Rafuse      1:1/212     Phil Buonomo     1:107/583
      12 Bill Bolton      3:3/0       Mark Hawthorne   1:107/238
      13 Fabian Gordon    1:107/323   Tom Jennings     1:125/111
      14 Ken Kaplan       1:100/22    Irene Henderson  1:107/9
      15 Scott  Miller    1:128/12    Steve Jordan     1:206/2871
      16 Ivan Schaffel    1:141/390   Robert Rudolph   1:261/628
      17 Kathi Crockett   1:134/30    Dave Melnik      1:107/233
      18 Andrew Adler     1:135/47    Jim Hruby        1:107/536
      19 Kris Veitch      1:147/30    Burt Juda        1:107/1
       2 Henk Wevers      2:500/1     Karl Schinke     1:107/516
       3 Matt Whelan      3:3/1       John Roberts     1:147/14

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-38                Page 25                  18 Sep 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.

     FidoNews 6-38                Page 26                  18 Sep 1989


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