     Volume 6, Number 16                                 17 April 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
     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  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 will be rejected which is properly attributed and legally
     acceptable.    We   will  publish  every  responsible  submission
     received.


                        Table of Contents
     1. EDITORIAL  ................................................  1
     2. ARTICLES  .................................................  2
        Announcement of Eurocon III 1989  .........................  2
        GATEWAY '89  ..............................................  4
        New version of PAKIT, a utility for oMMM users  ........... 11
     3. COLUMNS  .................................................. 15
        The Veterinarian's Corner: Feline Leukemia  ............... 15
        Notes From Bureaucracy South  ............................. 17
     4. LATEST VERSIONS  .......................................... 19
        Latest Software Versions  ................................. 19
     And more!
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 1                   17 Apr 1989


     =================================================================
                                 EDITORIAL
     =================================================================

     Hello there.    I've  been meaning to write a little something here
     for several weeks  now and just haven't gotten around to it.  Maybe
     next week I'll find the time.

     The major reason that I decided to key in anything at all this week
     was to let you know that next week we will publish responses to the
     Policy4 issue of FidoNews.  As  it appears that these responses are
     on  the  LONG  side,  the odds are that we won't publish any  other
     articles next week,  though  whether we publish columns or not will
     be a function of how much space the articles take up.

     Thanks for reading this rag.  I think it's a  pretty  good one.  By
     the way, feel free to help keep it that way by  sending  along some
     material for publication.

     Cheers,
     Vince

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 2                   17 Apr 1989


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

                    Announcement of Eurocon III 1989.


     At Eurocon II European sysops have agreed that some sort of
     central European organization should be formed which should
     control or administer European FidoNet.  Several committees have
     been appointed to draft proposals for such an organization.  As
     the committees have nearly concluded their work we wish to invite
     you to take part in the process of whether or not to form a
     European organization.

     The principal idea is to establish an organization which could be
     named European FidoNet Association, or EFNA.  It would not be
     meant as a separation from International FidoNet but as an
     organization which would represent Zone 2 FidoNet sysops in IFNA.
     Thus we would have a start in reorganizing IFNA in which e.g.
     American FNA, European FNA and Oceanic FNA would take part.

     To discuss the proposals, we are organizing a conference called
     EuroCon III in the weekend of May 19, 20 and 21 in Eindhoven, The
     Netherlands.  We are currently in the process of inviting some
     introducing speakers.  Apart from the official part of the
     conference we are organizing an interesting tour.  Also, the
     Dutch HCC and PCC are inviting you to a drink on Thursday
     evening.

     The main theme at EuroCon III will be "Democracy and European
     FidoNet".

     Attached you will find a registration form.  The filled in form
     can be sent to: Hans Ligthelm of 2:500/30, or Joop Mellaart of
     2:512/0.  (If you have a problem with the nodelist: Joop's AKA is
     2:2/1)

     We have tried to offer you excellent hotel accomodations for a
     reasonable price.  The reservation procedure has changed a bit
     but price and quality are the same as in 1988.

     We hope to meet a lot of you so that we can have a succesful
     European conference.


     Cheers, Peter.  (Secretary of the EuroCon III organization
     committee)


     ----------------------------------------------------------------
                      EUROCON III REGISTRATION FORM
     ----------------------------------------------------------------

     Name:
     Address:
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 3                   17 Apr 1989


     City:
     Country:
     Phone (voice):
     Phone (node):
     FidoNet address:


     Thursday: May 18th
      Dinner/Room/Breakfast @ Dfl 110    yes/no     Dfl ......

     Friday  : May 19th
      Lunch                 @ Dfl 17.50  yes/no     Dfl ......
      Dinner/Room/Breakfast @ Dfl 110    yes/no     Dfl ......

     Saturday: May 20th
      Lunch                 @ Dfl 17.50  yes/no     Dfl ......
      Dinner/Room/Breakfast @ Dfl 110    yes/no     Dfl ......

     Sunday  : May 21st
      Lunch                 @ Dfl 17.50  yes/no     Dfl ......
      Dinner/Room/Breakfast @ Dfl 110    yes/no     Dfl ......

     Conference Fee ............................... Dfl  40.-
     Late registration Fee (after APRIL 15th)
                         @ Dfl 100.-............... Dfl ......

                                                    ----------+

     Total ........................................ Dfl ......

     I agree to share my room with:  ......................... (name)
      (subtract Dfl 37.50 per night)                Dfl ......

                                                    ----------

     Amount due ................................... Dfl ......


     I am alone but I want to try to arrange for a roommate:...yes/no
     I am:................................................male/female
     My roommate must be:............smoker/non-smoker/doesn't matter

     City:
     Date:
     Please sign:

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 4                   17 Apr 1989


                               GATEWAY '89

           VISCOUNT HOTEL - QUEENS, NEW YORK - APRIL 28-30, 1989

                     Telephone Number (516) 678-7180


     Conferences will  be  available  through  out  the  duration of the
     convention.  Tickets  for  individual  seminars  will  be available
     during the convention at  a first come, first serve basis.  Tickets
     for forums sponsored by corporations  having  booths at GATEWAY '89
     will  have  tickets  available  at  their   booths.    Contact  the
     individual exhibitor for further information and details.


     SCHEDULE              Friday - April 28,1989

     12 pm - Opening & Welcome Speeches

      1 pm - Gary Saxer - Technical Director - Quarterdeck Systems
             The Future of DOS - Will You Be Forced To Abandon It?

     DOS  has become the most popular operating  system  on  the  planet
     Earth.  Millions of people use it every day.  Now OS/2 and Unix are
     being  offered  to  PC users to enhance the capabilities  of  their
     computers.  Do you need to change?  Maybe not.    This seminar will
     cover how DOS can be used far into the future.   There  are ways to
     get  DOS  to  manage  almost  all  of  the  features of these other
     operating systems,  and  yet  still  use  much  of the hardware and
     software you ave  today.    Find  out  how  DOS  can  be  improved,
     expanded, and extended.



      2-______________________________________________________________

      3 pm - Eric Brown - Senior Executive Editor - PC World Magazine

     Eric Brown, well known  in  the  Personal Computer Industry will be
     addressing the Gateway VAR seminar  regarding  LANs  and electronic
     communications in regard to local E-mail  (electronic mail) systems
     and gateways.  Through the extensive work which Eric has been doing
     with PC World Magazine he brings a refreshing  and vital conference
     to Gateway '89.

      4 pm - Andre Peterson - Cofounder of WordPerfect Corporation

     Andre    Peterson  will  be  addressing  the  Consultants  and  VAR
     Conference  at GATEWAY '89 on the various products and enhancements
     of  WordPerfect  Corporation.  As on of the leaders at one  of  the
     most  successful  software  corporations    in  the  industry,  Mr.
     Peterson, will be presenting many of the successful products of the
     WordPerfect  Corporation,  along  with in depth  details  on  their
     utilizations to the fullest.

      5 pm - John Nels - Eastern Regional Director - Intel Corporation
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 5                   17 Apr 1989


     The directions that the Intel Corporation will  take  in the 1990's
     will  have  a  very substantial effect on the  PC  market  and  the
     systems    that    corporations,  clients  and  hobbyists  will  be
     purchasing.   John Nels will be speaking on behave of Intel and the
     directions of their  product line.  80286, 80386 and 80486 are some
     of the numbers that  we  will be hearing during this seminar.  John
     will also be speaking on  the  other  Intel  products  such  as the
     Inboard systems.

      6 pm - Phil Becker - Handling the growing pressure for
             multi-user data access.

     Database,  Electronic  Mail,  and Bulletin Board  applications  are
     often the major driving forces in going  multi-user with computers.
     eSoft, Inc.  will be discussing its Single CPU, PC-DOS based, dBASE
     compatible  multi-user system which provides these capabilities for
     up to  32  simultaneous  users  without  the  hardware  or software
     complexity of many other approaches.


                            Saturday - April 29, 1989

     10 am - Richard Driggers - Sparta BBS & Great Alabama PCBoard
                            Hard Drive Seminar


     11 am - Gary Saxer - Technical Director - Quarterdeck Systems

     Expanded and Extended Memory - What is it?  How do you use it?

     For  PC-DOS  computers, the amount of memory you have is not always
     as  important  as what kindof memory it is.  Some people wonder how
     it can  be  that  they  have 2 megabytes of memory and yet they can
     only use 640K  of it.  Gary Saxer, one of the country's top experts
     on DOS memory, will  explain  the differences between Conventional,
     Reserved, Extended, Expanded, Enhanced Expanded,  and  EMS4 memory.
     Tips on how to get the  best out of your current memory and methods
     to  improve memory use and availability will  be  covered.    Also,
     methods to convert useless memory into memory that  DOS  can handle
     will be explained.



     12 pm - Marshall Magee - Founder of the Association of Shareware
             Professionals

     Marshall  Magee  will  be  addressing  the  seminar  on  Shareware.
     Shareware, which is software that is distributed by the author on a
     "pay  if  you  like  it  basis",  provides  the  many owners of  PC
     Computers with  the golden opportunities to sample many programs to
     improve productivity on  an  individual  system,  without investing
     thousands of dollars in  commercially distributed software.  Author
     of Automenu, one of the  most  successful shareware programs on the
     market, Marshall will further discuss the means of making shareware
     work for the programer who is contemplating  releasing  programs to
     the market.
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 6                   17 Apr 1989


      1 pm - John Friel - author of Qmodem telecommunications software

     John  will  be  discussing the present state of  telecommunications
     software  with an emphasis on the direction that telecommunications
     will be taking in the coming decade.

      2 pm - Phil Katz - author of PKZIP file compression routines

     Graduate  of  the  University  of Wisconsin, 1984-founded PKware in
     1986.   Conference  to  include  the  following  discussions:    1.
     Overview of data  compression:  What is data compression?  What can
     it be used for?    Why  is  it  useful?  2.  Overview of basic data
     compression theory:  How does  data  compress compression work?  3.
     History  of  data  compression  theory:     PDP-11  'RAD50'  codes,
     Non-Repeat  Packing, Weighted Huffman Trees.  4.    Description  of
     modern data  compression  algorithms:    Ziv-Lempel-Welch encoding,
     Huffman Squeezing, Repeated  String  Elimination,  Optimal follower
     Sets.    5.   Demonstration  of  PKZIP  and  PKUNZIP,  showing  the
     execution of the algorithms and theory previously discussed.


      3 pm - Gus Venditto - Senior Executive Editor - PC Magazine

     SHAREWARE IN THE '90s -- CAN IT SURVIVE OS/2?

     The Microsoft mulit-tasking juggernaut threatens to change the face
     of personal computing.  How can  the grass-roots shareware movement
     continue when corporations are planning to remove  DOS  from user's
     systems?  Will shareware be driven back into  the garage?  Come and
     hear Gus Venditto, PC Magazine Executive Editor and author  of  the
     magazine's Pipeline section, report on the future.

      4 pm - Bob Wallace - author of PC Write

     Bob Wallace, Quicksoft founder (1983) and the person who coined the
     term,  shareware,  will   talk  about  Quicksoft's  mission;    the
     subtleties of shareware, including  group  shareware;  new products
     PC-Write 3.0, PC-Look, PC Write  Lite,  and  PC-Write 3.1;  and the
     future of personal computing, including the  myth  of  the standard
     user interface and the holoroom interface.


      5 pm - Judy Getts - Contributing Editor - PC World Magazine

     Judy Getts, well known for her recent articles in PC World Magazine
     for Shareware products, will bediscussing a topic which  is  always
     of   interest  to  the  general  user  group.    Recognition    and
     distribution  of  programs  and  software.    Each  and  every day,
     hundreds of  excellent  pieces  of  software  are  written  and its
     authors  are  trying    to   seek  the  most  opportune  means  for
     distribution.   Judy will  be  addressing  the  specific  topic  of
     "recognition of software by software  houses".    There  is  no set
     formula or procedure to have one's  finest  program  picked up by a
     major vendor in the industry, but there  are suggestions which Judy
     would  like to address which will open more  opportunities  to  the
     software programer than may have been available in the past.
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 7                   17 Apr 1989


                          Sunday - April 30, 1989

     8:30 am - Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. - Sysops Breakfast

     A  special  reserved conference limited to 150 people sponsored  by
     the  Hayes  Microcomputer Products, Inc.  to present the Impact  of
     Telecommunications Standards  on  the  BBS Community in addition to
     the Hayes SysOp  Support  Programs  and  SysOps as Advanced Systems
     Value  Added  Resellers (ASVAR's),  and  the  Hayes  Product  line.
     Tickets will distributed directly at the Hayes booth during GATEWAY
     '89.

     12 pm - BBS Authors Round Table
             Meet the authors and designers of Bulletin Board Software

     A seminar and open discussion table  with  some  of  the  most well
     known  authors of BBS software as an  opportunity  to  discuss  the
     future of bulletin boards in the 1990's!  Tom Mack - author of RBBS
     software David Terry - co-author of PCBoard software Phil  Becker -
     author of TBBS software Thom Henderson - author of SEAdog  software
     Rick Hemming - author of Wildcat and Mustang software Ken Goosens -
     assisting  author  of  RBBS software Mark Herring - author of Qmail
     software Dan Domain - author of DBBS software

      2 pm - Gary Saxer - Technical Director - Quarterdeck Systems

             Optimizing Telecommunications under Multi-tasking

     Many people  use DESQview to run several programs at the same time,
     often called multi-tasking.   Those who use communications programs
     along with other programs  are especially concerned withperformance
     and reliability.  Gary Saxer,  Director  of  Technical Services for
     Quarterdeck  Office  Systems,  the  developers  of  DESQview,  will
     explain    several    tricks  and  important  rules  for    running
     communications programs in the background.  Starting with the basic
     concepts and proceeding to very technical details, the seminar will
     cover  both  the  hardware  and  software  aspects of multi-tasking
     communications programs.

      3 pm - Jud Newell - Sysop of Canadian Remote Systems

     Jud Newell is the owner and chief Sysop of Canada Remote Systems, a
     66 node PCBoard  system  operating  out of Toronto, Canada.  From a
     single line system in  1981,  CRS  has  grown  to  be  one of North
     America's largest bulletin boards, and  the  largest single PCBoard
     installation in the world.  Jud  will talk on what makes a bulletin
     board successful, and how you can turn  a  profit  in  running one.
     With  over 7,000 paying subscribers and an annual  growth  rate  of
     60%,  Jud has a great deal of experience in  satisfying  customers.
     Learn how to make your BBS profitable.


      4 pm - Jim Spinelli - Attorney and Sysop of the Activity BBS
             (New York)

     Jim will be discussing in an open forum the legal  operations  of a
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 8                   17 Apr 1989


     bulletin board.  Many young and old sysops hesitate to realize  the
     legal responsibilities  they  have  to  the  public  in operating a
     public bbs system.    Jim  will be reviewing the sysop's operations
     and the responsibilities that the sysop has to his users as well as
     the limitations that the users  have  on  a  public  bulletin board
     system.


      5 pm - Marshall MaGee - Founder of the Association of Shareware
             Authors

     Marshall will be addressing the Sysop's  Conference with one of the
     most important topics regarding the public bulletin  board systems.
     The distribution of SHAREWARE and the responsibilities of  the  BBS
     sysops to both the shareware authors and to the  general  users  to
     whom they provide the software.  Marshall is also the  sysop of the
     "Big  Peach  BBS" in Atlanta, Georgia, and a long time modem  user.
     Marshall will be  specifically  addressing  the future of shareware
     distribution in the 1990's on bulletin boards.

      6 pm - Close of GATEWAY '89



           VISCOUNT HOTEL - QUEENS, NEW YORK - APRIL 28-30, 1989

     - All conferences and forums will be held in the Starlight Room
     at the Viscount Hotel


                     Gateway '89 - Seminar Registration & Exhibit
     Entrance


     I wish to point  out to everyone that GATEWAY '89 tickets are to be
     ordered  in  advanced,  must be  done,  via  the  BBS  systems  and
     networks.  If you are calling  the  Sound  of  Music  BBS directly,
     please return to the Main Board, and  complete  <S>cript  #7  right
     from the Main Board.  You MUST prepay your ticket purchase in order
     to receive the advance purchase discount.

     Advance  Ticket  orders  must  be  received by April 17,  1989  for
     processing  at  the  advance  ticket price of $5.00 (add $1.00  for
     handling).    All orders received after that date will be returned.
     Tickets at the GATEWAY '89 doors will be $10.00.  Entrance fees are
     specifically for the booth and exhibits of Gateway '89.  Conference
     tickets are defined as follows.

     Conferences and seminars are being sold on a Daily Basis.

     The complete up to  the  latest  schedule  is  posted  as the file,
     GATFORUM.ZIP  available  for  downloading.      The   cost  of  the
     conferences is as follows:

               Daily Conference Entrance:  $30.00 /day
               Conference Pass:  ALL THREE DAYS:  $75.00
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 9                   17 Apr 1989


     Be sure when ordering tickets for an individual conference that you
     indicate  on  your order the SPECIFIC day  that  you  are  ordering
     tickets for.

                             Exhibit Hours:

               Friday - April 28, 1989 - 12 Noon - 7 pm.
               Saturday - April 29, 1989 - 10 AM - 6 pm.
               Sunday - April 30, 1989 - 10 AM - 6 pm.

                                Seminars:

                        VAR's & Consultants Forum 4/28/89
                 Phil Katz will be speaking on Saturday 4/29/89.
                BBS sysops and telecommunications forum 4/30/89.

     PAYMENT MUST ACCOMPANY YOUR ORDER IN ORDER FOR  YOUR  REQUEST TO BE
     PROCESSED.    CONFERENCES  ARE  SOLD  ON  FIRST COME, FIRST  SERVE.
     SEATING  IS  LIMITED!    Do  not call the Gateway office  to  order
     tickets.    Payment must be complete at time of order.   Sorry,  no
     credit cards are accepted for Gateway '89.

     If  you  have  any specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask
     via any of the Smartnet/PCRelay networks which are now carrying the
     Gateway  Conference.     The  latest  Gateway  '89  information  is
     available via Smartnet, PC Relay GATEWAY conference.

     Be sure to visit the conference for the latest information.

                   Sound of Music BBS (516) 536-8723



                                   GATEWAY '89

                           Telephone Number (516) 678-7180


     NAME:
     ______________________________________________________________

     ADDRESS:
     ______________________________________________________________

     CITY: ___________________________ STATE _________ ZIP_________

     DAY TELEPHONE NUMBER: ____________________________

     CONFERENCE(S): ALL CONFERENCES ($75.00) NO. OF TICKETS _______

               FRIDAY:  VAR'S & CONSULTANTS  4/28/89   ($30.00)____

               SATURDAY: SHAREWARE & USERS   4/29/89   ($30.00)____

               SUNDAY: TELECOMMUNICATIONS &
                          SYSOPS FORUMS      4/30/89   ($30.00)____
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 10                  17 Apr 1989


                                   TOTAL NUMBER OF TICKETS:    ____

                                   TOTAL ENCLOSED:         $_______

                             MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO:

                                   S.O.M. LTD.

                                    MAIL TO:

                                   GATEWAY '89
                                   119 A NORTH PARK AVENUE
                                   ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY.  11570

                          TELEPHONE NO:  (516) 678-7180



         Gateway '89  -  the TRADESHOW to EDUCATE the CONSUMER !!!


     Gateway '89 information is available ELECTRONICALLY 24 hours/day on
     the Sound of Music BBS (516) 536-8723

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 11                  17 Apr 1989


     Jack Decker
     Fidonet 1:154/8  LCRnet 77:1011/8  NetWork 8:70/8

     NEW VERSION OF PAKIT, A UTILITY FOR OMMM USERS
     (Plus a suggestion for Nodelist User Flag usage)

     A few  weeks ago, I placed an announcement about PAKIT in Fidonews.
     PAKIT has undergone a couple of revisions since then, however, with
     the main changes being  that  PAKIT  can  now  be  used  to  create
     outbound mail archives using the  ZOO  or  ZIP formats, if you have
     ZOO.EXE and/or PKZIP.EXE.  So, if you use oMMM and have a desire to
     use  better  compression  methods  when creating mail  packets  for
     certain  nodes  (and  you  know  those  nodes  are    capable    of
     uncompressing the mail archives you create for them), you  can  now
     use  just about any of the popular compression methods if  you  use
     PAKIT (more on that in a minute).

     The question arises, "If I am sending mail to a node  that  I don't
     normally  communicate with, how can I tell what types of compressed
     mail packets they are able to accept?" In fact, it would be nice to
     have this information  readily available for any node that we might
     wish to communicate with.

     A solution to that  problem  may  be at hand.  As many of you know,
     the Fidonet nodelist now allows  User-Defined flags.  It would seem
     to me that specifying that a  node  can  handle  various  types  of
     compressed mail packets would be a valid use for these flags, since
     a  substantial  amount  of connect time could be  saved  if  better
     compression methods were used between systems capable of doing  so.
     Unfortunately, different  sysops  have  different  ideas about what
     constitutes the "best" method of compression.  Some prefer to stick
     with the "Fidonet standard"  ARC  file  format.   Others prefer ZOO
     because no payment is requested  for  using ZOO (unfortunately, ZOO
     is  one  of  the  least  efficient  compression  methods  for  mail
     packets).  Yet others prefer PAK's "Crushing" method, which is much
     more  efficient,  especially on small .PKT files, while  some  have
     found  that  PKZIP provides the highest possible compression ratio.
     Some  systems  can  process  incoming mail packets in any of  these
     formats, while others can only handle one or two of them.

     Therefore, I propose that a user-defined flag be set aside for  the
     purpose  of defining types of compressed mail packets accepted by a
     node.  Something on the order of:

          Flag format:  UMC:x[x[x]]

     U indicates  a  User  Flag,  MC stands for "Method of Compression".
     The letters following the colon (which could be in any order) would
     include one or more of the following:

          C = unCrushing supported (PAK) - implies unSquashing &
              unCrunching also supported
          S = unSquashing supported (PKUNPAK, PKXARC, newer versions
              of ARCE) - implies unCrunching also supported
          N = unCrunching NOT supported (not valid with C or S)
          R = unReducing supported (PKUNZIP)
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 12                  17 Apr 1989


          Z = unZooing supported (ZOO)

     Limitations:

          C implies unSquashing and unCrunching, so C and S should
            NOT be used together

          N implies unCrunching NOT supported, therefore it's not
            valid in combination with either C or S (at least not
            when any existing software that I'm aware of is used,
            since anything that will unCrush or unSquash will also
            unCrunch).

     Samples:

     A node that uses  PAK,  ZOO,  and  PKUNZIP to process incoming mail
     packets would use the flag:

          UMC:CRZ

     A node (probably a non-MSDOS  node) that cannot process regular ARC
     style mail packets, but that CAN  handle  packets  compressed  with
     ZOO, would use the flag:

          UMC:NZ

     A node that uses ARC or an  older  version  of  ARCE  that does not
     support unSquashing, plus PKUNZIP to process incoming mail  packets
     would use:

          UMC:R

     (Note  that if the N flag is not used,  unCrunching  capability  is
     assumed).

     Now, the above is just a proposal.  At the  present  time, PAKIT is
     not  capable  of  directly  reading  the  nodelist  to  obtain this
     information.   However,  if  folks were to start using this type of
     notation (or if  the  FTSC  were to put their blessing on something
     like this), it would  make  it  worthwhile  to  rewrite PAKIT (or a
     similar  program)  to  go  directly    to  the  nodelist  for  this
     information, instead of using a separate  control  file.    End  of
     editorial comment.

     Now, back to PAKIT.  PAKIT is  a  free utility program intended for
     use with oMMM, although it may work with  other  mail  packers that
     call ARCA to create mail archives.  Just in  case  you  missed  the
     article of a few weeks back, here's the pertinent information again
     (slightly rewritten to be correct for the latest version):

     PAKIT Version 1.04 - a semi-intelligent ARCA to PAK/ZIP/ZOO
     Converter for use with oMMM.

     No warranty expressed or implied - use at your own risk!

     PAKIT  was  written  to  allow  you to create smaller outgoing mail
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 13                  17 Apr 1989


     archives  (*.mo?  files, etc.) for systems that can accept them, by
     using any  of  several  different file compression utility programs
     (PAK, ZOO, and/or PKWARE programs) with oMMM version 1.07 or higher
     (it will probably work  with  earlier versions of oMMM as well, but
     you should upgrade anyway!   Do  NOT use oMMM version 1.08, though,
     it was buggy).  Those who  use  oMMM  may  be aware that oMMM calls
     ARCA for file compression purposes.  PAKIT  intercepts  the call to
     ARCA,  translates  it  to  a format that another  file  compression
     utility  can  understand, and then hands it over to  that  utility.
     While PAKIT is specifically designed for use with oMMM, it MAY also
     work with other packers that call ARCA using the "/D" parameter  at
     the end of the invocation line.

     PAKIT was  originally  intended to be used with NoGate Consulting's
     PAK File Compression  Utility, and still defaults to the use of PAK
     (it now requires PAK  version  1.5 or higher), however you may also
     optionally specify that PKWARE's PKARC  or  PKPAK  program is to be
     called when creating "Crunched" or "Squashed"  mail archives (these
     programs  are no longer available from PKWARE,  but  may  still  be
     available on some BBS's).  You also have  the  option  of using ZIP
     ("Reducing") or ZOO as the compression method to be  used  for mail
     packets.

     If  you  use  this  program and PAK without a PAKIT.CTL  file,  the
     resulting mail archive files should be no different than if you had
     just  used ARCA only (obviously, there's no real advantage in doing
     that, but  you  can  do it if you want to).  The major advantage in
     using this program  is  that  you  can  use  a  control file called
     PAKIT.CTL,  which  will allow  you  to  specify  which  compression
     method, or which of PAK's  three  possible compression levels, will
     be used when packing mail to  any  given  node.   Thus, if you KNOW
     that  a  particular  node  is using PKWARE's  PKXARC  (or  PKUNPAK)
     program  to  de-archive mail packets, you can create  mail  packets
     using  "Squashing",  which  will  make smaller packets and possibly
     save you some transmission time.  If you regularly communicate with
     a  node that uses PAK to unpack mail, you can create  mail  bundles
     using "Crushing"  and  save  even  more disk space and transmission
     time.  And,  the  most  recent  versions of PAKIT will allow you to
     create compressed mail bundles  using  ZOO.EXE  or  PKWARE's  PKZIP
     program, should you have a  need  to  send  mail  bundles in one of
     those formats.  These options should  only  be used with nodes with
     which  you communicate regularly, and know what  program  is  being
     used to uncompress mail packets.

     The current version of PAKIT renames individual .PKT files prior to
     placing  them in the mail archive, in order to  assure  that  older
     files are always placed before newer ones in the archive.   This is
     done  to  overcome  a  difference  in  operation  between  ARCA and
     PKARC/PKPAK/PAK 1.0.    ARCA  always added packets to the END of an
     existing archive (as  does PAK 1.5+ if the "/O-" modifier is used),
     but some of the  newer programs do us the favor(?) of inserting new
     files into an existing archive in alphabetical order.  oMMM creates
     packets  using  a naming sequence that  restarts  every  day,  thus
     packets created just after midnight would be  stored in the archive
     BEFORE packets created on the previous day (when  one  of the newer
     archivers  is used).  The result is that replies  to  messages  are
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 14                  17 Apr 1989


     sometimes    stored   prior  to  the  original  messages  when  the
     destination system  unpacks  the  mail!  PAKIT attempts to overcome
     this problem by  renaming  the packets using a naming sequence that
     restarts at the beginning  of  every  year,  rather than every day.
     Thus, it is only possible  to  create  out-of-order mail packets at
     the beginning of January.  The  packet  names used contain only the
     hexadecimal  digits 0-9 and A-F, and are  always  eight  characters
     long (not counting the .PKT extension).  As far as I can determine,
     this will not cause any problem for any existing mail unpacker, but
     please let me know if you discover otherwise.

     Version  1.04  of  PAKIT has just been released, and is  compatible
     with the newer releases of oMMM (1.30 and higher).  Older  versions
     of  PAKIT (before 1.02) will most likely not work properly with the
     newer  versions  of  oMMM.  The most recent copy of PAKIT should be
     file  requestable  from  Fidonet  node  1:154/7  (aka  LCRnet  node
     77:1011/7 or NetWork  node  8:70/7),  under the filename PAKIT*.ZIP
     (at this writing, PAKIT104.ZIP  is the latest version).  1:154/7 is
     a mail-only node located in  Milwaukee,  and is PC Pursuitable.  If
     you are located in a PC  Pursuitable city and for some reason can't
     make a file request work, send me  a  message  and  I'll  try  file
     attaching it to you.  By the way,  there's  no  copyright notice or
     request for payment (or anything else) anywhere in PAKIT.    It's a
     gift to anyone who wants it, pure and simple!

     If  you  find  an archiving program that creates archives that  are
     even smaller  than  "Crushed"  or  "Reduced" files (particularly if
     it's truly public  domain,  or  at  least  free  to  non-commercial
     users), please send a copy of the program to me and I will at least
     consider making a version of  this program that will use it.  Also,
     if the Fidonet (or any "other"  net)  nodelist  is ever modified to
     include  a  "compression  level"  flag for mail  archives,  I  will
     consider  rewriting this program to look directly to  the  nodelist
     for compression level information.

     Jack  Decker  (1:154/8,  77:1011/8,  8:70/8  <== Don't file request
     PAKIT from these addresses, this is a private node!)

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 15                  17 Apr 1989


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

     The Veterinarian's Corner
     Excerpts from the ANIMED GroupMail Conference

     by Don Thomson, 1:102/1005

     The feline leukemia virus is a contagious virus limited to
     members of the cat family. It recieved its name, because it is
     one of the types of virus' that have the ability to cause cancer
     of the white cells.

     The disease caused by the feline leukemia virus can take any
     number of forms. Because the virus attacks and suppresses the
     body's immune response, an increased suseptibility to infections
     of all types is commonly one of the first signs. Long standing
     'cold' symptoms, repeated abscesses, oral infections, an
     increased susceptibility to pneumonia, and other internal
     infections may occur.

     If the animal recovers from these types of opportunistic
     infections, the virus, hidden in the bone marrow and lymph nodes,
     begins to manifest itself. The feline leukemia virus (FeLV) has
     the ability to become intermingled with the DNA of the primitve,
     dividing bone marrow cells. This most commonly manifests itself
     as a severe 'aplastic' anemia. Occasionally cancer of the white
     cells of the bone marrow (leukocytes) may cause cancer of the
     while cells, hence the name 'leukemia' virus. More commonly the
     FeLV will cause cancer of the lymph nodes, similar to Hodgkins
     Disease of man.

          What can be done to prevent this disease?

     Because the virus is shed most heavily in the saliva, and to
     lessor extent in urine, feces, and tears, limiting 'community'
     food bowls from which stray cats of unknown status will decrease
     the spread of the virus. If your cat is an outdoor cat,
     vaccination is reccommended. The odds are quite high that your
     cat will be exposed to the virus as approximately 90% of outdoor
     The disease is most prevalent in multiple cat households, where
     repeated high-level exposure of virus allows the actual infection
     to overwhelm the cat's immune response. Most intermittant, low
     level exposures do not result in actual infection.  But if you
     have more than one cat, they should be tested for 'latent' or
     inapparent infection and vaccination.  If found to be negative,
     then they should be vaccinated. Strictly indoor cats, tested
     negative, probably don't require vaccination because this is a
     relative fragile virus, not long lived in the environment.

     There is no 'cure' for the disease once contracted other than
     supportive, symptomatic treatment. The best cure possible for
     this killer is prevention.

     ----------
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 16                  17 Apr 1989


     More on cats:

     Cats are not just 'scaled down' versions of humans as far as how
     their bodies handle many medications!

        For example:

        1 Tylenol caplet can kill a cat, by causing the hemoglobin of
        the red blood cells to no longer be capable of oxygen binding
        and transport!  Sad sight....

        1 baby aspirin will last up to FOUR DAYS in the bloodstream of
        your cat.  Overdoses can and DO occur by well-meaning people,
        giving their pets human medications.

     PLEASE CHECK with a veterinarian BEFORE administering ANY
     medication to your cat.

     DB Thomson, DVM
     1:102/1005
     9:871/16

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 17                  17 Apr 1989


     The following  is the first in a series of four columns Fred Grosby
     (a federal government  employee, and a user on "The Falcon's Rock")
     has written.  He  deserves  all  the  credit  for  writing them.  I
     suggested that he upload them  to  my  system,  because  I  enjoyed
     reading them in our local Mensa  newsletter, Capital M.  I hope you
     enjoy reading them, too.  The archive  of all four is available for
     file request from 1:109/501 as BSOUTH.ZIP.

     Notes From Bureaucracy South
     By Fred Grosby, a user on 1:109/501

     Well, they're at it again.  The Big  Program  is  reorganizing, for
     the third time in the six years that I have worked here.  It's sort
     of  like  a  biennial  celebration  of  the way things go  here  in
     Bureaucracy South.

     The  first  reorganization was in 1983, when The Big Program got  a
     new  head;    let's  call  him  Clark.    Clark,  being  thoroughly
     Reaganized, was Hell-bent to  cut  out all of the waste, fraud, and
     abuse  in  The  Big Program,  increase  efficiency,  and  save  you
     taxpayers a ton of money.   Besides,  he figured that if he saved a
     lot of money the administration would give  him  a  big cash award.
     So  he reorganized, saved a lot of money,  and  got  his  big  cash
     award.

     He also fragmented the operations of The Big Program  so badly that
     nobody  knew  who  was supposed to do what.  Our  regional  offices
     screamed  bloody  murder,  the  workers in The Big Program screamed
     bloody murder,  and our clients screamed bloody murder,but did that
     phase Clark?   Not  a  chance.  He knew what to do.  He reorganized
     again,  in  late  1985.        Ostensibly,   the  purpose  of  this
     reorganization was to straighten out  some  of the mess made by the
     first reorganization.  What it actually  did  was  to  take several
     smaller  offices and mash them together into  one  great  amorphous
     mass that was virtually impossible to manage.   It  also managed to
     (Surprise!)  save  some  more  money, which got Clark another  cash
     award.

     Now it's 1988.  Clark has taken his money and  moved on to head one
     of  our  regional  offices,  where  he  has  taken  on a new  task:
     destroying employee morale.   Clark's successor, whose name may not
     be mentioned here any  more,  got fired for reasons that have never
     been explained.  Personally, I  think  it was for spending his work
     time managing his stock portfolio instead  of The Big Program.  The
     current head of The Big Program is  a  nice  young fellow whom I'll
     call Steve.  Imagine, a senior executive at  age  30.  All you have
     to do is be good friends with The Assistant Secretary and you, too,
     can make it in Bureaucracy South.

     So here's Steve, who is no great shakes as a manager, trying to run
     this  gargantuan  mess  of  an  organization,  and  he's getting in
     trouble because  he  keeps  sending  The Administrator to the wrong
     people for things.    Fortunately,  fate  brought  Steve to The Big
     Program in late 1987, just in time for him to reorganize the place.
     There was a little problem,  though.  Steve's a political type;  he
     doesn't really know the nuts and  bolts  of  the  program that he's
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 18                  17 Apr 1989


     managing.  So, as much in self-defense  as anything else, he turned
     the job over to his assistant, Beverly.  Not only is Beverly one of
     my favorite people, she's also a fabulous manager.   She  has  also
     worked in The Big Program forever, and knows where all  the  bodies
     are  buried.    So  she analyzed, and discussed, and consulted, and
     came up  with  what  I  knew that she was going to come up with all
     along.  Yes,  folks,  we're putting it back the way it was in 1983,
     B.C.  (Before Clark).

     There was only one  problem:    explaining the cost increase to The
     Department, which  must  approve  the reorganization.  According to
     the official formula  mandated  by  The Department, we are about to
     spend an additional $83,000  per year of your tax money.  Actually,
     it's going to be more like $1.5 million, but who are we to tell The
     Department that their formula has a  flaw  in  it?   Either way, we
     figured that we were in for a fight.

     You know what?  The Department didn't  bat  an  eye.    There are a
     couple  of  technical  details  to work out, but  the  guy  at  The
     Department  who  handles  reorganizations  has  assured me that the
     reorganization  of  The Big Program will be approved.  He  told  me
     that as far as The Department is concerned, it's our budget, and if
     we  want  to  spend  the  money  on  our reorganization, that's our
     business.  And Reagan doesn't think that he's presiding over a lame
     duck administration.   If  we  would  have tried this six years ago
     they would have eaten our lunch.

     So, in a few  weeks  The  Big Program will be right back the way it
     started.  Offhand, you might  say  that  the only one who benefited
     from all the fuss and bother was Clark, who took the money and ran.
     There is, however, one other winner in  this  game:   me.  You see,
     I'm the one who processed the 1983 and  1985 reorganizations and is
     processing  this one.  Each reorganization takes, say, four  months
     to process.  Then there are all of the followup actions, the record
     keeping, and the reviews to do, by which time it's almost  time  to
     start thinking about the next reorganization.  Steve is a political
     appointee.  He will be gone by the end of the year, and what do you
     want to bet that his successor doesn't reorganize again?  And guess
     who'll be there to do  it?    This,  folks, is called job security,
     which is a whole lot more  important  to me than the few bucks that
     Clark got.

     No matter what they do to The Big Program, I win.  You have to take
     your victories where you find them here in Bureaucracy South.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 19                  17 Apr 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 3.4*
     Lynx           1.22    Phoenix         1.3    RBBS         17.1D


     Network                Node List              Other
     Mailers     Version    Utilities   Version    Utilities  Version

     Dutchie       2.90C*   EditNL         4.00    ARC           6.01*
     SEAdog         4.50*   MakeNL         2.12    ARCmail        2.0*
     BinkleyTerm    2.20*   Prune          1.40    ConfMail      4.00
     D'Bridge       1.18*   XlatList       2.90*   TPB Editor    1.21
     FrontDoor       2.0    XlaxNode       2.32*   TCOMMail       2.1*
     PRENM          1.40    XlaxDiff       2.32*   TMail         8901*
                            ParseList      1.30    UFGATE        1.03*
                                                   GROUP         2.07*
                                                   EMM           1.40
                                                   MSGED         1.99*
                                                   XRS            1.2*

     * 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 6-16                Page 20                  17 Apr 1989


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

                          The Interrupt Stack


     28 Apr 1989
        Start of Gateway '89 show at the Viscount Hotel in Queens,
        New York. Contact Gateway '89 at (516) 678-7180 for info.

      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. Contact
        Hans Ligthelm of 2:500/3 for details.

     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"

     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.

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

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

     FidoNews 6-16                Page 21                  17 Apr 1989


            OFFICERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION

     Mort Sternheim 1:321/109  Chairman of the Board
     Bob Rudolph    1:261/628  President
     Matt Whelan    3:3/1      Vice President
     Bill Bolton    3:711/403  Vice President-Technical Coordinator
     Linda Grennan  1:147/1    Secretary
     Kris Veitch    1:147/30   Treasurer


            IFNA COMMITTEE AND BOARD CHAIRS

     Administration and Finance     Mark Grennan    1:147/1
     Board of Directors             Mort Sternheim  1:321/109
     Bylaws                         Don Daniels     1:107/210
     Ethics                         Vic Hill        1:147/4
     Executive Committee            Bob Rudolph     1:261/628
     International Affairs          Rob Gonsalves   2:500/1
     Membership Services            David Drexler   1:147/1
     Nominations & Elections        David Melnick   1:107/233
     Public Affairs                 David Drexler   1:147/1
     Publications                   Rick Siegel     1:107/27
     Security & Individual Rights   Jim Cannell     1:143/21
     Technical Standards            Rick Moore      1:115/333


                      IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

         DIVISION                               AT-LARGE

     10  Courtney Harris   1:102/732    Don Daniels     1:107/210
     11  Bill Allbritten   1:11/301     Mort Sternheim  1:321/109
     12  Bill Bolton       3:711/403    Mark Grennan    1:147/1
     13  Irene Henderson   1:107/9       (vacant)
     14  Ken Kaplan        1:100/22     Ted Polczyinski 1:154/5
     15  Scott Miller      1:128/12     Matt Whelan     3:3/1
     16  Ivan Schaffel     1:141/390    Robert Rudolph  1:261/628
     17  Neal Curtin       1:343/1      Steve Jordan    1:206/2871
     18  Andrew Adler      1:135/47     Kris Veitch     1:147/30
     19  David Drexler     1:147/1       (vacant)
      2  Henk Wevers       2:500/1      David Melnik    1:107/233

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FidoNews 6-16                Page 22                  17 Apr 1989


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