     Volume 6, Number  3                               16 January 1989
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     |                                                  _            |
     |                                                 /  \          |
     |                                                /|oo \         |
     |        - FidoNews -                           (_|  /_)        |
     |                                                _`@/_ \    _   |
     |        International                          |     | \   \\  |
     |     FidoNet Association                       | (*) |  \   )) |
     |         Newsletter               ______       |__U__| /  \//  |
     |                                 / FIDO \       _//|| _\   /   |
     |                                (________)     (_/(_|(____/    |
     |                                                     (jm)      |
     +---------------------------------------------------------------+
     Editor in Chief                                       Dale Lovell
     Editor Emeritus:                                   Thom Henderson
     Chief Procrastinator Emeritus:                       Tom Jennings
     Contributing Editors:                                   Al Arango
     
     FidoNews  is  published  weekly  by  the  International   FidoNet
     Association  as  its  official newsletter.  You are encouraged to
     submit articles for publication in FidoNews.  Article  submission
     standards  are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC,  available from
     node 1:1/1.  1:1/1 is available  for network  mail between  NMH-1
     hour to NMH+1 hour.  At all other times,  netmail is not accepted
     although submissions can be uploaded.
     
     Copyright 1989 by  the  International  FidoNet  Association.  All
     rights  reserved.  Duplication  and/or distribution permitted for
     noncommercial purposes only.  For  use  in  other  circumstances,
     please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067. IFNA may also be contacted
     at PO Box 41143, St. Louis, MO 63141.
     
     Fido  and FidoNet  are registered  trademarks of  Tom Jennings of
     Fido Software,  164 Shipley Avenue,  San Francisco, CA  94107 and
     are used with permission.
     
     The  contents  of  the  articles  contained  here  are  not   our
     responsibility,   nor   do   we   necessarily  agree  with  them.
     Everything here is  subject  to  debate.  We  publish  EVERYTHING
     received.



                             Table of Contents

     1. ARTICLES  .................................................  1
        Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette  ......  5
        FidoNews Policy Changes by Rick Siegel 1:107/27  .......... 12
     2. COLUMNS  .................................................. 14
        RegComm - Communications From RegCon  ..................... 14
     3. NOTICES  .................................................. 17
        The Interrupt Stack  ...................................... 17
        Latest Software Versions  ................................. 17
     FidoNews 6-03                Page 1                   16 Jan 1989


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

                    Are These Christian Views on AIDS?

                             Fredric L. Rice
                               (103/503.3)

          "I'm getting out of my closet with this issue. We are under
     siege. The homosexuals  didn't create this plague;  God did. But
     they are the primary distributors.

     "Of course, it is really a waste of time to get angry with them.
     They won't be around much longer.  A decade from  now, they will
     all be dead. There will be no gay lobby because there will be no
     male gays.  (The irony of all this is that the one group that is
     probably safest is the lesbian community). But we must recognize
     what  we face.  The disease will  be here  in  a decade  because
     Judgment has come!"

                               - Gary North, p.h.D., President of the
                                 Institute  for  Christian Economics.


        Normally, you wouldn't see me write this kind of article. You
     may have seen  many submissions such  as  Voyager and  the  Deep
     Space  Network.  What prompted me:  I read an article  posted on
     several  Christian systems in the Southern California area which
     was  titled  "AIDS: God's gift to mankind."  The file  name  was
     PLAGUE.TXT.  Its  description peaked  by interest,  to  say  the
     least, so I downloaded it and took a look.

     FidoNews is generally considered to be a forum for dissemination
     of the technical aspects of  the network  as well as a forum for
     the distribution of  network news.  I would also like to mention
     that its  potential for  dissemination of other  information  is
     likewise always there. Views  and opinions  have  been expressed
     and I generally  appreciate  their being  included. I  have also
     tried to post astronomical articles in the hopes  that there are
     a  great  many  SysOps  and  users who  enjoy such  things. This
     posting didn't come easy but I have some questions to ask.

     The  authorship is  listed  as  Gary  North,  president  for  an
     economics institute. The references at the back, (which I always
     check for before reading any article), mention that the majority
     of the source for Norths'  article came  from an  interview with
     Gene Antonio,  author  of  "The AIDS Cover-Up?",  which was made
     available   through  Focus  on  the  Family,  a  quasi-religious
     organization  which  guides  its  followers  with  heavy  family
     relationships being stressed.

     Further  references  were  also  interesting:  "Homosexuality: A
     Biblical View by Greg Bahnsen".  "The AIDS epidemic, A Citizen's
     Guide  to  Protecting  your Family  and Community  from the  Gay
     Plague".  There were also  tapes from  "Joseph C.  Morecraft the
     FidoNews 6-03                Page 2                   16 Jan 1989


     Third, pastor of  the Chalcedon  Presbyterian  Church, Atlanta",
     which sells  "Homosexuality and AIDS, tapes 1  and 2",  and "How
     God Removes Dross from a Culture".

     A few more quotes from this article:


          "On the final weekend of February, I attended a conference.
     Because of restrictions  imposed by  the organization, I  am not
     allowed  to  mention its  name.  This was a  rule established in
     1981, at the first meeting. It's not a secret society; it's more
     of a publicity-shy group.  The major 'New Right" leaders  in the
     U.S. belong, and a lot of them were in attendance this time."

     "Dr. Koop is preaching condoms for teen-agers.  He wants  a huge
     sex  education  program in  the  public  schools.  Here  is  the
     ultimate  irony: the  Christian conservatives are now  promoting
     the one program above all others  that conservatives have fought
     for three decades: Federal sex  education  in  the  schools. The
     Koop report could  have  been written by the Gay liberation Task
     Force on  AIDS.  Its solution is  educational and technical, not
     moral and religious.

     "The only long-term solution is  MORAL AND RELIGIOUS! We are not
     saved by  knowledge! For  three decades we have seen that sexual
     promiscuity   increases   with  every  sex   education   program
     introduced  into  the public  schools!  Conservatives have  been
     yelling about this the whole time. Now, I fear, they will remain
     silent, and a  full-scale  sex education  program with  no holds
     barred will be given to our children!"

     "An EVOLVING virus: what a perfect means of  bringing the age of
     Darwinian self-confidence to an end! God has a sense of humor!"


            The article goes on at length about his children being in
     private schools  and  that  "Public  schools  are  going  to  be
     abandoned", in capital letters.  Because of the  semi-hysterical
     content of the article, I dismissed it half-way  through and set
     it in a binder where I  keep  a  copy of  everything I have ever
     downloaded.  A  day later, I brought  it out  again to  see if I
     could verify the authorship and see  if the  Christian community
     in general actually retain these views about AIDS.

     I was able  to verify that Gene  Antonio actually exists and has
     written several  books.  The  Institute for  Christian Economics
     also exists yet appears to be a business which offers courses in
     tax evasion for  church members,  (this  because the ICE  yields
     extensive incomes through multiple publications,  qualifying for
     tax exemption  under the  U.S.  tax laws,  and  show  no visible
     product  or  services  other than  postal freight).  This  is an
     opinion that _I_ hold due to all facts available when denied the
     possibility   of   enlightenment    due    to    'publicity-shy'
     organizations.

     Finally, I called Focus  on the Family in Pomona, California, to
     FidoNews 6-03                Page 3                   16 Jan 1989


     arrange an interview  with Gene Antonio. The request was refused
     with no explanation Offered. This was probably due to my lack of
     credentials;  how does writing about Christian views on AIDS for
     a million  above-average  intelligent computer users affect  the
     possibility of my gaining an  audience with a  Christian leader?
     Had I  misrepresented  myself  as  a  fellow  church  newsletter
     writer,  my  request  for an  interview  may  have had  a better
     reception.

     Thus the validity of the article remains  in doubt and I elected
     to consider its source as  questionable:  The  article  was  not
     written  by  someone  who  represents  the  views  of  Christian
     Religions. I filed it away again.

     There remained in my mind, however, the references at the end of
     the article. Many  of these  books  were available for sell at a
     local  Christian book store. Spending time  in the store  wasn't
     very comfortable, I  kept waiting  for someone  to look  up from
     the shelves of book,  point at me  and chant  "An unbeliever! An
     unbeliever  in our midst! Punish the non-believer!"  Not wishing
     to give money to their  organization,  I simply  looked  through
     the books quickly and was able to  confirm the overall consensus
     that  AIDS _is_ considered  Gods Gift To Mankind, stripping away
     the gays and junkies of  the world, leaving the  planet cleansed
     for the few chosen Christians.

     This didn't strike me as a particularly Christian view to take.

     The United States Federal Government,  under the guidance of the
     Surgeon General, has published and distributed a pamphlet to all
     the  residences in  the United States.  If your city or town was
     not targeted  for  this federal  mail-out, it  basically listed,
     (in  _very_  clear  and   unambiguous  language,  complete  with
     graphic pictures), what can and can not propagate AIDS. Also was
     offered how to protect yourself and family against this disease.

     The Christian  community would  have us abandon  technology  and
     request Gods mercy to keep from getting AIDS.  Certainly we have
     seen, by virtue of the media, that  morality alone does not keep
     people from having  sex with whores,  (rana' Swaggert, Fallwell,
     Graham,  Bakers,  et. all),  or not using protective devices. It
     has been mentioned  before  that  such  devices  are  considered
     unclean because they  keep sinners  from receiving  the negative
     results of their  sins while allow  the positive results  to be,
     um, realized.

     It boils down to believing the Federal Government,  (not an easy
     thing to do in light of the many naughty things our leaders do),
     or having faith in our religious leaders,  (likewise not easy to
     do in light of they many naughty things they do).

     As the ads say:  Get the facts on AIDS.  If  you have  doubts, I
     would urge you to contact an AIDS hotline;  there's  bound to be
     one in your area. Likewise,  contact your church leaders if they
     don't already have  seminars  and learn  what they  have to  say
     about AIDS.  It's possible that not all churches retain the same
     FidoNews 6-03                Page 4                   16 Jan 1989


     views as the authorship of the "Plauge.Txt" article does.

     I have read  Tom Jennings comments about the problems he has had
     confronted with ignorance and prejudice  and would have to agree
     with his comments  about the  fear  AIDS  has generated  causing
     violence against gays.  This is an education  problem, not truly
     a social problem that needs to be solved.  To be fair, gays make
     me nervous  when I am  working  someone I know is gay.  I should
     also mention that I  avoid them  all the more  since the disease
     has met the media the  way it has. This attitude is a carry over
     from  my  many prejudices  and is  an attitude  that  will never
     change; The ignorant among us, however, react with violence. The
     Christian community react by praying for salvation.

     I have read a short upload that mentioned some Christian doctors
     abandoning  research on  AIDS. In  the same  upload, it mentions
     still  other not  willing to  treat  AIDS  victims.  It  was not
     because they  feared they  would  contract the  disease, it  was
     because they felt that  it was a  God-sent plague;  all with the
     corresponding Biblical references, chapter and verse.  To combat
     it would be to fight the will of God.

     Tom mentioned that it's time  to speak out, take a stand; try to
     disperse the ignorance spreading faster than the disease itself.
     This won't  happen very easily,  Tom: Speak out  in favor of sex
     education for the prevention of AIDS, and you get branded a fag.
     Speak  out  in  favor  of  a national  public education  for the
     prevention of AIDS series on television and you need to tell the
     networks where the money is  coming from. Speak out for truthful
     education on the disease in  the church, and  you get  branded a
     devil worshiper.


     - PLAGUE.TXT. can be file requested from  Astro-Net, 103/503, 24
     hours a  day. Fredric  Rice  requests  any  rebuttals  from  the
     Christian community in response to my  findings. I  _would_ like
     to hear if the view that AIDS is from God is generally accepted.

     Another interesting  article available is  "Evolve.Txt", a paper
     on  why  evolution  is an  unworkable theory.  I wonder  how the
     authors of some of these Christian articles are able to function
     in a world where  the age of  the gas  they put  into their cars
     contradict their belief  in the age  of the planet; or  what the
     age  of  the star  light  that  they see  at night  from  galaxy
     clusters  over 170 million  light years away  might do to  their
     beliefs  of they understood parallax.  I'm  sure some do but why
     continue to think the universe is only a few thousand years old?

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

     FidoNews 6-03                Page 5                   16 Jan 1989


         Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette

     Newsgroups: news.announce.newusers
     Subject:  Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette

     Original-from: looking!brad (Brad Templeton) [Most recent change:
     24 October 1988 by looking!brad]


     **NOTE: this is intended to be satirical. If you do not recognize
     it  as  such, consult  a  doctor  or professional  comedian.  The
     recommendations in  this article should recognized  for what they
     are -- admonitions about what NOT to do.


                             "Dear Emily Postnews"

             Emily   Postnews,  foremost   authority  on   proper  net
             behaviour, gives her advice on how to act on the net.

           ====================================================

     Dear  Miss  Postnews:  How  long   should  my  signature  be?  --
     verbose@portal

     A: Dear  Verbose: Please try and  make your signature as  long as
     you can. It's  much more important than your  article, of course,
     so try and have more lines of signature than actual text.

     Try and  include a large  graphic made of ASCII  characters, plus
     lots  of cute  quotes  and  slogans. People  will  never tire  of
     reading these pearls of wisdom again and again, and you will soon
     become personally  associated with the  joy each reader  feels at
     seeing yet another delightful repeat of your signature.

     Be sure  as well to  include a complete  map of USENET  with each
     signature, to show how anybody can  get mail to you from any site
     in the world. Be sure to include ARPA gateways as well. Also tell
     people on your own site how to mail to you.

     Aside from  your reply address,  include your full  name, company
     and organization. It's just common courtesy -- after all, in some
     newsreaders people have to type  an *entire* keystroke to go back
     to the top of your article to see this information in the header.

     By  all means  include your  phone number  and street  address in
     every  single article.  People  are always  responding to  usenet
     articles with phone calls and letters. It would be silly to go to
     the extra trouble of including  this information only in articles
     that need a response by conventional channels!

     ------

     Dear Emily:  Today I posted an  article and forgot to  include my
     signature. What should I do? -- forgetful@myvax

     FidoNews 6-03                Page 6                   16 Jan 1989


     A: Dear Forgetful:  Rush to your terminal right away  and post an
     article that says, "Oops, I forgot to post my signature with that
     last article. Here it is."

     Since  most  people will  have  forgotten  your earlier  article,
     (particularly since  it dared to  be so boring  as to not  have a
     nice,  juicy signature)  this will  remind them  of it.  Besides,
     people  care  much  more  about the  signature  anyway.  See  the
     previous letter for more important details.

     Also, be  sure to include  your signature TWICE in  each article.
     That way you're sure people will read it.

     ------

     Dear Ms.  Postnews: I  couldn't get mail  through to  somebody on
     another site. What should I do? -- eager@beaver.dam

     A: Dear Eager: No problem, just post your message to a group that
     a lot  of people read. Say,  "This is for John  Smith. I couldn't
     get mail through so I'm posting it. All others please ignore."

     This way  tens of thousands  of people  will spend a  few seconds
     scanning  over  and  ignoring  your article,  using  up  over  16
     man-hours  their  collective time,  but  you  will be  saved  the
     terrible trouble of  checking through usenet maps  or looking for
     alternate  routes. Just  think, if  you couldn't  distribute your
     message  to 9000  other  computers, you  might  actually have  to
     (gasp) call directory assistance for  60 cents, or even phone the
     person. This can cost as much as a few DOLLARS (!) for a 5 minute
     call!

     And certainly  it's better  to spend  10 to  20 dollars  of other
     people's money distributing  the message then for you  to have to
     waste $9 on an overnight letter, or even 25 cents on a stamp!

     Don't  forget. The  world will  end if  your message  doesn't get
     through, so post it as many places as you can.

     ------

     Q: What about a test message?

     A: It is  important, when testing, to test the  entire net. Never
     test merely a subnet distribution when the whole net can be done.
     Also put "please ignore" on your test messages, since we all know
     that  everybody always  skips a  message with  a line  like that.
     Don't use  a subject like  "My sex is female  but I demand  to be
     addressed as  male." because such  articles are read in  depth by
     all USEnauts.

     ------

     Q: Somebody just  posted that Roman Polanski  directed Star Wars.
     What should I do?

     FidoNews 6-03                Page 7                   16 Jan 1989


     A: Post  the correct answer at  once! We can't have  people go on
     believing that! Very good of you to spot this. You'll probably be
     the only one to make the correction,  so post as soon as you can.
     No time to lose,  so certainly don't wait a day,  or check to see
     if somebody else has made the correction.

     And  it's not  good enough  to send  the message  by mail.  Since
     you're the only one who really knows that it was Francis Coppola,
     you have to inform the whole net right away!

     ------

     Q: I read an article that  said, "reply by mail, I'll summarize."
     What should I do? -- weemba@brahms

     A: Post your response to the whole net. That request applies only
     to dumb people who don't  have something interesting to say. Your
     postings  are much  more worthwhile  than other  people's, so  it
     would be a waste to reply by mail.

     ------

     Q: I collected  replies to an article I wrote,  and now it's time
     to summarize. What should I do?

     A: Simply concatenate  all the articles together into  a big file
     and post  that. On USENET,  this is known  as a summary.  It lets
     people read all the  replies without annoying newsreaders getting
     in the way.

     ------

     Q: I  saw a  long article  that I wish  to rebut  carefully, what
     should I do?

     A: Include  the entire text  with your article, and  include your
     comments between the  lines. Be sure to post, and  not mail, even
     though your article looks like a reply to the original. Everybody
     *loves*  to read  those long  point-by-point debates,  especially
     when they evolve  into name-calling and lots of "Is  too!" -- "Is
     not!" -- "Is too, twizot!" exchanges.

     ------

     Q: How can I choose what groups to post in?

     A: Pick as many as you can,  so that you get the widest audience.
     After all, the  net exists to give you an  audience. Ignore those
     who  suggest you  should  only  use groups  where  you think  the
     article  is highly  appropriate.  Pick all  groups where  anybody
     might even be slightly interested.

     Always make  sure followups  go to  all the  groups. In  the rare
     event that you post a followup which contains something original,
     make  sure  you  expand  the  list of  groups.  Never  include  a
     "Followup-to:" line in  the header, since some  people might miss
     FidoNews 6-03                Page 8                   16 Jan 1989


     part of the valuable discussion in the fringe groups.

     ------

     Q: How about an example?

     A: Ok. Let's say you want  to report that Gretzky has been traded
     from the  Oilers to  the Kings.  Now right  away you  might think
     rec.sport.hockey would  be enough. WRONG. Many  more people might
     be interested. This is a big trade! Since it's a NEWS article, it
     belongs in the news.* hierarchy as well. If you are a news admin,
     or there  is one  on your  machine, try  news.admin. If  not, use
     news.misc.

     The   Oilers  are   probably  interested   in  geology,   so  try
     sci.physics.  He  is  a  big  star, so  post  to  sci.astro,  and
     sci.space because  they are also  interested in stars.  Next, his
     name is Polish sounding. So  post to soc.culture.polish. But that
     group doesn't  exist, so cross-post to  news.groups suggesting it
     should  be  created. With  this  many  groups of  interest,  your
     article will be  quite bizarre, so post to  talk.bizarre as well.
     (And post to  comp.std.mumps, since they hardly  get any articles
     there.)

     You may also find it is more fun to post the article once in each
     group. If you  list all the newsgroups in the  same article, some
     newsreaders will  only show the  the article to the  reader once!
     Don't tolerate this.

     ------

     Q: How do I create a newsgroup?

     A: The easiest way goes  something like "inews -C newgroup ....",
     and while that  will stir up lots of conversation  about your new
     newsgroup, it might not be enough.

     First post  a message in  news.groups describing the  group. Hold
     discussion for  a short while, and  then ask for a  vote. Collect
     votes for 30 days. Every few days  post a long summary of all the
     votes so  that people can  complain about bad mailers  and double
     votes. It means  you'll be more popular and get  lots of mail. At
     the end  of thirty days  if you have 100  more yes votes  than no
     votes you may create the group.

     No matter what the group, it is not necessary to get the approval
     of admins  at backbone sites.  They will  be happy to  create any
     group if it passes the above test.

     To  liven  up discussion,  choose  a  good cross-match  for  your
     hierarchy   and  group.   For   example,  comp.race.formula1   or
     soc.vlsi.design would be good group names. If you want your group
     created  quickly,  include  an  interesting word  like  "sex"  or
     "bible."

     ------
     FidoNews 6-03                Page 9                   16 Jan 1989


     Q: I cant spell  worth a dam. I hope your going  too tell me what
     to do?

     A: Don't  worry about how  your articles look. Remember  it's the
     message that counts, not the  way it's presented. Ignore the fact
     that sloppy spelling in a purely written forum sends out the same
     silent  messages that  soiled clothing  would when  addressing an
     audience.

     ------

     Q: How should I pick a subject for my articles?

     A: Keep it short and meaningless.  That way people will be forced
     to actually  read your  article to  find out  what's in  it. This
     means a bigger audience for you,  and we all know that's what the
     net is  for. If  you do  a followup,  be sure  and keep  the same
     subject, even  if it's  totally meaningless and  not part  of the
     same discussion. If you don't, you won't catch all the people who
     are looking for stuff on the  original topic, and that means less
     audience for you.

     ------

     Q: What sort of tone should I take in my article?

     A:  Be as  outrageous as  possible. If  you don't  say outlandish
     things,  and  fill your  article  with  libelous insults  of  net
     people, you may not stick out  enough in the flood of articles to
     get  a response.  The more  insane your  posting looks,  the more
     likely it is that you'll get  lots of followups. The net is here,
     after all, so that you can get lots of attention.

     If your  article is polite,  reasoned and  to the point,  you may
     only get mailed replies. Yuck!

     ------

     Q: The posting software suggested I  had too long a signature and
     too many  lines of included text  in my article. What's  the best
     course?

     A: Such  restrictions were put in  the software for no  reason at
     all, so don't even try to figure out why they might apply to your
     article.  Turns out  most  people  search the  net  to find  nice
     articles that consist of the  complete text of an earlier article
     plus a few lines.

     In  order to  help these  people,  fill your  article with  dummy
     original lines to get past the restrictions. Everybody will thank
     you for it.

     For your signature, I know it's  tough, but you will have to read
     it in with the editor. Do this  twice to make sure it's firmly in
     there.

     FidoNews 6-03                Page 10                  16 Jan 1989


     ------

     Q: They just announced on the radio that Dan Quayle was picked as
     the Republican V.P. candidate. Should I post?

     A: Of course. The net can reach people  in as few as 3 to 5 days.
     It's the perfect way to inform people about such news events long
     after  the  broadcast networks  have  covered  them. As  you  are
     probably the only person to have  heard the news on the radio, be
     sure to post as soon as you can.

     ------

     Q: I have this great joke. You see, these three strings walk into
     a bar...

     A: Oh  dear. Don't spoil it  for me. Submit it  to rec.humor, and
     post it to the moderator of rec.humor.funny at the same time. I'm
     sure he's never seen that joke, and I know he loves to have jokes
     sent to rec.humor and rec.humor.funny at the same time.

     ------

     Q: What computer should I buy? An Atari ST or an Amiga?

     A: Cross post  that question to the Atari and  Amiga groups. It's
     an interesting and novel question that  I am sure they would love
     to investigate in those groups.

     ------

     Q: What about  other important questions? How should  I know when
     to post?

     A: Always post them. It would be a big waste of your time to find
     a knowledgeable user in one of the groups and ask through private
     mail if  the topic  has already  come up.  Much easier  to bother
     thousands of people with the same question.

     ------

     Q: What is the measure of a worthwhile group?

     A: Why, it's  Volume, Volume, Volume. Any group that  has lots of
     noise in  it must  be good.  Remember, the  higher the  volume of
     material in a group, the higher percentage of useful, factual and
     insightful  articles you  will find.  In fact,  if a  group can't
     demonstrate a high  enough volume, it should be  deleted from the
     net.

     ------

     Q: My fanzine isn't doing  well in the readership surveys because
     it is only quarterly. What can I do?

     A: Simply have the articles take  three months to expire, so that
     FidoNews 6-03                Page 11                  16 Jan 1989


     they  always show  up in  the surveys.  All those  sites probably
     aren't using  their disk space  for anything useful, so  what not
     use it to boost your ego?

     ------

     Q: What does foobar stand for?

     A: It stands for you, dear.

     --

     Gene  Spafford
     NSF/Purdue/U of Florida Software Engineering Research Center,
     Dept. of Computer Sciences, Purdue University,W.Lafayette IN
     Internet: spaf@cs.purdue.edu
     uucp: ...!{decwrl,gatech,ucbvax}!purdue!spaf

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

     FidoNews 6-03                Page 12                  16 Jan 1989


            FidoNews Policy Changes by Rick Siegel 1:107/27

             As  chairman  of  the  publications committee of IFNA, I
     have  been requested,  by the  president, to  solicit opinion on
     changes    to  FidoNews  policy  and  to compile a consensus and
     advisory to him  by Jan 17, 1988.

             I ask  anyone interested  in expressing  himself on this
     matter send  netmail to  Rick Siegel  at 1:107/27 prior to that,
     and  preferably a  few days  prior so  that your  opinion may be
     included  in the consensus.

             I have  never written anything for FidoNews, and this is
     my first  shot at  this. I  am not  a writer,  please forgive my
     corruption of the English language.

             I would, however, like to let you all know my opinion of
     this affair.

             It seems that the crux of the complaints  about FidoNews
     revolve  around  an  article  by  Tom  Jennings. I have read the
     article. I have not seen any  complaints. Then  again, I  do not
     subscribe to SysOp or IFNA echoes.

             I find it quite incredulous that anyone did not
     understand  the  content  and  intent  of  the Jennings article.
     Certainly it was not computer oriented in it's content. However,
     it was a "piece of life" for Tom Jennings, and he shared it with
     us, the SysOps in a network he envisioned and created.  Yet this
     network is  full of  the diversity from which Tom had spoken, so
     it  does stand to reason some will be offended in many ways.

             For those that were  offended, may  we look  deeper. Tom
     Jennings  is  the  founding  visionary  of  the  network we call
     owe him is to keep the ideals he envisioned within  his creation
     communicate the    frustrations  he  faces in his daily life. It
     interest, if only to note  what  is going  on with  the granddad
     of FidoNet.

             Additionally,     using     this article as a ram rod to
     put  shackles on  the  editor  of  FidoNews  and  make  moves to
     constant bickering  among the wolves of the echoes.

     a   majority of negative comment sway the flow of information to
     the  majority. I find  the  policy  for  FidoNews  fine  for the
     purpose,  and time proven.

             Since there  is a limited time for any of you to respond
     to this, I have taken  the  liberty  of  contacting  some SysOps
     direct. I would however like to hear from anyone, and as soon as
     possible. Please let me  know what  you feel  by contacting Rick
     Siegel at 1:107/27, which is #CM at 1200/2400 baud.

             I  appreciate  your  time  and  efforts  to  making this
     research work.

     FidoNews 6-03                Page 13                  16 Jan 1989


             Rick Siegel (107/27)

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

     FidoNews 6-03                Page 14                  16 Jan 1989


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

                   RegComm - Communications From RegCon.

     Last weeks column mentioned a rumor about one of the *C team  who
     was  injured  and  his  net  helped  him return to active status.
     Well, it  wasn't a  rumor after  all.   We recently  received the
     following from Chris Baker:


                       A Holiday Ode to Net 135
                         by Christopher Baker
                            RC 18 / NC 135

      Twas two weeks before Christmas and all thru my house,
      my body was aching, I started to grouse.
      "If I don't dump this backache and get back to work
      my Users and Sysops will think I'm a jerk."

      I'd been laid up at home for many a week
      and I had no computer through which I could speak.
      It's tough to do business without a remote and I'm sure
      many NCs thought things I can't quote.

      All the while in the background quite unknown to me,
      the folks of my own Net were planning a spree.
      They talked and they chatted and gathered up parts
      to build me a system for home, bless their hearts.

      They Netmailed and Echoed and telephoned, too,
      deciding just which part was what and from who.
      They assembled a system that was based on a Tandy;
      with modem and hard drive, I mean, it's a dandy!

      I was tired and cranky the night it was due
      and had NO idea this dream would come true.
      I had pains in my back and a pain in my head
      but my wife kept insisting I not go to bed.

      It didn't seem normal the way she cajoled.
      It wasn't till later she said, "I was told."
      So unknown to me I was being prepared
      for a real demonstration of how my Net cared.

      It was close to eleven P.M. when I said,
      "I can't stay up longer. I'm going to bed."
      Then suddenly and very much to my shock
      came a tap on the door and then a loud knock.

      "Ho, Ho, Ho!", said a voice not too clear through the door.
      "Open up! I have presents for you by the score!"
      The door was thrown wide to allow the sprite in
      but he wasn't in red; not a hair on his chin.

     FidoNews 6-03                Page 15                  16 Jan 1989


      He was thin as a rail and no Santa was he.
      I recognized Peter; our own NEC.
      "What the heck's going on?" I exclaimed to the air.
      He said, "Just a small token to show that we care."

      He said nothing else but went straight to his work
      and set up the system then he turned with a smirk.
      "No more excuses!", he said, "Now, get cracking!"
      "Your traffic's piled up and the stuff keeps on stacking!"

      I stood there dumbfounded, amazed and confused.
      My mind boggled speechless and he seemed amused.
      "What? How? Who and why?", I managed to say.
      "It's nothing", said he, "now, get back in the fray!"

      It wouldn't sink in that such things still take place
      that confirm all your faith in the rest of the race.
      The best I could do was to stammer my thanks
      and then write this poem to honor our ranks.

      I still can't believe it and simply must say,
      "All the folks in my Net, you made my whole day!"
      "I never can thank you enough for this gift."
      "Your generous act brings a permanent lift!"

      So, all of the rest out in FidoNet land,
      keep your faith that our concept continues to stand.
      The FidoNet concept of help and of sharing
      is here. Look around and you'll see people caring.

      It's never too late to put egos aside.
      Let go some bygones and take them in stride.
      This Network is people and people are kind.
      When your urge is to flame them, please keep that in mind.

      To all of my Net, I say "Thank you, nth times!"
      To the rest of the world who are sick of my rhymes
      I say "I hope the New Year will bring you much joy!"
      Now, I think I'll stop here and go play with my toy! [grin]

                         The End
     Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to the wacky world of FidoNet!

     Christopher Baker MetroFire, 1:135/14(0), 305-596-8611 Miami, FL

     SFLorida Net 135, Miami_FL_USA

     Roster of Net 135 Santas:

      1 RAM-SOFT_Archive_Library, David_Gilbert & James Gilbert
      2 Eclectic_BBS, Tark_Henderson
      3 Medical_Software_Exchange, Richard_Kaplan
      4 The_Kendall_BBS,  Mike_Janke
      5 CAP-BBS, Duane_Ellis
      6 Dungeons_of_Darkness_OPUS, Mike_Jones
      7 Miami's_First_Fido,  Al_DelaTorre
     FidoNews 6-03                Page 16                  16 Jan 1989


      8 Coral_Gables_Medterm_BBS, Mario_Diaz
      9 EPICS_Opus, Sandy_Schurtz
      10 AMS_Support-Net_135_NEC, Peter_Adenauer
      11 Power_Station, Mike_Lombana
      12 Off-Duty_Inc._BBS, Kathryn_Fanning
      20 FrontDoor_Headquarters, Joaquim_Homrighausen
      24 TURBO-Soft, David_Kerley
      27 Bitsy's_Place, Henry_VanLeer
      30 SMURFIT_Latin_America_Opus, Jeff_Wolach
      33 Byte_Size_Bits, Jean_Prophet & Buddy Prophet
      34 The_Jailhouse, Kenny_Star
      35 The_Sober_Way_Out, Robert_Egan
      36 Town_Crier_Opus, Orville_Bullitt
      38 C-Board, Jack_Bowman
      39 The Expressions_BBS, Daniel_Johnston
      40 The_Cable_Connection, Jerry_Iovine
      41 BBS1-PC!, John_Theed
      43 Key's_Paradise, Steve_Froeschke
      46 Bullitt_-_80_Opus, Guy_Bullitt
      47 MOBS_Opus_Humor_South, Andrew_Adler
      48 The_Road_Runner, Luis_Hernandez
      88 Chatterbox_BBS, Marc_Moyantcheff
      204 BerkShire_Board, Bill_Kraski
      901 Miami's_Personal_Consultant, Dave_Steinman
      942 wHy_bE_NoRmaL?, Tim_LaVan
      990 Friends_of_Dorothy, Scott_Samet

     Thank you all for the  fabulous Tandy T1000 w/20 meg  hard drive,
     1200 bps modem, 384K RAM, floppy drive and completely  configured
     with DOS and  programs! It is  a gift I  will always cherish  and
     never forget. You ARE an amazing and generous bunch of people and
     Sysops!


     We all  thank you  Chris, for  bringing it  to our attention that
     FidoNet still  consists of  a lot  of caring  people.  The RegCon
     team wishes you well and we hope to hear from you often.

     ("RegComm" will be a regular column in FidoNews and your comments
     are  welcome.    Please  address  your  concerns and comments via
     NetMail to your Net  or Regional Coordinator, you  should receive
     an answer within a few days.  It's your net and we would like  to
     have your input.)

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

     FidoNews 6-03                Page 17                  16 Jan 1989


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

                          The Interrupt Stack


     24 Aug 1989
        Voyager 2 passes Neptune.

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

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

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

                          Latest Software Versions

                           Bulletin Board Software
     Name        Version    Name        Version    Name       Version

     Fido            12i    Opus          1.03b    TBBS           2.1*
     QuickBBS       2.03    TPBoard         5.0*   TComm/TCommNet 3.2
     Lynx           1.10    Phoenix         1.3    RBBS         1.71C


     Network                Node List              Other
     Mailers     Version    Utilities   Version    Utilities  Version

     Dutchie       2.90b    EditNL         4.00    ARC           5.32
     SEAdog         4.10    MakeNL         2.12    ARCmail        1.1
     BinkleyTerm    2.00    Prune          1.40    ConfMail      4.00
     D'Bridge       1.10    XlatList       2.86    TPB Editor    1.21
     FrontDoor       2.0    XlaxNode       2.31*   TCOMMail       2.0*
     PRENM          1.40    XlaxDiff       2.31*   TMail         8812*
                            ParseList      1.30*   UFGATE        1.02*
                                                   GROUP         2.04*
                                                   EMM           1.40
                                                   MSGED         1.96

     * Recently changed

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

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

     FidoNews 6-03                Page 18                  16 Jan 1989


            OFFICERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION

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



                         IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

         DIVISION                               AT-LARGE

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

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

     FidoNews 6-03                Page 19                  16 Jan 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.

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