F I D O  N E W S --         |        Vol. 8 No. 23 (10 June 1991)
  The newsletter of the     |
  FidoNet BBS community     |        Published by:
          _                 |
         /  \               |       "FidoNews" BBS
        /|oo \              |          (415)-863-2739
       (_|  /_)             |          FidoNet 1:1/1
        _`@/_ \    _        |          Internet: 
       |     | \   \\       |           fidonews@fidonews.fidonet.org
       | (*) |  \   ))      |
       |__U__| /  \//       |        Editors:
        _//|| _\   /        |          Tom Jennings
       (_/(_|(____/         |          Tim Pozar
             (jm)           |
----------------------------+---------------------------------------
Published weekly by and for the Members of the FidoNet international 
amateur network. Copyright 1991, Fido Software. All rights reserved. 
Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes 
only. For use in other circumstances, please contact FidoNews.

Paper price:   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.00US
Electronic Price:  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  free!

For more information about FidoNews refer to the end of this file.
--------------------------------------------------------------------


                          Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL  .....................................................  1
2. ARTICLES  ......................................................  3
   Forbidden Fruit: Real privacy for electronic communications  ...  3
   A start towards reasonable privacy in FidoNet mail and echom  ..  6
   Practical privacy -- Public Key encryption  ....................  9
   Do we maybe need a "bill of rights"  ........................... 14
   CHILD ABUSE Echo  .............................................. 16
   Talk Me Through It, Honey  ..................................... 17
   Policies. Who Needs Them?  ..................................... 17
   The SKEPTIC Echo Conference  ................................... 18
   WorldPol 2 : Give it Up!  ...................................... 19
   A Word from the Bible - Real Christians speak in tongues  ...... 20
3. CLASSIFIEDS  ................................................... 23
4. NOTICES  ....................................................... 24
   The Interrupt Stack  ........................................... 24
   Exclude. *.MSG - type Killer Dog Utility  ...................... 25
5. LATEST VERSIONS  ............................................... 28
   Latest Software Versions  ...................................... 28
FidoNews 8-23                  Page 1                      10 Jun 1991


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

EDITORIAL
by Tom Jennings

There's enough of my blather in this issue. This is not what I
intended when I became editor. It will not become the norm in the
future.

                        * * * * *

When putting together the articles on the PGP encryption system (else-
where in this issue) I was given a length file which I excerpted, and
a very interesting paper on the closely related issue of privacy
and encryption on amateur radio. I hate to see these kind of things
go to waste. I assume this may happen again in the future.

So I've just started what I hope becomes a tradition -- a parallel,
associated file called NOTEvnn.LZH, which contains the full texts
of source files, unedited and unformatted. (vnn is the same
volume/number format as FidoNews.) Text format (plain ASCII, tabs, CRs
etc) not guarenteed. There may not be a corresponding NOTEvnn.LZH file
for every FidoNews. If there is, the appropriate article(s) will
indicate it.

It would be great if readers could take these things and persue them
further.

                        * * * * *

If you publish an electronic newsletter or some such, and are worried
about ending up like PHRACK, where it was claimed that electronic
publications do not have First Amendment protections, there's an easy
short-term solution: turn it into a print publication, that just
happens to have an electronic version. I have done this to FidoNews --
for $10 per copy you can have FidoNews delivered by the U.S. Postal
Service. The electronic version is (and will always be) completely
free of charge. Any money received will go towards phone bills here,
and if by some miracle it exceeds my bill, all above that will go to
the Electronic Frontier Foundation as a general donation from "The
FidoNet".

Speaking of which, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) now has
501(c)3 status, ie. is now tax deductable. EFF Inc, 112 Second St,
Cambridge MA 02142. voice (617)\dash 864\dash 0665, or
eff@well.sf.ca.us If you contact EFF, please tell them you read it in
FidoNews. Anyone interested in receiving the EFF-TALK echo (gated
to/from it's corresponding usenet newsgroup) please contact me at
1:125/111 and I'll toss it your way ...

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 2                      10 Jun 1991


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

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 3                      10 Jun 1991


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

Forbidden Fruit: Real privacy for electronic communications
by Tom Jennings

See also: NOTE823

This is not a well-researched piece, I simply haven't had the time.
It's 4:00pm on FidoNews publication day. I had planned on starting a
few new "departments" for FidoNews (such as reviews of other
publications) but this all happened in the last few days. I hope that
it gives enough information to at least ask more questions.

                        * * * * *

This has been an exciting weekend. I got a job -- the first "real" job
I've had since 1986. With Cygnus Support, moving GNU stuff to the IBM
feces world. But not too real, I mean, the job interview was kinda
fun, with cool people, and I got to bring all of the stuff I do,
HOMOCORE `zine, propane car book, and not have to lie or leave out
stuff. Not bad! More on this later.

The other thing is the release of "PGP", or "Pretty Good Privacy", by
Phil Zimmermann (two n's). A complete RSA public-key encryption /
decryption software system. This implementation is legal, with
restrictions. But some of the powers-that-be are gonna raise a stink,
legally or not. Get it while you can!

Encryption? Why would we need something so extreme? The issue is
liberty -- privacy and the right to conduct your affairs as you see
fit. Is having your mail remain unopened so extreme?

I've said it before, between these very pages (sic) -- the government
doesn't grant you rights. It recognizes that we have "certain
inalienable rights" , ie. rights exist, and that it should not be
allowed to take away. *That is what the U.S. Bill of Rights -- the
first 10 Amendments are* -- limits on the power of government, not a
laundry list of rights "granted" to you. However, bureaucrats, well
meaning or not, seem to forget this in desire to make their ponderous
wheels turn more efficiently -- frequently at the expense of our
freedoms.

Privacy is just that -- private. Certain forces in the universe don't
believe you have a right to keep your affairs private, and have been
at work to stifle, not always legally, tools and systems that would
give us privacy in our communications.

You have probably heard by now of "Operation Sundevil", the Steve
Jackson Games illegal busts by the Secret Service (lawsuit against the
SS/FBI now in place), the Craig Neidorf "911" fiasco (turned out to be
a $14 brochure), and other similar events. And the Electronic Frontier
Foundation's work at preserving our liberties and defending some of
the people under attack. If not, SHAME ON YOU! it has a direct -- yeah
you -- affect on your right and maybe soon ability to communicate
FidoNews 8-23                  Page 4                      10 Jun 1991


electronically. I was planning on decent mention of the EFF and other
groups this week, but this PGP thing took precedence.

You preserve liberties by using them. The price of freedom is eternal
vigilance. Etc.

                        * * * * *

Sen. Biden and his cohorts have recently proposed the following in the
U.S. Congress:

    'It is the sense of Congress that providers of
    electronic communications services and
    manufacturers of electronic communications service
    equipment shall insure that communications systems
    permit the Government to obtain the plain text contents
    of voice, data, and other communications when appro-
    priately authorized by law.'

At least they're going through legal channels this time. (No remarks
needed re: 'the sense of Congress'.)

There is a long and unpleasant history of suppression of privacy (and
other) technology. There are export controls on some encryption tools,
the end result of which you'll as the "US. Version only" markings on
PC-TOOLS and NORTON. (You should read the SNAKE OIL section in the PGP
documentation on this sort of "encryption" -- but I'm getting ahead of
myself.) I do not know the history or any details on these export
controls (...and no time to look them up. Well, readers?) Computer
manufacturers attempting to put encryption/privacy hardware in their
machines were told they would not get export licenses for those
machines, effectively quashing that technology.

                        * * * * *

The following is one example of an extra-legal attempt at directing or
controlling access to technologies. Nothing illegal was being done, so
they had to resort to other methods. Ralph Merkle,
mathematician/programmer at Xerox, was about to publish a paper titled
"A Software Encryption Function", a way to effeciently implement
encryption/privacy without special hardware. (The complete paper and
reply message is Wazoo filerequestable from 1:1/1 as filename
"NOTE823.LZH".)

The NSA (National Security Agency) put pressure on Xerox to suppress
the paper. Xerox, with contracts ($$$) to lose, complied. Merkle,
frustrated, didn't get to publish his paper.

John Gilmore, incensed, did. Here's a page from his story:


FidoNews 8-23                  Page 5                      10 Jun 1991


    From postnews Thu Jul 13 03:10:10 1989
    From: toad.com!gnu (John Gilmore)
    Subject: Merkle's "A Software Encryption Function" now
      published and available
    Newsgroups: sci.crypt

    Ralph Merkle called me today to let me know that Xerox
    was not going to let him submit his paper on a nice new
    set of encryption and hash functions to a journal for
    publication. The story is that a division of Xerox sells
    a lot of stuff to NSA and they threatened to pull their
    business if Xerox publishes it. There is no law that
    says NSA can stop Xerox from publishing it -- it's just a
    "business decision" on Xerox's part.

    Happily, however, I do not sell anything to the NSA. And
    I have a copy of the paper, which was distributed for
    several months by Xerox, without any conditions, before NSA
    even heard of it. The work was not government-sponsored or
    classified; there is no law that lets the government
    suppress it.

    As a courtesy to Xerox Corporation I could avoid publishing
    this paper. However, I prefer to extend the courtesy to the
    person who did the work, Ralph Merkle, who would like to
    see it released and used. I do thank Xerox for supporting
    his excellent work and hope that they will continue to do
    so. Mr. Merkle did not ask or suggest that I publish the
    paper, and should bear none of the blame (if any).

    I have published and distributed a number of copies of
    this paper, and I hereby offer to sell a copy of this
    paper to anyone who sends me $10 (cash preferred, checks
    accepted) and a return address. Send your requests to:

     Merkle Paper Publishing
     PO Box 170608
     San Francisco, CA, USA 94117-0608

    Since the paper is "published and is generally available
    to the public through subscriptions which are available
    without restriction to any individual who desires to
    obtain or purchase the published information", it is
    exempt from State Department export control under 22 CFR
    120.18 and 22 CFR 125.1 (a), and is exportable to all
    destinations under Commerce Department General License
    GTDA under 15 CFR 379.3(a). It can therefore be sent to
    foreign as well as US domestic individuals.

    I believe that the availability of fast, secure crypto-
    graphy to the worldwide public will enable us to build
FidoNews 8-23                  Page 6                      10 Jun 1991


    much more secure computer systems and networks, increasing
    individual privacy as well as making viruses and worms
    much harder to write. For example, the Snefru one-way hash
    function described in the paper would be a good choice for
    validating copies of programs downloaded from BBS systems
    or the net, to detect virus contamination. If UUCP and
    TCP/IP links could be encrypted with Mr. Merkle's Khafre
    or Khufu ciphers, simple monitoring of phone wires or
    Ethernets would not yield login passwords, private mail,
    and other serious security violations. The technology
    exists; all that stands in our way is a bureacracy that has
    no *legal* power to restrict us, if we follow the published
    rules.

                                                -- John Gilmore

                        * * * * *

Phil Zimmermann wrote PGP for his own reasons, and wasn't even aware
of what went down with the Merkle paper. Two years of work, because he
saw the need for someone to do this. (He says he's now totally broke
because he basically blew off a lot of consulting jobs to finish this
thing. Donations would probably be appreciated.) More details on PGP
elsewhere in this issue of FidoNews.


                        * * * * *

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) now has 501(c)3 status, ie.
is now tax deductable. EFF Inc, 112 Second St, Cambridge MA 02142.
voice (617)\dash 864\dash 0665, or eff@well.sf.ca.us If you contact
EFF, please tell them you read it in FidoNews. Anyone interested in
receiving the EFF-TALK echo (gated to/from it's corresponding usenet
newsgroup) please contact me at 1:125/111 and I'll toss it your way
...

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

A start towards reasonable privacy in FidoNet mail and echomail
Tom Jennings 1:125/111

I propose that we immediately split off private echo-mail and casual
FidoNet mail into it's own category, and leave all other uses
(important private mail between people, or other pre-arranged
circumstances) out of it for the moment.

My reasoning is three-fold: most "public" mail wants privacy rather
than maximum security, and that until we have experience setting up
key registries or "introducers" anything we do will be flawed by
crypto standards. And not least, the fact that the high-security
system requires manual intervention for every de-crypt operation,
which is not workable for our automated systems.

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 7                      10 Jun 1991


You can find out what PGP is capable of by reading the docs. Here are
the limitations of my proposed low-tech system: Privacy is the goal,
not military-level security. Messages are secure while in-transit;
once received they become plaintext (see note below). Someone faking a
node or sysop would get caught through the usual means, and in any
case affect only that node/person.

NOTE: My proposal includes not using a pass-phrase on casual mail,
simply so that the decrypt process won't require manual intervention,
and so can be automated (batched). This means that your computer
installation is not secure, but I don't think many of us care about
that. If you do, you can simply retain the pass-phrase on the decrypt
process. If that's not adequate, you shouldn't be using the casual
mail system!


So if all you do is run-of-the-mill private echo mail, and maybe a few
juicy messages to your neighbors, a very casual system -- or even
sloppy, by crypto standards -- will suffice. PGP's smallest key size,
288 bits, is the least secure and fastest, performance-wise. If you
have great need of tight security, make other arrangements until key
registries/introducers are operating.

Within the FidoNet, the registry of keys could simply consist of a
list of the public keys of the participants, without the "introducer"
system. Take for example the current echomail backbone distribution --
all the players know each other well enough to get the job done; most
have session passwords implemented already. Anyone could simply look
up a node or persons public key, and be reasonably sure that no one
but the recipient could read it.

Another real-life example: I was just involved in an embarrassing
situation of sending messages to a person in a net, and discussing
someone who turned out to be the net host. The host stumbled upon the
disparaging message. OOPS! If the message had been encrypted, this
would not have happened.


HOW TO DO IT:

The file KEYRING.PUB is your list of public keys, for everyone you
want to send PGP'ed mail to. (I use the PGPPATH described in the
docs.) I started with the distributed KEYRING.PUB, which contains Phil
Zimmermann's key.

Then I made two key pairs for myself; the 288-bit 'low-security' one
for casual use, and a full 992-bit super secure one, that I'll
probably never use, with my personal name.

Consistency in naming conventions would be a big help in locating the
public key for someone or some node. For FidoNet echo mail, the
BBS/node name and address is a good start:

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 8                      10 Jun 1991


        Fido Software, 1:125/111 fidonet

System name, a comma, FidoNet address and domain. This allows a simple
text search, sorting, etc.


MAKING YOUR KEYS:

Run 'pgp -k' to set up your keys. The filename it asks for is for a
local copy of the keys; the .PUB file is what you'll send to whoever
for inclusion in the FidoNet registry. It will also ask if you want to
put the keys you make in the keyring; say yes.

When asked for a pass phrase, DON'T ENTER ONE -- just hit the ENTER
key. This will allow you to embed PGP into batch files and not require
any operator intervention. (It also means that anyone who gets a copy
of your .SEC file will have your private key. Oh well.)


BATCH FILE COMMAND LINES:

It's now only a few hours away from the FidoNews deadline. I had hoped
to be able to give some hard info on how to incorporate PGP into (for
example) CONFMAIL and such, but I don't have enough time. Here is what
I worked out so far.

** PGP's -u option generate UUENCODE output -- every 4 binary bytes
   become 3 ASCII ones, with CR/LFs to make 60 column lines. This
   fits in a standard FidoNet message. At decrypt time, PGP will
   automatically UUDECODE it. (With compression, the file is still
   significantly smaller.)

** PGP does LHARC type compression, but if it finds the input file has
   a ZIP type header, will skip the compression. However, if the file
   is already compressed, PGP will still attempt to, though once it
   gets all the way to the end it will eventually figure it out. The
   author says that next release will include a command line switch
   to disable all compression. (Source is available...)

** The following command line does the dirty deed:

        pgp -es <inputfile> TO_userid YOUR_userid <output file>

   PGP will not allow <input file> to be the same as <output file> so
   arrange otherwise, or do renaming as necessary. The following
   command line decrypts a file no matter how it was encrypted:

        pgp output.foo output.foo

** Encryption is fast; decryption is slow.

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 9                      10 Jun 1991


** It should be easy to use 'robot' mailers to send encrypted mail
   without any changes. It would be nice to have a program that runs
   similar to an echo-mail 'export' that scans messages for a keyword
   or other such mechanism, invokes PGP and puts the results back into
   the message appropriately marked, and lets the mailer mail the
   messages normally. Maybe another kludge line (sigh).

** I don't know what ERRORLEVEL returns PGP has. These need to be
   explored. They might be the key to automatic detection of an
   encrypted vs. plaintext packet.


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

Practical privacy -- Public Key encryption

by Tom Jennings

      "The best way to secure liberty is to exercise it."
                                                     -- John Barlow

TTTTT here are as many legal and ethical issues facing our computer
  T   networks as there are technical ones, and they are changing just
  T   as fast. We tend to focus on the techie ones, partly because
they are more interesting, but also because they are under our
immediate control. The other ones are soooo messy!

Privacy, and our right to it, is one of these other issues. Also, liability
of the system operator regarding stuff flowing through their system.

A major component in our ability to control access to our private
information is now available -- it's called PGP, or "Pretty Good Privacy",
a complete RSA Public Key encryption/decryption software implementation,
written by Philip Zimmerman.

Jim Warren calls it guerrilla cryptography.

You can Wazoo filerequest the software, with complete sources under
the "copyleft" agreement, from FidoNet 1:125/111 as magicname "PGP".
(270K in two ZIP files.)

I'll start off with an excerpt from the rather excellent documentation:


Why Do You Need PGP?                   (from p.25, PGPGUIDE.LST)
====================

"III t's personal. It's private. And it's no one's business but
  I   yours. You may be planning a political campaign, discussing
  I   your taxes, or having an illicit affair. Or you may be doing
 III  something that shouldn't be illegal, but is. Whatever it is,
you don't want your private electronic mail (E-mail) read by anyone
else. There's nothing wrong with asserting your privacy. Privacy is as
apple-pie as the Constitution.

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 10                     10 Jun 1991


"Perhaps you think your E-mail is legitimate enough that encryption is
unwarranted. If you really are a law-abiding citizen with nothing to
hide, then why don't you always send your paper mail on postcards? Why
not submit to drug testing on demand? Why require a warrant for police
searches of your house? Are you trying to hide something? You must be
a subversive or a drug dealer if you hide your mail inside envelopes.
Or maybe a paranoid nut. Do law-abiding citizens have any need to
encrypt their E-mail?

"What if everyone believed that law-abiding citizens should use
postcards for their mail? If some brave soul tried to assert his
privacy by using an envelope for his mail, it would draw suspicion.
Perhaps the authorities would open his mail to see what he's hiding.
Fortunately, we don't live in that kind of world. Because everyone
protects most of their mail with envelopes, no one draws suspicion by
asserting their privacy with an envelope. There's safety in numbers.
Analogously, it would be nice if everyone routinely used encryption
for all their E-mail, innocent or not, so that no one drew suspicion
by asserting their E-mail privacy with encryption. Think of it as a
form of solidarity.

"If the Government wants to violate the privacy of ordinary citizens,
it has to expend a certain amount of expense and labor to intercept
and steam open and read paper mail, and listen to and possibly
transcribe spoken telephone conversation. This kind of labor-
intensive monitoring is not practical on a large scale. This is only
done in important cases when it seems worthwhile.

"More and more of our private communications are going to be routed
through electronic channels. Electronic mail will gradually replace
conventional paper mail. E-mail messages are just too easy to
intercept and scan for interesting keywords. This can be done easily,
routinely, automatically, and undetectably on a grand scale.
International cablegrams are already scanned this way on a large scale
by the NSA.

"We are moving toward a future when the nation will be crisscrossed
with high capacity fiber optic data networks linking together all our
increasingly ubiquitous personal computers. E-mail will be the norm
for everyone, not the novelty it is today. Perhaps the Government will
protect our E-mail with Government-designed encryption algorithms.
Probably most people will trust that. But perhaps some people will
prefer their own protective measures.

"The 17 Apr 1991 New York Times reports on an unsettling US Senate
proposal that is part of a counterterrorism bill. If this nonbinding
resolution became real law, it would force manufacturers of secure
communications equipment to insert special 'trap doors' in their
products, so that the Government can read anyone's encrypted messages.
It reads: 'It is the sense of Congress that providers of electronic
communications services and manufacturers of electronic communications
service equipment shall insure that communications systems permit the
Government to obtain the plain text contents of voice, data, and other
communications when appropriately authorized by law.'

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 11                     10 Jun 1991


"If privacy is outlawed, only outlaws will have privacy. Intelligence
agencies have access to good cryptographic technology. So do the big
arms and drug traffickers. So do defense contractors, oil companies,
and other corporate giants. But ordinary people and grassroots
political organizations mostly do not have access to affordable
"military grade" public-key cryptographic technology.

"PGP enables people to take their privacy into their own hands.
There's a growing social need for it. That's why I wrote it."

                                             (Philip Zimmerman)

TTTTT raditional cryptographic systems use a single key to both
  T  encrypt and decrypt a message. In order to maintain security,
  T  you need to have worked out some way beforehand to safely get a
copy of the key to the sender and receiver. Obviously you can't use a
communications network! And if you work out a secure method to
transmit the key, (short of a face to face meeting), why do you need
cryptography?!

The RSA system completely avoids this problem by using two keys. One
is broadcast to the world (and called the public key), the other is
kept secret (the secret key). To send a secure message, all you need
is one of the keys, the public one. Once encrypted, the ciphertext
(encrypted text) can only be decrypted using the other key, the secret
one. Not even the sender can decrypt the message so encrypted. This
eliminates the need to distribute secret keys entirely.

Each person generates their own keys, public and secret. The secret
one is kept absolutely secret. Public keys are just that -- public.
You might maintain a database of public keys:

            NAME/USER ID                  PUBLIC KEY
        Jennings, Tom; FidoNet 1:1/1    Tom_Jennings
        Moron, Oxie; East Overshoe AL   Oxie_Moron
        ...                             ...

The encrypted file is then transmitted to the recipient in the usual
manner. (In the MSDOS implementation, you could fileattach it, or
use the built-in UUENCODE which generates plain ASCII that can be put
directly into a message.)

When the receiver decrypts the file, the RSA software looks for the
secret key using the NAME attached to the file, which is presumably
the receivers'.

There is a simple and powerful scheme to "authenticate" the sender as
well -- to ensure that the "From:" person is who they say they are.
This is called a signature (like on a letter), and is simply a file
encrypted using the secret key. A file encrypted using the secret key
can be decoded only by using the public key. Therefore, I could
generate an encrypted signature file, that anyone could verify by
using my published public key. If it decrypts, you can be assured that
the signature is mine.

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 12                     10 Jun 1991


The keys, public and private, are kept in compact disk files. A
minimal installation will contain a public 'keyring' (as a list of
keys is called) and a private keyring. The public 'ring will contain
public keys for everyone you want to encrypt for. The secret keyring
contains only your secret key, and no other.

(The secret keyring file is pass-phrase detected; whenever the
software needs to access your secret key, it asks for a pass phrase
you specify when you initialize the pgp software. This is just an
overview; please refer to the pgp docs for details.)

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

OOOOO K, I've written a hot, steamy letter to my friend Oxie Moron.
O   O  Because it will be traveling over a public network, I want to
OOOOO  send it encrypted, with my signature so he'll know it's
genuinely from me.

First, find Oxie's public key in the key book; he's using his full
name as his public key. (A nice simple idea.) I then encrypt the file
(STEAMY.LTR) using Oxie's public key, and my secret key:

        pgp -esu STEAMY.LTR Oxie_Moron

        [-esu means E)ncrypt S)ign U)uencode]

pgp prompts me for my pass phrase (since it needs to use my secret key
to generate the signature), spins for a while, and produces a file
STEAMY.CTX, which looks like complete gibberish if you peek at it. I
file-attach this file to Oxie in the usual way. Since -u was used,
STEAMY.CTX is an ASCII (gibberish) file that can be included into a
normal e-mail message.

...

Eventually Oxie gets the file STEAMY.CTX. Excited, he runs pgp to
decrypt the file:

        pgp STEAMY                      (pgp assumed extention .CTX)

pgp asks Oxie for the pass phrase needed to access his secret key. It
then decrypts the file STEAMY.LTR, the signature, and uu-decodes it. I
won't tell you what happens when he reads it.


TTTTT he pgp documentation is pretty good; besides covering the techie
  T   details of operation, it gives a fair description of crypto-
  T   graphy for the novice. I assume my knowledge of cryptography is
typical; I played with "substitution ciphers" and other trivial stuff
when I was a kid, and got immediately bored with the elaborate math
needed for anything else. After playing with the program and a sample
text file, I was able to pretty thoroughly understand the overall
process in an hour or so. The documentation covers "why",
vulnerabilities of cryptography, and a section on "Snake Oil", or the
incredible in-security of so-called encryption systems commercially
available.
FidoNews 8-23                  Page 13                     10 Jun 1991


Needless to say, it has far more features than I've laid out here, but
the whole thing is very compact. pgp also compresses and decompresses
the file using the same public-domain algorithm LHARC uses, and will
detect the use of PKZIP.

To end this mini-review of the pgp software, I'll simply include the
tail end of the PGPGUIDE.LST document:

"Recommended Readings
====================

1) Dorothy Denning, "Cryptography and Data Security",
   Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA 1982
2) Dorothy Denning, "Protecting Public Keys and Signature Keys",
   IEEE Computer, Feb 1983
3) Philip Zimmermann, "A Proposed Standard Format for RSA
   Cryptosystems", IEEE Computer, Sep 1986
4) Ronald Rivest, "The MD4 Message Digest Algorithm", MIT Laboratory
   for Computer Science, 1990

About the Author of PGP
=======================

"Philip Zimmermann is a software engineer consultant with 17 years
experience, specializing in embedded real-time systems, cryptography,
authentication, and data communications. Experience includes design
and implementation of authentication systems for financial information
networks, network data security, key management protocols, embedded
real-time multitasking executives, operating systems, and local area
networks.

"He can be reached at:

Boulder Software Engineering
3021 Eleventh Street
Boulder, Colorado 80304 USA
Phone 303-444-4541 (10:00am - 7:00pm Mountain Time)
FAX 303-444-4541 ext 10
Internet: prz@sage.cgd.ucar.edu"

        "Phil Zimmermann has made a real contribution to communcations
         privacy 'Pretty Good Privacy' is a damn good idea."

                             -- Marc Rotenburg, CPSR Washington office



Tell him you read about it in FidoNews. You can Wazoo filerequest the
software, with complete sources under the "copyleft" agreement, from
FidoNet 1:125/111 as magicname "PGP". 270K in two ZIP files.

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 14                     10 Jun 1991


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

Steve Winter
FidoNet 1:151/208 209 210

I had a real shock the other night.  All of a sudden I was
notified that my echomail feed had been cut due to
complaints.  I was not told who the complaints were from,
nor what they were about other than "my behaviour on echos".

I haven't been in FIDO very long, but I do know that the
normal procedure in "echo problems" is that a moderator can
cut anyones feed and doesn't even need to have a reason.  I
agree with that as I am the founder and moderator of
HOLY_BIBLE.  I was told that in FIDO if you don't like the
way an echo is run, go start your own (which makes me wonder
when I am told "we allready have a Bible conference" in
response to my request to get my allready coast to coast
echo on the backbone. eh?).

When I was advised that ALL my feeds had been cut, I
(over?)reacted by sending netmail all over the place (some
of which resulted in some very kind support for me).  As it
turned out there were a series of bad things that led to my NEC's
actions.   I have chatted voice with him and he immediately
turned my feeds back on, he had been lied to.  Here are the
main parts to the events that caused my feed to be cut so
abruptly.:

1) Netmail didn't arrive that I had sent my NEC in answer to a
crackpot that had entered an echo thread with "I rebuke you Satan"
and, when he was unable to prevail in the ensuing debate, filed a
policy complaint that I was "excessively annoying".  He was
annoyed that he couldn't prove his point and I was proving mine.

2) There was a complaint on file against me by a dishonest
moderator.  I realize that he certainly had the right as
moderator to simply say "bye", and that would have been
fine, but he sent a "list" of complaints.  Among those
complaints were:

     a) A complaint from a user that I had called him
in the middle of the night and threatened his life.  That
person had ADMITTED in the echo that he had lied, he
gets his echomail in the middle of the night and I had
posted a Bible verse concerning his condemnation (it *was*
supposted to be a Bible echo).  The dishonest moderator had
sent the "complaint" without telling my NEC that it had been
proven false.

     b) Multiple copies from various users complaining of a
BBS ad that I had posted in *response* to a REQUEST from a guy
that was openly requesting BBS information for a religious BBS
list.

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 15                     10 Jun 1991


3) A moderator of a general echo who had never said a word
to me about religion being "off topic", even when the "on
topicness" had been openly discussed, sent a complaint to
my NEC. As it turned out I had allready dropped the conference
without even being asked to when it was announced that the
conference was to be censored.  I had, in fact, joined that
particular conference to "take a break" from preaching, but
found a lady being bashed for her religious beliefs.  It would
appear that "religion" is quite "on topic" in some echos as
long as the "right" group is prevailing in the debate. eh?


    These and similar things had piled up a number of
frivilous complaints on my NEC's doorstep.  I was left feeling
*very* "wronged" and feeling that I had no place within FIDO
to turn and, without reflection, and excersizing poor judgment
(anger etc), threatened to pursue civil action.

I apologise to all for my rashness concerning threats of
litigation!

Now, at this point I sincerely hope that a suit never happens,
and if it does I hope it is FAR away from me.  I was however
met with a feeling that there is a general concensus based
upon some early on scenarios that the FIDO *C structure is
immune to civil litigation.  I do not believe that is a safe
assumption.  Let me say again "I'm on our side", but I
believe that there are some points that I was forced to
consider that remain valid even though my problem was
resolved by the NEC (and others) being real decent people.

I'm not so sure that the hobby "defense" would work in a
case of religious discrimination.  In addition, since joining
FIDO I have spent several hundred dollars on software
advertised and supported on FIDO.....then, all of a sudden, a
handful of people who didn't like my opinions got my access to
customer support cut.  We could go on and on, and who knows
who would have won or lost.  With litigation and violence it
is more often training rather than "rightness" that prevails.
More often than not the only winner$ are lawyer$.

What happened to me was simply some unethical people
combined with a computer problem that had kept my NEC from
receiving my netmail (and I never received some things cc.ed
to me).  This time a couple of voice conversations cleared
things up and I believe I made a new friend or two.

What about next time?  People are joining FIDO.  FIDO is
BIG!  Goods and services are being advertised and supported
in it's echos.   What can be done to prevent misunderstandings,
or sometimes deliberate attempts by unscrupulous people who
can't prevail in an open forum??  (once again, I support any
moderator's right to access of "their" conference, I am
talking about general access to echomail)

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 16                     10 Jun 1991


I SUGGEST  that FIDO would do well to adopt a "bill of
rights"  to prevent what happened to me from happening to
anyone else, OR anything similar from happening to anyone
else.  I believe that FIDO is built upon a foundation that
includes a desire to be fair and open.

I like FIDO. It appeared to me to be a network where, unlike
some others, a handful of dishonest people couldn't just
build a case and "kick out" whoever they didn't agree with.
How can a person "go start their own echo"  if the powers
that be can simply get all that person's echo feeds cut?

A good "Bill of Rights" now could prevent lawsuits later.

            Steve Winter (moderator - HOLY_BIBLE)


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

Joe Chamberlain
1:150/175

                        CHILD_ABUSE Echo

        CHILD_ABUSE was formed to discuss the entire realm of a
national problem.  It's main goal is to present a forum where
methods of prevention, types of treatment, and available resources
can be discussed.

        You would think that the laws concerning child abuse
would be clear cut, but this is not always the case.  In some
states even the definition of child abuse is controversial.  It
is the intent of this echo to discuss these situations and to
bring some understanding to the issues.

        CHILD_ABUSE can be a good companion echo for PARENTS,
PLEASE, DADS and SIP_INCEST.  It is not intended that this echo
duplicate or replace the others, but rather to add a different
dimension.  It will offer the parent an opportunity to discuss
what methods work best in avoiding abuse; it will offer the adult
abused as a child a source of information on effective parenting
techniques, and the abuser will find references on how to avoid
and stop the terrible cycle.

        Currently the echo generates about thirty-five (35) each
week and is carried by about 15 BBSs.  Some of the individuals
currently sharing their ideas on this subject are a nurse,
psychologist, a former abuser, survivors, a former teacher, and a
member of a parents group.

        CHILD_ABUSE presents a forum where it is understood
that parents are not trained in child rearing, that children
become victims, and the abusers want to stop thier destructive
behavior.

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 17                     10 Jun 1991


        We would like to have you and your users join us in
becoming more informed about a national problem. We look forward
to receiving your response to this invitation and hope we can
offer an important echo to your users.

Al Jones 106/5433  24hrs
Joe Chamberlain 150/175  8pm - 6am EDT
co-moderators


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

Henry Clark
1:124/6120


The 4th Annual Poor Man's Fidocon and Lake Party --

CANCELLED because an arsonist destroyed the host's home.

This has so completely upset me that I hesitate to make further
comment.

Nets 124 and 130 have scheduled a Pizza Party, June 15th, at
Mr. Gattis Pizza, Walnut Hill and Marsh Lane, Dallas Texas at
13:00 hours.  Many will bring household items, cash and other
necessities in an effort to ease the pain of this experience
for John and his family.

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

Chris Farrar - FidoNet 1:246/20
               IMEX    89:488/20

                WorldPol: A Flawed Document

A week or so ago I read the proposed WorldPol Version 2.  Watchers of
the BBC series "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister" would surely
compliment Sir Humphry Appleby if he had presented this document to
the minister for approval.  Let us not forget several things, first and
foremost, that FidoNet(reg tm) is a HOBBY!  Not a country, not a way of
life, but a hobby.  Most of the people reading this electronic magazine
are sysops who cannot live on the revenue that is generated by their
board.  Surely we can produce a simple document that can have everybody
living in harmony, or at least tolerance of each other.  There are
serious flaws in Policy4 that need addressing, no doubt about it, but
WorldPol is the wrong way to go about it.  That is not to say that
WorldPol didn't have it's good points.

What we need, is a return to basics.  The rules for being in FidoNet
should be simply expressed:

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 18                     10 Jun 1991


   1) You shall not be excessively annoyed.
   2) You shall not be excessively annoying.
   3) Your system, unless marked with a PVT flag, shall be up during
      ZMH.
   4) The mailer/BBS you run shall comply to at least the minimum
      standards, as defined by FTS-0001.
            .
            .
            .

We do not need 10 pages of quasi-legal mumbo-jumbo!  When writing the
new policy documents, remember the old K.I.S.S. philosophy.

I've said my two bits.  Replies via NetMail or FN_SYSOP are welcome.

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


Fredric L. Rice
1:102/901.0

Dozens of Skeptic organizations and skeptically-oriented nodes
around the United States are being linked together to form the
FidoNet SKEPTIC Echo Mail Conference. All systems which are
interested in participating in the conference should request a
link to either of the following nodes (The list will grow as
systems report in. Check the EchoList for system additions):

      Southern California 1:102/901       1:102/851
      Northern California 1:125/41        1:125/27
      Washington DC       1:109/519

The skeptical examination of paranormal claims such as psychic
powers, UFOs, astrology, Bigfoot, biorhythms, crystals, satanic
cults, fire walking, tarot cards -- et al -- will be examined
and discussed in an _intellectual_, though some times
emotional, environment.

It may surprise you to learn that there exists a great number
of non-profit organizations which examine unusual claims; some
even offer a substantial reward to anyone who is demonstrably
psychic!

The motivation is to have fun examining highly improbable
claims and reviewing the claims of fringe science.

Various skeptical organizations will have a better method of
remaining in touch with each other. The mailing addresses of
such organizations and what they're up to will be provided.
The conference also provides a direct link to the FidoNet and
UUCP public; SysOps and Users alike.

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 19                     10 Jun 1991


It might be interesting to hear of unexplainable events in
peoples lives and then make an intellectual attempt to explain
them. We may even find that we have people trained in such
matters attending! Certainly there will be no lack of opinion!

Book reviews on fringe-science or paranormal topics will be
requested and an over all discussion of all such books will be
entertained. Biographies of modern-day as well as historic
cult leaders will be reviewed. Along the same lines, if any
participating individual finds an amusing advertisement making
unusually outrageous claims, that, too, will be examined.

It should be great fun for all. Who knows: Perhaps even some
common myths will be critically examined and discarded... or
verified.

Fredric. 1:102/901.0


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


by Luke Kolin
1:250/714@fidonet.org
former NC, Net 1:250

 Congratulations, Tom and Tim, on your appointment! Best wishes.

 I read Chris Estep's article in FidoNews #822 with some concern, and
I'd like to clarify a few things for the benefit of all of you who
read this newsletter.

 I took great offense to the intimations of a lot of the WorldPol
boosters when I was an NC. Seemed to me that the sole purpose of
WorldPol was to protect FidoNet from the dictatorial whims of those
tyrannical Zone 1 *C's like me. Chris Estep's article only seemed to
perpetuate those falsehoods.

 I was an elected NC, the first in my Net. My successor was elected
in a democratic vote two weeks ago. I firmly support all efforts to
make the positions of NC and RC fully elected by *all* sysops that
they serve. For Mr. Estep to claim that an appointed NC is the only
way to go is to do a severe disservice to the dozens of elected NCs
like up here in Region 12 who have done a superlative job.

 Our NC election was not a popularity contest. With apologies to my
successor (although Tom will readily admit it), our new NC isn't the
most popular sysop in Net 250. However, he was elected by a solid
majority because he held respect. Chris, respect doesn't come from
power. It comes from doing an effective job. NC elections allow for
new blood in the *C structure, more participation by sysops, and it
serves to bring everyone together.

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 20                     10 Jun 1991


 I wish to let everyone know that the Zone 1 *C structure is firmly
in favor of democracy, and that elections for NC and RC positions must
be made part of any new Policy document. To this end, I have enclosed
an article, "Draft *C Election Policy", which outlines my proposals
for an elections policy. Perhaps this can replace the "western demo-
cratic standards" in WorldPol.

 However, Chris and I see face to face on the geographical limits
issue. I believe that allowing nodes to join any net will only en-
courage discriminatory actions by NCs. In addition, the WorldPol 2
proposal's anti-discrimination clause troubles me. According to
WorldPol 2, an NC cannot discriminate on non-technical grounds.

 Does that mean that an NC must re-admit a node that he has
recently expelled?

 Does that mean an NC must accept a node across the country? Refusal
would be based on economic, and not technical reasons, and that isn't
allowed. Remember, WorldPol doesn't specify that a node must belong
to the same geographical area as the net he wishes to join.

 Let's face it, any proposed policy must include a clause limiting
the geographical spread of nets. A node must be forced to join the
local network, if there is one. If not, he must join the nearest net-
work. This is the only way to end discrimination.

 Guys, let's forget WorldPol. It's dead. Let's make a clean start. I
don't want to see a Policy that's written against Policy4. Why don't
we take Policy3, adapt it to reflect the heriarchial changes in Fido-
Net (ie. points, the *EC structure), democratic election of NCs and
RCs, geographical limits for networks, the multilingual nature of
FidoNet while preserving English as a common language, and a formal
elections policy. It should eliminate paying for FidoNet membership,
and ensure that each Zone follow that Policy. Anything else is left
up to the individual Zones/Regions/Nets to decide.

LK

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

Steve Winter (moderator - HOLY_BIBLE)
FidoNet 1:151/208 209 210

In this brief article I am pointing out some of the different
cases when people were filled with the Holy Ghost. In each
case speaking in tongues is implied, if not declared.

Here is the account when Jews first received the Holy Ghost.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.
FidoNews 8-23                  Page 21                     10 Jun 1991


Here is the account when Samaritans received the Holy Ghost.

Acts 8:14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard
that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto
them Peter and John:
Acts 8:15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
Acts 8:16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
Acts 8:17 Then laid they [their] hands on them, and they
received the Holy Ghost.

I wonder how the apostles knew they had received the
Holy Ghost? There had to be a noticible sign for the
apostles to know that the Samaritans had "received".

Here is the account of when Gentiles first received the Holy
Ghost. Notice that the sign of speaking in tongues was
present.

Acts 10:45 And they of the circumcision which believed were
astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the
Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 10:46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and
magnify God. Then answered Peter,
Acts 10:47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be
baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
Acts 10:48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name
of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Here we have a case where John the Baptist's disciples were
RE- baptised in Jesus name and and received the Holy Ghost.
Notice that they spoke in tongues just like everyone else.

Acts 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost
since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so
much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
Acts 19:3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye
baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
Acts 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the
baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they
should believe on him which should come after him, that is,
on Christ Jesus.
Acts 19:5 When they heard [this], they were baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus.
Acts 19:6 And when Paul had laid [his] hands upon them, the
Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and
prophesied.

Jews, gentiles, Samaritans; all baptised in JESUS name, all
spoke in tongues when they received the Holy Ghost.
FidoNews 8-23                  Page 22                     10 Jun 1991


Have YOU recieved the Holy Ghost since YOU believed?
Have YOU been baptised in JESUS name?
Notice that the elements of WATER and SPIRIT were both
present in each salvation.

Now, what would *ever* lead you to imagine that you could
be saved without being born again of the Water and of the
Spirit? (John 3:5) The verses that I have posted are the
fullfilment of John 3:5.

When people in the Bible became Christians, they always
spoke in tongues.

      Steve Winter - [moderator HOLY_BIBLE]

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

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 23                     10 Jun 1991


======================================================================
                             CLASSIFIEDS
======================================================================

ADVERTISEMENT POLICY: Submissions must be 20 lines or less each,
maximum two ads per advertiser, 70 characters per line maximum. No
control codes except CR and LF. (Refer to contact info at the end of
this newsletter for details.)

Please notify us if you have any trouble with an advertiser. FidoNews
does not endorse any products or services advertised here.


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

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 24                     10 Jun 1991


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

Liz Hahn-Morin
PeaceKauai 1:345/11

                            BAHAI ECHO

BAHAI is an international echo, with English as the official
conference language.  Its aim is to discuss aspects of the Baha'i
Faith, and to share the activities in the Baha'i community around
the world.  The Echo is open to Baha'is and people interested in
the Baha'i Faith and its teachings and principles.

I hope you will join us or ask your Sysop to request linking
information via Netmail to 1:345/11.

Aloha!
Liz Hahn-Morin


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

The Interrupt Stack


15 Aug 1991
 8 Sep 1991
 7 Oct 1991
Area code 415 fragments. Alameda and Contra Costa Counties will begin
using area code 510. This includes Oakland, Concord, Berkeley and
Hayward. San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, parts of Santa Clara County,
and the San Francisco Bay Islands will retain area code 415.

 1 Nov 1991
Area code 301 will split. Area code 410 will consist of the
northeastern part of Maryland, as well as the eastern shore. This will
include Baltimore and the surrounding area. Area 301 will include
southern and western parts of the state, including the areas around
Washington DC. Area 410 phones will answer to calls to area 301 until
November, 1992.

 1 Feb 1992
Area code 213 fragments. Western, coastal, southern and eastern
portions of Los Angeles County will begin using area code 310. This
includes Los Angeles International Airport, West Los Angeles, San
Pedro and Whittier. Downtown Los Angeles and surrounding communities
(such as Hollywood and Montebello) will retain area code 213.

 1 Dec 1993
Tenth anniversary of Fido Version 1 release.

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 25                     10 Jun 1991


 5 Jun 1997
David Dodell's 40th Birthday


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

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


  Fredric L. Rice, 1:102/901.0

o What is Exclude

    The  Exclude  program is used  to  erase  inbound  messages
  received from systems  you  don't want to receive  mail from.
  The  exclusion  process  is  based  upon  keywords  contained
  within the systems name, as defined in  the Nodelist, and  by
  the Nodelist Flags for that system. Known systems are usually
  entered into the exclusion list immediately  when you receive
  an undesirable message or when a twit  is discovered and then
  discussed in your local Network Echo Conference.

o Why is Exclude

    As FidoNet standardizes and grows in both complexity and in
  scope, the need to  exclude  inbound  mail  from  undesirable
  systems will also grow.  The standardization  of the Nodelist
  Flags  makes this exclusion possible as an automated process.
  By invoking Exclude  automatically  when your system receives
  mail, your system can erase the undesired messages before you
  have to look at them.

o How does it work

    You maintain a  configuration file  which contains keywords
  to look  for  and  known  system  addresses  to exclude.  The
  configuration  file  also  contains  the  directory  names of
  message areas you want Exclude to look through.  As an option
  in  the  configuration  file,  your  system can  generate  an
  immediate reply to the excluded system  offering a short note
  that the message was intercepted and erased. A log is kept of
  erased message files detailing who the  message was from, why
  it was excluded, and the subject of the message.

o The Distribution File

  EXCLUDE.ZIP (10K file) contains the following files:

    o EXCLUDE.EXE - The executable file
    o EXCLUDE.C   - Turbo C 2.0 source code
FidoNews 8-23                  Page 26                     10 Jun 1991


    o EXCLUDE.CFG - Sample configuration file
    o EXCLUDE.DOC - This document file

  For  the  latest  version  of  the  program, the  magic  name
  'EXCLUDE' can be requested from the authors system at address
  1:102/901.0, in California.  It is distributed freely, is not
  to be sold, and the author assumes  no  liability for its use
  or misuse.


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

ICDM HQ
1:352/777
77:1/0

                 INVITATION TO CARRY ICDM NETWORK

There has begun a new, auxiliary network, which has as a purpose
the linking of persons interested in religion.  This is a
specialized Network, aimed at bridging cultures, and enlightening
participants on the faiths of others.  It is "Christian" in the
sense that it adheres to the Bible.  But, it deviates from some of
the stereo-type religious expectations and traditions.

It is open to any board that is FidoNet compatible.  It is
compiled as a separate Zone (77), so your software must be Zone
aware.  It is open to any faith, any person, regardless of sex,
creed, color, etc. etc.

The HOST is Tomas Hood, 1:352/777, the Zone 77 Co-ordinator.
There may be connections close to you, and as we grow, there will
surely be!

For more information, netmail via 1:352/777, and request ICDM,
which will forward an information packet to you.

Thanks for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you.

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

Liz Hahn-Morin
PeaceKauai 1:345/11

                  PEACE FORUM INTERNATIONAL ECHO

PEACE_FO.RUM is an echo allowing the exchange of opinions among
the peoples of the world in order to find ways and means of
promoting Harmony and World Peace.  It is international in scope
and in distribution.

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 27                     10 Jun 1991


Moderated by J.K.A. Singh, Antwerp (Belgium), information is
available from 1:345/11.

I hope you will join us or ask your Sysop to request linking
information via Netmail to 1:345/11.

Aloha!
Liz Hahn-Morin




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

Tomas Hood
FidoNet 1:352/777
ICDM Network 77:77/1

                    HERBAL ECHO NOW AVAILABLE!

HERBS-N-SUCH is a conference for anyone who enjoys growing,
buying, and using herbs.  Covering any legal herb, this
conference allows the discussion of medicinal, culinary,
aromatic, and aesthetic usage of herbs.  If you are a user only,
or a gardener, you are welcome.  Do you make your own tea blends,
hair rinses, or salads?  Join in!

It is, at present, a non-backbone Echo Hosted and Moderated by
Tomas Hood [1:352/777].  Initial links will be provided from this
system to any and all who request same.  However, it is about to
become part of Region 17's available echoes.  If there is enough
of a demand, it can possibly be negotiated onto the backbone.

The Echo is open to anyone who desires to discuss the topic of
herbs.

A sample of the first few messages and the statement of purpose
of the Echo is available as HERBS (majyk name for HERBS.ARJ)
from this system anytime.  The ARJ archive utility is also
available as "ARJ," if you wish to get an idea of whether to
commit disk space to the Echo.

I hope you will join us or ask your Sysop to request a link
via Netmail to 1:352/777.

Cheers!
Tomas Hood


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

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 28                     10 Jun 1991


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

Latest Software Versions

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

                      Bulletin Board Software
Name        Version    Name        Version    Name       Version

DMG            2.93    Phoenix         1.3    TAG           2.5g
Fido            12t+   QuickBBS       2.66    TBBS           2.1
GSBBS          3.02    RBBS          17.3B    TComm/TCommNet 3.4
Lynx           1.30    RBBSmail      17.3B    Telegard       2.5
Kitten         2.16    RemoteAccess   1.01*   TPBoard        6.1
Maximus        1.02    SLBBS         1.77A    Wildcat!      2.55
Opus           1.14+   Socrates       1.10    WWIV          4.12
PCBoard        14.5a   SuperBBS       1.10    XBBS          1.17

Network                Node List              Other
Mailers     Version    Utilities   Version    Utilities  Version

BinkleyTerm    2.40    EditNL         4.00    ARC            7.0
D'Bridge       1.30    MakeNL         2.31    ARCAsim       2.30
Dutchie       2.90C    ParseList      1.30    ARCmail       2.07
FrontDoor      2.00    Prune          1.40    ConfMail      4.00
InterMail      2.01*   SysNL          3.14    Crossnet      v1.5
PRENM          1.47    XlatList       2.90    DOMAIN        1.42
SEAdog         4.60*   XlaxDiff       2.40*   EMM           2.02
TIMS      1.0(Mod8)    XlaxNode       2.40*   4Dog/4DMatrix 1.18
                                              Gmail         2.05
                                              GROUP         2.16
                                              GUS           1.30
                                              HeadEdit      1.18
                                              IMAIL         1.10
                                              InterPCB      1.31
                                              LHARC         1.13
                                              MSG            4.1
                                              MSGED         2.06
                                              MSGTOSS        1.3
                                              Oliver        1.0a
                                              PK[UN]ZIP     1.10
                                              PolyXarc      2.1a*
                                              QM             1.0
                                              QSORT         4.03
                                              ScanToss      1.28
                                              Sirius        1.0x
                                              SLMAIL        1.36
                                              StarLink      1.01
FidoNews 8-23                  Page 29                     10 Jun 1991


                                              TagMail       2.41
                                              TCOMMail       2.2
                                              Telemail      1.27
                                              TMail         1.21
                                              TPBNetEd       3.2
                                              TosScan       1.00
                                              UFGATE        1.03
                                              XRS           4.50*
                                              XST           2.3e
                                              ZmailH        1.14


                           OS/2 Systems
                           ------------

Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

Maximus-CBCS       1.02   BinkleyTerm  2.40   Parselst      1.32
                                              ConfMail      4.00
                                              EchoStat       6.0
                                              oMMM          1.52
                                              Omail          3.1
                                              MsgEd         2.06
                                              MsgLink       1.0C
                                              MsgNum        4.14
                                              LH2           0.50
                                              PK[UN]ZIP     1.02
                                              ARC2          6.00
                                              PolyXarc      2.1a*
                                              Qsort          2.1
                                              Raid           1.0
                                              Remapper       1.2
                                              Tick           2.0
                                              VPurge        2.07


                            Xenix/Unix 386
                            --------------

BBS Software                  Mailers         Other Utilities
Name             Version  Name      Version   Name       Version

                          BinkleyTerm 2.32B   Unzip         3.10
                                              ARC           5.21
                                              ParseLst      1.32
                                              Vpurge        4.08
     [Contact: Jon Hogan-Duran 3:711/909,     Ommm          1.42
      Willy Paine 1:343/15, Eddy van Loo      Msged         2.06
      2:285/406]                              Zoo           2.01
FidoNews 8-23                  Page 30                     10 Jun 1991


                                              C-Lharc       1.00
                                              Omail         1.00
                                              MSGREN
                                              MSGLNK        1.01


                              Apple II
                             ----------

Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

GBBS Pro            2.1   Fruity Dog    2.0*  ShrinkIt      3.23
DDBBS +             7.4*                      ShrinkIt GS   1.04
                                              deARC2e       2.1
                                              ProSel        8.69*


                            Apple CP/M
                            ----------

Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

Daisy               v2j   Daisy Mailer 0.38   Nodecomp      0.37
                                              MsgUtil        2.5
                                              PackUser        v4
                                              Filer         v2-D
                                              UNARC.COM     1.20


                            Macintosh
                            ---------

Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

Red Ryder Host      2.1   Tabby         2.2   MacArc         0.04
Mansion            7.15   Copernicus    1.0   ArcMac          1.3
WWIV (Mac)          3.0                       LHArc          0.41
Hermes              1.5                       StuffIt Classic 1.6
FBBS               0.91                       Compact Pro    1.30
Precision Systems 0.95b*                      TImport        1.92
TeleFinder Host 2.12T10                       TExport        1.92
                                              Timestamp       1.6
                                              Tset            1.3
                                              Import          3.2
                                              Export         3.21
Point System Software                         Sundial         3.2
FidoNews 8-23                  Page 31                     10 Jun 1991


                                              PreStamp        3.2
Name            Version                       OriginatorII    2.0
                                              AreaFix         1.6
Copernicus          1.0                       Mantissa       3.21
CounterPoint       1.09                       Zenith          1.5
                                              Eventmeister    1.0
                                              TSort           1.0
                                              Mehitable       2.0
                                              UNZIP         1.02c
                                              Zip Extract    0.10

                              Amiga
                              -----

Bulletin Board Software   Network Mailers     Other Utilities

Name            Version   Name      Version   Name       Version

Falcon CBBS        0.45   BinkleyTerm  1.00   AmigArc       0.23
Paragon           2.082+  TrapDoor     1.50   AReceipt       1.5
TransAmiga         1.07   WelMat       0.44   booz          1.01
                                              ConfMail      1.12
                                              ChameleonEdit 0.10
                                              ElectricHerald1.66
                                              Lharc         1.30
                                              Login         0.18
                                              MessageFilter 1.52
                                              oMMM         1.49b
                                              ParseLst      1.64
                                              PkAX          1.00
                                              PolyxAmy      2.02
                                              RMB           1.30
                                              Roof         44.03
                                              RoboWriter    1.02
                                              Rsh           4.06
                                              Skyparse      2.30
                                              Tick          0.75
                                              TrapList      1.12
                                              UNZIP         1.31
                                              Yuck!         1.61
                                              Zippy (Unzip) 1.25
                                              Zoo           2.01

                           Atari ST/TT
                           -----------

Bulletin Board         Network                Node List
Software    Version    Mailer      Version    Utilities  Version

FIDOdoor/ST   2.2.3*   BinkleyTerm   2.40l    ParseList     1.30
QuickBBS/ST    1.02    The BOX        1.20    Xlist         1.12
Pandora BBS   2.41c                           EchoFix       1.20
GS Point       0.61                           sTICK/Hatch   5.50*
LED ST         1.00
MSGED         1.96S

FidoNews 8-23                  Page 32                     10 Jun 1991


Archiver               Msg Format             Other
Utilities   Version    Converters  Version    Utilities  Version

LHARC          0.60    TB2BINK        1.00    ConfMail      4.03
LHARC2         3.18*   BINK2TB        1.00    ComScan       1.02
ARC            6.02    FiFo           2.1m*   Import        1.14
PKUNZIP        1.10                           OMMM          1.40
                                              Pack          1.00
                                              FastPack      1.20
                                              FDrenum      2.2.7*
                                              Trenum        0.10


                           Archimedes
                           ----------

BBS Software           Mailers                Utilities
Name        Version    Name        Version    Name       Version

ARCbbs         1.44    BinkleyTerm    2.03    Unzip        2.1TH
                                              ARC           1.03
                                              !Spark       2.00d

                                              ParseLst      1.30
                                              BatchPacker   1.00


+ Netmail capable (does not require additional mailer software)
* 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 8-23                  Page 33                     10 Jun 1991


------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------

Editors: Tom Jennings, Tim Pozar
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Periello
Special thanks to Ken Kaplan, 1:100/22, aka Fido #22

"FidoNews" BBS
    FidoNet  1:1/1
    Internet  fidonews@fidonews.fidonet.org
    BBS  (415)-863-2739  (9600 HST/V32)

(Postal Service mailing address)
    FidoNews
    Box 77731
    San Francisco
    CA 94107 USA

Published weekly by and for the Members of the FidoNet international
amateur electronic mail system. It is a compilation of individual
articles contributed by their authors or their authorized agents. The
contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the
rights of the authors. Opinions expressed in these articles are those
of the authors and not necessarily those of FidoNews.




FidoNews is copyright 1991 Fido Software. All rights reserved.
Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes
only. For use in other circumstances, please contact FidoNews (we're
easy).



OBTAINING COPIES: FidoNews in electronic form may be obtained from
the FidoNews BBS via manual download or Wazoo FileRequest, or from
various sites in the FidoNet and via uucp. PRINTED COPIES mailed
may be obtained from Fido Software for $5.00US each PostPaid First
Class within North America, or $7.00US elsewhere, mailed Air Mail.
(US funds drawn upon a US bank only.)

Periodic subscriptions are not available at this time; if enough
people request it I will implement it.


SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable
from 1:1/1 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC".


FidoNews 8-23                  Page 34                     10 Jun 1991


"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
trademarks of Tom Jennings of Fido Software, Box 77731, San Francisco
CA 94107, USA and are used with permission.

-- END

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

