• FidoGazette Vol 13 no 31 Page: 3

    From Janis Kracht@1:261/38 to All on Wed Jul 31 18:54:08 2019


    ================================================================
    E D I T O R I A L
    ================================================================



    Status of the Echomail Robot
    by Janis Kracht, 1:261/38, janis@filegate.net

    Just a note to users of the Echolist:
    Our Echomail robot replacement software is still under
    construction and is diligently being worked on by Dale Barnes,
    1:106/201. Thanks to Dale for the time he is putting into this!








    FIDOGAZETTE Vol 13 No 31 Page 3 July 31, 2019


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

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)
  • From Dale Shipp@1:261/1466 to Janis Kracht on Thu Aug 1 01:25:00 2019
    On 07-31-19 18:54, Janis Kracht <=-
    spoke to All about FidoGazette Vol 13 no 31 <=-

    Status of the Echomail Robot
    by Janis Kracht, 1:261/38, janis@filegate.net

    Just a note to users of the Echolist:
    Our Echomail robot replacement software is still under
    construction and is diligently being worked on by Dale Barnes,
    1:106/201. Thanks to Dale for the time he is putting into this!

    Glad to hear that someone has picked up the mantle for the Echolist, a
    tool for moderators everywhere who might choose to use it.

    Dale Shipp
    fido_261_1466 (at) verizon (dot) net
    (1:261/1466)


    ... Shipwrecked on Hesperus in Columbia, Maryland. 01:26:37, 01 Aug 2019
    ___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30

    --- Maximus/NT 3.01
    * Origin: Owl's Anchor (1:261/1466)
  • From Janis Kracht@1:261/38 to Dale Shipp on Thu Aug 1 09:13:56 2019
    Hi Dale,

    Status of the Echomail Robot
    by Janis Kracht, 1:261/38, janis@filegate.net

    Just a note to users of the Echolist:
    Our Echomail robot replacement software is still under
    construction and is diligently being worked on by Dale Barnes,
    1:106/201. Thanks to Dale for the time he is putting into this!

    Glad to hear that someone has picked up the mantle for the Echolist, a
    tool for moderators everywhere who might choose to use it.

    Yes indeed :)

    Take care,
    Janis

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to JANIS KRACHT on Fri Aug 2 21:52:00 2019
    Janis,

    Glad to hear that someone has picked up the mantle for the Echolist, a JK>> tool for moderators everywhere who might choose to use it.

    Yes, I need to send in an update for the echo I co-moderate.

    On another note, I've had a hard time getting updates on the
    FIDOGazette and other items from the IFDC website...is that fixed now??

    Daryl

    ===
    þ OLX 1.53 þ Weather forecast: Chili today, hot tamale.
    --- SBBSecho 3.07-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Janis Kracht@1:261/38 to Daryl Stout on Mon Aug 5 11:40:48 2019
    Hi Daryl,

    Glad to hear that someone has picked up the mantle for the Echolist, a
    tool for moderators everywhere who might choose to use it.

    Yes, I need to send in an update for the echo I co-moderate.

    Dale Barnes is still working on the software/process (email and netmail submissions). He's in touch with number of us and had us send in "test" records so it seems to be moving along :) I am so thankful for the work Dale is doing.

    On another note, I've had a hard time getting updates on the
    FIDOGazette and other items from the IFDC website...is that fixed now??

    Do you mean the email issues of the fidogazette, or just downloading various files,etc. ? Perhaps you are using the wrong port to grab the files? Here are the ports I'm using here:

    WebBBS: Filegate.net:8090/bbbs
    Telnet: filegate.net:2030
    FTP: filegate.net:6072

    ...and then some days life gets completely bonkers here, and I don't have a chance to update web pages at filegate.net ... this week was one of "those" weeks. Ron found out via an MRI and other testing that he's got arthritis in his spine. It's started causing incredible pain.. so much so that he can't even sit at the dinner table for more than about 10 minutes.. he'll probably have to have surgery or an injection of steroids in his spine to get some relief..

    Take care,
    Janis

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to JANIS KRACHT on Tue Aug 6 11:09:00 2019
    Hi Daryl,

    Hi, Janis...

    Dale Barnes is still working on the software/process (email and netmail JK>submissions). He's in touch with number of us and had us send in "test" JK>records so it seems to be moving along :) I am so thankful for the
    work Dale is doing.

    Agreed.

    Do you mean the email issues of the fidogazette, or just downloading various
    files,etc. ? Perhaps you are using the wrong port to grab the files? Here JK>the ports I'm using here:

    WebBBS: Filegate.net:8090/bbbs
    Telnet: filegate.net:2030
    FTP: filegate.net:6072

    I was just going through the browser to the IFDC website to download
    them.

    ...and then some days life gets completely bonkers here, and I don't have a JK>chance to update web pages at filegate.net ... this week was one of "those" JK>weeks. Ron found out via an MRI and other testing that he's got arthritis JK>his spine. It's started causing incredible pain.. so much so that he can't JK>even sit at the dinner table for more than about 10 minutes.. he'll probably
    have to have surgery or an injection of steroids in his spine to get some JK>relief..

    They diagnosed me with degenerative disk disease in my spine nearly 2
    years ago. I'm using a cane, but have a walker on standby.

    I'm going in for urinary bladder stone surgery on Monday. Combine that
    with increasing thunderstorm chances in Arkansas each day through the
    weekend, then the surgery and overnight hospitalization, I'm going to be offline for a few days.

    If you recall the James Bond movie "Live And Let Die" in 1974 (not
    sure if Sean Connery or Roger Moore played Bond -- but I loved the theme
    music for it), think of the scene where he's trying to escape from the
    airplane hangar in a small plane. His enemies start closing the hangar
    doors, and he says "Holy $h!+!!". That was my reaction when I saw the
    stone in the bladder...likely more than 10 millimeters in size now.
    They'll break it up with lithotripsy (sp?), then flush out the
    fragments. They'll have me stay overnight to make sure there are no complications.

    I thought the BBS had crashed last night, but somehow, the legacy mode
    under Windows 10 in the Command Prompt window got turned off...and none
    of the BBS's batchfiles would run...which included the doorgames,
    maintenance, and other utilities.

    Then, I remembered a fix that my cousin had noted, and that did the
    trick. So, now if that occurs again, that's the first thing I
    check...and I put a note on the desktop to remind me of such.

    I've been fighting a migraine sinus headache for 4 days...and I think
    I'm trying to get a head and chest cold...not what I need before
    surgery. Plus, the headache gets so bad at times, that it's hard to hold
    my eyes open...making driving, computer work, or much of anything else, dangerous. At least I can find my way to and from the bathroon...and I
    remember the cardinal rule my late wife noted..."leave the seat down".
    As we get older, incontinence is a bear at both ends...and there is
    nothing golden about "the golden years".

    Daryl

    ===
    þ OLX 1.53 þ 113 grams, 10 milliliters -- He's lead, Jim.
    --- SBBSecho 3.08-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Janis Kracht@1:261/38 to Daryl Stout on Wed Aug 7 11:55:56 2019
    Hi, Janis...

    Hi Daryl..

    Dale Barnes is still working on the software/process (email and netmail
    submissions). He's in touch with number of us and had us send in "test"
    records so it seems to be moving along :) I am so thankful for the
    work Dale is doing.

    Agreed.

    :) Yes.

    Do you mean the email issues of the fidogazette, or just downloading various
    files,etc. ? Perhaps you are using the wrong port to grab the files? Here >> the ports I'm using here:

    WebBBS: Filegate.net:8090/bbbs
    Telnet: filegate.net:2030
    FTP: filegate.net:6072

    I was just going through the browser to the IFDC website to download
    them.

    Can you tell which file areas you had trouble downloading from? As far as I can tell, there should be no problems with people downloading from any file area at filegate.net. I run apache on my 8090 port..

    Try again and let me know which file area you are having problems getting to for downloading files. :)

    Take care,
    Janis

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Janis Kracht on Wed Aug 7 20:53:48 2019
    Janis Kracht wrote to Daryl Stout <=-

    Do you mean the email issues of the fidogazette, or just downloading various files,etc. ? Perhaps you are using the wrong port to grab the files? Here are the ports I'm using here:

    One can grab the FG on my BBS' FTP server using anonymous FTP at bbsftp.outpotbbs.net in /pub/network/fidonet/fgazette.

    I offer all of the file echoes I pull from Fidonet for FTP download in /pub/network/fidonet.

    This access also works correctly using a modern Web browser for FTP access.

    Later,
    Sean

    ... Cole's Law: thinly sliced cabbage.
    --- MultiMail/Win
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to JANIS KRACHT on Thu Aug 8 12:59:00 2019
    Hi Daryl..

    Hi, Janis,

    Try again and let me know which file area you are having problems getting to
    for downloading files. :)

    I think the updates weren't getting processed to the site, as I was
    able to get the latest copies about an hour ago. Once I download them, I
    use batchfiles to move them to the proper area.

    Daryl
    ===
    þ OLX 1.53 þ 35 million laws are trying to enforce The 10 Commandments
    --- SBBSecho 3.08-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Janis Kracht@1:261/38 to Sean Dennis on Fri Aug 9 18:34:50 2019
    Hi Sean,

    Do you mean the email issues of the fidogazette, or just downloading
    various files,etc. ? Perhaps you are using the wrong port to grab the
    files? Here are the ports I'm using here:

    One can grab the FG on my BBS' FTP server using anonymous FTP at bbsftp.outpotbbs.net in /pub/network/fidonet/fgazette.

    I offer all of the file echoes I pull from Fidonet for FTP download in /pub/network/fidonet.

    This access also works correctly using a modern Web browser for FTP access.

    That's great, thanks for the info.. :)

    Take care,
    Janis

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: Prism bbs (1:261/38)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Janis Kracht on Fri Aug 9 21:26:50 2019
    Hello Janis,

    09 Aug 19 18:34 at you wrote to me:

    That's great, thanks for the info.. :)

    Sure thing. Once I get the Max/2 system going, you'll be able to send a message to my netmail bot and get the latest FG sent back to you as a routed netmail messasge.

    Oh, that's bbsftp.outpostbbs.net; my fingers are numb a lot these days.

    Side note: I have been teaching myself REXX. The neat thing is that ArcaOS has a lot of Linux command-line utils built in, like sed and awk, directly to CMD.EXE. This means I can port over a lot of the scripts I wrote in Slackware to run as a CMD or REXX script. Also, I discovered Links is your friend when you want to dump a website to a text file. Maybe I should write an article for the FG about it.

    Later,
    Sean

    ... In suggesting gifts: money is appropriate and one size fits all. - Hearst --- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * Limestone, TN, USA (1:18/200)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Ward Dossche on Sun Sep 8 12:40:06 2019
    Ward Dossche wrote to Janis Kracht <=-

    Overhere that would mean, due to competition, by the 12th
    every singleone of their customers would've switched and
    they'd be broke.

    Unless Dallas is in the situation where I am: there is but one single choice for an ISP in my area (there is satellite access
    but that's unreliable). You either get access through this company -- in my case, it's CenturyLink -- or you go without. CL is
    notorious for its lousy customer service and weeks-long wait times to get things fixed.

    The reason why we don't get anything else out here is that there's not enough customers to get government subsidies to invest in
    the physical backbone so no one bothers.

    Later,
    Sean


    ... Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:2304 (1:18/200)
  • From Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to Sean Dennis on Sun Sep 8 23:00:16 2019
    Unless Dallas is in the situation where I am: there is but one single choice for an ISP in my area (there is satellite access but that's unreliable).
    You either get access through this company -- in my case, it's CenturyLink
    -- or you go without. CL is notorious for its lousy customer service and weeks-long wait times to get things fixed.

    I think Dallas gets the same choice I do here, either Telus (the telco) or Shaw (the cable company). There is a new upstart here that I need to look into more but haven't had time lately.

    Dallas told me the problem is out at the pole, so I don't know why they can't get someone to climb the pole and fix their stuff.

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)
  • From Nick Andre@1:229/426 to Sean Dennis on Mon Sep 9 02:07:47 2019
    On 08 Sep 19 12:40:06, Sean Dennis said the following to Ward Dossche:

    Overhere that would mean, due to competition, by the 12th
    every singleone of their customers would've switched and
    they'd be broke.

    Unless Dallas is in the situation where I am: there is but one single
    choic
    for an ISP in my area (there is satellite access
    but that's unreliable). You either get access through this company -- in case, it's CenturyLink -- or you go without. CL is

    I'm not sure if I mentioned, but Canada is ruled by three major ISP
    monoplies; Bell, Rogers and Shaw. All three do not give two shits about
    rural customers and have their hands in the pockets of the government. It does not matter if you go with a smaller ISP; in the end, the lines and uplink are eventually leased from the big three.

    Unless you have a business-grade connection, you are at the mercy of whenever they feel like fixing whatever line problems you have.

    Nick

    --- Renegade vY2Ka2
    * Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)
  • From Nick Andre@1:229/426 to Alan Ianson on Mon Sep 9 02:12:12 2019
    On 08 Sep 19 23:00:16, Alan Ianson said the following to Sean Dennis:

    I think Dallas gets the same choice I do here, either Telus (the telco) or
    (the cable company). There is a new upstart here that I need to look into
    but haven't had time lately.

    The only thing consistent about Telus is they keep using animals in their TV commercials for what is now, over a decade or two?

    Nick

    --- Renegade vY2Ka2
    * Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)
  • From Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to Nick Andre on Sun Sep 8 23:54:48 2019
    I think Dallas gets the same choice I do here, either Telus (the telco) or >> (the cable company). There is a new upstart here that I need to look into
    but haven't had time lately.

    There trucks have those animals on them too.. looks silly. Telus is my provider currently because I don't know which I dislike more, Telus or Shaw.

    There's a new company making the rounds here abouts, TekSavy I think they are called. I'm going to look them up.

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)
  • From Nick Andre@1:229/426 to Alan Ianson on Mon Sep 9 07:51:53 2019
    On 08 Sep 19 23:54:48, Alan Ianson said the following to Nick Andre:

    I think Dallas gets the same choice I do here, either Telus (the telco) or >> (the cable company). There is a new upstart here that I need to look into
    but haven't had time lately.

    There trucks have those animals on them too.. looks silly. Telus is my
    prov
    currently because I don't know which I dislike more, Telus or Shaw.

    There's a new company making the rounds here abouts, TekSavy I think they called. I'm going to look them up.

    We have had Teksavvy in Ontario for years now, they are a very good company although they lease their upstream from Rogers and Bell and are at their mercy.

    Nick

    --- Renegade vY2Ka2
    * Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)
  • From mark lewis@1:3634/12 to Alan Ianson on Mon Sep 9 08:36:28 2019
    Re: Re: FidoGazette Vol 13 n
    By: Alan Ianson to Sean Dennis on Sun Sep 08 2019 23:00:16

    Dallas told me the problem is out at the pole, so I don't know why they
    can't get someone to climb the pole and fix their stuff.

    they can but not until the 12th... sounds to me like a broken splitter/junction box thing... likely can't fix that on a whim...


    )\/(ark
    --- SBBSecho 3.09-Linux
    * Origin: SouthEast Star Mail HUB - SESTAR (1:3634/12)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Nick Andre on Mon Sep 9 11:17:10 2019
    Nick Andre wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    I'm not sure if I mentioned, but Canada is ruled by three major ISP monoplies; Bell, Rogers and Shaw. All three do not give two shits about rural customers and have their hands in the pockets of the government.
    It does not matter if you go with a smaller ISP; in the end, the lines
    and uplink are eventually leased from the big three.

    It's kinda the same way here as eventually you will run into one of the
    "Baby Bells" that are still around and running things, like AT&T. The
    Baby Bells are buying each other up and the service is still lousy. I
    think CenturyLink is a conglomoration of several companies but I don't remember which ones at this moment.

    CL is quickly turning into a monopoly, much like Ma Bell once was, if
    you don't use cable for your ISP. With cable, though, it's four major companies that service the entire US. No type of competition there.

    Unless you have a business-grade connection, you are at the mercy of whenever they feel like fixing whatever line problems you have.

    Exactly. I think that CL thinks that people who live out in the country deserve lower quality service than people in larger towns and cities...

    In any case, hoping Dallas can get that fixed quickly enough.

    Later,
    Sean


    ... He who hesitates is not only lost but miles from the next exit.
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:2304 (1:18/200)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Alan Ianson on Mon Sep 9 11:21:12 2019
    Alan Ianson wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    Dallas told me the problem is out at the pole, so I don't know why they can't get someone to climb the pole and fix their stuff.

    Last month, our local CenturyLink tech (we're blessed to have a really
    good one) traced the issues we were having to a section of underground
    line that took a direct lightning hit. His boss approved his request to
    have the line replaced but the higher-ups at CenturyLink denied the
    request!

    So our tech, being resourceful, installed a jumper for us around the
    problem area.

    Suddenly we're now, for the first time in six years, getting our full
    speed here for DSL (20 down, 2 up).

    CL just doesn't want to spend money fixing its aging infrastructure
    outside of cities. No money in it and the government doesn't give out subsidies even though the US has the highest-taxed telecommunications infrastructure in the world...greedy bastards.

    Later,
    Sean


    ... The Golden Rule: he who has the gold, makes the rules.
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:2304 (1:18/200)
  • From Richard Falken@1:103/705 to Nick Andre on Mon Sep 9 09:09:43 2019
    Re: Re: FidoGazette Vol 13 n
    By: Nick Andre to Sean Dennis on Mon Sep 09 2019 02:07 am

    I'm not sure if I mentioned, but Canada is ruled by three major ISP monoplies; Bell, Rogers and Shaw. All three do not give two shits about rural customers and have their hands in the pockets of the government. It
    does not matter if you go with a smaller ISP; in the end, the lines and uplink are eventually leased from the big
    three.

    I'd think that is common everywhere.

    Here I am linked to a Wimax-like ISP that seems to have built their
    service with duct tape. It is a very small company with not many
    employees. They don't even have an ASN. They just NAT all their users
    and inject them into the network of a big telecom.

    I am actually quite happy with the service.
    --- SBBSecho 3.09-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to Nick Andre on Mon Sep 9 14:00:28 2019
    We have had Teksavvy in Ontario for years now, they are a very good company

    That's the one I was thinking of. They haven't been operating here for long. I'll have a talk with them.

    With Telus port 21, 23, 25 and 80 are blocked. They were nice enough to open port 23 for me. Now I run the BBS out of a linode so I don't have any blocked ports there. Shouldn't need to do that.

    although they lease their upstream from Rogers and Bell and are at their mercy.

    We can only hope that Teksavvy will work their way up to the level of Rogers and Bell and remain the same sort of company they are now. Time will tell.

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)
  • From Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to mark lewis on Mon Sep 9 14:02:08 2019
    Dallas told me the problem is out at the pole, so I don't know why they
    can't get someone to climb the pole and fix their stuff.

    they can but not until the 12th... sounds to me like a broken splitter/junctio
    box thing... likely can't fix that on a whim...

    I agree they should take the time needed for the fix.. but two weeks?

    I hope Dallas will get a credit on his bill for the down time.

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)
  • From Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to Sean Dennis on Mon Sep 9 14:03:34 2019
    Suddenly we're now, for the first time in six years, getting our full
    speed here for DSL (20 down, 2 up).

    You better go grab a lottery ticket!

    I'm glad that situation worked out well for you. :)

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)
  • From Nick Andre@1:229/426 to Alan Ianson on Mon Sep 9 18:21:49 2019
    On 09 Sep 19 14:00:28, Alan Ianson said the following to Nick Andre:

    We have had Teksavvy in Ontario for years now, they are a very good company

    That's the one I was thinking of. They haven't been operating here for
    long
    I'll have a talk with them.

    With Telus port 21, 23, 25 and 80 are blocked. They were nice enough to
    ope
    port 23 for me. Now I run the BBS out of a linode so I don't have any
    block
    ports there. Shouldn't need to do that.

    Welllllllllll..... possibly.

    Most residental ISP's specifically block those ports to mitigate "cyber attacks", and only if you subscribe to a static IP, subnet or business-grade plan will they decide to unblock the ports.

    From their point of view, it makes sense. I know if I were operating an ISP, I wouldn't want those ports open either for the average customer. But Fido Sysops are far from your average user. 8-)

    Teksavvy I believe only charges $5 extra per month for a static IP. Its well worth it. Darkrealms / Net 229 ran on that plan for years before I upgraded to a business-class plan elsewhere.

    Teksavvy tech support is also staffed by mostly knowledgable staff, they may be able to open those ports at no extra charge.

    Nick

    --- Renegade vY2Ka2
    * Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)
  • From Nick Andre@1:229/426 to Sean Dennis on Mon Sep 9 18:25:45 2019
    On 09 Sep 19 11:17:10, Sean Dennis said the following to Nick Andre:

    Unless you have a business-grade connection, you are at the mercy of whenever they feel like fixing whatever line problems you have.

    Exactly. I think that CL thinks that people who live out in the country deserve lower quality service than people in larger towns and cities...

    Have you ever considered getting a price quote for a business-class Internet connection? My experience has been that by the time you factor in the cost of a contract and/or the desperation of the sales rep wanting to give you a deal, it might be worth it?

    Nick

    --- Renegade vY2Ka2
    * Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Nick Andre on Mon Sep 9 23:09:10 2019
    Nick Andre wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    Have you ever considered getting a price quote for a business-class Internet connection? My experience has been that by the time you factor
    in the cost of a contract and/or the desperation of the sales rep
    wanting to give you a deal, it might be worth it?

    Well over $200 a month which neither me nor my parents can afford. I
    can't even justify that much bandwidth because I just don't use it
    anymore. I had DSL when I lived in Johnson City without issues but my
    buddy tech ran CAT 6 cable from the pole down to my house's demarc and
    then I ran my own CAT 6 into the house directly to the modem using the blue/blue-white and brown/brown-white pairs.

    Later,
    Sean


    ... Old programmers don't die, they just lose their memory.
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:2304 (1:18/200)
  • From Dale Shipp@1:261/1466 to Sean Dennis on Tue Sep 10 02:17:02 2019
    On 09-09-19 11:21, Sean Dennis <=-
    spoke to Alan Ianson about Re: FidoGazette Vol 13 n <=-

    Suddenly we're now, for the first time in six years, getting our full speed here for DSL (20 down, 2 up).

    All I can say is WOW, that sucks. It is bad to live out of a major
    area.

    I am getting 100 up and down from Verizon FIOS.

    Dale Shipp
    fido_261_1466 (at) verizon (dot) net
    (1:261/1466)


    ... Shipwrecked on Hesperus in Columbia, Maryland. 02:18:53, 10 Sep 2019
    ___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30

    --- Maximus/NT 3.01
    * Origin: Owl's Anchor (1:261/1466)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Dale Shipp on Tue Sep 10 09:29:08 2019
    Hello Dale.

    10 Sep 19 02:17, you wrote to me:

    All I can say is WOW, that sucks. It is bad to live out of a major
    area.

    At least we have access. I'm not complaining. Like I said in an earlier message, I really don't use the bandwidth. I'm at the point now to where if I wasn't running a telnet-capable BBS, I'd just go back to dialup.

    Later.
    Sean

    --- GoldED/2 3.0.1
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:2304 (1:18/200)
  • From Jeff Smith@2:250/1 to Sean Dennis on Mon Sep 9 10:56:36 2019
    Hello Sean,

    Unless Dallas is in the situation where I am: there is but one single choice for an ISP in my area (there is satellite access
    but that's unreliable). You either get access through this company -- in my case, it's CenturyLink -- or you go without. CL is
    notorious for its lousy customer service and weeks-long wait times to get things fixed.

    I also have Centurylink as an ISP and have a block of static IP's from them. The biggest problem is not them coming out to fix or replace something as they usually send a tech out in 1-2 days. The biggest gripe that I have is their phone based tech support. One can tell that they are reading what they are saying from a printed page. And if the conversation varies from what the page covers then they get lost and confused. One gets put on hold repeatedly also.

    I will agree that there are not a lot of capable alternatives available in this area.


    Jeff

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: Fidonet: The Ouija Board - Anoka, MN - bbs.ouijabrd.net
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to ALAN IANSON on Tue Sep 10 15:58:00 2019
    Alan,

    I agree they should take the time needed for the fix.. but two weeks?

    I hope Dallas will get a credit on his bill for the down time.

    He better not hold his breath on that. :P

    Daryl


    * OLX 1.53 * Remember, half the people you know are below average.
    --- SBBSecho 3.09-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Richard Falken@1:103/705 to Nick Andre on Wed Sep 11 07:22:14 2019
    Re: Re: FidoGazette Vol 13 n
    By: Nick Andre to Sean Dennis on Mon Sep 09 2019 06:25 pm

    Have you ever considered getting a price quote for a business-class
    Internet
    connection? My experience has been that by the time you factor in the cost
    of a
    contract and/or the desperation of the sales rep wanting to give you a
    deal, it
    might
    be worth it?

    Nick

    I don't know about him, but getting a good connection is only worth it if
    you are running a business behind it. Then you may spare a fraction of
    the bandwidth for your hobbies.

    Here in Spain we used to have no problems with port filtering because
    they were usually open by default. There was some traffic shappinh but
    that is understandable. You don't really want people who is torrenting
    porn to consume the bandwidth some other people might need for important
    tasks (yes, talking from experience administrating a small network).
    Sadly, IP scarcity has forced ISPs to put everybody behind CGNAT. Many
    have no proper dual stack with ipv6 so that means you get no incomming
    ports with some exceptions. I used to work behind a CGNAT that allowed
    some port mapping/forwarding but it sucked because it was not very
    reliable.

    Nowadays I just have a deal wih my current boss and host some personal
    hobbies of mine in a small DMZ in his business network. The alternative
    was to rent a VPS or dedicated server (full colo is expensive) to it is
    a very sweet situation.
    --- SBBSecho 3.09-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Ward Dossche@2:292/854 to Nick Andre on Wed Sep 11 16:43:03 2019
    Nick,

    Have you ever considered getting a price quote for a business-class Internet connection?

    Why not emigrate to Europe?

    Except for Brexit it is a pretty decent place and at least where I live I haven't experienced any catastrophic outages.

    I have a pretty decent tent, inflatable matresses and 2 sleeping bags. Your daughter is welcome too, with your talents you'd find employment pretty easy.

    \%/@rd

    --- D'Bridge 3.99
    * Origin: Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards (2:292/854)
  • From Simon Geddes@1:103/705 to Sean Dennis on Wed Sep 11 21:30:00 2019
    At 9:29 AM on 10 Sep 19, Sean Dennis said to Dale Shipp:


    At least we have access. I'm not complaining. Like I said in an
    earlier message, I really don't use the bandwidth. I'm at the point now
    to where if I wasn't running a telnet-capable BBS, I'd just go back to dialup.

    Sorry to butt in - but I hope more BBSes start to offer dial-up. And more users switch off their routers and dust off their modems.

    With cheap second hand modems aplenty and landlines generally sitting unused, I imagine for some sysops this wouldn't be such a major task/outlay. But would there be the users who would call? I think there's a bit of a network effect problem going on here...sysops don't feel there's people that still want to use dial-up, and users don't bother with modems because so few boards offer a number to call. Or probably more realistically, very few people even care.

    Personally, I'm tempted to start a new dial-up only BBS. But I suspect I will get about zero callers.

    * Q-Blue 2.4 *
    --- SBBSecho 3.09-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Rob Swindell@1:103/705 to Simon Geddes on Fri Sep 13 13:33:28 2019
    Re: Re: FidoGazette Vol 13 n
    By: Simon Geddes to Sean Dennis on Wed Sep 11 2019 09:30 pm

    Personally, I'm tempted to start a new dial-up only BBS. But I suspect I will get about zero callers.

    Yeah, 28.8Kbps (or 33.6Kbps if you're really lucky) is slower than you remember! :-)

    digital man

    This Is Spinal Tap quote #33:
    Nigel Tufnel: Well, so what? What's wrong with bein' sexy?
    Norco, CA WX: 99.1øF, 18.0% humidity, 6 mph NE wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs
    --- SBBSecho 3.09-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Simon Geddes on Fri Sep 13 17:48:26 2019
    Hi Simon,


    Sorry to butt in - but I hope more BBSes start to offer
    dial-up. And more users switch off their routers and
    dust off their modems.

    With dialup lines costing nearly double of a broadband connections in my area, I seriously doubt I'll be able to afford it anytime soon.

    I don't get enough callers (even when I did have a POTS line) to justify that cost.

    Later,
    Sean


    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:2304 (1:18/200)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to SIMON GEDDES on Sat Sep 14 19:50:00 2019
    Sorry to butt in - but I hope more BBSes start to offer dial-up. And more users
    switch off their routers and dust off their modems.

    I have a dial up system - 1-502-875-8938

    Mike

    ---
    * SLMR 2.1a * Pass the tequila, Manuel...
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Andrei Rachita@2:530/306 to Simon Geddes on Sun Sep 15 15:37:05 2019
    I always liked dial-up BBSes.
    I think that besudes the fact some people don't know how to use a modem anymore, there are also 2 small problems:
    - Dial-up over VoIP lines can be a little tricky
    - most modern machines don't have serial ports anymore, and the best modems out there are still serial devices...

    Just my thoughts...




    At 9:29 AM on 10 Sep 19, Sean Dennis said to Dale Shipp:


    At least we have access. I'm not complaining. Like I said in an
    earlier message, I really don't use the bandwidth. I'm at the point now
    to where if I wasn't running a telnet-capable BBS, I'd just go back to
    dialup.

    Sorry to butt in - but I hope more BBSes start to offer dial-up. And more users switch off their routers and dust off their modems.

    With cheap second hand modems aplenty and landlines generally sitting unused, I imagine for some sysops this wouldn't be such a major task/outlay. But would there be the users who would call? I think there's a bit of a network effect problem going on here...sysops don't feel there's people that still want to use dial-up, and users don't bother
    with
    modems because so few boards offer a number to call. Or probably more realistically, very few people even care.

    Personally, I'm tempted to start a new dial-up only BBS. But I suspect I will get about zero callers.

    * Q-Blue 2.4 *

    --- AfterShock/Android 1.6.7
    * Origin: pufa (2:530/306)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Sean Dennis on Sun Sep 15 19:14:00 2019
    Hello Sean!

    ** 13.09.19 - 17:48, Sean Dennis wrote to Simon Geddes:

    Hi Simon,

    Sorry to butt in - but I hope more BBSes start to offer
    dial-up. And more users switch off their routers and
    dust off their modems.

    With dialup lines costing nearly double of a broadband connections in my
    area, I seriously doubt I'll be able to afford it anytime soon.

    I don't get enough callers (even when I did have a POTS line) to justify
    that cost.


    BBSing via dialup is not likely to be worthwhile, for anybody. For a
    sysop, the outreach would be pretty small. For the user, hogging a voice
    line over time (even if it were a dedicated one just for bbsing/faxing
    etc) is an infringement with other uses and an added cost.

    Besides.. the modem technology is fickle, and slow.

    The better way to experience BBSing for everyone is via telnet. For the sysop, multiple "lines" can be utilized and still be able to use the
    internet for other things at the same time. For the user, the online directories of telnetable BBSes provides a rather nice way to discover
    what's out there.

    I have a handful of modems (dead or alive) that I can't imagine ever using again. My best one, a "USR 3453C for Business" got some electrical damage many years ago, and I just didn't think it worthwhile to send it back even though it was advertised with a Lifetime Warranty.

    If someone wants my collection, I'll send them.

    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.40
    * Origin: /|ug's Point, Ont. CANADA (2:221/1.58)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Andrei Rachita on Sun Sep 15 19:33:00 2019
    Hello Andrei!

    ** 15.09.19 - 15:37, Andrei Rachita wrote to Simon Geddes:

    I always liked dial-up BBSes.
    I think that besudes the fact some people don't know how to use a modem
    anymore, there are also 2 small problems: - Dial-up over VoIP lines can be
    a little tricky - most modern machines don't have serial ports anymore,
    and the best modems out there are still serial devices...

    Just my thoughts...


    Good thoughts! I don't even see serial ports offered on a now 5-year old
    but fairly capable Lenovo T540p that I was looking to aquire. And with the continued trend to eliminate legacy bios on newer pcs, the BBSes of old
    may not even be run familiar DOS-based programs in a few years.

    Users are not likely to be interested to patch their modern pcs with
    legacy hardware just to "experience" the odd BBS. Sysops are also running out of options as time marches on.

    At one point I was relying on an PCI fax/modem on one particular pc (primarily for business) when the darn thing failed. I was up and running pretty quick with a USB Fax device, but then that only lasted a few years until the device got zinged by some anomalies on the phone line.

    Modems are just too fickle and vulnerable.

    Now, I just process my documents to pdf and email them. Or, I take a
    picture and email the image.

    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.40
    * Origin: /|ug's Point, Ont. CANADA (2:221/1.58)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Simon Geddes on Sun Sep 15 19:36:00 2019
    Hello Simon!

    ** 11.09.19 - 21:30, Simon Geddes wrote to Sean Dennis:

    At 9:29 AM on 10 Sep 19, Sean Dennis said to Dale Shipp:

    Sorry to butt in - but I hope more BBSes start to offer dial-up. And more
    users switch off their routers and dust off their modems.

    With cheap second hand modems aplenty and landlines generally sitting
    unused, I imagine for some sysops this wouldn't be such a major
    task/outlay. But would there be the users who would call? I think there's
    a bit of a network effect problem going on here...sysops don't feel
    there's people that still want to use dial-up, and users don't bother with
    modems because so few boards offer a number to call. Or probably more
    realistically, very few people even care.

    Personally, I'm tempted to start a new dial-up only BBS. But I suspect I
    will get about zero callers.

    I think you just succeeded in talking yourself out of that project! LOL

    Your user-range would be extremely limited. The modem would probably sit silent for long periods of time! :(




    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.40
    * Origin: /|ug's Point, Ont. CANADA (2:221/1.58)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to MIKE POWELL on Sun Sep 15 13:01:00 2019
    Mike,

    Sorry to butt in - but I hope more BBSes start to offer dial-up. And more MP>users
    switch off their routers and dust off their modems.

    I have a dial up system - 1-502-875-8938

    At present, I have a US Robotics external v.92 56K Fax Modem. However,
    I'm not about to pay $75 a month for a vanilla phone line, just to get
    dial-up BBS callers...especially after the rude way my late Mom and
    myself were treated by AT&T "customer service personnel" (I use the term loosely). On a call, when I demanded to speak to a supervisor, they hung
    up on me. When I dialed back, and was told "this call may be monitored
    or recorded", I said "It damn sure better be, for ahat I'm going to
    say".

    Whenever there's a power outage or lightning strike, the DSL modems
    are toast. So, my Mom had no phone service (all the analog lines are
    going digital/VoIP), no internet (UVerse), and no 911 service (this was
    3 years before she died on August 9, at 92 years of age). I was told
    that "we can't get a Technician out there for a week"...never mind she
    was elderly and disabled. Their attitude was that "they didn't give a
    rats @$$ about customers like her".

    When they sent a service man out the next day, because of my b!+ch!ng,
    he was livid...saying "there was absolutely NO EXCUSE for her to be
    treated like that!!". He gave us his card and private contact
    number...and told us "if this happens again, call me first!! Either I
    myself, or one of my team members will be there within 24 hours".

    After I had to put her into a nursing home and set up a Miller Trust
    nearly 2 years ago, I called and CANCELLED every bit of the AT&T service...cellphone, UVerse, landline...EVERYTHING. I told them that "I
    get MagicJack for $45 a year, and you want to charge me $75 a month plus
    long distance charges??!! You are severely disillusioned!!"...and added
    "I wouldn't use you if you gave me the service free for life!!".

    I apologized to my Mom for cussing in front of her, but when I asked
    "can you blame me for my outburst?", she said "No"...she was there and
    heard everything that happened.

    As for cellphone service, I'm with Straight Talk, and it's the best
    cellphone package I've ever had...$50 a month with tax, and I get 25
    Gigabytes of data, before it gets throttled down. I use nowhere near
    that amount each month. And, with the rewards plan, some months, I can
    claim the points, so I get a free month of cellphone service.

    But back to the dial-up, those modems only really work with analog
    lines, and not with VoIP lines. Yet, I wonder what the fax machines are
    working with...since practically all the old analog lines are now
    digital/VoIP. If there was a way to make that work, I'd put dial-up
    access back on the BBS...but I saw a comment from Rob Swindell (aka
    digital man), author of Synchronet, noting that "28.8 and 33.6 aren't as
    fast as you remember them".

    Daryl

    * OLX 1.53 * To air is human. Be sure you're standing down wind.
    --- SBBSecho 3.09-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to August Abolins on Mon Sep 16 20:47:38 2019
    Hi August,

    Besides.. the modem technology is fickle, and slow.

    I disagree. In all of the data centers I have ever worked at, there has -always- been one POTS connection as an emergency backup. The POTS system is actually much more reliable than the Internet physically but yes, it's slow, which is why it fell out of favor.

    Telnet is actually quite slow when you get into the specifics of it and can be rather unreliable. Technically, using SSH is much more secure and reliable than telnet.

    But we are enjoying a 40+ year old hobby using the same-aged technology. I'm not that concerned about speed. However, from a professional IT standpoint, having a POTS line makes sense as a backup to ensure if the DSL goes down, you can still get mail out.

    I rarely get new callers on my system that I don't know already from elsewhere but that's fine by me. This is a niche hobby that I've enjoyed for over half of my life. As long as I continue to enjoy it, I'll do what I can. If I do get a better job and can get a deal, I will still put a POTS line in. I have a very nice external USR Courier v.everything 33.6k modem that works very nicely with ArcaOS. :)

    Later,
    Sean


    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:2304 (1:18/200)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Mon Sep 16 10:23:00 2019
    Your user-range would be extremely limited. The modem would probably sit AA>silent for long periods of time! :(

    I thought about setting up a fax line with the MagicJack Plus, but the utility I had with Windows, apparently didn't like the US Robotics Fax
    Modem. So, I'm donating that modem to a local Sysop, and I disconnected
    the MagicJack Plus line. I still have the original MagicJack line for
    Voice Mail.

    I can't see having a portable fax machine at the house, as I so rarely
    need to send faxes...when I do, I'll go to the local FedEx store.

    Daryl


    * OLX 1.53 * "Ignore Previous Cookie" - Message in fortune cookie.
    --- SBBSecho 3.09-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Rob Swindell@1:103/705 to Sean Dennis on Mon Sep 16 22:25:49 2019
    Re: FidoGazette Vol 13 n
    By: Sean Dennis to August Abolins on Mon Sep 16 2019 08:47 pm

    Hi August,

    Besides.. the modem technology is fickle, and slow.

    I disagree. In all of the data centers I have ever worked at, there has -always- been one POTS connection as an emergency backup. The POTS system is actually much more reliable than the Internet physically but yes, it's slow, which is why it fell out of favor.

    Telnet is actually quite slow when you get into the specifics of it and can be rather unreliable.

    Telnet is very little on top of TCP/IP. It is 99.9% as fast as every other TCP-based protocol and 100% as reliable.

    Technically, using SSH is much more secure and
    reliable than telnet.

    More secure, sure. More reliable, no.


    digital man

    Synchronet/BBS Terminology Definition #46:
    MODEM = Modulator/Demodulator
    Norco, CA WX: 65.8øF, 85.0% humidity, 0 mph S wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs
    --- SBBSecho 3.09-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Simon Geddes@1:103/705 to Rob Swindell on Tue Sep 17 20:10:00 2019
    Personally, I'm tempted to start a new dial-up only BBS. But I
    suspect I
    will get about zero callers.

    Yeah, 28.8Kbps (or 33.6Kbps if you're really lucky) is slower than you remember! :-)

    I use dial-up exclusively* at the moment and it's pretty good for all the text-based stuff. If I were to start downloading larger files via zmodem I suspect I would notice it though.

    * Although I do connect to a BBS via telnet for my fidonet access, from a localish dial-up BBS that offers this service.

    * Q-Blue 2.4 *
    --- SBBSecho 3.10-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Alan Ianson@1:153/757 to Simon Geddes on Tue Sep 17 14:52:22 2019
    Sorry to butt in

    I don't think your butting in.

    but I hope more BBSes start to offer dial-up. And more user switch off their routers and dust off their modems.

    My BBS was available by dial-up back in the day. I took it down and disconnected the phone line because it was costing the same amount every month and not being used much.

    With cheap second hand modems aplenty and landlines generally sitting unused,
    imagine for some sysops this wouldn't be such a major task/outlay. But would there be the users who would call? I think there's a bit of a network effect
    problem going on here...sysops don't feel there's people that still want to us
    dial-up, and users don't bother with modems because so few boards offer a number to call. Or probably more realistically, very few people even care.

    The BBS software I run supports modem calls so I could still do that. I've thought about it and would do it if it would get used.

    I'm also unsure if I can get a twisted pair of wires like I had back in the day. A lot of phone services today are VOIP or somesuch and a modem may not work as well with that as a good old twisted pair.

    Personally, I'm tempted to start a new dial-up only BBS. But I suspect I
    will
    get about zero callers.

    It certainly wouldn't hurt. The average guy/gal today doesn't know what a modem is and don't care to know but if you can connect with those who do you'll be good.

    IP protocols are well supported for a long time now so you can also use those.

    --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-4
    * Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to DARYL STOUT on Tue Sep 17 18:07:00 2019
    At present, I have a US Robotics external v.92 56K Fax Modem. However,
    I'm not about to pay $75 a month for a vanilla phone line, just to get dial-up BBS callers...

    Here it is a part of the local utility company so I pay less than half
    that.

    Mike

    ---
    * SLMR 2.1a * "Very funny, Scotty. Now beam up my clothes."
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Simon Geddes@1:103/705 to Mike Powell on Wed Sep 18 20:42:00 2019
    At 7:50 PM on 14 Sep 19, Mike Powell said to Simon Geddes:

    Sorry to butt in - but I hope more BBSes start to offer dial-up. And
    more
    users
    switch off their routers and dust off their modems.

    I have a dial up system - 1-502-875-8938

    I would like to give it a call. Thinking of adding a North American call package to my phone contract. If I do, I'll be sure to.

    * Q-Blue 2.4 *
    --- SBBSecho 3.10-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Simon Geddes@1:103/705 to August Abolins on Wed Sep 18 20:54:00 2019
    I think you just succeeded in talking yourself out of that project! LOL

    Your user-range would be extremely limited. The modem would probably
    sit silent for long periods of time! :(

    Yup. And that would be pretty demotivating. Still...tempted just to confirm. Rather than advertising on the internet, I would put up local cards in newsagents, computer shops etc. Some old timers might be tempted to get a modem to give it a try. Or not. But would be interesting to see.

    * Q-Blue 2.4 *
    --- SBBSecho 3.10-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Simon Geddes@1:103/705 to Daryl Stout on Wed Sep 18 21:13:00 2019
    At 1:01 PM on 15 Sep 19, Daryl Stout said to Mike Powell:

    Mike,

    Sorry to butt in - but I hope more BBSes start to offer dial-up. And more MP>users
    switch off their routers and dust off their modems.

    I have a dial up system - 1-502-875-8938

    At present, I have a US Robotics external v.92 56K Fax Modem. However, I'm not about to pay $75 a month for a vanilla phone line, just to get dial-up BBS callers...especially after the rude way my late Mom and
    myself were treated by AT&T "customer service personnel" (I use the term loosely). On a call, when I demanded to speak to a supervisor, they hung
    up on me. When I dialed back, and was told "this call may be monitored
    or recorded", I said "It damn sure better be, for ahat I'm going to
    say".

    I apologized to my Mom for cussing in front of her, but when I asked
    "can you blame me for my outburst?", she said "No"...she was there and heard everything that happened.

    Sounds like pretty terrible service. You would think with plenty of competition such poor service would be a thing of the past. Maybe you moving on will help them review their customer service methods.

    As for cellphone service, I'm with Straight Talk, and it's the best cellphone package I've ever had...$50 a month with tax, and I get 25 Gigabytes of data, before it gets throttled down. I use nowhere near
    that amount each month. And, with the rewards plan, some months, I can claim the points, so I get a free month of cellphone service.

    Sounds pretty good. I had half a gig of cell phone data for the longest time. I probably should have been paying a lot less.

    But back to the dial-up, those modems only really work with analog
    lines, and not with VoIP lines. Yet, I wonder what the fax machines are working with...since practically all the old analog lines are now digital/VoIP. If there was a way to make that work, I'd put dial-up
    access back on the BBS...but I saw a comment from Rob Swindell (aka
    digital man), author of Synchronet, noting that "28.8 and 33.6 aren't as fast as you remember them".

    This is a worry really, as may scupper my dial-up dreams before they have begun. I haven't noticed any major issues here in the UK however, but I dare say digitial migration and VoIP is being rolled out at a snail's pace. I know we have much less fast broadband coverage than many other European countries. If this does become an issue, I wonder if cell phone modems (cdcadm protocol, I think) might provide another route? With a cheap sim with unlimited calls in a cell phone USB modem, I could potentially add multiple dial-up lines for not very much at all.

    * Q-Blue 2.4 *
    --- SBBSecho 3.10-Linux
    * Origin: Vertrauen - [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net (1:103/705)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to MIKE POWELL on Wed Sep 18 11:42:00 2019
    Mike,

    At present, I have a US Robotics external v.92 56K Fax Modem. However, MP>> I'm not about to pay $75 a month for a vanilla phone line, just to get MP>> dial-up BBS callers...

    Here it is a part of the local utility company so I pay less than half MP>that.

    You're lucky. But, after the way AT&T treated me and my late Mom, it
    left a bad taste in my mouth. Yet, they're the only one to get dial-up
    service with...however, all the analog is being phased out to digital,
    and that doesn't work so well with the modems. I have to wonder what the business fax machines work off of.

    Daryl


    * OLX 1.53 * I'm NOT Spoiled!! AM NOT!! AM NOT!! AM NOT!! AM NOT!!
    --- SBBSecho 3.09-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Simon Geddes on Thu Sep 19 11:09:02 2019
    Simon Geddes wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    Forgive my ignorance...what's a POTS line? Is this the same
    as an analogue landline?

    Yep. POTS is an acronym for "plain old telephone system" or your standard analog line.

    (You are witnessing life without the internet in action - the old me

    I don't get on too much these days though I do enjoy getting on IRC every so often. My Internet usage has dropped considerably these days.

    Later,
    Sean

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  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Dan Clough on Thu Sep 19 11:13:04 2019
    Dan Clough wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    Excellent! I didn't intend my above comment to Daryl as anything
    bad, just didn't really see the relevance of him putting it like
    that... I fully grasp the pride you have in the callsign and
    understand it completely. Something I have thought about getting
    into for years (decades?) but just never have. Maybe when I
    retire... Thanks and 73!

    I don't think Daryl would have taken your comment as anything but unsure. :) Amateur radio has its own unique culture and with that, we hams do spend a
    bit of time explaining our habits to non-hams. It's all part of the fun of amateur radio.

    It's very easy to become a ham these days in the US since there's no code requirement. I recently (in June) upgraded to my Extra class because I just wanted to.

    There are a lot of amateur radio operators in Fidonet and in BBSing in
    general. The spirit of BBSing and amateur radio overlap in many areas so
    I've found it's very common.

    Rob Swindell is a ham. I don't remember his callsign off the top of my
    head.

    I know we've kinda strayed off-topic here so I'll invite you over to the HAM echo if you want to chat more. I know the moderator; he's a friend. ;)

    73,
    Sean KD5COL

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  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Simon Geddes on Thu Sep 19 11:29:14 2019
    Simon Geddes wrote to Andrei Rachita <=-

    I had wondered about VoIP as a solution to diminishing landlines -
    didn't know data signals over VoIP are problematic.

    It's in the analog-to-digital conversion. To greatly oversimplify for the
    sake of brevity, analog signals are 'chopped' at certain frequencies to fit within a digital sine wave and that can cause issues with data loss.

    The biggest issue I have faced is just getting old terminal software running on a more moderm OS (MorphOS). Everything seems to half-
    work. Not like first time around in the mid-ninties, where
    the process seemed to be very plain sailing. I've
    definitely wanted to give up a few times!

    I use Qodem (qodem.sourceforge.net) on Windows 10 and Slackware Linux
    without issue.

    Later,
    Sean

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  • From Dan Clough@1:123/115 to Sean Dennis on Thu Sep 19 17:10:00 2019
    Sean Dennis wrote to Dan Clough <=-

    Excellent! I didn't intend my above comment to Daryl as anything
    bad, just didn't really see the relevance of him putting it like
    that... I fully grasp the pride you have in the callsign and
    understand it completely. Something I have thought about getting
    into for years (decades?) but just never have. Maybe when I
    retire... Thanks and 73!

    I don't think Daryl would have taken your comment as anything but
    unsure. :) Amateur radio has its own unique culture and with
    that, we hams do spend a bit of time explaining our habits to
    non-hams. It's all part of the fun of amateur radio.

    It's very easy to become a ham these days in the US since there's
    no code requirement. I recently (in June) upgraded to my Extra
    class because I just wanted to.

    There are a lot of amateur radio operators in Fidonet and in
    BBSing in general. The spirit of BBSing and amateur radio
    overlap in many areas so I've found it's very common.

    Rob Swindell is a ham. I don't remember his callsign off the top
    of my head.

    I know we've kinda strayed off-topic here so I'll invite you over
    to the HAM echo if you want to chat more. I know the moderator;
    he's a friend. ;)

    Haha, OK all good! I just may show up in that echo soonly...
    Thanks.



    ... Anything good in life is either illegal, immoral, or fattening.
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  • From Simon Geddes@1:103/705 to Sean Dennis on Fri Sep 20 15:55:00 2019
    (You are witnessing life without the internet in action - the old me

    I don't get on too much these days though I do enjoy getting on IRC
    every so often. My Internet usage has dropped considerably these days.

    Great! Have you consciously tried to reduce your usage?

    ps. I think I spent most of the 2000s on IRC!

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  • From Simon Geddes@1:103/705 to Sean Dennis on Fri Sep 20 16:00:00 2019
    I had wondered about VoIP as a solution to diminishing landlines -
    didn't know data signals over VoIP are problematic.

    It's in the analog-to-digital conversion. To greatly oversimplify for
    the sake of brevity, analog signals are 'chopped' at certain frequencies
    to fit within a digital sine wave and that can cause issues with data
    loss.

    Makes sense. I wonder if the analog signal could be scaled or processed in some way to still work. Anything is possible I suppose, if there's sufficient will.

    The biggest issue I have faced is just getting old terminal software running on a more moderm OS (MorphOS). Everything seems to half-
    work. Not like first time around in the mid-ninties, where
    the process seemed to be very plain sailing. I've
    definitely wanted to give up a few times!

    I use Qodem (qodem.sourceforge.net) on Windows 10 and Slackware Linux without issue.

    Good to know. I've heard of minicom as another Linux option, which I was planning to use with Ubuntu and an external USB>serial modem I have. ZTerm workswell with this Mac's internal 56.6k modem, on OS X.

    * Q-Blue 2.4 *
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  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Simon Geddes on Sat Sep 21 23:47:00 2019
    Simon Geddes wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    Makes sense. I wonder if the analog signal could be scaled or processed
    in some way to still work. Anything is possible I suppose, if
    there's sufficient will.

    Yes, the signal's processed, but there is no practical way to capture
    all of the minute voltages present in an analog signal and transform
    them into a digital signal in this context.

    Good to know. I've heard of minicom as another Linux
    option, which I was planning to use with Ubuntu and an
    external USB>serial modem I have. ZTerm workswell with this
    Mac's internal 56.6k modem, on OS X.

    Others popular under Linux are Syncterm and Netrunner. Under ArcaOS, I
    use LiveWire which is great but only runs under ArcaOS (OS/2).

    Later,
    Sean


    ... Documentation: the worst part of programming.
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    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:2304 (1:18/200)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Simon Geddes on Sat Sep 21 23:49:02 2019
    Simon Geddes wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    Great! Have you consciously tried to reduce your usage?

    Yes and no. I have a lot of other hobbies, such as amateur radio, programming, my BBS, writing short fiction, and reading that keep me
    offline. Once I have more room, I'll get back into leatherwork,
    woodworking and metalworking as hobbies.

    ps. I think I spent most of the 2000s on IRC!

    When I am on, I am usually hanging out on irc.bbses.info in #bbs or
    #micronet (my own channel).

    Later,
    Sean


    ... This place is so weird that the cockroaches have moved next door.
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

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  • From mark lewis@1:3634/12 to Sean Dennis on Mon Sep 23 11:15:39 2019
    Re: Re: FidoGazette Vol 13 n
    By: Sean Dennis to Simon Geddes on Sat Sep 21 2019 23:49:02

    When I am on, I am usually hanging out on irc.bbses.info in #bbs or #micronet (my own channel).

    i guess MRO is keeping that as a separate network?

    also the mibbit client linked on the irc.bbses.info web site doesn't/can't connect... says something about invalid nickname... and there's a note in the irc rules as listed on the web site that says the autojoin to #bbs has been removed... i was going to check it out but i don't want to have to go through the motions of setting up my irc client since i'm already on several other irc networks... the mibbit client is an easy way to take a peek but it ain't working from the web page... the link isn't even right starting with xhttp so that 'x' has to be removed...

    anyway, oh well...


    )\/(ark
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  • From Simon Geddes@1:103/705 to Sean Dennis on Mon Sep 23 21:14:00 2019
    Others popular under Linux are Syncterm and Netrunner. Under ArcaOS, I
    use LiveWire which is great but only runs under ArcaOS (OS/2).

    ArcaOS sounds like just the kind of thing I need to avoid! As an alternative OS geek, I'm sure it's something I would get very excited about - and I can't afford the time for anymore geekery at the moment :) Near enough to divorce as is!

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  • From Simon Geddes@1:103/705 to Sean Dennis on Mon Sep 23 21:19:00 2019
    At 11:49 PM on 21 Sep 19, Sean Dennis said to Simon Geddes:

    Simon Geddes wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    Great! Have you consciously tried to reduce your usage?

    Yes and no. I have a lot of other hobbies, such as amateur radio, programming, my BBS, writing short fiction, and reading that keep me offline. Once I have more room, I'll get back into leatherwork, woodworking and metalworking as hobbies.

    This seems like the best way to go to reduce usage. Squeeze it out with more interesting things. Based on one of the top stickies on the nosurf reddit, a lot of people have genuinely forgotten what other things there are to do, other than use their smart phone/internet. They maintain a list there of top recommended alternative activities, including the ones you describe. It's kind of sad, scary and telling that such a list is needed. One complaint you see there is that people's attention spans are so shot, they struggle to read a page of a book, ordraw a picture or whatever.

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  • From Dale Shipp@1:261/1466 to Richard Falken on Fri Oct 4 00:30:02 2019
    On 09-28-19 05:48, Richard Falken <=-
    spoke to Mike Powell about Re: FidoGazette Vol 13 ne <=-

    Most people here don't think of having a home phone any more, either. I am guessing the market is more for people who still want one. I am almost 50, so maybe you are right. :)

    You know, in Spain, ISPs are giving the home phone line for
    free with their home Internet packages. This way, ltos of
    people end up having a home phone but it does not actually
    see much use anymore.

    My daughter no longer has a home phone, only a cell phone. OTOH, our
    cell phone is only used in rare occasions. Our home phone is our main
    phone for everything, and it is bundled in with our ISP and TV service
    (for less total cost than when we had a copper phone line).

    Dale Shipp
    fido_261_1466 (at) verizon (dot) net
    (1:261/1466)




    ... Shipwrecked on Hesperus in Columbia, Maryland. 00:33:24, 04 Oct 2019
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  • From Dale Barnes@1:106/201 to Daryl Stout on Wed Oct 23 21:43:40 2019

    But back to the dial-up, those modems only really work
    with analog
    lines, and not with VoIP lines. Yet, I wonder what the fax
    machines are
    working with...since practically all the old analog lines
    are now
    digital/VoIP. If there was a way to make that work, I'd put
    dial-up
    access back on the BBS...but I saw a comment from Rob
    Swindell (aka
    digital man), author of Synchronet, noting that "28.8 and
    33.6 aren't as
    fast as you remember them".


    I have a very strong internet feed and I purchased Magic Jack as a joke as I did not think it would work after I tried a couple of others but I have a USR HST modem dialing and answering just fine at 9600 baud via analog via VOIP. I had to play with com port settings and others but on a Windows 7 machine, it dials my uplink and downloads to my downlinks just fine with a minor hickup or two now and then. It does just redial and off it goes.

    Of course for my main feed I use BinkP but wanted to see if I could get the old setup to work. May not work for a BBS but for a mailer it gets by.


    --- InterEcho 1.20
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  • From Dale Shipp@1:261/1466 to Ward Dossche on Tue Nov 26 01:49:00 2019
    On 11-25-19 08:08, Ward Dossche <=-
    spoke to Janis Kracht about Re: FidoGazette Vol 13 no <=-

    WD > The problem here is finding a turkey ...
    ...
    Somehow I'd bet I couldn't even ship one to you if I wanted to..

    Correct, the EU's food-safety chain does not allow the
    import of meats from most countries. Seafood is not a
    problem, so send me Maine-lobsters instead.

    Curious as to the distinction. Could it be because the lobsters would
    be shipped live and beef is not live? If so, could someone import a
    live steer?

    In seriousness, we once were gifted with a $100 gift card for Maine
    lobsters from a particular company. Turned out that the various
    packages they put together cost up to twice that amount for the most
    part. And then they wanted more to ship them from Maine to Maryland
    than it would cost us to go to a local store and buy equivalent
    lobsters. Sort of like ordering from Omaha beef if you know who that
    is. It was also true that a web search turned up other Maine companies
    who had deals costing 1/4 as much.

    Dale Shipp
    fido_261_1466 (at) verizon (dot) net
    (1:261/1466)



    ... Shipwrecked on Hesperus in Columbia, Maryland. 01:55:23, 26 Nov 2019
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  • From Ward Dossche@2:292/854 to Dale Shipp on Tue Nov 26 09:29:29 2019

    Correct, the EU's food-safety chain does not allow the
    import of meats from most countries. Seafood is not a
    problem, so send me Maine-lobsters instead.

    Curious as to the distinction. Could it be because the lobsters would
    be shipped live and beef is not live? If so, could someone import a
    live steer?

    It goes either direction, one cannot import meats and dairy products either into the USA. I think it has to do with the food-safety chain. Also there is a strong belief in Europe that US beef is hormonal treated and that is a no-no here. Now some of my friends in Montana breed beef and they're shocked by that ...

    There's also worry here re: poultry because chicken meats in the US are often chlorine-washed while here it is outlawed stating that if you allow the meat to become contaminated, you should work on eliminating the source of the contamination instead of washing it away.

    Food-safety goes as far as to print a code on every egg to determine from which chicken coop it comes in case of issues.

    My comment re: Maine lobsters finds its origin in the tiny size of lobsters here ... they're fu**ing expensive in restaurants and often you'll be offered half of a tiny one.

    So when I'm in the Seattle area I always go to Salty's in Redondo, best seafood ever, also Aliotto's in San Francisco and that place I once was in New Hampshire I think, I can find it but don't know the name.

    One of the issues with seafood is it needs to be fresh. I once tried deep-frozen lobster ... neveuuur again.

    \%/@rd

    --- D'Bridge 3.99
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