Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!columbia!caip!princeton!allegra!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!ihnp4!chinet!randy From: randy@chinet.UUCP (randy) Newsgroups: net.mail,net.news.config,net.news.newsite,net.net-people Subject: Re: Looking for Chicago Usenet Access Message-ID: <552@chinet.UUCP> Date: Mon, 15-Sep-86 18:33:31 EDT Article-I.D.: chinet.552 Posted: Mon Sep 15 18:33:31 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 16-Sep-86 21:36:56 EDT References: <964@hou2g.UUCP> <5082@cbrma.UUCP> <2531@cbosgd.UUCP> <663@looking.UUCP> Reply-To: randy@chinet.UUCP (Randy Suess-) Organization: chi-net, Public Access UN*X, Chicago IL Lines: 91 Xref: mnetor net.mail:1184 net.news.config:468 net.news.newsite:405 net.net-people:791 Hi. I don't subscribe to this group, so sorry this reply is so late. I guess the original posting about this has expired here, so I can only go by what replies I can see and the reports from friends that told me this was going on. I am the owner of chinet. It is my personal system, having nothing to do with any company. I have it, along with a number of other unix systems and pc's as a hobby. Myself and Ward Christensen are co- inventers of CBBS, the original bbs, and that machine is still running next to chinet. This system ( a 3b2/300 with 8 2400 baud modems) and it's older brother, a pair of Altos 586's were open for public access to any interested person with full news access and uucp capabilities for almost two years. I never charged for use or ever planned on it. Earlier this summer, I got a call from ihnp4 saying they were shutting me off, because someone had found some proprietary AT&T source code on my system. Turns out that there were a couple of AT&T types on the east coast that were calling public access systems, downloading source code, then reporting it to AT&T. The problem was cleared up, but I had a choice to make. Either shut the system down, or come up with some method of keeping that from happening again. The first was not acceptable. I could make the system strictly pay-for-use, like many bbs's, but I want a *public access* system. So a friend and myself came up with a "sublogin" system on the 3b2. Basically it is a complete unix subsystem with everything that the 3b2 and SysV offers, except for off site communications and usenet. It is completey open to anyone interested in unix. I also run the PicoSpan conferencing system witch is also completly open. Again, this is a personal system, and with 12 fone lines, 3b2, 2400 baud modems etc., I had been taking donations (unsolicited) from regular users to take care of the fone expenses. So we came up with a scheme to be able to keep track of the users who had off-site access and to provide an incentive to "contribute" to chinet's existance. There is a "contributor" fee if $50 a year to have full access to the system, including off site uucp, special "contributor" only lines and usenet. I don't really see where $50 a year is being "commercial" None of the contributors do either, as most think that is too low, and send a lot more. I have over 30 uucp connections (with their own uucp only line) and feed a number of large commercial sites a full news feed. The majority of the users, contributors and guest alike, consider chinet a service, and their ownly access to unix and news. Because I feel chinet should not be an embarasement to the net I feel it is my right and responsibility to make sure that anyone that has access to usenet acts in a responsible manner. I believe the person that started this whole discussion off (I don't really know, as I can't find the original posting) signed on here as guest and immediately made a pest of himself via mail postings and comments in the conferencing system. From his postings, it seemed that he "demanded" the right to usenet and wanted it "now". It happens that during the time of his impatience, I had some other things to do, and could not reply to him immediately. He took this as personal affront, and became more obnoxious. I finally told him that usenet was restricted, and that there were other systems were available. That was the last I heard of him. In article <663@looking.UUCP> brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) writes: >In article <2531@cbosgd.UUCP> mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton) writes: >> >> >>Similarly, a public access host like chinet or well might be a general >>purpose UNIX machine, run by a ``computer center'' like entity, which >>charges for access to the machine, and happens to have connections >>into Usenet and/or UUCP. Chinet can't charge for the right to receive >>or send mail or news, but they can charge for the machine resources on >>chinet consumed by a user receiving or sending mail or news. I believe this is what I am doing. > >>Also, chinet doesn't have an exclusive >>franchise in Chicago to redistribute netnews, so if they charge an >>unreasonable fee, there's nothing to stop a user from finding someone >>else to connect in through instead. I *don't* charge anything for feeding news. > >-- >Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473 I am really concerned that this came up without anyone informing me of what was happening. If the time for my type of system has come and gone, than I can shut it down. It sure won't hurt me or cause me any financial hardships, just the opposite. But I like providing a service and really enjoy UNIX and the net. This is a way I can share it with others, but if it causes too much anxiety to the net community, it will be a lot easier to shut it down than it was to bring it up. -- .. that's the biz, sweetheart... Randy Suess chinet - Public Access UN*X (312) 545 7535 (h) (312) 283 0559 (system) ..!ihnp4!chinet!randy