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From: FRUIN@HLERUL5.BITNET (Thomas Fruin)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: The future of simple BBS boards...
Message-ID: <8711211704.AA12657@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: Sat, 21-Nov-87 10:02:00 EST
Article-I.D.: bu-cs.8711211704.AA12657
Posted: Sat Nov 21 10:02:00 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 23-Nov-87 04:18:51 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 34

Maybe this has already been discussed, since I'm only a recent member of this
mailing list, but has FidoNet been mentioned yet?  FidoNet is a worldwide
network of over 1000 bulletin boards, with electronic mail (with attached
files) and Usenet like news.

Each node acts as a normal BBS, but has special "areas" (newsgroups) where you
can enter messages that are routed to other BBSs at night.  Every night each
FidoNet BBS either calls or waits to be called by another BBS, and both of
them then swap messages and files.  Each BBS has a large nodelist, which tells
it how a message for a particular BBS should be routed.

FidoNet used to offer only electronic mail (it still does), but its news
service has become much more popular.  FidoNet news is called Echomail, because
messages are "echoed" to other systems.  It works completely transparent to
the user, and threads of messages and their replies are also kept.  There are
many many conferences on computer related topics, but also subjects such as
Greenpeace, Science Fiction, CDs, Movies etc.

FidoNet may very well be the largest computer network in the world, since each
node has approximately 500 callers.  That would make 1000 x 500 = 500.000 users
at least, and the network is growing by leaps and bounds.  The US has the most
nodes, but there are nodes all over Europe as well (about 60 in Holland).  And
there is at least one on each continent.  The important thing is that FidoNet
is accessible to _anybody_ almost _anywhere_.  No restrictions.

Check out a Fido BBS near you!

-- Thomas Fruin

   fruin@hlerul5.BITNET
   thomas@uvabick.UUCP
   2:500/15 on FidoNet

   Leiden University, Netherlands