Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!triceratops.cis.ohio-state.edu!karl
From: karl@triceratops.cis.ohio-state.edu (Karl Kleinpaste)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: CompuServe and others
Message-ID: <9198@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Date: 30 Mar 88 16:15:39 GMT
References: <8803241230.AA05954@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <644@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> <4210@cup.portal.com>
Sender: news@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
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In-reply-to: John_-_DeBert@cup.portal.com's message of 30 Mar 88 09:45:53 GMT


John_-_DeBert@cup.portal.com writes:
   It has been my experience, that though CompuServe does have USENET acc
   they will not allow accessto the vidtex service which their own subscribers
   normally see. 

I am sysop on CompuServe's UNIX Forum (volunteer; CompuServe does not
pay me).  CompuServe does not have access to Usenet in any fashion.  I
have been debating the creation of a mail gateway into/out of
CompuServe using my own account as the gate, but I have not yet
actually done anything about it.  It shouldn't be tough, using some
relatively simple scripts and a pseudo-UUCP connection over a comm.
program contributed by one of the forum participants; there's just
been no time to implement the gate.

   I discussed USENET access with their customer service reps - several of
   them (who seemed patently stupid...) and could not get through to them what
   USENET was or is. Nevertheless, they forwarded the suggestion.

When the UNIX Forum was created last summer, the Powers That Be
expressed concern (as distinct from interest, mind you) in what Usenet
was, primarily for legal reasons surrounding who is responsible for
what.  I wrote a bunch of mail messages describing Usenet, its
anarchistic ways, the lack of legally-identifiable people, where news
comes from and goes to, what transport is used, and all that sort of
thing.  Once they knew that they couldn't be attacked by the Thing
called Usenet, they were appeased...and promptly lost all memory of
it, as far as I can tell.

--Karl