Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!percival!jamesd
From: jamesd@percival.UUCP (James Deibele)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Alternative to FAX for some folks
Message-ID: <1405@percival.UUCP>
Date: 20 Oct 88 07:35:32 GMT
References: <1856@loral.UUCP>
Reply-To: jamesd@percival.UUCP (James Deibele)
Followup-To: comp.dcom.modems
Organization: Percy's UNIX, Portland, OR.
Lines: 32

I was interested in your message about realtors using Procomm to dial up a
centralized site to access listings.  Something that could do much the same
thing, plus allow two-way transfer of files and messages, would be any of the
FidoNet programs (Dutchie, SEAdog, Front Door, D'Bridge, Opus, Lynx, Binkley,
many other options).  Many of the programs I mention are free, which might
cause some problems --- if the program itself is free, some people might be
reluctant to pay for the services.  

FidoNet can gateway to usenet and back for mail, and some systems are now
sharing groups with Echomail (FidoNet's equivalent).  We're trying to get
more people on-line locally, but the fact that we're doing it as volunteers
gets in the way sometimes (each person takes less time to set up, because I
have now written an 80K text file explaining what and why, and I've cleaned
up my own installation programs and things, but I've put hundreds of hours
into the project.  The fact that other people are doing likewise makes it
worthwhile.).  One example of something we're trying to do is get many of the
local non-profit organizations to communicate using the modems and computers
many of them were given (one per organization) by the state of Oregon.  The
problem here is limited time (the computers are used practically 24 hours a
day, for fund-raising and so on), limited computer knowledge, and limited
volunteer time. 

Many people and organizations have PC's (Atari ST's and Amiga's can also use
FidoNet) and modems keep dropping in price.  By using FidoNet to poll for
their messages, then read them on their own system, we conserve resources all
the way around.  I'd be happy to talk to anyone who's interested in hearing
more about what's doing with FidoNet...

-- 
James S. Deibele   jamesd@qiclab or jamesd@percival
TECHbooks: The Computer Book Specialists   (800) TECH-BKS
3646 SE Division  Portland, OR  97202      (503) 238-1005
TECHbooks One BBS (#1:105/4.0); 3/12/24    (503) 760-1473