Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!mcgill-vision!bloom-beacon!snorkelwacker!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!well!dsmall
From: dsmall@well.UUCP (David Small)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: USENET -> GEnie uplink now working
Keywords: usenet,genie,gadgets,uplink,messages
Message-ID: <15097@well.UUCP>
Date: 19 Dec 89 06:00:28 GMT
Lines: 98


	It's time to announce that there is now a working uplink
from USENET to GEnie. Each note posted into comp.sys.atari.st is sorted
by topic, and uploaded to "Category 10" of the Gadgets RT on GEnie.
The link's been up around two weeks, and there's about 2,000 messages posted
there (we kept a backlog to build a "base").

	The link is one way. GEnie makes its living selling information
bases to the public, and doesn't want them downloaded and distributed freely.
There's something about an "anthology copyright" that I don't want to have
trouble with, either. I just want to get the maximum freedom of information
exchange possible between these networks; GEnie could *badly* use the
technical and international information posted here routinely.

	I wanted to let you know to prevent invading anyone's privacy.
GEnie acts just like another (receive-only) site, but many people here are on
GEnie as well. I also wanted to advise Atari employees of this. If someone
has a real need not to have their notes forwarded to GEnie, I will be happy
to put a "filter" on to prevent it by request; just email me at this net
address, okay? I don't want to cause anyone problems.

	On the uplink, we scan the "subject" field of the USENET note, and
use that to determine what "topic" the file goes into as a GEnie note.
For instance, this enables us to group all Spectre notes together, all
hard disk notes, all TT notes, and whatnot.

	While I see little possibility of GEnie notes being downlinked into
USENET (and it's just as well; the GEnie load might overwhelm USENET, and
anyway the cultures are different betwen the nets), I do see a very good
possibility of setting up a 2-way mail link, run through here. I am *very*
open to suggestions on this; I'm no Unix guru by any means.

	What I envision, and this would not take too much doing, is having
people send notes to the Gadgets UNIX machine
(at net address   !hplabs!boulder.edu!tcr!gadgets!genie), with some sort
of TO: (genie mail address). Going the other way,probably there would be
some sort of GEnie ID to send mail to (why not USENET?), and again,
an addressing line in the note -- TO: hplabs!well!dsmall. I believe I could
handle notes that "bounce back" or flop.

	Overall, I have found GEnie management to be quite positive to the
idea of a link, I think there's real hope for 2-way mail. Hacking the link
together took some doing; the primary problem is error-tolerant modem
communications.

	Anyway, I would like to solicit suggestions for how to implement mail
(just mail to this address), make sure that if anyone minds having their
replies uplinked, they let me know, and in general announce the net
connection.

	It seems to me like a benefit for everyone involved, especially
if/when 2-waymail gets going.

	Systems like Compuserve and BIX could also fairly easily be done,
now that the methodology is hacked through; also, other areas on GEnie are
expressing great interest in having a USENET uplink. Basically, folks, 
USENET is perceived as the place where the people who know what they're
doing post notes.

	Again, GEnie is a read-only site. I'm not dumping the GEnie message
load onto USENET; mail is presently not up, but has a very good chance.

	Finally, yes, Gadgets does make a percentage of connect time people
spend in it on GEnie. However, before anyone starts talking about how we're
doing this to basically make money, let me point out that since the Gadgets
RT started, *all* profits made from GEnie have been sent *directly* outside
the company to the volunteers who maintain the RT, and who are underpaid for
their work, in my opinion. I personally am making nothing on this.

	Why do it? Because a long time ago, on the CERL site on PLATO, a
person named Sherwin Gooch, ex-PLATO, ex-Atari, and now with Apple, 
introduced me to the hacker ethic and freedom of information exchange as
its primary goal. (No, not illegal exchange, you know what I mean). People
on GEnie, for instance, were desperate for TT news; it was available here
in abundance.

	If anyone feels this is wrong, I'll be more than happy to listen and
if convinced, drop the link. Likewise, if you think it's an alright idea,
don't care, or whatever, let me know.

	My WELL address is : !hplabs!well!dsmall,or dsmall@well.sf.ca.us.
I don't always get on as much as I should.

	My UNIX machine downstairs, where the notes vector through to GEnie,
is !hplabs!boulder.edu!tcr!gadgets  [!dsmall if you want me]. I'm such a
net neophyte that I don't know *if* it's possible to do a dsmall@something for
my address, nor how. Heck, I don't know what FTP *is* or how to do it -- but
if someone wants to drop me email, or just a pointer on how to do it, I
would be grateful.

	Well, enough said. I hope this leads to good things -- GEnie users
getting good information on time, for instance.

	-- many thanks, Dave Small / Gadgets by Small

p.s. You realize I don't yet understand how to handle "prepared file to
include?" It keeps showing up at the top of my notes. Oh, for the time to
do more...