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NetMonth, October 1986
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* The monthly guide to BITNET servers and services *
*******************************************************************
Volume 1 Number 4 October 1986
Editor: Chris Condon BITLIB@YALEVMX
Bitnotes ........................................................ 1
Publishing an Electronic Magazine by David A. Liscomb ........... 2
New Mailing Lists ............................................... 4
The DPMA Servers by Thomas Henderson ............................ 6
Your Questions Answered by the BITNET Executive Committee ....... 9
New List Servers ............................................... 13
Spotlight Server: NDCSNEWS@NDSUVM1 ............................. 13
Feedback ....................................................... 15
/[----[ ------------------------------
/ [ [ ] /]
/ [ [ ----------------------/ / ]
/ [ [ [ / / ]
/ [ [ [ -------------/ / /
/ /[ [ [ [ [ [ / / /
/ / [ [ [ [ [ [ / / /
/ / [ [ [ [ [ [ / / /
/ / / [ [ [ [ [ [ / /
/ / / [ [ [ [ [ [ / /
/ / / [ [ [ [ [ [/ /
] / /------------ [ [ [ /
] / / [ [ [ /
] / /---------------------- [ [ /
]/ ] [ [ /
----------------------------- [----[
A complete list of servers and services is available from any
NETSERV file server as the file named BITNET SERVERS. News, article
submissions, additions to the list of servers and services,
subscription requests, and Letters to the Editor should be sent to
BITLIB @ YALEVMX. (ARPANET: BITLIB%YALEVMX.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU)
Subscribers to NetMonth are also sent BITNET SERVERS updates.
Printing this file: VM users can print this magazine with page
breaks by first copying or renaming it to NETMONTH LISTING and then
printing that file with your local file printing command.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
FuzzyBytes Electronic Publishing "Because We're Here."
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*************************************************************************
* Bitnotes Issue 4 *
***************************************************************************
Servers and People...
Every week or so I get a mail message from some new BITNET user or another
requesting that I send him BITNET USERHELP or BITNET SERVERS or even a back
of NetMonth. I don't mind this, and gladly send them what they need, but
some of those requests are strangely rude:
SENDME BITNET USERHELP
Oh, so you want that file, Huh? Couldn't you even say "please"? Then it
dawns on me that this poor person must think that I am a file server of
some sort. I send them the file they requested and a brief note explaining
that I am indeed human and would appreciate being addressed as such in
the future, thank you. All of this is in good fun and I am not offended in
any way. However...
Aren't we rude to our servers?
We don't even say "thank you", let alone "please" for those valuable
services they offer. We just DEMAND that they respond to our COMMANDS and
they meekly OBEY. Brutal, no? Therefore, I suggest a new server protocol,
one where requests replace commands. For example:
TELL CSNEWS AT MAINE PLEASE SENDME BITNET USERHELP
FROM MAINE(CSNEWS): The file BITNET USERHELP is being sent to you.
TELL CSNEWS AT MAINE THANK YOU
FROM MAINE(CSNEWS): You are quite welcome.
Of course, that sort of thing could get out of hand...
TELL CSNEWS AT MAINE PLEASE SENDME BITNAUTS LIST
FROM MAINE(CSNEWS): Say pretty please with sugar on it.
***************************************************************************
Speaking of servers, I received this note recently:
Date: 16 October 1986, 11:58:06 EST
Dear Chris,
I am happy to inform you that we have here at PTEARN a NETSERV running.
Best regards;
Pedro Amorim
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For those of you who are not familiar with NETSERV, here is a summary of
commands:
GET filename filetype Obtain a file from NETSERV.
SENDME filename filetype Same as GET
HELP < helptype > Obtain helpfile or specific help-info.
Q CMD List NETSERV commands available to users.
Q FILE filename filetype Display information about file.
NETSERV also offers a User Database and will accept commands sent via both
mail and interactive message.
***************************************************************************
Thanks to Zvika Bar-Deroma and Oren Yulevitch for this bit of information:
There is a new Relay running at TAUNIVM. Speaking of which, Zvika
encountered a brief problem with of the other Relays, but you can read
about that in the Feedback column.
Other people who deserve thanks, above and beyond the call of duty:
Dave Liscomb, who kindly volunteered to write the article "Publishing an
Electronic Magazine". Dave, as you probably know, is eminently qualified
to write on that topic, since he is Editor of FSFNET, the BITNET Science
Fiction / Fantasy fanzine.
Thomas Henderson, who wrote about the new DPMA (Data Processing Management
Association) file servers.
Judy Molka, for allowing me to print "Your Questions Answered" by the
BITNET Executive Committee.
Rich Zellich, who doesn't receive the credit he deserves for sending me
information on new mailing lists.
Last, but not least, thanks to Jeff Kell and /[----[
Harold Pritchett, who provided me with the / [ [
instructions for mailing NetMonth and / [ [
BITNET SERVERS via the new LISTSERV. / [ [
/ [ [
/ /[ [ [
/ / [ [ [
Until next month... / / [ [ [
/ / / [ [ [
Virtually, / / / [ [ [
/ / / [ [ [
Chris ] / /------------ [
BITLIB@YALEVMX ] / / [
] / /----------------------
]/ ]
-----------------------------
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*************************************************************************
* Publishing an Electronic Magazine: a gothic romance by David A. Liscomb *
***************************************************************************
The following article was prepared with the cooperation of the editors of
several popular BITNET electronic magazines. My thanks go to Chris
Condon, editor of NetMonth; Andy and Michele Robinson, editors of Vm/Com;
and Brent Britton, editor of Nutworks. I have tried to incorporate their
advice with my own experiences as editor of the electronic magazine FSFnet.
This article is primarily intended for people interested in editing an
electronic magazine, and for those users who wish to know just what it
takes to make a BITNET magazine succeed. I will deal with four specific
areas of concern for myself and other editors: how to start an electronic
magazine, how to increase the number of readers of your zine, the
problems of soliciting submissions, and the difficulties of distribution.
In the final section the editors of the above magazines discuss what
hints they would give to prospective editors of BITNET magazines.
The first step in establishing an electronic magazine should ideally be
planning out what need the magazine will fill, how it will interest
users, and the magazine's format and contents. Of course, many BITNET
magazines have simply spontaneously generated. For example, NetMonth
began simply as a user maintaining a list of BITNET servers. For this
reason, many editors fail to anticipate the dimensions their project will
reach. Ideally, a magazine should fill a noticeable void in the network.
For example, before FSFnet, there was no BITNET science fiction forum for
authors or readers, despite a very healthy interest. Any electronic
magazine, to be successful, must both fill a distinct need by users as
well as sparking their interest.
If your magazine fills such a need and is well-written, the readership
often takes care of itself. Many editors will attribute their popularity
to the "one user tells two, and so on" theory. However, this is not
always the case. In addition to word of mouth, another method of gaining
exposure to potential readers is by advertising. Many file servers are
willing to maintain informational files about electronic magazines, and
there are several BITNET news magazines (NetMonth, Vm/Com to name two)
who are very willing to spread the news of a new BITNET magazine. By
advertising in the proper places and by encouraging users to spread the
word about your magazine, you will be insured of a healthy readership.
Perhaps the single most critical and pervasive problem that BITNET
electronic magazines face is a common inability to obtain original
submissions. In most cases, users seem legitimately interested in writing
articles, but with most network users being either students or computing
staff, other priorities often get in the way. This is a serious and
permanent problem for some magazines, as editors cannot be expected to
write entire issues alone. I believe that the secret to getting
submissions is to motivate potential writers. This might at first seem
obvious, but it is very difficult to put into practice. In FSFnet, I have
organized a special writing project, which has been particularly
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productive. Unfortunately, this tactic is specific to fantasy fiction,
and is virtually useless to other types of magazines. This remains the
primary problem area for most BITNET magazines, including
well-established ones, who still must face this issue daily.
Another difficulty which arises after a magazine has been established is
distribution. By their very nature, BITNET magazines are very large
files, and are sent in large numbers. To avoid abuse of the network,
editors must come up with an efficient method of distribution. Oddly
enough, none of the above magazines are distributed in the same manner.
Nutworks is not distributed at all, but sent to a number of file servers,
where users may request them on their own. Some magazines are sent
through MAILERs, which cuts down on network load. Many, like FSFnet, are
simply sent directly at odd hours. I would strongly suggest to anyone
thinking of starting a BITNET magazine to look into the LISTSERV
machines. They are the most efficient method of distribution of large
numbers of files, and they have the added benefit of allowing
inter-network mailing, which is a concern of large, established magazines.
After discussing these questions with the above editors, I asked them
what suggestions they would give to prospective editors. Their responses
were not always complimentary, although I think some insight may be
gained from each. Brent Britton stressed that the editor must be prepared
to devote a large quantity of time to his project, as he has taken the
responsibility of maintaining it, and should honor interest expressed by
the readership. Chris Condon said that the editor should not simply fish
for praise, but actively ask for criticism from the readership, in order
to improve the magazine and better serve the interests of the readership.
There was some disagreement as to whether a magazine should adhere to a
strict publication schedule. While FSFnet, Vm/Com, and Nutworks appear
(very) irregularly, NetMonth comes out right on schedule. It appears that
whether the magazine is published in a certain time period is wholly up
to the editor, but that if the magazine has a specified publication
schedule, that schedule should be followed if possible.
These are, of course, only a few of the lessons the above editors have
learned in the publication of their magazines. If you have any questions,
feel free to address them to myself. I'm sure that any of the other
editors would be happy to honor reasonable questions posed of them as well.
David A. Liscomb,
CSNEWS Maintenance Operator
Editor, FSFnet BITNET Magazine
*************************************************************************
* New Mailing Lists *
***************************************************************************
AUDIO@UMASS
Moderated mailing list (digest) dealing with any aspect of audio - for
discussions ranging from product reviews, to questions on the technical
side of audio equipment.
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All requests to be added to or deleted from this list, problems, questions,
etc., should be sent to the Moderator.
Moderator: Fidelis Orozco
HY-PEOPLE@AMES-NASB.ARPA
Mailing list for the discussion of hyperchannel networks within the context
of an IP network.
All requests to be added to or deleted from this list, problems, questions,
etc., should be sent to HY-PEOPLE-REQUEST@AMES-NASB.ARPA.
Coordinator: John Lekashman
ISODE@NRTC.NORTHROP.COM
Discussion group focusing on the ISO Development Environment, an openly
available implementation of some of the higher-level protocols adopted by
international organizations (ISO, CCITT, ECMA). These implementations are
hosted on top of TCP/IP using the method discussed in RFC983. Appropriate
topics are:
- Questions about how to use ISODE (and announcements of ports to other
target environments)
- Discussion of ISODE as a part of a TCP/IP to ISO migration strategy
- Exchange of ideas regarding ISO-based applications running in a
native TCP/IP environment
- Debate regarding where ISODE should go next
The list naturally has some overlap with the TCP-IP list, the ISO list, and
so on; contributors are urged to use the appropriate list based on their
topic of discussion.
All requests to be added to or deleted from this list, problems, questions,
etc., should be sent to ISODE-Request@NRTC.NORTHROP.COM.
Coordinator: Marshall T. Rose
NetMonth
A special product of BITLIB, the Yale Computer Center BITNET Services
Library, is an electronic publication called NetMonth. NetMonth provides
news and information on BITNET services to the networking community. It is
mailed out monthly along with a companion file, BITNET SERVERS. This file
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contains an accumulated list of known file servers, list servers, name
servers, data base servers, conference machines, and electronic magazines
in BITNET. While the information in NetMonth and BITNET SERVERS is geared
toward the BITNET user, there may be some interest for users in other
networks.
All requests to be added to or deleted from this list, problems, questions,
etc., should be sent to BITLIB@YALEVMX.
Coordinator: Chris Condon
*************************************************************************
* The DPMA Servers by Thomas Henderson *
***************************************************************************
Hello all! I am happy to announce the extension of DPMA's services to
all BITNET users. We hope you will enjoy them, and invite you to try
them out and send any comments/criticisms to us via the Feedback file or
the bulletin board.
DPMA stands for the Data Processing Management Association. This is an
international organization of important business leaders who are involved
in data processing. There are also student chapters at many colleges
around the United States.
The server was originally written to serve as a "News Service" for the
Club here at UWF (the University of West Florida in Pensacola). However,
when the DPMA account was noticed by Ken Bateh, Public Relations officer
for DPMA at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, we decided
to send a copy there. We immediately made provisions for the "inter-DPMA"
commands, but outside users still had no access.
And then it happened! I finally set aside time to sit down and modify the
code to make DPMA accessable to all BITNET users. We have been running
DPMA experimentally this way for about 2 weeks now, and everything seems to
work fine, so we wanted to let you all in on the server's existance.
The following are instructions for using both DPMA@UNFVM and DPMA@UWF.
Please note that DPMA@UWF is available 24 hours a day, and DPMA@UNFVM is
available most of the time, but since it is not autologged it may not be
available after a system IPL.
USING DPMA:
DPMA is a file server much like CSNEWS, NETSERV, and VMBBOARD. It's main
function is to keep students informed of DPMA's activities help those
interested in DPMA learn more about the Association. DPMA provides
users with the ability to query the latest DPMA news bulletin, locate
DPMA members who are logged on the system, let DPMA administrators know of
user's interest to join, and make suggestions or comments for the
Association.
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In addition, members of DPMA may use the account to look at the special
"members only" bulletin and sign up for participation in Club activities.
To use any of the commands listed below, send them to one of the DPMA
servers via interactive message. For example:
VM/CMS: TELL DPMA AT UWF HELP
VAX/VMS/jnet: SEND/REMOTE UNFVM DPMA "HELP"
Each of the following commands will be in the following format:
COMMAND: description...... (command availability).
"Command availability" refers to the type of user who can use a particular
command. The different command classes are:
All: all users everywhere have access to this command.
To: Available through use of the To command for other DPMA VMs.
Member: Available to DPMA members on-site only
Onsite: Available to all users on-site only
GENERAL USER COMMANDS:
Help: Lists all of the commands available to you with short explanation
and format provided. (all)
News: Displays the most current news update for DPMA. (Onsite, Member,
To)
Members: Displays a list of all of the DPMA members who are currently
logged on the system. This command is useful for anyone who
needs to contact DPMA. (all)
Feedback: Allows you to register your comments and suggestions to DPMA. To
use this command, simply enter "FEEDBACK" followed by your
comments. (all)
Example: "FEEDBACK This is a wonderful server."
FB: Same as Feedback. (all)
Join: Use this command if you are interested in joining DPMA. Format
is:
"JOIN (your name) PH: (your phone number)"
*** Important *** Make sure not to forget the "PH:" in this
command, or it will be rejected! (onsite)
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Printme: This command causes a printout with your userid in the header
to be printed on the student printer. Format is:
"DPMA PRINTME (subject)"
Where (subject) can be a question mark or blank to obtain a list
of valid subjects, or the subject file you wish to print.
(onsite)
Stats: The Stats command displays DPMA's level of activity. Among the
values displayed are the time DPMA was started, CPU usage, and the
number of incoming and outgoing messages. (all)
Send: This command causes a file to be sent to you using the standard
sendfile routine. Your choices are:
Send Newsletter - get the latest copy of the DPMA newsletter.
Send Systats - get the DPMA system stats sent to you as a file.
Send Helpfile - get a copy of the DPMA helpfile
Send Board - get a copy of the DPMA bulleting board file.
Send Feedback - get a copy of the feedback file
(all)
The commands listed here can be abbreviated to as few as two characters.
Example: "HE" Displays help list.
THE DPMA BULLETIN BOARD:
The Bulletin board is for public use by anyone at any computer center.
To use it, create a file with a filetype of "BOARD", like "MY BOARD A0"
and send it to DPMA server. It will be added to the board on all DPMA
servers, so you don't have to send it to all of them. We ask that you
keep the file to less than 60 lines in length, and that you refrain from
using offensive language in the file. Other than that, you have no
limitations.
Due to limited disk space, the file must be kept below 500 lines in length.
Therefore, files will be eliminated in a FIFO order. In other words, if
ALICE@WODERLAND has a file at the top of the board, and MAD@HATTER adds an
entry which causes the total board file to be longer than 500 records, the
entry by ALICE@WONDERLAND will be removed.
Well, that's all for now! Hope to hear from you soon!
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*************************************************************************
* Your Questions Answered by the BITNET Executive Committee *
***************************************************************************
Q1. The general resources for the BITNIC seem rather high. Can you
address the staffing levels, salary, and overhead? Do we have any way to
judge how reasonable or unreasonable the BITNIC's approach/costs are?
A1. The BITNET Executive Committee is convinced that the BITNIC services
we propose are the core services required to maintain a reliable BITNET.
Further, we have ample evidence that the costs to provide these services
are reasonable. (Reference document on NICSERVE@BITNIC: PROPOSED SCOPE)
Levels - The proposed 5.5 FTEs seem just adequate to provide the minimum
core of essential services. In fact, this assumes a greater degree of
"automation" in the BITNIC's day-to-day functioning than currently exists.
It is also interesting to note that we can identify at least 11 people in
EARN who are funded for fulltime work on EARN. (This includes
approximately 7 who receive funding from IBM.) That's twice the funded
fulltime staff to manage a bit more that half the nodes.
Salaries - BITNIC staff are paid on the same salary scale as other EDUCOM
employees. EDUCOM salaries are competitive with academic institutions in
the metropolitan areas of Philadelphia and New York City. Annual
adjustments to EDUCOM salaries are reviewed by a board of directors
comprised mostly of members from higher education. These adjustments are
in line with those in higher education.
Overhead - The overhead rate of 85% is calculated on salaries and fringes.
This is a government audited rate and has been accepted without challenge
by various government agencies, NSF, various states, the Pew Foundation,
and others.
There are dramatically different ways to calculate overhead, which is not
surprising given its vague role of covering those costs associated with
the operations of an organization. Typically it covers such costs as rent,
heat, electricity, accounting, personnel, legal fees, computing, furniture,
facilities maintenance, etc. (Note that in academic institutions such costs
are often in the central administration's budget or handled via a
chargeback.)
The variations depend on what an organization charges to overhead, whether
or not it uses a chargeback mechanism, and on what the overhead 'base' is,
i.e., salaries alone vs salaries plus direct expenses vs those along with
maintenance payments.
Approach/Costs - When a preliminary inquiry about a management proposal was
made of Bolt Beranek and Newman, Inc. (operators of the CSNET Coordination
and Information Center), they indicated they would be unable to submit a
bid for both budgetary and technical reasons.
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CSNET services approximately 171 departmental nodes with the user community
essentially limited to Computer Science, Mathematics, and Engineering
faculty. This is in contrast to the more than 200 institutions on BITNET
with almost 900 nodes. Yet the projected CSNET revenues for this fiscal
year are more than twice those that would be generated for the network
under the current fee structure.
Thus far no institution has proposed an alternative to the BITNIC as
supported by the BITNET Executive Committee. Remember, the IBM grant came
at a point when the cost of CUNY's volunteer resources was at its very
limit.
The Executive Committee has scrutinized the proposed BITNIC services and
budget down to the .1 of an FTE. We have trimmed away any service that
we felt was unnecessary for the network and have required that EDUCOM
defend in detail all its cost/service figures. The current Executive
Committee BITNIC proposal is, in the minds of the committee, an excellent
starting point for a membership funded network information center.
Q2. Why does the BITNIC need its own computer? This adds to the
membership fees and should be avoidable given all the computing available
on the network. Perhaps some arrangement could be made for the BITNIC
staff to have access to cycles at some major university computing
installation.
A2. The relationship of the services proposed by the BITNIC (PROPOSED
SCOPE on NICSERVE) and the need for a machine dedicated to BITNIC staff is
well presented in NIC4361 JUSTIFIC (recently installed on NICSERVE).
Several alternatives to the BITNIC's having and running its own computer
were considered. A request for facilities management was made of one major
university and a price of $250,000/year was quoted. A casual inquiry was
made of another major university and the proposed figure was said to be
reasonable and about the same as its own formal response might be.
A not-for-profit company that is on BITNET and does facilities management
for academic computers presented several formal facilities management bids,
the lowest of which was more than $350,000/year.
A major university proposed that the BITNIC use the excess cycles on one of
the university's IBM computers. This would cost $150,000/year. However,
it did not include logon access to the machine, hence no communications
costs and a dramatic reduction in functionality for the BITNIC staff.
Another major university matched the $150,000 figure and included remote
logon. This did not include ongoing communications expenses and BITNIC's
maintenance of local communications equipment.
The Executive Committee supported proposal is also for $150,000/year.
This includes all machine operations and staffing and provides for the
increase in functionality one gains with a local machine. Since the machine
would be owned and run by the BITNIC, increased future usage would not lead
to increased expenses as would be the case with contracted for computing
services.
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Q3. What power does EDUCOM/BITNIC have over BITNET policy, funding, etc.?
Just where does this power rest?
A3. BITNET is an academic network whose control must and will continue to
rest with the BITNET academic user community. This Executive Committee is
the first attempt at formalizing a representative body of that user
community to carry on the interests of the network. The representative
nature of this body will become more "accurate" as the BITNET Charter is
implemented with its provisions for elections, etc.
EDUCOM is an agency that the BITNET Executive Committee proposes, upon the
approval of the current BITNET electorate (the BITDIRs at each site), to
hire to provide network information center services through the BITNIC. As
such, the BITNIC will function under the guidance of the Executive
Committee. The BITNIC has no power whatsoever to make policy decisions,
though the Executive Committee will consult the BITNIC because of its
channels to BITNET and other network activities.
The Executive Committee would define what constitutes policy and make
policy decisions insofar as it is empowered by the network to do so. It may
also be that certain policy decisions are made directly by the BITNET
electorate.
Q4. The Executive Committee claims to want open communications. Why then
is the BITDIR list a closed list, i.e., why can't all users send directly
to that LISTSERV list?
A4. The BITDIR list is closed because the BITDIRs requested it. The
utility of conducting completely open discussions on lists with several
hundred people is doubtful.
The intention of the Executive Committee was to solicit feedback from the
BITDIRs and from the BITNET users whom they represent. We feel this can
best be accomplished by users communicating with BITDIRs who can in turn
relay compilations of user concerns to the Executive Committee. This
would enable us to have some perspective on what the position and "mood" of
the network is with regard to the current proposals.
Q5. Why won't all or a majority of the BITNET Executive Committee be up
for election in January, 1987, under the Revised Charter?
A5. (Answer from John Young, BITNET Executive Committee)
I don't have any problem with this if it's what the member institutions
want. I was the last representative to the present Executive Committee to
join in the past year's meeting marathon, and I have certainly not been the
most active. And I have spent a great deal of time and effort, often to
almost the exclusion of all my other job duties, working on this BITNET
transition. I can only conclude that many of the other members who have
obviously been more involved than I have must have made a very considerable
investment of their time and talent in this project.
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Now, I am not complaining. It has been rewarding, and I certainly think
that if we succeed, it will have all been worthwhile. On the other hand,
I am not one to begrudge my fellow BITDIRs the pleasure of all-day meetings
at the Newark Airport, or the excitement of midnight bus rides between
LaGuardia and Newark when airlines terminate the last flight of the day
with no advance notice. But I digress.
The present Executive Committee felt that by continuing to serve over the
next year, we would provide a measure of continuity during the transition
period. Since the changes involved are the most comprehensive since the
beginning of BITNET, we felt that there is some advantage to "not changing
horses in the middle of the stream," etc. Of course, there is nothing to
say that some, or even all, of the current members of the Committee might
be re-elected, and certainly a popular vote of confidence would be healthy.
But if a large number of the members changed at one time, this would cause
a considerable discontinuity in the management structure of BITNET; this
is risky, and I submit that very few organizations would respond well to
such a dislocation.
Our approach may be more cautious and conservative than you would like,
but ourrationale has been that we are facing enough risk in the uncertainty
of going from a subsidized to a self-supporting mode of operation without
compounding the situation with a major change in the players at this time.
We did allow for the orderly transition of representation to be phased over
the next several years. I suggest that evolution, rather than revolution,
in the management of BITNET, is not an unreasonable approach, and that it
has much to recommend it. And even at this rate, it is possible that in
just over two years there could an entirely new membership of the Executive
Committee.
However, to the extent that you still disagree with my reasoning, I will
make just 2 points. You need to be certain that there are, in fact, 7
BITDIRs whose institutions are prepared to commit their time and resources
to serve on the Executive Committee. This is not an insignificant
commitment to request, especially in a time of decreased academic funding
in many of our member institutions. And the first year of operation under
the revised organization is going to require a great deal of attention by
the Executive Committee members. Second, if you want to effect a more
rapid turn-over than that suggested in our proposal, I urge you to at
least consider less drastic options than proposing all or a majority of
the members stand for election.
*
*** *
** * * *
* * * **
* ***
*
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*************************************************************************
* New List Servers *
***************************************************************************
Distribution lists from LISTSERV at DEARN
CHAT-L - Distribution list for the Chat program
IBM7171 - Protocol Converter list
MAILBOOK - MAIL/MAILBOOK subscription list
MEDINF-L - Communication between People working in Medical Informatics
S-COMPUT - Super Computers list
Distribution lists from LISTSERV at RUTVM1
CYBER-L - CYBER Discussion List
FUTURE-L - BITNET Futures List
IBM-NETS - IBM Networks List
LIAISON - BITNET Liaison List
LSTSRV-L - The Revised LISTSERV distribution list
MAIL-L - BITNET Mail Discussion List
MON-L - BITNET Monitoring List
PROFS-L - PROFS discussion
S-COMPUT - Super Computers list
STD-L - BITNET Standards List
TRANS-L - BITNET Transport List
UG-L - BITNET Usage Guidelines List
XMAILER - Crosswell Mailer List
MAILBOOK - MAIL/MAILBOOK subscription list
*************************************************************************
* Spotlight Server: NDCSNEWS@NDSUVM1 *
***************************************************************************
NDCSNEWS @ NDSUVM1 is a help facility maintained by the North Dakota
Higher Education Computer Network, with the support of the CSNEWS staff
from CSNEWS @ MAINE. Originally, this account was initiated as a local
CSNEWS contact, and while the service has expanded to include file and
name search support, the interest in assistance for the NDSUVM1 node is
of prime concern.
The individual currently (1986) in charge is A. D. Jensen, of the
University of North Dakota Geography Department. In order to consult with
this staff member, please send a short mail message detailing whatever
information you are interested in. The mail on this account is checked
daily, and help will be shortly forthcoming.
As noted above, this server provides two services to remote nodes as well
as local users, access to the data base of HECN users, in a name server
format, and the distribution of public domain files.
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To use the name server, send the following command via interactive message
(For example, TELL or SEND/REMOTE):
WHO str1 str2 str3
where str1, str2 & str3 are strings which are to be searched for in the
HECN database. It is not necessary to include more than one string, as
the others are allowed to cut down on the number of large returns. For
example, typing:
TELL NDCSNEWS AT NDSUVM1 WHO JENSEN
will return all HECN user information for those who have the string Jensen
in their logon record. Further strings added will likely reduce the number
number of records returned. For example:
TELL NDCSNEWS AT NDSUVM1 WHO A.D. JENSEN GEOGRAPHY
will only return those users whose record include the strings A.D.,
Jensen and Geography.
Case is ignored in searches. Results are returned by means of a file in
the PUNCH format. Note that no users from other nodes may be found by
this means, and that remote users may not add themselves to this data base.
However, ALL users from the HECN are included in the listing, as the
records indicate all users, not just those who have 'signed up.'
Using the NDCSNEWS file server is about as easy. Files are requested as:
TELL NDCSNEWS AT NDSUVM1 SENDME fname ftype NETDATA
to receive the file in a NETDATA format
TELL NDCSNEWS AT NDSUVM1 SENDME fname ftype PUNCH
to receive the file in a PUNCH format
The default format is PUNCH. That is to say, if you don't request anything
it will come as a PUNCH file. The parameter 'fname' is the filename and
'ftype' is the file type.
To receive an occasionally updated list of files, please type:
TELL NDCSNEWS AT NDSUVM1 SENDME NDCSNEWS FILELIST
If you would like to have a public domain file posted on NDCSNEWS, please
send the file to NDCSNEWS @ NDSUVM1. Space permitting, all helpful files
helpful files will be posted.
Note: Because the primary concern of NDCSNEWS is to provide CSNEWS contact
support at this node, the other services offered may not be
available at all times. As well, due to a break in the link to
UMINN1 after 12am CST, this server is not available during late
night hours.
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*************************************************************************
* Feedback *
***************************************************************************
Received: from TECHNION(MAILER) by YALEVMX (Mailer X1.23b) id 3579;
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 86 07:22:42 IST
From: Zvika Bar-Deroma
Subject: RELAY operating time
To: Chris Condon
Hi Chris,
I read the new RELAY regulations. Well - one can live with it. But - how
about the following which I got as response to an attempt to /SIGNON
at ISRAEARN :
From: *This relay is closed from 00:15-23:45
That leaves exactly 30 mins. per day for chatting.....
Zvika
*EDITOR'S NOTE* A few days later Zvika informed me that the the operating
time problem had been corrected. Still, it was sort of funny at the time.
***************************************************************************
DATE: Fri Sept 26, 1986 18:25 EDT
TO:
FROM:
Chris,
Many thanks for giving Comserve such excellent press in Netmonth -- and for
your kind words about Easycom. Indeed our usage has skyrocketed since
the September Netmonth came out. While we'd been accumulating an average
of 30 new users per week in the three weeks previous to Netmonth's release,
we've gained 80 since last Saturday. As far as I know, besides Psychnet,
Comserve is the only other network resource with direct relevance for
people from the social sciences and humanities. Spreading the word about
it will help to draw that audience to Bitnet, insuring its continued growth
and widespread acceptance.
Again, thanks.
Timothy Stephen, Co-Editor
Comserve
*EDITOR'S NOTE* And thank YOU. Some people are under the impression that
computer networking is only for people interested in computer science, and
it just isn't so! As for those of you who are wondering why I haven't
printed any letters except for for these, well, I haven't received any
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others! The NetMonth staff is hungry for your comments, suggestions, and
thoughts, not only about this magazine, but about BITNET and where it is
going. We urge you to write...
*************************************************************************
* NetMonth Policies *
***************************************************************************
If you have questions or comments about BITNET or NetMonth that you would
like printed here, mail your letter to BITLIB@YALEVMX. Make sure that you
specify in the "Subject:" header or somewhere in the letter that it is for
the NetMonth letters column. This doesn't mean that your letter will be
printed, but it helps. Your opinion counts!
Article Submissions: The only requirements for NetMonth articles are that
they be informative, interesting, and deal with BITNET services (or any
other good BITNET related topics). The editor will inform you of any
changes to your writing and will submit them for your approval, deadlines
permitting. Send your articles to BITLIB@YALEVMX.
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FuzzyBytes Electronic Publishing "Because We're Here."
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