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NetMonth, October 1989
******** **************************************************
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* * The independent guide to BITNET *
* * *
* * October, 1989 *
* * *
* * Volume 4, Number 3 *
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* * * * *
* * * * Greetings from Pisa *
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*********************** *******************************
Editor: Christopher Condon CONDON @ YALEVM
********************* Contents - Issue 34 *********************
*********
* *** * EDITORIAL PAGE____________________________________
* *** *
* *** * Bitnotes ....................................... 1
*** *** CREN is Here! .................................. 4
* *** * To Where Should You Reply? ..................... 5
* *** * The Best Way to Subscribe ...................... 7
* *** *
*********
*********
* *** * FEATURES__________________________________________
* *** *
* **** * Announcing ASTRA ............................... 8
* ***** * International Intercultural Newsletter ........ 11
* ****** * FTP from BITNET ............................... 13
* *** *** *
* *** ****
*********
*********
* * DEPARTMENTS_______________________________________
* *****
* *** * Headlines ..................................... 15
* *** * New Mailing Lists ............................. 16
* *** * Helpdesk ...................................... 20
***** * Feedback ...................................... 23
* * NetMonth Policies ............................. 27
*********
********************** 5595 Subscribers ************************
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*********
* *** * Bitnotes
* *** *
* *** * by Christopher Condon
*** ***
* *** * Yale University
* *** *
* *** * CONDON@YALEVM
*********
The following communique was intercepted by one of our more
connected NetMonth Covert Operations Staff members. On the
advice of our lawyers, we won't go into the gory details of
exactly how we received this letter. Rather, we will let it
speak for itself:
To: CREN Board of Directors
Fm: Nick Snotchi (Snotchi & Snotchi Media Relations)
Re: BITNET, Inc. becomes CREN
Sirs;
Let me begin by saying that Snotchi & Snotchi has been
more than proud to have been your Media Relations Firm
for the past three years. However, we are somewhat
taken aback at recent decisions on your part where the
Board failed to take advantage of our thirty years
experience in matters public. As a result, the
effectiveness of our actions on your behalf have been
severely limited.
This is not the first time we have been in this
situation. If you recall, BITNET had already been
growing for several years when we were hired to assist
and advise in your dealings with a (then) hostile
public. Yet, despite our recommendations, you insisted
on retaining the woefully ineffective slogan "Because
It's There, Because It's Time."
Time for what? Time to make the doughnuts? Time to
take out the garbage? Time for "The Love Boat"? WHAT?
Likewise, the phrase "Because It's There" implys a task
or action taken for no reason except its difficulty;
hardly the the way to promote computer networking as
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something simple and effective. The idea is to avoid
hinting that networking is akin to tackling Everest.
You repeatedly rejected suggestions which scored rather
highly in our research with the public: "Because It's
Terrific," "Because It's Titillating," "Because It's
The Right Thing to Do," "Because Nine Out of Ten
Doctors Who Use Educational Computer Networks Recommend
It To Their Patients Who Use Educational Computer
Networks."
Alas, the adoption of the name CREN against our wishes
is far worse than your BITNET situation could have ever
been. Our surveys indicate that 46% of the public
believes that CREN is a substance which forms between
your toes. Another 34% think that CREN is the poison
found of the backs of brightly colored frogs in the
Brazilian rain forest ("The warrior brushes his
arrowheads against the back of the warty toad, covering
them with the deadly CREN.")
Still another 16% believe that CREN is the brand of
glue used to hold chest wigs in place. The remaining
14% don't know what CREN is, but indicate that they
would move to another country if it were found in their
water supply.
All things considered, a rather negative reaction.
We are currently thinking of ways to put a positive
spin on this situation. However, the Board has reduced
our options considerably by deciding that the CREN
acronym should stand for the rather dry "Corporation
for Research and Educational Networking." We might
have suggested something more enticing, for example,
"Cool Researchers / Exciting Networking" or "Cher
Really Enjoys Networks."
To be blunt, the CREN Board is paying for our services
and would benefit greatly if they were used. We
implore you, keep us in the loop; if not for CREN, then
for the reputation of Snotchi & Snotchi.
*****
I was vaguely surprised at some of the reactions to last
month's editorial (A Tourist's Guide to BITNET), particularly
those concerning the visit to Relay. In all fairness, I have
seen Relay conversations significantly more intelligent and
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insightful than the example I gave, but that is the exception,
not the rule.
On the positive side, a group of enterprising individuals have
formed a "Computer Science Channel." On Wednesday and Sunday
nights (beginning at 7:00pm Central time) Relay Channel 816 is
devoted to talk of computers and computer science. On
Wednesdays the talk is about small systems (PCs, etc.) and
Sundays the conversations center on mainframes and minis. Some
weeks the discussion is targeted; for example, one Wednesday
night was devoted to the Commodore Amiga.
More people should follow this example. If you have a topic,
you can probably create a channel for it.
Lest I forget, thanks to all of the people who sent in articles
and information for this issue. Your contributions have made
for an especially interesting issue!
Virtually,
Chris Condon@YALEVM
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*********
* *** * CREN is Here!
* *** *
* *** * by Jim Conklin
*** ***
* *** * BITNET Network Information Center
* *** *
* *** * CONKLIN@BITNIC
*********
Õfrom Bitnewså
Effective September 18, BITNET, Inc., became the Corporation
for Research and Educational Networking, CREN (to be pronounced
KREN, not see-ren).
Of the 413 BITNET Class A and B members eligible to vote on the
change, 187 voted for it, there were 3 abstentions, and no "no"
votes were cast, according to the BITNET (now CREN) counsel,
whose office counted the votes. (Ballots were sent to all the
BITNET members, but only votes from the eligible members were
counted.) The proposed slate of Board members was approved by
similar votes.
The new Board of Trustees held its first meeting on the same
day, and minutes of that meeting will soon be made available on
the BITNEWS list and posted to LISTSERV@BITNIC and the CSNET
InfoServer. New officers of CREN are: Bernard Galler,
Chairman; Ira Fuchs, President and CEO; Philip Long, Secretary;
Martin Solomon, Treasurer.
EDUCOM will be the prime contractor for CREN, with continuing
responsibility for the BITNET Network Information Center, and
new oversight responsibility for CSNET. BBN will continue to
have line responsibility for the CSNET Coordination and
Information Center. Both BITNET and CSNET will continue to
operate as they have operated in the recent past, with the
combined efforts of EDUCOM and BBN devoted to their support and
improvement.
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*********
* *** * To Where Should You Reply?
* *** *
* *** * by Michael J. Steiner
*** ***
* *** * Arizona State University
* *** *
* *** * AUMXS@ASUACAD
*********
I just completed a survey in which I asked the members of the
mailing lists IBM-MAIN (at RICEVM1), VM-UTIL (at OHSTVMA), and
REXXLIST (at OHSTVMA) if they thought that replies to questions
should be always sent to the list, always sent to the original
sender of the question, or both (depending on the nature of the
question). I sent the following message to these lists:
Over the past few weeks, there have been several times
when someone would ask an interesting question on one
of these lists, but the answers wouldn't be posted to
the list. I find these lists very interesting and
valuable, and I would really like to see replies to all
questions, except ones about how to sign on/off, and
flames, and file requests.
I propose that everyone, when replying to a message,
should either send the reply to the list, or to both
the sender and the list.
The results are as follows (in ambiguous cases I used my "good
judgement"
Reply to list: 35
Reply to individual: 18
Depends on question: 12
------
Total: 65
(I personally voted for "reply to list".)
Some good points brought up were that replying to the list
would allow everyone to benefit from any knowledge discussed,
and that if someone makes an error in a reply, it is more
likely to be caught and corrected. Many people expressed that
there were times when they didn't receive any answers to an
interesting question because answers were sent directly to the
originator of the question. Also, some people stated that
replying to the list is "what a list is for".
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An advantage of replying to an individual, and then either
asking that individual for his replies, or having him post a
summary to the list, is a significant reduction in network
traffic. Simple questions can be answered without the list
being swamped with replies. Unfortunately, the quest to reduce
network traffic can be taken to an extreme, such as eliminating
blank lines, abbreviating lots of words, etc. which decreases
readability, and therefore, the flow of information.
The third option, using one's good judgement, seems to be the
best solution until we remember that each person's "good
judgement" is different, and what may be a simple question to
one may be a toughie to another.
In summary, list subscribers have to choose between the free
flow of information, and network traffic. You can't easily have
both. I think that the free flow of information is more
important than extra network load, since networks were created
for that purpose. HOWEVER, questions about subscribing,
unsubscribing, etc., rejected mail, or multiple copies of mail
should be intercepted by the list moderator. (Every list should
have an active moderator to at least skim each message for non-
relevance.) Only in cases where a list is very active, or
where certain links are heavily used by a list, should the idea
of not always replying to the list be given thought. We can
also keep network load to a minimum by not reducing the flow of
information, but by reducing the size of signature lines and
reducing the amount of text included from a previous note (the
>xxxxxxx stuff). For example, snail mail addresses are usually
not necessary, and can be requested from the originator when
needed. People should only have large signature areas if there
is a good joke or quote in it. :-)
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*********
* *** * The Best Way to Subscribe
* *** *
* *** * by Ben Geer
*** ***
* *** * Hampshire College
* *** *
* *** * BGEER@HAMPVMS
*********
Ever since I've been using BITNET, I've seen a lot of messages
on various lists (I'll use PSI-L as an example) that say
something like "SUB PSI-L Susan Smith," or "Please add me to
this list," or "Please cancel my subscription," or "How do I
subscribe to this list?" These messages clutter up mailboxes
and list archives, and may not get you subscribed. LISTSERV
(the list server program that manages most BITNET lists) can
handle subscription requests automatically, but not if you send
them to the list address. You must send them to LISTSERV. In
the case of PSI-L, the address to use is LISTSERV@RPIECS. If
you send a subscription request to the list address (e.g. PSI-
L@RPIECS), it will be sent to all the subscribers of the list,
but not to the list server; it may be ignored, and even if it
isn't, it will irritate the list owner and the other
subscribers. It's fine to send subscription requests directly
to the list owner (e.g. I'm the owner of PSI-L, so you could
send a request to BGEER@HAMPVMS), but it's simpler to handle
your own subscription. Suppose you wanted to subscribe to PSI-
L, and your name is Susan Smith. All you have to do is send
this message to LISTSERV@RPIECS (*not* PSI-L@RPIECS):
SUB PSI-L Susan Smith
LISTSERV will then send you a message to let you know that
you've been added to the list. No muss, no fuss, and it gets
the job done quickly and reliably.
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*********
* *** * Announcing ASTRA
* *** *
* **** * by Patrizia Cecaloni
* ***** *
* ****** * Istituto del C.N.R, Pisa
* *** *** *
* *** **** ASTRA@ICNUCEVM
*********
ASTRA (Application Software and Technical Reports for Academia)
is a joint project of IBM and CNR (the Italian National
Research Council). The aim is to design and implement a free
European service through EARN (European Academic and Research
Network) for the distribution of information, software in
public domain and documentation about academic projects in
education and research.
The project started in January 1988 and has a 2-year duration
The first year has been dedicated to the design and
implementation of an experimental service based on prototype
software, as well as to the collection of enough data to start
the service at the beginning of the second year.
In 1989, the activity of the project is directed to the
implementation of a distribuited Data Base System. Using this
system the user can access several different databases located
everywhere in EARN/BITNET.
The final version of the service is to be available to all
EARN/BITNET users in January 1990. At the end of the project,
the results (including database, software and documentation)
will be passed on to EARN or CNR, they will then be free to
activate an ongoing service or drop it depending on the user
demand.
As is well known, it is possible to exchange messages and/or
files with other users through EARN. Based on this capability,
ASTRA searches documents in a remote database and obtains
results of queries such as the number of occurrences, list of
documents, the documents themselves, software and documentation
of a particular project.
The service allows EARN users to retrieve documents located
either in the ASTRA database at CNUCE or in other databases
located elsewhere but accessible from ASTRA with the same user
interface. The search is performed on the machine where the
database is located and the search time is not charged to the
ASTRA user.
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Furthermore the ASTRA server's software can trasform every
STAIRS/CMS system (in EARN) in one of the accessible Data Base
server for the remote user. Also, other different Data Base
systems (like ISIS and SQL) are accessible by the ASTRA user
through the same user interface.
Data gathering and database management (i.e. updating) is
performed directly by the ASTRA staff only on one of the Data
Bases: its name is STAR. It is what we call the ASTRA
(Application, Software, Technical Reports for Academia)
database.
STAIRS/CMS has been chosen, mainly for its powerful information
retrieval capabilities, for the creation of the ASTRA database.
The basic unit of information in the ASTRA database is the so-
called 'bibliographic document', or 'abstract'. For every
research/educational project an abstract has to be prepared
according to the format and rules described in the booklet 'How
to submit data to ASTRA'.
The abstract contains information about the project: title,
name of the participants and their institutions, project
description, HW and SW used, starting date and duration of the
project. It also contains information about all the products
of the project. And, for each product, a product description,
HW and SW requirements, availability status, and the name and
address of the author are included.
ASTRA provides a central European Data Base of information
about projects in education and research, and about their
products (software, reports, prototypes, etc) and distributes
these products if they are in machine readable form. Initial
data include information and products regarding IBM Europe
joint projects with academic institutions.
At the present time in Pisa, in addition to the IBM Europe
projects database (STAR), several databases are available, like
the CNR patents database (BREV) and the AEP database produced
by the University of Texas. Through ASTRA, it is possible to
access the CNR projects database resident in Milan at the CNR
institute SIAM.
A list of the accessible databases is included in the ASTRA
documentation.
To access ASTRA the user must apply for a subscription. This
is done by sending the following command to ASTRADB@ICNUCEVM:
SUBSCRIBE firstname lastname
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The user receives the software ASTRA EXEC and a guide manual
file through EARN. The ASTRA EXEC has to be received by the
user and must be resident in the virtual machine in order to be
able to access ASTRA. Note that this EXEC only runs on IBM VM
systems.
Once the software is received, the user has to simply type the
command ASTRA to access the service. After ASTRA is typed, the
logo of the ASTRA service appears on the screen. By pressing
ENTER, the ASTRA user interface panel appears and the ASTRA
session may start.
The ASTRA service includes the distribution of a newsletter (a
periodic collection of information on the service) to all the
members of the ASTRA user group. Any user can subscribe to the
Astra User Group by sending the following command to
LISTSERV@ICNUCEVM:
SUB ASTRA-UG firstname lastname
Academic and Research Institutions may submit data about their
projects in education and research, provided that the results
are of public domain and of interest to the academic world. To
submit data, the provider must prepare the bibliographic
document or abstract in English, according to the format and
rules described in the booklet 'How to submit data to ASTRA',
which can be obtained by mail, or directly via EARN by sending
the following command to NETSERV@ICNUCEVM:
SENDME ASTRA FORM
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*********
* *** * International Intercultural Newsletter
* *** *
* **** * by Joyce Neu
* ***** *
* ****** * Pennsylvania State University
* *** *** *
* *** **** JN0@PSUVM
*********
XCULT-L is an international intercultural newsletter written by
undergraduate and graduate students at Penn State University
who are enrolled in Speech Communication 497B: Cross-cultural
Communication. Each week, students write on a topic being
discussed in class. Topics range from non-dominant cultures in
the U.S. to corporate cultures to the use nonverbal
communication in international communication. Participants who
receive the newsletter are encouraged to join in the
discussions or contribute their own topics and issues.
You can subscribe to XCULT-L by sending the following command
to LISTSERV@PSUVM:
SUB XCULT-L firstname lastname
* A Note from the Editor: Joyce sent me some articles from
past issues of XCULT-L, which I found extremely interesting.
While there isn't enough space here to reprint them all, here
at least is one of the more topical ones:
A Glimpse into East Germany
by Joan Kruhoeffer
JBK103@PSUVM
Many people assume that the countries of East Germany and West
Germany must be quite similar since they were at one time one
large country. Through my visits to both West and East Germany,
however, I have discovered that the 2 countries are very
different from each other.
My father lived in East Germany when he was young; prior to our
first visit to East Germany in 1985, my father had not been in
the East since 1949. We travelled toward his former home on the
East German Autobahn, which was paid for by West Germany, and
drove to the small town where my father had gone to school.
This, and other towns we visited, were surprisingly not
"modern" by western standards; according to my father, it was
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as if time had stood still. He said the town looked exactly
like it did in the 1930's and 1940's. Missing in East Germany,
the most highly-developed East-Bloc country, is the urban
sprawl surrounding towns in West Germany and the U.S. (By urban
sprawl, I am referring to shopping centers, car dealerships,
fast-food restaurants, etc.) I should point out that large
cities, such as East Berlin and Neubrandenburg are fairly
modern; East Berlin stands out as a beautiful city, but other
cities are characterized by drab high-rises which appear to be
of lowquality construction.
After speaking with some of my father's old neighbors, we noted
some large differences between their lives and ours. Many of
them were farmers, but sharing a common heritage and language
gave us a common bond as we discussed a few things that had
happened since World War II. Katrina, a young woman who was
about 22 years old, told us that she wanted to be a salesper-
son, but she had to become a waitress because that was the only
job opening. Her fiancee raised pigs to supplement his
official job as a bee-keeper. Katrina was saving money to buy a
moped; she told us she would probably not be able to get a car
until she was 30 or older. My father and I never told her
family that everyone in our family had a car; we felt guilty
because of our material possessions in America. Katrina's
family seemed to be content with their lives in East Germany,
although we have never asked them if they would like to come to
the West.
Driving away from my father's village, we passed a group of
about ten teenagers on bicycles. As we drove by, they cheered
and waved at us; our Volvo was obviously from the West, but we
are not exactly sure why these young East Germans seemed so
happy to see us. Maybe one or two of them has been lucky enough
to join the thousands of East Germans who have gone to West
Germany through Hungary and Austria in the past few months. If
East Germany is the industrial and economic leader of Eastern
Europe, then why do so many citizens wish to leave?
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*********
* *** * FTP from BITNET
* *** *
* **** * by Melinda Varian
* ***** *
* ****** * Princeton University
* *** *** *
* *** **** MAINT@PUCC
*********
ÕThanks to Murph Sewall for finding this.å
Many people who subscribe to mailing lists on the Internet hear
the that files are "available for FTP, login ANONYMOUS" from
some site or another. Until recently, people on BITNET nodes
have been unable to access these files. (The exceptions to this
rule are computers which are linked to both networks, for
example, YALEVM.)
FTP (or File Transfer Protocol) is the Internet method of
transferring non-mail files (be they text, formatted data, or
programs). People on the Internet can "login" to an FTP server
at a remote site and download files. The process is in many
ways similar to dialing up a bulletin board with a PC, although
it is thankfully much faster.
BITNET users can now access these FTP servers through BITFTP.
To use BITFTP, send mail containing your FTP commands to
"BITFTP@PUCC". The first command to BITFTP must be "FTP" or
"HELP".
The recommended syntax for FTP requests is:
FTP hostname
USER username password
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