Letters to the Editor

--- Following message extracted from NETMAIL @ 1:18/14 ---
By Christopher Baker on Sun Oct 12 18:54:34 1997

From: John Souvestre @ 1:396/1
To: Christopher Baker @ 1:18/14
Date: 07 Oct 97 10:57:14
Subj: MSGID bug

MSGID: 1:396/1 343a5c28

* Original to PCB'ers at 1:396/1 in "Sou_Star"
* Forwarded Tue Oct 07 1997 10:59:04 by John Souvestre at 1:396/1

Hello Chris.

Feel free to print. :-)

===

Hi all.

This bug seems to show up every so often. So here's a reminder...

A MSGID without the system ID field is illegal. PCBoard is notorious for doing this! It is a bug which they have been aware of for years but have failed to fix. Here is a note from a PCB SysOp who found out how to force it to work.

===

J> Your system is generating MSGIDs which are not legal. They
J> contain a MSGID value (32 bit hex number) but no system of origin
J> info.

D> Got to digging into the configuration, and found a place to set
D> the 'Default AKA Conference Range'. Since I only have one
D> address, I figured 'who needs that, there's only one 'AKA' to
D> chose, it must be the default?' Turns out I did, I plugged my
D> node number in there and now the MSGID is right.

===

John

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Date: Sun, 05 Oct 1997 18:44:18 -0700
From: William Scott Lockwood III <wsl3@cts.com>
Reply-To: wsl3@cts.com
Organization: Corpsmans Corner BBS
To: Adrian Walker <awalker@portal.ca>
CC: Brenda Donovan <brenda@tnl-online.com>, Brent Hamm
<mba@financier.com>, Christopher Baker <cbaker84@digital.net>,
Roy Witt <roywitt@access1.net>
Subject: Robot Problems

Adrian,

I have noticed with dismay that despite being updated several times lately, REAL_FREE_SPEECH is in the expiring list! Why is that? I have also noted that CABLE_MODEMS, despite jumping through all the appropriate hoops, and being requested by 3 REC's is still not listed! Can you explain this?

Also, I tried to Elist several expired listings lately. All of my requests failed, but I note with great interest that others (many of them not the former moderators of record) have been able to e-list them. When I asked you about this, all you told me was to read BOFAQ, which basically said wait until after the listing expires. Why do my requests to E-list things bounce, but others do not? Enquiring minds want to know...

Chris: Please publish this so that others in FidoNet will know to check their echo's listings, to ensure they are not having similar trouble.

--
TTYL,
Scott
mailto:wsl3@cts.com
http://www.users.cts.com/king/w/wsl3/ [faulty URL [jb 4/25/01]]

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Date: Mon, 06 Oct 1997 17:59:10 -0700
From: William Scott Lockwood III <wsl3@cts.com>
Reply-To: wsl3@cts.com
Organization: Corpsmans Corner BBS
To: Adrian Walker <awalker@portal.ca>
CC: Christopher Baker <cbaker84@digital.net>
Subject: I'm SORRY!
References: <07521531.34389e20@portal.ca>

> Do you just send messages for the sheer enjoyment of making work for
> people, or do you ever bother to check your facts first? Can *you*
> explain that?!

What would you like me to explain? What I've seen (0 traffic for instance, and no indication that it was there before today) has led me to beleave that it was being held somehow. If I am in error, I am sorry. I know you don't beleave that, but there it is, none the less.

After your last netmail to me, I figgured you just had it in for me like your buddy Bodger.

> Check BACKBONE.NA.

Funny you should mention that. I still haven't seen it. I'll look around on the net for another copy, and see if I have a local problem. I'm sorry for any inconvienance.

> Ever heard of a password? If it is not your listing, you are not
> entitled to it. Talk to Counsil, Queen and Lewis - there's been a
> war on between them for echoes. I've sent them the logs.

I'm not trying to be obtuse, but this made no sence to me. If an echo has gone 6 months without being listed, it's fair game right?

> BTW, people who think that publication of the Elist is a mindless
> automated activity which occurs on the stroke of midnight on the
> first of each month have evidently never done a stitch of work for
> Fidonet. It is a time-consuming 2 hour marathon of batch files and
> file checking, largely done manually.

Hmmm. Okay, why not code that function? I'm new to C programming, but if I could be of any help, I'd be happy to be. I'm looking for something to work on right now anyway, to sharpen my skills.

> As a result it gets done when I have time. That may be several
> days after the 1st of the month.

You know, if you just said these things in the first place, there'd be a lot less confusion.

> You'll always know when passwords have been purged because you will
> have received the new Elist.

What am I misreading then? It seemed to me that all the echo's I wanted HAD been de-listed already.

Chris - please post this WITH my other one.
--
TTYL,
Scott
mailto: wsl3@cts.com
http://www.users.cts.com/king/w/wsl3/

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