Editorial

Due to a program error that didn't appear in the test runs, but then decided to appear on publication, there was no Editorial last week. Given some of the things that happened within 24 hours of the issue being published, it gave some time to reflect a bit more on these.

Scary news out there...and no one seems to want to talk about it.

There comes a point in any organization where the future is determined by either the goals of the group as a whole, or by a small cadre of people who have a 'vision' of the way things should be.

Too often, however, the two factions clash, and it is the helpless villagers, or sysops in this case, who will end up bearing the brunt of the struggle.

The Z2C has openly challenged the process of "One Zone, One Vote" in the coming IC Election, more than casually mentioning that the fact of Zone 2 being in control of 65% of FidoNet, and insinuating, from what is said, that Zone 2 should have a 'larger' role in choosing the IC if not actually controlling that choice.

I would also point out why the lessons of history in this regard should be more apparent to Zone 2 than most...but I think I will refrain.

Already, there is a 'complaint' that Zone 1 members are "ruining" the access to the ZCC-PUBLIC echo...but it would seem that this is more geared at the "lack of respect" tone of the messages. That, and the point that no rules have been posted for that echo, either.

If you can't get access to ZCC-PUBLIC, ask "Why not?"

Notably absent is the Z2C's weekly "doomsday countdown" for the nodelist for which I have received a complaint from him. While he admits to having posted it publicly in many echoes worldwide, it appears that the FidoNews was not to post it unless he himself sent it in, with his specific permissions and consent.

As of publication time the past two weeks, he has not sent it, either by NetMail or by E-Mail; thus, it will not be included per his objections.

So much for 'open communications'. Strange, also, that the issue of copyrights comes in so conveniently for him now, no?

In any event, and in response to a number of complaints I have received both long before I became Editor and since that time, I have chosen to now use a PGP-signature to insure the integrity of each issue of FidoNews.

HTML NOTE: With reformatting and other adjustments, this HTML version loses all possibility of 'online' PGP verification. However original 'plain text' copies are available at ftp://ftp.fidonews.org/pub/fnews-nws.

The complaints were that several Region and Net level coordinators seem to be removing articles that did not "fit in" with a particular view that they held. Copies were sent to me that indicated anything from removal of the printer breaks to whole articles being removed.

Think of it as a 'certified uncensored issue' seal of approval. To properly check the signature, remove five (5) spaces from the beginnings of the PGP-signature lines. This is due to a formatting matter in the publishing program that can't be presently modified.

Last issue's article by Jim Cannell, the administrator of the SecureMail services in FidoNet, was intended to 'de-mystify' the use of PGP encryption and make it more accessible to the general public.

As always, there is the issue posting at http://www.fidonews.org, or at my personal site at http://209.77.228.66/fidonet.html. [faulty URL [jb 4/24/01]]

Would that we could all live in a world where this was unnecessary, but there are those who live to turn our hobby into their existance.

Other than the usual, this issue of the FidoNews is remarkably light. Some updates to the InterNet sites, and a few more articles.

...and an interesting E-Mail from Romania.

Remember, the FidoNews is what _you_ make of it.

-zf-