Articles

• North American Backbone Echo Changes [Mar-Apr]
• Remembering Frank Ellermann of 2:240/5815

North American Backbone
Echo Changes [Mar-Apr]
by Lisa Gronke, 1:105/40
lisa@psg.com

Summary of backbone & quasi-backbone echo changes during Mar & Apr.

Brought to you courtesy of (unix) diff.

diff (backbone.na + backbone.no) 01-Mar-98 03-May-98 [edited].

Echotag name changes

< CHANNELS            Channelled Msgs From Spirit Realms [old name]
> CHANNELLING         Channelled Msgs From Spirit Realms [new name]

< VEGAN               (not in EchoList since  2/1/98) [old name]
> VEGETARIAN          Vegetarian Echo                 [new name]

Added to the backbone

> ADSL                ADSL Modem Technology Support Conference
> ALL-POLITICS        Politics Unlimited
> AOP                 Association of Online Professionals Conference
> CLASSIC_COMPUTER    Classic Computers 11/1/97)
> CYBER_AUCTION       Cyber Auction echo
> DCP                 Daycare Provider's Exchange
> DEBATE_ON_ABORTION  Debate between Pro-Life and Pro-Choice
> DEMOCRATS           Democratic Party policy and strategy
> DRAKE               Discussion re R. L. Drake Communications Equip.
> DTP                 Desktop Publishing discussion
> FRUGAL              Frugal Lifestyle Discussion Conference.
> GAMES4SALE          Games for sale
> I&UK_GENE           Ireland & UK Genealogy
> MILITARY            Military General Conference for all services
> MOOSECHAT           Moose and Hoser "Canadian Humor" Chat
> MS_WORD             Microsoft Word Users Support Conference
> M_GRIPE             Gripe: The Mother of All Echos
> NET_WIDE_CHATTER    ENTIRE FidoNet Network General Chat Area!
> PARANORMAL          Paranormal discussions.
> POST_POLIO          International Post-Polio Survivors Forum
> SLEEP_APNEA         Sleep Apnea and Your Life
> SOUTH_PARK          The Fido South Park Echo
> SQAFIX              SqaFix Help and Information Echo
> STEP_PARENT         Discuss issues relating to Step Parenting
> STTOS               Star Trek: The Original Series discussions
> WATERGATE           (low traffic since  4/1/98)

Removed from the backbone or quasi-backbone

< ABLENEWS            (low traffic since 12/1/97)
< AMIGA_CDROM         (low traffic since 11/1/97)
< ARCHERY             (low traffic since 11/1/97)
< ASP                 ASP (Association of Shareware Professionals)
< AT&T                (low traffic since 10/1/97)
< BRIT_CAR            (low traffic since 10/1/97)
< COINS               (low traffic since 11/1/97)
< DBASE               (low traffic since 11/1/97)
< EDUCATOR            Discussion for Educators
< EMERG_MANAGE        (low traffic since 10/1/97)
< EP-ANNOUNCE         (low traffic since 11/1/97)
< EP-SYSOP            (low traffic since 10/1/97)
< FIDOWEB             (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< GEOWORKS            GeoWorks Ensemble Help Echo
< GRAND_ROUNDS        (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< HP                  (low traffic since 10/1/97)
< JEWISHGEN           Jewish Genealogy Conference
< JFK_ASSN            (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< JOURNAL             (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< KLINGON_RPG         (low traffic since 10/1/97)
< KOMBUCHA            (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< LAND                Land of Devastation Echo
< LEGAL_LAW           (low traffic since 11/1/97)
< MTN_BIKE            (low traffic since 12/1/97)
< MW_GENE             (not in EchoList since  2/1/98)
< NEXUS               (low traffic since 11/1/97)
< PCUG                (low traffic since 10/1/97)
< QUOTES_2            (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< RACING_SIMS         (low traffic since 10/1/97)
< ROK                 Realm of Kisom Support
< SALVATION_ARMY      (low traffic since 10/1/97)
< SB-SOLAR_RPT        (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< SENIOR_CLASS        (low traffic since  2/1/98)
< SF&ANIME_RPG        Sci-Fi & Anime Role Playing Games
< SHINING*STAR        (low traffic since 11/1/97)
< SIP_NA              (low traffic since 10/1/97)
< SIP_SURVIVOR        (low traffic since 11/1/97)
< STOP_SMOKING        (low traffic since 10/1/97)
< TAGMULTI            (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< TEL_TECH            (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< TOTT_SOS            (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< TRANSAMIGA          (low traffic since 11/1/97)
< TREK_FOR_SALE       (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< WC4_32BIT           (low traffic since  9/1/97)
< WP-CRAFT            (low traffic since 11/1/97)

• There are 662 echos in backbone.na [03-May-98] (down 12)
• There are 90 echos in backbone.no [03-May-98] (down 7)
• for a total of 752 backbone & quasi-backbone echos (down 19)

Remembering Frank Ellermann
of 2:240/5815
by Wulf Krueger, 2:2437/209

Only a few of you out there will have noticed what has happened in Nodelist 114. One of us has finally dropped from the Nodelist after having been down for around 5 months. Why do I mention this fact? Many nodes are leaving today daily.

Frank Ellermann, formerly known as 2:240/5815, was a very special person. He had excellent skills in FidoNet techniques; IMHO he was one of the most brilliant among us. He has been actively developing FSCs (now known as FSPs) and he wrote small piece of FTN software himself. But there was much more to him..

Frank was not only an excellent technician but he was an out- standing personality. He was a very kind and gentle person. We all know our common ways in FidoNet today - bashing and throwing dirt at each other. I have never seen him writing such mails. Frank always tried to see the "bright side of life" and the bright side of every single person - even if it was someone he did not like. Even when he was attacked himself he never chose to flame back, he took it with much humour. For this behaviour he was widely respected by those who knew him. Even those who critisized him respected him as a person.

Frank wrote long mails (he was famous for that, too, Frank "Ellenlang" ;) ) about FTN, about democratic principles in FidoNet and (sometimes) about life in general. He was one of the authors of the local policy of R2:24, the so- called RegPol24 which IMHO helped us very much to establish democratic principles in R2:24. He has given much advice to the current ZC2, Ward Dossche, myself and many others - to anyone who asked him.

Frank always seemed to be full of joy though he was not the kind of person to show his personal feelings to anyone. I knew him for several years and learned to interpret his words quite well, we became very good friends in fact. Indeed, I consider him having once saved my life.

Frank joined FidoNet late in 1994 and became a node in 1995. Now Frank has completely disappeared and it really hurts me and makes me feel bad. When Frank had to go down in the middle of Decembre 1997 we both hoped that he would come up again. I spoke to him on the 15th of January this year and as always he sounded very good. :-)

Since that day I have lost any contact. Frank has no telephone anymore and he doesn't answer my letters. When I tried to visit him he did not answer the door bell. I hope and I suppose he is physically well but having lost him as a fellow node and, which is much harder for me, as a good friend is very sad but it's his decision.

Concerning his FSCs I ask Odinn Sorensen, chairman of the new FTSC, to take Frank's submission as *public domain*. This is what Frank wanted if his node was removed from the Nodelist to make sure that they could be improved by others who take up his good work and I want this to come true to honour him.

I ask all you others out there, those of you how knew him, those of you who have read his name in FTSC_PUBLIC or elsewhere and all others, to remember him, to take up where he had to stop, to try to take him as an example of how to communicate with others. FidoNet could be much more human and much more fun then.

At least I will always remember him and I wish him the best of luck.

If you should, by any means, get to read this, Frank, I hope you will remember my words in one of our last netmails.

I miss you.

Wulf Krueger of 2:2437/209