Articles

Echolist Controversy

The Echolist mechanism is currently under attack in the Z1_BACKBONE echo. It's an old argument, actually, fueled by the fact that a moderator can find that his echo belongs to another individual under some circumstances. The argument has been around for at least the last three elist keepers with no particular resolution, so I doubt that this round of arguments will result in any changes.

The echolist, or elist, is a list of echo areas and their moderators along with other pertinent information. It's important to zone 1 echomail in that all major distributors use it to determine the legal moderator for such issues as adding the echo to the distribution list and making feed cuts.

It's relatively easy for a moderator to establish a new echo in zone 1. All he need do is find an unused echo tag (the name of his echo as programmed into various tossers), and then list that plus a password plus other optional information in a letter to the elist robot. The elist robot adds the information to its data base and, from that point on, the moderator with the password is the owner of that echo for the next six months. So long as he remembers the password, he may extend the six months by continuing to send messages to the robot.

Where the controversy occurs is that, if a moderator forgets to update, his listing expires after six months, and anyone may relist it with any password they choose. Some individuals have made a practice of watching the expirations and then "grabbing" the echo with a simple letter to the robot. If the original moderator is still around, he may consider the echo hijacked... though defenders of the system point out that the original moderator had plenty of time and opportunity to update, including a letter that the echo would expire in most cases, and that he simply failed to do his job... losing the echo in the process.

Those criticizing the elist procedure have suggested a "grace period" during which the echo would fall from the elist, but it couldn't be relisted without the password. A grace period of from one month to six months has been suggested.

I personally agree with critics that such a grace period would dampen the enthusiasm of those who "collect" these echoes... but have they considered the cost of this result? It would also make the relisting of an echo whose moderator has lost interest or even left Fidonet more difficult.