Guest Editorial

It's a Zone Policy
(or is it?)
By Frank Vest

From: "Frank Vest" <flv@texoma.net>
To: "Warren Bonner" <WDBonner@pacbell.net>
Subject: Article

The Echo is FIDOPOLS and the subject is a Zone Policy for Zone 1. Now, I'm not the brightest kid on the block or anything like that, but I have to wonder...

It would seem that an effort to create a Zone Policy would need a format or outline. I've seen none of this so far. There has been some proposals to take a Policy from other Regions or places and modify that to fit in a Zone Policy. There's even been a proposal to modify the Election "Rules" that were used in the previous Z1C Election and make the Election portion of the Zone Policy out of them.

This begs the question from me of "How can there be progress on a Policy if there is no format, outline, direction or starting place?". It would seem that at least one of these need be present to proceed. So far, I've seen discussion of P4. The effect of P4 on a Zone Policy. Can there be a Zone Policy under P4. Removing P4. Re-writing or creating a new P4. and some other discussion. Still, nothing that resembles an outline for a Policy. Not even an outline or starting place for a set of "Guidelines" for the Zone Policy.

What is sad as well is that I see only a few people posting in the Echo. The few that are posting appear to represent the right and left wing with little middle ground. Now, that paints a pretty bleak picture, so let me say this. Those that are there seem to be willing to compromise and work together towards a goal "IF" they had a goal, starting place or some direction to work towards.

So, where is this going? Are the Nodes in Zone 1 going to get with this Zone Policy writing, or is it just another area for the right and left wings to battle over who's right and who's wrong? Without some kind of outline of subjects to be discussed and worked on, this is like playing basketball with 5+ balls. Which one do you run with? Which one do you dribble now? Which goal should you be at to score?

Maybe we need a place for these sides to do battle in order to keep them pacified and out of the hair of those that do the job of making Fidonet work and function? I don't know. I wonder if the FIDOPOLS echo is the place for this pacification? Again, I don't know. If this be the case, I'm happy to give the echo to them and move on. I do know that from what I see, and assuming that the FIDOPOLS Echo is for the serious effort of writing something, "The wheels are spinning, but the car ain't moving".

IMHO, Zone 1 needs to decide what this effort is for... Is it a Zone Policy? Is it a Fidonet (P4 replacement) Policy? THEN, in order to start, decide Why is this being written and What will it do. Write this down at the top of the "beta" document. Then start with P4 and go section by section through it. Decide what needs to be explained or clarified for a Zone Policy or what need to be changed for a Fidonet (P4 replacement) Policy.

--
Frank

Fidonet - 1:124/6308.1
Web Page - http://texoma.net/~flv/