Frank's Column

Thoughts on the Internet versus Fidonet
By Frank Vest

I'm not a guru of the Internet or of Fidonet, but I've read some of the discussion regarding the subject of Fidonet vs Internet. Here's some random thinking from me. Agree, disagree or whatever. :)

Got to thinking, "Where is the power in the Internet"? Really... What gives the Internet it's power. Is it the graphics that it can produce? I don't really think so. Any server program with the right receiving program can "display" graphics. I say "display" because the receiving program is really what does the translation and display. All the server, or sender, does is send the files. The "browser" does all the work of translating those files into something readable. In reality, the Internet doesn't do anything more than Fidonet does in regards to transmitting files. In fact, if you consider that ANSI is sent "on the fly" and translated by the terminal program without using a "cache" of file(s), Fidonet is above the Internet in this regard.

Let's look at the above from a different point of view.

What makes the Internet work? Well, there's the server which is a computer with files on it. There's the "dial-up networking" which is a terminal program for connecting to the server. There's the browser which gathers the files from the server and translates them into something readable. So;

Server = Fidonet software (not the BBS stuff, just the mailer/tosser and such) Dial-up networking = Terminal program Browser = BBS software (if you're only in for mail, Point software)

So, the Internet has taken the BBS software and made it available to the User in a form that is easy to setup and called it a browser. They kept the "complicated" server stuff for themselves to sell access to, and, the operating system people (Microsoft, OS/2 and such) put a terminal program into their OS and called it "dial-up networking". Wow!. :-)

So, How about the speed? Really? Have you ever hit a slow server? Sometimes, depending on the load, an Internet site can be slower than a BBS at 1200 baud. :)

Well, How about the volume? Now we're getting somewhere. The Internet does have a big volume of stuff. I say "Stuff", because I'm not sure I'd call all of the things on the Internet "information". Some things are a little "far fetched" in my book. :) Anyway.... Volume. In reality, there is probably as much volume in Fidonet as is in the Internet. Maybe it isn't there nowadays, but in the "heyday" of Fidonet, when there were some 30,000 Nodes, I'd think that the volume was pretty close.

What about the profit/commercial aspects of the Internet? Well... you're getting hotter. True, if Fidonet was a commercial venture, it would probably be bigger and more advanced. There would be software authors willing to invest time in the creation of applications for Fidonet and more. Of course, Fidonet is a hobby and limited to what a hobby can put into it, so, lets move on, but keep in mind that before the Internet became the big commercial venture it is today, Fidonet was doing commercial stuff and had many "mega" BBS systems that were commercial in nature.

How about the access and connectivity? Bingo!! Now we have it. Access and connectivity! Yup, the Internet has the access and connectivity that Fidonet doesn't.... along with the commercial aspect.

Let's think on this a minute.

Fidonet is a collection of Nodes/Nets connected via phone numbers that must be dialed each time to connect. The Internet is a collection of Nodes/Nets that are connected on a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week phone network that doesn't have to be dialed each time to connect. So, what does this mean? Simply put, if Fidonet could connect each Node to each other Node via a 24/7 phone line, Fidonet could have the connectivity of the Internet.

In a weird thought, "What would happen if the Internet suddenly lost all of it's 24/7 phone lines and had to dial each system for a connect and then hang up after"? Wow! We have Fidonet by another name! :) Really, isn't that the major difference between Fidonet and the Internet? If you remove the 24/7 connection and each ISP had to call the other ISPs to connect for file transfers and such, wouldn't this be the same as each Node in Fidonet having to call the other Node(s) to deliver mail?

Now, this is not going anywhere in particular. I am just making observations for the sake of thought. If you were to have the Users of the Internet call their ISP and have to request the "web Page" files of a desired site, or just access what was on that ISP's server, then disconnect and keep checking back to see if the files for that page had been received, wouldn't that be something??? :) The Internet becomes Fidonet and we could beat the pants off of them!! :-))

I wonder how the commercial aspect of the Internet would handle such competition? :-))

In summing this up: The main difference between Fidonet and the Internet is the commercial and connectivity aspect versus the hobby and connectivity aspect. You can put all the "ifs", "ands" and/or "buts" in that you want, it still comes down to commercial versus hobby. Let's keep the hobby and let the Internet have the commercial. I'll enjoy the hobby, try to improve and help it where I can, use the Internet to promote or help where possible and suggest that you do the same.

With kind regards,

Frank

By: Frank Vest
To: All
Re: The real choice of Doug Myers?

I started to put this in an article, but decided to just dump it out here.

Lot's of talk about who, what, where and when. It's nice to try to decipher what someone intended when they wrote something... especially when they are dead and not able to be asked.

I've seen several interpretations of Doug's message about Bobby Queen and/or Peter Karlsson taking the position. I'm not saying that I know what Doug was thinking, but I do believe that he was stating that Bobby take over while Doug might be in the hospital with the understanding that, if Doug were to die during that hospital visit, Bobby would take the position of Fidonews Editor until someone could be chosen. This did not imply that Bobby, or anyone else was chosen as the next Editor of the Fidonews.

I think that if one followed the messages back in this echo (assuming someone has them) you will find that Doug asked for volunteers for the position because he was going into the hospital and wasn't sure of the outcome of the operation he thought he was going to have performed. He was not naming his successor unless he was to pass away during that operation.

Of course, that is just my observation and interpretation. I will tell you this, neither Bobby nor Peter were Doug's first choice. I know for a fact that Doug asked at least one other and only put the request in the Fidonews Echo after being turned down.

Note:

----[ Netmail to keep]----
On: Mon 3 Apr
2000 12:10a (Rcvd: Sun 2 Apr 2000 11:21p)
By: Douglas Myers
To: Frank Vest
Re: Editor Pro Tem
St: Pvt Rcvd

@MSGID: 1:270/720 2f001a43 @PID: FM 2.02

Frank... there's a prospect that I'll be hospitalized for a few weeks sometime after April. Would you like to take over the Fidonews Editor position until I can get back to it? Most likely we could arrange with John Souvestre for you to send him the distribution copy via FTP for placement on the filebone. I could send you copies of all the software and as many advance articles I have at the time.

----[ Netmail to keep]----
On: Sun 2 Apr 2000 11:42p (Sent: Sun 2 Apr 2000 11:43p)
By: Frank Vest
To: Douglas Myers
Re: Editor Pro Tem
St: Local Pvt Direct Imm Sent

@INTL 1:270/720 1:124/6308 @MSGID: 1:124/6308@fidonet 2e97b8f8 @REPLY: 1:270/720 2f001a43 @FLAGS IMM DIR @PID: FM+ 2.26.SW SW0000B8 @CHRS: IBMPC 2 @CODEPAGE: 437 @TZUTC: -0600

DM> Frank... there's a prospect that I'll be hospitalized for a few weeks DM> sometime after April. Would you like to take over the Fidonews Editor DM> position until I can get back to it? Most likely we could arrange with DM> John Souvestre for you to send him the distribution copy via FTP for

Whew!! I'm deeply honored! <Catching my breath here>

At another point in time, I'd jump on this. At this time, I have to say no. Being the NC of my Net and with all the stuff going on in my life, I don't feelI have the time needed to do the job right.

DM> placement on the filebone. I could send you copies of all the software DM> and as many advance articles I have at the time.

On this note and considering the lack of time mentioned above, I doubt that I could learn the software fast enough either. Further, I don't have the understanding of the Internet to do this kind of thing (FTP).

I thank you for the honor of being considered, but not this time.

Regards,

Frank

As you can see, at least one other was asked. I'd bet there were more, as I can't imagine that I was his first choice.

So, where are we going with this? Nowhere. All we are doing is "chasing our tail". I guess that's what Fido dogs do? :-)

With kind regards,

Frank

... Have you ever noticed that all people laugh and cry in the same language

--- PPoint 3.01 * Origin: Holy Cow! I'm A Point!! (1:124/6308.1)