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

http://texoma.net/~flv [faulty URL [jb 4/25/01]] http://home.texoma.net/~flv/ http://bise.tzo.com/r19

Fidonet's "Default Web Page" :/
By: Frank Vest

One person or group gets the feeling that another group is doing something that shouldn't be done. A discussion starts and escalates into a full battle. As the battle rages, someone makes a suggestion that would end the whole battle and make all sides happy. Problem is, the person with the suggestion isn't in a position to do anything and the people that are in a position to do something are too busy with the battle to look at the suggestion. Or, maybe they just look at it and

1. can't be bothered at the time
2. don't want to take time to really think about it
3. just want to keep the battle going because they like to fight
4. all of the above. :-(

Ok, those of you that fit the above may feel free to keep on fighting. The rest of you that want to move forward, follow this:

Where is "fidonet.org"?

It is on the Internet, of course! That was a dumb question, right??

Not really. If one does a search on the Internet for the word "Fidonet", one will probably find at least one link to the URL of fidonet.org. Many URLs for Fidonet have a link to this site. So, what's the problem you ask? Honestly, the site is out of date and very sparse in it's offerings.

What can be done? Good question. I wish I had the answer for it. As the "Web-Idiot" for Region 19, I've done some playing with ideas for an update, but without some movement from the "key players", it's kinda hard to go anywhere.

Now, don't get me wrong here. I am NOT trying to take over the site. I am NOT trying to become someone special by offering to update the site. I have NO agenda other than the promotion and betterment of Fidonet. I don't care who updates the site, it just needs to be done.

How can you help? I don't really know the answer to that one either. I can suggest that you contact the IC and/or your ZC, RC, NC about this and suggest something. I have heard that the owner of the domain will listen to the IC and/or ZCs on this.

As for me? I'm writing this article, am I not? :) Seriously, I hope that this will get some small attention by some that want to help instead of argue or discuss things to death.

Think about it... then do something.