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Text File | 1992-12-03 | 49KB | 958 lines

░░░░░░▄ ░░▄ ░░░▄▄░░░▄ ░░░░░░▄ ░░░░░░▄ ░░▄ ░░░▄▄░░░▄ ░░░░░░▄ ░░░░░░▄ ░░█▀░░█ ░░█ ░░█░░█░░█ ░░█▀▀▀▀ ▀░░█▀▀ ░░█ ░░█░░█░░█ ░░█▀▀▀▀ ░░█▀▀▀▀ ░░░░░█▀ ░░█ ░░█ ▀▀░░█ ░░░░░▄ ░░█ ░░█ ░░█ ▀▀░░█ ░░░░░▄ ░░░░░░▄ ░░█▀░░▄ ░░█ ░░█ ░░█ ░░█▀▀▀ ░░█ ░░█ ░░█ ░░█ ░░█▀▀▀ ▀▀▀░░█ ░░█ ░░█ ░░█ ░░█ ░░█ ░░░░░░▄ ░░█ ░░█ ░░█ ░░█ ░░░░░░▄ ░░░░░░█ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DECEMBER RELAYNET INTERNATIONAL MESSAGE EXCHANGE NEWSLETTER 1992 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ╓─┐ ╓─┐ ╓─┐ ╓─┐ ║ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ │ ║ └─╜ │ ║ └─╜ │ ║ ╒═╗ │ ║ ╒═╗ │ ╖ ■ ╖ ║ │ ║ │ ┌╖ ╓╖ ╓╖ ╖╖ ║ │ ║ │ ╓╖ ║ ╖ ╓╢ ┌╖ ╖╖ ╓─ ╚═╛ ╚═╛ └╨ ╟╜ ╟╜ ╙╢ ╚═╛ ╚═╛ ╙╜ ╙ ╙ ╙╜ └╨ ╙╢ ─╜ ╙ ╙ ╙╜ from all of us at ╙╜ RIME Times --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Most recent count of PostLink nodes - 792 and growing --------------------------------------------------------------------------- RIME Times Staff Editor.....................................................Curt Akin ->MORE Editorial Associates: Copy Editor and Design Consultant.................J. Barrett ->MORE Security and Safe Computing.......................J. Barrett ->MORE Jackie's Beanstalk.........................Jackie Jones ->SYLLABLES ShareWare.....................................Patrick Grote ->SHRPT The Inner View..............................Inez Harrison ->MOONDOG Editor of Poetry in Motion distributed by RIME Plunderings......................................Brian Lee ->THEHUB Who's Who....................................Patrick Lee ->RUNNINGB --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article# Subject Author 1 Frankly, Curt Curt Akin Node ID ->MORE 2 Jackie's Beanstalk Jackie Jones Node ID ->SYLLABLES 3 PowerBoard BBS Software Scott Brown Node ID ->ACC 4 Virus Triggering in December J. Barrett Node ID ->MORE 5 Conference News James Wall Node ID ->DREAM 6 Who's Who and What's What Patrick Lee Node ID ->RUNNINGB 7 Notices -------------------------------------------------------------------------- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1 - FRANKLY, CURT From your Editor, Node ID ->MORE =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Yes, there are a few lingering problems, but, for the most part, RIME is fully up and running under its new network software, PostLink. Many folk have given, and many received, help along the way -- again showing that RIME is a network of users and SysOps who cooperate to make the net work. Oh, yes, there have been a few malcontents, but the barrel is filled mostly with good apples. Bulletin board systems appear to be receiving more than their fair share of publicity recently, much of it negative. The publication of _The Hacker Crackdown_ by Bruce Sterling (Bantam Books, ISBN 0-553-08058-X, for those who are interested) was a good beginning. Then, the sensational headline on the cover of November's _Omni_ ("SHOCKING EXPOSE: INSIDE CYBERPUNK) hit the newstands (very dumb). EFFector Online (EFFCT36) published a "Statement of Policy" from Sterling (very positive). Then owners of PCBoard received a news release (very very misguided) from Nintendo's legal folk about software being seized from a BBS in Gaithersburg, MD. Computer Underground Digest recently has been unusually busy dealing with topics that have their genesis in the government's Operation Sundevil. And last, but certainly not least, we seem to be having a flurry of counterfeit posts in this geographical area. Not good. Let's browse around these topics in order: _The Hacker Crackdown_: for those of you really interested in the seamy side of bulletin boards and law enforcement, this is a must-read. I'm hard pressed to read the book from the perspective of one who knows absolutely nothing about bulletin boards and networks, but I suspect that a neophyte would be left with the idea that ALL bulletin boards are bad or will become bad and those that call themselves SysOps are scum. Sterling has done exhaustive research and done it well, but has no mercy at all while displaying his love for detail. This is NOT _Cuckoo's Egg_ yarn quality, but contains enough little known stuff on the Secret Service, et al, to make it worthwhile. The jacket design is an attempt at the sensational which sells books, and don't bother spending much time looking for the "computer-generated art provided by Dennis Breen" -- all you'll find are pages filled with ASCII characters. Anyone doubting the publisher's underlying message need only read the side-bar quotes throughout the book; one example will suffice: "The 21-year-old University of Texas student was wakened by a police revolver leveled at his head." One lesson you will learn here is that you needn't do anything wrong to have your computer equipment seized. Not good. Now we come to _Omni_ -- an article by A. J. S. Rayl entitled Secrets of the Cyberculture -- the article is sensationalism at its finest. It is filled with blatant mistruths, bad English, unfortunate choices of words -- terrible journalism at its best. Rayl goes so far as to state that the Morris Internet worm caused "an estimated $150,000 to $200 million worth of damage to computer systems nationwide." You'll find nothing new or of value here, but the general public will be, once again, left with a nagging feeling of electonic doom. RIME??? Bulletin Boards? Scum!! Not good. Sterling's Statement of Policy in EFFector Online is refreshing and deserves reading, BY ALL. There's seems to be a bit of guilt alleviation in his Statement, but, whatever works! He seems to be an earnestly honest journalist, struggling with the rest of us to find answers that don't easily surface. Just a bit of a quote: In writing HACKER CRACKDOWN, I tried to describe the truth as other people saw it. I see it too, with my own eyes, but I can't yet pretend to understand what I'm seeing. The best I can do, it seems to me, is to try to approach the situation as an open-minded person of goodwill. I therefore offer the following final set of principles, which I hope will guide me in the days to come. What follows in his Statement is good stuff. And now we come to the Nindendo News release. The mailing list used by Nindendo's Public Relations outfit was, it seems, exhaustive and very current. It came, at least a major part of it, from Clark Development, publishers of PCBoard. I spent a painful amount of time on the phone with Lynn Hvalsoe, Nintendo's General Counsel, trying to convince her that the wording of the news release was tasteless and inaccurate -- without success. The news release is headlined: NINTENDO JOINS IN SEIZURE AGAINST ILLEGAL BULLETIN BOARD SOFTWARE I asked what illegal bulletin board software was seized. There was an uncomfortable, long pause -- she seemed to be searching for an answer to what she considered a dumb question. "They were making commercial software available." We sparred a bit, and I ended up being told that "illegal bulletin board software" really meant software available illegally on a bulletin board. No amount of urging would get her to admit that that isn't what the news release said, and I ended up being told that the reason I misinterpreted what they had to say in the news release was because I knew a lot about bulletin boards; the general public would know what the news release was talking about. Sigh. The conversation ended with Lynn's telling me that they would be more attentive to the issues I had brought up, thanked me very much for the dialogue, and hung up. I had an empty feeling. She didn't understand what the news release was saying, didn't understand what I was saying, didn't know anything in detail about BBS networks, and seemed pleased to be a part of an activity that would bring her, perhaps, national attention. Then, I received a call from Mary Jane Saunders of Nintento's law firm in Washington. It was refreshing (she understood English), revealing (they have been inundated by calls from irate SysOps), and productive (they have no intention of conducting any "witch hunt"). Saunders has been in the anti-piracy business for years, having previously been General Counsel for Software Publishers of America and, before that, associated with ADAPSO. Why? Why do I care? Why was my name on their mailing list? Why didn't Nintendo's General Counsel really know or care what she was talking about? Basically, I am proud of the BBS community, and I am proud to be part of it. It is getting a bad rap, and few are out there with sensationalism to show the good side. Also, I am proud to have been (or, perhaps, still be) part of the hacker community; it is getting a bad rap, although there's a sliver of good news here, as reported in NewsBytes of 10/21/92: ALBANY, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 OCT 21(NB) -- Senior investigator Ron Stevens of the New York State Police Computer Unit has told Newsbytes that it will be the practice of his unit to avoid the use of the term "hacker" in describing those alleged to have committed computer crimes. Stevens told Newsbytes "We use the term computer criminal to describe those who break the law using computers. While the lay person may have come to understand the meaning of hacker as a computer criminal, the term isn't accurate. The people in the early days of the computer industry considered themselves hackers and they made the computer what it is today. There are those today who consider themselves hackers and do not commit illegal acts." Now, what we need is something that hits the front pages that talks about BBS systems, the cyberworld, and networks with hoopla and respect. The most incideous I save for last. Cute tricks have started in the Northeast. They come in various forms, the worst being the leaving of counterfeit messages on BBS systems. They have been posted by folk yet unknown, using names of people that are very active in BBSing in these parts, and contain outrageous profanity. Cute. Further, here is part of a message posted on a local popular board: ...I was trying to get ahold of you to tell you there are MMAANNYY hackers against you that are IN DEFINATLY gonna kill your whole system... ITS NOT STOPPABLE... You should really just give in and put it completely down... Cute. Verify Doors are being given false phone numbers. Cute. You all can help. When you see anything negative about BBSing in your local newspaper, call the editor -- immediately!!! Tell the other side. You may end up in print, but you'll help us all in the long run. If you see nasty stuff going on, either on your board or the board you use, be relentless in tracking down who's doing it. If you discover that your mail reader can leave counterfeit messages, for heaven's sake let us know. If you know of a board that is proud of distributing commercial software, let someone know!!! Get the word out that those of us who are associated with the positive side of BBSing won't let the few bad apples contaminate our barrel. The holiday season(s) are busy for all. They have been so here. November wasn't big enough for everything that needed doing here in Newport, so that issue of RIME Times has been combined with this. Many of our group of loyal staff have been tending to their own lives, have been cut off from our private working conference until PostLink is firmly in place; so you won't see familiar names in this issue. Perhaps we can all be together again for the beginning of 1993. 1992 has been a big year for RIME. PostLink has given us a new foundation with which to grow in the years to come. Grow with us! Until next month, when I hope to bring you more ramblings from the world of RIME... I remain, Frankly, Curt =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2 - JACKIE'S BEANSTALK By Jackie Jones, Node ID ->SYLLABLES =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Beyond the glass, grimed by weather and neglect, I watch winter gradually gobble the year. Flutters of bird life show me the loss of Spring's robin. The sparrow, small flying dun pig, attacks the feeders with anxiety before the coming famine. I see the snow-bird with it's tufted hat join them, the slate blue jester amidst the plebeian throng. The days shorten to nearly nights as the season of darkness approaches. And then. . . . the glory of the cardinal flashes past, dusted with Winter's first snowflakes. The year is ending, but the promise of another year is just beyond my window. To show the promise, we celebrate our most joyous season. To all of you, as we enter this season of hope, I send my wishes that the year ahead will show you the cardinal's glory. May the promises beyond your window bring you joy! Enclosed in this issue are two gifts for all of you: a gift of love, and a gift of hope. ***************************************************************** To start our Season's Greetings, there follows a gift from Howard Belasco, for those of you who were not lucky enough to read it when it was posted in the RIME Common Conference: ***************************************************************** I am asked, from time to time, why I put up with everything and do what I do for RIME. This is why. First from Edee and then from Al. From: EDEE DEEDEN Subj: THE BRIDGE ACROSS FOREVER To All My Dear RIME Friends......... I have something very special to share with you at this time. If you aren't a sucker for a beautiful love story, then you will want to hit your <return> key now. Back in July, I met a beautiful human being. Had messaged with him from time to time, but if most of you remember, I had a heck of a time with my mail, so our messages were sporadic at best. The day he came to my home, my heart, soul and mind went into a upward tail spin. I knew I had to have this person in my life. Not knowing how he felt, I did spend the next month trying to put him out of my mind and heart. My mail situation improved, and our messages seemed to reach each other, and we developed a special best friend relationship. He felt he could talk to me and I wouldn't judge him, if not offering advice, he knew I would listen if nothing else. Eventually, we have talked about everything from sex to peas, finding that there isn't but a thing or two that we see differently. Can you believe we even use the same brand toothpaste, AND both of us squeeze the tube from the bottom? Oh, and another important issue, we roll the toilet paper the same direction. Now everyone knows either of these issues can make or break a relationship, right? <bbg> Having the important issues out of the way, the walls crumbled and he scrapped his confining self-imposed rules he had been keeping. One day he asked me to read a book with him, which I did, and we would discuss it over messages. The book being, The Bridge Across Forever by Richard Bach. Then one day I noticed that his messages were sounding different, hoping that what I was reading and feeling, was the same thing he was trying to convey to me. That same day my phone rang, it was he, he told me something that crushed my hopes and dreams of ever having a relationship more than friends, and I thought, well, okay, that would still work, but in the next breath, he said if I could accept that and if I would have him, would I marry him. Oh be still my heart, and as I picked myself up from the floor, caught my breath, and pinched myself to make sure this wasn't a dream, I said yes. That was just inside of a three month best friends relationship. Since then, we have grown, learned from each other, fallen more in love, and want to spend the rest of our lives together. Now, for most, this is just a story about how two people fell in love, but the beauty of this story, of this relationship,is that we are best friends first. You see, we have never kissed, held each other, had a date, or made love. But we know that this relationship can go no where but up, because we are friends first. The lovers and mates will be soon. I can speak for both of us, that we are madly in love, and can't wait to start down this path of this new journey in life together. Obviously, so as not to bore you to death, I won't go into the details of all the wonderful and beautiful things about this relationship, but what I will say real quick, is that this man is the most beautiful human being I have ever met in my life, inside and out. He is most caring, loving and a "to die for romantic", and he does to it to me, big time. I thank him daily for coming into my life as he does me. I hope you all will be as happy for us as we are. All I have left to say is that....Howard and Elaine...watch out! You have some heavy competition on your hands, my friends. Make room for Al and Edee. ================================================================= Here is Al's story. From: AL ANDERSON Subj: THE BRIDGE ACROSS FOREVER To all my dear RIME friends. I want to share something with you that has happened in the last few months that has completely altered my life, my views and my emotions. I have fallen in love. For many years I have known that the woman I was married to was the wrong mate for me and several years ago I began the terribly hard task of admitting the error of our marriage and beginning the process of divorce. Early this summer we parted ways. I have a belief in a soulmate, a friend and love from past lives, that I felt, given enough time, I would find and wed. I was quite sure I would be single for years, as this island has few women and fewer still that I would be interested in. And soulmates are definitely in short supply. So I was prepared to wait until returning to the USA in several years to seek my soulmate and then only be starting my search. But I didn't reckon on messaging through e-mail. Yes, the woman I have fallen in love with is a lady I met on the nets. So this is an incredible, unbelievable, e-mail love story. At first it was just this nice woman with a lovely sense of humor that I would message with occasionally. Once in a while we would send an e-mail hug to each other. And then, like others on the nets who get together for a visit, while I was visiting in the area she lives, I accepted a dinner invitation at her home. Unbeknownst to me, (I am not a terribly perceptive man), as I walked through her door our lives abruptly turned down a path that would turn our lives upside down. Sensing nothing beyond that this was one fantastic lady, me being perceptually in need of a white cane and dark glasses, I left that day having had a wonderful visit and was most impressed by this beautiful woman. I felt that a wonderful friendship had been cemented that day. The friendship was assured but how much more was to happen was beyond my ken, for cupid had loosed an arrow or two and destiny was going to take us down a vastly different path than either of us had ever dreamed. This gorgeous lady fought this strange infatuation, as she thought of it, for nearly a month. When I got back on island we messaged on and off but through the tribulations of E-mail we kept losing messages and had a hard time with keeping in contact. After things settled down and we started communicating often, the messages began to heat up. After a short while I came to really care for this woman but had some mental walls I had to demolish before coming to the realization that here, just maybe was the love I have been seeking for so long. To make a really long story short, we have been e-mail romancing on the order of 3-5 hours per day with many hundreds of routed messages bouncing over our satellite lines, with daily long distance phone calls, and snail mail cards and letters giving our postpersons fallen arches. We have gone through some incredible emotional upheavals, some extremely hard decisions, and I had to obliterate some lofty mental barriers and throw out some very limiting self-inflicted rules. So I just deleted the RULES.TXT from my mind and haven't missed them since. This romance, as incredible as it may seems, has been conducted by two people 4400 miles apart who have never even been able to hold hands, much less hug or kiss. Be that as it may, I have fallen incredibly in love with this beautiful lady that has come into my life. I have proposed and she has accepted and we are to be married as soon as our divorces are final. In the meantime we are getting her a job out here and, after my visit over the holidays, she will be returning with me to live on Kwaj. I can hardly wait until December 21th, when I fly into Sacramento and she greets me at the airport. Then for the first time I will be able to hold her in my arms, look deeply into my soulmate's lovely eyes and say, "I love you Edee." ***************************************************************** The love grown over RIME's net is wonderful to see, a gift to all of us. But romance is not our only gift when we plant the seeds of the beanstalk. We reach out to each other, while we reach into ourselves. There are several conferences on RIME that assist us in our own personal growth. One of those is the Recovery Conference (172), wherein a group of people share their life's struggle with each other. My second Season's Gift to you is a public message sent over the RIME net, in the Recovery Conference. To protect the writer's anonymity, I will not include his name. He shares with us his gift of hope. ****************************************************************** When someone says, "that's just semantics," they are actually showing how important semantic considerations are. Many people have come to attach the connotation of hair-splitting, or petty differences, to "semantics." But the way in which we attach meaning to words influences our behavior, beliefs, customs. One of the problems inherent in translation from one language to another is that to translate language is to translate an entire culture. One of my core issues -- and I think I have a lot of company -- is understanding who I am, having a self-image which is strong and healthy and which will allow me to make the most of my potential as a human being. There are many balances to be struck: between what I feel and what I do; between how I see myself as and how others see me. Our lives are filled with people who will say, You are THIS: ________, when what they really mean is, I SEE you as THIS: _________. And the most hidden agenda is, It makes MY life easier to DEFINE YOU as THIS: ______. To my shrinks I was a diagnosis, and for a long time I overidentified with that diagnosis, which became a filter for all my other perceptions about myself. This was a mistake. I am now in therapy with clinicians who ask, "What diagnosis *do you carry*?" This is not "just semantics": they draw a clear distinction between how I have been diagnosed and what I *am*. Further, they are implicitly acknowledging the weight of a diagnosis, that it can be a cross one bears. Speaking of crosses: I was raised by someone who sees herself as a failure: my mother. So most of her messages to me about myself carry the definition of failure/unworthiness; because as she believes HERSELF to be a failure, no child which she raised could be anything but a failure as well. To say otherwise would be to admit she had actually done something RIGHT, which she cannot accept. Believe me, my mother is champion of woulda/shoulda/coulda thinking: she can't even park the car without seeing the spot she shoulda parked in. So part of my growth has been to be able to say, I am THIS. YOU don't define me: I define me. Although it has been easier to say what I am not: I am not a "failure", not a "diagnosis". Eight months ago I finally found a therapeutic milieu I could commit to. But I wouldn't stop smoking dope. I still had a ways to go before I could say, This isn't working. Now I've enrolled on a trial basis in a second program, one whose emphasis is alcohol and drug use. They use the steps, and want me in a 12-step program. Is that what I want? Last month I would have said, What, and go through all that crap again? However, having heard from so many "heretics" in this conference who still make the program work for them has made me re-evaluate whether it might yet work for me. ****************************************************************** Season's greetings, to all of you! Talk to you later! Jackie =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3 - POWERBOARD BBS SOFTWARE By Scott Brown, Node ID ->ACC =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= *** PRESS RELEASE *** 10/01/92, Powerboard BBS Software Package Contact: Scott Brown, P.O. Box 832, Larchmont, NY 10538 Looking for BBS software that will grow with you, the SysOp? Most BBS packages are designed for a Sysop at a certain level of experience. Unlike other packages, Powerboard is designed for all levels to avoid that painful moment where you must shut down and set up a new program. Configurability starts with a desktop (windowed) interface main configuration program with mouse support and Basic/Advanced mode of operation, so beginning SysOps are not overwhelmed by confusing questions. Next, an easy-to-use menu editor to modify security levels needed for options, option calling letters, option types (i.e. Goodbye, Download, Enter Message, etc), and any option can reside in any menu. Menus can be added/removed. Menu structure is defined totally by the SysOp. If the SysOp is at a higher level, there is a script-type language (designed for non-programmers) that runs the entire BBS. Easy to use, yet powerful. For example, an on-line game can be written in minutes. The entire BBS can be modified or even re-written. NEW options can be created by the SysOp. And, if the SysOp is beyond even that level, functions can be linked into the BBS on both the SysOp's and user's side that can be programmed in any high-level language! The package is fully equipped with all the utilities you could possibly need to run your BBS. This includes an ANSI drawing program, a .QWK mail door so users can read mail offline, a file upload scanner (for virus, validity, unwanted files, etc), a file viewer for all formats, a newsletter creator, and much more. Powerboard has ALL of the latest technology you might find in other packages such as support for CD-ROM, DESQview, LAN, Com ports 1-18, Splitscreen SysOp to User chat, etc... It is fully compatible with the Fidonet, PCRelay and PostLink based networks (i.e. RIME, Fidonet, Intelec, etc...). All standard doors (Door.sys and dorinfo1.def based) are supported. @X (PCBANSI) files can be displayed. Extensive multinode support is provided. This includes full multi-conference, private/public, multinode chat. Remote SysOp can kick user off of another node, shut it down, view other node's screen and more. Powerboard can be set up in 5 minutes or less, and this will give you a fully configured system complete with your name and your BBS' name already in the display screens! And just in case you have trouble with anything, included is a 455-page SysOp's manual which describes all aspects of the BBS. 24-Hour support is available on the Support BBS. It is also available at a competitive price: $99 for the single-node and $175 for 3-node version. Versions greater than 3-Node are also available. Powerboard can be ordered from EZX Distributing at 1-800-359-9539. A demo version is available by calling Powerboard HQ BBS at 914-834-7830. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4 - VIRUS TRIGGERING IN DECEMBER By J. Barrett, Node ID ->MORE =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Trigger Dates: Virus Name and Brief Description -------------------- --------------------------------------- July - December Got-You .EXE growth, hidden files created, changes printer setup, cancels network printer redirections, unexpected printing of display contents, last disk drive can't be accessed. Jerusalem (PLO) .EXE and .COM growth, TSR. Jerusalem (Mendoza) .EXE and .COM growth, TSR. Sept 20 - Dec 31 Violater (plastique) .COM growth, 'sector not found' error on drive B:, Formats disk drives. Sept 22 - Dec 31 4096 (-B) .COM, .EXE and overlay growth, TSR, hides growth, corrupts data files. Oct 1 - Dec 31 1554 .COM and .EXE growth, TSR. 1704 TSR, falling letters, .COM file growth, random reboots. 4096 .COM, .EXE and overlay growth, TSR, hides growth, corrupts data files. Cascade TSR, Falling letters, .COM file growth, random reboots. Cascade-B TSR, Falling letters, .COM file growth, random reboots. Oct 13 - Dec 31 Datacrime .COM growth, floppy disk access, formats hard drive. Datacrime-B .EXE file growth, formats MFM/RLL hard drives, odd floppy disk access. Datacrime-II .EXE and .COM file growth, formats disks. Datacrime-IIB .EXE and .COM file growth, formats disks, floppy disk access. Dec 1 - Dec 31 1253 TSR, BSC: COMMAND.COM and .COM file growth, partition table changes. Dec 4 Violator (Violator B) .COM growth, 'sector not found' error on drive B:, Formats disk drives. Dec 7 Code Zero (Pearl Harbor) .COM file growth, message. Dec 19 - Dec 31 Father Christmas .COM growth, lost cluster, crosslinking of files, graphic and message displayed upon activation. Dec 21 Poem .COM growth, message displayed, HD corruption. Dec 24 Icelandic-III .EXE growth, resident TOM, bad sectors, partition corruption, Dec 24 message. Dec 24 - Jan 1 Christmas Tree .COM growth, display, partition table destruction. Dec 25 Christmas in Japan .COM file growth, message. Violator (Violator B3) .COM growth, 'sector not found' error on drive B:, Formats disk drives. Dec 28 Spanish April Fools .EXE growth, TSR, system hangs, copy delete and rename commands may fail. Dec 31 Violator (Violator B2) .COM growth, 'sector not found' error on drive B:, Formats disk drives. After Dec 31, 1992 OMT .COM growth, long disk accesses, system hangs, HD overwritten after 1992. Year is 1992 Europe-92 .COM growth, TSR, system hangs, boot failures, display message "invalid drive specification", message, beeping. Were Here .COM file growth, message. Year 1992 .COM and .EXE growth, decrease in total system and available free memory, HD corruption. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Seen in the conferences: From: ROB HOPKINS Subj: Virus warning! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is known: Proto - T was just a rumor, until it was confirmed a few weeks ago. Chron, being the most incredible skip-tracer, traced its origins to a college campus in California. There, it was placed into two files. The first, is a file called "TEMPLE" - which to our knowledge, has no legitimate use; it seems to be a dummy file. The other file, was placed in an unathorized version of PKZip by PKWare ( versions 3.0, and 3.1 - these are not legitimate versions of PKZip! Quite possibly, these versions of PKZip were created, for the reason of distributing PROTO - T ). Proto - T is very elusive. There is no program known to detect it. From what we understand, it will only infect your system if certain conditions are met. From what we know, it will infect your system only if you run TEMPLE, or PKZip 3.x after 6:00pm. Even doing that wont nessarily cause infection - it took 6 days for Chron and Unearthly Vision to become infected. Obviously some other criteria must be met. Upon infection, the virus is written (as un-attached file chains). On two parts of a hard disk - each capable of running independently without the other half. After infection, the virus seems to be written into the memory or memory routines of a VGA or EGA monitor; or is written into the memory of the hard drive, or quite possibly, into a modem - or COM port. Thus escaping most or any known detection methods. PROTO - T : Proto - T when activated, corrupts data on a disk, stops VGA or EGA from being used (thus either defaulting to CGA, or locking up), and prohibits memory from being used over 512K. Known to be put into two files : TEMPLE.EXE (14,771 Bytes) and PKZip 3.x (varies always over 100,000 bytes when zipped). If you see these files - do not get or use them. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 5 - CONFERENCE NEWS By James Wall, Node ID ->DREAM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= New Conferences: NAME: Executive Host BBS (ExecHost) NUMBER: 330 DESCRIPTION: A conference to discuss and support Executive Host BBS and related utility programs. HOST: Steve Wood Node ID ->WOODSHED #1023 NAME: WIRELESS NUMBER: 338 DESCRIPTION: Discussions of wireless messaging and data transmission via radio. This would include mobile data terminals, pagers, cellular modems, and radio controlled LAN's. Any method of transmitting data over a radio link is fair game. HOST: Thomas Manke Node ID ->SMUGR #790 NAME: Electronic Freedom Foundation (EEF) NUMBER: 357 DESCRIPTION: A bridged conference with the Internet. Discussions center around how they are a watchdog in Congress for laws as they pertain to CyberSpace. HOST: Jim Wenzel Node ID ->GRAPEVINE #318 NAME: Advertising NUMBER: 361 DESCRIPTION: This conference will examine and critique all forms of advertising: TV, radio, magazine and other print media (ie., billboards. All areas of this industry will be explored: agencies (practices and ethics); mechanics (how ads are done); effectiveness; enjoyment by consumer (versus the irritation factor), favorite ads, etc. HOST: Kelly Keniston Node ID ->OLDTOWN #203 NAME: TECHNO-ETHICS (TechEthc) NUMBER: 382 DESCRIPTION: Discussions on the ethical and legal implications of new and soon to be developed technologies. HOST: Bart Lidofsky Node ID ->RUNNINGB #3 NAME: BOSTON COMPUTER SOCIETY (BCS) NUMBER: 387 DESCRIPTION: The BCS is a large international organization with over 22,000 members. The BCS is dedicated to helping users advance in their knowledge of the use of computers. It provides over 70 meetings per month and has user groups set up for specific computer systems as well as for certain purposes within the field of computers. This conference is 'bridged' with FIDO through EAGLE Site 8. HOST: Robert Gorill "BRIDGED CONFERENCE" NAME: PAGAN NUMBER: 397 DESCRIPTION: Focuses on discussions of classical pagan beleifs, modern neo-paganism, earth religions and spirituality. shaminism, witchcraft, and related matters, plus pagan and primitive mythology. folklore and superstition around the world. It is both a netowrking resource for the neo-pagan community and a place to share and learn the legend and lore of long ago HOSTS: Amy Daley Node ID ->STONEHENGE #1138 David Pollard Node ID ->RENAIS #1476 NAME: BARBER SHOP HARMONY (BBSHPHAR) NUMBER: 398 DESCRIPTION: This conference is a means for U.S. and Canadian members of SPEBSQSA, Sweet Adolines, Harmony Inc., and their affiliated organizations in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand to maintain contact with others they may have met at conventions and to carry on discussions of general interest with anyone who loves the barbershop medium. HOST: Jack Cassidy Node ID ->FIREFOX #1766 NAME: FOREST PRODUCTS (FORSTPRD) NUMBER: 399 DESCRIPTION: This conference focuses on discussion of how we use wood products made from America's forests. Appropriate topics include wood as a natural resource and raw materia, its basic properties, and how wood is processed into such products as lumber, paper, and chemicals. New ideas on how these processes might be improved or modified are encouraged. Both end user and industrial envolvement is invited. HOST: Chuck McMillin Node ID ->PUMA #1026 NAME: TAXES AND ACCOUNTING (Tax&Acc) NUMBER: 400 DESCRIPTION: This conference will deal with issues of taxation and accounting, with participation by practitioners and government officials. Individuals and professionals are encouraged to post questions and share information. (We anticipate participation by IRS Taxpayer Services during the tax season. HOSTS: A.J. Janschewitz Node ID ->AJJJR #5011 Steven Heitzner, CPA Node ID ->AJJJR #5011 NAME: CAVING NUMBER: 401 DESCRIPTION: Discussions centering on the sport of caving, the study and science of speleology, the protection of caves, the National Speleological Society, cave rescue, etc. Topics discussed will not be limited. NO CAVE LOCATIONS MAY BE POSTED. The conference is open to all, whether an NSS member or not. HOST: Douglas Moore Node ID ->CATEYE #5012 NAME: POST SEMATARY NUMBER: 402 DESCRIPTION: This conference will be centered around Stephen King's books, books that became movies, interview books, biography of Steven King, his newest books, his history. If you are a Stephen King fan, this is the conference for you. HOST: Albet Tanone Node ID ->MAGNET #128 NAME: FEDS NUMBER: 403 DESCRIPTION: Conference for Federal Employees and people who work with the Federal Government. Discussion of a variety of issues that impact Federal workers offering a free and open forum for the exchange of ideas and solutions. NAME: NEW AGE NUMBER: 404 DESCRIPTION: This conference offers Spiritual, Metaphysical and Cosmic Debate/Discussion. Inquiry into the Cosmic and Spiritual destiny of man. HOST: Tony Pecoraro Node ID ->MOGUR #323 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Host Changes: Dave Zmeyr, Node WINDYCITY #5078 is now hosting the Archiving Programs Conference. Rick Welshans, Node WARPED #1875, is the new host of the SysOps Conference. Bob Chapman is hosting the Outdoors Conference through EARTHART #1646. Gil Mitchell, Node BLUEKNIGHT #1670, is now hosting MOTORCYCLES (241). New host for the TAGLINES Conference is Art Milburn, Node NEWDIM #97. Carl Curling, Node LOCKSOFT #981, is the new host of our Megamail Confeence. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Conference name changes: Conference 392, CNEPA, has been renamed CNE. The description of the CURRENT EVENTS/DEBATE CONFERENCE (103) has been changed to read as follows: DESCRIPTION: Discussions centered around current political events or social issues. NO religious discussions are permitted in this conference. All opinions are welcomed and discussions at times may be quite intense. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6 - WHO'S WHO AND WHAT'S WHAT By Patrick Lee, Node ID ->RUNNINGB =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A Note from Bonnie Anthony: It is with great pleasure that I introduce the newest member of our group of hardworking conference coordinators: Penny Plant has volunteered to assume the job of conference coordinator in charge of moderation. As such she will be responsible for helping our conference hosts with problems in their individual conferences and she will assume the conference hostship of our Relay Users conference. As such she joins James Wall - Conference Coordinator in charge of Conference Management, Lana Fox, Conference Coordinator in charge of COMMON and Rick Kingslan, Conference Coordinator in charge of Marketing and brings us back to full strength once more. Thank you Penny!!! We all look forward to working closely with you. Penny can be reached at node BOREALIS (#914). -------------------------------------------------- The following is a list of "Who's Who" in RelayNet: Steering Committee: Bonnie Anthony RUNNINGA Rex Hankins IBMNET Howard Belasco RUNNINGB JThomas Howell MORE Mike Glenn PARTY Conference related: Rick Kingslan OMAHANET Marketing Coordinator (PR) Patrick Lee RUNNINGB Statistician James Wall DREAM Conference Manager Penny Plant BOREALIS Conference Moderator Lana Fox MODEMZNE COMMON BBS software that currently has an UTI interface with PostLink Auntie MajorBBS Remote Access dBBS Maximus Searchlight EIS PowerBoard PCBoard/ProDoor Spitfire GAP RBBS Executive Host QuickBBS TriBBS GT Power UltraBBS Wildcat! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 7 - NOTICES =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= RIME TIMES is now dispatched to all PostLink nodes in the network. No AUTOSEND list is required. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- To make life easier for the staff, the following submittal guidelines are suggested: 1) To be included in the next month's newsletter, articles must be received by the 15th of the current month. 2) A routed, receiver-only (private) message in the COMMON conference is acceptable. Please route general material and queries to: Curt Akin Node ID ->MORE. Submittals to Jackie's Beanstalk should be sent to Jackie Jones Node ID ->SYLLABLES. 3) When submitting articles or sending other messages to the Staff of RIME Times, don't assume receipt until you've heard from the recipient. We will acknowledge your message, and if you don't hear within 3-4 days, resend it. Don't depend on return receipts. 4) Your name as used on RIME. 5) Your Node ID if you are a RIME SysOp or your "home" board ID if you are a RIME user. 6) Any special instructions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Notice: 1. RIME distribution files which used to be identified with MMYY in their file names are now identified YYMM. This change makes RIME files appear in date sequence in sorted listings. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- RIME TIMES is published monthly by the membership of RelayNet International Message Exchange as its official newsletter. Users and SysOps are encouraged to contribute. (c) Copyright 1992, The RelayNet International Message Exchange. Permission is hereby granted for unlimited distribution and duplication, provided such distribution and duplication are strictly for non-commercial purposes and that no alterations are made to any file contained in the distribution archive. All other rights reserved. RelayNet and RIME are registered trademarks. PostLink is Copyright 1992 by Kip Compton.