The Devil's Doorknob BBS Capture (1996-2003)/devilsdoorknobbbscapture1996-2003.iso/WWIV.ZIP/WIVLNK/LINKGDLN.2

Text File | 1996-01-27 | 21KB | 420 lines

Filename: LINKGDLN.2

                  WWIVLINK NATIONAL GUIDELINES, Part I
                         (Adopted January 1991)

Overview

These General Guidelines are the default set of operating standards and
rules for participation in WWIVLink. As outlined below, more detailed rules
or guidelines may be implemented within a given area. Such additional rules
will only apply within such areas as adopt them and have no effect upon
these General Guidelines. The application and enforcement of local
guidelines are the sole responsibility of the areas adopting them and can
not be enforced nor modified by these guidelines unless such local
guidelines are in clear conflict with the General Guidelines outlined in
this document. In the case of such a conflict, these General Guidelines will
apply.


Article I. - Purpose and Definitions

The Purpose of WWIVLink is to provide a nation- and world-wide network for
WWIV Bulletin Board Systems, which is run and governed by the system
operators of said Bulletin Board Systems.

Definitions:

A.   Zones

     1.   North America is divided up into four (4) Zones, each
          corresponding to a given Standard Time Zone and following its
          boundaries. Each Zone shall have a Zone Coordinator (ZC) who must
          reside within the geographical boundaries of his Zone. Any node
          residing outside the continental US shall be considered to be an
          International node, and will be included in the nearest Zone to
          that node. Zones are listed in Appendix A.

     2.   Each Zone Coordinator shall have a minimum of 6 months experience
          as Area Coordinator in a WWIVLink Area before being eligible for
          nomination or election to Zone Coordinator by the SysOps within
          that Zone.

     3.   Additionally, each ZC shall occupy a position on the Board of
          Directors of WWIVLink to oversee the operation of the network.

B.   Areas

     1.   Each Zone is further divided into Areas limited by the boundaries
          of the Area Codes as defined by the telephone companies serving
          such geographic Areas. Once a given Area Code contains a minimum
          of 5 networked systems, that Area's networked SysOps shall elect
          an Area Coordinator (AC) for that Area. Until such time as an
          Area has its own Area Coordinator, that Area's Zone Coordinator
          will be the acting Area Coordinator.

     2.   Area Coordinators shall have a minimum of 6 months' experience as
          a network SysOp before being eligible for nomination or election
          to Area Coordinator by his or her peer SysOps within that Area.


Article II. - Individual System Guidelines

A.   Admittance to the network shall be controlled by the users (SysOps)
     and those persons appointed to administer that function of the
     network. As such, each Zone should set its own particular rules, but
     it is recommended that certain minimum standards be adhered to, as
     follows:

     1.   Those applying for admittance to the network will have shown a
          working knowledge in the use of WWIV, and in doing so, will have
          maintained an operable BBS for a period of not less than 2
          months. This time may be waived by the applicable AC in cases
          where the applicant has demonstrated prior knowledge and maturity
          to ensure proper standards are met in joining the network.

     2.   No applicant shall be considered for admittance if it can be
          demonstrated that said applicant has used his BBS for other than
          legal activities. By legal, it is meant that the applicant will
          not have used his BBS for the transmission of software not
          strictly licensed for such distribution, the participating or
          condoning of any action that can be legally considered a form of
          conspiracy, support of libelous discussions and/or email or any
          other action that is prosecutable in a court of law.

     3.   Said applicant must be provided with this document, and must
          agree to abide by these guidelines as set forth.

     4.   BBS Software other than WWIV v4.x may be used in WWIVLink,
          provided that it is proven compatible with both the WWIV network
          software and any additional special WWIVLink software required
          for operation in WWIVLink. Tests of unproven software may be
          conducted subject to the approval of the test system's AC and ZC,
          and provided that no messages or email are sent outside the local
          area for the duration of the test period. (Ratified March 1992)

     5.   Software registration is not a condition of membership.
          Membership dates will be distributed for public display. Nodes
          with registered NETxx or WWIV may provide their registration
          number for display instead of their membership date. (Ratified
          March 1992)

     6.   Providing that no other conditions prohibit, the AC may waive the
          two month waiting period for applicants if they provide a WWIV or
          WWIV network software registration number. (Ratified March 1992)

B.   Upon acceptance into the network, the applicant will wait for the
     proper network files to be distributed to him, at which time he will
     be free to join or start any of the networked subs. The applicant,
     unless otherwise directed by his Area Coordinator or Zone Coordinator,
     will be responsible for making and maintaining his/her connections to
     the network.

     1.   Unless local Area policy dictates differently, any WWIVLink
          system may set up direct connections with any other WWIVLink
          system once arrangements have been made between each affected
          SysOp. It should be noted that while the freedom of individual
          connections is paramount, such connections may drastically affect
          the routing of network mail such that the new connection may
          start to carry large amounts of netmail amounting to substantial
          costs to the SysOps involved.

     2.   Systems wanting to make individual connections must submit their
          connection requests to their respective Area Coordinators who
          will in turn forward such requests to their respective Zone
          Coordinators for the issuance of updates to BBSLIST and CONNECT
          files. Updates may be immediately implemented by Area
          Coordinators only when such updates do not include connections
          which cross Area or Zone boundaries. Such local updates do not
          relieve the Area Coordinator from submitting the connect requests
          to their Zone Coordinator.


Article III. - The Splitting of Area Codes

There may come a time when a given Area Code may find it cannot be properly
run as a single unit. This problem may arise for a number of reasons,
including geographic boundaries and the size of an Area. Thus, the
following guidelines are provided to aid in handling such problems.

A.   Unless otherwise indicated by the Board, no single Area Code may
     divide itself if it contains less than 10 systems, or in such a way as
     to leave one of the new Areas with less than 5 systems in it;

B.   Should a split become desirable to a definable group within an Area,
     the Zone Coordinator of that Area should be approached with the
     problem and the reasons for the split. The ZC will work with the
     current AC to first determine if a split is warranted, and then to
     assist in making the split, as follows:

     1.   Should the Area warrant a split, the ZC will make note of how the
          Area will be split, and notify each board in that Area of the
          pending change;

     2.   The ZC will provide a new node-number prefix to one of the new
          Areas, and allow the old node numbers to remain in effect with
          the other Area;

     3.   The ZC will conduct a vote of the new Area, to determine the new
          AC for that Area. The current AC will remain the AC for the other
          Area;

     4.   The ZC will ensure that proper notification is sent out, in
          advance of the changes, informing the Link, in general, that such
          a change will happen, and thus provide a list of old node
          numbers, and what they will become.


Article IV. - Removal and Appeals

A.   Systems found in violation of applicable FCC or Electronic
     Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA) statutes shall be removed
     from the network.

B.   In the event that it becomes, in the opinion of the AC, necessary to
     remove a BBS from the network, the AC will notify the ZC and the
     offending SysOp of his/her intentions and reasons, and wait for
     confirmation of the decision before informing said BBS of the
     decision, and the reason(s) for that decision.

C.   Upon receiving notification of a pending removal of a node from the
     WWIVLink, the ZC will contact the node in question, allowing for an
     appeal. Based upon the findings of the ZC, the ZC will respond to the
     AC with his/her recommendations regarding the removal of the system.
     Should the ZC have any reasonable doubts as to the validity of the
     removal, the ZC will ask the AC for clarification, and pending review
     of both sides, will render a decision on the removal of said system.


Article V. - Code of Conduct

A.   Given that WWIVLink is operated across a public medium (the phone
     company), and that any one of the nodes may be of a public nature, it
     shall be necessary for each SysOp to ensure that certain standards of
     conduct are maintained by his BBS. These standards will be in keeping
     with all applicable laws as set forth by the FCC and all other
     governing bodies with the power to regulate communications over public
     utilities.

B.   In keeping with all applicable laws, there shall be no usage of words
     considered to be vulgar or profane, and are otherwise prohibited from
     use on a public medium, except where the sub in question is a sub
     restricted to users aged 18 or older.

C.   There shall be no remarks made that may be considered to be slanderous
     in nature on the network.

D.   It shall be the responsibility of each SysOp and SubOp to control the
     use of restricted words or comments. Should the SysOp and SubOp both
     fail to properly control such abuses, the responsibility will fall
     upon the SubOp's AC and ZC to rectify the problem. Continued abuses
     will result in the removal of the offending system.

E.   Subboard Contents and Restrictions:

     1.   Many subboards available through the network have stated themes.
          While not attempting to restrict the flow of meaningful
          information, messages on such subboards should reflect such
          themes as directed by the SubOp of that particular subboard. Idle
          chatter, though at times necessary for the well-being of a
          netsub, is costly to transmit, and unnecessarily burdens every
          other user with having to read through it. It is recommended that
          idle comments or stray conversations be restricted to subs set
          aside for that purpose, or netted email.

     2.   The Host SysOp or his assignee (SubOp) shall solely determine the
          acceptability of items such as taglines and macros, etc. in subs
          for which he/she is responsible.

     3.   SubOps may remove offending systems from subs which they host for
          violations of the preceding subboard restrictions.

     4.   Some network messages ('adult material', etc.). may be restricted
          by law. Subhosts and Sysops should become familiar with their
          legal liabilities in providing these messages to subscribers or
          users. Message providers shall be answerable only to lawful
          authorities for content and distribution. (Ratified February 14,
          1995)

F.   Traffic Restrictions (Ratified August 30, 1994):

     WWIVLink's purpose is the network exchange of conversational messages
     without placing an undue burden on those who pay for those exchanges.
     The intent of this provision is to restrict the transmission of binary
     data, unsolicited multi-mail, SSMs, unsanctioned pings and any other
     non-conversational messages.

     1.   Prohibited network transmissions - It shall be prohibited to send
          any message which:

          a.   In delivered form, as an individual message or a series of
               messages sent to the same recipient within forty-eight hours,
               exceeds ten kilobytes in size and is encrypted or encoded
               into non-human language; or

          b.   Is unsolicited and sent to more than one individual or node.

     2.   Exceptions to prohibited transmissions.

          a.   Anything on any WWIVLink subboard listed in SUBS.xxx which
               has a stated theme of technical or software support for WWIV,
               or

          b.   Anything with the express permission of all intervening
               nodes, or

          c.   Anything within the scope of WWIVLink Officials' duties.

     3.   Monitoring and packet inspection.

          a.   Only automated packet monitoring software approved by the
               Link Board shall be used to monitor Link packets (listed in
               Appendix B). It may be used to inspect packets destined to
               other nodes for possible violations of this provision only.
               Automated monitoring shall be suspended or discontinued if
               traffic held as suspect is not likely to be acted upon within
               five days.

          b.   Manual packet inspection is only permitted when substantial
               reason indicates that a violation is probably contained in a
               particular packet. Routine and/or casual packet inspections
               are prohibited.

     4.   Enforcement.

          a.   If any member discovers a message violating this provision,
               that message may be allowed to pass or it may be suspended
               and complaint filed with the discoverer's AC, but not both.
               The complaint shall include a copy of the message header, a
               brief representative sample of the content and justification
               for packet inspection. If any of the complainant's actions
               are inconsistant with this provision, the complaint shall be
               considered invalid and the complainant's actions shall be
               considered in violation.

               1.   If the reviewing AC determines that the complaint is
                    valid, the complainant may either allow the suspended
                    traffic to pass or destroy it, at his or her total
                    discretion. The AC shall file a motion with the
                    violating member's AC for corrective action.

               2.   If the reviewing AC determines that the complaint is not
                    valid, the complainant shall immediately allow the
                    suspended traffic to pass. The AC shall initiate
                    corrective action against the complainant, if warranted.

          b.   In either event, the reviewing AC shall forward a copy of the
               complaint to the Sysop and AC of the originating node and
               advise them of all actions taken.

          c.   In no event shall any punitive action be levied against any
               member who makes a reasonable effort to comply with the
               intent of this provision. Should any member be unwilling,
               unable, or negligent in controlling violations, or should it
               become apparent that any member is inspecting packet contents
               for any reason or in any manner inconsistant with this
               provision, he or she shall be subject to punitive actions
               including, but not limited to, mandatory end node status or
               removal from the network.


Article VI. - Areas of Responsibility

A.   Zone Coordinator (ZC):

     1.   It shall be the ZC's responsibility to ensure overall compliance
          with the rules as set forth in this document, over the entire
          area of his Zone. This authority is only to enable the ZC to
          settle disputes that cannot be handled at the Area level.

     2.   Further, it is the responsibility of the ZC to maintain and
          distribute updates to all necessary WWIVLink network data files
          and to include or exclude all participating boards and their
          connections as required in such updates.

     3.   Each Zone Coordinator will be elected annually, requiring a
          majority vote of that Zone's SysOps for election to this
          position. Each outgoing ZC will provide the incoming ZC with the
          necessary tools to perform his job, this being the software and
          any applicable knowledge required of this post.

B.   Area Coordinator (AC):

     1.   It shall be the job of the AC to monitor the BBS's participating
          in the network from his or her own Area Code, to ensure
          compliance of all participants in said Area Code with the rules
          as set forth in this document.

     2.   Further, it shall be the responsibility of the AC to mediate any
          disputes arising in his or her Area, and to settle these when at
          all possible in a manner that is both fair and reasonable.

     3.   In the event that it becomes, in the opinion of the AC, necessary
          to remove a BBS from the network, the AC will notify the ZC of
          his or her intentions and reasons, and wait for confirmation
          before taking any such action.

     4.   In the event that the AC receives an application to join the
          network from a new BBS, the AC will make the decision to allow or
          disallow said applicant, forwarding such information to his or
          her Zone Coordinator.

     5.   Each Area Coordinator will be elected annually, requiring a
          majority vote of that Area's participating SysOps for election.

     6.   Area Coordinator elections shall be conducted locally in any
          manner not inconsistent with the Guidelines. The Zone Coordinator
          shall call upon the Vote Coordinator to administer an AC election
          if any node in the affected area presents a formal request,
          including a reasonable justification (in the ZC's opinion) for
          the request. (Ratified July 28, 1993)

C.   SubOp

     1.   It is the responsibility of the SubOp to ensure a smooth flow of
          messages on his given sub. The SubOp has the right and
          responsibility to regulate all messages being posted on his sub,
          and will enforce the guidelines code of conduct concerning
          message content on his given subs.

     2.   It will be the responsibility of the SubOp to settle all disputes
          concerning his sub, and failing that, will go to his AC for
          assistance.

     3.   In the event that a SubOp must withdraw from his post, it will be
          his responsibility to notify all those who subscribe to that sub,
          and to select another SubOp, if applicable.

     4.   The position of SubOp is purely voluntary, requiring no vote or
          appointment.

     5.   The admittance or removal of subscribing systems to a particular
          subboard is at the entire discretion of that sub's host.


Article VII. - The WWIVLink Board

The WWIVLink Board of Directors, hereafter to be known as "the Board", will
be formed of 4 Zone Coordinators (ZC) and one Link Ombudsman. The function
of the Board will be to ensure the smooth running of the WWIVLink at a
level that transcends the scope of any individual SysOp, AC or ZC, as
provided:

A.   To provide final interpretation of the bylaws should a conflict arise
     between Zones that cannot be settled through normal discussion between
     the representative ZCs;

B.   To provide plans of action for development and implementation of new
     software that will affect the operation of the Link;

C.   To ensure that ACs and ZCs are elected/appointed in accordance with
     the wishes of the affected Area Code or Zone;

D.   To ensure proper management of the CONNECT.NET, BBSLIST.NET, and
     SUBS.LST files;

E.   To ensure that the proper distribution of all pertinent documents/news
     is maintained throughout the Link.

------End of Part I, See LINKGDLN.3 for Part II------