This is Tom Jennings, the man who started off the phenomenon which is Fidonet.
Way back in 1984, a man named Tom Jennings had an idea. He was running a successful Bulletin Board in California, but he was frustrated that the messages that his users typed in would go no further than his own BBS. So he got together with a neighbouring BBS and developed a way for both systems to exchange mail. Each night, one BBS would call the other and send all of the messages which had been entered that day.
This meant that a user could type in a message on one BBS, and users of the other would be able to read and reply to it on the other. Within a few months, numerous other BBS joined in, and within a year, several hundred BBS all over America were exchanging messages. Soon, this network of BBS spread around the world and today there are somewhere in the region of 30,000 Bulletin Boards worldwide on the Fidonet network. Incidentally, Jennings' brainchild is allegedly called Fidonet because he named it after his dog.
It works in a very simple way. Once a day, every BBS in the network calls another BBS and sends the messages which users have typed in. At the same time, the BBS receives messages which have been typed on other BBS. Some of the systems act as hubs, or central points where a number of BBS call for their messages. Every night, one of these hubs calls another and sends a single file containing all of the messages. Through this process a message typed on one BBS can spread around the world within a few days. Because each BBS only has to call one other, there is no central computer, and the phone bills which result are spread around the various different BBS in the network.
The Fidonet network carries a series of echoes, each of which is related to a specific subject. For instance, the echo called Amiga_UK is designed for Amiga owners in the UK. Amiga_Mags is an echo where people discuss Amiga magazines, including, of course, this exceptionally fine example of one. There are several hundred echoes on subjects as diverse as cookery, ancient history and politics. In fact, several new networks have recently sprung up, including a rather interesting one called AmigaNet, which is dedicated entirely to the Amiga. Ask your local Sysop if he or she carries it or if they knows of a local BBS which does.
Fidonet certainly isn't perfect, but it is a relatively simple and extremely friendly network. Most BBS are run by people who are more than happy to help new users, so you can always ask for help if you aren't sure. If you are a newcomer to Comms, a local BBS which is a member of Fidonet is an excellent place to start.
