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- │ ░░░░ Becoming a point in fidonet ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ │
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- There really is no problem becoming a point in fidonet. It is, of course, a
- VERY good thing to have a computer and a modem. You don't necessarily need
- a PC - many points are using other machines such as Amigas or Macs, etc.
-
- But it is no secret that, on the PC, the choice of mailing software is
- greater and it's better, more secure and more reliable than on any other
- machine - because the software has had more time to develop.
-
- A reason for becoming a fidonet point (or a point in another network) is
- that you like to read conference mail (echomail). Reading all this online
- is very expensive and by choosing at home which conferences you want, you
- will spend less money calling up systems. You will also be able to
- filerequest files - which means you can call your Boss and download
- quickly without completing a login procedure.
-
- To become a point in fidonet, contact a fidonode anywhere in fidonet and
- simply just ask if the node takes in new points. If the node does not take
- in new points, simply ask another. At the current moment fidonet has around
- 25000 systems connected in the entire world, so it should not really be a
- problem finding a system that takes points. It's best to choose a local site
- so your phonebill will be kept as low as possible.
-
- Keeping the phonebill as low as possible is one of the main rules in fidonet!
-
- You should NEVER be charged for being a point off your Boss. You may never
- be charged for getting mail, unless you ask your Boss to get down a special
- conference. The ground rule in fidonet is that points don't pay. If someone
- forces you to pay for mail, just change to a system where you can get the mail
- for free. Normally only nodes (your Boss) will maybe pay for the mail in some
- kind of costshare agreement. It is my opinion that no one should make money
- on 'selling' mail to points. Just remember you can change Boss as you please,
- if you are not satisfied. Remember that since you are not paying anything
- for the mail, you cannot demand anything from your Boss. The basic rule is:
- be nice to your Boss and he will be nice to you. And follow the rules in the
- conferences.
-
- The main rule for fidonet:
-
- 1) Thou shalt not excessively annoy others.
- 2) Thou shalt not be too easily annoyed.
-
- For more information try requesting POLICY4E.* at DAN BBS.
-
-
- To setup a point system you will need 3 important things:
-
- Program Suggestions:
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- A mailer Terminate point system
- A tosser/scanner/packer TerMail
- A Message editor TerMail
-
-
- The mailer is the program that takes care of actually calling your
- Boss (some call it your uplink). A Boss is a fidonode who has points.
- The transfer is fully automatic, you just start the call then the rest
- will be taken care of by Terminate. You can also request files or send
- files with Terminate.
-
- The tosser/scanner/packer is a program that will unpack your mail and
- toss it into the right conferences, then it will scan for outgoing mail
- and pack it for next time you call your Boss.
-
- The message editor is where you switch between conferences and read/write
- your messages. TerMail is the message editor that is inside Terminate,
- it is one of the easiest to setup, so start using this editor.
-
- Please get some help setting up these programs, normally your Boss will
- help you do this, because as a new member of fidonet you will have to
- learn so many new words and terms. Don't EVER let yourself get confused,
- by all the systems and new programs you will learn. Many programs are
- impossible to use without a little experience, but we try to keep things
- as simple as possible in Terminate, so stay with Terminate.
-
- Well, you obviously have Terminate, so if you want to try out the other
- software you can try to filerequest GOLDED and GECHO at DAN BBS.
- By the way: DAN BBS is not taking in new points, because of all the work
- right now.
-
- Bo Bendtsen, Author of Terminate
-
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