
FIDO and the Neverending BBS
by Ron Mitchell


Prior to 1993 when the Internet really took off, there were other
ways that computer hobbyists used to keep in touch with one
another. We've spoken of some of these before. 

One of them was (and still is) the FIDOnet, a world wide
organization of computer hobbyists whose efforts make possible a
vast range of discussion groups, involving people from all over 
the world, accessible for the price of a local call, and perhaps 
a mutually acceptable arrangement with a System Operator (Sysop).
FIDO is still very much alive, and the list of discussion groups
available covers every facet of human activity. The content runs
roughly parallel to newsgroups on the internet. 

As recently as 1996, FIDO links were available in the Comox Valley,
and for a mere $50. a year, a user could access these links through
local hobbyist run bulletin boards. It was truly a way of working
the world. Accessing the International ADAM FIDO echo was something 
everybody knew about and did regularly.

Unfortunately relying of hobbyists means relying on those who
establish and provide a service without thought of recompense. It
takes work and knowhow, and users have come to expect more and more
with advancing technology from their local BBS services. In many
cases, workload was not worth the return. One by one, the BBS's
began to cease operation.

For those with an internet service provider, it is still possible
to follow FIDO echos by using the Internet's TELNET service. My
regular source for these communications is a BBS in Daytona Florida
operated by Mr. Charlie Waters:

bbs.neverending.com

To operate with Charlie's service, you will need a TELNET client,
a program capable of establishing communications with the Internet
in text mode, using your Windows socket, or dial up networking
connection. You can also use ADAM to access the Neverending BBS in 
text mode,and you can read your traffic online in that way. It 
provides the connect to the remote source, in this case Chalie's 
Neverending BBS, and allows you to control that computer as though 
it was sitting in the same room with you. Once you've logged onto 
the BBS, you simply follow the menu's offered.  You can access 
various services that the BBS provides, including several message 
networks, a host of online games, and various otherinformation 
 services. 

Access to the FIDOnet comes in two forms. A user can read traffic
and reply online, or use a system of QWK mail packaging to download
mail of interest. Like most BBS's providing FIDO BBS service,
Neverending allows you to select the message echoes you're
interested in reading. If you're using the online mode, an editor
provided as part of the BBS package allows you to edit replies to
incoming messages. The online read function will allow you an
opportunity to read the message, and generate a reply. Only those
FIDO echoes you've designated as being of interest will be shown.
You have an opportunity to follow message threads, and to save
messages in your local mail box.

The second form of FIDO access allows you to read and reply to mail
offline. Any Community Net does this with its news groups, and 
those of you who have tried that will have no trouble with the 
Neverending BBS's QWK service. In order to use QWK offline reading, 
you 'll need a program on your computer capable of opening and 
processing QWK-formatted files. The QWK package that you get  from 
the Neverending BBS includes a series of headers which precede 
the actual group of messages being forwarded. The QWK reader 
process the mail package, and presents the user with messages, 
eachreadable in turn. The reply editor is either one included 
with theQWK package or one that you already have that you specify
in the process of setting up your QWK reader. 

The benefits of reading mail and replying to it offline are fairly
obvious. You're not using up your online time with the host BBS,
and you're free to think about and ponder what you want to say to
a given correspondent. There is no pressure to reply while the
connection with the host is still active. 

QWK readers exist for all kinds of different computer platforms,
even the older ones. For the ADAM, for example, there is
CRR, a hobbyist written reader that provides the ADAMITE
with everything required to process mail offline.

My favourite is The Blue Wave, a DOS program that provides perhaps
the fastest method of scrolling through a large group of message
that I've ever seen. It process your incoming QWK packet, and sets
up so that you can read your incoming mail in sequence, by chosen
group, and you scroll efficiently through the messages in either
direction. If you want to go back to an item that you read
previously, there is no problem in doing that.

The Blue Wave is probably the best one out there, but there are
certainly others. CRR, written by Paul Martin, (Great Britain)
costs of $40. and provides a complete method for performing mail
chores on the ADAM under TDOS. 

None of this will be of any interest of course to users who believe
that the Internet is the only way computer hobbyists communicate.
FIDO predates the Internet by something like 10 years. It is still
extensively in use. It is organized according to a system of world
wide regions, which then break down into network zones and nodes.
The system is self-regulating with each FIDO discussion area having
an appointed moderator whose job it is to keep discussions on
track, and make sure that common rules of civility are respected. 

With local BBS's now not as plentiful as they used to be, I
certainly hope that the Neverending BBS lives up to its name. It's
also available via the internet via graphical browsers such as
Netscape and Internet Explorer. Even more services are available in
this mode of operation, such as web site development and rental.

It's well worth checking out.


