Hi Neil,

>> Most of zone 1 uses the internet to move mail, but hasn't
>> abandoned the echomail backbone :)

> Does the backbone actually exist as a single entity?
> Is it just a euphemism for something else?

You'll probably be sorry you asked ..

The fidonet backbone is basically the list of echos available from North
America as maintained by the echolist keeper, Thom LaCosta.. It's
distribution however is actually now available from 3 or 4 different
sources rather than just one distribution system.

Some of these sources have some echos that the others do not. The NAB
backbone (North American Backbone) is a mesh of Bob Seaborn, Bob Juge, Ross
Cassell and Brenda Donavan's systems

The Z1B (Zone 1 Backbone) is a mesh of Todd Cochrane, Matt Bedynek, and
Dale Ross's systems

The WWB (World Wide Backbone) is a mesh of Zone 1: Jame Clay,  Zone 2: Sven
Dueker,  Zone 3: Barry Blackford,  Zone 4: Renato Zambon, and  Zone 5:
Russell Tiedt's systems.

The NAB was the original Fidonet Backbone that some may remember which was
a mesh of George Peace, John Souvestre and other individuals.. that
original backbone split up into the NAB and Z1B several years ago due to
differences of opinion as to when an echo was "dead", as well as
other operating proceedures. That was the original split.  The other
backbones developed when others figured that they could also provide a
service to people, as the internet became more and more used as a transport
method.  Perhaps most interesting of all is the WWB.. because that backbone
carries the following echolists, as well as the North American Echolist:

 WWB-BRA.480     1495 15/06/02 Brazilian Portuguese echos via 4:801/161
 WWB-BUL.253      333 16/01/02 Romania Bulgarian backbone
 WWB-CHN.665      964 11/03/01 Chinese echos via 6:65/0
 WWB-DUFR.229    7445 07/01/01 Belgian Dutch/French echos via 2:292/624
 WWB-ENG.253      774 16/01/02 Romania English backbone
 WWB-FIN.222     3272 01/12/02 Finnish echos via 2:221/1 (01.12.02)
 WWB-GER.224    26428 01/01/85 Zone 2 Region 24 German Echos Forward List
 WWB-IRL.226      588 03/12/00 Regional echos from Ireland R26 via 2:263/950
 WWB-ITA.233     8058 14/02/00 Zone 2 Region 33 Italian echos Forward List
 WWB-POL.248     4320 24/02/02 Zone 2 Region 48 Echos Forward List
 WWB-ROM.253     1436 16/01/02 R53 Romania backbone
 WWB-RUS.253      402 16/01/02 Romania Russian backbone
 WWB-SPA.234     4481 27/12/02 Spanish echos via 2:341/14{at}fidonet
 WWB-SWE.220     6810 15/10/02 Swedish echos via 2:20/11

Some of these distribution systems mesh with each other at one system
sharing a number of echos..

The original FileBone, created by John Souvestre, and all the FDN
coordinators and Filebone HUBs was disbanded about 5 or 6 years ago when
the majority of the FDN Coordinators had left the FileBone (disconnected
from it). The FileGate was created some years earlier when Ray Kaliss and I
and some others got disgusted with the FileBone's treatment of FDN
coordinators and the cost of moving archives.. we entered into an agreement
with USRobotics at the time, where USR paid for the transport to HUBs all
over the world, widening distribution to sites on 6 of the 7 major
continents.  The files were then allowed to pass to the
"BACKBONE" (there was only one distribution system then
) when a connection was established between my system and George
Peace's system.  These days, the FileGate is coordinated from here, and
transported via internet protocols (Binkp, ftp, etc.) with distribution to
the various 'backbones' through links to my systems to one of the the
respective backbone's HUBs.

Hopefully this hasn't given you much of a headache 

Take care,
Janis

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