1237a55214c5
c_echo



Hello Bo - 

BS>> Fidonet is very populear in the east europe area. I'm from
BS>> Denmark, people are very fashinated about the internet, so
BS>> we aren't so many on the fidonet. 

CA>> Fascinated with the Internet as entertainment or for
CA>> business opportunities? 

BS> I guess the both. USENET is very big in Denmark. 

USENET is interesting at times but has a high noise:data ratio
with major over-quoting in replies to replies to replies. With
no way to moderate content it can get a bit 'ugly' at times and
requires a thick skin. 

BS>> Most of new development of fidonet software is also taking
BS>> place there, fx. binkd is developed by russians. 

CA>> The Russian programmers are not as likely to avoid older
CA>> DOS or OS/2 source code as people here in the US seem to
CA>> be. I am expecting to see good things coming out of
CA>> Russia. I already like some of what I've seen such as RAR
CA>> and the Volkov Commander. :-) 

BS> I don't know Volkov Commander, i might be because i'm a
BS> linux man. 

It's a filemanager. 

CA>> Persons in the US with the knowledge and ability to work
CA>> on FIDO code are, I think, burned out after a decade or
CA>> more of maintaining the code. It is almost impossible to
CA>> introduce the possibility of starting from the begining
CA>> and many won't even update existing code if they can avoid
CA>> it. 

BS> People who left fidonet and made fidonet programs, should
BS> give the fido community the code, so someone else could
BS> develop it. Fx. the man who made cfroute, made i
BS> opensource, before he left fidonet. 

A few who 'exited' FIDO left everything behind, they are
deceased. Others left during a personal crisis (injury, illness,
divorce, etc.) and had more important things to think about. 

For many the strain of unreasonable user requests for
customized versions of their software and the general tendency
of users to take what is free for granted burned them out. They
did not leave because they were fulfilled. They left because
they had been worn out by the whole process. 

After putting years into developing code there is a tendency to
think of it as an extension of yourself and you don't give away
parts of yourself. It would be like giving your favorite pet
(dog?) to a stranger - not likely. 

Young people will take your source of 1000's of lines of code
and manhours, add 10 or 20 lines and then change the name and
claim it as their own. 

I know, I've been there. :-\ 

>
>        ,                                        ,
>      o/      Charles_Angelich  - DOS Ghost       \o       ,
>       __o/
>     / >  www.undercoverdesign.com/dosghost/faf/  < \   __\__
 

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