FIDO 
                        Is a New Beginning Possible 
               Can we Move Forward or are we destined to die 
                 Rhetoric and the Bitching will kill us 
               Honesty and Commitment will move us Forward 
                  
Prelouge: 
 
My Disertation and Invitation to Join a new focus group that if successful 
can move Fido Forward. I am positive that this group will be the focus of 
scrutiny like never seen before. 
 
If you can get through my opening statment and have the courage to stand up 
and say I have had enough. It is time to move forward. At the end of this 
manifesto will be a invitation to join my exploratory committee. It's prime 
focus will to be move fido forward! And to attempt to produce a new 
network document that can move us into the year 2000. 
 
Manifesto: 
 
There are many songs out today talking about wanting something. There are 
also many songs about losing things.. Well lately in Fido all I want 
is my echo mail and my file feed and not to loose any of it from any 
member system because of a chicken shit power struggle. 
 
There hopefully will be a election soon in Z1 that will allow us the chance 
to elect a new leader and the chance to move forward. Whether or not that  
election is to be open and fair is another matter. But be it that it may  
I hope that the RC's get there shit together and move forward on this  
issue soon.. 
 
I have for years laughed at a certain individual how has tried to yield  
his way in such extreme ways that 99% of the Fido Net Sysops in Zone 1 
actually hate his guts. I actually decided long ago that the man has no  
life. If Fido were to disappear tommorow I think the man would have a  
heart attack and die because he would no longer have a medium to use to 
release his frustrations. It is because of his actions that I am 
compelled to act and to act swiftly. 
 
I am not new to this network and can honestly say I am a old timer. It 
has been so long I had to put some thought to when we actually got our 
first node number and as far as I can calculate it was May of 1985 so I 
guess I have been a active sysop for about 14 years. My higest position 
of responsibility has been a NC I currenty reside in Hawaii and there  
isnt to much Fido business to take care of. 
 
Being that I am a old timer and probably one of the few that still have 
as much activity on my systems today as 4-5 years ago. Only because my  
system is on the Internet. I think yesterdays logs showed almost a 1000  
logins and while most where looking for files. A few did take a peak at  
the Fido conferences while the list of inactive echos continue to grow.  
I really believe it is time to retire about 3 or 400 of these echos that  
are only kept alive by the moderators monthly bullshit post. But being  
I dont control the echo's there are many moderators who are living in  
denial and are unwilling to move on and pack it in... Some of these echos  
have not seen a real message in 2-3 years what the hell is the matter  
with these people they are worse than drug addicts un-willing to give  
up there habit.. 
 
Fido is a Habit and a Hobby heck I am as guilty as anyone when it comes 
to keeping dead echos listed on my BBS in the first place. It is like  
wishing that a magic fairy is gonna log onto the system and post a  
1000 valid & interesting messages in these DEAD echos.. Heck some of  
them are so dead that the flesh has already rotted away and all that  
is left is the powder from the decomposed bones.. 
 
It so happens that at this moment I am sitting in a depressed little town 
that is a lot like Fido I have business mettings all week here and have  
regulated myself to the hotel room each night to think up crafty things  
to do like this manifesto. Years past a BBS would have been a diversion 
but now I login to my system from a local ISP that used to be a BBS Sysop 
 
Fido is currently drab and it needs a serious valid overhaul including 
network orginization and policy it is going to take a group of compromising  
individuals to review fido the history and decide on a possible new course  
of action for the new millenium. 
 
We have but a little time left to make a move or the network many of us 
truely love will be lost and will be lost forever with hardly a foot-note 
in History... Who would remember the pioneering work we did in the 80's 
in my opinon the computer industry should send every sysop in the world  
a check for 1 million dollars. We didnt create the Internet but we damn  
well did educate those that are on it today. Like anything the Internet  
gained enough forward movement that nothing would have stopped it...  
A few of the biggest Internet national backbones were started by Fido  
Sysops. Plus a great deal more are now your local ISP. 
 
What does that have to do with us. Well we need to move forward and  
revitalize. Provide faster commincations etc. There are many things we  
can do but it simply just needs to be done. If you are dedicated  
and willing to compromise. I am setting up a unofficial committee  
that will draft a new document taking the best of the old and incorporating  
the best of the yet to be determined.  
 
I think any sysop should be able to submit info or volunteer to be on 
the committee and since no one else has headed up a valid effort. I invite  
the following to Join the expolratory committee. If your group choose not  
to join then tough we will do it without you. Failure is not a option. 
 
This is were I open what I hope to be the biggest undertaking in Fido 
in the last 5 years. Someone has to move forward and I have decided to  
be that person come hell or high water. I want everyone to understand 
that I will bear no bias and will help produce a new document for Fido  
that will move us forward. 
 
------------------------------Cut Here------------------------------- 
--------------------------Nomination Application--------------------- 
Submit to cochrane{at}bbsnets.com 
Via Routed Netmail: 1:345/2 
 
Postions Available: 
 
One Zone Coordinator 
One Regional Coordinator from each Zone 
Two NC's from each Zone 
Three Sysops from Each Zone  
 
Author's from each of the Major Active BBS Packages. 
(active means updated software in the previous 24 months) 
 
Author's from each of the Mail/File/Mail Util Packages 
(active means updated software in the previous 24 months) 
 
One FTSC Comittee Member 
Three slots from active external BBS support groups 
 
Additional members will be allowed if I am convinced we need additional 
group representation. If your wide body group has been missed e-mail me 
your current representation. 
 
             This is the basis of how we will succeed 
 
All procedings will be open to the public for review.  
All Public inputs will be reviewed and Posted for Public review 
All Public inputs can be incorporated into the document 
All Votes will be Public 
All forums will be public 
 
The document that will be a continual work in progress. The document will  
be available via the Internet at all times. This is to facilitate  
public submission of data and alternate ideas.  
 
Name:_________________________ 
 
Node#:________________________ 
 
Affiliation:_________________________ 
 
Affiliation Web Site:___________________________ 
 
E-Mail:___________________________ 
 
Phone#:______________________________ 
 
Reason you want to be on this committee:__________________________________ 
 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
 
__________________________________________________________________________ 
 
_________________________________________________________________________ 
 
How many hours a week can you dedicate to this task:_______ 
 
By submitting this application you swear to your God that your intentions 
are pure and full of honor. You swear to do your best to help produce a  
document that all of Fido can be proud of. This document may allow this  
network to better itself and to move the Network forward into the future. 
 
You understand that you must be open minded to all proposals and ideas. 
You swear you will give full attention to the task at hand. You will 
devote the number of hours a week that you indicated to this task.  
You swear you will be kind to fellow members and be respectful in all ways.  
Internal fighting will not be tolerated. 
 
You must realize that the Final Draft document will be submitted to the  
whole of Fidonet for possible consideration that may be intergrated into  
or replace current network documents. It may be rejected wholly or embraced  
officialy. The document could become the next un-officially fido document  
and you must be willing to accept criticism as a designer of this document.  
You must be forward thinking and submit ideas to advance the Network. 
 
The group has a goal of 2 months to produce the rough draft a 3rd and 
final month to have the document polished. Code lock to new suggestions 
will occur on the last day of the 2nd month. This date will be  
determined after the 2 week committee formation time that I have allocated. 
This final draft date can only be moved by a 90%  agreement by vote 
of all committee members. 
 
There will be free flow of information between each member no one member  
will have veto power a tie is considered a failure. The committee's  
activities will be available to the entire fido network thru the www &  
read only mailing list and weekly archives. A new fido conference may be  
established. Submissions from the public will be allowed from all media  
formats. Private conversations between members will be captured on the  
honor system and provided to the 2 archive keepers. A Fax number will be  
made available for the public to submit ideas to the commmittee. 
 
Members of the committee will initially be chosen by Todd Cochrane. I 
Todd Cochrane swear that I will not show favortism and I will establish 
this committee for the benefit of Fido. I realize the task at hand is 
monumental and I swear to support the group and provide nessesary  
support mechanisms to insure the group reaches it's goals.  
 
As a applicant if you dont like the rules dont apply. I attend for this 
committee to succeed reguardless of concenquenses. 
 
Todd Cochrane 
cochrane{at}bbsnets.com 
1:345/2 
 
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