I found an interesting Fidonet message about IP listing methods from way
back in '97. It's kind of ironic when you read this, and realize that the
message's author has gone 180 degrees in the opposite direction of the
position he takes in this message, regarding what he felt was important
when listing IP nodes.

Unfortuntely, that same author has now become the principal individual who
is now forcing the Pvt, -Unpublished- kludge upon IO nodes, when his own
words stated that there was no need for that very thing.

How did Fidonet get so far off-track?

- Fido Intern (2:2446/301) --------------------------------------- REGCON.EUR
 Msg  : #496 [785]
 From : Ward Dossche                        2:292/854       29 Aug 97  22:31:2
 To   : All                                                 30 Aug 97  06:42:5
 Subj : IP-connectivity
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear all,

I must say I am a bit desilusioned by some people argumenting against
IP-connectivity in Fidonet and trying to keep it PSTN-only as that is what the
Fido-spirit is about or that it is against specific documented or undocumented
practice etc...

It seems to me that it would be completely wrong to not embrace
IP-connectivity nor any of the new transmission-technologies that may/will
be coming at us.

Therefor I will yet launch another proposal of which in any case Denis McMahon
is the spiritual father.

Life can be much simpler than creating a separate zone/region/net.

What Denis proposes is to put the IP-number in the phone-number-field but have
it preceded by a fictitious non-existant country-code.

IP-capable nodes then just translate this ficticious country-code into
whatever is needed to achieve an IP-session and off they go. Those who
aren't IP-capable don't translate and aren't bothered by it.

It is then up to via some flags or several ficticious country-codes or a
combination of both to define virtual modem transfers, ftp transfers and other
types which can present themselves.

No need for "pvt"-nodes either ... and the beauty of this
proposal is that it
can be used for other future technologies as well and, why not, ISDN too to
avoid analog nodes calling digital-ones ...

Personally I think Denis' idea was a very good-one, and if implemented I guess
will be called "The McMahon annotation". ;-)

Comments please?

 \x/ard

#--- DB 1.58/001877
#* Origin: The pianoplayer (2:292/854)

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