Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555) wrote to Steven Horn at 12:48 on 02 Nov 2002:

 MvdV> I believe P4 offers enough room for interpretation to allow a
 MvdV> distinction between the computerese of "Pvt" and the English of
 MvdV> "private".

 SH> As a regional independent, I can't have a private listing (see 2.1.9).

 MvdV> The real problem of course is that you are a RIN. You should not
 MvdV> be. Only if you are not within convenient calling range of a net
 MvdV> a node may be a RIN. For an ION that does never apply. The whole
 MvdV> world is within easy calling range. There is no reason why you as
 MvdV> an ION can not be in a net.

Only if you overlook the fact that when I have to resort to a telephone
call, I am not within convenient calling range of any node in my region.
"Convenient calling range" is simply another way to describe
geographical proximity and my node is not close to anything. 

 MvdV> It is the sort of problem one creates when mixing the political
 MvdV> with the technical.

Only if you were Dutch could you come to that conclusion.  The closest node
to me is 1600 kilometers away and that node too is a RIN.  We do believe in
nodes in a region being in close geographical proximity.

 MvdV> That is also based upon a misapprehension. There is no such thing
 MvdV> as a private IP node. Neither is there such a thing as a private
 MvdV> POTS node. A truly private node has no colour. It has no listed
 MvdV> contact information and so it is neither POTS nor IP. How it
 MvdV> transfers mail to it's uplink is irrelevant. It may be the floppy
 MvdV> disk express or carrier pigeon for all that matters.

I take it that you don't accept the notion that a private POTS node is
entitled to connect to its uplink by telephone and still have a PVT
listing?

 MvdV> From the technical point of view that would be the prefered
 MvdV> solution but unfortunately that is impossible. Every node and
 MvdV> point would have to update their software and any attempt to
 MvdV> force them to do that will kill Fidonet. 

If you guys don't come up with more useful ways to accomodate IONs, you may
have the same problem.  We are not the nodes who are shrinking.
 
Take care,

Steven Horn (steven_a_horn{at}yahoo.ca)
Moderator, ALASKA_CHAT 

--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+