Friday September 02 2016 06:40, you wrote to me:

 LL> A small handful of sysops calling general chat echoes "sysop
 LL> only" echoes does not change the fact that they are general chat
 LL> echoes.  Limiting access to echoes is anti-democratic, especially
 LL> in regards to general chat echoes such as FN_SYSOP and FIDO_SYSOP.
 LL> If that group decides to limit access to one echo, they can do
 LL> the same with another echo.  And another.  And another.  Until
 LL> the only echoes that remain are those inhabited by those very
 LL> same sysops.

I don't know where you got the idea that FN_SYSOP and FIDO_SYSOP are general
chat echoes but you are wrong. while they are both carried on the backbone like
any other echo they are restricted to fidonet nodelisted sysops only. That has
been the case for as long as I can remember.

There is nothing sinister or anti-democratic about that. Most fidonet sysops
have spent their time and money over the years making the fidonet echoes
available to all and they still do that today.

 LL> If FidoNet is to survive, and remain relevant in today's world,
 LL> it needs both sysops and users.  Limiting access is an act of
 LL> Fidocide (FidoNet suicide).

I don't know of a single sysop limiting access to the fidonet echoes. I don't
find the fact that sysops have an echo of their own limiting.

 Ttyl :-),
         Al

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