RC>>> It boils down to developing a technology to bring a social need
RC>>> into being.  Communication between people via computers.

SH|>> Robert, please cut the cr*p.  Communications between people or their
SH|>> systems by computer has nothing to do with a "social
need".  I can
SH|>> send 570 Mb of files to the University of Montreal via FTP and never
SH|>> have any social contact with anyone.

 RC> No, you cut the crap, please.  FidoNet was not created to
 RC> exchange files as it's primary goal.

FWIW: i never said "files"... i said "data"... be it
tankfarm readings to a database or what the ATM machines use for the
carriage of monetary transactions and account maintanence...

 RC> We are talking about FidoNet not FTP.

packet switch networking is used for many things other than just fidonet...
fidonet was created as a hobby to play with packet switch networking...
others have blurred that statement to mean only communication between
humans...

i wonder if some early usage by TJ might have been automated updates to the
source code that others had?

)\/(ark