>  p> There used to be a Color Computer echo, along with an OS9 echo, and I
>  p> them. I wish we could re-start them, changing the 'OS9' to 'NitrOS9'
> 
> You can always start a new Fido list, I've seen instructions for that.
> 
 BG> Sorry, I've tried to do that (a couple of years ago), but I wasn't
 BG> able to get it done (I can't even remember why). Now, there is no
 BG> way I can even attempt a try. So, I'll have to keep on hopeing
 BG> someone else will start a Color Computer echo and a NitrOS9 echo

starting an echo is no harder than creating a message area on your system
that is configured to share posts with other systems... the hard part is
getting other systems to link into it... for that you have to have
interested parties...

if you have interested parties, then the next hard part should be taken
care of... that being getting and maintianing traffic...

listing the echo's tag in the echolist is a good thing but not needed as
much as it used to be... there are still some backbones that require an
echo be listed in the echolist before they will carry the new echo(s) on
their systems for wide distribution... that's nothing more than a netmail
to the echolist bot... the first netmail is a "MOD ADD" message
that has to fit a template that the echolist bot works from... then you
have periodic "MOD UPD" messages to keep the listing refreshed
and up to date...

for those backbones that require echolisting, you post the "MOD
ADD" _response_ to their management echo with a carry request... after
that, it is pretty much a done deal if they accept it and add it to their
configs... at that point, one should be able to link to it via their
backbone feed and start moving traffic via that route instead of directly
connected systems that may be participating...

it really is a simple process and it gets easier and easier the smaller
fido gets... there was a time when you had to start the echo and have X
number of systems connected and pulling directly from you _and_ you had to
have X number of posts per month before the backbone would even consider
carrying the traffic...

one of the biggest hurdles is for those who want to start and moderate an
echo who are not sysops... they have to find a system that is willing to
host the echo and also give them access to netmail which many sysops didn't
do because they didn't understand how to set up routed netmail or how to
restrict direct netmail for certain low cost time periods... in this day in
time, most traffic on fidonet goes via some sort of internet transport and
the phone companies also have very low cost long distance rates so this
netmail access problem is largely now simply a problem of users being given
access to it and it properly being imported and exported from the system so
they can get to it...

)\/(ark