1237a672a67d
bluewave



Hello Charles - 

CA>> There are no private messages within FIDO echos. I've
CA>> often wondered why OLRs even make the attempt to mark
CA>> messages as 'private'. 

CJ> I think you had a blind spot on this one. This OLR feature
CJ> is needed for local messages areas. On the BBS I use there
CJ> is only one local area for the users. The "private toggle"
CJ> allows the user to send either a private or public message. 

I won't pretend to have considered local echos, I didn't
obviously. I've never been fond of local echos they are
extremely cliguish and I've regretted using any that I have
posted into. 

The fact that local echos need not propagate across the USA
does mean that it hardly seems appropriate for it to be
considered a 'FIDO echo' IMO. 

Two or more of the lady sysops have listed echos on FIDO that
are really local and I do mean local (one city) and they try to
keep it that way but do propagate the echo for out-of-towners,
snow birds, and homesick transplants. I think it's not in the
spirit of FIDO but no one is asking me for my opinion, are they? 

CJ> Of course even in this area most of the messages I send are
CJ> public but sometimes it is nice to have the feature
CJ> available when I want to send private information or
CJ> information that I am sure no other user would be
CJ> interested in. I think the SysOp uses the same area for
CJ> logoff "comments" which are always private. If the comment
CJ> is a question that the SysOp can't answer he can just
CJ> toggle the message public. 

I've seldom had the need to have private messages and when I do
it goes email. Netmail is supposed to manage that function,
private messages, but netmail has not been dependable for me
and I usually won't use it or reply to netmail from others. 

CJ> And some of the older OLRs were around when local areas
CJ> were a lot more prevalent. 

BBS software used to manage it's own message base with FIDO
being something of an addon. I wrote BBS software for awhile
and I am aware of sysop paranoia and user privilege, I just
don't agree with it. 

>
>        ,                          ,
>      o/      Charles.Angelich      \o       ,
>       __o/
>     / >          USA, MI           < \   __\__
 

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