Subj : Question for the nominees
To   : Michiel van der Vlist
From : Vincent Coen
Date : Fri Feb 28 2025 04:48 pm


Hello Michiel!

28 Feb 25 14:22, you wrote to Tim Schattkowsky:

 > Hello Tim,

 > On Thursday February 27 2025 18:12, you wrote to Dan Clough:

 TS>> I know that WinPoint is used for example in Ukraine and other
 TS>> regions because it provides a level of security through
 TS>> obscurity. Still, neither the transmissions nor the payload are
 TS>> properly protected. Available mechanics from MD5 BinkP to
 TS>> PGP-encrypted netmails have tool support issues are are just not
 TS>> safe by todays standards.

 > In the case of FDidonet security through onscurity seems to work. It
 > seems to not yet have atracted the attention of governmemt security
 > services. If we strart playing with high level security mechanisms it
 > may have the acverse effect of attracting rheir attention.

 TS>> And other people sometimes like to send a screenshot to explain
 TS>> their problem. The ability to get a picture through if needed is
 TS>> commonplace everywhere else.

 > And that is exactly where Fidonet is different from all the rest. If
 > we start adding all that, it may hasting the end of Fidonet because it
 > will becomes just one of the many.

 > Letting the bikers into the horse club to "save" it may just turn it
 > into anoher bikers club instead of saving the horse club.


I must remind all those persons that wish to update/upgrade the messaging
system that most if not all of us use software that has VERY limited support
from a programmer let alone the originator.

This means that most products on all platforms cannot be changed to support
these new suggestions such as embedded images other than as file attachments.

It is bad enough with issues such as fonts and character formats etc.,
and trying to read echo's where poster has used an obscure page setting that
just shows up as junk on both sides of words without making it worse.

Please lets keep clear of such changes as I for one, that if I need to use 
such
extras i.e., embedded images within a msg I will use a email.

I do agree that some of these existing documents need revising if only to
remove sysops or others who are no longer with us other than as the author of
such docs. Likewise revising out of date documents that time and space has
shown that s/w has moved on from the date of original creation and again
likewise processes and procedures that have changed over time for what ever
reason.

It just needs one or two people to go through them and clean up out of date
info but not reinventing the wheel that cannot be implemented because the
existing software will not allow it.

I vote for any one who is interested in trying to maintain these some
called technical documents in their own time that have some understanding of
the way systems and software works on all the differing platforms that are 
used
today including but not limited to Dos, Windows, OS/2, Linux and other *nix
based platforms including IBM M/F using MVS, OS390 & Z/OS using *nix as well 
as
Linux etc and I am sure I have missed out some platforms in use around the bbs
world.

Oh, yes I was a member of this group some years back but found that nothing 
was
being organised to deal with these type of problems (or any other for that
matter) so on re-election did not stand again.
The bickering did not help from the outsiders who were not up to volunteering
anyway (sounds like a politician).
(There must be a course they go on the first day of entering parliment to only
speak  total BS without saying any thing.

Vincent

Host region 25.


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