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 SEE [[https://www.cs.indiana.edu/docproject/zen/zen-1.0_toc.html|Zen and the Art of the Internet]]: A Beginner's \\ Guide to the Internet, First Edition, January 1992 HTML format SEE [[https://www.cs.indiana.edu/docproject/zen/zen-1.0_toc.html|Zen and the Art of the Internet]]: A Beginner's \\ Guide to the Internet, First Edition, January 1992 HTML format
 {{:ZenAndTheArtOfTheInternet.pdf|Zen and the Art of the Internet}} PDF format {{:ZenAndTheArtOfTheInternet.pdf|Zen and the Art of the Internet}} PDF format
 +[[./zen and the art of the internet/etext|etext version]]
  
-<code> +  [[./zen and the art of the internet/preface|Preface]
-Project Gutenberg's Zen and the Art of the Internet, by Brendan P. Kehoe +  * Acknowledgements 
- +  Network Basics 
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +    Domains 
-almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or +    Internet Numbers 
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +    Resolving Names and Numbers 
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org +    The Networks 
- +    The Physical Connection 
-** This is a COPYRIGHTED Project Gutenberg eBook, Details Below ** +  Electronic Mail 
-**     Please follow the copyright guidelines in this file    ** +    Email Addresses 
- +      %@!.: Symbolic Cacophony 
-Title: Zen and the Art of the Internet +      Sending and Receiving Mail 
- +      Anatomy of a Mail Header 
-Author: Brendan P. Kehoe +      Bounced Mail 
- +    Mailing Lists 
-Posting Date: December 17, 2011 [EBook #34+      Listservs 
-Release Date: June, 1992 +  Anonymous FTP 
- +    FTP Etiquette 
-Language: English +    Basic Commands 
- +      Creating the Connection 
- +      dir 
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ZEN AND THE ART OF THE INTERNET *** +      * cd 
- +      get and put 
- +        ASCII vs Binary 
- +        mget and mput 
- +    * The archie Server 
- +      Using archie Today 
- +      archie Clients 
- +      Mailing archie 
- +      The whatis database 
- +  Usenet News 
- +    What Usenet Is 
- +    The Diversity of Usenet 
- +    What Usenet Is Not 
- +    Propagation of News 
- +    Group Creation 
-Part A +    If You're Unhappy... 
- +    The History of Usenet (The ABCs) 
- +    Hierarchies 
-           Zen and the Art of the Internet +    Moderated vs Unmoderated 
- +    news.groups & news.announce.newgroups 
-Copyright (c) 1992 Brendan P. Kehoe +    How Usenet Works 
- +    Mail Gateways 
- +    Usenet ``Netiquette'' 
-Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this +      * Signatures 
-guide provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are +      Posting Personal Messages 
-preserved on all copies. +      Posting Mail 
- +      Test Messages 
-Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of +      Famous People Appearing 
-this booklet under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that +      Summaries 
-the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a +      Quoting 
-permission notice identical to this one. +      Crossposting 
- +      Recent News 
-Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this +      Quality of Postings 
-booklet into another language, under the above conditions for +      Useful Subjects 
-modified versions, except that this permission notice may be stated +      Tone of Voice 
-in a translation approved by the author. +      Computer Religion 
- +    Frequently Asked Questions 
- +      The Pit-Manager Archive 
- +  Telnet 
- +    Using Telnet 
-Zen and the Art of the Internet +      Telnet Ports 
-A Beginner's Guide to the Internet +    Publicly Accessible Libraries 
-First Edition +    The Cleveland Freenet 
-January 1992 +    Directories 
- +      Knowbot   
-by Brendan P. Kehoe +      White Pages 
- +    Databases 
-This is revision 1.0 of February 2, 1992. +      Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries (CARL) 
-Copyright (c) 1992 Brendan P. Kehoe +      PENpages 
- +      Clemson Univ. Forestry & Agricultural Network 
-The composition of this booklet was originally started because the +      University of Maryland Info Database 
-Computer Science department at Widener University was in desperate +      University of Michigan Weather Underground 
-need of documentation describing the capabilities of this "great new +      Geographic Name Server 
-Internet link" we obtained. +      FEDIX---Minority Scholarship Information 
- +      Science & Technology Information System 
-It's since grown into an effort to acquaint the reader with much of +      Ocean Network Information Center 
-what's currently available over the Internet.  Aimed at the novice +      NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) 
-user, it attempts to remain operating system "neutral"---little +      U.S. Naval Observatory Automated Data Service 
-information herein is specific to Unix, VMS, or any other +  Various Tools 
-environment. This booklet will, hopefully, be usable by nearly +    Finger 
-anyone. +    Ping 
- +    Talk 
-A user's session is usually offset from the rest of the paragraph, as +    The WHOIS Database 
-such: +      * Other Uses of WHOIS 
- +  Commercial Services 
-prompt> command +    Electronic Journals 
-The results are usually displayed here. +    Commercial Databases 
- +    Clarinet News 
-The purpose of this booklet is two-fold: first, it's intended to +  Things You'll Hear About 
-serve as a reference piece, which someone can easily grab on the fly +    The Internet Worm 
-and look something up.  Also, it forms a foundation from which people +    The Cuckoo's Egg 
-can explore the vast expanse of the Internet.  Zen and the Art of the +    Organizations 
-Internet doesn't spend a significant amount of time on any one point; +      The Association for Computing Machinery 
-rather, it provides enough for people to learn the specifics of what +      Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility 
-his or her local system offers. +      The Electronic Frontier Foundation 
- +      The Free Software Foundation 
-One warning is perhaps in order---this territory we are entering can +      The League for Programming Freedom 
-become a fantastic time-sink.  Hours can slip by, people can come and +    Networking Initiatives 
-go, and you'll be locked into Cyberspace.  Remember to do your work! +      NREN 
- +  Finding Out More 
-With that, I welcome you, the new user, to The Net. +    Internet Resource Guide 
- +    Requests for Comments 
-                    brendan@cs.widener.edu +  Conclusion 
-                    Chester, PA +  Getting to Other Networks 
- +  Retrieving Files via Email 
-Acknowledgements +    Archive Servers 
- +    FTP-by-Mail Servers 
-Certain sections in this booklet are not my original work---rather, +  Newsgroup Creation 
-they are derived from documents that were available on the Internet +    Discussion 
-and already aptly stated their areas of concentration.  The chapter +    Voting 
-on Usenet is, in large part, made up of what's posted monthly to +    The Result of a Vote 
-news.announce.newusers, with some editing and rewriting.  Also, the +    Creation of the Group 
-main section on archie was derived from whatis.archie by Peter +  Glossary
-Deutsch of the McGill University Computing Centre.  It's available +
-via anonymous FTP from archie.mcgill.ca.  Much of what's in the +
-telnet section came from an impressive introductory document put +
-together by SuraNet.  Some definitions in the one are from an +
-excellent glossary put together by Colorado State University. +
- +
-This guide would not be the same without the aid of many people on The +
-Net, and the providers of resources that are already out there.  I'd +
-like to thank the folks who gave this a read-through and returned some +
-excellent comments, suggestions, and criticisms, and those who +
-provided much-needed information on the fly.  Glee Willis deserves +
-particular mention for all of his work; this guide would have been +
-considerably less polished without his help. +
- +
-Andy Blankenbiller <rablanke@crdec7.apgea.army.mil> +
-Andy Blankenbiller, Army at Aberdeen +
- +
-bajan@cs.mcgill.ca +
-Alan Emtage, McGill University Computer Science Department +
- +
-Brian Fitzgerald <fitz@mml0.meche.rpi.edu> +
-Brian Fitzgerald, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute +
- +
-John Goetsch <ccjg@hippo.ru.ac.za> +
-John Goetsch, Rhodes University, South Africa +
- +
-composer@chem.bu.edu +
-Jeff Kellem, Boston University's Chemistry Department +
- +
-kraussW@moravian.edu +
-Bill Krauss, Moravian College +
- +
-Steve Lodin <deaes!swlodin@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> +
-Steve Lodin, Delco Electronics +
- +
-Mike Nesel <nesel@elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov> +
-Mike Nesel, NASA +
- +
-Bob <neveln@cs.widener.edu> +
-Bob Neveln, Widener University Computer Science Department +
- +
-wamapi@dunkin.cc.mcgill.ca (Wanda Pierce) +
-Wanda Pierce, McGill University Computing Centre +
- +
-Joshua.R.Poulson@cyber.widener.edu +
-Joshua Poulson, Widener University Computing Services +
- +
-de5@ornl.gov +
-Dave Sill, Oak Ridge National Laboratory +
- +
-bsmart@bsmart.tti.com +
-Bob Smart, CitiCorp/TTI +
- +
-emv@msen.com +
-Ed Vielmetti, Vice President of MSEN +
- +
-Craig E. Ward <cew@venera.isi.edu> +
-Craig Ward, USC/Information Sciences Institute (ISI) +
- +
-Glee Willis <willis@unssun.nevada.edu> +
-Glee Willis, University of Nevada, Reno +
- +
-Charles Yamasaki <chip@oshcomm.osha.gov> +
-Chip Yamasaki, OSHA +
- +
-Network Basics +
- +
-We are truly in an information society.  Now more than ever, moving +
-vast amounts of information quickly across great distances is one of +
-our most pressing needs.  From small one-person entrepreneurial +
-efforts, to the largest of corporations, more and more professional +
-people are discovering that the only way to be successful in the '90s +
-and beyond is to realize that technology is advancing at a break-neck +
-pace---and they must somehow keep up.  Likewise, researchers from all +
-corners of the earth are finding that their work thrives in a +
-networked environment.  Immediate access to the work of colleagues +
-and a "virtual" library of millions of volumes and thousands of +
-papers affords them the ability to encorporate a body of knowledge +
-heretofore unthinkable.  Work groups can now conduct interactive +
-conferences with each other, paying no heed to physical +
-location---the possibilities are endless. +
- +
-You have at your fingertips the ability to talk in "real-time" with +
-someone in Japan, send a 2,000-word short story to a group of people +
-who will critique it for the sheer pleasure of doing so, see if a +
-Macintosh sitting in a lab in Canada is turned on, and find out if +
-someone happens to be sitting in front of their computer (logged on) +
-in Australia, all inside of thirty minutes.  No airline (or tardis, +
-for that matter) could ever match that travel itinerary. +
- +
-The largest problem people face when first using a network is +
-grasping all that's available.  Even seasoned users find themselves +
-surprised when they discover a new service or feature that they'+
-never known even existed.  Once acquainted with the terminology and +
-sufficiently comfortable with making occasional mistakes, the +
-learning process will drastically speed up. +
- +
-Domains +
- +
-Getting where you want to go can often be one of the more difficult +
-aspects of using networks.  The variety of ways that places are named +
-will probably leave a blank stare on your face at first.  Don't fret; +
-there is a method to this apparent madness. +
- +
-If someone were to ask for a home address, they would probably expect +
-a street, apartment, city, state, and zip code.  That's all the +
-information the post office needs to deliver mail in a reasonably +
-speedy fashion.  Likewise, computer addresses have a structure to +
-them.  The general form is: +
- +
-a person's email address on a computer: user@somewhere.domain +
-a computer's name: somewhere.domain +
- +
-The user portion is usually the person's account name on the +
-system, though it doesn't have to be.  somewhere.domain tells +
-you the name of a system or location, and what kind of organization it +
-is. The trailing domain is often one of the following: +
- +
-com +
-Usually a company or other commercial institution or organization, +
-like Convex Computers (convex.com). +
- +
-edu +
-An educational institution, e.g. New York University, named nyu.edu. +
- +
-gov +
-A government site; for example, NASA is nasa.gov. +
- +
-mil +
-A military site, like the Air Force (af.mil). +
- +
-net +
-Gateways and other administrative hosts for a network (it does not +
-mean all of the hosts in a network). {The Matrix, 111.  One such +
-gateway is near.net.} +
- +
-org +
-This is a domain reserved for private organizations, who don'+
-comfortably fit in the other classes of domains.  One example is the +
-Electronic Frontier Foundation named eff.org. +
- +
-Each country also has its own top-level domain.  For example, the +
-us domain includes each of the fifty states.  Other countries +
-represented with domains include: +
- +
-au Australia +
-ca Canada +
-fr France +
-uk The United Kingdom.  These also have sub-domains of things like +
-ac.uk for academic sites and co.uk for commercial ones. +
- +
-FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) +
- +
-The proper terminology for a site's domain name (somewhere.domain +
-above) is its Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).  It is usually +
-selected to give a clear indication of the site's organization or +
-sponsoring agent.  For example, the Massachusetts Institute of +
-Technology's FQDN is mit.edu; similarly, Apple Computer's domain name +
-is apple.com.  While such obvious names are usually the norm, there +
-are the occasional exceptions that are ambiguous enough to +
-mislead---like vt.edu, which on first impulse one might surmise is an +
-educational institution of some sort in Vermont; not so.  It's +
-actually the domain name for Virginia Tech.  In most cases it's +
-relatively easy to glean the meaning of a domain name---such +
-confusion is far from the norm. +
- +
-Internet Numbers +
- +
-Every single machine on the Internet has a unique address, {At least +
-one address, possibly two or even three---but we won' go into +
-that.} called its Internet number or IP Address.  It's actually a +
-32-bit number, but is most commonly represented as four numbers +
-joined by periods (.), like 147.31.254.130. This is sometimes also +
-called a dotted quad; there are literally thousands of different +
-possible dotted quads.  The ARPAnet (the mother to today's Internet) +
-originally only had the capacity to have up to 256 systems on it +
-because of the way each system was addressed.  In the early eighties, +
-it became clear that things would fast outgrow such a small limit; +
-the 32-bit addressing method was born, freeing thousands of host +
-numbers. +
- +
-Each piece of an Internet address (like 192) is called an "octet," +
-representing one of four sets of eight bits.  The first two or three +
-pieces (e.g. 192.55.239) represent the network that a system is on, +
-called its subnet.  For example, all of the computers for Wesleyan +
-University are in the subnet 129.133. They can have numbers like +
-129.133.10.10, 129.133.230.19, up to 65 thousand possible +
-combinations (possible computers). +
- +
-IP addresses and domain names aren't assigned arbitrarily---that +
-would lead to unbelievable confusion.  An application must be filed +
-with the Network Information Center (NIC), either electronically (to +
-hostmaster@nic.ddn.mil) or via regular mail. +
- +
-Resolving Names and Numbers +
- +
-Ok, computers can be referred to by either their FQDN or their +
-Internet address.  How can one user be expected to remember them all? +
- +
-They aren't.  The Internet is designed so that one can use either +
-method.  Since humans find it much more natural to deal with words +
-than numbers in most cases, the FQDN for each host is mapped to its +
-Internet number.  Each domain is served by a computer within that +
-domain, which provides all of the necessary information to go from a +
-domain name to an IP address, and vice-versa.  For example, when +
-someone refers to foosun.bar.com, the resolver knows that it should +
-ask the system foovax.bar.com about systems in bar.com.  It asks what +
-Internet address foosun.bar.com has; if the name foosun.bar.com +
-really exists, foovax will send back its number.  All of this +
-"magic" happens behind the scenes. +
- +
-Rarely will a user have to remember the Internet number of a site +
-(although often you'll catch yourself remembering an apparently +
-obscure number, simply because you've accessed the system +
-frequently). However, you will remember a substantial number of +
-FQDNs.  It will eventually reach a point when you are able to make a +
-reasonably accurate guess at what domain name a certain college, +
-university, or company might have, given just their name. +
- +
-The Networks +
- +
- +
-Internet +
-The Internet is a large "network of networks."  There is no +
-one network known as The Internet; rather, regional nets like SuraNet, +
-PrepNet, NearNet, et al., are all inter-connected +
-(nay, "inter-networked") together into one great living thing, +
-communicating at amazing speeds with the TCP/IP protocol.  All +
-activity takes place in "real-time." +
- +
-UUCP +
-The UUCP network is a loose association of systems all communicating +
-with the UUCP protocol.  (UUCP stands for `Unix-to-Unix Copy +
-Program'.)  It's based on two systems connecting to each other at +
-specified intervals, called polling, and executing any work +
-scheduled for either of them.  Historically most UUCP was done with +
-Unix equipment, although the software's since been implemented on +
-other platforms (e.g. VMS).  For example, the system oregano +
-polls the system basil once every two hours.  If there's any +
-mail waiting for oregano, basil will send it at that time; +
-likewise, oregano will at that time send any jobs waiting for +
-basil. +
- +
-BITNET +
-BITNET (the "Because It's Time Network") is comprised of systems +
-connected by point-to-point links, all running the NJE protocol. +
-It's continued to grow, but has found itself suffering at the hands of +
-the falling costs of Internet connections.  Also, a number of mail +
-gateways are in place to reach users on other networks. +
- +
-The Physical Connection +
- +
-The actual connections between the various networks take a variety of +
-forms.  The most prevalent for Internet links are 56k leased lines +
-(dedicated telephone lines carrying 56kilobit-per-second connections) +
-and T1 links (special phone lines with 1Mbps connections).  Also +
-installed are T3 links, acting as backbones between major locations +
-to carry a massive 45Mbps load of traffic. +
- +
-These links are paid for by each institution to a local carrier (for +
-example, Bell Atlantic owns PrepNet, the main provider in +
-Pennsylvania).  Also available are SLIP connections, which carry +
-Internet traffic (packets) over high-speed modems. +
- +
-UUCP links are made with modems (for the most part), that run from +
-1200 baud all the way up to as high as 38.4Kbps.  As was mentioned in +
-The Networks, the connections are of the store-and-forward +
-variety.  Also in use are Internet-based UUCP links (as if things +
-weren't already confusing enough!).  The systems do their UUCP traffic +
-over TCP/IP connections, which give the UUCP-based network some +
-blindingly fast "hops," resulting in better connectivity for the +
-network as a whole.  UUCP connections first became popular in the +
-1970's, and have remained in wide-spread use ever since.  Only with +
-UUCP can Joe Smith correspond with someone across the country or +
-around the world, for the price of a local telephone call. +
- +
-BITNET links mostly take the form of 9600bps modems connected from site +
-to site.  Often places have three or more links going; the majority, +
-however, look to "upstream" sites for their sole link to the network. +
- +
-                    "The Glory and the Nothing of a Name" +
-                    Byron, {Churchill's Grave} +
- +
------------ +
- Electronic Mail +
- +
-The desire to communicate is the essence of networking.  People have +
-always wanted to correspond with each other in the fastest way +
-possible, short of normal conversation.  Electronic mail (or +
-email) is the most prevalent application of this in computer +
-networking.  It allows people to write back and forth without having +
-to spend much time worrying about how the message actually gets +
-delivered.  As technology grows closer and closer to being a common +
-part of daily life, the need to understand the many ways it can be +
-utilized and how it works, at least to some level, is vital. +
-part of daily life (as has been evidenced by the ISDN effort, the need +
-to understand the many ways it can be utilized and how it works, at +
-least to some level, is vital. +
- +
-Email Addresses +
- +
-Electronic mail is hinged around the concept of an address; the +
-section on Networking Basics made some reference to it while +
-introducing domains.  Your email address provides all of the +
-information required to get a message to you from anywhere in the +
-world.  An address doesn't necessarily have to go to a human being. +
-It could be an archive server, {See Archive Servers, for a +
-description.} a list of people, or even someone's pocket pager. +
-These cases are the exception to the norm---mail to most addresses is +
-read by human beings. +
- +
- %@!.: Symbolic Cacophony +
- +
-Email addresses usually appear in one of two forms---using the +
-Internet format which contains @, an "at"-sign, or using the +
-UUCP format which contains !, an exclamation point, also called +
-a "bang."  The latter of the two, UUCP "bang" paths, is more +
-restrictive, yet more clearly dictates how the mail will travel. +
- +
-To reach Jim Morrison on the system south.america.org, one would +
-address the mail as jm@south.america.org.  But if Jim's account was +
-on a UUCP site named brazil, then his address would be brazil!jm.  If +
-it's possible (and one exists), try to use the Internet form of an +
-address; bang paths can fail if an intermediate site in the path +
-happens to be down.  There is a growing trend for UUCP sites to +
-register Internet domain names, to help alleviate the problem of path +
-failures. +
- +
-Another symbol that enters the fray is %---it acts as an extra +
-"routing" method.  For example, if the UUCP site dream is connected +
-to south.america.org, but doesn't have an Internet domain name of its +
-own, a user debbie on dream can be reached by writing to the address +
-not smallexample! +
- +
-     debbie%dream@south.america.org +
- +
-The form is significant.  This address says that the local system +
-should first send the mail to south.america.org.  There the address +
-debbie%dream will turn into debbie@dream, which will hopefully be a +
-valid address.  Then south.america.org will handle getting the mail +
-to the host dream, where it will be delivered locally to debbie. +
- +
-All of the intricacies of email addressing methods are fully covered +
-in the book "!%@@:: A Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing and +
-Networks" published by O'Reilly and Associates, as part of their +
-Nutshell Handbook series.  It is a must for any active email user. +
-Write to nuts@ora.com for ordering information. +
- +
- Sending and Receiving Mail +
- +
-We'll make one quick diversion from being OS-neuter here, to show you +
-what it will look like to send and receive a mail message on a Unix +
-system.  Check with your system administrator for specific +
-instructions related to mail at your site. +
- +
-A person sending the author mail would probably do something like this: +
- +
-% mail brendan@cs.widener.edu +
-Subject: print job's stuck +
- +
-I typed `print babe.gif' and it didn't work! Why?? +
- +
-The next time the author checked his mail, he would see it listed in +
-his mailbox as: +
- +
-% mail +
-"/usr/spool/mail/brendan": 1 messages 1 new 1 unread +
-U  1 joeuser@foo.widene Tue May  5 20:36   29/956   print job's stuck +
-+
- +
-which gives information on the sender of the email, when it was sent, +
-and the subject of the message.  He would probably use the +
-reply command of Unix mail to send this response: +
- +
-? r +
-To: joeuser@@foo.widener.edu +
-Subject: Re: print job's stuck +
- +
-You shouldn't print binary files like GIFs to a printer! +
- +
-Brendan +
- +
-Try sending yourself mail a few times, to get used to your system'+
-mailer.  It'll save a lot of wasted aspirin for both you and your +
-system administrator. +
- +
- Anatomy of a Mail Header +
- +
-An electronic mail message has a specific structure to it that'+
-common across every type of computer system. {The standard is written +
-down in RFC-822. See also  RFCs for more info on how to get copies of +
-the various RFCs.} A sample would be: +
- +
->From bush@hq.mil Sat May 25 17:06:01 1991 +
-Received: from hq.mil by house.gov with SMTP id AA21901 +
-(4.1/SMI for dan@house.gov); Sat, 25 May 91 17:05:56 -0400 +
-Date: Sat, 25 May 91 17:05:56 -0400 +
-From: The President <bush@hq.mil> +
-Message-Id: <9105252105.AA06631@hq.mil> +
-To: dan@senate.gov +
-Subject: Meeting +
- +
-Hi Dan .. we have a meeting at 9:30 a.m. with the Joint Chiefs. Please +
-don't oversleep this time. +
- +
-The first line, with From and the two lines for Received: are usually +
-not very interesting.  They give the "real" address that the mail +
-is coming from (as opposed to the address you should reply to, which +
-may look much different), and what places the mail went through to +
-get to you.  Over the Internet, there is always at least one +
-Received: header and usually no more than four or five.  When a +
-message is sent using UUCP, one Received: header is added for each +
-system that the mail passes through.  This can often result in more +
-than a dozen Received: headers.  While they help with dissecting +
-problems in mail delivery, odds are the average user will never want +
-to see them.  Most mail programs will filter out this kind of +
-"cruft" in a header. +
- +
-The Date: header contains the date and time the message was +
-sent.  Likewise, the "good" address (as opposed to "real" address) +
-is laid out in the From: header.  Sometimes it won't include +
-the full name of the person (in this case The President), and +
-may look different, but it should always contain an email address of +
-some form. +
- +
-The Message-ID: of a message is intended mainly for tracing +
-mail routing, and is rarely of interest to normal users.  Every +
-Message-ID: is guaranteed to be unique. +
- +
-To: lists the email address (or addresses) of the recipients of +
-the message.  There may be a Cc: header, listing additional +
-addresses.  Finally, a brief subject for the message goes in the +
-Subject: header. +
- +
-The exact order of a message's headers may vary from system to system, +
-but it will always include these fundamental headers that are vital to +
-proper delivery. +
- +
- Bounced Mail +
- +
-When an email address is incorrect in some way (the system's name is +
-wrong, the domain doesn't exist, whatever), the mail system will +
-bounce the message back to the sender, much the same way that the +
-Postal Service does when you send a letter to a bad street address. +
-The message will include the reason for the bounce; a common error is +
-addressing mail to an account name that doesn't exist.  For example, +
-writing to Lisa Simpson at Widener University's Computer Science +
-department will fail, because she doesn't have an account. {Though if +
-she asked, we'd certainly give her one.} +
- +
-From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <MAILER-DAEMON> +
-Date: Sat, 25 May 91 16:45:14 -0400 +
-To: mg@gracie.com +
-Cc: Postmaster@cs.widener.edu +
-Subject: Returned mail: User unknown +
- +
------ Transcript of session follows ----- +
-While talking to cs.widener.edu: +
->>> RCPT To:<lsimpson@cs.widener.edu> +
-<<< 550 <lsimpson@cs.widener.edu>... User unknown +
-550 lsimpson... User unknown +
- +
-As you can see, a carbon copy of the message (the Cc: header +
-entry) was sent to the postmaster of Widener's CS department.  The +
-Postmaster is responsible for maintaining a reliable mail system +
-on his system.  Usually postmasters at sites will attempt to aid you +
-in getting your mail where it's supposed to go.  If a typing error was +
-made, then try re-sending the message.  If you're sure that the +
-address is correct, contact the postmaster of the site directly and +
-ask him how to properly address it. +
- +
-The message also includes the text of the mail, so you don't have to +
-retype everything you wrote. +
- +
------ Unsent message follows ----- +
-Received: by cs.widener.edu id AA06528; Sat, 25 May 91 16:45:14 -0400 +
-Date: Sat, 25 May 91 16:45:14 -0400 +
-From: Matt Groening <mg@gracie.com> +
-Message-Id: <9105252045.AA06528@gracie.com> +
-To: lsimpson@cs.widener.edu +
-Subject: Scripting your future episodes +
-Reply-To: writing-group@gracie.com +
- +
-.... verbiage ... +
- +
-The full text of the message is returned intact, including any headers +
-that were added.  This can be cut out with an editor and fed right +
-back into the mail system with a proper address, making redelivery a +
-relatively painless process. +
- +
-Mailing Lists +
- +
-People that share common interests are inclined to discuss their +
-hobby or interest at every available opportunity.  One modern way to +
-aid in this exchange of information is by using a mailing +
-list---usually an email address that redistributes all mail sent to +
-it back out to a list of addresses.  For example, the Sun Managers +
-mailing list (of interest to people that administer computers +
-manufactured by Sun) has the address sun-managers@eecs.nwu.edu.  Any +
-mail sent to that address will "explode" out to each person named +
-in a file maintained on a computer at Northwestern University. +
- +
-Administrative tasks (sometimes referred to as administrivia) are +
-often handled through other addresses, typically with the suffix +
--request.  To continue the above, a request to be added to or deleted +
-from the Sun Managers list should be sent to +
-sun-managers-request@eecs.nwu.edu. +
- +
-When in doubt, try to write to the -request version of a mailing list +
-address first; the other people on the list aren't interested in your +
-desire to be added or deleted, and can certainly do nothing to +
-expedite your request.  Often if the administrator of a list is busy +
-(remember, this is all peripheral to real jobs and real work), many +
-users find it necessary to ask again and again, often with harsher +
-and harsher language, to be removed from a list.  This does nothing +
-more than waste traffic and bother everyone else receiving the +
-messages.  If, after a reasonable amount of time, you still haven'+
-succeeded to be removed from a mailing list, write to the postmaster +
-at that site and see if they can help. +
- +
-Exercise caution when replying to a message sent by a mailing list.  If +
-you wish to respond to the author only, make sure that the only +
-address you're replying to is that person, and not the entire list. +
-Often messages of the sort "Yes, I agree with you completely!" will +
-appear on a list, boring the daylights out of the other readers.  Likewise, +
-if you explicitly do want to send the message to the whole list, +
-you'll save yourself some time by checking to make sure it's indeed +
-headed to the whole list and not a single person. +
- +
-A list of the currently available mailing lists is available in at +
-least two places; the first is in a file on ftp.nisc.sri.com called +
-interest-groups under the netinfo/ directory. It's updated fairly +
-regularly, but is large (presently around 700K), so only get it every +
-once in a while.  The other list is maintained by Gene Spafford +
-(spaf@cs.purdue.edu), and is posted in parts to the newsgroup +
-news.lists semi-regularly. (Usenet News, for info on how to read that +
-and other newsgroups.) +
- +
- Listservs +
- +
-On BITNET there's an automated system for maintaining discussion lists +
-called the listserv.  Rather than have an already harried and +
-overworked human take care of additions and removals from a list, a +
-program performs these and other tasks by responding to a set of +
-user-driven commands. +
- +
-Areas of interest are wide and varied---ETHICS-L deals with ethics in +
-computing, while ADND-L has to do with a role-playing game.  A full +
-list of the available BITNET lists can be obtained by writing to +
-LISTSERV@BITNIC.BITNET with a body containing the command +
- +
-list global +
- +
-However, be sparing in your use of this---see if it's already on your +
-system somewhere.  The reply is quite large. +
- +
-The most fundamental command is subscribe.  It will tell the +
-listserv to add the sender to a specific list.  The usage is +
- +
-subscribe foo-l Your Real Name +
- +
-It will respond with a message either saying that you've been added to +
-the list, or that the request has been passed on to the system on +
-which the list is actually maintained. +
- +
-The mate to subscribe is, naturally, unsubscribe.  It will remove a +
-given address from a BITNET list.  It, along with all other listserv +
-commands, can be abbreviated---subscribe as sub, unsubscribe as +
-unsub, etc.  For a full list of the available listserv commands, +
-write to LISTSERV@BITNIC.BITNET, giving it the command help. +
- +
-As an aside, there have been implementations of the listserv system +
-for non-BITNET hosts (more specifically, Unix systems).  One of the +
-most complete is available on cs.bu.edu in the +
-directory pub/listserv. +
- +
-"I made this letter longer than usual because +
-I lack the time to make it shorter." +
-Pascal, Provincial Letters XVI +
- +
--------------- +
- +
- Anonymous FTP +
- +
-FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the primary method of transferring +
-files over the Internet.  On many systems, it's also the name of the +
-program that implements the protocol. Given proper permission, it's +
-possible to copy a file from a computer in South Africa to one in Los +
-Angeles at very fast speeds (on the order of 5--10K per second). +
-This normally requires either a user id on both systems or a special +
-configuration set up by the system administrator(s). +
- +
-There is a good way around this restriction---the anonymous FTP +
-service.  It essentially will let anyone in the world have access to +
-a certain area of disk space in a non-threatening way.  With this, +
-people can make files publicly available with little hassle.  Some +
-systems have dedicated entire disks or even entire computers to +
-maintaining extensive archives of source code and information.  They +
-include gatekeeper.dec.com (Digital), wuarchive.wustl.edu (Washington +
-University in Saint Louis), and archive.cis.ohio-state.edu (The Ohio +
-State University). +
- +
-The process involves the "foreign" user (someone not on the system +
-itself) creating an FTP connection and logging into the system as the +
-user anonymous, with an arbitrary password: +
- +
-Name (foo.site.com:you): anonymous +
-Password: jm@south.america.org +
- +
-Custom and netiquette dictate that people respond to the +
-Password: query with an email address so that the sites can +
-track the level of FTP usage, if they desire.  (Addresses for +
-information on email addresses). +
- +
-The speed of the transfer depends on the speed of the underlying +
-link. A site that has a 9600bps SLIP connection will not get the same +
-throughput as a system with a 56k leased line (The Physical +
-Connection, for more on what kinds of connections can exist in a +
-network).  Also, the traffic of all other users on that link will +
-affect performance.  If there are thirty people all FTPing from one +
-site simultaneously, the load on the system (in addition to the +
-network connection) will degrade the overall throughput of the +
-transfer. +
- +
-FTP Etiquette +
- +
-Lest we forget, the Internet is there for people to do work.  People +
-using the network and the systems on it are doing so for a purpose, +
-whether it be research, development, whatever.  Any heavy activity +
-takes away from the overall performance of the network as a whole. +
- +
-The effects of an FTP connection on a site and its link can vary; the +
-general rule of thumb is that any extra traffic created detracts from +
-the ability of that site's users to perform their tasks.  To help be +
-considerate of this, it's highly recommended that FTP sessions +
-be held only after normal business hours for that site, preferably +
-late at night.  The possible effects of a large transfer will be less +
-destructive at 2 a.m. than 2 p.m.  Also, remember that if it's past +
-dinner time in Maine, it's still early afternoon in California---think +
-in terms of the current time at the site that's being visited, not of +
-local time. +
- +
-Basic Commands +
- +
-While there have been many extensions to the various FTP clients out +
-there, there is a de facto "standard" set that everyone expects to +
-work.  For more specific information, read the manual for your +
-specific FTP program.  This section will only skim the bare minimum of +
-commands needed to operate an FTP session. +
- +
- Creating the Connection +
- +
-The actual command to use FTP will vary among operating systems; for +
-the sake of clarity, we'll use FTP here, since it's the most +
-general form. +
- +
-There are two ways to connect to a system---using its hostname +
-or its Internet number.  Using the hostname is usually preferred. +
-However, some sites aren't able to resolve hostnames properly, +
-and have no alternative.  We'll assume you're able to use hostnames +
-for simplicity's sake.  The form is +
- +
-ftp somewhere.domain +
- +
-Domains for help with reading and using domain names +
-(in the example below, somewhere.domain is ftp.uu.net). +
- +
-You must first know the name of the system you want to connect to. +
-We'll use ftp.uu.net as an example.  On your system, type: +
- +
-ftp ftp.uu.net +
- +
- (the actual syntax will vary depending on the type of system the +
-connection's being made from).  It will pause momentarily then respond +
-with the message +
- +
-Connected to ftp.uu.net. +
- +
-and an initial prompt will appear: +
- +
-220 uunet FTP server (Version 5.100 Mon Feb 11 17:13:28 EST 1991) ready. +
-Name (ftp.uu.net:jm): +
- +
-to which you should respond with anonymous: +
- +
-220 uunet FTP server (Version 5.100 Mon Feb 11 17:13:28 EST 1991) ready. +
-Name (ftp.uu.net:jm): anonymous +
- +
-The system will then prompt you for a password; as noted previously, a +
-good response is your email address: +
- +
-331 Guest login ok, send ident as password. +
-Password: jm@south.america.org +
-230 Guest login ok, access restrictions apply. +
-ftp> +
- +
-The password itself will not echo.  This is to protect a user'+
-security when he or she is using a real account to FTP files between +
-machines.  Once you reach the ftp> prompt, you know you're +
-logged in and ready to go. +
- +
-Notice the ftp.uu.net:joe in the Name: prompt?  That'+
-another clue that anonymous FTP is special: FTP expects a normal user +
-accounts to be used for transfers. +
- +
- dir +
-At the ftp> prompt, you can type a number of commands to perform +
-various functions.  One example is dir---it will list the files +
-in the current directory. Continuing the example from above: +
- +
-ftp> dir +
- +
-200 PORT command successful. +
-150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for /bin/ls. +
-total 3116 +
-drwxr-xr-x  2 7        21            512 Nov 21  1988 .forward +
--rw-rw-r--  1 7        11              0 Jun 23  1988 .hushlogin +
-drwxrwxr-x  2 0        21            512 Jun  4  1990 Census +
-drwxrwxr-x  2 0        120           512 Jan  8 09:36 ClariNet +
-                ... etc etc ... +
--rw-rw-r--  1 7        14          42390 May 20 02:24 newthisweek.Z +
-                ... etc etc ... +
--rw-rw-r--  1 7        14        2018887 May 21 01:01 uumap.tar.Z +
-drwxrwxr-x  2 7        6            1024 May 11 10:58 uunet-info +
- +
-226 Transfer complete. +
-5414 bytes received in 1.1 seconds (4.9 Kbytes/s) +
-ftp> +
- +
-The file newthisweek.Z was specifically included because we'll +
-be using it later.  Just for general information, it happens to be a +
-listing of all of the files added to UUNET's archives during the past +
-week. +
- +
-The directory shown is on a machine running the Unix operating +
-system---the dir command will produce different results on other +
-operating systems (e.g. TOPS, VMS, et al.).  Learning to recognize +
-different formats will take some time.  After a few weeks of +
-traversing the Internet, it proves easier to see, for example, how +
-large a file is on an operating system you're otherwise not acquainted +
-with. +
- +
-With many FTP implementations, it's also possible to take the output +
-of dir and put it into a file on the local system with +
- +
-ftp> dir noutfilename +
- +
-the contents of which can then be read outside of the live FTP +
-connection; this is particularly useful for systems with very long +
-directories (like ftp.uu.net).  The above example would put the +
-names of every file that begins with an n into the local file +
-outfilename. +
- +
- cd +
- +
-At the beginning of an FTP session, the user is in a "top-level" +
-directory.  Most things are in directories below it (e.g. /pub).  To +
-change the current directory, one uses the cd command.  To change to +
-the directory pub, for example, one would type +
- +
-ftp> cd pub +
- +
-which would elicit the response +
- +
-250 CWD command successful. +
- +
-Meaning the "Change Working Directory" command (cd) worked +
-properly.  Moving "up" a directory is more system-specific---in Unix +
-use the command cd .., and in VMS, cd [-]. +
- +
- get and put +
- +
-The actual transfer is performed with the get and put +
-commands.  To get a file from the remote computer to the local +
-system, the command takes the form: +
- +
-ftp> get filename +
- +
-where filename is the file on the remote system.  Again using +
-ftp.uu.net as an example, the file newthisweek.Z can be +
-retrieved with +
- +
-ftp> get newthisweek.Z +
-200 PORT command successful. +
-150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for newthisweek.Z (42390 bytes). +
-226 Transfer complete. +
-local: newthisweek.Z remote: newthisweek.Z +
-42553 bytes received in 6.9 seconds (6 Kbytes/s) +
-ftp> +
- +
-The section below on using binary mode instead of ASCII will describe +
-why this particular choice will result in a corrupt and subsequently +
-unusable file. +
- +
-If, for some reason, you want to save a file under a different name +
-(e.g. your system can only have 14-character filenames, or can only +
-have one dot in the name), you can specify what the local filename +
-should be by providing get with an additional argument +
- +
-ftp> get newthisweek.Z uunet-new +
- +
-which will place the contents of the file newthisweek.Z in +
-uunet-new on the local system. +
- +
-The transfer works the other way, too.  The put command will +
-transfer a file from the local system to the remote system.  If the +
-permissions are set up for an FTP session to write to a remote +
-directory, a file can be sent with +
- +
-ftp> put filename +
- +
-As with get, put will take a third argument, letting you +
-specify a different name for the file on the remote system. +
- +
- ASCII vs Binary +
- +
-In the example above, the file newthisweek.Z was transferred, but +
-supposedly not correctly.  The reason is this: in a normal ASCII +
-transfer (the default), certain characters are translated between +
-systems, to help make text files more readable.  However, when binary +
-files (those containing non-ASCII characters) are transferred, this +
-translation should not take place.  One example is a binary +
-program---a few changed characters can render it completely useless. +
- +
-To avoid this problem, it's possible to be in one of two modes---ASCII +
-or binary.  In binary mode, the file isn't translated in any way. +
-What's on the remote system is precisely what's received.  The +
-commands to go between the two modes are: +
- +
-ftp> ascii +
-200 Type set to A.   (Note the A, which signifies ASCII mode.) +
- +
-ftp> binary +
-200 Type set to I.   (Set to Image format, for pure binary transfers.) +
- +
- +
-Note that each command need only be done once to take effect; if the +
-user types binary, all transfers in that session are done in +
-binary mode (that is, unless ascii is typed later). +
- +
-The transfer of newthisweek.Z will work if done as: +
- +
-ftp> binary +
-200 Type set to I. +
-ftp> get newthisweek.Z +
-200 PORT command successful. +
-150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for newthisweek.Z (42390 bytes). +
-226 Transfer complete. +
-local: newthisweek.Z remote: newthisweek.Z +
-42390 bytes received in 7.2 seconds (5.8 Kbytes/s) +
- +
- +
-Note: The file size (42390) is different from that done +
-in ASCII mode (42553) bytes; and the number 42390 matches the one +
-in the listing of UUNET's top directory.  We can be relatively sure +
-that we've received the file without any problems. +
- +
- mget and mput +
- +
-The commands mget and mput allow for multiple file +
-transfers using wildcards to get several files, or a whole set of +
-files at once, rather than having to do it manually one by one.  For +
-example, to get all files that begin with the letter f, one +
-would type +
- +
-ftp> mget f* +
- +
-Similarly, to put all of the local files that end with .c: +
- +
-ftp> mput *.c +
- +
-Rather than reiterate what's been written a hundred times before, +
-consult a local manual for more information on wildcard matching +
-(every DOS manual, for example, has a section on it). +
- +
-Normally, FTP assumes a user wants to be prompted for every file in a +
-mget or mput operation.  You'll often need to get a whole set of +
-files and not have each of them confirmed---you know they're all +
-right.  In that case, use the prompt command to turn the queries off. +
- +
-ftp> prompt +
-Interactive mode off. +
- +
-Likewise, to turn it back on, the prompt command should simply +
-be issued again. +
- +
-Joe Granrose's List +
-Monthly, Joe Granrose (odin@pilot.njin.net) posts to Usenet +
-(Usenet News) an extensive list of sites offering anonymous FTP +
-service.  It's available in a number of ways: +
- +
-The Usenet groups comp.misc and comp.sources.wanted +
- +
-Anonymous FTP from pilot.njin.net [128.6.7.38], in +
-/pub/ftp-list. +
- +
-Write to odin@pilot.njin.net with a Subject: line of listserv-request +
-and a message body of send help.  Please don't bother Joe with your +
-requests---the server will provide you with the list. +
- +
-The archie Server +
-archie is always in lowercase +
- +
-A group of people at McGill University in Canada got together and created a +
-query system called archie.  It was originally formed to be a +
-quick and easy way to scan the offerings of the many anonymous FTP +
-sites that are maintained around the world.  As time progressed, +
-archie grew to include other valuable services as well. +
- +
-The archie service is accessible through an interactive telnet +
-session, email queries, and command-line and X-window clients.  The +
-email responses can be used along with FTPmail servers for those not +
-on the Internet.  (FTP-by-Mail Servers, for info on using FTPmail +
-servers.) +
- +
- Using archie Today +
- +
-Currently, archie tracks the contents of over 800 anonymous FTP +
-archive sites containing over a million files stored across the +
-Internet.  Collectively, these files represent well over 50 gigabytes +
-of information, with new entries being added daily. +
- +
-The archie server automatically updates the listing information from +
-each site about once a month.  This avoids constantly updating the +
-databases, which could waste network resources, yet ensures that the +
-information on each site's holdings is reasonably up to date. +
- +
-To access archie interactively, telnet to one of the existing +
-servers. {See Telnet, for notes on using the telnet program.} They +
-include +
- +
-archie.ans.net (New York, USA) +
-archie.rutgers.edu (New Jersey, USA) +
-archie.sura.net (Maryland, USA) +
-archie.unl.edu (Nebraska, USA) +
-archie.mcgill.ca (the first Archie server, in Canada) +
-archie.funet.fi (Finland) +
-archie.au (Australia) +
-archie.doc.ic.ac.uk (Great Britain) +
- +
-At the login: prompt of one of the servers, enter archie to log in. +
-A greeting will be displayed, detailing information about ongoing +
-work in the archie project; the user will be left at a archie> +
-prompt, at which he may enter commands.  Using help will yield +
-instructions on using the prog command to make queries, set to +
-control various aspects of the server's operation, et al.  Type quit +
-at the prompt to leave archie.  Typing the query prog vine.tar.Z will +
-yield a list of the systems that offer the source to the X-windows +
-program vine; a piece of the information returned looks like: +
- +
-Host ftp.uu.net   (137.39.1.9) +
-Last updated 10:30  7 Jan 1992 +
- +
-Location: /packages/X/contrib +
-FILE      rw-r--r--     15548  Oct  8 20:29   vine.tar.Z +
- +
-Host nic.funet.fi   (128.214.6.100) +
-Last updated 05:07  4 Jan 1992 +
- +
-Location: /pub/X11/contrib +
-FILE      rw-rw-r--     15548  Nov  8 03:25   vine.tar.Z +
- +
- archie Clients +
- +
-There are two main-stream archie clients, one called (naturally +
-enough) archie, the other xarchie (for X-Windows).  They query the +
-archie databases and yield a list of systems that have the requested +
-file(s) available for anonymous FTP, without requiring an interactive +
-session to the server.  For example, to find the same information you +
-tried with the server command prog, you could type +
- +
-% archie vine.tar.Z +
-Host athene.uni-paderborn.de +
-Location: /local/X11/more_contrib +
-FILE -rw-r--r--      18854  Nov 15 1990  vine.tar.Z +
- +
-Host emx.utexas.edu +
-Location: /pub/mnt/source/games +
-FILE -rw-r--r--      12019  May  7 1988  vine.tar.Z +
- +
-Host export.lcs.mit.edu +
-Location: /contrib +
-FILE -rw-r--r--      15548  Oct  9 00:29  vine.tar.Z +
- +
-Note that your system administrator may not have installed the archie +
-clients yet; the source is available on each of the archie servers, in +
-the directory archie/clients. +
- +
-Using the X-windows client is much more intuitive---if it's installed, +
-just read its man page and give it a whirl.  It's essential for the +
-networked desktop. +
- +
- Mailing archie +
- +
-Users limited to email connectivity to the Internet should send a +
-message to the address archie@archie.mcgill.ca with the single word +
-help in the body of the message.  An email message will be returned +
-explaining how to use the email archie server, along with the details +
-of using FTPmail.  Most of the commands offered by the telnet +
-interface can be used with the mail server. +
- +
- The whatis database +
- +
-In addition to offering access to anonymous FTP listings, archie also +
-permits access to the whatis description database.  It includes +
-the names and brief synopses for over 3,500 public domain software +
-packages, datasets and informational documents located on the +
-Internet. +
- +
-Additional whatis databases are scheduled to be added in the +
-future. Planned offerings include listings for the names and locations +
-of online library catalog programs, the names of publicly accessible +
-electronic mailing lists, compilations of Frequently Asked Questions +
-lists, and archive sites for the most popular Usenet newsgroups. +
-Suggestions for additional descriptions or locations databases are +
-welcomed and should be sent to the archie developers at +
-archie-l@cs.mcgill.ca. +
- +
-"Was f@"ur pl@"undern!" +
-("What a place to plunder!"+
-Gebhard Leberecht Bl@"ucher +
- +
------- +
- Usenet News +
- +
-Original from: chip@count.tct.com (Chip Salzenberg) +
-[Most recent change: 19 May 1991 by spaf@cs.purdue.edu (Gene Spafford)] +
- +
-The first thing to understand about Usenet is that it is widely +
-misunderstood.  Every day on Usenet the "blind men and the +
-elephant" phenomenon appears, in spades.  In the opinion of the +
-author, more flame wars (rabid arguments) arise because of a +
-lack of understanding of the nature of Usenet than from any other +
-source.  And consider that such flame wars arise, of necessity, among +
-people who are on Usenet.  Imagine, then, how poorly understood Usenet +
-must be by those outside! +
- +
-No essay on the nature of Usenet can ignore the erroneous impressions +
-held by many Usenet users.  Therefore, this section will treat +
-falsehoods first.  Keep reading for truth.  (Beauty, alas, is not +
-relevant to Usenet.) +
- +
-What Usenet Is +
- +
-Usenet is the set of machines that exchange articles tagged with one +
-or more universally-recognized labels, called newsgroups (or +
-"groups" for short).  (Note that the term newsgroup is correct, +
-while area, base, board, bboard, conference, round table, SIG, etc. +
-are incorrect.  If you want to be understood, be accurate.) +
- +
-The Diversity of Usenet +
- +
-If the above definition of Usenet sounds vague, that's because it is. +
-It is almost impossible to generalize over all Usenet sites in any +
-non-trivial way.  Usenet encompasses government agencies, large +
-universities, high schools, businesses of all sizes, home computers of +
-all descriptions, etc. +
- +
-Every administrator controls his own site.  No one has any real +
-control over any site but his own.  The administrator gets his power +
-from the owner of the system he administers.  As long as the owner is +
-happy with the job the administrator is doing, he can do whatever he +
-pleases, up to and including cutting off Usenet entirely.  C'est +
-la vie. +
- +
-What Usenet Is Not +
- +
-Usenet is not an organization. +
-Usenet has no central authority.  In fact, it has no central anything. +
-There is a vague notion of "upstream" and "downstream" related to +
-the direction of high-volume news flow.  It follows that, to the +
-extent that "upstream" sites decide what traffic they will carry for +
-their "downstream" neighbors, that "upstream" sites have some +
-influence on their neighbors.  But such influence is usually easy to +
-circumvent, and heavy-handed manipulation typically results in a +
-backlash of resentment. +
- +
-Usenet is not a democracy. +
-A democracy can be loosely defined as "government of the people, by +
-the people, for the people."  However, as explained above, Usenet is +
-not an organization, and only an organization can be run as a +
-democracy.  Even a democracy must be organized, for if it lacks a +
-means of enforcing the peoples' wishes, then it may as well not exist. +
- +
-Some people wish that Usenet were a democracy.  Many people pretend +
-that it is.  Both groups are sadly deluded. +
- +
-Usenet is not fair. +
-After all, who shall decide what's fair?  For that matter, if someone +
-is behaving unfairly, who's going to stop him?  Neither you nor I, +
-that's certain. +
- +
-Usenet is not a right. +
-Some people misunderstand their local right of "freedom of speech" +
-to mean that they have a legal right to use others' computers to say +
-what they wish in whatever way they wish, and the owners of said +
-computers have no right to stop them. +
- +
-Those people are wrong.  Freedom of speech also means freedom not to +
-speak; if I choose not to use my computer to aid your speech, that is +
-my right.  Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one. +
- +
-Usenet is not a public utility. +
-Some Usenet sites are publicly funded or subsidized.  Most of them, +
-by plain count, are not.  There is no government monopoly on Usenet, +
-and little or no control. +
- +
-Usenet is not a commercial network. +
-Many Usenet sites are academic or government organizations; in fact, +
-Usenet originated in academia.  Therefore, there is a Usenet custom of +
-keeping commercial traffic to a minimum.  If such commercial traffic +
-is generally considered worth carrying, then it may be grudgingly +
-tolerated.  Even so, it is usually separated somehow from +
-non-commercial traffic; see comp.newprod. +
- +
-Usenet is not the Internet. +
-The Internet is a wide-ranging network, parts of which are subsidized +
-by various governments.  The Internet carries many kinds of traffic; +
-Usenet is only one of them.  And the Internet is only one of the +
-various networks carrying Usenet traffic. +
- +
-Usenet is not a Unix network, nor even an ASCII network. +
- +
-Don't assume that everyone is using "rn" on a Unix machine.  There +
-are Vaxen running VMS, IBM mainframes, Amigas, and MS-DOS PCs reading +
-and posting to Usenet.  And, yes, some of them use (shudder) EBCDIC. +
-Ignore them if you like, but they're out there. +
- +
-Usenet is not software. +
-There are dozens of software packages used at various sites to +
-transport and read Usenet articles.  So no one program or package can +
-be called "the Usenet software." +
- +
-Software designed to support Usenet traffic can be (and is) used for +
-other kinds of communication, usually without risk of mixing the two. +
-Such private communication networks are typically kept distinct from +
-Usenet by the invention of newsgroup names different from the +
-universally-recognized ones. +
- +
-Usenet is not a UUCP network. +
- +
-UUCP is a protocol (some might say protocol suite, but that's a +
-technical point) for sending data over point-to-point connections, +
-typically using dialup modems.  Usenet is only one of the various +
-kinds of traffic carried via UUCP, and UUCP is only one of the various +
-transports carrying Usenet traffic. +
- +
-Well, enough negativity. +
- +
-Propagation of News +
- +
-In the old days, when UUCP over long-distance dialup lines was the +
-dominant means of article transmission, a few well-connected sites +
-had real influence in determining which newsgroups would be carried +
-where. Those sites called themselves "the backbone." +
- +
-But things have changed.  Nowadays, even the smallest Internet site +
-has connectivity the likes of which the backbone admin of yesteryear +
-could only dream.  In addition, in the U.S., the advent of cheaper +
-long-distance calls and high-speed modems has made long-distance +
-Usenet feeds thinkable for smaller companies.  There is only one +
-pre-eminent UUCP transport site today in the U.S., namely UUNET.  But +
-UUNET isn't a player in the propagation wars, because it never +
-refuses any traffic---it gets paid by the minute, after all; to +
-refuse based on content would jeopardize its legal status as an +
-enhanced service provider. +
- +
-All of the above applies to the U.S.  In Europe, different cost +
-structures favored the creation of strictly controlled hierarchical +
-organizations with central registries.  This is all very unlike the +
-traditional mode of U.S. sites (pick a name, get the software, get a +
-feed, you're on).  Europe's "benign monopolies", long uncontested, +
-now face competition from looser organizations patterned after the +
-U.S. model. +
- +
-Group Creation +
- +
-As discussed above, Usenet is not a democracy.  Nevertheless, +
-currently the most popular way to create a new newsgroup involves a +
-"vote" to determine popular support for (and opposition to) a +
-proposed newsgroup. Newsgroup Creation, for detailed instructions and +
-guidelines on the process involved in making a newsgroup. +
- +
-If you follow the guidelines, it is probable that your group will be +
-created and will be widely propagated.  However, due to the nature of +
-Usenet, there is no way for any user to enforce the results of a +
-newsgroup vote (or any other decision, for that matter).  Therefore, +
-for your new newsgroup to be propagated widely, you must not only +
-follow the letter of the guidelines; you must also follow its spirit. +
-And you must not allow even a whiff of shady dealings or dirty tricks +
-to mar the vote. +
- +
-So, you may ask: How is a new user supposed to know anything about the +
-"spirit" of the guidelines?  Obviously, she can't.  This fact leads +
-inexorably to the following recommendation: +
- +
-If you're a new user, don't try to create a new newsgroup alone. +
- +
-If you have a good newsgroup idea, then read the news.groups +
-newsgroup for a while (six months, at least) to find out how things +
-work.  If you're too impatient to wait six months, then you really +
-need to learn; read news.groups for a year instead.  If you just +
-can't wait, find a Usenet old hand to run the vote for you. +
- +
-Readers may think this advice unnecessarily strict.  Ignore it at your +
-peril.  It is embarrassing to speak before learning.  It is foolish to +
-jump into a society you don't understand with your mouth open.  And it +
-is futile to try to force your will on people who can tune you out +
-with the press of a key. +
- +
-If You're Unhappy... +
-Property rights being what they are, there is no higher authority on +
-Usenet than the people who own the machines on which Usenet traffic is +
-carried.  If the owner of the machine you use says, "We will not +
-carry alt.sex on this machine," and you are not happy with +
-that order, you have no Usenet recourse.  What can we outsiders do, +
-after all? +
- +
-That doesn't mean you are without options.  Depending on the nature +
-of your site, you may have some internal political recourse.  Or you +
-might find external pressure helpful.  Or, with a minimal investment, +
-you can get a feed of your own from somewhere else. Computers capable +
-of taking Usenet feeds are down in the $500 range now, Unix-capable +
-boxes are going for under $2000, and there are at least two Unix +
-lookalikes in the $100 price range. +
- +
-No matter what, appealing to "Usenet" won't help.  Even if those who +
-read such an appeal regarding system administration are sympathetic to +
-your cause, they will almost certainly have even less influence at +
-your site than you do. +
- +
-By the same token, if you don't like what some user at another site is +
-doing, only the administrator and/or owner of that site have any +
-authority to do anything about it.  Persuade them that the user in +
-question is a problem for them, and they might do something (if they +
-feel like it).  If the user in question is the administrator or owner +
-of the site from which he or she posts, forget it; you can't win. +
-Arrange for your newsreading software to ignore articles from him or +
-her if you can, and chalk one up to experience. +
- +
-The History of Usenet (The ABCs) +
- +
-In the beginning, there were conversations, and they were good.  Then +
-came Usenet in 1979, shortly after the release of V7 Unix with UUCP; +
-and it was better.  Two Duke University grad students in North +
-Carolina, Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis, thought of hooking computers +
-together to exchange information with the Unix community.  Steve +
-Bellovin, a grad student at the University of North Carolina, put +
-together the first version of the news software using shell scripts +
-and installed it on the first two sites: unc and duke. At the +
-beginning of 1980 the network consisted of those two sites and phs +
-(another machine at Duke), and was described at the January 1980 +
-Usenix conference in Boulder, CO. {The Usenix conferences are +
-semi-annual meetings where members  of the Usenix Association,+
-group of Unix enthusiasts, meet and trade notes.} Steve Bellovin +
-later rewrote the scripts into C programs, but they were never +
-released beyond unc and duke.  Shortly thereafter, Steve Daniel did +
-another implementation in the C programming language for public +
-distribution.  Tom Truscott made further modifications, and this +
-became the "A" news release. +
- +
-In 1981 at the University of California at Berkeley, grad student Mark +
-Horton and high school student Matt Glickman rewrote the news software +
-to add functionality and to cope with the ever increasing volume of +
-news---"A" news was intended for only a few articles per group per +
-day.  This rewrite was the "B" news version.  The first public +
-release was version 2.1 in 1982; all versions before 2.1 were +
-considered in beta test.  As The Net grew, the news software was +
-expanded and modified.  The last version maintained and released +
-primarily by Mark was 2.10.1. +
- +
-Rick Adams, then at the Center for Seismic Studies, took over +
-coordination of the maintenance and enhancement of the news software +
-with the 2.10.2 release in 1984.  By this time, the increasing volume +
-of news was becoming a concern, and the mechanism for moderated groups +
-was added to the software at 2.10.2.  Moderated groups were inspired +
-by ARPA mailing lists and experience with other bulletin board +
-systems.  In late 1986, version 2.11 of news was released, including a +
-number of changes to support a new naming structure for newsgroups, +
-enhanced batching and compression, enhanced ihave/sendme control +
-messages, and other features.  The current release of news is 2.11, +
-patchlevel 19. +
- +
-A new version of news, becoming known as "C" news, has been +
-developed at the University of Toronto by Geoff Collyer and Henry +
-Spencer.  This version is a rewrite of the lowest levels of news to +
-increase article processing speed, decrease article expiration +
-processing and improve the reliability of the news system through +
-better locking, etc.  The package was released to The Net in the +
-autumn of 1987.  For more information, see the paper News Need Not Be +
-Slow, published in the Winter 1987 Usenix Technical Conference +
-proceedings. +
- +
-Usenet software has also been ported to a number of platforms, from +
-the Amiga and IBM PCs all the way to minicomputers and mainframes. +
- +
-Hierarchies +
-Newsgroups are organized according to their specific areas of +
-concentration.  Since the groups are in a tree structure, the +
-various areas are called hierarchies.  There are seven major categories: +
- +
- +
-comp +
-Topics of interest to both computer professionals and +
-hobbyists, including topics in computer science, software sources, and +
-information on hardware and software systems. +
- +
-misc +
-Group addressing themes not easily classified into any of the other +
-headings or which incorporate themes from multiple categories. +
-Subjects include fitness, job-hunting, law, and investments. +
- +
-sci +
-Discussions marked by special knowledge relating to research in or +
-application of the established sciences. +
- +
- soc +
-Groups primarily addressing social issues and socializing.  Included +
-are discussions related to many different world cultures. +
- +
- talk +
-Groups largely debate-oriented and tending to feature long +
-discussions without resolution and without appreciable amounts of +
-generally useful information. +
- +
- news +
-Groups concerned with the news network, group maintenance, and software. +
- +
- rec +
-Groups oriented towards hobbies and recreational activities +
- +
-These "world" newsgroups are (usually) circulated around the entire +
-Usenet---this implies world-wide distribution.  Not all groups +
-actually enjoy such wide distribution, however.  The European Usenet +
-and Eunet sites take only a selected subset of the more "technical" +
-groups, and controversial "noise" groups are often not carried by many +
-sites in the U.S. and Canada (these groups are primarily under the talk +
-and soc classifications).  Many sites do not carry some or all of +
-the comp.binaries groups because of the typically large size of +
-the posts in them (being actual executable programs). +
- +
-Also available are a number of "alternative" hierarchies: +
- +
- +
- alt +
-True anarchy; anything and everything can and does appear; +
-subjects include sex, the Simpsons, and privacy. +
- +
- gnu +
-Groups concentrating on interests and software with the GNU +
-Project of the Free Software Foundation. For further info on what the +
-FSF is, FSF. +
- +
- biz +
-Business-related groups. +
- +
-Moderated vs Unmoderated +
- +
-Some newsgroups insist that the discussion remain focused and +
-on-target; to serve this need, moderated groups came to be.  All +
-articles posted to a moderated group get mailed to the group'+
-moderator.  He or she periodically (hopefully sooner than later) +
-reviews the posts, and then either posts them individually to Usenet, +
-or posts a composite digest of the articles for the past day or +
-two.  This is how many mailing list gateways work (for example, the +
-Risks Digest). +
- +
-news.groups & news.announce.newgroups +
- +
-Being a good net.citizen includes being involved in the continuing +
-growth and evolution of the Usenet system.  One part of this +
-involvement includes following the discussion in the groups +
-news.groups and the notes in news.announce.newgroups. It is there +
-that discussion goes on about the creation of new groups and +
-destruction of inactive ones.  Every person on Usenet is allowed and +
-encouraged to vote on the creation of a newsgroup. +
- +
-How Usenet Works +
- +
-The transmission of Usenet news is entirely cooperative.  Feeds are +
-generally provided out of good will and the desire to distribute news +
-everywhere.  There are places which provide feeds for a fee (e.g. +
-UUNET), but for the large part no exchange of money is involved. +
- +
-There are two major transport methods, UUCP and NNTP.  The first is +
-mainly modem-based and involves the normal charges for telephone +
-calls.  The second, NNTP, is the primary method for distributing news +
-over the Internet. +
- +
-With UUCP, news is stored in batches on a site until the +
-neighbor calls to receive the articles, or the feed site happens to +
-call.  A list of groups which the neighbor wishes to receive is +
-maintained on the feed site.  The Cnews system compresses its batches, +
-which can dramatically reduce the transmission time necessary for a +
-relatively heavy newsfeed. +
- +
-NNTP, on the other hand, offers a little more latitude with how news +
-is sent.  The traditional store-and-forward method is, of course, +
-available.  Given the "real-time" nature of the Internet, though, +
-other methods have been devised.  Programs now keep constant +
-connections with their news neighbors, sending news nearly +
-instantaneously, and can handle dozens of simultaneous feeds, both +
-incoming and outgoing. +
- +
-The transmission of a Usenet article is centered around the unique +
-Message-ID: header.  When an NNTP site offers an article to a +
-neighbor, it says it has that specific Message ID.  If the neighbor +
-finds it hasn't received the article yet, it tells the feed to send it +
-through; this is repeated for each and every article that's waiting +
-for the neighbor.  Using unique IDs helps prevent a system from +
-receiving five copies of an article from each of its five news +
-neighbors, for example. +
- +
-Further information on how Usenet works with relation to the various +
-transports is available in the documentation for the Cnews and NNTP +
-packages, as well as in RFC-1036, the Standard for Interchange of +
-USENET Messages and RFC-977, Network News Transfer Protocol: A +
-Proposed Standard for the Stream-Based Transmission of News.  The +
-RFCs do tend to be rather dry reading, particularly to the new user. +
- +
- +
-Mail Gateways +
- +
-A natural progression is for Usenet news and electronic mailing lists +
-to somehow become merged---which they have, in the form of news +
-gateways.  Many mailing lists are set up to "reflect" messages not +
-only to the readership of the list, but also into a newsgroup. +
-Likewise, posts to a newsgroup can be sent to the moderator of the +
-mailing list, or to the entire mailing list.  Some examples of this in +
-action are comp.risks (the Risks Digest) and +
-comp.dcom.telecom (the Telecom Digest). +
- +
-This method of propagating mailing list traffic has helped solve the +
-problem of a single message being delivered to a number of people at +
-the same site---instead, anyone can just subscribe to the group. +
-Also, mailing list maintenance is lowered substantially, since the +
-moderators don't have to be constantly removing and adding users to +
-and from the list.  Instead, the people can read and not read the +
-newsgroup at their leisure. +
- +
-from "Dear Emily Postnews" by Brad Templeton +
-Usenet "Netiquette+
- +
-There are many traditions with Usenet, not the least of which is +
-dubbed netiquette---being polite and considerate of others.  If +
-you follow a few basic guidelines, you, and everyone that reads your +
-posts, will be much happier in the long run. +
- +
- Signatures +
- +
-At the end of most articles is a small blurb called a person'+
-signature.  In Unix this file is named .signature in the +
-person's login directory---it will vary for other operating systems. +
-It exists to provide information about how to get in touch with the +
-person posting the article, including their email address, phone +
-number, address, or where they're located.  Even so, signatures have +
-become the graffiti of computers.  People put song lyrics, pictures, +
-philosophical quotes, even advertisements in their ".sigs"+
-(Note, however, that advertising in your signature will more often +
-than not get you flamed until you take it out.) +
- +
-Four lines will suffice---more is just extra garbage for Usenet sites +
-to carry along with your article, which is supposed to be the intended +
-focus of the reader.  Netiquette dictates limiting oneself to this +
-"quota" of four---some people make signatures that are ten lines or +
-even more, including elaborate ASCII drawings of their hand-written +
-signature or faces or even the space shuttle.  This is not +
-cute, and will bother people to no end. +
- +
-Similarly, it's not necessary to include your signature---if you +
-forget to append it to an article, don't worry about it.  The +
-article's just as good as it ever would be, and contains everything +
-you should want to say.  Don't re-post the article just to include the +
-signature. +
- +
- Posting Personal Messages +
- +
-If mail to a person doesn't make it through, avoid posting the message +
-to a newsgroup.  Even if the likelihood of that person reading the +
-group is very high, all of the other people reading the articles don'+
-give a whit what you have to say to Jim Morrison.  Simply wait for the +
-person to post again and double-check the address, or get in touch +
-with your system administrator and see if it's a problem with local +
-email delivery.  It may also turn out that their site is down or is +
-having problems, in which case it's just necessary to wait until +
-things return to normal before contacting Jim. +
- +
- Posting Mail +
- +
-In the interests of privacy, it's considered extremely bad taste to post +
-any email that someone may have sent, unless they explicitly give you +
-permission to redistribute it.  While the legal issues can be heavily +
-debated, most everyone agrees that email should be treated as anything +
-one would receive via normal snailmail, {The slang for the  normal land and air +
-postal service.} , with all of the assumed rights that are carried with it. +
- +
- Test Messages +
- +
-Many people, particularly new users, want to try out posting before +
-actually taking part in discussions.  Often the mechanics of getting +
-messages out is the most difficult part of Usenet.  To this end, +
-many, many users find it necessary to post their tests to "normal" +
-groups (for example, news.admin or comp.mail.misc).  This is +
-considered a major netiquette faux pas in the Usenet world. There are +
-a number of groups available, called test groups, that exist solely +
-for the purpose of trying out a news system, reader, or even new +
-signature.  They include +
- +
-alt.test +
-gnu.gnusenet.test +
-misc.test +
- +
-some of which will generate auto-magic replies to your posts to +
-let you know they made it through.  There are certain denizens of +
-Usenet that frequent the test groups to help new users out.  They +
-respond to the posts, often including the article so the poster can +
-see how it got to the person's site.  Also, many regional hierarchies +
-have test groups, like phl.test in Philadelphia. +
- +
-By all means, experiment and test---just do it in its proper place. +
- +
- Famous People Appearing +
- +
-Every once in a while, someone says that a celebrity is accessible +
-through "The Net"; or, even more entertaining, an article is forged +
-to appear to be coming from that celebrity.  One example is Stephen +
-Spielberg---the rec.arts.movies readership was in an uproar for +
-two weeks following a couple of posts supposedly made by Mr. +
-Spielberg.  (Some detective work revealed it to be a hoax.) +
- +
-There are a few well-known people that are acquainted with +
-Usenet and computers in general---but the overwhelming majority are +
-just normal people.  One should act with skepticism whenever a notable +
-personality is "seen" in a newsgroup. +
- +
- Summaries +
- +
-Authors of articles occasionally say that readers should reply by +
-mail and they'll summarize.  Accordingly, readers should do just +
-that---reply via mail.  Responding with a followup article to such an +
-article defeats the intention of the author.  She, in a few days, +
-will post one article containing the highlights of the responses she +
-received.  By following up to the whole group, the author may not +
-read what you have to say. +
- +
-When creating a summary of the replies to a post, try to make it as +
-reader-friendly as possible.  Avoid just putting all of the messages +
-received into one big file.  Rather, take some time and edit the +
-messages into a form that contains the essential information that +
-other readers would be interested in. +
- +
-Also, sometimes people will respond but request to remain anonymous +
-(one example is the employees of a corporation that feel the +
-information's not proprietary, but at the same time want to protect +
-themselves from political backlash).  Summaries should honor this +
-request accordingly by listing the From: address as +
-anonymous or (Address withheld by request). +
- +
- Quoting +
- +
-When following up to an article, many newsreaders provide the facility +
-to quote the original article with each line prefixed by > +
-, as in +
- +
-In article <1232@foo.bar.com>, sharon@foo.bar.com wrote: +
-> I agree, I think that basketweaving's really catching on, +
-> particularly in Pennsylvania.  Here's a list of every person +
-> in PA that currently engages in it publicly: +
-               line ... etc ... +
- +
-This is a severe example (potentially a horribly long article), but +
-proves a point.  When you quote another person, edit out whatever +
-isn't directly applicable to your reply. {But not  changing their +
-words, of course. } This gives the reader of the new article a better +
-idea of what points you were addressing.  By including the entire +
-article, you'll only annoy those reading it.  Also, signatures in the +
-original aren't necessary; the readers already know who wrote it (by +
-the attribution). +
- +
-Avoid being tedious with responses---rather than pick apart an +
-article, address it in parts or as a whole.  Addressing practically +
-each and every word in an article only proves that the person +
-responding has absolutely nothing better to do with his time. +
- +
-If a "war" starts (insults and personal comments get thrown back +
-and forth), take it into email---exchange email with the person +
-you're arguing with.  No one enjoys watching people bicker +
-incessantly. +
- +
- Crossposting +
- +
-The Newsgroups: line isn't limited to just one group---an +
-article can be posted in a list of groups.  For instance, the line +
- +
-      Newsgroups: sci.space,comp.simulation +
- +
-posts the article to both the groups sci.space and +
-comp.simulation. It's usually safe to crosspost to up to three +
-or four groups.  To list more than that is considered "excessive +
-noise." +
- +
-It's also suggested that if an article is crossposted a +
-Followup-To: header be included.  It should name the group to +
-which all additional discussion should be directed to.  For the above +
-example a possible Followup-To: would be +
- +
-      Followup-To: sci.space +
- +
-which would make all followups automatically be posted to just +
-sci.space, rather than both sci.space and comp.simulation.  If every +
-response made with a newsreader's "followup" command should go to +
-the person posting the article no matter what, there's also a +
-mechanism worked in to accommodate.  The Followup-To: header should +
-contain the single word poster: +
- +
-      Followup-To: poster +
- +
-Certain newsreaders will use this to sense that a reply should never +
-be posted back onto The Net.  This is often used with questions that +
-will yield a summary of information later, a vote, or an +
-advertisement. +
- +
- Recent News +
- +
-One should avoid posting "recent" events---sports scores, a plane +
-crash, or whatever people will see on the evening news or read in the +
-morning paper.  By the time the article has propagated across all of +
-Usenet, the "news" value of the article will have become stale. +
-(This is one case for the argument that Usenet news is a misnomer. +
-{Note that the Clarinet News service (Clarinet) offers news items in +
-a Usenet format as a precise alternative to the morning paper,  et. +
-al.) +
- +
- Quality of Postings +
- +
-How you write and present yourself in your articles is important.  If +
-you have terrible spelling, keep a dictionary near by.  If you have +
-trouble with grammar and punctuation, try to get a book on English +
-grammar and composition (found in many bookstores and at garage +
-sales).  By all means pay attention to what you say---it makes you who +
-you are on The Net. +
- +
-Likewise, try to be clear in what you ask.  Ambiguous or vague +
-questions often lead to no response at all, leaving the poster +
-discouraged.  Give as much essential information as you feel is +
-necessary to let people help you, but keep it within limits.  For +
-instance, you should probably include the operating system of your +
-computer in the post if it's needed, but don't tell everybody what +
-peripherals you have hanging off of it. +
- +
- Useful Subjects +
- +
-The Subject: line of an article is what will first attract +
-people to read it---if it's vague or doesn't describe what's contained +
-within, no one will read the article.  At the same time, +
-Subject: lines that're too wordy tend to be irritating.  For +
-example: +
- +
- +
- Good +
-Subject: Building Emacs on a Sun Sparc under 4.1 +
- +
- Good +
-Subject: Tryin' to find Waldo in NJ. +
- +
- Bad +
-Subject: I can't get emacs to work !!! +
- +
- Bad +
-Subject: I'm desperately in search of the honorable Mr. Waldo in the state +
-of... +
- +
-Simply put, try to think of what will best help the reader when he or +
-she encounters your article in a newsreading session. +
- +
- Tone of Voice +
- +
-Since common computers can't portray the inflection or tone in a +
-person's voice, how articles are worded can directly affect the +
-response to them.  If you say +
- +
-      Anybody using a Vic-20 should go buy themselves a life. +
- +
-you'll definitely get some responses---telling you to take a leap. +
-Rather than be inflammatory, phrase your articles in a way that +
-rationally expresses your opinion, like +
- +
-      What're the practical uses of a Vic-20 these days? +
- +
-which presents yourself as a much more level-headed individual. +
- +
-Also, what case (upper or lower) you use can indicate how you're +
-trying to speak---netiquette dictates that if you USE ALL CAPITAL +
-LETTERS, people will think you're "shouting."  Write as you would in +
-a normal letter to a friend, following traditional rules of English +
-(or whatever language you happen to speak). +
- +
- Computer Religion +
- +
-No matter what kind of computer a person is using, theirs is always +
-the best and most efficient of them all.  Posting articles +
-asking questions like What computer should I buy? An Atari ST or an +
-Amiga? will lead only to fervent arguments over the merits and +
-drawbacks of each brand.  Don't even ask The Net---go to a local user +
-group, or do some research of your own like reading some magazine +
-reviews.  Trying to say one computer is somehow better than another is +
-a moot point. +
- +
-The Anatomy of an Article +
- +
-Frequently Asked Questions +
- +
-A number of groups include Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) lists, +
-which give the answers to questions or points that have been raised +
-time and time again in a newsgroup.  They're intended to help cut +
-down on the redundant traffic in a group.  For example, in the +
-newsgroup alt.tv.simpsons, one recurring question is Did you notice +
-that there's a different blackboard opening at the beginning of every +
-Simpsons episode?  As a result, it's part of the FAQ for that group. +
- +
-Usually, FAQ lists are posted at the beginning of each month, and are +
-set to expire one month later (when, supposedly, the next FAQ will be +
-published).  Nearly every FAQ is also crossposted to news.answers, +
-which is used as a Usenet repository for them. +
- +
- The Pit-Manager Archive +
- +
-MIT, with Jonathan Kamens, has graciously dedicated a machine to the +
-archiving and storage of the various periodic postings that are +
-peppered throughout the various Usenet groups. To access them, FTP to +
-the system pit-manager.mit.edu and look in the directory +
-/pub/usenet. +
- +
-"Be it true or false, so it be news." +
-Ben Jonson, News from the New World +
- +
------ +
- Telnet +
- +
-Telnet is the main Internet protocol for creating a connection +
-with a remote machine.  It gives the user the opportunity to be on one +
-computer system and do work on another, which may be across the street +
-or thousands of miles away.  Where modems are limited, in the majority, +
-by the quality of telephone lines and a single connection, telnet +
-provides a connection that's error-free and nearly always faster than +
-the latest conventional modems. +
- +
-Using Telnet +
- +
-As with FTP (Anonymous FTP), the actual command for negotiating a telnet +
-connection varies from system to system.  The most common is +
-telnet itself, though.  It takes the form of: +
- +
-telnet somewhere.domain +
- +
-To be safe, we'll use your local system as a working example.  By now, +
-you hopefully know your site's domain name.  If not, ask or try +
-to figure it out.  You'll not get by without it. +
- +
-To open the connection, type +
- +
-telnet your.system.name +
- +
-If the system were wubba.cs.widener.edu, for example, the +
-command would look like +
- +
-telnet wubba.cs.widener.edu +
- +
-The system will respond with something similar to +
- +
-Trying 147.31.254.999... +
-Connected to wubba.cs.widener.edu. +
-Escape character is '^]'+
- +
-The escape character, in this example ^] (Control-]), is the +
-character that will let you go back to the local system to close the +
-connection, suspend it, etc.  To close this connection, the user +
-would type ^], and respond to the telnet> prompt with the command +
-close.  Local documentation should be checked for information on +
-specific commands, functions, and escape character that can be used. +
- +
- Telnet Ports +
- +
-Many telnet clients also include a third option, the port on +
-which the connection should take place.  Normally, port 23 is the +
-default telnet port; the user never has to think about it.  But +
-sometimes it's desirable to telnet to a different port on a system, +
-where there may be a service available, or to aid in debugging a +
-problem.  Using +
- +
-telnet somewhere.domain port +
- +
-will connect the user to the given port on the system +
-somewhere.domain.  Many libraries use this port method to offer their +
-facilities to the general Internet community; other services are also +
-available.  For instance, one would type +
- +
-telnet martini.eecs.umich.edu 3000 +
- +
-to connect to the geographic server at the University of Michigan +
-(Geographic Server).  Other such port connections follow the +
-same usage. +
- +
-Publicly Accessible Libraries +
- +
-Over the last several years, most university libraries have switched +
-from a manual (card) catalog system to computerized library catalogs. +
-The automated systems provide users with easily accessible and +
-up-to-date information about the books available in these libraries. +
-This has been further improved upon with the advent of local area +
-networks, dialup modems, and wide area networks.  Now many of us can +
-check on our local library's holdings or that of a library halfway +
-around the world! +
- +
-Many, many institutions of higher learning have made their library +
-catalogs available for searching by anyone on the Internet.  They +
-include Boston University, the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries +
-(CARL), and London University King's College. +
- +
-To include a listing of some of the existing sites would not only be +
-far too long for this document, it would soon be out of date. +
-Instead, several lists are being maintained and are available either +
-by mail or via FTP.  Also, the Internet Resource Guide (IRG) also +
-describes a few libraries that are accessible---IRG for further +
-information. +
- +
-Art St. George and  Ron Larsen are maintaining a list of +
-Internet-accessible libraries and databases often referred to as +
-"the St. George directory."  It began with only library catalogs +
-but has expanded to include sections on campus-wide information +
-systems, and even bulletin board systems that are not on the +
-Internet.  The library catalog sections are divided into those that +
-are free, those that charge, and international (i.e. non-U.S.) +
-catalogs; they are arranged by state, province, or country within +
-each section.  There is also a section giving dialup information for +
-some of the library catalogs. It's available for FTP (Anonymous FTP) +
-on nic.cerf.net in the directory +
-cerfnet/cerfnet_info/library_catalog.  The file internet-catalogs has +
-a date suffix; check for the most current date.  The information is +
-updated periodically. +
- +
-Billy Barron, Systems Manager at the University of North Texas, +
-produces a directory as an aid to his user community.  It complements +
-the St. George guide by providing a standard format for all systems +
-which lists the Internet address, login instructions, the system +
-vendor, and logoff information.  The arrangement is alphabetic by +
-organization name.  It's available for FTP on vaxb.acs.unt.edu in the +
-subdirectory library as the file libraries.txt. +
- +
-For announcements of new libraries being available and discussion on +
-related topics, consult the Usenet newsgroup +
-comp.internet.library (Usenet News to learn how to read +
-news). +
- +
-Bulletin Board Systems +
- +
-The Cleveland Freenet +
- +
-Freenets are open-access, free, community computer systems.  One such +
-system is the Cleveland Freenet, sponsored by CWRU (Case Western +
-Reserve University).  Anyone and everyone is welcome to join and take +
-part in the exciting project---that of a National Telecomputing Public +
-Network, where everyone benefits.  There's no charge for the +
-registration process and no charge to use the system. +
- +
-To register, telnet to any one of +
- +
-freenet-in-a.cwru.edu +
-freenet-in-b.cwru.edu +
-freenet-in-c.cwru.edu +
- +
-After you're connected, choose the entry on the menu that signifies +
-you're a guest user.  Another menu will follow; select Apply for +
-an account, and you'll be well on your way to being a FreeNet member. +
- +
-You will need to fill out a form and send it to them through the +
-Postal Service---your login id and password will be created in a few +
-days.  At that point you're free to use the system as you wish.  They +
-provide multi-user chat, email, Usenet news, and a variety of other +
-things to keep you occupied for hours on end. +
- +
-Directories +
- +
-There are a few systems that are maintained to provide the Internet +
-community with access to lists of information---users, organizations, +
-etc.  They range from fully dedicated computers with access to papers +
-and research results, to a system to find out about the faculty +
-members of a university. +
- +
- Knowbot +
- +
-Knowbot is a "master directory" that contains email address +
-information from the NIC WHOIS database (Whois), the PSI White +
-Pages Pilot Project, the NYSERNET X.500 database and MCI Mail.  Most +
-of these services are email registries themselves, but Knowbot +
-provides a very comfortable way to access all of them in one place. +
-Telnet to nri.reston.va.us on port 185. +
- +
- White Pages +
- +
-PSI maintains a directory of information on individuals.  It will +
-list the person's name, organization, and email address if it is +
-given. Telnet to wp.psi.net and log in as fred.  The White Pages +
-Project also includes an interface to use Xwindows remotely. +
- +
- Faculty and Staff Listings +
- +
-Many universities offer access to information on current faculty and +
-staff.  Included are: +
- +
-Cornell          Telnet to cuinfo.cornell.edu on port 3000. +
-NC State         Telnet to ccvax1.cc.ncsu.edu and log in as info. +
-Rutgers          Telnet to hangout.rutgers.edu on port 98. +
-U of Maryland    Telnet to umail.umd.edu and log in as lookup. +
-UNC Chapel Hill  Telnet to info.acs.unc.edu and log in as info. +
-Yale             Telnet to yalevm.ycc.yale.edu on port 300. +
- +
-Databases +
- +
-For information on database services, Commercial Databases. +
-Not all databases on the Internet require payment for use, though. +
-There do exist some, largely research-driven databases, which are +
-publicly accessible.  New ones spring up regularly. +
- +
-To find out more about the databases in this section, contact the +
-people directly responsible for them.  Their areas of concentration +
-and the software used to implement them are widely disparate, and are +
-probably beyond the author's expertise.  Also, don't forget to check +
-with your local library---the reference librarian there can provide +
-information on conventional resources, and possibly even those +
-available over the Internet (they are becoming more common). +
- +
- Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries (CARL) +
- +
-The Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries (CARL), in association +
-with CARL Systems Inc., operates a public access catalog of services. +
-Offered are a number of library databases, including searches for +
-government periodicals, book reviews, indices for current articles, +
-and access to to other library databases around the country.  Other +
-services are available to CARL members including an online +
-encyclopedia.  Telnet to pac.carl.org, or write to help@carl.org for +
-more details. +
- +
- PENpages +
- +
-PENpages is an agriculturally-oriented database administered by +
-Pennsylvania State University.  Information entered into PENpages is +
-provided by numerous sources including the Pennsylvania Dept. of +
-Agriculture, Rutgers University, and Penn State.  Easy-to-use menus +
-guide users to information ranging from cattle and agricultural +
-prices to current weather information, from health information to +
-agricultural news from around the nation.  A keyword search option +
-also allows users to search the database for related information and +
-articles.  The database is updated daily, and a listing of most +
-recent additions is displayed after login.  Telnet to psupen.psu.edu +
-and log in as the user PNOTPA. +
- +
- Clemson Univ. Forestry & Agricultural Network +
- +
-Clemson maintains a database similar to PENpages in content, but the +
-information provided tends to be localized to the Southeastern United +
-States.  A menu-driven database offers queries involving the weather, +
-food, family, and human resources.  Telnet to eureka.clemson.edu and +
-log in as PUBLIC.  You need to be on a good VT100 emulator (or a real +
-VT terminal). +
- +
- University of Maryland Info Database +
- +
-The Computer Science department of the University of Maryland +
-maintains a repository of information on a wide variety of topics. +
-They wish to give a working example of how network technology can +
-(and should) provide as much information as possible to those who use +
-it. Telnet to info.umd.edu and log in as info.  The information +
-contained in the database is accessible through a screen-oriented +
-interface, and everything therein is available via anonymous FTP. +
- +
-There is a mailing list used to discuss the UMD Info Database, +
-welcoming suggestions for new information, comments on the interface +
-the system provides, and other related topics.  Send mail to +
-listserv@umdd.umd.edu with a body of +
- +
-subscribe INFO-L Your Full Name +
- +
-Listservs for more information on using the Listserv system. +
- +
- University of Michigan Weather Underground +
- +
-The University of Michigan's Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, & +
-Space Sciences maintains a database of weather and related +
-information for the United States and Canada.  Available are current +
-weather conditions and forecasts for cities in the U.S., a national +
-weather summary, ski conditions, earthquake and hurricane updates, +
-and a listing of severe weather conditions.  Telnet to +
-madlab.sprl.umich.edu on port 3000 to use the system. +
- +
- Geographic Name Server +
- +
-A geographic database listing information for cities in the United +
-States and some international locations is maintained by Merit, Inc. +
-The database is searchable by city name, zip code, etc.  It will +
-respond with a lot of information: the area code, +
-elevation, time zone, and longitude and latitude are included.  For +
-example, a query of 19013 yields +
- +
-0 Chester +
-1 42045 Delaware +
-2 PA Pennsylvania +
-3 US United States +
-F 45 Populated place +
-L 39 50 58 N  75 21 22 W +
-P 45794 +
-E 22 +
-Z 19013 +
-Z 19014 +
-Z 19015 +
-Z 19016 +
-.. +
- +
- +
-To use the server, telnet to martini.eecs.umich.edu on port +
-3000.  The command help will yield further instructions, along +
-with an explanation for each of the fields in a reponse. +
- +
- FEDIX---Minority Scholarship Information +
- +
-FEDIX is an on-line information service that links the higher +
-education community and the federal government to facilitate research, +
-education, and services. The system provides accurate and timely +
-federal agency information to colleges, universities, and other +
-research organizations.  There are no registration fees and no access +
-charges for FEDIX whatsoever. +
- +
-FEDIX offers the Minority On-Line Information Service (MOLIS), a +
-database listing current information about Black and Hispanic colleges +
-and universities. +
- +
-Daily information updates are made on federal education and research +
-programs, scholarships, fellowships, and grants, available used +
-research equipment, and general information about FEDIX itself.  To +
-access the database, telnet to fedix.fie.com and log in as +
-fedix. +
- +
- Science & Technology Information System +
- +
-The STIS is maintained by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and +
-provides access to many NSF publications.  The full text of +
-publications can be searched online and copied from the system, which +
-can accommodate up to ten users at one time.  Telnet to stis.nsf.gov +
-and log in as public.  Everything on the system is also available via +
-anonymous FTP.  For further information, contact: +
- +
-STIS, Office of Information Systems, Room 401 +
-National Science Foundation +
-1800 G. Street, N.W. +
-Washington, D.C.  20550 +
-stis-request@nsf.gov +
-(202) 357-7492 +
-(202) 357-7663 (Fax) +
- +
- Ocean Network Information Center +
- +
-The University of Delaware College of Marine Studies offers access to +
-an interactive database of research information covering all aspects +
-of marine studies, nicknamed OCEANIC.  This includes the World Oceanic +
-Circulation Experiment (WOCE) information and program information, +
-research ship schedules and information, and a Who's Who of email and +
-mailing addresses for oceanic studies.  Data from a variety of +
-academic institutions based on research studies is also available. +
-Telnet to delocn.udel.edu and log in as INFO. +
- +
- NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) +
- +
-The NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) is an ongoing project, +
-funded by NASA, to make data and literature on extragalactic objects +
-available over computer networks.  NED is an object-oriented database +
-which contains extensive information for nearly 132,000 extragalactic +
-objects taken from about major catalogs of galaxies, quasars, infrared +
-and radio sources.  NED provides positions, names, and other basic +
-data (e.g. magnitude types, sizes and redshifts as well as +
-bibliographic references and abstracts).  Searches can be done by +
-name, around a name, and on an astronomical position.  NED contains a +
-tutorial which guides the user through the retrieval process.  Telnet +
-to ipac.caltech.edu and log in as ned. +
- +
- U.S. Naval Observatory Automated Data Service +
- +
-Operated by the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., this +
-automated data service provides database access to information +
-ranging from current navigational satellite positioning, astronomical +
-data, and software utilities. A wide variety of databases can be +
-searched and instructions for file transfer are given.  Telnet to +
-tycho.usno.navy.mil and log in as ads. +
- +
-"My consciousness suddenly switched locations, for the first time in +
-my life, from the vicinity of my head and body to a point about +
-twenty feet away from where I normally see the world." Howard +
-Rheingold, Virtual Reality p255 +
- +
------------------ +
- Various Tools +
- +
-New and interesting ways to use the Internet are being dreamed up +
-every day.  As they gain wide-spread use, some methods become +
-near-standard (or actual written standard) tools for Internet users to +
-take advantage of.  A few are detailed here; there are undoubtedly +
-others, and new ideas spring up all the time.  An active user of the +
-Internet will discover most of the more common ones in time.  Usually, +
-these services are free.  Commercial Services for applications +
-that are commercially available over the Internet. +
- +
-Usenet is often used to announce a new service or capability on +
-the Internet.  In particular, the groups comp.archives and +
-comp.protocols.tcp-ip are good places to look.  Information +
-will drift into other areas as word spreads.  Usenet News for +
-information on reading news. +
- +
-Finger +
- +
-On many systems there exists the finger command, which yield +
-information about each user that's currently logged in.  This command +
-also has extensions for use over the Internet, as well.  Under normal +
-circumstances, the command is simply finger for a summary of who'+
-logged into the local system, or finger username for specific +
-information about a user. It's also possible to go one step further +
-and go onto the network.  The general usage is +
- +
-finger @hostname +
- +
-To see who's currently logged in at Widener University, for instance, use +
- +
-% finger @cs.widener.edu +
-[cs.widener.edu] +
-Login       Name              TTY Idle    When            Where +
-brendan  Brendan Kehoe         p0      Fri 02:14  tattoo.cs.widene +
-sven     Sven Heinicke         p1      Fri 04:16  xyplex3.cs.widen +
- +
- +
-To find out about a certain user, they can be fingered specifically +
-(and need not be logged in): +
- +
-% finger bart@cs.widener.edu +
-[cs.widener.edu] +
-Login name: bart                        In real life: Bart Simpson +
-Directory: /home/springfield/bart       Shell: /bin/underachiever +
-Affiliation: Brother of Lisa            Home System: channel29.fox.org +
-Last login Thu May 23 12:14 (EDT) on ttyp6 from channel29.fox.org. +
-No unread mail +
-Project: To become a "fluff" cartoon character. +
-Plan: +
-Don't have a cow, man. +
- +
- +
-Please realize that some sites are very security conscious, and need +
-to restrict the information about their systems and users available +
-to the outside world.  To that end, they often block finger requests +
-from outside sites---so don't be surprised if fingering a computer or +
-a user returns with Connection refused. +
- +
-Internet Relay Chat +
- +
-The Lamont View Server System +
-On lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu in pub/gb.tar.Z. +
- +
-Ping +
- +
-The ping command allows the user to check if another system is +
-currently "up" and running.  The general form of the command +
-is ping system. {The usage will, again, vary.} +
-For example, +
- +
-ping cs.widener.edu +
- +
-will tell you if the main machine in Widener University's Computer +
-Science lab is currently online (we certainly hope so!). +
- +
-Many implementations of ping also include an option to let you +
-see how fast a link is running (to give you some idea of the load on +
-the network).  For example: +
- +
-% ping -s cs.swarthmore.edu +
-PING cs.swarthmore.edu: 56 data bytes +
-64 bytes from 130.58.68.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=251 time=66 ms +
-64 bytes from 130.58.68.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=251 time=45 ms +
-64 bytes from 130.58.68.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=251 time=46 ms +
-^C +
---- cs.swarthmore.edu ping statistics --- +
-3 packets transmitted, 3 packets received, 0% packet loss +
-round-trip min/avg/max = 45/52/66 ms +
- +
- +
-This case tells us that for cs.swarthmore.edu it takes about 46 +
-milliseconds for a packet to go from Widener to Swarthmore College and +
-back again.  It also gives the average and worst-case speeds, and any +
-packet loss that may have occurred (e.g. because of network +
-congestion). +
- +
-While ping generally doesn't hurt network performance, you +
-shouldn't use it too often---usually once or twice will leave +
-you relatively sure of the other system's state. +
- +
-Talk +
- +
-Sometimes email is clumsy and difficult to manage when one really +
-needs to have an interactive conversation.  The Internet provides for +
-that as well, in the form of talk. Two users can literally see +
-each other type across thousands of miles. +
- +
-To talk with Bart Simpson at Widener, one would type +
- +
-talk bart@@cs.widener.edu +
- +
-which would cause a message similar to the following to be displayed +
-on Bart's terminal: +
- +
-Message from Talk_Daemon@cs.widener.edu at 21:45 ... +
-talk: connection requested by joe@ee.someplace.edu +
-talk: respond with:  talk joe@ee.someplace.edu +
- +
-Bart would, presumably, respond by typing talk joe@ee.someplace.edu. +
-They could then chat about whatever they wished, with instantaneous +
-response time, rather than the write-and-wait style of email.  To +
-leave talk, on many systems one would type Ctrl-C (hold down +
-the Control key and press C).  Check local documentation to be sure. +
- +
-There are two different versions of talk in common use today.  The +
-first, dubbed "old talk," is supported by a set of Unix systems +
-(most notably, those currently sold by Sun).  The second, ntalk +
-(aka "new talk"), is more of the standard.  If, when attempting to +
-talk with another user, it responds with an error about protocol +
-families, odds are the incompatibilities between versions of talk is +
-the culprit.  It's up to the system administrators of sites which use +
-the old talk to install ntalk for their users. +
- +
-Wide Area Information Servers (WAIS) +
- +
-The WHOIS Database +
- +
-The main WHOIS database is run at the Network Information Center +
-(NIC). The whois command will let you search a database of every +
-registered domain (e.g. mit.edu) and of registered users. It's +
-primarily used by system postmasters or listowners to find the Points +
-of Contact for a site, to let them know of a problem or contact them +
-for one reason or another.  You can also find out their postal +
-address. For example: +
- +
-% whois mit.edu +
-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) MIT.EDU             18.72.2.1 +
-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT-DOM)                   MIT.EDU +
- +
-Note that there are two entries for mit.edu; we'll go for the +
-second. +
- +
-% whois mit-dom +
-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT-DOM) +
-Cambridge, MA 02139 +
- +
-Domain Name: MIT.EDU +
- +
-Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact: +
-Schiller, Jeffrey I.  (JIS)  JIS@MIT.EDU +
-(617) 253-8400 +
- +
-Record last updated on 22-Jun-88. +
- +
-Domain servers in listed order: +
-STRAWB.MIT.EDU               18.71.0.151 +
-W20NS.MIT.EDU                18.70.0.160 +
-BITSY.MIT.EDU                18.72.0.3 +
-LITHIUM.LCS.MIT.EDU          18.26.0.121 +
- +
-To see this host record with registered users, repeat the command with +
-a star ('*') before the name; or, use '%' to show JUST the registered users. +
- +
-Much better!  Now this information (sought, possibly, by a system +
-administrator) can be used to find out how to notify MIT of a security +
-issue or problem with connectivity. +
- +
-Queries can be made for individuals as well; the following would yield +
-an entry for the author: +
- +
-% whois brendan +
-Kehoe, Brendan (BK59)         brendan@cs.widener.edu +
-Widener University +
-Department of Computer Science +
-Kirkbride 219 +
-P.O. Box 83 Widener University +
-Chester, PA 19013 +
-(215)/499-4011 +
- +
-Record last updated on 02-May-91. +
- +
- +
-Included is the author's name, his handle (a unique sequence of letters +
-and numbers), information on how to contact him, and the last time the record +
-was modified in any way. +
- +
-Anyone can register with the whois database.  People who are +
-administrative or technical contacts for domains are registered +
-automatically when their domain applications are processed.  For +
-normal users, one must simply fill out a form from the NIC.  FTP to +
-nic.ddn.mil and get the file netinfo/user-template.txt. The completed +
-form should be mailed to registrar@nic.ddn.mil. +
- +
- Other Uses of WHOIS +
- +
-Also, many educational sites run WHOIS servers of their own, to offer +
-information about people who may be currently on the staff or +
-attending the institution.  To specify a WHOIS server, many +
-implementations include some sort of option or qualifier---in VMS +
-under MultiNet, it's /HOST, in Unix -h.  To receive +
-information about using the Stanford server, one might use the command +
- +
-whois -h stanford.edu help +
- +
-A large list of systems offering WHOIS services is being maintained by +
-Matt Power of MIT (mhpower@stan.mit.edu).  It is available via +
-anonymous FTP from sipb.mit.edu, in the directory +
-pub/whois.  The file is named whois-servers.list. +
- +
-The systems available include, but are certainly not limited to, +
-Syracuse University (syr.edu), New York University +
-(acfcluster.nyu.edu), the University of California at San Diego +
-(ucsd.edu), and Stanford University (stanford.edu). +
- +
-"Fingers were made before forks." +
-Jonathan Swift, Polite Conversation +
- +
-------- +
- Commercial Services +
- +
-Many services can be accessed through the Internet.  As time +
-progresses and more outlets for commercial activity appear, +
-once-restricted traffic (by the NSFnet Acceptable Use Policy) may now +
-flow freely.  Now that there are other networks for that information +
-to travel on, businesses are making their move. +
- +
-Internet Service Providers +
- +
-Providers (AlterNet, PSI, etc)... +
- +
-Supercomputers +
-The Internet Resource Guide (IRG) contains a chapter on +
-computer time that's available for a fee.  Rather than reproduce it +
-here, which would fast become out-of-date as well as triple the size +
-of this guide, it's suggested that the reader consult the IRG if such +
-services are of interest. +
- +
-Electronic Journals +
- +
-The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) publishes a hard-copy +
-directory of electronic journals, newsletters, and scholarly +
-discussion lists.  It is a compilation of entries for hundreds of +
- +
-sts, dozens of journals and newsletters, and a many +
-"other" titles, including newsletter-digests, into one reference +
-source.  Each entry includes instructions on how to access the +
-referenced publication or list. +
- +
-The documents are available electronically by sending the commands +
- +
-get ejournl1 directry +
-get ejournl2 directry +
- +
-to the server at LISTSERV@OTTAWA.BITNET. +
-Listservs for further instructions on using a listserv. +
- +
-The directory, along with a compilation by Diane Kovacs called +
-Directories of Academic E-Mail Conferences, is available in +
-print and on diskette (DOS WordPerfect and MacWord) from: +
- +
-Office of Scientific & Academic Publishing +
-Association of Research Libraries +
-1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW +
-Washington, DC  20036 +
-ARLHQ@UMDC.BITNET +
-(202) 232--2466 +
-(202) 462--7849 (Fax) +
- +
-The ARL is a not-for-profit organization representing over one +
-hundred research libraries in the United States and Canada.  The +
-publication is available to ARL members for $10 and to non-members +
-for $20 (add $5 postage per directory for foreign addresses).  Orders +
-of six or more copies will receive a 10% discount; all orders must be +
-prepaid and sent to the ARL. +
- +
-Commercial Databases +
- +
-The American Institute of Physics maintains the Physics Information +
-Network.  It contains the bibliographic SPIN and General Physics +
-Advanced Abstracts databases.  Also available is access to bulletin +
-boards and several searchable lists (job notices, announcements, etc). +
-Telnet to pinet.aip.org; new users must log in as NEW +
-and give registration information. +
- +
-Some of the databases accessible through WAIS (WAIS) are +
-available for a fee. +
- +
-Clarinet News +
- +
-Clarinet's an electronic publishing network service that provides +
-professional news and information, including live UPI wireservice +
-news, in the Usenet file format. +
- +
-Clarinet lets you read an "electronic newspaper" right on the local +
-system; you can get timely industry news, technology related +
-wirestories, syndicated columns and features, financial information, +
-stock quotes and more. +
- +
-Clarinet's provided by using the Usenet message interchange format, +
-and is available via UUCP and other delivery protocols, including +
-NNTP. +
- +
-The main feature is ClariNews, an "electronic newspaper," +
-gathered live from the wire services of United Press International +
-(UPI).  ClariNews articles are distributed in 100 newsgroups based on +
-their subject matter, and are keyworded for additional topics and the +
-geographical location of the story.  ClariNews includes headlines, +
-industry news, box scores, network TV schedules, and more. The main +
-products of ClariNews are: +
- +
- +
-ClariNews General, the general news"paper" with news, +
-sports, and features, averaging about 400 stories per day. +
- +
-TechWire, special groups for stories on science, +
-technology, and industry stories around them. +
- +
-ClariNews-Biz, business and financial stories. +
- +
-Newsbytes, a daily computer industry newsmagazine. +
- +
-Syndicated Columns, including Dave Barry (humor) and Mike +
-Royko (opinion). +
- +
-Full information on ClariNet, including subscription information, is +
-available from +
- +
-Clarinet Communications Corp. +
-124 King St. North +
-Waterloo, Ontario  N2J 2X8 +
-info@@clarinet.com +
-(800) USE-NETS +
- +
-or with anonymous FTP in the directory /Clarinet on +
-ftp.uu.net (Anonymous FTP). +
- +
-"Needless to say, Aristotle did not envisage modern finance." +
-Frederick Copleston, S.J. +
-A History of Philosophy: Vol 1 Greece & Rome Part II, p95 +
- +
---------- +
- Things You'll Hear About +
- +
-There are certain things that you'll hear about shortly after you +
-start actively using the Internet.  Most people assume that everyone'+
-familiar with them, and they require no additional explanation.  If +
-only that were true! +
- +
-This section addresses a few topics that are commonly encountered and +
-asked about as a new user explores Cyberspace.  Some of them are +
-directly related to how the networks are run today; other points are +
-simply interesting to read about. +
- +
-The Internet Worm +
- +
-from a letter by Severo M. Ornstein, in ACM June 89 Vol32 No6 +
-and the appeal notice +
- +
-On November 2, 1988, Robert Morris, Jr., a graduate student in +
-Computer Science at Cornell, wrote an experimental, self-replicating, +
-self-propagating program called a worm and injected it into the +
-Internet.  He chose to release it from MIT, to disguise the fact that +
-the worm came from Cornell.  Morris soon discovered that the program +
-was replicating and reinfecting machines at a much faster rate than +
-he had anticipated---there was a bug.  Ultimately, many machines at +
-locations around the country either crashed or became "catatonic." +
-When Morris realized what was happening, he contacted a friend at +
-Harvard to discuss a solution.  Eventually, they sent an anonymous +
-message from Harvard over the network, instructing programmers how to +
-kill the worm and prevent reinfection.  However, because the network +
-route was clogged, this message did not get through until it was too +
-late.  Computers were affected at many sites, including universities, +
-military sites, and medical research facilities.  The estimated cost +
-of dealing with the worm at each installation ranged from $200 to +
-more than $53,000. {Derived in part from a letter by Severo M. +
-Ornstein, in the Communications of the ACM, Vol 32 No 6, June 1989.} +
- +
-The program took advantage of a hole in the debug mode of the Unix +
-sendmail program, which runs on a system and waits for other systems +
-to connect to it and give it email, and a hole in the finger daemon +
-fingerd, which serves finger requests (Finger).  People at the +
-University of California at Berkeley and MIT had copies of the +
-program and were actively disassembling it (returning the program +
-back into its source form) to try to figure out how it worked. +
- +
-Teams of programmers worked non-stop to come up with at least a +
-temporary fix, to prevent the continued spread of the worm.  After +
-about twelve hours, the team at Berkeley came up with steps that +
-would help retard the spread of the virus.  Another method was also +
-discovered at Purdue and widely published.  The information didn'+
-get out as quickly as it could have, however, since so many sites had +
-completely disconnected themselves from the network. +
- +
-After a few days, things slowly began to return to normalcy and +
-everyone wanted to know who had done it all.  Morris was later named +
-in The New York Times as the author (though this hadn't yet been +
-officially proven, there was a substantial body of evidence pointing +
-to Morris). +
- +
-Robert T. Morris was convicted of violating the computer Fraud and +
-Abuse Act (Title 18), and sentenced to three years of probation, 400 +
-hours of community service, a fine of $10,050, and the costs of his +
-supervision.  His appeal, filed in December, 1990, was rejected the +
-following March. +
- +
-The Cuckoo's Egg +
- +
-First in an article entitled "Stalking the Wily Hacker," and later +
-in the book The Cuckoo's Egg, Clifford Stoll detailed his experiences +
-trying to track down someone breaking into a system at Lawrence +
-Berkeley Laboratory in California. {See the bibliography for full +
-citations.} +
- +
-A 75-cent discrepancy in the Lab's accounting records led Stoll on a +
-chase through California, Virginia, and Europe to end up in a small +
-apartment in Hannover, West Germany.  Stoll dealt with many levels of +
-bureaucracy and red tape, and worked with the FBI, the CIA, and the +
-German Bundespost trying to track his hacker down. +
- +
-The experiences of Stoll, and particularly his message in speaking +
-engagements, have all pointed out the dire need for communication +
-between parties on a network of networks.  The only way everyone can +
-peacefully co-exist in Cyberspace is by ensuring rapid recognition of +
-any existing problems. +
- +
-Organizations +
- +
-The indomitable need for humans to congregate and share their common +
-interests is also present in the computing world.  User groups +
-exist around the world, where people share ideas and experiences. +
-Similarly, there are organizations which are one step "above" user +
-groups; that is to say, they exist to encourage or promote an idea or +
-set of ideas, rather than support a specific computer or application +
-of computers. +
- +
- The Association for Computing Machinery +
- +
-The Association for Computing Machinery (the ACM) was founded in +
-1947, immediately after Eckert and Mauchly unveiled one of the first +
-electronic computers, the ENIAC, in 1946.  Since then, the ACM has +
-grown by leaps and bounds, becoming one of the leading educational +
-and scientific societies in the computer industry. +
- +
-The ACM's stated purposes are: +
- +
-To advance the sciences and arts of information processing; +
- +
-To promote the free interchange of information about the sciences and +
-arts of information processing both among specialists and among the +
-public; +
- +
-To develop and maintain the integrity and competence of individuals +
-engaged in the practices of the sciences and arts of information +
-processing. +
- +
-Membership in the ACM has grown from seventy-eight in September, 1947, +
-to over 77,000 today.  There are local chapters around the world, and +
-many colleges and universities endorse student chapters.  Lecturers +
-frequent these meetings, which tend to be one step above the normal +
-"user group" gathering.  A large variety of published material is +
-also available at discounted prices for members of the association. +
- +
-The ACM has a number of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that +
-concentrate on a certain area of computing, ranging from graphics to +
-the Ada programming language to security.  Each of the SIGs also +
-publishes its own newsletter.  There is a Usenet group, comp.org.acm, +
-for the discussion of ACM topics.  Usenet News for more information +
-on reading news. +
- +
-For more information and a membership application, write to: +
- +
-Assocation for Computing Machinery +
-1515 Broadway +
-New York City, NY  10036 +
-ACMHELP@ACMVM.BITNET +
-(212) 869-7440 +
- +
- Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility +
-from their letter to prospective members +
- +
-The CPSR is an alliance of computer professionals concentrating on +
-certain areas of the impact of computer technology on society.  It +
-traces its history to the fall of 1981, when several researchers in +
-Palo Alto, California, organized a lunch meeting to discuss their +
-shared concerns about the connection between computing and the +
-nuclear arms race.  Out of that meeting and the discussions which +
-followed, CPSR was born, and has been active ever since. {This +
-section is part of the CPSR's letter to prospective members.} +
- +
-The national CPSR program focuses on the following project areas: +
- +
- +
-Reliability and Risk  This area reflects on the concern that +
-overreliance on computing technology can lead to unacceptable risks +
-to society.  It includes, but isn't limited to, work in analyzing +
-military systems such as SDI. +
- +
-Civil Liberties and Privacy  This project is concerned with such +
-topics as the FBI National Crime Information Center, the growing use +
-of databases by both government and private industry, the right of +
-access to public information, extension of First Amendment rights to +
-electronic communication, and establishing legal protections for +
-privacy of computerized information. +
- +
-Computers in the Workplace  The CPSR Workplace Project has +
-concentrated its attention on the design of software for the +
-workplace, and particularly on the philosophy of "participatory +
-design," in which software designers work together with users to +
-ensure that systems meet the actual needs of that workplace. +
- +
-The 21st Century Project This is a coalition with other +
-professional organizations working towards redirecting national +
-research priorities from concentrating on military issues to +
-anticipating and dealing with future problems as science and +
-technology enter the next century. +
- +
-For more information on the CPSR, contact them at: +
- +
-Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility +
-P.O. Box 717 +
-Palo Alto, CA  94302 +
-cpsr@csli.stanford.edu +
-(415) 322--3778 +
-(415) 322--3798 (Fax) +
- +
- The Electronic Frontier Foundation +
- +
-The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) was established to help +
-civilize the "electronic frontier"---the Cyberspacial medium +
-becoming ever-present in today's society; to make it truly useful and +
-beneficial not just to a technical elite, but to everyone; and to do +
-this in a way which is in keeping with the society's highest +
-traditions of the free and open flow of information and +
-communication. {This section was derived from eff.about, available +
-along with other material via anonymous FTP from ftp.eff.org} +
- +
-The mission of the EFF is to engage in and support educational +
-activities which increase popular understanding of the opportunities +
-and challenges posed by developments in computing and +
-telecommunications; +
- +
-to develop among policy-makers a better understanding of the +
-issues underlying free and open telecommunications, and support the +
-creation of legal and structural approaches which will ease the +
-assimilation of these new technologies by society; +
- +
-to raise public awareness about civil liberties issues arising from +
-the rapid advancement in the area of new computer-based +
-communications media and, where necessary, support litigation in the +
-public interest to preserve, protect, and extend First Amendment +
-rights within the realm of computing and telecommunications +
-technology; +
- +
-to encourage and support the development of new tools which will +
-endow non-technical users with full and easy access to computer-based +
-telecommunications; +
- +
-The Usenet newsgroups comp.org.eff.talk and comp.org.eff.news are +
-dedicated to discussion concerning the EFF.  They also have mailing +
-list counterparts for those that don't have access to Usenet, +
-eff-talk-request@eff.org and eff-news-request@eff.org.  The first is +
-an informal arena (aka a normal newsgroup) where anyone may voice his +
-or her opinions.  The second, comp.org.eff.news, is a moderated area +
-for regular postings from the EFF in the form of EFFector Online.  To +
-submit a posting for the EFFector Online, or to get general +
-information about the EFF, write to eff@eff.org.  There is also a +
-wealth of information available via anonymous FTP on ftp.eff.org. +
- +
-The EFF can be contacted at +
- +
-The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Inc. +
-155 Second St. #1 +
-Cambridge, MA  02141 +
-eff@eff.org +
-(617) 864-0665 +
-(617) 864-0866 (Fax) +
- +
- The Free Software Foundation +
- +
-The Free Software Foundation was started by Richard Stallman (creator +
-of the popular GNU Emacs editor). It is dedicated to eliminating +
-restrictions on copying, redistributing, and modifying software. +
- +
-The word "free" in their name does not refer to price; it refers to +
-freedom.  First, the freedom to copy a program and redistribute it to +
-your neighbors, so that they can use it as well as you.  Second, the +
-freedom to change a program, so that you can control it instead of it +
-controlling you; for this, the source code must be made available to +
-you. +
- +
-The Foundation works to provide these freedoms by developing free +
-compatible replacements for proprietary software.  Specifically, they +
-are putting together a complete, integrated software system called +
-"GNU" that is upward-compatible with Unix. {As an aside, the editor +
-of the GNU project, emacs, contains a built-in LISP interpreter and a +
-large part of its functionality is written in LISP. The name GNU is +
-itself recursive (the mainstay of the LISP language); it stands for +
-"Gnu's Not Unix."+
- +
-When it is released, everyone will be permitted to copy it and +
-distribute it to others.  In addition, it will be distributed with +
-source code, so you will be able to learn about operating systems by +
-reading it, to port it to your own machine, and to exchange the +
-changes with others. +
- +
-For more information on the Free Software Foundation and the status of +
-the GNU Project, or for a list of the current tasks that still need to +
-be done, write to gnu@prep.ai.mit.edu. +
- +
- The IEEE +
- +
-Need IEEE... +
- +
- The League for Programming Freedom +
- +
-The League for Programming Freedom is a grass-roots organization of +
-professors, students, businessmen, programmers and users dedicated to +
-"bringing back" the freedom to write programs, which they contend +
-has been lost over the past number years.  The League is not opposed +
-to the legal system that Congress intended--copyright on individual +
-programs. Their aim is to reverse the recent changes made by judges in +
-response to special interests, often explicitly rejecting the public +
-interest principles of the Constitution. +
- +
-The League works to abolish the new monopolies by publishing articles, +
-talking with public officials, boycotting egregious offenders, and in +
-the future may intervene in court cases.  On May 24, 1989, the League +
-picketed Lotus headquarters because of their lawsuits, and then +
-again on August 2, 1990.  These marches stimulated widespread media +
-coverage for the issue.  They welcome suggestions for other +
-activities, as well as help in carrying them out. +
- +
-For information on the League and how to join, write to +
- +
-League for Programming Freedom +
-1 Kendall Square #143 +
-P.O. Box 9171 +
-Cambridge, MA  02139 +
-league@prep.ai.mit.edu +
- +
-Networking Initiatives +
- +
-Research and development are two buzz words often heard when +
-discussing the networking field---everything needs to go faster, over +
-longer distances, for a lower cost.  To "keep current," one should +
-read the various trade magazines and newspapers, or frequent the +
-networking-oriented newsgroups of Usenet.  If possible, attend trade +
-shows and symposia like Usenix, Interop, et. al. +
- +
- ISDN +
- +
- NREN +
- +
-The National Research and Education Network (NREN) is a five-year +
-project approved by Congress in the Fall of 1991.  It's intended to +
-create a national electronic "super-highway."  The NREN will be 50 +
-times faster than the fastest available networks (at the time of this +
-writing).  Proponents of the NREN claim it will be possible to +
-transfer the equivalent of the entire text of the Encyclopedia +
-Britannica in one second.  Further information, including the +
-original text of the bill presented by Senator Al Gore (D--TN), is +
-available through anonymous FTP to nis.nsf.net, in the directory +
-nsfnet.  In addition, Vint Cerf wrote on the then-proposed NREN in +
-RFC-1167, Thoughts on the National Research and Education Network. +
-RFCs for information on obtaining RFCs. +
- +
-A mailing list, nren-discuss@uu.psi.com, is available for +
-discussion of the NREN; write to +
-nren-discuss-request@uu.psi.com to be added. +
- +
-"To talk in publick, to think in solitude, +
-to read and to hear, to inquire, +
-and to answer inquiries, is the business of a scholar." +
-Samuel Johnson +
-Chapter VIII +
-The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia +
- +
------ +
- Finding Out More +
- +
-Internet Resource Guide +
- +
-The NSF Network Service Center (NNSC) compiles and makes available an +
-Internet Resource Guide (IRG).  The goal of the guide is to increase the +
-visibility of various Internet resources that may help users do their +
-work better.  While not yet an exhaustive list, the guide is a useful +
-compendium of many resources and can be a helpful reference for a new +
-user. +
- +
-Resources listed are grouped by types into sections.  Current sections +
-include descriptions of online library catalogs, data archives, online +
-white pages directory services, networks, network information centers, +
-and computational resources, such as supercomputers.  Each entry +
-describes the resource, identifies who can use the resource, explains +
-how to reach the local network via the Internet, and lists contacts +
-for more information.  The list is distributed electronically by the +
-NNSC.  To receive a guide, or to get on a mailing list that alerts you +
-to when it is updated, send a message to +
-resource-guide-request@nnsc.nsf.net. +
- +
-The current edition of the IRG is available via anonymous FTP from +
-nnsc.nsf.net, in the directory /resource-guide. +
- +
-Requests for Comments +
- +
-The internal workings of the Internet are defined by a set of +
-documents called RFCs (Request for Comments).  The general process +
-for creating an RFC is for someone wanting something formalized to +
-write a document describing the issue and mailing it to Jon Postel +
-(postel@isi.edu).  He acts as a referee for the proposal.  It is then +
-commented upon by all those wishing to take part in the discussion +
-(electronically, of course).  It may go through multiple revisions. +
-Should it be generally accepted as a good idea, it will be assigned a +
-number and filed with the RFCs. +
- +
-The RFCs can be divided into five groups: required, suggested, +
-directional, informational and obsolete.  Required RFCs (e.g., +
-RFC-791, The Internet Protocol) must be implemented on any host +
-connected to the Internet. +
- +
-Suggested RFCs are generally implemented by network hosts.  Lack of +
-them does not preclude access to the Internet, but may impact its +
-usability.  RFC-793, Transmission Control Protocol, is a must for +
-those implementing TCP. +
- +
-Directional RFCs were discussed and agreed to, but their application +
-has never come into wide use.  This may be due to the lack of wide +
-need for the specific application (RFC-937, The Post Office Protocol) or +
-that, although technically superior, ran against other pervasive +
-approaches (RFC-891, Hello).  It is suggested that, should the facility +
-be required by a particular site, an implementation be done in +
-accordance with the RFC.  This ensures that, should the idea be one +
-whose time has come, the implementation will be in accordance with +
-some standard and will be generally usable. +
- +
-Informational RFCs contain factual information about the Internet and +
-its operation (RFC-990, Assigned Numbers). +
- +
-There is also a subset of RFCs called FYIs (For Your Information). +
-They are written in a language much more informal than that used in +
-the other, standard RFCs.  Topics range from answers to common +
-questions for new and experienced users to a suggested bibliography. +
- +
-Finally, as the Internet has grown and technology has changed, some +
-RFCs become unnecessary.  These obsolete RFCs cannot be ignored, +
-however.  Frequently when a change is made to some RFC that causes a +
-new one to obsolete others, the new RFC only contains explanations and +
-motivations for the change.  Understanding the model on which the +
-whole facility is based may involve reading the original and +
-subsequent RFCs on the topic. +
- +
-RFCs and FYIs are available via FTP from many sources, including: +
- +
-The nic.ddn.mil archive, as /rfc/rfc-xxxx.txt, where +
-xxxx is the number of the RFC. +
- +
-from ftp.uu.net, in the directory /RFC. +
- +
-They're also available through mail by writing to +
-service@nic.ddn.mil, with a Subject: line of send RFC-xxxx.TXT, again +
-with xxxx being the RFC number. +
- +
-"Knowledge is of two kinds.  We know a subject ourselves, or we +
-know where we can find information upon it." +
-Samuel Johnson +
-Letter to Lord Chesterfield +
-February, 1755 +
-a book of quotes said April 18, 1775 .. the book of Johnson's works +
-said it's 1755; I'll go with the latter. +
- +
-------- +
-Conclusion +
- +
-This guide is far from complete---the Internet changes on a daily (if +
-not hourly) basis.  However, this booklet should provide enough +
-information to make the incredible breadth and complexity of the +
-Internet a mite less imposing.  Coupled with some exploration and +
-experimentation, every user has the potential to be a competent net +
-citizen, using the facilities that are available to their fullest. +
- +
-You, the reader, are strongly encouraged to suggest improvements to +
-any part of this booklet.  If something was unclear, left you with +
-doubts, or wasn't addressed, it should be fixed.  If you find any +
-problems, inaccuracies, spelling errors, etc., please report them to: +
- +
- +
-Brendan Kehoe +
-Department of Computer Science +
-Widener University +
-Chester, PA 19013 +
- +
-Internet: guide-bugs@cs.widener.edu +
-UUCP: ...!widener!guide-bugs +
- +
- +
-If you are interested in future updates to this guide (aside from +
-normal new editions), discussion about information to be included or +
-removed, etc., write to guide-request@cs.widener.edu to be placed on +
-a mailing list for such things. +
- +
-@dots is actually `. . . .' +
-"I've seed de first an de last @dots I seed de beginnin, +
-en now I sees de endin." +
-William Faulkner +
-The Sound & The Fury +
-April 8, 1928 +
- +
--------- +
- +
-Getting to Other Networks +
- +
-Inter-connectivity has been and always will be one of the biggest +
-goals in computer networking.  The ultimate desire is to make it so +
-one person can contact anyone else no matter where they are.  A number +
-of "gateways" between networks have been set up.  They include: +
- +
- AppleLink +
-Quantum Services sells access to AppleLink, which is similar to +
-QuantumLink for Commodore computers and PCLink for IBM PCs and +
-compatibles.  It also provides email access through the address +
-user@applelink.apple.com. +
- +
- ATTMail +
-AT&T sells a commercial email service called ATTMail.  Its users +
-can be reached by writing to user@attmail.com. +
- +
- BIX +
-Users on BIX (the Byte Information eXchange) can be reached +
-through the DAS gateway at user@cibix.das.net. +
- +
- CompuServe (CI$) +
-To reach a user on the commercial service CompuServe, you must +
-address the mail as xxxxx.xxx@compuserve.com, with +
-xxxxx.xxx being their CompuServe user ID.  Normally CompuServe +
-ids are represented as being separated by a comma (like +
-71999,141); since most mailers don't react well to having +
-commas in addresses, it was changed to a period.  For the above +
-address, mail would be sent to 71999.141@compuserve.com. +
- +
- EasyNet +
-Digital sells a service called EasyNet; users that subscribe to it can +
-be reached with the addresses user@host.enet.dec.com or +
-user%host.enet@decwrl.dec.com. +
- +
- FidoNet +
-The FidoNet computer network can be reached by using a special +
-addressing method.  If John Smith is on the node 1:2/3.4 on +
-FidoNet, his or her email address would be +
-john.smith@p4.f3.n2.z1.fidonet.org +
-(notice how the numbers fall in place?). +
- +
- MCI Mail +
-MCI also sells email accounts (similar to ATTMail). Users can be +
-reached with user@mcimail.com. +
- +
- PeaceNet +
-Users on the PeaceNet network can be reached by writing to +
-user@igc.org. +
- +
- The Well +
-Users on the service The Well can be reached by writing to +
-user@well.sf.ca.us.  The Well is directly connected to the Internet. +
- +
-This table is far from complete.  In addition to sites not being +
-listed, some services are not (nor do they plan to be) accessible +
-from the "outside" (like Prodigy); others, like GEnie, are actively +
-investigating the possibility of creating a gateway into their +
-system. For the latest information, consult a list called the +
-Inter-Network Mail Guide.  It's available from a number of FTP sites, +
-including UUNET; Anonymous FTP, for more information on getting a +
-copy of it using anonymous FTP. +
- +
-Retrieving Files via Email +
- +
-For those who have a connection to the Internet, but cannot FTP, there +
-do exist a few alternatives to get those files you so desperately +
-need.  When requesting files, it's imperative that you keep in mind +
-the size of your request---odds are the other people who may be using +
-your link won't be too receptive to sudden bursts of really heavy +
-traffic on their normally sedate connection. +
- +
-Archive Servers +
- +
-An alternative to the currently well over-used FTPmail system is +
-taking advantage of the many archive servers that are presently +
-being maintained.  These are programs that receive email messages that +
-contain commands, and act on them.  For example, sending an archive +
-server the command help will usually yield, in the form of a +
-piece of email, information on how to use the various commands that +
-the server has available. +
- +
-One such archive server is service@nic.ddn.mil.  Maintained by +
-the Network Information Center (NIC) in Chantilly, VA, the server is +
-set up to make all of the information at the NIC available for people +
-who don't have access to FTP.  This also includes the WHOIS service +
-(Whois). Some sample Subject: lines for queries to the +
-NIC server are: +
- +
-Subject: help                          Describes available commands. +
-Subject: rfc 822                       Sends a copy of RFC-822. +
-Subject: rfc index                     Sends an index of the available RFCs. +
-Subject: netinfo domain-template.txt   Sends a domain application. +
-Subject: whois widener                 Sends WHOIS information on `widener'+
- +
-More information on using their archive server can be obtained by +
-writing to their server address service@nic.ddn.mil with a +
-Subject: of help. +
- +
-There are different "brands" of archive server, each with its own +
-set of commands and services.  Among them there often exists a common +
-set of commands and services (e.g. index, help, etc). +
-Be that as it may, one should always consult the individual help for a +
-specific server before assuming the syntax---100K surprises can be +
-hard on a system. +
- +
-FTP-by-Mail Servers +
-Some systems offer people the ability to receive files through a +
-mock-FTP interface via email.  Anonymous FTP for a general overview of +
-how to FTP.  The effects of providing such a service varies, although +
-a rule of thumb is that it will probably use a substantial amount of +
-the available resources on a system. +
- +
-The "original" FTP-by-Mail service, BITFTP, is available to BITNET +
-users from the Princeton node PUCC.  It was once accessible to +
-anyone, but had to be closed out to non-BITNET users because of the +
-heavy load on the system. +
- +
-In response to this closure, Paul Vixie designed and installed a +
-system called FTPmail on one of Digital's gateway computers, +
-decwrl.dec.com.  Write to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com with help in the +
-body of the letter for instructions on its use. The software is +
-undergoing constant development; once it reaches a stable state, +
-other sites will be encouraged to adopt it and provide the service +
-also. +
- +
-Newsgroup Creation +
- +
-Everyone has the opportunity to make a Call For Votes on the +
-Usenet and attempt to create a newsgroup that he/she feels would be of +
-benefit to the general readership.  The rules governing newsgroup +
-creation have evolved over the years into a generally accepted method. +
-They only govern the "world" groups; they aren't applicable to +
-regional or other alternative hierarchies. +
- +
-Discussion +
- +
-A discussion must first take place to address issues like the naming +
-of the group, where in the group tree it should go (e.g. +
-rec.sports.koosh vs rec.games.koosh?), and whether or not it should +
-be created in the first place.  The formal Request For Discussion +
-(RFD) should be posted to news.announce.newgroups, along with any +
-other groups or mailing lists at all related to the proposed topic. +
-news.announce.newgroups is moderated.  You should place it first in +
-the Newsgroups: header, so that it will get mailed to the moderator +
-only.  The article won't be immediately posted to the other +
-newsgroups listed; rather, it will give you the opportunity to have +
-the moderator correct any inconsistencies or mistakes in your RFD. +
-He or she will take care of posting it to the newsgroups you +
-indicated.  Also the Followup-To: header will be set so that the +
-actual discussion takes place only in news.groups.  If a user has +
-difficulty posting to a moderated group, he or she may mail +
-submissions intended for news.announce.newgroups to the address +
-announce-newgroups@rpi.edu. +
- +
-The final name and charter of the group, and whether it will be +
-moderated or unmoderated, will be determined during the discussion +
-period.  If it's to be moderated, the discussion will also decide who +
-the moderator will be.  If there's no general agreement on these +
-points among those in favor of a new group at the end of 30 days, +
-the discussion will be taken into mail rather than continued posting +
-to news.groups; that way, the proponents of the group can iron out +
-their differences and come back with a proper proposal, and make +
-a new Request For Discussion. +
- +
-Voting +
-After the discussion period (which is mandatory), if it's been +
-determined that a new group really is desired, a name and charter are +
-agreed upon, and it's been determined whether the group will be +
-moderated (and by whom), a Call For Votes (CFV) should be posted +
-to news.announce.newgroups, along with any other groups that +
-the original Request For Discussion was posted to.  The CFV should be +
-posted (or mailed to the news.announce.newgroups moderator) as +
-soon as possible after the discussion ends (to keep it fresh in +
-everyone's mind). +
- +
-The Call for Votes should include clear instructions on how to cast a +
-vote.  It's important that it be clearly explained how to both vote +
-for and against a group (and be of equivalent difficulty or +
-ease).  If it's easier for you or your administrator, two separate +
-addresses can be used to mail yes and no votes to, providing that +
-they're on the same machine.  Regardless of the method, everyone +
-must have a very specific idea of how to get his/her vote counted. +
- +
-The voting period can last between 21 and 31 days, no matter what the +
-preliminary results of the vote are.  A vote can't be called off +
-simply because 400 "no" votes have come in and only two "yes" +
-votes.  The Call for Votes should include the exact date that the +
-voting period will end---only those votes arriving on the vote-taker'+
-machine before this date can be counted. +
- +
-To keep awareness high, the CFV can be repeated during the vote, +
-provided that it gives the same clear, unbiased instructions for +
-casting a vote as the original; it also has to be the same proposal as +
-was first posted.  The charter can't change in mid-vote. Also, votes +
-that're posted don't count---only those that were mailed to the +
-vote-taker can be tallied. +
- +
-Partial results should never be included; only a statement of +
-the specific proposal, that a vote is in progress on it, and how to +
-cast a vote.  A mass acknowledgement ("Mass ACK" or "Vote ACK") is +
-permitted; however, it must be presented in a way that gives no +
-indication of which way a person voted.  One way to avoid this is to +
-create one large list of everyone who's voted, and sort it in +
-alphabetical order.  It should not be two sorted lists (of the yes and +
-no votes, respectively). +
- +
-Every vote is autonomous.  The votes for or against one group can't be +
-transferred to another, similar proposal.  A vote can only count for +
-the exact proposal that it was a response to.  In particular, a vote +
-for or against a newsgroup under one name can't be counted as a vote +
-for or against another group with a different name or charter, a +
-different moderated/unmoderated status, or, if it's moderated, a +
-different moderator or set of moderators.  Whew! +
- +
-Finally, the vote has to be explicit; they should be of the form I +
-vote for the group foo.bar as proposed or I vote against the group +
-foo.bar as proposed.  The wording doesn't have to be exact, your +
-intention just has to be clear. +
- +
-The Result of a Vote +
- +
-At the end of the voting period, the vote-taker has to post (to +
-news.announce.newgroups) the tally and email addresses of the votes +
-received.  Again, it can also be posted to any of the groups listed in +
-the original CFV.  The tally should make clear which way a person +
-voted, so the results can be verified if it proves necessary to do so. +
- +
-After the vote result is posted to news.announce.newgroups, +
-there is a mandatory five-day waiting period.  This affords everyone +
-the opportunity to correct any errors or inconsistencies in the voter +
-list or the voting procedure. +
- +
-Creation of the Group +
- +
-If, after the waiting period, there are no serious objections that +
-might invalidate the vote, the vote is put to the "water test."  If +
-there were 100 more valid YES/create votes than NO/don't create +
-votes, and at least two-thirds of the total number of votes are in +
-favor of creation, then a newgroup control message can be sent out +
-(often by the moderator of news.announce.newgroups).  If the 100-vote +
-margin or the two-thirds percentage isn't met, the group has failed +
-and can't be created. +
- +
-If the proposal failed, all is not lost---after a six-month waiting +
-period (a "cooling down"), a new Request For Discussion can be posted +
-to news.groups, and the whole process can start over again.  If after +
-a couple of tries it becomes obvious that the group is not +
-wanted or needed, the vote-taker should humbly step back and accept +
-the opinion of the majority.  (As life goes, so goes Usenet.) +
- +
--------- +
- +
-Glossary +
- +
-This glossary is only a tiny subset of all of the various terms and +
-other things that people regularly use on The Net.  For a more +
-complete (and very entertaining) reference, it's suggested you get a +
-copy of The New Hacker's Dictionary, which is based on a VERY large +
-text file called the Jargon File.  Edited by Eric Raymond +
-(eric@snark.thyrsus.com), it is available from the MIT Press, +
-Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02142; its ISBN number is 0-262-68069-6. +
-Also see RFC-1208, A Glossary of Networking Terms. +
- +
- +
- :-) +
-This odd symbol is one of the ways a person can portray "mood" in +
-the very flat medium of computers---by using "smilies."  This is +
-`metacommunication', and there are literally hundreds of them, from +
-the obvious to the obscure.  This particular example expresses +
-"happiness."  Don't see it?  Tilt your head to the left 90 degrees. +
-Smilies are also used to denote sarcasm. +
- +
-Network addresses are usually of two types: +
- +
-the physical or hardware address of a network interface card; for +
-ethernet this 48-bit address might be 0260.8C00.7666.  The hardware +
-address is used to forward packets within a physical network. +
-Fortunately, network users do not have to be concerned about hardware +
-addresses since they are automatically handled by the networking +
-software. +
- +
-The logical or Internet address is used to facilitate moving data +
-between physical networks.  The 32-bit Internet address is made up of a +
-network number, a subnetwork number, and a host number.  Each host +
-computer on the Internet, has a unique address.  For example, all +
-Internet addresses at Colorado State have a network number of 129.82, a +
-subnet number in the range of 1-254, and a host number in the range of +
-1-254.  All Internet hosts have a numeric address and an English-style +
-name.  For example, the Internet address for UCC's CYBER 840 is +
-129.82.103.96; its Internet name is csugreen.UCC.ColoState.EDU. +
- +
- address resolution +
-Conversion of an Internet address to the corresponding physical address. +
-On an ethernet, resolution requires broadcasting on the local area network. +
- +
- administrivia +
-Administrative tasks, most often related to the maintenance of mailing +
-lists, digests, news gateways, etc. +
- +
- anonymous FTP +
-Also known as "anon FTP"; a service provided to make files available +
-to the general Internet community---Anonymous FTP. +
- +
- ANSI +
-The American National Standards Institute disseminates basic standards +
-like ASCII, and acts as the United States' delegate to the ISO. +
-Standards can be ordered from ANSI by writing to the ANSI Sales Department, +
-1430 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, or by telephoning (212) 354-3300. +
- +
- archie +
-A service which provides lookups for packages in a database of the +
-offerings of countless of anonymous FTP sites.  archie for a +
-full description. +
- +
- archive server +
-An email-based file transfer facility offered by some systems. +
- +
- ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) +
-Former name of DARPA, the government agency that funded ARPAnet and +
-later the DARPA Internet. +
- +
- ARPAnet +
-A pioneering long haul network funded by ARPA.  It +
-served as the basis for early networking research as well as a +
-central backbone during the development of the Internet.  The +
-ARPAnet consisted of individual packet switching computers +
-interconnected by leased lines.  The ARPAnet no longer exists as a +
-singular entity. +
- +
- asynchronous +
-Transmission by individual bytes, not related to specific timing on the +
-transmitting end. +
- +
- auto-magic +
-Something which happens pseudo-automatically, and is usually too +
-complex to go into any further than to say it happens "auto-magically." +
- +
- backbone +
-A high-speed connection within a network that connects shorter, +
-usually slower circuits.  Also used in reference to a system that acts +
-as a "hub" for activity (although those are becoming much less +
-prevalent now than they were ten years ago). +
- +
- bandwidth +
-The capacity of a medium to transmit a signal.  More informally, the +
-mythical "size" of The Net, and its ability to carry the files and +
-messages of those that use it.  Some view certain kinds of traffic +
-(FTPing hundreds of graphics images, for example) as a "waste of +
-bandwidth" and look down upon them. +
- +
- BITNET (Because It's Time Network) +
-An NJE-based international educational network. +
- +
- bounce +
-The return of a piece of mail because of an error in its delivery. +
- +
- btw +
-An abbreviation for "by the way." +
- +
- CFV (Call For Votes) +
-Initiates the voting period for a Usenet newsgroup.  At least one +
-(occasionally two or more) email address is customarily included as a +
-repository for the votes.  See Newsgroup Creation +
-for a full description of the Usenet voting process. +
- +
- ClariNews +
-The fee-based Usenet newsfeed available from ClariNet Communications. +
- +
- client +
-The user of a network service; also used to describe a computer that +
-relies upon another for some or all of its resources. +
- +
- Cyberspace +
-A term coined by William Gibson in his fantasy novel +
-Neuromancer to describe the "world" of computers, and the +
-society that gathers around them. +
- +
- datagram +
-The basic unit of information passed across the Internet.  It contains +
-a source and destination address along with data.  Large messages are +
-broken down into a sequence of IP datagrams. +
- +
- disassembling +
-Converting a binary program into human-readable machine language code. +
- +
- DNS (Domain Name System) +
-The method used to convert Internet names to their corresponding +
-Internet numbers. +
- +
- domain +
-A part of the naming hierarchy.  Syntactically, a domain name consists +
-of a sequence of names or other words separated by dots. +
- +
- dotted quad +
-A set of four numbers connected with periods that make up an Internet +
-address; for example, 147.31.254.130. +
- +
- email +
-The vernacular abbreviation for electronic mail. +
- +
- email address +
-The UUCP or domain-based address that a user is referred to with.  For +
-example, the author's address is brendan@cs.widener.edu. +
- +
- ethernet +
-A 10-million bit per second networking scheme originally developed by +
-Xerox Corporation. Ethernet is widely used for LANs because it can +
-network a wide variety of computers, it is not proprietary, and +
-components are widely available from many commercial sources. +
- +
- FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) +
-An emerging standard for network technology based on fiber optics that +
-has been established by ANSI.  FDDI specifies a 100-million bit per +
-second data rate. The access control mechanism uses token ring +
-technology. +
- +
- flame +
-A piece of mail or a Usenet posting which is violently argumentative. +
- +
- FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) +
-The FQDN is the full site name of a system, rather than just its +
-hostname.  For example, the system lisa at Widener University +
-has a FQDN of lisa.cs.widener.edu. +
- +
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol) +
-The Internet standard high-level protocol for transferring files from +
-one computer to another. +
- +
- FYI +
-An abbreviation for the phrase "for your information."  There is +
-also a series of RFCs put out by the Network Information Center called +
-FYIs; they address common questions of new users and many other useful +
-things.  RFCs for instructions on retrieving FYIs. +
- +
- gateway +
-A special-purpose dedicated computer that attaches to two or more +
-networks and routes packets from one network to the other.  In +
-particular, an Internet gateway routes IP datagrams among the networks +
-it connects.  Gateways route packets to other gateways until they can be +
-delivered to the final destination directly across one physical network. +
- +
- header +
-The portion of a packet, preceding the actual data, containing source +
-and destination addresses and error-checking fields.  Also part of a +
-message or news article. +
- +
- hostname +
-The name given to a machine. (See also FQDN.) +
- +
- IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) +
-This usually accompanies a statement that may bring about personal +
-offense or strong disagreement. +
- +
- Internet +
-A concatenation of many individual TCP/IP campus, state, regional, and +
-national networks (such as NSFnet, ARPAnet, and Milnet) into one +
-single logical network all sharing a common addressing scheme. +
- +
- Internet number +
-The dotted-quad address used to specify a certain system.  The +
-Internet number for the site cs.widener.edu is 147.31.254.130. +
-resolver is used to translate between hostnames and Internet +
-addresses. +
- +
- interoperate +
-The ability of multi-vendor computers to work together using a common +
-set of protocols.  With interoperability, PCs, Macs, Suns, Dec VAXen, +
-CDC Cybers, etc, all work together allowing one host computer to +
-communicate with and take advantage of the resources of another. +
- +
- ISO (International Organization for Standardization) +
-Coordinator of the main networking standards that are put into use today. +
- +
- kernel +
-The level of an operating system or networking system that contains the +
-system-level commands or all of the functions hidden from the user.  In +
-a Unix system, the kernel is a program that contains the device drivers, +
-the memory management routines, the scheduler, and system calls.  This +
-program is always running while the system is operating. +
- +
- LAN (Local Area Network) +
-Any physical network technology that operates at high speed over short +
-distances (up to a few thousand meters). +
- +
- mail gateway +
-A machine that connects to two or more electronic mail systems +
-(especially dissimilar mail systems on two different networks) and +
-transfers mail messages among them. +
- +
- mailing list +
-A possibly moderated discussion group, distributed via email from a +
-central computer maintaining the list of people involved in the +
-discussion. +
- +
- mail path +
-A series of machine names used to direct electronic mail from one user +
-to another. +
- +
- medium +
-The material used to support the transmission of data.  This can be +
-copper wire, coaxial cable, optical fiber, or electromagnetic wave (as in +
-microwave). +
- +
- multiplex +
-The division of a single transmission medium into multiple logical +
-channels supporting many simultaneous sessions.  For example, one +
-network may have simultaneous FTP, telnet, rlogin, and SMTP +
-connections, all going at the same time. +
- +
- net.citizen +
-An inhabitant of Cyberspace.  One usually tries to be a good +
-net.citizen, lest one be flamed. +
- +
- netiquette +
-A pun on "etiquette"; proper behavior on The Net.  Usenet Netiquette. +
- +
- network +
-A group of machines connected together so they can transmit information +
-to one another.  There are two kinds of networks: local networks and +
-remote networks. +
- +
- NFS (Network File System) +
-A method developed by Sun Microsystems to allow computers to share +
-files across a network in a way that makes them appear as if they're +
-"local" to the system. +
- +
- NIC +
-The Network Information Center. +
- +
- node +
-A computer that is attached to a network; also called a host. +
- +
- NSFnet +
-The national backbone network, funded by the National Science Foundation +
-and operated by the Merit Corporation, used to interconnect regional +
-(mid-level) networks such as WestNet to one another. +
- +
- packet +
-The unit of data sent across a packet switching network.  The term is +
-used loosely. While some Internet literature uses it to refer +
-specifically to data sent across a physical network, other literature +
-views the Internet as a packet switching network and describes IP +
-datagrams as packets. +
- +
- polling +
-Connecting to another system to check for things like mail or news. +
- +
- postmaster +
-The person responsible for taking care of mail problems, answering +
-queries about users, and other related work at a site. +
- +
- protocols +
-A formal description of message formats and the rules two computers must +
-follow to exchange those messages.  Protocols can describe low-level +
-details of machine-to-machine interfaces (e.g., the order in which bits +
-and bytes are sent across a wire) or high-level exchanges between +
-allocation programs (e.g., the way in which two programs transfer a file +
-across the Internet). +
- +
- recursion +
-The facility of a programming language to be able to call functions +
-from within themselves. +
- +
- resolve +
-Translate an Internet name into its equivalent IP address or other DNS +
-information. +
- +
- RFD (Request For Discussion) +
-Usually a two- to three-week period in which the particulars of +
-newsgroup creation are battled out. +
- +
- route +
-The path that network traffic takes from its source to its destination. +
- +
- router +
-A dedicated computer (or other device) that sends packets from one +
-place to another, paying attention to the current state of the network. +
- +
- RTFM (Read The Fantastic Manual). +
-This anacronym is often used when someone asks a simple or common +
-question.  The word `Fantastic' is usually replaced with one much more +
-vulgar. +
- +
- SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) +
-The Internet standard protocol for transferring electronic mail messages +
-from one computer to another.  SMTP specifies how two mail systems +
-interact and the format of control messages they exchange to transfer +
-mail. +
- +
- server +
-A computer that shares its resources, such as printers and files, with +
-other computers on the network.  An example of this is a Network File +
-System (NFS) server which shares its disk space with other computers. +
- +
- signal-to-noise ratio +
-When used in reference to Usenet activity, signal-to-noise +
-ratio describes the relation between amount of actual information in +
-a discussion, compared to their quantity.  More often than not, +
-there's substantial activity in a newsgroup, but a very small number +
-of those articles actually contain anything useful. +
- +
- signature +
-The small, usually four-line message at the bottom of a piece of email +
-or a Usenet article.  In Unix, it's added by creating a file +
-..signature in the user's home directory.  Large signatures are +
-a no-no. +
- +
- summarize +
-To encapsulate a number of responses into one coherent, usable +
-message.  Often done on controlled mailing lists or active newsgroups, +
-to help reduce bandwidth. +
- +
- synchronous +
-Data communications in which transmissions are sent at a fixed rate, +
-with the sending and receiving devices synchronized. +
- +
- TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) +
-A set of protocols, resulting from ARPA efforts, used by the Internet to +
-support services such as remote login (telnet), file transfer +
-(FTP) and mail (SMTP). +
- +
- telnet +
-The Internet standard protocol for remote terminal connection service. +
-Telnet allows a user at one site to interact with a remote timesharing +
-system at another site as if the user's terminal were connected directly +
-to the remote computer. +
- +
- terminal server +
-A small, specialized, networked computer that connects many terminals to +
-a LAN through one network connection.  Any user on the network can then +
-connect to various network hosts. +
- +
- TeX +
-A free typesetting system by Donald Knuth. +
- +
- twisted pair +
-Cable made up of a pair of insulated copper wires wrapped around each +
-other to cancel the effects of electrical noise. +
- +
- UUCP (Unix to Unix Copy Program) +
-A store-and-forward system, primarily for Unix systems but currently +
-supported on other platforms (e.g. VMS and personal computers). +
- +
- WAN (Wide-Area Network) +
-A network spanning hundreds or thousands of miles. +
- +
- workstation +
-A networked personal computing device with more power than a standard +
-IBM PC or Macintosh.  Typically, a workstation has an operating system +
-such as unix that is capable of running several tasks at the same time. +
-It has several megabytes of memory and a large, high-resolution display. +
-Examples are Sun workstations and Digital DECstations. +
- +
- worm +
-A computer program which replicates itself.  The Internet worm +
-(The Internet Worm) was perhaps the most famous; it +
-successfully (and accidentally) duplicated itself on systems across +
-the Internet. +
- +
- wrt +
-With respect to. +
- +
- +
-"I hate definitions." +
-Benjamin Disraeli +
-Vivian Grey, bk i chap ii +
- +
------- +
- Bibliography +
- +
-What follows is a compendium of sources that have information that +
-will be of use to anyone reading this guide.  Most of them were used +
-in the writing of the booklet, while others are simply noted because +
-they are a must for any good net.citizen's bookshelf. +
- +
-Books +
- +
-Comer, Douglas E. +
-     Internetworking With TCP/IP, 2nd ed., 2v +
-     Prentice Hall +
-     Englewood Cliffs, NJ +
-     1991 +
- +
-Davidson, John +
-     An Introduction to TCP/IP +
-     Springer-Verlag +
-     Berlin +
-     1988 +
- +
-Frey, Donnalyn, and Adams, Rick +
-     !@%:: A Directory of Electronic Mail Addressing and Networks +
-     O'Reilly and Associates +
-     Newton, MA +
-     1989 +
- +
-Gibson, William +
-     Neuromancer +
-     Ace +
-     New York, NY +
-     1984 +
- +
-LaQuey, Tracy +
-     Users' Directory of Computer Networks +
-     Digital Press +
-     Bedford, MA +
-     1990 +
- +
-Levy, Stephen +
-     Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution +
-     Anchor Press/Doubleday +
-     Garden City, NY +
-     1984 +
- +
-Partridge, Craig +
-     Innovations in Internetworking +
-     ARTECH House +
-     Norwood, MA +
-     1988 +
- +
-Quarterman, John S. +
-     The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide +
-     Digital Press +
-     Bedford, MA +
-     1989 +
- +
-Raymond, Eric (ed) +
-     The New Hacker's Dictionary +
-     MIT Press +
-     Cambridge, MA +
-     1991 +
- +
-Stoll, Clifford +
-     The Cuckoo's Egg +
-     Doubleday +
-     New York +
-     1989 +
- +
-Tanenbaum, Andrew S. +
-     Computer Networks, 2d ed +
-     Prentice-Hall +
-     Englewood Cliffs, NJ +
-     1988 +
- +
-Todinao, Grace +
-     Using UUCP and USENET: A Nutshell Handbook +
-     O'Reilly and Associates +
-     Newton, MA +
-     1986 +
- +
-The Waite Group +
-     Unix Communications, 2nd ed. +
-     Howard W. Sams & Company +
-     Indianapolis +
-     1991 +
- +
-Periodicals & Papers +
-magazine: Barlow, J +
-     Coming Into The Country +
-     Communications of the ACM 34:3 +
-     2 +
-     March 1991 +
-      Addresses "Cyberspace"---John Barlow was a co-founder of the EFF. +
- +
-proceedings: Collyer, G., and Spencer, H +
-     News Need Not Be Slow +
-     Proceedings of the 1987 Winter USENIX Conference +
-     181--90 +
-     USENIX Association, Berkeley, CA +
-     January 1987 +
- +
-magazine: Denning, P +
-     The Internet Worm +
-     American Scientist +
-     126--128 +
-     March--April 1989 +
- +
-magazine: The Science of Computing: Computer Networks +
-     American Scientist +
-     127--129 +
-     March--April 1985 +
- +
-magazine: Frey, D., and Adams, R +
-     USENET: Death by Success? +
-     UNIX REVIEW +
-     55--60 +
-     August 1987 +
- +
-magazine: Gifford, W. S +
-     ISDN User-Network Interfaces +
-     IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications +
-     343--348 +
-     May 1986 +
- +
-magazine: Ginsberg, K +
-     Getting from Here to There +
-     UNIX REVIEW +
-     45 +
-     January 1986 +
- +
-magazine: Hiltz, S. R +
-     The Human Element in Computerized Conferencing Systems +
-     Computer Networks +
-     421--428 +
-     December 1978 +
- +
- +
-proceedings: Horton, M +
-     What is a Domain? +
-     Proceedings of the Summer 1984 USENIX Conference +
-     368--372 +
-     USENIX Association, Berkeley, CA +
-     June 1984 +
- +
-magazine: Jacobsen, Ole J +
-     Information on TCP/IP +
-     ConneXions---The Interoperability Report +
-     14--15 +
-     July 1988 +
- +
- +
-magazine: Jennings, D., et al +
-     Computer Networking for Scientists +
-     Science +
-     943--950 +
-     28 February 1986 +
- +
- +
-paper: Markoff, J +
-     "Author of computer `virus' is son of U.S. electronic security expert." +
-     New York Times +
-     Nov. 5, 1988 +
-     A1 +
- +
-paper: "Computer snarl: A `back door' ajar." +
-     New York Times +
-     Nov. 7, 1988 +
-     B10 +
- +
-magazine: McQuillan, J. M., and Walden, D. C +
-     The ARPA Network Design Decisions +
-     Computer Networks +
-     243--289 +
-     1977 +
- +
- +
-magazine: Ornstein, S. M +
-     A letter concerning the Internet worm +
-     Communications of the ACM 32:6 +
-     June 1989 +
- +
-proceedings: Partridge, C +
-     Mail Routing Using Domain Names: An Informal Tour +
-     Proceedings of the 1986 Summer USENIX Conference +
-     366--76 +
-     USENIX Association, Berkeley, CA +
-     June 1986 +
- +
-magazine: Quarterman, J +
-     Etiquette and Ethics +
-     ConneXions---The Interoperability Report +
-     12--16 +
-     March 1989 +
- +
- +
-magazine: Notable Computer Networks +
-     Communications of the ACM 29:10 +
-     October 1986 +
-      This was the predecessor to The Matrix. +
- +
-magazine: Raeder, A. W., and Andrews, K. L +
-     Searching Library Catalogs on the Internet: A Survey +
-     Database Searcher 6 +
-     16--31 +
-     September 1990 +
- +
-proceedings: Seeley, D +
-     A tour of the worm +
-     Proceedings of the 1989 Winter USENIX Conference +
-     287--304 +
-     USENIX Association, Berkeley, CA +
-     February 1989 +
- +
-magazine: Shulman, G +
-     Legal Research on USENET Liability Issues +
-     ;login: The USENIX Association Newsletter +
-     11--17 +
-     December 1984 +
- +
-magazine: Smith, K +
-     E-Mail to Anywhere +
-     PC World +
-     220--223 +
-     March 1988 +
- +
-magazine: Stoll, C +
-     Stalking the Wily Hacker +
-     Communications of the ACM 31:5 +
-     14 +
-     May 1988 +
-     This article grew into the book The Cuckoo's Egg. +
- +
-proceedings: Taylor, D +
-     The Postman Always Rings Twice: Electronic Mail in a Highly Distributed +
-     Environment +
-     Proceedings of the 1988 Winter USENIX Conference +
-     145--153 +
-     USENIX Association, Berkeley, CA +
-     December 1988 +
- +
-magazine: U.S.Gen'l Accounting Ofc +
-     Computer Security: Virus Highlights Need for Improved Internet Management +
-     GAO/IMTEC-89-57, +
-     1989 +
-     Addresses the Internet worm. +
- +
- +
-"And all else is literature." +
-Paul Verlaine +
-The Sun, New York +
-While he was city editor in 1873--1890. +
- +
- +
- +
- +
- +
- +
--- +
-Bill Walther, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada +
- +
- +
- +
- +
- +
- +
- +
- +
- +
-End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Zen and the Art of the Internet, by  +
-Brendan P. Kehoe +
- +
-*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ZEN AND THE ART OF THE INTERNET *** +
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