Hi all,

I'm new to Fidonet, although have been very aware of its existence for 25 years
plus. It's taken me a little while to finally join you. I wasn't sure if it was
still going in any real way, and I'm excited to see so much lively discussion going on across various echos.

The problem is, I could really do with some sort of beginner's guide to it all!
Terms like netmail, echomail, the node numbering system, how messages are passed between boards, how many echos are out there, how to become a sysop of a
BBS carrying fidonet - this is all stuff I'm unsure of and would like to learn more about it.

The challenge is - I don't have regular access to the internet at home any more
- voluntarily reliant on dial-up so I need to work all of this out via BBSes themselves. I daresay sitting and lurking for long enough will eventually teach
me everything I need to know. Just wondering if there's a beginners guide or similar resource that you could recommend. Apologies for a rambling post - which could have been just one line long!
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Hi all,

I'm new to Fidonet, although have been very aware of its existence

for 25 years

plus. It's taken me a little while to finally join you. I wasn't sure

if it was

still going in any real way, and I'm excited to see so much lively

discussion

going on across various echos.

The problem is, I could really do with some sort of beginner's guide

to it all!

Echomail is simply posts in the Fidonet echoes and it's public.
Netmail is between individuals using Fidonet to transport the data.

Terms like netmail, echomail, the node numbering system, how messages

are

The node numbering system is fairly simple, the format is zone/net/node,
i.e. 1:285/1 is Zone 1, Net 285, Node 1 (note Net 285 used to be the
Omaha NE area but gas been defunct for probably 20 years).

passed between boards, how many echos are out there, how to become a

sysop of a

BBS carrying fidonet - this is all stuff I'm unsure of and would like

to learn

more about it.

Fidonet used to be very hierarchical but not so much any more.

The challenge is - I don't have regular access to the internet at

home any more

- voluntarily reliant on dial-up so I need to work all of this out

via BBSes

themselves. I daresay sitting and lurking for long enough will

eventually teach

me everything I need to know. Just wondering if there's a beginners

guide or

similar resource that you could recommend. Apologies for a rambling

post -

which could have been just one line long!
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Simon Geddes wrote to All <=-

Hi all,

The problem is, I could really do with some sort of beginner's guide to
it all! Terms like netmail, echomail, the node numbering system, how messages are passed between boards, how many echos are out there, how
to become a sysop of a BBS carrying fidonet - this is all stuff I'm
unsure of and would like to learn more about it.

Next time you're online, google "Big Dummy's Guide to Fidonet, it's dated
but is a good intro to a lot of what we do here.


... Do you know where you are?
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