From: hcharper@goldenvalleycable.com   
      
   Tim McGaughy wrote:   
   >   
   > So let me get this straight. You think the comments written into the   
   > Fortran code of an obscure newsreader are the law of the usenet land?   
   > Really? Have I got this straight?   
   >   
   > Again... This was probably a GUIDELINE, meant for a time when people   
   > used timeshare computing or connected via telephone using low bit-rate   
   > modems. Essentially, dismally low bandwidth by today's standards.   
      
   Speaking as one of those old Fortran / Hollerath coders from back in the   
   low bit-rate days, I can confirm that quote to new ratios were in fact,   
   only a guideline. In those days it was nearly impossible to get enough   
   agreement to come up with ANY standard in computing, much less   
   telecomputing and network's quote to new ratios. Also, that "guidelines"   
   were most often scoffed at and totally ignored by most.   
   >   
   > "vnews has been dead for decades, and I can't find a site that even   
   > mentions it that is less than a decade old, let alone find the doc file."   
   >   
   One small program written for one mail/new system back when the internet   
   was so young most people didn't know it existed, and if they did, were   
   disappointed by it's then 7-bit lo-tek single file transfers, and would   
   go bit-net or Fidonet, even Compuserve instead of Internet/Freenet.   
      
   Usenet has been here much longer than the internet, much less the web.   
   Can't remember for sure, but I think it came out of the Bit-net, or   
   PC-net. Fido was the strictest, I think, as they built in handshake   
   security and message tracking, in their system. Spam was almost unheard   
   of there, and quickly dealt with too.   
      
   Ahhh, the good ol' days ;-)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)