Subj : Re: echos - a morbid curiosity
To   : Charles Pierson
From : Wilfred van Velzen
Date : Tue Dec 15 2020 21:00:26

Hi Charles,

On 2020-12-15 17:22:35, you wrote to me:

 Wv>> I used to connect only to areas, that (at least mildly) interest me.
 Wv>> I never do send %ALL to AreaFix of my links. I don't need links to
 Wv>> all those hundreds of long forgotten dead areas that some systems
 Wv>> keep in their config.

 CP> As a Sysop, that's completely within your rights. I would guess Hubs are
 CP> the only systems that would need to carry everything,

There are no official echomail hubs in fidonet, that need to do anything, afaik. Echomail is all voluntary.

 CP> although I believe it's possiible to handle transfer of echos without
 CP> carrying them on your system.

You can configure areas passthrough. So no messages in that area are stored in your local messagebase. But still you need to connect to them and configure them. So somehow they are somewhat on your system, "costing" effort and resources.

 Wv>> Why do we need this area anyway? Since there already is ASTRONOMY,
 Wv>> which at least had a bit of traffic over the years.

 CP> Maybe we don't. It could be that these two echos handled different in times
 CP> gone by. Maybe one was strictly announcements and the other had
 CP> discussions.

Could be. Although I think there is an other kind of distinction. ASTRONOMY being more the scientific area, and ASTRONET sounds more non scientific...

 CP> The problem is that once an echo is created, it exists forever, unless
 CP> somehow every system that carries it deletes it.

Indeed. And deleting everywhere never happens. It takes a very long time for dead or abondoned echos to disappear, and some never did. Some even get some live back in them at one point, like this one. ;)

 Wv>>  CP> and if you want, you can get them relisted as "official" echos
 Wv>> on
 Wv>> the
 Wv>>  CP> ELIST.
 Wv>>
 Wv>> There is nothing official about the ELIST! ;)
 Wv>>

 CP> Notice I put "official" in quotes.

I noticed! ;)

But I still needed to make the remark! ;)

 CP> I suppose I could have said listed on the backbone, but that's only Z1
 CP> right?

It's only 3 systems connected to each other, which have a level of organisation and administration for a particular set of areas. ;)

 Wv>>  CP> SEEN-BY: 124/5016 153/757 203/0 221/0 1 6 240/1120 1634 1895
 Wv>> 8002
 Wv>> 800
 Wv>>  CP> SEEN-BY: 280/464 5003 5006 331/313 335/364 423/120 712/848
 Wv>> 2432/390
 Wv>>  CP> SEEN-BY: 2452/250 4500/1
 Wv>>  CP> @PATH: 153/757 221/6 335/364 240/1120 280/5003 464
 Wv>>
 Wv>> This is getting bigger though...

 CP> So it's being seen, if not used.

It's being spread around...

Bye, Wilfred.

--- FMail-lnx64 2.1.0.18-B20170815
 * Origin: FMail development HQ (2:280/464)

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