Subj : World nodelist
To   : Michiel van der Vlist
From : Andrew Leary
Date : Sun Jun 19 2022 01:15:30

Hello Michiel!

18 Jun 22 13:24, you wrote to me:

 MV> Some notes:

 MV> 4) It need not be. There is no formal rule that ZCs MUST issue "their"
 MV> nodelist at or shortly after 00:00 local time.

True.

 MV> 5) If the ZCs would coordinate and synchronise their efforts there
 MV> need not be delays. For examples ZCs couls agree to issue nodelists at
 MV> 00:15 UTC. The ZCs could agree to exchangee zone segments with each
 MV> other between 23:45 and 00:00 UTC. Segments submitted by RCs bedore
 MV> 23:30 UTC would be guaranteed to make it into the next nodelist. With
 MV> Fido over IP there is no need for the old system of exchanging zone
 MV> segments on Wednesday to make it into Friday's nodelist. With nodelist
 MV> segments being transfered in seconds at virtually no cost, there is no
 MV> need for such delays.

This is not a bad idea, but I fear it would be difficult to coordinate given 
the conditions that exist in Z4.

 MV> 6) But why do we still have different nodelists for each zone in the
 MV> first place?

 MV> In the POTS age, there were reasons for it. Those reasons no longer
 MV> apply. There is no reason why in Z2 the Z2 part must be the first zone
 MV> in the list. This is a remnant of first ZC2 Henk Wervers' Dutchie that
 MV> did a lineair nodelist search when hunting for a node. Most mail was
 MV> exchanged between the own zone, so in the time of slow computers it
 MV> made sense. Computers are no longer slow, lineair nodelist searches
 MV> are no longer standard procedure and the nodelist is not as big as it
 MV> once was. No reason any more to not have the zones in nummerical order
 MV> in the nodelist.

Agreed.

 MV> Fidonet was without an International Coordinator for a decade or so.
 MV> Not much of poblem... But a couple of years ago the ZCs in their
 MV> wisdom decided they needed an IC and so one was selected and
 MV> appointed.

I'm sure they had their reasons.

 MV> IMNSHO we don't really need an IC. But now that we have on, why not
 MV> allow him to do what P4 says is his primary job: issue the world
 MV> nodelist! Or the "master nodelist" as it is called in P4.

 MV> There is no need for zone specific nodelists any more. The ZCs in
 MV> their wisdom elected and appointed an IC. Now let them take the next
 MV> step and let the IC to do his job!

I personally would have no problem with this.  It is up to the 4 ZCs to make 
this happen, if they so choose.

Andrew

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