Subj : Echo Rules
To   : Bj”rn Felten
From : Lee Lofaso
Date : Thu Sep 12 2024 08:45 pm

Hello Bj”rn,

 RS>> I remember this being an issue in the '90s, specifically not knowing
 RS>> which echoes allowed aliases and which didn't.

 BF> Well, Randall Schad, as you may have seen by now, not even the Z1C (yes,
 BF> that's the guy who just told you that Fidonet is so small and insignificant
 BF> it doesn't matter anymore) abides by the real name rule.

That may be a tradition for some, but not the reality of what is.

 BF> Once upon a time, every echo distributed on the Fidonet had to abide by the
 BF> real name rule. Local echoes were, of course, exempt from this rule.

The world has changed.

"Real names only" policies are not empowering - they are an
authoritarian assertion of power over vulnerable people. You know
that, I know that, the whole world knows that.

Google allows users to use any name they wat accros Google services.
This was not always the case. It used to have a "real names only"
policy for years, but had so many complaints from users that it gave
in and apologized, thus giving users what they demanded.

It is time for Fidonet to do the same. Apologize to users and allow
all to play on the same field.

For Life,
Lee

-- 
Fox News Slogan - Rich people paying rich people
to tell middle class people to blame poor people.

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