------------------------------ Date: Fri, 30 Dec 94 23:56 EST From: bellaire@iquest.net (James Bellaire) Subject: Re: New Years Internet Parties Ah yes, a party on the Internet, the international superhighway. After reading the comments of sober contributers in this moderated digest for the past year or so I can't wait to see how fired up intoxicated netters can get. I'm sure there will be many accidents that will have tempers and email burning into the new year. So remember, even if you stay in the comfort of your own house and party on the Internet, drive safely. Sometimes casual comments at a party can haunt you for months to come. Think before you drink and type, and forgive those who fire you up. Either that or be prepared for the flames in your mailbox. Thank you to Pat Townson for hosting this year of TELECOM Digest; I hope you will be able to continue well into the next century. Thanks for posting my comments, however trivial, and for ignoring the ones that didn't belong. You seem to have struck a balance between too much gab and not enough meaning. And thanks to the regulars who make this forum so informative, keeping us on the path to truth and away from fiction. And to those who break the technical monotones with your humor and telecom history. And to those who provide the international input that makes this a world wide publication. And to those who wrote once, and got the answer they needed. And a special thanks to those who support Pat in his efforts. I consider this Digest shareware NOT freeware. I'm sure Pat will apreciate those who agree and support the digest financially. Happy New Year everyone!!! bellaire@iquest.net James E. Bellaire [TELECOM Digest Editor's Blush: Thank you very much for your kind comments to close this year. There is so much still I want to do to make this a quality e-journal; I see things wrong with it that the rest of you miss -- or perhaps you generously choose to overlook -- that I want to correct. The Telecom Archives needs a lot of work and likewise the subscription list needs considerable updating at this time. These things, along with the Digest itself have only been possible in recent years because of the generosity of so many of you who have chosen to help in one way or another. PAT] ------------------------------ From: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Subject: That's It, Folks! Date: Sat, 31 Dec 1994 01:50:00 CST With this message, another year and another volume of TELECOM Digest is concluded. When we next get together, Volume 15 will be shown in the masthead. This past year we had fewer issues than usual, and this was due to several things: my illness in late October/early November took me off line completely for over a week, and left me with limited time and strength for a couple weeks following. Earlier this year there were some frankly overwhelming financial problems that brought Digest output to a halt for a couple days at a time on a few occassions. Would you believe a couple years ago we had over a thousand issues in one year? Also this past year I made up my mind that the Digest would be more or less a full time employer for me, but since my employer refused to pay me a salary -- he claimed he did not have the money! -- I've taken on a variety of odd, part-time jobs which, depending on the time of day and days of the week involved have cut into Digest production somewhat. A few times I have come home and frankly been so tired I just went right to bed. This past year there were easily enough messages in the queue to publish a thousand issues or more. The actual count of messages received was in excess of 54,000. That averages out to about 150 messages per day. About 6000 of these were used -- that's just a guess as I have not calculated it all yet -- or about ten percent of the total. Every message was read and considered. Did you know that when this Digest first started in 1981 -- and for that matter clear through the end of 1988 -- there were typically enough messages in the mail that an issue of the Digest could be sent out every two or three days; we got two or three peices of mail some days and perhaps five peices other days. Do any of you long-time readers remember the first time there was a 'double issue' on the same day, that is two separate mailings? Now you see how when time permits, it is possible you will receive four, five or six issues of the Digest in a day's time ... and that's by using only maybe half the mail in the backlogged queue. I would like to remind all readers that beginning January 1, 1995, the Digest has a subscription fee in the form of a suggested donation of twenty dollars per reader per year. This is merely a suggestion; you are under no obligation to pay anything. Editorial content is in *no way* connected with the finances here; what you have to say has no relationship to your ability and/or willingness to help keep the Digest alive financially. As Mr. Bellaire points out in the message before this, the TELECOM Digest and Archives are intended as shareware, not freeware. If you like what you see here, and it is beneficial to you, then please share as you are able. I would also like to thank the International Telecommunication Union in Switzerland for its continued financial support of the Digest. Without the help of ITU, I frankly don't believe I would have been able to publish as much as I have this year. Likewise, thanks is due to Northwestern University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for their continued support of the Digest by allowing me to publish and archive the Digest at their facilities. Happy New Year! See ya in a couple days. That's it, folks. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #481 ******************************