ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º N I R V A N A N E T (tm) º º T h e P h i l o s o p h y º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ As a system operator, it is easy to overlook the inherently tyrannical aspects of even the simplest computer. Conceived as manipulators of numbers, computers did not come into their own until they could sort and store large quantities of ordinary information. The largest user of computing power in the world today is the National Security Agency, or NSA. With a budget more than that of the FBI and the CIA combined, it is the job of the NSA to keep track of "threats to national security". These are the folks who intercepted that lovely little phone call that linked the bombing of a Disco in West Germany and Kaddafy. What do they do, really? three things: they gather, store, and collate information. They use computers to do it. It is not the mission of a Bulletin Board to be a small NSA, but the capability is there. On most boards throughout the nation, users are requested to input all kinds of information. Names, "Use REAL NAMES ONLY! NO HANDLES!" And phone numbers, "The system will call you back. Hang up now." Often other information as well. What kind of computer do you have? How old are you? Sex? SEXUAL ORIENTATION?(!) How long have you had a modem? Where do you live, WHAT'S YOUR ADDRESS? WHAT'S YOUR RACE? Amazing that anyone even logs onto any boards anywhere. Many folks lie. Even worse, many don't. Sysops do this to keep 'Undesirables' off of their boards. They examine this data and compare it to their image of an ideal user. Usually a upper middle class white male with an expensive IBM computer. They let most people on anyhow. But this stuff remains on file. Scared yet? You should be. The well-meaning system operators are trying to keep disruptive people off their boards. They don't want swearing or inane prattle. Striving for the ideal forum for communication, they try and weed out the misfits. Instead of promoting an exchange of ideas, they try to limit what ideas may be exchanged. And all this data remains on file. Chances are it will never be looked at again. But what if, someday, the board gets confiscated by the police for something that you had nothing to do with. Oops! You're a witness! Or worse, an accomplice. Maybe not. But who knows, and who wants to find out? "Bob" knows no computer system is secure. ANY data on ANY disk anywhere in the world should be considered PUBLIC information, and treated accordingly. The only truly secure computer is OFF. Don't let your own instincts make you into a fascist. An open system is a healthy system. Back in the olden golden days of the first multiuser operating system, people would pit their intelligence against the computer and crash it. Instead of beefing up the security, the programmers installed a new command, "crash". Now all you had to do was type 'crash', and the system would be brought to it's knees. Voila, the problem went away. Keep your system open and free. It's what computers are really good for anyhow -- all information to all people. There is no such thing as a bad fact, or a bad word. There never was. And that is the power that a system truly does have -- the power to exchange new and different information, and bring people together. If you give people this power, your system will grow. The only limit a Bulletin Board System has is time. If every user could use the system for only two seconds, the board would always be available. But such is not the case, and virtually every board in existence has some kind of time limit. Even download limits are, in essence, time limits. Don't cheat yourself my restricting the users! If a user really wants to get on, he will get on. Be lenient. If you can, be free. Give the user a gentle reminder. If you treat the people who use your computer like people, they will behave like people. Shackled and barred at every turn, they will misbehave and cause trouble at every turn. I have run two systems in the past. The first was rigidly structured, one hundred levels. Each level had greater time allotted to it, and more data could be accessed. People would participate just to get to a higher level, without even knowing what was available. I was inundated with level and time raise requests. Finally I shut the system down. "Too many losers," I said. "People who just take, take, take. Nobody could run a BBS today!" And indeed, they did just take, take, take. All they could, while they could. The next board I ran was different. One level. No validation. People would call up and have instant full access to the board. Often, these users would go totally bats. They would run to the files section and download all they could. They would read ALL the messages in one session, and then call back with another name. The second call was different, though. They would come and look, and download something, and read a message or two, and leave. Finally, after a couple of weeks, an amazing thing happened. Hopeless losers, people who usually spent all their time trying to download as much as they could, started to get into it. Many posted their first messages. And they even would upload. Why? They didn't have to. Those users had found a home, and you try to improve your home. Welcome home. Welcome to NIRVANAnet(tm). Dr. Strangelove Sysop, Just Say Yes San Francisco, CA November 15, 1989 ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º N I R V A N A N E T (tm) º º H o w I t A l l B e g a n º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ There were once three BBSes in the Bay Area with the same philosophy. Dr. Strangelove ran a board called Just Say Yes in San Francisco, Ratsnatcher ran Rat Head Systems in Berkeley, and I ran & the Temple of the Screaming Electron in Walnut Creek. We decided that since our message bases were very similar, our users tended to overlap, and we shared the same basic philosophy of how to run a BBS system, we decided to create NIRVANAnet(tm) so that our ideas could spread throughout the BBS community. Since that initial beginning, NIRVANAnet(tm) has grown to become one of the country's best and most infamous networks because of its open access policies and diverse subject matter. Interest in joining NIRVANAnet(tm) has been intense, but it was founded with the sole purpose of being a regional network. That is, it was designed to serve only the San Francisco Bay Area. This limitation on network size was done on purpose so that we could concentrate on the quality of the boards involved, address regional issues, and keep things small-scale and personal. Because of the enormous success of NIRVANAnet(tm), the sysops of the net have decided to open NIRVANAnet(tm) to the rest of the planet. The new, expanded NIRVANAnet(tm) will consist only of boards that offer OPEN ACCESS. This means that member boards must let anyone on and give them full access on the first call. If you're interested, read on... In a perfect world, Open Access means no registration, no validation, no complex new user questionnaires, no requirement for users to enter their real names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, gender, or other personal information, handles are allowed and encouraged, users are trusted, freedom of speech reigns supreme, knowledge is available to everyone, and no discrimination based on age, sex, race, religion, drug use, or mental stability. It also means that once a person is on-line they can immediately read and write messages, download files, play games, and use any other functions that the BBS provides. In short, OPEN. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. Many countries and states place restrictions upon free speech and free expression. Sysops who violate these restrictions can end up fined, imprisoned, or worse. Because of this governmental interference, sysops may be required by law to restrict information about sex to people over the age of 18 or 21, or in some areas, the information may not be provided at all. Some countries do not allow people to exchange information about explosives or weapons, in some jurisdictions you cannot discuss entry codes for getting into computer networks, and passing out credit card numbers is verboten just about everywhere. Since we don't want Sysops to end up in jail, it is permissable to restrict access to some areas or remove some types of information IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS. However, restrictions should be at the absolute minimum levels needed to be acceptable to the local authorities. For instance, if it is legal in your area to give access to erotic material by having users sign a document that says "I am over 18", then by no means should you be requiring them to send in photocopies of their driver's licenses. Just because computers are good at collecting data on people, doesn't mean that you have to collect data. Just because you have the power to be Big Brother doesn't mean that you should. Give people as much freedom as possible on your system. I could go on and on for days about the advantages of running an open system as opposed to a closed one, but I won't. If you run an open system, you KNOW why it's a better way. If you run a closed system, you're not going to be allowed to join NIRVANAnet(tm) so there's no point in arguing with you about it. NIRVANAnet(tm) does not force anyone to run their system a particular way, we just say that if you agree with these principles, we'll share a bunch of really cool echos and files with you. You and your users will get to read messages from freaks of all types on subjects from encryption to phone systems to movies to techo-jargon to music to sex. NIRVANAnet(tm) is designed to REWARD sysops who run open systems by giving them the most interesting and diverse messages and files on the planet. Hope to see you on NIRVANAnet(tm)! \\\/// |-@@-| Taipan Enigma | > | & the Temple of the Screaming Electron ( \/ ) Walnut Creek, California \__/ 510/935-5845 || March 11, 1994 ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ» º N I R V A N A N E T (tm) º º D e t a i l e d C h a r t e r I n f o r m a t i o n º ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ 01 What NIRVANAnet(tm) Is NIRVANAnet(tm) consists of a group of Open Access BBSes, which carry a number of identical message echos and file echos. All boards will carry a minimum of two thirds of the message echos offered by the net, as well as NNSYSOP and Netmail. In addition to NIRVANAnet(tm) Message Areas, NIRVANAnet(tm) members can also carry NIRVANAnet(tm) Text File Echos, NIRVANAnet(tm) Public Key (encryption) Distribution Echos, and other NIRVANAnet(tm) data feeds to be announced. 02 Why This Charter Exists This Charter is written not to be excessively bureaucratic, but simply because, in order for a network like this to exist and grow, it needs to have some sort of basic structure. This Charter attempts to nail down that basic structure so that NIRVANAnet(tm) will last for decades. 03 Main Hub A Main Hub is defined as a BBS System that ties a local area into NIRVANAnet(tm). A Main Hub may feed messages to several smaller hubs which then feed messages to individual Nodes, or a Main Hub may feed messages to individual nodes directly. Main Hubs are always assigned Node Number 0 within their Local Net. 04 Hubs A Hub is defined as any BBS System that is feeding the NIRVANAnet(tm) message echos to two or more NIRVANAnet(tm) BBSes. 05 Net / Local Net A Net or Local Net is all of the Nodes that get data from one Main Hub. 06 Node A node is a single BBS system. 07 Main Hub Duties and Responsibilities Main Hubs have to call the backbone at least twice a night in order to transfer all echomail, netmail, and file echos. The sysops running these systems must be very technically proficient and have systems which are reliable. They must coordinate mail transfer periods with the hubs and nodes that they feed data to. A Main Hub is also responsible for routing mail around systems that go down within their Local Net. Main hubs will pass nodelist updates on to the Hubs and Nodes they are feeding. Main Hubs also have all of the duties and responsibilities of Hubs and Nodes. 08 Hub Duties and Responsibilities The Hubs work with new Nodes to iron out technical problems and to get the new Nodes on-line. Hubs must know the NIRVANAnet(tm) Charter well enough to verify the fact that the their Nodes are Open Systems and continue to remain Open Systems as defined by the Charter. Hubs can cut the feed of a Node if the Node ceases to be an Open System. Nodes can appeal to their Main Hub or rest of NIRVANAnet(tm) if they think they are being treated unjustly. Hubs must call their Main Hub at least twice a night to pick up waiting mail. Hubs will route netmail and file echos for NIRVANAnet(tm). Hubs will pass nodelist updates on to the Nodes they are feeding. Hubs also have all of the duties and responsibilities of Nodes. 09 Node Duties and Responsibilities Nodes will do their best to remain Open Systems and resist the urge to control their users. Nodes must call their Hub at least once a night, but preferrably twice, to pick up mail. Nodes will make NIRVANAnet(tm) Info Packs available to all callers, so that others can join the net. 10 Voting Voting is used for electing the International Net Coordinator (INC), electing Net Coordinators (NC's), ammending the NIRVANAnet(tm) Charter, and adding new nodes. Votes can be for, against, or abstain. An abstain vote DOES count as a vote. If a person does not vote, this is counted as an "abstain" vote. (This means that in a simple majority vote, if there are 100 nodes in the net, and 49 vote "YES" and 48 vote "NO", then there are 3 abstensions, and the NO's win the vote.) Voting is done by placing the question on the NNSYSOP board and asking for a vote. Once a question has been put to a vote, all voting members must vote within 14 days, unless stated otherwise within the Charter. There is no such thing as a "secret ballot". The NNC tallies all votes and posts a running total of who voted "Yes" and who voted "No" up until the voting period is over. At which time the NNC will post the final results. A Voting Member may change their vote at any time up until the voting period is over. All votes to elect Net Officers are by simple majority. Ammending the Charter takes a 2/3 majority of ALL voting members. See the section on "New Systems" for information on voting in new systems. All other votes are by simple majority, unless otherwise stated in the Charter. 11 Who Votes In order to vote, a member must have an active system. There is one vote per BBS system, and no one gets more than one vote. Generally, if a person's name appears in the nodelist, then they're eligible to vote, which is why the NNC also conducts elections. 12 NC Elections All of the Voting Members within a Net will vote for an NC at least once every 18 months. If an NC steps down, an election for a new NC must be held within 30 days. An election is won by a simple majority. The current NC will set the date for the election period, which lasts for 30 days. Elections are called by posting a message on the NNSYSOP echo. 13 INC Elections ALL of the members will vote for an INC at least once every 30 months. If a INC steps down, an election for a new INC must be held within 45 days. An election is won by a simple majority. The current INC will set the date for the election period, which lasts for 45 days. Elections are called by posting a message on the NNSYSOP echo. 14 Other Positions There are other positions within the net for Network EchoMail Coordinator (NEC), Network Netmail Coordinator (NMC), Network FileEcho Coordinator (NFC), and Network Nodelist Coordinator (NNC). These positions are voluntary support positions. They work with the INC and the NC's to make the network run more smoothly. Other positions may be added in the future at the discretion of the INC. All positions are appointed by the INC. 15 Network EchoMail Coordinator (NEC) Responsibilities Makes sure that echomail is flowing smoothly. Works with the hubs to make sure that echomail is not being lost. Determines the routing for echomail between the various Main Hubs. Solves technical echomail problems. Splits echomail areas that become too congested. Adds new areas to the backbone as requested by nodes. Schedules mail run times so that echomail will flow quickly. 16 Network Netmail Coordinator (NMC) Responsibilities Makes sure that netmail is flowing smoothly. Works with the hubs to make sure that netmail is not being lost. Determines the routing for netmail between the various Main Hubs and Hubs. Solves technical netmail problems. 17 Network FileEcho Coordinator (NFC) Responsibilities Makes sure that those boards that wish to participate in the file echos are getting their files. Makes sure that boards which do NOT wish to participate in the file echos do not get stuck with the cost of transporting files. Figures out routing for files. Adds new files echos as needed or requested. 18 Network Nodelist Coordinator (NNC) Responsibilities Maintains the NIRVANAnet(tm) nodelist. Adds new nodes to the nodelist and deletes boards which are no longer active. Changes board information as necessary. Sends out nodelist updates to all Main Hubs. The NNC also conducts all elections and tracks votes. The NNC also puts together the NIRVANAnet(tm) Info Packs which should be available on every node. These packs contain the NIRVANAnet(tm) Charter, an application, the NIRVANAnet(tm) Nodelist, and anything else the NNC deems appropriate. 19 Users Do not count. 20 Minimum Technical Standards There are minimum BBS standards involved in NIRVANAnet(tm). The proposed system would need to have a minimum of down time, menus should have a planned appearance. Menu options should actually do something (what they do is up to the sysop), and systems should be able to generate packets and receive them on a regular basis. 21 New Systems In order to become a node in the network a sysop must first fill out a NIRVANAnet(tm) Application Form and upload it to a NIRVANAnet(tm) Hub. The sysop of the Hub will call the BBS to make sure that it is an OPEN ACCESS system, as defined by the NIRVANAnet(tm) Charter. If the Hub decides that the BBS qualifies according to the Charter, the Hub Sysop will post a message on the NNSYSOP echo nominating the new board for membership and telling everyone the board's name and phone number. This message will include a portion of the application. Other NIRVANAnet(tm) Sysops will have two weeks from the date the message is posted to call the board and check it out. After calling, they will post their votes, YES or NO, on the NNSYSOP echo. If the board gets at least 5 YES votes (including the nominating hub) and a maximum of 2 NO votes within the two week period, the board is in. If the board gets less than 5 YES votes, or 2 or more NO votes then the BBS is not admitted to the net. NIRVANAnet(tm) Sysops may vote "NO" for any reason whatsoever, but are expected to use this Charter as a guide when deciding on admitting a new board. NIRVANAnet(tm) Sysops are expected to vote "NO" if an applicant BBS does not fulfill the requirements of the Charter. Conversely, even if a BBS technically qualifies under the Charter's guidelines, a NIRVANAnet(tm) Sysop is not required to vote "YES" on the board's entry into the net. The Main Hub of the board's nearest net will then assign the new node a node number, give the new node a NIRVANAnet(tm) nodelist, and inform the NNC of the addition to the nodelist. The NNC will add the node to the nodelist within one month. After being admitted, any new system must be hooked into the net within two weeks. It is assumed that before a system is admitted, it is capable of exchanging echomail packets already. The two week margin allows for any technical problems which might crop up. If a system is not admitted to the net they may apply again after six months have passed. 22 Open Access In a perfect world, Open Access means no registration, no validation, no complex new user questionnaires, no requirement for users to enter real names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, gender, or other personal information, handles are allowed and encouraged, users are trusted, freedom of speech reigns supreme, knowledge is available to everyone, and no discrimination based on age, sex, race, religion, drug use, or mental stability. It also means that once a person is on-line they can immediately read and write messages, download files, play games, and use any other functions that the BBS provides. For the purposes of NIRVANAnet(tm), Open Access means that we require: * No requirement for users to enter real names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, gender, or other personal information. * No "validation" of new users. * No complex new user questionnaires. * Handles are allowed and encouraged. * No discrimination based on age, sex, race, religion, drug use, or mental stability. * Once a person is on-line they can immediately read and write E-Mail, local messages, NIRVANAnet(tm) Netmail, and NIRVANAnet(tm) Echomail. * Once a person is on-line they can immediately download files that the BBS obtained from the NIRVANAnet(tm) Text File Archives or through the NIRVANAnet(tm) Text File Distribution System. We encourage sysops to keep their BBSes to be as open as possible, and to allow full access to all functions and areas within the BBS to all callers. 23 New User Questionnaires If your BBS software will not allow you to turn off these nosy new user questions, you can use a hex editor to change them to something less noxious. (Such as changing "Enter Your REAL Address" to "Favorite Color".) Better yet, switch your software to something less Big Brotherish and tell the author of the software why you're switching. If you cannot turn off these questions and are unable or unwilling to use a hex editor you will not be admitted to NIRVANAnet(tm). 24 Files Sysops are encouraged to be as generous with file ratios as possible, or to give files away with no ratios. 25 Exceptions Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. Many countries and states place restrictions upon free speech and free expression. Sysops who violate these restrictions can end up fined, imprisoned, or worse. Because of this governmental interference, sysops may be required by law to restrict information about sex to people over the age of 18 or 21, or in some areas, the information may not be provided at all. Some countries do not allow people to exchange information about explosives or weapons, in some jurisdictions you cannot discuss entry codes for getting into computer networks, and passing out credit card numbers is verboten just about everywhere. Since we don't want Sysops to end up in jail, it is permissable to restrict access to some areas IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS. However, restrictions should be at the absolute minimum levels needed to be acceptable to the local authorities. For instance, if it is legal in your area to give access to erotic material by having users sign a document that says "I am over 18", then by no means should you be requiring them to send in photocopies of their driver's licenses. If your government says that some information may not be provided at all or you will go to jail, we advise you to delete such information from your system. 26 Fly-by-Night Systems Running a BBS is a lot of work, and many sysops set up a BBS only to shut it down within a few months once they find that out. To encourage long-term connections to BBS systems, a BBS system must have been in operation for at least four months before it can join NIRVANAnet(tm). 27 Charging for Access Running a single-line system is cheap. Running a multi-line system can be an expensive proposition. Because of this, it may be necessary for multi-line systems to charge for access to extra lines. Because this may be seen as restricting access, the following guideline applies: If you charge for access, you must provide at least ONE LINE that is completely free of charge. (Preferrably, between 1/3 and 1/2 of your lines should be free, but that is up to you.) If all of your lines are free, but users who contribute cash get more time, that also qualifies, since users don't HAVE to pay to call your system. For instance, &TOTSE used to be a one-line free system. The board was busy 90% of the time, and many people could never get through at all. In January of 1993, &TOTSE went to four lines, two of which were only available to people who'd made donations. The people on the two pay lines subsidize the people on the free lines. Because of the donations, &TOTSE can now provide twice as much free service as it could before, a big gain for the users. 28 NNSYSOP Every system is required to carry NNSYSOP, the PRIVATE NIRVANAnet(tm) Sysops-only conference. It must be read by the primary system operator at least once every three days, unless there is a really good excuse not to (e.g. Hardware downtime, vacation, spousal violence, etc). ALL posts must be read, not just addressed posts. Members of the immediate household are also allowed to read NNSYSOP. A vote must be taken to allow anyone else to read (or participate) in NNSYSOP. Allowing non-sysops to read the NNSYSOP echo without permission of the voting members may result in cutting the network feed of the offending system. 29 New Topics The NEC must add a new topic if four or more NIRVANAnet(tm) boards request that it be added. The sub will be available to all other member systems. Requests can be made on the NNSYSOP echo. If fewer than four boards request a new topic, it may be added or the boards requesting the topic may be asked to network the messages directly among themselves, at the discretion of the NEC. 30 Echos All NIRVANAnet(tm) echos will be made available to all NIRVANAnet(tm) BBS systems. If an echo is getting too congested, it may be split into two or more smaller echos. All NIRVANAnet(tm) echos have echo names beginning with "NN" to make things easier on sysops who carry multiple networks. A sysop may choose anything they like as the local name for an echo, but the echo title should reflect the original intent and purpose of the echo. NIRVANAnet(tm) echos may NOT be made available to any BBS system that is not a member of NIRVANAnet(tm). This includes "point" systems. If a NIRVANAnet(tm) BBS is caught sending a feed to a non-NIRVANAnet(tm) BBS, the offending BBS's feed will be cut. 31 Echomail Moderators Echomail Moderators are assigned by the NEC. Any user on any system can ask to become a moderator. 32 Regional Echos If an echo is of regional interest only, such as "Places to Go in the Bay Area", it will begin with "NN" plus the Local Net number plus the name of the echo. Example: NN900PLACES. These echos will still be available to ALL NIRVANAnet(tm) BBS systems. 33 Netmail All NIRVANAnet(tm) systems will make netmail available to their users if it is technically possible to do so. This allows users to send private mail to other users on other NIRVANAnet(tm) systems. 34 Encrypted Messages All NIRVANAnet(tm) systems agree to allow users to send encrypted messages to one another using E-Mail, Netmail, and Echomail. Users will be encouraged to use E-Mail and Netmail whenever possible. 35 Free Speech NIRVANAnet(tm) is a free-speech network. Posts will not be deleted, unless they contain: * Credit card numbers * Phone company calling card numbers * Names and passwords for private systems * Unsolicited personal phone numbers Sysops should try to keep messages on-topic. Messages can be moved from one area to another and users can be yelled at, but posts should not be deleted for being off-topic. The same restrictions apply to flames, which reduce the amount of communication that's occurring. Often, it is a good idea to forward flames to the flame echo, that's what it's there for. It's also why we keep the number of posts on that sub VERY low. Sysops should also attempt to keep personal messages and 1-to-1 communiques off the netted subs, and keep them in e-mail, netmail, or in a local message base. Finally, when quoting a message, users are expected to quote only the relevant part of the message, not the entire thing, tag lines and all. This is to help reduce the amount of traffic crossing the network and to keep costs down. 36 Multiple Networks If a BBS system carries multiple networks, we hope that the sysop will make NIRVANAnet(tm) the "primary" or "featured" network of their system. Sysops who want to add NIRVANAnet(tm) just because they are "collecting networks" for their system will be discouraged from joining NIRVANAnet(tm). 37 Multiple Network Conflicts If your BBS system is a member of another network that does require real names, we encourage you to tell them to shove that requirement up their collective asshole. If that doesn't work, see if you can set up your system to allow users to enter a "real-sounding" name that is used whenever they access this other network. If that still doesn't work, you must decide which network you want to keep on your system, NIRVANAnet(tm) or "BigBrotherNet." 38 Off-Topic Messages If an echo gets way off-topic, it may be necessary for several sysops to coordinate moving messages and chastising the offending users. These actions can be coordinated by using the NNSYSOP board or netmail. 39 Off-Topic Users Some users have one axe to grind and they grind it on every single message base they come to. Usually this malise of being unable to recognize topics comes in one of three forms: Political, Religious, or Incoherent Abuse and Flaming. If you have a user on your system with this problem, try to reason with them and get them to stay on topic. In extreme cases, it may be necessary to restrict them to posting on one message echo. Sysops are expected to use their own best judgement for this, and to try every available means necesary before restricting users. 40 Spelling All NIRVANAnet(tm) sysops must be able to spell "NIRVANAnet(tm)" correctly. 41 Language The official language of NIRVANAnet(tm) is English, unless someone can think of a better language. 42 System Expulsion If a Net decides to expell a system from NIRVANAnet(tm), there must be a vote to give the system a warning. If 2/3 of the members of the Local Net vote in favor a warning, then a warning is given to the offending system to clean up its act, along with a date by which the system must be acceptable. This date must be a minimum of two weeks from the warning date. The warning must state exactly what is unsatisfactory about the system. When the expulsion date has been reached, a vote will be taken to expel by the Nodes within the system's Net. If 2/3 of the systems within the Local Net vote to expell, the system will be kicked out of NIRVANAnet(tm). The system being expelled does not get a vote. Systems can be expelled for any reason. 43 Charter Changes can be made in this charter with approval of 2/3 of the ALL of the Voting Members of NIRVANAnet(tm). This Charter was adopted unanimously on August 2, 1994 by: Taipan Enigma & the Temple of the Screaming Electron Zardoz Burn this Flag Poindexter Fortran realitycheck Mick Freen Lies Unlimited Biffnix The New Dork Sublime Rif Raf The Shrine of the Salted Slug Simon Jester Planet Mirth