Join the crew
Even though Eye Of The Beholder is a free, open and no-cost system, access is restricted: the first and indispensable step is to register as a user. Without this, it is not possible to access, view or use any of the services on the system, neither through the BBS nor through the FidoNet Node. This section explains what you need to know before taking this step, and how to proceed once you have.
As described in the previous sections, there are two complementary ways to access EOTB, and the registration process starts in a very similar way for both: you can register as a user of the FidoNet Node or as a user of the BBS. Whichever route you choose, you'll need to provide the same basic data and accept the same conditions, which we explain below.
The validation password
To prevent automated registrations and other modern distractions, during the registration process you will be asked for a validation password. It is an elvish word of six letters, the same one that had to be spoken to pass through the West Gate of Khazad-dûm. If this sounds like Greek to you, you may need a little help; and if even so you can't get it, here is the word served on a silver platter. Consider it a small entry ritual: a nod to those who already know what this is about, and an invitation to curiosity for those who don't yet.
About your personal data and the Netiquette
Hi, I'm Enric Lleal Serra, the SysOp of this system. No doubt, when you see the form you have to fill in to register, you'll ask yourself: why are they asking for my personal data? Why are they asking me to identify myself? Why does this person want it? Why are they asking for something that nowhere else on InterNet is asked of me?
Real identity and responsibility
On FidoNet -and therefore on EOTB- you write under your real name. There are no pseudonyms, no opaque avatars: everyone signs their opinions with their identity. This is not a bureaucratic formality but the cornerstone of the network's culture: knowing that on the other side there is a person with a first name and surname, just like you, radically transforms the way messages are written and read. The gratuitously aggressive tone, the personal attacks, the "tough guy behind a nickname" and much of the usual noise of the modern network tend to disappear. In exchange, it demands a little more responsibility: if you sign something, you own it. This convention, which may seem old-fashioned, is precisely what generates calm, cordiality and engagement among users, and what motivates a kind of communication very different from what we are used to seeing on the rest of the network. But it also demands trust to write under one's real name: the same name with which you'll register here if you decide to carry on.
I sacrifice part of my time, my money, my personal life and my other hobbies to keep this system running and above the surface. I put everything I am into it so that you can enjoy something almost forgotten on InterNet. In return, I ask for your trust and a little basic information.
In return, you have the guarantee that your data:
- Will not be sold.
- Will not be trafficked.
- Will not be shared.
- Will not be used for any purpose unrelated to the operation of the system.
These are the conditions regarding personal data at Eye Of The Beholder. If you accept them -and if the data turns out to be shocking or appears not to be real, I reserve the right to delete your registration from the user database- you'll have access to all the services EOTB offers. If you don't accept them, InterNet is wide and vast and you have thousands of other places to visit or to be part of. No hard feelings.
If any beholder can vouch for you, we can come to a particular arrangement: contact me before registering and we'll talk it over.
And then there is the question of netiquette.
As an access point to FidoNet, Eye Of The Beholder inherits and adopts the network's conventions of conduct: a set of practices that aren't rules imposed from anywhere, but habits consolidated over decades of coexistence between SysOps and users. They aren't complicated, they aren't many, and most can be summed up in one simple idea: here we write between people, not against profiles. If you get used to three or four details of format and attitude, you'll be part of the landscape effortlessly.
The golden rule
FidoNet has one single great rule of conduct, set out in the Policy 4 document and repeated like a mantra since the 1980s:
"Thou shalt not excessively annoy others, and thou shalt not be too easily annoyed."
This sentence, formulated in a half-joking, half-serious biblical tone, sums up the entire philosophy of the network. It doesn't forbid disagreeing, arguing, or defending unpopular opinions; what it asks for is a sense of measure on both sides: whoever writes, let them measure their tone; whoever reads, let them not take offence at the first comment they disagree with. Most conflicts on FidoNet, historically, have been resolved simply by applying this rule honestly. The rest, with a little patience and a coffee.
Quoting well: quoting and top posting
This is perhaps the most visible convention and the one that gives away the newcomer fastest, so it's worth explaining in some detail. On FidoNet you reply below the quoted text of the original message, not above. This is what's called not doing top posting. The quote is introduced with the > character at the start of each line and is trimmed leaving only the specific fragments you're replying to, not the whole message. FidoNet readers do this largely automatically: you just need to get into the habit of deleting what you don't need before sending. The result is a conversation that reads top to bottom like a natural transcript -question, answer, question, answer- rather than a modern corporate email where, in order to understand the last sentence, you have to scroll down four screens. It may seem a nostalgic whim, but once you've spent a week reading echomail like this, it's hard to go back.
In addition to quoting, there's a minor but cherished detail: the attribution line that the reader places before the quote ("On date X, Smith wrote to Jones:" or similar variants). Don't touch it; it's part of the thread and helps to follow who says what in conversations with three or four participants.
The signature: tagline and tearline
Another characteristic detail. Messages on FidoNet end with a tearline (a line starting with ---) and an origin line (the * Origin: line indicating which node the message comes from), both added automatically by the software. Just before them, many people add a tagline: a short phrase, often humorous, ironic or philosophical, that changes with each message. It isn't mandatory, but it's a nice tradition and contributes to the character of the network. If you use a client that handles them, it's worth keeping a few prepared; if not, no problem.
Choose the right area
In echomail each area has a defined topic and tone. Before writing in it, read a few conversations to get a feel for the atmosphere, check whether there's any official description of the area -maybe the posted rules?-, and avoid posting the same message in several echoes (this is what's known as crossposting and is generally frowned upon). For private conversations between two people, use netmail by preference: public areas are not for one-to-one messages.
A little patience with the timing
FidoNet is not an instant network. A message you write today may reach its recipient within a few hours or, depending on the route it has to take, the following day. Conversations breathe at a slower pace and this is, to a large extent, a virtue, not a limitation: it gives you time to think before answering, and it means more things get answered and they get answered better. Don't be surprised to receive replies a few days after writing something; don't be surprised either that yours arrive on the same kind of schedule. It's the natural pace of the house.
Common sense and good faith
The rest boils down to common sense applicable to any community: don't insult, don't engage in flame wars, don't post commercial advertising in the areas, don't send giant attachments by netmail without warning, don't use capital letters to shout, respect each area's language conventions (in international ones, English; in Spanish-language ones, Spanish; in local ones, whatever applies), and if you get into conflict with someone, try to resolve it by private netmail before taking it to a public area. If at any point you have doubts about whether something "is or isn't done", the best option is to ask the SysOp or in the local area of the BBS: that is exactly what the community is there for.
And now, how do you want to access?
Once you have the conditions clear and the elvish word ready, all that's left is to decide where you want to come in. Choose the option that best fits what you're looking for -you can use more than one- and follow the specific instructions for each:
| The Node | The BBS | |
|---|---|---|
| Services |  |
 |
| URL | fido.beholderbbs.org |
bbs.beholderbbs.org |
| Web | http-ssl:443 |
https:443 |
| Terminal | telnet-ssl:992 |
telnet-ssl:992 | ssh:22 |
| Newsgroups | nntp-ssl:563 |
|
| Mailing List | (wip) | |
| Files | ||
| Web | http-ssl:443 |
http-ssl:443 |
| FTP | ftp-ssl:21 |
ftp-ssl:21 |
| Terminal | telnet-ssl:992 |
telnet-ssl:992 | ssh:22 |
| BBS | ||
| Web | http-ssl:443 |
http-ssl:443 |
| Terminal | telnet-ssl:992 |
telnet-ssl:992 | ssh:22 |
| Doors | telnet-ssl:992 | ssh:22 |
|
| IRC | local |
irc:6667 | irc-ssl:6697 |
| FidoNet | ||
| Point | binkp:24554 | binkp-ssl:24555 |
|
| Node | binkp:24554 | binkp-ssl:24555 |
|
| Registration | Node | BBS |
- Not available
- Available, in a basic way
- Available, in a complete way
If you have any doubts before registering or want to comment on anything, remember that you can write me an email or, if you're already a user of another BBS or Node, send me a netmail at 2:343/107. Welcome aboard.