Among the many forms of communication used by members of the Movement are the BBS-type of computer communication base (BBS is an acronym for Bulletin Board System). These systems, have been used by the Movement for some time, they allow you to leave information in the form of files or messages that are available to all of the users. Any user can leave information (either for another user in particular, or to the whole).

These systems operate on a computer platform and you must use a modem to connect to the BBS. To use this BBS you must have a computer, a modem (of any speed), a communications software package (any software) and the telephone number for one of the BBS's. The user pays only for the telephone call.

In order to facilitate the use of information that circulates in the BBS's, they are currently structured into 16 different areas of interest, that represent the most common concerns of people in the Movement: Health, Education, Human Rights, Non-Discrimination, Ethnicity and Culture, Science and Technology, Art and Popular Culture, Religiosity, Grassroots Groups, Political Parties, Alternative Movements, Economic Alternatives, Humanist Clubs, Publications, International, and Others.

At present, the Movement has eight international BBS's. Besides keeping information that corresponds to the given country, they are used to exchange information that is useful for the whole. The BBS's are:

India - Bombay (9122) 610 3595/611 9513

Russia - Moscow (7095) 231 7120

Italy - Rome (396) 86 89 6955

England - London (4481) 771 7843

Spain - Madrid (341) 361 2191/356 0703

Canada - Montreal (1514) 523 1048

Mexico - Mexico City (525) 659 3218

Argentina - Buenos Aires (541) 806 3278

In addition to the above, there is a significant number of National BBS's that are operating in many other countries.

The difference between the 8 international BBS's and the rest is that in the former group, the system operator (Sysop) is in charge of gathering information from the other central BBSs' every 15 days. In this way information useful at the international level can be shared. The sysops organize the information, prepare a bulletin, and in return, place the appropriate files into each BBS. So, it is possible to find the same international information in any of the central systems.

Many of the Sysops of the National BBS's also receive and send data to the international systems.

The "International" area is used to exchange these files. The Sysop uses this area both to receive and to send data to the other systems.

You may find a document entitled "Bulletin" in the "Publications" area (this is a summary of the files that the Sysop has sent out). It is also possible to find the User's Manual for the BBS, the Electronic Magazine, and the publications that are being submitted to the publishing firms.

1. Brief definition

Internet is an electronic network that connects users (computers) from practically all over the planet. This permits the user anywhere on the globe to access many communication services between people and organizations. The most widely used of these services is electronic mail. This system allows any of its Millions of users to send messages to any other network user.

Among the communication services between people and/or organizations that are available on The Internet, we find: Electronic Mail, News (a daily, world-wide "bulletin board" that allows users to receive and send articles, or simply to read the interchange among other people).

IRC, which is a "cloud" of conversations that is open to any topic. You tune into the type of conversation that you desire. List Servers permit any Internet user to subscribe and facilitate subscribers interchange about a given topic by distributing messages to all the subscribers on that list. Some BBS allow their users access to several of the Internet's services and may allow some access to Internet users. Of particular interest to the users of these BBS is the ability to access Internet electronic mail.

NOTES:

Gopher: allows you to organize information into a menu system, which then takes you to those text files of interest.

WWW: this is a type of Gopher that can handle hyper-text (words, images, sound, and animation that are linked together and allow the user to follow the established links).

 

2. What are the objectives?

The purpose is to create a worldwide network of information that connects universities, governments, people, and enterprises. As this is an open network it facilitates the interchange and development of around their own goals.

3. Who does it reach?

Increasingly, individuals, researchers, university students, organizations of all kinds like: businesses, news agencies, activists, educators, and philosophers are connected by this network.

4. Advantages and disadvantages in terms of communication:

a) Advantages:

- It is global.

- Messages are rapidly delivered anywhere in the world through a network of satellites and local telephone networks.

- Has tools to keep a practically unlimited group of people informed about a specific subject.

- Ease of use: the corresponding software can be quickly learned.

- Security: this is given by the enormous number of users and nodes. Messages are transmitted using packets which follow many different routes. However, there is always the possibility of breaches of security at the end points.

- The costs are only those of a local call.

b) Disadvantages:

- Time-consuming. For example, you must constantly check your mail.

- Sending files is overly dependent on the type of connection you have. This can be resolved by standardizing software programs and other criteria (by distribution through the international BBS's, perhaps).

- Security: the system administrators of the central computers can see all of the information that is "traveling through their gates," unless this information is encrypted. Until we have our own node, this is not very feasible.

5. Implementation:

a) What to do, in chronological order:

- Contact a local Internet provider. This could be a university, a national science council, or a commercial service.

- Establish what services you need to use. Electronic mail alone might be sufficient for most people.

- From the user's point of view, the type of connection to be used will depend on your operating system: Windows, DOS, or Macintosh.

- Obtain your electronic access (this will be of the type name@domain, where "domain" is the name of the computer that provides your entry point into Internet, the sponsoring organization, the type of organization, or the particular country).

b) Necessary equipment:

- If you work with DOS, your minimum requirements are a PC XT, a modem and a telephone line.

c) Useful information:

- Obtain the e-mail addresses of people that can help resolve problems you may encounter with any of the above services. This list could be compiled during the encounter in January. We do not think it useful to prepare long lists of addresses unless its of people who share some well-defined interest. It could be useful to participate in forums such as News, or to create one. Also, to create Address Lists that are very specific (to an area of interest for example.)

- We recommend the use of modems that are 9,600 baud or faster, they are not expensive and the communication time that you save.