MSGID: 1:129/14.999 68883f1d   
   PID: GED+W64 1.1.5-b20250409   
   CHRS: CP866 2   
   TZUTC: -0400   
   https://fidonet.press/ - This is the first article in a series exposing the   
   reality of FidoNet leadership, politics, and decline.   
      
   Ward Dossche, longtime Zone 2 Coordinator and former International Coordinator   
   (IC), is known less for improving FidoNet and more for consolidating control.   
      
   Power Grab: The 89% Vote   
   In 2004, when Zone Coordinators voted to replace Dossche with Malcolm Miles,   
   Dossche refused to step down. He claimed his vote should count for 89%-because   
   89% of nodes were in Zone 2. This self-serving logic ignored FidoNet's   
   structure and blocked leadership transition. The result: two ICs, fractured   
   governance, and paralyzed coordination.   
      
   Suppression, Not Collaboration   
   Dossche sidelined critics and removed those who opposed him. He dismissed   
   appeals, cut off dissenting sysops, and rewarded loyalty over merit. Community   
   members were forced to choose between silence and exclusion.   
      
   Lawsuit and Loyalty   
   Dossche was sued by Helmut Hullen, a former sysop, over a FidoNet dispute.   
   Supporters launched a fundraiser to cover his legal costs-proof of a faction   
   loyal not to FidoNet, but to Dossche himself.   
      
   No Vision for FidoNet   
   Dossche resisted reform and showed no interest in modernizing FidoNet. His   
   leadership focused on control, not growth. Innovation stalled while loyalists   
   maintained his power.   
      
   Authoritarian in All But Name   
   Dossche ruled by position, not consensus. His actions mirror authoritarian   
   rule: centralizing authority, silencing opposition, and rejecting community   
   decisions. His legacy is not network development, but enforced loyalty and   
   stagnation.   
      
   Sources   
   https://academickids.com/encyclopedia/index.php/Fidonet   
   https://www.enlight.ru/files/ward_lawsuit.txt   
   https://bbs.electronicchicken.com/spam/forum/FidoNet/fido_fnsysop/4421   
      
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