Hi, Mark Lewis!   
   I read your message from 15.10.2016 18:29   
      
    ak>>>> What software do you use when writing your messages?   
    MD>>> Mostly GoldEd+ on my linux computer. But some days ago I   
    MD>>> installed Hotdoged on my android tablet. I feel strange   
    MD>>> feelings... It works in common. I think it is useful to read, but   
    MD>>> writing easier on computer. I sent about 51mb fidonet mail to my   
    MD>>> tablet!   
      
    ak>> What do you mean by "sending 51 mb to your tablet"? It is not   
    ak>> clear IMHO.   
      
    ML> i suspect it is all the mail he got when he joined the message   
    ML> areas and likely rescanned them to get the posts onto the tablet...   
    ML> when i join all areas my main system carries and i rescan all of   
    ML> them (eg: when bringing up a new system that i want fully populated   
    ML> with posts) the resulting transfer of mail is over 300Meg   
      
   You are right. BTW -- a question -- the sentence "I think it is useful to   
   read, but writing easier on computer" - what article should we use before   
   "computer"?   
      
    MD>>>>> I will start some other topics here!   
    ak>>>> I hope you will and even you will bring here some new people.   
    ak>>>> Because many of old ones have spent most of cartridges fighting   
    ak>>>> on the Fidonet battle fields for so long time.   
      
    ML> hahaha... excellent analogy!   
      
   -) Well, we also can return to those times of paper mails. Not writing paper   
   letters of course, but to slow down the process of writing a bit. People of   
   the paper past had very profound discussions. Every letter was often a piece   
   art. Sometimes I also want to write letters by a pen! Letters then needed many   
   days to reach the addressee, so the traffic was slower and people had much   
   more time to compose their answer and to have a rest. ;)   
      
    MD>>> It's hard to bring new people to FidoNet. Most of old users in my   
    MD>>> city left FidoNet about 5-10 years ago. And it will be harder to   
    MD>>> bring them here. People in my city usually don't want/like to   
    MD>>> learn new languages... I don't know why.   
      
    ak>> It's clear, the young generation prefers to play games. Absence of   
    ak>> advertising is also very important. Those who do want to talk   
    ak>> constantly hear "Facebook", "Twitter", "Live Journal" etc at every   
    ak>> corner. And a person needs only a computer browser. Easy access.   
    ak>> But you have to collect many information to find your way to   
    ak>> FIDOnet. The GoldEd's pseudo-graphical interface IMHO is not very   
    ak>> attractive for the modern people.   
      
    ML> agreed... they're fooled by pretty pictures that are specifically   
    ML> designed to make operation much too easy while hiding all the   
    ML> details from them...   
      
   But they can't have interesting discussions. Their chats are like bird   
   twitter. Twitter in general is a perfect name for the modern messengers.   
      
    ak>> Another problem -- to find subjects to talk about. There is a   
    ak>> simple rule here. If you use the language and learn it -- you have   
    ak>> questions.   
    ML> yup! that's about right   
    ak>> Otherwise, there are no questions. I remember a time when I   
    ak>> translated some Russian books into English. That was a gold time   
    ak>> for learning. I used a pile of dictionaries, already translated   
    ak>> books, on-line dictionaries and forums. I could sit at every   
    ak>> sentence thinking how to translate it in a better way.   
      
    ML> i remember when you were asking about some things related to those   
    ML> translations... how did they come out? successful?   
      
   Yes, all the works have been carried through. Each book was translated and   
   checked several times by native speakers; the last book was even checked by an   
   English teacher (she did it because she liked it!) ;-)   
   For a while, the books are available as paper books at www.amazon.com. If you   
   like, you can go there and search for:   
   Koryagin The Three at the Square of Carronades   
   Koryagin Boltik   
      
   I believe the work has been done well. If I forgot to tell it, the books were   
   written by the famous Russian writer Vladislav Krapivin. The books, especially   
   the first one, are like beams from heaven. I am glad that I had reflected that   
   beams on those unfortunate people who were deprived of them. ;-)   
      
   Do you know, in the Russian language a translator and a rail switchman do such   
   a job that is expressed by a single verb. ;) It is very symbolic.   
      
   Bye, Mark!   
   Alexander Koryagin   
   ENGLISH_TUTOR 2016   
      
   --- Paul's Win98SE VirtualBox   
    * Origin: Quinn's Post - Maryborough, Queensland, OZ (3:640/384)