16 Dec 15 19:56, you wrote to me:   
      
    WV>   about: "Added - MBSEBBS":   
      
    VC>>> We don't.  It really should be killed off.   
      
    ml>> why? it is just an entry in the echolist...   
      
    WV> Are you serious? It confuses the hell out of people that use the echolist   
    WV> to find areas...   
      
   quite serious... the echolist only lists echotags and some info for that   
   tag... seeing an echotag listed would then lead one to look in their feeds'   
   listings of available echos... the echolist carries information that cannot be   
   placed in a (eg) backbone.na file... this is why the various backbones have   
   always had their NA files... if the echotag is listed in the NA then the area   
   is available from that backbone... if you are connected directly to a backbone   
   system, you should be able to areafix the area with no problem... if you are a   
   hop or more off the backbone, then the systems between you and the backbone   
   need to forward the requests for unknown areas upstream unless they already   
   have the area... either way, the area should be turned on and sent   
   downstream...   
      
   it isn't the cleanest system in the world but it works for the most part... it   
   is rather sad that others didn't fully pick up on it in the past... then   
   things like fidoweb broke it completely because there's no central set of   
   systems that can generate a list of all the areas the fidoweb carries... that   
   puts folks back into the dark ages trying to hunt around and find a system   
   that might carry the area...   
      
      
   FWIW: IIRC and truth be told, the NA extension originally started out to   
   signify the North American backbone's listing... one for europe might have   
   been backbone.eu... australia's might have been backbone.au... the NO file   
   came about to hold echotags that were no longer carried on the NA backbone...   
   the lists didn't have to be called anything specific, though... other   
   distribution systems had their own but most followed the NA/NO extension...   
   then some bbs authors came up with the idea to allow operators to fully   
   populate their bbs' message area configs by importing the NA files... sometime   
   around then is also when operators started simply sending areafixes for "+*"   
   or "+all" to turn on all areas at their feed regardless if they or their users   
   were interested in them...   
      
   )\/(ark   
      
   "So let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you've   
   killed all the bad guys, and when it's all perfect, and just and fair, and   
   when you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going   
   to do with the people like you? The trouble makers. How are you going to   
   protect your glorious revolution from the next one?" - The twelfth Doctor   
      
   ... Marriage is a long tedious meal with dessert at the beginning.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)