Cheap remailers

[John Schofield <john@ktb.net>]

There's been much talk on this list about the need for cheap remailers, and
I wanted to announce (unofficially) one of the least expensive remailer
setups I've seen.  The code is written by Jim Cannell, with documentation by
me.  It's designed as a remailer for Fidonet-technology systems.  Fidonet
Anonymous ReMailer runs under standard DOS, and is quite easy to install and
run.  The average Fidonet sysop should be able to get it up and running in
about 15 minutes.

With Internet gateway software and a UUCP account, it works quite well as an
Internet remailer.  I'm running a beta-test version at
remail@sprawl.ktb.net.  Please feel free to use it.  Help files are
available, but are oriented towards Fidonet users.  Still, you should be
able to puzzle it out.  It will only be up for a month longer, because I'm
leaving the country for two months, but Jim should keep you posted after the
public release on what Fidonet remailers are operating.

Requirements for running a Fidonet Anonymous ReMailer:

286-clone or better, with a 2400bps modem or better.
Fidonet Anonymous Remailer (free)
telephone line (a dedicated line is good, but not necessary)
Fidonet mail tosser (free or inexpensive shareware)
Fidonet Mailer (free or inexpensive shareware)

Most people probably won't be running Fidonet Anonymous Remailer with quite
this inexpensive a setup.  I'm running on a 486-50, two dedicated phone
lines, and two 28.8k bps modems.  If all I was running was the remailer, I
certainly wouldn't need that much hardware.

The remailer will be released with full source When It's Ready, and any
Fidonet node (there are more than 20,000) will be able to run the software
and act as a remailer.  The UUCP feed is not necessary for Internet
connectivity -- any Fidonet node can send and receive e-mail from the
Internet through standard gateways.  However, operating your own gateway
makes it much more fast and reliable.  I pay $20/month for my UUCP feed.

Fidonet can't compete with the Internet in terms of features, activity, or
much else -- but for dirt-cheap bare-bones networking, you can't beat it.


John
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