IFDC FileGate Project
Copyright 1994-2019 by Janis Kracht on behalf of the
IFDC FileGate Project (service mark)
Distribution: This file may be released via any means to anyone
interested in the IFDC FileGate Project.
The following topics are covered in this FAQ. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact Janis Kracht.
The IFDC FileGate Project is a free distribution system, which delivers over 30 megabytes of shareware and freeware files a day to main distribution systems all over the world, at no cost for the receiving system.
Originally the brainchild of Terence Milbourn, Ray Kaliss and Janis Kracht, the FileGate project was first meant to link the United States and the United Kingdom by having 3Com(c) pick up files in North America and having 3Com(c) deliver them to the United Kingdom. Further international distribution was developed by Janis Kracht, International Coordinator of the Programmers Distribution Network, and Adam Strack of 3Com USA, as an outgrowth of the success of the US <-> UK connection.
The purpose of the FileGate Project is to make shareware and freeware files available to end-users and bulletin board systems world-wide. There are a number of file distribution schemes for getting files into the hands of end-users. Each of these schemes has communities of users it serves well, and each has communites of users it misses completely. The IFDC FileGate came into being not to compete with these distribution methods, but to feed files into all of these channels and to widen that distribution throughout the world. We wanted Authors to know that they could expect to receive the benefits of each of the distribution schemes, and because of the variety of distribution schemes, to be protected from the limitations of any one scheme. We also wanted FDN Coordinators, hobbyists who collect and organize files, to be able to concentrate on finding high quality files and to be free of the concerns, inherent in the distribution of those files. This is accomplished collecting various fdn files at one location via the internet and other means, and feeding them to a number of HUBs and other distribution systems at no cost to the receiving system.
There are a number of File Distribution Networks (FDNs) In North America and in Europe, as well as in many other places in the world. A File Distribution Network Coordinator collects and organizes the files he or she finds. The FileGate system, set up by Janis Kracht, allows coordinators to drop off files they have collected via ftp or binkp/binkd protocols. Please contact Janis Kracht if Internet availability is not possible for your FDN. (See FDNINFO.FAQ). Our FileGate system at 1:261/38 collects files which the FDN coordinators have collected from various sources. Some of the sources are author-direct, i.e., some of the authors drop their files off on the FDNs' BBS, some use internet techology, and some use FidoNet Technology. Some of the FDNs have gotten permission from authors to pick up the authors' files at various sources so that they may be distributed. IFDC FileGate FDNs include an archive comment in the file header of the files distributed, which states where information regarding the IFDC FileGate may be obtained. The archive comment does not harm or change the internal contents of the archive.
Originally, 3Com(c) picked up and delivered all file traffic and distributed the FileGate traffic to member systems. This sponsorship allowed the FileGate to grow over the last 8 years. With internet accessability at the top level and fast transfer methods which are available at reasonable cost, the main FileGate system has moved to 1:261/38. After the files are collected, they are then delivered to main sites by the FileGate system or via ftp pickup by FileGate hubs.
The IFDC FileGate Project delivers files, at no cost, to main sites called SuperSites, located on 6 of the 7 major continents (there are actually two sites in Europe, one in mainland Europe and two in the UK), a number of IFDC FileGate HUBs located in North America, as well as to other distribution systems such as file and messsage echo distribution services available via the internet to those who have internet access and throughout . Files are also delivered to the FileGate's main Archive site at filegate.net and the Internet for either account download, or anonymous ftp/www download. The links to the FileGate continue to grow as more and more systems hook into existing SuperSites world-wide where for one reason or another, connections to other sources is too costly, or inefficient, or non-existant. Currently, the IFDC FileGate Project reaches the following Main sites and HUBs:
% ======================================================================== % * International HUB/SuperSite Map * % IFDC FileGate Project sm> % ------------------------------------------------------------------------ % * North American HUBs/Connected Sites *: % 1:261/38 * Zone 1 Main Site Slaterville Springs, NY * % | % | * Zone 1 FileGate HUBs * % | % |-> 1:153/7715 Dallas Hinton Vancouver, BC % |-> 1:3634/12 Mark Lewis Central NC % |-> 1:138/146 Marc Blakely Tacoma, WA. % |-> 1:128/187 Tj Barlow Colorado Springs,CO % |-> 1:19/36 Chad Adams Lindale, TX % |-> 1:266/75 Chris Costanzo Old Bridge, NJ % |-> 1:340/400 Robert Starr Cougar, WA % |-> 1:214/22 Ray Quinn Visalia, CAL % | % | * Connected sites * % | % |-> 1:1/133 Dale Barnes Intermail Chicago, ILL % |<-> 1:116/18 Robert Wolfe W32BINKD Memphis, Tenn. % |<-> 1:120/544 RJ Clay BBBS FDN Lansing, MI % |<-> 1:229/426 Nick Andre D'Bridge, Canada % |-> 1:393/68 Ben Ritchey GEDWIN, NASA, LA % |<-> 2:222/2 Kim Heino BBBS, Turku, Finland % | % | * Zone 2, European SuperSite United Kingdom * % |<-> 2:250/1, Vincent Coen Hatfield Hertfordshire UK % | % | * Zone 2, European SuperSite Spain % |-> 2:341/66, Angel Ripoll Madrid, Spain % | % | * Zone 3, Zone 3 SuperSite Australia % |-> 3:640/1321, Terry Roati Cairns, Qld % | % | * Zone 4, South American SuperSite * % | 4:801/189 Ioram Sette Recife PE % | % | % | *NOTE:If you would like to be a FileGate HUB, % | please contact me at anis@filegate.net or at 1:261/38. % | % | % ----------------------------------------------------------------------- % End HUB Section % =======================================================================
There are a wide variety of files on the IFDC FileGate. Among the FDNs participating now or in the past are the following:Apogee FDN Argus FDN BBBS File Distribution Network (BBBS FDN) BeeMail Mailer FDN Camelot Door Network CBMCommodore FDN ChessFile Distribution Network CookFile Distribution Network DGNDoor File Network FernwoodOS/2 Files FGPCBoardFileGate PCBoard File Distribution Network FileGate Project(sm) Info files FS - Current Flight Simulation files FSFAN - Older Flight Simulation files GamesNet International GoldEd File Distribution Network HAM File Distribution Network IPFN I-Nodelist FDN IREX, Internet Rex FDN Linux-User FDN: Help files for new linux users MAX Fdn - The Maximus File Distribution Network MBSE BBS MBSE BBS for unix/linux Mystic BBS Mystic BBSFDN NASA Space and Science files PASCAL-Net Pascal programming PDN The Programmers Distribution Network PERL FDNPerl File Distribution Network (PerlNet) PKWARE PKWare products FDN TGPBNThe Global Proboard Network R50 Region50 (Russia) File Distribution Network RAR RAR-FDN RGSNet - The Renegade Support Network Sunrise Al Lawrence's Sunrise doors for DOS and WinServer STN SysOp's TECH Net FDN Syncronet BBS T-MAIL - T-Mail Mailer for OS/2 and DOS TERMINATE File Distribution Network UtilNet Utilities for Everyone Anti-Virus FDN: Anti-Virus files WCAT Wildcat! File Network Win-FDN - The Windows File Distribution Network Please see filegate.zxx for a current listing of member FDNs.
How to Upload
For a complete File Echo Tag list in RAID Format, please file request FILEGATE.ZXX from 1:261/38. Magic name: ECHOS The Policy document for the IFDC FileGate Project (sm) is contained in FGPOL006.TXT For information on how to get your FDN distributed on the IFDC FileGate, file request FDNINFO.ZIP Magic Name: FDNINFO
All IFDC FileGate files are available via anonymous ftp/www at: WWW: http://www.filegate.net/ (ADSL) FTP: ftp.filegate.net Presently, we are looking systems to act as HUBs in all zones. If you are interested in picking up IFDC FileGate Files, kindly contact Janis Kracht here, or the SuperSite in your Zone. We are also looking for new FDNs to join the FileGate Project in all Zones. If you are interested in having your FDN distributed by the IFDC FileGate, file request FDNINFO.ZIP from the address below, or the SuperSite in your Zone, or contact me via the internet, or FidoNet.
IFDC FileGate ProjectIFDC FileGate International Coordinator: Janis Kracht BBS/FAX: (607)200-4076 V.Everything E-Mail: janis@filegate.net Web: http://www.filegate.net/ Web bbs: http://filegate.net:8080 Telnet bbs: telnet://filegate.net