Boosting the Baud Rate: E-mail and Connectivity in the Former Soviet Union

Bill Fick
International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) Khlebnyi pereulok, d. 8
121069 Moscow, Russia
fick@glas.apc.org

Michael Neubert
Library of Congress
European Division
Washington, DC 20540-5531
mneu@seq1.loc.gov



Prepared for the
25th National Convention of the
American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies Panel on
"Internet Resources for Slavic and East European Studies" 


The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of Tony Byrne (IREX), 
Wes Cole, Olga Galkina (IREX), Eric Johnson (Library of Congress), and 
David Kraus (Library of Congress. All sins of omission (and commission) 
are those of the authors. "Electronic mail differs from the other 
[Internet] applications... because it is not an "end to end" service: the 
sending and receiving machine need not be able to communicate directly 
with each other to make it work. If you correctly address a message, the 
network will take it from there. You needn't know much about what's going 
on." (Krol, p. 95.) 

Introduction

While Ed Krol's statement that "you needn't know much about what's going 
on" may be true for most American users of the Internet (i.e., those with 
"domestic" interests), it is useful for those interested in communicating 
with individuals in the former Soviet Union to have a somewhat deeper 
understanding. In particular, it is necessary to have a fairly healthy 
knowledge of the technical aspects (if not every detail) if one is 
interested in using e-mail while actually in the former Soviet Union. 

This paper describes the potential for the use of e-mail and e- mail 
resources on the Internet by area studies scholars interested in the 
former Soviet Union. It's an attempt to depict the infrastructural 
developments, user demographic tendencies, and information resources of 
particular interest to scholars in Slavic studies. Attached as appendices 
are the IREX guide to e- mail use in the former Soviet Union and other 
"more technical" documents.

Allan Urbanic's paper (also presented at this panel) discusses resources 
that are available for area specialists via the Internet through "real 
time" access (or as Krol puts it, an "end to end" service) and require 
access to the international TCP/IP network (the Internet). In many ways, 
however, the possibilities of e-mail and e-mail accessible resources may 
be of more interest for area specialists in this field because at present 
there is very limited "real time" access to the Internet within the FSU. 

This paper does not attempt to describe the entire universe of 
connectivity and electronic communications with the FSU. It cannot even 
claim to be completely accurate, since networking initiatives are growing 
like weeds and the situation is changing daily. Network development 
initiatives sponsored by NATO, NASA, and DOE (among others) are beyond the 
scope of this paper and while they will, of course, have implications for 
general infrastructure and physical network growth, they are tangential to 
the story we are trying to tell here. 

Probably the most common use of e-mail by area studies scholars is for 
one-to-one communication with one another. This can facilitate scholarly 
cooperation that would have been impossible without it (such as the 
writing of this paper by co-authors located in Moscow and Washington, DC). 
But there are many other uses of e-mail, such as the ability to send 
message not just from "one-to-one," but "one-to-many," which allows 
discussion groups and electronic serials. And there are e-mail tools that 
enable e-mail users to make use of many of the same tools that "real time" 
access can provide.

Sources of General Information

There are many basic guides to the use of the Internet; some emphasize 
e-mail more than others. Ed Krol's _The Whole Internet: User's Guide & 
Catalog_ has been considered the best and most balanced introduction to 
the Internet including the uses of e-mail. This field changes so quickly, 
however, that it is already becoming somewhat dated. Several new guides 
have been recently published. Especially good is _The Internet Guide for 
New Users_ (Dorn), which includes significant information not included in 
_The Whole Internet_, in part because it has been more recently published, 
but also because it simply goes into more detail. As noted by Allan 
Urbanic, there are many other new guides available at the nearest good 
bookstore (or library), however the two above are the most comprehensive 
that the authors have seen. Note that such guides do not describe 
system-specific aspects of e-mail use (other than the basics of some 
UNIX-based systems)--for those, it is necessary to seek the appropriate 
institutional technical assistance. Dorn's _Internet Guide_ provides by 
far the most detailed discussion of specific e-mail systems, covering the 
different "add-on" interfaces for UNIX- based e-mail systems such as ELM 
and PINE as well as several others.

There are also several (very) new guides available only electronically. An 
excellent one is the _Guide to Network Resource Tools_ (The EARN 
Association, electronic sources) which includes detailed explanations of 
how to manipulate many Internet tools through e-mail that are most 
commonly accessed in real time (the most recent version of this guide is 
dated September 15, 1993). A more basic guide for beginners is the _Big 
Dummy's Guide to the Internet: A Round Trip through Global Networks, Life 
in Cyberspace, and Everything_ (Gaffin, electronic sources), which is 
twice as long but covers much the same amount of material (and is also 
very current, the most recent version dated September 20, 1993).

It is assumed here that most readers of this paper who live in the West 
are affiliated with an academic or other institution which provides them 
with access to the Internet and/or e-mail. However there are many 
commercial providers of both e-mail alone as well as access to the 
Internet. _Connecting to the Internet_ is a new book that covers this 
subject in great detail. (Estrada) It is also possible to get information 
about public access to the Internet by contacting the InterNIC Information 
Center's "Reference Desk" by phone at (800) 444-4345 or (619) 455-4600. 
Another resource is the "Public Dialup Internet Access List (PDIAL), which 
can be retrieved by e-mail commands and gives extensive information about 
public access to the Internet. (Kaminski, electronic sources)

Many specialists in this field have been using Sovset' for e-mail 
services. Sovset' is operated by the Center for Stategic & International 
Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, and can be reached at (202) 775-3257 
(Sovset' also has a "data library" related to Russian and East European 
area studies). And of course there are seemingly endless other choices for 
e-mail services, such as America Online and Compuserve, among others. 

Some Technical Background

There are two distinct types of electronic mail interfaces, and the type 
which a given computer network offers will affect that network's ability 
to provide a broader array of Internet services once real-time 
connectivity is achieved. Mail systems based on UUCP, or "UNIX to UNIX 
copy", work off-line. In other words, the end user prepares his or her 
mail in a special editor and then a special program dials the nearest 
network host, sends and receives batches of mail automatically, and then 
hangs up, allowing the user to read and process mail offline at leisure. 
This kind of setup is very convenient and efficiently minimizes time 
on-line, which is important where telephone line quality is poor or calls 
expensive. This type of e-mail interface is the most common one found in 
active use in Russia and most of the former Soviet Union today.

Unfortunately, access to real-time Internet services cannot be adapted to 
this kind of interface, in particular the ability to telnet to remote 
computers. The second type of electronic mail interfaces are those mail 
systems that are interactive or on-line. The user actually works while 
connected on-line to the host computer itself to send and receive mail, 
although it is, of course, possible to upload previously-prepared texts 
and download incoming mail to a local PC. Access to other Internet 
services can be readily adapted to this kind of setup. Once the network 
host has a real-time Internet link, it is relatively simple to provide 
direct Internet access for users working on-line with the host machine.

Connectivity

In the last two years there has been considerable progress in the network 
connectivity of the countries of Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, and 
the former Soviet Union. Figure one shows the level of connectivity in 
each of those countries. Note that certain elements of this table are 
deceiving. 
Figure One
Connectivity Table for Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union 

----- AL Albania (Republic of)
--u-- AM Armenia
--U-- AZ Azerbaijan
--UF- BY Belarus
----- BA Bosnia-Hercegovina
bIUF- BG Bulgaria (Republic of)
-IuFo HR Croatia
BIUF- CZ Czech Republic
-IUF- EE Estonia (Republic of)
--UF- GE Georgia (Republic of)
BIUFo HU Hungary (Republic of)
--Uf- KZ Kazakhstan
--U-- KG Kyrgyzstan
-IUF- LV Latvia (Republic of)
--UFo LT Lithuania
----- ?? Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of) --UF- MD Moldova 
(Republic of)
BIUF- PL Poland (Republic of)
BI-f- RO Romania
BiUF- RU Russian Federation
bIUF- SK Slovakia
-IUFO SI Slovenia
--uf- TJ Tajikistan
--U-- TM Turkmenistan
-iUF- UA Ukraine
--UF- UZ Uzbekistan
---f- YU Yugoslavia (Socialist Federal Republic of) 


BITNET
Col. 2 (Entities with international BITNET links.) b: minimal, one to five 
domestic BITNET sites, 19 entities B: widespread, more than five domestic 
BITNET sites, 32 entities 

IP INTERNET
Col. 3 (Entities with international IP Internet links.) I: = operational, 
accesible from entire IP Internet, 57 entities i: = operational, not 
accesible via the NSFNET backbone, 2 entities

UUCP
Col. 4 (Entities with domestic UUCP sites which are connected to the 
Global Multiprotocol Open Internet.) u: minimal, one to five domestic UUCP 
sites, 53 entities U: widespread, more than five domestic UUCP sites, 64 
entities 

FIDONET
Col. 5 (Entities with domestic FIDONET sites which are connected to the 
Global Multiprotocol Open Internet) f: minimal, one to five domestic 
FIDONET sites, 25 entities F: widespread, more than five domestic FIDONET 
sites, 59 entities 

OSI
Col. 6 (Entities with international X.400 links to domestic sites which 
are connected to the Global Multiprotocol Open Internet).
o: minimal, one to five domestic X.400 sites, 8 entities O: widespread, 
more than five domestic X.400 sites, 23 entities 

NOTE: ISO 3166 country codes are included in the Table for each entity. 
Note that these do not always agree with the top level DNS code(s) used 
for a particular country. [In particular, for countries of the former 
Soviet Union--see discussion in paper.] 

Copyright 1993 Lawrence H. Landweber and the Internet Society. (Unlimited 
permission to copy or use is hereby granted subject to inclusion of this 
copyright notice.)

from: INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY (Version 9-August 1, 1993) 

Connectivity "borders," like national ones (or at least like national 
borders in the ex-USSR), can be fuzzy. For example, the table indicates 
that networks with real Internet connectivity exist in Russia. Some of 
these networks (based in Russia) are accessible by dial-up to local packet 
switches in other countries, so effectively one can have Internet access 
there too. For example, one can dial into Sprint's X.25 packet switch in 
Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, login to GlasNet (based in Moscow) and telnet to the 
Library of Congress. Effectively, one thus can have real Internet access 
in Kazakhstan, but this is not reflected in the map.

While each country has an assigned ISO code, not all of them are actually 
being used in practice. In extensive travels and electronic correspondence 
in the FSU, the authors have never seen an e-mail address which contained 
one of the domains "AM" (Armenia), "AZ" (Azerbaijan), "KK" (Kazakhstan), 
"KZ" (Kyrgizstan), "MD" (Moldova), "TJ" (Tajikistan), "TM" (Turkmenistan), 
"UZ" (Uzbekistan) or even "RU" (Russia). E-mail addresses on hosts in all 
of these countries still fall under the domain "SU" (Soviet Union).

Network hosts in Ukraine and Belarus' have begun using their assigned 
domains (UA and BY, respectively), but routers on most other Internet 
computers tend not to recognize them and messages bounce back to sender 
"host unknown." Therefore if one wants to send to an address 
"user@host.ua", one must instead send via a relay, rewriting the address 
thus:
"user%host.ua@relay.ussr.eu.net" or "user%host.ua@kiae.su" or 
"user%host.ua@hq.demos.su". The country codes for the Baltic states ("EE," 
Estonia; "LV," Latvia; "LT," Lithuania) are somewhat more established, 
although occasionally some people still find their messages to these 
domains rejected. A simple solution to this problem is to route messages 
through SUNet in Sweden thus: "user@host.lv" rewritten as 
"user%host.lv@sunic.sunet.se". Mail to the Baltic domains routed via the 
USSR relay will probably reach its destination. 

Connectivity Country-by-Country

Computer networks in Eurasia began to develop in the Soviet era and 
therefore any description of connectivity developments most logically 
begins at the center, in what is now Russia. With the exception of the 
Baltic states and, increasingly, Ukraine, computer network infrastructure 
in the former Soviet States is still highly centralized, and most 
international connections still run through Moscow.

* Institute for Automated Systems

Before actual e-mail service providers appeared on the scene, the 
Institute for Automated Systems (IAS, or in Russian "VNIIPAS," located in 
Moscow) created an X.25 packet switch data network. X.25 networks are 
spider-webs of interconnected telephone lines, modems, and computers 
across the world which serve as a kind of general-use information highway, 
connecting a diverse collection of end users, networks, and databases. If 
one has access to an X.25 network (meaning that one is a registered, 
paying user of a commercial X.25 provider), then one can access any other 
network or resource that is connected via X.25 elsewhere in the world. For 
example, since Bill Fick is a registered user on the IAS X.25 network, he 
can dial into the IAS X.25 PAD in Baku and use it to login to his account 
on Sovam teleport in California or his GlasNet account in Moscow, both of 
which have X.25 connections and identification numbers.

Originally, the main mission of the IAS network was to connect various 
institutions across the then-Soviet Union to online databases and the like 
at several research institutes in or near Moscow. In principle, IAS 
continues to provide access to these resources today, for example, 
databases in the Russian State Library (the former Lenin Library), the 
Library of the Institute for Information in the Social Sciences (in 
Russian, "INION"), etc. (Klotzbucher) However, in reality the authors have 
never heard of Western scholars actually using these databases remotely, 
and it is unclear if the databases themselves contain any useful 
information. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many of the dedicated 
channels (usually leased telephone lines) between IAS and the institutions 
housing these databases now sit idle. 

IAS also operates its own e-mail system accessible through the X.25 
network, but its user base is small. For the most part, IASnet is simply a 
set of electronic "roads" which can be used to access remote networks and 
online resources. Several other X.25 packet switch networks now exist in 
the ex-USSR as well, the largest being that created by Sprint and the 
Russian Ministry of Communications. Like IASnet, Sprint also has its own 
e-mail system, although the steep hard currency prices put it out of reach 
for most indigenous users. (For a list of IASnet and Sprint X.25 dialup 
numbers, see appendices one and two.) 

* Relcom/Demos

These two networks began in 1990 out of the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic 
Energy and together today make up the largest and fastest growing e-mail 
provider in the former Soviet Union, connecting tens of thousands of 
end-users in cities across Eurasia. Formerly one single network, a schism 
of sorts developed in 1992, although as a practical matter the two 
networks provide very similar and largely seamless service. 

Relcom or Demos nodes can be found in nearly every city of consequence in 
Eurasia, and both networks now have their own leased-line connection to 
the Internet in the West. A local network node is usually rather simple: a 
386 or 486 IBM compatible computer running UNIX with significant disk 
space, several in-dial modems, and a high speed modem on a good quality 
phone line to Moscow. Each local network node is a quasi- independent 
entity which offers UUCP offline e-mail services to users and connects 
periodically with Relcom or Demos headquarters in Moscow for further batch 
routing of mail to other Relcom or Demos nodes or to the Internet in the 
West. In some cities, competing nodes have driven prices down and service 
up. Some nodes have even secured leased line connections with Relcom or 
Demos hosts in Moscow, which allows those nodes to provide real TCP/IP 
Internet services to end-users by both dial-up and leased lines, albeit 
with rather limited bandwidth and data speeds. These developments are 
rather recent and Relcom and Demos have yet to market new online Internet 
services, but these developments suggest that these two networks aspire to 
create a true TCP/IP backbone in the ex-USSR.

* SUEARN

"SUEARN" stands for "Soviet Union EARN" (EARN is the European equivalent 
to Bitnet), and is an attempt to develop a Bitnet-type academic research 
network in the FSU from a base in the Institute for Organic Chemistry. For 
various political and technical reasons, the network has not expanded as 
rapidly as hoped, although it provides TCP/IP connections among a number 
of institutes in Moscow and dialup UUCP mail services similar to Relcom's.

* GlasNet

GlasNet is a two-year old network designed primarily to provide low-cost 
e-mail services to individuals and the emerging non- profit community in 
the ex-USSR. It is a member of the global "Association for Progressive 
Communications" and is a sister network of PeaceNet and EcoNet, based at 
the Institute for Global Communications in San Francisco.

In comparison to Relcom, GlasNet resembles a small BBS, serving only about 
1000 users. While it is accessible by X.25 packet switch dialup in a 
number of cities, it really isn't a "network" per se as it is comprised of 
just one host system in Moscow. However, it serves an important function 
by providing a low-cost dial-up alternative for those who cannot access or 
afford other network service providers.

In late summer of 1993, GlasNet obtained live access to the Internet 
through a satellite channel for use by all Russian networks donated by the 
Soros International Science Foundation. As it uses an online interactive 
interface, users can now use telnet and enjoy access to other internet 
functions as well. 

* Sovam Teleport

A Russian-American-British joint venture formerly known as San 
Francisco-Moscow Teleport (SFMT), Sovam was the first officially 
sanctioned e-mail provider in the then-Soviet Union, and for several 
years, the only publicly available network. It was also fairly pricey, and 
catered primarily to a Moscow clientele. 

Sovam is based on two host computers, one in Moscow and one in San 
Francisco, which are linked via satellite and accessible via X.25 packet 
switch dialups. Sovam uses an online interface similar to GlasNet's and 
provides basic e-mail services and access to other Internet tools.

The above list is far from comprehensive, of course. Myriad Western 
networks are now accessible via X.25 dialup, and countless "fidonets" 
(which are somewhat primitive "bulletin boards") provide gateways to the 
larger networked world exist on the basis of small BBS systems in cities 
across Eurasia. 

All of the networks listed above work on a fee-for-service basis, and 
while relative prices vary, ANY cost can be prohibitive for cash-strapped 
educational institutions. Commodities traders, bankers, and other 
commercial constituencies can usually afford the services of existing 
e-mail providers, and these groups make up the bulk of the tens of 
thousands of existing network users in the former Soviet Union. To verify 
this, one need only look at the topics discussed by the many "Relcom 
newsgroups" (discussed below). "Relcom.commerce.stocks" and 
"relcom.postf.business" are typical.

In the US, the federal government subsidized Bitnet and NSFnet to defray 
start-up infrastructure costs, and commercial network services provide a 
relatively new and inexpensive alternative. The Russian government has 
addressed cost problems by funding an initiative called RELARN (Russian 
Electronic Academic Research Network), an association of scholarly and 
other non-profit network users which subsidizes electronic mail access for 
academic institutions and civic groups using funds from the Russian 
Federation Budget. In principle, this subsidy may be applied to an e-mail 
account on any network that charges fees in rubles, but RELARN has not yet 
received much of the money promised to it by the Ministry of the Science 
and is thus working in debt to the service providers, chiefly Relcom. 
Still, RELARN is making possible substantially wider network use in 
academia, and eventually it may provide an organizational basis for a real 
non-commercial network backbone in Russia. 

RELARN has been a chief organizing agent for the Soros International 
Science Foundation network initiatives in Russia. ISF is sponsoring the 
construction of a 40 kilometer fiber-optic backbone devised by RELARN 
which will connect major institutes and network service providers in 
Moscow, and has pledged to support a satellite channel to the Internet 
accessible to all Moscow networks for a period of two years. While this 
channel has been a godsend to GlasNet, which was choking on international 
data transmission costs, Relcom and Demos have reacted skeptically, since 
they view Sprint, which is housing the ISF link, as a potential competitor 
and they see little utility in using a free link which may disappear in 
two years when they have links of their own already.

In addition to these activities, the Russian Federation State Committee on 
Higher Education has established scores of Centers of New Information 
Technology (CNIT) in educational institutions across Russia. The concrete 
activities of each center vary widely from projects in library automation, 
multimedia and video, to concentrated networking projects. CNIT in 
Novosibirsk, for example, has established a leased line TCP/IP (or 
Internet) connection via a local Relcom node and is slowly but surely 
wiring the University in a WAN (wide-area network) which aspires 
eventually to provide wide access to a full range of Internet services.

* Unique circumstances of Baltics

The Baltic states enjoy the most advanced network infrastructure among FSU 
states. With financial and organization assistance from Scandinavian 
governments, research communities in each country have created the 
backbone of a real Baltic academic network which links major academic 
institutions in each country with each other, and in turn, the Internet. 
The small size and intensity of network assistance to the Baltics have 
created inefficiencies and competing constituencies in each country and 
has particularly retarded network development in Lithuania. (See appendix 
four.)

* Ukraine

Ukrainian networking is somewhat behind Russian among educational 
institutions due to lack of equipment, funds, and expertise, although the 
overall landscape is similar--there are local Relcom hosts, some with 
TCP/IP connections via Moscow, a local GlasNet host, X.25 access to Sovam 
teleport and other networks, etc. Several nodes have plans in the works to 
get international connectivity via leased lines to Lv'iv and Warsaw to end 
dependence on Relcom/Moscow, and ISF also has a tentative plan to support 
development of a TCP/IP backbone in Ukraine. 

Special connectivity issues for scholars in humanities and social sciences

The growth of network infrastructure by itself, of course, means little 
for the scholarly community if nobody uses it. Great strides have been 
made toward expanding physical access to networked computers and 
mitigating costs for scholars in Eurasia, but in practice many obstacles 
remain to truly vibrant and free electronic interaction, particularly 
among those in humanities and social science disciplines.

Researchers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and technical 
disciplines have taken to network technology rapidly, since the general 
level of computer literacy and access is high. These disciplines dominated 
the first wave of network use in the West, and network development in the 
former USSR is following a similar pattern. Computers are only beginning 
to infiltrate the humanities.

Other barriers to network use are more subtle. Electronic mail has existed 
in some higher educational institutions in Moscow and St. Petersburg for 
several years already, but administrators are often loathe to permit 
widespread access to such powerful communication media particularly among 
junior scholars. The notion that a young researcher can carry on a 
dialogue with foreign colleagues without the knowledge or intercession of 
his or her superiors still generates a reflexive negative reaction among 
those long accustomed to exclusive control over such contacts.

Even easy, uninhibited access to e-mail does not ensure immediate growth 
of vibrant communication. For nearly one year, IREX has been administering 
a "Modems for Democracy" project which provides computer modems, e-mail 
accounts, and training for non- commercial civic organizations. This 
project has proven much more labor intensive than anticipated because 
recipient groups often find that they don't immediately have others with 
whom they want to communicate, and seem reticent to experiment or find 
creative uses for the network. They gain access to a powerful 
communications medium which they are not adequately prepared to exploit.

Experience shows that once a modem is in the field, lively correspondence 
often requires active intervention to develop. This means special, 
individualized attention from a person who can play the role of 
intermediary to find correspondents and facilitate the growth of collegial 
interaction on the net. 

IREX's initial work in scholarly communities has yielded similar results. 
Even when the idea of rapid and cheap international communication is 
exciting for a scholar in principle, after he or she learns to use the 
network and secures a point of access the real challenges arise: what to 
read? With whom to communicate? The Internet is difficult to navigate. 
There are no comprehensive, annotated lists of scholars online and their 
addresses, to say nothing of indices to online information resources. Much 
of the information on the net is of very marginal quality, of little use 
for serious scholars. Yet there are few reliable mechanisms to separate 
the good from the bad. Allan Urbanic's paper describes some Internet 
search tools which have made it infinitely easier to find materials on the 
network. Still, it is mostly hit or miss, and given the sheer number of 
information resources online, a random search for information is bound to 
be quixotic, not to mention discouraging for a novice user in the FSU.

Related to these problems is one of language. English has become the de 
facto lingua franca of the Internet, and thus the Internet is a much more 
friendly and useful work environment for scholars who can at least read 
it. There are, of course, myriad network resources of value to non-English 
readers, and individual e-mail correspondence theoretically can be 
exchanged in any language. In communication with scholars from Eurasia, 
however, problems arise when one wants to send correspondence using the 
Cyrillic character set. Most networks on the Internet transfer characters 
using a 7-data bit standard, while transmission of Cyrillic requires an 
8th bit. Networks in the FSU use 8-bit transmission, so Cyrillic messages 
may be exchanged freely between them. Overseas Cyrillic correspondence, 
however, requires either transliteration or some other type of encoding as 
an intermediate step. The procedure is relatively simple, but it requires 
careful explanation and creates yet another source of inertia inhibiting 
the development of vibrant communication, particularly among new network 
users. (For a brief technical explanation of the problem and various 
encoding techniques to solve it, see appendix six.)

* Solutions

All of these problems point to the need for extensive user training and 
support, functions which network service providers would ideally serve, 
since creating masses of new and active users is in their economic 
self-interest. However, in the FSU nearly all of the network organizations 
neglect training and support activities. Academic institutions themselves 
have been similarly passive in expanding network use in the humanities, 
with the exception of the CNIT groups in a few cities such as Novosibirsk. 
The task of network "evangelism" and training in humanities and social 
science constituencies has thus been left to private, outside initiatives.

An independent Russian organization, the international "Vega" laboratory, 
has been working since 1985 to address problems of access and training 
within Academy of Science institutes and university faculties in Moscow. 
Supported by IREX and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Vega has 
established "public access" e-mail centers in several humanities and 
social science institutes. Scholars can send and receive messages free of 
charge from these facilities with the help of Vega's user support and 
technical staff. In tandem with public access initiatives, Vega works 
individually with scholars to help them to gain direct access within their 
home institutions, departments, and offices. Vega's activity began as a 
joint psychological research project on the process of communication 
between Michael Cole of the University of California at San Diego and 
Aleksandra Vladimirovna Belyaeva of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The 
psychological research agenda remains, which can sometimes create 
problematic issues of privacy for users of the public access stations. 
Nonetheless, Vega was the first and is still one of the most active 
network training organizations in existence. The State Historical Public 
Library received its e-mail account as part of this program.

Drawing on Vega's experience and its own unique combination of contacts, 
alumni, and resources, IREX has created an experimental program of 
"Fellowships in Communications Assistance" to promote computer 
communications among scholars and civic groups across the Eurasian land 
mass. With support from the Carnegie Corporation and the Eurasia 
Foundation, IREX is presently placing four American network training 
volunteers, one each in Novosibirsk, Kazan', the Far East, and Kiev. Each 
fellow will be responsible for creating one or more public access sites, 
and more generally will train local trainers and assist scholars to use 
resources on the Internet and establish contact with colleagues both 
within the former Soviet Union and from the West. At the time of writing 
this paper, two fellows have already been placed: Bryce Rich in 
Novosibirsk (bryce@locutus.cnit.nsk.su), and John Velat in Kazan' 
(jlvelat@glas.apc.or). 

IREX's Moscow and Washington, D.C. offices will track, coordinate, and 
support fellows in the field, responding to queries and developing common 
resource guides and annotated e- mail address lists to meet typical 
information needs. 

IREX and Vega also have jointly developed "IREXnet", a group of over 220 
American alumni of IREX grants, scholars who use e-mail already and have 
volunteered to serve as human "routers" or "postmaster" to help their FSU 
colleagues to find correspondents and information resources on the net. 
Over time, IREX will also develop disciplinary discussion groups 
(something like a LISTSERV or e-mail reflector address) for FSU scholars 
and their colleagues in other countries as an attempt to bring FSU 
scholars into "virtual communities" on the net. For more information, or 
to volunteer as a postmaster, write to Bob Henry or Tony Byrne at 
irexnet@gwuvm.gwu.edu.

* Indigenous "Online" or E-mail Accessible Resources 

To date, there is a dearth of indigenous FSU scholarly data and 
information resources online and accessible via the Internet or e-mail 
commands. Relcom maintains an extensive array of commercial newsgroups, 
which can be fascinating and useful for economists or others studying 
contemporary Russian business phenomena. For broader scholarly interest, 
however, really only one catch-all newsgroup called relcom.relarn.general 
holds much promise.

In the West it is possible to read Relcom newsgroups by telnetting to 
"ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu", selecting the menu item for "NEWS & FTP", and 
moving through the menu structure to the desired newsgroup, and from 
there, to specific messages. Relcom newsgroups are also archived in an ftp 
site maintained by Jan Labanowski. The address is "kekule.osc.edu" and the 
messages are archived in the /pub/russian/relcom/news sub-directory. 
Messages in both cases are in Koi-8 (the technical aspects of converting 
Koi-8 to a readable format, either in transliterated Cyrillic or in 
Cyrillic, are discussed in appendix six). The "kekule" ftp site has 
execute files (programs) that will assist in reading Relcom newsgroups as 
well as information (text files) about how to use the execute files. The 
file "relcom.help" is located in the directory "/pub/russian/relcom/doc" 
and explains how to receive relcom news from specific newsgroups via 
e-mail. The archive owner can be contacted at: jkl@kekule.osc.edu. 
(Labanowski, electronic sources)

Local online library catalogs, databases, gophers, etc. will doubtless 
develop quickly with the infrastructure, particularly in the Baltics. 
Tracking these developments and compiling annotated lists as they appear 
will help all online Slavic scholars tremendously.

E-mail Accessible Resources in the West

There are several tools available that allow users with only e- mail 
capabilities to access many kinds of resources that are generally only 
accessible via the Internet (as we have seen, this is generally the case 
in most of the former Soviet Union). Among these are the ability to 
emulate a WAIS (Wide Area Information Server) or Archie session. Trickle 
and BITFTP allow e-mail to emulate FTP, while other techniques make it 
possible to emulate other "real time" tools. The methods for using these 
tools via e-mail are described in detail the _Guide to Network Resource 
Tools_. (The EARN Association, electronic sources) 

"Gopher" servers provide access to a wide variety of resources (as 
described in Allan Urbanic's paper) and are of course accessible via 
telnet and not via e-mail. One feature that they have, however, is that 
they will generally allow text files that they contain to be e-mailed to 
the user (or to any other valid Internet address). Some of these files can 
be quite large, and it should be noted that care should be taken in 
mailing large files to addresses in the former Soviet Union, since there 
may be either various reasons why an e-mail user there may wish to avoid 
receiving such files. Most significantly, there may be charges to a user 
in the FSU per kilobyte received. 

One example of a gopher is the Library of Congress MARVEL (Machine 
Assisted Realization of the Virtual Electronic Library) which contains 
(among many other things) the _International Directory of Librarians and 
Library Specialist in the Slavic and East European Field_ (4th ed.) 
(Kraus, electronic sources) This file is quite large, yet can be sent by 
the gopher via e-mail. Once received, it can be downloaded and printed 
locally. This should facilitate issuing updates to the directory and 
obviously removes the cost of printing it from the host institution. 

E-mail and LISTSERV (and Similar Technologies) 

LISTSERV is a program that systematically distributes e-mail messages to 
"subscribers." The details of how to operate LISTSERV are beyond the scope 
of this paper and are widely available. Generally LISTSERV is thought of 
as nothing more than a distribution system for e-mail messages, which 
facilitates both "discussion groups" and the distribution of "electronic 
journals." (Electronic journals are the subject of another paper to be 
presented by George Klim and will not be treated here.) LISTSERV does have 
additional capabilities beyond distributing e- mail. Most LISTSERVs 
archive the messages that are sent, and these archives can be searched and 
past messages retrieved. Files other than archived messages can also be 
stored in the LISTSERV and retrieved by e-mail commands. Another 
capability, although seldom used, is for "automatic file distribution," or 
AFD. This allows a LISTSERV participant to select certain files that they 
will receive updates of when new versions are posted to the LISTSERV. All 
these functions are manipulated by commands sent in e-mail messages. The 
_Guide to Network Resource Tools_ provides an in-depth look at the command 
structure and workings of LISTSERV. (The EARN Association, electronic 
sources) 

The E-EUROPE list is an example of an LISTSERV that implements all of 
these features. It is not a "pure" discussion list, rather participants 
can send messages to the LISTSERV address and the list "owner," James 
Reese, periodically posts groups of messages that are then sent to the 
E-EUROPE subscribers. The list has all its messages archived, and they can be searched and 
retrieved. There are also about a dozen files that are archived which are 
periodically updated and can be retrieved. Finally, the list owner 
distributes some files on AFD concerning specific countries (thus one 
participant can regularly receive files on Russia while another receives 
files on Hungary, as they choose). It is also possible to receive the 
regular updates to the index of files maintained on the LISTSERV on AFD. 
(Reese, electronic sources)

A new LISTSERV that has been established that also may be of interest is 
the "IPRUSSIA" list, which is a "place for people to share their ideas, 
experiences, questions, answers, plans, and progress relative to 
implementing the Internet in Russia." (Graham, electronic sources)

A less sophisticated alternative (from a technical standpoint) are "lists" 
that can be maintained in association with an individual e-mail account 
(sometimes referred to as an "e-mail reflector"). One example of such a 
list is "Balt-Info," which distributes e-mail messages to participants, 
who are united by an interest in Baltic studies. This list is interesting 
for several reasons. The funding for establishing Balt-Info was provided 
by an IREX grant, with much of the funding going towards providing 
training for the Baltic participants. Another distinguishing 
characteristic of Balt-Info is that so many of the active participants 
are, in fact, in the former Soviet Union. 

While in theory e-mail should be greatly increasing communications between 
the FSU and the West, in fact this is not seen in LISTSERVs or on many 
lists. The Slavic Librarians E-mail Forum LISTSERV, for example, still has 
only a modest number of members from the FSU and their participation is 
minimal. It is difficult to pinpoint the reason (or reasons), which is 
probably a combination of the language barrier and that many issues that 
are of concern to the Western participants are not of interest to the FSU 
participants. Cost of using e-mail may also be a factor. However libraries 
have mentioned some interest in using e-mail to save money on postage. The 
State Public Scientific Technical Library (in Russian, "GPNTB") in 
Novosibirsk reports it wants to begin sending exchange list offers to 
American libraries via e- mail, for example. (In Mike Neubert's recent 
travels through the Urals and Siberia, he found that a number of oblast 
and university libraries had e-mail, but upon return his experience has 
been that only about one in three are responding to messages- -thus it is 
not clear if some of these newly-connected institutions are even reading 
their mail.) 

* LISTSERV Directories

There are enough different LISTSERV-distributed discussion groups and 
electronic journals that it is necessary to have directories to find those 
that might be of interest. These directories are generally of two types. 
The first contains the directories that attempt to comprehensively 
describe all existing lists. The best such directory of electronic 
journals is the _Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters, and 
Scholarly Discussion Lists_, which can be retrieved (appropriately) by e- 
mail. (Strangelove, electronic sources) The best directory of academic 
LISTSERV discussion groups is the _Directory of Scholarly Electronic 
Conferences_ (Kovacs, electronic sources), which is so large that it is 
divided into seven parts, with each part covering a number of disciplines 
(i.e., part 2 covers geography and library and information science). It 
also has a system of more narrow subject access.

In addition, it is possible to access the Kovacs list by gopher, such as 
the LC MARVEL, and search it for lists associated with various subject 
terms or keywords. For example a search for the term "russia" returned six 
lists (the search also looked for matches in the annotations). It should 
be noted that the entries are not always up to date--the entry for the 
"RUSSIA" list shows an incorrect address for both the LISTSERV and the 
list owner.

There are several published "list of lists," one being the _Directory of 
Electronic Journals, Newsletters and Academic Discussion Lists_ (3rd ed.), 
which is based on the online Kovacs and Strangelove lists, another is 
Internet: Mailing Lists, which has been independently produced. 
(Association of Research Libraries, and Hardie) Hardie's list is 
well-indexed and contains extensive annotations, but the quickly changing 
nature of the "list" environment would seem to indicate that electronic 
versions are more likely to be up to date. 

The second type of list is created with a particular group in mind. 
Typical of such lists is the article "Internet for Russian and East 
European Studies," which includes an annotated guide to lists that might 
most directly concern an area studies specialist. (Markiw) Another recent 
article, "From Russia, with Love: Unique Sources of Electronic Information 
on the Commonwealth of Independent States" also includes an annotated list 
of lists, but with more of a business focus. (Schoenbrun) Lists of this 
type are also available electronically, the best example being the _Mother 
of All Eastern European Lists: Eastern-European List of Electronic 
(Computer-Accessible) Resources_, which takes a broader view of the 
possible interests of an area studies scholar with dozens of lists 
included. (Pasek, electronic sources) Of a similar type to _Mother of All_ 
is a directory of language-oriented lists, _The List of Language Lists_, 
available via anonymous FTP. (Everson, electronic sources)

Finding User Addresses on the Internet

One of the most pressing problems for the new user of e-mail can be 
finding addresses of persons with whom he or she wishes to communicate. 
There are several types of servers that can be accessed either via telnet 
or via e-mail commands to find addresses. The Guide to Network Resource 
Tools (The EARN Association, electronic sources) and The Whole Internet 
User's Guide & Catalog (Krol) as well as other Internet "user manuals" 
describe how to use these somewhat complex tools (such as Whois, Netfind, 
and X.500). It is possible to use many of these tools via a gopher, such 
as the LC MARVEL (under the menu choice "Internet Guides and Informations 
Services/Intnernet Mail Directories and Searching Tools"). Note that 
authorities on e- mail still suggest that in most cases, though, the 
"easiest and best way of acquiring these addresses is via information sent 
directly to you, be it a business card, a phone call, a postal letter, an 
e-mail message, or a news group posting." (Krol) 

In the United States more published directories that are being published 
include e-mail addresses. The next edition of the American Association for 
the Advancement of Slavic Studies membership directory will presumably 
contain far more e-mail addresses than the previous one, in which less 
than 10% of the members had addresses listed. The _International Directory 
of Librarians and Library Specialist in the Slavic and East European 
Field_ (4th ed.) that is available from the LC MARVEL gopher (described 
above) is another example of a directory that now includes far more e-mail 
addresses. So far, however, many standard reference sources with the 
widest scope have resisted adding even the "postmaster" address for 
institutions (i.e., an address for the e-mail administrator at an 
institution). One conspicuous example is _The World of Learning_, which is 
a main source used by reference librarians and others to locate phone 
numbers and addresses for universities, libraries, archives, and similar 
institutions worldwide. The 1993 edition once again failed to include any 
e-mail information (note that it also fails to include fax numbers).

While electronic tools are useful for finding addresses in the United 
States and to some extent in Western Europe, they are not effective in the 
former Soviet Union. And the advice regarding phone calls, etc, can be 
rather slow and/or expensive for that part of the world. Therefore it 
makes more sense to explore other possibilities.

There are several e-mail address directories available in electronic form 
for Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Generally these supply the 
address of the postmaster or a similar figure at the named institution. It 
is necessary to send that person a message inquiring as to the address of 
a particular individual. There are a number of such directories available 
in electronic format. Two such lists are on the "gopher-like" server that 
is maintained by Wayne Chinander at "ukanaix.cc.ukans.edu". This server 
will mail documents viewed to any valid Internet address. It is wise to 
access the online help before attempting this, since this server operates 
differently than a typical gopher server (Chinander, electronic sources).

Other e-mail directories are maintained as files on the LISTSERV 
"E-Europe" which is maintained by James Reese. (see Reese, electronic 
sources) It is necessary to be a subscriber to the LISTSERV first. The 
addresses tend, however, not to be of institutions in the humanities and 
the social sciences but of ones in the hard sciences--or business 
concerns. 

Another source is a printed directory. According to a message distributed 
on a number of LISTSERVs, the CDC Clearinghouse has published a directory 
_CDC E-mail Listing_ that contains over 7,000 e-mail addresses for the 
former Soviet Union. It is available only in print form. (CDC 
Clearinghouse.) Unfortunately it appears that much of the information in 
this directory is dated.

Another technique to employ in difficult cases is to send an inquiry to a 
LISTSERV asking if anyone has information about the needed address. By 
choosing carefully which LISTSERV to send such a message to, it can be 
almost guaranteed that someone will know the address and reply with the 
needed information--if not of the individual, then the address of someone 
at the institution. With the address of someone at the institution it is 
possible to send a message to "postmaster@the.correct.domain" asking about 
the e-mail address of the relevant person. In fact, it is much more likely 
that too many replies will be received--therefore, as soon as an answer 
arrives it is wise to send another message to the LISTSERV so that one's 
inbox is not flooded. Also, it is generally accepted courtesy to respond 
with a thank you--Mike Neubert sent a request for advice on an address in 
Slovakia to an appropriate LISTSERV that generated fourteen responses 
before the next time he checked his e-mail. Networkers are a helpful 
group, it seems.

Conclusion

This paper has attempted to describe many different aspects of e- mail 
usage by area studies scholars interested in the former Soviet Union. At 
present, there are numerous aspects of this subject that are more 
"technical" than perhaps some would care to become involved with, but over 
time this will change. Capabilities will improve, while at the same time 
the level of expertise required by the end-user should decrease, as better 
"tools" (programs) become available.

This constant evolution means that the content of this paper will reflect 
reality for only a very short time (if it even does now). Users with the 
greatest interest in the changes can subscribe to lists such as "IPRUSSIA" 
(discussed above) to stay abreast of some of these developments, but the 
most important technique is to simply continually make use of the many 
resources available on the Internet.


Sources (In Print)

_CDC E-mail Listing_. CDC Clearinghouse. (Not available for inspection.) 
Apparently published in 1993, and can be ordered for $27.50 from: 
Citizens' Democracy Corp, 2021 K Street NW, Suite 215, Washington, DC, 
20006.

_Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters and Academic Discussion 
Lists_ (3rd ed.). Association of Research Libraries. Washington, DC: 
Association of Research Libraries, 1993. 

Estrada, Susan. _Connecting to the Internet_. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & 
Associates, Inc. 1993.

Frey, Donnalyn and Rick Adams. _@#!%: A Directory of Electronic Mail 
Addressing and Networks_ (3rd ed). Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates, 
Inc, 1993.

Hardie, Edward T.L. and Vivian Neou. _Internet: Mailing Lists_. Englewood 
Cliffs, N.J.: PTR Prentice Hall, 1993. 

Krol, Ed. _The Whole Internet User's Guide & Catalog_. Sebastopol, CA: 
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc, 1992. 

Markiw, Michael. "Internet for Russian and East European Studies." 
_College & Research Library News_. September, 1993 (vol. 54, no. 8). pp. 
444-448.

Schoenbrun, Cynthia. "From Russia, with Love: Unique Sources of Electronic 
Information on the Commonwealth of Independent States." _Database_. 
August, 1993 (vol. 16, no. 4). pp. 17-23. 


Sources (Electronic)

Note that locations given for documents available via electronic means are 
not necessarily the only existing locations. 

_BALT-INFO_. A network linking librarians and researchers interested in 
the Baltic states both there and in the West. Contact Dawn Mann at 
"MANND@RFERL.ORG".

Chinander, Wayne. "Ex-USSR Server." Telnet to "UKANAIX.CC.UKANS.EDU" and 
login as "ex-ussr", then follow the menu-driven instructions. (This is a 
"gopher-like" server that includes the ability to transmit via e-mail text 
files maintained there. Files include some Relcom newsgroups (under the 
menu choice "NEWS & FTP), two different e-mail directories (under the menu 
choices E-MAIL and E-MAIL2), and the _Mother of All Eastern European 
Lists_ (which is described below, under "Pasek" and is located here under 
the menu choice "LISTS"). The "NEWS & FTP" menu choice also includes files 
stored on an ftp site at "CS " which are available for browsing covering a 
variety of topics associated with e-mail in the FSU.

Comrie, Bernard and Michael Everson. _Computer Bulletin Boards for 
Individual Languages, or, The List of Language Lists_. (version 1.3). 
October 12, 1993. Available via anonymous FTP from "IRLEARN.UCD.IE" in the 
directory "/everson." 

Crepin-Leblond, Olivier M.J. _Mail/Country Codes: Based on International 
Standard ISO 3166 Names_ (Release: 93.10.1) Available from 
"LISTSERV@CC1.KULEUVEN.AC.BE". Send the command "GET FAQ 
mail/country-codes".

The EARN Association. _Guide to Network Resource Tools_. Document number 
2.0, September 15, 1993. Available from "LISTSERV@EARNCC.CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU". 
Send the command "GET filename", where filename is either "nettools ps" 
(for the postscript version) or "nettools memo" (for the plain text 
version).

Gaffin, Adam and Joerg Heitkoetter. _Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet: A 
Round Trip through Global Networks, Life in Cyberspace, and Everything_. 
Available via anonymous FTP from "FTP.EFF.ORG" in the directory 
"/pub/EFF/papers" as file "big- dummys-guide.txt."

Graham, Mark. _IPRUSSIA List_. To subscribe to this list, send a message 
to "LISTSERV@SOVAM.COM" and in the body of the message (not the subject 
line) enter "SUBSCRIBE IPRUSSIA yourfirstname yourlastname".

Kaminski, Peter. _The Public Dialup Internet Access List (PDIAL)_ (version 
PDIAL013.TXT--as of July 23, 1993). To retrieve this file, send the 
message "SEND PDIAL" to "INFO-DELI- SERVER@NETCOM.COM". To be put in a 
list of persons who receive future editions as they are published, send 
the message "SUBSCRIBE PDIAL" to "INFO-DELI-SERVER@NETCOM.COM". 

Kovacs, Diane K. _Directory of Scholary Electronic Conferences_ (7th 
revision). Available from "LISTSERV@KENTVM.KENT.EDU." For information 
about retrieving this multi-part file, send the message "GET ACADLIST 
README" to that address. Also available for searching via gopher (telnet 
to "MARVEL.LOC.GOV" and login as "MARVEL", then select "Internet 
Resources/Internet Guides on Information Services" and select "Searchable 
List of Lists.") 

Kraus, David H. _International Directory of Librarians and Library 
Specialist in the Slavic and East European Field_ (4th ed.). Washington, 
D.C.: Library of Congress, 1993. Available via e-mail by telnetting to the 
gopher at "MARVEL.LOC.GOV" (login as "MARVEL") and following the menu 
choices (Research & Reference/Reading Rooms/European/Directories) to 
"Directory of Slavic Librarians."

Labanowski, Jan. Various E-Mail related files. Available via anonymous FTP 
from "KEKULE.OSC.EDU". The directory "/pub/russian/relcom" has software 
for reading Relcom newsgroups stored in the subdirectory "software", has 
some newsgroups archived in the subdirectory "news", and has various 
textfiles about reading Relcom newsgroups as well as the article by 
Presser (see below) in the subdirectory "doc".

Landweber, Lawrence. _International Connectivity_ (version 9, August 1, 
1993). Available via anonymous FTP from "FTP.CS.WISC.EDU" in the directory 
"connectivity_table". (Earlier versions of the table are also archived 
there as well as an explanation of the changes that occured between 
versions.) 

Pasek, Zbigniew. _Mother of All Eastern European Lists: Eastern-European 
List of Electronic (Computer-Accessible) Resources_. (version 4.0). 
Available via anonymous FTP from "UKANAIX.CC.UKANS.EDU" in the directory
"pub/history/Europe/general" as file "E-Europe.bib." Note that this file 
is also available on the file server maintained by Wayne Chinander (see 
above, under "Chinander"). 

Presser, Larry. _Relcom, An Appropriate Technology Network_. Available via 
anonymous FTP from "KEKULE.OCS.EDU" in the directory 
"/pub/russian/relcom/doc" as "relcom.history". 

Reese, James. Various E-Mail related files. To access these files, must be 
a LISTSERV subscriber. Send message "SUBSCRIBE E- EUROPE yourfirstname 
yourlastname" to "LISTSERV@PUCC.BITNET". Then send to the same address the 
message "GET E-EUROPE filename" where "FILE01" is a document describing 
E-Mail in the (former) Soviet Union. "FILE02" is a directory of E-Mail 
nodes in the former Soviet Union, alphabetized by company/organization and 
giving contact person and street/city. (part 1 of 2) "FILE03" is part 2 of 
this directory. "FILE04" is a directory of E-Mail nodes in Bulgaria, 
Czechoslavoakia, Hungray, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Yugoslavia alphabetized 
by company/organization and giving contact person and street/city. 
"FILE07" is a description of GlasNet services. For background information 
about these files and this LISTSERV send the command "GET E-EUROPE INDEX". 

Strangelove, Michael. _Directory of Electronic Journals, Newsletters, and 
Scholarly Discussion Lists_. Send the message "GET EJOURNL1 DIRECTRY GET 
EJOURNL2 DIRECTRY" to "LISTSERV@OTTAWA.BITNET" to receive the directory 
(which is in two parts).

Travica, Bob and Matthew Hogan. _Computer Networking in the xUSSR: 
Technology, Uses and Social Effects_. 1992. Available via anonymous FTP 
from "CS.UMD.EDU" in the directory "/pub/cyrillic" under the file name 
"NetworksInUSSR". Also available from the Wayne Chinander server (see 
above). 

Yanoff, Scott and John Chew. _Inter-Network Mail Guide_. Available via 
anonymous ftp from "csd4.csd.uwm.edu" in the directory "/pub" as the file 
"internetwork-mail-guide."