FidoNet fell from over 10,000 nodes in 2004 to just about 1,200 in 2025. The Internet was a big reason, but leadership struggles also pushed the network down. Ward Dossche, long-time coordinator, played a central part.

Year | Nodes | Bar -----+---------+-------------------------------------------------------------- 2004 | 10654 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (10654)
2005 | 9475 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (9475)
2006 | 8346 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (8346) 2007 | 7369 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (7369) 2008 | 6710 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (6710) 2009 | 6065 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (6065) 2010 | 5117 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (5117) 2011 | 4394 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (4394) 2012 | 3676 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (3676) 2013 | 3371 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (3371) 2014 | 2830 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (2830) 2015 | 2526 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (2526) 2016 | 2462 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (2462) 2017 | 2000 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (2000) 2018 | 1621 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (1621) 2019 | 1563 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (1563) 2020 | 1468 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (1468) 2021 | 1452 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (1452) 2022 | 1486 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (1486) 2023 | 1359 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ (1359) 2024 | 1249 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛ (1249) 2025 | 1209 | ÛÛÛÛÛÛ (1209) -----+---------+--------------------------------------------------------------

Timeline of Decline

2004-2006: Still thousands of nodes, but Ward's grip on Zone 2 meant power was concentrated. Critics say this discouraged fresh ideas.
2007-2010: Sharp drop toward 5,000 nodes. Instead of reform, politics dominated - many sysops walked away.
2011-2014: Numbers fell below 3,000. Zone fights and Ward's refusal to share control created more division.
2015-2020: Under 2,000 nodes. Internet-only tools existed, but slow adoption left FidoNet looking outdated.
2021-2025: About 1,200 nodes remain. By now Ward was less active, but his earlier hardline rule left lasting fractures.

In Short

FidoNet was shrinking anyway, but Ward's leadership made it worse. His focus on control over change kept the network from adapting, turning a slow decline into a steep collapse.

--- GoldED+/W64-MSVC 1.1.5-b20250409
* Origin: (1:129/14.1)

On Sat, 20 Sep 2025 00:27:11 -0400
"Alex Galiyev" (1:129/14.1) <Alex.Galiyev@p1.f14.n129.z1.fidonet> wrote:

FidoNet was shrinking anyway, but Ward's leadership made it worse.
His focus on control over change kept the network from adapting,
turning a slow decline into a steep collapse.

Much of it cannot be blamed on Ward. fidonet is decline. ftp is in
decline, gopher is in decline, http is incline.

What has caused this decline? advanced web technology, social media
sites, advance in cell phone technology.

Also, people who perpetuate this ridiculous war against Ward. I'm no
fan, but you've made your point so you can step down now.
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
--- SBBSecho 3.29-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (1:124/5016)

On 22 Sep 25 02:24:38, Nigel Reed said the following to All:

Much of it cannot be blamed on Ward. fidonet is decline. ftp is in
decline, gopher is in decline, http is incline.

What has caused this decline? advanced web technology, social media
sites, advance in cell phone technology.

... Al Gore?

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)

Re: Re: FidoNet's Decline and Ward Dossche's
By: Atreyu to Nigel Reed on Mon Sep 22 2025 11:00:38

What has caused this decline? advanced web technology, social media sites, advance in cell phone technology.

... Al Gore?

Plausable.
--- SBBSecho 3.29-Linux
* Origin: End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com (1:124/5016)

Atreyu wrote to Nigel Reed <=-

On 22 Sep 25 02:24:38, Nigel Reed said the following to All:

Much of it cannot be blamed on Ward. fidonet is decline. ftp is in decline, gopher is in decline, http is incline.

What has caused this decline? advanced web technology, social media
sites, advance in cell phone technology.

... Al Gore?

Yup, it *IS* the fault of ALGORE!

The King of "do as I say, not as I do".

Fuck him and the Learjet he rode in on.

Sumbitch could never run a BBS!!!

:-)




... FIGHT BACK! ... Fill out your tax forms with Roman numerals.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.29-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (1:135/115)

On 22 Sep 25 21:34:55, Dan Clough said the following to Atreyu:

... Al Gore?

Yup, it *IS* the fault of ALGORE!

Ha! How are you able to reply? Isn't FL supposed to be underwater by now?

<eyeroll>

Mannnn if anything, he's a GREAT entertainer. His "doc" was a full on comedy.

We have our own little comedian up here, David Suzuki, who made a lifetime of canuck-bucks with convincing a country how fucked our environment was... But please ignore his mansions and Asian groupies he bangs on a regular basis.

Nick

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)

On 23 Sep 25 12:55:13, Ward Dossche said the following to Atreyu:

We have our own little comedian up here, David Suzuki, who made a
lifetime of
canuck-bucks with convincing a country how fucked our environment was...

Severn Cullis-Suzuki's dad ?

Father of a few, bullshitter of many.

Atreyu

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)

We have our own little comedian up here, David Suzuki, who made a lifetime of
canuck-bucks with convincing a country how fucked our environment

was...

Severn Cullis-Suzuki's dad ?

Father of a few, bullshitter of many.

Severn Cullis-Suzuki was as a 12yr old at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. She spoke at that UN Meeting and the speech is still available on YouTube as "5 minutes which silenced the World" or something like that. There have been many girl speakers since.

10 years later during the preparation of the Rio+10 conference in Johannesburg I was invited by the Secretary General of the UN to participate in the preparation and then met Severn Cullis-Suzuki, then a 22yr old ... I was not impressed as she never went beyond the slogans. Lately some other girl displayed the same behaviour.

After googling I discovered her father was active in the Vancouver area but never pursued it. She faded away and he faded from my attention span.

\%/@rd

--- DB4 - 20230201
* Origin: Many Glacier - Preserve / Protect / Conserve (2:292/854)

On 23 Sep 25 18:16:48, Ward Dossche said the following to Atreyu:

After googling I discovered her father was active in the Vancouver area bu never pursued it. She faded away and he faded from my attention span.

He's finally stepped down from his taxpayer funded soap-box on CBC and is presumably enjoying his several mansions in the Kitslano area, flying in his private plane or flying first class. For someone who lectured about the
dangers of capitalism and carbon footprints he sure doesn't mind his own.

My favourite tale of him was his tour bus that kept the engine running while parked outside Dalhousie university. Inside he was lecturing about pollution.

Atreyu

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)

Atreyu wrote to Dan Clough <=-

On 22 Sep 25 21:34:55, Dan Clough said the following to Atreyu:

... Al Gore?

Yup, it *IS* the fault of ALGORE!

Ha! How are you able to reply? Isn't FL supposed to be underwater by
now?

<eyeroll>

Haha, yes it was supposed to be. As a matter of fact, I believe the
ocean has risen up here a *GOOD* centimeter in the last millenium or so.
I mean, at *that* rate... we're doomed.

Mannnn if anything, he's a GREAT entertainer. His "doc" was a full on comedy.

Yes, I laughed a lot at that one.

We have our own little comedian up here, David Suzuki, who made a
lifetime of canuck-bucks with convincing a country how fucked our environment was... But please ignore his mansions and Asian groupies he bangs on a regular basis.

I'll bet he's banging those Asian groupies on his own personal LearJet,
too. The bastard. ;-) Glad to hear, though, that environmental
morons aren't restricted to just the USA.




... Facts cannot prevail against faith, or adamant folly.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
--- SBBSecho 3.29-Linux
* Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (1:135/115)

On 24 Sep 25 08:28:24, Dan Clough said the following to Atreyu:

Haha, yes it was supposed to be. As a matter of fact, I believe the
ocean has risen up here a *GOOD* centimeter in the last millenium or so. I mean, at *that* rate... we're doomed.

Better pack your bags then!

We're still enjoying temps in the 24-28c range, sunny, warm...

Hows everything else these days. Is Nixnet worth joining or is it dead?

I only ask because you know... Nick... Nixnet... nobody saw this or asked my permission? 8-)

Atreyu

--- Renegade vY2Ka2
* Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)

Atreyu wrote to Dan Clough <=-

On 24 Sep 25 08:28:24, Dan Clough said the following to Atreyu:

Haha, yes it was supposed to be. As a matter of fact, I believe the
ocean has risen up here a *GOOD* centimeter in the last millenium or so.
I mean, at *that* rate... we're doomed.

Better pack your bags then!

Got the "GO" bag all ready!

We're still enjoying temps in the 24-28c range, sunny, warm...

Yeah, been near 90f here still, another few weeks till cooling some.

Hows everything else these days. Is Nixnet worth joining or is it dead?

It's certainly not busy, and mostly automated postings every day, but
some of those are worth glancing at. Give it a look! Things are going
well here all in all.

I only ask because you know... Nick... Nixnet... nobody saw this or
asked my permission? 8-)

Hahaha, nice. Maybe you can start NicksNet... :-)



... A day without sunshine is like night.
=== MultiMail/Linux v0.52
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