N-2-3-040.31.4 [*indicates italics*] *Matrix News* by John S. Quarterman* In the monthly newsletter, *Matrix News*, MIDS publishes contextual information about cross-network issues. Networks frequently mentioned include USENET, UUCP, FidoNet, BITNET, the Internet, and conferencing systems such as the WELL and CompuServe. Matrix News is not about any single one of them. It is about the Matrix, which is all computer networks worldwide that exchange electronic mail. *Matrix News*, frequently includes national networking articles, such as ``Networking Plans in Haiti,'' by S. Jean-Baptiste and D. Pimienta (August 1993) and ``The REDALC Methodology for Building National Networks,'' by D. Pimienta (September). News about politics and networking technology upgrades of major carriers includes PSInet's T-3 ATM backbone (August), AlterNet's 10Mbps backbone (September), the new NSF NREN solicitation (August), and CoREN's alliance with MCI (September). Book reviews include Eric McKinney's review (August 1939) of *Internet Connections*, by Mary E. Engle. Conference reports include ``Dateline Telluride: Some Notes on Some Ideas on K-12 and the Internet,'' by E. Theise (September), and ``Wiring the Classrooms: The Interop K-12 BOF,'' (October). Network size and growth statistics appear often, as in ``Matrix Size Estimates for Spring 1993: FidoNet, UUCP, BITNET, and the Internet,'' (August) ``USENET Growth,'' (September). Maps of host populations and growth of networks have been a staple of *Matrix News* for a year now, as in ``The Matrix in East Asia: FidoNet, UUCP, BITNET, and the Internet,'' (August). These maps are popular, but the cost of printing color limits the number that can appear in the inexpensive monthly newsletter. MIDS has launched a new publication, *Matrix Maps Quarterly* (MMQ), which shows in maps features of networks that are difficult to present with text or numbers alone. Color makes direct comparisons between networks or sizes easy to see. We also include tables, graphs, figures, and text as necessary, and often the underlying numbers. The first issue of *Matrix Maps Quarterly* (MMQ) appeared in September 1993. It shows four major networks in color, from the whole world to East Asia to Japan. It presents the geographical locations of their hosts, their growth rates per country, and correlations of hosts per population with per capita income. This issue also includes a table of the sizes of the four networks (FidoNet, UUCP, BITNET, and the Internet), and a Venn diagram illustrating their intersections. For the Internet, we also show a map of four of its major services: anonymous FTP, archie, Gopher, and WAIS. *Matrix News* continues as before, and continues to publish color maps from time to time. *Matrix Maps Quarterly* permits MIDS to publish more maps and related information. *Matrix News* (MN) is distributed on paper, by electronic mail, by restricted FTP over the Internet, through ClariNet, and through a conference on the WELL. *Matrix Maps Quarterly* (MMQ) is distributed online through restricted FTP over the Internet, by electronic mail to brave souls, and on paper. Because of the graphical nature of MMQ, the online distribution is only in PostScript; there is no ASCII distribution. For further information about MN or MMQ, contact mids@tic.com. * Matrix Information and Directory Services, Inc. (MIDS)