Comments on: Feb 16 is the BBS's 32nd birthday http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:31:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Gordon Stark http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714496 Gordon Stark Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714496 I really did not like the internet as it gained in popularity. I was running my Wildcat! BBS, and what I liked best about BBS networking was that the people on them tended to be from regional communities, you could meet the people you spoke to online, locally. It was a simpler time, when there were no network security issues or threats other than the common computer cold, with BBS's. The internet ruined everything, and came like a US Military assault upon the ruling Sysops of the day, and their scattered yet interconnected BBS systems, on networks like FidoNet, and USNet, and others, which interconnected the BBS systems into a global network one might call the undernet, which did not route all global traffic through the pentagon... But Microsoft was set to launch Windows 95, and was about to make their own private global network by linking regional hubs they set up all over the world, and so the arpanet was unleashed to cut Microsoft off at the pass, and in one fell swoop, the internet killed the BBS star. To this day, the BBS has lost none of it's charm and beauty, security and simplicity, and a small number of die-hard old-school sysops still run their dialup BBS's for like minded former BBSers and old Sysops, and while one can not find lists of thousands of BBS's up now, as back in the early 90's, one can still find the short lists of holdouts from simpler times, when plain text and ansi graphics ruled the computer networking world. Happy birthday BBS, and many more! I really did not like the internet as it gained in popularity. I was running my Wildcat! BBS, and what I liked best about BBS networking was that the people on them tended to be from regional communities, you could meet the people you spoke to online, locally. It was a simpler time, when there were no network security issues or threats other than the common computer cold, with BBS’s.

The internet ruined everything, and came like a US Military assault upon the ruling Sysops of the day, and their scattered yet interconnected BBS systems, on networks like FidoNet, and USNet, and others, which interconnected the BBS systems into a global network one might call the undernet, which did not route all global traffic through the pentagon… But Microsoft was set to launch Windows 95, and was about to make their own private global network by linking regional hubs they set up all over the world, and so the arpanet was unleashed to cut Microsoft off at the pass, and in one fell swoop,
the internet killed the BBS star.

To this day, the BBS has lost none of it’s charm and beauty, security and simplicity, and a small number of die-hard old-school sysops still run their dialup BBS’s for like minded former BBSers and old Sysops, and while one can not find lists of thousands of BBS’s up now, as back in the early 90′s, one can still find the short lists of holdouts from simpler times, when plain text and ansi graphics ruled the computer networking world.

Happy birthday BBS, and many more!

]]> By: valis http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714756 valis Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714756 Yes, BBS ruled and I still love the games, especially LORD (Legend of the Red Dragon). I even liked LORD 2! I log in to a BBS almost everyday still via Facebook. Come relive the glory of 12 levels, 1 kind of Dragon, and Violet and Seth in the inn. http://apps.facebook.com/endoftheinternet/ Not my site or app, I just play under the name Valis there too. Yes, BBS ruled and I still love the games, especially LORD (Legend of the Red Dragon). I even liked LORD 2!

I log in to a BBS almost everyday still via Facebook. Come relive the glory of 12 levels, 1 kind of Dragon, and Violet and Seth in the inn.
http://apps.facebook.com/endoftheinternet/
Not my site or app, I just play under the name Valis there too.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714247 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714247 Oh man, cassette tapes! Spangles! Old school man, old school... Oh man, cassette tapes! Spangles! Old school man, old school…

]]> By: sleze http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714271 sleze Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714271 MajorBBS FTW! Onix rules! MajorBBS FTW! Onix rules!

]]> By: greywind http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714527 greywind Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714527 All 8 episodes of The BBS Documentary by Jason Scott are available online. A nice little bit of Nostalgia there. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1731271864657931901# All 8 episodes of The BBS Documentary by Jason Scott are available online. A nice little bit of Nostalgia there.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1731271864657931901#

]]> By: rasputinaxp http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714296 rasputinaxp Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714296 Zmodem, baby! Zmodem, baby!

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-716628 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-716628 300 Baud? Try 110 youngster! :) 300 Baud? Try 110 youngster! :)

]]> By: gswetsky http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714331 gswetsky Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714331 Happy birthday Ward, Randy and chinet cbbs! Let's see, this means vpnet (aka vpnet.uucp, vpnet.chi.il.us) started up about 29 or 30 years ago. It's nice to have been just a little bit of history. Gerry Happy birthday Ward, Randy and chinet cbbs! Let’s see, this means vpnet (aka vpnet.uucp, vpnet.chi.il.us) started up about 29 or 30 years ago. It’s nice to have been just a little bit of history.

Gerry

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-716163 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-716163 The bbs scene is still quite active and alive. http://bbs-scene.org The bbs scene is still quite active and alive. http://bbs-scene.org

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714656 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714656 what about hacker's haven? I miss that one... what about hacker’s haven? I miss that one…

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-724391 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-724391 Hi everyone, Well i use to be a sysop of 3 bbs on Color 64 (Commodore 64) from 1985 to 1998. I am in Lachine (Montreal),Quebec,Canada and at the time i was at the same town. For sure,i still got memories of it,cost me quiet a dollar here for phone lines and extras. Internet have killed BBS,Telidon and many other old systems and services. But,i still from here to there they are still some few bbs in Canada and USA on dial-up...boy!. I remember that i didn't have a call for 1 month on any systems at the very end,only wrong numbers!. I think that the next thing that will go eventualy is postal letters that are already replaced by e-mails and also fax machines will gradually go. I see that some bbs systems are now getting back online for very less $$$ by using telnet,i have seen quiet few Commodore,IBM,Atari and so...using a bridge or simply an emulator (for old computers) on a PC....wow!. I wonder sometimes,if it would not be better to let memories where they are,they will never be the same anymore anyways,what do you think?. Salutations to all of you!. Guy :o) Hi everyone,

Well i use to be a sysop of 3 bbs on Color 64 (Commodore 64) from 1985 to 1998.

I am in Lachine (Montreal),Quebec,Canada and at the time i was at the same town.

For sure,i still got memories of it,cost me quiet a dollar here for phone lines and extras.

Internet have killed BBS,Telidon and many other old systems and services.

But,i still from here to there they are still some few bbs in Canada and USA on dial-up…boy!.

I remember that i didn’t have a call for 1 month on any systems at the very end,only wrong numbers!.

I think that the next thing that will go eventualy is postal letters that are already replaced by e-mails and also fax machines will gradually go.

I see that some bbs systems are now getting back online for very less $$$ by using telnet,i have seen quiet few Commodore,IBM,Atari and so…using a bridge or simply an emulator (for old computers) on a PC….wow!.

I wonder sometimes,if it would not be better to let memories where they are,they will never be the same anymore anyways,what do you think?.

Salutations to all of you!.
Guy
:o)

]]> By: Pantograph http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714414 Pantograph Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714414 Aaaahh the good old days of BBSes, before the internet or caller ID when you misdialled in the middle of the night and you heard an angry voice through your modem speaker... Good times. Aaaahh the good old days of BBSes, before the internet or caller ID when you misdialled in the middle of the night and you heard an angry voice through your modem speaker… Good times.

]]> By: benher http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714183 benher Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714183 300 baud baby! Now that's nostalgia! 300 baud baby! Now that’s nostalgia!

]]> By: SleighBoy http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714197 SleighBoy Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714197 ATZ ATA OK ... ATH NO CARRIER ATZ
ATA OK

…

ATH
NO CARRIER

]]> By: neurolux http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714202 neurolux Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714202 Happy 100000th! Happy 100000th!

]]> By: rebdav http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714213 rebdav Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714213 I had the 300 baud TRS-80 cartridge. My mother sprung for a month of The Source in the early 80's, but cancelled after a month, I guess it was expensive. I remember fidonet on some of the bbs's but I had nobody to email at the time. The modem was confiscated and lost when I started racking up calls to BBS's. After convincing my parents the first trs-80 was going bad, I had taped over the vents, they got a second. You could network them by connecting the audio in/out at the tape drive plugs. I had the 300 baud TRS-80 cartridge. My mother sprung for a month of The Source in the early 80′s, but cancelled after a month, I guess it was expensive. I remember fidonet on some of the bbs’s but I had nobody to email at the time. The modem was confiscated and lost when I started racking up calls to BBS’s.

After convincing my parents the first trs-80 was going bad, I had taped over the vents, they got a second. You could network them by connecting the audio in/out at the tape drive plugs.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714219 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714219 http://bbsdocumentary.com :D http://bbsdocumentary.com :D

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714475 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714475 Procomm Plus....Ah those where the days. I remember getting my first 1200 baud. I lived in Los Angeles. Called about 100 BBS's. The next month my phone bill came in for $750 for TOLL CALLS. Ah the memories. Procomm Plus….Ah those where the days. I remember getting my first 1200 baud. I lived in Los Angeles. Called about 100 BBS’s. The next month my phone bill came in for $750 for TOLL CALLS. Ah the memories.

]]> By: Galoot http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714220 Galoot Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714220 Thank you, Ward and Randy! Because of you, 15 years later I met my wife online. Two years after that, BBSes were on the outs, but the marriage is still going strong. Thank you, Ward and Randy! Because of you, 15 years later I met my wife online.

Two years after that, BBSes were on the outs, but the marriage is still going strong.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2010/02/15/feb-16-is-the-bbss-3.html#comment-714238 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-714238 Beep boop boop beep beep boop boop Weeeee-eeeee-eeeee-oooo-oooo weeeoooo weeeoo P'shuhhhhhhhhhhh KUH-SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Beep boop boop beep beep boop boop

Weeeee-eeeee-eeeee-oooo-oooo weeeoooo weeeoo P’shuhhhhhhhhhhh KUH-SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

]]>