Hey!

Have you ever stopped and wondered exactly what it is that attracts us BBSers to these telnet boards? If you think about it, it's an obsolete technology, offers inferior means of communicating and transferring data, and pales in comparison (aesthetically and functionally) to the internet at large. Why do we persist in keeping these BBS things alive?

Maybe it's just me, but there's a definite innocence in this kind of communication, a hope and optimism that doesn't seem to exist in e-mail or
the forums and online chat of the rest of the Internet. It reminds me of a time when Bulletin Boards were put up for the pupose of unifying the local community. People treated each other with respect, and spoke intelligently
to one another. You didn't have as many people hiding behind a screen and attacking people as you do on IRC, for example.

And of course there's always the nostalgia factor. There was something
vaguely hopeful about the relationship between us and our technology, especially in the early nineties. Possibilities felt unlimited, we knew we were sitting on the verge of a massive social and psychological shift as a nation. It wasn't just taken for granted that a phone could be taken with
you and used anywhere on earth, or that e-mail is something you check in your morning routine, right along with showering and brushing your teeth.

Maybe I'm rambling at this point, but I love this format so much, and I hope
it stays forever.

---
þ Synchronet þ Derby City BBS - Louisville, KY - telnet://derbycitybbs.com

Re: BBSes as hobbies
By: Ivanhoe to All on Wed Jul 02 2008 19:08:00

Have you ever stopped and wondered exactly what it is that attracts us BBSer to these telnet boards? If you think about it...

I spend entirely too much time on here as it is. Now you want me to
*THINK* about it as well?!??

---
Playing: "Deer Stop" by "Goldfrapp" from the "Felt Mountain" album.

---
þ Synchronet þ The ANJO BBS: Made of wood and glue, but mostly glue!

Ivanhoe wrote to All <=-

@VIA: VERT/DERBYCTY
@MSGID: <486C0A51.938.dove-hob@derbycitybbs.com>
@TZ: ffffc12c
Hey!

Have you ever stopped and wondered exactly what it is that attracts us BBSers to these telnet boards? If you think about it, it's an obsolete technology, offers inferior means of communicating and transferring
data, and pales in comparison (aesthetically and functionally) to the internet at large. Why do we persist in keeping these BBS things
alive?

That's a misconception, because the vast majority of us here were
there back then. Maybe some of the technologies are a bit dated,
but they are still previlant in todays world. FTP is just as viable
then as it is today, and telnet is used widely, although some call
it SSH, its still based on the same concept as telnet, just
encrypted. Granted the WWW side of things made it pretty, you also
didn't have the bandwidth you have today to be able to move that kind
of information. Porn pictures in GIF format were around back then,
and they are still here today. We zipped up our files back then to
save space and let use transfer more data through our limited
bandwidth, and even though the files have increased in size, so has
our bandwidth increased to allow us to move them.

Maybe it's just me, but there's a definite innocence in this kind of communication, a hope and optimism that doesn't seem to exist in e-mail
or the forums and online chat of the rest of the Internet. It reminds
me of a time when Bulletin Boards were put up for the pupose of
unifying the local community. People treated each other with respect,
and spoke intelligently to one another. You didn't have as many people hiding behind a screen and attacking people as you do on IRC, for
example.

I guess you were never in Fido! I can't remember a time when there
wasn't some war of words there. :) But yes, there was alot more
respect, but that was because the a$$holes were few compared to the
number involved. The problem with fido today is that the jerks hung
around while the rest left. I think the only network that I was in
back in the day was WishNet that was relatively free of the idiots,
but even it had one or 2 come in just to disrupt things, but Rosie
didn't let that go on very long. :)

And of course there's always the nostalgia factor. There was something vaguely hopeful about the relationship between us and our technology, especially in the early nineties. Possibilities felt unlimited, we
knew we were sitting on the verge of a massive social and psychological shift as a nation. It wasn't just taken for granted that a phone could
be taken with you and used anywhere on earth, or that e-mail is
something you check in your morning routine, right along with showering and brushing your teeth.

Nostalgia is the primary reason I returned. I left the BBS scene in
96, or more direct, I shut down my board then... but by the year
2000, I was sitting there talking to a good friend of mine who also
ran a board and we got to reminising about the good old days and that
sparked my interest and I started looking and well, one thing led to
another and I started running a BBS again. My morning routine
includes checking the BBS... :)

Maybe I'm rambling at this point, but I love this format so much, and I hope it stays forever.

As long as there are people that enjoy it, it will be around. With
the capabilites Rob has included in SynchroNet, it looks to have a
long life.



... DalekDOS v(overflow): (I)Obey (V)ision impaired (E)xterminate
--- MultiMail/Linux v0.47
þ Synchronet þ Killed In Action BBS - kiabbs.org

Angus McLeod wrote to Ivanhoe <=-

@VIA: VERT/ANJO
@MSGID: <486C55B1.932.hobbies@anjo.com>
@REPLY: <486C0A51.938.dove-hob@derbycitybbs.com>
@TZ: 40f0
Re: BBSes as hobbies
By: Ivanhoe to All on Wed Jul 02 2008 19:08:00

Have you ever stopped and wondered exactly what it is that attracts us BBSer to these telnet boards? If you think about it...

I spend entirely too much time on here as it is. Now you want me to *THINK* about it as well?!??

Well, if you include flying model airplanes, that's pretty much your
entire life! :)



... Direct from the Ministry of Silly Walks
--- MultiMail/Linux v0.47
þ Synchronet þ Killed In Action BBS - kiabbs.org

Re: Re: BBSes as hobbies
By: Sniper to Ivanhoe on Thu Jul 03 2008 06:30:00

We zipped up our files back then to save space and let use transfer
more data through our limited bandwidth, and even though the files have increased in size, so has our bandwidth increased to allow us to move
them.

:-) I remember cautiously predicted that when our 28,800s came online, we might realise transfer rates as fast as five minutes per megabyte!!!!!

---
Playing: "Creep" by "Radiohead" from the "Pablo honey" album.
þ Synchronet þ The ANJO BBS: Made of wood and glue, but mostly glue!

Re: Re: BBSes as hobbies
By: Sniper to Angus McLeod on Thu Jul 03 2008 06:31:00

Have you ever stopped and wondered exactly what it is that attracts us BB to these telnet boards? If you think about it...

I spend entirely too much time on here as it is. Now you want me to *THINK* about it as well?!??

Well, if you include flying model airplanes, that's pretty much your
entire life! :)

Well, there's also *LOTS* of dog-grooming, and I spend a whole lot of time looking after an elderly relative, I listen to music and read copiously, enjoy cinema, occasionally visit an attractive, blond woman who is young enough to be my daughter, work on th car, work on the house, and sometimes even work at /work/.

So no, definately not much time for unnecessary *thinking*!

---
Playing: "Stop whispering" by "Radiohead" from the "Pablo honey" album.
þ Synchronet þ The ANJO BBS: Made of wood and glue, but mostly glue!

Re: BBSes as hobbies
By: Angus McLeod to Ivanhoe on Thu Jul 03 2008 00:29:00

Re: BBSes as hobbies
By: Ivanhoe to All on Wed Jul 02 2008 19:08:00

Have you ever stopped and wondered exactly what it is that attracts us BB to these telnet boards? If you think about it...

I spend entirely too much time on here as it is. Now you want me to
*THINK* about it as well?!??

Sure! It's good for you!

---
þ Synchronet þ --==* kayaus.serveftp.net *==---- www.kayaus.com *==--

Re: Re: BBSes as hobbies
By: Sniper to Ivanhoe on Thu Jul 03 2008 06:30:00

Thank god. I started back in 1989/1990 and I was all of 8 or 9 years old. I would dial up all the local BBSes (there were like thirty, at least) in my hometown (Lexington, KY) and just ate it up. I loved the doors, of course, but really loved being able to communicate with people and the way everyone interacted was just so much better. I can't really put my finger on exactly why it was better, it just felt like it was. Maybe that's nostalgia or whatever, but we wouldn't be here now if there wasn't something there to return to.

You see a lot of that versatility you mentioned in the old hardware as well as the old protocols and transfer methods like FTP, etc. that you mentioned. People are suping up C-64's now and giving them massive hard drives and ethernet and even getting them to run linux. I'm totally amazed by the resilience and flexibility of the older technologies compared to a lot of things that have already passed on even though they were developed only a few years ago. There was nothing like that early .com boom.

---
þ Synchronet þ --==* kayaus.serveftp.net *==---- www.kayaus.com *==--

Re: Re: BBSes as hobbies
By: Angus McLeod to Sniper on Thu Jul 03 2008 10:39 pm

:-) I remember cautiously predicted that when our 28,800s came online, we might realise transfer rates as fast as five minutes per megabyte!!!!!

I'll never forget going from 2400bps to 9600bps and thinking "Oh man, oh man!"

It was 1991 and I went to Sears, Roebuck and Co. to pick up a "Prodigy Starter Kit" that came with a rather unique "wall-wart" plug in modem. Prodigy, an alternative to the expensive Compu$erve and dumbed-down AOL at the time was rahter interesting to say the least. It was a joint venture between Sears, Roebuck and Co. and H&R Block if I remember right.

Today, the Sears store I bought that from (with it's wonderful marble floors and vaulted ceilings) has long ago been demolished; Prodigy's mainframes have long ago been shut down; and 9600 seems like a dinosaur.

Times have changed!


---
þ Synchronet þ Katy Trail BBS - katy.synchro.net

Mr. Microchip wrote to Angus McLeod <=-

It was 1991 and I went to Sears, Roebuck and Co. to pick up a "Prodigy Starter Kit" that came with a rather unique "wall-wart" plug in modem. Prodigy, an alternative to the expensive Compu$erve and dumbed-down AOL
at the time was rahter interesting to say the least. It was a joint venture between Sears, Roebuck and Co. and H&R Block if I remember
right.

Oh man. I received one of the Prodigy Starter Kits for Christmas one year.
Mine came with a 2400bps modem.

-bd

--
Blakdeth
Masquerade BBS // telnet://masqueradebbs.com
http://masqueradebbs.com // blakdeth@masqueradebbs.com
... Spaghetti code = job security.
--- MultiMail/MS-DOS v0.49
þ Synchronet þ Masquerade

Re: Re: BBSes as hobbies
By: Mr. Microchip to Angus McLeod on Sun Jul 06 2008 11:44 pm

Re: Re: BBSes as hobbies
By: Angus McLeod to Sniper on Thu Jul 03 2008 10:39 pm

:-) I remember cautiously predicted that when our 28,800s came online, w might realise transfer rates as fast as five minutes per megabyte!!!!!

I'll never forget going from 2400bps to 9600bps and thinking "Oh man, oh man

It was 1991 and I went to Sears, Roebuck and Co. to pick up a "Prodigy Start Kit" that came with a rather unique "wall-wart" plug in modem. Prodigy, an alternative to the expensive Compu$erve and dumbed-down AOL at the time was rahter interesting to say the least. It was a joint venture between Sears, Roebuck and Co. and H&R Block if I remember right.

Today, the Sears store I bought that from (with it's wonderful marble floors and vaulted ceilings) has long ago been demolished; Prodigy's mainframes hav long ago been shut down; and 9600 seems like a dinosaur.

Times have changed!

Thank God for Prodigy. I remember calling AOL and getting all these free CDs sent to me under various assumed names. (still had the address, though ...
not too smart these days) Then my friends and I would download AOHell, log in with a fake credit card generator, and harass the locals. It was pretty amazing. Even more amazing: I'm not in prison.

---
þ Synchronet þ Blue Lobster BBS - telnet://bluelobster.dyndns.org

To: Ivanhoe
.,: This is something about BBSes as hobbies,
Ivanhoe said it to All on Wed Jul 02 2008 07:08 pm --ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ-ÄÄÄÄ---ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ---ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ--ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ

Have you ever stopped and wondered exactly what it is that attracts us BBSer to these telnet boards? If you think about it, it's an obsolete technology, Maybe it's just me, but there's a definite innocence in this kind of communication, a hope and optimism that doesn't seem to exist in e-mail or the forums and online chat of the rest of the Internet. It reminds me of a time when Bulletin Boards were put up for the pupose of unifying the local

community. People treated each other with respect, and spoke intelligently to one another.

haw haw! you thought wrong fucker!

look around before you make an opinion. use bbs folk are the meanest flamers on the interwebs.

btw, you may find the bbs scene so new and quaint, but you will be gone in 3 months never to return.

i've seen a lot.

|15 .Ä.Ú Â Â ÂÂ.Ä. ÂÚ¿
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--- Synchronet 3.14a-Win32 NewsLink 1.85
* eob - Racine, WisconSIN - telnet://eob-bbs.com
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