Andrei Bedelean wrote to All <=-
dude bbses are soo cool like its been decades cince bbses started and there are still online bbses thats soo Coool!!!!
dude bbses are soo cool like its been decades cince bbses started and there are still online bbses thats soo Coool!!!!
I think it's safe to assume that sysops are typically those who don't get the hint that it's time to go home when the party's over. :)
dude bbses are soo cool like its been decades cince bbses started and there are still online bbses thats soo Coool!!!!
dude bbses are soo cool like its been decades cince bbses started and there still online bbses thats soo Coool!!!!
Re: I just installed syncterm I NOW LIKE BBSES!! :)i just got started im from romania so i think you will be getting my messages at night for me and note im a child all this old tech just seems so cool i kinda wanna buy a portable cd player just so i dont use my phone
By: Andrei Bedelean to All on Mon Aug 17 2026 02:51 am
these days I sometimes miss what it was like to have a computer in the early 90s (or even late 80s)
dude bbses are soo cool like its been decades cince bbses started and there are still online bbses thats soo Coool!!!!
I started back in 1994 with my first BBS running on OS/2 using Lora BBS; then the Internet arrived in 1997, and maintaining two phone lines was too expensive. I shut it down, but a few months ago, the spark was reignited. Within a few weeks, I resurrected the old BBS, which now runs on a VPS with Debian 12 and Synchronet.
I still have an Atari 800XL system set up here on my desk... with a lot of the newest devices attached to it... like a parallel drive on a CF card for huge amounts of storage. The CPU along with the floppy drives are heavly modified.
And my primary BBS (Boot Factory) is an Atari 8 bit system (BBS:Express Pro) from 1988, but it runs under emulation on a PC. I'm not going to subject my precious old Atari hardware to 24/7 usage... (My other BBS is a Synchronet BBS running on the same PC).
How does BBS compare to the old days now?
How does BBS compare to the old days now?
But that luxury of speed has killed the anticipation: the remote message board loading line by line kept the magic of digital encounters intact, where every message left or read carried the weight of a true letter, like an island out of time, far from the noise of the modern web.
You can still experience that. Just turn the baud rate down on your terminal program. On SyncTerm, it's ALT-cursor down.
Yep. :) Also, I have some nostalgia about old computers these days.. Even though back in the day, we were always looking forward to the next things, these days I sometimes miss what it was like to have a computer in the early 90s (or even late 80s) - Home computers were relatively new, so it seemed really cool to have one and see what they could do; also, they weren't
The BBS software these days is significantly better, too!
While back then every single kilobyte was a conquest punctuated by endless waits, marked by the beeps and hisses of a 14.4 or 28.8 kbps modem, today we connect with a single tap and unlimited bandwidth. But that luxury of speed has killed the anticipation: the remote message board loading line by line kept the magic of digital encounters intact, where every message left or rea
:) Sometimes I think it would be cool to have a space with some older computers (maybe if I'm able to buy a house again), although for me I also wonder if I'd actually use them very often..
While back then every single kilobyte was a conquest punctuated by endless waits, marked by the beeps and hisses of a 14.4 or 28.8 kbps modem,
I loaded up an old BBS backup from from 1996, and 1) I have no idea what color scheme I was shooting for and 2) My ANSI skills were non-existent.
Anticipation and delayed gratification was a huge part of BBSing. I remember gang-dialing a half-dozen BBSes and listening to the modem dialing, getting a busy signal, hanging up and trying the next BBS, sometimes over and over again for 30 minutes. When one finally connected and you heard that connect sound playing over a tinny little speaker, you weren't sure which BBS connected until you sat back down in front of the keyboard.
Now, you pick a BBS from your dialing directory and you're in.
While back then every single kilobyte was a conquest punctuated by endless
waits, marked by the beeps and hisses of a 14.4 or 28.8 kbps modem,
Hah... My first BBS ran on a 300 baud modem. I could not afford 1200 baud and I know the 2400 baud modem was invented that year when my BBS first went online... 1984.
I loved the feeling like I belonged to a secret society; most people had no idea what computers could do or had even used one, so having one and dialing into a network full of like minded people felt like falling down a rabbit hole.
My stuff is in my attached garage but it would still be nice to have more space. I will probably retire this year or next and that will open up half of my computer workspace.
I loved the feeling like I belonged to a secret society; most people had no idea what computers could do or had even used one...
:) Sometimes I think it would be cool to have a space with some older computers (maybe if I'm able to buy a house again), although for me I also wonder if I'd actually use them very often..
Hah... My first BBS ran on a 300 baud modem.
These days, I've heard there are a lot of people who simply use a smartphone or maybe a tablet and don't have a desktop or laptop computer anymore, which seems odd to me.. With the stuff I do, I couldn't imagine not having a desktop or laptop.
I think the thing I'd be concerned about with a garage is that a garage usually isn't weather sealed, so I'd wonder about computer equipment rusting faster or getting other damage from being stored in a garage long-term.
When I was a kid, I didn't really realize many people didn't have or use computers.. My dad always had a computer at home, and there were computers at school, although those were only in the library. So I feel like I basically grew up with computers. But later, I realized that not too many people were using computers, and it was a bit of a rabbit hole, as you say.. And in the mid 90s, as the internet got popular, I noticed a lot more people were buying computers, and there were a lot of people who didn't necessarily know much about computers who were using them now.
These days, I've heard there are a lot of people who simply use a smartphone or maybe a tablet and don't have a desktop or laptop computer anymore, which seems odd to me.. With the stuff I do, I couldn't imagine not having a desktop or laptop.
These days, I've heard there are a lot of people who simply use a
smartphone or maybe a tablet and don't have a desktop or laptop computer
I grok. I started out with a desktop and I'll end that way. Phones are fine for certain things, but there are times when you need a full-blown PC (which could be a tablet) to get the proper UX, IMO. Unfortunetly, desktop sales have been going down for some years in favor of mobile devices. And while things like COVID and AI have had a large effect on availability and price of certain components, I think we'd still end up here anyway due to lack of interest in traditional PCs.
While back then every single kilobyte was a conquest punctuated by endless waits, marked by the beeps and hisses of a 14.4 or 28.8 kbps
modem,
today we connect with a single tap and unlimited bandwidth. But that luxury of speed has killed the anticipation: the remote message board
loading line by line kept the magic of digital encounters intact, where every message left or read carried the weight of a true letter, like
an
island out of time, far from the noise of the modern web.
Im messaging from romania i think i may be the only one still using bbses lol
Reading your words makes me laugh; I remember that sometimes, if I got a busy signal, I could dial 197, and a voice would ask me to key in
the
phone number (the BBS's number)--which would effectively disrupt the connection and cause
it to drop.
These days, I've heard there are a lot of people who simply use a smartphone or maybe a tablet and don't have a desktop or laptop computer
anymore, which seems odd to me.. With the stuff I do, I couldn't imagine not having a desktop or laptop.
Hah... My first BBS ran on a 300 baud modem. I could not afford 1200 baud and I know the 2400 baud modem was invented that year when my BBS first went online... 1984.
When I was a kid, I didn't really realize many people didn't have or use computers.. My dad always had a computer at home, and there were compute > N> at school, although those were only in the library. So I feel like I
basically grew up with computers. But later, I realized that not too man > N> people were using computers, and it was a bit of a rabbit hole, as you sa > N> And in the mid 90s, as the internet got popular, I noticed a lot more peo > N> were buying computers, and there were a lot of people who didn't necessar > N> know much about computers who were using them now.
Back in the days of dial-up, I knew some people who didn't use their compute > to get online. If they had/used a modem at all, it was to FAX documents.
Later, when I moved where I am now almost 30 years ago, I didn't know anyone > who used home computers to get online until Internet (via means other than
dial-up) became a thing. Then everyone had one, until...
These days, I've heard there are a lot of people who simply use a smartph > N> or maybe a tablet and don't have a desktop or laptop computer anymore, wh > N> seems odd to me.. With the stuff I do, I couldn't imagine not having a
desktop or laptop.
...this. I know a lot of people that only have a PC or laptop at work. So > they've gone back to having no home computers because they have their phones > and (maybe) tablets.
What was the name of your 1984 BBS?
I think the thing I'd be concerned about with a garage is that a garage usually isn't weather sealed, so I'd wonder about computer equipment rusting
As well you should. Garages get hot in the Summer, freezing cold in the Winter and there's always some waater laying around somewhere. Not to
Outlaw wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
One of the BBSes I paid to subscribe to (the Graphics Connection) I
had just paid another year subscription and they shut down lol, they
had several lines.
Mortar wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
Course, the downside was those same people like to poke fun at those
who did, and if you were a kid or teen, you were in for some hard
times.
Bf2k+ wrote to Nightfox <=-
But do I use it a lot? Not really now but I have about a thousand
Atari floppies here that I am slowly converting to images so I play
with it from time to time... probably more when I retire.
Bf2k+ wrote to Massy73 <=-
Hah... My first BBS ran on a 300 baud modem. I could not afford 1200
baud and I know the 2400 baud modem was invented that year when my BBS first went online... 1984.
These days, I've heard there are a lot of people who simply use a smartphone or maybe a tablet and don't have a desktop or laptop computer anymore, which seems odd to me.. With the stuff I do, I couldn't
imagine not having a desktop or laptop.
...this. I know a lot of people that only have a PC or laptop at work. So, they've gone back to having no home computers because they have their phones and (maybe) tablets.
doing research on a smartphone is painful. or any real work for that matter.
i have a few friends now that are ex-computer-users that have cablemodem at their houses but only use it for their TVs and smartphones. i don't think i could handle that.
fusion wrote to Nightfox <=-
i have a few friends now that are ex-computer-users that have
cablemodem at their houses but only use it for their TVs and
smartphones. i don't think i could handle that.
I work from home and started thinking about working from cafes to get a change of scenery. every occasional once in a while it's nice, but glossy laptop screens and overhead lighting reflections drive me crazy, and I bought a 34" ultraside monitor for home. If I want some distraction, I'll play one of those YouTube "cafe ambience" videos in the background.
dude bbses are soo cool like its been decades cince bbses started and there are still online bbses thats soo Coool!!!!
You should have been around during the golden era -- the 1980s into the very late 1990s. What a memory, and what a time! Rushing home from school to try to get on your local boards before everyone else and the constant busy signals until the wee hours of the morning.
In many ways, with the growing hatred amongst all people towards Facebook/Meta, AI, tech in general I am surprised we aren't seeing more
of a resurgence of BBS systems. I think people have finally had enough
of being told what tech they WILL use to enrich to the tech bros. Sure took long enough.
Ahhhh those good ol' days! As a SysOp, I had it so that user activity would be printed out on my dot matrix printer in real time as I was at high school. I'd come home, tear it off the printer and read through what everyone did while I was at school. I loved those days.
I also had a dot matrix printer and ran a BBS in those days.. I'd think that would have been noisy though, which wouldn't really be ideal when users logged in at night. I was naturally curious about my BBS activity
too, but I'd usually turn on the PC monitor and check the log files. As
a high school age kid, I was happy to see users were logging in and
using my BBS.
You should have been around during the golden era -- the 1980s into the very late 1990s. What a memory, and what a time! Rushing home from school to try > to get on your local boards before everyone else and the constant busy
signals until the wee hours of the morning.
In many ways, with the growing hatred amongst all people towards Facebook/Meta, AI, tech in general I am surprised we aren't seeing more of a resurgence of BBS systems. I think people have finally had enough of being told what tech they WILL use to enrich to the tech bros. Sure took long enough.
In many ways, with the growing hatred amongst all people towards Facebook/Meta, AI, tech in general I am surprised we aren't seeing more of a resurgence of BBS systems. I think people have finally had enough of being told what tech they WILL use to enrich to the tech bros. Sure took long enough.
This! I really do hope we start seeing more folks coming into the "modern" BBS scene and the numbers start going up. Like a new revival, a new era (but same old vibe and structure). That would be so sweet.
enough of being told what tech they WILL use to enrich to the tech bros. Sure took long enough.
This! I really do hope we start seeing more folks coming into the "modern" > > BBS scene and the numbers start going up. Like a new revival, a new era
(but same old vibe and structure). That would be so sweet.
I think the biggest barrier to entry is people don't know how to access boards. We need a well-used, modern access program - SyncTerm is about all I know of, and it's decent but not all that intuitive at at times.
There is also the mobile barrier... BBS systems are just not designed for mobile interaction.
the need to use syncterm. you're right about mobile. bbses just dont work well on a phone.
Maybe someone can cook something up with AI.
Dmxrob wrote to Andrei Bedelean <=-
In many ways, with the growing hatred amongst all people towards Facebook/Meta, AI, tech in general I am surprised we aren't seeing more
of a resurgence of BBS systems. I think people have finally had enough
of being told what tech they WILL use to enrich to the tech bros. Sure took long enough.
Knight Shadow wrote to Dmxrob <=-
Ahhhh those good ol' days! As a SysOp, I had it so that user activity would be printed out on my dot matrix printer in real time as I was at high school. I'd come home, tear it off the printer and read through
what everyone did while I was at school. I loved those days.
flashing. I was a caller from Sweden. TO think that I could set up a
computer saved from a dumpster, hook it up to a phone line and have
Quoting Mro to Dmxrob <=-
regarding people going back to bbsing, I don't think people want what
we have. they want their memes and they want to be a consumer. it's
a totally different Thing than bbsing.
would be printed out on my dot matrix printer in real time as I was at high school. I'd come home, tear it off the printer and read through what everyone did while I was at school. I loved those days.
Knight Shadow wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
Oh cool story! You found a computer in the dumpster? What kind was it?
Did you just plug it in and things were working? (after you cleaned it
off I presume... that was probably step 1 :) )
Randers wrote to Nightfox <=-
I would like to get some dot matrix paper now for stress relief.
Tearing off the sides was up there with popping bubbles in bubblewrap
for satisfying, although it'd go wrong often and you'd lose half the
paper too. Then have to wait a few minutes to reprint that one page. Carefully folding and unfolding first was the key to success.
But ah.... it was a simple time :D
too. Then have to wait a few minutes to reprint that one page. Carefully folding and unfolding first was the key to success.
flashing. I was a caller from Sweden. TO think that I could set up a
computer saved from a dumpster, hook it up to a phone line and have
Oh cool story! You found a computer in the dumpster? What kind was it? Did you just plug it in and things were working? (after you cleaned it off I presume... that was probably step 1 :) )
|08[|07K|08N1GHT|07S|08HAD0W]
|08[...|070|08F.|07T|08H3...]
a totally different Thing than bbsing.
I'll agree with you here. I've tried for years (back when I cared) to get
my wife into the BBS. She's pretty intellegent and would have a lot to offer, however like you said she wants memes and music etc.
The interface is also not friendly for people who are more modern computer users I think. No matter how simple it is it's not for people who didn't grow up with the interface.
I'll never get tired of this topic. I love the nostalgia too. I nearly failed an assigment in grade 3 or grade 4, so roughly 1989, because it was printed (dot matrix). The teacher could not grasp that we had a printer at home, or further to that, that I could possibly use it. She insisted there was no way I was capable of it.
Knight Shadow wrote to Dmxrob <=-
Ahhhh those good ol' days! As a SysOp, I had it so that user activity would be printed out on my dot matrix printer in real time as I was at high school. I'd come home, tear it off the printer and read through what everyone did while I was at school. I loved those days.
I remember getting up early to go into work and seeing the modem lights
flashing. I was a caller from Sweden. TO think that I could set up a
computer saved from a dumpster, hook it up to a phone line and have
someone halfway around the world connect to it was mind-boggling. The
world was a lot bigger then.
... Make a blank valuable by putting it in an exquisite frame
Dagent23 wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
My favorite BBS memory is when I got a hard drive for my Commodore 128 and, as hard drivcs were delightfully chirpy and I remember laying in
bed and the modemwould answer and the the led on the hard drive would light up the room like a flickering cable with its chrips lulling me to sleep.
Nightfox wrote to Randers <=-
some number of years, and he said he had an interview where the interviewer mentioned he must have been fairly young when he started
using that skill, and my brother confirmed, and the interviewer didn't believe him.
My favorite BBS memory is when I got a hard drive for my Commodore 128 and, as hard drivcs were delightfully chirpy and I remember laying in
bed and the modemwould answer and the the led on the hard drive would light up the room like a
flickering cable with its chrips lulling me to sleep.
There is also the mobile barrier... BBS systems are just not designed for mobile interaction.
-- how we used to have to submit jobs on stacks of punched cards.
That's the way it was -- and WE LIKED IT!"
Until you dropped your deck, then not so much.
I found old-school power supply fans to be like white noise, lulling me back to sleep if I woke up in the middle of the night. I'd hear the hard drive chattering and I'd know it was zone mail hour - the board tossing mail from Fidonet.
Andrei Bedelean wrote to All <=-
dude bbses are soo cool like its been decades cince bbses
started and there are still online bbses thats soo Coool!!!!
I think it's safe to assume that sysops are typically those who don't
get the hint that it's time to go home when the party's over. :)
... Do nothing for as long as possibleThe party is never over, it just moves on.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
Synchronet .: realitycheckbbs.org :: scientia potentia est :.
mobile interaction.
As it should be. You want the true BBS experience, that "vide", use a real computer; desktop, laptop, even a Surface or Linux tablet will work.
Mortar wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
Until you dropped your deck, then not so much.
| Sysop: | Reppard |
|---|---|
| Location: | Barbourville, KY |
| Users: | 5 |
| Nodes: | 4 (0 / 4) |
| Uptime: | 2555:11:55 |
| Calls: | 34 |
| Messages: | 10,992 |
