• Early 90s Fido

    From Aaron Thomas@1:275/99 to All on Sat Jan 30 15:55:34 2021
    In 1990, I learned how to use BBSs.

    Eventually I began sysoping my first lamer board, and shortly after I was trying to advertise my BBS on Fido (Maybe 1991.) I might have been cocky, because I was a kid, and someone complained about me swearing. (I was a bad kid!)

    Does anybody remember my name from that time? (31 years ago? Probably not!)

    Or, does anybody remember any BBSs from 607?

    We had The Projects, The Sanitarium, Cascara Segrada, Wicked World (mine,) but I don't remember who it was that carried Fido - Fido was a rare thing for sysops in my hometown.

    I ran RG in the 90s, quit for 20 years, came back to it. I just learned how to use echomail recently. It's always cool talking with Fido people. There are a lot of nice people. I bet that some of you guys have been at it for a while.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Aaron Thomas on Sun Jan 31 01:45:06 2021
    Aaron Thomas wrote to All <=-

    I ran RG in the 90s, quit for 20 years, came back to it. I just learned how to use echomail recently. It's always cool talking with Fido
    people. There are a lot of nice people. I bet that some of you guys
    have been at it for a while.

    I first was on a BBS in 1983 but I really didn't get into them until
    1989 as a user. It wasn't until 1996 that I had a chance to set up my
    first BBS. I've used a LOT of BBS software over the years but I have
    settled on Maximus/2 though I do experiement and test MBSE BBS software
    under Devuan Linux. I started out as a point in Fidonet in 1996 and
    became a node in 1997 and have been here pretty much ever since.

    I started my own FTN network, The Micronet Information Network, on
    Septemeber 1, 2000, and continue to do so to this day.

    I have been running a BBS now for very nearly half of my life.

    Later,
    Sean

    ... WinErr 001: Windows loaded - System in danger
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (1:18/200)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:275/99 to Sean Dennis on Sun Jan 31 13:14:26 2021
    I first was on a BBS in 1983 but I really didn't get into them until
    1989 as a user. It wasn't until 1996 that I had a chance to set up my

    For me, BBSs were kinda hard to use even by 1990. It wasn't until I started calling Renegade boards (maybe around 1995) that I learned how to appreciate message bases.

    You started around 1983 - but at that time, was there Fidonet? Or was there even a decent message base system around? I guess Telegard was ok for
    messaging but I just couldn't learn to deal with WC! or PCBoards. They were
    for file leeching only!

    I think early versions of Telegard didn't have an option to "clear screen between messages," and that was and still is a very desirable option for me.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Sun Jan 31 14:01:00 2021
    Does anybody remember my name from that time? (31 years ago? Probably not!)

    Have you changed names? :)

    Mike


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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to SEAN DENNIS on Sun Jan 31 14:02:00 2021
    I have been running a BBS now for very nearly half of my life.

    I have been now for over half of mine. Where does the time go? :(

    Mike

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  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Aaron Thomas on Sun Jan 31 17:47:02 2021
    Aaron Thomas wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    You started around 1983 - but at that time, was there Fidonet? Or was there even a decent message base system around? I guess Telegard was ok for messaging but I just couldn't learn to deal with WC! or PCBoards.
    They were for file leeching only!

    Fidonet didn't exist yet. Nearly all BBSes were islands unto
    themselves. I'm sure there were rudimentary message networks then but I
    didn't know about them.

    I think early versions of Telegard didn't have an option to "clear
    screen between messages," and that was and still is a very desirable option for me.

    <opinion>
    While Tim Strike did a lot for Telegard, he made bizarre choices also,
    such as not supporting *.MSG (SDM) message bases and not ever fixing
    several issues that he knew about because of his "principles". I once contacted him about purchasing TG's source code and he gave me a huge
    laundry list of excuses, not reasons, of why he couldn't do that. He
    didn't want to admit that as soon as he graduated college and started
    making money, he couldn't care less about the BBS scene.
    </opinion>

    That's why I stopped using Telegard though I -really- loved it and many
    of its features. I switched to Maximus which admittedly is not the
    easiest BBS in the world to set up and configure but once it's running,
    it's incredibly stable. Like I said earlier, I've used a lot of BBS
    software but now with my poor health, I just don't have the energy or
    desire to learn something new.

    I hope to keep running a BBS for a while longer unless something
    changes. I have thought about, when I can, buying a small motorhome and travelling around the US full-time. If that happened, I'd probably shut
    the BBS down and give my FTN network to someone else to run. I'd still
    keep in touch with offline mail though; even after all of these years,
    QWK still works for me.

    Later,
    Sean

    ... Forty isn't considered old if you're a tree.
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (1:18/200)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Mike Powell on Sun Jan 31 17:48:04 2021
    Mike Powell wrote to SEAN DENNIS <=-

    I have been now for over half of mine. Where does the time go? :(

    I don't think either of us wants to answer that question as we may not
    like the answer, sadly.

    Later,
    Sean

    ... Disco is to music what Etch-A-Sketch is to art.
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (1:18/200)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Sean Dennis on Sun Jan 31 19:24:00 2021
    Hello Sean!

    ** On Sunday 31.01.21 - 17:47, Sean Dennis wrote to Aaron Thomas:

    I hope to keep running a BBS for a while longer unless
    something changes. I have thought about, when I can,
    buying a small motorhome and travelling around the US full-
    time. If that happened, I'd probably shut the BBS down and
    give my FTN network to someone else to run. I'd still keep
    in touch with offline mail though; even after all of these
    years, QWK still works for me.

    When you hit the road, couldn't you just host the ftn bbs/
    network on a VPS?

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.48
    * Origin: Does photographic memory take time to develop? (2:221/1.58)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Mike Powell on Sun Jan 31 19:05:00 2021
    Mike,

    Does anybody remember my name from that time? (31 years ago? Probably not!)

    Have you changed names? :)

    That's like the guy saying "I'm going to be Frank"...and his name
    is George. <G>

    Or, 2 signs you know it's going to be a bad day.

    1) You put your bra on backwards, and it fits better. <G> I want to
    know what happens to an 18 hour bra after 18 hours?? <BG>

    2) Your wife says "Good morning, Bill"...and your name is George. :P
    Maybe he's the same one who's going to be "Frank". <G>

    Daryl

    ... WARNING!! This message will explode when deleted.
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  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Mike Powell on Sun Jan 31 19:07:00 2021
    Mike,

    I have been running a BBS now for very nearly half of my life.

    I have been now for over half of mine. Where does the time go? :(

    I started calling other BBS's when I was 25, but didn't start my own
    until I was 30. So, with me being 61 this year, I guess it's over half
    my life as well.

    I guess we're just a bunch of crotchety old f@r+$ -- we used to laugh
    at the older folks...now, we are them. :P

    Daryl

    ... "Good Morning" -- the ultimate oxymoron.
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
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  • From JOE MACKEY@1:123/140 to AARON THOMAS on Mon Feb 1 04:51:36 2021
    Aaron wrote --

    In 1990, I learned how to use BBSs.

    I got my first C64 c. 1985.
    For the first couple of years it was just a glorified typewriter.
    In the late '80s I got a hand me down 300 baud from a friend who got a
    1200 and was online with local boards.
    In the early '90s I learned about GEnie (General Electric Network
    something Exchange) and out into the early days of the Net.
    I moved up step-by-step to a 1200 and eventually a 56k. In '01 I moved
    up to cable. I moved from the Commie to DOS (at work) to Win95 when I got a slightly damaged pc from work. (The case was in sorry shape from an
    accident, but the innards were all good
    By the late '90s local boards were dying off and go did GEnie, which was like CompuServe, only cheaper for the month. But I had to pay for LD since
    no number in town and also charged for time it was used. I forget what it
    was but something like a dollar

    Does anybody remember my name from that time? (31 years ago? Probably not!)

    I can barely remember MY name from 31 years ago. :)

    It's always cool talking with Fido people. There are a
    lot of nice people. I bet that some of you guys have been at it for a while.

    I learned about Memories in the mid 90s and used Blue Wave all the time. With the newer Windows BW was obsolete and didn't work after about Windows
    XP. Or was it 2000?
    I eventually found Doc's Place from a local board post as an option when they shut down and been here a long time.
    Joe
    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
    * Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)
  • From JOE MACKEY@1:123/140 to SEAN DENNIS on Mon Feb 1 05:08:28 2021
    Sean wrote --

    Fidonet didn't exist yet. Nearly all BBSes were islands unto
    themselves. I'm sure there were rudimentary message networks then but I didn't know about them.

    Even into the late '90s I recall some boards were linked with others, one
    by one, into the wider world and there would be posts from someone saying
    they lived in a distant country (usually Europe) and asking if anyone was getting their messages and where th
    To me it was like the early days of what is now ham radio where people
    would say they were speaking from some distant area and could anyone receive them and where they were.
    Joe
    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
    * Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)
  • From JOE MACKEY@1:123/140 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Mon Feb 1 05:24:20 2021
    Aug wrote ---

    In the early times, some sysops were very protective of their
    user base.

    Ah yes, we had those here as well.

    During the dialup days, I would just try to call any
    system that didn't have a busy signal. One tended to be easier
    to connect to than many of the others

    Yep.

    I'd hang around and post messages to find out what other BBSes the users liked to visit.

    At one time we had about 20 boards (that I know of) here in the
    Huntington, WV area.
    A few were open, but several one had to apply to use them. Had to give
    your name, address, age, and so forth then wait for the SYOPS to grant permission and some one could only read (and not reply) for a period of time.
    Some boards were mainly for games, others for this or that field of
    interest, etc.
    I was never into games but more general areas.
    A few offered a little more than just local stuff.
    Not wanting to run up my phone bill and depleting my bank account I
    learned the local university offered free internet access. This was around 1996
    or '97.
    One had to apply, in person, with paperwork, as to why they wanted
    access. It wasn't just to surf. Then the application had to pass through several
    people before it was approved or denied.
    I was about to be denied, since not associated with the university until
    I mentioned a fella's name I was told by him to use and approved. Now
    access is given out like candy at Halloween.
    I also recall the times when academics in their ivoried towers complained about all the peasants were suddenly flooding their sacred places and how horrible that was. :)
    Joe
    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
    * Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)
  • From JOE MACKEY@1:123/140 to DARYL STOUT on Mon Feb 1 05:27:18 2021
    Daryl wrote --

    Or, 2 signs you know it's going to be a bad day.

    1) You put your bra on backwards, and it fits better.

    Or you forget you don't wear one in the first place. :)
    Friend on FB posted one hot summer weekend asking how many of her friends were not going to wear a bra that weekend? I posted I wasn't. :)
    Joe
    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
    * Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:275/99 to Mike Powell on Sun Jan 31 18:08:12 2021
    Does anybody remember my name from that time? (31 years ago? Probably no

    Have you changed names? :)

    No but I'll bet that there were a lot of people breaking Fido rules over the past 3 decades. It would be hard to keep track of them all, I bet!

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:275/99 to Sean Dennis on Mon Feb 1 08:05:12 2021
    such as not supporting *.MSG (SDM) message bases and not ever fixing several issues that he knew about because of his "principles". I once

    But it was still fun to use Telegard and watch it evolve into Renegade. I
    think Renegade was stable enough to leave running for a weekend at least.

    changes. I have thought about, when I can, buying a small motorhome and travelling around the US full-time. If that happened, I'd probably shut

    That sounds nice! I suck at driving, so I might do something similar when I retire, but I'll be traveling on a train or something instead!

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:275/99 to August Abolins on Mon Feb 1 08:16:58 2021
    I came on board to Fidonet in 1993 with Vis a Vis Communications
    BBS. I offered internet email, and QWK for offline reading.

    It was cool when BBSs started offering internet e-mail. It was fututistic and exciting. I found a BBS that offered it too, but of course I didn't have tons of people to send e-mail to back then.

    Prior to all that, I experimented with operating a low key BBS
    for about 3 years using RBBS-PC. It was very tricky at the time

    There were a handful of RBBS boards in my area. Does it support color? I remember those being all monochrome (I think.)

    front-door intercom system to my apartment. Whenever I got a
    buzz at the door, it would interrupt the BBS session currently
    in progress.

    That's funny! When I started out I was using my parents' voice line and was running the BBS from like 10pm-7am, and they had call-waiting, which caused similar issues.

    Back then there were a bunch of BBSs running just at night - looking back,
    that was such a terrible idea!

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:275/99 to JOE MACKEY on Mon Feb 1 08:25:30 2021
    I got my first C64 c. 1985.
    For the first couple of years it was just a glorified typewriter.

    You did better with it than me! I bought a C64 at about the same time, but I couldn't figure out how to do anything with it, not even type & print.

    The PC I bought in 1990 was a breath of fresh air in comparison.

    I moved up step-by-step to a 1200 and eventually a 56k. In '01 I moved

    I remember seeing 56k as an option in my comm program, but I never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually own one - and then toss it in the trash because it's obsolete :)

    I eventually found Doc's Place from a local board post as an option when they shut down and been here a long time.

    There were some boards that were very resilient against the Internet. I shut mine down in 1998 when the calls almost completely stopped.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to August Abolins on Mon Feb 1 16:39:10 2021
    August Abolins wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    When you hit the road, couldn't you just host the ftn bbs/
    network on a VPS?

    Nope, not easily. I use hardware that isn't easily supported virtually.

    Besides, IMNSHO, running a BBS in the cloud on someone else's hardware
    just isn't the same on as running it on your own iron at home.]

    I'd not likely want to spend time putzing with the BBS if I'm on the
    road. Too many other fun things to do and see.

    Later,
    Sean

    ... You get the most of what you need the least.
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (1:18/200)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Joe Mackey on Mon Feb 1 16:42:12 2021
    JOE MACKEY wrote to SEAN DENNIS <=-

    To me it was like the early days of what is now ham radio where
    people would say they were speaking from some distant area and could anyone receive them and where they were.

    I'm sure there were a lot of smaller network topologies back then but
    Fidonet was the one that came out on top. I am also a fan of QWK mail networking also due to its ease of setup and routing.

    Even with ham radio. I'm a radio amateur also. I'm an Extra Class
    licence holder. My callsign is KS4TD.

    73,
    Sean

    ... WinErr 010: Reserved for future mistakes by our developers
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (1:18/200)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Aaron Thomas on Mon Feb 1 16:44:14 2021
    Aaron Thomas wrote to Sean Dennis <=-

    But it was still fun to use Telegard and watch it evolve into Renegade.
    I think Renegade was stable enough to leave running for a weekend at least.

    Renegade's stable. I have the source code here and it successfully
    builds here.

    That sounds nice! I suck at driving, so I might do something similar
    when I retire, but I'll be traveling on a train or something instead!

    I would love to just take my time and explore until I cannot do it
    anymore (which could be at any time).

    Later,
    Sean

    ... A feature is a bug with seniority.
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (1:18/200)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Aaron Thomas on Mon Feb 1 16:59:18 2021
    Aaron Thomas wrote to Mike Powell <=-

    No but I'll bet that there were a lot of people breaking Fido rules
    over the past 3 decades. It would be hard to keep track of them all, I bet!

    There's some people doing that now and pretending that they're getting
    away with it.

    Later,
    Sean

    ... We now return to our regularly scheduled flame-throwing.
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (1:18/200)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Aaron Thomas on Mon Feb 1 17:02:20 2021
    Aaron Thomas wrote to JOE MACKEY <=-

    There were some boards that were very resilient against the Internet. I shut mine down in 1998 when the calls almost completely stopped.

    I've been lucky that I have kept getting callers over the years. Not complaining.

    Later,
    Sean

    ... Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.
    ___ MultiMail/Win v0.52

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (1:18/200)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to SEAN DENNIS on Mon Feb 1 16:22:00 2021
    I have been now for over half of mine. Where does the time go? :(

    I don't think either of us wants to answer that question as we may not
    like the answer, sadly.

    Agreed.

    Mike


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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to SEAN DENNIS on Mon Feb 1 16:32:00 2021
    I hope to keep running a BBS for a while longer unless something
    changes. I have thought about, when I can, buying a small motorhome and travelling around the US full-time. If that happened, I'd probably shut
    the BBS down and give my FTN network to someone else to run. I'd still
    keep in touch with offline mail though; even after all of these years,
    QWK still works for me.

    Traveling has become something I am more wanting to do. Maybe it is the pandemic, but I don't think that is completely it. I have been on more,
    and longer (distance and time) vacations every other year since 2015. I
    have found there are some places and things I really want to see before
    they are gone.

    Mike


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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Mon Feb 1 16:35:00 2021
    Prior to all that, I experimented with operating a low key BBS
    for about 3 years using RBBS-PC. It was very tricky at the time
    since I only used an existing voice line that tied into the
    front-door intercom system to my apartment. Whenever I got a
    buzz at the door, it would interrupt the BBS session currently
    in progress.

    There was an RBBS board that ran in Louisville for several years in the 1980's/90's. It was called Deckmann's Exchange. As a caller, I liked that software. He eventually switched over to GT Power, which is the same
    software I ran back then (and still do).

    In the early times, some sysops were very protective of their
    user base. During the dialup days, I would just try to call any
    system that didn't have a busy signal. One tended to be easier
    to connect to than many of the others - it was some weird 40
    column wide thing and would only connect at 1200 bps. I'd hang
    around and post messages to find out what other BBSes the users
    liked to visit. I'd throw in a few promotional words about my
    own BBS. But during one later call I noticed that my messages
    were deleted and the sysop jumped into chat to tell me that he
    did not approved of advertising of other BBSes. I'll never
    forget that he used the term "persona non grata" to me.

    Sounds like a Commodore board, from the description. There were a lot of
    300 and 1200 baud Commodore boards in Louisville for a time. I never had
    any issues with other sysops not wanting BBS ads posted, though, just as
    long as I put them in the correct message areas. :)

    Mike

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  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AARON THOMAS on Mon Feb 1 16:39:00 2021
    There were a handful of RBBS boards in my area. Does it support color? I remember those being all monochrome (I think.)

    The ones I called supported color. The OPUS boards sometimes didn't.

    Mike


    * SLMR 2.1a * Armadillo: A mouse built to government specs.
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  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Sean Dennis on Mon Feb 1 22:23:00 2021
    Hello Sean!

    ** On Monday 01.02.21 - 16:39, Sean Dennis wrote to August Abolins:

    I'd not likely want to spend time putzing with the BBS if
    I'm on the road. Too many other fun things to do and see.

    Have you thought of what you'd be doing during down-time or on
    rainy days? ;)

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.48
    * Origin: Does photographic memory take time to develop? (2:221/1.58)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to JOE MACKEY on Mon Feb 1 09:01:00 2021
    Joe,

    Or, 2 signs you know it's going to be a bad day.

    1) You put your bra on backwards, and it fits better.

    Or you forget you don't wear one in the first place. :)
    Friend on FB posted one hot summer weekend asking how many of her friends were not going to wear a bra that weekend? I posted I wasn't.
    :)

    They were trying to set you up for a real booby trap...wondering
    if you had the mammaries on the breast of times.

    Hey, it's Monday, and by the time you read this, it's GroundHog Day,
    with weathercaster Bill Murray. <G>

    Daryl

    ... All marriage is same sex: the same sex over and over again.
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
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  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Aaron Thomas on Mon Feb 1 09:02:00 2021
    Aaron,

    That sounds nice! I suck at driving, so I might do something similar
    when I retire, but I'll be traveling on a train or something instead!

    To me, the 2 seasons on the road are winter and construction.
    On an aircraft, you may be closer to Heaven at 30,000 feet, but
    if something happens, you don't have a prayer. On a train, you
    might break your arm or leg coming out of the upper level of a
    car, but you should survive the fall.

    Yet, when "it's your time", there's nothing you can do about it.

    Daryl

    ... When told to delete cookies, I ate another OREO.
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to JOE MACKEY on Mon Feb 1 09:10:00 2021
    Joe,

    By the late '90s local boards were dying off and go did GEnie, which was like CompuServe, only cheaper for the month. But I had to pay for
    LD since no number in town and also charged for time it was used. I forget what it was but something like a dollar

    I was on CompuServe for several years. I think both it and Genie are
    gone now.

    I can barely remember MY name from 31 years ago. :)

    Who are you?? Or are you the one on first?? <G>

    Daryl

    ... Computers make very fast, very accurate mistakes.
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to JOE MACKEY on Mon Feb 1 09:12:00 2021
    Joe,

    To me it was like the early days of what is now ham radio where
    people would say they were speaking from some distant area and could anyone receive them and where they were.

    While there are some "traditional" ham radio operators still using
    the RF frequencies (HF, VHF, and UHF) to communicate locally and worldwide...some modes now are done also over the internet. While
    the "purists" say "any form of internet radio is not ham radio", an
    FCC official noted "We are communicators first, and hams second".

    I have an "internet only" setup, due to not being able to have RF
    gear or antennas here...never mind all the lightning around here
    during thunderstorms. But, I am "on the air", and "my license is not
    just a sheet of paper".

    Daryl, WX4QZ

    ... Never drink and drive. Hitting a bump spills your drink.
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to JOE MACKEY on Mon Feb 1 09:14:00 2021
    Joe,


    At one time we had about 20 boards (that I know of) here in the Huntington, WV area.

    I have a bulletin on the BBS of "long gone Arkansas BBS's". I think
    there are about 3 dozen of them...most were in the Little Rock area.

    I was about to be denied, since not associated with the university
    until I mentioned a fella's name I was told by him to use and approved.

    The local college, the University Of Arkansas At Little Rock, of which
    I'm an alumnus, had a computer BBS at one time...and that's where I was
    first exposed to BBS's. That's also where I met the woman that'd
    eventually become my Co-Sysop, then wife. She passed away nearly 14
    years ago, and I keep the BBS up in her memory.

    Daryl

    ... By The Way, what does BTW stand for?
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Aaron Thomas on Mon Feb 1 09:16:00 2021
    Aaron,

    You did better with it than me! I bought a C64 at about the same time,
    but I couldn't figure out how to do anything with it, not even type & print.

    My first BBS was actually run on a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100
    laptop (it also ran on a Model 102). I no longer have the computer,
    but I still have the software in the BBS files area. It was known
    as "The World's Smallest BBS", with software of Softmail or Mini-Net.
    It just had chat with the Sysop and some messages...no real files or
    doors.

    I remember seeing 56k as an option in my comm program, but I never
    thought I'd see the day when I'd actually own one - and then toss it in the trash because it's obsolete :)

    We thought we were smokin' at 9600, 14.4, or 28.8 back then. <G>
    I still have a US Robotics 56K external fax modem, but it's on a VoIP
    line. I'm using Classic Phone Tools as the fax software, but one can't
    really get faxes on a VoIP line. However, all the analog lines are disappearing. And, if you want one, you better be prepared to "open
    your wallet wide".

    There were some boards that were very resilient against the Internet. I shut mine down in 1998 when the calls almost completely stopped.

    I no longer have dial-up due to cost, plus most days, I'm the only
    "caller". However, I enjoy the time in the message areas, and updating
    the ham radio and weather data.

    Since my car wreck last month, I've had little time to play any of
    the doorgames.

    Daryl

    ... Error: Bad Or Missing Mouse Driver. Blame The Cat?? (Y/n)
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From JOE MACKEY@1:123/140 to AARON THOMAS on Tue Feb 2 08:24:36 2021
    Aaron wrote --

    For the first couple of years it was just a glorified typewriter.

    You did better with it than me! I bought a C64 at about the same time, but I couldn't figure out how to do anything with it, not even type & print.

    At the time that is about all I wanted, or really knew about.
    I started out with a tape drive, which took 15 minutes to load Text Pro. Eventually I got a disc drive which loaded in the blazing fast speed of like two minutes. :)
    Plus with the disc I could save whatever masterpiece I had written.

    I remember seeing 56k as an option in my comm program, but I never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually own one - and then toss it in the trash because it's obsolete :)

    I found a 300 baud some time ago I had saved. Mostly it was a back up in case something happened to the newer one.
    I never thought anything could be faster than 56k. I thought the same
    thing about the 1200, 2400, etc.
    Of course almost everything was text and I always said it didn't really matter the speed since I could read only so fast. :)

    mine down in 1998 when the calls almost completely stopped.

    Traffic around here was about the same in that era.
    It seemed one year locals were all the rage, the following year it was "local boards? What are those?" by the same users.
    Joe
    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
    * Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to JOE MACKEY on Tue Feb 2 08:53:00 2021
    Hello JOE!

    ** On Tuesday 02.02.21 - 08:24, JOE MACKEY wrote to AARON THOMAS:

    ...Of course almost everything was text and I always said
    it didn't really matter the speed since I could read only
    so fast. :)

    That theory only holds so long until you realize that you are
    hogging the phone line for much longer than other people in your
    household might like.

    --
    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.48
    * Origin: Does photographic memory take time to develop? (2:221/1.58)
  • From JOE MACKEY@1:123/140 to SEAN DENNIS on Tue Feb 2 08:48:52 2021
    Sean wrote --

    There's some people doing that now and pretending that they're getting
    away with it.

    Hey, I resemble that remark. :)
    Joe
    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
    * Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)
  • From Charles Pierson@1:106/127 to August Abolins on Tue Feb 2 08:55:10 2021
    On 02 Feb 2021, August Abolins said the following...
    ...Of course almost everything was text and I always said
    it didn't really matter the speed since I could read only
    so fast. :)

    That theory only holds so long until you realize that you are
    hogging the phone line for much longer than other people in your household might like.

    Which fit perfectly with my insomnia. I could do all of the BBS'ing I wanted at 0 dark thirty without people complaining, unless I called a new system
    with that pesky call back verification.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Raspberry Pi/32)
    * Origin: theoasisbbs.ddns.net:1357 (1:106/127)
  • From Bob Roberts@1:218/840 to Aaron Thomas on Tue Feb 2 13:15:24 2021
    That's funny! When I started out I was using my parents' voice line and was running the BBS from like 10pm-7am, and they had call-waiting, which caused similar issues.

    My first board only ran at night on our single voice line. It was around 89/90 maybe, in the San Diego area. There was a local computer magazine, which was printed on folded newsprint and distributed in book stores. I think it was called ComputorEdge. They had a BBS list in there, and there I listed mine with the hours of operation.

    I seem to recall, that for the most part, people obeyed and wouldn't call outside hours. If they did when you answered you could guess it was a modem if there was just silence. I would say something like "The board goes up at 8pm!" or whatever, and hope the person heard it thru their modem speaker.

    Bob Roberts
    --- SBBSecho 3.12-Linux
    * Origin: Halls of Valhalla -:- hovalbbs.com:2333 (1:218/840)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:275/99 to Bob Roberts on Tue Feb 2 18:00:46 2021
    stores. I think it was called ComputorEdge. They had a BBS list in
    there, and there I listed mine with the hours of operation.

    That sounds like a good place to be listed, but I bet your parents were
    pissed!

    I convinced my parents to let me get a phone line, and it only cost an extra $10 on their phone bill. I had it installed in the basement and I turned one
    of the back rooms into a BBS office. I had a sweet desk, a cool black plastic phone from Radio Shack (with white buttons and black numerals).

    More messing around and less productivity was always my style back then.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)
  • From Sean Dennis@1:18/200 to Aaron Thomas on Tue Feb 2 21:04:10 2021
    I convinced my parents to let me get a phone line, and
    it only cost an extra
    $10 on their phone bill. I had it installed in the
    basement and I turned one
    of the back rooms into a BBS office. I had a sweet
    desk, a cool black plastic
    phone from Radio Shack (with white buttons and black numerals).

    I was looking at getting a POTS line for the BBS here and CenturyLink, the only game in town (so much for busting up Ma Bell, right?), wants $50 a month for a barebones basic POTS line. I remember the $10 a month second lines. If I did get a POTS line, I might add "distinctive ring" and just use that line for voice and BBS.

    Later,
    Sean

    --- Maximus/2 3.01
    * Origin: Outpost BBS * bbs.outpostbbs.net:10123 (1:18/200)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Mike Powell on Tue Feb 2 06:18:00 2021
    Mike,

    The ones I called supported color. The OPUS boards sometimes didn't.

    Boy, I haven't heard that in awhile...blow the dust off of it. <G>

    Nowadays, to me, Opus is the penguin in the comic strip "Bloom County"...
    or something Mister Holland created. <G>

    Daryl

    ... Cold winter coming!! I saw a squirrel buying Sterno!
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From JOE MACKEY@1:123/140 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Wed Feb 3 05:57:02 2021
    Aug wrote --
    ...Of course almost everything was text and I always said
    it didn't really matter the speed since I could read only
    so fast. :)

    That theory only holds so long until you realize that you are
    hogging the phone line for much longer than other people in your
    household might like.

    I live alone so that was no problem. :)
    The only problem I has was my boss calling at all hours wanting me to
    fill in a shift (quick-hurry-run) for someone who had called off.
    At one time I was working a 12 hour shift (1800-0600) for about three months. I would download a lot of stuff at home onto the laptop and take that with me to work.
    I discovered after a few days there was only one phone line and was able
    to take my 56k with me, disconnect their phone and download what I could,
    then plug the clients phone back in after about 10 minutes. The phone never rang during those hours. If some
    That was the only time I put a real time limit on phone usage.
    Joe
    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
    * Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)
  • From JOE MACKEY@1:123/140 to BOB ROBERTS on Wed Feb 3 06:08:44 2021
    Bob wrote --

    They had a BBS list in there, and there I listed mine with the hours of operation.

    Around here finding a BBS was like looking for NSA secrets.
    I had heard about boards and took a couple of months of asking questions
    for information on them. Just a name and number was tough to come by.
    And when I found one I had to fill out an application which had to be approved by the sysop. Some were totally restricted, others were read only until approved.
    Eventually I found one that listed others in the area and one would have
    a link the other board didn't, etc.
    Sometimes a sysop wouldn't let one join if they were a member of a rival board.
    And some where better than others, IMO. I wasn't interested in games
    and considered game boards of no interest. Some users only wanted games and nothing else. So it all came out in the wash.
    Joe
    --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
    * Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:275/99 to Sean Dennis on Wed Feb 3 14:00:56 2021
    I was looking at getting a POTS line for the BBS here and CenturyLink,
    the only game in town (so much for busting up Ma Bell, right?), wants
    $50 a month for a barebones basic POTS line. I remember the $10 a month

    $50 might be a bargain. I tried Verizon and AT&T and they both want $70 (includes unlimited calling in the USA.)

    Spectrum Cable supposedly will give us VOIP for $30 but VOIP lines seem less reliable to me.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to JOE MACKEY on Tue Feb 2 23:46:00 2021
    Joe,

    There's some people doing that now and pretending that they're getting
    away with it.

    Hey, I resemble that remark. :)

    Braggert. <g,d,r>

    Daryl

    ... Please no deja vu...I've been through this before.
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Sean Dennis on Wed Feb 3 00:00:00 2021
    Sean,

    I was looking at getting a POTS line for the BBS here and CenturyLink,
    the only game in town (so much for busting up Ma Bell, right?), wants
    $50 a month for a barebones basic POTS line. I remember the $10 a
    month second lines. If I did get a POTS line, I might add "distinctive ring" and just use that line for voice and BBS.

    Too bad one can't have the VoIP lines work over a 56K USR Fax Modem for dial-up. But, the analog lines are at least $50 or more...and when you can
    get a MagicJack line for $50 a year, the phone company can't touch that.

    With the magenta 55 deal from T-Mobile, I get a cellphone with talk and
    text, and a data line with their adapter for $35 a month. I am paying quite
    a bit more for a Verizon cellphone, but I also have a Verizon Mi-Fi with unlimited data...which I use during ham radio traffic nets...as the Comcast Xfinity has a tendency to quit during the nets.

    Daryl, WX4QZ

    ... Officer, the stop sign was green when I went through it!!
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:275/99 to August Abolins on Thu Feb 4 00:38:34 2021
    The very earliest versions were probably monochrome. But I
    don't remember any distinctive limitation in colour in the

    RBBS boards disappeared fast in the later half of the 90s in my area. It would be fun to log in to one now, with whatever updates they've had since I last seen them. Does anyone run RBBS now?

    I think Call-waiting could be disabled for the duration of an
    outbound call that you initiated, but it couldn't be disabled if

    Yes, by dialing *82 (or something like that) it would disable call-waiting on the outbound calls, which was convenienet for file leeching sessions :)

    I think I ran into something similar with my phone service. I
    ended up cancelling call-waiting. It was more of a nuisance than

    I don't like call-waiting on my voice line. I could be talking with somebody, and the call-waiting tones muffle the person I'm trying to listen to. And you're right - if it's important, they can try again later!

    I later opted for a distinctive-ring service which provided a
    separate phone number on the same phone line. I had a little box

    That's high tech! I never knew about this. But really, it's bad to mix the voice line with other stuff. People would NEVER pay attention to Hours of Operation.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:275/99 to August Abolins on Thu Feb 4 19:51:34 2021
    ..and click on the Software link, it will list the registered
    BBSes by software. There is one RBBS-PC listed.

    Thanks! That's a nice list they have there. I was able to download RBBS
    itself from that website so now I can get a feel for what it's like to be an RBBS sysop.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to DARYL STOUT on Wed Feb 3 13:35:00 2021
    The ones I called supported color. The OPUS boards sometimes didn't.

    Boy, I haven't heard that in awhile...blow the dust off of it. <G>

    Nowadays, to me, Opus is the penguin in the comic strip "Bloom County"... or something Mister Holland created. <G>

    IIRC, Opus the BBS software was named after Opus of Bloom County fame.

    Mike


    * SLMR 2.1a * It it ain't broke, let me have a shot at it.
    --- SBBSecho 3.12-Linux
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Mike Powell on Fri Feb 5 15:58:00 2021
    Mike,

    Nowadays, to me, Opus is the penguin in the comic strip "Bloom County"... or something Mister Holland created. <G>

    IIRC, Opus the BBS software was named after Opus of Bloom County fame.

    There was a comic strip (I have the file over here) of where Opus walks
    into a Burger King restaurant. He wants a herring whopper with cheese...
    but "hold the head". The caricature of the employee looked a lot like me
    years ago. <G>

    Daryl

    ... No Virus Found. AARRGGHH!! I've got the No Virus!!
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Aaron Thomas@1:275/99 to Daryl Stout on Sat Feb 6 12:45:46 2021
    There was a comic strip (I have the file over here) of where Opus walks into a Burger King restaurant. He wants a herring whopper with cheese... but "hold the head". The caricature of the employee looked a lot like me years ago. <G>

    That joke is kinda hilarious! People who eat fish heads are easy targets.

    A long time ago, me & a friend were eating at a Chinese buffet and he had crawfish on his plate. I don't know anything about crawfish, but I couldn't help but notice they had heads on.

    After we were done eating, I told him "You're gross for eating crawfish
    heads!" and he was like "What? They had heads on them?" and I was like "Yea!" and he was like "They tasted bad!" lol

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
    * Origin: CompuBBS | Ashburn VA | cfbbs.scinet-ftn.org (1:275/99)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to DARYL STOUT on Sat Feb 6 10:42:00 2021
    There was a comic strip (I have the file over here) of where Opus walks into a Burger King restaurant. He wants a herring whopper with cheese...
    but "hold the head". The caricature of the employee looked a lot like me years ago. <G>

    I have a vague memory of that one. I will have to get the books out and
    look it up. :)

    Mike


    * SLMR 2.1a * My other vehicle is a Galaxy Class Starship
    --- SBBSecho 3.12-Linux
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Mike Powell on Sat Feb 6 21:22:00 2021
    Mike,

    There was a comic strip (I have the file over here) of where Opus walks into a Burger King restaurant. He wants a herring whopper with cheese...
    but "hold the head". The caricature of the employee looked a lot like me years ago. <G>

    I have a vague memory of that one. I will have to get the books out
    and look it up. :)

    If you'll send me an email reminder, I'll send it to you...it'll be
    faster that way.

    Daryl

    ... Flies spread disease. Keep yours zipped, please.
    === MultiMail/Win v0.52
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)