Certainly, I'm a 00s kid and I've certainly never have had the chance to experience BBSes in their heyday, I pretty much got introduced straight into the internet around 2007-2008. I do think that there's a certain charm in BBSes, it's more "raw" presentation as compared to the highly graphic filled, attention-grabbing, internet of today.
Still getting my grips into the whole thing but so far I'm enjoying it.
I am a total newbie to this whole scene too. I was completely unaware BBSes existed until around April 2020, which is a little strange as I was born around the mid-80s. I am here for the charm too... sure BBSes are
quite unweildy, and the way in which the messeges appear in chronological order (in no way related to the topics being discussed thereby encouraging the user to read EVERYTHING) is hilarious...
sure BBSes are quite unweildy, the way in which the messeges appear in chronological order (in no way rel to the topics being discussed thereby encouraging the user to read EVERYTHING is hilarious...
I don't think that's quite unique to BBSes. When I started using the intern in 1995, I used to read newsgroups sometimes, and in a newsgroup reader like Forte Agent, messages in newsgroups were often listed the same way. If you unfamiliar, you could probably find a copy of Forte Agent or another news reader somewhere and connect it to a Synchronet BBS (Synchronet supports the newsgroup protocol) and see how it works. Many desktop email programs used also support newsgroups, such as Mozilla Thunderbird (though I'm not sure if still does).
Nightfox
(in no way related to the topics being discussed thereby encouraging the user to read EVERYTHING)
I was born in 1980 and grew up using computers. So it seems strange to hear someone from around the same time never knew about BBSes.. But at the same time, my dad was a computer person, so I learned a lot about computers at a time when I think many people didn't know much about computers. Computers used to be a lot more niche back then.
I don't think that's quite unique to BBSes. When I started using the internet in 1995, I used to read newsgroups sometimes, and in a newsgroup reader like Forte Agent, messages in newsgroups were often listed the same way. If you are unfamiliar, you could probably find a copy of Forte Agent or another news reader somewhere and connect it to a Synchronet BBS (Synchronet supports the newsgroup protocol) and see how it works. Many desktop email programs used to also support newsgroups, such as Mozilla Thunderbird (though I'm not sure if it still does).
Couple that with the fact that the subject line almost always has nothing to do with what is being discussed, and you're right, you have to read everything to keep up with any given conversation.
Jay
I didn't have access to the internet until '97. All I ever knew was the world wide web. I had heard of precursors to the internet such as ARPANET however never paid any heed to the history of computer networks until I became interested in vintage computers.
I'll take a look into Forte Agent as you've piqued my interest... I have seen newsgroups on Synchronet, with news appearing much like these messages, if that's what you mean.
That's part of the reason I like it so much. I'd normally skip 90% of active threads on forums, whereas with this I feel like I have to read everything just to remain informed.
On 08-02-20 08:59, Arelor wrote to Nightfox <=-
Thinderbird supports Usenet groups nowadays. There was a cool Linux Magazine article about it. The guy who wrote it is very handsome and
has a very special horse smell.
On 08-02-20 08:58, Atroxi wrote to Andeddu <=-ser
@VIA: VERT
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Andeddu to atroxi on Sat Aug 01 2020 10:13 pm
(in no way related to the topics being discussed thereby encouraging the
to read EVERYTHING)
Yeah, this is exactly the part that I was also struggling a bit. It
takes a while getting used to reading and tracking the discussion down.
I find myself using the tree mode often due to that.
On 08-02-20 09:43, Mauro Veiga wrote to ANDEDDU <=-
I am a total newbie to this whole scene too. I was completely unaware BBSes existed until around April 2020, which is a little strange as I
was born around the mid-80s. I am here for the charm too... sure BBSes
Try to use an offline QWK reader like Multimail or Bluewave. You
download a QWK package and read / write messages offline choosing
to
show by topic or other option.
It is a new step in the BBS experience where you can develop ASCII
signatures and tagline files. Things that have always been part
On 08-02-20 18:38, Andeddu wrote to Nightfox <=-
I didn't have access to the internet until '97. All I ever knew was the world wide web. I had heard of precursors to the internet such as
ARPANET however never paid any heed to the history of computer networks until I became interested in vintage computers.
Around '99 when I became a more casual user, forums were fairly similar
in format to today -- with different threads, etc... I had never come across anything similar to BBSes on the world wide web.
I'll take a look into Forte Agent as you've piqued my interest... I
have seen newsgroups on Synchronet, with news appearing much like these messages, if that's what you mean.
On 08-02-20 18:43, Andeddu wrote to Warpslide <=-
That's part of the reason I like it so much. I'd normally skip 90% of active threads on forums, whereas with this I feel like I have to read everything just to remain informed.
On 08-02-20 15:04, Nightfox wrote to Andeddu <=-
I could see that happening sometimes. It seemed like computers were
more niche back then. Not everyone had a computer at home, though computers were becoming more common. My dad was always into computers,
so I grew up using his computers. I got my own hand-me-down computer,
as well as a modem, in 1992, and I started calling BBSes right away. I started my own BBS a couple years later. One time in 1994, I was
telling a friend of mine at school that I run a BBS and he said "What's
a BBS?". I was a little surprised..
I'll take a look into Forte Agent as you've piqued my interest... I have seen newsgroups on Synchronet, with news appearing much like these messages, if that's what you mean.
"Newsgroup" is just a name for a message area set up on a server using
the NNTP protocol. It's much like BBS message forums, except
newsgroups were available on the internet, so they were accessible anywhere (as opposed to BBSes back then, which tended to have a lot of local callers due to being used on phone lines).
On 08-02-20 11:36, Ogg wrote to All <=-
Before newsgroups were commonplace for me, I joined mailing lists.
Sifting through several of them soon became quite tedious though. I
was not versed in sorting emails very well. :(
Today's echos could effectively be a mailing list of their own with a subject line that includes the echotag. But a reply into a mailing
list would need to be massaged to look nicer.
Has anyone experimented with using the mailing-list format to feed echomail? With some basic filtering on incoming email, it would be
pretty easy to park incoming mailing list messages in subfolders.
On 08-03-20 00:21, Underminer wrote to Ogg <=-
@VIA: VERT/UNDRMINE
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Ogg to All on Sun Aug 02 2020 11:36 am
Has anyone experimented with using the mailing-list format to feed echomail? With some basic filtering on incoming email, it would be pretty easy to park incoming mailing list messages in subfolders.
Interesting. I've never thought about it, but I do have an email
parsing system I wrote to handle ticketing for business that might do
the trick.... ---
On 08-02-20 08:58, Atroxi wrote to Andeddu <=-
@VIA: VERT
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Andeddu to atroxi on Sat Aug 01 2020 10:13 pm
(in no way related to the topics being discussed thereby encouraging theser
to read EVERYTHING)
Yeah, this is exactly the part that I was also struggling a bit. It takes a while getting used to reading and tracking the discussion down. I find myself using the tree mode often due to that.
I do that in my head, works better than a threaded reader. :D
... hAS ANYONE SEEN MY cAPSLOCK KEY?
Yeah, this is exactly the part that I was also struggling a bit. It takes a while getting used to reading and tracking the discussion down. I find myself using the tree mode often due to that.
I was an early adopter. My parents bought a computer so I could do university assignments at home, which I made good use of. Dad tried to learn how to use it, but couldn't get his head around it. That was in 1986. But when I left home in 1991, I built an XT out of scrounged parts. Started BBSing at 300 bps using a friend's dumb modem, until I bought a modem at the end of the hear for a slab of beer. That upgraded me to 1200, and 2400 followed shorly after. :)
Newsgroups were great back then, though BBSs always had a closer community feel about them.
Try to use an offline QWK reader like Multimail or Bluewave. You
download a QWK package and read / write messages offline choosing to
show by topic or other option.
It is a new step in the BBS experience where you can develop ASCII
signatures and tagline files. Things that have always been part of
the BBS culture.
I could see that happening sometimes. It seemed like computers were more niche back then. Not everyone had a computer at home, though computers were becoming more common.
My dad was always into computers, so I grew up using his computers. I got my own hand-me-down computer, as well as a modem, in 1992, and I started calling BBSes right away. I started my own BBS a couple years later. One time in 1994, I was telling a friend of mine at school that I run a BBS and he said "What's a BBS?". I was a little surprised..
It's probably not strange at all. BBS operators have never really waved
the flag to say "Look over here! I exist too!" A listing into telnetbbsguide might be as far as it goes. :(
Messaging live on BBSes has always been awkward (different keyboard
commands from BBS to BBS to navigate the message bases, etc.) An offline method is a user's friend: QWK, nntp, a point program.
In contrast, I always had an interest in communication technology - phones, intercoms, radio, computer networking, and of course, modems and BBSs. Got my ham ticket in 1989, started BBSing in 1991, still do both today, though I did have a 15-20 year break from BBSing, but ham radio continued right through to this day (and is now a godsend during the pandemic). BBSs rekindled my interest in computers, by giving me a practical communication use for them. :)
That's pretty awesome you had a modem back in '92... I remember when I was around 12 running up a massive 70 pound phone bill and being subsequently banned from the internet for the rest of the year.
What's the reason for someone today using a QWK reader as the majority
of BBSers are on Telnet and not utilising dial-up modems? As I
understood, someone in the 80s or 90s would tie up the phone line
which would necessitate the use of an offline reader... but this is no longer true. I am just curious :P.
In any case, I am using a vintage '84 Mac to BBS so I don't think
there are any compatible offline readers for it.
I am using 80s tech in the form of a Mac to BBS on... perhaps once the novelty wares off *and if I am still invested in BBSes* I shall install these QoL programmes onto my PC.
I had no idea what Ham Radio was until a week ago. I checked out a video on YouTube and saw a guy send a message on his radio, not dissimilar to a BBS. Interesting stuff!
In any case, I am using a vintage '84 Mac to BBS so I don't thinkLook around. Ask around.
there are any compatible offline readers for it.
Alternatively, maybe you can utilize the NNTP approach.
What's the reason for someone today using a QWK reader as the majority of BBSers are on Telnet and not utilising dial-up modems? As I understood,
I think by the time I got online back in '97, the hayday of BBSes had come and gone. I was using the likes of ICQ, mIRC, etc.., for chatting along
it nicer to use Multimail. Lastly, if I stop and walk away from the computer, I don't get disconnected. Most BBS's have short session timeouts, so you get disconnected if you are not constantly typing away.
I think it's different in different parts of the world, but around that time when I got my PC, local calls were free. I rarely made any long-distance calls, so I usually didn't increase the phone bill. I was grateful that my parents got a 2nd phone line for me to use with my computer & modem so I wouldn't tie up the main phone line (also, sometimes they said my modem would apparently answer the phone occasionally when it wasn't supposed to..). And when I got my own phone line for my PC, I decided to make good use of it and run my own BBS.
One of the early ones was Vivid Media. I had a bunch of friends who
worked there, and this was early on in the internet era, when people
had 1 work address and most people didn't have internet at home (or
they had dialup)
People who left the company still kept their web pages at http://www.vivid.com/~username and their email addresses. They
underwent a hostile takeover by one of their competitors, who promptly dumped the company name and the domain name.
Vivid Studios, the porn site, took over vivid.com, and people's legacy
web sites redirected to the home page of a porn company.
Aside: we forget how early porn was on the internet - long before we
were. My wife worked at a webcasting company from 1999 to 2016. They started off as a streaming news site with their own newsroom and journalists, and in the early days most of the engineering talent
came from the "adult entertainment" sector.
I don't think we ever had local calls for free over here. I doubt I would have noticed anyway as I was never involved in any chat community around that time & I doubt there were any local gaming servers I could log into as online gaming back then was still in its infancy.
I find that a bit unusual, as HAM radio has been around for decades. HAM radio is one of the types of mobile/walkie-talkie radios you may have seen some people using in their car/truck, or desk radios you may have seen people using, similar to CB (citizen's band) radio. My dad is a HAM radio operator though, so it's something I grew up hearing about. I've thought about getting a HAM radio license, but I just haven't studied for it or taken the tests yet.
Yeah, porn has been around since the BBS days..
Nightfox
It wasn't just chat & games. In those days, I spent a lot of time looking for games, PC utilities, and other files to download from BBSes, and at 2400 baud, a ~200KB file could take about 15-20 minutes to download. And
I have a strong belief that Ham radio is more of an American thing. I had previously never heard of it & nobody I have ever spoke to has mentioned it. I don't know anyone, perhaps outside of the trucking community who uses one... I really don't think it's a THING in the UK. It's certainly not mainstream, which is a shame as it looks like a useful tool.
nope, that was what many call 'the third wave'
that's when it was super popular with new blood for a short while before it fizzed out.
I find that a bit unusual, as HAM radio has been around for decades.I have a strong belief that Ham radio is more of an American thing. I had previously never heard of it & nobody I have ever spoke to has mentioned
That seems to be true. However I'm not sure I see the big connection between BBSing and HAM radio.
On 08-05-20 09:58, Mauro Veiga wrote to VK3JED <=-
Yes! The hard CRs probably was the Boxer/DOS 7.0b. A great
editor
that match fine with Bluewave.
Yes! And the text screen with ANSI colors is a pleasure for the
eyes.
... "Engineering is easy, it's reading Klingon that's hard" Scotty
Haha yep - ST IV - The Voyage Home. :)
Great movie.
Klingon Bird of Prey - B'Rel Class
_ ________
_,-'|`||||||||_\___ _,-,_
| /_`-'||||||||' \\-____/_ __o`-,
|[__<|_|||||||| -----.______(=====/
|_\ \------'\____/--------\_,-'
`\`. \-'
\ \ \
`\`. \`
\ `-.__\
\______\
| ___\
\(___======][]
`--"
24
MeSSaGe SiTTeR 1.00 - Full Version
Live Long and Prosper
... Captain, a Klingon does NOT play Tetris.
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Underminer to Andeddu on Wed Aug 05 2020 04:53 pm
I don't know how prevalent it is comparatively in the UK, but I think the bigger reason most of us folks feel like HAM is something most people should be aware o
is that there used to be a reasonable crossover of HAMs and BBS users, so many of us have been very exposed to it being a thing whether we took up a radio or not
That seems to be true. However I'm not sure I see the big connection between BBSing and HAM radio.
Nightfox
Yeah, in my neck of the woods ~98-2001 was a completely dead period, then there was a huge surge around 2001-2005 when telnet access was the hot thing and Mt32 was nicely portable and something you could just chuck at a
I didn't chat much on BBS's back then, and didn't really message much either. One reason was that some were single line, so there was no one to chat to. The other was that being at home, I had to be wary of hogging the
I did used to chat with a friend via modem, but not on a BBS. We would dial direct using Telix.
MT32? I'm thinking of the Roland MT-32 music synthesizer module, but I'm not sure that's what you mean.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_MT-32
Sorry, Mtel32 not MT32. Brain fart. It was a really ubiquitous terminal program for a while, and really easy to distribute and run since all it needed was the .exe, but if you included a dialing directory or config in the same directory it would read it.
On 08-07-20 11:13, Dennisk wrote to Nightfox <=-
The ability to connect directly modem-modem is probably what I miss
most about modems. Being able to chat directly, send files directly.
It's odd how in the era of always on broadband, we can't really do this easily, and resort to dropbox, etc.
Vk3jed wrote to Dennisk <=-
On 08-07-20 11:13, Dennisk wrote to Nightfox <=-
The ability to connect directly modem-modem is probably what I miss
most about modems. Being able to chat directly, send files directly.
It's odd how in the era of always on broadband, we can't really do this easily, and resort to dropbox, etc.
That was fun in those days. It's theoretically possible, but no one's bothered to write the applications.
The ability to connect directly modem-modem is probably what I miss most about modems. Being able to chat directly, send files directly. It's odd how in the era of always on broadband, we can't really do this easily, and resort to dropbox, etc.
The ability to connect directly modem-modem is probably what I miss
most about modems. Being able to chat directly, send files
directly. It's odd how in the era of always on broadband, we can't
really do this easily, and resort to dropbox, etc.
That was fun in those days. It's theoretically possible, but no one's bothered to write the applications.
Many of the popular instant messengers are either gone or stripped of many of their features though. MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and I think AOL Messenger are no longer working, and ICQ is not nearly what it used to be. There are things like Google Hangouts, but I'm not sure if they allow direct file transfers.
MSN Messenger is basically Skype now, that allows direct file transfers.
Believe it or not, Facebook Messenger will allow you to send a file as well, although it's really geared towards images, I believe you can still send a zip file.
Jabber is an Open Source instant messaging system, and does require a central server (kind of like a BBS, as it's mostly independent), but you can do file transfers with that as well.
Google Hangouts are going away Soon<tm>. I mean, technically it's transitioning to "Google Meet" or something, geared towards business clients.
That said, things like Slack, Discord, HipChat, IRC, etc. allow one-on-one private messages with file transfers as well.
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Dennisk to Nightfox on Fri Aug 07 2020 11:13 am
The ability to connect directly modem-modem is probably what I miss mos about modems. Being able to chat directly, send files directly. It's od how in the era of always on broadband, we can't really do this easily, resort to dropbox, etc.
It always seemed to me that you could send files directly with instant messg programs like Yahoo Messgnger, MSN Messenger, ICQ, etc., but now it seems li most of those are gone.. But these days, there is Google Hangouts, and Pidg Messenger is still around. You should still be able to chat with people usi such software and send files that way, I'd think. Though I think some chat software these days will upload your file to a temporary server location unt the recipient is online to download it.
Nightfox
Don't forget IRC. AFAIK it allowed direct transfer between IRC clients.
I don't think it's true that it's mainly an American thing.. My dad is a HAM radio operator, and I've known other HAM radio people, who have talked to people all around the world on HAM radio. I remember my dad mentioning there used to be people in Australia that he'd talk to on HAM radio, and other places too. That was one of the cool things about it - There are HAM radio repeaters that will forward your signal all over the place.
HAM radio certainly doesn't seem to be nearly as popular as it used to be, which may be why you haven't heard about it. But it's a worldwide thing. I actually don't know a whole lot of people into HAM radio, maybe just my dad and one other person, but it's still a thing.
Nightfox wrote to Dennisk <=-
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Dennisk to Nightfox on Fri Aug 07 2020 11:13 am
The ability to connect directly modem-modem is probably what I miss most about modems. Being able to chat directly, send files directly. It's odd how in the era of always on broadband, we can't really do this easily, and resort to dropbox, etc.
It always seemed to me that you could send files directly with instant messger programs like Yahoo Messgnger, MSN Messenger, ICQ, etc., but
now it seems like most of those are gone.. But these days, there is Google Hangouts, and Pidgin Messenger is still around. You should
still be able to chat with people using such software and send files
that way, I'd think. Though I think some chat software these days will upload your file to a temporary server location until the recipient is online to download it.
Nightfox wrote to Arelor <=-
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Arelor to Nightfox on Fri Aug 07 2020 03:55 pm
It always seemed to me that you could send files directly with instant
messg programs like Yahoo Messgnger, MSN Messenger, ICQ, etc., but now
it seems li most of those are gone.. But these days, there is Google
Don't forget IRC. AFAIK it allowed direct transfer between IRC clients.
IRC seems like it's in a whole different class though.. IRC does chat rooms and isn't just a 1-on-1 instant messenger.
Nightfox
That is what is missing, a basic program where if you only know an IP address you can connect to someone else and chat/send files, etc.
Maybe you would add an authentical layer, public a public connection
and encryption, but effectively the same.
You can still do it, but its all indirect, mediated by a server. I think we need a terminal-terminal mode in programs like Qodem and Syncterm, where you can do a direct connect, and chat and send files.
Minicom can do it, but it doesn't support TCP. Telix can do it, over TCP with DOS, but its a bit of a hassle.
Security is an issue, you need some authentication. Also, you need to know the IP address, and some ISPs (like Telstra in Australia) don't give you a public IP address.
I just miss the simplicity of the direct dial.
IRC, Facebook, Skype, MSN Messenger, Jabber, ICQ are not the same as the direct dial. They all require a configured server and/or a third party
Can you connect client to client with IRC?
IRC, Facebook, Skype, MSN Messenger, Jabber, ICQ are not the same as the dir dial. They all require a configured server and/or a third party moderated account. You can't just install Skype on two machines and connect, you have create accounts with Microsoft.
That is what is missing, a basic program where if you only know an IP addres you can connect to someone else and chat/send files, etc. Maybe you would a an authentical layer, public a public connection and encryption, but effectively the same.
Something like Minicom/Telix using an SSH tunnel.
Can you connect client to client with IRC?
... MultiMail, the new multi-platform, multi-format offline reader!
That said, things like Slack, Discord, HipChat, IRC, etc. allow
one-on-one private messages with file transfers as well.
Things like Slack, Discord, and IRC seem in a different league all their own compared to the more simple one-on-one instant messenger clients.
Many of the popular instant messengers are either gone or stripped of many of their features though. MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and I think AOL Messenger are no longer working, and ICQ is not nearly what it used to be. There are things like Google Hangouts, but I'm not sure if they allow direct file transfers.
A lot of modern instant messengers are designed for mobile, now. WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, etc. Heck, every mobile phone has some sort of text messaging, which is really just instant messaging between phone numbers (and capable of transferring media files)
Many of the popular instant messengers are either gone or stripped of
many of their features though. MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and I
think AOL Messenger are no longer working, and ICQ is not nearly what
it used to be. There are things like Google Hangouts, but I'm not sure
if they allow direct file transfers.
People tend to use IMs on their phone now, hence the popularity of WhatsApp.
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: DaiTengu to Nightfox on Sat Aug 08 2020 04:39 pm
A lot of modern instant messengers are designed for mobile, now. WhatsA Telegram, Facebook Messenger, etc. Heck, every mobile phone has some so of text messaging, which is really just instant messaging between phone numbers (and capable of transferring media files)
I've heard WhatsApp and similar messengers are so popular in some countries that people just use those and might never use SMS text messenging.
Nightfox
On 08-08-20 21:39, Dennisk wrote to Vk3jed <=-
Might base it on Minicom, as it has most of the functionality already.
On 08-08-20 21:08, Nightfox wrote to Andeddu <=-
There is a WhatsApp desktop program for Windows, but it requires your phone to be available on the same network, since it seems to
communicate through the WhatsApp app on the phone.
Most of the instant messanging programs I mentioned above (MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger at least) had a smartphone app available too..
There is a WhatsApp desktop program for Windows, but it requires your phone to be available on the same network, since it seems to communicate through the WhatsApp app on the phone.
Nightfox
Yes. In Spain, everybody uses Whatsapp or Telegram. Signal Messenger has gained some traction during the COVID-19 lockdowns because of claims Whatsapp was limiting the sharing of links and messages because the amount of anti-government dissenting had skyrocketed.
Yes. In Spain, everybody uses Whatsapp or Telegram. Signal Messenger
has gained some traction during the COVID-19 lockdowns because of
claims Whatsapp was limiting the sharing of links and messages because
the amount of anti-government dissenting had skyrocketed.
SMS is mainly used for corporative messaging. It is just the one show
to be the most reliable. It is the sort of thing banks use to deliver one-time-pins and the like.
To activate you WhatsApp account, a telephone number is required. It's one account per SIM... which is why it's so popualar, I believe. As soon as you add someone to your phone book, they're automatically added on WhatsApp.
In the UK WhatsApp is so big I have never really heard of people using SMS. I have personally used around 5-10 SMS messages in 2020, and these messages are to older folk who don't have smartphones.
WhatsApp is great when it comes to sending pictures, documents or videos... it's such a streamlined and easy to use service once it has access to your phone.
I have been involved in larger group chats with
people from work and any files dropped are accessible to those within the chat. One to one voice/video chat along with conference calls are possible too.
I do miss MSN Messenger on Windows though. I have a lot of fond memories using that IM around 2004-2012. I recall FaceBook being responsible for partially killing it around 2009/2010. I hated that integrated web-script chat box and much perferred the MSN client.
One thing I dislike about the new system of cellphones is that people who Og>> would otherwise be a local call due to their actual place of residence Og>> now show up as a long-distance call on my bill.
whats long distance?
To activate you WhatsApp account, a telephone number is required. It's one account per SIM... which is why it's so popualar,
believe. As soon as you add someone to your phone book, they're automatically added on WhatsApp.
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Arelor to Nightfox on Sun Aug 09 2020 05:22 am
Yes. In Spain, everybody uses Whatsapp or Telegram. Signal Messenger has gained some traction during the COVID-19 lockdow
because of claims Whatsapp was limiting the sharing of links and messages because the amount of anti-government dissenti
had skyrocketed.
The same happened here in the UK due to people spreading "misinformation"... I have seen a more concerted effort from the
silicon valley giants to control information, which is why companies such as Google are being investigated in relation to th
upcoming US election.
In the UK WhatsApp is so big I have never really heard of people using SMS. I have personally used around 5-10 SMS
messages in 2020, and these messages are to older folk who don't have smartphones.
I've heard it's different in other countries, but in the US, most people use SMS to text each other on their phones, so
normally we would not have a reason to use WhatsApp unless we know someone who uses WhatsApp for some reason.
What's the reason for people not using SMS in the UK? That seems a little strange to me, because SMS is a feature included
with all cell phones, and WhatsApp is a 3rd-party app you have to install on your phone before you can use it.
I've heard it's different in other countries, but in the US, most people use SMS to text each other on their phones, so normally we would not have a reason to use WhatsApp unless we know someone who uses WhatsApp for some reason.
What's the reason for people not using SMS in the UK? That seems a little strange to me, because SMS is a feature included with all cell phones, and WhatsApp is a 3rd-party app you have to install on your phone before you can use it.
You can do that with SMS messages too.. What advantage does WhatsApp offer in that regard?
You can do group chats with SMS too, and send a file out to everyone.
There are contacts I had on MSN Messneger and other chat clients that I don't have on my contacts anymore. One chat program I really miss is ICQ though. ICQ had a little profile you could fill out for yourself, and ICQ would let you search for a random chat partner from anywhere in th eworld.
I used that in the late 90s to early 2000s to chat with people. I think ICQ has removed those features though.
The real strangth of that, from the comercial point of view, is that it removes the necessity of managing user credentials.
Your average dumb user only needs to know his phone number to operate the messaging device. No more user/password combinations
required, which nowadays a lot of people is unable to manage.
This has the bonus of letting the IM service provider know your phone number and the phone number of your contacts, which is
juicy minable data.
contracts. I have access to infinite data and around 500 SMS messages per month... the internet appears to be a lot quicker to me than SMS. Also,
I didn't know that it was possible to SMS as part of a group... does that mean you're sending a single message several times to different people? That would eat up your SMS allocation quickly.
In relation to pictures/files, are you referring to MMS? That's really quite slow and again, it consumes your SMS monthly allocation quickly. I've never tried sending a video over MMS - sounds like a god damn nightmare, tbh.
ICQ was my first IM client. I liked it a lot however only really used it to speak to my cousin who lived around 400 miles away from me. mIRC was my main chat client for around three years... it was absolutely required if you were involved in the online gaming scene backin the late 90s, early 00s.
I think most phone IMs operate in the same fashion. WhatsApp is massive in the UK but I think it's different elsewhere - in Asia WeChat and Viber seem to be the go to IMs.
yeah i'm just joking. in my area we havent had long distance charges
in many many years.
whats long distance?
Long distance calls incur charges per minute.
Local calls are free.
yeah i'm just joking. in my area we havent had long distance charges
in many many years.
Hello MRO!
** On Monday 10.08.20 - 22:10, mro wrote to Ogg:
whats long distance?
Long distance calls incur charges per minute.
Local calls are free.
yeah i'm just joking. in my area we havent had long distance
charges in many many years.
Where exactly is your area?
I had a couple family members & friends on my ICQ list, but I often used ICQ's feature of connecting you to random people to chat with. IRC is a bit of a different thing in that IRC seemed to mainly be used for chat rooms with multiple people.
I have some friends in Brazil who use WhatsApp. One created a few group chats for people who want to learn English, Portuguese, and Italian. That's basically the only thing I'm using WhatsApp for right now.. Nobody else I know uses WhatsApp.
Andeddu wrote to Nightfox <=-
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Nightfox to Andeddu on Mon Aug 10 2020 02:05 pm
I have some friends in Brazil who use WhatsApp. One created a few group chats for people who want to learn English, Portuguese, and Italian. That's basically the only thing I'm using WhatsApp for right now.. Nobody else I know uses WhatsApp.
Do Americans use WhatsApp on the whole? Are IMs popular in the
States or do you all have massive SMS contracts? Like I said, in
the UK WhatsApp is ALL we use. I am not sure if it's the same in
mainland Europe... Arelor said there's another IM that's popular
in Spain but they also use WhatsApp.
Do Americans use WhatsApp on the whole? Are IMs popular in the States or do you all have massive SMS contracts? Like I said, in the UK WhatsApp is ALL we use. I am not sure if it's the same in mainland Europe... Arelor said there's another IM that's popular in Spain but they also use WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is certainly used in the US; I would guess mostly by
younger people. As far as I know, most (all?) phone contracts
include unlimited SMS. Mine certainly does, and everyone I know -
we all send a lot of texts.
Interesting. That's never been the case in the UK. I've owned a mobile phone for over 17 years and I have never had a contract which has given me more than 500 SMS text messages per month. Pre-smartphone days, most contracts only offered 300 SMS messages - and we really needed them back then as there was no other method of mobile text communication (that was mainstream).
Are 20GB+ data contracts the norm in the US? We consume a lot of internet data here in the UK and the plans on offer reflect that.
WhatsApp is certainly used in the US; I would guess mostly by
younger people. As far as I know, most (all?) phone contracts
include unlimited SMS. Mine certainly does, and everyone I know -
we all send a lot of texts.
Do Americans use WhatsApp on the whole? Are IMs popular in the States or do you all have massive SMS contracts? Like I said, in the UK WhatsApp is ALL we use. I am not sure if it's the same in mainland Europe... Arelor said there's another IM that's popular in Spain but they also use WhatsApp.
I suppose it's better if each country sticks to one popular IM so that there's no requirement to download more than one third party app. I use WhatsApp as my only internet based chat service, and I SMS the odd person who doesn't have a smart phone.
Andeddu wrote to Gamgee <=-
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Gamgee to Andeddu on Tue Aug 11 2020 08:07 pm
WhatsApp is certainly used in the US; I would guess mostly by
younger people. As far as I know, most (all?) phone contracts
include unlimited SMS. Mine certainly does, and everyone I know -
we all send a lot of texts.
Interesting. That's never been the case in the UK. I've owned a
mobile phone for over 17 years and I have never had a contract
which has given me more than 500 SMS text messages per month. Pre-smartphone days, most contracts only offered 300 SMS messages
- and we really needed them back then as there was no other
method of mobile text communication (that was mainstream).
Are 20GB+ data contracts the norm in the US? We consume a lot of
internet data here in the UK and the plans on offer reflect that.
Are 20GB+ data contracts the norm in the US? We consume a lot of internet data
here in the UK and the plans on offer reflect that.
Unlimited SMS has been around as long as I can remember, certainly
I think it is the "norm" now among all major carriers.
Are 20GB+ data contracts the norm in the US? We consume a lot of internet data here in the UK and the plans on offer reflect that.
As far as I know, the norm for data now is "unlimited". There may
be caveats to that with some carriers, such as after a certain
amount of bandwidth is used (generally a LOT), they start to
"throttle" your speed some. I don't think it's usually an issue
for 99% of folks.
On 8/12/2020 10:04 AM, Andeddu wrote:
Are 20GB+ data contracts the norm in the US? We consume a lot of internet data
here in the UK and the plans on offer reflect that.
My current plan is "unlimited" but subject to throttling after the first 20G. I have hit my unthrottled cap before. I don't even have a
personal laptop currently, but when I did it was because I was connected
via my cell, and windows, and several apps immediately started
updated... what really sucked it was the start of my new month of
service, so I was throttled all that month. That was on a 5gb plan at
the time.
Closest I've come lately is around 17GB and that was on a 10 day road trip.
--
Michael J. Ryan
tracker1 +o Roughneck BBS
I don't really know anyone in the US who uses WhatsApp. And I'm not sure what you mean by "massive SMS contracts"? Cell phone plans in the US usually have unlimited SMS messages; I've only occasionally heard of some plans that have limited SMS messages or where SMS messages cost extra money to send/receive.
That seems interesting to me.. For a long time, there was no WhatsApp, so I think cell phone carriers in the US just decided to provide unlimited SMS messages.
Data caps are common. I think my data usage cap for my smartphone is actually somewhere around 5GB per month, which is much lower than the 20GB you mention. But I rarely use data on my phone when I'm out, so I've never noticed myself hitting that limit. When I use things on my smartphone that require data, often it's when I'm at home or somewhere else that has wifi. And naturally, when I'm out of the house, I'm usually busy driving or doing something anyway, so I have less chance to use my phone.
i'm in the usa and i cant really get into whatsapp.
i use pretty much everything and so do my friends. i use google voice to keep in touch with my friends [and facebook]
As far as I know, the norm for data now is "unlimited". There may
be caveats to that with some carriers, such as after a certain
amount of bandwidth is used (generally a LOT), they start to
"throttle" your speed some. I don't think it's usually an issue
for 99% of folks.
My current plan is "unlimited" but subject to throttling after the first 20G. I have hit my unthrottled cap before. I don't even have a
personal laptop currently, but when I did it was because I was connected
via my cell, and windows, and several apps immediately started
updated... what really sucked it was the start of my new month of
service, so I was throttled all that month. That was on a 5gb plan at
the time.
Closest I've come lately is around 17GB and that was on a 10 day road trip.
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Gamgee to Andeddu on Tue Aug 11 2020 08:07 pm
WhatsApp is certainly used in the US; I would guess mostly by
younger people. As far as I know, most (all?) phone contracts
include unlimited SMS. Mine certainly does, and everyone I know -
we all send a lot of texts.
Interesting. That's never been the case in the UK. I've owned a mobile phone for over 17 years and I have never had a contract which has given me more th 500 SMS text messages per month. Pre-smartphone days, most contracts only offered 300 SMS messages - and we really needed them back then as there was other method of mobile text communication (that was mainstream).
Are 20GB+ data contracts the norm in the US? We consume a lot of internet da here in the UK and the plans on offer reflect that.
For me, IM programs on computers were always easier because I can type a lot faster on a real keyboard. That was especially true before smartphones, where you had to press the keys on a phone keyboard a few times to get the letter you want, for each letter. Back then I rarely used SMS messages because it just took so long to type them on a cell phone. But with smartphones, it has become easier.
There are times when I like to just relax and browse things online with my phone. I think it works well for that, but there are times when I want to type something, and I really like using the real keyboard on my desktop PC (or a laptop) because I type so much faster on one. As they say sometimes, mobile devices are good for consumption, but desktop PCs and laptops are still good for content creation. Though these days, you could potentially use a bluetooth keyboard & mouse with a mobile device. I've even seen adapters for a smartphone that will give you a standard USB port on a phone. My last phone (a Samsung Galaxy S7) came with one such adapter, and one time I tried using it to plug in a standard USB mouse on my phone, and I got a mouse pointer on it..
I've heard of the TikTok ban, but haven't heard anything about WhatsApp being banned..
I hadn't even heard of TikTok until a few months ago, when TikTok was in the news for potentially being insecure and sending information back to China.
I think pre-smartphone everyone struggled with messaging which is why we ended up with text speak. After around 2008, things got a lot easier... I
I hadn't even heard of TikTok until a few months ago, when TikTok was
in the news for potentially being insecure and sending information
back to China.
TikTok is the new Vine. It's one of the most popular social media platforms among young adults/kids.
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Andeddu to Nightfox on Sat Aug 15 2020 12:02 am
What is "text speak"?
TikTok is the new Vine. It's one of the most popular social media platforms among young adults/kids.
Vine is something I'm not really familiar with either.. :P
I hadn't heard of Vine either until after it died in 2017. It was particularly big in the USA.
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Andeddu to Nightfox on Sat Aug 15 2020 12:12 am
I hadn't even heard of TikTok until a few months ago, when TikTok was
in the news for potentially being insecure and sending information
back to China.
TikTok is the new Vine. It's one of the most popular social media
platforms among young adults/kids.
Vine is something I'm not really familiar with either.. :P
TikTok is the new Vine. It's one of the most popular social media
platforms among young adults/kids.
Vine is something I'm not really familiar with either.. :PDO YOU LIVE IN A CAVE
Hello MRO!
** On Saturday 15.08.20 - 19:03, mro wrote to Nightfox:
Vine is something I'm not really familiar with either.. :P
DO YOU LIVE IN A CAVE
Maybe some people are not interested in visiting social media cess pools.
Vine is something I'm not really familiar with either.. :P
DO YOU LIVE IN A CAVE
Maybe some people are not interested in visiting social media cess pools.
TikTok is the new Vine. It's one of the most popular social media
platforms among young adults/kids.
Vine is something I'm not really familiar with either.. :P
DO YOU LIVE IN A CAVE
Maybe it's his Man-Cave?
vine was just funny short videos.
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Nightfox to Andeddu on Fri Aug 14 2020 09:44 pm
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Andeddu to Nightfox on Sat Aug 15 2020 12:02 am
What is "text speak"?
it is gr8 2 spk 2 u 2nyt. ty 4 ur rply.
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: Nightfox to Andeddu on Fri Aug 14 2020 09:45 pm
TikTok is the new Vine. It's one of the most popular social media platforms among young adults/kids.
Vine is something I'm not really familiar with either.. :P
Haha, coming across all these massively popular social media apps which you' never heard of before can make you feel positively one-hundred years old.
I hadn't heard of Vine either until after it died in 2017. It was particular big in the USA.
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: MRO to Ogg on Sat Aug 15 2020 11:54 pm
vine was just funny short videos.
I have heard of "vines" as short videos. But I didn't realize there was a site called Vine. I've seen collections of "vines" as short funny videos on YouTube.
I hadn't heard of Vine either until after it died in 2017. It was
particular
big in the USA.
Not big enough because i never heard of it either
There are some things I guess I don't pay much attention to. There's a TV show called Breaking Bad, which was apparently fairly popular, but I had never heard of it until there was a news story that it was in its last season. :P
i miss vine. it was very entertaining.
Not big enough because i never heard of it either
I know its unpopular, but with the TikTok/WhatsApp bans that Trump is bringing... I just think that America shouldn't tell its citizens wha they can and can't do. I can't wrapo my head around how thats OK. If
I've heard of the TikTok ban, but haven't heard anything about WhatsApp being ba nned..
There are some things I guess I don't pay much attention to. There's a TV show called Breaking Bad, which was apparently fairly popular, but I had never heard of it until there was a news story that it was in its last season. :P
Haha, I think everone's seen Breaking Bad over here except me, I can't be arsed watching something that's 5+ seasons long. Too much to get through, so I'd rather not bother.
20GB should be enough of a threshold for most people. Having a phone with an uncapped unlimited data plan has sure changed the way I use technology. I pretty much just use my phone these days... I very rarely browse the web on my
PC and the only other device I use to go online is my iPad. Around a decade ago
I used my laptop to carry out at least 90% of all my media consumption.
How things change!
There are some things I guess I don't pay much attention to. There's a TV >> show called Breaking Bad, which was apparently fairly popular, but I had
never heard of it until there was a news story that it was in its last
season. :P
Haha, I think everone's seen Breaking Bad over here except me, I can't be arsed
watching something that's 5+ seasons long. Too much to get through, so I'd rather not bother.
it's similar but not the same entirely. i find it less enjoyable and i'm not an avid user.
Yeah... I use a combination of things... I'm WFH, and have a wired VPN
Re: Re: BBSes today
By: MRO to Andeddu on Sun Aug 16 2020 07:38 pm
it's similar but not the same entirely. i find it less enjoyable and
i'm not an avid user.
I never used Vine or TikTok but I have seen my fair share of videos posted on YouTube. I agree, some can be highly entertaining. There will be a gap
Yeah... I use a combination of things... I'm WFH, and have a wired VPN device for my work laptop. Beyond this, there's a combination of
devices connected to the TVs. I have my Shield TV, fiance and daughter prefer Fire sticks, and there's also chromecasting. I do watch youtube
on TV, but will use my phone a lot of the time.
It's a decent show. You don't have to binge it, you can do it just like
any syndication show, watching an episode a night during the week to
wind down.
If you like "Breaking Bad" should also give "The Shield" a view.
--
Michael J. Ryan
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