Hi, I have never used a BBS before, thought they were kinda dead with the whole... oh idk invention of newer better things and all (irc, forums, other more modern forms of internet communication).
I'm doing some research about BBS's and a sort of history of online communications in general and would love to hear what the ... still active ... BBS communities have to say about where things are now, and where things are headed in the future.

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■ Synchronet ■ The BRoKEN BuBBLE (bbs.thebrokenbubble.com)

Re: Hello all!
By: xnite to All on Thu Dec 18 2014 10:08 am

Hi, I have never used a BBS before, thought they were kinda dead with the whole... oh idk invention of newer better things and all (irc, forums, other more modern forms of internet communication).

Welcome!

There's a documentary called The BBS Documentary (http://bbsdocumentary.com) that was put together a few years back, it's got a good look at some of the history behind BBSing.

I'd love to put together a "sequel" showing the current state of BBSing.

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■ Synchronet ■ realitycheckBBS -- http://realitycheckBBS.org

Re: Hello all!
By: Poindexter Fortran to xnite on Thu Dec 18 2014 09:35 am

There's a documentary called The BBS Documentary (http://bbsdocumentary.com) that was put together a few years back, it's got a good look at some of the history behind BBSing.

I'd love to put together a "sequel" showing the current state of BBSing.

What is the current state of BBSing?

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■ Synchronet ■ realitycheckBBS -- http://realitycheckBBS.org

Re: Hello all!
By: Hustler to Poindexter Fortran on Thu Dec 18 2014 05:43 pm

Re: Hello all!
By: Poindexter Fortran to xnite on Thu Dec 18 2014 09:35 am

There's a documentary called The BBS Documentary (http://bbsdocumentary.com) that was put together a few years back, it's got a good look at some of the history behind BBSing.

I'd love to put together a "sequel" showing the current state of BBSing.

What is the current state of BBSing?

things have been slow lately

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■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: Hello all!
By: xnite to All on Thu Dec 18 2014 10:08:48

Hi, I have never used a BBS before, thought they were kinda dead with the whole... oh idk invention of newer better things and all (irc, forums, other more modern forms of internet communication).

Things very much like IRC and forums, etc. existed on BBSes before they existed on the internet. They were just in a different form of access. Instead of IRC, there was multi-line chat on BBSes that had more than one phone line; instead of internet message forums, there were message forums on BBSes, which are pretty much the same thing.

I'm doing some research about BBS's and a sort of history of online communications in general and would love to hear what the ... still active ... BBS communities have to say about where things are now, and where things are headed in the future.

I also thought BBSes were dead, in 2000 when I took my original BBS down, but then in 2007 I discovered "BBS: The Documentary" (http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/) and was inspired to look into telnet-based BBSes. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there were still BBSes running via the internet. I decided to start my current BBS and have been enjoying running it.

There are much fewer BBSes these days than there used to be in the 80s and 90s though, and most BBSes aren't as busy as BBSes used to be. For instance, sometimes a few days will go by with no message posts on Dove-Net. However, there are BBSes that do get callers every day, and people still like playing the popular door games (such as Legend of the Red Dragon, Tradewars 2002, Land of Devastation, and others).

There are still BBS software packages being actively developed (Synchronet, Mystic, and Enthral are a few I can think of), as well as BBS-compatible terminal software (such as SyncTerm, NetRunner, and mTelnet). There are sysops who enjoy developing BBS mods. I can't say the BBS community as a whole is as active as it used to be, but some things are happening.

Nightfox

Re: Hello all!
By: Hustler to Poindexter Fortran on Thu Dec 18 2014 05:43 pm

What is the current state of BBSing?

I'm surprised - I see a handful of old timers resurrecting node numbers - and a couple of new sysops wondering what's going on.

BBSing is getting a lot more turn-key; you can set up a Synchronet BBS with DOVEnet in an afternoon, and add more as you go. I think that's attracting new blood.

I like being able to run a the BBS, a web server, IRC, FTP, news and email server out of one software package.

The art scene is still kicking, I see new releases.

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■ Synchronet ■ realitycheckBBS -- http://realitycheckBBS.org

Re: Hello all!
By: Nightfox to xnite on Fri Dec 19 2014 07:45 am

Mystic, and Enthral are a few I can think of), as well as BBS-compatible

is enthral still being worked on?

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■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: Hello all!
By: Poindexter Fortran to Hustler on Fri Dec 19 2014 09:32 am

BBSing is getting a lot more turn-key; you can set up a Synchronet BBS with DOVEnet in an afternoon, and add more as you go. I think that's attracting new blood.

synchronet has been like that for over 14 years.
so nothing new there. you can install it and let it rot. lots of synch
bbses are like that.

I like being able to run a the BBS, a web server, IRC, FTP, news and email server out of one software package.

i prefer to use synchronet for my bbs, and apache for web, unreal for ircd and choose other software for email and news. i think synchronet's other services need a lot of work. i do think it's a great bbs software, though.

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■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: Hello all!
By: Mro to Nightfox on Fri Dec 19 2014 22:55:29

is enthral still being worked on?

I honestly haven't followed Enthral much, so I'm not sure. I had the impression that the author of Enthral is sometimes unable to work on it for periods of time, but I'm not sure if it has been officially abandoned.

Nightfox

Re: Hello all!
By: Nightfox to Mro on Sat Dec 20 2014 08:26 am

Re: Hello all!
By: Mro to Nightfox on Fri Dec 19 2014 22:55:29

is enthral still being worked on?

I honestly haven't followed Enthral much, so I'm not sure. I had the impression that the author of Enthral is sometimes unable to work on it for periods of time, but I'm not sure if it has been officially abandoned.

didnt frank pull the website and direct it all to his photography site?
it was like that last time i looked

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■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: Hello all!
By: Poindexter Fortran to xnite on Thu Dec 18 2014 09:35 am

There's a documentary called The BBS Documentary (http://bbsdocumentary.com) that was put together a few years back, it's got a good look at some of the history behind BBSing.

Yes, I have to second this very excellent documentary. The entire thing is available online in various spots, with the creator's blessing.

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■ Synchronet ■ My Brand-New BBS (All the cool SysOps run STOCK!)

Hello Nightfox,

On 20 Dec 14 08:26, Nightfox wrote to Mro:

I honestly haven't followed Enthral much, so I'm not sure. I had the impression that the author of Enthral is sometimes unable to work on
it for periods of time, but I'm not sure if it has been officially abandoned.

I don't think Enthral will ever be abandoned. Mercyful Fate aka Michael Griffin
has been tinkering with it for probably almost a decade. The past few years or more, he has been going back to school as much as possible while working full time, so there lies the lack of production for awhile.

Then again, I was just told recently a complete new rewrite is in the works at the moment, so.. nuff said, I guess.

Regards,
Nick

--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20130910
* Origin: thePharcyde_ telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (723:1/701)
■ Synchronet ■ thePharcyde_ telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin)

Hello Mro,

On 20 Dec 14 12:35, Mro wrote to Nightfox:

didnt frank pull the website and direct it all to his photography
site? it was like that last time i looked

Mercy made the mistake of letting Frank take care of all of that crap for him, and got he reprocussions from Frank leaving everything behind. As for now, AGN_BBS on Agoranet as well as ENTHRAL on Fidonet can and will carry any updates he posts, since Mike carries both on his system.

Regards,
Nick

--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20130910
* Origin: thePharcyde_ telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (723:1/701)
■ Synchronet ■ thePharcyde_ telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin)

Re: Hello all!
By: ultramagnus_tcv to Poindexter Fortran on Sat Dec 20 2014 07:12 pm

Yes, I have to second this very excellent documentary. The entire thing is available online in various spots, with the creator's blessing.

i'm still waiting for the full interviews instead of the 2 second snippits here and there in the bbs doc.

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■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: Hello all!
By: Mro to ultramagnus_tcv on Sun Dec 21 2014 09:14 am

i'm still waiting for the full interviews instead of the 2 second snippits here and there in the bbs doc.

Didn't Jason release the B-Roll footage somewhere?

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■ Synchronet ■ realitycheckBBS -- http://realitycheckBBS.org

Re: Hello all!
By: Poindexter Fortran to Mro on Sun Dec 21 2014 11:25 am

Re: Hello all!
By: Mro to ultramagnus_tcv on Sun Dec 21 2014 09:14 am

i'm still waiting for the full interviews instead of the 2 second snippits here and there in the bbs doc.

Didn't Jason release the B-Roll footage somewhere?

i wouldnt call it the b-roll.
it's the actual interviews. and it's only a handful on archive.org
he would only use a few second snippits of people. why even drive across the country if you're not using the footage.

---
■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

On 12/21/14, Mro said the following...

Re: Hello all!
By: Poindexter Fortran to Mro on Sun Dec 21 2014 11:25 am

Re: Hello all!
By: Mro to ultramagnus_tcv on Sun Dec 21 2014 09:14 am

i'm still waiting for the full interviews instead of the 2 second snippits here and there in the bbs doc.

Didn't Jason release the B-Roll footage somewhere?

i wouldnt call it the b-roll.
it's the actual interviews. and it's only a handful on archive.org
he would only use a few second snippits of people. why even drive across the country if you're not using the footage.

I watched the whole full series on youtube. Has anybody tried that?

--- Mystic BBS v1.10 A59 (Linux)
* Origin: Cyberia BBS | Cyberia.Darktech.Org | Kingwood, TX

Re: Re: Hello all!
By: Gryphon to Mro on Mon Dec 22 2014 09:18 am

I watched the whole full series on youtube. Has anybody tried that?

i'm the first guy that uploaded it [with jason scott's approval] to google video. then it automigrated to youtube and i had a special account.

i nuked my g+ acct and i think the videos disappeared but some guys just took the videos i uploaded and posted them to make money.

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■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

i wouldnt call it the b-roll.
it's the actual interviews. and it's only a handful on archive.org
he would only use a few second snippits of people. why even drive across
the country if you're not using the footage.

Er, that's how you *make* documentaries. You conduct thorough interviews of many people, cull those interviews down to the best clips, and then assemble
it together into a film.

In any event, you can see 21 interviews on archive.org here:

https://archive.org/details/bbs_documentary

--Josh

////--------------------------------------------------
BiC -=- http://breakintochat.com -=- bbs wiki and blog

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■ Synchronet

Re: Hello all!
By: Poindexter Fortran to Hustler on Fri Dec 19 2014 09:32 am

The art scene is still kicking, I see new releases.

I love http://sixteencolors.net/, some of the art on that site is pretty kickass.

AgoraNet seems to be the defacto art scene hangout on FTN othernets.

---
■ Synchronet ■ Shodan's Core - shodan.synchro.net:23 & :2323

There are still BBS software packages being actively developed
(Synchronet, Mystic, and Enthral are a few I can think of), as well as BBS-compatible terminal software (such as SyncTerm, NetRunner, and
mTelnet). There are sysops who enjoy developing BBS mods. I can't say the BBS community as a whole is as active as it used to be, but some things
are happening.

Just wanted to add WWIV to the list of BBS software still being developed and supported.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.50
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (33:1/3.0)
■ Synchronet ■ curmudge.hopto.org

Re: Re: Hello all!
By: Mark Hofmann to Nightfox on Sat Jan 03 2015 08:01 pm

There are still BBS software packages being actively developed (Synchronet, Mystic, and Enthral are a few I can think of), as well as

Just wanted to add WWIV to the list of BBS software still being developed and supported.

also people have been working on renegade on and off and vadv is still supported.

i'm not sure about ethral. i will have to ask mf. i believe frank
linhares pulled the site

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■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Hello Mro.

08 Jan 15 23:22, you wrote to Mark Hofmann:

i'm not sure about ethral. i will have to ask mf. i believe frank
linhares pulled the site

Ezycom is still being updated. Stephen is working on some bug fixes
and new features as I type this.

Shawn

--- GoldED+/EMX 1.1.5-b20110320
* Origin: Tiny's BBS - tinysbbs.com (723:1/2)
■ Synchronet ■ thePharcyde_ telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin)

On 01/09/15, Mro said the following...

Re: Re: Hello all!
By: Mark Hofmann to Nightfox on Sat Jan 03 2015 08:01 pm

There are still BBS software packages being actively developed (Synchronet, Mystic, and Enthral are a few I can think of), as well

Just wanted to add WWIV to the list of BBS software still being develop and supported.

also people have been working on renegade on and off and vadv is still supported.

i'm not sure about ethral. i will have to ask mf. i believe frank
linhares pulled the site

Is it even possible to get a copy of enthral? I can't find an install copy anywhere.

--- Mystic BBS v1.10 A59 (Linux)
* Origin: Cyberia BBS | Cyberia.Darktec

Hello Gryphon,

On 09 Jan 15 08:27, Gryphon wrote to Mro:

i'm not sure about ethral. i will have to ask mf. i believe frank
linhares pulled the site

Is it even possible to get a copy of enthral? I can't find an install copy anywhere.

Ask Mercyful Fate on Agoranet. And to answer one of your questions, yes, it is still being developed, along with Etherterm I think it's called.

Regards,
Nick

--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20130910
* Origin: thePharcyde_ telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (723:1/701)
■ Synchronet ■ thePharcyde_ telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin)

Re: Hello all!
By: Tiny to Mro on Fri Jan 09 2015 06:26 am

Hello Mro.

08 Jan 15 23:22, you wrote to Mark Hofmann:

i'm not sure about ethral. i will have to ask mf. i believe frank linhares pulled the site

Ezycom is still being updated. Stephen is working on some bug fixes
and new features as I type this.

Shawn

that's good to hear

---
■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: Re: Hello all!
By: Gryphon to Mro on Fri Jan 09 2015 08:27 am

Is it even possible to get a copy of enthral? I can't find an install copy anywhere.

i caught him online and he says it's on his github.
github.com/m-griffin

i'm not sure how usable it is.

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■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

also people have been working on renegade on and off and vadv is still supported.

That is good to know, as I also like Renegade.

- Mark

--- WWIVToss v.1.50
* Origin: http://www.weather-station.org * Bel Air, MD -USA (33:1/3.0)
■ Synchronet ■ curmudge.hopto.org