Re: BBS nostalgia
  By: Sean Dennis to Eric Oulashin on Fri Jan 07 2011 10:41:09

 >  EO> it's all web-based, in a way it all seems the same, and thus less
 >  EO> interesting than when BBSs were more popular.

 > I couldn't agree more.  That's why I don't have a Web-based interface on my 
 > BBS; even using fTelnet you're still telneting into the board directly.  I 

I understand what you mean.  I think it's interesting to have a web interface
to my BBS though - I guess I like the challenge of making older stuff work with
newer technology (in the 90s, I once tried running my DOS BBS in OS/2 using a
program that let people telnet to it).  Also, since many people these days
don't know what a BBS was, I think a web interface would help introduce people
to BBSing - I like having a web page with fTelnet set up so that people can get
into the BBS that way, using a web interface that they're more familiar with. 
When people are ready, they could then download a terminal app if they want.

I really enjoyed using the older BBS software of the day, but one of the
reasons I am now using Synchronet is its integrated support for modern
connectivity, with its web server, FTP server, mail server, etc..  That makes
it easier to set up for internet connectivity.

 > still have a soft spot in my heart for Wildcat! as I called a lot of WC!-bas

There were several Wildcat! BBSs here that I called too, and I enjoyed using
them.  I thought Wildcat! was pretty good for a user experience, although I
don't remember trying it for my BBS - I think it was only available in a
commercial version that was fairly expensive.  I bought a Windows version of
WildCat! once, but by then, I had already been running my BBS for several years
as a DOS BBS and didn't want to switch at the time.

 > boards where I was at.  There were a few guys running VBBS, one that ran 
 > PCBoard with all the goodies (it was, and would still be considered to be a 
 > HUGE BBS; he even had a tower of 24 4x SCSI CD-ROMs that were attached to th
 > computer so he could offer a big file base!), a few running TBBS, lots runni
 > WWIV...and each one was different.

That is huge..  As a kid, I didn't imagine having enough money to run a BBS
like that.  :)  I had plenty of fun with my BBS though, with its one node and
no CD-ROM filebases.. 

I thought WWIV was okay, although from a user standpoint, something seemed a
bit different about it, and I didn't like its user experience as much as other
BBS programs.  I tried setting up a WWIV BBS though and thought it was really
easy to set up - it was the first one I was able to get set up successfully. 
But as I didn't like it as a user, I decided not to go with WWIV.  I ended up
using RemoteAccess for my BBS, as I thought it was really flexible and robust,
and I enjoyed using other RemoteAccess BBSs.  I also liked how it looked - I
thought its tools had a nice professional look.

 > At night I'd keep my parents' phone line tied up calling all of these boards
 > and I enjoyed it.  I thought I was hot stuff when I managed to get a 2400 ba
 > modem. :)

:)  I know what you mean.  I got my first modem when I was 12, and it was a
hand-me-down 2400 baud modem, and I spent a lot of time at night calling BBSs
with it.  I remember many nights finally getting to bed when I realized it was
2:00AM. :)

 > thing we call "cyberspace".  While I appreciate people
trying to come up wit
 > new and interesting ways to interface BBSing with the Web, I feel by doing 
 > that, BBSing loses its individuality and its niche appeal.

That's one reason why I like to run my BBS.  These days, though, by letting
people telnet into a BBS, I feel that BBSs have already lost part of their
appeal, but besides adding a real phone line, I don't think there's much we can
do about that.  Most people these days don't have a telephone modem anymore and
use the internet for their online stuff, so accessing BBSs via telnet makes
sense.  In the late 90s, when I first heard about telnet BBSing, I thought
telnetting to a BBS was silly and I didn't see the point (why telnet to a BBS
when you can dial into it, or when you could use the internet instead?).  I
decided to shut down my BBS in 2000 when I thought BBSing was pretty much dead
and obsolete, but I decided to start up a BBS again in 2007 when I started
feeling nostalgic, and I've enjoyed it.

Sometimes I miss the early-mid 90s, calling my favorite BBSs, and running my
own, but these days I've gotten very used to 24/7 connectivity to the internet
and having the world at my fingertips all the time, and being able to keep in
touch with people easily on the internet, I don't think I'd want to give up the
internet.  Without 24/7 internet, I feel a bit disconnected and isolated.

Eric
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