On 3/28/2006 2:23 AM, Michel Samson wrote to All:

-> Euh...  And as i write this i realize how easy it is to violate a sacro-
-> saint rule that used to differenciate NNTP articles posting from BBSing:
-> topic relevancy!  There again, i tried hard to stay on focus with topics
-> on file transfer protocols so that i keep a link, even remote, to TG but
-> the truth is it's not wanted, like a nuisance once again.  That, my dear
-> BBS companions, explains a few things if mutiplied by the number of guys
-> who were dropped along the road because Windows (the source of my 
misery
-> these days) seemed the only way to go!...  Then, lets not neither forget
-> all those who did convert to Windows and ended up being diverted to some
-> other medias outside of the BBS world, euh...  And on top of that, a few
-> more that couldn't stand all the bullshit related to Windows and who had
-> no real option other than converting to Linux (which is a whole hobby in
-> itself).  Considering this premise, is it reasonable to expect a regular
-> user to fight desperately to keep his former favourite hobby alive while
-> it's being eaten from inside?  I'm curious to see your reactions, to say
-> the least!  Did the BBSing community think of a "Live" CD
to promote the
-> hobby like Linuxies are doing in order to promote theirs?  Not so!  None
-> i've ever heard of, euh...  and for a very good reason:  reaching people
-> on FidoNet is such trouble i grew tired of fighting the machine and some
-> of the gurus behind it.  My health is decaying, life is simply too short
-> to play SuperMan in lost wars such as BBSing.  Lost?  Can i DownLoad the
-> .QWK packets through TelNet/ZMoDem and hope they won't be dammaged 
while
-> the BBS SoftWare is still going to update my pointers, despite failures?

When I read this, I have to wonder -- have you really been keeping up with 
the times?  I have ALWAYS downloaded QWK packets via telnet without any 
problems.  

-> HyperTerminal?  First of all, i hate it but if i didn't i'd use energy i
-> don't have for exploring the meanders of Windows looking for packets and
-> then i'd recall there's no .QWK reader installed yet!...  Can i fallback
-> to FTP/HTTP, euh...  That's another problem because:  1) i've never used
-> these interfaces other than on a trial basis!;  2) because of #1 i don't
-> know where i'd go get my .QWK packets anyway.  Why insist over 
such .QWK
-> packets then?!?  Good question, as one might wonder why users would 
want
-> to endure all this to begin with!!!  Did i enjoy my last reading of FdN?

Well, again, HyperTerminal is not the only beast of a telnet client out there 
that does what it does.  There is mTelnet which is just as good, if not better, 
for ANSI based BBSing.  Then there is SyncTerm from the *BSD developer of 
Synchronet which is awesome as well.  So let's not jump ship just yet.

-> Nope, we're lucky enough to have Web-based copies of the echoes but 
this
-> interface sucks on my 15" display because at least one sixth of the page
-> is covered by all sorts of Windows/navigation stuff, not two mention two
-> and a half inches on the side, plus the same height, taken from whatever
-> remains, for navigating thru the message base-itself!  Overall, that's a
-> heafty 8" x 4" surface for the actual content and i wear 1
$ glasses for
-> i can't afford real ones!...  Euh...  Is BBSing a convivial hobby, under
-> these circumstances?...  Well, the words that come to me are quite a bit
-> different:  exclusion, indifference, reject and the like.  Not really an
-> open media from where i stand!  I'm sorry people but reading you on a 32
-> inches square screen with headaches caused by bad visual conditions (and
-> my ass on a bad chair which hurts until veins burst!) isn't what made me
-> attracted to BBSing.  Life is hard enough, this hobby needs to transform
-> or it may die, simple but true.  Now, i recall being chased and insulted
-> only because i wished the hobby was more inclusive!...  How nice really.

Well, not ALL web-based Fido echo sites are like that.  Quite a number of BBS 
software titles (such as the one I run here) have decent web-based 
interfaces.  And some (like the BBS software I use)  also let you download 
QWK and upload REP packets via their web interface.

-> Do i want BBSing to survive?  Well, does it really matter at all!  Can i

Then why bother even posting in the echo?

-> make it safe for a blind person to pass thru the highway during business
-> hours, while the dog stays behind?  The saying is there's no people more
-> blind than those who refuse to see;  another says it takes two to tango,
-> or in this case three:  the author, the operator and then the user base.
-> 
-> Running BBSes is only a start.  Operators need authors and users around!
-> 
-> The ones who take decisive actions are operators, not users.  Those whom
-> actions affect both the operators and users are the authors and very few
-> of them can pretend to have any capability to imprint a new life to this
-> dying hobby - when they're not just as faulty as some default moderators
-> and their friends.  Really, who can tell me how to re-organize all this?
-> 
-> My finger joints hurt, lets cut the arm...  A foot hurts, lets cut above
-> the knee...  I can't write and taking a walk to distract myself isn't an
-> option anymore so my head starts to hurt then, euh...  What to cut next!
-> 
-> BBSing was like that, dropping a few marginal users seemed natural, then
-> more and if they don't go by themselve lets just trash the hobby so much
-> only a few will remain but at least we'll know they're
"pure"!  Ha!  Ha!
-> 
-> Where does it lead?  Nowhere:  just a note on the margin of a lost page.

Michael, I'm sorry, but I totally disagree with your original posting, as I 
believe lots of other people will as well.  (Not to mention this has nothing to 
do with the Telegard  BBS software ).

Just my $.02 worth. 
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5a