In a message of  Arthur Sawilejskij (3:640/991.1) wrote:

Hi Arthur,

(Well, I'm back from Cairns now - very busy time but good fun too... now
that I'm home it's time to catch up with the message traffic though
)

[Excalibar]

 DF>> It's a fully graphical BBS with a Windows terminal (I don't think you
 DF>> can call it with any other OS at your end though - somewhat limiting
 DF>> I guess).

 AS>      Probably, but then again, there aren't really that many of us or
 AS> Macs around doing this, so thry probably figure 90% of the market is
 AS> close enough.

Yeah, that's about what it comes down to - catering to the IBM/Windows
market is enough to make something successful.  To be honest, I'm more
enamoured to Wildcat than Excalibur.  It's much closer to a web-based
system and actually offers web content as an integrated part of the system
(it's basically a web-based BBS I guess).

 AS>      It sounds like it's leaving the old Amiga text-based stuff far
 AS> behind - undertandably though.

In some respects yes.  The general consensus in magazines like Boardwatch
is that the traditional text-based BBS is a thing of the past and that
there is a definite need to move towards a more internet-style of system
with a quality GUI and a very intuitive interface.

While this is probably increasingly true in the US where even a moderately
popular BBS can justify a T1 link to the internet I suspect it's somewhat
less true in Australia where few can afford a sufficiently fast internet
link to have good content - even ISDN is still pretty expensive stuff.

It's also true that in rural areas there's still significant numbers
limited to a 7-bit data service using a form of radio-telephony - for these
people even 14k4 connections are rare and 28k8 or better is impossible.

I'm happy to keep my text-based system running at this stage but I am also
starting to assess a move to a GUI system in the not too far distant
future...

 AS>      Thanks for the info, I found it real interesting - I obviously
 AS> don't get about enough. Then again, I suppose you've been playing with
 AS> your 586 so are probably more up-to-date.

Sorta - I'm just keen on considering my options now that the BBS and
associated data comms stuff is turning into a business and needs to look to
future expansion which will quite possibly include such technologies.  Mind
you, I'd have to get yet _another_ machine to do it now that I have one 586
fully tied up with scanner and the like and another running Linux... the
good news is that I've _finally_ managed to get a power supply for my A3000
so I'm back to having it running on my LAN in addition to the A2k.  :)

 DF>> Matter of fact, if your news agent gets Board Watch let me know, I
 DF>> can't get it up here (or much or anything else for that matter).

 AS>      Ok, I'll ask around, but I wouldn't hold my breath - we are are
 AS> marginally more progressed than you up there.

I've just about gotten to the stage of subscribing to it direct from the US
- it's quite a good read IMHO.  Contains lots of useful info on the
bleeding edge of technology in BBS and Internet related stuff...

  //  CYA,
\X/ Dave ;-)

... People generalize.         

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