-=> Quoting PETER COGGON to NANCY BACKUS on 31 Jan 09  09:15:00 <=-

 NB>> I'm also over in MEMORIES and in COOKING.... ;)  And I'm sure I've
 NB>> jumped in on some conversation or other with you at least one of those
 NB>> places... :)

 PC> Yep ... must be one of those places.   Or I just keep seeing the
 PC> name. 

Probably some of that too..  

 NB>> Activity is a very good thing... 

 PC> Full  agrement there.    I wonder how many, such as I, just read
 PC> and nod in agreement or disagreement, and never reply?

Judging from what comes out of the woodwork once in while, still quite a
few...  It took some deliberate on my part to overcome the habits I'd
built back in the glory days when the echoes were teeming, so one was
encouraged to wait to say something until it was needed, let others
answer first and only jump in if no one else seemed to be doing so, and
try to make every post count.  Now, I'm more likely to answer quickly,
just in case no one else does... of course, I still try to make the
posts count...  ;)   But the much quieter pace means that to make posts
count, perhaps one should say more than less, rather than before where
less was often better...  

 PC> pulled the plug.     I have seen this so often with not only this
 PC> dial-up BBS systems but also Amateur Radio Packet BBSes...where
 PC> activity dropped to zero.    I was for many years ...the only
 PC> user of a club packet bbs....the sysop told me the club and he
 PC> were dropping it, in favour of some other form which was Internet
 PC> but ....not the same, as I found out.    Just in and out going
 PC> radio traffic to an internet address for this or that...which
 PC> from my view is boring.

That's essentially what happened to genealogy, when most everyone
migrated to the Internet...  most of the interesting give-and-take got
lost in the change.  A few newsgroups somewhat kept the integrity, but
it was harder to really be a part of it... especially as I was limited
to reading via gated groups... having only stayed in Fido and on bbses.

 PC> I knew my old copy of Qmodem Pro95 had Telnet, so while 
 PC> connected to the Internet, I connected to Doc's Place and been
 PC> there eversince reading along mostly.

My resident Wizard had to get telnet set up properly for me (still in
just DOS, basically) and then work out some issues with uploads and
Zmodem, by writing some software to make it work...  Otherwise I would
have been just reading along, and not able to reply except for online...
which I prefer not to do, seeing as I much prefer doing things in my
Bluewave reader...  :)   (there! back on topic... )

Anyway... I've been doing my part in "keeping the dream alive", staying
active in a few echoes, encouraging some of the sysops still willing to
keep their bbs up and available, and offering assistance (and the help
of my Wizard) where needed for Bluewave and doing things with DOS.  :)

 PC> Anyhow ... gotta get going ..... too many things to do, and too
 PC> few hours in a day.

Isn't that always the case... sigh... 

 PC> ... "Transporter chief Backus, beam the landing party to the
bridge"

But... I'm not the transporter chief...  I'm the ship's counselor!  (Ask
Mike Roberts!  )  

ttyl         neb

... A day without BBS mail is a day with much more free time.
--- Blue Wave/DOS v2.20