Subj : Re: In the future..
To : Nick Andre
From : Tony Langdon
Date : Tue Jun 09 2020 07:27 pm
-=> On 06-08-20 10:54, Nick Andre wrote to Tony Langdon <=-
NA> My understanding is that Points were (are) extremely popular in Zone 2.
NA> Personally I didn't really understand it - The same software is
NA> essentially in play and the same end-goal is accomplished by being an
NA> unlisted/unpublished Node who connects to another system.
I could be wrong, but I'm led to believe that's because local calls were
generally timed over there, and a point is the most efficient way, time wise to
pick up mail. Points worked well in the 80s and 90s, when most people had only
one main device (generally a PC) for reading mail. Some, like myself, also had
offline mail built into their points (my setup was capable of running as a full
blown BBS, if I wanted to), which allowed a secondary device, like a laptop, to
be used to read mail away from the main point.
NA> You see this now in an echo designed for testing; one person is so
NA> adamant that writing messages via a Point is somehow much better than
NA> using a BBS to write messages. The result of using either approach is
NA> the same... a message.
Yep, a message is a message. I now only use a point address, if I want to do
something for which it's not worth spplying for a full node number in the
relevant net(s). One example is my secondary BBS, which has a point address in
Fidonet. All it does on Fidonet is post the occasional automated post to one
echo. Not worth getting a Fidonet node number just for that. :)
NA> Bringing us to my "point" about how if we take away the techie-aspect
NA> from newcomers and focus on a decent mobile/tablet app, thats a step in
NA> the right direction.
I agree totally.
If I was to use a mobile app for BBS messaging, I'd want a mobile friendly
touch screen interface, with more or less the same features as an offline
reader, including the ability to work offline if needed (I do go into places
with iffy or non existent mobile coverage). Forum based concepts like
threading would be good too, and auto conversion of emoticons to emojis, where
a commonly understood text representation is available - :-) or :) would result
in a smiley face, for example. I also expect that I can switch between the
mobile app and the PC and pick up where I left off (that rules out point and
traditional NNTP based solutions).
A mobile app that's user friendly would be a great asset to BBSing.
... I like stuffed animals; oven baked with bread crumbs.
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