Subj : Re: BBS Documentary
To : MATT BEDYNEK
From : NANCY BACKUS
Date : Mon Jun 29 2015 03:19 pm
-=> Quoting Matt Bedynek to All on 06-26-15 17:26 <=-
Welcome back... ;)
MB> I have seen parts of it before and recently watch it all the way
MB> through. Although there are many topics I wish it covered in detail
MB> I believe it did an excellent job of depicting the online world which
MB> remains so strongly in our memories. I'll never forget the sound of
MB> modem negotiation even until the day I die.
It's pretty unforgettable... ;) I haven't seen any of the documentary,
but have heard about it.. :)
MB> It is satisfying to see that fido technology and bulletin boards as a
MB> technology have survived to the 21st century and suffered fools. The
MB> visionaries who created the earliest technology invented something
MB> that outlasted their contributions long after they were driven away.
MB> They are technological pioneers of a type the world will never fully
MB> appreciate.
MB> I am also impressed to see that software is still being actively
MB> developed. The authors of binkd, husky, synchronet, ezycom, mystic and
MB> more have done an immeasurable service. At the time circumstances
MB> pulled me away I was sure things would implode in a few years but
MB> occasionally I peek in and see people still participating.
It's a surprisingly hardy hobby... ;)
MB> I was shocked to see someone releasing BBS software in 2015. It got
MB> me wondering how active are bulletin boards today? How many visitors
MB> do you see and what type of things do they come for?
I'm an active user (not, and never been, a sysop) of seven different
boards at the moment... I'm there primarily for the message echoes that
I'm active in, with a few games like Scrabble and KOTB attracting a
little of my time and attention... :) I know of at least a few other
users like myself... :) One of the boards I go to seems to be part of
some sort of games co-operative, with people logging onto other bbses
showing up in the "sidetalk" of the bbs ("so-and-so logging on to x
board" sort of thing showing up at the prompt)... there seem to be quite
a few active users there in the conglomerate....
MB> Seeing the energy got me inching to set one up if only to play my old
MB> games.
I've seen quite a few former sysops taking a look back and returning to
the bbs world... :) I think the addiction just stays latent, and
eventually y'all just have to return... ;)
MB> My only fear is not being able to find cracks for all the doors
MB> I once registered as I suspect most people who maintained them fell off
MB> the planet or would not care to hassle with someone over something they
MB> were paid $15 for 15 years ago.
Don't you still have your registrations from before...?
MB> Something was lost when we moved to the internet and it has become
MB> more evident in recent time. Increasingly the internet is becoming
MB> more a sewer where you cannot trust what you download or access.
MB> There were viruses on bulletin boards but most sysops made an effort to
MB> police that. Many took personally the quality of what they offered.
Some of us never left... ;) The internet didn't have quite the appeal
to all of us, and what it's become is even less appealing... :)
Probably a lot less likely now that the bbses would even attract the
hackers and virus makers nowadays... :)
MB> Your thoughts?
As I said... good to see you back... :)
ttyl neb
... An aquarium is just interactive television for cats.
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