Author Topic: Any of you guys old BBS callers/Sysops? (Read 1170 times)

LePaul · « **on:** February 19, 2002, 12:15:34 PM »

Reason I ask is that on Channel 1 a few weeks ago, we were chatting it up about BBSs. BBSs were everywhere in the late 80s/early 90s. Then the Internet Wave of 94-95 really pasted most of them out of existance.

I've still got my BBS up, its been running since 1992 and although its much different that how it looked/ran then, its kept up with modern technology...offering telnet, got rid of the modems (no ones calling anyways) and have Web and NNTP logins available.

My *big news* is that I just copied ALL the Shareware CDs I've gathered over the years and copied them to Hard Disk. 178 CDs, and 117GB later, they are all now in the system. Before I was using CD Changers, Jukeboxes, etc, just to have them available for people to download.

So, if any of you guys care to wander by (blatant plug) feel free to do so. The web address is http://www.checksix.net and just login as a New User and have at.

If you REALLY want to reminsce, you an telnet in for the ANSI side of the BBS at bbs.checksix.net

Who else ran BBSs? I know a few folks on Channel 1 said they ran Spitfire, Renegade, etc....I'm running Wildcat (now WIN Server) and its still works quite nicely.

Anyways, c'mon by, and if you ran or frequented BBSs in the past, tell me about it. I might even remember ya! Heck, I knew Jack from Boardwatch and all those guys....sigh, seems like yesterday!

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #1 on:** February 19, 2002, 12:25:52 PM »

I ran a BBS in the Portland area in the early 90s (Long Gone BBS)... for about 4 years. I had 3 phone lines and ran Wildcat in various forms.

Damn... I even ran one under OS2/Warp for a bit... but can't remember exactly what bbs that was. Man.. comm ports and OS2 were a real squeak.

The BBS went by the wayside with the introduction of WWW to the public. It was just too easy to set up a simple web page to handle most of the things done on a bbs. I was also glad to get rid of the chat features. I swear, it seemed like most people used the bbs as some kind of geeks looking for geeks mating service. The fricking LOTR players were absolutely the worst.

Ah... remembering the old days here.

AKDejaVu

rickod · « **Reply #2 on:** February 19, 2002, 01:05:45 PM »

I used to run virtual dallas bbs here in dallas and used three others barefactsbbs virtuallvillage and chrysalis

I used galacticom software and had all the major mud modules

4 lines at a whopping 28.8 on each was a sweet deal back in the days

Eagler · « **Reply #3 on:** February 19, 2002, 01:12:53 PM »

Godfather was one I remember..

upgraded from a 2400 baud modem to a 9600 and thought I was really cookin

files were alot smaller then

LePaul · « **Reply #4 on:** February 19, 2002, 01:51:40 PM »

Wow. 2400 baud.

My setup, we used a Novell Network, those early multi-tasking programs were not stable for multiple lines/multiple door game users...just not enough memory to go around. So, we had the dedicated Novell Server, then each Node Machine merely had a 386 SX 25mhz in it with 4mb of RAM. No hard drives, just a floppy drive, modem and Network card. Booted up, logged into Novell and took calls. Worked really well despite the additional cost(s)

Also recall the "big day" I went from 4 2400 modems to 4 14,400 baud modems. InfoTel modems, full length cards. Still got em, monsters!

Then, Zoom had a Sysop Program where if your login message said "Connected to a Zoom Telephonics Modem at ", they'd sell you modems for over 1/2 off! So, that's how we upgraded to 28.8 cheaply.

But when the Internet rolled around, I pondered offering dialup Internet like others were. I opted to stay a content-provider and yanked the modems when it was down to only 20 calls a day (down from a high of 300+). So, I don't care who people connect to the Internet with, as long as they find me via HTTP/Telnet etc

Oh man, just remembered, I also had Planet Connect back then...satellite feed...Fidonet messages, weather forecasts, and lots of new shareware files. At a blazing downlink speed of 19,200.

How about Door Games? I know the biggies on my system were games like...

TradeWars 2002
Food Fight
Legend of the Red Dragon
Solar Realms Elite
Baroon Realms Elite

etc etc

BBSs are trying to make a come back, its just a squeak trying to persuade the hardliners to give it up on ANSI and embrace HTML. I see a lot more web browsers than Telnet clients at all the Internet Cafes I visit!

fdiron · « **Reply #5 on:** February 19, 2002, 02:33:35 PM »

I used to play all kinds of games on BBSes in the early 90s. MajorMud was my favorite. Legend of the Red Dragon wasnt bad either.

Gh0stFT · « **Reply #6 on:** February 19, 2002, 02:40:16 PM »

cool, some former Sysops here
I only once runned a BBS, 89/90 with my Amiga, Software was
called "TransAm"

and i had only a 300baud Bell Acoustic coupler ! but it was a great time and great phone bills *g*

Charon · « **Reply #7 on:** February 19, 2002, 02:53:49 PM »

I visited more than a few at the time, since it was the "online" source for patches, etc. I also played around with Wildcat BBS on one of my machines but didn't have the resources or motivation to go beyond that. I still remember when Computer Shopper used to run a big BBS directory each month, where they had to break it down alphabetically and run portions each month to fit it in. That changed pretty quickly in the Mid 1990s.

Charon

LePaul · « **Reply #8 on:** February 19, 2002, 03:02:30 PM »

Oh yea, when Computer Shopper was a book 3 inches thick!

To be in there, you had to call, long distance, a 2400 baud BBS system that was s-l-o-w. I had my ad in there and by the next issue, I went from 100 callers to 1,200.

They got so many BBSs in there, they had to alterante ads every issue....A-M on month, N-Z the next

Eagler · « **Reply #9 on:** February 19, 2002, 03:11:31 PM »

Computer Shooper was a telephone book

Another informative rag was one called Board Watch

fd ski · « **Reply #10 on:** February 19, 2002, 03:47:01 PM »

oh yeah... good old BBS days...
days of Telix... with autodialing to whole town in search for new BBS numbers

Waking up everyone at 2am in the morning

Did you guys know that best place to find porn those days was on High School's BBS's ?

LePaul · « **Reply #11 on:** February 19, 2002, 04:51:48 PM »

LOL

I ran the biggest BBS in my town. And, since I was a subscription board, I was a *bad guy*. Can't tell you how many guys tried to slam me for ruining the *spirit* of BBSing by charging. But, for me, charging just a whooping $1 a month got rid of the kids and rif-raf. I got lucky, I had a great following, folks like the mayor, police chief and other such type to just easy going adults who understood the value of a system that offered so much for so little.

Those guys who accused me of ruining the *spirit* of BBSing never took up my offer to pay my power bill, 4 phone lines of satellite feed. Oddly enough, those who accused me of these things lived on Government assistance and Federal Housing. Hmm, must be use to freebies and upset they couldnt prod me into giving em free access. LOL

Most of the kiddie BBSs ran from Mom and Dad's house....too bad the parents didnt know. Kids would advertise "BBS online from 2pm to 5pm". Just to be a dick I'd set TeleMate to randomly call at 7PM, 11PM, etc etc. That BBS went away in no time

Abunabi ran a BBS to. He had a case where a kid was causing all kinds of problems on his system. Nasty messages, the whole 9 yards. Abu finally called the user and his father answered the phone. Father was very apologetic and told the kid to go get the modem out of the computer. While Abu was holding on the line, listening to this argument, the father eventually got the modem and smashed it with Abu listening. Kid never called or raised havoc again. True story!

Ever go to any of the BBS Meetings/Get togethers? I've never seen so many pocket protectors in my life

All the guys with names like "DeathSlayer" or "UltraMagnum" were 90 pound weaklings who pumped gas for a living....hehehe....

Dead Man Flying · « **Reply #12 on:** February 19, 2002, 06:13:14 PM »

I ran a BBS in Charlottesville, VA for two years (1992 through 1994). That was a lot of fun, if not terribly expensive. I was the first BBS in town to offer 9600 baud, then 14.4k, then dual-speed 19.2k/21.6k access via the free USRobotics promo deal. I was also the first in my area to offer files from CD (grabbed a couple of Night Owl shareware CDs and wrote a script to add them into the Wildcat BBS software database).

FIDONet... dozens of games (Legend of the Red Dragon, anyone?)... distribution site for Apogee, iD, and Epic Megagames... those were the days.

Naturally, in the summer of '94 my harddrive decided to die on me. At that point, interest in BBSes had declined to the point where it wasn't worth dishing out the money for a new harddrive to bring it back up again. Plus, I'd discovered the Internet and decided that it was more fun than local BBSes anyway.

-- Todd/Leviathn

Sandman · « **Reply #13 on:** February 19, 2002, 06:16:12 PM »

Used to dial up some BBS's in San Diego in the early 80's.

At the time, I used a Commodore 64 and a 1200 BAUD modem.

BTW... that modem cost me $240 at the time.

LePaul · « **Reply #14 on:** February 19, 2002, 09:33:59 PM »

Wow

Remember how expensive a 120mb hard drive was back then?

And when a "sound card" and CD-ROM were the "cool new things" to have?

Ah the memories