BBS's were better than the internet in many ways:

- All downloads took place at maximum speed of your connection (no such thing as a "slow" website; very very few "dropped packets" if you had a decent phone line)
- Socialization was a lot better than anything GD.net has now: partly because email didn't exist (so socialization was more concentrated), partly because anonymity was non-existent (most sysops knew the phone number of all their users - I had a dialback confirmation on all new users[nb: which is where modern forums software etc got the idea of having to reply to an email to verify your account!]), and partly because the chat facilities were BETTER integrated than stuff like GD.net today.

Of course, it was easier in some ways back then: there was no such thing as having to code to each of many web browsers (you just coded to ANSI, and told everyone to download a terminal emulator with VT220 + Z/modem etc). But it was also harder: outside some areas in the USA, phone bills were expensive (in the UK, we used to pay literally 20 times as much per minute as we do now!), and phone lines even more so. Also, you had to teach people how to setup their modems, and the importance of buying a computer with a 16550 UART (or buying one for $20 and sticking it in an expansion slot), etc.

But it was fun, and I learnt a LOT about marketing and community management (some of which I'm still putting to good use today). My BBS at peak had something like 1500 registered users, and 350 regular users each day, with 1, 2, or 3 phone lines (3 at night, 2 most days, 1 on days when I was using a modem to dialout to other BBS's).

PS L.O.R.D. kicks ass...

RedMilamber

Quote:Original post by FireNet
A bygone era,how long ago was it?

Do any exist nowadays? or anybody intrested in doing the same over the internet via telnet?

Umm BBS's as in (Old DOS / New Windows / OS/2) System are up and runnig on the internet, and have been running over Telnet since late 90's, theres still a lot of deelopment and new doors being made all the time. Some of us just love console text, ANSI and spam free messages and file listing.. ;) But there still alive and kickin thats for sure!

Quote:Original post by FireNet
Were can you find them ?

A quick google for me turned up results for BBS Banner exchange programmes, I'm sure you could hook up a few from there.

Man I remember those days, dialing up to a BBS to download a text file of Public Domain and Shareware listings for the Amiga. Plus the upload/download ratios that were so popular... all the fun you could ever have on a 14.4k modem

And still, 14.4 was fast. I used to connect with 200 and later, 9600 bauds modem. But playing GlobalWar was worth the slow connection :)

Now I feel so old [depressed]

Gizz