Days:
Hours:
Minutes:
Seconds:
cr1mson

Jonathan Justvig [cr1mson]

KANSIT.com, CEO

Whispernet Echomail, RAIDERS BBS, KANSIT.com CEO, Sp00knet & Fishingnet Admin, PHATstar Member

Alistair

Professional Videographer

Videographer of the Back to The BBS film series, available from YouTube.com under Al's Geek Lab. He puts vintage technology in a form that is understandable

Christian Sacks [MeaTLoTioN]

Multi-Relay Chat Weekly Host

The Quantum Wormhole BBS and Echonet and MRC MeaTuP host

Paulie420

Sysop of The Scene's Most Popular BBS

2oForBeers sysop: The admin o fhe most popular BBS in the whole of The Scene. His file archive is the larger than any other.

warmfuzzy-in-black-720

Ryder Navi [warmfuzzy]

Author and Designer

Sp00knet and Fishingnet Echomail, Fishingnet BBS, 2600 Magazine Author, Blogger, Podcaster, Echomail Networking Book author, Web Designer, and admin of AnonArchivers File Distro Network

stackfaultspic

Dave Clotier [StackFault]

Sysop & The Coder of Multi-Relay Chat (MRC)

He runs one of the worlds most modified BBS, called The Bottomless Abyss BBS. His board is a work of art of the highest level. He is also the coder of The Scene's most heavily used chat plugin called Multi-Relay Chat (MRC).

Christian Sacks

MeaTLoTioN

The Quantum Wormhole BBS and Echonet and MRC MeaTuP host

The History, Present, and Future of The BBS Scene: Pure Nostalgia and Fun Times

The Historical BBS Scene

Plain Old Telephone Networks (POTS/PSTN)

The Present BBS Scene

Mystic BBS, Synchronet BBS, and Enigma1/2 BBS

The Future of Our Scene

Networks within networks within networks...
Modern BBS Server Software

There are several modem BBSing platforms that are currently being maintained.  The top three in order of popularity are: Mystic BBS, Synchronet BBS, and Enigma1/2.  Mystic BBS is arguably the most massive in terms of customization.  With Mystic you can configure anything however you want, and if Mystic itself doesn’t do it, it supports external applications through the Mystic Programming Language (MPL) and Python support.  The other two players can do similiar things but its more complicated.  That’s not to knock Synch and Enigma, certain people like one board software over another and that is just fine.  The more the merrier.

Modern BBS Client Software

The top three BBS client software are (1) SyncTerm, (2) NetRunner, and (3) MagiTerm.  SyncTerm is the most popular in that it can run under more platforms than the rest, NetRunner has the uber elite kind of look and is a lot of fun, though from my personal experience the Linux build doesn’t work on Ubuntu, though it runs well under Windows.  MagiTerm is a new option of which I need to learn more about, but StackFault’s “The Bottomless Abyss” recommends it so its peaked my interest

BBS Protocols: Legacy & Modern

The BBS Scene has one major hurdle to jump, specifically the file transfer protocols for BBS systems are very slow.  In the best of situations you might get 2 M/second.  Anything beyond this the software just can not handle.  One recommendation is to use the KERMIT protocol, however these are not native to either SyncTerm nor NetRunner.  Mystic BBS has tried to navigate around this issue by offering a temporary weblink to download your files via a HTTP page that you can switch to to download your files via the web.  This is far less than optimal.  We need what is called “Zmodem-Gbit” which would be an expansion of Zmodem that can run at Gigabit speeds.  If you know how to code such a thing we *really* need your help.  Please help us!

ANSI-BBS Graphics

ANSI-BBS graphics is an extension of the ANSI character set to allow for graphic animation, sound, and the ability to “paint” data to where you would like it put on the screen.  There are two main divisions of ANSI graphics: 16 colors with blinking characters or ANSI graphics without blinking characters.  The non-blinking option is calle iCE Colors (taken from the ANSI artwork group that went by the name of iCE.  iCE colors is considered the more elite option as flashing characters is annoying and having the extra colors to use makes for more immersive ANSI graphical artworks.  “iCE” = “Insane Creator Enterprises.”

http://artscene.textfiles.com/acid/

https://16colo.rs

 

Communications Security: TELNET vs SSH

There are four methods to connect to bulletin board systems: via the Internet with TELNET, RLOGON, and SSH.  You can also connect to BBSes via the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) and Packet (Amateur Radio) Radio with Terminal Node Controllers (TNC’s).  The only secure option among the options is SSH (The Secure SHell).

Compression Software: ZIP vs 7-zip

The old version of compression technology is called ZIP.  It is considered out-moded, old, and ugly.  Every compression program supports saving in the ZIP file format, but its compression ratio is pathetic.  It was great for its time (the early 90’s) but has been far surpassed by the 7Zip Compression Software.  You can find the 7Zip software from:

https://7-zip.org

BBS Mods & Modding Groups

The premier BBS modding group of the modern era is Phenom Productions.  Its rival is The PHATstar Society, however currently Phenom is beating PHATstar by far.  Phenom’s claim to fame is the membership of key players in the BBS Scene, while PHATstar’s claim to fame is that its The Scene’s Christian technology group.

You can reach Phenom at:
https://phenomprod.com

You can reach The PHATstar Society at:
https://phatstar.net

Investing in Technical Support For BBS Development

There is a significant controversy in The BBS Scene: to offer technical support services for free as a part of the hobby or to pay for professional help.  It is a battle of ideologies, to pay or not to pay.  Granted paying for help is much easier, faster, and done by people who really know their stuff.  But some people say that they would never charge for their services just out of principle.  The main player in BBS related technical support is “Kansas Information Technology” AKA “KANSIT.com.”  I have personally experienced the services of KANSIT and I’ll give it rave reviews.  He just knows how to make things work, and if he doesn’t know how to implement something he has friends who can help him out and get the job done.  His company works at “Bringing Vintage Technology to The Modern World.”  I would recommend it, and you can reach KANSIT.com at (yes, you guessed it: KANSI.com).

 

Backups: How it Should be Done

Your backup schedule should be based on how much information you are willing to have lost between backups.  Personally I backup all my servers monthly.  I then encrypt the BBS systems with 7-Zip using the AES-256 cryptographic algorithm.  The 7=Zip is then burnt onto a DVD which I send to fellow members of PHATstar.  I also make a copy that I keep on-sight, and a third copy to anoher trusted person.

So how I do it is I do a:
tar czvf [filename.tar.gz] /mystic
This works well with BBSes using GNU/LInux software.  The collection of the various TAR Archivess are then all added to an encrypted 7Zip.  This works for me, but however you do it make sure that you have an offsite backup   The encryption key to your encrypted 7-Zip should be at least 16 characters long as the AES Crypto is only as strong as its key.

Hatching Files on Echomail Networks

Message Net Controllers can send files to every node on their networks if their client boards have subscribed to receive files from the file area in question.  Echomail Networks can transfer both text and files.  One problem with hatching files is that they aren’t saved for sysops who sign up for the network after the files have been “hatched.”  This can be mitigated by re-hatching files every several months, but is awkward.  It isn’t so bad: you can have the hatched files saved on the Root Hub and its just a matter of clicking the “hatch” to re-hatch it.  I’d recommend never sending anything through echomail that is more than a few megs.  Having 100 nodes to send 4 meg files to can congest the network if its being run off of low-power systems.

Anti-Malware Software for BBS Servers

The Windows operating system has the best of the best in anti-virus software.  My personal favorite is Webroot.  It is American made and is ver light-weight, but very efficient in terms of speed and memory use.  As for GNU/Linux operating systems the best software was ESET NOD32 for Linux.  This worked perfectly, no naturally they had to change it.  Now it is no longer offered for the GNU/Linux OS.  I have a work-around though, assuming that you are using Virtual Machines or two or more computers on which you can place on one the Linux BBS and on the other the Windows Operating System.  On the Linux machine you put CrushFTP on it and on the Windows machine you put MountainDuck on.  You then connect to the Linux server from the Windows system, and Webroot scans the Linux box using an SFTP bridge.  This is the kind of setup that AnonArchivers File Distro Net is about to use so its not all theory.

Echomail Networking: Hosting & Clients

To set yp a full-scale Echomail Network you are best served to get help by someone who has done this already.  I’d recommend KANSIT>com.  They manage PHATstar’s “Sp00knet” and “Fishingnet” Echomail Servers.  KANSIT also runs its very own network called Whispernet (a general tech net with family friendly topics).  For present-day Echo Nets the systems almost all use BinkP, a message transfer and organization software that deals with all the background stuff that goes on out of view of the sysop.  It is simple and just works, however the initial setup and be daunting, which is why I recommend KANSIT at least initially.  For a fully complete deep-dive into Mystic’s Echomail Networking services please check out our (PHATstar’s) book called, naturally, “Echomail Networking” which should be out in 2026 if not sooner.  It is a full-fledged e-Book, with an ISBN number and all that stuff.  A hard copy will be printed as well so you can consume it how you wish.

BBS Door Games and Apps

Some of the most intriguing things about bulletin board systems is the software that plugs into the BBS,  These application are called “doors” or doorways from the BBS onto connected 3rd party applications.  The most famous game of all time in the BBS Scene is “Legend Of the Red Dragon” (LORD).  It is a text-based adventure in the style of Dungeons and Dragons gaming systems.  As I kid I spent many many hours in that game, coming back daily to upgrade my characters stats and go on adventures of various sorts.  Perhaps its most compelling reason for its popularity was from “In-Game Modules” (IGMs) where anyone could add their customization into the game.  Other popular games inclue Lemonade Stand, LORD 2.0, Bowling, Lunatix, and Tradewars.

Scripting: Python & BASH & MPL

Mystic BBS supports running doors with “drop-files” (code that tells the game who is playing and the current data configuration of the calling BBS software.  In addition to that it also offers running arbitrary programs that can be interacted with from the Linux Shell into the BBS.  Python, BASH, and MPL are also supported.  Python is this generation’s go-to programming language.  BASH is the “Bourne Again SHell,” and can do many types of highly advanced scriptiong code together.  MPL (Mysitc Programming Language) is a language similar to Pascal that is used on the Mystic BBS Server Software to aid in ease of customization internally.

File Distribution Networks (FDNs)

As of this writing there are only two File Distro Networks: Anonymous Archivers FDN and Silent Partner FDN.  Both of these File Distro Nets have been merged into one single system that has the name of “Anonymous Archivers File Distro Network.”  The idea came from Zharvek’s “ArchaicNet,” which is currently offline, but his idea was used in the creation of our own network.  Proper respect to Zharvek for giving the great idea to make this thing real.

Centralized Gaming Servers

One problem in old-school BBS systems was that to play a game with other people you needed to centralize your game play on a single BBS that was known for its wide variety of games.  Everyone would then log on to a single system and take turns in game play.  This has been almost completely out-moded with the advent of Centralized Gaming Servers.  They act as massive servers with several dozen or even over one hundred games.  BBSes would then allow their users to “TELNET-OUT” or “RLOGON-OUT” from the participating BBS server onto the game server, allowing for up to 255 nodes working at the very same time, with each node representing a user who has access to the gaming server.  These systems are a great idea in centralizing game play onto a few massive gaming servers rather than having each sysop host their own games of which game play would not be near as populated.

File Hosting: Proper Packaging

In the BBS Scene there have been adopted certain formalities.  FILE_ID.DIZ and FILE_ID.ANS files are placed into the archives which give file information about what those archives contain.  The description files are 45 characters long (horizontally) and up to 99 rows (vertically).  The .DIZ and .ANS files both contain the same information with one being plain-text and the other using ANSI coloring.

Joining a Scene Group or Tech Society

This can be either complicated or quite simple.  For joining Phenom Productions its a matter of submitting a text-based application with your mod creation attached.  The PHATstar Society is harder to get into: you need to be a Born-Again Christian with technical know-how.  To join an art group you attach one of your crations to the head of the crew as per the instructions in their .NFO files contained within their latest artpack.  The question you would want to ask yourself is whether joining one of these groups would actually be beneficial or not so much.  So what is your return on investment in joining one of these groups?  As I’m not with Phenom I don’t know their internal benefits, but for The PHATstar Society all members get “perk packs” of useful computer technology, mailed out to members of The Society via the postal service.  This is a benefit of around $60 USD per every third of the year.  Members get to pick and choose what kind of perk they want to receive.

Packet Radio BBS'es

When one considers the BBS scene they rarely think upon those BBSes hosted by Packet Radio.  These are just as much BBSes as their Telnet/Rlogon/SSH counterparts.  The technology to connect clients to these servers is very different, but they all fulfill the same function as Internet-based BBSes: To be Computerized Bulletin Board Systems, like the bulletin board in the work office, just done via communications technology.  Packet Radios use TNC’s rather than POTS Modems.  Those Terminal Node Controllers interface the radio with the connecting and sending computers.  To learn more about this technology please visit ARRL.org and the TWiT network’s “Ham Nation.”  It is possible to make a radio-based BBS very similar to its POTS/Internet counterpart.  What these systems are lacking is support for ANSI-BBS graphics, but with your help you can make the first ANSI-BBS supporting Packet Radio BBS.  That would be so cool.

Where it All Began: a Short History

Where did this hobby start from?  What were its origins?  Well one week or two during a very very heavy snow storm two techies set up CBBS (The Computerized Bulletin Board System) during their down-time from the snow storm.  This was done with 1200 baud modems (very slow), but the technology increased and improved to the point when there were an estimated 100,000 BBSes Worldwide in its epic use in the 90’s.  Each neighborhood would have several boards that you could connect to for free or a small fee to pay for their phone bills.  It was the great age of modem-based communications.  The Internet took over the BBS Scene in the late 90’s to early 2000’s.  Many abandoned the BBSing technology, however there remained a few who kept The Scene alive.  In the present day there are over 1,000 active bulletin board systems worldwide—a huge departure from the 100,000 back in the day but still a real pleasure to use and improve upon.

From the Beginning to Modern Times

The First BBS Connection

The Computerized Bulletin Board System (CBBS) Goes Online

Ward Christensen and Randy Suess patterned the system after the cork board at 0 his local computer club used to post information like "need a ride."

1976 February 16th

Chicago: The Great Blizzard of 1978

Global Phone Modem Distributed Mail

The Beginning of Echomail

A small river named Duden flows by their place and supplies it with the necessary regelialia. It is a paradise

June 1984

Global Textmode Communications

Stable and Expandable BBSes

Development of the GNU/Linux OS

The UNIX replacement, Linux mixed with the GNU project to create a totally free operating system.

Linux 1991, GNU 1983 Sept. 2nd

University of Helsinki

RemoteAccess, Oblivion/2, Renegade BBSes Are Introduced

Elite BBS Systems Come to The Scene

Warez, porn, and art boards come into The Scene. Its a coming of age. Invite only 1337 systems. Every BBS is its own little island.

1994

Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) BBSes

The Major Game Changer

The Internet Comes And High Speed Internet-Based BBSes Replace POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) Boards

Boards are still boards, but now 100x the speed; many sysops switch their POTS boards to the Internet's TELNET protocol.

1995

The New Global Communications System

The Largest Documentary on The BBS Scene to Date

BBS: The Documentary

This video document shows the history of the BBS Scene and has a very good production quality.

December 2004

Produced by Jason Scott

POTS Boards Become Out-moded

The Major Next Generation BBSes Hit The Scene

A small river named Duden flows by their place and supplies it with the necessary regelialia. It is a paradise

01 February 2015

Starting with POTS and Transitioning to the Internet

New to The Scene

Networked Plug'n'Play BBS Expansions: Gaming Servers and File DIstro Networks

You can now play games on a gaming server with many other people, rather than just on one single board. As for File Distro Networks (FDNs), you can use major servers on your individual boards to connect to a very large archive of files rather than you having to archive the stuff yourself.

01 February 2019

Mystic and Synchronet BBSes

Modern BBS Service Business

The hobby gets a business that specializes on servicing people in the BBS Scene with technical support.

2020 : Somewhere in Time

Wichita, Kansas, U.S.A.

Very New and Modern Historical Video Journalism

Al's Geek Lab: Back to The BBS Video Series

Al's Exploration of the BBS Scene Starts This Day and Will Come to Produce Eight Episodes, Plus an Addendum.

12 February 2022

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLop3s1hMlSJKXqmuFjK7gbJh2WAyllTTY

The Present Day

BBSDay.org Launches: Keeping The Nostalgia Flowing: From Sea to Sea And Board to Board

BBS Day is meant to be the go-to website on all things relating to the BBSing Scene. If it related to The Scene we are endeavouring to include it right here.

16 February 2022

New Office, CA

R.I.P. Hawk Hubbard [ACiD/BlackFlag] June 27th, 2024 The Spirit of The Scene We will miss you 'ol buddy

Music by The Legend: He Was a Fiddler