Subj : MMTerm?
To   : Charles Scaglione
From : Jim Hanoian
Date : Fri Apr 06 2001 07:23 am

-=> Charles Scaglione wrote to Jim Hanoian <=-

 CS> I very nearly sent Ed the same reply as you did.  I agree with
 CS> you totally.  BBSing as we know it would be gone entirely
 CS> without the ability to TelNet and the outstanding cooperation
 CS> of the many generous Sysops who allow access to their boards
 CS> for free.

I honestly believe that the internet has revolutionized the way
in which we expect our data and conversations.

When I first started BBSing, we could actually converse with 
someone from half-way around the world and get a reply back
in less than a week.  Now BBSing has the time lag reduced down
to a day or two, depending.  And it has accomplished that by
using the internet to hook remote BBSs together, instead of
waiting for the bucket-brigade to pass from one place to another,
getting ever closer to the destination day by day.

Compare that with web-based forums that are accessed totally
via browser that get replies back in minutes or newsgroups that
do the same, or instant messenger services that allow basic
real-time chatting with others or chat rooms where there could
be dozens of crossing conversations going on at once.

We live in a world that has long gone by the timeliness of this
medium.  And how do we defend ourselves?  Certainly not by 
trumpeting the "free" aspect... all other options mentioned
above do the same.  Portability?  Newsgroups if done right 
don't need the full-time connection.  But try to connnect from
somewhere else, and the BBS becomes non-portable where the others
remain just fine.  Critical mass?  Any of the other options have 
BBSing beat easily.  There just aren't enough people left here.

People expect more from an information source.  They don't 
want to access dial-up BBSs.  They may already have cable
modems or other broadband access to the internet.  They might
be on a wired campus or in a forward-thinking town.  They 
might even be in a coffee shop or lounge, away from their 
own equipment, yet still need access.  What about business 
travellers who expect to tap into their stuff from the
computer on the desk of a relative stranger.

And the telephone line always limited the BBSing, anyway.
The sysop could have only one connection on a phone line.  
If he wanted two callers at the same time, he had to have 
two incoming phone lines, each with a modem, etc.  Total 
duplication of hardware and monthly costs.  Compare that 
with a single network access to IP, where the numbers of 
simultaneous users was limited only by the computing processor 
speed, memory, and bandwidth... which were always basic 
requirements in any case.

Yes, I believe the telephone line choked the BBSs to death, 
not the internet.

Thanks for letting me get this out, even though I know I'm
preaching to the choir.

Oh, and PS... please note that horses are still used for 
pleasure and work, even though the "horseless carriage"
has long ago become the predominant choice of most people.


.... Jim Hanoian, Augusta, Maine, USA
.... I tried an internal modem once but it hurt when I walked.
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