I'm Looking for a client/server bbs. reddit / bbs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- timbernutz · 2018-07-01 16:53 I'm looking for a client/server bbs system similar to hotline connect used to be. is there anything like that open source still around' ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2018-07-01 16:55 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ILikeBumblebees · 2018-07-01 19:49 Probably not. The closest think I can think of is the old Galacticomm Worldgroup, which developed out of Major BBS, and used a custom GUI client application that allowed a BBS to have a similar UI to AOL during the Win 3.x era. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Kirkman14 · 2018-07-01 21:02 Digital Man and/or Deuce have been working on Hotline protocol support for Synchronet BBS software. You can see that here: http://cvs.synchro.net/cgi- bin/viewcvs.cgi/exec/hotline.js?view=markup Not sure if any boards are using it right now, but DM committed fixes to it as recently as 6 months ago. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- timbernutz · 2018-07-01 21:03 Retroshare is very close to what I would like to find. A little too distributed however. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 13_0_0_0_0 · 2018-07-02 13:31 No but I've been dreaming of such a system (a hotline-like replacement), which would be awesome for smartphones. Several years ago I was playing with some offline QWK clients that approached client/server. I don't remember the names but that might be a path worth checking into. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- timbernutz · 2018-07-02 15:11 I wish I had the time and skills to modify one of the open source bbs to web bridges into a bbs to android client bridge. I'll look in qwk and see what was available. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- phunlabs · 2018-07-07 01:09 If you wanna check out something really nice do KDX it's still in use somewhat could be better but wow oh so nice ---------------------------------------------------------------------- timbernutz · 2018-07-07 02:31 I remember kdx, Damn if only someone would get rid of the need of trackers and make an mobile app. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2018-07-07 20:42 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2018-07-07 20:45 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- timbernutz · 2018-07-07 22:06 There was a number of bbs software that had a script, or whatever, to bridge telnet to a web page. (I don't remember which it's been a while). So it should not be impossible to do the same to a mobile app. And why? Because android or iOS mobile apps are far more popular than mobile or desktop web sites.(And you can have better security and privacy with a well made app). There will never be a lot of users for text only old school forums and community again(but that is no reason to abandon all the good work on the bbs software), there is a lot of people on devices that might join personal communities if the app is easy enough (think Tapatalk, with more of bbs community,(or a small Facebook) or like hotline was but without trackers) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- timbernutz · 2018-07-07 22:08 Yes but bbs are text based, hotline was more gui. And there are a lot of web community's but I'm looking for more of a hotline for android and iOS style approach. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nolageek · 2018-07-09 21:18 Personally I don't understand the point of a BBS->web or BBS->mobile discussion app, other than to just say you can do it. A big part of the appeal for BBSing is that it's 'off the grid' so to speak. Plus, ANSI graphics, text games, etc... all of those things are rendered moot if you try to put them onto the web. Suddenly your messages are indexed and searchable (not just yours, but also messages on any networks you may be running - some of which probably don't want to be made public.) If you want that there are already ooldles of web forums that have mobile app interfaces - just run them? The only kind of mobile app I would like is one that gives me real times stats about callers, etc... Maybe a chat function in case someone pages me from the BBS. Other than that, I'd rather leave it to telnet where it's native. Unless I'm understanding you wrong, which is entirely possible. :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- timbernutz · 2018-07-09 22:47 Look up "hotline connect" it was a step in a gui direction. I don't want another web site Facebook. I want a replacement for telnet as a front end. I don't want text menus via telnet(but it would be nice if it was an option). I'm all for ansi splash screens, but why not .jpg pictures if you want? Why not menus that look modern with message boards updated to look good on a phone? Why not allow menu customization any way anyone wants on a phone? I remember custom ansi splashes for every sub menu for everything. Ansi graphics for every different message board sub group. It was the customization that was fantastic not always the ansi. But why not update it all? But not a web site seen from a web browser, mobile web sites are abysmal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2018-07-12 01:47 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- timbernutz · 2018-07-12 01:58 When you say html5/flash interface, are you still talking about a text only interface to the bbs? If so, no one will be using it. Web sites are fantastic, but mobile web sites are far less so. Red reader for Reddit is 100x better (And it is still text centric not text restricted)on a mobile phone than the reddit mobile web site is. What do you think a bbs is? It's not the software, it's the community and the services to that community it provides. And text menus and navigation only is just not going to ever be popular in the future. But that does not mean everything that came before has to be disposed of, but it wants to thrive it has to evolve in the mobile platform. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nolageek · 2018-07-12 16:27 For once I'm with MRO. ) While in broader terminology, some online communities can be referred to as a BBS (this used to be common in web forum software...) I think in the context of this subreddit, a BBS is a text based communication system that is accessible via dial up, telnet, SSH and packet radio that reached it's peak of popularity sometime in the late 80's and started to die out in the early to mid 90s. We know it's never going to be popular again and for many of us that's the point. lol All that being said - this was just my opinion and I'm in no way saying we don't welcome your ideas! I would LOVE to have some sort of alternate ways to access BBSs or some kind of modern mobile based equivalent (that isn't facebook). Knock yourself out but keep in mind that many of us see BBSing (in the context of this subreddit) as a text based medium. While I love the idea of having mobile apps to augment my BBS, or to help manage it, I wouldn't want it to be replaced with a mobile app for the masses. The charm of BBSing has always been the underground nature of them. What you're describing is a localized/interest driven facebook type app and while I love facebook and use it often, it wouldn't be a BBS to me. :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- timbernutz · 2018-07-12 17:25 Don't get my wrong,I don't want anything to be completely graphic driven, let's face it flashy effects have surpassed information on the internet. And social stair climbing (Facebook) has replaced actual community interaction. The thoughtful written word should be the medium of communication, not videos of insanity and pictures of sleeping cats looking strange.. Really I would like to see all the features of a traditional bbs accessed from a mobile app gui, still having text forums without graphic attachments (would be great if it was federated to world wide bbses) and of course the welcome/goodbye wall,a file base, and local chat. Honestly with how small a text only forum database is,you could run the server from a phone and still have 5000 users. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2018-07-13 02:10 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2018-07-15 02:55 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2018-07-15 02:58 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- timbernutz · 2018-07-15 03:10 Yep I'm everywhere, why not run a bus from a phone over cellular? Running text only it would likely use less than a gb a month with 500 users. If you limited the speed to 3kb a second and only 5 users at a time it would feel like an original bbs on a phone line.And God knows there is plenty power on a modern smart phone compared to a 286 from 1988. Honestly I just found "briar" and it looks like they are Federating, messaging, forums, blog, soon to be files, plus more all updating between devices over the internet, direct Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Briar is almost a.bbs federated between friends where everyone is the client and server. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- timbernutz · 2018-07-15 03:18 Check out briar instant messaged. It just hit 1.0 , offers federated, messaging, forums and blog. They are working on files and a offline message bounce so messages will go through even if users are not online. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nolageek · 2018-07-16 13:44 [Watch out!](https://imgur.com/a/OlYMApK)