There is a BBS Comparison anywhere? reddit / bbs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- jacksonbenete · 2020-08-19 00:50 I'm thinking in start a BBS to exchange some messages with friends but I'm a little overwhelmed by the options. If you've owned various BBS or know a little about them, could you elaborate a comparison, or maybe what BBS you like most? Apart from DayDream, EleBBS, Maximus, ENIGMA½, Mystic BBS, Renegade, Synchronet, and x/84, there is any other that you know and is not listed? I'm aiming at a good message server, I'm not really interested in host games, if it would help in a suggestion. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- jonathanfs · 2020-08-19 01:10 I don't have a suggestion, but I would think the hardware on which you plan to run it would narrow down your choices a bit. What systems do you have available? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- jacksonbenete · 2020-08-19 01:49 Basically I'm planning to put it on a cheap $5 or $10 VPS at vultr or digitalocean. I already host some applications on a $5 vps, I can start a second $5 for it or maybe I can get a $10 for both. They'll be 1GB or 2GB RAM machines of modest CPU running linux or bsd. I could not find the CPU specification though, probably 2.3 GHz. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- redbrickchimney · 2020-08-19 03:08 hardware doesnt matter at all... people are still using 386 machines, old apples, amigas and commodores. i have one running on a 486. =p ---------------------------------------------------------------------- redbrickchimney · 2020-08-19 03:09 mystic is the easiest to setup. i'm running Synchronet if u need any help. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Convecticus · 2020-08-19 04:17 For what it's worth, I've been running a Mystic BBS on a $5 vultr Linux VPS, along with a couple other things (A couple React things and an ExpressJS server), and it's worked well. But I have no doubt that digitalocean would work at least as well. And BBSs, in general, are pretty low on their needs for computing power. So, as long as the software has a Linux version, it'll be fine. And, to add to your list, there's also Magika BBS. But I don't have any great suggestions for you. I just kind of ended up with Mystic. And it works just fine. I'm occasionally tempted to try Synchronet, mostly because then my Javascript knowledge would be useful -- as opposed to Mystic, where I'm programming with Python2, and have the option of something that's Pascal-based. Personally, if you'd like to figure out what works best for you, I'd suggest calling around to BBSs of various different softwares, and see if there's any you enjoy interacting with more than others. Or just randomly choose one and go with it. Honestly, there's no real wrong answers here, and it'll mostly be about the work you put in after choosing your software. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dzendian · 2020-08-19 04:39 Oblivion/2 was the cat's meow back in the day. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- jacksonbenete · 2020-08-19 04:59 I've just checked Magika BBS and it looks nice! Thanks for the heads up! Good to know that your $5 vultr VPS can handle that, my VPS is running pretty much the same also in vultr. Isn't Synchronet mostly in C? I was tempted to try Enigma 1/2 as it is in NodeJS, same logic, I could benefit from my javascript, but the UI is very colorful and confusing (to me), it might be just too much trouble to customize everything for a clean UI, I thought maybe it would be better to pick something already clean. That's why I'm asking. Looks like there are some docker images for some of those options, I will check if magika have one! Did you know if there is anything else like BBS? I'm not familiar with a lot of protocols and technologies. I was taking a look on sdf today and gopher, I was not aware of gopher and phlogs. If you know something else let me know. I'm very interesting in all of these. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- psiglin1556 · 2020-08-19 13:35 Synchronet hands down just because of the community support. Rob is also still very involved. Not sure about Mystic but I remember is being nice as well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- codefenix · 2020-08-19 16:49 \+1 for Sync. Solid community, great support and knowledgebase. What really sold me on it was the SCFG control panel in Windows. At a glance I know everything that's going on; who's logged in, what events and/or errors have occurred.. it's just a great set of tools. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- codefenix · 2020-08-19 16:51 The Javascript engine in Sync is awesome. Yes, if you're experienced with Javascript, there's a lot you can customize, and even write your own doors if you want. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Rykirr · 2020-08-19 23:52 Mystic if you want something super easy to setup. Synch if you want all the toys. If the author ever finishes it...legacy/x will be a fun one too. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mkohn773 · 2020-08-21 07:19 I'm not sure it's up to date but one software that is easy to set up and run is Searchlight. I'm hopeful I don't break any rules but here's the link to the support site: [http://www.slbbs.com/](http://www.slbbs.com/) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- cwstephenson71 · 2020-08-21 16:37 Enigma is a WONDERFUL choice! Ice been running it for almost 3 years. Super configurable and runs on anything that can run mode.js! I have a home computer 8 gigs RAM, 1.5TB I5. Running 3 BBSes under Kubuntu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- UM-Underminer · 2020-08-23 23:50 Why not use one of the already existing boards? Nothing wrong with being a user; we need more of those. If you do have your heart set on starting one of your own, Mystic and Synchronet are the standout options for ease of getting started. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- rushfan90210 · 2020-08-24 04:57 WWIV is still around too. [http://github.com/wwivbbs/wwiv](http://github.com/wwivbbs/wwiv) on github and [http://www.wwivbbs.org](http://www.wwivbbs.org) on the web. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Public_Possibility_5 · 2020-12-19 21:50 Crosses my mind often... I'd like to get my own BBS up and running, but also enjoy using the existing boards... Guess one doesn't necessarily preclude the other...