Subj : BBS Documentary
To   : Matt Bedynek
From : Eric Oulashin
Date : Mon Jun 29 2015 12:38 pm

 > I have seen parts of it before and recently watch it all the way through.
 > Although there are many topics I wish it covered in detail  I believe it did
 > an excellent job of depicting the online world which remains so strongly in
 > our memories.  I'll never forget the sound of modem negotiation even until
 > the day I die.

I agree, it was good to see what was covered by the documentary, and I enjoyed
watching it and remembering my time using BBSes in the 90s (I first started
using BBSes in 1992 when I got my own PC and modem).

 > It is satisfying to see that fido technology and bulletin boards as a
 > technology have survived to the 21st century and suffered fools.  The
 > visionaries who created the earliest technology invented something that
 > outlasted their contributions long after they were driven away.  They are
 > technological pioneers of a type the world will never fully appreciate.
 > 
 > I am also impressed to see that software is still being actively developed.
 > The authors of binkd, husky, synchronet, ezycom, mystic and more have done
 > an immeasurable service.  At the time circumstances pulled me away I was
 > sure things would implode in a few years but occasionally I peek in and see
 > people still participating.
 > 
 > I was shocked to see someone releasing BBS software in 2015.  It got me
 > wondering how active are bulletin boards today?  How many visitors do you
 > see and what type of things do they come for?   Seeing the energy got me
 > inching to set one up if only to play my old games.  My only fear is not
 > being able to find cracks for all the doors I once registered as I suspect
 > most people who maintained them fell off the planet or would not care to
 > hassle with someone over something they were paid $15 for 15 years ago.

I agree.  I took my original BBS down in 2000, thinking nobody would want to
use BBSes again in light of the internet.  I found BBS: The Documentary in
2007, and it's what inspired me to get back into BBSing.  I was surprised to
find BBS software still being maintained.  I'm glad that there is still BBS
software available & maintained though, as I still enjoy running a BBS.

My BBS usually gets anywhere between 3 and 10 calls a day (sometimes a little
more or less).  There are a few doors that are popular, and sometimes my BBS
gets around an hour and a half or 2 hours of use each day (sometimes more or
less).

Abandonware is common - sometimes you can find cracks for your doors, and some
you can't.  Also, I remember Sunrise Doors making all their doors donationware
a while ago, so you can run them without restrictions if you want.

Eric
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