19 replies to this topic

[doctorclu]

ATARI BBS LIST 2009

Boot factory ------------------telnet://bfbbs.dtdns.net
Darkforces ------------------- telnet://darkforce-bbs.dyndns.org (Make sure to hit enter at the start)
The Grove BBS ---------------telnet://shadow.skeleton.org
Inside the Atari 8-bit BBS --- telnet://tcpipexpress.com 8888
Mousenet ----------------------telnet://atari-bbs.kicks-ass.net
Thunderdome (available at the Prison Board telnet://rdfig.net.. x at main menu, then A for Atari menu, last choice)
(I have an agreememt with the Thunderdome sysop to not post this on the internet)
(Or you can PM me for the IP address.)

[DarkLord]

doctorclu, on Wed Jan 7, 2009 1:41 AM, said:

ATARI BBS LIST 2009

Boot factory ------------------telnet://bfbbs.dtdns.net
Darkforces ------------------- telnet://darkforce-bbs.dyndns.org (Make sure to hit enter at the start)
The Grove BBS ---------------telnet://shadow.skeleton.org
Inside the Atari 8-bit BBS --- telnet://tcpipexpress.com 8888
Mousenet ----------------------telnet://atari-bbs.kicks-ass.net
Thunderdome (available at the Prison Board telnet://rdfig.net.. x at main menu, then A for Atari menu, last choice)
(I have an agreememt with the Thunderdome sysop to not post this on the internet)
(Or you can PM me for the IP address.)

Wow, unfortunately - this list seems to be getting smaller and smaller. Sure would like to see this trend
reversed!

[sniperstorm]

There is always St Guild Still working... its up now.

[sniperstorm]

sniperstorm, on Fri Feb 6, 2009 7:46 PM, said:

There is always St Guild Still working... its up now.

If anyone wants can you try the bbs and see if its working?

telnet://stguild-bbs.dyndns.org

[DarkLord]

sniperstorm, on Thu Feb 19, 2009 7:38 PM, said:

sniperstorm, on Fri Feb 6, 2009 7:46 PM, said:

There is always St Guild Still working... its up now.

If anyone wants can you try the bbs and see if its working?

telnet://stguild-bbs.dyndns.org

Hey there. I tried to logon the other night, but I must have forgotten
my user/password combo. I'll try again. (it did answer and seem to
work fine up to that point though).

[tuf]

So no dial up boards left? What will I do with my 1030

[rmaerz]

doctorclu, on Wed Jan 7, 2009 1:41 AM, said:

ATARI BBS LIST 2009

Boot factory ------------------telnet://bfbbs.dtdns.net
Darkforces ------------------- telnet://darkforce-bbs.dyndns.org (Make sure to hit enter at the start)
The Grove BBS ---------------telnet://shadow.skeleton.org
Inside the Atari 8-bit BBS --- telnet://tcpipexpress.com 8888
Mousenet ----------------------telnet://atari-bbs.kicks-ass.net
Thunderdome (available at the Prison Board telnet://rdfig.net.. x at main menu, then A for Atari menu, last choice)
(I have an agreememt with the Thunderdome sysop to not post this on the internet)
(Or you can PM me for the IP address.)

Is this BBS still up to date? I read one of the messages of rolling back the date because the system was not Y2K compliant.

.- The Assassin's -------------------------------------------2.0---.
| ______________________________________________________________. |
| | _____ ._____ ___ _ _ ___________________________| |
| | / ___> |_ _ \ / _ \ / \ / \ | ____________________________/
| | | | ___ | |_| | | / \ | | | | | | |___
| | | ||__ \ | ._ < | | | | | | | | | .__/ Atari ST..
| | | |__| | | | \ \ | \_/ | \ V / | |____ .. forever!
| | \_____/ |_| |_| \___/ \ / \_____ |
| | V | | BBS runs under Atari
| `---------------------------------------' | ST emulation.
`---http://www.skeleton.org/bbsindex.html---'

----[ System News ]-----------------------------------------------------------

[ 1 ] We joined the FidoNet!
[ 2 ] STE added to games section!

System News Last Updated: Sun 12/03/88
Your Last Logon : 12/23/57


This is cool. Brings back some fond memories.

[rmaerz]

Question:

What void would a BBS fill versus what is already available, such as this Web site?

If I were to start up a BBS, what content would be of interest?

[DarkLord]

rmaerz, on Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:48 PM, said:

Question:

What void would a BBS fill versus what is already available, such as this Web site?

If I were to start up a BBS, what content would be of interest?

Honestly, nostalgia plays a large part of it.

I continue to run The DarkForce! BBS because I'm stubborn,
hard-headed, thick-skinned, muley and cross-eyed...

Er - wait a minute! <shoves WIFE away from keyboard>

Most Atarians have fond memories of "back in the day" when they
called their local BBS(s), and exchanged files, ideas, jokes, stories,
etc, wtih fellow Atarians. Ah, yes...none of us can forget that semi-
warbling tone from a dial-up modem. Good days.

I've been the SysOp of DarkForce! for so long, I wouldn't know how
not to be.

To me BBSs continue to represent a point of contact for Atarians
everywhere - another aspect of, and storied history of, our beloved
machines.

I can't compete with the message content at AtariAge, or at Atari-forums,
I can't compete with ftp sites for size or speed. Never-the-less, BBSs are
still "unique". We give prizes away on DarkForce! occasionally, its my way
of giving back a small measure of what the Atari community has given to
me over the years. I feel I'll never be able to repay that debt, but I like to
try.

Tell you what, why don't you logon to my BBS, sign up (its a short process)
and look around. You just might be surprised at what you find.

Edited by DarkLord, Thu Mar 26, 2009 8:48 PM.

[crashanburn]

Hi every 1 when i get my order from atarimax.com will give it a go can i use bobterm as i used it years ago

[DarkLord]

Hmm, let me make sure about what you are asking...

You're asking if you can use an 8bit, with Bobterm and logon to my BBS?

I've never used Bobterm, but I'd certainly think you could. Of course you'd
have to have something like the Lantronix UDS to telnet directly in, or like
I've heard other people do it, through an 8bit hooked to a Windows or Linux
box.

Either way should work. I'm sure others with more experience with Bobterm
should be able to jump in here and give a more detailed answer.

HTHs.

[Stephen]

crashanburn, on Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:49 PM, said:

Hi every 1 when i get my order from atarimax.com will give it a go can i use bobterm as i used it years ago

I wouldn't recommend Bobterm as it is non-ANSI and only 40 columns. I "dial" in to Darkforce all the time using my 8-bit Atari and APE (don't have my lantronix configured yet). I use Ice-T XE as my term program, but that requires a 128KB machine. If you only have an 800XL or lower, FlickerTerm will work for you. There is a 64KB version of Ice-T but it is somewhat old and buggy. Let me know if you need these programs or help using them.

Stephen Anderson

Edited by Stephen, Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:18 PM.

[crashanburn]

Stephen, on Wed Apr 29, 2009 1:17 PM, said:

crashanburn, on Tue Apr 28, 2009 3:49 PM, said:

Hi every 1 when i get my order from atarimax.com will give it a go can i use bobterm as i used it years ago

I wouldn't recommend Bobterm as it is non-ANSI and only 40 columns. I "dial" in to Darkforce all the time using my 8-bit Atari and APE (don't have my lantronix configured yet). I use Ice-T XE as my term program, but that requires a 128KB machine. If you only have an 800XL or lower, FlickerTerm will work for you. There is a 64KB version of Ice-T but it is somewhat old and buggy. Let me know if you need these programs or help using them.

Stephen Anderson

ok thanks for the info when i get my 800XL and SIO2PC Univeral Interface
USB and set it up will pm you about the program if i dont have that one is FlickerTerm80 0.51 ok to use

Colin

[skeezix]

hey,

Sorry guys I don't check into AA much the last couple years. Too many projects (currently working on the Open Pandora handheld OS, woowoo..)

The Grove's "lack of y2k compliance" is pretty awesome IMHO; I built a TOS emu so I coudl run the BBS on one of my boxes, and hacked the BBS Express binary a tad to run in the emu. (It does some goofy OS tricks and timer loops that screwed up my not-so-accurate emulation).. but got things running. Later I got ahold of the BBS Express current author (a fine lad) who let me have a snapshot of the source, so I could fix the issues I had and rebuild it proper, without hacks, so it runs pretty nicely in my emu. I did briefly entertain the idea of trying to make it handheld multiple telnet users at once at a basic level, and fixing y2k issues.. but figured it best left alone. In the time to fix those issues, I could rewrite the whole BBS several times over as a perl script (no joke

The single user limit was always an annoyance imho, with the telnet nature of things; if each person uses the sysyem for 10 or 20 mins a day (say, if were popular again), you're necessarily limited ot how many people could use the system (just like dial congestion back in the day, but worse since the 'net makes things so easy..)

Anyway, the y2k issues in BBS Express are not show stoppers; theres a lot of date math which is then added to number characters, and thus goes higher than it was expected to and turns into things like 2009 being "20:9" or "09" being ":9" .. but its readable 'enough', and doesn't seem to break much. The 'scan for new' generally works, but can be weird, etc.

Gives it charm, no?

Anyway, for BBS chatter.. feel free to ping me here so it emails me to pay attention; too many projects at once right now.

ASCII forever.

jeff

[DarkLord]

Hey Jeff. I'm the SysOp over at DarkForce. You and I talked before. I was just curious,
is the 2nd version of BBS Express different than the version you sent me? The version
you sent me is definitely faster than the orginal, but I wound up not using it simply because
it kept inserting a letter into the logon field whenever someone logged on.

I had to change all my scripts for the Y2K thing, but other than that, BBS Express continues
to perform for me as well. I'm wondering if in 2010, things will start working again...

Glad to see your setup is still alive, kicking and screaming.

[skeezix]

Yep, I remember you.. the memory goes deep for fellow geeks

I recall you were using some crazy set of scripts instead of an actuall BBS s/w, on a TT030, or somesuch? Cool that you're running Express. (I ran it back in the day so its close to my hear, but I was also a support BBS for Canada for it, and after having hacked on the code.. *swoon*)

Its been a few years so no idea what I sent you.. if it was my hacked up and recompiled one, or one of the originals, etc.

You still using that little hardware box (I forget its ID, I watched ebay for a year or two for it but decided to take a pass) to do the telnet/serial mapping? I suppose thats not the issue if you don't ge the problem now, but did with some version.

(I _do_ remember a problem with characters coming in at certain point.. though I don't recall if it was a reslut of a hack, or something I had to fix, etc. Sorry.. I was smart once, but since we had a baby two years ago and the sleep dep struck, my memory is no good

jeff

[doctorclu]

rmaerz, on Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:48 PM, said:

Question:

What void would a BBS fill versus what is already available, such as this Web site?

If I were to start up a BBS, what content would be of interest?

Right now the BBS fills the void of Atariage at work. I think there are not enough people that telnet to BBS's, so the way to the Prison Board BBS (telnet://rdfig.net) and then the Atari BBS menu (X at main menu, then A for Atari) allows me to get on the Atari BBS's.

It fills the void because more specially, Atariage is blocked at work now. :/ Kinda sucks, but the BBS's, for now, are still available.

Beyond that, nostalgia.

The list might get small, but I am getting to the point where I would love to see two thriving BBS's then have six half dead BBS's. This is why I have not started a BBS yet, I want to see the existing ones pick up some steam. And over the last few years business has picked up and slowed down, and picked up again. Darkforce has been fairly consistant in it's activity though. Partly due to cool system and the prizes given away.

Boot Factory, for a Telnet BBS', has probably been up the longest. Kudoes to Abdul on keeping that going.

[skeezix]

I think The Grove is the longest running Atari ST telnet bbs (no real evidence, perhaps the Wayback MAchine/Archive.org can help.. I searched for awhile and found none, which is what inspired me to make the telnet version I did. Few were into ST emulation other than games, so I had to write something from scratch. I wasn't as smart as Dark Lord who figured out a hardware solution , though the BBS itself went offline about 1994 until what, 200x when I put up the telnet version (much stripped down, as I didn't think people would actually zmodem over telnet, nor actually want the stuff there when I could hsot it on a website.) (For awhile I did host a ST "BBS software" and later "application software" repository online, since almost everywhere else focuses on games.. but there were so few hits (only bots for months on end) I took that stuff down.

doctorclu .. if you wanted to do anything with my BBS, you could, but I (like most sysops) am at a bit of a loss for what to make draws of it. (It is tempting to set up a Space Empire network again, say, though.)

For me, as a chronic producer (I dev pretty much constantly, rarely sitting back to enjoy anything am pretty busy, but if you wanted to take the reins, fine by me I'm trying to learn how to settle down, now that my kid ahs beaten the productivity out of me (bless her soul

jeff

Edited by skeezix, Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:25 PM.

[DarkLord]

skeezix, on Thu Apr 30, 2009 12:36 PM, said:

Yep, I remember you.. the memory goes deep for fellow geeks

I recall you were using some crazy set of scripts instead of an actuall BBS s/w, on a TT030, or somesuch? Cool that you're running Express. (I ran it back in the day so its close to my hear, but I was also a support BBS for Canada for it, and after having hacked on the code.. *swoon*)

Its been a few years so no idea what I sent you.. if it was my hacked up and recompiled one, or one of the originals, etc.

You still using that little hardware box (I forget its ID, I watched ebay for a year or two for it but decided to take a pass) to do the telnet/serial mapping? I suppose thats not the issue if you don't ge the problem now, but did with some version.

(I _do_ remember a problem with characters coming in at certain point.. though I don't recall if it was a reslut of a hack, or something I had to fix, etc. Sorry.. I was smart once, but since we had a baby two years ago and the sleep dep struck, my memory is no good

jeff

Hmm, no - I'm actually using real Atari software, BBS Express v1.98a (registered)(last official release, AFAIK) and running on real Atari hardware.
A Mega ST4, in fact, Adspeed accelerator (16mhz), TOS 1.4, 4 gig HD, CDROM, etc,...

Right about that "little" box though - it was the Lantronix UDS10. My first one quit working, they changed model numbers and I"m
now using the UDS1100. Basically same thing though. Yep, its telnet - allows users from all over the planet (and some I think might
not be! <lol>) to call in with no LD charges.

I got 3 kids, so boy....do I KNOW what you mean about the memory thing!

Nice talking to ya Jeff - don't be a stranger 'round these parts.

[DarkLord]

doctorclu, on Thu Apr 30, 2009 5:03 PM, said:

It fills the void because more specially, Atariage is blocked at work now. :/ Kinda sucks, but the BBS's, for now, are still available.

You too huh? They started using "Websense" at work a few years ago and AtariAge was one of the first things to go. Oddly enough,
I can still get to AtariForums.

doctorclu, on Thu Apr 30, 2009 5:03 PM, said:

The list might get small, but I am getting to the point where I would love to see two thriving BBS's then have six half dead BBS's. This is why I have not started a BBS yet, I want to see the existing ones pick up some steam. And over the last few years business has picked up and slowed down, and picked up again. Darkforce has been fairly consistant in it's activity though. Partly due to cool system and the prizes given away.

I think for an Atari BBS to do any good these days requires a lot of patience and energy by the SysOp. I think you've got to get
right in there and get involved, get your hands dirty, in games, message threads, everything. I think you have to like it too.. I know
I love it personally.