Should I re-open my telnet BBS?

[Dmaster]

Hello all.  I have not posted in a while.  Just a quick question.  I now have reliable internet connection and am wondering wether or not I should run my old BBS set-up.  I do have real Amiga equipment but this will be under WINUAE.  Cnet BBS.  It will be telnet only.  just wondering if its even worth it.  Any feedback will greatly be apreciated.  Thanks.

[ChocolateJollis]

I believe that would be a wonderful idea! I'm thinking about reopening my FidoNet node as well, and would readily and semi-regularly visit a fellow Amigan's BBS. I've missed the BBS world since it shrank into obscurity.

Kudos to you for considering this!

[desiv]

I think it's a great idea.
I have some serial-to-telnet adapters for my older Amigas, and can use Amiga terminal programs (I like JRComm) to connect to telnet BBSes.

Just like the old days..

Well, I have to make the modem sounds myself...  ;-)

desiv

[Dmaster]

Cool :-) apreciate the feedbacks keep them coming. Thanks :-)

[Lurch]

It's fun for nostalgia but as for regular callers/users not really. I run mine but more for my own fun.

I enjoy drawing in ANSi/ASCII and playing LORD now and then. Reading the odd message net is fun too.

Anyway best of luck with your board, being Amiga based you may get a few more callers who knows.

In the end if you want to do it, do it. Mine will be left up and running for as long as it's possible, 1) for history's sake 2) My enjoyment.

[mitchd61]

Definitely a very cool idea! I really miss BBS's.

[Duce]

I would love to see another Amiga based BBS up and running.

For those interested, the Amiga version of Binkd (coded by XRay/Rudi - an active A.org member, and swell guy) works pretty nice for pulling in FTN's via the internet.  Should be on Aminet.

I've got an Amiga BBS running on a SAM 440ep at the moment, using Zeus BBS.

I won't bull**** you, if you throw it online, it's not gonna be 1991 over again numbers wise, in callers.  

Callers may only call a few times a day as a whole, but the ones that do, they really, really get a kick of "going back in time" when logging onto a well designed BBS.  You can't believe the number of people that abandoned BBS's 20 years ago that still logon to Amiga BBS's just to play silly doorgames like Hack and Slash, hehe.  For the most part each and every one of them will tell you "Thanks!" for providing a good BBS, making it wholly worthwhile.

DLG BB/OS is now open sourced, and Excelsior! BBS is free as well.  E! includes a Trapdoor key I believe, and DLG has full source code (C) available on Aminet.

Holler if you need a hand - there's actually quite a resurgence in the number of Amiga BBS's coming back online.  As all old Amiga BBS sysops know, the Miggy ran a BBS better than any other machine that ever existed

[Akiko]

I've never used a BBS before, what's the best software for access?

[darkage]

I think it would be great to have another amiga BBS up and running..  Yeah only problem is ppl just really login for nostalgia reasons as other posters  mentioned.

I've been logging in to BBS's whenever I can find them, and pretty everytime they dont really have content.. ie. No good files to download or old shareware sources from the 90's..

I wonder if someone had a BBS with good content.. perhaps realtime forum posting with A.org (sometime meaningful) I wonder if ppl will use it a bit more as theres a new reason created to actually use the system.

But anyways just to get one up and running just for a FUN exercise would be a great thing to do but expect not many ppl to call..    

Actually I want setup one up myself, only since I  want to learn how to setup a BBS on a Amiga I was only active for setting up BBS's on Pcceeesss back in the day and also I always wanted my own BBS back in the day but my parents of course wouldn't pay for another phone line... thats crazy talk for them when your phone bill is already 4x as much...  

Best of luck and let us know when its up and running if you choose too set one up!

[darkage]

I've never used a BBS before, what's the best software for access?

For PC I would say SyncTerm is great since its a DOS Client and looks apart like the old terminal clients back in the back..

http://syncterm.bbsdev.net/

For Amiga, Im not sure you just need a Telnet client that properly supports ANSI and File X/fers if you like. .

Have a look on Aminet and test some out..

http://aminet.net/search?query=telnet

[Duce]

I recommend SyncTerm as well on the PC side.  It's rock solid, supports all graphics standards (ASCII, ANSI, RIPScriptm among others), and handles X/Y/ZModem transfers just great.  It's about the best BBS specific term program on the PC side, handles telnet and SSH just fine.

Putty is a close second, and in all reality, is a far more powerful piece of kit - it's just that SyncTerm is more geared to a BBS user.  Putty is a great all in one, but for BBS usage solely, I find SyncTerm real nice and Putty to be a bit overkill.

On the Amiga side, any term program with a proper telnet style .device should work, or use a dedicated Telnet client.  I honestly couldn't tell you what the best Amiga comms/telnet proggie is these days, I mostly use a PC to connect to my own Amiga operated BBS unless I'm at the console/BBS machine itself.

[MelbourneBen]

A good Amiga BBS would be great and as darkage has already suggested if we could get it to pull forum data from Amiga.org that would make it really useful. Most Miggy users probably can't view amiga.org on a real Miggy due to the system specs required for modern web pages but most probably can via telnet. I'm sure I saw a commodore 64 user do this with a C64 forum a few years back, all the forum data was mirrored onto a BBS which he accessed on his C64.

Dmaster, I'd be happy to contribute in some way if you need help.

I user NCOMM or Term to view BBS's, using Telser.device to emulate a modem over ethernet. Full versions all available for free on Aminet.

[darkage]

A good Amiga BBS would be great and as darkage has already suggested if we could get it to pull forum data from Amiga.org that would make it really useful. Most Miggy users probably can't view amiga.org on a real Miggy due to the system specs required for modern web pages but most probably can via telnet.

Exactly if a BBS was attached to A.org then it would create a reason to actually use a BBS instead of for nostalgia purposes *well I hope*  but A.org content is owned by A.org and they would have to give you their blessing to mirror forum data I suppose.

Haha!  well I guess we could setup a Aminet mirror within a BBS, at least thats harder to place redirects on

I user NCOMM or Term to view BBS's, using Telser.device to emulate a modem over ethernet. Full versions all available for free on Aminet.

Go NCOMM!!  I used Jr Comm alot until NComm came along..   NComm looks more cool I think from memory..   Then shortly after that I defected to PCcceeee using Telemate then Terminate..  

Looking back on things, I think only switched to PC for BBS Chat and downloading files since I didn't have a HDD on my Amiga so was more convenient...    But still used the Amiga for games..

[darkage]

This Telnet BBS list looks like its regularly kept upto date... Last update in 2012

http://www.telnetbbsguide.com/

[MelbourneBen]

@Darkage

Yes, I agree - I didn't think of that, I doubt Amiga.org would want their threads mirrored on a BBS as it would impact visitors and therefore revenue etc....But an Aminet mirror would probably be ok and give people a good reason to visit the BBS. I'll have a think about how this could work.