Saw an older post asking about ArcaOS and BBS stuff, and since I actually just did a rebuild of mine doing exactly that on newer hardware, figured I'd write about all the stupid shit I had to deal with and how to configure the OS in a blog and post it here if anyone is interested.

------------------------
 Another Millennium BBS
------------------------

 * * * * * * * * * * *   
 *   GRAND OPENING   *    (still open
 *   April 20, 2024  *     other days!)
 * * * * * * * * * * *   

Canada: +1.587.67.31337
   USA: +1.949.59.31337
telnet: another.tel

Running Maximus BBS software in MS-DOS for an authentic 90s BBS experience, with local and fsxNet message areas, file areas, and door games.

USRstats, "modem stats" option on the main menu, provides information about your dialup modem connection to the BBS including baud rate and protocol information, error count, etc.

Buccaneer door game - roam the sea, loot treasure ships, but beware the Spanish Armada! Players active daily.

Astronomy Picture of the Day SIXEL format graphics in supporting terminals. (SyncTerm recommended)

AP Class World HQ - hand-crafted artisinal cracks and keygens for special nearly-lost wares.

Fast new user signup, real names not required.

There's never been a better time to call a BBS! Check out a few of our own favourites in the "List of BBSes" at the main menu.

=======================
Another Millennium BBS
=======================
Canada: +1.587.67.31337
   USA: +1.949.59.31337
telnet: another.tel
=======================

Hope to see you online!

Chris / akacastor (SysOp, Another Millennium BBS)

I've been getting into cracking DOS software, focusing on BBS software, doors, utilities, etc. My latest project is a keygen (registration # and key file generator) for SuperBBS 1.17-3. I understand that, like a lot of BBS software, the source code and registration tools for SuperBBS were lost to time. You can download SuperBBS 1.17-3 from Jason Scott's BBS Documentary website: http://software.bbsdocumentary.com/IBM/DOS/SUPERBBS/

The keygen 'SBBSKEY2.ZIP' is available for download in file area 4 (cracks) of Another Millennium BBS, another.tel port 23.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SuperBBS 1.17-3 KEYGENv2 by akacastor 2024-04-10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The SBBS-KEY keygen will generate a registration number to enter in CONFIG and
a .SCC file that must be placed in the SBBS directory.


You _MUST_ do _BOTH_ of:

1) Enter Sysop Name, BBS Name, and Reg # under Registration in CONFIG.

and

2) Place the generated .SCC file in your SBBS directory (where BBS.EXE lives).


The timestamp of the .SCC file cannot be altered!  SuperBBS includes the .SCC
file timestamp in its verification checks.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

usage: SBBS-KEY "Sysop Name" "BBS Name"

NOTE - don't forget the quotes around each name!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

example:

C:\CRACKS>SBBS-KEY "Sysop Name" "BBS Name"

                                        T H E       @         ############     
                                                  @ @           ####     ###   
   SuperBBS 1.17-3                                @@@            ###      #### 
KEYGENv2 by akacastor 2024-04-10               @@ @@@@ @@        ###       ####
                                             @@@   @@   @@       ###        ###
                                           @@     @@@@    @@     ###       ####
                                          @@     @@  @     @@    ###       ### 
 Place .SCC file in SBBS directory.      @       @@  @@      @   ###     ####  
                                         @      @@    @@     @@@@##########    
 NOTE: the .SCC file timestamp must      @      @@    @@  @@@@@@ ###           
       not be changed!                   @      @@    @@@@@@ @   ###           
                                         @     @@  @@@@@@    @   #M#           
                                         @     @@@@@@  @@    @   #t#           
Sysop: Sysop Name                         @@  @@@@      @@ @@    #M#           
  BBS: BBS Name                            @@@@@        @@@@     ###           
Reg #: 37603203                          @@@ @@@         @@      ###           
                                       @@@   @@ @@@@@@@@ @@@    #####          
SCC File: 917C5F7C.SCC                       @@           @@  #########        
SCC Date: 2024-04-10 00:54                  @@             @@                  
                                            @               @       C L A S S  
                   guess what... 1994, 2024, your shit's still getting cracked.
         it's just now more of a philanthropic move instead of an anarchist one

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IT'S BAUD DAY 3/12/24

From the linked site:

Something that SysOps did when they advertised their BBS. Rather than write a BBS’ supported baud rates as “300/1200/2400”, they would write “3/12/24”. The reason for this abbreviation is probably due to how BBSs were advertised back in the day. Most BBSs were advertised in text files. Depending on the host computer, a text file may have 40 or 80 characters per line. So, space was a premium and dropping 6 characters from “300/1200/2400” made a big difference.

Commodore SX-64 with a wifi serial adapter

These little wifi modems are pretty cool!

Anyone played Last Call BBS from Zachtronics? Seems like it might be fun.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/971670

Say goodbye acoustic coupler. There will be no more handset phone for you. The powers at be will let you be free. From this almighty twisted pair I shall get the best connection there is. Mother has lost; we can directly connect.

About to embark on getting Renegade DOS v1.33 up and running on ArcaOS.

Never used OS/2 during the 90’s bit was always curious about its DOS capabilities (“does DOS better than DOS”).

It also has a legal version of Windows 3.1 included, and some support for Windows 32 native apps. I figured at the very least I’ll need Perl to run the telnet sever that’s out there, or maybe Net2BBS will run.

Anyone use ArcaOS for BBSing? I know Mystic BBS had a native version at one point.

Biggest downside to trial is there is no trial version - $129 even to mess around with it.

What is a BBS?

A bulletin board system (BBS), also called a computer bulletin board service (CBBS), is a computer server running software that allows users to connect to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, the user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging messages with other users through public message boards and sometimes via direct chatting. In the early 1980s, message networks such as FidoNet were developed to provide services such as NetMail, which is similar to internet-based email.

Back in the early 90s I was turned on to the PC MS-DOS community. It was a fun time of WordPerfect 5.0, Lotus 1-2-3 and some text and light graphical games that came around the way... Tapper, Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0 and other worthy softwarez; but things got real when I learned that you could dial-up to other computers, and bulletin board systems, to reach a world beyond your monitor. In the United States, and many other countries as I've come to learn, you could find [amost] hundreds of BBSes in every area code! There were plenty of public domain [shareware] boards, but the elite user could find systems dedicated to more seedy topics... HPAVC [Hacking, phreaking, anarchy, virus, cracking], warez [pirate software], the art and dem0scenes... you could literally find anything you sought out. As time went on, BBSes would get their own type of message networking; FidoNet FTNs and begin to connect in ways that weren't originally possible. At the end of BBSes, many of them turned into early ISPs in the cities they operated in, as the sysOps already had a lot of the hardware that was needed - and many sysOps would earn a very good living serving up the bytes of data that their users lusted...

Sounds boring... I can only take so many Lemmy messages...

Door Games were a huge part of BBSing. Door Games were brought to life with the ANSi graphics that BBSes used - while they weren't fully graphical, they were exciting and multi-player... something that you couldn't get on PCs of the day. Popular Door Games were Tradewars 2002, Legend of the Red Dragon [LoRD], Barren Realms Elite, The Pit, Arrowbridge, DrugWars, Operation Overkill II and many m0re. For the time, they were literally worlds beyond what you could find on early 8088 machines... and continued to be very popular even as graphics won over w/ the likes of the shareware kings. The reason? Multi-player games; there are many servers and BBSes that still get users lining up to play - in 2o23!

Phone lines are dead, how do we connect?!

After copper wires telephone lines went the way of the dodo, and TCP/IP took over the interwebs, the BBSes of the day mostly went offline... but it would prove short-lived, as we soon learned how to connect the old BBS software up to TELNET and SSH - allowing them to be hosted on the web; no m0re phone bills to get you grounded!! All you need to connect today is an ANSi-capable terminal software. (Or, PETSCII for Commdore BBSes, AmigaFonts for Amiga boards or Atari support for Atari bbSes...) There are a few of these that are developed for current machines:

Syncterm - Syncterm is the 'best', as it has ANSi, PETSCII, C=, Amiga, Atari, RIP and SIXEL support.

Netrunner - Netrunner is a GREAT ANSI/Amiga terminal [About 80% of all BBSes] as it has anti-aliasing and the fonts look smooth and crisp.

MagiTERM - A decent terminal, developed by APAM.. a BBS user that also develops door games and even BBS software...

The easiest, if you run Linux or Windows, is Netrunner... SyncTERM is a binary download for Windows and MacOS, but will require a compile on Linux... don't worry, tho - MeaTLoTioN of The Quantum Wormhole BBS has an awesome how-to/script that you can follow to compile it with ease!

• You can also connect using MS-DOS, or other, software on real hardware... there are many Wifi Modem's to choose from, but I'll make you hunt for Telix or Terminate 5.0 on your own time...)

They're all stupid stock boards - wheres the beef!?

Many new BBS users peruse The Telnet BBS Guide and are first surprised at how many BBSes are available to connect to... only to quickly find out that the majority of listed boards are stock setups without much substance or community... but I'm here to tell you that you just have to turn the r0cks and find the great BBSes out there; or, just connect to these:

2o fOr beeRS - This is actually my bbS!! We get about 30 callers a day, have all the popular FidoNet-FTNs and over 800 users... come on by, 2oFB is a wild one. MORE Social, less Media.

20ForBeers.com:1337 TELNET :1338 SSH

aBSINTHE - Ran by the sysOp aNACHRONiST - he's also a great ASCII artist and aBSINTHE is literally my favorite BBS of all time. It's an Amiga joint, ran on CNet BBS software. Skyraiders is a door game that he's developed from scratch and is one of the very best doors I've ever played... you aren't BBSing if yer not here!

absinthebbs.net:1940 TELNET

The Quantum Wormhole - Another mainstay of BBSes and home to MeaTLoTioN, the writer of that Syncterm script from above... its just a damn good BBS; clean, safe and solid. Some SIXEL graphics support if you look around...

bbs.erb.pw:23 TELNET

Wizards Rainbow - Can you believe this one?! Shooter Jennings, yea THAT Shooter Jennings, is the sysOp! Furthermore, he writes custom Door Games and just introduced a new one called Phantasie Plaza! Its a LoRD-type RPG and is looking really nice. He also wrote a few other Doors; 1NS0MNIA - and hosts a Door Game Server that any sysOp can connect their BBS to... rock and roll w/ Shooter @ the rainbow...

wizardsrainbow:23 TELNET

Dura-Europos - This one runs on an old Apple IIe BBS software - and is literally still hosted from Apple IIe hardware running at 9600 baud! Skip, the sysOp, does amazing things w/ that Apple... including a lot of Syncterm font switching and graphic wizardry - this one doesn't have all the flashing lights and pizazz as some other boards, but when you see what he does with rudementary hardware - its amazing!

dura-bbs.net:6359 TELNET

SLACKERS BBS - The bad boys of BBSing... the assholes... the haters - and a damn solid BBS, too. (The sysOp, GnGRDR3DMan, doesn't even care to pay for a domain.... gangster!)

slackers.ddns.net:2323 TELNET

Black Flag - Hawk, the sysOp, never left BBSing... he is one of the original pirates, the original r0ckstars - and his family of BBSes are many. I'll only link to the main one, but it features RIP graphics if you wanna experience that - RIP never really caught on, but Hawk don't care!! (You can find 5+ other Black Flag boards if you l00k for them...)

blackflag.acid.org:23 TELNET

Frozen Floppy - This is a Commodore 64 BBS; you'll have to have Syncterm, and you'll have to select C64 or C128 as the 'screen mode'. You'll be amazed at the 40-column PETSCII graphics, and the fact that C= users are still kickin... the art here is top notch, too... C= heaven.

bbs.retrohack.se:64128 TELNET

Do I really wanna spend time on this sh*t?!

You do. You'll be amazed by the community of BBSing in 2o23 - I know this, because you're here... sysOps of BBSes are also OSS, privacy minded, federation, technology and Linux users! While very different from the Twitters or Facebooks of social media, BBSes offer something you can't get on that shiny iPhone - community. I hope to catch you @ 2oFB, or on one of the many other BBSes still running today. GET S0ME!

If you have any questions about bulletin boards, please feel free to email me @ 2oFB or reply here; there's always someone willing to help, whether you want to become a user, a door game player or even a sysOp... you'll find it all on a BBS near, or far, from you!

• pAULIE42o
• . . . . . . . . . . .
• /s

As always, swing by 2o fOr beeRS for the largest bbS softwarez collection anywhere!

20ForBeers.com : 1337 ANSi TELNET

              : 1338 SSH

              : 1339 WWW
                         
              : 70 GOPHER
                         
              : 10700 KDX/Hotline

As someone who is to young to have know bbs's when they were popular. What are the best ways to start?

Since we started this community on the SDF Lemmy, I thought people might appreciate this view into the history of SDF!