Off Topic

I figured I would share this momenta of my personal life.

Much like everyone, I share a dream to purchase a home, a piece of land I can claim to be my own. Nothing to big or too fancy but it has to be affordable and not a great distance from work.

After months of searching, I finally fell for a house which qualifies to the above. It needed little work. So I made a reasonable offer and within thirty minutes, the offer was rejected. No counter offer. This had sadden me greatly, I never got a chance to negotiate with them.

I'm looking forward until the day I can look back and crackle with insane glee.

Cheers,

Wynter

Visit my website: www.scodenet.com

E-BBS (Bulletin Board System)

Although I wish I would have started this Blog years ago, I’m glad to start it off with this post. BBSes has been a passion of mine since 1987. At the age of thirteen, I opened my first BBS, If my memory serves me right, It ran off a shareware version of WWIV. That very same year, I switched to another software called Telegard.

For those who don’t know what a BBS (Bulletin Board System) is, it was a computer running a BBS software allowing it to connect a modem call to a software allowing users to share messages, files and play games. Some even offered multiple phone lines allowing users to chat live. This was the life before the Internet as we know it came along.

At the time, my BBS was known as Devil’s Disciple ][, a name offered to me by a friend known as Deener. I knew very little about this world and needed much guidance. Deener ran Devil’s Disciple which at the time he had a little over 200 users call his board (BBS).
In 1990, my BBS became mature and needed a new name. After weeks of thinking I decided to call it “United Alliances”.

In 1991, at a restaurant in the West Island of Montreal I met Paul Ryan an Engineer who enjoyed programming as much as I did. Although I was still a beginner and he had allot of experience under his belt, we became close friends and started project Enigma. Enigma BBS was a late clone of Forum III. This project when on until 1999 where fewer people we’re calling BBSes and more people we’re using the Internet for very obvious reasons. My BBS closed and so did many others. Today very few people still run a BBS and even few know about them.

E-BBS is unlike most message boards out there. Instead of copying what I believe to be a lifeless, open door concept designed to publish each and every story to any reader browsing Google, we’ve decided to take a different approach. One which utilizes a community bringing people closer. To research such a concept, we downloaded a few dozen outdated BBS software, analyzed them and started writing a new code based compatible with most Internet Browsers as opposed to having to download and learn new software.

E-BBS is a combination of two programs. The Server and the Sysop WFS (Wait for Surfer) tool. This tool is used by the operator to control different aspects of his BBS in real time, such as validating users, changing configuration and updating various aspects of his or her board.

To use this community, the user will need to create an account, much like other communities and obtain access by writing the SysOp a letter. The SysOp will then decide if he or she should grant the user access to his system. I know, this sounds like a cruel method to join a new group, but depending on the topics, files and hobbies shared, the SysOp serves as a balance to the system. Most SysOps are happy to have visitors and would rarely refuse access to anyone. Keep in mind; this will keep unwanted travelers from interfering with the community.

Each BBS offers you a different set of menus, message areas, users and Games. The idea is to be different from others. This is what makes a BBS so different than other message boards out there. Each SysOp also has a different set of Security Levels. Depending on your participation, some SysOps can grant you higher access to allow you into special areas. Security Levels are also used to keep young minds away from text, photos or files they should not see or have access to.

E-BBS is still in the making and needs allot of work to compete with other message boards. We are not ready to share this software, but we welcome you to help up correct problems, add features, etc.

You can try E-BBS at http://www.scodenet.com/ and you are welcome to leave us some feedback.

Wintermute

BBS vs SEX, 90's ideas still sell?

Ah yes, my very first post. Now my question is does Sex still sell. I've recently read a cheap Marketing book, and according to this book, the word "Sex" sells.

Well my blog is not about sex, but about developing a BBS software. Most of you have probably never heard of a BBS. That's okay, since it's an era long forgotten about.

BBS is an acronym for Bulletin Board System.

A computer that allowed users to dial-up and connect from remote computers and acted as a central meeting place to chat or play games. The Internet has largely replaced the BBS. BBSes were generally run from someones home PC that had a few phone lines hooked up to it.rd System.

I wish I would have started this blog years ago, perhaps some of you may have helped us in the making. After reading this post, if you feel like spending some time exploring this fabulous script, we welcome you to do so and drop us a line or two giving us feedback on how to improve it.

We've recently added a door (Online Game) called Legend of the Green Dragon also known in the late 80's as LORD or Legend of the Red Dragon. It's a text based game. Careful, it's addictive.

This project started in 1988 as project Enigma. The code base was Forum III and the programming language "Turbo Pascal". It has been re-written since, we've adapted it to the web using Perls for the server and Visual C to allow the SysOp(System Operator) to have full control over his BBS.

We are now facing a couple of road blocks. The main one is our graphic design capabilities. As everyone knows, a good programmer is a terrible designer. If you are a talented graphic designer and which to donate some of your skills, please drop me a line. Since the BBS has drained our pockets over the years, we can't offer you much compensation, but we can offer to display your name in the documentation, BBS history and on some of your menus (if not all of them).

I truly hope to meet some of you on our BBS and get to know everyone.

Come try E-BBS - http://www.scodenet.com/

Until my next post.

Wintermute