Just wonding if anyone has any insight on dos bbs software popularity back in the 1990s. I know BBS software could be split into categories ranging from hobby to commercial and due to the fact its 2025 numbers wont really be available. That said, its a fun topic. I remember some rage posts (fido) back in the day on what BBS software was best/most used/etc <g>.
I used Spitfire bbs back then. It was in the categorie of Hobby and was only $85 for any amount of nodes you could get it to run on. Mike Woltz was the owner/programmer and once a year he would publish Spitfire Registered Stats in his Newsletter. The following is Spitfire BBS reg stats for the of 1994. I think Spitfire did pretty good.. Thoughts?
Just wonding if anyone has any insight on dos bbs software popularity back in the 1990s. I know BBS software could be split into categories ranging from hobby to commercial and due to the fact its 2025 numbers wont really be available. That said, its a fun topic. I remember some rage posts (fido) back in the day on what BBS software was best/most used/etc <g>.
I think Spitfire did pretty good.. Thoughts?
...Telegard, T.A.G, Searchlight, PCBoard, WWIV, EzyCom...
I know BBS software could be split into categories ranging
from hobby to commercial
...Telegard, T.A.G, Searchlight, PCBoard, WWIV, EzyCom...
Hey, glad to see TAG represented. That was probably the most popular platform in my area, and the one I used on my short-lived BBS (Shades of Gray). I actually found a copy of it online. I'm hoping I can modify it to be Telnet accessible.
Just wonding if anyone has any insight on dos bbs software popularity back in the 1990s. I know BBS software could be split into categories ranging from hobby to commercial and due to the fact its 2025 numbers wont really be available. That said, its a fun topic. I remember some rage posts (fido) back in the day on what BBS software was best/most used/etc <g>.
I used Spitfire bbs back then. It was in the categorie of Hobby and was only $85 for any amount of nodes you could get it to run on. Mike Woltz was the owner/programmer and once a year he would publish Spitfire Registered Stats in
his Newsletter. The following is Spitfire BBS reg stats for the of 1994. I think Spitfire did pretty good.. Thoughts?
Spitfire BBS reg stats for the of 1994
be Telnet accessible.
If Spitfire BBS can be telnet accessible, I'm sure TAG can :) SF is not foss
Woohoo! > https://x-bit.org/32bit.html
Re: 90s bbs software popularity
By: Nightfox to xbit on Thu Jul 03 2025 09:44:47
...Telegard, T.A.G, Searchlight, PCBoard, WWIV, EzyCom...
Hey, glad to see TAG represented. That was probably the most popular platform in my area, and the one I used on my short-lived
BBS (Shades of Gray). I actually found a copy of it online. I'm
hoping I can modify it to be Telnet accessible.
Just wonding if anyone has any insight on dos bbs software popularity back i the 1990s. I know BBS software could be split into categories ranging from hobby to commercial and due to the fact its 2025 numbers wont really be available. That said, its a fun topic. I remember some rage posts (fido) bac
Re: 90s bbs software popularityI used to run SBBS ( SuperBBS ) was what it was called at the time back when I was younger. I've been trying to figure out how to get one of these running again for a minute, and I'm really glad I got mine up! I miss the days of dialing into these and playing the door games and what not. I used to play Tradwars, LORD, and BRE all the time. I got Tradewars and LORD loaded, but gotta find a BRE to run. I'm super thankful for this DOVE-Net stuff too. This is nice.
If Spitfire BBS can be telnet accessible, I'm sure TAG can :) SF is not foss
Woohoo! > https://x-bit.org/32bit.html
but don't you have to change the date or something?
Re: 90s bbs software popularity
By: Digital Man to xbit on Thu Jul 03 2025 01:58 pm
Re: 90s bbs software popularityI used to run SBBS ( SuperBBS ) was what it was called at the time
back when I was younger. I've been trying to figure out how to get
one of these running again for a minute, and I'm really glad I got
mine up! I miss the days of dialing into these and playing the door
games and what not. I used to play Tradwars, LORD, and BRE all the
but don't you have to change the date or something?
yes. no but's about it.
If Spitfire BBS can be telnet accessible, I'm sure TAG can :) SF is not fossil
aware and it has a date bug that hit on 1-1-2025. I got it working with Linux win7 VM > Spitfire using NetSerial.
Woohoo! > https://x-bit.org/32bit.html
Just wonding if anyone has any insight on dos bbs software popularity back i the 1990s. I know BBS software could be split into categories ranging from
In Arizona, it was very much split between public domain and pirate boards. Almost all of the pirate ones ran some Forum derivitive, like Vision-X (very
MRO wrote to TOG <=-
Re: 90s bbs software popularity
By: Digital Man to xbit on Thu Jul 03 2025 01:58 pm
Re: 90s bbs software popularityI used to run SBBS ( SuperBBS ) was what it was called at the time
back when I was younger. I've been trying to figure out how to get
one of these running again for a minute, and I'm really glad I got
mine up! I miss the days of dialing into these and playing the door
games and what not. I used to play Tradwars, LORD, and BRE all the
i played with a cool AI bbs that would change to meet the user's interests. i wish i could find that sucker. it was pretty cool. like
if it thought you were a krad d00d it would slowly change the
interface strings and options from being a straight laced boring bbs software to a 'leet' style.
I get that you're asking about BBS software popularity; you might find those details/stats from BBS lists of the time (e.g. the USBBS list,
If Spitfire BBS can be telnet accessible, I'm sure TAG can :)
Re: 90s bbs software popularity
By: xbit to Mortar on Thu Jul 03 2025 13:58:18
If Spitfire BBS can be telnet accessible, I'm sure TAG can :)
If you documented the process, I'd love to see it.
Re: 90s bbs software popularity
By: Digital Man to xbit on Thu Jul 03 2025 13:58:23
I get that you're asking about BBS software popularity; you might
find those details/stats from BBS lists of the time (e.g. the USBBS
list,
Also, check out early issues of Boardwatch magazine, also on
archive.org. Every month they published lists of BBSes currently
running, which included what BBS software they used. Occasionally,
they would rank the most popular software at the time.
If Spitfire BBS can be telnet accessible, I'm sure TAG can :)If you documented the process, I'd love to see it.
Re: 90s bbs software popularity
By: xbit to Mortar on Thu Jul 03 2025 13:58:18
If Spitfire BBS can be telnet accessible, I'm sure TAG can :)If you documented the process, I'd love to see it.
https://pcmicro.com/netserial/
If Spitfire BBS can be telnet accessible, I'm sure TAG can :)
If you documented the process, I'd love to see it.
https://x-bit.org/spitfire/
Re: Converting to Telnet-aware
By: Mortar to xbit on Sat Jul 05 2025 04:08 pm
can :)If Spitfire BBS can be telnet accessible, I'm sure TAG
If you documented the process, I'd love to see it.
https://x-bit.org/spitfire/
Re: Converting to Telnet-aware
By: xbit to Mortar on Sat Jul 05 2025 07:15 pm
Re: Converting to Telnet-aware By: Mortar to xbit on Sat Jul 05 2025 04:08 pm
What does a BBS have. Files. Messages. Chat. That's about it. Linux
is a multiuser timesharing system. You can run a compiler via telnet.
Linux crushed them all. Open source won. Shareware lost. No contest.
Just wonding if anyone has any insight on dos bbs software popularity back in the 1990s.
I still have my old GT Power board running. It is not telnet aware but I was able to get it working under linux > haproxy > DOSBox-X.
Comparing an entire operating system like Linux yo a BBS is like
comparing apples and oranges. A whole operating system isn't a BBS.
I suppose Linux does basically have all the same features, but it's
used in an entirely different way, for different purposes.
there are BBS software packages like Synchronet that run on Linux
Jcurtis wrote to NIGHTFOX <=-
Comparing an entire operating system like Linux yo a BBS is like
comparing apples and oranges. A whole operating system isn't a BBS.
I suppose Linux does basically have all the same features, but it's
used in an entirely different way, for different purposes.
It's an artifical distinction. File distribution via Zmodem or FTP,
either way, you get a file. At a conceptual level, the difference is mainly a question of user interface. A BBS command means different
things depending on context. Not user friendly.
there are BBS software packages like Synchronet that run on Linux
What would a user friendly BBS look like. Probably something like
linux.
there are BBS software packages like Synchronet that run on Linux
What would a user friendly BBS look like. Probably something like linux.
BBS packages make the BBS experience more user friendly
I've never seen a BBS just using Linux as the "BBS software"..
BBS packages make the BBS experience more user friendly
I've never seen a BBS just using Linux as the "BBS software"..
If the word "cat" means dog in one context and horse in another, that's bad language design. Same with interface modes where "G" means one thing in mode A and something else in mode B. For the average person it's not natural and hinders productivity. They don't like it and leave at the first opportunity.
Human interface design is a problem for software of all kinds.
Just wonding if anyone has any insight on dos bbs software popularity back in the 1990s. I know BBS software could be split into categories ranging from hobby to commercial and due to the fact its 2025 numbers wont really be available. That said, its a fun topic. I remember some rage posts
Hey, glad to see TAG represented. That was probably the most popular platform in my area, and the one I used on my short-lived BBS (Shades of Gray). I actually found a copy of it online. I'm hoping I can modify it to be Telnet accessible.
Jcurtis wrote to NIGHTFOX <=-
BBS packages make the BBS experience more user friendly
I've never seen a BBS just using Linux as the "BBS software"..
If the word "cat" means dog in one context and horse in another, that's bad language design. Same with interface modes where "G" means one
thing in mode A and something else in mode B. For the average person
it's not natural and hinders productivity. They don't like it and leave
at the first opportunity.
Human interface design is a problem for software of all kinds.
https://x-bit.org/spitfire/
Forgot to add, check out the SF-HOWTO.ZIP file in the url above.
Why not just use Synchronet or Mystic?
Both are pretty easy to learn and set up.
https://x-bit.org/spitfire/Coolness, thanks.
Re: 90s bbs software
By: Jcurtis to NIGHTFOX on Sun Jul 06 2025 04:33 am
there are BBS software packages like Synchronet that run on Linux
What would a user friendly BBS look like. Probably something like linux
I'd probably disagree.. I think BBS packages make the BBS experience more u friendly than Linux would. I've never seen a BBS just using Linux as the "B software"..
Nightfox
I've used a public unix or two, and while theere is the
same functionality, it was not as nice as the BBS. Some
of the communication mechanisms were quite awkward.
The only real advantage I can see was multitasking
What does a BBS do. Files. Messages. Chat. Maybe doors. 26 letters and 10 function keys give you 36 modeless meanings. And there's always two letter commands if you need more.
Not all BBS user interfaces use command letters - have you not seen a lightbar-driven interface (e.g. lbshell for Synchronet)?
Not all BBS user interfaces use command letters - have you not seen a
lightbar-driven interface (e.g. lbshell for Synchronet)?
IDK what that is. Was it around in the 90s? I'm only interested in text interfaces. Not GUI if that's what it takes.
A lightbar interface is something that shows a menu with a selected option highlighted, and you can choose an option from the menu by moving the selected
item up/down with the arrow keys and pressing enter (usually).
Not all BBS user interfaces use command letters - have you not seen a lightbar-driven interface (e.g. lbshell for Synchronet)?
IDK what that is.
Was it around in the 90s?
I'm only interested in text interfaces. Not GUI if that's what it takes.
A lightbar interface is something that shows a menu with a selected option
highlighted, and you can choose an option from the menu by moving the
selected
item up/down with the arrow keys and pressing enter (usually).
That's how Borland's C++ 3.1 integrated environment works. I never knew the moving green bar was called a "light" bar. A green light. Means go. Imagine that. Yes it was around in the 90s. Not sure how it would work remotely with a BBS, client side or server side. No matter. My interest is limited to text command interface design.
A "lightbar" is a highlighted menu option that is moved around with arrow keys, sometimes called a "matrix menu".
text (and typically ANSI for color and cursor positioning over typical BBS interfaces, e.g. serial lines and modems).
the quote selection window in SlyEdit
the quote selection window in SlyEdit
IDK anything about your program. If you have a sales pitch hit me with it.
the quote selection window in SlyEdit
IDK anything about your program. If you have a sales pitch hit me with it
That's irrelevant to the conversation..? I was simply giving you an example o
what a lightbar is in a text-based BBS context..
Haven't looked at it yet. I wanted an overview first. But if it's
not for DOS never mind.
if it's not for DOS never mind.
It's for QNX. Just forget the whole thing, you won't like it anyway.
I've used a public unix or two, and while theere is the
same functionality, it was not as nice as the BBS. Some
of the communication mechanisms were quite awkward.
A menu may be faster but mode context is still not user friendly. When "A" means one thing on the message menu and something else on the file menu, it's awkward for ordinary people. They will leave and savant designers are too smart to understand why.
What does a BBS do. Files. Messages. Chat. Maybe doors. 26 letters and 10 function keys give you 36 modeless meanings. And there's always two letter commands if you need more.
The only real advantage I can see was multitasking
I'm not saying linux is a better BBS. I'm saying BBS designers of the 90s failed.
* SLMR 2.1a *
BBS designers of the 90s failed.
Have you actaully heard people complain that there is an issue with menus on a
BBS, and have they said they've not come back from it?
You seem to be talking about what *may* happen, but is this based on actual observation?
Have you actaully heard people complain that there is an issue with menusa
on
BBS, and have they said they've not come back from it? You seem to be
talking about what *may* happen, but is this based on actual observation?
The crowd is long gone. Only a tiny population remain. Their view is skewed by various psychological factors. They don't prove anything.
BBS user interface could be improved, but who has the time. Might be fun but I don't.
A "lightbar" is a highlighted menu option that is moved around with arrow keys, sometimes called a "matrix menu".
text (and typically ANSI for color and cursor positioning over typical BBS interfaces, e.g. serial lines and modems).
Sounds like heavy traffic when the user holds down an arrow key to cycle rapidly through the matrix. Seems better suited for client side code, like Borland's integrated environment.
necessarily a GUI thing, and is used in some BBS things. I'm pretty sure it existed in the 90s.
| Sysop: | fluid |
|---|---|
| Location: | wickliffe, ohio |
| Users: | 4 |
| Nodes: | 10 (0 / 10) |
| Uptime: | 04:44:45 |
| Calls: | 52 |
| Files: | 15,838 |
| Messages: | 53,539 |
