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With all that in mind, I thought it would be fun to create a list of neat modern BBSes for you to check out. WiFi232 simulates a modem but actually creates a telnet connection, allowing you to BBS on the internet with vintage machines like the Apple II or old IBM PCs.
#OLD VERSION OF SYNCTERM MAC OS X#
SyncTERM (Opens in a new window) is a very nice BBS terminal program for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X that supports traditional IBM PC fonts and ANSI graphics.Īnd if you're a vintage computer fan like me and have an old machine sitting around, you can even use a miraculous device called WiFi232 (Opens in a new window), developed by Paul Rickards, to connect. So how do you do connect? I recommend using a telnet terminal program that supports IBM PC color ANSI graphics. If you're more libertarian-minded, you might even pursue BBSes as a way to gather on the 'Net outside the purview of the usual data-scarfing giants like Google or Facebook.Īnd about that whole net neutrality issue-well, I'm not going to even pretend that BBSes can replace the modern web, but they feel like safe place for people who want out of the usual toxic online rat race. We do it to share messages with a tight-knit group of people and have fun. Why would you want to do that, you ask? Well, among my group of Twitter friends-all vintage computer enthusiasts-we do it as a hobby for nostalgia's sake. Thanks to the antique text-only protocol called telnet, you can use a terminal emulator program to start BBSing just like the glory days.
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While few BBSes remain today compared to their height in the early-mid 1990s, one can still connect to a BBS using the internet. Way back in the 1980s and early 1990s, before the internet reigned supreme, many PC owners dialed up Bulletin Board Systems (BBSes), which were other PCs running special software that allowed users to connect and share messages, play games, or download files.
#OLD VERSION OF SYNCTERM HOW TO#
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