Comment A Different Era (Score 1) 86
Bulletin Board Systems of all types provided me with what I consider the most valuable computer training I've ever had. They provided the means and motivation to learn how to really use console based programs and DOS in general. When the "scene" moved to the Internet, it was initially based in primarily IRC and FTP. The use of those initial Unix programs provided me with critical exposure to the environment, which was leverage when I wanted to seriously learn Unix.
The world of BBS's was essentially split into two factions: the legit, and the so called "warez" boards. Legit boards were characterized by massive shareware catalogs and intricate FidoNet message board link ups. Warez boards, on the other hand, were at their peak multiline behemoths with international couriers. In my opinion, though, the real life of any BBS, regardless of its legality, was rooted in the message boards & chat services. It was here that the power and raw fun of online communication was brilliantly self-evident. No Internet experience I've ever had has come close to the best and most engaging boards that I was once a part of. Slashdot comes close in terms of a sense of community, but it's not quite the same. With any luck, someone will come up with a way to bring the old passion and simplicity of bulletin board systems into the comparatively confused nature of Internet based messaging.
The world of BBS's was essentially split into two factions: the legit, and the so called "warez" boards. Legit boards were characterized by massive shareware catalogs and intricate FidoNet message board link ups. Warez boards, on the other hand, were at their peak multiline behemoths with international couriers. In my opinion, though, the real life of any BBS, regardless of its legality, was rooted in the message boards & chat services. It was here that the power and raw fun of online communication was brilliantly self-evident. No Internet experience I've ever had has come close to the best and most engaging boards that I was once a part of. Slashdot comes close in terms of a sense of community, but it's not quite the same. With any luck, someone will come up with a way to bring the old passion and simplicity of bulletin board systems into the comparatively confused nature of Internet based messaging.
