BBS

This episode features Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), and my experience then and now with them. In short this is a socialization episode.

Bulletin Boards are much like modern web based forums. These are places to socialize with other people with the same interests, send/receive files, email, games, etc.

There is no preference in the boards presented. They are being presented in the order in which I registered for them. There are many more boards than those presented here. YOU should visit the boards, both on this list and off, and decide on your own which ones YOU prefer.

The content here won’t mean much without listening to the podcast episode.

Podcast: Download

Atari 8 Bit Terminal Programs

These are just a couple of the many communications programs available for the Atari 8 bit. There are many, many others.

BobTerm

Boot splash:

Changing the baud rate:

Ready to dial:

Dialing:

What? It’s busy!

HomePak HomeTerm

Boot splash:

Ready to communicate. Note the default font is a custom one:

Changing the translation mode:

Now the font is the standard ATASCII font:

BBS’s

The Basement

Dialing and logging in:

Windowed menu instead of a command prompt? Very neat feature!

Menu help screen:

Alcatraz

Dialing Alcatraz and connecting. Most Atari boards ask for a keystroke to identify if they support ATASCII graphics or not:

Posting a message:

Reading a message:

Checking other boards for messages:

Menu help:

List of message bases (boards):

User statistics:

Checking for e-mail (in the early 80’s!):

Previous callers list:

Top Callers list:

Logging off:

Star Fleet HQ

Loggin in (with SyncTerm on Mac):

Excellent color ANSI login screen. A random starship or space station appears:

BBS menu help:

Message base menu:

Posting a message:

Reading a message:

User statistics (4 pages worth here):

Message base (board) listing:

Logging off:

Irata Online (Fuji FoReM)

Logging in:

Main menu help:

File download menu:

Reading messages:

Southern AMIS

Dialing:

Registering:

Login screens:

User statistics:

Checking for e-mail:

Main menu help:

Message base (board) list:

Changing message boards. Note it shows if there are unread messages:

Message base menu help:

Posting a message:

Reading a message:

Extras! Check out the ATASCII movies, but set your baud rate below 1200 to view them if you want to be able to read them:

Logoff screen:

Show Links:

• AtariMania BBS Programs: http://www.atarimania.com/faq-atari-400-800-xl-xe-what-programs-can-i-use-to-host-a-bbs-on-the-atari_105.html
• Atari800MacX: http://www.atarimac.com/atari800macx.php
• FujiNet: https://fujinet.online
• FujiNet Discord: https://discord.gg/7MfFTvD
• Jason Scott BBS Documentary Webpage: http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/director.html
• Jason Scott BBS Documentary Video: https://archive.org/details/BBS.The.Documentary
• Jason Scott BBS Documentary Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBS:_The_Documentary
• Alistair Ross – Back To The BBS Documentary Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0OwGSX2IiQ
• Alistair Ross – Back To The BBS Documentary Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snpbAEN4I6M
• Alistair Ross – Back To The BBS Documentary Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpFaoLPPRGc
• Lon Seidman – Retro Review – BBS Systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWdr4zeE3JU
• SyncTerm: http://syncterm.bbsdev.net/​

BBS’s Visited in this episode:

Southern Amis: southeramis.ddns.net (23)

The Basement: basementbbs.ddns.net (9000)

Alcatraz: alcatrazbbs.ddns.net (9000)

Irata Online (Fuji): irata.online (6502)

Star Fleet HQ: bbs.sfhqbbs.org (5983)

Good list of Atari BBS’s (Hosted by SFHQ): http://sfhqbbs.org/ataribbslist.php