Re: [vcf-midatlantic] The good old days of user groups.
On 8/24/2020 8:33 PM, Alexander Pierson via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
The article mentioned TPUG, the Toronto PET Users Group. These days, they exist in part as a Discord group (however, I'm sure someone like Leif Bloomquist can speak to the nature of their current existence better). I think that's pretty cool. They still have regular meetings as well.
The bulk of my interaction these days with vintage computer enthusiasts is done on that platform (though the VCFed Discord is rather... quiet). The youth of the hobby have found a home there, either on smaller manufacturer-specific servers, or larger generalist servers with plenty of cross-pollination between minis, micros, homebrews, etc. of a variety of makes and models. The SNR varies between servers of course, which can be jarring.
What better to approximate the message bases of BBS systems :-) I remember logging into some back in the day and finding nice technical treasures message after message. Then, another BBS with local events were a hotbed of name calling and childish put downs. Ah, BBSes :-) And, if you *REALLY* want that traditional experience, some of the Telnet BBS systems are pretty active. jim -- RETRO Innovations, Contemporary Gear for Classic Systems www.go4retro.com store.go4retro.com
On Mon, 24 Aug 2020, RETRO Innovations via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
What better to approximate the message bases of BBS systems :-) I remember logging into some back in the day and finding nice technical treasures message after message. Then, another BBS with local events were a hotbed of name calling and childish put downs.
Our Xenix BBS in Tacoma, WA didn't even have file areas, just message areas and real-time chat. There were interest-specific message areas, but the real-time chat was the hot ticket. We had 4 phone lines, and they were all tied up between 4:00 P.M. and 2:00 A.M. There were a few jerks, but our user base were generally good people. A bunch of us would even get together for pizza, parties, etc. This was mid-'80s. Mike Loewen mloewen@cpumagic.scol.pa.us Old Technology http://q7.neurotica.com/Oldtech/
On 8/24/20 9:53 PM, Mike Loewen via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
What better to approximate the message bases of BBS systems :-) I remember logging into some back in the day and finding nice technical treasures message after message. Then, another BBS with local events were a hotbed of name calling and childish put downs.
Our Xenix BBS in Tacoma, WA didn't even have file areas, just message areas and real-time chat. There were interest-specific message areas, but the real-time chat was the hot ticket. We had 4 phone lines, and they were all tied up between 4:00 P.M. and 2:00 A.M. There were a few jerks, but our user base were generally good people. A bunch of us would even get together for pizza, parties, etc. This was mid-'80s.
A bunch of us in NJ did that too, every so often. It was a really great time. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
A bunch of us in NJ did that too, every so often. It was a really great time.
Were you part of the BBUG (“bee-bug”… bulletin board user group) that met informally at a Mexican restaurant in Cherry Hill? That would have been roughly 1982 to maybe 85? Bob
On 8/25/20 9:53 AM, Bob Applegate via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
A bunch of us in NJ did that too, every so often. It was a really great time.
Were you part of the BBUG (“bee-bug”… bulletin board user group) that met informally at a Mexican restaurant in Cherry Hill? That would have been roughly 1982 to maybe 85?
No, I was north of that in the Trenton area. Our group was mostly centered around the Tardis BBS in East Windsor, run by Mike Volk. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA
participants (4)
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Bob Applegate -
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Mike Loewen -
RETRO Innovations