[vcf-midatlantic] VCFed BBS finally happening

[John Heritage]

Does MajorBbs ask for 40 vs 80 columns ?

On Oct 12, 2016 14:13, "Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic" <
vcf-midatlantic at lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote:

> Everyone,
>
> We've had various talk / starts / stops about an authentic-ish dial-up BBS
> through the years. Now it is finally coming true.
>
> The most recent plan was to use Asterisk, but that is overkill, a lot of
> maintenance, and would require an expensive telephony card. I asked Joe O.
> to research something better. He came back with this:
>
> http://www.excelltel.com/en/enproductslist.asp?id=612
>
> It's an 8-port analog PBX with a GSM module. We bought it on Amazon for
> $98.49.
>
> Joe will connect this via modem to a PC running MajorBBS (possibly
> virtualized). We'll connect modems and vintage computers to the analog
> ports. Visitors and VCF East exhibitors/visitors will be able to dial in at
> 300-2400bps, hear the handshake, and connect to our BBS just like in the
> glory days. People can also telnet in directly to the PC thanks to our LTE
> modem, or they can call in remotely once we buy a GSM SIM card (to be
> considered after the main system is up and running).
>
> The PBX won't arrive until sometime next month because it shipping from
> China.
>
> Joe suggested that someone can draw the standard VCFed logo using ASCII
> art, and BBS users can watch it fly by a line at a time when they connect.
> I endorse that idea!
>
> Joe will answer any technical questions. Keep in mind we selected this
> approach because it's affordable, low maintenance, and the simplest way to
> reach the goal. Some people wanted us to use all period hardware, or modern
> servers that were WAY more than we needed, or a high-end PBX, etc. ....
> this one is "just right" for us.
>