On 1/20/2026 12:10 PM, MIKE wrote to OGG:

Whether it ultimately works also depends on the acceptance of the sysops in the FTNs. As long as many see a forum as the enemy of the hobby, it will of course be harder for the initiator to present and explain the hobby in all its
splendor and diversity. A lot has happened in almost 40 years of BBS history!
or software), upload a program, or help solve a problem. Then even more people
would become aware of this forum as a possible first point of contact for this
hobby. The possibilities are truly diverse!

Coming in late to this conversation, could someone kindly remind us of what the original
topic was about?

TIA.
---
þ wcQWK 10.0

Re: RE: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: Robert Wolfe to MIKE on Tue Jan 20 2026 09:59 am

Coming in late to this conversation, could someone kindly remind
us of what the original topic was about?

that shitty bbs forum that 3 people use.
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Coming in late to this conversation, could someone kindly remind
us of what the original topic was about?

that shitty bbs forum that 3 people use.

Why be rude 1oo% of the time???

The original topic was sysops-finest.com - Mike's BBS related WWW forums.



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbs>>>20ForBeers.com:1337

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: paulie420 to MRO on Tue Jan 20 2026 05:29 pm

Coming in late to this conversation, could someone
kindly remind us of what the original topic was about?

that shitty bbs forum that 3 people use.

Why be rude 1oo% of the time???

The original topic was sysops-finest.com - Mike's BBS related WWW
forums.

he should post his ads in the ad section.

if you pay attention to dovenet our topics drift off from time to time.
he seems really pushy, probably due to lack of interest by everyone else. there's no reason to re-invent the wheel.

Only the strong survive. When i ran my bbs services people like frank linhares and another guy actually used the free scripts i used and stripped the code to make it seem like it's was all done in house. Then they made
false claims about how a banner made someone's entire webpage load slow. meanwhile my uptime was WAY better, my support was way better and I rented real ovh servers instead of using shitty overworked vms.

I outlasted all of them because i remained relevant. and i pulled the plug when i wanted to pull the plug.

This guy's site is on it's 2nd year. I don't care if it stays or goes, but
he should post his ads in the ad section and not be so pushy if people don't upload files, post help etc etc etc. If you run something it's your baby.
you have to be willing to put in all the time and not expect anything.
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: paulie420 to MRO on Tue Jan 20 2026 05:29 pm

that shitty bbs forum that 3 people use.

Why be rude 1oo% of the time???

I think MRO's last ratings had him down to 97.3%

Denn

... Dignity is one thing that cannot be preserved in alcohol.

---
þ Synchronet þ the Outwest BBS - outwest.synchro.net - Home of BBSBASE 6.0

On Jan 20, 2026 10:51pm, Denn wrote to Paulie420:

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: paulie420 to MRO on Tue Jan 20 2026 05:29 pm

that shitty bbs forum that 3 people use.

As is well known, politeness is a virtue and unfortunately not everyone possesses it, dear Mro. And I really can't remember ever having gone after
you, or? You could also step out of your comfort zone and be the "fourth" one? Maybe then others would join in too? It's always very easy to complain about others. But then you would also have to show how it could be done better! And the proof, you're still keeping us waiting for that!

But it is true that no one told me to start a BBS forum! Personally, though, I believe in the idea of promoting this hobby on the web in this way, even if it will take longer without you. And I admit that I had hoped that some of you might perhaps help support the project with different kinds. I have already explained everything else. I just think it's a pitty that many sysops ignore this type of advertising for our shared hobby and instead prefer to be online on commercial platforms, sharing information here and there. I can't really understand that. But I don't have to!

Nevertheless, I will make another post in a year. Constant dripping wears away the stone. :-)

Why be rude 1oo% of the time???

I think MRO's last ratings had him down to 97.3%

Denn

... Dignity is one thing that cannot be preserved in alcohol.

---
þ Synchronet þ the Outwest BBS - outwest.synchro.net - Home of BBSBASE
6.0 * Origin: Capitol City Online (723:320/1)

... Platinum Xpress & Wildcat!..... Nice!!!!
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v7.0
* Origin: Global Chaos BBS, The Home of the Nets and Files (723:800/50)
þ Synchronet þ CAPCITY2 * Capitol City Online

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: Mike to All on Wed Jan 21 2026 02:58 pm

On Jan 20, 2026 10:51pm, Denn wrote to Paulie420:

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine By: paulie420 to MRO on Tue Jan 20 2026 05:29 pm

that shitty bbs forum that 3 people use.

As is well known, politeness is a virtue and unfortunately not
everyone possesses it, dear Mro. And I really can't remember ever
having gone after you, or? You could also step out of your comfort
zone and be the "fourth" one? Maybe then others would join in too?

you think i was actually going after you? You don't know me that well.
if i was going after you i'd be a lot less polite.

anyways, post your ads in the ad section like everyone else does.

I think MRO's last ratings had him down to 97.3%

Denn

^^ who's this denn guy? never heard of him.
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: Mike to All on Wed Jan 21 2026 02:58 pm

But it is true that no one told me to start a BBS forum! Personally, though, believe in the idea of promoting this hobby on the web in this way, even if will take longer without you. And I admit that I had hoped that some of you

My only problem with the thinking of attracting people via the Web is that if someone goes to visit a forum about BBSing, and the forum is practically unused and looks like a ghost town, it makes people feel like the whole BBSing thing might be abandoned too. If you get someone to join an active BBS and there is information about BBSing and the scene on THERE, then the life of the scene is more obvious.

---
þ Synchronet þ TIRED of waiting 2 hours for a taco? GO TO TACOPRONTO.bbs.io

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: Mike to All on Wed Jan 21 2026 02:58 pm

that shitty bbs forum that 3 people use.

As is well known, politeness is a virtue and unfortunately not everyone possesses it, dear Mro. And I really can't remember ever having gone after you, or? You could also step out of your comfort zone and be the "fourth"

Some people like (MRO) are like the old cranky (get off my lawn) hippie types.
It's best just to ignore MRO, unless you're trying to bait him.
Don't let his rudness distract you from your goals.

Denn

... Tennis players have fuzzy balls.

---
þ Synchronet þ the Outwest BBS - outwest.synchro.net - Home of BBSBASE 6.0

On Jan 21, 2026 10:56pm, Denn wrote to Mike:

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: Mike to All on Wed Jan 21 2026 02:58 pm

that shitty bbs forum that 3 people use.

As is well known, politeness is a virtue and unfortunately not everyone
possesses it, dear Mro. And I really can't remember ever having gone
after
you, or? You could also step out of your comfort zone and be the
"fourth"

Some people like (MRO) are like the old cranky (get off my lawn) hippie types.
It's best just to ignore MRO, unless you're trying to bait him.
Don't let his rudness distract you from your goals.

Denn

... Tennis players have fuzzy balls.

---
þ Synchronet þ the Outwest BBS - outwest.synchro.net - Home of BBSBASE
6.0 * Origin: Capitol City Online (723:320/1)

Everything's fine. But I always assume that people remain fair in a dialogue. You can always discuss things controversially, but insulting simply doesn't belong here!

Thank you fo your feedback Denn!I appreciate it!

Mike

... Platinum Xpress & Wildcat!..... Nice!!!!
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v7.0
* Origin: Global Chaos BBS, The Home of the Nets and Files (723:800/50)
þ Synchronet þ CAPCITY2 * Capitol City Online

On Jan 21, 2026 03:04pm, Phigan wrote to Mike:

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: Mike to All on Wed Jan 21 2026 02:58 pm

But it is true that no one told me to start a BBS forum! Personally,
though,
believe in the idea of promoting this hobby on the web in this way, even
if
will take longer without you. And I admit that I had hoped that some of
you

My only problem with the thinking of attracting people via the Web is
that if someone goes to visit a forum about BBSing, and the forum is practically unused and looks like a ghost town, it makes people feel
like the whole BBSing thing might be abandoned too. If you get someone
to join an active BBS and there is information about BBSing and the
scene on THERE, then the life of the scene is more obvious.

---
þ Synchronet þ TIRED of waiting 2 hours for a taco? GO TO
TACOPRONTO.bbs.io * Origin: Capitol City Online (723:320/1)

Dear Phigan,

I completely agree to 100% with you!

But it's not like I announced this project early (in 2024) on all FTN channels and invited all former and current system administrators to share their BBS
ads and news, their extensive experience, or recommended tools/utilities and their settings. And I, as the "idea initiator" of this project, am doing all
of this entirely on my own, and that takes more time, as needed in a real community, which also has a genuine interest in promoting this wonderful hobby in a best possible way! I already wrote, 25,000 verifiable clicks per month. The forum is definitely being noticed.

So why not make the best of it? The hobby has so many great facets! I understand people who on one hand say they like BBSs but demonize the
Internet. On the other hand, I have to say.. true, it has contributed to the User Target group being there and many sysops too! But everyone takes
advantage of this internet flat rate, in contrast to the horrendous telephone costs we had monthly in the 90s. (just only one example of the benefits)
Just imagine if 200–300 Sysops from the about 1500-2000 worldwide would dedicate 10 minutes of their valuable time each week or month to various activities (hardware/software/doors/scene/FTN/ANSI/ASCII), in addition to my own efforts. I can see that it (announcements, new BBSs, etc.) seems possible on other platforms, besides the FTN. Nobody can deny!

One could also put forward the thesis that this forum reflects the disarray of the sysop scene? That would also be an explanation, wouldn't it?

It would be wonderful and very helpful if more of you would make an effort and contribute a small part. Many of you have far more knowledge of the subject than I could ever learn in the rest of my life. With you, the forum can become and be significantly definitely better! A great showcase for our hobby! And of course, with the necessary patience for the development too!

And I stick to my thesis that all the fragmentation across the many portals, and even more so on the commercial ones, has not been beneficial to the thematic presentation of this hobby and still isn't. A thematic focus would certainly bring more to the hobby and to those interested in it!

What certainly won't happen is that I give up the project, which by now has cost not only a lot of my time but also not insignificant amount of money.

... Platinum Xpress & Wildcat!..... Nice!!!!
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v7.0
* Origin: Global Chaos BBS, The Home of the Nets and Files (723:800/50)
þ Synchronet þ CAPCITY2 * Capitol City Online

On Jan 21, 2026 03:04pm, Phigan wrote to Mike:

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: Mike to All on Wed Jan 21 2026 02:58 pm

But it is true that no one told me to start a BBS forum! Personally,
though,
believe in the idea of promoting this hobby on the web in this way, even
if
will take longer without you. And I admit that I had hoped that some of
you

My only problem with the thinking of attracting people via the Web is
that if someone goes to visit a forum about BBSing, and the forum is practically unused and looks like a ghost town, it makes people feel
like the whole BBSing thing might be abandoned too. If you get someone
to join an active BBS and there is information about BBSing and the
scene on THERE, then the life of the scene is more obvious.

---
þ Synchronet þ TIRED of waiting 2 hours for a taco? GO TO
TACOPRONTO.bbs.io * Origin: Capitol City Online (723:320/1)

Small addendum!

A nice, meaningful and chronological beginning could be, just as an example,
if a large part of the 1500-2000 BBSs would introduce themselves in a good and meaningful visual presentation. With e.g. software using, focal points,
special features, possibly a photograph of the BBS (hardware), if operated at home and an introduction of the sysop as a person/human. And very important, what makes this hobby for him so fascinating! As long as these informations
are not now under Top Secret.

Conversations and discussions arise through contributions. If these are lacking, the aforementioned does not take place either. And it should be in
the interest of every sysop to present their heartblood as best as possible
and for free.

As I had already written in 2024/2025. The forum could be a first central
point of contact for the hobby in all its glory!

And on the topic of the web. There is a meaningful saying that also applies here: The enemy of my enemy is my friend! Why don't we take advantage of that?

... Platinum Xpress & Wildcat!..... Nice!!!!
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v7.0
* Origin: Global Chaos BBS, The Home of the Nets and Files (723:800/50)
þ Synchronet þ CAPCITY2 * Capitol City Online

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: Mike to Phigan on Thu Jan 22 2026 09:08 am

So why not make the best of it? The hobby has so many great facets! I

Well, like I said earlier, I personally don't like the web, and like web forums even less so. When I want to tell web-only people about BBSes, I point them to telnetbbsguide.com where there is a list of a thousand BBSes they can try.

You don't have to give up on your project, but you should realize that you are contributing to the fragmentation. You want people to use your web forum to bring attention to BBSes. In a way, this is bringing attention away from BBSes :). Mucking with web forums just isn't interesting for me. Otherwise I'd probably participate on AtariAge or one of the countless other web forum communities that have existed for decades.

---
þ Synchronet þ TIRED of waiting 2 hours for a taco? GO TO TACOPRONTO.bbs.io

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: Mike to Phigan on Thu Jan 22 2026 10:10 am

A nice, meaningful and chronological beginning could be, just as an example, if a large part of the 1500-2000 BBSs would introduce themselves in a good a meaningful visual presentation. With e.g. software using, focal points,

Kind of like telnetbbsguide.com? There's a saying about reinventing the wheel, etc.

---
þ Synchronet þ TIRED of waiting 2 hours for a taco? GO TO TACOPRONTO.bbs.io

On Jan 24, 2026 10:43am, Phigan wrote to Mike:

Re: Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: Mike to Phigan on Thu Jan 22 2026 10:10 am

A nice, meaningful and chronological beginning could be, just as an
example,
if a large part of the 1500-2000 BBSs would introduce themselves in a
good a
meaningful visual presentation. With e.g. software using, focal points,

Kind of like telnetbbsguide.com? There's a saying about reinventing the wheel, etc.

---
þ Synchronet þ TIRED of waiting 2 hours for a taco? GO TO
TACOPRONTO.bbs.io * Origin: Capitol City Online (723:320/1)

Hm

First.. Hello Phigan

It's actually not really about... like... but rather to gather as much information as possible about this hobby from the hundreds of actual sources
of information that currently exist and to relate it to a single point. And it's also not about competing with anyone. That is completely foreign to me
and is 100% absolutely not the goal of the forum! The 'wheel' is simply the point that this information could one day be brought together in the most useful way, and that a visitor interested in this hobby gets everything important they need to build/create a BBS of his choice and become part of the BBS community. I would rather call this a bridge for an optimal entry into
this hobby!I look at the whole in a holistic way, so overlaps are bound to happen. But that is also the diversity that is desired and is a good thing!

I can live just fine with someone not liking the internet, even though he/she/it use it every day. It's the same with the way a forum approaches and presents a topic on the www. Everything is fine from my perspective!

Mike

... Platinum Xpress & Wildcat!..... Nice!!!!
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v7.0
* Origin: Global Chaos BBS, The Home of the Nets and Files (723:800/50)
þ Synchronet þ CAPCITY2 * Capitol City Online

Hey Mike!

On Sun, 25 Jan 2026 14:33:38 +0100, you wrote:

I can live just fine with someone not liking the internet, even though he/she/it use it every day. It's the same with the way a forum
approaches and presents a topic on the www. Everything is fine from my perspective!

If I remember correctly, you had previously mentioned that it is out of your realm of expertise/knowledge to do what I mention below, but rather than trying to get people that don't like using web forums to try using... web forums.. How about trying to expand your knowledge and expertise and utilize FTN /into/ your message forums? This way people that don't like using web forums can still communicate with the people that access your web forum?

Would that not bridge a pretty huge gap in communications between the two?

Currently, it looks like you are using (and maybe even paying for?) some cloud based forum software, with a light-weight wiki add-on. If indeed you are paying for this monthly, or yearly, I'd like to ask how much different it actually is than this (which can definitely be improved upon, graphically, by anyone), for example:

https://pharcyde.org/?page=001-forum.ssjs&group=0

I guess what I'm saying here is, there are actual BBS softwares that already seem to have this "forum" style messaging built in - and already supports communication via FTN networks, so there is no need to gain expertise/knowledge on creating your own, etc.

I'm not trying to put what you're doing down, whatsoever. So please don't take it that way. I was just looking at some comparible stuff and wondering why you chose to go the route that you did. Either way, keep on doing whatever makes you happy!

Regards,
Nick

... Sarcasm: because beating people up is illegal.
--- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20250409
* Origin: _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin) (723:1/1)
ï¿­ Synchronet ï¿­ _thePharcyde telnet://bbs.pharcyde.org (Wisconsin)

Re: BBS Forum Sysops Fine
By: Accession to Mike on Sun Jan 25 2026 01:58 pm

I guess what I'm saying here is, there are actual BBS softwares
that already seem to have this "forum" style messaging built in -
and already supports communication via FTN networks, so there is no
need to gain expertise/knowledge on creating your own, etc.

I'm not trying to put what you're doing down, whatsoever. So please

he could use a forum software with nntp gateway/plugin. several of us here have done that. i think fudforum has one and it's free. i dont think it
plays well with synchronet's nntp but that can be addressed.

so he could have his forum and he could have all the msg networks he joins, all in one. truly bringing it all together.


--
"Before using Wildcat....This Company did not have a convenient way of
looking after some of the richest clients in the world...Now we do!"
---
þ Synchronet þ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Hello Mike!

** On Thursday 22.01.26 - 09:08, Mike wrote to Phigan:

promoting this wonderful hobby in a best possible way! I already wrote, 25,000 verifiable clicks per month. The forum is definitely being noticed.

.. noticed by bots too, perhaps? That 25,000 could be misleading.

It would be wonderful and very helpful if more of you would make an
effort and contribute a small part. Many of you have far more knowledge
of the subject than I could ever learn in the rest of my life. With you, the forum can become and be significantly definitely better! A great showcase for our hobby! And of course, with the necessary patience for
the development too!

Your best bet is to simply list the different types of active BBS software out there, provide links to other online resources offering them, discussing them and supporting them.

https://www.ipingthereforeiam.com/bbs/ ..is another fine window to the bbs world.

And I stick to my thesis that all the fragmentation across the many portals, and even more so on the commercial ones, has not been beneficial to the thematic presentation of this hobby and still isn't. A thematic focus would certainly bring more to the hobby and to those interested in it!

A theme named for just sysops seems limiting and doesn't sound like a place to attract non-sysops into the hobby, imho. ;)

What certainly won't happen is that I give up the project, which by now
has cost not only a lot of my time but also not insignificant amount of money.

Yeah.. hosting costs can accumulate. Good luck.
--
../|ug

--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: Ogg's Dovenet Point (723:320/1.9)
* Synchronet * CAPCITY2 * Capitol City Online

Hello phigan!

** On Saturday 24.01.26 - 10:34, phigan wrote to Mike:

So why not make the best of it? The hobby has so many great facets! I

Well, like I said earlier, I personally don't like the web, and like web forums even less so. When I want to tell web-only people about BBSes, I point them to telnetbbsguide.com where there is a list of a thousand BBSes they can try.

https://www.ipingthereforeiam.com/bbs/ is also a good way to explore and discover BBSes out there.

You don't have to give up on your project, but you should realize that you are contributing to the fragmentation. You want people to use your web forum to bring attention to BBSes. In a way, this is bringing attention away from BBSes :). Mucking with web forums just isn't interesting for me. Otherwise I'd probably participate on AtariAge or one of the countless other web forum communities that have existed for decades.

I agree.. there is a fragmentation aspect.

I see several BBSes have basic front-end intro pages that describe BBSing, the history, etc. ..and then provide the portal to login. Excellent.

Outside from having a 60 Minutes segment on BBSing as it exists today, or a viral video somewhere, this hobby simply needs a place that describes what a BBS is "TODAY", and points the user to various systems.

The IPTIA, SBBSLIST, and TelneBBSguide, are excellent directories of systems that can do that.


--- OpenXP 5.0.64
* Origin: Ogg's Dovenet Point (723:320/1.9)
* Synchronet * CAPCITY2 * Capitol City Online