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Any former A8 Sysops?


scotty

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Anyone run an Atari 8-bit BBS back in he day? I ran the APL (Atari Pirates Local) 130. It had a union theme to it. Ran the AMIS BBS software that I added a lot of customization too. I really liked BBCS but it had so many bugs in it. Great idea, just wished it worked better.

 

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I ran an 8-bit BBS for several years called Phantasmal Alchemy. Originally used Carina BBS, and moved to Carina II once that was available. I heavily customized the software and even co-authored a game for it (RoboWar II). I had a huge assortment of hardware dedicated just for the BBS. Years later I would resurrect the Phantasmal Alchemy name for a multi-line PC board based on RemoteAccess.

 

..Al

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I ran a number of Atari BBS's in Ottawa Canada. Aardvark and later Blues Brothers BBS. After using a highly customized version of AMIS (some other sysop had modded the oruiginal code before I got it) I moved to BBS Express and later BBS Express Pro. BBS Express Pro was very very good--completely solid and easy to write modules for using Action.

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Briefly ran a small BBS called the Bates Hotel. Didnt get many visitors but was fun the 6 months I ran it.

This was in the Bay Area, like Livermore? If so, I remember using it. It was one of the better ones while you were up.

 

I ran one rather late in the game for a little while when I lived in Cupertino. Wouldn't have been before 1986ish.

 

I still have my 'Free Software for Your Atari' book around here somewhere. It was the what booted me into telecommunication. By the time I got the book, maybe 1984 or 1985, 90% of the numbers were no good anymore. I remember Itsy Bitsy and Compucat were two that worked and everyone had a BBS list that you could look at to get more numbers. I remember calling a lot of non Atari BBS too. Citadel which I think ran under CPM was popular back then. Fidonet, Wildcat, forgotten or never known by most of today's users but a really important part of what we have become.

 

Just an FYI Free Software for Your Atari is online if you want to get a memory lane refresher to BBS scene in 1983.

 

CIS was really important back then too. I remember several names here as well as well known Atari people like Mat*Rat, Bill Wilkinson, Tom Harker, Bob Puff, that used to hang out there.

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This was in the Bay Area, like Livermore? If so, I remember using it. It was one of the better ones while you were up.

 

I ran one rather late in the game for a little while when I lived in Cupertino. Wouldn't have been before 1986ish.

 

I still have my 'Free Software for Your Atari' book around here somewhere. It was the what booted me into telecommunication. By the time I got the book, maybe 1984 or 1985, 90% of the numbers were no good anymore. I remember Itsy Bitsy and Compucat were two that worked and everyone had a BBS list that you could look at to get more numbers. I remember calling a lot of non Atari BBS too. Citadel which I think ran under CPM was popular back then. Fidonet, Wildcat, forgotten or never known by most of today's users but a really important part of what we have become.

 

Just an FYI Free Software for Your Atari is online if you want to get a memory lane refresher to BBS scene in 1983.

 

CIS was really important back then too. I remember several names here as well as well known Atari people like Mat*Rat, Bill Wilkinson, Tom Harker, Bob Puff, that used to hang out there.

http://www.atarimania.com/documents/Free-Software-for-your-Atari.pdf

 

Allan

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I briefly ran a service called ICE (Indy Computer Enthusiasts) on my unmodified 130xe. I used Oasis Jr. which was rock solid. The whole thing booted from a single floppy, created a ramdisk and copied all necessary files to it (SpartaDos batch files were huge), and backed itself up at certain intervals. It only ran at night so viewership was minimal -- still fun. I also helped quite a bit with a service known as Bandit BBS back in the late 80s. Both in Indianapolis. Other Atari BBSs in the area were Riddle's, Paladin, Music Box, Red Desk, Dog House, Outhouse, I'm probably forgetting some others. Man, I miss those days.

Edited by Fres
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I ran the Pirate's Cove (The Cove), on a re-programmed BBS in Atari BASIC based on AMIS, by the time i was done there was almost nothing left of the old AMIS code. Atari 800XL with Rambo XL and (4) 1050's XM301 at first, then change to an Avatex 1200hc on a P:R: Connection. Ran this for quite a few years.

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I ran a BBS called The Scran Locker for about three years. Started out running during the nights on a 130XE with a singe US Doubler'd 1050 and then ran it full time on a 800XL with a pair of Doubled 1050s. The underlying software was ADCM BBS and Pocket Modem. I also co-sysop'd the HBO BBS (Hamilton Burlington Oakville Atari Users Group) during the same time.

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This was in the Bay Area, like Livermore? If so, I remember using it. It was one of the better ones while you were up.

 

I ran one rather late in the game for a little while when I lived in Cupertino. Wouldn't have been before 1986ish.

 

I still have my 'Free Software for Your Atari' book around here somewhere. It was the what booted me into telecommunication. By the time I got the book, maybe 1984 or 1985, 90% of the numbers were no good anymore. I remember Itsy Bitsy and Compucat were two that worked and everyone had a BBS list that you could look at to get more numbers. I remember calling a lot of non Atari BBS too. Citadel which I think ran under CPM was popular back then. Fidonet, Wildcat, forgotten or never known by most of today's users but a really important part of what we have become.

 

Just an FYI Free Software for Your Atari is online if you want to get a memory lane refresher to BBS scene in 1983.

 

CIS was really important back then too. I remember several names here as well as well known Atari people like Mat*Rat, Bill Wilkinson, Tom Harker, Bob Puff, that used to hang out there.

 

No my Bates Hotel was on East Coast - didnt get too much traction in the time I ran it but was fun watching people navigate through your site and post messages :) - I ran the Forem BBS software on my 800, 2x1050's and a 1030 that had a custom auto-answer through the joystick port.

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I ran the Atari Power BBS (in the Netherlands) in 1989/1990 or was it 1991. The BBS ran on a 130XE (128K ram), 2 1050 diskdrives (one was standard 128 K the 2nd was a happy 180K). Connection was with a P:R Connection and a 2400 baud modem.

 

My BBS was only online from 22:00 to 07:00 (almost each day). It was mostly used for small demo coders and some message board. Between 1-4 visitors each night. Was a lot of fun.

 

The Atari Power BBS lasted 2 years.

Edited by Stormtrooper of Death
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I ran two at different times. First was "Saturn V", yeah about the time the movie was out. It didnt last long, a few months maybe. Took a break, re-org'd, new software using ForEmXL I think, then had A.R.T.S. (Atari Recreational Time Service) in 85/86. This one was operated for just under a year. Both in the SLC area.

Edited by Ripdubski
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Anyone run an Atari 8-bit BBS back in he day? I ran the APL (Atari Pirates Local) 130. It had a union theme to it. Ran the AMIS BBS software that I added a lot of customization too. I really liked BBCS but it had so many bugs in it. Great idea, just wished it worked better.

 

I ran BBS Express on a 2400 baud modem.

 

Here's a site with hundreds of telnet and dial-up BBS:

It isn't real good. It has lots of defunct listings.

 

http://www.telnetbbsguide.com/

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Ran (and still run) The Boot Factory from 1/1/84 to present. Switched from A8 to PC in 1987, PC until 1996 when I shut it down for good (or so I thought). Came back in 1999 with an internet based version of the old A8 system and it is still online today.

 

At various times, I ran MPP AMIS, MPP Forem, BBCS, Forem XL, Forem XE, BBS:Express 850, and BBS:Express PRO.

 

Many different hardware setups.

 

URL below...

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I ran Alcatraz (215)437-3xxx. I started with a Percom w/2 or 4 quads(can't remember). I was using a version of FoReM XL with a lightning 2400 baud modem. In the final version of the board I had a USR 9600 baud modem, a supra 10 meg hard drive running BBS Express! (I hated Express but there wasn't anything else out there reliable at the time)

 

I was part of UFP (United Federation of Pirates). We got our board name and numbers on a few cracked games.

 

I scrapped the board in late 88 early 89. I discovered girls and cars!! I posted a pic on the atari museum Facebook page.

 

_Giarc_Da_Warden_

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