Posted by Alex on 02/03/06 18:42

Hey Guys --

Being an old-time BBS user and someone who would love to have this same
community on the Internet, I have an idea. I love the nostalgia of
BBSes, but this might be a neat way to not only bridge BBS echos and
the Internet, but also bring new life to the BBS-type message boards.

Here's my thoughts ... Create a message system similar to the Fidonet
echos of days past, but using an Internet-based messaging system. I
know Synchronet has something similar, but it's more of a web front end
that reads the Synchronet BBS message areas. I'm talking something
similar to PHPBB or some of the other popular web-based message forum
apps used. A system that would give website folks the ability to
bridge their content into a greater 'echo' so others could join the
network, subscribe to the echo, and get those messages on their
website.

How this helps BBSes is if the protocols or standards of Fidonet-type
boards could be used and a bridge built, these message systems could
also be accessable from old-school boards as well. This way if someone
participated in say a Network Security or Linux Security echo, they
could visit any number of websites or BBSes to get their messages.
Each sysop or webmaster could cater the site to their own needs (like
BBSes used to be), but the content was the same and ever changing.

I see SO many folks creating small message forums on their website, but
like a BBS that's not on Dovenet, Fidonet, Familynet, or any of hte
other BBS networks, what's the point... if such websites could get
active content brought to their website each day this would work. The
problem I see with BBses now'days is the ratio between BBS users and
sysops is virtual 1:1. If everyone runs a BBS why connect to someone
else's. Well that's not so on the Internet. Most Internet folks don't
run their own website, so this methodology is closer to the BBS
methology of echos and such.

I'd suggest just like on Fidonet to get a connection you'd need to get
with a Net Coordinator to get setup, but once connected you're set.
And like Fidonet there probably needs to be some form of rule base to
keep such networks from turning into a pukefest like the Newsgroups.

Just a thought... this worked great for BBSes before, so why not carry
it into the WWW now? It brings the community back, and with alittle
control to help things move along it'd also bring another source for
awesome content.

Would something like this be doable? I'm not the best programmer, but
I'd be more then willing to do whatever I could to get something like
this moving. Also getting plugins for programs like PHPBB to work with
it would be critical.

Thanks for any comments or suggestions. If a standard was created and
put into play, it'd sure give folks the ability to create other
networks ... so this could grow.

Thanks again --

Sam

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