Retro Communities

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/14144651

I've been getting into cracking DOS software, focusing on BBS software, doors, utilities, etc. My latest project is a keygen (registration # and key file generator) for SuperBBS 1.17-3. I understand that, like a lot of BBS software, the source code and registration tools for SuperBBS were lost to time. You can download SuperBBS 1.17-3 from Jason Scott's BBS Documentary website: http://software.bbsdocumentary.com/IBM/DOS/SUPERBBS/

The keygen 'SBBSKEY2.ZIP' is available for download in file area 4 (cracks) of Another Millennium BBS, another.tel port 23.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SuperBBS 1.17-3 KEYGENv2 by akacastor 2024-04-10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The SBBS-KEY keygen will generate a registration number to enter in CONFIG and
a .SCC file that must be placed in the SBBS directory.


You _MUST_ do _BOTH_ of:

1) Enter Sysop Name, BBS Name, and Reg # under Registration in CONFIG.

and

2) Place the generated .SCC file in your SBBS directory (where BBS.EXE lives).


The timestamp of the .SCC file cannot be altered!  SuperBBS includes the .SCC
file timestamp in its verification checks.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

usage: SBBS-KEY "Sysop Name" "BBS Name"

NOTE - don't forget the quotes around each name!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

example:

C:\CRACKS>SBBS-KEY "Sysop Name" "BBS Name"

                                        T H E       @         ############     
                                                  @ @           ####     ###   
   SuperBBS 1.17-3                                @@@            ###      #### 
KEYGENv2 by akacastor 2024-04-10               @@ @@@@ @@        ###       ####
                                             @@@   @@   @@       ###        ###
                                           @@     @@@@    @@     ###       ####
                                          @@     @@  @     @@    ###       ### 
 Place .SCC file in SBBS directory.      @       @@  @@      @   ###     ####  
                                         @      @@    @@     @@@@##########    
 NOTE: the .SCC file timestamp must      @      @@    @@  @@@@@@ ###           
       not be changed!                   @      @@    @@@@@@ @   ###           
                                         @     @@  @@@@@@    @   #M#           
                                         @     @@@@@@  @@    @   #t#           
Sysop: Sysop Name                         @@  @@@@      @@ @@    #M#           
  BBS: BBS Name                            @@@@@        @@@@     ###           
Reg #: 37603203                          @@@ @@@         @@      ###           
                                       @@@   @@ @@@@@@@@ @@@    #####          
SCC File: 917C5F7C.SCC                       @@           @@  #########        
SCC Date: 2024-04-10 00:54                  @@             @@                  
                                            @               @       C L A S S  
                   guess what... 1994, 2024, your shit's still getting cracked.
         it's just now more of a philanthropic move instead of an anarchist one

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name of game: PacShooter 3D

Every few years or so I run into something that triggers nostalgia with MUDs, I used to play Achaea, and Dark and Shattered Lands using Zmud client. It was fun, but re-entry is a lot of work with scripts and maps. Any that are still active (without being fully scripted)?

here's a quick top list if anyone is curious

https://www.topmudsites.com/

https://www.achaea.com/

Just stop by and say hi? I think we are all here for our fond memories of forums, BBSes and other small communities. And I have been seeing a lot of movement on the all feeds about “the site that shall not be named” (that is so much harder to type then Reddit), or how less or more toxic lemmy is (done this myself), even a thread on how older lemmy adopters are annoyed with how redditors are “changing” lemmy. A solid point was made that, if we like slower content or a less toxic environment, then these federated services are made to help you do that. So in that light I have been taking steps to help lemmy be more of what I envision it to be. A place with oodles of information and some small places with friendly avatars…yes I said oodles. Once again I welcome you, and offer this community as “our space”.

Soooo…

I had an ok day, did the work things, and made it home to the family. However, my wife’s car AC decided it had worked long enough and retired. It is very hot here right now. So being the husband I am (masochistic but suffer very LOUDLY) I swapped vehicles with her. It was a small thing and my drive is shorter. But for the love of whatever you hold dear, THE STATE. garbage in passenger floor, check. Unidentifiable sludge on carpets, seats, cup holders, and handles, check. I had to take a lunch break and get cleaners for my sanity. Don’t get me wrong, I throw things on the floor and spill stuff…but I clean it up…moderation in everything. So I get home and say hi, then with an air of superiority I showed her what I had done (all proud and chest puffed out) by saying go sit in your car. She of course said “No, it’s hot in there”. We proceeded to argue for 2 minutes (the nice kind. come on…why…cause I want to show you something….sigh…fine). She gets in the car and looks, for not a long time but long enough where in your head your like…OMG, and realizes I cleaned it. She smiled and got out, gave me a kiss and took my youngest to their back to back activities while I sit on my couch typing this comfortably to strangers. I love my wife, she is a better person then me…sometimes ;)

Tl;dr Say hi and read a blurb where I acted smug while my wife did the actually hard work. I love my wife.

Saw a post that mentioned Netscape Navigator , blast from the past. I remember it being so cool.

wiki - Netscape Navigator

Edit-autocorrect

Out of fascination I was scouring DuckDuckGo and random articles to find some modern software to connect to BBS's and came across SyncTERM Web Service on GitHub, which runs the SyncTERM terminal program in a full screen web browser.

I'm going to give it a go later today! Figured I'd share it here for anyone who wants to play around with it.

Put your community link below. Anything that is a group of people sharing information

Any tips or advice on a guide that walks new people through retro communities? Something along the lines of, what older systems are still in use, which are seeing a resurgence, or have been adapted to modern needs. I’d like to brainstorm a way to help people connect and create the feel of the older systems with the options available from the fediverse.

Where would you like us to go? This is a new community on a relatively new medium and your input/questions are appreciated.

Did you, run a BBS? Were you part of a close nit community? Remember the days of Phrack magazine, war-dialing and blue boxes? What about those awesome ansi art pictures? Tell us all about it! Share your stories and life lessons. This isn’t twitter so write a text wall if you want. But remember you are welcome here!

I was about 12 years old maybe 13 at the time and I forget a lot of the people that visited but I had a great time running it and learning how to set things up. I ran a few different brands of software but the last I remember is teleguard. I made some good friends via the bbs and was an early user of Fidonet.

Two of my friends and I spent many hours in my parents basement setting things up and calling other BBS's around the world. I was lucky that my parents let me get a dedicated phoneline just for the BBS and to use to call into other BBS's but that quickly became an issue when I had a $300 phone bill! We weren't well off and it was a big hit to my parents and me since I was paying for the phoneline with money I made from odd jobs around the neighborhood. It got my computer privileges revoked for several months and a good old ass whooping if I remember correctly.

The area I was in had a loose network of BBS's that would forward mail and sync. The sysops of those BBS's were all older than I was but treated me well and included my ideas and my friends ideas in planning and setting things up.

A few years went by and I was getting interested in some government BBS's like NASA who had an interface for data from the voyager prob and some ARPANET sites that I stumbled upon while poking around a local college campus computer lab. I ended up getting caught on (I can't remember if it was a BBS or on ARPANET) The navel nuclear safety laboratory computer system. I didn't get in trouble with the navy for that but they wanted to know how I got in and had me walk them through everything I did but I did get IN BIG trouble from my parents who took away the computer and made me take down the BBS.

I think I was about 16 or 17 when they took away the computer and the older guys that ran the other local BBS's were just starting to build what would be the first local ISP. They had asked me to help with it in return for being a part of the company. I had to turn them down and in the end after being very successful those guys sold the ISP to a national company for millions of dollars. Funny how life works out sometimes. I can't complain I ended up joining the local fire department and went to make a career out of that.

New to Lemmy, so i thought I'd jump all the way in. Been playing with some "old" BBSes and door games like tradewars to get some of that nostalgia feeling and wanted to share. If you were/are a sysop post it here so others can visit or ask questions like I will be to start the journey of reliving the early days of warez and digital communities.