For many of us, i don't think that works anymore.  I don't think you can use an analog modem ( or fax.. ) if you have a VoIP line.   At least that is what i was told when first moved over, i didn't actually try it to see if that was true.

Mon Apr 07 2025 00:25:49 UTC from IGnatius T Foobar Subject: Re: Introduction from an OLD timer...

OOHow about a computer attached to a modem, and you reach it by dialing it over the public switched telephone network with another modem?

Tue Apr 01 2025 08:13:27 UTC from Hyperhook Subject: Introduction from an OLD timer...

Hello folks. For reasons I'll explain later, I found myself searching tonight to see if Citadel code was floating around out there somewhere, and was shocked to discover that there were still active versions of Citadel running out here. I hope this is a proper place for an introduction.

As the subject says, I am a VERY old Citadel old-timer. I moved to Seattle in 1979 and lived there until about 1990 when I moved to Oregon. I was one of the users on Jeff's (then known just as Cynbe Ru Tauren to most of us) original Citadel, and was there for the whole Sugar Bunny blow-up. I was also a user on Glenn Gorman's Minibin, which was a Citadel clone running on an 8-bit Radio Shack TRS-80 with 48K of memory and one (initially I believe, though it might have been two) floppy drives! I not only knew Glenn, we were housemates for a while after he separated from his then-partner, and I even ran a Minibin briefly (through it never had a dedicated phone line, and ran limited hours for a small audience). I also Knew David Bonn and was on his first Stonehenge and several other installations of it. I also knew (and know) Caren Park, and we still chat fairly often on Facebook.

Maybe that's fascinating to some of you, or maybe you're looking askance at this dusty relic that has come crawling out of the darkness. Let me know. If you have questions, I'll try to answer them if I can.

Anyway, the reason I was looking up Citadel was the rather dire situation that the U.S. seems to be heading into. I've mostly pulled out of commercial networks (I stay on Facebook only to keep in touch with family and a few old friends) and most of my online activity is on the Fediverse, which consists of many independently operated servers, and this is hopefully less vulnerable to censorship and corporate or government control. But it's also a very site of anti-Trump sentiment, and so a big target that could draw the attention of government censorship, blockage of international servers, and shutdown of US servers. I'm not taking anything off the table at this point of historical insanity.

Anyway, I've long had a notion of a pocket sized BBS, originally just because I thought it was a cute idea. Those early room systems, as I said, ran on AMAZINGLY anemic hardware by modern standards. It suggested that you might easily be able to run them on a tiny microcontroller, maybe something as light as an Arduino, but definitely, something like a Raspberry Pi. In fact, it would be a hardware upgrade that those early 80's systems never could have dreamed of. Moreover, rather than dial-up, it should be possible to set something up as a direct wifi and/or web host. My thought was that you could incorporate this, plus a power supply, in a small package that could be plugged directly into wall outlet and run self-contained. Originally this was just a fun idea, kind of guerilla/art concept, a retro way of bypassing the internet completely and setting up a secret way for people to communicate.

But now I'm see a more grim utility for it as a potential way of bypassing censorship and organizing protest and sharing information. Plug one in, at an office, a library, in a business, even in a public place where it could anonymously be accessible to nearby people with their phone or laptop. And the time to develop something like this would be now, before it's absolutely essential, and before the pathways to share the code and information around are closed.  Though I have my personal bent, I see this as a project not to support any given ideology, but as an agnostic communication tool that could be used for many things.

Now, I'm an idea guy, but I'm not a programmer and not more than a casual hardware hobbyist. But I'm putting the idea out here to see if it can take root somewhere. I'd love to hear your comments, positive or negative, and reactions, so I've set up an account and will be checking back. Thoughts? (Maybe should start a room for this if there's interest.)

 

Well idea guy. If for some reason you end up close to my boat. I am currently located in Turkey. You can log in to my open wifi network. You will be presented with a webcit FrontPage. All Citadel ports are open feel free to create an account and communicate with everyone close by. (Very seldom someone does, but when we usually become good friends)
I wish there was a mash network for sailors. There is so much that could be done on boats with AIS, NMEA etc. I attempted to start stuff with boaters but most of them are low tech guys with no interest in technology beyond iPads..

Boat name EMOTION - current location - WiFi name ssid: Emotion-Guest. Looking forward to your login ;)

I have a 20 megawatt Tesla coil shoved into my back yard, so all one needs is a matching coil to receive the transmissions.   

ok i don't really, but it would work..  it proved during his testing out in Colorado.. if he had only been allowed to finish Wardenclyffe.  the world might be a different place today. But no, cant get in the way of the people with money.. nope. Short sighted ****. 

 

 

Well idea guy. If for some reason you end up close to my boat. I am currently located in Turkey.  

Hello all.. I'm far to young to have participated in this BBS stuff being discussed here, but i hope I'm still welcome to be here. It seems like a few of you here are fun to be around.

Heh, so am I ;)

Sat Apr 19 2025 13:55:25 UTC from ZoeGraystone Subject: Hello!

Hello all.. I'm far to young to have participated in this BBS stuff being discussed here

i suspect if i was around then, i would have been involved. 

Sat Apr 19 2025 15:59:13 UTC from IGnatius T Foobar Subject: Re: Hello!

Hello all.. I'm far to young to have participated in this BBS
stuff being discussed here, but i hope I'm still welcome to be

You are quite welcome here! Our community is made up of people from all walks of life. That's what makes it fun.

Not sure i'm THAT young, but that is good. 

:)

Darn, emoticons don't work here at the moment? 

That is too bad. its 2025..They are part of society, for better or worse.

Sun Apr 20 2025 13:32:40 UTC from ZoeGraystone Subject: Re: Hello!

Not sure i'm THAT young, but that is good. 

 

:)

They are "old school" emoticons ;)

Sun Apr 20 2025 13:33:25 UTC from ZoeGraystone Subject: Re: Hello!

Darn, emoticons don't work here at the moment? 

That is too bad. its 2025..They are part of society, for better or worse.

Sun Apr 20 2025 13:32:40 UTC from ZoeGraystone Subject: Re: Hello!

Not sure i'm THAT young, but that is good. 

 

:)

 

Happy Ostara  !

And on a lighter note, hope everyone had a wonderful Ostara today.   Man, chocolate eggs have skyrocketed, even more than real ones..

In this case i don't think that will help much.  Chocolate in general has gone thru the roof.  It was insane last time i was up in town getting supplies. ( and passed on getting any )

Mon Apr 21 2025 18:46:00 UTC from darknetuser Subject: Beat the system

Beat the system. Buy chocolate eggs of season. Buy something else while people is buying chocolate eggs like crazy.