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The more things change, the more they
stay the same. Quality and Quantity are the things that
really change. When I started calling the BBS, I thought
it was this huge computer in some big room where the high
guru of computers sat in his big chair controlling
everything that happened in the world. I know others who
have had this same thought. I was literally startled when
I saw it for the first time. Just a little thing sitting
in the corner with nothing more than a monitor, keyboard,
and modem connected. The sysop was no longer bigger than
life, not much different from anyone else, and was just
interested in computers. The BBS was nothing more than a
program and a modem. A web page is nothing more than a
text file that is sent over communications lines to your
browser. Today web sites just about replace the BBS. A web site can be located on big computers in big rooms with high gurus running them… AND a web site could work on YOUR computer too. With a BBS you could get the latest printer drivers or text formatting program, and the files could have been released just last week (more often it was a few months ago). Today a trip to the web page of the developer can net a driver that was released just 10 minutes ago. Messaging, a big part of a BBS (where valuable information is passed along), is now replaced by Usenet newsgroups. Games, a big portion of BBS doors, can now be found everywhere. Some support hundreds of people playing at once. All of the functions of a BBS are replaced. Chat, messaging, games, files, bulletins, e-mail, and even individual color preferences are handled on the "net" (or by your browser). "How do I go to the FILES area of your BBS, I use O-A-5 on my favorite BBS?" is a question I was asked once. The answer was "F" on our system but the question highlights something. Today a "link" is a link. You move the mouse and push a button. Just like the BBS 'How do I' question, though, someone probably told you that a colored underline was a link. Today links work the same from site to site. Quality. A fidonet message area usually contained some off-topic messages such as which side of the bay was better. Today it is just as common to see messages titled 'Windows Lockups' while the contents are about what color a particular beer label had before it changed. Quantity. With a BBS there was a sense of community, you knew most of the people visiting. Today the Internet covers the world. It seems a little less intimate but you have access to more information than anyone could handle in a lifetime. End of an ERA? I don't think so….it just looks a little different. u |