[Nfb-web] Web Articles for Braille Monitor

Sat Jul 21 11:02:08 CDT 2007

Hi...

Wow! I remember those days of BBS systgems. Used to run one myself back in
90-93 before I stopped for a while. The main one I remember was called
renegade bbs. You could download it for free and them make some changes to
it. I also remember being a part of the WWIV network (I think thats what it
was called). Hmmm or was it something else? One of my boards was ran on an
IBM compatible computer (that's what they were called back then) and another
one I had that ran on a C64 for a while and then on a C128. I remember one
of the networks I was on spaned Canada, the US and Mexico. So, to get forum
posts and messages from the north part of Canada to me at the time
(Michigan), took about 1-2 weeks. They wanted to save money on the BBS
owners, so they had the originating BBS making the transfer call dial the
closest one on the network, and so on until it got to its final place. I
also remember that for a network load of 1000 posts/files and stuff, for a
300bps modem took around 2 hours to transfer (about 400k worth of data).
What a dinosaur!! I now have DSL that goes 1536k and that is considered slow
now a days? how fast to me! grin!

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-web-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-web-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of crichardson at nfbny.org
Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2007 11:47 AM
To: NFB Webmaster's List
Subject: Re: [Nfb-web] Web Articles for Braille Monitor

BBS were not always on any kind of network.  They were basically a single 
computer running whatever brand BBS software.  Most only had one phone line 
which meant for a lot of redialing to get into a system.  Once on you could 
read public messages, send emails to users on that system, yes, just that 
one computer, play some online games and download files.

A system like WWIV started to assign network numbers to its systems and had 
to be registered to Wayne Bell's computer to be put into the network.  Then 
at night mainly when users were less likely to be using the systems, the BBS

would call out to other systems and transfer emails.  Some would be incoming

to your own system, or just passing through to another on the system.

Unlike nowadays were someone would receive an email in minutes of me sending

it, it sometimes took 1 to 3 days for an email to be received through the 
early BBS networks.  I believe David used Telnet work NFBNET and he could 
probably tell you any differences in that system.

What became more like the internet we know today and was the beginning of 
the end for BBS was the online services, like CompuServe and Genie.  I use 
to have an account on Genie, which stood for General Electric network for 
information Exchange.  Along with it's many public message boards you could 
send messages to people around the country in minutes, but not from Genie to

CompuServe.  Online shopping was first introduced in these systems also.

later on CompuServe and AOL became internet service providers and a lot of 
their services became moot as they became a part of the internet.

Gosh, this makes me feel like a computer dinosaur, but what's worse is I 
have written programs on Holarith cards.  No, not some digital memory cards,

but paper keypunch cards.  Also not having a keypunch machine we use to use 
a guide and blacken out the parts of the card that would be punched with a 
number 2 pencil, kind of like the lottery game cards nowadays.  You know 
what it was like to almost know the ASCII value for every character on the 
keyboards of today and for output I knew a lot of special characters above 
the 127 value for formatting documents.

We just forget sometimes how much easier it is today.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Donahue" <pdonahue1 at sbcglobal.net>
To: "NFB Webmaster's List" <nfb-web at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 7:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-web] Web Articles for Braille Monitor

> Hello everyone,
>
>    Can you please explain how BBS'S differed from the Internet? 
> Although
> it
> may not have been a part of the Internet as we now know it the NFB Net BBS
> opened possibilities for members and others interested in our work to
> communicate with each other and to exchange information electronically. I
> could use a refresher on this subject to ensure that what I write is
> accurate.
>
>    Peter Donahue who prefers to get it right the first time to avoid 
> informational gotcha's!
>
> Peter Donahue
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <crichardson at nfbny.org>
> To: "NFB Webmaster's List" <nfb-web at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 5:00 PM
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-web] Web Articles for Braille Monitor
>
>
> I hate to disagree, but BBS were not a part of the net.  Not the 
> internet anyway.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Peter Donahue" <pdonahue1 at sbcglobal.net>
> To: "NFB Webmaster's List" <nfb-web at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 4:10 PM
> Subject: Re: [Nfb-web] Web Articles for Braille Monitor
>
>
>> Hello Gary and listers,
>>
>>    I began writing what I hope will become the first article in this 
>> series last night. Perhaps the best place to begin the series is to 
>> review a brief
>> history of the development of the Internet and its use by the NFB. I
>> believe
>> the NFB Net BBS was our earliest use of the net. Also does anyone 
>> remember
>> the years our national Web site was launched and when NFB Net was
>> converted
>> from a BBS to a Web Site? Dave does the BBS still operate or has it 
>> become
>> a
>> part of NFB and Internet History?
>>
>>    Beginning in this way would be a good, "Jumping-off point" for 
>> launching the series. In addition to encouraging more folks to become 
>> tech savvy, the
>> series should also serve to familliarize members with the work of our
>> Webmasters Group. I'll write the first article to launch the series and
>> will
>> post a draft here when it's finished. We can then decide who wants to
>> write
>> the next one in the series. Gary since you're our fearless leader perhaps
>> you could do an article that discusses the work of our Webmasters group
>> and
>> the services we offer to affiliates to help them establish or enhance
>> their
>> Internet presence. As I said I wish I could have brought this idea up
>> during
>> our meeting in Atlanta.
>>
>> Peter Donahue
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Wunder, Gary" <WunderG at health.missouri.edu>
>> To: "NFB Webmaster's List" <nfb-web at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, July 20, 2007 10:16 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Nfb-web] Web Articles for Braille Monitor
>>
>>
>> I think this is a good idea. We'll need to write in a way which 
>> encourages people who are not technically inclined to take on some of 
>> the things we find most beneficial.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfb-web-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-web-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
>> On Behalf Of Peter Donahue
>> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 5:09 PM
>> To: nfb-web at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [Nfb-web] Web Articles for Braille Monitor
>>
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>>    Here's hoping those who attended this year's national convention 
>> had a great time as Mary and I did. We had another great Webmasters 
>> Seminar and I
>> was privileged to be one of the presenters. I thought the topics were
>> informative, and was pleased to hear about the template being created
>> for
>> our state affiliates.
>>
>>        There's an idea I forgot to bring up, but didn't and whish I 
>> had thought of it so we could discuss it during the meeting. Given 
>> all of the discussion and questions folks have about how the Internet 
>> can be utilized
>> to spread the federation's message I was going to bring up the idea of
>> some
>> of us writing a series of articles for the Braille Monitor explaining
>> the
>> nature of the Internet, and the different facilities the net affords us
>> to
>> spread our message and philosophy about blindness. While many members
>> are
>> aware of our use of the Internet they're not acquainted with how it
>> works,
>> and how best such facilities as e-mail, discussion groups, Web Sites,
>> podcasts, and of course everyone's favorite subject audio streaming
>> work,
>> what's involved in operating them, and which of these net communication
>> methods are best for different communications needs among members, local
>> chapters, and other affiliates.
>>
>>    I find that many folks are aware of our use of the Internet, but 
>> they don't quite understand how it all works. I'd like to suggest 
>> that we write a
>> series of articles dealing with various aspects of the Internet for
>> publication in The Braille Monitor to inform members of what the
>> Internet
>> is, what means of information sharing are available to the NFB via the
>> Net,
>> and how we can best utilize these facilities to spread our message, and
>> to
>> grow and build the federation. I wish I thought to bring this idea up
>> during
>> the meeting so we could discuss it, and to perhaps formulate a plan
>> where in
>> each one of us could write an article discussing one particular aspect
>> of
>> the Internet, and how to create and use its variety of communications
>> tools
>> to our advantage. I'll be interested in hearing feedback concerning this
>> idea.
>>
>> Peter Donahue
>>
>> "I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten"
>> Joel 2-25
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Nfb-web mailing list
>> Nfb-web at nfbnet.org http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-web
>> _______________________________________________
>> Nfb-web mailing list
>> Nfb-web at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-web
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Nfb-web mailing list
>> Nfb-web at nfbnet.org http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-web
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nfb-web mailing list
> Nfb-web at nfbnet.org http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-web
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nfb-web mailing list
> Nfb-web at nfbnet.org http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-web
> 

_______________________________________________
Nfb-web mailing list
Nfb-web at nfbnet.org http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-web